Fourth Reflection

Fourth Reflection on Sacred Words Nader Saiedi

Baha’u’llah writes: They that are endued with sincerity and faithfulness should associate with all the peoples and kindreds of the earth with joy and radiance, inasmuch as consorting with people hath promoted and will continue to promote unity and concord, which in turn are conducive to the maintenance of order in the world and to the regeneration of nations . (Second Taraz, Tablet of Baha’u’llah) One of the most central words frequently emphasized in the writings of Baha’u’llah is Mu’ashirat. This word is translated by Shoghi Effendi as associating, consorting and mingling with others. Linguistically, the term implies frequent and intimate interaction, friendship, companionship and relation with others. In fact, one can say that the distinguishing feature of a Baha’i culture is this culture of friendly interaction and communication with all humanity. In his writings, Baha’u’llah defines this in conjunction with a series of his other teachings that are necessary to lead to the unity of humankind. examples include, the prohibition of holy wars, rejecting the idea of the impurity of other religions or social groups, the permission to read the writings of other religions, and abrogation of the idea of avoiding members of other religions or groups. The centrality of the maxim of Baha’u’llah, ” Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship, ” can be noted from these words of Baha’u’llah where he defines this principle as the solution to all kinds of dissensions and divisions: We have erewhile declared—and Our Word is the truth—: “Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship.” Whatsoever hath led the children of men to shun one another, and hath caused dissensions and divisions amongst them, hath, through the revelation of these words, been In one of his writings, after discussing the past traditions of “ the burning of books and the killing of people, and the prohibition of unity and fellowship between certain races and classes ” he states: Unity and fellowship, however, are the greatest means for the advancement of mankind and the development of nations . (Logos and Civilizations, p. 304) One can note the immediate implications of these words of Baha’u’llah. The imperative of universal fellowship and interaction is directly related to prohibition of murder of others. Modern sociology and psychology have demonstrated that social murder is the precondition of the physical murder and genocide of other groups. Social murder means that we avoid interaction, communication, friendship and association with a certain group of people. Once humans cut off communication with a group, they can easily construct a monstrous image of the other, and that dehumanization would make it very easy to actually kill the others. It is difficult to kill a person, but it is easy or virtuous to kill a disease, a monster, a thing. Baha’u’llah’s imperative prevents otherization of various groups which in turn leads to mass discrimination and genocide. nullified and abolished. (Tablet of the World) Preventing Otherization of Other Groups

From Baha’u’llah to Durkheim But for Baha’u’llah, the imperative of universal social interaction goes much beyond preventing otherization. In the above quote he defines consorting with all people as “ the greatest means for the advancement of mankind and the development of nations .” In this viewpoint, frequent and friendly interaction is the main cause of social dynamics and social progress. Likewise, In the statement quoted at the beginning of this paper, association with others is defined by Baha’u’llah as the cause of social unity which, in turn, causes social order. Decades after Baha’u’llah’s pronouncements, the great French sociologist Durkheim noted the significance of frequent social interaction, and made it the heart of his entire sociological theory. The wisdom of Baha’u’llah can be better appreciated through reading the writings of Emile Durkheim. Emile Durkheim is one of the three greatest social theorists of all times. However, the attractive complexity of his theories is yet to be appreciated. In his works the most important sociological idea is one of sociation or intense interaction with others. Durkheim believes that social order is based upon the emergence of social solidarity among the members of the society. This collective consciousness/conscience of society is the main foundation of social order. Order is product of unity in norms and values among the members of society, namely social solidarity. But what creates solidarity, morality and unity is intense frequent interactions among the members of society. According to Durkheim, morality is not product of intellectual preaching of morality. Instead, morality is produced through intimate and frequent interaction and fellowship with others. It is this frequent interaction that binds individuals to each other and unites individual to society. It is through interactions that individuals can transcend the boundaries of their individual self and develop a sense of empathy, sympathy, unity, and solidarity with others. The creative insight of Durkheim is already present in the words of Baha’u’llah: consorting with people hath promoted and will continue to promote unity and concord, which in turn are conducive to the maintenance of order in the world. That is why Baha’u’llah sees his imperative of intimate and frequent interaction with all others as the ultimate solution to social conflict and enmity in the world. Universal Consorting as the Essence of Baha’i Worldview The question of friendly and loving interaction with all others is a product of the Baha’i metaphysics of unity. In a typical statement, Baha’u’llah relates this imperative of mingling with others to his mystical notion of the purification of heart, the consciousness that all are dwelling in one world and the fact that all are created by the same divine word: Illumine and hallow your hearts; let them not be profaned by the thorns of hate or the thistles of malice. Ye dwell in one world, and have been created through the operation of one Will. Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost kindliness and love . (Gleanings CLVI) Baha’u’llah’s abrogation of avoiding, hating, discriminating, and killing of other groups is conceptually based upon his pronouncement on the first day of Ridvan (April 21, 1863), the day he unveiled his inner secret. Among the three statements announced by Baha’u’llah on that day was this mighty word: the one true God, exalted be His Glory, at that very moment shed the splendours of all His Names upon the whole creation . What Baha’u’llah affirmed is that from that day all beings are directly reflections of divine names and attributes. That is why the truth of all beings-divine attributes-which was hidden up to

that moment, is now the very manifest reality of all beings. All reality must be reconstructed so that the inner beauty and glory of all beings will be manifested. The new regulating principle of the new world is the beauty and sanctity of all people and all beings. In his Most holy Book, Baha’u’llah referred to this statement on the Day of Ridvan, and stated that through that revelation, all being and all people have been immersed in the sea of purity. Therefore, no category of people can be perceived as impure, polluting or polluted. Immediately after that Baha’u’llah derives the necessity of consorting with all people of the earth from the idea of purity and sanctity of all beings. But the principle of friendly interaction is the heart of almost all his teachings. For Baha’u’llah this intense interaction should be the basis of the sanctity of the institution of family as the building block of morality and social solidarity. Yet, this strong loving, interacting family is the occasion for learning solidarity with the entire human race. Baha’u’llah extends solidarity to more than one’s own society. For him, the entire world has become one family. That is why, in his Most Holy Book he defines the realization of universal auxiliary language in the world, which makes communication and interaction among all people possible, as the sign of the maturation of humanity. The imperative of consultation and democracy are also inseparable from his idea of consorting, associating, mingling with others in a spirit of love and friendliness. Conclusion We need to interact in friendship with all groups of the people because we are all created by the same God, and all are beautiful reflections of divine attributes. In addition, the world has arrived at a new stage of its development when the entire humanity has become one. In the middle of 19 th century, the Persian prophet announced that the greatest cause of unity, morality, solidarity, order, and development of the world is intimate and frequent interaction, association, consorting and communication with others. Such principle rejects both the impurity and avoidance of others, and the postmodern encouragement of being within one’s own group. Instead of the postmodern idea that reduces identity to issues like race, nationality, gender and language advocating the impossibility of communication with other groups, the entire Baha’i Faith is an affirmation of the primordial unity of all human beings. Diversity is beautiful when it becomes an occasion for interaction and communication. A diversity of mutual alienation, avoidance and hatred must be replaced with Baha’u’llah’s new sacred concept: Unity in diversity.