Our dear brother who is so immersed all his life in studies on the Covenant in the Baha'i Faith has written a most stirring and thought provoking and to some extent worrying essay below:
Of course I cannot ut agree with its proofs and evidences. Just a brief account of some verses and thoughts from the Holy Qur'an and hadith here is all I add to give evidence that in Islam too disease of heart [spiritually] is very important **** 10 In their hearts is a disease, and God increaseth their disease. A painful doom is theirs because they lie. (The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 2 - The Cow) 52 And thou seest those in whose heart is a disease race toward them, saying: We fear lest a change of fortune befall us. And it may happen that God will vouchsafe (unto thee) the victory, or a commandment from His presence. Then will they repent them of their secret thoughts. (The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 5 - The Food) 125 But as for those in whose hearts is disease, it only addeth wickedness to their wickedness, and they die while they are disbelievers. (The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 9 - Repentance) 53 That He may make that which the devil proposeth a temptation for those in whose hearts is a disease, and those whose hearts are hardened - Lo! the evil-doers are in open schism - 54 And that those who have been given knowledge may know that it is the truth from thy Lord, so that they may believe therein and their hearts may submit humbly unto Him. Lo! God verily is guiding those who believe unto a right path. w (The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 22 - The Pilgrimage) 50 Is there in their hearts a disease, or have they doubts, or fear they lest God and His messenger should wrong them in judgment ? Nay, but such are evil-doers. (The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 24 - The Light) 12 And when the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease, were saying: God and His messenger promised us naught but delusion. (The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 33 - The Allies) Education must be considered as most important, for as diseases in the world of bodies are extremely contagious, so, in the same way, qualities of spirit and heart are extremely contagious. Education has a universal influence, and the differences caused by it are very great. 261 (Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 260) Strive ye then with all your heart to treat compassionately all humankind -- except for those who have some selfish, private motive, or some disease of the soul. Kindness cannot be shown the tyrant, the deceiver, or the thief, because, far from awakening them to the error of their ways, it maketh them to continue in their perversity as before. No matter how much kindliness ye may expend upon the liar, he will but lie the more, for he believeth you to be deceived, while ye understand him but too well, and only remain silent out of your extreme compassion. (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 158) As to those who reject faith, it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe. God hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a veil; Great is the penalty they (incur). Of the people there are some who say: “We believe in God and the Last Day; But they do not (really) believe. Fain would they deceive God and those who believe, but they only deceive themselves, and realise (it) not! In their hearts is a disease; and God has increased their disease: And grievous is the penalty they (incur), because they are false (to themselves). (Qur'an 2:6-10) I was struck by the directness of the warning of awesome suffering awaiting the hearts that are sealed. I was taken aback by the notion of the disease in the heart that will be increased because of a life of persistent deceit. The impact of the warning was so sudden and real. I began to fear the consequences that a non-believer or liar might face in the hereafter. A question then arose. Is it possible that such suffering and disease be experienced physically in this life? In other words, can an act of disbelief and persistent lying result in physical ailment and suffering of the body? http://www.islamic-paths.org/Home/English/Issues/Faith_Belief/Faith_Health.htm Three Types of People The ancients were aware of the spiritual diseases of the heart, and this is certainly at the essence of the Islamic teaching. One of the first things the Quran does is define three types of people: the mu'minun, the kafirun, and the munafiqun. The mu'minun are people whose hearts are alive while the kafirun are people whose hearts are dead. The munafiqun are people who have a disease or a sickness in their hearts; thus, God says, "In their hearts is a disease, and they were increased in their disease." This is also in accordance with another verse: "When their hearts deviated, God made them deviate further." When somebody turns away from God, God causes them to deviate even further from the truth. http://www.zaytuna.org/specials/alchemy1.html With unswerving vision, with pure heart, and sanctified spirit, consider attentively what God hath established as the testimony of guidance for His people in His Book, which is recognized as authentic by both the high and lowly (Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Iqan, Page: 202) Blind thine eyes, that is, to all save My beauty; stop thine ears to all save My word; empty thyself of all learning save the knowledge of Me; that with a clear vision, a pure heart and an attentive ear thou mayest enter the court of My holiness. (Baha'u'llah: Persian Hidden Words, Page: 11) Every receptive soul who hath in this Day inhaled the fragrance of His garment and hath, with a pure heart, set his face towards the all-glorious Horizon is reckoned among the people of Baha in the Crimson Book. (Baha'u'llah: Tablets of Baha'u'llah, Page: 220) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brent Poirier" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Baha'i Studies" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: 05 August 2003 05:55 Subject: Re: Spiritual disease > > Both the Baha'i Faith and Islam discuss the idea of a spiritual disease > > and there appears to be more than one sort). But what is a spiritual dis > > ease really? Is it some sort of imbalance? Is it an invasion by a spiri > > tual organism? What? > > Best Regards, > > Matt > > As you indicate, just like there are different kinds of physical diseases > there are different kinds of spiritual diseases. Some are due to an > imbalance, and some to invasion in the sense of contagion. I think that > the contagion is one of attitude, and not one of a spiritual organism in > the sense of a being. That seems more in keeping with the Writings, which > reject any sense of possession. > > The Master said in one of His addresses: > > "Every soul who lives according to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh is free > from the ailments and indispositions which prevail throughout the world of > humanity; otherwise, selfish disorders, intellectual maladies, spiritual > sicknesses, imperfections and vices will surround him... " > (The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 204) > > What that quote does is place illness in proper context: Against the > backdrop of spiritual health. It is difficult to understand or see > disease, unless you know what is supposed to be there. We may well not > even know what spiritual diseases we avoid, as we comply with the laws of > the Aqdas, reciting our obligatory prayers, performing our ablutions, > paying the Right of God ... > > As far as contagious spiritual disease, we have this description, only a > part of which I am quoting here, from one who saw it at all too close a > range: > > "It is difficult for those who have neither experienced what this disease > is, nor devoted any consideration to the subject, to grasp the reality of > the power for destruction it possesses. All the members of the family of > Bahá'u'lláh grew up in the shadow of Covenant-breaking. The storms, > separations, reconciliations, final sundering of ties, which are involved > when a close, distinguished and often dear relative is dying spiritually > of a spiritual disease, are inconceivable to one who has not experienced > them. The weakness of the human heart, which so often attaches itself to > an unworthy object, the weakness of the human mind, prone to conceit and > self-assurance in personal opinions, involve people in a welter of > emotions that blind their judgment and lead them far astray. In the East, > where the sense of family to this day is still strongly clannish, its > members cling to each other much more intensely than in the West. No > matter what Yahya had done there was a lingering feeling in the family > that, after all, some reason must be on his side, not all justification in > a "family matter" was necessarily on Bahá'u'lláh's side. One can readily > see that if even the faintest trace of such an attitude existed amongst > members of Bahá'u'lláh's own family the children would not grow up to see > Covenant-breaking in its true proportions. The flaw would be there, the > most dangerous of all human doubts, that after all the Perfect One might > not under all circumstances be perfect, but sometimes just a little prone > to error in judging others. When this doubt enters the germs are present > in one's own system, perhaps to lie dormant forever, perhaps to flare up > into disease." > (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 121) > > She then draws a dramatic parallel to the last stages of grave physical > disease: > > "But when year after year a house is torn by heart-breaking emotions, > shaken by scenes that leave one's brain numb, one's nerves decimated and > one's feelings in a turmoil, it is not simple, it is just plain hell. > Before a patient lies on the operating table and the offending part is > removed there is a long process of delay, of therapeutic effort to remedy > the disease, of hope for recovery. So it is with Covenant-breaking; the > taint is detected; warning, remonstrance, advice follow; it seems better; > it breaks out again, worse than before; convulsive situations arise - > repentance, forgiveness follow - and then all over again, the same thing, > worse than before, recommences." > (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 122) > > I have only been in the presence of a devoted Covenant-breaker one time. > At the time I was a Protection Board member, and I spoke for a time with a > follower of Leland Jensen. He seemed to me to be the most confused person > I ever met. I had a sense that someone had taken a dictionary, cut out > all the words, then used an egg-beater and mixed them up thoroughly, and > put them back into this young boy's brain. It was not illogic in his > statements; it was in his spirit. > > At the same time I came away with a sense that between the lines of > illogic, there was a powerful disease, and one should treat it with as > much respect as, say, that Australian fellow who picks up deadly snakes on > TV. > > Finally, I want to take this opportunity to pick up on something Ruhiyyih > Khanum mentions above -- when she speaks of removing the offending part. > > Three months ago a young hiker named Aron Ralston was hiking in the Utah > wilderness. A boulder rolled and trapped his right hand, pinning him > hopelessly. After four days he figured out how to free himself: Break > both of the bones in his forearm, then use his pocketknife to sever his > forearm. He did so, then calmly walked out of the canyon, and is now in > good health -- minus his right hand and wrist. > > I was reminded of the words of Christ in the Gospel: > > "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee. For > it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not > that thy whole body should be cast into hell." (Matthew 5:30) > > This verse, and its twin, in which Christ says to pluck out your right eye > if it offends (misleads) you, I had never understood -- not until I read > the Master's Last Tablet to America. In that Tablet He warns the > believers repeatedly to shun the Covenant-breakers, and explains how He > and Baha'u'llah had cast them out of the Cause. The Master then (Baha'i > World Faith, p. 432) quotes the above verse from the Gospel of Matthew, > and explains that this refers to cutting off a member of the body of the > Cause -- not a part of the human body. > > Then it became clear. Often Baha'u'llah praises the truly learned person > as an "eye" to the body of humanity (ESW 83, Tablets 208). He, and His > Successors, designated believers as "Hands" of the Cause. These are > crucial organs in the human body -- the eye and the hand. They aid in the > development and function of the human being. And yet -- if they threaten > the life of the organism they should be plucked out and cut off. This is > what happened when the Hand Remey was severed, and when the "eyes", > scholars like Sohrab and Avarih and Ruhi Afnan, were plucked out. > > This young man, Aron Ralston, showed a vivid example of how hesitant one > is to take this step; how painful it is; yet ultimately, how liberating. > > Brent ---------- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
