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Justice
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Pages 134-135
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Justice
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In the little book of Hidden Words, in which Bahá'u'lláh
gives in brief the essence of the prophetic teachings, His first
counsel refers to the individual life: "Possess a pure, kindly
and radiant heart." The next indicates the fundamental principle
of true social life: --
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O Son of Spirit!
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The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice;
turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect
it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see
with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others,
and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through
the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart;
how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to
thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it hten before
thine eyes.
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The first essential of social life is that individuals should become
capable of discerning the true from the false and right
from wrong, and of seeing things in their true proportions. The
greatest cause of spiritual and social blindness, and the greatest
foe of social progress, is selfishness. Bahá'u'lláh says: --
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O ye sons of intelligence! The thin eye lid prevents the
eye from seeing the world and what is contained therein.
Then think of the result when the curtain of greed covers
the sight of the heart!
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O people! The darkness of greed and envy obscures the
light of the soul as the cloud prevents the penetration
of the sun's rays. (Tablet to some Persian Zoroastrian
Bahá'ís).
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Long experience is at last convincing men of the truth of the
prophetic teaching that selfish views and selfish actions inevitably
bring social disaster, and that if humanity is not to perish
ingloriously, each must look on the things of his neighbor as
of equal importance with his own, and subordinate his own
interests to those of humanity as a whole. In this way the
interests of each and all will ultimately be best served.
Bahá'u'lláh says: -- "O son of man! If thine eyes be turned towards
mercy, forsake the things that proft thee, and cleave unto that
which will profit mankind. And if thine eyes be turned towards
justice, choose thou for thy neighbor that which thou choosest
for thyself." -- Words of Paradise.
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