The sacred reality enshrined in all religions is the inculcation of spirituality or divine virtues in man like love, kindness, mercy, tolerance and truthfulness in man’s heart. This process draws him nearer to his Creator and contributes towards growth of an ever advancing civilization. The development of virtues should be the guiding principle in the life of every true seeker rather that the quest for miracles.
By what means man one acquire spirituality? How can he obtain merciful gifts and powers? ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says: "First, through the knowledge of God. Second, through the love of God. Third, through faith. Fourth, through philanthropic deeds. Fifth, through self-sacrifice. Sixth, through severance from this world. Seventh, through sanctity and holiness. Unless he acquires these forces and attains to these requirements, he will surely be deprived of the life that is eternal."2 This means we should live the life centred around prayer, reading the Holy Writings every morning and evening, meditation on the Word of God, fasting, performance of one’s duty in the spirit of service, contribution to funds for the welfare of our community and teaching the Cause of God.
Bahá’u’lláh assures us that the remembrance of God is the healer of all our ills and asks us to forget it not.3 Such is the importance of prayer that Bahá’u’lláh has written, "Blessed is the spot and the house, and the place, and the city, and the heart, and the mountain, and the refuge, and the cave, and the valley, and the land, and the sea, and the island, and the meadow where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified."4
One of the prayers revealed by Bahá’u’lláh gives us an idea of God’s infinite mercy and absolute power. He stresses that it is God, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, "…through Whose names the sick are healed and the ailing are restored, and the thirsty are given drink, and the sore-vexed are tranquillized, and the wayward are guided, and the abased are exalted, and the poor are enriched, and the ignorant are enlightened, and the gloomy are illumined, and the sorrowful are cheered, and the chilled are warmed, and the downtrodden are raised up."5 Truly indeed, reliance on prayers and true worship of God is our best insurance against all troubles and travails of this earthly life.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the beloved Master, expresses this beautifully in a prayer He has revealed: "O thou who art turning thy face towards God! Close thine eyes to all things else, and open them to the realm of the All-Glorious. Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him alone; seek whatsoever thou seekest from Him alone. With a look He granteth a hundred thousand hopes, with a glance he health a hundred thousand incurable ills, with a nod He layeth balm on every wound, with a glimpse he freeth the hearts from the shackles of grief. He doeth, as He doeth and what recourse have we? He carrieth out His Will, He ordaineth what He pleaseth. Then better for thee to bow down thy head in submission, and put thy trust in the All-merciful Lord."
Whom else, then, should we approach? What greater assurance do we need? What better miracle should we seek?
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NOTES AND REFERENCES
1. Some Answered Questions, p. 101.
2. Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 226.
3. Bahá’u’lláh, Persian Hidden Words (translated by Shoghi Effendi), No. 32, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, New Delhi, India, 1973, "The healer of all thine ills is remembrance of Me, forget it not…", and the short Healing Prayer "Thy name is my healing, O my God…."
4. Family Life, p. 385.
5. Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations, p. 236.