Hasan wrote on 8/23:
>Does the suffering of Manifestations caused by a particular group of people
> (religion, sect, etc.) is a real reason which causes suffering to the entire world
> (including innocent people)?
> This quote of the Guardian is related to this issue:
> Islam, at once the progenitor and persecutor of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, is, if
> we read aright the signs of the times, only beginning to sustain the impact of
> this invincible and triumphant Faith. We need only recall the nineteen hundred
> years of abject misery and dispersion which they, who only for the short space
> of three years persecuted the Son of God, have had to endure, and are still
> enduring. We may well ask ourselves, with mingled feelings of dread and awe,
> how severe must be the tribulations of those who, during no less than fifty
> years, have, "at every moment tormented with a fresh torment" Him Who is
> the Father, and who have, in addition, made His Herald--Himself a
> Manifestation of God--to quaff, in such tragic circumstances, the cup of
> martyrdom.
Hasan,
Shoghi Effendi didn't make up this warning. The Guardian only echos the warning made by God Himself in the Qur'an. God says that He is the one who punishes the people after He sends His Messenger. "...nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent an apostle." Qur'an 17:15
"Who receiveth guidance, receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss: No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent an apostle. " Qur'an 17:15 (Yusuf Ali)
Please read the stories of the Prophets in the Old Testament and the Qur'an. A punishment always accompanies their coming. And isn't this one of the definitions of a Messenger, to warn people of an impending disaster?
It seems that this is just the system God uses, and will continue to use, since He says that His method will never change. "...no change wilt thou find in God's way (of dealing): No turning off wilt thou find in God's way (of dealing)." Qur'an 35:43 (Yusuf Ali)
So we know that coupled with the coming of the twin Messengers of God, the Bab and Baha'u'llah, God has sent His punishment, chastisement, and wrath.
Of course, we Baha'is must continuously work to eliminate suffering, war, genocide, and all evil in the world that cause suffering. This is really the ultimate goal of the Baha'i Faith, to bring about the Most Great Peace. "We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations." Baha'u'llah.
Regards,
Hajir
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