’Idál, 18 Asmá’ (Names), 180 B.E.
Reflections on the Life of the Spirit
Quote for Reflection:
O ye beloved of the Lord! Commit not that which defileth the limpid stream of love or destroyeth the sweet fragrance of friendship. By the righteousness of the Lord! Ye were created to show love one to another and not perversity and rancor. Take pride not in love for yourselves but in love for your fellow-creatures. Glory not in love for your country, but in love for all mankind. Let your eye be chaste, your hand faithful, your tongue truthful and your heart enlightened. Abase not the station of the learned in Bahá and belittle not the rank of such rulers as administer justice amidst you. Set your reliance on the army of justice, put on the armor of wisdom, let your adorning be forgiveness and mercy and that which cheereth the hearts of the well-favored of God. — Bahá’u’lláh 1 2
Question for Consideration:
Which of the following statements is true?
A person can be just even if he tells lies.
Someone who steals has a faithful hand.
A faithful hand never touches what does not belong to it.
To look at pornographic material is contrary to Bahá’u’lláh’s counsel to have an eye that is chaste.
Truthfulness means not lying.
Honesty is an ornament of the soul.
A person who is not truthful can progress spiritually. 3
Google Bard Response:
The following statements are true based on the quote from Bahá’u’lláh:
- A faithful hand never touches what does not belong to it.
- To look at pornographic material is contrary to Bahá’u’lláh’s counsel to have an eye that is chaste.
- Truthfulness means not lying.
- Honesty is an ornament of the soul.
The statement “A faithful hand never touches what does not belong to it” is true because a faithful hand is one that is trustworthy and honest. A person who is faithful with his hands will not take something that does not belong to him.
The following statements are false based on the quote from Bahá’u’lláh:
- A person can be just even if he tells lies.
- Someone who steals has a faithful hand.
- A person who is not truthful can progress spiritually.
The statement “A person can be just even if he tells lies” is false because justice is based on truthfulness. A person who tells lies cannot be just, because he is not being truthful in his dealings with others.
The statement “Someone who steals has a faithful hand” is false because a faithful hand is one that does not touch what does not belong to it. A person who steals is not being faithful with his hands, because he is taking something that does not belong to him.
The statement “A person who is not truthful can progress spiritually” is false because truthfulness is essential for spiritual progress. A person who is not truthful is not living in accordance with the divine will, and therefore cannot progress spiritually.
I hope this helps!
- Bahá’u’lláh. Tablets of Baháʾuʾlláh, Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Translated by Habib Taherzadeh. Ebook. Internet Archive: Project Gutenberg, 2005, 104-105. https://archive.org/details/tabletsofbahullh17310gut/page/n113/mode/2up. ↩
- Bahá’u’lláh. Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’í Reference Library. Accessed September 03, 2023. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/tablets-bahaullah/5#855275482. ↩
- Ruhi Institute. Reflections on the Life of the Spirit. 4.1.2.PE May 2020. Vol. Book 1. 6 vols. Embarking on a Path of Service. Cali, Columbia: Ruhi Institute, 2020, 6-7. https://www.ruhi.org/en/walking-a-path-of-service/#RLS ↩
Frameworks for Understanding the World 
All good! Thak you ,Steve
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