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The City Of The Covenant
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Throughout the ages the City of God is an expression that has been used to describe the guidance that has come to mankind from the Heaven of Divine Will to refresh and transform the earth of human understanding. Through divine guidance social consciousness has evolved and civilisation has advanced. Bahá’ís believe that a fresh outpouring of God’s Grace has been given to the world through the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith. Early in this century His Son and appointed successor travelled to North America to proclaim the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh to the peoples of the west. Viewed with the eyes of the spirit, Abdu’l-Bahá may be seen in New York inviting mankind to make their home in the City of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh. In His words the New Jerusalem is none other than Divine Civilisation. It is now ready. Humanity would be brought together as one. When Abdu’l-Bahá arrived in 1912, New York was fast becoming a symbol of the modern world. To Him its skyscrapers expressed an aspiration for progress that was typical of the technological age that was coming into being. “Truly it is a wonderful city,” He said, “New York has made such progress in material civilisation, I hope that it may also advance spiritually in the Kingdom and the Covenant of God, I have come for this.” The city that welcomed Abdu’l-Bahá was on the crest of the wave of optimism about the future. In the busy streets the Master saw a thriving society where everyone hurried to work. “New York is a bee hive” He said. At that time a thousand immigrants a day were streaming to the government reception centres on Ellis island. Most were spreading out across the continent to the mills and factories of the American heartland. Many however settled in Manhattan’s lower east side, making it one of the most densely populated areas on earth. To the companions of Abdu’l-Bahá , it must have seemed as if representatives of all humanity were being drawn together in New York to hear His Message. Abdu’l-Bahá was attracted by America’s interest in the cause of world peace. He had come to New York to speak at the Lake Mohawk Conference on international arbitration. He believed that the most momentous question of the day was international peace, that a power was needed to prevent war and to proclaim the oneness of humanity. As the Master arrived, the country was preparing for a federal election. Social reform was becoming a political issue of national dimension. Across the country, wherever the newspapers could reach, reform measures were being discussed. Abdu’l-Bahá was the guest speaker at the Fourth Annual Conference of the NAACP where He shared the platform with Jane Adams, founder of Hull House in Chicago. As He crossed the continent the Master met with the leaders of thought who were actively concerned with the needs of the time. Generally, confidence ran high that remedies for the ills of humankind could be found by advancing science and technology. In ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s view, what was needed to resolve the problems of an emerging global society was the union of scientific and moral development, of material and spiritual civilisation. “Spiritual consciousness is the generating force of human society” He said. Throughout His visit, Abdu’l-Bahá addressed issues familiar to us as the major problems of this century. Since 1912 they have expanded in range and complexity, and demand for social action has become a way of life in our time. Abdu’l-Bahá put the racist attitudes He found rooted in American culture in a global perspective. He warned that until these prejudices are entirely removed from the people of the world humanity will not find rest. He saw problems like the extremes of wealth and poverty created by industrial society in an international context. The solution did not lie in the conflict of capital and labour. Fundamentally, the disease afflicting the body politic is lack of love and altruism. Abdu’l-Bahá favoured the empowerment of women through greater opportunity for education. “Social and political progress will not be possible,” He said, “until man and woman recognise and realise equality.” He called on the nations of the world to create an international tribunal to establish the cause of international peace, because the spirit of the age demands peace. “No power on earth can stand before it” He asserted. In 1912 Abdu’l-Bahá had no illusions about the impending crisis facing humanity. He warned, “The earth is loaded with explosives and deadly instruments. Before long these weapons of hell shall wreck the edifice of mankind. All the bloodshed of the past has been induced through religious or racial prejudice, or political or patriotic bias.” After World War One He wrote, “Movements newly born and world wide in their range will exert their utmost for the advancement of their designs.’’ Many in 1912 saw that war on the continent was inevitable, few however realised the vital importance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s message. It was only in the aftermath of World War One, the unprecedented dislocation of the peoples of Europe together with the world wide economic depression, that the complacency of the western world was shaken. Nevertheless, when the League of Nations was established, Abdu’l-Bahá praised this faltering effort at international agreement as marking the Dawn of the Most Great Peace promised by Bahá’u’lláh. Commemorating His proclamation of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh in 1912, Abdu’l-Bahá called New York the City of the Covenant. To the little band of His followers in America, He explained the truth of His mission. Through the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, a way has been opened for a new relationship between God and humankind in this age. “The Divine Teachings must be sought”, He said, “for They are the remedies for the ills of mankind”. The Power of the Covenant is the axis of the oneness of the world of humanity. Abdu’l-Bahá brought the community together in a feast of unity. He called on the Bahá’ís to promote the cause of unity among the nations of the world. “I desire to make manifest among the friends in America a new light that they may become a new people, that a new foundation may be laid and complete harmony be realised, for the foundation of Bahá’u’lláh is love.” Since ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit a dual process that will ultimately bring about human accord has steadily gained momentum. After the Second World War the nations have taken another step in the political realm toward unifying the planet. On the New York skyline, the United Nations building has joined the Statue of Liberty as the international symbol for mankind’s aspiration toward a new world, based on peace and justice. At the same time, through the guidance of the Bahá’í Teachings, the Bahá’ís brought into existence a global community representative of the diversity of humankind, and established on the most far reaches of the Earth. Its affairs are directed by an internationally elected body as conceived in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and called the Universal House of Justice. As the Revelation of God to our age transforms human consciousness, the political unification of our planet will be seen as a prelude to the fulfilment spoken of a hundred years ago by Bahá’u’lláh. “These fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away and the Most Great Peace shall come.” Questions:
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