How often hath it been observed that certain human minds, far
from being a source of guidance, have become as fetters upon the feet of the
wayfarers and prevented them from treading the straight Path! The lesser
intellect being thus circumscribed, one must search after Him Who is the
ultimate Source of knowledge and strive to recognize Him. And should one come
to acknowledge that Source round Whom every mind doth revolve, then whatsoever
He should ordain is the expression of the dictates of a consummate wisdom. His
very Being, even as the sun, is distinct from all else beside Him. The whole
duty of man is to recognize Him; once this hath been achieved, then whatsoever
He may please to ordain is binding and in full accordance with the requirements
of divine wisdom. Thus have ordinances and prohibitions of every kind been laid
down by the Prophets of the past, even unto the earliest times. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
