I swear by Him Who is Our Beloved and your Beloved, that if
one's life be not offered up in His path, it would not be worth even as much as
a mustard seed, and if one's inmost being were not laid down at His feet, it
would appear more abject and insignificant than a pebble. However, none but the
divine Assayers are able to recognize this gem. In truth, when bereft of
vision, what advantage would one gain by entering into the all-highest
Paradise? If destitute of hearing, what can one perceive by drawing close unto
the celestial Tree of Blessedness? The Assayers of these priceless gems are
such souls unto whom the following tribute is paid: 'They that speak not till
He hath spoken and act according to His commandment.' Likewise He saith: 'They whom neither merchandise nor traffic beguile from the remembrance
of the Almighty.'
- Baha’u’llah (Compilation: ‘Fire and Light’, prepared by the Research Department of the
Universal House of Justice; The Baha’i World 1979-1983)
