How great, how very great, the gulf that separateth Us from
them who, in this Day, are occupied with their evil passions, and have set
their hopes on the things of the earth and its fleeting glory! Many a time hath
the court of the All-Merciful been to outward seeming so denuded of the riches
of this world that they who lived in close association with Him suffered from
dire want. Despite their sufferings, the Pen of the Most High hath, at no time,
been willing to refer, nor even to make the slightest allusion, to the things
that pertain to this world and its treasures. And if, at any time, any gift
were presented to Him, that gift was accepted as a token of His grace unto him
that offered it. Should it ever please Us to appropriate to Our own use all the
treasures of the earth, to none is given the right to question Our authority,
or to challenge Our right. It would be impossible to conceive any act more
contemptible than soliciting, in the name of the one true God, the riches which
men possess.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
