As to thy question regarding the soul: Know thou that among
the people there are numerous treatises and manifold views as to its stations.
Among these are the soul of the kingdom, the soul of the dominion, the
celestial soul, the divine soul, the sanctified soul, as well as the benevolent
soul, the contented soul, the soul pleasing unto God, the inspired soul, the
irascible soul, and the concupiscent soul. Every group hath its own
pronouncements concerning the soul and We are disinclined to dwell upon the
sayings of the past. Verily, with thy Lord is the knowledge of the former and
latter generations. ….
Know that the soul which is common to all men cometh forth
following the commingling of things and after their maturation, as thou dost
observe in the germ: once it hath
developed to its predestined stage, God manifesteth the soul that was latent
within it. Thy Lord, verily, doeth what
He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth.
As to the soul which is intended, in truth it hath been
called forth by the Word of God and is such that, if it be kindled with the
fire of the love of its Lord, neither the waters of opposition nor the oceans
of the world can quench its flame. That soul is indeed a fire ablaze in the
tree of man which proclaimeth: “No God is there but Him!” Whosoever hearkeneth
unto its call is verily of those who have attained unto Him. And when it
casteth off its earthly frame, God shall raise it up again in the most
excellent of forms and cause it to enter a sublime paradise. Thy Lord, of a
certainty, hath power over all things.
Know, furthermore, that the life of man proceedeth from the
spirit, and the spirit turneth to wheresoever the soul directeth it. Ponder
upon that which We have revealed unto thee that thou mayest recognize the Soul
of God which hath appeared above the Dayspring of bounty invested with manifest
sovereignty.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
