We exhort the loved ones of God to observe justice and
fairness, and to do that which would prompt the friends of God to evince tender
mercy and compassion towards each other. 
...every branch of learning, conjoined with the love of God,
is approved and worthy of praise; but bereft of His love, learning is barren —
indeed, it bringeth on madness. Every kind of knowledge, every science, is as a
tree: if the fruit of it be the love of God, then is it a blessed tree, but if
not, that tree is but dried-up wood, and shall only feed the fire.
... If between the friends true love - based on the love of
God - could become manifest, the Cause would spread very rapidly. Love is the
standard which must govern the conduct of one believer towards another. The
administrative order does not change this, but unfortunately sometimes the
friends confuse the two, and try to be a whole spiritual assembly, - with the
discipline and justice and impartiality that body must show, - to each other,
instead of being forgiving, loving and patient to each other as individuals.
It is better to guide one soul than to possess all that is
on earth, for as long as that guided soul is under the shadow of the Tree of
Divine Unity, he and the one who hath guided him will both be recipients of
God's tender mercy, whereas possession of earthly things will cease at the time
of death. The path to guidance is one of love and compassion, not of force and
coercion. This hath been God's method in the past, and shall continue to be in
the future! He causeth him whom He pleaseth to enter the shadow of His Mercy.
Verily, He is the Supreme Protector, the All-Generous.
Under all conditions, whether in adversity or at ease,
whether honoured or afflicted, this Wronged One hath directed all men to show
forth love, affection, compassion and harmony.
I desire distinction for you. The Bahá’ís must be
distinguished from others of humanity. But this distinction must not depend upon
wealth—that they should become more affluent than other people. I do not desire
for you financial distinction. It is not an ordinary distinction I desire; not
scientific, commercial, industrial distinction. For you I desire spiritual
distinction—that is, you must become eminent and distinguished in morals. In
the love of God you must become distinguished from all else. You must become
distinguished for loving humanity, for unity and accord, for love and justice.
In brief, you must become distinguished in all the virtues of the human
world—for faithfulness and sincerity, for justice and fidelity, for firmness
and steadfastness, for philanthropic deeds and service to the human world, for
love toward every human being, for unity and accord with all people, for
removing prejudices and promoting international peace. Finally, you must become
distinguished for heavenly illumination and for acquiring the bestowals of God.
I desire this distinction for you. This must be the point of distinction among
you.
Among the teachings of Baha'u'llah is one requiring man, under
all conditions and circumstances, to be forgiving, to love his enemy and to
consider an ill-wisher as a well-wisher. Not that he should consider one as
being an enemy and then put up with him, or to simply endure him, or to
consider one as inimical and be forbearing toward him. This is declared to be
hypocrisy. This love is not real. Nay, rather, you must see your enemies as
friends, ill-wishers as well wishers and treat them accordingly. That is to
say, your love and kindness must be real. Your well-wishing must be reality,
not merely forbearance, for forbearance, if not of the heart, is hypocrisy. The
people of Reality will not accept it.
…there is a distinction drawn in the Faith between the
attitudes which should characterize individuals in their relationship to other
people, namely, loving forgiveness, forbearance, and concern with one's own
sins, not the sins of others, and those attitudes which should be shown by the
Spiritual Assemblies, whose duty is to administer the law of God with justice.
We are forbidden to confess to any person, as do the
Catholics to their priests, our sins and shortcomings, or to do so in public,
as some religious sects do. However, if we spontaneously desire to acknowledge
we have been wrong in something, or that we have some fault of character, and
ask another person's forgiveness or pardon, we are quite free to do so. The
Guardian wants to point out, however, that we are not obliged to do so. It
rests entirely with the individual.
All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing
civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the
field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance,
mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of
the earth.
In the Tablet of Visitation He saith: "I beseech God,
by Thee and by them whose faces have been illumined with the splendours of the
light of Thy countenance, and who, for love of Thee, have observed all
whereunto they were bidden." He declareth that observance of the commands
of God deriveth from love for the beauty of the Best-Beloved. The seeker, when
immersed in the ocean of the love of God, will be moved by intense longing and
will arise to carry out the laws of God. Thus, it is impossible that a heart which
containeth the fragrance of God's love should yet fail to worship Him, except
under conditions when such an action would agitate the enemies and stir up
dissension and mischief. Otherwise, a lover of the Abhá Beauty will assuredly
and continually demonstrate perseverance in the worship of the Lord.