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Theological Teachings: The Cause
and Purpose of Suffering; Life After Death
Dr. Moojan Momen
The Cause and Purpose of Suffering
During our lives we inevitably have periods of time when things
are not going well. Whether it be caused by death, poverty, disease, or the actions of
others, suffering is an inevitable consequence of our lives on this earth. There are
periods when nothing seems to go right and every path to happiness is blocked with
insurmountable barriers. Alternatively, we may be struck by suffering on a huge scale
caused by a war or a natural disaster.
Some of our suffering is, of course, the direct result of our own actions: something
that we have done wrong or unwisely. The Bahá'í teachings assert that the universe is
governed by physical, moral and spiritual laws, if we break or go against these laws, we
must expect to suffer the consequences. Thus if we flout the physical laws in the world
and walk in front of a moving car, we must expect to get hurt; similarly, if we go against
the moral laws and act dishonestly, for example, we should not be surprised if we are
punished when this is found out; and if we go against the spiritual laws of the universe
and fail to pray or to detach ourselves from the physical things of this world, for
example, then we must expect to be unhappy and feel discontented.
Our suffering is not, however, always caused by something that we have done. It is
often at such times that we start to wonder about the reason for suffering. The question
is frequently asked as to whether a loving God would allow such suffering.
Bahá'u'lláh says that the whole of this world that we see before us has been created
by God for the education and spiritual development of human beings:
Out of the wastes of nothingness, with the clay of My command I made thee to appear,
and have ordained for thy training every atom in existence and the essence of all created
things. Thus, ere thou didst issue from thy mother's womb, I destined for thee two founts
of gleaming milk, eyes to watch over thee, and hearts to love thee. Out of My
loving-kindness, 'neath the shade of My mercy I nurtured thee, and guarded thee by the
essence of My grace and favour. And My purpose in all this was that thou mightest attain
My everlasting dominion and become worthy of My invisible bestowals.46
Since the whole of creation is for the express purpose of promoting the spiritual
welfare of human beings, it is not surprising to find that the Bahá'í teachings assert
that suffering is also sometimes caused by God for this purpose. Pain, as we have seen, is an inevitable part of
detaching ourselves from the attractions of this physical world. When `Abdu'l-Bahá was
asked: "Does the soul progress more through sorrow or through the joy in this
world?" he replied:
The mind and spirit of man advance when he is tried by suffering. The more the ground
is ploughed the better the seed will grow, the better the harvest will be. Just as the
plough furrows the earth deeply, purifying it of weeds and thistles, so suffering and
tribulation free man from the petty affairs of this worldly life until he arrives at a
state of complete detachment. His attitude in this world will be that of divine happiness.
Man is, so to speak, unripe: the heat of the fire of suffering will mature him. Look back
to the times past and you will find that the greatest men have suffered most . . .
To attain eternal happiness one must suffer. He who has reached the state of
self-sacrifice has true joy. Temporal joy will vanish.47
Therefore Bahá'u'lláh even calls upon us to welcome suffering as an opportunity for
our spiritual development:
My calamity is My providence, outwardly it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly it is
light and mercy. Hasten thereunto that thou mayest become an eternal light and an immortal
spirit. This is My command unto thee, do thou observe it.48
Click here for
a short story from the life of `Abdu'l-Bahá on the subject of suffering |
This does not, however, answer all of the questions regarding suffering. What of those
who die and have no chance to develop through their suffering? What of the suffering of
small children?
As to the subject of babes and infants and weak ones who are afflicted by the hands of
oppressors: This contains great wisdom and this subject is of paramount importance. In
brief, for those souls there is a recompense in another world and many details are
connected with this matter. For those souls that suffering is the greatest mercy of God.
Verily that mercy of the Lord is far better and preferable to all the comfort of this
world and the growth and development of this place of mortality.49
Life After Death
The Bahá'í scriptures confirm the existence of an eternal soul
connected with each human being, although we cannot really understand its nature.
Thou hast asked Me concerning the nature of the soul. Know, verily, that the soul is a
sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp,
and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel. (Bahá'u'lláh)50
The soul cannot be said, however, to reside within the body.
. . . the rational soul, meaning the human spirit, does not descend into the body--that
is to say, it does not enter it, for descent and entrance are characteristics of bodies,
and the rational soul is exempt from this. The spirit never entered this body, so in
quitting it, it will not be in need of an abiding-place: no, the spirit is connected with
the body, as this light is with this mirror. (`Abdu'l-Bahá)51
Our life, therefore, does not end with our death.52
The spiritual reality of the human being, the human soul, continues eternally. It passes
on to another plane of existence. To describe that world, however, is difficult.
The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that
of the child while still in the womb of its mother. When the soul attaineth the Presence
of God, it will assume the form that best befitteth its immortality and is worthy of its
celestial habitation. (Bahá'u'lláh)53
To carry the analogy further, just as it is necessary for the embryo in the womb to
prepare itself for this life, so we must prepare ourselves for the next world.
In the beginning of his human life man was embryonic in the world of the matrix. There
he received capacity and endowment for the reality of human existence. The forces and
powers necessary for this world were bestowed upon him in that limited condition. In this
world he needed eyes; he received them potentially in the other. He needed ears; he
obtained them there in readiness and preparation for his new existence . . .
Therefore, in this world he must prepare himself for the life beyond. That which he
needs in the world of the Kingdom must be obtained here. Just as he prepared himself in
the world of the matrix by acquiring forces necessary in this sphere of existence, so,
likewise, the indispensable forces of the divine existence must be potentially attained in
this world. (`Abdu'l-Bahá)54
And so rather than trying to understand the next world, something that we will never
truly achieve, the individual should be concerned with the question of what are the things
that must be gained in this world in order to be complete and fulfilled in the next.
That world beyond is a world of sanctity and radiance; therefore, it is necessary that
in this world he should acquire these divine attributes. In that world there is need of
spirituality, faith, assurance, the knowledge and love of God. These he must attain in
this world so that after his ascension from the earthly to the heavenly Kingdom he shall
find all that is needful in that eternal life ready for him.
That divine world is manifestly a world of lights; therefore, man has need of
illumination here. That is a world of love; the love of God is essential. It is a world of
perfections; virtues, or perfections, must be acquired. That world is vivified by the
breaths of the Holy Spirit; in this world we must seek them. That is the Kingdom of
everlasting life; it must be attained during this vanishing existence.55
And the means of acquiring these virtues and characteristics are to be found in the
words of `Abdu'l-Bahá.
By what means can man acquire these things? How shall he obtain these merciful gifts
and powers?
- First, through the knowledge of God.
- Second, through the love of God.
- Third, through faith.
- Fourth, through philanthropic deeds.
- Fifth, through self-sacrifice.
- Sixth, through severance from this world.
- Seventh, through sanctity and holiness.
Unless he acquires these forces and attains to these requirements, he will surely be
deprived of the life that is eternal. But if he possesses the knowledge of God, becomes
ignited through the fire of the love of God, witnesses the great and mighty signs of the
Kingdom, becomes the cause of love among mankind and lives in the utmost state of sanctity
and holiness, he shall surely attain to second birth, be baptized by the Holy Spirit and
enjoy everlasting existence.56
`Abdu'l-Bahá goes on in this same passage to lament the fact that so few human beings
fulfill this all-important purpose of their lives.
Is it not astonishing that although man has been created for the knowledge and love of
God, for the virtues of the human world, for spirituality, heavenly illumination and
eternal life, nevertheless, he continues ignorant and negligent of all this? Consider how
he seeks knowledge of everything except knowledge of God . . . He puts forth arduous
labours to fathom terrestrial mysteries but is not at all concerned about knowing the
mysteries of the Kingdom, traversing the illimitable fields of the eternal world, becoming
informed of the divine realities, discovering the secrets of God, attaining the knowledge
of God, witnessing the splendours of the Sun of Truth and realizing the glories of
everlasting life. He is unmindful and thoughtless of these.57
Those who have followed the teachings of the prophets and have developed their
spiritual aspect will find after death the benefits of what they have done.
Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the state of the soul after its separation
from the body. Know thou, of a truth, that if the soul of man hath walked in the ways of
God, it will, assuredly, return and be gathered to the glory of the Beloved. By the
righteousness of God! It shall attain a station such as no pen can depict, or tongue
describe. The soul that hath remained faithful to the Cause of God, and stood unwaveringly
firm in His Path shall, after his ascension, be possessed of such power that all the
worlds which the Almighty hath created can benefit through him. (Bahá'u'lláh)58
There can be no irrefutable proof of life after death. In several places, however,
Bahá'u'lláh gives the phenomenon of dreams as evidence of the existence of worlds other
than this world.
Verily I say, the human soul is exalted above all egress and regress. It is still, and
yet it soareth; it moveth, and yet it is still. It is, in itself, a testimony that beareth
witness to the existence of a world that is contingent, as well as to the reality of a
world that hath neither beginning nor end. Behold how the dream thou hast dreamed is,
after the lapse of many years, re-enacted before thine eyes. Consider how strange is the
mystery of the world that appeareth to thee in thy dream. Ponder in thine heart upon the
unsearchable wisdom of God, and meditate on its manifold revelations . . .59
Click here for a passage from the writings of Bahá'u'lláh on the
subject of the soul after death |
One particular teaching of the Bahá'í Faith is that one can either perform good deeds
or say prayers of intercession on behalf of those who have died, in order to assist their
progress in the next world.
The progress of man's spirit in the divine world, after the severance of its connection
with the body of dust, is through the bounty and grace of the Lord alone, or through the
intercession and the sincere prayers of other human souls, or through the charities and
important good works which are performed in its name. (`Abdu'l-Bahá)60
| PRAYER OF INTERCESSION FOR THE DEAD |
| O my God! O Thou forgiver of sins, bestower of gifts, dispeller of afflictions! Verily,
I beseech Thee to forgive the sins of such as have abandoned the physical garment and have
ascended to the spiritual world.
O my Lord! Purify them from trespasses, dispel their sorrows, and change their darkness
into light. Cause them to enter the garden of happiness, cleanse them with the most pure
water, and grant them to behold Thy splendours on the loftiest mount. (`Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í
Prayers, pp. 45-6) |
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Introduction