"For The Love of My Beauty":
Love, Art and Attainment in the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh
First presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #34
Bosch Bahá'í School: California, USA
May 18–20, 2001
(see list of papers from #34)
This presentation examines the importance of beauty in the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh as a name and attribute of God. It explores the relationship of beauty, artful expression, and love to the spiritual progress of the soul and human society. Beauty is a key element in how we live our lives as Bahá'ís and an aspect of how we participate in the divine process of transforming the human world so that it reflects more of God's perfections. Hence we "Observe My commandments for the love of My Beauty."
Beauty as divine principle and literary object recurs frequently in the writings of Bahá'u'lláh. This study will examine the literary and theological intersection termed jamal in examples of His poetry and prose. We will argue that literary artistry is a basic feature of sacred texts. Bahá'u'lláh foregrounds this theme in his writings to promulgate the notion that beauty is an attribute of God endowed with a dynamic purpose that exerts a determining influence on the development of a civil society. In this way we will examine various passages from the writings of Bahá'u'lláh that refer to beauty and consider their context. We will give particular attention to the mention of the Maiden of Heaven and her power to transform the created world, Beauty and attraction are important elements in the mystic love that enables us to draw closer to God through His Manifestation. Beauty touches the heart and expands the vision of the lover so that s/he may make a living sacrifice to God.
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