On Reciprocal Justice and the Spiritual Anthropology of Man

The Reciprocal Relationship of Nobility, Human Perfection, and the 'Day of Reckoning'

"Man is the supreme Talisman. [انسان طلسم اعظم است​] Lack of a proper education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess."

- Baháʼuʼlláh, Gleanings No. CXXII​

"Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all of His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self. Alone of all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favor, so enduring a bounty."

- Baháʼuʼlláh, Gleanings, No. XXVII

“Likewise, reflect upon the perfection of man’s creation, and that all these planes and states are folded up and hidden away within him.

‘Dost thou deem thyself a small and puny form, When thou foldest within thyself the greater world?’

We must therefore labour to destroy the animal condition, till the meaning of humanity cometh to light.”

- Baháʼuʼlláh, the Seven Valleys, the Valley of Wonderment, with a saying often attributed to Imam ‘Ali

‘‘وَعَلَّمَ ءَادَمَ ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ كُلَّهَا”

“and He taught Adam the Names, all of them…”

- Quran, Surah 2:31

“O Son of Being! Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning; for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give account for thy deeds.”

- Baháʼuʼlláh, the Hidden Words, Arabic no. 31

We live in an era where we routinely face intense self-doubt and social forces that undermine our worth, dignity, and self-perception.

At times, these influences are external. Our social environment may lead us to diminished self-worth when we encounter a domineering culture of conflict that puts us down for perceived inadequacies. We face intense social coercion and pressure to conform. Sometimes the forces external to us may be ideological. The theology of ‘original sin’ has led many to believe that our nature is inherently corrupt. Pyschological egoism and evolutionary psychology claim either that altruism is impossible or subject all behavior to crudest of biological reductionism. Alternatively, the dominance of secular nihilistic attitudes leave many feeling compass-less, as though existence is purely absurd or meaningless, and that our actions don’t matter.

At other times, it is mostly an internal battle. We often think our ego only seeks self-aggrandizement. Ironically, it often seeks to diminish us by attacking any sense of healthy self-worth and dignity; this serves to keep us locked in a place of egoistic gratification or to prevent the progress that would ultimately lead us beyond the dictates of our lower nature ego.

Even more confusingly, these messages that erode self-worth are also counterbalanced by an intense culture that vaunts ‘the Self’ and ‘individualism’ to an extreme degree. At least in ‘the West’, the self is the predominant conceptualization of the human being, the pinnacle and locus of all fulfillment and success. Personal and social progress is weighed purely according to this doctrine of human nature. Ironically, this vaunting of the self is manifestly conformist and ultimately deprives us of the libertarian freedom it purports to promote.

In this maelstrom of conflicting messages, some leading to egoistic aggrandizement, others to diminishing true human dignity, the Baháʼí Writings stand out as a lighthouse amidst stormy waters, offering lamps of guidance for every affliction we face in this era:

• The human being is not a blank slate, but a “mine rich in gems of inestimable value”.

• Our existence is not an accident of nature, nor ruled by it, rather our creation is imbued with profound purpose.

• We are not doomed and corrupted by our inherent sinful nature; our nature is inherently noble, “noble have I created thee”, as Baháʼuʼlláh states. We have the capacity to transcend the dictates of our lower nature.

• The fulfillment of the individual lies in sacrosanct harmony with that of the collective; a dynamic unity of individual with with community and society.

To say the least. These are but a few of the ideas that, in their full scope, would reshape the dynamics sketched above by articulating a reinvigorated vision of human nature, something we might call a ‘spiritual anthropology’.

A ‘spiritual anthropology’ founded in the Baháʼí Writings offers us a compelling vision of the odyssey of the human soul and a counterbalance against the crises of meaning and ruptures afflicting modern life: we have an origin in God, our soul’s creation and descent into material nature serves as the testing grounds for spiritual perfection, and our return journey of ascent through perfections leads us back towards God.

Turning to the Quranic episode of the creation of Adam cited above, we see that God has bestowed knowledge of the ‘Names of All Things’ within the ‘nature of Adam’, with Adam here indicating in part 'innate human nature’ (Adam being the symbol for archetypal Man). This indicates the potentiality of the primordial human nature [our ‘Adamic soul’], which God imbues with the possibility of encompassing the knowledge of all things (names being a manner of understanding the reality of each thing in that to name something is to define its identity and relationality). ‘Names’ also signify the attributes of God that we can manifest within our character (wisdom because God is named ‘the All-Wise’, loving-kindness, justice, mercy, and so on).

Baháʼuʼlláh reflects on this same primordial potentiality imbued in the human being, describing our nature as a mirror upon which is focused all these realities: "Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all of His names and attributes”. This is a reality unique to the human being, “Alone of all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favor, so enduring a bounty."

In the opening quote, Baháʼuʼlláh adopts the imagery of the “supreme talisman” to describe these innate potentialities. He makes it clear that education, which is essentially the actualization of these potentialities, alone is capable of unlocking this inherent value: “Lack of a proper education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess." He continues: “Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit there from.” In the excerpt from the Seven Valleys, describing the dynamics of the spiritual journey we take in this life, He encourages us towards this process of education and edification, which is also the abandonment of our animal, or lower nature: “We must therefore labour to destroy the animal condition, till the meaning of humanity cometh to light.”

We see just from the above that we have strong cause to redefine our self-conceptualization of our innate nature. Does it make sense to pursue a path defined by a voracious gratification of the self, to the detriment and ignorance of others, if we recognize that our potential to be kind, just, loving is what truly describes the fabric of our being? How might a vision of our inherent dignity reshape our social interactions, our treatment of others, our tolerance of their treatment of us? Are we not better prepared to maintain honor and dignity and fend off ideological forces that would diminish and demean us if we appreciate that we are not corrupt by nature, but noble instead? Does not knowing the capacities latent in us help empower us to overcome lethargy and apathy promoted by the meaninglessness on offer today?

Our journey in this life is just one stage of this process, and we are told also in the text of all holy religions that by the end of our passage through this life we will face an ‘unveiling’ to our self of the fruits (or lack thereof) of our efforts and progress in refinement. This is one significance of the concept of the ‘Day of Reckoning’ or the ‘Day of Judgment’: the reckoning we face in the ‘Hereafter’.

The symbology of this reckoning, of standing trial in light of our deeds is a potent one that features throughout the religions of the past (from ancient Egypt, to Zarathustra, to the Abrahamic faiths and more). Given that these ideas have been around for millennia, we should carefully take stock and reconsider the way they are thought of in light of how the Baháʼí Writings reframe them.

Firstly, is that they tend to be taken literalistically. In the literalist view judgment and reckoning refer catastrophic endtimes, to universal bodily resurrection on earth, to titanic battles against literal Satanic forces, and so on. In the Baháʼí Teachings these ‘events’ are all of a spiritual nature. The ‘Endtimes’ of the Day of Judgment" is in actuality the coming of a new Revelation from God, the catastrophic upending of age-old beliefs, the reinvigoration of religion in a new era, and the symbolism is interpreted in that light.

Secondly, Judgment is often laced with certain doctrines that are mostly a human invention. Original sin, or the doctrine of predestination, for instance. Accountability for our deeds makes far less sense outside the context of belief in free will.

Thirdly, past scriptures sometimes emphasized God’s retribution against wickedness over God’s mercy.

Fourthly, we recognize that ‘Reckoning’ and ‘Judgment’ is not just a spiritual-historical event but a personal event that comes at the end of our own lives. Upon death, the veils of material existence will fall away, truths will come to light, and all things unknown before will be made clear. However this is also something we prepare for in this earthly life by the perfection of our character. We can hasten the realization of these truths in this life and begin taking account of our deeds. In effect, we reorient ourselves in advance of that ‘reckoning’. Baháʼuʼlláh states:

“O Son of Being! Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning; for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give account for thy deeds.”

Finally, we should also be vigilant to take stock of how the present-day environment of individualism and its toxic undermining of self-worth and human dignity discussed above may affect our understanding of these matters.

One such dynamic to consider is this: when face to face with the idea that we will one day account for our actions, our lower nature-ego can undermine us by proposing that we cannot possibly reach that standard, or to cling to the idea that we are hopelessly corrupt or worthless. We may fear that moment out of a belief in our own incapacity and feebleness. This rears its head in increasingly subtle ways as we conquer the outer reaches of self.

In reality, we should find it empowering that we will encounter a reckoning, as it only makes sense in light of our potential to exemplify all the heavenly characteristics and noble deeds we are capable of. Let’s explore exactly how this might be.

The Reciprocal Nature of Judgment and Our Potentiality

A brief review: that life is a proving grounds for the testing and refinement of our character, that we will encounter judgment and atonement for our deeds upon death, these are quintessential ideas in a Baháʼí spiritual anthropology.

We’ve covered also that the human being is the "supreme talisman" because the human being alone encompasses all the names and attributes of God (in potentia), and that education can alone cause it to reveal those gems.

Taking a close look, these ideas are actually far more intertwined than they first appear.

In fact, there is an inherent reciprocity between our nobility, our nature as "supreme talismans" encompassing divine attributes, and the judgment of our deeds in the Hereafter. It centers on the justice inherent to judgment. To explore how, a brief philosophical aside will knit together the ideas proposed above from the Writings.

A Philosophical Examination of the Dynamics of the Day of Judgment

In the writings of a famous 17th-century Iranian Islamic philosopher and mystic, Sadr al-Din Shirazi, better known as Mulla Sadra (d. 1641), we find a striking passage that touches on points central to our discussion here. He was known for, amongst other influential doctrines, his eloquent and transformative expositions on the soul’s journey from its origination with God (al-mabda’) to its Return to Him (al-ma’ád) - the arc of descent and ascent alluded to above - topics that feature prominently throughout the Baháʼí Writings.

The following quote from his work, ‘The Elixir of the Gnostics’, neatly ties into some of the ideas explored above and provides an interesting logical basis for understanding the judgment that comes at our life’s end.

First, a brief introduction: As we understand in the Baháʼí Teachings, the path of the human being is one of "recognition" or "true understanding" ('irfan), which in the Faith culminates in attainment to belief in the Manifestation of God for our day and following their commandments. As we’ve explored, what this recognition looks like within our soul is the attainment of our inherent nobility and the cultivation of our divine qualities, something that occurs in accordance with those Teachings. This cultivation of heavenly qualities also necessitates, as Baháʼuʼlláh makes clear, that we “labour to destroy the animal condition, till the meaning of humanity cometh to light.”

Mulla Sadra, in the section preceding the following excerpt, says much the same, indicating that the soul’s perfection implies a gradual disengagement from ‘embodiment’ and ‘materiality’, parts of our ‘animal condition’ or lower nature. Being a ‘knower’, a ‘man of insight’ (an ‘arif, one engaged in ‘irfán) hinges on this disengagement and self-mastery, such that our vision becomes gradually more and more encompassing. What it encompasses are those universal divine realities, the Names, embedded within the microcosm of our own being:

"The gnostic (e.g. the knower) who gazes at things through the light of inspiration [núr al-ilhám] sees the high and low at once, and he also witnesses the past and future all at once, with a gauge that he finds from his own world in his essence ...

He knows that the Author (of Existence, e.g. God) has subjected the human dominion [e.g. the Realities of God's attributes latent within] along with everything within it to the [essential identity of the soul, al-huwiyya al-nafsániyyih] so that it may know the scale [mizán] of all things and the reckoning of contingent realities. This is why it is made to stand up at the Day of Resurrection - so that its deeds and acts may be weighed with justice on the Day of Reckoning. Were the guide posts and scale of all things not implanted within the innate Adamic disposition [e.g. universal human nature], no one would be recompensed by them on the Day of Resurrection, nor would the soul be taken to task in the presence of God for its neglect and be punished by its castigation and going astray."

‐Mulla Sadra, “the Elixir of the Gnostics”, Chittick transl., p. 36, adapted with my own glosses and some adjustments to the translation

This notion of seeing past limitations of past and future and taking an encompassing view of reality should be familiar; it is a central feature of the Valley of Knowledge, and subsequent stages in the ‘Seven Valleys’.

After the famous story of the ‘watchmen’ we find Baháʼuʼlláh enjoining us first to see ‘the end in the beginning’, “Now if the lover could have seen the end, he would from the beginning have blessed the watchman, prayed God on his behalf, and seen his tyranny as justice; but since the end was veiled to him, he lamented and made his plaint in the beginning. Yet those who journey in the garden land of true knowledge, since they see the end in the beginning, behold peace in war and conciliation in enmity” (SV:29). However, later still we are encouraged to flee from limitations of end and beginning, first and last, entirely: “the people of the valleys above this see the end and the beginning as one. Nay, they see neither ‘beginning’ nor ‘end’ and witness neither ‘first’ nor ‘last’. Nay rather, the denizens of the city of immortality, who dwell in the celestial garden, see not even ‘neither first nor last’: They fly from all that is first and repulse all that is last.” (SV:30)

We then find in Mulla Sadra’s exposition the logical crux underpinning the justice behind judgment in the Hereafter; this justice links together the ‘universe wrapped up in us’, the ‘focused radiance’ of all of divine names and attributes, the Names inscribed onto our ‘Adamic’ nature, and the eventuality of standing in account for our deeds.

What we can take from this is that such a judgment only makes sense in that our soul is capable of exemplifying all the attributes in the first place, that the scale and reckoning of all things is within our grasp, capable of leading us high or low. We can only be adjudicated after having had the potential in the first place.

In other words, in order for us to be justly and satisfactorily judged and held accountable, it is only with respect to the great potentiality inherent within our very nature. This is to be seen as a bestowal, rather than a burden. If we should fear it is only that we waste the potential.,

This the reciprocity in the day of reckoning. Within us is placed such great potential, and we are only able to be judged on that basis. But the basis for that judgment is also our deliverance in that it testifies to our very worthiness from the start. If we really meditate on it, that is surely an inexhaustible form of spiritual power.

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