O friends of the Beloved! Consider the recent events [in
Mázindarán, Iran]. Observe how in response to this manifest injustice, which
can evoke rage and rebelliousness in a person, not a trace of vengefulness is
to be found in those pure hearts, those souls who have ever been immersed in
the ocean of such tribulations. Rather, their attempts to obtain justice are
through recourse to the law, and their appeals are made to those in authority.
The Bahá’ís seek justice and long for fairness and equity, but never pursue
retaliation and revenge. Their hearts are filled with pain, but wholly free of
hatred and rancour. They are anxious, but their kindness and love are
boundless. They have straitened means,
but magnanimous characters and lofty aims. They are driven out of their homes,
but are a shelter and refuge to others. They are caught in the snares of the
malicious, but their spirits soar aloft. They are wronged, but are the
well-wishers of those that wrong them. They raise their children not to engage
in violence and conflict, but to show forth kindness and forgiveness, so that
they may not harm an ant, much less a man. Those wronged ones console their
burning hearts through faith in the Ancient Beauty and through the counsels of
Him Who, by the hand of His own power, reared and nurtured their spiritual
forebears in those regions. He forbade conflict and contention and taught them
in words such as these: “The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and
His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human
race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men. Suffer it
not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity.” - The
Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 23 August 2022 to the Baha’is
in Iran; authorized translation from Persian)
