IN MEMORIAM---Mrs S APPADOO

This passage is long, but oh so wonderful.

"...God has not granted to the unborn child the ability to discover the
smallness of its temporary abode, or the vastness and the beauty of this
world. Similarly, He has not endowed the human being, while on this
earth, with the ability to perceive even to an infinitesimal measure the
conditions of the spiritual worlds of God. If He had, the stability as
well as the purpose of this life would have been completely undermined.
Bahá'u'lláh states in one of His Tablets that should the station
destined for a true believer in the world beyond be revealed to the
extent of a needle's eye, every soul would expire in ecstasy. The story
of Siyyid Isma'il of Zavarih, surnamed Dhabih (Sacrifice) who attained
the presence of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad, is an example. Bahá'u'lláh
complied with his plea and revealed to him a glimmer of the unknowable
worlds of God. As a result of this experience, Dhabih could no longer
bear to live in this world and took his own life.[1]
[1 See The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 1, pp 101-103.]

Those who have passed into the next life abide in a realm which enfolds
and embraces this life. The influence which pure and enlightened souls
in the spiritual kingdom exert upon the world of humanity is the main
cause of its progress, according to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh. This
truth may be appreciated if one looks at nature and examines the
relationship of the unborn child to those who care for him in this
world. There are a host of people who are deeply interested in the
welfare of the unborn. First, there is the mother who bears the child,
loves it, and is even willing to risk her life for its 13 health and
protection. Then, there is the father and many other people who are
directly or indirectly involved in its welfare. But the child, so long
as it is going through the embryonic stage of growth, is unaware of the
love and care which are directed towards it. Similarly, those souls in
the next world who are possessed of spiritual qualities are the
instruments of man's welfare, development and growth on this earth. In
many of His Writings Bahá'u'lláh has attributed man's progress in this
world to the influence of the 'Concourse on high', the gathering of the
Prophets and God's holy and chosen souls. He also indicates that when
the believers in this Dispensation have shown extraordinary heroism and
self-sacrifice in the path of God, these acts have caused great
jubilation and rejoicing among the Concourse on high.[1]
[1 For an example, see the story of Badi', The Revelation of
Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 3, ch. 9. ]

In the same Tablet to Abdu'r-Razzaq, Bahá'u'lláh describes the influence
of pure and holy souls upon mankind. These are His assuring words:

"Thou hadst, 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. Such a soul provideth, at the bidding of the Ideal
King and Divine Educator, the pure leaven that leaveneth the world of
being, and furnisheth the power through which the arts and wonders of
the world are made manifest. Consider how meal needeth leaven to be
leavened with. Those souls that are the symbols of detachment are the
leaven of the world. Meditate on this, and be of the thankful." [P-14]

The influence which these holy souls exert upon humanity can only be for
the good of mankind. 'Abdu'l-Bahá states, 'God has never created an evil
spirit...' [P-15] There can be no such thing as evil influences from the
next world affecting anyone in this world. This is because the soul,
when ascending to the next world, cannot carry with it 'bad' qualities.
And since there is no evil in that realm, there can be no evil effects
which could reach this world.

The soul carries with it divine attributes and spiritual qualities to
the next world, but cannot take with it bad qualities for badness has no
existence of its own; it is only the lack of goodness. In order to
clarify this point further, let us look at the following examples. We
may note that darkness has no real existence; it is the absence of
light. 14 It is the same with poverty; a poor man cannot claim that he
carries his poverty around with him. What he has is very little money.
There is no standard for measuring poverty; it can only be defined as
lack of riches, and is measured by the standard of wealth. A bad person
may be described as one who has very few good qualities. His soul is
impoverished and therefore he can take only a very small measure of
goodness with him to the spiritual worlds of God.

The degree of the progress of one's soul in the spiritual worlds of God
depends upon the extent to which the individual has adorned his being
with the 'ornaments of goodly character and praiseworthy virtues'. This
is the main reason that God has sent His Manifestations, so that they
can cast light upon man's path in this life and show him how to acquire
spiritual qualities and heavenly attributes. We have seen that these
attributes, which may be likened to spiritual limbs and organs, are
needed in the next world for the continued progress of one's soul.
Obedience to the teachings of God will endow the soul with divine
attributes, otherwise the soul will return to the spiritual realms of
God in a state of loss and impoverishment. In one of His Tablets
Bahá'u'lláh reveals these weighty utterances:

"If it [the soul] be faithful to God, it will reflect His light, and
will eventually, return unto Him. If it fail, however, in its allegiance
to its Creator, it will become a victim to self and passion, and will,
in the end, sink in their depths... Every soul that walketh humbly with
its God, in this Day, and cleaveth unto Him, shall find itself invested
with the honour and glory of all goodly names and stations." [P-16]

From the study of the Writings we gather that as in this world where
there are degrees of existence such as the mineral, the vegetable, the
animal and man -- and within each kingdom there are many divisions --
the soul will also progress in the spiritual worlds of God on different
levels, depending on the qualities it has acquired in this life. The
level in which the soul can abide in the next world is determined by its
closeness to God and the spiritual attributes that it takes with it
after its separation from the body. However, there is another
determining factor, and that is the bounty of God. Through this the soul
may be elevated, and its outpouring is beyond the comprehension of man.[1]
[1 For an example of this, see The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, vol. 2, p.
401.]

It is stated in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh that the souls on a higher
level will encompass those on a lower one, while the latter will not be
able to comprehend the powers and realities of the former. In fact, the
grading of human souls and their different stations is similar to the
variety of creatures which God has created on this earth. We note that
in this physical world also the lower kingdom is blind to the 15
qualities of a higher one. For instance, while the three kingdoms are so
closely linked together, breathing the same air and receiving the same
sunshine, the vegetable does not understand the animal and the animal is
incapable of really knowing the human being. Conversely, based on the
same principles, we note that the higher kingdom dominates the lower
ones. The animal has ascendancy over the vegetable, while man rules over
the entire world of nature.

In a Tablet revealed in honour of one of His apostles,
Zayn'ul-Muqarrabin,[1] Bahá'u'lláh reveals these thought-provoking words:
[1 For a short reference to his life, see The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh,
vol. 1, pp. 25-6.]

"And now concerning thy question whether human souls continue to be
conscious one of another after their separation from the body...

"The people of Baha, who are the inmates of the Ark of God, are one and
all well aware of one another's state and condition, and are united in
the bonds of intimacy and fellowship. Such a state, however, must depend
upon their faith and their conduct. They that are of the same grade and
station are fully aware of one another's capacity, character,
accomplishments and merits. They that are of a lower grade, however, are
incapable of comprehending adequately the station, or of estimating the
merits, of those that rank above them. Each shall receive his share from
thy Lord. Blessed is the man that hath turned his face towards God, and
walked steadfastly in His love, until his soul hath winged its flight
unto God, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Most Powerful, the
Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

(Adib Taherzadeh, The Covenant of Baha'u'llah, p. 12)
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