Love one another, live in Brotherhood.

 

140. Love one another, live in Brotherhood with one another and love for the sake of love: Christianity is known the world over as the religion of brotherly love. Love and brotherhood are two of the most important and fundamental components of Christianity and in the bible in general.  Judaism: Leviticus 19:18 “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am The LORD.” Leviticus 19:34 “But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am The LORD your God.” Deuteronomy 10:19 “Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” This love of mankind is especially true in the Bahá’í Faith, love and brotherhood hold two extremely high positions in the ranks of the faith.

BAHA’I FAITH: “Equality and Brotherhood must be established among all members of mankind. This is according to Justice. The general rights of mankind must be guarded and preserved. All men must be treated equally. This is inherent in the very nature of humanity.” “Let us be united and love one another.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, pp. 28 and 61)

 BABI RELIGION: “Love, the mainspring of every energy, tolerance towards each other, desire of understanding each other, knowing each other, helping each other, forgiving each other.”

(Moojan Momen, The Babi  and Baha’i Religions, p. 60)

 CHRISTIANITY: Mark 12:31 “…..Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself…..” John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” Romans 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” 1 Peter 1:22 “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.” 1 John 3:11 “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” 1 John 3:23 “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” 1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” 1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:11 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;” Romans 13:10 “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” 1 Peter 3:8 “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:”

 BABI RELIGION: “O ye that are invested with the Bayan! Denounce ye not one another, ere the Day-Star of ancient eternity shineth forth above the horizon of His sublimity. We have created you from one tree and have caused you to be as the leaves and fruit of the same tree, that haply ye may become a source of comfort to one another. Regard ye not others save as ye regard your own selves, that no feeling of aversion may prevail amongst you so as to shut you out from Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection. It behooveth you all to be one indivisible people; thus should ye return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest.”

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 127)

 ISLAM: “You should be a source of comfort, love and respect.”

(Islam, Ali b. Abi Taalib, Letters from Nahjul Balaagh)

Islam: 10. “The believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two brothers: And fear Allah (God), that ye may receive Mercy.”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah  49)

Islam: “Allah’s Apostle said, ‘You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it.”’

(Islam, Hadith, Bukhari Vol 8, Book 73, # 40)

 ZOROASTRIANISM: “Brotherhood of man is the idea that appealed to Him (Mazda, God) most. And that is the only meaning of the Service of the soul of the world.” “For if God is the one Father of all men then all men are equal.” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan pp. 549 and 550)

 Zoroastrianism: “Maha Ratu Zarathustra enjoins love for the whole of mankind. One who does not love man, does not really love God. It should be realized that one soul resides in all. Thus one should be a friend to everyone. This social service, which is the concrete of the life of the individual, is not to be confined to any particular country but should extend throughout the world to the whole of humanity.” “God is all love, and his loving presence may be felt everywhere.” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan pp. 547, 548 and 834)

 Zoroastrianism: “Love attracts, while fear repels. Thus love is the principle of unity, unity with God and unity with men.” “When men love and help one another to the best of their power they derive the greatest pleasure from loving their fellow-men.” “The religion of the Gatha is the religion of love, and Mazda is the friend of men.” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan p. 500, 507 and Denkard)

 HINDUISM: “Who doeth all for Me; who findeth Me In all; adoreth always; loveth all Which I have made, and Me, for Love’s sole end.”

(Hindu, Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr) chapter 11)

 Hinduism: 9. “Men seek Thee as a Father with their prayers, win Thee, bright-formed, to brotherhood with holy act.”

(Hindu, Vedas, Rig Veda – Book  2)

 Hinduism: 6. “Show love and kindness here below.”

(Hindu, Vedas, Rig Veda – Book 10)

 BUDDHISM: “He has cast away ill-will; he dwells with a heart free from ill-will; cherishing love and compassion toward all living beings,”

((The Eightfold Path), Buddha, the Word (The Eightfold Path))

 Buddhism: “The Contemplation on the Buddha, the Law, the Holy Brotherhood, Morality, will only produce Neighborhood-Concentration. Develop your concentration: for he who has concentration understands things according to their reality.”

((The Eightfold Path), Buddha, the Word (The Eightfold Path))

 Buddhism: “The true Samana who is seeking the way to Brahma (God), let him have thoughts of love everywhere throughout the whole world pervading with thoughts of love far reaching, beyond measure, all embracing. Regard all with mind set free and filled with deep felt love. this is the way to a state of union with Brahma. Be filled with thoughts of pity, sympathy and equanimity far reaching beyond measure all embracing even for all things that have form or life with deep felt pity, sympathy and equanimity not one is set aside.” (Buddha, Tevigga Sutra)

 SABEANISM: “Diffuse Thy light over all who love.” For Thy sake do we love all that liveth, humanity is one in love. (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapter 76)

Sabeanism: “We will pray with Thee the ‘uthras’ prayer and ask of Thee, of The Great (Life, Haiyi, God), a petition for ourselves, for our friends, for our friends’ friends and for those who love the great Family of Life.” “Praise Thee, for amongst them all hatred, Envy and dissensions exist not.” (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapters 75 and 76)

 BABI RELIGION: “To each you will convey the expression of My love and tender affection. You will strive to inflame their hearts anew with the fire of the love of the Beauty of God; a flock the different members of which love each other so bitterly,” “into the world-wide Brotherhood of which poets and dreamers have sung, and the promise of which lies at the very core of the Revelation.”

The Bab: (Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 260, 663 and 667)

BAHA’I FAITH: “We must look higher than all earthly thoughts; detach ourselves from every material idea, crave for the things of the spirit; fix our eyes on the everlasting bountiful Mercy of the Almighty, who will fill our souls with the gladness of joyful service to His command ‘Love One Another.’” “He bids us worship in fearless loyalty to our own faith, but with ever stronger yearning after Union, Brotherhood, and Love; so turning ourselves in Spirit, and with our whole heart, that we may enter more into the mind of God, which is above class, above race, and beyond time.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 39 and Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 34)

Baha’i Faith: “The divine purpose is that men should live in unity, concord and agreement and should love one another” “Equality and Brotherhood must be established among all members of mankind.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 245 and Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 29)