lah,
reaffirmed and instilled afresh into the corporate life of the community,
and into the souls of the individuals who comprised it. The dissociation
of the Babi Faith from every form of political activity and from all
secret associations and factions; the emphasis placed on the principle of
non-violence; the necessity of strict obedience to established authority;
the ban imposed on all forms of sedition, on back-biting, retaliation, and
dispute; the stress laid on godliness, kindliness, humility and piety, on
honesty and truthfulness, chastity and fidelity, on justice, toleration,
sociability, amity and concord, on the acquisition of arts and sciences,
on self-sacrifice and detachment, on patience, steadfastness and
resignation to the will of God--all these constitute the salient features
of a code of ethical conduct to which the books, treatises and epistles,
revealed during those years, by the indefatigable pen of Baha'u'llah,
unmistakably bear witness.

"By the aid of God and His divine grace and mercy," He Himself has written
with reference to the character and consequences of His own labors during
that period, "We revealed, as a copious rain, Our verses, and sent them to
various parts of the world. We exhorted all men, and particularly this
people, through Our wise counsels and loving admonitions, and forbade them
to engage in sedition, quarrels, disputes or conflict. As a result of
this, and by the grace of God, waywardness and folly were changed into
piety and understanding, and weapons of war converted into instruments of
peace." "Baha'u'llah," 'Abdu'l-Baha affirmed, "after His return (from
Sulaymaniyyih) made such strenuous efforts in educating and training this
community, in reforming its manners, in regulating its affairs and in
rehabilitating its fortunes, that in a short while all these troubles and
mischiefs were quenched, and the utmost peace and tranquillity reigned in
men's hearts." And again: "When these fundamentals were established in the
hearts of this people, they everywhere acted in such wise that, in the
estimation of those in authority, they became famous for the integrity of
their character, the steadfastness of their hearts, the purity of their
motives, the praiseworthiness of their deeds, and the excellence of their
conduct."

The exalted character of the teachings of Baha'u'llah propounded during
that period is perhaps best illustrated by the following statement made by
Him in those days