man
is the end of the night and the beginning of day, meaning that he is the
sum of all the degrees of imperfection, and that he possesses the degrees
of perfection. He has the animal side as well as the angelic side, and the
aim of an educator is to so train human souls that their angelic aspect
may overcome their animal side....

("Some Answered Questions", rev. ed. (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust,
1985), pp. 235) [29]

"30: Man is said to be the greatest representative of God, and he is the
Book..."

Man is said to be the greatest representative of God, and he is the Book
of Creation because all the mysteries of beings exist in him. If he comes
under the shadow of the True Educator and is rightly trained, he becomes
the essence of essences, the light of lights, the spirit of spirits; he
becomes the centre of the divine appearances, the source of spiritual
qualities, the rising-place of heavenly lights, and the receptacle of
divine inspirations. If he is deprived of this education, he becomes the
manifestation of satanic qualities, the sum of animal vices, and the
source of all dark conditions.

The reason of the mission of the Prophets is to educate men, so that this
piece of coal may become a diamond, and this fruitless tree may be
engrafted and yield the sweetest, most delicious fruits. When man reaches
the noblest state in the world of humanity, then he can make further
progress in the conditions of perfection, but not in state; for such
states are limited, but the divine perfections are endless.

("Some Answered Questions", pp. 236-37) [30]

"31: Close investigation will show that the primary cause of oppression
and..."

Close investigation will show that the primary cause of oppression and
injustice, of unrighteousness, irregularity and disorder, is the people's
lack of religious faith and the fact that they are uneducated. When, for
example, the people are genuinely religious and are literate and
well-schooled, and a difficulty presents itself, they can apply to the
local authorities; if they do not meet with justice and secure their
rights and if they see that the conduct of the local government is
incompatible with the Divine good pleasure and the king's justice, they
can then take their case to higher courts and describe the deviation of
the local administration from the spiritual law. Those courts can then
send for the local records of the case and in this way justice will be
don