Monthly Reflection: Jalal (Glory) – On Pain & A Poem

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I have been thinking about how it is not uncommon for us to receive critical feedback along the lines of, “How can you post this when people are suffering? When people are being killed?” Regardless of whether we’re sharing a song, an article, a poem or an image, various permutations of this criticism have come our way over the years.

There is an undeniable validity to these comments. Ever since Baha’i Blog started, there have been unimaginable horrors and there continues to be unprecedented suffering to people of all ages–from innocent children to wise elders and every age in between–in many parts of the world. I struggle with simultaneously publishing Baha’i Blog content online on the very same platforms that inform me of tragedies and injustices in the world; platforms that thrive and prosper on promoting polarizing content that fuels the fire of those same tragedies and injustices!

At times, what we share on Baha’i Blog speaks directly to the suffering in the world. Take, for example, this incredible song by Danny Djalili called “Light of My Life” based on one of the prison poems by Mavash Sabet:

And at times, what we choose to share and spotlight speaks both to pain and victory on an individual level, such as this Hip Hop Session, produced by our sister-channel Baha’i Inspired and performed by the Mighty Rhino:

In reflecting on this theme, I revisited a letter from 2022 from the Universal House of Justice to the Baha’is in Iran. It wrote:

… know truly that in this turbulent world of afflictions, in which the people are weary of violence and abhor it, especially when carried out in the name of religion—in such a world, were a person to observe with a pure eye unclouded by prejudice, the conduct and example of the Baha’i community in Iran would be sufficient evidence and abiding proof of Baha’u’llah’s miracle and of the immense power of His sacred Cause to unify and promote peace. Through your adherence to His teachings and your behaviour and conduct, you have proven the practicability of the construction of a diverse and unified, ever-advancing and dynamic society and have demonstrated the reality of the effulgence of spiritual qualities and virtues in the world of humanity.

Ultimately, I pray that the content we share is worth sharing not in spite of what’s happening in the world, but precisely because of it. In its recent guidance at the mid-point of the Nine Year Plan, the House of Justice said: “Bright horizons beckon.” And I hope, in whatever small way, that Baha’i Blog’s contributions online mirror and reflect a bit of that brightness.

I particularly hope that our devotional musical pieces–such as this lovely Studio Session from Edinburgh called “Rejoice!”–are artistic manifestations of that same light:

I think I grapple with this question all the time. I wrote about it ages ago in the form of an article called “Hope in Darkness: A Personal Reflection” and I still find much comfort from the quotations I drew upon then.

This question seems particularly in my thoughts during this time of year, with Ayyam-i-Ha and Naw-Ruz behind us and with the Most Great Festival of Ridvan approaching, which has been described in these words in Days of Remembrance:

I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast ordained this Day to stand unequalled amongst all the days of Thy world and unrivalled amidst all that Thou hast fashioned through Thy creative power. This is that primal Day which Thou hast singled out from among all other days, and exalted over all other times, and appointed as the King of Days unto all peoples, inasmuch as Thou didst manifest on this Day the tokens of Thy transcendent power and the evidences of Thy holy unity. Thou hast caused its radiance to surpass the splendour of the sun, the moon, and the stars, and to transcend the brightness of every lofty and glorious, every shining and brilliant light. Nay, Thou hast illumined this Day, O my Best-Beloved, with the very lights of Thine own inaccessible Being and with the full glory of Thine own exalted Essence.

This Ridvan, I hold those who are suffering close to my heart and in my prayers, as I prepare to honour the festival that celebrates when the Beauty of the All-Glorious was revealed for the healing of humanity.

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Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.