"For they who turn away from their Lord in this day are in truth accounted amongst the dead, though to outward seeming they may walk upon the earth ..."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2024

"O My brother! Forsake thine own desires, turn thy face unto thy Lord, and walk not in the footsteps of those who have taken their corrupt inclinations for their god, that perchance thou mayest find shelter in the heart of existence, beneath the redeeming shadow of Him Who traineth all names and attributes. For they who turn away from their Lord in this day are in truth accounted amongst the dead, though to outward seeming they may walk upon the earth, amongst the deaf, though they may hear, and amongst the blind, though they may see, as hath been clearly stated by Him Who is the Lord of the Day of Reckoning: “Hearts have they with which they understand not, and eyes have they with which they see not.…”⁴⁶ They walk the edge of a treacherous bank and tread the brink of a fiery abyss.⁴⁷ They partake not of the billows of this surging and treasure-laden Ocean, but disport themselves with their own idle words."

Bahá’u’lláh,  Gems of Divine Mysteries

www.bahai.org/r/068560962