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For the inner reality of man is a demarcation line between the shadow and the light, a place where the two seas meet;[1] it is the lowest point on the arc of descent,[2] and therefore is it capable of gaining all the grades above. With education it can achieve all excellence; devoid of education it will stay on, at the lowest point of imperfection. [1=Qur'an 25:55, 35:13, 55:19- 25. See also Marriage Prayer revealed by Abdu'l- Baha beginning `He is God! O peerless Lord! In Thine almighty wisdom Thou hast enjoined marriage upon the peoples...', 2=See Some Answered Questions, pp. 328- 9 for Abdu'l- Baha's comments on the arc of descent and ascent.] (130:3) Every child is potentially the light of the world-- and at the same time its darkness; wherefore must the question of education be accounted as of primary importance. From his infancy, the child must be nursed at the breast of God's love, and nurtured in the embrace of His knowledge, that he may radiate light, grow in spirituality, be filled with wisdom and learning, and take on the characteristics of the angelic host.
(130:4)
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