O SON OF BEING! Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning: for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give account for thy deeds. 1

death, does not involve condemnation or pun- ishment of oneself, but is a process through which an understand- ing of one’s self and one’s inner conditions may be gained. Know- ledge of self is but a first step on the highway to perfection. To search the inner side of a human being within the privacy and confidentiality of one’s own thought is the essence of accounting to oneself. The sole pur- pose of this practice is to acquaint oneself with that source of power that dictates one’s attitudes, stirs one’s emotions and motivates one’s behaviour.  In this process, each person becomes his own investigator, subject of investigation and judge.

To divulge the truth to oneself may be likened to a meditative dialogue inspired by one’s individual understanding of the purpose of existence. By rendering account for his actions day by day the individual should gain some knowledge about the kind of fruit his life will produce. The standards on which such an evaluation is carried out depend solely on the ideals the individual believes in. A lofty standard is laid down by Bahá’u’lláh in the Hidden Words, the purpose of which is to give assistance to those who desire to remain faithful to the Covenant of God through a sustained effort to “[l]et each morn be better than its eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday.”2 From this perspective, accounting to oneself is a methodic process of spiritual development.

Consciousness of one’s inner life gives one more control on one’s life, and may, if upheld with the leaven of truth, be instrumental in the advancement of society and service to humanity.

The admonition to bring oneself to account has been mentioned in the Hidden Words, described by Bahá’u’lláh as “that which hath descended from the Realm of Glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old.” “We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue.”3 The Hidden Word about bringing oneself to account thus for example reiterates the words of Christ to His apostles, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”4 or St. Paul, in his second message to the Corinthians, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”5 In the Qur’án, we find this verse, “O true believers, fear God; and let a soul look what it sendeth before for the morrow: And fear God, for God is well acquainted with that which ye do.” 6

These commandments, Baha’u’llah presents as the provisions of a constitution for spiritual behaviour and civilized social relations free from the flaws of human interpretation and analysis for the benefit of those who wish to be faithful to God’s Covenant.

Despite this fact, the Hidden Words clarify an important clause that was not explicit in past revelations, namely, that accounting to oneself must be on a daily basis (Bring thyself to account each day…). It is a duty prescribed to every individual. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Whom Bahá’u’lláh entrusted with the interpretation of His Word, explained, in His Persian Writings: