September 30
Regard ye the world as a man’s body, which is afflicted with
divers ailments, and the recovery of which dependeth upon the harmonizing of
all of its component elements. Gather ye around that which We have prescribed
unto you, and walk not in the ways of such as create dissension.
Meditate on the world and the state of its people. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf’)
September 29
O concourse of the faithful! Incline your ears to My Voice,
proclaimed by this Remembrance of God. Verily God hath revealed unto Me that
the Path of the Remembrance which is set forth by Me is, in very truth, the
straight Path of God, and that whoever professeth any religion other than this
upright Faith, will, when called to account on the Day of Judgement, discover
that as recorded in the Book no benefit hath he reaped out of God’s Religion...
(The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of
the Báb)
September 28
Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his
son and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been
laid down in the Holy Tablet. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 27
Whenever the faithful hear the verses of this Book being
recited, their eyes will overflow with tears and their hearts will be deeply
touched by Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance for the love they cherish for
God, the All-Praised. He is God, the All-Knowing, the Eternal. They are indeed
the inmates of the all-highest Paradise wherein they will
abide for ever. Verily they will see naught therein save that which hath
proceeded from God, nothing that will lie beyond the compass of their
understanding. There they will meet the believers in Paradise, who will address
them with the words ‘Peace, Peace’ lingering on their lips... (The Báb,
excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
September 26
O SON OF MAN! Upon the tree of effulgent glory I have hung
for thee the choicest fruits, wherefore hast thou turned away and contented
thyself with that which is less good? Return then unto that which is better for
thee in the realm on high. (The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
September 25
He Who is the Dawning-place of God’s Cause hath no partner
in the Most Great Infallibility. He it is Who, in the kingdom of creation, is
the Manifestation of “He doeth whatsoever He willeth”. God hath reserved this
distinction unto His own Self, and ordained for none a share in so sublime and
transcendent a station. This is the Decree of God, concealed ere now within the
veil of impenetrable mystery. We have disclosed it in this Revelation, and have
thereby rent asunder the veils of such as have failed to recognize that which
the Book of God set forth and who were numbered with the heedless.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 24
We school you with the rod of wisdom and laws, like unto the
father who educateth his son, and this for naught but the protection of your
own selves and the elevation of your stations. By My life, were ye to discover
what We have desired for you in revealing Our holy laws, ye would offer up your
very souls for this sacred, this mighty, and most exalted Faith. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 23
He, verily, desireth to see in you the manners of the
inmates of Paradise in His mighty and most sublime Kingdom. Hold ye fast unto
refinement under all conditions, that your eyes may be preserved from beholding
what is repugnant both to your own selves and to the dwellers of Paradise.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 22
Lament not in your hours of trial, neither rejoice therein;
seek ye the Middle Way which is the remembrance of Me in your afflictions and
reflection over that which may befall you in future. Thus informeth you He Who
is the Omniscient, He Who is aware. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 21
Say, O peoples of the world! Do ye dispute with Me about God
by virtue of the names which ye and your fathers have adopted for Him at the
promptings of the Evil One? [Qur’án 7:69; 12:40] God hath indeed sent down this
Book unto Me with truth that ye may be enabled to recognize the true names of
God, inasmuch as ye have strayed in error far from the Truth. Verily We have
taken a covenant from every created thing upon its coming into being concerning
the Remembrance of God, and there shall be none to avert the binding command of
God for the purification of mankind, as ordained in the Book which is written
by the hand of the Báb. (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections
from the Writings of the Báb)
September 20
O ye rich ones on earth! If ye encounter one who is poor,
treat him not disdainfully. Reflect upon that whereof ye were created. Every
one of you was created of a sorry germ. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
September 19
O people of Bahá! Subdue the citadels of men’s hearts with
the swords of wisdom and of utterance. They that dispute, as prompted by their
desires, are indeed wrapped in a palpable veil. Say: The sword of wisdom is
hotter than summer heat, and sharper than blades of steel, if ye do but
understand. Draw it forth in My name and through the power of My might, and
conquer, then, with it the cities of the hearts of them that have secluded
themselves in the stronghold of their corrupt desires. Thus biddeth you the Pen
of the All-Glorious, whilst seated beneath the swords of the wayward. If ye
become aware of a sin committed by another, conceal it, that God may conceal
your own sin. He, verily, is the Concealer, the Lord of grace abounding. (Baha’u’llah,
‘Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf’)
September 18
Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! Darkness hath fallen upon
every land, and the forces of mischief have encompassed all the nations.
Through them, however, I perceive the splendors of Thy wisdom, and discern the
brightness of the light of Thy providence.
They that are shut out as by a veil from Thee have imagined that they have the power to put out Thy light, and to quench Thy fire, and to still the winds of Thy grace. Nay, and to this Thy might beareth me witness! Had not every tribulation been made the bearer of Thy wisdom, and every ordeal the vehicle of Thy providence, no one would have dared oppose us, though the powers of earth and heaven were to be leagued against us. Were I to unravel the wondrous mysteries of Thy wisdom which are laid bare before me, the reins of Thine enemies would be cleft asunder. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
They that are shut out as by a veil from Thee have imagined that they have the power to put out Thy light, and to quench Thy fire, and to still the winds of Thy grace. Nay, and to this Thy might beareth me witness! Had not every tribulation been made the bearer of Thy wisdom, and every ordeal the vehicle of Thy providence, no one would have dared oppose us, though the powers of earth and heaven were to be leagued against us. Were I to unravel the wondrous mysteries of Thy wisdom which are laid bare before me, the reins of Thine enemies would be cleft asunder. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
September 17
When once the seeker hath ascended unto this station, he
will enter the City of Love and Rapture, whereupon the winds of love will blow
and the breezes of the spirit will waft. In this station the seeker is so
overcome by the ecstasies of yearning and the fragrances of longing that he
discerneth not his left from his right, nor doth he distinguish land from sea
or desert from mountain. At every moment he burneth with the fire of longing and
is consumed by the onslaught of separation in this world. He
speedeth through the Párán of love and traverseth the Horeb of rapture. Now he
laugheth, now he weepeth sore; now he reposeth in peace, now he trembleth in
fear. Nothing can alarm him, naught can thwart his purpose, and no law can
restrain him. He standeth ready to obey whatsoever His Lord should please to
decree as to his beginning and his end. With every breath he layeth down his
life and offereth up his soul. He bareth his breast to meet the darts of the
enemy and raiseth his head to greet the sword of destiny; nay rather, he
kisseth the hand of his would-be murderer and surrendereth his all. He yieldeth
up spirit, soul, and body in the path of his Lord, and yet he doeth so by the
leave of his Beloved and not of his own whim and desire. Thou findest him chill
in the fire and dry in the sea, abiding in every land and treading every path.
Whosoever toucheth him in this state will perceive the heat of his love. He
walketh the heights of detachment and traverseth the vale of renunciation. His
eyes are ever expectant to witness the wonders of God’s mercy and eager to
behold the splendours of His beauty. Blessed indeed are they that have attained
unto such a station, for this is the station of the ardent lovers and the
enraptured souls. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
September 16
O Thou Whose face is the object of the adoration of all that
yearn after Thee, Whose presence is the hope of such as are wholly devoted to
Thy will, Whose nearness is the desire of all that have drawn nigh unto Thy
court, Whose countenance is the companion of those who have recognized Thy
truth, Whose name is the mover of the souls that long to behold Thy face, Whose
voice is the true life of Thy lovers, the words of Whose mouth are as the
waters of life unto all who are in heaven and on earth!
I beseech Thee, by the wrong Thou hast suffered and the ills
inflicted upon Thee by the hosts of wrongful doers, to send down upon me from
the clouds of Thy mercy that which will purify me of all that is not of Thee,
that I may be worthy to praise Thee and fit to love Thee. (Baha’u’llah,
‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
September 15
In this journey [in the Garden of Search] the seeker
becometh witness to a myriad changes and transformations, confluences and
divergences. He beholdeth the wonders of Divinity in the mysteries of creation
and discovereth the paths of guidance and the ways of His Lord. Such is the
station reached by them that search after God, and such are the heights
attained by those who hasten unto Him. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine
Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
September 14
O peoples of the earth! Verily His Remembrance is come to
you from God after an interval during which there were no Messengers, [cf.
Qur’án 5:22] that He may purge and purify you from uncleanliness in
anticipation of the Day of the One true God; therefore seek ye wholeheartedly
divine blessings from Him, inasmuch as We have, in truth, chosen Him to be the
Witness and the Source of wisdom unto all that dwell on earth... (The Báb,
excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
September 13
And now, comprehend the meaning of this verse: “The whole
earth shall on the Resurrection Day be but His handful, and in His right hand
shall the heavens be folded together. Praise be to Him! and high be He uplifted
above the partners they join with him!” [Qur’án 39:67] And now, be fair in thy
judgment. Were this verse to have the meaning which men suppose it to have, of
what profit, one may ask, could it be to man? Moreover, it is evident and
manifest that no such hand as could be seen by human eye could accomplish such
deeds, or could possibly be ascribed to the exalted Essence of the one true
God. Nay, to acknowledge such a thing is naught but sheer blasphemy, an utter
perversion of the truth. And should it be supposed that by this verse are meant
the Manifestations of God, Who will be called upon, on the Day of Judgment, to
perform such deeds, this too seemeth far from the truth, and is surely of no
profit. On the contrary, by the term “earth” is meant the earth of
understanding and knowledge, and by “heavens” the heavens of divine Revelation.
Reflect thou, how, in one hand, He hath, by His mighty grasp, turned the earth
of knowledge and understanding, previously unfolded, into a mere handful, and,
on the other, spread out a new and highly exalted earth in the hearts of men,
thus causing the freshest and loveliest blossoms, and the mightiest and
loftiest trees to spring forth from the illumined bosom of man. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
September 12
They that are just and fair-minded in their judgement occupy
a sublime station and hold an exalted rank. The light of piety and uprightness
shineth resplendent from these souls. We earnestly hope that the peoples and
countries of the world may not be deprived of the splendours of these two
luminaries. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 11
O people of the earth! Verily the resplendent Light of God
hath appeared in your midst, invested with this unerring Book, that ye may be
guided aright to the ways of peace and, by the leave of God, step out of the
darkness into the light and onto this far-extended Path of Truth [Qur’án
5:15–18]... (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma,
‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
September 10
O Pen! Send down out
of the clouds of Thy generosity that which shall enrich all created things, and
withhold not Thy favours from the world of being. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful in the
heaven of Thine eternity, and the Lord of infinite grace unto all who inhabit
the kingdom of names. Look not upon the
people and the things they possess; look rather upon the wonders of Thy gifts
and favours. Gather then Thy servants
beneath Thy shade that shadoweth all mankind.
Stretch forth the hand of bounty over all creation, and the fingers of
bestowal over all existence. This,
verily, is that which beseemeth Thee, though the people understand it not. Whosoever turneth his face towards Thee doeth
so by Thy grace, and as to him who turneth away, Thy Lord, in truth, is
independent of all created things. Unto
this bear witness His true and devoted servants. (Baha'u'llah, Suriy-i-Haykal,
The Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
September 9
The breeze of the bounty of the King of creation hath caused
even the physical earth to be changed, were ye to ponder in your hearts the
mysteries of divine Revelation. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
September 8
Consider the sun.
Were it to say now, “I am the sun of yesterday,” it would speak the truth. And
should it, bearing the sequence of time in mind, claim to be other than that
sun, it still would speak the truth. In like manner, if it be said that all the
days are but one and the same, it is correct and true. And if it be said, with
respect to their particular names and designations, that they differ, that
again is true. For though they are the same, yet one doth recognize in each a
separate designation, a specific attribute, a particular character. Conceive
accordingly the distinction, variation, and unity characteristic of the various
Manifestations of holiness, that thou mayest comprehend the allusions made by
the Creator of all names and attributes to the mysteries of distinction and
unity, and discover the answer to thy question as to why that everlasting
Beauty should have, at sundry times, called Himself by different names and
titles.... (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
September 7
I am the one, O my Lord, who hath held fast the cord of Thy
loving-kindness, and clung to the hem of Thy mercy and favors. Do Thou ordain
for me and for my loved ones the good of this world and of the world to come.
Supply them, then, with the Hidden Gift Thou didst ordain for the choicest
among Thy creatures. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
September 6
O people of the earth! To attain the ultimate retreat in
God, the True One, are we to seek a Gate other than this exalted Being?...
When God created the Remembrance He presented Him to the
assemblage of all created beings upon the altar of His Will. Thereupon the
concourse of the angels bowed low in adoration to God, the Peerless, the
Incomparable; while Satan waxed proud, refusing to submit to His Remembrance;
hence he is identified in the Book of God as the arrogant one and the accursed.
[Qur’án 2:32; 38:74–78] (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections
from the Writings of the Báb)
September 5
It is clear to thine Eminence that all the variations which
the wayfarer in the stages of his journey beholdeth in the realms of being,
proceed from his own vision. We shall give an example of this, that its meaning
may become fully clear: Consider the visible sun; although it shineth with one
radiance upon all things, and at the behest of the King of Manifestation
bestoweth light on all creation, yet in each place it becometh manifest and
sheddeth its bounty according to the potentialities of that place. For
instance, in a mirror it reflecteth its own disk and shape, and this is due to
the sensitivity of the mirror; in a crystal it maketh fire to appear, and in
other things it showeth only the effect of its shining, but not its full disk.
And yet, through that effect, by the command of the Creator, it traineth each
thing according to the quality of that thing, as thou observest.
In like manner, colors become visible in every object
according to the nature of that object. For instance, in a yellow globe, the
rays shine yellow; in a white the rays are white; and in a red, the red rays
are manifest. Then these variations are from the object, not from the shining
light. And if a place be shut away from the light, as by walls or a roof, it
will be entirely bereft of the splendor of the light, nor will the sun shine
thereon. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven Valleys’)
September 4
“Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live
in, and centre your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements”. For this
day is the Lord of all days, and whatsoever hath been revealed therein by the
Source of divine Revelation is the truth and the essence of all principles.
This day may be likened to a sea and all other days to gulfs and channels that
have branched therefrom. That which is uttered and revealed in this day is the
foundation, and is accounted as the Mother Book and the Source of all
utterance. Although every day is associated with God, magnified be His glory,
yet these days have been singled out and adorned with the ornament of intimate
association with Him, for they have been extolled in the books of the Chosen
Ones of God, as well as of some of His Prophets, as the “Day of God”. In a
sense this day and that which appeareth therein are to be regarded as the
primary principles, while all other days and whatsoever appeareth in them are
to be viewed as the secondary ordinances deduced therefrom, and which as such
are subordinate and relative. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s
Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other Writings’)
September 3
It beseemeth you to fix your gaze under all conditions upon
justice and fairness. In The Hidden Words this exalted utterance hath been
revealed from Our Most August Pen:
‘O Son of Spirit! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest
Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see
with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine
own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbour. Ponder this in
thy heart; how it behoveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and
the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.’ (Baha’u’llah,
‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 2
Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Every man of insight
confesseth Thy sovereignty and Thy dominion, and every discerning eye
perceiveth the greatness of Thy majesty and the compelling power of Thy might.
The winds of tests are powerless to hold back them that enjoy near access to
Thee from setting their faces towards the horizon of Thy glory, and the
tempests of trials must fail to draw away and hinder such as are wholly devoted
to Thy will from approaching Thy court. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations
by Baha’u’llah’)
September 1
O SON OF THE WONDROUS VISION! I have breathed within thee a
breath of My own Spirit, that thou mayest be My lover. Why hast thou forsaken
Me and sought a beloved other than Me? (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words of
Baha’u’llah’)
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