The soul of man is the sun by which his body is illumined,
and from which it draweth its sustenance…
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Gleanings from the
Writings of Baha'u'llah’)
March 30
If thou attainest unto His [Baha’u’llah’s] Revelation and
obeyest Him, thou wilt have revealed the fruit of the Bayán; if not, thou art unworthy
of mention before God.
(The Báb, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘God Passes By’)
March 29
…in the forthcoming Revelation it is He Who is the
Remembrance of God, whereas the devotions which thou art offering at present
have been prescribed by the Point of the Bayán, while He Who will shine resplendent
in the Day of Resurrection is the Revelation of the inner reality enshrined in
the Point of the Bayán — a Revelation more potent, immeasurably more potent,
than the one which hath preceded it.
(The Báb, excerpt from Persian Bayan;
‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
March 28
Salutation
and praise rest upon them that have not been kept back by any transitory thing
whatever, nor have been alarmed by the violent commotions provoked by the
people of the earth-- such people as are immersed in the pursuit of earthly
vanities and have been deluded by the gay livery of the world, in such wise
that they have cast the Cause of God behind their backs. The day is fast
approaching when He will have rolled up their domain and spread out a new one in
its spread. Verily, He is the One, the Peerless. the Powerful, the Invincible,
the Almighty.
(Baha’u’llah, compilation: ‘Fire and Light’, prepared by the Research Department of the
Universal House of Justice; The Baha’i World 1979-1983)
March 27
With the utmost unity, and in a spirit of perfect
fellowship, exert yourselves, that ye may be enabled to achieve that which
beseemeth this Day of God. Verily I say, strife and dissension, and whatsoever
the mind of man abhorreth are entirely unworthy of his station.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
March 26
O people of the Bayán! act not as the people of the Qur’án
have acted, for if ye do so, the fruits of your night will come to naught.
(The
Báb, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘God Passes By’)
March 25
The Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph had, in the first year
of this Revelation, been widely distributed. Nevertheless, when the people
realized that fellow supporters were not forthcoming they hesitated to accept
it; while it never occurred to them that the very Qur’án whereunto unnumbered
souls bear fealty today, was revealed in the midmost heart of the Arab world,
yet to outward seeming for no less than seven years no one acknowledged its
truth except the Commander of the Faithful [Imám ‘Alí]—may the peace of God
rest upon him—who, in response to the conclusive proofs advanced by God’s
supreme Testimony, recognized the Truth and did not fix his eyes on others.
(The
Báb, excerpt from Persian Bayan; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
March 24
Should anyone acquire one hundred mithqáls
of gold, nineteen mithqáls thereof are God’s and to be rendered unto
Him, the Fashioner of earth and heaven. Take heed, O people, lest ye deprive
yourselves of so great a bounty. This We have commanded you, though We are well
able to dispense with you and with all who are in the heavens and on earth; in
it there are benefits and wisdoms beyond the ken of anyone but God, the
Omniscient, the All-Informed. Say: By this means He hath desired to purify what
ye possess and to enable you to draw nigh unto such stations as none can
comprehend save those whom God hath willed. He, in truth, is the Beneficent,
the Gracious, the Bountiful.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
March 23
The reason why privacy hath been enjoined in moments of
devotion is this, that thou mayest give thy best attention to the remembrance
of God, that thy heart may at all times be animated with His Spirit, and not be
shut out as by a veil from thy Best Beloved. Let not thy tongue pay lip service
in praise of God while thy heart be not attuned to the exalted Summit of Glory,
and the Focal Point of communion.
(The Báb, excerpt from Persian Bayan;
‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
March 22
Dear friend! Now when the light of God’s everlasting Morn is breaking;
when the radiance of His holy words: “God is the light of the heavens and of
the earth” [Qur’án 24:35] is shedding illumination upon all mankind; when the
inviolability of His tabernacle is being proclaimed by His sacred utterance:
“God hath willed to perfect His light;” [Qur’án 9:33] and the Hand of
omnipotence, bearing His testimony: “In His grasp He holdeth the kingdom of all
things,” is being outstretched unto all the peoples and kindreds of the earth;
it behooveth us to gird up the loins of endeavour, that haply, by the grace and
bounty of God, we may enter the celestial City: “Verily, we are God’s,” and
abide within the exalted habitation: “And unto Him we do return.” It is incumbent upon thee, by the permission of God, to
cleanse the eye of thine heart from the things of the world, that thou mayest
realize the infinitude of divine knowledge, and mayest behold Truth so clearly
that thou wilt need no proof to demonstrate His reality, nor any evidence to
bear witness unto His testimony.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
March 21
Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained Naw-Ruz as a festival
unto those who have observed the fast for love of Thee and abstained from all
that is abhorrent unto Thee.
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by
Baha'u'llah’)
March 20
A new life is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples
of the earth; and yet none hath discovered its cause or perceived its motive.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
March 19
…on the Day of Resurrection God will ask everyone of his
understanding and not of his following in the footsteps of others. How often a
person, having inclined his ears to the holy verses, would bow down in humility
and would embrace the Truth, while his leader would not do so. Thus every
individual must bear his own responsibility, rather than someone else bearing
it for him.
(The Báb, excerpt from Persian Bayan; ‘Selections from the Writings
of the Báb)
March 18
At the time of the appearance of Him Whom God will make
manifest the most distinguished among the learned and the lowliest of men shall
both be judged alike. How often the most insignificant of men have acknowledged
the truth, while the most learned have remained wrapt in veils. Thus in every
Dispensation a number of souls enter the fire by reason of their following in
the footsteps of others.
(The Báb, excerpt from Persian Bayan; ‘Selections from
the Writings of the Báb)
March 17
…hear, O My brother, My plaint against them that claim to be
associated with God and with the Manifestations of His knowledge, and yet
follow their corrupt inclinations, consume the substance of their neighbour,
are given to wine, commit murder, defraud and slander each other, hurl
calumnies against God, and are wont to speak falsely. The people attribute all
these deeds unto Us, whilst their perpetrators remain shameless before God.
They cast aside that which He hath enjoined upon them and commit that which He
hath forbidden….
These people, however, have turned aside from all this and
placed instead their affections upon that which accordeth with their own
corrupt inclinations. Thus do they roam in the wilderness of arrogance and
pride. I bear witness at this moment that God is wholly quit of them, and
likewise are We. We beseech God to suffer Us not to associate with them either
in this life or in the life to come. He, verily, is the Eternal Truth. No God
is there but Him, and His might is equal to all things.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of
Divine Mysteries’)
March 16
If
those that have erred grievously were aware of the hidden mysteries of
martyrdom. they would in no wise commit such deeds. However, God hath caused
them to be tongue-tied and bereft of sight, with their minds and power of
perception reduced to naught, in such wise that they deem a priceless benefit a
grievous loss. With their own hands they help the Cause of God, though they
themselves are wholly unconscious of it. Verily God would at one time render
His Cause victorious through the aid of His enemies and at another by virtue of
the assistance of His chosen ones. Concerning those pure and blessed souls, Our
Pen of Glory hath revealed that which excelleth the whole world, its treasures
and whatsoever existeth therein. Ere long shall the heedless and the doers of
wickedness be repaid for that which their hands have wrought.
(Baha’u’llah,
compilation: ‘Fire and Light’, prepared
by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice; The Baha’i
World 1979-1983)
March 15
O people! Deal not faithlessly with the Right
of God, nor, without His leave, make free with its disposal. Thus hath His
commandment been established in the holy Tablets, and in this exalted Book. He
who dealeth faithlessly with God shall in justice meet with faithlessness himself;
he, however, who acteth in accordance with God’s bidding shall receive a
blessing from the heaven of the bounty of his Lord, the Gracious, the Bestower,
the Generous, the Ancient of Days. He, verily, hath willed for you that which
is yet beyond your knowledge, but which shall be known to you when, after this
fleeting life, your souls soar heavenwards and the trappings of your earthly
joys are folded up. Thus admonisheth you He in Whose possession is the Guarded
Tablet.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
March 14
…it behoveth the people of truth that the signs of humility
should shine upon their faces, that the light of sanctity should radiate from
their countenances, that they should walk upon the earth as though they were in
the presence of God and distinguish themselves in their deeds from all the
dwellers of the earth. Such must be their state that their eyes should behold
the evidences of His might, their tongues and hearts make mention of His name,
their feet be set towards the lands of His nearness, and their hands take fast
hold upon His precepts. And were they to pass through a valley of pure gold and
mines of precious silver, they should regard them as wholly unworthy of their
attention.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’)
March 13
We beseech the peerless Lord to enable thee to assist His
Cause and to lead those who are sore athirst in the wilderness of ignorance to
the water of life. His might, in truth, is equal to all things.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Tabernacle of Unity’)
March 12
O affectionate seeker! Shouldst thou soar in the holy realm of the
spirit, thou wouldst recognize God manifest and exalted above all things, in
such wise that thine eyes would behold none else but Him. “God was alone; there
was none else besides Him.” So lofty is this station that no testimony can bear
it witness, neither evidence do justice to its truth. Wert thou to explore the
sacred domain of truth, thou wilt find that all things are known only by the
light of His recognition, that He hath ever been, and will continue for ever to
be, known through Himself. And if thou dwellest in the land of testimony,
content thyself with that which He, Himself, hath revealed: “Is it not enough
for them that We have sent down unto Thee the Book?” [Qur’án 29:51] This is the
testimony which He, Himself, hath ordained; greater proof than this there is none, nor ever will be: “This proof is His Word;
His own Self, the testimony of His truth.”
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
March 11
Praise
be unto Thee, O Lord my God! We have observed the Fast in conformity with Thy
bidding and break it now through Thy love and Thy good-pleasure. Deign to
accept, O my God, the deeds that we have performed in Thy path wholly for the
sake of Thy beauty with our faces set towards Thy Cause, free from aught else
but Thee. Bestow, then, Thy forgiveness upon us, upon our forefathers, and upon
all such as have believed in Thee and in Thy mighty signs in this most great,
this most glorious Revelation. Potent art Thou to do what Thou choosest. Thou
art, verily, the Most Exalted, the Almighty, the Unconstrained.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, compiled by Research
Department of the Universal House of Justice; published in The American Baha'i, September 2000)
March 10
Say: O leaders of religion! Weigh not the Book of God with
such standards and sciences as are current amongst you, for the Book itself is
the unerring Balance established amongst men. In this most perfect Balance
whatsoever the peoples and kindreds of the earth possess must be weighed, while
the measure of its weight should be tested according to its own standard, did
ye but know it.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
March 9
I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thy Name through which Thou
hast enabled Thy servants and Thy people to know Thee, through which Thou hast
drawn the hearts of those who have recognized Thee towards the resplendent
court of Thy oneness, and the souls of Thy favored ones
unto the Day-Spring of Thy unity,—I beseech Thee to grant that I may be
assisted to observe the fast wholly for Thy sake, O Thou Who art full of
majesty and glory! Empower me, then, O my God, to be reckoned among them that
have clung to Thy laws and precepts for the sake of Thee alone, their eyes
fixed on Thy face. These, indeed, are they whose wine is all that hath
proceeded out of the mouth of Thy primal will, whose pure beverage is Thine
enthralling call, whose heavenly River is Thy love, whose Paradise is entrance into
Thy presence and reunion with Thee. For Thou hast been their Beginning and
their End, and their Highest Hope, and their Supreme Desire.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘Prayers and meditations of Baha’u’llah’)
March 8
I am he, O my God,
who testifieth to Thy unity, who acknowledgeth Thy oneness, who boweth humbly
before the revelations of Thy majesty, and who recognizeth with downcast
countenance the splendors of the light of Thy transcendent glory. I have
believed in Thee after Thou didst enable me to know Thy Self, Whom Thou hast
revealed to men’s eyes through the power of Thy sovereignty and might. Unto Him
I have turned, wholly detached from all things, and cleaving steadfastly unto
the cord of Thy gifts and favors. I have embraced His truth, and the truth of
all the wondrous laws and precepts that have been sent down unto Him. I have
fasted for love of Thee and in pursuance of Thine injunction, and have broken
my fast with Thy praise on my tongue and in conformity with Thy pleasure.
Suffer me not, O my Lord, to be reckoned among them who have fasted in the
daytime, who in the night-season have prostrated themselves before Thy face,
and who have repudiated Thy truth, disbelieved in Thy signs, gainsaid Thy
testimony, and perverted Thine utterances.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and
meditations of Baha’u’llah’)
March 7
Glory
be to Thee, O Lord my God! These are the days whereon Thou hast bidden all men
to observe the fast, that through it they may purify their souls and rid
themselves of all attachment to any one but Thee, and that out of their hearts
may ascend that which will be worthy of the court of Thy majesty and may well
beseem the seat of the revelation of Thy oneness. Grant, O my Lord, that this
fast may become a river of life-giving waters and may yield the virtue
wherewith Thou hast endowed it. Cleanse Thou by its means the hearts of Thy
servants whom the evils of the world have failed to hinder from turning towards
Thine all-glorious Name, and who have remained unmoved by the noise and tumult
of such as have repudiated Thy most resplendent signs which have accompanied
the advent of Thy Manifestation Whom Thou hast invested with Thy sovereignty,
Thy power, Thy majesty and glory. These are the servants who, as soon as Thy
call reached them, hastened in the direction of Thy mercy and were not kept
back from Thee by the changes and chances of this world or by any human
limitations.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and meditations of Baha’u’llah’)
March 6
These are, O my Lord, the days in which Thou hast bidden Thy
servants to observe the fast. Blessed is he that observeth the fast wholly for
Thy sake and with absolute detachment from all things except Thee. Assist me
and assist them, O my Lord, to obey Thee and to keep Thy precepts. Thou,
verily, hast power to do what Thou choosest.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and
meditations of Baha’u’llah’)
March 5
Thou seest, O God of Mercy, Thou Whose power pervadeth all
created things, these servants of Thine, Thy thralls, who, according to the
good-pleasure of Thy Will, observe in the daytime the fast prescribed by Thee,
who arise, at the earliest dawn of day, to make mention of Thy Name, and to
celebrate Thy praise, in the hope of obtaining their share of the goodly things
that are treasured up within the treasuries of Thy grace and bounty. I beseech
Thee, O Thou that holdest in Thine hands the reins of
the entire creation, in Whose grasp is the whole kingdom of Thy names and of
Thine attributes, not to deprive, in Thy Day, Thy servants from the showers
pouring from the clouds of Thy mercy, nor to hinder them from taking their
portion of the ocean of Thy good-pleasure.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the
Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
March 4
O ye peoples of the world! Know assuredly that My commandments are the
lamps of My loving providence among My servants, and the keys of My mercy for
My creatures. Thus hath it been sent down from the heaven of the Will of your
Lord, the Lord of Revelation. Were any man to taste the sweetness of the words
which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he would, though the
treasures of the earth be in his possession, renounce them one and all, that he
might vindicate the truth of even one of His commandments, shining above the
Dayspring of His bountiful care and loving-kindness.
(Baha'u'llah, ‘The
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
March 3
In
the Name of Him Who hath been promised in the Books of God, the All-Knowing,
the All-Informed! The days of fasting have arrived wherein those servants who
circle round Thy throne and have attained Thy presence have fasted. Say: O God
of names and creator of heaven and earth! I beg of Thee by Thy Name, the
All-Glorious, to accept the fast of those who have fasted for love of Thee and
for the sake of Thy good-pleasure and have carried out what Thou hast bidden
them in Thy Books and Tablets. I beseech Thee by them to assist me in the
promotion of Thy Cause and to make me steadfast in Thy love, that my footsteps
may not slip on account of the clamour of Thy creatures. Verily, Thou art
powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. No God is there but Thee, the Quickener,
the All-Powerful, the Most Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, compiled by Research Department
of the Universal House of Justice; published in The American Baha'i, September 2000)
March 2
This
is, O my God, the first of the days on which Thou hast bidden Thy loved ones to
observe the Fast. I ask of Thee by Thy Self and by him who hath fasted out of
love for Thee and for Thy good-pleasure - and not out of self and desire, nor
out of fear of Thy wrath - and by Thy most excellent names and august
attributes, to purify Thy servants from the love of aught except Thee and to
draw them nigh unto the Dawning-Place of the lights of Thy countenance and the
Seat of the throne of Thy oneness. Illumine their hearts, O my God, with the
light of Thy knowledge and brighten their faces with the rays of the Daystar
that shineth from the horizon of Thy Will. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth
Thee. No God is there but Thee, the All-Glorious, Whose help is implored by all
men.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, compiled
by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice; published in The American Baha'i, September 2000)
March 1
O friends! Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have
been endowed, neither be neglectful of your high destiny. Suffer not your
labors to be wasted through the vain imaginations which certain hearts have
devised. Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that
stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend
the very life of all men, the letters inscribed upon His sacred scroll.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
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