Through the strengthening
power of My Name seize ye the chalice of knowledge, drink then your fill in
defiance of the people of the world who have broken the Covenant of God and His
Testament, rejected His proofs and clear tokens, and cavilled at His signs
which have pervaded all that are in heaven and on earth.
- Baha’u’llah ('Tablets
of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
May 31
Through
the manifold attributes of these Essences of Detachment, [the “Prophets and
chosen Ones of God”] Who are both the first and the last,
the seen and the hidden, it is made evident that He Who is the Sun of Truth is
“the First and the Last, the Seen, and the Hidden.” [Qur’án
57:3] Likewise the other lofty names and exalted attributes of God. Therefore,
whosoever, and in whatever Dispensation, hath recognized and attained unto the
presence of these glorious, these resplendent and most excellent Luminaries,
hath verily attained unto the “Presence of God” Himself, and entered the city
of eternal and immortal life. Attainment unto such presence is possible only in
the Day of Resurrection, which is the Day of the rise of God Himself through
His all-embracing Revelation.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The
Kitab-i-Iqan’)
May 30
In this Day a great
festival is taking place in the Realm above; for whatsoever was promised in the
sacred Scriptures hath been fulfilled. This is the Day of great rejoicing. It
behoveth everyone to hasten towards the court of His nearness with exceeding
joy, gladness, exultation and delight and to deliver himself from the fire of
remoteness.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
May 29
These Prophets and
chosen Ones of God are the recipients and revealers of all the unchangeable
attributes and names of God. They are the mirrors that truly and faithfully
reflect the light of God. Whatsoever is applicable to them is in reality
applicable to God, Himself, Who is both the Visible and the Invisible. The
knowledge of Him, Who is the Origin of all things, and attainment unto Him, are
impossible save through knowledge of, and attainment unto, these luminous
Beings who proceed from the Sun of Truth. By attaining, therefore, to the
presence of these holy Luminaries, the “Presence of God” Himself is attained.
From their knowledge, the knowledge of God is revealed, and from the light of
their countenance, the splendour of the Face of God is made manifest.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
May 28
Forget not My bounties while I am absent. Remember My days
during thy days, and My distress and banishment in this remote prison. And be
thou so steadfast in My love that thy heart shall not waver, even if the swords
of the enemies rain blows upon thee and all the heavens and the earth arise
against thee.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablet of Ahmad)
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablet of Ahmad)
May 27
…all things are the
recipients and revealers of the splendours of that ideal King, and that the
signs of the revelation of that Sun, the Source of all splendour, exist and are
manifest in the mirrors of beings. Nay, were man to gaze with the eye of divine
and spiritual discernment, he will readily recognize that nothing whatsoever
can exist without the revelation of the splendour of God, the ideal King.
Consider how all created things eloquently testify to the revelation of that
inner Light within them. Behold how within all things the portals of the Ridván
of God are opened, that seekers may attain the cities of understanding and
wisdom, and enter the gardens of knowledge and power. Within every garden they
will behold the mystic bride of inner meaning enshrined within the chambers of
utterance in the utmost grace and fullest adornment.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The
Kitab-i-Iqan’)
May 26
When
the Unseen, the Eternal, the divine Essence, caused the Day-star of Muhammad to
rise above the horizon of knowledge, among the cavils which the Jewish divines
raised against Him was that after Moses no Prophet should be sent of God. Yea,
mention hath been made in the scriptures of a Soul Who must needs be made
manifest and Who will advance the Faith, and promote the interests of the
people, of Moses, so that the Law of the Mosaic Dispensation may encompass the
whole earth.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
May 25
Cast away the things current amongst men and take fast hold
on that whereunto ye are bidden by virtue of the Will of the Ordainer, the
Ancient of Days. This is the Day wherein the divine Lote-Tree calleth aloud,
saying: O people! Behold ye My fruits and My leaves, incline then your ears
unto My rustling. Beware lest the doubts of men debar you from the light of
certitude. The Ocean of utterance exclaimeth and saith: ‘O ye dwellers on the
earth! Behold My billowing waters and the pearls of wisdom and utterance which
I have poured forth. Fear ye God and be not of the heedless.’
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
May 24
Thou hast made mention of the people of Tár. [A village near
Isfahan] We have set Our face toward the
servants of God therein and advise them first to consider that which the Point
of the Bayán hath revealed concerning this Revelation whereby all names and
titles have been shaken, the idols of vain imaginings have crumbled and the
Tongue of Grandeur hath, from the realm of glory, proclaimed: By the
righteousness of God! The Hidden Treasure, the Impenetrable Mystery, hath been
uncovered to men’s eyes, causing all things, whether of the past or of the
future, to rejoice. He hath said, and His word is the truth: ‘Of all the
tributes I have paid to Him Who is to come after Me, the greatest is this, My
written confession, that no words of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor can
any reference to Him in My Book, the Bayán, do justice to His Cause.’
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
May 23
Do not say, 'How can He speak of God while in truth His age
is no more than twenty-five?' Give ye ear unto Me. I swear by the Lord of the
heavens and of the earth: I am verily a servant of God. I have been made the
Bearer of irrefutable proofs from the presence of Him Who is the long-expected
Remnant of God. Here is My Book before your eyes, as indeed inscribed in the
presence of God in the Mother Book. God hath indeed made Me blessed,
wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon Me to observe prayer and fortitude
so long as I shall live on earth amongst you.
- The Báb (Selections from the
Writings of the Báb)
May 22
I am the Primal
Point from which have been generated all created things. I am the Countenance
of God Whose splendour can never be obscured, the Light of God Whose radiance
can never fade. Whoso recognizeth Me, assurance and all good are in store for
him, and whoso faileth to recognize Me, infernal fire and all evil await him...
- The Báb (Extract from an Epistle to Muhammad Shah, ‘Selections from the
Writings of the Báb)
May 21
Say: O peoples of
all faiths! Walk not in the ways of them that followed the Pharisees and thus
veiled themselves from the Spirit. They truly have strayed and are in error. The
Ancient Beauty is come in His Most Great Name, and He wisheth to admit all
mankind into His most holy Kingdom. The pure in heart behold the Kingdom of God
manifest before His Face. Make haste thereunto and follow not the infidel and
the ungodly… Thus hath it been decreed by the Pen of the Ancient of Days, as
bidden by Him Who is the Lord of the entire creation. He, verily, hath come
again that ye might be redeemed, O peoples of the earth. Will ye slay Him Who
desireth to grant you eternal life? Fear God, O ye who are endued with insight.
- Baha'u'llah (Tablet to Pope Pius IX, Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The
Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
May 20
Give ear unto that
which the Dove of Eternity warbleth upon the twigs of the Divine Lote-Tree: O
peoples of the earth! We sent forth him who was named John to baptize you with
water, that your bodies might be cleansed for the appearance of the Messiah. He,
in turn, purified you with the fire of love and the water of the spirit in
anticipation of these Days whereon the All-Merciful hath purposed to cleanse
you with the water of life at the hands of His loving providence. This is the
Father foretold by Isaiah, and the Comforter concerning Whom the Spirit had
covenanted with you. Open your eyes, O concourse of bishops, that ye may behold
your Lord seated upon the Throne of might and glory.
- Baha'u'llah (Tablet to
Pope Pius IX, Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of
Hosts’)
May 19
There can be no
doubt whatever that had these Apostles appeared, in bygone ages and cycles, in
accordance with the vain imaginations which the hearts of men had devised, no
one would have repudiated the truth of these sanctified Beings. Though such men
have been, night and day, remembering the one true God, and have been devoutly
engaged in the exercise of their devotions, yet they failed in the end to
recognize, and partake of the grace of, the Day Springs of the signs of God and
the Manifestations of His irrefutable evidences. To this the Scriptures bear
witness. Thou hast, no doubt, heard about it.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
May 18
Ponder a while. What
is it that prompted, in every Dispensation, the peoples of the earth to shun
the Manifestation of the All-Merciful? What could have impelled them to turn
away from Him and to challenge His authority? Were men to meditate on these
words which have flowed from the Pen of the Divine Ordainer, they would, one
and all, hasten to embrace the truth of this God-given, and ever-enduring
Revelation, and would testify to that which He Himself hath solemnly affirmed.
It is the veil of idle imaginations which, in the days of the Manifestations of
the Unity of God and the Day Springs of His everlasting glory, hath intervened,
and will continue to intervene, between them and the rest of mankind. For in
those days, He Who is the Eternal Truth manifesteth Himself in conformity with
that which He Himself hath purposed, and not according to the desires and
expectations of men. Even as He hath revealed: “So oft, then, as an Apostle
cometh to you with that which your souls desire not, do ye swell with pride,
and treat some as impostors, and slay others.” [Qur'án 2:87]
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
May 17
But for the sole reason of His being present amongst this
people, We would have neither prescribed any law nor laid down any prohibition.
It is only for the glorification of His Name and the exaltation of His Cause
that We have enunciated certain laws at Our behest, or forbidden the acts to
which We are averse, so that at the hour of His manifestation ye may attain through
Him the good-pleasure of God and abstain from the things that are abhorrent
unto Him.
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)
May 16
Say: O Yahyá (Azal), produce a single verse, if thou dost
possess divinely-inspired knowledge. These words were formerly spoken by My
Herald Who at this hour proclaimeth: ‘Verily, verily, I am the first to adore Him.’ Be fair, O My brother. Art thou able to
express thyself when brought face to face with the billowing ocean of Mine
utterance? Canst thou unloose thy tongue when confronted with the shrill voice
of My Pen? Hast thou any power before the revelations of Mine omnipotence?
Judge thou fairly, I adjure thee by God, and call to mind when thou didst stand
in the presence of this Wronged One and We dictated to thee the verses of God,
the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Beware lest the source of falsehood
withhold thee from the manifest Truth.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
May 15
If, however, for a
few days, in compliance with God's all- encompassing wisdom, outward affairs
should run their course contrary to one's cherished desire, this is of no
consequence and should not matter. Our intent is that all the friends should
fix their gaze on the Supreme Horizon, and cling to that which hath been
revealed in the Tablets. They should strictly avoid sedition, and refrain from
treading the path of dissension and strife. They should champion their one true
God, exalted be He, through the hosts of forbearance, of submission, of an
upright character, of goodly deeds, and of the choicest and most refined words.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Bahá'í World vol. XVIII’; The Compilation of Compilations
vol. I, Crisis and Victory)
May 14
As to the
Huququ'lláh: This is the source of blessings, and the mainspring of God's
loving-kindness and tender love vouchsafed unto men. Verily He can dispense
with whatsoever hath been and will be. Until two years ago the matter of Huquq
was undisclosed. When it was revealed it was by virtue of His grace. If a
person be privileged to fulfil that which is prescribed in the Most Holy Book,
it would assuredly be better for him, and to his greater behoof. However the
observation of this injunction dependeth upon one's circumstances. Verily He
speaketh the truth and guideth aright.
- Baha’u’llah (The Compilation of
Compilation, vol. I, Huqúqu'lláh)
May 13
O Son of Spirit! The
spirit of holiness beareth unto thee the joyful tidings of reunion; wherefore
dost thou grieve? The spirit of power confirmeth thee in His cause; why dost
thou veil thyself? The light of His countenance doth lead thee; how canst thou
go astray?
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
May 12
Lauded and glorified
is He Who hath called the creation into being. He is the sovereign Truth, the
Knower of things unseen. The Mother Book is revealed and the Lord of Bounty is
established upon the most blessed seat of glory. The Dawn hath broken, yet the
people understand not. The signs have been ushered in, while He Who hath
revealed them is overwhelmed with manifest sorrow. Indeed I have endured that
which hath caused the world of existence to lament.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of
Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
May 11
Were the Point of
the Bayán present in this day and should He, God forbid, hesitate to
acknowledge this Cause, then the very blessed words which have streamed forth
from the wellspring of His Own Bayán would apply to Him. He saith, and His word
is the truth, ‘Lawful is it for Him Whom God will make manifest to reject him
who is the greatest on earth.’ Say, O ye that are bereft of understanding!
Today that Most Exalted Being is proclaiming: ‘Verily, verily, I am the first
to adore Him.’ How shallow is the fund of men’s knowledge and how feeble their
power of perception. Our Pen of Glory beareth witness to their abject poverty
and to the wealth of God, the Lord of all worlds.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of
Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
May 10
It is also recorded
in the Gospel according to St. Luke, that on a certain day Jesus passed by a
Jew who was sick of the palsy, and lay upon a couch. When the Jew saw Him, he
recognized Him, and cried out for His help. Jesus said unto him: “Arise from
thy bed; thy sins are forgiven thee.” Certain of the Jews, standing by,
protested saying: “Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” And immediately He
perceived their thoughts, Jesus answering said unto them: “Whether is it easier
to say to the sick of the palsy, arise, and take up thy bed, and walk; or to
say, thy sins are forgiven thee? that ye may know that the Son of Man hath
power on earth to forgive sins.” [Cf. Luke 5:18–26] This is the real sovereignty, and such is
the power of God’s chosen Ones!
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
May 9
O Son of Desire! The
learned and the wise have for long years striven and failed to attain the
presence of the All-Glorious; they have spent their lives in search of Him, yet
did not behold the beauty of His countenance. Thou without the least effort
didst attain thy goal, and without search hast obtained the object of thy
quest. Yet, notwithstanding, thou didst remain so wrapt in the veil of self,
that thine eyes beheld not the beauty of the Beloved, nor did thy hand touch
the hem of His robe. Ye that have eyes, behold and wonder.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The
Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
May 8
Huququ'lláh is
indeed a great law. It is incumbent upon all to make this offering, because it
is the source of grace, abundance, and of all good. It is a bounty which shall
remain with every soul in every world of the worlds of God, the All-Possessing,
the All-Bountiful.
- Baha’u’llah (The
Compilation of Compilation, vol. I, Huqúqu'lláh)
May 7
Whatever hath
befallen you, hath been for the sake of God. This is the truth, and in this
there is no doubt. You should, therefore, leave all your affairs in His Hands,
place your trust in Him, and rely upon Him. He will assuredly not forsake you.
In this, likewise, there is no doubt. No father will surrender his sons to
devouring beasts; no shepherd will leave his flock to ravening wolves. He will
most certainly do his utmost to protect his own.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The
Bahá'í World vol. XVIII’; The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, Crisis and
Victory)
May 6
The drinking of wine is, according to the text of the Most
Holy Book, forbidden; for it is the cause of chronic diseases, weakeneth the
nerves, and consumeth the mind.
- Baha’u’llah (Cited in Shoghi Effendi, ‘The
Advent of Divine Justice’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, A Chase and
Holy Life)
May 5
In the eighth of the
most holy lines, in the fifth Tablet of Paradise, He saith:
O Ye that are Lying
as Dead on the Couch of Heedlessness! Ages have passed and your precious lives
are well-nigh ended, yet not a single breath of purity hath reached Our court
of holiness from you. Though immersed in the ocean of misbelief, yet with your
lips ye profess the one true faith of God. Him whom I abhor ye have loved, and
of My foe ye have made a friend. Notwithstanding, ye walk on My earth
complacent and self-satisfied, heedless that My earth is weary of you and
everything within it shunneth you. Were ye but to open your eyes, ye would, in
truth, prefer a myriad griefs unto this joy, and would count death itself
better than this life.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
May 4
O followers of the
Son! We have once again sent John unto
you, and He, verily, hath cried out in the wilderness of the Bayán: O peoples of the world! Cleanse your eyes! The Day whereon ye can behold the Promised
One and attain unto Him hath drawn nigh!
O followers of the Gospel!
Prepare the way! The Day of the
advent of the Glorious Lord is at hand!
Make ready to enter the Kingdom.
Thus hath it been ordained by God, He Who causeth the dawn to break.
- Baha'u'llah (Tablet to Pope Pius IX, Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the
Lord of Hosts’)
May 3
Whatever proceeded
from the tongue of the Son was revealed in parables, whilst He Who proclaimeth
the Truth in this Day speaketh without them.
Take heed lest thou cling to the cord of idle fancy and withhold thyself
from that which hath been ordained in the Kingdom of God, the Almighty, the
All-Bountiful. Should the inebriation of
the wine of My verses seize thee, and thou determinest to present thyself
before the throne of thy Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, make My love
thy vesture, and thy shield remembrance of Me, and thy provision reliance upon
God, the Revealer of all power.
- Baha'u'llah (Tablet to Pope Pius IX,
Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
May 2
…call thou to mind the day when the Jews, who had surrounded
Jesus, Son of Mary, were pressing Him to confess His claim of being the Messiah
and Prophet of God, so that they might declare Him an infidel and sentence Him
to death. Then, they led Him away, He Who was the Day-star of the heaven of
divine Revelation, unto Pilate and Caiaphas, who was the leading divine of that
age. The chief priests were all assembled in the palace, also a multitude of
people who had gathered to witness His sufferings, to deride and injure Him.
Though they repeatedly questioned Him, hoping that He
would confess His claim, yet Jesus held His peace and spake not. Finally, an
accursed of God arose and, approaching Jesus, adjured Him saying: “Didst thou
not claim to be the Divine Messiah? Didst thou not say, ‘I am the King of
Kings, My word is the Word of God, and I am the breaker of the Sabbath day?’”
Thereupon Jesus lifted up His head and said: “Beholdest thou not the Son of Man
sitting on the right hand of power and might?” These were His words, and yet
consider how to outward seeming He was devoid of all power except that inner
power which was of God and which had encompassed all that is in heaven and on
earth. How can I relate all that befell Him after He spoke these words? How shall
I describe their heinous behaviour towards Him? They at last heaped on His
blessed Person such woes that He took His flight unto the fourth Heaven.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
May 1
Say, verily any one follower of this Faith can, by the leave
of God, prevail over all who dwell in heaven and earth and in whatever lieth
between them; for indeed this is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the one true
Faith. Therefore fear ye not, neither be ye grieved.
- The Báb (‘Selections from
the Writings of the Báb’)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)