Morning
Indeed, the references that have been made to the degrees of
mystic knowledge pertain to the knowledge of the effulgences of that Sun of
Truth as it becometh reflected in various mirrors. And the effulgence of that
light is present within the hearts, yet it is hidden beneath the veils of
selfish desires and earthly attachments, even as a candle within a lantern of
iron, and only when the cover is lifted doth the light of the candle shine out.
In like manner, when thou dost strip the veils of illusion from the face of thine heart, the lights of Oneness will be made manifest.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Seven Valleys’, revised translation by the Baha’i World Center included in ‘The Call of the Divine Beloved’)
Evening
I swear by the life of Him Who is the Desire of the world! Were a man to ponder in his heart he would, free of all attachment to the world, hasten unto the Most Great Light and would purge and purify himself from the dust of vain imaginings and the smoke of idle fancy. What could have prompted the people of the past to err and by whom were they misled? They still reject the truth and have turned towards their own selfish desires. This Wronged One calleth aloud for the sake of God. Whosoever wisheth, let him turn thereunto; whosoever wisheth, let him turn away. Verily God can well afford to dispense with all things, whether of the past or of the future.
- Baha’u’llah (From Tablet of Tarazat [Ornaments], Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
