Morning
In this day a Luminary hath dawned above the horizon of
divine providence, upon whose brow the Pen of Glory hath inscribed these
exalted words: “We have called you into being to show forth love and fidelity,
not animosity and hatred”. Likewise, on another occasion, He—exalted and
glorified be His name—hath revealed the following words in the Persian tongue,
words through which the hearts of the well-favoured and the sincere amongst His
servants are consumed, the manifold pursuits of men are harmonized, and mankind
is illumined by the light of divine unity and enabled to turn towards the
Dayspring of divine knowledge: “The incomparable Friend saith: The path to
freedom hath been outstretched; hasten ye thereunto. The wellspring of wisdom
is overflowing; quaff ye therefrom. Say: O well-beloved ones! The tabernacle of
unity hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the
fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.”
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other Writings’)
Evening
I swear by Him Who createth all beings and unto Whom all shall return, if anyone at the hour of death beareth hatred towards Me or disputeth the clear tokens wherewith I have been invested, then naught but afflictive torment shall be his lot. On that day no ransom will be accepted, nor will any intercession be permitted, unless God so please. Verily He is the All-Compelling, the All-Glorious; and no God is there other than Him, the sovereign Ruler, the Almighty, the Most Severe.
- The Báb (From an Epistle
to Muhammad Shah, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
