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“Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide.” (Bahá’u’lláh, ‘The Kitáb-i-Aqdas’)
March 17
Consort with all men, O
people of Baha, in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. If ye be aware of a
certain truth, if ye possess a jewel, of which others are deprived, share it
with them in a language of utmost kindliness and goodwill. If it be accepted,
if it fulfill its purpose, your object is attained. If anyone should refuse it,
leave him unto himself, and beseech God to guide him. Beware lest ye deal
unkindly with him. A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men. It is
the bread of the spirit, it clotheth the words with meaning, it is the fountain
of the light of wisdom and understanding. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi
Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)
March 16
They who are the people of
God have no ambition except to revive the world, to ennoble its life, and
regenerate its peoples. Truthfulness and good-will have, at all times, marked
their relations with all men. Their outward conduct is but a reflection of
their inward life, and their inward life a mirror of their outward conduct. No
veil hideth or obscureth the verities on which their Faith is established.
Before the eyes of all men these verities have been laid bare, and can be
unmistakably recognized. Their very acts attest the truth of these words. (Baha'u'llah,
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah)
March 15
Verily I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the Face, and hear the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of God hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men. It behoveth every man to blot out the trace of every idle word from the tablet of his heart, and to gaze, with an open and unbiased mind, on the signs of His Revelation, the proofs of His Mission, and the tokens of His glory. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah)
March 14
The door of the
knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in the face of all beings,
He, the Source of infinite grace ... hath caused those luminous Gems of
Holiness to appear out of the realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the
human temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto the
world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being and tell of the subtleties of His
imperishable Essence... All the Prophets of God, His well-favored, His holy and
chosen Messengers are, without exception, the bearers of His names and the
embodiments of His attributes... These Tabernacles of Holiness, these primal
Mirrors which reflect the Light of unfading glory, are but expressions of Him
Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi
in ‘The World Order of Baha'u'llah’)
March 13
Rid thou thyself of all
attachments to aught except God, enrich thyself in God by dispensing with all
else besides Him, and recite this prayer:
Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth or in whatever lieth between them but God, thy Lord, sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent.
Regard not the all-sufficing power of God as an idle fancy. It is that genuine faith which thou cherishest for the Manifestation of God in every Dispensation. It is such faith which sufficeth above all the things that exist on the earth, whereas no created thing on earth besides faith would suffice thee. If thou art not a believer, the Tree of divine Truth would condemn thee to extinction. If thou art a believer, thy faith shall be sufficient for thee above all things that exist on earth, even though thou possess nothing. (The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth or in whatever lieth between them but God, thy Lord, sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent.
Regard not the all-sufficing power of God as an idle fancy. It is that genuine faith which thou cherishest for the Manifestation of God in every Dispensation. It is such faith which sufficeth above all the things that exist on the earth, whereas no created thing on earth besides faith would suffice thee. If thou art not a believer, the Tree of divine Truth would condemn thee to extinction. If thou art a believer, thy faith shall be sufficient for thee above all things that exist on earth, even though thou possess nothing. (The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
March 12
By the sorrows which
afflict the beauty of the All-Glorious! Such is the station ordained for the
true believer that if to an extent smaller than a needle's eye the glory of
that station were to be unveiled to mankind, every beholder would be consumed
away in his longing to attain it. For this reason it hath been decreed that in
this earthly life the full measure of the glory of his own station should remain
concealed from the eyes of such a believer. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi
Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)
March 10
I swear by God! Shouldst thou know the things which in the space of these four years have befallen Me at the hands of thy people and thine army, thou wouldst hold thy breath from fear of God.... Alas, alas, for the things which have touched Me!... I swear by the Most Great Lord! Wert thou to be told in what place I dwell, the first person to have mercy on Me would be thyself. In the heart of a mountain is a fortress [Maku] ... the inmates of which are confined to two guards and four dogs. Picture, then, My plight.... In this mountain I have remained alone, and have come to such a pass that none of those gone before Me have suffered what I have suffered, nor any transgressor endured what I have endured! (The Báb, from a Tablet to Muhammad Shah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day is come’)
March 9
The Pen of Holiness, I
solemnly affirm before God, hath writ upon My snow-white brow and in characters
of effulgent glory these glowing, these musk-scented and holy words: 'Behold ye
that dwell on earth, and ye denizens of heaven, bear witness, He in truth is
your Well-Beloved. He it is Whose like the world of creation hath not seen, He
Whose ravishing beauty hath delighted the eye of God, the Ordainer, the
All-Powerful, the Incomparable!' (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi
in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice
March 8
The first Taraz and
the first effulgence which hath dawned from the horizon of the Mother Book is
that man should know his own self and recognize that which leadeth unto
loftiness or lowliness, glory or abasement, wealth or poverty . . . (Baha’u’llah,
Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas; Compilation on ‘Psychology
and Knowledge of Self,
prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
March 7
One righteous act is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond asunder, and hath the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and vanished.... Be pure, O people of God, be pure; be righteous, be righteous.... (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice)
March 6
There are various stages and stations for the Fast and innumerable effects and benefits are concealed therein. Well is it with those who have attained unto them. (Baha’u’llah, Compilation on ‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, prepared by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
March 5
They who dwell within the Tabernacle of God, and are established upon the seats of everlasting glory, will refuse, though they be dying of hunger, to stretch their hands, and seize unlawfully the property of their neighbor, however vile and worthless he may be. The purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself is to summon all mankind to truthfulness and sincerity, to piety and trustworthiness, to resignation and submissiveness to the will of God, to forbearance and kindliness, to uprightness and wisdom. His object is to array every man with the mantle of a saintly character, and to adorn him with the ornament of holy and goodly deeds. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice)
March 4
Even though outwardly the Fast is difficult and toilsome, yet inwardly it is bounty and tranquillity. Purification and training are conditioned and dependent only on such rigorous exercises as are in accord with the Book of God and sanctioned by Divine law, not those which the deluded have inflicted upon the people. Whatsoever God hath revealed is beloved of the soul. We beseech Him that He may graciously assist us to do that which is pleasing and acceptable unto Him. (Baha’u’llah, Compilation on ‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, prepared by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
March 3
Verily, I say, fasting is the supreme remedy and the most great healing for the disease of self and passion. (Baha’u’llah, Compilation on ‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, prepared by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
March 2
These are, O my God, the days whereon Thou didst enjoin Thy servants to observe the fast. With it Thou didst adorn the preamble of the Book of Thy Laws revealed unto Thy creatures, and didst deck forth the Repositories of Thy commandments in the sight of all who are in Thy heaven and all who are on Thy earth. Thou hast endowed every hour of these days with a special virtue, inscrutable to all except Thee, Whose knowledge embraceth all created things. Thou hast, also, assigned unto every soul a portion of this virtue in accordance with the Tablet of Thy decree and the Scriptures of Thine irrevocable judgment. Every leaf of these Books and Scriptures Thou hast, moreover, allotted to each one of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. (Baha'u'llah,’ Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah’)
March 1
Give a hearing ear, O people, to that which I, in truth, say unto you. The one true God, exalted be His glory, hath ever regarded, and will continue to regard, the hearts of men as His own, His exclusive possession. All else, whether pertaining to land or sea, whether riches or glory, He hath bequeathed unto the Kings and rulers of the earth. From the beginning that hath no beginning the ensign proclaiming the words "He doeth whatsoever He willeth" hath been unfurled in all its splendor before His Manifestation. What mankind needeth in this day is obedience unto them that are in authority, and a faithful adherence to the cord of wisdom. The instruments which are essential to the immediate protection, the security and assurance of the human race have been entrusted to the hands, and lie in the grasp, of the governors of human society. This is the wish of God and His decree.... We cherish the hope that one of the kings of the earth will, for the sake of God, arise for the triumph of this wronged, this oppressed people. Such a king will be eternally extolled and glorified. God hath prescribed unto this people the duty of aiding whosoever will aid them, of serving his best interests, and of demonstrating to him their abiding loyalty. They who follow Me must strive, under all circumstances, to promote the welfare of whosoever will arise for the triumph of My Cause, and must at all times prove their devotion and fidelity unto him. Happy is the man that hearkeneth and observeth My counsel. Woe unto him that faileth to fulfil My wish. (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah)
February 29
Beautify your tongues, O people with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the ornament of honesty. Beware, O people, that ye deal not treacherously with anyone. Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice)
February 28
O Pen of the Most High! Say: O people of the world! We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Ruz as a feast. Thus hath the Day-Star of Utterance shone forth above the horizon of the Book as decreed by Him Who is the Lord of the beginning and the end. Let the days in excess of the months be placed before the month of fasting. We have ordained that these, amid all nights and days, shall be the manifestations of the letter Ha, and thus they have not been bounded by the limits of the year and its months. It behoveth the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name; and when they end - these days of giving that precede the season of restraint - let them enter upon the Fast. Thus hath it been ordained by Him Who is the Lord of all mankind. The traveller, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Most Generous. (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas)
February 27
It is incumbent upon the children to exert themselves to the utmost in acquiring the art of reading and writing.... Writing skills that will provide for urgent needs will be enough for some; and then it is better and more fitting that they should spend their time in studying those branches of knowledge which are of use.
As for what the Supreme Pen hath previously set down, the reason is that in every art and skill, God loveth the highest perfection. (Baha’u’llah, The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Baha’i Education)
February 26
O My Brother! A pure heart is as a mirror; cleanse it with the burnish of love and severance from all save God, that the true sun may shine within it and the eternal morning dawn. Then wilt thou clearly see the meaning of "Neither doth My earth nor My heaven contain Me, but the heart of My faithful servant containeth Me." [An Islamic Hadith] And thou wilt take up thy life in thine hand, and with infinite longing cast it before the new Beloved One. (Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys)
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