…The Valley of Love … In this city the heaven of ecstasy is upraised and
the world-illuming sun of yearning shineth, and the fire of love is ablaze; and
when the fire of love is ablaze, it burneth to ashes the harvest of reason.
Now is the traveler unaware of himself, and of aught besides
himself. He seeth neither ignorance nor knowledge, neither doubt nor certitude;
he knoweth not the morn of guidance from the night of error. He fleeth both
from unbelief and faith, and deadly poison is a balm to him. Wherefore Attár [the great Persian Súfí poet
1150–1230 A.D] saith:
For the infidel, error—for the
faithful, faith;
For Attár’s heart, an atom of Thy pain.
The steed of this Valley is pain; and if there be no pain
this journey will never end. In this station the lover hath no thought save the
Beloved, and seeketh no refuge save the Friend. At every moment he offereth a
hundred lives in the path of the Loved One, at every step he throweth a
thousand heads at the feet of the Beloved. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven and the
Four Valleys’)
December 8
If thou rejoicest in My imprisonment, woe then unto thee for
the grievous torment which will soon overtake thee. Indeed God hath permitted
no one to pass unfair judgement, and if thou wouldst fain do so, then soon
shalt thou learn.
From the first day that I cautioned thee not to wax proud before God until the present time, four years have elapsed, and during this space naught have I witnessed, either from thee or from thy soldiers, except dire oppression and disdainful arrogance. Methinks thou dost imagine that I wish to gain some paltry substance from this earthly life. Nay, by the righteousness of My Lord! In the estimation of them that have fixed their eyes upon the merciful Lord, the riches of the world and its trappings are worth as much as the eye of a dead body, nay even less. Far from His glory be what they associate with Him!... I seek patience only in God. Verily He is the best protector and the best helper. No refuge do I seek save God. Verily He is the guardian and the best supporter... (The Báb, Extracts from an Epistle to Muhammad Shah of Persia, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
From the first day that I cautioned thee not to wax proud before God until the present time, four years have elapsed, and during this space naught have I witnessed, either from thee or from thy soldiers, except dire oppression and disdainful arrogance. Methinks thou dost imagine that I wish to gain some paltry substance from this earthly life. Nay, by the righteousness of My Lord! In the estimation of them that have fixed their eyes upon the merciful Lord, the riches of the world and its trappings are worth as much as the eye of a dead body, nay even less. Far from His glory be what they associate with Him!... I seek patience only in God. Verily He is the best protector and the best helper. No refuge do I seek save God. Verily He is the guardian and the best supporter... (The Báb, Extracts from an Epistle to Muhammad Shah of Persia, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
December 7
O SON OF SPIRIT! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure,
kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable
and everlasting. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words’)
December 6
O people of the Bayán!
If ye aid Him not, God will assuredly assist Him with the powers of
earth and heaven, and sustain Him with the hosts of the unseen through His
command “Be”, and it is! The day is approaching
when God will have, by an act of His Will, raised up a race of men the nature
of which is inscrutable to all save God, the All-Powerful, the
Self-Subsisting. He shall purify them
from the defilement of idle fancies and corrupt desires, shall lift them up to
the heights of holiness, and shall cause them to manifest the signs of His
sovereignty and might upon earth. Thus
hath it been ordained by God, the All-Glorious, the All-Loving. (Baha’u’llah,
Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
December 5
Every eye, in this Day, should seek what will best promote the Cause of God. He, Who is the Eternal Truth,
beareth Me witness! Nothing whatever can, in this Day, inflict a greater harm
upon this Cause than dissension and strife, contention, estrangement and
apathy, among the loved ones of God. Flee them, through the power of God and
His sovereign aid, and strive ye to knit together the hearts of men, in His
Name, the Unifier, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from
the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
December 4
O children of understanding! If the eyelid, however
delicate, can deprive man’s outer eye from beholding the world and all that is
therein, consider then what would be wrought if the veil of covetousness were
to descend upon his inner eye. Say: O people! The darkness of greed and envy
becloudeth the radiance of the soul even as the clouds obstruct the light of
the sun. Should anyone hearken unto this utterance with a discerning ear, he
will unfurl the wings of detachment and soar effortlessly in the atmosphere of
true understanding. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s
Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other Writings’)
December 3
By the righteousness of God! Idle fancies have debarred men
from the Horizon of Certitude, and vain imaginings withheld them from the
Choice Sealed Wine. In truth I say, and for the sake of God I declare: This
Servant, this Wronged One, is abashed to claim for Himself any existence
whatever, how much more those exalted grades of being! Every man of
discernment, while walking upon the earth, feeleth indeed abashed, inasmuch as
he is fully aware that the thing which is the source of his prosperity, his
wealth, his might, his exaltation, his advancement and power is, as ordained by
God, the very earth which is trodden beneath the feet of all men. There can be
no doubt that whoever is cognizant of this truth, is cleansed and sanctified
from all pride, arrogance, and vainglory. Whatever hath been said hath come
from God. Unto this, He, verily, hath borne, and beareth now, witness, and He,
in truth, is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to the
Son of the Wolf’)
December 2
By the righteousness of Him Who hath called thee into being
and unto Whom ere long thou shalt return, if thou remainest, at the moment of
death, a disbeliever in the signs of thy Lord thou shalt surely enter the gates
of hell, and none of the deeds thy hands have wrought will profit thee, nor
shalt thou find a patron nor anyone to plead for thee. Fear thou God and pride
not thyself on thine earthly possessions, inasmuch as what God doth possess is
better for them that tread the path of righteousness.
Verily in this Day all that dwell on earth are the servants of God. As to those who truly believe in God and are well assured in the signs revealed by Him, perchance He will graciously forgive them the things their hands have committed, and will grant them admission into the precincts of His mercy. He, in truth, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Compassionate. But the verdict of divine chastisement is pronounced against those who have turned away disdainfully from Me and have repudiated the conclusive proofs and the unerring Book with which God hath invested Me, and on the Day of Severing they shall find no protector or helper. (The Báb, Extracts from an Epistle to Muhammad Shah of Persia, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
Verily in this Day all that dwell on earth are the servants of God. As to those who truly believe in God and are well assured in the signs revealed by Him, perchance He will graciously forgive them the things their hands have committed, and will grant them admission into the precincts of His mercy. He, in truth, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Compassionate. But the verdict of divine chastisement is pronounced against those who have turned away disdainfully from Me and have repudiated the conclusive proofs and the unerring Book with which God hath invested Me, and on the Day of Severing they shall find no protector or helper. (The Báb, Extracts from an Epistle to Muhammad Shah of Persia, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
December 1
We ask for neither meed nor reward. “We nourish your souls
for the sake of God; we seek from you neither recompense nor thanks.” [Qur’án
76:9] This is the food that conferreth everlasting life
upon the pure in heart and the illumined in spirit. This is the bread of which
it is said: “Lord, send down upon us Thy bread from heaven.” [Qur’án 5:117]
This bread shall never be withheld from them that deserve it, nor can it ever
be exhausted. It groweth everlastingly from the tree of grace; it descendeth at
all seasons from the heavens of justice and mercy. Even as He saith: “Seest
thou not to what God likeneth a good word? To a good tree; its root firmly
fixed, and its branches reaching unto heaven: yielding its fruit in all seasons.”[
Qur’án 14:24] (Baha'u'llah, 'Kitab-i-Iqan')
November 30
O King! Wert thou to incline thine ears unto the shrill
voice of the Pen of Glory and the cooing of the Dove of Eternity, which on the
branches of the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing, uttereth praises to
God, the Maker of all Names and the Creator of earth and heaven, thou wouldst
attain unto a station from which thou wouldst behold in the world of being
naught save the effulgence of the Adored One, and wouldst regard thy
sovereignty as the most contemptible of thy possessions, abandoning it to
whosoever might desire it, and setting thy face toward the Horizon aglow with
the light of His countenance. Neither wouldst thou ever be willing to bear the
burden of dominion save for the purpose of helping thy
Lord, the Exalted, the Most High. Then would the Concourse on high bless thee.
O how excellent is this most sublime station, couldst thou ascend thereunto
through the power of a sovereignty recognized as derived from the Name of God!
(Baha’u’llah, from a Tablet addressed to Nasiri’d-Din Shah, the King of Persia,
quoted in ‘The Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
November 29
Be fair to yourselves and to others that the evidences of
justice may be revealed through your deeds among Our faithful servants. (Baha’u’llah,
quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)
November 28
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! I render praise unto God and yet again praise Him. I find Myself free from sorrow, inasmuch as I abide within the good-pleasure of My Lord and Master. Methinks I am in the all-highest Paradise, rejoicing at My communion with God, the Most Great. Verily this is a bounty which God hath conferred upon Me; and He is the Lord of unbounded blessings.
I swear by the truth of God! Wert thou to know that which I know, thou wouldst forgo the sovereignty of this world and of the next, that thou mightest attain My good-pleasure, through thine obedience unto the True One... Wert thou to refuse, the Lord of the world would raise up one who would exalt His Cause, and the Command of God would, verily, be carried into effect. (The Báb, Extracts from an Epistle to Muhammad Shah, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
I swear by the truth of God! Wert thou to know that which I know, thou wouldst forgo the sovereignty of this world and of the next, that thou mightest attain My good-pleasure, through thine obedience unto the True One... Wert thou to refuse, the Lord of the world would raise up one who would exalt His Cause, and the Command of God would, verily, be carried into effect. (The Báb, Extracts from an Epistle to Muhammad Shah, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
November 27
While engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a
most sweet voice, calling above My head. Turning My face, I beheld a Maiden—the embodiment of the remembrance of
the name of My Lord—suspended in the air before Me. So rejoiced was she in her very soul that her
countenance shone with the ornament of the good pleasure of God, and her cheeks
glowed with the brightness of the All-Merciful. Betwixt earth and heaven she was raising a call which captivated the
hearts and minds of men. She was
imparting to both My inward and outer being tidings which rejoiced My soul, and
the souls of God’s honoured servants.
Pointing with her finger unto My head, she addressed all who are in heaven and all who are on earth, saying: By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend not. his is the Beauty of God amongst you, and the power of His sovereignty within you, could ye but understand. This is the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of God and His glory unto all who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if ye be of them that perceive. This is He Whose Presence is the ardent desire of the denizens of the Realm of eternity, and of them that dwell within the Tabernacle of glory, and yet from His Beauty do ye turn aside. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
Pointing with her finger unto My head, she addressed all who are in heaven and all who are on earth, saying: By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend not. his is the Beauty of God amongst you, and the power of His sovereignty within you, could ye but understand. This is the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of God and His glory unto all who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if ye be of them that perceive. This is He Whose Presence is the ardent desire of the denizens of the Realm of eternity, and of them that dwell within the Tabernacle of glory, and yet from His Beauty do ye turn aside. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
November 26
November 25
..."Say: O people of God! Beware lest the powers of the
earth alarm you, or the might of the nations weaken you, or the tumult of the
people of discord deter you, or the exponents of earthly glory sadden you. Be
ye as a mountain in the Cause of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the
Unconstrained." "Say: Beware, O people of Baha, lest the strong ones
of the earth rob you of your strength, or they who rule the world fill you with
fear. Put your trust in God, and commit your affairs to His keeping. He,
verily, will, through the power of truth, render you victorious, and He,
verily, is powerful to do what He willeth, and in His grasp are the reins of
omnipotent might." (Baha’u’llah, cited in Shoghi Effendi ‘The Advent of
Divine Justice’ The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, Crisis and Victory)
November 24
O SON OF MAN! Bestow My wealth upon My poor, that in heaven
thou mayest draw from stores of unfading splendor and treasures of imperishable
glory. But by My life! To offer up thy soul is a more glorious thing couldst
thou but see with Mine eye. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words, no. 57 Arabic) (Please
see ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s explanation at 'Daily Spiritual Food for Thought’)
November 23
Thus it is that Jesus, Himself, declared: “I go away and
come again unto you.” Consider the sun. Were it to say now, “I am the sun of
yesterday,” it would speak the truth. And should it, bearing the sequence of
time in mind, claim to be other than that sun, it still would speak the truth.
In like manner, if it be said that all the days are but one and the same, it is
correct and true. And if it be said, with respect to their particular names and
designations, that they differ, that again is true. For though they are the
same, yet one doth recognize in each a separate designation, a specific
attribute, a particular character. Conceive accordingly the distinction,
variation, and unity characteristic of the various Manifestations of holiness,
that thou mayest comprehend the allusions made by the creator of all names and
attributes to the mysteries of distinction and unity, and discover the answer
to thy question as to why that everlasting Beauty should
have, at sundry times, called Himself by different names and titles. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
November 22
It is permitted that the peoples and kindreds of the world
associate with one another with joy and radiance. O people! Consort with the
followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. Thus
hath the day-star of His sanction and authority shone forth above the horizon
of the decree of God, the Lord of the worlds. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah
revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
November 21
Glorified is He Who sendeth down His verses to those who
comprehend. Glorified is He Who speaketh
forth from the Kingdom of His Revelation, and Who remaineth unknown to all save
His honoured servants. Glorified is He
Who quickeneth whomsoever He willeth by virtue of His word “Be”, and it
is! Glorified is He Who causeth
whomsoever He willeth to ascend unto the heaven of grace, and sendeth down
therefrom whatsoever He desireth according to a prescribed measure. (Baha’u’llah,
Súrih of the Temple, ‘The Summons of
the Lord of Hosts’)
November 20
By Him Who shineth above the Dayspring of sanctity! If the
whole earth were to be converted into silver and gold, no man who can be said
to have truly ascended into the heaven of faith and certitude would deign to
regard it, much less to seize and keep it.... (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi
Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)
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