December 26
It is binding and incumbent upon the peoples of the world,
one and all, to extend aid unto this momentous Cause which is come from the
heaven of the Will of the ever-abiding God, that perchance the fire of
animosity which blazeth in the hearts of some of the peoples of the earth may,
through the living waters of divine wisdom and by virtue of heavenly counsels
and exhortations, be quenched, and the light of unity and concord may shine
forth and shed its radiance upon the world. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah
revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
December 25
Great is the blessedness of that divine that hath not
allowed knowledge to become a veil between him and the One Who is the Object of
all knowledge, and who, when the Self-Subsisting appeared, hath turned with a
beaming face towards Him. He, in truth, is numbered with the learned. The
inmates of Paradise seek the blessing of his breath, and his lamp sheddeth its
radiance over all who are in heaven and on earth. He, verily, is numbered with
the inheritors of the Prophets. He that beholdeth him hath, verily, beheld the
True One, and he that turneth towards him hath, verily, turned towards God, the
Almighty, the All-Wise. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised
Day Is Come’)
December 24
Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to
God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself,
however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences,
as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The
deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any
mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the
influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the
quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive and
resplendent Spirit. We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the
splendor of His glory upon all created things. Through Him the leper recovered
from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him the unchaste and
wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the
blind were opened and the soul of the sinner sanctified.... He it is Who
purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light,
hath turned towards Him. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The
Promised Day Is Come’)
December 23
These are the melodies, sung by Jesus, Son of Mary, in
accents of majestic power in the Ridván of the Gospel, revealing those signs
that must needs herald the advent of the Manifestation after Him. In the first
Gospel according to Matthew it is recorded: And when they asked Jesus
concerning the signs of His coming, He said unto them: “Immediately after the
oppression [The Greek word used (Thlipsis) has two meanings: pressure and
oppression] of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not
give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
earth shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of
the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and
they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet.” [Matthew
24:29–31] (Baha’u’llah, ‘Kitab-i-Iqan’)
December 22
Wert thou to incline thine inner ear unto all created
things, thou wouldst hear: ‘The Ancient of Days is come in His great glory!’
Everything celebrateth the praise of its Lord. Some have known God and remember
Him; others remember Him, yet know Him not. Thus have We set down Our decree in
a perspicuous Tablet. (Baha’u’llah, from a Tablet addressed to Napoleon III,
‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
December 21
O Living Temple!
Arise by the power of Thy Self in such wise that all created things will
be moved to arise with Thee. Aid, then,
Thy Lord through such ascendancy and might as We have bestowed upon Thee. Take heed lest Thou falter on that Day when
all created things are filled with dismay; rather be Thou the revealer of My
name, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Assist Thy Lord to the utmost of Thine ability, and pay no heed to the
peoples of the world, for that which their mouths utter is like unto the
droning of a gnat in an endless valley.
Quaff the water of life in My name, the All-Merciful, and proffer unto
the near ones amongst the inmates of this lofty station that which shall cause
them to become detached from all names and enter beneath this blessed and
all-encompassing shadow. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord
of Hosts’)
December 20
In every country where any of this people reside, they must
behave towards the government of that country with loyalty, honesty and
truthfulness. This is that which hath been revealed at the behest of Him Who is
the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah
revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
December 19
If the wayfarer’s goal be the dwelling of the Praiseworthy
One (Mahmúd), [An
attribute of God and one of the titles of Muhammad] this is the station
of primal reason which is known as the Prophet and the Most Great Pillar. [Maqám-i-Mahmúd—Praiseworthy
Station—is the rank of Prophets endowed with constancy] Here reason
signifieth the divine, universal mind, whose sovereignty enlighteneth all
created things … (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys’)
December 18
O people! Words must be supported by deeds, for deeds are the true test of words. Without the former, the latter can never quench the thirst of the yearning soul, nor unlock the portals of vision before the eyes of the blind. The Lord of celestial wisdom saith: A harsh word is even as a sword thrust; a gentle word as milk. The latter leadeth the children of men unto knowledge and conferreth upon them true distinction. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other Writings’)
December 17
Verily, the breezes of forgiveness have been wafted from the
direction of your Lord, the God of Mercy; whoso turneth thereunto, shall be
cleansed of his sins, and of all pain and sickness. Happy
the man that hath turned towards them, and woe betide him that hath turned
aside. (Baha’u’llah, from a Tablet addressed to Napoleon III, ‘Epistle to the
Son of the Wolf’)
December 16
O people of the Bayán! Would ye deny Him Whose presence is the very object of your creation,
while ye rejoice idly upon your couches? Would ye laugh to scorn and contend with Him, a single hair of Whose
head excelleth, in the sight of God, all that are in the heavens and all that
are on the earth? O people of the Bayán! Produce, then, that which ye possess, that I
may know by what proof ye believed aforetime in the Manifestations of His
Cause, and by what reason ye now wax so disdainful!
I swear by Him Who hath fashioned Me from the light of His own Beauty! None have I ever seen that surpasseth you in heedlessness or exceedeth you in ignorance. Ye seek to prove your faith in God through such holy Tablets as ye possess, yet when the verses of God were revealed and His Lamp was lighted, ye disbelieved in Him Whose very Pen hath fixed the destinies of all things in the Preserved Tablet. Ye recite the sacred verses and yet repudiate Him Who is their Source and Revealer. Thus hath God blinded your eyes in requital for your deeds, would ye but understand. Day and night ye transcribe the verses of God, and yet ye remain shut out, as by a veil, from Him Who hath revealed them. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
I swear by Him Who hath fashioned Me from the light of His own Beauty! None have I ever seen that surpasseth you in heedlessness or exceedeth you in ignorance. Ye seek to prove your faith in God through such holy Tablets as ye possess, yet when the verses of God were revealed and His Lamp was lighted, ye disbelieved in Him Whose very Pen hath fixed the destinies of all things in the Preserved Tablet. Ye recite the sacred verses and yet repudiate Him Who is their Source and Revealer. Thus hath God blinded your eyes in requital for your deeds, would ye but understand. Day and night ye transcribe the verses of God, and yet ye remain shut out, as by a veil, from Him Who hath revealed them. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
December 15
O the pity! that man should deprive himself of this goodly
gift, this imperishable bounty, this everlasting life. It behooveth him to
prize this food that cometh from heaven, that perchance, through the wondrous
favours of the Sun of Truth, the dead may be brought to life, and withered
souls be quickened by the infinite Spirit. Make haste, O my brother, that while
there is yet time our lips may taste of the immortal draught, for the breeze of
life, now blowing from the city of the Well-Beloved, cannot last, and the
streaming river of holy utterance must needs be stilled, and the portals of the
Ridván cannot for ever remain open. The day will surely
come when the Nightingale of Paradise will have winged its flight away from its
earthly abode unto its heavenly nest. Then will its melody be heard no more,
and the beauty of the rose cease to shine. Seize the time, therefore, ere the
glory of the divine springtime hath spent itself, and the Bird of Eternity
ceased to warble its melody, that thy inner hearing may not be deprived of
hearkening unto its call. This is My counsel unto thee and unto the beloved of
God. Whosoever wisheth, let him turn thereunto; whosoever wisheth, let him turn
away. God, verily, is independent of him and of that which he may see and
witness. (Baha’u’llah ‘ Kitab-i-Iqan’)
December 14
O concourse of divines! Fear God from this day onwards in
the views ye advance, for He Who is Our Remembrance in your midst, and Who
cometh from Us, is, in very truth, the Judge and Witness. Turn away from that
which ye lay hold of, and which the Book of God, the True One, hath not
sanctioned, for on the Day of Resurrection ye shall, upon the Bridge, be, in
very truth, held answerable for the position ye occupied.... And unto you We
have sent down this Book which truly none can mistake... (The Báb, from the
Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
December 13
Lauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord, my God! How can I
make mention of Thee, assured as I am that no tongue, however deep its wisdom,
can befittingly magnify Thy name, nor can the bird of the human heart, however
great its longing, ever hope to ascend into the heaven of Thy majesty and
knowledge.
If I describe Thee, O my God, as Him Who is the All-Perceiving, I find myself compelled to admit that They Who are the highest Embodiments of perception have been created by virtue of Thy behest. And if I extol Thee as Him Who is the All-Wise, I, likewise, am forced to recognize that the Well Springs of wisdom have themselves been generated through the operation of Thy Will. And if I proclaim Thee as the Incomparable One, I soon discover that they Who are the inmost essence of oneness have been sent down by Thee and are but the evidences of Thine handiwork. And if I acclaim Thee as the Knower of all things, I must confess that they Who are the Quintessence of knowledge are but the creation and instruments of Thy Purpose. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
If I describe Thee, O my God, as Him Who is the All-Perceiving, I find myself compelled to admit that They Who are the highest Embodiments of perception have been created by virtue of Thy behest. And if I extol Thee as Him Who is the All-Wise, I, likewise, am forced to recognize that the Well Springs of wisdom have themselves been generated through the operation of Thy Will. And if I proclaim Thee as the Incomparable One, I soon discover that they Who are the inmost essence of oneness have been sent down by Thee and are but the evidences of Thine handiwork. And if I acclaim Thee as the Knower of all things, I must confess that they Who are the Quintessence of knowledge are but the creation and instruments of Thy Purpose. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
December 12
Blessed is He Who doeth as He willeth by a word of His
command. He, verily, is the True One, the Knower of things unseen. Blessed is
He Who inspireth whomsoever He willeth with whatsoever He desireth, through His
irresistible and inscrutable command. Blessed is He Who aideth whomsoever He
desireth with the hosts of the unseen. His might is, in truth, equal to His
purpose, and He, verily, is the All-Glorious, the Self-Subsisting. Blessed is
He Who exalteth whomsoever He willeth by the power of His sovereign might, and
confirmeth whomsoever He chooseth in accordance with His good pleasure; well is
it with them that understand! (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the
Lord of Hosts’)
December 11
Beseech God to grant unto men hearing ears, and sharp sight,
and dilated breasts, and receptive hearts, that haply His
servants may attain unto their hearts’ Desire, and set their faces towards
their Beloved. Troubles, such as no eye hath beheld, have touched this Wronged
One. In proclaiming His Cause, He, in no wise, hesitated. Addressing Himself
unto the kings and rulers of the earth—may God, exalted be He, assist them—He
imparted unto them that which is the cause of the well-being, the unity, the
harmony, and the reconstruction of the world, and of the tranquillity of the
nations. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
December 10
At a time when darkness had encompassed the world, the ocean
of divine favour surged and His Light was made manifest, that the doings of men
might be laid bare. This, verily, is that Light which hath been foretold in the
heavenly scriptures. Should the Almighty so please, the hearts of all men will
be purged and purified through His goodly utterance, and the light of unity
will shed its radiance upon every soul and revive the whole earth. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
December 9
…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’)
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’)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)