February 8
Do not say, ‘How can He speak of God while in truth His age
is no more than twenty-five?’ Give ye ear unto Me. I swear by the Lord of the
heavens and of the earth: I am verily a servant of God. I have been made the
Bearer of irrefutable proofs from the presence of Him Who is the long-expected
Remnant of God. Here is My Book before your eyes, as indeed inscribed in the
presence of God in the Mother Book. God hath indeed made Me blessed,
wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon Me to observe prayer and fortitude
so long as I shall live on earth amongst you. (The Báb, an excerpt from the
Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
February 7
O Ears of this Temple! Purge yourselves from all idle clamour and hearken unto the voice of
your Lord. He, verily, revealeth unto
you, from the Throne of glory, that there is none other God save Me, the
All-Glorious, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Erelong shall We bring into being through you
pure and undefiled ears which will heed the Word of God and that which hath
appeared from the Dayspring of the Utterance of your Lord, the
All-Merciful. They shall assuredly
perceive the sweet accents of Divine Revelation that proceed from these most
blessed and hallowed precincts. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of
the Lord of Hosts’)
February 6
Do men imagine that We are far distant from the people of
the world? Nay, the day We cause them to be assailed by the pangs of death [Qur’án
68:42] they shall, upon the plain of Resurrection, behold how the Lord of Mercy
and His Remembrance were near. Thereupon they shall exclaim: ‘Would that we had
followed the path of the Báb! Would that we had sought refuge only with Him,
and not with men of perversity and error! For verily the Remembrance of God
appeared before us, [Qur’án 7:63, 69] behind us, and on all sides, yet we were,
in very truth, shut out as by a veil from Him.’ (The Báb, an excerpt from the
Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
February 5
The breezes of the Most Merciful have passed over all
created things; happy the man that hath discovered their fragrance, and set
himself towards them with a sound heart. Attire thy temple with the ornament of
My Name, and thy tongue with remembrance of Me, and thine heart with love for
Me, the Almighty, the Most High. We have desired for thee naught except that
which is better for thee than what thou dost possess and all the treasures of
the earth. Thy Lord, verily, is knowing, informed of all. Arise, in My Name,
amongst My servants, and say: ‘O ye peoples of the earth! Turn yourselves
towards Him Who hath turned towards you. He, verily, is the Face of God amongst
you, and His Testimony and His Guide unto you. He hath come to you with signs
which none can produce.’ The voice of the Burning Bush is raised in the midmost
heart of the world, and the Holy Spirit calleth aloud among the nations: ‘Lo,
the Desired One is come with manifest dominion!’ (Baha’u’llah, from a Tablet to
Napoleon, ‘Epistle to the
Son of the Wolf’)
February 4
On the appearance of fearful natural events call ye to mind
the might and majesty of your Lord, He Who heareth and seeth all, and say
“Dominion is God’s, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of creation”.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
February 3
Consider the past. How many, both high and low, have, at all
times, yearningly awaited the advent of the Manifestations of God in the
sanctified persons of His chosen Ones. How often have they expected His coming,
how frequently have they prayed that the breeze of Divine mercy might blow, and
the promised Beauty step forth from behind the veil of concealment, and be made
manifest to all the world. And whensoever the portals of grace did open, and
the clouds of divine bounty did rain upon mankind, and the light of the Unseen
did shine above the horizon of celestial might, they all denied Him, and turned
away from His face—the face of God Himself....
Reflect, what could have been the motive for such deeds? What could have prompted such behavior towards the Revealers of the beauty of the All-Glorious? (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
Reflect, what could have been the motive for such deeds? What could have prompted such behavior towards the Revealers of the beauty of the All-Glorious? (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
February 2
O thou who hast set foot in the wilderness of knowledge and
taken abode within the ark of wisdom! Not until thou hast grasped the mysteries
concealed in that which We shall relate unto thee canst thou hope to attain to
the stations of faith and certitude in the Cause of God and in those who are
the Manifestations of His Cause, the Daysprings of His Command, the Treasuries
of His revelation, and the Repositories of His knowledge. Shouldst thou fail in
this, thou wouldst be numbered with them that have not striven for the Cause of
God, nor inhaled the fragrance of faith from the raiment of certitude, nor
scaled the heights of the divine unity, nor yet recognized the stations of
divine singleness within the Embodiments of praise and the Essences of
sanctity.
Strive then, O My brother, to apprehend this matter, that the veils may be lifted from the face of thy heart and that thou mayest be reckoned among them whom God hath graced with such penetrating vision as to behold the most subtle realities of His dominion, to fathom the mysteries of His kingdom, to perceive the signs of His transcendent Essence in this mortal world, and to attain a station wherein one seeth no distinction amongst His creatures and findeth no flaw in the creation of the heavens and the earth. [Qur’án 67:3] (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
Strive then, O My brother, to apprehend this matter, that the veils may be lifted from the face of thy heart and that thou mayest be reckoned among them whom God hath graced with such penetrating vision as to behold the most subtle realities of His dominion, to fathom the mysteries of His kingdom, to perceive the signs of His transcendent Essence in this mortal world, and to attain a station wherein one seeth no distinction amongst His creatures and findeth no flaw in the creation of the heavens and the earth. [Qur’án 67:3] (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
February 1
O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight
is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not
that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and
not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not
through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it
behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My
loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words
of Baha’u’llah’)
January 31
Say: O ye that have eyes to see! The past is the mirror of the
future. Gaze ye therein and be apprised thereof; perchance ye may be aided
thereby to recognize the Friend and may be not the cause of His displeasure. In
this day the choicest fruit of the tree of knowledge is that which serveth the
welfare of humanity and safeguardeth its interests. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
January 30
O Eyes of this Temple!
Look not upon the heavens and that which they contain, nor upon the
earth and them that dwell thereon, for We have created you to behold Our own
Beauty: See it now before you! Withhold not your gaze therefrom, and deprive
not yourselves of the Beauty of your Lord, the All-Glorious, the
Best-Beloved. Erelong shall We bring
into being through you keen and penetrating eyes that will contemplate the manifold signs of their
Creator and turn away from all that is perceived by the people of the
world. Through you shall We bestow the
power of vision upon whomsoever We desire, and lay hold upon those who have
deprived themselves of this gracious bounty.
These, verily, have drunk from the cup of delusion, though they perceive
it not. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of
Hosts’)
January 29
Everything that is hath come to be through His irresistible decree. Whenever My laws appear like the sun in the heaven of Mine utterance, they must be faithfully obeyed by all, though My decree be such as to cause the heaven of every religion to be cleft asunder. He doeth what He pleaseth. He chooseth, and none may question His choice. Whatsoever He, the Well-Beloved, ordaineth, the same is, verily, beloved. To this He Who is the Lord of all creation beareth Me witness. Whoso hath inhaled the sweet fragrance of the All-Merciful, and recognized the Source of this utterance, will welcome with his own eyes the shafts of the enemy, that he may establish the truth of the laws of God amongst men. Well is it with him that hath turned thereunto, and apprehended the meaning of His decisive decree. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
January 28
Open Thou, O my Lord, mine eyes and the eyes of all them
that have sought Thee, that we may recognize Thee with Thine own eyes. This is
Thy bidding given us in the Book sent down by Thee unto Him Whom Thou hast
chosen by Thy behest, Whom Thou hast singled out for Thy favor above all Thy
creatures, Whom Thou hast been pleased to invest with Thy sovereignty, and Whom
Thou hast specially favored and entrusted with Thy Message unto Thy people.
Praised be Thou, therefore, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast graciously enabled
us to recognize Him and to acknowledge whatsoever hath been sent down unto Him,
and conferred upon us the honor of attaining the presence of the One Whom Thou
didst promise in Thy Book and in Thy Tablets. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and
Meditations of Baha’u’llah’)
January 27
… another verse in the Gospel wherein He saith: “Heaven and
earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away.”[Luke 21:33]Thus it
is that the adherents of Jesus maintained that the law of the Gospel shall
never be annulled, and that whensoever the promised Beauty is made manifest and
all the signs are revealed, He must needs re-affirm and establish the law
proclaimed in the Gospel, so that there may remain in the world no faith but
His faith. This is their fundamental belief. And their conviction is such that
were a person to be made manifest with all the promised signs and to promulgate
that which is contrary to the letter of the law of the Gospel, they must
assuredly renounce him, refuse to submit to his law, declare him an infidel,
and laugh him to scorn. This is proved by that which came to pass when the sun
of the Muhammadan Revelation was revealed. Had they sought with a humble mind
from the Manifestations of God in every Dispensation the true meaning of these
words revealed in the sacred books—words the misapprehension of which hath
caused men to be deprived of the recognition of the Sadratu’l-Muntahá, the
ultimate Purpose—they surely would have been guided to the light of the Sun of
Truth, and would have discovered the mysteries of divine knowledge and wisdom.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
January 26
In His Name, the Exalted, the All-Highest, the Most Sublime!
Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! O Thou Who art my God, and my Master, and my Lord, and my Support, and my Hope, and my Refuge, and my Light. I ask of Thee, by Thine Hidden and Treasured Name, that none knoweth save Thine own Self, to protect the bearer of this Tablet from every calamity and pestilence, and from every wicked man and woman; from the evil of the evil-doers, and from the scheming of the unbelievers. Preserve him, moreover, O my God, from every pain and vexation, O Thou Who holdest in Thy hand the empire of all things. Thou, truly, art powerful over all things. Thou doest as Thou willest, and ordainest as Thou pleasest.
Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! O Thou Who art my God, and my Master, and my Lord, and my Support, and my Hope, and my Refuge, and my Light. I ask of Thee, by Thine Hidden and Treasured Name, that none knoweth save Thine own Self, to protect the bearer of this Tablet from every calamity and pestilence, and from every wicked man and woman; from the evil of the evil-doers, and from the scheming of the unbelievers. Preserve him, moreover, O my God, from every pain and vexation, O Thou Who holdest in Thy hand the empire of all things. Thou, truly, art powerful over all things. Thou doest as Thou willest, and ordainest as Thou pleasest.
January 25
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. Verily I say, whatsoever leadeth to the decline
of ignorance and the increase of knowledge hath been, and will ever remain,
approved in the sight of the Lord of creation. Say: O people! Walk ye neath the
shadow of justice and truthfulness and seek ye shelter within the tabernacle of
unity. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to
Mánikchí Sáhib and Other Writings’)
January 24
Know then that it behoveth thine eminence to ponder from the
outset these questions in thy heart: What hath prompted the divers peoples and
kindreds of the earth to reject the Apostles whom God hath sent unto them in
His might and power, whom He hath raised up to exalt His Cause and ordained to
be the Lamps of eternity within the Niche of His oneness? For what reason have
the people turned aside from them, disputed about them, risen against and
contended with them? On what grounds have they refused to acknowledge their
apostleship and authority, nay, denied their truth and reviled their persons,
even slaying or banishing them? (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
January 23
Bestir yourselves, O people, in anticipation of the days of
Divine justice, for the promised hour is now come. Beware lest ye fail to
apprehend its import and be accounted among the erring. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
January 22
The eighth Glad-Tidings
The pious deeds of the monks and priests among the followers of the Spirit [Jesus] —upon Him be the peace of God—are remembered in His presence. In this Day, however, let them give up the life of seclusion and direct their steps towards the open world and busy themselves with that which will profit themselves and others. We have granted them leave to enter into wedlock that they may bring forth one who will make mention of God, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of the Exalted Throne. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
The pious deeds of the monks and priests among the followers of the Spirit [Jesus] —upon Him be the peace of God—are remembered in His presence. In this Day, however, let them give up the life of seclusion and direct their steps towards the open world and busy themselves with that which will profit themselves and others. We have granted them leave to enter into wedlock that they may bring forth one who will make mention of God, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of the Exalted Throne. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
January 21
Give ear, O King, unto the Voice that calleth from the Fire
which burneth in this verdant Tree, on this Sinai which hath been raised above the
hallowed and snow-white Spot, beyond the Everlasting City; ‘Verily, there is
none other God but Me, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful!’ We, in truth,
have sent Him Whom We aided with the Holy Spirit (Jesus Christ) that He may
announce unto you this Light that hath shone forth from the horizon of the will
of your Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and Whose signs have been
revealed in the West. Set your faces towards Him (Bahá’u’lláh), on this Day
which God hath exalted above all other days, and whereon the All-Merciful hath
shed the splendor of His effulgent glory upon all who are in heaven and all who
are on earth. Arise thou to serve God and help His Cause. He, verily, will
assist thee with the hosts of the seen and unseen, and will set thee king over
all that whereon the sun riseth. Thy Lord, in truth, is the All-Powerful, the
Almighty. (Baha’u’llah, from a Tablet to Napoleon, ‘Epistle to
the Son of the Wolf’)
January 20
O thou who treadest the path of justice and beholdest the
countenance of mercy! Thine epistle was received, thy question was noted, and
the sweet accents of thy soul were heard from the inmost chambers of thy heart.
Whereupon the clouds of the Divine Will were raised to rain upon thee the
outpourings of heavenly wisdom, to divest thee of all that thou hadst acquired
aforetime, to draw thee from the realms of contradiction unto the retreats of
oneness, and to lead thee to the sacred streams of His Law. Perchance thou
mayest quaff therefrom, repose therein, quench thy thirst, refresh thy soul,
and be numbered with those whom the light of God hath guided aright in this
day.
Encompassed as I am at this time by the dogs of the earth and the beasts of every land, concealed as I remain in the hidden habitation of Mine inner Being, forbidden as I may be from divulging that which God hath bestowed upon Me of the wonders of His knowledge, the gems of His wisdom, and the tokens of His power, yet am I loath to frustrate the hopes of one who hath approached the sanctuary of grandeur, sought to enter within the precincts of eternity, and aspired to soar in the immensity of this creation at the dawning of the divine decree. I shall therefore relate unto thee certain truths from among those which God hath vouchsafed unto Me, this only to the extent that souls can bear and minds endure, lest the malicious raise a clamour or the dissemblers hoist their banners. I implore God to graciously aid Me in this, for unto such as beseech Him, He is the All-Bounteous, and of those who show mercy, He is the Most Merciful. (Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
Encompassed as I am at this time by the dogs of the earth and the beasts of every land, concealed as I remain in the hidden habitation of Mine inner Being, forbidden as I may be from divulging that which God hath bestowed upon Me of the wonders of His knowledge, the gems of His wisdom, and the tokens of His power, yet am I loath to frustrate the hopes of one who hath approached the sanctuary of grandeur, sought to enter within the precincts of eternity, and aspired to soar in the immensity of this creation at the dawning of the divine decree. I shall therefore relate unto thee certain truths from among those which God hath vouchsafed unto Me, this only to the extent that souls can bear and minds endure, lest the malicious raise a clamour or the dissemblers hoist their banners. I implore God to graciously aid Me in this, for unto such as beseech Him, He is the All-Bounteous, and of those who show mercy, He is the Most Merciful. (Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
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