March 30
Bereft, however, of the essence of the mysteries of His
wisdom, which We have imparted unto thee beneath the veils of these blessed and
soul-stirring words, thou wouldst fail to attain unto even a sprinkling of the
oceans of divine knowledge or the crystal streams of divine power, and wouldst
be recorded in the Mother Book, through the Pen of oneness and by the Finger of
God, amongst the ignorant. Nor wouldst thou be able to grasp a single word of
the Book or a single utterance of the Kindred of God [The Imáms of Shí’ih
Islám] concerning the mysteries of the beginning and the end. (Baha’u’llah,
‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
March 29
The fourteenth Glad-Tidings
It is not necessary to undertake special journeys to visit the resting-places of the dead. If people of substance and affluence offer the cost of such journeys to the House of Justice, it will be pleasing and acceptable in the presence of God. Happy are they that observe His precepts. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
It is not necessary to undertake special journeys to visit the resting-places of the dead. If people of substance and affluence offer the cost of such journeys to the House of Justice, it will be pleasing and acceptable in the presence of God. Happy are they that observe His precepts. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
March 28
And now, concerning His words—“The sun shall be darkened,
and the moon shall not give light, and the stars shall fall from heaven.” By
the terms “sun” and “moon,” mentioned in the writings of the Prophets of God,
is not meant solely the sun and moon of the visible universe. Nay rather,
manifold are the meanings they have intended for these terms. In every instance
they have attached to them a particular significance. Thus, by the “sun” in one
sense is meant those Suns of Truth Who rise from the dayspring of ancient
glory, and fill the world with a liberal effusion of grace from on high. These
Suns of Truth are the universal Manifestations of God in the worlds of His attributes
and names. Even as the visible sun that assisteth, as decreed by God, the true
One, the Adored, in the development of all earthly things, such as the trees,
the fruits, and colours thereof, the minerals of the earth, and all that may be
witnessed in the world of creation, so do the divine Luminaries, by their
loving care and educative influence, cause the trees of divine unity, the
fruits of His oneness, the leaves of detachment, the blossoms of knowledge and
certitude, and the myrtles of wisdom and utterance, to
exist and be made manifest. Thus it is that through the rise of these
Luminaries of God the world is made new, the waters of everlasting life stream
forth, the billows of loving-kindness surge, the clouds of grace are gathered,
and the breeze of bounty bloweth upon all created things. It is the warmth that
these Luminaries of God generate, and the undying fires they kindle, which
cause the light of the love of God to burn fiercely in the heart of humanity.
It is through the abundant grace of these Symbols of Detachment that the Spirit
of life everlasting is breathed into the bodies of the dead. Assuredly the
visible sun is but a sign of the splendour of that Day-star of Truth, that Sun
Which can never have a peer, a likeness, or rival. Through Him all things live,
move, and have their being. Through His grace they are made manifest, and unto
Him they all return. From Him all things have sprung, and unto the treasuries
of His revelation they all have repaired. From Him all created things did proceed,
and to the depositories of His law they did revert. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Kitab-i-Iqan’)
March 27
O friend! We came upon a pure soil and sowed therein the
seeds of true understanding. Let it now be seen what the rays of the sun will
do—whether they will cause these seeds to wither or to grow. Say: Through the
ascendancy of God, the All-Knowing, the Incomparable, the Luminary of divine
understanding hath, in this day, risen from behind the veil of the spirit, and
the birds of every meadow are intoxicated with the wine of knowledge and
exhilarated with the remembrance of the Friend. Well is it with them that
discover and hasten unto Him! (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle of Unity,
Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other Writings’)
March 26
In the first line of the Tablet it is recorded and written,
and within the sanctuary of the tabernacle of God is hidden:
O MY SERVANT! Abandon not for that which perisheth an everlasting dominion, and cast not away celestial sovereignty for a worldly desire. This is the river of everlasting life that hath flowed from the well-spring of the pen of the merciful; well is it with them that drink! (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’) (To see ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s interpretation of this Hidden Word please visit Daily Spiritual Food for Thought)
O MY SERVANT! Abandon not for that which perisheth an everlasting dominion, and cast not away celestial sovereignty for a worldly desire. This is the river of everlasting life that hath flowed from the well-spring of the pen of the merciful; well is it with them that drink! (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’) (To see ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s interpretation of this Hidden Word please visit Daily Spiritual Food for Thought)
March 25
O people of the world! Build ye houses of worship throughout
the lands in the name of Him Who is the Lord of all religions. Make them as
perfect as is possible in the world of being, and adorn them with that which
befitteth them, not with images and effigies. Then, with radiance and joy,
celebrate therein the praise of your Lord, the Most Compassionate. Verily, by
His remembrance the eye is cheered and the heart is filled with light. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
March 24
O King! We heard the words thou didst utter in answer to the
Czar of Russia, concerning the decision made regarding the war (Crimean War).
Thy Lord, verily, knoweth, is informed of all. Thou didst say: ‘I lay asleep
upon my couch, when the cry of the oppressed, who were drowned in the Black
Sea, wakened me.’ This is what We heard thee say, and, verily, thy Lord is
witness unto what I say. We testify that that which wakened thee was not their
cry but the promptings of thine own passions, for We tested thee, and found
thee wanting. Comprehend the meaning of My words, and be thou of the
discerning. It is not Our wish to address thee words of condemnation, out of
regard for the dignity We conferred upon thee in this mortal life.
(Baha’u’llah, from a Tablet to Napoleon, ‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
March 23
The Divine Springtime is come, O Most Exalted Pen, for the
Festival of the All-Merciful is fast approaching. Bestir thyself, and magnify,
before the entire creation, the name of God, and celebrate His praise, in such
wise that all created things may be regenerated and made new. Speak, and hold
not thy peace. The day star of blissfulness shineth above the horizon of Our
name, the Blissful, inasmuch as the kingdom of the name of God hath been
adorned with the ornament of the name of thy Lord, the Creator of the heavens.
Arise before the nations of the earth, and arm thyself with the power of this
Most Great Name, and be not of those who tarry. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from
the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
March 22
O Living Temple! We
have made Thee the Dayspring of each one of Our most excellent titles, the
Dawning-Place of each one of Our most august attributes, and the Fountainhead
of each one of Our manifold virtues unto the denizens of earth and heaven. Thereafter have We raised Thee up in Our own
image betwixt the heavens and the earth, and ordained Thee to be the sign of
Our glory unto all who are in the realms of revelation and creation, that My
servants may follow in Thy footsteps, and be of them who are guided aright. We have appointed Thee the Tree of grace and
bounty unto the dwellers of both the heavens and the earth. Well is it with them who seek the shelter of
Thy shade and who draw nigh unto Thy Self, the omnipotent Protector of the
worlds. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
March 21
Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained Naw-Rúz
as a festival unto those who have observed the fast for love of Thee and
abstained from all that is abhorrent unto Thee. Grant, O my Lord, that the fire
of Thy love and the heat produced by the fast enjoined by Thee may inflame them
in Thy Cause, and make them to be occupied with Thy praise and with remembrance
of Thee. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations of Baha’u’llah’)
March 20
No created thing shall ever attain its paradise unless it
appeareth in its highest prescribed degree of perfection. For instance, this
crystal representeth the paradise of the stone whereof its substance is
composed. Likewise there are various stages in the paradise for the crystal
itself... So long as it was stone it was worthless, but if it attaineth the excellence of ruby—a potentiality which is latent in
it—how much a carat will it be worth? Consider likewise every created thing.
Man’s highest station, however, is attained through faith in God in every Dispensation and by acceptance of what hath been revealed by Him, and not through learning; inasmuch as in every nation there are learned men who are versed in divers sciences. Nor is it attainable through wealth; for it is similarly evident that among the various classes in every nation there are those possessed of riches. Likewise are other transitory things. (The Báb, excerpt from the Persian Bayán, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
Man’s highest station, however, is attained through faith in God in every Dispensation and by acceptance of what hath been revealed by Him, and not through learning; inasmuch as in every nation there are learned men who are versed in divers sciences. Nor is it attainable through wealth; for it is similarly evident that among the various classes in every nation there are those possessed of riches. Likewise are other transitory things. (The Báb, excerpt from the Persian Bayán, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
March 19
Thou art He through Whom the ensign “Praiseworthy art Thou
in Thy works” hath been lifted up, and the standard “Obeyed art Thou in Thy
behest” hath been unfurled. Make known this Thy station, O my God, unto Thy
servants, that they may be made aware that the excellence of all things is
dependent upon Thy bidding and Thy word, and the virtue of every act is
conditioned by Thy leave and the good-pleasure of Thy will, and may recognize
that the reins of men’s doings are within the grasp of Thine acceptance and Thy
commandment. Make this known unto them, that nothing whatsoever may shut them
out from Thy Beauty, in these days whereon the Christ exclaimeth: “All dominion
is Thine, O Thou the Begetter of the Spirit (Jesus)”; and Thy Friend (Muhammad)
crieth out: “Glory be to Thee, O Thou the Best-Beloved, for that Thou hast
uncovered Thy Beauty, and written down for Thy chosen ones what will cause them
to attain unto the seat of the revelation of Thy Most Great Name, through which
all the peoples have lamented except such as have detached themselves from all
else except Thee, and set themselves towards Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself
and the Manifestation of Thine attributes.” (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and
Meditations of Baha’u’llah’)
March 18
Perchance …He may attire us instead with the robe of His
mercy and the raiment of His guidance, and admit us into the city of knowledge.
Whosoever entereth this city will comprehend every science before probing into its mysteries and will acquire from the leaves of its trees a knowledge and wisdom encompassing such mysteries of divine lordship as are enshrined within the treasuries of creation. Glorified be God, its Creator and Fashioner, above all that He hath brought forth and ordained therein! By God, the Sovereign Protector, the Self-Subsisting, the Almighty! Were I to unveil to thine eyes the gates of this city, which have been fashioned by the right hand of might and power, thou wouldst behold that which none before thee hath ever beheld, and wouldst witness that which no other soul hath ever witnessed. Thou wouldst apprehend the most obscure signs and the most abstruse allusions, and wouldst clearly behold the mysteries of the beginning in the point of the end. All matters would be made easy unto thee, fire would be turned into light, knowledge and blessings, and thou wouldst abide in safety within the court of holiness. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
Whosoever entereth this city will comprehend every science before probing into its mysteries and will acquire from the leaves of its trees a knowledge and wisdom encompassing such mysteries of divine lordship as are enshrined within the treasuries of creation. Glorified be God, its Creator and Fashioner, above all that He hath brought forth and ordained therein! By God, the Sovereign Protector, the Self-Subsisting, the Almighty! Were I to unveil to thine eyes the gates of this city, which have been fashioned by the right hand of might and power, thou wouldst behold that which none before thee hath ever beheld, and wouldst witness that which no other soul hath ever witnessed. Thou wouldst apprehend the most obscure signs and the most abstruse allusions, and wouldst clearly behold the mysteries of the beginning in the point of the end. All matters would be made easy unto thee, fire would be turned into light, knowledge and blessings, and thou wouldst abide in safety within the court of holiness. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
March 17
I beseech Thee, O my God, by that Letter which, as soon as
it proceeded out of the mouth of Thy will, hath caused the oceans to surge, and
the winds to blow, and the fruits to be revealed, and the trees to spring forth,
and all past traces to vanish, and all veils to be rent asunder, and them who
are devoted to Thee to hasten unto the light of the countenance of their Lord,
the Unconstrained, to make known unto me what lay hid in the treasuries of Thy
knowledge and concealed within the repositories of Thy
wisdom. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
March 16
We, verily, have chosen courtesy, and made it the true mark
of such as are nigh unto Him. Courtesy is, in truth, a raiment which fitteth
all men, whether young or old. Well is it with him that adorneth his temple
therewith, and woe unto him who is deprived of this great bounty. (Baha’u’llah,
‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
March 15
Unto every discerning observer it is evident and manifest
that had these people in the days of each of the Manifestations of the Sun of
Truth sanctified their eyes, their ears, and their hearts from whatever they
had seen, heard, and felt, they surely would not have
been deprived of beholding the beauty of God, nor strayed far from the
habitations of glory. But having weighed the testimony of God by the standard
of their own knowledge, gleaned from the teachings of the leaders of their
faith, and found it at variance with their limited understanding, they arose to
perpetrate such unseemly acts.... (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha’u’llah’)
March 14
… the manifold bounties of the Lord of all beings have, at
all times, through the Manifestations of His Divine Essence, encompassed the
earth and all that dwell therein. Not for a moment hath His grace been
withheld, nor have the showers of His loving-kindness ceased to rain upon
mankind. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
March 13
O Maid of inner meanings!
Step out of the chamber of utterance by the leave of God, the Lord of
the heavens and the earth. Reveal, then,
thyself adorned with the raiment of the celestial Realm, and proffer with thy
ruby fingers the wine of the heavenly Dominion, that haply the denizens of this
world may perceive the light that shone forth from the Kingdom of God when the
Daystar of eternity appeared above the horizon of glory. Perchance they may arise before the dwellers
of earth and heaven to extol and magnify this Youth Who hath established
Himself in the midmost heart of Paradise upon the throne of His name, the
All-Sufficing Helper—He upon Whose countenance shineth the brightness of the
All-Merciful, from Whose gaze appear the glances of the All-Glorious, and in
Whose ways are revealed the tokens and evidences of God, the omnipotent
Protector, the Almighty, the All-Loving. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The
Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
March 12
What “oppression” is more grievous than that a soul seeking the truth, and wishing to attain unto the knowledge of God, should know not where to go for it and from whom to seek it? For opinions have sorely differed, and the ways unto the attainment of God have multiplied. This “oppression” is the essential feature of every Revelation. Unless it cometh to pass, the Sun of Truth will not be made manifest. For the break of the morn of divine guidance must needs follow the darkness of the night of error. For this reason, in all chronicles and traditions reference hath been made unto these things, namely that iniquity shall cover the surface of the earth and darkness shall envelop mankind…
Were this “oppression” (which literally meaneth pressure) to be interpreted that the earth is to become contracted, or were men’s idle fancy to conceive similar calamities to befall mankind, it is clear and manifest that no such happenings can ever come to pass. They will assuredly protest that this pre-requisite of divine revelation hath not been made manifest. Such hath been and still is their contention. Whereas, by “oppression” is meant the want of capacity to acquire spiritual knowledge and apprehend the Word of God. By it is meant that when the Day-star of Truth hath set, and the mirrors that reflect His light have departed, mankind will become afflicted with “oppression” and hardship, knowing not whither to turn for guidance. Thus We instruct thee in the interpretation of the traditions, and reveal unto thee the mysteries of divine wisdom, that haply thou mayest comprehend the meaning thereof, and be of them that have quaffed the cup of divine knowledge and understanding. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
Were this “oppression” (which literally meaneth pressure) to be interpreted that the earth is to become contracted, or were men’s idle fancy to conceive similar calamities to befall mankind, it is clear and manifest that no such happenings can ever come to pass. They will assuredly protest that this pre-requisite of divine revelation hath not been made manifest. Such hath been and still is their contention. Whereas, by “oppression” is meant the want of capacity to acquire spiritual knowledge and apprehend the Word of God. By it is meant that when the Day-star of Truth hath set, and the mirrors that reflect His light have departed, mankind will become afflicted with “oppression” and hardship, knowing not whither to turn for guidance. Thus We instruct thee in the interpretation of the traditions, and reveal unto thee the mysteries of divine wisdom, that haply thou mayest comprehend the meaning thereof, and be of them that have quaffed the cup of divine knowledge and understanding. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
March 11
Unto every people We have sent down the Book in their own language. [Qur’án 14:4] This Book We have, verily, revealed in the language of Our Remembrance and it is in truth a wondrous language. He is, verily, the eternal Truth come from God, and according to the divine judgement given in the Mother Book, He is the most distinguished among the writers of Arabic and most eloquent in His utterance. He is in truth the Supreme Talisman and is endowed with supernatural powers, as set forth in the Mother Book... (The Báb, from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
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