July 28

O servants of God! Be ye patient, for, God grant, He Who is the sovereign Truth will suddenly appear amongst you, invested with the power of the mighty Word, and ye shall then be confounded by the Truth itself, and ye shall have no power to ward it off;  [Qur’án 21:40] and verily I am a witness over all mankind. (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

July 27

O peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God, this Book hath, through the potency of the sovereign Truth, pervaded the earth and the heaven with the mighty Word of God concerning Him Who is the supreme Testimony, the Expected Qá’im, and verily God hath knowledge of all things. This divinely-inspired Book hath firmly established His Proof for all those who are in the East and in the West, hence beware lest ye utter aught but the truth regarding God, for I swear by your Lord that this supreme Proof of Mine beareth witness unto all things... (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

July 26

We all, verily, worship God.
We all, verily, bow down before God.
We all, verily, are devoted unto God.
We all, verily, give praise unto God.
We all, verily, yield thanks unto God.
We all, verily, are patient in God. (Baha’u’llah, excerpt from ‘Prayer for the Dead’, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

July 25

O my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Beauty Whom Thou hast revealed and made manifest in truth, He Whom Thou hast sent to all the inhabitants of the world. Among the Highest Concourse Thou hast called Him the Most Great Announcement, and among the people of the world Thou named Him 'Ali[the Báb]. I beseech Thee moreover by His next appearance in the vesture of Abha, to deprive me not of the fragrances of the glory of Thy mercy and suffer me not to be far from the shore of the bounty of Thy nearness and beneficence. Thou verily rulest over all things. (Baha’u’llah, provisional translation, approved by the Universal House of Justice for inclusion in the book ‘Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees’)

July 24

... calamities have always been and will continue to be the lot of God's chosen ones. Therefore, blessed is the one who is satisfied with and thankful for all that hath visited him. For nothing from God touches a person except what is best for him of all that hath been created between the heavens and the earth. Since people are unaware of this mystery and its secrets, they are saddened when calamity strikes. (Baha’u’llah, provisional translation, approved by the Universal House of Justice for inclusion in the book ‘Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees’)

July 23

Consider: He hath declared knowledge to consist of twenty and seven letters, and regarded all the prophets, from Adam even unto Muhammad, the ‘seal,’ as expounders of only two letters thereof. He also saith that the Qá’im will reveal all the remaining twenty and five letters. Behold from this utterance how great and lofty is His station! His rank excelleth that of all the prophets, and His revelation transcendeth the comprehension and understanding of all their chosen ones. A revelation, of which the prophets of God, His saints and chosen ones have either not been informed or which, in pursuance of God’s inscrutable decree, they have not disclosed—such a revelation, these vile and villainous people have sought to measure with their own deficient minds, their own deficient learning and understanding. (Baha’u’llah, the Kitab-i-Iqan; also quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)

July 22

Knowledge is twenty and seven letters. All that the Prophets have revealed are two letters thereof. No man thus far hath known more than these two letters. But when the Qá’im shall arise, He will cause the remaining twenty and five letters to be made manifest. (An Islamic tradition quoted by Baha’u’llah in the Kitab-i-Iqan; also quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)

July 21

O ye peoples of the world! Know verily that an unforeseen calamity is following you and that grievous retribution awaiteth you. Think not the deeds ye have committed have been blotted from My sight. By My Beauty! All your doings hath My pen graven with open characters upon tablets of chrysolite. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hiddend Words of Baha’u’llah’; ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’; quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)

July 20

Say:  O people!  Can ye ever hope to escape the sovereign power of your Lord?  By the righteousness of God!  No refuge will ye find in this day, and no one to protect you, save those upon whom God hath bestowed the favour of His mercy.  He, verily, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.  Say:  O people!  Forsake all that ye possess, and enter beneath the shadow of your Lord, the All-Merciful.  Better is this for you than all your works of the past and of the future.  Fear ye God, and deprive not yourselves of the sweet savours of the days of the Lord of all names and attributes.  Take heed lest ye alter or pervert the text of the Word of God.  Walk ye in the fear of God, and be numbered with the righteous. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)

July 19

Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou art He Whom all things worship and Who worshipeth no one, Who is the Lord of all things and is the vassal of none, Who knoweth all things and is known of none. Thou didst wish to make Thyself known unto men; therefore, Thou didst, through a word of Thy mouth, bring creation into being and fashion the universe. There is none other God except Thee, the Fashioner, the Creator, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)

July 18

I lay asleep on the bed of self when lo, Thou didst waken me with the divine accents of Thy voice, and didst unveil to me Thy beauty, and didst enable me to listen to Thine utterances, and to recognize Thy Self, and to speak forth Thy praise, and to extol Thy virtues, and to be steadfast in Thy love. Finally I fell a captive into the hands of the wayward among Thy servants. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)

July 17

O Czar of Russia! Incline thine ear unto the voice of God, the King, the Holy, and turn thou unto Paradise, the Spot wherein abideth He Who, among the Concourse on high, beareth the most excellent titles, and Who, in the kingdom of creation, is called by the name of God, the Effulgent, the All-Glorious. Beware lest thy desire deter thee from turning towards the face of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Proclamation of Baha’u’llah’)

July 16

The peoples of the world are fast asleep. Were they to wake from their slumber, they would hasten with eagerness unto God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. They would cast away everything they possess, be it all the treasures of the earth, that their Lord may remember them to the extent of addressing to them but one word. Such is the instruction given you by Him Who holdeth the knowledge of things hidden, in a Tablet which the eye of creation hath not seen, and which is revealed to none except His own Self, the omnipotent Protector of all worlds. So bewildered are they in the drunkenness of their evil desires, that they are powerless to recognize the Lord of all being, Whose voice calleth aloud from every direction: “There is none other God but Me, the Mighty, the All-Wise.” (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

July 15

Wert thou to open the heart of a single soul by helping him to embrace the Cause of Him Whom God shall make manifest, thine inmost being would be filled with the inspirations of that august Name. It devolveth upon you, therefore, to perform this task in the Days of Resurrection, inasmuch as most people are helpless, and wert thou to open their hearts and dispel their doubts, they would gain admittance into the Faith of God. Therefore, manifest thou this attribute to the utmost of thine ability in the days of Him Whom God shall make manifest. For indeed if thou dost open the heart of a person for His sake, better will it be for thee than every virtuous deed; since deeds are secondary to faith in Him and certitude in His Reality. (The Báb, an excerpt from the Kitab-i-Asma (The Book of Names); Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

July 14

Consider how at the time of the appearance of every Revelation, those who open their hearts to the Author of that Revelation recognize the Truth, while the hearts of those who fail to apprehend the Truth are straitened by reason of their shutting themselves out from Him. However, openness of heart is bestowed by God upon both parties alike. God desireth not to straiten the heart of anyone, be it even an ant, how much less the heart of a superior creature, except when he suffereth himself to be wrapt in veils, for God is the Creator of all things. (The Báb, an excerpt from the Kitab-i-Asma (The Book of Names); Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

July 13

O SON OF DUST! Verily I say unto thee: Of all men the most negligent is he that disputeth idly and seeketh to advance himself over his brother. Say, O brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)

July 12

It behoveth him who is a wayfarer in the path of God and a wanderer in His way to detach himself from all who are in the heavens and on the earth. He must renounce all save God, that perchance the portals of mercy may be unlocked before his face and the breezes of providence may waft over him. And when he hath inscribed upon his soul that which We have vouchsafed unto him of the quintessence of inner meaning and explanation, he will fathom all the secrets of these allusions, and God shall bestow upon his heart a divine tranquillity and cause him to be of them that are at peace with themselves. In like manner wilt thou comprehend the meaning of all the ambiguous verses that have been sent down concerning the question thou didst ask of this Servant Who abideth upon the seat of abasement, Who walketh upon the earth as an exile with none to befriend, comfort, aid, or assist Him, Who hath placed His whole trust in God, and Who proclaimeth at all times: “Verily we are God’s, and to Him shall we return.” [ Qur’án 2:156] (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)

July 11

O ye rulers of the earth! Wherefore have ye clouded the radiance of the Sun, and caused it to cease from shining? Hearken unto the counsel given you by the Pen of the Most High, that haply both ye and the poor may attain unto tranquillity and peace. We beseech God to assist the kings of the earth to establish peace on earth. He, verily, doth what He willeth. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Peace)

July 10

Most of the people of the earth have turned away from the one true God and failed to take their portion from the ocean of divine knowledge. They have ascribed and will continue to ascribe unto Him that which hath caused the inmates of the all-highest Paradise as well as the Prophets and Messengers of God to weep sore and wail. This is not the first divine Revelation that hath been manifested in the world. They that are the chosen ones of God should at all times and under all conditions dedicate themselves assiduously to the service of His Cause. Rumi--upon him be the mercy of God--saith: 'the moon sheddeth light while the dog howleth.' It behoveth everyone to have the utmost regard for the reformation of the world and for that which beseemeth man's sublime station. However, should the continued existence of anyone be detrimental to the interests of the Cause of God, the Almighty will undoubtedly lay hold on him as He hath in the past. No one hath fathomed nor can fathom His transcendent wisdom. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Fire and Light: Excerpts from the Bahá'í Sacred Writings by the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi’, compiled by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice; The Baha’i World 1979-1983)

July 9

Consider thou the Revelation of the Point of the Bayán—exalted is His glory. He pronounced the First One [Mullá Husayn]to believe in Him to be Muhammad, the Messenger of God. Doth it beseem a man to dispute with Him by saying that this man is from Persia, the Other from Arabia, or this one was called Husayn while the Other bore the name of Muhammad? Nay, I swear by God’s holy Being, the Exalted, the Most Great. Surely no man of intelligence and insight would ever pay attention unto limitations or names, but rather unto that with which Muhammad was invested, which was none other than the Cause of God. Such a man of insight would likewise consider Husayn and the position he occupied in the Cause of God, the Omnipotent, the Exalted, the Knowing, the Wise. And since the First One to believe in God in the Dispensation of the Bayán was invested with command similar to that with which Muhammad, the Messenger of God, was invested, therefore the Báb pronounced him to be the latter, namely His return and resurrection. This station is sanctified from every limitation or name, and naught can be seen therein but God, the One, the Peerless, the All-Knowing. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)