Erelong shall God draw forth, out of the bosom of power, the
hands of ascendancy and might, and shall raise up a people who will arise to
win victory for this Youth and who will purge mankind from the defilement of
the outcast and the ungodly. These hands
will gird up their loins to champion the Faith of God, and will, in My name the
Self-Subsistent, the Mighty, subdue the peoples and kindreds of the earth. They will enter the cities and will inspire
with fear the hearts of all their inhabitants.
Such are the evidences of the might of God; how fearful, how vehement is
His might, and how justly doth He wield it!
He, verily, ruleth and transcendeth all who are in the heavens and on
the earth, and revealeth what He desireth according to a prescribed measure. (Baha'u'llah,
Suriy-i-Haykal, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
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“Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide.” (Bahá’u’lláh, ‘The Kitáb-i-Aqdas’)
August 18
After passing through the Valley of Knowledge, which is the
last plane of limitation, the wayfarer cometh to the Valley of Unity and
drinketh from the cup of the Absolute, and gazeth on the Manifestations of
Oneness. In this station he pierceth the veils of plurality, fleeth from the
worlds of the flesh, and ascendeth into the heaven of singleness. With the ear
of God he heareth, with the eye of God he beholdeth the mysteries of divine
creation. He steppeth into the sanctuary of the Friend, and shareth as an
intimate the pavilion of the Loved One. He stretcheth out the hand of truth
from the sleeve of the Absolute; he revealeth the secrets of power. He seeth in
himself neither name nor fame nor rank, but findeth his own praise in praising
God. He beholdeth in his own name the name of God; to him, “all songs are from
the King,” [The Mathnaví] and every melody from Him. He sitteth on the
throne of “Say, all is from God,” [Qur’án 4:80]and taketh his rest on the
carpet of “There is no power or might but in God.” [Qur’án 18:37] He looketh on
all things with the eye of oneness, and seeth the brilliant rays of the divine
sun shining from the dawning-point of Essence alike on all created things, and
the lights of singleness reflected over all creation. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven
Valleys’)
August 17
I swear by Him Who hath caused Me to reveal whatever hath
pleased Him! Ye are better known to the inmates of the Kingdom on high than ye
are known to your own selves. Think ye these words to be vain and empty? Would
that ye had the power to perceive the things your Lord, the All-Merciful, doth
see—things that attest the excellence of your rank, that bear witness to the
greatness of your worth, that proclaim the sublimity of your station! God grant
that your desires and unmortified passions may not hinder you from that which
hath been ordained for you. (Baha'u'llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha'u'llah’)
August 16
August 15
The Word of God hath set the heart of the world afire; how
regrettable if ye fail to be enkindled with its flame! Please God, ye will
regard this blessed night as the night of unity, will knit your souls together,
and resolve to adorn yourselves with the ornament of a goodly and praiseworthy
character. Let your principal concern be to rescue the fallen from the slough
of impending extinction, and to help him embrace the ancient Faith of God. Your
behavior towards your neighbor should be such as to manifest clearly the signs
of the one true God, for ye are the first among men to be re-created by His
Spirit, the first to adore and bow the knee before Him, the first to circle
round His throne of glory. (Baha'u'llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha'u'llah’)
August 14
This is the Day when the loved ones of God should keep their
eyes directed towards His Manifestation, and fasten them upon whatsoever that
Manifestation may be pleased to reveal. Certain traditions of bygone ages rest
on no foundations whatever, while the notions entertained by past generations,
and which they have recorded in their books, have, for the most part, been
influenced by the desires of a corrupt inclination. Thou dost witness how most
of the commentaries and interpretations of the words of God, now current
amongst men, are devoid of truth. Their falsity hath, in some cases, been
exposed when the intervening veils were rent asunder.
They themselves have acknowledged their failure in apprehending the meaning of
any of the words of God. (‘Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
August 13
Be unrestrained as the wind, while carrying the Message of
Him Who hath caused the Dawn of Divine Guidance to break. Consider, how the
wind, faithful to that which God hath ordained, bloweth upon all the regions of
the earth, be they inhabited or desolate. Neither the sight of desolation, nor
the evidences of prosperity, can either pain or please it. It bloweth in every
direction, as bidden by its Creator. So should be every one that claimeth to be
a lover of the one true God. It behoveth him to fix his gaze upon the
fundamentals of His Faith, and to labor diligently for its propagation.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh’; compilation
‘Unlocking the Power of Action’, prepared by the Research Department of the
Universal House of Justice)
August 12
They that are endued with sincerity and faithfulness should
associate with all the peoples and kindreds of the earth with joy and radiance,
inasmuch as consorting with people hath promoted and will continue to promote
unity and concord, which in turn are conducive to the maintenance of order in
the world and to the regeneration of nations. Blessed are such as hold fast to
the cord of kindliness and tender mercy and are free from animosity and hatred.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
August 11
The third Taráz concerneth good character. A good character
is, verily, the best mantle for men from God. With it He adorneth the temples
of His loved ones. By My life! The light of a good character surpasseth the
light of the sun and the radiance thereof. Whoso attaineth unto it is accounted
as a jewel among men. The glory and the upliftment of the world must needs
depend upon it. A goodly character is a means whereby men are guided to the
Straight Path and are led to the Great Announcement. Well is it with him who is
adorned with the saintly attributes and character of the Concourse on High. (Baha’u’llah,
‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas')
August 10
Verily, Christ is Our Word which We communicated unto Mary; [cf.
Qur’án 4:169] and let no one say what the Christians term as
‘the third of three’, [Qur’án 5:77] inasmuch as it would amount to slandering
the Remembrance Who, as decreed in the Mother Book, is invested with supreme
authority. Indeed God is but one God, and far be it from His glory that there
should be aught else besides Him. All those who shall attain unto Him on the
Day of Resurrection are but His servants, and God is, of a truth, a sufficient
Protector. Verily I am none other but the servant of God and His Word, and none
but the first one to bow down in supplication before God, the Most Exalted; and
indeed God witnesseth all things. (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma,
‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
August 9
O SON OF MAN! Thou art My dominion and My dominion perisheth
not; wherefore fearest thou thy perishing? Thou art My light and My light shall
never be extinguished; why dost thou dread extinction? Thou art My glory and My
glory fadeth not; thou art My robe and My robe shall never be outworn. Abide
then in thy love for Me, that thou mayest find Me in the realm of glory. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
August 8
Say: Rejoice not in the things ye possess; tonight they are
yours, tomorrow others will possess them. Thus warneth you He Who is the
All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Say: Can ye claim that what ye own is lasting or
secure? Nay! By Myself, the All-Merciful, ye cannot, if ye be of them who judge
fairly. The days of your life flee away as a breath of wind, and all your pomp
and glory shall be folded up as were the pomp and glory of those gone before
you. Reflect, O people! What hath become of your bygone days, your lost
centuries? Happy the days that have been consecrated to the remembrance of God,
and blessed the hours which have been spent in praise of Him Who is the
All-Wise. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
August 7
In another sense, by the terms ‘sun’, ‘moon’, and ‘stars’
are meant such laws and teachings as have been established and proclaimed in
every Dispensation, such as the laws of prayer and fasting. These have,
according to the law of the Qur’án, been regarded, when the beauty of the
Prophet Muhammad had passed beyond the veil, as the most fundamental and
binding laws of His dispensation. To this testify the texts of the traditions
and chronicles, which, on account of their being widely known,
need not be referred to here. Nay rather, in every Dispensation the law concerning
prayer hath been emphasized and universally enforced. To this testify the
recorded traditions ascribed to the lights that have emanated from the Day-star
of Truth, the essence of the Prophet Muhammad. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
August 6
By My life! Neither the pomp of the mighty, nor the wealth
of the rich, nor even the ascendancy of the ungodly will endure. All will
perish, at a word from Him. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the
All-Compelling, the Almighty. What advantage is there in the earthly things
which men possess? That which shall profit them, they have utterly neglected.
Erelong, they will awake from their slumber, and find themselves unable to
obtain that which hath escaped them in the days of their Lord, the Almighty,
the All-Praised. Did they but know it, they would renounce their all, that
their names may be mentioned before His throne. They, verily, are accounted
among the dead. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
August 5
By My glory! I will make the infidels to taste, with the
hands of My power, retributions unknown of any one except Me, and will waft
over the faithful those musk-scented breaths which I have nursed in the midmost
heart of My throne; and verily the knowledge of God embraceth all things. (The
Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the
Báb)
August 4
…it is Our wish to disclose unto thee certain stations in
the wayfarer’s journey towards his Creator. Perchance all that thine eminence
hath desired may be revealed unto thee, that the proof may be made complete and
the blessing abundant.
Know thou of a truth that the seeker must, at the beginning of his quest for God, enter the Garden of Search. In this journey it behoveth the wayfarer to detach himself from all save God and to close his eyes to all that is in the heavens and on the earth. There must not linger in his heart either the hate or the love of any soul, to the extent that they would hinder him from attaining the habitation of the celestial Beauty. He must sanctify his soul from the veils of glory and refrain from boasting of such worldly vanities, outward knowledge, or other gifts as God may have bestowed upon him. He must search after the truth to the utmost of his ability and exertion, that God may guide him in the paths of His favour and the ways of His mercy. For He, verily, is the best of helpers unto His servants. He saith, and He verily speaketh the truth: “Whoso maketh efforts for Us, in Our ways shall We assuredly guide him.” [ Qur’án 29:69] And furthermore: “Fear God and God will give you knowledge.” (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
Know thou of a truth that the seeker must, at the beginning of his quest for God, enter the Garden of Search. In this journey it behoveth the wayfarer to detach himself from all save God and to close his eyes to all that is in the heavens and on the earth. There must not linger in his heart either the hate or the love of any soul, to the extent that they would hinder him from attaining the habitation of the celestial Beauty. He must sanctify his soul from the veils of glory and refrain from boasting of such worldly vanities, outward knowledge, or other gifts as God may have bestowed upon him. He must search after the truth to the utmost of his ability and exertion, that God may guide him in the paths of His favour and the ways of His mercy. For He, verily, is the best of helpers unto His servants. He saith, and He verily speaketh the truth: “Whoso maketh efforts for Us, in Our ways shall We assuredly guide him.” [ Qur’án 29:69] And furthermore: “Fear God and God will give you knowledge.” (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
August 3
O concourse of light! By the righteousness of God, We speak
not according to selfish desire, nor hath a single letter of this Book been
revealed save by the leave of God, the Sovereign Truth. Fear ye God and
entertain no doubts regarding His Cause, for verily, the Mystery of this Gate
is shrouded in the mystic utterances of His Writ and hath been written beyond
the impenetrable veil of concealment by the hand of God, the Lord of the
visible and the invisible. (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma,
‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
August 2
Out of utter nothingness, O great and omnipotent Master,
Thou hast, through the celestial potency of Thy might, brought me forth and
raised me up to proclaim this Revelation. I have made none other but Thee my
trust; I have clung to no will but Thy Will. Thou art, in truth, the
All-Sufficing and behind Thee standeth the true God, He Who overshadoweth all
things. Indeed sufficient unto Me is God, the Exalted, the Powerful, the
Sustainer. (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the
Writings of the Báb)
August 1
Indeed God hath created everywhere around this Gate oceans
of divine elixir, tinged crimson with the essence of existence and vitalized
through the animating power of the desired fruit; and for
them God hath provided Arks of ruby, tender, crimson-coloured, wherein none
shall sail but the people of Bahá, by the leave of God, the Most Exalted; and
verily He is the All-Glorious, the All-Wise. (The Báb, excerpts from the
Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
July 31
Know thou that the passages that We have called “ambiguous”
appear as such only in the eyes of them that have failed to soar above the
horizon of guidance and to reach the heights of knowledge in the retreats of
grace. For otherwise, unto them that have recognized the Repositories of divine
Revelation and beheld through His inspiration the mysteries of divine
authority, all the verses of God are perspicuous and all His allusions are
clear. Such men discern the inner mysteries that have been clothed in the
garment of words as clearly as ye perceive the heat of the sun or the wetness
of water, nay even more distinctly. Immeasurably exalted is God
above our praise of His loved ones, and beyond their praise of Him! (Baha’u’llah,
‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
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