It hath been decreed by Us that the Word of God, and all the
potentialities thereof, shall be manifested unto men in strict conformity with
such conditions as have been foreordained by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise.... Should the Word be allowed to release suddenly all the energies
latent within it, no man could sustain the weight of so mighty a Revelation.
(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
To use the Search Feature on mobile devices: scroll down to the very bottom of the page, click on View Web Version. The search box will appear on the top right corner of the screen.
“Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide.” (Bahá’u’lláh, ‘The Kitáb-i-Aqdas’)
November 7
I am come to thee[1], O land of the heart’s desire, with
tidings from God, and announce to thee His gracious
favor and mercy, and greet and magnify thee in His name. He, in truth, is of
immense bounteousness and goodness. Blessed be the man that turneth his face
towards thee, that perceiveth from thee the fragrance of God’s Presence, the
Lord of all worlds. His glory be on thee, and the brightness of His light
envelop thee, inasmuch as God hath made thee a paradise unto His servants, and
proclaimed thee to be the blest and sacred land of which He, Himself, hath made
mention in the Books which His Prophets and Messengers have revealed.
Through thee, O land of resplendent glory, the ensign, “There is none other God but Him,” hath been unfurled, and the standard, “Verily I am the Truth, the Knower of things unseen,” been hoisted. It behoveth every one that visiteth thee to glory in thee and in them that inhabit thee, that have branched from My Tree, who are the leaves thereof, who are the signs of My glory, who follow Me and are My lovers, and who, with the most mighty determination, have turned their faces in the direction of My glorious station. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
[1] Preceding paragraph refers to Tihran
Through thee, O land of resplendent glory, the ensign, “There is none other God but Him,” hath been unfurled, and the standard, “Verily I am the Truth, the Knower of things unseen,” been hoisted. It behoveth every one that visiteth thee to glory in thee and in them that inhabit thee, that have branched from My Tree, who are the leaves thereof, who are the signs of My glory, who follow Me and are My lovers, and who, with the most mighty determination, have turned their faces in the direction of My glorious station. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
[1] Preceding paragraph refers to Tihran
November 6
Intellect hath various degrees. As a discussion of the
pronouncements made by the philosophers in this connection would pass beyond
the scope of our discourse, we have refrained from mentioning them. It is
nonetheless indisputably clear and evident that the minds of men have never
been, nor shall they ever be, of equal capacity. The Perfect Intellect alone
can provide true guidance and direction. Thus were these sublime words revealed
by the Pen of the Most High, exalted be His glory, in response to this
question: “The Tongue of Wisdom proclaimeth: He that hath Me not is bereft of
all things. Turn ye away from all that is on earth and seek none else but Me. I
am the Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of Knowledge. I cheer the faint and revive
the dead. I am the guiding Light that illumineth the way. I am the royal Falcon
on the arm of the Almighty. I unfold the drooping wings of every broken bird
and start it on its flight.” (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle of Unity,
Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other Writings’)
November 5
Say: The measure of
all created things hath been appointed in this concealed and manifest Temple,
wherein lie enshrined the knowledge of the heavens and the earth, and of all
things past and future. The finger of
God’s handiwork hath inscribed upon this Tablet that which the wisest and most
learned of men are powerless to fathom, and hath created therein temples
inscrutable to all save His own Self, could ye but apprehend this truth. Blessed be the one who readeth it, who
pondereth its contents, and who is numbered with them that comprehend! (Baha'u'llah,
Suriy-i-Haykal, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
November 4
It is Our wish to remember the Abode of supreme blissfulness
(Tihrán), the holy and shining city—the city wherein the fragrance of the
Well-Beloved hath been shed, wherein His signs have been diffused, wherein the
evidences of His glory have been revealed, wherein His standards have been
raised, wherein His tabernacle hath been pitched, wherein each of His wise
decrees hath been unfolded.
It is the city in which the sweet savors of reunion have
breathed, which have caused the sincere lovers of God to draw nigh unto Him,
and to gain access to the Habitation of holiness and beauty. Happy is the
wayfarer that directeth his steps towards this city, that gaineth admittance
into it, and quaffeth the wine of reunion, through the outpouring grace of his
Lord, the Gracious, the All-Praised. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings
of Baha’u’llah’)
November 3
O people of Bahá! Trustworthiness is in truth the best of
vestures for your temples and the most glorious crown for your heads. Take ye
fast hold of it at the behest of Him Who is the Ordainer, the All-Informed.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
November 2
O thou whose face is turned towards Me! As soon as thine
eyes behold from afar My native city (Tihrán), stand thou and say: I am come to
thee out of the Prison, O Land of Tá, with tidings from God, the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting. I announce unto thee, O mother of the world and fountain
of light unto all its peoples, the tender mercies of thy Lord, and greet thee
in the name of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, the Knower of things unseen. I
testify that within thee He Who is the Hidden Name was revealed, and the Unseen
Treasure uncovered. Through thee the secret of all things, be they of the past
or of the future, hath been unfolded.
O Land of Tá! He Who is the Lord of Names remembereth thee
in His glorious station. Thou wert the Day Spring of the Cause of God, the
fountain of His Revelation, the manifestation of His
Most Great Name—a Name that hath caused the hearts and souls of men to tremble.
How vast the number of those men and women, those victims of tyranny, that
have, within thy walls, laid down their lives in the path of God, and been
buried beneath thy dust with such cruelty as to cause every honored servant of
God to bemoan their plight. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha’u’llah’)
November 1
Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of
longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy,
is kindled within the seeker's heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is
wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of
doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude
envelop his being. At that hour will the mystic Herald, bearing the joyful
tidings of the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God resplendent as the
morn, and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will awaken the heart, the
soul, and the spirit from the slumber of negligence. Then will the manifold
favours and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new
life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new
ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the
universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the
eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the
stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in all things the mysteries of
divine Revelation and the evidences of an everlasting manifestation. (Baha'u'llah,
The Kitab-i-Iqan)
October 31
… certain invalid souls have confined the lands of knowledge
within the wall of self and passion, and clouded them with ignorance and
blindness, and have been veiled from the light of the mystic sun and the
mysteries of the Eternal Beloved; they have strayed afar from the jewelled
wisdom of the lucid Faith of the Lord of Messengers, have been shut out of the
sanctuary of the All-Beauteous One, and banished from the Ka’bih[1] of
splendor. Such is the worth of the people of this age! (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven
Valleys’)
[1] The holy Sanctuary at Mecca. Here the word means “goal.”
October 30
A race of men incomparable in character, shall be raised up
which, with the feet of detachment, will tread under all who are in heaven and
on earth, and will cast the sleeve of holiness over all that hath been created
from water and clay. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi, ‘The Advent
of Divine Justice’)
October 29
This, truly, is a Revelation which revealeth itself only
once every five hundred thousand years. Thus have We removed the barrier and
lifted the veils. (Baha’u’llah, quoted in a letter of Shoghi Effendi to the
Baha’is of the East, Naw-Ruz 101 BE.; ‘The Baha’i World 2001-2002)
October 28
Open the doors of your hearts. He Who is the Spirit verily
standeth before them. Wherefore keep ye afar from Him Who hath purposed to draw
you nigh unto a Resplendent Spot? Say: We, in truth, have opened unto you the
gates of the Kingdom. Will ye bar the doors of your houses in My face? This
indeed is naught but a grievous error. He, verily, hath again come down from
heaven, even as He came down from it the first time. Beware lest ye dispute
that which He proclaimeth, even as the people before you disputed His
utterances. Thus instructeth you the True One, could ye but perceive it. (Baha’u’llah,
excerpt from Lawh-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Tablet) [Sometimes
referred to as Tablet to the Christians]; ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed
after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 27
O My Brother! Until thou enter the Egypt of love, thou shalt
never come to the Joseph of the Beauty of the Friend; and until, like Jacob,
thou forsake thine outward eyes, thou shalt never open the eye of thine inward
being; and until thou burn with the fire of love, thou shalt never commune with
the Lover of Longing. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven Valleys’)
October 26
Thou hast written that one of the friends hath composed a
treatise. This was mentioned in the Holy Presence, and this is what was
revealed in response: Great care should be exercised that whatever is written
in these days doth not cause dissension, and invite the objection of the
people. Whatever the friends of the one true God say in these days is listened
to by the people of the world. It hath been revealed in the Lawh-i-Hikmat:
"The unbelievers have inclined their ears towards us in order to hear that
which might enable them to cavil against God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting." Whatever is written should not transgress the bounds of
tact and wisdom, and in the words used there should lie hid the property of
milk, so that the children of the world may be nurtured therewith, and attain
maturity. We have said in the past that one word hath the influence of spring
and causeth hearts to become fresh and verdant, while another is like unto
blight which causeth the blossoms and flowers to wither. God grant that authors
among the friends will write in such a way as would be acceptable to
fair-minded souls, and not lead to cavilling by the people. (Baha’u’llah,
included in a letter dated 20 July 1997 written on behalf of the Universal House
of Justice to an individual believer)
October 25
Whatsoever runneth counter to the Teachings in this day is
rejected, for the Sun of Truth is shining resplendent above the horizon of
knowledge. Happy are they who, with the waters of divine utterance, have
cleansed their hearts from all allusions, whisperings and suggestions, and who
have fixed their gaze upon the Dayspring of Glory. This, indeed, is the most
gracious favour and the purest bounty. Whosoever hath attained thereunto hath
attained unto all good, for otherwise the knowledge of aught else but God hath
never proven, nor shall it ever prove, profitable unto men. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
October 24
Were you to ponder, but for a while, these utterances in
your heart, you would surely find the portals of understanding unlocked before
your face, and would behold all knowledge and the mysteries thereof unveiled
before your eyes. Such things [1] take place only that the souls of men may
develop and be delivered from the prison-cage of self and desire. Otherwise,
that ideal King hath, throughout eternity, been in His Essence independent of
the comprehension of all beings, and will continue, for ever, in His own Being
to be exalted above the adoration of every soul. A single breeze of His
affluence doth suffice to adorn all mankind with the robe of wealth; and one
drop out of the ocean of His bountiful grace is enough to confer upon all
beings the glory of everlasting life. But inasmuch as the divine Purpose hath
decreed that the true should be known from the false, and the sun from the
shadow, He hath, therefore, in every season sent down upon mankind the showers
of tests from His realm of glory. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Kitab-i-Iqan’)
[1] Such as altering of the law of the Qiblih by Muhammah (mentioned in the preceding paragraph)
October 23
Beware lest ye shed the blood of anyone. Unsheathe the sword of your tongue from the
scabbard of utterance, for therewith ye can conquer the citadels of men’s
hearts. We have abolished the law to
wage holy war against each other. God’s
mercy, hath, verily, encompassed all created things, if ye do but
understand. Aid ye your Lord, the God of
Mercy, with the sword of understanding. Keener indeed is it, and more finely tempered, than the sword of
utterance, were ye but to reflect upon the words of your Lord. Thus have the hosts of Divine Revelation been
sent down by God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and thus have the armies
of divine inspiration been made manifest from the Source of command, as bidden
by God, the All-Glorious, the Best-Beloved. (Baha'u'llah, Suriy-i-Haykal, The
Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
October 22
When the Unseen, the Eternal, the Divine Essence, caused the
Day Star of Muhammad to rise above the horizon of knowledge, among the cavils
which the Jewish divines raised against Him was that after Moses no Prophet
should be sent of God. Yea, mention hath been made in the Scriptures of a Soul
Who must needs be made manifest and Who will advance the Faith, and promote the
interests of the people of Moses, so that the Law of the Mosaic Dispensation
may encompass the whole earth. Thus hath the King of eternal glory referred in
His Book to the words uttered by those wanderers in the vale of remoteness and
error: “‘The hand of God,’ say the Jews, ‘is chained up.’ Chained up be their
own hands; And for that which they have said, they were accursed. Nay,
outstretched are both His hands!” “The hand of God is above their hands.”
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
October 21
Be fair, ye peoples of the world; is it meet and seemly for
you to question the authority of one Whose presence ‘He Who conversed with God’
(Moses) hath longed to attain, the beauty of Whose countenance ‘God’s
Well-beloved’ (Muhammad) had yearned to behold, through the potency of Whose
love the ‘Spirit of God’ (Jesus) ascended to heaven, for Whose sake the ‘Primal Point’ (the Báb) offered up His life?
(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in “The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah’)
October 20
Seize your chance, inasmuch as a fleeting moment in this Day
excelleth centuries of a bygone age... Neither sun nor moon hath witnessed a
day such as this... It is evident that every age in which a Manifestation of
God hath lived is divinely ordained and may, in a sense, be characterized as
God’s appointed Day. This Day, however, is unique and is to be distinguished
from those that have preceded it. The designation ‘Seal of the Prophets’ fully
reveals and demonstrates its high station. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi
Effendi in “The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah’)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)