O Kamál! The heights which, through the most gracious favour
of God, mortal man can attain, in this Day, are as yet unrevealed to his sight.
The world of being hath never had, nor doth it yet possess the capacity for
such a revelation ... (Bahá'u'lláh,
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh; The Compilation of Compilations,
vol. III, Social and Economic Development)
December 9
God assuredly dominateth the lives of them that wronged Us,
and is well aware of their doings. He will most certainly lay hold on them for
their sins. He, verily, is the fiercest of Avengers. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by
Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
December 8
…consider Moses, son of ‘Imrán, one of the exalted Prophets
and Author of a divinely-revealed Book. Whilst passing, one day, through the
market, in His early days, ere His ministry was
proclaimed, He saw two men engaged in fighting. One of them asked the help of
Moses against his opponent. Whereupon, Moses intervened and slew him. To this
testifieth the record of the sacred Book. Should the details be cited, they
will lengthen and interrupt the course of the argument. The report of this
incident spread throughout the city, and Moses was full of fear, as is
witnessed by the text of the Book. And when the warning: “O Moses! of a truth,
the chiefs take counsel to slay Thee” [Qur’án 28:20] reached His ears, He went
forth from the city, and sojourned in Midian in the service of Shoeb. While
returning, Moses entered the holy vale, situate in the wilderness of Sinai, and
there beheld the vision of the King of glory from the “Tree that belongeth
neither to the East nor to the West.” [Qur’án 24:35] There He heard the
soul-stirring Voice of the Spirit speaking from out of the kindled Fire,
bidding Him to shed upon Pharaonic souls the light of divine guidance; so that,
liberating them from the shadows of the valley of self and desire, He might
enable them to attain the meads of heavenly delight, and delivering them,
through the Salsabíl of renunciation, from the bewilderment of remoteness,
cause them to enter the peaceful city of the divine presence. (Baha’u’llah, The
Kitab-i-Iqán)
December 7
Concerning this Wronged One, most of the things reported in
the newspapers are devoid of truth. Fair speech and truthfulness, by reason of
their lofty rank and position, are regarded as a sun shining above the horizon
of knowledge. The waves rising from this Ocean are apparent before the eyes of
the peoples of the world and the effusions of the Pen of wisdom and utterance
are manifest everywhere.
It is reported in the press that this Servant hath fled from
the land of Tá (Tihrán) and gone to ‘Iráq. Gracious God! Not even for a single
moment hath this Wronged One ever concealed Himself. Rather hath He at all
times remained steadfast and conspicuous before the eyes of all men. Never have
We retreated, nor shall We ever seek flight. In truth it is the foolish people
who flee from Our presence. We left Our home country accompanied by two mounted
escorts, representing the two honoured governments of Persia and Russia until
We arrived in ‘Iráq in the plenitude of glory and power. Praise be to God! The
Cause whereof this Wronged One is the Bearer standeth as high as heaven and
shineth resplendent as the sun. Concealment hath no access unto this station,
nor is there any occasion for fear or silence. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of
Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
December 6
O people of the world! Follow not the promptings of the
self, for it summoneth insistently to wickedness and lust; follow, rather, Him
Who is the Possessor of all created things, Who biddeth you to show forth
piety, and manifest the fear of God. He, verily, is independent of all His creatures. Take heed not to stir up mischief in
the land after it hath been set in order. Whoso acteth in this way is not of
Us, and We are quit of him. Such is the command which hath, through the power
of truth, been made manifest from the heaven of Revelation. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
December 5
In these days truthfulness and sincerity are sorely
afflicted in the clutches of falsehood, and justice is tormented by the scourge
of injustice. The smoke of corruption hath enveloped the whole world in such
wise that naught can be seen in any direction save regiments of soldiers and
nothing is heard from any land but the clashing of swords. We beseech God, the
True One, to strengthen the wielders of His power in that which will
rehabilitate the world and bring tranquillity to the nations. (Baha’u’llah,
‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
December 4
We have fixed a time for you, O people! If ye fail, at the
appointed hour, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you,
and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every direction. How
severe indeed is the chastisement with which your Lord will then chastise you!
(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
December 3
In the treasuries of the knowledge of God there lieth
concealed a knowledge which, when applied, will largely, though not wholly,
eliminate fear. This knowledge, however, should be taught from childhood, as it
will greatly aid in its elimination. Whatever decreaseth fear increaseth
courage. Should the Will of God assist Us, there would flow out from the Pen of
the Divine Expounder a lengthy exposition of that which hath been mentioned,
and there would be revealed, in the field of arts and sciences, what would
renew the world and the nations. A word hath, likewise, been written down and
recorded by the Pen of the Most High in the Crimson Book which is capable of
fully disclosing that force which is hid in men, nay of redoubling its potency.
We implore God—exalted and glorified be He—to graciously assist His servants to
do that which is pleasing and acceptable unto Him. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to
the Son of the Wolf’)
December 2
… God is, in His Essence, holy above ascent and descent,
entrance and exit; He hath through all eternity been free of the attributes of
human creatures, and ever will remain so. No man hath ever known Him; no soul
hath ever found the pathway to His Being. Every mystic knower hath wandered far
astray in the valley of the knowledge of Him; every saint hath lost his way in
seeking to comprehend His Essence. Sanctified is He above the understanding of
the wise; exalted is He above the knowledge of the knowing! The way is barred
and to seek it is impiety; His proof is His signs; His being is His evidence. [Sermon
by Imam ‘Alí] (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven Valleys’)
December 1
Abandon that which ye possess, and seize that which God, Who
layeth low the necks of men, hath brought. Know ye of a certainty that if ye
turn not back from that which ye have committed, chastisement will overtake you
on every side, and ye shall behold things more grievous than that which ye
beheld aforetime. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day
Is Come’)
November 30
Say: We have made
each one of Our Names a wellspring from which We have caused the streams of
divine wisdom and understanding to gush forth and flow in the garden of Our
Cause—streams whose number none can reckon save Thy Lord, the Most Holy, the
Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the All-Wise. Say: We have generated all
Letters from the Point and have caused them to return unto It, and We have sent
It down again in the form of a human temple. All glory be unto the Author of this incomparable and wondrous
handiwork! Erelong shall We unfold and
expound It again, in Our name, the All-Glorious. This is indeed a token of Our grace, and I,
truly, am the Most Bountiful, the Ancient of Days. (Baha'u'llah,
Suriy-i-Haykal, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
November 29
There is no doubt that the Almighty hath sent down these
verses unto Him [the Báb], even as He sent down unto the Apostle of God. Indeed
no less than a hundred thousand verses similar to these have already been
disseminated among the people, not to mention His Epistles, His Prayers or His
learned and philosophical treatises. He revealeth no less than a thousand
verses within the space of five hours. He reciteth verses at a speed consonant
with the capacity of His amanuensis to set them down. Thus, it may well be
considered that if from the inception of this Revelation until now He had been
left unhindered, how vast then would have been the volume of writings
disseminated from His pen. (The Báb, from the Persian Bayán, ‘Selections from
the Writings of the Báb)
November 28
I magnify Thy Name, O my God, and offer thanksgiving unto
Thee, O my Desire, inasmuch as Thou hast enabled me to clearly perceive Thy
straight Path, hast unveiled Thy Great Announcement before mine eyes and hast
aided me to set my face towards the Dayspring of Thy Revelation and the
Fountainhead of Thy Cause, whilst Thy servants and Thy people turned away from
Thee. I entreat Thee, O Lord of the Kingdom of eternity, by the shrill voice of
the Pen of Glory, and by the Burning Fire which calleth aloud from the verdant
Tree, and by the Ark which Thou hast specially chosen for the people of Bahá, to grant that I may remain steadfast in my love for Thee,
be well pleased with whatsoever Thou hast prescribed for me in Thy Book and may
stand firm in Thy service and in the service of Thy loved ones. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets
of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
November 27
It beseemeth all men in this Day to take firm hold on the
Most Great Name, and to establish the unity of all mankind. There is no place
to flee to, no refuge that any one can seek, except Him. (Baha’u’llah, quoted
by Shoghi Effend in ‘The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters’)
November 26
Consider these days in which the Ancient Beauty, He Who is
the Most Great Name, hath been sent down to regenerate and unify mankind.
Behold how with drawn swords they rose against Him, and committed that which
caused the Faithful Spirit to tremble. And whenever We said unto them: `Lo, the
World Reformer is come,' they made reply: `He, in truth, is one of the stirrers
of mischief'.... (Baha’u’llah, Extracts from the Tablet to Queen Victoria,
cited in Shoghi Effendi, ‘The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters’; The
Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Peace)
November 25
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 that nothing deter thee from setting thy face towards thy
Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We, verily, have heard the thing
for which thou didst supplicate thy Lord, whilst secretly communing with Him.
Wherefore, the breeze of My loving-kindness wafted forth, and the sea of My
mercy surged, and We answered thee in truth. Thy Lord, verily, is the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Whilst I lay, chained and fettered, in the prison of
Tihrán, one of thy ministers extended Me his aid. Wherefore hath God ordained
for thee a station which the knowledge of none can comprehend except His
knowledge. Beware lest thou barter away this sublime station. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
November 24
Bestir yourselves, O people in anticipation of the days of
Divine Justice, for the promised hour is now come. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by
Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
November 23
Arise, O wayfarer in the path of the Love of God, and aid
thou His Cause. Say: Barter not away this Youth, O people, for the vanities of
this world or the delights of heaven. By the righteousness of the one true God!
One hair of Him excelleth all that is in the heavens and all that is on the
earth. Beware, O men, lest ye be tempted to part with Him in exchange for the
gold and silver ye possess. Let His love be a storehouse of treasure for your
souls, on the Day when naught else but Him shall profit you, the Day when every
pillar shall tremble, when the very skins of men shall creep, when all eyes
shall stare up with terror. Say: O people! Fear ye God, and turn not away
disdainfully from His Revelation. Fall prostrate on your faces before God, and
celebrate His praise in the daytime and in the night season. (Baha’u’llah,
‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
November 22
Whensoever the light of Manifestation of the King of Oneness
settleth upon the throne of the heart and soul, His shining becometh visible in
every limb and member. At that time the mystery of the famed tradition gleameth
out of the darkness: “A servant is drawn unto Me in prayer until I answer him;
and when I have answered him, I become the ear wherewith he heareth....” For
thus the Master of the house hath appeared within His home, and all the pillars
of the dwelling are ashine with His light. And the action and effect of the
light are from the Light-Giver; so it is that all move through Him and arise by
His will. And this is that spring whereof the near ones drink, as it is said:
“A fount whereof the near unto God shall drink....” [Qur’án 83:28]
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven Valleys’)
November 21
O My Brother! A pure heart is as a mirror; cleanse it with
the burnish of love and severance from all save God, that the true sun may
shine within it and the eternal morning dawn. Then wilt thou clearly see the
meaning of “Neither doth My earth nor My heaven contain Me, but the heart of My
faithful servant containeth Me.” [Hadíth], … (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven
Valleys’)
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