O SON OF SPIRIT! The bird seeketh its nest; the nightingale
the charm of the rose; whilst those birds, the hearts of men, content with
transient dust, have strayed far from their eternal nest, and with eyes turned
towards the slough of heedlessness are bereft of the glory of the divine
presence. Alas! How strange and pitiful; for a mere cupful, they have turned
away from the billowing seas of the Most High, and remained far from the most
effulgent horizon. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
December 24
And further We have said: “He Who is the Father is come, and
the Son (Jesus Christ), in the holy vale, crieth out: ‘Here am I, here am I, O
Lord, my God!’, whilst Sinai circleth round the House, and the Burning Bush
calleth aloud: ‘The All-Bounteous is come mounted upon the clouds! Blessed is
he that draweth nigh unto Him, and woe betide them that are far away.’ (Baha’u’llah,
‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
December 23
Previously We wrote to thee[Zaynu'l-Muqarrabin] that had the
friends there observed the payment of Huququ'lláh, the people of that region
would have enjoyed ease and comfort. Before this law was revealed there was no
obligation on the part of any soul. The Pen of Glory held back from revealing
laws and ordinances for a number of years, and this was a token of His heavenly
grace. Were the people of the world to recognize what inestimable benefits the
ordinances of the All-Merciful would bring forth, they would arise to fulfil
His commandments and would observe His bidding ... (Baha’u’llah, The
Compilation of Compilation, vol. I, Huqúqu'lláh)
December 22
O Lord! Assist those who have renounced
all else but Thee, and grant them a mighty victory. Send down upon them, O
Lord, the concourse of the angels in heaven and earth and all that is between,
to aid Thy servants, to succour and strengthen them, to enable them to achieve
success, to sustain them, to invest them with glory, to confer upon them honour
and exaltation, to enrich them and to make them triumphant with a wondrous
triumph. (The Báb, ‘Selections from
the Writings of the Báb’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol.
II, The Power of Divine Assistance)
December 21
When Moses came unto Pharaoh and delivered unto him, as
bidden by God, the divine Message, Pharaoh spoke insultingly saying: “Art thou
not he that committed murder, and became an infidel?” Thus recounted the Lord
of majesty as having been said by Pharaoh unto Moses: “What a deed is that
which Thou hast done! Thou art one of the ungrateful. He said: ‘I did it
indeed, and I was one of those who erred. And I fled from you when I feared
you, but My Lord hath given Me wisdom, and hath made Me one of His Apostles.’” [Qur’án
26:19]
And now ponder in thy heart the commotion which God stirreth
up. Reflect upon the strange and manifold trials with which He doth test His
servants. Consider how He hath suddenly chosen from among His servants, and entrusted
with the exalted mission of divine guidance Him Who was known as guilty of
homicide, Who, Himself, had acknowledged His cruelty, and Who for well-nigh
thirty years had, in the eyes of the world, been reared in the home of Pharaoh
and been nourished at his table. Was not God, the omnipotent King, able to
withhold the hand of Moses from murder, so that manslaughter should not be
attributed unto Him, causing bewilderment and aversion among the people? (Baha’u’llah,
The Kitáb-i-Iqán)
December 20
Say: Naught is seen
in My temple but the Temple of God, and in My beauty but His Beauty, and in My
being but His Being, and in My self but His Self, and in My movement but His
Movement, and in My acquiescence but His Acquiescence, and in My pen but His
Pen, the Mighty, the All-Praised. There
hath not been in My soul but the Truth, and in Myself naught could be seen but
God. (Baha'u'llah, Suriy-i-Haykal, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
December 19
O ye peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God, the
True One, the testimony shown forth by His Remembrance is like unto a sun which
the hand of the merciful Lord hath raised high in the midmost heart of the
heaven, wherefrom it shineth in the plenitude of its meridian splendour...
With each and every Prophet Whom We have sent down in the
past, We have established a separate Covenant concerning the Remembrance of God
and His Day. Manifest, in the realm of glory and through the power of truth,
are the Remembrance of God and His Day before the eyes of the angels that
circle His mercy-seat. (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections
from the Writings of the Báb)
December 18
It hath been laid down in the Bayán that marriage is
dependent upon the consent of both parties. Desiring to establish love, unity
and harmony amidst Our servants, We have conditioned it, once the couple’s wish
is known, upon the permission of their parents, lest enmity and rancour should
arise amongst them. And in this We have yet other purposes. Thus hath Our
commandment been ordained. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
December 17
Blessed are they that have soared on the wings of detachment
and attained the station which, as ordained by God, overshadoweth the entire
creation, whom neither the vain imaginations of the learned, nor the multitude
of the hosts of the earth have succeeded in deflecting from His Cause. Who is
there among you, O people, who will renounce the world, and draw nigh unto God,
the Lord of all names? Where is he to be found who, through the power of My
name that transcendeth all created things, will cast away the things that men
possess, and cling, with all his might, to the things which God, the Knower of
the unseen and of the seen, hath bidden him observe? Thus hath His bounty been
sent down unto men, His testimony fulfilled, and His proof shone forth above
the Horizon of mercy. Rich is the prize that shall be won by him who hath
believed and exclaimed: “Lauded art Thou, O Beloved of all worlds! Magnified be
Thy name, O Thou the Desire of every understanding heart!” (Baha’u’llah,
‘Gleanings form the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
December 16
The Best-Beloved is come. In His right hand is the sealed
Wine of His name. Happy is the man that turneth unto Him, and drinketh his
fill, and exclaimeth: “Praise be to Thee, O Revealer of the signs of God!” By
the righteousness of the Almighty! Every hidden thing hath been manifested
through the power of truth. All the favors of God have been sent down, as a
token of His grace. The waters of everlasting life have, in their fullness,
been proffered unto men. Every single cup hath been borne round by the hand of
the Well-Beloved. Draw near, and tarry not, though it be for one short moment. (Baha’u’llah,
‘Gleanings form the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
December 15
O SON OF MAN! Sorrow not save that thou art far from Us.
Rejoice not save that thou art drawing near and returning unto Us. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
December 14
And when this stage of the journey [“the City of Love”] is completed and the wayfarer hath soared beyond this lofty station, he entereth
the City of Divine Unity, and the garden of oneness, and the court of
detachment. In this plane the seeker casteth away all signs, allusions, veils,
and words, and beholdeth all things with an eye illumined by the effulgent
lights which God Himself hath shed upon him. In his journey he seeth all
differences return to a single word and all allusions culminate in a single
point. Unto this beareth witness he who sailed upon the ark of fire and
followed the inmost path to the pinnacle of glory in the realm of immortality:
“Knowledge is one point, which the foolish have multiplied.” [From a Hadíth]
This is the station that hath been alluded to in the tradition: “I am He,
Himself, and He is I, Myself, except that I am that I am, and He is that He
is.” [From a Hadíth] (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’,
‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
December 13
We ask God graciously to grant that all may evince such
fairness of character, such goodliness of deed and kindliness of word as will
meet with His good pleasure. It hath been decreed that the citadels of men's
hearts should be subdued through the hosts of a noble character and
praiseworthy deeds. Contention, discord, strife and sedition have all been
forbidden in the Book of God. Beseech the Lord that He deprive not His
dominions of the effulgent light of the sun of trustworthiness, nor deny them
the radiance of the Day-Star of truthfulness or the splendour of the orb of
justice and equity. Trustworthiness and piety are even as two luminaries
shining resplendent above the horizon of the heaven of the Tablet in which are
inscribed the ordinances of God. Well is it with them that have discerned them,
and woe betide the heedless (Baha’u’llah, The Compilation of Compilations,
Vol. II, Trustworthiness)
December 12
By the righteousness of God! Justice is a powerful force. It
is, above all else, the conqueror of the citadels of the hearts and souls of
men, and the revealer of the secrets of the world of being, and the
standard-bearer of love and bounty. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf’)
December 11
Say: O friends! Drink your fill from
this crystal stream that floweth through the heavenly grace of Him Who is the
Lord of Names. Let others partake of its waters in My name, that the leaders of
men in every land may fully recognize the purpose for which the Eternal Truth
hath been revealed, and the reason for which they themselves have been created.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from
the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, Social and
Economic Development)
December 10
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’)
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