(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
March 21
March 20
All glory be to Thee, O my God, for Thou hast graciously
enabled me to fast during this month which Thou hast related to Thy Name, the
Most Exalted, and called 'Ala (Loftiness). Thou hast commanded that Thy
servants and Thy people should fast therein and seek thereby to draw nearer
unto Thee. The days and months of the year have culminated with the Fast, even
as the first month began with Thy Name, Bahá, that all might testify that Thou
art the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and be well assured
that the glory of all names is conferred only through the glory of Thy Cause
and the word expounded by Thy will and revealed through Thy purpose. Thou hast
ordained that this month be a remembrance and honour from Thee, and a sign of
Thy presence amongst them, that they may not forget Thy grandeur and Thy
majesty, Thy sovereignty and Thy glory, and may be well assured that from time
immemorial Thou hast ever been and wilt ever be Ruler over the entire creation.
Nothing created in the heavens or on the earth can hinder Thee in Thy
governance, nor can anyone in the realms of Revelation and creation prevent
Thee from fulfilling Thy purpose.
(Baha’u’llah, compilation ‘The Importance of
Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, prepared by the Research Department of the
Universal House of Justice)
March 19
Supreme Infallibility…is reserved exclusively to the
Manifestations of the Cause of God and the Exponents of His Revelation.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
March 18
This is the Day whereon He Who is the Revealer of the names
of God hath stepped out of the Tabernacle of glory, and proclaimed unto all who
are in the heavens and all who are on the earth: "Put away the cups of
Paradise and all the life-giving waters they contain, for lo, the people of
Baha have entered the blissful abode of the Divine Presence, and quaffed the
wine of reunion, from the chalice of the beauty of their Lord, the
All-Possessing, the Most High."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings
of Baha'u'llah)
March 17
It is clear and evident that when the veils that conceal the
realities of the manifestations of the Names and Attributes of God, nay of all
created things visible or invisible, have been rent asunder, nothing except the
Sign of God will remain—a sign which He, Himself, hath placed within these
realities. This sign will endure as long as is the wish of the Lord thy God,
the Lord of the heavens and of the earth. If such be the
blessings conferred on all created things, how superior must be the destiny of
the true believer, whose existence and life are to be regarded as the
originating purpose of all creation. Just as the conception of faith hath
existed from the beginning that hath no beginning, and will endure till the end
that hath no end, in like manner will the true believer eternally live and
endure. His spirit will everlastingly circle round the Will of God. He will
last as long as God, Himself, will last. He is revealed through the Revelation
of God, and is hidden at His bidding. It is evident that the loftiest mansions
in the Realm of Immortality have been ordained as the habitation of them that
have truly believed in God and in His signs. Death can never invade that holy
seat. Thus have We entrusted thee with the signs of thy Lord, that thou mayest
persevere in thy love for Him, and be of them that comprehend this truth.
(Baha'u'llah,
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah)
March 16
Since Thou hast adorned them, O my Lord, with the ornament
of the fast prescribed by Thee, do Thou adorn them also with the ornament of
Thine acceptance, through Thy grace and bountiful favor. For the doings of men
are all dependent upon Thy good-pleasure, and are conditioned by Thy behest.
Shouldst Thou regard him who hath broken the fast as one who hath observed it,
such a man would be reckoned among them who from eternity had been keeping the
fast. And shouldst Thou decree that he who hath observed the fast hath broken
it, that person would be numbered with such as have caused the Robe of Thy
Revelation to be stained with dust, and been far removed from the crystal waters
of this living Fountain.
(Baha’u’llah, Prayers and Meditations of Baha’u’llah’)
March 15
Verily, I say, so fierce is the blaze of the Bush of love,
burning in the Sinai of the heart, that the streaming waters of holy utterance
can never quench its flame. Oceans can never allay this Leviathan’s burning
thirst, and this Phoenix of the undying fire can abide nowhere save in the glow
of the countenance of the Well-Beloved. Therefore, O brother! kindle with the
oil of wisdom the lamp of the spirit within the innermost chamber of thy heart,
and guard it with the globe of understanding, that the breath of the infidel
may extinguish not its flame nor dim its brightness.
(Baha'u'llah, The
Kitab-i-Iqan)
March 14
…fix your gaze upon the commandments of God, for whatsoever
He should ordain in this day and pronounce as lawful is indeed lawful and
representeth the very truth. It is incumbent upon all to turn their gaze
towards the Cause of God and to observe that which hath dawned above the
horizon of His Will, since it is through the potency of His name that the
banner of “He doeth what He willeth” hath been unfurled and the standard of “He
ordaineth what He pleaseth” hath been raised aloft.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
March 13
The Day Star of Truth that shineth in its meridian splendor
beareth Us witness! They who are the people of God have no ambition except to
revive the world, to ennoble its life, and regenerate its peoples. Truthfulness
and good-will have, at all times, marked their relations with all men. Their
outward conduct is but a reflection of their inward life, and their inward life
a mirror of their outward conduct. No veil hideth or obscureth the verities on
which their Faith is established. Before the eyes of all men these verities
have been laid bare, and can be unmistakably recognized. Their very acts attest
the truth of these words.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha'u'llah)
March 12
The tongue faileth in describing these three Valleys[1], and
speech falleth short. The pen steppeth not into this region, the ink leaveth
only a blot. In these planes, the nightingale of the heart hath other songs and
secrets, which make the heart to stir and the soul to clamor, but this mystery
of inner meaning may be whispered only from heart to heart, confided only from
breast to breast.
Only heart to heart can speak the bliss
of mystic knowers;
No messenger can tell it and no missive bear it. [2]
I am silent from weakness on many a
matter,
For my words could not reckon them and my speech would fall short. [3]
For my words could not reckon them and my speech would fall short. [3]
O friend, till thou enter the garden of such mysteries, thou
shalt never set lip to the undying wine of this Valley. And shouldst thou taste
of it, thou wilt shield thine eyes from all things else, and drink of the wine
of contentment; and thou wilt loose thyself from all things else, and bind
thyself to Him, and throw thy life down in His path, and cast thy soul away.
However, there is no other in this region that thou need forget: “There was God
and there was naught beside Him.” [4] For on this plane the traveler witnesseth
the beauty of the Friend in everything. Even in fire, he seeth the face of the
Beloved. He beholdeth in illusion the secret of reality, and readeth from the
attributes the riddle of the Essence. For he hath burnt away the veils with his
sighing, and unwrapped the shroudings with a single glance; with piercing sight
he gazeth on the new creation; with lucid heart he graspeth subtle verities.
This is sufficiently attested by: “And we have made thy sight sharp in this
day.” [5] (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys)
[1] Valleys of Knowledge, Unity, Contentment
[2] Háfiz: Shamsu’d-Dín Muhammad, of Shíráz,
died ca. 1389 A.D. One of the greatest of Persian poets.
[3] Arabian poem.
[4] Hadíth, i.e. action or utterance traditionally
attributed to the Prophet Muhammad or to one of the holy Imáms.
[5] From Qur’án
50:21.
March 11
Thou knowest that I am recognized as the bearer of Thy name
among Thy creatures. Thou knowest that my station is but an image of Thy
station, that my virtues recount Thy virtues, that within mine inmost being
naught can be found except the revelations of Thy signs, and that my very
essence is but a reflection of the evidences of Thy unity.
(Baha’u’llah, 'Prayers and Meditations of Baha’u’llah’)
March 10
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’)
March 9
Know verily that the essence of justice and the source
thereof are both embodied in the ordinance prescribed by Him Who is the
Manifestation of the Self of God amongst men, if ye be of them that recognize
this truth. He doth verily incarnate the highest, the infallible standard of
justice unto all creation. Were His law to be such as to strike terror in the
hearts of all that are in heaven and on earth, that law is naught but manifest
justice. The fears and agitation which the revelation of this law provoke in
men's hearts should indeed be likened to the cries of the suckling babe weaned
from his mother's milk, if ye be of them that perceive...
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
March 8
That seeker must at all times put his trust in God, must
renounce the peoples of the earth, detach himself from the world of dust, and
cleave unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords. He must never seek to exalt himself
above any one, must wash away from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride
and vainglory, must cling unto patience and resignation, observe silence, and
refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a smouldering fire, and excess of
speech a deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of
the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but
for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endure a century.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan)
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan)
March 7
Even though outwardly the Fast is difficult and toilsome,
yet inwardly it is bounty and tranquillity. Purification and training are
conditioned and dependent only on such rigorous exercises as are in accord with
the Book of God and sanctioned by Divine law, not those which the deluded have
inflicted upon the people. Whatsoever God hath revealed is beloved of the soul.
We beseech Him that He may graciously assist us to do that which is pleasing
and acceptable unto Him.
(Baha’u’llah, Compilation on ‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, prepared by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
(Baha’u’llah, Compilation on ‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, prepared by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
March 6
O Temple of God! No
sooner had the hosts of Divine Revelation been sent down by the Lord of all
names and attributes bearing the banners of His signs, than the exponents of
doubt and fancy were put to flight. They
disbelieved in the clear tokens of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting,
and rose up against Him in enmity and opposition. Amongst them were those who claimed: “These are not clear verses from God, nor do
they proceed from an innate and untaught nature.” Thus do the unbelievers seek to remedy the
sickness of their hearts, utterly heedless that they thus render themselves
accursed of all who dwell in heaven and on earth.
Say: The Holy Spirit
Itself hath been generated through the agency of a single letter revealed by
this Most Great Spirit, if ye be of them that comprehend. And that innate and untaught nature in its
essence is called into being by the verses of God, the Help in Peril, the
All-Glorious, the Best-Beloved.
Say: This nature prideth itself in
its relation to Our transcendent Truth, whilst We, for Our part, glory neither
in it nor in aught else, for all beside Myself hath been created through the
potency of My word, could ye but understand.
(Baha'u'llah, Suriy-i-Haykal, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
(Baha'u'llah, Suriy-i-Haykal, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
March 5
Verily, I say, fasting is the supreme remedy and the most
great healing for the disease of self and passion.
(Baha’u’llah, Compilation on ‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, prepared by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
(Baha’u’llah, Compilation on ‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, prepared by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
March 4
These are, O my God, the days whereon Thou didst enjoin Thy
servants to observe the fast. With it Thou didst adorn the preamble of the Book
of Thy Laws revealed unto Thy creatures, and didst deck forth the Repositories
of Thy commandments in the sight of all who are in Thy heaven and all who are
on Thy earth. Thou hast endowed every hour of these days with a special virtue,
inscrutable to all except Thee, Whose knowledge embraceth all created things.
Thou hast, also, assigned unto every soul a portion of this virtue in
accordance with the Tablet of Thy decree and the Scriptures of Thine
irrevocable judgment. Every leaf of these Books and Scriptures Thou hast,
moreover, allotted to each one of the peoples and kindreds of the earth.
(Baha'u'llah,’ Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah’)
(Baha'u'llah,’ Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah’)
March 3
All praise be unto God, Who hath revealed the law of obligatory
prayer as a reminder to His servants, and enjoined on them the Fast that those
possessed of means may become apprised of the woes and sufferings of the
destitute.
(Baha’u’llah, compilation: The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
(Baha’u’llah, compilation: The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
March 2
(Baha’u’llah, compilation: The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
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