(Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 20
October 19
The substance wherewith God hath created Me is not the clay
out of which others have been formed. He hath conferred upon Me that which the
worldly-wise can never comprehend, nor the faithful discover ...
(The Báb, ‘Selections
from the Writings of the Báb’)
October 18
Unveiled and unconcealed, this Wronged One hath, at all
times, proclaimed before the face of all the peoples of the world that which
will serve as the key for unlocking the doors of sciences, of arts, of
knowledge, of well-being, of prosperity and wealth.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘Tablet of the World’; ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 17
These sanctified Mirrors,
these Day Springs of ancient glory, are, one and all, the Exponents on earth of
Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its Essence and ultimate Purpose.
From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from Him is derived their
sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is but a reflection of His image,
and their revelation a sign of His deathless glory. They are the Treasuries of
Divine knowledge, and the Repositories of celestial wisdom. Through them is
transmitted a grace that is infinite, and by them is revealed the Light that
can never fade.... These Tabernacles of Holiness, these Primal Mirrors which
reflect the light of unfading glory, are but expressions of Him Who is the
Invisible of the Invisibles. By the revelation of these Gems of Divine virtue
all the names and attributes of God, such as knowledge and power, sovereignty
and dominion, mercy and wisdom, glory, bounty, and grace, are made manifest.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
October 16
It is evident that the changes brought about in every
Dispensation constitute the dark clouds that intervene between the eye of man’s
understanding and the divine Luminary which shineth forth from the dayspring of
the divine Essence. Consider how men for generations have been blindly
imitating their fathers, and have been trained according to such ways and
manners as have been laid down by the dictates of their Faith. Were these men,
therefore, to discover suddenly that a Man, Who hath been living in their midst,
Who, with respect to every human limitation, hath been their equal, had risen
to abolish every established principle imposed by their Faith—principles by
which for centuries they have been disciplined, and every opposer and denier of
which they have come to regard as infidel, profligate and wicked,—they would of
a certainty be veiled and hindered from acknowledging His truth. Such things
are as “clouds” that veil the eyes of those whose inner being hath not tasted
the Salsabíl of detachment, nor drunk from the Kawthar of the knowledge
of God. Such men, when acquainted with these circumstances, become so veiled
that without the least question, they pronounce the Manifestation of God an
infidel, and sentence Him to death. You must have heard of such things taking
place all down the ages, and are now observing them in these days.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
October 15
… behold…how He hath sent down the Manifestation of His
Cause with verses which naught in the heavens or on the earth can
withstand! Such hath been the manner of
their revelation that they have neither peer nor likeness in the world of
being, as ye yourselves beheld and heard when once the Daystar of the world
shone forth above the horizon of ‘Iráq with manifest dominion. All things attain their consummation in the
divine verses, and these indeed are the verses of God, the Sovereign Lord, the
Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the Almighty.
Beyond this, He hath been made manifest as the Bearer of a Cause whose
sovereign might is acknowledged by all created things, and this none can deny
save the sinners and the ungodly.
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Suriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons
of the Lord of Hosts’)
October 14
Say: O people! We shall put to you a question in all
truthfulness, taking God for a witness between you and Us. He, verily, is the
Defender of the righteous. Appear, then,
before His Throne of glory and make reply with justice and
fair-mindedness. Is it God Who is potent
to achieve His purpose, or is it ye who enjoy such authority? Is it He Who is truly unconstrained, as ye
imply when ye say that He doeth what He pleaseth and shall not be asked of His
doings, or is it ye who wield such power, and who merely make such assertions
out of blind imitation, as did your forebears at the appearance of every other
Messenger of God?
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Suriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of
Hosts’)
October 13
I have through the grace of God and His might besought the
help of no one in the past, neither will I seek the help of any one in the
future. He it is Who aided Me, through the power of truth, during the days of
My banishment in ‘Iráq. He it is Who overshadowed Me with His protection at a
time when the kindreds of the earth were contending with Me. He it is Who
enabled Me to depart out of the city, clothed with such majesty as none, except
the denier and the malicious, can fail to admit.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from
the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
October 12
Verily, We behold you from Our Realm of Effulgent Glory, and shall
graciously aid whosoever ariseth for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of
the Celestial Concourse and a company of Our chosen angels.
October 11
In the East the light of His Revelation hath broken; in the West
have appeared the signs of His dominion. Ponder this in your hearts, O people,
and be not of those who have turned a deaf ear to the admonitions of Him Who is
the Almighty, the All-Praised.
(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in a
letter dated June 5, 1947; ‘Citadel of faith’)
October 10
The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus
closed in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to
His saying, “His grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath encompassed
them all,” hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the
realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made
manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of the
unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable Essence.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
October 9
These are the “clouds” that cause the heavens of the
knowledge and understanding of all that dwell on earth to be cloven asunder.
Even as He hath revealed: “On that day shall the heaven be cloven by the
clouds.” [1] Even as the clouds prevent the eyes of men from beholding the sun,
so do these things hinder the souls of men from recognizing the light of the
divine Luminary. To this beareth witness that which hath proceeded out of the
mouth of the unbelievers as revealed in the sacred Book: “And they have said:
‘What manner of apostle is this? He eateth food, and walketh the streets.
Unless an angel be sent down and take part in His warnings, we will not
believe.’” [2] Other Prophets, similarly, have been
subject to poverty and afflictions, to hunger, and to the ills and chances of
this world. As these holy Persons were subject to such needs and wants, the
people were, consequently, lost in the wilds of misgivings and doubts, and were
afflicted with bewilderment and perplexity. How, they wondered, could such a
person be sent down from God, assert His ascendancy over all the peoples and
kindreds of the earth, and claim Himself to be the goal of all creation,—even
as He hath said: “But for Thee, I would not have created all that are in heaven
and on earth,”—and yet be subject to such trivial things? You must undoubtedly
have been informed of the tribulations, the poverty, the ills, and the
degradation that have befallen every Prophet of God and His companions.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan)
[1] Qur’án 25:25.
[2] Qur’án 25:7.
October 8
How many those who entered within the Abode of Paradise, the Seat
wherein the throne of God had been established, and stood before their Lord,
the Most Exalted, the Most Great, only to inquire about the four Gates or of
some Imám of the Islamic Faith! [1] Such was the state of these souls, if ye be
of them that comprehend. It is even as ye witness in the present day: those who
have disbelieved in God and joined partners with Him cling to a single one of
Our Names, and are debarred from recognizing Him Who is the Creator of all
Names. We testify that such men are of a truth amongst the people of the Fire. They
ask the sun to expound the words of the shadow, and the True One to explain the
utterances of His creatures, could ye but perceive it! Say: O people! The sun offereth naught save the
effulgence of its own light and that which appeareth therefrom, whilst all else
seek illumination from its rays. Fear God, and be not of the ignorant!
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Suriy-i-Haykal, ‘The
Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
[1] These are examples of the types of questions put to
the Báb. According to the teachings of Shí’i Islám, leadership of the Islamic
community belonged of right, after the passing of the Prophet Muhammad, to a
line of twelve successors, descendants of His daughter Fátimih, known as
“Imáms''. This line being eventually severed through the ``occultation'' of the
last Imám, communication with the latter was for a time maintained through a
succession of four intermediaries known as “Gates''.
October 7
Regard not the world and its fleeting shadows, but fix your
gaze upon God and His signs that have encompassed all creation.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Baha’i World 1926-1928)
October 6
Detachment is as the sun; in whatsoever heart it doth shine
it quencheth the fire of covetousness and self. He whose sight is illumined
with the light of understanding will assuredly detach himself from the world
and the vanities thereof.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Baha’i World 1926-1928)
October 5
Let not the world and its vileness grieve you. Happy is he
whom riches fill not with vain-glory, nor poverty with sorrow.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Baha’i World 1926-1928)
October 4
O concourse of rulers! Turn unto the poor; verily God hath
created them and you from the selfsame substance. Let a portion of your wealth
he shared by them. This is that which will profit you throughout all times and
ages. Bestow a part of that which God in His grace hath given you; for thereby
will your wealth be increased.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Baha’i World 1926-1928)
October 3
Unfaithful is the world. Were it worthy of regard or
acceptable in the sight of God, they that were the Manifestations of Justice
would not have fallen victims to the talons of tyranny. What greater proof of the
baseness of the world and its degradation in the eyes of the Almighty!
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Baha’i World 1926-1928)
October 2
Exalted is the station of man, if he be adorned with the
true attributes of humanity; otherwise he is counted as the basest of all
creatures.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Baha’i World 1926-1928)
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Baha’i World 1926-1928)
October 1
O My loved ones! Ye are the world’s spiritual physicians. It
is incumbent upon you, through the power and might of God, to heal by the
sovereign remedy of the Most Great Name the soul-sickness of the kindreds of
the earth and clarify the vision of all mankind.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Baha’i
World 1926-1928)
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