O Son of Man! Breathe not
the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou
transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
November 14
O Salmán! The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being
hath ever been, and will continue for ever to be, closed in the face of men. No
man’s understanding shall ever gain access unto His holy court. As a token of
His mercy, however, and as a proof of His loving-kindness, He hath manifested
unto men the Day Stars of His divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity,
and hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical with
the knowledge of His own Self. Whoso recognizeth them hath recognized God.
Whoso hearkeneth to their call, hath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso
testifieth to the truth of their Revelation, hath testified to the truth of God
Himself. Whoso turneth away from them, hath turned away from God, and whoso
disbelieveth in them, hath disbelieved in God. Every one of them is the Way of
God that connecteth this world with the realms above, and the Standard of His
Truth unto every one in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. They are the
Manifestations of God amidst men, the evidences of His Truth, and the signs of
His glory.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
November 13
Ere long, thine eyes will behold the standards of divine
power unfurled throughout all regions, and the signs of His triumphant might
and sovereignty manifest in every land. As most of the divines have failed to
apprehend the meaning of these verses [of the Qur’an], and have not grasped the
significance of the Day of Resurrection, they therefore have foolishly
interpreted these verses according to their idle and faulty conception. The one
true God is My witness! Little perception is required to enable them to gather
from the symbolic language of these two verses all that We have purposed to
propound, and thus to attain, through the grace of the All-Merciful, the
resplendent morn of certitude.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan)
November 12
 |
| Baha'u'llah's House in Tehran |
(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in a letter dated December 6, 1928,
‘Baha’i Administration’)
November 11
O Son of Spirit! Know thou
of a truth: He that biddeth men be just and himself committeth iniquity is not
of Me, even though he bear My name.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words of
Baha’u’llah’)
November 10
The
first life, which pertaineth to the elemental body, will come to an end, as
hath been revealed by God: “Every soul shall taste of death.” [Qur’án
3:185]
But the second life, which ariseth from the knowledge of God, knoweth no death,
as hath been revealed aforetime: “Him will We surely quicken to a blessed
life.” [Qur’án 16:97] And in another passage concerning the martyrs: “Nay,
they are alive and sustained by their Lord.” [Qur’án 3:169] And from
the Traditions: “He who is a true believer liveth both in this world and in the
world to come.” [From a Hadíth] Numerous examples of similar words are to be found
in the Books of God and of the Embodiments of His justice. For the sake of
brevity, however, We have contented Ourself with the above passages.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
November 9
Know then that “life” hath a twofold meaning. The first
pertaineth to the appearance of man in an elemental body, and is as manifest to
thine eminence and to others as the midday sun. This life cometh to an end with
physical death, which is a God-ordained and inescapable reality. That life,
however, which is mentioned in the Books of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of
God is the life of knowledge; that is to say, the servant’s recognition of the
sign of the splendours wherewith He Who is the Source of all splendour hath
Himself invested him, and his certitude of attaining unto the presence of God
through the Manifestations of His Cause. This is that blessed and everlasting
life that perisheth not: whosoever is quickened thereby shall never die, but
will endure as long as His Lord and Creator will endure.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of
Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
November 8
In truth, I declare, it
[Baha’u’llah’s house in Baghdad] shall be so abased in the days to come as to
cause tears to flow from every discerning eye.... And in the fulness of time,
shall the Lord by the power of truth exalt it in the eyes of all the world, cause
it to become the mighty standard of His domination, the
shrine round which shall circle the concourse of the faithful.” How startling
in His prediction, how reassuring His promise!
(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi
Effendi in a letter dated January 10, 1926, ‘Baha’i Administration’)
November 7
Likewise,
He saith: “On the day when the heaven shall give out a palpable smoke, which
shall enshroud mankind: this will be an afflictive torment.” [Qur’án
44:10] The
All-Glorious hath decreed these very things, that are contrary to the desires
of wicked men, to be the touchstone and standard whereby He proveth His
servants, that the just may be known from the wicked, and the faithful
distinguished from the infidel. The symbolic term “smoke” denotes grave
dissensions, the abrogation and demolition of recognized standards, and the
utter destruction of their narrow-minded exponents. What smoke more dense and
overpowering than the one which hath now enshrouded all the peoples of the
world, which hath become a torment unto them, and from
which they hopelessly fail to deliver themselves, however much they strive? So
fierce is this fire of self burning within them, that at every moment they seem
to be afflicted with fresh torments.
(Baha'u'llah,
The Kitab-i-Iqan)
November 6
Know thou of a certainty that the Unseen can in no wise
incarnate His Essence and reveal it unto men. He is, and hath ever been,
immensely exalted beyond all that can either be recounted or perceived. From
His retreat of glory His voice is ever proclaiming: “Verily, I am God; there is
none other God besides Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. I have manifested
Myself unto men, and have sent down Him Who is the Day Spring of the signs of
My Revelation. Through Him I have caused all creation to testify that there is
none other God except Him, the Incomparable, the All-Informed, the All-Wise.”
He Who is everlastingly hidden from the eyes of men can never be known except
through His Manifestation, and His Manifestation can adduce no greater proof of
the truth of His Mission than the proof of His own Person.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
November 5
As a token of pure justice, We have indeed sent tidings unto
every Prophet concerning the Cause of Our Remembrance, and verily God is
supreme over all the peoples of the world.
(The Báb, excerpt from
Qayyum’ul-Asma; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
November 4
How great the blessedness that awaiteth the king who will
arise to aid My Cause in My kingdom, who will detach himself from all else but
Me! Such a king is numbered with the companions of the Crimson Ark—the Ark
which God hath prepared for the people of Bahá. All must glorify his name, must
reverence his station, and aid him to unlock the cities with the keys of My
Name, the omnipotent Protector of all that inhabit the visible and invisible
kingdoms. Such a king is the very eye of mankind, the luminous ornament on the
brow of creation, the fountainhead of blessings unto the whole world. Offer up,
O people of Bahá, your substance, nay your very lives, for his assistance.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
November 3
I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thy most effulgent Name, to
acquaint my people with the things Thou didst destine for them. Do Thou, then,
preserve them within the stronghold of Thy guardianship and the tabernacle of
Thine unerring protection, lest through them may appear what will divide Thy
servants. Assemble them, O my Lord, on the shores of this Ocean, every drop of
which proclaimeth Thee to be God, besides Whom there is none other God, the
All-Glorious, the All-Wise.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations of
Baha’u’llah’)
November 2
The world of existence is contingent, inasmuch as it is
preceded by a cause, while essential preexistence hath ever been, and shall
remain, confined to God, magnified be His glory. This statement is being made
lest one be inclined to conclude from the earlier assertion, namely that
creation hath no beginning and no end, that it is preexistent. True and
essential preexistence is exclusively reserved to God, while the preexistence
of the world is secondary and relative. All that hath been inferred about
firstness, lastness and such hath in truth been derived from the sayings of the
Prophets, Apostles, and Chosen Ones of God.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
November 1
…within the tabernacles of these Prophets and chosen Ones of
God the light of His infinite names and exalted attributes hath been reflected,
even though the light of some of these attributes may or may not be outwardly
revealed from these luminous Temples to the eyes of men. That a certain
attribute of God hath not been outwardly manifested by these Essences of
Detachment doth in no wise imply that they who are the Day Springs of God’s
attributes and the Treasuries of His holy names did not actually possess it.
Therefore, these illuminated Souls, these beauteous Countenances have, each and
every one of them, been endowed with all the attributes of God, such as
sovereignty, dominion, and the like, even though to outward seeming they be
shorn of all earthly majesty....
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha’u’llah’)
October 31
I am the Mystic Fane which the Hand of Omnipotence hath
reared. I am the Lamp which the Finger of God hath lit within its niche and
caused to shine with deathless splendour. I am the Flame of that supernal Light
that glowed upon Sinai in the gladsome Spot, and lay concealed in the midst of
the Burning Bush.
(The Báb, excerpt from Qayyum’ul-Asma; ‘Selections from the
Writings of the Báb)
October 30
Say: O people! Cast away, before the splendours of this
Revelation, the things that ye possess, and cleave to that which God hath
bidden you observe. Such is His command
unto you, and He, verily, is best able to command. By My Beauty! My purpose in revealing these words is to cause all men to draw nigh
unto God, the All-Glorious, the All-Praised. Beware lest ye deal with Me as ye dealt with My Herald. Do not object, when the verses of God are
sent down unto you from the Court of My favour, saying, “these do not proceed
from an innate and untaught nature”, for that nature itself hath been created
by My word and circleth round Me, if ye be of them that apprehend this
truth. Inhale from the utterances of
your Lord, the All-Merciful, the sweet smell of the garment of inner meanings,
which hath been diffused throughout the entire creation and hath shed its fragrance
over all created things. Happy are those
who perceive it and hasten unto God with radiant hearts.
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Suriy-i-Haykal,
‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
October 29
Gracious God! Notwithstanding the warning which, in marvelously
symbolic language and subtle allusions, hath been uttered in days past, and
which was intended to awaken the peoples of the world and to prevent them from
being deprived of their share of the billowing ocean of God’s grace, yet such
things as have already been witnessed have come to pass! Reference to these
things hath also been made in the Qur’án, as witnessed by this verse: “What can
such expect but that God should come down to them overshadowed with clouds?” [Qur’án 2:210] A number of the divines, who hold firmly to
the letter of the Word of God, have come to regard this verse as one of the
signs of that expected resurrection which is born of their idle fancy. This,
notwithstanding the fact that similar references have been made in most of the
heavenly Books, and have been recorded in all the passages connected with the
signs of the coming Manifestation.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan)
October 28
This Religion is indeed, in the sight of God, the essence of
the Faith of Muhammad; haste ye then to attain the celestial Paradise and the
all-highest Garden of His good-pleasure in the presence of the One True God,
could ye but be patient and thankful before the evidences of the signs of God.
(The
Báb, excerpt from Qayyum’ul-Asma; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
October 27
It behooveth us, therefore, to make the utmost endeavour,
that, by God’s invisible assistance, these dark veils, these clouds of
Heaven-sent trials, may not hinder us from beholding the beauty of His shining
Countenance, and that we may recognize Him only by His own Self. And should we
ask for a testimony of His truth, we should content ourselves with one, and
only one; that thereby we may attain unto Him Who is the Fountain-head of
infinite grace, and in Whose presence all the world’s abundance fadeth into
nothingness, that we may cease to cavil at Him every day and to cleave unto our
own idle fancy.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan)
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