O Son of Glory! Be swift in the path of holiness, and enter
the heaven of communion with Me. Cleanse thy heart with the burnish of the
spirit, and hasten to the court of the Most High.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden
Words of Baha’u’llah’)
4/23/15
4/22/15
April 22
The Faith of God hath in this day been made manifest. He Who
is the Lord of the world is come and hath shown the way. His faith is the faith
of benevolence and His religion is the religion of forbearance. This faith
bestoweth eternal life and this religion enableth mankind to dispense with all
else. It verily embraceth all faiths and all religions. Take hold thereof and
guard it well.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle of Unity’)
4/21/15
April 21
 |
| House of Baha'u'llah in Baghdad |
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Kitab-i-Iqan’)
4/20/15
April 20
O lion-hearted one! We beseech God that thou mayest become a
champion in this arena, arise with heavenly power and say: “O high priests!
Ears have been given you that they may hearken unto the mystery of Him Who is
the Self-Dependent, and eyes that they may behold Him. Wherefore flee ye? The
Incomparable Friend is manifest. He speaketh that wherein lieth salvation. Were
ye, O high priests, to discover the perfume of the rose garden of
understanding, ye would seek none other but Him, and would recognize, in His
new vesture, the All-Wise and Peerless One, and would turn your eyes from the
world and all who seek it, and would arise to help Him.”
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle
of Unity’)
4/19/15
April 19
O people of God! Great is the Day and
mighty the Call! In one of Our Tablets We have revealed these exalted words:
‘Were the world of the spirit to be wholly converted into the sense of hearing,
it could then claim to be worthy to hearken unto the Voice that calleth from
the Supreme Horizon; for otherwise, these ears that are defiled with lying
tales have never been, nor are they now, fit to hear it.’ Well is it with them
that hearken; and woe betide the wayward.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed
after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
4/18/15
April 18
Know thou that in the Bayán purification is regarded as the
most acceptable means for attaining nearness unto God and as the most
meritorious of all deeds. Thus purge thou thine ear that thou mayest hear no
mention besides God, and purge thine eye that it behold naught except God, and
thy conscience that it perceive naught other than God, and thy tongue that it
proclaim nothing but God, and thy hand to write naught but the words of God,
and thy knowledge that it comprehend naught except God, and thy heart that it
entertain no wish save God, and in like manner purge all thine acts and thy
pursuits that thou mayest be nurtured in the paradise of pure love, and
perchance mayest attain the presence of Him Whom God shall make manifest,
adorned with a purity which He highly cherisheth, and be sanctified from
whosoever hath turned away from Him and doth not support Him. Thus shalt thou
manifest a purity that shall profit thee.
(The Báb, excerpt from Persian Bayan;
‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
4/17/15
April 17
Consider the former generations. Witness how every time the
Day Star of Divine bounty hath shed the light of His Revelation upon the world,
the people of His Day have arisen against Him, and repudiated His truth. They
who were regarded as the leaders of men have invariably striven to hinder their
followers from turning unto Him Who is the Ocean of God’s limitless bounty.
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Gleanings from the
Writings of Baha'u'llah’)
4/16/15
April 16
Quaff then, O My brother, from the living waters that We
have caused to flow in the oceans of these words. Methinks the seas of grandeur
are surging within them, and the gems of divine virtue are shining within and
upon them. Divest then thyself of that which debarreth thee from this
fathomless crimson sea, and to the cry of “In the name of God and by His
grace!” immerse thyself therein. Let the fear of no one dismay thee. Trust in
the Lord, thy God, for He is sufficient unto whosoever trusteth in Him. He, verily,
shall protect thee, and in Him shalt thou abide in safety.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems
of Divine Mysteries’)
4/15/15
April 15
In every instance they [the Manifestations of God] have
voiced an utterance that would conform to the requirements of the occasion, and
have ascribed all these declarations to Themselves, declarations ranging from
the realm of Divine Revelation to the realm of creation, and from the domain of
Divinity even unto the domain of earthly existence. Thus it is that whatsoever
be their utterance, whether it pertain to the realm of Divinity, Lordship,
Prophethood, Messengership, Guardianship, Apostleship, or Servitude, all is
true, beyond the shadow of a doubt.
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Gleanings from the
Writings of Baha'u'llah’)
4/14/15
April 14
O Son of Man! Be thou content with Me and seek no other
helper. For none but Me can ever suffice thee.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words
of Baha’u’llah’)
4/13/15
April 13
The beginning of all utterance is the worship of God, and
this followeth upon His recognition. Sanctified must be the eye if it is to
truly recognize Him, and sanctified must be the tongue if it is to befittingly
utter His praise. In this day the faces of the people of insight and
understanding are turned in His direction; nay every direction inclineth itself
towards Him.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle of Unity’)
4/12/15
April 12
…as He hath said: “Man is My mystery, and I am his mystery.”
Manifold are the verses that have been repeatedly revealed in all the heavenly
Books and the holy Scriptures, expressive of this most subtle and lofty theme.
Even as He hath revealed: “We will surely show them Our signs in the world and
within themselves.” [Qur’án 41:53] Again He saith: “And also in your own
selves: will ye not then behold the signs of God?” [Qur’án 51:21] And yet again
He revealeth: “And be ye not like those who forget God, and whom He hath
therefore caused to forget their own selves.” [Qur’án 59:19] In this
connection, He Who is the eternal King—may the souls of all that dwell within
the mystic Tabernacle be a sacrifice unto Him—hath spoken: “He hath known God
who hath known himself.”
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
4/11/15
April 11
Again, consider the Mosque of Aqsá and the other places
which We have made sanctuaries unto the people in every land and region. The
honour and distinction they enjoy is in no wise due to their own merit, but
stemmeth from their relation to Our Manifestations, Whom We have appointed as
the Daysprings of Our Revelation amidst mankind, if ye be of them that
understand. In this there lieth a wisdom
inscrutable to all save God. Inquire, that He may graciously make plain unto
you His purpose. His knowledge, verily,
embraceth all things. Detach yourselves,
O people, from the world and all its vanities, and heed not the call of such as
have disbelieved in God and joined partners with Him. Arise above the horizon
of utterance to extol and praise your Lord, the All-Merciful. This is that
which God hath purposed for you; well is it with them who perceive it.
(Baha'u'llah,
‘Suriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
4/10/15
April 10
It is indeed in Our power to take up a handful of dust and
to adorn it with the vesture of Our Names. This, however, would be but a sign
of our favour, and not an indication of any merit it may have inherently
possessed. Thus hath it been revealed in truth by Him Who is the Sovereign
Revealer, the All-Knowing. Consider the Black Stone,[1] which God hath made a
point whereunto all men turn in adoration.
Hath this bounty been conferred upon it by virtue of its innate excellence? Nay, by Mine own Self! Or doth such
distinction stem from its intrinsic worth? Nay, by Mine own Being, Whose
Essence even the wisest and most discerning of men have failed to grasp!
(Baha'u'llah,
‘Suriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
[1] A small rock situated low in the eastern
corner of the Kaaba
4/9/15
April 9
The word of God which the Supreme Pen
hath recorded on the fourth leaf
of the Most
Exalted Paradise is the following: O people of God! Beseech ye the True One — glorified
be His Name—that He may graciously shield the manifestations of dominion and
power from the suggestions of self and desire and shed the radiance of justice
and guidance upon them.
His Majesty Muhammad Sháh, despite the excellence of his rank, committed two heinous deeds. One was the order to banish the Lord of the Realms of Grace and Bounty, the Primal Point; and the other, the murder of the Prince of the City of Statesmanship and Literary Accomplishment. [1]
His Majesty Muhammad Sháh, despite the excellence of his rank, committed two heinous deeds. One was the order to banish the Lord of the Realms of Grace and Bounty, the Primal Point; and the other, the murder of the Prince of the City of Statesmanship and Literary Accomplishment. [1]
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
[1] Mírzá Abu’l-Qásim Faráhání, the Qá’im Maqám, a
distinguished poet and scholar during the reign of Fath ‘Alí Sháh. He
was a friend of Mírzá Buzurg, father of Bahá’u’lláh. Qá’im Maqám became Prime Minister of Persia in 1821, but in 1835 he was put to death by
order of Muhammad Sháh, at the instigation of Hájí Mírzá Aqásí.
4/8/15
April 8
…whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is
a direct evidence of the revelation within it of the attributes and names of
God, inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear eloquent
testimony to the revelation of that most great Light. Methinks, but for the
potency of that revelation, no being could ever exist.
How resplendent the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an atom, and how vast
the oceans of wisdom that surge within a drop! To a supreme degree is this true
of man, who, among all created things, hath been invested with the robe of such
gifts, and hath been singled out for the glory of such distinction. For in him
are potentially revealed all the attributes and names of God to a degree that
no other created being hath excelled or surpassed.
(Baha’u’llah,
‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
4/7/15
April 7
In this day no less than seventy thousand people make
pilgrimage every year to the holy House of God in compliance with the bidding
of the Apostle of God; while He Himself Who ordained this ordinance took refuge
for seven years in the mountains of Mecca. [1] And this notwithstanding that
the One Who enjoined this commandment is far greater than the commandment
itself. Hence all this people who at this time go on pilgrimage do not do so
with true understanding, otherwise in this Day of His Return which is mightier
than His former Dispensation, they would have followed His commandment. But now
behold what hath happened. People who profess belief in His former religion,
who in the daytime and in the night season bow down in worship in His Name,
have assigned Him to a dwelling place in a mountain, while each one of them
would regard attaining recognition of Him as an honour.
(The Báb, excerpt from
Persian Bayan; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
[1] For no less than seven years no one acknowledged His Teachings
except Imám ‘Ali, His son-in-law.
4/6/15
April 6
O ye the dawning-places of knowledge! Beware that ye suffer
not yourselves to become changed, for as ye change, most men will, likewise,
change. This, verily, is an injustice unto yourselves and unto others. Unto
this beareth witness every man of discernment and insight. Ye are even as a
spring. If it be changed, so will the streams that branch out from it be
changed. Fear God, and be numbered with
the godly. In like manner, if the heart of man be corrupted, his limbs will
also be corrupted. And similarly, if the root of a tree be corrupted, its
branches, and its offshoots, and its leaves, and its fruits, will be corrupted.
Thus have We set forth similitudes for your instruction, that perchance ye may
not be debarred by the things ye possess from attaining unto that which hath
been destined for you by Him Who is the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.
(Baha'u'llah,
‘Suriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
4/5/15
April 5
The
word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the third leaf of the Most Exalted Paradise is this: O son of
man! If thine eyes be turned towards mercy, forsake the things that profit thee
and cleave unto that which will profit mankind. And if thine eyes be turned
towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for
thyself. Humility exalteth man to the heaven of glory and power, whilst pride
abaseth him to the depths of wretchedness and degradation.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets
of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
4/4/15
April 4
By the righteousness of God! The world, its vanities and its
glory, and whatever delights it can offer, are all, in the sight of God, as
worthless as, nay even more contemptible than, dust and ashes. Would that the
hearts of men could comprehend it. Wash yourselves thoroughly, O people of
Bahá, from the defilement of the world, and of all that pertaineth unto it. God
Himself beareth Me witness! The things of the earth ill beseem you. Cast them
away unto such as may desire them, and fasten your eyes upon this most holy and
effulgent Vision.
(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of
Divine Justice’)
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