O Son of Man! For everything there is a sign. The sign of
love is fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
April 11
O Son of Man! For everything there is a sign. The sign of
love is fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials. 
April 8
O heedless one! [1] Rely not on thy glory, and thy power.
Thou art even as the last trace of sunlight upon the mountain-top. Soon will it
fade away as decreed by God, the All-Possessing, the Most High. Thy glory and
the glory of such as are like thee have been taken away, and this verily is
what hath been ordained by the One with Whom is the Mother Tablet. Where is he
to be found who contended with God, and whither is gone he that gainsaid His signs,
and turned aside from His sovereignty? Where are they who have slain His chosen
ones and spilt the blood of His holy ones? Reflect, that haply thou mayest
perceive the breaths of thine acts, O foolish doubter! Because of you the
Apostle (Muhammad) lamented, and the Chaste One (Fátimih) cried out, and the
countries were laid waste, and darkness fell upon all regions. O concourse of
divines! Because of you the people were abased, and the banner of Islám was
hauled down, and its mighty throne subverted. Every time a man of discernment
hath sought to hold fast unto that which would exalt Islám, ye raised a clamor,
and thereby was he deterred from achieving his purpose, while the land remained
fallen in clear ruin.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
[1] Shaykh Muhammad-Taqi, known as Aqa Najafi, a son of
Shaykh Muhammad-Baqir who was stigmatized by Baha’u’llah as 'Wolf'. After the
death of his father in 1883, Aqa Najafi succeeded him as a leading mujtahid of
Isfahan. He was an inveterate enemy and formidable opponent of the Cause of
Bahá'u'lláh. (Adib Taherzadeh, ‘The Revelation of Baha’u’llah, vol. 4)
April 7
O ye loved ones of God! Drink your fill from the wellspring
of wisdom, and soar ye in the atmosphere of wisdom, and speak forth with wisdom
and eloquence. Thus biddeth you your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
April 6
O thou who art gone astray! If thou hast any doubt
concerning Our conduct, know thou that We bear witness unto that whereunto God
hath Himself borne witness ere the creation of the heavens and of the earth,
that there is none other God but Him, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous. We
testify that He is One in His Essence, One in His Attributes. He hath none to
equal Him in the whole universe, nor any partner in all creation. He hath sent
forth His Messengers, and sent down His Books, that they may announce unto His
creatures the Straight Path.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
April 5
Gracious God! So great is the folly and perversity of the
people, that they have turned their face toward their own thoughts and desires,
and have turned their back upon the knowledge and will of God—hallowed and
glorified be His name!
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
April 4
I sorrow not for the burden of My imprisonment. Neither do I
grieve over My abasement, or the tribulation I suffer at the hands of Mine
enemies. By My life! They are My glory, a glory wherewith God hath adorned His
own Self. Would that ye know it!
The shame I was made to bear hath uncovered the glory with
which the whole of creation had been invested, and through the cruelties I have
endured, the Day Star of Justice hath manifested itself, and shed its splendor
upon men.
My sorrows are for those who have involved themselves in
their corrupt passions, and claim to be associated with the Faith of God, the
Gracious, the All-Praised.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha’u’llah’)
April 3
It hath been enjoined upon you to purify your means of
sustenance and other such things through payment of Zakát.[Tithes] Thus hath
it been prescribed in this exalted Tablet by Him Who is the Revealer of verses.
We shall, if it be God’s will and purpose, set forth erelong the measure of its
assessment. He, verily, expoundeth whatsoever He desireth by virtue of His own
knowledge, and He, of a truth, is Omniscient and All-Wise.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
[For a brief explanation of Zakák please see Vision
and Insights – daily gems]
April 2
The Lord hath decreed, moreover, that the deceased should be
enfolded in five sheets of silk or cotton. For those whose means are limited a
single sheet of either fabric will suffice. Thus hath it been ordained by Him
Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. It is forbidden you to transport the
body of the deceased a greater distance than one hour’s journey from the city;
rather should it be interred, with radiance and serenity, in a nearby place.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
April 1
The Lord hath decreed that the dead should be interred in
coffins made of crystal, of hard, resistant stone, or of wood that is both fine
and durable, and that graven rings should be placed upon their fingers. He,
verily, is the Supreme Ordainer, the One apprised of all.
The inscription on these rings should read, for men: “Unto
God belongeth all that is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is
between them, and He, in truth, hath knowledge of all things”; and for women:
“Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is
between them, and He, in truth, is potent over all things”.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
March 31
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
March 30
Certain ones among both commoners and nobles have objected
that this wronged One is neither a member of the ecclesiastical order nor a
descendant of the Prophet. Say: O ye that claim to be just! Reflect a little
while, and ye shall recognize how infinitely exalted is His present state above
the station ye claim He should possess. The Will of the Almighty hath decreed
that out of a house wholly devoid of all that the divines, the doctors, the
sages, and scholars commonly possess His Cause should proceed and be made
manifest.
The Breathings of the Divine Spirit awoke Him, and bade Him
arise and proclaim His Revelation. No sooner was He roused from His slumber
than He lifted up His voice and summoned the whole of mankind unto God, the
Lord of all worlds. We have been moved to reveal these words in consideration
of the weakness and frailty of men; otherwise, the Cause We have proclaimed is
such as no pen can ever describe, nor any mind conceive its greatness. To this
beareth witness He with Whom is the Mother Book.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from
the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
March 29
Lay not aside the fear of God, O ye the learned of the
world, and judge fairly the Cause of this unlettered One to Whom all the Books
of God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting, have testified. ...Will not the
dread of Divine displeasure, the fear of Him Who hath no peer or equal, arouse
you? He Whom the world hath wronged hath, at no time, associated with you, hath
never studied your writings, nor participated in any of your disputations. The
garb He weareth, His flowing locks, His headdress, attest the truth of His
words. How long will ye persist in your injustice? Witness the habitation in
which He, Who is the incarnation of justice, hath been forced to dwell. Open
your eyes, and, beholding His plight, meditate diligently upon that which your
hands have wrought, that haply ye may not be deprived of the light of His
Divine utterance, nor remain bereft of your share of the ocean of His
knowledge.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
March 28
This is a Day, the Light of which Thou hast sanctified above
the sun and its effulgence. Thou hast called it "The Day of God!"
Nothing is to be seen therein but Thy Supreme Self, and naught is to be
remembered save Thy sweetest Name. Wherefore, when He appeared, the foundations
of nations trembled, the learned were bewildered and the wise men were
confounded, save those who came near unto Thee, took from the hand of Favor the
pure wine of Thy Inspiration, and drank in Thy Name, saying: "Praise be unto Thee, O Desire of the nations! Praise
be to Thee, O Beloved of the hearts of the yearning!"
- Baha’u’llah (Star
of the West, vol. 5, no. 1, March 21, 1914)
March 27
…by “Resurrection” is meant the rise of the Manifestation of
God to proclaim His Cause, and by “attainment unto the divine Presence” is
meant attainment unto the presence of His Beauty in the person of His
Manifestation. For verily, “No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all
vision.” (Qur’an 6:103)
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
March 26
Occupy thyself, during these fleeting days of thy life, with
such deeds as will diffuse the fragrance of Divine good pleasure, and will be
adorned with the ornament of His acceptance.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Epistle to the Son
of the Wolf’)
March 25
Shed not the blood of anyone, O people, neither judge ye
anyone unjustly. Thus have ye been
commanded by Him Who knoweth, Who is informed of all. They that commit disorders in the land after
it hath been well ordered, these indeed have outstepped the bounds that have
been set in the Book. Wretched shall be
the abode of the transgressors!
- Baha'u'llah (Tablet to Napoleon III,
Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
March 24
Should your words, O people, be at variance with your deeds,
what then shall distinguish you from those who profess their faith in the Lord,
their God, and yet, when He came down to them overshadowed with clouds,
rejected Him and waxed proud before God, the Incomparable, the Omniscient?
- Baha'u'llah (Tablet to Napoleon III, Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The
Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
March 23
God hath prescribed unto everyone the duty of teaching His
Cause. Whoever ariseth to discharge this
duty, must needs, ere he proclaimeth His Message, adorn himself with the
ornament of an upright and praiseworthy character, so that his words may
attract the hearts of such as are receptive to his call. Without it, he can never hope to influence
his hearers. Thus doth God instruct
you. He, verily, is the Ever-Forgiving,
the Most Compassionate.
- Baha'u'llah (Tablet to Napoleon III, Suriy-i-Haykal
[Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
March 22
Happy is the man who hath recognized Thee, and discovered
the sweetness of Thy fragrance, and set himself towards Thy kingdom, and tasted
of the things that have been perfected therein by Thy grace and favor. Great is
the blessedness of him who hath acknowledged Thy most excellent majesty, and
whom the veils that have shut out the nations from Thee have not hindered from
directing his eyes towards Thee, O Thou Who art the King of eternity and the
Quickener of every moldering bone! Blessed, also, is he that hath inhaled Thy
sweet savors, and been carried away by Thine utterances in Thy days. Blessed,
moreover, be the man that hath turned unto Thee, and woe betide him that hath
turned his back upon Thee.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Prayers and Meditations by
Baha’u’llah’)
March 21
Praise be unto Thee, O Lord my God! This is that Day among
Thy Days and that Hour among Thy blessed Hours which Thou hast reserved for
Thine own Self, related to Thine own Being, and exalted in station, that Thy
Name may endure and Thy sovereignty be made manifest. Thou hast made this Day
to be the source of all days, inasmuch as Thou hast showered upon it the
revelations of the Throne of Thy majesty and the signs of Thy transcendent
favour. Thou hast created it anew, at this time, in the most excellent form in
this ancient Temple, so that on this Day, and by its grace, all the dwellers of
earth and heaven might be raised again to life and, unbeknownst to and
unapprehended by all, be called upon to render account regarding Thy Self.
Perchance Thy sacred and celestial blessings and Thy divine and glorious
bestowals might be completed therein, that they may testify to the creation of
all things on the Day of Thy presence and to the appearance of Thy days and the
dawning of the Sun of Thy beauty.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)
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