- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)
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“Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide.” (Bahá’u’lláh, ‘The Kitáb-i-Aqdas’)
November 8
On this night [the Birth of the Báb] the fragrance of
nearness was wafted, the portals of reunion at the end of days were flung open,
and all created things were moved to exclaim: “The Kingdom is God’s, the Lord
of all names, Who is come with world-embracing sovereignty!” On this night the
Concourse on high celebrated the praise of their Lord, the Exalted, the Most
Glorious, and the realities of the divine names extolled Him Who is the King of
the beginning and the end in this Revelation, a Revelation through whose
potency the mountains have hastened unto Him Who is the All-Sufficing, the Most
High, and the hearts have turned towards the countenance of their Best-Beloved,
and the leaves have been stirred into motion by the breezes of yearning, and
the trees have raised their voices in joyful reply to the call of Him Who is
the Unconstrained, and the entire earth hath trembled with longing in its
desire to attain reunion with the Eternal King, and all things have been made
new by that concealed Word which hath appeared in this mighty Name.
November 7
Say: This is the Dawn [Birth of Baha’u’llah’] whereat the
evil ones were debarred from approaching the realm of might and grandeur, and
wherein the hearts of such as have contended with God, the Almighty, the
All-Glorious, the Unconstrained, were lacerated. This is the Dawn whereat the
faces of the wicked were darkened, whilst the countenances of the righteous
shone forth with the light of this Beauty, a Beauty Whose advent all things
visible and invisible, and beyond them the company of the Concourse on high,
have eagerly awaited. All hail the appearance of this Spirit, through Whose
potency the dead have been stirred up in their tombs and every mouldering bone
brought to life!
- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)
November 6
All praise be to Thee, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast
adorned the world with the splendour of the dawn following the night wherein
was born the One [the Báb] Who heralded the Manifestation of Thy transcendent
sovereignty, the Dayspring of Thy divine Essence and the Revelation of Thy
supreme Lordship. I beseech Thee, O Creator of the heavens and Fashioner of
names, to graciously aid those who have sheltered beneath the shadow of Thine
abounding mercy and have raised their voices amidst the peoples of the world
for the glorification of Thy Name.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)
November 5
And now regarding thy question, “How is it that no records
are to be found concerning the Prophets that have preceded Adam, the Father of
Mankind, or of the kings that lived in the days of those Prophets?” Know thou
that the absence of any reference to them is no proof that they did not
actually exist. That no records concerning them are now available, should be
attributed to their extreme remoteness, as well as to the vast changes which
the earth hath undergone since their time.
Moreover such forms and modes of writing as are now current
amongst men were unknown to the generations that were before Adam. There was
even a time when men were wholly ignorant of the art of writing, and had
adopted a system entirely different from the one which they now use. For a
proper exposition of this an elaborate explanation would be required.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
November 4
…should the loved ones of God sanctify their hearts and
their ears from the vain sayings that were uttered aforetime, and turn with
their inmost souls to Him Who is the Day Spring of His Revelation, and to
whatsoever things He hath manifested, such behavior would be regarded as highly
meritorious in the sight of God....
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings
of Baha’u’llah’)
November 3
It is clear and evident that all men shall, after their
physical death, estimate the worth of their deeds, and realize all that their
hands have wrought. I swear by the Day Star that shineth above the horizon of
Divine power! They that are the followers of the one true God shall, the moment
they depart out of this life, experience such joy and gladness as would be
impossible to describe, while they that live in error shall be seized with such
fear and trembling, and shall be filled with such consternation, as nothing can
exceed. Well is it with him that hath quaffed the choice and incorruptible wine
of faith through the gracious favor and the manifold bounties of Him Who is the
Lord of all Faiths....
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha’u’llah’)
November 2
Say: O ye that are bereft of understanding! A severe trial pursueth
you, and will suddenly overtake you. Bestir yourselves, that haply it may pass
and inflict no harm upon you. Acknowledge the exalted character of the name of
the Lord, your God, Who hath come unto you in the greatness of His glory. He,
verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Possessing, the Supreme Protector.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
November 1
O My servants! Whoso hath tasted of this Fountain hath
attained unto everlasting Life, and whoso hath refused to drink therefrom is
even as the dead. Say: O ye workers of iniquity! Covetousness hath hindered you
from giving a hearing ear unto the sweet voice of Him Who is the All-Sufficing.
Wash it away from your hearts, that His Divine secret may be made known unto
you. Behold Him manifest and resplendent as the sun in all its glory.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
October 31
Although We did not intend to make mention of the traditions
of a bygone age [in support of the mission of the Báb], yet, because of Our
love for thee [the Báb’s uncle], We will cite a few which are applicable to Our
argument…
Among them is the tradition, “And when the Standard of Truth
is made manifest, the people of both the East and the West curse it.” The wine
of renunciation must needs be quaffed, the lofty heights of detachment must
needs be attained, and the meditation referred to in the words “One hour’s
reflection is preferable to seventy years of pious worship” must needs be
observed, so that the secret of the wretched behaviour of the people might be
discovered, those people who, despite the love and yearning for truth which
they profess, curse the followers of Truth when once He hath been made
manifest. To this truth the above-mentioned tradition beareth witness. It is
evident that the reason for such behaviour is none other than the annulment of
those rules, customs, habits, and ceremonials to which they have been
subjected. Otherwise, were the Beauty of the Merciful to comply with those same
rules and customs, which are current amongst the people, and were He to
sanction their observances, such conflict and mischief would in no wise be made
manifest in the world.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
October 30
… man is unable to comprehend that which hath streamed forth
from the Pen of Glory and is recorded in His heavenly Books. Men at all times
and under all conditions stand in need of one to exhort them, guide them and to
instruct and teach them. Therefore He hath sent forth His Messengers, His
Prophets and chosen ones that they might acquaint the people with the divine
purpose underlying the revelation of Books and the raising up of Messengers,
and that everyone may become aware of the trust of God which is latent in the
reality of every soul.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 29
It is evident how relentless was the hate, and how bitter
the malice and enmity entertained by all the peoples of the earth towards these
companions [followers of the Báb]. The persecution and pain they inflicted on
these holy and spiritual beings were regarded by them as means unto salvation,
prosperity, and everlasting success. Hath the world, since the days of Adam,
witnessed such tumult, such violent commotion? Notwithstanding all the torture
they suffered, and manifold the afflictions they endured, they became the
object of universal opprobrium and execration. Methinks patience was revealed
only by virtue of their fortitude, and faithfulness itself was begotten only by
their deeds.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
October 28
And among the evidences of the truth of His [the Báb’s]
manifestation were the ascendancy, the transcendent power, and supremacy which
He, the Revealer of being and Manifestation of the Adored, hath, unaided and
alone, revealed throughout the world. No sooner had that eternal Beauty
revealed Himself in Shíráz, in the year sixty, and rent asunder the veil of
concealment, than the signs of the ascendancy, the might, the sovereignty, and
power, emanating from that Essence of Essences and Sea of Seas, were manifest
in every land. So much so, that from every city there appeared the signs, the
evidences, the tokens, the testimonies of that divine Luminary. How many were
those pure and kindly hearts which faithfully reflected the light of that
eternal Sun, and how manifold the emanations of knowledge from that Ocean of
divine wisdom which encompassed all beings!
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
October 27
A PRAISE which is exalted above every mention or description
beseemeth the Adored One, the Possessor of all things visible and invisible,
Who hath enabled the Primal Point to reveal countless Books and Epistles and
Who, through the potency of His sublime Word, hath called into being the entire
creation, whether of the former or more recent generations. Moreover He hath in
every age and cycle, in conformity with His transcendent wisdom, sent forth a
divine Messenger to revive the dispirited and despondent souls with the living
waters of His utterance, One Who is indeed the Expounder, the true Interpreter…
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 26
October 25
October 24
He is truly wise whom the world and all that is therein have
not deterred from recognizing the light of this Day, who will not allow men’s
idle talk to cause him to swerve from the way of righteousness. He is indeed as
one dead who, at the wondrous dawn of this Revelation, hath failed to be
quickened by its soul-stirring breeze. He is indeed a captive who hath not
recognized the Supreme Redeemer, but hath suffered his soul to be bound,
distressed and helpless, in the fetters of his desires.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
October 23
Say: O ye that have strayed and lost your way! The Divine
Messenger, Who speaketh naught but the truth, hath announced unto you the
coming of the Best-Beloved. Behold, He is now come. Wherefore are ye downcast
and dejected? Why remain despondent when the Pure and Hidden One hath appeared
unveiled amongst you? He Who is both the Beginning and the End, He Who is both
Stillness and Motion, is now manifest before your eyes. Behold how, in this
Day, the Beginning is reflected in the End, how out of Stillness Motion hath
been engendered. This motion hath been generated by the potent energies which
the words of the Almighty have released throughout the entire creation. Whoso
hath been quickened by its vitalizing power, will find himself impelled to
attain the court of the Beloved; and whoso hath deprived himself therefrom,
will sink into irretrievable despondency.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the
Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
October 22
Say: O people! The Lamp of God is burning; take heed, lest
the fierce winds of your disobedience extinguish its light. Now is the time to
arise and magnify the Lord, your God. Strive not after bodily comforts, and
keep your heart pure and stainless. The Evil One is lying in wait, ready to
entrap you. Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led by the light
of the name of the one true God, deliver yourselves from the darkness that
surroundeth you. Center your thoughts in the Well-Beloved, rather than in your
own selves.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
October 21
…it is incumbent upon a lowly servant to acquiesce to whatever
proof God hath appointed, and not to follow his own idle fancy. If the wishes
of the people [re miracles] were to be gratified not a single disbeliever would
remain on earth. For once the Apostle of God had fulfilled the wishes of the
people they would unhesitatingly have embraced His Faith. May God save thee,
shouldst thou seek any evidence according to thy selfish desire; rather it
behooveth thee to uphold the unfailing proof which God hath appointed. The
object of thy belief in God is but to secure His good-pleasure. How then dost
thou seek as a proof of thy faith a thing which hath been and is contrary to
His good-pleasure?
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)
October 20
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