October 16

And finally, I was cast by the transgressors into the prison-city of Akká, and my kindred were made captives in Baghdád. The power of Thy might beareth me witness, O my God! Every trouble that hath touched me in Thy path hath added to my joy and increased my gladness. I swear by Thee, O Thou Who art the King of Kings! None of the kings of the earth hath power to hinder me from remembering Thee or from extolling Thy virtues. Were they to be leagued—as they have been leagued—against me, and to brandish their sharpest swords and most afflictive spears against me, I would not hesitate to magnify Thy name before all them that are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth. Nay rather, I would cry out and say: “This, O my Beloved, is my face which I have offered up for Thy face, and this is my spirit which I have sacrificed for Thy spirit, and this is my blood that seetheth in my veins, in its longing to be shed for love of Thee and in Thy path.”

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)

October 15

Though the fierce winds of the hatred of the wicked doers blew and beat on this Lamp, [Baha’u’llah] He was, at no time, in His love for Thy [God’s] beauty, hindered from shedding the fragrance of His light. As the transgressions committed against Thee waxed greater and greater, my eagerness to reveal Thy Cause correspondingly increased, and as the tribulations deepened—and to this Thy glory beareth me witness— a fuller measure of Thy sovereignty and of Thy power was vouchsafed by me unto Thy creatures. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)

October 14

O Son of Man! Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)

October 13

By My Lord!  Were I given the choice between, on the one hand, the wealth and opulence, the ease and comfort, the honour and glory which they [certain divines] enjoy, and, on the other, the adversities and trials which are Mine, I would unhesitatingly choose My present condition and would refuse to barter a single atom of these hardships for all that hath been created in the world of being. 

- Baha'u'llah  (Tablet to Nasiri’d-Din Shah, Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)

October 12

We beseech God to purge the hearts of certain divines from rancour and enmity, that they may look upon matters with an eye unbeclouded by contempt.  May He raise them up unto so lofty a station that neither the attractions of the world, nor the allurements of authority, may deflect them from gazing upon the Supreme Horizon, and that neither worldly benefits nor carnal desires shall prevent them from attaining that Day whereon the mountains shall be reduced to dust. 

- Baha'u'llah  (Tablet to Nasiri’d-Din Shah, Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)

October 11

…He [the Báb] addresseth Dayyán, [1] who was wronged and suffered martyrdom, saying: “Thou shalt recognize thy worth through the words of Him Whom God shall make manifest.” He, likewise, hath pronounced him to be the third Letter to believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, through these words: “O thou who art the third Letter to believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest!” And likewise He saith: “Should God, however, be willing, He will make thee known through the words of Him Whom God shall make manifest.” Dayyán, who, according to the words of Him Who is the Point—may the souls of all else but Him be sacrificed for His sake—is the repository of the trust of the one true God—exalted be His glory—and the treasury of the pearls of His knowledge, was made by them to suffer so cruel a martyrdom that the Concourse on high wept and lamented. He it is whom He (the Báb) had taught the hidden and preserved knowledge and entrusted him therewith, through His words: “O thou who art named Dayyán! This is a hidden and preserved Knowledge. We have entrusted it unto thee, and brought it to thee, as a mark of honor from God, inasmuch as the eye of thine heart is pure. Thou wilt appreciate its value, and wilt cherish its excellence. God, verily, hath deigned to bestow upon the Point of the Bayán a hidden and preserved Knowledge, the like of which God hath not sent down prior to this Revelation. More precious is it than any other knowledge in the estimation of God—glorified be He! He, verily, hath made it His testimony, even as He hath made the verses to be His testimony.” This oppressed one, who was the repository of the knowledge of God, together with Mírzá ‘Alí-Akbar, one of the relatives of the Primal Point—upon him be the glory of God and His mercy—and Abu’l-Qásim-i-Káshí and several others suffered martyrdom through the decree pronounced by Mírzá Yahyá. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)

[1] Dayyan, Mirza Asadu'llah-i-Khuy: A Babi on whom the Bab conferred the designation 'Dayyan' (lit. 'conqueror' or 'judge'). After the martyrdom of the Bab, a number of His followers turned to Dayyan for guidance. He claimed to be 'He Whom God shall make manifest' but after meeting Baha’u’llah in Iraq he retracted the claim. Mirza Yahya instigated the murder of Dayyan in Baghdad, 'whom he feared and envied'. Dayyan was the third to recognize Baha'u'llah's true station before His Declaration. (Baha’i Biographical Notes)

October 10

The purpose underlying all creation is the revelation of this most sublime, this most holy Day, the Day known as the Day of God, in His Books and Scriptures—the Day which all the Prophets, and the Chosen Ones, and the holy ones, have wished to witness.  

- Baha’u’llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

October 9

The station which he who hath truly recognized this Revelation will attain is the same as the one ordained for such prophets of the house of Israel as are not regarded as Manifestations 'endowed with constancy.’ 

- Baha'u'llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)

October 8

By God! Troubles have failed to unnerve Me, and the repudiation of the divines hath been powerless to weaken Me. I have spoken, and still speak forth before the face of men: ‘The door of grace hath been unlocked and He Who is the Dayspring of Justice is come with perspicuous signs and evident testimonies, from God, the Lord of strength and of might!’ Present thyself before Me that thou mayest hear the mysteries which were heard by the Son of ‘Imrán [Moses] upon the Sinai of Wisdom. Thus commandeth thee He Who is the Dawning-Place of the Revelation of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, from His great Prison. 

- Baha’u’llah  (From the ‘Tablet of the Proof’ [Kawh-i-Burhan] addressed to Shaykh Muhammad Báqir, denounced by Bahá’u’lláh as the ‘Wolf’; Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

October 7

Know thou and be well assured that from the first day whereon the voice of the Most Sublime Pen was raised betwixt earth and heaven We offered up Our souls, and Our bodies, and Our sons, and Our possessions in the path of God, the Exalted, the Great, and We glory therein amongst all created things and the Concourse on high. Unto this testify the things which have befallen Us in this straight Path. By God! Our hearts were consumed, and Our bodies were crucified, and Our blood was spilt, while Our eyes were fixed on the horizon of the loving-kindness of their Lord, the Witness, the All-Seeing. 

- Baha’u’llah  (From the ‘Tablet of the Proof’ [Kawh-i-Burhan] addressed to Shaykh Muhammad Báqir, denounced by Bahá’u’lláh as the ‘Wolf’; Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

October 6

Know thou that he is truly learned who hath acknowledged My Revelation, and drunk from the Ocean of My knowledge, and soared in the atmosphere of My love, and cast away all else besides Me, and taken firm hold on that which hath been sent down from the Kingdom of My wondrous utterance. He, verily, is even as an eye unto mankind, and as the spirit of life unto the body of all creation. Glorified be the All-Merciful Who hath enlightened him, and caused him to arise and serve His great and mighty Cause. Verily, such a man is blessed by the Concourse on high, and by them who dwell within the Tabernacle of Grandeur, who have quaffed My sealed Wine in My Name, the Omnipotent, the All-Powerful. 

- Baha’u’llah  (From the ‘Tablet of the Proof’ [Kawh-i-Burhan] addressed to Shaykh Muhammad Báqir, denounced by Bahá’u’lláh as the ‘Wolf’; Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

October 5

My glory be with thee, O thou that callest upon My name, whose eyes are directed towards My court, and whose tongue uttereth the praise of thy Lord, the Beneficent. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)

October 4

We beseech God that He may graciously vouchsafe His grace unto all men, and enable them to attain the knowledge of Him and of themselves. By My life! Whoso hath known Him shall soar in the immensity of His love, and shall be detached from the world and all that is therein. Nothing on earth shall deflect him from his course, how much less they who, prompted by their vain imaginations, speak those things which God hath forbidden. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)

October 3

We have forbidden men to walk after the imaginations of their hearts, that they may be enabled to recognize Him Who is the sovereign Source and Object of all knowledge, and may acknowledge whatsoever He may be pleased to reveal. Witness how they have entangled themselves with their idle fancies and vain imaginations. By My life! They are themselves the victims of what their own hearts have devised, and yet they perceive it not. Vain and profitless is the talk of their lips, and yet they understand not. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)

October 2

Say: Observe equity in your judgment, ye men of understanding heart! He that is unjust in his judgment is destitute of the characteristics that distinguish man’s station. He Who is the Eternal Truth knoweth well what the breasts of men conceal. His long forbearance hath emboldened His creatures, for not until the appointed time is come will He rend any veil asunder. His surpassing mercy hath restrained the fury of His wrath, and caused most people to imagine that the one true God is unaware of the things they have privily committed. By Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed! The mirror of His knowledge reflecteth, with complete distinctness, precision and fidelity, the doings of all men. Say: Praise be to Thee, O Concealer of the sins of the weak and helpless! Magnified be Thy name, O Thou that forgivest the heedless ones that trespass against Thee! 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)

October 1

That which hath been made manifest in this preeminent, this most exalted Revelation, stands unparalleled in the annals of the past, nor will future ages witness its like. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

September 30

…the Day of Judgement, the Day whereon the people shall arise from their graves and be asked of their legacy.  Well is it with him who shall not be weighted down with his burdens on that Day, the Day whereon the mountains shall pass away and all shall gather to be questioned in the presence of God, the Most Exalted.  Stern, indeed, is He in punishing! 

- Baha'u'llah  (Tablet to Nasiri’d-Din Shah, Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)

September 29

…likewise, He [The Báb] saith: “The Bayán is from beginning to end the repository of all of His [Baha’u’llah’s] attributes, and the treasury of both His fire and His light.” Great God! The soul is carried away by the fragrance of this utterance, inasmuch as He declareth, with infinite sadness, that which He perceiveth. Likewise, He saith to the Letter of the Living, Mullá Báqir—upon him be the glory of God and His loving-kindness: “Haply thou mayest in eight years, in the day of His Revelation, attain unto His Presence.” 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)

September 28

…every one of you his paramount duty is to choose for himself that on which no other may infringe and none usurp from him. Such a thing—and to this the Almighty is My witness—is the love of God, could ye but perceive it.

Build ye for yourselves such houses as the rain and floods can never destroy, which shall protect you from the changes and chances of this life. This is the instruction of Him Whom the world hath wronged and forsaken. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)

September 27

If the veil be lifted, and the full glory of the station of those who have turned wholly towards God, and in their love for Him renounced the world, be made manifest, the entire creation would be dumbfounded. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)