 |
circa 1935: The Barrack-Square in Tabriz where
the Báb suffered martyrdom. Pillar on the right
marked X is the place where He was suspended
and shot.(The Dawn-Breakers)
|
- Baha’u’llah (‘Day of Remembrance’)
July 10
July 9
Ages rolled away, until they attained their consummation in
this, the Lord of days, the Day whereon the Day-Star of the Bayán manifested
itself above the horizon of mercy, the Day in which the Beauty of the
All-Glorious shone forth in the exalted person of ‘Alí-Muhammad, the Báb. No
sooner did He reveal Himself, than all the people rose up against Him. By some
He was denounced as one that hath uttered slanders against God, the Almighty,
the Ancient of Days. Others regarded Him as a man smitten with madness, an
allegation which I, Myself, have heard from the lips of one of the divines.
Still others disputed His claim to be the Mouthpiece of God, and stigmatized
Him as one who had stolen and used as his the words of the Almighty, who had
perverted their meaning, and mingled them with his own. The Eye of Grandeur
weepeth sore for the things which their mouths have uttered, while they
continue to rejoice upon their seats.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)
July 8
This is a Missive from the Primal Point [1] unto them that
have believed in God, the One, the Peerless, the Almighty, the All-Knowing,
wherein He addresseth those among the people of the Bayán who have vacillated
in this Cause, that haply they may apprehend the wondrous words of God and
forsake the couch of heedlessness in this shining and resplendent morn.
Say:[2] We, verily, bid you in Our Book not to advance
yourselves before those from whose ranks would appear He Who is the Beloved of
every understanding heart and the Object of the adoration of the denizens of
earth and heaven. Moreover, We commanded you, should ye attain the presence of
God, to stand before Him and to utter on My behalf these mighty and exalted
words: “Upon Thee, O Glory of God, and upon Thy kinfolk, be the remembrance of
God and the praise of all things at every moment before and after Ḥín.”[3]
- Baha’u’llah (Baha'u'llah speaks in the voice of the Báb, ‘Days of Remembrance’)
[1] The Báb
[2] Bahá’u’lláh speaks in the voice of the Báb
[3] The numerical value of the letters of the word Ḥín is
68. “After Ḥín” is thus an allusion to the year after A.H. 1268, which was 1269
(A.D. 1852–3), the year that marked the birth of the Bahá’í Revelation.
July 7
Tread ye in the path of the one true God and ponder the ways
and words of Him Who is the Manifestation of His ancient Being, that perchance
ye may attain unto the Wellspring of the living waters of the All-Glorious.
Were believers and non-believers to occupy the same station, were the worlds of
God to be confined to this ephemeral plane, never would My previous
Manifestation have surrendered Himself into the hands of His foes or laid down
His life as a sacrifice. I swear by the dawning-light of this Cause that were
the people to grasp the barest intimation of the fervour and longing which
overcame that sovereign Beauty when His celestial Temple was suspended in the
air, all would, in the intensity of their own yearning, offer up their souls in
the path of this Manifestation of supernal glory. Indeed, sugar is the portion
of the parrot, while dung is the share of the beetle; the crow hath no part in
the warbling of the nightingale, and the bat fleeth the rays of the sun.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)
July 6
O My Servants! Ye are the trees of My garden; ye must give
forth goodly and wondrous fruits, that ye yourselves and others may profit
therefrom. Thus it is incumbent on every one to engage in crafts and
professions, for therein lies the secret of wealth, O men of understanding! For
results depend upon means, and the grace of God shall be all-sufficient unto
you. Trees that yield no fruit have been and will ever be for the fire.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Hidden Words’)
July 5
The day-star of words, dawning above the horizon of the
utterance of Him Who is the Lord of all names and attributes, hath, at this
most blessed of hours, shone forth in all truth with the splendours of the
light of God. The spirit of understanding, flowing from the Pen of the
All-Glorious, hath, by virtue of His grace, been conferred upon all created
things. The mystery of all mysteries, emerging from behind the veils of
concealment, hath, in very truth, been revealed to the righteous, as bidden by
God, the Almighty, the Unconstrained.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)
July 4
It behoveth thee [1] to turn thy gaze in all circumstances
unto the One true God, and seek diligently to serve His Cause. Call thou to
mind when thou wert in My company, within the Tabernacle of Glory, and didst
hear from Me that which He Who conversed with God [Moses] heard upon the Sinai
of divine knowledge. Thus did We graciously aid thee, enabled thee to recognize
the truth and cautioned thee, that thou mightest render thanks unto thy
bountiful Lord. Thou shouldst safeguard this sublime station through the
potency of My Name, the Omnipotent, the Faithful.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of
Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
[1] Muhammad Javád-i-Qazvíní, upon whom Bahá’u’lláh bestowed
the title Ismu’lláhi’l-Júd (The Name of God, Bounty). He transcribed numerous
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh during His Ministry, but subsequently broke the
Covenant. (See God Passes By pages 247 and 319.)
July 3
Not long ago this most sublime Word was revealed in the
Crimson Book by the All-Glorious Pen: ‘The heaven of divine wisdom is illumined
with two luminaries: consultation and compassion’. Please God, everyone may be
enabled to observe this weighty and blessed word.
Certain people seem to be entirely bereft of understanding.
By clinging to the cord of idle fancy they have debarred themselves from the
Sure Handle. I swear by My life! Were they to reflect a while with fairness on
that which the All-Merciful hath sent down, they would, one and all,
spontaneously give utterance to these words, ‘Verily Thou art the Truth, the
manifest Truth.’
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
July 2
Arise thou to serve the Cause of thy Lord; then give the
people the joyful tidings concerning this resplendent Light whose revelation
hath been announced by God through His Prophets and Messengers. Admonish
everyone moreover to observe prudence as ordained by Him, and in the Name of
God advise them, saying: It behoveth every one in this Day of God to dedicate
himself to the teaching of the Cause with utmost prudence and steadfastness.
Should he discover a pure soil, let him sow the seed of the Word of God,
otherwise it would be preferable to observe silence.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of
Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
July 1
How strange that despite this ringing Call, despite the
appearance of this most wondrous Revelation, We notice that men, for the most
part, have fixed their hearts on the vanities of the world and are sorely
dismayed and troubled by reason of prevailing doubts and evil suggestions. Say:
This is the Day of God Himself; fear ye God and be not of them that have
disbelieved in Him. Cast the idle tales behind your backs and behold My
Revelation through Mine eyes. Unto this have ye been exhorted in heavenly Books
and Scriptures, in the Scrolls and Tablets.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah
revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
June 30
On the first day that the Ancient Beauty ascended His Most
Great Throne in the garden named Riḍván, the Tongue of Glory gave utterance to
three blessed words. First, that in this Revelation the law of the sword hath
been annulled.[1] Second, that ere the expiration of one thousand
years whosoever advanceth a prophetic claim is false. By “year” a full year is
intended, and no exegesis or interpretation is permitted in this matter. And
third, that at that very hour God, exalted be His Glory, shed the full
splendour of all His names upon all creation.
The following verse was revealed subsequently, but He
indicated that it should occupy the same station as the other three: that when
the name of anyone, whether living or dead, is mentioned in His presence, that
soul hath verily attained to the mention of the pre-existent King. Blessed are
they that attain thereto!
- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)
[1] That is, jihad
June 29
Thou beholdest, O my God, how every bone in my body soundeth
like a pipe with the music of Thine inspiration, revealing the signs of Thy
oneness and the clear tokens of Thy unity. I entreat Thee, O my God, by Thy
Name which irradiateth all things, to raise up such servants as shall incline
their ears to the voice of the melodies that hath ascended from the right hand
of the throne of Thy glory. Make them, then, to quaff from the hand of Thy
grace the wine of Thy mercy, that it may assure their hearts, and cause them to
turn away from the left hand of idle fancies and vain imaginings to the right
hand of confidence and certitude.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Prayers and Meditations by
Baha’u’llah’)
June 28
Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I yield Thee thanks for
having enabled me to recognize the Manifestation of Thyself, and for having
severed me from Thine enemies, and laid bare before mine eyes their misdeeds
and wicked works in Thy days, and for having rid me of all attachment to them,
and caused me to turn wholly towards Thy grace and bountiful favors. I give
Thee thanks, also, for having sent down upon me from the clouds of Thy will
that which hath so sanctified me from the hints of the infidels and the
allusions of the misbelievers that I have fixed my heart firmly on Thee, and
fled from such as have denied the light of Thy countenance. Again I thank Thee
for having empowered me to be steadfast in Thy love, and to speak forth Thy
praise and to extol Thy virtues, and for having given me to drink of the cup of
Thy mercy that hath surpassed all things visible and invisible.
Thou art the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious,
the All-Loving.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
June 27
Lay not aside the fear of God, O kings of the earth, and
beware that ye transgress not the bounds which the Almighty hath fixed. Observe
the injunctions laid upon you in His Book, and take good heed not to overstep
their limits. Be vigilant, that ye may not do injustice to anyone, be it to the
extent of a grain of mustard seed. Tread ye the path of justice, for this,
verily, is the straight path.
Compose your differences, and reduce your armaments, that
the burden of your expenditures may be lightened, and that your minds and
hearts may be tranquillized. Heal the dissensions that divide you, and ye will
no longer be in need of any armaments except what the protection of your cities
and territories demandeth. Fear ye God, and take heed not to outstrip the
bounds of moderation, and be numbered among the extravagant.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
June 26
Warn and acquaint the people, O Servant, with the things We
have sent down unto Thee, and let the fear of no one dismay Thee, and be Thou
not of them that waver. The day is approaching when God will have exalted His
Cause and magnified His testimony in the eyes of all who are in the heavens and
all who are on the earth. Place, in all circumstances, Thy whole trust in Thy
Lord, and fix Thy gaze upon Him, and turn away from all them that repudiate His
truth. Let God, Thy Lord, be Thy sufficing succorer and helper. We have pledged
Ourselves to secure Thy triumph upon earth and to exalt Our Cause above all
men, though no king be found who would turn his face towards Thee.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
June 25
O thou who bearest My Name! [1] The glances of the
loving-kindness of God have been and continue to be directed towards thee.
While in His presence, thou hast heard the Voice of the One true God—exalted be
His glory—and hast beheld the unveiled splendour of the Light of divine
knowledge. Ponder a while! How sublime is the Utterance of Him Who is the
Sovereign Truth and how abject are the idle contentions of the people! The
accumulations of vain fancy have obstructed men’s ears and stopped them from
hearing the Voice of God, and the veils of human learning and false imaginings
have prevented their eyes from beholding the splendour of the light of His
countenance. With the arm of might and power We have rescued a number of souls
from the slough of impending extinction and enabled them to attain the
Dayspring of glory. Moreover We have laid bare the divine mysteries and in most
explicit language foretold future events, that neither the doubts of the faithless,
nor the denials of the froward, nor the whisperings of the heedless may keep
back the seekers of truth from the Source of the light of the One true God.
Nevertheless some people seem to have been seized with epilepsy, others are
torn up even as hollow tree-stumps. They abandon God, the Most Exalted—He
before Whose revelation of a single verse, all the Scriptures of the past and
of more recent times pale into lowliness and insignificance—and set their
hearts on lying tales and follow empty words.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of
Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
[1] Muhammad Javád-i-Qazvíní, upon whom Bahá’u’lláh bestowed
the title Ismu’lláhi’l-Júd (The Name of God, Bounty). He transcribed numerous
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh during His Ministry, but subsequently broke the
Covenant.
June 24
Say: O people of God! Beware lest the powers of the earth
alarm you, or the might of the nations weaken you, or the tumult of the people
of discord deter you, or the exponents of earthly glory sadden you. Be ye as a
mountain in the Cause of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the
Unconstrained.
- Baha’u’llah (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine
Justice’)
June 23
God, in His Essence, is sanctified above all ascent and
descent, egress and regress; He hath through all eternity been exalted beyond
the attributes of His creation, and will ever remain so. No man hath ever known
Him; no soul hath ever fathomed the nature of His Being. In the valley of His
knowledge every mystic wandereth astray; in the comprehension of His Essence
every saint standeth bewildered. Sanctified is He above the understanding of
the wise; exalted is He beyond the knowledge of the knowing! “The way is barred
and all seeking rejected. His proof is His signs, His evidence His being.”
[1]
- Baha’u’llah’ (‘The Seven Valleys’,
2019 revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre; ‘The Call of the Divine
Beloved’)
[1] From a Hadíth
June 22
Whensoever the light of the revelation of the King of
Oneness settleth upon the throne of the heart and soul, His radiance becometh
visible in every limb and member. At that time, the mystery of the famed tradition gleameth out
of the darkness: “A servant is drawn unto Me in
prayer until I answer him, and when I have answered him, I become the
ear wherewith he heareth…” [1] For thus the Master of the house hath appeared
within His home, and all the pillars of the
dwelling are ashine with His light. And as the action and effect of the
light are from the Light-Giver, so it is that all move through Him and arise by
His will. This is that wellspring whereof the near ones drink, as it is said:
“A fount whereof they who draw nigh to God shall drink”. [2]
- Baha’u’llah’ (‘The Seven Valleys’, 2019 revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre; ‘The
Call of the Divine Beloved’)
[1] From a Hadíth
[2] Qur’án 83:28
June 21
Say: O concourse of the rulers and of the learned and the
wise! The Promised Day is come and the Lord of Hosts hath appeared. Rejoice ye
with great joy by reason of this supreme felicity. Aid Him then through the
power of wisdom and utterance. Thus biddeth you the One Who hath ever
proclaimed, ‘Verily, no God is there but Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.’
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
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