Morning
Unveiled and unconcealed, this Wronged One hath, at all times, proclaimed before the face of all the peoples of the world that which will serve as the key for unlocking the doors of sciences, of arts, of knowledge, of well-being, of prosperity and wealth.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablet of
the World’; ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
Evening
Morning
These sanctified Mirrors, these Day Springs of ancient glory, are, one and all, the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its Essence and ultimate Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His deathless glory. They are the Treasuries of Divine knowledge, and the Repositories of celestial wisdom. Through them is transmitted a grace that is infinite, and by them is revealed the Light that can never fade.... These Tabernacles of Holiness, these Primal Mirrors which reflect the light of unfading glory, are but expressions of Him Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles. By the revelation of these Gems of Divine virtue all the names and attributes of God, such as knowledge and power, sovereignty and dominion, mercy and wisdom, glory, bounty, and grace, are made manifest.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
Evening
Morning
These are the “clouds” that cause the heavens of the
knowledge and understanding of all that dwell on earth to be cloven asunder.
Even as He hath revealed: “On that day shall the heaven be cloven by the
clouds.” [Qur’án 25:25] Even as the clouds prevent the eyes of men from beholding the sun,
so do these things hinder the souls of men from recognizing the light of the
divine Luminary. To this beareth witness that which hath proceeded out of the
mouth of the unbelievers as revealed in the sacred Book: “And they have said:
‘What manner of apostle is this? He eateth food, and walketh the streets.
Unless an angel be sent down and take part in His warnings, we will not
believe.’” [Qur’án 25:7] Other Prophets, similarly, have been subject to poverty and
afflictions, to hunger, and to the ills and chances of this world. As these
holy Persons were subject to such needs and wants, the people were,
consequently, lost in the wilds of misgivings and doubts, and were afflicted
with bewilderment and perplexity. How, they wondered, could such a person be
sent down from God, assert His ascendancy over all the peoples and kindreds of
the earth, and claim Himself to be the goal of all creation,—even as He hath
said: “But for Thee, I would not have created all that are in heaven and on
earth,”—and yet be subject to such trivial things? You must undoubtedly have
been informed of the tribulations, the poverty, the ills, and the degradation
that have befallen every Prophet of God and His companions.
- Baha'u'llah ('The Kitab-i-Iqan')
Evening
Morning
Say: O people! We shall put to you a question in all truthfulness, taking God for a witness between you and Us. He, verily, is the Defender of the righteous. Appear, then, before His Throne of glory and make reply with justice and fair-mindedness. Is it God Who is potent to achieve His purpose, or is it ye who enjoy such authority? Is it He Who is truly unconstrained, as ye imply when ye say that He doeth what He pleaseth and shall not be asked of His doings, or is it ye who wield such power, and who merely make such assertions out of blind imitation, as did your forebears at the appearance of every other Messenger of God?
- Baha'u'llah (‘Suriy-i-Haykal', ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
Evening
Morning
The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His saying, “His grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath encompassed them all,” hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable Essence.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
Evening
Morning
Detachment is as the sun; in whatsoever heart it doth shine it quencheth the fire of covetousness and self. He whose sight is illumined with the light of understanding will assuredly detach himself from the world and the vanities thereof.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Baha’i World' 1926-1928)
Evening
Morning
How many those who entered within the Abode of Paradise, the Seat wherein the throne of God had been established, and stood before their Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most Great, only to inquire about the four Gates or of some Imám of the Islamic Faith! [1] Such was the state of these souls, if ye be of them that comprehend. It is even as ye witness in the present day: those who have disbelieved in God and joined partners with Him cling to a single one of Our Names, and are debarred from recognizing Him Who is the Creator of all Names. We testify that such men are of a truth amongst the people of the Fire. They ask the sun to expound the words of the shadow, and the True One to explain the utterances of His creatures, could ye but perceive it! Say: O people! The sun offereth naught save the effulgence of its own light and that which appeareth therefrom, whilst all else seek illumination from its rays. Fear God, and be not of the ignorant!
- Baha'u'llah (‘Suriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons
of the Lord of Hosts’)
[1] These are examples of the types of questions put to the
Báb. According to the teachings of Shí’i Islám, leadership of the Islamic
community belonged of right, after the passing of the Prophet Muhammad, to a
line of twelve successors, descendants of His daughter Fátimih, known as
“Imáms''. This line being eventually severed through the “occultation'' of the
last Imám, communication with the latter was for a time maintained through a
succession of four intermediaries known as “Gates''.
Evening
Morning
Let not the world and its vileness grieve you. Happy is he whom riches fill not with vain-glory, nor poverty with sorrow.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Baha’i World' 1926-1928)
Evening
Morning
Unfaithful is the world. Were it worthy of regard or acceptable in the sight of God, they that were the Manifestations of Justice would not have fallen victims to the talons of tyranny. What greater proof of the baseness of the world and its degradation in the eyes of the Almighty!
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Baha’i World 1926-1928)
Evening
Morning
…behold this Revelation. The essences of the people have, through divinely-conceived designs, been set in motion and until the present day three hundred and thirteen disciples have been chosen. In the land of Sád [Isfáhán], which to outward seeming is a great city, in every corner of whose seminaries are vast numbers of people regarded as divines and doctors, yet when the time came for inmost essences to be drawn forth, only its sifter of wheat donned the robe of discipleship. This is the mystery of what was uttered by the kindred of the Prophet Muhammad—upon them be the peace of God—concerning this Revelation, saying that the abased shall be exalted and the exalted shall be abased.
- The Báb (From the Persian Bayán; ‘Selections from the Writings
of the Báb)
Evening
Morning
Troubles, such as no eye hath beheld, have touched this
Wronged One. In proclaiming His Cause, He, in no wise, hesitated. Addressing
Himself unto the kings and rulers of the earth—may God, exalted be He, assist
them—He imparted unto them that which is the cause of the well-being, the
unity, the harmony, and the reconstruction of the world, and of the
tranquillity of the nations. Among them was Napoleon III, who is reported to
have made a certain statement, as a result of which We sent him Our Tablet while
in Adrianople. To this, however, he did not reply. After Our arrival in the
Most Great Prison there reached Us a letter from his Minister, the first part
of which was in Persian, and the latter in his own handwriting. In it he was
cordial, and wrote the following: “I have, as requested by you, delivered your
letter, and until now have received no answer. We have, however, issued the
necessary recommendations to our Minister in Constantinople and our consuls in
those regions. If there be anything you wish done, inform us, and we will carry
it out.”
From his words it became apparent that he understood the purpose of this Servant to have been a request for material assistance. We, therefore, revealed in his (Napoleon III’s) name verses in the Súratu’l-Haykal…
- Baha’u’llah (‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
Evening
Morning
Since that Day is a great Day it would be sorely trying for
thee to identify thyself with the believers. For the believers of that Day are
the inmates of Paradise, while the unbelievers are the inmates of the fire. And
know thou of a certainty that by Paradise is meant recognition of and
submission unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, and by the fire the company
of such souls as would fail to submit unto Him or to be resigned to His
good-pleasure. On that Day thou wouldst regard thyself as the inmate of Paradise
and as a true believer in Him, whereas in reality thou wouldst suffer thyself
to be wrapt in veils and thy habitation would be the nethermost fire, though
thou thyself wouldst not be cognizant thereof.
Compare His manifestation with that of the Point of the Qur’án. How vast the number of the Letters of the Gospel who eagerly expected Him, yet from the time of His declaration up to five years no one became an inmate of Paradise, except the Commander of the Faithful [Imám ‘Alí], and those who secretly believed in Him. All the rest were accounted as inmates of the fire, though they considered themselves as dwellers in Paradise.
- The Báb (From the Persian Bayán; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
Evening
Morning
God hath, likewise, as a bounty from His presence, abolished the concept of “uncleanness”, whereby divers things and peoples have been held to be impure. He, of a certainty, is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous. Verily, all created things were immersed in the sea of purification when, on that first day of Ridván, We shed upon the whole of creation the splendours of Our most excellent Names and Our most exalted Attributes. This, verily, is a token of My loving providence, which hath encompassed all the worlds. Consort ye then with the followers of all religions, and proclaim ye the Cause of your Lord, the Most Compassionate; this is the very crown of deeds, if ye be of them who understand.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
Evening
Morning
In this Revelation the Lord of the universe hath deigned to bestow His mighty utterances and resplendent signs upon the Point of the Bayán, and hath ordained them as His matchless testimony for all created things. Were all the people that dwell on earth to assemble together, they would be unable to produce a single verse like unto the ones which God hath caused to stream forth from the tongue of the Point of the Bayán. Indeed, if any living creature were to pause to meditate he would undoubtedly realize that these verses are not the work of man, but are solely to be ascribed unto God, the One, the Peerless, Who causeth them to flow forth from the tongue of whomsoever He willeth, and hath not revealed nor will He reveal them save through the Focal Point of God’s Primal Will. He it is, through Whose dispensations divine Messengers are raised up and heavenly Books are sent down. Had human beings been able to accomplish this deed surely someone would have brought forth at least one verse during the period of twelve hundred and seventy years which hath elapsed since the revelation of the Qur’án until that of the Bayán. However, all men have proved themselves impotent and have utterly failed to do so, although they endeavoured, with their vehement might, to quench the flame of the Word of God.
- The Báb (From the Persian Bayán; ‘Selections from
the Writings of the Báb)
Evening
Morning
And now regarding His words, that the Son of man shall “come in the clouds of heaven.” By the term “clouds” is meant those things that are contrary to the ways and desires of men. Even as He hath revealed in the verse already quoted: “As oft as an Apostle cometh unto you with that which your souls desire not, ye swell with pride, accusing some of being impostors and slaying others.” [Qur’án 2:87] These “clouds” signify, in one sense, the annulment of laws, the abrogation of former Dispensations, the repeal of rituals and customs current amongst men, the exalting of the illiterate faithful above the learned opposers of the Faith. In another sense, they mean the appearance of that immortal Beauty in the image of mortal man, with such human limitations as eating and drinking, poverty and riches, glory and abasement, sleeping and waking, and such other things as cast doubt in the minds of men, and cause them to turn away. All such veils are symbolically referred to as “clouds.”
- Baha'u'llah ('The Kitab-i-Iqan')
Evening
Morning
By God! however great Our desire to be brief, yet We feel We cannot restrain Our pen. Notwithstanding all that We have mentioned, how innumerable are the pearls which have remained unpierced in the shell of Our heart! How many the húrís of inner meaning that are as yet concealed within the chambers of divine wisdom! None hath yet approached them;—húrís, “whom no man nor spirit hath touched before.” [Qur’án 55:56] Notwithstanding all that hath been said, it seemeth as if not one letter of Our purpose hath been uttered, nor a single sign divulged concerning Our object. When will a faithful seeker be found who will don the garb of pilgrimage, attain the Ka’bih of the heart’s desire, and, without ear or tongue, discover the mysteries of divine utterance?
- Baha'u'llah ('The Kitab-i-Iqan')
Evening
Morning
Once the validity of a divinely appointed Prophet hath been established, to none is given the right to ask why or wherefore. Rather is it incumbent upon all to accept and obey whatsoever He saith. This is that which God hath decreed in all His Books, Scriptures and Tablets.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The
Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
Evening
Morning
The heart must needs… be cleansed from the idle sayings of men, and sanctified from every earthly affection, so that it may discover the hidden meaning of divine inspiration, and become the treasury of the mysteries of divine knowledge. Thus hath it been said: “He that treadeth the snow-white Path, and followeth in the footsteps of the Crimson Pillar, shall never attain unto his abode unless his hands are empty of those worldly things cherished by men.” This is the prime requisite of whosoever treadeth this path. Ponder thereon, that, with eyes unveiled, thou mayest perceive the truth of these words.
- Baha'u'llah ('The Kitab-i-Iqan')
Evening
Morning
To every discerning and illuminated heart it is evident that God, the unknowable Essence, the Divine Being, is immensely exalted beyond every human attribute, such as corporeal existence, ascent and descent, egress and regress. Far be it from His glory that human tongue should adequately recount His praise, or that human heart comprehend His fathomless mystery. He is, and hath ever been, veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence, and will remain in His Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight of men. “No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision; He is the Subtile, the All-Perceiving.”...
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
Evening
Morning
Say: Is there any doubt concerning God? Behold how He hath
come down from the heaven of His grace, girded with power and invested with
sovereignty. Is there any doubt concerning His signs? Open ye your eyes, and
consider His clear evidence. Paradise is on your right hand, and hath been
brought nigh unto you, while Hell hath been made to blaze. Witness its
devouring flame. Haste ye to enter into Paradise, as a token of Our mercy unto
you, and drink ye from the hands of the All-Merciful the Wine that is life indeed.
Drink with healthy relish, O people of Bahá. Ye are indeed they with whom it shall be well. This is what they who have near access to God have attained. This is the flowing water ye were promised in the Qur’án, and later in the Bayán, as a recompense from your Lord, the God of Mercy. Blessed are they that quaff it.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
Evening