Morning
It behoveth the people of Bahá to render the Lord victorious through the power of their utterance and to admonish the people by their goodly deeds and character, inasmuch as deeds exert greater influence than words.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Words of Paradise’; ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
Evening
Morning
Gracious God! Notwithstanding the warning which, in marvelously symbolic language and subtle allusions, hath been uttered in days past, and which was intended to awaken the peoples of the world and to prevent them from being deprived of their share of the billowing ocean of God’s grace, yet such things as have already been witnessed have come to pass! Reference to these things hath also been made in the Qur’án, as witnessed by this verse: “What can such expect but that God should come down to them overshadowed with clouds?” [Qur’án 2:210] A number of the divines, who hold firmly to the letter of the Word of God, have come to regard this verse as one of the signs of that expected resurrection which is born of their idle fancy. This, notwithstanding the fact that similar references have been made in most of the heavenly Books, and have been recorded in all the passages connected with the signs of the coming Manifestation.
- Baha'u'llah ('The Kitab-i-Iqan')
Evening
Morning
It behooveth us, therefore, to make the utmost endeavour, that, by God’s invisible assistance, these dark veils, these clouds of Heaven-sent trials, may not hinder us from beholding the beauty of His shining Countenance, and that we may recognize Him only by His own Self. And should we ask for a testimony of His truth, we should content ourselves with one, and only one; that thereby we may attain unto Him Who is the Fountain-head of infinite grace, and in Whose presence all the world’s abundance fadeth into nothingness, that we may cease to cavil at Him every day and to cleave unto our own idle fancy.
- Baha'u'llah ('The Kitab-i-Iqan')
Evening
Morning
These attributes of God are not, and have never been, vouchsafed specially unto certain Prophets, and withheld from others. Nay, all the Prophets of God, His well-favored, His holy and chosen Messengers are, without exception, the bearers of His names, and the embodiments of His attributes. They only differ in the intensity of their revelation, and the comparative potency of their light. Even as He hath revealed: “Some of the Apostles We have caused to excel the others.”
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the
Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
Evening
Morning
The entire creation hath been called into being through the Will of God, magnified be His glory, and peerless Adam hath been fashioned through the agency of His all-compelling Word, a Word which is the source, the wellspring, the repository, and the dawning-place of the intellect. From it all creation hath proceeded, and it is the channel of God’s primal grace. None can grasp the reality of the origin of creation save God, exalted be His glory, Whose knowledge embraceth all things both before and after they come into being. Creation hath neither beginning nor end, and none hath ever unravelled its mystery. Its knowledge hath ever been, and shall remain, hidden and preserved with those Who are the Repositories of divine knowledge.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí
Sáhib and Other Writings’)
Evening
Morning
Ye are but vassals, O kings of the earth! He Who is the King of Kings hath appeared, arrayed in His most wondrous glory, and is summoning you unto Himself, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Take heed lest pride deter you from recognizing the Source of Revelation, lest the things of this world shut you out as by a veil from Him Who is the Creator of heaven. Arise, and serve Him Who is the Desire of all nations, Who hath created you through a word from Him, and ordained you to be, for all time, the emblems of His sovereignty.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
Evening
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