September 9

Morning

…in moments in which these Essences of Being [1] were deep immersed beneath the oceans of ancient and everlasting holiness, or when they soared to the loftiest summits of Divine mysteries, they claimed their utterances to be the Voice of Divinity, the Call of God Himself.

Were the eye of discernment to be opened, it would recognize that in this very state, they have considered themselves utterly effaced and non-existent in the face of Him Who is the All-Pervading, the Incorruptible. Methinks, they have regarded themselves as utter nothingness, and deemed their mention in that Court an act of blasphemy. For the slightest whispering of self within such a Court is an evidence of self-assertion and independent existence. In the eyes of them that have attained unto that Court, such a suggestion is itself a grievous transgression. How much more grievous would it be, were aught else to be mentioned in that Presence, were man’s heart, his tongue, his mind, or his soul, to be busied with any one but the Well-Beloved, were his eyes to behold any countenance other than His beauty, were his ear to be inclined to any melody but His Voice, and were his feet to tread any way but His way.... 

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

[1] “...the all-embracing Manifestations of God”

Evening

September 8

Morning

Is it fondly imagined that death shall not overtake everyone? Nay, by God! 'Every soul shall taste of death.' Such being the case, it would certainly be far better and more fitting if this mortal life were offered up in the path of the Beloved, and sacrificed for the sake of Him Who is the ultimate Desire of all men. Nay, I beg forgiveness of God for this assertion, inasmuch as this sacrifice would be a myriad times more preferable and fitting. Even for this assertion, I once again implore pardon of God. 

- Baha’u’llah  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Fire and Light’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice; The Baha’i World 1979-1983)

Evening

September 7

Morning

O friend! Were but a single token to be revealed of the Secret which hath lain wrapped in mystery, the hearts of all those who, clinging to the things of men, have cast away the things of God, would be thrown into perturbation. Shouldst thou, having meditated upon the words that We have addressed to thee, arise with perfect steadfastness to act in such wise as We have intimated, thou wouldst undoubtedly accomplish such things as have been witnessed in a former age.

O friend! This Bird lieth imprisoned beneath the talons of cruelty and malice; It seeth for itself neither nest wherein to shelter nor heavenly expanse in which to fly. In such a plight as this, it summoneth mankind unto everlasting life. Blessed then be the attentive ear!

We beseech God to unite us in one holy court, and to graciously assist us to do that which is pleasing and acceptable unto Him. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Evening

September 6

Morning

As for thy mention of the opinion expressed to thee by a certain individual that, in so far as concerneth the Spirit, there existeth no difference between us, his assertion is correct, for the Spirit is too exalted either to admit of differences or to be comprehended by allusions. It is the revelation of the Light of God’s singleness amongst men, the Sign of His ancient eternity before the nations. Whoso turneth himself thereto hath turned himself unto Him Who sent it forth, and whoso turneth away therefrom hath turned away from the One by Whose power it hath been manifested and endowed with utterance. It hath not changed from age to age, and such as it hath been it shall remain. Such differences as may be witnessed in the effulgence of its light are to be attributed to the mirrors that receive it, and to the disparity, in form and colour, of the images they reflect. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Evening

September 5

Morning

Respecting thy comments on the question of “darkness”, We testify that it hath encompassed all mankind. Happy the man who hath been illumined by the light of Him Who hath shone forth resplendent from the horizon of the mercy of His Lord, the Most Holy. This darkness is naught but the idle imaginings of men, by which they have been prevented from directing themselves towards the Kingdom when, by the bidding of God, the Lord of the realm on high, it was made manifest. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Evening

September 4

Morning

Great, immeasurably great is the Cause! Peter, the Apostle, despite the pre-eminence of his rank and the loftiness of his station, when questioned held back from speaking. Wert thou, with thy thoughts centred wholly on God, to reflect upon the happenings of former times, thou wouldst see the light shining refulgently before thy face, and wouldst keep it constantly before thy gaze. The truth is, of a certainty, too evident to be enshrouded in a veil, the way too clear to be obscured by darkness, and certitude too manifest to be eclipsed by any fleeting whim. Those who have been debarred therefrom are the followers of their corrupt desires. Today they are reposing on their bed of slumber; erelong they shall awake and rush, without avail, to find the things that have escaped them. Well is it with them who have inhaled the Divine fragrance at the time when it was shed abroad: These, verily, have attained unto that which is the portion of the sincere among God’s servants. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Evening

September 3

Morning

Regard thou, O friend, the mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign of the Sovereign. Through this reversal He hath caused the exalted to be abased and the abased to be exalted. Call thou to mind how, in the days of Jesus, it was those who were distinguished for their learning, the men of letters and religion, who denied Him, whilst humble fishermen made haste to gain admittance into the Kingdom—this is the meaning of that which hath been expressed by symbol and allusion in the obscurities of words.

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World center)

Evening

September 2

Morning

Lo, the appointed time is now arrived, and Carmel crieth out as if moved to ecstasy by the soul-stirring breezes of her Lord. Happy are those who hear her cry! Whoso hearkeneth with his inner ear shall hear the voice of the Rock [Peter] as he beareth witness, with a mighty voice, to the Everlasting God. Blessed are they who perceive the savour of Divine utterance and, severing themselves from the world of being, advance towards the Kingdom. Behold! The things that had been mentioned in the Books of old have now appeared, and yet the people, though they look upon them, comprehend them not! 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World center)

Evening

September 1

Morning

O thou learned doctor and percipient divine! Know that the people have, for the most part, been hindered by their passions from turning themselves to God, the Lord of all names. Whoso looketh with his inner eye, however, shall be granted vision, and shall testify to what he witnesseth, exclaiming: “All praise be unto my Lord, the Most Exalted!” The tidings of God’s loving-kindness have been announced to land and sea, and unto the nations hath been given the promise of the advent of Him Who shall heal their sicknesses, even Him Who shall build up the Temple of the Lord. [Cf. Zechariah 6:12–15] Well is it with them who understand! 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World center)

Evening

August 31

Morning

O friend! It behoveth thee to reflect upon the Word of God, to ponder its greatness, and to meditate upon its sweetness. This Word, verily, is sufficient unto the peoples of the earth. The first one to believe in Him Who was the Spirit [1] was so enraptured by the Word of God that, in his eagerness to embrace its truth, he detached himself from everything that men possess. Such is the condition of all who would be leviathans in the Most Mighty Ocean. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World center)

[1] Jesus

Evening

August 30

Morning

The first Spirit through which all spirits were revealed, and the first Light by which all lights shone forth, rest upon thee, O Most Exalted Leaf, [1] thou who hast been mentioned in the Crimson Book! Thou art the one whom God created to arise and serve His own Self, and the Manifestation of His Cause, and the Day-Spring of His Revelation, and the Dawning-Place of His signs, and the Source of His commandments; and Who so aided thee that thou didst turn with thy whole being unto Him, at a time when His servants and handmaidens had turned away from His Face. ...Happy art thou, O My handmaiden, and My Leaf, and the one mentioned in My Book, and inscribed by My Pen of Glory in My Scrolls and Tablets. ...Rejoice thou, at this moment, in the most exalted Station and the All-highest Paradise, and the Abhá Horizon, inasmuch as He Who is the Lord of Names hath remembered thee. We bear witness that thou didst attain unto all good, and that God hath so exalted thee, that all honor and glory circled around thee. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in a letter dated December 21, 1939; ‘Messages to America’)

[1] “the mother of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá”

Evening

August 29

Morning

Indeed the laws of God are like unto the ocean and the children of men as fish, did they but know it. However, in observing them one must exercise tact and wisdom.... Since most people are feeble and far-removed from the purpose of God, therefore one must observe tact and prudence under all conditions, so that nothing might happen that could cause disturbance and dissension or raise clamour among the heedless. Verily, His bounty hath surpassed the whole universe and His bestowals encompassed all that dwell on earth. One must guide mankind to the ocean of true understanding in a spirit of love and tolerance. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas itself beareth eloquent testimony to the loving providence of God." 

- Baha'u'llah  (Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

Evening

August 28

Morning

The hour is approaching when the most great convulsion will have appeared... I swear by God! The promised day is come, the day when tormenting trials will have surged above your heads, and beneath your feet, saying: ‘Taste ye, what your hands have wrought.’ 

- Baha’u’llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in a letter dated July 28, 1939; ‘Messages to America’)

Evening

August 27

Morning

Upon thee [1], O Branch of God! be the remembrance of God and His praise, and the praise of all that dwell in the Realm of Immortality, and of all the denizens of the Kingdom of Names. Happy art thou in that thou hast been faithful to the Covenant of God and His Testament, until Thou didst sacrifice thyself before the face of thy Lord, the Almighty, the Unconstrained. Thou, in truth, hast been wronged, and to this testifieth the Beauty of Him, the Self-Subsisting. Thou didst, in the first days of thy life, bear that which hath caused all things to groan, and made every pillar to tremble. Happy is the one that remembereth thee, and draweth nigh, through thee, unto God, the Creator of the Morn. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in a letter dated December 21, 1939; ‘Messages to America’)

[1] The Purest Branch

Evening

August 26

Morning

Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to declare: “I am God,” He, verily, speaketh the truth, and no doubt attacheth thereto. For it hath been repeatedly demonstrated that through their Revelation, their attributes and names, the Revelation of God, His names and His attributes, are made manifest in the world. Thus, He hath revealed: “Those shafts were God’s, not Thine.” And also He saith: “In truth, they who plighted fealty unto Thee, really plighted that fealty unto God.” And were any of them to voice the utterance, “I am the Messenger of God,” He, also, speaketh the truth, the indubitable truth. Even as He saith: “Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but He is the Messenger of God.” Viewed in this light, they are all but Messengers of that ideal King, that unchangeable Essence. And were they all to proclaim, “I am the Seal of the Prophets,” they, verily, utter but the truth, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt. For they are all but one person, one soul, one spirit, one being, one revelation. They are all the manifestation of the “Beginning” and the “End,” the “First” and the “Last,” the “Seen” and the “Hidden”—all of which pertain to Him Who is the Innermost Spirit of Spirits and Eternal Essence of Essences. 

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

Evening

August 25

Morning

Meditate then upon the utterance of one of the Prophets as He intimated to the souls of men, through veiled allusions and hidden symbols, the glad-tidings of the One Who was to come after Him, that thou mayest know of a certainty that their words are inscrutable to all save those who are endued with an understanding heart. He saith: “His eyes were as a flame of fire”, and “brass-like were His feet”, and “out of His mouth goeth a two-edged sword”. [cf. Rev. 1:14–16; 2:18; 19:15] How could these words be literally interpreted? Were anyone to appear with all these signs, he would assuredly not be human. And how could any soul seek his company? Nay, should he appear in one city, even the inhabitants of the next would flee from him, nor would any soul dare approach him! Yet, shouldst thou reflect upon these statements, thou wouldst find them to be of such surpassing eloquence and clarity as to mark the loftiest heights of utterance and the epitome of wisdom. Methinks it is from them that the suns of eloquence have appeared and the stars of clarity have dawned forth and shone resplendent. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)

Evening

August 24

Morning

And when the entire creation was stirred up, and the whole earth was convulsed, and the sweet savors of Thy name, the All-Praised, had almost ceased to breathe over Thy realms, and the winds of Thy mercy had well-nigh been stilled throughout Thy dominions, Thou didst, through the power of Thy might, raise me up among Thy servants, and bid me to show forth Thy sovereignty amidst Thy people. Thereupon I arose before all Thy creatures, strengthened by Thy help and Thy power, and summoned all the multitudes unto Thee, and announced unto all Thy servants Thy favors and Thy gifts, and invited them to turn towards this Ocean, every drop of the waters of which crieth out, proclaiming unto all that are in heaven and on earth that He is, in truth, the Fountain of all life, and the Quickener of the entire creation, and the Object of the adoration of all worlds, and the Best-Beloved of every understanding heart, and the Desire of all them that are nigh unto Thee. 

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

Evening

August 23

Morning

Say: O people! The Tree of Life hath verily been planted in the heart of the heavenly paradise and bestoweth life in every direction. How can ye fail to perceive and recognize it? It will in truth aid thee to grasp all that this well-assured Soul hath disclosed unto thee of the essence of the divine mysteries. The Dove of holiness warbleth in the heaven of immortality and admonisheth thee to array thyself with a new vesture, wrought of steel to shield thee from the shafts of doubt concealed in the allusions of men, saying: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.” [John 3:5–7] 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)

Evening

August 22

Morning

The word of God which the Supreme Pen hath recorded on the second leaf of the Most Exalted Paradise is the following: The Pen of the Most High exhorteth, at this moment, the manifestations of authority and the sources of power, namely the kings, the sovereigns, the presidents, the rulers, the divines and the wise, and enjoineth them to uphold the cause of religion, and to cleave unto it. Religion is verily the chief instrument for the establishment of order in the world and of tranquillity amongst its peoples. The weakening of the pillars of religion hath strengthened the foolish and emboldened them and made them more arrogant. Verily I say: The greater the decline of religion, the more grievous the waywardness of the ungodly. This cannot but lead in the end to chaos and confusion. Hear Me, O men of insight, and be warned, ye who are endued with discernment! 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

Evening

August 21

Morning

Should your names fade from every mortal mind, and yet God be well pleased with you, ye will indeed be numbered among the treasures of His name, the Most Hidden.  Thus have We sent down Our verses that they may attract you unto the Source of all Lights, and acquaint you with the purpose of your Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.  Abstain, then, from all that hath been forbidden unto you in the Book, and eat of the lawful things which God hath provided for your sustenance.  Deprive not yourselves of His goodly bestowals, for He, verily, is the Most Generous, the Lord of grace abounding.  Subject not yourselves to excessive hardships, but follow the way We have made plain unto you through Our luminous verses and perspicuous proofs, and be not of the negligent. 

- Baha'u'llah  (Suriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)

Evening