February 19
O friend! As hearing ears are scarce to find, the pen hath
for some time remained silent in its quarters. In truth, matters have come to
such a pass that silence hath taken precedence over utterance and hath come to
be regarded as preferable. Say: O people! These words are being uttered in due
measure, that the newly born may thrive and the tender shoot flourish. Milk
should be given in suitable proportion, that the children
of the world may attain to the station of maturity and abide in the court of
oneness. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to
Mánikchí Sáhib and Other Writings’)
February 18
February 17
Ye have been forbidden to commit murder or adultery, or to
engage in backbiting or calumny; shun ye, then, what hath been prohibited in
the holy Books and Tablets. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
February 16
By God! This is the
Day wherein the undying Fire crieth out from within all created things: “The Best-Beloved of the worlds is
come!” And before all things there
standeth a Moses, hearkening to the Word of thy Lord, the Almighty, the
All-Knowing. Were We to divest Ourself
of the mortal raiment which We have worn in consideration of your weakness, all
that are in heaven and on earth would offer up their souls for My sake. To this thy Lord Himself doth testify. None, however, can perceive it save those who
have detached themselves from all things for love of their Lord, the Almighty,
the Most Powerful. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Ra’ís,
Tablet addressed to ‘Álí Páshá, the Ottoman Prime Minister, ‘The Summons
of the Lord of Hosts’)
February 15
Love accepteth no existence and wisheth no life: He seeth life in death, and in shame seeketh glory. To merit the madness of love, man must abound in sanity; to merit the bonds of the Friend, he must be full of spirit. Blessed the neck that is caught in His noose, happy the head that falleth on the dust in the pathway of His love. Wherefore, O friend, give up thy self that thou mayest find the Peerless One, pass by this mortal earth that thou mayest seek a home in the nest of heaven. Be as naught, if thou wouldst kindle the fire of being and be fit for the pathway of love. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys’)
February 14
The hearts of Thy chosen ones, O my Lord, have melted because of their separation from Thee, and the souls of Thy loved ones are burnt up by the fire of their yearning after Thee in Thy days. I implore Thee, O Thou Maker of the heavens and Lord of all names, by Thy most effulgent Self and Thy most exalted and all-glorious Remembrance, to send down upon Thy loved ones that which will draw them nearer unto Thee, and enable them to hearken unto Thine utterances.
Tear asunder with the hand of Thy transcendent power, O my Lord, the veil of vain imaginings, that they who are wholly devoted to Thee may see Thee seated on the throne of Thy majesty, and the eyes of such as adore Thy unity may rejoice at the splendors of the glory of Thy face. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
Tear asunder with the hand of Thy transcendent power, O my Lord, the veil of vain imaginings, that they who are wholly devoted to Thee may see Thee seated on the throne of Thy majesty, and the eyes of such as adore Thy unity may rejoice at the splendors of the glory of Thy face. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
February 13
This servant will now share with thee a dewdrop out of the
fathomless ocean of the truths treasured in these holy words, that haply
discerning hearts may comprehend all the allusions and the implications of the
utterances of the Manifestations of Holiness, so that the overpowering majesty
of the Word of God may not prevent them from attaining unto the ocean of His
names and attributes, nor deprive them of recognizing the Lamp of God which is
the seat of the revelation of His glorified Essence. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Kitab-i-Iqan’)
February 12
Say: The tongue hath been created to bear witness to My
truth; defile it not with falsehood. The heart is the treasury of My mystery;
surrender it not into the hand of covetous desires. We fain would hope that in
this resplendent morn, when the effulgent rays of the Sun of divine knowledge
have enveloped the whole earth, we may all attain unto the good pleasure of the
Friend and drink our fill from the ocean of His recognition. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
February 11
O King! The stars of the heaven of knowledge have fallen,
they who seek to establish the truth of My Cause through the things they
possess, and who make mention of God in My Name. And yet, when I came unto them
in My glory, they turned aside. They, indeed, are of the fallen. This is,
truly, that which the Spirit of God (Jesus Christ) hath announced, when He came
with truth unto you, He with Whom the Jewish doctors disputed, till at last they perpetrated what hath made the Holy Spirit to lament,
and the tears of them that have near access to God to flow. (Baha’u’llah, from
a Tablet to Napoleon, ‘Epistle to
the Son of the Wolf’)
February 10
O FRIEND! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the
rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy
hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship
with the ungodly. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’) (For an
explanation by Shoghi Effendi please visit Daily Spiritual Food for Thought)
February 9
It hath been ordained that every believer in God, the Lord
of Judgement, shall, each day, having washed his hands and then his face, seat
himself and, turning unto God, repeat “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times. Such
was the decree of the Maker of the Heavens when, with majesty and power, He
established Himself upon the thrones of His Names. Perform ye, likewise,
ablutions for the Obligatory Prayer; this is the command of God, the
Incomparable, the Unrestrained. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’) (For an explanation by the Universal House of Justice please see Daily Spiritual Food for Thought)
February 8
Do not say, ‘How can He speak of God while in truth His age
is no more than twenty-five?’ Give ye ear unto Me. I swear by the Lord of the
heavens and of the earth: I am verily a servant of God. I have been made the
Bearer of irrefutable proofs from the presence of Him Who is the long-expected
Remnant of God. Here is My Book before your eyes, as indeed inscribed in the
presence of God in the Mother Book. God hath indeed made Me blessed,
wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon Me to observe prayer and fortitude
so long as I shall live on earth amongst you. (The Báb, an excerpt from the
Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
February 7
O Ears of this Temple! Purge yourselves from all idle clamour and hearken unto the voice of
your Lord. He, verily, revealeth unto
you, from the Throne of glory, that there is none other God save Me, the
All-Glorious, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Erelong shall We bring into being through you
pure and undefiled ears which will heed the Word of God and that which hath
appeared from the Dayspring of the Utterance of your Lord, the
All-Merciful. They shall assuredly
perceive the sweet accents of Divine Revelation that proceed from these most
blessed and hallowed precincts. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of
the Lord of Hosts’)
February 6
Do men imagine that We are far distant from the people of
the world? Nay, the day We cause them to be assailed by the pangs of death [Qur’án
68:42] they shall, upon the plain of Resurrection, behold how the Lord of Mercy
and His Remembrance were near. Thereupon they shall exclaim: ‘Would that we had
followed the path of the Báb! Would that we had sought refuge only with Him,
and not with men of perversity and error! For verily the Remembrance of God
appeared before us, [Qur’án 7:63, 69] behind us, and on all sides, yet we were,
in very truth, shut out as by a veil from Him.’ (The Báb, an excerpt from the
Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
February 5
The breezes of the Most Merciful have passed over all
created things; happy the man that hath discovered their fragrance, and set
himself towards them with a sound heart. Attire thy temple with the ornament of
My Name, and thy tongue with remembrance of Me, and thine heart with love for
Me, the Almighty, the Most High. We have desired for thee naught except that
which is better for thee than what thou dost possess and all the treasures of
the earth. Thy Lord, verily, is knowing, informed of all. Arise, in My Name,
amongst My servants, and say: ‘O ye peoples of the earth! Turn yourselves
towards Him Who hath turned towards you. He, verily, is the Face of God amongst
you, and His Testimony and His Guide unto you. He hath come to you with signs
which none can produce.’ The voice of the Burning Bush is raised in the midmost
heart of the world, and the Holy Spirit calleth aloud among the nations: ‘Lo,
the Desired One is come with manifest dominion!’ (Baha’u’llah, from a Tablet to
Napoleon, ‘Epistle to the
Son of the Wolf’)
February 4
On the appearance of fearful natural events call ye to mind
the might and majesty of your Lord, He Who heareth and seeth all, and say
“Dominion is God’s, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of creation”.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
February 3
Consider the past. How many, both high and low, have, at all
times, yearningly awaited the advent of the Manifestations of God in the
sanctified persons of His chosen Ones. How often have they expected His coming,
how frequently have they prayed that the breeze of Divine mercy might blow, and
the promised Beauty step forth from behind the veil of concealment, and be made
manifest to all the world. And whensoever the portals of grace did open, and
the clouds of divine bounty did rain upon mankind, and the light of the Unseen
did shine above the horizon of celestial might, they all denied Him, and turned
away from His face—the face of God Himself....
Reflect, what could have been the motive for such deeds? What could have prompted such behavior towards the Revealers of the beauty of the All-Glorious? (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
Reflect, what could have been the motive for such deeds? What could have prompted such behavior towards the Revealers of the beauty of the All-Glorious? (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
February 2
O thou who hast set foot in the wilderness of knowledge and
taken abode within the ark of wisdom! Not until thou hast grasped the mysteries
concealed in that which We shall relate unto thee canst thou hope to attain to
the stations of faith and certitude in the Cause of God and in those who are
the Manifestations of His Cause, the Daysprings of His Command, the Treasuries
of His revelation, and the Repositories of His knowledge. Shouldst thou fail in
this, thou wouldst be numbered with them that have not striven for the Cause of
God, nor inhaled the fragrance of faith from the raiment of certitude, nor
scaled the heights of the divine unity, nor yet recognized the stations of
divine singleness within the Embodiments of praise and the Essences of
sanctity.
Strive then, O My brother, to apprehend this matter, that the veils may be lifted from the face of thy heart and that thou mayest be reckoned among them whom God hath graced with such penetrating vision as to behold the most subtle realities of His dominion, to fathom the mysteries of His kingdom, to perceive the signs of His transcendent Essence in this mortal world, and to attain a station wherein one seeth no distinction amongst His creatures and findeth no flaw in the creation of the heavens and the earth. [Qur’án 67:3] (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
Strive then, O My brother, to apprehend this matter, that the veils may be lifted from the face of thy heart and that thou mayest be reckoned among them whom God hath graced with such penetrating vision as to behold the most subtle realities of His dominion, to fathom the mysteries of His kingdom, to perceive the signs of His transcendent Essence in this mortal world, and to attain a station wherein one seeth no distinction amongst His creatures and findeth no flaw in the creation of the heavens and the earth. [Qur’án 67:3] (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
February 1
O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight
is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not
that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and
not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not
through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it
behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My
loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words
of Baha’u’llah’)
January 31
Say: O ye that have eyes to see! The past is the mirror of the
future. Gaze ye therein and be apprised thereof; perchance ye may be aided
thereby to recognize the Friend and may be not the cause of His displeasure. In
this day the choicest fruit of the tree of knowledge is that which serveth the
welfare of humanity and safeguardeth its interests. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
January 30
O Eyes of this Temple!
Look not upon the heavens and that which they contain, nor upon the
earth and them that dwell thereon, for We have created you to behold Our own
Beauty: See it now before you! Withhold not your gaze therefrom, and deprive
not yourselves of the Beauty of your Lord, the All-Glorious, the
Best-Beloved. Erelong shall We bring
into being through you keen and penetrating eyes that will contemplate the manifold signs of their
Creator and turn away from all that is perceived by the people of the
world. Through you shall We bestow the
power of vision upon whomsoever We desire, and lay hold upon those who have
deprived themselves of this gracious bounty.
These, verily, have drunk from the cup of delusion, though they perceive
it not. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of
Hosts’)
January 29
Everything that is hath come to be through His irresistible decree. Whenever My laws appear like the sun in the heaven of Mine utterance, they must be faithfully obeyed by all, though My decree be such as to cause the heaven of every religion to be cleft asunder. He doeth what He pleaseth. He chooseth, and none may question His choice. Whatsoever He, the Well-Beloved, ordaineth, the same is, verily, beloved. To this He Who is the Lord of all creation beareth Me witness. Whoso hath inhaled the sweet fragrance of the All-Merciful, and recognized the Source of this utterance, will welcome with his own eyes the shafts of the enemy, that he may establish the truth of the laws of God amongst men. Well is it with him that hath turned thereunto, and apprehended the meaning of His decisive decree. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
January 28
Open Thou, O my Lord, mine eyes and the eyes of all them
that have sought Thee, that we may recognize Thee with Thine own eyes. This is
Thy bidding given us in the Book sent down by Thee unto Him Whom Thou hast
chosen by Thy behest, Whom Thou hast singled out for Thy favor above all Thy
creatures, Whom Thou hast been pleased to invest with Thy sovereignty, and Whom
Thou hast specially favored and entrusted with Thy Message unto Thy people.
Praised be Thou, therefore, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast graciously enabled
us to recognize Him and to acknowledge whatsoever hath been sent down unto Him,
and conferred upon us the honor of attaining the presence of the One Whom Thou
didst promise in Thy Book and in Thy Tablets. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and
Meditations of Baha’u’llah’)
January 27
… another verse in the Gospel wherein He saith: “Heaven and
earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away.”[Luke 21:33]Thus it
is that the adherents of Jesus maintained that the law of the Gospel shall
never be annulled, and that whensoever the promised Beauty is made manifest and
all the signs are revealed, He must needs re-affirm and establish the law
proclaimed in the Gospel, so that there may remain in the world no faith but
His faith. This is their fundamental belief. And their conviction is such that
were a person to be made manifest with all the promised signs and to promulgate
that which is contrary to the letter of the law of the Gospel, they must
assuredly renounce him, refuse to submit to his law, declare him an infidel,
and laugh him to scorn. This is proved by that which came to pass when the sun
of the Muhammadan Revelation was revealed. Had they sought with a humble mind
from the Manifestations of God in every Dispensation the true meaning of these
words revealed in the sacred books—words the misapprehension of which hath
caused men to be deprived of the recognition of the Sadratu’l-Muntahá, the
ultimate Purpose—they surely would have been guided to the light of the Sun of
Truth, and would have discovered the mysteries of divine knowledge and wisdom.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
January 26
In His Name, the Exalted, the All-Highest, the Most Sublime!
Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! O Thou Who art my God, and my Master, and my Lord, and my Support, and my Hope, and my Refuge, and my Light. I ask of Thee, by Thine Hidden and Treasured Name, that none knoweth save Thine own Self, to protect the bearer of this Tablet from every calamity and pestilence, and from every wicked man and woman; from the evil of the evil-doers, and from the scheming of the unbelievers. Preserve him, moreover, O my God, from every pain and vexation, O Thou Who holdest in Thy hand the empire of all things. Thou, truly, art powerful over all things. Thou doest as Thou willest, and ordainest as Thou pleasest.
Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! O Thou Who art my God, and my Master, and my Lord, and my Support, and my Hope, and my Refuge, and my Light. I ask of Thee, by Thine Hidden and Treasured Name, that none knoweth save Thine own Self, to protect the bearer of this Tablet from every calamity and pestilence, and from every wicked man and woman; from the evil of the evil-doers, and from the scheming of the unbelievers. Preserve him, moreover, O my God, from every pain and vexation, O Thou Who holdest in Thy hand the empire of all things. Thou, truly, art powerful over all things. Thou doest as Thou willest, and ordainest as Thou pleasest.
January 25
The incomparable Friend saith: The path to freedom hath been
outstretched; hasten ye thereunto. The wellspring of wisdom is overflowing;
quaff ye therefrom. Say: O well-beloved ones! The tabernacle of unity hath been
raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one tree,
and the leaves of one branch. Verily I say, whatsoever leadeth to the decline
of ignorance and the increase of knowledge hath been, and will ever remain,
approved in the sight of the Lord of creation. Say: O people! Walk ye neath the
shadow of justice and truthfulness and seek ye shelter within the tabernacle of
unity. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to
Mánikchí Sáhib and Other Writings’)
January 24
Know then that it behoveth thine eminence to ponder from the
outset these questions in thy heart: What hath prompted the divers peoples and
kindreds of the earth to reject the Apostles whom God hath sent unto them in
His might and power, whom He hath raised up to exalt His Cause and ordained to
be the Lamps of eternity within the Niche of His oneness? For what reason have
the people turned aside from them, disputed about them, risen against and
contended with them? On what grounds have they refused to acknowledge their
apostleship and authority, nay, denied their truth and reviled their persons,
even slaying or banishing them? (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
January 23
Bestir yourselves, O people, in anticipation of the days of
Divine justice, for the promised hour is now come. Beware lest ye fail to
apprehend its import and be accounted among the erring. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
January 22
The eighth Glad-Tidings
The pious deeds of the monks and priests among the followers of the Spirit [Jesus] —upon Him be the peace of God—are remembered in His presence. In this Day, however, let them give up the life of seclusion and direct their steps towards the open world and busy themselves with that which will profit themselves and others. We have granted them leave to enter into wedlock that they may bring forth one who will make mention of God, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of the Exalted Throne. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
The pious deeds of the monks and priests among the followers of the Spirit [Jesus] —upon Him be the peace of God—are remembered in His presence. In this Day, however, let them give up the life of seclusion and direct their steps towards the open world and busy themselves with that which will profit themselves and others. We have granted them leave to enter into wedlock that they may bring forth one who will make mention of God, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of the Exalted Throne. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
January 21
Give ear, O King, unto the Voice that calleth from the Fire
which burneth in this verdant Tree, on this Sinai which hath been raised above the
hallowed and snow-white Spot, beyond the Everlasting City; ‘Verily, there is
none other God but Me, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful!’ We, in truth,
have sent Him Whom We aided with the Holy Spirit (Jesus Christ) that He may
announce unto you this Light that hath shone forth from the horizon of the will
of your Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and Whose signs have been
revealed in the West. Set your faces towards Him (Bahá’u’lláh), on this Day
which God hath exalted above all other days, and whereon the All-Merciful hath
shed the splendor of His effulgent glory upon all who are in heaven and all who
are on earth. Arise thou to serve God and help His Cause. He, verily, will
assist thee with the hosts of the seen and unseen, and will set thee king over
all that whereon the sun riseth. Thy Lord, in truth, is the All-Powerful, the
Almighty. (Baha’u’llah, from a Tablet to Napoleon, ‘Epistle to
the Son of the Wolf’)
January 20
O thou who treadest the path of justice and beholdest the
countenance of mercy! Thine epistle was received, thy question was noted, and
the sweet accents of thy soul were heard from the inmost chambers of thy heart.
Whereupon the clouds of the Divine Will were raised to rain upon thee the
outpourings of heavenly wisdom, to divest thee of all that thou hadst acquired
aforetime, to draw thee from the realms of contradiction unto the retreats of
oneness, and to lead thee to the sacred streams of His Law. Perchance thou
mayest quaff therefrom, repose therein, quench thy thirst, refresh thy soul,
and be numbered with those whom the light of God hath guided aright in this
day.
Encompassed as I am at this time by the dogs of the earth and the beasts of every land, concealed as I remain in the hidden habitation of Mine inner Being, forbidden as I may be from divulging that which God hath bestowed upon Me of the wonders of His knowledge, the gems of His wisdom, and the tokens of His power, yet am I loath to frustrate the hopes of one who hath approached the sanctuary of grandeur, sought to enter within the precincts of eternity, and aspired to soar in the immensity of this creation at the dawning of the divine decree. I shall therefore relate unto thee certain truths from among those which God hath vouchsafed unto Me, this only to the extent that souls can bear and minds endure, lest the malicious raise a clamour or the dissemblers hoist their banners. I implore God to graciously aid Me in this, for unto such as beseech Him, He is the All-Bounteous, and of those who show mercy, He is the Most Merciful. (Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
Encompassed as I am at this time by the dogs of the earth and the beasts of every land, concealed as I remain in the hidden habitation of Mine inner Being, forbidden as I may be from divulging that which God hath bestowed upon Me of the wonders of His knowledge, the gems of His wisdom, and the tokens of His power, yet am I loath to frustrate the hopes of one who hath approached the sanctuary of grandeur, sought to enter within the precincts of eternity, and aspired to soar in the immensity of this creation at the dawning of the divine decree. I shall therefore relate unto thee certain truths from among those which God hath vouchsafed unto Me, this only to the extent that souls can bear and minds endure, lest the malicious raise a clamour or the dissemblers hoist their banners. I implore God to graciously aid Me in this, for unto such as beseech Him, He is the All-Bounteous, and of those who show mercy, He is the Most Merciful. (Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
January 19
O concourse of the people of the Book! Fear ye God and pride
not yourselves in your learning. Follow ye the Book which His Remembrance hath
revealed in praise of God, the True One. He Who is the Eternal Truth beareth me
witness, whoso followeth this Book hath indeed followed all the past Scriptures
which have been sent down from heaven by God, the Sovereign Truth. Verily, He
is well informed of what ye do... (The Báb, from the Qayyumu’l-Asma,
‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
January 18
The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the
earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures,
have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the Law of God, and
Jerusalem, and the hills and land thereof, are filled with the glory of His
Revelation. Happy is the man that pondereth in his heart that which hath been
revealed in the Books of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Meditate
upon this, O ye beloved of God, and let your ears be attentive unto His Word,
so that ye may, by His grace and mercy, drink your fill from the crystal waters
of constancy, and become as steadfast and immovable as the mountain in His
Cause. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah')
January 17
We have enjoined obligatory prayer upon you, with nine
rak’áhs, to be offered at noon and in the morning and the evening unto God, the
Revealer of Verses. We have relieved you of a greater number, as a command in
the Book of God. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the Omnipotent, the Unrestrained.
When ye desire to perform this prayer, turn ye towards the Court of My Most
Holy Presence, this Hallowed Spot that God hath made the Centre round which
circle the Concourse on High, and which He hath decreed to be the Point of
Adoration for the denizens of the Cities of Eternity, and the Source of Command
unto all that are in heaven and on earth; and when the Sun of Truth and
Utterance shall set, turn your faces towards the Spot that We have ordained for
you. He, verily, is Almighty and Omniscient. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
(For additional explanation please visit ‘Daily Spiritual Food for Thought’)
January 16
When the oppression and afflictions that are to befall
mankind will have come to pass, then shall the sun be withheld from shining,
the moon from giving light, the stars of heaven shall fall upon the earth, and
the pillars of the earth shall quake. At that time, the signs of the Son of man
shall appear in heaven, that is, the promised Beauty and Substance of life
shall, when these signs have appeared, step forth out of the realm of the
invisible into the visible world. And He saith: at that time, all the peoples
and kindreds that dwell on earth shall bewail and lament, and they shall see
that divine Beauty coming from heaven, riding upon the clouds with power,
grandeur, and magnificence, sending His angels with a great sound of a trumpet.
Similarly, in the three other Gospels, according to Luke, Mark, and John, the
same statements are recorded. As We have referred at length to these in Our
Tablets revealed in the Arabic tongue, We have made no mention of them in these
pages, and have confined Ourselves to but one reference.
Inasmuch as the Christian divines have failed to apprehend the meaning of these words, and did not recognize their object and purpose, and have clung to the literal interpretation of the words of Jesus, they therefore became deprived of the streaming grace of the Muhammadan Revelation and its showering bounties. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
Inasmuch as the Christian divines have failed to apprehend the meaning of these words, and did not recognize their object and purpose, and have clung to the literal interpretation of the words of Jesus, they therefore became deprived of the streaming grace of the Muhammadan Revelation and its showering bounties. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
January 15
By the righteousness of God! These are the days in which God
hath proved the hearts of the entire company of His Messengers and Prophets,
and beyond them those that stand guard over His sacred and inviolable
Sanctuary, the inmates of the celestial Pavilion and dwellers of the Tabernacle
of Glory. How severe, therefore, the test to which they who join partners with
God must needs be subjected! (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
January 14
Magnified be Thy name, O my God! I testify that if Thy
servants were to turn towards Thee with the eyes Thou
didst create in them and with the ears wherewith Thou didst endow them, they
would all be carried away by a single word sent down from the right hand of the
throne of Thy majesty. That word alone would suffice to brighten their faces,
and to assure their hearts, and to cause their souls to soar up to the
atmosphere of Thy great glory, and to ascend into the heaven of Thy
sovereignty. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah)
January 13
You should exhort all the friends to patience, to acquiescence,
and to tranquillity, saying: O ye loved ones of God in that land! Ye are
glorified in all the worlds of God because of your relationship to Him Who is
the Eternal Truth, but in your lives on this earthly plane, which pass away as
a fleeting moment, ye are afflicted with abasement. For the sake of the one
true God, ye have been reviled and persecuted, ye have been imprisoned, and
surrendered your lives in His path. Ye should not, however, by reason of the
tyrannical acts of some heedless souls, transgress the limits of God's
commandments by contending with anyone. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Bahá'í World vol.
XVIII’; The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, Crisis and Victory)
January 12
O Living Temple!
Through Thee have We gathered together all created things, whether in
the heavens or on the earth, and called them to account for that which We had
covenanted with them before the foundation of the world. And lo, but for a few radiant faces and
eloquent tongues, We found most of the people dumbfounded, their eyes staring
up in fear. From the former We brought
forth the creation of all that hath been and all that shall be. These are they whose countenances God hath
graciously turned away from the face of the unbelievers, and whom He hath
sheltered beneath the shadow of the Tree of His own Being; they upon whose
hearts He hath bestowed the gift of peace and tranquillity, and whom He hath
strengthened and assisted through the hosts of the seen and the unseen. (Baha’u’llah,
Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
January 11
I entreat Thee to enable me to cleave steadfastly to Thy
Love and Thy remembrance. This is, verily, within my power, and Thou art the One
that knoweth all that is in me. Thou, in truth, art knowing, apprised of all.
Deprive me not, O my Lord, of the splendors of the light of Thy face, whose
brightness hath illuminated the whole world. No God is
there beside Thee, the Most Powerful, the All-Glorious, the Ever-Forgiving.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah)
January 10
January 9
In regard to thy mention of the setting in order of the
verses and epistles - this undertaking is accounted one of the greatest of
deeds by Him Who is the All-Sufficing, the Exalted. . . The greater portion of
the writings and verses have fallen into the hands of the infidels whether in
the Land of Tá or other lands. The people of God should do all that lieth
within their power to protect and preserve the Tablets. In the Land of Tá
whatever there was in the homes of the friends was taken and fell into the
hands of the heedless. We have commanded all to safeguard that which hath
proceeded from the Pen of the Most High. We ask God to aid them to act in
accordance with His wish and desire, and to draw them nigh to Him. He, verily,
is the Almighty, the Powerful. (Baha’u’llah, compilation ‘Importance of
collecting and safeguarding Baha’i Writings’, prepared by Baha’i International
Archives; published in Baha’i Studies Review, no. 11, 2003)
January 8
Arise ye, under all conditions, to render service to the
Cause, for God will assuredly assist you through the power of His sovereignty
which overshadoweth the worlds. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’; compilation ‘Unlocking
the Power of Action’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal
House of Justice)
January 7
Know thou of a certainty that whenever thou makest mention
of Him Whom God shall make manifest, only then art thou making mention of God.
In like manner shouldst thou hearken unto the verses of the Bayán and acknowledge its truth, only then would the revealed verses
of God profit thee. Otherwise what benefit canst thou derive therefrom? For
wert thou to prostrate thyself in adoration from the beginning of life till the
end and to spend thy days for the sake of God’s remembrance, but disbelieve in
the Exponent of His Revelation for the age, dost thou imagine that thy deeds
would confer any benefit upon thee? On the other hand, if thou believest in Him
and dost recognize Him with true understanding, and He saith: ‘I have accepted
thine entire life spent in My adoration’, then assuredly hast thou been
worshipping Him most ardently. Thy purpose in performing thy deeds is that God
may graciously accept them; and divine acceptance can in no wise be achieved
except through the acceptance of Him Who is the Exponent of His Revelation. For
instance, if the Apostle of God—may divine blessings rest upon Him—accepted a
certain deed, in truth God accepted it; otherwise it hath remained within the
selfish desires of the person who wrought it, and did not reach the presence of
God. Likewise, any act which is accepted by the Point of the Bayán is accepted
by God, inasmuch as the contingent world hath no other access unto the presence
of the Ancient of Days. Whatever is sent down cometh through the Exponent of
His Revelation, and whatever ascendeth, ascendeth unto the Exponent of His
Revelation. (The Báb, excerpt from the Persian Bayan, ‘Selections from the
Writings of the Báb)
January 6
He Who is the Heart and Center of the Bayán hath written:
“The germ that holdeth within itself the potentialities of the Revelation that
is to come is endowed with a potency superior to the combined forces of all
those who follow Me.” And, again, He saith: “Of all the tributes I have paid to
Him Who is to come after Me, the greatest is this, My written confession, that
no words of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor can any reference to Him in
My Book, the Bayán, do justice to His Cause.”
Whoso hath searched the depths of the oceans that lie hid
within these exalted words, and fathomed their import, can be said to have
discovered a glimmer of the unspeakable glory with which this mighty, this
sublime, and most holy Revelation hath been endowed. From the excellence of so
great a Revelation the honor with which its faithful followers must needs be
invested can be well imagined. By the righteousness of the one true God! The
very breath of these souls is in itself richer than all the treasures of the
earth. Happy is the man that hath attained thereunto, and woe betide the
heedless. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
January 5
There are people who every night until morning busy
themselves with the worship of God, and even at present when the Day-Star of
Truth is nearing its zenith in the heaven of its Revelation, they have not yet
left their prayer-rugs. If any one of them ever heard the wondrous verses of
God recited unto him, he would exclaim: ‘Why dost thou keep me back from
offering my prayers?’ O thou who are wrapt in veils! If thou makest mention of
God, wherefore sufferest thou thyself to be shut out from Him Who hath kindled
the light of worship in thy heart? If He had not previously revealed the
injunction: ‘Verily, make ye mention of God’[Qur’án 8:47;
33:41; 62:10], what would have prompted thee to offer devotion unto God, and
whereunto wouldst thou turn in prayer? (The Báb, excerpt from the Persian
Bayan, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
January 4
O SON OF BEING! Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’) (For an explanation by ‘Abdu’l-Baha please visit Daily Spiritual Food for Thought)
January 3
You have asked regarding the heavenly books. The pulse of
the world is in the hand of the skillful Physician. He diagnoses the illness
and wisely prescribes the remedy. Every day has its own secret, and every
tongue a melody. The illness of today has one cure and that of tomorrow
another. Look ye upon this day, and consider, and discuss its needs. One sees
that existence is afflicted with innumerable ailments, compelling it to lie
upon the bed of suffering. Men who are intoxicated with the wine of
self-contemplation prevent the wise physician from reaching the patient. Thus
they cause themselves and the world to suffer. They know not the ailment nor
recognize the remedy. They take the wrong for the right, the crooked for the straight,
the enemy for the friend.
Harken ye to the melody of this Prisoner! Stand up and proclaim; perchance those who are asleep may awaken. Say, O ye dead ones, the generous hand of the Almighty is passing around the water of eternal life. Hasten ye and drink. Whosoever becomes alive in this Day shall never die, and whosoever dies in this Day can never find life. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Baha'i Scriptures’)
Harken ye to the melody of this Prisoner! Stand up and proclaim; perchance those who are asleep may awaken. Say, O ye dead ones, the generous hand of the Almighty is passing around the water of eternal life. Hasten ye and drink. Whosoever becomes alive in this Day shall never die, and whosoever dies in this Day can never find life. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Baha'i Scriptures’)
January 2
O Pen of the Most High!
Hearken unto the Call of Thy Lord, raised from the Divine Lote-Tree in
the holy and luminous Spot, that the sweet accents of Thy Lord, the
All-Merciful, may fill Thy soul with joy and fervour, and that the breezes that
waft from My name, the Ever-Forgiving, may dispel Thy cares and sorrows. Raise up, then, from this Temple, the temples
of the Oneness of God, that they may tell out, in the kingdom of creation, the
tidings of their Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and be of them that
are illumined by His light. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the
Lord of Hosts’)
January 1
How vast is the tabernacle of the Cause of God! It hath
overshadowed all the peoples and kindreds of the earth, and will, ere long,
gather together the whole of mankind beneath its shelter. Thy day of service is
now come… Arise for the triumph of My Cause, and, through the power of thine
utterance, subdue the hearts of men. Thou must show forth that which will
ensure the peace and the well-being of the miserable and the downtrodden. Gird
up the loins of thine endeavour, that perchance thou mayest release the captive
from his chains, and enable him to attain unto true liberty. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets
of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
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