He—blessed and exalted be He—saith: “It is God Who hath
reared the heavens without pillars thou canst behold; then mounted His throne,
and imposed laws on the sun and moon: each traveleth to its appointed goal. He
ordereth all things. He maketh His signs clear, that ye may have firm faith in
the Presence of your Lord.” [Qur’an, Surih 13: Thunder]
- Baha’u’llah (‘Epistle
to the Son of the Wolf’)
October 25
Say, how dare ye flagrantly deny the verses sent down from
the heaven of justice, yet ye read the Books of God revealed in the past? How
do ye repudiate the meeting with your Lord which was appointed with you
aforetime, and fail in this Day to heed His warning? Indeed, by adhering to
forms and by following the promptings of your selfish desires, ye have deprived
yourselves of the good-pleasure of your Lord, except those whom their Lord hath
endowed with knowledge and who in this Day render thanks unto Him for the
bounty of being identified with the true Faith of God. Therefore announce ye
the Message unto those who manifest virtue and teach them the ways of the One
True God, that haply they may comprehend.
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
October 24
Strive thou, that haply thou mayest achieve a deed the
fragrance of which shall never fade from the earth.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
- Baha’u’llah (‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
October 23
Reflect, O Shaykh, upon the Shí’ih sect. How many the
edifices which they reared with the hands of idle fancies and vain imaginings,
and how numerous the cities which they built! At length those vain imaginings
were converted into bullets and aimed at Him Who is the Prince of the world.
Not one single soul among the leaders of that sect acknowledged Him in the Day
of His Revelation! Whenever His blessed name was mentioned, all would say: “May
God hasten the joy His coming will bring!” On the day of the Revelation of that
Sun of Truth, however, all, as hath been observed, have exclaimed, saying: “May
God hasten His chastisement!” He Who was the Essence of being and Lord of the
seen and unseen they suspended, and committed what made the Tablet to weep, and
the Pen to groan, and the cries of the sincere to break forth, and the tears of
the favored ones to flow.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
- Baha’u’llah (‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
October 22
This mortal life is sure to perish; its pleasures are bound
to fade away and ere long ye shall return unto God, distressed with pangs of
remorse, for presently ye shall be roused from your slumber, and ye shall soon
find yourselves in the presence of God and will be asked of your doings.
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
October 21
The distinguished Sáhib, [1] may God graciously aid him,
hath written that the Hindus and Zoroastrians do not permit or welcome outsiders
who wish to join their ranks. This runneth counter to the purpose underlying
the advent of the Messengers of God and to that which hath been revealed in
their Books. For those Who have appeared at God’s behest have been entrusted
with the guidance and education of all people. How could they debar a seeker
from the object of his quest, or forbid a wayfarer from the desire of his
heart? The fire-temples of the world stand as eloquent testimony to this truth.
In their time they summoned, with burning zeal, all the inhabitants of the
earth to Him Who is the Spirit of purity.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Tabernacle of Unity’)
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Tabernacle of Unity’)
[1] Mánikchí Limjí Hataria (1813–1890), also known as
Mánikchí (Manekji) Sáhib, born in India of Zoroastrian parents.
October 20
…in reality it [the Qur’an] hath been interpreted in
numerous ways and translated into countless languages. That which men have been
unable to grasp are its hidden mysteries and inner meanings. And all that they
have said or will say is limited in scope and should be seen as commensurate
with their rank and station. For none can fathom its true meaning save God, the
One, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Tabernacle of Unity’)
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Tabernacle of Unity’)
October 19
Yield thee thanks unto God, for He hath graciously aided
thee in this Day, revealed for thee the clear verses of this Tablet, and hath
numbered thee among such women as have believed in the signs of God, have taken
Him as their guardian and are of the grateful. Verily God shall soon reward
thee and those who have believed in His signs with an excellent reward from His
presence. Assuredly no God is there other than Him, the All-Possessing, the
Most Generous. The revelations of His bounty pervade all created things; He is
the Merciful, the Compassionate.
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
October 18
God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His are
the kingdoms in the heavens and on the earth and all that is between them. He
is exalted above the comprehension of all things, and is inscrutable to the
mind of every created being; none shall be able to fathom the oneness of His
Being or to unravel the nature of His Existence. No peer or likeness, no
similitude or equal can ever be joined with Him. Yield ye praise then unto Him
and glorify Him and bear ye witness to the sanctity and oneness of His Being
and magnify His might and majesty with wondrous glorification.
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)
October 17
Say, God hath undisputed triumph over every victorious one.
There is no one in heaven or earth or in whatever lieth between them who can
frustrate the transcendent supremacy of His triumph. He calleth into being
whatsoever He willeth through the potency of His behest. Verily God is the
mightiest Sustainer, the Helper and the Defender.
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb')
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb')
October 16
Say: O concourse of the heedless! 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 December 25, 1938, published as ‘The Advent of the Divine Justice’)
- Baha’u’llah (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in a letter dated December 25, 1938, published as ‘The Advent of the Divine Justice’)
October 15
…those who in every subsequent Dispensation preceded the
rest of mankind in embracing the Faith of God, who quaffed the clear waters of
knowledge at the hand of the divine Beauty, and attained the loftiest summits
of faith and certitude, these can be regarded, in name, in reality, in deeds,
in words, and in rank, as the “return” of those who in a former Dispensation
had achieved similar distinctions. For whatsoever the people of a former
Dispensation have manifested, the same hath been shown by the people of this
latter generation. Consider the rose: whether it blossometh in the East or in
the West, it is none the less a rose. For what mattereth in this respect is not
the outward shape and form of the rose, but rather the smell and fragrance
which it doth impart.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
October 14
The system of government which the British people have
adopted in London appeareth to be good, for it is adorned with the light of
both kingship and of the consultation of the people.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 13
Incline your hearts, O people of God, unto the counsels of
your true, your incomparable Friend. The Word of God may be likened unto a
sapling, whose roots have been implanted in the hearts of men. It is incumbent
upon you to foster its growth through the living waters of wisdom, of
sanctified and holy words, so that its root may become firmly fixed and its
branches may spread out as high as the heavens and beyond.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 12
Purge thy sight… from all earthly limitations, that thou
mayest behold them all as the bearers of one Name, the exponents of one Cause,
the manifestations of one Self, and the revealers of one Truth, and that thou
mayest apprehend the mystic “return” of the Words of God as unfolded by these
utterances.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
October 11
Should anyone wax angry with you, respond to him with
gentleness; and should anyone upbraid you, forbear to upbraid him in return,
but leave him to himself and put your trust in God, the omnipotent Avenger, the
Lord of might and justice.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 10
Ye have been enjoined to renew the furnishings of your homes
after the passing of each nineteen years; thus hath it been ordained by One Who
is Omniscient and All-Perceiving. He, verily, is desirous of refinement, both
for you yourselves and for all that ye possess; lay not aside the fear of God
and be not of the negligent. Whoso findeth that his means are insufficient to
this purpose hath been excused by God, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bounteous.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 9
Consider how a Pharisee who had worshipped God for seventy
years repudiated the Son when He appeared, whereas one who had committed
adultery gained admittance into the Kingdom.
Thus doth the Pen admonish thee as bidden by the Eternal King, that thou
mayest be apprised of what came to pass aforetime and be reckoned in this day
among them that truly believe.
- Baha'u'llah (Tablet to Napoleon III,
Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
October 8
O ye that dwell on earth! The distinguishing feature that
marketh the pre-eminent character of this Supreme Revelation consisteth in that
We have, on the one hand, blotted out from the pages of God’s holy Book
whatsoever hath been the cause of strife, of malice and mischief amongst the
children of men, and have, on the other, laid down the essential prerequisites
of concord, of understanding, of complete and enduring unity. Well is it with
them that keep My statutes.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed
after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 7
Ye have been prohibited from making use of pulpits. Whoso
wisheth to recite unto you the verses of his Lord, let him sit on a chair
placed upon a dais, that he may make mention of God, his Lord, and the Lord of
all mankind. It is pleasing to God that ye should seat yourselves on chairs and
benches as a mark of honour for the love ye bear for Him and for the
Manifestation of His glorious and resplendent Cause.
- Baha’u’llah (The
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 6
These same people, [1] though wrapt in all these veils of
limitation, and despite the restraint of such observances, as soon as they
drank the immortal draught of faith, from the cup of certitude, at the hand of
the Manifestation of the All-Glorious, were so transformed that they would
renounce for His sake their kindred, their substance, their lives, their
beliefs, yea, all else save God! So overpowering was their yearning for God, so
uplifting their transports of ecstatic delight, that the world and all that is
therein faded before their eyes into nothingness. Have not this people
exemplified the mysteries of “rebirth” and “return”? Hath it not been witnessed
that these same people, ere they were endued with the new and wondrous grace of
God, sought through innumerable devices, to ensure the protection of their
lives against destruction? Would not a thorn fill them with terror, and the
sight of a fox put them to flight? But once having been honoured with God’s
supreme distinction, and having been vouchsafed His bountiful grace, they
would, if they were able, have freely offered up ten thousand lives in His
path! Nay, their blessed souls, contemptuous of the cage of their bodies, would
yearn for deliverance. A single warrior of that host would face and fight a
multitude! And yet, how could they, but for the transformation wrought in their
lives, be capable of manifesting such deeds which are contrary to the ways of
men and incompatible with their worldly desires?
It is evident that nothing short of this mystic
transformation could cause such spirit and behaviour, so utterly unlike their
previous habits and manners, to be made manifest in the world of being. For
their agitation was turned into peace, their doubt into certitude, their
timidity into courage. Such is the potency of the Divine Elixir, which, swift
as the twinkling of an eye, transmuteth the souls of men!
- Baha’u’llah (‘The
Kitab-i-Iqan’)
[1] People at the time of Noah before they recognized the
Manifestation of God
October 5
Time and again have We admonished Our beloved ones to avoid,
nay to flee from, anything whatsoever from which the odour of mischief can be
detected. The world is in great turmoil, and the minds of its people are in a
state of utter confusion. We entreat the Almighty that He may graciously
illuminate them with the glory of His Justice, and enable them to discover that
which will be profitable unto them at all times and under all conditions. He,
verily is the All-Possessing, the Most High.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of
Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 4
O people of God! In this day everyone should fix his eyes
upon the horizon of these blessed words: ‘Alone and unaided He doeth whatsoever
He pleaseth.’ Whoso attaineth this station hath verily attained the light of
the essential unity of God and is enlightened thereby, while all others are
reckoned in the Book of God among the followers of idle fancy and vain
imagination. Incline your ears to the Voice of this Wronged One and safeguard
the integrity of your stations. It is highly necessary and imperative that
everyone should observe this matter.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah
revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 3
Behold, the “mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign of
the Sovereign” hath now been made manifest. Well is it with him whom God hath
aided to recognize the “Six” raised up by virtue of this “Upright Alif”; he,
verily, is of those whose faith is true. How many the outwardly pious who have
turned away, and how many the wayward who have drawn nigh, exclaiming: “All
praise be to Thee, O Thou the Desire of the worlds!” In truth, it is in the
hand of God to give what He willeth to whomsoever He willeth, and to withhold
what He pleaseth from whomsoever He may wish. He knoweth the inner secrets of
the hearts and the meaning hidden in a mocker’s wink. How many an embodiment of
heedlessness who came unto Us with purity of heart have We established upon the
seat of Our acceptance; and how many an exponent of wisdom have We in all
justice consigned to the fire. We are, in truth, the One to judge. He it is Who
is the manifestation of “God doeth whatsoever He pleaseth”, and abideth upon
the throne of “He ordaineth whatsoever He chooseth”.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 2
Gambling and the use of opium have been forbidden unto you.
Eschew them both, O people, and be not of those who transgress. Beware of using
any substance that induceth sluggishness and torpor in the human temple and
inflicteth harm upon the body. We, verily, desire for you naught save what
shall profit you, and to this bear witness all created things, had ye but ears
to hear.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 1
…consider the substance of copper. Were it to be protected
in its own mine from becoming solidified, it would, within the space of seventy
years, attain to the state of gold. There are some, however, who maintain that
copper itself is gold, which by becoming solidified is in a diseased condition,
and hath not therefore reached its own state.
Be that as it may, the real elixir will, in one instant,
cause the substance of copper to attain the state of gold, and will traverse
the seventy-year stages in a single moment. Could this gold be called copper?
Could it be claimed that it hath not attained the state of gold, whilst the
touch-stone is at hand to assay it and distinguish it from copper?
Likewise, these souls, through the potency of the Divine
Elixir, traverse, in the twinkling of an eye, the world of dust and advance
into the realm of holiness; and with one step cover the earth of limitations
and reach the domain of the Placeless. It behooveth thee to exert thine utmost
to attain unto this Elixir which, in one fleeting breath, causeth the west of
ignorance to reach the east of knowledge, illuminates the darkness of night
with the resplendence of the morn, guideth the wanderer in the wilderness of
doubt to the well-spring of the Divine Presence and Fount of certitude, and
conferreth upon mortal souls the honour of acceptance into the Ridván of
immortality. Now, could this gold be thought to be copper, these people could
likewise be thought to be the same as before they were endowed with faith.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
September 30
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 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 (Tablet to Napoleon III, Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple];
‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
September 29
…among the Prophets was Noah. When He was invested with the
robe of Prophethood, and was moved by the Spirit of God to arise and proclaim
His Cause, whoever believed in Him and acknowledged His Faith, was endowed with
the grace of a new life. Of him it could be truly said that he was reborn and
revived, inasmuch as previous to his belief in God and his acceptance of His
Manifestation, he had set his affections on the things of the world, such as
attachment to earthly goods, to wife, children, food, drink, and the like, so
much so that in the day-time and in the night season his one concern had been
to amass riches and procure for himself the means of enjoyment and pleasure.
Aside from these things, before his partaking of the reviving waters of faith,
he had been so wedded to the traditions of his forefathers, and so passionately
devoted to the observance of their customs and laws, that he would have
preferred to suffer death rather than violate one letter of those superstitious
forms and manners current amongst his people. Even as the people have cried:
“Verily we found our fathers with a faith, and verily, in their footsteps we
follow.” (Qur’án 43:22)
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
September 28
O YE SEEMING FAIR YET INWARDLY FOUL! Ye are like clear but
bitter water, which to outward seeming is crystal pure but of which, when
tested by the divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the sun beam falls
alike upon the dust and the mirror, yet differ they in reflection even as doth
the star from the earth: nay, immeasurable is the difference!
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
September 27
Praise be to Thee, O Lord, my Best Beloved! Make me
steadfast in Thy Cause and grant that I may be reckoned among those who have
not violated Thy Covenant nor followed the gods of their own idle fancy.
- The
Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)
September 26
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 (Tablet to Napoleon III,
Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
September 25
O God our Lord! Protect us through Thy grace from whatsoever
may be repugnant unto Thee and vouchsafe unto us that which well beseemeth
Thee. Give us more out of Thy bounty and bless us. Pardon us for the things we
have done and wash away our sins and forgive us with Thy gracious forgiveness.
Verily Thou art the Most Exalted, the Self-Subsisting.
- The Báb (‘Selections
from the Writings of the Báb’)
September 24
…in every subsequent Revelation, the return of the former
Revelation is a fact, the truth of which is firmly established. Inasmuch as the
return of the Prophets of God, as attested by verses and traditions, hath been
conclusively demonstrated, the return of their chosen ones also is therefore
definitely proven. This return is too manifest in itself to require any
evidence or proof.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
September 23
Strengthen my heart, O my God, in Thine obedience and in Thy
love and grant that I may be clear of the entire company of Thine adversaries.
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)
September 22
O YE THAT ARE FOOLISH, YET HAVE A NAME TO BE WISE! Wherefore
do ye wear the guise of shepherds, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent
upon My flock? Ye are even as the star, which riseth ere the dawn, and which,
though it seem radiant and luminous, leadeth the wayfarers of My city astray
into the paths of perdition.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
September 21
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.
- Baha'u'llah (Tablet to Napoleon III,
Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
September 20
Blessed is the man that hath acknowledged his belief in God
and in His signs, and recognized that “He shall not be asked of His doings.” Such
a recognition hath been made by God the ornament of every belief, and its very
foundation…
Whoso hath not recognized this sublime and fundamental
verity, and hath failed to attain this most exalted station, the winds of doubt
will agitate him, and the sayings of the infidels will distract his soul. He
that hath acknowledged this principle will be endowed with the most perfect
constancy. All honor to this all-glorious station, the remembrance of which
adorneth every exalted Tablet. - Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha’u’llah’)
September 19
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 (Tablet to Napoleon III,
Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
September 18
Know of a certainty that in every Dispensation the light of
Divine Revelation hath been vouchsafed unto men in direct proportion to their
spiritual capacity. Consider the sun. How feeble its rays the moment it
appeareth above the horizon. How gradually its warmth and potency increase as
it approacheth its zenith, enabling meanwhile all created things to adapt
themselves to the growing intensity of its light. How steadily it declineth
until it reacheth its setting point. Were it, all of a sudden, to manifest the
energies latent within it, it would, no doubt, cause injury to all created
things.... In like manner, if the Sun of Truth were suddenly to reveal, at the
earliest stages of its manifestation, the full measure of the potencies which
the providence of the Almighty hath bestowed upon it, the earth of human
understanding would waste away and be consumed; for men’s hearts would neither
sustain the intensity of its revelation, nor be able to mirror forth the
radiance of its light. Dismayed and overpowered, they would cease to exist.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
September 17
Blessed is the man that hath acknowledged his belief in God
and in His signs, and recognized that “He shall not be asked of His doings.”
Such a recognition hath been made by God the ornament of every belief, and its
very foundation. Upon it must depend the acceptance of every goodly deed.
Fasten your eyes upon it, that haply the whisperings of the rebellious may not
cause you to slip.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
September 16
Through each and every one of the verses which the Pen of
the Most High hath revealed, the doors of love and unity have been unlocked and
flung open to the face of men. We have erewhile declared—and Our Word is the
truth—: ‘Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of
friendliness and fellowship.’ Whatsoever hath led the children of men to shun
one another, and hath caused dissensions and divisions amongst them, hath,
through the revelation of these words, been nullified and abolished.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 15
It is incumbent upon every man, in this Day, to hold fast
unto whatsoever will promote the interests, and exalt the station, of all
nations and just governments.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed
after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 14
Watch over yourselves, for the Evil One is lying in wait,
ready to entrap you. Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led by
the light of the name of the All-Seeing God, make your escape from the darkness
that surroundeth you. Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined
to your own self. The Evil One is he that hindereth the rise and obstructeth
the spiritual progress of the children of men.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of
Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 13
O friends! It behoveth you to refresh and revive your souls
through the gracious favours which in this Divine, this soul-stirring
Springtime are being showered upon you. The Day-Star of His great glory hath
shed its radiance upon you, and the clouds of His limitless grace have
overshadowed you. How high the reward of him that hath not deprived himself of
so great a bounty, nor failed to recognize the beauty of his Best-Beloved in
this, His new attire.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 12
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 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 on this Day which
God hath exalted above all other days, and whereon the All-Merciful hath shed
the splendour of His effulgent glory upon all who are in heaven and all who are
on earth.
- Baha'u'llah (Tablet to Napoleon III, Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of
Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
September 11
We testify that when He [Christ] came into the world, He
shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. Through Him the leper
recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him, the
unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the
eyes of the blind were opened, and the soul of the sinner sanctified.
Leprosy may be interpreted as any veil that interveneth
between man and the recognition of the Lord, his God. Whoso alloweth himself to
be shut out from Him is indeed a leper, who shall not be remembered in the
Kingdom of God, the Mighty, the All-Praised. We bear witness that through the
power of the Word of God every leper was cleansed, every sickness was healed,
every human infirmity was banished. He it is Who purified the world. Blessed is
the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
September 10
Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to
God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself,
however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences,
as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The
deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any
mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the
influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the
quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive, and
resplendent Spirit.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
September 9
From this station [City of Immortality] the wayfarer
ascendeth unto a City that hath no name or description, and whereof one heareth
neither sound nor mention. Therein flow the oceans of eternity, whilst this
city itself revolveth round the seat of eternity. Therein the sun of the Unseen
shineth resplendent above the horizon of the Unseen, a sun that hath its own
heavens and its own moons, which partake of its light and which rise from and
set upon the ocean of the Unseen. Nor can I ever hope to impart even a dewdrop
of that which hath been decreed therein, as none is acquainted with its
mysteries save God, its Creator and Fashioner, and His Manifestations.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’)
September 8
He Who is the All-Sufficing proclaimeth aloud: “The realm of
joy hath been ushered in; be not sorrowful! The hidden mystery hath been made
manifest; be not disheartened!” Wert thou to apprehend the surpassing greatness
of this Day, thou wouldst renounce the world and all that dwell therein and
hasten unto the way that leadeth to the Lord.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Tabernacle of
Unity’)
September 7
O servant of God! The Daystar of the everlasting realm is
shining resplendent above the horizon of His will and the Oceans of divine
bounty are surging. Bereft indeed is the one who hath failed to behold them,
and lifeless the one who hath not attained thereunto. Close thine eyes to this
nether world, open them to the countenance of the incomparable Friend, and
commune intimately with His Spirit.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Tabernacle of Unity’)
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