August 6
By My life! Neither the pomp of the mighty, nor the wealth
of the rich, nor even the ascendancy of the ungodly will endure. All will
perish, at a word from Him. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the
All-Compelling, the Almighty. What advantage is there in the earthly things
which men possess? That which shall profit them, they have utterly neglected.
Erelong, they will awake from their slumber, and find themselves unable to
obtain that which hath escaped them in the days of their Lord, the Almighty,
the All-Praised. Did they but know it, they would renounce their all, that
their names may be mentioned before His throne. They, verily, are accounted
among the dead. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
August 5
By My glory! I will make the infidels to taste, with the
hands of My power, retributions unknown of any one except Me, and will waft
over the faithful those musk-scented breaths which I have nursed in the midmost
heart of My throne; and verily the knowledge of God embraceth all things. (The
Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the
Báb)
August 4
…it is Our wish to disclose unto thee certain stations in
the wayfarer’s journey towards his Creator. Perchance all that thine eminence
hath desired may be revealed unto thee, that the proof may be made complete and
the blessing abundant.
Know thou of a truth that the seeker must, at the beginning of his quest for God, enter the Garden of Search. In this journey it behoveth the wayfarer to detach himself from all save God and to close his eyes to all that is in the heavens and on the earth. There must not linger in his heart either the hate or the love of any soul, to the extent that they would hinder him from attaining the habitation of the celestial Beauty. He must sanctify his soul from the veils of glory and refrain from boasting of such worldly vanities, outward knowledge, or other gifts as God may have bestowed upon him. He must search after the truth to the utmost of his ability and exertion, that God may guide him in the paths of His favour and the ways of His mercy. For He, verily, is the best of helpers unto His servants. He saith, and He verily speaketh the truth: “Whoso maketh efforts for Us, in Our ways shall We assuredly guide him.” [ Qur’án 29:69] And furthermore: “Fear God and God will give you knowledge.” (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
Know thou of a truth that the seeker must, at the beginning of his quest for God, enter the Garden of Search. In this journey it behoveth the wayfarer to detach himself from all save God and to close his eyes to all that is in the heavens and on the earth. There must not linger in his heart either the hate or the love of any soul, to the extent that they would hinder him from attaining the habitation of the celestial Beauty. He must sanctify his soul from the veils of glory and refrain from boasting of such worldly vanities, outward knowledge, or other gifts as God may have bestowed upon him. He must search after the truth to the utmost of his ability and exertion, that God may guide him in the paths of His favour and the ways of His mercy. For He, verily, is the best of helpers unto His servants. He saith, and He verily speaketh the truth: “Whoso maketh efforts for Us, in Our ways shall We assuredly guide him.” [ Qur’án 29:69] And furthermore: “Fear God and God will give you knowledge.” (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
August 3
O concourse of light! By the righteousness of God, We speak
not according to selfish desire, nor hath a single letter of this Book been
revealed save by the leave of God, the Sovereign Truth. Fear ye God and
entertain no doubts regarding His Cause, for verily, the Mystery of this Gate
is shrouded in the mystic utterances of His Writ and hath been written beyond
the impenetrable veil of concealment by the hand of God, the Lord of the
visible and the invisible. (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma,
‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
August 2
Out of utter nothingness, O great and omnipotent Master,
Thou hast, through the celestial potency of Thy might, brought me forth and
raised me up to proclaim this Revelation. I have made none other but Thee my
trust; I have clung to no will but Thy Will. Thou art, in truth, the
All-Sufficing and behind Thee standeth the true God, He Who overshadoweth all
things. Indeed sufficient unto Me is God, the Exalted, the Powerful, the
Sustainer. (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the
Writings of the Báb)
August 1
Indeed God hath created everywhere around this Gate oceans
of divine elixir, tinged crimson with the essence of existence and vitalized
through the animating power of the desired fruit; and for
them God hath provided Arks of ruby, tender, crimson-coloured, wherein none
shall sail but the people of Bahá, by the leave of God, the Most Exalted; and
verily He is the All-Glorious, the All-Wise. (The Báb, excerpts from the
Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
July 31
Know thou that the passages that We have called “ambiguous”
appear as such only in the eyes of them that have failed to soar above the
horizon of guidance and to reach the heights of knowledge in the retreats of
grace. For otherwise, unto them that have recognized the Repositories of divine
Revelation and beheld through His inspiration the mysteries of divine
authority, all the verses of God are perspicuous and all His allusions are
clear. Such men discern the inner mysteries that have been clothed in the
garment of words as clearly as ye perceive the heat of the sun or the wetness
of water, nay even more distinctly. Immeasurably exalted is God
above our praise of His loved ones, and beyond their praise of Him! (Baha’u’llah,
‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
July 30
Say: O people! This is the Hand of God, which hath ever been
above your own hands, could ye but understand.
Within its grasp We have ordained all the good of the heavens and the
earth, such that no good shall be made manifest but that it proceedeth
therefrom. Thus have We made it the
source and treasury of all good both aforetime and hereafter. Say:
The rivers of divine wisdom and utterance which flowed through the
Tablets of God are joined to this Most Great Ocean, could ye but perceive it,
and whatever hath been set forth in His Books hath attained its final
consummation in this most exalted Word—a Word shining above the horizon of the
Will of the All-Glorious in this Revelation which hath filled with delight all
things seen and unseen. (Baha'u'llah, Suriy-i-Haykal, The Summons of the Lord of
Hosts)
July 29
O Thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself wholly for
Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake, and have yearned for naught but
martyrdom in the path of Thy love. Sufficient witness unto me is God, the
Exalted, the Protector, the Ancient of Days. (The Báb, excerpts from the
Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
July 28
O servants of God! Be ye patient, for, God grant, He Who is
the sovereign Truth will suddenly appear amongst you, invested with the power
of the mighty Word, and ye shall then be confounded by the Truth itself, and ye
shall have no power to ward it off;
[Qur’án 21:40] and verily I am a witness over all mankind. (The Báb,
excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
July 27
O peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God, this
Book hath, through the potency of the sovereign Truth, pervaded the earth and
the heaven with the mighty Word of God concerning Him Who
is the supreme Testimony, the Expected Qá’im, and verily God hath knowledge of
all things. This divinely-inspired Book hath firmly established His Proof for
all those who are in the East and in the West, hence beware lest ye utter aught
but the truth regarding God, for I swear by your Lord that this supreme Proof
of Mine beareth witness unto all things... (The Báb, excerpts from the
Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
July 26
We all, verily, worship God.
We all, verily, bow down before God.
We all, verily, are devoted unto God.
We all, verily, give praise unto God.
We all, verily, yield thanks unto God.
We all, verily, are patient in God. (Baha’u’llah, excerpt from ‘Prayer for the Dead’, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
We all, verily, bow down before God.
We all, verily, are devoted unto God.
We all, verily, give praise unto God.
We all, verily, yield thanks unto God.
We all, verily, are patient in God. (Baha’u’llah, excerpt from ‘Prayer for the Dead’, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
July 25
O my
God! I beseech Thee by Thy Beauty Whom Thou hast revealed and made manifest in
truth, He Whom Thou hast sent to all the inhabitants of the world. Among the
Highest Concourse Thou hast called Him the Most Great Announcement, and among
the people of the world Thou named Him 'Ali[the Báb]. I beseech Thee moreover
by His next appearance in the vesture of Abha, to deprive me not of the
fragrances of the glory of Thy mercy and suffer me not to be far from the shore
of the bounty of Thy nearness and beneficence. Thou verily rulest over all
things. (Baha’u’llah, provisional translation, approved by the Universal House
of Justice for inclusion in the book ‘Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees’)
July 24
...
calamities have always been and will continue to be the lot of God's chosen
ones. Therefore, blessed is the one who is satisfied with and thankful for all
that hath visited him. For nothing from God touches a person except what is
best for him of all that hath been created between the heavens and the earth.
Since people are unaware of this mystery and its secrets, they are saddened
when calamity strikes. (Baha’u’llah, provisional translation, approved by the
Universal House of Justice for inclusion in the book ‘Leaves of the Twin Divine
Trees’)
July 23
Consider: He hath declared knowledge to consist of twenty
and seven letters, and regarded all the prophets, from Adam even unto Muhammad,
the ‘seal,’ as expounders of only two letters thereof. He also saith that the
Qá’im will reveal all the remaining twenty and five letters. Behold from this
utterance how great and lofty is His station! His rank excelleth that of all
the prophets, and His revelation transcendeth the comprehension and understanding
of all their chosen ones. A revelation, of which the prophets of God, His
saints and chosen ones have either not been informed or which, in pursuance of
God’s inscrutable decree, they have not disclosed—such a revelation, these vile
and villainous people have sought to measure with their own deficient minds,
their own deficient learning and understanding. (Baha’u’llah, the Kitab-i-Iqan;
also quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)
July 22
Knowledge is twenty and seven letters. All that the Prophets
have revealed are two letters thereof. No man thus far hath known more than
these two letters. But when the Qá’im shall arise, He will cause the remaining
twenty and five letters to be made manifest. (An Islamic tradition quoted by
Baha’u’llah in the Kitab-i-Iqan; also quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The World
Order of Baha’u’llah’)
July 21
O ye peoples of the world! Know verily that an unforeseen
calamity is following you and that grievous retribution awaiteth you. Think not
the deeds ye have committed have been blotted from My sight. By My Beauty! All your
doings hath My pen graven with open characters upon tablets of chrysolite.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hiddend Words of Baha’u’llah’; ‘Gleanings from the Writings
of Baha’u’llah’; quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
July 20
Say: O people! Can ye ever hope to escape the sovereign
power of your Lord? By the righteousness
of God! No refuge will ye find in this
day, and no one to protect you, save those upon whom God hath bestowed the
favour of His mercy. He, verily, is the Ever-Forgiving,
the Most Compassionate. Say: O people!
Forsake all that ye possess, and enter beneath the shadow of your Lord,
the All-Merciful. Better is this for you
than all your works of the past and of the future. Fear ye God, and deprive not yourselves of
the sweet savours of the days of the Lord of all names and attributes. Take heed lest ye alter or pervert the text
of the Word of God. Walk ye in the fear
of God, and be numbered with the righteous. (Baha’u’llah, Súriy-i-Haykal, ‘The
Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
July 19
Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou art He Whom all
things worship and Who worshipeth no one, Who is the Lord of all things and is
the vassal of none, Who knoweth all things and is known of none. Thou didst
wish to make Thyself known unto men; therefore, Thou didst, through a word of
Thy mouth, bring creation into being and fashion the universe. There is none
other God except Thee, the Fashioner, the Creator, the Almighty, the Most
Powerful. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
July 18
I lay asleep on the bed of self when lo, Thou didst waken me
with the divine accents of Thy voice, and didst unveil to me Thy beauty, and
didst enable me to listen to Thine utterances, and to recognize Thy Self, and
to speak forth Thy praise, and to extol Thy virtues, and to be steadfast in Thy
love. Finally I fell a captive into the hands of the wayward among Thy
servants. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
July 17
O Czar of Russia! Incline thine ear unto the voice of God,
the King, the Holy, and turn thou unto Paradise, the Spot wherein abideth He
Who, among the Concourse on high, beareth the most excellent titles, and Who,
in the kingdom of creation, is called by the name of God, the Effulgent, the
All-Glorious. Beware lest thy desire deter thee from turning towards the face
of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Proclamation
of Baha’u’llah’)
July 16
The peoples of the world are fast asleep. Were they to wake
from their slumber, they would hasten with eagerness unto God, the All-Knowing,
the All-Wise. They would cast away everything they possess, be it all the
treasures of the earth, that their Lord may remember them to the extent of
addressing to them but one word. Such is the instruction given you by Him Who
holdeth the knowledge of things hidden, in a Tablet which the eye of creation
hath not seen, and which is revealed to none except His own Self, the
omnipotent Protector of all worlds. So bewildered are they in the drunkenness
of their evil desires, that they are powerless to recognize the Lord of all
being, Whose voice calleth aloud from every direction: “There is none other God
but Me, the Mighty, the All-Wise.” (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
July 15
Wert thou to open the heart of a single soul by helping him
to embrace the Cause of Him Whom God shall make manifest, thine inmost being
would be filled with the inspirations of that august Name. It devolveth upon
you, therefore, to perform this task in the Days of Resurrection, inasmuch as
most people are helpless, and wert thou to open their hearts and dispel their
doubts, they would gain admittance into the Faith of God. Therefore, manifest
thou this attribute to the utmost of thine ability in the days of Him Whom God
shall make manifest. For indeed if thou dost open the heart of a person for His
sake, better will it be for thee than every virtuous deed; since deeds are
secondary to faith in Him and certitude in His Reality. (The Báb, an excerpt
from the Kitab-i-Asma (The Book of Names); Selections from the Writings of the
Báb)
July 14
Consider how at the time of the appearance of every
Revelation, those who open their hearts to the Author of that Revelation
recognize the Truth, while the hearts of those who fail to apprehend the Truth
are straitened by reason of their shutting themselves out from Him. However,
openness of heart is bestowed by God upon both parties alike. God desireth not
to straiten the heart of anyone, be it even an ant, how much less the heart of
a superior creature, except when he suffereth himself to be wrapt in veils, for
God is the Creator of all things. (The Báb, an excerpt from the Kitab-i-Asma
(The Book of Names); Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
July 13
O SON OF DUST! Verily I say unto thee: Of all men the most
negligent is he that disputeth idly and seeketh to advance himself over his
brother. Say, O brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
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