O people of the world! Follow not the promptings of the
self, for it summoneth insistently to wickedness and lust; follow, rather, Him
Who is the Possessor of all created things, Who biddeth you to show forth
piety, and manifest the fear of God. He, verily, is independent of all His creatures. Take heed not to stir up mischief in
the land after it hath been set in order. Whoso acteth in this way is not of
Us, and We are quit of him. Such is the command which hath, through the power
of truth, been made manifest from the heaven of Revelation. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
December 5
In these days truthfulness and sincerity are sorely
afflicted in the clutches of falsehood, and justice is tormented by the scourge
of injustice. The smoke of corruption hath enveloped the whole world in such
wise that naught can be seen in any direction save regiments of soldiers and
nothing is heard from any land but the clashing of swords. We beseech God, the
True One, to strengthen the wielders of His power in that which will
rehabilitate the world and bring tranquillity to the nations. (Baha’u’llah,
‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
December 4
We have fixed a time for you, O people! If ye fail, at the
appointed hour, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you,
and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every direction. How
severe indeed is the chastisement with which your Lord will then chastise you!
(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
December 3
In the treasuries of the knowledge of God there lieth
concealed a knowledge which, when applied, will largely, though not wholly,
eliminate fear. This knowledge, however, should be taught from childhood, as it
will greatly aid in its elimination. Whatever decreaseth fear increaseth
courage. Should the Will of God assist Us, there would flow out from the Pen of
the Divine Expounder a lengthy exposition of that which hath been mentioned,
and there would be revealed, in the field of arts and sciences, what would
renew the world and the nations. A word hath, likewise, been written down and
recorded by the Pen of the Most High in the Crimson Book which is capable of
fully disclosing that force which is hid in men, nay of redoubling its potency.
We implore God—exalted and glorified be He—to graciously assist His servants to
do that which is pleasing and acceptable unto Him. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to
the Son of the Wolf’)
December 2
… God is, in His Essence, holy above ascent and descent,
entrance and exit; He hath through all eternity been free of the attributes of
human creatures, and ever will remain so. No man hath ever known Him; no soul
hath ever found the pathway to His Being. Every mystic knower hath wandered far
astray in the valley of the knowledge of Him; every saint hath lost his way in
seeking to comprehend His Essence. Sanctified is He above the understanding of
the wise; exalted is He above the knowledge of the knowing! The way is barred
and to seek it is impiety; His proof is His signs; His being is His evidence. [Sermon
by Imam ‘Alí] (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven Valleys’)
December 1
Abandon that which ye possess, and seize that which God, Who
layeth low the necks of men, hath brought. Know ye of a certainty that if ye
turn not back from that which ye have committed, chastisement will overtake you
on every side, and ye shall behold things more grievous than that which ye
beheld aforetime. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day
Is Come’)
November 30
Say: We have made
each one of Our Names a wellspring from which We have caused the streams of
divine wisdom and understanding to gush forth and flow in the garden of Our
Cause—streams whose number none can reckon save Thy Lord, the Most Holy, the
Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the All-Wise. Say: We have generated all
Letters from the Point and have caused them to return unto It, and We have sent
It down again in the form of a human temple. All glory be unto the Author of this incomparable and wondrous
handiwork! Erelong shall We unfold and
expound It again, in Our name, the All-Glorious. This is indeed a token of Our grace, and I,
truly, am the Most Bountiful, the Ancient of Days. (Baha'u'llah,
Suriy-i-Haykal, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
November 29
There is no doubt that the Almighty hath sent down these
verses unto Him [the Báb], even as He sent down unto the Apostle of God. Indeed
no less than a hundred thousand verses similar to these have already been
disseminated among the people, not to mention His Epistles, His Prayers or His
learned and philosophical treatises. He revealeth no less than a thousand
verses within the space of five hours. He reciteth verses at a speed consonant
with the capacity of His amanuensis to set them down. Thus, it may well be
considered that if from the inception of this Revelation until now He had been
left unhindered, how vast then would have been the volume of writings
disseminated from His pen. (The Báb, from the Persian Bayán, ‘Selections from
the Writings of the Báb)
November 28
I magnify Thy Name, O my God, and offer thanksgiving unto
Thee, O my Desire, inasmuch as Thou hast enabled me to clearly perceive Thy
straight Path, hast unveiled Thy Great Announcement before mine eyes and hast
aided me to set my face towards the Dayspring of Thy Revelation and the
Fountainhead of Thy Cause, whilst Thy servants and Thy people turned away from
Thee. I entreat Thee, O Lord of the Kingdom of eternity, by the shrill voice of
the Pen of Glory, and by the Burning Fire which calleth aloud from the verdant
Tree, and by the Ark which Thou hast specially chosen for the people of Bahá, to grant that I may remain steadfast in my love for Thee,
be well pleased with whatsoever Thou hast prescribed for me in Thy Book and may
stand firm in Thy service and in the service of Thy loved ones. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets
of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
November 27
It beseemeth all men in this Day to take firm hold on the
Most Great Name, and to establish the unity of all mankind. There is no place
to flee to, no refuge that any one can seek, except Him. (Baha’u’llah, quoted
by Shoghi Effend in ‘The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters’)
November 26
Consider these days in which the Ancient Beauty, He Who is
the Most Great Name, hath been sent down to regenerate and unify mankind.
Behold how with drawn swords they rose against Him, and committed that which
caused the Faithful Spirit to tremble. And whenever We said unto them: `Lo, the
World Reformer is come,' they made reply: `He, in truth, is one of the stirrers
of mischief'.... (Baha’u’llah, Extracts from the Tablet to Queen Victoria,
cited in Shoghi Effendi, ‘The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters’; The
Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Peace)
November 25
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 that nothing deter thee from setting thy face towards thy
Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We, verily, have heard the thing
for which thou didst supplicate thy Lord, whilst secretly communing with Him.
Wherefore, the breeze of My loving-kindness wafted forth, and the sea of My
mercy surged, and We answered thee in truth. Thy Lord, verily, is the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Whilst I lay, chained and fettered, in the prison of
Tihrán, one of thy ministers extended Me his aid. Wherefore hath God ordained
for thee a station which the knowledge of none can comprehend except His
knowledge. Beware lest thou barter away this sublime station. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf’)
November 24
Bestir yourselves, O people in anticipation of the days of
Divine Justice, for the promised hour is now come. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by
Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
November 23
Arise, O wayfarer in the path of the Love of God, and aid
thou His Cause. Say: Barter not away this Youth, O people, for the vanities of
this world or the delights of heaven. By the righteousness of the one true God!
One hair of Him excelleth all that is in the heavens and all that is on the
earth. Beware, O men, lest ye be tempted to part with Him in exchange for the
gold and silver ye possess. Let His love be a storehouse of treasure for your
souls, on the Day when naught else but Him shall profit you, the Day when every
pillar shall tremble, when the very skins of men shall creep, when all eyes
shall stare up with terror. Say: O people! Fear ye God, and turn not away
disdainfully from His Revelation. Fall prostrate on your faces before God, and
celebrate His praise in the daytime and in the night season. (Baha’u’llah,
‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
November 22
Whensoever the light of Manifestation of the King of Oneness
settleth upon the throne of the heart and soul, His shining becometh visible in
every limb and member. At that time the mystery of the famed tradition gleameth
out of the darkness: “A servant is drawn unto Me in prayer until I answer him;
and when I have answered him, I become the ear wherewith he heareth....” For
thus the Master of the house hath appeared within His home, and all the pillars
of the dwelling are ashine with His light. And the action and effect of the
light are from the Light-Giver; so it is that all move through Him and arise by
His will. And this is that spring whereof the near ones drink, as it is said:
“A fount whereof the near unto God shall drink....” [Qur’án 83:28]
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven Valleys’)
November 21
O My Brother! A pure heart is as a mirror; cleanse it with
the burnish of love and severance from all save God, that the true sun may
shine within it and the eternal morning dawn. Then wilt thou clearly see the
meaning of “Neither doth My earth nor My heaven contain Me, but the heart of My
faithful servant containeth Me.” [Hadíth], … (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven
Valleys’)
November 20
Twelve hundred and seventy years have elapsed since the
declaration of Muhammad, and each year unnumbered people
have circumambulated the House of God [Mecca]. In the concluding year of this
period He Who is Himself the Founder of the House went on pilgrimage. Great
God! There was a vast concourse of pilgrims from every sect. Yet not one
recognized Him, though He recognized every one of them—souls tightly held in
the grasp of His former commandment. The only person who recognized Him and
performed pilgrimage with Him is the one round whom revolve eight Vahíds, [1]
in whom God hath gloried before the Concourse on high by virtue of his absolute
detachment and for his being wholly devoted to the Will of God. This doth not
mean that he was made the object of a special favour, nay, this is a favour
which God hath vouchsafed unto all men, yet they have suffered themselves to be
veiled from it. (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from
the Writings of the Báb)
[1] This is a reference to Quddús, ‘whom the Persian Bayán
extolled as that fellow-pilgrim round whom mirrors to the number of eight
Vahíds revolve’. (God Passes By)
November 19
Were men to meditate upon the lives of the Prophets of old,
so easily would they come to know and understand the ways of these Prophets
that they would cease to be veiled by such deeds and words as are contrary to
their own worldly desires, and thus consume every intervening veil with the
fire burning in the Bush of divine knowledge, and abide secure upon the throne
of peace and certitude. (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan)
November 18
Lauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art He
Who from everlasting hath been clothed with majesty, with authority and power,
and will continue unto everlasting to be arrayed with honor, with strength and
glory. The learned, one and all, stand aghast before the signs and tokens of
Thy handiwork, while the wise find themselves, without exception, impotent to
unravel the mystery of Them Who are the Manifestations of Thy might and power.
Every man of insight hath confessed his powerlessness to scale the heights of
Thy knowledge, and every man of learning hath acknowledged his failure to
fathom the nature of Thine Essence. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by
Baha’u’llah’)
November 17
O Thou cherished Fruit of the heart! Give ear to the
melodies of this mystic Bird warbling in the loftiest heights of heaven. The
Lord hath, in truth, inspired Me to proclaim: Verily, verily, I am God, He
besides Whom there is none other God. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.
O My servants! Seek ye earnestly this highest reward, as I
have indeed created for the Remembrance of God gardens which remain inscrutable
to anyone save Myself, and naught therein hath been made lawful unto anyone
except those whose lives have been sacrificed in His Path. Hence beseech ye
God, the Most Exalted, that He may grant you this meritorious reward, and He is
in truth the Most High, the Most Great. Had it been Our wish, We would have
brought all men into one fold round Our Remembrance, yet they will not cease to
differ, [cf. Qur’án 11:120] unless God accomplish what He willeth through the
power of truth. In the estimation of the Remembrance this commandment hath, in
very truth, been irrevocably ordained...
God hath indeed chosen Thee to warn the people, to guide the
believers aright and to elucidate the secrets of the Book. (The Báb, excerpts
from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
November 16
O SON OF SPIRIT! Ask not of Me that which We desire not for
thee, then be content with what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that
which profiteth thee, if therewith thou dost content thyself. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
November 15
Should it be Our wish, it is in Our power to compel, through
the agency of but one letter of Our Revelation, the world and all that is
therein to recognize, in less than the twinkling of an eye, the truth of Our
Cause....
Truly other apostles have been laughed to scorn before Thee,
[cf. Qur’án 6:10] and Thou art none other but the Servant of God, sustained by
the power of Truth. Ere long We shall prolong the days of such as have rejected
the Truth by reason of that which their hands have wrought, [cf. Qur’án 3:172] and
verily God will not deal unjustly with anyone, even to the extent of a speck on
a date-stone. (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the
Writings of the Báb)
November 14
O peoples of the earth! God, the Eternal Truth, is My
witness that streams of fresh and soft-flowing waters have gushed from the
rocks through the sweetness of the words uttered by your Lord, the
Unconstrained; and still ye slumber. Cast away that which ye possess, and, on
the wings of detachment, soar beyond all created things. Thus biddeth you the
Lord of creation, the movement of Whose Pen hath revolutionized the soul of
mankind. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
November 13
How often hath it been observed that certain human minds, far
from being a source of guidance, have become as fetters upon the feet of the
wayfarers and prevented them from treading the straight Path! The lesser
intellect being thus circumscribed, one must search after Him Who is the
ultimate Source of knowledge and strive to recognize Him. And should one come
to acknowledge that Source round Whom every mind doth revolve, then whatsoever
He should ordain is the expression of the dictates of a consummate wisdom. His
very Being, even as the sun, is distinct from all else beside Him. The whole
duty of man is to recognize Him; once this hath been achieved, then whatsoever
He may please to ordain is binding and in full accordance with the requirements
of divine wisdom. Thus have ordinances and prohibitions of every kind been laid
down by the Prophets of the past, even unto the earliest times. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
November 12
Say: This is the Paradise on whose foliage the wine of
utterance hath imprinted the testimony: “He that was hidden from the eyes of
men is revealed, girded with sovereignty and power!” This is the Paradise, the
rustling of whose leaves proclaims: “O ye that inhabit the heavens and the
earth! There hath appeared what hath never previously appeared. He Who, from
everlasting, had concealed His Face from the sight of creation is now come.”
From the whispering breeze that wafteth amidst its branches there cometh the
cry: “He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is made manifest. The Kingdom is
God’s,” while from its streaming waters can be heard the murmur: “All eyes are
gladdened, for He Whom none hath beheld, Whose secret no one hath discovered,
hath lifted the veil of glory, and uncovered the countenance of Beauty.” (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha’u’llah’)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)