November 11
Know ye from what heights your Lord, the All-Glorious, is
calling? Think ye that ye have recognized the Pen wherewith your Lord, the Lord
of all names, commandeth you? Nay, by My life! Did ye but know it, ye would
renounce the world, and would hasten with your whole hearts to the presence of
the Well-Beloved. Your spirits would be so transported by His Word as to throw
into commotion the Greater World—how much more this small and petty one! Thus
have the showers of My bounty been poured down from the heaven of My
loving-kindness, as a token of My grace, that ye may be of the thankful. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
November 10
Should differences arise amongst you over any matter, refer
it to God while the Sun still shineth above the horizon of this Heaven and,
when it hath set, refer ye to whatsoever hath been sent down by Him. This,
verily, is sufficient unto the peoples of the world. Say: Let not your hearts
be perturbed, O people, when the glory of My Presence is withdrawn, and the
ocean of My utterance is stilled. In My presence amongst you there is a wisdom,
and in My absence there is yet another, inscrutable to all but God, the
Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily, We behold you from Our realm of glory,
and shall aid whosoever will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts
of the Concourse on high and a company of Our favoured angels. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
November 9
We have heard the voice of thy pleading, O Pen, and excuse
thy silence. What is it that hath so sorely bewildered thee?
The inebriation of Thy presence, O Well-Beloved of all
worlds, hath seized and possessed me.
Arise, and proclaim unto the entire creation the tidings
that He Who is the All-Merciful hath directed His steps towards the Ridván and
entered it. Guide, then, the people unto the garden of delight which God hath
made the Throne of His Paradise. We have chosen thee to be our most mighty
Trumpet, whose blast is to signalize the resurrection of all mankind. .” (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha’u’llah’)
November 8
It hath been decreed by Us that the Word of God, and all the
potentialities thereof, shall be manifested unto men in strict conformity with
such conditions as have been foreordained by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise.... Should the Word be allowed to release suddenly all the energies
latent within it, no man could sustain the weight of so mighty a Revelation.
(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
November 7
I am come to thee[1], O land of the heart’s desire, with
tidings from God, and announce to thee His gracious
favor and mercy, and greet and magnify thee in His name. He, in truth, is of
immense bounteousness and goodness. Blessed be the man that turneth his face
towards thee, that perceiveth from thee the fragrance of God’s Presence, the
Lord of all worlds. His glory be on thee, and the brightness of His light
envelop thee, inasmuch as God hath made thee a paradise unto His servants, and
proclaimed thee to be the blest and sacred land of which He, Himself, hath made
mention in the Books which His Prophets and Messengers have revealed.
Through thee, O land of resplendent glory, the ensign, “There is none other God but Him,” hath been unfurled, and the standard, “Verily I am the Truth, the Knower of things unseen,” been hoisted. It behoveth every one that visiteth thee to glory in thee and in them that inhabit thee, that have branched from My Tree, who are the leaves thereof, who are the signs of My glory, who follow Me and are My lovers, and who, with the most mighty determination, have turned their faces in the direction of My glorious station. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
[1] Preceding paragraph refers to Tihran
Through thee, O land of resplendent glory, the ensign, “There is none other God but Him,” hath been unfurled, and the standard, “Verily I am the Truth, the Knower of things unseen,” been hoisted. It behoveth every one that visiteth thee to glory in thee and in them that inhabit thee, that have branched from My Tree, who are the leaves thereof, who are the signs of My glory, who follow Me and are My lovers, and who, with the most mighty determination, have turned their faces in the direction of My glorious station. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
[1] Preceding paragraph refers to Tihran
November 6
Intellect hath various degrees. As a discussion of the
pronouncements made by the philosophers in this connection would pass beyond
the scope of our discourse, we have refrained from mentioning them. It is
nonetheless indisputably clear and evident that the minds of men have never
been, nor shall they ever be, of equal capacity. The Perfect Intellect alone
can provide true guidance and direction. Thus were these sublime words revealed
by the Pen of the Most High, exalted be His glory, in response to this
question: “The Tongue of Wisdom proclaimeth: He that hath Me not is bereft of
all things. Turn ye away from all that is on earth and seek none else but Me. I
am the Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of Knowledge. I cheer the faint and revive
the dead. I am the guiding Light that illumineth the way. I am the royal Falcon
on the arm of the Almighty. I unfold the drooping wings of every broken bird
and start it on its flight.” (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Tabernacle of Unity,
Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other Writings’)
November 5
Say: The measure of
all created things hath been appointed in this concealed and manifest Temple,
wherein lie enshrined the knowledge of the heavens and the earth, and of all
things past and future. The finger of
God’s handiwork hath inscribed upon this Tablet that which the wisest and most
learned of men are powerless to fathom, and hath created therein temples
inscrutable to all save His own Self, could ye but apprehend this truth. Blessed be the one who readeth it, who
pondereth its contents, and who is numbered with them that comprehend! (Baha'u'llah,
Suriy-i-Haykal, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
November 4
It is Our wish to remember the Abode of supreme blissfulness
(Tihrán), the holy and shining city—the city wherein the fragrance of the
Well-Beloved hath been shed, wherein His signs have been diffused, wherein the
evidences of His glory have been revealed, wherein His standards have been
raised, wherein His tabernacle hath been pitched, wherein each of His wise
decrees hath been unfolded.
It is the city in which the sweet savors of reunion have
breathed, which have caused the sincere lovers of God to draw nigh unto Him,
and to gain access to the Habitation of holiness and beauty. Happy is the
wayfarer that directeth his steps towards this city, that gaineth admittance
into it, and quaffeth the wine of reunion, through the outpouring grace of his
Lord, the Gracious, the All-Praised. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings
of Baha’u’llah’)
November 3
O people of Bahá! Trustworthiness is in truth the best of
vestures for your temples and the most glorious crown for your heads. Take ye
fast hold of it at the behest of Him Who is the Ordainer, the All-Informed.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
November 2
O thou whose face is turned towards Me! As soon as thine
eyes behold from afar My native city (Tihrán), stand thou and say: I am come to
thee out of the Prison, O Land of Tá, with tidings from God, the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting. I announce unto thee, O mother of the world and fountain
of light unto all its peoples, the tender mercies of thy Lord, and greet thee
in the name of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, the Knower of things unseen. I
testify that within thee He Who is the Hidden Name was revealed, and the Unseen
Treasure uncovered. Through thee the secret of all things, be they of the past
or of the future, hath been unfolded.
O Land of Tá! He Who is the Lord of Names remembereth thee
in His glorious station. Thou wert the Day Spring of the Cause of God, the
fountain of His Revelation, the manifestation of His
Most Great Name—a Name that hath caused the hearts and souls of men to tremble.
How vast the number of those men and women, those victims of tyranny, that
have, within thy walls, laid down their lives in the path of God, and been
buried beneath thy dust with such cruelty as to cause every honored servant of
God to bemoan their plight. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha’u’llah’)
November 1
Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of
longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy,
is kindled within the seeker's heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is
wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of
doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude
envelop his being. At that hour will the mystic Herald, bearing the joyful
tidings of the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God resplendent as the
morn, and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will awaken the heart, the
soul, and the spirit from the slumber of negligence. Then will the manifold
favours and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new
life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new
ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the
universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the
eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the
stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in all things the mysteries of
divine Revelation and the evidences of an everlasting manifestation. (Baha'u'llah,
The Kitab-i-Iqan)
October 31
… certain invalid souls have confined the lands of knowledge
within the wall of self and passion, and clouded them with ignorance and
blindness, and have been veiled from the light of the mystic sun and the
mysteries of the Eternal Beloved; they have strayed afar from the jewelled
wisdom of the lucid Faith of the Lord of Messengers, have been shut out of the
sanctuary of the All-Beauteous One, and banished from the Ka’bih[1] of
splendor. Such is the worth of the people of this age! (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven
Valleys’)
[1] The holy Sanctuary at Mecca. Here the word means “goal.”
October 30
A race of men incomparable in character, shall be raised up
which, with the feet of detachment, will tread under all who are in heaven and
on earth, and will cast the sleeve of holiness over all that hath been created
from water and clay. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi, ‘The Advent
of Divine Justice’)
October 29
This, truly, is a Revelation which revealeth itself only
once every five hundred thousand years. Thus have We removed the barrier and
lifted the veils. (Baha’u’llah, quoted in a letter of Shoghi Effendi to the
Baha’is of the East, Naw-Ruz 101 BE.; ‘The Baha’i World 2001-2002)
October 28
Open the doors of your hearts. He Who is the Spirit verily
standeth before them. Wherefore keep ye afar from Him Who hath purposed to draw
you nigh unto a Resplendent Spot? Say: We, in truth, have opened unto you the
gates of the Kingdom. Will ye bar the doors of your houses in My face? This
indeed is naught but a grievous error. He, verily, hath again come down from
heaven, even as He came down from it the first time. Beware lest ye dispute
that which He proclaimeth, even as the people before you disputed His
utterances. Thus instructeth you the True One, could ye but perceive it. (Baha’u’llah,
excerpt from Lawh-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Tablet) [Sometimes
referred to as Tablet to the Christians]; ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed
after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 27
O My Brother! Until thou enter the Egypt of love, thou shalt
never come to the Joseph of the Beauty of the Friend; and until, like Jacob,
thou forsake thine outward eyes, thou shalt never open the eye of thine inward
being; and until thou burn with the fire of love, thou shalt never commune with
the Lover of Longing. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven Valleys’)
October 26
Thou hast written that one of the friends hath composed a
treatise. This was mentioned in the Holy Presence, and this is what was
revealed in response: Great care should be exercised that whatever is written
in these days doth not cause dissension, and invite the objection of the
people. Whatever the friends of the one true God say in these days is listened
to by the people of the world. It hath been revealed in the Lawh-i-Hikmat:
"The unbelievers have inclined their ears towards us in order to hear that
which might enable them to cavil against God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting." Whatever is written should not transgress the bounds of
tact and wisdom, and in the words used there should lie hid the property of
milk, so that the children of the world may be nurtured therewith, and attain
maturity. We have said in the past that one word hath the influence of spring
and causeth hearts to become fresh and verdant, while another is like unto
blight which causeth the blossoms and flowers to wither. God grant that authors
among the friends will write in such a way as would be acceptable to
fair-minded souls, and not lead to cavilling by the people. (Baha’u’llah,
included in a letter dated 20 July 1997 written on behalf of the Universal House
of Justice to an individual believer)
October 25
Whatsoever runneth counter to the Teachings in this day is
rejected, for the Sun of Truth is shining resplendent above the horizon of
knowledge. Happy are they who, with the waters of divine utterance, have
cleansed their hearts from all allusions, whisperings and suggestions, and who
have fixed their gaze upon the Dayspring of Glory. This, indeed, is the most
gracious favour and the purest bounty. Whosoever hath attained thereunto hath
attained unto all good, for otherwise the knowledge of aught else but God hath
never proven, nor shall it ever prove, profitable unto men. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Tabernacle of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh’s Responses to Mánikchí Sáhib and Other
Writings’)
October 24
Were you to ponder, but for a while, these utterances in
your heart, you would surely find the portals of understanding unlocked before
your face, and would behold all knowledge and the mysteries thereof unveiled
before your eyes. Such things [1] take place only that the souls of men may
develop and be delivered from the prison-cage of self and desire. Otherwise,
that ideal King hath, throughout eternity, been in His Essence independent of
the comprehension of all beings, and will continue, for ever, in His own Being
to be exalted above the adoration of every soul. A single breeze of His
affluence doth suffice to adorn all mankind with the robe of wealth; and one
drop out of the ocean of His bountiful grace is enough to confer upon all
beings the glory of everlasting life. But inasmuch as the divine Purpose hath
decreed that the true should be known from the false, and the sun from the
shadow, He hath, therefore, in every season sent down upon mankind the showers
of tests from His realm of glory. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Kitab-i-Iqan’)
[1] Such as altering of the law of the Qiblih by Muhammah (mentioned in the preceding paragraph)
October 23
Beware lest ye shed the blood of anyone. Unsheathe the sword of your tongue from the
scabbard of utterance, for therewith ye can conquer the citadels of men’s
hearts. We have abolished the law to
wage holy war against each other. God’s
mercy, hath, verily, encompassed all created things, if ye do but
understand. Aid ye your Lord, the God of
Mercy, with the sword of understanding. Keener indeed is it, and more finely tempered, than the sword of
utterance, were ye but to reflect upon the words of your Lord. Thus have the hosts of Divine Revelation been
sent down by God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and thus have the armies
of divine inspiration been made manifest from the Source of command, as bidden
by God, the All-Glorious, the Best-Beloved. (Baha'u'llah, Suriy-i-Haykal, The
Summons of the Lord of Hosts)
October 22
When the Unseen, the Eternal, the Divine Essence, caused the
Day Star of Muhammad to rise above the horizon of knowledge, among the cavils
which the Jewish divines raised against Him was that after Moses no Prophet
should be sent of God. Yea, mention hath been made in the Scriptures of a Soul
Who must needs be made manifest and Who will advance the Faith, and promote the
interests of the people of Moses, so that the Law of the Mosaic Dispensation
may encompass the whole earth. Thus hath the King of eternal glory referred in
His Book to the words uttered by those wanderers in the vale of remoteness and
error: “‘The hand of God,’ say the Jews, ‘is chained up.’ Chained up be their
own hands; And for that which they have said, they were accursed. Nay,
outstretched are both His hands!” “The hand of God is above their hands.”
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
October 21
Be fair, ye peoples of the world; is it meet and seemly for
you to question the authority of one Whose presence ‘He Who conversed with God’
(Moses) hath longed to attain, the beauty of Whose countenance ‘God’s
Well-beloved’ (Muhammad) had yearned to behold, through the potency of Whose
love the ‘Spirit of God’ (Jesus) ascended to heaven, for Whose sake the ‘Primal Point’ (the Báb) offered up His life?
(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in “The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah’)
October 20
Seize your chance, inasmuch as a fleeting moment in this Day
excelleth centuries of a bygone age... Neither sun nor moon hath witnessed a
day such as this... It is evident that every age in which a Manifestation of
God hath lived is divinely ordained and may, in a sense, be characterized as
God’s appointed Day. This Day, however, is unique and is to be distinguished
from those that have preceded it. The designation ‘Seal of the Prophets’ fully
reveals and demonstrates its high station. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi
Effendi in “The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah’)
October 19
Doth it seem strange to the people that We should have
revealed the Book to a man from among themselves in order to purge them and
give them the good tidings that they shall be rewarded with a sure stance in
the presence of their Lord? He indeed beareth witness unto all things...
When the verses of this Book are recited to the infidels
they say: ‘Give us a book like the Qur’án and make changes in the verses.’ Say:
‘God hath not given Me that I should change them at My pleasure.’ I follow only
what is revealed unto Me. Verily, I shall fear My Lord on the Day of
Separation, whose advent He hath, in very truth, irrevocably ordained. [cf.
Qur’án 10:16] (The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the
Writings of the Báb)
October 18
O SON OF BEING! How couldst thou forget thine own faults and
busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
October 17
He, for Whose sake the world was called into being, hath
been imprisoned in the most desolate of cities (Akká), by reason of that which
the hands of the wayward have wrought. From the horizon of His prison-city He
summoneth mankind unto the Dayspring of God, the Exalted, the Great. Exultest
thou over the treasures thou dost possess, knowing they shall perish? Rejoicest
thou in that thou rulest a span of earth, when the whole world, in the
estimation of the people of Bahá, is worth as much as the black in the eye of a
dead ant? Abandon it unto such as have set their affections upon it, and turn
thou unto Him Who is the Desire of the world. Whither are gone the proud and
their palaces? Gaze thou into their tombs, that thou mayest profit by this
example, inasmuch as We made it a lesson unto every beholder. Were the breezes
of Revelation to seize thee, thou wouldst flee the world, and turn unto the
Kingdom, and wouldst expend all thou possessest, that thou mayest draw nigh
unto this sublime Vision. (Baha’u’llah, excerpt from a Tablet to Napoleon III; quoted by Baha’u’llah in the ‘Epistle
to the Son of the Wolf’; “The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
October 16
The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by
day. Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its
plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. Its perversity
will long continue. And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly
appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then and only then
will the Divine Standard be unfurled, and the Nightingale of Paradise warble
its melody. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in a letter dated November
28, 1931; ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah)
October 15
The world is encircled with calamities. Even if at times
some good may be evident, it is inevitable that a great calamity followeth --
and yet no one on earth hath perceived its origin. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by the
Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 10 February 1980; Messaged from
the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986)
October 14
Wert thou to address a letter to Him Whom God shall make
manifest, begging that it be delivered unto His presence, perchance He would
graciously forgive thee and, at His behest, turn thy negation into affirmation.
He is in truth the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous, He Whose grace is
infinite. Otherwise, no way shalt thou find open unto thee and no benefit shalt
thou gain from the deeds thou hast wrought, by reason of thy failure to respond
‘yea, here am I’. Verily We have reduced thee and thy works to naught, as
though thou hadst never come into existence nor ever been of them that do good
works, that this may serve as a lesson for those unto whom the Bayán is given,
that they may take good heed when the sacred Writings of Him Whom God shall
make manifest will reach them and perchance, by pondering upon them, may be
enabled to save their own souls. (The Báb, from a Tablet addressed to Sulayman,
one of the Muslim divines in the land of Masqat, ‘Selections from the Writings
of the Báb’)
October 13
Hadst thou observed the contents of the Epistle We sent unto
thee, it would have been far more profitable to thee than worshipping thy Lord
from the beginning that hath no beginning until this day, and indeed more
meritorious than proving thyself wholly devoted in thine acts of worship. And
hadst thou attained the presence of thy Lord in this land, and been of them
that truly believe that the Face of God is beheld in the person of the Primal
Point, it would have been far more advantageous than prostrating thyself in
adoration from the beginning that hath no beginning until the present time.... (The
Báb, from a Tablet addressed to Sulayman, one of the Muslim divines in the land
of Masqat, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb')
October 12
The cruelties inflicted by My oppressors have bowed Me down,
and turned My hair white. Shouldst thou present thyself before My throne, thou
wouldst fail to recognize the Ancient Beauty, for the freshness of His
countenance is altered and its brightness hath faded, by reason of the
oppression of the infidels. I swear by God! His heart, His soul, and His vitals
are melted! (Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day Is
Come’)
October 11
How veiled are ye, O My creatures ...who, without any right,
have consigned Him unto a mountain [Mákú], not one of whose inhabitants is
worthy of mention.... With Him, which is with Me, there is no one except him
who is one of the Letters of the Living of My Book. In His presence, which is
My Presence, there is not at night even a lighted lamp! And yet, in places [of
worship] which in varying degrees reach out unto Him, unnumbered lamps are
shining! All that is on earth hath been created for Him, and all partake with
delight of His benefits, and yet they are so veiled from Him as to refuse Him
even a lamp! (The Báb, excerpt from the Bayan, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The
Promised Day Is Come’)
October 10
Beware lest ye be hindered by the veils of glory from
partaking of the crystal waters of this living Fountain. Seize ye the chalice
of salvation at this dawntide in the name of Him Who causeth the day to break,
and drink your fill in praise of Him Who is the All-Glorious, the Incomparable.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 9
The people, during the absence of the Báb, re-enacted the
episode of the Calf by setting up a blaring figure which embodied animal
features in human form [Qur’án 7:146; 20:90] ...
Whenever the people ask Thee of the appointed Hour say:
Verily the knowledge of it is only with My Lord, [Qur’án 7:186] Who is the
Knower of the unseen. There is none other God but Him—He Who hath created you
from a single soul, [Qur’án 4:1] and I have no control over what profiteth Me
or harmeth Me, but as My Lord pleaseth. [Qur’án 10:50] Indeed God is
Self-Sufficient and He, My Lord, standeth supreme over all things. (The Báb,
excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
October 8
We have made it lawful for you to listen to music and
singing. Take heed, however, lest listening thereto should cause you to
overstep the bounds of propriety and dignity. Let your joy be the joy born of
My Most Great Name, a Name that bringeth rapture to the heart, and filleth with
ecstasy the minds of all who have drawn nigh unto God. We, verily, have made
music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto
the realm on high; make it not, therefore, as wings to self and passion. Truly,
We are loath to see you numbered with the foolish. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 7
This is Thy servant who hath quaffed from the hands of Thy
grace the wine of Thy tender mercy, and tasted of the savor of Thy love in Thy
days. I beseech Thee … to supply him with the good things Thou dost possess,
and to raise him up to such heights that he will regard the world even as a
shadow that vanisheth swifter than the twinkling of an eye. Keep him safe also,
O my God, by the power of Thine immeasurable majesty, from all that Thou
abhorrest. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
October 6
Say: He it is Who is the Manifestation of Him Who is the
Unknowable, the Invisible of the Invisibles, could ye but perceive it. He it is
Who hath laid bare before you the hidden and treasured Gem, were ye to seek it.
He it is Who is the one Beloved of all things, whether of the past or of the
future. Would that ye might set your hearts and hopes upon Him! (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
October 5
Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! This is Thy servant who hath
quaffed from the hands of Thy grace the wine of Thy tender mercy, and tasted of
the savor of Thy love in Thy days. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Prayers and Meditations by
Baha’u’llah’)
October 4
None of the many Prophets sent down, since Moses was made
manifest, as Messengers of the Word of God, such as David, Jesus, and others
among the more exalted Manifestations who have appeared during the intervening
period between the Revelations of Moses and Muhammad, ever altered the law of
the Qiblih. These Messengers of the Lord of creation have, one and all,
directed their peoples to turn unto the same direction. In the eyes of God, the
ideal King, all the places of the earth are one and the same, excepting that
place which, in the days of His Manifestations, He doth appoint for a
particular purpose. Even as He hath revealed: “The East and West are God’s:
therefore whichever way ye turn, there is the face of God.” [Qur’án 2:115]
Notwithstanding the truth of these facts, why should the Qiblih have been
changed, thus casting such dismay amongst the people, causing the companions of
the Prophet to waver, and throwing so great a confusion into their midst? Yea,
such things as throw consternation into the hearts of all men come to pass only
that each soul may be tested by the touchstone of God, that the true may be
known and distinguished from the false. Thus hath He revealed after the breach
amongst the people: “We did not appoint that which Thou wouldst have to be the
Qiblih, but that We might know him who followeth the Apostle from him who
turneth on his heels.” [Qur’án 2:143] “Affrighted asses fleeing from a lion.”
[Qur’án 74:50]
(Baha'u'llah, 'The Kitab-i-Iqan')
(Baha'u'llah, 'The Kitab-i-Iqan')
October 3
God hath imposed a fine on every adulterer and adulteress,
to be paid to the House of Justice: nine mithqáls of gold, to be doubled
if they should repeat the offence. Such is the penalty which He Who is the Lord
of Names hath assigned them in this world; and in the world to come He hath
ordained for them a humiliating torment. Should anyone be afflicted by a sin,
it behoveth him to repent thereof and return unto his Lord. He, verily,
granteth forgiveness unto whomsoever He willeth, and none may question that
which it pleaseth Him to ordain. He is, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the
Almighty, the All-Praised. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 2
We will now mention unto thee Trustworthiness and the
station thereof in the estimation of God, thy Lord, the Lord of the Mighty
Throne. One day of days We repaired unto Our Green Island. Upon Our arrival, We
beheld its streams flowing, and its trees luxuriant, and the sunlight playing
in their midst. Turning Our face to the right, We beheld what the pen is
powerless to describe; nor can it set forth that which the eye of the Lord of
Mankind witnessed in that most sanctified, that most sublime, that blest, and
most exalted Spot. Turning, then, to the left We gazed on one of the Beauties
of the Most Sublime Paradise, standing on a pillar of light, and calling aloud
saying: “O inmates of earth and heaven! Behold ye My beauty, and My radiance, and
My revelation, and My effulgence. By God, the True One! I am Trustworthiness
and the revelation thereof, and the beauty thereof. I will recompense whosoever
will cleave unto Me, and recognize My rank and station, and hold fast unto My
hem. I am the most great ornament of the people of Bahá, and the vesture of
glory unto all who are in the kingdom of creation. I am the supreme instrument
for the prosperity of the world, and the horizon of assurance unto all beings.”
Thus have We sent down for thee that which will draw men nigh unto the Lord of
creation. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the
Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
October 1
Erelong shall God raise up, through Thee, those with hands
of indomitable strength and arms of invincible might, who will come forth from
behind the veils, will render the All-Merciful victorious amongst the peoples
of the world, and will raise so mighty a cry as to cause all hearts to tremble
with fear. Thus hath it been decreed in
a Written Tablet. Such shall be the
ascendancy which these souls will evince that consternation and dismay will
seize all the dwellers of the earth. (Baha'u'llah, Suriy-i-Haykal, The Summons
of the Lord of Hosts)
September 30
Regard ye the world as a man’s body, which is afflicted with
divers ailments, and the recovery of which dependeth upon the harmonizing of
all of its component elements. Gather ye around that which We have prescribed
unto you, and walk not in the ways of such as create dissension.
Meditate on the world and the state of its people. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf’)
September 29
O concourse of the faithful! Incline your ears to My Voice,
proclaimed by this Remembrance of God. Verily God hath revealed unto Me that
the Path of the Remembrance which is set forth by Me is, in very truth, the
straight Path of God, and that whoever professeth any religion other than this
upright Faith, will, when called to account on the Day of Judgement, discover
that as recorded in the Book no benefit hath he reaped out of God’s Religion...
(The Báb, excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of
the Báb)
September 28
Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his
son and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been
laid down in the Holy Tablet. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 27
Whenever the faithful hear the verses of this Book being
recited, their eyes will overflow with tears and their hearts will be deeply
touched by Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance for the love they cherish for
God, the All-Praised. He is God, the All-Knowing, the Eternal. They are indeed
the inmates of the all-highest Paradise wherein they will
abide for ever. Verily they will see naught therein save that which hath
proceeded from God, nothing that will lie beyond the compass of their
understanding. There they will meet the believers in Paradise, who will address
them with the words ‘Peace, Peace’ lingering on their lips... (The Báb,
excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
September 26
O SON OF MAN! Upon the tree of effulgent glory I have hung
for thee the choicest fruits, wherefore hast thou turned away and contented
thyself with that which is less good? Return then unto that which is better for
thee in the realm on high. (The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
September 25
He Who is the Dawning-place of God’s Cause hath no partner
in the Most Great Infallibility. He it is Who, in the kingdom of creation, is
the Manifestation of “He doeth whatsoever He willeth”. God hath reserved this
distinction unto His own Self, and ordained for none a share in so sublime and
transcendent a station. This is the Decree of God, concealed ere now within the
veil of impenetrable mystery. We have disclosed it in this Revelation, and have
thereby rent asunder the veils of such as have failed to recognize that which
the Book of God set forth and who were numbered with the heedless.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 24
We school you with the rod of wisdom and laws, like unto the
father who educateth his son, and this for naught but the protection of your
own selves and the elevation of your stations. By My life, were ye to discover
what We have desired for you in revealing Our holy laws, ye would offer up your
very souls for this sacred, this mighty, and most exalted Faith. (Baha’u’llah,
‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
September 23
He, verily, desireth to see in you the manners of the
inmates of Paradise in His mighty and most sublime Kingdom. Hold ye fast unto
refinement under all conditions, that your eyes may be preserved from beholding
what is repugnant both to your own selves and to the dwellers of Paradise.
(Baha’u’llah, ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
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