Quote of the Day

[arthra]

In reality every day which man passes in the mention of God, the diffusion of the fragrances of God and calling the people to the Kingdom of God, that day is his feast.

Praise be to God that you are occupied in the service of the Kingdom of God and are engaged in the promulgation of the religion of God by day and by night. Therefore all your days are feast days.

There is no doubt that the assistance and the bestowal of God shall descend upon you.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 11

 

[arthra]

At one time, Thou didst raise Him up, O my God, and didst attire Him with the ornament of the name of Him Who conversed with Thee (Moses), and didst through Him uncover all that Thy will had decreed and Thine irrevocable purpose ordained. At another time, Thou didst adorn Him with the name of Him Who was Thy Spirit (Jesus), and didst send Him down out of the heaven of Thy will, for the edification of Thy people, infusing thereby the spirit of life into the hearts of the sincere among Thy servants and the faithful among Thy creatures. Again, Thou didst reveal Him, decked forth by the name of Him Who was Thy Friend (Muhammad), and caused Him to shine brightly above the horizon of Hijaz, as a token of Thy power and an evidence of Thy might. Through Him Thou didst send unto Thy servants what enabled them to scale the heights of Thy unity, and to yearn over the wonders of Thy manifold knowledge and wisdom.

~ Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, pp. 50-51

 

[arthra]

Each one of the luminous bodies in this limitless firmament has a cycle of revolution which is of a different duration, and every one revolves in its own orbit, and again begins a new cycle. So the earth, every three hundred and sixty-five days, five hours, forty-eight minutes and a fraction, completes a revolution; and then it begins a new cycle, that is to say, the first cycle is again renewed.

In the same way, for the whole universe, whether for the heavens or for men, there are cycles of great events, of important facts and occurrences. When a cycle is ended, a new cycle begins, and the old one, on account of the great events which take place, is completely forgotten, and not a trace or record of it will remain.

As you see, we have no records of twenty thousand years ago, although we have before proved by argument that life on this earth is very ancient. It is not one hundred thousand, or two hundred thousand, or one million or two million years old; it is very ancient, and the ancient records and traces are entirely obliterated.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 54

 

[arthra]

O thou seeker after the Kingdom!

Every divine Manifestation is the very life of the world, and the skilled physician of each ailing soul. The world of man is sick, and that competent Physician knoweth the cure, arising as He doth with teachings, counsels and admonishments that are the remedy for every pain, the healing balm to every wound.

It is certain that the wise physician can diagnose his patient's needs at any season, and apply the cure. Wherefore, relate thou the Teachings of the Abha Beauty to the urgent needs of this present day, and thou wilt see that they provide an instant remedy for the ailing body of the world. Indeed, they are the elixir that bringeth eternal health.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 58

 

[arthra]

A Divine Manifestation is as a mirror reflecting the light of the Sun. The light is the same and yet the mirror is not the Sun. All the Manifestations of God bring the same Light; they only differ in degree, not in reality. The Truth is one. The light is the same though the lamps may be different; we must look at the Light not at the Lamp. If we accept the Light in one, we must accept the Light in all; all agree, because all are the same. The teaching is ever the same, it is only the outward forms that change.

The Manifestations of God are as the heavenly bodies. All have their appointed place and time of ascension, but the Light they give is the same. if one wishes to look for the sun rising, one does not look always at the same point because that point changes with the seasons. When one sees the sun rise further in the north one recognizes it, though it has risen at a different point.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, pp. 66-67

 

[arthra]

O my Lord! O my Lord!

Assist the weak ones with the Supreme Energy;

shelter the indigent ones near the asylum of Thy Greatest Majesty;

strengthen the loins of those souls whose faces radiate with Thy lights and whose tongues become eloquent in the glorification and commemoration of Thy Name;

make them the plants of Thy luminous orchard, the blossoms of Thy blessed tree, the leaves of Thy Sadrat-el-Montaha and the flowers of Thy exalted rose-garden!

Verily, Thou art the Clement, the Lofty, the Magnificent, the Omnipresent and the Omniscient and Thou art the Protector, the Guardian, the Helper, the Powerful, the Merciful and the Generous!

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 570

 

[arthra]

"He is God, exalted is His state, wisdom and utterance. The True One (glorious is His glory) for the showing forth of the gems of ideals from the mine of man, hath, in every age, sent a Trusted One.

The primary foundation of the faith of God and the religion of God is this,

that they should not make diverse sects and various paths the cause and reason of hatred. These principles and laws and firm sure roads appear from one dawning-place and shine from one dayspring, and these diversities were out of regard for the requirements of the time, season, ages, and epochs.

O unitarians, make firm the girdle of endeavor, that perchance religious strife and conflict may be removed from amongst the people of the world and be annulled. For love of God and His servants engage in this great and mighty matter.

Religious hatred and rancor is a world-consuming fire, and the quenching thereof most arduous, unless the hand of Divine Might give men deliverance from this unfruitful calamity.

Consider a war which happeneth between two states: both sides have foregone wealth and life: how many villages were beheld as though they' were not! This precept is in the position of the light in the lamp of utterance."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, p. 42

 

[arthra]

For one of the greatest divine wisdoms regarding the appearance of the holy Manifestations is this: The souls may come to know each other and become intimate with each other; the power of the love of God may make all of them the waves of one sea, the flowers of one rose garden, and the stars of one heaven.

This is the wisdom for the appearance of the holy Manifestations! When the most great bestowal reveals itself in the hearts of the believers, the world of nature will be transformed, the darkness of the contingent being will vanish, and heavenly illumination will be obtained. Then the whole world will become the Paradise of Abha, every one of the believers of God will become a blessed tree, producing wonderful fruits.

Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 52

 

[arthra]

"May fanaticism and religious bigotry be unknown, all humanity enter the bond of brotherhood, souls consort in perfect agreement, the nations of earth at last hoist the banner of truth and the religions of the world enter the divine temple of oneness, for the foundations of the heavenly religions are one reality."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 12

 

[arthra]

Become ye a shelter and asylum to the fearful ones, be ye a cause of tranquillity and ease to the souls and hearts of the agitated ones, impart ye strength to the helpless ones, become ye a treasury of wealth to the indigent ones, be ye a remedy and antidote to the afflicted ones, and a physician and nurse to the sick ones. Serve ye for the promotion of peace and concord and establish in this transitory world the foundation of friendship, fidelity, reconciliation and truthfulness.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 41

 

[arthra]

Truly I say unto you!

Verily, ye have cast away superstitions; have partaken an abundant portion from that Reality which is shining upon all regions; have perceived the manifest signs, have entered the ark of salvation and attained unto eternal life, under the shadow of the Lord of Hosts, gazing unto the Most Honorable Station, enkindled with the fire ablaze in the tree of existence, in the spot of Sinai; responding to the call of the Clement One, severed from the world, and yearning for the place of sacrifice in the path of Baha'.

You will surely hear from this call a ringing voice in the regions. Then the nations will awake to this effulgence and hasten unto the fountain of the Covenant; so that they may drink fresh and salutary water from the grace of your Lord, the Clement.

At that time, the faithful shall be cheered, the sincere shall rejoice and the yearning ones shall be drawn unto the unseen world, the Kingdom of your Lord, the Merciful!

O ye beloved of God and His chosen ones! Trust ye in the divine confirmation, the merciful bounty and the supreme bestowal. Verily, He will confirm your hearts, dilate your breasts, make your tongues fluent and will rejoice your souls by a grace from the Compassionate Merciful One!

O ye beloved of Baha'! Do not look at your weakness, nay, rely upon the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. Verily, It maketh the weak strong, the lowly mighty, the child grown, the infant mature and the small great.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, pp. 273-274

 

[arthra]

How often has it happened that an individual who was graced with every attribute of humanity and wore the jewel of true understanding, nevertheless followed after his passions until his excellent qualities passed beyond moderation and he was forced into excess.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 59

 

[arthra]

Discover for yourselves the reality of things, and strive to assimilate the methods by which noble-mindedness and glory are attained among the nations and people of the world.

No man should follow blindly his ancestors and forefathers. Nay, each must see with his own eyes, hear with his own ears and investigate independently in order that he may find the truth. The religion of forefathers and ancestors is based upon blind imitation. Man should investigate reality.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 24

 

[arthra]

Therefore, reflect that different peoples of the world are revolving around imaginations and are worshipers of the idols of thoughts and conjectures. They are not aware of this; they consider their imaginations to be the Reality which is withdrawn from all comprehension and purified from all descriptions. They regard themselves as the people of Unity, and the others as worshipers of idols; but idols at least have a mineral existence, while the idols of thoughts and the imaginations of man are but fancies; they have not even mineral existence. "Take heed ye who are endued with discernment."[1]

[1 Qur'án 59:2.]

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 148

 

[arthra]

Yea, the seeker reacheth a station wherein that which hath been ordained for him knoweth no bounds. The fire of love so blazeth in his heart that it seizeth the reins of constraint from his grasp.

At every moment his love for his Lord increaseth and draweth him nearer unto his Creator, in such wise that if his Lord be in the east of nearness, and he dwell in the west of remoteness and possess all that earth and heaven contain of rubies and gold, he would forsake it all and rush forth to the land of the Desired One. And shouldst thou find him to be otherwise, know assuredly that such a man is a lying impostor.

We, verily, all belong unto Him Whom God shall make manifest in the latter Resurrection, and through Him shall we be raised again to life.

~ Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 75-76

 

[arthra]

Fully aware of the repeated statements of 'Abdu'l-Bahá that universality is of God, Bahá'ís in every land are ready, nay anxious, to associate themselves by word and deed with any association of men which, after careful scrutiny, they feel satisfied is free from every tinge of partisanship and politics and is wholly devoted to the interests of all mankind.

- Shoghi Effendi

~ Compilations, Principles of Bahai Administration, p. 26

 

[arthra]

Show forbearance and benevolence and love to one another. Should any one among you be incapable of grasping a certain truth, or be striving to comprehend it, show forth, when conversing with him, a spirit of extreme kindliness and good-will. Help him to see and recognize the truth, without esteeming yourself to be, in the least, superior to him, or to be possessed of greater endowments.

~ Baha'u'llah

Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 7

 

[arthra]

O my God! O my God!

These are servants who have turned unto Thy Kingdom and hearkened unto Thy voice.

Their hearts were dilated by Thy call, responded unto Thy summons, were attracted unto Thy beauty, acknowledged Thy proofs, believed in Thy signs, confessed Thy Oneness and arose for the service of Thy Cause and the promotion of Thy Word.

O Lord! O Lord! Make them lamps of guidance, light glistening in the supreme apex, sparkling stars in heaven, holy angels moving on earth and thriving trees bearing delicious and fragrant fruits.

O Lord! O Lord! Purify their qualities, clarify their consciousness, cleanse their hearts and illumine their faces. Verily Thou art the Powerful, the Precious, the Protecting!

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 6

 

[arthra]

Love is the mystery of divine revelations!

Love is the effulgent manifestation!

Love is the spiritual fulfillment!

Love is the light of the Kingdom!

Love is the breath of the Holy Spirit inspired into the human spirit!

Love is the cause of the manifestation of the Truth (God) in the phenomenal world!

Love is the necessary tie proceeding from the realities of things through divine creation!

Love is the means of the most great happiness in both the material and spiritual worlds!

Love is a light of guidance in the dark night!

Love is a bond between the Creator and the creature in the inner world!

Love is the cause of development to every enlightened man!

Love is the greatest law in this vast universe of God!

Love is the one law which causeth and controlleth order among the existing atoms!

Love is the universal magnetic power between the planets and stars shining in the lofty firmament!

Love is the cause of unfoldment to a searching mind, of the secrets deposited in the universe by the Infinite!

Love is the spirit of life in the bountiful body of the world!

Love is the cause of the civilization of nations in this mortal world!

Love is the highest honor to every righteous nation!

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 524

 

[arthra]

To man is given the special gift of the intellect by which he is able to receive a larger share of the light Divine. The Perfect Man is as a polished mirror reflecting the Sun of Truth, manifesting the attributes of God.
The Lord Christ said, 'He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father' -- God manifested in man.
The sun does not leave his place in the heavens and descend into the mirror, for the actions of ascent and descent, coming and going, do not belong to the Infinite, they are the methods of finite beings. In the Manifestation of God, the perfectly polished mirror, appear the qualities of the Divine in a form that man is capable of comprehending.
This is so simple that all can understand it, and that which we are able to understand we must perforce accept.
Our Father will not hold us responsible for the rejection of dogmas which we are unable either to believe or comprehend, for He is ever infinitely just to His children.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 25