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| 'Abdu'l-Baha at Lincoln Park in Chicago, 1912 |
I am the lamp and the love of God is my light. This light hath become reflected in the mirrors of hearts. Therefore turn thou unto thy heart, that is, when it is in the utmost freedom, and behold how the radiance of my love is manifest in that mirror, and thou art near unto me. Recite the Greatest Name at every morn, and turn thou unto the Kingdom of Abha, until thou mayest apprehend my mysteries.
-‘Abdu'l-Baha
(Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha vol. 3)
The beloved Guardian described that portion of the Feast in which prayers and other passages of the Sacred Scriptures of the Faith are read as being “devotional” in character and stated that its purpose is to inspire a prayerful attitude and stimulate a spirit of reverence in the hearts of the friends.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated March 15, 2011 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
O maid-servant of God! The human spirit hath an impression and effect in the world, but the divine Spirit giveth life to the souls and conferreth eternal life upon those who are attracted to the fragrances of God. This is the Great Cause from the Kingdom of thy Lord.
Be attached to this New Spirit which hath effective power in the realities of things and creates new creatures.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’, vol. 1)
In all matters moderation is desirable. If a thing is carried to excess, it will prove a source of evil.
- Baha'u'llah (Tablets of Baha'u'llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas)
About a year after Ahmad's [the Báb’s son] birth and death, on the night of 22 May 1844, Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad declared to Mulla Husayn in the upper chamber of His house in Shiraz that He was the promised Qa’im. Khadijih Bagum's response to the Bab's claim is recorded in The Dawn-Breakers:
"The wife of the Báb . . . perceived at the earliest dawn of His Revelation the glory and uniqueness of His Mission and felt from the very beginning the intensity of its force." (Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’)
“Through her close association with the Báb and her observation of every aspect of His life, Khadijih Bagum, long before His declaration to Mulla Husayn, had discovered her husband's extraordinary spiritual endowments. However she was unaware of the claim He was to make and the nature of His mission until she experienced something unique which confirmed her belief in Him." (‘Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees’, by Baharieh Rouhani-Ma’ani)
“In His historical manuscript, her great nephew, Haji Mirza Habibu’llah Afnan has recorded the following account which was related by the wife of the Báb, Khadijih Bagum:
“’The sun was setting . . . when the Countenance of the Peerless Beloved illumined His home with the light of His effulgent Face. According to the usual custom, tea was served in the chamber of His mother and the dinner table was set. That night His blessed Person was not hungry but accompanied others and had a little food, then He went to bed.’
Hidayatu'llah Dihqani was executed in Shiraz, Iran, on March 17, 1981
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From
a talk, Paris, November 21, 1911; ‘Paris Talks’)
In 1844, when Bahá'u'lláh had almost reached the age of 27, a new Messenger of God (Manifestation of God) by the name of the Báb (the Gate) declared His Mission to humanity in Shiraz, Persia. The Báb announced that He was the Gate and Forerunner to an even greater revelation, Whose advent was close at hand, by Whose will He moved, and in Whose path He longed to sacrifice His life. He also announced that He was the Qa'im - the Messenger of God promised in the Qur’an Who would usher in a new age of righteousness. In the late summer of that year Bahá'u'lláh received the news of the Báb’s Declaration through Mulla Husayn - the Báb’s very first disciple.
(Adapted from ‘Call to Remembrance’, by Geoffry Marks)
…when a non-Bahá'í does appear at a Feast he should not be asked to leave; rather the Assembly should omit the consultative part of the Feast, and the non-Bahá'í should be made welcome.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 24 March 1970 to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, The Nineteen Day Feast)
My blood, at all times, addresseth me saying: “O Thou Who art the Image of the Most Merciful! How long will it be ere Thou riddest me of the captivity of this world, and deliverest me from the bondage of this life? Didst Thou not promise me that Thou shalt dye the earth with me, and sprinkle me on the faces of the inmates of Thy Paradise?” To this I make reply: “Be thou patient and quiet thyself. The things thou desirest can last but an hour. As to me, however, I quaff continually in the path of God the cup of His decree, and wish not that the ruling of His will should cease to operate, or that the woes I suffer for the sake of my Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, should be ended. Seek thou my wish and forsake thine own. Thy bondage is not for my protection, but to enable me to sustain successive tribulations, and to prepare me for the trials that must needs repeatedly assail me. Perish that lover who discerneth between the pleasant and the poisonous in his love for his beloved! Be thou satisfied with what God hath destined for thee. He, verily, ruleth over thee as He willeth and pleaseth. No God is there but Him, the Inaccessible, the Most High.”
- Baha’u’llah (‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)
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| Shoghi Effendi is standing front row, fourth from the left. |
Question: If one refuses the Cause of Baha’u’llah during his lifetime, may he hear of it after death?
Answer: Yes, he will hear of it in his next life, but through the mercy of God alone, not through his own ability.
Question: Are we not able, through love and faith, to make those on the other side hear of the Cause who had not heard of it while on earth?
Answer: Yes, surely sincere prayer always has its effect, and it has a great influence in the other world. We are never cut off from those who are there. The real and genuine influence is not in this World but in that other.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, October 18, 1911, Paris, France; Star of the West, vol. 2, no. 16, 31 December 1911)
O people! The goodliest vesture in the sight of God in this day is trustworthiness. All bounty and honour shall be the portion of the soul that arrayeth itself with this.
- Baha'u'llah (From a Tablet; The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II, Trustworthiness)
- Baha'u'llah (Quoted
by Shoghi Effendi in 'The World Order of Baha'u'llah')
Verily we have revealed to thee as we revealed to Noah and the Prophets after him, and as we revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and Jesus, and Job, and Jonah, and Aaron, and Solomon; and to David gave we Psalms.
Of some apostles we have told thee before: of other apostles we have not told thee - And discoursing did God discourse with Moses.
Apostles charged to announce and to warn, that men, after those apostles, might have no plea against god. And God is Mighty, Wise!
But God is himself witness of what He hath sent down to thee: In His knowledge hath He sent it down to thee. The angels are also its witnesses; but God is a sufficient witness!
(The Qur’an, Surih Women, translated by Rodwell)
In brief, I hold within My grasp whatsoever any man might wish of the good of this world and of the next. Were I to remove the veil, all would recognize Me as their Best-Beloved, and no one would deny Me. Let not this assertion astound Your Majesty; inasmuch as a true believer in the unity of God who keepeth his eyes directed towards Him alone will regard aught else but Him as utter nothingness.
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb')
Then He [‘Abdu’l-Baha] spoke at length of the "Composure of Heart," or "Tranquility of the Soul."
He said:
"This" is a state of true faith which gives man such assurance and conviction of God's bounty, that all the trials and sufferings of this earth cannot affect him."
Speaking of true joy and happiness. He said in part:
"If a man is not happy in his life, death is better than such a life. True joy comes from the tranquility of heart, and this state comes from faith! Praise be to God who gave us tranquility of heart! This is why we are always happy. I pray and supplicate to the Beauty of Abha to bless all the servants and maid-servants with true happiness resulting from the tranquility of heart."
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, recorded by Ali Kuli Khan, 'Abdu'l-Baha's English-language secretary during 1899 to 1901; ‘Ali-Kuli Khan 1906 Pilgrim Notes’)
I entreat Thee to enable me to cleave steadfastly to Thy Love and Thy remembrance. This is, verily, within my power, and Thou art the One that knoweth all that is in me. Thou, in truth, art knowing, apprised of all.
- Bahá’u’lláh (Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh)
