Quote of the Day

[arthra]

O ye Cohorts of God! His Highness, the Supreme -- may my life be a sacrifice to Him! -- hath given up His life, and at every moment the Blessed Perfection in His own life sacrificed hundreds of lives, endured dire calamities and oppressions. Laden with fetters He was thrown into the dark dungeon, He was exiled and banished to distant lands and finally passed His days in the Most Great Prison.

Likewise a multitude of friends drank the sweet chalice of martyrdom and sacrificed soul, possession, family and relatives for the Cause. How many houses were overthrown! How many residences were pillaged and rapined! How many buildings were razed to the foundation and how many magnificent palaces were turned into a desolate tomb!

All these phenomena transpired only that the world of humanity may become a luminous realm; ignorance be changed into wisdom, human souls become merciful, warfare and bloodshed be destroyed to their very foundation, and the Kingdom of Peace become paramount over all men.

~~~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 44

 

[arthra]

As to you, O friends of God: Make firm your feet in the Cause of God with such firmness as cannot be shaken by the most great disasters of the world. Be not troubled by anything under any condition. Be as lofty mountains, dawning-stars from the horizon of existence, brilliant lamps in the assemblies of oneness and lowly souls, pure hearted, with the friends.

Be signs of guidance; lights of piety; severed from the world, holding fast to the firm rope; spreaders of the spirit of life; abiders in the ark of safety; manifestations of mercy; dawning-stars of the mysteries of existence; points of revelation; day-springs of light; strengthened by the Holy Spirit; attracted toward God; sanctified from all things and from the (natural) qualities of people, and characterized with the attributes of the angels of heaven -- so ye may attain to the greatest gift in this great century and new age.

By the life of El-Baha! No one will obtain this great favor save he who cuts himself from this world, being attracted by the love of God, who is dead to the desires and appetites of self, sincere to God in all things and meek, humble, imploring, pleading and lowly before God.

~~~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 4

 

[arthra]

If in a garden the flowers and fragrant herbs, the blossoms and fruits, the leaves, branches and trees are of one kind, of one form, of one color and of one arrangement, there is no beauty or sweetness, but when there is variety, each will contribute to the beauty and charm of the others and will make an admirable garden, and will appear in the utmost loveliness, freshness and sweetness.

Likewise, when difference and variety of thoughts, forms, opinions, characters and morals of the world of mankind come under the control of one Supreme Power and the influence of the Word of the One True God, they will appear and be displayed in the most perfect glory, beauty, exaltation and perfection.

Today nothing but the power of the Word of God which encompasses the realities of things can bring the thoughts, the minds, the hearts and the spirits under the shade of one Tree. He is the potent in all things, the vivifier of souls, the preserver and the controller of the world of mankind. Praise be to God, in this day the light of the Word of God has shone forth upon all regions, and from all sects, communities, nations, tribes, peoples, religions and denominations, souls have gathered under the shadow of the Word of Oneness and have in the most intimate fellowship united and harmonized!

~~~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, pp. 295-297

 

[arthra]

Oh, friends of God! If ye will trust in the Word of God and be strong; if ye will follow the precepts of Bahá'u'lláh to tend the sick, raise the fallen, care for the poor and needy, give shelter to the destitute, protect the oppressed, comfort the sorrowful and love the world of humanity with all your hearts, then I say unto you that ere long this meeting-place will see a wonderful harvest. Day by day each member will advance and become more and more spiritual. But ye must have a firm foundation and your aims and ambitions must be clearly understood by each member. They shall be as follows:

1. To show compassion and goodwill to all mankind.

2. To render service to humanity.

3. To endeavour to guide and enlighten those in darkness.

4. To be kind to everyone, and show forth affection to every living soul.

5. To be humble in your attitude towards God, to be constant in prayer to Him, so as to grow daily nearer to God.

6. To be so faithful and sincere in all your actions that every member may be known as embodying the qualities of honesty, love, faith, kindness, generosity, and courage.

To be detached from all that is not God, attracted by the Heavenly Breath -- a divine soul; so that the world may know that a Bahá'í is a perfect being.

Strive to attain this at these meetings. Then, indeed and in truth will ye, the friends of God, come together with great joy! Render help one to the other, become as one man, having reached perfect unity.

I pray to God that daily ye may advance in spirituality, that God's love may be more and more manifested in you, that the thoughts of your hearts may be purified, and that your faces may be ever turned towards Him. May you one and all approach to the threshold of unity, and enter into the Kingdom. May each of you be like unto a flaming torch, lighted and burning bright with the fire of the Love of God.

~~~~ Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, pp. 73-75

 

[arthra]

In sum:

Sixty years ago His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh dawned from the dayspring of Persia like unto the Sun and proclaimed that the horizon of the world is dark and this darkness will produce dire results and violent wars will ensue.

From the prison of 'Akká He clearly warned the Emperor of Germany that a fierce war will break out and Berlin will be filled with wailing and lamentation.

Likewise, while He suffered wrong and imprisonment at the hand of the Turkish Sultan, and was verily incarcerated in the fortress of 'Akká - He explicitly wrote the Sultan that Constantinople shall be seized by a great revolution of such violence that women and children shall weep and lament.

In short, He wrote all the crowned heads and presidents of republics what has been exactly fulfilled; and certain teachings were revealed from the Supreme Pen relative to the prevention of war, which have been published throughout the world. Those teachings are: First: independent investigation of reality, for blind imitation deadens man's senses, and when an untrammeled search for reality is made, the world of humanity will be released from the shackles of blind imitation.

~~~ Abdu'l-Baha, "Letter to Martha Root"

 

[arthra]

I am most grateful to President Taft for having extended his influence toward the establishment of universal peace. What he has accomplished in making treaties with various nations is very good, but when we have the interparliamentary body composed of delegates from all the nations of the world and devoted to the maintenance of agreement and goodwill, the utopian dream of sages and poets, the parliament of man, will be realized.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 389

 

[arthra]

You have asked concerning approval of Christian Science treatment and healing. Spirit has influence; prayer has spiritual effect. Therefore, we pray, "O God! Heal this sick one!" Perchance God will answer. Does it matter who prays? God will answer the prayer of every servant if that prayer is urgent. His mercy is vast, illimitable. He answers the prayers of all His servants. He answers the prayer of this plant. The plant prays potentially, "O God! Send me rain!" God answers the prayer, and the plant grows. God will answer anyone.

He answers prayers potentially. Before we were born into this world did we not pray, "O God! Give me a mother; give me two fountains of bright milk; purify the air for my breathing; grant me rest and comfort; prepare food for my sustenance and living"? Did we not pray potentially for these needed blessings before we were created? When we came into this world, did we not find our prayers answered? Did we not find mother, father, food, light, home and every other necessity and blessing, although we did not actually ask for them? Therefore, it is natural that God will give to us when we ask Him. His mercy is all-encircling.

But we ask for things which the divine wisdom does not desire for us, and there is no answer to our prayer. His wisdom does not sanction what we wish. We pray, "O God! Make me wealthy!" If this prayer were universally answered, human affairs would be at a standstill. There would be none left to work in the streets, none to till the soil, none to build, none to run the trains. Therefore, it is evident that it would not be well for us if all prayers were answered. The affairs of the world would be interfered with, energies crippled and progress hindered. But whatever we ask for which is in accord with divine wisdom, God will answer. Assuredly!

For instance, a very feeble patient may ask the doctor to give him food which would be positively dangerous to his life and condition. He may beg for roast meat. The doctor is kind and wise. He knows it would be dangerous to his patient so he refuses to allow it. The doctor is merciful; the patient, ignorant. Through the doctor's kindness the patient recovers; his life is saved. Yet the patient may cry out that the doctor is unkind, not good, because he refuses to answer his pleading.

God is merciful. In His mercy He answers the prayers of all His servants when according to His supreme wisdom it is necessary.

~~ Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 247
__________________

 

[arthra]

O handmaid of God! Prayers are granted through the universal Manifestations of God. Nevertheless, where the wish is to obtain material things, even where the heedless are concerned, if they supplicate, humbly imploring God's help- even their prayer hath an effect.

O handmaid of God! The prayers which were revealed to ask for healing apply both to physical and spiritual healing. Recite them, then, to heal both the soul and the body. If healing is right for the patient, it will certainly be granted; but for some ailing persons, healing would only be the cause of other ills, and therefore wisdom doth not permit an affirmative answer to the prayer.

O handmaid of God! The power of the Holy Spirit healeth both physical and spiritual ailments.

~~~ "Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá", sec. 139, pp. 161-162

 

[arthra]

I beg of Him to bestow His confirmations upon those loved ones, dwellers in that pure and holy land, and to grant them successful outcomes in all things: that in their character, their behaviour, their words, their way of life, in all they are and do, He will make them to achieve distinction among men; that He will gather them into the world community, their hearts filled with ecstasy and fervour and yearning love, with knowledge and certitude, with steadfastness and unity, their faces beauteous and bright.

~~~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 259

 

[arthra]

The Blessed Beauty said: "All are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch." He likened the world of existence to one tree and all the souls to leaves, blossoms and fruits. Therefore all the branches, leaves, blossoms and fruits must be in the utmost of freshness, and the bringing about of this delicacy and sweetness depends upon union and fellowship. Therefore they must assist each other with all their power and seek everlasting life.

Thus the friends of God must manifest the mercy of the Compassionate Lord in the world of existence and must show forth the bounty of the visible and invisible King. They must purify their sight, and look upon mankind as the leaves, blossoms and fruits of the tree of creation, and must always be thinking of doing good to someone, of love, consideration, affection and assistance to somebody.

They must see no enemy and count no one as an ill wisher. They must consider every one on the earth as a friend; regard the stranger as an intimate, and the alien as a companion. They must not be bound by any tie, nay, rather, they should be free from every bond. In this day the one who is favored in the threshold of grandeur is the one who offers the cup of faithfulness and bestows the pearl of gift to the enemies, even to the fallen oppressor, lends a helping hand, and considers every bitter foe as an affectionate friend.

~~~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, pp. 215-216

 

[arthra]

These are the commands of the Blessed Beauty, these are the counsels of the Greatest Name. O ye dear friends!

The world is engaged in war and struggle, and mankind is in the utmost conflict and danger. The darkness of unfaithfulness has enshrouded the earth and the illumination of faithfulness has become concealed. All nations and tribes of the world have sharpened their claws and are warring and fighting with each other. The edifice of man is shattered.

Thousands of families are wandering disconsolate.

Thousands of souls are besmeared with dust and blood in the arena of battle and struggle every year, and the tent of happiness and life is overthrown. The prominent men become commanders and boast of bloodshed, and glory in destruction.

One says: "I have severed with my sword the necks of a nation," and one: "I have levelled a kingdom to the dust";

and another: "I have overthrown the foundation of a government."

This is the pivot around which the pride and glory of mankind are revolving. In all regions friendship and uprightness are denounced and reconciliation and regard for truth are despised.

The herald of peace, reformation, love and reconciliation is the Religion of the Blessed Beauty which has pitched its tent on the apex of the world and proclaimed its summons to the people.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 216

 

[arthra]

And now, consider and reflect a moment upon the waywardness of this people. What could have been the reason for such denial and avoidance on their part?

What could have induced them to refuse to put off the garment of denial, and to adorn themselves with the robe of acceptance?

Moreover, what could have caused the nonfulfilment of the divine promise which led the seekers to reject that which they had accepted?

Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you, that you may inhale the sweetness of a spiritual and imperishable fragrance, and that you may acknowledge the truth that from time immemorial even unto eternity the Almighty hath tried, and will continue to try, His servants, so that light may be distinguished from darkness, truth from falsehood, right from wrong, guidance from error, happiness from misery, and roses from thorns. Even as He hath revealed:

"Do men think when they say 'We believe' they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?"[1]

[1 Qur'án 29:2.]

~ Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 8

 

[arthra]

But as to the question of the Trinity, know, O advancer unto God, that in each one of the cycles wherein the Lights have shone forth upon the horizons (i. e., in each prophetic dispensation) and the Forgiving Lord hath revealed Himself on Mount Paran (see Habbakkuk 3:3, etc.) or Mount Sinai, or Mount Seir (see Ezekiel 35), there are necessarily three things:

The Giver of Grace, and the Grace, and the Recipient of the Grace;

the Source of the Effulgence, and the Effulgence, and the Recipient of the Effulgence;

the Illuminator, and the Illumination, and Illuminated.

Look at the Mosaic cycle:

The Lord, and Moses, and the Fire (i.e., the burning bush), the Intermediary;

and [at] the Messianic cycle: The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost the Intermediary;

and in the Mohammedan cycle:

The Lord, the Apostle (or Messenger, Mohammed), and Gabriel (for, as the Mohammedans believe, Gabriel brought the Revelation from God to Mohammed).

Look at the sun and its rays and the heat which results from its rays; the rays and the heat are but two effects of the sun, but inseparable from it; yet the sun is one in its essence, unique in its real identity, single in its attributes, neither is it possible that anything should resemble it. Such is the essence of the Truth concerning the Unity, the real doctrine of Singularity, the undiluted reality as to the (Divine) Sanctity.

~~~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 117

 

[arthra]

As day follows night, and after sunset comes the dawn, so Jesus Christ appeared on the horizon of this world like a Sun of Truth; even so when the people -- after forgetting the teachings of Christ and His example of love to all humanity -- had again grown tired of material things, a heavenly Star shone once more in Persia, a new illumination appeared and now a great light is spreading throughout all lands.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 82

 

[arthra]

"As preordained by the Fountain-head of Creation, the temple of the world hath been fashioned after the image and likeness of the human body. In fact each mirroreth forth the image of the other, wert thou but to observe with discerning eyes. By this is meant that even as the human body in this world, which is outwardly composed of different limbs and organs, is in reality a closely integrated, coherent entity, similarly the structure of the physical world is like unto a single being whose limbs and members are inseparably linked together. Were one to observe with an eye that discovereth the realities of all things, it would become clear that the greatest relationship that bindeth the world of being together lieth in the range of created things themselves, and that co-operation, mutual aid and reciprocity are essential characteristics in the unified body of the world of being, inasmuch as all created things are closely related together and each is influenced by the other or deriveth benefit therefrom, either directly or indirectly."

~~~ Abdul-Baha

(The Universal House of Justice, 1992 June 08, Gaia Concept, Nature, p. 1)

 

[arthra]

Were the commands of the Prophets concerning justice, mutual
aid, loving one's neighbor as oneself, carried out, how
could overcrowding, sweated labor and sordid poverty on the
one hand, together with self-indulgence, idleness and sordid
luxury on the other, continue to work mental, moral and
physical ruin?

Simple obedience to the hygienic and moral commands of
Moses, Buddha, Christ, Muhammad or Bahá'u'lláh would do
more in the way of preventing disease than all the doctors and
all the public health regulations in the world have been able to
accomplish. In fact, it seems certain that were such obedience
general, good health would also become general. Instead of
lives being blighted by disease of cut off in infancy, youth or
prime, as so frequently happens now, men would live to a ripe
old age, like sound fruits that mature and mellow ere they drop
from the bough.

~~~ Dr. J.E. Esslemont, Baha'u'llah and the New Era, p. 104

 

[arthra]

We must reflect a little: if the literal meaning of this story were attributed to a wise man, certainly all would logically deny that this arrangement, this invention, could have emanated from an intelligent being. Therefore, this story of Adam and Eve who ate from the tree, and their expulsion from Paradise, must be thought of simply as a symbol. It contains divine mysteries and universal meanings, and it is capable of marvelous explanations. Only those who are initiated into mysteries, and those who are near the Court of the All-Powerful, are aware of these secrets. Hence these verses of the Bible have numerous meanings.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 123

 

[arthra]

Economy is the foundation of human prosperity. The
spendthrift is always in trouble. Prodigality on the part of
any person is an unpardonable sin.

We must never live on
others like a parasitic plant. Every person must have a
profession, whether it be literary or manual, and must live
a clean, manly, honest life, an example of purity to be
imitated by others.

It is more kingly to be satisfied with a
crust of stale bread than to enjoy a sumptuous dinner of
many courses, the money for which comes out of the
pockets of others.

The mind of a contented person is always
peaceful and his heart at rest.

~ Abdul-Baha

-- Bahá'í Scriptures,
p. 453.

(Dr. J.E. Esslemont, Baha'u'llah and the New Era, p. 102)

 

[arthra]

In the day of Christ all nations were expecting that His Holiness Christ should come from heaven, and He came from heaven, though outwardly He came from the womb of Mary. Hence, He hath said in the Gospels: "No one shall ascend to heaven except the one who hath come from heaven." Now all the people expect Him to come from heaven.

If thou wishest to find the truth, compare the days of the Manifestation of the Beauty of Abha with the days of Christ; consider this is identically like that and the same doubts and oppositions are put forth.

As to the proofs and arguments of the Beauty of Abha, these are manifest like the sun. If thou wishest a discerning eye and seekest for a hearing ear, set thou aside that which thou hast heard from fathers and ancestors, for such things are imitation -- and then seek for the truth with the utmost attention until the divine confirmation may reach thee and the matter may be properly disclosed unto thee.

~ Abdu'l-Baha in Baha'i World Faith, p. 387

 

[arthra]

One of these questions concerns the rights of woman and her equality with man. In past ages it was held that woman and man were not equal -- that is to say, woman was considered inferior to man, even from the standpoint of her anatomy and creation. She was considered especially inferior in intelligence, and the idea prevailed universally that it was not allowable for her to step into the arena of important affairs. In some countries man went so far as to believe and teach that woman belonged to a sphere lower than human.

But in this century, which is the century of light and the revelation of mysteries, God is proving to the satisfaction of humanity that all this is ignorance and error; nay, rather, it is well established that mankind and womankind as parts of composite humanity are coequal and that no difference in estimate is allowable, for all are human.

The conditions in past centuries were due to woman's lack of opportunity. She was denied the right and privilege of education and left in her undeveloped state. Naturally, she could not and did not advance. In reality, God has created all mankind, and in the estimation of God there is no distinction as to male and female. The one whose heart is pure is acceptable in His sight, be that one man or woman. God does not inquire, "Art thou woman or art thou man?" He judges human actions. If these are acceptable in the threshold of the Glorious One, man and woman will be equally recognized and rewarded.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 133