Quote of the Day

[arthra]

Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess.

Through a word proceeding out of the mouth of God he was called into being; by one word more he was guided to recognize the Source of his education; by yet another word his station and destiny were safeguarded.

The Great Being saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value.

Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom. If any man were to meditate on that which the Scriptures, sent down from the heaven of God's holy Will, have revealed, he would readily recognize that their purpose is that all men shall be regarded as one soul, so that the seal bearing the words "The Kingdom shall be God's" may be stamped on every heart, and the light of Divine bounty, of grace, and mercy may envelop all mankind.

~ Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 259

 

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The mission of the prophets, the revelation of the holy books, the manifestation of the heavenly teachers and the purpose of divine philosophy all center in the training of the human realities so that they may become clear and pure as mirrors and reflect the light and love of the Sun of Reality

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 262

 

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It is clear and evident to thee that all the Prophets are the Temples of the Cause of God, Who have appeared clothed in divers attire. If thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold Them all abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same Faith.

Such is the unity of those Essences of Being, those Luminaries of infinite and immeasurable splendor! Wherefore, should one of these Manifestations of Holiness proclaim saying: "I am the return of all the Prophets," He, verily, speaketh the truth. In like manner, in every subsequent Revelation, the return of the former Revelation is a fact, the truth of which is firmly established....

The other station is the station of distinction, and pertaineth to the world of creation, and to the limitations thereof. In this respect, each Manifestation of God hath a distinct individuality, a definitely prescribed mission, a predestined revelation, and specially designated limitations. Each one of them is known by a different name, is characterized by a special attribute, fulfils a definite mission, and is entrusted with a particular Revelation.

~ Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 51

 

[arthra]

"We trust that God will assist the kings of the earth to illuminate and adorn the earth with the refulgent light of the Sun of Justice. At one time We spoke in the language of the Law, at another time in the language of the Truth and the Way; and the ultimate object and remote aim was the showing forth of this high supreme station. And God sufficeth for witness."

"O friends, consort with all the people of the world with joy and fragrance. If there be to you a word or essence whereof others than you are devoid, communicate it and show it forth in the language of affection and kindness: if it be received and be effective the object is attained, and if not leave it to him, and with regard to him deal not harshly but pray. The language of kindness is the lodestone of hearts and the food of the soul; it stands in the relation of ideas to words, and is as an horizon for the shining of the Sun of Wisdom and Knowledge."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, p. 43

 

[arthra]

Then it is clear that the honor and exaltation of man must be something more than material riches. Material comforts are only a branch, but the root of the exaltation of man is the good attributes and virtues which are the adornments of his reality.

These are the divine appearances, the heavenly bounties, the sublime emotions, the love and knowledge of God; universal wisdom, intellectual perception, scientific discoveries, justice, equity, truthfulness, benevolence, natural courage and innate fortitude; the respect for rights and the keeping of agreements and covenants; rectitude in all circumstances; serving the truth under all conditions; the sacrifice of one's life for the good of all people; kindness and esteem for all nations; obedience to the teachings of God; service in the Divine Kingdom; the guidance of the people, and the education of the nations and races.

This is the prosperity of the human world! This is the exaltation of man in the world! This is eternal life and heavenly honor!

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 79

 

[arthra]

Thanks be to God that thou hast obtained that which was sought by all prophets and holy souls; namely, the knowledge of God and the love of God. First, the knowledge; and, second, His unfathomable love. Also the different members of thy family, who followed thee and who obtained that which thou didst obtain.

This is a great gift from God and hath no equal; although in this physical world its greatness is not perceivable, nor its nature clearly known, yet in the spiritual world it shineth like the sun.

So long as the pearl remaineth hidden at the bottom of the sea, its value is not known nor its brilliancy and fineness seen, it is only when in the hands of the expert jeweler that its great beauty becomes revealed.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, p. 415

 

[arthra]

He who has the consciousness of reality has eternal life - that lamp which can never be extinguished. The humble peasant girl, Mary Magdalene, - to what splendor she attained! A wise man sees no satisfaction in the material world; he is not content to be one of the creatures. In the world of divine effulgence he finds eternal life and becomes aflame with the fire of the love of God, the great source of life of the immortal kingdom and his head is adorned with a crown of eternal jewels.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 57

 

[arthra]

THE BLESSED Person of the Promised One is interpreted in the Holy Book as the Lord of Hosts -- the heavenly armies. By heavenly armies those souls are intended who are entirely freed from the human world, transformed into celestial spirits and have become divine angels. Such souls are the rays of the Sun of Reality who will illumine all the continents. Each one is holding in his hand a trumpet, blowing the breath of life over all the regions. They are delivered from human qualities and the defects of the world of nature, are characterized with the characteristics of God, and are attracted with the fragrances of the Merciful. Like unto the apostles of Christ, who were filled with Him, these souls also have become filled with His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh; that is, the love of Bahá'u'lláh has so mastered every organ, part and limb of their bodies, as to leave no effect from the promptings of the human world.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 49

 

[arthra]

O thou my dearly beloved! Hasten! Hasten! to the gifts of thy Lord, the Merciful! Come to the Benefactor; avail thyself of this opportunity and take thy portion of this Greatest Treasure in this promised day!

O thou spiritual youth and merciful young man!

Consider the grace of thy Master; how He hath directed thee to the fountain of salvation, until thou hast drunk from the salsabil (i. e., clear water of life) of the guidance of God, in this holy and rich garden.

Cling to this firm handle and make thy feet steady in this path, so that the bounties of thy Supreme Lord may successively pour upon thee and make thee a sign of His mighty knowledge.

O thou who art directed to the Light of Guidance!

Thank thou God, for thou hast chanted the verses of the Mighty Guidance in the assemblage of knowledge and hast unfurled the banner of attraction in those most extensive places. Therefore, appreciate this with due appreciation and know thou that this guidance is a gift, greater than which cannot be imagined. For as much as it is a bounty from the Glorious Lord, a success to every sincere servant, a light for the faces of devoted ones and a bestowal from the Lord, the Clement, the Merciful.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, p. 255

 

[arthra]

In the Suriy-i-Haykal (Surih of the Temple) revealed in 'Akká, Bahá'u'lláh states that in this Dispensation the verses of God have been revealed in nine different styles or categories.

A well-known Bahá'í scholar, Jinab-i-Fadil-i-Mazindarani, after careful study of the Writings, has enumerated these styles as follows:

1. Tablets with the tone of command and authority.

2. Those with the tone of servitude, meekness and supplication.

3. Writings dealing with interpretation of the old Scriptures,
religious beliefs and doctrines of the past.

4. Writings in which laws and ordinances have been enjoined
for this age and laws of the past abrogated.

5. Mystical Writings.

6. Tablets concerning matters of government and world
order, and those addressed to the kings.

7. Tablets dealing with subjects of learning and knowledge,
divine philosophy, mysteries of creation, medicine, alchemy,
etc.

8. Tablets exhorting men to education, goodly character and
divine virtues.

9. Tablets dealing with social teachings.

~ Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 1, p. 42

 

[arthra]

We are told in the Holy Scripture that the New Jerusalem shall appear on earth. Now it is evident that this celestial city is not built of material stones and mortar, but that it is a city not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.

This is a prophetic symbol, meaning the coming again of the Divine Teaching to enlighten the hearts of men. It is long since this Holy Guidance has governed the lives of humanity. But now, at last, the Holy City of the New Jerusalem has come again to the world, it has appeared anew under an Eastern sky; from the horizon of Persia has its effulgence arisen to be a light to lighten the whole world. We see in these days the fulfilment of the Divine Prophecy. Jerusalem had disappeared. The heavenly city was destroyed, now it is rebuilt; it was razed to the ground, but now its walls and pinnacles have been restored, and are towering aloft in their renewed and glorious beauty.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 84

 

[arthra]

O thou who art attracted to the Call of the Kingdom!

Thy letter was presented and I was informed of thy expression. And it was glorious proof of thine abundant reliance upon the Kingdom of thy Lord and of thine excessive love for thy great Master.

Know thou, verily, the Kingdom is a magnet of the divine world and it attracteth the iron of pure hearts which are capable of the bounties of the Lord of Might. Blessed art thou, for thou hast turned unto the Lord of Heaven, thy heart hath relied upon the light of guidance, thou hast advanced toward the center of righteousness, and thy spirit is cheered by the bounty of the Supreme Concourse.

Verily, I beseech God to strengthen thee with the Most Great Power, so that the Spirit may pour upon thee the teachings of the Beauty of El-ABHA, and to baptize thee with the water of life, the fire of the love of God and with the spirit of confirmation among the maid-servants.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 227

 

[arthra]

THE SECOND ISHRAQ:

We have commanded the Most Great Peace, which is the greatest means for the protection of mankind. The rulers of the world must, in one accord, adhere to this command which is the main cause for the security and tranquillity of the world. They are day- springs of the power and dawning-places of the authority of God. We beg of God to assist them in that which is conducive to the peace of the servants.
The account of this subject has been previously revealed from the Supreme Pen. Blessed are those who act accordingly!

~ Baha'u'llah

(Compilations, Baha'i World Faith, p. 198)

 

[arthra]

In the Old Testament we read that God said, 'Let us make man in Our own image'. In the Gospel, Christ said, 'I am in the Father, and the Father in Me'.[1] In the Qur'án, God says, 'Man is my Mystery and I am his'. Bahá'u'lláh writes that God says, 'Thy heart is My home; purify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation'.
[1 St. John xiv, II ]


All these sacred words show us that man is made in God's image: yet the Essence of God is incomprehensible to the human mind, for the finite understanding cannot be applied to this infinite Mystery. God contains all: He cannot be contained. That which contains is superior to that which is contained. The whole is greater than its parts.

Things which are understood by men cannot be outside their capacity for understanding, so that it is impossible for the heart of man to comprehend the nature of the Majesty of God. Our imagination can only picture that which it is able to create.


~ Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 23

 

[arthra]

For God the end is the same thing as the beginning. So the reckoning of days, weeks, months and years, of yesterday and today, is connected with the terrestrial globe; but in the sun there is no such thing -- there is neither yesterday, today nor tomorrow, neither months nor years: all are equal. In the same way the Word of God is purified from all these conditions and is exempt from the boundaries, the laws and the limits of the world of contingency. Therefore, the reality of prophethood, which is the Word of God and the perfect state of manifestation, did not have any beginning and will not have any end; its rising is different from all others and is like that of the sun.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 152

 

[arthra]

The journeys in the pathway of love are reckoned as four:

From the creatures to the True One;

from the True One to the creatures;

from the creatures to the creatures;

from the True One to the True One.

~ Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 25

 

[arthra]

"Adam" signifies the overflowing Reality, distributive, active, which represents the appearance of the Names and Qualities of God, the Divine conditions (or stations); whereas Eve is the passive Reality, taking, dependent, receptive, existing through the Divine Names and Qualities

- Abdul-Baha

(Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 479)

 

[arthra]

As to thy question concerning Christ: Know thou, He was perfect in respect of spirit as well as body. His material (body) was a perfect body in every respect; none of His material conditions were imperfect at all, inasmuch as imperfection is contrary to perfection. His heavenly condition was also a perfect one, comprising all the divine perfections. Reflect thou upon these words, so that the door of knowledge may be opened before thy face.

~~~~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 228

 

[arthra]

Know thou assuredly that-

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. 525-526

 

[arthra]

In the third Tajalli (effulgence) of the Book of Tajalliyat (Book of Effulgences) We have mentioned:

"Arts, crafts and sciences uplift the world of being, and are conducive to its exaltation. Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with words and end with words. Great indeed is the claim of scientists and craftsmen on the peoples of the world. Unto this beareth witness the Mother Book in this conspicuous station."

In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and a source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto him. Happy the man that cleaveth unto it, and woe betide the heedless.

~ Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 26