Quote of the Day

[InvestigateTruth]

"God, however, ...does not only punish the wrongdoings of His children. He chastises because He is just, and He chastens because He loves. Having chastened them, He cannot, in His great mercy, leave them to their fate. Indeed, by the very act of chastening them He prepares them for the mission for which He has created them. ....The flames which His Divine justice have kindled cleanse an unregenerate humanity, and fuse its discordant, its warring elements as no other agency can cleanse or fuse them. It is not only a retributory and destructive fire, but a disciplinary and creative process, whose aim is the salvation, through unification, of the entire planet. Mysteriously, slowly, and resistlessly God accomplishes His design, though the sight that meets our eyes in this day be the spectacle of a world hopelessly entangled in its own meshes, utterly careless of the Voice which, for a century, has been calling it to God, and miserably subservient to the siren voices which are attempting to lure it into the vast abyss."


Shoghi - The Promised Day is come, p.87

 

[InvestigateTruth]

Say, O ye foolish ones! Wait ye even as those before you are waiting!

Baha'u'llah - Book of Iqan, p.26

 

[arthra]

Text of a Tablet from Abdul-Baha sent to Howard Colby Ives a Unitariabn minister..


"0 thou my heavenly son:

Thy letter was received. It was a rose-garden from
which the sweet fragrances of the love of God were
inhaled. It indicated that you have held a meeting with
the utmost joy and fragrance.

Your aim is the diffusion of the light of guidance;
the resurrection of the dead hearts, the promotion of the
oneness of the world of humanity and the elucidation of
Truth. Unquestionably you will become confirmed therein
and assisted by the invisible powers.

I have prayed on thy behalf that thou mayest become
the minister of the Temple of the Kingdom and the
herald of the Lord of Hosts; that thou mayest build a
monastery in heaven and lay the foundation of a convent
in the Universe of the Placeless; in all thy affairs that
thou mayest become inspired by the Breaths of the Holy
Spirit, and that thou mayest become so illumined that
the eyes of all the ministers be dazzled by thy brilliancy,
and may long to attain to thy station.

Thou art always in my memory. I shall never forget
the days of our meeting.

Endeavor as much as thou canst that thou mayest
master the Principles of Bahá'u'lláh, promulgate them
all over that continent, create love and unity between
the believers, guiding the people, awakening the heedless
ones and resurrecting the dead.

Convey on my behalf the utmost longing to all the
friends of God.

Upon thee be the Glory of the Most Glorious."

(Signed) 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas.

Found in "Portals of Freedom" by Howard Colby Ives

 

[arthra]

Thou hast asked Me whether man, as apart from the Prophets of God and His chosen ones, will retain, after his physical death, the self-same individuality, personality, consciousness, and understanding that characterize his life in this world. If this should be the case, how is it, thou hast observed, that whereas such slight injuries to his mental faculties as fainting and severe illness deprive him of his understanding and consciousness, his death, which must involve the decomposition of his body and the dissolution of its elements, is powerless to destroy that understanding and extinguish that consciousness? How can any one imagine that man's consciousness and personality will be maintained, when the very instruments necessary to their existence and function will have completely disintegrated?

Know thou that the soul of man is exalted above, and is independent of all infirmities of body or mind. That a sick person showeth signs of weakness is due to the hindrances that interpose themselves between his soul and his body, for the soul itself remaineth unaffected by any bodily ailments. Consider the light of the lamp. Though an external object may interfere with its radiance, the light itself continueth to shine with undiminished power. In like manner, every malady afflicting the body of man is an impediment that preventeth the soul from manifesting its inherent might and power. When it leaveth the body, however, it will evince such ascendancy, and reveal such influence as no force on earth can equal. Every pure, every refined and sanctified soul will be endowed with tremendous power, and shall rejoice with exceeding gladness.

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 153)

 

[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. 5

 

[InvestigateTruth]

"It behoveth the sovereigns of the world—may God assist them—or the ministers of the earth to take counsel together and to adopt one of the existing languages or a new one to be taught to children in schools throughout the world, and likewise one script. Thus the whole earth will come to be regarded as one country. Well is it with him who hearkeneth unto His Call and observeth that whereunto he is bidden by God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne."

Baha'u'llah - Tablet of Glad-Tidings

 

[InvestigateTruth]

The essence of abasement is to pass out from under the shadow of the Merciful and seek the shelter of the Evil One.
The source of error is to disbelieve in the One true God, rely upon aught else but Him, and flee from His Decree. ~~ ASL-I-KULLU’L-KHAYR (Words of Wisdom) ; ~~ Bahá’u’lláh

 

[arthra]

LAWH-I-KARMIL

(Tablet of Carmel)

ALL glory be to this Day, the Day in which the fragrances of mercy have been wafted over all created things, a Day so blest that past ages and centuries can never hope to rival it, a Day in which the countenance of the Ancient of Days hath turned towards His holy seat.

Thereupon the voices of all created things, and beyond them those of the Concourse on High, were heard calling aloud:

'Haste thee, O Carmel, for lo, the light of the countenance of God, the Ruler of the Kingdom of Names and Fashioner of the heavens, hath been lifted upon thee.'

Seized with transports of joy, and raising high her voice, she thus exclaimed: 'May my life be a sacrifice to Thee, inasmuch as Thou hast fixed Thy gaze upon me, hast bestowed upon me Thy bounty, and hast directed towards me Thy steps.

Separation from Thee, O Thou Source of everlasting life, hath well nigh consumed me, and my remoteness from Thy presence hath burned away my soul.

All praise be to Thee for having enabled me to hearken to Thy call, for having honoured me with Thy footsteps, and for having quickened my soul through the vitalizing fragrance of Thy Day and the shrilling voice of Thy Pen, a voice Thou didst ordain as Thy trumpet-call amidst Thy people. And when the hour at which Thy resistless Faith was to be made manifest did strike, Thou didst breathe a breath of Thy spirit into Thy Pen, and lo, the entire creation shook to its very foundations, unveiling to mankind such mysteries as lay hidden within the treasuries of Him Who is the Possessor of all created things.'

No sooner had her voice reached that most exalted Spot than We made reply:

'Render thanks unto thy Lord, O Carmel. The fire of thy separation from Me was fast consuming thee, when the ocean of My presence surged before thy face, cheering thine eyes and those of all creation, and filling with delight all things visible and invisible.

Rejoice, for God hath in this Day established upon thee His throne, hath made thee the dawning-place of His signs and the dayspring of the evidences of His Revelation.

Well is it with him that circleth around thee, that proclaimeth the revelation of thy glory, and recounteth that which the bounty of the Lord thy God hath showered upon thee.

Seize thou the Chalice of Immortality in the name of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, and give thanks unto Him, inasmuch as He, in token of His mercy unto thee, hath turned thy sorrow into gladness, and transmuted thy grief into blissful joy.

He, verily, loveth the spot which hath been made the seat of His throne, which His footsteps have trodden, which hath been honoured by His presence, from which He raised His call, and upon which He shed His tears.

'Call out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: He that was hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereignty is manifest; His all-encompassing splendour is revealed.

Beware lest thou hesitate or halt. Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that hath descended from heaven, the celestial Kaaba round which have circled in adoration the favoured of God, the pure in heart, and the company of the most exalted angels.

Oh, how I long to announce unto every spot on the surface of the earth, and to carry to each one of its cities, the glad-tidings of this Revelation -- a Revelation to which the heart of Sinai hath been attracted, and in whose name the Burning Bush is calling:

"Unto God, the Lord of Lords, belong the kingdoms of earth and heaven."

Verily this is the Day in which both land and sea rejoice at this announcement, the Day for which have been laid up those things which God, through a bounty beyond the ken of mortal mind or heart, hath destined for revelation. Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee, and will manifest the people of Baha who have been mentioned in the Book of Names.'

Sanctified be the Lord of all mankind, at the mention of Whose name all the atoms of the earth have been made to vibrate, and the Tongue of Grandeur hath been moved to disclose that which had been wrapt in His knowledge and lay concealed within the treasury of His might. He, verily, through the potency of His name, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Most High, is the ruler of all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth.



(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 1

 

[arthra]

It hath been... permitted you to attire yourselves in silk. The Lord hath relieved you, as a bounty on His part, of the restrictions that formerly applied to clothing and to the trim of the beard. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the Omniscient. Let there be naught in your demeanour of which sound and upright minds would disapprove, and make not yourselves the playthings of the ignorant. Well is it with him who hath adorned himself with the vesture of seemly conduct and a praiseworthy character. He is assuredly reckoned with those who aid their Lord through distinctive and outstanding deeds


~ Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, ¶ 159 p. 76
​

 

[arthra]

When Bahá'u'lláh came to this prison in the Holy Land, the wise men realized that the glad tidings which God gave through the tongue of the Prophets two or three thousand years before were again manifested, and that God was faithful to His promise; for to some of the Prophets He had revealed and given the good news that "the Lord of Hosts should be manifested in the Holy Land." All these promises were fulfilled; and it is difficult to understand how Bahá'u'lláh could have been obliged to leave Persia, and to pitch His tent in this Holy Land, but for the persecution of His enemies, His banishment and exile. His enemies intended that His imprisonment should completely destroy and annihilate the blessed Cause, but this prison was in reality of the greatest assistance and became the means of its development. The divine renown of Bahá'u'lláh reached the East and the West, and the rays of the Sun of Truth illuminated all the world. Praise be to God! though He was a prisoner, His tent was raised on Mount Carmel, and He moved abroad with the greatest majesty. Every person, friend or stranger, who came into His presence used to say, "This is a prince, not a captive."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 30)

 

[InvestigateTruth]

"In the name of God, the Glorious, the Most Glorious, the All-Glorious.

Give ear to the divine summons from the precincts of the throne, as we recite to you the verses of God, the Help in Peril, the Hallowed, the Most Great. Perhaps you will then turn to your Lord with all that is in you and proclaim the sovereignty of this Cause between the heavens and the earth. Thus will you attain such power in yourself that even if all who dwell on earth were to contend with you with keen, finely honed sword blades, you would meet them without trepidation and find yourself altogether independent of them by virtue of my name, the Self-Sufficient, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Omnipotent."
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"Say: In truth, we have created the heavens and the earth for the sake of our Cause. By God, then, this is our Cause, which has appeared with the truth, and which has been recognized only by those endowed with sagacity and the ability to reflect. Thus have we inspired you and informed you, so that you might follow what you have been commanded in this tablet, and be of the discerning."

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"Nothing can alter the words of your Lord, but none can comprehend this truth save the souls endued with excellence and immortality."

Baha'u'llah's Surah of the Companions (Surat al-ashab)

 

[InvestigateTruth]

"O ye beloved of the Lord! Commit not that which defileth the limpid stream of love or destroyeth the sweet fragrance of friendship. By the righteousness of the Lord! Ye were created to show love one to another and not perversity and rancour. Take pride not in love for yourselves but in love for your fellow-creatures. Glory not in love for your country, but in love for all mankind. Let your eye be chaste, your hand faithful, your tongue truthful and your heart enlightened. Abase not the station of the learned in Bahá and belittle not the rank of such rulers as administer justice amidst you. Set your reliance on the army of justice, put on the armour of wisdom, let your adorning be forgiveness and mercy and that which cheereth the hearts of the well-favoured of God. "

Baha'u'llah - Tablet of Wisdom

Baha'i Academics: Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, pages 135-152

 

[arthra]

Never lose thy trust in God. Be thou ever hopeful, for the bounties of God never cease to flow upon man. If viewed from one perspective they seem to decrease, but from another they are full and complete. Man is under all conditions immersed in a sea of God's blessings. Therefore, be thou not hopeless under any circumstances, but rather be firm in thy hope.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 205

 

[arthra]

O my beloved! Immeasurably exalted is the celestial Melody above the strivings of human ear to hear or mind to grasp its mystery! How can the helpless ant step into the court of the All-Glorious?

And yet, feeble souls, through lack of understanding, reject these abstruse utterances, and question the truth of such traditions. Nay, none can comprehend them save those that are possessed of an understanding heart.

Say, He is that End for Whom no end in all the universe can be imagined, and for Whom no beginning in the world of creation can be conceived. Behold, O concourse of the earth, the splendours of the End, revealed in the Manifestations of the Beginning!

~ Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 168

 

[arthra]

By God! This Bird of Heaven, now dwelling upon the dust, can, besides these melodies, utter a myriad songs, and is able, apart from these utterances, to unfold innumerable mysteries.

Every single note of its unpronounced utterances is immeasurably exalted above all that hath already been revealed, and immensely glorified beyond that which hath streamed from this Pen.

Let the future disclose the hour when the Brides of inner meaning will, as decreed by the Will of God, hasten forth, unveiled, out of their mystic mansions, and manifest themselves in the ancient realm of being.

Nothing whatsoever is possible without His permission; no power can endure save through His power, and there is none other God but He. His is the world of creation, and His the Cause of God. All proclaim His Revelation, and all unfold the mysteries of His Spirit.

~ Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 172

 

[arthra]

It's been awhile since I posted a "Quote for the day" but decided to share a quote here s it has an interesting reference to clerics..."...seek not the shelter of the cleric".

"Be thou of the people of hell-fire,
but be not a hypocrite.

"Be thou an unbeliever,
but be not a plotter.

"Make thy home in taverns,
but tread not the path
of the mischief-maker.

"Fear thou God,
but not the priest.

"Give to the executioner thy head,
but not thy heart.

"Let thine abode be under the stone,
but seek not the shelter of the cleric.

"Thus doth the Holy Reed intone its melodies, and the Nightingale of Paradise warble its song, so that He may infuse life eternal into the mortal frames of men, impart to the temples of dust the essence of the Holy Spirit and the heavenly Light, and draw the transient world, through the potency of a single word, unto the Everlasting Kingdom."

~ Baha'u'llah

(From a Tablet - translated from the Persian)

 

[arthra]

“Perplexing and difficult as this may appear, the still greater task of converting satanic strength into heavenly power is one that We have been empowered to accomplish.”​

~ Baha'u'llah,

Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 199

 

[arthra]

"O my Lord! O my Lord! These are the chosen ones whose faces are illumined with the light of guidance, who found the heavenly table pleasing to their tastes, who submitted willingly to every matter which happened in the land and sought help from the hosts of the Supreme Concourse.

Their feet are indeed made firm, their banners hoisted, their deeds righteous and their actions just.

O Lord! Make them fragrant plants of Thy paradise, flowers of the garden of nearness, verses of Thy glorious book, words of Thy "Published Tablet" unto the people of the world and as falcons soaring on the loftiest summit.

Verily Thou art the Beneficent, the Merciful, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Bestower!"

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, p. 392

 

[arthra]

"O thou who art kindled as a lamp with the Fire of the Love of God!

"Be thou a fountain flowing with the waters of the mercy of God, a myrtle perfumed with the fragrances of God and a bird warbling the most wonderful melodies of the knowledge of God in the garden of faith.

"Know thou, verily, the Sun of Truth hath shone forth with the lights of peace upon all regions. Strife and conflict will surely be removed from all the nations of the earth. Carnage shall be taken away; fighting, violence and reviling will be changed into universal reconciliation and the hosts of tranquillity will pitch their tents in the midst of the world. Then the awning of the mercy of thy Lord will be hoisted and those souls who are free from the filth of prejudice, contradictions and presumption and are filled with a love that imparts affinity, intimacy, affection, meekness and humbleness will be sheltered under it."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, p. 424

 

[arthra]

:bahai2:

Set aside every mention save the mention of God and abandon everything save the divulgence of the Testament, be attracted by the magnet of the Covenant that thou mayest see the triumph of the angels of the King of the Kingdom and the valor of the hosts of the Lord of Might.

By the life of the Lord!

The Invincible Power will indeed strengthen, the Holy Spirit will speak in thy mouth, the Word of God will be revealed in thy heart, the sound of the trumpet of the Lord will gladden thee, the light of unity will shine from thy brow, the doors of success and prosperity will be opened upon thy face and the secrets of the Holy Books will be unfolded.

Then, at that time, thou shalt cry at the top of thy voice, saying:

"Blessed I am for this great bounty! Blessed I am for this evident victory! Blessed I am for this power which could not be resisted by the powers of whomsoever is upon the earth!"

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 160

:bahai2: