"Into every word that God doth speak a new spirit is breathed ..."

 

photo by Margarete P.

"For if God, glorified be His Name, should today speak a word that all people have spoken heretofore and shall speak hereafter, that word would still be new, were ye to reflect upon it. Consider the term “Divine Unity”, which the Manifestations of God have uttered in every Dispensation, a goodly term which all the divers peoples and kindreds of the world have spoken. Nevertheless, in each Dispensation, it hath been made new and hath in no wise been divested of its novel character. Into every word that God doth speak a new spirit is breathed, and the breezes of life are wafted therefrom upon all things both outwardly and inwardly."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/313265404

"They tread the perilous paths of imitation ..."

photo by Margarete P.

 

"They tread the perilous paths of imitation and deprive themselves of the ways of true independence."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/805158078

"Every tree uttered a word, and every leaf sang a melody."

 

photo by Trina G.

He is God. Glorified be He; Grandeur and Might are His.

On the morning of the blessed Friday, We proceeded from the Mansion and entered the Garden. Every tree uttered a word, and every leaf sang a melody. The trees proclaimed: “Behold the evidences of God’s Mercy”,^1. and the twin streams recited in the eloquent tongue the sacred verse “From us all things were made alive.” Glorified be God! Mysteries were voiced by them, which provoked wonderment: in which school were they educated, and from whose presence had they acquired their learning? Yea! This Wronged One knoweth and He saith: “From God, the All-Encompassing, the Self-Subsistent”.

Upon Our being seated, Ráḍíyih—upon her be My glory—attained Our presence on thy behalf, laid the table of God’s bounty, and in thy name extended hospitality to all present. In truth, all that which stimulateth the appetite and pleaseth the eye was offered,² and indeed that which delighteth the ear could also be heard as the leaves were stirred by the Will of God, and from this movement a refreshing voice was raised, as if uttering a blissful call inviting the absent to this Feast. God’s power and the perfection of His handiwork could enjoyably be seen in the blossoms, the fruits, the trees, the leaves, and the streams. Praised be God, Who hath thus confirmed thee and her.

In brief, all in the Garden were recipients of the choicest bounties and in the end expressed their thanksgiving unto their Lord. O that all God’s beloved had been present on this day!

We beseech God, exalted be He, to cause to descend upon thee, at every moment, a blessing and a mercy and a measure of divine grace from His presence. He is the Forgiving, the All-Glorious.

We send greetings to His loved ones, and supplicate for each one of them that which is worthy of mention and is acceptable in His presence. Peace be upon thee, and upon God’s sincere servants. Praise be to Him, the Lord of all mankind.^3 "

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/840516670

1.  Qur’án 30:50.2Cf. Qur’án 43:51.3Translation of the Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh which is framed and hanging in His room at the Riḍván Garden.

2. Cf. Qur’án 43:51.3Translation of the Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh which is framed and hanging in His room at the Riḍván Garden.

3. Translation of the Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh which is framed and hanging in His room at the Riḍván Garden.

"They that have been faithful unto the Covenant of God are accounted among the most exalted of all creatures before Him Who is the Eternal Truth, the Most High."

 

photo by Trina G.

"They that have been faithful unto the Covenant of God are accounted among the most exalted of all creatures before Him Who is the Eternal Truth, the Most High. They that have turned away therefrom are reckoned among the inmates of the nethermost fire in the sight of thy Lord, the Almighty, the Unconstrained."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/399531364

"Great is the station of him who hath in this Day perceived and become aware of the truth, and wretched is he who hath failed to comprehend the utterances of the Lord of wisdom and to recognize the newly arrived Friend in His new attire."

 

Venus and Comet, photo by Trina G.

"In the name of God, the All-Loving!

O Mihrábán! One of the friends hath evoked thy remembrance; thus have We remembered thee.

In this glorious Day, everything that can be seen is a witness and calleth all men unto the one true God. Say! This is the Day in which the sun of spiritual discernment is shining forth in the heaven of true understanding. Blessed is he that hath perceived and recognized it. Whatsoever was foretold in former times hath now been fulfilled.
Say, O friends! Suffer not yourselves to be far removed from the ocean of heavenly grace. He is come astonishingly near unto you. He Who had been concealed from men’s eyes is now come. How good is His coming! In one hand He is carrying the water of life, and in the other the charter of true liberty. Cast ye away one thing and take hold of another. Cast away whatsoever pertaineth to the world, and take firm hold of that which the hand of divine providence imparteth unto you. Lo, that which no eye hath ever beheld is now revealed. O friends! Hasten ye, hasten ye; hearken ye, hearken ye!

The deeds of the high priests have caused the people to be estranged from Almighty God. Instead of evincing self-denial, they have given themselves up to inordinate desires and strayed far from the path of the Lord God. They have grievously erred, yet fondly imagine themselves to be treading the right Path. We have, however, warned the leaders of religion and taken them to witness, that they might in this day solemnly affirm His truth and guide His creatures unto the Spirit of Purity.
Say, O high priests! Shake off your slumber, rouse yourselves from unconsciousness, incline your inner ears to the melody of the All-Sufficing, and conduct yourselves in a manner that beseemeth the Day of God Himself.

Great is the station of him who hath in this Day perceived and become aware of the truth, and wretched is he who hath failed to comprehend the utterances of the Lord of wisdom and to recognize the newly arrived Friend in His new attire.
Behold, the Ocean of true knowledge hath appeared, and the Day-Star of wisdom shineth resplendent. Incline your ears to the Voice of the Eternal Lord of Utterance and purge yourselves from whatsoever is deemed unseemly, that ye may become worthy to gain admittance into the court of your Creator. Say, in this Day the Almighty hath unloosed His tongue before the assemblage of men. It behoveth you to draw nigh unto Him and to grasp the truth of His weighty utterance. Indeed His utterance is a messenger that beareth the token of His presence. It delivereth you from darkness and guideth your steps unto the effulgent light of His glory.

Thy name was mentioned before Us, and We have remembered thee in Our Tablet. This remembrance is like unto a sapling that We have planted with the hand of loving-kindness. Erelong will it grow verdant and flourishing, laden with abundant fruits. Thus hath the Lord God ordained, and thus hath He shown the way. He is the Mighty, the Seeing, the Lord of Utterance and Wisdom."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/506062722

"Absolute meekness yieldeth many a result and beareth many a fruit."

 

Savannah Wall © Chuck Egerton 2024

"Gracious God! The people of God suffered themselves to be killed rather than kill. During the events that came to pass, they were the embodiments of utter meekness and even interceded on behalf of the murderers before the governor.¹ Yet the envy and hatred of the heedless only increased; this bountiful grace held no value in their eyes and brought forth no fruit or result. But on account of the meekness of the people of God and their lack of any aid or helper, he who is the possessor of armaments arose to redress the wrongs.² Absolute meekness yieldeth many a result and beareth many a fruit."

—Bahá’u’lláh

1 Reference to the events surrounding the martyrdom of Ḥájí Muḥammad-Riḍáy-i-Iṣfahání in ‘Ishqábád in 1889. The Bahá’í community interceded with the government on behalf of the murderers, and the Czar agreed to clemency for them. See The Epistle to the Son of the Wolf(www.bahai.org/r/684455299).

2 Reference to Czar Alexander III. The original contains a play on the words siláḥ(armaments) and iṣláḥ(redress the wrongs).

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/816802039

"Die, therefore, in your wrath, O people of oppression and ignorance!"

 

Remedios Varo

"The son of Naṣr Jím

In the name of God, the Most Mighty, the Most Powerful!

This is a Tablet from God unto him who hath been guided through the splendours of the Spirit and is of them that have believed and been led aright.

O servant! Say: “In the name of God, by God and in the name of our Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious!” Soar then upon the wings of true knowledge to the supreme Habitation, that thou mayest hear the melodies of God from the Divine Lote-Tree. Shouldst thou soar once more, thou wilt again hear that which the people of understanding have not heard. And shouldst thou find within thyself the power and the capacity, soar thou yet again, that thou mayest behold the revelations of thy Lord, and witness, shining upon thee, the splendours of the Countenance of God, the Most Mighty, the Most Exalted.

Say, verily He is at this moment calling aloud from His seat of effulgent glory to all creation through His sweet and wondrous melodies; beware lest ye tarry in these days. Tread ye the Straight Path by the leave of your Lord, the Merciful, and be not of them that have erred and strayed. Say, verily He hath been sent down once again from the heaven of Divine Decree and reciteth unto you His mighty verses. This is indeed better for you than the dominion of this world and of the next.

Say, O people! Will ye dispute with the Spirit concerning what He hath seen and witnessed,¹ after He hath proclaimed the truth in the heart of ‘Alí,² and before Him in the heart of Muḥammad and in the hearts of all Who have related the verses revealed unto Them by God, the Exalted, the Most High? Say, O people of the Bayán! Should ye arise together with all the inhabitants of the earth to lead astray but one of the loved ones of God, ye would fail to do so. Die, therefore, in your wrath, O people of oppression and ignorance!

As for thee, do thou sanctify thy soul from corrupt desires; enter, then, the realms on high and follow not them that fly upon the wings of evil passions. Be firm in the Cause of God and His religion, remember that which He hath endured at the hands of His enemies, and be not of the heedless and forgetful. Spirit and glory rest upon thee and upon them that have held fast to the Handle of God and have been guided by the light of sanctity."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/459004236

1 Cf. Qur’án 53:12.
2 The Báb.

"Know thou then that the patient sighs of the oppressed are dearer to God than all deeds, could ye but comprehend it."

 

Confederate Monuments still standing in Savannah Georgia © Chuck Egerton 2024

"Adorn thyself with My virtues, in such wise that should anyone stretch forth the hand of oppression against thee, thou wouldst neither take notice nor contend with him. Leave him to the judgement of thy Lord, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Self-Subsisting, and be thou long-suffering under all conditions. By God! This is one of Mine attributes, though none but the sincere are apprised of it. Know thou then that the patient sighs of the oppressed are dearer to God than all deeds, could ye but comprehend it. Be patient in whatsoever may befall thee, and put thy trust in God, thy Lord, in all thine affairs. He, verily, doth suffice thee against the harm inflicted by all that have been and shall be, and doth protect thee within the shelter of His Cause and the stronghold of His custody."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/228892775

" ... ceaselessly strive for the betterment of the lives of one another."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2024

"It ill beseemeth men to centre all their efforts on their own selves; rather must they ceaselessly strive for the betterment of the lives of one another."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/275436615

"The calamities thou didst endure have withheld the billows of wisdom and knowledge from surging upon the ocean of divine utterance and stilled the breezes of the All-Glorious."

photo by Trina G.

"Alas, alas! May the souls of the Concourse on high be a ransom for the calamities thou didst sustain, O scion of the divine Lote Tree and the Mystery enshrined in the most exalted Word! Would that the decree of the Lord of the beginning and the end had remained unfulfilled! "Would that mortal eyes had never beheld thy body fallen upon the dust! The calamities thou didst endure have withheld the billows of wisdom and knowledge from surging upon the ocean of divine utterance and stilled the breezes of the All-Glorious. Because of the sorrows thou didst suffer, the signs have been blotted out, and the fruits have fallen, and the cries of the righteous have been lifted up, and the tears of the pious have flowed down. Alas, alas! O thou Prince of Martyrs and their sovereign King! Alas, alas! O thou Pride of Martyrs and their Best-Beloved!" "

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/461561326

"Detachment is even as a sun ..."

 

photo by Trina G. 

"Detachment is even as a sun, which, dawning above the horizon of the soul, overcometh the flame of wayward and covetous desires."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/740129757

"Courtesy is among the hallmarks of the human reality ..."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2024

"Courtesy is among the hallmarks of the human reality, an attribute whereby man is distinguished above all else. Whoso hath not attained thereunto, his non-existence is assuredly preferable to his existence."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/811378005

"It ill beseemeth the people of God to ..."

Dangerous Garden photo by Trina G.

"It ill beseemeth the people of God to transgress the bounds of courtesy."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/613828968

" ... justice which causeth the pillars of tyranny to quake and the foundations of misbelief to crumble ..."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2024

"Say: That justice which causeth the pillars of tyranny to quake and the foundations of misbelief to crumble is the recognition of this Revelation.... And whoso believeth not therein hath abandoned the stronghold of justice and his name is recorded among the oppressors in God’s mighty and guarded Tablets."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/865684548

"Whoso is deprived of courtesy walketh naked among men, though he be clothed in all the world’s silk."

 

Michelangelo - The Last Judgement

"Divest not yourselves of the robe of courtesy and fairmindedness, and speak not that which hath been forbidden you in the Tablets of your Lord, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Whoso is deprived of courtesy walketh naked among men, though he be clothed in all the world’s silk. This is that which hath been revealed through the power of truth in His mighty and guarded Tablets. He who is devoid of courtesy is indeed bereft of faith."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/613867124

"Sanctify yourselves from satanic deeds and adorn your souls with the ornament of God."

photo by Trina G. 

"Forsake wickedness and rebellion and hold fast unto the fear of God. Sanctify yourselves from satanic deeds and adorn your souls with the ornament of God. Strife and dissension have ever been, and shall ever remain, unworthy of the station of the exponents of truth."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/928078315

"Then shall the whole sublime and holy company of the Maids of Heaven come forth to greet you and inhale from you the sweet savours of the love of God."

 

Photo of Bahá'í Women by Effie Baker

He is the Peerless!

O maidservant of God! Render thanks unto the one true Beloved for having guided thee to recognize His own Self. Many are the daughters of kings and other notables who, through having been veiled from recognizing the beauty of the All-Merciful, are not remembered by the Lord. Thou, however, hast been remembered by Him, and thy name set down by the Pen of His Command. Regard not this, that in these days, to outward seeming, they live in luxury and honour. For I swear by Him Who hath made true honour the exclusive portion of His loved ones, that though they repose on jewelled couches, in the eyes of God they dwell upon the dust, and soon shall they all return, in the utmost poverty and abasement, to that place wherein is neither lamp nor couch, neither friend nor comforter.

Thou, however, and other maidservants of God like unto thee, though ye be seated on the dust, are, in the eyes of God, established upon the seats of honour; and when finally ye return unto your Lord, ye shall ascend with matchless glory unto the realms above. Then shall the whole sublime and holy company of the Maids of Heaven come forth to greet you and inhale from you the sweet savours of the love of God. Ever hast thou had both wealth and honour, for the love of God hath been with thee, and—God willing—shall remain with thee for evermore; and naught that hath been created in the heaven or the earth is equal to a single atom of this love. Dirhams and dínárs are not the measure of true wealth; its measure, rather, is the love of Him Who is the Beauteous, the Unconstrained.

How many are they who, though rich in dínárs, are yet the poorest of God’s creatures; for, even as is witnessed, each day their greed for gain increaseth and their avarice waxeth more intense.

O maidservant of God! Hold not cheap the precious gem of love, and remain thou steadfast in His love. Such is Our perspicuous and mighty counsel unto thee. The Glory of God rest upon thee and upon all His devoted maidservants.

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/628243009

"In these days, the operation of two divine names may be witnessed with the utmost clarity, to wit, the names of “Quickener” and “Destroyer”. "

 
The sister of Jináb-i-Ḥaydar-‘Alí

He is the Peerless, the Sanctified, the Most Glorious.

Praise be unto the Best-Beloved, the cloud of whose mercy hath ever rained upon all beings, and the sun of whose bounty hath ever shed its radiance upon all created things. Truly destitute is he who hath deprived himself of the showers of God’s grace!

O maidservant of God! Strive that thou mayest not be deprived of the effulgent splendours of His lights, nor far removed from the shadow of His mercy. Take thou refuge in His shelter, and abide thou beneath the shadow of His gracious favour; for all that cometh not beneath His shadow hath ever been, and shall remain, within the realm of disbelief. In these days, the operation of two divine names may be witnessed with the utmost clarity, to wit, the names of “Quickener” and “Destroyer”. These cause on the one hand death, and on the other, life. The one taketh life away from those that turn away from God; the other conferreth everlasting life upon those that turn towards Him. How great the power of Him Who at a single time hath made two seasons to appear: spring and autumn! How numerous the trees of human souls that have become fresh and verdant in this mystic, holy springtide, and richly laden with the fruits of divine knowledge! And how numerous the trees of human souls that have become parched and withered in this same season, deprived of all God’s manifold bestowals! A single breeze blew forth from out His peerless Paradise: To the believers in the unity of God it was a balm of peace and mercy; to the infidels, a blast of wrath and chastisement. Such is the power of Him Who is the sovereign Lord of all!

O maidservant of God! Please God thou wilt not be deprived of the gently stirring breezes of this springtide of supernal holiness, nor remain without a portion of the overflowing bounties of these days of the divine spirit. Pass thou beyond the world and all its peoples, and set thy face towards the one true God. For all else but Him is in its essence poor and needy and, being so, is powerless to satisfy even its own needs, how much less the needs of others!

Haji Mirza Haydar Ali

O maidservant of God! Whenever thou art seated in comfort and tranquillity, do thou call to mind this Captive and occupy thyself with His remembrance; and if thou beholdest an exile from his native land, do thou recount the banishment and anguish of this spiritual Youth. I swear by Him Who is the Mover of all beings! Heaven, earth, and mountains would be incapable of bearing a single atom of the tribulations that have come to pass. Nay, better were it that the afflictions of this Youth remain concealed. He, verily, hath knowledge of all things. Do thou convey the salutation of Him Who is the Tongue of God unto all His devoted handmaidens."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/437910466