"The dawn of the Abhá Kingdom hath broken, and the stars of the celestial Concourse glow with light."

 

God is the All-Glorious.

1 O ye true friends and loved ones of God! The Candle shineth resplendent, and the century of the Abhá Beauty is even as a flowering rose-garden. The dawn of the Abhá Kingdom hath broken, and the stars of the celestial Concourse glow with light. Gentle breezes blow from the meads of the Lord, and sweet savours waft from the gardens of holiness. Heavenly strains from the Kingdom of glory are raised on every side, and the summons of the Company on high reacheth the ears of every lowly one. The Day-Star of divine bounty hath risen in all its splendour, and the Orb of God’s grace sheddeth its radiance upon all regions. The manifold bounties of the Most Great Name—may my life be offered up for His loved ones—are all-embracing, and the banquet table of the Lord is spread throughout the earth. These blessings indeed compass you on every side.

2 Behold, then, what a diadem of bounty adorneth your heads and what a kingly mantle attireth your beings. Consider what eyes of bounty watch over you and what glances of mercy are cast upon you. Wherefore, be not saddened by the cruelty of the peoples of the world or grieved by relentless trials. For all these befall you in the path of the Ancient Beauty; all these ye suffer for the sake of the Most Great Name. These tribulations are bountiful gifts, and these afflictions naught but manifold bestowals. This captivity is kingship, and this prison a lofty palace. This blame and condemnation is praise and commendation, and this chain a necklace of world-embracing sovereignty. These stocks and fetters are the adornment of the feet of every fortunate one, these bonds and shackles are the highest hope of the people of glory, and these blades and swords the ultimate desire of the lovers of the resplendent Beauty. ..."

(Light of the World: Selected Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, #3 excerpt)

www.bahai.org/r/089032557

"O thou seeker after truth! Behold the power and greatness of Bahá’u’lláh!"

 

"He is God.

1 O thou seeker after truth! Behold the power and greatness of Bahá’u’lláh! Within a short span of time, He hath stirred up the East and the West, and raised aloft, in the midmost heart of the world, the banner of love and harmony, of unity and peace, of fellowship and conciliation, of truthfulness and rectitude. He hath freed from enmity and strife a great multitude of souls belonging to divers and opposing nations, to disparate and contending religions, and hath brought them under the sheltering canopy of fellowship, love, and unity.

2 What power this is, and what strength! What greater proof couldst thou desire? He hath brought East and West into close embrace. Singly and alone, He hath withstood the world and uplifted His mighty Cause in the Most Great Prison. Though subjected to utter abasement, He hath crowned His loved ones with the diadem of everlasting glory. Were one to gaze with the eye of justice, this would be sufficient proof.

3 Thou hast written concerning the cost of postage. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá hath offered up his life for thee, how much more his earthly possessions! Upon thee be greetings and praise."

(Light of the World: Selected Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, #2)
www.bahai.org/r/851179112

"O friends! How blessed, how favoured, how fortunate are ye to have been born in such a cycle and dispensation and to live in such an age ..."

 

1. "He is the All-Glorious.

O friends! How blessed, how favoured, how fortunate are ye to have been born in such a cycle and dispensation and to live in such an age and century, to have come upon such a wellspring and bowed down before such a threshold, to have taken shelter beneath the shade of such a tree and partaken of such a fruit. The cycle is the Cycle of the Ancient Beauty, and the century that of the Greatest Name. The wellspring is the stream of the Law of God, and the threshold that of the Abhá Beauty. The tree is the Tree of Life, and the fruit that of the Divine Lote-Tree. Blessed are they that attain thereunto! Fortunate are they that enter therein! Gladdened are they that draw nigh unto it! And happy are they that abide under its shade! All praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds. Convey my warmest Abhá greetings to all the friends…."

- Light of the World: Selected Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

"And this, O my God, is from naught but Thy hidden bounties."

 

"Pure and sanctified art Thou, O my God! How can the pen move and the ink flow after the breezes of loving-kindness have ceased, and the signs of bounty have vanished, when the sun of abasement hath risen, and the swords of calamity are drawn, when the heavens of sorrow have been upraised, and the darts of affliction and the lances of vengeance have rained from the clouds of power — in such wise that the signs of joy have departed from all hearts, and the tokens of gladness have been erased from every horizon, the gates of hope have been shut, the mercy of the supernal breeze hath ceased to waft over the rose-garden of faithfulness, and the whirlwind of extinction hath struck the tree of existence. The pen is groaning, and the ink bewaileth its plight, and the tablet is awestruck at this cry. The mind is in turmoil from the taste of this pain and sorrow, and the divine Nightingale calleth: “Alas! Alas! for all that hath been made to appear.” And this, O my God, is from naught but Thy hidden bounties."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/473007638

"O God, I call on Thee with a tongue that hath spoken no word of disobedience against Thee ..."

 

"O Thou Who holdest within Thy grasp the Kingdom of names and the Empire of all things, Thou seest how I have become a stranger from my land on account of my love for Thee. I beg of Thee, by the beauty of Thy countenance, to make my remoteness from home a means whereby Thy servants may be drawn nigh unto the Fountain-head of Thy Cause and the Dayspring of Thy Revelation. O God, I call on Thee with a tongue that hath spoken no word of disobedience against Thee, imploring Thee, by Thy sovereignty and might, to keep me safe in the shelter of Thy mercy and to grant me strength to serve Thee and to serve my father and mother. Thou, verily, art the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/588776834

"Thou, verily, art the Educator of the world and the Lord of the nations ..."

 

"In the Name of our Lord, the Most Holy, the Most Great, the Exalted, the Most Glorious!

O God, my God! Thou seest how Thy servant hath set his face towards Thee and desired to be honoured by performing that whereunto he hath been bidden in Thy Book. Do Thou ordain for him through Thy Most Exalted Pen that which shall draw him nigh unto the Most Sublime Summit. Thou, verily, art the Educator of the world and the Lord of the nations, and Thou, verily, art the Potent, the All-Subduing, the Almighty."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/853045685

“Earth and heaven, glory and dominion are God’s, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful!”

 

"O God, my God! Glory be to Thee for having guided me unto the horizon of Thy Revelation, illumined me with the splendours of the light of Thy grace and mercy, caused me to speak forth Thy praise, and given me to behold that which hath been revealed by Thy Pen. 

I beseech Thee, O Thou the Lord of the kingdom of names and Fashioner of earth and heaven, by the rustling of the Divine Lote-Tree and by Thy most sweet utterance which hath enraptured the realities of all created things, to raise me up in Thy Name amidst Thy servants. I am he who hath sought in the daytime and in the night season to stand before the door of Thy bounty and to present himself before the throne of Thy justice. O Lord! Cast not away him who hath clung to the cord of Thy nearness, and deprive not him who hath directed his steps towards Thy most sublime station, the summit of glory, and the supreme objective—that station wherein every atom crieth out in the most eloquent tongue, saying: “Earth and heaven, glory and dominion are God’s, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful!”

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/301701477

New website for resources about 'Abdu'l-Bahá during the Centenary of His Ascension

Remembering 'Abdu'l-Bahá

" ... grant that my speech may bear a trace of the influence of Thine own exalted Word ..."

 

"Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God, for guiding me unto the horizon of Thy Revelation and for causing me to be mentioned by Thy Name. I beseech Thee, by the spreading rays of the Daystar of Thy providence and by the billowing waves of the Ocean of Thy mercy, to grant that my speech may bear a trace of the influence of Thine own exalted Word, attracting thereby the realities of all created things. Powerful art Thou to do what Thou willest through Thy wondrous and incomparable Utterance."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/908556715

"Vouchsafe, then, unto him the good of both this world and the next ..."

 

"He is the Peerless!

Praise be unto Thee, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Most Exalted Name in the Tabernacle of effulgent splendour, and by Thy Most Sublime Word in the Dominion of transcendent glory, to protect this servant, who hath enjoyed companionship with Thee, hearkened unto the accents of Thy voice and recognized Thy proof. Vouchsafe, then, unto him the good of both this world and the next, and grant unto him the station of righteousness in Thy presence, that his feet may not slip from Thine all-glorious and most exalted path."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/192482602

"Thou didst summon me, and I hastened unto Thee, entering beneath the shade of Thy mercy ..."

 

"He is the All-Glorious!

Praise be to Thee, O my God! Thou didst call me, and I answered Thee. Thou didst summon me, and I hastened unto Thee, entering beneath the shade of Thy mercy and seeking shelter at the threshold of the door of Thy grace. Thou hast nurtured me, O Lord, through Thy providence, chosen me for Thee alone, created me for Thy service, and appointed me to stand before Thee. I beseech Thee, by Thine all-glorious Name and by Thy beauty that hath dawned above the horizon of Thy most exalted Essence, to cause me to be related to Thee even as Thou hadst done so aforetime, and not to separate me from Thyself. Cause then to appear from me, O my God, that which is worthy of Thee. Thou art, in truth, powerful over all things."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/016961632

"I beseech Thee, O Lord of the world, by Thy Most Great Name whereby the limbs of the people were shaken ..."

 

"O my God! O my God! I testify that this is Thy Day which hath been mentioned in Thy Books, Thy Epistles, Thy Psalms and Thy Tablets. In it Thou hast manifested that which was hidden in Thy Knowledge and stored up in the repositories of Thine unfailing protection. I beseech Thee, O Lord of the world, by Thy Most Great Name whereby the limbs of the people were shaken, to assist Thy servants and Thy handmaidens to become steadfast in Thy Cause and to arise in Thy service.

Verily, Thou art potent to do whatsoever Thou willest, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all things. Thou protectest whomsoever Thou willest through Thy Power and Dominion. And verily, Thou art the Almighty, the All-Subduing, the Most Powerful."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/921482489

“Thou seest me, O my God, detached from all save Thee and cleaving unto Thee. Guide me, then, in all mine affairs unto that which profiteth me for the glory of Thy Cause and the loftiness of the station of Thy loved ones.”

 

Eyeglasses of Bahá'u'lláh

"In regard to his affairs, let him repeat nineteen times: “Thou seest me, O my God, detached from all save Thee and cleaving unto Thee. Guide me, then, in all mine affairs unto that which profiteth me for the glory of Thy Cause and the loftiness of the station of Thy loved ones.” Let him then reflect upon the matter and undertake whatever cometh to mind. This vehement opposition of the enemies will indeed give way to supreme prosperity."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/050834733

" ... those who believe in God and the Last Day and who do good have their reward with their Lord. They have nothing to fear, and they will not sorrow."

The Cow (42-46)

And do not obscure truth by falsehood,

or knowingly conceal the truth;

and be constant in prayer,

and give charity,

and worship with the worshipful.

Do you command people to be just

when you forget yourselves

even though you read the Book?

Now won't you understand? 

And seek help

with patience and prayer;

though it is indeed hard

except for the humble,

those who consider

that they will meet their Lord,

and that they will return to God.

(48)

And be wary of a day

when no soul can compensate

for another soul at all,

and no intercession is accepted from it,

and no ransom is taken from it,

and they will not be helped.

(62)

Be they Muslims, Jews,

Christians, or Sabians,

those who believe in God and the Last Day

and who do good

have their reward with their Lord.

They have nothing to fear,

and they will not sorrow.

(83)

Worship nothing but God;

be good to your parents and relatives,

and to the orphan and the poor.

Speak nicely to people,

be constant in prayer,

and give charity.

The Essential Koran, The Heart of Islam, pp. 8-9

Translated and presented by Thomas Cleary

"In hunger, all justice is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God, and in satiety, all grace is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God!"

"He is God, exalted is He, the Lord of might and grandeur!

O God, my God! I yield Thee thanks at all times and render Thee praise under all conditions.

In prosperity, all praise is Thine, O Lord of the Worlds, and in its absence, all gratitude is Thine, O Desire of them that have recognized Thee!

In adversity, all honour is Thine, O Adored One of all who are in heaven and on earth, and in affliction, all glory is Thine, O Enchanter of the hearts of those who yearn after Thee!

In hardship, all praise is Thine, O Thou the Goal of them that seek after Thee, and in comfort, all thanksgiving is Thine, O Thou whose remembrance is treasured in the hearts of those who are nigh unto Thee!

In wealth, all splendour is Thine, O Lord of them that are devoted to Thee, and in poverty, all command is Thine, O Thou the Hope of them that acknowledge Thy unity!

In joy, all glory is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God, and in sorrow, all beauty is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God!

In hunger, all justice is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God, and in satiety, all grace is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God!

In my homeland, all bounty is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God, and in exile, all decree is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God!

Under the sword, all munificence is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God, and in the safety of home, all perfection is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God!

In the lofty mansion, all generosity is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God, and upon the lowly dust, all favour is Thine, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God!

In prison, all fidelity is Thine, O Thou the Bestower of gifts, and in confinement, all eternity is Thine, O Thou Who art the ever-abiding King!

All bounty is Thine, O Thou Who art the Lord of bounty, and the Sovereign of bounty, and the King of bounty! I bear witness that Thou art to be praised in Thy doings, O Thou Source of bounty, and to be obeyed in Thy behests, O Thou Ocean of bounty, He from Whom all bounty doth proceed, He to Whom all bounty doth return!"

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/715760313

"Mystics! What was hidden now stands for all to see."

 

Crimson Clover © 2021 Chuck Egerton

O Nightingales!
An Ode by Bahá’u’lláh

Nightingales! The season of flowers and trees has come. Mystics! What was hidden now stands for all to see.

 
Lovers! Look! Your Beloved just unveiled her face. Seekers! Look now on the One you had longed to see. 

Beauty has dawned, the lights of God shine bright. Flee the prison of your self—Rise up and be free.

That veiled Beloved, Ruler of the highest realm, now walks here, as Joseph did, through square and alley.

 
She was hidden ‘neath the Mount of infinity. 
She was there concealed from us for eternity. 

Look! She has dawned now, like the morning sun, 
shedding her light from mountain to prairie. 

 
For the fragrance of Her musk-laden locks, 
for the sweetness, the sugar of Her lips, 

Her lovers now will roam the marketplace
seeking the door of the perfumery. 

Wine jars overflow, reason is struck dumb. 
Mortal poison turns to balm—the Cup of God is heavy.

 
Prayer beads for infidels, hypocrisy no more. 
The men devoted to Her love drink in the winery. 

False piety in hiding now, deceit is so ashamed. 
Her slender body floats like a bird over land and sea. 

The hidden Treasure manifest, 
now the phoenix of soul flies free. 

All mysteries have been unveiled, 
and all the veils burned utterly. 

The nightingale leaps to the rose. 
The lover dives into love’s sea. 

The caged parrot returns to the forest. 
Strangers are friends: and strangers friends will be.

Provisional Translation by Nader Saiedi and Anthony A. Lee

http://www.elixir-journal.org/issue6/translation1.php

"Give me then to drink from the cup that brimmeth with the sealed wine of Thy glory."

 

"Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Sanctify mine eye, and mine ear, and my tongue, and my spirit, and my heart, and my soul, and my body, and mine entire being from turning unto anyone but Thee. Give me then to drink from the cup that brimmeth with the sealed wine of Thy glory."

—Bahá’u’lláh
(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/533738942

"But high endeavour and self-sacrifice are needed and the concentration of one’s thoughts is required for the tree of hope to yield its fruit and results to be achieved."

 ...

White Iris © 2021 Chuck Egerton

"Speak openly of all the signs of the Kingdom of God that ye have witnessed with your own eyes and share with the utmost happiness and exultation all that ye have heard of the divine teachings. I fervently supplicate God to bring assurance to your souls and to raise you up with such steadfastness that each of you may withstand an entire nation. May you become so inebriated with the wine of the love of God that ye may cause your hearers to dance with blissful rapture to the song and melody of the love of God.

 
This is the time for gladness, the day of joy and exhilaration, for, praised be God, all doors are opened wide through the bounty of the Abhá Beauty. But high endeavour and self-sacrifice are needed and the concentration of one’s thoughts is required for the tree of hope to yield its fruit and results to be achieved."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks)
www.bahai.org/r/600834684

"Render a myriad thanks unto the All-Glorious, Who hath guided thee on this path and enabled thee to attain the threshold of the Omniscient Lord ..."

 

Crimson Clover  ©2021 Chuck Egerton

Happy Ridván!

"O pilgrim of the Sacred Dust!

Render a myriad thanks unto the All-Glorious, Who hath guided thee on this path and enabled thee to attain the threshold of the Omniscient Lord, to find refuge within the stronghold of His favours, and to obtain that which is the ultimate hope and desire of all His chosen ones.

Now, as thou returnest to Ishqábád, thou must take with thee armfuls of flowers as a gift from the heavenly rose-garden that their sweet scent may perfume the nostrils and stir the senses of the youth. For these lovely youth are the children of the realms above and the tender plants of the all-highest Paradise. They are flowers and fragrant herbs in the garden of certitude, the jasmine and eglantine of the All-Merciful Lord. They have been nursed at the breast of Divine unity and nurtured in the bosom of the wondrous Cause of God. They have become fresh and verdant through the outpourings of the clouds of loving-kindness.

O youth of this century of God! In this new age, this century of the Glorious Lord, ye must be so attracted to the Blessed Beauty and so enthralled by the Beloved of the World that ye may become the embodiments of the truth of this verse: 

I am lost, O Love, possessed and dazed, 
Love’s fool am I, in all the earth.¹

1 Marzieh Gail’s translation, published in Memorials of the Faithful, pp. 22, 30.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks)
www.bahai.org/r/553813452

"these verily attained, after ascending to the Divine Kingdom, unto the Refulgent Light."

"As for thy question concerning those righteous souls who passed away ere they heard the Call of this Revelation, know thou that those who ascended unto God ere they heard this Call, but who followed the precepts of Christ and walked in the Straight Path—these verily attained, after ascending to the Divine Kingdom, unto the Refulgent Light."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks)
www.bahai.org/r/871217998