Wednesday, April 7, 2010

" ... The hidden mystery hath been made manifest; be not disheartened!”




"O servant of God! We have bestowed a dewdrop from the ocean of divine grace; would that men might drink therefrom! We have brought a trace of the sweet melodies of the Beloved; would that men might hearken with their inner ear! Soar upon the wings of joy in the atmosphere of the love of God. Regard the people of the world as dead and seek the fellowship of the living. Whoso hath not breathed the sweet fragrance of the Beloved at this dawntide is indeed accounted among the dead. He Who is the All-Sufficing proclaimeth aloud: “The realm of joy hath been ushered in; be not sorrowful! The hidden mystery hath been made manifest; be not disheartened!” Wert thou to apprehend the surpassing greatness of this Day, thou wouldst renounce the world and all that dwell therein and hasten unto the way that leadeth to the Lord."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Tabernacle of Unity, p.74

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

" ... and make thy soul to shake with the flashing light ..."

"By My life, O friend, wert thou to taste of these fruits, from the green garden of these blossoms which grow in the lands of knowledge, beside the orient lights of the Essence in the mirrors of names and attributes—yearning would seize the reins of patience and reserve from out thy hand, and make thy soul to shake with the flashing light, and draw thee from the earthly homeland to the first, heavenly abode in the Center of Realities, and lift thee to a plane wherein thou wouldst soar in the air even as thou walkest upon the earth, and move over the water as thou runnest on the land. Wherefore, may it rejoice Me, and thee, and whosoever mounteth into the heaven of knowledge, and whose heart is refreshed by this, that the wind of certitude hath blown over the garden of his being, from the Sheba of the All-Merciful.

Peace be upon him who followeth the Right Path!"

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys, pp. 3-4








© 2010 Chuck Egerton

Monday, April 5, 2010

" ... with gold We test Our servants ..."



"O SON OF BEING! Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, No. 55 Arabic






© 2010 Chuck Egerton

Sunday, April 4, 2010

"Behold their houses which We have left to the spiders, and take heed ..."

"Thus have We informed thee of that which lieth concealed within the hearts of men. Verily, thy Lord is the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Arise for the triumph of this Cause, and gather together My loved ones. Help them to see the truth in this Day when the feet of men have slipped. Say: It behoveth every true believer to assist his Lord. He, verily, is your helper, while the people have no one to turn to in this Day.

© 2010 Chuck Egerton
Then We seized Mihdí, 9 to whom We had promised divine chastisement in Our Books and Scriptures. When Our awful majesty encompassed him, he entreated: "May I not retrace my steps?"

A voice exclaimed: "Woe betide thee, O disbeliever in the Day of Resurrection! This is the nethermost fire, and its flames have been made to blaze for thee. Thou didst forsake all righteous deeds in thy vain and futile life, and now thou hast none to shield thee from God. Thou art indeed he who caused all hearts to be consumed and the Holy Spirit to lament."

He pleaded: "Is there yet no refuge for me?"

"Nay, by my Lord, even shouldst thou seek recourse to every possible means!"

Thereupon he cried out in such distress as to cause the people of the graves to tremble, and was seized by the Hand of invincible power. A voice then proclaimed: "Return unto the seat of wrath in the fire of hell; wretched and evil be thine abode!"

Thus did We lay hold on him as We laid hold on those who preceded him. Behold their houses which We have left to the spiders, and take heed, O ye who are endued with understanding! He it is who opposed God, and for whom the verses of wrath were revealed in the Book. Blessed is he who readeth it and pondereth its contents, for a goodly end doth in truth await him.

Thus have We recounted unto thee the tale of the evil-doers, that thine eyes may be solaced. As for thee, there lieth in store naught but a blissful end."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Host, Lawh-i-Fu’ád, pp. 180-182


9.Mírzá Mihdíy-i-Rashtí, a judge in Constantinople and supporter of Mírzá Yahyá

Saturday, April 3, 2010

" ...close thine eyes to the world and all that is therein ..."



"O SON OF EARTH! Wouldst thou have Me, seek none other than Me; and wouldst thou gaze upon My beauty, close thine eyes to the world and all that is therein; for My will and the will of another than Me, even as fire and water, cannot dwell together in one heart."


-Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, No. 31 Persian

Friday, April 2, 2010

"This He hath accomplished through the agency of but one Letter of His Word ..."


"O people! I swear by the one true God! This is the Ocean out of which all seas have proceeded, and with which every one of them will ultimately be united. From Him all the Suns have been generated, and unto Him they will all return. Through His potency the Trees of Divine Revelation have yielded their fruits, every one of which hath been sent down in the form of a Prophet, bearing a Message to God’s creatures in each of the worlds whose number God, alone, in His all-encompassing Knowledge, can reckon. This He hath accomplished through the agency of but one Letter of His Word, revealed by His Pen—a Pen moved by His directing Finger—His Finger itself sustained by the power of God’s Truth."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 104 LI

Baha'i House of Worship New Delhi, India

Thursday, April 1, 2010

"Thus the peoples of the world are judged by their countenance."

"And it came to pass that on a certain day a needy man came to visit this Soul, craving for the ocean of His knowledge. While conversing with him, mention was made concerning the signs of the Day of Judgment, Resurrection, Revival, and Reckoning. He urged Us to explain how, in this wondrous Dispensation, the peoples of the world were brought to a reckoning, when none were made aware of it. Thereupon, We imparted unto him, according to the measure of his capacity and understanding, certain truths of Science and ancient Wisdom. We then asked him saying: “Hast thou not read the Qur’án, and art thou not aware of this blessed verse: ‘On that day shall neither man nor spirit be asked of his Sin?’ 9 Dost thou not realize that by ‘asking’ is not meant asking by tongue or speech, even as the verse itself doth indicate and prove? For afterward it is said: ‘By their countenance shall the sinners be known, and they shall be seized by their forelocks and their feet.’” 10

Thus the peoples of the world are judged by their countenance. By it, their misbelief, their faith, and their iniquity are all made manifest. Even as it is evident in this day how the people of error are, by their countenance, known and distinguished from the followers of divine Guidance. Were these people, wholly for the sake of God and with no desire but His good-pleasure, to ponder the verses of the Book in their heart, they would of a certainty find whatsoever they seek. In its verses would they find revealed and manifest all the things, be they great or small, that have come to pass in this Dispensation. They would even recognize in them references unto the departure of the Manifestations of the names and attributes of God from out their native land; to the opposition and disdainful arrogance of government and people; and to the dwelling and establishment of the Universal Manifestation in an appointed and specially designated land. No man, however, can comprehend this except he who is possessed of an understanding heart."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Íqán, pp. 172-174


9.Qur’án 55:39.   
10.Qur’án 55:41.