"Death can never invade that holy seat. "

"It is clear and evident that when the veils that conceal the realities of the manifestations of the Names and Attributes of God, nay of all created things visible or invisible, have been rent asunder, nothing except the Sign of God will remain—a sign which He, Himself, hath placed within these realities. This sign will endure as long as is the wish of the Lord thy God, the Lord of the heavens and of the earth. If such be the blessings conferred on all created things, how superior must be the destiny of the true believer, whose existence and life are to be regarded as the originating purpose of all creation. Just as the conception of faith hath existed from the beginning that hath no beginning, and will endure till the end that hath no end, in like manner will the true believer eternally live and endure. His spirit will everlastingly circle round the Will of God. He will last as long as God, Himself, will last. He is revealed through the Revelation of God, and is hidden at His bidding. It is evident that the loftiest mansions in the Realm of Immortality have been ordained as the habitation of them that have truly believed in God and in His signs. Death can never invade that holy seat. Thus have We entrusted thee with the signs of thy Lord, that thou mayest persevere in thy love for Him, and be of them that comprehend this truth."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXXIII, pp. 140-141

Dedicated to those lost at Newtown, CT and their families and friends


Bushehr Province, Iran بوشهر‎;

"... a burning grief ..."

"O thou beloved maidservant of God, although the loss of a son is indeed heart-breaking and beyond the limits of human endurance, yet one who knoweth and understandeth is assured that the son hath not been lost but, rather, hath stepped from this world into another, and she will find him in the divine realm. That reunion shall be for eternity, while in this world separation is inevitable and bringeth with it a burning grief. Praise be unto God that thou hast faith, art turning thy face toward the everlasting Kingdom and believest in the existence of a heavenly world. Therefore be thou not disconsolate, do not languish, do not sigh, neither wail nor weep; for agitation and mourning deeply affect his soul in the divine realm.

That beloved child addresseth thee from the hidden world: ‘O thou kind Mother, thank divine Providence that I have been freed from a small and gloomy cage and, like the birds of the meadows, have soared to the divine world—a world which is spacious, illumined, and ever gay and jubilant. Therefore, lament not, O Mother, and be not grieved; I am not of the lost, nor have I been obliterated and destroyed. I have shaken off the mortal form and have raised my banner in this spiritual world. Following this separation is everlasting companionship. Thou shalt find me in the heaven of the Lord, immersed in an ocean of light.’"

 `Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 201

As read at the Newtown Interfaith Service on Sunday Dec. 16, 2012

Dedicated to those lost at Newtown, CT and their families and friends

Shikami

"O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such as are nigh unto Thee ..."

"O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such as are nigh unto Thee, Whose sword is the ardent desire of all them that love Thee, Whose dart is the dearest wish of those hearts that yearn after Thee, Whose decree is the sole hope of them that have recognized Thy truth! I implore Thee, by Thy divine sweetness and by the splendors of the glory of Thy face, to send down upon us from Thy retreats on high that which will enable us to draw nigh unto Thee. Set, then, our feet firm, O my God, in Thy Cause, and enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy knowledge, and illumine our breasts with the brightness of Thy names."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, CXXXIII, pp. 220-221


Dedicated to those lost at Newtown, CT and their families and friends



Stoman

"Question.—What is the condition of children who die before attaining the age of discretion or before the appointed time of birth? "

"O DWELLERS OF MY PARADISE! With the hands of loving-kindness I have planted in the holy garden of paradise the young tree of your love and friendship, and have watered it with the goodly showers of My tender grace; now that the hour of its fruiting is come, strive that it may be protected, and be not consumed with the flame of desire and passion."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, No. 34 Persian "

Question.—What is the condition of children who die before attaining the age of discretion or before the appointed time of birth?

Answer.—These infants are under the shadow of the favor of God; and as they have not committed any sin and are not soiled with the impurities of the world of nature, they are the centers of the manifestation of bounty, and the Eye of Compassion will be turned upon them."

 `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 240

 "Be not grieved at the death of that infant child, for it is placed in trust for thee before thy Lord in His great Kingdom. Verily God will bestow upon thee that whereby thy heart shall be rejoiced and thy breast shall be dilated. Verily thy Lord is compassionate and merciful!"

`Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas, pp. 194-195


Dedicated to those lost at Newtown, CT and their families and friends

Cannon Beach © 2012 Chuck Egerton

" ... recite the verses of the All-Merciful in the most melodious of tones ..."

"They who recite the verses of the All-Merciful in the most melodious of tones will perceive in them that with which the sovereignty of earth and heaven can never be compared. From them they will inhale the divine fragrance of My worlds—worlds which today none can discern save those who have been endowed with vision through this sublime, this beauteous Revelation. Say: These verses draw hearts that are pure unto those spiritual worlds that can neither be expressed in words nor intimated by allusion. Blessed be those who hearken."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p.61

Takahika

“No change canst thou find in God’s mode of dealing”

"Hast thou not heard: “No change is there in God’s creation”? 1 Hast thou not read: “No change canst thou find in God’s mode of dealing”? 2 Hast thou not borne witness to the truth: “No difference wilt thou see in the creation of the God of Mercy”? 3 Yea, by My Lord! They that dwell within this Ocean, they that ride upon this Ark, witness no change in the creation of God and behold no differences upon His earth. And if God’s creation be not prone to change and alteration, how then could they who are the Manifestations of His own Being be subject to it? Immeasurably exalted is God above all that we may conceive of the Revealers of His Cause, and immensely glorified is He beyond all that they may mention in His regard!"

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries (Javáhiru’l-Asrár), p. 32 


Bontempi



1. Qur’án 30:30.   
2. Qur’án 48:23.   
3. Qur’án 67:3.

"Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch"

"The Great Being saith: O well-beloved ones!
The tabernacle of unity hath been raised;
regard ye not one another as strangers.
Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 218

 Ravi Shankar 
1920-2012

(his music)

Bahá'í House of Worship, New Delhi, India

.