Tuesday, December 24, 2013

“But of that Day and Hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father.”



"O Shaykh! Hearken unto the melodies of the Gospel with the ear of fairness. He saith—glorified be His utterance—prophesying the things that are to come: “But of that Day and Hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father.” By Father in this connection is meant God—exalted be His glory. He, verily, is the True Educator, and the Spiritual Teacher.

Joel saith: “For the Day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” Firstly, in the sublime utterance set forth in the Gospel He saith that none is aware of the time of the Revelation, that none knoweth it except God, the All-Knowing, Who is cognizant of all. Secondly, He setteth forth the greatness of the Revelation. Likewise, in the Qur’án He saith: “Of what ask they of one another? Of the Great Announcement.” This is the Announcement, the greatness of which hath been mentioned in most of the Books of old and of more recent times. This is the Announcement that hath caused the limbs of mankind to quake, except such as God, the Protector, the Helper, the Succorer, hath willed to exempt. Men have indeed with their own eyes witnessed how all men and all things have been thrown into confusion and been sore perplexed, save those whom God hath chosen to exempt."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 143-144

Monday, December 23, 2013

"The journeys in the pathway of love are reckoned as four ..."






"The journeys in the pathway of love are reckoned as four: From the creatures to the True One; from the True One to the creatures; from the creatures to the creatures; from the True One to the True One."


-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valley, p. 25

Sunday, December 22, 2013

"If I speak forth, many a mind will shatter, And if I write, many a pen will break."



"O thou dear one! Impoverish thyself, that thou mayest enter the high court of riches; and humble thy body, that thou mayest drink from the river of glory, and attain to the full meaning of the poems whereof thou hadst asked.

Thus it hath been made clear that these stages depend on the vision of the wayfarer. In every city he will behold a world, in every Valley reach a spring, in every meadow hear a song. But the falcon of the mystic heaven hath many a wondrous carol of the spirit in His breast, and the Persian bird keepeth in His soul many a sweet Arab melody; yet these are hidden, and hidden shall remain.

   
    If I speak forth, many a mind will shatter,
    And if I write, many a pen will break. 20 , 21

Peace be upon him who concludeth this exalted journey and followeth the True One by the lights of guidance." ...

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys, pp. 28-29

20. The Mathnaví. 
21. This refers to Bahá’u’lláh Himself, Who had not yet declared His mission.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

“There was God and there was naught beside Him.”







"O friend, till thou enter the garden of such mysteries, thou shalt never set lip to the undying wine of this Valley. And shouldst thou taste of it, thou wilt shield thine eyes from all things else, and drink of the wine of contentment; and thou wilt loose thyself from all things else, and bind thyself to Him, and throw thy life down in His path, and cast thy soul away. However, there is no other in this region that thou need forget: “There was God and there was naught beside Him.”4 For on this plane the traveler witnesseth the beauty of the Friend in everything. Even in fire, he seeth the face of the Beloved. He beholdeth in illusion the secret of reality, and readeth from the attributes the riddle of the Essence. "...


-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys, p. 30-31


 4. Hadíth, i.e. action or utterance traditionally attributed to the Prophet Muḥammad or to one of the holy Imáms.

Friday, December 20, 2013

"Only heart to heart can speak the bliss of mystic knowers; No messenger can tell it and no missive bear it."



... "The pen steppeth not into this region, the ink leaveth only a blot. In these planes, the nightingale of the heart hath other songs and secrets, which make the heart to stir and the soul to clamor, but this mystery of inner meaning may be whispered only from heart to heart, confided only from breast to breast.

Only heart to heart can speak the bliss of mystic knowers;
No messenger can tell it and no missive bear it. 2

I am silent from weakness on many a matter,
For my words could not reckon them and my speech would fall short. 3

O friend, till thou enter the garden of such mysteries, thou shalt never set lip to the undying wine of this Valley. " ...

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys, p. 30


2.Háfiz: Shamsu’d-Dín Muḥammad, of Shíráz, died ca. 1389 A.D. One of the greatest of Persian poets.   
3.Arabian poem. 

Thursday, December 19, 2013

"How many a mystic tree hath this whirlwind of wonderment snatched by the roots, how many a soul hath it exhausted."




"Now is he struck dumb with the beauty of the All-Glorious; again is he wearied out with his own life. How many a mystic tree hath this whirlwind of wonderment snatched by the roots, how many a soul hath it exhausted. For in this Valley the traveler is flung into confusion, albeit, in the eye of him who hath attained, such marvels are esteemed and well beloved. At every moment he beholdeth a wondrous world, a new creation, and goeth from astonishment to astonishment, and is lost in awe at the works of the Lord of Oneness."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys, p. 32

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

"Indeed, O Brother, if we ponder each created thing, we shall witness a myriad perfect wisdoms and learn a myriad new and wondrous truths."




"Indeed, O Brother, if we ponder each created thing, we shall witness a myriad perfect wisdoms and learn a myriad new and wondrous truths. One of the created phenomena is the dream. Behold how many secrets are deposited therein, how many wisdoms treasured up, how many worlds concealed. Observe, how thou art asleep in a dwelling, and its doors are barred; on a sudden thou findest thyself in a far-off city, which thou enterest without moving thy feet or wearying thy body; without using thine eyes, thou seest; without taxing thine ears, thou hearest; without a tongue, thou speakest. And perchance when ten years are gone, thou wilt witness in the outer world the very things thou hast dreamed tonight."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys, p. 32