Sunday, February 8, 2015

"Verily on that Day the learning of the learned shall prove of no avail ..."




"Ye have, one and all, been called into being to seek His presence and to attain that exalted and glorious station. Indeed, He will send down from the heaven of His mercy that which will benefit you, and whatever is graciously vouchsafed by Him shall enable you to dispense with all mankind. Verily on that Day the learning of the learned shall prove of no avail, neither the accomplishments of the exponents of knowledge, nor the pomp of the highly honored, nor the power of the mighty, nor the remembrance of the devout, nor the deeds of the righteous, nor the genuflection of the kneeling worshipper, nor his prostration or turning towards the Qiblih, nor the honor of the honored, nor the kinship of the highly born, nor the nobility of those of noble descent, nor the discourse of the eloquent, nor the titles of the prominent—none of these shall be of any avail unto them—inasmuch as all these and whatever else ye have known or comprehended were created by His word of command “Be” and it is. Indeed if it be His Will He can assuredly bring about the resurrection of all created things through a word from Himself. He is, in truth, over and above all this, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Omnipotent."


-The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb

Saturday, February 7, 2015

"Deliver me, O Lord, from the fire of ignorance and of selfish desire ..."



... "Grant, O my God, that I may not be reckoned among those whose ears are deaf, whose eyes are blind, whose tongues are speechless and whose hearts have failed to comprehend. Deliver me, O Lord, from the fire of ignorance and of selfish desire, suffer me to be admitted into the precincts of Thy transcendent mercy and send down upon me that which Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest. Verily Thou art the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

-The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the 
Báb



Sargent

Friday, February 6, 2015

" ... Thou wouldst test him with the benefits of this world and of the next ..."



... "Indeed shouldst Thou desire to confer blessing upon a servant Thou wouldst blot out from the realm of his heart every mention or disposition except Thine Own mention; and shouldst Thou ordain evil for a servant by reason of that which his hands have unjustly wrought before Thy face, Thou wouldst test him with the benefits of this world and of the next that he might become preoccupied therewith and forget Thy remembrance." ...

-The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb


Thursday, February 5, 2015

"The way in which Thou hast called into being Thy creation out of nonexistence preventeth all created things from recognizing Thee ..."



... "All men, O my God, confess their powerlessness to know Thee as Thou knowest Thine Own Being; the generative impulse Thou hast released is manifest throughout the entire creation, and all created things which Thou hast fashioned are but expressions of Thy wondrous signs. Magnified be Thy name; Thou art immeasurably exalted above the strivings of anyone among Thy creatures to attain Thy recognition as is befitting and worthy of Thee.

Praise be unto Thee! The way in which Thou hast called into being Thy creation out of nonexistence preventeth all created things from recognizing Thee, and the manner in which Thou hast fashioned the creatures, with the limitations imposed upon them, proclaimeth their utter nothingness before the revelations of Thine attributes." ...

-The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

"All that I beg of Thee, O my God, is to enable me, ere my soul departeth from my body, to attain Thy good-pleasure ..."



" ... All that I beg of Thee, O my God, is to enable me, ere my soul departeth from my body, to attain Thy good-pleasure, even were it granted to me for a moment tinier than the infinitesimal fraction of a mustard seed. For if it departeth while Thou art pleased with me, then I shall be free from every concern or anxiety; but if it abandoneth me while Thou art displeased with me, then, even had I wrought every good deed, none would be of any avail, and had I earned every honor and glory, none would serve to exalt me...."

-The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

" ... if Thou hast no mercy upon me who is capable of showing compassion?"



" ... O Lord! If Thou forgivest me not, who is there then to grant pardon, and if Thou hast no mercy upon me who is capable of showing compassion? Glory be unto Thee, Thou didst create me when I was nonexistent and Thou didst nourish me while I was devoid of any understanding. Praise be unto Thee, every evidence of bounty proceedeth from Thee and every token of grace emanateth from the treasuries of Thy decree."

-The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb

Monday, February 2, 2015

"For granting of gifts doth not cause Thee loss, nor doth the bestowing of favors diminish Thy wealth."



"I IMPLORE Thee by the splendor of the light of Thy glorious face, the majesty of Thine ancient grandeur and the power of Thy transcendent sovereignty to ordain for us at this moment every measure of that which is good and seemly and to destine for us every portion of the outpourings of Thy grace. For granting of gifts doth not cause Thee loss, nor doth the bestowing of favors diminish Thy wealth.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Verily I am poor while in truth Thou art rich; verily I am lowly while in truth Thou art mighty; verily I am impotent while in truth Thou art powerful; verily I am abased while in truth Thou art the most exalted; verily I am distressed while in truth Thou art the Lord of might."

-The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb