Saturday, April 17, 2021

"Wherefore, O faithful friends, raise ye the triumphal cry of Yá-Bahá’u’l-Abhá!"

 
"O ye beloved friends of God and handmaids of the Merciful!


Call ye to mind the blessed Name of our peerless Beloved, the Abhá Beauty, in an uplifting spirit of unbounded ecstasy and delight, then unloose your tongues in His praise in such wise that the realm of the heart may be purged from the woes and sorrows of the world of water and clay, that the great heights of spiritual perception may be unveiled before your eyes, that the glorious signs of His Divine Unity may shine resplendent, a fresh outpouring of His grace may stream forth, and a liberal effusion of celestial confirmations may be vouchsafed unto you.


His Name is indeed the healing medicine for every illness, and imparteth warmth unto those chilled with cold. It is the sovereign remedy and the supreme talisman. It is the source of life in both worlds, and of salvation unto such as have gone astray. Today this hallowed Name serveth as a shield for all mankind, and as a veritable refuge for the children of men. It is the wondrous accent of the Lord of Mercy, and His celestial melody.


Wherefore, O faithful friends, raise ye the triumphal cry of Yá-Bahá’u’l-Abhá! O ye who yearn after the Beauty of the Almighty! Lift up your faces toward the Supreme Horizon. Rest not, even for a moment. Breathe not a single breath save in remembrance of His love and in recognition of His grace, in the promulgation of His Utterances and the vindication of His Testimonies.


Verily, this is the Magnet of divine confirmations. This is the mighty Force which will surely attract heavenly assistance."


(Extract from a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá)
www.bahai.org/r/520360382



Friday, April 16, 2021

“We will not chastise them if they had not been sent a Messenger.”

 
"In ancient times the people of America were, through their northern regions, close to Asia, that is, separated from Asia by a strait. For this reason, it hath been said that crossing had occurred. There are other signs which indicate communication.
As to places whose people were not informed of the appearance of Prophets, such people are excused. In the Qur’án it hath been revealed: “We will not chastise them if they had not been sent a Messenger.”1


Undoubtedly in those regions the Call of God must have been raised in ancient times, but it hath been forgotten now."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks)
www.bahai.org/r/311166249

1. Qur’án 17:15

Thursday, April 15, 2021

"Were ye but to open your eyes, ye would, in truth, prefer a myriad griefs unto this joy, and would count death itself better than this life."

 
In the eighth of the most holy lines, in the fifth Tablet of Paradise, He saith:


O Ye That Are Lying as Dead on the Couch of Heedlessness!


"Ages have passed and your precious lives are well-nigh ended, yet not a single breath of purity hath reached Our court of holiness from you. Though immersed in the ocean of misbelief, yet with your lips ye profess the one true faith of God. Him whom I abhor ye have loved, and of My foe ye have made a friend. Notwithstanding, ye walk on My earth complacent and self-satisfied, heedless that My earth is weary of you and everything within it shunneth you. Were ye but to open your eyes, ye would, in truth, prefer a myriad griefs unto this joy, and would count death itself better than this life."


(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words)
www.bahai.org/r/824146051

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

"Know ye that the Torah is what was revealed in the Tablets unto Moses, may peace be upon Him ..."

 

"Know ye that the Torah is what was revealed in the Tablets unto Moses, may peace be upon Him, and in that which He was commanded to do. But the stories are historical narratives and were written after Moses, may peace be upon Him…. The glorious Book, the Mighty Decree, is what was in the Tablets which Moses, upon Him be peace, brought from Mt. Sinai, and that which He proclaimed unto the Children of Israel, in accordance with the explicit text of those Tablets"

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks)

www.bahai.org/r/516462087

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

"... thy need will be answered."

 

"Shouldst thou recite any of the revealed prayers, and seek assistance from God with thy face turned towards Him, and implore Him with devotion and fervour, thy need will be answered."


('Abdu'l-Bahá, Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks)
www.bahai.org/r/435556084


Monday, April 12, 2021

" ... that the basis of hatred and antagonism may be wiped out from the earth and that all mankind may live together in unity and harmony, with the utmost love and fellowship."

 



"Render ye thanks unto God, inasmuch as in the Day of the advent of the Kingdom ye have drawn so nigh unto His court and are so greatly favoured at the Threshold of the loving Lord. Therefore it behoveth you to strive with heart and soul so that the human world may shine resplendent, that the basis of hatred and antagonism may be wiped out from the earth and that all mankind may live together in unity and harmony, with the utmost love and fellowship."


('Abdu'l-Bahá, Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks)
www.bahai.org/r/688669874

Sunday, April 11, 2021

"Today, therefore, there is no respect or circumstance in which a person’s sex provideth grounds for the exercise of either discrimination or favour."

 

"Know thou that the distinction between male and female is an exigency of the physical world and hath no connection with the spirit; for the spirit and the world of the spirit are sanctified above such exigencies, and wholly beyond the reach of such changes as befall the physical body in the contingent world. In former ages, men enjoyed ascendancy over women because bodily might reigned supreme and the spirit was subject to its dominion. In this radiant age, however, since the power of the spirit hath transcended that of the body and assumed its ascendancy, authority and dominion over the human world, this physical distinction hath ceased to be of consequence; and, as the sway and influence of the spirit have become apparent, women have come to be the full equals of men. Today, therefore, there is no respect or circumstance in which a person’s sex provideth grounds for the exercise of either discrimination or favour."


('Abdu'l-Bahá, Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks)
www.bahai.org/r/531605375