"Whoso is deprived of courtesy walketh naked among men, though he be clothed in all the world’s silk."

 

Michelangelo - The Last Judgement

"Divest not yourselves of the robe of courtesy and fairmindedness, and speak not that which hath been forbidden you in the Tablets of your Lord, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Whoso is deprived of courtesy walketh naked among men, though he be clothed in all the world’s silk. This is that which hath been revealed through the power of truth in His mighty and guarded Tablets. He who is devoid of courtesy is indeed bereft of faith."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/613867124

"Sanctify yourselves from satanic deeds and adorn your souls with the ornament of God."

photo by Trina G. 

"Forsake wickedness and rebellion and hold fast unto the fear of God. Sanctify yourselves from satanic deeds and adorn your souls with the ornament of God. Strife and dissension have ever been, and shall ever remain, unworthy of the station of the exponents of truth."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/928078315

"Then shall the whole sublime and holy company of the Maids of Heaven come forth to greet you and inhale from you the sweet savours of the love of God."

 

Photo of Bahá'í Women by Effie Baker

He is the Peerless!

O maidservant of God! Render thanks unto the one true Beloved for having guided thee to recognize His own Self. Many are the daughters of kings and other notables who, through having been veiled from recognizing the beauty of the All-Merciful, are not remembered by the Lord. Thou, however, hast been remembered by Him, and thy name set down by the Pen of His Command. Regard not this, that in these days, to outward seeming, they live in luxury and honour. For I swear by Him Who hath made true honour the exclusive portion of His loved ones, that though they repose on jewelled couches, in the eyes of God they dwell upon the dust, and soon shall they all return, in the utmost poverty and abasement, to that place wherein is neither lamp nor couch, neither friend nor comforter.

Thou, however, and other maidservants of God like unto thee, though ye be seated on the dust, are, in the eyes of God, established upon the seats of honour; and when finally ye return unto your Lord, ye shall ascend with matchless glory unto the realms above. Then shall the whole sublime and holy company of the Maids of Heaven come forth to greet you and inhale from you the sweet savours of the love of God. Ever hast thou had both wealth and honour, for the love of God hath been with thee, and—God willing—shall remain with thee for evermore; and naught that hath been created in the heaven or the earth is equal to a single atom of this love. Dirhams and dínárs are not the measure of true wealth; its measure, rather, is the love of Him Who is the Beauteous, the Unconstrained.

How many are they who, though rich in dínárs, are yet the poorest of God’s creatures; for, even as is witnessed, each day their greed for gain increaseth and their avarice waxeth more intense.

O maidservant of God! Hold not cheap the precious gem of love, and remain thou steadfast in His love. Such is Our perspicuous and mighty counsel unto thee. The Glory of God rest upon thee and upon all His devoted maidservants.

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/628243009

"In these days, the operation of two divine names may be witnessed with the utmost clarity, to wit, the names of “Quickener” and “Destroyer”. "

 
The sister of Jináb-i-Ḥaydar-‘Alí

He is the Peerless, the Sanctified, the Most Glorious.

Praise be unto the Best-Beloved, the cloud of whose mercy hath ever rained upon all beings, and the sun of whose bounty hath ever shed its radiance upon all created things. Truly destitute is he who hath deprived himself of the showers of God’s grace!

O maidservant of God! Strive that thou mayest not be deprived of the effulgent splendours of His lights, nor far removed from the shadow of His mercy. Take thou refuge in His shelter, and abide thou beneath the shadow of His gracious favour; for all that cometh not beneath His shadow hath ever been, and shall remain, within the realm of disbelief. In these days, the operation of two divine names may be witnessed with the utmost clarity, to wit, the names of “Quickener” and “Destroyer”. These cause on the one hand death, and on the other, life. The one taketh life away from those that turn away from God; the other conferreth everlasting life upon those that turn towards Him. How great the power of Him Who at a single time hath made two seasons to appear: spring and autumn! How numerous the trees of human souls that have become fresh and verdant in this mystic, holy springtide, and richly laden with the fruits of divine knowledge! And how numerous the trees of human souls that have become parched and withered in this same season, deprived of all God’s manifold bestowals! A single breeze blew forth from out His peerless Paradise: To the believers in the unity of God it was a balm of peace and mercy; to the infidels, a blast of wrath and chastisement. Such is the power of Him Who is the sovereign Lord of all!

O maidservant of God! Please God thou wilt not be deprived of the gently stirring breezes of this springtide of supernal holiness, nor remain without a portion of the overflowing bounties of these days of the divine spirit. Pass thou beyond the world and all its peoples, and set thy face towards the one true God. For all else but Him is in its essence poor and needy and, being so, is powerless to satisfy even its own needs, how much less the needs of others!

Haji Mirza Haydar Ali

O maidservant of God! Whenever thou art seated in comfort and tranquillity, do thou call to mind this Captive and occupy thyself with His remembrance; and if thou beholdest an exile from his native land, do thou recount the banishment and anguish of this spiritual Youth. I swear by Him Who is the Mover of all beings! Heaven, earth, and mountains would be incapable of bearing a single atom of the tribulations that have come to pass. Nay, better were it that the afflictions of this Youth remain concealed. He, verily, hath knowledge of all things. Do thou convey the salutation of Him Who is the Tongue of God unto all His devoted handmaidens."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/437910466

"Be not saddened by the world, for in truth it is a lethal poison and a deadly bane."

 

drawing by ninjason57

"The mother-in-law of Salmán

He is the Peerless.

O maidservant of God! Occupy thyself with God’s remembrance, and detach thy heart from all but Him. For His remembrance is the heart’s consoler, the very life of all that long for Him. Be not saddened by the world, for in truth it is a lethal poison and a deadly bane. Its good and evil are as changeful and inconstant as the winds of heaven, or as the covenant of the people of the Bayán. Beware that thou exult not in its joys, nor grieve at its afflictions. The heart is the seat of the revelation of the All-Merciful; defile it not with the dross of this world! Bind thy heart to the Well-Beloved, and be thou as steadfast as the mountain in His love. Such is the counsel of this Youth unto all the maidservants of God. Occupy yourselves at dawn in praise of your Beloved, and raise your heads each morning from your couch in His remembrance. The Spirit of God and His Glory rest upon thee, and upon all His maidservants.

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/679816157

"Many are the souls who have listened but are not accounted by the Almighty as having heard."

 

photo by Trina G. 

"He is the Glory of Glories.

Hearken thou unto My call from the horizon of My prison in the midst of Mine adversaries: “Verily, there is none other God but Him, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful.” He hath truly hearkened unto the divine verses who ariseth to perform that which befitteth him. Many are the souls who have listened but are not accounted by the Almighty as having heard. True listening consisteth in man’s first perceiving with the ear of his spirit the call of the All-Merciful, and then remaining so steadfast in observing the divine precept and command that were he to witness from the peoples of the world naught save denial, enmity, and rejection he would in no wise be deflected from walking in the Straight Path of God. Well is it with them that attain!

O maidservant of God! Render thanks unto the One Beloved for having adorned thee with the wondrous ornament of His remembrance, and for having assisted thee to recognize the Supernal Beauty. Please God thou wilt, through His bestowal, be illumined in these days of the All-Glorious by the effulgence of His countenance, and rejoice at that to which thou hast attained. The Glory of God rest upon you, O ye My maidservants."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/807928720

"Moderation is indeed highly desirable."

© Chuck Egerton 2024

"Moderation is indeed highly desirable. Every person who in some degree turneth towards the truth can himself later comprehend most of what he seeketh. However, if at the outset a word is uttered beyond his capacity, he will refuse to hear it and will arise in opposition."

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/408066910