- Baha’u’llah (‘Gems
of Divine Mysteries’)
Mar 31, 2020
A “station” of love that a seeker may reach
Yea, the seeker reacheth a station wherein that which hath
been ordained for him knoweth no bounds. The fire of love so blazeth in his
heart that it seizeth the reins of constraint from his grasp. At every moment
his love for his Lord increaseth and draweth him nearer unto his Creator, in
such wise that if his Lord be in the east of nearness, and he dwell in the west
of remoteness and possess all that earth and heaven contain of rubies and gold,
he would forsake it all and rush forth to the land of the Desired One.
Mar 26, 2020
One’s love for God should not make him/her to transgress “the bounds of moderation“ or to “overstep the limits” that Baha’u’llah has set for us
Praise be to God that whatever is essential for the
believers in this Revelation to be told has been revealed. Their duties have
been clearly defined, and the deeds they are expected to perform have been
plainly set forth in Our Book. Now is the time for them to arise and fulfil
their duty. Let them translate into deeds the exhortations We have given them.
Let them beware lest the love they bear God, a love that glows so brightly in
their hearts, cause them to transgress the bounds of moderation, and to
overstep the limits We have set for them.
- Baha'u'llah (Words
of Baha’u’llah to some pilgrims and a few resident believers who were admitted
into His presence on January 8, 1889, quoted by Nabil in the ‘Dawn-Breakers,
translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)
Mar 22, 2020
One should “forgive the sinful, and never despise his low estate”
He [1] should not wish for others that which he doth not
wish for himself, nor promise that which he doth not fulfil. With all his heart
should the seeker avoid fellowship with evil doers, and pray for the remission
of their sins. He should forgive the sinful, and never despise his low estate,
for none knoweth what his own end shall be. How often hath a sinner, at the
hour of death, attained to the essence of faith, and, quaffing the immortal
draught, hath taken his flight unto the celestial Concourse. And how often hath
a devout believer, at the hour of his soul’s ascension, been so changed as to
fall into the nethermost fire.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The
Kitab-i-Iqan’)
[1] The seeker in search of “the Ancient of Days”
Mar 19, 2020
The power of intercession for forgiveness of one’s sins – when visiting the shrine of the Most Exalted Leaf (Navvab)
O faithful ones! Should ye visit the resting-place of the
Most Exalted Leaf, who hath ascended unto the Glorious Companion, stand ye and
say: ‘Salutation and blessing and glory upon thee, O Holy Leaf that hath sprung
from the Divine Lote-Tree! I bear witness that thou hast believed in God and in
His signs, and answered His Call, and turned unto Him, and held fast unto His
cord, and clung to the hem of His grace, and fled thy home in His path, and
chosen to live as a stranger, out of love for His presence and in thy longing
to serve Him. May God have mercy upon him that draweth nigh unto thee, and
remembereth thee through the things which My Pen hath voiced in this, the most
great station. We pray God that He may forgive us, and forgive them that have
turned unto thee, and grant their desires, and bestow upon them, through His
wondrous grace, whatever be their wish. He, verily, is the Bountiful, the
Generous. Praise be to God, He Who is the Desire of all worlds; and the Beloved
of all who recognize Him.
- Baha’u’llah (Quoted
by Shoghi Effendi in a letter dated December 21, 1939; ‘Messages to America’)
Mar 16, 2020
Manifestation of God has power forgive one’s sins
It is also recorded in the Gospel according to St. Luke,
that on a certain day Jesus passed by a Jew who was sick of the palsy, and lay
upon a couch. When the Jew saw Him, he recognized Him, and cried out for His
help. Jesus said unto him: “Arise from thy bed; thy sins are forgiven thee.”
Certain of the Jews, standing by, protested saying: “Who can forgive sins, but
God alone?” And immediately He perceived their thoughts, Jesus answering said
unto them: “Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, arise, and
take up thy bed, and walk; or to say, thy sins are forgiven thee? that ye may
know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins.” [Cf. Luke
5:18–26] This is the real sovereignty, and such is the power of God’s chosen
Ones!
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)
Mar 11, 2020
“characteristics that enrich life and add to its radiance”: - “true happiness and joy and humour… serious thought, compassion and humble servitude to God”
On page 25 of The Advent of Divine Justice the beloved
Guardian is describing the requirements not only of chastity, but of "a
chaste and holy life" -- both the adjectives are important. One of the
signs of a decadent society, a sign which is very evident in the world today,
is an almost frenetic devotion to pleasure and diversion, an insatiable thirst
for amusement, a fanatical devotion to games and sport, a reluctance to treat
any matter seriously, and a scornful, derisory attitude towards virtue and
solid worth. Abandonment of "a frivolous conduct" does not imply that
a Bahá'í must be sour-faced or perpetually solemn. Humour, happiness, joy are
characteristics of a true Bahá'í life. Frivolity palls and eventually leads to
boredom and emptiness, but true happiness and joy and humour that are parts of
a balanced life that includes serious thought, compassion and humble servitude
to God are characteristics that enrich life and add to its radiance.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a
letter dated 8 May 1979 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to
an individual believer, cited in the compilation ‘A Chase and Holy Life’; compilation
‘Humor and Laughter’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal
House of Justice)
Mar 7, 2020
“attitude and atmosphere of love” - needed for “true consultation”
...true consultation is spiritual conference in the attitude
and atmosphere of love. Members must love each other in the spirit of
fellowship in order that good results may be forthcoming. Love and fellowship
are the foundation.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha ('The Promulgation of Universal Peace:
Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and
Canada in 1912'; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, Issues
Concerning Community Functioning)
Mar 3, 2020
The “awakening of compassion and understanding in the hearts of all men and women”
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 2 July 1996 written on behalf of the
Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
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