Feb 28, 2015

Word of God

To the extent that ye can, ye should busy yourselves with spiritual matters which will be conducive to the exaltation of the Word of God and of the diffusion of His fragrances. 
(‘Abdu’l-Baha, The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Women)

Feb 27, 2015

Word of God

Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is endowed with such potency as can instill new life into every human frame, if ye be of them that comprehend this truth. All the wondrous works ye behold in this world have been manifested through the operation of His supreme and most exalted Will, His wondrous and inflexible Purpose. Through the mere revelation of the word "Fashioner," issuing forth from His lips and proclaiming His attribute to mankind, such power is released as can generate, through successive ages, all the manifold arts which the hands of man can produce. This, verily, is a certain truth. No sooner is this resplendent word uttered, than its animating energies, stirring within all created things, give birth to the means and instruments whereby such arts can be produced and perfected. All the wondrous achievements ye now witness are the direct consequences of the Revelation of this Name. In the days to come, ye will, verily, behold things of which ye have never heard before. Thus hath it been decreed in the Tablets of God, and none can comprehend it except them whose sight is sharp. 
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah’)

Feb 26, 2015

Word of God

When the friends are teaching the Word of God they should be careful to give the Message in the same simplicity as it is enunciated in our Teachings. In their contacts they must show genuine and divine love. The heart of an unlettered soul is extremely sensitive; any trace of prejudice on the part of the pioneer or teacher is immediately sensed. 
(From a letter dated 13 July 1964 written by the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies; The Compilation of Compilations vol II, Teaching the Masses)

Feb 25, 2015

Word of God

Divine Truth is relative and that is why we are enjoined to constantly refer the seeker to the Word itself - and why any explanations we make to ease the journey of the soul of any individual must be based on The Word - and the Word alone.
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, June 4, 1957; compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)

Feb 24, 2015

Word of God

We should memorize the Hidden Words, follow the exhortations of the Incomparable Lord, and conduct ourselves in a manner which befitteth our servitude at the threshold of the One True God.
(Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet, 'The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I', The Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith)

Feb 23, 2015

Word of God

Say: The Word of God can never be confounded with the words of His creatures. It is, in truth, the King of words, even as He is Himself the sovereign Lord of all, and His Cause transcendeth all that was and all that shall be. Enter, O people, the City of Certitude wherein the throne of your Lord, the All-Merciful, hath been established. Thus biddeth you the Pen of the All-Glorious, as a token of His unfailing grace. Haply ye may not make His Revelation a cause of dissension amongst you. 
(Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts)

Feb 22, 2015

Word of God

Concerning the attitude of some Baha'is, who seem at times to be insensitive and unsupportive, all we can do is to try to follow the patient example of the Master, bearing in mind that each believer is but one of the servants of the Almighty who must strive to learn and grow. The absence of spiritual qualities, like darkness, has no existence in itself. As the light of spirituality penetrates deep into the hearts, this darkness gradually dissipates and is replaced by virtue. Understanding this, and that the believers are encouraged to be loving and patient with one another, it will be clear that you too are called upon to exercise patience with the friends who demonstrate immaturity, and to have faith that the power of the Word of God will gradually effect a transformation in individual believers and in the Baha'i community as a whole. 
(From a letter dated 23 October 1994 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

Feb 21, 2015

Word of God

To deepen in the Cause means to read the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the Master so thoroughly as to be able to give it to others in its pure form. There are many who have some superficial idea of what the Cause stands for. They, therefore, present it together with all sorts of ideas that are their own. As the Cause is still in its early days we must be most careful lest we fall under this error and injure the Movement we so much adore. There is no limit to the study of the Cause. The more we read the Writings, the more Truths we can find in Them, the more we will see that our previous notions were erroneous. 
(From a letter dated 25 April 1926 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, The Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith)

Feb 20, 2015

Word of God

O handmaid of God, peace must first be established among individuals, until it leadeth in the end to peace among nations. Wherefore, O ye Bahá'ís, strive ye with all your might to create, through the power of the Word of God, genuine love, spiritual communion and durable bonds among individuals. This is your task. 
(‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá’; The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II, Peace)

Feb 19, 2015

Word of God

Incline your hearts, O people of God, unto the counsels of your true, your incomparable Friend. The Word of God may be likened unto a sapling, whose roots have been implanted in the hearts of men. It is incumbent upon you to foster its growth through the living waters of wisdom, of sanctified and holy words, so that its root may become firmly fixed and its branches may spread out as high as the heavens and beyond.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah)

Feb 18, 2015

Word of God

A Bahá'í… will not make the mistake of regarding the sayings and beliefs of certain Bahá'ís at any one time as being the Bahá'í Faith. The Bahá'í Faith is the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh: His Own Words as interpreted by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardian. It is a revelation of such staggering magnitude that no Bahá'í at this early stage in Bahá'í history can rightly claim to have more than a partial and imperfect understanding of it. 
(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated 3 January 1979 addressed to the Participants in the Bahá'í Studies Seminar held in Cambridge on 30 September and 1 October 1978; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963 to 1986’)

Feb 17, 2015

Word of God

I feel that regarding such interpretations (of verses from the Scriptures) no one has the right to impose his view or opinion and require his listeners to believe in his particular interpretation of the sacred and prophetic writings. I have no objection to your interpretations and inferences so long as they are represented as your own personal observations and reflections. It would be unnecessary and confusing to state authoritatively and officially a dogmatic Bahá'í interpretation to be universally accepted and taught by believers. Such matters I feel should be left to the personal judgement and insight of individual teachers.... 
(Shoghi Effendi, from a letter dated 6 April 1928 written to an individual believer; ‘The Unfolding Destiny’)

Feb 16, 2015

Word of God

As to thy question concerning the husband and wife, the tie between them and the children given to them by God: Know thou, verily, the husband is one who hath sincerely turned unto God, is awakened by the call of the Beauty of El-Bahá and chanteth the verses of Oneness in the great assemblies; the wife is a being who wisheth to be overflowing with and seeketh after the attributes of God and His names; and the tie between them is none other than the Word of God. Verily, it [the Word of God] causeth the multitudes to assemble together and the remote ones to be united. Thus the husband and wife are brought into affinity, are united and harmonized, even as though they were one person. Through their mutual union, companionship and love great results are produced in the world, both material and spiritual. The spiritual result is the appearance of divine bounties. The material result is the children who are born in the cradle of the love of God, who are nurtured by the breast of the knowledge of God, who are brought up in the bosom of the gift of God, and who are fostered in the lap of the training of God. Such children are those of whom it was said by Christ, "Verily, they are the children of the Kingdom!" 
(‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Tablets of Abdul-Bahá Abbas", vol. 3’; The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. I, Family Life)

Feb 15, 2015

Word of God

Through the movement of Our Pen of Glory We have, at the bidding of the Omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human frame, and instilled into every word a fresh potency. All created things proclaim the evidences of this worldwide regeneration... O people! I swear by the one true God! This is the Ocean out of which all Seas have proceeded, and with which every one of them will ultimately be united. From Him all the Suns have been generated, and unto Him they will all return. 
(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

Feb 14, 2015

Word of God

... Undoubtedly when the Word of God penetrates the hearts of the people there it will transform them into the new race of men which is promised in our teachings. The function of the Bahá’í communities at the present time is to act as the leaven which will gradually bring this great transformation about. 
- The Universal House of Justice  (from a letter dated 19 April 1973 to an individual believer; compilation: ‘A New Race of Men’, prepared by the Research department of the Universal House of Justice, included in a letter dated 2013-09-13 written by the Office of Correspondence of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

Feb 13, 2015

Word of God

They [1] must strive to obtain, from sources that are authoritative and unbiased, a sound knowledge of the history and tenets of Islam -- the source and background of their Faith -- and approach reverently and with a mind purged from preconceived ideas the study of the Qur'án which, apart from the sacred scriptures of the Bábí and Bahá'í Revelations, constitutes the only Book which can be regarded as an absolutely authenticated Repository of the Word of God. 
- Shoghi Effendi  (The Advent of Divine Justice’)
[1] Those who participate in a teaching campaign

Feb 12, 2015

Word of God

As to those souls who are preaching the Word of God, it behooveth them to shake the dust of every land which they have passed by off their shoes and to be with God and without need of the rich—although their bed is the soil, their light is the stars of the sky and their food is the herbs of the desert—because theirs is the wealth of the Kingdom, the honor of the realm of might and the bounty of the divine world; and they are not in want of this world and its cares. Their throne is the mat of humility, their honor is in suffering every lowliness in the path of the Loving Lord and their wealth is being empty-handed from the pomps of the world and its vanities and their provision is trusting in God and being severed from all that is on the earth and its wealth. 
(‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’, vol. 1)

Feb 11, 2015

Word of God

The vitality of men's belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it. The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it? Is it within human power, O Hakim, to effect in the constituent elements of any of the minute and indivisible particles of matter so complete a transformation as to transmute it into purest gold? Perplexing and difficult as this may appear, the still greater task of converting satanic strength into heavenly power is one that We have been empowered to accomplish. The Force capable of such a transformation transcendeth the potency of the Elixir itself. The Word of God, alone, can claim the distinction of being endowed with the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change. 
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah’)

Feb 10, 2015

Word of God

Bahá'u'lláh has pointed out that upon the Word of God "must depend the gathering together and spiritual resurrection of all men", that "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is endowed with such potency as can instill new life into every human frame", and that were man to "taste the sweetness of the words which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he would, though the treasures of the earth be in his possession, renounce them one and all, that he might vindicate the truth of even one of His commandments". It is because of such considerations that the Five Year Plan calls for the friends to memorize selections from the Writings. If a believer finds it difficult to memorize, he may be encouraged to make for his own use a selection of extracts, however brief, which he could reread and enjoy at his own leisure, to satisfy his inner soul. 
(From a list of “Suggested Goals for a Spiritual Assemblies”, included in a letter from the Universal House of Justice dated 24 December 1975 to the National Spiritual Assembly of Reunion; The Compilation of Compilations vol. 2)

Feb 9, 2015

Word of God

The believers ought to give the Message even to those who do not seem to be ready for it, because they can never judge the real extent to which the Word of God can influence the hearts and minds of the people, even those who appear to lack any power of receptivity to the Teachings. 
(From a letter dated 14 January 1938 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Guidelines for Teaching)

Feb 8, 2015

Word of God

Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonising divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men. Verily, it is the penetrating power in all things, the mover of and the binder and regulator in the world of humanity. 
('Abdu'l-Bahá, ‘Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá’ )

Feb 7, 2015

Word of God

It hath been decreed by Us that the Word of God and all the potentialities thereof shall be manifested unto men in strict conformity with such conditions as have been foreordained by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. We have, moreover, ordained that its veil of concealment be none other except its own Self. Such indeed is Our Power to achieve Our Purpose. Should the Word be allowed to release suddenly all the energies latent within it, no man could sustain the weight of so mighty a Revelation. Nay, all that is in heaven and on earth would flee in consternation before it. 
(Baha'u'llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah’)

Feb 6, 2015

to be thoughtful of others

Let each one of God's loved ones centre his attention on this: to be the Lord's mercy to man; to be the Lord's grace. Let him do some good to every person whose path he crosseth, and be of some benefit to him. Let him improve the character of each and all, and reorient the minds of men. In this way, the light of divine guidance will shine forth, and the blessings of God will cradle all mankind: for love is light, no matter in what abode it dwelleth; and hate is darkness, no matter where it may make its nest. O friends of God! That the hidden Mystery may stand revealed, and the secret essence of all things may be disclosed, strive ye to banish that darkness for ever and ever. 
(‘Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha)

Feb 5, 2015

to be thoughtful of others

Let your principal concern be to rescue the fallen from the slough of impending extinction, and to help him embrace the ancient Faith of God. Your behavior towards your neighbor should be such as to manifest clearly the signs of the one true God, for ye are the first among men to be re-created by His Spirit, the first to adore and bow the knee before Him, the first to circle round His throne of glory. I swear by Him Who hath caused Me to reveal whatever hath pleased Him! Ye are better known to the inmates of the Kingdom on high than ye are known to your own selves. Think ye these words to be vain and empty? Would that ye had the power to perceive the things your Lord, the All-Merciful, doth see -- things that attest the excellence of your rank, that bear witness to the greatness of your worth, that proclaim the sublimity of your station! God grant that your desires and unmortified passions may not hinder you from that which hath been ordained for you. 
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah)

Feb 4, 2015

to be thoughtful of others

...If between the friends true love -- based on the love of God -- could become manifest, the Cause would spread very rapidly. Love is the standard which must govern the conduct of one believer towards another. The administrative order does not change this, but unfortunately sometimes the friends confuse the two, and try to be a whole spiritual assembly, -- with the discipline and justice and impartiality that body must show, - - to each other, instead of being forgiving, loving and patient to each other as individuals. 
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, March 18, 1950; compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)

Feb 3, 2015

to be thoughtful of others

It is highly important for man to raise a family. So long as he is young, because of youthful self-complacency, he does not realize its significance, but this will be a source of regret when he grows old ... In this glorious Cause the life of a married couple should resemble the life of the angels in heaven -- a life full of joy and spiritual delight, a life of unity and concord, a friendship both mental and physical. The home should be orderly and well- organized. Their ideas and thoughts should be like the rays of the sun of truth and the radiance of the brilliant stars in the heavens. Even as two birds they should warble melodies upon the branches of the tree of fellowship and harmony. They should always be elated with joy and gladness and be a source of happiness to the hearts of others. They should set an example to their fellow-men, manifest true and sincere love towards each other and educate their children in such a manner as to blazon the fame and glory of their family. 
(‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a talk; Compilation: ‘Family Life’, prepared by the Universal House of Justice; compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)

Feb 2, 2015

to be thoughtful of others

Blessed is the ruler who succoureth the captive, and the rich one who careth for the poor, and the just one who secureth from the wrong doer the rights of the downtrodden, and happy the trustee who observeth that which the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days hath prescribed unto him. 
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas’; The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, Crisis and Victory)

Feb 1, 2015

to be thoughtful of others

He realizes your desire to get married is quite a natural one, and he will pray that God will assist you to find a suitable companion with whom you can be truly happy and united in the service of the Faith. Bahá'u'lláh has urged marriage upon all people as the natural and rightful way of life. He has also, however, placed strong emphasis on its spiritual nature, which, while in no way precluding a normal physical life, is the most essential aspect of marriage. That two people should live their lives in love and harmony is of far greater importance than that they should be consumed with passion for each other. The one is a great rock of strength on which to learn in time of need; the other a purely temporary thing which may at any time die out. 
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, January 20, 1943; compilation: 'Lights of Guidance’)