We exhort the loved ones of God to observe justice and
fairness, and to do that which would prompt the friends of God to evince tender
mercy and compassion towards each other. 
.... We desire but the good of the world and happiness of
the nations…
O Children of Dust! Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of
the poor, lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive
them of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine;
well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues.
O Son of Man! Humble thyself before Me, that I may
graciously visit thee.
O Son of Man!... Arise for the triumph of My cause, that
while yet on earth thou mayest obtain the victory.
Let the days in excess of the months be placed before the
month of fasting. We have ordained that these, amid all nights and days, shall
be the manifestations of the letter Ha, and thus they have not been bounded by
the limits of the year and its months. It behoveth the people of Baha,
throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and,
beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and
glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name...
O ye two believers in God! The Lord, peerless is He, hath
made woman and man to abide with each other in the closest companionship, and
to be even as a single soul. They are two helpmates, two intimate friends, who
should be concerned about the welfare of each other.
Great attention should be paid to the strengthening of local
Spiritual Assemblies which must act as the nerve centres of the Bahá'í
communities in the towns and villages, promote Bahá'í education of the youth
and children, and increase cooperation and participation of the believers in
Bahá'í community life. Travelling teachers and all who are actively engaged in
spreading the Message should rededicate themselves to their vital work and set
out with renewed enthusiasm. They should aim at assisting as large a number as
possible of Bahá'í communities to stand on their own feet and become capable of
carrying out the thrilling tasks which they are called upon to discharge in the
Vineyard of God in this Day.
In the strict legal sense there are no "grounds"
for a Bahá'í divorce. No question of misbehavior of either party is involved
and the only condition under which a Bahá'í divorce may be considered is the
irreconcilable antipathy of the parties. Thus it is not sufficient that one or
both of the parties has asked that the date for the beginning of the year of
waiting be fixed; the Assembly must find the condition of irreconcilable
antipathy to exist before the date can be fixed.
Confirmations from the kingdom of God will assuredly be
received, enabling some radiant leaves to appear resplendent in the assemblage
of this world with clear proofs and convincing reasons, which will adorn the
cause of womanhood. They will prove that in this cycle women are equal to men,
nay, in certain respects they will excel. Ponder ye: in this wonderful Cause
numerous were the men who scaled the heights of knowledge; they had a brilliant
utterance, a convincing proof, an eloquent tongue and magnificent speech, but
the blessed leaf, Jinab-i-Tahirih, because she was a woman, emerged with
immense splendour and dumbfounded all the people. If she were a man, this would
not have been so at all. Therefore, ye should know that the greatness of the
Cause hath penetrated the nerves and veins of the world in such wise that if
one of the leaves is attracted and gains mastery in demonstrating reasons and
proofs and in uttering convincing evidences, she will shine resplendently.
Bahá'u'lláh has clearly stated the consent of all living
parents is required for a Bahá'í marriage. This applies whether the parents are
Bahá'ís or non-Bahá'ís divorced for years or not. This great law He has laid
down to strengthen the social fabric, to knit closer the ties of the home, to
place a certain gratitude and respect in the hearts of children for those who
have given them life and sent their souls out on the eternal journey toward
their Creator.
It is useful to consider Shoghi Effendi's descriptions of
the degree of rapport and unity of purpose that existed between Bahá'u'lláh and
His Son. For example, in "God Passes By"… he states that
Bahá'u'lláh's "purpose" had been "thoroughly infused into the
mind of 'Abdu'l-Bahá" and that "His Spirit" had
"profoundly" permeated "His being". And, in "The
Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh", Shoghi Effendi writes that 'Abdu'l-Bahá
"gets His light, His inspiration and sustenance direct from the Fountainhead
of the Bahá'í Revelation" and that "He reflects even as a clear and
perfect Mirror the rays of Bahá’u’lláh's glory".
…the question of the will is of extreme importance: everyone
should devote the most serious attention to drawing up a will, so that there
should be no one who doth not have a will. This is one of the binding laws of
this mighty Dispensation.
If a man considers himself humble and lowly in the Cause of
God, he becomes glorified in all eyes. On the other hand, the moment he aspires
to personal greatness, he falls into disgrace and oblivion.
‘Progress’ is the expression of spirit in the world of
matter. The intelligence of man, his reasoning powers, his knowledge, his
scientific achievements, all these being manifestations of the spirit, partake
of the inevitable law of spiritual progress and are, therefore, of necessity,
immortal.
We humans are never going to become perfect, for perfection
belongs to a realm we are not destined to enter. However, we must constantly
mount higher, seek to be more perfect."
The primary reason for anyone becoming a Bahá'í must of
course be because he has come to believe the doctrines, the teachings and the
Order of Bahá'u'lláh are the correct thing for this stage in the world's
evolution. The Bahá'ís themselves as a body have one great advantage; they are
sincerely convinced Bahá'u'lláh is right; they have a plan, and they are trying
to follow it. But to pretend they are perfect, that the Bahá'ís of the future
will not be a hundred times more mature, better balanced, more exemplary in
their conduct, would be foolish.
There is nothing more harmful to the individual - and also
to society than false humility which is hypocritical, and hence unworthy of a
true Bahá'í. The true believer is one who is conscious of his strength as well
as of his weakness, and who, fully availing himself of the manifold
opportunities and blessings which God gives him, strives to overcome his
defects and weaknesses and this by means of a scrupulous adherence to all the
laws and commandments revealed by God through His Manifestation.
A purity of life that reflected itself in even the minutest
details of her daily occupations and activities; a tenderness of heart that
obliterated every distinction of creed, class and colour; a resignation and
serenity that evoked to the mind the calm and heroic fortitude of the Bab; a
natural fondness of flowers and children that was so characteristic of
Bahá'u'lláh; an unaffected simplicity of manners; an extreme sociability which
made her accessible to all; a generosity, a love, at once disinterested and
undiscriminating, that reflected so clearly the attributes of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's
character; a sweetness of temper; a cheerfulness that no amount of sorrow could
becloud; a quiet and unassuming disposition that served to enhance a
thousandfold the prestige of her exalted rank; a forgiving nature that
instantly disarmed the most unyielding enemy -- these rank among the
outstanding attributes of a saintly life which history will acknowledge as
having been endowed with a celestial potency that few of the heroes of the past
possessed.
Divine nearness is dependent upon attainment to the
knowledge of God, upon severance from all else save God. It is contingent upon
self-sacrifice and to be found only through forfeiting wealth and worldly
possessions. It is made possible through the baptism of water and fire revealed
in the Gospels. Water symbolizes the water of life, which is knowledge, and
fire is the fire of the love of God; therefore, man must be baptized with the
water of life, the Holy Spirit and the fire of the love of the Kingdom. Until
he attains these three degrees, nearness to God is not possible.
…there have been many holy Manifestations of God. One
thousand years ago, two hundred thousand years ago, one million years ago, the
bounty of God was flowing, the radiance of God was shining, the dominion of God
was existing.
The body of the human world is sick. Its remedy and healing
will be the oneness of the kingdom of humanity. Its life is the Most Great
Peace. Its illumination and quickening is love. Its happiness is the attainment
of spiritual perfections.
The most important thing is to polish the mirrors of hearts
in order that they may become illumined and receptive of the divine light. One
heart may possess the capacity of the polished mirror; another, be covered and
obscured by the dust and dross of this world. Although the same Sun is shining
upon both, in the mirror which is polished, pure and sanctified you may behold
the Sun in all its fullness, glory and power, revealing its majesty and
effulgence; but in the mirror which is rusted and obscured there is no capacity
for reflection, although so far as the Sun itself is concerned it is shining
thereon and is neither lessened nor deprived. Therefore, our duty lies in
seeking to polish the mirrors of our hearts in order that we shall become
reflectors of that light and recipients of the divine bounties which may be
fully revealed through them.
…let your faces be more radiant with hope and heavenly
determination to serve the Cause of God, to spread the pure fragrances of the
divine rose garden of unity, to awaken spiritual susceptibilities in the hearts
of mankind, to kindle anew the spirit of humanity with divine fires and to
reflect the glory of heaven to this gloomy world of materialism. When you
possess these divine susceptibilities, you will be able to awaken and develop
them in others. We cannot give of our wealth to the poor unless we possess it.
How can the poor give to the poor? How can the soul that is deprived of the
heavenly bounties develop in other souls capacity to receive those bounties?
Material civilization is like unto the lamp, while spiritual
civilization is the light in that lamp. If the material and spiritual
civilization become united, then we will have the light and the lamp together,
and the outcome will be perfect. For material civilization is like unto a
beautiful body, and spiritual civilization is like unto the spirit of life. If
that wondrous spirit of life enters this beautiful body, the body will become a
channel for the distribution and development of the perfections of humanity.
The purport is this, that to train the character of
humankind is one of the weightiest commandments of God, and the influence of
such training is the same as that which the sun exerteth over tree and fruit.
Children must be most carefully watched over, protected and trained; in such
consisteth true parenthood and parental mercy.
The germ that holds within itself the potentialities of the
Revelation that is to come is endowed with a potency superior to the combined
forces of all those who follow me… Of all the tributes I have paid to Him Who
is to come after Me, the greatest is this, My written confession, that no words
of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor can any reference to Him in My Book,
the Bayán, do justice to His Cause.
For the purpose of the Holy Year [April 1992-1993] is not
fulfilled by public memorials alone, befitting as they will be. Essential to
its purpose is the opportunity it offers for inner reflection on the part of
every Bahá'í individual. Indeed, this is a special time for a rendezvous of the
soul with the Source of its light and guidance, a time to turn to Bahá'u'lláh,
to seek to obtain a deeper appreciation of His purpose, to renew allegiance to
Him. This is a time of retreat to one's innermost being, to the dwelling-place
of the Spirit of Baha, that interior to which He summons us when He says:
"Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within
thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting." This is a time for
recommitment to the Covenant, for rededication to duty, for revitalizing the
energy for teaching, the "most meritorious of all deeds.