Whoso openeth his lips in this day, and maketh mention of
the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon him
from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. On him shall also
descend the Concourse on high, each bearing aloft a chalice of pure light. Thus
hath it been foreordained in the realm of God’s Revelation, by the behest of
Him Who is the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful. 
Regarding the Bahá'í teachings on divorce. While the latter
has been made permissible by Bahá'u'lláh yet He has strongly discouraged its
practice, for if not checked and seriously controlled it leads gradually to the
disruption of family life and to the disintegration of society....
The obligatory prayers are binding inasmuch as they are
conducive to humility and submissiveness, to setting one's face towards God and
expressing devotion to Him. Through such prayer man holdeth communion with God,
seeketh to draw near unto Him, converseth with the true Beloved of one's heart,
and attaineth spiritual stations.
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.
Each one of us, if we look into our failures, is sure to
feel unworthy and despondent, and this feeling only frustrates our constructive
efforts and wastes time. The thing for us to focus on is the glory of the Cause
and the Power of Bahá'u'lláh which can make of a mere drop a surging sea!
‘Alí Khán [the warden of the fortress of Máh-Kú] himself,
under the influence of a strange vision, felt such mortification that he was
impelled to relax the severity of his discipline, as an atonement for his past
behavior. Such became his leniency that an increasing stream of eager and
devout pilgrims began to be admitted at the gates of the fortress. Among them
was the dauntless and indefatigable Mullá Ḥusayn, who had walked on foot the
entire way from Mashad in the east of Persia to Máh-Kú, the westernmost outpost
of the realm, and was able, after so arduous a journey, to celebrate the
festival of Naw-Rúz (1848) in the company of his Beloved.
Shoghi Effendi has for years urged the Bahá'ís (who asked
his advice, and in general also) to study history, economics, sociology, etc.,
in order to be au courant with all the progressive movements and thoughts being
put forth today, and so that they could correlate these to the Bahá'í
teachings. What he wants the Bahá'ís to do is to study more, not to study less.
The more general knowledge, scientific and otherwise, they possess, the better.
Likewise he is constantly urging them to really study the Bahá'í teachings more
deeply. One might liken Bahá'u'lláh's teachings to a sphere; there are points
poles apart, and in between the thoughts and doctrines that unite them.
God says in the glorious Qur’án: “The soil was black and
dried. Then we caused the rain to descend upon it and immediately it became
green, verdant, and every kind of plant sprouted up luxuriantly.”[Qur’an 22:5]
In other words, He says the earth is black, but when the spring showers descend
upon it that black soil is quickened, and variegated flowers are pushed forth.
This means the souls of humanity belonging to the world of nature are black
like unto the soil. But when the heavenly outpourings descend and the radiant
effulgences appear, the hearts are resuscitated, are liberated from the
darkness of nature and the flowers of divine mysteries grow and become
luxuriant. Consequently man must become the cause of the illumination of the
world of humanity and propagate the holy teachings revealed in the sacred books
through the divine inspiration.
In every dispensation, there hath been the commandment of
fellowship and love, but it was a commandment limited to the community of those
in mutual agreement, not to the dissident foe. In this wondrous age, however,
praised be God, the commandments of God are not delimited, not restricted to
any one group of people, rather have all the friends been commanded to show
forth fellowship and love, consideration and generosity and loving-kindness to
every community on earth.
The institution of marriage, as established by Bahá'u'lláh,
while giving due importance to the physical aspect of marital union, considers
it as subordinate to the moral and spiritual purposes and functions with which
it has been invested by an all-wise and loving Providence. Only when these
different values are given each their due importance, and only on the basis of
the subordination of the physical to the moral, and the carnal to the spiritual
can such excesses and laxity in marital relations as our decadent age is so
sadly witnessing be avoided, and family life be restored to its original
purity, and fulfil the true function for which it has been instituted by God.
Among the Bahá’í teachings are those concerning the
importance of science. “Great indeed is the claim of scientists … on the
peoples of the world,” Bahá’u’lláh observed. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote that the
“sciences of today are bridges to reality” and repeatedly emphasized that
“religion must be in conformity with science and reason.” Significantly, on an
occasion when a scientific question was asked of Shoghi Effendi, he responded
in a letter written on his behalf that “we are a religion and not qualified to
pass on scientific matters.” And in reply to scientific issues raised on a
number of occasions, he consistently advised Bahá’ís that such matters would
need to be investigated by scientists.
...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.
On the matter of climate change and other vital issues with
profound implications for the common good, Bahá’ís have to avoid being drawn
into the all too common tendencies evident in contemporary discourse to
delineate sharp dichotomies, become ensnared in contests for power, and engage
in intractable debate that obstructs the search for viable solutions to the
world’s problems. Humanity would be best and most effectively served by setting
aside partisan disputation, pursuing united action that is informed by the best
available scientific evidence and grounded in spiritual principles, and
thoughtfully revising action in the light of experience. The incessant focus on
generating and magnifying points of difference rather than building upon points
of agreement leads to exaggeration that fuels anger and confusion, thereby
diminishing the will and capacity to act on matters of vital concern.
O thou spiritual friend! Thou hast asked about the wisdom of
obligatory prayer. Know thou that such prayer is mandatory and binding. Man
under no pretext whatsoever is excused from observing the prayer unless he is
incapable of performing it or some great obstacle interveneth. The wisdom of
obligatory prayer is this: That it causeth a connection between the servant and
the True One, because at that time man with all his heart and soul turneth his
face towards the Almighty, seeking His association and desiring His love and
companionship. For a lover, there is no greater pleasure than to converse with
his beloved, and for a seeker, there is no greater bounty than intimacy with
the object of his desire. It is the greatest longing of every soul who is
attracted to the Kingdom of God to find time to turn with entire devotion to
his Beloved, so as to seek His bounty and blessing and immerse himself in the
ocean of communion, entreaty and supplication. Moreover, obligatory prayer and
fasting produce awareness and awakening in man, and are conducive to his
protection and preservation from tests.
Know thou that religion is as heaven; and fasting and
obligatory prayer are its sun and its moon. We entreat God, exalted and
glorified be He, to graciously aid everyone who acteth according to His will
and good-pleasure.
The fasting period, which lasts nineteen days… involves
complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It is
essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation,
during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in
his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in
his soul. Its significance and purpose are, fundamentally spiritual in
character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and
carnal desires.