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. 
Never is it the wish of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to see any being hurt,
nor will He make anyone to grieve; for man can receive no greater gift than
this, that he rejoice another's heart. I beg of God that ye will be bringers of
joy, even as are the angels in Heaven.
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.
And now, concerning His words: “And He shall send His
angels....” By “angels” is meant those who, reinforced by the power of the
spirit, have consumed, with the fire of the love of God, all human traits and
limitations, and have clothed themselves with the attributes of the most
exalted Beings… And… inasmuch as these holy beings have sanctified themselves
from every human limitation, have become endowed with the attributes of the
spiritual, and have been adorned with the noble traits of the blessed, they
therefore have been designated as “angels.”
The last, but in rank the first, of these Letters [of the
Living] to be inscribed on the Preserved Tablet was the erudite, the twenty-two
year old Quddús, a direct descendant of the Imám Hasan and the most esteemed
disciple of Siyyid Kázim.
As you are no doubt well aware, in discussing the principle
of non-involvement in politics, Shoghi Effendi wrote that Bahá’ís are to
“refrain from associating themselves, whether by word or by deed, with the
political pursuits of their respective nations, with the policies of their
governments and the schemes and programs of parties and factions.” In political
controversies, they “should assign no blame, take no side, further no design,
and identify themselves with no system prejudicial to the best interests” of
their “world-wide Fellowship”. They are called to “avoid the entanglements and
bickerings inseparable from the pursuits of the politician”. And they are to
“rise above all particularism and partisanship, above the vain disputes, the
petty calculations, the transient passions that agitate the face, and engage
the attention, of a changing world.”
With this historic Declaration the dawn of an Age that
signalizes the consummation of all ages had broken. The first impulse of a
momentous Revelation had been communicated to the one “but for whom,” according
to the testimony of the Kitáb-i-Íqán, “God would not have been established upon
the seat of His mercy, nor ascended the throne of eternal glory.” Not until
forty days had elapsed, however, did the enrollment of the seventeen remaining
Letters of the Living commence. Gradually, spontaneously, some in sleep, others
while awake, some through fasting and prayer, others through dreams and
visions, they discovered the Object of their quest, and were enlisted under the
banner of the new-born Faith.
…the only one of her sex, who, unlike her fellow-disciples,
never attained the presence of the Báb, was invested with the rank of
apostleship in the new Dispensation. A poetess, less than thirty years of age,
of distinguished birth, of bewitching charm, of captivating eloquence,
indomitable in spirit, unorthodox in her views, audacious in her acts,
immortalized as Táhirih (the Pure One) by the “Tongue of Glory,” and surnamed
Qurratu’l-‘Ayn (Solace of the Eyes) by Siyyid Kázim, her teacher, she had, in
consequence of the appearance of the Báb to her in a dream, received the first
intimation of a Cause which was destined to exalt her to the fairest heights of
fame, and on which she, through her bold heroism, was to shed such imperishable
luster.
It befitteth the friends to hold a gathering, a meeting,
where they shall glorify God and fix their hearts upon Him, and read and recite
the Holy Writings of the Blessed Beauty — may my soul be the ransom of His
lovers! The lights of the All-Glorious Realm, the rays of the Supreme Horizon,
will be cast upon such bright assemblages, for these are none other than the
Mashriqu'l-Adhkárs, the Dawning-Points of God's Remembrance, which must, at the
direction of the most Exalted Pen, be established in every hamlet and city.
These spiritual gatherings must be held with the utmost purity and
consecration, so that from the site itself, and its earth and the air about it,
one will inhale the fragrant breathings of the Holy Spirit.
For, just as in the realm of the spirit, the reality of the
Bab has been hailed by the Author of the Bahá'í Revelation as "The Point
round Whom the realities of the Prophets and Messengers revolve," so, on
this visible plane, His sacred remains constitute the heart and center of what
may be regarded as nine concentric circles, paralleling thereby, and adding
further emphasis to the central position accorded by the Founder of our Faith
to One "from Whom God hath caused to proceed the knowledge of all that was
and shall be," "the Primal Point from which have been generated all
created things."
The Edifice of this New World Order, which the Báb has
heralded, which the mind of Bahá’u’lláh has envisioned, and whose features
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, its Architect, has delineated, we, whatever our capacities,
opportunities or position, are now, at so precarious a period in the world’s
history, summoned to found and erect. The community of the Most Great Name in
the Western Hemisphere is, through the nature of its corporate life and the
scope of its exertions, assuming, beyond the shadow of a doubt, a
preponderating share in the laying of such a foundation and the erection of
such a structure. The eyes of its sister communities are fixed upon it. Their
prayers ascend on its behalf. Their hands are outstretched to lend whatever aid
lies within their power.
…I exhort each of you, realizing its power and beauty, to
sacrifice all your thoughts, words and actions to bring the knowledge of the
Love of God into every heart.
The thing the ... believers must do is to deepen themselves
in the Covenants of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Mere intellectual
understanding of the Teachings is not enough. Deep spirituality is essential,
and the foundation of true spirituality is steadfastness in the Covenant.
May I, in closing, also express his satisfaction at the
improvement in Mr....'s business conditions. He will continue to pray that the
high standard of integrity he has so well maintained in his business
transactions may not only serve to draw upon him the confirmations and
blessings of God, but in addition prove an effective means for the attraction
of many souls to the Faith.
We can understand the desire of some of the friends to
provide a warm welcome at the Feasts to newly declared believers and
particularly youth, and we see no objection to the Assembly giving a reception
before the actual Feast to achieve this purpose. As the Feast is frequently
held in the evening, the Assembly might consider it desirable to arrange for
the believers to have a light evening meal together before the Feast is held or
it could, for example, arrange for social activities of an appropriate kind
while the friends are gathering prior to the actual commencement of the
Nineteen Day Feast. This should not, however, take the place of the social part
of the Feast itself.
While it is quite true that individual artists such as Mark
Tobey and others have undoubtedly been inspired and influenced by their love
for the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, it is far too early in the Bahá'í
Dispensation to talk about the influence of the Faith on the arts in general.
Indeed the beloved Guardian himself has pointed out that there is, as yet, no
such thing as Bahá'í art although there is no doubt from statements in the
writings that a wonderful efflorescence of new and beautiful arts may be
anticipated in the future.
The light of man depends on the light of the love of God.
O maid-servant of God! Everything of importance in this
world demands the close attention of its seeker. The one in pursuit of anything
must undergo difficulties and hardships until the object in view is attained
and the great success is obtained. This is the case of things pertaining to the
world. How much higher is that which concerns the Supreme Concourse! That Cause
involves every favor, glory and eternal bliss in the world of God. The seeker
after the great guidance and eternal happiness necessarily will encounter
difficulties. He must be patient under such circumstances. The chosen believers
of the past quaffed the chalice of suffering and sank deep in the ocean of
trials until they attained to that blessed station and sublime beatitude.
The light is divided into two kinds, material and spiritual.
The material light is a vanishing matter and is known by etheric vibrations.
But the spiritual light is the divine, eternal and never-ending quality and is
a truth of the Kingdom. Blessed is thy face for that it hath taken a portion
and a radiance from that Light.
O ye beloved of Baha'! Do not look at your weakness, nay,
rely upon the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. Verily, It maketh the weak
strong, the lowly mighty, the child grown, the infant mature and the small
great.
Thou hast forwarded thy photograph and it was considered. In
thy face a brilliant light is apparent and that sparkling light is the love of
God. All faces are dark except the face which is a mirror of the light of the
love of divinity. This light is not accidental -- it is eternal. It is not
temporal but real. When the heart hath become clear and pure then the face will
become illuminated, because the face is the mirror of the heart.
He is particularly pleased to realize that the book of
Gleanings is of such a tremendous inspiration to the Bahá'í youth, and that
they all are making a careful study of its contents with the view of preparing
themselves for proper teaching work. His hope is that this volume will enable
them to gain a fuller consciousness of their functions and responsibilities,
and to arise and set the example before the rest of the believers, not only in
the field of teaching, but in all the other fields of Bahá'í activity as well.
He is ardently supplicating Bahá'u'lláh on your behalf, and on behalf of the
whole body of young Bahá'ís throughout the States, and specially the National
Youth Committee, that you may be given the inspiration, knowledge and guidance
to press forward to efficient and loyal service.
....the obligatory prayers are by their very nature of
greater effectiveness and are endowed with a greater power than the
non-obligatory ones, and as such are essential.
O maid-servant of God! The human spirit hath an impression
and effect in the world, but the divine Spirit giveth life to the souls and
conferreth eternal life upon those who are attracted to the fragrances of God.
This is the Great Cause from the Kingdom of thy Lord.
Deliver your souls, O people, from the bondage of self, and
purify them from all attachment to anything besides Me. Remembrance of Me cleanseth
all things from defilement, could ye but perceive it.