Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Lorraine Hetu Manifold, Divine Melody: Song of the Mystic Dove, bahai-library.com.
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The

Divine
Melody
Song of the Mystic Dove

Compilation from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
the Báb, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and
the Universal House of Justice.

Compiled by Lorraine Hétu Manifold
The Divine Melody: Song of the Mystic Dove

Source © Bahá’í International Community

Compiled by Lorraine Hétu Manifold

Cover design by Oscar Gomez

Publication © National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia Inc.
Published November 2022
All Rights Reserved

ISBN 978-1-925320-25-1
B.E. 180 edition

Distributed by
Bahá’í Distribution Services of Australia
173 Mona Vale Rd, Ingleside NSW, 2101

bds@bahai.org.au
www.bahaibooks.com.au
CONTENTS

Introduction i

The Divine Melody 1

Melodies of Love & Praise 67

Melodies in the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár 117

Effort to Diffuse Divine Melodies 123
Introduction
Music can claim an exalted station in the Bahá’í Faith.
Bahá’u’lláh says in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (the Most Holy Book),
“We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a
means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on
high…” 1 Like prayer, music is a powerful means to lift our
spirits towards God. Instrumental music can touch us deeply
and elevate our souls but when we set the Word of God to
music and sing sacred songs, the combination is even more
powerful. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá elaborates:

Music is like this glass which is perfectly pure and polished.
It is precisely like this clear chalice before us. And the
Teachings and Utterances of God are like the water. When
the chalice is in the utmost state of purity, absolutely clear
and polished, and the water is perfectly fresh, then it will
confer life. Wherefore, the Teachings of God, whether
they be Utterances in the form of homilies, or prayers
and communes, when they are melodiously chanted will
proved [sic] most impressive. 2

Singing the Word of God can transform us, as Bahá’u’lláh
affirms when He states that divinely-revealed words are
“endowed with such potency as can instill new life into every
human frame…” 3 Sacred songs based on the divine teachings
can touch our souls and bring us closer to God. Anyone who
has sung a prayer or the Word of God either alone or in a
group will have felt the power that music has on their hearts

1 Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas
2 The Diary of Juliet Thompson, pp. 81-82
3 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

i
and souls. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá refers to the Word of God as a melody
that will change the world:

… know ye this: save for this song of God, no song will stir
the world, and save for this nightingale-cry of truth from
the Garden of God, no melody will lure away the heart.
‘Whence cometh this Singer Who speaketh the Beloved’s
name?’ 4

In this passage ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is perhaps also encouraging us
to sing the Word of God as we work to transform the world.
How uplifting that would be: singing to bring unity and peace
to our neighbourhoods and communities all over the globe!

While there are already compilations on both Music 5 and the
Arts, 6 numerous passages in the Writings refer to the Word of
God as a melody. A search through the Bahá’í Writings reveals
a multitude of passages where the Word of God is described
as music being warbled by such creatures as the Mystic Dove,
the Dove of Truth or of Utterance, the Nightingale of Paradise
or of Holiness, the Bird of Heaven, of Eternity, or of Holiness,
the Spirit of God, or sung by His wondrous, His sublime, His
all-compelling, His clear, and most eloquent Voice.

In these passages, the Word of God itself is referred to in such
terms as the sweet Melodies of the spirit, the celestial Melody,
the Melody of the Supreme Concourse, the soul-elevating
harmony of heaven, the Melodies of thankful birds.

4 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
5 Compilation on Music:
bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/compilations/music/
6 Compilation on Arts:
bahai-library.com/pdf/compilations/arts.pdf
Compilation on The Importance of the Arts in Promoting the Faith:
bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/compilations/importance-art/

ii
It is interesting to consider how the concept of the Word of
God as a divine melody could shape our Bahá’í communities
going forward. Indeed, the future might be increasingly
musically oriented as more Bahá’í-inspired music is created.
Communities where group singing is not yet prevalent might
discover a love of singing together. Shoghi Effendi reminds
us that music is “an important feature of all Baha’i gatherings”
and that the “Master Himself has emphasized its importance.” 7
However, in order for people to feel comfortable singing as
adults, musical education might need to start when we are
young. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá not only recommended that children
study music, but said that music instruction is compulsory:

It is incumbent upon each child to know something of
music … Likewise, it is necessary that the schools teach it
in order that the souls and hearts of the pupils may become
vivified and exhilarated and their lives be brightened with
enjoyment. 8

As a growing number of Bahá’í children learn music and go
on to enter adulthood, our gatherings may naturally become
more musical, with both children and adults playing instruments either alone or together. Likewise, singing may become
a bigger part of our activities as musical abilities develop and
we witness the power that music has to transform our inner
and outer lives.

Further impetus to the global development of Bahá’í-inspired
vocal music is given by the teaching that only live vocal music
can be sung in the Houses of Worship:

7 Letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer,
17 March 1935, in The Compilation of Compilations, p. 80
8 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace

iii
Music in the House of Worship is to be vocal only, whether
by singers or a singer …[and] all references to vocal music
in the central Edifice imply the physical presence of the
singers. 9

As more local Houses of Worship are built, an exponential
number of Bahá’í choirs will likely form, aligning with Shoghi
Effendi’s encouragement for choirs to sing in the Houses of
Worship. 10 Singing in a House of Worship is an unforgettable
experience that unites singers around one common goal,
causes hearts to beat as one and lifts the spirits of both singers
and audience up the rungs of a spiritual ladder towards the
heavens.

The following compilation is by no means exhaustive, and as
more Tablets are translated into English, other passages will
undoubtedly emerge on this topic. The selection presented
here includes Writings from the Bahá’í Faith that relate to
the concept of the Divine Melody as well as passages that
encourage us to sing this Divine Melody. Passages that refer
more generally to music or the arts can be found in the compilations on Music and on the Arts published by the Research
Department of the Universal House of Justice (see footnotes 5
and 6) and are not included here.

The first chapter focusses on Baha’i Writings in which the
Word of God is referred to as a Divine Melody. This is followed
by a selection of prayers to help us recognise or hearken to the
Word of God. In the second chapter, the passages focus on
how we can sing or impart the divine melodies. The third
chapter presents a short series of quotes on the topic of singing
the Divine Melodies in the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. Finally, a brief
9 From a letter written by the Universal House of Justice to the National
Spiritual Assembly of the United States, 13 March 1964
10 “Shoghi Effendi would urge that choir singing by men, women and
children be encouraged in the Auditorium [of the Temple].” From a
letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual
Assembly of the United States and Canada, 2 April 1931

iv
chapter is included on the concept of ‘focus’ as a virtue which
is required in order both to spread the divine melodies and
to sing them.

Understanding the Word of God as a Divine Melody can
perhaps shed further light on the invitation of the International
Teaching Centre to Bahá’í communities all over the world, to
increase our use of the arts in all our endeavours:

As with all other aspects of the expansion and consolidation work, the requirements of the time call on us to be
more systematic in the use of the arts. They should not be
considered simply an embellishment to our programs or
an afterthought in our planning. Rather they must become
an integral part of our teaching plans and community life.
The arts have a vital role to play in the process of entry by
troops. 11

It is my hope that this compilation will encourage each one
of us to hearken to the Divine Melodies and inspire us to sing
God’s praise and utilise the arts as we strive to, as Bahá’u’lláh
proclaims, “promote the well-being and harmony of all the
kindreds of the earth.” 12

Lorraine Hétu Manifold

11 From a letter written by the International Teaching Centre to the
Continental Board of Counsellors, 5 November, 2001
12 Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas:
“The source of crafts, sciences and arts is the power of reflection. Make
ye every effort that out of this ideal mine there may gleam forth such
pearls of wisdom and utterance as will promote the well-being and
harmony of all the kindreds of the earth.”

v
Note: Many of the quotes from the Bahá’í Writings were written
in Persian or Arabic, where there is no masculine or feminine.
While the English translation often uses the masculine pronouns,
it is to be understood in the generic sense: ‘man’, ‘he’, ‘his’ are
applicable to both women and men.

vi
THE DIVINE MELODY

From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Blessed the man who, assured of My Word, hath arisen from
among the dead to celebrate My praise. Blessed is he that hath
been enraptured by My wondrous melodies and hath rent the
veils asunder through the potency of My might. Blessed is
he who hath remained faithful to My Covenant, and whom
the things of the world have not kept back from attaining
My Court of holiness. Blessed is the man who hath detached
himself from all else but Me, hath soared in the atmosphere
of My love, hath gained admittance into My Kingdom,
gazed upon My realms of glory, quaffed the living waters
of My bounty, hath drunk his fill from the heavenly river of
My loving providence, acquainted himself with My Cause,
apprehended that which I concealed within the treasury of
My Words, and hath shone forth from the horizon of divine
knowledge engaged in My praise and glorification. Verily, he
is of Me. Upon him rest My mercy, My loving-kindness, My
bounty and My glory.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

Thus hath the Nightingale sung with sweet melody upon the
celestial bough, in praise of its Lord, the All-Merciful. Well is
it with them that hearken.
Kitáb-i-Aqdas
By the righteousness of God! But for the anthem of praise
voiced by Him Who heralded the divine Revelation, this
Wronged One would never have breathed a word which might
have struck terror into the hearts of the ignorant and caused
them to perish.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

O MY Name! Yield thou praise unto God for having graciously
chosen thee to be a shower of bounty for that which We have
sown in the pure and blessed soil and enabled thee to serve as
a springtime of tender mercy for the wondrous and sublime
trees We have planted. Indeed so great is this favour that of all
created things in the world of existence, none can ever hope to
rival it. We have moreover given thee to drink the choice wine
of utterance from the chalice of the heavenly bestowals of thy
merciful Lord, which is none other than this Tongue of holiness—a Tongue that, as soon as it was unloosed, quickened
the entire creation, set in motion all beings and caused the
Nightingale to pour forth its melodies. This is the Fountain of
living water for all that dwell in the realm of being.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

O My Name! Suffer all created things to quaff once again from
this chalice which hath caused the seas to rise. Kindle then
in the hearts the blazing fire which this crimson Tree hath
ignited, that they may arise to extol and magnify His Name
amidst the adherents of all Faiths.
Numerous letters from thee have been presented before
Our Throne. We have perused them as a token of grace on
Our part, and for each name thou didst mention therein We
have revealed that which will stir the minds of men and will
cause the spirits to soar. Moreover We have repeatedly enabled
thee to hearken unto the warblings of the birds of heaven and

The Divine Melody

to incline thine ear to the songs of the nightingales pouring
forth their melodies upon the branches. Thus was the Pen of
God set in motion in thy remembrance that thou mightest
admonish men through the power of this utterance which is
divinely ordained to be the revealer of the signs of His glory.
Blessed is the spot wherein the anthem of His praise is raised,
and blessed the ear that hearkeneth unto that which hath been
sent down from the heaven of the loving-kindness of thy Lord,
the All-Merciful.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

THIS is a Tablet sent down by the Lord of mercy that the
people of the world may be enabled to draw nigh unto this
Ocean which hath surged through the potency of His august
Name. Amongst men there are those who have turned away
from Him and gainsaid His testimony, while others have
quaffed the wine of assurance in the glory of His Name which
pervadeth all created things. A grievous loss hath indeed
been suffered by those that have inclined their ears to the
croaking of the raven, and refused to hearken unto the sweet
warblings of the Bird of Heaven singing upon the twigs of the
Tree of eternity: Verily there is none other God but Me, the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

Say, by the righteousness of God! The All-Merciful is come
invested with power and sovereignty. Through His power the
foundations of religions have quaked and the Nightingale of
Utterance hath warbled its melody upon the highest branch
of true understanding. Verily, He Who was hidden in the
knowledge of God and is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures
hath appeared.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

O King! Wert thou to incline thine ears unto the shrill voice
of the Pen of Glory and the cooing of the Dove of Eternity,
which on the branches of the Lote-Tree beyond which there
is no passing, uttereth praises to God, the Maker of all Names
and the Creator of earth and heaven, thou wouldst attain
unto a station from which thou wouldst behold in the world
of being naught save the effulgence of the Adored One, and
wouldst regard thy sovereignty as the most contemptible of
thy possessions, abandoning it to whosoever might desire it,
and setting thy face toward the Horizon aglow with the light
of His countenance.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

To continue: I have hearkened to the song of the nightingale
of knowledge upon the twigs of the tree of thine inmost
being, and to the cooing of the dove of certitude upon the
branches of the bower of thine heart. Methinks I inhaled the
fragrance of purity from the raiment of thy love … Of this did
the nightingale of oneness sing in the garden of his mystical
treatise, 1 saying, “And there shall appear upon the tablet of
thine heart an inscription of the subtle mysteries of the verse
‘Fear ye God; God will teach you’, and the bird of thy spirit
shall recall the sanctuaries of ancient splendour, and soar
upon the wings of longing into the heaven of the command
‘Walk the beaten paths of thy Lord’, and partake of the choice
fruits of communion in the gardens of the utterance ‘Feed,
moreover, on every kind of fruit.’ ” 2
The Call of the Divine Beloved

1 Literally, “in the garden of Ghawthíyyih”. The Risáliy-i-Ghawthíyyih
is a mystical treatise by ‘Abdu’l-Qádir-i-Gílání (ca. 1077–1166). The
sentence that follows is a quotation from this work.
2 Qur’án 2:282, 16:69

The Divine Melody

He steppeth into the inner sanctuary of the Friend and, as an
intimate, shareth the pavilion of the Well-Beloved. He stretcheth forth the hand of truth from the sleeve of the Absolute and
revealeth the mysteries of divine power. He seeth in himself
neither name nor fame nor rank, but findeth his own praise
in the praise of God, and in the name of God beholdeth his
own. To him “all songs are from that sovereign King” and
every melody from Him. He sitteth on the throne of “Say, all
things are of God”. 3
The Call of the Divine Beloved

And if a nightingale soar beyond the clay of self and dwell in
the rose bower of the heart, and in Arabian melodies and sweet
Persian tones recount the mysteries of God—a single word
whereof quickeneth anew every lifeless form and bestoweth
the spirit of holiness upon every mouldering bone—thou
wilt behold a thousand claws of envy and a myriad talons of
hatred hunting after Him and striving with all their power to
encompass His death.
The Call of the Divine Beloved

Thus it hath been made clear that these stages depend on
the attainment of the wayfarer. In every city he will behold
a world, in every valley reach a spring, in every meadow
hear a song. But the falcon of the mystic heaven hath many a
wondrous carol of the spirit in its breast, and the Persian bird
keepeth in its soul many a sweet Arabian melody; yet these
are hidden, and hidden shall remain.
The Call of the Divine Beloved

3 Qur’án 4:78

The tongue faileth in describing these three valleys, and
speech falleth short. The pen steppeth not into this arena, the
ink leaveth only a blot. In these stations, the nightingale of the
heart hath other songs and secrets, which make the heart to
leap and the soul to cry out, but this mystery of inner meaning
may be whispered only from heart to heart, and confided only
from breast to breast.
The Call of the Divine Beloved

Wert thou to hearken unto the melodies of this mortal Bird,
then wouldst thou seek out the eternal and undying chalice
and renounce every fleeting and perishable cup. Peace be
upon him who followeth the way of guidance!
The Call of the Divine Beloved

O My friend! Listen with heart and soul to the songs of the
spirit, and treasure them as thine own eyes; for heavenly
wisdoms, even as vernal showers, will not rain forever upon
the earth of men’s hearts, and though the grace of the All-
Bounteous One is never ceasing and never stilled, yet to every
time and era a portion is allotted and a bounty assigned, which
is vouchsafed in a given measure.
The Call of the Divine Beloved

O Pen of the Most High! Bestir Thyself in remembrance of
other kings in this blessed and luminous Book, that perchance
they may rise from the couch of heedlessness and give ear
unto that which the Nightingale singeth upon the branches
of the Divine Lote-Tree, and hasten towards God in this most
wondrous and sublime Revelation.
Summons of the Lord of Hosts

The Divine Melody

O Ancient Beauty! Turn aside from the unbelievers and that
which they possess, and waft over all created things the sweet
savours of the remembrance of Thy Beloved, the Exalted, the
Great. This remembrance quickeneth the world of being and
reneweth the temples of all created things. Say: He, verily,
hath established Himself upon the Throne of might and
glory. Whosoever desireth to gaze upon His countenance, lo,
behold Him standing before thee! Blessed be the Lord Who
hath revealed Himself in this shining and luminous Beauty.
Whosoever desireth to hearken unto His melodies, lo, hear
them rising from His resplendent and wondrous lips! And
unto whosoever desireth to be illumined by the splendours
of His light, say: Seek the court of His presence, for God hath
verily granted you leave to approach it, as a token of His grace
unto all mankind.
Summons of the Lord of Hosts

I swear by God, O King! Wert thou to incline thine ear to
the melodies of that Nightingale which warbleth in manifold
accents upon the mystic bough as bidden by thy Lord, the
All-Merciful, thou wouldst cast away thy sovereignty and set
thy face towards this Scene of transcendent glory, above whose
horizon shineth the Book of the Dawntide, 4 and wouldst
expend all that thou possessest in thine eagerness to obtain the
things of God. Then wouldst thou find thyself raised up to the
summit of exaltation and glory, and elevated to the pinnacle
of majesty and independence.
Summons of the Lord of Hosts

4 Cf. Qur’án 17:78

Say: God is My witness, O concourse of the negligent! We
came not unto you to spread disorder in your lands or to sow
dissension amongst your peoples. Nay rather, We came in obedience to the command of the sovereign, and in order to exalt
your authority, to instruct you in the ways of Our wisdom,
and to remind you of that which ye had forgotten—even as
He saith in truth: “Warn them, for, in truth, Thy warning will
profit the believers.” 5 But ye hearkened not unto the sweet
melodies of the Spirit, and gave ear unwittingly unto Our
enemies, they who follow the promptings of their corrupt
inclinations, whose deeds the Evil One hath made fair-seeming in their own eyes, and whose tongues utter calumnies
against Us. Heard ye not that which hath been revealed in
His all-glorious and unerring Book: “If a wicked man come to
you with news, clear it up at once”? 6 Wherefore have ye then
cast the command of God behind your backs, and followed in
the footsteps of them that are bent on mischief ?
Summons of the Lord of Hosts

Say: O people! Is it your wish to conceal the beauty of the
Sun behind the veils of your own selfish desires, or to prevent
the Spirit from raising its melodies within this sanctified and
luminous breast? Fear ye God, and contend not with Him
Who representeth the Godhead.
Summons of the Lord of Hosts

Give ear unto that which the Dove of Eternity warbleth upon
the twigs of the Divine Lote-Tree: O peoples of the earth!
Summons of the Lord of Hosts

5 Qur’án 51:55
6 Qur’án 49:6
The Divine Melody

Say: O people, do ye imagine that, after rejecting the One
through Whom the religions of the world have been made
manifest, ye still bear allegiance to the Faith of God? By the
righteousness of God! Ye are accounted among the inmates of
the Fire. Thus hath the decree been recorded in the Tablets by
the Pen of God. Say: Never will the barking of dogs deter the
Nightingale from warbling its melodies. Ponder awhile that
perchance ye may discover a path leading to the Eternal Truth.
Summons of the Lord of Hosts

Great God! When the stream of utterance reached this stage,
We beheld, and lo! the sweet savours of God were being wafted
from the dayspring of Revelation, and the morning breeze was
blowing out of the Sheba of the Eternal. Its tidings rejoiced
anew the heart, and imparted immeasurable gladness to the
soul. It made all things new, and brought unnumbered and
inestimable gifts from the unknowable Friend. The robe of
human praise can never hope to match Its noble stature, and
Its shining figure the mantle of utterance can never fit. Without
word It unfoldeth the inner mysteries, and without speech It
revealeth the secrets of the divine sayings. It teacheth lamentation and moaning to the nightingales warbling upon the bough
of remoteness and bereavement, instructeth them in the art of
love’s ways, and showeth them the secret of heart-surrender.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

O ye learned of the world! Ye failed to seek Our presence,
that ye might hearken unto the sweet melodies of the Spirit
and perceive that which God in His bounty hath pleased to
bestow upon Me. Verily, this grace hath now escaped you, did
ye but know. Had ye sought Our presence, We would have
imparted unto you a knowledge that would have rendered you
independent of all else.
Summons of the Lord of Hosts
Thus doth the Pen of the Most High warble unto thee its
melodies by the leave of thy Lord, the All-Glorious. When
thou hast heard and recited them, say: “Praise be unto Thee, O
Lord of all the worlds, inasmuch as Thou hast made mention
of me through the tongue of Him Who is the Manifestation
of Thy Self at a time when He was confined in the Most Great
Prison, that the whole world might attain unto true liberty.”
Summons of the Lord of Hosts

The answer to all that the distinguished Ṣáḥib hath asked is
clear and evident. The intent of that which was sent down in
his honour from the heaven of divine providence was that
he might give ear to the wondrous melodies of the Dove of
Eternity and the gentle murmuring of the inhabitants of the
most exalted Paradise, and that he might perceive the sweetness of the call and set foot upon the path.
The Tabernacle of Unity

O servant of God! We have bestowed a dewdrop from the
ocean of divine grace; would that men might drink therefrom!
We have brought a trace of the sweet melodies of the Beloved;
would that men might hearken with their inner ear! Soar
upon the wings of joy in the atmosphere of the love of God.
The Tabernacle of Unity

Content with a transitory dominion, they have deprived
themselves of an everlasting sovereignty. Thus, their eyes
beheld not the light of the countenance of the Well-Beloved,
nor did their ears hearken unto the sweet melodies of the Bird
of Desire.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

The Divine Melody

It is obvious and manifest that the true meaning of the
utterances of the Birds of Eternity is revealed to none except
those that manifest the Eternal Being, and the melodies of
the Nightingale of Holiness can reach no ear save that of the
denizens of the everlasting realm.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

It is evident unto thee that the Birds of Heaven and Doves
of Eternity speak a twofold language. One language, the
outward language, is devoid of allusions, is unconcealed and
unveiled; that it may be a guiding lamp and a beaconing light
whereby wayfarers may attain the heights of holiness, and
seekers may advance into the realm of eternal reunion. Such
are the unveiled traditions and the evident verses already
mentioned. The other language is veiled and concealed, so
that whatever lieth hidden in the heart of the malevolent may
be made manifest and their innermost being be disclosed.
Thus hath Sadiq, son of Muhammad, spoken: “God verily
will test them and sift them.” This is the divine standard, this
is the Touchstone of God, wherewith He proveth His servants.
None apprehendeth the meaning of these utterances except
them whose hearts are assured, whose souls have found favour
with God, and whose minds are detached from all else but
Him. In such utterances, the literal meaning, as generally
understood by the people, is not what hath been intended.
Thus it is recorded: “Every knowledge hath seventy meanings,
of which one only is known amongst the people. And when
the Qá’im shall arise, He shall reveal unto men all that which
remaineth.” He also saith: “We speak one word, and by it we
intend one and seventy meanings; each one of these meanings
we can explain.”
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

By God! This Bird of Heaven, now dwelling upon the dust,
can, besides these melodies, utter a myriad songs, and is able,
apart from these utterances, to unfold innumerable mysteries.
Every single note of its unpronounced utterances is immeasurably exalted above all that hath already been revealed, and
immensely glorified beyond that which hath streamed from
this Pen. Let the future disclose the hour when the Brides of
inner meaning will, as decreed by the Will of God, hasten
forth, unveiled, out of their mystic mansions, and manifest
themselves in the ancient realm of being. Nothing whatsoever
is possible without His permission; no power can endure save
through His power, and there is none other God but He. His is
the world of creation, and His the Cause of God. All proclaim
His Revelation, and all unfold the mysteries of His Spirit.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

Inasmuch as it hath been clearly shown that only those who
are initiated into the divine mysteries can comprehend the
melodies uttered by the Bird of Heaven, it is therefore incumbent upon every one to seek enlightenment from the illumined
in heart and from the Treasuries of divine mysteries regarding
the intricacies of God’s Faith and the abstruse allusions in the
utterances of the Day-springs of Holiness. Thus will these
mysteries be unravelled, not by the aid of acquired learning,
but solely through the assistance of God and the outpourings
of His grace. “Ask ye, therefore, of them that have the custody
of the Scriptures, if ye know it not.” 7
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

7 Qur’án 16:43
The Divine Melody

At this hour, when the sweet savours of attraction have
wafted over Me from the everlasting city, when transports of
yearning have seized Me from the land of splendours at the
dawning of the Daystar of the worlds above the horizon of
‘Iráq, and the sweet melodies of Ḥijáz have brought to Mine
ears the mysteries of separation, I have purposed to relate
unto thine eminence a portion of that which the Mystic Dove
hath warbled in the midmost heart of Paradise as to the true
meaning of life and death, though the task be impossible.
For were I to interpret these words for thee as it hath been
inscribed in the Guarded Tablets, all the books and pages of
the world could not contain it, nor could the souls of men bear
its weight. I shall nonetheless mention that which beseemeth
this day and age, that it might serve as a guidance unto whosoever desireth to gain admittance into the retreats of glory in
the realms above, to hearken unto the melodies of the spirit
intoned by this divine and mystic bird, and to be numbered
with those who have severed themselves from all save God
and who in this day rejoice in the presence of their Lord.
Gems of Divine Mysteries

Hearken then unto that which the Bird of Heaven uttered,
in the sweetest and most wondrous accents, and in the most
perfect and exalted melodies, concerning them—an utterance
that shall fill them with remorse from now unto “the day when
mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds”: “Although
they had before prayed for victory over those who believed
not, yet when there came unto them He of Whom they had
knowledge, they disbelieved in Him. The curse of God on the
infidels!” 8 Such indeed are their condition and attainments in
their vain and empty life. Erelong shall they be cast into the
fire of affliction and find none to help or succour them.
Gems of Divine Mysteries

8 Qur’án 83:6; 2:89
This is the text of that which was revealed aforetime in the
first Gospel, according to Matthew, regarding the signs that
must needs herald the advent of the One Who shall come after
Him. He saith: “And woe unto them that are with child, and
to them that give suck in those days…”, 9 until the mystic Dove,
singing in the midmost heart of eternity, and the celestial Bird,
warbling upon the Divine Lote-Tree, saith: “Immediately after
the oppression of those days shall the sun be darkened, and
the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from
heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and
then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see
the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power
and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great
sound of a trumpet.” 10
Gems of Divine Mysteries

In the second Gospel, according to Mark, the Dove of holiness
speaketh in such terms: “For in those days shall be affliction,
such as was not from the beginning of the creation which
God created unto this time, neither shall be.” 11 And it singeth
later with the same melodies as before, without change or
alteration. God, verily, is a witness unto the truth of My words.
Gems of Divine Mysteries

O My brother! Sanctify thy heart, illumine thy soul, and
sharpen thy sight, that thou mayest perceive the sweet accents
of the Birds of Heaven and the melodies of the Doves of
Holiness warbling in the Kingdom of eternity, and perchance
apprehend the inner meaning of these utterances and their

9 Matt. 24:19
10 Cf. Matt. 24:29–31
11 Mark 13:19
The Divine Melody

hidden mysteries. For otherwise, wert thou to interpret these
words according to their outward meaning, thou couldst
never prove the truth of the Cause of Him Who came after
Jesus, nor silence the opponents, nor prevail over the contending disbelievers. For the Christian divines use this verse
to prove that the Gospel shall never be abrogated and that,
even if all the signs recorded in their Books were fulfilled and
the Promised One appeared, He would have no recourse but
to rule the people according to the ordinances of the Gospel.
They contend that if He were to manifest all the signs indicated in the Books, but decree aught besides that which Jesus had
decreed, they would neither acknowledge nor follow Him, so
clear and self-evident is this matter in their sight.
Gems of Divine Mysteries

If these wayward souls had indeed paused to reflect upon their
conduct, recognized the sweet melodies of that Mystic Dove
singing upon the twigs of this snow-white Tree, embraced that
which God had revealed unto and bestowed upon them, and
discovered the fruits of the Tree of God upon its branches,
wherefore then did they reject and denounce Him? Had they
not lifted their heads to the heavens to implore His appearance? Had they not besought God at every moment to honour
them with His Beauty and sustain them through His presence?
Gems of Divine Mysteries

Incline your ears to the sweet melody of this Prisoner. Arise,
and lift up your voices, that haply they that are fast asleep
may be awakened. Say: O ye who are as dead! The Hand of
Divine bounty proffereth unto you the Water of Life. Hasten
and drink your fill. Whoso hath been re-born in this Day, shall
never die; whoso remaineth dead, shall never live.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Strive, O people, to gain admittance into this vast Immensity
for which God ordained neither beginning nor end, in which
His voice hath been raised, and over which have been wafted
the sweet savors of holiness and glory. Divest not yourselves of
the Robe of grandeur, neither suffer your hearts to be deprived
of remembering your Lord, nor your ears of hearkening
unto the sweet melodies of His wondrous, His sublime, His
all-compelling, His clear, and most eloquent voice.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

When thou art departed out of the court of My presence, O
Muḥammad, direct thy steps towards My House (Baghdád
House), and visit it on behalf of thy Lord. When thou reachest
its door, stand thou before it and say: Whither is the Ancient
Beauty gone, O most great House of God, He through Whom
God hath made thee the cynosure of an adoring world, and
proclaimed thee to be the sign of His remembrance unto all
who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth? Oh! for
the former days when thou, O House of God, wert made His
footstool, the days when in ceaseless strains the melody of the
All-Merciful poured forth from thee! What hath become of
thy jewel whose glory hath irradiated all creation? Whither are
gone the days in which He, the Ancient King, had made thee
the throne of His glory, the days in which He had chosen thee
alone to be the lamp of salvation between earth and heaven,
and caused thee to diffuse, at dawn and at eventide, the sweet
fragrance of the All-Glorious?
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by day.
Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such
shall be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet
and seemly. Its perversity will long continue. And when the

The Divine Melody

appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that
which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then, and
only then, will the Divine Standard be unfurled, and the
Nightingale of Paradise warble its melody.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

The Pen of Revelation exclaimeth: “On this Day the Kingdom
is God’s!” The Tongue of Power is calling: “On this Day all
sovereignty is, in very deed, with God!” The Phoenix of the
realms above crieth out from the immortal Branch: “The
glory of all greatness belongeth to God, the Incomparable,
the All-Compelling!” The Mystic Dove proclaimeth from its
blissful bower, in the everlasting Paradise: “The source of
all bounty is derived, in this Day, from God, the One, the
Forgiving!” The Bird of the Throne warbleth its melody in its
retreats of holiness: “Supreme ascendancy is to be attributed,
this Day, to none except God, Him Who hath no peer nor
equal, Who is the Most Powerful, the All-Subduing!” The
inmost essence of all things voiceth in all things the testimony:
“All forgiveness floweth, in this Day, from God, Him to Whom
none can compare, with Whom no partners can be joined,
the Sovereign Protector of all men, and the Concealer of their
sins!” The Quintessence of Glory hath lifted up its voice above
My head, and crieth from such heights as neither pen nor
tongue can in any degree describe: “God is my witness! He, the
Ancient of everlasting days is come, girded with majesty and
power. There is none other God but Him, the All-Glorious,
the Almighty, the All-Highest, the All-Wise, the All-Pervading,
the All-Seeing, the All-Informed, the Sovereign Protector, the
Source of eternal light!”
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Say: O people of the Bayán! Did We not admonish you, in all
Our Tablets and in all Our hidden Scriptures, not to follow
your evil passions and corrupt inclinations, but to keep your
eyes directed towards the Scene of transcendent glory, on the
Day when the Most Mighty Balance shall be set, the Day when
the sweet melodies of the Spirit of God shall be poured out
from the right hand of the throne of your Lord, the omnipotent Protector, the All-Powerful, the Holy of Holies? Did We
not forbid you to cleave to the things that would shut you
out from the Manifestation of our Beauty, in its subsequent
Revelation, be they the embodiments of the names of God
and all their glory, or the revealers of His attributes and their
dominion? Behold, how, as soon as I revealed Myself, ye have
rejected My truth and turned away from Me, and been of them
that have regarded the signs of God as a play and pastime!
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

O Shaykh! Thou hast heard the sweet melodies of the Doves of
Utterance cooing on the boughs of the Lote-Tree of knowledge.
Hearken, now, unto the notes of the Birds of Wisdom upraised
in the Most Sublime Paradise. They verily will acquaint thee
with things of which thou wert wholly unaware. Give ear unto
that which the Tongue of Might and Power hath spoken in
the Books of God, the Desire of every understanding heart.
At this moment a Voice was raised from the Lote-Tree beyond
which there is no passing, in the heart of the Most Sublime
Paradise, bidding Me relate unto thee that which hath been
sent down in the Books and Tablets, and the things spoken
by My Forerunner, Who laid down His life for this Great
Announcement, this Straight Path.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

The Divine Melody

O Shaykh! We have enabled thee to hear the melodies of the
Nightingale of Paradise, and unveiled to thine eyes the signs
which God, by His all-compelling behest, hath sent down in
the Most Great Prison, that thine eye might be cheered, and
thy soul be well-assured. He, verily, is the All-Bounteous, the
Generous.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Such are the words sung by the Dove of Truth on the boughs
of the Divine Lote-Tree. Well is it with him that hath given
ear unto its Voice, and quaffed from the oceans of Divine
utterance that lie concealed in each of these words. In another
connection hath the Voice of the Bayán called aloud from
the loftiest branches. He saith—blessed and glorified be He:
“In the year nine ye will attain unto all good.” On another
occasion He saith: “In the year nine ye will attain unto the
Presence of God.” These melodies, uttered by the Birds of the
cities of Knowledge, conform with that which hath been sent
down by the All-Merciful in the Qur’án. Blessed are the men
of insight; blessed they that attain thereunto.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

O Shaykh! Hearken unto the melodies of the Gospel with the
ear of fairness. He saith—glorified be His utterance—prophesying the things that are to come: “But of that Day and Hour
knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, nor the Son,
but the Father.” By Father in this connection is meant God—
exalted be His glory. He, verily, is the True Educator, and the
Spiritual Teacher.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Isaiah saith: “The Lord alone shall be exalted in that Day.”
Concerning the greatness of the Revelation He saith: “Enter
into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord,
and for the glory of His majesty.” And in another connection
He saith: “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad
for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the
rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy
and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the
splendor of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the
Lord, and the splendor of our God.”
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Ere long, thine eyes will behold the standards of divine power
unfurled throughout all regions, and the signs of His triumphant might and sovereignty manifest in every land. As most
of the divines have failed to apprehend the meaning of these
verses, and have not grasped the significance of the Day of
Resurrection, they therefore have foolishly interpreted these
verses according to their idle and faulty conception. The one
true God is My witness! Little perception is required to enable
them to gather from the symbolic language of these two verses
all that We have purposed to propound, and thus to attain,
through the grace of the All-Merciful, the resplendent morn
of certitude. Such are the strains of celestial melody which the
immortal Bird of Heaven, warbling upon the Sadrih of Bahá,
poureth out upon thee, that, by the permission of God, thou
mayest tread the path of divine knowledge and wisdom.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

This is the day on which the Bird of Utterance hath warbled its
melody upon the branches, in the name of its Lord, the God of
Mercy. Blessed is the man that hath, on the wings of longing,
soared towards God, the Lord of the Judgment Day.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
The Divine Melody

We have created thine eyes to behold the light of My countenance, thine ears to hearken unto the melody of My words, thy
body to pay homage before My throne. Do thou render thanks
unto God, thy Lord, the Lord of all the world.
Cited in Bahíyyih Khánum the Greatest Holy Leaf, p. 3

I bear witness that thou hast hearkened unto the melody of
God and His sweet accents, inclined thine ear to the cooing of
the Dove of divine Revelation and hast heard the Nightingale
of fidelity pouring forth its notes upon the Branch of Glory:
Verily there is none other God but Me, the Incomparable, the
All-Informed.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb‐i‐Aqdas

The day will surely come when the Nightingale of Paradise
will have winged its flight away from its earthly abode unto
its heavenly nest. Then will its melody be heard no more, and
the beauty of the rose cease to shine. Seize the time, therefore,
ere the glory of the divine springtime hath spent itself, and
the Bird of Eternity ceased to warble its melody, that thy
inner hearing may not be deprived of hearkening unto its
call. This is My counsel unto thee and unto the beloved of
God. Whosoever wisheth, let him turn thereunto; whosoever
wisheth, let him turn away. God, verily, is independent of him
and of that which he may see and witness.
These are the melodies, sung by Jesus, Son of Mary,
in accents of majestic power in the Riḍván of the Gospel,
revealing those signs that must needs herald the advent of the
Manifestation after Him …
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

Furthermore, among the “veils of glory” are such terms as
the “Seal of the Prophets” and the like, the removal of which
is a supreme achievement in the sight of these base-born
and erring souls. All, by reason of these mysterious sayings,
these grievous “veils of glory,” have been hindered from
beholding the light of truth. Have they not heard the melody
of that bird of Heaven, 12 uttering this mystery: “A thousand
Fátimihs I have espoused, all of whom were the daughters of
Muḥammad, Son of ‘Abdu’lláh, the ‘Seal of the Prophets’”?
Behold, how many are the mysteries that lie as yet unravelled
within the tabernacle of the knowledge of God, and how
numerous the gems of His wisdom that are still concealed
in His inviolable treasuries! Shouldest thou ponder this in
thine heart, thou wouldst realize that His handiwork knoweth
neither beginning nor end. The domain of His decree is too
vast for the tongue of mortals to describe, or for the bird of
the human mind to traverse; and the dispensations of His
providence are too mysterious for the mind of man to comprehend. His creation no end hath overtaken, and it hath ever
existed from the “Beginning that hath no beginning”; and the
Manifestations of His Beauty no beginning hath beheld, and
they will continue to the “End that knoweth no end.” Ponder
this utterance in thine heart, and reflect how it is applicable
unto all these holy Souls.
Likewise, strive thou to comprehend the meaning of
the melody of that eternal beauty, Ḥusayn, son of ‘Alí, who,
addressing Salmán, spoke words such as these: “I was with
a thousand Adams, the interval between each and the next
Adam was fifty thousand years, and to each one of these I
declared the Successorship conferred upon my father.” He
then recounteth certain details, until he saith: “I have fought
one thousand battles in the path of God, the least and most
insignificant of which was like the battle of Khaybar, in which

12 Imám ‘A lí

The Divine Melody

battle my father fought and contended against the infidels.”
Endeavour now to apprehend from these two traditions the
mysteries of “end,” “return,” and “creation without beginning
or end.”
O my beloved! Immeasurably exalted is the celestial
Melody above the strivings of human ear to hear or mind to
grasp its mystery! How can the helpless ant step into the court
of the All-Glorious? And yet, feeble souls, through lack of
understanding, reject these abstruse utterances, and question
the truth of such traditions. Nay, none can comprehend them
save those that are possessed of an understanding heart.
Say, He is that End for Whom no end in all the universe can
be imagined, and for Whom no beginning in the world of
creation can be conceived. Behold, O concourse of the earth,
the splendours of the End, revealed in the Manifestations of
the Beginning!
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

Let the future disclose what the Judgment of God will ordain,
and the Tabernacle of His decree reveal. In such wise We
recount unto thee the wonders of the Cause of God, and
pour out into thine ears the strains of heavenly melody, that
haply thou mayest attain unto the station of true knowledge,
and partake of the fruit thereof. Therefore, know thou of a
certainty that these Luminaries of heavenly majesty, though
their dwelling be in the dust, yet their true habitation is the
seat of glory in the realms above. Though bereft of all earthly
possessions, yet they soar in the realms of immeasurable
riches. And whilst sore tried in the grip of the enemy, they
are seated on the right hand of power and celestial dominion.
Amidst the darkness of their abasement there shineth upon
them the light of unfading glory, and upon their helplessness
are showered the tokens of an invincible sovereignty.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

Thus in moments in which these Essences of being were
deeply immersed beneath the oceans of ancient and everlasting holiness, or when they soared to the loftiest summits
of divine mysteries, they claimed their utterance to be the
Voice of divinity, the Call of God Himself. Were the eye of
discernment to be opened, it would recognize that in this very
state, they have considered themselves utterly effaced and
non-existent in the face of Him Who is the All-Pervading, the
Incorruptible. Methinks, they have regarded themselves as
utter nothingness, and deemed their mention in that Court an
act of blasphemy. For the slightest whispering of self, within
such a Court, is an evidence of self-assertion and independent
existence. In the eyes of them that have attained unto that
Court, such a suggestion is itself a grievous transgression.
How much more grievous would it be, were aught else to be
mentioned in that Presence, were man’s heart, his tongue,
his mind, or his soul, to be busied with anyone but the Well-
Beloved, were his eyes to behold any countenance other than
His beauty, were his ear to be inclined to any melody but His
voice, and were his feet to tread any way but His way.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

They that valiantly labour in quest of God’s will, when once
they have renounced all else but Him, will be so attached and
wedded to that City that a moment’s separation from it would
to them be unthinkable. They will hearken unto infallible
proofs from the Hyacinth of that assembly, and receive the
surest testimonies from the beauty of its Rose and the melody
of its Nightingale. Once in about a thousand years shall this
City be renewed and re-adorned.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

The Divine Melody

Give ear unto God’s holy Voice, and heed thou His sweet and
immortal melody.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

Gracious God! How great is Our amazement at the way the
people have gathered around him, and have borne allegiance
to his person! Content with transient dust, these people have
turned their face unto it, and cast behind their backs Him
Who is the Lord of Lords. Satisfied with the croaking of the
crow and enamoured with the visage of the raven, they have
renounced the melody of the nightingale and the charm
of the rose. What unspeakable fallacies the perusal of this
pretentious book hath revealed! They are too unworthy for
any pen to describe, and too base for one moment’s attention.
Should a touchstone be found, however, it would instantly
distinguish truth from falsehood, light from darkness, and
sun from shadow.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

And, now, strive thou to comprehend the meaning of this
saying of ‘A lí, the Commander of the Faithful: “Piercing the
veils of glory, unaided.” Among these “veils of glory” are the
divines and doctors living in the days of the Manifestation
of God, who, because of their want of discernment and their
love and eagerness for leadership, have failed to submit to the
Cause of God, nay, have even refused to incline their ears unto
the divine Melody. “They have thrust their fingers into their
ears.” 13 And the people also, utterly ignoring God and taking
them for their masters, have placed themselves unreservedly
under the authority of these pompous and hypocritical
leaders, for they have no sight, no hearing, no heart, of their
own to distinguish truth from falsehood.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

13 Qur’án, 2:19 25
O CHILDREN OF NEGLIGENCE! Set not your affections
on mortal sovereignty and rejoice not therein. Ye are even as
the unwary bird that with full confidence warbleth upon the
bough; till of a sudden the fowler Death throws it upon the
dust, and the melody, the form and the color are gone, leaving
not a trace. Wherefore take heed, O bondslaves of desire!
The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian no. 75

O SON OF DUST! Blind thine eyes, that thou mayest behold
My beauty; stop thine ears, that thou mayest hearken unto the
sweet melody of My voice; empty thyself of all learning, that
thou mayest partake of My knowledge; and sanctify thyself
from riches, that thou mayest obtain a lasting share from the
ocean of My eternal wealth. Blind thine eyes, that is, to all save
My beauty; stop thine ears to all save My word; empty thyself
of all learning save the knowledge of Me; that with a clear
vision, a pure heart and an attentive ear thou mayest enter the
court of My holiness.
The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian no. 11

O MY CHILDREN! I fear lest, bereft of the melody of the
dove of heaven, ye will sink back to the shades of utter loss,
and, never having gazed upon the beauty of the rose, return
to water and clay.
The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian no. 13

O SON OF SPIRIT! The time cometh, when the nightingale
of holiness will no longer unfold the inner mysteries and ye
will all be bereft of the celestial melody and of the voice from
on high.
The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian no. 15

The Divine Melody

The one true God, exalted be His glory, hath wished nothing
for Himself. The allegiance of mankind profiteth Him not,
neither doth its perversity harm Him. The Bird of the Realm
of Utterance voiceth continually this call: “All things have I
willed for thee, and thee, too, for thine own sake.”
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

How unspeakably glorious are the signs, the tokens, the revelations, and splendors which He, Who is the King of Names and
Attributes, hath destined for that City! The attainment unto this
City quencheth thirst without water, and kindleth the love of
God without fire. Within every blade of grass are enshrined the
mysteries of an inscrutable Wisdom, and upon every rose-bush
a myriad nightingales pour out, in blissful rapture, their melody.
Its wondrous tulips unfold the mystery of the undying Fire in
the Burning Bush, and its sweet savors of holiness breathe the
perfume of the Messianic Spirit. It bestoweth wealth without
gold, and conferreth immortality without death. In each one
of its leaves ineffable delights are treasured, and within every
chamber unnumbered mysteries lie hidden.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Peace be upon him that inclineth his ear unto the melody of
the Mystic Bird calling from the Sadratu’l-Muntahá! Glorified
be our Lord, the Most High!
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

O ESSENCE OF NEGLIGENCE! Myriads of mystic tongues
find utterance in one speech, and myriads of hidden mysteries
are revealed in a single melody; yet, alas, there is no ear to
hear, nor heart to understand.
The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian no. 16

O SON OF BEAUTY! By My spirit and by My favor! By My
mercy and by My beauty! All that I have revealed unto thee
with the tongue of power, and have written for thee with the
pen of might, hath been in accordance with thy capacity and
understanding, not with My state and the melody of My voice.
The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic no. 67

Hearken ye, O Rulers of America and the Presidents of the
Republics therein, unto that which the Dove is warbling on
the Branch of Eternity: “There is none other God but Me, the
Ever-Abiding, the Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.”
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas

From the Prayers of Bahá’u’lláh

He is the King, the All-Knowing, the Wise! Lo, the Nightingale
of Paradise singeth upon the twigs of the Tree of Eternity, with
holy and sweet melodies, proclaiming to the sincere ones the
glad tidings of the nearness of God, calling the believers in
the Divine Unity to the court of the Presence of the Generous
One, informing the severed ones of the message which hath
been revealed by God, the King, the Glorious, the Peerless,
guiding the lovers to the seat of sanctity and to this resplendent Beauty …
Rely upon God, thy God and the Lord of thy fathers. For
the people are wandering in the paths of delusion, bereft of
discernment to see God with their own eyes, or hear His
Melody with their own ears. Thus have We found them, as
thou also dost witness.
Tablet of Ahmad

The Divine Melody

I beseech Thee, by Thine own Self and by Him Whom Thou
hast appointed as the Manifestation of Thine own Being and
Thy discriminating Word unto all that are in heaven and on
earth, to gather together Thy servants beneath the shade of the
Tree of Thy gracious providence. Help them, then, to partake
of its fruits, to incline their ears to the rustling of its leaves, and
to the sweetness of the voice of the Bird that chanteth upon its
branches. Thou art, verily, the Help in Peril, the Inaccessible,
the Almighty, the Most Bountiful.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Thou art He Who from everlasting was, through the potency
of His might, supreme over all things, and, through the
operation of His will, was able to ordain all things. Nothing
whatsoever, whether in Thy heaven or on Thy earth, can frustrate Thy purpose. Have mercy, then, upon me, O my Lord,
through Thy gracious providence and generosity, and incline
mine ear to the sweet melodies of the birds that warble their
praise of Thee, amidst the branches of the tree of Thy oneness.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Thou seest Me forbidden to speak forth: Then from where will
spring Thy melodies, O Nightingale of the worlds?
Fire Tablet

Roll not up, O my Lord, what hath been spread out in Thy
name, and extinguish not the lamp which Thine own fire hath
lit. Withhold not, O my Lord, the water that is life indeed
from running down—the water from whose murmuring
the wondrous melodies which extol and glorify Thee can be
heard. Deny not, moreover, Thy servants the sweet fragrance
of the breath which hath been wafted through Thy love.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh
Far be it, then, from Thy glory that anyone should gaze on
Thy wondrous beauty with any eye save Thine own eye, or
hear the melodies proclaiming Thine almighty sovereignty
with any ear except Thine own ear. Too high art Thou exalted
for the eye of any creature to behold Thy beauty, or for the
understanding of any heart to scale the heights of Thine
immeasurable knowledge.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Enrapture him, moreover, with the sweet melodies of Him
Who is the Fountain-Head of Thy Revelation, in such wise
that he may wholly surrender his will to Thy pleasure, and fix
his hopes upon the things Thou didst ordain in Thy Tablets.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Cause them to be so enraptured by the sweetness of Thy divine
melodies that they will rid themselves of all attachment to any
one except Thee, and will turn wholly towards Thee, and extol
Thee under all conditions, saying: “Praised be Thou, O Lord
our God, inasmuch as Thou hast enabled us to recognize Thy
most exalted and all-glorious Self…”
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

I beseech Thee, by Thy Most Great Name, to open the eyes of
Thy servants, that they may behold Thee shining above the
horizon of Thy majesty and glory, and that they may not be
hindered by the croaking of the raven from hearkening to the
voice of the Dove of Thy sublime oneness, nor be prevented
by the corrupt waters from partaking of the pure wine of Thy
bounty and the everlasting streams of Thy gifts.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

The Divine Melody

Thou beholdest, O my God, how every bone in my body
soundeth like a pipe with the music of Thine inspiration,
revealing the signs of Thy oneness and the clear tokens of
Thy unity. I entreat Thee, O my God, by Thy Name which
irradiateth all things, to raise up such servants as shall incline
their ears to the voice of the melodies that hath ascended from
the right hand of the throne of Thy glory. Make them, then, to
quaff from the hand of Thy grace the wine of Thy mercy, that
it may assure their hearts, and cause them to turn away from
the left hand of idle fancies and vain imaginings to the right
hand of confidence and certitude.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Having testified, therefore, unto mine own impotence and the
impotence of Thy servants, I beseech Thee, by the brightness
of the light of Thy beauty, not to refuse Thy creatures attainment to the shores of Thy most holy ocean. Draw them, then,
O my God, through the Divine sweetness of Thy melodies,
towards the throne of Thy glory and the seat of Thine eternal
holiness. Thou art, verily, the Most Powerful, the Supreme
Ruler, the Great Giver, the Most Exalted, the Ever-Desired.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

I implore Thee by Thine All-Glorious Name, wherewith Thou
didst adorn all the denizens of the kingdom of Thy revelation
and the inmates of the heaven of Thy will, to grant that my
soul may be attracted by the sweetness of the melody of the
Bird of Heaven that chanteth amidst the branches of the tree
of Thy decree that Thou art God, that there is none other God
beside Thee.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God! Behold Thou mine
eye expectant to gaze on the wonders of Thy mercy, and mine
ear longing to hearken unto Thy sweet melodies, and my heart
yearning for the living waters of Thy knowledge. Thou seest
Thy handmaiden, O my God, standing before the habitation of
Thy mercy, and calling upon Thee by Thy name which Thou
hast chosen above all other names and set up over all that are
in heaven and on earth. Send down upon her the breaths of
Thy mercy, that she may be carried away wholly from herself,
and be drawn entirely towards the seat which, resplendent
with the glory of Thy face, sheddeth afar the radiance of Thy
sovereignty, and is established as Thy throne. Potent art Thou
to do what Thou willest. No God is there beside Thee, the
All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Purge out thoroughly their ears, O my Lord, that they may
hearken unto the sweet melodies that have ascended from the
right hand of the throne of Thy glory. I swear by Thy might!
Were any one to attune his ears to their harmony he would
soar up to the kingdom of Thy revelation, wherein every
created thing proclaimeth that Thou art God, and that there
is none other God save Thee, the Omnipotent, the Help in
Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Cleanse Thou, O my God, the eyes
of Thy servants, and so transport them by the sweetness of
Thine utterances that calamities will be powerless to hinder
them from turning unto Thee, and from directing their eyes
towards the horizon of Thy Revelation.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Lulled by the cooing of the Dove of Thine Eternity, suffer me
to sleep, for woes at their blackest have befallen me.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

The Divine Melody

Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a tranquil
conscience within me, O my Hope! Through the spirit of
power confirm Thou me in Thy Cause, O my Best-Beloved,
and by the light of Thy glory reveal unto me Thy path, O Thou
the Goal of my desire! Through the power of Thy transcendent
might lift me up unto the heaven of Thy holiness, O Source of
my being, and by the breezes of Thine eternity gladden me, O
Thou Who art my God! Let Thine everlasting melodies breathe
tranquillity on me, O my Companion, and let the riches of
Thine ancient countenance deliver me from all except Thee,
O my Master, and let the tidings of the revelation of Thine
incorruptible Essence bring me joy, O Thou Who art the most
manifest of the manifest and the most hidden of the hidden!
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Lauded and glorified art Thou, O my God! I entreat Thee by
the sighing of Thy lovers and by the tears shed by them that
long to behold Thee, not to withhold from me Thy tender
mercies in Thy Day, nor to deprive me of the melodies of the
Dove that extolleth Thy oneness before the light that shineth
from Thy face.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Graciously assist me, O my God, in the days of the Manifestation
of Thy Cause and of the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation, to tear
asunder the veils which have hindered me from recognizing
Thee, and from immersing myself beneath the ocean of Thy
knowledge. Hold Thou me with the hands of Thy power, and
grant that I may be so carried away by the sweet melodies of the
Dove of Thy oneness, that I will cease to regard in all creation
any face except Thy face, O Thou the Goal of my desire, and
will recognize in the visible world naught else save the evidences of Thy might, O Thou Who art the God of mercy!
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh
From the fragrant breezes of Thy joy let a breath pass over me,
O my Goal, and into the heights of the paradise of Thy reality
let me gain admission, O my Adored One! To the melodies of
the dove of Thy oneness suffer me to hearken, O Resplendent
One, and through the spirit of Thy power and Thy might
quicken me, O my Provider!
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Sanctify, then, their eyes, O my God, that they may behold the
light of Thy Beauty, and purge their ears, that they may listen
to the melodies of the Dove of Thy transcendent oneness.
Flood, then, their hearts with the wonders of Thy love, and
preserve their tongues from mentioning any one save Thee,
and guard their faces from turning to aught else except Thyself.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou, verily, art the
Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

I yield Thee such thanks as can enable the Heavenly Dove
to warble forth, upon the branches of the Lote-Tree of
Immortality, her song: “Verily, Thou art God. No God is
there besides Thee. From eternity Thou hast been exalted
above the praise of aught else but Thee, and been high above
the description of any one except Thyself.” I yield Thee such
thanks as can cause the Nightingale of Glory to pour forth
its melody in the highest heaven: “‘A lí (the Báb), in truth, is
Thy servant, Whom Thou hast singled out from among Thy
Messengers and Thy chosen Ones, and made Him to be the
Manifestation of Thyself in all that pertaineth unto Thee, and
that concerneth the revelation of Thine attributes and the
evidences of Thy names.”
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

The Divine Melody

How great is Thy power! How exalted Thy sovereignty!
How lofty Thy might! How excellent Thy majesty! How
supreme is Thy grandeur—a grandeur which He Who is
Thy Manifestation hath made known and wherewith Thou
hast invested Him as a sign of Thy generosity and bountiful
favor. I bear witness, O my God, that through Him Thy most
resplendent signs have been uncovered, and Thy mercy hath
encompassed the entire creation. But for Him, how could
the Celestial Dove have uttered its songs or the Heavenly
Nightingale, according to the decree of God, have warbled
its melody?
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I call upon Thee at this
time when the accents of the dove of separation are raised from
the land of Iraq, and the warbling of the Nightingale of fervent
longing is heard from the horizon of the world—at such a time
do I call upon Thee, proclaiming: “Thou in truth art God, the
King, the Mighty, the Beauteous. From everlasting, O my God,
Thou hast been exalted in the supremacy of Thy might, Thy
power, and Thy glory, and unto all eternity Thou wilt remain
transcendent in the sublimity of Thy grandeur, Thy majesty,
and Thy splendour. Every Prophet is filled with consternation
when confronted by the manifold evidences of Thy wrath, and
every Chosen One standeth dismayed before the revelations
of Thy might. No God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the
All-Powerful, the All-Compelling.”
Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh

From the Writings of the Báb

Recite ye as much as convenient from this Qur’án both at
morn and at eventide, and chant the verses of this Book, by
the leave of the eternal God, in the sweet accents of this Bird
which warbleth its melody in the vault of heaven.
Selections from the Writings of the Báb

Immeasurably glorified and exalted art Thou! That which
alone beseemeth Thee is the befitting mention made by Thine
Own Self, and that only which is worthy of Thee is the anthem
of praise voiced by Thine Own Essence …
Selections from the Writings of the Báb

From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Let us seek the song with the sweetest strains, so that it may be
taken up by the angels and carried to the supreme concourse.
Let us hearken to the melody which will stir the world of
humanity, so that the people may be transformed with joy.
Let us listen to a symphony which will confer life on man;
then we can obtain universal results; then we shall receive a
new spirit; then we shall become illumined. Let us investigate
a song which is above all songs; one which will develop the
spirit and produce harmony and exhilaration, unfolding the
inner potentialities of life.
Divine Philosophy

The Divine Melody

These servants were noble souls, and these radiant hearts
were made illumined and resplendent through the light of
Thy guidance. They drank a brimming cup of the wine of
Thy love, and gave ear to eternal mysteries imparted by the
melodies of Thy knowledge.
Twenty-six Prayers Revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

O ye beloved of the Merciful! The Abhá Beauty hath shone
forth with His manifold names and attributes from the
Dawning-Point of all desires. He hath caused this glorious
century to become the revealer of His wondrous grace through
the effulgence of this new light, and hath set aglow the candle
of unity in the world of being. In sweet accents of oneness
and in celestial melodies proclaiming Divine Unity, He hath
warbled upon the branches of the garden of inner meanings
so as to gather the scattered peoples of the world under the
shadow of the Word of God and bring the hostile and contentious tribes of the earth together in unity and harmony
beneath the canopy of the love of God.
Light of the World

The four pages in the blessed handwriting of the Báb—may
my life be a sacrifice unto Him—that thou didst present to
‘Abdu’l-Bahá as a gift were received. Thereupon, the very walls
resounded with the anthem of “O blessed, blessed are we!”
whilst ‘Abdu’l-Bahá hearkened from a corner unto these sweet
melodies. Well done! Well done! for having cheered our hearts
with such a cherished gift.
Light of the World

O thou who art firm in the Covenant! The opening of thy
letter bore the words “O ‘Abdu’l- Bahá!” What a call this was,
for it caused my heart to leap with joy and my soul to tremble
with delight. Glad-tidings encircled me on every side, my
eyes were cheered, and my whole being breathed in the sweet
savours of a garden of roses. This call, even as the melody of
the Concourse on high, filled the soul of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with
joy and rapture.
By Him Who hath illumined my face with the light of
absolute servitude to His Holy Threshold! No melody can fill
this yearning soul with such joy and rapture as the call of “O
‘Abdu’l-Bahá!” And no sweet accents warbled by the birds of
the orchards can thrill my heart with such delight as the dulcet
tune of “O ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!” This melody causeth my heart to
leap with joy, and these wondrous words fill me with blissful
rapture, but only on condition that this name be accompanied by no other epithets of praise, and paired with no other
titles. The designation should be “‘Abdu’l-Bahá” alone for it
to bestow boundless joy upon my heart and soul. This is my
qualification and my station, this is my title and my glory, and
this indeed is my highest aspiration throughout eternity.
Light of the World

But know this: The lamp of God shall be lit, and His brilliant
star shall shine upon the assemblage of humanity. His ocean
shall surge, and the leviathan of the heavenly sea shall roar.
The songbird of the rose-garden of Bahá shall warble with
blissful rapture, and the nightingale of the bower of the Lord
shall chant its eternal song. Thereupon shall the hearing ear,
attuned to the song of the nightingale, hearken to the divine
call, proclaiming: “Sanctified be the Lord! This is the songster
of My paradise! This is the nightingale of My rose-garden! This
is the candle of My worlds!” The glory of God rest upon thee.
Light of the World

The Divine Melody

O friends! Praise be to God that the banner of Divine Unity
hath been hoisted in every land, and the melody of the Abhá
Kingdom hath been raised on every side. The holy Seraph of
the Concourse on high is raising the cry of “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!”
in the midmost heart of the world, and the power of the Word
of God is breathing true life into the body of existence.
Light of the World

O thou who art kindled by the fire of the Love of God!
Rejoice through the fragrance of God and be attracted by
the melodies of the holy birds in the garden of the gifts of God!
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

And now shall come to pass even greater things than these,
for this is the summons of the Lord of Hosts, this is the
trumpet-call of the living Lord, this is the anthem of world
peace, this is the standard of righteousness and trust and
understanding raised up among all the variegated peoples of
the globe; this is the splendour of the Sun of Truth, this is the
holiness of the spirit of God Himself.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

O ye who are the chosen ones of the Abhá Kingdom! Praise ye
the Lord of Hosts for He, riding upon the clouds, hath come
down to this world out of the heaven of the invisible realm, so
that East and West were lit by the glory of the Sun of Truth,
and the call of the Kingdom was raised, and the heralds of the
realm above, with melodies of the Concourse on high, sang
out the glad tidings of the Coming.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

DAY and night I have no other occupation than the remembrance of the friends, praying from the depth of my heart
in their behalf, begging for them confirmation from the
Kingdom of God and supplicating the direct effect of the
breaths of the Holy Spirit. I am hopeful from the favors of
His Highness the Lord of Bestowals, that the friends of God
during such a time may become the secret cause of the illumination of the hearts of humanity, breathing the breath of life
upon the spirits—whose praiseworthy results may become
conducive to the glory and exaltation of humankind throughout all eternity. Although in some of the Western States, like
California, Oregon, Washington and Colorado, the fragrances
of holiness are diffused, numerous souls have taken a share
and a portion from the fountain of everlasting life, they have
obtained heavenly benediction, have drunk an overflowing
cup from the wine of the love of God and have hearkened
to the melody of the Supreme Concourse—yet in the states
of New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona
and Nevada, the lamp of the love of God is not ignited in a
befitting and behooving manner, and the call of the Kingdom
of God has not been raised. Now, if it is possible, show ye an
effort in this direction. Either travel yourselves, personally,
throughout those states or choose others and send them, so
that they may teach the souls. For the present those states are
like unto dead bodies: they must breathe into them the breath
of life and bestow upon them a heavenly spirit. Like unto the
stars they must shine in that horizon and thus the rays of the
Sun of Reality may also illumine those states.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

O ye beloved of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and ye handmaids of the
Merciful! It is early morning, and the reviving winds of the
Abhá Paradise are blowing over all creation, but they can stir
only the pure of heart, and only the pure sense can detect

The Divine Melody

their fragrance. Only the perceiving eye beholdeth the rays
of the sun; only the listening ear can hear the singing of the
Concourse on high.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Now California and the other Western States must earn an
ideal similarity with the Holy Land, and from that state and
that region the breaths of the Holy Spirit be diffused to all
parts of America and Europe, that the call of the Kingdom of
God may exhilarate and rejoice all the ears, the divine principles bestow a new life, the different parties may become one
party, the divergent ideas may disappear and revolve around
one unique center, the East and the West of America may
embrace each other, the anthem of the oneness of the world
of humanity may confer a new life upon all the children of
men, and the tabernacle of universal peace be pitched on the
apex of America; thus Europe and Africa may become vivified
with the breaths of the Holy Spirit, this world may become
another world …
Tablets of the Divine Plan

Are you pleased to receive such a guest, freed from his prison
to bring the glorious Message to you? He who never could
have thought such a meeting possible! Now by the Grace
of God, by His wonderful Power, I, who was condemned to
perpetual imprisonment in a far off town of the East, am here
in Paris talking with you!
Henceforward we shall always be together, heart and
soul and spirit, pressing forward in the work till all men are
gathered together under the tent of the Kingdom, singing the
songs of peace.
Paris Talks

Fifth: The first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in America was instituted
in Chicago, and this honor and distinction is infinite in value.
Out of this Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, without doubt, thousands of
Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs will be born.

Likewise (were instituted in Chicago) the general Annual
Conventions, the foundation of the Star of the West, the
Publishing Society for the publication of books and Tablets
and their circulation in all parts of America, and the preparations now under way for the celebration of the Golden
Centenary Anniversary of the Kingdom of God. I hope that
this Jubilee and this Exhibition may be celebrated in the
utmost perfection so that the call to the world of unity, “There
is no God but One God, and all the Messengers, from the
beginning to the Seal of the Prophets (Muḥammad) were sent
on the part of the True One!” may be raised; the flag of the
oneness of the world of humanity be unfurled, the melody of
universal peace may reach the ears of the East and the West,
all the paths may be cleared and straightened, all the hearts
may be attracted to the Kingdom of God, the tabernacle of
unity be pitched on the apex of America, the song of the love
of God may exhilarate and rejoice all the nations and peoples,
the surface of the earth may become the eternal paradise, the
dark clouds may be dispelled and the Sun of Truth may shine
forth with the utmost intensity …
Continually my ear and eye are turned toward the Central
States; perchance a melody from some blessed souls may reach
my ears—souls who are the dawning-places of the love of God,
the stars of the horizon of sanctification and holiness—souls
who will illumine this dark universe and quicken to life this
dead world. The joy of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá depends upon this! I
hope that you may become confirmed therein.
Consequently, those souls who are in a condition of the
utmost severance, purified from the defects of the world
of nature, sanctified from attachment to this earth, vivified

The Divine Melody

with the breaths of eternal life—with luminous hearts, with
heavenly spirit, with attraction of consciousness, with celestial
magnanimity, with eloquent tongues and with clear explanations—such souls must hasten and travel through all parts of
the Central States. In every city and village they must occupy
themselves with the diffusion of the divine exhortations and
advices, guide the souls and promote the oneness of the world
of humanity. They must play the melody of international
conciliation with such power that every deaf one may attain
hearing, every extinct person may be set aglow, every dead
one may obtain new life and every indifferent soul may find
ecstasy. It is certain that such will be the consummation.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

O ye friends!
Thank God that the Light of Truth shone in that city, the
bounty of guidance was granted, the fire of the love of God
was ignited and the veil of superstition was burned away.
Some souls have arisen who have unsealed their eyes,
unstopped their ears, witnessed the great signs and heard
the eternal melody of the Supreme Concourse. Each of them
became a faithful tree in the orchard of the love of God and
a shining luminous star in the horizon of the knowledge of
God. This is from the eternal bounty and the everlasting gift.
I entreat and supplicate in the Threshold of the Almighty
and ask for your confirmation and assistance, that you may be
born wholly out of the physical world into the Realm Divine,
to seek after the eternal life and wish for the everlasting gift,
so that you may shine upon ages and cycles like unto the
morning star!
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

Praise be to God that the divine outpourings are infinite, the
melody of the lordly principles is in the utmost efficacy, the
most great Orb shining with perfect splendor, the cohorts of
the Supreme Concourse are attacking with invincible power,
the tongues are sharper than the swords, the hearts are more
brilliant than the light of electricity, the magnanimity of the
friends precedes all the magnanimities of the former and
subsequent generations, the souls are divinely attracted, and
the fire of the love of God is enkindled.
At this time and at this period we must avail ourselves
of this most great opportunity. We must not sit inactive for
one moment; we must sever ourselves from composure, rest,
tranquillity, goods, property, life and attachment to material
things. We must sacrifice everything to His Highness, the
Possessor of existence, so that the powers of the Kingdom
may show greater penetration and the brilliant effulgence in
this New Cycle may illumine the worlds of minds and ideals.
It is about twenty-three years that the fragrances of God
have been diffused in America, but no adequate and befitting
motion has been realized, and no great acclamation and
acceleration has been witnessed. Now it is my hope that
through the heavenly power, the fragrances of the Merciful,
the attraction of consciousness, the celestial outpourings,
the heavenly cohorts and the gushing forth of the fountain
of divine love, the believers of God may arise and in a short
time the greatest good may unveil her countenance, the Sun of
Reality may shine forth with such intensity that the darkness
of the world of nature may become entirely dispelled and
driven away; from every corner a most wonderful melody
may be raised, the morning birds may break into such a song
that the world of humanity may be quickened and moved, the
solid bodies may become liquefied, and the souls who are like
unto adamantine rocks may open their wings and through the
heat of the love of God fly heavenward.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

The Divine Melody

But these stories did not have any effect on the resolution
of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He, trusting in God, turned his face toward
Montreal. When he entered that city he observed all the
doors open, he found the hearts in the utmost receptivity
and the ideal power of the Kingdom of God removing every
obstacle and obstruction. In the churches and meetings of that
Dominion he called men to the Kingdom of God with the
utmost joy, and scattered such seeds which will be irrigated
with the hand of divine power. Undoubtedly those seeds will
grow, becoming green and verdant, and many rich harvests
will be gathered. In the promotion of the divine principles
he found no antagonist and no adversary. The believers he
met in that city were in the utmost spirituality, and attracted
with the fragrances of God. He found that through the effort
of the maidservant of God Mrs. Maxwell a number of the
sons and daughters of the Kingdom in that Dominion were
gathered together and associated with each other, increasing
this joyous exhilaration day by day. The time of sojourn was
limited to a number of days, but the results in the future are
inexhaustible. When a farmer comes into the possession of a
virgin soil, in a short time he will bring under cultivation a
large field. Therefore I hope that in the future Montreal may
become so stirred, that the melody of the Kingdom may travel
to all parts of the world from that Dominion and the breaths
of the Holy Spirit may spread from that center to the East and
the West of America.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

O Lord of Hosts! Confirm Thine affectionate … in Thy servitude, aid him in the service of Thy Word, open to his face
the door of knowledge, reveal to his heart the realities and
significances, and grant him the ecstasy of the cup of reality,
gladden him through the melody of Thy love, make his night,
day, and day, happy!
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2
Consider ye! In the day of His Highness Christ, the grandeur
and majesty of their Holiness the Apostles, was not known.
After three-hundred years the loftiness of the station and
the exaltation of their attainment became manifest. Ere long
the result of the deeds in this cycle of Baha’o’llah will appear
and every one of the friends and the maid-servants will be
crowned with a diadem whose splendid gems will radiate
brilliancy and effulgence throughout cycles and ages.
Therefore, O ye servants of God and the maid-servants of
the Merciful One, do ye not rest for one moment! Do ye not
seek any composure! Do ye not wish for any rest and ease!
Endeavor and make ye an effort with all your heart and soul to
spread the fragrances of Paradise, to raise the eternal melody
of the Kingdom of Abha, to establish the gathering of fellowship, to become assisted with the confirmations of the Holy
Spirit; to clothe the temple of existence with a new garment;
to bestow eternal life upon the reality of souls; to become a
cause of the civilization of the human world; to characterize
the bloodthirsty animals with the heavenly attributes and
divine commemorations; to pacify the world with peace and
salvation, and to adorn man with the favors of His Highness
the Merciful One; that perchance ignorance, animosity
and strangeness may be removed entirely from among the
denizens of the world, and the Banner of Reconciliation,
Freedom, Nobleness and Oneness be hoisted; for the chains
of existence contain countless links, each connected with the
other. This connection is the cause of the appearance of the
invisible powers in the world of the visible.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

O thou servant of the True One!
Thy letter was received. The meeting … which was
arranged with the utmost union in the studio of Miss … was
in reality spiritual, merciful and illumined. The friends of God

The Divine Melody

were associating with great harmony and friendship. I hope
that all the people of the world become united and cemented.
The Blessed Perfection hath appeared for the sole purpose of
the unification and solidarity of the people of the world, so
that all of them may enter under the shade of one tree, sing
one melody in one rose-garden and adorn the universe with
love and oneness.
Every meeting which is organized for the purpose of
unity and concord will be conducive to changing strangers
into friends, enemies into associated, and Abdul-Baha will be
present in his heart and soul with that meeting.
I entreat from God that the believers may at all times strive
to bring about union and harmony, in order that this power of
unity may display an effect in this world; each country become
illuminated, the darkness of foreignness be dispelled gradually
and the light of unanimity dawn and shed its rays to all parts.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

The tree will grow, the earth will send forth hyacinths 14 and
give blessings, and man will become of the heavenly angels.
Feed on the light of guidance and impart light to the people.
The bird will warble melodies unknown save by the birds of
heaven; then tear asunder the veil and see the realities of things
with the eye of God. Verily, thy Lord guideth whomsoever He
willeth unto the Straight Path!
The Promised Spot will be made a racecourse for the steeds
of the race of Knowledge and the lights of the Merciful will
shine upon it. The dispersed ones will return to the Center of
Gathering and the birds will return from the meadows of the
world unto the Nest of Harmony. This is a preordained matter.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

14 Symbol of knowledge

Briefly, four days and four nights were they the guests in
the house of this imprisoned one, continually praising and
commending the beloved of God and giving the glad-tidings
of the attraction of the friends with the fragrances of God. In
this prison, Abdul-Baha hath no happiness except the arrival
of the good news of the believers. Whenever one praises them,
the heart is dilated and the soul is rejoiced.
Therefore, O ye companions of Abdul-Baha, display ye an
effort, so that ye may make that region (America) the Paradise
of Abha, hoisting the banner of the Most Great Peace and
spreading the teachings of the Beauty of Abha; in order that
the slumbrous world become awakened, the unconscious
become mindful, the universe become another universe,
the human world become the realm of the Kingdom, earthly
emotions become heavenly attractions, cruelty and oppression be changed into love and faithfulness, the clattering of
the sword be transformed into the sweet melody of the pen
and the discordant sound of war become the wonderful song
of love and intelligence; in order that all the individuals of
humanity embrace each other and live among themselves in
perfect love and affinity.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

Know thou that some of the souls who arrive at this Blessed
Spot possess hearing, seeing and smelling; they see what
no eye hath ever seen, they hear the melodies of the Dove
of Holiness on the Tree of Life, they inhale the fragrances of
God from this Garden, and they surely realize that, verily, this
Blessed Spot is a center for pure seeing and strong hearing and
is the direction from which the breezes of the Holy Spirit blow.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

The Divine Melody

Remove not, O Lord, the festal board that hath been spread
in Thy Name, and extinguish not the burning flame that hath
been kindled by Thine unquenchable fire. Withhold not from
flowing that living water of Thine that murmureth with the
melody of Thy glory and Thy remembrance, and deprive not
Thy servants from the fragrance of Thy sweet savors breathing
forth the perfume of Thy love.
Bahá’í Prayers

The anthem of the Abhá Kingdom can be heard from the
celestial Concourse:
… The sweetly singing mystic bird, upon a verdant cypress
bough, imparteth knowledge to the soul;
Commit His secrets to thy heart! Commit His secrets to
thy heart!
Light of the World

O thou spiritual clarion!
The voice of the physical clarion may travel the distance of
three miles, but the harmony of the spiritual Clarion reacheth
to the East and the West. The effect of that is only in the bodies;
but the effect of this is in the spirits. The first proclaimeth the
time of prayer; the second announceth the appearance of the
Most Great Resurrection. That hath no conscious knowledge
of its own voice; while this is exhilarated and rejoiced by its
own melody.
How significant and eloquent were those new verses, for
they were the notes of the clarion of the love of God.
Raise thou this call as much as thou canst, and sound and
blow this clarion continually night and day, so that the souls
may become quickened and the people find eternal life.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

The doors of the Kingdom are opened; O what good news to
those who advance! The garden of paradise is drawn near; O
what a pleasure to those who enter! The dove of holiness is
cooing; O what a happiness to those who hear! The gates of
heaven are open; blessed are they who see! The hosts of angels
are standing in battle order; what a joy to those who gain the
victory! The trumpet of life is sounding; how good it is to
those who are awake!
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

Thou hast written that thou lovest the Bible. Undoubtedly,
the friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful should
know the value of the Bible, for they are the ones who have
discovered its real significances and have become cognizant
of the hidden mystery of the Holy Book.
Deliver my greeting to … and say: “I supplicate God that
thou mayest gladden and rejoice the heart of … with the
melody of the Kingdom, rend asunder the veil of her concealment, enlighten her face with the light of the Most Great
Guidance and make her eyes see and her ears hear.”
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

O ye dear friends of Abdul-Baha! It is some time since any
heart-thrilling melody hath reached the ear of life from certain
countries, and life and conscience have not found happiness
and joy. Howbeit all are remembered at all times and are
indeed present before the sight. For, verily, the chalice of the
heart is overflowing with the wine of the love of the friends;
and their attachment and the desire to see them flow and
circulate in the veins and arteries, even as the spirit.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

The Divine Melody

O ye beloved servants of Abdul-Baha and the maid-servants of
the Merciful One! It is the early dawn and the soul-refreshing
breeze of the Paradise of Abha is wafting upon all the contingent beings, but it displays the effect only in pure hearts and
perfumes only the healthy mind. A seeing eye beholdeth the
splendors of the sun and a hearing ear listeneth to the melody
of the Supreme Concourse.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

In brief, arise thou in the service of thy Lord with the utmost
firmness and steadfastness. I was very much pleased with thee.
Undoubtedly this favor will become the cause of the greatest
development for thee.
Likewise, thou and his honor Mirza … are two brothers
and like unto two birds living in one nest and singing one
melody.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

Announce on my behalf longing greeting to Mr … and say,
“The melody of the Kingdom is that which hath caused
the motion of the universe; the musk-diffusing fragrance
of the rose-garden of God is that which hath perfumed the
nostrils; and the reflection of the Sun of Truth is that which
hath illumined the whole earth. Now is the beginning of
illumination! …”
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

On that night thy house was the nest and the shelter of the
birds of God. The divine melodies and the celestial lyres made
that place a feast of heaven and an assembly of the Kingdom.
Abdul-Baha was present there in heart and soul and was
joyful and happy. Thank thou God.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1
O ye beloved of God! As long as ye can strive to set aglow the
hearts with love, be attracted to one another and be members
of each other. Every soul of the beloved ones must adore the
other and withhold not his possession and life from them, and
by all means he must endeavor to make that other joyous and
happy. But that other (the recipient of such love) must also
be disinterested and life-sacrificing. Thus may this Sunrise
flood the horizons, this melody gladden and make happy all
the people, this divine remedy become the panacea for every
disease, this Spirit of Reality become the cause of life for
every soul.
O ye friends and maid-servants of the Merciful! It is life-offering, rejoicing, happiness and the manifestation of Divine
Favors.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

As to the wonderful melody whereby thy spirit was revived,
verily it is a melody of the melodies of the divine music, which
will cause the spirits to ascend unto the Supreme Horizon and
will (cause) the mysteries to be unfolded.
O maid-servant of God! Be one of the angels of peace and
a saint in the world. Verily thy Lord will cause thee to listen
to that wonderful melody, through the spiritual instrument.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

O Thou kind God! That scattered assembly 15 is Thine, and
that gathering of friends is of Thee. Their eyes are opened,
their hearts in tune with Thy love, and their ears in communion with Thy hidden mysteries.
O Thou who art self-sufficient! Let a beautiful song reach
this people from the birds of that garden, that they may warble,
rejoice and be happy, implore and supplicate the Lord.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

52 15 American believers
The Divine Melody

Verily, I beg of God to ordain for thee in the future to come
to this Blessed and White Land, to cause thee to hear the
melodies of the Dove and to grant that thou mayest present
thyself before the hands of Abdul-Baha.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

O maid-servant of God! The radiance of favor is (cast) upon
thy head and thou art clad with the robe of gift. Praise be
unto God, that the breeze of the divine spring maketh the soul
thrive and the fragrances of holiness are quickening the heart
of man. Favor is perfect and bounty is overflowing—the doors
of prosperity are opened and hearts are expanded and dilated.
The drops of the cloud of favor are continually (falling) and
the lakes of graces are successively overflowing. The wine of
the love of God is circulating, and the melodies of thankful
birds are astonishing all people distant and near.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

O my God! O my God! I ask thee to protect these two birds in
the orchard of Thy mercy, confirmed in joy and happiness in
the garden of Thy bounties, warbling with the best melodies
in the wood (garden) of Thy knowledge. Verily Thou art the
Precious, the Mighty, the Protecting!
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

O ye friends of mine! Illuminate the meeting with the light
of the love of God, make it joyful and happy through the
melody of the Kingdom of holiness, and with heavenly food
and through the “Lord’s Supper” 16 confer life.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

16 A term synonymous with heavenly food
I desire for you all that you will have this great assistance
and partake of this great bounty, and that in spirit and heart
you will strive and endeavor until the world of war become
the world of peace; the world of darkness the world of light;
satanic conduct be turned into heavenly behavior; the ruined
places become built up; the sword be turned into the olive
branch; the flash of hatred become the flame of the love of
God and the noise of the gun the voice of the Kingdom; the
soldiers of death the soldiers of life; all the nations of the world
one nation; all races as one race; and all national anthems
harmonized into one melody.
Then this material realm will be Paradise, the earth
Heaven, and the world of Satan become the world of Angels.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

Now, through the aid and bounty of God, this power of
guidance and this merciful bestowal are found in thee. Arise,
therefore, in the utmost Power that thou mayest bestow spirit
upon mouldering bones, give sight to the blind, balm and
freshness to the depressed, and liveliness and grace to the
dispirited. Every lamp will eventually be extinguished save
the lamp of the Kingdom, which increaseth day by day in
splendour. Every call shall ultimately weaken except the call to
the Kingdom of God, which day unto day is raised. Every path
shall finally be twisted except the road of the Kingdom, which
straighteneth day by day. Undoubtedly heavenly melody is
not to be measured with an earthly one, and artificial lights
are not to be compared with the heavenly Sun. Hence one
must exert endeavour in whatever is lasting and permanent
so that one may more and more be illumined, strengthened
and revived …
Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

The Divine Melody

The third station is that of the divine appearance and heavenly
splendor: it is the Word of God, the Eternal Bounty, the Holy
Spirit. It has neither beginning nor end, for these things are
related to the world of contingencies and not to the divine
world. For God the end is the same thing as the beginning.
So the reckoning of days, weeks, months and years, of yesterday and today, is connected with the terrestrial globe; but
in the sun there is no such thing—there is neither yesterday,
today nor tomorrow, neither months nor years: all are equal.
In the same way the Word of God is purified from all these
conditions and is exempt from the boundaries, the laws and
the limits of the world of contingency. Therefore, the reality
of prophethood, which is the Word of God and the perfect
state of manifestation, did not have any beginning and will
not have any end; its rising is different from all others and is
like that of the sun. For example, its dawning in the sign of
Christ was with the utmost splendor and radiance, and this
is eternal and everlasting. See how many conquering kings
there have been, how many statesmen and princes, powerful
organizers, all of whom have disappeared, whereas the breezes
of Christ are still blowing; His light is still shining; His melody
is still resounding; His standard is still waving; His armies are
still fighting; His heavenly voice is still sweetly melodious; His
clouds are still showering gems; His lightning is still flashing;
His reflection is still clear and brilliant; His splendor is still
radiating and luminous; and it is the same with those souls
who are under His protection and are shining with His light.
Some Answered Questions

But these ill-omened owls have done a wrong,
And learned to sing as the white falcon sings.
And what of Sheba’s message that the lapwing brings
If the bittern learn to sing the lapwing’s song? 17
The Secret of Divine Civilization

17 Cf. Qur’án 27:20 ff 55
If for example a spiritually learned Muslim is conducting a
debate with a Christian and he knows nothing of the glorious
melodies of the Gospel, he will, no matter how much he
imparts of the Qur’án and its truths, be unable to convince
the Christian, and his words will fall on deaf ears. Should,
however, the Christian observe that the Muslim is better versed
in the fundamentals of Christianity than the Christian priests
themselves, and understands the purport of the Scriptures even
better than they, he will gladly accept the Muslim’s arguments,
and he would indeed have no other recourse.
The Secret of Divine Civilization

When for the second time the unmistakable signs of Israel’s
disintegration, abasement, subjection and annihilation had
become apparent, then the sweet and holy breathings of the
Spirit of God (Jesus) were shed across Jordan and the land
of Galilee; the cloud of Divine pity overspread those skies,
and rained down the copious waters of the spirit, and after
those swelling showers that came from the most great Sea,
the Holy Land put forth its perfume and blossomed with the
knowledge of God. Then the solemn Gospel song rose up till it
rang in the ears of those who dwell in the chambers of heaven,
and at the touch of Jesus’ breath the unmindful dead that lay
in the graves of their ignorance lifted up their heads to receive
eternal life.
The Secret of Divine Civilization

O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Thy song is even as birdsong now, thou pourest forth
verses as to the mercy of thy Lord; of Him Who forgiveth ever,
thou wert a thankful servant, wherefore hast thou entered into
exceeding bliss.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The Divine Melody

O my dearly beloved, O Breakwell! Thou hast been a divine
bird and, forsaking thy earthly nest, thou hast soared toward
the holy rose-garden of the Divine Kingdom and obtained a
luminous station there!
O my dearly beloved, O Breakwell! Verily thou art like
unto the birds, chanting the verses of thy Lord, the Forgiving,
for thou wert a thankful servant; therefore thou hast entered
(into the realm beyond) with joy and happiness!
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

In flower-spangled meadows hath the divine springtime
pitched its tents, and the spiritual are inhaling sweet scents
from the Sheba of the spirit, carried their way by the east
wind. Now doth the mystic nightingale carol its odes, and
buds of inner meaning are bursting into blossoms delicate
and fair. The field larks are become the festival’s musicians,
and lifting wondrous voices they cry and sing to the melodies
of the Company on high, ‘Blessed are ye! Glad Tidings! Glad
Tidings!’ And they urge on the revellers of the Abhá Paradise
to drink their fill, and they eloquently hold forth upon the
celestial tree, and utter their sacred cries. All this, that withered
souls who tread the desert of the heedless, and faded ones lost
in the sands of unconcern, may come to throbbing life again,
and present themselves at the feasts and revels of the Lord
God.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Praise be to God, that thou hast become especialized with
Divine Favor and Bounty. Thou didst become awake, beheld
the lights and harkened unto the Melody of the Supreme
Concourse.
Japan Will Turn Ablaze!

O ye beloved of God! Know ye, verily, that the happiness of
mankind lieth in the unity and the harmony of the human
race, and that spiritual and material developments are conditioned upon love and amity among all men. Consider ye the
living creatures, namely those which move upon the earth and
those which fly, those which graze and those which devour.
Among the beasts of prey each kind liveth apart from other
species of its genus, observing complete antagonism and
hostility; and whenever they meet they immediately fight and
draw blood, gnashing their teeth and baring their claws. This
is the way in which ferocious beasts and bloodthirsty wolves
behave, carnivorous animals that live by themselves and
fight for their lives. But the docile, good-natured and gentle
animals, whether they belong to the flying or grazing species,
associate with one another in complete affinity, united in
their flocks, and living their lives with enjoyment, happiness
and contentment. Such are the birds that are satisfied with
and grateful for a few grains; they live in complete gladness,
and break into rich and melodious song while soaring over
meadows, plains, hills and mountains.
The Secret of Divine Civilization

In this divine garden, thousands of fresh and verdant trees
have raised their tops to the Supreme Apex and on every
tree there are thousands of nests. Therefore, for thee, who
art a bird of high flight, a nest has been prepared. Then soar,
that thou mayest attain to that nest. This is a divine nest in
the Heavenly Kingdom. Every bird that attained to this nest
learned a melody and also taught the birds of the meadows the
divine harmony which moves and enraptures the East and the
West. Do thou therefore strive with all thy heart and soul that
thou mayest abide in this nest and thrive till eternity.
Japan Will Turn Ablaze!

The Divine Melody

For instance, in Írán the fire of revolution blazed in such
wise that all communities, government and nations, became
afflicted with the most severe trials; but the power of the
Covenant protected the Bahá’í friends to such a degree that
in this turbulent storm no dust fell upon them, except in
one locality, which became the cause of the spreading of the
Religion of God and the diffusion of the Word of God. Now
all the parties in Írán are wondering how the people of Bahá
were guarded and protected. Praise be to God that in Ṭihrán
and all the provinces of Írán the Call of God has been raised,
the Ensign of the Covenant has been unfurled, the cry of
“Yá-Bahá’u’l-Abhá!” has been heard and the melody of the
Kingdom of Abhá has been promulgated among the people
of intelligence …
Bahá’í World Faith

All is to be yielded up, save only the remembrance of God; all
is to be dispraised, except His praise. Today, to this melody of
the Company on high, the world will leap and dance: ‘Glory
be to my Lord, the All-Glorious!’ But know ye this: save for
this song of God, no song will stir the world, and save for this
nightingale-cry of truth from the Garden of God, no melody
will lure away the heart. ‘Whence cometh this Singer Who
speaketh the Beloved’s name?’
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

This is a blessed meeting, for these revered souls have come
together in complete unity and with an intelligent purpose. It
is an occasion of great joy to me. Before me are faces radiant
with the glad tidings of God, hearts aglow with the fire of the
love of God, ears attuned to the melodies of the Kingdom and
eyes illumined by the signs and evidences of Divinity.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace

Behold how the sun shines upon all creation, but only surfaces
that are pure and polished can reflect its glory and light.
The darkened soul has no portion of the revelation of the
glorious effulgence of reality; and the soil of self, unable to
take advantage of that light, does not produce growth. The
eyes of the blind cannot behold the rays of the sun; only pure
eyes with sound and perfect sight can receive them. Green
and living trees can absorb the bounty of the sun; dead roots
and withered branches are destroyed by it. Therefore, man
must seek capacity and develop readiness. As long as he
lacks susceptibility to divine influences, he is incapable of
reflecting the light and assimilating its benefits. Sterile soil
will produce nothing, even if the cloud of mercy pours rain
upon it a thousand years. We must make the soil of our hearts
receptive and fertile by tilling in order that the rain of divine
mercy may refresh them and bring forth roses and hyacinths
of heavenly planting. We must have perceiving eyes in order
to see the light of the sun. We must cleanse the nostril in order
to scent the fragrances of the divine rose garden. We must
render the ears attentive in order to hear the summons of the
supreme Kingdom. No matter how beautiful the melody, the
ear that is deaf cannot hear it, cannot receive the call of the
Supreme Concourse. The nostril that is clogged with dust
cannot inhale the fragrant odors of the blossoms. Therefore,
we must ever strive for capacity and seek readiness. As long
as we lack susceptibility, the beauties and bounties of God
cannot penetrate. Christ spoke a parable in which He said His
words were like the seeds of the sower; some fall upon stony
ground, some upon sterile soil, some are choked by thorns
and thistles, but some fall upon the ready, receptive and fertile
ground of human hearts. When seeds are cast upon sterile
soil, no growth follows. Those cast upon stony ground will
grow a short time, but lacking deep roots will wither away.
Thorns and thistles destroy others completely, but the seed
cast in good ground brings forth harvest and fruitage.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace
The Divine Melody

The lights of the divine traces are manifest in Palestine. The
majority of the Israelitish Prophets raised the call of the
Kingdom of God in this holy ground. Having spread the
spiritual teachings, the nostrils of the spiritually-minded
ones became fragrant, the eyes of the illumined souls became
brightened, the ears were thrilled through this song, the hearts
obtained eternal life from the soul-refreshing breeze of the
Kingdom of God and gained supreme illumination from the
splendor of the Sun of Reality. Then from this region the light
was spread to Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

O thou daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter was received.
It was like the melody of the divine nightingale, whose song
delighteth the hearts. This is because its contents indicated
faith, assurance and firmness in the Covenant and the
Testament. Today the dynamic power of the world of existence is the power of the Covenant which like unto an artery
pulsateth in the body of the contingent world and protecteth
Bahá’í unity.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

O ye friends of God! Exert ye with heart and soul, so that
association, love, unity and agreement be obtained between
the hearts, all the aims may be merged into one aim, all the
songs become one song and the power of the Holy Spirit
may become so overwhelmingly victorious as to overcome
all the forces of the world of nature. Exert yourselves; your
mission is unspeakably glorious. Should success crown your
enterprise, America will assuredly evolve into a center from
which waves of spiritual power will emanate, and the throne
of the Kingdom of God will, in the plentitude of its majesty
and glory, be firmly established.
Tablets of the Divine Plan
Oh, how I yearn to see the friends united, even as a shining
strand of pearls, as the brilliant Pleiades, as the rays of the sun,
the gazelles of one meadow!
The mystic nightingale is singing for them; will they not
listen? The bird of paradise is warbling; will they not hear?
The Angel of the Kingdom of Abhá is calling to them; will they
not hearken? The Messenger of the Covenant is pleading; will
they not heed?
Ah! I am waiting, waiting to hear the glad news that the
believers are the embodiment of sincerity and loyalty, the
incarnation of love and amity and the manifestation of unity
and concord!
Will they not rejoice my heart? Will they not satisfy my
yearnings? Will they not heed my pleadings? will they not
fulfill my hopes? Will they not answer my call?
I am waiting, I am patiently waiting!
Cited in Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era

Remember when the holy breaths of the Spirit of God (Jesus)
were shedding their sweetness over Palestine and Galilee, over
the shores of Jordan and the regions around Jerusalem, and
the wondrous melodies of the Gospel were sounding in the
ears of the spiritually illumined, all the peoples of Asia and
Europe, of Africa and America, of Oceania, which comprises
the islands and archipelagoes of the Pacific and Indian Oceans,
were fire-worshipers and pagans, ignorant of the Divine Voice
that spoke out on the Day of the Covenant. Alone the Jews
believed in the divinity and oneness of God.
The Secret of Divine Civilization

Erelong our days shall draw to a close, and the birds of the
meadows shall carol the anthem of departure.
Light of the World

The Divine Melody

Again, there are those famed and accomplished men of
learning, possessed of praiseworthy qualities and vast
erudition, who lay hold on the strong handle of the fear of
God and keep to the ways of salvation. In the mirror of their
minds the forms of transcendent realities are reflected, and
the lamp of their inner vision derives its light from the sun
of universal knowledge. They are busy by night and by day
with meticulous research into such sciences as are profitable
to mankind, and they devote themselves to the training of
students of capacity. It is certain that to their discerning taste,
the proffered treasures of kings would not compare with a
single drop of the waters of knowledge, and mountains of
gold and silver could not outweigh the successful solution of
a difficult problem. To them, the delights that lie outside their
work are only toys for children, and the cumbersome load of
unnecessary possessions is only good for the ignorant and
base. Content, like the birds, they give thanks for a handful of
seeds, and the song of their wisdom dazzles the minds of the
world’s most wise.
The Secret of Divine Civilization

The West has always received spiritual enlightenment from
the East. The Song of the Kingdom is first heard in the East,
but in the West the greater volume of sound bursts upon the
listening ears.
The Lord Christ arose as a bright Star in the Eastern sky,
but the light of His Teaching shone more perfectly in the West,
where His influence has taken root more firmly and His Cause
has spread to a greater degree than in the land of His birth.
The sound of the Song of Christ has echoed over all the
lands of the Western World and entered the hearts of its
people.
Paris Talks

From the Prayers of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Let us pray to God that He will exhilarate our spirits so we
may behold the descent of His bounties, illumine our eyes to
witness His great guidance and attune our ears to enjoy the
celestial melodies of the heavenly Word. This is our greatest
hope. This is our ultimate purpose.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace

O LORD, my God! Praise and thanksgiving be unto Thee for
Thou hast guided me to the highway of the kingdom, suffered
me to walk in this straight and far-stretching path, illumined
my eye by beholding the splendors of Thy light, inclined my
ear to the melodies of the birds of holiness from the kingdom
of mysteries and attracted my heart with Thy love among the
righteous.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

Lord! Do Thou kindle in their hearts the flame of Thy divine
attraction and grant that the bird of love and understanding
may sing within their hearts. Grant that they may be even as
potent signs, resplendent standards, and perfect as Thy Word.
Exalt by them Thy Cause, unfurl Thy banners and publish
far and wide Thy wonders. Make by them Thy Word triumphant, and strengthen the loins of Thy loved ones. Unloose
their tongues to laud Thy Name, and inspire them to do Thy
holy will and pleasure. Illumine their faces in Thy Kingdom
of holiness, and perfect their joy by aiding them to arise for
the triumph of Thy Cause.
Bahá’í Prayers

The Divine Melody

O Thou kind Father, God! Gladden our hearts through the
fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of
Thy Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word,
and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence.
Bahá’í Prayers

O Thou kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity from the
same stock. Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same
household. In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants,
and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all
have gathered together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the light of Thy Providence.
O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided for all,
dost shelter all, conferrest life upon all. Thou hast endowed
each and all with talents and faculties, and all are submerged
in the Ocean of Thy Mercy.
O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and
make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one
family and the whole earth as one home. May they all live
together in perfect harmony.
O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of mankind.
O God! Establish the Most Great Peace.
Cement Thou, O God, the hearts together.
O Thou kind Father, God! Gladden our hearts through the
fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of
Thy Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word,
and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence.
Thou art the Mighty and Powerful, Thou art the Forgiving
and Thou art the One Who overlooketh the shortcomings of
all mankind.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace

O Thou who attractest the hearts of the righteous by the
magnet of favors, unto the Kingdom of El-Abha! O my Lord!
Cause me to speak Thy praise, illumine my sight through
the light of Thy knowledge, cause me to hear Thy Call, and
quicken me with the spirit of Thy grace. Make me rejoiced
at the melodies of the birds of Thy holiness, and make me a
servant to Thy maid-servants.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

MELODIES OF LOVE
& PRAISE

From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide. Whoso
faileth to recite them hath not been faithful to the Covenant of
God and His Testament, and whoso turneth away from these
holy verses in this Day is of those who throughout eternity
have turned away from God. Fear ye God,
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas

They who recite the verses of the All-Merciful in the most
melodious of tones will perceive in them that with which
the sovereignty of earth and heaven can never be compared.
From them they will inhale the divine fragrance of My
worlds—worlds which today none can discern save those
who have been endowed with vision through this sublime,
this beauteous Revelation. Say: These verses draw hearts
that are pure unto those spiritual worlds that can neither be
expressed in words nor intimated by allusion. Blessed be those
who hearken.
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas

We have made it lawful for you to listen to music and singing.
Take heed, however, lest listening thereto should cause you to
overstep the bounds of propriety and dignity. Let your joy be
the joy born of My Most Great Name, a Name that bringeth
rapture to the heart, and filleth with ecstasy the minds of all
who have drawn nigh unto God. We, verily, have made music
as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted
up unto the realm on high; make it not, therefore, as wings
to self and passion. Truly, We are loath to see you numbered
with the foolish.
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas

Blessed is the spot wherein the anthem of His praise is raised,
and blessed the ear that hearkeneth unto that which hath been
sent down from the heaven of the loving-kindness of thy Lord,
the All-Merciful.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been
received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh
unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine
own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth,
in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God,
the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the
fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause
the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at
first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace
vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise
its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the
Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him
Who is the Source of power and wisdom.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Melodies of Love & Praise

Magnified art Thou, O Lord my God! I ask Thee by Thy Name
which Thou hast set up above all other names, through which
the veil of heaven hath been split asunder and the Day-Star
of Thy beauty hath risen above the horizon, shining with the
brightness of Thy Name, the Exalted, the Most High, to succor
me with Thy wondrous help and to preserve me in the shelter
of Thy care and protection.
I am one of Thy handmaidens, O my Lord! Unto Thee
have I turned, and in Thee have I placed my trust. Grant that
I may be so confirmed in my love for Thee, and in fulfilling
that which is well-pleasing unto Thee, that neither the defection of the infidels among Thy people, nor the clamor of the
hypocrites among Thy creatures, may avail to keep me back
from Thee.
Purge Thou mine ear, O my Lord, that I may hearken unto
the verses sent down unto Thee, and illuminate my heart with
the light of Thy knowledge, and loose my tongue that it may
make mention of Thee and sing Thy praise. By Thy might,
O my God! My soul is wedded to none beside Thee, and my
heart seeketh none except Thine own Self.
No God is there beside Thee, the All-Glorious, the Great
Giver, the Forgiving, the Compassionate.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Nay, all else besides these Manifestations, live by the operation
of their Will, and move and have their being through the
outpourings of their grace. “But for Thee, I would have not
created the heavens.” Nay, all in their holy presence fade into
utter nothingness, and are a thing forgotten. Human tongue
can never befittingly sing their praise, and human speech can
never unfold their mystery.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán

Say: Step out of Thy holy chamber, O Maid of Heaven, inmate
of the Exalted Paradise! Drape thyself in whatever manner
pleaseth Thee in the silken Vesture of Immortality, and put
on, in the name of the All-Glorious, the broidered Robe of
Light. Hear, then, the sweet, the wondrous accent of the Voice
that cometh from the Throne of Thy Lord, the Inaccessible,
the Most High. Unveil Thy face, and manifest the beauty of
the black-eyed Damsel, and suffer not the servants of God to
be deprived of the light of Thy shining countenance. Grieve
not if Thou hearest the sighs of the dwellers of the earth, or
the voice of the lamentation of the denizens of heaven. Leave
them to perish on the dust of extinction. Let them be reduced
to nothingness, inasmuch as the flame of hatred hath been
kindled within their breasts. Intone, then, before the face of
the peoples of earth and heaven, and in a most melodious
voice, the anthem of praise, for a remembrance of Him Who
is the King of the names and attributes of God. Thus have We
decreed Thy destiny. Well able are We to achieve Our purpose.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

O Pen of the Most High! Say: O people of the world! We have
enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its
close have designated for you Naw-Rúz as a feast. Thus hath
the Day-Star of Utterance shone forth above the horizon of
the Book as decreed by Him Who is the Lord of the beginning
and the end. 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 Há, and thus they have not been bounded by the limits
of the year and its months. It behoveth the people of Bahá,
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 …
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas
Melodies of Love & Praise

All-praise be to Thee, O Lord, my God! I know not how to
sing Thy praise, how to describe Thy glory, how to call upon
Thy Name.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

Say: O my Lord, my Best-Beloved, the Mover of my actions,
the Lode Star of my soul, the Voice that crieth in mine inmost
being, the Object of mine heart’s adoration! Praise be to Thee
for having enabled me to turn my face towards Thee, for having
set my soul ablaze through remembrance of Thee, for having
aided Me to proclaim Thy Name and to sing Thy praises.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Praise be to God, the All-Possessing, the King of incomparable
glory, a praise which is immeasurably above the understanding of all created things, and is exalted beyond the grasp of the
minds of men. None else besides Him hath ever been able to
sing adequately His praise, nor will any man succeed at any
time in describing the full measure of His glory.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

This is the Day whereon the unseen world crieth out, ‘Great
is thy blessedness, O earth, for thou hast been made the footstool of thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His mighty
throne.’ ” “The world of being shineth, in this Day, with the
resplendency of this Divine Revelation. All created things
extol its saving grace, and sing its praises. The universe is
wrapt in an ecstasy of joy and gladness …”
Cited in The Advent of Divine Justice

The songs which the bird of thine heart had uttered in its great
love for its friends have reached their ears, and moved Me to
answer thy questions …
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
I ask Thee then, O my God, by Thy light which hath illuminated all beings, and by Thy glory which hath irradiated
the whole of creation, to remember Thy servant who hath
been designated “Jím” in the realms of Thine eternity and
the canopy of Thy grandeur. Cause him then, O my God, to
hearken unto the holy melodies of Thy tender mercy, that
they may draw him away from himself and from whatsoever
is not of Thee, and attract him unto the dawning splendours
of Thy love and adoration. Potent art Thou to accomplish this
through Thy transcendent might.
Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh

I entreat Thee, moreover, O Lord of all being and Possessor of
all things visible and invisible, to bestow upon me a righteous
child who may make mention of Thee on Thine earth and sing
Thy praise throughout Thy realms; this, notwithstanding that
Thou hast, with this Tablet, made me rich enough to dispense
with every fruit, trace, or mention. I close my supplication, at
this moment, with that which one of Thy chosen ones hath
aforetime spoken: “O my Lord, leave me not childless, even
though there is no better heir than Thyself.”
Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh

Melodies of Love & Praise

From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Thou kind Lord! Bestow heavenly confirmation upon this
daughter of the kingdom, and graciously aid her that she may
remain firm and steadfast in Thy Cause and that she may,
even as a nightingale of the rose garden of mysteries, warble
melodies in the Abhá Kingdom in the most wondrous tones,
thereby bringing happiness to everyone. Make her exalted
among the daughters of the kingdom and enable her to attain
life eternal.
Thou art the Bestower, the All-Loving.
Bahá’í Prayers and Tablets for Children

O Lord my God, my Haven and my Refuge! How can I befittingly make mention of Thee, even with the most wondrous
words of glorification or the most eloquent odes of praise,
O Thou Almighty and Forgiving One, aware as I am that
the tongue of every eloquent speaker doth falter, and every
expression of praise from either human pen or tongue is
confounded in its attempt to glorify but one of the signs of
Thine omnipotent power or to extol a single Word that hath
been created by Thee.
Twenty-six Prayers Revealed by ‘Abdu’l Bahá

O Divine Providence, O forgiving Lord! How can I ever befittingly sing Thy praise or sufficiently worship and glorify Thee?
Thy description by any tongue is naught but error, and Thy
depiction by any pen is an evidence of folly in attempting this
formidable task. The tongue is but an instrument composed
of elements; voice and speech are naught but accidental
attributes. How, then, can I celebrate, with the instrument of
an earthly voice, the praise of Him Who hath neither peer
nor likeness?
Twenty-six Prayers Revealed by ‘Abdu’l Bahá
O thou bird of pleasing tones!
Thy little book of poems, which were very sweet, was
read. It was a source of joy, for it was a spiritual anthem and a
melody of the love of God.
Continue as long as thou canst this melody in the gatherings of the beloved; thus may the minds find rest and joy
and become in tune with the love of God. When eloquence
of expression, beauty of sense and sweetness of composition
unite with new melodies the effect is very great, especially if it
be the anthem of the verses of oneness and the songs of praise
to the Lord of Glory.
Endeavor your utmost to compose beautiful poems to be
chanted with heavenly music; thus may their beauty affect the
minds and impress the hearts of those who listen.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

The Faith of the Blessed Beauty is summoning mankind
to safety and love, to amity and peace; it hath raised up its
tabernacle on the heights of the earth, and directeth its call
to all nations. Wherefore, O ye who are God’s lovers, know ye
the value of this precious Faith, obey its teachings, walk in this
road that is drawn straight, and show ye this way to the people.
Lift up your voices and sing out the song of the Kingdom.
Spread far and wide the precepts and counsels of the loving
Lord, so that this world will change into another world, and
this darksome earth will be flooded with light, and the dead
body of mankind will arise and live; so that every soul will ask
for immortality, through the holy breaths of God.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Even as two birds they should warble melodies upon the
branches of the tree of fellowship and harmony.
Cited in Family Life (compilation)

Melodies of Love & Praise

O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom! Thankful, the birds
of the spirit seek only to fly in the high heavens and to sing out
their songs with wondrous art.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

This wonderful age has rent asunder the veils of superstition
and has condemned the prejudice of the people of the East.
Among some of the nations of the Orient, music and
harmony was not approved of, but the Manifested Light,
Bahá’u’lláh, in this glorious period has revealed in Holy
Tablets that singing and music are the spiritual food of the
hearts and souls. In this dispensation, music is one of the arts
that is highly approved and is considered to be the cause of
the exaltation of sad and desponding hearts.
Therefore … set to music the verses and the divine words
so that they may be sung with soul-stirring melody in the
Assemblies and gatherings, and that the hearts of the listeners
may become tumultuous and rise towards the Kingdom of
Abhá in supplication and prayer.
Bahá’í World Faith

O my God! O my God! Thou seest these children who are the
twigs of the tree of life, the birds of the meads of salvation,
the pearls of the ocean of Thy grace, the roses of the garden
of Thy guidance.
O God, our Lord! We sing Thy praise, bear witness to Thy
sanctity and implore fervently the heaven of Thy mercy to
make us lights of guidance, stars shining above the horizons of
eternal glory amongst mankind, and to teach us a knowledge
which proceedeth from Thee. Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!
Bahá’í Prayers and Tablets for Children

The Ancient Beauty, the Most Great Name, tasted the poison
of every tribulation and quaffed from the brimming cup of
every bitter affliction. He made His breast the target of every
dart and readied His neck to every sword. He was cast into
prison and bound by pitiless chains. He was beset by ferocious
foes and attacked with stones hurled by the wicked. He was
subjected to chains and fetters and confined to shackles and
stocks. He was exiled from His homeland, banished to the
lands of the Bulgars and the Serbs, and finally sore tried by
grave affliction in the Most Great Prison. In this darksome pit,
this prison of tyranny, His blessed days came to an end and
He winged His flight to His Kingdom.
And now, O faithful friends, O loved ones of that luminous
Beauty! Would it be meet and seemly for us to rest even for
a moment? Would it be fitting for us to tarry or delay, to seek
our own ease or comfort, thereby falling prey to idleness and
tests, becoming preoccupied with our own fancies, and setting
our affections on friend and stranger alike? Nay, by God! It
behoveth us not to rest for a moment, whether by day or by
night, nor to defile our pure hearts with the corruption of
this world. We must spread a banquet of renunciation; hold a
festival of love; lift up our voices and sing the blissful anthems
of the Abhá Kingdom to the melody of the harp, the tambour,
and the flute; and, hastening with joy and rapture to the field
of martyrdom, surrender our lives and our all in His path.
Light of the World

The teacher, when teaching, must be himself fully enkindled,
so that his utterance, like unto a flame of fire, may exert influence and consume the veil of self and passion. He must also be
utterly humble and lowly so that others may be edified, and be
totally self-effaced and evanescent so that he may teach with
the melody of the Concourse on high—otherwise his teaching
will have no effect.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Melodies of Love & Praise

Praise be to Him! The renown of His Cause hath reached
to east and west, and word of the power of the Abhá Beauty
hath quickened north and south. That cry from the American
continent is a choir of holiness, that shout from far and near
that riseth even to the Company on high is ‘Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!’
Now is the east lit up with a glory, and the west rose-sweet,
and all the earth is fragrant with ambergris, and the winds
that blow over the Holy Shrine are laden with musk. Erelong
shall ye see that even the darkest lands are bright, and the
continents of Europe and Africa have turned into gardens of
flowers, and forests of blossoming trees.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

As to thy stay in the Murgh-Mahallih 1 of Shimírán for a change
of air, this is truly a divine favour That place is not the abode
of mere birds, but the nest of the Phoenix of the East and the
dwelling of the mystic Bird of the sacred Mount. For there,
in that pure and hallowed field, the Blessed Beauty—may my
life be offered up for His loved ones—took up residence for an
entire summer. There he resided in the garden of Ḥájí-Báqir,
which consisted of three terraces overlooking a lake. This was
in the earliest days of the Cause, when that district became
the throne of the Lord of the Kingdom. A large stone platform
was raised in the heart of the lake, with a tent in the centre
and gardens all around. About one hundred and fifty friends
would gather, and at night hymns of praise would rise up to
the Concourse on high. Those were wonderful times indeed.
The Blessed Beauty would frequently make mention of that
place.
Light of the World

1 Abode of the Birds
O musician of God! … The songsters of fellowship that abide
in the gardens of holiness must pour forth such a triumphant
burst of songs in this age that the birds in the fields may wing
their flight in a transport of delight; and in this divine festival,
this heavenly banquet, they should play the lute and the harp,
and the viol and the lyre in such wise that the people of east
and west may be filled with exceeding joy and gladness, and
be carried away with exultation and happiness.
The Importance of the Arts in Promoting the Faith (compilation)

Thy splendid letter aroused spiritual affections in my heart. I
read it with admiration, for it was a melody of Divine Unity
and an ensign proclaiming His oneness.
Light of the World

O thou revered maidservant of God! Thy letter from Los
Angeles was received. Thank divine Providence that thou
hast been assisted in service and hast been the cause of the
promulgation of the oneness of the world of humanity, so that
the darkness of differences among men may be dissipated,
and the pavilion of the unity of nations may cast its shadow
over all regions. Without such unity, rest and comfort, peace
and universal reconciliation are unachievable. This illumined
century needeth and calleth for its fulfilment. In every
century a particular and central theme is, in accordance with
the requirements of that century, confirmed by God. In this
illumined age that which is confirmed is the oneness of the
world of humanity. Every soul who serveth this oneness will
undoubtedly be assisted and confirmed.
I hope that in the assemblies thou mayest sing praises with
a sweet melody and thus become the cause of joy and gladness
to all.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Melodies of Love & Praise

Strive, therefore, with heart and soul that ye become ignited
candles in the assemblage of the world, glittering stars on the
horizon of Truth and may become the cause of the propagation of the light of the Kingdom; in order that the world of
humanity may be converted into a divine realm, the nether
world may become the world on high, the love of God and
the mercy of the Lord may raise their canopy upon the apex
of the world, human souls may become the waves of the ocean
of truth, the world of humanity may grow into one blessed
tree, the verses of oneness may be chanted and the melodies
of sanctity may reach the Supreme Concourse.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

When the friends do not endeavour to spread the message,
they fail to remember God befittingly, and will not witness
the tokens of assistance and confirmation from the Abhá
Kingdom nor comprehend the divine mysteries. However,
when the tongue of the teacher is engaged in teaching, he will
naturally himself be stimulated, will become a magnet attracting the divine aid and bounty of the Kingdom, and will be
like unto the bird at the hour of dawn, which itself becometh
exhilarated by its own singing, its warbling and its melody.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

O Bashír-i-Iláhí! Thy letter was like unto a treasury of poems
in glorification and praise of the Blessed Beauty. It hath
imparted the utmost joy and gladness. Each word of thy letter
is a sign of joyous music: One word is the lyre and the lute;
another, the psalms of the House of David. One word is the
timbrel and the harp; another, pure poetry and song. It is a
perfect symphony, causing the listeners to leap with rapture
and joy. From afar thou playest the melody, and here His
lovers rejoice with ecstasy.
Light of the World
Wherefore, O ye friends of God, redouble your efforts, strain
every nerve, till ye triumph in your servitude to the Ancient
Beauty, the Manifest Light, and become the cause of spreading
far and wide the rays of the Day-Star of Truth. Breathe ye
into the world’s worn and wasted body the fresh breath of
life, and in the furrows of every region sow ye holy seed. Rise
up to champion this Cause; open your lips and teach. In the
meeting place of life be ye a guiding candle; in the skies of this
world be dazzling stars; in the gardens of unity be birds of the
spirit, singing of inner truths and mysteries.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God!
Verily, I read thy poem, which contained new significances
and beautiful words. My heart was dilated by its eloquent
sense. I prayed God to make thee utter more beautiful compositions that this. Thus thou mayest be the first to praise the
Beauty of El-ABHA and the first utterer of His Name among
the women.
Chant the verses of guidance among the people and
commence [the composition of ] melodies of great beauty
and effect in praise and glorification of the Generous Lord …
O maid-servant of God! Warble as birds in the garden of joy
and pray to thy forgiving Lord, so that the souls may rejoice
through the psalms of the descendant of David.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

I hope thou wilt memorize all the poetry of the Blessed
Perfection and chant with wonderful melody in the assemblages and gatherings. These verses will soon be translated
into English poetical form and then this Divine Song will rise
from those lands and reach the ABHA Kingdom in utmost joy
and happiness.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1
Melodies of Love & Praise

You have written concerning the Feast of Remembrance which
you arranged after the Persian manner, at which Mr … and
Mr … engaged in serving the beloved ones like unto Abdul-
Baha: This arrangement of festivities and affection, chanting
of Tablets, explaining realities and significances, and this
inculcating of the teachings and exhortations of Abdul-Baha
causeth everlasting life and maketh the hearers as heavenly
angels … As to chanting supplications in the Oriental tune,
this is very agreeable. His honor … must exert his endeavors
in this matter.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

Know thou, verily, I read thy letter which expressed the commemoration of thy Lord, the Great, and indicated that the fire
of the love of God is ablaze in thy heart and in the soul of the
sincere ones. Truly I say unto thee, verily thy magnificent letter
was as one of the melodies of the birds of holiness in the wonderful garden. Verily the hearts of the Supreme Concourse are
dilated with the songs which thou hast warbled on the Blessed
Tree in the Exalted Paradise … O maid-servant of God! Be
rejoiced at this glad-tidings whereby the hearts of the people of
the Kingdom of El-Abha are moved with joy. Verily I beseech
God to make Green Acre as the paradise of El-Abha, so that
the melodies of the nightingale of sanctity may be heard from
it and that the chanting of the verses of unity may be raised
therein; to cause the clouds of the great gift to pour upon it
the rains falling from heaven; to make those countries become
verdant with the myrtles of truth and inner significances and
to plant therein blessed trees, with the hand of Providence,
which may bring forth pure and excellent fruits wherefrom
the fragrances of God may be diffused throughout all regions.
These signs shall surely appear and these lights shall shine
forth.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

I ask God that thou mayest find rest and comfort in the shelter
of the holy Banner of Peace and Concord; become the means
of spreading the love of God; attain boundless health and
security; grow joyfully, day by day, through the glad-tidings;
soar on high through ecstasy and delight; sings the melody
and proclaim the call, “Ya Baha-ul-ABHA!”
O maid-servant of God! That call to which thou didst listen
is from the Kingdom of ABHA. Therefore, praise and glorify
the Possessor of that Call, so that the call may be repeated.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

As to the difference between inspiration and imagination:
Inspiration is in conformity with the Divine Texts, but imaginations do not conform therewith. A real, spiritual connection
between the True One and the servant is a luminous bounty
which causeth an ecstatic (or divine) flame, passion and
attraction. When this connection is secured (or realized) such
an ecstasy and happiness become manifest in the heart that
man doth fly away (with joy) and uttereth melody and song.
Just as the soul bringeth the body in motion, so that spiritual
bounty and real connection likewise moveth (or cheereth)
the human soul.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

O thou honorable one!
Thank thou God that thou art instructed in music and
melody, singing with pleasant voice the glorification and
praise of the Eternal, the Living. I pray to God that thou
mayest employ this talent in prayer and supplication, in order
that the souls may become quickened, the hearts may become
attracted and all may become inflamed with the fire of the
love of God!
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

Melodies of Love & Praise

Cast behind every single thought and idea and attach thyself
to the commemoration of thy Master, the Ancient. Be thou
soaring in the Kingdom of God, the Mighty, the Beneficent.
Live thou in Paris until the fragrance of the love of God may
emanate from thee in the college wherein thou art studying
sciences and unfurl thou the standard of universal peace, reconciliation, agreement and security among all men. Rejoice
thou by the bounty of thy Lord which hath encompassed the
whole existence and sing and warble with the most wonderful
melody in the rose-garden of knowledge. Verily thy Lord, the
Beneficent, will confirm thee in every moment and second
and will empower thee with such a power that the columns
of warfare and bloodshed shall shake and the foundation of
peace and harmony shall arise.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

The hosts of the Kingdom of Abha are drawn and filed up in
battle-array on the plain of the Supreme Apex and are expecting that a band of volunteers step upon the field of action with
the intention of service; so that they may assist that band and
make it victorious and triumphant.
O Thou Almighty God! Confirm Thou these friends
and the maid-servants of the Merciful! Grant Thou to them
assistance. Open Thou before their faces the closed doors and
make them intimate with the fragrances of holiness, so that
they may become the confident friends of each other; raise the
melody and the song of joy and sing the harmony of heaven,
in order that they may exhilarate and gladden the regions of
the West and impart attraction and ecstasy!
Make Thou them the magnets of love so that they may
attract the hearts to the Kingdom of Abha!
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

His Holiness Christ, addressing the believers, uttereth the
following in the Gospel: “Be awake lest the Son of Man
come and find ye asleep!” Now, thou wast awake, therefore
thou didst advance and engage in the service of the Word of
God. Appreciate the value of this attainment, and, like unto a
candle, radiate the light of the love of God in the meeting of
the beloved. Encourage the beloved of God and be a source of
joy and gladness to the Bahais. Hold meetings and read and
chant the heavenly teachings, so that city may be illumined
with the light of reality and that country become a veritable
paradise by the strength of the Holy Spirit, for this cycle is the
cycle of the Glorious Lord and the melody of oneness and
solidarity of the world of mankind must reach the ears of the
East and West.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

O Lord! Should the breath of the Holy Spirit confirm the
weakest of creatures, he would attain all to which he aspireth
and would possess anything he desireth. Indeed, Thou hast
assisted Thy servants in the past and, though they were the
weakest of Thy creatures, the lowliest of Thy servants and the
most insignificant of those who lived upon the earth, through
Thy sanction and potency they took precedence over the
most glorious of Thy people and the most noble of mankind.
Whereas formerly they were as moths, they became as royal
falcons, and whereas before they were as brooks, they became
as seas, through Thy bestowal and Thy mercy. They became,
through Thy most great favor, stars shining on the horizon
of guidance, birds singing in the rose gardens of immortality,
lions roaring in the forests of knowledge and wisdom, and
whales swimming in the oceans of life.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

Melodies of Love & Praise

Raise ye a clamour like unto a roaring sea; like a prodigal
cloud, rain down the grace of heaven. Lift up your voices and
sing out the songs of the Abhá Realm. Quench ye the fires of
war, lift high the banners of peace, work for the oneness of
humankind and remember that religion is the channel of love
unto all peoples.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

O ye esteemed maid-servants of God, and ye revered beloved
ones (or men believers) of the Merciful!
Your letter was received and its contents noted. The
maid-servant of God, she who hath ascended to heaven, i.e.,
Mrs … hastened from this mortal world to the divine world
and soared from this temporal realm to the expanse of the
Kingdom. She abandoned the earthly cage and flew toward
the bower of the upper world; so that, like unto a nightingale
of significances, she may, in that divine rose-garden, engage
in praising, glorifying and sanctifying the True One, with the
most marvelous melody.
Consequently, do ye not sigh in grief of her decease, and
be not dejected on account of her ascension.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

Then, O ye friends of God! Appreciate the value of this
precious Revelation, move and act in accordance with it and
walk in the straight path and the right way. Show it to the
people. Raise the melody of the Kingdom and spread abroad
the teachings and ordinances of the loving Lord so that the
world may become another world, the darkened earth may
become illumined and the dead body of the people may
obtain new life. Every soul may seek everlasting life through
the breath of the Merciful.
Bahá’í World Faith

O ye beloved friends of Abdul-Baha!
The news of your spiritual assembly reached this Illumined
Spot and the heart of this yearning one was rejoiced on
account of your concord, unity and affinity. What wonderful
meetings and brilliant gatherings were those, whose fame will
become world-wide and whose melody will ere long reach to
all the kingdoms! that in the region of America the believers
are real companions and associates with each other and are
as beloved friends among themselves; that they bring about
gatherings of friendship, engage themselves in the praise and
glorification of the glorious Lord, deliver eloquent speeches,
establish the proofs and arguments of the Manifestation of the
Sun of Truth, spread the divine teachings and shed broadcast
the musk-diffusing fragrances of the Kingdom, so that the
nostrils become perfumed and the eyes become brightened.
O ye friends! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! Those
assemblies are the emblems of the Supreme Concourse and the
prototypes of the congregations of the spirits in the Kingdom
of Abha. Avail yourselves of the opportunities of this time,
neither let the occasion slip by unheeded. The season of the
soul-refreshing springtime will not appear at all time, neither
will the breezy dawn be at every moment. Now is the time of
proclamation and the occasion of supplication and invocation
toward the Kingdom of Abha.
Therefore, sing ye the sweet melody in the assemblages,
entreat ye at the Threshold of the Kingdom of the Lord of
Hosts and beg ye for confirmation and assistance. The Guide
of Providence will appear and the “beloved of divine gift” will
unveil her luminous countenance.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

O Divine Providence! This assemblage is composed of Thy
friends who are attracted to Thy beauty and are set ablaze by
the fire of Thy love. Turn these souls into heavenly angels,

Melodies of Love & Praise

resuscitate them through the breath of Thy Holy Spirit, grant
them eloquent tongues and resolute hearts, bestow upon them
heavenly power and merciful susceptibilities, cause them to
become the promulgators of the oneness of mankind and
the cause of love and concord in the world of humanity, so
that the perilous darkness of ignorant prejudice may vanish
through the light of the Sun of Truth, this dreary world may
become illumined, this material realm may absorb the rays of
the world of spirit, these different colors may merge into one
color and the melody of praise may rise to the kingdom of Thy
sanctity. Verily, Thou art the Omnipotent, and the Almighty!
Bahá’í Prayers

O thou worshipper of Truth!
Thy letter was received and its contents became known.
Praise be to God! Immense results and great effect have been
produced by forwarding [recent] Tablets to that country
(America). They gladdened and exhilarated the friends and
imparted happiness to the souls. They granted sight to the
eyes and hearing to the ears. It is hoped that wonderful effects
will be displayed in the future, that the friends of God may
live and act in accord with the heavenly teachings, in order
that the region of America may become the Paradise of Abha,
that desert and wilderness become the rose-garden of human
perfections, the verses of guidance be read, the melody of “Ya
Baha El-Abha!” reach the Kingdom of Beauty; warfare and
bloodshed be removed from among the people, affinity and
love hoist their tent upon the apex of the world, all mankind
become real friends with one another and each soul respect
the other. Whenever these signs appear, then it will become
manifest that the Tablets have had their effect.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

The following commune is to be read by them every day:
O GOD! O God! This is a broken-winged bird and his
flight is very slow—assist him so that he may fly toward the
apex of prosperity and salvation, wing his way with the utmost
joy and happiness throughout the illimitable space, raise his
melody in Thy Supreme Name in all the regions, exhilarate
the ears with this call, and brighten the eyes by beholding the
signs of guidance.
O Lord! I am single, alone and lowly. For me there is no
support save Thee, no helper except Thee and no sustainer
beside Thee. Confirm me in Thy service, assist me with the
cohorts of Thine angels, make me victorious in the promotion
of Thy Word and suffer me to speak out Thy wisdom amongst
Thy creatures. Verily, Thou art the helper of the weak and the
defender of the little ones, and verily Thou art the Powerful,
the Mighty and the Unconstrained.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

The beloved of the Lord, with their musk-scented breath,
burn like bright candles in every clime, and the friends of
the All-Merciful, even as unfolding flowers, can be found in
all regions. Not for a moment do they rest; they breathe not
but in remembrance of Thee, and crave naught but to serve
Thy Cause. In the meadows of truth they are as sweet-singing
nightingales, and in the flower-garden of guidance they are
even as brightly-coloured blossoms. With mystic flowers they
adorn the walks of the Garden of Reality; as swaying cypresses
they line the riverbanks of the Divine Will. Above the horizon
of being they shine as radiant stars; in the firmament of the
world they gleam as resplendent orbs. Manifestations of
celestial grace are they, and daysprings of the light of divine
assistance.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Melodies of Love & Praise

Be, therefore, a divine bird, proceed to thy native country,
spread the wings of sanctity over those spots and sing and
chant and celebrate the name of thy Lord, that thou mayest
gladden the Supreme Concourse and make the seeking souls
hasten unto thee as the moths hasten to the lamp, and thus
illumine that distant country by the light of God.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

O ye merciful friends of Abdul-Baha! At this moment a letter
hath been received from America containing the good news
that that region of the Occident hath become the Orient; that
is, in that region the rays of the Sun of Truth have appeared
and shone forth with such penetration that the bright light
of the morn of guidance hath dawned and every longing one
hath attained to the desire of this heart, and that the melody
of the Kingdom of Abha ascends continuously to the Supreme
Concourse and the soul-refreshing strains of “ Ya Baha
El-Abha!” reach the ears of the peoples and communities of
that country.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

If, in this momentous task, a mighty effort be exerted, the
world of humanity will shine out with other adornings, and
shed the fairest light. Then will this darksome place grow
luminous, and this abode of earth turn into Heaven. The very
demons will change to angels then, and wolves to shepherds
of the flock, and the wild-dog pack to gazelles that pasture on
the plains of oneness, and ravening beasts to peaceful herds,
and birds of prey, with talons sharp as knives, to songsters
warbling their sweet native notes.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Heroes are they, O my Lord, lead them to the field of battle.
Guides are they, make them to speak out with arguments
and proofs. Ministering servants are they, cause them to pass
round the cup that brimmeth with the wine of certitude. O
my God, make them to be songsters that carol in fair gardens,
make them lions that couch in the thickets, whales that plunge
in the vasty deep.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Then let you engage in the praise of Bahá’u’lláh, for it is
through His grace and succour that ye have become sons and
daughters of the Kingdom; it is thanks to Him that ye are now
songsters in the meadows of truth, and have soared upward
to the heights of the glory that abideth forever. Ye have found
your place in the world that dieth not; the breaths of the Holy
Spirit have blown upon you; ye have taken on another life, ye
have gained access to the Threshold of God.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Now is the time for the lovers of God to raise high the banners
of unity, to intone, in the assemblages of the world, the verses
of friendship and love and to demonstrate to all that the
grace of God is one. Thus will the tabernacles of holiness be
upraised on the summits of the earth, gathering all peoples
into the protective shadow of the Word of Oneness. This great
bounty will dawn over the world at the time when the lovers
of God shall arise to carry out His Teachings, and to scatter far
and wide the fresh, sweet scents of universal love.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Melodies of Love & Praise

Wherefore, O beloved of the Lord, strive ye with heart and
soul to receive a share of His holy attributes and take your
portion of the bounties of His sanctity—that ye may become
the tokens of unity, the standards of singleness, and seek out
the meaning of oneness; that ye may, in this garden of God,
lift up your voices and sing the blissful anthems of the spirit.
Become ye as the birds who offer Him their thanks, and in
the blossoming bowers of life chant ye such melodies as will
dazzle the minds of those who know. Raise ye a banner on
the highest peaks of the world, a flag of God’s favour to ripple
and wave in the winds of His grace; plant ye a tree in the field
of life, amid the roses of this visible world, that will yield a
fruitage fresh and sweet.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Therefore, O ye friends of God! Show ye forth an earnest
endeavor and display ye a resolute effort, so that ye may
become assisted in the adoration of the Ancient Beauty and
the Manifest Light; to be the cause of spreading the light of the
Sun of Truth; to infuse into the dead, antiquated body of the
world a new spirit; to cast in the fields of the hearts pure seeds;
to arise in the service of the Cause; to speak with eloquent
tongues; to become candles of guidance in the assemblage
of the world; to become shining stars in the horizon of the
existent being; to become merciful birds in the rose-garden
of oneness; to sing the melodies of realities and significances;
to spend every breath of your lives in the most great Cause;
and to devote the period of your existence to the service of
this conspicuous Light; so that in the end ye may be freed
from loss and failure and attain to the inexhaustible treasury
of the Kingdom.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s supreme joy is in observing that a number of
leaves from among the handmaidens of the Blessed Beauty
have been educated, that they are the essence of detachment,
and are well-informed of the mysteries of the world of being;
that they raise such a call in their glorification and praise of
the Greatest Name as to cause the inmates of the Fanes of the
Kingdom to become attracted and overjoyed, and that they
recite prayers in prose and poetry, and melodiously chant the
divine verses. I cherish the hope that thou wilt be one of them,
wilt cast forth pearls, wilt be constantly engaged in singing
His praise and wilt intone celestial strains in glorification of
His attributes …
Women (compilation)

The time hath come when, as a thank-offering for this
bestowal, ye should grow in faith and constancy as day followeth day, and should draw ever nearer to the Lord, your
God, becoming magnetized to such a degree, and so aflame,
that your holy melodies in praise of the Beloved will reach
upward to the Company on high; and that each one of you,
even as a nightingale in this rose garden of God, will glorify
the Lord of Hosts, and become the teacher of all who dwell
on earth.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Take the cup of sanctity in thy right hand and pass the glass of
the Kingdom, in the social meeting—which is the wine of the
love of God and the sweet, pure, cool water of the knowledge
of God—and give to drink to those who are in attendance, that
they may rejoice, be happy and sing the hymns of sanctity and
unification, offering their praise to the Supreme Kingdom.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

Melodies of Love & Praise

Bestow upon them the everlasting life and bless them with the
new teachings. Make every one a lighted torch and a warbling
nightingale—the king of the rose in the garden. Reveal to
them Thine attractive beauty; make each a growing tree on
the shore of Thy guidance, bearing the fruit of Thy grace. Thus
may the East illumine the West and the West become the East
of the Supreme Heaven.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

Do not wonder at the favor and bounty of the Lord. By the
favor of God, how often a drop hath become undulating like
a sea, and an atom become shining like the sun!
The Sun of Truth hath enlightened the divine world and
illumined the universe. The rays of His grace have shone upon
the East and West, and His heat hath caused vegetation in all
countries. So the lights and the heat of the Sun of Truth being
help and assistance, what more dost thou need?
Thou must warble, like the nightingale of significances, in
the rose garden so that thou mayest inspire all the birds of the
meadow to chant and to sing.
Japan Will Turn Ablaze!

Therefore, roll up thy sleeves to serve the Covenant, make
the hearts firm in the Covenant of the beloved Lord, create
harmony and agreement among the believers and impart to
them the glad-tidings of the confirmation which they will
receive from God if the differences of opinion be removed
and if they unite and agree, be firm in spreading the fragrance
of God, divulging the traces and chanting the signs of God.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

As to thee, convey unto the maid-servants of the Merciful
that they must be firm in the love of El-Baha at the time of
the severe trials and tests; forasmuch as the storms and winds
occur during the winter seasons; then comes the spring with
the wonderful scenery and it adorns the hills and plains with
flowers and beautiful birds sing the melodies of joy on the
branches of the trees and warble beautiful tunes on the roofs
of bowers, in wonderful melodies. Soon shalt thou see that
the lights have shone forth, the banners of the Kingdom have
been raised, the fragrances of God diffused, the hosts of the
Kingdom descending, the angels of heaven confirmed and the
Holy Spirit breathed into those horizons (regions). Then shalt
thou see the waverers frightened and at loss. This is a complete
matter on the part of the Lord of Signs.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

Blessed ye are, O ye pure and chaste ones! Glad-tidings be
unto you through the gift of the Covenant, from the light
of which all regions are illuminated! Be rejoiced that the
lights of the Sun of Truth are shining forth unto all parts; be
gladdened at the gifts of your Lord, which have surrounded
all the universe; dilate your breasts by chanting the verses of
God, and console your eyes by witnessing the bounties of the
Supreme Concourse.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

O thou who art attracted to God!
I send this letter written by my own hand, that thou mayest
thank God, thy Lord, the Supreme, grow in happiness in the
love of God and be kindled by the fire of His love, chanting
verses of greetings and thanks, and be quickened by the breezes
of life blown from the garden of the knowledge of God.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

Melodies of Love & Praise

O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God!
Verily I read thy last letter and gathered from its meanings
the mysteries of thy great love. I supplicate to my Lord that
He may at every moment increase thy joy and fragrance, thy
speech and utterance, thine attraction and enkindlement, and
that He may heal thee from the infirmities which have affected
thee and weakened thy feeble body, and strengthen thee to
guide mankind into the Supreme Kingdom and quicken
hearts by the fragrances of the Paradise of Abha, so that thou
mayest become a bird warbling upon the twigs of the Tree of
Life, with most wonderful melodies and most charming tunes.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

O ye friends of this prisoner!
According to what is heard and evident, you have arranged
an assembly in the utmost beauty and a number of you present
yourselves in that meeting with all love and unity and engage
in communion (i.e., reading of the communes), chanting
of the verses, spiritual conversation and utterance of the
Kingdom. Blessed are ye for having adorned such a meeting
and for having prepared such a feast! That gathering receiveth
bounty from the Supreme Concourse and that nucleus is
under the protection of the Bounty of Abha.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

Go out from the solitary place like unto a shining star blazing
on its horizon. This is better for thee in the Kingdom of
the Lord of the worlds. Thus, hearken unto the melodies
of the birds of holiness, in the garden of fellowship, upon
the branches of purity; to the murmuring of its waters, the
rustling of the trees, the blowing of its breezes and the cooing
of its doves.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

O my friend, verily the Cause is great and great, and the penetration of the Word of God in the temple (body) of all the
regions is similar to the pervasion of the soul in a sound body.
By the life of Baha’, verily, the power of the Kingdom of
God hath taken hold of the pillars of the world, and hath possessed all the nations. Thou wilt surely find the standards of
the Testament waving in all regions, the chanting of the verses
of unity raised in exalted assemblies, and the lights of the Sun
of Truth and its heat dispersing the thick clouds massed on the
horizon. Be rejoiced at this glad-tidings, whereby the hearts of
the sincere among the beloved are cheered.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

O ye illumined faces! O ye divine souls! and O ye
spiritual temples!
Verily, I read your letter which uttered your extreme love
and entire attraction to the Kingdom of God, your trust in
God, your immersing into the deep seas of the bounties of God
and your chanting the verses of thanksgiving to God, because
He guided you to His Eternal Kingdom, manifested to you His
evident light, descended upon you a heavenly table through
His great favor, planted you in His glorious vineyard and
caused you to become manifestations of guidance among the
people and dawning-points of wisdom among the creatures.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

O thou who art kindled as a lamp with the Fire of the Love
of God!
Be thou a fountain flowing with the waters of the mercy
of God, a myrtle perfumed with the fragrances of God and a
bird warbling the most wonderful melodies of the knowledge
of God in the garden of faith.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

Melodies of Love & Praise

Thus with a heavenly power, divine strength, merciful fragrance, supreme light, and conscious attraction, may they
arise to serve Thee, to perfume the East and the West with
the fragrances of holiness, establish the universal peace,
promulgate integrity and honesty, to adore the truth, become
a means of life to the people of the world, a cause of comfort
and rest to them; to help the spiritual meeting, to serve the
gathering of the Lord, to send well-informed souls (teachers)
to other regions and climes, to be self-sacrificing with life and
heart, to build the Mashrak-el-Azcar, to raise the anthem of
sanctity to the Supreme Kingdom, to live in perfect love with
one another …
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

Blessed is the pure blood which was shed on the perfumed
soil, and which was poured out in the path of the forgiving
Lord! Blessed is thy body which was burned by the hand of
every transgressor! Blessed is thy throat which was cut by
the poniard of every traitor! Blessed is thy breast which was
stricken by the oppressors’ darts! Blessed is thy heart which
was wounded by a sharp sword! Blessed art thou, for thou
hast showed forth all happiness and joy when thou wert
being paraded in the streets of the people of haughtiness
and the people of wickedness were clapping their hands and
oppressing thee with innumerable blows and wounds, whilst
thou wert clapping thy hands with them—O thou manifestor
of light!—and wert warbling melodies, whereby the people
of the Kingdom of El-Abha were moved and breasts dilated
(with joy)!
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

Among the people, a multitude became intoxicated with this
divine wine—and a multitude were deprived of this great
favor. Many a soul enlightened his sight and insight by the
radiance of grace, and many were cheered and rejoiced at the
melodies of unity. Some birds sang melodies and harmonies,
and some nightingales began to warble on the branches of the
rose-tree of mercifulness. The Kingdom and the phenomenal
world were adorned, and became the envy of the delectable
paradise …
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

O thou maid-servant of God who art attracted to the
Fragrances of God!
Speak of my servitude unto God, of my humbleness and
submissiveness to the Beloved of God, and of my evanescence,
nothingness and utter meekness to the Threshold of Baha’.
Verily, I am the servant of Baha’, the slave of Baha’ and the
captive of Baha’. I have no grade but this and I do not possess
anything for myself. Therefore, mention me in my pure
servitude; this is that by which my heart is dilated by every
maid-servant who speaks the praise of God. I beseech God
to make thee a dove in the grove of holiness, to coo with the
most wonderful melodies the praise of thy Lord, the Merciful!
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

O thou Eternal One! Make the friends of that country
prosperous, acquaint them with the mysteries; usher them
into the divine rose-garden and reveal to them the hidden
realities and significances; make their hearts the association
of truth and their souls full of divine melodies and sacred
(choral) music! O God! This respectful assemblage are my
relatives and kindred and the cause of the happiness of this
afflicted one. Bestow upon them a shining face and grant them

Melodies of Love & Praise

a musk-diffusing character. Show them the mystery of the
Kingdom and suffer them to hear the soul-elevating harmony
of heaven! Awaken (the people) by the breeze of the Paradise
of Abha and make them alive by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Verily, Thou are the Powerful and Omnipotent, and Thou art
the Bestower and generous!
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

… O beloved of God, endeavor with your hearts and souls,
that ye may be qualified with the morals and attributes of the
Blessed Perfection, and partake of the bounties of His sanctity;
that ye may become signs of unity and standards of oneness,
discover the essence of singleness and sing harmonies and
lays in in this divine garden, in merciful melodies; that ye may
become as thankful birds, and sing a song in the rose-garden
of existence which may astonish minds and senses; that ye
may hoist a standard on the apex of the universe which may
flutter in the winds of favor, and plant a tree in the field of
the visible world which may bring forth fruits of the utmost
delicacy and freshness.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

O thou son of the Kingdom! If one possesses the love of God,
everything that he undertakes is useful, but if the undertaking
is without the love of God, then it is hurtful and the cause
of veiling one’s self from the Lord of the Kingdom. But with
the love of God every bitterness is changed into sweetness
and every gift becometh precious. For instance, a musical
and melodious voice imparteth life to an attracted heart but
lureth toward lust those souls who are engulfed in passion
and desire.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

Soon the whole world, as in springtime, will change its
garb. The turning and falling of the autumn leaves is past;
the bleakness of the winter time is over. The new year hath
appeared and the spiritual springtime is at hand. The black
earth is becoming a verdant garden; the deserts and mountains are teeming with red flowers; from the borders of the
wilderness the tall grasses are standing like advance guards
before the cypress and jessamine trees; while the birds are
singing among the rose branches like the angels in the highest
heavens, announcing the glad-tidings of the approach of that
spiritual spring, and the sweet music of their voices is causing
the real essence of all things to move and quiver.
O my spiritual friend! Dost thou know from what airs
emanate the notes sung by those birds? They are from the
melodies of peace and reconciliation, of love and unity, of
justice and security, of concord and harmony. In a short time
this heavenly singing will intoxicate all humanity; the foundations of enmity shall be destroyed; unity and affection shall be
witnessed in every assembly; and the lovers of the love of God
at these great festivals shall behold their splendor.
Therefore, contemplate what a spirit of life God hath given
that the body of the whole earth may attain life everlasting!
The Paradise of El-Abha will soon spread a pavilion from the
pole-star of the world, under whose shelter the beloved shall
rejoice and the pure hearts shall repose in peace.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

Verily, I supplicate God to enkindle in thy heart the fire of
His love; and enkindlement the light of which shall affect all
regions, so that thy face may become illumined by the lights of
the Spirit and [give forth] fragrance in the world of possibility.
Arise for the service of the Cause of God in those countries
which are vast and spacious, and sing, warbling beautiful
melodies in the Name of thy Lord, the Supreme.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2
Melodies of Love & Praise

O thou chosen maid-servant of God! It is time for thee to cry
aloud and fervently, day and night, not to sit still a moment,
not to rest for an instant, but to be always engaged in the
commemoration of God and invite the people with the utmost
longing and ecstasy unto the Kingdom of God.
Raise thou such melodies and harmony in Green Acre
that may reach unto the Kingdom of Abha and cause joy
and exaltation in the angels of heaven! This matter needs a
great enthusiasm (heat or exertion) and a sanctity and purity
like unto a manifest light. Thou knowest what secrets doeth
the spirit of Abdul-Baha communicate with thee and what
glad-tidings he giveth unto thee! Show forth thy capacity and
merit, for without capacity the Gift doth not become manifest.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God! Verily, I
noted thy letter and utterance. God hath accepted thy devotion,
prayer and worship and hath manifested upon thee the lights
of His great favor, ushered thee into His Kingdom, gave thee
to drink of the wine of His love and made thee to hear the
melodies of the birds of holiness in this wonderful day.
Thank God that He enriched thee beyond the delicacies
of this mortal world and caused thee to taste the sweetness of
His love in His New Kingdom.
O maid-servant of God! Sing with beautiful melodies in
the meetings of the maid-servants, praising and glorifying thy
Supreme Lord … Confine thy interests, thy works and efforts
to the Cause of God. Thus the spirit of power and might will
confirm thee and the manifest light will shine upon thy brow.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

I hope that ye will attain the utmost patience, composure and
resignation, and I entreat and implore at the Threshold of
Oneness, begging for forgiveness and pardon. My hope from
the infinite bounties of God is that He may shelter this dove
of the garden of faith, and cause him to abide on the branch
of the Supreme Concourse, that he may sing in the best of
melodies the praise and glorification of the Lord of Names
and Attributes.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

… in the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan and
Minnesota—praise be to God—believers are found who
are associating with each other in the utmost firmness and
steadfastness—day and night they have no other intention
save the diffusion of the fragrances of God, they have no other
hope except the promotion of the heavenly teachings, like the
candles they are burning with the light of the love of God,
and like thankful birds are singing songs, spirit-imparting,
joy-creating, in the rose garden of the knowledge of God …
Tablets of the Divine Plan

O thou dear maid-servant of God!
Mr … hath greatly praised thee that—praise be to God!
—thou art like unto a melodious nightingale, singing and
warbling in the rose-garden of the love of God, and art
uttering of the mystery of the Kingdom; that thy house and
dwelling is a meeting-place of the spiritual ones and thy nest
and abode is a shelter for the birds of heaven. Nothing is better
than that man should become a manifestor of the powers of
God and the cause of illuminating the creatures.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

Melodies of Love & Praise

This Feast was established by His Highness the Bab, to occur
once in nineteen days. Likewise, the Blessed Perfection 2
hath commanded, encourage and reiterated it. Therefore,
it hath the utmost importance. Undoubtedly you must give
the greatest attention to its establishment and raise it to the
highest point of importance, so that it may become continual
and constant. The believers of God must assemble and associate with each other in the utmost love, joy and fragrance.
They must conduct themselves (in these Feasts) with the
greatest dignity and consideration, chant divine verses, peruse
instructive articles, read the Tablets of Abdul-Baha, encourage
and inspire each other with love for the whole human race,
invoke God with perfect joy and fragrance, sing the verses,
glorifications and praises of the Self-subsistent Lord and
deliver eloquent speeches.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

O bird that singeth sweetly of the Abhá Beauty! In this new
and wondrous dispensation the veils of superstition have
been torn asunder and the prejudices of eastern peoples stand
condemned. Among certain nations of the East, music was
considered reprehensible, but in this new age the Manifest
Light hath, in His holy Tablets, specifically proclaimed that
music, sung or played, is spiritual food for soul and heart.
The musician’s art is among those arts worthy of the highest
praise, and it moveth the hearts of all who grieve. Wherefore,
O thou Shahnáz, 3 play and sing out the holy words of God
with wondrous tones in the gatherings of the friends, that the
listener may be freed from chains of care and sorrow, and his
soul may leap for joy and humble itself in prayer to the realm
of Glory.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

2 Bahá’u’lláh
3 Shahnáz, the name given to the recipient of this Tablet, is also the
name of a musical mode
… you must thank God that—praise be to God!—through
His grace and favor the lamp of the most great guidance has
been ignited in your hearts, and He has summoned you to His
Kingdom. He has caused the call of the Supreme Concourse
to reach your ears. The doors of heaven have been opened
unto you. The Sun of Reality is shining upon you, the cloud
of mercy is pouring down, and the breezes of providence are
wafting through your souls. Although the bestowal is great
and the grace is glorious, yet capacity and readiness are
requisite. Without capacity and readiness the divine bounty
will not become manifest and evident. No matter how much
the cloud may rain, the sun may shine and the breezes blow,
the soil that is sterile will give no growth. The ground that is
pure and free from thorns and thistles receives and produces
through the rain of the cloud of mercy. No matter how much
the sun shines, it will have no effect upon the black rock, but
in a pure and polished mirror its lights become resplendent.
Therefore, we must develop capacity in order that the signs
of the mercy of the Lord may be revealed in us. We must
endeavor to free the soil of the hearts from useless weeds and
sanctify it from the thorns of worthless thoughts in order that
the cloud of mercy may bestow its power upon us. The doors
of God are open, but we must be ready and fitted to enter. The
ocean of divine providence is surging, but we must be able to
swim. The bestowals of the Almighty are descending from the
heaven of grace, but capacity to receive them is essential. The
fountain of divine generosity is gushing forth, but we must
have thirst for the living waters. Unless there be thirst, the
salutary water will not assuage. Unless the soul hungers, the
delicious foods of the heavenly table will not give sustenance.
Unless the eyes of perception be opened, the lights of the
sun will not be witnessed. Until the nostrils are purified, the
fragrance of the divine rose garden will not be inhaled. Unless
the heart be filled with longing, the favors of the Lord will not
be evident. Unless a perfect melody be sung, the ears of the

Melodies of Love & Praise

hearers will not be attracted. Therefore, we must endeavor
night and day to purify the hearts from every dross, sanctify
the souls from every restriction and become free from the
discords of the human world. Then the divine bestowals will
become evident in their fullness and glory. If we do not strive
and sanctify ourselves from the defects and evil qualities of
human nature, we will not partake of the bestowals of God. It
is as if the sun is shining in its full glory, but no reflection is
forthcoming from hearts that are black as stone. If an ocean of
salubrious water is surging and we be not thirsty, what benefit
do we receive? If the candle be lighted and we have no eyes,
what enjoyment do we obtain from it? If melodious anthems
should rise to the heavens and we are bereft of hearing, what
enjoyment can we find?
The Promulgation of Universal Peace

O thou bird warbling in the Garden of the Love of God!
Thank God that He hath illumined thine insight, led thee
unto the Fire glowing in the Tree of Man, caused thee to utter
His praise among the creatures and guided certain women
to whom thou delivered the Word of God … I pray God to
confirm the relatives in attaining to the Brilliant Light, to
let the light of insight shine forth to the hearts and sights,
to aid thy friends in being illumined by the light of El-Baha
and [being] fed from the heavenly table, and to make thee
empty, void from the thoughts of the life of this world and
filled with the love of thy Lord, ready for His service, uttering
His praise and demonstrating with proofs the appearance of
the Kingdom of God.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

O ye two 4 singing birds in the Garden of Belief !
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

4 husband and wife 105
O thou bird who art warbling in the Garden of the Guidance
of God!
Verily, I read thy excellent and brilliant letter. It showed
how thou hast sought the fire of guidance from the Sinaitic
Tree, and art shining by the light of faithfulness of the
Supreme Concourse.
Blessed art thou; again, blessed art thou! Glad-tidings be
unto thee; again, glad-tidings be unto thee!
Appreciate the worth of this peerless and choice Pearl (of
the Truth). By the life of God, verily, this is the most splendid
jewel which glitters on the crown of glory, among all the
people of the world.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

My God! My God! Elohim.
To this Thy servant give the understanding of the Old
Testament and the New and enable her to speak forth with
mighty voice and to sing with power the holy songs and to
discover the real meaning and the secret mysteries of those
verses, for Thou art the Powerful Inspirer and the Mighty One!
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

It is incumbent upon thee to assemble continuously with
the beloved of God and to meet with those whose faces are
illumined with the light of the love of God. Verily, I supplicate
to God to make thee sincere in this love, to illumine thee
with the light of His Kingdom, and to destine unto thee the
illumination by the light of His attributes, to make thee a sign
of mercy, a bird warbling the verses of unity; that thou mayest
be nurtured in the bosom of His providence, and become a
growing tree bearing fruit in the Paradise of El-Abha.
Bahá’í World Faith

Melodies of Love & Praise

If thou art a hero of the field and a melodious bird in the
garden of the Merciful One, speak of the Beauty of Abha, for
it is ready and present.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

O thou son of the Kingdom! All things are beneficial if joined
with the love of God; and without His love all things are
harmful, and act as a veil between man and the Lord of the
Kingdom. When His love is there, every bitterness turneth
sweet, and every bounty rendereth a wholesome pleasure. For
example, a melody, sweet to the ear, bringeth the very spirit
of life to a heart in love with God, yet staineth with lust a soul
engrossed in sensual desires. And every branch of learning,
conjoined with the love of God, is approved and worthy of
praise; but bereft of His love, learning is barren—indeed, it
bringeth on madness. Every kind of knowledge, every science,
is as a tree: if the fruit of it be the love of God, then is it a
blessed tree, but if not, that tree is but dried-up wood, and
shall only feed the fire.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

O thou son of the Kingdom!
Thy sweet letters with their interesting contents are
always conducive to the joy of the hearts. They are like unto
the melodies of the nightingale which imparteth exultation
to soul and mind. Thank thou God! that thou hast gone to
those parts 5 for the purpose of spreading the Word of God
and diffusing the holy fragrances of the Kingdom of God
and that thou art a gardener in the divine orchard. Ere long,
confirmation and assistance shall environ thee.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

5 Germany
… this limitless universe is like the human body, all the
members of which are connected and linked with one
another with the greatest strength. How much the organs, the
members and the parts of the body of man are intermingled
and connected for mutual aid and help, and how much they
influence one another! In the same way, the parts of this
infinite universe have their members and elements connected with one another, and influence one another spiritually
and materially.
For example, the eye sees, and all the body is affected; the
ear hears, and all the members of the body are moved. Of
this there is no doubt; and the universe is like a living person.
Moreover, the connection which exists between the members
of beings must necessarily have an effect and impression,
whether it be material or spiritual.
For those who deny spiritual influence upon material
things we mention this brief example: wonderful sounds and
tones, melodies and charming voices, are accidents which
affect the air—for sound is the term for vibrations of the
air—and by these vibrations the nerves of the tympanum of
the ear are affected, and hearing results. Now reflect that the
vibration of the air, which is an accident of no importance,
attracts and exhilarates the spirit of man and has great effect
upon him: it makes him weep or laugh; perhaps it will
influence him to such a degree that he will throw himself into
danger. Therefore, see the connection which exists between
the spirit of man and the atmospheric vibration, so that the
movement of the air becomes the cause of transporting him
from one state to another, and of entirely overpowering him;
it will deprive him of patience and tranquillity. Consider how
strange this is, for nothing comes forth from the singer which
enters into the listener; nevertheless, a great spiritual effect is
produced. Therefore, surely so great a connection between
beings must have spiritual effect and influence.

Melodies of Love & Praise

It has been mentioned that the members and parts of
man affect and influence one another. For example, the eye
sees; the heart is affected. The ear hears; and the spirit is
influenced. The heart is at rest; the thoughts become serene,
and for all the members of man’s body a pleasant condition is
realized. What a connection and what an agreement is this!
Since this connection, this spiritual effect and this influence,
exists between the members of the body of man, who is only
one of many finite beings, certainly between these universal
and infinite beings there will also be a spiritual and material
connection. Although by existing rules and actual science
these connections cannot be discovered, nevertheless, their
existence between all beings is certain and absolute.
Some Answered Questions

What a wonderful meeting this is! These are the children
of the Kingdom. The song we have just listened to was very
beautiful in melody and words. The art of music is divine and
effective. It is the food of the soul and spirit. Through the
power and charm of music the spirit of man is uplifted. It has
wonderful sway and effect in the hearts of children, for their
hearts are pure, and melodies have great influence in them.
The latent talents with which the hearts of these children
are endowed will find expression through the medium of
music. Therefore, you must exert yourselves to make them
proficient; teach them to sing with excellence and effect. It is
incumbent upon each child to know something of music, for
without knowledge of this art the melodies of instrument and
voice cannot be rightly enjoyed. Likewise, it is necessary that
the schools teach it in order that the souls and hearts of the
pupils may become vivified and exhilarated and their lives be
brightened with enjoyment.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace

My meaning is this, that in every aspect of life, purity and
holiness, cleanliness and refinement, exalt the human condition and further the development of man’s inner reality.
Even in the physical realm, cleanliness will conduce to
spirituality, as the Holy Writings clearly state. And although
bodily cleanliness is a physical thing, it hath, nevertheless,
a powerful influence on the life of the spirit. It is even as a
voice wondrously sweet, or a melody played: although sounds
are but vibrations in the air which affect the ear’s auditory
nerve, and these vibrations are but chance phenomena carried
along through the air, even so, see how they move the heart.
A wondrous melody is wings for the spirit, and maketh the
soul to tremble for joy. The purport is that physical cleanliness
doth also exert its effect upon the human soul.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

In the spiritual world the divine bestowals are infinite, for in
that realm there is neither separation nor disintegration, which
characterize the world of material existence. Spiritual existence
is absolute immortality, completeness and unchangeable being.
Therefore, we must thank God that He has created for us both
material blessings and spiritual bestowals. He has given us
material gifts and spiritual graces, outer sight to view the lights
of the sun and inner vision by which we may perceive the glory
of God. He has designed the outer ear to enjoy the melodies of
sound and the inner hearing wherewith we may hear the voice
of our Creator. We must strive with energies of heart, soul and
mind to develop and manifest the perfections and virtues latent
within the realities of the phenomenal world, for the human
reality may be compared to a seed. If we sow the seed, a mighty
tree appears from it. The virtues of the seed are revealed in the
tree; it puts forth branches, leaves, blossoms, and produces
fruits. All these virtues were hidden and potential in the seed.
Through the blessing and bounty of cultivation these virtues

Melodies of Love & Praise

became apparent. Similarly, the merciful God, our Creator, has
deposited within human realities certain latent and potential
virtues. Through education and culture these virtues deposited
by the loving God will become apparent in the human reality,
even as the unfoldment of the tree from within the germinating
seed. I will pray for you.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace

Through Mirza Ahmad, to the friends and maid-servants of
God, Sandusky, Ohio.
Upon them be Baha’o’llah-El-Abha! He is God! O ye who
are favored in the Threshold of the Almighty!
Your letter was a rose-garden of significances and from it
the fragrance of the Love of God was exhaled. The friends can
talk with each other without the lips or tongue, and without
the assistance of pen, ink and paper they correspond with each
other in the world of heart and spirit. Your brief letter was
an indication of those detailed letters. It was the essence of
truths and contained innumerable meanings. Therefore, in
reality I read in your letter a book, and I felt that all of you are
illumined by the light of guidance, are soaring in the infinite
sphere of the love of God, like unto the birds singing wonderful melodies in this rose-garden and like unto the nightingale
chanting harmonious songs and music. We expect that day
after day this melody will become sweeter, this symphony
more wonderful and this song more exquisite. It is assured
that the confirmations of God will assist that gathering to
progress; the boundless gifts will increase and illumine all
with the light of guidance.
Upon them be Baha’o’llah-El-Abha!
Star of the West, Bahá’í News, vol. 1, no. 6, 24 June 1910

From the Writings of Shoghi Effendi

Of the exact circumstances attending that epoch-making
Declaration we, alas, are but scantily informed. The words
Bahá’u’lláh actually uttered on that occasion, the manner
of His Declaration, the reaction it produced, its impact on
Mírzá Yaḥyá, the identity of those who were privileged to hear
Him, are shrouded in an obscurity which future historians
will find it difficult to penetrate. The fragmentary description
left to posterity by His chronicler Nabíl is one of the very few
authentic records we possess of the memorable days He spent
in that garden. “Every day,” Nabíl has related, “ere the hour of
dawn, the gardeners would pick the roses which lined the four
avenues of the garden, and would pile them in the center of the
floor of His blessed tent. So great would be the heap that when
His companions gathered to drink their morning tea in His
presence, they would be unable to see each other across it. All
these roses Bahá’u’lláh would, with His own hands, entrust to
those whom He dismissed from His presence every morning
to be delivered, on His behalf, to His Arab and Persian friends
in the city.” “One night,” he continues, “the ninth night of the
waxing moon, I happened to be one of those who watched
beside His blessed tent. As the hour of midnight approached,
I saw Him issue from His tent, pass by the places where some
of His companions were sleeping, and begin to pace up and
down the moonlit, flower-bordered avenues of the garden.
So loud was the singing of the nightingales on every side that
only those who were near Him could hear distinctly His voice.
He continued to walk until, pausing in the midst of one of
these avenues, He observed: ‘Consider these nightingales. So
great is their love for these roses, that sleepless from dusk till
dawn, they warble their melodies and commune with burning
passion with the object of their adoration. How then can those
who claim to be afire with the rose-like beauty of the Beloved
choose to sleep?’ For three successive nights I watched and
circled round His blessed tent. Every time I passed by the
112 couch whereon He lay, I would find Him wakeful, and every
Melodies of Love & Praise

day, from morn till eventide, I would see Him ceaselessly
engaged in conversing with the stream of visitors who kept
flowing in from Baghdád. Not once could I discover in the
words He spoke any trace of dissimulation.”
God Passes By

The executioners, though accustomed to their own gruesome
task, would themselves be amazed at the fiendish cruelty of
the populace. Women and children could be seen led down
the streets by their executioners, their flesh in ribbons, with
candles burning in their wounds, singing with ringing voices
before the silent spectators: “Verily from God we come, and
unto Him we return!”
God Passes By

As regard the chanting of Tablets in the Temple, Shoghi
Effendi wishes in this connection to urge the friends to avoid
all forms of rigidity and uniformity in matters of worship.
There is no objection to the recital or chanting of prayers in the
Oriental language, but there is also no obligation whatsoever
of adopting such a form of prayer at any devotional service in
the auditorium of the Temple. It should neither be required
nor prohibited. The important thing that should always be
borne in mind is that with the exception of certain specific
obligatory prayers, Bahá’u’lláh has given us no strict or special
rulings in matters of worship, whether in the Temple or elsewhere. Prayer is essentially a communion between man and
God, and as such transcends all ritualistic forms and formulae.
Directives from the Guardian

One night, aware that the hour of her death was at hand,
she 6 put on the attire of a bride, and annointed herself with
perfume, and, sending for the wife of the Kalantar, she communicated to her the secret of her impending martyrdom,
and confided to her her last wishes. Then, closeting herself
in her chambers, she awaited, in prayer and meditation, the
hour which was to witness her reunion with her Beloved. She
was pacing the floor of her room, chanting a litany expressive
of both grief and triumph, when the farráshes of Azíz Kháni-Sardár arrived, in the dead of night, to conduct her to the
Ílkhání garden, which lay beyond the city gates, and which
was to be the site of her martyrdom.
God Passes By

The cup of Bahá’u’lláh’s sorrows was now running over. All
His exhortations, all His efforts to remedy a rapidly deteriorating situation, had remained fruitless. The velocity of His
manifold woes was hourly and visibly increasing. Upon the
sadness that filled His soul and the gravity of the situation
confronting Him, His writings, revealed during that somber
period, throw abundant light. In some of His prayers He
poignantly confesses that “tribulation upon tribulation” had
gathered about Him, that “adversaries with one consent” had
fallen upon Him, that “wretchedness” had grievously touched
Him, and that “woes at their blackest” had befallen Him. God
Himself He calls upon as a Witness to His “sighs and lamentations,” His “powerlessness, poverty and destitution,” to the
“injuries” He sustained, and the “abasement” He suffered. “So
grievous hath been My weeping,” He, in one of these prayers,
avows, “that I have been prevented from making mention of
Thee and singing Thy praises.”
God Passes By

6 Tahirih
Melodies of Love & Praise

‘Abdu’l-Bahá has written that “Among certain nations of
the East, music was considered reprehensible”. Though the
Qur’án contains no specific guidance on the subject, some
Muslims consider listening to music as unlawful, while others
tolerate music within certain bounds and subject to particular conditions.
There are a number of passages in the Bahá’í Writings in
praise of music. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, for example, asserts that “music,
sung or played, is spiritual food for soul and heart”.
Kitáb-i-Aqdas

How many a night did she 7 whom the world wronged spend
as a prisoner, worn with care, tormented, banished from her
home. How many a day did she live through as an exile and
a captive! There was no venom of affliction, at the hands of
this Faith’s foes, that was not given her to drink, no arrow of
cruelty but struck her holy breast. Yet in spite of the endless
tribulations and disasters, she who was a spirit of holiness and
a songster of Heaven, would even in the midst of dire ordeals,
her face aglow, bloom like a rose.
Cited in Bahíyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf, p. 82.

From the Universal House of Justice

We recall the testimony of His distinguished sister, the Greatest
Holy Leaf, that “in the dark of the night, out of the depths of
His bosom, could be heard His burning sighs, and when the
day broke, the wondrous music of His prayers would rise up
to the denizens of the realm on high.”
27 November 2021

7 Greatest Holy Leaf
MELODIES IN THE
MASHRIQU’L-ADHKÁR

From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Teach your children the verses revealed from the heaven of
majesty and power, so that, in most melodious tones, they
may recite the Tablets of the All-Merciful in the alcoves within
the Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs. Whoever hath been transported
by the rapture born of adoration for My Name, the Most
Compassionate, will recite the verses of God in such wise as
to captivate the hearts of those yet wrapped in slumber. Well
is it with him who hath quaffed the Mystic Wine of everlasting
life from the utterance of his merciful Lord in My Name—a
Name through which every lofty and majestic mountain hath
been reduced to dust.
Kitáb-i-Aqdas

From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

O Lord, our God! We are helpless; Thou art the Lord of
strength and power. We are wretched; Thou art the Almighty,
the All-Glorious. We are poor; Thou art the All-Possessing,
the Most Generous. Graciously assist us in our servitude to
Thy sacred Threshold, and aid us, through Thy strengthening grace, to worship Thee at the dawning-places of Thy
praise. Enable us to diffuse Thy holy fragrances amongst Thy
creatures, and strengthen our loins to serve Thee amidst Thy
servants, so that we may guide all nations to Thy Most Great
Name and lead all peoples to the shores of the glorious ocean
of Thy oneness.
O Lord! Deliver us from the attachments of the world and
its peoples, from the transgressions of the past, and from the
afflictions yet to come, that we may arise to exalt Thy Word
with the utmost joy and radiance and celebrate Thy praise in
the daytime and in the night season, that we may summon
all people to the way of guidance and enjoin them to observe
righteousness, and that we may chant the verses of Thy unity
amidst all Thy creation. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth
Thee. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.
Twenty-six Prayers Revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

In the organization of the Mashrak-el-Azcar, thou art indeed
well striving. I hope thou wilt attain a great reward, open an
eloquent tongue, raise a wonderful melody in every meeting,
draw and paint the images and forms of the Kingdom in the
material world.
Rest assured in the grace of the Lord and be dilated by His
infinite favors.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

Melodies in the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár

The utmost joy was attained, for—praise be to God! —the
friends of the Merciful passed some time on that day joyous
and singing in the land of the Mashrak-el-Azcar and enjoyed
commemorating the Lord of the verses with the greatest joy.
That melody was heard by the Supreme Concourse and
that rose-song of the nightingale of faithfulness gladdened the
people of the rose-garden of ABHA.
I am hopeful that, during the coming Rizwan, 1 a great feast
shall be held in the land of the Mashrak-el-Azcar, a spiritual
celebration prepared and the melodies of the violin and the
mandoline and hymns in praise and glorification of the Lord
of Hosts make all the audience joyous and ecstatic.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God!
Verily, I chanted thy poem. Its significance was beautiful,
its composition eloquent and its words excellent. It was
like the melody of the birds of holiness in the paradise of
El-ABHA. The breasts of the maid-servants of the Merciful
were exhilarated by its chanting. Blessed art thou for uttering
forth such an excellent poem and brilliant pearl.
Verily, these verses shall be sung in the divine meetings and
in the assemblages of the spiritual in the course of ages and
centuries to come, for thou hast uttered the praise of thy Lord
and expressed significant meanings in eulogy of thy Lord, the
Merciful, the Clement. All poems shall be forgotten in the
course of time save those that are extraordinary; thy poem
shall be chanted with melody and best voices in the Center of
Worship (or Mashrak-el-Azcar) forevermore.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

1 21 April, 1909

Temples are symbols of the reality and divinity of God—the
collective center of mankind. Consider how within a temple
every race and people is seen and represented—all in the
presence of the Lord, covenanting together in a covenant of
love and fellowship, all offering the same melody, prayer and
supplication to God. Therefore, it is evident that the church
is a collective center for mankind. For this reason there have
been churches and temples in all the divine religions; but
the real Collective Centers are the Manifestations of God, of
Whom the church or temple is a symbol and expression. That
is to say, the Manifestation of God is the real divine temple and
Collective Center of which the outer church is but a symbol.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace

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.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Truly, pure and radiant hearts are the dawning-places of the
mention of God from which the melodies of supplication and
prayer continually reach the Concourse on high.
The Institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (compilation)

Melodies in the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár

The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is the dawning-place of lights and
the gathering place of the righteous. Whenever a company of
noble souls assemble in a heavenly gathering there and offer
supplications, intone divine verses, and chant prayers with
wondrous melodies, the inmates of the Concourse on high
hearken and call out, crying, “Happy are we; let all the world
rejoice!” for, praise be unto God, souls from among the angels
of the Kingdom of Glory have arisen in the nether world to
commune with their Lord and intone the verses of Divine
Unity in a gathering of holiness. What bounty is there greater
than this?
The Institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (compilation)

The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is a divine edifice in this nether world
and a means for attaining the oneness of humanity, inasmuch
as all the peoples of the world shall gather in fellowship and
harmony within the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár and, chanting the
anthems of Divine Unity, engage in the praise and glorification of the Lord of Hosts. Thy joy must, of a certainty, rest in
diffusing the light of divine guidance.
The Institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (compilation)

When the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is completed, when the lights
are emanating therefrom, and the righteous assemble therein,
when prayers are offered to the Kingdom of divine mysteries
and the voice of glorification is raised to the Supreme Lord,
then shall the believers rejoice, and their hearts be dilated,
overflowing with the love of the ever-living and self-subsisting
God.
The Institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (compilation)

O ye loved ones of God! The news was received that a
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár hath been established, that in that land
the praise and glorification of God hath reached the Kingdom
of Glory and the melodies of worship and praise of that
glorious Beloved have ascended to the Concourse on high.
What boundless joy and delight were produced by these
glad-tidings …
The Institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (compilation)

From the Writings of Shoghi Effendi

It should be borne in mind that the central Edifice of the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, round which in the fullness of time shall
cluster such institutions of social service as shall afford relief
to the suffering, sustenance to the poor, shelter to the wayfarer,
solace to the bereaved, and education to the ignorant, should
be regarded, apart from these Dependencies, as a House solely
designed and entirely dedicated to the worship of God …
25 October 1929, Bahá’í Administration

And thus having recognized in Bahá’u’lláh the Source whence
this celestial light proceeds, they will irresistibly feel attracted
to seek the shelter of His House, and congregate therein,
unhampered by ceremonials and unfettered by creed, to
render homage to the one true God, the Essence and Orb
of eternal Truth, and to exalt and magnify the name of His
Messengers and Prophets Who, from time immemorial even
unto our day, have, under divers circumstances and in varying
measure, mirrored forth to a dark and wayward world the
light of heavenly Guidance.
25 October 1929, Bahá’í Administration

EFFORT TO DIFFUSE
DIVINE MELODIES

From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Not every sea hath pearls; not every branch will flower, nor
will the nightingale sing thereon. Then, ere the nightingale
of the mystic Paradise repair to the celestial garden, and the
rays of the morn of inner meaning return to the Day-Star of
Truth, make thou an effort, that haply in this dust-heap of a
mortal world thou mayest catch a fragrance from the everlasting rose-garden and live in the shadow of the inhabitants of
this everlasting city. And when thou hast attained this highest
plane and most exalted degree, then shalt thou gaze on the
Beloved and forget all else.
The Call of the Divine Beloved

O people of Bahá! The source of crafts, sciences and arts is
the power of reflection. Make ye every effort that out of this
ideal mine there may gleam forth such pearls of wisdom and
utterance as will promote the well-being and harmony of all
the kindreds of the earth.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

O peoples of the world! Forsake all evil, hold fast that which
is good. Strive to be shining examples unto all mankind, and
true reminders of the virtues of God amidst men. He that
riseth to serve My Cause should manifest My wisdom, and
bend every effort to banish ignorance from the earth. Be
united in counsel, be one in thought. Let each morn be better
than its eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday. Man’s
merit lieth in service and virtue and not in the pageantry of
wealth and riches. Take heed that your words be purged from
idle fancies and worldly desires and your deeds be cleansed
from craftiness and suspicion. Dissipate not the wealth of your
precious lives in the pursuit of evil and corrupt affection, nor
let your endeavours be spent in promoting your personal
interest. Be generous in your days of plenty, and be patient in
the hour of loss. Adversity is followed by success and rejoicings
follow woe. Guard against idleness and sloth, and cling unto
that which profiteth mankind, whether young or old, whether
high or low. Beware lest ye sow tares of dissension among men
or plant thorns of doubt in pure and radiant hearts.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

From the exalted source, and out of the essence of His favor
and bounty He hath entrusted every created thing with a
sign of His knowledge, so that none of His creatures may
be deprived of its share in expressing, each according to its
capacity and rank, this knowledge. This sign is the mirror
of His beauty in the world of creation. The greater the effort
exerted for the refinement of this sublime and noble mirror,
the more faithfully will it be made to reflect the glory of the
names and attributes of God, and reveal the wonders of His
signs and knowledge. Every created thing will be enabled (so
great is this reflecting power) to reveal the potentialities of its
pre-ordained station, will recognize its capacity and limitations, and will testify to the truth that “He, verily, is God; there
is none other God besides Him.” …
Effort to Diffuse Divine Melodies

There can be no doubt whatever that, in consequence of the
efforts which every man may consciously exert and as a result
of the exertion of his own spiritual faculties, this mirror can be
so cleansed from the dross of earthly defilements and purged
from satanic fancies as to be able to draw nigh unto the meads of
eternal holiness and attain the courts of everlasting fellowship.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Make thou an effort, that haply thou mayest obtain the aforementioned Tablets and acquire therefrom a share of the pearls
of wisdom and utterance that have issued from the treasury of
the Pen of the All-Merciful. The glory of God rest upon thee,
upon every steadfast and unwavering heart and upon every
constant and faithful soul.
The Tabernacle of Unity

From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Consequently, the believers of God must display the utmost
effort, upraise the divine melody throughout those regions,
promulgate the heavenly teachings and waft over all the
spirit of eternal life, so that those republics may become so
illumined with the splendors and the effulgences of the Sun
of Reality that they may become the objects of the praise and
commendation of all other countries … the intention must
be purified, the effort ennobled and exalted, so that you may
establish affinity between the hearts of the world of humanity.
This glorious aim will not become realized save through the
promotion of divine teachings which are the foundations of
the holy religions.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

O thou servant of the Beauty of Abha!
We considered all that thou hast written. It seems that
the maid-servant of God, Mrs … hath arisen to deliver (the
truth). If she advanceth in this manner, maketh more effort
and day by day groweth in spirituality, sincerity, devotion and
severance, in a short time she will become purely merciful
and will spiritualize others; she will progress in the stations of
sanctity and purity; she will become the possessor of a fluent
speech and will find her heart brilliant and full of serenity
and faith to such an extent that her pure breath will so take
effect even in stone, tree and clay (i.e., in all people), that she,
herself, will be astonished. When the interior parts of musical
instruments become clear and polished, their tone will take
effect and warm the hearts. I hope the maid-servant of God,
Mrs … may attain to this degree, for she is capable.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol 3

O thou sign of the Kingdom and the bird singing with the
most wonderful melodies in the rose-garden of Paradise! …
O thou maid-servant of God! Display thou an effort,
gird up the loins of endeavor, dilate thy breast and be thou
prepared for the manifestation of the breaths of the Holy Spirit
in thine heart. By God, the true One, verily, the Holy Spirit
confirmeth every maid-servant who ariseth to spread the
fragrances of God, so that the inhabitants of the whole world
cannot overcome her spiritual strength—for similar things
have happened in the past centuries.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

I hope that you may become assisted and confirmed, and never
lose courage in the promotion of the divine teachings. Day by
day may you add to your effort, exertion, and magnanimity.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

Effort to Diffuse Divine Melodies

Thou hast written concerning the tests that have come upon
thee. To the sincere ones, tests are as a gift from God, the
Exalted, for a heroic person hasteneth, with the utmost joy and
gladness, to the tests of a violent battlefield, but the coward
is afraid and trembles and utters moaning and lamentation.
Likewise, an expert student prepareth and memorizeth his
lessons and exercises with the utmost effort, and in the day of
examination he appeareth with infinite joy before the master.
Likewise, the pure gold shineth radiantly in the fire of test.
Consequently, it is made clear that for holy souls, trials are
as the gift of God, the Exalted; but for weak souls they are an
unexpected calamity. This test is just as thou hast written: it
removeth the rust of egotism from the mirror of the heart until
the Sun of Truth may shine therein. For, no veil is greater than
egotism and no matter how thin that covering may be, yet it
will finally veil man entirely and prevent him from receiving
a portion from the eternal bounty.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

In brief, I hope you will display in this respect the greatest
effort and magnanimity. It is assured that you will become
assisted and confirmed. A person declaring the glad tidings
of the appearance of the realities and significances of the
Kingdom is like unto a farmer who scatters pure seeds in the
rich soil. The spring cloud will pour upon them the rain of
bounty, and unquestionably the station of the farmer will be
raised in the estimation of the lord of the village, and many
harvests will be gathered.
Therefore, ye friends of God! Appreciate ye the value of
this time and be ye engaged in the sowing of the seeds, so that
you may find the heavenly blessing and the lordly bestowal.
Upon you be Bahá’u’l-Abhá!
Tablets of the Divine Plan

O ye friends of God! Be kind to all peoples and nations, have
love for all of them, exert yourselves to purify the hearts as
much as you can, and bestow abundant effort in rejoicing the
souls … Exert with your soul; seek no rest in body; supplicate
and beseech with your heart and search for divine assistance
and favor, in order that ye may make this world the Paradise
of ABHA and this terrestrial globe the arena of the Supreme
Kingdom. If ye make an effort, it is certain that these lights will
shine, this cloud of mercy shall rain, this soul-nourishing breeze
shall waft, and the scent of this most fragrant musk be diffused.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

It is incumbent upon thee to make thy greatest effort; to put
forth thy full strength; to supplicate and to worship, and to be
careful to put thy full trust in the Kingdom of the Lord Most
High.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

Make thou an effort that thou mayest take thy place under the
sun and receive an abundant share of its dazzling light.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

It is, therefore, evident and proved that an effort must be put
forward to complete the purpose and plan of the teachings of
God in order that in this great Day of days the world may be
reformed, souls resuscitated, a new spirit of life found, hearts
become illumined, mankind rescued from the bondage of
nature, saved from the baseness of materialism and attain
spirituality and radiance in attraction toward the divine
Kingdom. This is necessary; this is needful. Mere reading of
the Holy Books and texts will not suffice.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace

Effort to Diffuse Divine Melodies

If only ye exert the effort, it is certain that these splendours
will shine out, these clouds of mercy will shed down their rain,
these life-giving winds will rise and blow, this sweet-smelling
musk will be scattered far and wide.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Consequently, if one looks for praiseworthy results and wishes
to produce eternal effects, let him make exceeding effort, in
order that Green Acre may become an assemblage for the
Word of God and a gathering place for the spiritual ones of
the heavenly world.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 2

As to you: Your efforts must be lofty. Exert yourselves with
heart and soul so that, perchance, through your efforts
the light of universal peace may shine and this darkness of
estrangement and enmity may be dispelled from amongst
men, that all men may become as one family and consort
together in love and kindness, that the East may assist the West
and the West give help to the East, for all are the inhabitants
of one planet, the people of one original native land and the
flocks of one Shepherd.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace

O ye believers of God! Exalt your effort and magnify your
aims.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

For a man who has love, effort is a rest.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London

Question: One of the powers possessed by the Divine
Manifestations is knowledge. To what extent is it limited?

Answer: Knowledge is of two kinds. One is subjective and
the other objective knowledge—that is to say, an intuitive
knowledge and a knowledge derived from perception.
The knowledge of things which men universally have is
gained by reflection or by evidence—that is to say, either
by the power of the mind the conception of an object is
formed, or from beholding an object the form is produced
in the mirror of the heart. The circle of this knowledge is
very limited because it depends upon effort and attainment.
But the second sort of knowledge, which is the knowledge of
being, is intuitive; it is like the cognizance and consciousness
that man has of himself.
For example, the mind and the spirit of man are cognizant
of the conditions and states of the members and component
parts of the body, and are aware of all the physical sensations;
in the same way, they are aware of their power, of their
feelings, and of their spiritual conditions. This is the knowledge of being which man realizes and perceives, for the spirit
surrounds the body and is aware of its sensations and powers.
This knowledge is not the outcome of effort and study. It is an
existing thing; it is an absolute gift.
Some Answered Questions

It is from the bounty of God that man is selected for the
highest degree; and the differences which exist between
men in regard to spiritual progress and heavenly perfections
are also due to the choice of the Compassionate One …
Nevertheless, by effort and perseverance, knowledge, science
and other perfections can be acquired; but only the light of
the Divine Beauty can transport and move the spirits through
the force of attraction.
Some Answered Questions
Effort to Diffuse Divine Melodies

O ye real friends! Make ye an effort that this universe may
become another universe and this darkened world find a ray
of the Sun of Truth and become luminous and refulgent.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

If ye make an effort, it is certain that these lights will shine, this
cloud of mercy shall rain, this soul-nourishing breeze shall
waft, and the scent of this most fragrant musk be diffused.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 1

Seize the opportunity, use every effort and depend not upon
circumstances which produce no fruits. Spend thy days, with
all joy and fragrance, in speaking to the praise of God, being
gladdened through His good tidings, in rejoicing through His
graces and in spreading His breaths.
Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás, vol. 3

Effort, the utmost effort, is required. Should you display an
effort, so that the fragrances of God may be diffused among
the Eskimos, its effect will be very great and far-reaching. God
says in the great Qur’án: A day will come wherein the lights of
unity will enlighten all the world.
Tablets of the Divine Plan

I rejoice to hear that thou takest pains with thine art, for in
this wonderful new age, art is worship. The more thou strivest
to perfect it, the closer wilt thou come to God. What bestowal
could be greater than this, that one’s art should be even as the
act of worshipping the Lord?
Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks

“The day will come when
the Cause will spread like wildfire
when its spirit and teachings
will be presented on the stage or
in art and literature as a whole.

Art can better awaken such noble
sentiments than cold rationalizing,
especially among the mass of the people.”

Universal House of Justice, 21 April 1996.

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