# Selected Writings of Baha'u'llah

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Bahá'u'lláh, Selected Writings of Baha'u'llah, Wilmette, IL: Bahá'í Publishing Committee, 1942, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Selected Writings of
> 
> Baha'u'llah
> Author of the Baha'i Dispensation
> 
> Baha'i Publishing Committee
> Wilmette, Illinois
> 1942
> Copyright 1942
> By the National Spiritual Assembly of thi
> Baha'i's of the United States and Canada
> 
> Printed in U.S.A.
> Prayer for Union in
> the Law of God
> 
> Lauded be Thy name, 0 Lord my God! Dark
> ness hath fallen upon every land, and the forces
> of mischief have encompassed      all the nations.
> Through them, however, I perceive the splendors of
> Thy wisdom, and discern the brightness of the light
> of Thy providence.
> They that are shut out as by a veil from Thee
> have imagined that they have the power to put out
> Thy light, and to quench Thy fire, and to still the
> winds of Thy grace.    Nay, and to this Thy might
> beareth    me   witness!Had not every tribulation
> been made the bearer of Thy wisdom, and every
> ordeal the vehicle of Thy providence, no one would
> have dared oppose us, though the powers of earth
> and heaven were to be leagued against us. Were
> I to unravel the wondrous mysteries of Thy wisdom
> which are laid bare before me, the reins of Thine
> enemies would be cleft asunder.
> Glorified be Thou, then, 0 my God! I beseech
> Thee   by Thy Most Great Name to assemble them
> that love Thee around the Law that streameth from
> the good-pleasure  of Thy will, and to send down
> upon   them  what will assure their hearts.
> Potent    art Thou to do what pleaseth     Thee. Thou
> art, verily, the Help      in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
> selected writings of
> baha'u'llah
> AUTHOR   OF THE BAHA'l              DISPENSATION
> 
> The Ocean of Mercy
> 1. This is the Day in which God's most excellent favors
> have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His
> most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things.
> It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to recon
> cile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace,
> abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and lov
> ing-kindness.    It behoveth them to cleave to whatsoever
> will, in this Day, be conducive to the exaltation of their
> stations, and to the promotion of their best interests. Happy
> are those whom the all-glorious Pen was moved to remem
> ber, and blessed are those men whose names, by virtue of
> 0ur inscrutable decree, We have preferred to conceal.
> Beseech ye the one true God to grant that all men may
> be graciously assisted to fulfil that which is acceptable in
> 0ur sight. Soon will the present-day order be rolled up,
> and a new one spread         out in its stead.            Verily, thy Lord
> speaketh     the truth, and is the Knower              of things unseen.
> 
> 2.   Say:   0 men!   This is a matchless         Day.     Matchless must,
> likewise,    be the tongue    that       celebrateth    the praise of the
> Desire of all nations, and matchless the deed that aspireth
> to be acceptable  in His sight. The whole human race hath
> longed for this Day, that perchance it may fulfil that which
> well beseemeth its station, and is worthy of its destiny.
> 
> -
> SELECTED   WRITINGS
> 
> Blessed  is the man whom the affairs of the world have
> failed to deter from recognizing Him Who is the Lord of
> all things.
> So blind hath become the human heart that neither the
> disruption of the city, nor the reduction of the mountain
> in dust, nor even the cleaving of the earth, can shake off
> its torpor. The allusions made in the Scriptures have been
> unfolded, and the signs recorded therein have been revealed,
> and the prophetic cry is continually being raised. And yet
> all, except such as Cod was pleased to guide, are bewildered
> in the drunkenness of their heedlessness!
> Witness how the world is being afflicted with a fresh
> calamity every day.    Its tribulation is continually deepen
> ing. From the moment the Suriy-i-Ra'is (Tablet to Ra'is)
> was revealed until the present day, neither hath the world
> been tranquillized, nor have the hearts of its peoples been
> at rest. At one time it hath been agitated by contentions
> and disputes, at another it hath been convulsed by wars,
> and fallen a victim to inveterate diseases.     Its sickness is
> approaching the stage of utter hopelessness, inasmuch as the
> true Physician is debarred from administering the remedy,
> whilst unskilled practitioners are regarded with favor, and
> are accorded full freedom to act. . . . The dust of sedition
> hath clouded the hearts of men, and blinded their eyes.
> Erelong, they will perceive the consequences of what their
> hands have wrought in the Day of God.            Thus warneth
> you He Who is the All-Informed, as bidden by 0ne Who is
> the Most Powerful, the Almighty.
> 
> 3. This is the Day whereon    the 0cean of God's mercy hath
> been manifested     unto men, the Day in which the Day Star
> of His    loving-kindness hath shed its radiance upon them,
> the Day in which the clouds of His bountiful favor have
> overshadowed the whole of mankind.  Now is the time to
> 
> of bahaVllah
> cheer    and   refresh   the down-cast   through the invigorating
> breeze   of love and fellowship,         and the living waters of
> friendliness and charity.
> They who are the beloved of God, in whatever place they
> gather    and whomsoever    they may meet, must evince, in
> their attitude towards God, and in the manner of their cele
> bration of His praise and glory, such humility and sub-
> missiveness that every atom of the dust beneath their feet
> may attest the depth of their devotion.     The conversation
> carried by these holy souls should be informed with such
> power that these same atoms of dust will be thrilled by
> its influence.  They should conduct themselves in such man
> ner that the earth upon which they tread may never be
> allowed to address to them such words as these: "I am
> to be preferred above you.     For witness, how patient I am
> in bearing the burden which the husbandman layeth upon
> me.     I am the instrument that continually imparteth unto
> all beings the blessings with which He Who is the Source
> of all grace hath entrusted me. Notwithstanding the honor
> conferred upon me, and the unnumbered evidences of my
> wealth — a wealth that supplieth the needs of all creation —
> behold the measure of my humility, witness with what
> absolute submissiveness    I allow myself to be trodden be
> neath the feet of men. . . ."
> Show forbearance and benevolence and love to one an
> other.  Should any one among you be incapable of grasp
> ing a certain truth, or be striving to comprehend
> it,
> 
> show
> forth, when conversing with him,      spirit of extreme kind
> a
> 
> liness and good-will.   Help him to see and recognize the
> truth, without esteeming yourself to be, in the least, superior
> to him, or to be possessed of greater endowments.
> The whole duty of man in this Day      to attain that share
> is
> 
> of the flood of grace which God poureth forth for him. Let
> none, therefore, consider the largeness or smallness of the
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> receptacle.        The portion of some might lie in the palm of
> a man's      hand,   the portion of others might fill a cup, and
> of others even a gallon-measure.
> 
> God and His Manifestations
> 4. All-praise  to the unity of God, and all-honor to Him,
> the sovereign  Lord, the incomparable and all-glorious Ruler
> of the universe, Who, out of utter nothingness, hath created
> the reality of all things, Who, from naught, hath brought
> into being the most refined and subtle elements of His
> creation, and Who, rescuing His creatures from the abase
> ment of remoteness and the perils of ultimate extinction,
> hath received them into His kingdom of incorruptible glory.
> Nothing short of His all-encompassing grace, His all-per
> vading mercy, could have possibly achieved it. How could
> otherwise, have been possible for sheer nothingness
> it,
> 
> to
> have acquired by itself the worthiness      and capacity   to
> emerge from its state of non-existence    into the realm of
> being?
> Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth
> therein, He, through the direct operation of His uncon
> strained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the
> unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love
> Him — capacity that must needs be regarded as the gen
> a
> 
> erating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the
> whole of creation. . . Upon the inmost reality of each and
> .
> 
> every created thing He hath shed the light of one of His
> attributes.   Upon the reality of man, however, He hath
> focused the radiance of all of His names and attributes,
> and made        mirror of His own Self. Alone of all created
> it
> a
> 
> things man hath been singled out for so great       favor, so
> a
> 
> enduring           bounty.
> a
> 
> These energies with which the Day Star of Divine bounty
> and Source of heavenly           guidance   hath endowed   the reality
> of bahaVllah
> of man lie, however, latent within him, even as the flame
> is hidden within the candle and the rays of light are poten
> tially present in the lamp. The radiance of these energies
> may be obscured by worldly desires even as the light of
> the sun can be concealed beneath the dust and dross which
> cover the mirror.     Neither the candle nor the lamp can
> be lighted through their own unaided efforts, nor can it
> ever be possible for the mirror to free itself from its dross.
> It is clear and evident that until a fire is kindled the lamp
> will never be ignited, and unless the dross is blotted out
> from the face of the mirror it can never represent the image
> of the sun nor reflect its light and glory.
> And since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind
> the  one true God with His creation, and no resemblance
> whatever can exist between the transient and the Eternal,
> the contingent and the Absolute, He hath ordained that in
> every age and dispensation a pure and stainless Soul be
> made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Unto
> this subtle, this mysterious and ethereal Being He hath as
> signed a twofold nature; the physical, pertaining to the
> world of matter, and the spiritual, which is born of the
> substance of God Himself.
> 
> 5. To every discerning and illuminated heart it is evident
> that God, the unknowable Essence, the Divine Being, is
> immensely exalted beyond every human attribute, such as
> corporeal existence, ascent and decent, egress and regress.
> Far be it from His glory that human tongue should ade
> quately recount His praise, or that human heart compre
> hend His fathomless mystery.     He is, and hath ever been,
> veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence, and will re
> main in His Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight
> of men.   "No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all
> vision; He is the Subtile, the All-Perceiving." . . .
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being
> thus closed   in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite
> grace, according to His saying, "His grace hath transcended
> all things; My grace hath encompassed them all," hath
> caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of
> the realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human
> temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that they may
> impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable
> Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable Essence.
> These sanctified Mirrors, these Day Springs of ancient
> glory, are, one and all, the Exponents on earth of Him
> Who is the central 0rb of the universe, its Essence and
> ultimate Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and
> power; from Him is derived their sovereignty.      The beauty
> of their countenance is but a reflection of His image, and
> their revelation a sign of His deathless glory. They are
> the Treasuries of Divine knowledge,       and the Repositories
> of celestial wisdom.     Through them is transmitted a grace
> that is infinite, and by them is revealed the Light that can
> never fade. . . . These Tabernacles of Holiness, these Primal
> Mirrors which reflect the light of unfading glory, are but
> expressions of Him Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles.
> By the revelation of these Gems of Divine virtue all the
> names and attributes of God, such as knowledge and power,
> sovereignty    and dominion, mercy       and wisdom,    glory,
> bounty,    and grace, are made manifest.
> These    attributes of God are not, and have never been,
> vouchsafed   specially unto certain Prophets, and withheld
> from others.     Nay, all the Prophets of God, His well-
> favored, His holy and chosen Messengers are, without ex
> ception, the bearers of His names, and the embodiments
> of His attributes.   They only differ in the intensity of their
> revelation, and the comparative potency of their light. Even
> as He hath revealed: "Some of the Apostles We have caused
> to excel   the others."
> of bahaVllah
> It   hath,   therefore,   become     manifest   and   evident     that
> within the tabernacles of these Prophets and chosen 0nes
> of God the light of His infinite names and exalted attributes
> hath been reflected, even though the light of some of these
> attributes may or may not be outwardly revealed from these
> luminous Temples to the eyes of men.         That a certain
> attribute of God hath not been outwardly manifested         by
> these Essences of Detachment doth in no wise imply that
> they who are the Day Springs of God's attributes and the
> Treasuries of His holy names did not actually possess it.
> Therefore, these illuminated Souls, these beauteous Coun
> tenances have, each and every one of them, been endowed
> with all the attributes of God, such as sovereignty, domin
> ion, and the like, even though to outward seeming they be
> shorn of all earthly majesty. . . .
> 
> 6.   Know thou assuredly that the essence of all the Prophets
> of God is one and the same. Their unity is absolute. God,
> the Creator, saith : There is no distinction whatsoever among
> the Bearers of My Message.       They all have but one pur
> pose; their secret is the same secret.       To prefer one in
> honor to another, to exalt certain ones above the rest, is in
> no wise to be permitted.    Every true Prophet hath regarded
> His Message as fundamentally the same as the Revelation
> of every other Prophet gone before Him.           If any man,
> therefore, should fail to comprehend this truth, and should
> consequently   indulge in vain and unseemly language, no
> one whose         sight   is keen   and   whose   understanding      is en
> lightenedwould ever allow such idle talk to cause him to
> waver in his belief.
> The measure of the revelation of the Prophets of God
> in this world, however, must differ. Each and every one
> of them hath been the Bearer of a distinct Message, and
> hath been commissioned  to reveal Himself through specific
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> acts.  It is for this reason that they appear to vary in
> their greatness.  Their Revelation may be likened unto
> the light of the moon that sheddeth its radiance upon the
> earth.  Though every time it appeareth, it revealeth a fresh
> measure of its brightness,   yet its inherent  splendor can
> never diminish, nor can its light suffer extinction.
> 
> It is clear and evident, therefore, that any apparent
> variation in the intensity of their light is not inherent in
> the light itself, but should rather be attributed to the vary
> ing receptivity of an ever-changing world. Every Prophet
> Whom the Almighty and Peerless Creator hath purposed
> to send to the peoples of the earth hath been entrusted with
> a Message, and charged to act in a manner that would
> best meet the requirements of the age in which He appeared.
> God's purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is two
> fold.   The first is to liberate the children of men from
> the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of
> true understanding.     The second is to insure the peace and
> tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means by
> which they can be established.
> The Prophets of God should be regarded       as physicians
> whose task is to foster the well-being of the world and its
> peoples, that, through the spirit of oneness, they may heal
> the sickness of a divided humanity. To none is given the
> right to question their words or disparage their conduct,
> for they are the only ones who can claim to have under
> stood   the patient and to have correctly diagnosed its ail
> ments.     No man, however acute his perception, can ever
> hope to reach the heights which the wisdom and under
> standing of the Divine Physician have attained.    Little won
> der, then, if the treatment prescribed by the physician in
> this day should not be found to be identical with that which
> he prescribed before.    How could it be otherwise when the
> ills affecting the sufferer necessitate at every stage of his
> of baha'u'llah
> sickness   a special remedy?  In like manner, every time the
> Prophets of God have illumined the world with the resplend
> ent radiance of the Day Star of Divine knowledge,          they
> have invariably summoned its peoples to embrace the light
> of God through such means as best befitted the exigencies
> of the age in which they appeared.       They were thus able
> to scatter the darkness of ignorance, and to shed upon the
> world the glory of their own knowledge.          It is towards
> the inmost essence of these Prophets, therefore,       that the
> eye of every man of discernment must be directed, inasmuch
> as their one and only purpose hath always been to guide
> the erring, and give peace to the afflicted.    These are not
> days of prosperity and triumph.      The whole of mankind
> is in the grip of manifold ills.    Strive, therefore, to save
> its life through the wholesome medicine which the almighty
> hand of the unerring Physician hath prepared.
> 
> And now concerning thy question regarding the nature
> of religion. Know thou that they who are truly wise have
> likened the world unto the human temple.         As the body
> it,
> 
> of man needeth a garment to clothe        so the body of man
> kind must needs be adorned with the mantle of justice and
> wisdom.    Its robe     the Revelation vouchsafed unto     by
> is
> 
> it
> 
> God.     Whenever   this robe hath fulfilled its purpose, the
> Almighty will assuredly renew it. For every age requireth
> fresh measure of the light of God. Every Divine Revela
> a
> 
> tion hath been sent down in      manner that befitted the cir
> a
> 
> cumstances of the age in which        hath appeared.
> it
> 
> As to thy question regarding the sayings of the leaders
> of past religions. Every wise and praiseworthy man will
> no doubt eschew such vain and profitless talk.     The in
> comparable Creator hath created all men from one same
> substance, and hath exalted their reality above the rest
> of His creatures.  Success or failure, gain or loss, must,
> therefore,   depend   upon   man's   own   exertions.
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> 7. Beware,    0      believers           of God, lest ye be
> in the Unity
> tempted    to make any distinction between  any of the Mani
> festations of His Cause, or to discriminate against the signs
> that have accompanied     and proclaimed their Revelation.
> This indeed is the true meaning of Divine Unity, if ye be
> of them that apprehend and believe this truth.         Be ye
> assured, moreover,   that the works and acts of each and
> every one of these Manifestations of God, nay whatever
> pertaineth  unto them, and whatsoever they may manifest
> in the future, are all ordained by God, and are a reflec
> tion of His Will and Purpose. Whoso maketh the slightest
> possible difference   between their persons,    their words,
> their messages, their acts and manners, hath indeed dis
> believed in God, hath repudiated     His signs, and betrayed
> the Cause of His Messengers.
> 
> 8. Know      thou that when the Son of Man        (Christ)   yielded
> up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great
> weeping.  By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity
> was infused        all created things.
> into                 Its evidences, as wit
> nessed    in all             of the earth, are now manifest
> the peoples
> before thee.   The deepest wisdom which the sages have
> uttered, the profoundest learning which any mind hath
> unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced,
> the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but
> manifestations  of the quickening power released by His
> transcendent, His all-pervasive, and resplendent     Spirit.
> 
> The Path to God
> 
> 9. How    wondrous is the unity of the Living, the Ever-
> Abiding   God — a unity which is exalted above all limita
> tions, that transcendeth the comprehension  of all created
> things!   He hath, from everlasting, dwelt in His inacces
> 
> of baha'u'llah
> sible habitation of holiness and glory, and will unto ever
> lasting continue to be enthroned upon the heights of His
> independent sovereignty and grandeur. How lofty hath been
> His incorruptible Essence, how completely independent of
> the knowledge     of all created things, and how immensely
> exalted will it remain above the praise of all the inhabitants
> of the heavens and the earth!
> 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." . . .
> 
> 10. The vitality   of men's belief in God is dying out in
> every land; nothing short of His wholesome       medicine   can
> ever restore it.  The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into
> the vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of
> His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it?         Is it J.
> within human power, 0 Hakim, to effect in the constituent
> elements of any of the minute and indivisible particles of
> matter so complete     a transformation as to transmute     it
> into purest gold?      Perplexing and difficult as this may
> appear, the still greater task of converting satanic strength
> into heavenly power is one that We have been empowered
> 
> SELECTED   WRITINGS
> 
> to accomplish.   The Force capable of such a transforma
> tion transcendeth the potency of the Elixir itself.  The
> Word of God, alone, can claim the distinction of being
> endowed with the capacity required for so great and far-
> reaching   a change.
> 
> 11. The generations   that have gone on before you —whither
> are they fled?    And those round whom in life circled the
> fairest and the loveliest of the land, where now are they?
> •Profit by their example,     0 people, and be not of them
> that are gone astray.
> 
> 0thers ere long will lay hands on what ye possess, and
> enter into your habitations.Incline your ears to My words,
> and be not numbered among the foolish.
> For every one of you his paramount duty is to choose
> for himself that on which no other may infringe and none
> usurp from him. Such a thing — and to this the Almighty is
> My witness —is the love of God, could ye but perceive it.
> Build ye for yourselves     such houses as the rain and floods
> can never destroy, which shall protect
> you from the changes
> and        of this life. This is the instruction of Him
> chances
> Whom the world hath wronged and forsaken.
> 
> 12. That the heart is the throne, in which the Revelation
> of God the All-Merciful is centered, is attested by the holy
> utterances which We have formerly revealed.     Among them
> is this saying: "Earth and heaven cannot contain Me; what
> can alone contain Me is the heart of him that believeth in
> Me, and is faithful to My Cause."       How often hath the
> human heart, which is the recipient of the light of God and
> the seat of the revelation of the All-Merciful, erred from
> Him Who is the Source of that light and the Well Spring
> of that revelation.  It is the waywardness of the heart that
> 
> of bahaVllah
> removeth it far from God, and condemneth it to remoteness
> from Him. Those hearts, however, that are aware of His
> Presence, are close to Him, and are to be regarded as hav
> ing drawn nigh unto His throne.
> Consider, moreover, how frequently doth man become
> forgetful of his own self, whilst God remaineth, through
> His all-encompassing    knowledge,    aware of His creature,
> and continueth to shed upon him the manifest radiance of
> His glory.   It is evident, therefore, that, in such circum
> stances, He is closer to him than his own self.     He will,
> indeed, so remain for ever, for, whereas the one true God
> knoweth   all things, perceiveth all things, and compre-
> hendeth all things, mortal man is prone to err, and is
> ignorant of the mysteries that lie enfolded within him. . . .
> 
> .13.   Blessed   are they that have soared on the wings of de
> tachment     and    attained the station which, as ordained by
> God, overshadoweth       the entire      whom neither the
> creation,
> vain imaginations of the learned, nor the multitude of the
> hosts of the earth have succeeded in deflecting from His
> Cause.   Who is there among you, 0 people, who will re
> nounce the world, and draw nigh unto God, the Lord of all
> names?    Where is he to be found who, through the power
> of My name that transcendeth all created things, will cast
> away the things that men possess, and cling, with all his
> might, to the things which God, the Knower of the unseen
> and of the seen, hath bidden him observe? Thus hath His
> bounty been sent down unto men, His testimony fulfilled,
> and His proof shone forth above the Horizon of mercy.
> Rich is the prize that shall be won by him who hath be
> lieved and exclaimed: "Lauded art Thou, 0 Beloved of
> all worlds!   Magnified be Thy name, 0 Thou the Desire
> of every understanding heart!"
> 
> SELECTED    WRITINGS
> 
> 14. Tear asunder, in My Name, the veils that have grievous
> ly blinded your vision, and, through the power born of
> your belief in the unity of God, scatter the idols of vain
> imitation.    Enter, then, the holy paradise of the good-
> pleasure   of the All-Merciful.  Sanctify your souls from
> whatsoever is not of God, and taste ye the sweetness of rest
> within the pale of His vast and mighty Revelation, and
> beneath the shadow of His supreme and infallible authority.
> Suffer not yourselves to be wrapt in the dense veils of your
> selfish desires, inasmuch as I have perfected in every one
> of you My creation, so that the excellence of My handi
> work may be fully revealed unto men. It follows, there
> fore, that every man hath been, and will continue to be,
> able of himself to appreciate the Beauty of God, the Glori
> fied.  Had he not been endowed with such a capacity, how
> could he be called to account for his failure?     If, in the
> Day when all the peoples of the earth will be gathered
> together, any man should, whilst standing in the presence
> of God, be asked: "Wherefore hast thou disbelieved in My
> Beauty  and turned away from My Self," and if such a man
> should reply and say: "Inasmuch as all men have erred,
> and none hath been found willing to turn his face to the
> Truth, I, too, following their example, have grievously
> failed to recognize the Beauty of the Eternal," such a plea
> will, assuredly,  be rejected. For the faith of no man can
> be    conditioned by any one except himself.
> 
> 15.   0 My servants!   It behoveth   you to refresh   and revive
> your souls through the gracious favors which, in this Divine,
> this soul-stirring Springtime, are being showered upon you.
> The Day Star of His great glory hath shed its radiance
> upon you, and the clouds of His limitless grace have over
> shadowed you.      How high the reward of him that hath not
> 
> of bahaVllah
> deprived himself of so great a bounty, nor failed to recog
> nize the beauty of his Best-Beloved in this, His new attire.
> 
> Say: 0 people!     The Lamp of God is burning; take
> heed, lest the fierce winds of your disobedience extinguish
> its light. Now is the time to arise and magnify the Lord,
> your God. Strive not after bodily comforts, and keep your
> heart pure and stainless.   The Evil 0ne is lying in wait,
> ready to entrap you.    Gird yourselves against his wicked
> devices, and, led by the light of the name of the one true
> God, deliver yourselves from the darkness that surroundeth
> you.   Center your thoughts in the Well-Beloved, rather than
> in your own selves.
> 
> 16. Blessed is the man that hath acknowledged   his belief
> in God and in His signs, and recognized that "He shall not
> be asked of His doings."    Such a recognition hath been
> made by God the ornament of every belief, and its very
> foundation. Upon it must depend the acceptance of every
> it,
> 
> goodly deed. Fasten your eyes upon         that haply the
> whisperings of the rebellious may not cause you to slip.
> Were He to decree as lawful the thing which from time
> immemorial had been forbidden, and forbid that which
> had, at all times, been regarded as lawful, to none  given
> is
> 
> the right to question His authority.   Whoso will hesitate,
> though          be for less than       moment,   should be regarded
> it
> 
> a
> 
> as       transgressor.
> a
> 
> Whoso hath not recognized this sublime and fundamental
> verity, and hath failed to attain this most exalted station,
> the winds of doubt will agitate him, and the sayings of the
> infidels will distract his soul. He that hath acknowledged
> this principle will be endowed with the most perfect con
> stancy.
> 
> SELECTED   WRITINGS
> 
> The Paradise of His Presence
> 17. Release yourselves,   0 nightingales of God, from the
> thorns and brambles of wretchedness and misery, and wing
> your flight to the rose-garden of unfading splendor.       0
> My friends that dwell upon the dust!        Haste forth unto
> your celestial habitation. Announce unto yourselves the
> joyful tidings: "He Who is the Best-Beloved is come! He
> hath crowned Himself with the glory of God's Revelation,
> and hath unlocked to the face of men the doors of His
> ancient Paradise."    Let all eyes rejoice, and let every ear
> be gladdened, for now is the time to gaze on His beauty,
> now is the fit time to hearken to His voice. Proclaim unto
> every longing lover: 'Behold, your Well-Beloved hath come
> among men!" and to the messengers of the Monarch of
> love impart the tidings: "Lo, the Adored 0ne hath appeared
> arrayed in the fullness of His glory!" 0 lovers of His
> beauty!    Turn the anguish of your separation from Him
> into the joy of an everlasting reunion, and let the sweet
> ness of His presence dissolve the bitterness of your re
> moteness from His court.
> Behold how the manifold grace of God, which is being
> showered   from the clouds of Divine glory, hath, in this
> day, encompassed the world.        For whereas in days past
> every lover besought and searched after his Beloved, it is
> the Beloved Himself Who now is calling His lovers and
> is inviting them to attain His presence.      Take heed lest
> ye forfeit so precious a favor; beware lest ye belittle so
> remarkable    a token of His grace.     Abandon not the in
> corruptible benefits, and be not content with that which
> perisheth.   Lift up the veil that obscureth your vision, and
> dispel the darkness with which it is enveloped, that ye may
> gaze on the naked beauty of the Beloved's face, may behold
> that which no eye hath beheld, and hear that which no
> ear hath   heard.
> 
> of bahaVllah
> Hear Me, ye mortal birds!         In the Rose Garden of
> changeless   splendor a Flower hath begun to bloom, com
> pared to which every other flower is but a thorn, and be
> fore the brightness    of Whose glory the very essence of
> beauty must pale and wither. Arise, therefore, and, with
> the whole enthusiasm of your hearts, with all the eagerness
> of your souls, the full fervor of your will, and the concen
> trated efforts of your entire being, strive to attain the para
> dise of His presence, and endeavor to inhale the fragrance
> of the incorruptible Flower, to breathe the sweet savors of
> holiness, and to obtain a portion of this perfume of celestial
> glory. Whoso followeth this counsel will break his chains
> asunder, will taste the abandonment        of enraptured  love,
> will attain unto his heart's desire, and will surrender his
> soul into the hands of his Beloved.       Bursting through his
> cage, he will, even as the bird of the spirit, wing his flight
> to his holy and everlasting nest.
> 
> 18.   0 My brother!    When a true seeker determineth        to
> take the step of search in the path leading unto the knowl
> edge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse
> his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner
> mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired
> knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic
> fancy.   He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary
> of the abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement,
> and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and
> clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral       attachments.    He
> must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or
> hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him
> to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth. Even
> as thou dost witness in this Day how most of the people,
> because of such love and hate, are bereft of the immortal
> Face, have strayed far from the Embodiments     of the Divine
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> mysteries,   and,   shepherdless,    are   roaming   through   the
> wilderness   of oblivion and error.
> That seeker must, at all times, put his trust in God, must
> renounce   the peoples of the earth, must detach himself
> from the world of dust, and cleave unto Him Who is the
> Lord of Lords. He must never seek to exalt himself above
> any one, must wash away from the tablet of his heart every
> trace of pride and vain-glory, must cling unto patience and
> resignation, observe silence and refrain from idle talk. For
> the tongue is a smoldering fire, and excess of speech a
> deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas
> the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The
> force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects
> of the latter endureth a century.
> That seeker should, also, regard backbiting as grievous
> error, and keep himself aloof from its dominion, inasmuch
> as backbiting quencheth the light of the heart, and extin-
> guisheth the life of the soul.   He should be content with
> little, and be freed from all inordinate desire.   He should
> treasure the companionship of them that have renounced
> the world, and regard avoidance of boastful and worldly
> people a precious benefit.    At the dawn of every day he
> should commune with God, and, with all his soul, persevere
> in the quest of his Beloved.      He should consume every
> wayward thought with the flame of His loving mention,
> and, with the swiftness of lightning, pass by all else save
> Him. He should succor the dispossessed, and never with
> hold his favor from the destitute.     He should show kind
> ness to animals, how much more unto his fellow-man, to
> him who is endowed with the power of utterance.            He
> should not hesitate to offer up his life for his Beloved, nor
> allow the censure of the people to turn him away from the
> Truth. He should not wish for others that which he doth
> not wish for himself, nor promise that which he doth not
> 
> of bahaVllah
> fulfil. With all his heart he should avoid fellowship with
> evil-doers, and pray for the remission   of their sins.   He
> should forgive the sinful, and never despise his low estate,
> for none knoweth what his own end shall be. How often
> hath a sinner attained, at the hour of death, to the essence
> of faith, and, quaffing the immortal draught, hath taken
> his flight unto the Concourse on high!      And how often
> hath a devout believer, at the hour of his soul's ascension,
> been so changed as to fall into the nethermost fire!
> 0ur purpose in revealing these convincing and               weighty
> utterances                upon the seeker that he should
> is to impress
> regard all else beside God as transient, and count all things
> save Him, Who is the 0bject of all adoration, as utter
> nothingness.
> These      are among   the attributes   of the exalted,    and con
> stitute the hall-mark of the spiritually-minded.             They have
> already   been mentioned in connection with the requirements
> of the wayfarers that tread the path of Positive Knowl
> edge. When the detached wayfarer and sincere seeker hath
> fulfilled these essential conditions, then and only then can
> he be called a true seeker.     Whensoever    he hath fulfilled
> the conditions implied in the verse: "Whoso maketh efforts
> for Us," he shall enjoy the blessings conferred by the words:
> "In 0ur Ways shall We assuredly guide him."
> Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of
> longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of
> rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker's heart,
> and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted upon his
> soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of
> doubts and misgivings be dissipated,    and the lights of
> knowledge and certitude envelop his being.     At that hour
> will the Mystic Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the
> Spirit, shine forth from the City of God resplendent as the
> morn, and, through the trumpet-blast    of knowledge, will
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber
> of heedlessness.   Then will the manifold favors and out
> pouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer
> such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself
> endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a
> new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the
> universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the
> soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within
> every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of abso
> lute certitude.  He will discover in all things the mysteries
> of Divine Revelation, and the evidences of an everlasting
> Manifestation. . . .
> When the channel of the human soul is cleansed of all
> worldly and impeding attachments, it will unfailingly per
> ceive the breath of the Beloved across immeasurable    dis
> tances, and will, led by its perfume, attain and enter the
> City of Certitude. . . .
> They that valiantly   labor in quest of God, will, when
> once they have renounced    all else but Him, be so attached
> and wedded unto 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
> will receive the surest testimonies from the beauty of its
> Rose, and the melody of its Nightingale. 0nce in about a
> thousand years shall this City be renewed and readorned.
> 
> That City is none other than the Word of God revealed
> in every age and dispensation.    In the days of Moses it
> was the Pentateuch;  in the days of Jesus, the Gospel; in
> the days of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, the Qur'an;
> in this day, the Bayan; and in the Dispensation of Him
> Whom God will make manifest, His own Book —the Book
> unto which all the Books of former Dispensations    must
> needs be referred, the Book that standeth amongst them
> all transcendent and supreme.
> 
> of bahaVllah
> 19. Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
> Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him
> with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor,
> an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the
> needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge.    Be fair
> in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech.       Be unjust
> to no man, and show all meekness to all men.        Be as a
> lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrow
> ful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an
> upholder and defender of the victim of oppression.       Let
> integrity and uprightness   distinguish all thine acts.    Be
> a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower
> of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a
> guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament
> to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity,
> a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to
> the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justics, a
> luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of
> the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge,          a
> sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wis
> dom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a
> fruit upon the tree of humility.
> 
> 20. Beautify your tongues,   0 people,with truthfulness, and
> adorn   your souls with the ornament   of honesty.   Beware,
> 0 people, that ye deal not treacherously with any one. Be
> ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the em
> blems of His generosity    amidst His people.      They that
> follow their lusts and corrupt inclinations, have erred and
> dissipated  their efforts. They, indeed, are of the lost.
> Strive, 0 people, that your eyes may be directed towards
> the mercy of God, that your hearts may be attuned to His
> wondrous remembrance, that your souls may rest confident
> ly upon His grace and bounty, that your feet may tread
> SELECTED   WRITINGS
> 
> the path of His good-pleasure.         Such are the counsels which
> I bequeath      unto    you.   Would    that ye might follow My
> counsels!
> 
> 21. Gird     up the loins of thine endeavor,that haply thou
> mayest         thy neighbor to the law of God, the Most
> guide
> Merciful.   Such an act, verily, excelleth all other acts in
> the sight of God, the All-Possessing, the Most High. Such
> must be thy steadfastness in the Cause of God, that no
> earthly thing whatsoever will have the power to deter thee
> from thy duty.    Though the powers of earth be leagued
> against thee, though all men dispute with thee, thou must
> remain      unshaken.
> Be unrestrained  as the wind, while carrying the Message
> of Him Who hath caused the Dawn of Divine Guidance
> to break.   Consider, how the wind, faithful to that which
> God hath ordained, bloweth upon all the regions of the
> earth, be they inhabited or desolate.   Neither the sight of
> desolation, nor the evidences of prosperity, can either pain
> or please it. It bloweth in every direction, as bidden by
> its Creator. So should be every one that claimeth to be a
> lover of the one true God. It behoveth him to fix his gaze
> upon the fundamentals of His Faith, and to labor diligently
> for its propagation. Wholly for the sake of God he should
> proclaim His Message, and with that same spirit accept
> whatever response his words may evoke in his hearer.      He
> who shall accept and believe, shall receive his reward;
> and he who shall turn away, shall receive none other than
> his own punishment.
> 
> 22. Do thou         beseech God to enable    thee to remain   stead
> fast in this path,      and to aid thee to guide    the peoples   of
> the world to Him Who is the manifest          and sovereign   Ruler,
> Who hath revealed Himself in a distinct attire, Who giveth
> 
> of bahaVllah
> utterance  to a Divine and specific Message.    This is the
> essence  of faith and certitude.   They that are the wor
> shipers of the idol which their imaginations have carved,
> and who call it Inner Reality, such men are in truth ac
> counted among the heathen.     To this hath the All-Merciful
> borne witness in His Tablets. He, verily, is the All-Know
> ing, the All-Wise.
> 
> 23. The ordinances  of God have been sent down from the
> heaven of His most august Revelation.  All must diligently
> observe them. Man's supreme distinction, his real advance
> ment, his final victory, have always depended, and will
> continue to depend, upon them.   Whoso keepeth the com
> mandments of God shall attain everlasting   felicity.
> A twofold obligation     resteth upon him who hath recog
> nized   the Day Spring   of the Unity of God, and acknowl
> edged the truth of Him Who is the Manifestation of His
> oneness.   The first is steadfastness in His love, such stead
> fastness that neither the clamor of the enemy nor the claims
> of the idle pretender can deter him from cleaving unto
> Him Who is the Enternal Truth, a steadfastness that taketh
> no account of them whatever.       The second is strict observ
> ance of the laws He hath prescribed — laws which He hath
> always ordained, and will continue to ordain, unto men,
> and through which the truth may be distinguished and
> separated from falsehood.
> 
> 24. By My Beauty!    Nothing whatsoever shall, in this Day,
> be accepted from you, though ye continue to worship and
> prostrate yourselves before God throughout the eternity
> of His dominion. For all things are dependent upon His
> Will, and the worth of all acts is conditioned upon His
> acceptance and pleasure.    The whole universe is but a
> handful of clay in His grasp.  Unless one recognizes God
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> and loves Him, his cry shall not be heard       by God in this
> Day.      This   is   of the essence of His Faith, did ye but
> know it.
> 
> 25. Know assuredly         that just as thou
> firmly believest that
> the Word of God, exalted          be His glory, endureth
> for ever,
> thou must, likewise, believe with undoubting faith that its
> meaning    can never      be exhausted.   They who are its
> appointed   interpreters,  they whose hearts are the reposi
> tories of its secrets, are, however, the only ones who can
> comprehend     its manifold wisdom.     Whoso, while reading
> the Sacred Scriptures, is tempted to choose therefrom what
> ever may suit him with which to challenge the authority
> of the Representative of God among men, is indeed, as one
> dead, though to outward seeming he may walk and con
> verse with his neighbors, and share with them their food
> and their drink. . . .
> 
> We beseech God to strengthen         thee with His power, and
> enable    thee to     recognize   Him Who    is the Source of all
> knowledge,  that thou mayest detach thyself from all human
> learning, for, "what would it profit any man to strive after
> learning when he hath already found and recognized Him
> Who is the 0bject of all knowledge?" Cleave to the Root
> of Knowledge, and to Him Who is the Fountain thereof,
> that thou mayest find thyself independent of all who claim
> to be well versed in human learning, and whose claim no
> clear proof, nor the testimony of any enlightening book,
> can support.
> 
> 0 My servants!
> if,
> 
> 26.                   Sorrow not     in these days and on
> this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have
> been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful
> joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you.
> Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to
> 
> of bahaVllah
> your eyes.    You are          by Him, in this world and
> destined
> hereafter,            of their benefits, to share in their
> to partake
> joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To
> each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain.
> 
> 27. Know    thou for a certainty that whoso disbelieveth in
> God  is neither trustworthy nor truthful.  This, indeed, is
> the truth, the undoubted    truth. He that acteth treacher
> ously towards God will, also, act treacherously towards his
> king. Nothing whatever can deter such a man from evil,
> nothing can hinder him from betraying his neighbor, noth
> ing can induce him to walk uprightly.
> 
> 28. Intone, 0 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.
> 
> Progress of the Soul
> 
> 29. Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation
> from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth
> the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither
> the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and
> chances of this world, can alter.     It will endure as long
> as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion and
> power will endure.    It will manifest the signs of God and
> His attributes, and will reveal His loving kindness and
> bounty.    The movement of My Pen is stilled when it
> attempteth to befittingly describe the loftiness and glory
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> of so exalted a station. The honor with which the Hand
> of Mercy will invest the soul is such as no tongue can
> adequately reveal, nor any other earthly agency describe.
> Blessed is the soul which, at the hour of its separation
> from
> the   body, is sanctified from the vain imaginings of the
> peoples of the world.     Such a soul liveth and moveth in
> accordance with the Will of its Creator, and entereth the
> all-highest Paradise.
> 
> 30. And now concerning thy question    whether human souls
> continue to be conscious one of another after their separa
> tion from the body. Know thou that the souls of the people
> of Baha, who have entered and been established within
> the Crimson Ark, shall associate and commune intimately
> one with another, and shall be so closely associated in their
> lives, their aspirations, their aims and strivings as to be
> even as one soul. They are indeed the ones who are well-
> informed, who are keen-sighted, and who are endued with
> understanding.    Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is
> the All-Knowing,   the All- Wise.
> 
> 31. Know thou that all men have been created in the nature
> made by God, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Unto each
> one hath been prescribed a pre-ordained measure, as de
> creed in God's mighty and guarded Tablets.   All that which
> ye potentially possess can, however, be manifested only as
> a    result of your own volition.
> 
> 32. Know thou that the soul of man is exalted above, and
> is independent of all infirmities of body or mind. That a
> sick person showeth signs of weakness is due to the hind
> rances that interpose themselves between his soul and his
> body, for the soul itself remaineth unaffected by any bodily
> ailments.   Consider the light of the lamp. Though an
> 
> of baha'u'llah
> external object may interfere with its radiance, the light
> itself continueth to shine with undiminished power.      In
> like manner, every malady afflicting the body of man is an
> impediment that preventeth the soul from manifesting its
> inherent might and power. When it leaveth the body, how
> ever, it will evince such ascendancy, and reveal such in
> fluence as no force on earth can equal.   Every pure, every
> refined and sanctified soul will be endowed with tremend
> ous power, and shall rejoice with exceeding gladness.
> 
> Attainment of Peace and Tranquillity
> 
> 33. The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day
> by day.  Its face is turned towards waywardness and un
> belief. Such shall be its plight, that to disclose it now
> would not be meet and seemly.    Its perversity will long
> continue.  And when the 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.
> 
> 34. The utterance of God is a lamp, whose light is these
> words: Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one
> branch.  Deal ye one with another with the utmost love
> and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship.      He Who
> is the Day Star of Truth beareth Me witness! So powerful
> is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.
> The one true God, He Who knoweth all things, Himself
> testifieth to the truth of these words.
> Exert yourselves that ye may attain this transcendent
> and most sublime station, the station that can insure the
> protection and security of all mankind. This goal excelleth
> every other goal, and this aspiration is the monarch of all
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> aspirations. So long, however, as the thick clouds of op
> pression,  which obscure the day star of justice, remain
> undispelled, it would be difficult for the glory of this sta
> tion to be unveiled to men's eyes. . . .
> 
> 35.   0 contending   peoples  and kindreds of the earth!   Set
> your faces towards    unity, and let the radiance of its light
> shine upon you.     Gather ye together, and for the sake of
> God resolve to root out whatever is the source of conten
> tion amongst you. Then will the effulgence of the world's
> great Luminary envelop the whole earth, and its inhabitants
> become the citizens of one city, and the occupants of one
> and the same throne.      This wronged 0ne hath, ever since
> the early days of His life, cherished none other desire but
> this, and will continue to entertain no wish except this
> wish.    There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of
> the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their in
> spiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects
> of one God. The difference between the ordinances under
> which they abide should be attributed to the varying re
> quirements and exigencies of the age in which they were
> revealed.    All of them, except a few which are the out
> come of human perversity, were ordained of God, and are
> a reflection of His Will and Purpose. Arise and, armed with
> the power of faith, shatter to pieces the gods of your vain
> imaginings, the sowers of dissension amongst you. Cleave
> unto that which draweth you together and uniteth you.
> 
> 36. The Great    Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites
> of the peace and tranquillity of the world and the advance
> ment of its peoples, hath written : The time must come when
> the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-
> embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized.
> it,
> 
> The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend     and,
> 
> OF    bahaVllah
> participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways
> and means as will lay the foundations of the world's Great
> Peace     amongst     men.      Such    a   peace   demandeth     that   the
> Great   Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tran
> quillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled
> among themselves.      Should any king take up arms against
> another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him.         If
> this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require
> any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the
> security of their realms and of maintaining internal order
> within their territories. This will insure the peace and
> composure    of every people, government and nation.
> 
> 37. Now that ye have refused                the Most Great
> hold       Peace,
> ye    fast unto   this, the Lesser      Peace,      in
> that haply ye may
> some degree better your own condition and that of your
> dependents.
> 0 rulers of the earth!        Be reconciled among          yourselves,
> that ye may       need no more         armaments      save in a measure
> to safeguard      your territories and dominions. Beware lest
> ye disregard      the counsel  of the All-Knowing, the Faithful.
> Be united,     0 kings of the earth,           for thereby   will   the
> tempest of discord be stilled amongst you, and your peoples
> find rest, if ye be of them that comprehend.    Should any
> one among      you take up arms against another, rise ye all
> against    him, for this is naught but manifest justice.
> 
> 38.  0 ye the elected representatives of the people in every
> land! Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be
> only for that which profiteth mankind, and bettereth the
> condition thereof, if ye be of them that scan heedfully.
> Regard the world as the human body which, though at its
> creation whole and perfect, hath been afflicted, through
> various causes, with grave disorders and maladies.       Not
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> for one day did it gain ease, nay its sickness waxed more
> severe, as it fell under the treatment  of ignorant physicians,
> who gave full rein to their personal desires, and have erred
> 
> if,
> grievously. And          at one time, through the care of an
> able physician,      member of that body was healed, the rest
> 
> a
> remained   afflicted   as before.   Thus informeth you the
> All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
> it,
> We behold     in this day, at the mercy of rulers so drunk
> with pride that they cannot discern clearly their own best
> advantage, much less recognize      Revelation so bewildering
> 
> a
> and challenging as this.    And whenever any one of them
> hath striven to improve its condition, his motive hath been
> his own gain, whether confessedly so or not; and the un-
> worthiness  of this motive hath limited his power to heal
> or cure.
> That which the Lord hath         ordained as the sovereign
> remedy   and mightiest               for the healing of all the
> instrument
> world    the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause,
> is
> 
> one common Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except
> through the power of     skilled, an all-powerful and inspired
> a
> 
> Physician.   This, verily,     the truth, and all else naught
> is
> 
> but error.
> 
> 39.   All men have been created     to carry forward an ever-
> advancing    civilization.The Almighty beareth Me witness:
> To act like the beasts of the field     unworthy of man. Those
> is
> 
> virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance,    mercy, com
> passion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and
> kindreds of the earth.      Say:      friends! Drink your fill
> 
> from this crystal stream that floweth through the heavenly
> grace of Him Who        the Lord of Names.      Let others par
> is
> 
> take of its waters in My name, that the leaders of men in
> every land may fully recognize the purpose for which the
> 
> of bahaVllah
> Eternal Truth hath been revealed, and the reason for which
> they themselves have been created.
> 
> 40. The   All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the
> pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and pre-
> scribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy.     Every age
> hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspira
> tion. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflic
> tions can never be the same as that which a subsequent
> age may require.    Be anxiously concerned with the needs
> of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its
> exigencies   and requirements.
> We can well perceive how the whole human race is en
> compassed    with great, with incalculable afflictions.   We
> see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and dis
> illusioned.   They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have
> interposed  themselves between it and the Divine and in
> fallible Physician.   Witness how they have entangled all
> men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices.
> They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have
> they any knowledge of the remedy.       They have conceived
> the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend
> an enemy.
> 
> 41. How vast is the tabernacle    of the Cause of God!    It
> hath   overshadowed   all the peoples and kindreds of the
> earth, and will, erelong, gather together the whole of man
> kind beneath its shelter.   Thy day of service is now come.
> Countless Tablets bear the testimony of the bounties vouch
> safed unto thee. Arise for the triumph of My Cause, and,
> through the power of thine utterance, subdue the hearts
> of men. Thou must show forth that which will insure the
> peace and the well-being of the miserable and the down
> trodden.   Gird up the loins of thine endeavor, that per
> 
> SELECTED       WRITINGS
> 
> chance thou mayest release the captive from his chains,             and
> enable   him to attain unto true liberty.
> 
> is,
> Justice    in this day, bewailing its plight, and Equity
> groaneth      beneath the yoke of oppression.  The thick clouds
> of tyranny have darkened the face of the earth, and en
> veloped its peoples.     Through the movement of 0ur Pen
> of glory We have, at the bidding of the omnipotent
> 0rdainer, breathed      new life into every human frame, and
> instilled into every word a       fresh potency.   All created
> 
> a
> things proclaim the evidences of this world-wide regenera
> tion.   This     the most great, the most joyful tidings im
> is
> 
> parted by the pen of this wronged One to mankind. Where
> fore fear ye,      My well-beloved ones! Who           that can
> 
> is
> it
> dismay you?         touch of moisture sufficeth to dissolve the
> A
> 
> hardened    clay out of which this perverse generation
> 
> is
> molded.    The mere act of your gathering together       enough
> 
> is
> to scatter the forces of these vain and worthless people. . . .
> 
> Every man of insight will, in this day, readily admit
> that the counsels  which the Pen of this wronged 0ne hath
> revealed constitute the supreme animating power for the
> advancement of the world and the exaltation of its peoples.
> Arise,    people, and, by the power of God's might, resolve
> 
> to gain the victory over your own selves, that haply the
> whole earth may be freed and sancified from its servitude
> to the gods of its idle fancies — gods that have inflicted such
> loss upon, and are responsible       for the misery of, their
> wretched worshipers.      These idols form the obstacle that
> impeded man in his efforts to advance in the path of per
> fection. We cherish the hope that the Hand of Divine power
> may lend its assistance to mankind, and deliver        from its
> it
> 
> state of grievous abasement.
> In one of the Tablets these words have         been revealed:
> people of God!    Do not busy yourselves in your own
> 
> concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will
> 
> of bahaVllah
> rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts
> and souls of men. This can best be achieved through pure
> and holy deeds, through a virtuous life and a goodly be
> havior. Valiant acts will insure the triumph of this Cause,
> and a saintly character will reinforce its power.       Cleave
> unto righteousness, 0 people of Baha!      This, verily, is the
> commandment      which this wronged 0ne hath given unto
> you, and the first choice of His unrestrained Will for every
> one of you.
> 
> 0 friends!      It behoveth you to refresh and revive your
> souls   through the gracious favors which in this Divine,
> this soul-stirring Springtime are being showered upon you.
> The Day Star of His great glory hath shed its radiance upon
> you, and the clouds of His limitless grace have over
> shadowed you.        How high the reward of him that hath
> not deprived himself of so great a bounty, nor failed to
> recognize the beauty of his Best-Beloved      in this, His new
> attire.   Watch over yourselves, for the Evil One is lying
> in wait, ready to entrap you.     Gird yourselves against his
> wicked devices, and, led by the light of the name of the
> All-Seeing God, make your escape from the darkness that
> surroundeth you.        Let your vision be world-embracing,
> rather than confined to your own self.       The Evil 0ne is
> he that hindereth      the rise and obstructeth   the spiritual
> progress of the children of men.
> 
> It is   incumbent upon every man, in this Day, to hold
> fast unto   whatsoever will promote the interests, and exalt
> the station, of all nations and just governments.      Through
> each and every one of the verses which the Pen of the Most
> High hath revealed, the doors of love and unity have been
> unlocked and flung open to the face of men.           We have
> erewhile declared — and 0ur Word is the truth — : "Consort
> with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness
> and fellowship."   Whatsoever hath led the children of men
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> to shun one another,   and hath caused dissensions   and divi
> sions amongst them, hath, through the revelation of these
> words, been nullified and abolished.   From the heaven
> of God's Will, and for the purpose of ennobling the world
> of being and of elevating the minds and souls of men,
> hath been sent down that which is the most effective instru
> ment for the education    of the whole human race.       The
> highest essence and most perfect expression of whatsoever
> the peoples of old have either said or written hath, through
> this most potent Revelation, been sent down from the heaven
> of the Will of the All-Possessing, the Ever-Abiding God.
> 0f old it hath been revealed: "Love of one's country is an
> element of the Faith of God."      The Tongue of Grandeur
> hath, however, in the day of His manifestation proclaimed:
> "It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his
> who loveth the world."     Through the power released by
> these exalted words He hath lent a fresh impulse, and set
> a new direction, to the birds of men's hearts, and hath
> obliterated every trace of restriction and limitation from
> God's holy Book.
> 0 people of Justice!   Be as brilliant as the light, and
> as splendid as the fire that blazed in the Burning Bush.
> The brightness of the fire of your love will no doubt fuse
> and unify the contending peoples and kindreds of the earth,
> whilst the fierceness of the flame of enmity and hatred can
> not but result in strife and ruin.  We beseech God that He
> may shield His creatures from the evil designs of His
> enemies.   He verily hath power over all things.
> 
> All-praise be to the one true God — exalted be His glory
> — inasmuch    as He hath, through the Pen of the Most High,
> unlocked the doors of men's hearts.      Every verse which
> this Pen hath revealed is a bright and shining portal that
> discloseth the glories of a saintly and pious life, of pure
> and stainless deeds.   The summons and the message which
> 
> of baha'u'llah
> We gave were never intended to reach or to benefit one
> land or one people only. Mankind in its entirety must
> firmly adhere to whatsoever hath been revealed and vouch
> safed unto it. Then and only then will it attain unto true
> liberty. The whole earth is illuminated with the resplend
> ent glory of God's Revelation.
> 
> 42. The 0ne true     God beareth Me witness, and His crea
> tures   will testify,                      did I allow Myself
> that not for a moment
> to be hidden from the eyes of men, nor did I consent to
> shield My person from their injury.        Before the face of
> all men I have arisen, and bidden them fulfil My pleasure.
> My object is none other than the betterment of the world
> and the tranquillity of its peoples.   The well-being of man
> kind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and
> until its unity is firmly established.   This unity can never
> be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the
> Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded.
> Through the power of the words He hath uttered the
> whole of the human race can be illumined with the light
> of unity, and the remembrance of His Name is able to set
> on fire the hearts of all men, and burn away the veils that
> intervene between them and His glory.     0ne righteous act
> is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to
> cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens.   It can tear
> every bond asunder, and hath the power to restore the
> force that hath spent itself and vanished. . . .
> 
> 43. The   purpose of the one true God, exalted be His
> Glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those
> gems that lie hidden within the mine of their true and in
> most selves.  That the divers communions of the earth, and
> the manifold systems of religious belief, should never be
> allowed to foster the feelings of animosity among men, is,
> 
> SELECTED   WRITINGS
> 
> in this Day, of the essence of the Faith of God and His
> Religion.   These principles and laws, these firmly-estab
> lished and mighty systems, have proceeded from one Source,
> and are the rays of one Light.   That they differ one from
> another is to be attributed to the varying requirements  of
> the ages in which they were promulgated.
> Gird up the loins of your endeavor, 0 people of Baha,
> that haply the tumult of religious dissension and strife that
> agitateth the peoples of the earth may be stilled, that every
> trace of it may be completely obliterated. For the love of
> God, and them that serve Him, arise to aid this most sub
> lime and momentous Revelation. Religious fanaticism and
> hatred  are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can
> quench.    The Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver
> mankind from this desolating affliction.
> 
> 44. The affairs of the people             in charge of the
> are placed
> men of the House of Justice of God.  They are the trustees
> of God among His servants and the day springs of command
> in His countries.
> 0 people of God! The trainer of the world is Justice,
> for it consisteth of two pillars: Reward and Retribution.
> These two pillars are two fountains for the life of the people
> of the world. Inasmuch as for each time and day a par
> ticular decree and order is expedient, affairs are therefore
> entrusted to the ministers of the House of Justice, so that
> they may execute that which they deem advisable         at the
> time. Those souls who arise to serve the Cause sincerely to
> please God will be inspired by the divine, invisible inspira
> tions.  It is incumbent upon all to obey.
> Administrative affairs are all in charge of the House of
> Justice; but acts of worship must be observed according as
> they are revealed in the Book. . . . The ministers of the
> House of Justice must promote the Most Great Peace, in
> 
> of baha'u'llah
> order that the world may be freed from onerous expendi
> ture.  This matter is obligatory and indispensable; for
> warfare and conflict are the foundation of trouble and
> distress.
> 
> 45. Whoso layeth    claim to   a    Revelation direct from God,
> ere the expiration of a full thousand      years, such a man is
> assuredly a lying impostor. We pray God that He may
> graciously assist him to retract and repudiate such claim.
> Should he repent, God will, no doubt, forgive him. If,
> however, he persisteth in his error, God will, assuredly,
> send down one who will deal mercilessly with him. Terrible,
> indeed, is God in punishing!     Whosoever interpreteth  this
> verse otherwise than its obvious meaning is deprived of the
> Spirit of God and of His mercy which encompasseth all
> created things.  Fear God, and follow not your idle fancies.
> Nay, rather follow the bidding of your Lord, the Almighty,
> the All-Wise.
> 
> The Covenant Thou Hast Established
> 46. Glorified  art Thou, 0 my God!       Thou knowest that
> my             in revealing Thy Cause hath been to reveal
> sole aim
> Thee and not myself, and to manifest Thy glory rather than
> my glory. In Thy path, and to attain Thy pleasure, I have
> scorned rest, joy, delight. At all times and under all con
> ditions my gaze hath been fixed on Thy precepts, and mine
> eyes bent upon the things Thou hast bidden me observe in
> Thy Tablets. I have wakened every morning to the light
> of Thy praise and Thy remembrance, and reached every
> evening inhaling the fragrances of Thy mercy.
> And when the entire creation was stirred up, and the
> whole earth was convulsed, and the sweet savors of Thy
> name, the All-Praised, had almost ceased to breathe over
> Thy realms, and the winds of Thy mercy had well-nigh
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS
> 
> been stilled throughout Thy dominions, Thou didst, through
> the power of Thy might, raise me up among Thy servants,
> and bid me to show forth Thy sovereignty   amidst Thy
> people. Therefore I arose before all Thy creatures, strength
> ened by Thy help and Thy power, and summoned all the
> multitudes unto Thee, and announced unto all Thy servants
> Thy favors and Thy gifts, and invited them to turn towards
> this 0cean, every drop of the waters of which crieth out,
> proclaiming unto all that are in heaven and on earth that
> He is, in truth, the Fountain of all life, and the Quickener
> of the entire creation, and the 0bject of the adoration of all
> worlds, and the Best-Beloved of every understanding heart,
> and the Desire of all them that are nigh unto Thee.
> 
> Though the fierce winds of the hatred of the wicked doers
> blew and beat on this Lamp, He was, at no time, in His
> love for Thy beauty, hindered from shedding the fragrance
> of His light. As the transgressions committed against Thee
> waxed    greater   and   greater,    my   eagerness   to   reveal Thy
> Cause    correspondingly     increased,    and   as the    tribulations
> deepened — and to this Thy glory beareth me witness — a
> fuller measure of Thy sovereignty and of Thy power was
> vouchsafed by me unto Thy creatures.
> 
> And finally, I was cast by the transgressors    into the
> prison-city of 'Akka, and my kindred were made captives
> in Baghdad.    The power of Thy might beareth me witness,
> 0 my God! Every trouble that hath touched me in Thy
> path hath added to my joy and increased my gladness.      I
> swear by Thee, 0 Thou Who art the King of Kings! None
> of the kings of the earth hath power to hinder me from
> remembering    Thee or from extolling Thy virtues.     Were
> they to be leagued — as they have been leagued — against me,
> and   to brandish their sharpest  swords and most afflictive
> spears   against   me,   I would not hesitate
> to magnify Thy
> name before    all them that are in Thy heaven and on Thy
> 
> of baha'i/llah
> earth.     Nay rather,   I would cry out and say: "This, 0 my
> Beloved,  is my face which I have offered up for Thy face,
> and this is my spirit which I have sacrificed for Thy spirit,
> and this is my blood that seetheth in my veins, in its longing
> to be shed for love of Thee and in Thy path."
> Though — as Thou beholdest me, 0 my God —I be dwell
> ing in a place within whose walls no voice can be heard
> except the sound of the echo, though all the gates of ease
> and comfort be shut against us, and thick darkness appear
> to have encompassed us on every side, yet my soul hath
> been so inflamed by its love for Thee, that nothing what
> ever can either quench the fire of its love or abate the con
> suming flame of its desire.   Lifting up its voice, it crieth
> aloud amidst Thy servants, and calleth them, at all times
> and under all conditions, unto Thee.
> 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 one
> ness, nor be prevented by the corrupt waters from partak
> ing of the pure wine of Thy bounty and the everlasting
> streams of Thy gifts.
> Gather                      around this Divine Law, the
> them, then, together
> covenant   of which Thou hast established   with all Thy
> prophets and Thy messengers, and Whose ordinances Thou
> hast written down in Thy Tablets and Thy Scriptures, raise
> them up, moreover, to such heights as will enable them to
> perceive Thy call.
> Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee.         Thou art,
> verily, the Inaccessible, the All-Glorious.
>
> — *Selected Writings of Baha'u'llah (Used by permission of the curator)*