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Sources: Gems Of Divine MysteriesO 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 hidden mysteries. For otherwise, wert thou to interpret these
words according to their outward meaning, thou couldst never prove the
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.
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192 God Hath Laid Hold On Him Who Led Thee Astray #184
A reference to Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfahani, who is described by Shoghi Effendi as the Antichrist of the Baha'i Revelation. He was a man of corrupt character and great personal ambition who induced Mirza Yahya to oppose Baha'u'llah and to claim prop... 193 Select Ye A Single Language Adopt Ye A Common Script #189
Baha'u'llah enjoins the adoption of a universal language and script. His Writings envisage two stages in this process. The first stage is to consist of the selection of an existing language or an invented one which would then be taught in all the ... 194 We Have Appointed Two Signs For The Coming Of Age Of The Human Race #189
The first sign of the coming of age of humanity referred to in the Writings of Baha'u'llah is the emergence of a science which is described as that divine philosophy which will include the discovery of a radical approach to the transmutation of el... 19: O My Friends! Have Ye Forgotten That True And Radiant Morn
O MY FRIENDS! Have ye forgotten that true and radiant morn, when in those hallowed and blessed surroundings ye were all gathered in My presence beneath the shade of the tree of life, which is planted in the all-glorious paradise? Awe-struck ye lis... 19: O Son Of The Wondrous Vision! I Have Breathed Within Thee A Breath Of My Own
O SON OF THE WONDROUS VISION! I have breathed within thee a breath of My own Spirit, that thou mayest be My lover. Why hast thou forsaken Me and sought a beloved other than Me? ... 1: O Son Of Spirit! My First Counsel Is This: Possess A Pure Kindly And
O SON OF SPIRIT! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting. ... 1: O Ye People That Have Minds To Know And Ears To Hear!
O YE PEOPLE THAT HAVE MINDS TO KNOW AND EARS TO HEAR! The first call of the Beloved is this: O mystic nightingale! Abide not but in the rose-garden of the spirit. O messenger of the Solomon of love! Seek thou no shelter except in the Sheba of the ... 2
Encompassed as I am at this time by the dogs of the earth and the beasts of every land, concealed as I remain in the hidden habitation of Mine inner Being, forbidden as I may be from divulging that which God hath bestowed upon Me of the wonders of Hi... 2 We Have Unsealed The Choice Wine With The Fingers Of Might And Power #5
The consumption of wine and other intoxicants is prohibited in the Kitab-i-Aqdas (see notes 144 and 170). Reference to the use of wine in an allegorical sense--such as being the cause of spiritual ecstasy--is found, not only in the Revelation of... 20
O thou whom We have outwardly never met, yet whom We inwardly cherish in Our heart! Be fair in thy judgement and present thyself before Him Who seeth and knoweth thee, even if thou seest and knowest Him not: Can any soul be found to elucidate these w... 20 God Hath Exempted Women Who Are In Their Courses From Obligatory Prayer And Fasting #13
Exemption from obligatory prayer and fasting is granted to women who are menstruating; they should, instead, perform their ablutions (see note 34) and repeat 95 times a day between one noon and the next, the verse Glorified be God, the Lord of Spl... 20: O Son Of Spirit! My Claim On Thee Is Great It Cannot Be Forgotten
O SON OF SPIRIT! My claim on thee is great, it cannot be forgotten. My grace to thee is plenteous, it cannot be veiled. My love has made in thee its home, it cannot be concealed. My light is manifest to thee, it cannot be obscured. ... 20: O Ye That Are Lying As Dead On The Couch Of Heedlessness!
In the eighth of the most holy lines, in the fifth Tablet of Paradise, He saith: O YE THAT ARE LYING AS DEAD ON THE COUCH OF HEEDLESSNESS! Ages have passed and your precious lives are well-nigh ended, yet not a single breath of purity hath reached... 21
Having imparted unto thee, beneath countless veils of concealment, certain hidden mysteries, We now return to Our elucidation of the Books of old, that perchance thy feet may not slip and thou mayest receive with complete certitude the portion which ... 21 When Travelling If Ye Should Stop And Rest In Some Safe Spot Perform Ye
men and women alike a single prostration in place of each unsaid Obligatory Prayer 14 Exemption from obligatory prayer is granted to those who find themselves in such a condition of insecurity that the saying of the Obligatory Prayers is not p... 21: O Moving Form Of Dust! I Desire Communion With Thee But Thou Wouldst
O MOVING FORM OF DUST! I desire communion with thee, but thou wouldst put no trust in Me. The sword of thy rebellion hath felled the tree of thy hope. At all times I am near unto thee, but thou art ever far from Me. Imperishable glory I have chose... 21: O Son Of Man! Upon The Tree Of Effulgent Glory I Have Hung For
O SON OF MAN! Upon the tree of effulgent glory I have hung for thee the choicest fruits, wherefore hast thou turned away and contented thyself with that which is less good? Return then unto that which is better for thee in the realm on high. ... 22
It is recorded in all the Books of the Gospel that He Who is the Spirit(15) spoke in words of pure light unto His disciples, saying: "Know that heaven and earth may pass away, but my words shall never pass away."(16) As is clear and evident to thine ... 22 Upon Completing Your Prostrations Seat Yourselves Cross-legged #14
The Arabic expression haykalu't-tawhid, translated here as cross-legged, means the posture of unity. It has traditionally signified a cross-legged position. ... 22: O Son Of Desire! The Learned And The Wise Have For Long Years
O SON OF DESIRE! The learned and the wise have for long years striven and failed to attain the presence of the All-Glorious; they have spent their lives in search of Him, yet did not behold the beauty of His countenance. Thou without the least eff... 22: O Son Of Spirit! Noble Have I Created Thee Yet Thou Hast Abased
O SON OF SPIRIT! Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created. ... 23
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 ... 23 Say: God Hath Made My Hidden Love The Key To The Treasure #15
There is a well-known Islamic tradition concerning God and His creation: I was a Hidden Treasure. I wished to be made known, and thus I called creation into being in order that I might be known. References and allusions to this tra... 23: O Dwellers In The City Of Love! Mortal Blasts Have Beset The Everlasting Candle
O DWELLERS IN THE CITY OF LOVE! Mortal blasts have beset the everlasting candle, and the beauty of the celestial Youth is veiled in the darkness of dust. The chief of the monarchs of love is wronged by the people of tyranny and the dove of holines... 23: O Son Of The Supreme! To The Eternal I Call Thee Yet Thou Dost Seek That
O SON OF THE SUPREME! To the eternal I call thee, yet thou dost seek that which perisheth. What hath made thee turn away from Our desire and seek thine own? ... 24
Thou canst indeed hear the learned and the foolish amongst the people voice the same objections in this day, saying: "The sun hath not risen from the West, nor hath the Crier cried out betwixt earth and heaven. Water hath not inundated certain lands;... 24 O Pen Of The Most High! #16
Pen of the Most High, the Supreme Pen and the Most Exalted Pen are references to Baha'u'llah, illustrating His function as Revealer of the Word of God. ... 24: O Son Of Man! Transgress Not Thy Limits Nor Claim That Which
O SON OF MAN! Transgress not thy limits, nor claim that which beseemeth thee not. Prostrate thyself before the countenance of thy God, the Lord of might and power. ... 24: O Ye That Are Foolish Yet Have A Name To Be Wise!
O YE THAT ARE FOOLISH, YET HAVE A NAME TO BE WISE! Wherefore do ye wear the guise of shepherds, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent upon My flock? Ye are even as the star, which riseth ere the dawn, and which, though it seem radiant and lu... 25
Veiled as they remain within their own selves, the generality of the people have failed to perceive the sweet accents of holiness, inhale the fragrance of mercy, or seek guidance, as bidden by God, from those who are the custodians of the Scriptures.... 25 We Have Enjoined Upon You Fasting During A Brief Period #16
Fasting and obligatory prayer constitute the two pillars that sustain the revealed Law of God. Baha'u'llah in one of His Tablets affirms that He has revealed the laws of obligatory prayer and fasting so that through them the believers may draw nig... 25: O Son Of Spirit! Vaunt Not Thyself Over The Poor For I Lead Him On
O SON OF SPIRIT! Vaunt not thyself over the poor, for I lead him on his way and behold thee in thy evil plight and confound thee for evermore. ... 25: O Ye Seeming Fair Yet Inwardly Foul! Ye Are Like Clear But Bitter Water Which To Outward
O YE SEEMING FAIR YET INWARDLY FOUL! Ye are like clear but bitter water, which to outward seeming is crystal pure but of which, when tested by the divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the sun beam falls alike upon the dust and the mirror, ... 26
Alas, alas, for that which befell Him Who was the Manifestation of the Self of God, and for that which He and His loved ones were made to suffer! The people inflicted upon them what no soul hath ever inflicted upon another, and what no infidel hath w... 26 And At Its Close Have Designated For You Naw-ruz As A Feast #16
The Bab introduced a new calendar, known now as the Badi or Baha'i calendar (see notes 27 and 147). According to this calendar, a day is the period from sunset to sunset. In the Bayan, the Bab ordained the month of 'Ala to be the month of fasting,... 26: O My Friend In Word! Ponder Awhile Hast Thou Ever Heard That Friend
O MY FRIEND IN WORD! Ponder awhile. Hast thou ever heard that friend and foe should abide in one heart? Cast out then the stranger, that the Friend may enter His home. ... 26: O Son Of Being! How Couldst Thou Forget Thine Own Faults And
O SON OF BEING! How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me. ... 27
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 shal... 27 Let The Days In Excess Of The Months Be Placed Before The Month Of Fasting #16
The Badi calendar is based on the solar year of 365 days, 5 hours, and 50 odd minutes. The year consists of 19 months of 19 days each (i.e. 361 days), with the addition of four extra days (five in a leap year). The Bab did not specifically define ... 27: O Son Of Dust! All That Is In Heaven And Earth I Have Ordained
O SON OF DUST! All that is in heaven and earth I have ordained for thee, except the human heart, which I have made the habitation of My beauty and glory; yet thou didst give My home and dwelling to another than Me; and whenever the manifestation o... 27: O Son Of Man! Breathe Not The Sins Of Others So Long As Thou Art
O SON OF MAN! Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness. ... 28
Be not veiled by aught that hath been revealed in the Qur'an, or by what thou hast learned from the works of those Suns of immaculacy and Moons of majesty,(22) regarding the perversion of the Texts by the fanatical or their alteration by their corrup...