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Sources: Gems Of Divine MysteriesKnow thou that the passages that We have called "ambiguous" appear as
such only in the eyes of them that have failed to soar above the horizon
of guidance and to reach the heights of knowledge in the retreats of
grace. For otherwise, unto them that have recognized the Repositories of
divine Revelation and beheld through His inspiration the mysteries of
divine authority, all the verses of God are perspicuous and all His
allusions are clear. Such men discern the inner mysteries that have been
clothed in the garment of words as clearly as ye perceive the heat of the
sun or the wetness of water, nay even more distinctly. Immeasurably
exalted is God above our praise of His loved ones, and beyond their praise
of Him!
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Know then that it behoveth thine eminence to ponder from the outset these questions in thy heart: What hath prompted the divers peoples and kindreds of the earth to reject the Apostles whom God hath sent unto them in His might and power, whom He hath... 3 We Have Enjoined Obligatory Prayer Upon You #6
In Arabic, there are several words for prayer. The word salat, which appears here in the original, refers to a particular category of prayers, the recitation of which at specific times of the day is enjoined on the believers. To differentiate this... 30
O thou who art standing before My Throne and yet remain unaware thereof! Know thou that whoso seeketh to scale the summits of the divine mysteries must needs strive to the utmost of his power and capacity for his Faith, that the pathway of guidance m... 30 The Traveller Not Bound By The Fast #16
The minimum duration of a journey which exempts the believer from fasting is defined by Baha'u'llah (Q and A 22 and 75). The details of this provision are summarized in the Synopsis and Codification, section IV.B.5.a.i.-v. Shoghi Effendi has cl... 30: O Bond Slave Of The World! Many A Dawn Hath The Breeze Of My Loving-kindness
O BOND SLAVE OF THE WORLD! Many a dawn hath the breeze of My loving-kindness wafted over thee and found thee upon the bed of heedlessness fast asleep. Bewailing then thy plight it returned whence it came. ... 30: O Son Of Man! Deny Not My Servant Should He Ask Anything From
O SON OF MAN! Deny not My servant should he ask anything from thee, for his face is My face; be then abashed before Me. ... 31
Were the peoples of every nation to observe that which hath been mentioned, the matter would be made simple unto them, and such words and allusions would not withhold them from the Ocean of the names and attributes of God. And had the people known th... 31 The Traveller The Ailing Those Who Are With Child Or Giving Suck Are Not Bound By The Fast
they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace. 16 Exemption from fasting is granted to those who are ill or of advanced age (see note 14), women in their courses (see note 20), travellers (see note 30) and to women who are pregnant and... 31: O Son Of Being! Bring Thyself To Account Each Day Ere Thou Art
O SON OF BEING! Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning; for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give account for thy deeds. ... 31: O Son Of Earth! Wouldst Thou Have Me Seek None Other Than
O SON OF EARTH! Wouldst thou have Me, seek none other than Me; and wouldst thou gaze upon My beauty, close thine eyes to the world and all that is therein; for My will and the will of another than Me, even as fire and water, cannot dwell together ... 32
Know, moreover, that it is through such words that God proveth His servants and sifteth them, separating the believer from the infidel, the detached from the worldly, the pious from the profligate, the doer of good from the worker of iniquity, and so... 32 Abstain From Food And Drink From Sunrise To Sundown #17
This relates to the period of fasting. In one of His Tablets, 'Abdu'l-Baha, after stating that fasting consists of abstinence from food and drink, further indicates that smoking is a form of drink. In Arabic the verb drink applies equally to smoki... 32: O Befriended Stranger! The Candle Of Thine Heart Is Lighted By The Hand
O BEFRIENDED STRANGER! The candle of thine heart is lighted by the hand of My power, quench it not with the contrary winds of self and passion. The healer of all thine ills is remembrance of Me, forget it not. Make My love thy treasure and cherish... 32: O Son Of The Supreme! I Have Made Death A Messenger Of Joy To Thee
O SON OF THE SUPREME! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom? ... 33
It behoveth him who is a wayfarer in the path of God and a wanderer in His way to detach himself from all who are in the heavens and on the earth. He must renounce all save God, that perchance the portals of mercy may be unlocked before his face and ... 33 It Hath Been Ordained That Every Believer In God
... shall, each day ... repeat Allah-u-Abha ninety-five times. 18 Allah-u-Abha is an Arabic phrase meaning God the All-Glorious. It is a form of the Greatest Name of God (see note 137). In Islam there is a tradition that among the many names of... 33: O My Brother! Hearken To The Delightsome Words Of My Honeyed
O MY BROTHER! Hearken to the delightsome words of My honeyed tongue, and quaff the stream of mystic holiness from My sugar-shedding lips. Sow the seeds of My divine wisdom in the pure soil of thy heart, and water them with the water of certitude, ... 33: O Son Of Spirit! With The Joyful Tidings Of Light I Hail Thee: Rejoice!
O SON OF SPIRIT! With the joyful tidings of light I hail thee: rejoice! To the court of holiness I summon thee; abide therein that thou mayest live in peace for evermore. ... 34
Know thou that the passages that We have called "ambiguous" appear as such only in the eyes of them that have failed to soar above the horizon of guidance and to reach the heights of knowledge in the retreats of grace. For otherwise, unto them that h... 34 Perform Ye Ablutions For The Obligatory Prayer #18
Ablutions are specifically associated with certain prayers. They must precede the offering of the three Obligatory Prayers, the daily recitation of Allah-u-Abha ninety-five times, and the recital of the verse prescribed as an alternative to obliga... 34: O Dwellers Of My Paradise! With The Hands Of Loving-kindness I Have
O DWELLERS OF MY PARADISE! With the hands of loving-kindness I have planted in the holy garden of paradise the young tree of your love and friendship, and have watered it with the goodly showers of My tender grace; now that the hour of its fruitin... 34: O Son Of Spirit! The Spirit Of Holiness Beareth Unto Thee The Joyful
O SON OF SPIRIT! The spirit of holiness beareth unto thee the joyful tidings of reunion; wherefore dost thou grieve? The spirit of power confirmeth thee in His cause; why dost thou veil thyself? The light of His countenance doth lead thee; how can... 35
Now that We have reached this most excellent theme and attained such lofty heights by virtue of that which hath flowed from this Pen through the incomparable favours of God, the Exalted, the Most High, it is Our wish to disclose unto thee certain sta... 35 Ye Have Been Forbidden To Commit Murder #19
The prohibition against taking another's life is repeated by Baha'u'llah in paragraph 73 of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. Penalties are prescribed for premeditated murder (see note 86). In the case of manslaughter, it is necessary to pay a specified indemnit... 35: O My Friends! Quench Ye The Lamp Of Error And Kindle Within
O MY FRIENDS! Quench ye the lamp of error, and kindle within your hearts the everlasting torch of divine guidance. For ere long the assayers of mankind shall, in the holy presence of the Adored, accept naught but purest virtue and deeds of stainle... 35: O Son Of Man! Sorrow Not Save That Thou Art Far From Us Rejoice
O SON OF MAN! Sorrow not save that thou art far from Us. Rejoice not save that thou art drawing near and returning unto Us. ... 36
Know thou of a truth that the seeker must, at the beginning of his quest for God, enter the Garden of Search. In this journey it behoveth the wayfarer to detach himself from all save God and to close his eyes to all that is in the heavens and on the ... 36 Or Adultery #19
The Arabic word zina, here translated as adultery, signifies both fornication and adultery. It applies not only to sexual relations between a married person and someone who is not his or her spouse, but also to extramarital sexual interco... 36: O Son Of Dust! The Wise Are They That Speak Not Unless They
O SON OF DUST! The wise are they that speak not unless they obtain a hearing, even as the cup-bearer, who proffereth not his cup till he findeth a seeker, and the lover who crieth not out from the depths of his heart until he gazeth upon the beaut... 36: O Son Of Man! Rejoice In The Gladness Of Thine Heart That Thou
O SON OF MAN! Rejoice in the gladness of thine heart, that thou mayest be worthy to meet Me and to mirror forth My beauty. ... 37
In this journey the seeker becometh witness to a myriad changes and transformations, confluences and divergences. He beholdeth the wonders of Divinity in the mysteries of creation and discovereth the paths of guidance and the ways of His Lord. Such i... 37 Backbiting Or Calumny #19
Backbiting, slander and dwelling on the faults of others have been repeatedly condemned by Baha'u'llah. In the Hidden Words, He clearly states: O Son of Being! How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of o... 37: O My Servant! Abandon Not For That Which Perisheth An Everlasting
In the first line of the Tablet it is recorded and written, and within the sanctuary of the tabernacle of God is hidden: O MY SERVANT! Abandon not for that which perisheth an everlasting dominion, and cast not away celestial sovereignty for a worl... 37: O Son Of Man! Divest Not Thyself Of My Beauteous Robe And Forfeit
O SON OF MAN! Divest not thyself of My beauteous robe, and forfeit not thy portion from My wondrous fountain, lest thou shouldst thirst for evermore. ... 38
When once the seeker hath ascended unto this station, he will enter the City of Love and Rapture, whereupon the winds of love will blow and the breezes of the spirit will waft. In this station the seeker is so overcome by the ecstasies of yearning an... 38 We Have Divided Inheritance Into Seven Categories #20
The Baha'i laws of inheritance apply only in case of intestacy, that is, when the individual dies without leaving a will. In the Kitab-i-Aqdas ( 109), Baha'u'llah instructs every believer to write a will. He elsewhere clearly states that the indiv...