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Sources: Gems Of Divine MysteriesWhen 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 and the fragrances of longing that he
discerneth not his left from his right, nor doth he distinguish land from
sea or desert from mountain. At every moment he burneth with the fire of
longing and is consumed by the onslaught of separation in this world. He
speedeth through the Paran of love and traverseth the Horeb of rapture.
Now he laugheth, now he weepeth sore; now he reposeth in peace, now he
trembleth in fear. Nothing can alarm him, naught can thwart his purpose,
and no law can restrain him. He standeth ready to obey whatsoever His Lord
should please to decree as to his beginning and his end. With every breath
he layeth down his life and offereth up his soul. He bareth his breast to
meet the darts of the enemy and raiseth his head to greet the sword of
destiny; nay rather, he kisseth the hand of his would-be murderer and
surrendereth his all. He yieldeth up spirit, soul, and body in the path of
his Lord, and yet he doeth so by the leave of his Beloved and not of his
own whim and desire. Thou findest him chill in the fire and dry in the
sea, abiding in every land and treading every path. Whosoever toucheth him
in this state will perceive the heat of his love. He walketh the heights
of detachment and traverseth the vale of renunciation. His eyes are ever
expectant to witness the wonders of God's mercy and eager to behold the
splendours of His beauty. Blessed indeed are they that have attained unto
such a station, for this is the station of the ardent lovers and the
enraptured souls.
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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... 38: O Son Of Being! Walk In My Statutes For Love Of Me And Deny Thyself
O SON OF BEING! Walk in My statutes for love of Me and deny thyself that which thou desirest if thou seekest My pleasure. ... 38: O Son Of Spirit! Burst Thy Cage Asunder And Even As The Phoenix
O SON OF SPIRIT! Burst thy cage asunder, and even as the phoenix of love soar into the firmament of holiness. Renounce thyself and, filled with the spirit of mercy, abide in the realm of celestial sanctity. ... 39
And when this stage of the journey is completed and the wayfarer hath soared beyond this lofty station, he entereth the City of Divine Unity, and the garden of oneness, and the court of detachment. In this plane the seeker casteth away all signs, all... 39 To The Brothers Five Parts To The Sisters Four Parts #20
Questions and Answers amplifies the provisions of the law as it relates to the shares of the inheritance allocated to the brothers and sisters of the deceased. If the brother or sister is from the same father as the deceased, he or she will inheri... 39: O Offspring Of Dust! Be Not Content With The Ease Of A Passing Day
O OFFSPRING OF DUST! Be not content with the ease of a passing day, and deprive not thyself of everlasting rest. Barter not the garden of eternal delight for the dust-heap of a mortal world. Up from thy prison ascend unto the glorious meads above,... 39: O Son Of Man! Neglect Not My Commandments If Thou Lovest My
O SON OF MAN! Neglect not My commandments if thou lovest My beauty, and forget not My counsels if thou wouldst attain My good pleasure. ... 3: O Friend! In The Garden Of Thy Heart Plant Naught But The
O FRIEND! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly. ... 3: O Son Of Man! Veiled In My Immemorial Being And In The Ancient
O SON OF MAN! Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty. ... 4
O thou who hast set foot in the wilderness of knowledge and taken abode within the ark of wisdom! Not until thou hast grasped the mysteries concealed in that which We shall relate unto thee canst thou hope to attain to the stations of faith and certi... 4 Nine Rak'ahs #6
A rak'ah is the recitation of specifically revealed verses accompanied by a prescribed set of genuflections and other movements. The Obligatory Prayer originally enjoined by Baha'u'llah upon His followers consisted of nine rak'ahs. Th... 40
In this station, were He Who is the Embodiment of the End to say: "Verily, I am the Point of the Beginning", He would indeed be speaking the truth. And were He to say: "I am other than Him", this would be equally true. Likewise, were He to proclaim: ... 40 The Teachers #20
In a Tablet, 'Abdu'l-Baha compares teachers who are involved with the spiritual education of the child to the spiritual father who endoweth his child with everlasting life. He explains that this is the reason that teachers are listed amon... 40: O My Servant! Free Thyself From The Fetters Of This World And
O MY SERVANT! Free thyself from the fetters of this world, and loose thy soul from the prison of self. Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee no more. ... 40: O Son Of Man! Wert Thou To Speed Through The Immensity Of
O SON OF MAN! Wert thou to speed through the immensity of space and traverse the expanse of heaven, yet thou wouldst find no rest save in submission to Our command and humbleness before Our Face. ... 41
In this station the truth of the unity of God and of the signs of His sanctity is established. Thou shalt indeed see them all rising above the bosom of God's might and embraced in the arms of His mercy; nor can any distinction be made between His bos... 41 When We Heard The Clamour Of The Children As Yet Unborn We Doubled
their share and decreased those of the rest. 20 In the Bab's laws of inheritance the children of the deceased were allotted nine parts consisting of 540 shares. This allocation constituted less than a quarter of the whole estate. Baha'u'llah doubl... 41: O Son Of Man! Magnify My Cause That I May Reveal Unto Thee The
O SON OF MAN! Magnify My cause that I may reveal unto thee the mysteries of My greatness and shine upon thee with the light of eternity. ... 41: O Son Of My Handmaid! Didst Thou Behold Immortal Sovereigntythou
O SON OF MY HANDMAID! Didst thou behold immortal sovereignty, thou wouldst strive to pass from this fleeting world. But to conceal the one from thee and to reveal the other is a mystery which none but the pure in heart can comprehend. ... 42
Hast thou not heard: "No change is there in God's creation"?(29) Hast thou not read: "No change canst thou find in God's mode of dealing"?(30) Hast thou not borne witness to the truth: "No difference wilt thou see in the creation of the God of Mercy"... 42 The House Of Justice #21
In referring to the House of Justice in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Baha'u'llah does not always explicitly distinguish between the Universal House of Justice and the Local House of Justice, both of which institutions are ordained in that Book. He ... 42: O My Servant! Purge Thy Heart From Malice And Innocent Of
O MY SERVANT! Purge thy heart from malice and, innocent of envy, enter the divine court of holiness. ... 42: O Son Of Man! Humble Thyself Before Me That I May Graciously
O SON OF MAN! Humble thyself before Me, that I may graciously visit thee. Arise for the triumph of My cause, that while yet on earth thou mayest obtain the victory. ... 43
Great God! This sea had laid up lustrous pearls in store; The wind hath raised a wave that casteth them ashore. So put away thy robe and drown thyself therein, And cease to boast of skill: it serveth thee no more! ... 43 Should The Deceased Leave Offspring But None Of The Other Categories Of Heirs #22
Baha'u'llah clarifies that This ruling hath both general and specific application, which is to say that whenever any category of this latter class of heirs is absent, two thirds of their inheritance pass to the offspring and the remaining third to... 43: O My Friends! Walk Ye In The Ways Of The Good Pleasure Of
O MY FRIENDS! Walk ye in the ways of the good pleasure of the Friend, and know that His pleasure is in the pleasure of His creatures. That is: no man should enter the house of his friend save at his friend's pleasure, nor lay hands upon his treasu... 43: O Son Of Being! Make Mention Of Me On My Earth That In My
O SON OF BEING! Make mention of Me on My earth, that in My heaven I may remember thee, thus shall Mine eyes and thine be solaced. ...