Quote of the Day, 18 Kalimát 173 BE

"O My servants! The one true God is My witness! This most great, this fathomless and surging Ocean is near, astonishingly near, unto you. Behold it is closer to you than your life-vein! Swift as the twinkling of an eye ye can, if ye but wish it, reach and partake of this imperishable favor, this God-given grace, this incorruptible gift, this most potent and unspeakably glorious bounty."

- Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah

Quote of the Day, 17 Kalimát 173 BE

"Whensoever the light of Manifestation of the King of Oneness settleth upon the throne of the heart and soul, His shining becometh visible in every limb and member. At that time the mystery of the famed tradition gleameth out of the darkness: “A servant is drawn unto Me in prayer until I answer him; and when I have answered him, I become the ear wherewith he heareth….” "

Baha'u'llah, Seven Valleys

Quote of the Day, 16 Kalimát 173 BE

"O ye that dwell on earth! The religion of God is for love and unity; make it not the cause of enmity or dissension."

- Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Ahd

Quote of the Day, 15 Kalimát 173 BE

"The divine religions were founded for the purpose of unifying humanity and establishing universal peace. Any movement which brings about peace and agreement in human society is truly a divine movement; any reform which causes people to come together under the shelter of the same tabernacle is surely animated by heavenly motives."

- Words attributed to `Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace

Quote of the Day, 14 Kalimát 173 BE

"And the honor and distinction of the individual consist in this, that he among all the world’s multitudes should become a source of social good. Is any larger bounty conceivable than this, that an individual, looking within himself, should find that by the confirming grace of God he has become the cause of peace and well-being, of happiness and advantage to his fellow men?"

- `Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization

Quote of the Day, 13 Kalimát 173 BE

"Set before thine eyes God's unerring Balance and, as one standing in His Presence, weigh in that Balance thine actions every day, every moment of thy life. Bring thyself to account ere thou art summoned to a reckoning..."

- Baha'u'llah, Súriy-i-Mulúk

Quote of the Day, 12 Kalimát 173 BE

"Concern yourselves with the things that benefit mankind, and not with your corrupt and selfish desires."

- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Quote of the Day, 11 Kalimát 173 BE

"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."

- Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah

Quote of the Day, 10 Kalimát 173 BE

"These Bahá'í children are of such great importance to the future. They will live in times, and have to meet problems, which never faced their elders. And the Cause alone can equip them to properly serve the needs of a future, war-weary, disillusioned, unhappy humanity. So their task will be very great and a very responsible one, and too much care cannot be devoted to their upbringing and preparation."

- From a letter dated 11 January 1942 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer

Quote of the Day, 9 Kalimát 173 BE

"Man is even as steel, the essence of which is hidden: through admonition and explanation, good counsel and education, that essence will be brought to light. If, however, he be allowed to remain in his original condition, the corrosion of lusts and appetites will effectively destroy him."

- Bahá'u'lláh, from a previously untranslated Tablet, translated from the Persian

Quote of the Day, 8 Kalimát 173 BE

"...they that tread the path of faith, they that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly -- their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth. They should put their trust in God, and, holding fast unto Him, follow in His way."

- Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Iqan

Quote of the Day, 7 Kalimát 173 BE

"Thou hast described thyself as a student in the school of spiritual progress. Fortunate art thou! If these schools of progress lead to the university of heaven, then branches of knowledge will be developed whereby humanity will look upon the tablet of existence as a scroll endlessly unfolding; and all created things will be seen upon that scroll as letters and words. Then will the different planes of meaning be learned, and then within every atom of the universe will be witnessed the signs of the oneness of God. Then will man hear the cry of the Lord of the Kingdom, and behold the confirmations of the Holy Spirit coming to succour him. Then will he feel such bliss, such ecstasy, that the wide world with its vastness will no longer contain him, and he will set out for the Kingdom of God, and hurry along to the realm of the spirit. For once a bird hath grown its wings, it remaineth on the ground no more, but soareth upward into high heaven -- except for those birds that are tied by the leg, or those whose wings are broken, or mired down."

- Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha

Quote of the Day, 6 Kalimát 173 BE

"Yea, such things as throw consternation into the hearts of all men come to pass only that each soul may be tested by the touchstone of God, that the true may be known and distinguished from the false. ...

Were you to ponder, but for a while, these utterances in your heart, you would surely find the portals of understanding unlocked before your face, and would behold all knowledge and the mysteries thereof unveiled before your eyes. Such things take place only that the souls of men may develop and be delivered from the prison-cage of self and desire."

- Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Iqan

Quote of the Day, 5 Kalimát 173 BE

"The friends must, at all times, bear in mind that they are, in a way, like soldiers under attack. The world is at present in an exceedingly dark condition spiritually; hatred and prejudice, of every sort, are literally tearing it to pieces. We, on the other hand, are the custodians of the opposite forces, the forces of love, of unity, of peace and integration, and we must constantly be on our guard, whether as individuals or as an Assembly or Community, lest through us these destructive, negative forces enter into our midst."

- Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the Spiritual Assembly of Atlanta, February 5, 1947

Quote of the Day, 4 Kalimát 173 BE

“Today, all the peoples of the world are indulging in self-interest and exert the utmost effort and endeavour to promote their own material interests. They are worshipping themselves and not the divine reality, nor the world of mankind. They seek diligently their own benefit and not the common weal. This is because they are captives of the world of nature and unaware of the divine teachings, of the bounty of the Kingdom and of the Sun of Truth. But ye, praise be to God, are at present especially favoured with this bounty, have become of the chosen, have been informed of the heavenly instructions, have gained admittance into the Kingdom of God, have become the recipients of unbounded blessings and have been baptized with the Water of Life, with the fire of the love of God and with the Holy Spirit.

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

-Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá

Quote of the Day, 3 Kalimát 173 BE

"To Israel He was neither more nor less than the incarnation of the “Everlasting Father,” the “Lord of Hosts” come down “with ten thousands of saints”; to Christendom Christ returned “in the glory of the Father,” to Shí’ah Islám the return of the Imám Husayn; to Sunní Islám the descent of the “Spirit of God” (Jesus Christ); to the Zoroastrians the promised Sháh-Bahrám; to the Hindus the reincarnation of Krishna; to the Buddhists the fifth Buddha."

- Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, referring to the Station of Baha'u'llah

Quote of the Day, 2 Kalimát 173 BE

“...perchance ye may forsake your own concepts and set your faces towards God, the Lord of being.”

Bahá'u'lláh, Kitab-I-Aqdas

Quote of the Day, 1 Kalimát 173 BE

"Methinks people’s sense of taste hath, alas, been sorely affected by the fever of negligence and folly, for they are found to be wholly unconscious and deprived of the sweetness of His utterance. How regrettable indeed that man should debar himself from the fruits of the tree of wisdom while his days and hours pass swiftly away."

Baha'u'llah, Lawh-i-Maqsud

Quote of the Day, 19 Raḥmat 173 BE

"Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you..."

Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Iqan

Quote of the Day, 18 Raḥmat 173 BE

"Lay not upon your souls that which will weary them and weigh them down, but rather what will lighten and uplift them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses towards the Dawning-place of His manifest signs; this will draw you nearer to God, did ye
but comprehend."

-Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas

Quote of the Day, 17 Raḥmat 173 BE

"True resurrection from the sepulchers means to be quickened in conformity with His Will, through the power of His utterance."

- Selections from the Writings of the Bab

Quote of the Day, 16 Raḥmat 173 BE

"All things proceed from God and unto Him they return. He is the source of all things and in Him all things are ended."

- Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas

Quote of the Day, 15 Raḥmat 173 BE

"Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and
center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements."

- Baha'u'llah, Tablet to Mánikchí Sáhib

Quote of the Day, 14 Raḥmat 173 BE

"Look not upon the creatures of God except with the eye of kindliness and of mercy, for Our loving providence hath pervaded all created things, and Our grace encompassed the earth and the heavens."

-Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah

Quote of the Day, 13 Raḥmat 173 BE

"Heed not your weaknesses and frailty; fix your gaze upon the invincible power of the Lord, your God, the Almighty."

- Words attributed to the Bab, The Dawn Breakers

Quote of the Day, 12 Raḥmat 173 BE

"O Supreme Pen, We have heard Thy most sweet call in the eternal realm: Give Thou ear unto what the Tongue of Grandeur uttereth, O Wronged One of the worlds!

Were it not for the cold, how would the heat of Thy words prevail, O Expounder of the worlds?

Were it not for calamity, how would the sun of Thy patience shine, O Light of the worlds?

Lament not because of the wicked. Thou wert created to bear and endure, O Patience of the worlds.

How sweet was Thy dawning on the horizon of the Covenant among the stirrers of sedition, and Thy yearning after God, O Love of the worlds.

By Thee the banner of independence was planted on the highest peaks, and the sea of bounty surged, O Rapture of the worlds.

By Thine aloneness the Sun of Oneness shone, and by Thy banishment the land of Unity was adorned. Be patient, O Thou Exile of the worlds.

We have made abasement the garment of glory, and affliction the adornment of Thy temple, O Pride of the worlds.

Thou seest the hearts are filled with hate, and to overlook is Thine, O Thou Concealer of the sins of the worlds.

When the swords flash, go forward! When the shafts fly, press onward! O Thou Sacrifice of the worlds.

Dost Thou wail, or shall I wail? Rather shall I weep at the fewness of Thy champions, O Thou Who hast caused the wailing of the worlds."

- Baha'u'llah, Lawh-i-Qad Ihtaraqa'l-Mukhlisún (the Fire Tablet)

Quote of the Day, 11 Raḥmat 173 BE

"Abdul-Baha wisheth no one’s heart to feel hurt, nor will he be a source of grief to any one; for there is no greater satisfaction than being a source of joy to the hearts.

I ask God that ye may become like angels of heaven, sources of happiness to souls."

- Tablets of `Abdu'l-Baha Abbas, Volume 1

Quote of the Day, 10 Raḥmat 173 BE

“Not everything that a man knoweth can be disclosed, nor can everything that he can disclose be regarded as timely, nor can every timely utterance be considered as suited to the capacity of those who hear it.”

- Baha'u'llah, quoting Arabic traditions, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah