Baha\'u\'llah - Gleanings from the Writings of Baha\'u\'llah

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by Baha'u'llah

Edition 1, (June 23, 2005)

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CONTENTS

Baha'i Terms of Use
I: Lauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord, my...
II: The beginning of all things is the knowledge...
III: The Revelation which, from time immemorial,...
IV: This is the Day in which God's most excellent...
V: This is the Day whereon the Ocean of God's...
VI: Behold, how the divers peoples and kindreds...
VII: Verily I say, this is the Day in which mankind...
VIII: By the righteousness of God! These are the...
IX: O Husayn! Consider the eagerness with which...
X: The time foreordained unto the peoples and...
XI: All glory be to this Day, the Day in which the...
XII: Bestir yourselves, O people, in anticipation of...
XIII: Consider the past. How many, both high and...
XIV: The Divine Springtime is come, O Most Exalted...
XV: The Pen of Revelation exclaimeth: "On this...
XVI: Say: O men! This is a matchless Day....
XVII: By Him Who is the Great Announcement!...
XVIII: Say: We have caused the rivers of Divine...
XIX: To every discerning and illuminated heart it...
XX: Know thou of a certainty that the Unseen...
XXI: O Salman! The door of the knowledge of...
XXII: The Bearers of the Trust of God are made...
XXIII: Consider the former generations. Witness...
XXIV: Beware, O believers in the Unity of God,...
XXV: It is evident that every age in which a Manifestation...
XXVI: Praise be to God, the All-Possessing, the...
XXVII: All praise to the unity of God, and all...
XXVIII: Happy is the man who will arise to serve...
XXIX: The purpose of God in creating man hath...
XXX: God witnesseth that there is no God but...
XXXI: Contemplate with thine inward eye the...
XXXII: That which thou hast heard concerning...
XXXIII: It hath been decreed by Us that the Word...
XXXIV: All praise and glory be to God Who,...
XXXV: Ponder a while. What is it that prompted,...
XXXVI: Know thou that when the Son of Man...
XXXVII: Blessed is the man that hath acknowledged...
XXXVIII: Know of a certainty that in every Dispensation...
XXXIX: Praise be to Thee, O Lord My God, for the...
XL: O My Well-Beloved! Thou hast breathed Thy...
XLI: God is My witness, O people! I was asleep...
XLII: O Son of Justice! In the night season the...
XLIII: O Afnan, O thou that hast branched from...
XLIV: Lay not aside the fear of God, O ye the...
XLV: The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be...
XLVI: I sorrow not for the burden of My imprisonment....
XLVII: O Jews! If ye be intent on crucifying once...
XLVIII: God is my witness! Had it not been in...
XLIX: Know verily that whenever this Youth...
L: Shake off, O heedless ones, the slumber of...
LI: O people! I swear by the one true God! This...
LII: Say: O people! Withhold not from yourselves...
LIII: O Nasir, O My servant! God, the Eternal...
LIV: By the righteousness of God, my Well-Beloved!...
LV: Call thou to remembrance, O Land of Ta...
LVI: Let nothing grieve thee, O Land of Ta...
LVII: When thou art departed out of the court of...
LVIII: Call thou to mind that which hath been...
LIX: Every unbiased observer will readily admit...
LX: My captivity can bring on Me no shame....
LXI: The world is in travail, and its agitation...
LXII: Recall thou to mind My sorrows, My cares...
LXIII: O thou whose face is turned towards Me!...
LXIV: It is Our wish to remember the Abode of...
LXV: Call Thou to remembrance Thine arrival in...
LXVI: Fear God, ye inhabitants of the City (Constantinople),...
LXVII: There hath appeared in this Revelation...
LXVIII: O thou who art the fruit of My Tree and...
LXIX: Call thou to mind the behavior of Ashraf's...
LXX: The world's equilibrium hath been upset...
LXXI: Be not dismayed, O peoples of the world,...
LXXII: Let not your hearts be perturbed, O people,...
LXXIII: It is clear and evident that when the veils...
LXXIV: Every word that proceedeth out of the...
LXXV: Tear asunder, in My Name, the veils that...
LXXVI: Give ear, O My servant, unto that which...
LXXVII: And now, concerning thy question regarding...
LXXVIII: As to thy question concerning the origin...
LXXIX: As to thy question concerning the worlds...
LXXX: Thou hast asked Me whether man, as apart...
LXXXI: And now concerning thy question regarding...
LXXXII: Thou hast asked Me concerning the...
LXXXIII: Consider the rational faculty with which...
LXXXIV: Regard thou the one true God as One...
LXXXV: O My servants! It behoveth you to refresh...
LXXXVI: And now concerning thy question...
LXXXVII: And now regarding thy question, "How...
LXXXVIII: Know verily that the essence of justice...
LXXXIX: Know assuredly that just as thou firmly...
XC: Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on...
XCI: Amongst the proofs demonstrating the truth...
XCII: The Book of God is wide open, and His...
XCIII: Know thou that every created thing is a...
XCIV: And now concerning thy reference to the...
XCV: Know thou that, according to what thy...
XCVI: The Pen of the Most High is unceasingly...
XCVII: Consider the doubts which they who have...
XCVIII: Say: O leaders of religion! Weigh not the...
XCIX: The vitality of men's belief in God is dying...
C: The voice of the Divine Herald, proceeding...
CI: The purpose underlying the revelation of...
CII: Give a hearing ear, O people, to that which...
CIII: God hath, through His tongue that uttereth...
CIV: O ye peoples of the world! Know, verily,...
CV: O kings of the earth! He Who is the sovereign...
CVI: The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger...
CVII: He Who is your Lord, the All-Merciful,...
CVIII: We have a fixed time for you, O peoples....
CIX: O Kamal! The heights which, through the...
CX: The Great Being saith: O ye children of men!...
CXI: O contending peoples and kindreds of the...
CXII: Behold the disturbances which, for many a...
CXIII: Dost thou imagine, O Minister of the Shah...
CXIV: Hearken, O King (Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz),...
CXV: The Pen of Revelation, O Dhabih, hath, in...
CXVI: O kings of Christendom! Heard ye not the...
CXVII: The Great Being, wishing to reveal the...
CXVIII: Lay not aside the fear of God, O kings of...
CXIX: O ye rulers of the earth! Wherefore have...
CXX: O ye the elected representatives of the people...
CXXI: Say: O ye that envy Me and seek My hurt!...
CXXII: Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a...
CXXIII: The generations that have gone on before...
CXXIV: How wondrous is the unity of the Living,...
CXXV: O My brother! When a true seeker determineth...
CXXVI: To whatever place We may be banished,...
CXXVII: If it be your wish, O people, to know...
CXXVIII: Say: Doth it beseem a man while claiming...
CXXIX: O wayfarer in the path of God! Take...
CXXX: Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in...
CXXXI: The Pen of the Ancient King hath never...
CXXXII: The Purpose of the one true God, exalted...
CXXXIII: The ordinances of God have been sent...
CXXXIV: The first and foremost duty prescribed...
CXXXV: O Letter of the Living! The ear of God...
CXXXVI: Say: Deliver your souls, O people, from...
CXXXVII: Some have regarded it as lawful to infringe...
CXXXVIII: Thou seest, O God of Mercy, Thou...
CXXXIX: Let thine ear be attentive, O Nabil-i-'Azam,...
CXL: O Muhammad-'Ali! Great is the blessedness...
CXLI: A Book sent down in truth unto men of...
CXLII: I swear by the beauty of the Well-Beloved!...
CXLIII: Blessed art thou, O My servant, inasmuch...
CXLIV: The Pen of the Most High hath decreed...
CXLV: If ye meet the abased or the down-trodden,...
CXLVI: It is Our wish and desire that every one of...
CXLVII: The Most Great Name beareth Me witness!...
CXLVIII: O Salman! All that the sages and mystics...
CXLIX: Should any man, in this Day, arise and,...
CL: When the victory arriveth, every man shall...
CLI: Release yourselves, O nightingales of God,...
CLII: Thine eye is My trust, suffer not the dust...
CLIII: O banished and faithful friend! Quench the...
CLIV: Warn, O Salman, the beloved of the one...
CLV: The first duty prescribed by God for His...
CLVI: He Who is the Eternal Truth hath, from...
CLVII: They that have forsaken their country for...
CLVIII: God hath prescribed unto every one the...
CLIX: Consider the pettiness of men's minds. They...
CLX: He is indeed a true believer in the unity of...
CLXI: Gird up the loins of thine endeavor, that...
CLXII: The All-Merciful hath conferred upon man...
CLXIII: All praise be to God Who hath adorned...
CLXIV: Members of the human race! Hold ye fast...
CLXV: Know thou that every hearing ear, if kept...
CLXVI: Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct...

I: LAUDED AND GLORIFIED ART THOU, O LORD, MY...

Lauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord, my God! How can I make mention of
Thee, assured as I am that no tongue, however deep its wisdom, can
befittingly magnify Thy name, nor can the bird of the human heart, however
great its longing, ever hope to ascend into the heaven of Thy majesty and
knowledge.

If I describe Thee, O my God, as Him Who is the All-Perceiving, I find
myself compelled to admit that They Who are the highest Embodiments of
perception have been created by virtue of Thy behest. And if I extol Thee
as Him Who is the All-Wise, I, likewise, am forced to recognize that the
Well Springs of wisdom have themselves been generated through the
operation of Thy Will. And if I proclaim Thee as the Incomparable One, I
soon discover that they Who are the inmost essence of oneness have been
sent down by Thee and are but the evidences of Thine handiwork. And if I
acclaim Thee as the Knower of all things, I must confess that they Who are
the Quintessence of knowledge are but the creation and instruments of Thy
Purpose.

Exalted, immeasurably exalted, art Thou above the strivings of mortal man
to unravel Thy mystery, to describe Thy glory, or even to hint at the
nature of Thine Essence. For whatever such strivings may accomplish, they
never can hope to transcend the limitations imposed upon Thy creatures,
inasmuch as these efforts are actuated by Thy decree, and are begotten of
Thine invention. The loftiest sentiments which the holiest of saints can
express in praise of Thee, and the deepest wisdom which the most learned
of men can utter in their attempts to comprehend Thy nature, all revolve
around that Center Which is wholly subjected to Thy sovereignty, Which
adoreth Thy Beauty, and is propelled through the movement of Thy Pen.

Nay, forbid it, O my God, that I should have uttered such words as must of
necessity imply the existence of any direct relationship between the Pen
of Thy Revelation and the essence of all created things. Far, far are They
Who are related to Thee above the conception of such relationship! All
comparisons and likenesses fail to do justice to the Tree of Thy
Revelation, and every way is barred to the comprehension of the
Manifestation of Thy Self and the Day Spring of Thy Beauty.

Far, far from Thy glory be what mortal man can affirm of Thee, or
attribute unto Thee, or the praise with which he can glorify Thee!
Whatever duty Thou hast prescribed unto Thy servants of extolling to the
utmost Thy majesty and glory is but a token of Thy grace unto them, that
they may be enabled to ascend unto the station conferred upon their own
inmost being, the station of the knowledge of their own selves.

No one else besides Thee hath, at any time, been able to fathom Thy
mystery, or befittingly to extol Thy greatness. Unsearchable and high
above the praise of men wilt Thou remain for ever. There is none other God
but Thee, the Inaccessible, the Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the Holy of
Holies.

II: THE BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS IS THE KNOWLEDGE...

The beginning of all things is the knowledge of God, and the end of all
things is strict observance of whatsoever hath been sent down from the
empyrean of the Divine Will that pervadeth all that is in the heavens and
all that is on the earth.

III: THE REVELATION WHICH, FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL,...

The Revelation which, from time immemorial, hath been acclaimed as the
Purpose and Promise of all the Prophets of God, and the most cherished
Desire of His Messengers, hath now, by virtue of the pervasive Will of the
Almighty and at His irresistible bidding, been revealed unto men. The
advent of such a Revelation hath been heralded in all the sacred
Scriptures. Behold how, notwithstanding such an announcement, mankind hath
strayed from its path and shut out itself from its glory.

Say: O ye lovers of the One true God! Strive, that ye may truly recognize
and know Him, and observe befittingly His precepts. This is a Revelation,
under which, if a man shed for its sake one drop of blood, myriads of
oceans will be his recompense. Take heed, O friends, that ye forfeit not
so inestimable a benefit, or disregard its transcendent station. Consider
the multitude of lives that have been, and are still being, sacrificed in
a world deluded by a mere phantom which the vain imaginations of its
peoples have conceived. Render thanks unto God, inasmuch as ye have
attained unto your heart's Desire, and been united to Him Who is the
Promise of all nations. Guard ye, with the aid of the one true God--exalted
be His glory--the integrity of the station which ye have attained, and
cleave to that which shall promote His Cause. He, verily, enjoineth on you
what is right and conducive to the exaltation of man's station. Glorified
be the All-Merciful, the Revealer of this wondrous Tablet.

IV: THIS IS THE DAY IN WHICH GOD'S MOST EXCELLENT...

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
reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide
beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-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
remember, and blessed are those men whose names, by virtue of Our
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 Our 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.

V: THIS IS THE DAY WHEREON THE OCEAN OF GOD'S...

This is the Day whereon the Ocean 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 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 celebration of His praise and glory, such humility
and submissiveness 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
manner 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 beneath the feet of men...."

Show forbearance and benevolence and love to one another. Should any one
among you be incapable of grasping a certain truth, or be striving to
comprehend it, show forth, when conversing with him, a spirit of extreme
kindliness 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 is to attain that share of the flood of
grace which God poureth forth for him. Let none, therefore, consider the
largeness or smallness of the 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.

Every eye, in this Day, should seek what will best promote the Cause of
God. He, Who is the Eternal Truth, beareth Me witness! Nothing whatever
can, in this Day, inflict a greater harm upon this Cause than dissension
and strife, contention, estrangement and apathy, among the loved ones of
God. Flee them, through the power of God and His sovereign aid, and strive
ye to knit together the hearts of men, in His Name, the Unifier, the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Beseech ye the one true God to grant that ye may taste the savor of such
deeds as are performed in His path, and partake of the sweetness of such
humility and submissiveness as are shown for His sake. Forget your own
selves, and turn your eyes towards your neighbor. Bend your energies to
whatever may foster the education of men. Nothing is, or can ever be,
hidden from God. If ye follow in His way, His incalculable and
imperishable blessings will be showered upon you. This is the luminous
Tablet, whose verses have streamed from the moving Pen of Him Who is the
Lord of all worlds. Ponder it in your hearts, and be ye of them that
observe its precepts.

VI: BEHOLD, HOW THE DIVERS PEOPLES AND KINDREDS...

Behold, how the divers peoples and kindreds of the earth have been waiting
for the coming of the Promised One. No sooner had He, Who is the Sun of
Truth, been made manifest, than, lo, all turned away from Him, except them
whom God was pleased to guide. We dare not, in this Day, lift the veil
that concealeth the exalted station which every true believer can attain,
for the joy which such a revelation must provoke might well cause a few to
faint away and die.

He Who is the Heart and Center of the Bayan hath written: "The germ that
holdeth within itself the potentialities of the Revelation that is to come
is endowed with a potency superior to the combined forces of all those who
follow Me." And, again, He saith: "Of all the tributes I have paid to Him
Who is to come after Me, the greatest is this, My written confession, that
no words of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor can any reference to Him
in My Book, the Bayan, do justice to His Cause."

Whoso hath searched the depths of the oceans that lie hid within these
exalted words, and fathomed their import, can be said to have discovered a
glimmer of the unspeakable glory with which this mighty, this sublime, and
most holy Revelation hath been endowed. From the excellence of so great a
Revelation the honor with which its faithful followers must needs be
invested can be well imagined. By the righteousness of the one true God!
The very breath of these souls is in itself richer than all the treasures
of the earth. Happy is the man that hath attained thereunto, and woe
betide the heedless.

VII: VERILY I SAY, THIS IS THE DAY IN WHICH MANKIND...

Verily I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the Face, and
hear the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of God hath been raised, and
the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men. It behoveth
every man to blot out the trace of every idle word from the tablet of his
heart, and to gaze, with an open and unbiased mind, on the signs of His
Revelation, the proofs of His Mission, and the tokens of His glory.

Great indeed is this Day! The allusions made to it in all the sacred
Scriptures as the Day of God attest its greatness. The soul of every
Prophet of God, of every Divine Messenger, hath thirsted for this wondrous
Day. All the divers kindreds of the earth have, likewise, yearned to
attain it. No sooner, however, had the Day Star of His Revelation
manifested itself in the heaven of God's Will, than all, except those whom
the Almighty was pleased to guide, were found dumbfounded and heedless.

O thou that hast remembered Me! The most grievous veil hath shut out the
peoples of the earth from His glory, and hindered them from hearkening to
His call. God grant that the light of unity may envelop the whole earth,
and that the seal, "the Kingdom is God's", may be stamped upon the brow of
all its peoples.

VIII: BY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD! THESE ARE THE...

By the righteousness of God! These are the days in which God hath proved
the hearts of the entire company of His Messengers and Prophets, and
beyond them those that stand guard over His sacred and inviolable
Sanctuary, the inmates of the celestial Pavilion and dwellers of the
Tabernacle of Glory. How severe, therefore, the test to which they who
join partners with God must needs be subjected!

IX: O HUSAYN! CONSIDER THE EAGERNESS WITH WHICH...

O Husayn! Consider the eagerness with which certain peoples and nations
have anticipated the return of Imam-Husayn, whose coming, after the
appearance of the Qa'im, hath been prophesied, in days past, by the chosen
ones of God, exalted be His glory. These holy ones have, moreover,
announced that when He Who is the Day Spring of the manifold grace of God
manifesteth Himself, all the Prophets and Messengers, including the Qa'im,
will gather together beneath the shadow of the sacred Standard which the
Promised One will raise. That hour is now come. The world is illumined
with the effulgent glory of His countenance. And yet, behold how far its
peoples have strayed from His path! None have believed in Him except them
who, through the power of the Lord of Names, have shattered the idols of
their vain imaginings and corrupt desires and entered the city of
certitude. The seal of the choice Wine of His Revelation hath, in this Day
and in His Name, the Self-Sufficing, been broken. Its grace is being
poured out upon men. Fill thy cup, and drink in, in His Name, the Most
Holy, the All-Praised.

X: THE TIME FOREORDAINED UNTO THE PEOPLES AND...

The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now
come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all
been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the Law of God, and Jerusalem,
and the hills and land thereof, are filled with the glory of His
Revelation. Happy is the man that pondereth in his heart that which hath
been revealed in the Books of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Meditate upon this, O ye beloved of God, and let your ears be attentive
unto His Word, so that ye may, by His grace and mercy, drink your fill
from the crystal waters of constancy, and become as steadfast and
immovable as the mountain in His Cause.

In the Book of Isaiah it is written: "Enter into the rock, and hide thee
in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty." No
man that meditateth upon this verse can fail to recognize the greatness of
this Cause, or doubt the exalted character of this Day--the Day of God
Himself. This same verse is followed by these words: "And the Lord alone
shall be exalted in that Day." This is the Day which the Pen of the Most
High hath glorified in all the holy Scriptures. There is no verse in them
that doth not declare the glory of His holy Name, and no Book that doth
not testify unto the loftiness of this most exalted theme. Were We to make
mention of all that hath been revealed in these heavenly Books and holy
Scriptures concerning this Revelation, this Tablet would assume impossible
dimensions. It is incumbent in this Day, upon every man to place his whole
trust in the manifold bounties of God, and arise to disseminate, with the
utmost wisdom, the verities of His Cause. Then, and only then, will the
whole earth be enveloped with the morning light of His Revelation.

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