The virtues and attributes pertaining unto God are all
    evident and manifest, and have been mentioned and
    described in all the heavenly Books. Among them are
    trustworthiness, truthfulness, purity of heart while
    communing with God, forbearance, resignation to
    whatever the Almighty hath decreed, contentment with
    the things His Will hath provided, patience, nay,
    thankfulness in the midst of tribulation, and complete
    reliance, in all circumstances, upon Him. These rank,
    according to the estimate of God, among the highest
    and most laudable of all acts. All other acts are, and
    will ever remain, secondary and subordinate unto them....

                    ~Baha'u'llah,
                      Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah,
                      p. 290

O YE THAT PRIDE YOURSELVES
    ON MORTAL RICHES!
    Know ye in truth that wealth is a mighty barrier between
    the seeker and his desire, the lover and his beloved. The
    rich, but for a few, shall in no wise attain the court of His
    presence nor enter the city of content and resignation.

                    ~Baha'u'llah,
                      The Persian Hidden Words, No. 53

    Know thou, therefore, that in every age and dispensation
    all Divine Ordinances are changed and transformed
    according to the requirements of the time, except the
    law of love, which, like unto a fountain, flows always
    and is never overtaken by change. This is of the wonderful
    mysteries which God has mentioned for His servants!
    Verily, He is the merciful, the compassionate!

                    ~Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 248

    Lay your confidence in the everlasting bounty,
    turn to the presence of the generous God; ask
    assistance from the Kingdom of Abha; seek
    confirmation from the Supreme World; turn thy
    vision to the horizon of eternal wealth; and pray
    for help from the Source of Mercy!


                    Compilations, Baha'i World Faith, p. 351

O God, my God! I have set out from my home,
    holding fast unto the cord of Thy love, and I have
    committed myself wholly to Thy care and Thy
    protection. I entreat Thee by Thy power through
    which Thou didst protect Thy loved ones from the
    wayward and the perverse, and from every
    contumacious oppressor, and every wicked doer
    who hath strayed far from Thee, to keep me safe
    by Thy bounty and thy grace. Enable me, then, to
    return to my home by Thy power and Thy might.
    Thou art, truly, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the
    Self-Subsisting.

                    ~Bahá'u'lláh
                      Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 130

He has shown that although individuals may differ in
    development and capacity, they are essentially and
    intrinsically equal as human beings, just as the waves
    of the sea are innumerable and different, but the reality
    of the sea is one. The plurality of humanity may be
    likened to the waves, but the reality of humankind is like
    the sea itself. All the waves are of the same water; all
    are waves of one ocean.

                    ~Abdu'l-Baha,
                       The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 283

The service of the friends belongs to God, not to them.

 Abdu'l-Baha
   Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1
    p. 61

The journey to Constantinople lasted between three and
four months, the party consisting of Bahá'u'lláh with members
of His family and twenty-six disciples. Arrived in Constantinople
they found themselves prisoners in a small house in
which they were very much overcrowded. Later they got somewhat
better quarters, but after four months they were again
moved on, this time to Adrianople. The journey to Adrianople,
although it lasted but a few days, was the most terrible they had
yet undertaken. Snow fell heavily most of the time, and as they
were destitute of proper clothing and food, their sufferings were
extreme. For the first winter in Adrianople, Bahá'u'lláh and
His family, numbering twelve persons, were accommodated
in a small house of three rooms, comfortless and vermin
infested. In the spring they were given a more comfortable
abode. They remained in Adrianople over four and a half
years. Here Bahá'u'lláh resumed His teaching and gathered
about Him a large following. He publicly announced His
mission and was enthusiastically accepted by the majority of
the Bábís, who were known thereafter as Bahá'ís.

 Dr. J.E. Esslemont
    Baha'u'llah and the New Era
    p. 30

And as to the world's evil plight, we need but recall the writings and
sayings of Bahá'u'lláh, who, more than fifty years ago, declared in terms
prophetic the prime cause of the ills and sufferings of mankind, and set
forth their true and divine remedy. "Should the Lamp of Religion be hidden,"
He declares, "Chaos and confusion will ensue." How admirably fitting
and applicable are these words to the present state of mankind!

 Shoghi Effendi
     Baha'i Administration
     p. 50

Ye are better known to the inmates of the Kingdom on high than ye
are known to your own selves. Think ye these words to be vain and
empty? Would that ye had the power to perceive the things your Lord,
the All-Merciful, doth see -- things that attest the excellence of your rank,
that bear witness to the greatness of your worth, that proclaim the sublimity
of your station! God grant that your desires and unmortified passions may
not hinder you from that which hath been ordained for you.

 Baha'u'llah
     Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
      p. 316

    Even as it hath been said: "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
    Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
    p. 176

    Bahá'u'lláh Himself has not only enjoined on every
one the duty of teaching His Faith, but stated if you
cannot go yourself, to send someone in your stead.


    Shoghi Effendi through his Secretary
    March 5th, 1934
    Principles of Baha'i Administration
    p. 84

He is God!  Thou seest us, O my God, gathered
around this table, praising Thy bounty, with our gaze
set upon Thy Kingdom.  O Lord!  Send down upon
us Thy heavenly food and confer upon us Thy blessing. 
Thou art verily the Bestower, the Merciful, the
Compassionate. 

 
Abdu'l-Baha
    Mahmud's Diary, page 327

"The face of the world," Bahá'u'lláh laments, "hath altered. The
way of God and the religion of God have ceased to be of any worth
in the eyes of men." "The vitality of men's belief in God," He also
has written, "is dying out in every land.... The corrosion of ungodliness
is eating into the vitals of human society." "Religion," He affirms, "is
verily the chief instrument for the establishment of order in the world,
and of tranquility amongst its peoples.... The greater the decline of
religion, the more grievous the waywardness of the ungodly. This
cannot but lead in the end to chaos and confusion." And again:
"Religion is a radiant light and an impregnable stronghold for the
protection and welfare of the peoples of the world." "As the body
of man," He, in another connection, has written, "needeth a garment
to clothe it, so the body of mankind must needs be adorned with the
mantle of justice and wisdom. Its robe is the Revelation vouchsafed
unto it by God."

 Shoghi Effendi
    The Promised Day is Come
    p. 112

O my Lord! Make the eyes of my husband to see. Rejoice
Thou his heart with the light of the knowledge of Thee, draw
Thou his mind unto Thy luminous beauty, cheer Thou his
spirit by revealing unto him Thy manifest splendours.

O my Lord! Lift Thou the veil from before his sight. Rain
down Thy plenteous bounties upon him, intoxicate him with
the wine of love for Thee, make him one of Thy angels
whose feet walk upon this earth even as their souls are
soaring through the high heavens. Cause him to become a
brilliant lamp, shining out with the light of Thy wisdom in
the midst of Thy people.

Verily Thou art the Precious, the Ever-Bestowing, the
Open of Hand. 

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha
    p. 121

...We have accepted to be tried by ills and troubles, that ye may
sanctify yourselves from all earthly defilements. Why, then, refuse
ye to ponder Our purpose in your hearts? By the righteousness of
God! Whoso will reflect upon the tribulations We have suffered, his
soul will assuredly melt away with sorrow. Thy Lord Himself beareth
witness to the truth of My words. We have sustained the weight of
all calamities to sanctify you from all earthly corruption, and ye are
yet indifferent.

 Baha'u'llah
    Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
    p. 306

The Divine Messengers have been sent down, and their
Books were revealed, for the purpose of promoting the
knowledge of God, and of furthering unity and fellowship
amongst men. But now behold, how they have made the
Law of God a cause and pretext for perversity and hatred.
How pitiful, how regrettable, that most men are cleaving
fast to, and have busied themselves with, the things they
possess, and are unaware of, and shut out as by a veil from,
the things God possesseth!
 
 Baha'u'llah
    Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
    p. 12
 

How often the Prophets of God and His supreme Manifestations in
Their prayers confess Their sins and faults! This is only to teach other
men, to encourage and incite them to humility and meekness, and to
induce them to confess their sins and faults. For these Holy Souls are
pure from every sin and sanctified from faults. In the Gospel it is said
that a man came to Christ and called Him "Good Master." Christ answered,
"Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but One, that is, God." 
This did not mean -- God forbid! -- that Christ was a sinner; but the
intention was to teach submission, humility, meekness and modesty to
the man to whom He spoke. These Holy Beings are lights, and light does
not unite itself with darkness. They are life, and life and death are not
confounded. They are for guidance, and guidance and error cannot be
together. They are the essence of obedience, and obedience cannot exist
with rebellion.

    Abdu'l-Baha
        Some Answered Questions
        p. 170

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.

         Baha'u'llah
            The Arabic Hidden Words
            No. 35

Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh:

    On May 29, 1892, Bahá'u'lláh - the Messenger of God
for this age - passed away at the age of 74. Bahá'ís
commemorate this Holy Day with prayerful gatherings at
3 a.m., the time of His passing, and work is suspended
on this day.
                http://www.nybahai.org/ascension

In the Old Testament we read that God said, 'Let us make
man in Our own image'. In the Gospel, Christ said, 'I am in the
Father, and the Father in Me'   In the Qur'án, God says, 'Man
is my Mystery and I am his'. Bahá'u'lláh writes that God says,
'Thy heart is My home; purify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My
place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation'.

    All these sacred words show us that man is made in God's
image: yet the Essence of God is incomprehensible to the human
mind, for the finite understanding cannot be applied to this infinite
Mystery. God contains all: He cannot be contained. That which
contains is superior to that which is contained. The whole is
greater than its parts.

    Things which are understood by men cannot be outside their
capacity for understanding, so that it is impossible for the heart
of man to comprehend the nature of the Majesty of God. Our
imagination can only picture that which it is able to create.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Paris Talks
    p. 23

  The wrong in the world continues to exist just because people
talk only of their ideals, and do not strive to put them into practice.
If actions took the place of words, the world's misery would very
soon be changed into comfort.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Paris Talks
    p. 16

    The Bahá'í Faith, as the name implies, is a religion, not
a political movement. Its foundation, Bahá'ís believe, is the
revelation of God for our day and its focal teaching is the
oneness of humankind. The mission that has been laid by
Bahá'u'lláh on those who recognize and would follow Him
is the promotion of the unification of the earth's peoples in
one global society guided by Divine principle.....

     The Universal House of Justice
        1997 Jul 25
        A letter to an individual

Material civilization is like a lamp-glass. Divine civilization is the
lamp itself and the glass without the light is dark. Material civilization
is like the body. No matter how infinitely graceful, elegant and
beautiful it may be, it is dead. Divine civilization is like the spirit, and
the body gets its life from the spirit, otherwise it becomes a corpse.
It has thus been made evident that the world of mankind is in need
of the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit the world of mankind
is lifeless, and without this light the world of mankind is in utter darkness.
For the world of nature is an animal world. Until man is born again
from the world of nature, that is to say, becomes detached from the
world of nature, he is essentially an animal, and it is the teachings of
God which convert this animal into a human soul.

 Abdu'l-Baha, A letter written by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the
    Central Organization for a Durable Peace, The Hague,
    17 December 1919




  O PEOPLES of the earth!

    Verily the resplendent Light of God hath appeared in your midst, invested
with this unerring Book, that ye may be guided aright to the ways of peace and,
by the leave of God, step out of the darkness into the light and onto this
far-extended Path of Truth

 The Bab
    Selections from the Writings of the Bab
    p. 61

  My hope is that through the zeal and ardour of the pure
of heart, the darkness of hatred and difference will be entirely
abolished, and the light of love and unity shall shine; this
world shall become a new world; things material shall become
the mirror of the divine; human hearts shall meet and embrace
each other; the whole world become as a man's native country
and the different races be counted as one race.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Abdu'l-Baha in London
    p. 38

.....The light of men is Justice. Quench it not with the contrary
winds of oppression and tyranny. The purpose of justice is the
appearance of unity among men.

 Baha'u'llah
    Tablets of Baha'u'llah
    p. 66

Be ye as the fingers of one hand, the members of one body.
Thus counselleth you the Pen of Revelation, if ye be of them that
believe.

 
Baha'u'llah
    Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
    p. 140

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
chosen for thee, yet boundless shame thou hast chosen
for thyself. While there is yet time, return, and lose not
thy chance.

 Baha'u'llah
    The Persian Hidden Words
    24

...Acceptance of the concept of unity in diversity, therefore, implies
the development in the individual of a global consciousness, a sense
of world citizenship, and a love for humanity as a whole. In this regard,
each individual needs to understand that, since the body of humankind
is one and indivisible, each member of the human race is born into the
world as a trust of the whole and that the advantage of the part in a
world society is best served by promoting the advantage of the whole.

 Baha'i International Community
    1998 Feb 18
    Valuing Spirituality in Development

I am a child of tender years. Nourish me from the breast
of Thy mercy, train me in the bosom of Thy love, educate
me in the school of Thy guidance and develop me under the
shadow of Thy bounty. Deliver me from darkness, make
me a brilliant light; free me from unhappiness, make me a
flower of the rose garden; suffer me to become a servant
of Thy threshold and confer upon me the disposition and
nature of the righteous; make me a cause of bounty to the
human world, and crown my head with the diadem of eternal
life.

    Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Seer,
the Hearer.


    'Abdu'l-Bahá
       Baha'i Prayers
        p. 36

The difference between spiritual philosophers and others is
shown by their lives. The Spiritual Teacher shows His belief in
His own teaching, by Himself being what He recommends to
others.

    An humble man without learning, but filled with the Holy Spirit,
is more powerful than the most nobly-born profound scholar
without that inspiration. He who is educated by the Divine Spirit
can, in his time, lead others to receive the same Spirit.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Paris Talks
    p. 165

PRAYER FOR AMERICA

    O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts
are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by
the message of Thy glad-tidings. O God! Let this American democracy
become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material
degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered
nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate
the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy
among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy
of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near
to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá
  30 April 1912
  Talk at Public Meeting Concluding
    Convention of Bahá'í Temple Unity
    Drill Hall, Masonic Temple,
    Chicago, Illinois

PRAYER FOR AMERICA

    O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts
are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by
the message of Thy glad-tidings. O God! Let this American democracy
become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material
degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered
nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate
the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy
among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy
of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near
to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá
  30 April 1912
  Talk at Public Meeting Concluding
    Convention of Bahá'í Temple Unity
    Drill Hall, Masonic Temple,
    Chicago, Illinois

Music is one of the important arts. It has great effect upon human spirit.
Musical melodies are a certain something which prove to be accidental
upon etheric vibrations, for voice is nothing but the expression of vibrations,
which reaching the tympanum, effect the nerves of hearing. Musical melodies
are, therefore, those peculiar effects produced by, or from, vibration.
However, they have the keenest effect upon the spirit. In sooth, although
music is a material affair, yet its tremendous effect is spiritual, and its greatest
attachment is to the realm of the spirit. If a person desires to deliver a
discourse, it will prove more effectual after musical melodies.

Table Talk' by 'Abdu'l-Bahá
   Cited in Compilation of Extracts
   from the Bahá'í Writings on Music
   March 1, 1972, pp:6-7

    O ye men of wisdom among nations! Shut your eyes
to estrangement, then fix your gaze upon unity. Cleave
tenaciously unto that which will lead to the well-being and
tranquillity of all mankind. This span of earth is but one
homeland and one habitation. It behoveth you to abandon
vainglory which causeth alienation and to set your hearts
on whatever will ensure  harmony. In the estimation of the
people of Baha man's glory lieth in his knowledge, his upright
conduct, his praiseworthy character, his wisdom, and not
in his nationality or rank. O people of the earth! Appreciate
the value of this heavenly word. Indeed it may be likened
unto a ship for the ocean of knowledge and a shining luminary
for the realm of perception.

 Baha'u'llah
    Tablets of Baha'u'llah
    p. 67



....Physical pain is a necessary accompaniment of all human
existence, and as such is unavoidable. As long as there will
be life on earth, there will be also suffering, in various forms
and degrees. But suffering, although an inescapable reality,
can nevertheless be utilized as a means for the attainment of
happiness. This is the interpretation given to it by all the prophets
and saints who, in the midst of severe tests and trials, felt happy
and joyous and experienced what is best and holiest in life.
Suffering is both a reminder and a guide.

Shoghi Effendi
    From a letter written on behalf of  to
    an individual believer, May 29, 1935

O SON OF SPIRIT!

    I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty?
Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the
essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou
enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I
molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy
sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee,
mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.

 Baha'u'llah
    The Arabic Hidden Words
__________________________________________________

Religious fanaticism and hatred are a
world-devouring fire, whose violence
none can quench.

 
Baha'u'llah
    Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
    p. 13

    A mechanism of world inter-communication will be devised,
embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and
restrictions, and functioning with marvellous swiftness and perfect
regularity.

    Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Baha'i Faith
       Great-grandson of the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith
      The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 203
              11 March 1936

Baha'o'llah states that Mohammed was a prophet of God, that
Christ was the word of God and Moses the Friend of God. He
affirms the principles, the spirit, the reality of each religion, giving
lordly and abiding arguments and never indulging in vague sentiments.

    The messenger of God is often sad, but his sadness does not come
from causes relating to himself. He longs that a soul become illumined,
but the soul prefers darkness; he yearns to change the ignorance of
the people into knowledge, their error into guidance, their insincerity
into truth, their faithlessness into firmness; but people prefer their own
shadows and he who manifests God becomes sad over the negligence
of these sleeping ones. Are they not of the heedless?

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Divine Philosophy
    p. 73

The first duty of the beloved of God and the maid-servants
of the Merciful is this: They must strive by all possible means to
educate both sexes, male and female; girls like boys; there is no
difference whatsoever between them. The ignorance of both is
blameworthy, and negligence in both cases is reprovable. "Are
they who know and they who do not know equal?"

    The command is decisive concerning both. If it be considered
through the eye of reality, the training and culture of daughters is
more necessary than that of sons, for these girls will come to the
station of motherhood and will mold the lives of the children. The
first trainer of the child is the mother. The babe, like unto a green
and tender branch, will grow according to the way it is trained. If
the training be right, it will grow right, and if crooked, the growth
likewise, and unto the end of life it will conduct itself accordingly.


Abdu'l-Baha
    Baha'i World Faith
    Abdu'l-Baha Section
      p. 398

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 in one heart.

 Baha'u'llah
    The Persian Hidden Words #31

    God sent His Prophets into the world to teach and enlighten
man, to explain to him the mystery of the Power of the Holy
Spirit, to enable him to reflect the light, and so in his turn, to
be the source of guidance to others. The Heavenly Books,
the Bible, the Qur'án, and the other Holy Writings have been
given by God as guides into the paths of Divine virtue, love,
justice and peace.

    Therefore I say unto you that ye should strive to follow the
counsels of these Blessed Books, and so order your lives that
ye may, following the examples set before you, become yourselves
the saints of the Most High!

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Paris Talks
    p. 61

    Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital,
our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We
seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere
of usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our
strength leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence
veiled. The actualities of life seem to elude our grasp, the eyes of
our spirits fail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become
even as dead beings.

    There is no human being untouched by these two influences;
but all the sorrow and the grief that exist come from the world of
matter -- the spiritual world bestows only the joy!

    If we suffer it is the outcome of material things, and all the trials
and troubles come from this world of illusion.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Paris Talks
    p. 109

He does not ask us to follow Him blindly; as He says in
one of His Tablets, God had endowed man with a mind to
operate as a torchlight and guide him to truth. Read His words,
consider His teachings, and measure their value in the light
of contemporary problems and the truth will surely be revealed

to you.

Shoghi Effendi
       In a letter to an individual believer dated
       26 February 1933 and published in "Bahá'í News",
       No. 80, Jan. 1934, p.5

As we have before indicated, this human reality stands between
the higher and the lower in man, between the world of the animal
and the world of divinity. When the animal proclivity in man becomes
predominant, he sinks even lower than the brute. When the heavenly
powers are triumphant in his nature, he becomes the noblest and most
superior being in the world of creation. All the imperfections found in
the animal are found in man. In him there is antagonism, hatred and
selfish struggle for existence; in his nature lurk jealousy, revenge, ferocity,
cunning, hypocrisy, greed, injustice and tyranny. So to speak, the reality
of man is clad in the outer garment of the animal, the habiliments of
the world of nature, the world of darkness, imperfections and unlimited
baseness.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Foundations of World Unity
    p. 110

  One hundred years ago, Bahá'u'lláh, Founder of the Bahá'í Faith,
proclaimed in clear and unmistakable language, to the kings and rulers
of the world, to its religious leaders, and to mankind in general that
the long-promised age of world peace and brotherhood had at last
dawned and that He Himself was the Bearer of the new message and
power from God which would transform the prevailing system of
antagonism and enmity between men and create the spirit and form of
the destined world order.


 The Proclamation of Baha'u'llah
    Bahá'í World Centre
    Copyright (c) 1967 by the
    Universal House of Justice

O army of God! Beware lest ye harm any soul, or make
any heart to sorrow; lest ye wound any man with your words,
be he known to you or a stranger, be he friend or foe. Pray
ye for all; ask ye that all be blessed, all be forgiven. Beware,
beware, lest any of you seek vengeance, even against one who
is thirsting for your blood. Beware, beware, lest ye offend the
feelings of another, even though he be an evil-doer, and he
wish you ill. Look ye not upon the creatures, turn ye to their
Creator. See ye not the never-yielding people, see but the Lord
of Hosts. Gaze ye not down upon the dust, gaze upward at the
shining sun, which hath caused every patch of darksome earth
to glow with light.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Selections from the
        Writings of Abdu'l-Baha
    p. 73

   Remember, above all, the teaching of Bahá'u'lláh concerning
gossip and unseemly talk about others. Stories repeated about
others are seldom good. A silent tongue is the safest. Even good
may be harmful, if spoken at the wrong time, or to the wrong
person.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Abdu'l-Baha in London
    p. 125

    The first and foremost duty prescribed unto men,
next to the recognition of Him Who is the Eternal Truth,
is the duty of steadfastness in His Cause. Cleave thou
unto it, and be of them whose minds are firmly fixed and
grounded in God. No act, however meritorious, did
or can ever compare unto it. It is the king of all acts,
and to this thy Lord, the All-Highest, the Most Powerful,
will testify....

 Baha'u'llah
    Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
    p. 290

The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye
not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one
tree, and the leaves of one branch.

Bahá'u'lláh
    Tablets of Baha'u'llah
    p. 164

O Lord! Give to the people of Baha cleanliness and holiness
in all conditions, purify and free them from all defilement, deliver
them from the use of all that is execrated, liberate them from the
chains of habits, so that they may be pure and free, clean and
spotless, that they may be worthy servants of the Sacred Threshold
and may deserve to enter into relation with God. Deliver them
from alcohol and tobacco, and save them from opium, the purveyor
of madness! Make them companions of the holy breezes, in order
that they may know the pleasures of the wine of the love of God,
and that they may attain to the joy and the happiness of attraction
to the Kingdom of Abha!

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Baha'i World Faith
    Abdu'l-Baha Section
    p. 335

O Lord! Give to the people of Baha cleanliness and holiness
in all conditions, purify and free them from all defilement, deliver
them from the use of all that is execrated, liberate them from the
chains of habits, so that they may be pure and free, clean and
spotless, that they may be worthy servants of the Sacred Threshold
and may deserve to enter into relation with God. Deliver them
from alcohol and tobacco, and save them from opium, the purveyor
of madness! Make them companions of the holy breezes, in order
that they may know the pleasures of the wine of the love of God,
and that they may attain to the joy and the happiness of attraction
to the Kingdom of Abha!

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Baha'i World Faith
    Abdu'l-Baha Section
    p. 335

   Because, when thou lookest with the iron sight, thou wilt find
that all mankind is suffering in this earthly world; there is no one
in such tranquillity that this state might have been a reward for his
good deeds in a former life and there is no soul so happy that this
might be the fruit of his past pain!  Had the life of a man in his spiritual
being been only confined to his life in this world, the creation would
have proved useless; the divine qualities would have no result and
effect; nay, all things, created beings and the world of creation would
have proved abortive. I ask pardon of God for such false imaginations
and for such errors!

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Baha'i World Faith
    Abdu'l-Baha Section
    p 392

    The question you raise as to the place in one's life that a deep
bond of love with someone we meet other than our husband or wife
can have is easily defined in view of the teachings. Chastity implies
both before and after marriage an unsullied, chaste sex life. Before
marriage absolutely chaste, after marriage absolutely faithful to one's
chosen companion. Faithful in all sexual acts, faithful in word and in
deed.

    From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an
    individual believer, September 28, 1941:
       Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1968-1973
       pp. 108-109

Declaration at Ridvan near Baghdad

    After much negotiation, at the request of the Persian
Government, an order was issued by the Turkish Government
summoning Bahá'u'lláh to Constantinople. On receipt of this
new His followers were in consternation. They besieged the
house of their beloved Leader to such an extent that the family
encamped in the Garden of Najib Pasha outside the town for
twelve days, while the caravan was being prepared for the long
journey. It was during these twelve days (April 22 to May 3,
1863, i.e. nineteen years after the Báb's Declaration) that
Bahá'u'lláh announced to several of His followers the glad
tidings that He was the One Whose coming had been foretold
by the Báb -- the Chosen of God, the Promised One of all the
Prophets. The Garden where this memorable Declaration took
place has become known to Bahá'ís as the "Garden of Ridvan,"
and the days Bahá'u'lláh spent there are commemorated in the
"Feast of Ridvan," which is held annually on the anniversary
of those twelve days. During those days Bahá'u'lláh, instead
of being sad or depressed, showed the greatest joy, dignity and
power. His followers became happy and enthusiastic, and great
crowds came to pay their respects to Him. All the notables of
Baghdad, even the Governor himself, came to honor the departing
prisoner.


J.E. Esslemont
    Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
    An Introduction to the Bahá'í Faith
    p. 29


Through the mere revelation of the word "Fashioner," issuing forth
from His lips and proclaiming His attribute to mankind, such power is
released as can generate, through successive ages, all the manifold arts
which the hands of man can produce. This, verily, is a certain truth. No
sooner is this resplendent word uttered, than its animating energies, stirring
within all created things, give birth to the means and instruments whereby
such arts can be produced and perfected. All the wondrous achievements
ye now witness are the direct consequences of the Revelation of this Name.

Baha'u'llah
    Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh"
     pp. 141-42

  There is a great mystery involving the levels of service. Shoghi
Effendi always advised the friends to pursue a moderate and wise
course, but if they did not, and chose to rise to heights of
heroism and self-sacrifice, he was immensely proud of them. After
all, there is nothing either wise or moderate in being
martyred -- yet our crowning glory as a religion is that our first
Prophet was martyred and twenty thousand people followed in His
footsteps. I have tried to understand this mystery, moderation on
one side and Bahá'u'lláh's words on the other: "... then write
with that crirnson ink that hath been shed in My path. Sweeter
indeed is this than all else..." and it seems to me that the
best example is an aeroplane: when it trundles along on the ground
on its wheels it is in the dimension of the ground, going along
steadily on an earthly plane, but when it soars in the air and
folds its wheels away and leaps forward at dazzling speeds, it is
in a celestial realm and the values are different. When we are on
the ground we get good sound earthly advice, but if we choose to
spurn the soil and leap into the realms of higher service and
sacrifice we do not get that kind of advice any more, we win
immortal fame and become heroes and heroines of God's Cause.

 Ruhiyyih Khanum
    The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith
    p. 54

O Almighty!

    Look upon us with the glance of mercifulness. Grant
us heavenly confirmation. Bestow upon us the breath of
the Holy Spirit, so that we may be assisted in Thy service
and, like unto brilliant stars, shine in these regions with the
 light of Thy guidance.

Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Wise and
the Seeing. 

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Tablets of the Divine Plan
    p. 65

endure! After a long incarceration he was exiled; yet
day and night he diffused the light and guided men to
truth. Baha'o'llah was imprisoned in an underground
cell where he was chained for four months, then exiled
to Bagdad, Constantinople, Adrianople and finally to
Acca. One knows the prison there. For two years he
lived in a dark cell and for seven years in one room.
A number of pilgrims from Persia came to Acca expecting
to see him liberated. They arrived at the very moment
when he was being conducted from his cell to the fortres
where he lived seven years. After these nine years he
was allowed more liberty, and, on parole, lived in a house
in the fortressed town.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Divine Philosophy
    p. 70

...The greatest happiness for a lover is to converse with his beloved,
and the greatest gift for a seeker is to become familiar with the object
of his longing; that is why with every soul who is attracted to the Kingdom
of God, his greatest hope is to find an opportunity to entreat and supplicate
before his Beloved, appeal to His mercy and grace and be immersed in the
ocean of His utterance, goodness and generosity.

Abdu'l-Baha'
    Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha
     V3, p. 683

...The mere fact that a person is learned does not mean
that he is free from prejudice.

    The academic life also has its fashions and fads, even
though they are of different nature from the fads of the man
on the street. These fashions are not permanent; they are
bound to change. Today the fad is a materialistic view of
life and of the world. A day will soon come when it will
become deeply religious and spiritual. In fact, we can
discern the beginning of such a change in the writings of
some of the most eminent souls and liberal minds. When
the pendulum will start its full swing, then we shall see all
such eminent men turn again to God.
      - (Letter To Mr. Willard Hatch, October 18, 1932.)

Shoghi Effendi
      U.S. BAHÁ'Í NEWS
       A compilation of letters and extracts of writings from the
       Guardian Published in the Baha'i News issues of the USA

  Love is the source of all the bestowals of God. Until
love takes possession of the heart, no other divine bounty
can be revealed in it.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    The Promulgation of Universal Peace
    p. 15

O BRETHREN!

    Be forbearing one with another and set not your affections
on things below. Pride not yourselves in your glory, and be
not ashamed of abasement. By My beauty! I have created all
things from dust, and to dust will I return them again.

 Baha'u'llah
    The Persian Hidden Words #48

  To every discerning and illuminated heart it is evident that God,
the unknowable Essence, the Divine Being, is immensely exalted
beyond every human attribute, such as corporeal existence, ascent
and descent, egress and regress. Far be it from His glory that human
tongue should adequately recount His praise, or that human heart
comprehend His fathomless mystery. He is, and hath ever been,
veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence, and will remain in His
Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight of men. "No vision taketh
in Him, but He taketh in all vision; He is the Subtile, the All-Perceiving."...

 Baha'u'llah
    Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
    p. 46

The conception of annihilation is a factor in human degradation,
a cause of human debasement and lowliness, a source of human
fear and abjection. It has been conducive to the dispersion and
weakening of human thought, whereas the realization of existence
and continuity has upraised man to sublimity of ideals, established
the foundations of human progress and stimulated the development
of heavenly virtues; therefore, it behooves man to abandon thoughts
of nonexistence and death, which are absolutely imaginary, and see
himself ever-living, everlasting in the divine purpose of his creation.
He must turn away from ideas which degrade the human soul so
that day by day and hour by hour he may advance upward and
higher to spiritual perception of the continuity of the human reality.
If he dwells upon the thought of nonexistence, he will become
utterly incompetent; with weakened willpower his ambition for
progress will be lessened and the acquisition of human virtues will
cease.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    The Promulgation of Universal Peace
    p. 89

The ones in real authority are known by their humility and
self- sacrifice and show no attitude of superiority over the
friends. Some time ago a tablet was written stating that none
are appointed to any authority to do anything but to serve the
Cause as true servants of the friends-and for this no tablet is
necessary; such service when true and unselfish, required no
announcement, nor following, nor written document. Let the
servant be known by his deeds, by his life! To be approved
of god alone should be one's aim.



'Abdu'l-Bahá
    Star of the West Magazine
     Vol. VI, No. 6, p. 43


   The Great Being saith: O ye children of men!
The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of
God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests
and promote the unity of the human race, and to
foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men.
Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and
discord, of hate and enmity. This is the straight
Path, the fixed and immovable foundation.

 Baha'u'llah
    Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
    p. 215

Nor should it be thought for a moment that the followers of
Bahá'u'lláh either seek to degrade or even belittle the rank of
the world's religious leaders, whether Christian, Muslim, or
of any other denomination, should their conduct conform to
their professions, and be worthy of the position they occupy.
"Those divines," Bahá'u'lláh has affirmed, "...who are truly
adorned with the ornament of knowledge and of a goodly
character are, verily, as a head to the body of the world, and
as eyes to the nations. The guidance of men hath, at all times,
been and is dependent upon these blessed souls."

 Shoghi Effendi
    The Promised Day is Come
     p. 110


Whensoever a company of people shall gather in a meeting place,
shall engage in glorifying God, and shall speak with one another of the
mysteries of God, beyond any doubt the breathings of the Holy Spirit
will blow gently over them, and each shall receive a share thereof.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha
    p. 94

O SON OF MAN!

    Be thou content with Me and seek no other helper.
For none but Me can ever suffice thee.

 Baha'u'llah
    The Arabic Hidden Words
    No. 17

    One might liken Bahá'u'lláh's teachings to a sphere; there
are points poles apart, and in between the thoughts and doctrines
that unite them. We believe in balance in all things; we believe
in moderation in all things -- we must not be too emotional, nor
cut and dried and lacking in feeling, we must not be so liberal as
to cease to preserve the character and unity of our Bahá'í system,
nor fanatical and dogmatic. Very few people, as you as a
psychologist know, have attained perfect equilibrium in their minds
or their lives -- their acts -- the same is certainly true of the Bahá'ís,
for anyone who believes in our teachings can become a Bahá'í and
they represent all elements of the population."


 The Universal House of Justice
    1999 Dec 13 Two Compilations on Scholarship
    1979 and 1983, p. 2
        (To an individual believer dated 5 July 1947)

  Brotherhood and sisterhood that is founded on a universal love
is precious. It is not like the material kind which is soon forgotten
and, perhaps, changed to hatred before this life is over. Material
brothers and sisters seldom have lasting affection for each other, but
this divine relationship is eternal. In the world of God it will become
more clear and manifest.

 Abdu'l-Baha
   Divine Philosophy
   p. 112

The reason why privacy hath been enjoined in moments of devotion
is this, that thou mayest give thy best attention to the remembrance
of God, that thy heart may at all times be animated with His Spirit,
and not be shut out as by a veil from thy Best Beloved. Let not thy
tongue pay lip service in praise of God while thy heart be not attuned
to the exalted summit of Glory, and the Focal Point of communion.

The Bab:
 Selections from the Writings of the Báb
  pp. 93-94

During the last six thousand years nations have hated one
another, it is now time to stop. War must cease. Let us be
united and love one another and await the result. We know
the effects of war are bad. So let us try, as an experiment,
peace, and if the results of peace are bad, then we can choose
if it would be better to go back to the old state of war! Let us
in any case make the experiment. If we see that unity brings
Light we shall continue it. For six thousand years we have
been walking on the left-hand path; let us walk on the right-hand
path now. We have passed many centuries in darkness, let us
advance towards the light.

 Abdu'l-Baha
        Abdu'l-Baha in London
        p. 61

...Acceptance of the concept of unity in diversity, therefore, implies
the development in the individual of a global consciousness, a sense
of world citizenship, and a love for humanity as a whole. In this regard,
each individual needs to understand that, since the body of humankind
is one and indivisible, each member of the human race is born into the
world as a trust of the whole and that the advantage of the part in a
world society is best served by promoting the advantage of the whole.

 Baha'i International Community
    1998 Feb 18
    Valuing Spirituality in Development

  I am but a poor creature, O my Lord; I have clung to the
hem of Thy riches. I am sore sick; I have held fast the cord
of Thy healing. Deliver me from the ills that have encircled me,
and wash me thoroughly with the waters of Thy graciousness
and mercy, and attire me with the raiment of wholesomeness,
through Thy forgiveness and bounty. Fix, then, mine eyes upon
Thee, and rid me of all attachment to aught else except Thyself.
Aid me to do what Thou desirest, and to fulfill what Thou pleasest.

 Baha'u'llah
       Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 22

    The body of man, which has been formed gradually, must similarly
be decomposed gradually. This is according to the real and natural order
and divine law. If it had been better for it to be burned after death, in its
creation it would have been so planned that the body would automatically
become ignited after death, be consumed and turned into ashes. But the
divine order formulated by the heavenly ordinance is that after death this
body shall be transferred from one stage to another different from the
preceding one, so that according to the relations which exist in this world,
it may gradually combine and mix with other elements, thus going through
stages until it arrive in the vegetable kingdom, there turning into plants and
flowers, developing into trees of the highest paradise, becoming perfumed
and attaining the beauty of color.

    Cremation suppresses it speedily from attainment to these transformations,
the elements becoming so quickly decomposed that transformation to these
various stages is checked.

 Compilations
    Baha'i Scriptures
    p. 446

  One must see in every human being only that which is worthy
of praise. When this is done, one can be a friend to the whole human
race. If, however, we look at people from the standpoint of their
faults, then being a friend to them is a formidable task............

.....Thus is it incumbent upon us, when we direct our gaze toward
other people, to see where they excel, not where they fail.

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha
    p. 169

Some people of former times and some sects avoided
certain others as strangers, but now the Glorious Beloved
One hath ridden upon His swift coursing steed, circling about
in the arena of Truth and all that was hidden became manifest.

    Let there be no more silence nor reticence, taciturnity nor
negligence. The Candle is lighted -- yet the months continue
motionless and melancholy behind the veils.

    Now is the time to roar like unto a sea and seek to ascend
heavenward! If we desire to reach the apex of the Supreme
Kingdom, we must unfurl our wings; if we wish to dive into the
depths of the ocean, we must teach our limbs swimming. The
time is short and the Divine Courser moves swiftly on; let us
keep up and compete with each other and let us light a brilliant
candle!

 Abdu'l-Baha
    Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2
    p. 405


There is one comment that the Universal House of Justice has asked
us to make in relation to a number of points made in the analysis, since
this may assist in overcoming the problem of the bewildering range of
alternatives that lie before youth in these days. This is the importance
of conveying to the youth the awareness that every aspect of a person's
life is an element of his or her service to Bahá'u'lláh: the love and respect
one has for one's parents; the pursuit of one's education; the nurturing
of good health; the acquiring of a trade or profession; one's behaviour
towards others and the upholding of a high moral standard; one's marriage
and the bringing up of one's children; one's activities in teaching the Faith
and the building up the strength of the Bahá'í community, whether this
be in such simple matters as attending the Nineteen Day Feast or the
observance of Bahá'í Holy Days, or in more demanding tasks required
by service in the administration of the Faith; and, not least, to take time
each day to read the Writings and say the Obligatory Prayer, which are
the source of growing spiritual strength, understanding, and attachment to
God. The concept of the Youth Year of Service should be viewed in this
context, as a special service that the youth can devote to the Cause, and
which should prove to be a highly valuable element in their own spiritual
and intellectual development.

 The Universal House of Justice
    1992 Dec 07
    European Baha'i Youth Council

    O ye the elected representatives of the people in every land! Take ye
counsel together, and let your concern be only for that which profiteth
mankind and bettereth the condition thereof, if ye be of them that scan
heedfully. Regard the world as the human body which, though at its creation
whole and perfect, hath been afflicted, through various causes, with grave
disorders and maladies. Not for one day did it gain ease, nay its sickness
waxed more severe, as it fell under the treatment of ignorant physicians,
who gave full rein to their personal desires and have erred grievously. And
if, at one time, through the care of an able physician, a member of that body
was healed, the rest remained afflicted as before. Thus informeth you the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

 Baha'u'llah
    The Summons of the Lord of Hosts

  In view of such statements and the stress laid by both Bahá'u'lláh
and 'Abdu'l-Bahá on love and harmony as the hallmark of marriage,
the law for which Bahá'u'lláh describes as a 'fortress for well-being
and salvation'; and in view of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's exhortation that each
member of the family must uphold the rights of the others, it becomes
obvious that violence in the family is antithetical to the spirit of the Faith
and a practice to be condemned. "If the broad structure of society is
to remain intact, resolute efforts, including medical ones, as necessary,
should be made to curb acts of aggression within families particularly
their extreme forms of wife beating and child abuse by parents. This
is a matter of fundamental importance, for if the friends are not able
to maintain harmony within their families, on what other basis do they
hope to demonstrate to a skeptical world the efficacy of the
pre-eminent character of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh?

 From a letter written of behalf of the Universal House of Justice
    to a National Spiritual Assembly, September 22, 1983