July 31

These dreadful events are as warnings on the part of God so that they may quicken the people and make them mindful. Like unto children, who are being rocked in a cradle, the harder they are rocked to be awakened, the deeper they fall into sleep… We shall wait and see what God hath decreed to be the outcome of this universal upheaval… Perchance, God willing, they may become mindful… In short, pray and supplicate at the Threshold of the Almighty in behalf of the heedless souls, for they know not what they are doing! 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Star of the West, vol. 5, no. 12, October 16, 1914)

July 29

O thou who hast fixed thy gaze upon the Kingdom of Glory! The splendour of the Beauty of the world illumined the whole earth, conferring heavenly grace upon all created things. The Beloved of the world shone forth, captivating His lovers with His charm. And now, though that Sun hath set, He still shineth resplendent from the unseen Kingdom, continuing to bestow eternal grace upon all regions. Those that are possessed of insight perceive the world to be illumined with the splendours of the Sun of Truth. But those whose inner eye is dimmed are deprived of beholding the light: They pronounce day to be night and proclaim morn to be eve.

Say: O hapless one! That Sun shall never set, nor shall that Day-Star of the Realm of Glory ever wane. The setting of the sun is only in relation to the dwellers of the earth, for how can there be any daybreak or nightfall in the sun itself? It remaineth ever shining in its meridian splendour, ever glowing and luminous, at the sublime apex of bounty. The Glory of Glories rest upon thee. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; ‘Light of the World’)

July 27

O thou verdant, fresh, and radiant leaf! Were we to weep and moan for a hundred thousand years at this Supreme Affliction, [1] to sigh and lament, to rend our garments in sorrow, to shed tears and heap dust upon our heads, and to pine away with grief, this pain would never be stilled, this wound never healed, this fire never quenched. It behoveth us, therefore, to see ourselves, at every breath, as standing ready to depart to the next world, and to arise to carry out that which is conducive to eternal life and would cause us to ascend unto the Kingdom and to attain the court of His Presence. The glory of God rest upon thee. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; ‘Light of the World’)

[1] The ascension of Baha’u’llah

July 25

…it is impossible that 'economic contentment' be realized by the people of the world save through the transforming Power of Faith. For Faith is the solver of every problem. Therefore you must strive to strengthen the foundation of the Religion of God. Through the Power of the Religion of God every difficulty will be disentangled. The Power of the Religion of God will humble the kings and set at naught the crooked motives of those who are in supreme authority. Then endeavor ye, that the Power of True Religion which breathes the Spirit of Life into the dead body of the world of humanity, may be promulgated. This is the antidote for the poisoned body of the world and a quick-healing remedy for the rancorous disease of man. For this reason diffuse thou as much as thou art able the sweet Fragrance of the Holy Spirit, teach the people the Divine advice and exhortations and spread far and wide the heavenly Teachings..."

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; Star of the West, vol. 5, no. 12, October 16, 1914)

July 23

For the physician the first qualifications are: Good intentions, trustworthiness, tenderness, sympathy for the sick, truthfulness, integrity, and the fear of the Lord.

With life and heart strive thou to be both a spiritual and physical physician. Thus mayest thou be Ameen and Fareed (Trustworthy and Unique).

Thy honorable father night and day prays, hopes and supplicates that thy life, like his, may be entirely devoted to the service of the Threshold of God, that thou remain the servant of the Holy Cause. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  ('Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 2')

July 21

O thou my spiritual companion! Two letters have reached me from you, and the contents of both I have considered. Communication of the beloved of God from all parts of the world with America, and the correspondence of America with all parts is most agreeable and the cause of attracting the hearts. Endeavor greatly to accomplish this important matter and write to all parts.

The beloved of God must, like the roses of the rose-garden, send fragrant messages from one to another, receive strength from one another, and co-operate together, by the strength of the Kingdom. There is no greater means than communion and communication. “Communication is half a meeting.” 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  ('Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 2')

July 19

O thou spiritual friend!... Thank God, thou art a believer and an assured one, firm and steadfast; a truthful servant of the divine Kingdom and an agreeable lover of His Holiness Baha’u’llah. Thou hast spent thy time in spreading the fragrances of God and thy possession in the promotion of the Word of God.

Rest assured in the great bounty and bestowal, be attracted by the fragrances of the Kingdom of Abha. Fatigue not thyself on account of any difficulty and give not up because of any ordeal. Be not grieved because of any trial nor hindered by any hindrance.

Night and day confine thy time to the education of the world of humanity. Arise to guide the creatures and spend time in promulgating the teachings of His Holiness Baha’u’llah, so that lives may find glad-tidings, hearts gladness, the souls eternal life and the minds extraordinary advancement. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  ('Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 2')

July 17

The holy souls who are free from the ties of this mortal world and attain the confirmation of the Holy Spirit, although they live on earth, yet, verily, they are heavenly, illuminated, spiritual, divine. Such souls must appear and engage, with simplicity, freedom and purity, in training the public and in guiding all people. If such souls arise, the Holy Spirit will aid them, the hosts of the heavenly angels will render them victorious, the bounties of the Kingdom of Abha will surround them, the ray of the Sun of Truth will shine, the breezes of the Paradise of Abha will give spirit, the ocean of favors will boil and the good scent of the fragrances of holiness will perfume the nostrils of the inhabitants of the world.

By the bounty and grace of the Educator, I hope thou mayest attain to this providence and bounty! 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  ('Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 2')

July 15

The nineteen days' Feast has the utmost importance, that the beloved ones may gather in a meeting, be occupied with the utmost love and fellowship in mentioning the name of God, and speak about the glad tidings of God, deliver the proofs and evidences of the appearance of Baha’u’llah, mention the praiseworthy deeds and the sacrifices endured by the Believers of God in Persia, talk about the severance and the attraction of the martyrs and remember the co-operation and the mutual assistance of the friends. Therefore this nineteen days' Feast is most important. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; Star of the West, vol. 5, no. 13, November 4, 1914)

July 13

Thy beloved mother ascended to the apex of the Kingdom. She is the associate and the companion of the spiritual ones. They witness this world and the inhabitants thereof, for the veil is rent asunder and the covering is taken away from before the insight. Beg of God for them the exaltation of spiritual degrees. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; Star of the West, vol. 5, no. 13, November 4, 1914)

July 11

Question: ‘What is evil?’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: —"Evil is imperfection. Sin is the state of man in the world of the baser nature, for in nature exist defects such as injustice, tyranny, hatred, hostility, strife: these are characteristics of the lower plane of nature. These are the sins of the world, the fruits of the tree from which Adam did eat. Through education we must free ourselves from these imperfections. The Prophets of God have been sent, the Holy Books have been written, so that man may be made free. Just as he is born into this world of imperfection from the womb of his earthly mother, so is he born into the world of spirit through divine education. When a man is born into the world of phenomena he finds the universe; when he is born from this world to the world of the spirit, he finds the Kingdom.” 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk; ‘Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris in 1911-1912’)

July 9

His Exalted Majesty (the Báb) from the beginning of the arising of His Beauty to the day of the Greatest Martyrdom, spent days and nights under severest trials, in the Path of God; He made His breast a target for thousands of arrows of calamities, and with a breast pierced and torn, hastened to the Most Glorious Kingdom. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; ‘Star of the West’, vol. 4, no. 4, May 17, 1913)

July 7

Question: ‘What is the purpose of our lives?’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: — “To acquire virtues. We come from the earth; why were we transferred from the mineral to the vegetable kingdom—from the plant to the animal kingdom? So that we may attain perfection in each of these kingdoms, that we may possess the best qualities of the mineral, that we may acquire the power of growing as in the plant, that we may be adorned with the instincts of the animal and possess the faculties of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste, until from the animal kingdom we step into the world of humanity and are gifted with reason, the power of invention, and the forces of the spirit.” 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk; ‘Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris in 1911-1912’)

July 5

O thou pilgrim unto that Spot round which circle the embodiments of holiness! It is among the greatest of divine blessings that thou wert brought into existence in this wondrous century, wert numbered among those who worship God, didst hasten unto the holy court of the King of the seen and unseen, didst achieve the honour of attaining unto His Presence, and didst hearken unto the matchless words that proceeded from His sanctified lips. Thou hast now also attained unto the bounty of circumambulating the Spot round which circle the spiritually illumined ones. Thou art firm and steadfast in the Covenant, and hast clung to the hem of the All-Merciful. Wherefore, render thanks unto the one true God that thou hast attained unto all these bestowals and hast been confirmed therein. Now, with a blissful heart and exalted soul, travel forth through every region and cheer and gladden the people of Hamadán with the divine tidings. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; ‘Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks’; Online Baha’i Reference Library, Baha’i World Centre)

July 3

He is God.

O Shoghi! I have no time to talk; leave me be! Thou didst say “Write”, and I have written. What else should I do? Now is not the time for thee to read and write; it is the time to jump about and to chant “O my God!” Memorize the prayers of the Blessed Beauty and chant them for me, that I may hear them; there is no time for anything else. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; ‘Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks’; Online Baha’i Reference Library, Baha’i World Centre)

July 1

In this divine age the bounties of God have encompassed the world of women. Equality of men and women, except in some negligible instances, has been fully and categorically announced. Distinctions have been utterly removed. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet, quoted by the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 28 December 1980 to NSA of New Zealand; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)