August 24

O maidservant of God! Be a caller to universal peace, a standard of love among the people, a spreader of the spirit of concord and union among nations and sects, an utterer of exhortations, a demonstrator of the proofs of the appearance of the Kingdom of God, by a power whereby the hearts of the chosen ones become attracted, confirmed by a might whereto the necks of the proud men bow and those of great people are humbled.

Take hold of the hem of the Garment of God and preach the Kingdom of God and baptize the spirits by the fragrances of God which have perfumed the horizons.

Verily, I say unto thee that this holy fragrance is the Water of Life, the Fire of the Lord which hath flamed in the Tree of Sinai and the Spirit of Life which reviveth the dead. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 3)

August 22

Likewise, [in previous Dispensations] the advent of the Great Resurrection was conditioned upon the quaking of the earth, the rising from the grave, the coming forth of the dead out of their sepulchres, the darkening of the sun, the cleaving of the moon, the scattering of the stars, the reduction of the mountains to dust, the assembling of the beasts, the rending of the heavens, the stretching forth of the Straight Path, the setting up of the Balance, the ingathering of bodies, the blazing of the nethermost fire, the adornment of Paradise, and the appearance of the maids and youths of heaven, the choice fruits, and the Maids of Heaven “whom no man nor spirit hath touched before”.

By all this is meant that the Resurrection was conditioned upon the appearance of all these signs. The Báb—may my life be offered up for Him—hath said that all these momentous events, and the Great Resurrection itself, came to pass in less than the twinkling of an eye and took place in the span of a single breath. And yet not one soul perceived them or grasped their significance. But, praise be to God, in this Most Great Revelation no conditions have been set, no prerequisites have been laid down, no veils exist, nor is there any excuse to remain deprived. 

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

August 20

O servant of the one true God! In cycles gone by, although the signs of God’s power and the truth of His Cause were clear and manifest, yet to outward seeming the divine tests were severe, and the ignorant found grounds for hesitation; for the Sun of Truth shone from behind subtle clouds, inasmuch as the advent of the Promised One was, according to the explicit and decisive terms of the Holy Text, subject to certain conditions. And as the common people, interpreting those Texts according to their literal meanings, found them contrary to their own understanding, they remained veiled and deprived. 

For example…

In the Gospel…the conditions for the advent of the Promised One are explicitly stated. They include the darkening of the sun, the eclipse of the moon, the falling of the stars, the quaking of the earth, the heaving of the mountains, the wailing and lamentation of the tribes of the earth, the coming down of the Promised One upon thick clouds, the descent of the hosts of angels, the blast of the trumpet, the call of the bugle, and the like. Thus, to outward seeming, they who failed to recognize Him had an excuse. 

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

August 18

At the time of the vernal equinox in the material world a wonderful vibrant energy and new life-quickening is observed everywhere in the vegetable kingdom; the animal and human kingdoms are resuscitated and move forward with a new impulse. The whole world is born anew, resurrected. Gentle zephyrs are set in motion, wafting and fragrant; flowers bloom; the trees are in blossom, the air temperate and delightful; how pleasant and beautiful become the mountains, fields and meadows. Likewise, the spiritual bounty and springtime of God quicken the world of humanity with a new animus and vivification. All the virtues which have been deposited and potential in human hearts are being revealed from that Reality as flowers and blossoms from divine gardens. It is a day of joy, a time of happiness, a period of spiritual growth. I beg of God that this divine spiritual civilization may have the fullest impression and effect upon you. May you become as growing plants. May the trees of your hearts bring forth new leaves and variegated blossoms. May ideal fruits appear from them in order that the world of humanity, which has grown and developed in material civilization, may be quickened in the bringing forth of spiritual ideals. Just as human intellects have revealed the secrets of matter and have brought forth from the realm of the invisible the mysteries of nature, may minds and spirits, likewise, come into the knowledge of the verities of God, and the realities of the Kingdom be made manifest in human hearts. Then the world will be the paradise of Abhá, the standard of the Most Great Peace will be borne aloft, and the oneness of the world of humanity in all its beauty, glory and significance will become apparent. And now in your presence I wish to pray in your behalf. Let your hearts be attentive and directed to the Kingdom of Abhá. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk, 21 April 1912, Washington, D.C.; ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’)

August 16

There are five outward material powers in man which are the means of perception—that is, five powers whereby man perceives material things. They are sight, which perceives sensible forms; hearing, which perceives audible sounds; smell, which perceives odours; taste, which perceives edible things; and touch, which is distributed throughout the body and which perceives tactile realities. These five powers perceive external objects.

Man has likewise a number of spiritual powers: the power of imagination, which forms a mental image of things; thought, which reflects upon the realities of things; comprehension, which understands these realities; and memory, which retains whatever man has imagined, thought, and understood. The intermediary between these five outward powers and the inward powers is a common faculty, a sense which mediates between them and which conveys to the inward powers whatever the outward powers have perceived. It is termed the common faculty as it is shared in common between the outward and inward powers.

For instance, sight, which is one of the outward powers, sees and perceives this flower and conveys this perception to the inward power of the common faculty; the common faculty transmits it to the power of imagination, which in turn conceives and forms this image and transmits it to the power of thought; the power of thought reflects upon it and, having apprehended its reality, conveys it to the power of comprehension; the comprehension, once it has understood it, delivers the image of the sensible object to the memory, and the memory preserves it in its repository.

The outward powers are five: the power of sight, of hearing, of taste, of smell, and of touch. The inward powers are also five: the common faculty and the powers of imagination, thought, comprehension, and memory. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Table talks in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014 revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre)

August 14

It followeth from this clear argument that human society requireth the care and training of a true Educator and that human souls stand in need of a power that can regulate, bind, restrain, deter, encourage, impel, and attract them. For unless the garden of creation be tended by a loving gardener, sustained by the manifold grace of the one true God, and administered by the just policies of the government, it will never acquire vitality and grace, nor will it prosper and flourish.

This power to deter and restrain, to govern and regulate, to lead and impel is of two kinds. The first agency of protection and deterrence is political power, which pertaineth to the physical world. It ensureth the material well-being of humanity; preserveth the life, property, and honour of all; and is the source of the greatness and virtue of this noble race. The centre of the operation of this political power and the pivot of the circle of this divine bounty are the just sovereigns, faithful trustees, wise ministers, and courageous commanders.

The other educator and regulator of the world of humanity is the sanctified power of the spirit, the divinely revealed Scriptures, the Prophets of God, the heavenly souls, and the divinely learned. For these repositories of God’s revelation and daysprings of His inspiration educate the hearts and souls of humanity, rectify their characters, refine their conduct, and inspire the righteous among them. That is, these sanctified beings, even as a force born of the spirit, deliver the souls of men from the evils of a corrupt character, the darkness of reprehensible attributes, and the defilement of the realm of existence, and thus illumine them with the light of human virtues, divine attributes, and heavenly characteristics and qualities, so that the shining truth of the words “Hallowed be the Lord, the most excellent of all creators” and the full glory of the utterance “We created man in the most excellent of forms” may be realized within the sacred reality of man. It is through the liberal effusions of the grace of these daysprings of the signs and verses of God that pure and subtle human realities become the focal centre of the blessings of the All-Merciful. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Compilation: ‘Bahá’í Sacred Writings: A comprehensive collection of selections from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and the Writings and utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, representing the range of the Bahá’í teachings', prepared by the Baha’i World Center, July 2025)

August 12

In the world of existence there are no greater women than the queens of empires. Materially they have reached the highest station of womanhood and gained great riches, infinite power and glory. Notwithstanding all these advantages, when they die and go under the earth, they disappear and become nonexistent. They leave behind no name, no trace, no fruit and no sign. But the maidservants of God who are outwardly in the utmost poverty and imprisoned by the people of oppression, humiliated and scoffed at by the outsiders, ere long they will crown their heads with the diadem of the everlasting glory and will be established upon the eternal throne of majesty. Their signs are eternal and their fame universal. This is the glory of the Kingdom! This is the heavenly bestowal! This is the divine outpouring!

Now, praise be to God! that thou didst quaff from the goblet of the love of God, became intoxicated with the wine of the knowledge of God, unloosed thy tongue in the glorification of the Lord of the Kingdom, and became assisted and confirmed with the power of the Supreme.

Therefore, thank thou God, that thou hast become one of the chosen ones and attained to the station of the favored ones. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; Star of the West, vol. 8, no. 8, August 1, 1917)

August 10

Mullá Husayn and some of his disciples departed from Iraq, made for Persia, and were taken up with the search till they entered the city of Shíráz. As Mullá Husayn had met the Báb before in Karbilá and knew Him, he became His guest. On the night of the fifth of Jamádíyu’l-Avval, Mullá Husayn was seated in the presence of the Báb, who was preparing the tea. As the Báb was serving the tea, He recited certain verses. Mullá Husayn was amazed and astonished to hear a young man, with no religious education or training in the Arabic tongue, recite verses of the utmost eloquence and power, a feat which he could have never thought possible. This led to his awakening and allegiance. The following day he told his disciples and others that he had found the Object of their search and proceeded to describe and portray Him, but he concealed His identity and did not divulge His name. However, he so extolled His attributes that his disciples and the others were enthralled with this news and with unrelenting thirst continued to search for the life-giving waters. Finally, after a few days, he specified His blessed Name. A great commotion ensued. Seventeen people bore allegiance to Him, and the letter of Táhirih, which was with a certain Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí, was presented to the Báb. For Táhirih had given him this letter and asked him to present it to the Promised One when once they had found Him….

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Compilation: ‘Bahá’í Sacred Writings: A comprehensive collection of selections from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and the Writings and utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, representing the range of the Bahá’í teachings”, prepared by the Baha’i World Center, July 2025)

August 8

From the earliest dawn of the Cause until the day of His ascension, the Blessed Beauty, openly and visibly, without any veil or concealment, withstood all the peoples, nations, and rulers of the world and exalted the Word of God. The Tablets to the kings were revealed, and the mystery of adoration was made manifest. In clear and unmistakable language, subject to no interpretation whatsoever, He directed His stern and explicit summons to most of the sovereigns. All the things that flowed from His Most Exalted Pen were fulfilled, one after the other. All that He foretold came to pass, His predictions were confirmed, and His warnings were proven true. 

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

August 6

It is clear and evident that the innate nature and reality of all things is capable of manifesting two kinds of perfections. One is innate perfections, which require no intermediary and are purely the creation of God. The other is acquired perfections, which are attained through the training of a true educator.

Consider the outward realities: The trees, flowers, and fruits manifest, on the one hand, an innate grace and vitality which is purely a divine bestowal, and, on the other, an ineffable sweetness and beauty which proceedeth from the tender care of the gardener. For left to themselves they would become an untamed thicket; fail to bear their abundance of blossoms, flowers, and fruits; and be fit only for the fire. Once they are brought under the tender care and attention of the cultivator, however, they are transformed into gardens, bowers, and orchards; bring forth flowers and fruits; and adorn the face of the earth with blossoms and sweet herbs.

The same holdeth true of human society: Were people to be left to their own devices they would become even as the creeping things of the earth and be numbered with the beasts of the field. They would learn the ways of ferocity, cruelty, and bloodthirstiness, and be consumed with the fire of remoteness and rebellion.

All humanity are pupils in the school of the world and are afflicted and enfeebled by chronic ills. Those sanctified Beings, the Messengers and Chosen Ones of God, are the Instructors of the assemblage of the All-Merciful and the Physicians of the dispensary of the All-Glorious. They are the Heralds of His providence and the Luminaries of the firmament of His guidance. They appear so that the flame of inward and outward perfections that lieth dormant within the lamp of the human reality may be ignited through that fire which the hand of God hath kindled, and that the chronic ills that afflict humankind may be eradicated through the bounty of the divine grace and the bestowals of a Christ-like Spirit. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Compilation: ‘Bahá’í Sacred Writings: A comprehensive collection of selections from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and the Writings and utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, representing the range of the Bahá’í teachings”, prepared by the Baha’i World Center, July 2025)

August 4

The human spirit, which distinguishes man from the animal, is the rational soul, and these two terms—the human spirit and the rational soul—designate one and the same thing. This spirit, which in the terminology of the philosophers is called the rational soul, encompasses all things and as far as human capacity permits, discovers their realities and becomes aware of the properties and effects, the characteristics and conditions of earthly things. But the human spirit, unless it be assisted by the spirit of faith, cannot become acquainted with the divine mysteries and the heavenly realities. It is like a mirror which, although clear, bright, and polished, is still in need of light. Not until a sunbeam falls upon it can it discover the divine mysteries.

As for the mind, it is the power of the human spirit. The spirit is as the lamp, and the mind as the light that shines from it. The spirit is as the tree, and the mind as the fruit. The mind is the perfection of the spirit and a necessary attribute thereof, even as the rays of the sun are an essential requirement of the sun itself. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Table talks in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014 revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre)

August 2

And know that the procession of the Word and the Holy Spirit from God, which is a manifestational procession and appearance, should not be taken to mean that the reality of the Divinity has been divided or multiplied, or has descended from its heights of purity and sanctity. God forbid! If a clear and spotless mirror were placed before the sun, the light and heat, the form and image of the sun would appear therein with such a manifestational appearance that if a beholder were to say, “This is the sun”, he would be speaking the truth. But the mirror is the mirror and the sun is the sun. The sun is but one sun, and remains one even if it appears in numerous mirrors. There is no place here for inherence, egress, commingling, or descent; for egress, regress, inherence, descent, and commingling are among the characteristics and requirements of bodies, not of spirits—how much less of the holy and sanctified Reality of the Divinity. Glorified is God above all that ill beseems His holiness and sanctity, and exalted is He in the heights of His sublimity! 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Table talks in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014 revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre)