March 31

[In the morning, after revealing Tablets and granting interviews, the Master joined the gathering of the friends with these words:]

I always derive great pleasure from being with you. I shall always remember these gatherings. I shall never forget them. If I cannot see each one of you individually every day that should not undermine our real love. See how much work I have to do! It is more than a week since I received this letter from my sister, the Greatest Holy Leaf [Bahíyyih Khánum], and other members of the household, but I have not had the opportunity to open it yet. I was looking for another letter when I came upon this unopened letter. Then I heard that you were waiting here and I came downstairs to see you because I have no time to see you individually. In spite of this, if anyone has an urgent matter I will see them privately, even if only for a few minutes. Had I time I would always be with you. My happiness lies in seeing you, for in your faces are apparent the glad tidings of the Abhá Kingdom and in your hearts heavenly love and attraction. If outwardly we fail to meet, it does not weaken our real love. God willing, you shall all be assisted and immersed in the sea of bounty and the favor of Bahá'u'lláh. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, November 26, New York, recorded by Mahmud Zarqani; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)

March 30

…although ‘Abdu'l-Baha considers himself as a drop yet this drop is connected with the Most Great Sea. Although he looks upon himself as an atom, yet this atom is related to the world-illuminating Sun. As it is said: "The Originator of all these voices is the King himself;" or in other words: "It is through His assistance."

Unquestionably this physical body and human energy would have been unable to stand this constant wear and tear, and were it not for the support of the angel of Providence even the bones of this servant would have mouldered away. [during journey to the West] But the aid and help of His Highness the Desired One was the Guardian and Protector of the weak and humble ‘Abdu'l-Baha. Through the many annoyances and inconveniences of the journey, physical exhaustion was produced in the nerves and the various indispositions caused poor health, but the Spirit was so energized that this great weakness and excessive feebleness disappeared in a short period of time, and ere long ‘Abdul-Baha will be occupied again with reading and writing.

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet, ‘Star of the West, vol. 5, no. 14, November 23, 1914)

March 29

 From every part the cry of, "Where are the teachers?" [of the Cause] is being raised, and from the Kingdom of Abha, the voice of, "Where are the attracted ones? Where are the severed ones? Where are the righteous ones? Where are the sanctified ones?" reaches to the ear of intelligence. The inhabitants of the world have attained to a most astonishing capacity and are ready to hearken to this Call. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet, ‘Star of the West, vol. 5, no. 14, November 23, 1914)

March 28

…tests… do but cleanse the spotting of self from off the mirror of the heart, till the Sun of Truth can cast its rays thereon; for there is no veil more obstructive than the self, and however tenuous that veil may be, at the last it will completely shut a person out, and deprive him of his portion of eternal grace. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

March 27

 [In the afternoon the children who had earlier seen the Master on the way from school, had been so attracted and had asked to see Him, came to visit Him. He spoke to them with deep affection and kindness, asking about their health and welfare. To each He gave candies and flowers and then sprinkled them with attar of rose. He then gave them kindly counsels and encouraged them to acquire knowledge, science, good morals and sincerity, saying:]

I hope that you will be educated as you ought to be and that each of you will become the pride of your family. May God assist you to acquire divine knowledge in the school of the world of humanity. I shall pray for you and beg assistance for you. Truly, the hearts of the children are very pure. This was why Christ said, `Be ye like children.' Praise be to God who created you illumined children. Praise be to the Lord who hath created His creatures perfectly. God has created you as human beings so that you may daily acquire better morals and human virtues. You must obey your parents so that they may be pleased with you, and so that God will be pleased with you, and that you may become the children of the Kingdom and mirror forth the words of Christ. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, November 24, New York, recorded by Mahmud Zarqani; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)

March 26

Consider, that the Apostles of Christ were few in number, but because they were filled to overflowing with His Graces, and the essence of His Advice and Commandments was circulating, like unto the spirit, through their veins and arteries, to such an extent that one could find nothing else throughout their beings save His Love, and they girded up the loins of endeavor to convey the Message. Now it has become manifest what a tremendous effect and result their services produced! We must also act accordingly and follow in their footsteps. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet, ‘Star of the West, vol. 5, no. 14, November 23, 1914)

March 25

O ye loyal friends of the Blessed Perfection! It is hoped that, through the wonderful bestowals of that Peerless Adored One, a new dynamic acclamation and stirring activity be realized amongst the divine believers so that they may obtain boundless rejoicing and exultation through the Melody of the Kingdom of Abha, which has moved the invisible world, and arise in the delivery of the Word of God so that the Holy Fragrance of God may transform the East and the West into the Paradise of Abha, the Clouds of Grace change the surface of the earth into a delectable Rose garden and the Breeze of Compassion give fragrance and perfume to the plain and the meadow. This state is only made possible through teaching the Cause of God, explaining the Proofs of God, demonstrating the Religion of God with divine evidences and irrefutable arguments and guiding the inhabitants of the earth to the Fountain of Reality! 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet, ‘Star of the West, vol. 5, no. 14, November 23, 1914)

March 24

Thou didst write of afflictive tests that have assailed thee. To the loyal soul, a test is but God’s grace and favour; for the valiant doth joyously press forward to furious battle on the field of anguish, when the coward, whimpering with fright, will tremble and shake. So too, the proficient student, who hath with great competence mastered his subjects and committed them to memory, will happily exhibit his skills before his examiners on the day of his tests. So too will solid gold wondrously gleam and shine out in the assayer’s fire. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

March 23

 You must all arise in unison to serve the Cause of God. You must work hand in hand to teach the Cause and know that the confirmations of Bahá'u'lláh will descend upon you. My hope is that New York will excel all other cities because at the beginning it had precedence over them. God willing, it shall be so again. The favors of the Kingdom of God are great, the attention and bounties of the Blessed Beauty are fixed upon you and His hidden hosts are assisting you. Arise in this arena and you shall see what will transpire. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, November 20, New York, recorded by Mahmud Zarqani; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)

March 22

O thou enraptured handmaid of God! Nearness is verily of the soul, not of the body; and the help that is sought, and the help that cometh, is not material but of the spirit; nevertheless it is my hope that thou wilt attain to nearness in every sense. The bounties of God will verily encompass a sanctified soul even as the sun’s light doth the moon and stars: be thou assured of this. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

March 21

This sacred day [Naw-Ruz] when the sun illumines equally the whole earth is called the equinox and the equinox is the symbol of the divine messenger. The sun of truth rises on the horizon of divine mercy and sends forth its rays on all. This is the beginning of the spring. When the sun appears at the equinox it causes a movement in all living things. The mineral world is set in motion, plants begin to sprout, the desert is changed into a prairie, trees bud and every living thing responds, including the bodies of animals and men.

The rising of the sun at the equinox is the symbol of life and the human reality is revivified; our thoughts are transformed and our intelligence is quickened. The sun of truth bestows eternal life, just as the solar sun is the cause of terrestrial life. 

- 'Abdu'l-Baha  (From a talk; ‘Divine Philosophy’)

March 20

Know that the divine springtime hath come with its rains and abundance, with the heat of its sun, the breeze of its life and the scent of its fragrance; and through this universal and great abundance, the land of the holy truth and facts hath moved and brought forth of every kind, good and beautiful fruits. But the barren, wicked land will not bring forth save the thorn of denial, of haughtiness and disdain. Therefore, thank thou God for He hath made thee a good, fertile land by the clouds of the abundance of God the Chosen. 

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

March 19

The doors of the Kingdom are opened. The lights of the Sun of Truth are shining. The clouds of divine mercy are raining down their priceless jewels. The zephyrs of a new and divine springtime are wafting their fragrant breaths from the invisible world. Know ye then the value of these days. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, 12 April 1912, New York; ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’)

March 18

We are told in the Holy Scripture that the New Jerusalem shall appear on earth. Now it is evident that this celestial city is not built of material stones and mortar, but that it is a city not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.

This is a prophetic symbol, meaning the coming again of the Divine Teaching to enlighten the hearts of men. It is long since this Holy Guidance has governed the lives of humanity. But now, at last, the Holy City of the New Jerusalem has come again to the world, it has appeared anew under an Eastern sky; from the horizon of Persia has its effulgence arisen to be a light to lighten the whole world. We see in these days the fulfilment of the Divine Prophecy. Jerusalem had disappeared. The heavenly city was destroyed, now it is rebuilt; it was razed to the ground, but now its walls and pinnacles have been restored, and are towering aloft in their renewed and glorious beauty. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, Nov. 9, 1911, ‘Paris Talks’)

March 17

O thou flame of God’s love! What thou hast written hath brought great joy, for thy letter was as a garden from which roses of inner meanings spread abroad the sweet exhalations of the love of God. In the same way, my answers will serve as rain showers and dew, to bestow on those spiritual plants that have blossomed in the garden of thy heart more freshness and delicate beauty than words can tell. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

March 16

O thou loyal servant of God and thou spiritual healer of man! Whensoever thou dost attend a patient, turn thy face toward the Lord of the heavenly Kingdom, ask the Holy Spirit to come to thine aid, then heal thou the sickness. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

March 15

 By the power of the Holy Spirit, working through his soul, man is able to perceive the Divine reality of things. All great works of art and science are witnesses to this power of the Spirit. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, Nov. 9, 1911, ‘Paris Talks’)

March 14

Man—the true man—is soul, not body; though physically man belongs to the animal kingdom, yet his soul lifts him above the rest of creation. Behold how the light of the sun illuminates the world of matter: even so doth the Divine Light shed its rays in the kingdom of the soul. The soul it is which makes the human creature a celestial entity! 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, Nov. 9, 1911, ‘Paris Talks’)

March 13

Every heart should radiate unity, so that the Light of the one Divine Source of all may shine forth bright and luminous. We must not consider the separate waves alone, but the entire sea. We should rise from the individual to the whole. The spirit is as one great ocean and the waves thereof are the souls of men. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, Nov. 9, 1911, ‘Paris Talks’)

March 12

The integrity of the family bond must be constantly considered and the rights of the individual members must not be transgressed. The rights of the son, the father, the mother -- none of them must be transgressed, none of them must be arbitrary. Just as the son has certain obligations to his father, the father, likewise, has certain obligations to his son. The mother, the sister and other members of the household have their certain prerogatives. All these rights and prerogatives must be conserved... 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Quoted by the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 24 January 1993 written on its behalf to an individual believer)

March 11

…a melody, sweet to the ear, bringeth the very spirit of life to a heart in love with God, yet staineth with lust a soul engrossed in sensual desires. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

March 10

As to the woman in the Revelation of Saint John, chapter 12, who fled into the wilderness, and the great wonder appearing in the heavens—that woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet: what is meant by the woman is the Law of God. For according to the terminology of the Holy Books, this reference is to the Law, the woman being its symbol here. And the two luminaries, the sun and the moon, are the two thrones, the Turkish and the Persian, these two being under the rule of the Law of God. The sun is the symbol of the Persian Empire, and the moon, that is, the crescent, of the Turkish. The twelve-fold crown is the twelve Imáms, who, even as the Apostles, supported the Faith of God. The newborn Child is the Beauty of the Adored One, [1] come forth out of the Law of God. He then saith that the woman fled into the wilderness, that is, the Law of God was carried out of Palestine to the desert of Ḥijáz, where it remained 1260 years—that is, until the advent of the promised Child. And as is well known, in the Holy Books, every day is accounted as one year. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

[1] The Báb, cf. Some Answered Questions, chap. XIII

March 9

Be not sad on account of poverty, nor be sorrowful when the people scorn thee. Remember the poverty of Jesus, the persecution of the Jews to His glorious person and the scorn of Him. Verily, that poverty is the glory of the beginning and the ending. It is a light which hath illumined the heavens and the earth… O thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of God! 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 1’)

March 8

Reflect upon the past events of the time of Christ, and the present events shall become clear and manifest. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

March 7

 …the ring of the Greatest Name is very beautiful. The ring should be worn on the small finger of the right hand. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 1’)

March 6

…every branch of learning, conjoined with the love of God, is approved and worthy of praise; but bereft of His love, learning is barren—indeed, it bringeth on madness. Every kind of knowledge, every science, is as a tree: if the fruit of it be the love of God, then is it a blessed tree, but if not, that tree is but dried-up wood, and shall only feed the fire. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

March 5

As to the statement of Job, chapter 19, verses 25–27, ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth,’ the meaning here is: I shall not be abased, I have a Sustainer and a Guardian, and my Helper, my Defender will in the end be made manifest. And although now my flesh be weak and clothed with worms, yet shall I be healed, and with these mine own eyes, that is, mine inner sight, I shall behold Him. This did Job say after they had reproached him, and he himself had lamented the harms that his tribulations had wreaked upon him. And even when, from the terrible inroads of the sickness, his body was covered with worms, he sought to tell those about him that still he would be fully healed, and that in his very body, with his very eyes, he would gaze on his Redeemer. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

March 4

Fasting is a symbol. Fasting signifies abstinence from lust. Physical fasting is a symbol of that abstinence, and is a reminder; that is, just as a person abstains from physical appetites, he is to abstain from self-appetites and self-desires. But mere abstention from food has no effect on the spirit. It is only a symbol, a reminder. Otherwise it is of no importance. Fasting for this purpose does not mean entire abstinence from food. The golden rule as to food is, do not take too much or too little. Moderation is necessary. 

- 'Abdu'l-Baha  (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, quoted by Miss E. S. Stevens in Fortnightly Review, June 1911; included in ‘Baha'u'llah and the New Era', by Dr. J.E. Esslemont; Star of the West, vol. 3, no. 6, June 24, 1917) 

March 3

…when His Holiness Moses went to Mount Tur (Sinai) and there engaged in instituting the Law of God, he fasted forty days. For the purpose of awakening and admonishing the people of Israel, fasting was enjoined upon them. Likewise His Holiness Christ in the beginning of instituting the Spiritual Law, the systematizing of the Teachings and the arrangement of counsels, for forty days abstained from eating and drinking. In the beginning the disciples and Christians fasted. Later the assemblages of the chief Christians changed fasting into Lenten observances. Likewise the Koran having descended in the month Ramazan, fasting during that month became a duty. In like manner His Holiness the Supreme (the Báb), in the beginning of the Manifestation, through the excessive effect of descending Verses, passed days in which his nourishment was reduced to tea only. Likewise, the Blessed Beauty (Baha’u’llah), when busy with instituting the Divine Teachings and during the days when the Verses (the Word of God) descended continuously through the great effect of the Verses and the throbbing of the heart, took no food except the least amount. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Notes of a table talk in Akka in 1907, recorded by Corinne True; ‘Notes Taken at Acca’, booklet published by Baha’i Publishing Society, Chicago 1907)

March 2

Obligatory prayer and supplication cause man to reach the kingdom of mystery, and the worship of the Supreme One. They bestow nearness unto His threshold. There is a pleasure in offering prayers that transcendeth all other pleasures, and there is a sweetness in chanting and singing the verses of God which is the greatest desire of all the believers, men and women alike. While reciting the Obligatory Prayer, one converseth intimately and shareth secrets with the true Beloved. No pleasure is greater than this, if one proceedeth with a detached soul, with tears overflowing, with a trusting heart and an eager spirit. Every joy is earthly save this one, the sweetness of which is divine. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Compilation ‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, compiled by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice; published in The American Baha'i, September 2000)

March 1

Praise be to God, thy heart is engaged in the commemoration of God, thy soul is gladdened by the glad tidings of God and thou art absorbed in prayer. The state of prayer is the best of conditions, for man is then associating with God. Prayer verily bestoweth life, particularly when offered in private and at times, such as midnight, when freed from daily cares. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá  (‘Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá’)