O servant of God! Faith is the magnet which draws the confirmation of the Merciful One. Service is the magnet which attracts the heavenly strength. I hope thou wilt attain both.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 1’)
August 29
As regards the constitution of the House of Justice, Bahá'u'lláh addresses the men. He says: "O ye men of the House of Justice!" But when its members are to be elected, the right which belongs to women, so far as their voting and their voice is concerned, is indisputable. When the women attain to the ultimate degree of progress, then, according to the exigency of the time and place and their great capacity, they shall obtain extraordinary privileges. Be ye confident on these accounts. His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh has greatly strengthened the cause of women, and the rights and privileges of women is one of the greatest principles of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Rest ye assured! Ere long the days shall come when the men addressing the women, shall say: 'Blessed are ye! Blessed are ye! Verily ye are worthy of every gift. Verily ye deserve to adorn your heads with the crown of everlasting glory, because in sciences and arts, in virtues and perfections ye shall become equal to man, and as regards tenderness of heart and the abundance of mercy and sympathy ye are superior'
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet to an individual believer, published in ‘Paris Talks: Addresses given by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Paris in 1911-1912’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Women)
August 27
With political questions the clergy, however, have nothing to do! Religious matters should not be confused with politics in the present state of the world (for their interests are not identical).
Religion concerns matters of the heart, of the spirit, and of morals.
Politics are occupied with the material things of life. Religious teachers should not invade the realm of politics; they should concern themselves with the spiritual education of the people; they should ever give good counsel to men, trying to serve God and human kind; they should endeavour to awaken spiritual aspiration, and strive to enlarge the understanding and knowledge of humanity, to improve morals, and to increase the love for justice.
This is in accordance with the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh. In the Gospel also it is written, ‘Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things which are God’s’.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk; ‘Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris in 1911-1912’)
August 25
If administrators of the law would take into consideration the spiritual consequences of their decisions, and follow the guidance of religion, ‘They would be Divine agents in the world of action, the representatives of God for those who are on earth, and they would defend, for the love of God, the interests of His servants as they would defend their own’. If a governor realizes his responsibility, and fears to defy the Divine Law, his judgments will be just. Above all, if he believes that the consequences of his actions will follow him beyond his earthly life, and that ‘as he sows so must he reap’, such a man will surely avoid injustice and tyranny.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk; ‘Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris in 1911-1912’)
August 23
Until such a language is in use, the world will continue to feel the vast need of this means of intercourse. Difference of speech is one of the most fruitful causes of dislike and distrust that exists between nations, which are kept apart by their inability to understand each other’s language more than by any other reason.
If everybody could speak one language, how much more easy would it be to serve humanity!
Therefore appreciate ‘Esperanto’, for it is the beginning of the carrying out of one of the most important of the Laws of Bahá’u’lláh, and it must continue to be improved and perfected.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk; ‘Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris in 1911-1912’)
August 21
…the Manifestations of God have ever been and will ever be luminous Realities, and no change or alteration ever takes place in Their essence. At most, before Their revelation They are still and silent, like one who is asleep, and after Their revelation They are eloquent and effulgent, like one who is awake.
- ‘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 19
Convey the wonderful Abha greeting to the believers. Chicago, in comparison with the cities of America, was in advance and numerically contained more Bahais, but when the stench (vile odor) of the nakazeen [Covenant-breakers] was spread in that city, there was a stagnation. The Cause in other cities of America is progressing day unto day, but Chicago is stationary. Therefore, strive that the sweet fragrance of the Testament and the Covenant may become diffused, the nostrils of the spiritual ones become perfumed, the banner of Ya Baha’u’l-Abha be unfurled and the tent of the Oneness of the world of humanity be pitched. Then ye shall observe that Chicago has become the Paradise of Abha. These few nakazeen cannot accomplish anything worthwhile. The utmost is this, that they will be the means of the drooping of the believers of God in that city. A person deprived of the spirit of the Covenant is sentenced as dead. The dead surely disintegrate. Therefore, breathe the spirit of the Covenant and the Testament as much as ye can in the hearts, so that the souls may progress day unto day and obtain a new exhilaration.
Upon thee be Baha’u’l-Abha!
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; Star of the West, vol. 4, no. 10, September 8, 1913)
August 17
O ye who stand fast and firm in the Covenant! No sooner had the Most Great Luminary of the world risen above the horizon of Iraq and shed its radiance upon all regions from the Source of divine glory, than all the bats of darkness, with their pomp and pride, assailed it from every side, that they might conceal that manifest Light from the eyes of His favoured ones and soar to prominence under cover of darkness in the gloom of night. Since their arguments proved powerless against Him, they devised schemes for the departure of the Blessed Beauty. They resorted to innumerable machinations, so that the Day-Star of the world might sink below the horizon of Iraq and the Light of sanctity might be prevented from shining forth from the heights of Divine Unity. And so it came to pass that they conducted the Blessed Beauty from the East to the West.
But this exile and isolation became the means for the exaltation of the Word of God and led to the diffusion of the divine fragrances. The Eagle of His Cause soared unto the summits of grandeur, and the Day-Star of His Word shone forth from the horizon of might and power. This abasement became a source of confirmation, this remoteness a means of reunion. The vitality of God’s Faith was strengthened, and its fame was noised abroad. The Faith was already renowned in Persia, but this exile caused the whole earth to resound with its praise and its reputation to spread throughout the world.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; ‘Light of the World’)
August 15
O ye friends of God! The real friends are the skillful physicians and the divine instructions are the antidote of the Merciful One and the remedies of the hearts. They (the believers) heal the nostril affected with rheum, make mindful the negligent ones, give a share to the deprived ones and make hopeful the hopeless ones. In this day if anyone liveth in accord with the heavenly teachings and instructions, he shall become a spiritual physician to the world of humanity and the trumpet of Israfel [1] to quicken the dead; for the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abha are uninterrupted and the victory of the Supreme Concourse is the associate of every one who is pure in heart. The weak gnat will become the strong royal falcon and the sparrow is transformed into the eagle soaring toward the apex of the Ancient Glory. Therefore, look ye not upon your own capability and merit, nay rather, lay your confidence in the bounty and protection, favor and grace of the Blessed Perfection—may my life be a sacrifice to His beloved ones!—and, mounting upon the charger of magnanimity, rush ye toward the arena of martyrdom, so that ye may win the polo of favors in this vast field of God!
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha ('Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 2)
[1] One of the angels of the “Resurrection Day,” mentioned
in the Qur’an
August 13
When, at the instigation of the violators, ‘Abdu’l-Hamíd [Ottoman Sultan] began his opposition to me, I was obliged to send Manshadí [1] away to Port Sa’íd, because he was widely known among the people as the distributor of our mail. I then had to relay the correspondence to him through intermediaries who were unknown, and he would send the letters on as before. In this way the treacherous and the hostile were unable to take over the mail. During the latter days of ‘Abdu’l-Hamíd, when a commission of investigation appeared and—urged on by those familiars-turned-strangers—made plans to tear out the Holy Tree by the roots; when they determined to cast me into the depths of the sea or banish me to the Fezzan, and this was their settled purpose; and when the commission accordingly tried their utmost to get hold of some document or other, they failed. In the thick of all that turmoil, with all the pressures and restraints, and the foul attacks of those persons who were pitiless as Yazíd, [2] still the mail went through.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk; ‘Memorials of the Faithful’)
[1] A faithful believer
[2] Yazíd, son of Mu’ávíyyih, Ummayad Caliph by whose order
the Imám Husayn was martyred. Proverbial for cruelty.
August 11
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From
a talk, ‘Star of the West’, vol. 7, no. 14, November 1916; The Compilation of
Compilations, Vol. II, Peace)
August 9
The ideals of Peace must be nurtured and spread among the inhabitants of the world; they must be instructed in the school of Peace and the evils of war. First: The financiers and bankers must desist from lending money to any government contemplating to wage an unjust war upon an innocent nation. Second: The presidents and managers of the railroads and steamship companies must refrain from transporting war ammunition, infernal engines, guns, cannons and powder from one country into another. Third: The soldiers must petition, through their representatives, the Ministers of War, the politicians, the Congressmen and the generals to put forth in a clear, intelligible language the reasons and the causes which have brought them to the brink of such a national calamity. The soldiers must demand this as one of the prerogatives. “Demonstrate to us”, they must say, “that this is a just war, and we will then enter into the battlefield otherwise we will not take one step.... Come forth from your hiding-places, enter into the battlefield if you like to attack each other and tear each other to pieces if you desire to air your so-called contentions. The discord and feud are between you; why do you make us, innocent people, a party to it? If fighting and bloodshed are good things, then lead us into the fray by your presence!”
In short, every means that produces war must be checked and the causes that prevent the occurrence of war be advanced;—so that physical conflict may become an impossibility. On the other hand, every country must be properly delimited, its exact frontiers marked, its national integrity secured, its permanent independence protected, and its vital interests honoured by the family of nations. These services ought to be rendered by an impartial, international Commission. In this manner all causes of friction and differences will be removed. And in case there should arise some disputes between them, they could arbitrate before the Parliament of Man, the representatives of which should be chosen from among the wisest and most judicious men of all the nations of the world.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Star of the West’, vol. 5, no. 8, August 1914; The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II, Peace)
August 7
In the conduct of life, man is actuated by two main motives: ‘The Hope for Reward’ and ‘The Fear of Punishment’. This hope and this fear must consequently be greatly taken into account by those in authority who have important posts under Government. Their business in life is to consult together for the framing of laws, and to provide for their just administration.
The tent of the order of the world is raised and established on the two pillars of ‘Reward and Retribution’.
In despotic Governments carried on by men without divine faith, where no fear of spiritual retribution exists, the execution of the laws is tyrannical and unjust.
There is no greater prevention of oppression than these two sentiments, hope and fear. They have both political and spiritual consequences.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk; ‘Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris in 1911-1912’)
August 5
…in the tavern of the mortal world the bile of the man of God is not removed. He will not rest a moment here and will not stain himself with the attachments of the world. Nay, rather, the friends are the stars of the summit of Providence and the planets of the firmament of Guidance. with perfect strength do they dispel darkness and destroy the foundation of envy and enmity. They wish for the world and its denizens unity and peace; they destroy the basis of war and strife; they seek integrity, faithfulness and friendliness, and are well-wishes even of the evil-disposed enemy. Thus they make this prison of infidelity the sublime mansion of fidelity, and this dungeon of envy a delectable paradise.
O ye friends, endeavor with life and heart that this world may become the mirror of the world of the Kingdom; that the earthly kingdom be filled with the bounty of the heavenly; that the voice of the Supreme Concourse may be raised in commendation, and that the traces of the bounty and grace of the Beauty of Abha may envelop the earth!
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 2)
August 3
Know that the reality of the Divinity and the nature of the divine Essence is ineffable sanctity and absolute holiness; that is, it is exalted above and sanctified beyond every praise. All the attributes ascribed to the highest degrees of existence are, with regard to this station, mere imagination. The Invisible and Inaccessible can never be known; the absolute Essence can never be described. For the divine Essence is an all-encompassing reality, and all created things are encompassed. The all-encompassing must assuredly be greater than that which is encompassed, and thus the latter can in no wise discover the former or comprehend its reality. No matter how far human minds may advance, even attaining the highest degree of human comprehension, the uttermost limit of this comprehension is to behold the signs and attributes of God in the world of creation and not in the realm of Divinity. For the essence and the attributes of the all-glorious Lord are enshrined in the inaccessible heights of sanctity, and human minds and understandings will never find a path to that station. “The way is barred, and all seeking rejected.” [1]
It is evident that whatsoever man understands is a consequence of his existence, and that man is a sign of the All-Merciful: How then can the consequence of the sign encompass the Creator of the sign? That is, how can human understanding, which is a consequence of man’s existence, comprehend God? Thus the reality of the Divinity lies hidden from all understanding and is concealed from the minds of all men, and to ascend to that station is in no wise possible.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Table talks in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014 revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre)
[1] From a Tradition attributed to Imám ‘Alí
August 1
O thou dear friend! Thy letter, filled with sighs of grief, was read with the utmost sorrow. Thou hast indeed fallen into grave difficulties and hast endured extreme hardships. But this year of great calamity hath encompassed all of Persia—nay, it hath enveloped the whole world. As attested by the poet, “No thorn is there that is not crimsoned by the martyrs’ blood.” [1]
‘Abdu’l-Bahá hath also been thy partner and associate in this regard. In Paris, while, on the one hand, each noble soul brought joy to our hearts, on the other, great difficulties arose as a result of attacks by small-minded individuals. In London some of the clergy hurled such assaults upon us as are impossible to describe. Wert thou to read the Churchman, thou wouldst know what things have come to pass. [2] But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá payeth no heed whatsoever to any ordeal, difficulty, or adversity. Nay, rather, he regardeth adversity to be, at times, the same as bounty itself. For forty years the prison-city of ‘Akká was for him a heavenly paradise, and he saw the early days of that imprisonment, which were its most severe, as a garden of roses.
Thou too must be my companion, and abandon not the arena in the face of afflictions and calamities. Thou must not merely refrain from complaining, but must rather be thankful. One day in Baghdad, the Blessed Beauty—may my soul be offered up for His servants—addressing us, uttered this verse:
Either speak no more of love, or content thyself with what hath been ordained;
Thus hath it been decreed by My command, and such is My law and My way. [3]
At that instant, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá understood what was expected of him.
And now, through His infinite favours, I hope that days as sweet as honey may once again return. Grieve not, neither sorrow nor repine. “Forsake all complaint and tend to the flock.” [4] My wish for thee is that, by the favour of the Blessed Beauty, thou mayest find ease of heart and soul. The Glory of Glories rest upon thee.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Light of the World’)
[1] Cf. poem by Naẓírí Nishápúrí.
[2] English Churchman, a Protestant newspaper, had published articles opposing the Faith, including one by Rev. Peter Z. Easton on 20 September 1911.
[3] Cf. Qaṣídiy-i-Varqá’íyyih, an ode revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in Kurdistan.
[4] Cf. Rúmí.
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