September 28

I beg of God that He will enable His handmaids to attain the fruits of worship in every aspect of life; that they may day by day go forward and make conspicuous progress in every material and spiritual degree, and that in every phase of the human condition, whether physical or spiritual, they may become personifications of abiding blessedness and joy.

Verily, the magnet that draweth unto itself such bounty is none other than education of the child. If the mothers, as it behoveth them, shall provide their children, from infancy on, with a thorough training in the things of God and of the spirit, and rear them to be materially educated as well, this fostering care is a service rendered unto the Holy Threshold, and is truly accounted as worship.

The child must, from the day of his birth, be provided with whatever is conducive to his health; and know ye this: so far as possible, the mother’s milk is best for, more agreeable and better suited to the child, unless she should fall ill or her milk should run entirely dry. And once the infant beginneth to experience feelings and comprehension in some slight degree, let the mother lay the foundations of his conduct and training, and speak to him of all sorts of matters so that he may learn discipline and good behaviour while yet a small child, and seek to have spiritual emotions, and so far as he is able, to comprehend the mysteries of religion and become informed in a general way as to all material things.

When it cometh time for a schoolteacher, his education in the various branches of knowledge devolveth upon his instructor at school and upon his father and mother at home. This matter is of the most vital importance; certainly, certainly, ye will pay it due consideration, that expertness may be obtained. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

September 26

O daughter of the Kingdom! The Lord of the Kingdom, the Sun of Truth, cast one ray of His effulgent splendour upon the universe and, through the radiance of that light, all creation came into being and stepped forth into the realm of existence. All created things are as reflecting surfaces upon which the Sun of Truth hath shed the light of its grace. All these surfaces are mirrors and tell of the Sun of Truth. Its grace is one and its radiance is one, but these divers mirrors are different. Some, in the utmost purity and clarity, reflect the rays of the Sun of Truth, and the effulgence of the Sun shineth through them, visible and manifest. Others are stained with dust and grime and therefore remain bereft and deprived of this grace.

The beloved of God are as polished mirrors that reflect, with great clarity and purity, the rays of the world’s great Luminary. There are others who are like dusty stones and clods of earth, particularly those who are characterized by hatred and enmity, by tyranny and injustice, and by ignorant prejudice. Such people are so tarnished with dust that they have become like dull pebbles on which the light of the sun produceth no radiance or reflection. Yet, such mirrors as have been deprived of this grace must not be considered aliens and strangers, or seen as enemies, or accounted as savages. Rather, they must, with the utmost love and kindliness, be accounted as members of one’s own family. They must not be called strangers, but friends, nor considered aliens, but companions. One must educate them, care for them, console them, and guide them unto heavenly qualities, so that the dust may be cleared from the surface of those mirrors and the light of the Sun of Truth may shine brilliantly.

O daughter of the Kingdom! Beware, beware, lest thou regard anyone as a stranger, even though he be the most savage being on earth and utterly bereft of the knowledge of God, or even an avowed enemy. Seek rather to be at one with him, and wish for him freedom and wisdom, so that all this hatred and malice, animosity and treachery, cruelty and enmity, falsehood and slander, arrogance and rebellion may be completely obliterated, and that the world may become the Abhá paradise, the realm of existence may become the Kingdom of heaven, the human race may become angelic, and all people may manifest the bestowals of the most glorious Lord. This is the bounty of the human world; this is God’s holy guidance. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

September 24

All the denizens of the earth, the communities and the people have taken an axe in their hands to uproot the life-tree of each other; they are blood-thirsty and the instigators of corruption; they are armed to the teeth with destructive implements; each seeketh the death and annihilation of the other. But the heavenly power, the divine energy and the celestial hand of strength, hath raised the canopy of the oneness of the realm of humanity on the pinnacle of the contingent being and hoisted the standard of the most great peace, friendship, love, uprightness and the adoration of truth. The friends are the servants of this canopy and the beloved are the hosts of this standard. Therefore they must with one accord arise to that which is the requirement and the merit of this day, become overflowing with joy and beatitude, perfume the nostrils with the fragrances, sweeten the tastes with the honey and delicacy of love, become the signs of guidance, be the glad-tidings of the Supreme Concourse and the army of the Kingdom of Abha; so that they may destroy the edifice of war and bloodshed, efface the traces of battle and strife from the face of the earth, uproot the tree of foreignness and plant the tree of unity in the rose-garden of the regions, extinguish the fire of hatred and animosity and set in motion the sea of love and affinity, erase the traces of discord from the Tablet of the earth and register thereon the verses of concord, clear the field of existence from the thorns and brambles of hostilities and ill-feeling and adorn it with the hyacinths and anemones of harmony, train and educate the souls and loosen the tongue in the delivery of the instructions and teachings of the Blessed Perfection! 

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

September 22

O ye friends of ‘Abdu’l-Baha! The East is illumined, the West is perfumed and the world is in motion and acceleration. Such a tumult is visible in the regions; and such a spiritual commotion is perceived in the pillars of the earth! The fame of the grandeur of the Word of God hath reached the ears of the inhabitants of the world, and the voice of the Cause of God holdeth universal sway! It is the time for joy and happiness and the moment of exhilaration and ecstasy. One must live in accord with the exhortations and advices of the Blessed Perfection and behave with such deeds and actions as to become conducive to the illumination of the world and the manifestation of mercifulness among the nations. 

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

September 20

Unless man maketh spiritual progress in the world of spirit, intellect and heart, he cannot gather universal results from material advancements. 

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

September 18

The rational soul—the human spirit—did not descend into this body or subsist through it to begin with, that it should require some substance to depend upon after the constituent parts of the body have decomposed. On the contrary, the rational soul is the substance upon which the body depends. The rational soul is endowed from the beginning with individuality; it does not acquire it through the intermediary of the body. At most, what can be said is that the individuality and identity of the rational soul may be strengthened in this world, and that the soul may either progress and attain to the degrees of perfection or remain in the lowest abyss of ignorance and be veiled from and deprived of beholding the signs of God. 

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

September 16

The handmaids of God must rise to such a station that they will, by themselves and unaided, comprehend these inner meanings, and be able to expound at full length every single word; a station where, out of the truth of their inmost hearts, a spring of wisdom will well up, and jet forth even as a fountain that leapeth from its own original source.

However, I hope that this meeting was like unto the lamp’s wick that met the fire and was ignited upon contact. I am expectantly awaiting the results of this meeting, that I may find thee ablaze like a candle and consumed like a moth by the fire of the love of God. May thou, moved by the intensity of love and rapture, weep like the cloud, laugh like the fresh meadow, and tremble with joy like the incomparable sapling stirred by the breezes of the Abhá Paradise. 

- ‘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)

September 14

O thou who art as a lamp set aflame with the fire of the love of God! I read thy recent letter, which told of thy fervent love and of thine enkindlement with the fire of the love of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Praised, and indicated the pervading influence of the Spirit of Truth within thy limbs and nerves, thy veins and arteries, thy bones and blood and flesh, in such wise that it hath taken the reins of power from thy hands, moving thee as it willeth, causing thee to speak as it willeth, and attracting thee as it willeth. This indeed well becometh every heart that is filled with the spirit of the love of God. Soon shalt thou behold wondrous results and discover the signs of thy Mighty Lord. 

- ‘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)

September 12

There are prophecies concerning this Manifestation in the Buddhistic books, but they are in symbols and metaphors, and some spiritual conditions are mentioned therein, but the leaders of religion do not understand. They think these prophecies are material things; yet those signs are foreshadowing spiritual occurrences. 

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

September 10

O thou spiritual youth!  Japan hath made wonderful progress in material civilization, but she will become perfect when she also becometh spiritually developed and the power of the Kingdom becometh manifest in her.

One will encounter a little difficulty in the beginning of the establishment of the Cause of God in that country, but later it will become very easy, for the inhabitants of Japan are intelligent, sagacious and have the power of rapid assimilation. 

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

September 8

This evening I will speak to you upon the subject of existence and nonexistence, life and death. Existence is the expression and outcome of composition and combination. Nonexistence is the expression and outcome of division and disintegration. If we study the forms of existence in the material universe, we find that all created things are the result of composition. Material elements have grouped together in infinite variety and endless forms. Each organism is a compound; each object is an expression of elemental affinity. We find the complex human organism simply an aggregation of cellular structure; the tree is a composite of plant cells; the animal, a combination and grouping of cellular atoms or units, and so on. Existence or the expression of being is, therefore, composition; and nonexistence is decomposition, division, disintegration. When elements have been brought together in a certain plan of combination, the result is the human organism; when these elements separate and disperse, the outcome is death and nonexistence. Life is, therefore, the product of composition; and death signifies decomposition.

Likewise, in the world of minds and souls, fellowship, which is an expression of composition, is conducive to life, whereas discord, which is an expression of decomposition, is the equivalent of death. Without cohesion among the individual elements which compose the body politic, disintegration and decay must inevitably follow and life be extinguished. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk, 24 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’)

September 6

Question: What is the difference between mind, spirit, and soul?

Answer: It was already explained that, in general, spirit is divided into five categories: the vegetable spirit, the animal spirit, the human spirit, the spirit of faith, and the Holy Spirit.

The vegetable spirit is that power of growth which is brought about in the seed through the influence of other created things.

The animal spirit is that all-embracing sensory power which is realized through the composition and combination of the elements. When this composition disintegrates, that spirit likewise perishes and becomes non-existent. It may be likened to this lamp: When oil, wick, and flame are brought together and combined, it is lit; and when this combination disintegrates—that is, when the constituent parts are separated from one another—the lamp also is extinguished.

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; published as ‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014 revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre)

September 4

…the Holy Spirit, which is the mediator between God and His creation. It is like a mirror facing the sun: Just as a spotless mirror receives the rays of the sun and reflects its bounty to others, so too is the Holy Spirit the mediator of the light of holiness, which it conveys from the Sun of Truth to sanctified souls. This Spirit is adorned with all the divine perfections. Whensoever it appears, the world is revived, a new cycle is ushered in, and the body of humanity is clothed in a fresh attire. It is like the spring: When it arrives, it transports the world from one condition to another. For at the advent of springtide the black earth, the fields, and the meadows become green and verdant; flowers and sweet-scented herbs of every kind spring forth; trees are endowed with a new life; wondrous fruits are produced; and a new cycle is inaugurated. 

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

September 2

…the spirit of faith and the outpouring grace of the All-Merciful. This spirit proceeds from the breath of the Holy Spirit, and through a power born of God it becomes the cause of everlasting life. It is that power which makes the earthly soul heavenly and the imperfect man perfect. It cleanses the impure, unlooses the tongue of the silent, sanctifies the bondslaves of passion and desire, and confers knowledge upon the ignorant. 

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

August 31

As to the human spirit, its likeness is that of a glass and the bounty of the sun. That is, the body of man, which is composed of the elements, is the most perfect form of composition and combination, the soundest arrangement, the noblest composition, and the most perfect of all existing things. It grows and develops through the animal spirit. This perfect body can be compared to a mirror, and the human spirit to the sun: If the glass is shattered or the mirror destroyed, no harm befalls the outpouring grace of the sun, which continues unabated.

This spirit is the discovering power that encompasses all things. All the wondrous signs, all the crafts and discoveries, all the mighty undertakings and momentous historical events of which you are aware, have been discovered by this spirit and brought forth from the invisible realm into the visible plane through its spiritual power. …

But this human spirit has two aspects: one divine and one satanic—that is, it is capable of both the greatest perfection and the greatest deficiency. Should it acquire virtues, it is the noblest of all things; and should it acquire vices, it becomes the most vile. 

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