October 27

O thou who art firm in the Covenant! …The prison is like a paradise to Abdul-Baha, the depth of the well is as the height of the moon—such is my desire in the Path of the Blessed Beauty! Were it not for the chain, sword and affliction, how should the people of faithfulness be distinguished from the people of hatred? Nay, otherwise, they would seem as one. This wound cannot be remedied save by a host of calamities, and this illness cannot be cured except by the cup of affliction.

I ask God that I may not repose for a moment, but that, night and day, in the love of the Blessed Beauty —may my spirit be a sacrifice to Him! — I may drink from the rosy cup of the blood of the heart.

With every breath do I desire to perceive thousands of afflictions approaching me from every inhuman one; at one time, to rest in the bottom of a dungeon; at another, to repose on the chain; and, ultimately, by the favor and providence of the Blessed Perfection, to roll my face and hair in my blood. 

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

October 25

O friends of God! ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is the embodiment of servitude and is not Christ; He is the servant of the world of humanity and is not its chief; He is utter nothingness and is not possessed of any existence; He is pure evanescence and is not ever-abiding. These discussions will yield no result or benefit: We must set all such debates and controversies entirely aside—nay, we must consign them to oblivion and arise to accomplish that which is enjoined and required in this Day. These are mere words bereft of inner meaning; they are mere superficialities devoid of all reality.

That which is true and real is this: that we become united and agreed in our purpose and arise to flood this darksome world with light, to banish all enmity and foreignness from among the children of men, to perfume and revive the world with the sanctified breezes of the character and conduct of the Abhá Beauty, to cast the light of divine guidance upon East and West, to raise the tabernacle of the love of God and gather all people under its sheltering shadow, to confer peace and composure upon every soul beneath the shade of the blessed Tree, to show forth such love as to astonish the enemy, to turn ravenous and bloodthirsty wolves into the gazelles of the meadows of the love of God, to cause the oppressor to taste the sweet savour of meekness, to teach them that kill the submission and acquiescence of those that suffer themselves to be killed, to spread abroad the verses of the one true God, to extol the virtues and perfections of the all-glorious Lord, to raise to the highest heaven the cry of “O Thou the Glory of Glories!”, and to cause the call of “The earth shall shine with the light of her Lord!” [Qur’án 39:69] to reach the ears of the denizens of His Kingdom. Herein is reality! Herein is guidance! Herein is service! Herein is the exaltation of the world of humanity! 

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

October 23

Consider the admonitions of Christ and investigate the customs and conduct of the popes: Is there any resemblance between the admonitions of the former and the administration of the latter? We do not like to find fault, but the pages of the history of the Vatican are indeed astounding. Our meaning is that the instructions of Christ are one thing and the conduct of the papal government is quite another: They do not agree in the slightest. See how many Protestants have been slain by order of the popes, what wrongs and cruelties have been countenanced, what tortures and punishments have been inflicted! Can the sweet fragrances of Christ be at all inhaled from these actions? No, by the righteousness of God! Such people did not obey Christ, while Saint Barbara, whose portrait is before us, obeyed Him, walked in His path, and acted upon His admonitions.

Among the popes there have indeed been some blessed souls who followed in the footsteps of Christ, particularly in the early centuries of the Christian era when earthly means were lacking and heaven-sent trials were severe. But when the means of temporal sovereignty were secured, and worldly honour and prosperity were obtained, the papal government entirely forgot Christ and occupied itself with earthly dominion and grandeur, with material comforts and luxuries. It put people to death, opposed the diffusion of learning, persecuted men of science, obstructed the light of knowledge, and gave the order to slay and to pillage. Thousands of people, men of science and learning and innocent souls, perished in the prisons of Rome. With such ways and deeds, how can the claim of the vicarship of Christ be accepted? 

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

October 21

In the time of Moses, there were ten crimes punishable by death. When Christ came this was changed; the old axiom ‘an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’ was converted into ‘Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you’, the stern old law being changed into one of love, mercy and forbearance!

In the former days the punishment for theft was the cutting off of the right hand; in our time this law could not be so applied. In this age, a man who curses his father is allowed to live, when formerly he would have been put to death. It is therefore evident that whilst the spiritual law never alters, the practical rules must change their application with the necessities of the time. The spiritual aspect of religion is the greater, the more important of the two, and this is the same for all time, it never changes! It is the same, yesterday, today, and for ever! ‘As it was the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.’ 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Paris Talks’)

October 19

Religion has two main parts: (1) The Spiritual. (2) The Practical.

The spiritual part never changes. All the Manifestations of God and His Prophets have taught the same truths and given the same spiritual law. They all teach the one code of morality. There is no division in the truth. The Sun has sent forth many rays to illumine human intelligence, the light is always the same.

The practical part of religion deals with exterior forms and ceremonies, and with modes of punishment for certain offences. This is the material side of the law, and guides the customs and manners of the people. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Paris Talks’)

October 17

As with the whole, so with the parts; whether a flower or a human body, when the attracting principle is withdrawn from it, the flower or the man dies. It is therefore clear that attraction, harmony, unity and Love, are the cause of life, whereas repulsion, discord, hatred and separation bring death.

We have seen that whatever brings division into the world of existence causes death. Likewise in the world of the spirit does the same law operate.

Therefore should every servant of the One God be obedient to the law of love, avoiding all hatred, discord, and strife. We find when we observe nature, that the gentler animals group themselves together into flocks and herds, whereas the savage, ferocious creatures, such as the lion, the tiger, and the wolf, live in wild forests, apart from civilization. Two wolves, or two lions, may live amicably together; but a thousand lambs may share the same fold and a large number of deer can form one herd. Two eagles can dwell in the same place, but a thousand doves can gather into one habitation. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Paris Talks’)

October 15

…in this day the doors of contention must be barred and the causes of strife prevented, and this is not possible unless all follow the Interpreter and obey the appointed Centre of the Covenant. That is, they must cleave unto his explicit utterance and hold fast unto his clear testimony in such wise that their tongues may relate only the words spoken by his tongue and their pens recount only that which he hath uttered. They must not speak a single letter more or less than he hath, nor add a word of interpretation, exegesis, or explanation, that all may be gathered beneath the shadow of the word of Divine unity and assembled under the banner of the oneness of God. This matter is the most important of matters and this foundation the greatest of all foundations. If two souls contend with one another, both are wrong, for there is no fault or defect greater than discord. Perceptions differ; should the understanding of individuals be made the authority on matters, the Frequented Fane [1] would, in a moment, be laid waste, the Verse of Light [2] would be annulled, and darkest night would descend. Wherefore, O ye loved ones of God and spiritual friends, listen with heart and soul, content yourselves with the explicit statement of this servant, and transgress it not, even to the extent of a single letter. 

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

[1] See Qur’án 52:4.

[2] See Qur’án 24:35.

October 13

The aim of the Bahá’ís is to raise aloft the banner of the world’s Great Peace, to eradicate the foundations of war and conflict throughout all regions, to gather together all the divers nations and peoples beneath the single-hued Tabernacle of God, and to eliminate prejudice—whether racial, national, religious, sectarian, or political—from the face of the earth, so that all countries may become as one country, all races as one race, and all nations as one nation. Thus may the world of creation attain unto peace and tranquillity. 

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

October 11

... every great Cause in this world of existence findeth visible expression through three means: first, intention; second, confirmation; third, action. Today, on this earth there are many souls who are promoters of peace and reconciliation and are longing for the realization of the oneness and unity of the world of humanity, but this intention needeth a dynamic power so that it may become manifest in the world of being. In this day, the divine instructions and lordly exhortations promulgate this most great aim, and the confirmations of the Kingdom also support and aid the realization of this intention. Therefore, although the combined forces and thoughts of the nations of the world cannot by themselves achieve this exalted purpose, the power of the Word of God penetrateth all things and the assistance of the divine Kingdom is continuous. Erelong it will become evident and clear that the ensign of the Most Great Peace is the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, and the tent of union and harmony among nations is the Tabernacle of the divine Kingdom; for therein the intention, the power, and the action, all three, are brought together. The realization of everything in the world of being dependeth upon these three elements. 

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

October 9

Work for the day of Universal Peace. Strive always that you may be united. Kindness and love in the path of service must be your means.

I bid a loving farewell to the people of France and England. I am very much pleased with them. I counsel them that they may day by day strengthen the bond of love and amity to this end,—that they may become the sympathetic embodiment of one nation.—That they may extend themselves to a Universal Brotherhood to guard and protect the interests and rights of all the nations of the East,—that they may unfurl the Divine Banner of justice,—that they may treat each nation as a family composed of the individual children of God and may know that before the sight of God the rights of all are equal. For all of us are the children of one Father. God is at peace with all his children; why should they engage in strife and warfare among themselves? God is showering down kindness; why should the inhabitants of this world exchange unkindness and cruelty?

I will pray for you that you may be illumined with the Light of the Eternal.

-‘Abdu’l-Baha (Farewell to the people of England and France on the eve of his departure for Alexandria; ‘Abdu’l-Baha in London’)

October 7

He is the all-Glorious.

O thou servant of the sacred Threshold! It is possible, nay most easy, to please God, for if only one is pure in heart, His good-pleasure is attained; but to please the people is of the utmost difficulty. God Himself did not succeed in pleasing the people—how can thou and I hope to do it? Still, we should strive as far as possible, for “that which cannot be achieved in its entirety should not be discarded in its entirety”. [1]

It is my hope that, through the infinite bounties of the Almighty Lord, thou mayest achieve both. I for one have not succeeded; God willing, thou mayest succeed and pray in turn for my success. For the good-pleasure of God and that of His servants are the greatest of divine bestowals; indeed God’s good-pleasure resideth in our being pleased with His servants.

O Lord! Graciously assist me and this servant of Thine to attain unto this supreme bounty, that we may be pleased with everyone and they may be pleased with us. I beseech God to grant that we both may be confirmed in service to His holy Threshold. The Glory of Glories rest upon thee. 

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

[1] Arabic proverb

October 5

The Star of the Covenant shall shine intensely upon all horizons and regions, and the violators will be as bats hiding themselves in dark holes! It is enough humiliation and abasement to them that they have violated the Covenant of God and contradicted the Appointed Center, and desired to demolish this solid edifice—which, alas, could not be! By God, they did not demolish but their own edifice, did not shake but their own foundations, and did not scatter but their own union, and to them shall come the news of what they have done! 

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

October 3

…as to you, O ye firm and steadfast, be straightforward in the Cause of God, let your feet be firm in the Religion of God, and arise with every effort within your power to render victorious the Covenant of God. By God, the Truth, you will be assisted by a numerous army, and re-inforced by a cohort of the angels of God. 

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

October 1

O servant of the one true God! When the Morn of divine guidance dawned above the Most Exalted Horizon, its rays brought tidings of great joy and heralded the advent of the Abhá Beauty, as is openly and unequivocally stated in the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’.

In the whole of the Bayán, all things find their consummation in these wondrous and sublime words: “The Day of Resurrection is from the time of the dawning of the Sun of Bahá until its setting.”  “Beware, beware, lest the Váhid of the Bayán shut thee out as by a veil from Him. And beware, beware, that what hath been sent down in the Bayán shut thee not out as by a veil from Him.”  The Báb Himself is among the Váhid of the Bayán: There are the eighteen Letters of the Living, and He Himself is the nineteenth. One of the Letters of the Living is Quddús, of whom He hath said that Mirrors to the number of thirteen Váhids abide beneath his shadow. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Light of the World’)

September 29

The Persian government believed the banishment of the Blessed Perfection from Persia would be the extermination of His Cause in that country. These rulers now realized that it spread more rapidly. His prestige increased; His teachings became more widely circulated. The chiefs of Persia then used their influence to have Bahá’u’lláh exiled from Baghdád. He was summoned to Constantinople by the Turkish authorities. While in Constantinople He ignored every restriction, especially the hostility of ministers of state and clergy. The official representatives of Persia again brought their influence to bear upon the Turkish authorities and succeeded in having Bahá’u’lláh banished from Constantinople to Adrianople, the object being to keep Him as far away as possible from Persia and render His communication with that country more difficult. Nevertheless, the Cause still spread and strengthened.

Finally, they consulted together and said, “We have banished Bahá’u’lláh from place to place, but each time he is exiled his cause is more widely extended, his proclamation increases in power, and day by day his lamp is becoming brighter. This is due to the fact that we have exiled him to large cities and populous centers. Therefore, we will send him to a penal colony as a prisoner so that all may know he is the associate of murderers, robbers and criminals; in a short time he and his followers will perish.” The Sultán of Turkey then banished Him to the prison of Akká in Syria. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, 18 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’)

September 27

…O ye beloved of the Lord and friends of God, arise, and with the whole enthusiasm of your hearts, with all the eagerness of your souls, strive to unfurl the standards of unity in the midmost heart of the world and cause, with valiant might, the ocean of oneness to surge. Thus may the body of humankind be freed from the constraint of these variegated robes and patched garments, and be adorned instead with the sanctified raiment of unity.

This is the principal aim and true purpose of the revelation of the Prophets, the advent of the chosen Ones, and the rising of the Sun of Reality in this most great Dispensation of the King of Glory. Unless this sublime aim be achieved, unless this purpose of the All-Glorious Lord be fulfilled and made manifest in the assemblage of the world, this great Cycle will prove idle, and this mighty Dispensation will yield no fruit. God grant that all endeavours may be dedicated to establishing the ties of unity and concord. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Light of the World’)

September 25

Not for an instant did He [Baha’u’llah] rest; not for a moment did His sacred heart find tranquillity. How many a night did He pass under the weight of chains, enduring until dawn a hundred thousand hardships, even as a captive seized within a hostile land. He met the darts of injustice with the target of faithfulness, and quaffed the poison of affliction as if it were the honeyed draught of immortality. He kissed the sharpened blade as though it were a brimming cup, and fervently yearned for the harrowing prison as if it were a loving embrace. He was exiled from His land and became a wanderer in the wilderness of adversity. He was banished to Iraq and Adrianople, and was finally incarcerated in the most desolate of cities. At last, despite all these afflictive calamities and toilsome tribulations, He planted the Tree of Oneness in the paradise of this new Cycle and raised the tabernacle of unity, peace, and reconciliation above the highest of all standards. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Light of the World’)

September 23

At one point He [Baha’u’llah] left the city and went alone into the mountains of Kurdistán, where He made His abode in caves and grottoes. A part of this time He lived in the city of Sulaymáníyyih. Two years passed during which neither His friends nor family knew just where He was.

Although Bahá’u’lláh was solitary, secluded and unknown in His retirement, the report spread throughout Kurdistán that this was a most remarkable and learned Personage, gifted with a wonderful power of attraction. In a short time Kurdistán was magnetized with His love. During this period Bahá’u’lláh lived in poverty. His garments were those of the poor and needy. His food was that of the indigent and lowly. An atmosphere of majesty haloed Him as the sun at midday. Everywhere He was greatly revered and beloved.

After two years He returned to Baghdád. Friends He had known in Sulaymáníyyih came to visit Him. They found Him in His accustomed environment of ease and affluence and were astonished at the appointments of One Who had lived in seclusion under such frugal conditions in Kurdistán. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, 18 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’)

September 21

Remember what the Pharisees published concerning Jesus, attributed to Him and said about Him and how they oppressed Him until they paraded Him in Jerusalem in such a form as made the angels of sanctity to weep in the Sublime Kingdom. They put on His head a crown of thistles; nay, more, they cast dust in His face—into a face whereby the heaven and the earth is illuminated! They turned their backs upon Him, then bowed and said: “Peace be unto thee, O King of kings! Peace be unto thee, O King of the Jews!”

Of the same class are the Pharisees and priests in this manifest day. “Leave them to amuse themselves with their vain discourse.” They are as people deluded by their temptations and are isolated from the gifts of your Lord, the Clement, the Merciful. “They are deaf, dumb and blind; therefore, they will not understand.”

Verily, I, through the grace of my Lord, have never heeded these souls, even to reading their articles, inasmuch as their articles signify no other than the buzzing of flies to the hearing of an eagle, or the croaking of a frog of the material world to the ears of the leviathan of the sea of the Kingdom. Is it to be considered as anything? No, by no means! Verily, the eagle soareth high in the supreme apex while the flies rumble in the lowest rubbish. 

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

September 19

By the Lord of the Kingdom! If one arise to promote the Word of God with a pure heart, overflowing with the love of God and severed from the world, the Lord of Hosts will assist him with such a power as will penetrate the core of the existent beings. 

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

September 17

Today the greatest of all affairs in the Cause is firmness and steadfastness. A tree will not give fruit unless it be firmly rooted. A foundation will not last unless it be firm. There is nothing in this world of man greater than firmness. A soul who is firm will become a son of the Kingdom of God and will be confirmed with the power of the Holy Spirit. 

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

September 15

…the Almighty hath chosen the friends from among the concourse of people and hath especialized them with the most eminent guidance and the highest gift; so that we may with our souls and hearts exert ourselves, sacrifice our lives, be engaged in the guidance of the people and the training of souls; so that the wild beasts may become the gazelles of the meadows of unity; the wolves the sheep of God; the bloodthirsty ones the heavenly angels; the fire of malice be extinguished and the flame of safety in the blessed tabernacle bestow illumination; the odor of the nether realm of infidelity be dispelled and the fragrances of the rose garden of faithfulness be diffused in all parts; the weak draw light from the Universal Reason and evil souls seek to be purified with the holy and divine Breath. There are needed manifestos for this gift; farmers for this field; gardeners for this rose garden; fishers for this sea; luminous stars for this heaven; spiritual physicians for these ill ones, and loving guides for these wanderers; so that they may bestow a share on those who are deprived, grant a portion to those who are shameless, give unmeasured treasure to the indigent ones, and show forth the power of proof to the seekers. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; Star of the West, vol. 4, no.1, March 21, 1913)

September 13

…the life of man is wholly subject to danger and impermanency. A person cannot put his assurance even in one moment's continuity. Notwithstanding this, the nations of the world, deceived by the mirage of superstition, imagine themselves secure in the heavenly way. Alas! Alas! Former communities in bygone ages entertained the same perishing thoughts; but by one of those periodical fluctuations they were all hidden under the ground, and afflicted with deprivation and loss, except those souls who had become pure evanescence and had arisen with a great self-abnegation in the path of God. Such souls shine forth as brilliant stars from the horizon of the Ancient Glory, and the results which emanated from their lives in succeeding ages and cycles are the proofs of this statement. Therefore, do not ye rest, neither day nor night; seek not ye for composure; talk ye of the mystery of servitude, and seek ye the path of thralldom; so that through the promised confirmations ye may receive assistance from the Kingdom of Oneness. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; Star of the West, vol. 4, no.1, March 21, 1913)

September 11

O ye true friends and loved ones of God! The Candle shineth resplendent, and the century of the Abhá Beauty is even as a flowering rose-garden. The dawn of the Abhá Kingdom hath broken, and the stars of the celestial Concourse glow with light. Gentle breezes blow from the meads of the Lord, and sweet savours waft from the gardens of holiness. Heavenly strains from the Kingdom of glory are raised on every side, and the summons of the Company on high reacheth the ears of every lowly one. The Day-Star of divine bounty hath risen in all its splendour, and the Orb of God’s grace sheddeth its radiance upon all regions. The manifold bounties of the Most Great Name—may my life be offered up for His loved ones—are all-embracing, and the banquet table of the Lord is spread throughout the earth. These blessings indeed compass you on every side.

Behold, then, what a diadem of bounty adorneth your heads and what a kingly mantle attireth your beings. Consider what eyes of bounty watch over you and what glances of mercy are cast upon you. 

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

September 9

Consider how the sacred breast of the Exalted One—may my life be a sacrifice unto Him—was made a target for a hundred thousand bullets, and how the holy body of Quddús—may my life be offered up for Him—was torn to pieces. Consider the galling of the chains and fetters that weighed upon the blessed neck of the Most Great Name—may my soul be offered up for His loved ones—and how He was taken, in that condition, bare-headed and bare-footed, all the way from Níyávarán to Tihrán. Many a trial befell that Sacred Beauty for well-nigh fifty years, such that the pen trembleth at their mention. The first was the exile from Persia; the second, the banishment from Iraq to the Ottoman capital; the third, the exile from that city to European Turkey and Bulgaria; [1] and the fourth, the banishment of the Beauty of the All-Merciful to the depths of the Most Great Prison. Throughout this period, a myriad other tribulations also befell Him from within and without.

Likewise, call thou to mind the Bábu’l-Báb [2] —may the souls of the well-favoured of the Lord be offered up for him—and consider what trials and tribulations that luminous candle and radiant orb suffered, and what woes he endured in the path of God. Consider how, in the fort of adversity, he finally quaffed the brimful cup of martyrdom, and what injuries were inflicted upon his kin. 

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

[1] A reference to Adrianople.

[2] Mullá Husayn-i-Bushrú’í.

September 7

O thou seeker after truth! Behold the power and greatness of Bahá’u’lláh! Within a short span of time, He hath stirred up the East and the West, and raised aloft, in the midmost heart of the world, the banner of love and harmony, of unity and peace, of fellowship and conciliation, of truthfulness and rectitude. He hath freed from enmity and strife a great multitude of souls belonging to divers and opposing nations, to disparate and contending religions, and hath brought them under the sheltering canopy of fellowship, love, and unity.

What power this is, and what strength! What greater proof couldst thou desire? He hath brought East and West into close embrace. Singly and alone, He hath withstood the world and uplifted His mighty Cause in the Most Great Prison. Though subjected to utter abasement, He hath crowned His loved ones with the diadem of everlasting glory. Were one to gaze with the eye of justice, this would be sufficient proof. 

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

September 5

O friends! How blessed, how favoured, how fortunate are ye to have been born in such a cycle and dispensation and to live in such an age and century, to have come upon such a wellspring and bowed down before such a threshold, to have taken shelter beneath the shade of such a tree and partaken of such a fruit. The cycle is the Cycle of the Ancient Beauty, and the century that of the Greatest Name. The wellspring is the stream of the Law of God, and the threshold that of the Abhá Beauty. The tree is the Tree of Life, and the fruit that of the Divine Lote-Tree. Blessed are they that attain thereunto! Fortunate are they that enter therein! Gladdened are they that draw nigh unto it! And happy are they that abide under its shade! All praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds. 

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

September 3

The question of economics must commence with the farmer and then be extended to the other classes inasmuch as the number of farmers is far greater than all other classes. Therefore, it is fitting to begin with the farmer in matters related to economics for the farmer is the first active agent in human society. In brief, from among the wise men in every village a board should be set up and the affairs of that village should be under the control of that board. 

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

September 1

…at the time of Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension, more than two hundred thousand souls had taken shelter beneath His blessed shadow and had attained the station of certitude. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Talk, ‘Twelve table talks given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akká’; Online Baha’i Reference Library, Baha’i World Centre)

August 30

At the time of His ascension, Christ had raised up twelve men and four women. There were to be sure a few others beside these, but they had not reached the station of certitude. And among these twelve men, one became His sworn enemy: Judas Iscariot, who, notwithstanding his position as the chief of the Apostles, arose to have Him killed. The most prominent among the remaining eleven was Peter, and even he failed to stand firm in the face of trials, since, according to the explicit text of the Gospel, he thrice denied Christ at the hour of His martyrdom, to the point of entirely recanting his faith in the last instance. It was only after the cock crowed that he was reawakened and made contrite and repentant. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Talk, ‘Twelve table talks given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akká’; Online Baha’i Reference Library, Baha’i World Centre)

August 28

O thou servant of Baha’! Thou hast asked regarding the political affairs. In the United States it is necessary that the citizens shall take part in elections. This is a necessary matter and no excuse from it is possible. My object in telling the believers that they should not interfere in the affairs of government is this: That they should not make any trouble and that they should not move against the opinion of the government, but obedience to the laws and the administration of the commonwealth is necessary. Now, as the government of America is a republican form of government, it is necessary that all the citizens shall take part in the elections of officers and take part in the affairs of the republic. 

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

August 26

The Jewish people were expecting the manifestation of Jesus and were at the same time attracted to Moses. When His Holiness Christ appeared, they (the Jewish people) thought that holy personality intended to take away the eternal honor of Moses. Moses, in the eye of Israel, had no equal. Now, these had never thought that a greater than him (Moses) would appear. So this way of thinking became the cause of their being kept away from the Light of Christ and they were prevented from the precious things of the Holy Spirit, notwithstanding the fact that the greatest friend of Moses was Christ and He made His Holiness Moses great in the eye of the world and made Him to be glorious in the contingent world; whereas, even now, Israel (that is, the Jews) deny His Holiness, the promised Christ, and count Him to be an enemy of His Holiness Moses and of Aaron and David; and they were kept away from the bounties of Christ. They think that no other great person like Moses could ever come upon the earth and if such a person should be sent (by God), he must come under the shadow of His Holiness Moses and promulgate the law of the Torah. This negligence on the part of the Jews became the cause of keeping away a multitude from the heavenly bounties and from the beneficence of the Holy Spirit for nineteen-hundred years. 

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

August 24

As difference in degree of capacity exists among human souls, as difference in capability is found, therefore, individualities will differ one from another. But in reality this is a reason for unity and not for discord and enmity. If the flowers of a garden were all of one color, the effect would be monotonous to the eye; but if the colors are variegated, it is most pleasing and wonderful. The difference in adornment of color and capacity of reflection among the flowers gives the garden its beauty and charm. Therefore, although we are of different individualities, different in ideas and of various fragrances, let us strive like flowers of the same divine garden to live together in harmony. Even though each soul has its own individual perfume and color, all are reflecting the same light, all contributing fragrance to the same breeze which blows through the garden, all continuing to grow in complete harmony and accord. Become as waves of one sea, trees of one forest, growing in the utmost love, agreement and unity.

If you attain to such a capacity of love and unity, the Blessed Perfection will shower infinite graces of the spiritual Kingdom upon you, guide, protect and preserve you under the shadow of His Word, increase your happiness in this world and uphold you through all difficulties. Therefore, it is my hope that day by day you will become more and more effulgent in the horizon of heaven, advance nearer and nearer toward the Kingdom of Abhá, attain greater and greater bounties of the Blessed Perfection. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, 17 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’)

August 22

When Bahá’u’lláh returned from Sulaymáníyyih, He illumined Baghdád with His light: The call of God was raised anew and a tumult arose in Persia. In Baghdád Bahá’u’lláh stood firm before all peoples. The government of Persia was extremely hostile in those days, and all were seeking by every means to cause Him suffering and to bring Him to harm. At last the Persian government, having grown alarmed at His influence, said: “Baghdád is close to Persia and is a place of passage for the Persians. Thus, in order to put out this fire Bahá’u’lláh must be banished to a distant land.” The Persian government then petitioned the Ottoman government, and Bahá’u’lláh was as a result transferred with all due honour out of Baghdád. Leaving the city, Bahá’u’lláh went to the garden of Najíb Páshá and resided there for twelve days. During that time many people, both high and low, and even the Governor and a number of other officials, attained His blessed presence. These are the twelve days of Ridván.

In any event, it was by means of hints and allusions that Bahá’u’lláh first declared His mission during those twelve days. Certain among the friends grasped His intent, but others did not fully understand. At last Bahá’u’lláh came to Constantinople and the Súrih of pilgrimage was revealed, wherein the instruction is given to circumambulate the House of Baghdád. In that Súrih the Cause is openly manifest, but the phrase “He Whom God shall make manifest” does not appear. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Talk, ‘Twelve table talks given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akká’; Online Baha’i Reference Library, Baha’i World Centre)

August 20

During His sojourn in Sulaymáníyyih, Bahá’u’lláh penned a number of works, among them certain prayers of which copies are still extant, and certain epistles on mystical wayfaring addressed to the doctors and the learned men of Islam, which are likewise still extant. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Talk, ‘Twelve table talks given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akká’; Online Baha’i Reference Library, Baha’i World Centre)