1. He is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful! O God, my God!
Thou seest me, Thou knowest me; Thou art my Haven and my
Refuge. None have I sought nor any will I seek save Thee; no
path have I trodden nor any will I tread but the path of Thy
love. In the darksome night of despair, my eye turneth
expectant and full of hope to the morn of Thy boundless favor
and at the hour of dawn my drooping soul is refreshed an
strengthened in remembrance of Thy beauty and perfection. He
whom the grace of Thy mercy aideth, though he be but a drop,
shall become the boundless ocean, and the merest atom which
the outpouring of Thy loving-kindness assisteth, shall shine
even as the radiant star. Shelter under Thy protection, O Thou
Spirit of purity, Thou Whom art the All-Bountiful Provider,
this enthralled, enkindled servant of Thine. Aid him in this
world of being to remain steadfast and firm in Thy love and
grant that this broken-winged bird attain a refuge and shelter
in Thy divine nest that abideth upon the celestial tree.
- `Abdu'l-Bahá,
Baha'i Prayers, pp. 29-30
2. This is the
century of the Blessed Perfection! This is the cycle of the
light of His beauty! This is the consummate day of all the
Prophets! These are the days of seed sowing. These are the
days of tree planting. The bountiful bestowals of God are
successive. He who sows a seed in this day will behold his
reward in the fruits and harvest of the heavenly Kingdom. This
timely seed, when planted in the hearts of the beloved of God,
will be watered by showers of divine mercy and warmed by the
sunshine of divine love. Its fruitage and flower shall be the
solidarity of mankind, the perfection of justice and the
praiseworthy attributes of heaven manifest in humanity. All
who sow such a seed and plant such a tree according to the
teachings of Bahá'u'lláh shall surely witness this divine
outcome in the degrees of its perfection and will attain unto
the good pleasure of the Merciful One.
- `Abdu'l-Bahá,
The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 8
3. Every man of
insight will, in this day, readily admit that the counsels
which the Pen of this wronged One hath revealed constitute the
supreme animating power for the advancement of the world and
the exaltation of its peoples. Arise, O people, and, by the
power of God's might, resolve to gain the victory over your
own selves, that haply the whole earth may be freed and
sanctified from its servitude to the gods of its idle
fancies--gods that have inflicted such loss upon, and are
responsible for the misery of, their wretched worshipers.
These idols form the obstacle that impedeth man in his efforts
to advance in the path of perfection. We cherish the hope that
the Hand of Divine power may lend its assistance to mankind,
and deliver it from its state of grievous abasement.
- Bahá'u'lláh,
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 93
4. Oh, you of the
Western nations, be kind to those who come from the Eastern
world to sojourn among you. Forget your conventionality when
you speak with them; they are not accustomed to it. To Eastern
peoples this demeanour seems cold, unfriendly. Rather let your
manner be sympathetic. Let it be seen that you are filled with
universal love. When you meet a Persian or any other stranger,
speak to him as to a friend; if he seems to be lonely try to
help him, give him of your willing service; if he be sad
console him, if poor succour him, if oppressed rescue him, if
in misery comfort him. In so doing you will manifest that not
in words only, but in deed and in truth, you think of all men
as your brothers.
What profit is
there in agreeing that universal friendship is good, and
talking of the solidarity of the human race as a grand ideal?
Unless these thoughts are translated into the world of action,
they are useless.
The wrong in the
world continues to exist just because people talk only of
their ideals, and do not strive to put them into practice. If
actions took the place of words, the world's misery would very
soon be changed into comfort. A man who does great good, and
talks not of it, is on the way to perfection. The man who has
accomplished a small good and magnifies it in his speech is
worth very little.
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá,
Paris Talks, p. 16
5. There are some
who imagine that an innate sense of human dignity will prevent
man from committing evil actions and insure his spiritual and
material perfection. That is, that an individual who is
characterized with natural intelligence, high resolve, and a
driving zeal, will, without any consideration for the severe
punishments consequent on evil acts, or for the great rewards
of righteousness, instinctively refrain from inflicting harm
on his fellow men and will hunger and thirst to do good. And
yet, if we ponder the lessons of history it will become
evident that this very sense of honor and dignity is itself
one of the bounties deriving from the instructions of the
Prophets of God. We also observe in infants the signs of
aggression and lawlessness, and that if a child is deprived of
a teacher's instructions his undesirable qualities increase
from one moment to the next. It is therefore clear that the
emergence of this natural sense of human dignity and honor is
the result of education.
- `Abdu'l-Bahá,
The Secret of Divine Civilization, pp. 97-98
6. With fixed and
steady gaze, born of the unerring eye of God, scan for a while
the horizon of divine knowledge, and contemplate those words
of perfection which the Eternal hath revealed, that haply the
mysteries of divine wisdom, hidden ere now beneath the veil of
glory and treasured within the tabernacle of His grace, may be
made manifest unto you.
- Bahá'u'lláh,
The Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 16-17
7. Knowledge is
not enough; we hope by the Love of God we shall put it into
practice. A spiritual universal Force is needed for this.
Meetings are good for engendering spiritual force. To know
that it is possible to reach a state of perfection, is good;
to march forward on the path is better. We know that to help
the poor and to be merciful is good and pleases God, but
knowledge alone does not feed the starving man, nor can the
poor be warmed by knowledge or words in the bitter winter; we
must give the practical help of Loving-kindness.
- `Abdu'l-Bahá,
Abdu'l-Baha in London, pp. 60-61
8. Now let us
consider the soul. We have seen that movement is essential to
existence; nothing that has life is without motion. All
creation, whether of the mineral, vegetable or animal kingdom,
is compelled to obey the law of motion; it must either ascend
or descend. But with the human soul, there is no decline. Its
only movement is towards perfection; growth and progress alone
constitute the motion of the soul.
Divine perfection
is infinite, therefore the progress of the soul is also
infinite. From the very birth of a human being the soul
progresses, the intellect grows and knowledge increases. When
the body dies the soul lives on. All the differing degrees of
created physical beings are limited, but the soul is
limitless!
In all religions
the belief exists that the soul survives the death of the
body. Intercessions are sent up for the beloved dead, prayers
are said for their progress and for the forgiveness of their
sins. If the soul perished with the body all this would have
no meaning. Further, if it were not possible for the soul to
advance towards perfection after it had been released from the
body, of what avail are all these loving prayers, of
devotion?
- `Abdu'l-Bahá,
Paris Talks, p. 89
9. It is my hope
that women of the East, as well as their Western sisters, will
progress rapidly until humanity shall reach perfection. God's
Bounty is for all and gives power for all progress. When men
own the equality of women there will be no need for them to
struggle for their rights! One of the principles then of
Bahá'u'lláh is the equality of sex. Women must make the
greatest effort to acquire spiritual power and to increase in
the virtue of wisdom and holiness until their enlightenment
and striving succeeds in bringing about the unity of mankind.
They must work with a burning enthusiasm to spread the
Teaching of Bahá'u'lláh among the peoples, so that the
radiant light of the Divine Bounty may envelop the souls of
all the nations of the world!
- `Abdu'l-Bahá,
Paris Talks, p. 163
