It's been a busy week, and I feel really drained. So I thought I'd write about energy. The title today will link with a site that will help you get green energy. In my case for a small premium I can get it through my regular power company. Locally it's 68% wind energy and 32% landfill gases. It won't cost a lot as my bills are already low -I switched out to florescent lighting about five years ago, and being hypothyroid has brought an air conditioning free summer for many years now.
I've thought about doing this before, but I wasn't as motivated to really do something more until the whole bio-fuel vs. food prices phenomenon recently made the connection between our energy waste and people starving around the world today.
I think this will go down better than my ill-fated attempt to bicycle to work a few years ago. That lasted two weeks (You have to commit to use green electricity for a year to sign up). I really enjoyed it, even though it was probably a wee bit dangerous, at night on a busy single lane state road with no bike path. The real problem though, was a different connection between fuel and hunger -I simply couldn't eat enough to keep up my weight.
So anyway, I'll be going down to the power company this week and switching over.
The following quote from a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated December 8, 1947,
Our contributions to the Faith are the surest way of lifting once and for all time the burden of hunger and misery from mankind, for it is only through the system of Bahá'u'lláh -- Divine in origin -- that the world can be gotten on its feet and want, fear, hunger, war, etc. be eliminated.
makes me think along a parallel line, what have I been thinking about doing for the Faith that I haven't been "sufficiently" motivated to do? Hmh, food for thought.
-jeff
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Anonymity in God? A Personal Meditation
Should your names fade from every mortal mind, and yet God be well pleased with you, ye will indeed be numbered among the treasures of His name, the Most Hidden.
(Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 46)
At first glance this passage (and it's surrounding verses) seems to promise that God holds the fameless or forgotten faithful -the hidden, close to a hidden, a secret part of Himself. Even more so after reading the following passsage:
And when He purposed to manifest His beauty in the kingdom of names and to reveal His glory in the realm of attributes, He brought forth His Prophets from the invisible plane to the visible, that His name "the Manifest" might be distinguished from "the Hidden" and His name "the Last" might be discerned from "the First", and that there may be fulfilled the words: "He is the First and the Last; the Seen and the Hidden; and He knoweth all things!"
(Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries)
Upon reflection though, the Name of God the Hidden isn't apart from the Manifestations of God, the Revealers of all God's Names, but that at one time one Name shows forth and Another at a different time. In fact, Baha'u'llah identifies Himself as the Hidden Name revealed.
I testify that within thee (the city of Tehran) He Who is the Hidden Name was revealed, and the Unseen Treasure uncovered.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 120)
And the notes to the Kitab-i-Aqdas state that
In Islam there is a tradition that among the many names of God, one was the greatest; however, the identity of this Greatest Name was hidden. Bahá'u'lláh has confirmed that the Greatest Name is "Baha".
Similarly, the beloved Guardian wrote:
He was formally designated Bahá'u'lláh, an appellation specifically recorded in the Persian Bayan, signifying at once the glory, the light and the splendor of God, and was styled the "Lord of Lords," the "Most Great Name," the "Ancient Beauty," the "Pen of the Most High," the "Hidden Name," the "Preserved Treasure,"...
(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 94)
So, unlike at first glance Baha'u'llah isn't telling us that God is hiding the unknown faithful away in some hidden part of Himself, but that He as the Manifestation of the Greatest Name is claiming them for Himself. Furthermore, the Blessed Beauty has us pray to God -invoked by His Hidden Name asking for an eternal (spiritual) fame not comfort in anonymity:
I pray Thee, O my Lord, by Thy hidden, Thy treasured Name, that calleth aloud in the kingdom of creation, and summoneth all peoples ...Ordain, O Lord, through Thy most exalted Pen, that which will immortalize our souls in the Realm of glory, will perpetuate our names in Thy Kingdom, and safeguard our lives in the treasuries of Thy protection.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 300)
That first passage means quite a bit more to me and in some ways the opposite of what I thought upon first reading it.
-jeff
(Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 46)
At first glance this passage (and it's surrounding verses) seems to promise that God holds the fameless or forgotten faithful -the hidden, close to a hidden, a secret part of Himself. Even more so after reading the following passsage:
And when He purposed to manifest His beauty in the kingdom of names and to reveal His glory in the realm of attributes, He brought forth His Prophets from the invisible plane to the visible, that His name "the Manifest" might be distinguished from "the Hidden" and His name "the Last" might be discerned from "the First", and that there may be fulfilled the words: "He is the First and the Last; the Seen and the Hidden; and He knoweth all things!"
(Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries)
Upon reflection though, the Name of God the Hidden isn't apart from the Manifestations of God, the Revealers of all God's Names, but that at one time one Name shows forth and Another at a different time. In fact, Baha'u'llah identifies Himself as the Hidden Name revealed.
I testify that within thee (the city of Tehran) He Who is the Hidden Name was revealed, and the Unseen Treasure uncovered.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 120)
And the notes to the Kitab-i-Aqdas state that
In Islam there is a tradition that among the many names of God, one was the greatest; however, the identity of this Greatest Name was hidden. Bahá'u'lláh has confirmed that the Greatest Name is "Baha".
Similarly, the beloved Guardian wrote:
He was formally designated Bahá'u'lláh, an appellation specifically recorded in the Persian Bayan, signifying at once the glory, the light and the splendor of God, and was styled the "Lord of Lords," the "Most Great Name," the "Ancient Beauty," the "Pen of the Most High," the "Hidden Name," the "Preserved Treasure,"...
(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 94)
So, unlike at first glance Baha'u'llah isn't telling us that God is hiding the unknown faithful away in some hidden part of Himself, but that He as the Manifestation of the Greatest Name is claiming them for Himself. Furthermore, the Blessed Beauty has us pray to God -invoked by His Hidden Name asking for an eternal (spiritual) fame not comfort in anonymity:
I pray Thee, O my Lord, by Thy hidden, Thy treasured Name, that calleth aloud in the kingdom of creation, and summoneth all peoples ...Ordain, O Lord, through Thy most exalted Pen, that which will immortalize our souls in the Realm of glory, will perpetuate our names in Thy Kingdom, and safeguard our lives in the treasuries of Thy protection.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 300)
That first passage means quite a bit more to me and in some ways the opposite of what I thought upon first reading it.
-jeff
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Making Kites
We made kites today at Lions & Whales. It's funny, it was my grandfather who first made a kite with me, and I used one of his saws today too to make the notches for the frames, but I didn't remember until I woke up that he was buried 23 years ago today. I remember holding my brother while he was crying at the funeral but not crying myself, in fact I don't think I've ever cried at a funeral. It sounds almost sociopathic, but I don't mean it that way. Heck some t.v. commercials make me tear up. And I cried the hardest ever when my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, just not when she died. It's the "bon voyage" aspect --the whole they're gone and we won't see them for a long time. I guess for me the line between this world and the next has always been somewhat permeable, the dead still present. I've just always been aware of the truth behind the Baha'i teaching that the good people keep doing good and that the bad can't hurt us (they don't have any real substance).
Grandpa retired the year I turned four, and lived about 4 miles from us. When my brother or I'd get sick during the winter and had to stay home from school he'd come over and make a snowman outside our window. My room was in the front of the house and it must have looked funny the snowman facing in, but it was for me and not everyone going by. I still feel watched over --protected. Grandpa felt particularly present today. One of the quotes we read today was "O my Lord! ...make him one of Thy angels whose feet walk upon this earth even as their souls are soaring through the high heavens." This my answered prayer for today. I love you Grandpa.
-your "Jeffy"
Grandpa retired the year I turned four, and lived about 4 miles from us. When my brother or I'd get sick during the winter and had to stay home from school he'd come over and make a snowman outside our window. My room was in the front of the house and it must have looked funny the snowman facing in, but it was for me and not everyone going by. I still feel watched over --protected. Grandpa felt particularly present today. One of the quotes we read today was "O my Lord! ...make him one of Thy angels whose feet walk upon this earth even as their souls are soaring through the high heavens." This my answered prayer for today. I love you Grandpa.
-your "Jeffy"
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Eeyore
Well I feel like the youth that came to me with ideas they were excited about to raise money for the Baha'i funds. Unfortunately, they all violated one rule or another. As a treasurer you hope for excited youth involvement and then to have to kick them in the teeth. Anyway, the fireside idea from a few days ago, at least looking like it did is dead for reasons of cultural ignorance/insensitivity on my part. I mean I'm glad it happened now, before some feelings were hurt, but seeing the kids excited about doing it really got me going. My mantra of late is this quote from the Blessed Beauty: "Of what importance is the shipwreck to the fish of the spirit"
-jeff
Monday, April 14, 2008
Ten Things to Do
This web page links to Frances Moore Lappe's website. What got me thinking about her was an NPR story this morning about there being enough food for the world's poor, in light of growing population, less sustainable food choices being made, and the use of bio-fuels.
The first is old news, in fact it's been predicted for well over a hundred years. Ms. Lappe's book Diet for a Small Planet was really influential for me when I was in school --in fact I took a class just on hunger and food. In DSP, Ms. Lappe points out this is a myth, demonstrating that there is indeed enough food to feed the world's people --the problem is in fact a combination of our personal and political choices. The basic premise was sustainable diets are less meat intensive, many more people could live off the grain we feed cattle than can live off the meat from the same cattle. Of course, the extra (unnecessary) agricultural production is not environmentally healthy either.
On the second point, it turns out that as populations in India and China become wealthier they are eating more meat -adding to the problem. This is a relatively new and unexpected problem. But it's not their problem it's all of ours. We must all act. The solution offered by Ms. Lappe and her daughter in their new book Hope's Edge is similar to what Ms. Lappe first advocated in DSP: eat closer to the original source i.e. vegetarianism. What's different is the additional emphasis on going organic because of the carbon footprint of "modern" agricultural methods, and they write about buying local --when fuel production competes with feeding the hungry shipping that food halfway around the world makes even less sense. Here's a quote from 'Abdu'l-Baha:
As humanity progresses, meat will be used less and less ...man's food is intended to be grain and not meat. When mankind is more fully developed, the eating of meat will gradually cease.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 170)
And from the Universal House of Justice:
As the laws brought by Bahá'u'lláh become known and operative throughout the world, we believe that humanity will find the proper balance in adjusting itself to nature and to the world of animals. As in so many other areas, the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh in this regard follow the golden mean: kindness toward animals is definitely upheld, vegetarianism is encouraged, hunting is regulated, but certain latitude is left to individual conscience and in practical regard to the diversity of circumstances under which human beings live. For example, the indigenous peoples of the Arctic would be hard-pressed to subsist without recourse to animal products.
(20 November 1992, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
So what do your "individual conscience and circumstances say to you.
just some food for thought,
-jeff
The first is old news, in fact it's been predicted for well over a hundred years. Ms. Lappe's book Diet for a Small Planet was really influential for me when I was in school --in fact I took a class just on hunger and food. In DSP, Ms. Lappe points out this is a myth, demonstrating that there is indeed enough food to feed the world's people --the problem is in fact a combination of our personal and political choices. The basic premise was sustainable diets are less meat intensive, many more people could live off the grain we feed cattle than can live off the meat from the same cattle. Of course, the extra (unnecessary) agricultural production is not environmentally healthy either.
On the second point, it turns out that as populations in India and China become wealthier they are eating more meat -adding to the problem. This is a relatively new and unexpected problem. But it's not their problem it's all of ours. We must all act. The solution offered by Ms. Lappe and her daughter in their new book Hope's Edge is similar to what Ms. Lappe first advocated in DSP: eat closer to the original source i.e. vegetarianism. What's different is the additional emphasis on going organic because of the carbon footprint of "modern" agricultural methods, and they write about buying local --when fuel production competes with feeding the hungry shipping that food halfway around the world makes even less sense. Here's a quote from 'Abdu'l-Baha:
As humanity progresses, meat will be used less and less ...man's food is intended to be grain and not meat. When mankind is more fully developed, the eating of meat will gradually cease.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 170)
And from the Universal House of Justice:
As the laws brought by Bahá'u'lláh become known and operative throughout the world, we believe that humanity will find the proper balance in adjusting itself to nature and to the world of animals. As in so many other areas, the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh in this regard follow the golden mean: kindness toward animals is definitely upheld, vegetarianism is encouraged, hunting is regulated, but certain latitude is left to individual conscience and in practical regard to the diversity of circumstances under which human beings live. For example, the indigenous peoples of the Arctic would be hard-pressed to subsist without recourse to animal products.
(20 November 1992, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
So what do your "individual conscience and circumstances say to you.
just some food for thought,
-jeff
Backlogging the blog-Reporting
I forgot to write on this yesterday --still not in the habit of blogging. Sunday night before leaving for work I saw on the CNN, BBC and VOA websites articles about the bombing in the mosque in Shiraz. All three said according to the Fars news agency that the Mosque officials had been preaching against the Baha'i Faith, and Wahhabi Sunni Islam and then went on to talk about previous terrorist attacks against Mosques in Iran. Not one site mentioned the peaceful nature of the Faith, but let an unstated assumption go by that the Baha'is could be responsible. I mean what do they think the readers are going to assume when they say a bomb went off and here's who they were making "enemies" of. Of course, while Baha'is are the target of discrimination by the Iranian government by no means do Baha'is think of Muslims or Islam as the enemy, but does the public at large know this? Anyway, I e-mailed the BBC about this. Interestingly, the following quote was one of the reasons the Egyptian High Court used to justify persecuting the Baha'is in Egypt --they found abrogating the Law of Holy War an offense against Islam.
O people of the earth! The first Glad-Tidings which the Mother Book hath, in this Most Great Revelation, imparted unto all the peoples of the world is that the law of holy war hath been blotted out from the Book. Glorified be the All-Merciful, the Lord of grace abounding, through Whom the door of heavenly bounty hath been flung open in the face of all that are in heaven and on earth.
The second Glad-Tidings It is permitted that the peoples and kindreds of the world associate with one another with joy and radiance. O people! Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. Thus hath the day-star of His sanction and authority shone forth above the horizon of the decree of God, the Lord of the worlds.
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 21-22)
It now appears that the cause of the explosion in the Mosque was related to the storing of munitions there. Still, I'm concerned for the believers in the cradle of the faith, imagine living in a place where where innocent children are indoctrinated to hate you. Reminds me of Nazi Germany, but then the Iranian government has been denying the Holocaust too. I guess those who don't remember their history are doomed to repeat it. Here's a prayer for protection:
In the Name of God, the Lord of overpowering majesty, and All-Compelling.
Hallowed be the Lord in Whose hand is the source of dominion. He createth whatsoever He willeth by His Word of command "Be," and it is. His hath been the power of authority heretofore, and it shall remain His hereafter. He maketh victorious whomsoever He pleaseth, through the potency of His behest. He is in truth the Powerful, the Almighty. Unto Him pertaineth all glory and majesty in the kingdoms of Revelation and Creation and whatever lieth between them. Verily, He is the Potent, the All-Glorious. From everlasting He hath been the Source of indomitable strength and shall remain so unto everlasting. He is indeed the Lord of might and power. All the kingdoms of heaven and earth and whatever is between them are God's, and His power is supreme over all things. All the treasures of earth and heaven and everything between them are His, and His protection extendeth over all things. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and whatever lieth between them, and He truly is a witness over all things. He is the Lord of Reckoning for all that dwell in the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. Verily, He is the Supreme Protector. He holdeth in His grasp the keys of heaven and earth and of everything between them. At His Own pleasure doth He bestow gifts, through the power of His command. Indeed His grace encompasseth all, and He is the All-Knowing.
Say: God sufficeth unto me; He is the One Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of all things. Through the power of His hosts of heaven and earth and whatever lieth between them, He protecteth whomsoever among His servants He willeth. God, in truth, keepeth watch over all things.
Immeasurably exalted art Thou, O Lord! Protect us from what lieth in front of us and behind us, above our heads, on our right, on our left, below our feet and every other side to which we are exposed. Verily, Thy protection over all things is unfailing.
- The Bab
(Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 132)
-jeff
O people of the earth! The first Glad-Tidings which the Mother Book hath, in this Most Great Revelation, imparted unto all the peoples of the world is that the law of holy war hath been blotted out from the Book. Glorified be the All-Merciful, the Lord of grace abounding, through Whom the door of heavenly bounty hath been flung open in the face of all that are in heaven and on earth.
The second Glad-Tidings It is permitted that the peoples and kindreds of the world associate with one another with joy and radiance. O people! Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. Thus hath the day-star of His sanction and authority shone forth above the horizon of the decree of God, the Lord of the worlds.
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 21-22)
It now appears that the cause of the explosion in the Mosque was related to the storing of munitions there. Still, I'm concerned for the believers in the cradle of the faith, imagine living in a place where where innocent children are indoctrinated to hate you. Reminds me of Nazi Germany, but then the Iranian government has been denying the Holocaust too. I guess those who don't remember their history are doomed to repeat it. Here's a prayer for protection:
In the Name of God, the Lord of overpowering majesty, and All-Compelling.
Hallowed be the Lord in Whose hand is the source of dominion. He createth whatsoever He willeth by His Word of command "Be," and it is. His hath been the power of authority heretofore, and it shall remain His hereafter. He maketh victorious whomsoever He pleaseth, through the potency of His behest. He is in truth the Powerful, the Almighty. Unto Him pertaineth all glory and majesty in the kingdoms of Revelation and Creation and whatever lieth between them. Verily, He is the Potent, the All-Glorious. From everlasting He hath been the Source of indomitable strength and shall remain so unto everlasting. He is indeed the Lord of might and power. All the kingdoms of heaven and earth and whatever is between them are God's, and His power is supreme over all things. All the treasures of earth and heaven and everything between them are His, and His protection extendeth over all things. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and whatever lieth between them, and He truly is a witness over all things. He is the Lord of Reckoning for all that dwell in the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. Verily, He is the Supreme Protector. He holdeth in His grasp the keys of heaven and earth and of everything between them. At His Own pleasure doth He bestow gifts, through the power of His command. Indeed His grace encompasseth all, and He is the All-Knowing.
Say: God sufficeth unto me; He is the One Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of all things. Through the power of His hosts of heaven and earth and whatever lieth between them, He protecteth whomsoever among His servants He willeth. God, in truth, keepeth watch over all things.
Immeasurably exalted art Thou, O Lord! Protect us from what lieth in front of us and behind us, above our heads, on our right, on our left, below our feet and every other side to which we are exposed. Verily, Thy protection over all things is unfailing.
- The Bab
(Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 132)
-jeff
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Back-burner mind-stew, or You got peanut butter in my chocolate
The kids in the level 2 class said they would like to plan a fireside -probably about angels as that was how we got there. It sounded great but -to myself, I was thinking when, where, and to whom.
Then at feast (the following night) there was a newsreel which included presenting the faith to the families of children in Baha'i classes in Savannah Georgia.
So I woke up this morning with the idea of the kids planning a fireside that we take to their families. The kids will basically put it on, we'll just help out as they need it.
I sent this to a couple of people on the school committee. We'll see what sticks to the wall, and maybe get some ideas how to pull it off.
Then at feast (the following night) there was a newsreel which included presenting the faith to the families of children in Baha'i classes in Savannah Georgia.
So I woke up this morning with the idea of the kids planning a fireside that we take to their families. The kids will basically put it on, we'll just help out as they need it.
I sent this to a couple of people on the school committee. We'll see what sticks to the wall, and maybe get some ideas how to pull it off.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Ridvan readers needed
Important aspects of the preparation of the Feast include the proper selection of readings, the assignment, in advance, of good readers...
(The Universal House of Justice, A Wider Horizon, Selected Letters 1983-1992, p. 69)
I think just about anyone would be a great reader if they received the selection they were to read ahead of time. It's just a courtesy thing to the reader and the other participants. I think what makes you a good reader is your heart. Balal was the first to chant the Adhan -the Muslim call to prayer, in spite of his being unable to make an "Sh" sound but instead said "S". The Blessed Beauty wrote:
The acts of his honor, Balal, the Ethiopian, were so acceptable in the sight of God that the "sin" of his stuttering tongue excelled the "shin" pronounced by all the world.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 76)
Here's the readings for the First Day of Ridvan, I'm honored to be able to host this year. There are both longer and shorter passages. The M and F are for male and female voices. Note all the underlining (especially the numbered lines) and fonts used on the hard copy that'll be there on the Holy Day weren't supported here so the formats a little different. Let me know if you'd like to read, and if you'd prefer a hard copy that looks like the one we'll use. The Holy Day is celebrated on April 21st, 2008 at 3:oo p.m.-jeff
1 F: A letter from 'Abdu'l-Bahá
Thou didst wish to celebrate the Day of Ridvan with a feast, and to have those present on that day engage in reciting Tablets with delight and joy, and thou didst request me to send thee a letter to be read on that day. My letter is this:
O ye beloved, and ye handmaids of the Merciful! This is the day when the Day-Star of Truth rose over the horizon of life, and its glory spread, and its brightness shone out with such power that it clove the dense and high-piled clouds and mounted the skies of the world in all its splendour. Hence do ye witness a new stirring throughout all created things.
See how, in this day, the scope of sciences and arts hath widened out, and what wondrous technical advances have been made, and to what a high degree the mind's powers have increased, and what stupendous inventions have appeared.
This age is indeed as a hundred other ages: should ye gather the yield of a hundred ages, and set that against the accumulated product of our times, the yield of this one era will prove greater than that of a hundred gone before. Take ye, for an example, the sum total of all the books that were ever written in ages past, and compare that with the books and treatises that our era hath produced: these books, written in our day alone, far and away exceed the total number of volumes that have been written down the ages. See how powerful is the influence exerted by the Day-Star of the world upon the inner essence of all created things!
But alas, a thousand times alas! The eyes see it not, the ears are deaf, and the hearts and minds are oblivious of this supreme bestowal. Strive ye then, with all your hearts and souls, to awaken those who slumber, to cause the blind to see, and the dead to rise.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 111)
2 M: From "God Passes By" by Shogi Effendi
By the following day the Deputy-Governor had delivered to Bahá'u'lláh in a mosque, in the neighborhood of the governor's house, Ali Pasha's letter, addressed to Namiq Pasha, couched in courteous language, inviting Bahá'u'lláh to proceed, as a guest of the Ottoman government, to Constantinople, placing a sum of money at His disposal, and ordering a mounted escort to accompany Him for His protection. To this request Bahá'u'lláh gave His ready assent, but declined to accept the sum offered Him. On the urgent representations of the Deputy that such a refusal would offend the authorities, He reluctantly consented to receive the generous allowance set aside for His use, and distributed it, that same day, among the poor.
The effect upon the colony of exiles of this sudden intelligence was instantaneous and overwhelming. "That day," wrote an eyewitness, describing the reaction of the community to the news of Bahá'u'lláh's approaching departure, "witnessed a commotion associated with the turmoil of the Day of Resurrection. Methinks, the very gates and walls of the city wept aloud at their imminent separation from the Abha Beloved. The first night mention was made of His intended departure His loved ones, one and all, renounced both sleep and food.... Not a soul amongst them could be tranquillized. Many had resolved that in the event of their being deprived of the bounty of accompanying Him, they would, without hesitation, kill themselves.... Gradually, however, through the words which He addressed them, and through His exhortations and His loving-kindness, they were calmed and resigned themselves to His good-pleasure." For every one of them, whether Arab or Persian, man or woman, child or adult, who lived in Baghdad, He revealed during those days, in His own hand, a separate Tablet...
on a Wednesday afternoon, thirty-one days after Naw-Ruz... He set forth on the first stage of His four months' journey to the capital of the Ottoman Empire. That historic day, forever after designated as the first day of the Ridvan Festival, the culmination of innumerable farewell visits which friends and acquaintances of every class and denomination, had been paying him, was one the like of which the inhabitants of Baghdad had rarely beheld. A concourse of people of both sexes and of every age, comprising friends and strangers Arabs, Kurds and Persians, notables and clerics, officials and merchants, as well as many of the lower classes, the poor, the orphaned, the outcast, some surprised, others heartbroken, many tearful and apprehensive, a few impelled by curiosity or secret satisfaction, thronged the approaches of His house, eager to catch a final glimpse of One Who, for a decade, had, through precept and example, exercised so potent an influence on so large a number of the heterogeneous inhabitants of their city.
Leaving for the last time, amidst weeping and lamentation, His "Most Holy Habitation," out of which had "gone forth the breath of the All-Glorious," and from which had poured forth, in "ceaseless strains," the "melody of the All-Merciful," and dispensing on His way with a lavish hand a last alms to the poor He had so faithfully befriended, and uttering words of comfort to the disconsolate who besought Him on every side, He, at length, reached the banks of the river, and was ferried across, accompanied by His sons and amanuensis, to the Najibiyyih Garden, situated on the opposite shore. "O My companions," He thus addressed the faithful band that surrounded Him before He embarked, "I entrust to your keeping this city of Baghdad, in the state ye now behold it, when from the eyes of friends and strangers alike, crowding its housetops, its streets and markets, tears like the rain of spring are flowing down, and I depart. With you it now rests to watch lest your deeds and conduct dim the flame of love that gloweth within the breasts of its inhabitants."
(pause- short interlude)
The muezzin had just raised the afternoon call to prayer when Bahá'u'lláh entered the Najibiyyih Garden, where He tarried twelve days before His final departure from the city. There His friends and companions, arriving in successive waves, attained His presence and bade Him, with feelings of profound sorrow, their last farewell.
(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 147)
3 F: Between the Blessed Beauty and the Pen of His Revelation
The Divine Springtime is come, O Most Exalted Pen, for the Festival of the All-Merciful is fast approaching. Bestir thyself, and magnify, before the entire creation, the name of God, and celebrate His praise, in such wise that all created things may be regenerated and made new. Speak, and hold not thy peace. The day star of blissfulness shineth above the horizon of Our name, the Blissful, inasmuch as the kingdom of the name of God hath been adorned with the ornament of the name of thy Lord, the Creator of the heavens. Arise before the nations of the earth, and arm thyself with the power of this Most Great Name, and be not of those who tarry.
Methinks that thou hast halted and movest not upon My Tablet. Could the brightness of the Divine Countenance have bewildered thee, or the idle talk of the froward filled thee with grief and paralyzed thy movement? Take heed lest anything deter thee from extolling the greatness of this Day -- the Day whereon the Finger of majesty and power hath opened the seal of the Wine of Reunion, and called all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. Preferrest thou to tarry when the breeze announcing the Day of God hath already breathed over thee, or art thou of them that are shut out as by a veil from Him?
4 M: No veil whatever have I allowed, O Lord of all names and Creator of the heavens, to shut me from the recognition of the glories of Thy Day -- the Day which is the lamp of guidance unto the whole world, and the sign of the Ancient of Days unto all them that dwell therein. My silence is by reason of the veils that have blinded Thy creatures' eyes to Thee, and my muteness is because of the impediments that have hindered Thy people from recognizing Thy truth. Thou knowest what is in me, but I know not what is in Thee. Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. By Thy name that excelleth all other names! If Thy overruling and all-compelling behest should ever reach me, it would empower me to revive the souls of all men, through Thy most exalted Word, which I have heard uttered by Thy Tongue of power in Thy Kingdom of glory. It would enable me to announce the revelation of Thy effulgent countenance where through that which lay hidden from the eyes of men hath been manifested in Thy name, the Perspicuous, the sovereign Protector, the Self-Subsisting.
5 F: Canst thou discover any one but Me, O Pen, in this Day? What hath become of the creation and the manifestations thereof? What of the names and their kingdom? Whither are gone all created things, whether seen or unseen? What of the hidden secrets of the universe and its revelations? Lo, the entire creation hath passed away! Nothing remaineth except My Face, the Ever-Abiding, the Resplendent, the All-Glorious.
This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendors of the Light that shineth from the face of Thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Bountiful. Verily, We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being a new creation, as a token of Our grace unto men. I am, verily, the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.
6 F: This is the Day whereon the unseen world crieth out: "Great is thy blessedness, O earth, for thou hast been made the foot-stool of thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His mighty throne." The realm of glory exclaimeth: "Would that my life could be sacrificed for thee, for He Who is the Beloved of the All-Merciful hath established His sovereignty upon thee, through the power of His Name that hath been promised unto all things, whether of the past or of the future." This is the Day whereon every sweet smelling thing hath derived its fragrance from the smell of My garment -- a garment that hath shed its perfume upon the whole of creation. This is the Day whereon the rushing waters of everlasting life have gushed out of the Will of the All-Merciful. Haste ye, with your hearts and souls, and quaff your fill, O Concourse of the realms above!
7 F: Say: He it is Who is the Manifestation of Him Who is the Unknowable, the Invisible of the Invisibles, could ye but perceive it. He it is Who hath laid bare before you the hidden and treasured Gem, were ye to seek it. He it is Who is the one Beloved of all things, whether of the past or of the future. Would that ye might set your hearts and hopes upon Him!
8 F: We have heard the voice of thy pleading, O Pen, and excuse thy silence. What is it that hath so sorely bewildered thee?
9 M: The inebriation of Thy presence, O Well-Beloved of all worlds, hath seized and possessed me.
10 F: Arise, and proclaim unto the entire creation the tidings that He Who is the All-Merciful hath directed His steps towards the Ridvan and entered it. Guide, then, the people unto the garden of delight which God hath made the Throne of His Paradise. We have chosen thee to be our most mighty Trumpet, whose blast is to signalize the resurrection of all mankind.
11 F: Say: This is the Paradise on whose foliage the wine of utterance hath imprinted the testimony: "He that was hidden from the eyes of men is revealed, girded with sovereignty and power!" This is the Paradise, the rustling of whose leaves proclaims: "O ye that inhabit the heavens and the earth! There hath appeared what hath never previously appeared. He Who, from everlasting, had concealed His Face from the sight of creation is now come." From the whispering breeze that wafteth amidst its branches there cometh the cry: "He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is made manifest. The Kingdom is God's," while from its streaming waters can be heard the murmur: "All eyes are gladdened, for He Whom none hath beheld, Whose secret no one hath discovered, hath lifted the veil of glory, and uncovered the countenance of Beauty."
12 F: Within this Paradise, and from the heights of its loftiest chambers, the Maids of Heaven have cried out and shouted: "Rejoice, ye dwellers of the realms above, for the fingers of Him Who is the Ancient of Days are ringing, in the name of the All-Glorious, the Most Great Bell, in the midmost heart of the heavens. The hands of bounty have borne round the cup of everlasting life. Approach, and quaff your fill. Drink with healthy relish, O ye that are the very incarnations of longing, ye who are the embodiments of vehement desire!"
This is the Day whereon He Who is the Revealer of the names of God hath stepped out of the Tabernacle of glory, and proclaimed unto all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth: "Put away the cups of Paradise and all the life-giving waters they contain, for lo, the people of Baha have entered the blissful abode of the Divine Presence, and quaffed the wine of reunion, from the chalice of the beauty of their Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most High."
13 F: Forget the world of creation, O Pen, and turn thou towards the face of thy Lord, the Lord of all names. Adorn, then, the world with the ornament of the favors of thy Lord, the King of everlasting days. For We perceive the fragrance of the Day whereon He Who is the Desire of all nations hath shed upon the kingdoms of the unseen and of the seen the splendor of the light of His most excellent names, and enveloped them with the radiance of the luminaries of His most gracious favors -- favors which none can reckon except Him, Who is the omnipotent Protector of the entire creation.
Look not upon the creatures of God except with the eye of kindliness and of mercy, for Our loving providence hath pervaded all created things, and Our grace encompassed the earth and the heavens. This is the Day whereon the true servants of God partake of the life-giving waters of reunion, the Day whereon those that are nigh unto Him are able to drink of the soft-flowing river of immortality, and they who believe in His unity, the wine of His Presence, through their recognition of Him Who is the Highest and Last End of all, in Whom the Tongue of Majesty and Glory voiceth the call: "The Kingdom is Mine. I, Myself, am, of Mine own right, its Ruler."
14 F: Attract the hearts of men, through the call of Him, the one alone Beloved. Say: This is the Voice of God, if ye do but hearken. This is the Day Spring of the Revelation of God, did ye but know it. This is the Dawning-Place of the Cause of God, were ye to recognize it. This is the Source of the commandment of God, did ye but judge it fairly. This is the manifest and hidden Secret; would that ye might perceive it. O peoples of the world! Cast away, in My name that transcendeth all other names, the things ye possess, and immerse yourselves in this Ocean in whose depths lay hidden the pearls of wisdom and of utterance, an ocean that surgeth in My name, the All-Merciful. Thus instructeth you He with Whom is the Mother Book.
15 M: The Best-Beloved is come. In His right hand is the sealed Wine of His name. Happy is the man that turneth unto Him, and drinketh his fill, and exclaimeth: "Praise be to Thee, O Revealer of the signs of God!" By the righteousness of the Almighty! Every hidden thing hath been manifested through the power of truth. All the favors of God have been sent down, as a token of His grace. The waters of everlasting life have, in their fullness, been proffered unto men. Every single cup hath been borne round by the hand of the Well-Beloved. Draw near, and tarry not, though it be for one short moment.
16 M: Blessed are they that have soared on the wings of detachment and attained the station which, as ordained by God, overshadoweth the entire creation, whom neither the vain imaginations of the learned, nor the multitude of the hosts of the earth have succeeded in deflecting from His Cause. Who is there among you, O people, who will renounce the world, and draw nigh unto God, the Lord of all names? Where is he to be found who, through the power of My name that transcendeth all created things, will cast away the things that men possess, and cling, with all his might, to the things which God, the Knower of the unseen and of the seen, hath bidden him observe? Thus hath His bounty been sent down unto men, His testimony fulfilled, and His proof shone forth above the Horizon of mercy. Rich is the prize that shall be won by him who hath believed and exclaimed: "Lauded art Thou, O Beloved of all worlds! Magnified be Thy name, O Thou the Desire of every understanding heart!"
17 M: Rejoice with exceeding gladness, O people of Baha, as ye call to remembrance the Day of supreme felicity, the Day whereon the Tongue of the Ancient of Days hath spoken, as He departed from His House, proceeding to the Spot from which He shed upon the whole of creation the splendors of His name, the All-Merciful. God is Our witness. Were We to reveal the hidden secrets of that Day, all they that dwell on earth and in the heavens would swoon away and die, except such as will be preserved by God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
18 F: Such is the inebriating effect of the words of God upon Him Who is the Revealer of His undoubted proofs, that His Pen can move no longer. With these words He concludeth His Tablet: "No God is there but Me, the Most Exalted, the Most Powerful, the Most Excellent, the All-Knowing."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 27)
19 M: From the "Tablet of Patience" revealed by Bahá'u'lláh on the First Day of Ridván 1863
God hath sent down His Messengers to succeed to Moses and Jesus, and He will continue to do so till 'the end that hath no end'; so that His grace may, from the heaven of Divine bounty, be continually vouchsafed to mankind.
( Quoted by Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 116)
20 F: And from Bahá'u'lláh's "Epistle to Míhrabán"
Say, O friends! choose not to stay afar from the ocean of God’s forgiveness, for lo! He is so nigh unto you. He who was hidden from sight is come and now appears in all His glory. In one hand, He bears the water of life, in the other He brings the message of true liberty. Lay down and hold fast: lay down all that pertains to this earth, hold fast unto that which His generous hand doth bestow. He, the like of whom the eyes of the world have not seen, is now come. O friends! hasten, hasten unto Him; hearken, hearken to His call.
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Epistle to Míhrabán [Bahá'í World vol.II, p.57])
(The Universal House of Justice, A Wider Horizon, Selected Letters 1983-1992, p. 69)
I think just about anyone would be a great reader if they received the selection they were to read ahead of time. It's just a courtesy thing to the reader and the other participants. I think what makes you a good reader is your heart. Balal was the first to chant the Adhan -the Muslim call to prayer, in spite of his being unable to make an "Sh" sound but instead said "S". The Blessed Beauty wrote:
The acts of his honor, Balal, the Ethiopian, were so acceptable in the sight of God that the "sin" of his stuttering tongue excelled the "shin" pronounced by all the world.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 76)
Here's the readings for the First Day of Ridvan, I'm honored to be able to host this year. There are both longer and shorter passages. The M and F are for male and female voices. Note all the underlining (especially the numbered lines) and fonts used on the hard copy that'll be there on the Holy Day weren't supported here so the formats a little different. Let me know if you'd like to read, and if you'd prefer a hard copy that looks like the one we'll use. The Holy Day is celebrated on April 21st, 2008 at 3:oo p.m.-jeff
1 F: A letter from 'Abdu'l-Bahá
Thou didst wish to celebrate the Day of Ridvan with a feast, and to have those present on that day engage in reciting Tablets with delight and joy, and thou didst request me to send thee a letter to be read on that day. My letter is this:
O ye beloved, and ye handmaids of the Merciful! This is the day when the Day-Star of Truth rose over the horizon of life, and its glory spread, and its brightness shone out with such power that it clove the dense and high-piled clouds and mounted the skies of the world in all its splendour. Hence do ye witness a new stirring throughout all created things.
See how, in this day, the scope of sciences and arts hath widened out, and what wondrous technical advances have been made, and to what a high degree the mind's powers have increased, and what stupendous inventions have appeared.
This age is indeed as a hundred other ages: should ye gather the yield of a hundred ages, and set that against the accumulated product of our times, the yield of this one era will prove greater than that of a hundred gone before. Take ye, for an example, the sum total of all the books that were ever written in ages past, and compare that with the books and treatises that our era hath produced: these books, written in our day alone, far and away exceed the total number of volumes that have been written down the ages. See how powerful is the influence exerted by the Day-Star of the world upon the inner essence of all created things!
But alas, a thousand times alas! The eyes see it not, the ears are deaf, and the hearts and minds are oblivious of this supreme bestowal. Strive ye then, with all your hearts and souls, to awaken those who slumber, to cause the blind to see, and the dead to rise.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 111)
2 M: From "God Passes By" by Shogi Effendi
By the following day the Deputy-Governor had delivered to Bahá'u'lláh in a mosque, in the neighborhood of the governor's house, Ali Pasha's letter, addressed to Namiq Pasha, couched in courteous language, inviting Bahá'u'lláh to proceed, as a guest of the Ottoman government, to Constantinople, placing a sum of money at His disposal, and ordering a mounted escort to accompany Him for His protection. To this request Bahá'u'lláh gave His ready assent, but declined to accept the sum offered Him. On the urgent representations of the Deputy that such a refusal would offend the authorities, He reluctantly consented to receive the generous allowance set aside for His use, and distributed it, that same day, among the poor.
The effect upon the colony of exiles of this sudden intelligence was instantaneous and overwhelming. "That day," wrote an eyewitness, describing the reaction of the community to the news of Bahá'u'lláh's approaching departure, "witnessed a commotion associated with the turmoil of the Day of Resurrection. Methinks, the very gates and walls of the city wept aloud at their imminent separation from the Abha Beloved. The first night mention was made of His intended departure His loved ones, one and all, renounced both sleep and food.... Not a soul amongst them could be tranquillized. Many had resolved that in the event of their being deprived of the bounty of accompanying Him, they would, without hesitation, kill themselves.... Gradually, however, through the words which He addressed them, and through His exhortations and His loving-kindness, they were calmed and resigned themselves to His good-pleasure." For every one of them, whether Arab or Persian, man or woman, child or adult, who lived in Baghdad, He revealed during those days, in His own hand, a separate Tablet...
on a Wednesday afternoon, thirty-one days after Naw-Ruz... He set forth on the first stage of His four months' journey to the capital of the Ottoman Empire. That historic day, forever after designated as the first day of the Ridvan Festival, the culmination of innumerable farewell visits which friends and acquaintances of every class and denomination, had been paying him, was one the like of which the inhabitants of Baghdad had rarely beheld. A concourse of people of both sexes and of every age, comprising friends and strangers Arabs, Kurds and Persians, notables and clerics, officials and merchants, as well as many of the lower classes, the poor, the orphaned, the outcast, some surprised, others heartbroken, many tearful and apprehensive, a few impelled by curiosity or secret satisfaction, thronged the approaches of His house, eager to catch a final glimpse of One Who, for a decade, had, through precept and example, exercised so potent an influence on so large a number of the heterogeneous inhabitants of their city.
Leaving for the last time, amidst weeping and lamentation, His "Most Holy Habitation," out of which had "gone forth the breath of the All-Glorious," and from which had poured forth, in "ceaseless strains," the "melody of the All-Merciful," and dispensing on His way with a lavish hand a last alms to the poor He had so faithfully befriended, and uttering words of comfort to the disconsolate who besought Him on every side, He, at length, reached the banks of the river, and was ferried across, accompanied by His sons and amanuensis, to the Najibiyyih Garden, situated on the opposite shore. "O My companions," He thus addressed the faithful band that surrounded Him before He embarked, "I entrust to your keeping this city of Baghdad, in the state ye now behold it, when from the eyes of friends and strangers alike, crowding its housetops, its streets and markets, tears like the rain of spring are flowing down, and I depart. With you it now rests to watch lest your deeds and conduct dim the flame of love that gloweth within the breasts of its inhabitants."
(pause- short interlude)
The muezzin had just raised the afternoon call to prayer when Bahá'u'lláh entered the Najibiyyih Garden, where He tarried twelve days before His final departure from the city. There His friends and companions, arriving in successive waves, attained His presence and bade Him, with feelings of profound sorrow, their last farewell.
(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 147)
3 F: Between the Blessed Beauty and the Pen of His Revelation
The Divine Springtime is come, O Most Exalted Pen, for the Festival of the All-Merciful is fast approaching. Bestir thyself, and magnify, before the entire creation, the name of God, and celebrate His praise, in such wise that all created things may be regenerated and made new. Speak, and hold not thy peace. The day star of blissfulness shineth above the horizon of Our name, the Blissful, inasmuch as the kingdom of the name of God hath been adorned with the ornament of the name of thy Lord, the Creator of the heavens. Arise before the nations of the earth, and arm thyself with the power of this Most Great Name, and be not of those who tarry.
Methinks that thou hast halted and movest not upon My Tablet. Could the brightness of the Divine Countenance have bewildered thee, or the idle talk of the froward filled thee with grief and paralyzed thy movement? Take heed lest anything deter thee from extolling the greatness of this Day -- the Day whereon the Finger of majesty and power hath opened the seal of the Wine of Reunion, and called all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. Preferrest thou to tarry when the breeze announcing the Day of God hath already breathed over thee, or art thou of them that are shut out as by a veil from Him?
4 M: No veil whatever have I allowed, O Lord of all names and Creator of the heavens, to shut me from the recognition of the glories of Thy Day -- the Day which is the lamp of guidance unto the whole world, and the sign of the Ancient of Days unto all them that dwell therein. My silence is by reason of the veils that have blinded Thy creatures' eyes to Thee, and my muteness is because of the impediments that have hindered Thy people from recognizing Thy truth. Thou knowest what is in me, but I know not what is in Thee. Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. By Thy name that excelleth all other names! If Thy overruling and all-compelling behest should ever reach me, it would empower me to revive the souls of all men, through Thy most exalted Word, which I have heard uttered by Thy Tongue of power in Thy Kingdom of glory. It would enable me to announce the revelation of Thy effulgent countenance where through that which lay hidden from the eyes of men hath been manifested in Thy name, the Perspicuous, the sovereign Protector, the Self-Subsisting.
5 F: Canst thou discover any one but Me, O Pen, in this Day? What hath become of the creation and the manifestations thereof? What of the names and their kingdom? Whither are gone all created things, whether seen or unseen? What of the hidden secrets of the universe and its revelations? Lo, the entire creation hath passed away! Nothing remaineth except My Face, the Ever-Abiding, the Resplendent, the All-Glorious.
This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendors of the Light that shineth from the face of Thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Bountiful. Verily, We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being a new creation, as a token of Our grace unto men. I am, verily, the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.
6 F: This is the Day whereon the unseen world crieth out: "Great is thy blessedness, O earth, for thou hast been made the foot-stool of thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His mighty throne." The realm of glory exclaimeth: "Would that my life could be sacrificed for thee, for He Who is the Beloved of the All-Merciful hath established His sovereignty upon thee, through the power of His Name that hath been promised unto all things, whether of the past or of the future." This is the Day whereon every sweet smelling thing hath derived its fragrance from the smell of My garment -- a garment that hath shed its perfume upon the whole of creation. This is the Day whereon the rushing waters of everlasting life have gushed out of the Will of the All-Merciful. Haste ye, with your hearts and souls, and quaff your fill, O Concourse of the realms above!
7 F: Say: He it is Who is the Manifestation of Him Who is the Unknowable, the Invisible of the Invisibles, could ye but perceive it. He it is Who hath laid bare before you the hidden and treasured Gem, were ye to seek it. He it is Who is the one Beloved of all things, whether of the past or of the future. Would that ye might set your hearts and hopes upon Him!
8 F: We have heard the voice of thy pleading, O Pen, and excuse thy silence. What is it that hath so sorely bewildered thee?
9 M: The inebriation of Thy presence, O Well-Beloved of all worlds, hath seized and possessed me.
10 F: Arise, and proclaim unto the entire creation the tidings that He Who is the All-Merciful hath directed His steps towards the Ridvan and entered it. Guide, then, the people unto the garden of delight which God hath made the Throne of His Paradise. We have chosen thee to be our most mighty Trumpet, whose blast is to signalize the resurrection of all mankind.
11 F: Say: This is the Paradise on whose foliage the wine of utterance hath imprinted the testimony: "He that was hidden from the eyes of men is revealed, girded with sovereignty and power!" This is the Paradise, the rustling of whose leaves proclaims: "O ye that inhabit the heavens and the earth! There hath appeared what hath never previously appeared. He Who, from everlasting, had concealed His Face from the sight of creation is now come." From the whispering breeze that wafteth amidst its branches there cometh the cry: "He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is made manifest. The Kingdom is God's," while from its streaming waters can be heard the murmur: "All eyes are gladdened, for He Whom none hath beheld, Whose secret no one hath discovered, hath lifted the veil of glory, and uncovered the countenance of Beauty."
12 F: Within this Paradise, and from the heights of its loftiest chambers, the Maids of Heaven have cried out and shouted: "Rejoice, ye dwellers of the realms above, for the fingers of Him Who is the Ancient of Days are ringing, in the name of the All-Glorious, the Most Great Bell, in the midmost heart of the heavens. The hands of bounty have borne round the cup of everlasting life. Approach, and quaff your fill. Drink with healthy relish, O ye that are the very incarnations of longing, ye who are the embodiments of vehement desire!"
This is the Day whereon He Who is the Revealer of the names of God hath stepped out of the Tabernacle of glory, and proclaimed unto all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth: "Put away the cups of Paradise and all the life-giving waters they contain, for lo, the people of Baha have entered the blissful abode of the Divine Presence, and quaffed the wine of reunion, from the chalice of the beauty of their Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most High."
13 F: Forget the world of creation, O Pen, and turn thou towards the face of thy Lord, the Lord of all names. Adorn, then, the world with the ornament of the favors of thy Lord, the King of everlasting days. For We perceive the fragrance of the Day whereon He Who is the Desire of all nations hath shed upon the kingdoms of the unseen and of the seen the splendor of the light of His most excellent names, and enveloped them with the radiance of the luminaries of His most gracious favors -- favors which none can reckon except Him, Who is the omnipotent Protector of the entire creation.
Look not upon the creatures of God except with the eye of kindliness and of mercy, for Our loving providence hath pervaded all created things, and Our grace encompassed the earth and the heavens. This is the Day whereon the true servants of God partake of the life-giving waters of reunion, the Day whereon those that are nigh unto Him are able to drink of the soft-flowing river of immortality, and they who believe in His unity, the wine of His Presence, through their recognition of Him Who is the Highest and Last End of all, in Whom the Tongue of Majesty and Glory voiceth the call: "The Kingdom is Mine. I, Myself, am, of Mine own right, its Ruler."
14 F: Attract the hearts of men, through the call of Him, the one alone Beloved. Say: This is the Voice of God, if ye do but hearken. This is the Day Spring of the Revelation of God, did ye but know it. This is the Dawning-Place of the Cause of God, were ye to recognize it. This is the Source of the commandment of God, did ye but judge it fairly. This is the manifest and hidden Secret; would that ye might perceive it. O peoples of the world! Cast away, in My name that transcendeth all other names, the things ye possess, and immerse yourselves in this Ocean in whose depths lay hidden the pearls of wisdom and of utterance, an ocean that surgeth in My name, the All-Merciful. Thus instructeth you He with Whom is the Mother Book.
15 M: The Best-Beloved is come. In His right hand is the sealed Wine of His name. Happy is the man that turneth unto Him, and drinketh his fill, and exclaimeth: "Praise be to Thee, O Revealer of the signs of God!" By the righteousness of the Almighty! Every hidden thing hath been manifested through the power of truth. All the favors of God have been sent down, as a token of His grace. The waters of everlasting life have, in their fullness, been proffered unto men. Every single cup hath been borne round by the hand of the Well-Beloved. Draw near, and tarry not, though it be for one short moment.
16 M: Blessed are they that have soared on the wings of detachment and attained the station which, as ordained by God, overshadoweth the entire creation, whom neither the vain imaginations of the learned, nor the multitude of the hosts of the earth have succeeded in deflecting from His Cause. Who is there among you, O people, who will renounce the world, and draw nigh unto God, the Lord of all names? Where is he to be found who, through the power of My name that transcendeth all created things, will cast away the things that men possess, and cling, with all his might, to the things which God, the Knower of the unseen and of the seen, hath bidden him observe? Thus hath His bounty been sent down unto men, His testimony fulfilled, and His proof shone forth above the Horizon of mercy. Rich is the prize that shall be won by him who hath believed and exclaimed: "Lauded art Thou, O Beloved of all worlds! Magnified be Thy name, O Thou the Desire of every understanding heart!"
17 M: Rejoice with exceeding gladness, O people of Baha, as ye call to remembrance the Day of supreme felicity, the Day whereon the Tongue of the Ancient of Days hath spoken, as He departed from His House, proceeding to the Spot from which He shed upon the whole of creation the splendors of His name, the All-Merciful. God is Our witness. Were We to reveal the hidden secrets of that Day, all they that dwell on earth and in the heavens would swoon away and die, except such as will be preserved by God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
18 F: Such is the inebriating effect of the words of God upon Him Who is the Revealer of His undoubted proofs, that His Pen can move no longer. With these words He concludeth His Tablet: "No God is there but Me, the Most Exalted, the Most Powerful, the Most Excellent, the All-Knowing."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 27)
19 M: From the "Tablet of Patience" revealed by Bahá'u'lláh on the First Day of Ridván 1863
God hath sent down His Messengers to succeed to Moses and Jesus, and He will continue to do so till 'the end that hath no end'; so that His grace may, from the heaven of Divine bounty, be continually vouchsafed to mankind.
( Quoted by Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 116)
20 F: And from Bahá'u'lláh's "Epistle to Míhrabán"
Say, O friends! choose not to stay afar from the ocean of God’s forgiveness, for lo! He is so nigh unto you. He who was hidden from sight is come and now appears in all His glory. In one hand, He bears the water of life, in the other He brings the message of true liberty. Lay down and hold fast: lay down all that pertains to this earth, hold fast unto that which His generous hand doth bestow. He, the like of whom the eyes of the world have not seen, is now come. O friends! hasten, hasten unto Him; hearken, hearken to His call.
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Epistle to Míhrabán [Bahá'í World vol.II, p.57])
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