merciful! We are the servants of Thy threshold and
are gathered beneath the sheltering shadow of Thy
divine unity. The sun of Thy mercy is shining upon
all, and the clouds of Thy bounty shower upon all.
Thy gifts encompass all, Thy loving providence
sustains all, Thy protection overshadows all, and the
glances of Thy favor are cast upon all. O Lord!
Grant Thine infinite bestowals, and let the light of
Thy guidance shine. Illumine the eyes, gladden the
hearts with abiding joy. Confer a new spirit upon all
people and bestow upon them eternal life. Unlock the
gates of true understanding and let the light of faith
shine resplendent. Gather all people beneath the
shadow of Thy bounty and cause them to unite in
harmony, so that they may become as the rays of one
sun, as the waves of one ocean, and as the fruit of
one tree. May they drink from the same fountain.
May they be refreshed by the same breeze. May they
receive illumination from the same source of light.
Thou art the Giver, the Merciful, the Omnipotent.
-'Abdu'l-Baha
Jan 16-22, 2005
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 and 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 Who 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-Baha
Jan 22-29, 2005
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In accordance with the Divine Teachings,
the aquisition of sciences and the perfection of the arts is considered as acts of worship. If a man engages with all his power in the aquisition of a science or in the perfection of an art, it is as if he has been worshipping God in the churches and temples.
-'Abdu'l-Baha
Jan 29-Feb. 5, 2005
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It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.
-Bahá 'u' lláh
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Prayer for Mankind
O Thou kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity
from the same stock. Thou hast decreed that all shall
belong to the same household. In Thy Holy Presence
they are all Thy servants, and all mankind are
sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered
together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined
through the light of Thy Providence.
O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided
for all, dost shelter all, conferrest life upon all.
Thou hast endowed each and all with talents and
faculties, and all are submerged in the Ocean of Thy
Mercy.
O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions
agree and make the nations one, so that they may see
each other as one family and the whole earth as one
home. May they all live together in perfect harmony.
O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of
mankind.
O God! Establish the Most Great Peace. Cement
Thou, O God, the hearts together. O Thou kind Father, God! Gladden our hearts through the fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word, and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence. Thou art the Mighty and Powerful, Thou art the Forgiving and Thou art the One Who overlooketh the shortcomings of all mankind.
-'Abdu'l-Bahá
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Feb. 6-12, 2005
The Fire Tablet
In the Name of God, the Most Ancient, the Most Great.
Indeed the hearts of the sincere are consumed in the fire of separation: Where is the gleaming of the light of Thy Countenance, O Beloved of the worlds?
Those who are near unto Thee have been abandoned in the darkness of desolation: Where is the shining of the morn of Thy reunion, O Desire of the worlds?
The bodies of Thy chosen ones lie quivering on distant sands: Where is the ocean of Thy presence, O Enchanter of the worlds?
Longing hands are uplifted to the heaven of Thy grace and generosity: Where are the rains of Thy bestowal, O Answerer of the worlds?
The infidels have arisen in tyranny on every hand: Where is the compelling power of Thine ordaining pen, O Conqueror of the worlds?
The barking of dogs is loud on every side: Where is the lion of the forest of Thy might, O Chastiser of the worlds?
Coldness hath gripped all mankind: Where is the warmth of Thy love, O Fire of the worlds?
Calamity hath reached its height: Where are the signs of Thy succor, O Salvation of the worlds?
Darkness hath enveloped most of the peoples: Where is the brightness of Thy splendor, O Radiance of the worlds?
The necks of men are stretched out in malice: Where are the swords of Thy vengeance, O Destroyer of the worlds?
Abasement hath reached its lowest depth: Where are the emblems of Thy glory, O Glory of the worlds?
Sorrows have afflicted the Revealer of Thy Name, the All-Merciful: Where is the joy of the Dayspring of Thy Revelation, O Delight of the worlds?
Anguish hath befallen all the peoples of the earth: Where are the ensigns of Thy gladness, O Joy of the worlds?
Thou seest the Dawning Place of Thy signs veiled by evil suggestions: Where are the fingers of Thy might, O Power of the worlds?
Sore thirst hath overcome all men: Where is the river of Thy bounty, O Mercy of the worlds?
Greed hath made captive all mankind: Where are the embodiments of detachment, O Lord of the worlds?
Thou seest this Wronged One lonely in exile: Where are the hosts of the heaven of Thy Command, O Sovereign of the worlds?
I have been forsaken in a foreign land: Where are the emblems of Thy faithfulness, O Trust of the worlds?
The agonies of death have laid hold on all men: Where is the surging of Thine ocean of eternal life, O Life of the worlds?
The whisperings of Satan have been breathed to every creature: Where is the meteor of Thy fire, O Light of the worlds?
The drunkenness of passion hath perverted most of mankind: Where are the daysprings of purity, O Desire of the worlds?
Thou seest this Wronged One veiled in tyranny among the Syrians: Where is the radiance of Thy dawning light, O Light of the worlds?
Thou seest Me forbidden to speak forth: Then from where will spring Thy melodies, O Nightingale of the worlds?
Most of the people are enwrapped in fancy and idle imaginings: Where are the exponents of Thy certitude, O Assurance of the worlds?
Bahá is drowning in a sea of tribulation: Where is the Ark of Thy salvation, O Savior of the worlds?
Thou seest the Dayspring of Thine utterance in the darkness of creation: Where is the sun of the heaven of Thy grace, O Lightgiver of the worlds?
The lamps of truth and purity, of loyalty and honor, have been put out: Where are the signs of Thine avenging wrath, O Mover of the worlds?
Canst Thou see any who have championed Thy Self, or who ponder on what hath befallen Him in the pathway of Thy love? Now doth My pen halt, O Beloved of the worlds?
The branches of the Divine Lote-Tree lie broken by the onrushing gales of destiny: Where are the banners of Thy succor, O Champion of the worlds?
This Face is hidden in the dust of slander: Where are the breezes of Thy compassion, O Mercy of the worlds?
The robe of sanctity is sullied by the people of deceit: Where is the vesture of Thy holiness, O Adorner of the worlds?
The sea of grace is stilled for what the hands of men have wrought: Where are the waves of Thy bounty, O Desire of the worlds?
The door leading to the Divine Presence is locked through the tyranny of Thy foes: Where is the key of Thy bestowal, O Unlocker of the worlds?
The leaves are yellowed by the poisoning winds of sedition: Where is the downpour of the clouds of Thy bounty, O Giver of the worlds?
The universe is darkened with the dust of sin: Where are the breezes of Thy forgiveness, O Forgiver of the worlds?
This Youth is lonely in a desolate land: Where is the rain of Thy heavenly grace, O Bestower of the worlds?
O Supreme Pen, We have heard Thy most sweet call in the eternal realm: Give Thou ear unto what the Tongue of Grandeur uttereth, O Wronged One of the worlds?
Were it not for the cold, how would the heat of Thy words prevail, O Expounder of the worlds?
Were it not for calamity, how would the sun of Thy patience shine, O Light of the worlds?
Lament not because of the wicked. Thou wert created to bear and endure, O Patience of the worlds.
How sweet was Thy dawning on the horizon of the Covenant among the stirrers of sedition, and Thy yearning after God, O Love of the worlds.
By Thee the banner of independence was planted on the highest peaks, and the sea of bounty surged, O Rapture of the worlds.
By Thine aloneness the Sun of Oneness shone, and by Thy banishment the land of Unity was adorned. Be patient, O Thou Exile of the worlds.
We have made abasement the garment of glory, and affliction the adornment of Thy temple, O Pride of the worlds.
Thou seest the hearts are filled with hate, and to overlook is Thine, O Thou Concealer of the sins of the worlds.
When the swords flash, go forward! When the shafts fly, press onward! O Thou Sacrifice of the worlds.
Dost Thou wail, or shall I wail? Rather shall I weep at the fewness of Thy champions, O Thou Who hast caused the wailing of the worlds.
Verily, I have heard Thy call, O All-Glorious Beloved; and now is the face of Bahá flaming with the heat of tribulation and with the fire of Thy shining word, and He hath risen up in faithfulness at the place of sacrifice, looking toward Thy pleasure, O Ordainer of the worlds.
O Alí-Akbar, thank thy Lord for this Tablet whence thou canst breathe the fragrances of My meekness, and know what hath beset Us in the path of God, the Adored of all the worlds.
Should all the servants read and ponder this, there shall be kindled in their veins a fire that shall set aflame the worlds.
- Bahá'u'lláh
Feb. 13-19, 2005
Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a
tranquil conscience within me, O my Hope! Through the
spirit of power confirm Thou me in Thy Cause, O my
Best-Beloved, and by the light of Thy glory reveal
unto me Thy path, O Thou the Goal of my desire!
Through the power of Thy transcendent might lift me up
unto the heaven of Thy holiness, O Source of my being,
and by the breezes of Thine eternity gladden me, O
Thou Who art my God! Let Thine everlasting melodies
breathe tranquillity on me, O my Companion, and let
the riches of Thine ancient countenance deliver me
from all except Thee, O my Master, and let the tidings
of the revelation of Thine incorruptible Essence bring
me joy, O Thou Who art the most manifest of the
manifest and the most hidden of the hidden!
- Bahá'u'lláh
Feb.20-26, 2005
The Celebration of Ayyám-i-Há
The Celebration of Ayyám-i-Há, the Intercalary Days, will begin at sunset (February 25) and continues until sunset on March 1st. Ayyám-i-Há is a time of preparation for the Nineteen Day Fast (March 2-20 )
It is also a time for hospitality,charity and the giving of presents.
(Quotes Below)
My God, my fire and my light! The days which Thou hast named the Ayyám-i-Há in Thy Book have begun, O Thou Who art the King of names, and the fast which
Thy most exalted Pen hath enjoined unto all who are in the kingdom of Thy creation to observe is approaching: I entreat Thee, O my Lord... to grant that unto every soul may be assigned a place within the precincts of Thy court, and a seat at the revelation
of the splendors of the light of Thy countenance.
-Bahá 'u' lláh
Happy is the soul hat shall forget his own good,
and like the chosen ones of God, vie with his fellows
in service to the good of all...
-'Abdu'l-Bahá
Feb.27-March 20, 2005
The Nineteen Day Fast
The month of 'Alá', or Loftiness, begins March 1st at sunset. The coming month is the month of the Nineteen Day Fast (March 2-20). All Bahá'ís from fifteen to seventy years old must abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset on each of the nineteen days of the month of 'Alá'. Travelers, the sick, those engaged in heavy physical labor, and women who are pregnant, nursing, or menstruating are exempt from fasting.
Quote:
Happy are the days that have been consecrated to the remembrance of God, and blessed the hours which have been spent in praise of Him Who is the All-Wise.
-Bahá 'u' lláh
A Prayer
Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee
by this Revelation whereby darkness hath been turned
into light, through which the Frequented Fane hath
been built, and the Written Tablet revealed, and the
Outspread Roll uncovered, to send down Upon me and
upon them who are in my company that which will enable us to soar into the heavens of Thy transcendent glory, and will wash us from the stain of such doubts as have hindered the suspicious from entering into the
tabernacle of Thy unity.
I am the one, O my Lord, who hath held fast the
cord of Thy loving-kindness, and clung to the hem of
Thy mercy and favors. Do Thou ordain for me and for
my loved ones the good of this world and of the world
to come. Supply them, then, with the Hidden Gift Thou
didst ordain for the choicest among Thy creatures.
These are, O my Lord, the days in which Thou hast
bidden Thy servants to observe the fast. Blessed is
he that observeth the fast wholly for Thy sake and
with absolute detachment from all things except Thee.
Assist me and assist them, O my Lord, to obey Thee and to keep Thy precepts. Thou, verily, hast power to do what Thou choosest.
There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise. All praise be to God, the Lord of all
worlds.
--Baha'u'llah
March 20-26, 2005
March 20
(The Fast Ends at Sunset)
The Celebration of Naw Rúz,
The Month of Splendor (Bahá), And The
New Bahá'í Year
All Begin At Sunset
The mystic and wondrous Bride, hidden ere this beneath the veiling of utterance, hath now, by the grace of God and His divine favour, been made manifest even as the resplendant light shed by the beauty of the Beloved. I bear witness, O friends! that the favour is complete, the argument fulfilled, the proof manifest and evidence established. Let it now be seen what your endeavours in the path of detachment will reveal. In this wise hath the divine favour been fully vouchsafed unto you and unto them that are in heaven and on earth. All praise to God, the Lord of all Worlds.
-Bahá 'u' lláh
March 27-April 2, 2005
Each Prophet fulfilled the promise of the One Who came before Him and, likewise, Each announced the One Who would follow. Consider how Abraham foretold the coming of Moses, and Moses embodied the Abrahamic statement. Moses prophesied the Messianic cycle, and Christ fulfilled the law of Moses. It is evident, therefore, that the Holy Manifestations Who founded the religious systems are united and agreed; there is no differentiation possible in Their mission and teachings; all are reflectors of reality, and all are promulgators of the religion of God. The divine religion is reality, and reality is not multiple; it is one. Therefore, the foundations of the religious systems are one because all proceed from the indivisible reality.... - 'Abdu'l-Baha
April 3-9, 2005
O my God! O my God! Verily, I invoke Thee and
supplicate before Thy threshold, asking Thee that all
Thy mercies may descend upon these souls. Specialize them for Thy favor and Thy truth.
O Lord! Unite and bind together the hearts, join
in accord all the souls, and exhilarate the spirits
through the signs of Thy sanctity and oneness. O
Lord! Make these faces radiant through the light of
Thy oneness. Strengthen the loins of Thy servants in
the service of Thy kingdom. O Lord, Thou possessor of infinite mercy! O Lord of forgiveness and pardon!
Forgive our sins, pardon our shortcomings, and cause us to turn to the kingdom of Thy clemency, invoking the kingdom of might and power, humble at Thy shrine and submissive before the glory of Thine evidences. O Lord God! Make us as waves of the sea, as flowers of the garden, united, agreed through the bounties of Thy love. O Lord! Dilate the breasts through the signs of Thy oneness, and make all mankind as stars shining from the same height of glory, as perfect fruits growing upon Thy tree of life.
Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Self-Subsistent, the Giver, the Forgiving, the Pardoner, the Omniscient, the One Creator.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
April 9-16, 2005
O Son of Spirit!
The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.
-Bahá 'u' lláh
I ask you all, each one of you, to follow well the light of truth, in the Holy Teachings, and God will strengthen you by His Holy Spirit so that you will be enabled to overcome the difficulties, and to destroy the prejudices which cause separation and hatred amongst the people.
-'Abdu'l-Bahá
The real secret of universal participation lies in the Master's oft-expressed wish that the friends should love each other, constantly encourage each other, work together, be as one soul in one body, and in so doing become a true, organic, healthy body animated and illumined by the spirit. In such a body all will receive spiritual health and vitality from the organism itself, and the most perfect flowers and fruits will be brought forth.
