Book: Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah - by Baha'u'llah

From: Introduction to Baha’i Books

In 1935 Shoghi Effendi again presented the western Bahá'ís with a magnificent gift, published under the title Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, which the Guardian himself described as "consisting of a selection of the most characteristic and hitherto unpublished passages from the outstanding works of the Author of the Bahá'í Revelation."

Remembering the scanty pages of the New Testament, the reputed words of Buddha, and the mere handful of sayings of some other Divine luminaries, which nevertheless have transfigured for centuries the lives of millions of men, the Gleanings alone seems to provide a source of guidance and inspiration sufficient for the spiritual Dispensation of any Prophet. The most treasured tribute to this book was that of Queen Marie of Rumania who told Martha Root: "even doubters would find a powerful strength in it, if they would read it alone, and would give their souls time to expand." To Shoghi Effendi himself the Queen wrote, in January 1936, after receiving from him a copy, "May I send you my most grateful thanks for the wonderful book, every word of which is precious to me, and doubly so in this time of anxiety and unrest." 

- Ruhiyyih Khanum ('The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith')

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The early life of the Báb

From: Insights from Baha’i Prayers

Insights from a prayer by the Báb

The progressive phases of the early life of the Báb:

In the womb

“Thou didst create Me, O Lord, through Thy gracious favour and didst protect Me through Thy bounty in the darkness of the womb and didst nourish Me, through Thy loving-kindness, with life-giving blood.”

“After having fashioned Me in a most comely form, through Thy tender providence, and having perfected My creation through Thine excellent handiwork and breathed Thy Spirit into My body through Thine infinite mercy and by the revelation of Thy transcendent unity, Thou didst cause Me to issue forth from the world of concealment into the visible world, naked, ignorant of all things, and powerless to achieve aught.”

Early childhood

“Thou didst then nourish Me with refreshing milk and didst rear Me in the arms of My parents with manifest compassion, until Thou didst graciously acquaint Me with the realities of Thy Revelation and apprised Me of the straight path of Thy Faith as set forth in Thy Book.”

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Marion Jack – an “immortal heroine”, and a “shining example (to) pioneers (of) present (and) future generations (of) East (and) West”

From: Baha’i Heroes and Heroines

Cablegram from the Guardian:

Mourn loss (of) immortal heroine, Marion Jack, greatly-loved and deeply-admired by 'Abdu'l-Baha, (a) shining example (to) pioneers (of) present (and) future generations (of) East (and) West, surpassed (in) constancy, dedication, self-abnegation (and) fearlessness by none except (the) incomparable Martha Root. Her unremitting, highly-meritorious activities (in the) course (of) almost half (a) century, both (in) North America (and) Southeast Europe, attaining (their) climax (in the) darkest, most dangerous phase (of the) second World War, shed imperishable luster (on) contemporary Baha'i history.

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Baha’is mentioned by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in ‘Memorials of the Faithful’

From: Baha’is in Memoriam

• Nabíl-i-Akbar
• Ismu’lláhu’l-Asdaq
• Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar
• Shaykh Salmán
• Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí, the Afnán
• Hájí Mírzá Hasan, the Afnán
• Muhammad-‘Alíy-i-Isfáhání
• ‘Abdu’s-Sálih, the Gardener
• Ustád Ismá’íl
• Nabíl-i-Zarandí
• Darvísh Sidq-‘Alí
• Áqá Mírzá Muhmúd and Áqá Ridá
• Pidar-Ján of Qazvín
• Shaykh Sádiq-i-Yazdí
• Sháh-Muhammad-Amín
• Mashhadí Fattah
• Nabíl of Qá’in
• Siyyid Muhammad-Taqí Manshadí
• Muhammad-‘Alí Sabbáq of Yazd
• ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár of Isfáhán

Teaching the Cause

From: Vision and Insight – daily gems

Under all conditions the Message must be delivered, but with wisdom. If it be not possible openly, it must be done quietly. The friends should be engaged in educating the souls and should become instruments in aiding the world of humanity to acquire spiritual joy and fragrance. 

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

Mirza Abu'l-Fadl with Ali kuli Khan

From: Worldwide Community of Baha'u'llah

Mirza Abu'l-Fadl with Ali kuli Khan in the United States

“If thou desirest to be freed from affliction, recite thou this prayer which hath been revealed by the Pen of the All-Merciful:”

From: Baha’i Prayers and meditations

“O God, my God! I testify to Thy unity and to Thy oneness. I beseech Thee, O Thou Possessor of names and Fashioner of the heavens, by the pervasive influence of Thine exalted Word and the potency of Thy supreme Pen, to aid me with the ensigns of Thy power and might, and to protect me from the mischief of Thine enemies who have violated Thy Covenant and Thy Testament. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.”

This invocation is an impregnable stronghold and an indomitable army. It conferreth protection and ensureth deliverance.

- Baha’u’llah  (‘The Tabernacle of Unity’)

7 May 1963: To the annual National Conventions of the Baha’i World

From: Messages to Baha’i Institutions – from the Universal House of Justice

Beloved Friends,

The marvelous happenings which have transpired during and immediately after the twelve days of Ridvan attest the greatness of the Cause of God, and fill every Bahá'í heart to overflowing with joy and gratitude. It was in obedience to the summons of the Lord of Hosts Himself that the elected representatives of the fifty-six national and regional communities of the Bahá'í world were called to elect, in the shadow of God's Holy Mountain and in the house of the Center of His Covenant, the members of the Universal House of Justice. It was the Sign of God on earth, the Dayspring of Divine Guidance, the Guardian of the Cause of God, who gathered more than six thousand Bahá'ís from all parts of the earth to the celebration of the Most Great Jubilee in London.

The first of these historic occasions was marked by events of extreme spiritual and administrative significance at the World Center of the Faith. The daily visits of large groups of believers, of many varying backgrounds, to the sacred shrines in the twin holy cities; the holding of the first International Bahá'í Convention and the successful accomplishment of its main task; the celebration of the Ridvan Feast by some three hundred believers in the company of the Hands of the Cause of God in the precincts of the Haram-i-Aqdas, are events of unique character and untold significance in the history of our beloved Faith.

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Hand of the Cause Dr. John Esslemont (1874-1925)

From: Baha’is to Remember…

John Ebenezer Esslemont, who passed away at Haifa November 22, 1925, was born on May 19, 1874, the son of John E. Esslemont of Fairford, Cults, Aberdeenshire.

He received his preliminary education at Ferryhill public school and continued his studies at the Robert Gordon College and ultimately at Aberdeen University, where he graduated with honors in April, 1898, obtaining not only the medical degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and of Surgery, but also a Philip Research Scholarship at the University. He spent the second half of 1899 at Berne and Strasburg, at both of which places he wrote papers on his research work, which were published and considered valuable.

Returning to Scotland in December, 1899, Esslemont took up the position of assistant to Professor Cash at Aberdeen University, which position he held until 1901, when he went to Australia, remaining there two years. During this residence in Australia, he married on December 19, 1902.

Early in his life Esslemont’s health proved a cause of trouble and anxiety, and in 1903 he was obliged to leave Australia, returning to Aberdeenshire, where he spent the summer, but found it necessary in the winter of that year to proceed to South Africa, the climate of which country it was hoped would prove beneficial to his pulmonary ailment. He remained in South Africa for five years, returning to his native country in 1908, when he obtained the post of resident medical officer at the Home Sanatorium, Bournemouth, which he continued to hold until 1923, when, owing to the death of the proprietor, the Sanatorium was closed and Esslemont found himself without medical occupation.

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Resurrection of Jesus Christ

From: Baha’i Pilgrim Notes

'Abdu'l-Baha said:

Jesus Christ had two bodies -- one spiritual and one material. The material body is of no importance; it changes and changes and changes always. An old person's body is not the same, as that of the same individual when young.

The visible world does nothing but change, and change leads to annihilation.

We must be sure that when the soul of man leaves his body, it never returns to that body again.

In the Gospel record, when Jesus Christ was crucified and ascended, Mary Magdalene and the other disciples had fallen into such a state of excitement and agitation, that during three days the cause of God was annihilated for them. After three days their agitation having abated, they realised that the cause of Jesus Christ, and His teaching was everlasting in the world. The disciples would not at first write to the other believers openly that Jesus was crucified till Mary Magdalene said to them what does it matter; His soul is with us. When Jesus was crucified, some said "His religion is annihilated and gone." Mary Magdalene said "Matter is gone, and flesh -- but the soul of the religion is forever."

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A Prayer for Mirza Ja'far

From: Baha’i Stories for Children

The August sun burned down on the stone walls of 'Akka as the sailboat rocked roughly into the harbor. The Baha'is had come a long way. They were hot, hungry, and thirsty. But Mirza Ja'far was happy - he was with Baha'u'llah!

The townspeople yelled at them from the streets, from windows and doorways, as they passed. Mirza Ja'far had walked through hateful mobs before. He had been hungry, tired, and hot before. These things did not matter. He was happy.

The guards at the mighty stone prison gave them little to eat and drink. But Mirza Ja'far thanked God. His dark, narrow cell seemed like a sweet-smelling rose garden with Baha'u'llah close by.

Then, one day, Mirza Ja'far fell sick. How could it be? They had crossed deserts and climbed mountains together. Eager always to help, Mirza Ja'far never complained, and he never seemed to need rest. He was the one who went with 'Abdu'l-Baha to find supplies while others rested.

His great faith

From: Remembering Shoghi Effendi…

Of all the characteristics that Shoghi Effendi possessed, the one that I believe was at the very core of his personality and was deeply rooted in his soul was the immense faith he had, his complete reliance on the efficacy of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation. He clung to His Teachings with a tenacity that cannot be likened to anything. His whole being was permeated with the power of the Revelation, and this is the reason that all who came near him or in contact with him felt so safe, so assured, so regenerated.

- Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery  (‘Shoghi Effendi – Recollections’)

God “has chosen the reality of man and has honored it with intellect and wisdom”

From: Counsels and Explanations - - Daily Readings

In the Name of God the Clement, the Merciful

Praise and thanksgiving be unto Providence that out of all the realities in existence He has chosen the reality of man and has honored it with intellect and wisdom, the two most luminous lights in either world. Through the agency of this great endowment, He has in every epoch cast on the mirror of creation new and wonderful configurations. If we look objectively upon the world of being, it will become apparent that from age to age, the temple of existence has continually been embellished with a fresh grace, and distinguished with an ever-varying splendor, deriving from wisdom and the power of thought.

This supreme emblem of God stands first in the order of creation and first in rank, taking precedence over all created things. Witness to it is the Holy Tradition, “Before all else, God created the mind.” From the dawn of creation, it was made to be revealed in the temple of man.

'Abdu'l-Baha with Eastern friends and a few Western pilgrims on Mount Carmel

From: 'Abdu'l-Baha in the Holy Land

'Abdu'l-Baha with Eastern friends and a few Western pilgrims on Mount Carmel, circa 1920. Shoghi Effendi is seen on the front extreme left.

Permission Requested for Construction of Temple in America

From: Baha’i Historical Facts

Having heard enthusiastic reports of the building of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkar [Baha’i Temple] in ‘Ishqabad, Russia, the members of the Spiritual committee (better known as the "House of Spirituality") of the Chicago Assembly were inspired to supplicate to the Center of the Covenant, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, to grant permission for the second Mashriqu’l-Adhkar to be built in America. On June 7, 1903, a tablet was revealed in Acca by ‘Abdu’l-Baha saying, "Now the day has arrived in which the edifice of God, the divine sanctuary, the Spiritual temple, shall be erected in America."

The following words from the pen of ‘Abdu’l-Baha clearly indicate the erection of a material building: "The Mashriqu’l-Adhkar, though outwardly a material foundation, is possessed of spiritual effect and causes the union of hearts and the gathering of souls. . . . Praise be to God ! The erection of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar has a great effect in all grades (or states). It was tested in the east and so evidently and plainly was it proved good (that) even when in a village a house was called the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar, it possessed a different effect. How much more its building and organization."

(The Baha’i Year Book 1925-1926)

“..singing and music are the spiritual food of the hearts and souls.”

From: Daily Spiritual Food for Thought

This wonderful age has rent asunder the veils of superstition and has condemned the prejudice of the people of the East.

Among some of the nations of the Orient, music and harmony was not approved of, but the Manifested Light, Bahá'u'lláh, in this glorious period has revealed in Holy Tablets that singing and music are the spiritual food of the hearts and souls. In this dispensation, music is one of the arts that is highly approved and is considered to be the cause of the exaltation of sad and desponding hearts.

Therefore ... set to music the verses and the divine words so that they may be sung with soul-stirring melody in the Assemblies and gatherings, and that the hearts of the listeners may become tumultuous and rise towards the Kingdom of Abha in supplication and prayer. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Bahá'í World Faith: Selected Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá'; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Music)

Baha’u’llah’s Seals

From: Baha’i Sacred Relics

The Seals of Baha'u'llah displayed in an ornamental Persian design

23 December 1922: To Baha'is of Great Britain

From: Messages to the Baha’i World Community – by Shoghi Effendi

To my beloved brethren and sisters throughout Great Britain. Care of the members of the Bahá’í Council.

Dearest Friends,

I have during the last few days been waiting eagerly for the first written messages of my Western friends, sent to me since they have learned of my return to the Holy Land. How great was the joy when dear Miss Rosenberg’s letter—the very first that reached me from the West—was handed to me this evening, bearing the joyful news of the safety, the unity and the happiness of my British friends across the seas! I read it and re-read it with particular pleasure and felt a thrill of delight at the welcome news of the harmonious and efficient functioning of your Spiritual Assembly.

I very sincerely hope that now that I have fully re-entered upon my task, I may be enabled to offer my humble share of assistance and advice in the all-important work which is now before you. I fervently pray to God that the field of your activities may go on expanding, that your zeal and efforts may never diminish, and that new souls, active, able and sincere, may soon join with you in bearing aloft the Glorious Standard of the Cause in that land….

Ere long, an able and experienced teacher recently arrived from Persia will visit your shores and will, I trust, by his thorough knowledge of the Cause, his wide experience, his fluency, his ardour and his devotion, reanimate every drooping spirit and inspire the active worker to make fresh and determined efforts for the deepening as well as the spreading of the Movement in those regions. His forthcoming book, which he has patiently and laboriously written on the history of the Movement and which has been partly revised by the Pen of our Beloved Master is beyond any doubt the most graphic, the most reliable and comprehensive of its kind in all Bahá’í literature. I am sure he will considerably enrich the store of your knowledge of the various phases and stages of the Bahá’í Movement. Our beloved Dr. Esslemont will, I trust, be particularly pleased to meet him, as he is eminently qualified to offer him valuable help in connection with various aspects of his (Dr. Esslemont’s) book. I am enclosing various suggestions of Mr. Dreyfus-Barney and of Mr. Roy Wilhelm made by them at my request, during their last sojourn in the Holy Land. I submit them to Dr. Esslemont’s consideration as well as to that of the Spiritual Assembly. I very deeply regret my inability to give the attention I desire to this admirable work of his, but will assuredly do all in my power to aid him in the final stages of his work. I am certain however that the book as it now stands gives the finest and most effective presentation of the various aspects of the Cause to the mind of the Oriental as well as to that of the Westerner. May it arouse a genuine and widespread interest in the Cause throughout the world.

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Man is Not a Captive of Nature

From: Gems of Insight from ‘Abdu’l-Baha

... he [man] is the ruler and commander of nature. Man has intelligence; nature has not. Man has volition; nature has none. Man has memory; nature is without it. Man has the reasoning faculty; nature is deprived. Man has the perceptive faculty; nature cannot perceive. It is therefore proved and evident that man is nobler than nature.

If we accept the supposition that man is but a part of nature, we are confronted by an illogical statement, for this is equivalent to claiming that a part may be endowed with qualities which are absent in the whole. For man who is a part of nature has perception, intelligence, memory, conscious reflection and susceptibility, while nature itself is quite bereft of them. How is it possible for the part to be possessed of qualities or faculties which are absent in the whole? The truth is that God has given to man certain powers which are supernatural. How then can man be considered a captive of nature?

(‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a talk, ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace’)