"The true Baha'i..."

[arthra]

'Abdu'l-Bahá says in a letter to the Bahá'ís of America:
--
Beware! Beware! Lest ye offend any heart!

Beware! Beware! Lest ye hurt any soul!

Beware! Beware! Lest ye deal unkindly toward any
person!

Beware! Beware! Lest ye be the cause of hopelessness
to any creature!

Should one become the cause of grief to any one heart,
or of despondency to any one soul, it were better to hide
oneself in the lowest depths of the earth than to walk upon
the earth.

He teaches that as the flower is hidden in the bud, so a spirit
from God dwells in the heart of every man, no matter how hard
and unlovely his exterior.

The true Bahá'í will treat every man,
therefore, as the gardener tends a rare and beautiful plant. He
knows that no impatient interference on his part can open the
bud into a blossom; only God's sunshine can do that, therefore
his aim is to bring that life-giving sunshine into all
darkened hearts and homes.

- p. 81

Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
An Introduction to the Bahá'í Faith

By J.E. Esslemont

 

[arthra]

"Be happy and joyous..."

"True Bahá'í meetings are the mirrors of the Kingdom wherein images of the Supreme Concourse are reflected.

In them the lights of the most great guidance are visible.

They voice the summons of the heavenly Kingdom and echo the call of the angelic hosts to every listening ear.

The efficacy of such meetings as these is permanent throughout the ages.

This assembly has a name and significance which will last forever.

Hundreds of thousands of meetings shall be held to commemorate this occasion, and the very words I speak to you today shall be repeated in them for ages to come.

Therefore, be ye rejoiced, for ye are sheltered beneath the providence of God.

Be happy and joyous because the bestowals of God are intended for you and the life of the Holy Spirit is breathing upon you."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 214

 

[arthra]

"...cause them to be true Bahá'ís..."

O Thou Provider!

Assist Thou these noble friends to win Thy good pleasure, and make them well wishers of stranger and friend alike.

Bring them into the world that abideth forever; grant them a portion of heavenly grace; cause them to be true Bahá'ís, sincerely of God;

save them from outward semblances, and establish them firmly in the truth. Make them signs and tokens of the Kingdom, luminous stars above the horizons of this nether life.

Make them to be a comfort and a solace to humankind and servants to the peace of the world. Exhilarate them with the wine of Thy counsel, and grant that all of them may tread the path of Thy commandments.

~ Abdul-Baha

~ Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 157