Quotes from Baha'i sources:

The Path of God...

The path of God may lie through riches or poverty, health or sickness, through palace or dungeon, rose garden or torture chamber. Whichever
it be, the Bahá'í will learn to accept his lot with "radiant
acquiescence."

(Dr. J.E. Esslemont, Baha'u'llah and the New Era, p. 76)
 
Less than the twinkling of an eye...

Every war is against the good pleasure of the Lord of mankind, for man is the edifice of God and war destroys the divine edifice. If an active, actual peace is brought about, the human world will attain to the utmost serenity and composure; wolves will be transformed into lambs, devils into angels, and terrors into divine splendors in less than the twinkling of an eye.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 85)

 
Lastly the Perfect Man, the Prophet...

Lastly the perfect man, the Prophet, is one who is transfigured, one who has the purity and clearness of a perfect mirror -- one who reflects the Sun of Truth. Of such a one -- of such a Prophet and Messenger -- we can say that the Light of Divinity with the heavenly Perfections dwells in him.

If we claim that the sun is seen in the mirror, we do not mean that the sun itself has descended from the holy heights of his heaven and entered into the mirror! This is impossible.

The Divine Nature is seen in the Manifestations and its Light and Splendor are visible in extreme glory.

Therefore, men have always been taught and led by the Prophets of God. The Prophets of God are the Mediators of God.

All the Prophets and Messengers have come from One Holy Spirit and bear the Message of God, fitted to the age in which they appear.

The One Light is in them and they are One with each other. But the Eternal does not become phenomenal; neither can the phenomenal become Eternal.

- Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 23)
 
In the spiritual world...

In the spiritual world, the divine bestowals are infinite, for in that realm there is neither separation nor disintegration which characterize the world of material existence. Spiritual existence is absolute immortality, completeness and unchangeable being. Therefore we must thank God that He has created for us both material blessings and spiritual bestowals. He has given us material gifts and spiritual graces, outer sight to view the lights of the sun and inner vision by which we may perceive the glory of God.

- Abdul-Baha

(Compilations, Baha'i World Faith, p. 266)
 
The hosts of angels shall surround thee...

Then, by God the Truth! the hosts of the angels of the Kingdom shall surround thee and convey to all thy limbs and veins the Spirit of Life; thy tongue shall utter fluently and distinctly the most eloquent and clear words and thoughts; thy bosom shall be cheered with joy through the appearance of the evident texts; thy face shall be illumined, among the daughters of the Kingdom, with the light of firmness; the door of glad-tidings shall be opened before thy face and thou shalt receive knowledge through the symbolic signs descending from the heavenly Kingdom in the Books and Tablets!

(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 704)
 
Know thou, that letter sent to thee by me, was only because of my perfect love for thee and my pity upon thee, for I had the desire that the fragrance of the Holy Spirit, which hath perfumed all regions and imbued the entire body of the world with the Spirit of Life, should pass over thee and abide with thee.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 705)

 
Divinity cannot by comprehended because it is comprehending.
Man, who has also a real existence, is comprehended by God; therefore, the Divinity which man can understand is partial; it is not complete. Divinity is actual Truth and real existence, and not any representation of it. Divinity itself contains All, and is not contained.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 22
 
The first station, which is related to His [the Manifestations] innermost reality, representeth Him as One Whose voice is the voice of God Himself.

To this testified the tradition: 'Manifold and mysterious is My relationship with God. I am He, Himself, and He is I, Myself, except that I am that I am, and He is that He is.

And in like manner, the words:

'Arise, O Muhammad, for the Lover and the Beloved are joined together and made one in Thee.

He similarly saith: 'There is no distinction whatsoever between Thee [God] and Them [the Manifestations], except that They are Thy servants.

The second station is the human station, exemplified by the following verses: 'I am but a man like you. 'Say praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?

~ Baha'u'llah in Gleanings 66-67
 
A pure heart is as a mirror...

O My Brother!

A pure heart is as a mirror;

cleanse it with the burnish of love and severance from all save God,

that the true sun may shine within it and the eternal morning dawn.

Then wilt thou clearly see the meaning of

"Neither doth My earth nor My heaven contain Me, but the heart of My faithful servant containeth Me."

[1] And thou wilt take up thy life in thine hand, and with infinite longing cast it before the new Beloved One.


[1 Hadith, i.e. action or utterance traditionally attributed to the Prophet Muhammad or to one of the holy Imams.]

~ Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 21-22
 
All may acquire the characteristics of the spirit...

Light must be spread afar, so that, in the school of humanity, all may acquire the heavenly characteristics of the spirit, and see for themselves beyond any doubt that there is no fiercer hell, no more fiery abyss, than to possess a character that is evil and unsound; no more darksome pit nor loathsome torment than to show forth qualities which deserve to be condemned.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 136
 
The story of Zenobia...

"There was once a Governor in Ancient Syria, who had a beautiful and clever wife. She was so capable that when the Governor died, she was made ruler in his stead. The land prospered under her sway, and men acknowledged that she was a better ruler than her husband. After a time the legions of Rome invaded the country, but again and again she drove them out with great confusion. She let down her beautiful hair, and herself rode at the head of her army, clad in a scarlet cloak, wearing a crown of gold, and wielding a two-edged sword in her hand. The Roman Caesar then withdrew his strength from five other provinces in order to subdue her.

After a long and brave fight Zenobia retired into the city of Palmyra, which she strengthened with wonderful fortifications, and there she endured a siege of four months, Caesar being unable to dislodge her. The food she had stored within the walls at last was gone, and the misery of her starving and plague-stricken people compelled her to surrender.

"Caesar was full of admiration for this great woman, because of her courage and endurance, and he asked her to become his wife. But she refused, saying that she would never consent to take as her husband the enemy of her people. Thereupon, Caesar was enraged, and determined to humble her. He took her back with him in his ships to Rome. For his triumphal entry a great procession was prepared, and the streets were filled with people. In the procession came first elephants, after the elephants came the camels, after the camels came the tigers and the leopards, after the leopards came the monkeys, and lastly, after the monkeys, walked Zenobia with a gold chain round her neck. Still she carried her head high, and was firm in her determination. Nothing could break her spirit! She refused to become the Empress of Caesar, so she was thrown into a dungeon, and eventually she died."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 103
 
This is the Day and Now is the Time:

This is the Day whereon the Ocean of God’s mercy hath been manifested unto men, the Day in which the Day Star of His loving-kindness hath shed its radiance upon them, the Day in which the clouds of His bountiful favor have overshadowed the whole of mankind. Now is the time to cheer and refresh the down-cast through the invigorating breeze of love and fellowship, and the living waters of friendliness and charity.

~ Baha'u'llah
 
The primary foundation of the Faith of God..

"He is God, exalted is His state, wisdom and utterance. The True One (glorious is His glory) for the showing forth of the gems of ideals from the mine of man, hath, in every age, sent a Trusted One. The primary foundation of the faith of God and the religion of God is this, that they should not make diverse sects and various paths the cause and reason of hatred. These principles and laws and firm sure roads appear from one dawning-place and shine from one dayspring, and these diversities were out of regard for the requirements of the time, season, ages, and epochs...."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, p. 42
 
Each being is the center...

Without doubt each being is the center of the shining forth of the glory of God: that is to say, the perfections of God appear from it and are resplendent in it. It is like the sun, which is resplendent in the desert, upon the sea, in the trees, in the fruits and blossoms, and in all earthly things. The world, indeed each existing being, proclaims to us one of the names of God, but the reality of man is the collective reality, the general reality, and is the center where the glory of all the perfections of God shine forth. That is to say, for each name, each attribute, each perfection which we affirm of God, there exists a sign in man; if it were otherwise, man could not imagine these perfections, and could not understand them.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 310
 
Oh, how I long to announce unto every spot on the surface of the earth, and to carry to each one of its cities, the glad-tidings of this Revelation -- a Revelation to which the heart of Sinai hath been attracted, and in whose name the Burning Bush is calling:

"Unto God, the Lord of Lords, belong the kingdoms of earth and heaven."

Verily this is the Day in which both land and sea rejoice at this announcement, the Day for which have been laid up those things which God, through a bounty beyond the ken of mortal mind or heart, hath destined for revelation.

Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee, and will manifest the people of Baha who have been mentioned in the Book of Names.'

~ Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 4
http://satyagraha1.com/gandhihow.htm
 
O ye loved ones of God...

O ye loved ones of God!

In this, the Bahá'í dispensation, God's Cause is spirit unalloyed. His Cause belongeth not to the material world. It cometh neither for strife nor war, nor for acts of mischief or of shame; it is neither for quarrelling with other Faiths, nor for conflicts with the nations. Its only army is the love of God, its only joy the clear wine of His knowledge, its only battle the expounding of the Truth; its one crusade is against the insistent self, the evil promptings of the human heart. Its victory is to submit and yield, and to be selfless is its everlasting glory. In brief, it is spirit upon spirit:

Unless ye must,
Bruise not the serpent in the dust,
How much less wound a man.
And if ye can,
No ant should ye alarm,
Much less a brother harm.

Let all your striving be for this, to become the source of life and immortality, and peace and comfort and joy, to every human soul, whether one known to you or a stranger, one opposed to you or on your side.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 256
 
The Promised Age:

This period of time is the Promised Age, the assembling of the human race to the "Resurrection Day" and now is the great "Day of Judgment." Soon the whole world, as in springtime, will change its garb. The turning and falling of the autumn leaves is past; the bleakness of the winter time is over. The new year hath appeared and the spiritual springtime is at hand.

The black earth is becoming a verdant garden; the deserts and mountains are teeming with red flowers; from the borders of the wilderness the tall grasses are standing like advance guards before the cypress and jessamine trees; while the birds are singing among the rose branches like the angels in the highest heavens, announcing the glad-tidings of the approach of that spiritual spring, and the sweet music of their voices is causing the real essence of all things to move and quiver.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 351
 
Singing and Music are spiritual food...

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, Baha'i World Faith, p. 378
 
He is God, exalted is He, the Lord of Majesty and Power

A PRAISE which is exalted above every mention or description beseemeth the Adored One, the Possessor of all things visible and invisible, Who hath enabled the Primal Point to reveal countless Books and Epistles and Who, through the potency of His sublime Word, hath called into being the entire creation, whether of the former or more recent generations.

Moreover He hath in every age and cycle, in conformity with His transcendent wisdom, sent forth a divine Messenger to revive the dispirited and despondent souls with the living waters of His utterance, One Who is indeed the Expounder, the true Interpreter, inasmuch as man is unable to comprehend that which hath streamed forth from the Pen of Glory and is recorded in His heavenly Books.

Men at all times and under all conditions stand in need of one to exhort them, guide them and to instruct and teach them. Therefore He hath sent forth His Messengers, His Prophets and chosen ones that they might acquaint the people with the divine purpose underlying the revelation of Books and the raising up of Messengers, and that everyone may become aware of the trust of God which is latent in the reality of every soul.

~ Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 159
 
Some Baha'i principles:

Ritual holds no place in the religion, which must be expressed in all the actions of life, and accomplished in neighborly love.

Every one must viii have an occupation.

The education of children is enjoined and regulated.

No one has the power to receive confession of sins, or to give absolution.

The priests of the existing religions should renounce celibacy, and should preach by their example, mingling in the life of the people.

Monogamy is universally recommended, etc.

Questions not treated of are left to the civil law of each country, and to the decisions of the Bait-ul-Adl, or House of Justice, instituted by Baha'o'llah.

Respect toward the head of the State is part of respect toward God.

A universal language, and the creation of tribunals of arbitration between nations, are to suppress wars.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. vii)
 
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