29 April | p.m

The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness.

- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 99-100

29 April | a.m

Say: Be ashamed, O ye that call yourselves the lovers of the Ancient Beauty! Be ye admonished by the tribulation He hath suffered, by the burden of anguish He hath carried for the sake of God. Let your eyes be opened. To what purpose hath He labored, if the manifold trials He hath endured are, in the end, to result in such contemptible professions, and such wretched conduct?

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 298

In order to insure the progress of mankind and to establish these principles His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh suffered every ordeal and difficulty.

- Abdu’l-Bahá, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu’l-Bahá Section, p. 233

26 April | p.m

Perhaps I shall come when you are yet asleep, for the coming of the Son of man is like the coming of a thief.

- Cf. 1 Thess. 5:2;2 Pet. 3:10

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night... But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day… Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

- KJB, Thessalonians 5:2

The True One is come evident as the shining sun; O pity that He should have come into the city of the blind!

- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 161

26 April | a.m

Ere long God will shine from the face of the Glory of the most Glorious with the name of Bahá on the day of absolute in the plain of Akka.

- A 1300 years old Islamic prophecy, quoted in Dala'il'u'l-Irfan

When the Day-Star of Bahá will shine resplendent above the horizon of eternity it is incumbent upon you to present yourselves before His Throne.

- The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 164

Wert thou now to exert thyself, the truth of this Cause would be made apparent unto mankind, and the people would be delivered from this grievous and oppressive darkness. Who else but Bahá can speak forth before the face of men, and who else but He can have the power to pronounce that which He was bidden by God, the Lord of Hosts?

- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 120

25 April | p.m

I am not the first Buddha who came upon earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise.... He shall reveal to you the same eternal truths which I have taught you. He will preach to you His religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal, in the spirit and in the letter.

- Buddha, Baghavad Gita, quoted by A.Q Faizi in An Explanation of the Greatest Name, p. 4

Go thou straight on and persevere in His service. Say: O people! The Day, promised unto you in all the Scriptures, is now come. Fear ye God, and withhold not yourselves from recognizing the One Who is the Object of your creation. Hasten ye unto Him. Better is this for you than the world and all that is therein. Would that ye could perceive it!

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 314

25 April | a.m

But when one blast shall be blown on the trumpet, And the earth and the mountains shall be upheaved, and shall both be crushed into dust at a single crushing, On that day the woe that must come suddenly shall suddenly come, And the angels shall be on its sides, and over them on that day eight shall bear up the throne of thy Lord. On that day ye will be exposed; not a secret of you will be hidden.
- Qur’an, 69:13-17

The inevitable hath come to pass; witness how they have cast it behind their backs! This is the Day whereon every man will fly from himself, how much more from his kindred, could ye but perceive it. Say: By God! The blast hath been blown on the trumpet, and lo, mankind hath swooned away before us! The Herald hath cried out, and the Summoner raised His voice saying: "The Kingdom is God's, the Most Powerful, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 43

24 April | p.m

…whenever the world declineth in virtue and righteousness; and vice and injustice mount the throne, then come I, the Lord, and revisit My world in visible form, and mingle as a man with men, and by my influence and teachings do I destroy the evil and injustice, and re-establish virtue and righteousness. Many times have I thus appeared; many times hereafter shall I come again.

- Krishna, quoted in Thief in the Night, p. 60

Take heed lest ye hesitate in recognizing this resplendent Beauty when once He hath appeared in the plenitude of His sovereign might and majesty. He, verily, is the True One, and all else besides Him is as naught before a single one of His servants, and paleth into nothingness when brought face to face with the revelation of His splendours. Hasten, then, to attain the living waters of His grace, and be not of the negligent. As to him who hesitateth, though it be for less than a moment, God shall verily bring his works to naught and return him to the seat of wrath; wretched indeed is the abode of them that tarry!

- Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 54

24 April | a.m

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of the Comforter, who is sent by the Father, is come, He will guide you into all truth.

- King James Bible, John 16:12

Say, Lo! The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled! This is the Word which the Son concealed, when to those around Him He said: 'Ye cannot bear it now.' And when the appointed time was fulfilled and the Hour had struck, the Word shone forth above the horizon of the Will of God. Beware, O followers of the Son, that ye cast it not behind your backs. Take ye fast hold of it. Better is this for you than all that ye possess.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 11

23 April | p.m

O thou that bringest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain! O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem! Lift up thy voice with strength; be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah: Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with power and His Arm shall rule for Him!

- Isaiah xl, 9-10, quoted by Baha'u'llah in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 144

Verily the Lord will rear from Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the habitation of the shepherds shall mourn and the top of Carmel shall withdraw.

- Amos i,2, quoted by Baha'u'llah in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 144

The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the Law of God, and Jerusalem, and the hills and land thereof, are filled with the glory of His Revelation.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 12

23 April | a.m

The excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord ... [when] the ransomed of the Lord [the Jews] shall return. -Isaiah 35 (KJV) Sharon shall be a fold of flocks and the valley of Achor [Acre] a place for the herds to lie down in for my people that have sought me. - Isaiah 65 (KJV)

Call out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: He that was hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereignty is manifest; His all-encompassing splendor is revealed. Beware lest thou hesitate or halt. Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that hath descended from heaven… - Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 15

20 April | p.m

Say, O My people! Show honour to your parents and pay homage to them. This will cause blessings to descend upon you from the clouds of the bounty of your Lord, the Exalted, the Great.

- Bahá’u’lláh, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 386

It is seemly that the servant should, after each prayer, supplicate God to bestow mercy and forgiveness upon his parents. Thereupon God's call will be raised: 'Thousand upon thousand of what thou hast asked for thy parents shall be thy recompense!' Blessed is he who remembereth his parents when communing with God. There is, verily, no God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.

- The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 94

20 April | a.m

Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide. Whoso faileth to recite them hath not been faithful to the Covenant of God and His Testament, and whoso turneth away from these holy verses in this Day is of those who throughout eternity have turned away from God. Fear ye God, O My servants, one and all.

- Baha'u'llah, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 73

Supplicate to God, pray to Him and invoke Him at midnight and at dawn. Be humble and submissive to God and chant the verses of thanksgiving at morn and eve, for that He guided thee unto the Manifest Light and showed to thee the straight Path and destined to thee the station of nearness in His wonderful Kingdom.

- Abdu’l-Bahá, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu’l-Bahá Section, p. 359

19 April | p.m

Teach your children the verses revealed from the heaven of majesty and power, so that, in most melodious tones, they may recite the Tablets of the All-Merciful in the alcoves within the Mashriqu'l-Adhkars. Whoever hath been transported by the rapture born of adoration for My Name, the Most Compassionate, will recite the verses of God in such wise as to captivate the hearts of those yet wrapped in slumber.

- Baha'u'llah, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 73

…pray always and so live your life that sorrow cannot touch you.

- Abdu’l-Bahá, Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 82

19 April | a.m

Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 295

The reason why privacy hath been enjoined in moments of devotion is this, that thou mayest give thy best attention to the remembrance of God, that thy heart may at all times be animated with His Spirit, and not be shut out as by a veil from thy Best Beloved.

- The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 93

18 April | p.m

Pride not yourselves on much reading of the verses or on a multitude of pious acts by night and day; for were a man to read a single verse with joy and radiance it would be better for him than to read with lassitude all the Holy Books of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Read ye the sacred verses in such measure that ye be not overcome by languor and despondency. Lay not upon your souls that which will weary them and weigh them down, but rather what will lighten and uplift them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses towards the Dawning-place of His manifest signs; this will draw you nearer to God, did ye but comprehend.

- Baha'u'llah, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 73

The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of God.

- The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 78

18 April | a.m

Know thou…that the decrees of the Sovereign Ordainer, as related to fate and predestination, are of two kinds. Both are to be obeyed and accepted. The one is irrevocable, the other is, as termed by men, impending. To the former all must unreservedly submit, inasmuch as it is fixed and settled. God, however, is able to alter or repeal it. As the harm that must result from such a change will be greater than if the decree had remained unaltered, all, therefore, should willingly acquiesce in what God hath willed and confidently abide by the same. The decree that is impending, however, is such that prayer and entreaty can succeed in averting it.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 132

The progress of man's spirit in the divine world, after the severance of its connection with the body of dust, is through the bounty and grace of the Lord alone, or through the intercession and the sincere prayers of other human souls, or through the charities and important good works which are performed in its name.

- Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 240

17 April | p.m

Recite thou this prayer that hath flowed from the tongue of this Wronged One, and ponder thereon with a heart rid of all attachment, and with ears that are pure and sanctified, be attentive to its meaning, that haply thou mayest inhale the breath of detachment and have pity upon thyself and upon others:

 

‘My God, the Object of my adoration, the Goal of my desire, the All-Bountiful, the Most Compassionate! All life is of Thee, and all power lieth within the grasp of Thine omnipotence. Whosoever Thou exaltest is raised above the angels, and attaineth the station: 'Verily, We uplifted him to a place on high!'; and whosoever Thou dost abase is made lower than dust, nay, less than nothing…’

 

- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 8

17 April | a.m

Know thou of a certainty that whenever thou makest mention of Him Whom God shall make manifest, only then art thou making mention of God. In like manner shouldst thou hearken unto the verses of the Bayán and acknowledge its truth, only then would the revealed verses of God profit thee. Otherwise what benefit canst thou derive therefrom? For wert thou to prostrate thyself in adoration from the beginning of life till the end and to spend thy days for the sake of God's remembrance, but disbelieve in the Exponent of His Revelation for the age, dost thou imagine that thy deeds would confer any benefit upon thee?

- The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 79

16 April | p.m

Give ear unto that which the Spirit imparteth unto thee from the verses of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, that His Call may attract thee to the Summit of transcendent glory and draw thee nigh unto the Station where thou shalt behold thine entire being set ablaze with the fire of the love of God in such wise that neither the ascendancy of the rulers nor the whisperings of their vassals can quench it.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 264

I beseech Thee by them Who are the Daysprings of Thine invisible Essence, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, to make of my prayer a fire that will burn away the veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty, and a light that will lead me unto the ocean of Thy Presence.

- Baha'u'llah, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 92

16 April | a.m

Pray thou unto God that He may grant keenness to the eyes and illumine them with a new light, perchance they may perceive that which hath no parallel nor peer.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 74

The power of God can entirely transmute our characters and make of us beings entirely unlike our previous selves. Through prayer and supplication, obedience to the divine laws Bahá'u'lláh has revealed, and ever-increasing service to His Faith, we can change ourselves.

- Shoghi Effendi, 22 November 1941 to an individual believer

12 April | p.m

If it be your wish, O people, to know God and to discover the greatness of His might, look, then, upon Me with Mine own eyes, and not with the eyes of any one besides Me.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 272

From all eternity I have indeed recognized Thee and unto all eternity will ever do so through Thine Own Self and not through any one else besides Thee.

- The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 3

12 April | a.m

Leprosy may be interpreted as any veil that interveneth between man and the recognition of the Lord, his God. Whoso alloweth himself to be shut out from Him is indeed a leper, who shall not be remembered in the Kingdom of God, the Mighty, the All-Praised. We bear witness that through the power of the Word of God every leper was cleansed, every sickness was healed, every human infirmity was banished. He it is Who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 86

Whoso hath failed to recognize Him will have condemned himself to the misery of remoteness, a remoteness which is naught but utter nothingness and the essence of the nethermost fire. Such will be his fate, though to outward seeming he may occupy the earth's loftiest seats and be established upon its most exalted throne.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 70

11 April | p.m

Thou hast gained admittance into the Paradise of God's Remembrance, through thy recognition of Him Who is the Embodiment of that Remembrance amongst men.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 303

…only in the remembrance of God can the heart find rest.

- Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 95

11 April | a.m

The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws…It behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other.

- Baha'u'llah, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 17

This blessed verse means that the foundation of success and salvation is the knowledge of God, and that the results of the knowledge of God are the good actions which are the fruits of faith.

- Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 238

10 April | p.m

Know then that "life" hath a twofold meaning. The first pertaineth to the appearance of man in an elemental body, and is as manifest to thine eminence and to others as the midday sun. This life cometh to an end with physical death, which is a God-ordained and inescapable reality. That life, however, which is mentioned in the Books of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of God is the life of knowledge; that is to say, the servant's recognition of the sign of the splendours wherewith He Who is the Source of all splendour hath Himself invested him, and his certitude of attaining unto the presence of God through the Manifestations of His Cause.

- Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries

As to those that have tasted of the fruit of man's earthly existence, which is the recognition of the one true God, exalted be His glory, their life hereafter is such as We are unable to describe. The knowledge thereof is with God, alone, the Lord of all worlds.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 343

10 April | a.m

Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him - a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 65

I am he, O my God… who recognizeth with downcast countenance the splendors of the light of Thy transcendent glory. I have believed in Thee after Thou didst enable me to know Thy Self, Whom Thou hast revealed to men's eyes through the power of Thy sovereignty and might. Unto Him I have turned, wholly detached from all things, and cleaving steadfastly unto the cord of Thy gifts and favors.

- Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 80

9 April | p.m

Blessed is the man that hath acknowledged his belief in God and in His signs, and recognized that "He shall not be asked of His doings." Such a recognition hath been made by God the ornament of every belief, and its very foundation.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 86

...By faith is meant, first, conscious knowledge, and second, the practice of good deeds.

- Abdu’l-Bahá, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu’l-Bahá Section, p. 383