29 Nov | a.m

God hath prescribed unto everyone the duty of teaching His Cause. Whoever ariseth to discharge this duty, must needs, ere he proclaimeth His Message, adorn himself with the ornament of an upright and praiseworthy character, so that his words may attract the hearts of such as are receptive to his call.

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

28 Nov | p.m

Whoso ariseth among you to teach the Cause of his Lord, let him, before all else, teach his own self, that his speech may attract the hearts of them that hear him. Unless he teacheth his own self, the words of his mouth will not influence the heart of the seeker. Take heed, O people, lest ye be of them that give good counsel to others but forget to follow it themselves.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 277

28 Nov | a.m

O people of Bahá! Subdue the citadels of men's hearts with the swords of wisdom and of utterance. They that dispute, as prompted by their desires, are indeed wrapped in a palpable veil.

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

I implore God to give thee indication of good conduct in the way of salvation, as a guiding lamp lighted from the fire of God's Love, and to cause thee to be called in His Name by the multitude of the world, so that the Name of God shall be proclaimed in all far off countries.

- Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, p. 478

27 Nov | p.m

It behoveth them [who arise to teach] to choose as the best provision for their journey reliance upon God, and to clothe themselves with the love of their Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious. If they do so, their words shall influence their hearers.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 200

27 Nov | a.m

If they arise to teach My Cause, they must let the breath of Him Who is the Unconstrained, stir them and must spread it abroad on the earth with high resolve, with minds that are wholly centered in Him, and with hearts that are completely detached from and independent of all things, and with souls that are sanctified from the world and its vanities.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 200

The world is seeking as never before, and if the Friends will arise with new determination, fully consecrated to the noble task ahead of them victory after victory will be won for the Glorious Faith of God.

- Shoghi Effendi, High Endeavours - Messages to Alaska, p. 25

26 Nov | p.m

Whoso ariseth wholly for the sake of his Lord to teach His Cause, the Holy Spirit shall strengthen him and inspire him with that which will illumine the heart of the world, how much more the hearts of those who seek Him

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

The Hosts of the Supreme Concourse are in marshall array, poised between Earth and Heaven ready to rush to the assistance of those who arise to Teach the Faith. If one seeks the confirmation of the Holy Spirit, they can find it in rich abundance in the Teaching Field.

- Shoghi Effendi, High Endeavours - Messages to Alaska, p. 25

26 Nov | a.m

Say: Teach ye the Cause of God, O people of Bahá, for God hath prescribed unto every one the duty of proclaiming His Message, and regardeth it as the most meritorious of all deeds.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 278

I supplicate God that He suffer thee to become a herald of the Kingdom in all those places, so that thou mayest proclaim the glad-tidings of the Lord of Hosts.

- Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 223

22 Nov | a.m

The Voice of God commanded Him [Abraham] to offer up Ishmael as a sacrifice, so that His steadfastness in the Faith of God and His detachment from all else but Him may be demonstrated unto men. The purpose of God, moreover, was to sacrifice him as a ransom for the sins and iniquities of all the peoples of the earth. This same honor, Jesus, the Son of Mary, besought the one true God, exalted be His name and glory, to confer upon Him. For the same reason was Husayn offered up as a sacrifice by Muhammad, the Apostle of God.

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 75

21 Nov | p.m

O heedless one! The tale of the Sacrifice (Ishmael) hath been retold, and he who was to be offered up hath directed his steps towards the place of sacrifice, and returned not, by reason of that which thy hand hath wrought, O perverse hater! Didst thou imagine that martyrdom could abase this Cause?

- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 100

21 Nov | a.m

By the righteousness of God! If thou wert present before My Throne and didst hearken unto the Tongue of might and grandeur, thou wouldst sacrifice thy body, thy soul, thine entire being as a token of thy love for God, the Sovereign, the Protector, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, and wouldst so thrill to the fascination of His Voice that every pen would be powerless to recount thy station and every eloquent speaker would be confounded in his attempt to describe it.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 263

20 Nov | p.m

By Thy glory! I desire neither Myself nor My life except for the purpose of serving Thy Cause, and I love not My being save that I may sacrifice it in Thy path.

- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 36

My hope is that out of the Lord's abundant grace, His munificence and loving-kindness, I may, in His pathway, be hanged against the sky, that my heart may become the target for a thousand bullets, or that I may be cast into the depths of the sea, or be left to perish on desert sands. This is what I long for most; this is my supreme desire; it refresheth my soul, it is balm for my breast, it is the very solace of mine eyes.

- Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 241

20 Nov | a.m

Methinks I heard a Voice calling in my inmost being: 'Do thou sacrifice the thing which Thou lovest most in the path of God, even as Husayn, peace be upon him, hath offered up his life for My sake.' And were I not regardful of this inevitable mystery, by Him, Who hath my being between His hands even if all the kings of the earth were to be leagued together they would be powerless to take from me a single letter, how much less can these servants who are worthy of no attention, and who verily are of the outcast... That all may know the degree of My patience, My resignation, and self-sacrifice in the path of God.

- The Báb, quoted by Baha'u'llah in The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 230

19 Nov | p.m

Wherefore, O friend, give up thy self that thou mayest find the Peerless One, pass by this mortal earth that thou mayest seek a home in the nest of heaven. Be as naught, if thou wouldst kindle the fire of being and be fit for the pathway of love.

- Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 9

Follow in the footsteps of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and in the pathway of the Abhá Beauty, long at every moment to give up your lives.

- Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 245

19 Nov | a.m

Love accepteth no existence and wisheth no life: He seeth life in death, and in shame seeketh glory. To merit the madness of love, man must abound in sanity; to merit the bonds of the Friend, he must be full of spirit. Blessed the neck that is caught in His noose, happy the head that falleth on the dust in the pathway of His love.

- Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 9

By the Lord God! I would not exchange this prison for the throne of the whole world, nor give up this confinement for pleasures and pastimes in all the fair gardens on earth.

- Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 241

14 Nov | a.m

The fifth Ishraq

Governments should fully acquaint themselves with the conditions of those they govern, and confer upon them positions according to desert and merit. It is enjoined upon every ruler and sovereign to consider this matter with the utmost care that the traitor may not usurp the position of the faithful, nor the despoiler rule in the place of the trustworthy. Among the officials who in the past have governed in this Most Great Prison some, praise be to God, were adorned with justice, but as to others, We take refuge with God. We beseech the One true God to guide them one and all, that haply they may not be deprived of the fruit of faith and trustworthiness, nor be withheld from the light of equity and justice.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 126

13 Nov | p.m

The fourth Ishraq

In this Revelation the hosts that can render it victorious are the hosts of praiseworthy deeds and upright character. The leader and commander of these hosts hath ever been the fear of God, a fear that encompasseth all things and reigneth over all things.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 125

13 Nov | a.m

The third Ishraq

It is incumbent upon everyone to observe God's holy commandments, inasmuch as they are the wellspring of life unto the world. The heaven of divine wisdom is illumined with the two luminaries of consultation and compassion and the canopy of world order is upraised upon the two pillars of reward and punishment.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 125

12 Nov | p.m

The second Ishraq

We have enjoined upon all mankind to establish the Most Great Peace - the surest of all means for the protection of humanity. The sovereigns of the world should, with one accord, hold fast thereunto, for this is the supreme instrument that can ensure the security and welfare of all peoples and nations. They, verily, are the manifestations of the power of God and the daysprings of His authority.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 125

12 Nov | a.m

The first Ishraq

When the Day-Star of Wisdom rose above the horizon of God's Holy Dispensation it voiced this all-glorious utterance: They that are possessed of wealth and invested with authority and power must show the profoundest regard for religion. In truth, religion is a radiant light and an impregnable stronghold for the protection and welfare of the peoples of the world, for the fear of God impelleth man to hold fast to that which is good, and shun all evil.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 125

8 Nov | p.m

In these days it is incumbent upon everyone to adhere tenaciously unto unity and concord and to labour diligently in promoting the Cause of God, that perchance the wayward souls may attain that which will lead unto abiding prosperity.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah

8 Nov | a.m

The people of Bahá burn brightly amidst the gatherings even as a candle and hold fast unto that which God hath purposed. This station standeth supreme above all stations. Well is it with him who hath cast away the things that the people of the world possess, yearning for that which pertaineth unto God, the Sovereign Lord of eternity.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 57

7 Nov | p.m

Every fair-minded person testifieth and every man of insight is well aware that the One true God - exalted be His glory - hath unceasingly set forth and expounded that which will elevate the station and will exalt the rank of the children of men.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 57

7 Nov | a.m

God grant you may be graciously aided under all conditions to shatter the idols of superstition and to tear away the veils of the imaginations of men. Authority lieth in the grasp of God, the Fountainhead of revelation and inspiration and the Lord of the Day of Resurrection.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 57

6 Nov | p.m

Indeed none but a few of the existing generation hath yet earned the merit of hearkening unto the warblings of the doves of the all-highest Paradise. 'Few of My servants are truly thankful.'* People for the most part delight in superstitions. They regard a single drop of the sea of delusion as preferable to an ocean of certitude. By holding fast unto names they deprive themselves of the inner reality and by clinging to vain imaginings they are kept back from the Dayspring of heavenly signs.

* Qur'án 34:12

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 57

6 Nov | a.m

Say: Honesty, virtue, wisdom and a saintly character redound to the exaltation of man, while dishonesty, imposture, ignorance and hypocrisy lead to his abasement. By My life! Man's distinction lieth not in ornaments or wealth, but rather in virtuous behaviour and true understanding.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 54

5 Nov | p.m

It behoveth the people of Bahá to render the Lord victorious through the power of their utterance and to admonish the people by their goodly deeds and character, inasmuch as deeds exert greater influence than words.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 54

5 Nov | a.m

O YE the embodiments of justice and equity and the manifestations of uprightness and of heavenly bounties! In tears and lamenting, this Wronged One calleth aloud and saith: O God, my God! Adorn the heads of Thy loved ones with the crown of detachment and attire their temples with the raiment of righteousness.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 54

Read, with close attention, the Tablets of Tarazat (Ornaments), Kalimat (Words of Paradise), Tajalliyyat (Effulgences), Ishraqat (Splendours), and Bisharat (Glad Tidings), and rise up as ye are bidden in the heavenly teachings. Thus may each one of you be even as a candle casting its light, the centre of attraction wherever people come together; and from you, as from a bed of flowers, may sweet scents be shed.

- Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 35

31 Oct | p.m

Say: O people, if ye judge fairly and equitably, ye will testify to the truth of whatsoever hath streamed forth from the Most Exalted Pen. If ye be of the people of the Bayan, the Persian Bayan will guide you aright and will prove a sufficient testimony unto you; and if ye be of the people of the Qur'án, ponder ye upon the Revelation on Sinai and the Voice from the Bush which came unto the Son of Imran [Moses].

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 51

31 Oct | a.m

The fourth Tajalli is concerning Divinity, Godhead and the like. Were a man of insight to direct his gaze towards the blessed, the manifest Lote-Tree and its fruits, he would be so enriched thereby as to be independent of aught else and to acknowledge his belief in that which the Speaker on Sinai hath uttered from the throne of Revelation.

- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 52