Bahai Calendar - Daily Focal Points For Divine Guidance

"The Word of God
is the king of words
and its pervasive influence is incalculable.
It hath ever dominated
and will continue to dominate
the realm of being...
...The Word is the master key for the whole world
inasmuch through its potency
the doors of the hearts of men,
which in reality are the doors of heaven,
are unlocked..."

Year 178 B. E. – Abad/Eternity - Month 9 - Asmá'/Names

Rejoice thou with great joy
that We have remembered thee
both now and in the past.
Indeed the sweet savours of this remembrance shall endure
and shall not change throughout the eternity of the Names of God,
the Lord of mankind.
We have graciously accepted thy devotions,
thy praise, thy teaching work and the services
thou hast rendered for the sake of this mighty Announcement.
We have also hearkened unto that which thy tongue hath uttered
at the meetings and gatherings.
Verily thy Lord heareth and observeth all things.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 246)

If thou desirest to be freed from affliction,
recite thou this prayer
which hath been revealed by the Pen of the All-Merciful:
"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.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Tabernacle of Unity)

Whatsoever runneth counter to the Teachings in this day is rejected,
for the Sun of Truth
is shining resplendent above the horizon of knowledge.
Happy are they who,
with the waters of divine utterance,
have cleansed their hearts
from all allusions, whisperings and suggestions,
and who have fixed their gaze upon the Dayspring of Glory.
This, indeed, is the most gracious favour
and the purest bounty.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Taberacle of Unity)

Thou seest, O my Lord,
this wretched creature
knocking at the door of Thy grace,
and this evanescent soul
seeking the river of everlasting life
from the hands of Thy bounty.
Thine is the command at all times,
O Thou Who art the Lord of all names;
and mine is resignation
and willing submission to Thy will,
O Creator of the heavens!
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 95)

I entreat Thee by Thy footsteps in this wilderness,
and by the words
"Here am I. Here am I"
which Thy chosen Ones have uttered in this immensity,
and by the breaths of Thy Revelation,
and the gentle winds of the Dawn of Thy Manifestation,
to ordain that I may gaze on Thy beauty
and observe whatsoever is in Thy Book.
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 96)

GOD, the True One,
testifieth
and the Revealers of His names and attributes
bear witness
that Our sole purpose in raising the Call
and in proclaiming His sublime Word
is that the ear of the entire creation may,
through the living waters of divine utterance,
be purged from lying tales
and become attuned to the holy, the glorious and exalted Word
which hath issued forth from the repository of the knowledge
of the Maker of the Heavens and the Creator of Names.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 21)

Arise, O people,
and, by the power of God's might,
resolve to gain the victory over your own selves,
that haply the whole earth may be freed and sanctified
from its servitude to the gods of its idle fancies --
gods that have inflicted such loss upon,
and are responsible for the misery of their wretched worshippers.
These idols form the obstacle
that impedeth man in his efforts to advance
in the path of perfection.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 86)

To every discerning and illumined heart it is evident that God,
the unknowable Essence,
the divine Being,
is immensely exalted beyond every human attribute,
such as corporeal existence,
ascent and descent,
egress and regress.
Far be it from His glory
that human tongue should adequately recount His praise,
or that human heart comprehend His fathomless mystery.
He is and hath ever been veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence,
and will remain in His Reality
everlastingly hidden from the sight of men.
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-`Iqán, p. 97)

These Tabernacles of holiness,
these primal Mirrors
which reflect the light of unfading glory,
are but expressions of Him
Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles.
By the revelation of these gems of divine virtue
all the names and attributes of God,
such as knowledge and power,
sovereignty and dominion,
mercy and wisdom,
glory, bounty and grace,
are made manifest.
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-`Iqán, p. 103)

Unstop, then, the ear of thine heart
that thou mayest hearken unto the speech of the Divine Lote-Tree
that hath been raised up in truth
by God, the Almighty, the Beneficent.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 84)

Be an ornament to the countenance of truth,
a crown to the brow of fidelity,
a pillar of the temple of righteousness,
a breath of life to the body of mankind,
an ensign of the hosts of justice,
a luminary above the horizon of virtue,
a dew to the soil of the human heart,
an ark on the ocean of knowledge,
a sun in the heaven of bounty,
a gem on the diadem of wisdom,
a shining light in the firmament of thy generation,
a fruit upon the tree of humility.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 93)

Whenever thou art desiring to talk and answer questions,
turn thy face toward the Kingdom of ABHA
and beseech for assistance; then loosen thy tongue.
Thou wilt behold at that time
how thou art able to answer all the questions!
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of `Abdu'l-Bahá v3, p. 592)

O my God! O my God!
This Thy maid-servant supplicates to Thee,
trusts in Thee and directs herself unto Thee,
asking Thee to shed Thy divine mercies upon her,
to manifest Thy spiritual mysteries
and to show forth Thy majesty unto her.
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of `Abdu'l-Bahá v1, p. 95)

Religion, moreover, is not a series of beliefs,
a set of customs;
religion is the teachings of the Lord God,
teachings which constitute the very life of humankind,
which urge high thoughts upon the mind,
refine the character,
and lay the groundwork for man's everlasting honour.
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 52)

Let God's beloved,
each and every one,
be the essence of purity,
the very life of holiness,
so that in every country
they may become famed for their sanctity,
independence of spirit,
and meekness.
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 203)

"The understanding of His words
and the comprehension of the utterances of the Birds of Heaven
are in no wise dependent upon human learning.
They depend solely upon purity of heart,
chastity of soul,
freedom of spirit."