"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..."

Bahá'u'lláh

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Year 177 B. E. – V/Váv/The Great Reversal in the Sign of the Sovereign  - Month 18 - Mulk/Dominion

Behold,
the "mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign of the Sovereign"
hath now been made manifest.
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 75)

The name for the letter "Váv" consists of three letters:
Váv, Alif, Váv.
According to the abjad reckoning,
the numerical value of each of these letters is 6, 1 and 6 respectively.
Shoghi Effendi in a letter written on his behalf
to one of the believers in the East
provides an interpretation of this verse of the Aqdas.
He states that the "Upright Alif" refers to the advent of the Báb.
The first letter with its value of six,
which comes before the Alif,
is a symbol of earlier Dispensations and Manifestations
which predate the Báb,
while the third letter,
which also has a numerical value of six,
stands for Bahá'u'lláh's supreme Revelation
which was made manifest after the Alif.
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 240)

Day 16 - Sharaf/Honour & Jalál/Glory

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)

Direct thine attention to the holy Tablets;
 read thou the Ishraqat,
Tajalliyyat,
the Words of Paradise,
the Glad Tidings,
the Tarazat,
the Most Holy Book.
Then wilt thou see that today these heavenly Teachings
are the remedy for a sick and suffering world,
and a healing balm for the sores on the body of mankind.
They are the spirit of life,
the ark of salvation,
magnet to draw down eternal glory,
the dynamic power to motivate the inner self of man.
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 61)

Day 17 - Sultán/Sovereignty & Jamál/Beauty

Although men may arise against the Kingdom,
the dominion and sovereignty of God will be set up.
It is an eternal Kingdom,
a divine sovereignty.
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 212)

Rejoice,
for the heavenly table is prepared for you.
Rejoice,
for the angels of heaven are your assistants and helpers.
Rejoice,
for the glance of the Blessed Beauty,
Bahá'u'lláh,
is directed upon you.
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 214)

Day 18 - Mulk/Dominion & Kamál/Perfection

The dominion of kings has an ending;
the king himself may be dethroned;
but the sovereignty of science is everlasting and without end.
Consider the philosophers of former times.
Their rule and dominion is still manifest in the world.
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 349)

Man reacheth perfection through good deeds,
voluntarily performed,
not through good deeds the doing of which was forced upon him.
And sharing is a personally chosen righteous act:
that is, the rich should extend assistance to the poor,
they should expend their substance for the poor,
but of their own free will,
and not because the poor have gained this end by force.
For the harvest of force is turmoil
and the ruin of the social order.
On the other hand voluntary sharing,
the freely-chosen expending of one's substance,
leadeth to society's comfort and peace.
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 115)

 Day 19 - `Alá'/Loftiness & Fidál/Grace

Man is base, treacherous and mean;
the Manifestations of God
uplift him into dignity, nobility and loftiness.
`Abdu'l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 111)

This station is the greatest of all stations,
for this connection of the spirit of man with God
is like unto a mirror
and the sun of reality is reflected in it.
Thus it becomes the collective center of all the virtues;
its emanation is the bestowal of the king of bestowers;
its radiations are the manifold splendors of the infinite luminary;
its sanctity is from the highest summit of divine essence.
This station is the station of heavenly inspiration
and is called the station of the divine grace.
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 166)

Year 177 B. E. – V/Váv/The Great Reversal in the Sign of the Sovereign  - Month 19 - `Alá'/Loftiness

Behold,
the "mystery of the Great Reversal in the Sign of the Sovereign"
hath now been made manifest.
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 75)

The name for the letter "Váv" consists of three letters:
Váv, Alif, Váv.
According to the abjad reckoning,
the numerical value of each of these letters is 6, 1 and 6 respectively.
Shoghi Effendi in a letter written on his behalf
to one of the believers in the East
provides an interpretation of this verse of the Aqdas.
He states that the "Upright Alif" refers to the advent of the Báb.
The first letter with its value of six,
which comes before the Alif,
is a symbol of earlier Dispensations and Manifestations
which predate the Báb,
while the third letter,
which also has a numerical value of six,
stands for Bahá'u'lláh's supreme Revelation
which was made manifest after the Alif.
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 240)

Day 1 - Bahá/Splendour & `Idál/Justice

THROUGH Thy revelation, O my God,
Thou hast enabled me to know Thee,
and through the radiance of Thine effulgent splendour
Thou hast inspired me with Thy remembrance.
(The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 211)

These are the appointed days
which ye have been yearningly awaiting in the past --
the days of the advent of divine justice.
Render ye thanks unto God,
O ye concourse of believers.
(The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 161)

Day 2 - Jalál/Glory & Istijlál/Majesty

Praised art Thou, O Lord!
At Thy behest
Thou dost render victorious whomsoever Thou willest,
through the hosts of heaven and earth
and whatsoever existeth between them.
Thou art the Sovereign,
the Eternal Truth,
the Lord of invincible might.
(The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 176)

Naught do I now witness
but the manifold evidences
of Thy grace and loving-kindness,
Thy bounty and gracious favours,
Thy generosity and loftiness,
Thy sovereignty and might,
Thy splendour and Thy glory,
and that which befitteth the holy court
of Thy transcendent dominion and majesty
and beseemeth the glorious precincts
of Thine eternity and exaltation.
(The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 181)

Day 3 - Jamál/Beauty & Istiqlál/Independence

Thou art the Ancient of Days
Whom none can ever describe
through the evidences of Thy glory and majesty,
and Thou art the mighty One
Whom none can ever comprehend
through the revelations of Thy greatness and beauty,
inasmuch as the expressions of majesty and grandeur
and the attributes of dominion and beauty
are but the tokens of Thy divine Will
the effulgent reflections of Thy sovereignty
which, by reason of their very essence and nature,
proclaim that the way is barred
and bear witness that the pathway is inaccessibly beyond the reach of men.
(The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 212)

No Lord but Thee do we invoke, O God our Lord,
nor do we implore blessings or grace from anyone but Thee,
O Thou Who art the God of mercy
unto this world and the next.
We are but the embodiments of poverty,
of nothingness, of helplessness and of perdition,
while Thy whole Being betokeneth wealth,
independence, glory, majesty and boundless grace.
(The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 179)

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 "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."

Bahá'u'lláh

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