Virtues

Agriculture is an important subject at the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women in Indore, India. Used with permission of the Bahá’í International Community at http://media.bahai.org.

It is enjoined upon every one of you to engage in some form of occupation, such as crafts, trades and the like. We have graciously exalted your engagement in such work to the rank of worship unto God, the True One. Ponder ye in your hearts the grace and the blessings of God and render thanks unto Him at eventide and at dawn. Waste not your time in idleness and sloth. Occupy yourselves with that which profiteth yourselves and others. Thus hath it been decreed in this Tablet from whose horizon the day-star of wisdom and utterance shineth resplendent.

Bahá’u’lláh

~

All praise be unto Thee, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God. Graciously enable me to ascend unto Thee, to be granted the honor of dwelling in Thy nearness and to have communion with Thee alone. No God is there but Thee.

The Báb

~

All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Say: O friends! Drink your fill from this crystal stream that floweth through the heavenly grace of Him Who is the Lord of Names. Let others partake of its waters in My name, that the leaders of men in every land may fully recognize the purpose for which the Eternal Truth hath been revealed, and the reason for which they themselves have been created.

Bahá’u’lláh

Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou art He Whom all things worship and Who worshipeth no one, Who is the Lord of all things and is the vassal of none, Who knoweth all things and is known of none. Thou didst wish to make Thyself known unto men; therefore, Thou didst, through a word of Thy mouth, bring creation into being and fashion the universe. There is none other God except Thee, the Fashioner, the Creator, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.

I implore Thee, by this very word that hath shone forth above the horizon of Thy will, to enable me to drink deep of the living waters through which Thou hast vivified the hearts of Thy chosen ones and quickened the souls of them that love Thee, that I may, at all times and under all conditions, turn my face wholly towards Thee.

Thou art the God of power, of glory and bounty. No God is there beside Thee, the Supreme Ruler, the All-Glorious, the Omniscient. 

 ~

By Thy beauty, O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and the Creator of the heavens! I can smell the fragrance of the words which, in His love for Thee, His lips have uttered, and can feel the glow of the fire that had inflamed His soul in its longing to behold Thy face and in its yearning after the Day-Spring of the light of Thy oneness, and the Dawning-Place of Thy transcendent unity.

~

The Pen of the Most High is unceasingly calling; and yet, how few are those that have inclined their ear to its voice! The dwellers of the kingdom of names have busied themselves with the gay livery of the world, forgetful that every man that hath eyes to perceive and ears to hear cannot but readily recognize how evanescent are its colors.

 Bahá’u’lláh

The third Taraz [Ornament] concerneth good character. A good character is, verily, the best mantle for men from God. With it He adorneth the temples of His loved ones. By My life! The light of a good character surpasseth the light of the sun and the radiance thereof. Whoso attaineth unto it is accounted as a jewel among men. The glory and the upliftment of the world must needs depend upon it. A goodly character is a means whereby men are guided to the Straight Path and are led to the Great Announcement. Well is it with him who is adorned with the saintly attributes and character of the Concourse on High.

~ 

Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts.

~

For all these things I offer thanksgiving unto Thee, O my Lord! I implore Thee to assist me and them that love me to magnify Thy Word, and to endow us with such strength that the ills of this world and its tribulations will be powerless to hinder us from remembering Thee and from extolling Thy virtues. Powerful art Thou to do all things; resplendent art Thou above all things.

Bahá’u’lláh

O people of Bahá! It is incumbent upon each one of you to engage in some occupation — such as a craft, a trade or the like. We have exalted your engagement in such work to the rank of worship of the one true God. Reflect, O people, on the grace and blessings of your Lord, and yield Him thanks at eventide and dawn. Waste not your hours in idleness and sloth, but occupy yourselves with what will profit you and others. Thus hath it been decreed in this Tablet from whose horizon hath shone the day-star of wisdom and utterance. The most despised of men in the sight of God are they who sit and beg. Hold ye fast unto the cord of means and place your trust in God, the Provider of all means.

Bahá’u’lláh

Concerning thine own affairs, if thou wouldst content thyself with whatever might come to pass it would be praiseworthy. To engage in some profession is highly commendable, for when occupied with work one is less likely to dwell on the unpleasant aspects of life. God willing thou mayest experience joy and radiance, gladness and exultation in any city or land where thou mayest happen to sojourn. This lowly servant will never forget that distinguished and kind friend. He hath remembered and will continue to remember thee. The decree lieth with God, the Lord of all worlds. I fain would hope He may vouchsafe divine assistance and grant confirmation in that which is pleasing and acceptable unto Him.

 Bahá’u’lláh

A photo of the mansion at Mazra’ih, a short distance north of Akká.  Following more than two years incarceration in the prison city of Akká, a place without verdure of any kind, Bahá’u’lláh was permitted to depart from the city and make His residence a short distance away at Mazra’ih, which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had rented for Him.  Here, he was able to enjoy nature’s greenery, which He loved, and His followers were given much greater freedom to attain His presence.

~

Glorified be Thy name, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Thy power that hath encompassed all created things, and by Thy sovereignty that hath transcended the entire creation, and by Thy Word which was hidden in Thy wisdom and whereby Thou didst create Thy heaven and Thy earth, both to enable us to be steadfast in our love for Thee and in our obedience to Thy pleasure, and to fix our gaze upon Thy face, and celebrate Thy glory.

                                                                                                        Bahá’u’lláh

~

 Obedience to the will of God, whose will is expressed through His Manifestation, is a virtue. Here is a story of the importance of complete, exact, and instant obedience to that Will. It is from The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 4, by Adib Taherzadeh.

The story of Hájí Muhammad would not be complete without referring to one of his noble qualities, namely, his utter obedience to the Centre of the Cause. There was a time when Hájí Muhammad had a business concern in ‘Akká. One day he was sitting in his office when the Master arrived with an urgent instruction from Bahá’u’lláh that Hájí Muhammad should immediately proceed to Jaddih (Jiddah) in Arabia. He asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá if he could be permitted to attain the presence of Bahá’u’lláh before departing for Jaddih. The Master told him that there was no time, for the boat was leaving at any minute. Hájí Muhammad at once closed the office, and without even paying a visit to his family boarded the ship which sailed away almost immediately. Once on board, he realized that because of the extraordinary rush, he had not even thought to ask the Master the purpose of his trip to Jaddih. But now it was too late, and he knew that Bahá’u’lláh would guide his steps when he arrived in that city. This is the best example of instant, exact and complete obedience to the command of Bahá’u’lláh.

The journey was fraught with danger because the sea was unusually stormy. The danger of the ship sinking was in everyone’s mind except for Hájí Muhammad, who was sure that it would sail safely to its destination because God had given him a mission in Jaddih, the nature of which was as yet unknown to him. Soon after disembarking from the ship, he heard two people speaking in Persian among the crowds. When he approached them he soon found out that they were Bahá’ís. They were Hájí Mírzá Haydar-‘Alí, that illustrious follower of Bahá’u’lláh, and his fellow prisoner Husayn-i- Shírazí who had been set free from their ten-year imprisonment in Khartúm and were on their way to ‘Akká. They were in need of help and guidance, for this was their first journey to the Holy Land. Hájí Muhammad knew then   that the purpose of his mission in Jaddih was to assist these two souls to go to ‘Akká, a task which he then carried out ably. 

 ~

Want to buy this book? Go to http://www.grbooks.com/ or http://www.bahaibookstore.com/.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The Center of the Covenant

Photo courtesy of Médiathèque Baha’ie Francophone www.bahai-biblio.org

~

Another eyewitness has related the following story of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Dublin [New Hampshire, U.S.A.]. Early one morning, when He was in the grounds of the Inn dictating to a secretary, an old man, obviously a tramp, came shuffling along the street.  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá noticed him and told His secretary to go and call him in. He took the old man’s dirt-crusted hands in His, and spoke to him with love and affection. It was as if He had known this weary, dejected tramp all His life. And then He saw how filthy and torn the old man’s trousers were. At that hour of the day no one was about. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked towards the porch of the Inn, wrapped His long-flowing ‘aba round Himself, took off His own trousers, gave them to the old tramp, and told him: ‘May God go with you.’ (In the Holy Land, many a time did He invite a passing bedouin or a shepherd to come and sit beside Him and share His meal.)

 From ‘Abdu’l-Baha – The Centre of the Covenant, by H.M. Balyuzi

~

Want to purchase this book? Go to http://www.grbooks.com/ or http://www.bahaibookstore.com/.