The purpose underlying the revelation of every heavenly Book, nay, of every divinely-revealed verse, is to endue all men with righteousness and understanding, so that peace and tranquillity may be firmly established amongst them. Whatsoever instilleth assurance into the hearts of men, whatsoever exalteth their station or promoteth their contentment, is acceptable in the sight of God. How lofty is the station which man, if he but choose to fulfill his high destiny, can attain! To what depths of degradation he can sink, depths which the meanest of creatures have never reached! Seize, O friends, the chance which this Day offereth you, and deprive not yourselves of the liberal effusions of His grace. I beseech God that He may graciously enable every one of you to adorn himself, in this blessed Day, with the ornament of pure and holy deeds. He, verily, doeth whatsoever He willeth.

Bahá’u’lláh

Photo reprinted with permission of the Bahá’í International Community: http://media.bahai.org

Verily I say, the human soul is, in its essence, one of the signs of God, a mystery among His mysteries. It is one of the mighty signs of the Almighty, the harbinger that proclaimeth the reality of all the worlds of God. Within it lieth concealed that which the world is now utterly incapable of apprehending. Ponder in thine heart the revelation of the Soul of God that pervadeth all His Laws, and contrast it with that base and appetitive nature that hath rebelled against Him, that forbiddeth men to turn unto the Lord of Names, and impelleth them to walk after their lusts and wickedness. Such a soul hath, in truth, wandered far in the path of error…

Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the state of the soul after its separation from the body. Know thou, of a truth, that if the soul of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly, return and be gathered to the glory of the Beloved. By the righteousness of God! It shall attain a station such as no pen can depict, or tongue describe. The soul that hath remained faithful to the Cause of God, and stood unwaveringly firm in His Path shall, after his ascension, be possessed of such power that all the worlds which the Almighty hath created can benefit through him. Such a soul provideth, at the bidding of the Ideal King and Divine Educator, the pure leaven that leaveneth the world of being, and furnisheth the power through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Consider how meal needeth leaven to be leavened with. Those souls that are the symbols of detachment are the leaven of the world. Meditate on this, and be of the thankful.

                                                                                                                                                                                                             Bahá’u’lláh

 

 

Say: Rejoice not in the things ye possess; tonight they are yours, tomorrow others will possess them. Thus warneth you He Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Say: Can ye claim that what ye own is lasting or secure? Nay! By Myself, the All-Merciful. The days of your life flee away as a breath of wind, and all your pomp and glory shall be folded up as were the pomp and glory of those gone before you. Reflect, O people! What hath become of your bygone days, your lost centuries? Happy the days that have been consecrated to the remembrance of God, and blessed the hours which have been spent in praise of Him Who is the All-Wise. By My life! Neither the pomp of the mighty, nor the wealth of the rich, nor even the ascendancy of the ungodly will endure. All will perish, at a word from Him. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the All-Compelling, the Almighty. What advantage is there in the earthly things which men possess? That which shall profit them, they have utterly neglected. Erelong, they will awake from their slumber, and find themselves unable to obtain that which hath escaped them in the days of their Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised. Did they but know it, they would renounce their all, that their names may be mentioned before His throne. They, verily, are accounted among the dead.

Bahá’u’lláh

 

 

Thou hast asked Me concerning the nature of the soul. Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel. It is the first among all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him. If it be faithful to God, it will reflect His light, and will, eventually, return unto Him. If it fail, however, in its allegiance to its Creator, it will become a victim to self and passion, and will, in the end, sink in their depths.

 

Much hath been written in the books of old concerning the various stages in the development of the soul, such as concupiscence, irascibility, inspiration, benevolence, contentment, Divine good-pleasure, and the like; the Pen of the Most High, however, is disinclined to dwell upon them. Every soul that walketh humbly with its God, in this Day, and cleaveth unto Him, shall find itself invested with the honor and glory of all goodly names and stations.

 

Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the state of the soul after its separation from the body. Know thou, of a truth, that if the soul of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly, return and be gathered to the glory of the Beloved. By the righteousness of God! It shall attain a station such as no pen can depict, or tongue describe. The soul that hath remained faithful to the Cause of God, and stood unwaveringly firm in His Path shall, after his ascension, be possessed of such power that all the worlds which the Almighty hath created can benefit through him. Such a soul provideth, at the bidding of the Ideal King and Divine Educator, the pure leaven that leaveneth the world of being, and furnisheth the power through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Consider how meal needeth leaven to be leavened with. Those souls that are the symbols of detachment are the leaven of the world. Meditate on this, and be of the thankful.

 Bahá’u’lláh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Friends,

 

Education Under Fire is pleased to announce the latest in
the Angels of Iran video series featuring journalist Roxana Saberi and Amnesty
International Iran Specialist Elise Auerbach.
In this beautiful and moving story, we share Roxana’s time in prison
with Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi, two members of The Yaran, still
unjustly incarcerated. To highlight the suffering of all Iranians and to
commemorate and celebrate their resilience, we ask that you join us in
spreading this special announcement through your contacts and networks, social
media and news outlets. Below is a brief press release.

 

The direct link to the video is:

http://vimeo.com/euf/roxanasaberi-avoiceforthevoiceless

 

ANGELS OF IRAN | A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS: ROXANA SABERI
The story of Roxanna Saberi s time in prison with Mahvash Sabet and Fariba
Kamalabadi, two of The Yaran ( the Friends ), sentenced to 20 years in prison
simply for helping administer the needs of the Baha i community in Iran.
Featuring journalist Roxana Saberi and Elise Auerbach, Iran Specialist for
Amnesty International USA. Roxana, “I think the lessons that Mahvash and
Fariba taught me in prison are universal. And they can apply to anybody,
anywhere in the world.  You don t have to
be in prison. We have our own prisons, are own adversities, and we can try to
turn those adversities into opportunities.”

 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: David Hoffman

PRODUCER / DIRECTOR: Jeff Kaufman

EDITOR / FIELD AUDIO: Daniel Kaufman

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Emett Casey

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Colin Trenbeath

 

A Single Arrow Productions film

 

CONTACT:

DAVID HOFFMAN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

BOCA RATON, FLORIDA

(336) 580-7660

 

GEOFFREY TYSON, GENERAL MANAGER

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

(256) 604-6265

 

And if you haven’t seen, we need just over 1,000
petitions to reach our Drive to 25 goal! Please be part of this important
endeavor by sharing this call to action and the petition URL:

www.educationunderfire.com/25.

 

With appreciation,

the Education Under Fire team

 

info@educationunderfire.com