Quotes from Baha'i sources:

[arthra]

'There lies a garden in which there are trees with broken branches bearing no fruit, and the leaves thereof are faded and yellow! In that garden, also, there are flowering plants with no blooms, and rose bushes withered and dying -- go not into that garden!'

A just man, hearing this account of the garden, would not be content without seeing for himself whether it be true or not. He, therefore, enters the garden, and behold, he finds it well tilled; the branches of the trees are sturdy and strong, being also loaded with the sweetest of ripe fruits amongst the luxuriance of beautiful green leaves. The flowering plants are bright with many-hued blossoms; the rose bushes are covered with fragrant and lovely roses and all is verdant and well tended.

When the glory of the garden is spread out before the eyes of the just man, he praises God that, through unworthy calumny, he has been led into a place of such wondrous beauty!

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 103

[arthra]

O maid-servant of God! Be not disheartened if thou hearest the murmuring of the deniers, the clamor of the hypocrites, the shouting of the contradictors, the barking of the furious, harmful dogs, in those climes.

Remember the persecutions which consecutively befell the disciples of Christ from the perverse Jews. Consequently, withstand their oppositions with all quiescence and dignity (patience) and their contradictions with all cheerfulness, gladness and dilation of heart (i. e., exaltation) by day and night.

Resist their fighting with peace and reconciliation, their blows with kindness and perfection and their blame with joy and tranquillity. Do beseech God to direct them to the Path of Salvation and breathe into them the Spirit of Life.

Be thou a light to every darkness, a dispeller of every sadness, a healer for every sick person, a quencher for every thirst, a shelter for every refugee, a refuge for every captive.

If the Pharisees interfere with thee, it is incumbent upon thee to implore God to guide them to the road of salvation! And it is incumbent upon thee to be affable to them under all circumstances, to be patient in afflictions, to be courteous with the enemies and to pray for the hateful sinners! This is the nature of the faithful and convinced women believers whose hearts are dilated with the fragrances of God and who instruct (people) in the teachings of God!

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, p. 285

[arthra]

A FEW days ago an epistle was written to those divine believers, but because these days are the days of Naw-Ruz, you have come to my mind and I am sending you this greeting for this glorious feast.

All the days are blessed, but this feast is the national fete of Persia.

The Persians have been holding it for several thousand years past. In reality every day which man passes in the mention of God, the diffusion of the fragrances of God and calling the people to the Kingdom of God, that day is his feast.

Praise be to God that you are occupied in the service of the Kingdom of God and are engaged in the promulgation of the religion of God by day and by night. Therefore all your days are feast days. There is no doubt that the assistance and the bestowal of God shall descend upon you.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 10
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[arthra]

O kind Lord! O Comforter of anguished hearts!

Send down Thy mercy upon us, and Thy grace, bestow upon us patience, give us the strength to endure. With Thy generous hand, lay Thou a balm upon our sores, grant us a medicine for this never-healing woe. Console Thou Thy loved ones, comfort Thy friends and handmaids, heal Thou our wounded breasts, and with Thy bounty's remedy, restore our festering hearts.

With the gentle breeze of Thy compassion, make fresh and green again these boughs, withered by autumn blasts; restore Thou to flourishing life these flowers, shrivelled by the blight of bereavement.

With tidings of the Abha Paradise, wed Thou our souls to joy, and rejoice Thou our spirits with heartening voices from the dwellers in the realm of glory.

Thou art the Bounteous, Thou art the Clement; Thou art the Bestower, the Loving.

~ Bahiyyih Khanum

(Compilations, Bahiyyih Khanum, p. 149)

[nativeastral]

Originally Posted by arthra

"The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is one of the most important though less acknowledged prerequisites of peace.

The denial of such equality perpetrates an injustice against one half of the world's population and promotes in men harmful attitudes and habits that are carried from the family to the workplace, to political life, and ultimately to international relations.

There are no grounds, moral, practical, or biological, upon which such denial can be justified. Only as women are welcomed into full partnership in all fields of human endeavor will the moral and psychological climate be created in which international peace can emerge."

The Universal House of Justice, The Promise of World Peace, pp. 11-12.

hi friend artha
just thought l'd check your first thread, hey presto a truth is told on happy mothers day!

[arthra]

Very good! Thanks for posting that!

- Art

[arthra]

HE IS THE GLORY OF GLORIES

This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue.

~ Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words

[arthra]

It was said, 'Have ye forbidden what God hath sanctioned, or sanctioned what God hath forbidden?'

He said, 'We were the first who followed the commandments of God: we are the source of command and its origin, and the firstfruits of all good and its consummation: we are the sign of the Eternal, and His commemoration amongst the nations.'

It was said, 'Have ye abandoned the Qur'án?'

He said, 'Through us did the Merciful One reveal it; and we are gales of the All-Glorious amidst [His] creatures; we are streams which have arisen from the most mighty Ocean whereby God revived the earth after its death; from us His signs are diffused, His evidences are manifested, and His tokens appear; and with us are His mysteries and His secrets.'

It was said, 'For what fault [then] were ye afflicted?'

He said, 'For the love of God and our severance from all beside Him.'

~ Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, pp. 76-77

[arthra]

O NOBLE friends; seekers after God!

Praise be to God!

Today the light of Truth is shining upon the world in its abundance; the breezes of the heavenly garden are blowing throughout all regions; the call of the Kingdom is heard in all lands, and the breath of the Holy Spirit is felt in all hearts that are faithful.

The Spirit of God is giving eternal life. In this wonderful age the East is enlightened, the West is fragrant, and everywhere the soul inhales the holy perfume. The sea of the unity of mankind is lifting up its waves with joy, for there is real communication between the hearts and minds of men. The banner of the Holy Spirit is uplifted, and men see it, and are assured with the knowledge that this is a new day.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 19

[arthra]

O thou lamp who art illuminated with the light of the Love of God!
Leave thou the world and abandon the people and turn unto the Kingdom of thy independent Lord.

Beseech Him every morn and eve and supplicate to the Gate of His Oneness to make thee firm and steadfast in the Testament and to guard thee from all calamities, with the eye of His protection, and protect thee from the tests which are (so violent) as the whirlwinds which uproot trees.

O thou who hearest and seest in this wonderful Cause!

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 73

[arthra]

We know that all the falsehoods spread about Christ and His apostles and all the books written against Him, only led the people to inquire into His doctrine; then, having seen the beauty and inhaled the fragrance, they walked evermore amidst the roses and the fruits of that celestial garden.

Therefore, I say unto you, spread the Divine Truth with all your might that men's intelligence may become enlightened; this is the best answer to those who slander. I do not wish to speak of those people nor to say anything ill of them -- only to tell you that slander is of no importance!

Clouds may veil the sun, but, be they never so dense, his rays will penetrate! Nothing can prevent the radiance of the sun descending to warm and vivify the Divine Garden.
Nothing can prevent the fall of the rain from Heaven.
Nothing can prevent the fulfilment of the Word of God!

Therefore when you see books and papers written against the Revelation, be not distressed, but take comfort in the assurance that the cause will thereby gain strength.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 104-105

[arthra]

How can one increase in faith?

You must strive. A child does not know, in learning he obtains knowledge. search for Truth.

There are three kinds of Faith:

first, that which is from tradition and birth. For example: a child is born of Muslim parents, he is a Muslim. This faith is weak traditional faith:

second, that which comes from Knowledge, and is the faith of understanding. This is good, but there is a better,

the faith of practice. This is real faith.

We hear there is an invention, we believe it is good; then we come and see it. We hear that there is wealth, we see it; we work hard for it, and become rich ourselves and so help others.

We know and we see the Light, we go close to it, are warmed by it, and reflect its rays on others; this is real faith, and thus we receive power to become the eternal sons of God.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, pp. 64-65

[arthra]

And as we reflect, we observe that man is like unto a tiny organism contained within a fruit; this fruit hath developed out of the blossom, the blossom hath grown out of the tree, the tree is sustained by the sap, and the sap formed out of earth and water. How then can this tiny organism comprehend the nature of the garden, conceive of the gardener and comprehend his being? That is manifestly impossible.

Should that organism understand and reflect, it would observe that this garden, this tree, this blossom, this fruit would in no wise have come to exist by themselves in such order and perfection. Similarly the wise and reflecting soul will know of a certainty that this infinite universe with all its grandeur and perfect order could not have come to exist by itself.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablet to August Forel, p. 19

[arthra]

After much negotiation, at the request of the Persian Government, an order was issued by the Turkish Government summoning Bahá’u’lláh to Constantinople.

On receipt of this news His followers were in consternation. They besieged the house of their beloved Leader to such an extent that the family encamped in the Garden of Najíb Páshá outside the town for twelve days, while the caravan was being prepared for the long journey. It was during these twelve days (April 22 to May 3, 1863, i.e. nineteen years after the Báb’s Declaration) that Bahá’u’lláh announced to several of His followers the glad tidings that He was the One Whose coming had been foretold by the Báb—the Chosen of God, the Promised One of all the Prophets.

The Garden where this memorable Declaration took place has become known to Bahá’ís as the “Garden of Ridván,” and the days Bahá’u’lláh spent there are commemorated in the “Feast of Ridván,” which is held annually on the anniversary of those twelve days.

During those days Bahá’u’lláh, instead of being sad or depressed, showed the greatest joy, dignity and power. His followers became happy and enthusiastic, and great crowds came to pay their respects to Him. All the notables of Baghdád, even the Governor himself, came to honor the departing prisoner.

- J.E. Esslemont, Baha'u'llah and the New Era p. 286

[arthra]

O my dear sister!

Praise be to God, within the sheltering grace of
the Blessed Beauty, here in the lands of the West a
breeze hath blown from over the rose-gardens of
His bestowals, and the hearts of many people have
been drawn as by a magnet to the Abha Realm.
Whatever hath come to pass is from the confirmations
of the Beloved; for otherwise, what merit had
we, or what capacity? We are as a helpless babe, but
fed at the breast of heavenly grace. We are no more
than weak plants, but we flourish in the spring rain
of His bestowals.

Wherefore, as a thank-offering for these bounties, on a certain day don thy garb to visit the Shrine, the ka'bih of our heart's desire, turn thyself toward Him on my behalf, lay down thy head on that sacred Threshold, and say:

"O divine Providence! O Thou forgiving Lord! Sinner though I be, I have no refuge save Thyself. All praise be Thine, that in my wanderings over mountains and plains, my toils and troubles on the seas, Thou hast answered still my cries for help, and confirmed me, and favoured me, and honoured me with service at Thy Threshold.

To a feeble ant, Thou hast given Solomon's might. Thou hast made of a gnat a lion in the thicket of Thy Mercy. Thou hast bestowed on a drop the swelling waves of the sea, Thou hast carried up a mote to the pinnacles of grace. Whatever was achieved, was made possible through Thee. Otherwise, what strength did the fragile dust possess, what power did this feeble being have?

O divine Providence! Do not seize us in our sins, but give us refuge. Do not look upon our evil ways, but grant forgiveness. Consider not our just deserts, but open wide Thy door of grace. Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful! Thou art the Seer, the Knower!"

~ Compilations, Bahiyyih Khanum, p. 11