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Baha'i
The Month of Rahmat / Mercy
Bahá’u’lláh states that “neath the shade of My mercy I nurtured thee, and guarded thee by the essence of My grace and favor”. He continues by clarifying the purpose of this, i.e., “that thou mightiest attain My everlasting dominion and become worthy of My invisible bestowals”. We move forward on this spiritual journey of transformation by increasingly expressing the attributes of God in our lives and actions. As the month of mercy begins, it might be timely to reflect on God’s mercy and how we can become “merciful signs”.
Below follows a brief compilation from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh relating to mercy. Perhaps these passages can be of assistance during personal reflections during the month of beauty or perhaps as readings for the Nineteen Day Feast. This compilation on The Month of Rahmat/Mercy is also available for download.
Selection of passages from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
Out of My loving-kindness, ‘neath the shade of My mercy I nurtured thee, and guarded thee by the essence of My grace and favor. And My purpose in all this was that thou mightest attain My everlasting dominion and become worthy of My invisible bestowals.
(Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 29)
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No man can ever claim to have comprehended the nature of the hidden and manifold grace of God; none can fathom His all-embracing mercy.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh no 32)
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A drop of the billowing ocean of His endless mercy hath adorned all creation with the ornament of existence, and a breath wafted from His peerless Paradise hath invested all beings with the robe of His sanctity and glory. A sprinkling from the unfathomed deep of His sovereign and all-pervasive Will hath, out of utter nothingness, called into being a creation which is infinite in its range and deathless in its duration. The wonders of His bounty can never cease, and the stream of His merciful grace can never be arrested. The process of His creation hath had no beginning, and can have no end.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh no 26)
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My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire! What tongue can voice my thanks to Thee? I was heedless, Thou didst awaken me. I had turned back from Thee, Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee. I was as one dead, Thou didst quicken me with the water of life. I was withered, Thou didst revive me with the heavenly stream of Thine utterance which hath flowed forth from the Pen of the All-Merciful. O Divine Providence! All existence is begotten by Thy bounty; deprive it not of the waters of Thy generosity, neither do Thou withhold it from the ocean of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee to aid and assist me at all times and under all conditions, and seek from the heaven of Thy grace Thine ancient favor. Thou art, in truth, the Lord of bounty, and the Sovereign of the kingdom of eternity
(Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í Prayers p. 20)
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