“Friends, the time is coming when I shall be no longer with you. I have done all that could be done. I have served the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh to the utmost of My ability. I have labored night and day all the years of My life. O how I long to see the believers shouldering the responsibilities of the Cause!… My days are numbered, and save this there remains none other joy for me.”

Chapter 21 of God Passes By describes the passing in wonderful detail and is a captivating read on this occasion. Some of the eulogies read at His funeral can be found in this article on bahai.org, pulled from chapter 24 of H.M. Balyuzi’s book on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. A sample follows:

“O concourse of Arabians and Persians! Whom are ye bewailing? Is it he who but yesterday was great in his life and is today in his death greater still? Shed no tears for the one that hath departed to the world of Eternity, but weep over the passing of Virtue and Wisdom, of Knowledge and Generosity. Lament for yourselves, for yours is the loss, whilst he, your lost one, is but a revered Wayfarer, stepping from your mortal world into the everlasting Home. Weep one hour for the sake of him who, for well nigh eighty years, hath wept for you! Look to your right, look to your left, look East and look West and behold, what glory and greatness have vanished! What a pillar of peace hath crumbled! What eloquent lips are hushed! Alas! In this tribulation there is no heart but aches with anguish, no eye but is filled with tears. Woe unto the poor, for lo! goodness hath departed from them, woe unto the orphans, for their loving father is no more with them! Could the life of Sir `Abdu’l-Bahá `Abbas have been redeemed by the sacrifices of many a precious soul, they of a certainty would gladly have offered up their lives for his life. But Fate hath otherwise ordained. Every destiny is predetermined and none can change the Divine Decree. What am I to set forth the achievements of this leader of mankind? They are too glorious to be praised, too many to recount. Suffice it to say, that he has left in every heart the most profound impression, on every tongue most wondrous praise. And he that leaveth a memory so lovely, so imperishable, he, indeed, is not dead. Be solaced then, O ye people of Baha! Endure and be patient; for no man, be he of the East or of the West, can ever comfort you, nay he himself is even in greater need of consolation.”

`Abdu'l-Bahá's funeral, Haifa, Israel

Gate of the Heart

I’ve been reading the book Gate of the Heart – Understanding the Writings of the Bab, by Nader Saiedi. I’ll leave a review of the book for later – suffice it to say that there are some translations provided there which are not available anywhere else in English. I’ve started typing some of these quotations in Evernote, the ones I find interesting as I randomly browse the book. You can see the complete Evernote notebook here (updated automatically whenever I add something), but I’ll post one quote that I found interesting.

The subject is Ethics and Laws in the Bayan, specifically the prohibition on causing grief. The following two quotes are from the Bayan, found in Gate of the Heart p. 322:

…he who knowingly causeth grief to any soul must pay a fine of ninteeen mithqals of gold, should it be in his power to do so.

In fact, we should actively seek to bring joy and gladness to people:

Therefore, in the Bayan there is no act of obedience that ensureth greater nearness to God than bringing joy to the hearts of the faithful, even as naught yieldeth more remoteness than causing them grief. This law is doubly binding in dealing with the possessors of circles (women), whether in causing them joy or grief. However, man must always be watchful that even if he fail to bring joy to a human being, at least he should refrain from causing him grief.

So much so, that we should be the essence of love and care for others. This from the Kitabu’l-Asma, found in Gate p. 323:

Be lovingly watchful of one another and thus improve your affairs. Should ye find amongst you one who is afflicted with grief, remove his sorrow by any means in your power, and should ye find one stricken with poverty, enrich him to the extent of your ability. If ye find in your midst one who is abased, exalt him to the extent ye can, and if ye find one who is veiled in ignorance, educate him to the degree of your capacity. Should ye find amongst yourselves one who is single, help him to marry, in accordance with the divine law, to the limits of your ability, and should ye find one who is in distress, bring him tranquility by any means in your power…. Gaze upon others with the same eyes with which ye gaze upon your own selves. … If ye find in your midst one who is hungry, send him, in truth and to the extent of your power, food in such a way that his heart will not be saddened, and if ye find one who has no clothes, provide him with clothes in the most dignified manner, to the extent possible for you. Look then not at your selves and your possessions, but rather look at God, Who hath created you and conferred upon you from His kingdom that which is your lot.

I find this matches many quotes from Abdu’l-Baha who also strongly advises making sure not to cause any grief to any soul, and instead to be the cause of joy.

However, if you noticed in the above quote, there is a reference to helping single people get married. I leave it  up to you to interpret that as you will, but I thought it was a good example of the kinds of gems one finds in the Writings of the Bab.

Every hour of these days, Baha’u’llah says, has been endowed with a special virtue, and a portion of this virtue has been assigned to every soul. He refers to fasting as the sun, and obligatory prayer the moon in the heaven of religion, and one may think of the effect that the sun has on life on this planet. How numerous the rays of the sun during the day, how endowed with power to generate heat, to enable plants to grow and life to thrive and prosper. These rays can be regarded as the virtues with which these days are endowed, the spiritual illumination they provide, the life of the soul they cultivate, the transformative power they exert on our inner beings and true reality. They banish the darkness of self that clouds our hearts, they clean the dross on our mirrors and uncover the beauty of God that exists within our souls. Their brightness is so dazzling that we can’t really appreciate them, not until their time has passed and darkness has set in again, our eyes have become adjusted and we finally realize what we are missing. But never worry, obligatory prayer is here to illumine the way and keep us on the right path till the next dawn, only 346 days away.

As the fast finishes and the year finishes, we prepare ourselves for the commencement of a new year, a new cycle on this earth. Spring is here, and with it a renewal of the physical world. All the storms and hail, the icy winds and snow, the thunder and lightning of the past season are gone, but they leave us with a wonderful gift of nature renewed. The trees which lost their leaves are now waking up, growing little green shoots on every branch. Flowers are budding and blooming. There’s a freshness in the air.

Tomorrow will be Naw-Rúz, a new day indeed. Each day has a significance, a unique spirit that it has been endowed with, so unique that it will never again recur. At the same time, each day is united with every other day, each month with every other month and each year with every other year. Naw-Rúz tomorrow is the return of last year’s Naw-Rúz. But the year has changed. And the world has changed, and each of us have changed. New people have been born into this world. People have passed on to the next. Humanity has become more mature, even though the masses may not recognize it.

Naw-Rúz is the first day of the year. It is special for many reasons, one of them being that it is associated with the greatest name of God, Bahá (glory). It is the day of glory, in the month of glory. It is the greatest day, of the greatest month – no day can be imagined greater than this day, or more glorious. It is the first of days, and the king of days, because it is linked with, has been created for and is dedicated to Bahá.

In the Persian Bayán the Báb attributes special significance to the first month, associates it with Himself and likens it to a sun with all the other months as “mirrors that reflect the radiant lights of that supreme month”. He says God has singled out that month for Him Whom God shall make manifest (Baha’u’llah), and that the first day of that month is the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest. This day is the source and excellence of all days. (see Gate of the Heart p. 328)

And the relation to God doesn’t end there, each year is unique, and each cycle of years is unique. Tomorrow will be the first day of the first month of the year Jád (generosity), in the 9th Váhid of the 1st Kull-i-Shay. It will also be Saturday, the day of Jalál (glory). In every way possible then, we try to link our everyday lives to God so we may never, even for a moment, forget why we are here, what we are doing and where we are going.

May we all strive then, by our actions, during this coming year to fill the world with the Names and Attributes of God. “This is a matchless Day. Matchless must, likewise, be… the deed that aspireth to be acceptable in His sight.” “This is a Revelation, under which, if a man shed for its sake one drop of blood, myriads of oceans will be his recompense.” “An act, however infinitesimal, is, when viewed in the mirror of the knowledge of God, mightier than a mountain. Every drop proffered in His path is as the sea in that mirror.” “One single breath exhaled in the love of God and for His service is written down by the Pen of Glory as a princely deed.”

“Another moving stylistic element in the Kitáb-i-Badí is Bahá’u’lláh’s narrative of the lamentations and supplications of Mírzá Yahyá’s pen, which has been used to write against the Promised One of the Bayán. Bahá’u’lláh explains that the pen of Mihdí is but a shadow of the pen of Yahyá and that the latter’s pen has secretly escaped from him and attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, where it has wept and wailed, confessing its shame, sorrow, bewilderment, and anger at Yahyá and its abuse and suffering in the hand of its owner, the arch covenant-breaker. The pen entreats Bahá’u’lláh to command it to act as a fatal weapon against Yahyá, and if He does not grant that wish, at least to liberate it from the fingers of Bahá’u’lláh’s enemy. It expresses its shame before the community of pens and avows that even if Bahá’u’lláh forgave its sins, it would continue to be mortified because of its role. It admits its confusion and distress at its fate, a fate that could not be deserved because it knows that it is nonexistent before the divine will, and yet could not be said to be undeserved because it is unable to understand the logic of mysterious divine wisdom. It complains of the fact that other pens have been used to reveal the words of God in the hand of Bahá’u’lláh, while it has been imprisoned in the grip of the enemy of the Cause of God. The pen declares that its gravest concern is that because of its sins the Pen of Glory may cease to reveal divine words, and it implores Bahá’u’lláh to settle its fate and emancipate it from its sorrow, or else make it cease to exist.

The pen continues to recount its life story to Bahá’u’lláh. From the very first days of its existence as a reed, it longed to attain the presence of Bahá’u’lláh and spent its days and nights in a state of yearning. It endured all hardships for the sake of that wish. Then it was cut off and moved from hand to hand and from place to place until it was bought in the market by one of His servants. But when it was placed in that man’s hand it sensed the odor of his heedlessness and became saddened but remained silent. The servant carried the pen from land to land until he arrived at the land of Bahá’u’lláh’s residence. Joy and delight overtook the pen and it felt itself the king of all kings. It remained in that state of ecstasy till its bearer arrived at a crossroads – one path led to the right and another path to the left. The man chose the left-hand path and the pen found itself trembling and wailing until at last the servant reached a house exuding the stench of hell and placed the pen in the hand of the tyrant who rose against Bahá’u’lláh.

The pen continues to express its unending sense of shame and implores Bahá’u’lláh to take its life and then to recreate it so that it might expunge the memory of its unhappy past.”

To download the full album (free) visit DivineNotes.com. It is a digitizing of a tape from the 70s, so the quality is not that great, but is quite enjoyable nonetheless.

Here are the lyrics, as far as I could make them out…

Oh well it’s 5:30 in the morning
Kids are jumping on our bed
5:30 in the morning
Kids are jumping on our bed

And that strong, brilliant sunshine
That’s streaming in our window
That strong, brilliant sunshine
Opens our new day

Birds singing
Roosters crowing
Donkeys braying
People laughing
Chickens squawking
Trucks are rattling
The day is well on its way

Oh well it’s 5:30 in the morning
Kids are jumping on our bed already
5:30 in the morning
The day is well on its way

Vines racing up our walls
Flowers pouring over the balcony
Sweet fragrances in the air
Greenness everywhere

And plenty of strong, brilliant sunshine
Streaming in our window
Strong, brilliant sunshine
Opens our new day

Dusty roads
Clusters of huts
Women with loads
High on their heads
Mango trees casting merciful shade
Children run everywhere

Under that strong, brilliant sunshine
Which has opened our new day

Suffering is an integral part
Of Pioneering, says Shoghi Effendi
Strong, brilliant sunshine
Opens our new day
Of suffering
And pain

Away down here in the heart of Africa
We haven’t seen a visitor in over a year
It’s the end of the world
Where time nearly stops
What are we doing a-here?

What of our careers?
And what of our funds?
Without any job
And living in these rooms
With noise all around
And our kids in this heat
What are we doing a-here?

In the rainy season there’s mud all around
There’s no hot water
But the cockroaches abound
The leaky roof
Leaves puddles on our floor
What are we doing a-here?

I’ve had Malaria
You’ve had Hepatitis
The kids have the runs
Now what’ll it be next
Nine solid months
Of tests without a break
What are we doing a-here?

We’ll stick together
You and me babe
These tests will pass us by
Just like a parade
If we’re supposed to stay
Baha’u'llah will find a way
Ya Baha’u'l-Abha

The fruits of our sufferings
We may not see
But Baha’u'llah knows better than we
So we’ll stay at our post
And continue to serve
And that’s what we’re doing a-here

Patience, patience, perseverance
Patience, patience, perseverance
Patience, patience, perseverance
That’s what we’re learning a-here

And that strong, brilliant sunshine
Still opens all of our days

It’s a new world we’re building
It’s a new race of men we’re striving for
All around this world
Now you only have one life
To offer in service
Anywhere in this world

So go where you’re really needed
Go obeying the institutions
Go and do your best to stay
And as your faith is, so shall your powers be
As your faith is, so shall your blessings be
Go to serve your lord, your lord
Go to serve your lord

Unity is the most important
Thing that you’re working for
Among the friends and pioneers
Since you only have one life
To offer in service
Leave now or your chance may be no more

Go to lead a full life
Rich in the love of God
Rich in sacrifice and reward
And as your faith is, so shall your powers be
As your faith is, so shall your blessings be
Go to serve your lord, your lord
Go to serve your lord

Well, you know, life is ever so nice here
I’m glad I could come
Well you know, life is ever so nice here
Simple, but real
Simple but real

Matter of fact, you know I wouldn’t go back
No, no no no
Matter of fact, you know I couldn’t go back
I’d miss it so
I’d miss it so

Well you can have, your chocolate ice-cream
And all your fancy machines
You can have
Your fast pace of life
For it’s naught but a dream
For it’s naught but a dream

I finally found
The tranquillity
Down in the depths of my soul
And now my heart is here to stay
My bones are here to lay
My bones are here to lay

My bones are here to lay

Oh well its 5:30 in the morning
Kids are jumping on our bed
5:30 in the morning
Kids are jumping on our bed
And that strong, brilliant sunshine
Is streaming in our window
That strong, brilliant sunshine
Still opens all of our days

Birds singing
Roosters crowing
Donkeys braying
People laughing
Chickens squawking
Ducks a quacking

What a bounty to have days set aside in the year for hospitality and the giving of gifts! A few personal thoughts on the matter:

If we think of humanity as one organic entity, similar to the human body, with each cell representing an individual and all of us working together for the smooth functioning of the whole, we realize that the welfare of each person lies in the welfare of the body of humanity. We also start to see that if one person is very kind and generous and gives everything they have for the joy and gladness of others, in the final analysis they are benefiting themselves too, as if the body is healthy then each member is at peace. To get comfortable with this concept one needs to unlearn some of the ideas that we have inherited from the culture of individualism to which we are constantly exposed.

So, what does it mean to have certain days of the year dedicated to feasting, rejoicing, charity, hospitality and the giving of gifts? To “provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy…”?

Our normal mode of operation should be to be generous and sacrificial, but to me this doesn’t include regular giving of material “gifts”. Sure, one should give of whatever material goods we may have to those who need them, but to me these are not so much “gifts” but a natural expression of our concern for others and belief in the oneness of humanity. And in many cases, more important than any giving of goods is the providing of services to others and the uplifting of their spirits.

So on these days, one would have a special sanction for the giving of material goods, as a symbol of the spiritual act and for the sake of God. Also, we would give to all in our social circle, not just to the poor and needy. This is because we are giving not only for the sake of the recipient, but also as an element of our belief in God and in following His laws and Most Holy Book. And since we are sharing these physical objects for the sake of God we would make effort to present them in the most beautiful manner, so the wrapping of presents also has spiritual significance.

In the larger scheme of things, we have individuals exchanging material goods, feasting and spreading joy; therefore each of them are contributing to improving the health of the body of humanity. Each organ of the body is resuscitated, has a boost of energy. Maybe we could think of it as taking vitamins? Or as a release of adrenaline?

And, this burst of social energy and of individual upliftment which we get from giving, sets us on course for the season of restraint that is to follow.

Click to download some  selected writings about Ayyám-i-Há.

Prayer for Ayyám-i-Há

My God, my Fire and my Light! The days which Thou hast named the Ayyám-i-Há (the Days of Ha, Intercalary days) in Thy Book have begun, O Thou Who art the King of names, and the fast which Thy most exalted Pen hath enjoined unto all who are in the kingdom of Thy creation to observe is approaching. I entreat Thee, O my Lord, by these days and by all such as have during that period clung to the cord of Thy commandments, and laid hold on the handle of Thy precepts, to grant that unto every soul may be assigned a place within the precincts of Thy court, and a seat at the revelation of the splendors of the light of Thy countenance.

These, O my Lord, are Thy servants whom no corrupt inclination hath kept back from what Thou didst send down in Thy Book. They have bowed themselves before Thy Cause, and received Thy Book with such resolve as is born of Thee, and observed what Thou hadst prescribed unto them, and chosen to follow that which had been sent down by Thee.

Thou seest, O my Lord, how they have recognized and confessed whatsoever Thou hast revealed in Thy Scriptures. Give them to drink, O my Lord, from the hands of Thy graciousness the waters of Thine eternity. Write down, then, for them the recompense ordained for him that hath immersed himself in the ocean of Thy presence, and attained unto the choice wine of Thy meeting.

I implore Thee, O Thou the King of kings and the Pitier of the downtrodden, to ordain for them the good of this world and of the world to come. Write down for them, moreover, what none of Thy creatures hath discovered, and number them with those who have circled round Thee, and who move about Thy throne in every world of Thy worlds.

Thou, truly, art the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

He is, in truth, the Omnipotent, the Unconstrained! O Lord of Names and Fashioner of the Heavens!

Free Thy lovers from the prison of the enemy. Verily, Thou art the Sovereign Ordainer of Thine irrevocable decree. He who alone shineth resplendent on the horizon of creation. O Everlasting Root! By the life of the All-Glorious, deprive them not of hope, nay rather aid and assist them. Verily, Thou rulest as Thou pleasest and within Thy grasp lie the kingdoms of creation. The fangs of Thine enemies have been whetted, ready to bite into the flesh of Thy lovers.

Protect these companions, O Thou Who rulest over all humankind and art the Judge on the Day of Judgement.

He is the All-Glorious!

O God, my God! Verily, Thou seest Thy servants acting with sincerity toward the whole of mankind, even the ill-disposed enemy. They are serving the entire human race with pure hearts and sanctified breasts and are exposed to grave danger. Darts are aimed at them, arrows directed towards them. Spears are pointed at them, swords drawn against them.

O Lord! They are victims of tyranny, at the mercy of the enemy. They are prisoners in the hands of blood-thirsty wolves and ravenous dogs from amongst the wicked. They have no refuge, no haven save the stronghold of Thine all-encompassing protection. Shelter them, O my Lord, with the eye of Thy loving-kindness neath the shadow of Thy shield and protection and guard them in the shelter of Thy care from the wicked-doers among Thy people. O Lord! They have no helper except Thee, no protector besides Thee.

Ordain, O my Lord, all manner of affliction for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Make me a target for the darts of men and protect Thy faithful servants from the wickedness of the ignoble. Grant that I may offer up my life for the whole body of Thy lovers so that my heart may find rest, my soul may be quieted, and my eyes may be solaced in the arena of supreme martyrdom. Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Most Exalted.

O ye beloved of the Lord! Be calm and composed.

And a couple of quotations that could be useful when meditating on this phase of persecution.

Glorified be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou beholdest my dwelling-place, and the prison into which I am cast, and the woes I suffer. By Thy might! No pen can recount them, nor can any tongue describe or number them. I know not, O my God, for what purpose Thou hast abandoned me to Thine adversaries. Thy glory beareth me witness! I sorrow not for the vexations I endure for love of Thee, nor 11 feel perturbed by the calamities that overtake me in Thy path. My grief is rather because Thou delayest to fulfill what Thou hast determined in the Tablets of Thy Revelation, and ordained in the books of Thy decree and judgment.

My blood, at all times, addresseth me saying: “O Thou Who art the Image of the Most Merciful! How long will it be ere Thou riddest me of the captivity of this world, and deliverest me from the bondage of this life? Didst Thou not promise me that Thou shalt dye the earth with me, and sprinkle me on the faces of the inmates of Thy Paradise?” To this I make reply: “Be thou patient and quiet thyself. The things thou desirest can last but an hour. As to me, however, I quaff continually in the path of God the cup of His decree, and wish not that the ruling of His will should cease to operate, or that the woes I suffer for the sake of my Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, should be ended. Seek thou my wish and forsake thine own. Thy bondage is not for my protection, but to enable me to sustain successive tribulations, and to prepare me for the trials that must needs repeatedly assail me. Perish that lover who discerneth between the pleasant and the poisonous in his love for his beloved! Be thou satisfied with what God hath destined for thee. He, verily, ruleth over thee as He willeth and pleaseth. No God is there but Him, the Inaccessible, the Most High.”

Whatsoever occurreth in the world of being is light for His loved ones and fire for the people of sedition and strife. Even if all the losses of the world were to be sustained by one of the friends of God, he would still profit thereby, whereas true loss would be borne by such as are wayward, ignorant and contemptuous. Although the author of the following saying had intended it otherwise, yet We find it pertinent to the operation of God’s immutable Will: “Even or odd, thou shalt win the wager.” The friends of God shall win and profit under all conditions, and shall attain true wealth. In fire they remain cold, and from water they emerge dry. Their affairs are at variance with the affairs of men. Gain is their lot, whatever the deal. To this testifieth every wise one with a discerning eye, and every fair-minded one with a hearing ear.

Online

To start searching, head on over to http://bahairesearch.com/. It is easy, just type your search terms and hit Enter:

As you’ll soon notice, there’s a fun little feature where it suggests possible searches under “Try It:”, to get you familiar with the options for searching. I found the one in the above screenshot particularly funny.

It seems to have more texts and be more up-to-date than Ocean. Hopefully maintenance will continue far into the future.

Offline

To grab the offline version, only available for Windows PCs at this time, go to this page:
http://bahairesearch.com/WinApp/Pages/Download.aspx

There you can download the main program (top link), as well as many plug-ins such as Arabic, French or Persian texts.

Once you’ve downloaded the main program, extract the contents of the Zip file and double-click on it. The resulting installer will guide you through the process of installing Interfaith Explorer on to your computer. The same process applies to the plug-ins. If you’re successful you should see this loading screen:

And this is how the main screen looks:

When you run Interfaith Explorer for the first time, and also whenever you install new texts, you will get the following message explaining that it is indexing the texts and will take a few minutes to do so, and not to be worried if it seems stuck (i.e. “Don’t Panic!”).

This version is credited to Ian Vink and Runa Ali, according to their About page. Remember, if you like it, send them a post card:

               IAN VINK
               2 Front St
               Hamilton, HM11
               Bermuda

Last night I attended a study class which was about the book Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah. I had come across this book before, as a compilation of prayers, but never took the time to look through it or use many of the prayers within it, as the more common “Baha’i Prayers” is easier with its shorter selection and thematic grouping. However, after this class I have a much better appreciation of this book and hope to make better use of it.

About the book

Ruhiyyih Khanum in the Priceless Pearl has described this book as a “diamond-mine of communion with God, unsurpassed in any religious literature of the world.” Some more references to the book that I found:

In 1935 Shoghi Effendi published a compilation of excerpts called Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u'lláh, which he himself has described as ‘consisting of a selection of the most characteristic and hitherto unpublished passages from the outstanding works of the Author of the Bahá’í Revelation.’ This was followed by the translation in 1936-1937, and publishing in 1938 of what might almost be termed a companion volume, comparable in richness and complementary in material, namely, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u'lláh.

(Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 218)

“He is indeed pleased to know that the Book of Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u'lláh has been out in time to enable the friends to read it during the Fast, and he has every hope that the perusal of such a precious volume will help to deepen more than any other publication, the spirit of devotion and faith in the friends, and thus charge them with all the spiritual power they require for the accomplishment of their tremendous duties towards the Cause.”

(Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 58)

A brief look at the content

Some prayers we are already familiar with are included, such as the short healing prayer and the tablet of visitation for Baha’u'llah:
170/CLXX: Thy Name Is My Healing, O My God, And Remembrance… (HEALING)
180/CLXXX: The Praise Which Hath Dawned From Thy Most… (TABLET OF VISITATION)

Also, the three obligatory prayers and the prayer for the dead:
167/CLXVII: O My God! This Is Thy Servant And The Son Of… (PRAYER FOR THE DEAD)
181/CLXXXI: I Bear Witness, O My God, That Thou Hast Created… (SHORT OBLIGATORY PRAYER)
182/CLXXXII: Whoso Wisheth To Pray, Let Him Wash… (MEDIUM OBLIGATORY PRAYER)
183/CLXXXIII: Whoso Wisheth To Recite This Prayer, Let… (LONG OBLIGATORY PRAYER)

A number of prayers for the fast, as well as a long prayer which I think would be great to say during the fast:
7/VII: Praise Be To Thee, O Lord My God! I Beseech Thee… (FAST)
45/XLV: My God, My Fire And My Light! The Days Which… (AYYAM-I-HA)
46/XLVI: Praised Be Thou, O My God, That Thou Hast Ordained… (NAW RUZ)
56/LVI: Glory Be To Thee, O Lord My God! These Are The… (FAST)
85/LXXXV: These Are, O My God, The Days Whereon Thou Didst… (FAST)
176/CLXXVI: Praise Be Unto Thee, Who Art My God And The… (LONG)
177/CLXXVII: I Beseech Thee, O My God, By Thy Mighty Sign,… (FAST)
178/CLXXVIII: Praised Be Thou, O Lord My God! I Supplicate… (FAST)

In addition to the above, some of the themes to be encountered are:

• the colloquy and relationship between the Supreme Revelator and His Creator
• the bewildering power of the Almighty, His attributes and exaltation above the realm of being
• the relative unreality of creational existence, yet the tender acceptance by a loving God of all that His creatures can offer in praise and service
• the brutal facts of everyday living of the early believers, in exile and at ‘Akka, and the contrast with the Covenant breakers
• the exhortation and reminders to those same believers in which Bahá’u'lláh Himself also indicated that His tribulations served but to advance His Cause

Systematic study

In our study class we were given a copy of a short article, published in the British Bahá’í Journal in December 1964, which provides a description and study guide for this book. Some of the activities suggested in the article (which has more detail and examples):

1. A study of the attributes of God, their variety, range and cogent cumulative effect
2. Selection of a specific Bahá’í teachings then tracing them through the book and allowing the cross comparison of the passages so found to play upon and enrich each other, adding meaning and value
3. Observing the perfect blending of the different kinds of prayer
4. A straight search for perfectly phrased, astonishingly logical and gloriously fuller amplification of truth in gemlike utterances that occur all through the book
5. Appreciating the soul-moving range of Bahá’u'lláh’s own expression of Himself and of His circumstances
6. The simple felicity of phrasing and the cadences are often most stirring and invite the reminder that prayers are aided by adding the sense of hearing to the sense of sight in conformity with the sense of the Word
7. Whole paragraphs of most memorable content occur in many of the prayers, and each of us may like to build his own private anthology of them
8. A particularly interesting study is the concept of ‘remembrance of God’ and the meanings it gathers to itself in the different contexts of its appearance

An activity suggested in the class was to identify and tabulate references to the Living Waters, which occur maybe thirty times in the text.

Another activity that can be associated with this book is memorization; there are many prayers and quotations that are good candidates to be memorized – in fact one could memorize the whole thing, giving added meaning to immersing oneself in the ocean of His words.

Roman Numerals

A final note, on the numbering system used in some publications of this book including in the version provided on the Baha’i Reference Library website; Roman numerals are used, therefore it may be worth taking a few minutes to learn how to read them.

Roman numerals are, as the name implies, a number system attributed to the Romans. The system includes certain symbols for numbers, and some rules for combining the symbols when they appear together to make up a number (by adding or subtracting their corresponding values). The symbols used are:

The first rule is that you add up the symbols when they appear together. For example, XX is twenty. Or VI is six. The second rule however, is that if you put a smaller symbol before a bigger one you subtract the value of the smaller one from the bigger one. For example, IV is four. Or XC is 90. There are some more rules but these two are enough to be able to read and make sense of the roman numerals that appear in this book.

For a little practice with the first three numbers, here’s a game matching Roman to Arabic numerals: http://www.fi.edu/time/keepers/Silverman/html/RomanMatch.html

To help recall the order of the last four symbols, here are some mnemonics:

• Let Caesar Destroy Mountains
• Lazy Cows Don’t Moo
• Little Cats Drink Milk
• LCD Monitor

A good friend provided me with a selection from the Star of the West (a magazine published in the early 1900s) containing some quotes from Abdu’l-Baha on prayer. This triggered further thinking and searching on the topic, eventually resulting in this post.

Click for a few quotes on the topic of Prayer, which also appear at the bottom of this post.

Some highlights from the quotes:

• How precious prayer is to our lives
  “There is nothing sweeter in the world of existence than prayer.”
• The frequency of prayer that is needed – in fact, we should live in a state of prayer
  “Man becomes like a stone unless he continually supplicates to God.”

• The importance of action, of actually doing something, to enable the effect of prayers
  “prayers can only be answered through action”
• Praying with others increases the effect
  “their united spiritual feelings help each other and their prayers become more acceptable”
• The usefulness of asking for things in prayer
  “Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him… With a look He granteth a hundred thousand hopes”

I’ll recount some of my own recent experience with prayer, perhaps it will be of interest to you.

I have been using prayer sessions as an alignment point, before a burst of action. It seems praying raises one’s awareness of reality, “engenders the susceptibilities of the higher intelligence”, thereby putting one on a state of clear thinking, resulting in guided action. One can also, in that state, tap into the great reservoirs of spiritual forces at our disposal. Confidence is increased, and courage granted.

So I try to attain such a state, think a little about what I should do in the next few hours, then go and do it without any further ado. After a while, I start to feel more distracted and realize I’m losing that state of spiritual clarity as my lower nature is exerting control and distractions are influencing me, and I feel the urge to re-focus and re-align. Detecting this change of state and it’s onset gets easier with practice, and the more I get used to being in a better state the more I can feel the difference of being out of it. I try to have prayers and quotations about prayer handy so I can take a few minutes and re-focus.

According to one of the quotes, prayer and supplication are meant to “inspire one’s heart for the whole day”. I hope to get to this stage one day, where a good prayer session in the morning is sufficient to get me through the day, but for now I need more frequent top-ups.

There are a few related topics that come to mind, but haven’t been discussed. Maybe I will post about them one day:

• supplication and imploring – as opposed to simply asking
• using intermediaries to enhance your concentration (souls that have passed on, saints, Abdu’l-Baha, etc)
• God will always answer prayer, with what is best for you. But you can always insist, and if you insist enough He WILL grant your request even if it is not good for you

Reason for prayer
The problem with which you are faced is one which concerns and seriously puzzles many of our present-day youth. How to attain spirituality is, indeed, a question to which every young man and woman must sooner or later try to find a satisfactory answer. It is precisely because no such satisfactory reply has been given or found, that modern youth finds itself bewildered, and is being consequently carried away by the materialistic forces that are so powerfully undermining the foundation of man’s moral and spiritual life.

Indeed, the chief reason for the evils now rampant in society is a lack of spirituality. The materialistic civilization of our age has so much absorbed the energy and interest of mankind, that people in general no longer feel the necessity of raising themselves above the forces and conditions of their daily material existence. There is not sufficient demand for things that we should call spiritual to differentiate them from the needs and requirements of our physical existence. The universal crisis affecting mankind is, therefore, essentially spiritual in its causes. The spirit of the age, taken on the whole, is irreligious. Man’s outlook upon life is too crude and materialistic to enable him to elevate himself into the higher realms of the spirit.

It is this condition, so sadly morbid, into which society has fallen, that religion seeks to improve and transform. For the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling that unites man with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and maintained by means of meditation and prayer. And this is the reason why Baha’u’llah has so much stressed the importance of worship. It is not sufficient for a believer to merely accept and observe the teachings. He should, in addition, cultivate the sense of spirituality, which he can acquire chiefly by the means of prayer. The Bahá’í Faith, like all other Divine religions, is thus fundamentally mystic in character. Its chief goal is the development of the individual and society, through the acquisition of spiritual virtues and powers. It is the soul of man that has first to be fed. And this spiritual nourishment prayer can best provide. Laws and institutions, as viewed by Baha’u’llah, can become really effective only when our inner spiritual life has been perfected and transformed. Otherwise religion will degenerate into a mere organization, and become a dead thing.

The believers, particularly the young ones, should therefore fully realize the necessity of praying. For prayer is absolutely indispensable to their inner spiritual development, and this, already stated, is the very foundation and purpose of the Religion of God.

(8 December 1935 to an individual believer, published in "Bahá’í News" 102 (August 1936), p. 3)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 237-238)

Attitude of prayer
If one friend feels love for another, he will wish to say so. Though he knows that the friend is aware that he loves him, he will still wish to say so…. God knows the wishes of all hearts. But the impulse to prayer is a natural one, springing from man’s love to God.

Prayer need not be in words, but rather in thought and attitude. But if this love and this desire are lacking, it is useless to try to force them. Words without love mean nothing. If a person talks to you as an unpleasant duty, with no love or pleasure in his meeting with you, do you wish to converse with him?

(Report of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words as quoted in J. E. Esslemont, "Baha’u’llah and the New Era", p. 94)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 235)

Attitude of prayer
In the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not because they fear Him or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven…. When a man falls in love with a human being, it is impossible for him to keep from mentioning the name of his beloved. How much more difficult is it to keep from mentioning the Name of God when one has come to love Him…. The spiritual man finds no delight in anything save in commemoration of God.

(Report of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words as quoted in J. E. Esslemont, "Baha’u’llah and the New Era", p. 95)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 236)

Importance of prayer
In all the worlds of existence there is nothing more important than prayer. Prayer confers spirituality upon the heart.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Sweetness of prayer
There is nothing sweeter in the world of existence than prayer.

Man must live in a state of prayer. The most blessed condition is the condition of prayer and supplication. Prayer is conversation with God. The greatest attainment or the sweetest state is none other than conversation with God. It creates spirituality, creates mindfulness and celestial feelings, begets new attractions of the Kingdom and engenders the susceptibilities of the higher intelligence. The highest attribute given to his holiness Moses is the following verse: “God carried along a conversation with Moses.”

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Effect of prayer
Man becomes like a stone unless he continually supplicates to God. The heart of man is like a mirror which is covered with dust and to cleanse it one must continually pray to God that it may become clean. The act of supplication is the polish which erases all worldly desires. The delight of supplicating and entreating before God cuts one’s heart from the world. When the taste of man is nourished by honey he never likes to taste any other sweetmeat. Therefore, prayer is a key by which the doors of the kingdom are opened. There are many subjects which are difficult for man to solve. But during prayer and supplication they are unveiled and there is nothing that man cannot find out.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Effect of prayer
Prayer and supplication are so effective that they inspire one’s heart for the whole day with high ideals and supreme sanctity and calmness. One’s heart must be sensitive to the music of prayer.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Effect of prayer
God will answer the prayer of every servant if that prayer is urgent.

(Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 246)

 
Answering of prayers
The heavens of thy mercy and the oceans of thy bounty are so vast that thou hast never disappointed those who begged of thee nor refused those who willed to come to thee.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Answering of prayers
Verily, he responds unto those who invoke him, is near unto those who pray unto him. And he is thy companion in every loneliness, and befriends every exile.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Answering of prayers
O thou who art turning thy face towards God! Close thine eyes to all things else, and open them to the realm of the All-Glorious. Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him alone; seek whatsoever thou seekest from Him alone. With a look He granteth a hundred thousand hopes, with a glance He healeth a hundred thousand incurable ills, with a nod He layeth balm on every wound, with a glimpse He freeth the hearts from the shackles of grief. He doeth as He doeth, and what recourse have we? He carrieth out His Will, He ordaineth what He pleaseth. Then better for thee to bow down thy head in submission, and put thy trust in the All-Merciful Lord.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 51)

What to ask
Beseech thou from God’s infinite grace whatsoever thou desirest. But wert thou to heed my advice thou wouldst desire naught save entrance into the Abha Kingdom, and seek naught save the bounties of the Beauty of the All-Glorious, may my life be sacrificed for His loved ones. This is my exhortation to thee.

(From a Tablet – translated from the Persian and Arabic)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 231)

What to ask
O handmaid of God! Prayers are granted through the universal Manifestations of God. Nevertheless, where the wish is to obtain material things, even where the heedless are concerned, if they supplicate, humbly imploring God’s help- even their prayer hath an effect.

O handmaid of God! The prayers which were revealed to ask for healing apply both to physical and spiritual healing. Recite them, then, to heal both the soul and the body. If healing is right for the patient, it will certainly be granted; but for some ailing persons, healing would only be the cause of other ills, and therefore wisdom doth not permit an affirmative answer to the prayer.

O handmaid of God! The power of the Holy Spirit healeth both physical and spiritual ailments.

("Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá", sec. 139, pp. 161-62)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 230)

Praying in silence
Baha’u’llah says there is a sign (from God) in every phenomenon: the sign of the intellect is contemplation and the sign of contemplation is silence, because it is impossible for a man to do two things at one time — he cannot both speak and meditate.

("Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris in 1911-1912", pp. 174)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 233)

Prayer in private
Christ said, “Go into thy chamber and shut the door, and pray to thy Father which is in heaven.” Why did he say this? It is with the tongue that man expresses his feelings to another man. But with the language of the heart man prays to God. Though God is within the heart of man, is ever present in every place, yet man lifts up his eyes to heaven and prays as if God were there, seated upon a throne. Surely this is pure superstition! Why should he utter the words “O heavenly Father?” Why should it be necessary for him to repeat prayers aloud and with the tongue? One reason for this is that if the heart alone is speaking the mind can be more easily disturbed. But repeating the words so that the tongue and heart act together enables the mind to become concentrated. Then the whole man is surrounded by the spirit of prayer and the act is more perfect.

Another reason is that by the outward signs of entering into his room and praying the attention of others is attracted and they begin to ask, “Why does he do this?” and are aroused to enquire about the truth.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Prayer in private
The reason why privacy hath been enjoined in moments of devotion is this, that thou mayest give thy best attention to the remembrance of God, that thy heart may at all times be animated with His Spirit, and not be shut out as by a veil from thy Best Beloved.

("Selections from the Writings of the Báb, pp. 93-94)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 228)

Prayer at midnight
Automatic, formalistic prayers which do not touch the core of the heart are of no avail. How sweet, how delicious, how satisfying, how spiritual is prayer in the middle of the night! While all the eyes are closed the eyes of the worshipper are wide open. While all the ears are stopped the ears of the suppliant are attuned to the subtle music of God. While the majority of the people are fast asleep the adorer of the Ideal Beloved is wakeful. All around him there is a rare and delicate silence, deep, airy, ethereal silence, calm, magical and subtle – and there is the worshipper, communing with nature and the author of nature.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Prayer at midnight
The state of prayer is the best of conditions, for man is then associating with God. Prayer verily bestoweth life, particularly when offered in private and at times, such as midnight, when freed from daily cares.

("Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá" sec. 172, p. 202)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 230)

Prayer at midnight, morn and eve
Neglect not praying and communing in the gloomy midnights and morn and eve and offer glory unto thy Lord, the Supreme.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Prayer in the morning
Occupy thyself in remembrance of the Beauty of Him Who is the Unconstrained at early morn, and seek communion with Him at the hour of dawn. O ‘Ali! Remembrance of Me is a healing medicine to the souls and a light to the hearts of men.

(From a Tablet to an individual believer – translated from the Persian)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 227)

 
Prayer in the morning
When a soul rises in the morning from sleep before everything else he must commemorate the name of God in order that he may obtain spirituality and illumination.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Condition of prayer
Regarding the condition of prayer, the Master said that the best time for prayer is at dawn and dusk. The power of will draws one to the condition of prayer. When one is not in a receptive mood and is rather immersed in one’s worldly affairs, he can pull himself into the condition of prayer by an act of will:

By a force of will and an effort of mind, man turns his attention to God, to His knowledge, His wonderful creation, His wisdom and His Omnipotence, and then by thinking frequently and deeply of Him, attains the state of Love, of desire for prayer, of supreme ecstacy. But sometimes one finds that Divine power and not human effort transports man into that condition.

Riaz Khadem, Shoghi Effendi in Oxford, p. 50

Prayer and action
O maid-servant of God! Chant the Words of God and, pondering over their meaning, transform them into actions!

("Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbas", vol. I (Chicago: Bahá’í Publishing Society, 1909), p. 85)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 232)

Prayer and action
"… It is not sufficient to pray diligently for guidance, but this prayer must be followed by meditation as to the best methods of action and then action itself. Even if the action should not immediately produce results, or perhaps not be entirely correct, that does not make so much difference, because prayers can only be answered through action and if someone’s action is wrong, God can use that method of showing the pathway which is right."

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 461)

Prayer and action
The Master’s answer… was that man cannot stimulate and awaken others if he is speechless and inactive. His prayer can only bring a change through divine power. However, as soon as the person puts his thoughts into action his hearers can be inspired.

Riaz Khadem, Shoghi Effendi in Oxford, p. 50

Prayer in a gathering

Man may say, “I can pray to God whenever I wish, when the feelings of my heart are drawn to God; when I am in the wilderness, when I am in the city, or wherever I may be. Why should I go where others are gathered upon a special day, at a certain hour, to unite my prayers with theirs when I may not be in a frame of mind for praying?” To think in this way is useless imagination for where many are gathered together their force is greater. Separate soldiers fighting alone and individually have not the force of a united army. If all the soldiers in this spiritual war gather together then their united spiritual feelings help each other and their prayers become more acceptable.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Praying through others
In answer to the question, “Why should one pray through Christ as the Christians do, or through another manifestation of God and why should we not pray to God direct?” Abdu’l-Baha said:

“If we wish to pray we must have some object upon which to concentrate. If we turn to God we must direct our hearts to a certain center. If man worships God otherwise than through his Manifestation he must first form a conception of God and that conception is created by his own mind. As the finite cannot comprehend the Infinite so God is not to be comprehended in this fashion. That which man conceives with his own mind he comprehends. That which he can comprehend is not God. That conception of God which a man has is but a phantasm, an image, an imagination, an illusion. There is no connection between such a conception and the Supreme Being.

“If a man wishes to know God he must find him in the perfect mirror, Christ or Baha’o’llah. In either of these mirrors he will see reflected the Sun of Divinity.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

Praying through others
Some present asked how it was that in prayer and meditation the heart often turns with instinctive appeal to some friend who has passed into the next life.

Abdu’l-Baha answered: “It is a law of God’s creation that the weak should lean upon the strong. Those to whom you turn may be mediators of God’s power to you, even as when on earth. But it is the one Holy Spirit which strengthens all men.

Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol VIII, no. 4 (May 17, 1917), p. 41-44

I was with a friend and we were discussing how we have been using this worksheet on “Bring thyself to account each day” for the last few days, and the effect it has been having on the quality of our day. We have been going through the worksheet, reading the quote and looking through the questions and trying to answer them for ourselves, and have been having similar experiences in the effect it is having on our day. I’ll describe my experience here, so you can get an idea of what we were talking about.

The first day I started using the worksheet, I noticed a marked, surprising difference. I had had the worksheet for many months, and had been meaning to try it for a while but was only then getting around to trying it. I wasn’t expected any noticeable results, probably just a slow improvement over weeks and months, but the point was to follow the exhortation to bring ourselves to account.

The effect, instead, was impressive. Throughout that day I was reminded often of some of the points raised in the questions on the sheet, such as whether I had “refrained from every irregular inclination” or “subdued every rebellious passion”. Particularly in a meeting where we were discussing some touchy subjects, I kept thinking to say a comment, when I would realize that the comment really was coming from a rebellious passion within me and I would then strive to revise it before saying it. I hadn’t been used to such reminders in the self-regulation of my conduct, and it was a pleasant surprise to be confronted with them.

The general trend over the last few days has been quite positive, though it seems hard at times to self-assess in certain areas, such as if my belief is stronger or if my love has increased. However, I am much more aware of spiritual truths during the day, am much more in a state of communion with God, so to speak. Many times during the day, just after having done something (and sometimes before doing it) I suddenly realize that it’s not the right thing to do, and I’m immediately presented with a mental analysis of sorts about why it’s not the right thing, drawing from some of the points in the sheet, and if I had done something wrong I feel the imperative need to right the wrong there and then.

A story to illustrate the points of increased love and righting wrongs. A few days ago I was coming home from the Shrine of the Bab, at around 8:30pm. On the way home, I had to cross the road (Hatzionut Ave) at the traffic lights, and as I was approaching the lights I saw a young African man with a pilgrim badge looking around near the lights. I smiled and greeted him, but he didn’t really respond, just sort of grunted in a husky voice. I figured either he didn’t know the language to use, or for some reason he couldn’t speak. He motioned across the road and made some more sounds, and I smiled and replied, yes, this was how we would cross the road. He pressed the cross button and we waited for a while. The walk light went green, and we headed across. I was walking faster than him, so I sped up and ahead, then turned the corner and headed further down the hill, leaving him behind. As I was walking away, a thought suddenly came to me, that I should really practice manifesting love to humanity, and one way of doing that was to show love to this young man. By this time, I was too far around the corner to see the crossing, but I paused and reflected, should I go back and ask him what he was doing? At that time of the day the gate to the gardens is closed, and there was no pilgrim talk that night, so maybe he had crossed the road by mistake? He wasn’t coming down the direction I had taken, and there’s not much else up in the opposite direction. In indecision I hung for a few more seconds, then with some trepidation started heading back up to the crossing. I then saw someone else walking down the path from the crossing, and I stopped again thinking, maybe he’s left, maybe that person already talked to him, and even if I caught up to him, what would I say?

So I turned around and headed home, and figured I’d pray for forgiveness tomorrow morning as part of my bringing myself to account. The next day, I did that, and in response to the thought “what can you do to make amends” I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t really do much as I would likely not see him again. This was another entry to add to the list of wrongs I couldn’t right, and for which I would have to depend on God for His Mercy. Matter resolved, not entirely satisfactorily, but I would probably not have thought about it too much again.

A few days pass, and last night, I attended the pilgrim talk and was mingling with the pilgrims afterwards as they slowly headed out. I saw this young man again, and I immediately resolved to go and say hello to him. On the way another friend greeted me and I got caught up, and by the time our conversation was over he was nowhere to be seen. Later as we were walking home, I suddenly realized he was walking in front of us. So I caught up with him, greeted him and smiled as we walked along. He again didn’t respond with much speech, but seemed to warm up a little. So as we walked further I spoke a little more, asking him if he enjoyed the talk, and again not much speech. A little further on I had to part, and as I turned to wave and say good-bye to him, he waved back, and to my great joy had a big, beautiful smile! I was so happy, absolutely overjoyed that I had been given the chance to make amends; not so much for a wrongdoing but for a missed opportunity to serve humanity. I knew at some point, either later in life or in the next world, I would have thought back with great regret at a consciously missed opportunity to learn love for humanity.

This is just one example of the kinds of things that have started happening since I have been practicing with this worksheet. My lunch friend shared some experiences, and we got to talking about other related issues and stories, but the general theme was how happy we were and how this practice, although not the cause of our happiness, was instrumental in triggering the actions we took to get to this happy state. We are going to keep experimenting with it for a while, and see if the effect is sustainable. If it is, it would be a great method of systematic spiritual growth to share with the friends.

“Let each morn be better than its eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday”
Baha’u'llah, Tablet of Wisdom

We are exhorted to a systematic endeavor to improve ourselves, to grow spiritually, through a process of daily action and reflection. In fact, “to stop advancing is the means of going back”, so if we don’t make a conscious effort for each day to be better than the day before, it will actually be worse! The question is, how do we measure if today was better than yesterday?

I found a quote from Abdu’l-Baha that addresses just this issue, with a plan for bringing oneself to account each day. There were some questions that someone had supplied along with the quote, but I don’t know who came up with them. The questions help one reflect on the quote, and I added one question from another quote I have found.

See below for the full text, or click here to download it as a PDF file.

I will print this out and experiment with it personally for a few weeks, before the fast, but we’ll need to figure out how we can share this in a group setting.

“Therefore I say that man must travel in the way of God. Day by day he must endeavor to become better, his belief must increase and become firmer, his good qualities and his turning to God must be greater, the fire of his love must flame more brightly; then day by day he will make progress, for to stop advancing is the means of going back. The bird when he flies soars ever higher and higher, for as soon as he stops flying he will come down. Every day, in the morning when arising you should compare today with yesterday and see in what condition you are. If you see your belief is stronger and your heart more occupied with God and your love increased and your freedom from the world greater then thank God and ask for the increase of these qualities. You must begin to pray and repent for all that you have done that is wrong and you must implore and ask for help and assistance that you may become better than yesterday so that you may continue to make progress.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Star of the West 8, no. 6 (24 June 1917): p. 68.
795. Compilations, the Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 376

1. Every day, in the morning when arising you should compare today with yesterday and see in what condition you are.
2. See if:
   1. Your belief is stronger
   2. Your heart more occupied with God
   3. Your love increased
   4. Your freedom from the world greater
3. Remember if you have:
   1. Refrained from every irregular inclination
   2. Subdued every rebellious passion
   3. Purified the motives of your conduct
   4. Conformed to that meekness which no provocation can ruffle
   5. Conformed to that patience which no affliction can overwhelm
   6. Conformed to that integrity which no self-interest can shake
4. Then thank God.
   List those things for which you are grateful.
5. Ask for an increase in:
   Hold a vision of what that experience would be and describe as you see it for now.
   1. Strong belief
   2. Heart more occupied with God
   3. Increased love
   4. Greater freedom from the world
6. Pray and repent for all that you have done wrong.
   Think about those things from yesterday about which you have regret. Ask for God’s forgiveness. Think about how you might have done it differently and if there are amends that you need to make to set things right. Consider what you will need to do to forgive yourself.
7. Implore and ask for help and assistance that you may become better than yesterday, so that you may continue to make progress.
   Consider what things you will work on today and ask for assistance in your choices of goals as well as progress with them.

The fasting experience at the Baha’i World Centre is unique in a few ways – being in a work environment where everyone else is also observing the fast means that you have fewer distractions and more understanding from your colleagues; you finish work half an hour earlier than usual, to allow time to prepare for breaking the fast; and you have a wonderful dinner prepared for you on weekdays. The environment adds greatly to the spiritualizing effect of the fast because of our great bounty to have access to the Shrines, and to be able to walk around the gardens and meditate. Having friends who are fasting who live close by is an added bonus because you can get together frequently to pray and meditate, and to prepare and have your meals.

The last few years I have been really enjoying the opportunity this provides for having a special fast:

2007

In 2007 I had a project which was due shortly after the fast, and had to work hard through the fast to make the deadline. This proved a great source of motivation, and working with a friend on the project (Saba Moghbelpour) we would make the most of our time by working in the mornings and a little after dinner. I would get up at 3:30am, shower and shave, iron clothes and get ready, pray and meditate then head off to Saba’s house. We would prepare and have a quick breakfast and by 5:30 we’d be on the computer, coding. Most days we would head home after work and eat great food that Saba’s wife Sieni had prepared, and then do an hour or two of coding before rushing off to bed.

Thus passed a memorable fast, we added many features to our project by the deadline, and shall always remember what a productive fast we had and the potential of “early to bed, early to rise”.

2008

The next year, I planned in advance for the fast. I prepared a list of friends whom I would like to have over for breakfast (as most people live close enough I had many to choose from), and sent invitations to them a good two months in advance. I live in a flat with one flatmate, and our dining area is pretty small so we restricted ourselves to having two to six people on our invite list. Then, a week before each day of the fast, I would send the guests a reminder email, and another email the day before.

We had good attendance, with maybe an 80% show-up rate, had a great time preparing breakfast every day and having it together, and sharing prayers and meditating on some quotes afterwards. A few times we had some group discussion too, on a random topic.

After the first day, the friends we had invited decided to take turns hosting such a breakfast at their place, which they proceeded to do and we joined them after our invite lists had run out.

2009

Looking back at this social experience of the fast, I find it extremely rewarding and would love to continue in the same vein this year. However, I felt that there was too much of a focus on the food and too little on the spiritual aspect. So this year, I hope to plan more for the spiritual and maybe simplify the material aspect by putting less effort in preparing more than one type of food.

I’m also unsure whether we should host every day of the fast at our place and invite friends over, or to have it in a different house every day – the first option would imply more work on our part as hosts but spending time with a wider group of people, albeit only one day with each – while the second option means spending lots of time with one group but less work as a host. I think I still prefer the first option.

As for the main spiritual aspect, one idea has surfaced that I will be exploring in more detail – to see how we can, both individually and by helping each other, learn the habit of bringing ourselves to account each day. I feel this is something lacking in my life and it would greatly enhance my spiritual growth.

If you have any ideas for what to do during the fast or comments on bringing oneself to account each day please post them below!

Here’s a little gem from the book The Arc of Ascent (read it yourself for the full picture).

These words were spoken by God to Daniel:
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel 12:4

“Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” Daniel 12:9

In the Quran, Muhammad states that in this day the righteous will be rewarded:
“Choice sealed wine shall be given them to quaff, The seal of musk.” Sura 42-114

Shoghi Effendi describes the Kitab-i-Iqan:
it proffered to mankind the “Choice Sealed Wine,” whose seal is of “musk,” and broke the “seals” of the “Book” referred to by Daniel God Passes By, p. 139

So we have this Choice Wine, but it is still sealed, albeit with an attractive perfume (musk) as a seal.

“Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power.” Kitab-i-Aqdas no. 5

Thus the relation between spiritual guidance (the wine, which is sealed) and the laws and institutions through which this guidance can be applied (the wineskin which holds the wine).

The spiritual world is like unto the phenomenal world. They are the exact counterpart of each other. Whatever objects appear in this world of existence are the outer pictures of the world of heaven.

Reading the book: The Arc of Ascent by John S. Hatcher. Highly recommended – I am starting to understand better the statement of human purpose in the short obligatory prayer: “I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee”. In very brief, to ‘know’ God means practicing reflecting the attributes of God (as instructed by the Manifestations), and to ‘worship’ refers to the actions performed in service. There is so much more to it – and I hope to be able to understand better what the Arc of Descent and Ascent mean by the end of the book.

O OPPRESSORS ON EARTH! Withdraw your hands from tyranny, for I have pledged Myself not to forgive any man’s injustice. This is My covenant which I have irrevocably decreed in the preserved tablet and sealed with My seal.

O ye friends of God! Show ye an endeavor that all the nations and communities of the world, even the enemies, put their trust, assurance and hope in you; that if a person falls into errors for a hundred-thousand times he may yet turn his face to you, hopeful that you will forgive his sins; for he must not become hopeless, neither grieved nor despondent. This is the conduct and the manner of the people of Baha’. This is the foundation of the most high pathway! Ye should conform your conduct and manners with the advices of Abdul-Baha.

The following is a story from The Heroic Female Spirit: A Collection of Tales, by Phyllis K. Peterson. The stories are inspired by teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, and reinforce spiritual qualities. They also provide positive examples of girls and women who learn to see their own capacity to create change. Grab a copy and read it, if you get a chance!

THE GIRL WHO COULD OPEN DOORS WITH HER HEART

King Shevon, like so many rulers before him, was unsatisfied with his rule. He desired complete obedience from his subjects and wished that the very sound of his voice would compel them to obey his wishes. He was not a cruel man, but he craved more power, unlike queen Raisa, who was wisely less controlling and more beneficent toward the people. Little did King Shevon know that the wind was listening to him and, hearing his desire to command, decided to carry his wishes far and wide, though not in the way that he hoped.

One night as he slept, worries that thieves would try to steal his royal treasures crept into his dreams. He awoke in the middle of the night in a panic. “Let no one open that door!” he called out, referring to the door to the royal treasury.

The next morning he rushed down to the treasury to make sure it was still secure, but when he tried to open the door to inspect his riches, he found that it was stuck fast. He called the captain of the guards—a huge brute of a man—who pushed and kicked, but the door remained stuck. He called the commander of the knights, an intelligent and resourceful man who had saved the kingdom numerous times, but after ten hearty heaves and ten hefty hos, he had dents in his armor, and still the door would not open.

Realizing that brute strength and sheer intelligence weren’t enough, the king called the architect who had designed the castle, thinking surely he could find a way around the door. The man scratched his head, looked at the blueprints, and investigated the structure but could find no way in. Thinking perhaps it was a problem with the locks, the king summoned the royal locksmith. After trying key after key after key and hearing click after tumble after click with no results, the locksmith declared that it was not the lock.

Within days the king was running out of money. There were many things that needed to be done. He and the queen were planning a lavish holiday celebration and the date was fast approaching. There were plans to be made and food to be bought. There were dresses and suits to be tailored, and gifts to be purchased. He began to grow despondent.

In despair, the king sent for the wizard. When the wizard arrived, he gazed at the door and scratched his beard. He performed a magic chant and touched the door to the treasury with his wand, but still the door did not open. “What kind of spell is this that is stronger than your magic, wizard?” asked the king.

The wizard said something that really confused the king: “Only one who is truly innocent can solve this mystery. The solution is carried on the wind, and only one who is pure of heart can listen to it.”

The king was distraught, for he did not believe in innocence. He was a wary, skeptical king who had seen much and been disappointed by many. He was convinced that nowhere in his kingdom or in any other kingdom was there someone so pure and capable. If the door could only be opened by an innocent, why then, it could never be opened; the king pronounced it impossible to open. Little did he know that it was he who had endangered his entire kingdom!

Meanwhile bills were piling up with no way to pay them. Guests for the upcoming celebration sent messages of their imminent arrival, but the king knew there would be no food in the pantry to feed them and no exotic gifts to present to them if he did not find a way to open the door to the treasury.

As the king slept that night he had an ominous dream. He dreamed that three men were ravaging his kingdom. The first man was obese and was eating virtually everything in the kingdom that was edible, growing visibly fatter by the minute. The second man was covered with disfiguring open sores that would not heal; wherever he went, everyone fled from him in horror. The third man was a masked bandit who was terrorizing people throughout the land, stealing their money and possessions and leaving them penniless. The king awoke in a sweat in the middle of the night, disturbed by the vision in his dream. He felt it portended some great misfortune but did not know exactly what to make of it. The next morning he called for the royal soothsayer to come to his chamber to interpret the dream.

When the soothsayer arrived, the king recounted his dream in careful detail. “What does this dream mean?” the king asked. “It makes no sense to me, but it leaves me with a feeling of great dread. I’m afraid it may be an omen.”

“In truth, your majesty, I believe you will not like what I have to say,” said the soothsayer, “but I must tell you that your kingdom will be visited by disaster.”

“Just as I feared,” said the king. “But what kind of disaster? Can you tell me more?”

“The man who eats too much represents famine and hunger,” replied the soothsayer. “Something will threaten the kingdom’s food supply, and your people will go hungry if you do not act.”

“I see,” said the king, looking very puzzled indeed, for as far as he knew, the farms and farmers of his realm were thriving, and he was aware of no immediate threat to the food supply. “And what about the man with the skin malady’?” he asked.

“He is sickness and death. Your kingdom will be threatened by a plague,” said the soothsayer.

“How can this be?” said the king. “My people are in good health, and we have the finest healers!” The king was becoming very perplexed and began to wonder if he should trust the royal soothsayer. “And what do you make of the masked bandit?” he asked somewhat dubiously.

“Poverty, your majesty.” The soothsayer paused, seeming somewhat embarrassed and uncomfortable. He continued hesitantly, “There are problems with money and finances. The people are being deprived of what should be theirs, and they will suffer if this continues.”

“Oh, nonsense!” cried the king. “This makes no sense at all!” He dismissed the soothsayer and gave the matter no more thought.

Later that same clay, however, the king discovered to his horror that the omens in his dream had come true. Alarming reports came in saying that half the people in his kingdom had suddenly fallen ill with a mysterious disease. Furthermore, locusts had descended on the kingdom’s crops and were rapidly decimating them. And as if that weren’t enough, the king’s creditors were threatening revolt if he did not pay his bills at once.

His mind turned dark, as did his heart. He went once again to the treasury door and tried to open it, but still found it stuck fast. “Life always did deal with me harshly,” he thought. “I don’t think I can survive this.”

When the king awoke the next morning, he felt very ill and worried that the same mysterious illness that was spreading through the kingdom had now afflicted him. He called the royal physician, who predicted the worst. When the king heard this dire prognosis, his condition worsened. He had a raging fever and in his delirium he tossed and turned. The wind heard his moans and knew that he was near death, so it tickled his ear with a name: Florence.

“Florence,” the king said weakly, not really understanding why, but feeling suddenly that he needed to see her.

The physician looked at the queen and asked, “Who pray tell, is Florence?”

Queen Raisa shrugged her shoulders. She knew nobody by that name. The queen and the physician asked the royal census taker if he knew of anyone named Florence.

“No,” he said, “I’ve heard of no woman in this kingdom named Florence.”

But the king kept repeating the name, and Queen Raisa thought that perhaps this mysterious woman named Florence held the key to her husband’s survival. With his condition worsening rapidly, it became clear that something had to be done, and quickly.

She cast a loving glance at the suffering king and decided to take matters into her own hands. Riding on horseback, she went from village to village to inquire about a woman named Florence. There were many women: Kathryn, Gertrude, Vanessa, Cecilia, and countless others, but no one named Florence.

The queen passed through village after village with no success. After visiting every single village in her husband’s kingdom, still there was no woman called Florence to be found. The sun was beginning to set, and soon she would be forced to turn back. She was terribly thirsty and needed a drink before turning around to head back to the castle. As she passed through the very last village, preparing to turn back, she spotted a child smiling at her from the window of a broken-down shack. The child had the most angelic smile the queen had ever seen. The queen was enchanted by the sweet and simple nature of the girl and decided this was as good a place as any to stop for a drink of water. She approached the shack and knocked on the door. The child answered.

“I’m in need of a drink of water, dear child. May I come in?”

The child did not know who she was dealing with, for she had never before seen the queen and did not curtsy, but she gladly offered a cup of water to satisfy her guest’s thirst.

The queen asked, “Child, do you know a woman named Florence?”

“No, ma’am, I don’t,” the girl answered.

This was very discouraging. The queen was losing hope. “What is your name, child?” the queen asked, making a mental note to be sure to remember the name of this friendly girl when she returned to the castle so she could later send a royal thank-you note.
“Florence,” she replied.

“But I thought you said you didn’t know anyone named Florence!” said the queen.

“You asked me if I knew any woman named Florence, Ma’am. I thought you were looking for a grown-up,” the girl explained.

“Why, then, I wonder if you are who I am looking for?” said the queen, somewhat puzzled. She did not see how a child could possibly be of any use in this situation, yet she was desperate enough to try nearly anything, for there was little to lose at this point. “Florence,” she said, “would you ask your mother if you may come with me to the royal castle? The king is very sick, and I believe you can help.”

“Of course I will,” said Florence. Her mother happily gave her consent for Florence to go, and together the pair rode back to the castle. Florence was brought before the king.

“Florence,” he cried out in his fever. “Save me, save us all!”

Florence looked at the queen, who encouraged her with a gentle nudge.

Florence approached the king. “What is it you need me to do, Sir’?” she asked.

“Florence, my kingdom is in great danger and nearly at its end,” said the king. With great effort, he sat up in bed, feverish and drenched in sweat. “Do you know the answer to what has befallen me and my kingdom? Can you advise me about what to do?” he asked. He really did not expect that she—a mere child, and a girl at that—would be able to solve these perplexing problems, but for the moment he was willing to let her try.

“Sir, all I know is what my mother taught me: that the words we speak become our future when the wind carries them to all the forces of the universe,” she told him.

“The wind?” The king asked, unsure of how to interpret the words. Then he remembered what the wizard had told him, that only one who is pure-hearted could listen to the wind. “Can you hear the voice of the wind, Florence? Will it tell you why I’ve become sick, or why I can’t open the door to my treasury?” asked the king.

Florence closed her eyes and listened intently for a long time, not with her ears, but with her heart. She heard the whisper of the wind as it moved through the room, and she heard the faint echoes of the king’s own words that had created his affliction.

She opened her eyes and looked at the king. She quietly told him, “You closed the treasury yourself—don’t you remember? I heard you say that no one could open the door, and the wind carried your words to the forces of the universe. Then you said you were tired of being the king. The words you spoke became your future. And when you said, ‘I don’t think I can survive this,’ that’s when you became sick.”

“But what must I do to change all of this?” begged the king.

“Speak words of blessing, your majesty, and your future will change,” Florence replied.

King Shevon sat up and pondered this wisdom. Then with all the strength he had in his body, he cried out, “Bless this kingdom and its king!”

Then Queen Raisa, too, took up the cry, “Bless this kingdom and its king!”

Then Florence joined them, saying, “Bless this kingdom and its king!” And the wind carried this chant far and wide across the land, to every valley and hill and every meadow and stream. Almost immediately the king felt some life flowing back into his veins, but still he was not completely well.

“What you have said can’t simply be undone with words— it requires acts of blessing, too,” Florence explained. “You must show kindness and rule with wisdom.”

By now the king was sipping some hot chicken soup and was feeling much better. Finishing that, he decided to test his legs to see if he had recovered enough to stand up again. Finding that he could, he called for his cane and asked everyone to follow him to the treasury door.

“Let the door open,” he said. He grasped its handle and turned and pulled it, but to his disappointment he found the door still wouldn’t budge. “What more must I do to open the treasury?” he asked Florence.

“For this,” she told him, “you must perform an act of generosity. Instead of hoarding your riches and possessions, you must give away what you have no need for.”

“Hmmm. I have many things that are not being used.” He paused to think on this for a moment. “Captain of the guards!” he called. “Whatever is not of use to our family, I wish to dispense to the people of the village.” And so it was done.

Gaining confidence, the king declared, “I take back every untrue word I have said about life, people, health, prosperity, and this door! I want those false words to return to nothing because they arose from the vain imaginings of my heart. Now and forevermore, I want the wind to spread my blessings throughout the land.”
Florence’s heart was filled with love and admiration for the king. She stood beside him and together they visualized the door opening. “Bless this door, for it is good,” they spoke to the wind. “Bless this door, for it is a willing servant to the king. It opens with kindness, it closes with kindness.” Just then, a gentle wind began to blow through the window, and the door creaked open.

The queen, amazed at what she had seen, asked Florence, “Child, if you have this great wisdom, why do you live so humbly?”

“I lived humbly before, but now look!” she said, leading them outside the castle into view of the nearby village. The entire village had been transformed. Instead of huts and shacks, there were beautiful homes. The illness that had afflicted the people faded, and there were joyful people making preparations to replant the crops the locusts had destroyed. Not only that, but a caravan of camels approached, carrying in new supplies to replenish the decimated food supply. It was truly a paradise!

From that moment on the king, the queen, and everyone in the kingdom were careful to speak only words of truth and blessing. If something went wrong in their lives, they blessed it with their words and deeds and imagined it being set right. If someone wronged them, they blessed the errant one with all the love in their heart and beseeched the forces of the universe to make them as one. And the wind circled the earth with all their blessings!

Make what you will of this, but to me it looks like flowers are banned. What a sad world!

The Prophets of God have always replied: “You were content to stay in the animal world, We wanted to make you human beings. You were dark, We wanted you illumined; you were dead, We wanted you alive. You were earthly, We wanted you heavenly.”
- p. 141 in Vignettes from the Life of `Abdu’l-Bahá

O SON OF SPIRIT!
The bird seeketh its nest; the nightingale the charm of the rose; whilst those birds, the hearts of men, content with transient dust, have strayed far from their eternal nest, and with eyes turned towards the slough of heedlessness are bereft of the glory of the divine presence. Alas! How strange and pitiful; for a mere cupful, they have turned away from the billowing seas of the Most High, and remained far from the most effulgent horizon.

The other day some some friends and I were talking about the nightingale, and wondering what it sounds like. The following are some of the results of googling the subject.

According to the wikipedia entry on Nightingale:

Nightingales are named so because they frequently sing at night as well as during the day.
Early writers assumed the female sang; in fact, it is the male.
The song is loud, with an impressive range of whistles, trills and gurgles.

Picture from wikipedia:

Found some sound clips of nightingales on the freesoundproject – here’s one by reinsamba:

In the Conference of the Birds by Attar, one of the birds mentioned is the Nightingale, and here’s how his part of the story starts:

The nightingale raises his head, drugged with passion,
Pouring the oil of earthly love in such a fashion
That the other birds shaded with his song, grow mute.
The leaping mysteries of his melodies are acute.
‘I know the secrets of Love, I am their piper,’
He sings, ‘I seek a David with broken heart to decipher
Their plaintive barbs, I inspire the yearning flute,
The daemon of the plucked conversation of the lute.
The roses are dissolved into fragrance by my song,
Hearts are torn with its sobbing tone, broken along
The fault lines of longing filled with desire’s wrong.

There is a poem by John Keats in 1819 called Ode to a Nightingale. It talks about the immortal nightingale and mortal man. Apparently spring came early in 1819.

There is also a fairy tale written by Danish author and poet Hans Christian Andersen in 1844 called The Nightingale:

The Emperor of China hears that one of the most beautiful things in his own land is the song of the nightingale. He sends his courtiers to take a nightingale from the nearby forest and present her as a guest at court. The bird can communicate with the humans and agrees to come, but when the Emperor is given a mechanical nightingale covered with jewels, he loses interest in the real bird, which flies back to its home. The mechanical bird breaks down. When the Emperor is taken ill, only the song of the true nightingale can heal him.

Here’s an adaptation of the play, by Faerie Tale Theatre:

Then, see Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6

Finally, a song of Yanni, inspired by a Nightingale:

March 3rd, 1896-November 4th, 1957

In a few hours, it will have been exactly 50 years since the Guardian passed away. It is even more special to remember the occasion while serving at the Baha’i World Centre, where one can directly see the physical evidence of the Guardian’s life work. It is hard to believe that just 50 years ago, Shoghi Effendi walked the same streets we are walking today, ate the same food, talked to the same locals (literally, in some cases), sat in the same chair in the Pilgrim House, said prayers at the same spot in the Shrines, talked to the pilgrims and was part of making their experience such a profoundly spiritual one, just as the staff here try to do today.

His spirit lives on among us, in the example he left us of how to live a life dedicated to service, in the copious writings and guidance he left us, which by themselves extend the institution of the Guardianship forward to the end of this dispensation, in the gardens we walk around every day, which serve as an enduring tribute to their creator and as a pattern for future development, in the buildings and monuments we work in and around every day, which are a symbol of the global administrative order laid out in detail and brought into being by him, and on a more personal level, as a worthy figure to heroize (something which is sorely lacking in the world today), along with all the other saintly figures he writes about in his book God Passes By.

From his wife Ruhiyyih Khanum, on his passing: “He was our Guardian, King of the world. We know he was noble because he was our Guardian. We know that God gave him peace in the end. But as I looked at him all I could think of was — how beautiful he is, how beautiful! A celestial beauty seemed to be poured over him and to rest on him and stream from him like a mighty benediction from on high. And the wonderful hands, so like the hands of Baha’u'llah, lay softly by his side; it seemed impossible the life had gone from them — or from that radiant face.“

I much prefer Attar to Rumi and the other poets I’ve read, probably because I understand what he’s saying the most (I just don’t get Rumi, most of the time). I’m reading all of this in English of course, so the quality of the translation probably has a lot to do with it.

Whoever drinks the mystics’ wine is king
Of all the world can show, of everything -
Its realms are specks of his authority,
The heavens but a ship on his wide sea;
If all the sultans of the world could know
That shoreless sea, its mighty ebb and flow,
They’d sit and mourn their wretched impotence
With eyes ashamed to meet each other’s glance

Ordered from Amazon, a week later it’s in my hands, all 886 pages. Can’t wait to read it..

23
O Watchful and loving Lord! Keep our little ones this day under Thy protection. Permit no evil influence to reach or to come near them. Preserve them from illness, from accident, and from all mishap. And in the evening bring them home to their rest in safety and happiness.

24
Praise be to Thee, O God, Who hast given to these children the boon of earthly life, and brought them thus far upon the road that leads to life eternal!
O Thou of many gifts, vouchsafe these little ones the mortal boon of health, prosperity and happiness; and since these blessings soon must pass away and be no more, admit them to Thy boundless worlds of love, endow and so train their hearts that they may be able to receive and hold fast for ever in joy the knowledge of Thy coming and Thy glory. Thou art the All-Compassionate, the All-Wise.

25
This home is a garden, O Lord, which Thy hand has planted in the world, and the hearts of these children are Thy flowers. Do Thou tend them and nourish them.
Pour down the rays of Thy truth upon them. Breathe Thy Holy Spirit upon them at every breath. Let Thy mercy descend on them like refreshing rain.
So shall these flowers of Thine mature, and bloom in beauty, and shed afar the fragrance of Thy love and remain Thine to their lives’ end.

26
Praise be to Thee, dear Lord, Who grantest to Thy servants bounty upon bounty. Thou bestowest on us the marriage-blessing of children bringing with them a thousand delights; and in this very gift Thou openest to us of Thy grace a new world of service to Thee, a new road to Thy good pleasure and favour.
Help us, in love and gratitude to Thee, so to direct and train these little ones that they may become men and women after Thine own heart, and may take their place as Thy lamps shining brightly in a dark world.

27
O Thou, the Lover, the Creator and the Lord of these children, help us their parents to guard and train them not through human love alone, but as an act of love for Thee, and of obedience to Thy command.
Grant us selflessness and devotion, that we may be able in our hearts to hear Thy bidding, and understand Thy will for these little ones.
Help us to do for them our utmost in Thy name, and in calm trust to leave the rest to Thee, the All-wise Who lovest these Thy children better yet—far better—than any human parent may love his child.

28
Let Reverence towards Thee, dear Lord, and kindness towards all that lives be graven deep into these children’s hearts.
Give us, their parents, wisdom and steadfastness, that we may unfold to them, little by little, at the right time and in the right way, the knowledge of Thy Truth and by the example of our lives may amend whatever is amiss in our teaching.
Let them increase day by day in spiritual strength that they may learn of Thee the mystery of prayer, and may attain the reward of conscious communion with Thy Spirit.

29
O Father in heaven, Who givest to a parents’ intercession a special privilege, hear Thou our prayer for these children whom Thou hast entrusted to our care.
Protect them, we beseech Thee, against the evil that arises in their own hearts, against the contagion of their parents’ frailties and imperfections, against the power of those whose hearts are turned from Thee.
Help us to pray for our children with concentration and humility of spirit, and by force of prayer offered in Thy Name to keep back, far from them, the evil influences that seek their destruction.

30
O Thou Who hast blessed us with Thy gift of children, let not the wonder and the happiness of these days of their infancy ever pass wholly from our hearts!
Grant us a strong undying memory of whatever is most precious in these fleeting days, that in the aftertime when our little ones are no longer little we may still keep in our hearts countless images and echoes of their babyhood, may see again their open innocent faces, may hear their voices striving to imitate their elders’ speech and recall these tireless infant feats of growing knowledge and gathering strength.
So shall the unworldly beauty of these childhood days abide with us forever, and not be wholly lost in the ripe happiness of the later time.

31
“Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Grant to these little ones, O Lord, that the gifts and qualities which now are theirs through weakness they may make their own by strength. Let them through all the years retain this child-like heart, continuing humble and receptive as now, full of wonder, eager to learn. Increase day by day and year by year their faith that as the children of a Higher Home than this they may become heirs of Eternity and earn the blessed fruits of this Divine Age of Fulfilment. Amen.

32
Here, O Lord, within the precincts of Thy protection, Love is king and Faith and Hope are the lords of thought. But in the world without, Faith and Hope wander in a wilderness and a stranger sits upon Love’s throne.
Be Thou, O Lord, the strength and shield of these little ones from their life’s beginning to its very end. Grant that their love and faith and hope may prevail against every enemy and put to shame all doubt and disbelief. Give them fortitude and power that through childhood and manhood, in prosperity and in adversity, they may continue that journey toward Thee which here they have begun, and may to their lives’ end bear witness to Thy truth and remain firm in Thy covenant.

33
O God, look on us who with ceaseless care keep watch and ward over these children, and suffer not our anxiety for them to become a sign of lack of trust in Thee.
We acknowledge that they are in Thy safe keeping. It is for Thee to appoint unto them their tasks in life, and Thou wilt bestow on them ample strength and means to perform all that Thou requirest.
Help us to pass on to them the divine Message of the Day of God to give to them the best we have to give, and doing this, to leave their souls to Thee in perfect trust.

34
Praise be to Thee, O God, for Thy bounty to the weak, the young, the humble, and for Thy power whereby Thou doest whatsoever Thou willest, unhelped, unhindered, uncomprehended by the thoughts of men!
Thou puttest down the mighty, and dost exalt them of low estate.
Thou hidest Thy mystery from the wise and learned, and revealest it to them who are as babes.
The scholar and philosopher see and perceive not, read and understand not; the child beholding Thy beauty steps into Thy Kingdom.
O Loving Lord, Who hast never turned away from a longing heart, nor an appealing cry, we pray then by Thy Most Great Name to deal with these little ones—these tender branches of the tree of life—according to Thy all perfect knowledge and desire.

35
O Lord, look upon these little ones, children of Thy covenant born of those whose hearts are turned to Thee. Keep them from the first unto the last under Thy protection and suffer them not to follow any desire save what may become servants of Thy truth, lovers of Thy Beauty.

36
Hear Thou, O God, our prayer for the children of this Age throughout the world!
Look with pity on those whose parents have not turned their hearts to Thee nor humbled themselves before Thy Manifestation. By Thy boundless mercy and Thy prevailing will, deliver them out of the darkness that surrounds them, and draw them toward Thy light. Create in their souls a hunger and thirst for righteousness, a longing for spiritual truth; and prepare their minds to listen for Thy voice and to welcome Thy glad tidings.
And now, O God, we beg Thee for these our children and for all others born beneath Thy covenant that Thou wilt endow them with power to recognise and to use to the utmost the blessing Thou hast given them. Grant them strength to stand fast by Thy truth, to uphold Thy cause, and in their time to spread far and near the knowledge of Thy glory and dominion.

37
Father of mine, and of my little son who kneels at my side and lifts his voice to Thee, hear Thou his prayer and mine. Protect those whom he loves and prays for. Lead him onward and ever onward in Thy way till he shall understand that within his weak and mortal body is hidden the sacred light of Thine imperishable Presence.

38
O Transcendent and Incomparable Lord!
Thou hast bidden us look to Thee as to our Father in heaven; teach me to keep in my heart this chosen Name of Thine, that I may discern the true ideal of fatherhood, and learn what Thou wouldst have an earthly father be. Strengthen me with Thy Spirit that I may deserve the trust, the obedience and the love of my little ones. Make me remember that they will learn the meaning of fatherhood from their earthly father, and forbid, O Lord, that I by my unworthiness should lead Thy children astray in their first thoughts of Thee. Thou art the Everpresent, the All-wise.

39
There was one who, being crossed, spoke to his son in anger, and saw the child’s face change in fear.
Thereafter, praying in penitence, he heard the Voice of the Spirit speak to him:
“Think not to number this weak one among thy possessions, nor imagine him to be thy creation. Thou callest him thy son. Yet within his infant soul lies hidden that which is deeper than thy knowing. In heaven his spirit stands now among the angels of My presence, and here on earth the sword of My justice protects and avenges him against all, and especially against thee. Love thou thy son, and love thyself in him. Teach him My way, and walk in it thyself that thou mayest be his guide. He is not thine, but Mine. Therefore, in all thou dost with him keep Me in remembrance, and fear Me. This is thy duty. See that thou fulfil it always, and slack not therein.”

40
O Loving Lord!
To the mountain-stream Thou hast given its bubbles that dance and tremble and break in light.
To the forest depths Thou hast given the fresh flowerbuds that burst and open and unfold their tender petals in perfect beauty.
To me Thou hast given the first baby-kiss of this little one who presses her tiny lips upon my lips in love.

41
Little one, little one of my heart, I am thy first love and the first to give thee a heart in love.
When I come near, thou smilest and stretchest out thy little hands. And when I lift thee to me, thou foldest thine arms about my neck, and pressest thy smooth cheek to mine, calling me love names in thy baby-talk.
What is there so sweet as love! and what love is so sweet as love at its dawning, new love, first love!
Yet night by night I kneel, and beg of Him Who answers every prayer that through the coming years He will make ever more deep and sweet this early love of ours.

42
O Little one, my Una, April’s child, thou breath of the spring wind embodied!
The bluebells cluster about thy knees; overhead the giant beech trees spread their half-unfolded leaves; across the meadow the cuckoo calls, and from the distant bog comes the curlew’s lonely cry.
How happy art thou, leading the revel of the woods, their native queen, for whom a thousand springs have come and gone to weave thy flower-beauty, and to find their meaning and perfection in these fresh lips and laughing eyes of thine.
O little one, joys more rare than these await thy wakening heart! A richer spring has cast its bounty at thy feet, a greater glory shines from another Heaven. And never morning breaks nor evening falls but lovers’ prayers go forth to beg the early vision of God’s Golden Age for thee who playest here thinking all happiness is already thine!

43
Child of my heart, call not me your Father; and this dear wife of mine that gave you birth, call not her your mother. Think not the home we make for you is your True Home. The life that is bestowed on you through us will soon pass away and perish; but you, my son, you will not perish.
This life is a steed to bear you to the Kingdom of Eternity, of which you are born a Prince. The Ruler of that Kingdom is your Father. His Palace is your Home. You are heir to a mighty princedom because you are born His son.
Ride straight and fast to take your heritage. Fear no danger. Stop not for flood nor foe. Look not to right nor left. Your Father waits for you.
Ride on. Rest not. Remember you are the son of a King.

44
Good-bye, my baby boy, good-bye; you are gone from us for ever!
What love did you bring with you into the world!
What love did you stir and quicken in your father’s heart.
With what love have I watched you, played with you, tended you in all conditions, at all hours, by day and by night; and who was happier than I!
How many scenes made beautiful by love, and filled with joy unroll before my eyes. Again I see our child of longing, the first born in his first sleep: the young adventurer voyaging from chair to chair: the blue-clad boy among the buttercups seeking to make playmates of the eluding lambs. . . But all this is past. You are gone from us, my baby-boy, and have no being now save in the close warm strong embrace of your mother’s memory and mine.
So must it be.
The bud perishes that the blossom may shed its fragrance, and babyhood yields its place to the larger life of the boy.
And have not you, my little newcomer, my little four-year-old- son, have not you all that the baby who brought you to me had— and how much more. What was all that baby-sweetness of yours which is now gone by save the light you cast before you on your way to me! You too, in your turn, will pass away from me, and the years will ever bring to you change upon change. Deepening happiness awaits you. You will pass from knowledge to knowledge, from strength to strength. And through all the years, you and I, please God, will be the closer friends and comrades because we have loved each other so dearly in the baby-days gone by.

45
While they are at your side, love these little ones to the uttermost. Forget yourself: Serve them; care for them; lavish all your tenderness on them. Value your good fortune while it is with you, and let nothing of the sweetness of their babyhood go unprized. Not for long will you keep the happiness that now lies within your reach. You will not always walk in the sunshine with a little warm, soft hand nestling in each of yours, nor hear little feet pattering beside you, and eager baby voices questioning and prattling of a thousand things with ceaseless excitement. Not always will you see that trusting face upturned to yours, feel those little arms about your neck, and those tender lips pressed upon your cheek, nor will you have that tiny form to kneel beside you, and murmur baby prayers into your ear.
Love them and win their love, and shower on them all the treasures of your heart. Fill up their days with happiness, and share with them their mirth and innocent delights.
Childhood is but for a day. Ere you are aware it will be gone with all its gifts for ever.

46
We are thy teachers because God has appointed us. You are to hear us because God wishes you to do so. He made us your father and mother, because He chose that you should be taught by us.
We provide you with food and clothing and warmth. This is good; but the good of it will not last forever. The truth we teach you is the greatest of all the gifts we have to give you. Nothing else is important compared with this. Truth and the effects of truth last for ever: not only for a little time. The teaching which God has told us to give you will make you more happy than clothes or houses or pleasure or money. People cannot be happy without truth, even on this earth: in the next world we shall be very unhappy without it.
Remember, these teachings are of more value than all else we have to give you. We teach you because we wish to obey God. We teach you not only because we love you very much, but for God’s sake.
To teach you as God would have you taught is not easy. We are not so wise nor so good as we should like to be; nor even so wise and good as we hope soon to become. God himself alone is a perfect teacher. We pray God constantly to help us; and because we so truly wish and strive to please Him He strengthens us with the power and wisdom of His Spirit. Whatever is true in our teaching, and whatever is good and right in it comes not from us, but from God.

47
The greatest benefit which we have to confer on you is: Guidance to God.
When God chose us to be your parents He commanded us to offer you this guidance. Therefore, it is by His will that we give you His Holy Teaching. We speak to you of Him and of His prophets, we surround you continually with thoughts of faith and worship, and we never cease to pray for you. We cannot compel you to learn the lessons which we teach; we would not compel you if we could, for God intends our wills to be free. You must choose for yourself. Your mother and I are trying—as best we may—to follow the leading of that Guidance, and it is our hope and prayer that you will travel with us. We should be very lonely if we had to take one step without you. For this teaching which God has given us to pass on to you is the most precious thing we have to give you: more precious far than food, or clothes or schooling, or even life itself—for this knowledge is ETERNAL life.

48
Fill Thou, O God, our home with harmony and happiness, with laughter and delight, with radiant kindliness and overflowing joy, that in the union of our hearts Thy love may find a lodging place, and Thou Thyself mayst make this home of ours Thine Own!

49
Unto Thee, O God, we dedicate this home. Cleanse it from all that is alien to Thee that it may become fit for Thy acceptance, and may be to friend and stranger as to ourselves a place of peace, a refuge from materialism, a herald of Thy Kingdom.

50
O God, make Thou this home of ours the garden of affection, a ripening place of love, where the hidden powers of our hearts may unfold, expand and bear the fruit of an abiding joy.

51
Glory and honour, praise and thanksgiving be unto Thee for ever from us, and from all mankind!
Thou art the One God, the Boundless, the Eternal, Who in Thy creation hast unveiled Thy Majesty and revealed Thy love.
For our sakes Thou hast called from infinitude this realm of space and moulded it to serve the uses of the soul.
For our sakes Thou hast laid upon eternity the semblance of bonds, and measured Time to us with fingers of gold and silver light.
For our sakes Thou hast brought us forth from the void of nothingness, and on the mirror of our being cast the beauty of Thy Own similitude.

52
Praise be to Thee Who hast called into being Thy worlds of Time and of Eternity to give utterance to Thy love. Thou hast made all things for man and man for his own glory and blessedness (not for Thine!) In his being Thou hast hidden Thy light; on his heart Thou hast printed Thy image. Thou hast placed the knowledge of Thyself and of Thy heaven before his face, and laid the way thereto plain and open at his feet.
Thou hast commanded from the beginning Thy covenant with man to deliver him from mortality and to grant him the freedom of Thy eternal Kingdom.
Age after age Thou hast sent Thy prophets to renew the same, to bear Thy children love-messages from Thee, and to bestow on them new and ever richer gifts.
Praise be to Thee, O God, from us who remember our benefits, who recount our blessings, and Who from our hearts give thanks unto Thee, the Beloved.
Praise be to Thee Who hast granted us birth in this time of wonder, this great age of breaking light!
We have walked in pride before Thee, but Thou hast overcome us by Thy humility.
We have turned from Thy presence, but Thy love has overtaken us, and drawn us home to Thee.
We have earned the wages of sin, but Thou hast brought to us Eternal Life.
Praise be to Thee Whose compassion has overshadowed us, whose forgiveness has descended upon us, Whose mercy has given us life, Whose hand has guided us to the highway of Thy Kingdom, Who chose for Thyself exile and bonds that Thou mightest redeem us.
O Thou Whose holiness and might are above Thy creatures’ praise, accept from us who love and worship Thee this praise we offer.

Video clips here:
http://www.youtube.com/vaezi

More stories coming soon, as I get time to write them up.

Briefly, the highlights are:

• Reviving childhood memories, meeting old friends, seeing the changes of 13 years
• Seeing the progress of the Faith, experiencing community life and the joy of sharing the message
• Being touched by the sacrifices people are making, and their staunchness and heroism

In more detail:

• Douala
• Bamenda, Gillett home
• Bamenda
• Njen
• Buea
• Buea, Sopo Centre
• Buea, Mount Cameroon
• Buea, Dr. Samandari
• Buea, Declaration of the Bab
• Limbe
• Limbe, Lava
• Buea, Naseem
• Food
• Friends and Activities
• Douala, Bushrui home
• Travelling