O ye beloved of God! O ye children
of His Kingdom! Verily, verily the
new heaven and the new earth are
come. The holy City, new Jerusalem,
hath come down from on high in the
form of a maid of heaven, veiled,
beauteous, and unique, and prepared
for reunion with her lovers on earth.
The angelic company of the celestial
Concourse have joined in a call that
hath rung throughout the universe,
all loudly and mightily acclaiming:
"Hail, O City of God! Abide Thou,
and make Thy habitation with the
pure, virtuous and holy servants
of Thine; for they are Thy people, and
Thou art their Lord."
-- Compilation, Baha'i World Faith,
p. 350
We have revealed Ourself unto men,
have unveiled the Cause, guided all
mankind towards God's Straight Path,
promulgated the laws and have enjoined
upon everyone that which shall truly
profit them both in this world and in
the next; yet they have pronounced
judgement to shed My blood, whereat the
Maid of Heaven
hath wept sore, Sinai hath lamented and the Faithful Spirit
was made to sigh with grief.
In these days the people have debarred
themselves from the effusions of
divine grace by following in the
footsteps of every ignorant one that hath
gone astray. They have cast the Ocean
of divine knowledge behind their
backs and fixed their eyes upon such
foolish men as claim to be well
versed in learning without being
supported by any evidence from God, the
Lord of mankind.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets
of Baha'u'llah, p. 251
O My servants! Through the might of
God and His power, and out of the
treasury of His knowledge and wisdom,
I have brought forth and revealed
unto you the pearls that lay concealed
in the depths of His everlasting
ocean. I have summoned the
Maids of Heaven to emerge from behind the veil
of concealment, and have clothed
them with these words of Mine--words of
consummate power and wisdom. I have,
moreover, with the hand of divine
power, unsealed the choice wine of
My Revelation, and have wafted its holy,
its hidden, and musk-laden fragrance
upon all created things. Who else but
yourselves is to be blamed if ye
choose to remain unendowed with so great
an outpouring of God's transcendent
and all-encompassing grace, with so
bright a revelation of His resplendent
mercy?...
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 327
Say: Step out of Thy holy chamber,
O Maid of Heaven, inmate of the Exalted
Paradise! Drape thyself in whatever
manner pleaseth Thee in the silken
Vesture of Immortality, and put on,
in the name of the All-Glorious, the
broidered Robe of Light. Hear, then,
the sweet, the wondrous accent of the
Voice that cometh from the Throne
of Thy Lord, the Inaccessible, the Most
High. Unveil Thy face, and manifest
the beauty of the black-eyed Damsel,
and suffer not the servants of God
to be deprived of the light of Thy
shining countenance. Grieve not if
Thou hearest the sighs of the dwellers
of the earth, or the voice of the
lamentation of the denizens of heaven.
Leave them to perish on the dust
of extinction. Let them be reduced to
nothingness, inasmuch as the flame
of hatred hath been kindled within their
breasts. Intone, then, before the
face of the peoples of earth and heaven,
and in a most melodious voice, the
anthem of praise, for a remembrance of
Him Who is the King of the names
and attributes of God. Thus have We
decreed Thy destiny. Well able are
We to achieve Our purpose.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 282
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
Thereupon the maids of heaven
hastened forth from their chambers,
upon whose countenances the eye
of no dweller in the highest paradise
had ever gazed.
Glorified be our Lord, the Most High!
They all gathered around her,
and lo! they found her body fallen
upon the dust;
Glorified be our Lord, the Most High!
And as they beheld her state
and comprehended a word of the tale
told by the Youth, they bared
their heads, rent their garments
asunder, beat upon their faces,
forgot their joy, shed tears and
smote with their hands upon their
cheeks, and this is verily one of
the mysterious grievous afflictions -
Glorified be our Lord, the Most High!
- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet
of the Holy Mariner
"Arise, and proclaim unto the entire
creation the tidings that He who is
the All-Merciful hath directed His
steps towards the Ridván and entered
it. Guide, then, the people unto
the Garden of Delight which God hath made
the Throne of His Paradise... Within
this Paradise, and from the heights of
its loftiest chambers, the
Maids of Heaven have cried out and shouted:
`Rejoice, ye dwellers of the realms
above, for the fingers of Him Who is the
Ancient of Days are ringing, in the
name of the All-Glorious, the Most Great
Bell, in the midmost heart of the
heavens. The hands of bounty have borne
round the cups of everlasting life.
Approach, and quaff your fill.'"
- Baha'u'llah speaking on the First
Day of Ridvan. Taken from, Shoghi
Effendi, God Passes By, p. 154
The mystic and
wondrous Bride, hidden ere this beneath the veiling of
utterance, hath now, by the grace
of God and His divine favor, been made
manifest even as the resplendent
light shed by the beauty of the Beloved. I
bear witness, O friends! that the
favor is complete, the argument fulfilled,
the proof manifest and the evidence
established. Let it now be seen what
your endeavors in the path of detachment
will reveal. In this wise hath the
divine favor been fully vouchsafed
unto you and unto them that are in heaven
and on earth. All praise to God,
the Lord of all Worlds.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, p. 51
We have digressed from the purpose
of Our argument, although whatsoever is
mentioned serveth only to confirm
Our purpose. By God! however great Our
desire to be brief, yet We feel We
cannot restrain Our pen. Notwithstanding
all that We have mentioned, how innumerable
are the pearls which have remained
unpierced in the shell of Our heart!
How many the húrís (maidens)
of inner meaning
that are as yet concealed within
the chambers of divine wisdom! None hath yet
approached them;--húrís,
"whom no man nor spirit hath touched before."
Notwithstanding all that hath been
said, it seemeth as if not one letter of Our
purpose hath been uttered, nor a
single sign divulged concerning Our object.
When will a faithful seeker be found
who will don the garb of pilgrimage, attain
the Ka'bih of the heart's desire,
and, without ear or tongue, discover the mysteries
of divine utterance?
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 70
By God! This Bird of Heaven, now dwelling
upon the dust, can, besides these
melodies, utter a myriad songs, and
is able, apart from these utterances, to
unfold innumerable mysteries. Every
single note of its unpronounced utterances
is immeasurably exalted above all
that hath already been revealed, and
immensely glorified beyond that which
hath streamed from this Pen. Let
the future disclose the hour when
the Brides (maidens) of inner meaning will,
as
decreed by the Will of God, hasten
forth, unveiled, out of their mystic
mansions, and manifest themselves
in the ancient realm of being. Nothing
whatsoever is possible without His
permission; no power can endure save
through His power, and there is none
other God but He. His is the world of
creation, and His the Cause of God.
All proclaim His Revelation, and all
unfold the mysteries of His Spirit.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 175
From provisional translations
He came down from the pavillions of
beauty and stood like the Sun at the
zenith of heaven, peerless and unique
in His beauty.
Rejoice! This is the Deathless
Youth, come bearing great joy.
Thus He stood in the midst of heaven,
shining like the noonday Sun at the
axis of beauty, His Name mighty!
Thereupon a herald proclaimed: "
Rejoice! This is the Beauty of
the Unseen, come with a mighty spirit."
A clamor then arose from the hearts
of the maids of heaven in their
chambers, "Blessed be God, the best
of Creators!" Thereupon the dove
sang out,
Rejoice! for the eyes of the privy
angels have seen none like unto this
Deathless Youth."
The gates of Paradise were flung wide
yet again, opened with the key of a
mighty Name.
Rejoice! This is the Deathless
Youth, come with a mighty Name.
The Maid of
Beauty came forth, dawning like the sun, plain upon the horizon
of the morn.
Rejoice! This is the
Maid of Glory, come with a mighty beauty.
A brocade she wore, dazzling the minds
of the privy angels.
Rejoice! this is the Deathless
Maid, come with a mighty grace.
She descended from the chambers of
eternity, then She sang such a song as to
enchant the hearts of the sincere.
Rejoice! This is the Deathless
Beauty, come with a mighty secret.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet
of the Deathless Youth (provisional translation).
The sun has risen over the sacred
horizon, and the concourse on high has
been illumined by its radiance. The
scent of musk has diffused from the
knolls of sanctity, perfuming the
temples of pre-existence. Happy is he who
adorns himself with these fragrances!
The luminary of the Cause has risen in
the midst of the sky, and has taken
the form of a full moon, brilliant in
its whiteness. Concourse of the near
ones, seek to be illumined by its
splendor! Say: The throne has been
established behind the pavilion of
majesty, and about it circle chaste
maidens
of beauty bearing flagons
brimming with the water of life.
Blessed is the person who attains to
sprinkled droplets thereof. Say:
The Maiden of Eternity has uncovered Beauty
itself with a gut-wrenching gaze.
Blessed is the one who is struck by her
glance! Say: The voice of God has
been heard from the sanctuary of eternity,
and the hearts of the mystic knowers
have been enthralled by its melodies.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Surah
of the Companions (provisional translation).
He is the Beloved One
[1] The Maid
of Eternity came from the Exalted Paradise;
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
O Glad Tidings!
...
[8] This sweet Davidic voice, from
the Divine Lote-Tree--with
the Messianic Spirit she came;
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
O Glad Tidings!
...
[12] With the joyful tidings of reunion
this Divine Maiden
came from a branch of the Tree of
Blessedness;
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
O Glad Tidings!
...
[16] This Eternal Countenance, she
came with snow-white hand
from the Divine command;
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
O Glad Tidings!
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Lawh-i
Halih, Halih, Halih, Ya Bisharat (prov. translation)
But when I saw myself at the culmination
of calamity, I heard, from above
my head, the Most Wonderful [wonderful]
and Melodious Voice [melodious
voice], and when I turned I witnessed
an Houri [a Maiden] (Nymph of
Paradise) of the celebration of the
Name of my Lord, suspended in the air
on a level with my head; [.] I saw
her, that she was indeed rejoicing
within herself as though the embroidered
Garment [garment] of pleasure was
manifesting itself upon her face,
and the brightness of the Merciful was
apparent upon her cheeks; and between
the earth and heaven, she was
uttering a call, by which all the
hearts and minds will be drawn, and at
the same time, gladdening all the
limbs of my internal and external being,
with glad-tidings that made my soul
rejoice, and those of the noble
servants. Then with her finger, she
pointed to my head, and addressed all
those in heaven and earth saying:
"By God, This is indeed the Beloved of
the universe, but ye do not understand!
This is the Beauty of God among
you, and His Dominion within you,
if ye are those who know! This is the
Mystery of God, His Treasure, the
Command of God, and His Glory, to those
who are in the Kingdom of power and
creation were ye of those who reason!
This is the One whose meeting will
be longed for by all those who dwell in
the everlasting spiritual world,
and who have taken a station for
themselves in the tents of El-ABHA
[El-Abha] while ye yourselves are
turned away from His Beauty!
....
Say, this is the day whereon the
Most Great Bounty has appeared, and
nothing, either in the supremest
heaven or in the lowest earth, but utters
in My mention and sings in the praise
of Myself were ye of those who hear,
O Temple of the Manifestation! Blow
though the horn in My Name: Then O
Temple of the Secrets! Breathe thou
into the fife in commemoration of thy
Lord, the Unconstrained: Then O
Houri [Maid] of Paradise! Come out of the
chambers of the Garden and say to
the inhabitants of the universe, "By God,
He hath appeared, the Beloved of
the world, the Intended of the Knowers
[knowers], the Worshipped of whomsoever
is in the heaven and the earth and
the adored [Adored] of the Ancients
and Moderns [ancients and moderns].
Beware of hesitating to accept this
Beauty, after the Ruler of Might,
Power and Glory hath appeared. Verily,
He is the Truth and everything
besides Him on the part of His servants
is annihilated and lost at the
appearance of His Lights [lights].
Hasten to the River of Bounty [river of
bounty] (Cowther el-Fadhl) and be
of the impatient, and he who hesitates
for an instant, God will frustrate
his plans and bring him back to the
station of overwhelming grief and
constraint. Thus how terrible is the
residence of those who hesitate!"
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet
of the Temple (provisional translation)
Say: the time of union has been fulfilled,
and by virtue of the decree
that of absence has begun through
this parting, you who are filled with
yearning;
Tears have flowed from the eyes of
the immortals in the concourse
on high because of this farewell,
you who are filled with yearning;
The breezes of joy that blew from
the paradise of splendor
have been stilled by this departure,
you who are filled with yearning.
By God, the faces of the celestial
maidens in their chambers have paled
at the prospect of this absence,
you who are filled with yearning;
The houris rouge their cheeks blood
red, for they have heard about this
leave-taking, you who are filled
with yearning;
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Nightingale
of Separation (provisional translation)
See dawning of the Godhead, the Maid
of Paradise
How mystery of Unknown from earthly
appearance doth arise
Lo! Remnant's Countenance, Cupbearer's
Face
Lo! The translucent glass pouring
out from Our Chalice
Behold the Burning Bush, see the Hand
so white
Behold Mount Sinai radiating
from the Palm so bright
Hear his intoxicated moans, see the
mystic ecstatic
In the precincts of rapture
all living beings are charismatic
From His peek, observe the amorous
glance of Baha
From His reed, hearken the
Farsi melody of Baha
Emergence of Revelation 'tis, Effusion
of Purity 'tis
Warbling of Nightingales 'tis,
that pours out of Nothingness!
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Mist of Unknown (provisional translation)
He is the Mighty.
This is the Garden of Paradise, wherein
hath been raised the melody of God,
the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.
Wherein have been established the
maidens of
eternity whom none hath touched save God, the Mighty, the Holy.
Wherein the Nightingale of Eternity
hath warbled upon the branches of the
Lote-tree beyond which there is no
passing, with a melody that hath filled
with astonishment the minds of all
men. Wherein is that which bringeth the
poor ones nigh unto the shores of
the ocean of wealth and guideth mankind
unto the word of God. This, verily,
is a manifest truth.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Tablet of the Bell (provisional translation)
In the name of God, the most holy, the most exalted.
Praise be to Thee, O God, My God.
I make mention of Thee at this time, when
the sun of Thy Godhead hath risen
from the horizon of the splendid divinity
of Thy oneness, the lights of Thy
lordship have flashed forth from the
dawning of the ineffable encounter
with the eternal kingdom of Thy
self-sufficiency, and the darkness
of this world hath been illumined by
the radiance of the faithful realm
of Thy cause--in such wise that the
garden of paradise came into being
above the essence of Thy glorious
selfhood. Therein were planted the
trees of Thy quintessence, which put
forth the fruits of Thine essence,
and therein wafted the breezes of Thy
spirit and the breaths of Thy sanctity.
Therein were foreordained the gems
of Thy bounties and the substance
of Thy munificence; and therein were
uncovered the treasures of Thy knowledge
and mystery. Over its terraces
flow the streams of Thy glorious
life, the canals of Thy radiant eternality,
and the springs of the wine of Thine
inaccessibility. When Thou didst
desire, O my God, to manifest it,
Thou didst raise it up to the throne of
grandeur and greatness, embellish
it with the rays of might and power,
render it effulgent by Thine essence,
and didst make to shine upon it the
sun of oneness from the pre-eternal
lights of Thy features. Thou didst
light for it the wick of eternity
in the lamp of pre-existence. Now, Thy
most exalted decree hath come to
the kingdom of command by Thy signature,
so that a visage might appear therefrom,
that the brilliance of Thy beauty
might be manifest to all who dwell
on earth, and that the glory of Thy
countenance might be seen by all
who are in the realm of Thy cause.
There arose the houri
[maiden], Who had dwelt in pre-eternity in the pavilions of
holiness, protection, and glorification
and in the canopies of sinlessness,
greatness and splendor. Upon Her
creamy brow the most high pen hath written
in crimson ink, "Praise be to God!
This is a houri [maiden] upon Whom none have
gazed save God, the exalted, the
most high. God hath purified the hem of
Her purity from the knowledge of
the concourse of names in the realm of
eternity, and Her face from the view
of all who are in the kingdom of
creation. When She arose with the
ornament of God from Her palace, She
looked with one glance toward the
sky. The people of the heavens swooned at
the rays of Her visage and at the
wafting of Her perfume. Then She looked
with another glance toward the earth,
and it was illumined by the lights of
Her beauty and the loveliness of
Her splendor.
...
Then the firmament was illumined
by the radiance of its light, contingent
beings were made resplendent by its
appearance and effulgence, and by its
rays infinite numbers of suns dawned
forth, as though they trekked through
heavens that were without beginning
or end. I became bewildered at the pen
of God's handiwork, and at what it
had inscribed upon Her temple. It was as
though She had appeared with a body
of light in the forms of the spirit,
as though She moved upon the earth
of essence in the substance of
manifestation. I noticed that the
houris
[Maidens] had poked their heads
out of their
rooms [chambers] and were suspended in the air above
Her. They grew perplexed at Her appearance
and Her beauty, and were
entranced by the raptures of Her
song. Praise be to Her creator, fashioner,
and maker--to the one Who made Her
manifest.
Then she nearly swooned within herself,
and with all her being she sought
to inhale My fragrance. She opened
Her lips, and the rays of light dawned
forth from Her teeth, as though the
pearls of the cause had appeared from
Her treasures and Her shells.
She asked, "Who art Thou?"
I said, "A servant of God and the
son of his maidservant."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet
of the Maiden (provisional translation)
Truly blessed is the one who arrays
himself with the garment of patience
and equanimity and who does not change
in afflictions and whose footsteps
do not slip when the tempests of
wrath blow and remains acquiescent at all
times and relies on God at all times.
I swear by God! Soon will God cause
him to be manifested within the canopy
of grandeur with a luminous garment
which will scintillate like unto
the scintillation of light above the
spiritual horizon and eyes will be
dazzled upon beholding him and above his
head there will be a caller from
God saying, "This is verily the one who
was long suffering for God in the
vain and futile world and in all that
the unbelievers did unto him. The
concourse on high will seek blessing
from him and the occupiers of God's
pavilions will seek to meet him as well
as the holy
maidens in the sacred and beautiful tabernacles."
So O People
of the Bayan! Be patient in these
passing days and do not complain that
your abject ornaments have been lost
and do not bemoan of the afflictive
trials that have been ordained in
the Mighty Scrolls of God.
...
O Solace of the eye of eternity!
Change your tone and chant upon the
melodies of those nightingales singing
in the tabernacle of divine names
and in the dominions of divine attributes
that the birds of the throne may
detach themselves from the dust of
themselves, and may therefore turn back
to their original homeland which
is sanctified beyond transcendence. O Thou
Quintessence of truth! Sing and chant
with the most beauteous melodies for
all the maidens
of paradise have come out of their assemblies and their
tents of purity that they may hear
Your own melody, the melody that has
been sung in the pages of God in
the book, Qayyumu'l-Asma. Do not deprive
these of what they have desired to
hear of Thy new and wondrous melodies
and loving kindness for Thou art
indeed the most generous One in the
highest grades of immortality and
in truth Thou art indeed the most
generous One in the dominion of eternity
and Thy Name is well known amongst
the concourse on high as the Generous
One.
...
O Thou most holy Beauty! The unbelievers
do not respite Thee that a breath
should be exhaled from Thy chest
for as My voice wishes to leave My mouth,
they place the hand of hatred over
My mouth and yet with all your knowledge
of this matter you command Me to
raise My call in this atmosphere for Thou
art the doer in truth, Thou art the
commander in justice. Thou does what
Thou wishes and Thou art wise over
all things. If Thou hearkenest to the
call of Thy servant, if Thou fulfillest
his wish then forgive them with the
utmost kind word and delicate utterance
that those handmaidens of eternity
may return to their seats in the
crimson and ruby laden chambers. Thou
knowest that I have now become afflicted
between the unbelievers from two
parties and Thou commandest in both
Revelations and overseest both
Dispensations and Thou art manifest
in the Twin garments and Thou art
resplendent through the Two Suns
and have been mentioned with the Twin
Names, possessest the Twin Dawning-places,
commandest the secret of the
Twin Mysteries in these Two Lines
and God is fully aware beyond all this.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet
of Job (provisional translation)
HE IS THE ALMIGHTY LORD!
Lo, this is the garden of Paradise
wherein is raised the Voice of God, the
Dominant, the Strong; Here do the
immaculate Maids of Heaven dwell, they
whom no eye hath seen save only God's,
the Sanctified, the Well-Beloved;
Herein the eternal nightingale singeth
on the bough of the sacred Lote-Tree
a song that bedazzaleth the minds,
and herein are the needy led to the
haven of wealth, and all men guided
to the Word of God; verily this is a
manifest truth.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet
of the Feast of Ridvan (provisional translation)
The Beauty of holiness hath risen
from behind the veil.
And this is a wondrous thing!
And the spirits have fainted away
from the flames of attraction.
And this is a wondrous matter!
They have recovered consciousness
and flown unto the pavilion of holiness on
the Throne of Domes.
And this is a wondrous mystery.
Say: the Maid
of Eternity hath removed the veil from her face.
Exalted be the new and wondrous Beauty!
And the lights of her face have shone
from the earth unto the clouds.
And this is a wondrous light.
And she hath cast her glances as shooting
stars are cast.
And this is a wondrous casting.
And all names and all titles have
been set aflame by the fire of her face.
And this is a wondrous deed.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet
of the Wondrous (provisional translation)