The understanding of His words and
the comprehension of the utterances
of the Birds of Heaven are in no
wise dependent upon human learning.
They depend solely upon
purity of heart, chastity of soul, and freedom
of spirit.
This is evidenced by those who, today, though without a single
letter of the accepted standards
of learning, are occupying the loftiest
seats of knowledge; and the garden
of their hearts is adorned, through
the showers of divine grace, with
the roses of wisdom and the tulips of
understanding.
Well is it with the sincere in heart for their share of the
light of a
mighty Day!
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 211
Meditate upon that which hath streamed
forth from the heaven of the Will
of thy Lord, He Who is the Source
of all grace, that thou mayest grasp
the intended meaning which is enshrined
in the sacred depths of the Holy
Writings.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets
of Baha'u'llah, p. 143
... the reading of the scriptures
and holy books is for no other purpose
except to enable the reader to apprehend
their meaning and unravel their
innermost mysteries. Otherwise reading,
without understanding, is of no
abiding profit unto man.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 172
O servant! Warn thou the servants
of God not to reject that which they do not
comprehend. Say, implore God to open
to your hearts the portals of true
understanding that ye may be apprised
of that of which no one is apprised.
Verily, He is the Giver, the Forgiving,
the Compassionate.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets
of Baha'u'llah, p. 188
This sign of
the revelation of the Divine Being in them that have joined
partners with
Him may, in a sense, be regarded as a reflection of the glory
with which
the faithful are illumined. None, however, can comprehend this
truth save
men endued with understanding. They that have truly recognized
the Unity of
God should be regarded as the primary manifestations of this
Name. It is
they who have quaffed the wine of Divine Unity from the cup
which the hand
of God hath proffered unto them, and who have turned their
faces towards
Him. How vast the distance that separateth these sanctified
beings from
those men that are so far away from God!...
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 191
The heart must
needs therefore be cleansed from the idle sayings of men,
and sanctified
from every earthly affection, so that it may discover the
hidden meaning
of divine inspiration, and become the treasury of the
mysteries of
divine knowledge. Thus hath it been said: "He that treadeth
the snow-white Path, and followeth
in the footsteps of the Crimson Pillar,
shall never attain unto his abode
unless his hands are empty of those
worldly things cherished by men."
This is the prime requisite of whosoever
treadeth this path. Ponder thereon,
that, with eyes unveiled, thou mayest
perceive the truth of these words.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 70
Blessed is the one who discovereth
the fragrance of inner meanings from
the traces of this Pen through whose
movement the breezes of God are
wafted over the entire creation,
and through whose stillness the very
essence of tranquillity appeareth
in the realm of being. Glorified be the
All-Merciful, the Revealer of so
inestimable a bounty. Say: Because He
bore injustice, justice hath appeared
on earth, and because He accepted
abasement, the majesty of God hath
shone forth amidst mankind.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 76
2. O SON OF
SPIRIT!
The best beloved
of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away
therefrom if
thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee.
By its aid
thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of
others, and
shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the
knowledge of
thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee
to be. Verily
justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness.
Set it then
before thine eyes.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah,
Immerse yourselves
in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its
secrets, and
discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths.
Take heed that
ye do not vacillate in your determination to embrace the
truth of this
Cause--a Cause through which the potentialities of the might
of God have
been revealed, and His sovereignty established. With faces
beaming with
joy, hasten ye unto Him. This is the changeless Faith of
God, eternal
in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain
it; and as
to him that hath refused to seek it--verily, God is Self-Sufficient,
above any need
of His creatures.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Proclamation of Baha'u'llah, p. 118
The attainment of the most great guidance
is dependent upon knowledge
and wisdom, and on being informed
as to the mysteries of the Holy Words.
Wherefore must the loved ones of
God, be they young or old, be they men
or women, each one according to his
capabilities, strive to acquire the
various branches of knowledge, and
to increase his understanding of the
mysteries of the Holy Books, and
his skill in marshalling the divine proofs
and evidences.
-- Compilation, Baha'i Education,
Abdu'l-Bahá
By God! He, the Glory of God (Bahá),
hath spoken not from mere impulse.
He that hath given Him a voice is
He that hath given a voice unto all
things, that they may praise and
glorify Him. There is none other God
but Him, the One, the Incomparable,
the Lord of strength, the
Unconditioned.
They whose sight
is keen, whose ears are retentive, whose hearts are
enlightened,
and whose breasts are dilated, recognize both truth and
falsehood,
and distinguish the one from the other.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle
to the Son of the Wolf, p. 9