Chapter C67
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References on purity and sanctity.
1)
1. O SON OF SPIRIT!
My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart,
that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, p. 3
2)
Say: It behoveth every one that holdeth fast to the hem of Our Robe to
be untainted by anything from which the Concourse on high may be
averse. Thus hath it been decreed by thy Lord, the All-Glorious, in
this His perspicuous Tablet. Say: Set ye aside My love, and commit what
grieveth Mine heart? What is it that hindereth you from comprehending
what hath been revealed unto you by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise?
We verily behold your actions. If We perceive from them the sweet
smelling savor of purity and holiness, We will most certainly bless
you. Then will the tongues of the inmates of Paradise utter your praise
and magnify your names amidst them who have drawn nigh unto God.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 307-308
3)
69. O CHILDREN OF ADAM!
Holy words and pure and goodly deeds ascend unto the heaven of
celestial glory. Strive that your deeds may be cleansed from the dust
of self and hypocrisy and find favor at the court of glory; for ere
long the assayers of mankind shall, in the holy presence of the Adored
One, accept naught but absolute virtue and deeds of stainless purity.
This is the daystar of wisdom and of divine mystery that hath shone
above the horizon of the divine will. Blessed are they that turn
thereunto.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, p. 46
Persian no. 69
This holy verse is replete with meaning, and as time is pressing only a
brief mention is made as follows: naught else but upright conduct and
pure deeds shall be accepted at His divine Threshold.
-- ('Abdu'l-Bahá from a Tablet to an individual believer -- translated from the Persian)
4)
How many an embodiment of heedlessness who came unto Us with purity of
heart have We established upon the seat of Our acceptance; and how many
an exponent of wisdom have We in all justice consigned to the fire. We
are, in truth, the One to judge. He it is Who is the manifestation of
"God doeth whatsoever He pleaseth", and abideth upon the throne of "He
ordaineth whatsoever He chooseth".
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 76
5)
The revelation of God is to purify mankind.
The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole
purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose
underlying Their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they
may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity
and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High. The light
which these souls radiate is responsible for the progress of the world
and the advancement of its peoples. They are like unto leaven which
leaveneth the world of being, and constitute the animating force
through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest.
Through them the clouds rain their bounty upon men, and the earth
bringeth forth its fruits. All things must needs have a cause, a motive
power, an animating principle. These souls and symbols of detachment
have provided, and will continue to provide, the supreme moving impulse
in the world of being.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 156-157
O My servants! Were ye to discover the hidden, the shoreless oceans of
My incorruptible wealth, ye would, of a certainty, esteem as nothing
the world, nay, the entire creation. Let the flame of search burn with
such fierceness within your hearts as to enable you to attain your
supreme and most exalted goal -- the station at which ye can draw nigh
unto, and be united with, your Best-Beloved....
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 323
6)
CI. The purpose underlying the revelation of every heavenly Book, nay,
of every divinely-revealed verse, is to endue all men with
righteousness and understanding, so that peace and tranquillity may be
firmly established amongst them. Whatsoever instilleth assurance into
the hearts of men, whatsoever exalteth their station or promoteth their
contentment, is acceptable in the sight of God. How lofty is the
station which man, if he but choose to fulfill his high destiny, can
attain! To what depths of degradation he can sink, depths which the
meanest of creatures have never reached! Seize, O friends, the chance
which this Day offereth you, and deprive not yourselves of the liberal
effusions of His grace. I beseech God that He may graciously enable
every one of you to adorn himself, in this blessed Day, with the
ornament of pure and holy deeds. He, verily, doeth whatsoever He
willeth.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 206
7)
CXXXVI. Say: Deliver your souls, O people, from the bondage of self,
and purify them from all attachment to anything besides Me. Remembrance
of Me cleanseth all things from defilement, could ye but perceive it.
Say: Were all created things to be entirely divested of the veil of
worldly vanity and desire, the Hand of God would in this Day clothe
them, one and all, with the robe "He doeth whatsoever He willeth in the
kingdom of creation," that thereby the sign of His sovereignty might be
manifested in all things. Exalted then be He, the Sovereign Lord of
all, the Almighty, the Supreme Protector, the All-Glorious, the Most
Powerful.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 294-295
8)
When the time set for this Revelation was fulfilled, and He Who is
theDay Star of the world appeared in Iraq, He bade His followers
observe that which would sanctify them from all earthly defilements.
Some preferred to follow the desires of a corrupt inclination, while
others walked in the way of righteousness and truth, and were rightly
guided.
Say: He is not to be numbered with the people of Bahá who followeth his
mundane desires, or fixeth his heart on things of the earth. He is My
true follower who, if he come to a valley of pure gold, will pass
straight through it aloof as a cloud, and will neither turn back, nor
pause. Such a man is, assuredly, of Me. From his garment the Concourse
on high can inhale the fragrance of sanctity.... And if he met the
fairest and most comely of women, he would not feel his heart seduced
by the least shadow of desire for her beauty. Such an one, indeed, is the
creation of spotless chastity. Thus instructeth you the Pen of the
Ancient of Days, as bidden by your Lord, the Almighty, the
All-Bountiful.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 118
9)
The Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness (Seventh Valley):
This station is the dying from self and the living in God, the being
poor in self and rich in the Desired One. Poverty as here referred to
signifieth being poor in the things of the created world, rich in the
things of God's world. For when the true lover and devoted friend
reacheth to the presence of the Beloved, the sparkling beauty of the
Loved One and the fire of the lover's heart will kindle a blaze and
burn away all veils and wrappings. Yea, all he hath, from heart to
skin, will be set aflame, so that nothing will remain save the Friend.
When the qualities of the Ancient of Days stood revealed, Then the qualities of earthly things did Moses burn away.
He who hath attained this station is sanctified from all that
pertaineth to the world. Wherefore, if those who have come to the sea
of His presence are found to possess none of the limited things of this
perishable world, whether it be outer wealth or personal opinions, it
mattereth not.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 36
They who recite the verses of the All-Merciful in the most melodious of
tones will perceive in them that with which the sovereignty of earth
and heaven can never be compared. From them they will inhale the divine
fragrance of My worlds--worlds which today none can discern save those
who have been endowed with vision through this sublime, this beauteous
Revelation. Say: These verses draw hearts that are pure unto those
spiritual worlds that can neither be expressed in words nor intimated
by allusion. Blessed be those who hearken.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 61
10)
Purity and sanctity, and aiding the cause of God.
I beseech Thee by Thy Lastness which is the same as Thy Firstness, and
by Thy Revelation which is identical with Thy Concealment, to grant
that they who are dear to Thee, and their children, and their kindred,
may become the revealers of Thy purity amidst Thy creatures, and the
manifestations of Thy sanctity amongst Thy servants.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations, p. 229
Be pure, O people of God, be pure; be righteous, be righteous.... Say:
O people of God! That which can ensure the victory of Him Who is the
Eternal Truth, His hosts and helpers on earth, have been set down in
the sacred Books and Scriptures, and are as clear and manifest as the
sun. These hosts are such righteous deeds, such conduct and character,
as are acceptable in His sight. Whoso ariseth, in this Day, to aid Our
Cause, and summoneth to his assistance the hosts of a praiseworthy
character and upright conduct, the influence flowing from such an
action will, most certainly, be diffused throughout the whole world.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 287
They whose hearts are turned towards Him Who is the Object of the
adoration of the entire creation must needs, in this Day, pass beyond
and be sanctified from all created things, visible and invisible. If
they arise to teach My Cause, they must let the breath of Him Who is
the Unconstrained, stir them and must spread it abroad on the earth
with high resolve, with minds that are wholly centered in Him, and with
hearts that are completely detached from and independent of all things,
and with souls that are sanctified from the world and its vanities. It
behoveth them to choose as the best provision for their journey
reliance upon God, and to clothe themselves with the love of their
Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious. If they do so, their words
shall influence their hearers.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 200
11)
Purity -- enables recognition of the Manifestation of God.
O Pen of the Most High! Move Thou upon the Tablet at the bidding of Thy
Lord, the Creator of the Heavens, and tell of the time when He Who is
the Dayspring of Divine Unity purposed to direct His steps towards the
School of Transcendent Oneness; haply the pure in heart may gain
thereby a glimpse, be it as small as a needle's eye, of the mysteries
of Thy Lord, the Almighty, the Omniscient, that lie concealed behind
the veils. Say: We, indeed, set foot within the School of inner meaning
and explanation when all created things were unaware. We saw the words
sent down by Him Who is the All-Merciful, and We accepted the verses of
God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, which He presented unto
Us, and hearkened unto that which He had solemnly affirmed in the
Tablet. This we assuredly did behold. And We assented to His wish
through Our behest, for truly We are potent to command.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 83
Beware lest aught that hath been revealed in the Bayán should keep you
from your Lord, the Most Compassionate. God is My witness that the
Bayán was sent down for no other purpose than to celebrate My praise,
did ye but know! In it the pure in heart will find only the fragrance
of My love, only My Name that overshadoweth all that seeth and is seen.
Say: Turn ye, O people, unto that which hath proceeded from My Most
Exalted Pen. Should ye inhale therefrom the fragrance of God, set not
yourselves against Him, nor deny yourselves a portion of His gracious
favour and His manifold bestowals. Thus doth your Lord admonish you;
He, verily, is the Counsellor, the Omniscient.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 84-85
CXXXIV. The first and foremost duty prescribed unto men, next to the
recognition of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, is the duty of
steadfastness in His Cause. Cleave thou unto it, and be of them whose
minds are firmly fixed and grounded in God. No act, however
meritorious, did or can ever compare unto it. It is the king of all
acts, and to this thy Lord, the All-Highest, the Most Powerful, will
testify....
The virtues and attributes pertaining unto God are all evident and
manifest, and have been mentioned and described in all the heavenly
Books. Among them are trustworthiness, truthfulness, purity of heart while communing with God,
forbearance, resignation to whatever the Almighty hath decreed,
contentment with the things His Will hath provided, patience, nay,
thankfulness in the midst of tribulation, and complete reliance, in all
circumstances, upon Him. These rank, according to the estimate of God,
among the highest and most laudable of all acts. All other acts are,
and will ever remain, secondary and subordinate unto them....
The spirit that animateth the human heart is the knowledge of God, and
its truest adorning is the recognition of the truth that "He doeth
whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth that which He pleaseth." Its
raiment is the fear of God, and its perfection steadfastness in His
Faith. Thus God instructeth whosoever seeketh Him. He, verily, loveth
the one that turneth towards Him. There is none other God but Him, the
Forgiving, the Most Bountiful. All praise be to God, the Lord of all
worlds.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 290
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