Faith. Bahá í Devotional Readings

Transcription

1 Faith Bahá í Devotional Readings 1

2 Unto Thee be praise, O Lord my God! I entreat Thee, by Thy signs that have encompassed the entire creation, and by the light of Thy countenance that hath illuminated all that are in heaven and on earth, and by Thy mercy that hath surpassed all created things, and by Thy grace that hath suffused the whole universe, to rend asunder the veils that shut me out from Thee, that I may hasten unto the Fountain-Head of Thy mighty inspiration, and to the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation and bountiful favors, and may be immersed beneath the ocean of Thy nearness and pleasure. Suffer me not, O my Lord, to be deprived of the knowledge of Thee in Thy days, and divest me not of the robe of Thy guidance. Give me to drink of the river that is life indeed, whose waters have streamed forth from the Paradise (Ridvan) in which the throne of Thy Name, the All-Merciful, was established, that mine eyes may be opened, and my face be illumined, and my heart be assured, and my soul be enlightened, and my steps be made firm. Thou art He Who from everlasting was, through the potency of His might, supreme over all things, and, through the operation of His will, was able to ordain all things. Nothing whatsoever, whether in Thy heaven or on Thy earth, can frustrate Thy purpose. Have mercy, then, upon me, O my Lord, through Thy gracious providence and generosity, and incline mine ear to the sweet melodies of the birds that warble their praise of Thee, amidst the branches of the tree of Thy oneness. Thou art the Great Giver, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate. Baha i Faith: Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p

3 If thou wishest the divine knowledge and recognition, purify thy heart from all beside God, be wholly attracted to the ideal, beloved One; search for and choose Him.. And when the heart is turned unto the Sun, then the eye will be opened and will recognize the Sun through the Sun itself. Then man will be in no need of arguments (or proofs), for the Sun is altogether independent, and absolute independence is in need of nothing, and proofs are one of the things of which absolute independence has no need. Baha i Faith: Abdu l-baha, Baha i World Faith, p. 383 Happy is it to have a friend in need Happy is contentment with whatever betides... Happy is it to leave all-sorrow behind. Happy is it to honour mother. Happy is it to honour father.... Happy is virtue until old age. Happy is faith that firmly stands.... Buddhism: Dhammapada - Sayings of the Buddha 23 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Christianity: The Bible, Acts 17:

4 More than any earthly power, More than all the joys of heaven, More than rule over all the world, Is the Entrance to the Stream. And, verily, those who are filled with unshaken faith in me, all those have entered the stream. Buddhism: The Eightfold Path And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Christianity: The Bible, Mark 11:22-24 By faith you shall be free and go beyond the world of death. Buddhism: Sutta Nipata 1146 In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.... Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy. Islam: The Qur an

5 The cloud raineth, roses and hyacinths grow; the plain and meadow, the garden and trees become green and blossom; yet they do not realize the results and outcome of all these. The lamp is lighted, but as it hath not a conscious knowledge of itself, no one hath become glad because of it. Moreover, a soul of excellent deeds and good manners will undoubtedly advance from whatever horizon he beholdeth the lights radiating. Herein lies the difference: By faith is meant, first, conscious knowledge, and second, the practice of good deeds. Baha i Faith: Abdu l-baha, Baha i World Faith, p. 382 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?... You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.... As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. Christianity: James 2:18-2 The essence of faith is fewness of words and abundance of deeds... Baha i Faith: Baha u llah, Tablets of Baha u llah, p. 156) The Prophet said, None of you will have faith till he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself. Islam: Hadith, Bukhari Vol 1 5 5

6 Alas! we see on all sides how cruel, prejudiced and unjust is man, and how slow he is to believe in God and follow His commandments. If these people would love and help one another instead of being so eager to destroy with sword and cannon, how much nobler would it be! How much better if they would live like a flock of doves in peace and harmony, instead of being like wolves and tearing each other to pieces. Why is man so hard of heart? It is because he does not yet know God. If he had knowledge of God he could not act in direct opposition to His laws; if he were spiritually minded such a line of conduct would be impossible to him. If only the laws and precepts of the prophets of God had been believed, understood and followed, wars would no longer darken the face of the earth. If man had even the rudiments of justice, such a state of things would be impossible. Therefore, I say unto you pray pray and turn your faces to God, that He, in His infinite compassion and mercy, may help and succour these misguided ones. Pray that He will grant them spiritual understanding and teach them tolerance and mercy, that the eyes of their minds may be opened and that they may be endued with the gift of the spirit. Then would peace and love walk hand in hand through the lands, and these poor unhappy people might have rest. Let us all strive night and day to help in the bringing about of better conditions. My heart is broken by these terrible things and cries aloud may this cry reach other hearts! Then will the blind see, the dead will be raised, and Justice will come and reign upon the earth. I beseech you all to pray with heart and soul that this may be accomplished. Baha i Faith: Abdu l-baha, Paris Talks, p

7 But those who have faith and work righteousness, they are Companions of the Garden, therein shall they abide (for ever). Islam: The Qur an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 2 O thou, my perishable body, think good thoughts with thy mind! O thou, my perishable body, speak good words with thy tongue! O thou, my perishable body, do good deeds with thy hands! Zoroastrianism: The Zend-Avesta, Avesta Fragments O ye loved ones of the Lord! Praise be to Him, the unseen, welling bounties of the Sun of Truth encompass you on every side, and from every direction the portals of His mercy stand ajar. Now is the time to take advantage of these bestowals, and benefit therefrom. Know ye the value of this time, let not this chance escape you. Stay ye entirely clear of this dark world s concerns, and become ye known by the attributes of those essences that make their home in the Kingdom. Then shall ye see how intense is the glory of the heavenly Day-Star, and how blinding bright are the tokens of bounty coming out of the invisible realm. Baha i Faith: Selections from the Writings of Abdu l-baha, p. 11 He who recites the praise of Holiness, in the fullness of faith and with a devoted heart, praises me, (the Lord of Wisdom); he praises the waters, he praises the earth, he praises the cattle, he praises the plants, he praises all good things made by (the All Wise), all the things that are (begotten) of the good principle. Zoroastrianism: The Zend-Avesta, Avesta Fragments 7

8 Glorified be Thy name, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Thy power that hath encompassed all created things, and by Thy sovereignty that hath transcended the entire creation, and by Thy Word which was hidden in Thy wisdom and whereby Thou didst create Thy heaven and Thy earth, both to enable us to be steadfast in our love for Thee and in our obedience to Thy pleasure, and to fix our gaze upon Thy face, and celebrate Thy glory. Empower us, then, O my God, to spread abroad Thy signs among Thy creatures, and to guard Thy Faith in Thy realm. Thou hast ever existed independently of the mention of any of Thy creatures, and wilt remain as Thou hast been for ever and ever. In Thee I have placed my whole confidence, unto Thee I have turned my face, to the cord of Thy loving providence I have clung, and towards the shadow of Thy mercy I have hastened. Cast me not as one disappointed out of Thy door, O my God, and withhold not from me Thy grace, for Thee alone do I seek. No God is there beside Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful. Praise be to Thee, O Thou Who art the Beloved of them that have known Thee! Baha i Faith: Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 219 Heaven and earth contain me not, but the heart of my faithful servant contains me. Islam: Hadith of Suhrawardi O SON OF UTTERANCE! Thou art My stronghold; enter therein that thou mayest abide in safety. My love is in thee, know it, that thou mayest find Me near unto thee. Baha i Faith: Baha u llah, The Arabic Hidden Words 8

9 Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker s heart, and the breeze of His lovingkindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being. At that hour will the mystic Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God resplendent as the morn, and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber of negligence. Then will the manifold favours and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in all things the mysteries of divine Revelation and the evidences of an everlasting manifestation. Baha i Faith: Baha u llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 195 In the golden city of the heart dwells The Lord of Love, without parts, without stain. Know him as the radiant light of lights. There shines not the sun, neither moon nor star. Nor flash of lightning, nor fire lit on earth. The Lord is the light reflected by all. He shining, everything shines after Him. Hinduism: Mundaka Upanishad O SON OF BEING! Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation. Baha i Faith: Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words 9

10 O My servants! Could ye apprehend with what wonders of My munificence and bounty I have willed to entrust your souls, ye would, of a truth, rid yourselves of attachment to all created things, and would gain a true knowledge of your own selves a knowledge which is the same as the comprehension of Mine own Being. Ye would find yourselves independent of all else but Me, and would perceive, with your inner and outer eye, and as manifest as the revelation of My effulgent Name, the seas of My loving-kindness and bounty moving within you. Baha i Faith: Gleanings from the Writings of Baha u llah, p. 326 O God, my God! These are servants attracted in Thy days by the fragrances of Thy holiness, enkindled with the flame burning in Thy holy tree, responding to Thy voice, uttering Thy praise, awakened by Thy breeze, stirred by Thy sweet savors, beholding Thy signs, understanding Thy Revelation and assured of Thy loving-kindness. Their eyes, O Lord, are fixed upon Thy kingdom of effulgent glory and their faces turned toward Thy dominion on high, their hearts beating with the love of Thy radiant and glorious beauty, their souls consumed with the flame of Thy love, O Lord of this world and the world hereafter, their lives seething with the ardor of their longing for Thee, and their tears poured forth for Thy sake.... Do Thou then ordain for them all the good Thou hast destined in Thy worlds, visible and invisible, prosper them in this world below, gladden their hearts with Thine inspiration, O Lord of all beings! Illumine their hearts with Thy joyful tidings diffused from Thine allglorious Station, make firm their steps in Thy Most-Great Covenant and strengthen their loins in Thy firm Testament, by Thy bounty and promised grace, O Gracious and Merciful One! Thou art, verily, the Gracious, the All-Bountiful. Baha i Faith: Abdu l-baha, Baha'i Prayers, p

11 And now I give you a commandment which shall be for a covenant between you and Me that ye have faith; that your faith be steadfast as a rock that no storms can move, that nothing can disturb, and that it endure through all things even to the end... As ye have faith so shall your powers and blessings be. This is the balance this is the balance this is the balance. Baha i Faith: Abdu l-bahá, quoted in The Revelation of Bahá u lláh p