The believers are exhorted in the Kitab-i-Aqdas to bathe regularly, to wear clean clothes and generally to be the essence of cleanliness and refinement. The Synopsis and Codificati...
Whoso wisheth to recite unto you the verses of his Lord, let him sit on a chair placed upon a dais 154 These provisions have their antecedent in the Persian Bayan. The Bab forbade...
The activities that are included in this prohibition have not been outlined in the Writings of Baha'u'llah. As both 'Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi have indicated, it is left to th...
O ESSENCE OF NEGLIGENCE! Myriads of mystic tongues find utterance in one speech, and myriads of hidden mysteries are revealed in a single melody; yet, alas, there is no ear to hear...
O SON OF LIGHT! Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit. This is of the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it.
O thou who hast soared to the realm of guidance and ascended to the kingdom of virtue! Shouldst thou desire to apprehend these celestial allusions, to witness the mysteries of divi...
let times of prayer be gauged by clocks and other instruments that mark the passage of the hours. 10 This refers to territories situated in the extreme north or south, where the du...
This prohibition of the use of opium is reiterated by Baha'u'llah in the final paragraph of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. In this connection, Shoghi Effendi stated that one of the requirement...
Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i (1753-1831), who was the founder of the Shaykhi School and the first of the twin luminaries that heralded the advent of the Faith of the Bab, prophesied that...
In his writings, Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsa'i placed great emphasis on the Arabic letter Vav. In The Dawn-Breakers, Nabil states that this letter symbolized for the Bab the advent of a ne...
Baha'u'llah confirms an injunction contained in the Bayan which makes it unlawful to carry arms, unless it is necessary to do so. With regard to circumstances under which the beari...
According to Islamic practice, the wearing of silk by men was generally forbidden, except in times of holy war. This prohibition, which was not based on the verses of the Qur'an, w...
Kaf and Ra are the first two consonants of Kirman, the name of a city and province of Iran.
This passage is a reference to the intrigues of a group of Azalis, followers of Mirza Yahya (see note 190), associated with the city of Kirman. They include Mulla Ja'far, his son S...
Shaykh Muhammad-Hasan, one of the leading exponents of Shi'ih Islam, rejected the Bab. The author of voluminous writings on Shi'ih jurisprudence, he is reported to have died around...
This is an allusion to Mulla Muhammad Ja'far Gandum-Pak-Kun, the first person in Isfahan to accept the Faith of the Bab. He is mentioned in the Persian Bayan and praised as one who...
O COMRADES! The gates that open on the Placeless stand wide and the habitation of the loved one is adorned with the lovers' blood, yet all but a few remain bereft of this celestial...
O SON OF MAN! Be thou content with Me and seek no other helper. For none but Me can ever suffice thee.
Whosoever entereth this city will comprehend every science before probing into its mysteries and will acquire from the leaves of its trees a knowledge and wisdom encompassing such...
The Prayer of the Signs is a special form of Muslim obligatory prayer that was ordained to be said in times of natural events, like earthquakes, eclipses, and other such phenomena,...
Announcement 167 Baha'u'llah cautions people of insight not to allow their interpretations of the Holy Scriptures to prevent them from recognizing the Manifestation of God. Followe...
Haji Mirza Muhammad Karim Khan-i-Kirmani (1810- circa 1873) was the self-appointed leader of the Shaykhi community after the death of Siyyid Kazim, who was the appointed successor...
Baha'u'llah eulogizes the learned among His followers. In the Book of His Covenant, He wrote: Blessed are the rulers and learned among the people of Baha. Referring to this stateme...
In this verse and the ones which immediately follow it, Baha'u'llah confronts one of the reasons some of the Babis rejected His claim to be the Promised One of the Bayan. Their rej...
Reference to the followers of the Bab.
Shoghi Effendi, in letters written on his behalf, has explained the significance of the letters B and E. They constitute the word Be, which, he states, means the creative Power of...
In the Persian Bayan, the Bab stated: Well is it with him who fixeth his gaze upon the Order of Baha'u'llah, and rendereth thanks unto his Lord. For He will assuredly be made manif...
O SON OF SPIRIT! Ask not of Me that which We desire not for thee, then be content with what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that which profiteth thee, if therewith thou...
O YE DWELLERS IN THE HIGHEST PARADISE! Proclaim unto the children of assurance that within the realms of holiness, nigh unto the celestial paradise, a new garden hath appeared, rou...
Bereft, however, of the essence of the mysteries of His wisdom, which We have imparted unto thee beneath the veils of these blessed and soul-stirring words, thou wouldst fail to at...