One light falls on many mirrors, and each returns its own colour: in the wise it becomes wisdom, in the craftsman a new art, in the seeker true knowledge. So Bahá’u’lláh describes the Word of God, the Sun of Truth by which all things are quickened. The same Word is the dewdrop from which the firmament of existence was reared, the command Be that calls creation into being, and the educator who summons the thirsty from the valley of separation to the ocean of reunion. Yet it is not speech or writing; words of tongue and pen pass away, while the Word that made them is sanctified above both. To dwell with it is to pray that our movement, speech and hearing may answer its purpose. John’s account of the Word with God, through whom all things were made, offers a companion to this vision [1]. From here the path leads toward the Primal Will from which the Word proceeds, the continual renewal of creation, and the pairs through which the world is made.
The Sun of Truth is the Word of God, upon which dependeth the education of those who are endowed with the power of understanding and of utterance. … Its appearance in every mirror is conditioned by the colour of that mirror. For instance, when its light is cast upon the mirrors of the hearts of the wise, it bringeth forth wisdom. In like manner, when it manifesteth itself in the mirrors of the hearts of craftsmen, it unfoldeth new and unique arts, and when reflected in the hearts of those that apprehend the truth, it revealeth wondrous tokens of true knowledge and discloseth the verities of God’s utterance.
Through a word proceeding out of the mouth of God he was called into being; by one word more he was guided to recognize the Source of his education; by yet another word his station and destiny were safeguarded. The Great Being saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Maqsud, 1299-02-29 [1882-Jan-20], to Mirza Maqsud -- BH00140)
03
He hath created the whole world through His Primal Word, and all do acknowledge and confess this truth. Yet none hath ever understood that Word, let alone its Creator and Source. For if it be claimed that this Word is like unto words that flow from the tongue, this would be sheer injustice and pure fabrication, since such words are subject to extinction while the Word of God is sanctified therefrom. And if it be said that it is of the words that flow from the pen, this too is bounded by contingent limitations, while the Divine Word is exalted above such constraints.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1293? [1875-1876], to Ali Akbar Khurasani Qaini -- BH00911)
04
Praise be to the all-perceiving, the ever-abiding Lord Who, from a dewdrop out of the ocean of His grace, hath reared the firmament of existence, adorned it with the stars of knowledge, and admitted man into the lofty court of insight and understanding. This dewdrop, which is the Primal Word of God, is at times called the Water of Life, inasmuch as it quickeneth with the waters of knowledge them that have perished in the wilderness of ignorance. Again it is called the Primal Light, a light born of the Sun of divine knowledge, through whose effulgence the first stirrings of existence were made plain and manifest.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Manikchi Sahib, 1296-08 [1879-Jul], to Manikchi-Sahib -- BH00698)
05
Such as communicate the generating influence and such as receive its impact are indeed created through the irresistible Word of God which is the Cause of the entire creation, while all else besides His Word are but the creatures and the effects thereof.
… Every thing must needs have an origin and every building a builder. Verily, the Word of God is the Cause which hath preceded the contingent world -- a world which is adorned with the splendours of the Ancient of Days, yet is being renewed and regenerated at all times. Immeasurably exalted is the God of Wisdom Who hath raised this sublime structure.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Hikmat (Tablet of Wisdom), 1292? [1875-1876], to Mulla Muhammad Qa'ini (Nabil-i-Akbar) -- BH00223)
06
The whole world has been created from the Divine Word, and that Word has been and will continue to be sanctified above mention of all horizons and souls, and by it were created the horizons and souls, yet most people know it not.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1291-03 [1874-Apr], to Mashhadi Husayn-Ali et al -- BH02258)
07
The wonderful mystery of this lieth in the fact that God hath revealed the Qur'an out of the Tree of the Will, which is the inner truth of Muhammad Himself, through the tongue of the Apostle Himself. But that supremely exalted Tree revealeth no letter, unless He bringeth into existence, at that very moment of revelation, the spirit of the same letter. For example, should He reveal, "We verily have called into being the proceeding of this creation, by virtue of Our behest, for verily We are supreme over all things," then the utterance of proceeding is attached unto all that is called by the name all things.
(The Báb, Bayan-i-Farsi (Persian Bayan) -- BB00001)
08
In truth I have created Thee through Thyself, then at My Own behest I have fashioned all things through the creative power of Thy Word. We are All-Powerful. I have appointed Thee to be the Beginning and the End, the Seen and the Hidden.
(The Báb, Bayan-i-Arabi (Arabic Bayan) -- BB00020)
09
He hath created all things through the Word which He created from His Will that hath appeared and shone forth from the sovereignty of the Divine Purpose in whatsoever was and shall be.
Being came into existence through the Word of God, and the Word of God through His manifest Revelation. He is the Perspicuous Book and the Impregnable Stronghold, the Dawning-Place of the Hidden Mystery and the Dayspring of the Treasured Name.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1303-09-01 [1886-Jun-3], to Aqa Siyyid Ahmad Afnan et al -- BH03733)
11
O thou who art enkindled with the divine fire!
At the dawn of creation, the all-encompassing Creative Word was realized in human form.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Mirza Ali Muhammad Khan Munshi (Muhammad Ali Munshi) -- AB05275)
12
And there is no doubt that those universal meanings which flow from the Lord upon the Christian Reality were the cause of the creation of beings and the manifestation of existence.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1901 or <, to Edith Grace Weld -- AB04144)
13
Let us return now to the Writing of Baha'u'llah (Law-i-Hikmat). The creative word of command of God, the logos, is not merely a spark out of God, but the logos is the life-breath of God. In the logos, in the life-breath of God, already all the possibilities of existence rest, all the forms of being of creation. Let Baha'u'llah Himself speak: "The word of God, the logos, is God's highest, overflowing (emanating) love, kindness and the "being" in all that is and has been; that is, goodness [kindness] and love, thought of as logos, are the resting pole in the transientness [evanescence] of appearances.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, On the creation of the world: words to Miss St. and others in summer of 1910 -- ABU0017)
14
Praise be to God Who hath ever caused His Names and Attributes to penetrate the degrees of existence; Who hath made the effects of those Names and Attributes to shine resplendent and their signs to be firmly established in both the hidden and manifest worlds. By them He hath made the Sanctified Realities, they who are the Recipients of the grace of God and the Bearers of glad-tidings, to be the sole Revealers of His Being, and hath caused them to move in the firmament of perfection in descending and ascending arcs. He hath ordained them to be the origin and cause of existence in the world of creation and the source of gradated realities in the degrees of being.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lawh-i-Aflakiyyih (Tablet of the Celestial Spheres), 1876-08 ca. -- AB00023)
15
Glorified be He Who createth what He willeth through His command "Be," and it is. Glorified be He before Whom prostrateth whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth. Say: All are submissive unto Him.
… He it is Who hath created all things by His command, and unto Him shall all return. He it is Who createth what He willeth by His command "Be," and it is.
… Say: These verses are the leaves of that Tree, and God hath ordained within the verses spiritual fruits thereof, if ye would but take them.
(The Báb, Kitab-i-Jaza' (Book of the Reckoning), 1264-05-05 ca. (Chihriq) [1848-Apr-9], to Mulla Husayn, Quddus, 'Abdu'l-Vahhab, Aba 'Ali, Hasan, 'Azim, Yahya and others -- BB00004)
16
He it is Who hath created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them by His command, more swiftly than the utterance of "Be, and it is."
(The Báb, Tablet to Mulla Husayn VI, 1264 (Chihriq) [1847-1848], to Mulla Husayn, the first believer -- BB00200)
17
Say: A single letter of Mine utterance hath, verily, brought forth the entire universe, the realities of all things, and worlds which none can fathom save God, the Almighty, the Most Manifest.
Say: Every word that proceedeth from His mouth verily quickeneth all bodies, would that ye be of them that know.
… Say: Every letter that proceedeth from the mouth of God is verily the mother of letters, and likewise every word that appeareth from the Source of the Command is verily the mother of words, and His Tablet is the Mother of Tablets.
This is the Most Holy Tablet which God has made its station to be the station of the Point, just as from the Point all letters and words were differentiated, and likewise from this Tablet has been differentiated what was sent down from the beginning that has no beginning and will be differentiated unto the end that has no end.
… Say: O people of the earth, by God, one Tablet from the traces of God is better than the kingdom of the first and the last ones - nay, I seek forgiveness from God for this, for by one letter thereof were all these created, were ye of those who perceive.
Say: By God! He is verily the Sovereign of the Messengers and His Tablet is the Mother of Tablets, and through a single letter from Him was everything created with the ornament of luminous glory.
The True One, exalted be His glory, created the world and its peoples through His Most Exalted Word.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1298-07-14 [1881-Jun-12], to Nargis Khatun Dhabih -- BH07032)
24
Thou art He Who hath created all things through a word uttered by Thy behest, and fashioned the entire creation through the power of Thy sovereignty and might.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Khadijih Sultan daughter of Ammih -- BH07658)
25
Thus have We illumined the horizon of the firmaments of this Tablet with the Luminary of Our Word, a Word through which God hath brought into being all creation from all eternity to all eternity.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1297-12-15 [1880-Nov-18], to Hasan Aqa -- BH03572)
26
He brought the world into being through His Word, and caused the rivers of meaning and utterance to flow therein.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1303-09-19 [1886-Jun-21], to Ibn Asdaq (Hand of the Cause) et al -- BH00092)
27
All the meanings and utterances that have been created in the realm of origination return unto the Word that hath flowed from the Pen of Thy Command and the Finger of Thy Decree.
The remembrance of God from the Pen of Command hath at this moment been witnessed in truth, and from it hath flowed the knowledge of what hath been and what shall be, then the hidden sciences of the unseen, and from it hath appeared the Word whereby all contingent things were created, and God is witness unto this.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Muhammad Rida brother of deceased -- BH02766)
29
Praise be to the Lord of all desires, the Sovereign of the unseen and seen realms, the Manifestation of names and attributes, Who with one exalted Word adorned absolute nothingness with the ornament of existence, and through it illumined the visible and invisible cities with the light of vision and knowledge.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1308-07-09 [1891-Feb-18], to Tafrishi, Aqa Mirza Muhammad Ali et al -- BH00666)
30
Praise be unto the Omnipotent, Self-Subsisting One, Who through the blessed and goodly Word that dawned from the horizon of the All-Merciful Will, brought all creation from nothingness into the realm of being.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1293-01 [1876-Jan], to Qutb al-Dawlih -- BH05024)
31
The essence of praise befitteth and is worthy of that Beloved One Who, through a single word of His words, adorned the world with the ornament of existence, and through His sublime and glorious bounty nurtured it.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1296 ? [1878-1879], to Abun-Nasr Sahib -- BH07030)
32
Thou art He Who created the servants through the Word that proceeded from the mouth of Thy Will and preserved them throughout ages and centuries by the arms of Thy power.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1299 ? [1881-1882], to Muhammad Baqir Hamadani -- BH01567)
33
All manifestations with Thee are but a motionless creation which Thou didst bring forth from nothing and to which Thou didst say "Be."
The entire world existeth through His Word; should He desire, through another Word it would cease to be. Whatsoever hath appeared and will appear from Him hath been according to His all-pervading wisdom.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1299 ? [1881-1882], to Hashim son of Qadir -- BH00307)
35
God’s invincible Will far transcendeth their devices, and His Purpose is supreme above all human desires, inasmuch as all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth have been called into being through a single holy breeze---the Word of His command---wafted from His presence, and all shall be brought to naught through but one letter of His.
Glorified, immeasurably glorified art Thou, in Whose hands is the empire of whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth, Thou, Who through but one word of Thy mouth, caused all things to expire and dissolve asunder, and Who, by yet another word, caused whatever had been separated to be combined and reunited!
I testify that no sooner had the First Word proceeded, through the potency of Thy will and purpose, out of His mouth, and the First Call gone forth from His lips than the whole creation was revolutionized, and all that are in the heavens and all that are on earth were stirred to the depths. Through that Word the realities of all created things were shaken, were divided, separated, scattered, combined and reunited, disclosing, in both the contingent world and the heavenly kingdom, entities of a new creation, and revealing, in the unseen realms, the signs and tokens of Thy unity and oneness.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Baba known as Karim -- BH00848)
38
This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendors of the Light that shineth from the face of Thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Bountiful. Verily, We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being a new creation, as a token of Our grace unto men.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet of the Divine Springtime, 1290 [1873] or earlier -- BH00821)
39
I bear witness, O my God, that through a word spoken by Thee in this Revelation all created things were made to expire, and through yet another word all such as Thou didst wish were, by Thy grace and bounty, endued with new life.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Hasan Ali Afnan (Aqa Mirza Buzurg) -- BH04231)
40
Praise sanctified beyond the bounds of time and space, and hallowed above mention of possibility and impossibility, befits that Beloved One Who, through a single call issued from the Source of His Will, adorned all contingent beings with a new creation. Through that call, the voices of all things were raised up, all bore witness to the oneness of His holy Being and became vocal in His remembrance.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1295-01-22 [1878-Jan-26], to Haji Husayn from Ya -- BH01094)
41
When He willeth a thing to appear in the realm of being, He but speaketh the word, even as the entire creation was brought back into being through the Word that proceeded from His sanctified and exalted mouth, the Mighty, the Impregnable.
(Bahá’u’lláh, ca. 1289-1290?, to Abdun-Nabi -- BH05504)
42
All praise, sanctified beyond mention and limitations, befits and is worthy of the Lord of existence and the Sovereign of the unseen and the seen, Who through a single Word made manifest the Straight Path and the Balance, the Hour and the Resurrection, the Reckoning and Paradise and the Fire.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1305 ? [1887-1888], to daughter of Jinab-i-Haji Javad -- BH05360)
43
For, verily, powerful is He, the King of divine might, to extinguish with one letter of His wondrous words, the breath of life in the whole of the Bayan and the people thereof, and with one letter bestow upon them a new and everlasting life, and cause them to arise and speed out of the sepulchers of their vain and selfish desires.
… Such is the binding force of the Word of God, which uniteth the hearts of them that have renounced all else but Him, who have believed in His signs, and quaffed from the Hand of glory the Kawthar of God's holy grace.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Kitab-i-Iqan (The Book of Certitude), 1278 ca. [1861-1862], to Haji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad, great uncle of the Bab (Khal-i-Akbar) -- BH00002)
44
Behold how the generality of mankind hath been endued with the capacity to hearken unto God's most exalted Word - the Word upon which must depend the gathering together and spiritual resurrection of all men.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Dunya (Tablet of the World), 1308 ? [1890-1891], to Mirza Siyyid Muhammad Afnan (known as Aqa Mirza Aqa Nurud-Din) -- BH00238)
45
He hath created all contingent beings through a word from Him, then cast upon them another word - whoso holdeth fast to it and believeth in Him, he is indeed among the most exalted of creation with Him, and this is certain truth.
I testify, moreover, that with but a movement of Thy Pen Thine injunction "Be Thou" hath been enforced, and God's hidden Secret hath been divulged, and all created things have been called into being, and all the Revelations have been sent down.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Ziyarat-Namih (Tablet of Visitation) -- BH02307)
47
Through Our bounty were all the Messengers created, one and all. Through Our bounty were all the Books created, one and all. Through Our bounty is created in every Revelation, by Our command, the witnesses to Our Cause in the kingdom of Command and Creation and whatsoever lieth between them.
(The Báb, Kitabu'l-Javad, to Siyyid Javad Karbala'i -- BB00107)
48
The Imams (upon them be the peace of God) were created by His Word, and received their portion and share from the ocean of His grace and bounty before creation itself.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1309-03-20 [1891-Oct-24], to Mirza Ghulam-Husayn -- BH10009)
49
Thou didst wish to make Thyself known unto men; therefore, Thou didst, through a word of Thy mouth, bring creation into being and fashion the universe.
Say: O concourse of earth! Behold ye the signs of God's power, how He created all who are in the heavens and earth by one word from His Pen, and breathed into them the spirit of life by another word.
(Bahá’u’lláh, to Harful-Qurb (Abul-Hasan) -- BH00783)
51
The Word of God hath set the heart of the world afire; how regrettable if ye fail to be enkindled with its flame!
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Laylatu'l-Quds (Tablet of the Sacred Night - Adrianople) -- BH00970)
52
Do thou ponder on the penetrative influence of the Word of God.
… Ponder, now, O Shaykh, the influence of the word of God, that haply thou mayest turn from the left hand of idle fancy unto the right hand of certitude.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Ibn-i-Dhi'b (Epistle to the Son of the Wolf), 1308 ? [1891], to Muhammad Taqi Isfahani (son of the Wolf) -- BH00005)
53
There is no doubt that these matters have been realized and established through the Word of God, and the Word of God is the overseer of all things. It is the creator of the world and the educator of the world. It is that which summons those who thirst in the valley of separation to the ocean of reunion, and it is that which illumines the darkness of ignorance with the dawn of knowledge. Consider how all people who lived in the past affirmed that Isaac was the sacrifice, and likewise the followers of the Qur'an have affirmed this station for Ishmael, even though it is clear and evident to every person of insight and understanding that, outwardly, no sacrifice actually took place, and by universal agreement, it was an animal that was sacrificed.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Haji Mirza Kamalu'd-Din, 1295-09-14 [1878-Sep-11], to Hasan Aqa et al -- BH00091)
54
Should the Word be allowed to release suddenly all the energies latent within it, no man could sustain the weight of so mighty a Revelation. Nay, all that is in heaven and on earth would flee in consternation before it.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Ibrahim, to Muhammad Ibrahim known as Haji Khalil -- BH00627)
55
He is made manifest through the power of Truth and hath uttered a Word whereby all that are in the heavens and on the earth have been dumbfounded, except those whom the Almighty was pleased to exempt.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Tajalliyat (Effulgences), 1306 ? [1888-1889], to Ustad Ali Akbar Banna Yazdi -- BH00668)
56
He is fully capable of revolutionizing the world through the power of a single Word.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Ali-Haydar Shirvani, 1307 or later, to Ali Haydar Shirvani -- BH05904)
57
Thy Word which appeared by Thy command hath encompassed all existence, both the unseen and the visible. Through it Thy power was manifested and Thy sovereignty emerged, and by it were the creatures drawn to the Dayspring of Thy Revelation and all created things to the Dawning-Place of Thy grace.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1291-09-09 [1874-Oct-20], to Nabil Qabl-i-Rida -- BH03112)
58
These are the verses of God, sent down in truth from the presence of the Mighty, the All-Knowing. God hath made them the sign of His Revelation unto all those in the Concourse on High, and the mirror of His Beauty unto all who dwell in the kingdom of creation, and His conclusive proof unto all created things.
I testify that if Thy servants were to turn towards Thee with the eyes Thou didst create in them and with the ears wherewith Thou didst endow them, they would all be carried away by a single word sent down from the right hand of the throne of Thy majesty.
I implore Thee, O my God, by Thy Most Great Name, to enrapture the nations through the potency of the Word which Thou didst ordain to be the king of all words, the Word whereby the goodly pearls of Thy hidden wisdom were uncovered, and the gem-like mysteries which were wrapped up within Thee were unraveled.
Whoever hath been transported by the rapture born of adoration for My Name, the Most Compassionate, will recite the verses of God in such wise as to captivate the hearts of those yet wrapped in slumber.
… Every name hath been created by His Word, and every cause is dependent on His irresistible, His mighty and wondrous Cause.
… This is a Book which hath become the Lamp of the Eternal unto the world, and His straight, undeviating Path amidst the peoples of the earth. Say: This is the Dayspring of Divine knowledge, if ye be of them that understand, and the Dawning-place of God's commandments, if ye be of those who comprehend.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book), 1290-05-15 [1873-Jul-11] -- BH00001)
62
O ye friends of 'Abdu'l-Baha! The effulgence of the Word of God is like unto the rays of the sun which conquer the contingent world and illumine the dark universe. It brings forth from the realm of potentiality into the realm of visibility whatsoever exists in the realities of beings, and causes to grow from pure soil that which was hidden in the earth.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1910-Feb-25, to Aqa Rahim et al -- AB07005)
63
Then wilt thou see that today these heavenly Teachings are the remedy for a sick and suffering world, and a healing balm for the sores on the body of mankind. They are the spirit of life, the ark of salvation, the magnet to draw down eternal glory, the dynamic power to motivate the inner self of man.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1907-Mar-06, to E E Wrestling Brewster -- AB00276)
64
Thus when that unifying force, the penetrating influence of the Word of God, taketh effect, the difference of customs, manners, habits, ideas, opinions and dispositions embellisheth the world of humanity.
… Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men. Verily, it is the penetrating power in all things, the mover of souls and the binder and regulator in the world of humanity.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lawh-i-Du-Niday-i-Falah va Najah (Two Calls to Success and Prosperity), 1908-Aug-04, to Bahais of the West et al -- AB00022)
65
The real temple is the very Word of God; for to it all humanity must turn, and it is the center of unity for all mankind. It is the collective center, the cause of accord and communion of hearts, the sign of the solidarity of the human race, the source of eternal life.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Address to the Baha'is at Baha'i Temple Unity in Chicago, 1912-Apr-30 -- ABU0268)
66
In this wondrous Age, at this time when the Ancient Beauty, the Most Great Name, bearing unnumbered gifts, hath risen above the horizon of the world, the Word of God hath infused such awesome power into the inmost essence of humankind that He hath stripped men's human qualities of all effect, and hath, with His all-conquering might, unified the peoples in a vast sea of oneness.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1903 ca., to Baha'is of Dahaj et al -- AB00189)
67
The conclusion is irresistible that the splendors of the Sun of Truth, the Word of God, have been the source and cause of human upbuilding and civilization.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Maxwell home on 1912-Sep-03 -- ABU0104)
68
O spiritual friends! At this moment, 'Abdu'l-Baha received a letter from America bearing the glad tidings that that western land has become the East - meaning that the lights of the Sun of Truth have shone forth and radiated so brilliantly that the gleam of the morn of guidance has dawned and every seeker has attained his goal. The melody of the people of Baha reaches continuously to the Concourse on High, and the life-giving song of "Ya Baha'u'l-Abha" has become the anthem of the peoples and nations there. According to what they have written, on the Day of the Birth they arranged festivals of joy and delight in twenty-four cities, and they passed that day in utmost gladness and felicity. They extended a general invitation, spread a feast, engaged in the mention of God, gave each other glad tidings, and from these twenty-four cities and gatherings, letters of congratulation and felicitation arrived. Observe how the penetrating power of the Word of God has influenced existence and how it has set the world in motion, such that in the countries of America such celebrations and festivities were held on the Day of Birth, the far has become near, and the customs and traditions of Tajik have spread. This is the penetrating power of the Word of God, and this is the conquering force of the Will of God.
O divine friends and handmaids of the All-Merciful! Jinab-i-Amin offers the utmost praise, commendation and description, that -- praise be to God -- in all regions, cities and villages the friends are manifestations of divine favors and dawning-places of justice and fairness. They are hearing and obeying, they are upright and steadfast, occupied with the recitation of verses and accustomed to the promotion of evidences. They are in the utmost enthusiasm and excitement, intoxicated with the pure wine, engaged in worship and praise of the Most Great Name, familiar with servitude at the Sacred Threshold, acting upon divine counsels and admonitions, and perfect in human virtues and characteristics in every respect.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1906-Jul-15, to Baha'is of Iran -- AB00055)
69
Through the Most Great Word He adorned all things from nothingness with the ornament of being, and through another Word which in this moment floweth from the Supreme Pen He counseleth all, and this blessed Word which is the cause of the salvation of the world and the unity of nations is this: O friends of God! There are many emigrants who, after arrival and observation and hearing, return to their countries.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1304 ? [1886-1887], to Ustad Ali Akbar Banna Yazdi -- BH04422)
70
We hope that the power of the Word of God will establish a peace that shall eternally remain effective and secure.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1919-Jul-22, to Lucian B Nash -- AB04688)
71
They imagine that they are able to resist this Power, which penetrates into the heart of the contingent world, or to cover the Truth through their false tongues and complicated opinions, and to withhold this Sea from surging, the holy fragrances from being spread, and the breaths of the Spirit of the Ancient from reaching the beloved! No, by no means! Verily, the Word of God penetrates into the core of all things and cannot be resisted either by the hosts of the world or by the armies of the enemies! In the past ages there is a warning to every intelligent one!
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1915 or <, to message to Spiritual Assembly of Washington, DC -- AB02012)
72
I beg of Thee by the Most Great Infallibility which Thou hast chosen to be the dayspring of Thy Revelation, and by Thy most sublime Word through whose potency Thou didst call the creation into being and didst reveal Thy Cause, and by this Name which hath caused all other names to groan aloud and the limbs of the sages to quake, I beg of Thee to make me detached from all else save Thee, in such wise that I may move not but in conformity with the good-pleasure of Thy Will, and speak not except at the bidding of Thy Purpose, and hear naught save the words of Thy praise and Thy glorification.
I beseech Thee by the Most Great Word through which Thou didst create earth and heaven, and by Thy Prophets and Messengers, and by the lights of the dawn of Thy Manifestation, to aid me to act according to what Thou hast commanded me in Thy Book and to keep me from what Thou hast forbidden through Thy wisdom and Thy will.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1305-09-11 [1888-May-22], to Tajud-Din Sarvistani -- BH07181)
74
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.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Abdu'l-Karim -- BH08244)
75
In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable!
Glorified art Thou, O my God!
I beseech Thee by Thy Word through which Thou hast brought all created things into being and given life to all existing things, and which Thou hast made a balance for Thy Cause and a pathway between Thy heaven and Thy earth, and by which Thou hast turned the faces of them that are near unto Thee toward the horizon of Thy favors, and the hearts of the sincere ones toward the Dayspring of Thy bounty and bestowals - not to deprive me in these days of the holy glances of Thy mercy and the sweet-scented breezes of the glory of Thy favors and gifts, and leave me not to myself and my desires.
Then sever me from all else save Thee and turn me toward Thy Face and Thy Beauty.
Verily Thou art He Who hath ever been the Doer of whatsoever Thou pleasest and the Ruler over whatsoever Thou willest. Thou art, in truth, the All-Powerful, the Supreme, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most Bountiful.
O Lord! I beseech Thee by the Primal Word through which Thou didst create earth and heaven, and by the breathings of Thy Revelation whereby the hearts of Thy servants were attracted, and by the ocean of Thy bounty in the kingdom of Thy riches, to make me a servant of Thy Cause, a helper of Thy Faith, and one who speaks Thy praise.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1306-04 [1888-Dec], to Mirza Mahdi Rasht -- BH08950)
77
I beseech Thee by the Word through which Thou didst bring the contingent world into being, and by the power of Thy Pen, and the potency of Thy Will, and the manifestation of Thy Purpose, and by the ocean of Thy knowledge whereon sailed the ships of Thy might by Thy leave and command, that Thou make me detached from all else save Thee and assisted in serving Thy Cause.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1304-08-09 [1887-May-3], to Mirza Ahmad -- BH04794)
78
I beseech Thee by the ocean of Thy verses and the heaven of Thy bounty, and by the Word through which Thou didst bring existence out of nothingness and didst guide them to Thy Most Great Name, to make me submissive at the revelation of Thy verses and the manifestation of Thy clear tokens.
I beseech Thee by the Word through which Thou didst create all things, to strengthen me in steadfastness in Thy love in such wise that nothing whatsoever shall prevent me.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1305-01-25 [1887-Oct-13], to Khavar (servant of Mahbubu'sh-Shuhada) -- BH07904)
80
Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Pen through which Thou didst give life to all worlds, and by Thy Name through which Thou didst create the heavens and the earth, to aid those who have turned unto Thee and have entered the stronghold of Thy Cause, detached from all who dwell on earth.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Shatir Husayn -- BH10579)
81
I beseech Thee by the Word of Thy command, whereby Thou didst create all contingent beings and bring forth all existing things, and whereby Thou didst raise up the Manifestations of Thy oneness and the Daysprings of Thy divinity.
I beseech Thee by the Word through which Thou didst create all beings and didst manifest all existence to send down upon me from the clouds of Thy gifts that which will profit me in Thy worlds.
I beseech Thee by the Word through which earth and heaven were revolutionized to inscribe for me by Thy Pen that which shall profit me in every world of Thy worlds.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1297-11-12 [1880-Oct-16], to Mulla Abdul-Ahad -- BH08375)
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84
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
John 1:1-5 This statement [John 1:1] is brief but replete with the greatest meanings. Its applications are illimitable and beyond the power of books or words to contain and express. PUP.154
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85
To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: When He decreeth a matter, He saith to it: 'Be', and it is.
Qur'an 2:117 His command, when He desires a thing, is to say to it 'Be', and it is. Qur'an 36:81, cf. 16:40, 3:47
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86
...He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed (nafakhtu) into him something of His spirit.
Qur'an 32:9; also 15:29
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87
...the Divine Breath englobes all the forms of the world; in face, it is for them like the Materia Prima (al-jawhar al-hayulani), which is nothing but the first determination of Universal Nature (al-tabi'ah).
(Ibn 'Arabi, from the Fusus al-Hikam, in Burckhardt, The Wisdom of the Prophets, p. 75. Cf. Izutsu's commentary: "the 'breath of the Merciful' is the principle of Being or the ground of Being extending over both the world of material things and the world of spiritual beings. In this ontological capacity, the 'breath of the Merciful' is regarded by Ibn 'Arabi as Nature (tabi`ah). Viewed from this perspective, the 'breath' is a Substance (jawhar, in the Aristotelian sense of Prime Matter) in which all the forms of Being, both material and spiritual, are manifested." Sufism and Taoism, pp. 133-134)
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88
Universal Nature is none other, in reality, than the Breath of Mercy (an-nafas ar-rahmani) in which are deployed the forms of the world, from the highest to the lowest, by the infusion (suryan) of the Divine Breath in the 'material prima' (al-jawhar al-hayulani); it is that which has taken place for the world of (terrestrial and celestial) bodies...
(Ibn 'Arabi, from the Fusus al-Hikam, in Burckhardt, The Wisdom of the Prophets, p. 122)
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89
One single letter of Thy Book is the mother of all utterances, and a word therefrom the begetter of all creation.