A fire can warm, illumine, consume, or turn out to be the very water that gives life. Bahá’u’lláh prays that his prayer may become a flame burning away the veils between him and his Beloved, and then tells us that this fire is inwardly light and inwardly water, the source from which all living things drink. The same element has a dark face: the fire that keeps a soul back from God is kindled by its own deeds, and no fire is fiercer than remoteness from Him. Learning to tell these fires apart, and to watch one image pass into another, is the whole art of reading here. Moses turning aside toward a bush that burns without being consumed, then taking off his shoes on holy ground, is the oldest model of such attention, and the Mount and the Fire of Sinai return again and again in the Bahá’í prayers [1]. From there the way leads naturally to the living waters that renew the heart, to love itself understood as a fire that no utterance can quench, and to the old insight that things are known by their opposites, so that cooling mercy and igniting love, tears and burning, are finally one gift.
O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and the Maker of the heavens! I beseech Thee by them Who are the Day-Springs of Thine invisible Essence, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, to make of my prayer a fire that will burn away the veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty, and a light that will lead me unto the ocean of Thy Presence.
… Let him then stand and say:
Make my prayer, O my Lord, a fountain of living waters whereby I may live as long as Thy sovereignty endureth, and may make mention of Thee in every world of Thy worlds.
The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.
02
This fire is in truth water appearing in the form of fire - outwardly fire, inwardly light. Through this water all things have had and will have life, for "from water doth all life come."
I pray to God that thou mayest at all times be enkindled with the fire of the love of the All-Merciful. This fire is in truth light, and light is identical with fire.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1292-06-03 [1875-Jul-7], to Mihraban -- BH05314)
04
My God, my God! Thy light calls me unto Thee, and Thy fire keeps me back from Thee. I testify that the light hath appeared and shone forth from Thy face, while the fire is from mine own deeds, though it is attributed to Thee for Thou didst create and manifest it.
Therefore, O my God, protect me from all fire and grant me paradise and whatsoever Thou hast created therein, for I know of no fire more intense than remoteness from Thee, and no paradise more exalted than nearness unto Thee.
(The Báb, Ziyarat li-Avvali man aman, 1265 mid-late [1848-1849] -- BB00255)
06
Through the appearance of this word two universal effects became manifest in creation: fire and light. For whosoever turned toward it was accounted before God among the companions of the right hand who have attained the lights of His countenance, and whosoever turned away was mentioned as one of the people of fire.
A single letter from Thy Book is the Mother of all Utterance, and one word therefrom is the Source of all Being. What ingratitude has appeared from Thy servants that Thou hast withheld them all from knowing Thee! One drop from the ocean of Thy mercy can quench the flames of hell, and one spark from the fire of Thy love can set the world ablaze.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1302-10-15 [1884-Oct-5], to Baha'is of Manshad -- BH00095)
08
Verily, I say, so fierce is the blaze of the Bush of love, burning in the Sinai of the heart, that the streaming waters of holy utterance can never quench its flame.
(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)
09
O my God! I praise Thee for having ordained the Fountain of Life in the Garden of Good-Pleasure, wherein Thou didst join together fire and water and unite them through Thy power, such that they shall never be parted throughout the eternity of Thy might and the perpetuity of Thy sovereignty.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet of the Hair 4, 1290 [1873] or earlier -- BH01730)
10
O Thou Who hast made the Point the ornament of Beauty on the Tablet of Manifestation, and suspended the threads of darkness upon the sphere of light, whereby Thou hast adorned the page of light with the darkness of night, and made the fountain of sweet water to flow in the abode of fire, and ordained the spring of life to be in the treasury of flames, and joined them together in such wise that they shall never be separated throughout all ages!
(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet of the Hair 6, 1290 [1873] or earlier -- BH08601)
11
Thou hast Thyself, O my God, protected them, by Thy sovereign might, from both extremities. But for the burning of their souls and the sighing of their hearts, they would be drowned in the midst of their tears, and but for the flood of their tears they would be burnt up by the fire of their hearts and the heat of their souls. Methinks, they are like the angels which Thou hast created of snow and of fire.
The waters of Thy love have preserved me in the kingdom of Thy creation, and the fire of my remembrance of Thee hath set me ablaze before all that are in heaven and on earth.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Aqa Siyyid Jim -- BH02462)
14
O 'Ali! The fountain of My mercy floweth and the heart of My loving-kindness burneth, for never hath the Friend desired that His loved ones be overtaken by sorrow or touched by grief.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1293? [1875-1876], to Muhammad-Ali -- BH01231)
15
For he would, at one time, discover that from this Pen there floweth out unto all created things the water that is life indeed, and that the Pen itself hath been named by Thee the trumpet whereby the dead speed out of their sepulchers. At another time he would find that there proceedeth from this Pen such fire as Thine own Revelation can kindle, and as He Who conversed with Thee (Moses) on Sinai hath perceived.
At one time He appeareth as the water which is Life indeed, sent down out of the heaven of Thy grace, and poured forth from the clouds of thy mercy, that Thy creatures may be endued with new life, and live as long as Thine own Kingdom endureth. … At another time He revealeth Himself as the Fire which Thou didst kindle in the tree of Thy unity, whose heat melted the hearts of Thine ardent lovers when He Who is the Day-Star of the world shone forth above the horizon of 'Iraq.
The cause of life hath been water, as witnessed by "from water did We make all things living." At times He hath bestowed this virtue upon fire, even as He made the fire of the Mount the cause of life for all peoples.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1297 ? [1879-1880], to Ibn-i-Abhar et al -- BH00326)
18
Therefore hath it set itself upon the blazing fire of My Face and receiveth sustenance from the garden of My Countenance. This is the station wherein the Son of 'Imran removed from the feet of selfish desire the coverings of attachment to all else but Him and was illumined by the splendours of the Light of holiness in the undying Fire kindled by God, the Potent, the Gracious, the Ever-Forgiving.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet of the Hair 9, 1290 [1873] or earlier -- BH11265)
19
O servants of the Blessed Beauty! On the Day of Manifestation you acquired illumination from the lights of Mount Sinai and witnessed a gleam of radiance.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Baha'is of Kulahdarrih -- AB05545)
20
O Bahram! Know this with absolute certainty. Firstly, He came with the Fire from the presence of the Friend and enkindled the extinguished element, and secondly, He gave His testimony concerning the Fire.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1306-08 [1889-Apr], to Javad et al -- BH01711)
21
Say: Verily the lamp hath been lit in its niche and verily the fire hath appeared from the Tree, and giveth you glad tidings of the meeting with God - hasten ye in your hearts and be not of the patient ones.
And the Fire crieth out: "The Chosen One hath appeared!"
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290-05 [1873-Jun], to Jinab-i-Aqa Siyyid Musa -- BH07489)
23
This celestial sun is a sign of that Sun, and this fire is a token of that world-illumining Fire.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1896 ca., to Mulla Bahram Akhtar Khavari -- AB01912)
24
The fire lit by mortal hand imparteth light and warmth to but a little space, whereas that sacred flame which the Hand of God hath kindled, though burning in the east, will set aflame the west and give warmth to both the north and the south; nay, it shall rise from this world to glow with the hottest flame in the realms on high, flooding with light the Kingdom of eternal glory.
It is calling aloud at all times upon the branch of Fire within the hallowed and luminous garden of Paradise, that perchance the inmates of the realm of creation may detach themselves from the world of dust and ascend unto the retreats of nearness -- the Spot where the Fire seeketh illumination from the light of the Countenance of God, the Glorious, the Powerful.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet of the Hair 8, 1290 [1873] or earlier -- BH10832)
26
Glorified be God for this fiery thread and this divine cord! At times I behold it as fire, for by it are consumed the hearts of the sincere. At times I behold it as breezes, for by it are stirred the hearts of the believers. And at times there issueth from it a sound like unto melodies that draw unto them the hearts of the lovers.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet of the Hair 11, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Zivar Sultan Afnan -- BH10844)
27
Great is the blessedness of him that hath drawn nigh unto it, and heard its roaring.
… I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by this Fire which blazeth and rageth in the world of creation, to rend asunder the veils that have hindered me from appearing before the throne of Thy majesty, and from standing at the door of Thy gate.
O thou who art illumined by the light of divine guidance!
When the candle of guidance is kindled within the glass of the heart, it dispels the darkness of error that stems from worldly limitations. The lights of sanctification and the rays of unity shine upon all parts and members, senses and faculties.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Muhammad Mihdi son of Mulla Abutalib -- AB05296)
The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.
30
The similitude and example of this is this: that with reflection and rational proof, certainty about the existence of fire can be achieved, but when one seeth fire itself, that is then the station of the Eye of Certitude. When a human being gets ignited with that same fire or when one senses fully the heat of that fire, that is the station of the Reality of Certitude.
O yearning ones! If you are not enkindled by this divine fire that has been ignited, by what means will you dispel the cold of contingent being and the frigid conditions of human limitations? And if you are not illumined by this divine lamp that glows in the glass of the All-Merciful, by what light shall you be guided?
You have awakened from the sleep of heedlessness and opened your eyes to witness the lights. You have been attracted to the Truth and been set ablaze by the fire kindled in the blessed Tree of the Lord. You have been delivered from darkness and reached the Dawning-place of lights.
God willing, you will be set ablaze with this fire which is light itself - an enkindlement that the seas of the doubts and idle fancies of the people cannot extinguish - until all the world becomes enkindled by that newly kindled warmth which is the very love of God, and turns to the horizon of manifestation.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1292-06-03 [1875-Jul-7], to Baha'is of Manshad -- BH04866)
34
He that riseth at one time and falleth at another is not worthy to draw nigh unto this Fire, for by it all things are consumed save him from whom emanateth the fragrance of the love of his Lord, the Gracious, the Bountiful.
The moth which is animated by love will burn its wings as it flitteth round the lamp of God, and the phoenix of tender affection will be set ablaze by the fire of ardent desire. No unfamiliar bird can partake of the heat of this Fire, nor can the fowls that dwell upon the dust plunge forth into this heavenly Ocean. However, praise be unto God, ye are the leviathans of this ocean, the birds of this pasture, the moths of this lamp, the nightingales of this meadow.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1907-May-20, to Salman et al -- AB00610)
36
At times, through the outpourings of the Abha Kingdom with spirit and fragrance - O lit candle and O burnt moth! It is the time of burning and melting, that you may illuminate the divine gathering, and the moment of rushing and flying, that you may burn your wings.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Shaykh Kazim Qazvini (Samandar) -- AB04024)
37
O thou who hast acquired illumination from the niche of mysteries! By thy life, verily the heart is in rapture, the spirit is in attraction, the innermost heart is aflame, the body is enkindled, and the bones are in dissolution from the kindling of the fire of the love of God and the blazing of its flames.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Siyyid Mihdi Yazdi the martyr -- AB06511)
38
From the cup of the wine of love for the Most Great Name thou hast become intoxicated and enchanted, and from the fire kindled on Mount Paran thou hast been set ablaze and ignited.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Mashhadi Taqi Sarraf -- AB07525)
39
If you were to learn of the glorious gifts of the Abha Kingdom, I swear by the Educator of the seen and unseen that from the intensity of gladness and joy you would blaze out like a ball of fire and ignite the hearts of all horizons, kindle a bright lamp in the glass of contingent being, and freely give your heart and soul in the path of the Beloved.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1894 ca., to Haji Aziz Khan -- AB06372)
40
You who are a sapling of that garden and a flame of that lamp - radiate light and set the world ablaze.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1900 or <, to Aqa Husayn grandson of Dakhil -- AB05508)
41
With utmost joy and delight I have taken up the pen to write this letter, so that you may increase in enthusiasm and excitement, and become firmly established in attraction and enkindlement, and like a burning ember and fiery spark, set ablaze the hearts of the handmaidens of the All-Merciful, that each may become a lamp of lights and a niche of light upon light.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Wife of Haji Muhammad Ali (Zirak) -- AB07214)
42
O Nuriyyih! When you acquire illumination from the divine light, you will become a sign of "light upon light" and a dawning-place of the effulgence of the Sovereign of Manifestation.
The hope from the favors of the Glorious Lord is that you may have a countenance illumined by the lights of the Kingdom, and that in this world of mortality you may become the cause of the spread of heavenly bounties, and in this dusty realm of evanescence you may kindle a luminous lamp and burn away the veils of vain imaginings, and raise high the banner under the Divine Word, and burn and be content with the kindled fire of the Lord.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Dhabih (Mirza Isma'il Khan Munshi) -- AB06105)
44
Verily hearts overflow with the wine of attraction, and souls are set ablaze with the fire of enkindlement. … Hearts are gladdened by the appearance of mysteries, and inner consciousness rejoices in the radiance of lights.
… But thou - be of good cheer, let thy heart rejoice, and let thy breast be dilated, for thou hast arisen to make hearts steadfast, hast lifted the veils of light, and hast warmed thyself at the fire kindled on the highest Mount.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1897-Aug-19, to Shaykh Kazim Qazvini (Samandar) -- AB05950)
45
They thought that they had done well, that they had extinguished the Lamp, and that they had quenched the Fire which flamed in the tree of Christian certainty; nay, verily, that Lamp hath diffused its dazzling rays unto the Supreme Height and that Fire hath burned until it kindled the hearts of the righteous!"
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1910-Mar-12, to George S Hopper -- AB02145)
46
This Wronged One is the target of a thousand poisoned arrows at every breath; despite this, the breast becomes a mirror and the lights of the love of God are more brilliantly reflected.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1906 ca., to Hashim Qalami -- AB04280)
47
It is a camphor candle burning and melting, it is a pure chalice overflowing in the gathering of mysteries.
… For His grace is magnificent and His sovereignty eternal, His bounty continuous and His throne established, His crown radiant and His lamp guiding the path.
I entreat Thee, O my God, by Thy name through which the clouds have rained down their rain, and the streams have flowed, and the fire of Thy love hath been enkindled throughout Thy dominion, to assist Thy servant who hath turned towards Thee, and hath spoken forth Thy praise, and determined to help Thee.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Mirza Nazar Ali -- BH03287)
49
Fix your gaze upon and hold fast to this blessed word which is like a lamp in the darkness of the world. He saith: "Do good even as God hath dealt goodly with thee."
God hath created no being, male or female, save for the fire of the hearts which speaketh laudably around the ocean. As for him who giveth himself in love of the fire and guardeth himself from the fire, he is among the people of Paradise, recorded as being around the fire.
… O people of the earth! Hold fast to the cord of God, the Impregnable -- Our Remembrance, this Arabian Youth Who hath been concealed at the point of ice upon seas of fire.
(The Báb, Qayyumu'l-Asma' (Commentary on the Surah of Joseph), 1260-05 [1844-May] -- BB00002)
52
Glory be unto Thee, O my God! There is no difference between Fire and Light save the number of the Gate. Thou causest to enter whom Thou willest therein. Thus is the earth of Fire transformed into Light, and this in Thy power is nearer than all things.
(The Báb, Du'a' 'ala'n-Nafy (prayer of negation), 1265 [1848-1849] -- BB00178)
53
Glorified be He in Whose grasp is the kingdom of the glory of the heavens and of the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and He is the Creator, the Inaccessible.
… Say: Even as God hath brought forth these verses from My soul, likewise hath He brought forth the spirits of these verses by the issuing forth of the letters, and they have testified that there is no God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. Say: Such is a proof that hath shone forth from the Most Exalted Horizon.
(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)
54
Some maintain that the source and essence of elemental fire is the warmth in the hearts of lovers and the sighs of yearning souls.
… And in the estimation of them that are endowed with divine vision and spiritual insight, the cause of elemental fire and its generation is from the Pen of Destiny which is occupied in inscription, and from it the freedom of all created things hath been and shall be made manifest.
When in any external entity the element of fire becomes dominant, intense burning becomes manifest, and likewise in any luminous reality when the element of the fire of attraction prevails, flame and eruption result.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Hand of the Cause Ali Muhammad Ibn Asdaq -- AB06809)
56
Every object in this world has the power of combustion. The objects by themselves and in themselves will not be ignited. A flame is necessary.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1912-Dec-23 in London -- ABU3415)
57
All the atoms of the earth have celebrated Thy praise, and all created things have been set ablaze with the drops sprinkled by the ocean of Thy love, and yet the people still seek to quench Thy fire.
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58
Verily, God hath granted thee permission to kneel in adoration and approach that Fire. This Fire, which, for the one True God, burneth at the very heart of the Water, prostrateth itself before the Truth.
When the soul offers the sacrifice of love it becomes living flames of fire. If we consider that the soul is transformed in God, it will be understood how, in some manner, it has in truth become a fountain of living water, boiling and burning in the fire of love--God himself. Here the soul rejoices in the glory of God under the protection of his shadow. It is immersed in the waters of the Divinity which freely penetrate the whole person.
(St. John of the Cross, The Living Flame of Love, St. 2)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified