A pure heart: seeing clearly and serving freely

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.

… 58. O SON OF MAN! The temple of being is My throne; cleanse it of all things, that there I may be established and there I may abide.

Say: O children of dust! He Who is the Spirit of Purity saith: In this glorious Day whatsoever can purge you from defilement and ensure your peace and tranquillity, that indeed is the Straight Path, the Path that leadeth unto Me. To be purged from defilement is to be cleansed of that which is injurious to man and detracteth from his high station--among which is to take undue pleasure in one's own words and deeds, notwithstanding their unworthiness.

A man's heart may be pure and white though his outer skin be black; or his heart be dark and sinful though his racial color is white. The character and purity of the heart is of all importance. The heart illumined by the light of God is nearest and dearest to God, and inasmuch as God has endowed man with such favor that he is called the image of God, this is truly a supreme perfection of attainment, a divine station which is not to be sacrificed by the mere accident of color.

Illumine and hallow your hearts; let them not be profaned by the thorns of hate or the thistles of malice.

Abstract yourselves from these imaginations and cleanse and polish the mirrors of your hearts form the dross of these ignorant prejudices - thus you may become real kind and loving to the world of humanity, serving mankind with faithfulness and entertaining not the least trace of ill-feeling against the individual members of any nation, any religion, any community, any race and any country.

Blessed is the servant who hath cast away vain desire and taken unto himself the fear of God, and hath purified his heart from all rancor and hatred, and who associateth with all people in a spirit of fragrant joy.

However, what is essential and of first importance is to purify one's existence with the Kawthar of counsels from corruption, conflict, rancor and hatred.

Purify your hearts from envy and hatred that ye may meet your Lord, the All-Merciful, with sanctified hearts.

By the command of God, exalted be His glory, they have arisen to serve all, their hearts sanctified and purified from rancor, hatred, doubts, idle fancies, selfish desires and vain imaginings.

I hope you will always avoid tyranny and oppression, and that you will always uphold and practice justice towards all men and keep your hearts pure.

Verily I say: Incline your ears to My sweet voice, and sanctify yourselves from the defilement of your evil passions and corrupt desires. They who dwell within the tabernacle of God, and are established upon the seats of everlasting glory, will refuse, though they be dying of hunger, to stretch their hands and seize unlawfully the property of their neighbor, however vile and worthless he may be.

Sincerity is the foundation-stone of faith. That is, a religious individual must disregard his personal desires and seek in whatever way he can wholeheartedly to serve the public interest; and it is impossible for a human being to turn aside from his own selfish advantages and sacrifice his own good for the good of the community except through true religious faith.

But I bear witness regarding you that you have no purpose save the good-pleasure of God, no desire save the welfare of all.

If a soul is not severed, if he is not pure and holy, if he is not thoughtful of others, if he is not radiant, if he is not divine, if he is not god-like and celestial, -- no one can say he is a Baha'i.

Associate with one another with the utmost sanctity, purity, truthfulness, sincerity, trustworthiness and righteousness, in such wise that its sweet fragrance may be diffused and its gentle scent may be inhaled by every discerning soul.

Be ye pure in heart before God such that your feet slip not and your souls be not troubled.

… Further do I counsel you not to spread corruption in the earth and to be God's trusted ones among His servants, such that the signs of sanctity may appear from your faces and the lights of detachment from your temples.

We counsel you with that wherewith God counseled His servants in the earliest days concerning trustworthiness and godliness and that whereby your stations shall be exalted among the peoples.

When the lamp of truthfulness is kindled in the chamber of the heart, all the parts, members, powers and characteristics become illumined and resplendent like crystal glass from this brilliant and shining lamp.

Adorn your temples with the robes of detachment, and your tongues with truthfulness, and your hearts with sincerity, then make your breasts free from all deceit and guile and doubt.

Question: "Do the Baha'i teachings renovate the individual, private life? Or are they only a set of principles for the adjustment of general relations between men without the necessary requirements of personal regeneration."

Answer: "The Teachings of Baha'u'llah are the Breaths of the Holy Spirit which create men anew. Personal purity, both in private and public is greatly emphasized and insisted upon."

This is impossible unless we purify the hem of sanctification and illumine the face of morality, such that we shine like the sun among all communities and move like banners on the hills of nations from the breeze of providence.

The third virtue of humanity is goodly intention, which is the foundation of all good deeds. Some seekers after truth have held intention to be superior to action, for a goodly intention is absolute light and is entirely sanctified from the least trace of malice, scheming, or deception. Now, one can perform an action which appears to be righteous but which is in reality prompted by self-interest.

The First Treasure: One day the Beauty of the All-Glorious was walking in the outer courtyard of the Most Great House in Baghdad, while some Iranian princes who were residing in that land came into His presence. The Ancient Beauty, with utmost kindness, inquired after their well-being and asked them about current affairs in that land. One of them submitted: "How is it that when Your friends are in Your presence, You speak to them of other realms, but from us You ask only about markets and commerce? It seems You do not consider us worthy." His intention was to suggest that these people, who were bereft of fine clothing, wealth, knowledge and learning, why should they be given precedence over those with such wealth and intelligence?

The Ancient Beauty replied: "Do you know what manner of people are worthy to hear My words and to be counted among those who enter this presence and station? Let Me tell you that you may know. If a person were placed in an infinite space without boundaries, and on the right side of this boundless space were all glory, pleasure, comfort, majesty and eternal, pure, untarnished sovereignty; and on the left side were all calamities, hardships, pain, wrath, poverty and great, lasting afflictions; and if that person were addressed by the Spirit of Truth from the Lord of all worlds, saying that should you choose the right side with all its enduring delights over the left, not an atom of your worth and station before God would be diminished, and should you choose the left side with all its countless hardships over the right, not an atom would be added to your rank and station before the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting - if at that moment that person, with utmost yearning, longing, attraction and ecstasy were to choose the left over the right, only then would they be worthy to enter this presence and deserving of these most great and most mighty words."

At this point, these words were revealed from the Tongue of Grandeur, addressing the wayfarers: "If thoughts of life do linger in thy heart, approach not here; But if thy soul thou wouldst surrender, bring it and more. This is the way, if union with Baha thou seekest true; If not equipped for this path, burden us not, withdraw."

And in this connection the Mystic Dove, in the gardens of the blessed Qasidiy-i-Varqa'iyyih, sings:

"Thou hoped, in thy fancy, for union with Me - how remote! This was not the condition agreed upon. If thou fulfillest, it shall be fulfilled: To drink the cup of woe from every chalice, To taste the blood of grief from every heart, To sever hope from touch of any comfort, To cut desire from reach of any need, To shed one's blood in passion's path is duty, To burn the heart in love was my first pact, Sleepless nights from every stinging bite, Daily abuse is part of my tradition, Deadly poison is my drink divine, Fate's oppression is my mercy true. Abandon love's claim or accept what comes - Thus runs the law within my holy way."

And in this connection He says that if one does not see oneself swimming in a sea of blood while claiming My love, they are bereft and deprived of truthfulness.

The Second Treasure: After completing the first utterance, the King of Kings and Sovereign of Nations addressed that same questioner previously mentioned, saying: "Do you know what My purpose is in coming to this world and revealing My Cause among the peoples? Let Me tell you that you may know: I have come so that in this world full of corruption, where the door of tranquility has been utterly shut to all beings through the oppression of the oppressors and the treachery of the treacherous, I may, by God's might and power, establish such justice, protection, trustworthiness and religion throughout all regions--manifest and resplendent--that if one of those maidens secluded behind veils, whose radiant beauty would count the sun itself as but a mote, and who in all aspects of grace and beauty would have no peer or likeness, were to emerge from behind the veil adorned with the most precious jewels and ornaments beyond the reckoning of the wise, and travel alone, unaccompanied and unhindered, from the East of creation to the West of invention, wandering through every land and journeying through every clime, such would be the trustworthiness, religiousness, justice, and fairness, and such the absence of treachery, baseness, tyranny and inequity, that no hand of aggression or greed would stretch forth toward the hem of her wealth, nor would any lustful or iniquitous eye turn to gaze upon her sanctified beauty, until she returns to her dwelling and homeland with an unsullied heart and a radiant countenance." Then He said: "By God's power, I shall transform the world in this way and shall open this most great door unto the face of all peoples." It is in reference to this that the Supreme Pen hath revealed: "Erelong shall the earth be turned into the Most Glorious Paradise."

The Third Treasure: The Tongue of Grandeur speaks regarding the purity of intentions and deeds in all aspects, and concerning souls being wholly devoted to God, turned toward His direction, and enriched by His riches above all else, through this example which, from the pure flowing waters of the sealed nectar - a vessel of sanctity, grandeur and majesty - refreshed the thirsty ones in the desert of truth and purity, and addressed all existence, saying: If a wealthy person, whose wealth exceeds all measure and counting of servants, encounters an impoverished person whose poverty and destitution matches the wealth and riches of this wealthy one in its extremity, and if this wealthy one strives and persists over time in bestowing favors, kindness and honor upon that poor one until making him wealthy like his own former state while becoming poor like the other's former condition - and then afterward, by chance, this formerly wealthy person becomes indebted and, due to a small sum, becomes entrapped and expresses inability to pay that debt, and they proceed to punish, beat and torture him in the public square and thoroughfare such that until that sum is obtained no remedy for his release can be conceived - and meanwhile that first poor person who through this first one became wealthy in all regions passes by this afflicted captive, and the gaze of this afflicted captive falls upon his companion and the thought occurs in his heart that "Would that this companion of mine, in view of those favors I showed him, might deliver me from this tribulation" - the mere occurrence of this thought that "I showed favor to him" causes all his deeds to fall from the degree of acceptance and leaves him deprived of the attainment of divine good-pleasure and veiled from true humanity.

And likewise if that second wealthy person who through the fortune of that afflicted debtor reached such a degree of wealth should think in his heart that "It would be good if, because of the boundless kindnesses he showed me, I should deliver him from this hardship and spend the rest of his life in comfort" - this person too, due to this thought that he delivered him in return for favors and kindness shown, not out of pure humanity, remains deprived of the cup of sincerity and drags his garment, despite all this wealth, into the valley of eternal abasement and destitution - unless the deed of that first wealthy one in all those favors he showed was purely out of humanity, solely for the sake of God, and the deed of that latter wealthy one likewise was for God and in God without consideration of past or future. "We feed you for the sake of God alone; we desire from you neither reward nor thanks." Glory be to God! The flight of the Ancient Bird is in what a space, and the deeds of this handful of nothingness proceed from what desire and passion! That time passed when through the two words of testimony a person was counted among the godly and the believers. A time has come when the Ancient Beauty, seated upon the Most Great Throne, calls out to all in the world saying: "O wayfarer, wayfarer! O mystic, mystic! O lover, lover! O attainer, attainer! Until His attributes become manifest in thee, know thyself to be in separation and error."

By Thy grace, O God, make me uphold the truth - the mystery of God; make me a seeker in the path of God, pure in the face of God, speaking in remembrance of God, steadfast in the love of God. Make me the embodiment of Thy attributes. Make me the mirror of Thy essence, make me Thy pure servant, make me a star of Thy salvation, make me Thy discerning friend, make me the dayspring of Thy life, a servant unto the creation of God.

The Fourth Treasure: The Tongue of Glory utters this complete and blessed word: If the Muslim people had acted upon but two words from the speech of the Sovereign All-Knowing, all would have been guided by the supreme guidance, would have attained the destination of acceptance and the feast of attainment, and would not have been afflicted with all these spiritual diseases and selfish desires that led them to hang upon the gallows the comfort of the eyes of the Prophets and the light of both eyes of the Lord of Yathrib and Batha, while considering themselves followers of Ahmad the Chosen One, and to rise in the name of the Promised Qa'im only to make His pure and luminous temple the target of their arrows. "Our Lord! Decide between us and our people with truth, for Thou art the best of those who decide." And those two blessed words are: "O ye who believe! Fear God and be with those who are truthful, and be not of those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of God."

And in this connection the Tongue of Grandeur declares that if after associating with a person in three gatherings you observe no effect from you upon him, surely withdraw, for an effect from him upon you will become manifest. And in this connection the Lord of all beings declares that if a person possesses sound faculties of smell and taste, as soon as a mindful person enters his house, he will find the air fragrant and perceive the taste of food and drink to be delicious, pleasant and joy-increasing; conversely, if a heedless person enters, he will find the air altered and the taste of food and drink changed. We seek refuge in God from the evil of the heedless ones. His word, exalted be His mention: "Consider the companionship of the righteous a bounty, and withdraw both hand and heart from association with the wicked."

The Fifth Treasure: When the Ancient Beauty opened the gate of joy and glad-tidings to the face of the people of creation, He spoke this supreme word: "I have come to this world to extract essences. If there exists an atom of essence in a stone behind the seven seas, I will not cease until I have extracted that essence from it." His exalted word: "The True One, exalted be His glory, hath in every age sent forth a Trustee for the purpose of extracting the pearls of inner meaning from the mine of man."

O my God! Despite this poverty and lowliness, I speak of Thy hidden treasures; deprive me not, and confirm me in deeds worthy of Thy days. Verily, Thou art the Hearer, the Answerer.

If you serve someone, do not allow this hypocrisy to enter your heart, so that your service and your charity may be true to God, and its effects more enduring. As far as you can, you must be charitable without the slightest hint of hypocrisy and without any expectation of result or reward.

Even the smallest of deeds could lead to manifest loss in this day if it is not performed for the sake of God; even the barest word is capable of causing fires to blaze if uttered without motives that are purely for the sake of God.

The intention must be pure and the work must be founded on truth. This is the truth, and after truth there is nothing but clear error.

O army of God! A letter bearing your signatures, one and all, hath been received. Its wording was endowed with the utmost grace, eloquence, fluency, and sweetness, and from the reading thereof the deepest joy was obtained. It testified to the observance of the Fast of the month of abstinence. Happy are ye that ye have carried out the commandment of God and, in these blessed days, arisen to fulfill the Fast. For this bodily fast is a symbol of the spiritual fast, that is, the restraint of the self from all selfish desires, the adornment of the soul with spiritual attributes, attraction to the breaths of the All-Merciful, and enkindlement with the fire of the love of God. Likewise, that letter was itself an evidence of the unity and concord of hearts.

The hope cherished through the grace and bounty of the Lord, the Glorious, in this new age, is that the western land may become the dawning-place of the Sun of Truth, and that the loved ones of God may be the daysprings of light and the manifestations of divine signs; that they may remain guarded and protected from the doubts of the heedless, and steadfast in the Covenant and Testament; that they may strive day and night to awaken the sleeping, make the negligent mindful, admit the deprived into the sanctuary of mysteries, bestow upon the destitute a portion of everlasting grace, become the heralds of the Kingdom, and summon the people of the mortal world unto the realm of the Divine.

O army of God! Today, in this world, every party wandereth bewildered in some wilderness, stirred by desire and passion, each pursuing and seeking according to its own imaginings. Amid the factions of the earth, this community of the Most Great Name standeth detached from every vain fancy, severed from every selfish aim, established in purity of motive, and striving and laboring with utmost longing in the divine teachings, that the face of the earth may become a very paradise, that the world of humanity may be transformed into a mirror of the Kingdom, that this world may become another world, and that the human race may acquire a new education, a new way, and a new manner of life.

O army of God! Through the protection and help vouchsafed by the Blessed Beauty -- may my life be a sacrifice to His loved ones -- ye must conduct yourselves in such a manner that ye may stand out distinguished and brilliant as the sun among other souls. Should any one of you enter a city, he should become a centre of attraction by reason of his sincerity, his faithfulness and love, his honesty and fidelity, his truthfulness and loving-kindness towards all the peoples of the world, so that the people of that city may cry out and say: 'This man is unquestionably a Baha'i, for his manners, his behaviour, his conduct, his morals, his nature, and disposition reflect the attributes of the Baha'is.' Not until ye attain this station can ye be said to have been faithful to the Covenant and Testament of God. For He hath, through irrefutable Texts, entered into a binding Covenant with us all, requiring us to act in accordance with His sacred instructions and counsels.

O army of God! The time hath come for the effects and perfections of the Most Great Name to be made manifest in this excellent age, so as to establish, beyond any doubt, that this era is the era of Baha'u'llah, and this age is distinguished above all other ages.

O army of God! Whensoever ye behold a person whose entire attention is directed toward the Cause of God; whose only aim is this, to make the Word of God to take effect; who, day and night, with pure intent, is rendering service to the Cause; from whose behaviour not the slightest trace of egotism or private motives is discerned -- who, rather, wandereth distracted in the wilderness of the love of God, and drinketh only from the cup of the knowledge of God, and is utterly engrossed in spreading the sweet savours of God, and is enamoured of the holy verses of the Kingdom of God -- know ye for a certainty that this individual will be supported and reinforced by heaven; that like unto the morning star, he will forever gleam brightly out of the skies of eternal grace. But if he show the slightest taint of selfish desires and self love, his efforts will lead to nothing and he will be destroyed and left hopeless at the last.

O army of God! Praise be to God, Baha'u'llah hath lifted the chains from off the necks of humankind, and hath set man free from all that trammelled him, and told him: Ye are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch; be ye compassionate and kind to all the human race. Deal ye with strangers the same as with friends, cherish ye others just as ye would your own. See foes as friends; see demons as angels; give to the tyrant the same great love ye show the loyal and true, and even as gazelles from the scented cities of Khata and Khutan offer up sweet musk to the ravening wolf. Be ye a refuge to the fearful; bring ye rest and peace to the disturbed; make ye a provision for the destitute; be a treasury of riches for the poor; be a healing medicine for those who suffer pain; be ye doctor and nurse to the ailing; promote ye friendship, and honour, and conciliation, and devotion to God, in this world of non-existence.

O army of God! Make ye a mighty effort: perchance ye can flood this earth with light, that this mud hut, the world, may become the Abha Paradise. The dark hath taken over, and the brute traits prevail. This world of man is now an arena for wild beasts, a field where the ignorant, the heedless, seize their chance. The souls of men are ravening wolves and animals with blinded eyes, they are either deadly poison or useless weeds -- all except for a very few who indeed do nurture altruistic aims and plans for the well-being of their fellow men: but ye must in this matter -- that is, the serving of humankind -- lay down your very lives, and as ye yield yourselves, rejoice.

O army of God! The Exalted One, the Bab, gave up His life. The Blessed Perfection gave up a hundred lives at every breath. He bore calamities. He suffered anguish. He was imprisoned. He was chained. He was made homeless and was banished to distant lands. Finally, then, He lived out His days in the Most Great Prison. Likewise, a great multitude of the lovers of God who followed this path have tasted the honey of martyrdom and they gave up everything -- life, possessions, kindred -- all they had. How many homes were reduced to rubble; how many dwellings were broken into and pillaged; how many a noble building went to the ground; how many a palace was battered into a tomb. And all this came about that humankind might be illumined, that ignorance might yield to knowledge, that men of earth might become men of heaven, that discord and dissension might be torn out by the roots, and the Kingdom of Peace become established over all the world. Strive ye now that this bounty become manifest, and this best-beloved of all hopes be realized in splendour throughout the community of man.

O army of God! Beware lest ye harm any soul, or make any heart to sorrow; lest ye wound any man with your words, be he known to you or a stranger, be he friend or foe. Pray ye for all; ask ye that all be blessed, all be forgiven. Beware, beware, lest any of you seek vengeance, even against one who is thirsting for your blood. Beware, beware, lest ye offend the feelings of another, even though he be an evil-doer, and he wish you ill. Look ye not upon the creatures, turn ye to their Creator. See ye not the never-yielding people, see but the Lord of Hosts. Gaze ye not down upon the dust, gaze upward at the shining sun, which hath caused every patch of darksome earth to glow with light.

O army of God! When calamity striketh, be ye patient and composed. However afflictive your sufferings may be, stay ye undisturbed, and with perfect confidence in the abounding grace of God, brave ye the tempest of tribulations and fiery ordeals.

Last year a number of the unfaithful, both from within and from without, both known to us and strangers, took before the Sultan of Turkey slanderous charges against these homeless exiles, bringing against us grave accusations with no basis in fact. The Government, conformably with prudence, determined to look into these charges, and dispatched a Commission of Investigation to this city. It is obvious what an opportunity this afforded our ill-wishers, and what a storm they unleashed, all this beyond description by tongue or pen. Only one who witnessed it could know what a turmoil they created and what an earthquake of anguish was the result. And notwithstanding this, the response was to depend utterly upon God, and to remain composed, confident, long-suffering, undisturbed, to such a degree that a person knowing nothing of the situation would have thought us easy of heart and mind, perfectly happy, thriving and at peace.

Then it came about that the accusers themselves, those who had made the defamatory charges against us, joined with the members of the Commission to investigate the accusations, so that plaintiffs, witnesses and judge were all one and the same, and the conclusion was foregone. Nevertheless, to be fair, it must be stated that up to now His Majesty the Sultan of Turkey hath paid no heed to these false charges, this defamation, these fables and traducements, and hath acted with justice.

In truth, were it any king other than this sovereign, no trace of these exiles would have remained. Justice requireth that one should not depart from fairness. In this day, throughout the whole expanse of Asia, verily the sovereign of the Ottomans and the King of Persia, Muzaffari’d-Din Shah, have neither peer nor likeness. Did ye but know to what degree the corruption of the enemies, the mischief of the malevolent, and, above all, the sedition of the unkind brother, both here and in Persia, have reached, and yet behold, notwithstanding all this corruption and all this strife, how these two kings move with tranquillity and composure, ye would assuredly be convinced that both are just. Had the former monarchs been in their place, assuredly a thousand souls a day would in Persia have been destroyed. Wherefore, pray ye in behalf of these two kings, and beseech aid and grace for them, and seek for them victory and triumph, most especially for the sovereign of the Ottomans, who hath dealt with these exiles, even unto this day, with pure justice.

A prayer:

O Thou Provider! Thou hast breathed over the friends in the West the sweet fragrance of the Holy Spirit, and with the light of divine guidance Thou hast lit up the western sky. Thou hast made those who were once remote to draw near unto Thyself; Thou hast turned strangers into loving friends; Thou hast awakened those who slept; Thou hast made the heedless mindful.

O Thou Provider! Assist Thou these noble friends to win Thy good pleasure, and make them well-wishers of stranger and friend alike. Bring them into the world that abideth forever; grant them a portion of heavenly grace; cause them to be true Baha'is, sincerely of God; save them from outward semblances, and establish them firmly in the truth. Make them signs and tokens of the Kingdom, luminous stars above the horizons of this nether life. Make them to be a comfort and a solace to humankind and servants to the peace of the world. Exhilarate them with the wine of Thy counsel, and grant that all of them may tread the path of Thy commandments.

O Thou Provider! The dearest wish of this servant of Thy Threshold is to behold the friends of east and west in close embrace; to see all the members of human society gathered with love in a single great assemblage, even as individual drops of water collected in one mighty sea; to behold them all as birds in one garden of roses, as pearls of one ocean, as leaves of one tree, as rays of one sun.

Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful, and Thou art the God of strength, the Omnipotent, the All-Seeing.

The days when idle worship was deemed sufficient are ended. The time is come when naught but the purest motive, supported by deeds of stainless purity, can ascend to the throne of the Most High and be acceptable unto Him.

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.

Repeatedly hath this exalted word been uttered by the Lord of all being: One pure deed will cause the essence of earth to transcend the heavens and reach the Dayspring of Revelation. O people of God! Strive! O people of God! Endeavor! that perchance the idols of self and desire may be destroyed through the power of detachment, and godliness may be established upon its throne.

The fragrance of a single deed performed purely for His sake in the Day of God is reckoned as the chief of deeds before God and is recorded by the Most Exalted Pen.

Nothing but pure deeds and goodly words have ever been or shall ever be worthy of God's threshold.

Then adorn your deeds with the ornament of sanctity, that the fragrance of sincerity may waft from you amongst all servants.

Today it is incumbent upon all to hold fast to the cord of sanctity and to grasp the hem of purity. O brother! The pearl of the Cause has remained hidden due to unseemly deeds, and this is the universal cause that has led to the hesitation of humanity.

O Friends! Extinguish the lamp of error and kindle within your hearts and souls the everlasting beacons of guidance, for ere long the assayers of all being will accept naught but the purest virtue in the presence of the Adored One, and naught but spotless deeds shall be accepted by Him.

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.

… We verily behold your actions. If We perceive from them the sweet smelling savor of purity and holiness, We will most certainly bless you.

Sanctify your souls and your deeds in such wise that all atoms shall testify to your sanctification, and this verily is the true victory, would that ye might know.

Say: O people! Purify your deeds and sanctify your souls, that there may appear from you that whereby the hearts of all men shall be attracted.

We counsel the loved ones of God to purify and sanctify themselves, and to perform such deeds as will cause the exaltation of His servants.

Blessed is he who hath arisen to act in such wise that the fragrance of sanctity hath been wafted therefrom throughout the world. We testify that he is among the faithful and the sincere ones.

Assuredly when intention becomes pure, the effulgences of the light of reformation become manifest and evident.

But the condition is that in service to your Lord you adopt the way and manner of true Baha'is and demonstrate the utmost sincerity and purity of intention.

Therefore, make pure the essence of thine intention; assuredly thou shalt be assisted to gain a mighty reward and divine good-pleasure.

Therefore, strive in sincerity of intention and exertion of effort so that like a magnet you may attract divine confirmations.

One must not look to the beginning of matters - one must strive in affairs with pure intention and ultimately await the results.

Indeed, thou hast a pure intention and a radiant heart. Rest assured that sincere intentions and righteous motives in themselves attract divine confirmation and draw the assistance of the Glorious Lord.

Be certain that your pure intention will definitely yield results and divine confirmations will surely be attained.

… Whether I am present or absent, I am with you and seek your success so that with a pure heart and joyous soul you may succeed in serving the Kingdom of God.

Praise be to God, since the intention is for God's sake, be assured, and God will establish the truth through His words.

May you be assisted to achieve that which will make your pure intention and turning to truth manifest and evident like the sun.

What can I write of the pure intentions, the supreme endeavor, the worship of truth, and the servitude at the threshold of oneness of that faithful friend who is in the utmost joy and delight.

Your hearts are pure. I bear witness that you have no other aim but that which is good. Your aim is to serve the Kingdom of GOD.

How excellent is the state of those souls who in this day manifest complete sincerity, such that every possessor of spiritual sense can detect from them the fragrance of the sanctified Garment of the All-Merciful.

A pure heart is as a mirror; cleanse it with the burnish of love and severance from all save God, that the true sun may shine therein and the eternal morning dawn.

Souls are like unto mirrors, and the bounty of God is like unto the sun. When the mirrors pass beyond all coloring and attain purity and polish, and are confronted with the sun, they will reflect in full perfection its light and glory. In this condition one should not consider the mirror, but the power of the light of the sun, which hath penetrated the mirror, making it a reflector of the heavenly glory.

The most important thing is to polish the mirrors of hearts in order that they may become illumined and receptive of the divine light. … Therefore, our duty lies in seeking to polish the mirrors of our hearts in order that we shall become reflectors of that light and recipients of the divine bounties which may be fully revealed through them.

Receptivity is necessary. The love of God is like unto the ray of the Sun. As long as the mirror is not polished from the dust, the rays of the sun shall not become manifest and revealed therein. For the appearance of the ray of the Sun which is the love of God depends upon the transparency and clearness of the mirror.

Ye are the mirrors of My attributes - polish your hearts from the rust of vain imaginings.

Endeavor thou, as far as thou canst, in order that thou mayest be like unto a chaste and clear mirror, cleansed and purified from every dust, so that the outpouring of the rays of the Sun of Truth may descend and thou mayest illumine those who are around thee.

When the interior parts of musical instruments become clear and polished, their tone will take effect and warm the hearts.

When man's soul is rarified and cleansed, spiritual links are established, and from these bonds sensations felt by the heart are produced. The human heart resembleth a mirror. When this is purified human hearts are attuned and reflect one another, and thus spiritual emotions are generated.

A clear mind, a pure heart and a concentrated attention are the requisites for that spiritual inter-communication.

Like unto a mirror, man's heart and mind must be purified, clarified and polished.

O thou daughter of the Kingdom! The moment thou presented thyself in this prison, at the time of meeting, I realized that thou wouldst become attracted and attain to spiritual communication, such communication that as soon as the mirror of the heart is cleansed from the rust of worldly thoughts, immediately thou shalt find me reflected therein, and all the mountains, seas and deserts annihilated.

Therefore, O skilled photographer, make the surface of the heart distinguished from all images, colors, rust and dust, and place it before the Most Glorious Kingdom so that the reflections of the Supreme Concourse may fall upon it and the light of the Sun of Reality may shine within it.

But if thou desirest the world-revealing cup, it is the pure heart wherein the mystery of the Self-Sufficing Lord appears manifest and evident in that brilliant mirror. That cup is adorned with the gems of the love of God, therefore it is resplendent and luminous.

Therefore it is better that we entrust the discovery of this sealed secret to the mirror of the Most Glorious Beauty's countenance - that is, to the pure heart.

When the heart hath become clear and pure then the face will become illuminated, because the face is the mirror of the heart.

O thou who art directed unto God! Verily, I saw thy photograph and was rejoiced by perceiving thy illumined likeness, which proved the purity of thy heart and thy being well directed unto God.

Capacity, worth (or merit) and ability, are necessary, for the clearer and purer the mirror is, the lights of the Sun are more manifest thereon.

Upon what does capacity depend? It depends upon sanctity, purity of heart, attentiveness to the kingdom, detachment from the world, and the glorification and praise of God. Unless this capacity be obtained the bounties of the kingdom of Abha will not be resplendent, and the light of the Sun of Reality will not be effective in us.

Your hearts must be pure and your intentions sincere in order that you may become recipients of the divine bestowals. Consider that although the sun shines equally upon all things, yet in the clear mirror its reflection is most brilliant and not in the black stone. This great effulgence and heat have been produced by the crystal clearness of the glass.

The hearts of all children are of the utmost purity. They are mirrors upon which no dust has fallen. But this purity is on account of weakness and innocence, not on account of any strength and testing, for as this is the early period of their childhood, their hearts and minds are unsullied by the world. … This is on account of the child's weakness, whereas the man becomes pure through his strength. Through the power of intelligence he becomes simple; through the great power of reason and understanding and not through the power of weakness he becomes sincere. When he attains to the state of perfection, he will receive these qualities; his heart becomes purified, his spirit enlightened, his soul is sensitized and tender -- all through his great strength. This is the difference between the perfect man and the child. Both have the underlying qualities of simplicity and sincerity -- the child through the power of weakness and the man through the power of strength.

The hearts of children are extremely pure and simple. A person's heart must be like a child's, pure and free from all contamination.

Their hearts are like pure mirrors. They are in utmost cleanliness. When the hearts of the grown people become as pure then the Kingdom of God will come on earth. Children in their childhood are beloved because of the purity of their hearts.

Truly, the hearts of the children are very pure.

Blessed are the children, of whom His Holiness Christ said: 'Of such are the Kingdom of Heaven.' Children have no worldly ambitions. Their hearts are pure. We must become like children, crowning our heads with the crown of severance (from all material things of the earth); purifying our hearts, that we may see God in His Great Manifestations, and obey the laws brought to us by those, His Messengers.

His holiness Christ says that children are the people of the Kingdom, because they are pure and unsullied by the World.

Their hearts are pure to the utmost, and their souls are as undefiled and delicate as can be.

Praise be to God that he confirmed me to come here to see you, for I had the greatest longing to see the friends in America, to see those souls who are joyous because of the glad tidings of God, who are attracted by the fragrances of God, who are rescued from traditional imitations of the past, who are freed from superannuated dogmas, who ever investigate reality, who desire only to do the will of God, who are endowed with seeing eyes and hearing ears, and whose hearts are sensitive like the hearts of little children, perfectly pure and holy.

You are very welcome. The weather is very delightful. This is a lovely suburb; perfectly charming. I like the place very much. I am likewise pleased to have seen you here. Praise be to God that your hearts are pure. You have seeing eyes and hearing ears.

But if you turn the mirror of your spirits heavenwards, the heavenly constellations and the rays of the Sun of Reality will be reflected in your hearts, and the virtues of the Kingdom will be obtained.

… May we indeed become mirrors reflecting the heavenly realities, and may we become so pure as to reflect the stars of heaven.

Now, may your heart be as pure and as transparent so that the pictures and images of the Kingdom of Abha may be reflected therein.

But when God gazed upon your hearts, He found them pure pages and made them luminous, becoming the envy of the heavens. He placed this crown of guidance upon your heads and clothed you in this robe of bounty.

I cherish the hope that through the grace of Baha thy face may be illumined with faithfulness and thy heart may, through purity, become the envy of the rose garden.

Such rare plumage is none other than true sanctity and holiness. Be thou like the peacock of the All-Highest Paradise.

The fish that swimmeth in the divine ocean is pure and sanctified and doth not bear the qualities of the bird of worldliness and defilement. The birds of the garden of the love of God defileth not their wings with the dross of the human world.

But, O my brother, when a true seeker determineth to take the step of search in the path leading to the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse and purify his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth.

Furthermore, he must endure every tribulation, embody the utmost purity and sanctity, and renounce the love or hatred of all the peoples of the world, lest his love for one thing hinder him from investigating another, or his hatred for something prevent him from discerning its truth.

O seeker of the True One! If thou wishest 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 apply thyself to rational and authoritative arguments. For arguments are a guide to the path and by this the heart will be turned unto the Sun of Truth. And when the heart is turned unto the Sun, then the eye will be opened and will recognize the Sun through the Sun itself.

O thou who are supplicating to God and turning to the Spirit of His Kingdom!

I have read the texts of thy praise to God on the occasion of the arrival of my letter to thee. Know thou, that letter sent to thee by me, was only because of my perfect love for thee and my pity upon thee, for I had the desire that the fragrance of the Holy Spirit, which hath perfumed all regions and imbued the entire body of the world with the Spirit of Life, should pass over thee and abide with thee.

Notwithstanding the high position it occupieth, still, with an eloquent tongue, through which the Spirit moveth, hearts are attracted and bosoms burn, it speaketh to the pure hearts and to the good and righteous souls in every spot of the earth. This is the powerful Spirit, the dazzling light, the brilliant star and the overwhelming and universal abundance. And, from its traces, spread and divulged everywhere, thou wilt know and realize its influence and comprehend its radiance.

I ask God to expose thee to its fragrance, move thee by its breeze, enkindle thee by its coals of fire and illuminate thee by its brightness. Turn thyself wholly to it--thus thou shalt be enabled to ascertain its influence and power, the strength of its life and the greatness of its confirmation.

Verily, I say unto thee, that if for the appearance of that Divine Essence thou desirest to have a definite proof, an indisputable testimony and a strong, convincing evidence, thou must prepare thyself to make thy heart empty and thine eye ready to look only toward the Kingdom of God. Then, at that time, the radiance of that widespread effulgence will descend upon thee successively, and that motion rendered thee by the Holy Spirit will make thee dispense with any other strong evidence that leadeth to the appearance of this Light, because the greatest and strongest proof for showing the abundance of the Spirit to the bodies is the very appearance of its power and influence in those bodies. Think deeply of this in order to know the reality of my explanation and demonstration.

Therefore, O thou who hast turned towards God, purify thine inmost heart from all impediments to righteousness [as-sadad] in the reality of true guidance [ar-rashad], and weigh all divine questions with this just, accurate, and glorious balance which God hath elucidated in the unerring Qur'an and the Great Announcement, that thou mayest drink from the fount of certitude, savor the truth of certitude, be guided unto the Straight Path, and walk in the way of righteousness.

It is easy to read the Holy Scriptures, but it is only with a clean heart and a pure mind that one may understand their true meaning.

Among the words of the Most Glorious One - may the spirit of all else be sacrificed for Him - are these: "Whoso hath not purified his heart and his breast and his sight and his hearing from that which he possesseth, he shall not be able to understand what hath been revealed in truth in the Tablets of manifest glory."

Hasten with pure hearts that ye may attain and discover that which is befitting. Purify yourselves with the water of detachment from covetousness and unseemly deeds, that ye may discover the mystery of the Day of the Self-Subsisting. The Primal Light hath appeared in the Final Day. Through three things shall the Meeting be attained and deliverance made manifest: purity of heart, purity of sight, and purity of hearing from that which hath been heard.

Likewise must they purify their hearing and sight to such degree that names will not prevent them from turning towards Him, nor will the veils of beauty and the clouds of majesty hold them back from the Self-Subsisting Lord. In brief, they must sanctify their thoughts from the mention of all else but God, that they may become worthy to turn towards Him and capable of drawing near.

O servant! Purify thy heart from all that thou hast heard, then enter with thy heart the holy precincts with longing and free will.

Sanctified must be the eye if it is to truly recognize Him, and sanctified must be the tongue if it is to befittingly utter His praise.

O people! Purify your ears that ye may hear My melodies, then your eyes that ye may behold My beauty. Thus hath God commanded you in all the Tablets and in this Tablet which hath appeared and shone forth from the horizon of the finger of your Lord, the Most High, the Most Exalted, and God is witness unto this.

O people of the earth! Sanctify your souls and purify your hearts that ye may thereby recognize that which lieth concealed in the treasuries of infallibility from One mighty and powerful.

Likewise, ask thou of God that the magnet of His love should draw unto thee the knowledge of Him. Once a soul becometh holy in all things, purified, sanctified, the gates of the knowledge of God will open wide before his eyes.

If thou remainest firm in the love of God, the wellsprings of divine wisdom will flow from thy heart and tongue, and thou wilt become aware of the meanings of the divine words, for His love hath ever been and shall continue to be the teacher of pure hearts and sanctified souls.

Know then that the Lord God possesseth invisible realms which the human intellect can never hope to fathom nor the mind of man conceive. When once thou hast cleansed the channel of thy spiritual sense from the pollution of this worldly life, then wilt thou breathe in the sweet scents of holiness that blow from the blissful bowers of that heavenly land.

O ye beloved of Abdu'l-Baha and ye handmaids of the Merciful! It is early morning, and the reviving winds of the Abha Paradise are blowing over all creation, but they can stir only the pure of heart, and only the pure sense can detect their fragrance. Only the perceiving eye beholdeth the rays of the sun; only the listening ear can hear the singing of the Concourse on high.

… Today the soft and holy breathings of the Abha Realm are passing over every land, but only the pure in heart draw nigh and derive a benefit therefrom.

The more pure and sanctified the heart of man becomes, the nearer it draws to God, and the light of the Sun of Reality is revealed within it. This light sets hearts aglow with the fire of the love of God, opens in them the doors of knowledge and unseals the divine mysteries so that spiritual discoveries are made possible.

… Behold how the sun shines upon all creation, but only surfaces that are pure and polished can reflect its glory and light. The darkened soul has no portion of the revelation of the glorious effulgence of reality; and the soil of self, unable to take advantage of that light, does not produce growth.

He has endowed us with a power to penetrate the realities of things; but we must be self-abnegating, we must have pure spirits, pure intentions, and strive with heart and soul while in the human world to attain everlasting glory.

I beseech God that with every passing day thou shalt increase the purity of thy heart, the joy within thy spirit, the luminous character of thy vision and the intensity of thy fervour in seeking for the truth.

O dear friend! Man can only draw near to the embodied luminosity of heaven and the personified mercifulness of the All-Glorious through nobility of nature, purity of essence, sanctity of soul and conscience, and the power of certitude. Therefore, when a person of pure heart and sanctified mind becomes, mirror-like, free from the rust of attachment to aught else but God, he derives light from the Sun of Reality, becomes a polished surface reflecting divine lights, becomes an unveiler of mysteries, becomes the joy of the righteous, attains to true existence, and is freed from all sorrow.

When the heart is pure and filled with the light of the Spirit, we will know that we are in the true ' Heaven.'

Therefore from this standpoint the meaning of this verse is as follows: Purify your heart that it may become like unto a transparent mirror. Then thou shalt find Me "standing within thee, Powerful, Mighty and Supreme."

The Blessed Perfection has spoken to like effect: "The heart is My room; cleanse it, make it ready, that I may come and dwell in it. Thy spirit is My desire; purify it, that I may visit it."

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.

… He hath chosen out of the whole world the hearts of His servants, and made them each a seat for the revelation of His glory. Wherefore, sanctify them from every defilement, that the things for which they were created may be engraven upon them.

The treasures ye have laid up have drawn you far away from your ultimate objective. … Wash from your hearts all earthly defilements, and hasten to enter the Kingdom of your Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, Who caused the world to tremble and all its peoples to wail, except them that have renounced all things and clung to that which the Hidden Tablet hath ordained.

… 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.

Return, then, and cleave wholly unto God, and cleanse thine heart from the world and all its vanities, and suffer not the love of any stranger to enter and dwell therein. Not until thou dost purify thine heart from every trace of such love can the brightness of the light of God shed its radiance upon it, for to none hath God given more than one heart. … And as the human heart, as fashioned by God, is one and undivided, it behoveth thee to take heed that its affections be, also, one and undivided.

He Who is the Dayspring of Truth is, no doubt, fully capable of rescuing from such remoteness wayward souls and of causing them to draw nigh unto His court and attain His Presence. “If God had pleased He had surely made all men one people.” His purpose, however, is to enable the pure in spirit and the detached in heart to ascend, by virtue of their own innate powers, unto the shores of the Most Great Ocean, that thereby they who seek the Beauty of the All-Glorious may be distinguished and separated from the wayward and perverse. Thus hath it been ordained by the all-glorious and resplendent Pen.

O pure souls! Purity and detachment are attributes of the heart not of the body; they belong to the spirit not to clothing and the raiments with which we adorn ourselves.

However, the essence of sanctification, purification, cleanliness and refinement is the purity of heart from all else save God and enkindlement with the divine fragrances.

First in a human being's way of life must be purity, then freshness, cleanliness, and independence of spirit. First must the stream bed be cleansed, then may the sweet river waters be led into it. Chaste eyes enjoy the beatific vision of the Lord and know what this encounter meaneth; a pure sense inhaleth the fragrances that blow from the rose gardens of His grace; a burnished heart will mirror forth the comely face of truth.

Just as the heart - the invisible Shekinah - must be a rosegarden - fragrant, delicate, so also the body must be kept clean and pure - letting the outward appearance be a key to the inward clearness, transparency and purity.

Choose ye nothing for yourselves except that ye desire it for God, the Lord of the worlds. Do no deed except that ye act sincerely for God, the Lord of the worlds. Hearken not to any word except that ye hearken through God, for God, the Lord of the worlds. Look not upon anything except that ye look through God, for God, the Lord of the worlds.

Know thou that in the Bayan purification is regarded as the most acceptable means for attaining nearness unto God and as the most meritorious of all deeds. Thus purge thou thine ear that thou mayest hear no mention besides God, and purge thine eye that it behold naught except God, and thy conscience that it perceive naught other than God, and thy tongue that it proclaim nothing but God, and thy hand to write naught but the words of God, and thy knowledge that it comprehend naught except God, and thy heart that it entertain no wish save God, and in like manner purge all thine acts and thy pursuits that thou mayest be nurtured in the paradise of pure love, and perchance mayest attain the presence of Him Whom God shall make manifest, adorned with a purity which He highly cherisheth, and be sanctified from whosoever hath turned away from Him and doth not support Him.

Thereupon say:

Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a tranquil conscience within me, O my Hope!

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O God, my God! Bestow upon me a pure heart, like unto a pearl.

O God! Sanctify me from all else save Thee, purge me from the dross of sins and transgressions and cause me to possess a spiritual heart and conscience.

The heart of man is like a mirror that is covered with dust, and to cleanse it one must continually pray to GOD that it may become clean, and the act of supplication is the polish which erases all worldly desires. The delight of supplicating and entreating before GOD cuts one's heart from the world. When the taste of man is nourished by honey, he never likes to taste any other sweetmeat.

The worshipper must pray with a detached spirit, unconditional surrender of the will, concentrated attention and a magnetic spiritual passion. His innermost being must be stirred with the ethereal breezes of sanctification. If the mirror of his soul is polished from the dross of all desires the heavenly pictures and sidereal images of the Kingdom of God will become fully reflected therein. Then he will be given the power, to translate these celestial forms into his own daily life and the lives of many thousands.

O thou who art mentioned before the Wronged One! Purify thy heart with the water of thy Lord's utterance, the Wronged, the Stranger, and say: I beseech Thee, O Thou in Whose grasp is the reins of all beings and in Whose right hand are the reins of all creation, and I beseech Thee by the Dawning-Places of Thy names and the Daysprings of Thy attributes, and by the light of Thy Word which has shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of Thy Tablets, to ordain for me that which will draw me nigh unto Thee and will accompany me in every world of Thy worlds.

Then I beseech Thee, O my God, to purify their hearts from the dust of contingent things and the soil of created things, that the mirrors of their hearts may be cleansed and there may be reflected therein the wondrous splendors of the lights of Thy luminous beauty.

I implore Thee to help Thy chosen ones through Thy strengthening grace to conform unto that which shall please Thee and to purge them from whatsoever might soil the hem of their garments in Thy days. … Sanctify them, O Lord, with this life-giving water whereby Thou hast sanctified the well-favoured among Thy people and the loved ones who are wholly devoted to Thee.

Send down, also, upon me, O my God, that which will wash me from anything that is not of Thee, and deliver me from Thine enemies who have disbelieved in Thy signs.

Cause them, then, to be numbered among those whose eyes Thou hast cleansed and kept from turning to any one save Thee, and whose eyes Thou hast protected from beholding any face except Thy face.

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.

Attire, O my Lord, both my inner and outer being with the raiment of Thy favors and Thy loving-kindness. Keep me safe, then, from whatsoever may be abhorrent unto Thee, and graciously assist me and my kindred to obey Thee, and to shun whatsoever may stir up any evil or corrupt desire within me.

Purify, O my God, the hearts of Thy creatures with the power of Thy sovereignty and might, that Thy words may sink deep into them.

Then send upon him that which will purify his heart from the remembrance of aught else besides Thee, that he may become pure in Thy love, sincere in his devotion to Thee, and obedient to Thy decree.

O my God, my Beloved, my Shield and my Refuge! These are servants whose inner thoughts have been perfumed by the fragrances of Thy holiness, whose consciences have been sanctified from the love of aught else but Thee, whose hearts are intoxicated with the wine of Thy love, whose souls are steadfast in Thy Cause, whose feet are firm in Thy Covenant and Testament, who commune with Thee in the early hours with the prayers of the righteous, who humble themselves like captives before Thy luminous Kingdom, whose hearts are set ablaze with the fire of longing to behold Thy beauty, O Luminary of the horizons, and who are consumed with burning in the desert of separation.

Therefore, O God, purify the hearts of Thy loved ones through the manifestation of the authority of Thy transcendence and exaltation, and the dominion of Thy sovereignty and inaccessibility, until Thou causest all to enter, through Thy bounty, into Thy good-pleasure.

I beseech Thee by Thyself and by what Thou art, to purify me from whatsoever is abhorrent unto Thy good-pleasure, and to assist me and my kindred to serve and obey Thee.

We beseech God to make thee one of the letters of His Book, and to purify thee from whatsoever is unseemly in His days, and to sanctify thee from the conditions of His creatures who are overcome by desire and who have turned away from the Lord of all beings.

I beseech Thee by Thy Most Holy, Most Glorious Beauty to make the hearts of Thy servants sanctified from self and desire, that Thy love may be established therein, O Thou Who hast raised up the heaven.

I pray God to make you pure and clean from self and desire, obedient to the command of the Lord, attracted by the breaths of God, steadfast in pure intention in the love of God, constant in good deeds and complete sanctification.

O thou who art turning unto God! Thy letter was an inheritance of joy and happiness unto me, for its significance was a supplication and an entreaty unto God to make thee a pure servant, exempt from all material desires, sanctified and severed from all save God, that thou mayest be characterized with the attributes of the heavenly angels, cleansed from all desires and earthly wishes, with thy heart severed from all save the knowledge of the divine teachings.

I have turned toward the Dawning-Place of Thy mercy and the Dayspring of Thy oneness, supplicating Thee to ordain for me every good thing in Thy Kingdom and make me pure and sincere before Thy gracious countenance.

Turn thy face sincerely toward God; be severed from all save God; be ablaze with the fire of the love of God; be purified and sanctified, and beseech and supplicate unto God. Verily, he responds unto those who invoke him, is near unto those who pray unto him. And he is thy companion in every loneliness, and befriends every exile.

I beseech Thee by Thy Beauty, through whose manifestation the dwellers of the Supreme Paradise rejoiced, and the denizens of the crimson seas in their most exalted retreats were gladdened by its presence, and the Maids of Heaven in the All-Highest Paradise were blessed by its beauty at the Ultimate Lote-Tree, and through which those at Sinai fell unconscious upon the dust of self and passion, and the skin of the sincere ones trembled in the wilderness of fancy and blindness - to preserve us, O my God, from all else but Thee, and purify our hearts from the mention of aught save Thee.

We beseech God that He may aid them to do that which is befitting, that they may, in utmost sanctity and detachment, engage in the remembrance of the Goal of all the worlds and attain the fruit of existence.

Thou seest Thy loved ones, detached from their homes, turning toward the seat of Thy mighty throne, fleeing from Thy enemies to the shelter of Thy mercy and favors.

… And among them, O my God, are those who have sought Thee with pure intention. Therefore, O Lord, accept from them what they have desired in Thy love and good-pleasure.

I testify that Thou art pure, purifying, and purified. Nay, God hath sanctified Thee beyond such mention and purified Thee beyond such praise, for all that turneth toward Thee becometh pure, and every fire that draweth nigh unto Thee becometh light.

Then take leave with the intention of return, and turn thy face to the tomb in tranquility, and do not turn to anything in the sanctuary, and do not speak with anything, not even thyself. For whosoever in the sanctuary pointeth to aught save his Lord hath been veiled from beholding His presence and from gazing upon His beauty.

Some (persons) with serious ills go from celebrated doctor to celebrated doctor, but they all fail to cure for the power is with the divine. So it is with your soul. Your heart is pure and the Spirit can enter therein. Cut yourself from the world. Pray in the Greatest Name, then the breeze of truth, the flood of light will enter your searching soul. There is nothing else to be sought on earth or in the universe.

By My life, whoso attaineth unto His knowledge soareth in the atmosphere of His love and detacheth himself from all who dwell on earth, let alone those who speak according to their desires that which God hath not permitted them.

… Hear ye the voice of the Wronged One. Speak ye in the name of Truth, and be adorned with the ornament of His remembrance and illumined by the lights of His love. This is the key to hearts and the polish of existence.

Sanctify your souls for My knowledge, your hearts for My love, and your tongues for My wondrous remembrance.

Purify thyself from whatsoever God abhorreth, then remember Him with thy heart and tongue, and be not of them that keep silent.

Purify his tongue from the praise of any save Thee, and his heart from turning toward aught except Thyself.

O people! Purify your hearts that the lights of your Lord's revelation, the Merciful, the Compassionate, may be imprinted thereon. Then purify your tongues that they may move in remembrance of your Creator, for this is better for you than all that hath been created between the heavens and the earth, were ye but to know.

In all gatherings and all lands, guide souls to worship and engagement in the remembrance of God, so that through these purifying waters, souls may day by day increase in purity of heart and sanctification of spirit, become manifestations of piety, and arise with what is necessary, fitting and worthy of the Day of the Covenant in terms of inner and outer purity and sanctification of spirit and heart.

Whenever you desire to enter a Baha'i meeting first purify your hearts from all outside questions, put aside all the material or physical emotions, be ye in the utmost holiness and sanctification, be ye the channels for the love of God, then be ye occupied with the mention of the name of God, hearken to the heavenly words and advices of His Holiness Baha'u'llah, deliver eloquent and inspiring addresses - so that ye may become abstracted from ought else save God, your spirits may take higher flights, the sphere of your thoughts may be widened, the spiritual susceptibilities become predominant, the material emotions be entirely forgotten and all be submerged in the luminous sea of the Breaths of the Holy-Spirit.

If the speaker's intention is pure, if his heart is transparent, no matter through how many translators the words may go, the audience is touched.

… You must purify your heart. This is the most important thing, otherwise all your learning and philosophy will not assist you.

Those souls who possess the power of utterance, if this power is combined in them with sanctification and attraction, mighty effects will appear from them and they will succeed in rendering outstanding services at the Divine Threshold.

Every word that issues forth from the mouth with sincerity for God's sake has been and will ever be effective throughout all existence.

Ask thou of God that He may sanctify the hems of His servants from the dust of self and passion. The penetrating influence of the Word hath ever been and will continue to be dependent upon the sanctification of the heart.

And it is for this that we have given thee inspiration and revealed to thee our verses, that that mayest show thy mettle in the Cause of thy Lord, calling mankind to this path, for thee to be of those who are well guided.

Let God's beloved, each and every one, be the essence of purity, the very life of holiness, so that in every country they may become famed for their sanctity, independence of spirit, and meekness. Let them be cheered by draughts from the eternal cup of love for God, and make merry as they drink from the wine-vaults of Heaven.

Be thou a mountain of quiescence, a sign of meekness, a sea of patience, a light of love, a standard of utter separation (from all else save God), so that thou mayest become everlasting in the Kingdom of God.

Draw nigh unto Him with a pure heart, cheerful face, gazing eye and a joyful spirit and plunge with thy whole being into the sea of the love of God and forget all else save Him, so that thou mayest be filled with such spiritual sentiments from the kingdom of God, which will take the reins of desire from thy hands and move thee with the power of thy Lord, just as the wind moveth a mote in the open air as it willeth.

Thanks be to the Most Holy One that, through love for the True Beloved, thou hast rent thy garment and possessest a heart that is illumined, pure and refined.

Your letter reached this station of poverty and evanescence, and its contents, like the breeze from the gardens of the highest paradise, brought spirit and fragrance, for it was written with pure intention, sincere love and complete attention. Such a state is surely among the signs of heavenly bestowals.

Blessed are you, for We found your letter sanctified from mention of any but Me. This befits those who have in this Day acknowledged this wondrous Cause - that they remember the One Who hath remembered them and exalt the one who hath bowed before His sovereignty and power.

Rejoice thou that We found thy letter sanctified from whatsoever is unseemly for the days of thy Lord and purified from the allusions of those who have been heedless of God, the Mighty, the Wise.

I wish for you luminosity of character and purity and sanctity of behavior, so that you may become of the essence of the soul and heart of that one near to the Divine Threshold, and become "the child is the inner secret of his father."

… This is befitting of you and I hope that like your father you will become valiant and like a spiritual rose garden adorned with the flowers of purity and sanctity.

O Qudsiyyih! Be a sign of sanctification and a banner of holiness, that thou mayest shed abroad upon the world the lights of true chastity.

All became absolute nothingness and utter non-existence, and shall continue so, except for those gems of sanctity who shone forth like morning stars at the dawn of creation - namely, those women who were dawning-places of the signs of faithfulness and who, with pure hearts and radiant faces, turned toward the Manifestation of "were it not for Thee."

O two handmaidens of God! The condition of being a handmaiden of the Blessed Beauty is to possess the kingdom of detachment and to be purified and sanctified in all respects. … Your inner and outer reality would become a pure and sanctified spirit.

O maidservant of God! Your mention hath been made before the Throne, and from the Dawning-Place of the Divine Finger these revealed words were sent down and dispatched, that thou mayest arise with heart and soul to commemorate the Best-Beloved of the worlds, regard all else as non-existent, hold fast to His Name, the Self-Subsisting, and manifest goodly conduct and praiseworthy character, so that all handmaidens may witness in thee the signs of God.

Today the handmaidens of God must remain steadfast in the Cause of God with perfect sincerity, unity, sanctity and detachment, and be engaged in His remembrance.

We make mention of the handmaidens of that land and counsel them to be chaste and pure, that all may be sanctified from self and passion, may gaze toward the Most Exalted Horizon, and cling to the hem of His grace.

We counsel all the women of that land to sanctification and detachment and whatsoever the All-Bountiful hath sent down in the Book.

In this day it is incumbent upon all handmaidens to hold fast unto the cord of chastity and, in utmost sanctity and detachment, to occupy themselves with the mention of the Beloved.

The handmaidens of God must in this day engage themselves with absolute sanctity and purity in the utterance of the praise of the Beloved of all creation.

Beware, O handmaiden of God! Guard thyself with utmost vigilance lest there appear from thee that which thy Master, the Most High, the Supreme, the Most Loving, would abhor. Conceal thyself from all eyes, then hold fast to the cord of God against the evil of every rejected sinner.

We beseech God to assist His handmaidens to sanctification and detachment, and to the chastity which God hath made the first ornament of His steadfast handmaidens and steadfast servants.

God willing, thou shalt pass through the lands of God with a spiritual breeze from the true, original homeland which is the seat of the Throne, and convey to all the handmaidens the greetings from God, and call all to sanctification and holiness, that all may gaze toward God's direction with illumined breasts, penetrating vision, pure hearts and sanctified souls.

O my handmaiden! You have become aware of the characteristics of the Beauty of Oneness and have learned of the sanctification of the Ancient Being. Inform the handmaidens of God so that they may purify themselves from that which God does not love.

And thou, O handmaiden of God, purify thy heart from the love of aught else, that the sun of the beauty of thy Lord's remembrance may be imprinted thereon, for verily it hath been recorded by this name in the Mother Book.

Sanctify your hearts from love of the world, then your tongues from mention of aught save Him, then your limbs from whatsoever would keep you from attaining His presence and draw you nigh unto the promptings of desire. Fear God, O people, and be of the God-fearing.

And none can ever achieve this except he who hath purged his heart from whatsoever is created between heaven and earth, and hath entirely detached himself from all but God, the sovereign Lord, the Almighty, the Gracious.

Now once again doth the Tongue of Grandeur, in this Most Great Prison, upon this snow-white scroll proclaim: O loved ones of God! Hasten forth from the narrow wastes of self and passion unto the hallowed expanses of the Divine and take up your abode in the garden of sanctity and detachment, that the fragrance of your deeds may cause all creation to turn towards the shores of the glory of oneness.

Strive not after bodily comforts, and keep your heart pure and stainless.

Sanctify yourselves, O people, from this world, then hasten to the Ultimate Lote-Tree in this Farthest Mosque, that ye may hearken unto the call of your Lord, the All-Merciful, in this Paradise which hath been created by the Kawthar of life from the very Spirit of Glory, and before whose gate the people of the holy and guarded pavilions have fallen prostrate.

Be ye utterly refined, for whoso lacketh refinement shall never perceive the fragrances of the All-Merciful nor associate with the dwellers of the Ridvan.

Those who were persecuted but did not persecute - these are of the people of Baha. Upon them rest My mercy which hath preceded all worlds. By the life of the All-Merciful! The contingent world shall pass away, but that which hath been ordained for whosoever hath turned with a pure and luminous heart toward the horizon of certitude shall endure. Thus hath the Dove warbled and the Divine Lote-Tree called out from this glorious station.

O friends! Every precious and desirable thing hath thieves in pursuit of it. Therefore, you must preserve with the utmost effort and striving the pearls of divine love--which are the most excellent, delicate and beautiful jewels of the world--within the treasuries of your hearts.

It is a condition of severance from self and from the defilement of the physical world, of purification of self in the service of the divine Threshold.

Let them arise with utmost chastity, with consummate purity, with steadfastness in the Cause, and faithfulness in the Covenant. Let them distinguish themselves through the illumination of their hearts, their unsullied spirituality, and their continual remembrance of His Name and their genuine virtue.

Each of the friends of God must manifest such sanctity that he would purify and sanctify the world, become pure and holy as the light, and should, like unto pure water, wash away every stain.

Sanctify yourselves from all that would remove you from God, then draw nigh with your hearts unto the court of sublime glory.

Purify thyself from whatsoever is unworthy of thee, then seek bounty from thy Lord every morn and eve.

It behooveth thee to be sanctified, that thou mayest reflect this Great Name. Know thou that God's purpose in this Name is the sanctification of the soul from His enemies.

Strive that all may drink from the Kawthar of sanctity and, with utmost detachment, gaze toward the highest horizon and act according to that which hath been revealed by God.

This is a Day wherein the rock crieth out with the loudest voice, calling all creation to sanctification and detachment, for until hearts are pure and holy, they shall not truly attain the presence of the Beloved nor witness in what appeareth from Him the divine traces and heavenly attributes.

Purify thy heart from all allusions, that it may be illumined by the lights of the countenance of thy Lord, the Possessor of Names and Attributes.

O pure and holy one! True purity and cleanliness is to purify and sanctify the heart with the water sent down from the heaven of divine manifestation.

O my dear one! This day is the day of purification, the day of sanctification, the day of turning toward God, the day of severance from all else save God, the day of lowliness and humiliation, the day of serving the beloved ones of God, the day of becoming utterly destitute of and free from egotism and desire and the day of purity and sacrifice in the path of God.

In the world of existence, the greatest purpose is complete attention to the Promised Beauty, and when the heart becomes enkindled and engaged with the Beloved Lord, it inevitably becomes heedless and detached from all else. Therefore, the greatest means of illuminating the heart is through the lights of sanctification.

Today, that which draws one near to the threshold of grandeur is detachment from the world of self and passion, purity of heart, sincerity of intention, and faithfulness.

How blessed are those souls who rise from the horizon of sanctity and engage in glorification and praise.

O thou who art holding fast to the sure handle of God!

The essence of guidance is the fear of God and divine awe, and this is only truly realized in human reality when the temple of being becomes adorned in all things with the ornament of sanctification and detachment, such that the heart becomes the dawning-place of the signs of divine unity, the spirit becomes the dayspring of the lights of detachment, the face becomes the mirror reflecting the beauty of the All-Merciful, and all the members become the source of the manifestation and emergence of the attributes of the Lord.

Take refuge in the protection of thy Lord, then purify thy heart from love of those who have disbelieved in God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Purify your hearts, for verily He knoweth what is within you, what occupieth you, and what proceedeth from your mouths.

Speak naught but truth and walk in no path save that of justice. Sanctify your heart and purify your mind.

Purify yourselves from the veils of idle fancy and your breasts from all doubt. Thus have We commanded you aforetime, and now through a holy and exalted Pen. Then purify your tongues for the remembrance of God, the Most Great, for verily He hath appeared in truth with a sovereignty that encompasseth all the worlds.

Thou must purify thyself from all who are in the heavens and on earth, that thou mayest be enabled to take thy stand in My love and be of those who are firmly established.

They must occupy themselves with the remembrance of God--glorified be His majesty--in utmost sanctity and detachment, through goodly deeds and praiseworthy and pleasing character.

Sanctify thyself from all that veils thee from the beauty of the Divine Essence, in such wise that thou shalt dwell only in His remembrance, walk only in His name, sleep only by His leave, arise only at His bidding, drink only of His love, gaze only upon His beauty, seek only His presence, and desire only His meeting, that thou mayest enter the City of Immortality in the most exalted Paradise, attain unto every good, and find every light, and be in truth the guided one as thou art named.

O Qasim! Today pure deeds are required, and a heart detached and free. Beseech thou God that thou mayest attain unto this station and enter the kingdom of His good-pleasure.

Purify thy heart through the love of God, thy Lord, for by it are all worlds purified.

All must henceforth act, with perfect sanctity and detachment, according to what has been revealed in the divine Tablets from the Pen of His Command.

And He commandeth all to sanctification that they may enter His Kingdom and stand before His presence.

All must, God willing, gaze with utmost sanctity and detachment toward the most exalted horizon and give voice to the praise and glorification of the Lord of Names.

Thou must needs cleanse it with the water of certitude that it may be purified and sanctified from the mention of aught else but Me, and become worthy of this most great bounty and supreme gift.

Purify thyself, then, from the love of aught else but Me, that thou mayest find a way to attain My presence.

For most of those people possess hearts of utmost purity and innate truthfulness, and today the greatest means of entry into the divine Kingdom is truthfulness and purity of heart.

This attribute is among the most glorious virtues of the human world: that one's vision be pure and sanctified. Purify thy vision from human limitations and let not thy sight turn away from this Most Sublime Vision.

O thou who art firm in the Covenant!

Today the glance of the favor of His Holiness, Baha'u'llah is directed to those souls who are full of the love of God, are detached from self and passion and are reflectors of purity, sanctity and piety.

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It is incumbent upon thee to be pure and holy.

That you had nothing with you means that you turned to the Truth with a heart empty and purified from vain thoughts.

It is evident that these wanderers have sacrificed all physical and spiritual affairs in the path of God, that perchance souls might come into being and appear in the realm of existence who would be quickened by the holy breaths of the Spirit of God and become the manifestation of sanctification and detachment, so that the brilliant reality of "Purify thy heart for My descent" might be fulfilled.

Remove from thy heart every trace of the conditions of misbelief, that the lights of this luminous horizon may shine upon it.

Yet proof is required, and that proof is attraction and rapture, purity and detachment, freedom from defilement, and sanctification and holiness.

There is no way of salvation other than through sanctity and purity, through love and servitude to the All-Glorious Lord.

Therefore, man must be sanctified, attracted to divine truth, pure, holy and detached; then will the gates of prosperity be opened.

Before entering the Sacred Shrine every one should perform ablution and be clean and pure in body, soul, mind and even his outward apparels. His heart must be purified from all worldly feelings and his consciousness be cleansed from all unholy suggestions.

Q. [asked for a definition of a pure heart]

A. The pure heart is one that is entirely cut away from self.

Fear God, O people, and be of them from whom waft the sweet fragrances of holiness and detachment, and to whose sanctity the Concourse on High bear witness.

For at its gate stand the denizens of the all-highest Paradise and its chosen ones, who will not permit entry into this blessed and sublime station until they find one purified and sanctified from all human allusions, earthly indications, personal imaginings and idle fancies.

Say: O people! Purify your hearts from all else but Him, then turn your faces toward this Countenance which hath dawned from the horizon of eternity with manifest splendor.

Now purify your heart from aversion to this Youth and from love of His enemies, that healing manifestations may appear from the treasury of mighty oneness.

Purify thy heart from all allusions, then make it a receptacle for the love of My Name, the All-Merciful, and be not of the heedless.

Say: He has commanded you only to that which would purify your souls from the turbidities of self and passion, yet you heeded not his word and followed the ways of the corrupt.

You must arise today to aid the Cause and forbid people from matters that are displeasing and deeds that are unseemly, that all may drink from the cup of sanctification and holiness.

It behooveth My loved ones to be sanctified from all things and from whatsoever is repugnant to God's good-pleasure, that through them may be made manifest the sanctification of His Self from any likeness and the exaltation of His Being above any similitude.

O servant! Purify thy heart from the allusions of all who are on earth, that the lights of thy Lord's revelation may be imprinted thereon, and this is a bounty which hath been, in the Tablet, magnificent.

Blessed is he who has turned his gaze away from his brother and associated with him in spirit and fragrance, purely for the sake of the All-Merciful.

Purify your hearts from all earthly suggestions, that the revelation of your Lord, the All-Merciful, may be reflected therein.

God willing, thou shouldst remain steadfast and unwavering in the Cause of God in utmost sanctity and detachment.

God willing, thou shouldst, with perfect sanctity and detachment - that is, with a heart purified from doubts and the allusions of the world - occupy thyself with the remembrance of the Lord of Names and preserve it as thy very life.

Today the divine decree in the holy scriptures and tablets is to sanctify oneself from all that preventeth man from that which beseemeth him.

Make then your deeds pure for His sake. Beware lest ye do that which is displeasing unto Him.

God willing, thou shalt at all times be enabled to make mention of God, exalted be His glory, and to serve His Cause. This is a Day wherein the assayers of divine unity distinguish and differentiate between the pure and that which is otherwise.

We admonish all to uphold sanctity and purity and beseech God to cleanse them from defilement, and confirm them in upright deeds and a praiseworthy character.

Verily, He remembereth whoso turneth unto Him with a pure and radiant countenance.

And the glory be upon thee and upon whosoever hath heard the call of God and hath answered it with a pure heart and an eloquent tongue, and hath turned toward the Dayspring of the Cause with a sanctified soul.

The heart must needs be purified with the water of the fear of God, that it may be adorned with the inscription of the blessed words "Verily I am God's."

O Ali! If you desire to enter the gathering of the mystics, purify yourself from all that souls detest.

O Javad! If thou wilt purify thy heart from attachment to the world and all that is therein, and with a holy and merciful spirit enter the right side of the blessed vale of divine oneness in Sinai, then in this case thou art permitted and it is fitting and timely.

Purify thyself from whatsoever hath occurred to thee, and thy breast from the promptings of them who have disbelieved in God and who move about in the wilderness of passion, having deprived themselves of God's mercy.

O dear one, soul and spirit, beseech the Eternal God that we may attain to that which befits this Day, which is to wholly forget ourselves and others, and arise to serve with a hundred thousand bodies and a hundred thousand souls. The first service is to purify the heart, sight, hearing, inner consciousness and all limbs from that which is unworthy.

Be pure, O people of God, be pure; be righteous, be righteous....

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Sanctify thine heart, that thou mayest remember Me; and purge thine ear, that thou mayest hearken unto My words.

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This sincere intent is like unto a magnet attracting the divine confirmations. In the world of being all atoms in existence are centres of attraction for certain things.... Likewise when sincere intent hath been attained and the power of detachment and an eloquent tongue bestowed, these attract mighty confirmations.

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Speaking of getting in touch with the source, he [Shoghi Effendi] said: First, we must have purity of intention; second, we must have detachment; and third, we must have concentration.

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No doubt, the mind when pure and free, becomes inspired. It is well known that there is a spiritual link between pure and chaste minds, and it is that link which has transformed you in such a short time.

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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

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The Self, who can be realized by the pure in heart, who is life, light, truth, space, who gives rise to all works, all desires, all odours, all tastes, who is beyond words, who is joy abiding--this is the Self dwelling in my heart. (Chandogya Upanishad, ch. III, 14.2-3) "That infinite source of the whole universe, the self of all that is, the ocean of pure consciousness -- that is truth. That is the unbounded self -- that thou art." Chhandogya Upanishad

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Through the power of concentration, prayer and meditation, and the effects produced, one can, however, feel the direct spiritual guidance of God. Purity of heart is an indispensable condition.

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The soul hath been created for the remembrance of the Friend; safeguard its purity.

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Thine eye is My trust, suffer not the dust of vain desires to becloud its luster. Thine ear is a sign of My bounty, let not the tumult of unseemly motives turn it away from My Word that encompasseth all creation. Thine heart is My treasury, allow not the treacherous hand of self to rob thee of the pearls which I have treasured therein. Thine hand is a symbol of My loving-kindness, hinder it not from holding fast unto My guarded and hidden Tablets....

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First and foremost, one should use every possible means to purge one's heart and motives, otherwise, engaging in any form of enterprise would be futile. It is also essential to abstain from hypocrisy and blind imitation, inasmuch as their foul odour is soon detected by every man of understanding and wisdom.... One can hardly imagine what a great influence genuine love, truthfulness and purity of motives exert on the souls of men. But these traits cannot be acquired by any believer unless he makes a daily effort to gain them...

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Mind is the forerunner of all actions. All deeds are led by mind, created by mind. If one speaks or acts with a serene mind (or pure thought), happiness follows, as sure as one's shadow. Dhammapada 1.2

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