The adornment of the people of God hath ever been through their own selves and not through outward things. The luminous countenance hath no need of ornament.
(Bahá’u’lláh, ca. 1289-1290?, to Ismi Javad -- BH07082)
Radiance: the fragrance of a life
radiant countenance; bearing the divine fragrance
Editorial introduction
The luminous countenance has no need of ornament. Bahá’u’lláh’s sentence describes a beauty that cannot be bought, and the writings give it a moral texture: justice and praiseworthy character waft the fragrance of purity, a person’s entrance makes a gathering a source of felicitation, and the friends are to be like bright lamps in whatever city they enter, so that strangers conclude from their deeds that such a soul is not of this world. Fragrance and light describe an influence that reaches others before any explanation, the atmosphere a life creates. The images of Joseph’s garment and Jacob’s recovered sight remind us that such perception is also a gift to be received, not a method for judging faces. Matthew’s lamp set on a stand turns attention from the performer toward good works that honour God [1]. Children raised in the holy Teachings, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá hopes, will become sweet airs across the gardens of the world. The road leads on into being a source of light, into joyfulness as the native climate of such a presence, and into the connections of the heart by which one spirit kindles another.
Selected passages
O illumined leaf! Your name is Light, and God willing, your face and character will be the light of God - that is to say, from your countenance will shine forth the light of guidance and from your nature and character will be diffused the fragrance of loving-kindness.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to wife of Inayatullah Diya -- AB09596)
O servant! Conduct thyself with justice and act in such wise that thy deeds may reveal the sanctity of the Cause. Adorn thyself with so praiseworthy a character, that by it the fragrance of purity may be wafted over all men.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1298 ? [1880-1881], to Abd Qabl-i-Husayn -- BH05978)
Become embodied light and personified spirit, that ye may be the cause of life to humankind and the glory of stone and tree and clay - meaning that wherever ye enter, that place may become blessed, and every garden ye enter may be filled with bounty, and every gathering ye attend may be a source of felicitation.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1903 ca., to Karbala'i Muhammad Ali et al -- AB05881)
They must mingle with the people of the world with truthfulness, love, sincerity and kindness, creating enthusiasm and rapture, diffusing sweet fragrance and pouring forth refined sugar.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Rais Ali Naqi et al -- AB00422)
In whichever city you enter, be ye like bright lamps and shed your rays to all around; - so that whosoever sees your deeds, your words, your behaviours and conducts, he may exclaim:- this person is not of this world; this soul is not human but divine; this person is the sincere servant of the Blessed Perfection; he is radiant, spiritual, heavenly and the means of the prosperity of the world of humanity.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to the Eastern pilgrims, spoken on 1913-Jun-28 -- ABU0804)
Today the people of Baha are souls who should become renowned throughout all regions for possessing the character, conduct and behavior of the Supreme Concourse, for He explicitly states in numerous passages that in this wondrous Dispensation a Baha'i is one who, like a candle, illumines and casts the light of sanctity and detachment upon East and West.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1908-Dec-20, to Ibn-i-Abhar -- AB10600)
These souls are Baha'i, they are divine, they are luminous, they are of the All-Merciful. They cast no shadow, but are rather light from head to foot.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Ali Milani -- AB04292)
Ye are the flowers of this Garden - it behooveth you that all should perceive from you the fragrance of the All-Merciful. Act ye in a manner befitting this glorious and exalted station.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1291-09-09 [1874-Oct-20], to Mirza Alnaqi -- BH06737)
Say: O My loved ones! Be ye of such a nature that the people of creation may inhale from you the sweet fragrances of your Lord, the Most High, the All-Glorious, that your sanctification of His Cause may be made manifest among those who are veiled.
(Bahá’u’lláh, ca. 1289-1290?, to Namesake of Baha'u'llah et al -- BH02364)
Appear amongst men with the light of God and His radiance, that from your faces may be witnessed the brightness of your Lord, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate.
(Bahá’u’lláh -- BH05172)
Blessed are they from whose countenances radiate the All-Merciful splendor and the lights of the Divine Word.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290-05 [1873-Jun], to Himmat-Ali Khi Alif -- BH10017)
When the light of the love of God shines upon a face, the countenance attains the utmost grace and beauty.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1910-Feb-22, to George Allen Saunders -- AB06721)
For spiritual beauty and grace are reflected in the brightness of the All-Merciful, and this is evident upon thy brow.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1902-Oct-06, to Muhammad Tahir Malmiri -- AB05602)
The Sun of the Kingdom hath shed a light on thee, so thy likeness is made radiant and thy face happy.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1907-Jun-03, to Charlotte Bingham -- AB07576)
O illumined candle! You have kindled a countenance of supreme beauty and grace. You are radiant, pleasing, beautiful and majestic, for the light of the love of God shines from your brow like a manifest light.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1910-May-17?, to Tarazullah Samandari -- AB08773)
O thou maid-servant of God!
Thy letter was received and the contents indicated that--praise be to God!--thy heart is ablaze with the fire of the love of God and thine eyes are illumined with the light of the guidance of God, that thy face is cheerfully beaming and thy countenance is shining and gleaming.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1908-Jul-13, to Mary M Rabb -- AB05054)
O ye two who are attracted to the Kingdom of God! The blessed portrait of your countenances was observed. Praise be to God that the light of certitude is manifest and evident upon your brow, and the radiance of the favors of the Sun of Reality is visible and apparent upon your face. Through divine bounty, it is hoped that day by day you will make boundless progress in spiritual perfections, so that the page of the heart may, through the intensity of its purity, receive the reflections of the Concourse on High and shine forth with divine characteristics in the world of humanity.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1910-Jun-18, to Replogh, William H et al -- AB09362)
If thou dost act according to the commandments and exhortations of God, know thou for a certainty that the luminosity of thy face will day by day increase.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1905 ca., to Mr James B Estay -- AB08145)
And strive as much as you can to walk the path of divine good-pleasure and become renowned among your peers for a character and disposition from which you may inhale the fragrance of the rose-garden of the Beloved.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Abbas Arab -- AB04106)
Be ye signs of His all subduing proof, symbols of His lasting mercy and expressions of His perfect bounty.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Muhammad Rida Qaini -- AB06328)
The fragrance of the love of God wafts from the gardens of their hearts to all regions, and the lights of recognition shine forth from their faces through the seven layers of existence.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1892-Dec-28, to Nasrullah Baqiruf -- AB05273)
O handmaid of God! The rose, hyacinth and thyme require a sweet fragrance and delightful perfume. The sweet-scented fragrance of the human flower is the divine perfume. If this musk-laden scent is diffused from the human flower, that flower will bloom in the garden of all humanity, and that bud will become radiant in the Most Glorious Paradise.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1903 ca., to Gul Bahram mother of Kiumarth son of Furud -- AB09450)
I hope that thou wilt appear like sweet basil by the stream of divine knowledge, manifesting the utmost freshness and grace, diffusing the fragrance of the All-Merciful, and scattering musk-laden perfumes.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Shaykh Ahmad Farhadi -- AB10132)
And thou - beseech God to make thee as the good land, that thy vegetation may spring forth by thy Lord's leave, and that thou mayest be adorned with the roses of inner meanings and utterance, and that the holy fragrances may be wafted from thee throughout all lands, and that the breezes of divine favors may pass over thee to all regions, and that through thee the fragrance of the All-Merciful may be diffused throughout the East and West of the earth, and that thy mention may be spread in the Supreme Concourse and the most glorious Kingdom.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1897-Jun-08, to Lutfali Khan -- AB05458)
May each become a brilliant lamp and reach maturity, become a fruitful tree in the Abha Paradise and a fertile sapling in the gardens of the Supreme Concourse, so that the holy fragrances may perfume the East and West, and the lights of the love of God may illuminate the North and South.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1903 ca., to Mirza Javad et al -- AB01271)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Mirza Baba Nayrizi -- AB07264)
May they thus perfume the nostrils of all humanity with the sweet fragrances of the divine gardens, and in their conduct and behavior teach heavenly characteristics to both rulers and subjects. May they search after truth and seek the attractive countenance of the Beauty of Unity. May they turn their faces toward God and walk in His path, that each may become an educator of the human world and conduct themselves in such a way as to cause the life of the world of humanity and breathe spirit into dead bones.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1909 ca., to Sulayman son of Shamun father of Andre et al -- AB00297)
Man, while in this life, should endeavour to learn of the Throne of God, to serve the Holy Threshold, to seek knowledge of the other World, to soar to the Realm beyond, to become of the Kingdom--heavenly, spiritual, illumined--and to attain a temperament like unto the rose in the garden, making fragrance to the world.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1905 -- AB10795)
This being the case, care no more for the world and its desires, but cling to the spiritual world and its gifts, spread the fragrances of God, be submissive to the Word of God, establish a spiritual meeting place where from the incense of sanctity and purity will rise up to God, assemble there with fragrance and spirituality and celebrate the Name of your Lord by day and by night.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1916 or <, to California Maidservants et al -- AB02446)
Therefore, this servant is infinitely pleased with them and I hope that day by day they will increase in this virtue, adorn the feast of fellowship, find repose under the shade of His favor, and captivate hearts with the holy fragrances.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1902 ca., to Rustam Jamshid Parsi -- AB03386)
In any case, you love all the people of Paris, and I hope you will conduct yourselves in such a way as to spread the divine fragrances and promote sanctification and the love of God.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1913-Jun-08 in Paris -- ABU0738)
The Blessed Beauty often remarked: 'There are four qualities which I love to see manifested in people: first, enthusiasm and courage; second, a face wreathed in smiles and a radiant countenance; third, that they see all things with their own eyes and not through the eyes of others; fourth, the ability to carry a task, once begun, through to its end.'
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken in the presence of Zia Baghdadi, ca. 1920 -- ABU3292)
Although at that time one could hire a donkey for five cents, yet he could not very well afford this lavish expenditure. Nevertheless you never saw him cross or sour-tempered. He was a source of delight and happiness to all. Such souls are the bright gems in the crown of existence.... They belong to another world, they are living in the highest spiritual altitude, they are permeated through and through with the quintessence of renunciation.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1914-Jun-20 in Haifa -- ABU0438)
There are some souls whose spiritual constitutions are so etherealized that although they live in this world yet they belong to another realm. They breath another air, they speak another language and walk on another plane. If one associate and converse with them for one moment, he will never forget them.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to some friends, spoken on 1915-Mar-14 -- ABU0959)
If you have the perceptive power, as soon as you look in the faces of the people, you can observe what ideas are reigning in their hearts.
Mighty thoughts of philanthropy and illumined ideals of humanitarianism are set in motion and you find their reflections in the faces, because they are lodged in the hearts. one woman told me she is working day and night to abolish the law of capital punishment; another person told me she desires to have a uniform inter-state divorce law; a third was devoting his time to the betterment of the conditions of criminals in the penitentiaries; another one was trying to introduce a new system of education etc etc.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to the Master's entourage, spoken at Baltimore Hotel on 1913-May-11 -- ABU2004)
That the faces of the Believers shall be like sunshine, like the open rose, so that every one entering the meeting will recognize the light which they possess. It will be like a man entering a garden, and though he may have a cold and so be unable to inhale the perfume, yet he can see the full beauty and the freshness of the flowers.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Ida Finch and Fanny and Alma Knobloch, spoken on 1908-Nov-11 -- ABU1767)
He was a man amazing to behold, his face so luminous that even those who were not believers used to say that a heavenly light shone from his forehead.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tadhkiratu'l-Vafa (Memorials of the Faithful), 1916-Mar-25 -- AB00002)
(Bahá’u’lláh, Kitab-i-Iqan (The Book of Certitude), 1278 ca. [1861-1862], to Haji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad, great uncle of the Bab (Khal-i-Akbar) -- BH00002)
I hope that the light of the manifest Truth may so shine forth from thy countenance that the blessed verse "In their faces shalt thou see the brightness of bliss" may become clear and evident.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1910-Mar-11, to Hashim -- AB09504)
If thou findest one on whose countenance thou beholdest the radiance of the All-Merciful, inform him of what hath appeared in creation, that he may turn with a luminous face toward the Dayspring of the Dawn.
(Bahá’u’lláh, ca. 1289-1290?, to Ayn -- BH05166)
That which is attributed to the Truth is indeed musk whose fragrance is diffused, yet none can detect it save those who turn to the All-Merciful with radiant countenance.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Haji Nabil Qabl-i-Rida -- BH03185)
However, the keen sense of smell and acute sensitivities of Jacob are needed if the fragrance of this divine Joseph is to be inhaled. My meaning is that the life-giving perfume of this divine garment has scented all the fields and meadows and gardens of this world of being but the pity of it is that those afflicted with head colds and deficient in capacities of perception are deprived, are disappointed, are incapable of recognising this perfume.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1898-Nov-18, to Mirza Aqa Bashir Ilahi (Bashirus-Sultan) -- AB06611)
The spirits are attracted to the loved ones, tongues are speaking in remembrance of the dear ones, and the cups of hearts are overflowing with the wine of love for those friends who have inhaled the fragrance from the garment of the divine Joseph, who rejoiced at the coming of the bearer of glad tidings, and upon whose faces the garment was cast, whereupon they regained their sight.
Verily, they are among the Concourse on High, and their faces shall shine in the Most Exalted Kingdom.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1896 ca., to Ibrahim Effendi Khayrullah -- AB06509)
Sew a Joseph's shirt that its holy fragrance may perfume the nostrils of the elder of Canaan.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Taqi Khan Qumi -- AB07384)
The love of the Abha Beauty perfumes the nostrils like musk and ambergris - it cannot be mistaken. Consider what a sweet fragrance you perceived from those divine friends. Can such holy fragrances be perceived from other directions? No, by God! The matter is evident and manifest, and the truth is clear and present.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Siyyid Mustafa Tabatabai -- AB02237)
O thou who art attracted to the Kingdom! Mrs. Mary Watson became the cause of thy life and suffered thee to inhale the fragrances of the rose-garden of the Holy Spirit.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1906 ca., to Minerva A Crosby -- AB08232)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1910-Jun-18, to Abdu'l-Majid Tabib (Maraghih) -- AB05607)
O thou who art perfumed by the breaths of God's love!
I have read thy letter and have supplicated unto God that He may accept thee into His Kingdom, make thee worthy to be called a child of the Kingdom, and render thee firm as mighty mountains in God's Covenant, and a herald of His Great Covenant which He hath established through a trace of His Supreme Pen with the dwellers of the heavens and earth, until thou mayest be confirmed to diffuse the fragrance of holiness throughout those regions and climes.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1909 or <, to Mary A Lesch -- AB08987)
My hope is that you, too, may remain firm and steadfast, and serve as channels through which the divine fragrances are spread...
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1913-Jun-09 in Paris -- ABU3720)
The believers of God must be alive with the sweet Fragrances of God.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1913-Nov-17 in Port Said -- ABU3411)
They are the flowers of the garden of ABHA--they must breathe forth their fragrance!..
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken to Baha'is of the World at Bahji, 1913-Dec-25 -- ABU1523)
I testify that by the torch of your body, blazing in the pitch darkness, you revealed the paths through the gloom until you guided Khidr to the darknesses.
(Bahá’u’lláh -- BH02189)
I want the loved ones of the Blessed Beauty to be bright like this star.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on board the SS Celtic at sea, 1912-Dec-08 -- ABU3467)
Continue exploring
For thought and discussion
Questions to carry forward
- What qualities make a person’s presence feel welcoming or life-giving?
- How do the images of light and fragrance convey different kinds of influence?
- What keeps the aspiration to radiance from becoming concern with appearances or a judgment of another person’s face?
- How do the passages connect joy with justice, kindness, and perseverance?
- What does Matthew’s direction beyond the performer add to the idea of visible good works?
- How might a gathering cultivate an atmosphere in which people feel both welcomed and encouraged to grow?