And as the human 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.

Cleave thou, therefore, with the whole affection of thine heart, unto His love, and withdraw it from the love of any one besides Him, that He may aid thee to immerse thyself in the ocean of His unity, and enable thee to become a true upholder of His oneness. God is My witness.
My sole purpose in revealing to thee these words is to sanctify thee from the transitory things of the earth, and aid thee to enter the realm of everlasting glory, that thou mayest, by the leave of God, be of them that abide and rule therein…."

Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh P. 53

... purify thine heart

"Thou art God’s shadow on earth. Strive, therefore, to act in such a manner as befitteth so eminent, soaugust a station.
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....

Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh

Truth has many aspects ...

...When you meet those whose opinions differ from your own, do not turn away your face from them. Truth has many aspects, but it remains always and forever one.
Do not allow difference of opinion, or diversity of thought to separate you from your fellow-men, or to be the cause of dispute, hatred and strife in your hearts. Rather, search diligently for the truth and make all men your friends.
 Every edifice is made of many different stones, yet each depends on the other to such an extent that if one were displaced the whole building would suffer; if one is faulty the structure is imperfect.
Bahá’u’lláh has drawn the circle of unity, He has made a design for the uniting of all the peoples, and for the gathering of them all under the shelter of the tent of universal unity. This is the work of the Divine Bounty, and we must all strive with heart and soul until we have the reality of unity in our midst, and as we work, so will strength be given unto us.

Abdu'l-Bahá: Paris Talks

It behoveth every king to be as bountiful as the sun,

"Set before thine eyes God’s unerring Balance and, as one standing in His Presence, weigh in that Balance thine actions every day, every moment of thy life. Bring thyself to account ere thou art summoned to a reckoning, on the Day when no man shall have strength to stand for fear of God, the Day when the hearts of the heedless ones shall be made to tremble.
It behoveth every king to be as bountiful as the sun, which fostereth the growth of all beings, and giveth to each its due, whose benefits are not inherent in itself, but are ordained by Him Who is the Most Powerful, the Almighty. The king should be as generous, as liberal in his mercy as the clouds, the outpourings of whose bounty are showered upon every land, by the behest of Him Who is the Supreme Ordainer, the All-Knowing."


Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh P.52
SULṬÁN ABDU’L-’AZIZ

The diversity in the human family

The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord. If you meet those of different race and colour from yourself, do not mistrust them and withdraw yourself into your shell of conventionality, but rather be glad and show them kindness.
Think of them as different coloured roses growing in the beautiful garden of humanity, and rejoice to be among them. Likewise, when you meet those whose opinions differ from your own, do not turn away your face from them. All are seeking truth, and there are many roads leading thereto. Truth has many aspects, but it remains always and forever one.
Do not allow difference of opinion, or diversity of thought to separate you from your fellow-men, or to be the cause of dispute, hatred and strife in your hearts.

`Abdu'l-Bahá: Paris Talks

Behold a beautiful garden ...

Behold a beautiful garden full of flowers, shrubs, and trees. Each flower has a different charm, a
peculiar beauty, its own delicious perfume and beautiful colour. The trees too, how varied are they in size, in growth, in foliage—and what different fruits they bear!
Yet all these flowers, shrubs and trees spring from the self-same earth, the same sun shines upon them and the same clouds give them rain. So it is with humanity. It is made up of many races, and its peoples are of different colour, white, black, yellow, brown and red—but they all come from the same God, and all are servants to Him.
This diversity among the children of men has unhappily not the same effect as it has among the vegetable creation, where the spirit shown is more harmonious. Among men exists the diversity of animosity, and it is this that causes war and hatred among the different nations of the world. Differences which are only those of blood also cause them to destroy and kill one another.
Alas! that this should still be so.

`Abdu'l-Bahá:  Paris Talks

رگ جهان در دست پزشک دانا است

رگ جهان در دست پزشک دانا است درد را می بيند و به دانائی درمان مي کند هر روز را رازی است و هر سر را آوازی درد امروز را درمانی و فردا را درمان ديگر امروز را نگران باشيد و سخن از امروز رانيد ديده مي شود گيتی را دردهای بيکران فرا گرفته و او را بر بستر ناکامی انداخته مردمانی که از باده خود بينی سرمست شده‌اند پزشک دانا را از او باز داشته‌اند اين است که خود و همه مردمان را گرفتار نموده‌اند نه درد مي دانند نه درمان مي شناسند راست را کژ انگاشته‌اند و دوست را دشمن شمرده‌اند بشنويد آواز اين زندانی را بايستيد و بگوئيد شايد آنانکه در خوابند بيدار شوند بگو ای مردگان دست بخشش يزدانی آب زندگانی مي دهد بشتابيد و بنوشيد هر که امروز زنده شد هرگز نميرد و هر که امروز مرد هرگز زندگی نيابد 

حضرت بهاءالله : منتخباتى از آثار حضرت بهاءالله ص140

To SULṬÁN ABDU’L-’AZIZ

SULṬÁN ABDUL-’AZIZ

Overstep not the bounds of moderation, and deal justly with them that serve thee.
 Bestow upon them according to their needs and not to the extent that will enable them to lay up riches for themselves, to deck their persons, to embellish their homes, to acquire the things that are of no benefit unto them, and to be numbered with the extravagant.
Deal with them with undeviating justice, so that none among them may either suffer want, or be pampered with luxuries.

This is but manifest justice.
Allow not the abject to rule over and dominate them who are noble and worthy of honour, and suffer not the high-minded to be at the mercy of the contemptible and worthless, for this is what We observed upon Our arrival in the City (Constantinople), and to it We bear witness. We found among its inhabitants some who were possessed of an affluent fortune and lived in the midst of excessive riches, whilst others were in dire want and abject poverty. This ill beseemeth thy sovereignty, and is unworthy of thy rank.

Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh P.51

O ye that dwell on earth!

 "O ye that dwell on earth! The distinguishing feature that marketh the preeminent character of this Supreme Revelation consisteth in that We have, on the one hand, blotted out from the pages of God’s holy Book whatsoever hath been the cause of strife, of malice and mischief amongst the children of men, and have, on the other, laid down the essential prerequisites of concord, of understanding, of complete and enduring unity. Well is it with them that keep My statutes.
Time and again have We admonished Our beloved ones to avoid, nay to flee from, anything whatsoever from which the odor of mischief can be detected. The world is in great turmoil, and the minds of its people are in a state of utter confusion.
We entreat the Almighty that He may graciously illuminate them with the glory of His Justice, and enable them to discover that which will be profitable unto them at all times and under all conditions. He, verily is the All-Possessing, the Most High."

Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh P. 98