What do you think?
Rate this book
Prayers and Meditations
Shoghi Effendi says this "precious volume will help to deepen, more than any other publication, the spirit of devotion and faith in the friends, and thus charge them with all the spiritual power they require for the accomplishment of their tremendous duties towards the cause."
347 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
18 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Bahá'u'lláh
207 books105 followersPersian religious leader Bahaullah, originally Mirza Huseyn Ali, a follower of the Bab, founded the Baha'i in 1863.
Baha'i, the word, signifies a follower of Bahaullah, which means the "splendor of God" in Persian.
Bahá'u'lláh, a member of the great patrician family, endowed with wealth and vast estates, ably traced lineage to the ruling dynasties of imperial past. Bahá'u'lláh turned his back on the position at court, which these advantages offered; people knew his generosity and kindliness, which made him deeply loved among his countrymen.
The religious revolution caused much social upheaval, and Bahá'u'lláh announced support for the message, so his privileged position survived not long. After the execution, authorities unleashed the the waves of violence unleashed upon the Bábis; Bahá'u'lláh, engulfed, suffered the loss of all his worldly endowments, and imprisonment, torture, and a series of banishment subjected him. In the first banishment to Baghdad, he in 1863 announced that God promised his coming as the one divine messenger.
From Baghdad, people sent Bahá'u'lláh to Constantinople, to Adrianople, and finally to Acre in the Holy Land, where he arrived as a prisoner in 1868. From Adrianople and later from Acre, Bahá'u'lláh addressed a series of letters among the most remarkable documents in religious history to the rulers of his day. They proclaimed the coming unification of humanity and the emergence of a world civilization. They called upon the monarchs, emperors, and presidents of the 19th century to reconcile their differences, to curtail their armaments, and to devote their energies to the establishment of universal peace.
Bahá'u'lláh passed away at Bahji, just north of Acre, and people buried his body. His teachings already began to spread beyond the confines of the Middle East and brought the world community, focused on the point of his shrine today.
Baha'i, the word, signifies a follower of Bahaullah, which means the "splendor of God" in Persian.
Bahá'u'lláh, a member of the great patrician family, endowed with wealth and vast estates, ably traced lineage to the ruling dynasties of imperial past. Bahá'u'lláh turned his back on the position at court, which these advantages offered; people knew his generosity and kindliness, which made him deeply loved among his countrymen.
The religious revolution caused much social upheaval, and Bahá'u'lláh announced support for the message, so his privileged position survived not long. After the execution, authorities unleashed the the waves of violence unleashed upon the Bábis; Bahá'u'lláh, engulfed, suffered the loss of all his worldly endowments, and imprisonment, torture, and a series of banishment subjected him. In the first banishment to Baghdad, he in 1863 announced that God promised his coming as the one divine messenger.
From Baghdad, people sent Bahá'u'lláh to Constantinople, to Adrianople, and finally to Acre in the Holy Land, where he arrived as a prisoner in 1868. From Adrianople and later from Acre, Bahá'u'lláh addressed a series of letters among the most remarkable documents in religious history to the rulers of his day. They proclaimed the coming unification of humanity and the emergence of a world civilization. They called upon the monarchs, emperors, and presidents of the 19th century to reconcile their differences, to curtail their armaments, and to devote their energies to the establishment of universal peace.
Bahá'u'lláh passed away at Bahji, just north of Acre, and people buried his body. His teachings already began to spread beyond the confines of the Middle East and brought the world community, focused on the point of his shrine today.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 26, 2017
To me, these prayers have many levels. I can hear them being spoken for humanity. I can hear them being spoken for Mother Earth. I can hear them being spoken for an individual, or for a group of people. Perhaps that which is feeling most poignant to me at this time, I hear them for our country.
I personally don't pray in a manner of plea, but these prayers are breathtaking to me. I chose a favorite to review for my Interfaith seminary program:
"She is sick, O my God, and hath entered beneath the shadow of the Tree of Thy healing; afflicted, and hath fled to the City of Thy protection; diseased, and hath sought the Fountainhead of Thy favors; sorely vexed, and hath hasted to attain the Wellspring of Thy tranquility; burdened with sin, and hath set her face toward the court of Thy forgiveness."
I find this to be a stunning prayer. A plea. A cry for help. In that way, this prayer, like so many others asking for God's protection and healing, quite possibly presents a conundrum for me. Is God separate from me, from us, from earth, from anything? Are we asking God to protect us or something other than Itself? If so, to protect and heal from what? From humanity? From our separation, our sin, or our illusion? If we are all Divine, are we asking God to protect Itself from itself? Is prayer really asking for something outside of ourselves, or are we asking of ourselves? In an alternate yet related way, most days I hear this prayer in my own voice, being spoken for humanity. I choose not to separate the "our country" part of humanity from the rest of the world, and I believe a Baha'i would also. Although in this time of (literal) separation and division by our government, it appears that the true and deep plea might be to heal our nation in order to heal all of humanity.
I personally don't pray in a manner of plea, but these prayers are breathtaking to me. I chose a favorite to review for my Interfaith seminary program:
"She is sick, O my God, and hath entered beneath the shadow of the Tree of Thy healing; afflicted, and hath fled to the City of Thy protection; diseased, and hath sought the Fountainhead of Thy favors; sorely vexed, and hath hasted to attain the Wellspring of Thy tranquility; burdened with sin, and hath set her face toward the court of Thy forgiveness."
I find this to be a stunning prayer. A plea. A cry for help. In that way, this prayer, like so many others asking for God's protection and healing, quite possibly presents a conundrum for me. Is God separate from me, from us, from earth, from anything? Are we asking God to protect us or something other than Itself? If so, to protect and heal from what? From humanity? From our separation, our sin, or our illusion? If we are all Divine, are we asking God to protect Itself from itself? Is prayer really asking for something outside of ourselves, or are we asking of ourselves? In an alternate yet related way, most days I hear this prayer in my own voice, being spoken for humanity. I choose not to separate the "our country" part of humanity from the rest of the world, and I believe a Baha'i would also. Although in this time of (literal) separation and division by our government, it appears that the true and deep plea might be to heal our nation in order to heal all of humanity.
September 15, 2016
As usual with Baha'u'llah's writing there is awesomely deep material here for those delving into Universal truths. the only criticism I have is that I would love a more detailed index.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews