Not to Lament in Adversity
Not to Lament in Adversity
“Lament not in your hours of trial, neither rejoice therein; seek ye the Middle Way which is the remembrance of Me in your afflictions and reflection over that which may befall you in future. Thus informeth you He Who is the Omniscient, He Who is aware.” 1
“Under all conditions, whether in adversity or at ease, whether honoured or afflicted, this Wronged One hath directed all men to show forth love, affection, compassion and harmony.” 2
“If adversity befall thee not in My path, how canst thou walk in the ways of them that are content with My pleasure? If trials afflict thee not in thy longing to meet Me, how wilt thou attain the light in thy love for My beauty?” 3
“Verily God hath made adversity as a morning dew upon His green pasture, and a wick for His lamp which lighteth earth and heaven.” 4
“Verily God hath made adversity as a morning dew upon His green pasture, and a wick for His lamp which lighteth earth and heaven…Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.” 5
“If sorrow and adversity visit us, let us turn our faces to the Kingdom and heavenly consolation will be outpoured.” 6
“O sincere servant of the True One! I hear thou art grieved and distressed at the happenings of the world and the vicissitudes of fortune. Wherefore this fear and sorrow? The true lovers of the Abhá Beauty, and they that have quaffed the Cup of the Covenant fear no calamity, nor feel depressed in the hour of trial. They regard the fire of adversity as their garden of delight, and the depth of the sea the expanse of heaven.” 7
“The advanced men of all time have ever been persecuted and continually in adversity.” [^8] Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, pp. 42
Footnotes
Baha’u’llah, The Most Holy Book, para 43 ↩
Bahá’u’lláh, Kalimát-i-Firdawsíyyih (Words of Paradise) ↩
Bahá’u’lláh, The Arabic Hidden Words no. 50 ↩
Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet to Nasiri’d-Shah ↩
Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf ↩
Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, Pain and Sorrow, November 22nd ↩
Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Bahá, no. 229 ↩