Feast of Qudrat (Power)
1- Devotional Section:
G
lorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Every man of insight confesseth Thy sovereignty
and Thy dominion, and every discerning eye perceiveth the greatness of Thy majesty and
the compelling power of Thy might. The winds of tests are powerless to hold back them
that enjoy near access to Thee from setting their faces towards the horizon of Thy glory,
and the tempests of trials must fail to draw away and hinder such as are wholly devoted
to Thy will from approaching Thy court. Methinks, the lamp of Thy love is burning in
their hearts, and the light of Thy tenderness is lit within their breasts. Adversities are
incapable of estranging them from Thy Cause, and the vicissitudes of fortune can never
cause them to stray from Thy pleasure.
I beseech Thee, O my God, by them and by the sighs which their hearts utter in their
separation from Thee, to keep them safe from the mischief of Thine adversaries, and to
nourish their souls with what Thou hast ordained for Thy loved ones on whom shall
come no fear and who shall not be put to grief.
Bahá’u’lláh-Prayers and Meditations
1
Say: Is there any doubt concerning God? Behold how He hath come down from the
heaven of His grace, girded with power and invested with sovereignty. Is there any doubt
concerning His signs? Open ye your eyes, and consider His clear evidence. Paradise is on
your right hand, and hath been brought nigh unto you, while Hell hath been made to
blaze. Witness its devouring flame. Haste ye to enter into Paradise, as a token of Our
mercy unto you, and drink ye from the hands of the All-Merciful the Wine that is life
indeed.
Gleanings of Bahá'u'lláh
Say: If it be Our pleasure We shall render the Cause victorious through the power of a
single word from Our presence. He is in truth the Omnipotent, the All-Compelling.
Should it be God's intention, there would appear out of the forests of celestial might the
lion of indomitable strength whose roaring is like unto the peals of thunder reverberating
in the mountains. However, since Our loving providence surpasseth all things, We have
ordained that complete victory should be achieved through speech and utterance, that
Our servants throughout the earth may thereby become the recipients of divine good. This
is but a token of God's bounty vouchsafed unto them. Verily thy Lord is the All-Sufficing,
the Most Exalted.
Bahá'u'lláh
We have brought forth all Lights from the Orb of Our name, the True One, have caused
them to return unto It, and have again made them manifest in the form of a human
temple. All glory be unto the Lord of strength, might, and power! None can withstand the
operation of My will or the exercise of My might. I am He Who hath raised up all
creatures through a word of My mouth, and My power is, in truth, equal to My purpose.
Say: It is in Our power, should We wish it, to cause all created things to expire in an
instant, and, with the next, to endue them again with life. The knowledge thereof,
however, is with God alone, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. It is in Our power, should
We wish it, to enable a speck of floating dust to generate, in less than the twinkling of an
eye, suns of infinite, of unimaginable splendour, to cause a dewdrop to develop into vast
and numberless oceans, to infuse into every letter such a force as to empower it to unfold
all the knowledge of past and future ages. This, in truth, is a matter simple of
accomplishment. Such have been the evidences of My power from the beginning that hath
no beginning until the end that hath no end. My 40 creatures, however, have been
oblivious of My power, have repudiated My sovereignty, and contended with Mine own
Self, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
Bahá'u'lláh-The Summons of the Lord of Hosts
2
Throughout the universe the divine power is effulgent in endless images and pictures. The
world of creation, the world of humanity may be likened to the earth itself and the divine
power to the sun. This Sun has shone upon all mankind. In the endless variety of its
reflections the divine will is manifested. Consider how all are recipients of the bounty of
the same Sun. At most the difference between them is that of degree, for the effulgence is
one effulgence, the one light emanating from the Sun. This will express the oneness of the
world of humanity. The body-politic or the social unity of the human world may be
likened to an ocean and each member, each individual a wave upon that same ocean.
Compilation
Behold how contrary are the ways of the Manifestations of God, as ordained by the King of
creation, to the ways and desires of men! As thou comest to comprehend the essence of
these divine mysteries, thou wilt grasp the purpose of God, the divine Charmer, the BestBeloved. Thou wilt regard the words and the deeds of that almighty Sovereign as one and
the same; in such wise that whatsoever thou dost behold in His deeds, the same wilt thou
find in His sayings, and whatsoever thou dost read in His sayings, that wilt thou recognize
in His deeds. Thus it is that outwardly such deeds and words are the fire of vengeance
unto the wicked, and inwardly the waters of mercy unto the righteous. Were the eye of
the heart to open, it would surely perceive that the words revealed from the heaven of the
will of God are at one with, and the same as, the deeds that have emanated from the
Kingdom of divine power.
Kitáb-i-Íqán
3
Through the movement of Our Pen of Glory We have, at the bidding of the Omnipotent
Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human frame, and instilled into every word a
fresh potency. All created things proclaim the evidences of this worldwide regeneration.”
“O people! I swear by the one true God! This is the Ocean out of which all Seas have
proceeded, and with which every one of them will ultimately be united. From Him all the
Suns have been generated, and unto Him they will all return. Through His potency the
Trees of Divine Revelation have yielded their fruits, every one of which hath been sent
down in the form of a Prophet, bearing a Message to God’s creatures in each of the worlds
whose number God, alone, in His all-encompassing knowledge, can reckon. This He hath
accomplished through the agency of but one Letter of His Word, revealed by His Pen—a
Pen moved by His directing Finger—His Finger itself sustained by the power of God’s
Truth.” “By the righteousness of the one true God! If one speck of a jewel be lost and
buried beneath a mountain of stones, and lie hidden beyond the seven seas, the Hand of
Omnipotence would assuredly reveal it in this Day, pure and cleansed from dross.” “Every
single letter proceeding from Our mouth is endowed with such regenerative power as to
enable it to bring into existence a new creation—a creation the magnitude of which is
inscrutable to all save God. He verily hath knowledge of all things.” “It is in Our power,
should We wish it, to enable a speck of floating dust to generate, in less than the
twinkling of an eye, suns of infinite, of unimaginable splendor, to cause a dewdrop to
develop into vast and numberless oceans, to infuse into every letter such a force as to
empower it to 81 unfold all the knowledge of past and future ages.” “We are possessed of
such power which, if brought to light, will transmute the most deadly of poisons into a
panacea of unfailing efficacy.
Shoghi Effendi
G
lorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Him Who is Thy Most Great
Name, Who hath been sorely afflicted by such of Thy creatures as have repudiated Thy
truth, and Who hath been hemmed in by sorrows which no tongue can describe, to grant
that I may remember Thee and celebrate Thy praise, in these days when all have turned
away from Thy beauty, have disputed with Thee, and turned away disdainfully from Him
Who is the Revealer of Thy Cause. None is there, O my Lord, to help Thee except Thine
own Self, and no power to succor Thee save Thine own power.
I entreat Thee to enable me to cleave steadfastly in Thy love and Thy remembrance. This
is, verily, within my power, and Thou art the One that knoweth all that is in me. Thou, in
truth, art knowing, apprised of all. Deprive me not, O my Lord, of the splendors of the
light of Thy face,whose brightness hath illuminated the whole world. No God is there
beside Thee, the Most Powerful, the All-Glorious, the Ever-Forgiving.
Bahá’u’lláh
Music
4
In the beginning of his
human life man was
embryonic in the world
of the matrix. There he
received capacity and
endowment
for
the
reality
of
human
existence. The forces and
powers necessary for this
world were bestowed
upon him in that limited
condition. In this world
he needed eyes; he
received them potentially
in the other. He needed
ears; he obtained them there in readiness and preparation for his new existence. The
powers requisite in this world were conferred upon him in the world of the matrix so that
when he entered this realm of real existence he not only possessed all necessary functions
and powers but found provision for his material sustenance awaiting him.
Therefore, in this world he must prepare himself for the life beyond. That which he needs
in the world of the Kingdom must be obtained here. Just as he prepared himself in the
world of the matrix by acquiring forces necessary in this sphere of existence, so, likewise,
the indispensable forces of the divine existence must be potentially attained in this world.
What is he in need of in the Kingdom which transcends the life and limitation of this
mortal sphere? That world beyond is a world of sanctity and radiance; therefore, it is
necessary that in this world he should acquire these divine attributes. In that world there
is need of spirituality, faith, assurance, the knowledge and love of God. These he must
attain in this world so that after his ascension from the earthly to the heavenly Kingdom
he shall find all that is needful in that eternal life ready for him.
That divine world is manifestly a world of lights; therefore, man has need of illumination
here. That is a world of love; the love of God is essential. It is a world of perfections;
virtues, or perfections, must be acquired. That world is vivified by the breaths of the Holy
Spirit; in this world we must seek them. That is the Kingdom of everlasting life; it must be
attained during this vanishing existence.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
o
son of man! Thou art My dominion and My dominion perisheth not, wherefore
fearest thou thy perishing? Thou art My light and My light shall never be extinguished,
why dost thou dread extinction? Thou art My glory and My glory fadeth not; thou art My
robe and My robe shall never be outworn. Abide then in thy love for Me, that thou mayest
find Me in the realm of glory.
Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh
5
O
my God! O my God! Verily, thy servant,
humble before the majesty of Thy divine supremacy,
lowly at the door of Thy oneness, hath believed in
Thee and in Thy verses, hath testified to Thy word,
hath been enkindled with the fire of Thy love, hath
been immersed in the depths of the ocean of Thy
knowledge, hath been attracted by Thy breezes, hath
relied upon Thee, hath turned his face to Thee, hath
offered his supplications to Thee, and hath been
assured of Thy pardon and forgiveness. He hath
abandoned this mortal life and hath flown to the
kingdom of immortality, yearning for the favor of
meeting Thee.
O Lord, glorify his station, shelter him under the pavilion of Thy supreme mercy, cause
him to enter Thy glorious paradise, and perpetuate his existence in Thine exalted rose
garden, that he may plunge into the sea of light in the world of mysteries. Verily, Thou art
the Generous, the Powerful, the Forgiver and the Bestower.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
O
my God! O Thou forgiver of sins, bestower of gifts, dispeller of afflictions!
Verily, I beseech thee to forgive the sins of such as have abandoned the physical garment
and have ascended to the spiritual world. O my Lord! Purify them from trespasses, dispel
their sorrows, and change their darkness into light. Cause them to enter the garden of
happiness, cleanse them with the most pure water, and grant them to behold Thy
splendors on the loftiest mount.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
I
beg Thy forgiveness, O my God, and implore pardon after the manner Thou wishest
Thy servants to direct themselves to Thee. I beg of Thee to wash away our sins as
befitteth Thy Lordship, and to forgive me, my parents, and those who in Thy estimation
have entered the abode of Thy love in a manner which is worthy of Thy transcendent
sovereignty and well beseemeth the glory of Thy celestial power. O my God! Thou hast
inspired my soul to offer its supplication to Thee, and but for Thee, I would not call upon
Thee. Lauded and glorified art Thou; I yield Thee praise inasmuch as Thou didst reveal
Thyself unto me, and I beg Thee to forgive me, since I have fallen short in my duty to
know Thee and have failed to walk in the path of Thy love.
The Báb
6
2-Consultative Section:
- Secretary announcement
-Universal House of Justice Message and deepening
-Consultation
-By election for LSA
3- Social section
- Refreshment
Closing prayer
I
am aware, O Lord, that my trespasses have covered my face with shame in Thy
presence, and have burdened my back before Thee, have intervened between me and Thy
beauteous countenance, have compassed me from every direction and have hindered me
on all sides from gaining access unto the revelations of Thy celestial power.
O Lord! If Thou forgivest me not, who is there then to grant pardon, and if Thou hast no
mercy upon me who is capable of showing compassion? Glory be unto Thee, Thou didst
create me when I was non-existent and Thou didst nourish me while I was devoid of any
understanding. Praise be unto Thee, every evidence of bounty proceedeth from Thee and
every token of grace emanateth from the treasuries of Thy decree.
The Báb
7