Istijlál, 03 Jamál (Beauty), 183 B.E.
Quotes for Reflection
O Friends of God! Now is the time for joy and gladness, for acquiring the characteristics of the All-Merciful. This transitory world is passing even as a fleeting shadow, and the days of life are speeding by. When finally we hasten from this world to the next, we should do so with a candle in our hand, a brightness in our countenance, and a spirit in our heart. Observe how the exterior is the sign of the interior. All tombs and sepulchres, even of the world’s most celebrated monarchs, are dark and gloomy, whereas the holy resting-places of the chosen ones of the All-Merciful are radiant and luminous. Let us then exert ourselves with heart and soul, and lift up our voices in a gladsome chorus, that we may become acceptable at the Threshold of Oneness; be made alive by the fragrant breaths of holiness; detach ourselves from whatsoever is of the world; become devoted servants at the threshold of Him Who is the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting; be made recipients of His infinite bounty, and attain to everlasting life. Upon you be salutation and praise. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [1]
Question for Consideration
If… “This transitory world is passing even as a fleeting shadow, and the days of life are speeding by. When finally we hasten from this world to the next, we should do so with a candle in our hand, a brightness in our countenance, and a spirit in our heart,” what guidelines can help us choose how to spend the time we have? [2]
Gemini/NotebookLM Response
This evocative quote from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá emphasizes that because this life is fleeting, we must spend our limited time intentionally preparing for the next world by filling our lives with spiritual light and service. The sources provide several key guidelines to help us choose how to navigate our days so that we may depart with a “candle in hand” and a “brightness in countenance”.
1. Acquiring the “Candle”: Knowledge and Faith
To hold a “candle in our hand” represents possessing the light of guidance, knowledge, and faith.
- Investigate Reality: You are exhorted to set aside blind imitations of the past and independently investigate the truth for yourself.
- Daily Spiritual Discipline: Spiritual growth requires regular effort, including the daily recital of obligatory prayer, reading the Sacred Scriptures every morning and evening, and engaging in prayerful meditation to understand the teachings more deeply.
- Acquire Knowledge: The acquisition of knowledge is regarded as “wings to man’s life”. You are encouraged to study the arts, sciences, and “advanced knowledge of the day” to carry forward a divine civilization.
2. Achieving “Brightness”: Character and Joy
A “brightness in our countenance” comes from reflecting divine attributes and living a life of moral excellence.
- Refine Your Character: The “most vital duty” in this age is to purify your character and improve your conduct so that the fragrance of your holiness is shed upon the world.
- Uphold Rectitude of Conduct: Your actions should be distinguished by justice, honesty, and trustworthiness in every phase of life, including your business dealings and administrative activities.
- Foster Joy and Unity: You are encouraged to be a source of “joy and gladness” to others, acting with extreme kindliness even toward those who oppose you.
- Eliminate Prejudices: Choosing to spend your time abolishing racial, religious, and political prejudices is a primary requirement for constructing human solidarity.
3. Nurturing the “Spirit”: Worship and Service
Having a “spirit in our heart” involves a fundamental reorientation toward God and humanity through the union of worship and service.
- Make Service the Center: The “fundamental purpose of human existence” is to render service to the world of humanity. Service is not a peripheral activity but an “uplifting, all-embracing summons” that gives coherence to a life of manifold demands.
- Treat Work as Worship: Useful work or craftsmanship performed in a spirit of service is equated with the worship of God. This means that how you earn your livelihood is itself a spiritual act when done to benefit society.
- Participate in Community Building: You are invited to become an active protagonist in your neighborhood by helping to build “havens of peace” through activities like children’s classes, junior youth groups, and devotional meetings.
- Choose “Meritorious Deeds”: Teaching the Cause of God—sharing the “divine remedy” for humanity’s ills—is described as the “most meritorious of all deeds”. Looking back over your life, there is no greater joy than knowing you seized every chance to respond to humanity’s need.
4. Navigating with Balance and Detachment
Because time is a limited resource, you must learn to prioritize your activities with wisdom.
- Practice Detachment: While you should appreciate the beauties of the world, you are cautioned to “divest yourselves of the garment of attachment” to things that perish. Do not allow “trivial” or “misdirected” pleasures to become a waste of your time.
- Maintain Coherence: Strive to lead a coherent life where your spiritual beliefs, family responsibilities, and professional pursuits are all aligned and mutually reinforcing.
- Focus on the “Most Important”: In an age of transition, you may sometimes need to “sacrifice the important for the most important,” focusing your energy on the “Minor Plan” of God—the spiritual awakening and regeneration of mankind.
Ultimately, the guideline for choosing how to spend your time is to “let each morn be better than its eve, and each morrow richer than its yesterday” in terms of your spiritual advancement and service to the common good.
Footnotes
[1] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. ADDITIONAL TABLETS, EXTRACTS AND TALKS. Bahá’i Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/428346578
[2] Gemini/NotebookLM. “The Candle and the Brightness: Navigating a Spiritual Life.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. April 29, 2026. https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/65808e18-87f2-4896-92b9-16a7aff29d15
Be the Voice of…
Therefore, all souls should consider it incumbent upon them to investigate reality. Reality is one; and when found, it will unify all mankind. Reality is the love of God. Reality is the knowledge of God. Reality is justice. Reality is the oneness or solidarity of mankind. Reality is international peace. Reality is the knowledge of verities. Reality unifies humanity. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá The Promulgation of Universal Peace | Bahá’í Reference Library.
Frameworks for Understanding the World 