The 17th month of the Baha'i Calendar Sovereignty/Sultan) starts on January 18 at sundown. The months of the Baha’i (Badi) Calendar are named after attributes or qualities of God. Though out all the writings of the Manifestations of God (Prophets) these qualities and/or terms are used through out. We all know that God is our sovereign, in this world and the next, but have you given thought in how the word sovereign has been used in religion?
Buddha tells us in (Dhammapada), The Sayings of Buddha:
“Better than sovereignty over the earth,
better than going to heaven,
better than dominion over all the worlds
is the reward of reaching the stream.”
Buddhist, Dhammapada - Sayings of the Buddha 2
Muhammed tell us in the Qur’an:
“And verily We gave unto Moses the Scripture and We caused a train of messengers to follow after him, and We gave unto Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs (of Allah's sovereignty), and We supported him with the Holy spirit.”
The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 2 - The Cow
“Knowest thou not that it is Allah unto Whom belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth; and ye have not, beside Allah, any guardian or helper?”
The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 2 - The Cow
“Lo! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sendeth down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and (in) the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth: are signs (of Allah's Sovereignty) for people who have sense.”
The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 2 - The Cow
“Say: O Allah! Owner of Sovereignty ! Thou givest sovereignty unto whom Thou wilt, and Thou withdrawest sovereignty from whom Thou wilt. Thou exaltest whom Thou wilt, and Thou abasest whom Thou wilt. In Thy hand is the good. Lo! Thou art Able to do all things.”
The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 3 - The Family Of Imran
“How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their belief and (after) they bore witness that the messenger is true and after clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty)) had come unto them.”
The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 3 - The Family Of Imran
“We destroyed the generations before you when they did wrong; and their messengers (from Allah) came unto them with clear proofs (of His Sovereignty) but they would not believe.”
The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 10 - Jonah
“And verily We gave unto Moses nine tokens, clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty))”
The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 17 - The Israelites
Baha’u’llah, the latest manifestation of God tells us:
“We pray God -- exalted be His glory -- and cherish the hope that He may graciously assist the manifestations of affluence and power and the daysprings of sovereignty) and glory, the kings of the earth -- may God aid them through His strengthening grace -- to establish the Lesser Peace.”
Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 30
“Behold how the sovereignty) of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, is today apparent and manifest amongst the people.”
Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 24
“By the revelation of these Gems of Divine virtue all the names and attributes of God, such as knowledge and power, sovereignty and dominion, mercy and wisdom, glory, bounty, and grace, are made manifest.”
Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 48
“Make my prayer, O my Lord, a fountain of living waters whereby I may live as long as Thy sovereignty) endureth, and may make mention of Thee in every world of Thy worlds.”
Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 8
Abdu’l-Baha (Eldest son of Baha’u’llah) tells us:
“Every woman who becometh the maidservant of God outshineth in glory the empresses of the world, for she is related to God, and her sovereignty) is everlasting, whereas a handful of dust will obliterate the name and fame of those empresses. In other words, as soon as they go down to the grave they are reduced to naught. The maidservants of God's Kingdom, on the other hand, enjoy eternal sovereignty unaffected by the passing of ages and generations.”
Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 122
“Service to the sons and the daughters of the Kingdom is the diadem of everlasting glory with which ye have crowned your heads, the garment of eternal sovereignty) with which ye have adorned your bodies, and the throne of majesty and grandeur of heaven upon which ye sat.”
Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 533
Save to Del.icio.us
