Thanks

Expressing thanks to individuals

Thank one's spiritual teacher for guiding one

"Mr. ….….. in thy behalf hath made a great endeavor. Thou shouldst be eternally grateful to him and thank him, for he hath guided thee to the Kingdom, led thee to life eternal and set upon thy brow a crown whose brilliant gems shall illumine the world of existence."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 684)

(Praise of believer who thanked another for their teaching)

"I praise God that ye were firm in faithfulness in that ye testified and acknowledged the efforts which Mirza Assa Ullah1 manifested in spreading the fragrances of God and that ye thanked him for his labor and teaching for you, and this is what gladdens the heart of Abdul-Baha."

(1. A renowned Bahai teacher sent by Abdul-Baha in 1901 to America, and who organized the House of Justice (House of Spirituality) in September of that year.)

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 8)

Thanks to God

Render thanks to God at eventide and at dawn

"Ponder ye in your hearts the grace and the blessings of God and render thanks unto Him at eventide and at dawn."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 26)

Be thankful for divine bestowals so that one may learn to understand life as a divine benefit; pass time in praises, appreciating all things

"All that has been created is for man who is at the apex of creation and who must be thankful for the divine bestowals, so that through his gratitude he may learn to understand life as a divine benefit. If we hold enmity with life, we are ingrates, for our material and spiritual existence is the outward evidences of the divine mercy. Therefore we must be happy and pass our time in praises, appreciating all things. But there is something else: detachment. We can appreciate without attaching ourselves to the things of this world. It sometimes happens that if a man loses his fortune he is so disheartened that he dies or becomes insane. While enjoying the things of this world we must remember that one day we shall have to do without them."This content belongs to Pilgrim's notes, notes known not to have an original language text or transcript and which "may be interesting but not authoritative" to Bahá'ís

('Abdu'l-Bahá, 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy, pp. 134-135)

See also

• Praise