Send, therefore, unto my loved ones, O my God, what will cheer their hearts, and illumine their faces, and delight their souls. Thou knowest, O my Lord, that their joy is to behold the exaltation of Thy Cause and the glorification of Thy word. Do Thou unveil, therefore, O my God, what will gladden their eyes, 196 and ordain for them the good of this world and of the world which is to come. Thou art, verily, the God of power, of strength and of bounty.
Joy
Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 195-196
A man living with his thoughts in this Kingdom knows perpetual joy. The ills all flesh is heir to do not pass him by, but they only touch the surface of his life, the depths are calm and serene.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 109
If you wish the joy, happiness and the composure of the spirit and the peace of the conscience of ‘Abdu’l- Bahá, strengthen the bonds of union and harmony amongst yourselves so that all of you may become the waves of one sea, the drops of one river, the flowers of one garden, the links of one cuirass, soaring in the atmosphere and breaking forth into one glad song.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Scriptures, p. 379
Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 109
Joy is the best cure for your illness. Joy is better than a hundred thousand medicines for a sick person. If there is a sick person and one wishes to cure him, let one cause joy and happiness in his heart.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá v2, p. 417
Let my heart be dilated with joy through the spirit of confirmation from Thy kingdom, and brighten my eyes by beholding the hosts of divine assistance descending successively upon me from the kingdom of Thine omnipotent glory.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
Surely a day will come when all thy desires will be attained and God will answer all that which thou hast prayed for in thine heart, and I beg of Him to make all that which thou hast longed for long ago very attainable. Then thine heart will be overflowed with joy on account of such a great bounty.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá v1, p. 122
When a man has found the joy of life in one place, he returns to that same spot to find more joy. When a man has found gold in a mine, he returns again to that mine to dig for more gold. This shows the internal force and natural instinct which God has given to man, and the power of vital energy which is born in him.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 33
‘Abdu’l-Bahá wisheth no one's heart to feel hurt, nor will he be a source of grief to any one; for there is no greater satisfaction than being a source of joy to the hearts. I ask God that ye may become like angels of heaven, sources of happiness to souls.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá v1, p. 23
Praised be God that you have received the bounty of true joy, a spiritual condition that belongs to those who, irrespective of their material and social circumstances, strive to draw ever nearer to God and to understand and promote His Word; who are concerned with the prosperity of all people; who tread selflessly the path of justice and equity; and who allow no impediment, not even oppression or imprisonment, to deprive them of this inner joy. It is this state of true joy that stirs the heart, makes the spirit soar, increases human powers, strengthens the mind, creates hope, and kindles the flame of longing to take purposeful action for the common good. So it is that, for Bahá’ís, bringing joy to the hearts is among the most praiseworthy of deeds.
Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of Iran, Naw Ruz 2015
The inner joy that every individual seeks, unlike a passing emotion, is not contingent on outside influences; it is a condition, born of certitude and conscious knowledge, fostered by a pure heart, which is able to distinguish between that which has permanence and that which is superficial.
Universal House of Justice, to a number of individual Bahá’ís resident in Europe, 19 April 2013
...Then we come across one sentence which I believe is the most important in the whole of The Hidden Words. He says, "Rejoice with the joy of your own heart."
It is something that we have utterly forgotten. The western world has forgotten this for centuries. The art of meditation, the art of contemplation, the art of dreaming within oneself, and Bahá’u’lláh wants us to start doing this again. First, it means that there is nothing in the world to make you happy, outside of your own heart. If you possess the whole world, the treasures of the world, the pleasures of the world, they may be momentary pleasures, but they will be bitter sadness throughout your life. They will never bring you any happiness. People are wrong to change the places of their entertainment and enjoyments from New York to Paris, to Rome, to Africa, to Australia. They are searching for it, while they are carrying it along within themselves. He says, "Go deep into thy heart." There is a realm in your heart. There it will spring up with the water of joy, a constant stream of joy will be flowing from your own heart. Nothing will stop it and nothing will be able to give it except yourselves. This is done by spiritual exercise.
From Hand of the Cause Mr. Faizi
Joy was not, He told them, a by-product of material comfort and affluence.
H.M. Balyuzi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 31
