Love

“In the garden of thy heart, plant

naught but the rose of love”
– Bahá'í Faith

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Hinduism c. 3000 BC
Only by love can men see me, and know me and come
unto me.
Further, hear the highest secret of all, My supreme
message. Because thou art greatly loved by Me,
therefore, I shall tell thee what is good for thee.
To love is to know me, my innermost nature, the
truth that I am.
— Bhagavad-Gitta 11:54, 18:64, 18
In any way that men love Me in that same way they
find My love…. Be aware of Me always, adore Me,
make every act an offering to Me, and you shall come
to Me; this I promise, for you are dear to Me. Abandon
all supports and look to Me for protection. I shall purify
you from the sins of the past; do not grieve.
— Bhagavad-Gitta 4:11, 18:65-66
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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD
Build your nest on the leafy branches of the tree of love.
Soar into the clear atmosphere of love. Sail upon the
shoreless sea of love. Walk in the eternal rose-garden of
love. Bathe in the shining rays of the sun of
love....Perfume your nostrils with the fragrance from the
flowers of love. Attune your ears to the soul-entrancing
melodies of love. Let your aims be as generous as
banquets of love, and your words as a string of white
pearls from the ocean of love. Drink deeply of the elixir
of love, so that you may live continually in the reality of
Divine Love.
— `Abdu'l-Bahá
From an article Star of the West, March 1920
Page 10 Page 3

The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD Judaism c. 1500 BC

O SON OF MAN!
Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient
eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee;
therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine
image and revealed to thee My beauty.
Let there be no hate in your heart for your brother; but
you may make a protest to your neighbour, so that he
may be stopped from doing evil. Do not make attempts
to get equal with one who has done you wrong, or keep
hard feelings against the children of your people, but
have love for your neighbour as for yourself.

— Leviticus 19:17-18
O SON OF BEING!
Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me
not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O
servant.

— Bahá'u'lláh
Hidden Words
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Buddhism c. 400 BC
Just as a mother would protect her only child at the
risk of her own life, even so, cultivate a boundless
heart towards all beings. Let your thoughts of
boundless love pervade the whole world.
— Sutta Nipata, p.149-150
Hate is not conquered by hate: hate is conquered by
love. This is a law eternal.
— Dhammapada,
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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD
There are four kinds of love. The first is the love that flows
from God to man; it consists of the inexhaustible graces, the
Divine effulgence and heavenly illumination. Through this love
the world of being receives life. Through this love man is
endowed with physical existence, until, through the breath of
the Holy Spirit—this same love—he receives eternal life and
becomes the image of the Living God. This love is the origin of
all the love in the world of creation.
The second is the love that flows from man to God.
This is faith, attraction to the Divine, enkindlement, progress,
entrance into the Kingdom of God, receiving the Bounties of
God, illumination with the lights of the Kingdom. This love is
the origin of all philanthropy; this love causes the hearts of
men to reflect the rays of the Sun of Reality.
The third is the love of God towards the Self or
Identity of God. This is the transfiguration of His Beauty, the
reflection of Himself in the mirror of His Creation. This is the
reality of love, the Ancient Love, the Eternal Love. Through one
ray of this Love all other love exists.
The fourth is the love of man for man. The love which
exists between the hearts of believers is prompted by the ideal
of the unity of spirits. This love is attained through the
knowledge of God, so that men see the Divine Love reflected in
the heart. Each sees in the other the Beauty of God reflected in
the soul, and finding this point of similarity, they are attracted
to one another in love. This love will make all men the waves of
one sea, this love will make them all the stars of one heaven
and the fruits of one tree. This love will bring the realization of
true accord, the foundation of real unity.
— `Abdu'l-Bahá
Paris Talks
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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD
O ye beloved of the Lord! Commit not that which defileth
the limpid stream of love or destroyeth the sweet
fragrance of friendship. By the righteousness of the Lord!
Ye were created to show love one to another and not
perversity and rancour. Take pride not in love for
yourselves but in love for your fellow creatures. Glory not
in love for your country, but in love for all mankind.
— Bahá'u'lláh
Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh , p. 138
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Christianity 1 AD
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to
love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one
another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love
God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not
love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he
has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves
God must also love his brother.
— 1 John 4:7-8, 11-12, 16, 19-21
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Christianity 1 AD Islam c. 613 AD

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness, and patience.
And over all these virtues put on love, which
binds them all together in perfect unity.
Remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you, for you
were enemies and He joined your hearts in love.
— Qur’án 3:103

— Colossians 3:12, 14

This is what God announceth to his servants who

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat
you.
— Luke 6:27-28
believe and do the things that are right. Say: For this ask
I no wage of you, save the love of my kin. And whoever
shall have won the merit of a good deed, we will
increase good to him therewith; for God is forgiving,
grateful.
— Qur’án 42:22