The Bab's Childhood Calligraphic Exercise

From: Baha’i Sacred Relics

Calligraphic exercise of the Bab written before He was ten years old

“Man must be a lover of the light no matter from what day-spring it may appear.”

From: Counsels and Explanations by ‘Abdu’l-Baha – Daily Readings

The ocean is one body of water, but different parts of it have particular designation -- Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean, Antarctic, etc. If we consider the names, there is differentiation, but the water, the ocean itself is one reality.

Likewise the divine religions of the holy Manifestations of God are in reality one though in name and nomenclature they differ. Man must be a lover of the light no matter from what day-spring it may appear. He must be a lover of the rose no matter in what soil it may be growing. He must be a seeker of the truth no matter from what source it come. (‘Abdu'l-Baha, from a talk in New York, dated May 28, 1912; ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’)

"...to the friends of Buffalo, NY"

From: Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Star of the West

Through Mirza Ahmad Sohrab to the friends of Buffalo, NY

Upon them be Baha’ul-Abha!

He is God!

O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom!

Your brief and interesting letter was perused. Although it was brief, yet in reality it was a detailed book. Every word was a letter, for it contained the oneness of the realm of humanity, and it was a proof of the oneness and concord among the friends and maid-servants of God. Today all the communities of the world are engaged in fighting and quarreling with each other. There is a religious strife, a sectarian strife, racial bias, patriotism, political contentions, commercial competition, industrial rivalry and a battle to defend their honor. In reality these strifes are continual, and there is no cessation or interruption thereto.

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“God’s method”

From: Daily Verses of God

Know ye that trials and tribulations have, from time immemorial, been the lot of the chosen Ones of God and His beloved, and such of His servants as are detached from all else but Him, they whom neither merchandise nor traffic beguile from the remembrance of the Almighty, they that speak not till He hath spoken, and act according to His commandment. Such is God's method carried into effect of old, and such will it remain in the future.... (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh’; The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, Crisis and Victory)

'Abdu'l-Baha - the “Ensign of the Most Great Peace”

From: Portraits of 'Abdu'l-Baha

‘Abdu’l-Baha, picture taken in Philadelphia, 1912

Mirzá Asadu'lláh-i-Khuy – surnamed Dayyán

From: Baha’i Biographical Notes

A Bábi on whom the Báb conferred the designation 'Dayyán' (lit. 'conqueror' or 'judge'). After the martyrdom of the Báb, a number of His followers turned to Dayyán for guidance. He claimed to be 'He Whom God shall make manifest' but after meeting Bahá’u’lláh in Iraq he retracted the claim. Mirzá Yahyá instigated the murder of Dayyán in Baghdád, 'whom he feared and envied'. Dayyán was the third to recognize Bahá'u'lláh's true station before His Declaration.

Quiz 7

From: Baha’i Knowledge Hunt

• When we meet somebody who is very interested to hear about the Faith should we assume that that encounter is purely accidental or could it have been divinely guided?   Answer

• Can you complete this sentence from Abdu’l-Baha: “The divine Prophets came to establish the unity of the Kingdom in _______ _______.   Answer

• He is considered to be the founder of monotheism and the father of Jewish and Arab peoples.   Answer

• Does Baha’u’llah make any reference to the sufferings of Mary, the mother of Christ?   Answer

• How does a person become a “saint” according to Baha’i teachings?   Answer

• Can you name a couple of human vices, that according to Abdu’l-Baha, would prevent the “divine bounties” from descending upon those gathered in a meeting?   Answer

Recollections about Ruhiyyih Khanum – by Violette Nakhjavani

From: Baha’i Talks, Messages and Articles

(Transcript of a talk given in East London, South Africa in 2001)

We have been travelling for five weeks so far, and have visited Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. We have been immersed in a sea of singing and of music, and we are so happy and grateful to Baha'u'llah that this trip was possible. I was in South Africa 29 years ago, with Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum. She left her home in Haifa in July 1969, and didn't get back until April 1973. She was travelling for three years and nine months, and during this time, she visited 60 countries, 34 of which were on the continent of Africa. South Africa was towards the end of the trip, and was very special. South Africa, and all of Africa, was a different place 29 years ago.

South Africa was very, very different. Meetings like this, with mixed races and colors present, were almost impossible. Ruhhiyih Khanum said that this country was the greatest test to her, because she was told since childhood about racial unity, amity between the different races and people, so coming here was a real shock to her. During the four weeks that she was in South West Africa, as it was called then, she would have daily prayers, to be free of any form of prejudice. She would say, Baha'u'llah didn't tell us to chose our prejudice, so we must feel a total lack of prejudice in life. So it was quite hard for her when she was refused permits to see the Baha'is in different areas, so today, she is rejoicing with us. I firmly believe that her spirit is in Africa. She loved this continent, the people, and she had the best years of her life after the passing of the Guardian here.

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Book: God Passes By – written by Shoghi Effendi

From: Introduction to Baha’i Books

• God Passes By , the most brilliant and wondrous tale of a century that has ever been told, is truly a "Mother" of future histories, a book wherein every word counts, every sentence burgeons with thought, every thought leads the way to a field of its own. Packed with salient facts it has the range and precision of snowflake crystals, each design perfect in itself, each theme brilliant in outline, coordinated, balanced, self-contained, a matrix for those who follow on and study, evaluate and elaborate the Message and Order of Bahá'u'lláh. It was one of the most concentrated and stupendous achievements of Shoghi Effendi's life, the only true book we have from his pen - because all his other communications were, no doubt due to his profound modesty and humility, in the nature of letters addressed to a specific community or section of the Bahá'í world. (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl)
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Bahji

From: Baha’i Glossary

Arabic for “delight". The name of the property north-east of the city of Acre where Baha’u’llah lived from 1880 until His ascension in 1892, and where His shrine is now situated. It is a place of pilgrimage for Baha’is which comprise the Shrine of Baha’u’llah, the mansion which was His last residence, and the surrounding gardens that serve to beautify the site. Baha’u’llah’s shrine is the point to which Baha'is turn in prayer.

October 1957: Shoghi Effendi created Auxiliary Board for Protection

From: Baha’i Calendar – this month in history

In October 1957 Shoghi Effendi implemented this duty to safeguard the Faith, shortly before his passing, by creating an additional Auxiliary Board, whose function was to be, under the direct guidance of the Hands of the Cause, "watching over the security of the Faith". He had already stated, only five months before he passed away, in a general communication addressed to both the Hands and the National Spiritual Assemblies, that the divinely appointed Institution of the Hands of the Faith was entering a new phase in the unfoldment of "its sacred mission", and that to their other functions was now added the "primary obligation" to watch over and ensure the protection of the Bahá'í World Community "in close collaboration" with the National Assemblies. (The Ministry of the Custodians, 1957-1963, p. 6)

Inscription by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, in Persian, in an old Bible in a London church

From: Christian Themes in Baha’i Literature

This book is the Holy Book of God, of celestial Inspiration. It is the Bible of Salvation, the Noble Gospel. It is the mystery of the Kingdom and its light. It is the Divine Bounty, the sign of the guidance of God. -'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas  (Abdu'l-Baha in London)

The impact of the sudden passing of ‘Abdu’l-Baha on Shoghi Effendi

From: Insights from Messages to the Baha’i World – by Shoghi Effendi

This servant, after that grievous event and great calamity, the ascension of His Holiness 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the Abha Kingdom, has been so stricken with grief and pain and so entangled in the troubles (created) by the enemies of the Cause of God, that I consider that my presence here, at such a time and in such an atmosphere, is not in accordance with the fulfilment of my important and sacred duties.

For this reason, unable to do otherwise, I have left for a time the affairs of the Cause both at home and abroad, under the supervision of the Holy Family and the headship of the Greatest Holy Leaf [Bahiyyih Khanum, sister of 'Abdu'l-Bahá] until, by the Grace of God, having gained health, strength, self-confidence and spiritual energy, and having taken into my hands, in accordance with my aim and desire, entirely and regularly the work of service I shall attain to my utmost spiritual hope and aspiration. (Shoghi Effendi, excerpt from a message dated May 1922; ‘Baha’i Administration’; To see the entire message please visit Messages tothe Baha'i World Community - by Shoghi Effendi)

The Spiritual World is the Counterpart of the Material World

From: Gems of Insight from ’Abdu’l-Baha

The spiritual world is like unto the phenomenal world. They are the exact counterpart of each other. Whatever objects appear in this world of existence are the outer pictures of the world of heaven. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a talk, 13 April 1912; ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’)

William Sutherland Maxwell – Hand of the Cause of God, Architect of the Arcade and Superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab, Father-in-Law of Shoghi Effendi (1874-1952)

From: Baha'i Heroes and Heroines

Cablegram from Shoghi Eflendi, Guardian of the Baha’i Faith:

With sorrowful heart announce through National Assemblies Hand of Cause of Baha’u’llah highly esteemed dearly beloved Sutherland Maxwell gathered into the glory of the Abha Kingdom. His saintly life extending well-nigh four-score years, enriched during the course of 'Abdu'l-Baha’s ministry by services in the Dominion of Canada, ennobled during Formative Age of the Faith by decade of services in Holy Land, during darkest days of my life, doubly honored through association with the crown of martyrdom won by May Maxwell and incomparable honor bestowed upon his daughter, attained consummation through his appointment as architect of the Arcade and Superstructure of the Bab's Sepulcher as well as his elevation to the front ranks of the Hands of the Cause of God. Advise all National Assemblies hold befitting memorial gatherings particularly in the Mashriqu'l-Adkar in Wilmette, and in the Haziratu'l-Quds in Tihran.

Have instructed Hands of the Cause in United States and Canada, Horace Holley and Fred Schopflocher, to attend as my representatives the funeral in Montreal. Moved to name after him the southern door of Bab's Tomb as tribute to his services to second holiest Shrine of Baha’i World. The mantle of Hand of Cause now falls upon the shoulders of his distinguished daughter, Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih, who has already rendered and is still rendering no less meritorious self-sacrificing services at World Center of Faith of Baha’u’llah.

Haifa, Israel,
March 26th, 1952.

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1910: Tarbiat School, Tehran, Iran

From: Worldwide Community of Baha'u'llah

Tarbiat School, Tehran, Iran, 1910 -- the school committee, teachers and students

Prayer: O my God! O my God! Favor belongs to Thee, Generosity belongs to Thee…

From: Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Star of the West

O my God! O my God! Favor belongs to Thee, Generosity belongs to Thee, Praise belongs to Thee and Glorification is Thine, for that which Thou hast bestowed upon these indigent ones, granted a refuge and asylum to these weak ones in the cave of Thy protection and preservation, assisted them in the service of Thy Cause and confirmed them in the worship of Thy Exalted Threshold. O Lord! They have sacrificed their belongings and souls in Thy path, contributed for love of Thee and missed no chance or opportunity in spreading Thy Signs, diffusing Thy Word, promulgating Thy Name among Thy servants and proclaiming Thy wonders among Thy creatures.

Verily Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Most High, the Omnipresent and verily Thou art the Clement and the Most Merciful!

(Signed) ‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas
(Star of the West, Vol. 1, No. 4, May 17, 1910)

We should metaphorically view each other as leaves and fruits of one tree

From: Teachings of the Baha’i Faith

The utterance of God is a lamp, whose light is these words: Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf)

‘Abdu’l-Baha with some children

From: ‘Abdu’l-Baha Visists the West

‘Abdu’l-Baha with some children at the home of Howard MacNutt in New York. Lua Getsinger, is seen in the front row, right

Heart of the Arc on Mount Carmel

From: Baha’i Points of Interest

The “far-flung arc” on mount Carmel that accommodates the buildings of the Universal House of Justice, the International Teaching Center, the Center for the Study of the Text, and the International Archives, “surround(s) the resting-places of the Greatest Holy Leaf, ranking as foremost among the members of her sex in the Bahá'í Dispensation, of her Brother, offered up as a ransom by Bahá'u'lláh for the quickening of the world and its unification, and of their Mother, proclaimed by Him to be His chosen "consort in all the worlds of God". This really highlights the incredible spiritual stations of these “three incomparably precious souls who, next to the three Central Figures of our Faith, tower in rank above the vast multitude of the heroes, Letters, martyrs, Hands, teachers and administrators of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh …” (Adapted from Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World 1950—57; Shoghi Effendi, ‘Messages to America’; and the Compilation of Compilations, vol. I) 

Baha’u’llah’s Ancestral Place

From: Baha’i Historical Facts

Baha’u’llah’s family came from Nur, a district in the Iranian province of Mazandaran, the province in north Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. This province has high mountain peaks in the south descending to the northern coastal plain bordering the sea. Because of the dense sub-tropical jungles of the lower parts of the province (a stark contrast to the dry desert conditions in much of the rest of Iran), it was always difficult area for invaders to penetrate. The Zoroastrian royalty and nobility fled to these parts after the Arab Islamic invasion of Iran in the seventh century and Baha’u’llah’s family are said to have been descended from the last Zoroastrian monarch of Iran. Even when the people of this area finally converted to Islam centuries after that invasion, they mainly converted to the Zaydi form of Shi’i Islam as distinct from the Sunni Islam of most of the rest of Iran. It was only when the Safavid monarchs imposed Twelver Shi’i Islam [those who believed in the succession of Imams after the passing of Muhammad] on the whole country that Mazandaran fell into line with the rest of Iran. (Moojan Momen, ‘Baha’u’llah: A Short Biography’) 

Louise and John Bosch

From: We are Baha'is

John David Bosch was born at Neu-St. Johann, Canton St. Gall, Switzerland, on August 1, 1855. His parents were Michael Johann Bosch and Maria Biegmann; he had three brothers and three sisters, and was his parents' fifth child. When he was nine, his mother died, and he was then brought up by his oldest sister, whom he loved all his life. After attending elementary and “repletitionary" school in Neu-St. Johann, he left Switzerland with a sister and her husband (the Zuberbuhlers), arrived in America in 1879, and went to Amboy, Nebraska where on arrival the Zuberbuhlers purchased a farm. He practised his trade of cooper. "helped with the building of the railroad, and also farmed." He was in Los Angeles, California between 1884 and 1889, and became a citizen of the United States in Los Angeles County in 1887, the document also being registered in Sonoma County in 1892. He married Kathe Krieg in '85 or '86, the marriage ending in divorce around '89. It was about this period that he went to Germany, France and Spain to study winemaking. After holding various good positions in the Valley of the Moon, he purchased the thirty-five acres constituting the original extent of his Geyserville property on October 26, 1901 from Emily B. Smith of Geyserville.

Shine Your Light on me Baha’u’llah …a song

From: Baha’i Songs and Poems

Shine you Light on me Baha’u’llah,

I am over here Baha'u'llah,

Shine your light on me Baha’u’llah,

Glory-aye, glory-aye.

Help me love Mankind Baha’u’llah,

I am over here Baha’u'llah,

Help me love Mankind Baha’u’llah,

Glory-aye, glory-aye.

Help me serve the Faith Baha’u’llah,

I am over here Baha’u'llah,

Help me serve the Faith Baha’u’llah,

Glory-aye, glory-aye.

Help me be a flame Baha’u’llah,

I am over here Baha’u'llah,

Help me be a flame Baha’u’llah,

Glory-aye, glory-aye.

Help me teach the Cause Baha’u’llah,

I am over here Baha’u'llah,

Help me teach the Cause Baha’u’llah,

Glory-aye, glory-aye.

Help me sacrifice Baha’u’llah,

I am over here Baha’u'llah,

Help me sacrifice Baha’u’llah,

Glory-aye, glory-aye.

“…if we rise to play nobly our part…”

From: Daily Spiritual Food for Thought

If we but turn our gaze to the high qualifications of the members of Bahá'í Assemblies, ... we are filled with feelings of unworthiness and dismay, and would feel truly disheartened but for the comforting thought that if we rise to play nobly our part every deficiency in our lives will be more than compensated by the all-conquering spirit of His grace and power. Hence it is incumbent upon the chosen delegates to consider without the least trace of passion and prejudice, and irrespective of any material consideration, the names of only those who can best combine the necessary qualities of unquestioned loyalty, of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature experience.... (Shoghi Effendi, excerpt from a letter dated 3 June 1925 to Bahá'í Convention, ‘Bahá'í Administration’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Baha’i Elections)

“…the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God…”

From: Human Soul and Its Eternal Journey

And now concerning thy question regarding the soul of man and its survival after death. Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure. It will manifest the signs of God and His attributes, and will reveal His loving kindness and bounty. The movement of My Pen is stilled when it attempteth to befittingly describe the loftiness and glory of so exalted a station. The honor with which the Hand of Mercy will invest the soul is such as no tongue can adequately reveal, nor any other earthly agency describe. Blessed is the soul which, at the hour of its separation from the body, is sanctified from the vain imaginings of the peoples of the world. Such a soul liveth and moveth in accordance with the Will of its Creator, and entereth the all-highest Paradise. (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah)

Two Accounts of the Bab’s Childhood Days at School

From: Baha’i Stories

There are some accounts left for posterity concerning the time that the Bab attended school in Shiraz, Persia. Such accounts are priceless because they help us understand how each Manifestation of God exhibits very special God given qualities even in their childhood.

First Account:

A fellow student who was then twelve years old related the following account many years later concerning the Bab’s first day at school.

“The Báb had taken a seat, with great courtesy, in between this boy and another pupil who was also much older than Himself. His head was bowed over the primer put in front of Him, the first lines of which He had been taught to repeat. But He would not utter a word. When asked why He did not read aloud as other boys were doing He made no reply. Just then two boys, sitting near them, were heard to recite a couplet from Hafiz (a well known Persian poet), which runs thus:

From the pinnacles of Heaven they call out unto thee;

I know not what hath thee here entrapped.

'That is your answer,' said the Báb, turning to …” the older boy who recalled this incident. (The Báb – The Herald of the Day of Days, by Hand of the Cause Balyuzi)

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1900 - The Board of Counsel of The Baha'i Assembly of New York City

From: Worldwide Community of Baha’u’llah

The Board of Counsel of the Baha'i Assembly of New York City 1900

Seated, left to right: Clement Woolson, Howard Mac Nutt, Arthur P. Dodge, Charles E. Sprague Standing, left to right: Anton F. Haddad (honorary), Frank E. Osborne, Hooper Harris, William H. Hoar, Andrew Hutchinson, Edwin A. Putnam

December 16, 1922: Message from Shoghi Effendi to Baha'is throughout the continent of America

From: Messages to the Baha’i World Community – by Shoghi Effendi

To the loved ones of 'Abdu'l-Baha throughout the continent of America

Dear fellow-workers in the Holy Vineyard of Baha!

Now that my long hours of rest and meditation are happily at an end, I turn my face with renewed hope and vigor to that vast continent the soil of which is pregnant with those seeds that our beloved Master has so tenderly and so profusely scattered in the past. Prolonged though this period has been, yet I have strongly felt ever since the New Day has dawned upon me that such a needed retirement, despite the temporary dislocations it might entail, would far outweigh in its results any immediate service I could have humbly tendered at the Threshold of Bahá'u'lláh.

I am now confident that the energies of my beloved brethren and sisters across the seas, far from being damped by my sudden disappearance from the field of service, will henceforth be fully maintained, nay redoubled in their intensity, that we may all together carry triumphantly to the uttermost corners of the world the glorious Standard of Baha.

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Afnan-i-Yazdi (1830-1911) – an Apostle of Baha’u’llah

From: Baha’i Biographical Notes 

He was also known as Haji Muhammad-Taqi, the Afnan, a cousin of the Báb and the chief builder of the first Baha’i House of Worship in ‘Ishqabad, in Russian Turkistan, which had been initiated by ‘Abdu'l-Baha in or about 1902. Haji Muhammad-Taqi's state title was Vakil’ud-Dawlih. He was named an Apostle of Baha'u'llah by Shoghi Effendi.

A Shelter for All Mankind

From: Portraits of 'Abdu'l-Baha

"We have made Thee a shelter for all mankind, a shield unto all who are in heaven and on earth, a stronghold for whosoever hath believed in God, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing.” (Baha'u'llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in The World Order of Baha'u'llah)

'Abdu'l-Baha