From: Baha’i
sacred Relics
December 28, 2015
A Tablet in Baha'u'llah's own hand after He was poisoned by His half-brother
December 20, 2015
Education and training of children
Among the greatest of all services that can possibly be rendered by man to Almighty God is the education and training of children..."
December 13, 2015
Never have I seen anyone work as hard as Shoghi Effendi
Never have I seen anyone work as hard as Shoghi Effendi, and
it must be very trying to him with his universal creative energy, his world
horizon, his soaring ideals, to say nothing of the unfathomable depths of
knowledge and wisdom which flow like undulated waves through his sacred entity
at all times, it must be a cruel restraint that he has not a greater vehicle or
channel through which to pour all this power throughout the world...
- May Maxwell (From a
letter to Katherine Baldwin, Honolulu. February 1939)December 5, 2015
“The human soul is an essence spiritual in entity and material or physical in function.”
The human soul is an essence spiritual in entity and
material or physical in function. It is defined as essence because it is
independent in itself, while the body is accidental and dependent upon the
soul.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk, quoted by Lua Getsinger in her
talk in San Francisco on December 17, 1911)November 28, 2015
There are fourteen Tablets of the Divine Plan
The Tablets of the Divine Plan are fourteen in number and
were revealed at two separate times by 'Abdu'l-Baha: eight of them in 1916, and
six in 1917.
- Hand of the Cause Balyuzi (‘Abdu'l-Baha - The Centre of the Covenant’)November 21, 2015
Nov. 1919 -- 'Abdu'l-Baha With Some Eastern and Western Baha'is
'Abdu'l-Baha with some Eastern and Western Baha'is assembled
on Mt. Carmel in November 1919. Mrs. Corinne True and daughter Edna are
standing in front row.
November 8, 2015
November 1, 2015
Unity of East & West, Future World, and the Role of America
From: Talks of ‘Abdu’l-Baha
16 April 1912
Talk at Hotel Ansonia to Bahá'í Friends of New Jersey
Talk at Hotel Ansonia to Bahá'í Friends of New Jersey
Broadway and Seventy-third Street, New York
Notes by Ahmad Sohrab
Notes by Ahmad Sohrab
Souls from the East and West have been brought together here through the power
of the Holy Spirit. Such a gathering as this would be impossible through
material means. A meeting of this kind has never been established in New York,
for here tonight we find people from remote regions of the earth, associated
with the people of America in the utmost love and spiritual unity. This is only
possible through the power of God. Christ appeared in this world nineteen
hundred years ago to establish ties of unity and bonds of love between the
various nations and different communities. He cemented together the sciences of
Rome and the splendors of the civilization of Greece. He also accomplished
affiliation between the Assyrian kingdom and the power of Egypt. The blending
of these nations in unity, love and agreement had been impossible, but Christ
through divine power established this condition among the children of men.
…Read more
…Read more
October 25, 2015
Description of the “Meadow of Paradise”
This [Tablet] is the Meadow of Paradise wherein the melody
of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, hath been exalted. Therein hath
Houris [Maidens] of Eternity been empowered whom none hath touched save God,
the Almighty, the Sanctified. Therein doth the Nightingale of Eternal
Subsistence warble upon the branches of the Lote-Tree of the Extremity with
such a melody as hath bedazzled discerning souls. Therein is that through which
the poor and needy are made to approach the shore of independent
self-sufficiency and the people obtain guidance unto the Word of God. Such,
indeed, is the certain Truth!
- Baha’u’llah
(‘Tablet of the Bell’)October 18, 2015
A disciple of the Báb
From: Baha’i Knowledge
Hunt
Question: Which disciple of the Báb accompanied Him on His pilgrimage
to Mecca in 1845? -->Answer
October 11, 2015
Beloved Martyrs
…most of the favoured ones of
God offered up their lives as martyrs in the field of sacrifice. He Who is the
resplendent Morn of divine guidance, the Exalted One [the Bab] sank below the
horizon of sacrifice. Quddus sought companionship with the Beloved through glorious
martyrdom. Mulla Husayn opened a new gate to the field of martyrdom. Vahid
distinguished himself as a peerless figure in the arena of sacrifice. Zanjani
[Hujjat] offered up his life as a martyr upon the plain of tribulation. The
King of Martyrs hastened forth to the place of sacrifice. The Beloved of
Martyrs was enraptured with ineffable gladness when he offered up his life for
the sake of God. Ashraf attained the heights of honour as he unflinchingly set
his face towards the arena of sacrifice. Badi, as he breathed his last,
exclaimed: 'Magnified be my Lord, the Most Glorious!' The martyrs of the land
of Ya [Yazd] drank their fill with relish from the draught of glorious
martyrdom, and the martyrs of Shiraz laid down their lives in the arena of ardent
love to the tune of sweet and wondrous melodies. Those massacred in the land of
Nayriz were inebriated with the brimful cup of sacrifice, and the martyrs of
Tabriz were seized with ecstatic joy and unleashed new energies in the field of
sacrifice. Those who renounced their lives in Mazandaran exclaimed: 'O Lord!
Destine for us this cup that brimmeth over with the choice wine'; while the
martyrs of Isfahan laid down their lives with utmost joy and radiance.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a
Tablet; compilation: ‘Fire and Light’, prepared by the Baha’i World Center; The
Baha’i World 1979-1983)
October 4, 2015
Fujita joined ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s entourage in Chicago
From: Baha’i Pilgrim
Notes
One who came with ‘Abdu’l-Baha from Chicago was Haritsu S.
Fujita, a young Japanese who had received the Message while working as
"school boy" in the home of Mrs. Kathryn Frankland in Fruitvale,
California. Afterward he had gone to Chicago to study and was living with the
family of Mrs. Corinne True. ‘Abdu’l-Baha, as He passed through Chicago, asked
Fujita to join His retinue.
- Ella Cooper (Unpublished manuscript)
September 27, 2015
National Spiritual Assemblies as of 1925
From: Baha’i Historical Facts
* NSA of the Baha’is of Persia
* NSA of the United States and Canada
* NSA of the Baha'is of Germany
* NSA of the Baha’is of Great Britain and Ireland
* NSA of the Baha’is of India and Burma
* NSA of the Baha’is of Egypt
* NSA of the Baha’is of Turkistan
* NSA of the Baha’is of Caucasus
* NSA of the Baha’is of Iraq
(Source: Baha’i Year Book 1925-1926)
* NSA of the Baha'is of Germany
* NSA of the Baha’is of Great Britain and Ireland
* NSA of the Baha’is of India and Burma
* NSA of the Baha’is of Egypt
* NSA of the Baha’is of Turkistan
* NSA of the Baha’is of Caucasus
* NSA of the Baha’is of Iraq
(Source: Baha’i Year Book 1925-1926)
September 20, 2015
Dawn prayers in Mashriqu'l-Adhkárs
From: Daily
Verses of God
Blessed is he who, at the hour of dawn, centring his
thoughts on God, occupied with His remembrance, and supplicating His
forgiveness, directeth his steps to the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár and, entering
therein, seateth himself in silence to listen to the verses of God, the
Sovereign, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Say: The Mashriqu'l-Adhkár is each and
every building which hath been erected in cities and villages for the
celebration of My praise. Such is the name by which it hath been designated
before the throne of glory, were ye of those who understand.
- Baha’u’llah (The
Kitab-i-Aqdas)
September 13, 2015
September 6, 2015
Religions are like Branches of one Tree
The Reality of all is One. Truth is one. Religions are like
the branches of one Tree. One branch is high, one is low and one in the centre,
yet all draw their life from the one stem. One branch bears fruit and others
are not laden so abundantly. All the Prophets are lights, they only differ in
degree; they shine like brilliant heavenly bodies, each have their appointed
place and time of ascension. Some are like lamps, some like the moon, some like
distant stars, and a few are like the sun, shining from one end of the earth to
the other. all have the same Light to give, yet they are different in degree.
- ‘Abdu'l-Baha (From a talk; ‘Abdu’l-Baha in London’)
August 30, 2015
There “can be no extremes in human conditions as regards wealth and sustenance.”
One of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings is the adjustment of means of
livelihood in human society. Under this adjustment there can be no extremes in
human conditions as regards wealth and sustenance. For the community needs
financier, farmer, merchant and laborer just as an army must be composed of
commander, officers and privates. All cannot be commanders; all cannot be
officers or privates. Each in his station in the social fabric must be
competent -- each in his function according to ability but with justness of
opportunity for all.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (From a talk, ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks
Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in
1912’)
August 23, 2015
Mashriqu’l-Adhkar - The Greatest Divine Institute
The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar [Baha’i temple] is the most important
matter and the greatest divine institute. Consider how the first institute of
his holiness Moses, after his exodus from Egypt was the 'Tent of Martyrdom'
which he raised and which was the traveling temple. It was a tent which they
pitched in the desert wherever they abode, and worshipped in it. Likewise,
after his holiness Christ-May the spirit of the world be a sacrifice to Him-the
first institute by the disciples was a temple. They planned a church in every
country. Consider the Gospel, (i. e., read it), and the importance of the
Mashriqu'l-Adhkar will become evident.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Quoted in Baha’i Year
Book 1925-1926)
August 16, 2015
The “darkness of error” vs. “the light of Divine Guidance”
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Cited in Shoghi Effendi, ‘The Advent of Divine
Justice’, p. 6; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Opposition)
August 2, 2015
Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper (d.1938) - the first Baha'i in England
Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper was the first Baha'i in England and
one of the first Western people to recognize the Revelation of Baha'u'llah. She
received the name "Maryam Khanum" from 'Abdu'l-Baha. She put her car
at the Master's disposal during His visits to London. Her tall, graceful figure
with her serene angel face shining beneath a crown of silver hair, her blue
eyes, and the soft blend of blues and purples in her dress, gracious to all,
and ready to be of constant service to her exalted Guest.
In a letter to Lady Blomfield, now published in The Chosen
Highway, Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper tells how she became aware of the new
Revelation. "Early in 1900 I received a letter from Mrs. Phoebe Hearst, my
life long friend from California, telling me of a wonderful new religious
teaching she had contacted. She said that she felt it would be of great
interest to me, and that when she came to London, she would tell me all about
it. A short time later I was searching in the encyclopedia for some information
about King David, about whom I had had an argument. In turning over the pages,
my eye was caught by a name "Báb." . . . There was something so
moving in this story of a martyr for His faith, that so moved me that I went to
the British Museum to search for further information regarding Him and His
teaching."
July 26, 2015
Shaykh Ahmad’s Secret
Many years ago there lived in Persia a man who knew a very
wonderful secret. Perhaps you would not think it a secret because it was
written in a Book, so that everyone might read it. But those who read it did
not understand just what it meant. Shaykh Ahmad understood because he
had studied this Book a great deal and had prayed to understand. And the secret
he found there made him so happy that he wished to tell everyone.
Would you like to know the secret? In this Book, which was
called the Qur'an, it told that God would send a new Teacher to the
world, a very great Teacher like Jesus and Muhammad. We know only a little
about God because He is so much greater than we are, and so very wonderful.
Sometimes we are so busy taking care of ourselves and having a good time that
we do not even think about God. We forget that we would not even be alive if He
did not give us life. So once in a while He sends one of these divine Teachers
to the earth to remind people about Himself. These Teachers are like Him and
They show us how He wishes us to live.
Jesus was one of these Teachers. Some of us know about Him
and read about Him in the Bible. Others know more about Muhammad and read about
Him in the Qur'an. It was in the Qur'an, which Muhammad wrote, long
ago, that Shaykh Ahmad read about the new Teacher who was coming. He was called
the Promised One because God had promised He should come.
July 19, 2015
We shouldn’t allow anything to “intervene” between us and God
From: Daily Verses
of God
Should a man wish to adorn himself with the ornaments of the
earth, to wear its apparels, or partake of the benefits it can bestow, no harm
can befall him, if he alloweth nothing whatever to intervene between him and
God, for God hath ordained every good thing, whether created in the
heavens or in the earth, for such of His servants as truly believe in Him. Eat
ye, O people, of the good things which God hath allowed you, and deprive not
yourselves from His wondrous bounties. Render thanks and praise unto Him, and
be of them that are truly thankful.
- Baha’u’llah ('Gleanings from the
Writings of Baha’u’llah’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Conservation
of the Earth's Resources)
July 12, 2015
Names and Attributes of God have penetrated “the degrees of existence”
Praise be to God Who hath ever caused His Names and
Attributes to penetrate the degrees of existence; Who hath made the effects of
those Names and Attributes to shine resplendent and their signs to be firmly
established in both the hidden and manifest worlds. By them He hath made the
holy realities that are informed by His grace and are the recipients of His outpourings
to be the sole revealers of all that pertaineth unto Him, and hath caused them
to move through the firmament of perfection in arcs of descent and ascent. He
hath ordained these Names and Attributes to be the first and foremost origin
and cause of being in the world of creation and the source of the different
grades of realities in the degrees of existence. When, through its power of
attraction and propagation, the Day-Star of Names and Attributes shone upon the
hidden realities in the heart of the unseen realm, they issued forth, were
spread abroad, scattered about, set in order, became the recipients of the
grace of God and His outpourings, and were made to be the sole manifestations
of the Divine conditions and Eternal signs. Emerging from behind the veils,
they appeared clothed in raiments of light, moving in the firmament of the
unity of God, in orbits of sanctity and circles of glorification.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablet of
Universe’)
July 5, 2015
'Abdu'l-Baha with children
‘Abdu'l-Baha with Musette 'Ruhiyyih' Jones and Joseph Ioas
in Chicago 1912
June 28, 2015
A talk at Los Angeles Baha'i Center on October 23, 1948 – by Horace Holley
(Stenographic notes)
The human race is immersed in the ocean of the spirit. Baha'u'llah is
universal, and He has surrounded humanity with all the blessings of the Day of
God. You and I are aware of the fact that we are immersed in the ocean of the
spirit, but the majority of the people are not yet aware, and when we are not
aware of the spirit that surrounds and penetrates us, and tries to act upon a
reluctant heart and a mind that is full of the shadows of the past, the
individual encased in this unawareness is fearful of the spirit because the
spirit, to him, is something that threatens what he thinks is the basis of his
human personality. It is as though he were constantly being threatened by death-not
physical death-but the extinction of what he considers to be his security.
Those who are aware of the spirit, and know it can do nothing but bless those
who become aware of it, have laid upon themselves the mission of the ages, to
remove the obstacles from human personality which shut people out from the
Spirit of Baha'u'llah.
In this great Day of God there is no one way to free all souls. The number of
ways which are necessary to learn is exactly the number of the Baha'is
themselves, which means that every Baha'i has a mission, and if any of us fail
to do our part in the quickening of souls, it means we have left certain people
in the prison of their human personality, because we have thrown away the keys
that would open the doors and make them Baha'is.
June 21, 2015
October 1911: An article in praise of ‘Abdu’l-Baha is published by the editor of Egyptian Arabic newspaper “al-Mu'ayyad”
After a month's stay in Port Said, 'Abdu'l-Bahá once again
took ship, without previous intimation. He intended to go to Europe, but it
became evident that the state of His health did not permit the strenuous work
involved. He landed in Alexandria. It was in that ancient city that a sudden
change occurred. Journalists in Egypt, who had hitherto shown open hostility,
asked to meet 'Abdu'l-Bahá and perceptibly changed their tone. Even more, they
wrote in terms of high praise. Shaykh 'Ali Yusuf, the editor of the Arabic
paper, al-Mu'ayyad, had previously made harsh attacks on Bahá'ís and the Bahá'í
Faith, urging severe counter-measures against them. He visited 'Abdu'l-Bahá,
and in the October 16th issue of his paper he published an article under the
heading: 'Al-Mirza 'Abbas Effendi'. These are the opening lines of that
remarkable article: 'His Eminence Mirza 'Abbas Effendi, the learned and erudite
Head of the Bahá'ís in 'Akká and the Centre of authority for Bahá'ís throughout
the world, has reached the shores of Alexandria.' At first, related the writer,
'Abdu'l-Bahá stayed in the Victoria Hotel, but after a few days moved to a
rented house. Then he went on to say:
He is a venerable person, dignified, possessed of profound knowledge, deeply
versed in theology, master of the history of Islam, and of its denominations
and developments . . . whosoever has consorted with Him has seen in Him a man
exceedingly well-informed, Whose speech is captivating, Who attracts minds and
souls, dedicated to belief in the oneness of mankind . . . His teaching
and guidance revolve round the axis of relinquishing prejudices: religious,
racial, patriotic.
- H.M. Balyuzi ('Abdu'l-Baha - The Centre of the
Covenant’)
June 14, 2015
History of Philosophers Prior to Alexander of Greece
From: Baha’i Historical
Facts
As to what thou didst ask regarding the history of the
philosophers: history, prior to Alexander of Greece, is extremely confused, for
it is a fact that only after Alexander did history become an orderly and
systematized discipline. One cannot, for this reason, rely upon traditions and
reported historical events that have come down from before the days of
Alexander. This is a matter thoroughly established, in the view of all
authoritative historians. How many a historical account was taken as fact in
the eighteenth century, yet the opposite was proven true in the nineteenth. No
reliance, then, can be placed upon the traditions and reports of historians which
antedate Alexander, not even with regard to ascertaining the lifetimes of
leading individuals. …..
The histories prior to Alexander, which were based on oral accounts current
among the people, were put together later on. There are great discrepancies
among them, and certainly they can never hold their own against the Holy Writ.
It is an accepted fact among historians themselves that prior to this time
history was transmitted by word of mouth. Note how extremely confused was the
history of Greece, so much so that to this day there is no agreement on the
dates related to the life of Homer, Greece's far-famed poet. Some even maintain
that Homer never existed at all, and that the name is a fabrication.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Authorized translation
of unpublished Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Baha to Ethel Rosenberg in 1906 in reply to
her questions about the Tablet of Wisdom. Research Department, Baha'i World
Centre. Published pp 78-81 in Ethel Jenner Rosenberg, the ‘Life and Times of
England's Outstanding Baha'i Pioneer Worker’, by Robert Weinberg; George
Ronald, Oxford, 1995).
June 7, 2015
Tarbiat School
The problem of the School of Tarbiat is of the utmost
importance. It is an essential obligation and duty incumbent upon all the
friends to serve that school. This is, the first school that the friends have
founded in Persia, and all the people know that it belongs to them. Neglect and
carelessness in the management of its progressive affairs is a blow to the
Cause of God. Therefore everyone must give extraordinary importance to the
school of Tarbiat and assist it from some standpoint either through enlightened
ideals or the introduction of modern system of education, either by liberal
contributions or continual encouragement and assistance. To be brief: It is the
hope of this Servant that in the course of time this school become
distinguished from among all the schools of the world. Now consider how
important is this matter.
(Signed) ‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas
(Star of the West, Vol. 1, No. 5, June 5, 1910)
(Star of the West, Vol. 1, No. 5, June 5, 1910)
May 31, 2015
Book: Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah - by Baha'u'llah
In 1935 Shoghi Effendi again presented the western Bahá'ís
with a magnificent gift, published under the title Gleanings from the Writings
of Bahá'u'lláh, which the Guardian himself described as "consisting of a
selection of the most characteristic and hitherto unpublished passages from the
outstanding works of the Author of the Bahá'í Revelation."
Remembering the scanty pages of the New Testament, the reputed
words of Buddha, and the mere handful of sayings of some other Divine
luminaries, which nevertheless have transfigured for centuries the lives of
millions of men, the Gleanings alone seems to provide a source of guidance and
inspiration sufficient for the spiritual Dispensation of any Prophet. The most
treasured tribute to this book was that of Queen Marie of Rumania who told
Martha Root: "even doubters would find a powerful strength in it, if they
would read it alone, and would give their souls time to expand." To Shoghi
Effendi himself the Queen wrote, in January 1936, after receiving from him a
copy, "May I send you my most grateful thanks for the wonderful book,
every word of which is precious to me, and doubly so in this time of anxiety
and unrest."
- Ruhiyyih Khanum ('The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith')
May 24, 2015
The early life of the Báb
The progressive phases of the early life of the Báb:
In the womb
“Thou didst create Me, O Lord, through Thy gracious favour
and didst protect Me through Thy bounty in the darkness of the womb and didst
nourish Me, through Thy loving-kindness, with life-giving blood.”
“After having fashioned Me in a most comely form, through Thy tender providence, and having perfected My creation through Thine excellent handiwork and breathed Thy Spirit into My body through Thine infinite mercy and by the revelation of Thy transcendent unity, Thou didst cause Me to issue forth from the world of concealment into the visible world, naked, ignorant of all things, and powerless to achieve aught.”
“After having fashioned Me in a most comely form, through Thy tender providence, and having perfected My creation through Thine excellent handiwork and breathed Thy Spirit into My body through Thine infinite mercy and by the revelation of Thy transcendent unity, Thou didst cause Me to issue forth from the world of concealment into the visible world, naked, ignorant of all things, and powerless to achieve aught.”
Early childhood
“Thou didst then nourish Me with refreshing milk and didst
rear Me in the arms of My parents with manifest compassion, until Thou didst
graciously acquaint Me with the realities of Thy Revelation and apprised Me of
the straight path of Thy Faith as set forth in Thy Book.”
May 17, 2015
Marion Jack – an “immortal heroine”, and a “shining example (to) pioneers (of) present (and) future generations (of) East (and) West”
Cablegram from the Guardian:
Mourn loss (of) immortal heroine, Marion Jack, greatly-loved
and deeply-admired by 'Abdu'l-Baha, (a) shining example (to) pioneers (of)
present (and) future generations (of) East (and) West, surpassed (in)
constancy, dedication, self-abnegation (and) fearlessness by none except (the)
incomparable Martha Root. Her unremitting, highly-meritorious activities (in
the) course (of) almost half (a) century, both (in) North America (and)
Southeast Europe, attaining (their) climax (in the) darkest, most dangerous
phase (of the) second World War, shed imperishable luster (on) contemporary
Baha'i history.
May 10, 2015
Baha’is mentioned by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in ‘Memorials of the Faithful’
- Nabíl-i-Akbar
- Ismu’lláhu’l-Asdaq
- Mullá ‘Alí-Akbar
- Shaykh Salmán
- Mírzá Muhammad-‘Alí, the Afnán
- Hájí Mírzá Hasan, the Afnán
- Muhammad-‘Alíy-i-Isfáhání
- ‘Abdu’s-Sálih, the Gardener
- Ustád Ismá’íl
- Nabíl-i-Zarandí
- Darvísh Sidq-‘Alí
- Áqá Mírzá Muhmúd and Áqá Ridá
- Pidar-Ján of Qazvín
- Shaykh Sádiq-i-Yazdí
- Sháh-Muhammad-Amín
- Mashhadí Fattah
- Nabíl of Qá’in
- Siyyid Muhammad-Taqí Manshadí
- Muhammad-‘Alí Sabbáq of Yazd
- ‘Abdu’l-Ghaffár of Isfáhán
May 3, 2015
Teaching the Cause
Under all conditions the Message must be delivered, but with
wisdom. If it be not possible openly, it must be done quietly. The friends
should be engaged in educating the souls and should become instruments in
aiding the world of humanity to acquire spiritual joy and fragrance.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (‘Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, vol. 2’)
April 26, 2015
April 19, 2015
“If thou desirest to be freed from affliction, recite thou this prayer which hath been revealed by the Pen of the All-Merciful:”
“O God, my God! I testify to Thy unity and to Thy oneness. I
beseech Thee, O Thou Possessor of names and Fashioner of the heavens, by the
pervasive influence of Thine exalted Word and the potency of Thy supreme Pen,
to aid me with the ensigns of Thy power and might, and to protect me from the
mischief of Thine enemies who have violated Thy Covenant and Thy Testament.
Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.”
This invocation is an impregnable stronghold and an
indomitable army. It conferreth protection and ensureth deliverance.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Tabernacle of Unity’)April 16, 2015
7 May 1963: To the annual National Conventions of the Baha’i World
Beloved Friends,
The marvelous happenings which have transpired during and immediately after the
twelve days of Ridvan attest the greatness of the Cause of God, and fill every
Bahá'í heart to overflowing with joy and gratitude. It was in obedience to the
summons of the Lord of Hosts Himself that the elected representatives of the
fifty-six national and regional communities of the Bahá'í world were called to
elect, in the shadow of God's Holy Mountain and in the house of the Center of
His Covenant, the members of the Universal House of Justice. It was the Sign of
God on earth, the Dayspring of Divine Guidance, the Guardian of the Cause of
God, who gathered more than six thousand Bahá'ís from all parts of the earth to
the celebration of the Most Great Jubilee in London.
The first of these historic occasions was marked by events of extreme spiritual
and administrative significance at the World Center of the Faith. The daily
visits of large groups of believers, of many varying backgrounds, to the sacred
shrines in the twin holy cities; the holding of the first International Bahá'í
Convention and the successful accomplishment of its main task; the celebration
of the Ridvan Feast by some three hundred believers in the company of the Hands
of the Cause of God in the precincts of the Haram-i-Aqdas, are events of unique
character and untold significance in the history of our beloved Faith.
April 11, 2015
Hand of the Cause Dr. John Esslemont (1874-1925)
John Ebenezer Esslemont, who passed away at Haifa November
22, 1925, was born on May 19, 1874, the son of John E. Esslemont of Fairford,
Cults, Aberdeenshire.
He received his preliminary education at Ferryhill public
school and continued his studies at the Robert Gordon College and ultimately at
Aberdeen University, where he graduated with honors in April, 1898, obtaining
not only the medical degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and of Surgery, but also a
Philip Research Scholarship at the University. He spent the second half of 1899
at Berne and Strasburg, at both of which places he wrote papers on his research
work, which were published and considered valuable.
Returning to Scotland in December, 1899, Esslemont took up
the position of assistant to Professor Cash at Aberdeen University, which
position he held until 1901, when he went to Australia, remaining there two
years. During this residence in Australia, he married on December 19, 1902.
Early in his life Esslemont’s health proved a cause of
trouble and anxiety, and in 1903 he was obliged to leave Australia, returning
to Aberdeenshire, where he spent the summer, but found it necessary in the
winter of that year to proceed to South Africa, the climate of which country it
was hoped would prove beneficial to his pulmonary ailment. He remained in South
Africa for five years, returning to his native country in 1908, when he
obtained the post of resident medical officer at the Home Sanatorium,
Bournemouth, which he continued to hold until 1923, when, owing to the death of
the proprietor, the Sanatorium was closed and Esslemont found himself without
medical occupation.
April 4, 2015
Resurrection of Jesus Christ
From: Baha’i
Pilgrim Notes
'Abdu'l-Baha said:
Jesus Christ had two bodies -- one spiritual and one
material. The material body is of no importance; it changes and
changes and changes always. An old person's body is not the same, as that of
the same individual when young.
The visible world does nothing but change, and change leads
to annihilation.
We must be sure that when the soul of man leaves his body,
it never returns to that body again.
In the Gospel record, when Jesus Christ was crucified and
ascended, Mary Magdalene and the other disciples had fallen into such a state
of excitement and agitation, that during three days the cause of God was
annihilated for them. After three days their agitation having abated, they
realised that the cause of Jesus Christ, and His teaching was everlasting in
the world. The disciples would not at first write to the other believers openly
that Jesus was crucified till Mary Magdalene said to them what does it matter;
His soul is with us. When Jesus was crucified, some said "His religion is
annihilated and gone." Mary Magdalene said "Matter is gone, and flesh
-- but the soul of the religion is forever."
March 28, 2015
A Prayer for Mirza Ja'far
The August sun burned down on the stone walls of 'Akka as
the sailboat rocked roughly into the harbor. The Baha'is had come a long way.
They were hot, hungry, and thirsty. But Mirza Ja'far was happy - he was with
Baha'u'llah!
The townspeople yelled at them from the streets, from
windows and doorways, as they passed. Mirza Ja'far had walked through hateful
mobs before. He had been hungry, tired, and hot before. These things did not
matter. He was happy.
The guards at the mighty stone prison gave them little to
eat and drink. But Mirza Ja'far thanked God. His dark, narrow cell seemed like
a sweet-smelling rose garden with Baha'u'llah close by.
Then, one day, Mirza Ja'far fell sick. How could it be? They
had crossed deserts and climbed mountains together. Eager always to help, Mirza
Ja'far never complained, and he never seemed to need rest. He was the one who
went with 'Abdu'l-Baha to find supplies while others rested.
March 21, 2015
His great faith
Of all the characteristics that Shoghi Effendi possessed,
the one that I believe was at the very core of his personality and was deeply
rooted in his soul was the immense faith he had, his complete reliance on the
efficacy of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation. He clung to His Teachings with a tenacity
that cannot be likened to anything. His whole being was permeated with the
power of the Revelation, and this is the reason that all who came near him or
in contact with him felt so safe, so assured, so regenerated.
- Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery (‘Shoghi Effendi –
Recollections’)
March 14, 2015
God “has chosen the reality of man and has honored it with intellect and wisdom”
In the Name of God the Clement, the Merciful
Praise and thanksgiving be unto Providence that out of all
the realities in existence He has chosen the reality of man and has honored it
with intellect and wisdom, the two most luminous lights in either world.
Through the agency of this great endowment, He has in every epoch cast on the
mirror of creation new and wonderful configurations. If we look objectively
upon the world of being, it will become apparent that from age to age, the
temple of existence has continually been embellished with a fresh grace, and
distinguished with an ever-varying splendor, deriving from wisdom and the power
of thought.
This supreme emblem of God stands first in the order of
creation and first in rank, taking precedence over all created things. Witness
to it is the Holy Tradition, “Before all else, God created the mind.” From the
dawn of creation, it was made to be revealed in the temple of man.
March 7, 2015
'Abdu'l-Baha with Eastern friends and a few Western pilgrims on Mount Carmel
February 28, 2015
Permission Requested for Construction of Temple in America
From: Baha’i
Historical Facts
Having heard enthusiastic reports of the building of the
first Mashriqu’l-Adhkar [Baha’i Temple] in ‘Ishqabad, Russia, the members of
the Spiritual committee (better known as the "House of Spirituality")
of the Chicago Assembly were inspired to supplicate to the Center of the
Covenant, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, to grant permission for the second Mashriqu’l-Adhkar to
be built in America. On June 7, 1903, a tablet was revealed in Acca by
‘Abdu’l-Baha saying, "Now the day has arrived in which the edifice of God,
the divine sanctuary, the Spiritual temple, shall be erected in America."
The following words from the pen of ‘Abdu’l-Baha clearly
indicate the erection of a material building: "The Mashriqu’l-Adhkar,
though outwardly a material foundation, is possessed of spiritual effect and
causes the union of hearts and the gathering of souls. . . . Praise be to God !
The erection of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar has a great effect in all grades (or
states). It was tested in the east and so evidently and plainly was it proved
good (that) even when in a village a house was called the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar, it
possessed a different effect. How much more its building and
organization."
(The Baha’i Year Book 1925-1926)
February 21, 2015
“..singing and music are the spiritual food of the hearts and souls.”
This wonderful age has rent asunder the veils of
superstition and has condemned the prejudice of the people of the East.
Among some of the nations of the Orient, music and harmony
was not approved of, but the Manifested Light, Bahá'u'lláh, in this glorious
period has revealed in Holy Tablets that singing and music are the spiritual
food of the hearts and souls. In this dispensation, music is one of the arts
that is highly approved and is considered to be the cause of the exaltation of
sad and desponding hearts.
Therefore ... set to music the verses and the divine words
so that they may be sung with soul-stirring melody in the Assemblies and
gatherings, and that the hearts of the listeners may become tumultuous and rise
towards the Kingdom of Abha in supplication and prayer.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Bahá'í
World Faith: Selected Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá';
The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Music)
February 14, 2015
February 7, 2015
23 December 1922: To Baha'is of Great Britain
To my beloved brethren and sisters throughout Great Britain.
Care of the members of the Bahá’í Council.
Dearest Friends,
I have during the last few days been waiting eagerly for the
first written messages of my Western friends, sent to me since they have
learned of my return to the Holy Land. How great was the joy when dear Miss
Rosenberg’s letter—the very first that reached me from the West—was handed to
me this evening, bearing the joyful news of the safety, the unity and the
happiness of my British friends across the seas! I read it and re-read it with
particular pleasure and felt a thrill of delight at the welcome news of the
harmonious and efficient functioning of your Spiritual Assembly.
I very sincerely hope that now that I have fully re-entered
upon my task, I may be enabled to offer my humble share of assistance and
advice in the all-important work which is now before you. I fervently pray to
God that the field of your activities may go on expanding, that your zeal and
efforts may never diminish, and that new souls, active, able and sincere, may
soon join with you in bearing aloft the Glorious Standard of the Cause in that
land….
Ere long, an able and experienced teacher recently arrived
from Persia will visit your shores and will, I trust, by his thorough knowledge
of the Cause, his wide experience, his fluency, his ardour and his devotion,
reanimate every drooping spirit and inspire the active worker to make fresh and
determined efforts for the deepening as well as the spreading of the Movement
in those regions. His forthcoming book, which he has patiently and laboriously
written on the history of the Movement and which has been partly revised by the
Pen of our Beloved Master is beyond any doubt the most graphic, the most
reliable and comprehensive of its kind in all Bahá’í literature. I am sure he
will considerably enrich the store of your knowledge of the various phases and
stages of the Bahá’í Movement. Our beloved Dr. Esslemont will, I trust, be
particularly pleased to meet him, as he is eminently qualified to offer him
valuable help in connection with various aspects of his (Dr. Esslemont’s) book.
I am enclosing various suggestions of Mr. Dreyfus-Barney and of Mr. Roy Wilhelm
made by them at my request, during their last sojourn in the Holy Land. I
submit them to Dr. Esslemont’s consideration as well as to that of the
Spiritual Assembly. I very deeply regret my inability to give the attention I
desire to this admirable work of his, but will assuredly do all in my power to
aid him in the final stages of his work. I am certain however that the book as
it now stands gives the finest and most effective presentation of the various
aspects of the Cause to the mind of the Oriental as well as to that of the
Westerner. May it arouse a genuine and widespread interest in the Cause
throughout the world.
January 31, 2015
Man is Not a Captive of Nature
... he [man] is the ruler and commander of nature. Man has
intelligence; nature has not. Man has volition; nature has none. Man has
memory; nature is without it. Man has the reasoning faculty; nature is
deprived. Man has the perceptive faculty; nature cannot perceive. It is
therefore proved and evident that man is nobler than nature.
If we accept the supposition that man is but a part of
nature, we are confronted by an illogical statement, for this is equivalent to
claiming that a part may be endowed with qualities which are absent in the
whole. For man who is a part of nature has perception, intelligence, memory,
conscious reflection and susceptibility, while nature itself is quite bereft of
them. How is it possible for the part to be possessed of qualities or faculties
which are absent in the whole? The truth is that God has given to man certain
powers which are supernatural. How then can man be considered a captive of
nature?
(‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a talk, ‘The Promulgation of Universal
Peace’)
January 24, 2015
Lawh-i-Maryam (Tablet to Maryam) - by Bahá’u’lláh
-- provisional translation by Julio Savi and Faezeh
Mardani Mazzoli
He is sorrowful in My sorrow.
O Maryam! The wrongs which I suffer have blotted out the
wrongs suffered by My First Name (the Báb) from the Tablet of
creation [2] and the showers of affliction rained at all times upon
this veilless Beauty from the clouds of God’s decree.
My expulsion from My country was for no other reason except
My love for the Beloved, and my removal from My land was for no other motive
but My willing submission to the Goal of all desire (ridáy-i-maqsúd).
In the summons of God’s decree I was even as a kindled and
shining lamp and in the time of heavenly trials I was as steadfast (thábit) [3] as
a mountain.
In the revelations of grace I was even as a raining cloud
and in restraining the enemies of the King of Oneness like a blazing fire.
The tokens of My might have become a cause of the envy of My
enemies and the effulgences of My wisdom have turned into instruments of the
perfidy of the malicious.
January 17, 2015
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 Bab – The Herald of the Day of Days', by Hand of the Cause
Balyuzi)
The thing remarkable about this account is that not only the
Bab who was then only about five years old understood fully the meaning of this
couplet, but that he equated himself with the phrase “thee”. To posses such
keen understanding of such issues at such a young age is another proof of His
innate and God given knowledge.
Read more…
Read more…
January 10, 2015
The Trust of God
"He is the Trust of God amongst you, His charge within
you, His manifestation unto you and His appearance among His favoured servants
..." (Baha'u'llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in the World Order of
Baha'u'llah)
Photograph taken in 1912 during 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit to the
United States
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