Dear Ones, There is no doubt that each of us intends to celebrate in style the Greatest of Festivals. Therefore, you are invited to a virtual pilgrimage, a special meditative session for the celebration of each of the three special Days of the Festival of Ridvan.
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Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors. And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. - Psalm 24:10 Dear Ones, In all the great religions, a Day of profound significance, the Last Day, is foretold as a time of reckoning for all of humanity. In this regard, the Qur'an informs the faithful that: There is no piety in turning your faces toward the east or toward the west, but he is pious who believeth in God and the Last Day. It was Muhammad's appeal to the faithful to recognize the peerless Beauty that would appear on the Last Day, also announced by Zoroaster: When a thousand two hundred and some years have passed from the inception of the religion of the Arabian and the overthrow of the kingdom of Iran and the degradation of the followers of My religion, a descendant of the Iranian kings will be raised up as a Prophet.Awaited in Buddhism as the Buddha of Compassion, His glorious predecessor, THE BAB, attributed to Him His new Name -the Greatest Name- and praised Him this way: The glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest is immeasurably above every other glory, and His majesty is far above every other majesty. His beauty excelleth every other embodiment of beauty, and His grandeur immensely exceedeth every other manifestation of grandeur. Every light paleth before the radiance of His light, and every other exponent of mercy falleth short before the tokens of His mercy. Every other perfection is as naught in face of His consummate perfection, and every other display of might is as nothing before His absolute might. His names are superior to all other names. His good-pleasure taketh precedence over any other expression of good-pleasure. His pre-eminent exaltation is far above the reach of every other symbol of exaltation. The splendour of His appearance far surpasseth that of any other appearance. His divine concealment is far more profound than any other concealment. His loftiness is immeasurably above every other loftiness. His gracious favour is unequalled by any other evidence of favour. His power transcendeth every power. His sovereignty is invincible in the face of every other sovereignty. His celestial dominion is exalted far above every other dominion. His knowledge pervadeth all created things, and His consummate power extendeth over all beings. This divine Manifestation of incomparable grandeur is BAHA'U'LLAH (the Glory of God), prophet founder of the Baha'i
Faith, born on 12 November 1817 as Mírza Ḥusayn-Alí Nurí into a
noble family in Nur, Persia. Extensive historical research has established that Baha'u'llah was descended not only from Zoroaster and the Sassanid kings of Persia, but also from Abraham through His third wife, Katurah. His father, Mírza Abbas, held the position of vizier at the Shah's court. To give you a better idea of the importance of His mission and how it is related closely to the ancient prophecies, this short video will surely delight you. This blog being all about Baha'u'llah's teachings and how they can help us solve the problems of today's world, we would love for you to EXPLORE its pages and links to discover more about Him and His community of believers. |
No sooner had mankind attained the stage of maturity, than the Word revealed to men’s eyes the latent energies with which it had been endowed—energies which manifested themselves in the plenitude of their glory when the Ancient Beauty appeared, in the year sixty, in the person of ‘Alí-Muḥammad, the Báb.The Bab’s ministry, though fleeting as a dawn breeze, was vibrant and fruitful. Revered by Persia’s masses, long weary of their rulers’ cruelty and their clergy’s decay, His teachings soared with sublime grace, His counsels a sharp rebuke to the debasement of Islam. Such was His radiance that the Bab was soon summoned before the cruel divines of Persia, the grand Imams of the Ottoman Empire, gathered in the mosque of Edirne—not to heed His truth with open hearts, but to swiftly condemn Him to death for declaring Himself none other than the Mahdi, the long-awaited Hidden Imam of Shiite Islam.
I am, I am, I am the Promised One. I am the one Whose name you have for 1000 years invoked, at Whose mention you have risen, Whose advent you have longed to witness, and the hour of Whose Revelation you have prayed God to hasten.
I do not know how to thank you nor how to express to you the joy that inundates my heart. Thus, one must not only admit but love and admire the Báb. Poor great Prophet born at the very heart of Persia without any means of instruction and who alone in the world, encircled with enemies, by the force of his genius was able to create a universal and wise religion. That Bahá'u'lláh has, since then, succeeded him, may be, but I wish that the sublimity of the Báb be admired, who besides paid with his life, with his blood for the reform he preached. Cite me another comparable example. Finally, I can die in peace.Now, let us turn to the young Bab’s own proclamation, recorded as truth by witnesses like Arthur de Gobineau, marveling at the prodigious outpouring of His verses—nearly tenfold the volume of the Bible itself!
And if anyone should reflect on the appearance of this Tree, he will undoubtedly testify to the loftiness of the Cause of God. For if one from whose life only twenty-four years have passed, and who is devoid of those sciences wherein all are learned, now reciteth verses after such fashion without thought or hesitation, writes a thousand verses of prayer in the course of five hours without pause of the pen, and produceth commentaries and learned treatises on such lofty themes as the true understanding of God and of the oneness of His Being, in a manner which doctors and philosophers confess surpasseth their power of understanding, then there is no doubt that all that hath been manifested is divinely inspired. Notwithstanding their life-long diligent study, what pains do these divines take when writing a single line in Arabic! Yet after such efforts the result is but words which are unworthy of mention. All these things are for a proof unto the people; otherwise the religion of God is too mighty and glorious for anyone to comprehend through aught but itself; rather by it all else is understood.
Magnify Thou, moreover, such as have believed in Him and in His signs and have turned towards Him, from among those that have acknowledged Thy unity in His Latter Manifestation—a Manifestation whereof He hath made mention in His Tablets, and in His Books, and in His Scriptures, and in all the wondrous verses and gem-like utterances that have descended upon Him. It is this same Manifestation Whose covenant Thou hast bidden Him establish ere He had established His own covenant. He it is Whose praise the Bayán hath celebrated. In it His excellence hath been extolled, and His truth established, and His sovereignty proclaimed, and His Cause perfected. Blessed is the man that hath turned unto Him, and fulfilled the things He hath commanded, O Thou Who art the Lord of the world and the Desire of all them that have known Thee!
Praised be Thou, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast aided us to recognize and love Him. I, therefore, beseech Thee by Him and by Them Who are the Daysprings of Thy Divinity, and the Manifestations of Thy Lordship, and the Treasuries of Thy Revelation, and the Depositories of Thine inspiration, to enable us to serve and obey Him, and to empower us to become the helpers of His Cause and the dispersers of His adversaries. Powerful art Thou to do all that pleaseth Thee. No God is there beside Thee, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the One Whose help is sought by all men!
- Baha’u’llah
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The SHRINE OF BAHA'U'LLAH where His Holy remains rest, near Akka in Israel, the Baha'i Qiblih. |
Dear Ones,
...ever since the ascension of the Blessed Beauty, the bestowals have been more abundant, the spreading light is brighter, the tokens of the Lord's might are more powerful, the influence of the Word is much stronger, and it will not be long before the motion, the heat, the brilliance, the blessings of the Sun of His reality will encompass all the earth.BAHA'U'LLAH, my friends, is a Persian name meaning 'Glory of God', the revered name of the Prophet Who was proclaimed in all the Scriptures of the past. Didn't CHRIST say that He would return in the glory of the Father? So consider the following to know the truth of the Second Coming.
- Abdu'l-Baha
And when Thou didst purpose to unveil Thy sovereignty, and to glorify Thy word, and to reveal Thy bounteousness and mercy, Thou didst raise up one of Thy servants, and didst choose Him above all Thy creatures, and didst single Him out for Thy purpose, and didst clothe Him with the robe of Thy guidance, and didst immerse Him beneath the seas of Thy majesty and grandeur, and didst sanctify Him from all that beseemeth not the greatness of Thy glory and the power of Thy might, and didst bid Him to cry out before all that are in heaven and on earth, and summon the multitudes to the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Revealer of Thy signs.
- Baha'u'llah
Methinks, the spiritual commotion set up in the world of dust had caused all the worlds of God to tremble. Eight hours after sunset on that darksome night when the heavens wept over the earth, what had been revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas was finally realized. My inner and outer tongue are powerless to portray the condition we were in... In the midst of the prevailing confusion, a multitude of the inhabitants of 'Akká and of the neighbouring villages, that had thronged the fields surrounding the Mansion, could be seen weeping, beating upon their heads, and crying aloud their grief...
For a full week after that great calamity, a great number of mourners, the rich, the poor, the orphans and the oppressed partook of the food that was generously dispensed by the bereaved family... From the second day of the ascension of the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Lord to His Most Holy and exalted Dominions on high, men of learning and poets, both Muslim and Christian, began to send telegrams of condolence to the presence of the Most Great Branch. They sent poems eloquently extolling the virtues and lamenting the loss of the Beloved.As we close our eyes and open our hearts, it is time to pay homage to the Station of our Lord and Master, the Divine Manifestation of God for this day and age.
Let not your hearts be perturbed, O people, when the glory of My presence is withdrawn, and the ocean of My utterance is stilled. In my Presence amongst you there is a wisdom and in My absence, there is yet another, inscrutable to all but God, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily, We behold you from our realm of glory, and shall aid whosoever arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of the Concourse on high and a company of Our favoured angels.This is what a sage could say much later about His first son, Abdu'l-Baha:
With the setting of the Sun of Baha, the Moon of His Covenant rose in reflected glory, lifting the darkness of a night of despair, and lighting the path to the unity of all humankind.If, like us, you wish to commemorate the Ascension of Baha'u'llah by filling your soul with prayers and uplifting readings, humbly bowing before the Sacred Threshold, awaiting the Sacred Meeting, here are some suggestions and poignant MELODIES.
O thou who art cheered through the Fragrances of God!
When thou desirest and yearnest for meeting in the world of vision; at the time when thou art in perfect fragrance and spirituality, wash thy hands and face, clothe thyself in clean robes, turn toward the court of the Peerless One, offer prayer to Him and lay thy head upon the pillow. When sleep cometh, the doors of revelation shall be opened and all thy desires shall become revealed.
- Abdu'l-Baha
And whenever I chose to hold my peace and be still, lo, the voice of the Holy Ghost, standing on my right hand, aroused me, and the Supreme Spirit appeared before my face...
- Baha'u'llah
Praise be to Thee, O Lord, my God, my Master, my Possessor, my King. Now that I have confessed unto Thee my powerlessness and the powerlessness of all created things, and have acknowledged my poverty and the poverty of the entire creation, I call unto Thee with my tongue and the tongues of all that are in heaven and on earth, and beseech Thee with my heart and the hearts of all that have entered beneath the shadow of Thy names and Thine attributes, not to shut us from the doors of Thy loving-kindness and grace, nor to suffer the breeze of Thy bountiful care and favor to cease from being wafted over our souls, nor to permit that our hearts be occupied with any one except Thee, or our minds to be busied with any remembrance save remembrance of Thy Self.
- Baha'u'llah
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The Shrine of the Bab on the mountain of God in the Holy Land. - A Baha’i World Center photo - Dear Ones, Everyone like good stories, isn't it? Here is the most wonderful one you will ever hear in your life: « In the religion of Muhammad there is the promise of the Mihdi and the Messiah, and it is the same with the Zoroastrian and the other religions, but if we relate these matters in detail, it would take too long. The essential fact is that all are promised two Manifestations, Who will come, one following on the other. It has been prophesied that in the time of these two Manifestations the earth will be transformed, the world of existence will be renewed, and beings will be clothed in new garments. Justice and truth will encompass the world; enmity and hatred will disappear; all causes of division among peoples, races and nations will vanish; and the cause of union, harmony and concord will appear. The negligent will awake, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dumb will speak, the sick will be cured, the dead will arise. War will give place to peace, enmity will be conquered by love, the causes of dispute and wrangling will be entirely removed, and true felicity will be attained. The world will become the mirror of the Heavenly Kingdom; humanity will be the Throne of Divinity. All nations will become one; all religions will be unified; all individual men will become of one family and of one kindred. All the regions of the earth will become one; the superstitions caused by races, countries, individuals, languages and politics will disappear; and all men will attain to life eternal, under the shadow of the Lord of Hosts. » Every year on this Night, the DOORS OF HEAVEN are wide opened to welcome us and lead us further into GOD'S KINGDOMS. The only condition is to stay awake on that Night, oblivious of our mortal self, while being enchanted by the Beauty of the One; a Night filled with priceless gifts. This Secret is revealed in a precious TABLET of Baha'u'llah, where He prays for us, saying: Praise be to Thee! I beseech Thee by this Night, and by them who remained wakeful during it to send down upon them the most perfect good, the finest beneficence, the richest treasure, the most exquisite beauty, the most evident revelation, the soundest utterance, the most enduring sovereignty, the most flawless word, the most ancient grace, the most potent sign, the Greatest Name, the most ideal benevolence, the most glorious Glory, the most sublime splendor, the most mighty power, the most clear authorization, the most abiding Book, the most fruitful fruits.
May we recite it together, along with these others mystical WORDS and be told:
Great is the blessedness that awaiteth thee, O My servant, for thou hast attained unto that which none hath attained, except SUCH as have detached themselves from all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and who are the emblems of true detachment. Be wonderfully blessed! Loesha Share this page... |
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The resting-place of the Founder of the Baha'i Faith, Baha'u'llah. |
Happy the one who entereth upon the first day of the month of Bahá, the day which God hath consecrated to this Great Name. And blessed be he who evidenceth on this day the bounties that God hath bestowed upon him; he verily, is of those who show forth thanks to God through actions betokening the Lord's munificence which hath encompassed all the worlds. Say: This day, verily, is the crown of all the months and the source thereoff, the day on which the breath of life is wafted over all created things. Great is the blessedness of him who greeteth it with radiance and joy. We testify that he is, in truth, among those who are blissful.
- Baha’u’llah
I am extremely glad to see you on this Naw-Ruz occasion. This day is the anniversary of many historical events, among them the victory of the Persians over the Arabs who invaded Persia and were successfully repulsed.
This day in Persia inaugurates a feast which continues for thirteen days and in which all take part, rich and poor alike. They adorn themselves with new clothes and their houses are open to all. Money is distributed, music is played and the houses are decorated with flowers, for it is a fete; work is put aside and enjoyment invited. Travelers in Persia feel this transformation, for the country is in a state of complete renewal. A town which seemed dead yesterday comes to life today. People who looked anxious yesterday, today have faces shining with gladness. The poor man of yesterday, with sordid garments, is well dressed today and the whole national life is infused with joy.
From time immemorial this day has been consecrated, for in this there is a symbol. At this moment the sun appears at the meridian and the day and night are equal. Until today the north pole has been in darkness.
This sacred day when the sun illumines equally the whole earth is called the equinox and the equinox is the symbol of the divine messenger. The sun of truth rises on the horizon of divine mercy and sends forth its rays on all. This is the beginning of the spring.
When the sun appears at the equinox it causes a movement in all living things. The mineral world is set in motion, plants begin to sprout, the desert is changed into a prairie, trees bud and every living thing responds, including the bodies of animals and men.
The rising of the sun at the equinox is the symbol of life and the human reality is revivified; our thoughts are transformed and our intelligence is quickened. The sun of truth bestows eternal life, just as the solar sun is the cause of terrestrial life. The day of the appearance of God’s messenger on earth is ever a sacred day, a day when man commemorates his Lord.
Among the ancient Persians this day was looked upon as the holy day of the year - a day when hospitals and charitable institutions were founded, collections for the poor were made and every effort put forth that it might not be allowed to pass without leaving some divine trace and throughout Persia one sees these historical traces.
I am spending this New Year’s day in Paris. I hope for considerable results from this fact. May a powerful influence remain in your hearts, signs of eternal joy and happiness that will illumine the kingdom in this city. May the breezes of the Holy Spirit waft upon you, that your intelligence may progress and your souls rejoice in your Lord. Thus will you become eternal beings shining in the divine kingdom.
- Abdu'l-Baha
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Fasting is the cause of the elevation of one’s spiritual station. - Abdu'l-Baha -
Dear Ones,
In this space, you will uncover all the essential insights needed for a rapid spiritual uplift during this special time, along with the blessings granted to those who partake in the Baha'i Fast. May the Almighty bestow then upon us abundantly by observing His commands : We, verily, have set forth all things in Our Book, as a token of grace unto those who have believed in God, the Almighty, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. And We have ordained obligatory prayer and fasting so that all may by these means draw nigh unto God, the Most Powerful, the Well-Beloved. We have written down these two laws and expounded every irrevocable decree. We have forbidden men from following whatsoever might cause them to stray from the Truth, and have commanded them to observe that which will draw them nearer unto Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Loving. Say: Observe ye the commandments of God for love of His beauty, and be not of those who follow in the ways of the abject and foolish.
This period invites individuals to reflect deeply, fostering significant
transformations in our inner lives while revitalizing the spiritual
energies that dwell within our very beings. This period inspires us to make meaningful changes in our inner worlds, allowing them to invigorate the spiritual energies that
dwell within our very being. It is a profound season set aside for meditation and prayer, a sacred opportunity for spiritual renewal. While observing it, It is essential to keep these fundamental truths in mind: The fasting period... involves complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purposes are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires. - Shoghi Effendi - Abdu'l-Baha It has been noted that the rules governing fasting recognize the need
for exceptions; thus, adhering to the fasting guidelines might, at
times, mean not fasting in the strictest sense. However, it is crucial
to emphasize that Baha'u'llah cautions against creating personal 'laws'
that disregard His teachings, which consistently offer profound
benefits, as highlighted by Abdu'l-Baha. The second wisdom is that fasting is conducive to spiritual awareness. One's heart grows more tender, one's spirituality is increased, and as a result, one's thoughts become purely focused on the remembrance of God. Such awareness and awakening leads inexorably to spiritual progress.Fasting should also be recognized as a continuous journey that spans the entire 24 hours of each day, providing a sacred opportunity for spiritual rejuvenation. If ever you find yourself struggling to choose the right diet during the Fast, the advice that follows might sound extraordinary, but it’s completely true. Take a cue from the ancient Spartans: munching on just half a can of black olives paired with crisp celery or other vibrant fruits and vegetables at dawn can keep one energized all the way until sunset! - THE PROMISES OF FASTING - In the Naw-Ruz Prayer:
«Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained Naw-Rúz as a festival unto those who have observed the Fast for love of Thee and abstained from all that is abhorrent unto thee.»
In the Fasting Prayers:
«Praised be Thou, O God, my God! These are the days whereon Thou hast enjoined Thy chosen ones, Thy loved ones and Thy servants to observe the Fast, which Thou hast made a light unto the people of Thy kingdom, even as Thou didst make obligatory prayer a ladder of ascent unto those who acknowledge Thy unity. I beg of Thee, O my God, by these two mighty pillars, which Thou hast ordained as a glory and honor for all mankind, to keep Thy religion safe from the mischief of the ungodly and the plotting of every wicked doer. O Lord, conceal not the light which Thou hast revealed through Thy strength and Thine omnipotence. Assist, then, those who truly believe in Thee with the hosts of the seen and the unseen by Thy command and Thy sovereignty. No God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.» «I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thyself, and by Thy signs, and Thy clear tokens, and the shining light of the Day-Star of Thy Beauty, and Thy Branches, to cancel the trespasses of those who have held fast to Thy laws, and have observed what Thou hast prescribed unto them in Thy Book.» We hope that this spiritual fast will bring lasting and profound results for each one of us!
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