Tamun Kosep, a traditional chief and treasurer of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Madina, (center), flanked by Rodney Hancock (left), and Jalal Mills, with other Baha’is at the jubilee festivities. Papua New Guinea, July 2004

Reproduced with permission of the Bahá’í International Community at http://media.bahai.org

 

 

 

It is clear and evident that when the veils that conceal the realities of the manifestations of the Names and Attributes of God, nay of all created things visible or invisible, have been rent asunder, nothing except the Sign of God will remain — a sign which He, Himself, hath placed within these realities. This sign will endure as long as is the wish of the Lord thy God, the Lord of the heavens and of the earth. If such be the blessings conferred on all created things, how superior must be the destiny of the true believer, whose existence and life are to be regarded as the originating purpose of all creation. Just as the conception of faith hath existed from the beginning that hath no beginning, and will endure till the end that hath no end, in like manner will the true believer eternally live and endure. His spirit will everlastingly circle round the Will of God. He will last as long as God, Himself, will last. He is revealed through the Revelation of God, and is hidden at His bidding. It is evident that the loftiest mansions in the Realm of Immortality have been ordained as the habitation of them that have truly believed in God and in His signs. Death can never invade that holy seat. Thus have We entrusted thee with the signs of thy Lord, that thou mayest persevere in thy love for Him, and be of them that comprehend this truth.

 Bahá’u’lláh

~

Samoa – members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Samoa

Reproduced with permission of the Bahá’í International Community at http://media.bahai.org

 

 

 

 

 

The signs of God shine as manifest and resplendent as the sun amidst the works of His creatures. Whatsoever proceedeth from Him is apart, and will always remain distinguished, from the inventions of men. From the Source of His knowledge countless Luminaries of learning and wisdom have risen, and out of the Paradise of His Pen the breath of the All-Merciful hath continually been wafted to the hearts and souls of men. Happy are they that have recognized this truth.

 Bahá’u’lláh

Lay not on any soul a load which ye would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for any one the things ye would not desire for yourselves. This is My best counsel unto you, did ye but observe it.

 Bahá’u’lláh

 

~

Thou art He, O God, Who hath proclaimed Himself as the Lord of Wealth, and characterized all that serve Him as poor and needy. Even as Thou hast written: “O ye that believe! Ye are but paupers in need of God; but God is the All-Possessing, the All-Praised.” Having acknowledged my poverty, and recognized Thy wealth, suffer me not to be deprived of the glory of Thy riches. Thou art, verily, the Supreme Protector, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

 Bahá’u’lláh

~

Incline your hearts, O people of God, unto the counsels of your true, your incomparable Friend. The Word of God may be likened unto a sapling, whose roots have been implanted in the hearts of men. It is incumbent upon you to foster its growth through the living waters of wisdom, of sanctified and holy words, so that its root may become firmly fixed and its branches may spread out as high as the heavens and beyond.

Bahá’u’lláh

Ayyám-i-Há February 26 – March 1

In the West, the Intercalary Days (Ayyám-i-Há) are the four days of the year (five days in leap year) which fall between the eighteenth and nineteenth month of the Bahá’í Calendar (Mulk and ‘Alá’), February 26 to March 1. These days are set aside for hospitality, gift-giving, special acts of charity, and preparing for the Fast. In Nabil’s Narrative, the purpose of these days is explained:

Bahá’u’lláh designated [the] days as the           “Ayyám-i-Há” [Intercalary Days] and ordained that they should immediately precede the month of ‘Alá’, which is the month of fasting. He enjoined upon His followers to devote these days to feasting, rejoicing, and charity. Immediately upon the termination of these intercalary days, Bahá’u’lláh ordained the month of fasting to begin.

Nabil’s Narrative, Abridged

Photos by John Keith Slone

Image courtesy of Médiathèque baha’ie at www.bahai-biblio.org

We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; yet they deem Us a stirrer up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and banishment…. That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled — what harm is there in this?… Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the ‘Most Great Peace’ shall come…. Yet do We see your kings and rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on means for the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the happiness of mankind…. These strifes and this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as one kindred and one family…. Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind…. 

 Bahá’u’lláh

 

  

 

Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects Evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.

Quran 2:256

Bahá’u’lláh says of Himself: “The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness. This is of the mercy of your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful.”

And elsewhere He says, again of Himself: “Lament not because of the wicked. Thou wert created to bear and endure, O Patience of the worlds.”

Yet, this hardship is a mercy from God! Again, Bahá’u’lláh, referring to the first passage quoted above, says: “This is of the mercy of your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of God, that ye may be exalted, and have suffered  manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish.”

His burdens are His glory: “I sorrow not for the burden of My imprisonment. Neither do I grieve over My abasement, or the tribulation I suffer at the hands of Mine enemies. By My life! They are My glory, a glory wherewith God hath adorned His own Self. Would that ye know it!”

It is His oppressors for whom we should feel sorrow, for they are in manifest error: “My sorrows are for those who have involved themselves in their corrupt passions, and claim to be associated with the Faith of God, the Gracious, the All-Praised.”

The devoted followers of Bahá’u’lláh, in fulfilling their trust in Him by carrying on His work to bring the renewed Word of God to mankind, must necessarily share, in some measure, these burdens.  In most of the world, we are merely “burdened” with the rewarding, if sometimes tiring, task of taking time in our daily activities to share His message with others, attend and present study classes (the Ruhi courses), attend and offer devotional meetings, conduct children’s classes and junior youth activities, and carry out administrative duties. In Iran, however, the burdens continue to be basic: physical punishment and denial of human rights, such as the right to education and employment.

A spiritual attitude toward life is essential to a life connected to service to God:

It behoveth the people of Bahá to die to the world and all that is therein, to be so detached from all earthly things that the inmates of Paradise may inhale from their garment the sweet smelling savor of sanctity, that all the peoples of the earth may recognize in their faces the brightness of the All-Merciful, and that through them may be spread abroad the signs and tokens of God, the Almighty, the All-Wise. They that have tarnished the fair name of the Cause of God, by following the things of the flesh — these are in palpable error!

Bahá’u’lláh

He says to His tormentors, reflecting on His own captivity: “How long will ye persist in your injustice? Witness the habitation in which He, Who is the incarnation of justice, hath been forced to dwell. Open your eyes, and, beholding His plight, meditate diligently upon that which your hands have wrought, that haply ye may not be deprived of the light of His Divine utterance, nor remain bereft of your share of the ocean of His knowledge.”

Indeed, how long will the tormentors of Iran persist in their injustice? Yet, we know that our beloved brothers and sisters, compelled to live in such dire circumstances in the land that is the cradle of our Faith, are participants in the greatest enterprise in the history of mankind.

Bahá’u’lláh’s Dispensation fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah:

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. (King James Bible, Isaiah)

It is in fulfillment of the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (King James Bible, Matthew)

Ultimate victory is assured for the Cause of God:

And call to mind when the unbelievers plotted against thee, to detain

thee prisoner, or to kill thee, or to banish thee: They plotted – but God

plotted: and of plotters is God the best!

            Qur’an 8:30

Image courtesy of Médiathèque baha’ie at www.bahai-biblio.org.

Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects Evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.

Quran 2:256

~

O Lord! Render victorious Thy forbearing servants in Thy days by granting them a befitting victory, inasmuch as they have sought martyrdom in Thy path. Send down upon them that which will bring comfort to their minds, will rejoice their inner beings, will impart assurance to their hearts and tranquillity to their bodies and will enable their souls to ascend to the presence of God, the Most Exalted, and to attain the supreme Paradise and such retreats of glory as Thou hast destined for men of true knowledge and virtue. Verily, Thou knowest all things, while we are but Thy servants, Thy thralls, Thy bondsmen and Thy poor ones. No Lord but Thee do we invoke, O God our Lord, nor do we implore blessings or grace from anyone but Thee, O Thou Who art the God of mercy unto this world and the next. We are but the embodiments of poverty, of nothingness, of helplessness and of perdition, while Thy whole Being betokeneth wealth, independence, glory, majesty and boundless grace.

Turn our recompense, O Lord, into that which well beseemeth Thee of the good of this world and of the next, and of the manifold bounties which extend from on high down to the earth below.

Verily, Thou art our Lord and the Lord of all things. Into Thy hands do we surrender ourselves, yearning for the things that pertain unto Thee.

The Báb

~

While we keep in our prayers our hope for the well-being of our dear friends in Iran, burdened with the yoke of an oppressive and unrelenting government and an intolerant and corrupt clergy, we keep in mind the spiritual truth that these severe tests can only result in the illumination of humanity and the success of the Cause of God. The Faith of Bahá’u’lláh will win yet more victories as a result. The fuel of persecution feeds the flame of ardent yearning in the hearts of all seekers after spiritual truth. Photo courtesy of Médiathèque baha’ie at www.bahai-biblio.org

~

“This Cause, as very Divine Cause, cannot be effectively established unless it encounters and valiantly triumphs over the forces of opposition with which it is assailed. The history of the Faith is in itself a sufficient proof of that. Trials and persecutions have always been, and will continue to be, the lot of the chosen ones of God. But these they should consider as blessing in disguise, as through them their faith will be quickened, purified and strengthened. Bahá’u’lláh compared such afflictive trials to the oil which feeds the lamp of the Cause of God.   

“The friends should, therefore, not assume an attitude of mere resignation in the face of persecutions. They should rather welcome them, and utilize as means for their own spiritual uplift and also for the promotion of the Cause. As the Faith grows stronger and attracts the serious attention and consideration of the world outside, the friends must expect a similar, if not a greater, increase in the forces of opposition which from every direction, both secular and religious, will be massed to undermine the very basis of its existence. The final outcome of such a struggle, which will be surely gigantic, is clear to us believers. A Faith born of God and guided by His Divine and all-pervasive spirit cannot but finally triumph and firmly establish itself, no matter how persistent and insidious the forces with which it has to contend. The friends should be confident, and act with the utmost wisdom and moderation, and should particularly abstain from any provocative act. The future is surely theirs.”

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, June 24, 1936)