January 31, 2017
January 29, 2017
Definition of “Verses of God”
Bahá’u’lláh states that the essential “requisite” for
reciting “the verses of God” is the “eagerness and love” of the believers to
“read the Word of God” (Q and A 68). With regard to the definition of “verses of God”,
Bahá’u’lláh states that it refers to “all that hath been sent down from the
Heaven of Divine Utterance”. Shoghi Effendi, in a letter written to one of the
believers in the East, has clarified that the term “verses of God” does not
include the writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; he has likewise indicated that this term
does not apply to his own writings.
- The Universal House of Justice (The
‘Notes’ section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas)
January 27, 2017
Some Historical Events During the Month of January
- 2009:
1,800 Baha’is from Mongolia, Russia, and other nations gather in a
regional conference in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, convened by the Universal
House of Justice
- 2001:
The Universal House of Justice announces that the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh
enters the Fifth Epoch of its Formative Age
- 2000:
The passing of Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum -- “the
Baha'i world's last remaining link with the family of 'Abdu'l-Baha”
- 2000:
Adib Taherzadeh, member of the Universal House of Justice, passes away
- 1994:
First worldwide fireside on Internet takes place in New York City
Baha’i Center
- 1986:
The Universal House of Justice announces the inception of the Fourth Epoch
of the Formative Age
- 1979:
Construction begins for the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkar in Western Samoa
- 1976:
First annual meeting of the Association for Baha’i Studies is held in
Canada
- 1975:
The House of ‘Abdu’llah Pasha is purchased
- 1973: The Universal House of Justice announces the completion of the ‘Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas' -- to be published in Ridvan 1973
January 26, 2017
Essential Requisites for Spiritual Growth
Bahá'u'lláh has stated quite clearly in His Writings the essential requisites for our spiritual growth, and these are stressed again and again by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His talks and Tablets. One can summarize them briefly in this way:- The recital each day of one of the Obligatory Prayers with pure-hearted devotion.
- The regular reading of the Sacred Scriptures, specifically at least each morning and evening, with reverence, attention and thought.
- Prayerful meditation on the Teachings, so that we may understand them more deeply, fulfil them more faithfully, and convey them more accurately to others.
- Striving every day to bring our behaviour more into accordance with the high standards that are set forth in the Teachings.
- Teaching the Cause of God.
- Selfless service in the work of the Cause and in the carrying on of our trade or profession.
January 22, 2017
The “controlling principle in the behaviour and conduct of all Bahá'ís”
A chaste and holy life must be made the controlling
principle in the behaviour and conduct of all Bahá'ís, both in their social
relations with the members of their own community, and in their contact with
the world at large. It must adorn and reinforce the ceaseless labours and
meritorious exertions of those whose enviable position is to propagate the
Message, and to administer the affairs, of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. It must be
upheld, in all its integrity and implications, in every phase of the life of
those who fill the ranks of that Faith, whether in their homes, their travels,
their clubs, their societies, their entertainments, their schools, and their
universities. It must be accorded special consideration in the conduct of the
social activities of every Bahá'í summer school and any other occasions on
which Bahá'í community life is organized and fostered. It must be closely and
continually identified with the mission of the Bahá'í youth, both as an element
in the life of the Bahá'í community, and as a factor in the future progress and
orientation of the youth of their own country.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘The Advent of
Divine Justice’)
January 19, 2017
Celebrating the upcoming Bicentenary of Baha’u’llah’s Birth – October 22, 2017
(A humble attempt to review His Life and Works: -- a work in
progress)
The site contains:
- Events associated with Baha’u’llah’s life, in chronological order
- Stories about Baha’u’llah
- Recollections of individuals who entered the presence of Baha’u’llah
- Chronological list of known Tablets of Baha’u’llah
- List of Tablets (authorized translations) –> links to each
- List of Tablets (provisional translations) –> links to some
- Explanations in Baha’i literature about various Tablets
- Photos of relics and places associated with Baha’u’llah
January 18, 2017
January 15, 2017
Tablets of Baha'u'llah
(Source: 'Call to Remembrance - Connecting the Heart to Baha'u'llah', by, Geoffry Marks )
January 11, 2017
Baha’u’llah quotes a Persian poem to explain “the operation of God's immutable Will”
Although the author of the following saying had intended it
otherwise, yet We find it pertinent to the operation of God's immutable Will:
"Even or odd, thou shalt win the wager." [1] The friends of God shall
win and profit under all conditions, and shall attain true wealth. In fire they
remain cold, and from water they emerge dry. Their affairs are at variance with
the affairs of men. Gain is their lot, whatever the deal. To this testifieth
every wise one with a discerning eye, and every fair-minded one with a hearing
ear.
- Baha’u’llah (Quoted by the Universal House of Justice in a message dated
10 February 1980, addressed to the Iranian believers resident in other
countries throughout the world, translated from Persian; ‘Messages from the
Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)
[1] Sa’di (d. 1291 A.D.)
January 8, 2017
Baha’i attitude concerning increasing chaos and confusion in the world
“Chaos and confusion are daily increasing in the world. They
will attain such intensity as to render the frame of mankind unable to bear
them. Then will men be awakened and become aware that religion is the
impregnable stronghold and the manifest light of the world, and its laws,
exhortations and teachings, the source of life on earth.” (‘Abdu’l-Baha, quoted
by the Universal House of Justice in a message
dated 10 February 1980, addressed to the Iranian believers resident in
other countries throughout the world, translated from Persian; ‘Messages from
the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)
Every discerning eye clearly sees that the early stages of
this chaos have daily manifestations affecting the structure of human society;
its destructive forces are uprooting time-honoured institutions which were a
haven and refuge for the inhabitants of the earth in bygone days and centuries,
and around which revolved all human affairs. The same destructive forces are
also deranging the political, economic, scientific, literary, and moral
equilibrium of the world and are destroying the fairest fruits of the present
civilization. Political machinations of those in authority have placed the seal
of obsolescence upon the root principles of the world's order. Greed and
passion, deceit, hypocrisy, tyranny, and pride are dominating features
afflicting human relations. Discoveries and inventions, which are the fruit of
scientific and technological advancements, have become the means and tools of
mass extermination and destruction and are in the hands of the ungodly. Even
music, art, and literature, which are to represent and inspire the noblest
sentiments and highest aspirations and should be a source of comfort and
tranquillity for troubled souls, have strayed from the straight path and are
now the mirrors of the soiled hearts of this confused, unprincipled, and
disordered age. Perversions such as these shall result in the ordeals which
have been prophesied by the Blessed Beauty in the following words: "...
the earth will be tormented by a fresh calamity every day and unprecedented
commotions will break out." "The day is approaching when its
[civilization's] flame will devour the cities." (Baha’u’llah, quoted by
Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
January 5, 2017
1944: Commemorative Stamp - centenary of the first official telegraphic message
January 2, 2017
A “pressing challenge”: “Our children need to be nurtured spiritually and to be integrated into the life of the Cause.”
…there is a pressing challenge to be faced: Our children need
to be nurtured spiritually and to be integrated into the life of the Cause.
They should not be left to drift in a world so laden with moral dangers. In the
current state of society, children face a cruel fate. Millions and millions in
country after country are dislocated socially. Children find themselves
alienated by parents and other adults whether they live in conditions of wealth
or poverty. This alienation has its roots in a selfishness that is born of
materialism that is at the core of the godlessness seizing the hearts of people
everywhere. The social dislocation of children in our time is a sure mark of a
society in decline; this condition is not, however, confined to any race,
class, nation or economic condition—it cuts across them all. It grieves our
hearts to realize that in so many parts of the world children are employed as
soldiers, exploited as laborers, sold into virtual slavery, forced into
prostitution, made the objects of pornography, abandoned by parents centered on
their own desires, and subjected to other forms of victimization too numerous
to mention. Many such horrors are inflicted by the parents themselves upon
their own children. The spiritual and psychological damage defies estimation.
Our worldwide community cannot escape the consequences of these conditions.
This realization should spur us all to urgent and sustained effort in the
interests of children and the future.
- The Universal House of Justice (From
Ridvan 2000 message to the Baha’is of the World)
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