Ayyám-i-Há: A time for feasting, rejoicing, gift giving, hospitality and charity

The exchanging of presents among believers or the giving of gifts to children is not an integral part of any of our nine Bahá'í Holy Days. There is no prohibition against it, and it is, as you say, a custom among Persian believers such as the Bahá'í to whom you spoke, to exchange gifts at Naw-Ruz.

The desire of you and your husband to associate the time of gift giving with your children's involvement in the faith of Bahá'u'lláh is praiseworthy and it is felt that the following extract from a letter written by the secretary of the beloved Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand on December 26, 1941 will be of value to you:

'The intercalary days are specifically set aside for hospitality, the giving of gifts, etc., Bahá'u'lláh Himself specified that they be used this way, but gave no explanation for it.'

In 'The Bahá'í World', Vol. XV, p. 691 we read: Bahá'u'lláh designated those days as the 'Ayyam-i-Ha and ordained that they should immediately precede the month of 'Ala, which is the month of fasting. He enjoined upon His followers to devote these days to feasting, rejoicing, and charity.' 
(From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, January 18, 1982; Compilation: Lights of Guidance)

Nature – a high level outline of its inherent qualities, derived from the Baha’i Writings

• Nature is regulated by God; nature is God's Will. (1)
• Nature is bound by strict laws from which it cannot deviate. (2)
• The physical world is a closely integrated, cooperative, coherent entity. (3)
• Every natural phenomenon "exerteth its influence and is likewise influenced in its turn." (4)
• The existence of every created thing is dependent on the composition of simple elements; created things are not annihilated, only changed in composition; created things are myriad and numberless. (5)
• Every atom enshrines the signs of God and passes through all grades of existence. (6)
• Affinity and attraction produce fruitful results; division and discord result in decomposition and destruction. (7)
• Man, through science, transcends the laws of nature. (8)
• Creatures are "attuned to the elements that have gone into the composition" of their environments. (9)

(Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, Memorandum dated June 8, 1992)

References

Extracts from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the Writings and Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Bahá included in the compilation on “Nature”, compiled by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, 1988)

Extracts 1,5, 6, 9, 12

Extracts 3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13

Extracts 3, 4, 5, 6

Extracts 4, 5, 8

Extracts 7, 8, 12

Extracts 2, 8, 12

Extracts 7, 13

Extracts 9, 10, 11, 13

Extract 14

The “double task of simultaneously building an ideal society and perfecting the behavior of individuals” – the “course set forth by Bahá'u'lláh”

At the very core of the aims of the Faith are the establishment of justice and unity in the world, the removal of prejudice and enmity from among all people, the awakening of compassion and understanding in the hearts of all men and women, and the raising of all souls to a new level of spirituality and behavior through the vitalizing influence of divine Revelation. The course set forth by Bahá'u'lláh for the attainment of these aims is the double task of simultaneously building an ideal society and perfecting the behavior of individuals. For this dual and reciprocal transformation He has not only revealed laws, principles and truths attuned to the needs of this age, but has established the very nucleus and patter of those institutions which are to evolve into the structure of the divinely purposed world society. 
(From a letter dated 2 July 1996 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

The Research Department of the Universal House of Justice – their function and statements

Among the functions assigned to the Research Department at the World Centre is that of preparing statements at the request of the House of Justice. We are to point out that the statement appearing in the current Bahá'i World Centre Manual in connection with the duties of this Department includes the following:

"...To prepare commentaries on various subjects related to the Faith, as requested by the Universal House of Justice."

These commentaries are sent to believers, where applicable, as separate statements, such as those on the Fourth Epoch of the Formative Age, or on Bahá'i scholarship, or as memoranda which are enclosures to letters written on behalf of the House of Justice....

To preclude any possibility of their being confused with letters written by the House of Justice, or on its behalf, it is important that such commentaries be distinctly identified. It is also vital that the believers understand clearly that these Research Department statements should be regarded as representing no more than the views of the members of that Department. While such views are very useful as an aid to resolving perplexities or gaining an enhanced understanding of the Bahá'i teachings, they should never be taken to be in the same category as the elucidations and clarifications provided by the House of Justice in the exercise of its assigned functions.... 
(From a letter dated 16 August 1987 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

circa 1912: A main street in Dublin, New Hampshire -- approximately the same time as 'Abdu'l-Baha visited

A main street in Dublin, New Hampshire, circa 1912

How to deal with anger – advice from the Universal House of Justice

You ask how to deal with anger. The House of Justice suggests that you call to mind the admonitions found in our Writings on the need to overlook the shortcomings of others; to forgive and conceal their misdeeds, not to expose their bad qualities, but to search for and affirm their praiseworthy ones, and to endeavour to be always forbearing, patient, and merciful. 
(From a letter dated 19 July 1979 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Preserving Baha’i Marriages)

‘Abdu’l-Baha’s talks in North America -- it is estimated He gave 351 talks to a total of 86,000 people

'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbás visited North America from April 11 to December 5, 1912. His eight-month sojourn took Him to some 38 localities in 15 states and the province of Quebec, Canada. Because His North American trip followed on an earlier European visit, when `Abdu'l-Bahá arrived in New York He had a developed daily routine.

It appears that He gave approximately 351 talks during His trip (of which 139 were published in The Promulgation of Universal Peace), an average of 1.5 per day. Extrapolation from known attendance figures and some statistical assumptions allow one to arrive at a rough figure of 86,000 people who attended them. Particularly noteworthy are the talks He gave in thirty-one liberal and moderate white Protestant churches, fourteen Theosophical and other metaphysical gatherings, five universities, three synagogues, one African American church, the Lake Mohonk Peace Conference, Hull House, and the fourth annual NAACP conference.

'Abdu'l-Bahá's talks can be divided roughly into two types: those to the public and those primarily to Bahá'í audiences. A "generic" public talk gradually developed throughout His journey that emphasized up to ten principles of the Bahá'í Faith. Talks to Bahá'ís, on the other hand—especially the last talk to them in each locality—usually emphasized two things: the Covenant and obedience to `Abdu'l-Bahá as the Center of the Covenant on the one hand, and teaching the Faith on the other. The former emphasis presaged some provisions of the Will and Testament, while the latter anticipated aspects of the Tablets of the Divine Plan. 
(Robert Stockman, Lights of Irfan, volume 13, 2012, ‘Irfán Colloquia)

‘Abdu’l-Baha was asked: ‘What is the relationship between God and nature?’

The Master went into another room where a young man with a striking personality and pleasing appearance asked Him in what school He had studied philosophy. The Master answered: `In the same school where Christ studied.' He then asked the Master, `What is the relationship between God and nature?' The Master replied:

“Some of the philosophers believe that God is the Supreme Reality and that every human being has a spark of this divine reality within him; that He Himself is in a state of utmost power and that all things manifest Him according to their different capacities. Therefore they hold that the Supreme Being is dispersed into infinite forms. This is the position of Plato. But we say that existence as conceived by man or comprehended through human reason or intellect is a characteristic of matter. Matter is like unto essence, while existence is its manifestation. The body of man is essence and existence is dependent upon it. This human body is matter while existence is a power conditioned on matter.”

‘Abdu’l-Baha describes characteristics of a Baha’i teacher

As regards the teachers, they must completely divest themselves from the old garments and be invested with a new garment. According to the statement of Christ, they must attain to the station of rebirth -- that is, whereas in the first instance they were born from the womb of the mother, this time they must be born from the womb of the world of nature. Just as they are now totally unaware of the experiences of the fetal world, they must also forget entirely the defects of the world of nature. They must be baptized with the water of life, the fire of the love of God and the breaths of the Holy Spirit; be satisfied with little food, but take a large portion from the heavenly table. They must disengage themselves from temptation and covetousness, and be filled with the spirit. Through the effect of their pure breath, they must change the stone into the brilliant ruby and the shell into pearl. Like unto the cloud of vernal shower, they must transform the black soil into the rose-garden and orchard. They must make the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the extinguished one enkindled and set aglow, and the dead quickened. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Tablets of the Divine Plan Revealed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the North American Bahá'ís’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Guidelines for Teaching)

To “immerse” oneself “in the sea of sacrifice, with his heart fixed upon the beauty of the All-Glorious”

Regarding the statement in "The Hidden Words", that man must renounce his own self, the meaning is that he must renounce his inordinate desires, his selfish purposes and the promptings of his human self, and seek out the holy breathings of the spirit, and follow the yearnings of his higher self, and immerse himself in the sea of sacrifice, with his heart fixed upon the beauty of the All-Glorious. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Selections from the Writings of Abdul-Bahá’; Compilation ‘Hidden Words: References of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

circa early 1900s: A view of the Mansion of Bahji

A view of the Mansion of Bahji, circa early 1900s

The “verities of the Faith”

By 'verities of the Faith' he[Shoghi Effendi] means the great teachings and fundamentals enshrined in our Bahá'í literature; these we can find by reading the books, studying under Bahá'í scholars at summer schools and in classes, and through the aid of study outlines. (From a letter dated April 19, 1947 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; compilation: Lights of Guidance)

The cause of sickness

Sickness reveals a lack of balance in human organism, an absence of equilibrium in the forces essential for the normal functioning of the human body." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, March 8, 1936; compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)

To become “armed with the love of God and imbued with His purpose for a struggling mankind”

Our prayers ascend at the Holy Threshold that every session of this historic meeting will attract Divine Blessings, and that each soul, armed with the love of God and imbued with His purpose for a struggling mankind, will arise to activate, beyond all present hope, the vast spiritual potentialities of the Americas. (The Universal House of Justice, excerpt from a message dated May 1971, to the Friends of God gathered in the Caribbean Conference; Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986) (To read the entire message please visit Messages to the Baha’i World Community – by the Universal House of Justice)

Dawn over the Upper Chamber of the House of the Báb in Shiráz where He declared His mission

Dawn over the Upper Chamber of the House of the Báb in Shiráz where He declared His mission

Entities addressed by Baha’u’llah in the Hidden Words -- selectively grouped

Arabic Hidden Words:

O SON OF THE SUPREME!

O SON OF THE THRONE!

O SON OF SPIRIT!

O SON OF LIGHT!

O SON OF BEAUTY!

O SON OF UTTERANCE!

O SON OF THE WONDROUS VISION!

O SON OF HIM THAT STOOD BY HIS OWN ENTITY IN THE KINGDOM OF HIS SELF!

O SON OF BEING!

O SON OF MAN!

O YE SONS OF SPIRIT!

O CHILDREN OF THE DIVINE AND INVISIBLE ESSENCE!

O CHILDREN OF MEN!

Persian Hidden Words:

Translations of the Writings

Concerning the different translations of the words. It is surely the original text that should never be changed. The translations will continue to vary as more & better translations are made. Shoghi Effendi does not consider even his own translations as final, how much more translations made in the early days of the Cause in the West when no competent translators existed. (From a letter dated 14 August 1930 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Antipodes’)

A “melting pot and a meeting place for the races of men”

The Americas have been a melting pot and a meeting place for the races of men, and the need is acute for the fulfillment of God's promises of the realization of the oneness of mankind. (The Universal House of Justice, excerpt from a message dated May 1971, to the Friends of God gathered in the Caribbean Conference; Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986) (To read the entire message please visit Messages to the Baha’i World Community – by the Universal House of Justice)

“…the greatest magnet for attracting people to the Faith and confirming them.”

All the Bahá'ís, new and old alike, should devote themselves as much as possible to teaching the Faith; they should also realize that the atmosphere of true love and unity which they manifest within the Bahá'í Community will directly affect the public, and be the greatest magnet for attracting people to the Faith and confirming them. (From a letter dated 4 April 1947 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Stuttgart, Germany; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Guidelines for Teaching)