O God! Educate these children

O God! Educate these children.

These children are the plants of Thine orchard,

the flowers of Thy meadow,

the roses of Thy garden.

Let Thy rain fall upon them;

let the Sun of Reality shine upon them with Thy love.

Let Thy breeze refresh them in order that they may be trained,

grow and develop,

and appear in the utmost beauty.

Thou art the Giver. Thou art the Compassionate.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The Art of Music

The Art of Music

"Music is regarded as a praiseworthy science at the Threshold of the Almighty, so that thou mayest chant verses at gatherings and congregations in a most wondrous melody....By virtue of this, consider how much the art of music is admired and praised. Try, if thou canst, to use spiritual melodies, songs, and tunes, and to bring the earthly music into harmony with the celestial melody. Then thou wilt notice what a great influence music hath and what heavenly joy and life it conferreth. Strike up such a melody and tune as to cause the nightingales of divine mysteries to be filled with joy and ecstasy."
'Abdu'l-Baha, in Baha'i Writings on Music, p. 4


"The art of music must be brought to the highest stage of development, for this is one of the most wonderful arts and in this glorious age of the Lord of Unity it is highly essential to gain its mastery."
'Abdu'l-Baha, in Baha'i Writings on Music, pp. 5-6


"Music is an important means to the education and development of humanity, but the only true way is through the Teachings of God. Music is like this glass, which is preferably pure and polished. It is precisely like this pure chalice before us, and the Teachings of God, the utterances of God, are like the water. When the glass or chalice is absolutely pure and clear, and the water is perfectly fresh and limpid, then it will confer Life...."
'Abdu'l-Baha, in Baha'i Writings on Music, p. 8

Water Of Life

Prayers and Meditation for souls are as important as water and food for bodies. Without them our bodies will become weak and die, and without prayers our souls will not develop or grow.

Spiritual Food:

“The spiritual food is the principal food, whereas the physical food is not so important. The effect of the spiritual food is eternal. Through the material food the body exists, but through the spiritual food the spirit will be nourished. The material food, that is, the food for the body, is simply water and bread, but the food for the intellect is knowledge and the food for the spirit is the significances of the Heavenly Words and the bounties of the Holy Spirit.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

“ O thou daughter of the Kingdom!
Know thou that prayer and supplication are the water of life; through them one’s being is quickened and one’s soul refreshed and gladdened. Do thou persevere therein as far as thou art able, and recommend to others likewise to engage in prayer and supplication.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá


“Prayer and supplication are tow whereby man soars toward the heavenly mansion of the True One.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The importance of daily prayers with our children:

It is very important to establish regular times for Daily Prayers and meditation with our children from their earliest years. In order to make it a habit when they grow up.
"When the children are ready for bed, let the mother read or sing them the Odes of the Blessed Beauty, So that from their earliest years they will be educated by these verses of guidance."
‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Prayer For Expecting Mothers:

My Lord! My Lord! I praise Thee and I thank Thee for that whereby Thou hast favored Thine humble maidservant, Thy slave beseeching and supplicating Thee, because Thou hast verily guided her unto Thine obvious Kingdom and caused her to hear Thine exalted Call in the contingent world and to behold Thy Signs which prove the appearance of Thy victorious reign over all things.
O my Lord, I dedicate that which is in my womb unto Thee. Then cause it to be a praiseworthy child in Thy Kingdom and a fortunate one by Thy favor and Thy generosity; to develop and to grow up under the charge of Thine education. Verily, Thou art the Gracious! Verily, Thou art the Lord of Great Favor!

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Prayer For Infants:

Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Graciously grant that this infant be fed from the breast of Thy tender mercy and loving providence and be nourished with the fruit of Thy celestial trees. Suffer him not to be committed to the care of anyone save Thee, inasmuch as Thou, Thyself, through the potency of Thy sovereign will and power, didst create and call him into being. There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.

Bahá’u’lláh

Prayer For Children:

O God! Educate these children. These children are the plants of Thine orchard, the flowers of Thy meadow, the roses of Thy garden. Let Thy rain fall upon them; let the Sun of Reality shine upon them with Thy love. Let Thy breeze refresh them in order that they may be trained, grow and develop, and appear in the utmost beauty. Thou art the Giver. Thou art the Compassionate.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Family Rules

The parents have the duty to educate their children but not vice versa; the children have the duty to obey their parents-the parents do not obey the children

"According to the teachings of Baha'u'llah the family, being a human unit, must be educated according to the rules of sanctity. All the virtues must be taught the family. The integrity of the family bond must be constantly considered, and the rights of the individual members must not be transgressed. The rights of the son, the father, the mother-none of them must be transgressed, none of them must be arbitrary. Just as the son has certain obligations to his father, the father, likewise, has certain obligations to his son. The mother, the sister and other members of the household have their certain prerogatives. All these rights and prerogatives must be conserved, yet the unity of the family must be sustained. The injury of one shall be considered the injury of all; the comfort of each, the comfort of all; the honor of one, the honor of all."
'Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 168


Fathers

"Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been laid down in the Holy Tablet."
Baha'u'llah: Kitab Alaqdas-Translation from Arabic

"God hath prescribed unto every father to educate his children, both boys and girls, in the sciences and in morals, and in crafts and professions..."
Baha'u'llah: The Arts, p 1-2


Mothers

"For mothers are the first educators, the first mentors; and truly it is the mother who determine the happiness, the future greatness, the courteous ways and learning and judgment, the understanding and the faith of their little ones."
Abd'l-Baha: Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p 126

"Work ye for the guidance of the women in that land, teach the young girls and the children, so that the mothers may educate their little ones from their earliest days, thoroughly train them, rear them to have a goodly character and good morals, guide them to all virtues of humankind, prevent the development of any behavior that would be worthy of blame, and faster them in the embrace of Baha'i education."
'Abdu'l-Baha: Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p 124-125


Parents

"He that bringeth up his son or the son of another, it is as though he hath brought up a son of Mine; upon him rest My Glory, My loving-kindness, My Mercy, that have compassed the world."
Baha'u'llah: Kitab Alaqdas p. 37 - Translations from Arabic

"That is, it is enjoined upon the father and mother, as a duty, to strive with all effort to train the daughter and the son, to nurse them from the breast of knowledge and to rear them in the bosom of sciences and arts. Should they neglect this matter, they shall be held responsible and worthy of reproach in the presence of the stern Lord."
'Abdu'l-Baha: Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 127

"The parents must exert every effort to rear their offspring to be religious, for should the children not attain this greatest of adornments, they will not obey their parents, which in a certain sense means that they will not obey God. Indeed, such children will show no consideration to anyone, and will do exactly as they please."
Baha'u'llah: Baha'i Education p. 248

"A very important element in the attainment of such equality is Baha'u'llah's provision that boys and girls must follow essentially the same curriculum in schools."
UHJ


Children

"Show honor to your parents and pay homage to them. This will cause blessings to descend upon you from the clouds of the bounty of your lord, the Exalted, the Great."
Baha'u'llah, in Family life

"Every child without exception must from his earliest years make a thorough study of the art of reading and writing, and according to his own tastes and inclinations and the degree of his capacity and powers, devote extreme diligence to the acquisition of learning, beneficial arts and skills, various languages, speech and contemporary technology."

Shoghi Effendi, in Baha'i administration: p. 58