The Bahá'í Fasting

Today, March 2, all the members of the Bahá'í Faith will start a sunrise-to-sunset fast.

Bahá’u’lláh designated a nineteen-day period each year when adult Bahá'ís fast from sunrise to sunset each day. This period coincides with the Bahá'í month of Ala (meaning Loftiness), from March 2 to 20, inclusive. This is the month immediately preceding the Bahá'í new year.

“O Pen of the Most High! Say: O people of the world! We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Rúz as a feast. Thus hath the Day-Star of Utterance shone forth above the horizon of the Book as decreed by Him Who is the Lord of the beginning and the end.”

Baha'u'llah , the Kitáb Al Aqdas-p16

Spiritual nature:

Along with obligatory prayer, it is one of the greatest obligations of a Bahá'í, and its chief purpose is spiritual; to reinvigorate the soul and bring the person closer to God.

"Fasting is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and the spirituality of man increases. This is produced by the fact that man's thoughts will be confined to the commemoration of God, and through this awakening and stimulation surely ideal advancements follow... Fasting is of two kinds, material and spiritual. The material fasting is abstaining from food or drink, that is, from the appetites of the body. But spiritual, ideal fasting is this, that man abstain from selfish passions, from negligence and from satanic animal traits. Therefore, material fasting is a token of the spiritual fasting. That is: `O God! As I am fasting from the appetites of the body and not occupied with eating and drinking, even so purify and make holy my heart and my life from aught else save Thy Love, and protect and preserve my soul from self-passions... Thus may the spirit associate with the Fragrances of Holiness and fast from everything else save Thy mention."

`Abdu'l-Bahá

Laws concerning fasting:

Bahá’u’lláh n the Kitáb-i-Aqdas -the Baha'i book of laws - established a certain amount of laws and practices associated with the Nineteen Day Fast .

• The period of fasting begins with the termination of the Intercalary Days and ends with the festival of Naw-Ruz.


• Abstinence from food, drink and smoking from sunrise to sunset.


• Fasting is obligatory for men and women once they attain the age of 15.


• If one eats unconsciously during the fasting hours, this is not breaking the Fast as it is an accident.


• In regions of extremely high latitude where the duration of days and nights vary considerably, the times of the fast are fixed by the clock.

Exemptions from fasting:

There are various exemptions provided in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas to the obligation of fasting. One meeting the exemptions may, however, still choose to fast if they so wish. Those not fasting are asked to be discreet, and eat frugally and in private.

"The traveller, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Most Generous.”

Bahá’u’lláh , the Kitáb Al Aqdas-p16

• Those who are ill.


• Those who are younger than 15 or older than 70.


• Those who are engaged in heavy labour.


• Women who are pregnant.


• Women who are nursing.


• Women who are menstruating (instead they must perform an ablution and recite the verse Glorified be God, the Lord of Splendour and Beauty 95 times a day).


• Exemptions are also given to those travelling during the fast. Exemptions are given when the travel is longer than 9 hours (or 2 hours if travelling by foot). If the traveller breaks their journey for more than nineteen days, they are only exempt from fasting for the first three days. Also if they return home, they must begin fasting right away.

The importance of obeying God’s commandments and laws:

“O ye peoples of the world! Know assuredly that My commandments are the lamps of My loving providence among My servants, and the keys of My mercy for My creatures. Thus hath it been sent down from the heaven of the Will of your Lord, the Lord of Revelation. Were any man to taste the sweetness of the words which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he would, though the treasures of the earth be in his possession, renounce them one and all, that he might vindicate the truth of even one of His commandments, shining above the Dayspring of His bountiful care and loving-kindness.”

Bahá’u’lláh , the Kitáb Al Aqdas-p3

"O SON OF BEING! Walk in My statutes for love of Me and deny thyself that which thou desirest if thou seekest My pleasure."

Bahá’u’lláh , The Arabic Hidden Words – No.38

Happy Naw-Ruz - The Baha'i New Year

Baha'i World News
On March 21, Baha'is around the world will mark Naw-Ruz - their new year - a date that this year coincides with the 100th anniversary of the interment of the remains of the Bab on Mount Carmel.
On Naw-Ruz in 1909, 'Abdu'l-Baha, then the head of the Baha'i Faith, laid to rest the mortal remains of the Bab. 'Abdu'l-Baha personally placed the precious trust in its place in a building he had had constructed on Mount Carmel in Haifa.
The original structure was later surrounded by a formal colonnade and crowned with a golden dome to make it a fitting burial site for the Bab, the first of two Messengers of God associated with the Baha'i Faith. Both lived in the 19th century, with the Bab's mission being to announce the imminent coming of Baha'u'llah, considered by Baha'is the long-awaited promised one of all religions.
The Bab was executed in the public square in Tabriz, Persia (now Iran), in 1850, and His remains were hidden in that country for nearly 50 years until being secretly brought to the Holy Land and hidden another decade before being laid to their final rest.
Baha'u'llah was also from Persia but was banished from His native land and eventually exiled to the Acre-Haifa area. Before His passing in 1892, Baha'u'llah gave instructions to 'Abdu'l-Baha to have the remains of the Bab brought from Persia and interred at a specific site on Mount Carmel.
'Abdu'l-Baha thus arranged for the purchase of the land; the building of an adequate structure for the interment; and a road to the site on what at that time was still a rough, undeveloped mountainside. The Baha'is of Rangoon, Burma, sent a sarcophagus to use for the entombment.
The circumstances of that significant event 100 years ago are described in the Baha'i history "God Passes By":
"'Abdu'l-Baha had the marble sarcophagus transported with great labor to the vault prepared for it, and in the evening, by the light of a single lamp, he laid within it, with his own hands - in the presence of believers from the East and from the West and in circumstances at once solemn and moving - the wooden casket containing the sacred remains of the Bab. ..."

تزامن نيروز هذا العام مع الذّكرى المئويّة لدفن رفات حضرة الباب على جبل الكرمل

اليوم الموافق 21 آذار/ مارس يشير البهائيون في جميع أنحاء العالم إلى يوم النّوروز- رأس سنتهم- على أنّه تاريخ يتزامن هذا العام مع الذّكرى المئويّة لدفن رفات حضرة الباب على جبل الكرمل.
ففي نوروز عام 1909، قام حضرة عبدالبهاء، مرجع البهائيين من بعد حضرة بهاءالله، بوضع رفات حضرة الباب في مثواها الأخير. وأودع حضرته بنفسه تلك الوديعة الثّمينة في مرقدها في مبنى كان قد شيّده على جبل الكرمل في حيفا.
وفي وقت لاحق، تمّ إحاطة المبنى الأصلي بالأعمدة وتوّج بقبّة ذهبيّة ليكون مرقدّا لائقًا بالباب، أوّل الرّسولين المرتبطين بالدّين البهائي. وقد عاش كلّ منهما في القرن التّاسع عشر، وكانت مهمّة الباب الإعلان عن قرب مجيء بهاءالله الذي يعتبره البهائيّون موعود جميع الأديان الذي طال انتظاره.

أُعدم الباب عام 1850 في ساحة عامّة في تبريز في بلاد فارس (إيران حاليًّأ) ، وكانت رفاته مخبّأة في تلك البلاد نحو 50 عامًا، حتّى تمّ إحضارها سرًّا إلى الأرض المقدّسة حيث خُبّئت عقدًا آخر قبل أن تستقرّ في مقامها الأخير.

كان حضرة بهاءالله من بلاد فارس أيضًا، لكنّه أُبعد عن وطنه الأصلي وفي نهاية المطاف نفي إلى منطقة عكا وحيفا. وقبل صعوده في عام 1892، وجّه عبدالبهاء لإحضار رفات الباب من بلاد فارس ودفنه في موقع معيّن على جبل الكرمل. وعليه، رتّب عبدالبهاء لشراء الأرض، وتشييد بناء ذو هيكل مناسب للدّفن، وشقِّ طريق تؤدّي إلى الموقع الذي كان لا يزال في ذلك الوقت منطقة جبليّة وعرة. وأرسل بهائيّو رانجون في بورما تابوتًا مرمريًا ليتم استخدامه للدّفن.
:وُصفت الظّروف التي واكبت هذا الحدث الهام قبل 100 عام في كتاب التّاريخ البهائي “القرن البديع” بما يلي

“أمر حضرة عبدالبهاء بنقل التّابوت المرمري بجهد فائق إلى القبو المعدّ له، وفي المساء وضع فيه بيديه التّابوت الخشبي الحاوي لرفات حضرة الباب المقدّسة ورفات رفيقه، ولقد تمّ ذلك في ضوء قنديل واحد وعلى مشهد من أحبّاء الشّرق الغرب في احتفال جليل محرّك للمشاعر والوجدان.”

مترجم من موقع أخبار الجامعة البهائية العالمية

Prayer For Ayyám-i-Há - مناجاة تتلى في ايام الهاء

Happy Ayyám-i-Há

كل عام وانتم بخير وايام هاء سعيدة

My God, my Fire and my Light! The days which Thou hast named the Ayyám-i-Há * in Thy Book have begun, O Thou Who art the King of names, and the fast which Thy most exalted Pen hath enjoined unto all who are in the kingdom of Thy creation to observe is approaching. I entreat Thee, O my Lord, by these days and by all such as have during that period clung to the cord of Thy commandments, and laid hold on the handle of Thy precepts, to grant that unto every soul may be assigned a place within the precincts of Thy court, and a seat at the revelation of the splendors of the light of Thy countenance.
These, O my Lord, are Thy servants whom no 237 corrupt inclination hath kept back from what Thou didst send down in Thy Book. They have bowed themselves before Thy Cause, and received Thy Book with such resolve as is born of Thee, and observed what Thou hadst prescribed unto them, and chosen to follow that which had been sent down by Thee.
Thou seest, O my Lord, how they have recognized and confessed whatsoever Thou hast revealed in Thy Scriptures. Give them to drink, O my Lord, from the hands of Thy graciousness the waters of Thine eternity. Write down, then, for them the recompense ordained for him that hath immersed himself in the ocean of Thy presence, and attained unto the choice wine of Thy meeting.
I implore Thee, O Thou the King of kings and the Pitier of the downtrodden, to ordain for them the good of this world and of the world to come. Write down for them, moreover, what none of Thy creatures hath discovered, and number them with those who have circled round Thee, and who move about Thy throne in every world of Thy worlds.
Thou, truly, art the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Bahá’u’lláh - Bahá’í Prayers

*Ayyám-i-Há : An Arabic phrase means"The Days of Ha’", starts on February 26 to March 1, should be days of preparation for the Fast, days of hospitality, charity and the giving of presents. More Details

يا إِلهِي وَنارِيْ وَنُوْرِيْ قَدْ دَخَلَتِ الأَيَّامُ الَّتِيْ سَمَّيْتَها بِأَيَّامِ الهَاءِ* فِيْ كِتابِكَ يا مالِكَ الأَسْماءِ وَتَقَرَّبَتْ أَيَّامُ صِيامِكَ الَّذِيْ فَرَضْتَهُ مِنْ قَلَمِكَ الأَعْلى لِمَنْ فِيْ مَلَكُوتِ الإِنْشاءِ، أَيْ رَبِّ أَسْئَلُكَ بِتِلْكَ الأَيَّامِ وَالَّذِينَ تَمَسَّكوا فِيها بِحَبْلِ أَوامِرِكَ وَعُرْوَةِ أَحْكامِكَ بِأَنْ تَجْعَلَ لِكُلِّ نَفْسٍ مَقَرًّا فِيْ جِوارِكَ وَمَقامًا لَدى ظُهُورِ نُورِ وَجْهِكَ،أَيْ رَبِّ أُولئكَ عِبادٌ ما مَنَعَهُمُ الهَوى عَمَّا أَنْزَلْتَهُ فِيْ كِتابِكَ، قَدْ خَضَعَتْ أَعْناقُهُمْ لأَمْرِكَ وَأَخَذُوا كِتابَكَ بِقُوَّتِكَ وَعَمِلُوا ما أُمِرُوا بِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ وَاخْتارُوا ما نُزِّلَ لَهُمْ مِنْ لَدُنْكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ تَرَى أَنَّهُمْ أَقَرُّوا وَاعْتَرَفُوا بِكُلِّ ما أَنزَلْتَهُ فِيْ أَلْواحِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ أَشْرِبْهُمْ مِنْ يَدِ عَطائِكَ كَوْثَرَ بَقائِكَ ثُمَّ اكْتُبْ لَهُمْ أَجْرَ مَنِ انْغَمَسَ فِيْ بَحْرِ لِقائِكَ وَفازَ بِرَحِيقِ وِصالِكَ، أَسْئَلُكَ يا مالِكَ المُلُوكِ وَراحِمَ المَمْلُوكِ بِأَنْ تُقَدِّرَ لَهُمْ خَيْرَ الدُّنْيا وَالآخِرَةِ ثُمَّ اكْتُبْ لَهُمْ ما لا عَرَفَهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْهُمْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ طافُوا حَوْلَكَ وَيَطُوفُونَ حَوْلَ عَرْشِكَ فِيْ كُلِّ عالَمٍ مِنْ عَوالِمِكَ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ المُقْتَدِرُ العَلِيمُ

حضرة بهاء الله - مناجاة تتلى فى ايام الهاء

ايام الهاء:(الهاء ترمز الى الهوية الالهية أى الله سبحانه وتعالى) :هى عيد بهائي يبدأ في مساء الخامس والعشرين من فبراير كل عام وينتهي فى مساء الاول من مارس. هذا العيد يسبق شهر الصوم العلا ويعتبر اعدادا روحانيا له. لمزيد من التفاصيل اضغط هنا

Healing Prayer - مناجاة بهائية لطلب الشفاء

Thy name is my healing, O my God,

and remembrance of Thee is my remedy.

Nearness to Thee is my hope,

and love for Thee is my companion.

Thy mercy to me is my healing

and my succor in both this world and the world to come.

Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful,

the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Bahá’u’lláh -Bahá’í Prayers

ياالهي

اسمك شفائي

وذكرك دوائي

وقربك رجائي

وحبك مؤنسي

ورحمتك طبيبي ومعيني فى الدنيا والآخرة

انك انت المعطى العليم الحكيم

مناجاة طلب الشفاء - حضرة بهاء الله

Universal Peace - دعوة الى تحقيق السلام فى العالم

We have enjoined upon all mankind to establish the Most Great Peace—the surest of all means for the protection of humanity. The sovereigns of the world should, with one accord, hold fast thereunto, for this is the supreme instrument that can ensure the security and welfare of all peoples and nations. They, verily, are the manifestations of the power of God and the daysprings of His authority. We beseech the Almighty that He may graciously assist them in that which is conducive to the well-being of their subjects. A full explanation regarding this matter hath been previously set forth by the Pen of Glory; well is it with them that act accordingly.

Bahá’u’lláh - Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

الإِشْرَاقُ الثَّانِي

إِنَّا أَمَرْنَا الْكُلَّ بِالصُّلْحِ الأَكْبَرِ الَّذِي هُوَ السَّبَبُ الأَعْظَمُ لِحِفْظِ الْبَشَرِ

إِنَّ سَلاَطِينَ الآفَاقِ يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يَتَّفِقُوا فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ عَلَى التَّمَسُّكِ بِهَذَا الأَمْرِ

.الَّذِي هُوَ السَّبَبُ الأَعْظَمُ لِرَاحَةِ الْعَالَمِ وَحِفْظِ الأُمَمِ

فَهُمْ مَشَارِقُ قُدْرَةِ اللهِ وَمَطَالِعُ اقْتِدَارِهِ

.نَسْأَلُ الْحَقَّ أَنْ يُؤَيِّدَهُمْ عَلَى مَا هُوَ السَّبَبُ لِرَاحَةِ الْعِبَادِ

.وَقَدْ نُزِّلَ مِنْ قَبْلُ شَرْحٌ لِهَذَا الْبَابِ مِنْ الْقَلَمِ الأَعْلَى

.طُوبَى لِلْعَامِلِينَ

حضرة بهاء الله - لوح الاشراقات

Happy Thanksgiving

Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God,

Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God, inasmuch as Thou hast inclined mine ear to Thy voice, and called me to Thyself, and opened mine eyes to gaze on Thy beauty, and illumined my heart with Thy knowledge, and sanctified my breast from the doubts of the infidels in Thy days. I am the one, O my God, who lay fast asleep on his couch, when lo, the messengers of Thy manifold mercies were sent down upon me by Thee, and the gentle winds of Thy 122 loving-kindness blew over me, and roused me up, and caused me to set my face towards the sanctuary of Thy knowledge, and to fix mine eyes upon the splendors of the light of Thy face.

I am but a poor creature, O my Lord! Behold me clinging to the hem of Thy riches. I have fled from darkness and from waywardness unto the brightness of the light of Thy countenance. Were I—and to this Thy glory beareth me witness—to render thanksgiving unto Thee, through the whole continuance of Thy kingdom and the duration of the heaven of Thine omnipotence, I would still have failed to repay Thy manifold bestowals.

I implore Thee, O my Lord, by Thy name, the Ever-Abiding, and by Thy name which Thou didst ordain to be the most great Instrument binding Thee to Thy servants, to grant that I may flee for shelter to Thy door, and speak forth Thy praise. Write down, then, for me, in every world of Thine, that which will enable me to enter beneath Thy shadow and within the borders of Thy court.

Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Bountiful, the Most Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.

Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh

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

To be a Bahá’í simply means to love all Mankind - لكى تكـون بهــائياً، عليك ان تحــب كل العـــالم

"To be a Bahá’í simply means to love all the world,

to love humanity and try to serve it;

to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood"

***

"I charge you all that each one of you

concentrate all the thoughts of your heart on love and unity.

When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace.

A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

***

لكى تكون بهائيا، كل ماعليك هو

ان تحب كل العالم ،ان تحب الانسانية

ان تخدم الجميع ،ان تعمل على تحقيق السلام العالمي

ان تنثر الاخوة بين الناس

***

"أرى لزماً ان يوجه كل واحد منكم افكاره ومشاعره نحو المحبة والاتحاد"

" وكلما خطر بقلبه خاطر من الحرب قاومه بخاطر أكبر منه من الصلح والوئام

" ويجب محو فكرة العداوة بفكرة أكثر مهابةً وجلالاً منها ألا وهي فكرة المحبة"

حضرة عبد البهاء

The Báb ,The Herald of Bahá'u'lláh

Baha'is around the world observed a holy day - the Birth of the Báb - on 20 October.It is one of nine holy days on which Baha'is suspend work.
The Báb was born on 20 October, 1819 in Shiraz, Iran. His real name was 'Ali-Muhammad. He was a descendent of the prophet Muhammad through both His father and mother. He was raised by His uncle Hájí Mirzá Siyyid 'Ali, a merchant. As a child, He showed uncommon wisdom, although He received little formal schooling. He became a merchant and earned a high reputation for fairness. In 1842 He married Khadíjih-Bagum and they had one son, Ahmad, who died in infancy.

On May 23, 1844 he announced Himself to be The Báb , It is an Arabic word means “the Gate”. He proclaimed Himself to be the Promised One foretold in the great religions, and said that the Mission of His Dispensation was to alert the people to the imminent appearance of the Messenger of God awaited by all the peoples of the world, namely Bahá’u’lláh .
He was indeed a gate to the knowledge of God and to a new era in human existence. He called upon all people to purify their hearts from earthly vanities so that they could recognize Him Whom God would soon manifest.
Thousands upon thousands of people accepted the Message of The Báb and began to follow His Teachings. But the government of Iran and the powerful clergy who ruled over the masses rose against Him. They imprisoned Him and His followers were subjected to swift and savage persecution.

On July 9, 1850 The Báb was brought before a firing squad in the barracks square of Tabríz, along with a young follower. Some 20,000 of His followers perished in a series of massacres throughout Persia. His remains were hidden by His followers and in 1899 transferred to Palestine in the sepulchre on Mount Carmel known as the Shrine of The Báb. Today, the majestic building with the golden dome, overlooking the Bay of Haifa, Israel, and set amidst beautiful gardens, is the Shrine where The Báb's earthly remains are entombed.

Although The Báb was the Herald of Bahá'u'lláh, He was also a Manifestation of God as all other previous Manifestations such as Mohammed and Jesus.

Prayers:
“Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His bidding!”
(The Báb)

“Say: God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth but God sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent.”

(The Báb)

Abolishing the Extremes of Poverty and Wealth

"One of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings is the adjustment of means of livelihood in human society. Under this adjustment there can be no extremes in human conditions as regards wealth and sustenance. For the community needs financier, farmer, merchant and laborer just as an army must be composed of commander, officers and privates. All cannot be commanders; all cannot be officers or privates. Each in his station in the social fabric must be competent—each in his function according to ability but with justness of opportunity for all."
Abdu'l-Baha "The Promulgation of Universal Peace"



"Bahá’u’lláh has revealed principles and laws which will accomplish the adjustment of varying human capacities. He has said that whatsoever is possible of accomplishment in human government will be effected through these principles. When the laws He has instituted are carried out, there will be no millionaires possible in the community and likewise no extremely poor. This will be effected and regulated by adjusting the different degrees of human capacity. The fundamental basis of the community is agriculture, tillage of the soil. All must be producers. Each person in the community whose need is equal to his individual producing capacity shall be exempt from taxation. But if his income is greater than his needs, he must pay a tax until an adjustment is effected. That is to say, a man’s capacity for production and his needs will be equalized and reconciled through taxation. If his production exceeds, he will pay a tax; if his necessities exceed his production, he shall receive an amount sufficient to equalize or adjust. Therefore, taxation will be proportionate to capacity and production, and there will be no poor in the community."
Abdu'l-Baha "The Promulgation of Universal Peace"

The majority of the world's population lives in dire poverty and misery. This imbalance exists both within nations and between nations. Moreover, the gap that separates rich and poor continues to widen, which indicates that existing economic systems are incapable of restoring a just balance.

All degrees of income should be established within absolute limits. There must be, on the one hand, a minimum income level that meets the basic needs for human well-being and of which all are assured. If, for whatever reason (incapacity or other misfortune), individuals are unable to meet their essential needs, they would be assisted by community institutions. On the other hand, there should be an absolute maximum income level that would prevent extreme accumulations of wealth.

The Bahá'í teachings envision that economic justice and prosperity will come about only when the essential connection between the spiritual and practical aspects of life is recognized.

Unity in Diversity

Bahá'ís believe in three core principles:
The Oneness of God, The Oneness of Religion and The Oneness of Humanity.

The Oneness of God:

God is un­knowable in His Essence:

Bahá'ís believe that there is one supernatural being,God, who has created all the creatures and forces in the universe; God is omnipotent, omniscient, and perfect; and that Although people may have different concepts of God's nature, although they may pray to Him in different languages and call Him by different names--Allah or Yahweh, God or Brahma--nevertheless, they are speaking about the same unique Being.

“All-praise to the unity of God, and all-honor to Him, the sovereign Lord, the incomparable and all-glorious Ruler of the universe, Who, out of utter nothingness, hath created the reality of all things, Who, from naught, hath brought into being the most refined and subtle elements of His creation, and Who, rescuing His creatures from the abasement of remoteness and the perils of ultimate extinction, hath received them into His kingdom of incorruptible glory. Nothing short of His all-encompassing grace, His all-pervading mercy, could have possibly achieved it.”
Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, 2d rev. ed. , pp. 64-65

Bahá’u’lláh explains that God is un­knowable in His Essence. This means that people should not make images of God in their minds, thinking of Him, for example, as a man. In general, that which has been cre­ated cannot understand its creator.

For instance, a table cannot understand the nature of the carpenter who made it. The carpenter’s existence is totally incomprehensible to the objects he makes.

“How wondrous is the unity of the Living, the Ever-Abiding God--a unity which is exalted above all limitations, that transcendeth the comprehension of all created things.... How lofty hath been His incorruptible Essence, how completely independent of the knowledge of all created things, and how immensely exalted will it remain above the praise of all the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth!”
Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, pp. 261-62

God is the Creator of all things. He has made the heavens and earth, with its mountains and valleys, its de­serts and seas, its rivers, its meadows and trees. God has created the animals and God has created the human be­ing. The reason behind our creation, is love.:

“O Son of Man! I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.”
Bahá’u’lláh -The Hidden Words, Arabic No. 4

The Eternal Covenant

So although God’s existence is far be­yond our understanding, His love touches our lives and our beings ceaselessly. The way this love flows to us is through His Eternal Covenant. According to this Eternal Covenant, God never leaves us alone and without guid­ance. Whenever humanity moves away from Him and for­gets His Teachings, a Manifestation of God appears and makes His Will and Purpose known to us.

The Oneness of Religion:

The Manifestation of God

The word “manifest” means to reveal, to bring forth something that was not known before. The Manifestations of God are those special Beings Who reveal to humanity the Word and the Will of God; thus when we listen to Them, we are responding to the Call of God.

Example:
There is an example from the physical world that helps us to understand the concept of “Manifestation” as taught by Bahá’u’lláh. In this world, the sun is the source of all warmth and light, without which life would not exist on the planet. Yet the sun itself does not descend to earth, and if we tried to approach it, we would be totally consumed.
But suppose we take a well-polished mirror and point it towards the sun. In it we will see the image of the sun, and the more perfectly polished the mirror, the more perfect the image will be.

The Mani­festations of God are like perfect Mirrors that reflect the Light of God in all its Splendor. And all these Mirrors re­flect the same Light.
While God is beyond our reach, these perfect Beings come to us from time to time, live among us, give us guidance, and fill us with the energy we need to progress, materially and spiritually.

“Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a direct evidence of the revelation within it of the attributes and names of God, inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear eloquent testimony to the revelation of that Most Great Light.... To a supreme degree is this true of man.... For in him are potentially revealed all the attributes and names of God to a degree that no other created being hath excelled or surpasssed.... And of all men, the most accomplished, the most distinguished, and the most excellent are the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth. Nay, all else besides these Manifestations, live by the operation of their Will, and move and have their being through the outpourings of their grace.”
Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, pp. 177-79.

Bahá’u’lláh is The Manifestation of God for this Age

Bahá'u'lláh explained, that the essential connection between the individual and God is maintained through the writings and words of each Manifestation. Theses Manifestations teach the same truth. The only difference between them is that each have appeared in a different time in the history of humanity in order to help people to be educated according to the needs of that time. Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings are in perfect harmony with the Teachings of all previous religions, such as Christianity, and Islam, but they address the condition of humanity today.

“This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness.”
Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, p6.

Baha'i Prayer : Blessed is the spot - مناجاة بهائية: طوبى لمحلٍ

طوبى لمحلٍ ولبيتٍ ولمقامٍ ولمدينةٍ
ولقلبٍ ولجبلٍ ولكهفٍ ولغارٍ ولأوديةٍ ولبرٍ ولبحرٍ ولجزيرةٍ ولدسكرةٍ ارتفع فيها ذكر الله وثناؤه

حضرة بهاء الله

Blessed is the spot, and the house, and the place, and the city, and the heart, and the mountain, and the refuge, and the cave, and the valley, and the land, and the sea, and the island, and the meadow where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified.

Bahá'u'lláh

The Hidden Words - الكلمات المكنونة

O FRIEND!

In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly.

Bahá’u’lláh -The Hidden Words

يا أيّها المحبوب

في روضة القلب غير ورد العشق لا تغرس، وعن بلبل الحبّ والشّوق لا ترخ قبضتك. عدّ مصاحبة الأبرار غنيمةً، وانفض يدك وجنانك من مرافقة الأشرار

حضرة بهاء الله – من كتاب الكلمات المكنونة

اغنية للأطفال: أنا طفل بهائي

أنا أنا طفل بهائي

وأدي أدي أدي أخلاقي

اتلو أيات في صباح ومساء

وأحب الكل حتي أعدائي

وأقبل ما عاتب علي أصحابي

أسال نفسي ايه أخطائي

أنا أنا طفل بهائي

وأدي أدي أدي أحلامي

حلم بسيط أساسه تضحية

بلاد شرقيه بلاد غربية

عالم واحد للبشرية

راياتة ترفرف بالحرية

أنا أنا طفل بهائي

أدي أدي أدي طموحاتي

أشوف الشمس أقول ياسلام

فرصة جديدة للأنسان

سلام وأمان

وحده أديان

يفوق العالم من الأوهام

أنا أنا طفل بهائي

وأدي أدي أدي أدواتي

أدب أخلاق تنور ذاتي

علم يشغل كل طقاتي

أنا أنا طفل بهائي

وأدي أدي أدي أخلاقي

شكرا لمدونة صفاء القلب

The Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá'í Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions. Its founder, Bahá’u’lláh(1817-1892), is regarded by Bahá'ís as the most recent in the line of Messengers of God that stretches back beyond recorded time and that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad.

The aim of the Bahá’í Faith is to unify humanity. Bahá’ís believe that, we are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch. Although we differ from one another physically and emotionally, although we have different talents and capacities, we all spring from the same root; we all belong to the same human family.
“Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.”

The Bahá'í Faith in Egypt

The Baha'i Faith came to Egypt; in 1864. Two Persian Merchants introduced the Faith in Egypt and then Few Egyptians became Bahá’ís.
During 1910 – 1913 : ‘Abdu’l-Bahá , the son of the Profit founder of the Baha'i Faith came to Egypt. He visited and stayed in several cities; Port Said, Ismá`íliyyah, Al Mansoura,Tanta, Cairo, and Alexandria.

Bahá’u’lláh’s Life

Bahá’u’lláh was born in 1817 in Tihrán, the capital of Iran. From His early childhood, He showed signs of greatness. He received some instruction at home, but did not need to attend school, for He was endowed by God with innate knowledge. Bahá’u’lláh came from a noble family and when He was a young man, was offered a high position in the court of the King, but He refused it. He wished to dedicate His time to helping the oppressed, the sick and the poor, and to champion the cause of justice.

There are two aspects of Bahá’u’lláh’s life.

One is the suffering He endured.

The other is the tremendous influence He had on the hearts and minds of people.

These actually characterize the lives of all the Manifesta­tions of God.

Bahá’u’lláh’s sufferings began the mo­ment He arose to proclaim the Cause of God. His life was one of exile, imprisonment and persecution. He was put in chains in a dark and dismal dungeon in Tihrán He was exiled four times from land to land, finally being sent to the Prison City of ‘Akká in the Ottoman Empire. So in­tense were His sufferings there that He has referred to ‘Akká as the “Most Great Prison”.

“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. 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.” Bahá’u’lláh

Two powerful courts—those of the King of Iran and the Ottoman Emperor—made every effort to oppose Bahá’u’lláh and His Teachings. But the Light of Truth is not easily extinguished. The very water that is poured on this fire to put out its flame turns into oil, and the fire burns with more intensity. Nothing could be done to stop Bahá’u’lláh’s growing influence. The farther the authorities banished Him, the greater the number of people who were attracted to His Teachings and recognized His Power and Majesty. In spite of constant persecution, Bahá’u’lláh con­tinued to reveal the Word of God for more than forty years and brought so much love and spiritual energy into this world that the final victory of His Cause is certain.

Bahá’u’lláh passed away in 1892. His Shrine, which Baha’is consider the Holiest Spot on earth, is located near the city of ‘Akká.

The spiritual meaning of Fast

Since the beginning of the Fast month, the schedule day has been changed. There is more free time now. Because we are not busy preparing lunch, or eating sank, or cooking dinner, or having a cup of coffee, or …etc
If we compare between: The time we spent feeding our bodies and the time we spent nourishing our souls, we will realize that:
We lose our value time in something is not important, the physical food!
But do we have enough Spiritual Food?
‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains the needed of more Spiritual Food in our life:

“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.”

Acording to that , we realiz the importance of Fasting. As it is:

1- A symbol for abstinence from lust:

“Fasting is a symbol. Fasting signifies abstinence from lust. Physical fasting is a symbol of that abstinence, and is a reminder; that is, just as a person abstains from physical appetites, he is to abstain from self-appetites and self-desires. But mere abstention from food has no effect on the spirit. It is only a symbol, a reminder. Otherwise it is of no importance.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá

2- A period of meditation and prayer:
Shoghi Effendi indicates that the fasting period 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 purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires.”
Shoghi Effendi, Directives of the Guardian (New Delhi: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1973), pp. 27-28.
3- A way to increase our spirituality:

"Fasting is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and the spirituality of man increases. This is produced by the fact that man's thoughts will be confined to the commemoration of God, and through this awakening and stimulation surely ideal advancements follow... Fasting is of two kinds, material and spiritual. The material fasting is abstaining from food or drink, that is, from the appetites of the body. But spiritual, ideal fasting is this, that man abstain from selfish passions, from negligence and from satanic animal traits. Therefore, material fasting is a token of the spiritual fasting."
`Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West, vol. 3, p. 305.

4- A way to show our love toward God:
By obeying His commandments and Laws.

“O ye peoples of the world! Know assuredly that My commandments are the lamps of My loving providence among My servants, and the keys of My mercy for My creatures. Thus hath it been sent down from the heaven of the Will of your Lord, the Lord of Revelation. Were any man to taste the sweetness of the words which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he would, though the treasures of the earth be in his possession, renounce them one and all, that he might vindicate the truth of even one of His commandments, shining above the Dayspring of His bountiful care and loving-kindness.”
Baha'u'llah , the Kitáb Al Aqdas-p3

"O SON OF BEING! Walk in My statutes for love of Me and deny thyself that which thou desirest if thou seekest My pleasure."
Baha'u'llah , The Arabic Hidden Words – No.38

Prayer

“O God! As I am fasting from the appetites of the body and not occupied with eating and drinking, even so purify and make holy my heart and my life from aught else save Thy Love, and protect and preserve my soul from self-passions... Thus may the spirit associate with the Fragrances of Holiness and fast from everything else save Thy mention.”
`Abdu'l-Bahá

Happy Ayyám Al Há! - ايام هاء سعيدة

Greetings from an Ayyám Al Há celebration
تهنئة من احتفالات الاطفال بايام الهاء

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