The story which follows was taken from H.M. Balyuzi’s book: Abdu’l-Bahá – The Centre of the Covenant, p. 451-460), except where otherwise noted.  The program itself takes about 60 minutes.  I hope you enjoy it.       In the land that we know as the Holy Land, in all its turbulent history of the [...]

The story which follows was taken from H.M. Balyuzi’s book: Abdu’l-Bahá – The Centre of the Covenant, p. 451-460), except where otherwise noted.  The program itself takes about 60 minutes.  I hope you enjoy it.

 

 

 

In the land that we know as the Holy Land, in all its turbulent history of the last two thousand years, there had never been an event which could unite all its inhabitants of diverse faiths and origins and purposes, in a single expression of thought and feeling, as did the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Jews and Christians and Muslims and Druzes, of all persuasions and denominations; Arabs and Turks and Kurds and Armenians and other ethnic groups were united in mourning His passing, in being aware of a great loss they had suffered.

Watch Video:  Behold a Candle:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2nA7NaV_F4

Shoghi Effendi and Lady Blomfield wrote, in The Passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

We have now come to realize that the Master knew the day and hour when, his mission on earth being finished, he would return to the shelter of heaven. He was, however, careful that his family should not have any premonition of the coming sorrow. It seemed as though their eyes were veiled by him, with his ever-loving consideration for his dear ones, that they should not see the significance of certain dreams and other signs of the culminating event. This they now realize was his thought for them, in order that their strength might be preserved to face the great ordeal when it should arrive, that they should not be devitalized by anguish of mind in its anticipation.

The night of July 10th 1921 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was on Mount Carmel by the Shrine of the Báb. There, He revealed a Tablet and a prayer in honour of a ‘kinsman of the Bab’, who had died recently. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá beseeched God, in that prayer, for His own release from this world. He spoke of His ‘loneliness’, of being ‘broken-winged’, ‘submerged in seas of sorrows’:

 ’O Lord! My bones are weakened, and the hoar hairs glisten on My head . . . and I have now reached old age, failing in My powers . . . No strength is there left in Me wherewith to arise and serve Thy loved ones . . . O Lord, My Lord! Hasten My ascension unto Thy sublime Threshold . . . and My arrival at the Door of Thy grace beneath the shadow of Thy most great mercy . . .’

That prayer was answered less than five months later. He passed away in the early hours of November 28th.

Out of the many signs of the approach of the hour when he could say of his work on earth: ‘It is finished’, the following two dreams seem remarkable. Less than eight weeks before his passing the Master related this to his family:

 ’I seemed to be standing within a great Mosque . . . in the place of the Imam himself. I became aware that a large number of people were flocking into the Mosque; more and yet more crowded in, taking their places in rows behind me, until there was a vast multitude. As I stood I raised loudly the “Call to Prayer”. Suddenly the thought came to me to go forth from the Mosque.

‘When I found myself outside I said within myself, “For what reason came I forth, not having led the prayer? But it matters not; now that I have uttered the Call to Prayer, the vast multitude will of themselves chant the prayer . . .”‘

A few weeks after the preceding dream the Master came in from the solitary room in the garden, which he had occupied of late, and said:

 ’I dreamed a dream and behold the Blessed Beauty . . . came and said unto me, “Destroy this room!”‘

The family, who had been wishing that he would come and sleep in the house, not being happy that he should be alone at night, exclaimed, ‘Yes Master, we think your dream means that you should leave that room and come into the house.’ When he heard this from us, he smiled meaningly as though not agreeing with our interpretation. Afterwards we understood that by the ‘room’ was meant the temple of his body.

A month before his last hour, Doctor Sulayman Rafat Bey, a Turkish friend, who was a guest in the house. received a telegram telling him of the sudden death of his brother. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaking words of comfort to him, whispered, ‘Sorrow not, for he is only transferred from this plane to a higher one; I too shall soon be transferred, for my days are numbered.’ Then patting him gently on the shoulder, he looked him in the face and said, ‘And it will be in the days that are shortly to come.’

In the same week he revealed a Tablet to America, in which is the following prayer:

 ’Ya Baha’u’l-Abha! (O Thou the Glory of Glories) I have renounced the world and the people thereof, and am heart-broken and sorely afflicted because of the unfaithful. In the cage of this world, I flutter even as a frightened bird, and yearn every day to take my flight unto Thy Kingdom.

‘Ya Baha’u’l-Abha! Make me to drink of the cup of sacrifice and set me free. Relieve me from these woes and trials, from these afflictions and troubles. Thou art He that aideth, that succoureth, that protecteth, that stretcheth forth the hand of help.’

His good and faithful servant, Isma’il Aqa, relates the following:  ‘Some time, about twenty days before my Master passed away I was near the garden when I heard him summon an old believer saying:

 ’”Come with me that we may admire together the beauty of the garden. Behold, what the spirit of devotion is able to achieve! This flourishing place was, a few years ago, but a heap of stones, and now it is verdant with foliage and flowers. My desire is that after I am gone, the loved ones may all arise to serve the Divine Cause and, please God, so it shall be. Ere long men will arise who shall bring life to the world.”

‘A few days after this he said:

“I am so fatigued! The hour is come when I must leave everything and take my flight. I am too weary to walk.” Then he said: “It was during the closing days of the Blessed Beauty, when I was engaged in gathering together His papers, which were strewn over the sofa in His writing chamber at Bahji that He turned to me and said, ‘It is of no use to gather them, I must leave them and flee away.’

‘”I also have finished my work, I can do nothing more, therefore must I leave it and take my departure.”

John Bosch was one of those whom ‘Abdu’l-Bahá chose as a companion for the time when He should leave the world. Afterward, the friends saw that the Master knew the moment of His passing and had prepared for it. Some who had asked permission to visit Him at that time, He had gently turned away. But to John He had written, ‘I am longing to see you,’ and when John and Louise, responding, asked to come, His cable replied: ‘Permitted.’ They reached Haifa about November 13, 1921.  John was present on November 19 at the Master’s last public talk; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá pointed to John on this occasion and addressed the talk to him: He spoke of divine love, and how different it is from human love.  (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “The Universal Language of the Spirit”, Star of the West, October 1922, p. 163)

Three days before the last, John [Bosch] was in the garden and all at once he saw the Master. ‘He walked as straight as if He had been a young man. He looked well and strong. He walked like a general. When we had made one short round, about fifty steps, He left me. He went up to the garden, and came down and brought me a tangerine. In English He said: “Eat… Good.” I didn’t do like the Americans and put it away for a keepsake. I peeled it and ate it and put the peelings in my pocket.’   (Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 211-213)

Three days before his ascension whilst seated in the garden, he called me and said,

 ”I am sick with fatigue.  Bring two of your oranges for me that I may eat them for your sake.” This I did, and he having eaten them turned to me, saying “Have you any of your sweet lemons?” He bade me fetch a few . . . Whilst I was plucking them, he came over to the tree, saying, “Nay, but I must gather them with my own hands.” Having eaten of the fruit he turned to me and asked “Do you desire anything more?” Then with a pathetic gesture of his hands, he touchingly, emphatically and deliberately said:

“Now it is finished, it is finished!”

‘These significant words penetrated my very soul. I felt each time he uttered them as if a knife were struck into my heart. I understood his meaning but never dreamed his end was so nigh.’

Watch Video:  a prayer of Abdu’l-Bahá that says that without pain and sacrifice, there will be no reward or progress:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLa6Vsb3JTU  watch?v=NLa6Vsb3JTU

 On the last Friday morning of his stay on earth (November 25th) he said to his daughters: ‘The wedding of Khusraw must take place today. If you are too much occupied, I myself will make the necessary preparations, for it must take place this day.’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá attended the noonday prayer at the Mosque. When he came out he found the poor waiting for the alms, which it was his custom to give every Friday. This day, as usual, he stood, in spite of very great fatigue, whilst he gave a coin to everyone with his own hands.

After lunch he dictated some Tablets, his last ones, to Ruhi Effendi (Shoghi Effendi’s cousin). When he had rested he walked in the garden. He seemed to be in a deep reverie.

Later in the evening of Friday he blessed the bride and bridegroom who had just been married. He spoke impressively to them. ‘Khusraw,’ he said, ‘you have spent your childhood and youth in the service of this house: it is my hope that you will grow old under the same roof, ever and always serving God.’

During the evening he attended the usual meeting of the friends in his own audience chamber.

In the morning of Saturday, November 26th, he arose early, came to the tea room and had some tea. He asked for the fur-lined coat which had belonged to Bahá’u'lláh.  He often put on this coat when he was cold or did not feel well, he so loved it. He then withdrew to his room, lay down on his bed and said, ‘Cover me up. I am very cold. Last night I did not sleep well, I felt cold. This is serious, it is the beginning.’

After more blankets had been put on, he asked for the fur coat he had taken off to be placed over him. That day he was rather feverish. In the evening his temperature rose still higher [it reached 104ø F.], but during the night the fever left him. After midnight he asked for some tea.

On Sunday morning (November 27th) he said: ‘I am quite well and will get up as usual and have tea with you in the tea room.’ After he had dressed he was persuaded to remain on the sofa in his room.

In the afternoon he sent all the friends up to the Tomb of the Báb, where on the occasion of the anniversary of the declaration of the Covenant a feast was being held, offered by a Parsi pilgrim who had lately arrived from India.

At four in the afternoon being on the sofa in his room he said: ‘Ask my sister and all the family to come and have tea with me.’

After tea the Mufti of Haifa and the head of the Municipality, with another visitor, were received by him. They remained about an hour. He spoke to them about Bahá’u'lláh, related to them his second dream, showed them extraordinary kindness and even more than his usual courtesy. He then bade them farewell, walking with them to the outer door in spite of their pleading that he should remain resting on his sofa. He then received a visit from the head of the police, an Englishman, who, too, had his share of the Master’s gracious kindness. To him he gave some silk hand-woven Persian handkerchiefs, which he very greatly appreciated.

His four sons-in-law and Ruhi Effendi came to him after returning from the gathering on the mountain. They said to him: ‘The giver of the feast was unhappy because you were not there.’ He said unto them:

‘But I was there, though my body was absent, my spirit was there in your midst. I was present with the friends at the Tomb. The friends must not attach any importance to the absence of my body. In spirit I am, and shall always be, with the friends, even though I be far away.

The same evening he asked after the health of every member of the Household, of the pilgrims and of the friends in Haifa. ‘Very good, very good’ he said when told that none were ill. This was his very last utterance concerning his friends.

At eight in the evening he retired to bed after taking a little nourishment, saying: ‘I am quite well.’

He told all the family to go to bed and rest. Two of his daughters however stayed with him. That night the Master had gone to sleep very calmly, quite free from fever. He awoke about 1.15 a.m., got up and walked across to a table where he drank some water. He took off an outer night garment, saying: ‘I am too warm.’ He went back to bed and when his daughter Ruha Khanum, later on, approached, she found him lying peacefully and, as he looked into her face, he asked her to lift up the net curtains, saying:

‘I have difficulty in breathing, give me more air.’

Some rose water was brought of which he drank, sitting up in bed to do so, without any help. He again lay down and as some food was offered him, he remarked in a clear and distinct voice:

‘You wish me to take some food, and I am going?’

He gave them a beautiful look. His face was so calm, his expression so serene, they thought him asleep . . . His long martyrdom was ended!

When Dr Florian Krug was summoned quickly and arrived hastily, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘had gone from the gaze of his loved ones’.

Watch Video:  A poem dedicated to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in commemoration of his ascension, written and  read in Farsi  by Mrs. Shahla Nabilzadeh-Ghotbi:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u2-pjLt8x8

Soon after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had passed out of this world, Western pilgrims were allowed into the room where His body lay. Louise Bosch wrote on December 5th to Ella Cooper:

 At first we were as dumb and speechless, bewildered. We stood or kneeled before the bed. We gazed upon his face and could not trust our eyes. At last the bewilderment subsided and the trust asserted itself. Was it true that his eyes would open no more? Would he not open his eyes to look upon us again? Would he not open his lips to say that he was not dead? We asked the doctors [by then other physicians had been sent for] if he was dead. They said yes, the heart had ceased to beat; they said it was useless to try to revive him — it could not be done. Then, after awhile, the mosquito netting over the bed was let down, and this covered from our eyes the earthly remains of our Lord. We got up and went into the adjacent room, and the door of the room out of which we came was closed.

But before this, the blood of the wounds of this blow had begun to flow, and the hurt and the pain and the moans increased with every minute. We five European pilgrims were in the room together with the holy family and the holy mother held my husband’s hand and the Greatest Holy Leaf held mine. After a time we went back to the Pilgrim House, leaving the holy family alone. It was still night — no moon at all. Not long afterward the dawn broke, and at last the sun rose with great effulgence over the scene of this memorable night.

John Bosch had this to say:  It was in the early hours of Monday, November 28, that we were awakened to the agonizing news that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was suddenly gone from their midst. Curtis Kelsey with another believer was sent to ‘Akká with the terrible word. John saw people weeping as he went to the Master’s bedroom. He knelt down beside the bed. Then the Most Exalted Leaf, the daughter of Bahá’u'lláh, took his hand and placed him beside her on the built-in divan along the window. With her he kept a vigil there from two until four o’clock. Once, he rose, walked the two steps to the bed, took the Master’s hand and said, ‘Oh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!’ It was about three o’clock then. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s hand was still warm. He seemed alive. ‘I still hoped He lived,’ John told me.  The Most Exalted Leaf wept far less than the others, at all times maintaining her great dignity and composure. But many times she sighed, through the night.  (Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 211-213)

A special announcement, issued in the morning, by the family of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Bahá’ís of Haifa, gave the public the news of His passing and of the funeral arrangements for the following day.

Cablegrams were dispatched from Haifa at 3 p.m. on 28th November, 1921, and contained the following momentous news:

‘His Holiness ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ascended to the Kingdom of Abhá. Please inform friends.’ (signed) ‘Greatest Holy Leaf’.

However, early on Monday morning . . . the news of this sudden calamity had spread over the city, causing an unprecedented stir and tumult, and filling all hearts with unutterable grief.

In the afternoon this statement appeared:

We all belong unto God and unto Him do we all return.  The Islamic Association announces with much regret the passing of the highly-learned, greatly-erudite, generous benefactor, His Eminence ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbas. His bier will be carried from His home, to-morrow, Tuesday, at 9 o’clock in the morning. You are requested to accept this announcement as a special invitation to assemble for His funeral procession. May God immerse Him in His boundless mercy, and grant solace unto His family and His people.

Sorrow and anguish were most intense. But decisions had to be taken, preparations had to be made. First of all, where was to be the resting-place of the earthly remains of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá? It was remembered that there was another vault next to the vault where the remains of the Báb lay. The Greatest Holy Leaf decided that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s tomb should be there.

A coffin of plain white wood was expeditiously obtained and John Bosch assisted the sons-in-law of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to place His body in the coffin.  They had wrapped the Master in five separate folds of white silk and on His head they had placed a black mitre given to Him by Bahá’u'lláh. His coffin had been placed on two chairs beside the bed. John was present when His sheeted form was lifted into the coffin; while others held the Master’s head and shoulders and arms, Mirza Jalal held His feet, and John His knees. His body seemed natural, John said, not rigid. John helped the others to close the coffin down. He said he knew the living Master was there. ‘I felt He was there. Not in the body–even now I feel that again–His presence. I am sure He was there.’ (Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 211-213)

But so hurriedly had the coffin been made that its lid could not be properly secured. The night following the interment, Lutfu’llah Hakim sat in the vault and kept watch until the deficiency could be righted.

Watch Video: My name is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouHB39Bkyio

The funeral of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was indeed a funeral the like of which the Holy Land had never witnessed:

John told me that already by seven that Tuesday morning soldiers were lined up on both sides of the street and some were in the Master’s compound. As John entered, on the left going up the steps, he saw an Arab soldier standing guard; the man was leaning on his gun and the tears streamed down his face.  (Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 211-213)

The High Commissioner of Palestine, Sir Herbert Samuel, the Governor of Jerusalem, the Governor of Phoenicia, the Chief Officials of the Government, the Consuls of the various countries, resident in Haifa, the heads of the various religious communities, the notables of Palestine, Jews, Christians, Moslems, Druses, Egyptians, Greeks, Turks, Kurds, and a host of his American, European and native friends, men, women and children, both of high and low degree, all, about ten thousand in number, mourning the loss of their Beloved One.

This impressive, triumphal procession was headed by a guard of honour, consisting of the City Constabulary Force, followed by the Boy Scouts of the Moslem and Christian communities holding aloft their banners, a company of Moslem choristers chanting their verses from the Quran, the chiefs of the Moslem community headed by the Mufti, a number of Christian priests, Latin, Greek and Anglican, all preceding the sacred coffin, upraised on the shoulders of his loved ones. Immediately behind it came the members of his family, next to them walked the British High Commissioner, the Governor of Jerusalem and the Governor of Phoenicia. After them came the Consuls and the notables of the land, followed by the vast multitude of those who reverenced and loved him.

On this day there was no cloud in the sky, nor any sound in all the town and surrounding country through which they went, save only the soft, slow, rhythmic chanting of Islam in the Call to Prayer, or the convulsed sobbing moan of those helpless ones, bewailing the loss of their one friend, who had protected them in all their difficulties and sorrows, whose generous bounty had saved them and their little ones from starvation through the terrible years of the ‘Great Woe’.

‘O God, my God!’ the people wailed with one accord, ‘Our father has left us, our father has left us!’

O the wonder of that great throng! Peoples of every religion and race and colour, united in heart through the Manifestation of Servitude in the life-long work of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!

On the long way up Mt. Carmel, Sir Herbert Samuel, the British High Commissioner, walked directly ahead of John [Bosch]. Once John looked back, and saw all the carriages, empty and left behind: the ten thousand mourners were all coming on foot, although the cortege took an hour and five minutes to reach the Shrine. (Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 211-213)

 

As they slowly wended their way up Mount Carmel, the Vineyard of God, the casket appeared in the distance to be borne aloft by invisible hands, so high above the heads of the people was it carried. After two hours walking, they reached the garden of the Tomb of the Báb. Tenderly was the sacred coffin placed upon a plain table covered with a fair white linen cloth. As the vast concourse pressed round the Tabernacle of his body, waiting to be laid in its resting place, within the vault, next to that of the Báb, representatives of the various denominations, Moslems, Christians and Jews, all hearts being ablaze with fervent love of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, some on the impulse of the moment, others prepared, raised their voices in eulogy and regret, paying their last homage of farewell to their loved one. So united were they in their acclamation of him, as the wise educator and reconciler of the human race in this perplexed and sorrowful age, that there seemed to be nothing left for the Baha’is to say.

Watch Video:  Dastam Begir (which means “Hold Thou my hand”)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqStB_FkkNc

Tablet of Visitation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

 Whoso recitheth this prayer with lowliness and fervour will bring gladness and joy to the heart of this Servant;

it will be even as meeting Him face to face. 

He is the All-Glorious!

O God, my God! Lowly and tearful, I raise my suppliant hands to Thee and cover my face in the dust of that Threshold of Thine, exalted above the knowledge of the learned, and the praise of all that glorify Thee. Graciously look upon Thy servant, humble and lowly at Thy door, with the glances of the eye of Thy mercy, and immerse him in the Ocean of Thine eternal grace.

Lord! He is a poor and lowly servant of Thine, enthralled and imploring Thee, captive in Thy hand, praying fervently to Thee, trusting in Thee, in tears before Thy face, calling to Thee and beseeching Thee, saying:

O Lord, my God! Give me Thy grace to serve Thy loved ones, strengthen me in my servitude to Thee, illumine my brow with the light of adoration in Thy court of holiness, and of prayer to Thy kingdom of grandeur. Help me to be selfless at the heavenly entrance of Thy gate, and aid me to be detached from all things within Thy holy precincts. Lord! Give me to drink from the chalice of selflessness; with its robe clothe me, and in its ocean immerse me. Make me as dust in the pathway of Thy loved ones, and grant that I may offer up my soul for the earth ennobled by the footsteps of Thy chosen ones in Thy path, O Lord of Glory in the Highest.

With this prayer doth Thy servant call Thee, at dawntide and in the night-season. Fulfil his heart’s desire, O Lord! Illumine his heart, gladden his bosom, kindle his light, that he may serve Thy Cause and Thy-servants.

Thou art the Bestower, the Pitiful, the Most Bountiful, the Gracious, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

 

 

Declaration of the Bab   Opening Music:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsNp89kvPjM   Narrator: The opening scene of the initial act of this great drama was laid in the upper chamber of the modest residence of the son of a mercer of Shíráz, in an obscure corner of that city. The time was the hour before sunset, on the [...]

Declaration of the Bab

 

Opening Music:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsNp89kvPjM

 

Narrator: The opening scene of the initial act of this great drama was laid in the upper chamber of the modest residence of the son of a mercer of Shíráz, in an obscure corner of that city. The time was the hour before sunset, on the 22nd day of May, 1844. The participants were the Báb, a twenty-five year old Siyyid, of pure and holy lineage, and the young Mullá Husayn, the first to believe in Him. Their meeting immediately before that interview seemed to be purely fortuitous. The interview itself was protracted till the hour of dawn. The Host remained closeted alone with His guest, nor was the sleeping city remotely aware of the import of the conversation they held with each other. No record has passed to posterity of that unique night save the fragmentary but highly illuminating account that fell from the lips of Mullá Husayn.

 

It was this quest for the Qá’im, the Promised One of Islám, that led Mullá Husayn, his brother, and a nephew to the city of Shíráz on May 22, 1844. Having traveled far in search of the Qá’im, he sent his companions to the mosque to await him while he wandered awhile, promising to rejoin them for evening prayers. While walking outside the gates of the city a few hours before sunset, he was unexpectedly greeted by a young man. Mullá Husayn thought this man must be a disciple of Siyyid Kázim who had heard of his arrival in Shíráz and had come to welcome him. Even so, the manner of the greeting was astonishing. He is said to have related:

 

Mullá Husayn: The Youth who met me outside the gate of Shíráz overwhelmed me with expressions of affection and loving-kindness. He extended to me a warm invitation to visit His home, and there refresh myself after the fatigues of my journey. I prayed to be excused, pleading that my two companions had already arranged for my stay in that city, and were now awaiting my return.

 

The Báb: “Commit them to the care of God.  He will surely protect and watch over them.”

 

Narrator: Having spoken these words, He bade me follow Him. I was profoundly impressed by the gentle yet compelling manner in which that strange Youth spoke to me.  He accompanied the young man to his house, where tea was served and preparations begun for the evening prayer.

 

Serve Tea

 

 

 

Narrator: Mullá Husayn then relates the astonishing thing that happened next:

 

Mullá Husayn: Overwhelmed with His acts of extreme kindness, I arose to depart. “The time for evening prayer is approaching,” I ventured to observe. “I have promised my friends to join them at that hour in the [mosque].”

 

Narrator: With extreme courtesy and calm He replied:

 

The Báb: “You must surely have made the hour of your return conditional upon the will and pleasure of God. It seems that His will has decreed otherwise. You need have no fear of having broken your pledge.”

 

Mullá Husayn: His dignity and self-assurance silenced me. I renewed my ablutions and prepared for prayer.

 

Ablutions and Preparation for Prayer

 

 

 

Mullá Husayn: He, too, stood beside me and prayed….

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eWbdTa_Fqs&feature=related

 

 

Mullá Husayn: It was about an hour after sunset when my youthful Host began to converse with me.

 

The Báb: “Whom, after Siyyid Kázim do you regard as his successor and your leader?”

 

Mullá Husayn: At the hour of his death, our departed teacher insistently exhorted us to forsake our homes, to scatter far and wide, in quest of the promised Beloved. I have, accordingly, journeyed to Persia, have arisen to accomplish his will, and am still engaged in my quest.

 

The Báb: Has your teacher given you any detailed indications as to the distinguishing features of the Qá’im?

 

Mullá Husayn: Yes.  He is of a pure lineage, is of illustrious descent, and of the seed of Fátimih. As to His age, He is more than twenty and less than thirty. He is endowed with innate knowledge. He is of medium height, abstains from smoking, and is free from bodily deficiency.

 

Narrator: He paused for a while and then with vibrant voice declared:

 

The Báb: “Behold, all these signs are manifest in Me!”

 

Narrator: The young man, whose name was Siyyid Alí Muhammád, proceeded to demonstrate that each of the signs given by Siyyid Kázim were indeed applicable to Him. Yet Mullá Husayn was unsure. He had prepared two tests for anyone claiming to be the Qá’im, and decided to place them before Siyyid Alí Muhammád in order to prove the matter one way or the other. Those tests, Mullá Huysan related, were as follows:

 

Mullá Husayn: The first was a treatise which I had myself composed, bearing upon the abstruse and hidden teachings propounded by Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim. Whoever seemed to me capable of unravelling the mysterious allusions made in that treatise, to him I would next submit my second request, and would ask him to reveal, without the least hesitation or reflection, a commentary on the Súrih of Joseph, in a style and language entirely different from the prevailing standards of the time. I had previously requested Siyyid Kázim, in private, to write a commentary on that same Súrih, which he refused, saying:

 

Siyyid Kázim: “This is, verily, beyond me. He, that great One, who comes after me will, unasked, reveal it for you. That commentary will constitute one of the weightiest testimonies of His truth, and one of the clearest evidences of the loftiness of His position.”

 

Narrator: So Mullá Husayn asked his Host to comment on the treatise he had written. The result of that request only further astonished him:

 

Mullá Husayn: He graciously complied with my wish. He opened the book, glanced at certain passages, closed it, and began to address me. Within a few minutes He had, with characteristic vigour and charm, unravelled all its mysteries and resolved all its problems. Having to my entire satisfaction accomplished, within so short a time, the task I had expected Him to perform, He further expounded to me certain truths which could be found neither in the reported sayings of the Imáms of the Faith nor in the writings of Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim. These truths, which I had never heard before, seemed to be endowed with refreshing vividness and power….

 

Narrator: He then proceeded to say:

 

The Báb: “Now is the time to reveal the commentary on the Súrih of Joseph.”

 

Narrator: He took up His pen and with incredible rapidity revealed the entire Súrih of Mulk, the first chapter of His commentary on the Súrih of Joseph. The overpowering effect of the manner in which He wrote was heightened by the gentle intonation of His voice which accompanied His writing. Not for one moment did He interrupt the flow of the verses which streamed from His pen. Not once did He pause till the Súrih of Mulk was finished.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXef8RcQyXg&feature=fvst

 

Mullá Husayn: I sat spellbound by His utterance, oblivious of time and of those who awaited me.  Suddenly the call of the Mu’adhdhin, summoning the faithful to their morning prayer, awakened me from the state of ecstasy into which I seemed to have fallen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opvp2Ezy62Y   Mullá Husayn: All the delights, all the ineffable glories, which the Almighty has recounted in His Book as the priceless possessions of the people of Paradise—these I seemed to be experiencing that night. Methinks I was in a place of which it could be truly said: ‘Therein no toil shall reach us, and therein no weariness shall touch us;’ ‘no vain discourse shall they hear therein, nor any falsehood, but only the cry, “Peace! Peace!”’; ‘their cry therein shall be, “Glory to Thee, O God!” and their salutation therein, “Peace!”, and the close of their cry, “Praise be to God, Lord of all creatures!”’  Sleep had departed from me that night. I was enthralled by the music of that voice which rose and fell as He chanted; now swelling forth as He revealed verses of the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá, again acquiring ethereal, subtle harmonies as He uttered the prayers He was revealing. At the end of each invocation, He would repeat this verse:   The Báb: “Far from the glory of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, be that which His creatures affirm of Him! And peace be upon His Messengers! And praise be to God, the Lord of all beings!’”

Mullá Husayn: This Revelation  so suddenly and impetuously thrust upon me, came as a thunderbolt which, for a time, seemed to have benumbed my faculties. I was blinded by its dazzling splendor and overwhelmed by its crushing force. Excitement, joy, awe, and wonder stirred the depths of my soul. Predominant among these emotions was a sense of gladness and strength which seemed to have transfigured me. How feeble and impotent, how dejected and timid, I had felt previously! Then I could neither write nor walk, so tremulous were my hands and feet. Now, however, the knowledge of His Revelation had galvanized my being. I felt possessed of such courage and power that were the world, all its peoples and its potentates, to rise against me, I would, alone and undaunted, withstand their onslaught. The universe seemed but a handful of dust in my grasp. I seemed to be the voice of Gabriel personified, calling unto all mankind: ‘Awake, for, lo! the morning Light has broken. Arise, for His Cause is made manifest. The portal of His grace is open wide; enter therein, O peoples of the world! For He Who is your promised One is come!’”

I sat enraptured by the magic of His voice and the sweeping force of His revelation. At last I reluctantly arose from my seat and begged leave to depart…. At that moment the clock registered two hours and eleven minutes after sunset….

 

The Báb: “This night, this very hour will, in the days to come, be celebrated as one of the greatest and most significant of all festivals. Render thanks to God for having graciously assisted you to attain your heart’s desire, and for having quaffed from the sealed wine of His utterance.”

 

Narrator: From that day forward, Siyyid Alí Muhammád refered to Himself as the Báb (the Gate) and Mullá Husayn became his first disciple. Although the Báb was indeed the Qá’im foretold by Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim, He taught that He was but the Herald of another Messenger who would appear very soon after Him and the power of whose revelation would far exceed any previously sent down by God.  The day the Báb declared His mission is now, as He had promised, celebrated by Bahá’ís around the world as “one of the greatest and most significant of all festivals.”

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yylXcslvZ0A

Start with Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yylXcslvZ0A Opening Reading This glorious Tablet hath been revealed on the Anniversary of the Birth [of the Báb] that thou mayest recite it in a spirit of humility and supplication and give thanks unto thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Make thou every effort to render service unto God, that from thee [...]

Start with Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yylXcslvZ0A

Opening Reading

This glorious Tablet hath been revealed on the Anniversary of the Birth [of the Báb] that thou mayest recite it in a spirit of humility and supplication and give thanks unto thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Make thou every effort to render service unto God, that from thee may appear that which will immortalize thy memory in His glorious and exalted heaven.

Say: Glorified art Thou, O my God! I implore Thee by the Dawning-Place of Thy signs and by the Revealer of Thy clear tokens to grant that I may, under all conditions, hold fast the cord of Thy loving providence and cling tenaciously to the hem of Thy generosity. Reckon me then with those whom the changes and chances of the world have failed to deter from serving Thee and from bearing allegiance unto Thee, whom the onslaught of the people hath been powerless to hinder from magnifying Thy Name and celebrating Thy praise. Graciously assist me, O my Lord, to do whatever Thou lovest and desirest. Enable me then to fulfil that which will exalt Thy Name and will set ablaze the fire of Thy love. Thou art, in truth, the Forgiving, the Bountiful. [1]

Pause to let the prayer settle on our hearts.

Almost nothing, it seems, is known about the circumstances attending the Báb’s birth.  We do know that He was born on October 20, 1819 in Shiraz, Persia.

In The Dawnbreakers, Nabíl records stories that indicate Shaykh Ahmad was aware of the births of both Bahá’u'lláh (in 1817) and the Báb, but the Shaykh never met either of them and the births themselves are not discussed. Neither does H. M. Balyuzi, in his biography of the Báb, present any portrait of how the One who was destined to usher in not merely a new religion but a new cycle of religion, came into the world. We are left with only a few bare facts.

In these two passages the Bab refers to His own birth:

Through the revelation of Thy grace, O Lord, Thou didst call Me into being on a night such as this, and lo, I am now lonely and forsaken in a mountain. Praise and thanksgiving be unto Thee for whatever conformeth to Thy pleasure within the empire of heaven and earth. And all sovereignty is Thine, extending beyond the uttermost range of the kingdoms of Revelation and Creation.

Thou didst create Me, O Lord, through Thy gracious favour and didst protect Me through Thy bounty in the darkness of the womb and didst nourish Me, through Thy loving-kindness, with life-giving blood. After having fashioned Me in a most comely form, through Thy tender providence, and having perfected My creation through Thine excellent handiwork and breathed Thy Spirit into My body through Thine infinite mercy and by the revelation of Thy transcendent unity, Thou didst cause Me to issue forth from the world of concealment into the visible world, naked, ignorant of all things, and powerless to achieve aught. Thou didst then nourish Me with refreshing milk and didst rear Me in the arms of My parents with manifest compassion, until Thou didst graciously acquaint Me with the realities of Thy Revelation and apprised Me of the straight path of Thy Faith as set forth in Thy Book. And when I attained full maturity Thou didst cause Me to bear allegiance unto Thine inaccessible Remembrance, and enabled Me to advance towards the designated station, where Thou didst educate Me through the subtle operations of Thy handiwork and didst nurture Me in that land with Thy most gracious gifts. When that which had been preordained in Thy Book came to pass Thou didst cause Me, through Thy kindness, to reach Thy holy precincts and didst suffer Me, through Thy tender mercy, to dwell within the court of fellowship, until I discerned therein that which I witnessed of the clear tokens of Thy mercifulness, the compelling evidences of Thy oneness, the effulgent splendours of Thy majesty, the source of Thy supreme singleness, the heights of Thy transcendent sovereignty, the signs of Thy peerlessness, the manifestations of Thine exalted glory, the retreats of Thy sanctity, and whatsoever is inscrutable to all but Thee. [2]

And:

Thou art aware, O My God, that since the day Thou didst call Me into being out of the water of Thy love till I reached fifteen years of age I lived in the land which witnessed My birth [Shiraz]. Then Thou didst enable Me to go to the seaport [Bushihr] where for five years I was engaged in trading with the goodly gifts of Thy realm and was occupied in that with which Thou hast favoured Me through the wondrous essence of Thy loving-kindness. I proceeded therefrom to the Holy Land [Karbila] where I sojourned for one year. Then I returned to the place of My birth. There I experienced the revelation of Thy sublime bestowals and the evidences of Thy boundless grace. I yield Thee praise for all Thy goodly gifts and I render Thee thanksgiving for all Thy bounties. Then at the age of twenty-five I proceeded to thy sacred House [Mecca], and by the time I returned to the place where I was born, a year had elapsed. There I tarried patiently in the path of Thy love and beheld the evidences of Thy manifold bounties and of Thy loving-kindness until Thou didst ordain for Me to set out in Thy direction and to migrate to Thy presence. Thus I departed therefrom by Thy leave, spending six months in the land of Sad [Isfahan] and seven months in the First Mountain [Maku], where Thou didst rain down upon Me that which beseemeth the glory of Thy heavenly blessings and befitteth the sublimity of Thy gracious gifts and favours. Now, in My thirtieth year, Thou beholdest Me, O My God, in this Grievous Mountain [Chihriq] where I have dwelt for one whole year.

Praise be unto Thee, O My Lord, for all times, heretofore and hereafter; and thanks be unto Thee, O My God, under all conditions, whether of the past or the future. The gifts Thou hast bestowed upon Me have reached their fullest measure and the blessings Thou hast vouchsafed unto Me have attained their consummation. Naught do I now witness but the manifold evidences of Thy grace and loving-kindness, Thy bounty and gracious favours, Thy generosity and loftiness, Thy sovereignty and might, Thy splendour and Thy glory, and that which befitteth the holy court of Thy transcendent dominion and majesty and beseemeth the glorious precincts of Thine eternity and exaltation. [3]

What follows is a fictionalized account of his life, based on what we do know, told from the perspective of the Báb’s Mother and His wife, taken by a play called “Midsummer Noon”:

The Mother of the Báb

I knew him well.  He was my son.  He was born on October 20, 1819 in the city of Shiraz.

From the time He was a baby I remember thinking that there was something different about him. As a child He was always very serene, and had a dignified manner.

My husband died when the Báb was very young, and my brother became His guardian. When it came time for him to go to school, my brother took him, but His teacher brought Him back to His uncle the following day saying that he had nothing to teach this gifted child.  He said, “He stands in no need of a teacher such as I.”  My brother was determined that the Báb should continue to attend school, and so He did, but as time went on, the schoolmaster became even more convinced of the Báb’s superior intelligence.  He said that he felt that in his relationship to the Báb, he was the one who was being instructed.

But my son’s intelligence was not the only characteristic which made him stand out from other children.  The character of His devotion to God was very unique.  The Báb spent a great deal of time praying, and was often late for school, because, as He said:  “He had been in His grandfather’s house.”  You see, we were direct descendents of the prophet Mohammed, and this is an expression that we sometimes used for prayer.  Sometimes His teacher would tell him that a 10 year old boy did not need to spend so much time praying.  But the Báb would say, “I wish to be like my grandfather”.

When the Báb was 17, He went to Buchir with His uncle, where He worked as a merchant for 5 years.  My brother told me that He won the esteem of all the merchants He met because of His honesty and trustworthiness.  During that time, He continued to devote a large amount of time to prayer.

When the Báb returned from Buchir, He was 22.  I arranged His marriage to our neighbor’s daughter, Halijeh.  These were happy days.  They were so perfect for each other.

Although I did not understand it, there seemed to be a change in my son’s behaviour.  I mean, He was always extremely courteous, and very mild, but a new radiance seemed to surround him. Other people must have recognized that there was something very special about him too, for many young religious students would come to visit him in the evenings.

Before long, I realized that Halijeh was going to have a baby.  In due time, she went into labour, but it was a very difficult labour and I feared that at one point she was going to die.  When I hurried to tell my son about the grave condition of His wife, He picked up a mirror which was beside Him and He wrote a prayer on it.  He instructed me to hold the mirror in front of Halijeh.  I did this immediately and the child was soon born, but its life was short.  He was a boy and the Báb named him Ahmad.  When Ahmad died, I was very angry at my son.  I demanded that He tell me why it was, if He possessed such powers, that He had not attempted to save the life of His own child.  He answered very quietly that He was not destined to have any children.

It was soon after this that the heart of the storm entered our lives.  My son went on pilgrimage, and when He returned, the religious authorities summoned Him to the mosque.  They told him that He must stop His teaching.  After that we did have a few quiet months before my son moved to my brother’s house.  He told Halijeh that it was for our safety that He was leaving us.

You know, women were not allowed to be a part of religious affairs in those days and it was very difficult for us to learn what the religious talk of the day was.  Sometimes we heard rumours of my son’s claim to be the Promised One, but at the time I personally was not able to investigate this claim.  It was toward the end of my life, when Bahá’u'lláh, the One that the Báb had said He had come to prepare the way for, sent two of His followers to teach me about the wonderful station and mission of my son.

It was soon after the Báb moved to my brother’s house, that Halijeh and I heard of His arrest.  You can imagine the grief and despair that we felt.  We worried about him all of the time, but it was not until one year after His death that we heard about His execution.  After all these years, I still can’t begin to tell you how this news pained me.  On that day in Tabriz, I was not with him . . .

The Wife of the Báb

I also knew Him well.  I am Halijeh, the Báb’s wife.  We were childhood friends, and as our houses were beside each other, the Báb would often visit us with His family.  Usually He wouldn’t join in our games, but when He did He was always very kind and considerate.

After He went to Buchir with His uncle, I had a very vivid dream in which I saw him standing in a field of beautiful flowers.    He was facing toward (Natay?) in an attitude of prayer and He was wearing a beautiful coat, which was embroidered in gold thread with verses from the Koran.  His face was radiant.  When I told this dream to His mother and grandmother, they assured me that it was my friend, the Báb’s, assiduous attention to His prayer that had brought this vision to me.  He was 17 at that time.

After He returned from Buchir to live in Shiraz again, I had another dream which puzzled me.  I dreamed that Fatimeh, the daughter of Mohammad, had come to ask for my hand in marriage to her son, the Imam Hussein.  When I woke up, I told my mother, and she said that this dream foretold good fortune for me.  That same day the Báb’s mother and grandmother came to visit my mother.  I served them some fruit and tea, and then I left the room.  Before our company left, the Báb’s mother kissed my forehead.  My mother told me that this kiss signified that the Báb’s mother was asking for my hand in marriage to her son.  She said, “you see, the dream you had last night came true”.

From that day I felt a great stirring in my heart.  I felt immeasurably proud of my coming union.  We were married in His home two months later.  It was August 1842.  I remember the first few months as the happiest days of my life.  His care and kindness towards me were indescribable.  Both He and His mother showered me with kindness and consideration.

Not long after, however, I dreamt one night, that a fiercesome lion was standing in the courtyard of our house and I had my arms around His neck.  The beast dragged me twice around the entire perimeter to our courtyard and once again around half of it. I woke up alarmed and trembling with fright.  I told my husband about it.  He said, “You awoke too soon”.  Your dream foretells that our life together will not last more than two and a half years.  I was greatly distressed, but His affection and words of comfort consoled me.  It must have helped to prepare me to accept the adversity which lay ahead.

First came the death of our son. I so wanted a child, and when Ahmad died, the Báb again gave me comfort and solace.  He said that Ahmad was with Fatimeh, the daughter of Mohammed, in the sanctified paradise.

One day in the late afternoon He came home earlier than usual.  That evening He said He had a particular task to attend to, so we had an early dinner with the family in His mother’s room and He retired for the night.  An hour later, when the house was quiet and all were asleep, He rose from His bed and left the room.  At first, I took no particular notice to His absence, but when it lengthened to more than an hour, I felt some concern.  I looked for him, but He was nowhere to be found.  Then I walked to the western side of the house, looked up at the roof top, and saw that the upper chamber was well lit.  So with some trepidation, I went up the steps at the northern side of the courtyard. There I saw him standing in that chamber, His hands raised heavenward, intoning a prayer in a most melodious voice, with tears streaming down His face.  And His face!  His face was luminous.  Rays of light radiating from it.  He looked so majestic and resplendent, that fear seized me and I stood transfixed where I was, trembling uncontrollably.  I could neither enter the room nor retrace my steps.  My willpower was gone and I was on the verge of screaming when He made a gesture with His blessed hands, telling me to go back.  This movement of His hands gave me back my courage and I returned to my room and my bed.  Sleep was impossible and the coming dawn was foreboding.

At sunrise, He went to His mother’s room for tea.  I followed Him there, and as soon as my eyes fell on Him that same attitude of majesty that I had seen the night before took shape before me.  He raised His face to me and with great kindness, asked me to sit beside him.  Then He passed to me what was left of the tea in His own cup, which I drank.  He gently asked what was troubling me, to which I replied, “You are no longer the same person I knew in our childhood.  We grew up together and we have been married for two years, living in this house and now I see a different person before me.  You have been transformed and it makes me anxious and uneasy.”

He smiled at me and said that although He wished I had not seen him in the previous condition of last night, God had ordained otherwise.  It was the Will of God, He said, that you should have seen me in the way you did last night, so that no shadow of doubt should ever cross your mind.  And you should know with absolute certitude that I am the Manifestation of God, whose advent has been invoked for a thousand years.  This light radiates from my heart and from My being.  As soon as I heard Him speak these words, I believed in Him and my heart became calm and assured.  From that moment, I lived only to serve Him, evanescent and self effacing before him; no thought of myself ever intruding.

It is very difficult for me to talk about what came after.  Fierce, fierce opposition.  As His claim became known; as many people became attracted to him, the greater the denial of the priests and government leaders.  They arrested him one night, and it was rumored that they would put him to death.  That same night, a cholera epidemic suddenly struck Shiraz taking a heavy toll of lives.  Many people fled the city, including the governor.  The Báb’s life was spared.  They said He saved the life of the son of the man who was to put him to death.

One day, to our incredible joy, He came home and stayed three days.  These were the last days of my life with him.  On the last night, He said He was leaving the city.  We were happy that He might reach a place of safety.  The family kept us informed of His whereabouts.  Unfortunately, He was arrested again.  He was taken to various prisons and then to Tabriz.  Before He left Shiraz, He had confided to me the secret of His future sufferings and unfolded to my eyes, the significance of the events that were to transpire in this day.

He gave me a special prayer, revealed and written by Himself.  He said:  “In the hour of your perplexity, recite this prayer, ere you go to sleep. I myself will appear to you, and will banish your anxiety.”  I found this to be absolutely true.  Every time I turned to Him in prayer, the light of His unfailing guidance illumined my path, and resolved my problems.

My greatest happiness came when I recognized the Great One that my husband had given His life for; Bahá’u'lláh.  I believed that the Báb guided me to see this truth.

So you see, those years with Him were so wonderful.  The rest is history.  How I wish that I could have been with him, on that day in Tabriz . . .

Watch Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLX6-021EWU

Tablet revealed by Bahá’u'lláh

in honor of the anniversary of the Báb’s birth

All praise be to Thee, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast adorned the world with the splendour of the dawn following the night wherein was born the One Who heralded the Manifestation of Thy transcendent sovereignty, the Dayspring of Thy divine Essence and the Revelation of Thy supreme Lordship. I beseech Thee, O Creator of the heavens and Fashioner of names, to graciously aid those who have sheltered beneath the shadow of Thine abounding mercy and have raised their voices amidst the peoples of the world for the glorification of Thy Name.

O my God! Thou beholdest the Lord of all mankind confined in His Most Great Prison, calling aloud Thy Name, gazing upon Thy face, proclaiming that which hath enraptured the denizens of Thy kingdoms of revelation and of creation. O my God! I behold Mine own Self captive in the hands of Thy servants, yet the light of Thy sovereignty and the revelations of Thine invincible power shine resplendent from His face, enabling all to know of a certainty that Thou art God, and that there is none other God but Thee. Neither can the power of the powerful frustrate Thee, nor the ascendancy of the rulers prevail against Thee. Thou doest whatsoever Thou willest by virtue of Thy sovereignty which encompasseth all created things, and ordainest that which Thou pleasest through the potency of Thy behest which pervadeth the entire creation.

I implore Thee by the glory of Thy Manifestation and by the power of Thy might, Thy sovereignty and Thine exaltation to render victorious those who have arisen to serve Thee, who have aided Thy Cause and humbled themselves before the splendour of the light of Thy face. Make them then, O my God, triumphant over Thine enemies and cause them to be steadfast in Thy service, that through them the evidences of Thy dominion may be established throughout Thy realms and the tokens of Thine indomitable power be manifested in Thy lands. Verily Thou art potent to do what Thou willest; no God is there but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Tablet of Visitation

The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august Self, and the glory which hath shone forth from Thy most effulgent Beauty, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art the Manifestation of Grandeur, and the King of Eternity, and the Lord of all who are in heaven and on earth! I testify that through Thee the sovereignty of God and His dominion, and the majesty of God and His grandeur, were revealed, and the Day-Stars of ancient splendor have shed their radiance in the heaven of Thine irrevocable decree, and the Beauty of the Unseen hath shone forth above the horizon of creation. I testify, moreover, that with but a movement of Thy Pen Thine injunction “Be Thou” hath been enforced, and God’s hidden Secret hath been divulged, and all created things have been called into being, and all the Revelations have been sent down.

I bear witness, moreover, that through Thy beauty the beauty of the Adored One hath been unveiled, and through Thy face the face of the Desired One hath shone forth, and that through a word from Thee Thou hast decided between all created things, causing them who are devoted to Thee to ascend unto the summit of glory, and the infidels to fall into the lowest abyss.

I bear witness that he who hath known Thee hath known God, and he who hath attained unto Thy presence hath attained unto the presence of God. Great, therefore, is the blessedness of him who hath believed in Thee, and in Thy signs, and hath humbled himself before Thy sovereignty, and hath been honored with meeting Thee, and hath attained the good pleasure of Thy will, and circled around Thee, and stood before Thy throne. Woe betide him that hath transgressed against Thee, and hath denied Thee, and repudiated Thy signs, and gainsaid Thy sovereignty, and risen up against Thee, and waxed proud before Thy face, and hath disputed Thy testimonies, and fled from Thy rule and Thy dominion, and been numbered with the infidels whose names have been inscribed by the fingers of Thy behest upon Thy holy Tablets.

Waft, then, unto me, O my God and my Beloved, from the right hand of Thy mercy and Thy loving-kindness, the holy breaths of Thy favors, that they may draw me away from myself and from the world unto the courts of Thy nearness and Thy presence. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou, truly, hast been supreme over all things.

The remembrance of God and His praise, and the glory of God and His splendor, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art His Beauty! I bear witness that the eye of creation hath never gazed upon one wronged like Thee. Thou wast immersed all the days of Thy life beneath an ocean of tribulations. At one time Thou wast in chains and fetters; at another Thou wast threatened by the sword of Thine enemies. Yet, despite all this, Thou didst enjoin upon all men to observe what had been prescribed unto Thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

May my spirit be a sacrifice to the wrongs Thou didst suffer, and my soul be a ransom for the adversities Thou didst sustain. I beseech God, by Thee and by them whose faces have been illumined with the splendors of the light of Thy countenance, and who, for love of Thee, have observed all whereunto they were bidden, to remove the veils that have come in between Thee and Thy creatures, and to supply me with the good of this world and the world to come. Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.

Bless Thou, O Lord my God, the Divine Lote-Tree and its leaves, and its boughs, and its branches, and its stems, and its offshoots, as long as Thy most excellent titles will endure and Thy most august attributes will last. Protect it, then, from the mischief of the aggressor and the hosts of tyranny. Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. Bless Thou, also, O Lord my God, Thy servants and Thy handmaidens who have attained unto Thee. Thou, truly, art the All-Bountiful, Whose grace is infinite. No God is there save Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous. [4]

---

[1] Bahá’u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u'lláh p. 234

[2] The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp. 173-174

[3] The Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, pp. 180-182

[4] Bahá’u'lláh: Prayers and Meditations, pages 310-313

I just watched this video, which lists 51 reasons to fast.  Hope you find it as inspiring as I did. 51 Reasons to Fast watch?v=A9tVxm6wo8I What are your thoughts?  Post your comments here.

I just watched this video, which lists 51 reasons to fast.  Hope you find it as inspiring as I did.

51 Reasons to Fast

watch?v=A9tVxm6wo8I

What are your thoughts?  Post your comments here.

by Susan Gammage, Baha’i Life Coach Tonight, at 3:00, Baha’is around the world will say prayers to commemorate the passing of Baha’llah, the founder of their Faith.  What would make them get out of bed at that time of day?  The following article, by Dale E. Lehman, from: http://www.planetbahai.org/cgi-bin/articles.pl?article=36 may give us some clues. Jináb-i-Mírzá [...]

by Susan Gammage, Baha'i Life Coach

Tonight, at 3:00, Baha’is around the world will say prayers to commemorate the passing of Baha’llah, the founder of their Faith.  What would make them get out of bed at that time of day?  The following article, by Dale E. Lehman, from: http://www.planetbahai.org/cgi-bin/articles.pl?article=36 may give us some clues.

by Susan Gammage, Baha’i Life Coach The greatest of Bahá’í festivals, the Festival of Ridván, is here. For a period of 12 days starting on April 21st, Bahá’ís around the world will celebrate Bahá’u’lláh’s public declaration of His mission, an event which took place on the eve of His departure from Baghdád for Constantinople. No [...]

by Susan Gammage, Baha'i Life Coach

The greatest of Bahá’í festivals, the Festival of Ridván, is here. For a period of 12 days starting on April 21st, Bahá’ís around the world will celebrate Bahá’u'lláh’s public declaration of His mission, an event which took place on the eve of His departure from Baghdád for Constantinople. No less than three Holy Days are celebrated in the course of this time period, and elections for Local and National Spiritual Assemblies take place.

The significance of Ridván for Bahá’ís can’t be overstated. In 1844, the Báb had arisen to proclaim the coming of a great Messenger from God, the Promised One of all religions. During His six-year ministry, which culminated in His public execution on July 9, 1850, the Báb called the people of Persia to purify themselves in preparation for the arrival of “He whom God shall make manifest.” Bahá’u'lláh, one of the Báb’s foremost followers, was imprisoned in 1853 on false charges. While in prison, He experienced a revelation from God in which He learned that He was to be that Promised One. But upon His release from prison a few months later, He told no one of this experience. Indeed, for ten years, the entire duration of His exile in Baghdád, He kept silent on this matter. Even so, His character, wisdom, and deep spiritual insight affected all who came into contact with Him.

His growing influence prompted the authorities to seek to move Him to another place. Baghdád was an important crossroads at that time, and it was feared that the new religion might be spread far and wide if He were permitted to stay there, coming into contact with travelers from all quarters. Arrangements were therefore made to transfer Bahá’u'lláh and His party to Constantinople.

On the eve of His departure, Bahá’u'lláh took up residence in a garden which has since become known to Bahá’ís as the Garden of Ridván. (Just to confuse matters, there is also a Garden of Ridván near Mazra’ih and Bahjí, where Bahá’u'lláh spent His last days.) He spent 12 days there in preparation for the long journey ahead. Guests flowed into the garden, rich and poor, powerful and lowly, all paying respects to the great Personage whose influence had touched them all. Sometime during the midst of all this activity, Bahá’u'lláh declared to the gathered Bábís that He was the Promised One spoken of by the Báb.

“Ridván” means “Paradise”, from which we can gather something of what the atmosphere must have felt like during that 12-day period. In God Passes By, Shoghi Effendi recounts the tale thus:

Of the exact circumstances attending that epoch-making Declaration we, alas, are but scantily informed. The words Bahá’u'lláh actually uttered on that occasion, the manner of His Declaration, the reaction it produced, its impact on Mirzá Yahyá [Bahá'u'lláh's half-brother, who later tried to usurp His position and made several attempts on His life], the identity of those who were privileged to hear Him, are shrouded in an obscurity which future historians will find it difficult to penetrate. The fragmentary description left to posterity by His chronicler Nabíl is one of the very few authentic records we possess of the memorable days He spent in that garden. “Every day,” Nabíl has related, “ere the hour of dawn, the gardeners would pick the roses which lined the four avenues of the garden, and would pile them in the center of the floor of His blessed tent. So great would be the heap that when His companions gathered to drink their morning tea in His presence, they would be unable to see each other across it. All these roses Bahá’u'lláh would, with His own hands, entrust to those whom He dismissed from His presence every morning to be delivered, on His behalf, to His Arab and Persian friends in the city.” “One night,” he continues, “the ninth night of the waxing moon, I happened to be one of those who watched beside His blessed tent. As the hour of midnight approached, I saw Him issue from His tent, pass by the places where some of His companions were sleeping, and begin to pace up and down the moonlit, flower-bordered avenues of the garden. So loud was the singing of the nightingales on every side that only those who were near Him could hear distinctly His voice. He continued to walk until, pausing in the midst of one of these avenues, He observed: ‘Consider these nightingales. So great is their love for these roses, that sleepless from dusk till dawn, they warble their melodies and commune with burning passion with the object of their adoration. How then can those who claim to be afire with the rose-like beauty of the Beloved choose to sleep?’ For three successive nights I watched and circled round His blessed tent. Every time I passed by the couch whereon He lay, I would find Him wakeful, and every day, from morn till eventide, I would see Him ceaselessly engaged in conversing with the stream of visitors who kept flowing in from Baghdád. Not once could I discover in the words He spoke any trace of dissimulation.”
(p. 153)

Many years later, Bahá’u'lláh would designate the Festival of Ridván “the Most Great Festival” and specify that the first, ninth, and twelfth days should be celebrated as Holy Days. The Bahá’í administrative year now begins on the First Day of Ridván with the election of Local and National Spiritual Assemblies as prescribed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. This is not accidental. The elections that renew the administrative order become part of the festivities.

Have a very happy Ridván!

by Dale E. Lehman
Appeared: 04/08/2000
Revised: 04/21/2001
http://www.planetbahai.org/cgi-bin/articles.pl?article=43

by Susan Gammage, Baha’i Life Coach The members of the Bahá’í Faith celebrate their New Year (called “Naw Ruz”) today, March 21, but did you know that it’s the only holiday celebrated by more than one religious group? Some people claim that Naw-Ruz dates as far back as 15,000 years — before the last ice [...]

by Susan Gammage, Baha'i Life Coach

The members of the Bahá’í Faith celebrate their New Year (called “Naw Ruz”) today, March 21, but did you know that it’s the only holiday celebrated by more than one religious group?

Some people claim that Naw-Ruz dates as far back as 15,000 years — before the last ice age, while others claim that it was founded by Zoroaster. Today, the festival is celebrated in many countries that were territories of, or influenced by, the Persian Empire: Iran, Kurdistan, parts of the Middle East, as well as in the former Soviet republics of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It is also celebrated by Persians living in Pakistan, Zanzibar, Turkey, Iraq, Albania, northwestern China and parts of the Indian subcontinent. In Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban, Naw Ruz was banned until 2001 where it came back as popular as it was before the Taliban. It is also a holy day for Ismailis, Alawites, and Alevis (branches of the Shiite Moslem religion). The Jewish festival of Purim is probably adopted from the Persian New Year. Naw-Ruz is celebrated rather like the Christian Easter, with many symbols indicating spring and renewal.

Persians believe that Naw Ruz marks the first day when the universe started its motion. Moslems believe it’s a day in which many events of great religious significance took place. Among them God’s first covenant with mankind, the first rising of the sun, the grounding of Noah’s ark on Ararat, Gabriel’s first appearance to Muhammad, the destruction of the idols in the holy Sanctuary at Mecca, Muhammad’s appointment of `Ali as His successor, the appearance of the Qa’im, and the final triumph of the Qa’im over the Antichrist. Such traditions echoed similar accounts of Naw-Ruz found in Zoroastrian literature. In the northern hemisphere Naw-Rúz marks the coming of spring.

In the Bahá’í Faith, the Báb called the first day of his new calendar “the Day of God”. The remaining eighteen days of the first month were associated with the eighteen Letters of the Living, hence the Báb’s apostles imagined a celebration that would last nineteen days.

Bahá’u'lláh, adopted the new calendar proposed by the Báb, and the use of Naw-Rúz as a festival for those who observed the fast. Naw-Rúz is one of nine Bahá’í holy days where work is to be suspended (the only one that is not is not associated with an event in the lives of either the Báb or Bahá’u'lláh).

If we are not happy and joyous at this season, for what other season shall we wait and for what other time shall we look? This is the time for growing; the season for joyous gathering! Take the cup of the Testament in thy hand; leap and dance with ecstasy in the triumphal procession of the Covenant! Lay your confidence in the everlasting bounty, turn to the presence of the generous God; ask assistance from the Kingdom of Abha; seek confirmation from the Supreme World; turn thy vision to the horizon of eternal wealth; and pray for help from the Source of Mercy! (Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith, p. 351)

As with all Bahá’í holy days, there are few fixed rules for observing Naw-Rúz. Bahá’ís all over the world celebrate it according to local custom.

During the time of the Báb, throughout the night of Naw-Ruz each believer was to recite 361 times the verse: “God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the Ineffable, the Self-Subsistent”, and during the day: “God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the Precious, the Beloved”.

Persians start preparing for Naw Ruz with a major spring-cleaning of their houses, the purchase of new clothes and flowers (hyacinths and the tulips are popular). They believe that whatever a person does on Naw Ruz will affect the rest of the year. So, if a person is warm and kind to their relatives, friends and neighbors on that day, then the new year will be a good one. On the other hand, if there are fights and disagreements, the year will be a bad one.

The most joyful time for a Naw-Ruz celebration is at sunset on the last day of the Fast. It seems almost directed by Baha’u'llah that it should be this way:

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-Ruz as a feast. (Baha’u’llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 24)

`Abdu’l-Bahá, explained the significance of Naw-Rúz in terms of spring and the new life it brings. As the fast ended, he said, they could turn a new page in their lives, inspired to right action and spiritual excellence.

Soon the whole world, as in springtime, will change its garb. The turning and falling of the autumn leaves is past; the bleakness of the winter time is over. The new year hath appeared and the spiritual springtime is at hand. The black earth is becoming a verdant garden; the deserts and mountains are teeming with red flowers; from the borders of the wilderness the tall grasses are standing like advance guards before the cypress and jessamine trees; while the birds are singing among the rose branches like the angels in the highest heavens, announcing the glad-tidings of the approach of that spiritual spring, and the sweet music of their voices is causing the real essence of all things to move and quiver. (Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith, p. 351)

Here’s a part of the Naw Ruz tablet, which we can say today:

Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained Naw-Rúz as a festival unto those who have observed the fast for love of Thee and abstained from all that is abhorrent unto thee. Grant, O my Lord, that the fire of Thy love and the heat produced by the fast enjoined by Thee may inflame them in Thy Cause, and make them to be occupied with Thy praise and with remembrance of Thee. (Bahá’u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations, p. 67)

What’s your favorite Naw Ruz memory? Post your comment here:

by Susan Gammage, Baha’i Life Coach I found this excerpt from a talk given I believe by Roger Nixon a number of years ago, and thought you’d enjoy it. The last month of the Baha’i year is the month of fasting, when Bahá’ís abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Many people ask [...]

by Susan Gammage, Baha’i Life Coach

I found this excerpt from a talk given I believe by Roger Nixon a number of years ago, and thought you’d enjoy it.

The last month of the Baha’i year is the month of fasting, when Bahá’ís abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Many people ask why we fast and assume it is for health reasons, or in order to loose weight. Although fasting is, of course, beneficial to one’s health, the Bahá’í Fast is observed because it is a law prescribed for our spiritual development. Periods of fasting have been observed by people of different religions throughout the ages, and the Bahá’í Fast is a continuation of that tradition. The main purpose of a religious fast is to commemorate the “Act of Revelation”, the Act of God’s communion with His Holy Messengers, when He inspires Them with His laws and teachings.

We know that Moses did not eat or drink while He was on Mount Sinai to receive the commandments for the Jewish people; Buddha fasted for extended periods during the times of His “Enlightenment”; Jesus withdrew to Mount Tabor in the Holy Land, where He prayed and fasted for 40 days; and the Muslim Fast during the month of Ramadan commemorates the Revelation of the Holy Qu’ran by the Prophet Muhammad.

In this age we have the example of Bahá’u'lláh, Founder of the Baha’i Faith, Who revealed over 100 volumes of Holy Writings during the 40 years of His Ministry. Whenever a new Revelation from God descended upon Him, He, too, fasted. The Words of God came to Him like torrents of spring rain, and His secretaries had to develop a special style of shorthand, called “Revelation writing”, in order to record them.

When fasting, we are somehow linked to this divine process, as we not only commemorate the priceless gift of a new Revelation from God, but also meditate on the revealed Word of God, often called “the Bread of Life”. One can say that we are feasting on the Bread of Life during the Fast! Naw Ruz has been ordained as a Feast to follow the Fast and — happily — includes food and drink to keep body and soul together!

Here’s a prayer of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, recently translated at the Baha’i World Centre:

O Divine Providence! As I am abstaining from bodily desires and not occupied with eating and drinking, even so purify and sanctify my heart from the love of anyone save Thyself, and shield and protect my soul from corrupt desires and satanic qualities so that my spirit may commune with the breaths of holiness, and fast from the mention of all else besides Thee.
What’s your experience with the fast?  Post your comments here:

by Susan Gammage, Baha’i Life Coach Below are 10 top tips for healthy eating during the Fast: Don’t gorge in the evenings: Large meals should be avoided because they can cause the digestive system to block after a long day of fasting. Therefore, break your fast with dates and water or juice as they contain [...]

by Susan Gammage, Baha'i Life Coach

Below are 10 top tips for healthy eating during the Fast:

1. Don’t gorge in the evenings: Large meals should be avoided because they can cause the digestive system to block after a long day of fasting. Therefore, break your fast with dates and water or juice as they contain simple sugars that can be absorbed easily by the body. Then try to have a balanced meal – soups are a good choice as they don’t stress the stomach and hydrate the body.
   
2. Stay off the Salt: Salty foods should be avoided as they will retain water in the body and cause discomfort.
   
3. Hydrate Yourself: A lack of fluids makes the body prone to dehydration and more likely to retain fats and toxins. So, drink ample quantities of water and fresh juices.
   
4. Eat Yoghurt: Yogurt is recommended at both meals, as it contains friendly bacteria which benefit the digestive tract. Yoghurt also helps digestion and cleanses the intestines from harmful bacteria. Also, it is a good source of calcium and protein.
   
5. Avoid Sugar and Grease: Fried foods and sweets should be consumed in moderation as they are full of saturated fats which raise cholesterol and adversely affect your health.
   
6. Get Moving: Exercise is very important during the Fast as it helps you maintain your body weight by burning the extra-calories and eliminating stress. It also has an essential role in preventing constipation.
   
7. Don’t Skip Breakfast: Many people tend to skip breakfast; however skipping meals will slow down your metabolism and lead to fatigue and distress. For Suhoor, try to choose foods that contain protein, complex carbohydrates and high-fibre foods such as wheat, oats, beans, whole grain bread, vegetables and seasonable fruits. Fibers and proteins take a long time to be digested so you won’t feel hungry.
   
8. Avoid Tea and Coffee: Tea, Coffee and carbonated beverages remove calcium from your body. It is therefore recommended that you avoid them especially at breakfast, as they increase salt and water excretion which your body needs during fasting.
   
9. Don’t neglect Protein: Consumption of protein is important in order to prevent muscle wasting; vegetarians should consider this when choosing non-animal protein sources.
   
10. Finish with Fruit: Intake of fruits after a meal is highly beneficial and provides the body with nutrients. Fasting could be effective in treating of moderate (non-insulin) diabetes, obesity and hypertension as the process lowers the blood sugar levels, cholesterol and the systolic blood pressure.

Nathalie Haddad, leading Dietician and Managing Director of Right Bite cautions: “It is highly important to eat moderately and focus on well-balanced and low-fat meals during the Fast. A light, healthy breakfast, one that is high in complex carbohydrates and fiber, will help prevent tiredness, poor concentration, dizziness and headaches. At dinner, it is important to consume food from all five groups with minimum fat content and to control portion sizes in order to avoid weight gain.”

Adapted from: http://www.whatsonsyria.com/magazine/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=586&Itemid=0

Have I missed any? Post your comments here:

by Susan Gammage, Baha’i Life Coach The Bahá’í month of fasting is an excellent opportunity to assess our behavior and habits and to adjust to a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Through fasting, we learn how to control our manners and our eating habits. It is also a good chance for the stomach to have a [...]

by Susan Gammage, Baha'i Life Coach

The Bahá’í month of fasting is an excellent opportunity to assess our behavior and habits and to adjust to a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Through fasting, we learn how to control our manners and our eating habits. It is also a good chance for the stomach to have a break and allow the body to eliminate accumulated toxins.

Many of us wonder what is best to eat during the Fast and how to stay healthy and get the maximum benefit from the fasting process. A quick review of the physiological changes that occur during fasting will help us determine what should be consumed before dawn and after sunset.

What happens in our bodies during fasting?

When the body enters into a state of fasting (approximately twelve hours after the last meal), it draws upon the glucose stored in the liver and muscles as the main source of energy. Fat is used

next, as a source of energy once these stores of glucose are used up. This process promotes weight loss and also prevents muscle wasting.

After a few days of fasting, toxins stored in the body fat are broken down and hormones, such as endorphins, appear in the blood in higher levels, improving vigilance and inducing an overall feeling of well-being.

What to eat during the Fast?

A balanced nutritious diet containing adequate amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water is vital between fasts in order to ensure a healthy state of mind and body.

As the fast approaches, many of us wonder if fasting will be “too difficult to do.” Here is a practical guide of how we can make fasting both easier and more spiritually rewarding:

1. Make your intention to abide by the will of God:

It is important for the acceptance of any act of worship to do it solely for the pleasure of God. If you sincerely want to fast for Him, He will make it easy for you.

2. Stock up on groceries a week in advance:

Fasting requires two major meals each day. If you buy the food you’ll need for the week, you won’t waste time and energy shopping when temptation might be high to buy more than you need.

3. Prepare yourself:

Read the compilation The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting to understand more about this spiritual obligation.

Make sure you have a printed timetable of dawn and sunset times in your area for the entire month in a place where you can easily refer to it.

You’ll want to avoid caffeinated drinks such as coke, coffee or tea during the fast, because caffeine is a diuretic. Three to five days before the Fast, gradually reduce your intake of these drinks, since a sudden decrease in caffeine prompts headaches, mood swings and irritability, which you’ll want to avoid when you are fasting.

If you are a smoker, you won’t be able to smoke during the daylight hours, so consider cutting down gradually starting a few weeks before the Fast starts. Smoking negatively affects the utilization of various vitamins, metabolites and enzyme systems in the body, so if you smoke, consider how you can replace these things during the Fast.

4. Prepare your family:

This is especially important if you have non-Baha’i family members. Let them know how their lives might be affected while you are fasting and what you expect of them.

5. Go to bed early:

In order to wake up refreshed and on time for the pre-dawn meal, go to bed early during the Fast.

6. Eat Moderately:

Contrary to popular opinion, nutritionist and dieticians suggest that people tend to gain more weight during the Fast compared to the rest of the year, as a result of following incorrect and unplanned food practices. To avoid the widespread occurrence of digestive and stomach-related problems, there are many eating habits that should be followed during the Fast.

There is no need to consume excess food before dawn. Some Baha’is eat more than usual at breakfast, thinking, “this is my last chance to get as much food into myself as I can, before having to starve till sunset”. Fasting is not the same as starving the body, so eat in moderation.

The body has regulatory mechanisms that activate during fasting. There is efficient utilization of body fat. Basal metabolism slows down during the Fast. A diet that is less than the normal amount of food intake, but contains all the required minerals and vitamins is sufficient to keep a person healthy and active during the Fast.

7. Don’t skip breakfast:

Some people, hating to get up so early, prefer to eat till well after midnight and sleep late, skipping breakfast altogether. Eating breakfast minimizes the feeling of hunger during the day and provides the body with all its nutritional needs.

8. Go about your normal daily routine:

Some people assume that since they can not eat or drink till sunset, they should “sleep off” the fast and awaken only a few hours before the evening meal. They draw their curtains, pull their comforters over their heads or put on the air conditioner, and sleep till the evening. They get up to eat and then dive back into their beds. This is not the aim or spirit of the Fast. Fasting does not curb energy for productive work, except in the last two hours of the fast, so continue to work or study as usual till 2 or 3 hours before sunset. If you have a chance to lie down and rest for a while for an afternoon siesta, this will help you get through.

It is recommended that everyone engage in some kind of light exercise, such as stretching or walking. It’s important to follow good time management practices to ensure you have enough time for prayer, sleep, studies, job, and physical activities or exercise.

9. Breaking the fast:

The dinner meal is the high point of the day for everyone who fasts. This meal, unfortunately, is also the cause of most of the excess and extravagance that takes place during this month.

Muslims break their fast by eating three to five dates with a glass of water. Dates consist of 80 per cent sugar, while the remainder constitutes protein, fat and minerals, including copper, sulphur, iron, magnesium and fluoric acid. They are high in fiber and are an excellent source of potassium so they compensate for the sugar and other elements the body loses during the day.

After the dates and water, they offer prayers with a light stomach and a thankful, attentive heart, and then return to the table to eat in moderation, which prevents them from overeating as soon as the sun sets. Starting with a hot vegetable and lentil soup alerts the stomach, facilitates the digestive process and provides the body with needed energy from the fiber and vitamins.

The main meal should contain vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates to give the body the nutrition it needs. Meat, chicken and fish, should be provided to make up for the loss of nutrition while fasting. It’s also important to eat small helpings of fruit for dessert, to give the body the required amounts of sugar. These should be eaten two hours after the main meal, to facilitate digestion and prevent gastrointestinal problems.

Fruits and mixed nuts may be eaten as a snack before going to bed, and make sure you drink sufficient water, to prevent dehydration.

The first week of fasting settles the body into fasting mode, and by the mid-point most of us have settled into a new routine. The second half of the fast can be used to intensify our focus on prayer and our spiritual connection with God. Consistent fasting does take its toll on the body, so during the last few days of the fast, you might find you need to spend a portion of these days sleeping or resting more than usual.

In summary, an intake of a balanced diet is critical to maintaining good health, sustaining an active lifestyle and attaining the full benefits of the Fast.

What would you like to share about eating during the Fast?  Post your comments here:

Click here for more Tips for the Baha’i Fast.

by Susan Gammage, Baha’i Life Coach Baha’is celebrate the festival of Ayyam-i-Ha each year from sunset on Feb. 25 to sunset of March 1 as a preparation for the Fast (March 2 – 20). During this time, Bahá’ís perform acts of charity, give gifts to friends and family, and attend social gatherings. Baha’u’llah has said [...]

by Susan Gammage, Baha'i Life Coach

Baha’is celebrate the festival of Ayyam-i-Ha each year from sunset on Feb. 25 to sunset of March 1 as a preparation for the Fast (March 2 – 20). During this time, Bahá’ís perform acts of charity, give gifts to friends and family, and attend social gatherings.

Baha’u'llah has said of Ayyam-i-Ha:

It behoveth the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name. (Bahá’u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 25)

Because the Faith is so new (165 years old), and many of weren’t born Bahá’ís, each person must decide how to accomplish this lofty goal. Some people find this very stressful.

Battling and overcoming stress during the holidays can be a challenge to anyone. There are a number of things that can lead to this type of stress:

• Having to establish new traditions instead of relying on old ones
• Finding time and inspiration to perform acts of charity
• Lack of other Bahá’ís to celebrate with – so the four days are just like every other day
• Planning menus and grocery shopping for the fast

And typical of non-Bahá’í holiday stress comes:

• Family gatherings
• Gift buying
• Conflicts
• And more

You may also have high expectations of what you want the holidays to look like, which also adds to the stress of your holiday season.

Here are some methods you can use to battle and overcome stress during the holidays:

Are you overcommitted? Even though the rest of the world doesn’t slow down at this time of year, it’s important to make time to both host and attend social gatherings.

Saying “no thank you” to some less important obligations will help people understand and appreciate the unique rhythm of our Faith, and will free up more time for socializing and being of service.

It’s important to honour and enjoy the spirit of the holidays. If it takes saying “no” to preserve some of your sanity, go for it! Others will be more understanding than you give them credit for.

Don’t become so burdened that you secretly wish for Ayyam-i-Ha to pass quickly. Take time to be by yourself. Whether you take a walk in nature, retreat into the Writings, journal or have a bubble bath, allow yourself to do something enjoyable to prepare for the Fast.

Carrying on traditions. Growing up, we may have preconceived ideas of what “should” be done. Maybe we watched our mothers cook a full course Christmas dinner. Perhaps it was routine to host a lavish holiday party. Maybe your family baked hundreds of Christmas cookies to give to friends and relatives. You don’t have to re-create Christmas!

Rather than living up to the expectations of years past, start your own, easy-going traditions. Instead of throwing a lavish party, have fewer friends over for tea and cookies. Allow other family members to bring side dishes to the holiday meal rather than cooking it all yourself.

If you find that the routine you normally follow for the pure and simple sake of tradition is weighing on you and resulting in more stress than you can deal with, break away from it! You will be happier when you’re free from this stress.

Finding the perfect gift. There’s so much pressure to purchase the perfect gift for each person that it takes all the fun out of shopping. Remember, people are generally appreciative for whatever gift they receive. They don’t expect you to go to every corner of the Earth to find them a spectacular gift.

Save time and money by skipping the wrapping! Creativity is the main focus. You can even give gifts that can be used throughout the year. For example, you may give a coupon in a card for a free night of babysitting, one day of yard work, or other special things.

Shopping online has made searching for gifts much easier. It might also be more cost effective to buy online because many stores offer special sales or free shipping near the holidays.

Be grateful! Hailey Tallman, a Bahá’í from the London (Canada) Community reminds us:

During this happy time of Ayyam-i-ha, let us celebrate an astounding fact:

We as Baha’is know the meaning of this life!  It has been revealed to us by Baha’u'llah and we repeat it everyday in our obligatory prayer:

“I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee.  I testify at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth.  There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.”

AND, because of Baha’u'llah, we have a hopeful vision of the future:

“These fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the ‘Most great Peace’ shall come…” (Bahá’u'lláh, Proclamation of Bahá’u'lláh, p. viii)

This is more than the average person alive today knows in their hearts.  What an amazing bounty and joy we have in this knowledge! And what a gift we have to share with others!  Let us not delay or shy away from any opportunity to spread this love and knowledge of the meaning of life!

As you can see, there are several effective ways to battle and overcome stress during the holidays. The key is to determine what’s causing your stress so you can eliminate it. In the end, you’ll see that most of the stress you experience is a result of the expectations you pose on yourself.

Happy Ayyam-i-Ha, everybody!

What do you do to make this holiday special and stress-free? Post your comments here: