Posts Tagged Baha’u'llah
Baha’i Week Two: Arts and Culture/Architecture
The second week of every month with Project Conversion will cover various aspects of the arts and culture associated with that month’s particular faith. What makes the Baha’i Faith so interesting is that while the Faith was born in Persia (what is now Iran), it rose out of a need to create a world community, tethered by an impetus for social and religious change. The result is a Faith that quickly becomes global and therefore a nebulae of different cultures and tastes. Few aspects of Baha’i culture and art exemplify this blending of the world’s tastes and vision than in the Houses of Worship found all over the world.
House of Worship outside Frankfurt, Germany
House of Worship in Apia, Western Samoa
House of Worship in New Delhi, India
Although each breath-taking structure reflects the culture of its native soil, such as the unmistakable lotus design of the New Delhi House of Worship, each House must adhere to a few common attributes.
- Each must have nine sides/entrances. This symbolizes that there is no “back door” and that all of mankind is welcome, no matter where they come from.
- The interior of each House of Worship is used for meditation and prayer–regardless of religious background. Separate buildings for other functions such as teaching, discussion, and/or community work are to be located nearby to serve the locale in which they stand.
- No pictures, statues, or images are displayed, nor any pulpits or alters incorporated into the design.
- No offerings/donations are expected nor taken, as each House is seen as a gift from the Baha’is to humanity. Only Baha’is may contribute to the building funds.
- The House is to be surrounded by gardens so that all who come are surrounded by beauty.
- The only instrument permitted inside the House of Worship is the human voice.
House of Worship in Sydney, Australia
House of Worship in Kampala, Uganda
House of Worship in Panama City, Panama
House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, USA
Model for the House of Worship in Chile
As symbols of unity in brotherhood and religion, the Baha’i Houses of Worship are visited by millions of people every year. There are no rituals, sermons, or clergy. The doors of these structures are open–not as an invitation to convert those who enter–but as a way to allow all who would come to worship God in a beautiful, safe, free, and inspiring way. In the words of Baha’u'llah concerning the Houses of Worship:
O people of the world! Build ye houses of worship throughout the lands in the name of Him Who is the Lord of all religions. Make them as perfect as is possible in the world of being, and adorn them with that which befitteth them, not with images and effigies. Then, with radiance and joy, celebrate therein the praise of your Lord, the Most Compassionate. Verily, by His remembrance the eye is cheered and the heart is filled with light.
–Baha’u'llah, from The Kitab-i-Aqdas
Here is an interview of the architect who designed the House of Worship in India. For more information regarding the Baha’i Houses of Worship, including service times and programs, please visit the International Baha’i Website and locate the House of Worship near your country of origin.
Baha’i/Day 5: History and Faith
But after this month, with your help, everyone will know about the Baha’i.
When the Baha’i faith began in Shiraz, Iran in 1844, its followers were not called “Baha’is”, they were Babi’s. The faith was born of a young man in his early 20′s who in 1844 declared his mission as “The Bab” or The Gate for the one to come; the next Manifestation of God. Though immediately persecuted by Islamic authorities, his ministry lasted for six years until he and thousands of his followers were martyred in 1850. He was thirty years old at the time of his death.
Outside of the Baha’i faith, there is a tradition of those who view The Bab in a different and more elevated light apart from the Baha’i tradition. For more information, go here.
Shrine of The Bab on Mt Carmel in Haifa, Israel
Born Mirza Husayn Ali Nuri, Baha’u'llah (which means The Glory of God) was born to a noble family in Iran. From an early age he was recognized as highly intelligent, perceptive, and kind to all. As a young man, he became known as the defender of the oppressed and refuge to the poor. Though he never met The Bab, he accepted the message immediately via The Bab’s first disciple, Mulla Husayn, and gave up his position in the nobility to join the young Babi’ movement.
Just as Baha’u'llah was gaining prominence as a member of the faith, violence broke out between Babi’ groups and the Qajar government. The fighting led to an assassination attempt on the Shah which failed and resulted in the slaughter of many Babi’s and the imprisonment of Baha’u'llah himself. While in prison, Baha’u'llah claimed to have been visited by a handmaiden of God and told of his station as the promised one of The Bab. Baha’u'llah was released from the “black pit” four months later and began what would be a life of exile.
Though his mission was revealed to him in the “black pit,” Baha’u'llah did not announce his status until years later in 1863 while he and his family lived in a tent in a garden outside of Baghdad along with many followers. Because of his growing popularity and influence, he was exiled farther and farther from his homeland and throughout the Turkish Empire. He spent last 40 years of his life in exile and prison. The writings Baha’i all over the world regard as scripture, including the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Kitab-i-Iqan, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, and collections of hundreds of prayers and letters to followers and world officials alike, were all composed while in prison or in exile.
The Baha’i faith, though by the time of Baha’u'llah’s death in 1892 had reached the shores of nearly every continent, was passed down in leadership to Baha’u'llah’s son, Abdu’l'Baha, whose name means “Servant of Glory.” Abdu’l'Baha spent much of his life in exile with his father. From the age of 8, he hopped from prison to prison for 40 years–by his own free will–and came to be known for his wisdom, humor and good spirit in the face of dispar, and care for the suffering. Baha’u'llah eventually passed on the duties of administration and discourse over the faith to his son, whom he affectionately called “The Master.” Abdu’l'Baha is regarded as the exemplar of all good qualities every Baha’i and indeed, person, should uphold. He is quoted to have said, “My home is the home of laughter and mirth.”
Abdu'l'Baha
After 40 years in prison, Abdu’l'Baha set out to spread the message of his father into Europe and America. He spoke at mosques, churches, and temples and soon many were filled with a zeal to spread the message throughout their part of the world.
When Abdu’l'Baha died in 1921, the Faith was handed down to his grandson, Shoghi Effendi, and was given the title of “Gaurdian of the Cause.” Effendi’s mission was to keep the Faith together against division and to set up an administrative body from the top down to carry out the propagation and maintenance of the Baha’i message.
Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Cause
Organization:
- The Universal House of Justice: located in Haifa, Israel, this is the supreme institution of the Baha’i Faith to which all Baha’i turn. Think of it as the Supreme Court here in the States. Nine members are elected to this body by Baha’i National Assemblies around the world. Their duty is to direct and guide the faithful in light of the teachings of the Baha’i Faith.
- Continental Board of Counsellors: these individuals are appointed by the Universal House of Justice to aid National Spiritual Assemblies in the teaching and maintenance of the Baha’i Faith in their corner of the world.
- Auxiliary Board Members: these appointed members work with administrative bodies to further the teaching of the Faith and to release the power of the Baha’i faithful.
- National Spiritual Assembly: this body of nine individuals are elected each year by delegates of the National Convention. These individuals guide the faithful and spiritual matters within their home country. Every Baha’i has one vote to contribute to this election. There exists no campaigning or nomination.
- Local Spiritual Assembly: any local where nine or more Baha’is are present and gather is called a Local Spiritual Assembly. These bodies conduct business on a local level and often host a number of outreach and teaching events such as Study Circles, where Baha’i teachings are discerned and propagated.
No clergy exists within the Baha’i Faith, as all individuals are responsible for their spiritual growth through study, prayer, and consultation.
Three Primary Principles:
- The Oneness of God
- The Oneness of Religion
- The Oneness of Humanity
Laws and Obligations:
- No backbiting or gossip
- Avoid alcohol and drugs (outside of medicinal instruction from a doctor)
- Propagate and teach the Cause of God
- Contribute to the Baha’i Fund
- Pray and study the Holy Writings
- Observe the Fast from March 2-20
- Regard work as worship
- Observe the marriage laws
- Respect and obey the government and avoid partisan politics
Other Principles and Teachings:
- The foundation of all religion is one
- There is no conflict between science and religion
- All are responsible for the independent investigation of truth
- Absolute equality between men and women
- The abolition of all forms of prejudice
- Universal peace, education, and an auxiliary world language
This is a sampling of the Baha’i Faith and its teachings. One fairly unique aspect of this young and vibrant religion is that while in most faiths, the mode of revelation stops at the death of its prophet or leader, Baha’i believe in the continuity and progression of God’s word. In other words, Baha’u'llah wasn’t the first and only prophet or “Manifestation” sent by God to mankind…and he won’t be the last. He is considered the Manifestation for this age. Baha’is generally believe that each age is given a Manifestation of God according to man’s understanding and circumstances at the time. In this way, figures such as Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad are all regarded as Manifestations of God for their age. Baha’is insist that a careful look at the history, ministry, and lives of these individuals–while some differences in delivery and practice exist–the central message of unity of Man and oneness with God are the same.
Again, my purpose in providing this information is not to offer a comprehensive picture, but a sampling. I want to pique your interests, whet your palate, and encourage you to set out on your own to discover more. This isn’t limited to religion. Perhaps your office just hired a new co-worker who is culturally different from yourself and others. My mission is that through Project Conversion, I inspire you to resist spreading rumors or teasing and take a stand to get to know this new and unknown co-worker. Welcome them. Respectfully ask questions. This is what peace is made out of. Individuals doing small things. Individual snowflakes are soft and fragile, but together and backed by the wind of change, love and wisdom, can sweep across the land in a blizzard.
For more information, I encourage you to visit the Baha’i International site here. From there, you can find links to Baha’i websites maintained on the National level.
Until next time, Allah-u-Abha!
Baha’i: Day 3/”The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys”
I know, I know…I promised that the next post would be about the history and tenets of the Baha’i faith, but I’m reading an essay (many Baha’is might consider it scripture) called The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys written by Baha’u'llah, the central figure of the religion, and I think it’s worth taking a moment to explore.
Here is an electronic copy of “The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys” for your convenience.
Compact, poetic and pretty awesome.
I won’t give you a full synopsis here (no spoilers here. You’ve got to read it for full impact), however the overall theme of this piece of Baha’i literature is the spiritual journey one takes toward God. As described by Baha’u'llah himself,
And further: The stages that mark the wayfarer’s journey from the abode of dust to the heavenly homeland are said to be seven. Some have called these Seven Valleys, and others, Seven Cities. And they say that until the wayfarer taketh leave of self, and traverseth these stages, he shall never reach to the ocean of nearness and union, nor drink of the peerless wine.
Project Conversion is in fact a journey with manifold intentions. Sure, its personal. I know little to nothing about these various faiths, so my exploration is in fact due to a great deal of curiosity on a spiritual as well as scholarly level. The other half of my intention is to both bring awareness to each faith through my discoveries and to inspire others to think for themselves and research an issue before forming a conclusion.
So, where is Project Conversion within the context of The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys? Which valley am I in personally? I think it’s obvious that the answer to both is the first, that of Search. Remember, this is a graduated scale reaching from the ground up; from the dust kicked up by exploration to the settled calm of the Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness. For one who reaches this goal, they realize the true focus of love and relationship with God.
I’d love to hear of your journey. Read through the Valleys at the link above. It’s a short work so don’t worry. Which Valley are you in? Or are you about to traverse the mountain between two of them? Maybe you aren’t on the journey at all. Everyone is different, and that’s the spice of life.
The Baha’i Faith/Day 1
The "Greatest Name" within the 9-pointed star
Allah-u-Abha and welcome to my review of Day 1 with the Baha’i Faith! The greeting “Allah-u-Abha” means “God the Most Glorious” and the founder of the faith, Baha’u'llah, bears a name which means “The Glory of God.” There’s a lot of glory involved in the Baha’i faith–as virtually every poetic verse speaks of God’s light and brilliance.
Today I’d like to share with you my Day 1 experience with the faith. My Baha’i Mentor for the month, Dr. McCormick, indicated from the moment she agreed to help that we would hit the ground running–and she wasn’t kidding!
For the most part, Baha’is do not meet in dedicated structures like churches or mosques, in fact once or maybe a few times a week (I meet my Mentor on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays) a group of Baha’is will meet in the homes of its members. These are called Study Circles. While there, Baha’is recite prayers, study scripture (and not only those written by the Bab, Baha’u'llah, or Abdu’l'Baha), share food, fellowship, and simply enjoy one another’s company. No clergy exists within the faith, so while each Study Circle might have a recognized guide or “tutor,” everyone present is equally recognized as a “consular.” The idea of consultation is very important in the faith, as few Baha’is believe there is a problem or issue that peaceful and loving discourse cannot surmount.
For our Study Circle the two of us were the only ones present. Hopefully that will change over time, however it allowed us to dive pretty deeply into the material. The text we are using is from the Ruhi Institute and is called Book 1: Reflections on the Life of the Spirit:
The booklet is divided into three sections:
1) Understanding the Baha’i Writings
2) Prayer
3) Life and Death
This is the source many Baha’is would use to help orient and educate a new Baha’i to the Faith. At the conclusion of my first Study Circle session, my Mentor and I had completed section one. Depending on the speed and depth of our progress, we will move on to other books in the series.
In addition to this formal weekly study with my Mentor, she has also graciously donated a small library of material for my perusal this month:
There's more. This is just what I could fit within the camera frame!
The four main contributors to Baha’i writings (The Bab, Baha’u'llah, Abdu’l'Baha, and Shoghi Effendi) left no stone unturned when it came to their material. Remember what I said about consultation? The Bab (the forerunner for Baha’u'llah), Baha’u'lla and son, Abdu’l'Baha, spent most of their adult lives in prison or heavily persecuted for their faith. During this time, many prayers and treatises were written as a guide, comfort, and counsel to the members of the young faith. Baha’u'llah was known for his otherworldly serenity despite horrible conditions. This is why love, charity, patience, and kindness are highly visible attributes in devout Baha’is.
Okay, so what is my daily schedule like? Well it starts at 6AM with a prayer. After that, I spend most of my day studying Baha’i texts and organizing Project Conversion around the faith. Many prayers were penned during the lives of the Bab, Baha’u'llah, and Abdu’l'Baha and despite the conditions in which most were written, each one reads and sounds like graceful, flowing poetry. Over the years, these prayers have been collected into several texts, often divided into categories for easy searching such as, Spiritual Growth, Help with Tests and Trials, Loss, and so forth. There is also a section for “Obligatory Prayers.” Three of these exist, the recitation of which are at the individual’s discretion. The first is the Short Prayer. This is exactly as it sounds. No more than a few lines, it is the minimum prayer and to be recited only once every 24 hours at noon. The Medium prayer is a few stanzas longer and includes an ablution ritual of washing the hands and face during recitation. This prayer takes place three times daily: once between sunrise and noon, another between noon and sunset, and lastly within two hours after sunset. Last but not least (sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun) is the Long Prayer. Again, exactly as it sounds and about twice as long as the medium. This one includes water ablution as well as full prostration with forehead to the ground. All prayers are recited facing east toward the Holy Land. Here is the Medium Prayer:
Book of Prayers, bowl of water for ablution, candles to set the mood.
First, wash hands as you recite the following:
“Strengthen my hand, O my God, that it may take hold of Thy Book with such steadfastness that the hosts of the world shall have no power over it. Guard it, then, from meddling with whatsoever doth not belong unto it. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.”
Wash face and say:
“I have turned my face unto Thee, O my Lord! Illumine it with the light of Thy countenance. Protect it, then, from turning to anyone but Thee.”
Stand, facing the Qiblih (east, toward Bahji, Akka, the Holy Land), and say:
“God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His are the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation. He, in truth, hath manifested Him Who is the Dayspring of Revelation, Who conversed on Sinai, through Whom the Supreme Horizon hath been made to shine, and the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing hath spoken, and through Whom the call hath been proclaimed unto all who are in heaven and on earth; ‘Lo, the All-Possessing is come. Earth and heaven, glory and dominion are God’s, the Lord of all men, and the Possessor of the Throne on high and of earth below!’
Now hands on knees, still facing East
“Exalted art Thou above my praise and the praise of anyone beside me, above my description and the description of all who are in heaven and all who are on earth!”
Stand again with open hands toward face (with or without book)...
“Disappoint not, O my God, him that hath, with beseeching fingers, clung to the hem of Thy mercy and Thy grace, O Thou Who of those who show mercy art the Most Merciful.”
Finally seated, say:
“I bear witness to Thy unity and Thy oneness, and that Thou art God, and that there is none other God beside Thee. Thou hast, verily, revealed Thy Cause, fulfilled Thy Covenant, and opened wide the door of Thy grace to all that dwell in heaven and on earth. Blessing and peace, salutation and glory, rest upon Thy loved ones, whom the changes and chances of the world have not deterred from turning unto Thee, and who have given their all, in hope of obtaining that which is with Thee. Thou art, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.”
Apart from these prayers, I’ve also decided to learn the following prayer–one of my Mentor’s favorites and one that we’ve decided to recite before each Study Circle:
Oh God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.
Oh God! Thou art more friend to me that I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.
Nice way to surrender yourself, your day, and all its stresses to a higher power, huh? This prayer was written by Baha’u'llah’s son, Abdu’u'Baha, no doubt during a time of great suffering.
So there’s a peek at my first day with the Baha’i Faith. I’ve received many emails from Baha’is all over the country whose gracious words of support and encouragement are part of what will make this month great. I encourage all of you to share your thoughts with me, as we are all councilors to one another in this great journey.
My next entry on Project Conversion will go over some of the history and principles of the faith. Thank you so much for spending time with me this morning. Until we meet again, Allah’u'Abha, and have a blessed day.
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