Appointed head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957
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A brief introductory discussion on the phrase "prostitution of the arts" as found in the writings of Shoghi Effendi. What is art and music that is degraded, and how one can discern it from good art? “It condemns the prostitution of art and of literature, the practices of nudism and of companionate marriage, infidelity in marital relationships, and all manner of promiscuity, of easy familiarity, and of sexual vices. It can tolerate no compromise with the theories, the standards, the habits, and the excesses of a decadent age. Nay rather it seeks to demonstrate, through the dynamic force of its example, the pernicious character of such theories, the falsity of such standards, the hollowness of such claims, the perversity of such habits, and the sacrilegious character of such excesses.” - The Advent of Divine Justice, Shoghi Effendi(apple): https://goo.gl/CM4TmV Podcast (android): https://goo.gl/ovLmps Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bridgingbeliefs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BridgingBeliefs9 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridgingbeliefs9/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BridgingBeliefs The Official Bahá'í site: http://www.bahai.org/ No videos on this channel are monetized nor are for commercial purposes.Support the show
204 The Baha'i Faith [Part 2] with Steve Matthews and James WalkerJesus once asked His disciples who they thought He was. Rightly did Peter confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Such a confession was not revealed to Peter by flesh and blood, but by the Father, as Jesus told Him. There are adherents of the Bahai'i Faith, an offshoot of Shiite Islam that began in 1844, who claim they follow the teachings of Jesus too. There are some 8,000 Baha'i centers of worship in the U.S. and many Americans adhere to the Baha'i faith. But who do the Baha'i say that Jesus is? Is he the same Jesus of the Bible? This week on the Profile we continue our conversation with counter-cult apologist Steve Matthews, who continues to unpack the syncretistic and contrary doctrines and practices of the Baha'i faith. Steve Matthews is a Christian countercult apologist who is not only passionate about researching the more established cults, but also in responding to the newer emerging groups as well. He has his M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Trinity International University and is involved in launching ExaminingTheCults.Related Links: Free access to some related Watchman Profiles: Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on The Baha'i Faith by Robert Pardon: watchman.org/Bahai Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Shia Islam by W. Dr. Mike Edens: watchman.org/Shia Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on The Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam by Eric Pement: watchman.org/Ahmadiyya Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Islam by James Walker: watchman.org/IslamProfile Additional Resources FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook. SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.
You have probably seen the bumper sticker "COEXIST" made up of several different symbols representing different belief systems and religions. But that bumper sticker is a command, an imperative. The fundamental question about that bumper sticker is "Who is issuing this command?" The Baha'i Faith is no exception to this inclusivism. They attempt to affirm that other religions are valid revelations of God and even ascribe to some of the teachings of Jesus. But this inclusivism is not really inclusive, as the only proper interpretation of the world's religions is given through the ultimate authority of the Baha'i faith, Baha'u'llah, who died in 1892. This week James Walker, the president of Watchman Fellowship, speaks with counter-cult apologist Steve Matthews who gives us an in-depth analysis of the Baha'i faith and why their doctrines of inclusivism and of Jesus are both contradictory and in error. Steve Matthews is a Christian countercult apologist who is not only passionate about researching the more established cults, but also in responding to the newer emerging groups as well. He has his M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Trinity International University and is involved in launching ExaminingTheCults.Related Links: Free access to some related Watchman Profiles: Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on The Baha'i Faith by Robert Pardon: watchman.org/Bahai Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Shia Islam by W. Dr. Mike Edens: watchman.org/Shia Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on The Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam by Eric Pement: watchman.org/Ahmadiyya Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Islam by James Walker: watchman.org/IslamProfile Additional Resources FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook. SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.
A rarely discussed amazing history of vegetarianism and even veganism in the great world religions and philosophies: Akhenaten the "Heretic" Egyptian Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, who ruled for 17 years Hebrew Bible, First Book of Moses: Genesis Yoga Shastra, a sutra or scripture of Jainism Bhagavad Gita of Krishna Srimad Bhagavatam The Laws of Manu, a kind of "Hindu Torah" or Book of Laws Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans Porphyry, a 3rd century AD Neo-Platonist philosopher The Vegetarian Prayer of Thanksgiving in the Epilogue of Asclepius of the Corpus Hermeticum, and the same prayer again, as it also turns up in the Nag Hammadi Library of Egypt, the Gnostic Gospels Early Church “Heresy Hunters” that used to require meat-eating on Sundays as a way to discover who the veg Gnostics were in their midst Philo of Alexandria's description of veg meals at a Jewish Therapeutae monastic community in Alexandria perhaps related to the Essenes The Bahai Faith: Baha'u'llah, ‘Abdu'l-Baha, and Shoghi Effendi -- prophecies of a vegan future of humanity Vegetarianism in Islam: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Rabia of Basra, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen and the Sufis John the Baptist, who ate locust bean (carob) flour, not locusts -- BEANS NOT BUGS And blessed are the textual variants: the Mystery of the Missing Veg Saying of Jesus found in Luke 21: 34 of the Evangelion Da-Mepharreshe -- the Old Syriac-Aramaic manuscript of the New Testament Gospels but is no longer present in Greek manuscripts. (Peace Be Upon You) In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami James Bean Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts Sant Mat Radhasoami A Satsang Without Walls https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com Spiritual Awakening Radio (and Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts) with James Bean, heard on various community, public radio stations and the web, explores the world of spirituality, comparative religion, world scriptures and other books, East and West, God, meditation, out of body or near death experiences (inner space), the vegan diet and other ahimsa ethics -- education for a more peaceful planet.
Bon matin tout le monde! Voici une parole d'esthétique architecturale, un point de vue sur le neuf et l'ancien (leur alliance), une idée de Shoghi Effendi, le Gardien de la Foi bahá'íe. En effet, il avait promulgué, en tout art, une union entre le classique et le moderne. Idée que je trouve très intéressante : j'y souscris. Passez une excellente journée!
This is the Mystical Jazz story of a Babi believer who is condemned to death. He traverses the awes of meditation before dancing towards the ultimate place of sacrifice. The Báb lead a veritable spiritual revolution in Persia in the XIX th Century. More than ten thousand of His followers where martyred especially by the wicked hands of the ecclesiastical oppressor. He was the Herald of Bahá'u'lláh, the Promised One whom He foretold the advent. This latter is considered by more than eight million adult Bahá'ís today as the Return of Christ. The Journey of the Soul towards the End can be felt by all of us, who can be contemporary living martyrs as Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian once wrote, the state of succeding and consecutive tribulation and trials that we live regardless of creed, race, nationality, gender during our lifetime, to finally rest at the very end and meet God. Enjoy...
Roman Orona takes you on a journey around the world of Indigenous Music. Indigenous Cafe brings you music, conversation and inspiration from the Indigenous People of North America and the Indigenous People from all over the world. Artist's you will hear in the order they are played on this weeks show: THE INDIGENOUS CAFE PODCAST INTRO “The dictionary defines kindness as, the quality of being generous, helpful, and caring about other people, or an act showing this quality. I think humans are innately kind but events around us can change us. We need to find practical ways to show our kindness every day. Kindness comes in many ways, and being kind to ourselves, other people, animals and the environment are all essential. There is no hierarchy to kindness. We can be kind to ourselves and others at the same time, and we can receive the kindness of others graciously. How we treat others in the natural world has a direct and immediate impact on our own spiritual growth, which in turn influences our capacity to continue to give. Give kindness to all living things and expect nothing in return. Acts of kindness can and will change the world.” -Roman Orona “The language of kindness is the lodestone of hearts and the food of the soul.” -Abdu'l-Bahá (00:00:00-00:02:09) 1. Black Lodge Singers - “People, We Are Here Singing For You” (Live in Arizona) (00:02:09-00:06:26) 2. Joe Tohonnie Jr. - “Blessing the Circle of Life (Apache Crown Dance Song)” (Apache Blessing & Crown Dance Songs) (00:06:26-00:11:06) PROGRAM BREAK (00:11:06-00:11:11) 3. Norman Ka'awa Solomon - “Au Her Oe” (Na Mele O Kaua'i) (00:11:11-00:14:38) 4. Southern Scratch - “La Mano de Dios” (How Sweet the Sound) (00:14:38-00:18:15) 5. Keith Mahone - “Bird Song 16” (Bird Songs Of The Hualpai) (00:18:15-00:20:00) Roman Orona (Host) (00:20:00-00:20:52) “ We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of humans is the result of these mutual reactions.” -Shoghi Effendi 6. Gulabben Patel - “Jay Ambe Jagdambe Ma” (Tahuko “Nonstop Gujarati Garba”) (00:20:52-00:22:54) 7. The Boyz - “Intro” (For A Lifetime) (00:22:54-00:25:48) 8. Baba Ken Okulolo & The Nigerian Brothers - “Laba Laba” (Putumayo Presents African Playground) (00:25:48-00:29:04) PROGRAM BREAK (00:29:04-00:29:09) 9. Will Clipman - “Convergence” (Awakening The Fire) (00:29:09-00:33:44) 10. Wayne Silas Jr. - “Angel Feet” (Infinite Passion) (00:33:44-00:38:00) 11. Zuni Pueblo Singers - “Turkey Dance Song” (Zuni Traditional Songs from Zuni Pueblo) (00:38:00-00:40:00) Roman Orona (Host) (00:40:00-00:40:47) “Train your children from their earliest days to be infinitely tender and loving to animals. If an animal be sick, let the children try to heal it, if it be hungry, let them feed it, if thirsty, let them quench its thirst, if weary, let them see that it rests.” -Abdu'l-Bahá 12. Buc Wild - “Walk in Beauty” (Young & Reckless) (00:40:47-00:44:47) 13. Huun-Huur-Tu - “Ancestors” (The Orphan's Lament) (00:44:47-00:48:33) PROGRAM BREAK (00:48:33-00:48:38) 14. Kym Gouchie - “Mountain of Youth” (Mountain of Youth - EP) (00:48:38-00:52:24) 15. Blue Moon Marquee - “Smoke Rings for My Rider” (Bare Knuckles and Brawn) (00:52:24-00:54:55) Roman Orona (Host) (00:54:55-00:56:34) “Be ye sincerely kind, not in appearance only…Let him do some good to every person whose path he crosseth, and be of some benefit to him. Let him improve the character of each and all, and reorient the minds of men. In this way, the light of divine guidance will shine forth, and the blessings of God will cradle all mankind: for love is light, no matter in what abode it dwelleth; and hate is darkness, no matter where it may make its nest.” -Abdu'l-Bahá 16. Conrad Bigknife - “Refined by the Flame” (I've Found My Home) (00:56:34-01:00:00) DONATION ADVERTISEMENT (01:00:00-01:00:18) The Indigenous Cafe Podcast is hosted by Roman Orona and brought to you by iamHUMAN Media. iamHUMAN Media is a non-profit 501(c)(3) focused on raising the awareness of social discourse to all humans through development of programs and artistic ventures (music, movies, stage performances, books, workshops, concerts, film festivals, community outreach, community building, panel discussions, etc.) to foster and promote unity in diversity and community fellowship acknowledging that all HUMANs are related simply by being HUMAN. Below are ways to help us continue our programming or to learn more about us: https://paypal.me/iamHUMANmedia?locale.x=en_US Website: www.iamHUMANmedia.com Email: indigenouscafe1@gmail.com
Roman Orona takes you on a journey around the world of Indigenous Music. Indigenous Cafe brings you music, conversation and inspiration from the Indigenous People of North America and the Indigenous People from all over the world. Artist's you will hear in the order they are played on this weeks show: THE INDIGENOUS CAFE PODCAST INTRO “Backbiting quencheth the light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul.” -Bahá'u'lláh (00:00:00-00:01:14) 1. Delmar Boni - “Mtn. Spirit Painting the Maiden Song” (Apache Jam 3) (00:01:14-00:06:26) 2. Jay Bagaye - “Rocky Mountain Special” (Honoring Our Ways) (00:06:26-00:11:01) PROGRAM BREAK (00:11:01-00:11:06) 3. Maya Jupiter - “Inshallah” (Never Said Yes) (00:11:06-00:15:33) 4. Insingizi - “Isqoqodo” (Spirit Of Africa) (00:15:33-00:18:35) 5. Byron Nicholai - “Aanan Aatan-Llu” (I Am Yup'ik) (00:18:35-00:20:00) Roman Orona (Host) (00:20:00-00:21:03) “I hope that the believers…will shun completely backbiting, each one praising the other cordially and believe that backbiting is the cause go Divine Wrath, to such an extent that if a person backbites to the extent of one word, he may become dishonored among all the people, because the most hateful characteristic if man is fault-finding. One must expose the praiseworthy qualities of the souls and not the evil attributes. The friends must overlook their shortcomings and faults and speak only of their virtues and not their defects.” -Abdu'l-Bahá 6. Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective - “Ámuñegü” (Wátina) (00:21:03-00:26:27) 7. Young Spirit - “Tâtapwê (Round Dance Special” (Save Me a Lead) (00:26:27-00:31:05) PROGRAM BREAK (00:31:05-00:31:09) 8. R. Carlos Nakai & Keola Beamer - “Aia Moloka'i Ku'uiwa” (Our Beloved Land) (00:31:09-00:34:23) 9. Tuva Ensemble - “Khoomei” (Traditional Music & Throat Singing of Tuva) (00:34:23-00:36:27) 10. Young Bird - “It's About Time” (YB Style) (00:36:27-00:40:00) Roman Orona (Host) (00:40:00-00:40:34) “The worst human quality and the most great sin is backbiting.” -Abdu'l-Bahá 11. Ahdi - “Mastom Mastom” (Mastom Mastom Single) (00:40:34-00:44:52) 12. Twin Flames - “Rise Up” (Signal Fire) (00:44:52-00:48:31) PROGRAM BREAK (00:48:31-00:48:36) 13. Zully Murillo - “Háganse a un Lado” (Los Pregones de Mi Tierra) (00:48:36-00:52:39) 14. 2nd Generation - “E'pitejij” (L'nuta'ql: Mi'kmaq Music Showcase) (00:52:39-00:55:00) Roman Orona (Host) (00:55:00-00:57:30) “It is obvious that if we listen to those who complain to us about the faults of others we are guilty of complicity in their backbiting. We should therefore, as tactfully as possible, but yet firmly, do our utmost to prevent others from making accusations or complaints against others in our presence..” -Shoghi Effendi 15. Mansour - “Mikham Bahat Beraghsam” (No Limit) (00:57:30-01:00:42) DONATION ADVERTISEMENT (01:00:42-01:00:59) The Indigenous Cafe Podcast is hosted by Roman Orona and brought to you by iamHUMAN Media. iamHUMAN Media is a non-profit 501(c)(3) focused on raising the awareness of social discourse to all humans through development of programs and artistic ventures (music, movies, stage performances, books, workshops, concerts, film festivals, community outreach, community building, panel discussions, etc.) to foster and promote unity in diversity and community fellowship acknowledging that all HUMANs are related simply by being HUMAN. Below are ways to help us continue our programming or to learn more about us: https://paypal.me/iamHUMANmedia?locale.x=en_US Website: www.iamHUMANmedia.com Email: indigenouscafe1@gmail.com
Significance of Repeating The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abha “`Abdu'l-Bahá teaches how the practice of invocation or repetition of “The Greatest Name” (Alláh-u-Abhá, God is Most Glorious) leads to union with God, illumination and spiritual rebirth. The use of invocation is well developed among the mystics of Islam, the Sufis. The repetition of sacred phrases is called dhikr (promounced zikr, meaning remembrance). This spiritual practice of invocation is praised by `Abdu'l-Bahá. He encourages spiritual seekers to “recite the Greatest Name at every morn, and (to) turn…unto the kingdom of Abhá, until though mayest apprehend the mysteries. Through the invocation fo the Greatest Name, `Abdu'l-Bahá maintains that “the doors of the kingdom of God open, illumination is vouchsafed and divine union results…The use of the Greatest Name, and dependence upon it, causes the soul to strip itself of the husks of morality and to step forth freed, reborn, a new creature.” `Abdu'l-Bahá encourages the use of the sacred phrase Alláh-u-Abhá as a focus for invocation: “The Greatest Name should be found upon the lips in the first awakening moment of early dawn. It should be fed upon by constant use in daily invocation, in trouble, under opposition, and should be the last word breathed when the head rests upon the pillow at night. It is the name of comfort, protection, happiness, illumination, love and unity. “ Pages 57-58 from the Book, Wisdom of the Masters: The Spiritual Teachings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, References 54-56 (The reference in the back of the book is below if you would like further details) “The Greatest Name, Symbol of the Cause”, Baha'i News (Oct 1964), p. 2. Also see Steven Scholl, “The Remembrance of God: An invocation Technique in Sufiism and the Writings of the Bas and Baha'u'llah, “ Baha'i Studies Bulletin (1985). Why say The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abhá 95 Times? In the book ‘Gate of the Heart' by Nader Saiedi, he explains that the significance of the number 95 originates from the Persian Bayán, where the Báb states that ninety-five stands for the numerical value of "for God" (lillāh), symbolizing the recognition of the manifestation of God and obedience to his laws, which are inseparable from each other, as confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh in the opening paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The 95 Alláh-u-Abhá Meditation audio is a meditation that includes a chanted repetition of the sacred word Alláh-u-Abhá, which means ‘God the All-Glorious'. According to Note 33 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “It hath been ordained that every believer in God … shall, each day … repeat “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times. “Alláh-u-Abhá” is an Arabic phrase meaning “God the All-Glorious.” It is a form of the Greatest Name of God (see note 137). In Islám there is a tradition that among the many names of God, one was the greatest; however, the identity of this Greatest Name was hidden. Bahá'u'lláh has confirmed that the Greatest Name is “Bahá.” The various derivatives of the word “Bahá” are also regarded as the Greatest Name. Shoghi Effendi's secretary writing on his behalf explains that “The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá'u'lláh. “Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá” is an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of Glories!” “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a greeting which means: “God the All-Glorious.” Both refer to Bahá'u'lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá'u'lláh has appeared in God's Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the supreme Manifestation of God. “ The greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” was adopted during the period of Bahá'u'lláh's exile in Adrianople. The repetition of “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times is to be preceded by the performance of ablutions (see note 34).” Alláh-u-Abhá also appears in the Prayer for the Dead as indicated in Note 11 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “The passages that form part of the Prayer for the Dead comprise the repetition of the greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” (God is the All-Glorious) six times, each followed by nineteen repetitions of one of six specifically revealed verses.”
Welcome to Who was she? Podcast. I am your host, Tara Jabbari. Who was she? Podcast will focus on the stories of women throughout history that were active in the Baha'i Faith. This season is about Zaynab. She was a 19th-century village girl from Persia in the early history of the Bahai Faith and fought for religious freedom. The following books were used to learn more about the siege of Zanjan: The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl's NarrativeGod Passes By written by Shoghi Effendi The Divine Curriculum: The Báb, Volume 5, Part 2 by Edward PriceZanjan A Graphic Novel Based on Actual Events by Aaron Emmel and C. Aaron KreaderYou can also find more information on our Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest @whowasshe podcast. And please, rate and subscribe wherever you listen to this podcast. Logo was designed by script editor, Angela Musacchio. Music was composed and performed by Sam Redd. I am your host, Tara Jabbari. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hello and welcome to the Baha'i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha'i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they're interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview Dr. Elena Mustakova, an educator, social scientist and integral psychologist who believes that psychological and spiritual health are inseparable. We talk about why individuals betray themselves, and the relationship between the individual and their environment. We discuss fear, the potential pitfalls of ideology, the interdependent world we live in, sacred activism, and the difference between spirituality, religion and collective consciousness. I'm sure you'll enjoy this conversation as much as I did! Watch the video of the interview here: https://bit.ly/3I19DrF Find out more about some of the things we mentioned and covered below: * The Bab: https://www.bahai.org/the-bab/ * Baha'u'llah: https://www.bahai.org/bahaullah/ * Abdu'l-Baha: https://www.bahai.org/abdul-baha/ * Shoghi Effendi: https://bit.ly/3rCOeNM * The Universal House of Justice: https://bit.ly/3mgH0wN Find out more about Elena Mustakova from her websites and Youtube channel: - Website: https://www.elenamustakova.net/ - Website: https://globalsocialhealth.org/en/home/ - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdtxYNJugSvyQktIjKQ-TWg/videos * BOOK: Global Unitive Healing: Integral Skills for Personal and Collective Transformation: https://amzn.to/3COXOBO * QUOTE: "We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions." (Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, To an individual believer, 17 February 1933) * Elena shares this quote by Max Planck: "All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter." * Elena shares this quote from Baha'u'llah: "A mighty force, a consummate power lieth concealed in the world of being. Fix your gaze upon it and upon its unifying influence, and not upon the differences which appear from it." * Meaningful and Distinctive Conversations: https://bit.ly/31VLH9Q * Study Circles & Ruhi books: https://www.ruhi.org/materials/list.php * Elena shares this prayer by Baha'u'llah: "Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a tranquil conscience within me, O my Hope! Through the spirit of power confirm Thou me in Thy Cause, O my Best-Beloved, and by the light of Thy glory reveal unto me Thy path, O Thou the Goal of my desire! Through the power of Thy transcendent might lift me up unto the heaven of Thy holiness, O Source of my being, and by the breezes of Thine eternity gladden me, O Thou Who art my God! Let Thine everlasting melodies breathe tranquillity on me, O my Companion, and let the riches of Thine ancient countenance deliver me from all except Thee, O my Master, and let the tidings of the revelation of Thine incorruptible Essence bring me joy, O Thou Who art the most manifest of the manifest and the most hidden of the hidden!" Be sure to subscribe to the Baha'i Blogcast for more episodes on: * YouTube: http://bit.ly/2JTNmBO * iTunes: http://apple.co/2leHPHL * Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/30dX0G4 * Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2IXRAnb If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more great Baha'i-inspired content, check out BAHAIBLOG.NET: http://bahaiblog.net/ Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson
“The five-pointed star, or haykal (Arabic: temple) is the symbol of the Baháʼí Faith as mentioned by Shoghi Effendi, head of the Baháʼí Faith in the first half of the 20th century: "Strictly speaking the 5-pointed star is the symbol of our Faith, as used by the Báb and explained by Him."[1] The five-pointed star has been used as the outline of special letters or tablets by both the Báb[2] and Baháʼu'lláh.[3] Haykal is a loan word from the Hebrew word hēyḵāl, which means temple and specifically Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. In Arabic, the word also means the body or form of something, particularly the human body.[4] In the Baháʼí tradition, the haykal was established by the Báb — who told of Baháʼu'lláh's coming — who represented the haykal as a five-pointed star representing the human body as a head, two hands, and two feet.[4][5] The Báb wrote many letters, tablets, prayers and more in the shape of a five-pointed star, including some that included many derivatives of the word Baháʼ (see below).[6][7] In Baháʼu'lláh's writings, specifically the Súriy-i-Haykal (Tablet of the Temple), while the meaning of temple remains present, the haykal is used mainly to mean the human body, but particularly the body of the Manifestation of God — a messenger from God — and the person of Baháʼu'lláh himself.[4] In the Tablet, the haykal is also used to refer to the word of God, which is revealed by the Manifestations of God.[8] He also says in the same Tablet:
Full Transcript: Who was she? Podcast will focus on the stories of women throughout history that were active in the Baha'i Faith. This season is about Zaynab. She was a 19th-century village girl from Persia, now Iran in the early history of the Bahai Faith who fought for religious freedom. There is little information known about Zaynab but her bravery and sacrifice inspired many to follow in her footsteps.When a new faith began in 1844 in present-day Iran, there were many attempts to end it. We will learn about the siege of Zanjan, one of the most violent and devastating battles in this new Faith's history and about one of their most fearless warriors, Zaynab.She disguised herself as a man to fight in the front lines. It was written that, “No man has shown himself capable of such vitality and courage.” In the book, God Passes By by Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, He wrote, “The resourcefulness and incredible audacity of Zaynab, a village maiden, who, fired with an irrepressible yearning to throw in her lot with the defenders of the Fort, disguised herself in male attire, cut off her locks, girt a sword about her waist, rushed headlong in pursuit of the assailants, and who, disdainful of food and sleep, continued, during a period of five months, in the thick of the turmoil, to animate the zeal and to rush to the rescue of her men companions ...these stand out as the highlights of this bloody contest.”So please subscribe and learn more about this amazing woman who fought so bravely and inspired many. You can also find more information on our Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest @whowasshe podcast. Music was composed and performed by Sam Redd. Script editor and graphics are by Angela Musacchio. I am your host, Tara Jabbari. Join us as we begin our journey about Zaynab. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Histórias de `Abdu´l-Bahá
Significance of Repeating The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abha “`Abdu'l-Bahá teaches how the practice of invocation or repetition of “The Greatest Name” (Alláh-u-Abhá, God is Most Glorious) leads to union with God, illumination and spiritual rebirth. The use of invocation is well developed among the mystics of Islam, the Sufis. The repetition of sacred phrases is called dhikr (promounced zikr, meaning remembrance). This spiritual practice of invocation is praised by `Abdu'l-Bahá. He encourages spiritual seekers to “recite the Greatest Name at every morn, and (to) turn…unto the kingdom of Abhá, until though mayest apprehend the mysteries. Through the invocation fo the Greatest Name, `Abdu'l-Bahá maintains that “the doors of the kingdom of God open, illumination is vouchsafed and divine union results…The use of the Greatest Name, and dependence upon it, causes the soul to strip itself of the husks of morality and to step forth freed, reborn, a new creature.” `Abdu'l-Bahá encourages the use of the sacred phrase Alláh-u-Abhá as a focus for invocation: “The Greatest Name should be found upon the lips in the first awakening moment of early dawn. It should be fed upon by constant use in daily invocation, in trouble, under opposition, and should be the last word breathed when the head rests upon the pillow at night. It is the name of comfort, protection, happiness, illumination, love and unity. “ Pages 57-58 from the Book, Wisdom of the Masters: The Spiritual Teachings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, References 54-56 (The reference in the back of the book is below if you would like further details) “The Greatest Name, Symbol of the Cause”, Baha'i News (Oct 1964), p. 2. Also see Steven Scholl, “The Remembrance of God: An invocation Technique in Sufiism and the Writings of the Bas and Baha'u'llah, “ Baha'i Studies Bulletin (1985). Why say The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abhá 95 Times? In the book ‘Gate of the Heart' by Nader Saiedi, he explains that the significance of the number 95 originates from the Persian Bayán, where the Báb states that ninety-five stands for the numerical value of "for God" (lillāh), symbolizing the recognition of the manifestation of God and obedience to his laws, which are inseparable from each other, as confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh in the opening paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The 95 Alláh-u-Abhá Meditation audio is a meditation that includes a chanted repetition of the sacred word Alláh-u-Abhá, which means ‘God the All-Glorious'. According to Note 33 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “It hath been ordained that every believer in God … shall, each day … repeat “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times. “Alláh-u-Abhá” is an Arabic phrase meaning “God the All-Glorious.” It is a form of the Greatest Name of God (see note 137). In Islám there is a tradition that among the many names of God, one was the greatest; however, the identity of this Greatest Name was hidden. Bahá'u'lláh has confirmed that the Greatest Name is “Bahá.” The various derivatives of the word “Bahá” are also regarded as the Greatest Name. Shoghi Effendi's secretary writing on his behalf explains that “The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá'u'lláh. “Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá” is an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of Glories!” “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a greeting which means: “God the All-Glorious.” Both refer to Bahá'u'lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá'u'lláh has appeared in God's Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the supreme Manifestation of God. “ The greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” was adopted during the period of Bahá'u'lláh's exile in Adrianople. The repetition of “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times is to be preceded by the performance of ablutions (see note 34).” Alláh-u-Abhá also appears in the Prayer for the Dead as indicated in Note 11 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “The passages that form part of the Prayer for the Dead comprise the repetition of the greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” (God is the All-Glorious) six times, each followed by nineteen repetitions of one of six specifically revealed verses.”
“The five-pointed star, or haykal (Arabic: temple) is the symbol of the Baháʼí Faith as mentioned by Shoghi Effendi, head of the Baháʼí Faith in the first half of the 20th century: "Strictly speaking the 5-pointed star is the symbol of our Faith, as used by the Báb and explained by Him."[1] The five-pointed star has been used as the outline of special letters or tablets by both the Báb[2] and Baháʼu'lláh.[3] Haykal is a loan word from the Hebrew word hēyḵāl, which means temple and specifically Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. In Arabic, the word also means the body or form of something, particularly the human body.[4] In the Baháʼí tradition, the haykal was established by the Báb — who told of Baháʼu'lláh's coming — who represented the haykal as a five-pointed star representing the human body as a head, two hands, and two feet.[4][5] The Báb wrote many letters, tablets, prayers and more in the shape of a five-pointed star, including some that included many derivatives of the word Baháʼ (see below).[6][7] In Baháʼu'lláh's writings, specifically the Súriy-i-Haykal (Tablet of the Temple), while the meaning of temple remains present, the haykal is used mainly to mean the human body, but particularly the body of the Manifestation of God — a messenger from God — and the person of Baháʼu'lláh himself.[4] In the Tablet, the haykal is also used to refer to the word of God, which is revealed by the Manifestations of God.[8] He also says in the same Tablet:
“The five-pointed star, or haykal (Arabic: temple) is the symbol of the Baháʼí Faith as mentioned by Shoghi Effendi, head of the Baháʼí Faith in the first half of the 20th century: "Strictly speaking the 5-pointed star is the symbol of our Faith, as used by the Báb and explained by Him."[1] The five-pointed star has been used as the outline of special letters or tablets by both the Báb[2] and Baháʼu'lláh.[3] Haykal is a loan word from the Hebrew word hēyḵāl, which means temple and specifically Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. In Arabic, the word also means the body or form of something, particularly the human body.[4] In the Baháʼí tradition, the haykal was established by the Báb — who told of Baháʼu'lláh's coming — who represented the haykal as a five-pointed star representing the human body as a head, two hands, and two feet.[4][5] The Báb wrote many letters, tablets, prayers and more in the shape of a five-pointed star, including some that included many derivatives of the word Baháʼ (see below).[6][7] In Baháʼu'lláh's writings, specifically the Súriy-i-Haykal (Tablet of the Temple), while the meaning of temple remains present, the haykal is used mainly to mean the human body, but particularly the body of the Manifestation of God — a messenger from God — and the person of Baháʼu'lláh himself.[4] In the Tablet, the haykal is also used to refer to the word of God, which is revealed by the Manifestations of God.[8] He also says in the same Tablet:
Roman Orona takes you on a journey around the world of Indigenous Music. Indigenous Cafe brings you music, conversation and inspiration from the Indigenous People of North America and the Indigenous People from all over the world. Artist's you will hear in the order they are played on this weeks show: THE INDIGENOUS CAFE PODCAST INTRO “Man is destined by God (the Creator) to undergo a spiritual development that extends throughout eternity. His life upon this earth is only the first stage of that development. When we outgrow our physical form, and are considered by God ready to reap the fruit of our spiritual development, we proceed to the other world. We term it death only because of our short sightedness. A more proper term would be'a more abundant life.' It is a forward step we have taken.” -Shoghi Effendi (00:00:00-00:01:19) 1. Aysanabee - “Ocean Breath (Remastered)” (Ocean Breath - Single) (0:01:19-0:05:18) 2. Jim Pepper - “Caddo Revival” (The Path) (0:05:18-00:09:50) PROGRAM BREAK (00:09:50-00:09:55) 3. Grant-Lee Phillips - “Find My Way” (The Narrows) (00:09:55-00:14:31) 4. Indian Hill - “The Promise” (Don't Look Back) (00:14:31-00:17:24) 5. Nancy Sanchez & Madame Récamier - “Oídos” (La Gran Civilización) (00:17:24-00:20:00) Roman Orona (Host) (00:20:00-00:20:47) “Through his ignorance man fears death, but the death he shrinks from is imaginary and absolutely unreal; it is only human imagination.” -Abdu'l-Bahá 6. Southern Boys - “Intertribal” (Live At St. Croix) (00:20:47-00:25:01) 7. Yothu Yindi - “Dots On the Shells” (Healing Stone) (00:25:01-00:29:23) PROGRAM BREAK (00:29:23-00:29:27) 8. Alexis Holland & Dashmesh Khalsa - “Morpho Butterfly” (A Voice for the Voiceless) (00:29:27-00:33:54) 9. Digging Roots - “The Healer” (The Healer-Single) (00:33:54-00:37:42) 10. Yaqui Tribe - “Pascola Dance” (Out There) (00:37:42-00:40:00) Roman Orona (Host) (00:40:00-00:40:37) “The time has come when we must part, but the separation is only of our bodies; in spirit we are united forever.” -Abdu'l-Bahá 11. Tinyela - “Summer's Here” (Pure Africa) (00:40:37-00:42:51) 12. Mansour ft. Jamshid - “Naz Maka” (No Limit) (00:42:51-00:46:02) 13. Wayne Silas Jr. - “The Mashup” (Infinite Passion) (00:46:02-00:48:55) PROGRAM BREAK (00:48:55-00:49:00) 14. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - “Kana'i Aupuni” (Unforgettable) (00:49:00-00:52:00) 15. Southern Scratch - “Rosa Maria” (How Sweet the Sound) (00:52:00-00:55:00) Roman Orona (Host) (00:55:00-00:57:24) “…the transitions of the soul of man from darkness and uncertainty to the light and reality of the eternal Kingdom. At first it is very difficult to welcome death, but after attaining its new condition the soul is grateful, for it has been released from the bondage of the limited to enjoy the liberties of the unlimited. It has been freed from a world of sorrow, grief and trials to live in a world of unending bliss and joy. The phenomenal and physical have been abandoned in order that it may attain the opportunities of the ideal and spiritual…These are the only considerations which can comfort and console those whom they have left behind.” -Abdu'l-Bahá 16. Randy Wood - “In Honor Of The Late Ben Houle” (Family) (00:56:47-00:59:44) DONATION ADVERTISEMENT (00:59:44-01:00:00) The Indigenous Cafe Podcast is hosted by Roman Orona and brought to you by iamHUMAN Media. iamHUMAN Media is a non-profit 501(c)(3) focused on raising the awareness of social discourse to all humans through development of programs and artistic ventures (music, movies, stage performances, books, workshops, concerts, film festivals, community outreach, community building, panel discussions, etc.) to foster and promote unity in diversity and community fellowship acknowledging that all HUMANs are related simply by being HUMAN. Below are ways to help us continue our programming or to learn more about us: https://paypal.me/iamHUMANmedia?locale.x=en_US Website: www.iamHUMANmedia.com Email: indigenouscafe1@gmail.com
Hello and welcome to the Baha'i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha'i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they're interested in, and what makes them tick. In this special episode in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the passing of Abdu'l-Baha, I'm joined by Professor Hoda Mahmoudi who holds the Baha'i Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland, USA. She tells me about moving to the US as a child and what the Baha'i Chair for World Peace is all about. We talk Abdu'l-Baha and His wonderful insights on what peace is really about, and how all of us can play a role in helping achieve it. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did! Find out more about some of the things we mentioned and covered below: * Learn more about Abdu'l-Baha and the commemoration of the Centenary of His passing here: https://bit.ly/3jkV0WX * Abdu'l-Baha: https://www.bahai.org/abdul-baha/ * The Universal House of Justice: https://bit.ly/3mgH0wN * Shoghi Effendi: https://bit.ly/3rCOeNM * The Bab: https://www.bahai.org/the-bab/ * Baha'u'llah: https://www.bahai.org/bahaullah/ * Website in honor of Abdu'l-Baha's visit to North America: https://239days.com/ * Find out more about The Baha'i Chair for World Peace and Hoda Mahmoudi here: http://www.bahaichair.umd.edu/people/mahmoudi * BOOK: A World Without War by Janet Khan & Hoda Mahmoudi: https://amzn.to/3rtWIHn * Association for Baha'i Studies, North America: https://www.bahaistudies.ca/ * The Baha'i World Centre: https://www.bwc.org/ * Why is the Baha'i World Centre in Israel: https://bit.ly/3DjRx1k * Tablets of the Divine Plan: https://bit.ly/3rw39Mp * What Are the Tablets of the Divine Plan: https://bit.ly/3rxKr79 * We mention Dr. Nader Saiedi who has also been a guest on the Baha'i Blogcast: - Baha'i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson - Ep. 20: Nader Saiedi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pSyY-vhxuw - Baha'i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson - Ep.48: A Declaration of the Bab Conversation with Nader Saiedi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jPN99xQLOs * Tablets to The Hague by Abdu'l-Baha: https://bit.ly/3G7hTFy * Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets to The Hague: An Introduction: https://bit.ly/3oh9Gsn * VIDEO: A World Without War: Abdu'l-Baha & the Discourse for Global Peace - Janet Khan & Hoda Mahmoudi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRlAXd8tr7Q * The Promise of World Peace by the Universal House of Justice: https://bit.ly/31jtjrc * Children's Classes: https://bit.ly/31tnbMI * Why & How Do Baha'is Pray: https://bit.ly/3GbYHXa * Study Circles: https://bit.ly/3qkIJSR * Ruhi courses: https://bit.ly/3w16G44 * What is the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program: https://bit.ly/3x52jX0 * Who Were the Hands of the Cause: https://bit.ly/2EATuOD * Taking the Politics Out of Politics: https://bit.ly/3DmnnKG * Importance of Service in the Baha'i Faith: https://bit.ly/3rDjg82 * BOOK: God Passes By by Shoghi Effendi: https://bit.ly/2UaWgBH * VIDEO: Abdu'l-Baha in Egypt - Baha'i Blog Interviews Payam Rowhani: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvPh6NSaEnA * BOOK: Paris Talks by Abdu'l-Baha: https://bit.ly/3DfhNK5 * VIDEO: Abdu'l-Baha - Servant of Glory: https://youtu.be/tMJoyyEXjr4 Be sure to subscribe to the Baha'i Blogcast for more episodes on: * YouTube: http://bit.ly/2JTNmBO * iTunes: http://apple.co/2leHPHL * Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/30dX0G4 * Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2IXRAnb If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more great Baha'i-inspired content, check out BAHAIBLOG.NET: http://bahaiblog.net/ Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson
The Universal Crisis Affecting Mankind - nursing a sore-tried and disillusioned humanity back to health https://bahai-library.com/pdf/compilations/compilation_state_disorder_confusion.pdfToday's Sentence - “The call of Bahá'u'lláh is primarily directed against all forms of provincialism, all insularities and prejudices.” (The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh) www.bahai.org/r/333528334 Seven letters written by Shoghi Effendi and addressed to the Bahá'ís of the United States and the West, first collected in 1938, comprising “The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh”, “The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Further Considerations”, “The Goal of a New World Order”, “The Golden Age of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh”, “America and the Most Great Peace”, “The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh”, and “The Unfoldment of World Civilization”.Bahá'u'llah - https://www.bahai.org/bahaullah‘Abdu'l-Bahá -https://www.bahai.org/abdul-bahaShoghi Effendi - https://www.bahai.org/shoghi-effendi/The Baha'i Faith - https://www.bahai.orgBaha'ís of the United States - https://www.bahai.usResponse to the Call of Baha'u'llah - https://www.bahai.org/action/response-call-bahaullah/The Call of Baha'u'llah and it's effect on the World - https://bahaiteachings.org/call-bahaullah-effect-world/Longman Dictionary - The call of something https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/the-call-of-somethingAnd what voice other than that of Bahá'u'lláh—the Mouthpiece of God for this age—is capable of effecting a transformation of society as radical as that which He has already accomplished in the hearts of those men and women, so diversified and seemingly irreconcilable, who constitute the body of His declared followers throughout the world? (The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh) www.bahai.org/r/827878978 Shoghi Effendi, Haifa, Palestine November 28, 1931“The Call of God,” ‘Abdu'l‑Bahá has written, “when raised, breathed a new life into the body of mankind, and infused a new spirit into the whole creation. It is for this reason that the world hath been moved to its depths, and the hearts and consciences of men been quickened. Erelong the evidences of this regeneration will be revealed, and the fast asleep will be awakened.” (The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh) www.bahai.org/r/771401011 A Covenant in the religious sense is a binding agreement between God and man, whereby God requires of man certain behaviour in return for which He guarantees certain blessings, or whereby He gives man certain bounties in return for which He takes from those who accept them an undertaking to behave in a certain way. https://bahai-library.com/compilation_covenant (23 March 1975, from a letter written by the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)If it is considered with insight, it will be seen that all the forces of the universe, in the last analysis serve the Covenant.(Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu'l‑Bahá) www.bahai.org/r/162163083The Call of the Divine Beloved Selected Mystical Works of Baha'u'llah. May the publication of this volume contribute to a deeper appreciation of the mystical dimensions of Bahá'u'lláh's Message and inspire a greater zeal and fervour in raising the celestial call of the Divine Beloved: “For whereas in days past every lover besought and searched after his Beloved, it is the Beloved Himself Who now is calling His lovers and is inviting them to attain His presence.”7. Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, CLI, ¶ 2. https://www.bahaibookstore.com/Search.aspx?k=The+call+of+the+Divine+BelovedBaha'u'llah's Revelation affirms that the purpose of our lives is to know God and to attain His presence. Our true identity is our rational soul, whose free will and powers of understanding enable us to continually better ourselves and our society. Walking a path of service to God and to humanity gives life meaning and prepares us for the moment the soul separates from the body and continues on its eternal journey towards its Maker. https://www.bahai.org/beliefs/life-spirit/The Intellectual Life of the Bahá'í Community - Farzam Arbab https://journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/download/212/323/735. Episode Host: Mary JL Rowe - The personal views expressed here in Episode 6 (outside to the quotes) reflect only my individual perspective and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith. Links to authoritative Baha'i Institutions, Authors and Writings are listed above - except for #9, #10, and #17.
Histórias de `Abdu´l-Bahá
Baha'i mom and poet Andrea Hope dispels some myths about being a primary caregiver. The resources for this episode are as follows:Quote: With reference to the question of the training of children:6 given the emphasis placed by Bahá'u'lláh and ‘Abdu'l-Bahá on the necessity for the parents to train their children while still in their tender age, it would seem preferable that they should receive their first training at home at the hand of their mother, rather than be sent to a nursery. Should circumstances, however, compel a Bahá'í mother to adopt the latter course there can be no objection. (From a letter dated 13 November 1940 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer)Living the Life: Add Primary Caregiver to your resume Resource: Arezoo Design Poem: Stay-At-Home Mother from To Mother Andrea's Etsy Shop:https://www.etsy.com/shop/AndreaHopeOrgInstagram: @bahaigifts Email: info@andreahope.orgWebsite: www.andreahope.org
The Universal Crisis Affecting Mankind - nursing a sore-tried and disillusioned humanity back to health https://bahai-library.com/pdf/compilations/compilation_state_disorder_confusion.pdf'Abdu'l-Baha - https://www.bahai.org/abdul-bahaThe Baha'i Faith - https://www.bahai.orgFeatures of The New World Order mentioned in this episode, are explained in a book titled The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh compiled and written by Shoghi Effendi https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/shoghi-effendi/world-order-bahaullah/ Also available as a free ePub from the The Baha'i Bookstore https://www.bahaibookstore.com/World-Order-of-Bahaullah-Free-ePub-P9562.aspxPart of this quotation is cited: "To choose such a course is not to deny humanity's past but to understand it. The Bahá'í Faith regards the current world confusion and calamitous condition in human affairs as a natural phase in an organic process leading ultimately and irresistibly to the unification of the human race in a single social order whose boundaries are those of the planet. The human race, as a distinct, organic unit, has passed through evolutionary stages analogous to the stages of infancy and childhood in the lives of its individual members, and is now in the culminating period of its turbulent adolescence approaching its long-awaited coming of age. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/messages/19851001_001/1#883867984Today's QUOTE: The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. (Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 181)Episode Host: Mary JL Rowe
Significance of Repeating The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abha “`Abdu'l-Bahá teaches how the practice of invocation or repetition of “The Greatest Name” (Alláh-u-Abhá, God is Most Glorious) leads to union with God, illumination and spiritual rebirth. The use of invocation is well developed among the mystics of Islam, the Sufis. The repetition of sacred phrases is called dhikr (promounced zikr, meaning remembrance). This spiritual practice of invocation is praised by `Abdu'l-Bahá. He encourages spiritual seekers to “recite the Greatest Name at every morn, and (to) turn…unto the kingdom of Abhá, until though mayest apprehend the mysteries. Through the invocation fo the Greatest Name, `Abdu'l-Bahá maintains that “the doors of the kingdom of God open, illumination is vouchsafed and divine union results…The use of the Greatest Name, and dependence upon it, causes the soul to strip itself of the husks of morality and to step forth freed, reborn, a new creature.” `Abdu'l-Bahá encourages the use of the sacred phrase Alláh-u-Abhá as a focus for invocation: “The Greatest Name should be found upon the lips in the first awakening moment of early dawn. It should be fed upon by constant use in daily invocation, in trouble, under opposition, and should be the last word breathed when the head rests upon the pillow at night. It is the name of comfort, protection, happiness, illumination, love and unity. “ Pages 57-58 from the Book, Wisdom of the Masters: The Spiritual Teachings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, References 54-56 (The reference in the back of the book is below if you would like further details) “The Greatest Name, Symbol of the Cause”, Baha'i News (Oct 1964), p. 2. Also see Steven Scholl, “The Remembrance of God: An invocation Technique in Sufiism and the Writings of the Bas and Baha'u'llah, “ Baha'i Studies Bulletin (1985). Why say The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abhá 95 Times? In the book ‘Gate of the Heart' by Nader Saiedi, he explains that the significance of the number 95 originates from the Persian Bayán, where the Báb states that ninety-five stands for the numerical value of "for God" (lillāh), symbolizing the recognition of the manifestation of God and obedience to his laws, which are inseparable from each other, as confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh in the opening paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The 95 Alláh-u-Abhá Meditation audio is a meditation that includes a chanted repetition of the sacred word Alláh-u-Abhá, which means ‘God the All-Glorious'. According to Note 33 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “It hath been ordained that every believer in God … shall, each day … repeat “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times. “Alláh-u-Abhá” is an Arabic phrase meaning “God the All-Glorious.” It is a form of the Greatest Name of God (see note 137). In Islám there is a tradition that among the many names of God, one was the greatest; however, the identity of this Greatest Name was hidden. Bahá'u'lláh has confirmed that the Greatest Name is “Bahá.” The various derivatives of the word “Bahá” are also regarded as the Greatest Name. Shoghi Effendi's secretary writing on his behalf explains that “The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá'u'lláh. “Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá” is an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of Glories!” “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a greeting which means: “God the All-Glorious.” Both refer to Bahá'u'lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá'u'lláh has appeared in God's Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the supreme Manifestation of God. “ The greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” was adopted during the period of Bahá'u'lláh's exile in Adrianople. The repetition of “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times is to be preceded by the performance of ablutions (see note 34).” Alláh-u-Abhá also appears in the Prayer for the Dead as indicated in Note 11 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “The passages that form part of the Prayer for the Dead comprise the repetition of the greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” (God is the All-Glorious) six times, each followed by nineteen repetitions of one of six specifically revealed verses.”
Significance of Repeating The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abha “`Abdu'l-Bahá teaches how the practice of invocation or repetition of “The Greatest Name” (Alláh-u-Abhá, God is Most Glorious) leads to union with God, illumination and spiritual rebirth. The use of invocation is well developed among the mystics of Islam, the Sufis. The repetition of sacred phrases is called dhikr (promounced zikr, meaning remembrance). This spiritual practice of invocation is praised by `Abdu'l-Bahá. He encourages spiritual seekers to “recite the Greatest Name at every morn, and (to) turn…unto the kingdom of Abhá, until though mayest apprehend the mysteries. Through the invocation fo the Greatest Name, `Abdu'l-Bahá maintains that “the doors of the kingdom of God open, illumination is vouchsafed and divine union results…The use of the Greatest Name, and dependence upon it, causes the soul to strip itself of the husks of morality and to step forth freed, reborn, a new creature.” `Abdu'l-Bahá encourages the use of the sacred phrase Alláh-u-Abhá as a focus for invocation: “The Greatest Name should be found upon the lips in the first awakening moment of early dawn. It should be fed upon by constant use in daily invocation, in trouble, under opposition, and should be the last word breathed when the head rests upon the pillow at night. It is the name of comfort, protection, happiness, illumination, love and unity. “ Pages 57-58 from the Book, Wisdom of the Masters: The Spiritual Teachings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, References 54-56 (The reference in the back of the book is below if you would like further details) “The Greatest Name, Symbol of the Cause”, Baha'i News (Oct 1964), p. 2. Also see Steven Scholl, “The Remembrance of God: An invocation Technique in Sufiism and the Writings of the Bas and Baha'u'llah, “ Baha'i Studies Bulletin (1985). Why say The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abhá 95 Times? In the book ‘Gate of the Heart' by Nader Saiedi, he explains that the significance of the number 95 originates from the Persian Bayán, where the Báb states that ninety-five stands for the numerical value of "for God" (lillāh), symbolizing the recognition of the manifestation of God and obedience to his laws, which are inseparable from each other, as confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh in the opening paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The 95 Alláh-u-Abhá Meditation audio is a meditation that includes a chanted repetition of the sacred word Alláh-u-Abhá, which means ‘God the All-Glorious'. According to Note 33 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “It hath been ordained that every believer in God … shall, each day … repeat “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times. “Alláh-u-Abhá” is an Arabic phrase meaning “God the All-Glorious.” It is a form of the Greatest Name of God (see note 137). In Islám there is a tradition that among the many names of God, one was the greatest; however, the identity of this Greatest Name was hidden. Bahá'u'lláh has confirmed that the Greatest Name is “Bahá.” The various derivatives of the word “Bahá” are also regarded as the Greatest Name. Shoghi Effendi's secretary writing on his behalf explains that “The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá'u'lláh. “Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá” is an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of Glories!” “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a greeting which means: “God the All-Glorious.” Both refer to Bahá'u'lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá'u'lláh has appeared in God's Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the supreme Manifestation of God. “ The greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” was adopted during the period of Bahá'u'lláh's exile in Adrianople. The repetition of “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times is to be preceded by the performance of ablutions (see note 34).” Alláh-u-Abhá also appears in the Prayer for the Dead as indicated in Note 11 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “The passages that form part of the Prayer for the Dead comprise the repetition of the greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” (God is the All-Glorious) six times, each followed by nineteen repetitions of one of six specifically revealed verses.”
What effect do the words of the world's divine educators have on our lives? “Moments of Meaning” explores a range of answers to that question through 9 conversations with guests from around the globe.Inspired by Baha'u'llah's words, “Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths,” host Sean Hinton sought to share stories about the moments when people discover these pearls, and how they change their lives.Through sincere conversation, heartfelt storytelling, and the words of some of the Baha'i Faith's central figures, season 1 of “Moments of Meaning” offered a window into the lives of nine guests, from Botswana, to England, to the United States.Resources:Season 1 Prayers and WritingsMoments of Meaning is presented by Sean Hinton, mixed and edited by Jamey Heath, and produced by the team at BahaiTeachings.org.Music:Cello by Elika Mahony from the song The Hallowed Beauty.Yang Qin by Jin R from the album Meditations Of The Spirit.
Hello and welcome to the Baha'i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha'i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they're interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode, I'm joined by my dear Baha'i friend, Michael O'Neal, the founder of 'Parent University', a community collaborative that supports families and encourages parent involvement and participation in the education of a community's children and youth. Michael tells us how he became a Baha'i, what it was like growing up in a poor family, why grassroots initiatives are important, and why perseverance is a must. I'm sure you'll enjoy this conversation as much I did! To find out more about some of the things we covered in this episode, check out the following links: * Find out more about Parent University here: https://www.parentuniversitysav.org/ * The Universal House of Justice: https://bit.ly/3mgH0wN * Shoghi Effendi: https://bit.ly/3rCOeNM * Abdu'l-Baha: https://www.bahai.org/abdul-baha/ * The Bab: https://www.bahai.org/the-bab/ * Baha'u'llah: https://www.bahai.org/bahaullah/ * An Introduction to The Seven Valleys: https://bit.ly/3hHPLiM * An Introduction to The Four Valleys by Baha'u'llah: https://bit.ly/2VAUVEM * Book: Theif in the Night by William Sears: https://amzn.to/3xG0gZC * Seals & Crofts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seals_and_Crofts * The Book of Certitude (Kitab-i-Iqan): https://bit.ly/2UIdIxA * We refer to this quote by Shoghi Effendi found in The Advent of Divine Justice: “As to racial prejudice, the corrosion of which, for well-nigh a century, has bitten into the fiber, and attacked the whole social structure of American society, it should be regarded as constituting the most vital and challenging issue confronting the Baha'i community at the present stage of its evolution. The ceaseless exertions which this issue of paramount importance calls for, the sacrifices it must impose, the care and vigilance it demands, the moral courage and fortitude it requires, the tact and sympathy it necessitates, invest this problem … with an urgency and importance that cannot be overestimated.” * Why Cluster Reflection Meetings Are So Important: https://bit.ly/2Tb5PAi * Consultation: A Perspective: https://www.bahaiblog.net/2015/10/introduction-consultation/ * The Baha'i Black Men's Gathering: https://bit.ly/2Td3O6P * Baha'i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson – Episode 56: William H. “Smitty” Smith: https://bit.ly/3kqHjqh * We refer to this quote by Baha'u'llah: "Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom." * Children's Classes: https://bit.ly/3yYivd1 * Study Circles: https://bit.ly/3qkIJSR * Ruhi sequence of courses: https://bit.ly/3w16G44 * The Importance of Service in the Baha'i Faith: https://bit.ly/3eDDyKr * Thornton Chase: https://bit.ly/3B0LlLT * We refer to this quote from a talk given by Abdu'l-Baha: "Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone, let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path." * Learn more about Abdu'l-Baha and the commemoration of the Centenary of His passing here: https://bit.ly/3jkV0WX Be sure to subscribe to the Baha'i Blogcast for more episodes on: * YouTube: http://bit.ly/2JTNmBO * iTunes: http://apple.co/2leHPHL * Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/30dX0G4 * Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2IXRAnb If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more great Baha'i-inspired content, check out BAHAIBLOG.NET: http://bahaiblog.net/ Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson
Hello and welcome to the Baha'i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha'i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they're interested in, and what makes them tick. In this special episode in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the passing of Abdu'l-Baha, I'm joined by Baha'i author, Angelina Diliberto Allen. Angelina shares how her family became Baha'is, some pioneering experiences, and how being in a chewing-gum commercial helped her and her twin sister go on pilgrimage. We talk about what the House of Justice calls "this infinitely poignant moment", and Angelina tells us some fascinating stories about the six Western Baha'is who were in the Holy Land at the time of Abdu'l-Baha's passing. I'm sure you'll enjoy this conversation as much I did! Find out more about some of the things we covered below: * Centenary of Ascension of Abdu'l-Baha: https://bit.ly/3jkV0WX * Abdu'l-Baha: https://www.bahai.org/abdul-baha/ * The Universal House of Justice: https://bit.ly/3mgH0wN * Shoghi Effendi: https://bit.ly/3rCOeNM * The Bab: https://www.bahai.org/the-bab/ * Baha'u'llah: https://www.bahai.org/bahaullah/ * Website in honor of Abdu'l-Baha's visit to North America: https://239days.com/ * The Journey West podcast: https://bit.ly/3y4dzTo * Book: John David Bosch: In the Vanguard of Heroes, Martyrs, and Saints by Angelina Diliberto Allen: https://amzn.to/3qz4JdR * Baha'i Blog interview with Angelina about her book: https://bit.ly/3y1rCcv * Book: When the Moon Set Over Haifa by Angelina Diliberto Allen: https://bit.ly/35YJxEK * John Bosch (https://bit.ly/3h20Meu) and Louise Bosch (https://bit.ly/2UOlpT1) * Baha'i actor Lloyd Haynes: https://bit.ly/3x40wBv * Book: God Passes By by Shoghi Effendi: https://bit.ly/2UaWgBH * Florian Krug: https://bit.ly/361HsI2 * Pioneering: https://bit.ly/3jjTmVH * John Allen: https://bahaipedia.org/John_Allen * Knights of Baha'u'llah: https://bit.ly/2YE1hBS * Baha'i Pilgrimage: https://bit.ly/2EDykz8 * Louis Gregory: https://bit.ly/33aTONF * Shrine of the Bab: https://bit.ly/3w3JC4s * Shrine of Baha'u'llah: https://bit.ly/2URrE8J * Independent Investigation of Truth: https://bit.ly/3h2bd1V * William Sears: https://bit.ly/3jmV1d2 * Hands of the Cause: https://bit.ly/2EATuOD * Study Circles: https://bit.ly/3qkIJSR * Ruhi courses: https://bit.ly/3w16G44 * Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program: https://bit.ly/3x52jX0 * Angelina talks about my father, Robert Wilson, whom I discuss on the Baha'i Blogcast with Sean Hinton: https://bit.ly/3hcr5h7 * Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha: https://bit.ly/3xUtaoG * Curtis Kelsey: https://bit.ly/3jkV5dd * Bahiyyih Khanum: https://bit.ly/3h20rZg * QUOTE: "The content of the Will of the Master are far too much for the present generation to comprehend, it needs at least a century of actual working before the treasures of wisdom hidden in it can be revealed..." -Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi * Shrine of Abdu'l-Baha: https://bit.ly/3h9aOJO * Munireh Khanum: https://bit.ly/3w6g3iK * US Baha'i Publishing Trust: https://www.bahaibookstore.com/ * Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum: https://bit.ly/34DYRHj * Amelia Collins: https://bit.ly/3doqmZ4 * Book: Priceless Pearl: https://bit.ly/3y4jjfU * Baha'i Covenant: https://bit.ly/3A8mFk8 Be sure to subscribe to the Baha'i Blogcast for more episodes on: * YouTube: http://bit.ly/2JTNmBO * iTunes: http://apple.co/2leHPHL * Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/30dX0G4 * Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2IXRAnb If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more great Baha'i-inspired content, check out BAHAIBLOG.NET: http://bahaiblog.net/ Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson
Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this special episode in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the passing of Abdu'l-Baha, I'm joined by my good friend Shahin Sobhani, who among many other things, was the creator of 239days.com, a site dedicated to the time Abdu'l-Baha spent in North America. Shahin tells us about his childhood and his Baha'i ancestors, and shares stories about Abdu'l-Baha, whom Baha'u'llah called "The Mystery of God". I'm sure you'll enjoy this conversation as much I did! Find out more about some of the things we covered below: * Learn more about Abdu'l-Baha and the commemoration of the Centenary of His passing here: https://bit.ly/3meSCjX * Website created in honor of Abdu'l-Baha's visit to North America: https://239days.com/ * Read this Baha'i Blog interview with Shahin Sobhani about 239Days.com: https://bit.ly/3cKzWWo * Find out more about: - The Universal House of Justice: https://bit.ly/3mgH0wN - Shoghi Effendi: https://bit.ly/3rCOeNM - Abdu'l-Baha: https://www.bahai.org/abdul-baha/ - The Bab: https://www.bahai.org/the-bab/ - Baha'u'llah: https://www.bahai.org/bahaullah/ * Shahin mentions the following: - Mulla Husayn: https://bit.ly/31Id0kg - Battle of Fort Tabarsi: https://bit.ly/3wiY8qu - Nabil-i-Azam: https://bit.ly/3mfIJme - The Dawn-breakers: https://bit.ly/3cK6q35 - Quddus: https://bahaipedia.org/Qudd%C3%BAs - Islamic/Iranian Revolution: https://bit.ly/2OhbsdV - Persecution of the Baha'is in Iran: https://bit.ly/3rIjaLx - Landegg International University: https://bit.ly/2OglkV7 - Dr. Hossein Danesh: https://bit.ly/31GKLlU - Suheil Bushrui: https://news.bahai.org/story/1065/ - Townshend International School: https://www.townshend.cz/ - Baha'i Firesides: https://bit.ly/2QVLfCp - May Maxwell: https://bit.ly/3sKDj4Z - John Robarts: https://bahaipedia.org/John_Robarts - Audrey Robarts: https://bahaipedia.org/Audrey_Robarts - Baha'i Pioneering: https://bit.ly/3cLWrde - Tablet of Ahmad: https://bit.ly/2QSHZru - Louis Gregory: https://bahaipedia.org/Louis_Gregory * Shahin talks about Douglass Martin: https://news.bahai.org/story/1455/ * Douglas Martin 'Historical Consciousness and the Divine Plan' talks: https://bit.ly/2POBEgq * Shahin mentions Nader Saiedi, who was also a guest on the Baha'i Blogcast: https://bit.ly/3rMYmCN * Shahin mentions Rhett Diessner, who was also a guest on the Baha'i Blogcast: https://bit.ly/31DdtEi * Rainn mentions Mona Foundation CEO, Mahnaz Javid, who was also a guest on the Baha'i Blogcast: https://bit.ly/3cMuhz8 * Website about 'One Common Faith': http://onecommonfaith.net/en * 'One Common Faith' article: https://bit.ly/39xhnD1 * Audio reading of 'One Common Faith': https://bit.ly/3sLgePz * Here's the animation Shahin helped with: 'What is the Baha'i Faith? An Introduction by Rainn Wilson': https://bit.ly/3wjCKBn * Book: 'God Passes By' by Shoghi Effendi: https://bit.ly/2OerdSG * Quote by Baha'u'llah about Abdu'l-Baha: "Blessed, doubly blessed, is the ground which His footsteps have trodden". * You may also be interested in listening to 'The Journey West' podcast: https://bit.ly/3wfmd1k * QUOTE: “Freedom is not a matter of place. It is a condition." -Abdu'l-Baha Be sure to subscribe to the Baha’i Blogcast for more episodes on: * YouTube: http://bit.ly/2JTNmBO * iTunes: http://apple.co/2leHPHL * Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/30dX0G4 * Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2IXRAnb If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more great Baha'i-inspired content, check out BAHAIBLOG.NET: http://bahaiblog.net/ Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson
In this episode, Sean speaks to Mehrdad Baghai, an advisor, investor and social entrepreneur. As a young Baha'i in Tehran, Mehrdad grappled with the confusing consequences of superstition and religious persecution. Listen to Mehrdad tell the story of how one passage from the Baha'i writings made him begin to question everything. Resources:The World Order of Baha'u'llah by Shoghi EffendiMoments of Meaning is presented by Sean Hinton, mixed and edited by Jamey Heath, and produced by the team at BahaiTeachings.org.Music:Cello by Elika Mahony from the song The Hallowed Beauty.Yang Qin by Jin R from the album Meditations Of The Spirit.
Significance of Repeating The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abha “`Abdu'l-Bahá teaches how the practice of invocation or repetition of “The Greatest Name” (Alláh-u-Abhá, God is Most Glorious) leads to union with God, illumination and spiritual rebirth. The use of invocation is well developed among the mystics of Islam, the Sufis. The repetition of sacred phrases is called dhikr (promounced zikr, meaning remembrance). This spiritual practice of invocation is praised by `Abdu'l-Bahá. He encourages spiritual seekers to “recite the Greatest Name at every morn, and (to) turn…unto the kingdom of Abhá, until though mayest apprehend the mysteries. Through the invocation fo the Greatest Name, `Abdu'l-Bahá maintains that “the doors of the kingdom of God open, illumination is vouchsafed and divine union results…The use of the Greatest Name, and dependence upon it, causes the soul to strip itself of the husks of morality and to step forth freed, reborn, a new creature.” `Abdu'l-Bahá encourages the use of the sacred phrase Alláh-u-Abhá as a focus for invocation: “The Greatest Name should be found upon the lips in the first awakening moment of early dawn. It should be fed upon by constant use in daily invocation, in trouble, under opposition, and should be the last word breathed when the head rests upon the pillow at night. It is the name of comfort, protection, happiness, illumination, love and unity. “ Pages 57-58 from the Book, Wisdom of the Masters: The Spiritual Teachings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, References 54-56 (The reference in the back of the book is below if you would like further details) “The Greatest Name, Symbol of the Cause”, Baha’i News (Oct 1964), p. 2. Also see Steven Scholl, “The Remembrance of God: An invocation Technique in Sufiism and the Writings of the Bas and Baha’u’llah, “ Baha’i Studies Bulletin (1985). Why say The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abhá 95 Times? In the book ‘Gate of the Heart’ by Nader Saiedi, he explains that the significance of the number 95 originates from the Persian Bayán, where the Báb states that ninety-five stands for the numerical value of "for God" (lillāh), symbolizing the recognition of the manifestation of God and obedience to his laws, which are inseparable from each other, as confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh in the opening paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The 95 Alláh-u-Abhá Meditation audio is a meditation that includes a chanted repetition of the sacred word Alláh-u-Abhá, which means ‘God the All-Glorious’. According to Note 33 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “It hath been ordained that every believer in God … shall, each day … repeat “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times. “Alláh-u-Abhá” is an Arabic phrase meaning “God the All-Glorious.” It is a form of the Greatest Name of God (see note 137). In Islám there is a tradition that among the many names of God, one was the greatest; however, the identity of this Greatest Name was hidden. Bahá’u’lláh has confirmed that the Greatest Name is “Bahá.” The various derivatives of the word “Bahá” are also regarded as the Greatest Name. Shoghi Effendi’s secretary writing on his behalf explains that “The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá’u’lláh. “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá” is an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of Glories!” “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a greeting which means: “God the All-Glorious.” Both refer to Bahá’u’lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá’u’lláh has appeared in God’s Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the supreme Manifestation of God. “ The greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” was adopted during the period of Bahá’u’lláh’s exile in Adrianople. The repetition of “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times is to be preceded by the performance of ablutions (see note 34).” Alláh-u-Abhá also appears in the Prayer for the Dead as indicated in Note 11 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “The passages that form part of the Prayer for the Dead comprise the repetition of the greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” (God is the All-Glorious) six times, each followed by nineteen repetitions of one of six specifically revealed verses.”
“The five-pointed star, or haykal (Arabic: temple) is the symbol of the Baháʼí Faith as mentioned by Shoghi Effendi, head of the Baháʼí Faith in the first half of the 20th century: "Strictly speaking the 5-pointed star is the symbol of our Faith, as used by the Báb and explained by Him."[1] The five-pointed star has been used as the outline of special letters or tablets by both the Báb[2] and Baháʼu'lláh.[3] Haykal is a loan word from the Hebrew word hēyḵāl, which means temple and specifically Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. In Arabic, the word also means the body or form of something, particularly the human body.[4] In the Baháʼí tradition, the haykal was established by the Báb — who told of Baháʼu'lláh's coming — who represented the haykal as a five-pointed star representing the human body as a head, two hands, and two feet.[4][5] The Báb wrote many letters, tablets, prayers and more in the shape of a five-pointed star, including some that included many derivatives of the word Baháʼ (see below).[6][7] In Baháʼu'lláh's writings, specifically the Súriy-i-Haykal (Tablet of the Temple), while the meaning of temple remains present, the haykal is used mainly to mean the human body, but particularly the body of the Manifestation of God — a messenger from God — and the person of Baháʼu'lláh himself.[4] In the Tablet, the haykal is also used to refer to the word of God, which is revealed by the Manifestations of God.[8] He also says in the same Tablet:
“The five-pointed star, or haykal (Arabic: temple) is the symbol of the Baháʼí Faith as mentioned by Shoghi Effendi, head of the Baháʼí Faith in the first half of the 20th century: "Strictly speaking the 5-pointed star is the symbol of our Faith, as used by the Báb and explained by Him."[1] The five-pointed star has been used as the outline of special letters or tablets by both the Báb[2] and Baháʼu'lláh.[3] Haykal is a loan word from the Hebrew word hēyḵāl, which means temple and specifically Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. In Arabic, the word also means the body or form of something, particularly the human body.[4] In the Baháʼí tradition, the haykal was established by the Báb — who told of Baháʼu'lláh's coming — who represented the haykal as a five-pointed star representing the human body as a head, two hands, and two feet.[4][5] The Báb wrote many letters, tablets, prayers and more in the shape of a five-pointed star, including some that included many derivatives of the word Baháʼ (see below).[6][7] In Baháʼu'lláh's writings, specifically the Súriy-i-Haykal (Tablet of the Temple), while the meaning of temple remains present, the haykal is used mainly to mean the human body, but particularly the body of the Manifestation of God — a messenger from God — and the person of Baháʼu'lláh himself.[4] In the Tablet, the haykal is also used to refer to the word of God, which is revealed by the Manifestations of God.[8] He also says in the same Tablet:
“The five-pointed star, or haykal (Arabic: temple) is the symbol of the Baháʼí Faith as mentioned by Shoghi Effendi, head of the Baháʼí Faith in the first half of the 20th century: "Strictly speaking the 5-pointed star is the symbol of our Faith, as used by the Báb and explained by Him."[1] The five-pointed star has been used as the outline of special letters or tablets by both the Báb[2] and Baháʼu'lláh.[3] Haykal is a loan word from the Hebrew word hēyḵāl, which means temple and specifically Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. In Arabic, the word also means the body or form of something, particularly the human body.[4] In the Baháʼí tradition, the haykal was established by the Báb — who told of Baháʼu'lláh's coming — who represented the haykal as a five-pointed star representing the human body as a head, two hands, and two feet.[4][5] The Báb wrote many letters, tablets, prayers and more in the shape of a five-pointed star, including some that included many derivatives of the word Baháʼ (see below).[6][7] In Baháʼu'lláh's writings, specifically the Súriy-i-Haykal (Tablet of the Temple), while the meaning of temple remains present, the haykal is used mainly to mean the human body, but particularly the body of the Manifestation of God — a messenger from God — and the person of Baháʼu'lláh himself.[4] In the Tablet, the haykal is also used to refer to the word of God, which is revealed by the Manifestations of God.[8] He also says in the same Tablet:
Significance of Repeating The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abha “`Abdu'l-Bahá teaches how the practice of invocation or repetition of “The Greatest Name” (Alláh-u-Abhá, God is Most Glorious) leads to union with God, illumination and spiritual rebirth. The use of invocation is well developed among the mystics of Islam, the Sufis. The repetition of sacred phrases is called dhikr (promounced zikr, meaning remembrance). This spiritual practice of invocation is praised by `Abdu'l-Bahá. He encourages spiritual seekers to “recite the Greatest Name at every morn, and (to) turn…unto the kingdom of Abhá, until though mayest apprehend the mysteries. Through the invocation fo the Greatest Name, `Abdu'l-Bahá maintains that “the doors of the kingdom of God open, illumination is vouchsafed and divine union results…The use of the Greatest Name, and dependence upon it, causes the soul to strip itself of the husks of morality and to step forth freed, reborn, a new creature.” `Abdu'l-Bahá encourages the use of the sacred phrase Alláh-u-Abhá as a focus for invocation: “The Greatest Name should be found upon the lips in the first awakening moment of early dawn. It should be fed upon by constant use in daily invocation, in trouble, under opposition, and should be the last word breathed when the head rests upon the pillow at night. It is the name of comfort, protection, happiness, illumination, love and unity. “ Pages 57-58 from the Book, Wisdom of the Masters: The Spiritual Teachings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, References 54-56 (The reference in the back of the book is below if you would like further details) “The Greatest Name, Symbol of the Cause”, Baha’i News (Oct 1964), p. 2. Also see Steven Scholl, “The Remembrance of God: An invocation Technique in Sufiism and the Writings of the Bas and Baha’u’llah, “ Baha’i Studies Bulletin (1985). Why say The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abhá 95 Times? In the book ‘Gate of the Heart’ by Nader Saiedi, he explains that the significance of the number 95 originates from the Persian Bayán, where the Báb states that ninety-five stands for the numerical value of "for God" (lillāh), symbolizing the recognition of the manifestation of God and obedience to his laws, which are inseparable from each other, as confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh in the opening paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The 95 Alláh-u-Abhá Meditation audio is a meditation that includes a chanted repetition of the sacred word Alláh-u-Abhá, which means ‘God the All-Glorious’. According to Note 33 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “It hath been ordained that every believer in God … shall, each day … repeat “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times. “Alláh-u-Abhá” is an Arabic phrase meaning “God the All-Glorious.” It is a form of the Greatest Name of God (see note 137). In Islám there is a tradition that among the many names of God, one was the greatest; however, the identity of this Greatest Name was hidden. Bahá’u’lláh has confirmed that the Greatest Name is “Bahá.” The various derivatives of the word “Bahá” are also regarded as the Greatest Name. Shoghi Effendi’s secretary writing on his behalf explains that “The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá’u’lláh. “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá” is an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of Glories!” “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a greeting which means: “God the All-Glorious.” Both refer to Bahá’u’lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá’u’lláh has appeared in God’s Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the supreme Manifestation of God. “ The greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” was adopted during the period of Bahá’u’lláh’s exile in Adrianople. The repetition of “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times is to be preceded by the performance of ablutions (see note 34).” Alláh-u-Abhá also appears in the Prayer for the Dead as indicated in Note 11 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “The passages that form part of the Prayer for the Dead comprise the repetition of the greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” (God is the All-Glorious) six times, each followed by nineteen repetitions of one of six specifically revealed verses.”
Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode, I'm joined by multi-award-winning writer, Paul Hanley, who has written thousands of articles and several books mainly about the environment, sustainable development, and agriculture. Paul tells us how he became a Baha'i, and about the extraordinary life of Richard St. Barbe Baker, the first global conservationist. We also discuss population growth, urban farming, how everything is interconnected, and the need for an ethical revolution in the world. I hope you enjoy this fascinating conversation! Some of Paul Hanley's books are: - Eleven: https://amzn.to/2PUDQ5Z - Man of the Trees: Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist: https://amzn.to/3vbF8cM - Richard St. Barbe Baker: Child of the Trees: https://amzn.to/2OFVDNq - The Spirit of Agriculture: https://amzn.to/3qBxo08 * Baha'i Blog interview about 'Eleven': https://bit.ly/2OHTSiO * Baha'i Blog interview about 'Man of the Trees': https://bit.ly/3t5yTFK * Paul and his group received the Food System Vision 2050 prize: https://bit.ly/3eu6R2K * Find out more about 'Men of the Trees' here: https://bit.ly/3esZhFi * Find out more about: - The Universal House of Justice: https://bit.ly/3erOPhB - Shoghi Effendi: https://bit.ly/3rCOeNM - Abdu'l-Baha: https://bit.ly/2Ok3tN8 - The Bab: https://bit.ly/3tc1nNV - Baha'u'llah: https://bit.ly/38roigm - The Shrine of the Bab: https://bit.ly/3vdUqOj - Baha'i Pioneering: https://bit.ly/2N944kc - The Three Protagonists: https://bit.ly/3veFmjl - Baha'i Firesides: https://bit.ly/3epOMmb - Importance of Service in the Baha’i Faith: https://bit.ly/3rDjg82 - Baha'i World Centre: http://www.bwc.org/ * Paul shares this quote from a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi: "We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions." * Film: Frontiers of Learning: https://bit.ly/3by4fyU * Film: Light to the World: https://bit.ly/3bAm8x5 * Film: The Man Who Stopped the Desert: https://amzn.to/2OFib0N * Paul mentions Rattan Lal: https://bit.ly/3etcxKo * Rainn mentions Mahnaz Javid: https://bit.ly/3l66igL * Paul mentions Richard St. Barbe Baker's book called Sahara Challenge: https://amzn.to/2MUlfWs * Rainn shares this quote from a letter from The Universal House of Justice: "Every choice a Baha’i makes—as employee or employer, producer or consumer, borrower or lender, benefactor or beneficiary—leaves a trace, and the moral duty to lead a coherent life demands that one’s economic decisions be in accordance with lofty ideals, that the purity of one’s aims be matched by the purity of one’s actions to fulfil those aims. Naturally, the friends habitually look to the teachings to set the standard to which to aspire. But the community’s deepening engagement with society means that the economic dimension of social existence must receive ever more concentrated attention." - Read the full letter here: https://bit.ly/3t7xcHJ - Listen to an audio reading of this letter here: https://bit.ly/3cjPrmv Be sure to subscribe to the Baha’i Blogcast for more episodes on: * YouTube: http://bit.ly/2JTNmBO * iTunes: http://apple.co/2leHPHL * Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/30dX0G4 * Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2IXRAnb If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more great Baha'i-inspired content, check out BAHAIBLOG.NET: http://bahaiblog.net/ Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson
In the season finale, we learn about the several attempts to save Lidia's life during World War II and last words from her to those who helped her and her family. TRANSCRIPT:Welcome to Who was she? Podcast where I, Tara Jabbari share the stories of women throughout Baha'i history. This is the final episode of this season about the life of Lidia Zamenhof, an Esperantist and Baha'i who traveled through three continents to teach languages in effort to bring unity to humankind. On December 9th, 1938, Lidia arrived back in Poland. It took her some getting used to. She wrote, “The highest skyscraper in Warsaw, of which the city is so proud, because it has seventeen stories, cannot impress me anymore.” She wrote about her travels and despite the many hardships she went through, she only spoke of all the friendships she made. Lidia missed teaching Esperanto but decided to focus on translating Baha'i Writings into Esperanto now that she had the time. She also found out about a friend who died in France and wrote to the family expressing her condolences and also her own feelings about death, “Personally, I believe that…the destruction of the human body does not mean the death of the person. This body, composed of atoms, must disintegrate because everything that is composed must decompose. But the higher part of man, his spirit, does not consist of atoms; it is not a combination of chemical elements and is not subject to the law of decomposition. I believe that our consciousness lives on in ways and conditions which we, still living in the body, cannot imagine, just as the little child in the womb of its mother is incapable of imagining the world it will be coming into and for which is being prepared. Those thoughts are a great consolation for me, whenever physical death places a barrier between myself and those I love…” Her thoughts and beliefs could bring some comfort to others, certainly to her as the world entered a new war that would ultimately be the cause of her death. By fall, 1939, the Third Reich invaded Poland which began the second world war. After three weeks of trying to fight them off, Warsaw was conquered. Now they were all under the Nazi rule and Jews had to be distinguished from the rest of the population at all times, which meant that Jews had to wear the Star of David on their sleeves and Jewish businesses and schools were closed with their quarter surrounded by fences and barbed wire to keep away from everyone else. Learning of what was going on and news about Lidia, in particular, were scarce and hard to distinguish from rumor. In November, 1939 the same year that Martha Root died some Jewish newspapers in the US reported that the Zamenhof family were arrested because Lidia had gone to the United States to spread anti-Nazi propaganda. Esperantists and Baha'is in America worked together to try and save Lidia's life. They contacted the Polish Embassy and the US State Department officials in Berlin but officially, they all said they could not take any action as Lidia was not an American citizen. Letters sent to Lidia's family were being returned with no forwarding address. But in March, 1940, Stephen Zamenhof, Lidia's cousin who was in New York when the war broke out was able to learn from family in Russia that the whole family had been arrested after the occupation in Warsaw. Adam, her brother was the first to be arrested at the Jewish Hospital where he had been the Director of the Hospital. Then his wife, Wanda and sister Zofia were arrested. His son, Ludwik was spared due to his illness, possibly of typhus and therefore, left at home. Lidia was also arrested. Ludwik eventually was able to share that Lidia and Zofia were released after several months in Pawiak Prison and found a place to stay in Ogrodowa Street since the Zamenhof home had been destroyed during the bombardment of Warsaw. Adam was sent to Danilwiczowska Prison. Eventually, it was learned that at the end of January, 1940 Dr Adam Zamenhof had been shot and killed with a hundred other intellectuals and professionals. Meanwhile, an Esperantist, Jozef Arszenik who was taught the Baha'i Faith by Lidia visited her before the Ghetto was sealed off. He offered to hide Lidia in his home on the outskirts of Warsaw. After the war, Mr. Arszenike wrote: “That noble woman refused my offer to save her, saying that I with my family could lose our lives, because whoever hides a Jew perishes along with the Jew who is discovered.” He also wrote that Lidia's last words to him were, “Do not think of putting yourself in danger; I know that I must die, but I feel it my duty to stay with my people. God grant that our of out sufferings a better world may emerge. I believe in God. I am a Baha'i and will die a Baha'i. Everything is in His hands.” After the war, Mr. Arszenik became a Baha'i and lived till the age of 80. There are accounts of attempts to save Lidia's life, one in particular which is what personally inspired me to learn more about Lidia. In the late 1930s, for Germany, it was clear all signs pointed to a war. A German Baha'i, Fritz Macco and his brother and friends were worried about what that meant for them. As Baha'is, they must obey their government but also as Baha'is, they did not want to fight and did not agree with Germany's politics The men wrote a letter to the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, Shoghi Effendi, for guidance. The Guardian reportedly replied that if their desire not to take a life was sincere, God would assist them in attaining it. Fritz and his brother and friends were soon drafted into the army. all of them died in the first week of the war with the exception of twenty-four-year-old Fritz. He was sent to Warsaw as an ambulance driver for the German Army which allowed him to not be in a non-combatant duty. He was puzzled as to why he was spared but when he arrived in Warsaw and found Lidia, he believed he was spared to help save her life. Again, Lidia refused to leave “her people” and though he could not save her life, Fritz would go on to help the Resistance and save many other Jews and Baha'is in occupied land, including his own mother. Sadly In September 1944, Fritz was killed. By 1942, there was scarce information on Lidia but she was able to send a postcard to a friend in Holland sharing that Zofia and sister-in-law, Wanda are working as doctors in the Ghetto. Although she never wrote it down, it was probable that Lidia was teaching others English. This was against the law as English was considered the enemy's language under-occupied Poland but it gave people hope. But in July 1942, there was the order that all the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto were to be “deported to the east,” to a camp called, Treblinka. While Wanda and her son Ludwik were able to escape and survive outside the Ghetto during the deposition, Lidia and Zofia were not able to. They were taken 120 kilometers from Warsaw to Treblinka. The death camp was about fifty acres and surrounded by antitank barriers and barbed wire with watchtowers in each corner. There were gas chambers and burial pits where the bodies were disposed of originally by lime then later by burning on large iron racks. Eventually, Nazis became worried that the mass graves might be discovered so they exhumed and burned them. It is calculated that one million, two hundred Jews died at Treblinka including Lidia and her sister. The author of Lidia's biography Wendy Heller writes, “Among the ashes in the ground at Treblinka are those of Lidia Zamenhof.” She was thirty-eight years old. After the war, it was discovered that miraculously, the Jewish cemetery had not been destroyed and Ludwik Zamenhof's tomb still stood. There eventually would be a plaque set in place on Klara Zamenhof's grave with the names of Lidia and Zofia, that reads “Murdered in the year 1942. Let the memory of them last forever.” There was a memorial service held in honor of Lidia by the Baha'is of the United States and Canada on the week of October 25th, 1946. Lidia refused to allow others to endanger themselves in order to save her, she felt a duty to be with her family and the Jewish community. Lidia never hid away from trying to find meaning in the world. She found love in faith and language that she believed would unite everyone. She believed what truly mattered was how someone faced a challenge. I leave you with Lidia's own words, “behind the densest clouds the sun is shining, that the Most Great Peace will come.' ‘Whoever can still find in his heart a single ray of faith, as delicate and any as a spider's thread, will not perish in the abyss, but even if all the powers of this world rise to struggle against him to push him down, even in the fall itself he will stop, and by this ray, as why the biblical ladder, even out of the abyss will ascend to heaven.' This has been Who was she? Podcast, follow us on our Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest @whowasshe podcast. And please, rate and subscribe wherever you listen to this podcast. Logo was designed by Angela Musacchio. Music was composed and performed by Sam Redd. I am your host, Tara Jabbari. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For 14 months, Lidia traveled throughout America but her journey was not an easy one. Meanwhile, in Europe, a war was beginning. Learn how American Baha'is and Esperantists tried to keep Lidia away from the war but ultimately, failed. TRANSCRIPT:Welcome to Who was she? Podcast where I, Tara Jabbari share the stories of women throughout Baha'i history. This season is about the life of Lidia Zamenhof, an Esperantist and Baha'i who traveled through three continents to teach languages in efforts to bring unity to humankind. It was 1935 and Lidia had spent more than 2 years traveling through Europe to teach Esperanto. Tuition was twenty francs for forty hours of lessons but Lidia often allowed those who could not afford it to still join her classes. Like her father and brother, who provided health care free of charge, they wanted to be able to still serve any who needed them. It was not easy for Lidia, the tuition was her only form of income. Lidia traveled to Lyon the most and those who attended her courses and got to know her, wrote later on that she was not a talkative person, very modest and never tried to impose herself. Many from her travels and childhood would say the same thing but that when she went onstage to teach, she became another person altogether. Rene Lemaire said she was “a person who was almost invisible in the street, who walked along slowly, looking at the ground. But when she was in the classroom teaching a lesson, she was a lion.” During the Twenty-Seventh Universal Congress of Esperanto held in August, 1935 in Naples, Italy, Lidia spoke on the subject of free will and destiny. She said, “Fate is of two kinds: absolute and accidental…According to its destiny, when the oil in a lamp is consumed, the lamp must go out. But it can happen that, even before the oil is gone, by chance a strong wind may extinguish the flame. The absolute fate of man is to come into the world, to mature, and having attained the state of maturity, to begin to age, and finally, when the time comes, to return his body to the earth but it can happen that a brick falls on his head and cuts the threads of his earthly life sooner. We cannot avoid absolute fate, but we can avoid those other causes, and it is wise to guard oneself against them. Man is responsible for all the actions he performs by his own choice. If no free will existed, there would be no responsibility - neither merit nor guilt.“The greater the suffering, the greater the harvest of spiritual virtues appearing man. Sometimes happiness makes man self-assured and forgetful. But when sorrow comes, man remembers his smallness and powerlessness and turns upward to the Power above, which alone can save him from his difficulties. And thus his self-assurance dissolved and his spirituality grows…” Like she had done in the past, Lidia also spoke with the Union of Esperantist Women, urging them not to let children play with war toys, “because the toy of childhood will become a terrible reality in adulthood.” Instead, she urged the women to teach their children about other races and lands. Children should be encouraged to cultivate friendships “not only with children of their own race or people, but with children of other lands, above all, with children of those lands from which they are separated by the barriers of political hatred and prejudice.” She explained that this can be done easily through Esperanto. Lidia concluded, “Above and beyond the borders a wondrous bridge will be built of the children's hearts. Upon that bridge the mature generation will meet sometime and build a new, better future.” Meanwhile, the Universal Esperanto Association felt the pressure that they needed to adapt “to the needs of the times.” The Vice President Anton Vogt was a German member of the Nazi Party. Therefore, about twenty Jewish delegates of the UEA were forced out of their positions. Lidia challenged the Esperantists to fight against this attitude and actions the UEA was enforcing. She wrote in an article called, “Nia misio” or “Our Mission” saying, “We must not permit national ambitions to raise their heads among us…Esperanto was created so that the peoples should feel equal with each other, not so that through it they should try to raise one about the others…”In another article she wrote, “It is time …to stand up and proclaim to the whole world that the international language opens not only human mouths and ears but also hearts.” She knew there was a danger within Esperantists but the Baha'is at least were committed to the ideals of universal peace and unity. If more Baha'is learned Esperanto, it would help ensure the ideology. She wrote for The Baha'i Magazine saying, “The international language is part of the Divine Plan which given effect in the era of Baha'u'llah (the Founder of the Baha'i Faith). And the creation and spread of Esperanto are proofs of the creative power of Baha'u'llah's words.” In Northern France, a reporter for Le Petit Havre asked her how she thought an international language might bring about peace. “We are not naive!” exclaimed Lidia, “We know very well that Esperanto will change neither the face of the world nor the feelings of men but we believe that an international language will contribute powerfully to a better understanding among people, and we also know that without understanding there cannot be love.” But the world was starting to crumble. By July 15, 1936, there was a decree that all organizations of article languages were to be liquidated in Germany. Without the German Esperantists, and with a civil war breaking out in Spain the next Universal Congress was very small, with only 854 attendings, the smallest congress since 1922. Baha'i activities were also prohibited throughout Germany and the Baha'i National Spiritual Assembly of Germany soon dissolved. In 1937, a letter arrived for Lidia by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States and Canada cordially inviting her to visit America. She had wanted to go for a while and her wish was finally coming true. She would go and teach Esperanto to the Baha'is and connect with the existing Esperantists. Her spiritual mother, Martha Root would not be able to see her during Lidia's travels in America due to her own travels abroad. There was another issue. Many American Baha'is, while they believed in the purpose of an auxiliary language, did not want to learn Esperanto as they did not think it was necessary. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith and now a close confidant of Lidia who guided her travels had to explain that while it is not certain that Esperanto is the international language of the future, he did encourage Baha'is to support and study the language, writing, “Baha'u'llah has specified in His writings that such a language will either have to be chosen from one of the existing languages or an entirely new one should be created to serve as a medium of exchange between the nations and peoples of the world. Pending this final choice, the Baha'is are advised to study Esperanto only on consideration of the fact that the learning of this language can considerably facilitate intercommunication between individuals, groups and Assemblies through the Baha'i world in the present stage of the evolution of the Faith.” On September 29th, 1937, Lidia arrived in New York harbor on The Batory. She was mesmerized by New York's skyscrapers, traffic and huge groups of people. She wrote, “My legs still wobbled and I still felt the roll of the ship but there wasn't time to think about that…In America one doesn't waste time.” Her presence and her talks amazed many American Baha'is. Many wrote later that she spoke English in “a delightful French accent” and one Baha'i wrote, “(Lidia) has a peculiar quality that I have never run across before. Great simplicity in expression combined with a profound grasp of spiritual reality.” People were mesmerized and couldn't get enough of her and her sincerity about the Faith and Esperanto. However, her travels caused her to be ill, eventually, she was diagnosed with jaundice and she had to call off classes for a week. When she got better, she continued to speak and meet American Baha'is. The growing persecution of Jews were spreading throughout Europe and many hoped that Lidia could stay in the States. Legally, Lidia was considered a Jew, but she explained that meant nothing spiritually. If she tried to change her legal status, she was worried how it may affect the Polish Jewish community which was already a minority and suffering due to the growing persecution. She wrote to Shoghi Effendi for guidance and waited anxiously. He replied stating “that in view of the fact that such membership as you say, has a rather social and legal significance and does not involve necessarily any definite religious implication, it would not be necessary for you to formally resign from that body at present.” Lidia was relieved, as always, the Guardian and the Baha'i Faith brought her much-needed guidance and comfort. In a letter to a friend, Lidia wrote detailing her spiritual search, “I remember that when I took my first steps in that new Faith, my interest, like the waves of the sea, rose and seemed to fall, but just like waves of the sea, it flowed over my soul always more and more. Now I am like a person who, after great thirst and suffering reach the showers of a sea of sweet water, an ocean full of the water of life - and fears thirst no more.” By January, Lidia left New York City for Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC. American customs were still something she had to get used to. Sometimes, there were misunderstandings but Lidia and particularly her hosts found ways to make that happen less. Her travels led her to the midwest to parts of Michigan, Illinois and Ohio. She was able to see the construction of the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, which to date, is still the only one in North America. She wrote to friends, “That Temple gave me very sweet feelings, there I felt as if at home: in my spiritual home.” Baha'i and friend, Roan Orloff Stone recalled years later, “Lidia had such a love for Baha'u'llah, a love for Esperanto - it was a double love - that you didn't look at her beauty or her lack of beauty, you just saw her personality; you just saw her soul in her eyes. When the name of Baha'u'llah was mentioned, or the language of her father's invention, as if through a miracle, her whole personality changed…she forgot her own self as with shining eyes and vibrant voice she launched into discussion or recounted her experiences in her field of service.” Lidia was very involved in almost every place she visited in America amongst Baha'is and Esperantists. She and Roan were even recruited to act in a play about the earliest believers in the prophet, The Bab, the Predecessor to Baha'u'llah. Lidia portrayed Zaynab, a peasant girl who fought for the right of religion by disguising herself as a boy and was consequently killed With the help of the American Baha'is, she requested an extension to stay in the States. However, she was denied after learning that by earning a profit received for her Esperanto classes, she had broken the law under the permit that she applied to enter the country with. Lidia was puzzled and embarrassed. She never knowingly broke the law. It turned out that this was a cause of a series of oversights, one being the American Counsel in France for not making the matter clear to Lidia from the start. The American Baha'is who organized her trip could also share the blame for not having obtained the proper paperwork which would have explained that Lidia was not allowed to accept any form of payment while in the United States. A combination of these and other factors caused so much trouble for Lidia in the States and ultimately, one might argue her life. There was a saying shared to her, Baha'is tried to scramble a thought of how they can keep Lidia at least away from Poland where the war was growing. They decided to have Lidia apply for a visa to be in Canada. Alas her application was. denied. After the initial shock and fear at the reality that she must go back to Poland Lidia wrote, “It is a real disappointment for me, very painful, but we must accept serenely what comes and trust that God guides us on the way that is most right for us.” Lidia left on November 29th, 1938 after 14 months in the United States, giving and receiving tearful farewells to all the friends she made in America. It was a hard time for her and for them, as the world was so uncertain but also because she had come to love the Americans and found a new family there. On the same month that she was due to leave, President Roosevelt announced that European refugees already in the United States on a visitors' visa would not be forced to return to their countries where they might face persecution. Overall, twenty thousand people were able to take advantage of this immigration policy but Lidia was not one of them. While in America, Lidia wrote an essay called, “The Ways of God.”“Why did suffering and pain have to be a part of man's development? Through oppositions and deficiencies, we learn to judge the value of everything.” “In fact, do we recognize and enjoy the value of health when we are well? Usually, respect for health only comes with illness. We realize the value of sight when we are blinded…we learn the value of hearing when we can no longer enjoy music and conversation with our fellows. We realize the value of peace when war weighs over our heads. We realize the sweetness of home when ashes cover the home hearth or fate forces us to leave it…Even the nearness of our dear ones we usually only learn to value when separation comes.” Lidia returned to her homeland and along with many of her family, would not survive the war. Next episode, we will talk about her time during the war and the several failed attempts to save her life. This has been Who was she? Podcast, follow us on our Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest @whowasshepodcast. And please, rate and subscribe wherever you listen to this podcast. Logo was designed by Angela Musacchio. Music was composed and performed by Sam Redd. I am your host, Tara Jabbari. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, we hear how Lidia began to travel around Europe to teach Esperanto, spoke at conferences about the importance of unity as the Nazi Party grew more powerful, and how she gained confidence that her passion work was making a difference. Listen to excerpts from some of her talks and more in the latest episode of Who was she? Podcast! Transcript: Bonvenon al Who was she? Podcast where I, Tara Jabbari share the stories of women throughout Baha'i history. This season is about the life of Lidia Zamenhof, an esperantist and Baha'i who traveled through three continents to teach languages in efforts to bring unity to humankind. Upon returning from her pilgrimage, Lidia attended the Universal Congress of Esperanto in June 1930, held in Oxford, England. During her time there, she would learn more and eventually become a certified Cseh teacher of Esperanto. The Cseh method was created by a Romanian Catholic priest, Andrei Cseh. He developed the technique which utilized blackboards and paper for the first few classes and by speaking in simple Esperanto about everyday subjects. Gradually the class teaches grammar and broader vocabulary of the language. After 40 hours, students were expected to have a basic ability to communicate in Esperanto. Lidia was intrigued and impressed by the Cseh Method and began to study it so could train and educate others. For the teachers of the Method, the style was very demanding, requiring the teacher to present during the entire class. The direct method would start with the teacher speaking to the class in Esperanto about everyday subjects. For instance, they would learn about different animals or malsamaj bestoj and other objects. Eventually, the students would learn more about it's grammar and vocabulary and could discuss fluently about various subjects like la historio kaj spertoj de mondmilito unu or the history and experiences of World War I. For Lidia, the method was tiring but it was her mission and passion, to teach Esperanto as effectively as she could. Her students later wrote that when she spoke during her classes, “ she spoke slowly, very clearly, with a strong but at the same time gentle voice. She was always there when we needed her.' She also spoke at the Baha'i Meeting during the Congress where 60 Esperantists attended. Her speech concentrated on the topic of “Man, God, Prophet.” People who read and saw her work during these Congresses wrote and commented that she was an eloquent speaker, able to captivate despite her small stature. Her passions came right off the page and spoke to any who were present. Some Esperantists like Professor Odo Bujwid from the University of Krakow openly disapproved of Lidia's Baha'i activities. He and even family members warned Lidia not to mix her Baha'i activities with Esperanto. This pained Lidia as she would never do anything to damage Esperanto and her father's work. Other Esperantists like Andrei Cseh, was a friend and supported Lidia for combining both passions. Lidia continued to work on translating Baha'i Writings from English to Esperanto, including one of the key books, the Kitab-i-Iqan, or The Book of Certitude. Martha Root was very proud of her spiritual daughter though she was worried Lidia would have a hard time being one of the few Baha'is in Poland, where she still mostly resided. Lidia lived with her sister and brother and his family so she did not have to work to make money. It allowed her to concentrate on teaching and translating which often paid little or nothing at all. Martha wrote, “She is a born translator, she has a genius for it, and the books she has translated into Esperanto will be a great “leaven” not only in Europe but also in the Far East. Her mind is keen and logical and I have met few people in my life more just than Lidia.” In September, 1932, 28 year old Lidia decided to leave her home and become a traveling Esperanto teacher. She first left for Sweden teaching in small towns and at times, had over 250 people come to hear her speak and attend her classes. Here is an excerpt from one of her talks,“We and the whole world, and the entire realm of creation attest to the Creator, Who, having given existence to all, remains Himself outside and above all. We cannot know His essence, we can only know Him through His creation. The essential teachings of all the prophets of the past were the same. Each of them brough rays of the same sun, each of them taught love - love of God, love of one's fellow man. Although the prophets had disappeared from the material world, their words had not. The Divine Inspiration which spoke through the mouth of each of them did not die but, like a phoenix, is always reborn of its own ashes. In this day once again its song can be heard. Whoever has ears, let him hear.” By the end of the year, she finished her time in Sweden and was asked by the French Esperantists to visit France and teach. Her first stop was Lyon, Dr. Andre Vedrine, who attended spoke that “Lidia Zamenhof was a remarkable teacher. Plain in appearance, she demonstrated a sprightliness and a joyful spirit which could leave non indifferent.” After three weeks in Lyon, her pupils were fluent and spoke to Lidia in Esperanto only. It left her immensely proud of them and happy to see her service and work being paid off. She left Lyon writing, ‘although the day was cold, my eyes were sweating.” Lidia continued to travel throughout France, often speaking also about her father and that Esperanto was not merely a language but it was more of a spirit of unity and brotherhood among people. 1933 came around andthe annual Universal Congress of Esperanto was getting ready to be held in Cologne, Germany. However, Lidia decided not to attend. In the book, The War Against the Jews, it explains that between the two world wars, there were some seven hundred anti-Jewish periodicals in circulation in Germany and over four hundred anti-Semitic organizations. By March 1933, Hitler's authority was established and the SS had set up the first concentration camps in Dachau, Germany. The Esperanto movement in Germany was making a lot of attempts to accommodate itself to the Nazi regime and some Esperantists naively hoped that by renouncing Zamenhof, they could prevent the language from being suppressed. Meanwhile, Lidia continued to travel around France. She admitted that she was home-sick and did not enjoy traveling but in order for her to accomplish the goal to teach Esperanto and unity, she knew she had to continue to do so. She wrote to Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith that she considered her work teaching Esperanto as a “part of the divine program for improving the conditions of the world.” Lidia's classes would have people from 50 to 150 attendees in France. After two years of traveling in Sweden and France teaching, she returned for a brief visit back home in Warsaw. With her family, she attended the 26th Universal Congress of Esperanto where she was reunited with her spiritual mother, Martha Root. She gave a talk that proved how much her few years of travel and teaching had shifted her focus and gave her purpose: “There are people who believed and lost their faith. Oh, that is the fate of many of those who prayed but found their prayers unfulfilled; those who in sickness begged for health; those who in misery asked for help; those whom death robbed of their best beloved; finally millions of those who lived through the inferno of the war who, having avoided the bombs and gases, vainly eke out the most miserable existence. All those hopeless, rebellious ones ask: ‘Does God really exist? Where is He? How could He create so much misery and cause so many tears to flow?'“Or it appears to these people that besides God another and equal power reigns in the world, which is the scene of an eternal battle between the good God and the prince of darkness.‘The Baha'i teachings proclaim the nonexistence of evil. Is it possible to imagine a power which would be able to stand against the Creator of everything? To believe in Satan means in fact not to believe in God, for it means not to believe in His most essential attributes: His power over everything and His goodness…“That which we call evil is only lack of good. Darkness is only lack of light. Blindness is only lack of vision. These are but passing circumstances, often created by ourselves. They will pass, for eternity is an attribute of God, and to Him only good belongs. “One may say, on the contrary, that it is small consolation to the blind to assert that his blindness will pass - together with his life. But that is the view point of the short-sighted. For life does not pass…“With full assurance the Baha'i Teachings assert the immortality of the human spirit. The body is only an instrument, which the spirit uses for a time to express itself. Even if the instrument becomes defective, the hand that uses it does not perish. The body is like a garment that becomes outworn and is cast away. But its wearer is not cast away along with the garment. The body is like a cage in which dwells the bird of the spirit, before it breaks the cage and flies to heavenly heights. “And when bodily life shall cease, when the blind eyes are closed, other eyes will open and the joys of the spiritual world will recompense the sufferings of those who physical eyes saw not the brilliance of the material sun. ..“What is true of man is also true of mankind. It also must learn the lesson of harmony, and that harmony it must find, before all else, in itself. It must be like a chord in which one note does not grate against another, but together with the others forms a beautiful harmony. It must be fragrant as a garden where many diverse flowers bloom one beside another. It must feel as one tree rich with many brother-leaves, one sea abounding with many brother-drops.” After her speech, Martha remarked that the whole audience applauded and newspapers praised her speech.Lidia spoke one more time during the Congress for the Union of Esperantist Women: “In the work for peace, the first and chief place should belong to the women. War is an affair of men…the male love of power and authority…the result of that primitive social order which always had as its leader and ruler - the man. But today women are rapidly rising from the low status they have held. In many respects they are now equal to men; in others, they surpass. That superiority exists in those spheres which deal with sensitivity and feeling, and this sensitivity dictates to us dislike of force and coercion. For too many centuries, we women have been told that our main role in life is motherhood, and that is what we are suppose to remember. The feeling of a woman's heart, especially a mother, must hate war, which destroys her nest and leads her dearly loved ones to the fields of horrible death. For a long time, men have said that the task of the woman is to give, and to look after the man. Let them then understand that no compromise is possible between us and war…“Let us untie to bring peace to the war-tortured world. And we women can do that better than men. What have they done in that respect? Disarmament conferences, which are only futile chatter as long as souls lack the feeling for peace. “To inspire that peaceful sentiment is the role of the woman. It is she who educates, she who first forms the mentality of future state leaders. You who are mothers: never put toy soldiers into the hands of your child. Teach him that blood must not be shed, that violence is ignoble. Teach him to love not only the nearest neighbor, but also the neighbor across the border. “Even if you think that you humble teachers and secretaries can do very little, still do not hesitate to offer your “widow's mite” to the cause of peace. Because it may happen that war will break out again and pitilessly engulf those who are dearest to you in the world. And then your heartache will be treated when you think, “I could have worked for Peace, but I did not.”” After the Congress, Lidia and Martha said goodbye, not knowing that this would be the last time they would see each other. Next episode, we will learn more about Lidia's continued travels and teaching Esperanto which will lead her to the United States while the Nazi Party gained more and more power throughout Europe. This has been Who was she? Podcast, follow us on our Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest @whowasshe podcast. And please, rate and subscribe wherever you listen to this podcast. Logo was designed by Angela Musacchio. Music was composed and performed by Sam Redd. I am your host, Tara Jabbari. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As part the Tea House, we did three separate sessions introducing the major sources of the Baha'i Writings so that people new to those writings could have a road map to exploring them. The final introduction we did was on the writings of Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice. In this presentation, Dr Williams gave a brief presentation on who Shoghi Effendi was and his major writings, punctuated with discussion from among the friends present. We then reviewed the Universal House of Justice and highlighted some of the letters of the House of Justice. These presentations and discussion were intended to be informative and help people new to the Baha'i Faith get oriented to some of the major sources of the Baha'i Writings. We hope you find them helpful in your exploration!
Neste episódio apresentamos a vida inspiradora do jovem inglês Thomas Breakwell [1872-1902], um dos primeiros bahá’ís do Ocidente a visitar ‘Abdu’l-Baha em ‘Akká, na antiga Palestina e “um dos três luminares do continente europeu”, nas palavras de Shoghi Effendi, o Guardião da Fé Bahá’í. Sua vida vem inspirando gerações.
“The five-pointed star, or haykal (Arabic: temple) is the symbol of the Baháʼí Faith as mentioned by Shoghi Effendi, head of the Baháʼí Faith in the first half of the 20th century: "Strictly speaking the 5-pointed star is the symbol of our Faith, as used by the Báb and explained by Him."[1] The five-pointed star has been used as the outline of special letters or tablets by both the Báb[2] and Baháʼu'lláh.[3] Haykal is a loan word from the Hebrew word hēyḵāl, which means temple and specifically Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. In Arabic, the word also means the body or form of something, particularly the human body.[4] In the Baháʼí tradition, the haykal was established by the Báb — who told of Baháʼu'lláh's coming — who represented the haykal as a five-pointed star representing the human body as a head, two hands, and two feet.[4][5] The Báb wrote many letters, tablets, prayers and more in the shape of a five-pointed star, including some that included many derivatives of the word Baháʼ (see below).[6][7] In Baháʼu'lláh's writings, specifically the Súriy-i-Haykal (Tablet of the Temple), while the meaning of temple remains present, the haykal is used mainly to mean the human body, but particularly the body of the Manifestation of God — a messenger from God — and the person of Baháʼu'lláh himself.[4] In the Tablet, the haykal is also used to refer to the word of God, which is revealed by the Manifestations of God.[8] He also says in the same Tablet:
Esta es la grabación hasta la página 116, de la carta titulada "El Día Prometido Ha Llegado" escrito por Shoghi Effendi en 1941, Guardián de la Fe Bahá'í.
Significance of Repeating The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abha “`Abdu'l-Bahá teaches how the practice of invocation or repetition of “The Greatest Name” (Alláh-u-Abhá, God is Most Glorious) leads to union with God, illumination and spiritual rebirth. The use of invocation is well developed among the mystics of Islam, the Sufis. The repetition of sacred phrases is called dhikr (promounced zikr, meaning remembrance). This spiritual practice of invocation is praised by `Abdu'l-Bahá. He encourages spiritual seekers to “recite the Greatest Name at every morn, and (to) turn…unto the kingdom of Abhá, until though mayest apprehend the mysteries. Through the invocation fo the Greatest Name, `Abdu'l-Bahá maintains that “the doors of the kingdom of God open, illumination is vouchsafed and divine union results…The use of the Greatest Name, and dependence upon it, causes the soul to strip itself of the husks of morality and to step forth freed, reborn, a new creature.” `Abdu'l-Bahá encourages the use of the sacred phrase Alláh-u-Abhá as a focus for invocation: “The Greatest Name should be found upon the lips in the first awakening moment of early dawn. It should be fed upon by constant use in daily invocation, in trouble, under opposition, and should be the last word breathed when the head rests upon the pillow at night. It is the name of comfort, protection, happiness, illumination, love and unity. “ Pages 57-58 from the Book, Wisdom of the Masters: The Spiritual Teachings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, References 54-56 (The reference in the back of the book is below if you would like further details) “The Greatest Name, Symbol of the Cause”, Baha’i News (Oct 1964), p. 2. Also see Steven Scholl, “The Remembrance of God: An invocation Technique in Sufiism and the Writings of the Bas and Baha’u’llah, “ Baha’i Studies Bulletin (1985). Why say The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abhá 95 Times? In the book ‘Gate of the Heart’ by Nader Saiedi, he explains that the significance of the number 95 originates from the Persian Bayán, where the Báb states that ninety-five stands for the numerical value of "for God" (lillāh), symbolizing the recognition of the manifestation of God and obedience to his laws, which are inseparable from each other, as confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh in the opening paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The 95 Alláh-u-Abhá Meditation audio is a meditation that includes a chanted repetition of the sacred word Alláh-u-Abhá, which means ‘God the All-Glorious’. According to Note 33 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “It hath been ordained that every believer in God … shall, each day … repeat “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times. “Alláh-u-Abhá” is an Arabic phrase meaning “God the All-Glorious.” It is a form of the Greatest Name of God (see note 137). In Islám there is a tradition that among the many names of God, one was the greatest; however, the identity of this Greatest Name was hidden. Bahá’u’lláh has confirmed that the Greatest Name is “Bahá.” The various derivatives of the word “Bahá” are also regarded as the Greatest Name. Shoghi Effendi’s secretary writing on his behalf explains that “The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá’u’lláh. “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá” is an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of Glories!” “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a greeting which means: “God the All-Glorious.” Both refer to Bahá’u’lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá’u’lláh has appeared in God’s Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the supreme Manifestation of God. “ The greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” was adopted during the period of Bahá’u’lláh’s exile in Adrianople. The repetition of “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times is to be preceded by the performance of ablutions (see note 34).” Alláh-u-Abhá also appears in the Prayer for the Dead as indicated in Note 11 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “The passages that form part of the Prayer for the Dead comprise the repetition of the greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” (God is the All-Glorious) six times, each followed by nineteen repetitions of one of six specifically revealed verses.”
“The five-pointed star, or haykal (Arabic: temple) is the symbol of the Baháʼí Faith as mentioned by Shoghi Effendi, head of the Baháʼí Faith in the first half of the 20th century: "Strictly speaking the 5-pointed star is the symbol of our Faith, as used by the Báb and explained by Him."[1] The five-pointed star has been used as the outline of special letters or tablets by both the Báb[2] and Baháʼu'lláh.[3] Haykal is a loan word from the Hebrew word hēyḵāl, which means temple and specifically Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. In Arabic, the word also means the body or form of something, particularly the human body.[4] In the Baháʼí tradition, the haykal was established by the Báb — who told of Baháʼu'lláh's coming — who represented the haykal as a five-pointed star representing the human body as a head, two hands, and two feet.[4][5] The Báb wrote many letters, tablets, prayers and more in the shape of a five-pointed star, including some that included many derivatives of the word Baháʼ (see below).[6][7] In Baháʼu'lláh's writings, specifically the Súriy-i-Haykal (Tablet of the Temple), while the meaning of temple remains present, the haykal is used mainly to mean the human body, but particularly the body of the Manifestation of God — a messenger from God — and the person of Baháʼu'lláh himself.[4] In the Tablet, the haykal is also used to refer to the word of God, which is revealed by the Manifestations of God.[8] He also says in the same Tablet:
Significance of Repeating The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abha “`Abdu'l-Bahá teaches how the practice of invocation or repetition of “The Greatest Name” (Alláh-u-Abhá, God is Most Glorious) leads to union with God, illumination and spiritual rebirth. The use of invocation is well developed among the mystics of Islam, the Sufis. The repetition of sacred phrases is called dhikr (promounced zikr, meaning remembrance). This spiritual practice of invocation is praised by `Abdu'l-Bahá. He encourages spiritual seekers to “recite the Greatest Name at every morn, and (to) turn…unto the kingdom of Abhá, until though mayest apprehend the mysteries. Through the invocation fo the Greatest Name, `Abdu'l-Bahá maintains that “the doors of the kingdom of God open, illumination is vouchsafed and divine union results…The use of the Greatest Name, and dependence upon it, causes the soul to strip itself of the husks of morality and to step forth freed, reborn, a new creature.” `Abdu'l-Bahá encourages the use of the sacred phrase Alláh-u-Abhá as a focus for invocation: “The Greatest Name should be found upon the lips in the first awakening moment of early dawn. It should be fed upon by constant use in daily invocation, in trouble, under opposition, and should be the last word breathed when the head rests upon the pillow at night. It is the name of comfort, protection, happiness, illumination, love and unity. “ Pages 57-58 from the Book, Wisdom of the Masters: The Spiritual Teachings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, References 54-56 (The reference in the back of the book is below if you would like further details) “The Greatest Name, Symbol of the Cause”, Baha’i News (Oct 1964), p. 2. Also see Steven Scholl, “The Remembrance of God: An invocation Technique in Sufiism and the Writings of the Bas and Baha’u’llah, “ Baha’i Studies Bulletin (1985). Why say The Greatest Name Alláh-u-Abhá 95 Times? In the book ‘Gate of the Heart’ by Nader Saiedi, he explains that the significance of the number 95 originates from the Persian Bayán, where the Báb states that ninety-five stands for the numerical value of "for God" (lillāh), symbolizing the recognition of the manifestation of God and obedience to his laws, which are inseparable from each other, as confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh in the opening paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The 95 Alláh-u-Abhá Meditation audio is a meditation that includes a chanted repetition of the sacred word Alláh-u-Abhá, which means ‘God the All-Glorious’. According to Note 33 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “It hath been ordained that every believer in God … shall, each day … repeat “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times. “Alláh-u-Abhá” is an Arabic phrase meaning “God the All-Glorious.” It is a form of the Greatest Name of God (see note 137). In Islám there is a tradition that among the many names of God, one was the greatest; however, the identity of this Greatest Name was hidden. Bahá’u’lláh has confirmed that the Greatest Name is “Bahá.” The various derivatives of the word “Bahá” are also regarded as the Greatest Name. Shoghi Effendi’s secretary writing on his behalf explains that “The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá’u’lláh. “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá” is an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of Glories!” “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a greeting which means: “God the All-Glorious.” Both refer to Bahá’u’lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá’u’lláh has appeared in God’s Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the supreme Manifestation of God. “ The greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” was adopted during the period of Bahá’u’lláh’s exile in Adrianople. The repetition of “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times is to be preceded by the performance of ablutions (see note 34).” Alláh-u-Abhá also appears in the Prayer for the Dead as indicated in Note 11 from the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, “The passages that form part of the Prayer for the Dead comprise the repetition of the greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” (God is the All-Glorious) six times, each followed by nineteen repetitions of one of six specifically revealed verses.”
The talk aims at a clear presentation of some basic Baha'i teachings as set forth by Shoghi Effendi in his various writings. The central issue is the relativity of religious truth and the progressive character of Divine Revelation. I will then explain something about the position and station of the Manifestations of God throughout the ages and in this Day. Mr Hooper Dunbar has been a Baha'i since 1956 in his youth. Served in a number of capacities on Baha'i institutions. Well known as a Baha'i speaker. To view the video visit the YouTube channel https://youtu.be/WTliR_wOwus
About the speaker: Harold Collis Featherstone (13 May 1913 – 29 September 1990) was an Australian Baháʼí from Adelaide. He and his wife joined the Baháʼí Faith in 1944 as the first of "young people" to enter in the Adelaide community. In 1946 the Featherstones helped establish the Woodville Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assembly. Featherstone served in the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia from 1949 to 1962. In 1954 he was appointed to a new institution for the religion as an Auxiliary Board member for Australia by Clara Dunn and was able to rearrange his business affairs to allow him flexibility and freedom to travel widely by becoming a co-owner of an engineering company. In October 1957 he was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi. From 1957 Featherstone maintained an 18-member Auxiliary Board, spread throughout the Pacific, until that function was assumed by a three-member Continental Board of Counsellors for Australasia in 1968. In 1976 Featherstone sold his business interest and the family moved to Rockhampton, Queensland, and devoted their time to the interests of the religion. He and his wife traveled widely among the countries of the Pacific and beyond. On 29 September 1990 he died in Kathmandu, Nepal, while visiting the Baháʼís there. (information extracted from Wikipedia) Episode Note: This is a trial episode so please expect some glitches and audio loss. Also, please note that Mr. Featherstone speaks with translation accompaniment during this speech.
About the speaker: Harold Collis Featherstone (13 May 1913 – 29 September 1990) was an Australian Baháʼí from Adelaide. He and his wife joined the Baháʼí Faith in 1944 as the first of "young people" to enter in the Adelaide community. In 1946 the Featherstones helped establish the Woodville Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assembly. Featherstone served in the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia from 1949 to 1962. In 1954 he was appointed to a new institution for the religion as an Auxiliary Board member for Australia by Clara Dunn and was able to rearrange his business affairs to allow him flexibility and freedom to travel widely by becoming a co-owner of an engineering company. In October 1957 he was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi. From 1957 Featherstone maintained an 18-member Auxiliary Board, spread throughout the Pacific, until that function was assumed by a three-member Continental Board of Counsellors for Australasia in 1968. In 1976 Featherstone sold his business interest and the family moved to Rockhampton, Queensland, and devoted their time to the interests of the religion. He and his wife traveled widely among the countries of the Pacific and beyond. On 29 September 1990 he died in Kathmandu, Nepal, while visiting the Baháʼís there. (information extracted from Wikipedia) Episode Note: This is a trial episode so please expect some glitches and audio loss. Also, please note that Mr. Featherstone speaks with translation accompaniment during this speech.
One of the central figures of the Bahá'í Faith puts humanity's current peril – and ultimately brighter destiny – into a bigger context. “Adversity, prolonged, worldwide, afflictive, allied to chaos and universal destruction, must needs convulse the nations, stir the conscience of the world, disillusion the masses, precipitate a radical change in the very conception of society, and coalesce ultimately the disjointed, the bleeding limbs of mankind into one body, single, organically united, and indivisible.”Shoghi Effendi
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