Baha’i

This second edition of Gerald Keil's thought-provoking book includes new material on the practical application of the Badí' calendar as well as examining its historical background and symbolic significance.The Badí' calendar is derived directly from the revealed writings of both the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh and is a component part of the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh. The inherent symbolism of the calendar, however, has until now remained largely unexplored, so that the systematic investigation presented by this wide-ranging, impressive study is no doubt the ¿rst of its kind.One of the main themes of the book is that the Badí' calendar is creative in the sense that, through its symbolic association with different aspects of the Bahá'í Faith, it can serve to represent and illustrate many of the central tenets of the Faith. Symbol and object converge in the Badí'calendar in a manner which is unique in the entire revelation.The full effect the Badí' calendar will have on society is hardly predictable at present or in the near future. Just as the actual unfolding of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh will reveal to future generations aspects of practical and spiritual life which we cannot even imagine today, so too willthe world-wide application of the Badí' calendar exert an influence on the physical and spiritual rhythm of life in a fashion and to a degree which we cannot yet appreciate. The meaning of the Badí' calendar will ¿rst become fully evident to those privileged to live in the pulse of this future World Order.

'This is a Day for very great things.' - 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Howard Colby IvesHoward Colby Ives's book Portals to Freedom has been loved for over eight decades by its many readers who have been touched by its pen portraits of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. But not many know the story of his wife Mabel Rice-Wray Ives, whose dedication to the Bahá'í Faith made her a powerhouse in her own right, developing a method of public speaking that proved highly successful. Together, they formed a powerful team, giving up house and home for 20 years to travel across the United States and Canada in their desire to be of service to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. They taught the Bahá'í Faith in at least 74 communities in 26 states and three Canadian provinces, frequently sent to different areas by the National Teaching Committee, and although they missed each other terribly they never refused these requests. Most of this book is based on the over 900 letters sent by Howard and Mabel Ives or those received by them, including 17 Tablets from 'Abdu'l-Bahá and 28 letters from Shoghi Effendi, many published here for the first time. Their letters to one another are full of the details of their hopes and their struggles, the places they went and the people they met. When they were apart for any length of time - which was often - they would write almost daily to each other. What unfolds, apart from the details of their activities, is the deeply loving relationship between them, the encouragement and advice they offered one another, and their homey conversations about their living situations, money (always in short supply), and expressions of hope for the next time they would be together. Woven brightly throughout this personal correspondence between husband and wife is the humility of their service, their utter devotion to the Cause they strove to serve with every breath, and their commitment to continually growing spiritually along with daily examples of their constant sacrifices. They did, indeed, accomplish 'very great things'.

1. A General Introduction to the Qayyum al-Asma'Muhammad Afnan (translated by Omid Ghaemmaghami) 2. The Commentary on the Sura of JosephNosratollah Mohammadhosseini3. Khutbat al¿iftikharIntroduced and translated by Khazeh Fananapazir4. Colours in the Writings of the BabVahid Rafati (translated by Omid Ghaemmaghami)5. A Grammar of the Divine: Solecisms in the Arabic Writings of the Bab and His Thoughts on Arabic GrammarWilliam F. McCants6. Secrets Concealed by Secrets: Taqiyya as Arcanization in the Autobibliographies of the BabJ. Vahid Brown7. The Surat adh-Dhikr of the Qayyum al-Asma' (chapter 108): A Provisional Translation and CommentaryMoojan Momen8. The Surat al-'Abd of the Qayyum al-Asma' (Chapter 109): A Provisional Translation and CommentaryTodd Lawson9. The Khutba al-Jidda (The Literary Sermon at Jeddah) of the BabStephen Lambden10.Muhammad Shah Qajar in Four Early Writings of the BabSholeh A. Quinn11.A Youth of Medium Height: The Bab's Encounter with the Hidden Imam in Tafsir Surat al-KawtharOmid Ghaemmaghami12.Phenomenology of Occultation and Prayer in the Bab's Sahifiy-i Ja'fariyyihNader Saiedi13.The Bab's Panj Sha'n (Five Modes)John Walbridge14.Undermining the Foundations of Orthodoxy: Some Notes on the Bab's Sharia (Sacred Law)Armin Eschraghi15.Concealment and Burial of the BabTranslated and annotated by Peter Terry16. Collusion and Re-creation: Dogen and the Bab as Interpreters of ScriptureGary Fuhrman

An exploration of the development of the Bahá'í community of the British IslesThe British Bahá'í community has been in existence since 1899 and its elected national leadership council, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom, was first elected in 1923. Although a number of monographs, articles and biographies have appeared over the years, no overall survey of the community's history has yet been published. The Bahá'í Community of the British Isles, 1844-1963 is an attempt to fill some of the gap.The book begins with the earliest news about the new religion which reached the British government through diplomatic and consular channels and the British public through newspaper articles as early as 1845. During the late 19th century, there was a rising tide of awareness of the Bábí and Bahá'í religions in Britain.Although one or two Bahá'ís were in Britain from 1885 onwards, a British Bahá'í community did not form until two residents of London joined in 1888-9 the first party of western Bahá'ís to visit 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of Bahá'u'lláh, in the Holy Land. 'Abdu'l-Bahá made two visits to Britain and received widespread newspaper coverage. Prompted by British Bahá'ís, the British government made efforts to save 'Abdu'l-Bahá during World War I and recognized the value of his work in the Holy Land, knighting him after the war.'Abdu'l-Bahá chose Britain for the further education of his grandson, Shoghi Effendi, who was his successor. Britain was among the first three countries to form in 1923 a National Spiritual Assembly. In 1957 Shoghi Effendi passed away in London and is buried there. The British Bahá'í community was chosen to host the first Bahá'í World Congress, held in London in 1963, commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the announcement by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, of His mission. During this Congress, some of the earliest meetings of the Universal House of Justice took place in London, which are the only occasions on which the Universal House of Justice has met outside the Holy Land.In the years between the early accounts of the Bahá'í religion and the events of 1963 there developed a small but vibrant community across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. This book tells the fascinating, and little known, story of the lives of many of these early followers, how they came to hear of the religion, their efforts to spread it to others, the struggles they faced, the goals they strove to achieve, their efforts in Africa and around the world to share their religion with others, their steadfastness and their victories. Their successes were greatly praised by Shoghi Effendi. The Bahá'í Community of the British Isles, 1844-1963 was conceived by the late Adam Thorne, who spent over two decades collecting material on the history of the Bahá'í community of the British Isles. Moojan Momen is the author of numerous books and articles about the Bahá'í Faith and related subjects, most recently two volumes on the history of the Bahá'í communities of Iran.Janet Fleming Rose is the author of A Seed in Your Heart: The Life of Louise Mathew Gregory.Earl Redman is the author of a number of books on the Bahá'í Faith, most recently Agnes Baldwin Alexander: Hand of the Cause of God, with co-author Duane Troxel.

This book portrays a comprehensive account of the religion of the Báb. It provides a systematic overview of the Báb's teachings as well as His laws and ordinances. An easy-to-read book bringing together many aspects of the religion of the Báb that are not easily found elsewhere. It also shows the extent to which the Báb's laws have been carried forward into the Bahá'í Revelation.

Here is the translation of Khátirát-i-Nuh-Sáliy-i-'Akká, the memoirs of Dr Youness Afroukhteh who served 'Abdu'l-Bahá as His trusted secretary and interpreter from 1900-1909. These were difficult years when the Master was imprisoned in the city of 'Akká, His every move subject to misrepresentation by the Arch-breaker of the Covenant and his associates, and even His life in danger. At the same time the period saw the victories of the construction of the Shrine of the Báb and the House of Worship in 'Ishqábád, and the rise of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh in the West. This important record, published in 1952 on the instructions of Shoghi Effendi, has been described as 'pre-eminent among those works dealing with the history of Covenant-breaking'. At the same time it chronicles the daily life in 'Akká of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and of the little band of devoted believers whose chief joy in life was to be of service to Him; it also describes the pilgrimages to 'Akká of many eminent early Western Bahá'ís including Thomas Breakwell, Hippolyte Dreyfus, Lua Getsinger and Laura Barney, the compiler of Some Answered Questions. Over those nine years Jináb-i-Khán (the title by which Dr Youness Afroukhteh was honoured by 'Abdu'l-Bahá) served the Master in 'Akká as secretary, translator, envoy and physician. His account of some of the most significant events of the period, his graphic and stirring pen-portraits of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and the description of his own emotions - all expressed in a lively and at time mischievous language of humour and wit - make this volume uniquely memorable.

In 1844 a charismatic young Persian merchant from Shiraz, known as the Báb, electrified the Shí'ih world by claiming to be the return of the Hidden Twelfth Imam of Islamic prophecy. But contrary to traditional expectations of apocalyptic holy war, the Báb maintained that the spiritual path was not one of force and coercion but love and compassion. The movement he founded was the precursor of the Bahá'í Faith, but until now the Báb's own voluminous writings have been seldom studied and often misunderstood. Gate of the Heart offers the first in-depth introduction to the writings of the Báb.Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the author examines the Báb's major works in multifaceted context, explaining the unique theological system, mystical world view, and interpretive principles they embody as well as the rhetorical and symbolic uses of language through which the Báb radically transforms traditional concepts. Arguing that the Bábí movement went far beyond an attempt at an Islamic Reformation, the author explores controversial issues and offers conclusions that will compel a re-evaluation of some prevalent assumptions about the Báb's station, claims, and laws.Nader Saiedi's meticulous and insightful analysis identifies the key themes, terms, and concepts that characterize each stage of the Báb's writings, unlocking the code of the Báb's mystical lexicon. Gate of the Heart is a subtle and profound textual study and an essential resource for anyone wishing to understand the theological foundations of the Bahá'í religion and the Báb's significance in religious history.

Allison's plane lands in New York on a wintry November afternoon in 1998, where she will begin a MA in philosophy at Columbia University. In New York Allison reconnects with an old friend, Nava, who introduces Allison to her brother Hooman. Allison strikes up a friendship with Hooman.Allison had begun to experience strange altered mental patterns that she feared could be an emerging madness, but with Hooman's help she eventually finds rhythms of convergence in her life within a mystical framework of ideas hidden within old Egyptian funerary texts, like the Book of Gates, and mystical texts written by Bahá¿u'lláh, the prophet founder of the Bahá¿í Faith.Together, Allison and Hooman come to realize that the world they knew never existed to begin with; a new world, both disturbingly beautiful and sublime, rises up to meet them, and they will never be the same again, connected as they are through time and space.

Allison's plane lands in New York on a wintry November afternoon in 1998, where she will begin a MA in philosophy at Columbia University. In New York Allison reconnects with an old friend, Nava, who introduces Allison to her brother Hooman. Allison strikes up a friendship with Hooman.Allison had begun to experience strange altered mental patterns that she feared could be an emerging madness, but with Hooman's help she eventually finds rhythms of convergence in her life within a mystical framework of ideas hidden within old Egyptian funerary texts, like the Book of Gates, and mystical texts written by Bahá¿u'lláh, the prophet founder of the Bahá¿í Faith.Together, Allison and Hooman come to realize that the world they knew never existed to begin with; a new world, both disturbingly beautiful and sublime, rises up to meet them, and they will never be the same again, connected as they are through time and space.

'Abdu'l-Baha, The Centre of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah was the first comprehensive biography of this 'magnetic figure' and 'perfect Exemplar' of Baha'i life, and remains the foremost source for subsequent accounts. Over 250 pages describe 'Abdu'l-Baha's journey to the West, the places He visited and audiences He addressed, many of those who were privileged to meet Him, and the example He gave in daily life. The ideals He upheld for all are reflected in a wealth of quotations from His talks.

Roy Wilhelm is described by his biographers within these pages as quiet and gentle, but iron-willed. Relative to some of his contemporaries in the early Bahá ' í community of North America, his is a life perhaps less explored and examined so far by historians. This may be in part because many of the services he rendered were of a behind-the-scenes or administrative nature. What becomes abundantly clear when reading about the life of this brilliant and steadfast individual, however, is that he earned the unwavering trust of both ' Abdu' l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi for his tireless and selfless devotion to the Cause. Wilhelm's life story is a rich and varied one that takes the reader from the coffee farms of Costa Rica to Wall Street to the picturesque environs of the properties that remain associated with his life and the Faith he held so dearly. He was a shrewd businessman with a keen intellect and a wide range of interests. The extent of his services to the Faith and the establishment of its institutions in North America is hard to overstate. A pivotal figure in laying the groundwork for the establishment of the Bahá ' í Administrative Order, Roy was also a dynamic and effective teacher of the Faith who shared its message with many people, including Martha Root and Curtis Kelsey. Shouldering massive responsibility for the well-being and functioning of the early American Bahá ' í community throughout the years of the first World War and the Great Depression, he was called upon time and time again by ' Abdu' l-Bahá and later Shoghi Effendi to rise to numerous roles and challenges. When one reads of his wisdom, discretion, and generosity, it is no surprise that the beloved Guardian described him as an " immovable pillar" and a " Herald of the Covenant," and posthumously appointed him as a Hand of the Cause of God.

The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh is a four-volume series about the Scriptures of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a unique survey of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, using both authentic English translations and original sources, that describes the contents of all major works, including many unknown in the West.Volume 2, covering the period of Bahá'u'lláh's successive exiles to Constantinople and Adrianople, includes among many other items the Tablet of Ahmad and the Tablets to the Kings.There are many quotations from contemporary records and memoirs, in translation for the first time, and a number of relevant photographs.

This book shines a light on a remarkable heroine of the Bahäi Faith. Alma Knobloch (1864-1943) one of the three Knobloch sisters, raised up the first African-American community in North America, and was instrumental in the growth of the Baha'i community in Germany. In His Tablets of the Divine Plan, 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote: 'Likewise Miss Knobloch travelled alone to Germany. To what a great extent she became confirmed!' Alma's 13 years in Germany saw an astonishing growth in the Bahá'í community to become the largest in Europe. Following 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit in 1913 and the outbreak of the First World War, the emerging community focused its efforts on peace: soldiers who had attended Baha'i meetings entered the battlefields with Baha'i prayers and quotations against their breasts. Alma continued to open new Baha'i communities, and at the end of the War she emerged from the bomb shelters of Mannheim to receive confirmations in large halls overflowing with hundreds of people who came to hear the message of Baha'u'llah throughout Germany. She also taught early believers in Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic, as well as future Hand of the Cause Hermann Grossmann, and the first European martyr, Adam Benke. Many of the Tablets from 'Abdu'l-Baha to Alma and other believers in Germany from 1908 to 1920 are published in English in this book for the first time. In 1920, Alma returned to the United States, where she dedicated the rest of her days to race unity, fearlessly crossing the racial and social barriers to build up lasting communities in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. These later years of her life have been little known until now and are recounted here.

As the Bahá'í community becomes an ever more familiar figure on the international landscape, attention has been increasingly attracted to the teachings of its founder, Bahá'u'lláh. In this groundbreaking study, Nader Saiedi addresses key controversies and problems in the current academic literature about Bahá'u'lláh's writings. Saiedi approaches the subject from sociological, historical, philosophical, spiritual, and theological perspectives and draws on the vast body of previously untranslated original Persian and Arabic texts. Analyzing selected works that represent the three stages of Bahá'u'lláh's revelation, he argues for the conceptual continuity of Bahá'u'lláh's teaching throughout His life, from the inception of His mission in Tehran's Siyah-Chal dungeon to the last books He wrote in exile in Ottoman Palestine.¿¿Logos and Civilization is an original and probing investigation of the writings of Bahá'u'lláh, whose visionary insights into the spiritual, social, economic, and political dimensions of humanity in the context of globalization have only begun to attract the attention they merit.

This is a short introduction to the Baha'i religion. It includes short but profound texts by the founders of the religion, including the Bab, Baha'u'llh and Abdul Baha (also known as Abbas Effendi). It includes a longer text, The Seven Valleys an allegorical tale of the journey of the soul.

Gary Chartier offers an alternative to natural-law theories that disregard people's welfare and embrace impartiality. He envisions Christian love as focused on creation to enrich social practices and personal life. Loving Creation contributes to theological understanding, personal moral reflection, church practice, and participation in public life.