In those days, Baha'is were secretive

In those days, Baha'is were secretive and none would dare declare his faith openly, which was only reasonable and out of necessity. If a father was a believer, he would conceal it from his sons, and if a son was a believer, he would not dare admit it to any of his family, or for that matter, to other people. Baha'is would pray behind closed doors. The only family in which every member had become Baha'i, was the family of Jinab-i-Mirza Ibrahim Khayyat (the tailor).

(Crown of Glory, Aziz'u'llah Azizi)

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Muslim Shaykh's love for Baha'u'llah & Baha'u'llah's love for Law and Firman of Abdul Aziz!

One day I went to the Holy Presence of the Blessed Beauty and said: "the palace at Mazra'ih is ready for You, and a carriage to drive You there." (At that time there were no carriages in Akka or Haifa.) He refused to go, saying: "I am a prisoner." Later I requested Him again, but got the same answer. I went so far as to ask Him a third time, but He still said "No!" and I did not dare to insist further. There was, however, in Akka a certain Muhammadan Shaykh, a well - known man with considerable influence, who loved Baha’u’llah and was greatly favored by Him. I called this Shaykh and explained the position to him. I said, "You are daring. Go tonight to His Holy Presence, fall on your knees before Him, take hold of His hands and do not let go until He promises to leave the city!" He was an Arab. ... He went directly directly to Baha’u’llah and sat down close to His knees. He took hold of the hands of the Blessed Beauty and kissed them and asked: "Why do you not leave the city?" He said: "I am a prisoner." The Shaykh replied: "God forbid! Who has the power to make you a prisoner? You have kept yourself in prison. It was your own will to be imprisoned, and now I beg you to come out and go to the palace. It is beautiful and verdant. The trees are lovely, and the oranges like balls of fire!" As often as the Blessed Beauty said: "I am a prisoner, it cannot be," the Shaykh took His hands and kissed them. For a whole hour he kept on pleading. At last Baha’u’llah said, "Khayli khub (very good)" and the Shaykh's patience and persistence were rewarded. He came to me with great joy to give the glad news of His Holiness's consent. In spite of the strict firman of Abdu'l 'Aziz which prohibited my meeting or having any intercourse with the Blessed Perfection, I took the carriage the next day and drove with Him to the palace. No one made any objection. I left Him there and returned myself to the city. For two years He remained in that charming and lovely spot. [Esslemont, Baha’u’llah and the New Era page 48 - 50]

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‘Muhammad Shah issued Our death warrant, but instead his own life came to an end’ - “Go; have some watermelon.’’

While I was living in Mosul (in Iraq) I had been afflicted with indigestion and vowed at that time that I would never touch watermelon again unless Bahá’u’lláh Himself told me to. One afternoon I was in Mazra’ih. The Blessed Beauty, seated near the small pool, had just mentioned that ‘Muhammad Shah issued Our death warrant, but instead his own life came to an end’. Then, turning towards me, He said: “Go; have some watermelon.’’

(Furutan, Stories of Bahá’u’lláh, nr 70)

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When you begin to eat, begin with My Name

"When you begin to eat, begin with My Name El Abhá, and finish with the Name of God [“Yá Bahá’ul’Abhá” or “O Glory of the All-Glorious!"] the Possessor of the Throne and the earth."

(Provisional Translation of the Lawh-i-Tibb (Tablet of Medicine))

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We must build up our own Baha’i system, and leave the faulty systems of the world to go their way.

"We are not the ones, as individual Bahá’ís, to judge our government as just or unjust—for each believer would be sure to hold a different viewpoint, and within our own Bahá’í fold a hotbed of dissension would spring up and destroy our unity. We must build up our own Bahá’í system, and leave the faulty systems of the world to go their way. We cannot change them through becoming involved in them; on the contrary, they will destroy us."
 

"What we Bahá’ís must face is the fact that society is disintegrating so rapidly that moral issues which were clear a half century ago are now hopelessly confused and what is more, thoroughly mixed up with battling political interests. That is why the Bahá’ís must turn all their forces into the channel of building up the Bahá’í Cause and its Administration. They can neither change nor help the world in any other way at present. If they become involved in the issues the Governments of the world are struggling over, they will be lost. But if they build up the Bahá’í pattern they can offer it as a remedy when all else has failed.”
 

-Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian

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no one but guardian can reinstate a Covenant-breaker.

April 11,1949 to the NSA.

The Guardian has, within the last few years, considered the National Assemblies strong enough to wield the instrument of sanction in the sense of depriving a Baha'i of his voting rights. But no one but himself can pronounce a person to be in that diseased condition we call 'Covenant-breaking', and no one but he can reinstate a Covenant-breaker. No National Assembly has been given this right and cannot, therefore, review the question or reinstate any one. All any National Assembly can do is to report to the Guardian if they are approached by a Covenant-breaker, and then the Guardian will take action.

USBN #220 June 1949 p2

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the inhabitants of America... would have, by now, been attracted to the Kingdom of God...

"O ye friends and maid-servants of the Merciful! Praise be to God, ye are the fish of one ocean, the birds of one rose-garden, the trees of one orchard and the flowers of one paradise. Then why this difference? Why this lack of harmony? Wherefore this condition?
Verily, verily, I say unto you, were it not for this difference amongst you, the inhabitants of America in all those regions would have, by now, been attracted to the Kingdom of God, and would have constituted themselves your helpers and assisters. Is it meet that you sacrifice this most glorious Bounty for worthless imaginations?"

(Star of the West, May 1911, Vol. 2, #4, p.7)

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majority of the human race would have embraced the Cause of God if....

'We have already stated in a previous volume[1] that in some of His Tablets Bahá'u'lláh has clearly indicated that if the believers had carried out His teachings faithfully, lived their lives in accordance with the divine standards and achieved absolute detachment from earthly things, they would have moved the peoples of the world and the majority of the human race would have embraced the Cause of God.'

(Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 4, p. 83)

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Allahu Abha should be found upon the lips everytime

The Greatest Name should be found upon the lips in the first awakening moment of early dawn. It should be fed upon by consistent 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.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Wisdom of the Master, p. 58)

The Greatest Name is Alláh-u-Abhá.

— Shoghi Effendi, Unfolding Destiny, p. 369

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Abdul Baha ridiculing and making fun of the son of one of the covenant breakers for sucking a goat's penis

“This egotistical man had two dimwitted and unintelligent sons: Husayn and Hasan. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá used to relate to this effect, “When speaking with Me, Siyyid Mihdí would greatly extol and praise Hasan’s astuteness, saying that the lad was most intelligent. There was a herd of goats at Bahjí. [While playing,] each of the Bahá’í kids was holding the udder of one of the goats, imbibing their milk. However, he [Hasan] was holding a male goat, imbibing it, and saying, ‘This is salty.’” When telling this story He would laugh heartily.”

(Ahang Rabbani, A Lifetime with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Reminiscences of Khalíl Shahídí, p. 72)

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He stressed that Baha'is of Christian background should accept these principles concerning Islam

While walking with us in the gardens of the Shrine during our second meeting with him, Shoghi Effendi spoke of Muhammad, Whose station was lofty and great, as the recipient of a Divine Revelation. He returned to this theme on a later occasion, saying that the believers should be aware, and believe, that Islam is the origin of the Baha'i Faith, that the Qur'an is the Word of God and that the Imams were infallible. Their station was very sacred and exalted, particularly that of Imam Husayn (the third Imam, titled the King of Martyrs). As to the traditions of Islam, those which are quoted in the Writings are authentic. He stressed that Baha'is of Christian background should accept these principles concerning Islam, just as those of Jewish or Zoroastrian background should accept Christ as the Word of God and His utterances in the New Testament as authentic.

- Hand of the Cause, Ali-Akbar Furutan (‘The Story of My Heart')

http://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-furutans-first-pilgrimage-during-ww.html

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Baha'u'llah and Muhammad “associated” with each other in Baha's dream!

Here is Baha’u’llah’s personal account of that particular dream, in this provisional translation by Necati Alkan:

One day I saw in a dream that I associated with His Holiness, the Apostle (Muḥammad), may the souls of all else but Him be sacrificed for His sake. Words were revealed and utterances were made manifest from that Dawning-Place of God’s Book. Thereupon He (Muḥammad) said:

“Previously I had said: ‘Paradise is beneath the shades of swords (al-jannatu taḥta ẓilāli al-suyūf).’ However, if I were manifest in these days, I would say: ‘Paradise is beneath the shade of the tree of friendliness and compassion’ (al-jannatu taḥta ẓilāli sidrati al-ulfati wa al-raḥma)’.”

Upon hearing this blessed and exalted Word, I (Baha’u’llah) declared: “May the souls of all men be a sacrifice unto Thy loving-kindness, tender mercy and bounty!” Subsequently, the Ocean of utterance (Baha’u’llah) spoke that which the Pen was unable to reveal and the ink not capable to make manifest. When I woke up from my sleep I have found Myself filled with gladness for a time, in such wise that it was beyond description. – Baha’u’llah, Lawḥ-i Ṭabīb, provisional translation by Necati Alkan.

In this dream narration, Baha’u’llah tells us that he and Muhammad “associated” with each other.

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Huququ’llah will contribute to the spiritualization of humanity

The Institution of Huququ’llah will, during the course of this Dispensation, contribute to the spiritualization of humanity through the promotion of a new attitude to the acquisition and use of material resources. It will provide the material resources necessary for great collective enterprises designed to improve all aspects of life and will be a powerful element in the growth of a world civilization.

(Universal House of Justice letter, January 2003)

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Baha’i Chaplains

The National Assembly now wishes to select, train and authorise a further group of volunteers from England and Wales to act as Chaplains in the NHS. Over the next few years the responsibilities of Bahá’í Chaplains in the NHS may well build up from the present small scale voluntary posts to possibly full-time paid NHS posts, for which trainees with the necessary experience will be eligible to apply.

- UK Baha'i New Digest, Volume 7, Issue 3, Sept. 2010, Page 7

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Abdul Baha looks at Qaim-Maqam's picture every morning when He wakes-up.

You might like to know that there are several Tablets from ʻAbduʼl-Bahá in which he praises the Qáʼim-Maqám for his keen intellect and outstanding character. In one of them, He mentions that a portrait of the Qáʼim-Maqám hangs in His bedroom, and that He looks at it every morning when He wakes. In some of His Tablets, ʻAbduʼl-Bahá even quotes—both directly and indirectly—some brilliantly clever turns of phrase coined by the Qáʼim-Maqám.

All these instances have been meticulously compiled and excellently presented by Vahid Rafati in an article published on pp. 192–210 of the 18th issue of Safíniy-i-ʻIrfán—the Persian counterpart to "Lights of ʻIrfán"—entitled "Qáʼim-Maqám Faráhání dar Áthár-i-Baháʼí" (“Qáʼim-Maqám Faráhání in the Baháʼí Writings”). I have been working on a translation of this article for some time as part of a larger project. If there is interest, I would love to share it with you and the rest of the group when it is complete.

- Adib Masumian (Facebook)

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