DOCSLIB.ORG

The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh Unit 2 the Guardian of the Faith

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh Unit 2 the Guardian of the Faith The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh Unit 2 The Guardian of the Faith PRE - PUBLICATION EDITION MATERIAL IN DEVELOPMENT VERSION 1.1.1.PP 22 June 2012 Ruhi Institute Copyright © 2009 by the Ruhi Foundation, Colombia All rights reserved. Version 1.1.1.PP June 2012 Ruhi Institute Apartado Postal: 402032 Cali, Colombia Tel: 57 2 828-2599 Email: [email protected] Web site: www.ruhi.org Transcribed into eBook & PDF by Ramin Marghi Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 4 SECTION 1.................................................................................................................................................. 6 SECTION 2.................................................................................................................................................. 7 SECTION 3.................................................................................................................................................. 8 SECTION 4................................................................................................................................................ 10 SECTION 5................................................................................................................................................ 12 SECTION 6................................................................................................................................................ 15 SECTION 7................................................................................................................................................ 17 SECTION 8................................................................................................................................................ 19 SECTION 9................................................................................................................................................ 21 SECTION 10.............................................................................................................................................. 24 SECTION 11.............................................................................................................................................. 26 SECTION 12.............................................................................................................................................. 28 SECTION 13.............................................................................................................................................. 33 SECTION 14.............................................................................................................................................. 35 SECTION 15.............................................................................................................................................. 38 SECTION 16.............................................................................................................................................. 39 SECTION 17.............................................................................................................................................. 40 SECTION 18.............................................................................................................................................. 41 SECTION 19.............................................................................................................................................. 42 SECTION 20.............................................................................................................................................. 43 SECTION 21.............................................................................................................................................. 45 SECTION 22.............................................................................................................................................. 47 SECTION 23.............................................................................................................................................. 48 SECTION 24.............................................................................................................................................. 49 SECTION 25.............................................................................................................................................. 51 SECTION 26.............................................................................................................................................. 54 SECTION 27.............................................................................................................................................. 56 SECTION 28.............................................................................................................................................. 57 SECTION 29.............................................................................................................................................. 59 SECTION 30.............................................................................................................................................. 61 SECTION 31.............................................................................................................................................. 62 SECTION 32.............................................................................................................................................. 64 (SECTION 33 NOT YET DEVELOPED) .............................................................................................. 65 SECTION 34.............................................................................................................................................. 66 SECTION 35.............................................................................................................................................. 68 SECTION 36.............................................................................................................................................. 70 SECTION 37.............................................................................................................................................. 72 SECTION 38.............................................................................................................................................. 73 SECTION 39.............................................................................................................................................. 75 SECTION 40.............................................................................................................................................. 77 SECTION 41.............................................................................................................................................. 80 SECTION 42.............................................................................................................................................. 82 SECTION 43.............................................................................................................................................. 84 SECTION 44.............................................................................................................................................. 86 SECTION 45.............................................................................................................................................. 88 SECTION 46.............................................................................................................................................. 89 SECTION 47.............................................................................................................................................. 91 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 93 INTRODUCTION The Ruhi Institute is an educational institution functioning under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Colombia. Its purpose is to develop human resources dedicated to the spiritual, social and cultural progress of the Colombian people. Over the decades its materials have increasingly been used by national Bahá'í communities in all parts of the world. The approach to curriculum development followed by the Ruhi Institute differs significantly from the traditional one of design, field-testing and evaluation, carried out in a linear fashion. The first step in writing any set of materials is taken, rather, when an experience is created at the grassroots in performing some act of service in response to the exigencies of the development of a community. Materials emerge out of this experience and become an expression of it. They are, on the one hand, a record of the learning that occurs in applying the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith in a particular area of service and, on the other, an instrument for the systematization of that learning. The approach has been described in the following terms in the small volume Learning About Growth: The story of the Ruhi Institute and large-scale expansion of the Bahá'í Faith in Colombia: Once an educational need is identified, a small group of people, working at the grassroots, consult among themselves, develop a set of ideas for educational activities, and put them into practice. The results of this practice are reviewed, evaluated and consulted upon;
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Historical Coalition Between the Hands of the Cause and the Covenant-Breakers
    A Historical Coalition between the Hands of the Cause and the Covenant-Breakers Dear Friends, Baha’u’llah made it incumbent upon every believing Baha’i to prepare a will and testament (the most Holy Book, para 255) during his life time. And he followed his own command when he wrote a will and appointed an heir, so that his family and followers would not face any such difficulties after him. In the same way, Abdul-Baha considered it necessary to write a will during one’s life, having also written his own valuable Will and Testament, which includes his important edicts and recommendations. According to the most Holy Book, if a Baha’i dies and does not leave a will, all of his or her belongings and properties should be divided among the following seven groups: spouse, children, father, mother, brother(s), sister(s) and teacher. And according to the Kitab-i Aqdas, if any member of the above categories were deceased, his or her share will be inherited by the UHJ. Finally, according to that same Holy Book, all non-Baha’is, non-believers, Covenant-breakers, and those excommunicated from the Faith, are deprived from a Baha’i's estate. 1 Now, I would like to draw your attention to a very important event in the history of the Baha’i community. As you are well aware, the Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, passed away in London in the summer of 1957. He journeyed to London in order to purchase necessary material to complete the archives buildings. There, he died having suffered from a previously-undiagnosed disease.
    [Show full text]
  • THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE of JUSTICE 18 February 2008
    THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE 18 February 2008 Transmitted by email The Friends in Iran Dear Bahá’í Friends, We have received a letter from a believer in Iran with questions about the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. We appreciate that firmness in the Covenant is among the distinctive characteristics of the believers in that land, who are informed of the principles and essential facts pertaining to the succession of authority in the Cause. Nevertheless, none among them should hesitate to seek clarification of matters about which they have questions, for the enemies of the Faith are tireless in their attempts to sow seeds of confusion and doubt. Moreover, it is beneficial, in view of the beloved Master’s exhortations to us all to be ever- vigilant concerning matters of protection, for the friends to review the relevant essentials from time to time. We have therefore decided to provide you with the following comments. In this connection, you are also encouraged to reacquaint yourselves with the document “Mason Remey and Those Who Followed Him”, a statement prepared at our instruction by an ad hoc committee. A translation of the statement is enclosed. Questions concerning the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice can be resolved through careful study of the writings of Bahá’ulBahá'u'lláh, láh, ‘Abdul‘Abdu’l-Bahá -Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and the elucidations of the House of Justice, which, ‘Abdul‘Abdu’l-Bahá -Bahá states, will “deliberate upon all problems which have caused difference, questions that are obscure and matters that are not expressly recorded in the Book.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ministry of Shoghi Effendi
    The Ministry of Shoghi Effendi Will and Testament of `Abdu’l-Baha • He delineated the • `Abdu’l-Bahá revealed a authority of “twin Will and Testament in successor” institutions three parts, 1902 to 1910, • He further defined where He designated responsibilities of the Shoghi Effendi as His Hands of the Cause successor and elaborated on the election of the • `Abdu’l-Bahá almost Universal House of Justice never mentioned to anyone that Shoghi • We’ll look at some Effendi would succeed passages later Him; it was a well kept secret Shoghi Effendi Rabbani • Born March 1, 1897; eldest of 13 grandchildren of `Abdu’l-Bahá • Mother was `Abdu’l-Bahá’s oldest daughter (of 4) • `Abdu’l-Bahá insisted everyone address him with the term Effendi (Turkish for sir) • Education in home school in Akka (in the House of Abbud) first by a Persian man, then by an Italian governess Education • Then went to the College • He was devastated and des Freres in Haifa, a lost weight Jesuit private school • He very strongly disliked • Then went to a Jesuit the French high school, boarding school in Beirut though he learned fluent • Invited to go to America French there with `Abdu’l-Bahá, but he • Started his senior year at was turned back in Syrian Protestant College Naples on the claim his Preparatory School, Oct. eyes were diseased with 1912, when 15 years old trachoma • Graduated in early summer 1913 (age 16) Higher Education • Summer 1913: In Egypt • Bachelor of Arts degree with `Abdu’l-Bahá when he was 20 (the • Syrian Protestant graduating class had college, 1913-17 10!) • The college did relief • Graduate student at work and provided free SPC, fall 1917-summer medical care to Turkish 1918 soldiers, so it was • Sept.
    [Show full text]
  • Alain Locke Faith and Philosophy
    STUDIES IN THE BÁBÍ AND Bahá’í Religions Volume Eighteen Alain Locke Faith and Philosophy Studies in the Bábí and Bahá’í Religions (formerly Studies in Bábí and Bahá’í History) ANTHONY A. LEE, General Editor Studies in Bábí and Bahá’í History, Volume One, edited by Moojan Momen (1982). From Iran East and West, Volume Two, edited by Juan R. Cole and Moojan Momen (1984). In Iran, Volume Three, edited by Peter Smith (1986). Music, Devotions and Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, Volume Four, by R. Jackson Armstrong-Ingram (1987). Studies in Honor of the Late H. M. Balyuzi, Volume Five, edited by Moojan Momen (1989). Community Histories, Volume Six, edited by Richard Hollinger (1992). Symbol and Secret: Qur’an Commentary in Bahá’u’lláh’s Kitáb-i Íqán, Volume Seven, by Christopher Buck (1995). Revisioning the Sacred: New Perspectives on a Bahá’í Theology, Volume Eight, edited by Jack McLean (1997). Modernity and the Millennium: The Genesis of the Baha’i Faith in the Nineteenth-Century Middle East, distributed as Volume Nine, by Juan R. I. Cole, Columbia University Press (1999). Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Bahá’í Faith, distributed as Volume Ten, by Christopher Buck, State University of New York Press (1999). Religion in Iran: From Zoroaster to Bahau’llah, distributed as Volume Eleven, by Alessandro Bausani, Bibliotheca Persica Press (2000). Evolution and Bahá’í Belief: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Response to Nineteenth-Century Darwinism, Volume Twelve, edited by Keven Brown (2001). Reason and Revelation, Volume Thirteen, edited by Seena Fazel and John Danesh (2002).
    [Show full text]
  • Religious and Social Life of Religious Minorities
    RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL LIFE OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES A CASE STUDY OF BAHÁ’Í AND PARSI COMMUNITIES OF PAKISTAN Abdul Fareed 101-FU/PhD/F08 DEPARTMENT OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION FACULTY OF ISLAMIC STUDIES, INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL LIFE OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES A CASE STUDY OF BAHÁ’Í AND PARSI COMMUNITIES OF PAKISTAN A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Comparative Religion By Abdul Fareed Registration no. 101-FU/PhD/F08 Under the Supervision of Dr. Muhammad Imtiaz Zafar DEPARTMENT OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION FACULTY OF ISLAMIC STUDIES, INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD ١ذو القعدة ١٤١٦ من الهجرة /Submitted on: August17, 2015 C.E Statement of Undertaking I Abdul Fareed Reg. No. 101/FU/PHD/F-08 and student of Ph.D. Comparative Religion, Faculty of Islamic Studies, International Islamic University Islamabad do hereby solemnly declare that the thesis entitled ‘ Religious and Social Life of the Religious Minorities: A case Study of Bahá’í and Parsi Communities of Pakistan’ submitted by me in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. is my original work, except where otherwise acknowledge in the text, and has not been submitted or published earlier and so not in future, be submitted by me for any degree this University or institution. Abdul Fareed APPROVAL It is certified that Mr. Abdul Fareed s/o Abdul Raheem Reg.No.101-FU/PhD/F08 has successfully defended his thesis titled: Religious and Social Life of the Religious Minorities: A case Study of Bahá’í and Parsi Communities of Pakistan in viva-voce examination held in the Department of Comparative Religion, Faculty of Islamic Studies( Usuluddin) , International Islamic University, Islamabad.
    [Show full text]
  • MASON REMEY and THOSE WHO FOLLOWED HIM Revised January 2008
    MASON REMEY AND THOSE WHO FOLLOWED HIM Revised January 2008 INTRODUCTION In addition to explaining the nature and dangers of violation of the Covenant, Shoghi Effendi several times reviewed briefly the fates of individuals and groups who had surrendered to this worst of human failings. To reflect on the consequences experienced by those who seek to undermine the unity of the Cause, he said, helps believers to appreciate more deeply the protecting power of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant. In the perspective of more than four decades that have passed since Charles Mason Remey’s violation of the Covenant, it is instructive to review the consequences to those who followed him down this barren path. I COVENANT-BREAKING The Nature of Covenant-breaking What is Covenant-breaking? In a letter to an individual dated 23 March 1975, the Universal House of Justice wrote: When a person declares his acceptance of Bahá’u’lláh as a Manifestation of God he becomes a party to the Covenant and accepts the totality of His Revelation. If he then turns round and attacks Bahá’u’lláh or the Central Institution of the Faith he violates the Covenant. If this happens every effort is made to help that person to see the illogicality and error of his actions, but if he persists he must, in accordance with the instructions of Bahá’u’lláh Himself, be shunned as a Covenant-breaker.1 The personal failings that lead people to violate the Covenant to which they know they have committed themselves have been described by the Guardian as “the blind hatred, the unbounded presumption, the incredible folly, the abject perfidy, the vaulting ambition”2 which, in varying degrees, afflict the persons concerned.
    [Show full text]
  • Mashriqu'l-Adhkár
    Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (Arabic: "Dawning Place of the Praise of God") Term used primarily to refer to a Bahá’í House of Worship, also known as a Temple, and its surrounding dependencies. ARTICLE OUTLINE: THE INSTITUTION OF THE MASHRIQU’L-ADHKÁR The Institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár Concept Purpose Concept Form The term Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is used in the writings Symbolism of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi to Houses of Worship around the World refer to a gathering of Bahá’ís worshiping and Ashgabat (Ashkhabad, ‘Ishqábád) praising God through use of sacred scripture, Chicago especially at dawn; to a building dedicated to such Kampala worship; to the complex of buildings surrounding a Sydney Frankfurt am Main central House of Worship that Bahá’u’lláh ordained Panama City to be at the heart of every Bahá’í community and Apia that is to include educational and humanitarian New Delhi service institutions open to people of all religions; Santiago and to the central House of Worship, or Temple, Future Plans itself. Only Bahá’ís may contribute funds to the ARTICLE RESOURCES: building and operation of a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. As is generally the case with Bahá’í institutions, the Notes development of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as an Other Sources and Related Reading institution is both gradual and evolutionary. In His book of laws, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Book), Bahá’u’lláh describes the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as a building erected in a city or village for the worship of God.1 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, whose ministry spanned the period 1892–1921, encouraged the Bahá’ís to establish Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs in every "hamlet and city";2 if this were not possible due to severe persecution, He advised, the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár could even be "underground."3 Many Bahá’í communities in Iran and in the Transcaspian Territory in Russia designated ordinary houses in their localities as Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs (See: ‘Alavíyyih Khánum, and ‘Alí Ján, Mullá).
    [Show full text]
  • IN the LIGHT of the RISING SUN Memoirs of a Bahá’Í Pioneer to Japan
    An expanded, annotated version of IN THE LIGHT OF THE RISING SUN Memoirs of a Bahá’í Pioneer to Japan by Barbara R. Sims E-book In the Light of the Rising Sun: Memoirs of a Baháʼí Pioneer to Japan reviewed and approved by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Japan (Approved July 2020) © 2019 Sheridan A. Sims All rights reserved Barbara R. Sims, Tokyo Baháʼí Center, 1961 cover of the original book Contents (page numbers are PDF) Foreword 5 Preface 7 Mary Elizabeth Steuben Burland 8 Father’s side 14 Bahá’í life Stateside 16 Following the sun 23 Early years of the Bahá’í Faith in Japan 26 Arrival and impressions 29 Tokyo L.S.A. 45 Nikko Conference 55 North East Asia 58 The International Convention and the 1960s 64 1970s, ’80s and ’90s 70 “If you want to preserve something, publish it” 77 (Re)search 82 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prayer for the Japanese 85 Ichi Kamichika 95 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s tablets to Japan 87 Takeo Hasegawa 95 Kenzo Torikai 88 The Rev. Nobuichiro Imaoka 96 Saichiro Fujita’s relatives 91 Daisetz and Beatrice Suzuki 97 Kanichi Yamamoto’s relatives 92 Hong Kong and Macau 98 Kikutaro Fukuta’s sons 93 The Archives 101 Vasily Eroshenko 94 Some extraordinary Bahá’ís who visited Japan 102 ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum 104 Collis Featherstone 135 Tarazullah Samandari 119 Other Hands of the Cause 136 Agnes Alexander 121 Univ. House of Justice members 137 Rahmatullah Muhajir 125 Yankee Leong 140 Enoch Olinga 132 The Katirais, Moghbels, and Momtazis 142 Abul-Qasim Faizi 133 Final chapter 142 Photographs 146 Appendix: 1968 International Convention photos 164 Notes 184 Foreword This PDF document is an expanded and annotated version of In the Light of the Rising Sun, a memoir by long-time Baháʼí pioneer to Japan, Barbara R.
    [Show full text]
  • Century of Light by Baha'i International Community
    The Project Gutenberg EBook of Century of Light by Baha'i International Community This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at http://www.guten- berg.org/license This is a copyrighted Project Gutenberg eBook, details below. Please follow the copyright guidelines in this file. Title: Century of Light Author: Baha'i International Community Release Date: September 2006 [Ebook 19267] Language: English ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CENTURY OF LIGHT*** Century of Light by Baha'i International Community Edition 1, (September 2006) Baha'i Terms of Use You have permission to freely make and use copies of the text and any other information ("Content") available on this Site including printing, emailing, posting, distributing, copying, downloading, uploading, transmitting, displaying the Content in whole or in part subject to the following: 1. Our copyright notice and the source reference must be attached to the Content; 2. The Content may not be modified or altered in any way except to change the font or appearance; 3. The Content must be used solely for a non-commercial purpose. Although this blanket permission to reproduce the Content is given freely such that no special permission is required, the Bahá’í International Community retains full copyright protection for all Content included at this Site under all applicable national and international laws. For permission to publish, transmit, display or otherwise use the Content for any commercial purpose, please contact us (http://reference.bahai.org/en/contact.html).
    [Show full text]
  • Joel Bray Marangella
    JOEL BRAY MARANGELLA Third Guardian of the Bahá’í World Faith On 21 September 1964, Charles Mason Remey, the Second Guardian of the Bahá’í World Faith, announced the creation of the second International Bahá’í Council and appointed Joel Bray Marangella its President. The significance of this appointment was certainly realized by the Bahá’ís under the guardianship as Shoghi Effendi had used this same instrumentality in making his appointment of his successor by naming Mason Remey President of the first International Bahá’í Council (the embryonic UniVersal House of Justice). Early History ‐ Joel Bray Marangella was born on 22 September 1918 in Lynn, Massachusetts, in the United States of America. His father, Phillip Amalfi Marangella, came from a large Italian family who had immigrated to the United States when he was a boy of about four years of age. As a young man he became dissatisfied with the religious faith of his parents and undertook an extensive search for the Truth. One day he happened upon a book in the New York City public library written against the Bahá’í Faith. This caused him to become interested in finding out the truth about the Faith. His subsequent investigations led to his acceptance of the Faith while Joel was still a baby. Joel’s mother, born Edith Brooks Guthrie, came from a completely different background, being a Virginian by birth and raised in the Protestant faith. Even before she met Phillip Marangella she, too, had begun to search elsewhere for a faith that would satisfy her needs and her investigation of the Baha’I Faith led to her becoming a Bahá’í with him.
    [Show full text]
  • * * * * * * Century of Light
    Century of Light * * * Foreword Century of Light Notes * * * Foreword The conclusion of the twentieth century provides Bahá’ís with a unique vantage point. During the past hundred years our world underwent changes far more profound than any in its preceding history, changes that are, for the most part, little understood by the present generation. These same hundred years saw the Bahá’í Cause emerge from obscurity, demonstrating on a global scale the unifying power with which its Divine origin has endowed it. As the century drew to its close, the convergence of these two historical developments became increasingly apparent. Century of Light, prepared under our supervision, reviews these two processes and the relationship between them, in the context of the Bahá’í Teachings. We commend it to the thoughtful study of the friends, in the confidence that the perspectives it opens up will prove both spiritually enriching and of practical help in sharing with others the challenging implications of the Revelation brought by Bahá’u’lláh. The Universal House of Justice Naw-Rúz, 158 B.E. Century of Light The twentieth century, the most turbulent in the history of the human race, has reached its end. Dismayed by the deepening moral and social chaos that marked its course, the generality of the world’s peoples are eager to leave behind them the memories of the suffering that these decades brought with them. No matter how frail the foundations of confidence in the future may seem, no matter how great the dangers looming on the horizon, humanity appears desperate to believe that, through some fortuitous conjunction of circumstances, it will nevertheless be possible to bend the conditions of human life into conformity with prevailing human desires.
    [Show full text]
  • Learning About Growth
    Learning About Growth The Story of the Ruhi Institute and Large-scale Expansion of the Bahá'í Faith in Colombia The Ruhi Institute The Ruhi Institute, Apartado Aereo 7098, Cali, Colombia. Published July 1991. This publication is available for worldwide distribution from Palabra Publications, 3735 B Shares Place, Riviera Beach, FL, phone: 407-845-1919; fax: 407-845-0126. Foreword In October 1952 the beloved Guardian announced to the Bahá'í world the imminent launching of a "fate-laden, soul-stirring, decade-long, world- embracing Spiritual Crusade" aimed at "the immediate extension of Bahá'u'lláh's spiritual dominion as well as the eventual establishment of the structure of His administrative order" in all sovereign states and dependen- cies scattered over the surface of the entire planet. The response of the followers of Bahá'u'lláh to the Guardian's call during the Ten Year Crusade and to plans subsequently given to them by the Universal House of Justice constitutes a glorious chapter in the history of the Faith, one which future generations will contemplate with pride and wonder. After the lapse of but a few decades, it can be asserted without reservation that Bahá'u'lláh's spiritual dominion has indeed been extended throughout the world and the structure of His administrative order established. In a century and a half, the growth of the Faith has followed various patterns in accordance with the exigencies of time and place. In the Cradle of the Faith, during the early years of the Heroic Age, this growth displayed characteristics unprecedented in religious history.
    [Show full text]