arthra

Baha'is will be electing members of the Local Spiritual Assembly where they live in about three weeks from now..

The Feast of Ridwan is actually three days..

The First Day of Ridwan - April 21st,

The Ninth Day of Ridvan - April 28th and

THe Twelfth Day of Ridvan - May 2nd

Three Holy Days!

Baha'u'llah declared that He was the One promised by the Bab.. Him Whom God would make manifest in the Ridvan Garden ..a green isle in the Tigris River Bagdad in April 1863.

April 21st Ridvan also became the period when elections take place for local Baha'i elections.

A friend on another forum requested some quotes about Baha'i elections..Here are a few of them:

I feel that reference to personalities before the election would give rise to misunderstanding and differences. What the friends should do is to get thoroughly acquainted with one another, to exchange views, to mix freely and discuss among themselves the requirements and qualifications for such a membership without reference or application, however indirect, to particular individuals.

We should refrain from influencing the opinion of others, of canvassing for any particular individual, but should stress the necessity of getting fully acquainted with the qualifications of membership referred to in our Beloved's Tablets and of learning more about one another through direct, personal experience rather than through the reports and opinions of our friends.

(14 May 1927 to a Local Spiritual Assembly, published in "Bahá'í News Letter", June 1927, p. 9)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 316)

They should disregard personalities and concentrate their attention on the qualities and requirements of office, without prejudice, passion or partiality. The Assembly should be representative of the choicest and most varied and capable elements in every Bahá'í community....

(11 August 1933 to an individual believer)
(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 316)

One's vote should be kept confidential. It is not permissible to make any reference whatsoever to individual names. The friends must avoid the evil methods and detestable practices of the politicians. They must turn completely to God, and with a purity of motive, a freedom of spirit and a sanctity of heart, participate in the elections; otherwise the outcome will be chaos and confusion, serious difficulties will ensue, mischief will abound and the confirmation of God will be cut off.

(16 January 1923 to the Central Spiritual Assembly of Iran- -translated from the Persian)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 316)

arthra

Prayer revealed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá for the Consort of the King of Martyrs. with a preamble for the Ridvan season:


Thou seest, O my Lord, the assemblage of Thy loved ones, the company of Thy friends, gathered by the precincts of Thine all-sufficing Shrine, and in the neighborhood of Thine exalted garden, on a day among the days of Thy Ridvan Feast -- that blessed time when Thou didst dawn upon the world, shedding thereon the lights of Thy holiness, spreading abroad the bright rays of Thy oneness, and didst issue forth from Baghdad, with a majesty and might that encompassed all mankind; with a glory that made all to fall prostrate before Thee, all heads to bow, every neck to bend low, and the gaze of every man to be cast down.

They are calling Thee to mind and making mention of Thee, their breasts gladdened with the lights of Thy bestowals, their souls restored by the evidences of Thy gifts, speaking Thy praise, turning their faces toward Thy Kingdom, humbly supplicating Thy lofty Realms.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 175

arthra

Tablet of the Feast of Ridvan, A
by Bahá'u'lláh


Translated by Ali Kuli Khan.
Translated by Marzieh Gail.


HE IS THE ALMIGHTY LORD!

Lo, this is the garden of Paradise wherein is raised the Voice of God, the Dominant, the Strong; Here do the immaculate Maids of Heaven dwell, they whom no eye hath seen save only God's, the Sanctified, the Well-Beloved; Herein the eternal nightingale singeth on the bough of the sacred Lote-Tree a song that bedazzaleth the minds, and herein are the needy led to the haven of wealth, and all men guided to the Word of God; verily this is a manifest truth.

(Here is the song that the nightingale singeth)

IN THY NAME THAT IS GOD,

Thou art verily God!
O sacred Monk, ring out the bells, for the day of God hath come, and the Beauty of the All-Glorious is established on the holy, shining throne.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O prophet of wisdom, Hud, beat thou upon thy drum, in the name of the Lord, the Precious, the Bountiful, for the Temple of Holiness is seated upon His high, unapproachable throne.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,

O Thou who alone art God!


O Thou beauty of eternity, pluck with the fingers of the spirit at the strings of Thy lute that is wondrous and Holy, for the Heavenly Beauty hath come in His garment of glimmering silk.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O angel of light, sound thou thy trumpet to herald this appearance, for the letter HA hath mounted above the letter of pre-existent might.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O Nightingale of Praise, sing out upon thy boughs within this garden and land, the well-beloved Name, for the beauty of the red rose hath shone from the impenetrable veils.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O Thou Dove of Paradise, sing upon the boughs in this wondrous day, when the Lord hath cast His rays upon all creatures.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O Thou Bird of Eternity, soar into this firmament, for the bird of faithfulness hath winged his flight to the presence of the merciful Lord.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O Dwellers in Paradise, sing out and chant with melodious voices, for the melody of God is pealing from beyond the high pavilions of holiness.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O denizens of the Kingdom, sing in the name of the Well-beloved, for the beauty of commandment hath gleamed from behind the veils, in the shining mantle of the spirit.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O dwellers in the kingdom of names, adorn the zones of the furthermost heaven, for the Greatest Name is riding on the mighty clouds of holiness.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O people of the realm of holy attributes in the heaven of Abha, prepare to meet your God, for the breezes of sanctity have wafted from the exalted throne, and this is a manifest grace.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O thou Ridwan of the one God, rejoice within thyself, for the Ridwan of God, the Exalted, the Precious, the Wise, is made manifest.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O heaven of the grandeur, thank God within thyself, for the heaven of holiness is raised up in the realm of the sanctified heart.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O Sun of this earth, eclipse thy face, for the sun of eternity hath dawned in the luminous heaven.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O land of knowledge, swallow up thy learning, for the realm of wisdom is unfolding in the self of God., the Exalted, the Mighty, the Bountiful.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O lamp of the world, extinguish thyself, for the light of the Lord is kindled in the lamp of eternity, and hath illumined the denizens of heaven and earth.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O seas of the world, quiet your waves within you, for the crimson sea hath surged with a wondrous Cause.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


O cock of everlasting life, crow out on the peaks of the realm of might, for the Herald of God hath sounded His Call from every lofty hill.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,



O Thou who alone art God!


O concourse of lovers, give out the glad tidings with all your heart, for the time of waiting is over, and the covenant hath come, and the Beloved hath shone in wondrous beauty.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,



O Thou who alone art God!


O people of knowledge, rejoice within your souls, for the day of parting is gone by, the time of certainty hath come, and the beauty of this Youth hath shone in sacred raiment within the paradise of the steadfast Name.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,



O Thou who alone art God!


Lauded art Thou O my God! I implore Thee by Thy day in which all the prophetic days are resurrected, Thy day whereof a moment comprehendeth all the ages.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,



O Thou who alone art God!


And I implore Thee by Thy Name which Thou made king of the Kingdom of Names and ruler over all in earth and heaven.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!


To make men free of all besides Thyself, and cause them to approach unto Thee and sever themselves from all but Thee. Verily Thou art the Powerful, the Precious, the Compassionate.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,



O Thou who alone art God!


Then kindle, O my Beloved, in their hearts the flame of Thy love, till it shall burn away the memory of all save Thee, that they may testify with themselves that verily Thou hast dwelt from everlasting on the heights of immortality, that nothing hath been joined with Thee, and that Thou ever art as Thou hast been. There is no God save Thee, the Mighty, the Beneficent.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,



O Thou who alone art God!


And those among Thy servants who seek to ascend the heights of Thy singleness, if their souls be set on the remembrance of aught else save Thee, they shall not be true believers in the unity of God, nor will the rank of a follower of the oneness of God be allotted them.
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,



O Thou who alone art God!


The glory be to Thee, O my God, for as long as Thy command endureth. Wherefore send Thou down from the clouds of Thy Mercy that which shall cleanse the hearts of Thy lovers, and sanctify the souls of Thy friends.
Then raise them up in Thy Loftiness, and give them the victory over all on earth; for this is that which "We have desired to bring honor upon those who were brought low in the land, and to make them leaders of men, and to make them our heirs." [Koran]
Glory to Thee, O God, O Thou who art God,


O Thou who alone art God!

(This tablet was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh when He "Declared Himself to be recited at the Feast of Ridwan.)

From:

http://bahai-library.com/bahaullah_lawh_ridvan_khan

arthra

The following narrative is from conversations with Khanum (Bahiyyih Khanum) the daughter of Bahá'u'lláh, sister of 'Abdu'l-Bahá called by the Persian Bahá'ís "Varaqiyih 'Ulya (the Greatest Holy Leaf)" and recorded by Lady Blomfield in The Chosen Highway




The authorities at Constantinople were approached with sundry plausible tales of the harm that was being done by him to the religion of the people, and requests that he might be driven from Baghdad.

At length the Governor came to Bahá'u'lláh in great distress, telling him that a decree had arrived from Constantinople. By this decree Bahá'u'lláh was commanded to leave Baghdad; He would be escorted by Turkish soldiers to an unknown destination.

Our peace was at an end!

When it became known that this departure was to take place, great was the consternation among the friends. We had to make preparation for a journey, we knew not how long, to a place we knew not where. The friends came weeping helplessly, "What shall we do? What is going to happen to our Beloved? What?"

There was such turmoil that we could not proceed with our preparations.

At this juncture Najib Pasha, who had become a reverent admirer of Bahá'u'lláh, invited him to bring some of the friends, and come to stay in his garden, a short distance outside Baghdad.

This relieved some of the turmoil, and we worked hard to make ready for the departure.

* * *

It was during Bahá'u'lláh's stay in this garden that the declaration was made to His eldest son, 'Abbas Effendi, and a few friends, that He was "Him Whom God shall make Manifest," and in commemoration of this event the Feast of Ridvan (meaning Feast of Paradise) was instituted, and continues to be observed annually by the Bahá'ís throughout the world.

The story of this Declaration is told by H. M. Balyuzi in his short biography Bahá'u'lláh. The following is an extract:

"Bahá'u'lláh moved to the garden of Ridvan, outside the gates of Baghdad.

The Bábís thronged there to see the last of their Beloved so cruelly torn from their midst. It was the twenty-first day of April. With tears in their eyes they gathered around Him. He was calm, serene, and unruffled. The hour had struck. To that company Bahá'u'lláh revealed Himself -- He was the Promised One in Whose path the Báb had sacrificed his life, 'Him Whom God will make Manifest,' the Shah Bahram, the Fifth Buddha, the lord of Hosts, the Return of Christ, the Master of the Day of Judgment. A deep silence fell upon the audience. Heads were gent as the immensity of that Declaration touched the consciousness of men. Not a breath of dissent -- one and all they threw themselves at His feet. Sadness had vanished; joy, celestial joy, prevailed."

Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway pp. 57-58

BruceDLimber

Quote:

Originally Posted by arthra Tablet of the Feast of Ridvan, A by Bahá'u'lláh

Obviously, Art, this is a different tablet from the "Tablet of Ridvan" itself, which is #XIV in Gleanings!

Best regards, :-)

Bruce

arthra

Time passed, Bahá'u'lláh was called to Istanbul, and on the twelfth
day of Ridvan, as He was about to leave the Garden of Najibiyyah
and take the road to the capital of the Ottoman Empire, He revealed a Tablet which exists in His own handwriting addressed to Aqa Mirza Aqa, reading thus:

Aqa in Shin[1]

[1. Sh, the 15th letter of the Persian alphabet, is pronounced
Shin. Here the city of Shiraz is indicated.]

He is the Glorious!

Hearken to what the departing Dove revealeth unto thee, as He
prepareth to leave the realm of 'Iraq -- such are the methods of God decreed for His Messengers. Let this not cause thee sorrow.

Put thy trust in thy Lord and the Lord of thy forefathers... Those who are endowed with the insight of the spirit are independent of all that was and shall be created, and are able to behold the mysteries of the Cause behind the thickest veils.

Say, 0 beloved of God!

Fear none and let nothing grieve thee; be steadfast in the Cause. By
God, those who have drunk of the love of God, the Glorious, the
Effulgent, have no fear of anyone, and show patience in calamity,
like unto the patience of the lover toward the good-pleasure of the
beloved. With them affliction ranketh greater than that which the
lovers perceive in the countenance of the beloved.

Say, 0 concourse of evil-doers!

Ere long the Cause of God will, in truth, be
exalted, and the standards of those who join partners with God will
perish, and the people shall enter the Faith of God, the Sovereign,
the Supreme, the Ancient of Days.

Well is it with those who have now hastened forth in the love of God and received the tidings of the breath of the Holy Spirit. Glory be unto you, 0 concourse of believers in the unity of God.

From H.M. Balyuzi, "Eminent Baha'is in the Time of Baha'u'llah" p. 228

arthra

Arise, and proclaim unto the entire creation the tidings that He Who is the All-Merciful hath directed His steps towards the Ridvan and entered it. Guide, then, the people unto the garden of delight which God hath made the Throne of His Paradise. We have chosen thee to be our most mighty Trumpet, whose blast is to signalize the resurrection of all mankind.

Say: This is the Paradise on whose foliage the wine of utterance hath imprinted the testimony:

"He that was hidden from the eyes of men is revealed, girded with sovereignty and power!"

This is the Paradise, the rustling of whose leaves proclaims:

"O ye that inhabit the heavens and the earth! There hath appeared what hath never previously appeared. He Who, from everlasting, had concealed His Face from the sight of creation is now come."

From the whispering breeze that wafteth amidst its branches there cometh the cry:

"He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is made manifest. The Kingdom is God's,"

while from its streaming waters can be heard the murmur:

"All eyes are gladdened, for He Whom none hath beheld, Whose secret no one hath discovered, hath lifted the veil of glory, and uncovered the countenance of Beauty."

Within this Paradise, and from the heights of its loftiest chambers, the Maids of Heaven have cried out and shouted:

"Rejoice, ye dwellers of the realms above, for the fingers of Him Who is the Ancient of Days are ringing, in the name of the All-Glorious, the Most Great Bell, in the midmost heart of the heavens. The hands of bounty have borne round the cup of everlasting life. Approach, and quaff your fill. Drink with healthy relish, O ye that are the very incarnations of longing, ye who are the embodiments of vehement desire!"

This is the Day whereon He Who is the Revealer of the names of God hath stepped out of the Tabernacle of glory, and proclaimed unto all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth:

"Put away the cups of Paradise and all the life-giving waters they contain, for lo, the people of Baha have entered the blissful abode of the Divine Presence, and quaffed the wine of reunion, from the chalice of the beauty of their Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most High."

Forget the world of creation, O Pen, and turn thou towards the face of thy Lord, the Lord of all names. Adorn, then, the world with the ornament of the favors of thy Lord, the King of everlasting days. For We perceive the fragrance of the Day whereon He Who is the Desire of all nations hath shed upon the kingdoms of the unseen and of the seen the splendor of the light of His most excellent names, and enveloped them with the radiance of the luminaries of His most gracious favors -- favors which none can reckon except Him, Who is the omnipotent Protector of the entire creation.

Look not upon the creatures of God except with the eye of kindliness and of mercy, for Our loving providence hath pervaded all created things, and Our grace encompassed the earth and the heavens. This is the Day whereon the true servants of God partake of the life-giving waters of reunion, the Day whereon those that are nigh unto Him are able to drink of the soft-flowing river of immortality, and they who believe in His unity, the wine of His Presence, through their recognition of Him Who is the Highest and Last End of all, in Whom the Tongue of Majesty and Glory voiceth the call:

"The Kingdom is Mine. I, Myself, am, of Mine own right, its Ruler."

~ Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 31

Yeshua

I like this:



the tune is catchy

Yeshua

I am not Baha'i but I would LOVE to celebrate this festival

I love gardens and flowers...so a religion who's principal holy day revolves around a Garden - what could be more wonderful!

I just think of the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Gethsemane...

Another similarity between Christ and Baha'u'llah....both liked to spend their time in a special Garden...

This month, Christians like myself will celebrate Holy Week - Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday (The Passion of Christ), Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. Like Baha'is, celebrating Baha'u'llah's declaration in the Garden of Ridvan, we will be remembering (somberly) Christ's Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, his betrayal by Judas, his trial, crucifixtion and resurrection.

So there is a similarity between our two Holy periods which overlap Jews also celebrate Passover (Pesach) on the 19th of April.

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday which is the 17th of April and ends on Easter Sunday which is the 24th.

Easter Season then lasts 50 days and ends on Pentecost which is the 12th of June.

Happy Ridván to you all this month! May it be a blessed and joyous time for you my brothers and sisters!

Yeshua

Here is the Garden of Ridván:

arthra

Inhale the fragrances of the Ridvan from His roses and be not of those who are deprived.

Appreciate the bounty of God upon you and be not veiled therefrom - and, verily, We have sent Him forth in the temple of man. Thus praise ye the Lord, the Originator of whatsoever He willeth through His wise and inviolable Command!

Verily, those who withhold themselves from the shelter of the Branch are indeed lost in the wilderness of perplexity; and are consumed by the heat of self-desire, and are of those who perish.

Hasten, O people, unto the shelter of God, in order that He may protect you from the heat of the Day whereon none shall find for himself any refuge or shelter except beneath the shelter of His Name, the clement, the forgiving!

Clothe yourselves, O people, with the garment of assurance, in order that He may protect you from the dart of doubts and superstitions, and that ye may be of those who are assured in those days wherein none shall ever be assured and none shall be firmly established in the Cause, except by severing himself from all that is possessed by the people and turning unto the holy and radiant Outlook.

~ Baha'u'llah, The Tablet of the Branch

tonyfish58

Link to this selection Notes :: Yesaroun' Duo :: Samuel Solomon percussion and Eric Hewitt saxophones

Virtually simultaneous with the historic Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY, there occurred an event in Persia which galvanized a movement for the emancipation of women in that part of the world. A woman called Tahirih had become a revered teacher among the followers of the Báb ("Gate"), a young man who was proclaiming the advent of a new world faith. Tahirih was one of three key leaders of the Báb'i community who hosted a pivotal conference at a place called Badasht, to determine whether the Báb was the herald of a new religious dispensation:

"In Badasht, there was a great open field. Through its center a stream flowed, and to its right, left, and rear there were three gardens, the envy of Paradise. One of those gardens was assigned to Quddús, but this was kept a secret. Another was set apart for Tahirih, and in a third was raised the pavilion of Bahá'u'lláh. On the field amidst the three gardens, the believers pitched their tents. Evenings, Bahá'u'lláh, Quddús and Tahirih would come together. In those days the fact that the Báb was the Qá'im had not yet been proclaimed; it was the Blessed Beauty [Bahá'u'lláh], with Quddús, Who arranged for the proclamation of a universal Advent and the abrogation and repudiation of the ancient laws.

Then one day, and there was a wisdom in it, Bahá'u'lláh fell ill; that is, the indisposition was to serve a vital purpose. On a sudden, in the sight of all, Quddús came out of his garden, and entered the pavilion of Bahá'u'lláh. But Táhirih sent him a message, to say that their Host being ill, Quddús should visit her garden instead. His answer was: "This garden is preferable. Come, then, to this one." Tahirih, with her face unveiled, stepped from her garden, advancing to the pavilion of Bahá'u'lláh; and as she came, she shouted aloud these words: "The Trumpet is sounding! The great Trump is blown! The universal Advent is now proclaimed!" The believers gathered in that tent were panic struck, and each one asked himself, "How can the Law be abrogated? How is it that this woman stands here without her veil?"

"Read the Súrah of the Inevitable," said Bahá'u'lláh; and the reader began: "When the Day that must come shall have come suddenly... Day that shall abase! Day that shall exalt!..." and thus was the new Dispensation announced and the great Resurrection made manifest. At the start, those who were present fled away, and some forsook their Faith, while some fell a prey to suspicion and doubt, and a number, after wavering, returned to the presence of Bahá'u'lláh. The Conference of Badasht broke up, but the universal Advent had been proclaimed.

-Abdul Baha, "Memorials of the Faithful"

Link to Tahirih Story Tahirih, The Pure, Iran's Greatest Woman

Regards Tony

arthra

Behold how within all things the portals of the Ridvan of God are opened, that seekers may attain the cities of understanding and wisdom, and enter the gardens of knowledge and power.

Within every garden they will behold the mystic bride of inner meaning enshrined within the chambers of utterance in the utmost grace and fullest adornment.

Most of the verses of the Qur'án indicate, and bear witness to, this spiritual theme. The verse: "Neither is there aught which doth not celebrate His praise"[1] is eloquent testimony thereto; and "We noted all things and wrote them down,"[2] a faithful witness thereof.

Now, if by "attainment unto the Presence of God" is meant attainment unto the knowledge of such revelation, it is evident that all men have already attained unto the presence of the unchangeable Countenance of that peerless King. Why, then, restrict such revelation to the Day of Resurrection?

[1 Qur'án 17:44.]
[2 Qur'án 78:29.]

~ Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 140

arthra

After some days, Bahá'u'lláh proceeded to a garden outside the city, and there His tent was pitched. This was the garden of Najib Pasha [later known as the Garden of Ridvan] and it was here in this garden that He openly declared His mission. That is, He spoke of the manifestation of the Exalted One, the Báb, saying that He was the Qá'im, that the Cause was His Cause -- and at the same time, with certain intimations, He also declared His own Mission. During the twelve days of His sojourn in that garden, every morning and every afternoon He would speak of the Báb's Cause and declare His own.

~ Ustad Muhammad-'Aliy-i Salmani, My Memories of Baha'u'llah, p. 21

arthra

Thou didst wish to celebrate the Day of Ridvan with a feast, and to have those present on that day engage in reciting Tablets with delight and joy, and thou didst request me to send thee a letter to be read on that day.

My letter is this:

O ye beloved, and ye handmaids of the Merciful! This is the day when the Day-Star of Truth rose over the horizon of life, and its glory spread, and its brightness shone out with such power that it clove the dense and high-piled clouds and mounted the skies of the world in all its splendour. Hence do ye witness a new stirring throughout all created things.

See how, in this day, the scope of sciences and arts hath widened out, and what wondrous technical advances have been made, and to what a high degree the mind's powers have increased, and what stupendous inventions have appeared.

This age is indeed as a hundred other ages: should ye gather the yield of a hundred ages, and set that against the accumulated product of our times, the yield of this one era will prove greater than that of a hundred gone before. Take ye, for an example, the sum total of all the books that were ever written in ages past, and compare that with the books and treatises that our era hath produced: these books, written in our day alone, far and away exceed the total number of volumes that have been written down the ages. See how powerful is the influence exerted by the Day-Star of the world upon the inner essence of all created things!

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 111

arthra

Verily, all created things were
immersed in the sea of purification when, on that first
day of Ridvan, We shed upon the whole of creation the
splendours of Our most excellent Names and Our most
exalted Attributes.

This, verily, is a token of My loving
providence, which hath encompassed all the worlds.
Consort ye then with the followers of all religions, and
proclaim ye the Cause of your Lord, the Most
Compassionate; this is the very crown of deeds, if ye be
of them who understand.

~ Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 47

arthra

Some days ago our ballots for the local election went out.. Ridvan will be after sunset Wednesday evening April 20th.. The Baha'i day begins after sunset. There is no "electioneering" or "nominations" made for a Baha'i election and the voting is via secret ballot and in prayer.

Those Baha'is who have served the community in the past year are probably more likely to be elected. The election is based on the most votes and in the event there is a tie vote a Baha'i of a minority is automatically the "winner".

Sometimes a re-vote occurs also.

Once the nine adult believers is elected they in turn vote for officers of the Assembly ...and the vote proceeds for each office as above.. No nominations or electioneering allowed.

This is also the procedure for all Baha'i elections from the local level to the national and international levels in the case of the Universal House of Justice.

So that is what occurs in Baha'i communities on the First Day of Ridvan..

arthra

In order to avoid division and disruption, that the Cause may not fall a prey to conflicting interpretations, and lose thereby its purity and pristine vigour, that its affairs may be conducted with efficiency and promptness,

it is necessary that everyone should conscientiously take an active part in the election of these Assemblies,

abide by their decision,

enforce their decree,

and co-operate with them whole-heartedly in their task of stimulating the growth of the Movement throughout all regions....

(From a letter dated 12 march 1923 written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'ís of America, Australasia, France, Germany, British Isles, Italy, Japan and 55 Switzerland, published in "Bahá'í Administration: Selected Messages 1922-1932", p. 41)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 54)

arthra

The Festival of Ridvan is come and the splendour of the light of God is shining from the invisible horizon of His mercy. The overflowing grace of the Lord of oneness is pouring down copiously from the unseen world and the glad-tidings of the Kingdom are coming in from all countries. The resplendent morn that betokens the advancement of the Cause of God and heralds the exaltation of His Word is dawning in every region.

Praise be to God that the fame of the Ancient Beauty -- may my life be offered up for His loved ones -- has been noised abroad in the world and the glory of His Cause is spread far and wide throughout the East and the West. These joyous developments will indeed gladden the hearts of His loved ones.

~ Compilations, Bahiyyih Khanum, p. 112

Bahiyyih Khanum was the sister of Abdul-Baha

Sen McGlinn

There are four tablets known as the tablet of Ridvan I II III IV, but the one you've quoted is more usually called the tablet of Subhanika-Ya-Ha.

My notes on the other four are:

277 Lawh-e Ridvan I (Qad ata Rabi`u'l-Bayan) Tablet of Ridvan (Baghdad, at Ridvan?)
Risalih Ayyam Tis`ih 254-61, section cited in another tablet at Ma`iydih-e Asmani vol. 7 186.
Translated completely in Gleanings XIV. Dialogue form.
Discussed Walbridge, 'Sacred' 239-40; Taherzadeh, 'Revelation' vol. 1 274--7. The dating is unclear: Taherzadeh, 'Revelation' vol. 2 397 dates one of these tablets in the Edirne period).


278 Lawh-e Ridvan II.
Arabic, Ad`iyyih-e H.Mahbub 162-9; Risalih Ayyam Tis`ih 246-.
Draft translation by Mark Costine, Tarjuman April 20 2009.
Mentioned Walbridge, 'Sacred' 239. One of the Tablets of Ridvan is mentioned in GPB 169 as revealed in Edirne before the separation.
Beginning `Huwa 'l-Mustawi `ala hadha 'l-`arshi'l-munir' `He is seated upon this luminous throne'. Refrain after each verse: `Glad tidings! This is the Festival of God, manifest from the horizon of transcendent bounty'.


Lawh-e Ridvan III, `Akka, probably 9th day of Ridvan 1869.
Risalih Ayyam Tis`ih 313.
Discussed Taherzadeh, 'Revelation' vol. 3 53-57. Walbridge describes the meaning of Ridvan in Walbridge, 'Sacred' 233-41.


Lawh-e Ridvan IV,
Arabic. Tasbih va Tahlil 142-155.
Provisional translation by Khazeh Fananapazir posted to Tarjuman 14 Jan. 2002, partial revised translation pp147-9 on Tarjuman, 4 May 2004.

Additions and corrections welcome. No doubt there are more tablets on this topic, or written for this celebration.

Sen

arthra

Sen,

Your scholarship is great..merveillos!,


"the tablet of Subhanika-Ya-Ha"

Yeah..that's the one! Uh-huh! Had it on the tip of my tongue I did...!

Maybe we could in the course of the next week or so post what's available of these Tablets..

arthra

From the record of Nabil-i-Azam:

Every day ere the hour of dawn, the gardeners would pick
the roses which lined the four avenues of the garden, and
would pile them in the centre of the floor of His blessed tent.

So great would be the heap that when His companions
gathered to drink their morning tea in His presence, they
would be unable to see each other across it.


All these roses Bahá'u'lláh would, with His own hands, entrust to those whom He dismissed from His presence every morning to be
delivered, on His behalf, to His Arab and Persian friends in
the city...

One night, the ninth night of the waxing moon,
I happened to be one of those who watched beside His
blessed tent.

As the hour of midnight approached, I saw Him
issue from His tent, pass by the places where some of His
companions were sleeping, and begin to pace up and down
the moonlit, flower-bordered avenues of the garden. So loud
was the singing of the nightingales on every side that only
those who were near Him could hear distinctly His voice.

He continued to walk until, pausing in the midst of one of these
avenues, He observed:

'Consider these nightingales. So great
is their love for these roses, that sleepless from dust till
dawn, they warble their melodies and commune with burning
passion with the object of their adoration. How then can
those who claim to be afire with the rose-like beauty of the
Beloved choose to sleep?'

For three successive nights I watched and circled round His blessed tent. Every time I passed by the couch whereon He lay, I would find Him wakeful, and every day, from morn till eventide, I would see Him ceaselessly engaged in conversing with the stream of visitors
who kept flowing in from Baghdad. Not once could I discover
in the words He spoke any trace of dissimulation

Joanna

Hi everybody!

I wanted to post this:



It's a video with images and reading from texts by Baha'u'llah

Your friend,

Joanna

Joanna

That's beautiful, thanks for sharing!

arthra

Ridvan
by John Walbridge

The announcement

While the exact nature and details `of Bahá'u'lláh's declaration are unknown, Abdu'l-Bahá states that on the afternoon He arrived at the garden Bahá'u'lláh disclosed His claim to be Him Whom God shall make manifest. Bahá'u'lláh's daughter Bahiyyih Khanum is also reported to have said that on that day Bahá'u'lláh privately stated His claim to prophethood to `Abdu'l-Bahá and four other followers. According to this account `he enjoined upon them secrecy as to this communication, as the time had not come for a public declaration; but that there were reasons which caused him to deem it necessary to make it at that time to a few whom he could trust'.4 Bahá'u'lláh clearly did not make a general public announcement of His prophetic claim at the Najibiyyih Garden: that did not happen until after His arrival in Edirne.5 Most Babis --even those in exile with Him -- seem to have been unaware of Bahá'u'lláh's claim until a year or two later -- although, of course, His Baghdad writings are full of hints about it.6

The departure from the most great house

In some places Bahá'u'lláh stresses His departure from the Most Great House: `as He departed from His house, proceeding to the Spot from which He shed upon the whole of creation, the splendours of His name, the All-Merciful.'7 Another Tablet recounts His journey from the House to the Ridvan Garden, giving supernatural significance to each stage of the journey. Another refers to His `exile (hijrah) from Iraq', thus linking Bahá'u'lláh's departure from the Most Great House to Muhammad's emigration from Mecca, the site of the most holy House of Islam, to Medina, the city where Muhammad fully exercised the prerogatives of prophethood.

The three announcements

In a Tablet written some years later Bahá'u'lláh states that three announcements were made on the first day of Ridvan. First, Bahá'u'lláh's followers were forbidden to fight to advance or defend their faith. (Religious war, jihad, had been permitted in Islam and under certain conditions by the law of the Bab.) Second, there would not be another prophet for a full thousand years. Third, at that moment all the names of God were fully manifest in all things. These are perhaps to be regarded as an oblique announcement of His own prophethood. The first two anticipate basic features of Bahá'í law recorded in the Kitab-i-Aqdas. The third announcement is echoed in many passages from Tablets related to Ridvan, for example:

For We perceive the fragrance of the Day whereon He Who is the Desire of all nations hath shed upon the kingdoms of the unseen and of the seen the splendour of the light of His most excellent names, and enveloped them with the radiance of the luminaries of His most gracious favours -- favours which none can reckon except Him, Who is the omnipotent Protector of the entire creation.8 Thus, Bahá'u'lláh's arrival in Ridvan marks a mystic transformation of the world, in which the entire creation is infused with the glory of God's names. His announcement should, therefore, be viewed less as the revealing of a secret to a few individuals than as a fundamental transformation in the relationship between God and the world.

Ridvan
by John Walbridge
Published in Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time: Baha'i Studies volume 1
Oxford: George Ronald, 1995


Source:

Ridvan

arthra

We had our First day of Ridvan last night .. and our community voted for the members of the Local Spiritual Assembly..this can draw people together and raise people's consciousness and awareness of our community and it's goals.. we had annual reports as well.. followed by some refreshments and some guitar music...

We also have delegates that attend National Convention during this time and they report back to us...

arthra

The Significance of Ridvan

In a number of Tablets, most of which have not yet been translated, Bahá'u'lláh has extolled the sacredness and glory of the days of Ridvan.

One of these, revealed a few years after His Declaration, has been rendered into English by Shoghi Effendi.

The following are some excerpts:

The Divine Springtime is come, O Most Exalted Pen, for
the Festival of the All-Merciful is fast approaching. Bestir
thyself, and magnify, before the entire creation, the name
of God, and celebrate His praise, in such wise that all created
things may be regenerated and made new. Speak, and hold
not thy peace. The day star of blissfulness shineth above the
horizon of Our name, the Blissful, inasmuch as the kingdom
of the name of God hath been adorned with the ornament of
the name of thy Lord, the Creator of the heavens. Arise
before the nations of the earth, and arm thyself with the
power of this Most Great Name, and be not of those who
tarry...

This is the Day whereon the unseen world crieth out:
'Great is thy blessedness, O earth, for thou hast been made
the foot-stool of thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His
mighty throne.' The realm of glory exclaimeth: 'Would that
my life could be sacrificed for thee, for He Who is the
Beloved of the All-Merciful hath established His sovereignty
upon thee, through the power of His Name that hath been
promised unto all things, whether of the past or of the future.'
This is the Day whereon every sweet smelling thing hath
derived its fragrance from the smell of My garment -- a garment
that hath shed its perfume upon the whole of creation.
This is the Day whereon the rushing waters of everlasting
life have gushed out of the Will of the All-Merciful. Haste ye,
with your hearts and souls, and quaff your fill, O Concourse
of the realms above!

Say: He it is Who is the Manifestation of Him Who is the
Unknowable, the Invisible of the Invisibles, could ye but
perceive it. He it is Who hath laid bare before you the hidden
and treasured Gem, were ye to seek it. He it is Who is the one
Beloved of all things, whether of the past or of the future.
Would that ye might set your hearts and hopes upon
Him!...

- from Adib Taherzadeh The Revelation of Baha'u'llah vol. 1, pp. 273-274

arthra

In the Suriy-i-Sabr, revealed as far back as the year 1863, on the very first day of His arrival in the garden of Ridvan, He thus affirms:

"God hath sent down His Messengers to succeed to Moses and Jesus, and He will continue to do so till 'the end that hath no end'; so that His grace may, from the heaven of Divine bounty, be continually vouchsafed to mankind."

"I am not apprehensive for My own self," Bahá'u'lláh still more explicitly declares, "My fears are for Him Who will be sent down unto you after Me -- Him Who will be invested with great sovereignty and mighty dominion."

And again He writes in the Suratu'l-Haykal:

"By those words which I have revealed, Myself is not intended, but rather He Who will come after Me. To it is witness God, the All-Knowing." "Deal not with Him," He adds, "as ye have dealt with Me."

~ Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 116

Essence of GOD

this is truely amazing, i wish i was there when Bahaullah first uttered this.
thanks for the post man, awesome

arthra

For the Twelfth Day of Ridvan:



So it was that Khurasan became the grove of the lions of God, and a nesting-place for the birds of the Ridvan Paradise. The Ancient Beauty singled out that blessed land for special favour, extending to it uncounted blessings and gifts. Now in wondrous and most sweet voice, again with the tracings of His exalted pen, and on the head of each one of the beloved in that bright region, He set a crown of imperishable glory, and He robed each one with His bestowals and grace, and wrapped each one in a mantle of spiritual perfections. Of them all He spoke the highest praise, and to all He gave abundant blessings, as is proved by the text of His scrolls and Tablets. And whenever that sacred King of all the world would speak of Khurasan, His being would stir for joy, and His luminous face would grow still brighter with exceeding gladness. His bounties never ceased, and from clouds of grace His favours continually showered down upon that land.

Then came the era of the Covenant, and that full cup was passed from hand to hand, and the Sun of the Covenant rose up, shedding abroad on the horizon of unity the rays of servitude and thraldom, and lighting up the hearts of humankind. New life was breathed into the body of the world, and into the human soul came a fresh measure of delight. The hearts of the people of Baha rejoiced to hear the glad-tidings from the Abha Kingdom, and the minds of those who had sought shelter under the Tree of holiness were illumined with beams of fidelity and faith. Once again, the loved ones in that region were inebriated with the wine of the Primal Covenant, and in their firmness and steadfastness and loyalty they led the field. They showed forth such constancy as to astonish the mind, and they manifested such power and endurance as to raze the piled-up doubts of the doubters to the ground. Of the poisoned winds of violation there was no trace left in all that land. The hopes of the disaffected were blighted, and the centre of violation clearly witnessed the defeat of all his aims and plans.

It is certain that those who have caught the fragrance blowing from the Abha Paradise, those who have heard the nightingale singing from the immortal gardens and taken delight therein, those who have trembled for joy, and whose souls have been renewed when the breezes of holiness out of the bowers of the All-Merciful were wafted over them -- will find the raven's croaking and cawing a wearisome thing, and can only turn from it and flee away.

(Compilations, Bahiyyih Khanum, p. 150)

arthra

The Baha'i Faith has no clergy, and its affairs are administered by a network of elected lay councils at the international, national and local levels. Baha'i National and Local Spiritual Assemblies are elected each year during the Festival of Ridván, observed from April 20 to May 2 to commemorate the period in 1863 when Baha'u'llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith, publicly proclaimed his mission as God's messenger for this day. This year, Baha'is elected more than 180 National Spiritual Assemblies and more than 11,000 Local Spiritual Assemblies around the world.

Source:

Religion Press Release Service