Celebrating the two hundredth Anniversaries of The Birth of Baha'u'llah and The Bab |
Introduction In 2017 Baha'is around the world will celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the Birth of Baha'u'llah. Then in 2019 they will celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the Birth of the Bab. This journal will contain poems and prose inspired by these two anniversaries. In addition, I will include thoughts and poems inspired by the scriptures revealed by Baha'u'llah and the Bab. Before Naw-Ruz of 2015, the Baha'i or Badi calendar "was synchronized to the Gregorian calendar".1 After Naw-Ruz of 2015, the date of the vernal equinox was established as the birthplace of Baha'u'llah which unlocked the Baha'i calendar from the Gregorian calendar.2 Because of this the dates of the celebrations are now calculated according to the Baha'i/Badi calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar which was the case before Naw-Ruz 2015. Bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh Bicentenary of the Birth of the Bab Remembering 'Abdu'l-Baha Twin Holy Days Celebrated on the fist and second day following the eight new moon after Naw-Ruz The Celebration of the Birth of the Báb occurred on October 21, 2017. The Bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb will occur on October 29, 2019 Born: 1 Muharram 1235 AH - 20 October 1819 The Bicentenary Celebration of the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh occurred on October 22, 2017 The Celebration of the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh will occur on October 30, 2019 Born: 2 Muharram 1233 AH - 12 November 1817 Centenary of the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha More information as 2021 progresses. Links to Articles Articles in the Huffington Post Baha’is Prepare for Bicentennial in 2017 By Shastri Purushotma (December 30, 2016) Baha’is To Celebrate “Twin Holy Days” For First Time Worldwide By Shastri Purushotma (November 5, 2015) 200 Years Since His Birth: Who Is Bahá’u’lláh? by Genevieve Seri (September 9. 2017) Articles in Baha'i Chronicles http://bahaichronicles.org/ Articles in Beyond Foreignness 200 Articles in 200 Days for the 200th Anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Birth by Michael Curtotti The Short Obligatory Prayer Revealed by Bahá'u'lláh "I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting." Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, CLXXXI The Remover of Difficulties Revealed by The Bab "Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants and all abide by His bidding!" Selections from the Writings of the Báb Prayer for America Revealed by 'Abdu'l-Baha "O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad-tidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal." Baha'i Prayers Footnotes |
Heavenly Blessings: To The Bab September 3, 2019 at 6:40pm Heavenly Blessings:
To The Bab
I contemplate
the heavenly blessings.
The first things that come to mind
are His books, tablets, epistles, and
commentaries upon the Qur'an.
Second
us the way the lives
of those who accepted Him
as the Lord of the Age
were transformed.
Before His word
called their soul
from the tomb of self
they were sparrows.
After their resurrection,
they became eagles
proclaiming His Cause
throughout Persia.
{dropnote:"Poet's No... [Read more] The Deathless Youth: To The Bab September 3, 2019 at 7:34pm The Deathless Youth:
To The Bab
Raise your voices in praise and gratitude
for the Deathless Youth--
the Immortal Youth--
has stepped forth
from the invisible
into the visible.
He is none other than,
the Lord of the Age,
the Bab,
and He has come
with a mighty book.
He has come
to open the Gates of Paradise
for the Glory of God.
{dropnote:"Poet's Note:"}This is poem 117 of the 200 I am writing to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Birth of The Bab.
... [Read more] He is Worthy of Praise: To The Bab September 1, 2019 at 5:18pm He is Worthy of Praise:
To The Bab
Raise your voices in praise
to the Blessed Bab.
He was the morning star
rising before the sun.
Sing “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá”{footnote:#}“O Thou Glory of Glories!” ,
Chant "Alláh-u-Abhá”{footnote:#}“God the All-Glorious.” ,
because the Bab prepared the way
for the Glory of God{footnote:#}Baha''u 'llah. .
Proclaim your gratitude,
announce the glorious news
to all humanity
because the day has come
for peac... [Read more] Meditating on Sacred Scriptures: To The Bab September 1, 2019 at 4:17pm Meditating on Sacred Scriptures::
To The Bab
Equanimity and joy,
the Holy Spirit's echoes
flow through English translations
of sacred scriptures revealed
by His Holiness the Bab.
{dropnote:"Poet's Note:"}This is poem 115 of the 200 I am writing to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Birth of The Bab. Line Count: 5
Form: The elements of the mGur are:
1. syllabic, lines are 7 syllables, sometimes more
2. most commonly a pentastich, a poem in 5 lines. Occasionall... [Read more] Benevolent Gifts: To The Bab September 1, 2019 at 2:22pm Benevolent Gifts:
To The Bab
His exquisite penmanship
flows across the page
transforming the Persian and Arabic writing
into works of art,
and inspiring the mystic poet
to write odes of gratitude dedicated
to the living Word of God.
His benevolent gifts
are found in the actions
of the Letters of the Living,
who gave their lives
to proclaim the the Bab
to the people of Persian{footnote:#}Iran .
His gifts
are also inscribed
in tablets and epistles,
that wait to be tra... [Read more] Holy Ground: To House of The Bab August 31, 2019 at 8:53pm Holy Ground:
To House of The Bab
Hate cannot eradicate
a religion
by dismantling
its sacred shrines.
In 1979{footnote:#}{link:https://bahai-library.com/tags/Bab,%20House%20of%20(Shiraz)} ,
the Revolutionary Guard
razed the Bab's house,
even uprooting the orange tree
in the court yard.
They could neither destroy
nor undo
the Bab's Declaration.
The words he wrote
and the prayers he revealed
left their impressions
upon the atoms
that compose
the planet itsel... [Read more] Spirit of Oneness: To The Bab August 30, 2019 at 12:55pm Spirit of Oneness:
To The Bab
Unity gains momentum,
as one heart at a time
the joyous news is spread
about the dawning light of the Bab,
and the renewal of religion.
{dropnote:"Poet's Note:"}This is poem 112 of the 200 I am writing to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Birth of The Bab.
... [Read more] Steadfastness: To The Bab's Orange Tree August 31, 2019 at 9:49pm Steadfastness:
To The Bab's Orange Tree{footnote:#}In 1979 the Revolutionary Guard destroyed the house of the Bab and uprooted the orange tree.
Before its destruction,
pilgrimages from across the planet
visited this courtyard.
They paused
at the orange tree,
picked an orange,
consumed its sweet essence,
and put the seeds
in their pockets or purses.
Now
seed by seed
its descendants
teach the faith,
and proclaim
the Birth of the Bab.
{dropnote:"Poet's N... [Read more] Nightingale of Heaven: To The Bab August 30, 2019 at 4:49pm Nightingale of Heaven:
To The Bab
O Nightingale of heaven! Warble upon the boughs of this celestial garden in the name of the Beloved, for the beauty of the Rose hath appeared from behind an impenetrable veil. Praise be to Thee, O Thou Who art "He", O Thou besides Whom there is none other but "He"!
Baha'u'llah{footnote:#}from a Table revealed in honor of the Declaration of the Bab
The Nightingale of Paradise
sings in the Tree of Life
His sweet me... [Read more] Divine Unity: To The Bab August 30, 2019 at 1:10pm Divine Unity:
To The Bab
"In the time of the First Manifestation the Primal Will appeared in Adam; in the day of Noah It became known in Noah; in the day of Abraham in Him; and so in the day of Moses; the day of Jesus; the day of Muhammad, the Apostle of God; the day of the ‘Point of the Bayan’ [the Báb]; the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest [Bahá’u’lláh]; and the day of the One Who will appear after Him Whom God shall make manifest. Hence the inner meaning of t... [Read more] The Names of the Dead: To The Bab August 28, 2019 at 5:27pm The Names of the Dead{footnote:#}The names in this poem are only a few of the Babi martyrs who gave their lives the proclaim the good news of the Bab. :
To The Bab
Let us recite the names of the dead,
Martyrs will not be silenced,
Their voices descend from the Abha paradise,
Giving us encouragement and strength.
Mullá Husayn
Siyyid Yahyá-i-Dárábí (Vahíd)
Mullá Muhammad Alíy-i-Zanjání (Hujjat)
Mullá 'Alíy-i-Bastámí
Mullá Sa'íd-i-Bárfurúshí
Mullá ... [Read more] Breathless: To The Bab August 28, 2019 at 1:20pm Breathless:
To The Bab
Breathless,
I let the Holy Spirit's echoes flow
through my mind
and penetrate my soul,
as I intone the prayers by the Bab,
{dropnote:"Poet's Note:"}This is poem 107 of the 200 I am writing to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Birth of The Bab.
... [Read more] The Face of God: To The Bab August 28, 2019 at 5:37pm The Face of God:
To The Bab
In the face of the divine Manifestations
we see the face of the Almighty.
God--
unknowable essence,
divine spirit,
creator of the universe--
is not incarnated in human form
but Manifested through the perfect human form.
Ali Muhammad,
the Bab,
the Primal Point,
one of those who
revealed the face of God
to humanity.
{dropnote:"Poet's Note:"}This is poem 106 of the 200 I am writing to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Birth of Th... [Read more] They Paid for Their Faith with Their Lives: To The Bab August 28, 2019 at 2:53pm They Paid for Their Faith with Their Lives:
To The Bab
Men and women,
young and old,
fathers and sons,
mothers and daughters
their only crime
was obedience
to the Lord of the Age;
they accepted The Bab
as the Qa'im
and they paid for their faith with their lives.
{dropnote:"Poet's Note:"}This is poem 105 of the 200 I am writing to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Birth of The Bab.
... [Read more] In the Heart of the Mountain: To The Bab August 24, 2019 at 11:15am In the Heart of the Mounatin:
To The Bab
His mellifluous voice
resounded through
the heart of Máh-Kú{footnote:#}The Bab was imprisoned in this mountain fortress in 1847 and 1848. ,
as He revealed
the Persian Bayan{footnote:#}This is the Bab's book of laws. .
{dropnote:"Poet's Note:"}This is poem 104 of the 200 I am writing to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Birth of The Bab. See .
... [Read more] Progressive Revelation: To The Bab August 24, 2019 at 3:33pm Progressive Revelation:
To The Bab
The surging ocean
of divine guidance flowed through
the pen of the Bab.
The flowing waters
of God's ancient covenant
nourishes the tree of divine unity.
The Holy Spirit reflects
through the Manifestations
of Divine attributes
and unifies
the religion of God.
{dropnote:"Poet's Note:"}This is poem 103 of the 200 I am writing to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Birth of The Bab.
... [Read more] Divine Elixir: To The Bab August 23, 2019 at 2:40pm Divine Elixir:
To The Bab
"Indeed God hath created everywhere around this Gate oceans of divine elixir, tinged crimson with the essence of existence and vitalized through the animating power of the desired fruit;..."
The Bab{footnote:#} Selections from the Writings of the Bab , 2. Excerpts from the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’ "By My glory!"
Word by word
I sip the elixir of unity
and equality
Sentence by sentence
I consume the fruit of oneness
and solidar... [Read more] Prepairing to Celebrate the Bicentenary of the Bab's Birth August 23, 2019 at 2:07pm Preparing to Celebrate the Bicentenary
of the Bab's Birth
{xlink:https://news.bahai.org/story/1345/}Preparations gain momentum worldwide for bicentenary
Across the planet
Baha'i communities prepare
to celebrate the Bicentenary of the birth of the Bab.
In every nation,
where they are free
to practice their faith,
Baha'is are in the process
of planning the celebration
through art,
community service projects,
film,
and television program.
In unity
the B... [Read more] The Tongues of Poets: To The Bab August 22, 2019 at 6:09pm The Tongues of Poets:
To The Bab
"Treasures lie hidden beneath the throne of God;
the key to those treasures is the tongue of poets."
The Bab
Odes
to the All-Glorious Beloved,
to Almighty
by what ever name the Creator is known,
or to the Mirrors reflecting the attributes of God.
Stanza and line
revealing in simile and metaphor
the treasures
that rest beneath the dais
of the Creator.
The pen--
the tongue of the poet--
writes the words
descending from t... [Read more] Zaynab - Heroine of The Fort of Ali-Mardan Khan: To The Bab August 22, 2019 at 5:45pm Zaynab - Heroine of The Fort of Ali-Mardan Khan:
To The Bab
Shouting “Ya Sahibu’z-Zaman!”{footnote:#}"O Lord of the Age". ,
Zaynab--
dressed as a man--
accompanied her fellow Babis into battler.
Fighting along side the men,
she helped protect the inhabitants
of Fort of Ali-Mardan Khan for six months,
before being killed in battle.
In battle,
she exemplified the bravery
of the Babis
in their attempts to survive
the persecution
of the government and clergy.... [Read more] Divine Unity: To The Bab August 22, 2019 at 2:30pm Divine Unity:
To The Bab
One creative spiritual essence,
unknowable,
without beginning or ending,
without descent into matter
or ascent from it,
has not father
and does not reproduce offspring.
One unknowable creative spiritual essence,
humanity calls God,
Jehovah,
Allah,
the Great Spirit,
etc.
One Creator
brought the universe
with its numerous stars
and planets into existence.
The Almighty Creator
manifest divine attributes
through the mirrors
of Divine Manif... [Read more] I Am That Qa'im: To The Bab August 20, 2019 at 8:06pm I Am That Qa'im:
To The Bab
"I AM THAT QÁ'ÍM WHOSE ADVENT YOU HAVE BEEN AWAITING."
"I AM THAT QÁ'ÍM WHOSE ADVENT YOU HAVE BEEN AWAITING."
"I AM THAT QÁ'ÍM WHOSE ADVENT YOU HAVE BEEN AWAITING."
Call to Remembrance , pages 29-30.
I read about the Bab's pilgrimage to Mecca,
and the moment He grabbed ring
to the Ka'bih's door
and three times proclaimed:
"I am that Qa'im whose advent you have been awa... [Read more] The Eastern Gate: To The Bab August 20, 2019 at 6:34pm The Eastern Gate:
To The Bab
"1. Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
2. And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
3. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Che... [Read more] Consider the Words of Every Soul: To The Bab August 19, 2019 at 8:02pm Consider the Words of Every Soul:
To The Bab
"Take heed to carefully consider the words of every soul, then hold fast to the proofs which attest the truth. If ye fail to discover truth in a person’s words, make them not the object of contention, inasmuch as ye have been forbidden in the Bayán to enter into idle disputation and controversy, that perchance on the Day of Resurrection ye may not engage in argumentation, and dispute with Him Whom God shall make manifest."
Th... [Read more] Paradise and The Day of Resurrection: To The Bab August 18, 2019 at 3:00pm Paradise and The Day of Resurrection:
To The Bab
"There is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers in the Divine Unity, more exalted than to obey God’s commandments, and there is no fire in the eyes of those who have known God and His signs, fiercer than to transgress His laws and to oppress another soul, even to the extent of a mustard seed. On the Day of Resurrection God will, in truth, judge all men, and we all verily plead for His grace."
The Báb{footnote:#}... [Read more] |