Rising Place of Rememberance

Mashriqu'l-Adhkar means 'rising place of rememberance', where 'rising place' has connotations of the East and thus of the dawn, and 'remembrance' connotes dhikr and more broadly acts of worship which change our consciousness and being. So the same word is applied appropriately to the radiant heart, the physical building, and meetings for worship, particularly at dawn. Many western communities try in a disultory manner to organize dawn prayers, but few seem able to carry it through consistently. 

From the experience in our own community (South Limburg) it appears that it is difficult to sustain the dawn prayers as simply one activity among all those worthy activities that go with 'being Bahá'í', and that it becomes rather easier when they are understood as one form of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar and thus as a response to the Aqdas' command:
 "Build ye houses of worship throughout the lands in the name of Him Who is the Lord of all religions" and an integral part - in fact, the central part - of the whole structure of the community. Various kinds of Mashriq meeting are possible: community meetings for prayers and meditation, more experimental liturgies with chanting and the recitation of dhikr, 'firesides' which consist primarily of meditation and chanting and include the answering of questions as these arise, dawn prayers and after-work moments of silence, short lunchtime meetings to say the shorter obligatory prayer and share a smile and some fellowship, longer evening gatherings for the heavy meditation and the long obligatory prayer (see Jackson's book, and also a tablet of Abdu'l-Bahá to the Spiritual Assembly of Bushruyih in Ganjinih Hudud va Ahkam p. 230), 

The meetings of orders of Bahá'í dervishes using particular devotional arts (Memorials of the Faithful p. 38), or meetings for particular liturgical forms (Gregorian morning song, Vespers with 3-part harmony, Arabic chanting, African drumming). Each of these can be called a 'rising place' for praise and thus a Mashriqul-Adhkar, though perhaps the daily morning prayers have a particular priority in relation to the way in which the inspiration derived in the Mashriq is expressed in action during the day (God Passes By, pp. 339-340) and because they are specifically endorsed by Bahá'u'lláh in the Aqdas para 11 5:

The Immortal Heroine

Marion Jack, "immortal heroine," "shining example to pioneers," passed from this life on March 25, 1954, in Sofia, Bulgaria, where she had been living for twenty-four years as a pioneer of the Baha'i Faith. Her remains are buried in the British cemetery there. The Guardian's tribute, expressed in his cablegram of March 29, attests the high station which this "triumphant soul" has attained.

Marion Jack's services in the Baha'i Faith began early in the new century. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, on December 1, 1866, of a prominent family, she received much of her education in England and particularly in France, where she studied art. Landscape painting was her special field. Some of her paintings are preserved in the Holy Land at the World Center of the Faith.

She first learned of the Faith at a social gathering during her student days in Paris. Second guardian, Charles Mason Remey writes of this first introduction :
"My first remembrance of Marion Jack was when we were students in the Latin Quarter in Paris. She was studying painting, I, architecture, and I used to see her in the 'Quarter' along the boulevard on Mont Parnasse. In the Quarter lived a Mme. Philippe who kept a Pension where a number of girl students lived. Mme. Philippe gave dancing parties at infrequent intervals. It was at one of these affairs, a fancy dress dance, that I met Marion. She was dressed in a fiery red costume that she had made herself of crinkled tissue paper topped off by an enormous 'Merry Widow' hat decorated with large yellow paper flowers . . . It was as we danced and sat out between dances that I told Marion of the Baha'I Faith. She was, as many were in those early days, afire with the Faith then and there, all at once. Marion met the Baha'is, came to meetings in my studio and elsewhere, and that was the beginning of her belief." Source

Guardian of the Cause of God

O ye the faithful loved ones of ‘Abdu’l-Baha! It is incumbent upon you to take the greatest care of Shoghi Effendi, the twig that hath branched from and the fruit given forth by the two hallowed and Divine Lote-Trees, that no dust of despondency and sorrow may stain his radiant nature, that day by day he may wax greater in happiness, in joy and spirituality, and may grow to become even as a fruitful tree.

For he is, after ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the Guardian of the Cause of God, the Afnan, the Hands (pillars) of the Cause and the beloved of the Lord must obey him and turn unto him. He that obeyeth him not, hath not obeyed God; he that turneth away from him, hath turned away from God and he that denieth him, hath denied the True One. Beware lest anyone falsely interpret these words, and like unto them that have broken the Covenant after the Day of Ascension (of Baha’u’llah) advance a pretext, raise the standard of revolt, wax stubborn and open wide the door of false interpretation. To none is given the right to put forth his own opinion or express his particular conviction. All must seek guidance and turn unto the Center of the Cause and the House of Justice. And he that turneth unto whatsoever else is indeed in grievous error.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Will and Testament of `Abdu’l-Bahá, paragraph 54-55

Signet Ring of Abdul Baha

Signet Ring of the Bab

One of those ‘unspiritual people’ was at that moment a member of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s party, Dr. Amin Fareed, who had already tried to fraudulently get money out of her [Phoebe Hearst]. It was probably during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s stay at the Hearst residence that His signet ring disappeared. That theft and some of other activities of Dr. Fareed were described by Marzieh Gail in her book, “Arches of the Years": 

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s signet ring disappeared during his Western journey. The Master had confided His loss to Florence and Khan, and named the thief but He did not wish them to speak of it. We in the family always thought that it took place during his stay at the Hacienda … Thereafter the Master signed all his tablets instead of using a seal, capitalizing neither abdu’l nor abbas but only Bahá.

Fareed’s efforts to destroy the Master (who had seen to his education from childhood) make a page of triple darkness … Fareed was capable of whispering to the rich in the United States that although ‘Abdu’l-Bahá needed funds He would not openly accept them, but if they would pass over the money to him, Fareed, he would deliver it to the Master … After returning to the Holy Land ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent Dr. Baghdadi a Tablet, and directed that copies be distributed to every community so that all could read it. 

The Master wrote here that during His stay in America He had forgiven a certain member of His suite four times, but that He would forgive the man’s misdeeds no longer. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned to Haifa, He proceeded directly to the room with 
His wife, Munirih Khanum, and said in a feeble voice, “Dr. Fareed has ground me down!”

(Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 228)

Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum

Nee Mary Maxwell (1910-2000), also called Ruhyyih Rabbani; daughter of May Bolles Maxwell and Sutherland Maxwell of Montreal, Canada, and wife of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith. She served as the Guardian's secretary during his lifetime. 

On 26 March 1952, succeeding her illustrious father, she was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God residing in the Holy Land. Ruhiyyih (meaning "spiritual") is a name given to her by Shoghl Effendi on their marriage. Khanum is a Persian title meaning "lady," "Madame," or "Mrs." The title Amatu’l-Baha (meaning "Maidservant of Bahá”) was used by the Guardian in a cable to a conference in Chicago in 1953. 

Rabbani is a surname given to Shoghi Effendi by 'Abdu'l-Baha After Shoghi Effendi's passing in 1957, she traveled extensively to teach the Baha'i Faith, consolidate Baha'i communities, and serve as a representative of the Universal House of Justice at major events.

Mizra Muhammad-Ali, the Arch-Breaker of the Covenant

[The] arch-breaker of the Covenant of Bahá’u'lláh is Mirza Muhammad-’Ali, the eldest son of Bahá’u'lláh’s second wife Mahd-i-’Ulya. He was born in Baghdad in the first year of Bahá’u'lláh’s arrival there. From the early days of his youth, he found that he could not rise to the level of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was nine years his senior. He lacked those spiritual qualities which distinguished his eldest brother, who became known as the Master from the early days in Baghdad.

The most essential prerequisites for the spiritual survival of all those who were close to Bahá’u'lláh were humility, self-effacement and utter nothingness in His presence. If these qualities were missing in an individual, he would be in great danger of spiritual downfall and eventual extinction.

While ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Greatest Holy Leaf, the Purest Branch, and their illustrious mother were all embodiments of servitude and selflessness, Muhammad-’Ali, his brothers and sister, together with their mother, were the opposite. Although the latter group were all sheltered beneath Bahá’u'lláh’s protection, and flourished through the outpouring of His favours, in reality they were the victims of selfish desires and worldly ambitions. During Bahá’u'lláh’s lifetime they were subdued by His authority and kept under control through His admonitions. At the same time, Mirza Muhammad-’Ali and his brothers were the recipients of a great many favours from the believers who, because of their love for Bahá’u'lláh, honoured and revered them too. Thus these three sons acquired an undeserved prestige and basked in the sunshine of their Father’s glory and majesty.

Inwardly, Mirza Muhammad-’Ali was a faithless person, and he led his two younger brothers in the same direction. But outwardly he utilized the power of the Faith and the resources of the community to bolster up his own image in the eyes of the followers of Bahá’u'lláh. He emerged as an important person in the service of his Father by transcribing some of His Tablets and by the use of calligraphy of which he was a master. From the days of his youth he entertained the ambition to occupy a position of eminence within the Faith, a position similar to that of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who, from early on, had distinguished Himself among the entire family.

In Muhammad-’Ali’s childhood Bahá’u'lláh conferred upon him the power of utterance, and this became obvious as he grew up. But instead of utilizing this gift to promote the Cause of God, he embarked on a career which hastened his downfall. When he was in his early teens in Adrianople, he composed a series of passages in Arabic and without Bahá’u'lláh’s permission disseminated them among some of the Persian Bahá’ís, introducing them as verses of God which, he claimed, were revealed to him. He intimated to the believers that he was a partner with Bahá’u'lláh in divine Revelation. Several believers in Qazvin were influenced by him and drawn to him.

…In his writings, which are of considerable length, the teen-age Muhammad-’Ali refers to himself, among other things, as ‘the King of the spirit’, calls on the believers to ‘hear the voice of him who has been manifested to man’, admonishes those who deny his verses revealed in his childhood, declares his revelation to be ‘the greatest of God’s revelations’, asserts that ‘all have been created through a word from him’, considers himself to be ‘the greatest divine luminary before whose radiance all other suns pale into insignificance’, and proclaims himself to be ‘the sovereign ruler of all who are in heaven and on earth’.

Such preposterous claims, such a display of personal ambition, evoked the wrath of Bahá’u'lláh, who rebuked him vehemently and chastised him with His own hands.”

Adib Taherzadeh, The Covenant of Baha’u'llah, p. 125

Paris Talks - 1

Addresses Given by ‘Abdu’l Bahá in 1911

Table of Contents:
                           Part - 1

1.The Duty of Kindness and Sympathy towards Strangers and Foreigners
2.The Power and Value of True Thought Depend upon Its Manifestation in Action
3.God Is the Great Compassionate Physician Who Alone Gives True Healing
4.The Need for Union between the Peoples of the East and West
5.God Comprehends All; He Cannot Be Comprehended
6.The Pitiful Causes of War, and the Duty of Everyone to Strive for Peace
7.The Sun of Truth
8.The Light of Truth Is Now Shining upon the East and the West
9.The Universal Love
10.The Imprisonment of ‘Abdu’lBahá
11.God’s Greatest Gift to Man
12.The Clouds That Obscure the Sun of Truth
13.Religious Prejudices
14.The Benefits of God to Man
15.Beauty and Harmony in Diversity
16.The True Meaning of the Prophecies Concerning the Coming of Christ
17.The Holy Spirit, the Intermediary Power between God and Man
18.The Two Natures in Man
19.Material and Spiritual Progress
20.The Evolution of Matter and Development of the Soul
21.The Spiritual Meetings in Paris
22.The Two Kinds of Light
23.Spiritual Aspiration in the West
24.Lecture Given at a Studio in Paris
25.Bahá’u’lláh
26.Good Ideas Must Be Carried into Action
27.The True Meaning of Baptism by Water and Fire
28.Discourse at “l’Alliance Spiritualiste”
29.The Evolution of the Spirit
30.The Desires and Prayers of ‘Abdu’lBahá
31.Concerning Body, Soul and Spirit
32.The Bahá’ís Must Work with Heart and Soul to Bring About a Better Condition in the World
33.On Calumny
34.There Can Be No True Happiness and Progress without Spirituality
35.Pain and Sorrow
36.The Perfect Human Sentiments and Virtues
37.The Cruel Indifference of People towards the Suffering of Foreign Races
38.We Must Not Be Discouraged by the Smallness of Our Numbers

39.Words Spoken by ‘Abdu’lBahá in Pastor Wagner’s Church (Foyer de l’Ame) in Paris

Ocean Of The Covenant

From the early days of creation down to the present time, throughout all the divine dispensations, such a firm and explicit Covenant hath not been entered upon. 

In view of this fact is it possible for this foam to remain on the surface of the ocean of the Covenant? No, by God! The violators are trampling upon their own dignity, are uprooting their own foundations and are proud at being upheld by flatterers who exert a great effort to shake the faith of feeble souls. 

But this action of theirs is of no consequence; it is a mirage and not water, foam and not the sea, mist and not a cloud, illusion and not reality. 

All this ye shall soon see.                                            Abdul Baha

Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 210-11

The Promised Day

ABBÁS EFFENDI - Splash Info

`ABBÁS EFFENDI (A.H. 1260–1340 [1844–1921 C.E.]): Known as `Abdu'l-Bahá, he is the eldest son of Mírzá Husayn-`Alí Núrí, known as Bahá'u'lláh. The birth of `Abdu'l-Bahá took place on the night of the fifth of Jamádíyu'l-Avval of the year A.H. 1260, corresponding to 1844 C.E., in the Arab neighborhood of Tehran in the personal residence of Bahá'u'lláh.[5] His mother was the first wife of Bahá'u'lláh, known as Navvábih and titled Ummu'l-Ká'inát; `Abbás Effendi himself was styled the Most Great Branch.

From his first wife, namely, Navvábih, another son was also born to Bahá'u'lláh, named Mírzá Mihdí and designated the Purest Branch. He passed away in Acre during the lifetime of his Father, Bahá'u'lláh, in A.H. 1286 [1870 C.E.] at the age of nineteen.[6]
The second wife of Bahá'u'lláh, who was known or titled Mahd-`Ulyá, bore Bahá'u'lláh three sons: first, Mírzá Muhammad-`Alí, titled the Greater Branch; second, Mírzá Badí`u'lláh; and third, Mírzá Ḑíyá'u'lláh.[7] After the passing of their father, a fierce disagreement took place among these three brothers and their fourth brother, `Abbás Effendi, over the matter of successorship. The followers of `Abbás Effendi were called Thábitín [the steadfast] and the partisans of the other three brothers Náqiḍín [the Covenant-breakers].

The third wife of Bahá'u'lláh, known as Gawhar Khánum, was commonly referred to as the Haram-i-Káshí [the Káshí wife]. She bore Bahá'u'lláh a daughter named Furúghíyyih.
In mid-1908, when a revolt took place in the Ottoman Empire and Sultan `Abdu'l-Hamíd was dismissed from the throne, all prisoners and exiles other than common-law criminals were freed, including `Abbás Effendi, who during Ramaḍán A.H. 1328 (1910 C.E.) left the city of Acre and began traveling to various parts [of the world]. He first went to Egypt, from there to Switzerland, and thence to London and Paris, returning to Egypt. From there, at the beginning of the year 1912 C.E., he journeyed to North America, arriving in New York in the middle of the year. After traveling and speaking in many North American cities, he returned at the end of that same year to Europe, arriving on 14 December in Liverpool. From there, in 1913, he traveled to many other European countries, including Germany, Austria, and Hungary, and by the middle of the year returned to Egypt and from there went to Haifa. From that date forward he selected Haifa as opposed to Acre as his headquarters. In sum, the travels of `Abdu'l-Bahá, which began at Ramadán A.H. 1329 [1911 C.E.] when he first went from Palestine to Egypt and then to Europe and America, until Muharram A.H. 1332 [December 1913 C.E.] when he returned to Palestine took a total of two years, three months, and some days. The passing of `Abbás Effendi took place in Haifa on 27 Rabi`u'l-Avval A.H. 1340, corresponding to 28 November 1921 C.E., at the age of seventy-eight according to solar reckoning and eighty based on lunar years. He was interred next to the resting place of the Báb on Mount Carmel overlooking the city of Haifa.[8]

After the passing of `Abbás Effendi — as both his sons had passed away in childhood, and he was not survived by a male descendant — his successor in leading the Bahá'ís in accordance with his own Will and Testament was a grandson, Shoghi Effendi, a son of Ḑiyá'íyyih Khánum, daughter of `Abdu'l-Bahá and the wife of Áqá Mírzá Hádí, son of Áqá Siyyid Husayn, the son of Hájí Mírzá `Abu'l-Qásim (who was a brother-in-law of the Báb). Shoghi Effendi was a graduate of Oxford University in England.[9] He was born in A.H. 1314 [1897 C.E.]. At the time of `Abdu'l-Bahá's passing he was still at Oxford. His family urgently requested him to return at once to Haifa, but due to distance he arrived a month after `Abdu'l-Bahá's passing. Therefore, if we have correctly recorded the date of his birth, at present — that is, Esfand of 1327 Sh. [Islamic solar year; March 1949], he must be fifty-four years old [fifty-two solar years]. source