Sojourn in Baghdád

A twenty-year-old Faith had just begun to recover from a series of successive blows when a crisis of the first magnitude overtook it and shook it to its roots. Neither the tragic martyrdom of the Báb nor the ignominious attempt on the life of the sovereign, nor its bloody aftermath, nor Bahá'u'lláh's humiliating banishment from His native land, nor even His two-year withdrawal to Kurdistán, devastating though they were in their consequences, could compare in gravity with this first major internal convulsion which seized a newly rearisen community, and which threatened to cause an irreparable breach in the ranks of its members. 
More odious than the unrelenting hostility which Abú-Jahl, the uncle of Muhammad, had exhibited, more shameful than the betrayal of Jesus Christ by His disciple, Judas Iscariot, more perfidious than the conduct of the sons of Jacob towards Joseph their brother, more abhorrent than the deed committed by one of the sons of Noah, more infamous than even the criminal act perpetrated by Cain against Abel, the monstrous behavior of Mírzá Yahyá, one of the half-brothers of Bahá'u'lláh, the nominee of the Báb, and recognized chief of the Bábí community, brought in its wake a period of travail which left its mark on the fortunes of the Faith for no less than half a century. 
This supreme crisis Bahá'u'lláh Himself designated as the AyyÁM-i-Shidád (Days of Stress), during which "the most grievous veil" was torn asunder, and the "most great separation" was irrevocably effected. It immensely gratified and emboldened its external enemies, both civil and ecclesiastical, played into their hands, and evoked their unconcealed derision. It perplexed and confused the friends and supporters of Bahá'u'lláh, and seriously damaged the prestige of the Faith in the eyes of its western admirers. 
It had been brewing ever since the early days of Bahá'u'lláh's sojourn in Baghdád, was temporarily suppressed by the creative forces which, under His as yet unproclaimed leadership, reanimated a disintegrating community, and finally broke out, in all its violence, in the years immediately preceding the proclamation of His Message. It brought incalculable sorrow to Bahá'u'lláh, (Source)

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.

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

Dawn Prayer

O' my God and my Master!  I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant.  I have risen from my couch at this dawntide when the Daystar of Thy oneness hath shone forth from the Dayspring of Thy will, and hath shed its radiance upon the whole world, according to what had been ordained in the Books of Thy Decree.

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, that we have wakened to the splendors of the light of Thy knowledge.  Send down, then, upon us, O my Lord, what will enable us to dispense with anyone but Thee, and will rid us of all attachment to aught except Thyself.  Write down, moreover, for me, and for such as are dear to me, and for my kindred, man and woman alike, the good of this world and the world to come.  Keep us safe, then, through Thine unfailing protection, O Thou the Beloved of the entire creation and the Desire of the whole universe, from them whom Thou hast made to be the manifestations of the Evil Whisperer, who whisper in men's breasts.  Potent art Thou to do Thy pleasure.  Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Bless Thou, O Lord my God, Him Whom Thou hast set over Thy most excellent Titles, and through Whom Thou hast divided between the godly and the wicked, and graciously aid us to do what Thou lovest and desirest.  Bless Thou, moreover, O my God, them Who are Thy Words and Thy Letters, and them who have set their faces towards Thee, and turned unto Thy face, and hearkened to Thy Call.

Thou art, truly, the Lord and King of all men, and art potent over all things.

What is a Greater Joy?

The life of animals is more simple than that of man. Animals have all their needs supplied for them. All the grasses of the meadows are free to them. The birds build their nests in the branching trees and the palaces of kings are not so beautiful. If earthly needs are all then the animals are better supplied than man. But man has another food, the heavenly manna of the knowledge of God. All the divine prophets and Manifestations appeared in the world that this heavenly manna, might be given to man. This is the food which fosters spiritual growth and strength and causes pure illumination in the souls of men. They become filled with the breaths of the Holy Spirit. They increase in the knowledge of God and in those virtues which belong to the world of humanity. They attain to the very image and likeness of God.

What greater joy is there than this? When they invoke God’s favour at the divine threshold their minds become open, they enter into spiritual pleasures and make discoveries. By this they enjoy ecstasies of the Spirit and see the world illumined. They are filled with insight. They become fully attuned to the bounties of God and see them face to face, acquiring in themselves the virtues of the Manifestations. – 

(Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, Volume 4, p. 160.)

Solution Through the Use of Prayers

The below five steps were suggested by the beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi to a believer as a means of finding a solution through the use of prayer.

This statement belongs to the category of statements known as “pilgrims notes”, and as such has no authority, but since it seems to be particularly helpful and clear it was felt that believers should not be deprived of it.

1st Step: Pray and meditate about it. Use the prayers of the Manifestations as they have the greatest power. Then remain in the silence of contemplation for a few minutes.

2nd Step: Arrive at a decision and hold this. This decision is usually born during the contemplation. It may seem almost impossible of accomplishment but if it seems to be as answer to a prayer or a way of solving the problem, then immediately take the next step.

3rd Step: Have determination to carry the decision through. Many fail here. The decision, budding into determination, is blighted and instead becomes a wish or a vague longing. When determination is born, immediately take the next step.

4th Step: Have faith and confidence that the power will flow through you, the right way will appear, the door will open, the right thought, the right message, the right principle, or the right book will be given to you. Have confidence and the right thing will come to your need. Then, as you rise

from prayer, take at once the 5th step.

5th Step: Act as though it had all been answered. Then act with tireless, ceaseless energy. And as you act, you, yourself, will become a magnet, which will attract more power to your being, until you become an unobstructed channel for the Divine power to flow through you.

Many pray but do not remain for the last half of the first step. Some who meditate arrive at a decision, but fail to hold it. Few have the determination to carry the decision through, still fewer have the confidence that the right thing will come to their need.

But how many remember to act as though it had all been answered? How true are these words “Greater than the prayer is the spirit in which it is uttered” and greater than the way it is uttered is the spirit in which it is carried out.

Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahá’í Administration, p. 91.

Source

Amazing Way to Teach

Is this the way to teach the Baha'i Faith?

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The Twin Pillars of Baha'i Faith

The Time Hath Come

O ye peoples of the Kingdom! How many a soul expended all its span of life in worship, endured the mortification of the flesh, longed to gain an
entry into the Kingdom, and yet failed, while ye, with neither toil nor pain nor self-denial, have won the prize and entered in.

It is even as in the time of the Messiah, when the Pharisees and the pious were left without a portion, while Peter, John and Andrew, given neither
to pious worship nor ascetic practice, won the day. Wherefore, thank ye God for setting upon your heads the crown of glory everlasting, for
granting unto you this immeasurable grace.

The time hath come when, as a thank-offering for this bestowal, ye should grow in faith and constancy as day followeth day, and should draw ever
nearer to the Lord, your God, becoming magnetized to such a degree, and so aflame, that your holy melodies in praise of the Beloved will reach upward
to the Company on high; and that each one of you, even as a nightingale in this rose garden of God, will glorify the Lord of Hosts, and become the
teacher of all who dwell on earth.

Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Center of the Covenant

November 28: Anniversary of the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá

Third Guardian of the Bahá’i Faith Ascended to the Abha Kingdom

Joel Bray Marangella
September 22, 1918 – September 1, 2013

Joel Bray Marangella, Guardian of the Bahá’i Faith, passed away on Monday, September 1, 2013 at his home in San Diego, California. He dedicated his labors during his Ministry to the Victory of the “Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh” and its divinely conceived, sacred and immortal “Child” and immutable “Charter”.

A celebration of his life’s service held at 10:30 A.M, Friday, September 6, 2013 at the North Chapel at Point Loma in San Diego, California.

Joel Bray Marangella was born on September 22, 1918 in Lynn, Massachusetts to Phillip and Edith (Gurthrie) Marangella.

In September 1945, he married the former Irene Maria Aducat in West Englewood, New Jersey.

Joel Bray Marangella was a WWII veteran, where is served in the European Theatre with distinction receiving two Bronze stars. Retiring from active duty at the rank of full Colonel, Joel Bray Marangella continued to serve as a Department of the Army civilian until 1972.

Joel Bray Marangella was also the leader, ‘the Guardian’, of the Orthodox Bahá’i Faith with a ministry spanning over 44 years. His dedicated service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh spanned over 80 years since his early declaration as a Bahá’i at the age of 15.

He and Irene lived in France for over 18 years before moving permanently to their vacation home in Ringgenberg, in the heart of the Swiss Bernese Oberland, overlooking the Lake of Brienze.

His periodic visits to the U.S. allowed him to obtain an advanced degree (MBA) from Florida International University in 1976.

A chance visit to Australia in the winter of 1983 convinced Joel and Irene that Perth, Australia was to be their new home where they lived for 30 years. During this period Joel Bray Marangella perfected his golf game and became the oldest continuous playing member of the famous Joondalup Golf Club at the age of 90.

At the age of 91, Joel again convinced Irene that they should finally return to the United States, and they left Australia and joined their son Paul and his wife Georgia in California.

Joel Bray Marangella is survived by his three sons, Paul Maxwell Marangella and his wife Georgia of San Diego, California; Mark Vali Marangella and his wife Christine of Ashburn, Virginia; and Joel Jani Marangella of Perth, Australia; three grandchildren, Mason, Adam, and Phillip Marangella and two great grandchildren, Noah and Leila Marangella.

He appointed his successor as the Fourth Guardian of Baha’i Faith to Mr. Nosrat’u’llah Bahremand as per the “Will and Testament” of Master Abdu’l Baha:

“O ye beloved of the Lord! It is incumbent upon the guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own life-time him (guardian) that shall become his successor, that differences may not arise after his passing.” (Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha, page 12)

Compiled by Dr. A. Parikh from the writing the Hand of Cause of God Mr. Jeffrey Goldberg.