The National Bahai Council of Orthodox Baha'is of India congratulate to all the Baha'is on the Day of God, the Naw-Ruz.
All religions and nations celebrate a new year determined by their leaders and guides due to an auspicious or momentous significance. The Day of Naw Ruz has been itself described as the Day of God in Kitab-i-Aqdas. We thence turn ourselves unto Him on His own day in hope of Guidance unto Him seeking the path through His words:
Those words uttered by the Luminaries of Truth must needs be pondered, and should their significance be not grasped, enlightenment should be sought from the Trustees of the depositories of Knowledge… (Kitab-i-Iqan)
Indeed then, the secret of true nearness unto Him is the nearness unto the Trustees. So, we renew our pledge on this day (March 21) to be obedient, submissive and subordinate to the Trustee of the depositories of Knowledge - living Guardian of the Cause of God, Joel Bray Marangella, in faithful conformity with the following commands of the Master, Abdu'l Baha, in His Will and Testament: "The Mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the guardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon the members of House of Justice, upon all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissuveness and subordination unto the guardian of the Cause of God to turn unto him and be lowly before him." (Will and Testament - 12).
Heartiest greetings of Naw Ruz to all the Baha’i friends throughout the world
"Consider at all times the sovereignty exercised by the Ideal King, and behold the evidences of His power and paramount influence.
Sanctify your ears from the idle talk of them that are the symbols of denial and the exponents of violence and anger. The hour is approaching when ye will witness the power of the one true God triumphing over all created things and the signs of His sovereignty encompassing all creation. On that day ye will discover how all else besides Him will have been forgotten and come to be regarded as utter nothingness.
It should, however, be borne in mind that God and His Manifestation can, under no circumstances, be dissociated from the loftiness and sublimity which They inherently possess. Nay, loftiness and sublimity
are themselves the creations of His Word, if ye choose to see with My sight not with yours.
(-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 72 - 73)
I entreat Thee, O my Lord, by these days and by all such as have during that period clung to the cord of Thy commandments, and laid hold on the handle of Thy precepts, to grant that unto every soul may be assigned a place within the precincts of Thy court, and a seat at the revelation of the splendors of the light of Thy countenance.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of France
only recognized the authority of the living Guardian of the Faith
Alarmed
by the decision taken by the NSA of France, a telegram was received from the
Hands of the Faith in Haifa, announcing the visit of then Hand of the Cause
'Abu'l-Qasin Faizi. The President was informed of this by telephone and with
his consent; the secretary convened an extraordinary meeting [of the NSA] for
Saturday, the 7th of May 1960 at 1400 hours. At almost the same moment, each
member of the NSA of France received a telegram from Mr. Barafroukhteh, who, on his own authority and for his own
purpose,
was convening a meeting at the same time (to receive Mr. Faizi).
At
the appointed time, Mr. Faizi, accompanied by Mr. Navidi, an Auxikliary Board
member, resident in Monte Carlo, presented themselves at the Haziratu'l-Quds.
The President, Mr. Marangella, who had arrived at precisely 1400 hours apprised
Mr. Faizi that the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of France would
meet prior to their being received by the Assembly in order to administer
certain matters. Mr. Faizi took no notice of this and showed him a letter of
introduction.
Who isLegitimate Successors According to the Will and
Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá?
The
President (Joel B. Marangella) told Mr. Faizi that he was in no doubt, as to
his mission on behalf of the Hands in Haifa, but that the National Spiritual
Assembly of the Bahá'ís of France only recognized the authority of the living
Guardian of the Faith and of a future Universal House of Justice that is
inseparable from a living Guardian (presiding as its “sacred head”) and
whose establishment will be announced at a date to be fixed by the present
Guardian or one of his legitimate successors according to the Will and
Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, but in any case, the National Spiritual Assembly of
the Bahá'ís of France needed to be convened prior to receiving him. In every
way, Mr. Marangella was exercising his rights as President of the NSA of France
and he tried to convene the NSA of France before receiving Mr. Faizi.
Mr.
Faizi refused to allow the NSA to convene, insisting that they meet and place
themselves at his disposal. This exchange lasted a fair while, but owing to the
impossibility of obtaining from Mr. Faizi its right to convene, the NSA
concluded: “We will receive you outside of any normal and legal session of the
NSA, simply as a group of individual Bahá'ís.”
After
the reading of a prayer, Mr. Barafroukhteh, prompted by Mr. Tamenne, made an
disingenuous remark directed to Mr. Marangella and Mr. Fillon, because they had
conferred together apart from the rest, regarding the illegality of the
acceptance of the meeting, which was outside a normal legal session of the NSA
and consequently out of order. The result of this remark was that Mr.
Marangella and Mr. Fillon, who had been seated together, were separated by Mr.
Tamenne, who, on his own authority, chose to sit between them.
This
description of the atmosphere at the commencement of this meeting, whilst
excessively negative, is described in order to show the complete absence of
spiritual life, which characterized it, as well as the absolute illegality, and
irregularity of the meeting according to proper Bahá'í Administration. During
the meeting Mr. Faizi asked who were the members who had recognized Mason Remey
as the Second Guardian. There was, initially, a protest among a certain number
of them regarding this inquisitorial question, the vote being regarded as
strictly confidential, secret and within the purview of the National Spiritual
Assembly. Finally, in face of such a flagrant violation, Messrs. Joel B.
Marangella, Monir Derakhchan, Jacques Soghomonian, Donald Harvey and Bernard
Fillon raised their hands in unison, whereupon Mr. Faizi declared that he was
dissolving the National Spiritual Assembly of France. This action on the part
of Mr. Faizi left one speechless.
By
what right was the NSA of France dissolved by a Hand of the Cause Mr. Faizi?
By what
right was this [National Spiritual Assembly] dissolved [by a Hand of the
Cause]? Can one find this authority within the Will and Testament of
Abdu'l-Bahá?Although Mr. Faizi, as a
Hand of the Cause, lacked any authority under the terms of the Will and
Testament of`Abdu'l-Bahá to declare a National Spiritual Assembly dissolved,
but because, after this meeting with the NSA he had then journeyed throughout
France to meet with the several LSA’s for the purpose of denouncing Mason
Remey, his pernicious influence over these Assemblies was such as to make it
impossible for the National Spiritual Assembly to continue to effectively
function the Assembly decided to terminate further activity.
Dr. A.
Parikh
Hand of
Cause and the Secretary of National Baha’i Council of India,
Dear readers! please read the first part of this article in this blog just before this passage.
Shoghi Effendi wrote
about Iqan:
“...the most important book written on the
spiritual significance of the Cause"
(The Light of
Divine Guidance, volume 1, 37).
Shoghi Effendi wrote the book “God Passes by” in English
and later it is translated in Persian in the name “Qarn-i-Badi” by
Nasr’u’llah Mawaddat. I am quoting the reference of both the version:
“Foremost among the priceless treasures cast forth
from the billowing ocean of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation ranks the Kitáb-i-Íqán
(Book of Certitude), revealed within the space of two days and two nights, in
the closing years of that period (1278 A.H.—1862 A.D.). It was written in
fulfillment of the prophecy of the Báb, Who had specifically stated that the
Promised One would complete the text of the unfinished Persian Bayán,…(it is) a
model of Persian prose, of a style at once original, chaste and vigorous, and
remarkably lucid, both cogent in argument and matchless in its irresistible
eloquence, this Book, setting forth in outline the Grand Redemptive Scheme of
God, occupies a position unequalled by any work in the entire range of Bahá’í
literature, except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh’s Most Holy Book. Revealed on
the eve of the declaration of His Mission, it proffered to mankind the “Choice
Sealed Wine,” whose seal is of “musk,” and broke the “seals” of the “Book”
referred to by Daniel, and disclosed the meaning of the “words” destined to
remain “closed up” till the “time of the end.”
(God Passes By [English page No. 138 & 139
and Persian Vol.II, page No.147)
Kitab-i-Iqan is a major work of Baha'u'llah. He
wrote this book in defense of the religious claims of Bab.
Baha’u’llah wrote about Iqan in Iqan:
“…in as
much as the things We have already mentioned suffice the world and that is therein.
In fact, all the Scriptures and the mysteries thereof are condensed into this
brief account. So much so, that were a person to ponder it a while in his
heart, he would discover from all that hath been said the mysteries of the
words of God, and would apprehend the meaning of whatever hath been manifested
by that ideal king”.
(English Translation of Iqan by Shoghi Effendi (Pocket Size Edition page
No.237)
Bahā’u’llāh stated that Iqan is a Bābi Lawh-e- estedlāliya(Proof-offering
Tablet), that is, a treatise written in proof of the messianic claims and
religious doctrines of the Bāb. (Fāżel Māzandarāni, 1967, I, p. 276).
Shoghi Effendi Wrote About Iqan
"...the most important book written on the spiritual significance of the Cause"
(The light of Divine Guidance, Vol.1,37)
Iqan is Lord of Books
Iqan is called as "Lord of books" (Sayyed-e- kotob) and called as Divine
Revelation. “The Ketāb-e iqān
is in reality the Lord of Books and issued forth from the Most Elevated Pen (Qalam-e Aa’lā)”.
English Translation
Ali Kuli Khan
has translated the Iqan in English and its revised 1934 Cairo edition is
available. Shoghi Effendi, the First Guardian of Bahai Faith and the second successor of Baha’u’llah has also
translated it in English and Baha’i Publishing Trust of Wilmette, Illinois
600091 (USA) has printed it. Its first edition was published in 1931 and
then in 1950 and subsequently printed seven times. First pocket size edition
1983 and reprinted in 1985 in 257 pages. At the end of the book Glossary and
Notes and Index is added.
To be kind to all
people and to love them with a pure spirit.
Should opposition or
injury happen to us, to bear it, to be as kind as ever can be, and through all,
to love the people. Should calamity exist in the greatest degree,
to rejoice, for these things are the gifts and favors of God.
To be silent concerning
the faults of others, to pray for them, and to help them, through kindness, to
correct their faults.
To look always at the
good and not at the bad. If a man has ten good qualities and one bad one,
look at the ten and forget the one. And if a man has ten bad qualities and one
good one, to look at the one and forget the ten.
Never to allow
ourselves to speak one unkind word about another, even though that other be our
enemy.
To do all of our deeds
in kindness.
To cut our hearts from
ourselves and from the world.
To be humble.
To be servants of each
other, and to know that we are less than anyone else.
To be as one soul in
many bodies, for the more we love each other, the nearer we shall be to God;
but to know that our love, our unity, our obedience must not be by confession,
but of reality.
To act with cautiousness
and wisdom.
To be truthful.
To be hospitable.
To be reverent.
To be the cause of
healing for every sick one,
a comforter for
every sorrowful one,
a pleasant water for
every thirsty one.
a heavenly table
for every hungry one,
a star to every
horizon,
a light for every
lamp,
a herald to
everyone who yearns for the kingdom of God"
