On 29th May the Orthodox Baha’is of the world mark the Ascension of Baha'u'llah.
About a year prior to His passing, Baha’u’llah revealed His Will and Testament, which named His eldest son, Abdu’l-Baha, as His successor and constitutes the Covenant of Baha’u'llah.
Baha’u'llah’s ministry came to an end in 1892. He left to humanity a priceless heritage of spiritual and social teachings.
Now this priceless heritage of spiritual and social teachings are continuing under the living Guardian of Baha’i Faith, Joel Bray Marangella.
Indian Orthodox Baha'is pay homage to all the Baha'is of the world on the Ascension of Baha u llah and pray for all the Baha'is to turn their faces towards the real successor of Baha u llah, The Guardian of Baha'i Faith.
“That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicated himself to the service of the entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.”(Baha’u’llah)
In the Persian Bayán, the Báb has fixed the exact moment of the beginning of His revelation as two hours and eleven minutes after sunset on the evening of May 22, 1844. Every year on that date, Bahá'ís around the world gather to commemorate this event--the dawn of a new era in religious history.
"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, submissiveness and subordination
unto the guardian of the Cause of God to turn unto him and be lowly before
him."
(Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha - 12).
FOLLOW
THE GUARDIAN FOR BEING A BAHA’I
Master, Abdu'l
Baha, in His Will and Testament used the words “it is
incumbent” means the followers of Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l Baha, the
members of UHJ, Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God and all the
Baha’is should follow a Guardian.
Vinod
kumar
Secretary,
National
Teaching Committee of Orthodox Baha’is of India
According
to the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá, Hands of Cause of
God are to be nominated and appointed by the Guardian and they are to be under
his direction and obey his command.
In
past Hands of Cause of God appointed by third Guardian are as under:
April, 1997:
1.Frank Schlatter d. 4-1-2011
April, 2004:
1.Marilyn Meyer
April, 2005:
1.Madeline Byers (posthumous)
September, 2006:
1.Nosrat'u'llah Bahremand (Australia)
2.Ross Campbell (removed 12-2009)
3.JeffreyGoldberg
4.David Maxwell
5.Y.H. Taylor (India)
April 2009
1.Grace Behrens (posthumous)
2.Joel Jani Marangella
3.James Meyer
4.Dr. A Parikh (India)
5.Martin LaValle
A
quote of Bahá'u'lláh's is used as a prayer for Hands
of Cause.
“Light
and glory, greeting and praise be upon the Hands of His Cause, through whom the
light of fortitude hath shone forth and the truth hath been established that
the authority to choose rests with God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the
Unconstrained, through whom the ocean of bounty hath surged and the fragrance
of the gracious favors of God, the Lord of mankind, hath been diffused.
We beseech Him—exalted is He—to shield them through the power of His hosts, to
protect them through the potency of His dominion, and to aid them through His
indomitable strength which prevaileth over all created things.
Sovereignty is God's, the Creator of the heavens and the Lord of the Kingdom of
Names”.
[Tablets
of Bahá’u’lláh, pg. 83, Lawh-I-Dunyá (Tablet of the World)]
Indian
Orthodox Baha’is thanks to the Guardian that he admired and commended the
devoted labors of Indian Orthodox Baha’is to prove to
the misled believers the continuance of the Institution of the Guardianship of
the Cause of God and he rewarded to them by appointingMr. Rajendra Upadhyaye as Hand of Cause of
God.
1. Jean Olsen (USA). 2. Chad Olsen (USA). 3. Ian Roebuck (USA). 4. Barbara Walsh (USA). 5. Paul Henderson (USA). 6. Mark Marangella (USA). 7. Rajendra Upadhyaye (India). According to the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá, Hands of Cause of God are to be nominated and appointed by the Guardian and they are to be under his direction and obey his command. In past Hands of Cause of God appointed by third Guardian are as under: April, 1997: 1. Frank Schlatter d. 4-1-2011 April, 2004: 1. Marilyn Meyer April, 2005: 1. Madeline Byers (posthumous) September, 2006: 1. Nosrat'u'llah Bahremand (Australia) 2. Ross Campbell (removed 12-2009) 3. JeffreyGoldberg 4. David Maxwell 5. Y.H. Taylor (India) April 2009 1. Grace Behrens (posthumous) 2. Joel Jani Marangella 3. James Meyer 4. Dr. A Parikh (India) 5. Martin LaValle A quote of Bahá'u'lláh's is used as a prayer for Hands of Cause. “Light and glory, greeting and praise be upon the Hands of His Cause, through whom the light of fortitude hath shone forth and the truth hath been established that the authority to choose rests with God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Unconstrained, through whom the ocean of bounty hath surged and the fragrance of the gracious favors of God, the Lord of mankind, hath been diffused. We beseech Him—exalted is He—to shield them through the power of His hosts, to protect them through the potency of His dominion, and to aid them through His indomitable strength which prevaileth over all created things. Sovereignty is God's, the Creator of the heavens and the Lord of the Kingdom of Names”. [Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pg. 83, Lawh-I-Dunyá (Tablet of the World)] Indian Orthodox Baha’is thanks to the Guardian that he admired and commended the devoted labors of Indian Orthodox Baha’is to prove to the misled believers the continuance of the Institution of the Guardianship of the Cause of God and he rewarded to them by appointing Mr. Rajendra Upadhyaye as Hand of Cause of God. We pray for the long life of Guardian. Dr. A. Parikh. Secretary, NBC of India.
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)
