Baha'i History and Texts

‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the son of the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh. Before His passing, Bahá'u'lláh wrote a document telling the Bahá'ís to turn to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and that He would inspire His son with whatever He needed to know.

Today we can’t meet ’Abdu’l-Bahá, but we can get to know more about Him  through the words of those who did meet Him. These stories are about the interactions of the pilgrims and visitors who met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, both in America and the Holy land, and the emotions of those encounters. They illustrate dramatically the spiritual powers and prescience of ’Abdu’l-Bahá. He would answer questions before they were asked, convert atheists into believers, know the thoughts of His visitors and read the reality of their hearts. For those with receptive hearts, He would guide and educate with profound and uplifting talks. The stories attempt to show a little of what it had been like to be in His Presence.

Presenters: Earl Redman and Sharon O'Toole have been traveling and telling stories from their books. They have done their story-telling in the United Kingdom, Israel, Ireland, Iceland, Poland, Germany, Finland, Tunisia, Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the US and Alaska.

129 Stories Of Abdul Baha | Earl Redman and Sharon O'Toole

Hussein Ahdieh, 'The Life and Martyrdom of Vahíd, the Báb’s Best Known Follower'

The great Muslim cleric Siyyid Yahyá-i-Dárábí (known as Vahíd, which means ‘unique’ or ‘peerless’) converted to the Bábí Faith in 1846. He spent years traveling and teaching around Persia, and arrived in Nayriz in 1850 to bring the news of the new faith. In Nayriz he led an upheaval at Fort Khajih and gave his life for the Cause on the streets of the town.

Presenter:
Hussein Ahdieh
Dr. Hussein Ahdieh was born and raised in Nayriz, Iran, He is a sixth generation Bahá'í, his ancestors figuring among the first in Nayriz to accept the Bábi and later Bahá'í Faith. Hussein immigrated to the United States as a young man of 19. Like many immigrants seeking a better life in America, he worked and attended college in the New York area. Hussein eventually completed a Masters Degree in European Intellectual History and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts. Dr.Ahdieh has had a distinguished career in education in New York. His proudest achievement is to have been one of the founders and Assistant Headmaster of the Harlem Preparatory School--a world renowned charter high school for disadvantaged students. The school is credited with helping numerous disadvantage young people to rise from poverty to a better life. Dr. Ahdieh also served as Director of Educational Programs at Fordham University. Hussein has been a resident of New York City for all of his adult life. He served as Treasurer of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the City of New York for many years and several times has represented his area at the U.S. Bahá'í National Convention. In addition to “Awakening. History of the Babi and Baha’i Faiths in Nayriz”, which has been translated into 6 languages, Dr. Ahdieh is the author of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in New York (translated into three languages), a concise, informative history of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's activities during his visits to the area; “A Way out of No Way: Harlem Prep –Transforming Dropouts into Scholars-1967-1977, a Baha’i inspired institute. His other book “The Calling” is comprehensive study about the life of Tahirih and her American contemporaries in English and Persian languages. His newest book: Foreigner: From an Iranian village to New York City tells the story of an Iranian Baha’i immigrant to the United States in a series of moving and humorous episodes set against the backdrop of a changing Iran, the plight of Baha’is there, the tumult of the 60’s and 70’s in the U.S. The book has been released by George Ronald Publisher. For more info visit: HusseinAhdieh.com

108 The Life And Martyrdom Of Vahíd, The Báb’s Best Known Follower- Hussein Ahdieh

Divine Wisdom Revealed: Beyond Bahá’u’lláh’s Reprimand of the Two Powerful Ottoman Officials

This is the first of four webinars hosted by Shahrokh Monjazeb for the course “Bahá’u’lláh’s Summons to Two Ottoman Prime Ministers” which begins on October 22, 2020.

The course will closely examine the three Tablets, Súriy-i-Ra’ís, Law h-i-Ra’ís, and Lawh-i-Fu’ád, addressed by Bahá’u’lláh to the two powerful and highly influential 19th century Turkish Prime Ministers ‘Álí Páshá (1815-1871) and Fu’ád Páshá (1814-1869).

Súriy-i-Ra’ís
This Tablet was revealed in Arabic in honour of Hájí Muhammad Ismá‘íl-i-Káshání, entitled Dhabíh (Sacrifice) and Anís (Companion) by Bahá’u’lláh, and addresses ‘Álí Páshá, the Ottoman Prime Minister, referred to here as Ra’ís (Chief or Ruler).

Sultán ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz lost both his throne and his life in 1876. During the subsequent war with Russia (1877–1878), Adrianople was occupied by the enemy and the Turks experienced a violent bloodbath.

SHARE
member-img
Shahrokh Monjazeb, BSc
Independent Scholar

I am an independent scholar of the Bahá’í history and sacred scripture. I began my scholarly endeavours in Bahá’í history around 1989, after I completed my undergraduate degree in Applied Physics and Electro-Acoustics with a minor in Religious Studies and Middle Eastern History. Two years later in 1991, I was invited to present at the annual conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies North America on one of Bahá’u’lláh major works. Since then I have been involved with Bahá’í academic research as well as the work of translating into English the writings of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith. I am a published author and lecturer whose writings and presentations focus on Bahá’í Sacred Text and their literary and historical significance in the context of socio-spiritual condition of human society. I have authored more than couple of dozen articles on Bahá’í history and Sacred Text as well as a monograph on Bahá’u’lláh entitled “Bahá’u’lláh: A Brief Survey of His Life & Works”.

115 Divine Wisdom Revealed- Beyond Bahá’u’lláh’s Reprimand Of The Two Powerful Ottoman Officials-

This webinar provides an introduction to the writings and utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1844–1921), the son and successor of Bahá’u’lláh (1817–1892), the founder of the Bahá’í religion. Following a general discussion of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sixty years of literary and oratory activity in the form of books, treatises, letters, prayers, poems, and speeches written or delivered in three languages, this chapter categorizes His work chronologically into four periods.

136 The Writings And Utterances Of ‘Abdu’l - Bahá - Mina Yazdani

Laura Clifford Dreyfus-Barney, at a very tender age of twenty-one, heard about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a spiritual leader from the East, visited Him in Palestine, accepted the faith that He was promoting, and followed its teachings for the rest of her life. Many know of her greatest achievement: compiling Some Answered Questions, which is based on the questions that she posed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His responses to her.

Laura Dreyfus-Barney visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at least seven times, each time staying from a few days up to several months. She had the honor of being in His presence in the West also. She was with Him in Thonon-les-Bains, London, Paris and Washington, D.C. She received many Tablets and letters from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

140 ‘Abdu’l - Bahá Through The Eyes Of Laura Clifford Dreyfus - Barney - Mona Khademi

Shoghi Effendi is sometimes alluded to as the architect of the Bahá’í administrative order, and most certainly he is worthy of this appellation. Yet, from another perspective he was carrying out the necessary steps to implement the Bahá’í administration as it had been shaped and refined by his beloved grandfather, In this presentation I will briefly explain why, among his other roles and responsibilities, and accomplishments, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is designated as the Center of the Covenant.

SHARE
Contributors
John S. Hatcher

142 ‘Abdu’l - Bahá As Architect Of The World Order Of Bahá’u’lláh - John S Hatcher

This two-part webinar series will take the participant back to Haifa on two auspicious moments one hundred years ago: the night of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, and the day in which the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was read publicly.

This webinar will take the participant back to Haifa on the night of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, one hundred years ago, through the eye-witness accounts of the six Western believers who were present at that time. The webinar will include the story of who these believers were, what brought them to Haifa at that time, and how were their lives were changed by the experience.

143 The Ascension Of ‘Abdu’l - Bahá- Perspectives Of Six Western Believers- Angelina Diliberto Allen

Part 2
The Public Reading of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu'l-Baha: Perspective of some Western believers. This webinar will take the participant back to Haifa on the day in which the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was read publicly one hundred years ago. The webinar will also explore the significance of the last one hundred years of institution-building that has resulted from the implementation of the Master’s Will.

144 The Public Reading Of The Will And Testament Of ‘Abdu'l - Baha-Angelina Diliberto Allen

Mona Khademi will discuss Laura Clifford Dreyfus-Barney’s accounts of Shoghi Effendi. Laura Barney first encountered Shoghi Effendi in the early 1900s when he was five or six years of age and then throughout his teenage years and early adulthood, including in Paris in 1920. Laura Barney also met and corresponded with Shoghi Effendi after the passing of his beloved grandfather, Abdu’l-Baha, when he was appointed as the Guardian of the Faith, until his passing in 1957. She visited the Holy Land at least nine times, each time staying from a few days to several months. Laura Barney had watched Shoghi Effendi move through the different stages of life, and she always had special admiration for him.

The admiration of Shoghi Effendi for Laura Barney whom he addressed as ‘Laura Khanom,’ was mutual. The speaker will discuss Shoghi Effendi’s appreciation for Laura Barney for all her accomplishments, especially her greatest achievement, the compilation Some Answered Questions. When Shoghi Effendi recorded the names of those persons who had been instrumental in the West for the rise of the Faith, he called Laura Barney’s work imperishable service because her book, entitled “Some Answered Questions,” gave Abdu’l-Baha’s priceless explanations covering a wide variety of subjects.

After the passing of Shoghi Effendi, Laura Barney stayed in touch with his wife. He had married Mary Maxwell, the daughter of Laura’s spiritual mother May Bolles Maxwell, in 1937. She was given the title of Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum by Shoghi Effendi. Laura Barney continued her correspondence with Ruhiyyih Khanum until the end of her life in 1974.


You can purchase The Life of Laura Barney by Mona Khademi online at the Bahá’í Bookstore.
https://www.bahaibookstore.com/Life-of-Laura-Barney-P10477.aspx

164 Shoghi Effendi Through The Eyes Of Laura Clifford Dreyfus - Barney

Bahá'íyyih Khánum, known as the Greatest Holy Leaf, is a unique figure in the annals of the Bahá’í Faith. Her lifelong heroic services to Bahá’u’lláh’s Cause pinnacled after `Abdu’l-Bahá’s ascension. The vital role she played at that crucial juncture ensured the smooth running of the affairs of the worldwide Bahá’í community until Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Cause of God, appointed by the Centre of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant arrived in Haifa a month after `Abdu’l-Bahá's passing. She was the staunchest supporter and confidant of Shoghi Effendi, ever ready, despite advanced age, to accomplish the formidable tasks she was required to undertake. This webinar is about her services during the crucial first decade of the second Age of the Bahá’í Era.

168 Greatest Holy Leaf Baha’iyyih Khanum   Baharieh - Rouhani - MaanI

The appointment of Shoghi Effendi as Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith in the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came as a surprise to most Bahá’ís, including Shoghi Effendi himself. The general expectation was that after the ascension of `Abdu’l-Bahá, the Universal House of Justice, which `Abdu’l-Bahá had referred to in a number of tablets and talks, would be elected to lead the community.  At the time, however, it would have been impossible to elect the Universal House of Justice in accordance with instructions given in `Abdu’l-Bahá’s will.  Consequently, both the community and Shoghi Effendi had to adapt to a period of leadership by the Guardian alone.

The early Guardianship can be seen as a transitional period in which Shoghi Effendi only gradually unveiled and utilized his full authority, which was almost immediately challenged by Covenant-breakers and tested by outside opponents of the Faith. In the early months of his ministry, Shoghi Effendi took a number of measures to assess the size and condition of Bahá’í communities around the world and to manage the affairs of the Bahá’í World Centre. He also identified the three areas of activity that would become the focus of his ministry: establishing the Bahá’í Administrative Order; developing the properties of the Bahá’í World Centre; and spreading the Faith around the world. He began or encouraged initiatives in each of these areas in the first few months of his ministry. This presentation will examine the evolution of the Guardianship until the late 1930s, by which time his guidance to and leadership of the Bahá’í community had solidified a foundation on which he could begin teaching plans that would eventually spread the Faith around the world and create the conditions for the election of the Universal House of Justice.

Contributor
Richard Hollinger

Richard Hollinger was born in California, where he became a Bahá’í in the 1970s. He holds M.A. degrees in Middle Eastern History from UCLA and in Public History/Historic Preservation from California State College at Dominguez Hills, and has recently retired from a career as an archivist. He has conducted research and published on American and Middle Eastern Bahá’í History, and wrote the chapter on Shoghi Effendi for the recently-published "World of the Bahá’í Faith."

169 Early Years Of The GuardianShip - Richard Hollinger

This webinar will closely examine Bahá’u’lláh’s proclamatory addresses to Pope Pius IX (r. 1846-1878) of the Roman Catholic Church, Emperor Franz Joseph Hapsburg (r. 1848-1916) of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Kaiser Wilhelm I (r. 1871-1888) of the German Empire. It is the first in a series of three webinars offered by the Wilmette Institute as part of a course scheduled to begin on Wednesday January 18th, 2023. For more details, visit the course page: God Summons Europe (Part II).

Presenter: 

Shahrokh Monjazeb is an independent scholar of the Bahá’í history and sacred scripture. He began his scholarly endeavors in Bahá’í history around 1989 after he completed his undergraduate degree in Applied Physics and Electro-Acoustics with a minor in Religious Studies and Middle Eastern History. Two years later in 1991, he was invited to present at the annual conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies North America on one of Bahá’u’lláh major works. Since then he has been involved with Bahá’í academic research as well as the work of translating into English the writings of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith. He is a published author and lecturer whose writings and presentations focus on Bahá’í Sacred Text and their literary and historical significance in the context of the socio-spiritual condition of human society. He has authored more than a couple of dozen articles on Bahá’í history and Sacred Text as well as a monograph on Bahá’u’lláh entitled “Bahá’u’lláh: A Brief Survey of His Life & Works”

Webinar:  Baháulláhs Tablet To Pope Pius IX

This presentation starts from the Declaration of Baháu’lláh in the Garden of Ridvan. The Order issued by the Ottoman government for the banishment of Baháu’lláh from Baghdad to Constantinople, the Capital of The Ottoman Empire, was communicated to Baháu’lláh by Ali Pasha, the Prime Minister of the Ottoman Sultan. In courteous language, the letter invited Baháu’lláh to proceed to Constantinople as the guest of the Ottoman government. Thus, the time for the departure of Baháu’lláh from The Garden of Ridvan had come. The departure of Baháu’lláh from the garden of Ridvan was on May 3, 1863. The journey of Baháu’lláh from Baghdad to Constantinople started from Firayjat, three miles away on the bank of the Tigris.

The journey was idyllic, consisting of a caravan of Kajavahs (howdas) traversing through twenty two villages in the picturesque Anatolia. The journey, of the distance of one thousand miles, over one hundred and ten days, reached Samsun on the Black Sea. From Samsun Baháu’lláh and some among His retinue continued on toward Constantinople, the seat of the Caliphate and the Sultanate. The banishment of Baháu’lláh continued with His exile from Constantinople to Adrianople. After five years, the course of the banishment of Baháu’lláh continued yet further from Adrianople toward the penal colony of Akka. The course of the banishments and exile of Baháu’lláh, from Constantinople to Akka, is signified by the third glorious phase in the disclosure of His prophetic mission—The Proclamation of Baháu’lláh to the Kings and Rulers of His time.

Banishment Of Bahaullah From Baghdad To Constantinople And Beyond

“In the history of the Bahá’í Faith, Russia played a remarkable role.
In 1852, the Russian government, the only one in the world, petitioned for the release of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Faith, when he was imprisoned on false charges, and offered him asylum.
In the 1880s, a Russian court recognized for the first time in history the independent character of the Bahá’í Faith and championed the rights of its followers.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Russian scholars and writers contributed with their writings to the spread of knowledge of the new religion not only in Russia but also in the West.

At the same time, one of the first and most famous Bahá’í communities outside Persia emerged and successfully developed in Turkestan, then part of the Russian Empire, and the world’s first House of Worship was built in Ashgabat.

The importance of these historical facts makes it possible to place Russia on a par with those lands that, in many respects, determined the destiny of the new religion – with Iran, its homeland, with North America, the cradle of its Administrative Order, and with the Holy Land (Israel), where the ashes of its founders rest and its supreme body, the Universal House of Justice, is situated.”

Source: Nancy Ackerman, Graham Hassal, “The Bahá’í Faith in Russia: A Historical Essay.” 

Our guest speaker is faculty member of the Wilmette Institute, Mikhail Sergeev. Recorded on Sunday, July 30, 2023. YouTube: https://youtu.be/PMU9yiilNNo

Bahá’í Faith in Russia: History and Current Developments PODCAST

Speakers Joel Nizin, Gary Hogenson, and Kathryn Jewett Hogenson discuss Roy Wilhelm’s life story; a rich and varied one that takes the reader from the coffee farms of Costa Rica to Wall Street to the picturesque environs of the properties that remain associated with his life and the Faith he held so dearly. Shouldering massive responsibility for the well-being and functioning of the early American Bahá’í community throughout the years of the first World War and the Great Depression, Wilhelm played a pivotal role in thxae establishment of the Administrative Order of the Faith. (Moderator: Chris Martin)

Link to buy book: https://www.bahaibookstore.com/Servant-to-the-Servants-P10590.aspx
Link to Webinar on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8WZM8UClrYw

Conversations of the Heart: Part 2 Servant to the Servants

Gisu Mohadjer has collected stories of encounters with the members of the Holy Family. Along with her daughter, Amelia Cook, Gisu shares these stories which are tinged with tenderness, kindness, love, and laughter. They offer us a small window into the extraordinary life of the holy household as seen through the eyes of children. It is hoped that families and readers of all ages will treasure this collection and revisit it often for inspiration and solace and to deepen their love for the Holy Family. (Moderator: Chris Martin)

Link to buy book: https://www.bahaibookstore.com/A-Child-in-the-Holy-Land-P10528.aspx
Link to webinar on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EYO_uEnr5yw

Conversations of the Heart: Part 1 A Child in the Holy Land

Throughout His ministry, The Báb wrote many epistles addressed to theologians and seminary students. Among the writings of The Báb, there are two works known as the “Kitábu’l-‘Ulamá” or the “Epistle to the ‘Ulamá”, one which was revealed shortly after His return from the Arabian Peninsula to Iran and is the subject of this presentation.

This work, like many other epistles from the early period of The Báb’s ministry, is in the mode of divine verses and is in Arabic. We will attempt to provide brief historical background on developments in the world of Shí’ism prior to the inception of The Báb’s ministry and discuss the features of this epistle. Among the major themes of this work are the the subtlety of The Báb’s claims to a station greater than representing the hidden twelfth Imam, and the question of intertextuality between His writings and the Qur’án.

Our guest speaker is Nima Rafiei, who was born and raised in Minnesota and currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. He received his B.A. in history and political science from the University of Minnesota in 2013 and obtained an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago in 2021, where he studied both classical and modern Arabic and Persian literature. His interests in Bábí and Bahá'í studies include early mystical writings of Bahá'u'lláh from the Baghdad period and The Báb's commentaries on súrahs of the Qur'án and Islamic oral traditions. He also contributes English translations of Bahá'í texts from the original Arabic and Persian.

Webinar page: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/the-babs-epistle-to-the-ulama/

The Bab's Epistle to the 'Ulama

The Ras͟hḥ-i-ʻAmá is likely the first emanation from the Supreme Pen after the Maid of Heaven vested Baha’u’llah with his revelation in the Siyah-Chal. It has taken 165 years for this text to be translated into English and published in an official English translation. In his masterwork, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Adib Taherzadeh suggests the 20-couplet poem might well prove untranslatable. Join Karen Webb in exploring the official translation of this absorbing short work and its complex imagery. This webinar was designed to be accessible to those with no working grasp of either Persian or Arabic, and we will examine an approach to analyzing the poem that involves no skills beyond the participants’ imagination and a fairly basic knowledge of the Bábí and Bahá’í faiths.

A PDF copy of the handout mentioned in the video can be found on the website link for the original webinar.
https://wilmetteinstitute.org/the-rashh-i-ama-in-living-color/

The Lonely Goatherd:

https://youtu.be/UmmOJx_Hxto?si=hhDjv9hj4iUEfyIo

The Rashh-i-ʻAma in Living Color | Karen Anne Webb

Part 1 of "Todd Lawson Web Talk Series on the Báb, His Artistry, His Audience, and His Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph"

The new dispensation announced by the Báb challenged existing notions of religion and revelation. The Báb’s commentary on the Súrih of Joseph is a highly intricate and complex composition which betrays the authorial presence of the young messiah at every word. Yet, almost every word is Qur’anic, however rearranged and ordered to conform to the new message. Thus revelation is seen in a different light. While it is certainly divine in origin, the creativity and the boldness it represents should be seen as coming directly from the Báb Himself. Thus revelation emerges as a cooperative activity, one shared by God and the manifestation. Details and examples of such artistry and creativity will be illustrated through provisional translation.

050 Part 1: The Báb’s Artistry in His Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph | Todd Lawson

In this webinar we will take a lightning tour of the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. We will briefly survey the state of knowledge of the primary manuscript sources in the original Arabic and Persian, take stock of the existing English translations, and present a high-level subject categorization. The goal will be to provide serious students with an orientating framework and to point the way to resources that invite deeper independent study.

The resources mentioned in this webinar:
Here is the latest version of the “Inventory” — an unofficial, academic tool for the identification of Bahá’í texts in Arabic/Persian and in English translation:
Also: Powerpoint slides from an introductory presentation on the Inventory can be found here: 

http://blog.loomofreality.org

and
http://loom.loomofreality.org

Steven Phelps received dual bachelors degrees in physics and philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University, specializing in cosmology. He served at the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa, Israel for 13 years in its Research Department, where he coordinated the indexing and collation of the Bahá’í Sacred Writings and their translation from Persian and Arabic into English. During that period he concurrently held a research position in the Physics Department at the Technion University in Haifa and published original research on the masses of nearby galaxies. He currently resides in the Portland area with his wife and three daughters.

053 Overview Of The Writings Of Bahá’u’lláh - Steven Phelps

The Wilmette Institute was founded in 1995 to provide basic and advanced courses on the Bahá’í Faith. In 1998, the Wilmette Institute moved to a largely online study approach in order to provide educational classes to a broader student body. It now offers more than 50 unique courses on the web to an average of 30 students per course.