History

“The sun of Bahá has set.” These were the opening words of the telegram announcing the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet and Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Who passed from this earthly life in the early hours of May 29, 1892. As the news traveled, throngs of mourners from all walks of life descended upon the fields surrounding the Bahjí compound where He had spent His final years on earth as a prisoner of the Ottoman Empire. Within twenty-four hours His sacred remains had been interred in a modest building that was to be the Point of Adoration, the Qiblih, toward which millions of His followers continue to turn in daily prayer.

In the pages of this book historian Michael V. Day takes the reader through the last years of Bahá’u’lláh’s life—in ‘Akká, Mazra‘ih, and Bahjí—highlighting pivotal moments and texts associated with the establishment of His shrine. Drawing upon a wide range of sources, including eyewitness accounts, the author paints vivid pictures of the daily life of the Manifestation and of those in His orbit; of His final days and illness; of His ascension and funeral, and of the period of mourning that followed. While there are many details that remain beyond our reach as we peer through the lens of history at these momentous events, the accounts pieced together here offer us a great deal to ponder and invite deep, meditative reflection.

The Diary of Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání, the translation of the famous account of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's journey across America.

In the spring of 1912 'Abdu'l-Bahá set off from Alexandria on His historic journey to America. Among his small entourage was Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání, who became, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, 'the chronicler of His travels'. Mírzá Mahmúd went everywhere with 'Abdu'l-Bahá, making extensive notes not only of the Master's many public talks and conversations with individuals but also of the new sights and experiences they found in America as well as the daily routines of eating, writing letters and travelling.

As the Bahá’í community becomes an ever more familiar figure on the international landscape, attention has been increasingly attracted to the teachings of its founder, Bahá’u’lláh. In this groundbreaking study, Nader Saiedi addresses key controversies and problems in the current academic literature about Bahá’u’lláh’s writings. Saiedi approaches the subject from sociological, historical, philosophical, spiritual, and theological perspectives and draws on the vast body of previously untranslated original Persian and Arabic texts. Analyzing selected works that represent the three stages of Bahá’u’lláh’s revelation, he argues for the conceptual continuity of Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching throughout His life, from the inception of His mission in Tehran’s Siyah-Chal dungeon to the last books He wrote in exile in Ottoman Palestine.

Logos and Civilization is a timely, original, and probing investigation of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, whose visionary insights into the spiritual, social, economic, and political dimensions of humanity in the context of globalization have only begun to attract the attention they merit.

One can only wonder at the awe experienced by those who attained the presence and were blessed to spend time in the company of the Holy Family of the Bahá’í Faith. Among the sweetest and most approachable accounts left by those who made pilgrimages to the Holy Land are those of children and youth, who in the earliest days of their lives came face to face with these illumed beings.

In A Child in the Holy Land, Gisu Mohadjer collects stories of encounters with the members of the Holy Family. These stories are tinged with tenderness, kindness, love, and laughter, and 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.

This study of Bahá’u’lláh’s Súrih of the Temple is intended to provide the reader with tools to gain insight into the complex symbols and structure that underlie any attempt at interpreting the meaning and purpose of this critical work. To this end, Hatcher unravels the major symbols employed by Bahá’u’lláh, and explains the challenging framework whereby complex matter has been framed by Him into a dialogue between Himself, as He lies imprisoned in the Siyáh-Chál, and the Holy Spirit, personified as the Maid of Heaven.

Shoghi Effendi's definitive survey of the "outstanding events" of the Baha'i Revelation's first century (1844-1944). A matrix for future scholars of the Baha'i Faith and the only book that Shoghi Effendi penned, God Passes By, "stands unique in the annals of religion" as a religious history written soon after the passing of its Prophet by the head of its community "with access to all documents and materials and complete understanding of its nature and purpose."

Read A User’s Guide to God Passes By written by Michael Day on Baha’i Blog