The reality of man is his thought ...

"The reality of man is his thought, not his material body. The thought force and the animal force are partners. Although man is part of the animal creation, he possesses a power of thought superior to all other created beings.
 If a man's thought is constantly aspiring towards heavenly subjects then does he become saintly; if on the other hand his thought does not soar, but is directed downwards to centre itself upon the things of this world, he grows more and more material until he arrives at a state little better than that of a mere animal.
 Thoughts may be divided into two classes:
 1. Thought that belongs to the world of thought alone.
 2. Thought that expresses itself in action.
 Some men and women glory in their exalted thoughts, but if these thoughts never reach the plane of action they remain useless: the power of thought is dependent on its manifestation in deeds."

 Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks

آموزش زیر آتش

If I were -- a Bahá'í -- in Egypt!

By Tarek Heggy.

  If I were Bahá'í I would have informed the world of the systematic plan to eliminate all trace of the Bahá'í Faith and the Baháís from Egypt. 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have brought to the attention of all the great personalities and the intellectuals of the world the respect and regard with which their peers in Egypt received ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Son of Bahá’u’lláh) during His visit to this country in the early 20th. Century, and with what filth and disregard today's pretentious personalities and false intellectuals of Egypt smear the fair name of Bahá’í and the Bahá’ís. 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Justice in the world on the subject of the Al-Azhar Establishment and say to its honourable Ulamá: How could you decide today that Bahá’í is not a religion when the Superior Shar'ia Tribunal of Beba/Souhag ruled in 1925 that "Bahá’í is an independent religion."
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Justice in the world on the subject of the Al-Azhar Establishment which with all the mosques, mesdjids and kettab schools at their disposal in Egypt, have found it necessary to disown the Bahá’í Community of their main Centre building to use it for a Qur’ánic school.
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Justice in the world on the subject of the imprisonment of some 92 Bahá’ís--men and women--aged between 2 and 80 years. They were arrested between midnight and dawn from all over Egypt and transferred to jail in Tanta; then falsely accused of treason, misconduct and espionage, far and wide in the media, for no other reason than because they are Bahá’í. If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Justice in the world on the frequent arrest of Bahá’ís, men and women, their incarceration in jail for days, weeks or months for interrogation. The courts have never found them guilty of neither crime nor fault, but they were Bahá’í. 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Art in the west and in the east, to the case of one of the greatest and most admired artists of Egypt, Hussein Bikar, who was arrested in his home and driven to jail with other renowned Bahá’ís for days of interrogation regarding his and their Bahá’í Faith. 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the concourse of Art in the west and in the east, and would say to them: Hussein Bikar, one of the greatest and most admired Artists of Egypt had no Identity card at his death at almost 90 years of age. The Egyptian Authorities refused to issue one with "Bahá’í" mentioned in the space for religion. 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the world Organizations of Law and Justice and of Human Rights, government and non-government alike, and said to them: imagine that in Egypt of the 21st. Century, individual Identity Cards have to include the binding indication of the religion of the individual? 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the world Organizations of Law and Justice and of Human Rights, government and non-government alike, and said to them: imagine that in Egypt of the 21st. Century, individual Identity Cards must include the binding indication of one of only three religions notwithstanding the individual's wish or faith? 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the world Organizations of Law and Justice and of Human Rights, government and non-government alike, and said to them: in Egypt of the 21st. Century, the sons and daughters of Bahá’ís are issued individual Identity Cards with a dash (--) for religion while their parents are refused identity cards: WHY? Because the Egyptian State does not recognize Bahá’í marriage! O people of the world: come and take stock of administrative excellence! 
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness all the Ministers of Education of the world and informed them that: the Minister of Education of Egypt has declared that he will refuse admittance of children--yes children of Bahá’ís to the government schools because the children are Bahá’í!
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have informed the world that the new Egyptian Constitution contains the necessary elements for the elimination of the Bahá’í minority in Egypt.
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have informed the world that burning the homes of Bahá’ís takes place with impunity in Egypt.
 If I were Bahá’í: I would have taken for witness the world Organizations of Mass Media, of Law and Justice and of Human Rights, government and non-government alike, and informed them that in Egypt, inciting to kill Bahá’ís, through TV and speeches is normal and is done with impunity!
 In spite of all this: If I were Bahá’í: I would have said to those in authority in Egypt: I am loyal to my country, I love my country, I strive for the success and progress of my country and I consider the children of my neighbours as my children without consideration of religion or creed. How wonderful would Egypt be were you, who are in authority, to follow in this same path.

http://www.bahai-egypt.org/

"the more they show hatred & opposition toward thee, challenge thou them with great truthfulness, friendship & reconciliation." #Bahai http://twitter.com/Bahai_Quote/status/295338640299659264

Arts, crafts and sciences uplift ...

…Arts, crafts and sciences uplift the world of being, and are conducive to its exaltation. Knowledge is as wings to man’s life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with words and end with words….
In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and a source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto him. Happy the man that cleaveth unto it, and woe betide the heedless.

Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Translation of Baha'u'llah's Rashh-i Ama (The Mist of Unknown)

It is generally believed that Baha'u'llah's earliest extant revelation and the only preserved tablet revealed in Iran is the poem known as Rashh-i Ama. It was revealed during Baha'u'llah's imprisonment in the Siyah-Chal (Black Pit) dungeon in Tehran, sometime between the months of August and November 1852....

Our charm bids waft the Mist of Unknown
    Mystery of fidelity thus flows from Our tone
The east wind, musk-laden, from Cathay whirls
    Its scent so sweet streams forth from Our curls
The ornamented sun from the True One hath risen
     Mystery of reality from Our visage doth blazon
The sea of purity roars from waves of rapture
   This gift bestowed from His essence We capture
Love's treasures lie hid in the bosom of Fars
   Out this treasure-trove Pearls of Fidelity pours
Delight of wine evinced when All  was manifested
   To songs of providence  this Sublime Token attested
A blast on the trumpet, the attraction divine
    These two in one blow flow from the Exalted Clime
Confessed Our face to the cycle of: "I am He"
   Baha is brimming with the epoch of: "He is He"
The river of life shimmers in the closet of the heart
    This sweet wine the ruby lips of Baha doth part
The day of God by the Lord's effulgence is complete
    The warbling in Tehran from these novel words is replete
Glory overflowing, behold! Misty unknowing, behold!
     All this from one melody thy Lord doth sing, behold!
 Lo! The immortal Perfect Mystic, the Pristine Dawn
    The Pure Breast from the Highest Throne out drawn
 Lo! The Tree of Paradise, heark the Nightingale's song
    This Glorious warbling from the Light of Purity hath sprung
 Hearken the Persian melody, the Arabian tambourine
    Hearken the 'No' rhythm from the Hand of Divine
See dawning of the Godhead, the Maid of Paradise
    How mystery of Unknown from earthly appearance doth arise
 Lo! Remnant's Countenance, Cupbearer's Face Lo!
   The translucent glass pouring out from Our Chalice
Behold the Burning Bush, see the Hand so white
   Behold Mount Sinai radiating from the Palm so bright
 Hear his intoxicated moans, see the mystic ecstatic
    In the precincts of rapture all living beings are charismatic
 From His peek, observe the amorous glance of Baha
    From His reed, hearken the Farsi melody of Baha
 Emergence of Revelation 'tis, Effusion of Purity 'tis
    Warbling of Nightingales 'tis, that pours out of Nothingness!

http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/rashh-ama.html

O servant of Baha!

O servant of Baha! It behoveth thee to render thanks unto the Threshold of the Lord of Oneness for the afflictions that have befallen thee, inasmuch as the adversities that are borne in the path of the one true God are but the revelations of His tender mercy, and any such tribulation is the essence of His bounty.
 This life is like unto vapour in a desert and the existence of every thing is as a mere illusion, evanescent and bound to extinction. That which endureth is the spiritual reality, it is the shining essence; it is life eternal, it is undisturbed felicity, unfading and perpetual, flourishing and plenteous. The revolution of cycles is powerless to ravage it, nor can the succession of ages and centuries molest it. Therefore, this divinely-ordained reality, this heavenly sign, must needs be preserved.
 And the amazing thing is this that the most effective means whereby this light of truth is safeguarded and protected is the onslaught of the enemies, grievous ordeals and manifold hardships. The globe of this lamp is the tempestuous winds and the safety of this ship lieth in the violence of tumultuous waves.
 Therefore one must show forth gratitude in the face of Job-like afflictions and must evince joy and pleasure at the unyielding cruelty of evil-doers, inasmuch as such tribulations lead to immortality, and serve as the supreme factor to attract His consummate blessings and infinite bestowals. And upon thee be the glory of the Most Glorious.

‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Fire and Light’ compilation;

This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds,..

In His [Baha'u' llah] Suratu'l-Haykal (the Surih of the Temple) He thus describes those breathless moments when the Maiden, symbolizing the "Most Great Spirit" proclaimed His mission to the entire creation: "While engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet voice, calling above My head. Turning My face, I beheld a Maiden -- the embodiment of the remembrance of the name of My Lord -- suspended in the air before Me. So rejoiced was she in her very soul that her countenance shone with the ornament of the good-pleasure of God, and her cheeks glowed with the brightness of the All-Merciful. Betwixt earth and heaven she was raising a call which captivated the hearts and minds of men. She was imparting to both My inward and outer being tidings which rejoiced My soul, and the souls of God's honored servants. Pointing with her finger unto My head, she addressed all who are in heaven and all who are on earth, saying: 'By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend not. This is the Beauty of God amongst you, and the power of His sovereignty within you, could ye but understand. This is the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of God and His glory unto all who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if ye be of them that perceive.'"

Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By

پاسخ جامعه بهائی به اتهامات بی پایه و مزحک دستگاه روحانیت

Part one.

Part two.

مثنوي جمال مبارك

اي بهاءالله چه نارت برفروخت خرمن هستي عشاقان بسوخت

يك شرر از نار بر دلها زدي صد هزاران سدره بر سينا زدي

پس ز هر دل سدره ها آمد پديد موسيا اينجا به سر ، بايد دويد

تا كه نار اللهِ معني را زِ جان بنگريد و وارهيد از قبطيان

اي ذبيح الله ز قربانگاه عشق برمگرد و جان بده در راه عشق

بي سر و بي جان بيا در كوي يار تا شوي مقبول اهلِ اين ديار

وادي عشق است روح الله بيا با صليب از راه و هم بي ره بيا

از فلك بگذر هم از معراج جسم اي تو شاه جان و هم بهاج جسم

بلبل روحي تو بر گلزار روح باز مي آئي تو مهماندار روح

ساعد شَه مسكَنَت اي باز جان سوي مقصد آي اينجا رايگان

مثنوي جمال مبارك

O Oppressors on Earth!

O Oppressors on Earth! Withdraw your hands from tyranny, for I have pledged Myself not to forgive any man’s injustice. This is My covenant which I have irrevocably decreed in the preserved tablet and sealed it with My seal of glory.

 The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh