Universal House of Justice elected

HAIFA, Israel —
The results of the election of the nine members of the Universal House of Justice have been announced.

The members of the Universal House of Justice are, from left to right, Paul Lample, Firaydoun Javaheri, Payman Mohajer, Gustavo Correa, Shahriar Razavi, Stephen Birkland, Stephen Hall, Chuungu Malitonga, and Ayman Rouhani.

 More than 1,500 ballots were cast yesterday for membership of the council that serves as the head of the Baha'i Faith. Those elected for the next five-year term are Paul Lample, Firaydoun Javaheri, Payman Mohajer, Gustavo Correa, Shahriar Razavi, Stephen Birkland, Stephen Hall, Chuungu Malitonga, and Ayman Rouhani.
 The election marked the 50th anniversary of the first election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963. The supreme governing council of the Baha'i Faith is entrusted by Baha'u'llah in His own writings with exerting a positive influence on the welfare of humankind, promoting education, peace and global prosperity, and safeguarding human honor and the position of religion. It is responsible for applying the Baha'i teachings to the requirements of an ever-evolving society and legislating on matters not explicitly covered in the Faith's sacred texts.

HUMANITY'S ORDEAL

Lest any observer of the Cause be tempted to misunderstand such warnings as only metaphorical, Shoghi Effendi, drawing some of the historical implications, wrote in 1941:

 A tempest, unprecedented in its violence, unpredictable in its course, catastrophic in its immediate effects, unimaginably glorious in its ultimate consequences, is at present sweeping the face of the earth. Its driving power is remorselessly gaining in range and momentum. Its cleansing force, however much undetected, is increasing with every passing day. Humanity, gripped in the clutches of its devastating power, is smitten by the evidences of its resistless fury. It can neither perceive its origin, nor probe its significance, nor discern its outcome. Bewildered, agonized and helpless, it watches this great and mighty wind of God invading the remotest and fairest regions of the earth, rocking its foundations, deranging its equilibrium, sundering its nations, disrupting the homes of its peoples, wasting its cities, driving into exile its kings, pulling down its bulwarks, uprooting its institutions, dimming its light, and harrowing up the souls of its inhabitants.

Bahá'í International Community: Century of Light

Delegates arrive for International Baha'i Convention

HAIFA, Israel — More than 1,000 delegates representing 157 countries have arrived here to participate in the 11th International Baha'i Convention. A global election process that began with Baha'is in more than 100,000 cities and villages around the world culminates on Monday, when delegates will gather to elect the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing council of the Baha'i Faith.

First elected 50 years ago in 1963, the Universal House of Justice is entrusted by Baha'u'llah in His own writings with exerting a positive influence on the welfare of humankind, promoting education, peace and global prosperity, and safeguarding human honor and the position of religion. It is responsible for applying the Baha'i teachings to the requirements of an ever-evolving society and legislating on matters not explicitly covered in the Faith's sacred texts.

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This holy Dispensation,...

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s authentic pronouncements should, likewise, be recalled as confirming, in no less emphatic manner, the unexampled vastness of the Bahá’í Dispensation. “Centuries,” He affirms in one of His Tablets, “nay, countless ages, must pass away ere the Day-Star of Truth shineth again in its mid-summer splendor, or appeareth once more in the radiance of its vernal glory… The mere contemplation of the Dispensation inaugurated by the Blessed Beauty would have sufficed to overwhelm the saints of bygone ages—saints who longed to partake, for one moment, of its great glory.” “Concerning the Manifestations that will come down in the future ‘in the shadows of the clouds,’” He, in a still more definite language, affirms, “know, verily, that in so far as their relation to the Source of their inspiration is concerned, they are under the shadow of the Ancient Beauty. In their relation, however, to the age in which they appear, each and every one of them ‘doeth whatsoever He willeth.’” “This holy Dispensation,” He, alluding to the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, explains, “is illumined with the light of the Sun of Truth shining from its most exalted station, and in the plenitude of its resplendency, its heat and glory.”

Shoghi Effendi: The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh

The Divine Springtime is come,

This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendors of the Light that shineth from the face of Thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Bountiful. Verily, We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being a new creation, as a token of Our grace unto men. I am, verily, the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days. This is the Day whereon the unseen world crieth out: “Great is thy blessedness, O earth, for thou hast been made the foot-stool of thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His mighty throne.” The realm of glory exclaimeth: “Would that my life could be sacrificed for thee, for He Who is the Beloved of the All-Merciful hath established His sovereignty upon thee, through the power of His Name that hath been promised unto all things, whether of the past or of the future.”

This is the Day whereon every sweet smelling thing hath derived its fragrance from the smell of My garment—a garment that hath shed its perfume upon the whole of creation. This is the Day whereon the rushing waters of everlasting life have gushed out of the Will of the All-Merciful. Haste ye, with your hearts and souls, and quaff your fill, O Concourse of the realms above!

Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

The Final Consummation

Only those who are willing to associate the Revelation proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh with the consummation of so stupendous an evolution in the collective life of the whole human race can grasp the significance of the words which He, while alluding to the glories of this promised Day and to the duration of the Bahá’í Era, has deemed fit to utter. “This is the King of Days,” He exclaims, “the Day that hath seen the coming of the Best-Beloved, Him Who, through all eternity, hath been acclaimed the Desire of the World.” “The Scriptures of past Dispensations,” He further asserts, “celebrate the great jubilee that must needs greet this most great Day of God. Well is it with him that hath lived to see this Day and hath recognized its station.” “It is evident,” He, in another passage explains, “that every age in which a Manifestation of God hath lived is divinely-ordained, and may, in a sense, be characterized as God’s appointed Day. This Day, however, is unique, and is to be distinguished from those that have preceded it.The designation ‘Seal of the Prophets’ fully revealeth its high station. The Prophetic Cycle hath verily ended. The Eternal Truth is now come. He hath lifted up the ensign of power, and is now shedding upon the world the unclouded splendor of His Revelation.

” “In this most mighty Revelation,” He, in categorical language, declares, “all the Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their final consummation. That which hath been made manifest in this préeminent, this most exalted Revelation, standeth unparalleled in the annals of the past, nor will future ages witness its like.”


Shoghi Effendi: The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh

In one of His letters, Bahá’u’lláh refers to a vision that He had in the Ridván Garden:

 "One day of days We repaired unto Our Green Island. Upon Our arrival, We beheld its streams flowing, and its trees luxuriant, and the sunlight playing in their midst. Turning Our face to the right, We beheld what the pen is powerless to describe; nor can it set forth that which the eye of the Lord of Mankind witnessed in that most sanctified, that most sublime, that blest, and most exalted Spot. Turning, then, to the left We gazed on one of the Beauties of the Most Sublime Paradise, standing on a pillar of light, and calling aloud saying: 'O inmates of earth and heaven! Behold ye My beauty, and My radiance, and My revelation, and My effulgence. By God, the True One! I am Trustworthiness and the revelation thereof, and the beauty thereof. I will recompense whosoever will cleave unto Me, and recognize My rank and station, and hold fast unto My hem. I am the most great ornament of the people of Baha, and the vesture of glory unto all who are in the kingdom of creation. I am the supreme instrument for the prosperity of the world, and the horizon of assurance unto all beings.' Thus have We sent down for thee that which will draw men nigh unto the Lord of creation."

Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas,

عید اعظم رضوان

 حقّ جَلَّ جَلالُه از برای ظهور جواهر معانی از معدن انسانی آمده الیوم دینُ اللّه و مذهبُ اللّه آنکه مذاهب مختلفه و سُبُل متعدّده را سبب و علّت بغضا ننمایند این اصول و قوانین و راه های محکم متین از مَطلَعِ واحد ظاهر و ازمَشرقِ واحد مُشرق و این اختلافات نظر به مَصالحِ وقت و زمان و قرون و اعصار بوده ای اهل بها کمر همّت را محکم نمایید که شاید جدال و نزاع مذهبی از بین اهل عالم مرتفع شود و محو گردد حُبّاً لِلّهِ وَ لِعِبادِه بر این امر عظیم خطیر قیام نمایید ضغینه و بغضای مذهبی ناریست عالم سوز و اِطفآءِ آن بسیار صَعبْ مگر یَدِ قدرتِ الهی ناس را از این بلاء عقیم نجات بخشد... ای اهل عالم همه بار یک دارید و برگ یک شاخسار به کمال محبّت و اتّحاد و مودّت و اتّفاق سلوک نمایید قسم به آفتاب حقیقت نور اتّفاق آفاق را روشن و منوّر سازد حَقِّ آگاه گواه این گفتار بوده و هست جهد نمایید تا به این مقام بلند اعلی که مقام صیانت و حفظ عالم انسانی است فائز شوید این قصد سلطان مقاصد و این اَمَلْ مَلیکِ آمال ولکن تا افق آفتاب عدل از سحاب تیرۀ ظلم فارغ نشود ظهور این مقام مشکل به نظر می آید و سَحابِ تیره مَظاهر ظنون و اوهامند یعنی علمای عصر. گاهی به لسان شریعت و هنگامی به لسان حقیقت و طریقت نطق نمودیم و مقصدِ اَقصی و غایتِ قُصوی ظهور این مقام بلند اعلی بوده کَفی بِاللّهِ شَهیداً ای اهل بها با جمیع اهل عالم بروح و ریحان معاشرت نمایید اگر نزد شما کلمه و یا جوهریست که دون شما از آن محروم به لسان محبّت و شفقت القا نمایید اگر قبول شد و اثر نمود مقصد حاصل و الّا او را به او گذارید و دربارۀ او دعا نمایید نه جفا لسان شفقت جذّاب قلوبست و مائدۀ روح و بمَثابه معانیست از برای الفاظ و مانندافق است از برای اشراق آفتاب حکمت و دانایی 

منتخباتى از آثار حضرت بهاءالله

Seldom have I seen one whose ...

"Seldom have I seen one whose appearance impressed me more. A tall strongly-built man holding himself straight as an arrow, with white turban and raiment, long black locks reaching almost to the shoulder, broad powerful forehead indicating a strong intellect combined with an unswerving will, eyes keen as a hawk’s, and strongly marked but pleasing features – such was my first impression of ‘Abbás Efendi, ‘the master’…as he, par excellence, is called by the [Bahá’ís]. Subsequent conversation with him served only to heighten the respect with which his appearance had from the first inspired me. One more eloquent of speech, more ready of argument, more apt of illustration, more intimately acquainted with the sacred books of the Jews, the Christians, and the Muhammadans, could, I should think, scarcely be found even among the eloquent, ready, and subtle race to which he belongs. These qualities, combined with a bearing at once majestic and genial, made me cease to wonder at the influence and esteem which he enjoyed even beyond the circle of his father’s followers. About the greatness of this man and his power no one who had seen him could entertain a doubt."

[Edward G. Browne, ed. A Traveller’s Narrative, English translation and notes. (Cambridge University Press, 1891) Vol. II, xxxvi.]

Be generous in prosperity,...

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.

Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

توسعۀ اجتماعى و اقتصادى «جميع از برای اصلاح عالم خلق شده اند»

حضرت بهاءاللّه می فرمايند که «جميع از برای اصلاح عالم خلق شده اند»[۱] . خلق یک جامعۀ جهانی مملو از صلح که حامی رفاه و ترقی فردی و جمعی نوع بشر باشد، محور دیدگاه دیانت بهائی در مورد آینده را تشکیل می دهد. در چهارچوب جامعۀ در حال رشد بهائی که توجه زیادی به دگرگونی اخلاقی و روحانی نشان می دهد، فعالیت های توسعۀ اجتماعی و اقتصادی یکی از

نشانه های تعهد بهائیان به این هدف والاست.

جامعه جهانی بهائی به عنوان یک مجموعۀ زنده و پویا، پا را از مرزبندی های رایج جامعه امروز، مثل «شمال/جنوب» و «توسعه یافته/توسعه نیافته» فراتر می گذارد. بهائیان سراسر دنیا صرف نظر از میزان پیشرفت مادّی کشورهای محلّ سکونت شان به فعالیت های توسعۀ اجتماعی و اقتصادی می پردازند و می کوشند که تعاليم حضرت بهاءاللّه را در فرایند تدريجی بنای تمدّنی جدید به کار برند. هر فرد بالقوّه در اين مسير سهمی دارد.

به اين ترتيب مساعی بهائی در ميدان توسعۀ اقتصادی و اجتماعی معمولاً بر اساس ابتکارات مردم عادی هر دهکده و شهری صورت می گيرد. وقتی اين برنامه ها به رشد و تکامل لازم برسند، به برنامه های پایدارتری با تشکيلات دائمی اداری تبدیل خواهند شد. با این حال تعداد خیلی کمی از این برنامه ها را می توان با برنامه های پيچيدۀ توسعه ای که سازمان های دولتی و سازمان های چندجانبۀ بين المللی با امکانات و سرمايه خود ايجاد کرده اند، مقايسه نمود.

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