Archive for February, 2006

The roots of the Baha’i Faith are in Islam. The Baha’i Faith had its beginnings in what is present-day Iran. It grew out of Islam just as Christianity grew out of Judaism. The Founder of the Baha’i Faith, Baha’u'llah, was born a Muslim just as Christ was born a Jew. The following teaching of Baha’u'llah has relevance to all of humanity and not just Muslims:

Beware lest ye shed the blood of anyone. Unsheathe the sword of your tongue from the scabbard of utterance, for therewith ye can conquer the citadels of men’s hearts. We have abolished the law to wage holy war against each other. God’s mercy, hath, verily, encompassed all created things, if ye do but understand. Aid ye your Lord, the God of Mercy, with the sword of understanding. Keener indeed is it, and more finely tempered, than the sword of utterance, were ye but to reflect upon the words of your Lord.

Baha’u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 23.

The most downloaded document from Baha’i Library Online: 38682 views since 2003-09-06, the Map of Persia, in Nabil’s The Dawnbreakers.

Our weekly Ruhi class, a Baha’i study circle, has been a part of the rhythm of our home for several years now. Participation in Ruhi classes have had a transformative effect on my wife and me, our children, our local Baha’i community, as well as our national and international Baha’i community. Ruhi has been a subject of my wife’s blog on numerous occasions. At times I have thought of Ruhi classes as the Baha’is’ little secret. Then I came across the entry on Wikipedia for Baha’i study circles and realized that Ruhi has arrived.

The term study circle has become common terminology in the Bahá’í Faith to describe a specific type of gathering for the study of the Bahá’í teachings.

The most common curriculum used in study circles was originally developed at the Ruhi Institute in Colombia but is now used in Bahá’í communities all over the world.

Wikipedia entry for “Baha’i Study Circles”

For some people it is hard to appreciate Islam because of its apparent promotion of the “use of the sword.” As the following passage out of the remarkable text One Common Faith indicates, we can only come to understand the great religions by looking at their historical context. What was necessary for nascent religion to prevail in the face of the opposition of the day? We can better understand Islamic history by looking at the example of the Hebrew people of an earlier time chronicled in the Old Testament.

“The long and arduous preparation of the Hebrew people for the mission required of them is an illustration of the complexity and stubborn character of the moral challenges involved. In order that the spiritual capacities appealed to by the prophets might awaken and flourish, the inducements offered by neighbouring idolatrous cultures had, at all costs, to be resisted. Scriptural accounts of the condign punishments that befell both rulers and subjects who violated the principle illustrated the importance attached to it by the Divine purpose. A somewhat comparable issue arose in the struggle of the newborn community founded by Muhammad to survive attempts by pagan Arab tribes to extinguish it—and in the barbaric cruelty and relentless spirit of vendetta animating the attackers. No one familiar with the historical details will have difficulty in understanding the severity of the Qur’án’s injunctions on the subject. While the monotheistic beliefs of Jews and Christians were to be accorded respect, no compromise with idolatry was permitted. In a relatively brief space of time, this draconian rule had succeeded in unifying the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula and launching the newly forged community on well over five centuries of moral, intellectual, cultural and economic achievement, unmatched before or since in the speed and scope of its expansion. History tends to be a stern judge. Ultimately, in its uncompromising perspective, the consequences to those who would have blindly strangled such enterprises in the cradle will always be set off against the benefits accruing to the world as a whole from the triumph of the Bible’s vision of human possibilities and the advances made possible by the genius of Islamic civilization.”

The Universal House of Justice, “One Common Faith,” pp. 35-36.

There is something wonderful in reading someone else’s notes. There can be recognition. We can fill in the blanks. Or we can contemplate subjects that go beyond what we are familiar with. Exploring the net I came across syllabus notes for a course that was offered in 2000 in South Africa on “Relating the Baha’i Faith to Some Contemporary Issues.” The compiler and teacher was Farzin Aghdasi. He is a current Baha’i Continental Board of Counselors member, I believe. Below are the notes, sketchy as they are, for Week 8 of the course. They read like poetry. But first, a picture to offer in juxtaposition, gleaned from a 2001 issue of Europhysics News, available on line. I was looking for a picture of Stonehenge. I came across the following instead, a grouping of telescopes on a ridgetop in Chile that have a slightly Stonehenge look about them, especially with the sun peeping up from the horizon. On another ridgetop in Chile the Baha’i House of Worship for the South American continent is being built.

Islam cannot be understood by looking only through the lens of 20th Century Christianity.

“Islam attained a very high spiritual state, but Western scholars are prone to judging it by Christian standards. One cannot call one World Faith superior to another, as they all come from God; they are progressive, each suited to certain needs of the time.”

Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian

Americans extole freedom. For much of the rest of the world, for Muslims certainly, it’s not freedom that resonates, but submission. Islam means “submission.” True freedom can only be found through submission to the laws of God.

“It is incumbent upon them who are in authority to exercise moderation in all things. Whatsoever passeth beyond the limits of moderation will cease to exert a beneficial influence. Consider for instance such things as liberty, civilization and the like. However much men of understanding may favourably regard them, they will, if carried to excess, exercise a pernicious influence upon men.”

Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Bahá’u'lláh

The negative campaigning so typical of the adversarial nature of elections in this country brings on feelings of repugnance for me each electoral season. I perform the duty of a good citizen by voting when the time comes, but I am always acutely aware of the profound difference in tone between national elections and Baha’i elections. What a joy it must have been for these tellers to have had the privilege of performing the service of vote-counting at the most recent election for the Universal House of Justice.

Nineteen tellers assembled at the Baha’i World Centre on Mount Carmel on 29 April 2003 to tally the votes in the election for the Universal House of Justice. The ballots were posted by members of the world’s 178 National Spiritual Assemblies. The tellers came from Africa(Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa), the Americas (Bahamas, Canada, Colombia, UnitedStates), Europe (Austria, Greece, Hungary, Turkey, United Kingdom), Asia (two from India,Japan); Australia and Oceania (Australia, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands).

Baha’i World News Service, “Baha’i Community Elects International Governing Council”

Elections to the Bahá’í administrative institutions take place by a free and secret ballot. They are however radically different from most other elections that take place in the world today. They are not the arena for a struggle for power between opposing individuals, policies, ideologies or parties. A prohibition on nominations, electioneering, and the formation of parties helps to ensure this.

“The Baha’i Community, Baha’i Elections,” extracted and condensed from A Short Introduction to the Bahá’í Faith