Teach Me to See | A Joyful Bahá’í-Inspired Song About Knowing God

https://youtu.be/N3mJf1FLw9I?si=r4b2yTTdK_VBucbp 

“Teach Me to See” is a joyful, Bahá’í-inspired song about the power of spiritual understanding.

It weaves spoken passages from Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá into a prayer 

for open eyes, a humble heart, and a life that reflects what we’ve learned.

يا نُورَ النّور يا نُوراً فَوقَ كُلّ نُور

 

https://youtu.be/H9FjvVFZ_xk?si=PusQ_CTgRexFkC4E

يا نُورَ النّور، يا نُورًا فَوقَ كُلِّ نُور،

يا مُظهِرَ كُلِّ ظُهور، يا رَحمنُ يا رَحيم هذا الدعاء الروحاني من آثار الديانة البهائية،

وهو مناجاة تعبّر عن التوجّه إلى الله باعتباره نور الأنوار ومصدر كل ظهور.

 

               https://www.bahai.org/national-communities

"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth"

"The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established"  from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh.

When you walk into any country or even a city on earth, most likely you will find a small group of Baha'is including Youth in neighbourhood who decided to serve their community and start a service project. 

The Book of Certitude (the Iqan)

 

Four Questions submitted to Baha'u'llah by Haji Mirza Sayyid Muhammad (the Bab's Uncle). the questions led to the revelation of the Kitab-i Iqan.

Question One; (Resurrection and Judgment)

What was previously believed is that the promised resurrection will take place in another world. The raising of the dead (hashr wa nashr), the Bridge (sirat), the accounting of the deeds of all creatures, and the reward or punishment of those deeds will take place in that world. However, it is all in this world, and it has taken place. And the days of the appearance of every manifestation of the truth (or manifestation of God: mazhar-i haqq) constitute that same day of resurrection for the period preceding it. In this new revelation, there has been no punishment for men's deeds. Nay, the rebelliousness and corruption of the people of tyranny and oppression have increased, even if the real meaning of reward and punishment is nearness or distance from the divine court. This subject is the same, regardless of which world it occurs in. The people of truth in this world, since they exist in God's good pleasure, are in a state of well-being; but they are outwardly caught in the grip of the people of oppression, and are troubled by them. The people of oppression, although they are tormented by being far from the court of God, are outwardly in a state of comfort, and by reason of their innate ignorance (ghaflati ki darand), are unaware of that torment. If the requital for men's deeds (jaza-yi a'mal) and the promised punishment (? the text reads thawab-i 'iqab-i maw'ud, which makes imperfect sense and could be in error for thawab wa 'iqab-i maw'ud, meaning the promised reward and punishment) is this (i.e. as described above), and there is no other world than this one, where will the oppressed seek vengeance from the one who oppressed him, and where will the people of punishment receive their desserts. This would be nothing but a denial of the promised resurrection. I have not understood this subject properly, yet it is among the most important of matters to understand it.

في كينية المعاد وبعث الأجساد وحقيقة الثواب والعقاب

Reference; https://bahai-library.com/muhammad_questions_kitab_iqan 

"Judgment is not an oral trial or interrogation, but rather tests individuals to see whether they possess the inner insight to recognize the divine light of the new Messenger or allow worldly prejudices to blind them. "

"Being "dead" or in "tombs" symbolizes a state of spiritual ignorance and waywardness, while the "cleaving of the heavens" means the superseding and annulling of a previous religious dispensation to make way for a new divine truth"

Why We (all Human beings) Should Read the Kitab-i-Iqan; the Book of Certitude

 

Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith, revealed The Book of Certitude in 1861/62 in the span of two days and two nights. He wrote this treatise in response to questions asked by one of the maternal uncles of the Bab — the herald and forerunner of Baha’u’llah. The Kitab-i-Iqan fulfills “the prophecy of the Báb, Who had specifically stated that the Promised One would complete the text of the unfinished Persian Bayán” — a volume that the Bab wrote around 1847 before he was martyred in 1850.

Shoghi Effendi summarized The Book of Certitude in the following words:

Within a compass of two hundred pages it proclaims unequivocally the existence and oneness of a personal God, unknowable, inaccessible, the source of all Revelation, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and almighty; asserts the relativity of religious truth and the continuity of Divine Revelation; affirms the unity of the Prophets, the universality of their Message, the identity of their fundamental teachings, the sanctity of their scriptures, and the twofold character of their stations; denounces the blindness and perversity of the divines and doctors of every age; cites and elucidates the allegorical passages of the New Testament, the abstruse verses of the Qur’án,

…enumerates the essential prerequisites for the attainment by every true seeker of the object of his quest; demonstrates the validity, the sublimity and significance of the Báb’s Revelation; acclaims the heroism and detachment of His disciples; foreshadows, and prophesies the world-wide triumph of the Revelation promised to the people of the Bayán; upholds the purity and innocence of the Virgin Mary; glorifies the Imáms of the Faith of Muḥammad; celebrates the martyrdom, and lauds the spiritual sovereignty, of the Imám Ḥusayn; unfolds the meaning of such symbolic terms as ‘Return,’ ‘Resurrection,’ ‘Seal of the Prophets’ and ‘Day of Judgment’; adumbrates and distinguishes between the three stages of Divine Revelation; and expatiates, in glowing terms, upon the glories and wonders of the ‘City of God,’ renewed, at fixed intervals, by the dispensation of Providence, for the guidance, the benefit and salvation of all mankind.

https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/kitab-i-iqan/1#990539395  

The Baha'is

Bahá'u'lláh exhorts His followers to consort,

with amity and concord and without discrimination,

with the adherents of all religions;

warns them to guard against fanaticism, sedition, pride, dispute and contention;

inculcates upon them immaculate cleanliness,

strict truthfulness, spotless chastity, trustworthiness;

hospitality, fidelity, courtesy,

forbearance, justice and fairness;

counsels them to be "even as the fingers of one hand and the limbs of one body";

calls upon them to arise and serve His Cause; and assures them of His undoubted aid.

Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By

Bahai Fast Mar 2nd to mar 20th

Fasting and obligatory prayer are as two wings to man's life.

Blessed be the one who soareth with their aid

in the heaven of the love of God,

the Lord of all worlds.

Bahá’u’lláh

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These are the days of the Fast. Blessed is the one who through the heat generated by the Fast increaseth his love, and who, with joy and radiance, ariseth to perform worthy deeds. Bahá’u’lláh

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Verily, I say, fasting is the supreme remedy and the most great healing for the disease of self and passion. Bahá’u’lláh

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Fasting is the cause of the elevation of one's spiritual station. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Baha'i Prayer from the Writings of the Bab #3

هُوَ اللهُ

يا إلَهِي أَنْتَ الحَقُّ لَمْ تَزَلْ، وَمَا سِوَاكَ مُحْتَاجٌ فَقِيرٌ. وأَنا ذا يا إِلهِي انْقَطَعْتُ عَنْ كُلِّ النَّاسِ بالتَّوَسُّلِ إلى حَبْلِكَ وأَعْرَضْتُ عَنْ كُلِّ المَوجُودَاتِ بِالتَّوَجُّهِ إِلى تِلْقاءِ مَدْيَنِ رَحْمَتِكَ. فأَلْهِمْنِي اللَّهُمَّ ما أَنْتَ عَليهِ مِنَ الفَضْلِ والعَطَاءِ وَالعَظَمَةِ والبَهَاءِ والجَلالِ وَالكِبْرِياءِ. فَإِنَّي لا أجِدُ دُونَكَ عالِمًا مُقَتَدِرًا. واحرُسْنِي اللَّهُمَّ بِكُلِّ مَنْعِكَ وَكِفايَتِكَ وجُنُودِ السَّمواتِ وَالأَرضِ. فَإِنِّي لا أَجِدُ دُونَكَ مُعْتَمَدًا ولا سِوَاكَ مَلجًأ. وأَنْتَ أَنْتَ اللهُ رَبِّي تَعْلَمُ حاجَتِي وَتَشْهَدُ مَقَامِي وَأَحاطَ عِلْمُكَ بِمَا نَزَلَ عَليَّ مِنْ قَضَائِكَ وبَلا الدُّنْيا بإِذْنِكَ جُودًا وإِكْرَامًا.

Baha'i Fast Mar 2 to Mar 20

In clear cases of weakness, illness, or injury the law of the Fast is not binding. This injunction is in conformity with the precepts of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Well is it with them who act accordingly. Bahá’u’lláh

Verily, I say, fasting is the supreme remedy and the most great healing for the disease of self and passion. Bahá’u’lláh

"O God! as I am fasting from the appetites of the body and not occupied with eating and drinking, even so purify and make holy my heart and my life from aught else save Thy Love… Thus may the spirit associate with the Fragrances of Holiness and fast from everything else save Thy mention." Abdu’l-Bahá

Well is it with you, as you have followed the Law of God and arisen to observe the Fast during these blessed days, for this physical fast is a symbol of the spiritual fast. This Fast leadeth to the cleansing of the soul from all selfish desires, the acquisition of spiritual attributes, attraction to the breezes of the All-Merciful, and enkindlement with the fire of divine love. Abdu’l-Bahá

Fasting is the cause of the elevation of one's spiritual station. Abdu’l-Bahá

The Fourth Faith? Why we need a new Faith?

This was the title of an article published in Egypt Today Magazine September 2006.

http://egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6918

We tried to find answer to the following question;

what is the purpose of religion?

Baha'u'llah explained, is because religion must fulfill two distinct needs: The first is to guide individuals towards happiness and spiritual contentment, and the second is to provide communities with guidance and laws to enable a healthy, functioning society to thrive and develop:

" God's purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and tranquility of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established. (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 79)

Our comments to follow shortly.......

Baha'i prayer for the Fast

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8063556464628695012#

Baha'i prayer for the fast - produced 3 years ago by Baha'is from Shiraz

THE BEST BELOVED OF ALL THINGS IN MY SIGHT IS JUSTICE

Near the end of 2009 ...... the world is still looking for JUSTICE:

The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh -

O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest 4 Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.

The LIGHT of UNITY

"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth." (Bahá'u'llah)

Here is an AMAZing United Way's Holiday Greeting

http://www.unitedwaytv.org/default__200_09_Holiday_Greeting.aspx

Good Deads in Kitab-i-Aqdas

Did you know that there are MANY “good deeds” that the beloved Guardian summarized from the Kitab-i-Aqdas – deeds by which “one's self” should be distinguished?

They are:

To be truthful; To be trustworthy;

To be faithful; To be righteous and fear God;

To be just and fair; To be tactful and wise;

To be courteous; To be hospitable ;

To be persevering; To be detached;

To be absolutely submissive to the Will of God; Not to stir up mischief;

Not to be hypocritical; Not to be proud;

Not to be fanatical; Not to prefer one's self to one's neighbor;

Not to contend with one's neighbour; Not to indulge one's passions;

Not to lament in adversity; Not to contend with those in authority;

Not to lose one's temper; and Not to anger one's neighbour.

(Shoghi Effendi, Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas)

Baha'is and politics

Abdu'l-Bahá, the Center of the Covenant, said on politics:

“Speak thou no word of politics; thy task concerneth the life of the soul, for this verily leadeth to man's joy in the world of God. Except to speak well of them, make thou no mention of the earth's kings, and the worldly governments thereof. Rather, confine thine utterance to spreading the blissful tidings of the Kingdom of God, and demonstrating the influence of the Word of God, and the holiness of the Cause of God.
Tell thou of abiding joy and spiritual delights, and godlike qualities, and of how the Sun of Truth hath risen above the earth's horizons: tell of the blowing of the spirit of life into the body of the world.” [Abdu'l-Bahá]

Why Baha'is are not involved with Politics:

“Politics are occupied with the material things of life. Religious teachers should not invade the realm of politics; they should concern themselves with the spiritual education of the people; they should ever give good counsel to men, trying to serve God and human kind; they should endeavour to awaken spiritual aspiration, and strive
to enlarge the understanding and knowledge of humanity, to improve morals, and to increase the love for justice.” [Abdu'l-Bahá]

“That field does not interest us; that we attribute importance to things of the spirit, that we await salvation to come from the Faith that burns in our hearts.” [The light of Divine Guidance]

تعليم الأطفال فى البهائبة

حذر الجهاز المركزى للتعبئة العامة والإحصاء من تزايد نسبة الأطفال الذين لم يلتحقوا بالتعليم مطلقا، حيث بلغت هذه النسبة 56% من جملة الأطفال العاملين، من بينهم 52% أميون........نقلا عن اليوم السابع

تعليم الأطفال فى البهائية إجبارى وعلى الأبوين تربية أطفالهم وتعليمهم القراة والكتابة والفنون منذ الصغر. وفى حالة عدم استطاعة الأبوين على المجتمع أن يقوم بالمساهمة المالية لتعليم الأطفال. على كل بهائى أن  يجتهد على تحصيل كل من العلوم النافعة والأخلاق الفاضلة على قدم المساواة لأنهما بمثابة جناحين بهما يمكن للإنسان أن يحلق في سماء الكمالات الإنسانية اللامتناهية .

تفضل حضرة بهاء الله مبينا :  " العلم هو بمنزلة الجناح للوجود ومرقاة  للصعود . تحصيله واجب علي الجميع ...إن أصحاب العلوم والصنايع حقا عظيما على أهل العالم " .  ويؤكد حضرته مبينا:  إن الكنز الحقيقي للإنسان هو في الحقيقة علمه، وهو علة العزة والنعمة والفرح والنشاط والبهجة والانبساط .

كيف يمكن إصلاح العالم

من كتاب "من أحيا نفسا" للحبيب الفاضل شوقى ر.

"دعنا نتأمل في النموذج الكامل والشامل الذي اتبعه حضرة بهاء الله في اللوح المبارك الذي أرسله إلى الملكة فكتوريا، ملكة الإمبراطورية البريطانية، والذي فيه يشخص مرض العالم ويقدم مبدأ وحدة البشر، إلى مجلس اللوردات في لندره بصورة خاصة، ومجالس الشورى في العالم بأسره، بصورة عامة، على أنه الدواء الأعظم لأمراض العالم ، ولا يكتف بهذا القدر فحسب، بل يحذرهم من الكذبة الذين نصبوا أنفسهم بأنفسهم أطباء لعلاج العالم، يقول وقوله الحق:

" يا أصحاب المجلس في هناك وديار أخرى تدبروا وتكلموا في ما يصلح به العالم  وحاله لو أنتم من المتوسمين، فانظروا العالم كهيكل إنسان أنه خلق صحيحا كاملا فاعترته الأمراض بالأسباب المختلفة المتغايرة وما طابت نفسه في يوم بل اشتد مرضه بما وقع تحت أطباء غير حاذقة الذين ركبوا مطية الهوى وكانوا من الهائمين، وإن طاب عضو من أعضاءه في عصر من الأعصار بطبيب حاذق بقيت أعضاء أخرى في ما كان عليه، كذلك ينبئكم العليم الخبير، واليوم نراه تحت أيدي الذين أخذهم سكر خمر الغرور على شأن لا يعرفون خير أنفسهم فكيف هذا الأمر الأوعر الخطير، إن سعى أحد من هؤلاء في صحته لم يكن مقصوده إلا بان ينتفع به إسما كان أو رسما لذا لا يقدر على برئه إلا على قدر مقدور، والذي جعله الله الترياق الأعظم والسبب الأتم لصحته هو اتحاد من علي الأرض على أمر واحد وشريعة واحدة ، هذا لا يمكن أبدا إلا بطبيب حاذق كامل مؤيد لعمري هذا لهو الحق وما بعده إلا الضلال المبين، كلما أتى ذاك السبب الأعظم وأشرق ذاك النور من مشرق القدم منعه المتطببون وصاروا سحابا بينه وبين العالم لذا ما طاب مرضه وبقى في سقمه إلى حين، إنهم لم يقدروا على حفظه وصحته والذي كان مظهر القدرة بين البرية منع عما أراد بما اكتسبت أيدي المتطببين ..." بهاء الله

The Wayfarer - الباحث عن الحقيقة

The Wayfarer is an intriguing and informative new film about one young man’s journey around the world to understand the Bahá’í faith - its beliefs, its humanitarian efforts, and its ongoing struggle against persecution.

http://vimeo.com/1963643

These are among the attributes of the exalted, and constitute the hall-mark of the spiritually-minded. They have already been mentioned in connection with the requirements of the wayfarers that tread the Path of Positive Knowledge. When the detached wayfarer and sincere seeker hath fulfilled these essential conditions, then and only then can he be called a true seeker. Whensoever he hath fulfilled the conditions implied in the verse: "Whoso maketh efforts for Us,"[1] he shall enjoy the blessing conferred by the words: "In Our ways shall We assuredly guide him."[ Qur'án 29:69.]

(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan)

Consultation in the Baha'i Faith

"Consultation must have for its object the investigation of truth. He who expresses an opinion should not voice it as correct and right but set it forth as a contribution to the consensus of opinion, for the light of reality becomes apparent when two opinions coincide. A spark is produced when flint and steel come together. Man should weigh his opinions with the utmost serenity, calmness and composure. Before expressing his own views he should carefully consider the views already advanced by others. If he finds that a previously expressed opinion is more true and worthy, he should accept it immediately and not willfully hold to an opinion of his own. By this excellent method he endeavors to arrive at unity and truth." Abdu'l Baha