A brief account of the Bahai movement

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A BRIEF ACCOUNT

OF THE

R\HAI MOVEMENT

By Ethel J. Rosenberg

http://www.archive.org/details/briefaccountofbaOOroseiala

A Brief Account

of

The Bahai Movement

BY ETHEL J. ROSENBERG

Published by
THE PRIORY PRESS, HAMPSTEAD

AND

J. M. WATKINS, 21, CECIL COURT
ST. MARTIN'S LANE, W.C.

For The Bahai Society of London

1911

Price One Penny

9

A Brief Account of the Bahai Movement*

BY

Ethel J. Rosenberg.

Watchman, what of the night? . . »
The morning cometh.

"|V/fANY believe that we, in this century, are
witnessing the dawn of a new spiritual
epoch or era.

A renewal of the Spirit is making itself felt in
the Churches and in the religious and social life
of all lands. This is in harmony with the teach-
ings of the Bahais, and of their Great Leaders,
now represented by Abdul Baha the * Servant of
God,' known to the outside world as Abbas
Effendi. Once again, the Light is shining forth
from that land which may indeed be called the

2116750

Holy Land: for have not its valleys and hills
been trodden from the beginning by the
feet of those great Messengers inspired of
God — Abraham, Elijah, and last and greatest,
Jesus of Nazareth? Is it strange that once
more in this century of ours, in this ' the cradle
of the race,' those that were sitting " in darkness
have seen a Great Light," the light of the Sun
of Righteousness that rises with healing in his
wings ?

This great teacher, Abdul Baha — by birth
a Persian — was, until 1908, for forty years a
prisoner, confined by the order of the Turkish
Government within the walls of Akka (or Acre,
to use the name more familiar to the West) on
account of his religious teachings, which were
considered subversive of, and antagonistic to
the faith of Islam.

In order to make these statements intelligible
to those who have not before heard of this great
religious movement which is flooding the East
with new light and life, it will be necessary to
give a slight sketch of its history.

In 1819 A.D., in the city of Shiraz, in Persia, a
child was born named Mirza Ali Mohammad.
His Father a wool merchant died while the
child was yet an infant ; he was brought up by
his maternal uncle, and given the ordinary edu-
cation of a Persian youth in his position. From

childhood Ali Mohammad was renowned for his
piety and virtue, his courteous manner, and the
beauty of his person.

When this young man attained the age of
twenty-four, he announced to some of the princi-
pal men of learning and virtue of his country
that he was the bearer of a message from God,
and from that time assumed the title of " Bab, "
or door, by which name he became generally
known. He is now imiversally referred to as
"the Bab."

He became the forerunner and founder of a
great religious movement, which is destined to
quicken the Western world, as it is now quick-
ening the East, and to bring the two into unity
and harmony.

From the hour of this announcement he ob-
tained a hearing, and in a short while gained a
very large following, both among the cultivated
and learned of his countrymen, and among the
common people.

The rapid spread of his teachings begai>
seriously to alarm the more fanatical of the
Persian Mohammedan teachers or Mullahs.
Through their intrigues and at their instigation
he was at last seized and thrown into prison, and
finally shot at Tabriz, in July, 1850 A.D., six
years after he had declared his mission.

The Mullahs were determined, if possible, to

stamp out and destroy what they considered to
be a dangerous heresy ; they therefore imprison-
ed and executed all of the leading Babis, as they
were called, upon whom they could lay hands.

The Bab's doctrines were simple. He came,
he said, not to uproot and destroy but to urge a
more whole-hearted keeping of the grand teach-
ings of his race. He declared that the Koran
was not final. He taught a pure faith in the
One God, inculcated a high morality, and assert-
ed that women were the equals of men, and had
a right to education. He appointed eighteen
chief followers or disciples, one of whom was a
woman, the far-famed and beautiful Kurru-t' ul-
Ayn (i.e. Consolation of the Eyes) a poetess,
leader, and teacher, to whom he gave the title of
Tahereh, or the Pure One, and who finally suff-
ered martyrdom about two years after the Bab's
death.

He called these disciples " Letters of the
Living," he himself forming the nineteenth of
this hierachy. Throughout the writings of the
Bab the number nineteen is considered especially
sacred, for reasons too long to detail here.^

The greater part of the teachings and writings
of the Bab referred to a Coming Great One,
*' He whom God would manifest," who would
reveal the light of Truth in its full splendour,
and would declare himself after nineteen years.^

'Readers are referred to the Beyan.

The Bab constantly exhorted his followers not
to reject this Great One when he appeared, as
has been the custom of former religions and
peoples upon the advent of a new prophet.

Two years after the Bab's death, in 1852 A.D.,
a young fanatical Babi whose mind had become
somewhat unbalanced through grief — owing to
his master, a Babi, having been martyred for his
faith — fired at the Shah with a fowling-piece.
He was seized, and instantly put to death. This
unfortunate act gave the Mullahs a pretext for
their reiterated statements that the Bab's teach-
ings were not religious, but political, and danger-
ous to the Government. All the leading Babis
were seized and imprisoned, and many of them
put to death. Then commenced that terrible
outburst of persecution, torture, and martyrdom,
for which there is scarcely to be found a parallel
in history. The number of these martyrs is
variously estimated at from thirty to fifty
thousand souls — men, women, and children.

Among the Babis imprisoned at this time was
a young and wealthy Persian nobleman, who
was considered by the Government to be a
prominent leader of the movement. On account
of his benevolence he was called, in Teheran,
the " Father of the Poor. " Afterwards he
became universally known as Baha'u'llah (i.e.
"The Glory of God"). Baha'u'llah was con-

8

fined in a dungeon with a heavy chain about his
neck, attached thus to five other Babis, for a
period of four months.

The Government, however, being quite unable
to substantiate any charge against him, released
him, and having confiscated his property, ban-
ished him with his family and a few followers to
Baghdad, beyond the borders of Persia and
under the jurisdiction of the Sultan. In that
neighbourhood he resided for about eleven years.
It was during this period that he withdrew for
two years to the solitude of the mountains :
even his friends did not know the place of his
retreat. It was then that the greatness of his
message began to be realized by the distraught
people, and when he returned to them, they
gathered around him as a leader. Men of
culture and learning came great distances to
consult with him, until the Mullahs, again be-
coming alarmed at the amazing spread of this
faith, persuaded the Persian Government through
their intrigues and misrepresentations to demand
of the Sultan that Baha'u'llah should be sum-
moned to Constantinople. He was therefore
obliged to set out for that city with his family
and immediate followers in April, 1863 A.D.

Before the journey Baha'u'llah encamped for
twelve days in the garden of Najil Pasha, at a
short distance from Baghdad, and there revealed

to his eldest son Abdul Baha and a few chosen
friends that he was the promised ' Manifestation,*
the " Coming One " of whom the Bab had
spoken. He made this declaration nineteen
years after the Bab had declared his mission.

After some months' residence in Constanti-
nople, the Ottoman Government banished
Baha'u'llah and his companions to Adrianople
— this city being selected chiefly on account of
its greater remoteness from Persia. There they
lived for three or four years — the faith constantly
spreading — until in 1868 A.D. they were once
more exiled, this time to Akka. The immediate
cause of their removal was a disturbance which
had been created by Subh-i-Ezel, a half-brother
to Baha'u'llah, who endeavoured to claim the
leadership of the faith, and to displace
Baha'u'llah.

Akka was selected because, being the chief
fortress and military station in the north of
Palestine, it was the place to which political
suspects and criminals of the worst type were
sent. It was extremely unhealthy, and it was
probably thought by the authorities that these
poor exiles, about seventy in number, would not
long survive their imprisonment within its walls.

For two years after their arrival they were
confined in two rooms in the barracks, and many
fell ill of typhoid and dysentery, but through the.

10

devoted nursing of Abdul Baha and a few helpers
all but six recovered. The charge to the Gover-
nor stated that they were murderers, Nihilists,
and thieves, and that they must be allowed no lib-
erty or concessions of any sort. After incredible
hardships, and the death of a young son caused
by a fall from the roof of the prison-building
where he had gone to meditate, Baha' u' llah, with
his family, was at last permitted to take a house
in the town. Here he was confined in one room
for seven years ; but through the nobility of their
lives and characters, the prisoners won the
increasing respect and sympathy of the success-
ive Governors of Akka, and were gradually
allowed to become prisoners on parole, and
given permission to reside anywhere within a
radius of about eighteen miles. After this
Baha' u' llah lived for the greater part of the
time in a house at a short distance from Akka
called Bah-je, also he frequently stayed in Haifa
and on Mount Carmel, close to the renowned
Cave of Elijah.

On May 28, 1892 A.D., at the age of seventy-
five years, he departed this life, in full possession
of his faculties and powers. Before his death
he told his followers, both by word and in writing,
that after his departure they must " turn their
faces " towards his eldest son Abdul Baha, the
*' Greatest Branch " who was one with himself.

11

At the end of January, 1901, it was my great
privilege to visit Abdul Baha Abbas, who was
then living in Haifa,* and superintending the
construction of a building upon Mount Carmel
commonly spoken of as the " Tomb of the Bab,"
which is also probably destined to be the resting-
place of the body of Baha' u* Hah, as well as,
eventually, that of Abdul Baha. It will also be
a House of Praise and meeting place for the
Friends from all parts of the world.

One of the distinct features of this movement
is the acceptance of the great world Teachers or
Prophets as ' Manifestations ' of the one Divine
Light, the one Holy Spirit of God. They are
therefore, one in essence, though their teachings
may differ in detail owing to the various condi-
tions and needs of the peoples and nations to
whom they are sent. All through the ages these
Leaders have appeared, in the great Cycles of
the world's sorrow and difficulty. There have
been such in the past, there will be such in the
future. Of this order was the Bab, who, as we
have seen, before his martyrdom prophesied that
another and a Greater would come, "He whom

^ Some three months after my visit, Abdul-Baha was
again confined within the walls of Akka, by order of
the Ottoman Government, and remained there for
another seven years, till the year 1908 saw liberty given
to all religious prisoners under Turkish rule.

12

God would Manifest." This prophecy was
fulfilled in the person of Baha'u'llah (the
Splendour of God) after whom his followers
were named Bahais. The word Baha (the
Divine Glory) is the word used in chapter LX.
verses 1 and 19 and chapter XL. verse 5 of
Isaiah, which is translated in the English Bible,
the Glory of the Lord.^

Baha'u'llah, before he departed this life, de-
clared, in his turn, that the work would be
developed and carried on by his eldest son,
Abdul Baha, whose name means ' the Servant
of God.' To the outside world he has been
generally known as Abbas EfFendi. Abdul Baha,
who until September 1908 was retained a pris-
oner under the Turkish Government at Akka, thus
completes this marvellous triad of Prophets.

In order to realize the position occupied in this
teaching by the Prophet, it is necessary to dis-
tinguish him from a philosopher or other great
type of teacher. He is essentially one who arises
in a crisis of the world's history to inaugurate a
new cycle of truth, and to declare a Revelation.
He is charged with a special message to the age^
The Bahais believe a prophet to be a perfect
vehicle for the manifestation of the Light of the

^ According to the Bahai teaching this Divine Glory is
as a Light in every one, which glory must be made ta
shine — This is the same as the teaching of Christ.

13

Holy Spirit, that ' Light which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world.'

Types of the greatest of these world prophets
are Moses, Buddha, and Jesus the Christ. It
has been shown us again and again that what is
most striking in the teachings of these great
ones is not so much that they announced new
ideas ; but that they, in themselves, gathered up
into one clear whole the various rays of the Sun
of Truth, which is ever illuminating the world ;
that just as a lens, or burning glass, gathers to-
gether the rays of sunlight into one powerful
beam, so they become a focus, an effulgent
Centre for the scattered light of truth. For
truth itself is ever one and the same essence of
Reality : though partially and differently appre-
hended, according to the various capacities and
developments of human beings. The prophets
declare again the source of the One Religion —
under their influence a Renewal takes place.
This teaching is founded on that underlying fact
of all existence, the Unity of God. It is a pure
and ardent Universalism, concentering all faiths
on what is known in the West as the doctrine of
the Logos. The same Power that anointed
Jesus of Nazareth, anointed in their degree and
for their age and work, all the prophets who have
spoken the Word of the Lord.

The Bahais point to four signs by which the

14

Great Prophets may be known. In the first
place they come in the time of the world's great
need — often in direct fulfilment of prophecy ;
secondly they are known by their pure and stain-
less lives, absolutely devoted to the service of
humanity ; thirdly, in their mouth God has put
his Living Word, a word of such power that its
quality is felt at once and arrests the attention
of the most careless — it is the utterance of the
thought of God. Fourthly the Prophet is known
by his power — a power to so transform the
minds and souls of those who seek his help,
that it is acknowledged without recourse to proof
by miracles.

The age in which a Prophet lives on earth is
an age of enormous change and progress. His
appearance affects all the regions of phenomenal
being. Abdul Baha compares the coming of the
Great Prophets into the world (their ' Day ' as it
is called in the Old Testament) to the rising and
setting of the sun.

Just as the rising of the sun chases away
darkness and floods the earth with light, so does
the rising of the heavenly sun of the prophet
above the horizon of humanity flood the world
with light. As long as His teachings in their
purity shine upon mankind, the world is illum-
inated ; but as through the lapse of time they
become forgotten, misunderstood, and obscured.

15

the night once more returns, until at its darkest
period we may again expect the coming of the
dawn, and once more the sun of truth arises in a
special manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Abdul Baha teaches that the object of the re-
newed revelation of truth is that we may attain
the truer knowledge of God that the world is
ever seeking, and acquire those virtues which
enable us to live a life of complete harmony and
brotherhood with the whole human race.
Baha'u'llah wrote : " The religion of God . . .
was revealed from the heaven of the will of the
King of Eternity, only for the furtherance of
unity and harmony among the people of the
world. Do not make of it the cause of contest
and discord. Religion and the Divine Laws are
the greatest cause and means of the appearance
and effulgence of the glorious orb of unity, as
well as of the development of the world, the
training of nations, the tranquility of the people,
and the peace of all coimtries."

When Baha'u'llah was asked what was his
particular mission to the world, and the necessity
for his appearance, he replied, that he had not
come to teach the nations a new ethic, for
through their prophets and teachers they already
knew the difference between right and vnong ;
but that his mission was to unite all the faiths
and peoples of the world into one.

16

"These ruinous wars, these fruitless strifes
must cease: and the Most Great Peace shall
come ! Let not a man so glory in this, that he
loves his country : but let him rather glory in
this, that he loves his kind ! "

If only a means could be found to break down
the barriers of race, of creed, of prejudice, what
a boon it would be to the world ! Bahais declare
that in this revelation all the expectations of
various faiths are fulfilled, and that the way is
open to a great mutual recognition that we are,
indeed, all children of the Supreme, and that the
world is entering upon an inheritance that has
been foretold by the prophets since the begin-
ning of time. A world-consciousness is arising,
that will cause all the nations to think and to act
like one man.

Many will say Christianity teaches the
brotherhood of all mankind, and love and com-
passion in the highest degree. But, are these
great teachings being realized to-day ? A prac-
tical bond of union is needed between East and
West, some common meeting ground for the
Christian, the Mohammedan, the Buddhist, etc. :
which will create the sense of * brotherhood ' and
make of it a realised experience. To sit at
Abdul Baha's table, in his simple home, with
Christians, Mohammedans, Jews, and those of
other faiths, all of them breathing forth the spirit

17

of living brotherhood, is a privilege not readily
forgotten/ To quote the words of Abdul
Baha: — "The Manifestation of Divinity and
the dawning of the Light of the Invisible is for
the education of souls ... so that the earthly
may become God-like, the darkened minds illum-
ined, and the uninstructed familiar with the
mystery of the Kingdom : . . . that the barbar-
ian may give up his ferocity, the cruel become
forbearing, and that pitiless savages may come
to live in peace. If these divine graces do not
appear among men the bounty of the Divine
Manifestation is fruitless, and the splendour of
the Sun of Truth without effect."

In the book of Akdas and other works, special
social teachings were given by Baha'u'llah to his
people. It is commanded by him that every
follower, no matter in what condition of life he
may be born, should practice some trade, art or
profession ; that he should engage in some em-
ployment or occupation beneficial to society as
well as to himself. Begging or mendicity is
strictly forbidden, but it is directed that the com-
munity must provide work for all who need it.

It takes but little reflection to see what a revo-

' It was my privilege to remain as a guest in the
household of Abdul Baha, from April 21, 1904, until
December 24, 1904. During these eight months 1 re-
ceived full and invaluable teachings from him i-E.J.R.

18

lution it would cause in present conditions if
this command were followed, and how many
present-day difficulties would be solved by these
simple regulations. It is also commanded that
the best education possible to be obtained shall
be given to every child, male and female ; for in
the words of Baha'u'llah, "All knowledge is of
God, therefore it is incumbent on you to know."
Again he says " He who takes a child to educate,
be it his own son, or the son of another, it is as
though he educated the Son of God." How
entirely the condition of the East will be
changed by this injunction as to universal edu-
cation, which will be one means for bringing into
effect the Bab's teaching of the perfect equality
between men and women.

Among the followers of Baha'u'llah there is
to be no separate priesthood or ministry, regard-
ed as a class apart from the general body of the
believers : for Baha' u' llah teaches that most of
the errors in former faiths have crept in through
the teachings of the priests, who were considered
to possess secret authoritative knowledge, not
shared by the generality of people. Bahais
build Houses of Praise, but all ceremonial rites
and forms of worship have been abrogated, save
that of prayer, which being the very heart and
essence of spiritual religion has been made obli-
gatory upon all believers. Nevertheless Abdul

19

Baha has said that " every symbol is good that
is uniting the heart to God."

It is forbidden that men and women should
live the lives of hermits, or in secluded brother-
hoods, as by so doing they are prevented from
their social duties to the rest of humanity, and
from self-development. Marriage when pos-
sible, is enjoined upon all, as being the highest
estate for man — in contradistinction to other
faiths which have taught that the celibate state
was the highest.

War or strife of any kind is absolutely pro-
hibited. This is insisted upon again and again,
and repeated in varying forms as being the very
foundation of brotherhood. Abdul Baha says :
" One of the most severe of the world's diseases
is that of contention and strife, the fire of which
is burning among all nations. This cannot be
removed except through the Word of God.
This intense fire can only be quenched by
heavenly water." Non-resistance to violence is
enjoined upon all Bahais, but they must regard
it as a duty to protect the weak and helpless — in
the words of Baha'u'Uah — "If ye be slain for
God's good pleasure, verily it is better for you
than that ye should slay."

It is directed that all minor regulations of the
faith, the administration of charitable funds, the
provision of education for orphan children, and

20

such matters, are to be in the hands of elected
bodies or councils called " Houses of Justice,"
which are to consist of not less than nine mem-
bers, men distinguished for their learning and
upright life, chosen by the general body of
believers.

Such teachings as these enlighten not only
Eastern countries, but also the nations of the
West. Truth is universal. Abdul Baha says
that truth cannot be partial. Just as it is im-
possible for the sun to illuminate one country,
and leave the neighbouring one in darkness, so it
is impossible for the Sun of Truth to arise for
some nations and not for all.

Abdul Baha further points out that owing to
the developed means of communication, it is now
for the first time possible in the history of the
world for the light of the prophet and of his
teachings to appeal at once to the whole earth ;
flashing as " lightning which appeareth from the
East and shineth unto the West," to use the
prophetic words of the New Testament.

AbdulBaha writes : " Love is the real magnet
which attracts the hearts and souls of men, there-
fore the purpose of the Manifestations of God is
to radiate the light of Love from their hearts.
All the divine Prophets taught this truth . . .
We who are servants of the Threshold must
exert our utmost power, devote our lives, and

21

offer them up if necessary, giving our time and
all that we have to this cause, until this light be
spread all over the world . . . the essential
thing is love . . . All else save love is merely
empty words."

Fuller particulars of the Literature and work
of this movement may be had from the Hon.
Secretary of the Bahai meetings, 10, Cheniston
Gardens, Wright's Lane, High St. Kensington^
London.

The following quotations from the * Supreme
Pen ' of Baha' u' llah, give an insight into the
power of this teaching. The examples from
Abdul Baha are from letters or Tablets sent by
him to followers in all parts of the world, and
from some of his published Discourses. The
power of this teaching which is rather a widen-
ing of the basis of our faith than a * new religion,'
is seen by the enormous increase of its adherents
year by year, without any organisation which can
be called a proselytising bcdy.

22

Extracts From Books and Writings
OF Baha'u'llah and Abdul Baha

1. " Religion is the greatest instrument for
the order of the world and the tranquility of all
existing things."

2. ** Religion is the necessary connection
which emanates from the reality of things;
and as the Universal Manifestations of God are
aware of the mysteries of beings, therefore they
understand this essential connection, and by their
knowledge establish the Law of God."

3. " In every country or government where
any of this community reside, they must behave
towards that government with faithfulness, trust-
fulness, and truthfulness. It is obligatory and
incumbent on the people of the world in general
to assist this most Great Cause — which has des-
cended from the heaven of the Will of the King
of Pre-existence — so that perchance the fire of
animosity which is ablaze in the hearts of some
of the nations may be quenched through the
water of Divine Wisdom and Lordly commands
•and exhortations, and that the light of union and
accord may irradiate and illuminate the regions
of the world."

1. From the "Words of Paradise," Baha' u'llah.

2. From " Some Answered Questions," by Abdul Baha
(publ. Kegan Paul).

3. From "The Glad Tidings," Baha'u'llah.

23

4. " The Ministers (or members) of the House
of Justice must promote * The most Great Peace *
in order that the world may be freed from oner-
•ous expenditure. This matter is obligatory and
indispensable, for warfare and conflict are the
foundation of trouble and distress."

"All must adhere to the means which are
conducive to love and unity."

5. " We exhort the members of the House of
Justice and command them to guard and protect
the servants/ maid -servants, and children. They
must under all circumstances have regard for the
interests of the servants.^ Blessed is the prince
who succours a captive, the rich one who favours
the needy, the just man who assures the right of
the wronged one from the oppressor, and the
trustee who performs what he is commanded by
the Pre-existent Commander."

6. " The light of man is justice, quench it not
with the contrary winds of oppression and
tyranny."

7. " Schools must first train the children in
the principles of religion . . . but this in such
a measure that it may not injure the children by
leading to fanaticism and bigotry."

4. From "The Tablet of the World," Baha'u'llah.

5. The "Words of Paradise," Baha'u'llah.

' & ^ Ser\'ants of God, i.e., men and women generally,

6. and 7. From the " Words of Paradise," Baha' u' Hah,

24

8. " Knowledge is like unto wings for the being
of man and is as a ladder for ascending. It is in-
cumbent upon all to acquire knowledge of those
sciences which may profit the people of the earthy
but not of such sciences as begin and end merely
in words. The possessors of sciences and arts
have a great claim upon the people of the
world."

9. "The kings — may God assist them — or
the counsellors of the world, must consult to-
gether, and appoint one of the existing languages,
or a new language, and instruct the children
therein in all the schools of the world, and the
same must be done in respect to writing^ also.
In such case the earth will be as one."

10. " It is incumbent on every one of you to
engage in some employment, such as arts, trades
and the like. We have made this, your occupa-
tion, identical with the worship of God, the True
One."

11. " Charity is beloved and acceptable before
God, and is accounted the chief among all good
deeds. Blessed is he who prefers his brother
before himself."

8. from the" Tajalliyat."

9. From "The Glad Tidings," Baha'u'llah.

* i.e., the characters employed must be similar for all
languages.

10. and 12. From the "Glad Tidings,"

11. From the "Words of Paradise,"

25

12. "Oh people of Baha; Ye are day-springs
of love, and dawning-places of the providence of
God. Defile not the tongue with cursing or
execrating any one, and guard your eyes against
that which is not worthy. . . . Be not the
cause of sorrow, much less of sedition and
strife. ... Ye are all leaves of one tree and
drops of one sea."

13. " Oh friends, it is the wish of Abdul Baha
that the Friends may establish general unity.
. . . We are all servants at one Threshold,
waves of one sea, drops of one stream, and plants
of one garden. . . . The beloved of God must
be friendly even with strangers. To organize
assemblies is praiseworthy, but these must be
established for certain objects. For example
assemblies for teaching Truth, gatherings for dif-
fusing the Fragrances of God, gatherings for the
relief of orphans, for the protection of the poor,
and for the spread of learning. In a word there
must be gatherings for matters which concern
the well-being of man, such as the organization
of societies for commerce, for the development of
arts and industries, and for the expansion of agri-
culture. I trust all the Friends from the East
and the West will come to rest in the same as-
sembly, adorn one gathering, and show forth all
heavenly attributes in the world of humanity."

13. "From an epistle of Abdul Baha, addressed to
Believers in Persia, July 4th, 1906.

26
COMMUNES AND PRAYERS

Commune^
O ray God ! Give me Knowledge, Faith and

Love.
Adorn my head, O God, with the crown of

Thy Providence :
My heart with the light of knowing Thee :
My tongue with the utterance of Thy

Greatest Name :
And mine ear with listening to Thy

Holy Word:
For Thou art the One whose Action was, is,
and ever shall be glorified, and whose commands
shall ever be obeyed.

O God! Help me to be just. Lift me up
from the ocean of superstitions and imaginations,
and grant me a penetrating sight to see and real-
ize from surrounding existence Thy Oneness and
Thy Truth.

Supplication^

O my God ! Make Thy Beauty to be my food
and let Thy Presence be my drink : Let my trust
be in Thy Will, and my deeds according to Thy
Command: Let my service be acceptable to
Thee, and my action a praise to Thee : Let my
help come only from Thee, and ordain my home
to be Thy Mansion, boundless and holy.

Thou art the Precious, the Ever-present, the
Loving.

27

Prayer of repentance^

O Thou Almighty ! I am a sinner, but Thou
art the Forgiver. I am full of shortcomings,
but Thou art the Compassionate. I am in the
darkness of error, but Thou art the Light of
Pardon.

Therefore, O Thou Benevolent God, forgive
Thou my sins, grant Thou Thy Gift, overlook
my faults, bestow Thou a shelter, immerse me
in the Fountain of Thy Patience and heal me of
all sickness and disease.

Purify and sanctify me, give me a portion
from the outpouring of holiness, so that sorrow
and sadness may vanish, joy and happiness may
descend, despondency and hopelessness may be
changed into cheerfulness and trustfulness, and
let courage take the place of fear.

Verily Thou art the Forgiver, the Compassion-
ate, Thou art the Generous, the Beloved.

Commune of Healing^
(repeat nine times)

O my God ! Thy Name is my healing : Thy
Remembrance is my remedy : Thy Love is my
companion : Thy Mercy is my need and my aid
in the world and in the Day of Judgment.
Verily, Thou art the Knower, the Wise.

28

Prayer for unity*
O my God ! O my God ! Unite the hearts of
Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy Great
Purpose. May they follow Thy commandments
and abide in Thy Law. Help them, O God, in
their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve
Thee. O God, leave them not to themselves,
but guide their steps by the light of Knowledge,
and cheer their hearts by Thy Love. Verily
Thou art their Helper and their Lord.

Supplication*
Hold Thou my right arm, O God ! and dwell
continually with me. Guide me to the Fountain
of Thy Knowledge, and encircle me with Thy
Glory. Set thine Angels on my right hand, and
open my eyes to Thy Splendour. Let mine ears
hearken to Thy melodious Tone, and comfort me
with Thy Presence. For Thou art the strength
of my heart, and the trust of my Soul, and I
desire no one beside Thee.

Commune*
O my God ; Thy Nearness is my hope, and
to commune with Thee is my joy : Thy Love is
my Comfort : Thy Name is my prayer : Thy
Presence is my Peace : Thy Word is my heal-
ing: Thy Mercy is my light: And to serve
before Thee is my utmost desire.

29

O my God! I ask Thee — by Thy Name,
which strengthened those who learned of Thee
to soar in the atmosphere of Thy Knowledge,
and which brought the righteous to Thy Sanc-
tuary— to reveal Thyself to me and to help me
to look ever more to Thy Beauty.

O my Lord ! This is he who has severed him-
self from all save Thee, hoping to draw near
unto Thee. O Thou, my Beloved ! Give unto
me Thy sign of assurance to guard me from the
doubts of the wandering. Thou art my Helper,
the Powerful, the Mighty.

* Written by Baha' u' llah. ^ Written by Abdul Baha.

Printed by The Bahai Press, 47, Vicarage Road,
East Sheen, London, S.W.

To those who wish to learn more of the
Bahai Revelation the following books
are to be recommended: —

The Hidden Words, Communes and Prayers
by Baha'u'Uah. 6d.

The Seven Valleys. A mystical treatise

by Baha'u'Uah. Is.

The Tablet of Ishrakat

by Baha'u'Uah. Is.

The Tarazat

by Baha'u'Uah. 2s.

Some Answered Questions

by Abdul Baha. kegan PAUL. 4s.

The Story of the Bahai Movement

by Sydney Sprague. priory press. Id.

An Address on the Bahai Movement

by Tamadun-ul-Molk. priory press. Id.

In Galilee

by Thornton Chase. Is.

A year with the Bahais in India and Burma
by Sydney Sprague. PRIORY PRESS. Is.

The Splendour of God

by Eric Hammond. MURRAY. 2s.

The Life of Abbas Effendi

by M. H. Phelps. PUTNAM. 6s.

God's Heroes

by Laura Clifford Barney. KEGAN PAUL.

12s. 6d.
The Bahai Revelation

by Thornton Chase. 2s.

Ten Days in the Light of Acca

by Julia M. Grundy. Is.

The above books may all be obtained through the
Publishers of this pamphlet.

^'i' ^l^^^^a^