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Questioning accepted understandings . . . a Bahá'í perspectiveThis book challenges the accepted belief in present-day society that the sciences and arts are separate or even oppositional domains, unrelated and separate areas of learning requiring either special 'intelligence' (for scientists) or special 'talent' for artists. 'Ordinary' people often do not see themselves as possessing either of these capacities. Yet science and art permeate every aspect of all our lives. The problem is not with the words but with how we understand them.With decades of experience as an artist and teacher, Margaret Appa explores the perspective in the Bahá'í teachings - and now increasingly recognized by others - where science is seen as any system of knowledge and art any form of skill that enables that system of knowledge to be applied in practice: 'Science is knowledge and art is the application of knowledge or the application of science.' This does not exclude what is now considered 'art', but expands it to include the creative capacity of every human being who designs, makes, fashions and creates all those objects and experiences that mankind has devised, that is our world - our homes, our cities, our means of travel on the planet and beyond, including parents applying their hard-won skills to raising the next generation, and those who feed, educate and keep us safe.No one should be labelled capable /incapable / able /not able; the only limiting factor is the willpower and opportunity of each human being to realize their potential and to know their responsibility. We are all responsible for the acquisition, the application and the diffusion of knowledge, according to our unique capacities and abilities, with the overall goal of building a prosperous world civilization. No one is excluded from this major undertaking; in the cause of justice all human beings must be included.

An intimate glimpse into the life of Hand of the Cause Abu'l-Qasim Faizi, whose wisdom, candour, service, vision, humour and charisma caused Baha'is everywhere to love him.

This second edition of Gerald Keil's thought-provoking book includes new material on the practical application of the Badí' calendar as well as examining its historical background and symbolic significance.The Badí' calendar is derived directly from the revealed writings of both the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh and is a component part of the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh. The inherent symbolism of the calendar, however, has until now remained largely unexplored, so that the systematic investigation presented by this wide-ranging, impressive study is no doubt the ¿rst of its kind.One of the main themes of the book is that the Badí' calendar is creative in the sense that, through its symbolic association with different aspects of the Bahá'í Faith, it can serve to represent and illustrate many of the central tenets of the Faith. Symbol and object converge in the Badí'calendar in a manner which is unique in the entire revelation.The full effect the Badí' calendar will have on society is hardly predictable at present or in the near future. Just as the actual unfolding of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh will reveal to future generations aspects of practical and spiritual life which we cannot even imagine today, so too willthe world-wide application of the Badí' calendar exert an influence on the physical and spiritual rhythm of life in a fashion and to a degree which we cannot yet appreciate. The meaning of the Badí' calendar will ¿rst become fully evident to those privileged to live in the pulse of this future World Order.

If you know someone who wants a fabulous book that sets them on the path to happiness and resilience, despite the challenging times in which we live, The Secrets of True Happiness is the best gift possible. Farnaz, Bijan, and Adib Masumian have written the single most comprehensible and comprehensive book on the secrets of true happiness yet. . . This book is a vitamin pill for the soul and a ticket to a flourishing and meaningful life. . . I can easily state that this is the finest book on happiness that I have ever read with regard to both content, style, and potential to transform lives. Stephen G. Post PhDFounding Director, the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics of Stony Brook University School of MedicinePresident, Institute for Research on Unlimited LovePast Trustee, John Templeton FoundationBest-selling author of Why Good Things Happen to Good PeopleThe Secrets of True Happiness is perfect for anyone wanting to find all about the research on happiness in one place. A wonderful resource!M.J. Ryan Best-selling author of Attitudes of Gratitude and other books on happiness

'This is a Day for very great things.' - 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Howard Colby IvesHoward Colby Ives's book Portals to Freedom has been loved for over eight decades by its many readers who have been touched by its pen portraits of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. But not many know the story of his wife Mabel Rice-Wray Ives, whose dedication to the Bahá'í Faith made her a powerhouse in her own right, developing a method of public speaking that proved highly successful. Together, they formed a powerful team, giving up house and home for 20 years to travel across the United States and Canada in their desire to be of service to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. They taught the Bahá'í Faith in at least 74 communities in 26 states and three Canadian provinces, frequently sent to different areas by the National Teaching Committee, and although they missed each other terribly they never refused these requests. Most of this book is based on the over 900 letters sent by Howard and Mabel Ives or those received by them, including 17 Tablets from 'Abdu'l-Bahá and 28 letters from Shoghi Effendi, many published here for the first time. Their letters to one another are full of the details of their hopes and their struggles, the places they went and the people they met. When they were apart for any length of time - which was often - they would write almost daily to each other. What unfolds, apart from the details of their activities, is the deeply loving relationship between them, the encouragement and advice they offered one another, and their homey conversations about their living situations, money (always in short supply), and expressions of hope for the next time they would be together. Woven brightly throughout this personal correspondence between husband and wife is the humility of their service, their utter devotion to the Cause they strove to serve with every breath, and their commitment to continually growing spiritually along with daily examples of their constant sacrifices. They did, indeed, accomplish 'very great things'.

1. A General Introduction to the Qayyum al-Asma'Muhammad Afnan (translated by Omid Ghaemmaghami) 2. The Commentary on the Sura of JosephNosratollah Mohammadhosseini3. Khutbat al¿iftikharIntroduced and translated by Khazeh Fananapazir4. Colours in the Writings of the BabVahid Rafati (translated by Omid Ghaemmaghami)5. A Grammar of the Divine: Solecisms in the Arabic Writings of the Bab and His Thoughts on Arabic GrammarWilliam F. McCants6. Secrets Concealed by Secrets: Taqiyya as Arcanization in the Autobibliographies of the BabJ. Vahid Brown7. The Surat adh-Dhikr of the Qayyum al-Asma' (chapter 108): A Provisional Translation and CommentaryMoojan Momen8. The Surat al-'Abd of the Qayyum al-Asma' (Chapter 109): A Provisional Translation and CommentaryTodd Lawson9. The Khutba al-Jidda (The Literary Sermon at Jeddah) of the BabStephen Lambden10.Muhammad Shah Qajar in Four Early Writings of the BabSholeh A. Quinn11.A Youth of Medium Height: The Bab's Encounter with the Hidden Imam in Tafsir Surat al-KawtharOmid Ghaemmaghami12.Phenomenology of Occultation and Prayer in the Bab's Sahifiy-i Ja'fariyyihNader Saiedi13.The Bab's Panj Sha'n (Five Modes)John Walbridge14.Undermining the Foundations of Orthodoxy: Some Notes on the Bab's Sharia (Sacred Law)Armin Eschraghi15.Concealment and Burial of the BabTranslated and annotated by Peter Terry16. Collusion and Re-creation: Dogen and the Bab as Interpreters of ScriptureGary Fuhrman

An exploration of the development of the Bahá'í community of the British IslesThe British Bahá'í community has been in existence since 1899 and its elected national leadership council, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom, was first elected in 1923. Although a number of monographs, articles and biographies have appeared over the years, no overall survey of the community's history has yet been published. The Bahá'í Community of the British Isles, 1844-1963 is an attempt to fill some of the gap.The book begins with the earliest news about the new religion which reached the British government through diplomatic and consular channels and the British public through newspaper articles as early as 1845. During the late 19th century, there was a rising tide of awareness of the Bábí and Bahá'í religions in Britain.Although one or two Bahá'ís were in Britain from 1885 onwards, a British Bahá'í community did not form until two residents of London joined in 1888-9 the first party of western Bahá'ís to visit 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of Bahá'u'lláh, in the Holy Land. 'Abdu'l-Bahá made two visits to Britain and received widespread newspaper coverage. Prompted by British Bahá'ís, the British government made efforts to save 'Abdu'l-Bahá during World War I and recognized the value of his work in the Holy Land, knighting him after the war.'Abdu'l-Bahá chose Britain for the further education of his grandson, Shoghi Effendi, who was his successor. Britain was among the first three countries to form in 1923 a National Spiritual Assembly. In 1957 Shoghi Effendi passed away in London and is buried there. The British Bahá'í community was chosen to host the first Bahá'í World Congress, held in London in 1963, commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the announcement by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, of His mission. During this Congress, some of the earliest meetings of the Universal House of Justice took place in London, which are the only occasions on which the Universal House of Justice has met outside the Holy Land.In the years between the early accounts of the Bahá'í religion and the events of 1963 there developed a small but vibrant community across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. This book tells the fascinating, and little known, story of the lives of many of these early followers, how they came to hear of the religion, their efforts to spread it to others, the struggles they faced, the goals they strove to achieve, their efforts in Africa and around the world to share their religion with others, their steadfastness and their victories. Their successes were greatly praised by Shoghi Effendi. The Bahá'í Community of the British Isles, 1844-1963 was conceived by the late Adam Thorne, who spent over two decades collecting material on the history of the Bahá'í community of the British Isles. Moojan Momen is the author of numerous books and articles about the Bahá'í Faith and related subjects, most recently two volumes on the history of the Bahá'í communities of Iran.Janet Fleming Rose is the author of A Seed in Your Heart: The Life of Louise Mathew Gregory.Earl Redman is the author of a number of books on the Bahá'í Faith, most recently Agnes Baldwin Alexander: Hand of the Cause of God, with co-author Duane Troxel.

Here is the translation of Khátirát-i-Nuh-Sáliy-i-'Akká, the memoirs of Dr Youness Afroukhteh who served 'Abdu'l-Bahá as His trusted secretary and interpreter from 1900-1909. These were difficult years when the Master was imprisoned in the city of 'Akká, His every move subject to misrepresentation by the Arch-breaker of the Covenant and his associates, and even His life in danger. At the same time the period saw the victories of the construction of the Shrine of the Báb and the House of Worship in 'Ishqábád, and the rise of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh in the West. This important record, published in 1952 on the instructions of Shoghi Effendi, has been described as 'pre-eminent among those works dealing with the history of Covenant-breaking'. At the same time it chronicles the daily life in 'Akká of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and of the little band of devoted believers whose chief joy in life was to be of service to Him; it also describes the pilgrimages to 'Akká of many eminent early Western Bahá'ís including Thomas Breakwell, Hippolyte Dreyfus, Lua Getsinger and Laura Barney, the compiler of Some Answered Questions. Over those nine years Jináb-i-Khán (the title by which Dr Youness Afroukhteh was honoured by 'Abdu'l-Bahá) served the Master in 'Akká as secretary, translator, envoy and physician. His account of some of the most significant events of the period, his graphic and stirring pen-portraits of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and the description of his own emotions - all expressed in a lively and at time mischievous language of humour and wit - make this volume uniquely memorable.

'Abdu'l-Baha, The Centre of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah was the first comprehensive biography of this 'magnetic figure' and 'perfect Exemplar' of Baha'i life, and remains the foremost source for subsequent accounts. Over 250 pages describe 'Abdu'l-Baha's journey to the West, the places He visited and audiences He addressed, many of those who were privileged to meet Him, and the example He gave in daily life. The ideals He upheld for all are reflected in a wealth of quotations from His talks.

The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh is a four-volume series about the Scriptures of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a unique survey of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, using both authentic English translations and original sources, that describes the contents of all major works, including many unknown in the West.Volume 2, covering the period of Bahá'u'lláh's successive exiles to Constantinople and Adrianople, includes among many other items the Tablet of Ahmad and the Tablets to the Kings.There are many quotations from contemporary records and memoirs, in translation for the first time, and a number of relevant photographs.

This book shines a light on a remarkable heroine of the Bahäi Faith. Alma Knobloch (1864-1943) one of the three Knobloch sisters, raised up the first African-American community in North America, and was instrumental in the growth of the Baha'i community in Germany. In His Tablets of the Divine Plan, 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote: 'Likewise Miss Knobloch travelled alone to Germany. To what a great extent she became confirmed!' Alma's 13 years in Germany saw an astonishing growth in the Bahá'í community to become the largest in Europe. Following 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit in 1913 and the outbreak of the First World War, the emerging community focused its efforts on peace: soldiers who had attended Baha'i meetings entered the battlefields with Baha'i prayers and quotations against their breasts. Alma continued to open new Baha'i communities, and at the end of the War she emerged from the bomb shelters of Mannheim to receive confirmations in large halls overflowing with hundreds of people who came to hear the message of Baha'u'llah throughout Germany. She also taught early believers in Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic, as well as future Hand of the Cause Hermann Grossmann, and the first European martyr, Adam Benke. Many of the Tablets from 'Abdu'l-Baha to Alma and other believers in Germany from 1908 to 1920 are published in English in this book for the first time. In 1920, Alma returned to the United States, where she dedicated the rest of her days to race unity, fearlessly crossing the racial and social barriers to build up lasting communities in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. These later years of her life have been little known until now and are recounted here.

Revealed by Baha'u'llah in Adrianople and sent to Mirza Ahmad Yazdi who was travelling from Baghdad to see Him, the Tablet of Ahmad is one of the prayers identified by Shoghi Effendi as having been invested with a 'special potency and significance'.H. Richard Gurinsky explores the Tablet of Ahmad to discover its significance and importance in the lives of Baha'is today. Taking each verse in turn, he reflects on the many levels of meaning that every phrase holds and draws the reader into a deep meditation on the import of Baha'u'llah's words.

Vol 1 - Early Years 1870-1922Beginning with their childhood years, this is the story of May Bolles and Sutherland Maxwell; their youth, their meeting and courtship in Paris; their marriage;their first pilgrimages; the birth of their daughter and the historic visit of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to their home in Montreal in 1912.One family, bonded in their love for the Bahá'í Faith and for each other, committed through decades of uninterrupted service to the promotion and establishment of that Faith worldwide. They were born during the Heroic Age of the Faith the parents during the lifetime of Bahá'u'lláh, the child during the Ministry of Abdu'l-Bahá and they lived to serve the Guardian of the Cause during the early decades of the Formative Age at the most critical time of his ministry. The mother became a beloved handmaid and distinguished disciple of Abdu'l-Bahá, of whom He wrote that her company uplifts and develops the soul. The father was a noble, cultured and saintly man, an outstanding architect, not only of the Shrine of the Báb but also as a partner in the largest and most preeminent architectural firm in Canada during the first quarter of the 20th century. And the daughter grew up to play a unique role in history as the wife of the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith. Their names were May Bolles, William Sutherland and Mary the Maxwells of Montreal.Volume I (Early Years) covers the years 1870-1922, beginning with the childhood years of May Bolles and Sutherland Maxwell; their youth, their meeting and courtship in Paris; their marriage and their first pilgrimages. It tells the story of the birth of their daughter and the historic visit of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to their home in Montreal just before World War I. It also describes the early development and training of young Mary, the family's activities during the war years, the reception of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, and the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá which ended the Heroic Age of the Bahá'í Faith.The book draws on over 1,600 personal letters between May, Sutherland and Mary Maxwell (Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum), together with about 1,400 letters which the three Maxwells exchanged with their relatives and some of the early Bahá'ís. It includes citations from the 195 Tablets, letters and cables from 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and the Greatest Holy Leaf to members of the family, which have never been transcribed before. It also contains extracts from Rúhíyyih Khánum's notebooks, the memoirs of her mother, sketches made by her father, and articles and photographs related to the period.

As 'Abdu'l-Bahá'ís secretary and translator from 1918 to 1920, and then at Balliol College Oxford, the young Shoghi Effendi was being prepared to become the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith.As World War I drew to its close, Shoghi Effendi, a young graduate of the American University of Beirut, returned home to Haifa in the Holy Land to be of service to his beloved grandfather, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the head of the Bahá'í Faith. From late 1918 to mid-1920 Shoghi Effendi became the chief secretary and translator of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's voluminous correspondence with Bahá'ís in Western countries as well as India and Japan, and accompanied 'Abdu'l-Bahá in his meetings in Haifa and 'Akká with officials, enquirers and pilgrims. All this prepared him for directing the growth and development of the Bahá'í Faith as its Guardian - a responsibility that would be bestowed upon him on the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.Shoghi Effendi himself was unaware of this future event. He longed to perfect his command of the English language that he might be of better service to his beloved grandfather, and to fulfil this purpose he applied and was admitted to Balliol College at Oxford University, one of the greatest centres of learning in the world. His studies at the University, and his visits to the Bahá'í communities in England, are described in this book.This updated and expanded edition was originally published as Shoghi Effendi in Oxford.

The Maxwells of Montreal Volume II (Middle and Late Years) covers the years 1923-1952. Beginning with the early ministry of the Guardian and the pilgrimage of May and her daughter in 1923/4, it describes Mary's education as a young Bahá'í, her pilgrimage during her adolescence and the growth of the youth movement in Montreal, as well as the family's services to the Bahá'í Faith in Canada and the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. It then moves to Europe, where May in France and Mary in Germany contributed to the advancement of these Bahá'í communities between 1935 and 1937. But in 1937 Mary's marriage to Shoghi Effendi changed the lives of the family for ever. As Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum she would be called to extraordinary heights of service and sacrifice. The final part of the book (Late Years) gives an account of May's heroic services before her passing in Argentina in 1940, and describes Sutherland's remarkable architectural achievement as architect of the Shrine of the Báb during his final years in the Holy Land.This volume, like Volume I, draws on the over 1,600 personal letters between May, Sutherland and Mary Maxwell (Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum), together with about 1,400 letters which the three Maxwells exchanged with their relatives and some of the early Bahá'ís. It includes the last Tablet May Maxwell received from 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and citations from letters and cables from Shoghi Effendi to members of the family which have never been transcribed before. It also contains extracts from Rúhíyyih Khánum's notebooks, sketches made by her father, and articles and photographs related to the period. One family, bonded in their love for the Bahá'í Faith and for each other, committed through decades of uninterrupted service to the promotion and establishment of that Faith worldwide. Of the mother, 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote that 'her company uplifts and develops the soul'. The father, a noble, cultured and saintly man, was an outstanding architect not only of the Shrine of the Báb but as a partner in the most preeminent architectural firm in Canada during the early 20th century. And the daughter grew up to play a unique role in history as the wife of the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith. They were the Maxwells of Montreal.

Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye tells the story of the Guardian's ministry from 1922 when the young Shoghi Effendi, just 24 years old, was charged with guiding the affairs of a worldwide Faith. Rather than a biography, it draws on the diary entries and letters (many now published for the first time) of the many pilgrims and visitors to the Bahá'í Holy Places in Haifa and 'Akká, as well as the accounts of those who worked to assist the Guardian in his many extraordinary achievements.As in all such cases, these recollections must be taken in the spirit of pilgrim notes - interesting and thought-provoking highlights and observations, but not any part of the Bahá'í Sacred Text. They do, however, provide unique insights and inspiration.Volume I (1922-1952) covers the years when the Guardian was laying the foundations of the Bahá'í Administrative Order destined to culminate in the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, while at the same time planning and carrying out the extension and development of the Shrines of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, translating the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh as well as The Dawn-Breakers and writing his own major works, as well as facing challenges to his authority and responding to the confiscation of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad and the persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran and Egypt. The volume ends just before the dramatic decade that was to begin in 1953 with the celebration of the Bahá'í Holy Year, the first intercontinental conferences and the launching of the ten-year worldwide spiritual plan to carry the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh to every place on the planet.Pilgrims include:Agnes AlexanderEffie BakerMúsá and Samíhíh Banání Victoria Bedekian Lady Blomfield Nancy BowditchTed Cardell Stanwood and Nayyan CobbAmelia Collins Genevieve Coy Ethel Dawe Alice DoolittleSabrí EliasJohn EsslemontNell French 'Alí-Akbar FurútanUgo Giachery Hermann, Anna & Elsa GrossmannPhilip HainsworthLarry Hautz James HeggieEmogene Hoagg Leroy IoasMarion JackDhikru'lláh KhádemAli-Kuli Khan and Florence Abu'l-Qásim KhurásáníRom LandauMay and Mary Maxwell Sutherland MaxwellMargery McCormickMuhammad MustafaNew Zealand Bahá'ísSadie and Bertha OglesbyMabel and Sylvia PaineAziz Panahi Keith Ransom-KehlerMason RemeyMartha RootEthel RosenbergEmeric SalaFred and Lorol Schopflocher May and Isabelle Stebbins Habíb Taherzadeh Juliet ThompsonGeorge Townshend Corinne TrueGladys and Ben WeedenAlbert Windust

Door of Hope is an indispensable guide to the history and sites of pilgrimage of the Bahá'í Faith in the Holy Land. The author lived at the Bahá'í World Centre for twenty-five years, and used the opportunity to make the subject of this book his special study. He methodically examined the geography, archaeology and history of all that relates to the Bahá'í Faith, as well as the results of Jewish, Christian and Bahá'í scholarship.The text is enriched by a unique collection of historic photographs and drawings which will prove both fascinating and of great value for Bahá'í pilgrims and visitors, as well as those who have not had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land.

Agnes Alexander was the only Hand of the Cause of God to be mentioned in the Tablets of the Divine Plan. 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote of her: 'I declare by the Lord of Hosts that had this respected daughter founded an empire, that empire would not have been so great', and described her as 'the daughter of the Kingdom, the beloved maid-servant of the Blessed Perfection'. Her life spanned the closing epoch of the Apostolic Age of the Faith and the earliest epoch of the Formative Age, saw the erection of National Spiritual Assemblies in lands where she was once the lone Bahá'í, and also witnessed the birth of the long-promised era of the Universal House of Justice. Two things guided her. The first was the direction given both to her personally and to the Bahá'ís collectively by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. The second was her constant belief that things happen 'if God wills' them to happen. She was an optimist, rarely acknowledging the negative side of things. She radiated love and kindliness everywhere she went and never spoke badly of others; consequently she was able to do many things others could not. During her 70 years of service to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, Agnes Alexander opened Hawaii, Japan and Korea to the Bahá'í Faith, travelled with Martha Root in China and served across the Pacific Ocean. At the age of 83, she served simultaneously on the Local Spiritual Assembly of Kyoto, the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the North East Asia and as a Hand of the Cause. A close friend wrote of her: 'she was Japan's real super-hero disguised as a little old lady'. This book is based on Agnes Alexander's own accounts of the establishment of the Bahá'í Faith in Hawaii and Japan, but more especially on the 40 years of research by Duane Troxel into her life - over 12,000 files of letters, photographs, audio and video interviews and a host of other previously unpublished materials. It was the task of author Earl Redman to distill these into this fascinating and readable story of an exceptional life.