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Baha’is around the world celebrate the 22nd of May, 1844 as the day of the Declaration of the Bab, who was the forerunner of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith. (The date to commemorate this joyous historic occasion shifts within the Gregorian calendar from year to year but according to the Baha’i calendar, it is always honoured on the 8th of Azamat.)
Baha’is view the Bab as a Messenger of God, who had a role that can be likened to John the Baptist (who told of the coming of Christ) in heralding the coming of the latest Manifestation of God: Baha’u’llah.
The events surrounding the Declaration of the Bab have been told in many ways, but perhaps the most widely read is the account in The Dawn-Breakers: Nabil’s Narrative of the Early Days of the Baha’i Revelation. This book was written by Nabil, and chronicles the early days of the Revelations of the Bab and Baha’u’llah.
"Electoral Process Principles and Norms: Enhancing the Quality and Diversity in the Membership of the Bahá'í Spiritual Assemblies"
Adapted from 12/1/2020 Democratic Elections without Campaigns? Normative Foundations of National Baha'i Elections
Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His bidding!
Lawh-i-Qad-Ihtaraqa'l-Mukhlisun, better known as the Fire Tablet, is a tablet written in Arabic by Baháʼu'lláh, founder of the Baháʼí Faith, in Akká in 1871. Baháʼu'lláh wrote the tablet in response to questions by a Baháʼí believer from Iran. The authorized English translation was done in 1980 by Adib Taherzadeh and a Committee at the Baháʼí World Centre.
The tablet is written in rhyming verse, has the form of a conversation between Baháʼu'lláh and God, and reflects the sufferings of Baháʼu'lláh. Baháʼís often recite this tablet in times of difficulty.
The Tablet of Ahmad (or Lawh-i-Ahmad) is a tablet written by Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, while he was in Adrianople. While the exact date is not known, the Tablet is believed to have been written in 1865 to a Baháʼí from Yazd, Iran, named Ahmad. Baháʼís often recite it as a prayer to dispel afflictions and inspire perseverance in the face of hardships. In a letter written on his behalf, Shoghi Effendi stated that it has been 'invested by Baháʼu'lláh with a special potency and significance'.
The language and content of the Tablet are nuanced and interrelated, with references to core Bábí and Bahá'í hermeneutics. It announces the station of the Báb as "the King of the Messengers," and that of Bahá'u'lláh as "that Most Great Beauty, foretold in the Books of the Messengers," and the "Tree of Life that bringeth forth the fruits of God." The four conditions required to approach God and recognize His Messengers are defined as: sincerity, belief in the divine unity, severance and love. The freedom of individual conscience is reinforced in the pursuit of God and His Messengers, while obedience to the ordinances of God is enjoined, and that the truth of every command God ordains in these directives will be tested in one's life. Bahá'u'lláh then refers to His own tribulations and calls on Ahmad to rely upon God and to be steadfast in his love in times of difficulty and persecution. Bahá'u'lláh calls on Ahmad to "be as a flame of fire," and "a river of life eternal" in response to his own suffering from the superstitions and oppression of others. The "flame of fire" refers to being steadfast in the truth in the face of difficulties caused by others, while the "river of life" refers to becoming a source of inspiration, guidance and upliftment to God's loved ones. The Tablet appears to revolve around the theme of transforming suffering into these virtuous qualities, symbolized as "fire" and "light", and "the fruits of God." Bahá'u'lláh concludes the Tablet by enjoining Ahmad to "learn well" the lessons contained in the Tablet and not to withhold himself from their benefit. The special role of sincerity in life is disclosed in the text, not only as a condition for recognition of the "nearness of God," but as the condition that leads to the relief of sadness and the resolution of difficulties. The Tablet can be seen as the outline of Bahá'u'lláh's theodicy, and is, therefore, used as a guide in times of personal trial to align one's inner life with the truths that "will be tested" in the process of turning personal suffering into "fire" and "light."
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