Wilmette Institute

Throughout His ministry, The Báb wrote many epistles addressed to theologians and seminary students. Among the writings of The Báb, there are two works known as the “Kitábu’l-‘Ulamá” or the “Epistle to the ‘Ulamá”, one which was revealed shortly after His return from the Arabian Peninsula to Iran and is the subject of this presentation.

This work, like many other epistles from the early period of The Báb’s ministry, is in the mode of divine verses and is in Arabic. We will attempt to provide brief historical background on developments in the world of Shí’ism prior to the inception of The Báb’s ministry and discuss the features of this epistle. Among the major themes of this work are the the subtlety of The Báb’s claims to a station greater than representing the hidden twelfth Imam, and the question of intertextuality between His writings and the Qur’án.

Our guest speaker is Nima Rafiei, who was born and raised in Minnesota and currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. He received his B.A. in history and political science from the University of Minnesota in 2013 and obtained an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago in 2021, where he studied both classical and modern Arabic and Persian literature. His interests in Bábí and Bahá'í studies include early mystical writings of Bahá'u'lláh from the Baghdad period and The Báb's commentaries on súrahs of the Qur'án and Islamic oral traditions. He also contributes English translations of Bahá'í texts from the original Arabic and Persian.

Join us for a series of dynamic presentations by authors whose work takes us through the history of the Qiblih, encounters with Bahá’u’lláh and the Holy Family, and the life of a Hand of the Cause. Participants are invited to learn about these fascinating histories, and to reflect deeply on their significance and applicability to our present-day lives and the goals of the Nine Year Plan.

Gisu Mohadjer has collected stories of encounters with the members of the Holy Family. Along with her daughter, Amelia Cook, Gisu shares these stories which are tinged with tenderness, kindness, love, and laughter. They offer us a small window into the extraordinary life of the holy household as seen through the eyes of children. It is hoped that families and readers of all ages will treasure this collection and revisit it often for inspiration and solace and to deepen their love for the Holy Family. (Moderator: Chris Martin)

Join us for a series of dynamic presentations by authors whose work takes us through the history of the Qiblih, encounters with Bahá’u’lláh and the Holy Family, and the life of a Hand of the Cause. Participants are invited to learn about these fascinating histories, and to reflect deeply on their significance and applicability to our present-day lives and the goals of the Nine Year Plan.

Historian Michael V. Day takes us through the last years of Bahá’u’lláh’s life—in ‘Akká, Mazra‘ih, and Bahjí— highlighting pivotal moments and texts associated with the establishment of His shrine. Drawing upon a wide range of sources, including eyewitness accounts, Michael paints vivid pictures of the daily life of the Manifestation and of those in His orbit, of His final days and illness, of His ascension and funeral, and of the period of mourning that followed. (Moderator: Bahhaj Taherzadeh)

Join us for a series of dynamic presentations by authors whose work takes us through the history of the Qiblih, encounters with Bahá’u’lláh and the Holy Family, and the life of a Hand of the Cause. Participants are invited to learn about these fascinating histories, and to reflect deeply on their significance and applicability to our present-day lives and the goals of the Nine Year Plan.

Speakers Joel Nizin, Gary Hogenson, and Kathryn Jewett Hogenson discuss Roy Wilhelm’s life story; a rich and varied one that takes the reader from the coffee farms of Costa Rica to Wall Street to the picturesque environs of the properties that remain associated with his life and the Faith he held so dearly. Shouldering massive responsibility for the well-being and functioning of the early American Bahá’í community throughout the years of the first World War and the Great Depression, Wilhelm played a pivotal role in thxae establishment of the Administrative Order of the Faith. (Moderator: Chris Martin)

The second panel in this 2-part webinar series focuses on different issues within the domains of natural and social sciences. It is based on the articles by the participants, including “How Can We All Get Along?—A Bahá’í Perspective on Globalization” by Harold Rosen, “Plato, Modern Physics, and Bahá’u’lláh” by Vahid Ranjbar and “Iterative Theology: Progressive Revelation as the String Theory of Religious Studies” by Andres Elvira Espinoza. The Host for both panels is Mikhail Sergeev.

“In the history of the Bahá’í Faith, Russia played a remarkable role.

In 1852, the Russian government, the only one in the world, petitioned for the release of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Faith, when he was imprisoned on false charges, and offered him asylum.

In the 1880s, a Russian court recognized for the first time in history the independent character of the Bahá’í Faith and championed the rights of its followers.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Russian scholars and writers contributed with their writings to the spread of knowledge of the new religion not only in Russia but also in the West.

At the same time, one of the first and most famous Bahá’í communities outside Persia emerged and successfully developed in Turkestan, then part of the Russian Empire, and the world’s first House of Worship was built in Ashgabat.

The importance of these historical facts makes it possible to place Russia on a par with those lands that, in many respects, determined the destiny of the new religion – with Iran, its homeland, with North America, the cradle of its Administrative Order, and with the Holy Land (Israel), where the ashes of its founders rest and its supreme body, the Universal House of Justice, is situated.”

Source: Nancy Ackerman, Graham Hassal, “The Bahá’í Faith in Russia: A Historical Essay.”

Our guest speaker will be faculty member of the Wilmette Institute, Mikhail Sergeev.

The first panel in this 2-part webinar series is devoted to Bahá’í approaches to various aspects of globalization as discussed in the articles “Globalization — The Tangible Expression of Humanity’s Journey Towards Unity” by Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing; “Building a Just and Sustainable Global Food System: Some Guiding Principles” by Paul Hanley; and “Globalization Requires a Bahá’í Foundation” by Hooshmand Badee. The Host for both panels is Mikhail Sergeev.

This powerpoint presentation starts from the Declaration of Baháu’lláh in the Garden of Ridvan. The Order issued by the Ottoman government for the banishment of Baháu’lláh from Baghdad to Constantinople, the Capital of The Ottoman Empire, was communicated to Baháu’lláh by Ali Pasha, the Prime Minister of the Ottoman Sultan. In courteous language, the letter invited Baháu’lláh to proceed to Constantinople as the guest of the Ottoman government. Thus, the time for the departure of Baháu’lláh from The Garden of Ridvan had come. The departure of Baháu’lláh from the garden of Ridvan was on May 3, 1863. The journey of Baháu’lláh from Baghdad to Constantinople started from Firayjat, three miles away on the bank of the Tigris.

Our guest speaker Jena Khadem Khodadad is a fourth generation Iranian Bahá’í. Her book “Scientific Principles at Work in the Worldwide Advancement of Bahá’í Faith” (George Ronald, Publishers) explores scientific principles in respect to the growth of the Bahá’í Faith and the dynamism and vitality of the Bahá’í community. Jena continues to contribute to public discourse and dialogues on some of the challenges of our times. Furthermore, Jena is committed to enhancement of interfaith understanding and has organized, presented, and contributed to numerous interfaith forums.

This webinar situates the girl child (and her rights) within the global gender equality issue area and, more broadly, that of human rights. It treats the key factors that hem in girls’ progress across the world, limiting their life chances–among them, early marriage, domestic and sexual abuse, trafficking, and access to education. It weighs progress to address the tall challenges, even as it celebrates the achievements in light of UN conventions and Sustainable Goals. Given the Bahá’í auspices of the Series, the webinar brings to bear the Faith’s teachings on the equality of women and men and strong emphasis on the education of girls. Participants leave with the tools to analyze the daily challenges girls face in many parts of our world and with a heightened sense of how urgent safeguarding their well-being is to forging a more equal, just, and unified world. The call to action involves our individual and collective moral duty to assist in this enterprise, as we approach the eleventh year of the International Day of the Girl. Our guest speaker for this webinar is Dr. Trevor McMorris Tate, a Bahá’í, whose current research focuses on global governance, international norms, and the girl child.

Animals of all kinds co-exist with us, from pets to farm animals to wildlife and microscopic organisms. We know more than ever now about animal sentience and capabilities, even as we impact the animal kingdom more than ever before—from extinction and species decline due to climate change and habitat loss, farming practices, pet ownership, and more. What do the Bahá’í teachings say about animals? How can those teachings help guide us in our daily lives and as a society? What does it mean to be kind to animals? What is our vision of animals in the future? Come and join us to explore these questions with guest speaker Carole Flood.