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Montreal, August 31, 2021 – The period between August 31 and September 9, marks 109th anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s journey to Montreal and 178 years after His birth on May 23, 1844! A life, abundant, spacious and immeasurable which cannot adequately described.

He was eight years old when He was taken to the dungeon of Tehrán to see His Father under the weight of a heavy chain. From that tender age until the age of 77 when His work was done in this realm of existence, He lived a life of total self-abnegation, of unbroken, unqualified service to God and humankind.

His Father Bahá’u’lláh, bestowed upon Him many titles such as «the Greatest Branch», «the Mystery of God», «the Master» but once the responsibility of the leadership of the Bahá’í Community was given to Him, He chose to be known as «’Abdu’l-Bahá», the servant of Glory-Bahá.

Once an American scientist and President of Stanford University, Dr. David Starr Jordan (1851-1931), remarked that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked «the mystic path with practical feet, … He will surely unite the East and the West» and a Biblical scholar from Oxford University, Dr. T.K. Cheyne (1841-1915), spoke of Him as «the ambassador to Humanity».

Since His birth, the world of humanity has been revolutionized. Within a few hours after His birth, the first telegraphic message was sent from Washington to Baltimore containing this remarkable phrase from the Bible suggested to Samuel Morse by Annie Ellsworth, the young daughter of the U.S. Commissioner of Patents. She opened the Bible apparently and saw the following sentence from Numbers 23:23, «Behold, What hath God wrought!». This was the message which was sent across continent for the first time in history of telecommunications!

‘Abdu’l-Bahá was 67 years old when He undertook His two and a half years journey to Europe and North America on August 1910. He was not in good health, a victim of consumption from early age, He had to stay longer than He had planned, in cities such as Paris and Montreal, to recuperate. He was a prisoner and exile practically all His life nevertheless the moment He gained His freedom following the Turkish revolution in July 1908, He decided to carry the Message of His Father to the West.

Edward G. Brown was the first person to bring the Bahá’í Faith to the attention of Americans during the lifetime of Bahá’u’lláh, then a Syrian Christian Physician by the name of Ibrahim Khayr’ulláh who subsequently became a Bahá’í and migrated to the United States propagated the Faith there. Ibrahim arrived at New York in December 1892 and moved to Chicago in February 1894 where the name of Bahá’u’lláh mentioned during the first Parliament of Religions in September 1898. The first person of Christian background who accepted the Message in North America was Thornton Chase who met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in prison of Akká. In his remarkable book «In Galilee», Thornton Chase writes of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: «He is the Master! He is the Christ-Spirit of this great age, He is the Anointed One! The Appointed of His Father, that Father was the Greatest Manifestation of God – Bahá’u’lláh. He is the Centre of the Covenant; the healer and satisfier of longing hearts! The king of Servitude to Humanity!».

Thornton Chase passed away when the Master reached the shores of Pacific in 1912. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave a short talk at the gravesite in Inglewood Cemetery, Los Angeles and mentioned that  Thornton Chase was the first American Bahá’í whose services will ever be remembered in the future. He advised the friends to visit his grave and lay flowers on behalf of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s steps touched the North American shores, there were only a handful of Bahá’ís in the continent among them the young May Ellis Boles who became a Bahá’í in Paris.

Kate Cowan Ives (1863-1927), originally from Newfoundland was the first woman in the Occident to accept the Bahá’í Faith and remain steadfast in her new found religion. The first Canadian Bahá’í however, was Edith Magee and her mother Esther Annie from London, Ontario who attended the first Parliament of Religions in September 1898. She managed to bring to the Faith many members of her family and remain active in their locality.

Photo: 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Green Acre with His translator and His diarist Mahmúd just before leaving for Montreal.

…. To be continued …

 

Montreal, 15 August 2021 - The Bahá’í Summer School of Quebec was held this year by teleconference from 13 to 14 August with the participation of about one hundred friends from across the province.

The main focus was on honoring 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the beloved Master, in a spiritually uplifting evening designed to refresh souls in these dark times.  The program was designed to be welcoming to all races and cultures of the world. The goal of touching the heart and mind of every soul, whether they have heard of the Faith or not, or whether they are involved in the community building process or not, was admirably achieved. Since spaces like this, to which we could invite all our friends, are rare, many friends and seekers were able to take advantage of the opportunity and join us.

The main themes of the summer school this year were:

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Ḥuqúqu'lláh (The Rights of God)

- A special program to honour the souls of deceased Aboriginal children

- The Tablets of the Divine Plan

- Presentation: "My name is 'Abdu'l-Bahá

- Artistic Evening: Tribute to 'Abdu'l-Bahá

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Divine Plan

- Several workshops of consultation on the topics of the Covenant and the Divine Plan also took place.

The presence of a member of the Continental Board of Counselors for the Americas, Mr. Ayafor T Ayafor, members of the Auxiliary Board serving in Quebec, members of the Bahá'í Council of Quebec, members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada, and other Bahá'í institutions greatly enriched the quality of this particular summer school.

Member of the Continental Board of Counselors for the Americas, Mr. Ayafor T Ayafor

Montreal, April 20, 2021 – Montreal Bahá’í Community as well as the Bahá’ís around the world celebrate three days of the twelve days that Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet Founder of the Faith, declared His Mission in a garden in suburb of Baghdád in Iraq on April 21, 1863.

The garden belonged to Najib Pasha, the governor of Baghdád at the time and was left at Bahá’u’lláh’s disposal to stay there before leaving the city on His route to exile to Constantinople, the capital city of Ottoman Empire.

Those twelve days are known among the Bahá’ís as “Riḍván” in Arabic which can be translated as “Paradise”.   

“The arrival of Bahá'u'lláh in the Najibiyyih Garden, subsequently designated by His followers the Garden of Ridvan, signalizes the commencement of what has come to be recognized as the holiest and most significant of all Bahá'í festivals, the festival commemorating the Declaration of His Mission to His companions. So momentous a Declaration may well be regarded both as the logical consummation of that revolutionizing process which was initiated by Himself upon His return from Sulaymaniyyih, and as a prelude to the final proclamation of that same Mission to the world and its rulers from Adrianople.”

“"Many a night," writes Nabil, depicting the tumult that had seized the hearts of Bahá'u'lláh's companions, in the days prior to the declaration of His mission, "would Mirza Aqa Jan gather them together in his room, close the door, light numerous camphorated candles, and chant aloud to them the newly revealed odes and Tablets in his possession. Wholly oblivious of this contingent world, completely immersed in the realms of the spirit, forgetful of the necessity for food, sleep or drink, they would suddenly discover that night had become day, and that the sun was approaching its zenith."

Of the exact circumstances attending that epoch-making Declaration we, alas, are but scantily informed. The words Bahá'u'lláh actually uttered on that occasion, the manner of His Declaration, the reaction it produced, its impact on Mirza Yahya, the identity of those who were privileged to hear Him, are shrouded in an obscurity which future historians will find it difficult to penetrate. The fragmentary description left to posterity by His chronicler Nabil is one of the very few authentic records we possess of the memorable days He spent in that garden. "Every day," Nabil has related, "ere the hour of dawn, the gardeners would pick the roses which lined the four avenues of the garden, and would pile them in the center of the floor of His blessed tent. So great would be the heap that when His companions gathered to drink their morning tea in His presence, they would be unable to see each other across it. All these roses Bahá'u'lláh would, with His own hands, entrust to those whom He dismissed from His presence every morning to be delivered, on His behalf, to His Arab and Persian friends in the city." "One night," he continues, "the ninth night of the waxing moon, I happened to be one of those who watched beside His blessed tent. As the hour of midnight approached, I saw Him issue from His tent, pass by the places where some of His companions were sleeping, and begin to pace up and down the moonlit, flower-bordered avenues of the garden. So loud was the singing of the nightingales on every side that only those who were near Him could hear distinctly His voice. He continued to walk until, pausing in the midst of one of these avenues, He observed: 'Consider these nightingales. So great is their love for these roses, that sleepless from dusk till dawn, they warble their melodies and commune with burning passion with the object of their adoration. How then can those who claim to be afire with the rose-like beauty of the Beloved choose to sleep?' For three successive nights I watched and circled round His blessed tent. Every time I passed by the couch whereon He lay, I would find Him wakeful, and every day, from morn till eventide, I would see Him ceaselessly engaged in conversing with the stream of visitors who kept flowing in from Baghdad. Not once could I discover in the words He spoke any trace of dissimulation."*

Bahá'u'lláh Himself acclaiming that historic occasion as the "Most Great Festival," the "King of Festivals," the "Festival of God".

The Local and National Bahá’í Institutions are elected once a year during this period. For the first time in Canadian history, the Bahá’í Community used an electronic voting system due to current sanitary restrictions.

*Excerpts from “God Posses By” written by Shoghi-Effenfi, the late Gardien of the Bahá’í Faith (1897-1957)

Photo : Garden of Najib Pasha presently part of Baghdád university.

Montreal, July 9, 2021 - In Montreal and around the world, the Bahá’í Communities commemorated this Holy Day and holiday in different parts of the city by teleconference.

On July 9, 1850, at noon, approximately 10,000 people were gathered on the rooftops of buildings and houses around the courtyard of the Tabriz barracks in Persia.

The Báb and a young disciple were suspended by two ropes against a wall. The regiment of 750 Armenian Christian soldiers was arranged in three rows of 250 men each. They opened fire three times.

The shooting was so intense, Westerners report, that the sky was black and the courtyard was dark.

However, as the records of the British Foreign Office show, when the smoke cleared, the Báb had disappeared. His companion stood there unharmed, untouched by the bullets. The ropes to which they had both been tied were now only tattered.

The Báb was found in his cell, giving instructions to one of his secretaries. At daybreak, when the guards had come for him to be executed, He had told them that no "earthly power" could silence him until he had said what he had to say.

And when the guards returned for him, he calmly announced, "You may now perform your task."

So for the second time, the Báb and his young companion were brought before the firing squad. The Armenian soldiers refused to shoot a second time. So the task was given to a Muslim regiment. This time, the bodies of the two men were fused together.

In May 1844, Siyyid Ali Muhammad announced His mission in his hometown of Shiráz to one of the searching believers. He then took the title of Báb, a word that means "Gate" in Arabic.

Thereafter, the Bábíe Faith spread very rapidly in the country. The government and the clergy of Persia instantly joined forces to commit cruel misdeeds against the early followers of the Báb. Historians estimate the number of victims of these persecutions to be around 20,000.

Finally, under pressure from the clergy, the government gave the order to take the Báb to the barracks in Tabriz, Persia. They were convinced that this would stop the spread of the young Faith.

The Bahá’ís commemorate the Martyrdom of the Báb, a Holy Day and a holiday for the Bahá’ís around the world. The Báb is considered by Bahá’ís to be a Messenger of God. He is also the predecessor of Bahá'u'lláh, the Herald of the Bahá'í Faith.

* Photo from Archives of the Bahá'í World Centre - Location of the execution of the Báb

Montreal, April 10, 2021 – Once again, Raymond Flournoy Memorial Lecture series brought over one hundred friends from at least two continents of Europe and America together! The subject of this year lecture series via teleconference is “Joseph and the Covenant” dedicated to the memory of Douglas Martin who left this ephemeral world on September 2020.

For last seven years, Dr Todd Lawson, Emeritus Professor of Islamic Though at the University of Toronto has intended, through these lecture series,  to bring to our attention, that the Bahá’í and the Muslim communities in particular as well as all other Faiths are Revelations from the same Source, they are inter-related with the same purpose which is to establish unity and concord among peoples of the earth! This is one of the fundamental teachings of the Bahá’í Faith.                                                                                                                                                           

The present lecture series highlight the subject of Joseph and the Covenant to demonstrate the Plan of God for Humanity through His successive revelations in this world. Joseph, beloved son of Rachel and Jacob was a Messenger of God in his own right. Jacob, also known as “Israel”, had 12 sons but he loved Joseph more than any of the others and gave him apparently a multi-coloured cloak. His brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery. He was taken to Egypt and eventually became steward to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials. 

The story of Joseph has been subject of thousands of scholarly written essays in Jewish, Christianity, Islam and the Bahá’í Faith and it is a befitting coincidence that this particular lecture series is being dedicated to Douglas Martin who was a lover of the Covenant. Throughout his life, Douglas was both a lover and scholar of the Covenant! His writings on the Covenant are unmatched in their eloquence and lucidity in Todd Lawson’s words. Indeed this year’s lecture series reflect befittingly his profound engagement with the Bahá’í Covenant and its implications for the society and civilisation.

The lecture series on “Joseph and the Covenant” started on March 27 and will continue until May 8, 2021, every Saturday at 3 p.m. via teleconference. Several scholars and participants in the series have already paid glorious and touching tributes to Douglas Martin. The reminiscences will continue through the remaining sessions. His soul, undoubtedly, will accompany the scholars and friends who participate in these presentations!

On March 27 a befitting tribute was paid to Raymond Flournoy and a short documentary of his life and his firesides were shown. Personal reflections of Douglas and Elizabeth Martin were shared by scholars, artists, teachers and friends.

The second session on April 3, 2021 was entirely devoted to the subject of the Covenant in the Qur’án. Dr. Todd Lawson masterly and eloquently elucidated the subject for the audience.

On April 10, Dr Stephen Lambden made a fascinating presentation on some introductory trajectories in the Bible and  Bábi-Bahá’í Scripture.

For next four weeks until May 8, eminent scholars such as Dr. Armin Eschraghi, Dr. Moojan Momen, Dr. Franklin Lewis and Dr. Todd Lawson will speak about Joseph and the Covenant  as elucidated in Shaykhi School, in the Writings of the Báb, in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and Abdu’l-Bahá as well as the Persian Mystical traditions. (see photo)

You are warmly invited to attend any of the future lectures by registering first at the link below:

https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsfumupz0oGtdvXl1qrVFb1oHOP6zMdrJA 

Montreal, June 6, 2021 – A very successful devotional gather was held in downtown to commemorate the loss of 215 children from Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, the home community of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

On May 27, 2021, a Press Release from the Office of the Chief  Rosanne Casimir confirmed an unthinkable loss that was spoken about but never documented by the Kamloops Indian Residential School. She stated, “This past weekend, with the help of a ground penetrating radar specialist, the stark truth of the preliminary findings came to light – the confirmation of the remains of 215 children who were students of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.”

“We had a knowing in our community that we were able to verify. To our knowledge, these missing children are undocumented deaths,” stated Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir. “Some were as young as three years old. We sought out a way to confirm that knowing out of deepest respect and love for those lost children and their families, understanding that Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc is the final resting place of these children.” (1)

The devastating news that the remains of 215 children, some as young as three years old, are buried on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia has appalled the nation. This discovery is a reminder of a dark and recent period of Canada’s history, its legacy of suffering and the present-day trauma for its victims. (2)

To honor these young souls, their families and their community, all friends of the Montreal community were invited to offer special prayers over the next few weeks, privately and at devotional gatherings or vigils, and especially during the Festival of Light on June 3rd and 4th. Let us call upon these powerful spiritual forces, joining with others of many different backgrounds and beliefs...

We bow our heads and offer prayers for these souls and all souls who have suffered and continue to suffer from the trauma of this dark part of our country's history. (3)

In its letter to the 19-day Feast of Light, the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Montreal explains, “ a great wrong has come to light in these past days that has brought shock, grief and indignation to the entire country. We have been riveted by news of the discovery of the fate of the 215 children who died at one of the residential schools that separated children from their parents for over a hundred years. We fear the discovery of further tragic news of the same kind. A further example of how long hidden injustices are being revealed everywhere. We are reminded of Bahá’u’lláh’s remarkable statement that in this day, “If a speck of a jewel be lost and buried beneath a mountain of stones, and lie hidden beyond the seven seas, the Hand of Omnipotence will assuredly reveal it in this day. . .” It is a moment of great soul-searching for our country and of sympathy for native Canadians everywhere. A response is required. The National Spiritual Assembly has written to the Bahá’í community of Canada suggesting what that might be and we commend it to you tonight to read together and act on. We can only hope and pray that as this heartbreaking story unfolds it may lead to much greater appreciation of the extraordinary capacities of the first peoples and that their inherent spirituality will be seen as one of Canada’s greatest blessings. (4)

Over the course of the week, dozens of Devotional Gatherings will be held in neighborhoods across the city to commemorate this immense tragic loss that has shaken the country.

References:

(1) Press Release Office of Chief Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Kukpi7

(2) Letter of the NSA of Canada dated May 31, 2021

(3) Letter of comité CEG addressed to the 19 Days Feast of Núr

(4) Letter June 5, 2021 from the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Montreal

 

Montreal, March 21, 2021 – Several neighbourhoods celebrated the Bahá’í New year 178 B.E via video conference with joy and happiness. In one community, the refreshments were served via a special courier to the friends who were gathered on line! Stories, songs and video clips of Naw-Rúz celebrations in Iran and other countries of the world were shared.

Celebrations were followed by an all Montreal Community 19 Days Feast. The first day of the month of Bahá (Glory) in accordance with the Bahá’í Calendar. Close to one hundred adults and children participated in the Feast. The program was dedicated to the children and many of them participated in Devotional and musical presentations.

Naw-Rúz (also known as No Rouz, Nowruz, or Noruz), translates to "New Day" in English is the Bahá'í and Persian New Year, which occurs on the date of the vernal equinox. The holiday is fixed as March 21 for Bahá'ís in all countries outside the Middle East, regardless of exactly when the equinox occurs. However, those who celebrate this day culturally, rather than religiously, celebrate on the exact day of the equinox. Naw-Rúz dates back approximately 3,000 years and is rooted in Zoroastrian Faith. Zoroastrian is an ancient Persian religion that predates Christianity and Islam. Millions of people around the world celebrate this holiday.

The Baha’i celebration of Naw-Ruz is one of the nine Bahá'í Holy Days on which work is suspended, and it was established by Bahá’u’lláh, the prophet-founder of the Bahá'í Faith, to mark the feast day following the 19-day month of fasting. (The Bahá'í calendar is made up of nineteen months, and each month consists of nineteen days). The Bahá'í fast is essentially a reflective time of year, where those who are able, abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset.

To Bahá'ís the new year also symbolizes the renewal of time in each religious dispensation.`Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’u’lláh’s son and appointed successor, explained the significance of Naw-Rúz in terms of the equinox and spring-time and the new life it brings. In ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s words:

"… This sacred day when the sun illumines equally the whole earth is called the equinox and the equinox is the symbol of the divine messenger. The sun of truth rises on the horizon of divine mercy and sends forth its rays on all. This day is consecrated to this commemoration. It is the beginning of the spring. When the sun appears at the equinox it causes a movement in all living things. The mineral world is set in motion, plants begin to sprout, the desert is changed into a prairie, trees bud and every living thing responds, including the bodies of animals and men."

The rising of the sun at the equinox is the symbol of life and the human reality is revivified; our thoughts are transformed and our intelligence is quickened. The sun of truth bestows eternal life, just as the solar sun is the cause of terrestrial life.

The day of the appearance of God’s messenger on earth is ever a sacred day, a day when man commemorates his lord.

"It is New Year … now is the beginning of a cycle of Reality, a New Cycle, a New Age, a New Century, a New Time and a New Year. … I wish this blessing to appear and become manifest in the faces and characteristics of the believers, so that they, too, may become a new people, and … may make the world a new world, to the end that … the sword be turned into the olive branch; the flash of hatred become the flame of the love of God … all races as one race; and all national anthems harmonized into one melody. – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

As with most Bahá'í Holy Days, there are no particular fixed rituals or practices associated with the holiday. With adherents from so many parts of the world, the Bahá'í Faith makes careful attention not to impose one cultural tradition upon other traditions but rather to encourage an organic international Bahá'í culture that emerges based on the Holy Texts and not on personal or cultural traditions. So, on an international level, the celebration is generally observed with a meeting consisting of prayers, feasting and joyful celebration open to all. What that actually looks like from one place to another largely depends on the way in which a Bahá'í family or community chooses to celebrate the Holy Day.

Although celebrated in a different fashion, Naw-Ruz is also celebrated by Iranians and Zoroastrians as the new year. The origins of Naw-Ruz are unknown but it is thought to have begun as a pastoral spring festival. As time turned, Naw-Ruz gradually became a secular holiday in Persia and, as such, continued to be observed even after the spread of Islam in Iran. Muslim kings in Iran, like their Zoroastrian predecessors, celebrated Naw-Ruz with great magnificence.

Though not a Bahá'í tradition, some Bahá'ís from Persian background honour the traditions associated with their cultural heritage by infusing their celebrations with elements of a traditional Persian celebration of Naw-Ruz. These traditions might include families gathering in new or freshly cleaned cloths or the decoration of tables with fruit, cakes, coloured eggs and other treats, as well as symbolic objects such as a holy book and a mirror. Among the best known customs of Iranian Naw-Ruz is the “haft-sin” – which in English translates to the `seven S’s’. These are seven objects whose Persian names begin with the letter ‘S’ such as hyacinths, apples, lilies, silver coins, garlic, vinegar and rue, which are chosen and decoratively arranged on a table.

Persian traditions or not, Naw-Ruz always comes with generous hospitality and a delicious feast to enjoy!

 

Montreal, May 29, 2012 - At the dawn of this day, the Bahá'í world as well as the Montreal community commemorated the ascension of the Divine Messenger for our Era, Bahá'u'lláh!

With the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh draws to a close a period which, in many ways, is unparalleled in the world's religious history. The first century of the Bahá'í Era had by now run half its course. An epoch, unsurpassed in its sublimity, its fecundity and duration by any previous Dispensation, and characterized, except for a short interval of three years, by half a century of continuous and progressive Revelation, had terminated. The Message proclaimed by The Báb had yielded its golden fruit. The most momentous, though not the most spectacular phase of the Heroic Age had ended. The Sun of Truth, the world's greatest Luminary, had risen in the Siyah-Chal of Tihran, had broken through the clouds which enveloped it in Baghdad, had suffered a momentary eclipse whilst mounting to its zenith in Adrianople and had set finally in Akka, never to reappear ere the lapse of a full millenium. God's newborn Faith, the cynosure of all past Dispensations, had been fully and unreservedly proclaimed. The prophecies announcing its advent had been remarkably fulfilled. Its fundamental laws and cardinal principles, the warp and woof of the fabric of its future World Order, had been clearly enunciated. Its organic relation to, and its attitude towards, the religious systems which preceded it had been unmistakably defined. The primary institutions, within which an embryonic World Order was destined to mature, had been unassailably established. The Covenant designed to safeguard the unity and integrity of its world-embracing system had been irrevocably bequeathed to posterity. The promise of the unification of the whole human race, of the inauguration of the Most Great Peace, of the unfoldment of a world civilization, had been incontestably given. The dire warnings, foreshadowing catastrophes destined to befall kings, ecclesiastics, governments and peoples, as a prelude to so glorious a consummation, had been repeatedly uttered. The significant summons to the Chief Magistrates of the New World, forerunner of the Mission with which the North American continent was to be later invested, had been issued. The initial contact with a nation, a descendant of whose royal house was to espouse its Cause ere the expiry of the first Bahá'í century, had been established. The original impulse which, in the course of successive decades, has conferred, and will continue to confer, in the years to come, inestimable benefits of both spiritual and institutional significance upon God's holy mountain, overlooking the Most Great Prison, had been imparted. And finally, the first banners of a spiritual conquest which, ere the termination of that century, was to embrace no less than sixty countries in both the Eastern and Western hemispheres had been triumphantly planted.

In the vastness and diversity of its Holy Writ; in the number of its martyrs; in the valor of its champions; in the example set by its followers; in the condign punishment suffered by its adversaries; in the pervasiveness of its influence; in the incomparable heroism of its Herald; in the dazzling greatness of its Author; in the mysterious operation of its irresistible spirit; the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, now standing at the threshold of the sixth decade of its existence*, had amply demonstrated its capacity to forge ahead, indivisible and incorruptible, along the course traced for it by its Founder, and to display, before the gaze of successive generations, the signs and tokens of that celestial potency with which He Himself had so richly endowed it.

 

*1944, God Passes By, Shoghi-Effendi

Montreal, February 25, 2021 - From sunset on February 25th to sunset on March 1st, Montreal Bahá’ís join Bahá’ís around the world in celebrating the festival of Ayyám-i-Há by spending time with friends and family, helping those in need through acts of charity, and spreading joy by giving gifts. “Ayyám-i-Há” is an Arabic phrase which can be translated as “Days of Há”, Há is the Arabic letter corresponding to the English H – commemorates the transcendence of God over his attributes, since its name "Há" has been used as a symbol of the essence of God in the Baháʼí Holy Writings. Under the Arabic numerology system, the letter Há has the numerical value of five, which is equal to the maximum number of days in Ayyam-i-Há.

Also known as intercalary days, Ayyám-i-Há falls outside the 19 Bahá’í months of 19 days and aligns the Bahá’í calendar with the 365-day Gregorian solar calendar. It also serves as a period of spiritual preparation for the annual Bahá’í Fast (March 1-19), when Bahá’ís abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset, and Naw Rúz (March 20), the Bahá’í New Year, celebrated on the first day of spring.

Around the world, the festival of Ayyám-i-Há is celebrated in many ways. In Montreal and out of the present pandemic, you can expect to see gift exchanges, with friends, and between family members, large meals, service projects and children's parties. Several schools in Canada invite parents of Bahá’í children to make a presentation in front of their classmates.

Across the country, in various neighbourhoods, groups of friends who participate in the community building process promoted by the Bahá’ís discover a period of rejoicing at the Ayyám-i-Há Festival during which they can strengthen their bonds of love and friendship with their neighbours.

Of this period Baha’u’llah writes:

It behoveth the people of Bahá, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name.

 

Montreal, May 22, 2021 – The celebration of the Declaration of the Báb is one of the nine Holy Days in the Bahá’í Calendar.  it was celebrated in various Montreal boroughs as well as throughout the Bahá’í World.

 I am, I am, I am, the promised One! I am the One whose name you have for a thousand years invoked, at whose mention you have risen, whose advent you have longed to witness, and the hour of whose Revelation you have prayed God to hasten. Verily I say, it is incumbent upon the peoples of both the East and the West to obey My word and to pledge allegiance to My person.

Two hours and eleven minutes after sunset, Siyyid `Alí-Muhammad known as the Báb (the Gate), made His declaration to Mullá Husayn-i-Bushrú'í in the upper chamber of His House in Shiraz, Persia (now Iran), founding the Bábí faith. Coincidentally, on that day in Tehran, `Abdu'l-Bahá, the eldest Son of Bahá'u'lláh, was born. Bahá'u'lláh, is the Prophet-Founder of the Baháʼí Faith whose advent the Báb has been heralded. `Abdu'l-Bahá Himself was later proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh to be His own successor, thus being the third "central figure" of the Baháʼí Faith.

Where else if not in the Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude) can the student of the Bábí Dispensation seek to find those affirmations that unmistakably attest the power and spirit which no man, except he be a Manifestation of God, can manifest? “Could such a thing,” exclaims Baha’u’llah, “be made manifest except through the power of a Divine Revelation and the potency of God’s invincible Will? By the righteousness of God! Were any one to entertain so great a Revelation in his heart the thought of such a declaration would alone confound him! Were the hearts of all men to be crowded into his heart, he would still hesitate to venture upon so awful an enterprise.” “No eye,” He in another passage affirms, “hath beheld so great an outpouring of bounty, nor hath any ear heard of such a Revelation of loving-kindness… The Prophets ‘endowed with constancy,’ whose loftiness and glory shine as the sun, were each honored with a Book which all have seen, and the verses of which have been duly ascertained. Whereas the verses which have rained from this Cloud of divine mercy have been so abundant that none hath yet been able to estimate their number… How can they belittle this Revelation? Hath any age witnessed such momentous happenings?”

[The World Order of Baha’u’llah, Shoghi Effendi]

Many people in the Eat and the West were waiting for the return of the Messiah such as the Templars in Germany, Millerites in the USA and the followers of Islam in the Middle East.

The Great Disappointment in the Millerite movement was the reaction that followed Baptist preacher William Miller's proclamations that Jesus Christ would return to the Earth by 1844, what he called the Advent. His study of the Daniel 8 prophecy during the Second Great Awakening led him to the conclusion that Daniel's "cleansing of the sanctuary" was cleansing of the world from sin when Christ would come, and he and many others prepared, but 1844 came, and what they were expecting never happened!

The most remarkable event happened on May 24, 1844 was the inauguration of the first telegraphic line officially. That was when Morse sent the famous words "What hath God wrought" from the Baltimore & Ohio Mount Clare train Station in Baltimore to the Capitol Building along the wire. These words were taken from the Bible (Numbers 23:23) and were selected by Annie Ellsworth, the daughter of U.S. Patent Commissioner Henry Leavitt Ellsworth, who had championed Morse's invention and secured early funding for it.

Evolution of science and technology has revolutionized humanity’s life ever since! As far as human relationship is concerned, we have yet a lot to learn!

  1. Meeting with Minister Marc Garneau
  2. The Birth of Christ
  3. The Day of the Covenant and commemoration of the Ascention of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
  4. From ephemeral world to the Eternal Realm
  5. Celebration of the Twin Holy Days!

 

Bahá'í Center

 

177, av des Pins E
Montréal, QC H2W 1N9
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Phone: 514-849-0753

Click here for map and hours

 

 

Montreal Shrine

 

1548, av des Pins O, Montreal
Phone: 514-568-2104

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