Community Actitivities
Celebrate with us the Twelfth Day of Ridván
The Baha’i Community warmly invites you to celebrate with us the The Twelfth Day of Ridván, concluding the annual Bahá’í festival commemorating the historic events during which Bahá’u’lláh declared Himself to be God’s Messenger to the age of humanity’s collective maturity, foretold in all the world’s scriptures.
The celebration will take place on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at the picnic shelter to the right of the Amphitheater at Lubber Run Park, 200 N Columbus St., Arlington, VA 22203.
A potluck picnic lunch starting at noon will precede a devotional program starting at 1:30 pm and featuring live music, story telling, activities for children and adults alike.
All are welcome!
“Verily, all created things were immersed in the sea of purification when, on that first day of Ridvan, We shed upon the whole of creation the splendours of Our most excellent Names and Our most exalted Attributes. This, verily, is a token of My loving providence, which hath encompassed all the worlds. Consort ye then with the followers of all religions, and proclaim ye the Cause of your Lord, the Most Compassionate; this is the very crown of deeds, if ye be of them who understand.”
(Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 47)
Using the arts in celebrating the Birth of Baha’u’llah
As Baha’is around the world prepare to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, the Baha’is of Arlington County are getting ready for a celebration which will include a potluck dinner, live music, puppet theater, and a devotional program. The celebration will take place at 6 pm on Monday, November 11th, 2013 at the historic Carlin Hall at 5711 4th Street South, Arlington, VA 22204 and is open to all.
Using the arts in celebrating the Birth of Baha’u’llah
Baha’u’llah – a title that means The Glory of God – was born Mirza Husayn Ali in 1817 in Tehran, Persia. His son, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, said:
“The Blessed Perfection, Bahá’u’lláh, belonged to the nobility of Persia. From earliest childhood He was distinguished among His relatives and friends. They said, “This child has extraordinary power.” In wisdom, intelligence and as a source of new knowledge, He was advanced beyond His age and superior to His surroundings. All who knew Him were astonished at His precocity.”
~‘Abdu’l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace
In one His tablets addressing the rulers of the world, Baha’u’llah recounts a story from His childhood in which seeing a puppet show of a grand display of the might and power of the ruling elite made Him reflect on the insignificance of earthly power and might.
Baha’u’llah eschewed a life of privilege, instead dedicating all His efforts to guiding humanity towards the establishment of a spiritual civilization and universal peace. In this — the goal of the Baha’i Faith — the arts have an essential and fascinating role to play. Bahá’ís believe the arts are not at the periphery of our existence but rather are at the very heart of it.
May we all, through community building and the use of the arts celebrate this Holy Day in exaltation!
“Arts, crafts and sciences uplift the world of being, and are conducive to its exaltation.”
~ Bahá’u’lláh
Artful Expressions of Faith from Bahai.us on Vimeo.
Baha’is Mourn the Loss the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad
Baha’is around the world learned today that the house in Baghdad occupied by Bahá’u’lláh the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, during his exile and imprisonment there in the mid-nineteenth century, has been destroyed. No further details are immediately available.
After being exiled from Persia (Iran), Bahá’u’lláh and His family lived in Baghdad from 1853 to 1863 until He was furthered exiled to Constantinople, modern-day Istanbul. In His book of laws, He designated His house in Baghdad as a site for pilgrimage for all Bahá’ís, along with the House of the Báb in Shiraz, Iran, which was destroyed in the early years of the Islamic Revolution.
The Bahá’ís of Arlington are deeply distressed to learn that a property of extraordinary religious significance has been destroyed.
