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Baha'i
I think it was back in the winter of 1975 that my wife and I went on pilgrimage to Haifa and Akko. We met Hands of the Cause Ali Akhbar Furutan and Ruhiyyih Khanum as well as Fujita who had a humurous disposition. The pilgrimage brought our Faith to the fore everyday and when I recite the obligatory prayers and turn in the direction of the point of adoration (Qiblih) I recall the pilgrimage *** well. So this a central experience for many Baha'is. I decided to include an article from the Bahaipedia for a good summary of the current state of pilgrimages for Baha'is:
A Bahá’í pilgrimage currently consists of visiting the holy places in Haifa, ‘Akká, and Bahjí at the World Centre in Northwest Israel. Bahá’ís do not have access to other places designated as sites for pilgrimage.
"Bahá’u’lláh decreed pilgrimage in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas to two places: the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad, and the House of the Báb in Shiraz. In two separate Tablets, known as Suriy-i-Hajj, he prescribed specific rites for each of these pilgrimages (lifting the injunction regarding the shaving of one's head for pilgrimage in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas). It is obligatory to make the pilgrimage, "if one can afford it and is able to do so, and if no obstacle stands in one's way". Bahá’ís are free to choose between the two houses, as either has been deemed sufficient. Later, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá designated the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh at Bahjí (the Qiblih) as a site of visitation. No rites have been prescribed for this.
"The designated sites for pilgrimage are not accessible to the majority of Bahá’ís, as they are in Iraq and Iran repectively, and thus when Bahá’ís currently refer to pilgrimage, it refers to a nine-day pilgrimage that occurs at the World Centre in Haifa and ‘Akká in Israel. This nine-day pilgrimage does not replace pilgrimage to the designated sites for pilgrimage, and it is intended that pilgrimage to the House of the Báb and the House of Bahá’u’lláh will occur in the future.
Contents
A Bahá’í pilgrimage currently consists of visiting the holy places in Haifa, ‘Akká, and Bahjí at the World Centre in Northwest Israel. Bahá’ís do not have access to other places designated as sites for pilgrimage.
"Bahá’u’lláh decreed pilgrimage in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas to two places: the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad, and the House of the Báb in Shiraz. In two separate Tablets, known as Suriy-i-Hajj, he prescribed specific rites for each of these pilgrimages (lifting the injunction regarding the shaving of one's head for pilgrimage in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas). It is obligatory to make the pilgrimage, "if one can afford it and is able to do so, and if no obstacle stands in one's way". Bahá’ís are free to choose between the two houses, as either has been deemed sufficient. Later, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá designated the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh at Bahjí (the Qiblih) as a site of visitation. No rites have been prescribed for this.
"The designated sites for pilgrimage are not accessible to the majority of Bahá’ís, as they are in Iraq and Iran repectively, and thus when Bahá’ís currently refer to pilgrimage, it refers to a nine-day pilgrimage that occurs at the World Centre in Haifa and ‘Akká in Israel. This nine-day pilgrimage does not replace pilgrimage to the designated sites for pilgrimage, and it is intended that pilgrimage to the House of the Báb and the House of Bahá’u’lláh will occur in the future.
Contents
- 1House of Bahá’u’lláh, Baghdad
- 2House of the Báb, Shiraz
- 3Current nine-day pilgrimage
- 4References
- External links