Gharib
I want Khilafah back
ok i understand this, it's fine now.
does your faith have signs of judgment day (the signs before judgment day as in islamic perspective for example) and if yes can someone explain them to me.
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Islam and Baha'i. whats the difference?
- Thread starter Gharib
- Start date
ok i understand this, it's fine now.
does your faith have signs of judgment day (the signs before judgment day as in islamic perspective for example) and if yes can someone explain them to me.
arthra
Baha'i
As this is a fairly detailed subject and space is limited I will refer you to a good summary:
Baha'u'llah: The Great Announcement of the Qur'an
It's part of the same material I referred to you earlier.
- Art
Gharib
I want Khilafah back
As this is a fairly detailed subject and space is limited I will refer you to a good summary:
Baha'u'llah: The Great Announcement of the Qur'an
It's part of the same material I referred to you earlier.
- Art
ok thanks i will try to read that link, appreciate it.
arthra
Baha'i
You understand that we believe the prayers were revealed through Baha'u'llah...
Here is a compilation of the revealed prayers of Baha'u'llah:
Bahá'í Reference Library - Bahá’í Prayers: A Selection of Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
You'll note that there is a section on obligatory prayers... these are the prayers that Baha'is recite daily.
- Art
arthra
Baha'i
Cadogan Gardens, London,
December 26th, 1912
'Should Prayer take the form of action?'
'Abdu'l-Bahá. -- 'Yes: In the Bahá'í Cause arts, sciences and all crafts are (counted as) worship. The man who makes a piece of notepaper to the best of his ability, conscientiously, concentrating all his forces on perfecting it, is giving praise to God. Briefly, all effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do service to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and to minister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer. A physician ministering to the sick, gently, tenderly, free from prejudice and believing in the solidarity of the human race, he is giving praise'.
'What is the purpose of our lives?'
'Abdu'l-Bahá. -- 'To acquire virtues. We come from the earth; why were we transferred from the mineral to the vegetable kingdom -- from the plant to the animal kingdom? So that we may attain perfection in each of these kingdoms, that we may possess the best qualities of the mineral, that we may acquire the power of growing as in the plant, that we may be adorned with the instincts of the animal and possess the faculties of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste, until from the animal kingdom we step into the world of humanity and are gifted with reason, the power of invention, and the forces of the spirit.'
(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 176)
December 26th, 1912
'Should Prayer take the form of action?'
'Abdu'l-Bahá. -- 'Yes: In the Bahá'í Cause arts, sciences and all crafts are (counted as) worship. The man who makes a piece of notepaper to the best of his ability, conscientiously, concentrating all his forces on perfecting it, is giving praise to God. Briefly, all effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do service to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and to minister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer. A physician ministering to the sick, gently, tenderly, free from prejudice and believing in the solidarity of the human race, he is giving praise'.
'What is the purpose of our lives?'
'Abdu'l-Bahá. -- 'To acquire virtues. We come from the earth; why were we transferred from the mineral to the vegetable kingdom -- from the plant to the animal kingdom? So that we may attain perfection in each of these kingdoms, that we may possess the best qualities of the mineral, that we may acquire the power of growing as in the plant, that we may be adorned with the instincts of the animal and possess the faculties of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste, until from the animal kingdom we step into the world of humanity and are gifted with reason, the power of invention, and the forces of the spirit.'
(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 176)
Gharib
I want Khilafah back
firs of all i don't mean to be rude by this but i just want your oppinion ok.
when a painter paints to perfection he paints for money, he doesn't paint to remember god, the same with the doctor.
to remember god with something is different form not remmembering god with something. it's like comparing the dead with the live. in islam Allah says this: "the difference of him who remembers me (praises him) and him who doesn't, is like the difference between the living and the dead".
do you guys see it that way or not. i assume you don't so if you don't then could you explain how is god worshiped with the perfect prformance (perfect work or perfect painting) through such a thing such as a painting
Adib
Lover of World Religions
I'll reiterate something arthra said:
"This is worship: to serve mankind and to minister to the needs of the people."
A doctor is ministering to the needs of people by engaging in his or her profession.
Most occupations do that in some way, shape or form. If a one is a painter by profession, then what he or she does in a spirit of service is considered worship, because they are utilizing his or her greatest talent - painting - to adorn and beautify homes and buildings. Fruits of other occupations can be similarly found. But so long as someone is working to the best of their ability in a spirit of service, I perceive it as worship.
This is my take on it.
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Steinninn
Viking
I would suggest that you seek out a baha'i in your comunity. One on one is always best when you are trying to learn about a religion. Contact Us - The Baháâà Faith
They can show you the writings and stuff that we can't do trough online chat.
They can show you the writings and stuff that we can't do trough online chat.
Adib
Lover of World Religions
Indeed Steinninn - even many non-Baha'is will tell you that there's a big difference between talking to some Baha'is on the Internet and actually meeting a group of them!
Also eselam, if isn't too personal, may I ask where you're from? I recall seeing on another thread something about Albania. If you are Albanian, then in addition to the contact link Steinninn posted, you can also browse the Albanian Baha'i website here:
Baha'is of Albania
And just for the sake of browsing, a list of some Baha'i prayers translated into Albanian:
Lutje Baha'i
Happy searching.
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UnityNow101
Well-Known Member
Indeed Steinninn - even many non-Baha'is will tell you that there's a big difference between talking to some Baha'is on the Internet and actually meeting a group of them!
A big difference indeed. There is another thread speaking about how we are to decipher between peoples based on the "fruits of the Spirit" which they exhibit. And I can say with confidence that I seen these fruits best expressed within the Bahai community of believers. If they do not have the "fruits of the Spirit", then I am not sure that anybody does...
Steinninn
Viking
So, I couldn't find this story again. But my friend told me about another man called Vahid that traveled to the Bab and converted. I googled it and found the story at: BAHA'I FAITH art
Quickly it goes that Muhammad Shah was the Imperial Majesty in Persia at that time. He had heard about Bab and sent "Siyyid Yahyay-i-Darabi, the most learned and influential of his subjects, to travel to Shiraz and interview the Bab in order to ascertain the validity of His claims."
On his journey Siyyid Yahyay compiled a list of questions which he intended to present to the Bab in order to judge His response, but the Bab addressed the questions before Siyyid Yahyay was able to speak. Overwhelmed with awe and humility, he immediately pledged his allegiance to the Babs Cause and from that moment became known as Vahid.
You can read more of the story in the link. Also at page 44 in The Story of Baha'u'llah: Promised ... - Google Book Search
So, yea, of corse these stories sound similar to Mohammed, because they are both prophets. They had the same power to convince people.
arthra
Baha'i
Baha'is do not believe in a "devil" that say can really oppose God or have an independent reality as such.
The "devil" has no independent reality and is like a shadow.. When the light beams through darkness the shadow disappears.
The "devil" is man's propensity to give in to his lower nature. Dissension and quarreling is likewise we believe "Satanic". But we don't accept the Devil as a being who is out there opposing God:
God has never created an evil spirit; all such ideas and nomenclature are symbols expressing the mere human or earthly nature of man. It is an essential condition of the soil of earth that thorns, weeds and fruitless trees may grow from it. Relatively speaking, this is evil; it is simply the lower state and baser product of nature.
~ Abdul-Baha
Gharib
I want Khilafah back
Adib
Lover of World Religions
Angels are not seen as the traditionally portrayed people with wings. `Abdu'l-Baha explains that the term is symbolic and its meaning is twofold:
"By angels is meant the divine confirmations and heavenly powers. Angels are also those holy souls who have severed attachment to the earthly world, who are free from the fetters of self and passion and who have attached their hearts to the divine realm and the merciful kingdom. They are of the kingdom, heavenly; they are of the merciful One, divine. They are the manifestations of the divine grace and the dawns of spiritual bounty."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 409)
I also found something about jinns while I was looking for angels, if you're interested:
"Regarding your question as to the meaning of Jin or Genii referred to in the Qur'an, these are not beings or creatures that are actually living, but are symbolic references to the power of men of evil and may be likened to evil spirits. But the point to bear in mind is that these have no positive existence of any kind."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, June 26, 1936: Bahá'í News, No. 105, p. 1, February 1937)
BruceDLimber
Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard, Steinninn!
Bruce
Bruce
BruceDLimber
Well-Known Member
Greetings, greetings!
I'll answer this in detail below.
from who are the messages sent to you (your religion)
I assume you mean "Who are the Divine Messengers in the Baha'i Faith?"
The two new ones since Islam are the Bab ("Gate"), who announced the imminent Advent of another, greater Divine Messenger, and Baha'u'llah ("Glory of God"), the Founder of the Baha'i Faith.
We also pray to God.
From God, of course!
The Writings of the Bab, Baha'u'llah, and 'Abdu'l-Baha (Baha'u'llah's son and appointed successor/interpreter) constitute the Baha'i scriptures and amount to approximately 200 volumes.
OK. As to Muhammad's being the Seal of the prophets:
Muslims often interpret the Qur'an as stating that Muhammad, being the Seal of the Prophets, is the final prophet and that there will be no more Divine Messengers sent by God (or Allah).
In fact, IOV this whole last prophet thing is based upon a misunderstanding!
There are several different explanations of the verse in the Quran saying Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets (a statement we Bahais accept):
First off, there is a sense in which EVERY Divine Messenger is the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, and the Seal!
Next, there are multiple Arabic words that all translate into English as "prophet."
One of these is "nabi," which refers to a minor prophet such as Jeremiah or Amos.
Another is Ras'ul, which means a major, religion-founding Divine Messenger like Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, or Baha'u'llah (our Founder). (And yes, Muhammad was a major--not a minor--Prophet.)
But the word actually used in the Qur'an is "nabi," meaning Muhammad was the Seal of the minor prophets! This says nothing whatever about the great Divine Messengers.
Muhammad is also the Seal in the sense that He was the last Messenger during the Prophetic Age, which began with Adam and ended with Him. The Bab then closed out that Age and opened the Age of Fulfillment, of which Baha'u'llah is the first major Messenger.
Finally, there is a sense in which the word commonly translated as "seal" also means "ornament," so that this verse of the Qur'an may simply be saying that Muhammad is the Ornament of the prophets! (Nothing whatever about any sort of finish.)
BTW, you mentioned the Day of Judgement also.
According to the Baha'i scriptures, this refers to the time when God sends a new Divine Messenger, and every person must judge whether or not to accept Him!
Best regards,
Bruce
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BruceDLimber
Well-Known Member
Hi again!
I can maybe help a bit here!
First off, as to the number of Baha'i scriptural books, you may have noticed that both the numbers 100 and 200 were stated.
Baha'u'llah Himself wrote about a hundred books.
The Bab and 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote the other hundred (mostly 'Abdu'l-Baha).
So in total, there are roughly 200 volumes of Baha'i scripture!
As to why so many, in part this is because the Baha'i Era is to last at least a millenium, and because we've progressed far enough that the additional teachings will prove useful--indeed, vital!--over the centuries.
Now, for the derivation of the term. While I'm NOT any sort of linguistic expert, I know a very, very little bit about this!:
"Quddus" means "holy," and is also the name of a prominent early Baha'i.
Superlatives are formed by prefixing an A and inserting another into the first syllable, and then eliminating unneeded letters.
So "Qud-dus" becomes "A-Qua-dus" which then reduces to "Aqdas" (the final letter shifts to an A in English, probably to ease pronunciation). So "Aqdas" means "Most Holy."
Similarly, "Baha" means "Glory." "A-Baa-ha" reduces to "Abha" and means "Most Glorious! as in the Baha'i greeting "Allah-u-Abha" / "God is Most Glorious!"
See? Now you can impress your friends at parties!
Cheers,
Bruce