Rainbow over the Shrine of the Báb and the International Teaching Centre

My recent trip to the Baha’i World Centre in Haifa in Israel coincided with the twin anniversaries of the Birthday of the Bab and the Birthday of Baha’u'llah, as celebrated in the lunar calendar.

Most Baha’i communities celebrate these birthdays according to the solar calendar on 20 October and 12 November respectively. But, because the Báb and Baha’u'llah were born in early 19th century Iran, at a time and in a place where the calendar was a lunar one, the anniversaries of their births are celebrated at the Baha’i World Centre according to the lunar calendar. This places them on successive days, the 1st and 2nd days of the Islamic month of Muharram. This year these days fell on Thursday 10th January and Friday 11th January. Next time they will fall 11 days earlier as the lunar year precesses.

Many hundreds of pilgrims, visitors, consultants, staff and their families gathered in the Reception Concourse of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice on the side Mt Carmel in Haifa for a programme of prayers and readings in Arabic, English and Persian. Halfway through the programme the Baha’i World Centre Choir, a diverse body of people with members from all over the world, sang (unaccompanied) extracts from the Words of Baha’u'llah. The choir stood on the gallery that is formed by the floor above the Concourse and raised its voice to heaven.

The combination of beautiful words and beautiful music, sung in the presence of this vast international gathering of believers in Baha’u'llah, penetrated to my very core and started me crying. I just could not help myself. The emotions of the Kingdom are powerful indeed, and once released, are not to be denied.

Once the prayers and readings had come to an end, we all moved outside into the chill wind and stood on the steps at the front of the Seat, facing the Shrine of the Bab while Dr Farzam Arbab chanted the Tablet of Visitation of Baha’u'llah in Arabic and Dr Peter Khan read the Tablet of Visitation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in English.

As the words of these Tablets died away, Mr and Mrs Barnes led the long procession to circumambulate the Shrine of the Bab. In silence we crossed Hatzionut Avenue by means of the bridge and descended to the level of the Shrine to perform the circumambulation. As I approached the Shrine, the emotions of the Kingdom once again overcame me as I thought of the Bab, His Martyrdom in Tabriz in 1850, the martyrdom of 20,000 of His followers, and the miraculous spread of knowledge of this Manifestation of God to the extent that thousands of people come from all corners of the globe each year to visit and pray at His shrine.

As we walked back to the Pilgrim House, the wind blew cold from the north and darkness came as the sun set. But hearts were full and warm, deeply touched by this most spiritual of celebrations.

Collins Gate, on the path towards the Shrine of Baha’u'llah

The following day, those who remained were to travel out to the Shrine of Baha’u'llah at Bahji (on the outskirts of Akko) to celebrate the second of the Twin Birthdays. Sadly I was booked to return to England that day and could not join the throng for the celebration.

Mansion of Bahji, Baha’u'llah’s final residence in His earthly life

Photos by John Barnabas Leith © under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons Licence

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Bab, Baha’u'llah, Haifa, Israel

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