Ayyám Al Há - أيام الهاء

The Baha'i calendar consists of 19 months and the Baha’i month consists of 19 days, giving 361 days, requiring the addition of four or five more days. Ayyám Al Há form the intercalary days that fill out the 365 or 366 days of the solar year.

Baha'u'llah specified in the Kitáb Al Aqdas that the Days of Ha should be inserted in the calendar just before the month of fasting:
"Let the days in excess of the months be placed before the month of fasting. We have ordained that these, amid all nights and days, shall be the manifestations of the letter Há, and thus they have not been bounded by the limits of the year and its months...and when they end--these days of giving that precede the season of restraint--let them enter upon the Fast. Thus hath it been ordained by Him Who is the Lord of all mankind."

This holiday begins each year on the evening of February 25 and ends at sunset on March 1st. Of this period Bahá'u'lláh 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."

As in His prayer for Ayyám Al Há, Bahá'u'lláh juxtaposes these "days of giving" with the Fast's "season of restraint." Ayyám Al Há is intended partly as spiritual preparation for the Fast, a reminder of its approach, and a way of fostering the detachment from material things so necessary for the Fast.

“Ayyam Al Ha" is an Arabic phrase means literally the "Days of Ha" ("Ha" is an Arabic letter corresponding to the English "H") the numerical value of "Há" is 5, the sum of the numerical values of the letters in the "Báb," and the maximum number of intercalary days."Há" is also the first letter of an Arabic pronoun commonly used in Arabic religious writings to refer to God, or "the Divine Essence." "Há" by itself is used as a symbol of "the Essence of God," and was the subject of many Arabic essay on its mysteries.

Bahá'u'lláh has designated the intercalary days "amid all the nights and days" as manifestations of the letter Há"--that is, as Days of the Divine Essence. Thus Ayyám Al Há can be thought of as days that symbolize eternity, infinity, and the mystery and unknowable Essence of God Himself. Contemplation during these days of the timeless mystery of the Essence of God provides us the "joy and exultation" with which to "sing His praise and magnify His Name."

 

أيام الهاء

يتبع التقويم البهائي السنة الشمسية التي تتألف من 365 يوما وخمس ساعات وخمسين دقيقة. وتتألف السنة البهائية من تسعة عشر شهرا، كل شهر منها تسعة عشر يوما سُميت على أسماء صفات الله (فيكون المجموع 361 يومًا) يضاف إلى ذلك الأيام الزائدة وهي أربعة أيام، أو خمسة أيام في السنوات الكبيسة. هذه الايام الزائدة سميت بأيام الهاء وقد حدد حضرة بهاء الله موقعها في السنة البهائية بان تكون قبل شهر الصوم العلا

:15يتفضل حضرة بهاء الله في الكتاب الاقدس، فقرة

واجعلوا الايام الزّائدة عن الشّهور قبل شهر الصّيام، انّا جعلناها مظاهر الهاء بين اللّيالي والايام لذا ما تحددّت بحدود السّنة والشّهور، ينبغي لاهل البهاء ان يطعموا فيها انفسهم وذوي القربى ثم الفقراء والمساكين، ويهللنّ ويكبّرنّ ويسبّحنّ ويمجّدنّ ربّهم بالفرح والانبساط. واذا تمّت ايام الاعطاء قبل الامساك، فليدخلنّ في الصّيام كذلك حكم مولى الانام

تبدأ أيام الهاء كل عام مساء يوم الخامس والعشرين من شهر فبراير وتنتهي عند غروب شمس اليوم الأول من شهر مارس. وقد أوصى حضرة بهاء الله بإقامة الولائم، والضيافة، والإنفاق على الفقراء والمساكين، احتفالا بها

وتعقد فيها اجتماعات بكلّ محبّة وسرور وابتهاج وتتزيّن فيها مجالس عامّة ويكون الجميع فيها زمرة واحدة، فتتجسّد في الأبصار وحدة الأمّة وألفتها واتّحادها
حضرة عبد البهاء

المدلولات الروحانية لايام الهاء

هذه الأيام الزائدة على الشهور قد امتازت بانتسابها إلى "الهاء" وهو حرف يساوي في الحساب الأبجدي العدد خمسة، وهو أكبر عدد يمكن أن تصل إليه عدة أيام الهاء. وكذلك يشير حرف الهاء إلى مدلولات ومعان روحانية، ومن جملة ما يرمز إليه "الهوية الإلهية"، أي" ذات الغيب المنيع"، أي" الله" سبحانه وتعالى.وهي تعتبر اعداداً روحانياً لفترة الصوم

هذه ايام الهاء وأمرنا الكل أن ينفقوا فيها على انفسهم وعلى الذين توجهوا إلى هذا المقام المرفوع أن اذكروا الله فيها ثم اعرفوا قدرها لأنها تحكي عن هذا الاسم الذي به سخر الله الغيب والشهود

حضرة بهاء الله

قد تشرفت الأيام يا إلهي بالأيام التي سميتها بالهاء كأن كل يوم منها جعلته مبشراً ورسولاً ليبشر الناس بالأيام التي فيها فرضت الصيام على خلقك وبريتك ليستعد كل نفس للقائها ويعين في قلبه محلاً لها ويطهره باسمك لنزولها عليه

حضرة بهاء الله

Baha'i Faith in Chinese TV

http://tv.sohu.com/20081001/n259828188.shtml

The Fundamental of Spiritual Education


Education is of three kinds: material, human and spiritual.
Material education is concerned with the development of the body.
Human education is about civilization and progress. It deals with government, administration, charitable works, trades, arts, and handicrafts, sciences, great inventions and discoveries.
Spiritual education consists in acquiring divine perfections. This is true education, for by its aid the spiritual, the higher nature of the human being is developed.


In order to progress, humanity needs an educator who has clear authority as a material, human and spiritual educator.

Humanity has always been in need of such a perfect educator, one who can help it organize matters related to the nourishment and health of the body, inspire it to advance in knowledge, invention and discovery, and, most importantly, breathe into it the real life of the spirit. No ordinary human being can achieve these formidable tasks. Only the Manifestations of God have the power to accomplish them. These are chosen souls who are sent by God from time to time to be the Universal Educators of humanity.

“All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization”

“The Purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems that lie hidden within the mine of their true and inmost selves.”

“God’s purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and tranquility of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established.”

“Men at all times and under all conditions stand in need of one to exhort them, guide them and to instruct and teach them.”
From the Writings of Baha’u’llah

Station of Abdu’l-Baha:

Abdu’l-Baha is a most unique Figure in human history, and no previous religion has been blessed with such a Personage. Not only did Baha’u’llah give humanity His most sublime Revelation, but He also gave it His own Son.

“My name is Abdu’l-Baha. My qualification is Abdu’l-Baha. My reality is Abdu’l-Baha. My Praise is Abdu’l-Baha. Thralldom to the Blessed Perfection is my glorious and refulgent diadem, and servitude to all the human race my perpetual religion…No name, no title, no mention, no commendation have I, nor will ever have, except Abdu’l-Baha. This is my longing. This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting glory.”

What is the Baha’I Faith?

The Baha’I Faith is a world religion whose purpose is to unite all the races and peoples in one universal Cause and one common Faith. Baha’u’llah is the Promised One of all Ages. The Manifestations of God are like perfect mirrors that reflect the Light of God in all its Splendor. While God is beyond our reach, these perfect Beings come to us from time to time, live among us, give us guidance, and fill us with the energy we need to progress, materially and spiritually.

“That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith.”

What is the reason behind our creation?

“O Son of Man! I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name they name and fill the soul with the spirit of life.” The Hidden Words, Arabic

“The Immortality of the spirit is the fundamental basis of Divine Religions.”
‘Abdu’l Baha

Baha’is believe in one loving Creator who created us all in order to know and love Him. Baha’is believe that all the peoples of the world belong to one human family. The differences in color, backgrounds, traditions, thoughts and ideas should enhance our experience like a garden with flowers of every form, color and appearance.

Baha’is believe that all the religions teach the same truth. The only difference between them is that each have appeared in a different time in the history of humanity in order to help people to be educated according to the needs of that time. Baha’u’llah’s teachings address the needs and conditions of the world today.

The Soul – A sign of God

“Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel. It is the first among all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him. If it be faithful to God, it will reflect His light, and will, eventually, return unto Him. If it fail, however, in its allegiance to its Creator, it will become a victim to self passion, and will, in the end, sink in their depths.”
Baha’u’llah

The Mind, Spirit and Soul

“The human spirit which distinguishes man from the animal is the rational soul, and these two names designate one thing. ……The human spirit, unless assisted by the spirit of faith, does not become acquainted with the divine secrets and the heavenly realities. It is like a mirror which, although clear, polished and brilliant, is still in need of light. Until a ray of the sun reflects upon it, it cannot discover the heavenly secrets.
But the mind is the power of the human spirit. Spirit is the lamp; mind is the light which shines from the lamp. Spirit is the tree, and the mind is the fruit. Mind is the perfection of the spirit and is its essential quality, as the sun’s rays are the essential necessity of the sun.”
Abdu’l Baha

Baha'u'llah - The Glory of God

Baha'u'llah - The Glory of God

The Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith

"I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow."

Baha'u'llah

For Baha'is of Jewish background, He is the appearance of the promised "Lord of Hosts" come down "with ten thousands of saints."

For Baha'is of Buddhist background, He fulfils the prophecies for the coming of "a Buddha named Maitreye, the Buddha of universal fellowship" who will, according to Buddhist traditions, bring peace and enlightement to all humanity.

For Baha'is of Hindu background, He comes as the new incarnation of Krishna, the "Tenth Avatar" and the "Most Great Spirit". He is "the birthless, the deathless" the One who, "when goodness grows weak" returns "in every age" to "establish righteousness" as promised in the Bhagaved'Gita.

For Baha'is of Islamic background, He fulfils the promise of the Qur'an for the "Day of God" and the "Great Announcement" when "God" will come down "overshadowed with clouds."

For Baha'is of christian bachground, He fulfils the paradoxical promises of Christ's return "in the Glory of the Father" and as "a thief in the night."