Thank you, Isfandiyar

When I was growing up, Halloween* was a great time, even for a kid in a wheelchair. I was actually famous in my neighborhood because I had the coolest homemade Halloween costumes - like one time I was a haunted semi-truck rolling along with headlights flashing wildly and scary sounds playing. Another year I was a soda machine that dispensed real (empty) soda cans! I think my favorite costume was when I was a washing machine and Dad recorded sounds of the big laundry downtown and I played those and flipped my lid. My most memorable Halloween, though , was the year I was a witch with long rubber worms for hair. It wasn't so much the costume - but that year was especially memorable because I met Isfandiyar.

Isfandfyar - yes, that was his amazing name - was my first real friend, and he truly changed my life. But, I should slow down with the story because I'm getting ahead of myself.

In our neighborhood, I knew most of the people, and everything was fine. So, most years, I'd go out by myself and I'd roll up to the door or porch and shout "TRICK OR TREAT!" like any other kid. But the really memorable year, things didn't go exactly like always. That year, I ran into some bullies stealing candy bags away from other kids. There were three of them, and they just stepped out of the dark when I was alone.

"Well, lookie here - a witch in a wheelchair! Ooooh, I am soooo scared."

"Hey, witchie, if you're so powerful, why don't you heal yourself?"

"Yeah, you must be a fake witch . .. let's see if you can stop me from taking your candy!"

Father of the Poor

Before Mirza Husayn-'Ali was called Baha'u'llah, before He was known as the Promised One of God, He was called by another title: "Father of the Poor." Mirza Husayn-'Ali was born into a wealthy family. His father was a mirza, a nobleman, who was so respected for his talents, wisdom, generosity, and courage that the Shah gave him the title "Buzurg," meaning "the great one," and made him governor.

Mirza Buzurg owned a vast estate, and many peasants worked the land and tended his livestock for him. Often young Mirza Husayn-'Ali walked or rode His horse through the countryside, stopping to speak with the peasants and learn about their lives and troubles. Believing that He would one day rule the estate, the peasants watched Him as He grew and were no doubt comforted by the understanding Mirza Husayn-'Ali showed.

When He was nearly eighteen, Mirza Husayn- Ali married Asiyih Khanum, the daughter of another wealthy nobleman. Asiyih Khanum had everything a young woman in Persia could hope to have. She was tall and beautiful, wise, gentle, and kind. The young couple started their life together with great wealth and comfort. A jeweler worked for six months fashioning her jewels, even creating gold buttons studded with gems for her clothing. Forty mules carried Asiyih Khanum's belongings to her new home. The couple would, everyone thought, enjoy a grand life of power and luxury, filled with parties and important ceremonies.

The Badasht Conference

It was the summer of 1848. The followers of the Báb, the Bábís, were fiercely persecuted in Persia, the birthplace of their Faith. They needed guidance and support. Bahá'u'lláh, Who, at that time, was a directing force among the Bábís, decided to meet with His fellow believers. A group of them gathered in the small village of Badasht in northern Persia.

Upon His arrival, Bahá'u'lláh rented three gardens, one for Quddús, another for Táhirih, and the third one for Himself. The main purpose of this gathering of Bábís, known as the Badasht Conference, was to consult about the future of the Bábí Faith. Tents were put up in the three gardens to house the eighty-one Bábís who had gathered at this most important event. From the day they arrived to the day they left, for twenty-two days, they were all the guests of Bahá'u'lláh.

Every day, Bahá'u'lláh revealed a new Tablet, which was chanted every morning in this memorable gathering of Bábís. Through these Tablets, Bahá'u'lláh discarded one after another of the established traditions of the past. The Bábís were dismayed as they saw the ways they had worshiped, and many of the teachings they had followed for so long, changed and discarded.

Baha'u'llah bestowed a new name on every believer at Badasht without disclosing the identity of the person who had given those names. From this time on, He became known as "Bahá" (Glory), Quddús (the Most Holy) gained his title, and Táhirih (the Pure One).

The Bábís were in awe. They did not know the source of all these Revelations. They wondered: Who wrote the Tablets? Who gave them the new names? Some were guessing, each one to his own degree of understanding. Very few, if any, thought Bahá'u'lláh was the author of the changes that were so fearlessly introduced.

Koae

In the heart of the Pacific Ocean are some beautiful islands - points of green that arise from the dark blue depths. One of these islands is called Oahu which in Hawaiian means "the gathering place". It is well named for it is the home of many.

Among the people that lived on Oahu in times long past was an old man named Koae and his grandson Keola. Koae was a kahuna, a man of God, whose wisdom and love for others was well known. Koae loved many things - the sparkling curtains of rain falling on the dark green mountain valleys, and the roar of the rollers breaking over the reef, the bright orange and red hibiscus blossoms that framed the still brighter smiles of the graceful island women, and the sound of drums and chanting on quiet moonlit nights.

Most of all, Koae loved to sit on the beach with his grandson Keola, and as the sun set he would tell stories of long ago - stories that had been told by his grandfather and his grandfather before him.

The sun had dropped below the horizon, that distant place where sea and sky meet, but its rays still pierced the ocean's edges with beams of orange and crimson light.

"Look, my son," said Koae, pointing out beyond the reef. "It is Koae, the tropic bird, coming home from the sea. It is for him that I am named."

"Grandfather, please tell me of Koae," said Keola.

‘Abdu’l-Baha - the Knight of Light

When you stand in the gardens at Mazra'ih near 'Akka, you can see the mountains that hold the Druze village of Abu-Sinan, where the Baha'is of the Holy Land lived during the most dangerous times of World War I.

During this war, the British and the Turks were fighting to control the Holy Land. Because the enemies of the Faith had spread lies about the Baha'is to the Turkish military leader, Jamal Pasha, he had sworn to crucify 'Abdu'l-Baha and His family upon his return to Haifa. So 'Abdu'l-Baha moved the Baha’is and His family to the village of Abu-Sinan.

But He Himself had work to do. So, with Haji MIrza Haydar 'AIi, a courageous soul who feared nothing but the displeasure of God, He returned to Haifa. As it was impossible for 'Abdu'l-Baha to continue his correspondence with Baha'i's all over the world - there was no mail in or out of Haifa, and no pilgrims could travel to the war zone - He returned His energies to trying to ease the sufferings of the people of Haifa and 'Akka.

The oppression of the Turks and a plague of locusts had caused local famine, so in the tremendous heat of the season (which was enough to take one's breath away!), 'Abdu'l-Baha traveled to Tiberias [about 30 miles to Haifa] and supervised the raising of wheat on the fertile land around the Sea of Galilee. He maintained a system of distributing the wheat to the people of Haifa and 'Akka, arranged for its transport by camel, and devoted His time to caring for the victims of the war.

Attributes of God

Mr. Bustard took a triangular shaped bar of glass from his briefcase. “Does anyone know what this is?" he asked as the four children in his class examined it.

“Is it a mirror?" asked Anisa.

“No, it's not a mirror;” replied Mr. Bustard.

“It's a paperweight,” answered Nabil.

“No, it's not that. Do you have any idea what it is, Phillip or Sarah?"

They both shook their heads.

“This is called a prism. Can anyone guess what a prism does?"

Phillip raised his hand. “A prism is where they put people who break the law,” He giggled at his joke.

Mr. Bustard laughed too. “That's very funny, Phillip, but that's a ‘prison' not a ‘prism'." He spoke the two words distinctly so the children could hear the different sound. “A prism is used to separate light into different colors. Did you know that the light coming from this lamp contains all the colors of the rainbow?” He positioned the prism near the lamp and tilted it so it caught a ray of light. A rainbow of colors suddenly appeared on the opposite side. He held up a piece of white cardboard on which to reflect the different colors. The children were fascinated.

Baha'u'llah and the Money Belt

Baha'u'llah had sent my father and his friends to Egypt as pioneer settlers. When they arrived in Egypt, they did not have much money. Money was not in abundance among the Baha'is. For one thing, it was taken away from them and they were persecuted. For example, my grandfather was a rich man when he became a Babi, but all he had was seized. Not having money did not stop my father from pioneering. He and the others got notions - spools of thread, needles, thimbles, ribbons - and they went to the European homes up and down the Mediterranean coast from Alexandria to Ramleh, like peddlers. People invited them in and bought those things. My father became very popular. He was honest, as were all the Baha'is. People were not used to that. And so the pioneers became famous. People told their friends about them, and gradually they prospered. They would meet at the end of the day and pool their resources, put their money together, and work in a truly Baha'i fashion.

Before too long they had enough capital to open a store. They called themselves the "Sociét Ruhaniyyih”, meaning "Spiritual Company,'' and the store, the "Grand Bazar Persan.” It became bigger and bigger until it was the largest and best department store in all of Egypt. The Faith had prospered also, in spite of the restrictions, and was well established in Alexandria, Cairo, and Port Said.

My father and his friends wanted to show their gratitude to Baha'u'llah and also help the Faith. So they took a wide belt, a money belt, stuffed it with gold, large gold coins, and sent it to Baha'u'llah. A tablet was received from Baha'u1lah expressing His appreciation.

Arty from the Arctic

The snowman stood there, glistening in the pale sunlight. This was a masterpiece, this snowman. Uncle George had helped them. Benny gave it a final pat and stood back to inspect their work.

“This is the best snowman we ever made,” he said, clapping the snow off his gloves.

“You know, I think it really is,” said David. “What shall we call him this year?”

“Frosty,” yelled little Susie.

“We want something a bit more original than that,” replied David. “Now let me think.”

“I know, Arctic. Yes, Arty from the Arctic,” said Benny.

“Oh yes,” squealed Susie. “That’s a lovely name for him, Mr. Arty Arctic.”

“I hereby christen you Arty from the Arctic. There, it’s official now,” declared David.

The Letter of Certainty

"Grandpa, tell me how the Kitáb-i-Iqán was written," Justice Ray said to his grandfather one afternoon during his grandfather's visit.

"Do you have your schoolwork done?"

"Almost." A few minutes later he reappeared. "I'm done now.” 

"Okay. First, you need to tell me the three people who were involved."

"The Báb, His uncle, and Bahá'u'lláh," Justice remembered.

"What did the Báb do?"

"He said He was a Messenger of God. And a lot of people didn't like that. They had their own ideas of Who a Messenger of God should be."

"What did the uncle do?"

"He was confused, so he wrote to Bahá'u'lláh," replied Justice.

"And..." prompted his grandfather.

"And Bahá'u'lláh revealed the Kitáb-i-Iqán," Justice finished proudly.

Flowers for the Ancient King

Once Baha'u'llah had passed from this earthly realm, there remained at least one special way to honor Him. 'Abdu'l-Baha grieved for His Father. He was burdened by the affairs of the infant Baha'i Faith as well. Yet, He found a way to beautify His Father's Shrine outside of ‘Akka. It was not easy in that semi-arid land where the desert always lurks, waiting for a chance to reclaim the land. 

Focused and determined, ‘Abdu'l-Baha made a flower garden for Baha'u'llah.It adorned the path to the Shrine next to the mansion of Bahji. Many, many times He filled His cloak with fresh, fertile soil. Then He gathered up its corners, swung it onto His strong shoulder, and paced steadily to the appointed place. There He dropped His heavy load and spread the precious soil into place.

Then ‘Abdu'l-Baha carefully planted the flowers in a perfect arrangement of color and fragrance. It was a good way to honor the spirit of the Ancient King Who so loved the natural world, particularly flowers.

Happy Holidays!

"Happy Easter, Carla!"

Rosemary called to her friend in the hallway as she entered the classroom. "Happy Naw-Ruz everyone!"

The members of the New Era Baha'i Club looked up from their lunches. Everyone smiled. 

"Happy Naw-Ruz to you, too, Rosemary," Michael said. "Come join us."

The New Era Baha'i Club was having its regular lunch meeting. Every day kids from all different religions and races got together to talk, to plan Unity Fairs, to make plans and to consult about problems. Rosemary looked around the room at the diverse faces. Michael was white, Desiree was black, Juana and Julia were twins from Mexico. Jason was Asian, Mas'ud was from Africa and there was a new boy.

"Hi, I'm Rosemary," she said. "What holiday are you celebrating this time of year?"

"This is my new friend, Marty," Michael said, introducing them.

"I'm Jewish," Marty said. "So I'm celebrating Purim this time of year."