Day of the Covenant November 25th

arthra

arthra

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The Day of the Covenant is a Baha'i Holy Day which begins at sunset November 25th... and so we'll be focusing awhile on this ...

An excerpt reads:

“A Covenant in the religious sense is a binding agreement between God and man, whereby God requires of man certain behaviour in return for which He guarantees certain blessings, or whereby He gives man certain bounties in return for which He takes from those who accept them an undertaking to behave in a certain way.”

The Universal House of Justice, 23 March 1975, The Covenant compilation
 
The Lord of the universe hath never raised up a prophet

nor hath He sent down a Book

unless He hath established His covenant with all men,

calling for their acceptance of the next Revelation and of the next Book;

inasmuch as the outpourings of His bounty are ceaseless and without limit.

~ The Bab


~ ”Selections from the Writings of the Bab”, [rev. ed.] (Haifa: Baha’i World Centre, 1982), p.87
 
O party of the Covenant! Verily, the Beauty of El-ABAHA hath promised the most great assistance to the beloved who are firm in the Covenant and to confirm them through the mightiest power. Ye will surely find in your luminous assembly such signs as will shine within hearts and souls. Adhere to the hem of the robe of the Lofty One and do your best to spread the Covenant of God and to be kindled with the fire of the love of God, so that your hearts may move with joy through the fragrances of humbleness which are being diffused from the heart of Abdul-Baha. Make feet firm, strengthen hearts and rely upon the everlasting bounties which will successively pour on you from the Kingdom of El-ABHA. Know, verily, the lights of Baha' will shine forth unto you during your gathering together in the brilliant Paradise .



~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 1
 
"If thou truly givest ear ..."

"This Wronged One hath heard thy voice and that which thy inner and outer tongue hath uttered in praise of thy Lord. By the righteousness of God! That which the people possess, and the treasures of the earth, and that which the rulers and kings own, are not equal in this day to the singing of His praise.

"The Lord of the Kingdom beareth witness unto this at this glorious moment. And having heard thy groaning and lamentation, We are responding with a Tablet which calleth out betwixt earth and heaven and maketh mention of thee with words that immortalize what hath appeared from thee in His love, in His service, in His remembrance and in His praise. And He hath made that which hath issued forth from thy mouth a trust with Him for thee.

"He is verily the Most Bounteous, the Most Generous.

"If thou truly givest ear to that which hath been revealed for thee from My Supreme Pen at this moment, thou shalt soar with the wings of eagerness in the heaven of love for the Lord of the Day of the Covenant, and wilt say during all the days of thy life:

"Thanks be unto Thee, O Thou the Desire of the world, and praise be unto Thee, O Thou the Beloved of the people of understanding. May all existence be a sacrifice for Thy favour, and all that hath been and will ever be, a ransom for Thy Word, O Thou the Wronged One amongst the people of enmity, O Thou in Whose grasp are the reins of all who are in heaven and on earth....

"In this Day the Hand of divine grace hath removed all distinctions. The servants of God and His handmaidens are regarded on the same plane. Blessed is the servant who hath attained unto that which God hath decreed, and likewise the leaf moving in accordance with the breezes of His will. This favour is great and this station lofty. His bounties and bestowals are ever present and manifest. Who is able to offer befitting gratitude for His successive bestowals and continuous favours?"

~ Baha'u'llah

(From a Tablet - translated from the Persian and Arabic)

(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 357)
 
'Abdu'l-Bahá told the Bahá'ís that this day was not, under any circumstances, to be celebrated as His day of birth. It was the day of the Declaration of the Báb, exclusively associated with Him.

But as the Bahá'ís begged for a day to be celebrated as His, He gave them November 26th, to be observed as the day of the appointment of the Centre of the Covenant.

It was known as Jashn-i-A'zam (The Greatest Festival), because He was Ghusn-i-A'zam -- the Greatest Branch. In the West it is known as the Day of the Covenant.

~ H.M. Balyuzi, Abdu'l-Baha - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 522
 
In closing this Day of the Covenant I cannot think of a better citation that what follows:

Upon perusing that letter and looking at the names signed to it, such a joy and gladness came over Abdul-Baha as is beyond description, and he thanked God that such friends are found in that country, who in utmost joy and fragrance are in union and accord and one in agreement with each other. The more this Covenant is strengthened, the happier, the better, the sweeter it will be and it will thus attract the divine confirmations. If the friends of God are wishing for confirmation in order to enjoy the friendship of the Supreme Concourse, they must exert themselves to confirm and strengthen this Covenant; for the making of a covenant, and an alliance for brotherhood and unity is like unto the irrigation of the tree of life which is conducive to eternal life!

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 35
 
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