Day of the Covenant Nov. 26th

[arthra]

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 Báb: Selections from the Báb, p. 87


The Day of the Covenant (November 26)


'Abdu'l-Bahá was born on May 23, 1844, the very day that the Báb declared His mission to Mullá Husayn. Although a number of Bahá'ís wished to celebrate the Master's birthday, He wouldn't permit it. That day, He insisted, belonged to the Báb, not to Him. In the face of repeated requests, however, He established the Day of the Covenant as a day Bahá'ís could celebrate in His honor if they wished.


Yet it was not for Himself that He sought any honor or glory. He was first, last and always His Father's servant. That, indeed, is what "'Abdu'l-Bahá" means: :the Servant of Bahá". He wrote:

My name is 'Abdu'l-Bahá, my identity is 'Abdu'l-Bahá, my qualification is 'Abdu'l-Bahá, my reality is 'Abdu'l-Bahá, my praise is 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Thraldom to the Blessed Perfection [Bahá'u'lláh] is my glorious and refulgent diadem; and servitude to all the human race is my perpetual religion."
(Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 430)

While the Day of the Covenant is in a sense a celebration of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's life, it is in a larger sense a celebration of the establishment of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, His promise that in exchange for His followers' obedience He would ensure their unity and through them establish the Kingdom of God on Earth. 'Abdu'l-Bahá is the Center of this Covenant, the one to whom Bahá'u'lláh commanded His followers should turn after His death. The Master and the Covenant cannot be separated; any celebration of one is automatically a celebration of the other.


Two Baha'i Holy Days : Day of the Covenant and Asc



"In response to your letter of 2 December 1984 asking a question about the event commemorated on the Day of the Covenant, the Universal House of Justice has directed us to send you the following extract from a letter written on behalf of the beloved Guardian on this subject:

`The Day of the Covenant Nov. 26th and the Day of the Ascension Nov. 28th, anniversaries of the birth and the Ascension of Abdu'l-Baha must be observed by the friends coming together, but work is not prohibited. In other words the friends must regard observance of these two anniversaries as obligatory - but suspension of work not to be regarded as obligatory.'

"The explanation of how 26 November came to be substituted, in relation to the Birthday of Abdu'l-Baha, for 23 May is related by the late Hand of the Cause Hasan M. Balyuzi in his book, `Abdu'l-Baha', on page 523:

`Abdu'l-Baha told the Baha'is 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 Bab, exclusively associated with Him. But as the Baha'is 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...'

"The House of Justice hopes that this will assist your understanding of the significance of this important date in the Baha'i calendar."

(From a letter written on behalf
of the Universal House of Justice
to the Administrative Committee for South Zaire
January 23, 1984)
(Multiple Authors: Lights of Guidance, Page: 300)