|
Kitáb-i-Aqdas
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Arabic: The Most Holy Book) is the central religious text of the Baháʼí Faith, written by Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the religion, in 1873. Though it is the main source of Baháʼí laws and practices, much of the content deals with other matters, like foundational principles of the religion, the establishment of Baháʼí institutions, mysticism, ethics, social principles, and prophecies. In Baha'i literature it is described as "the Mother-Book" of the Baháʼí teachings, and the "Charter of the future world civilization". Baháʼu'lláh had manuscript copies sent to Baháʼís in Iran some years after its writing in 1873, and in 1890–91 (1308 AH, 47 BE) he arranged for its first publication in Bombay, India. Parts of the text were translated to English by Shoghi Effendi, which, along with a ''Synopsis and Codification'' were published in 1973 by the Universal House of Justice at the centennial anniversary of its writing. The full authoritative ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baháʼí Faith
The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the Middle East, where it has faced ongoing persecution since its inception. The religion is estimated to have 5–8 million adherents, known as Baháʼís, spread throughout most of the world's countries and territories. The Baháʼí Faith has three central figures: the Báb (1819–1850), considered a herald who taught his followers that God would soon send a prophet similar to Jesus or Muhammad; the Báb was executed by Iranian authorities in 1850; Baháʼu'lláh (1817–1892), who claimed to be that prophet in 1863 and faced exile and imprisonment for most of his life; and his son, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (1844–1921), who was released from confinement in 1908 and made teaching trips to Europe and the United States. After ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Universal House Of Justice
The Universal House of Justice ( fa, بیتالعدل اعظم) is the nine-member supreme ruling body of the Baháʼí Faith. It was envisioned by Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, as an institution that could legislate on issues not already addressed in the Baháʼí writings, providing flexibility for the Baháʼí Faith to adapt to changing conditions. It was first elected in 1963, and subsequently every five years, by delegates consisting of the members of Baháʼí National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world. The Universal House of Justice, as the head of the religion, has provided direction to the worldwide Baháʼí community primarily through a series of multi-year plans, as well as through annual messages delivered during the Ridván festival. The messages have focused on increasing the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies, translating Baháʼí literature, establishing Baháʼí Centres, completing Baháʼí Houses of Worship, holding i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baháʼu'lláh
Baháʼu'lláh (born Ḥusayn-ʻAlí; 12 November 1817 – 29 May 1892) was the founder of the Baháʼí Faith. He was born to an aristocratic family in Persia, and was exiled due to his adherence to the messianic Bábí Faith. In 1863, in Iraq, he first announced his claim to a revelation from God, and spent the rest of his life in further imprisonment in the Ottoman Empire. His teachings revolved around the principles of unity and religious renewal, ranging from moral and spiritual progress to world governance. Baháʼu'lláh was raised with no formal education but was well read and devoutly religious. His family was considerably wealthy, and at the age of 22 he turned down a position in the government, instead managing family properties and donating considerable time and money to charities. At the age of 27 he accepted the claim of the Báb and became among the most outspoken supporters of the new religious movement that advocated, among other things, abrogation of Islamic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zaynu'l-Muqarrabín
Mullá Zaynul-ʻÁbidín (May 1818 − 1903) was a prominent Iranian Baháʼí who served as a secretary to Baháʼu'lláh, was listed by Shoghi Effendi as one of nineteen Apostles of Baháʼu'lláh, and biographied by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá in ''Memorials of the Faithful''. With a background as an Islamic jurist, he posed the clarifying legal questions to Baháʼu'lláh about the '' Kitáb-i-Aqdas'' that became the supplement "Questions and Answers" now published along with the original text. His arrangement of the ''Hidden Words'', another major work of Baháʼu'lláh, became the numbered order that is now currently used by Baháʼís. Zaynu'l-Muqarrabín was known for transcribing, illuminating, and copying numerous writings of Baháʼu'lláh. Baháʼu'lláh gave him the title Zaynu'l-Muqarrabín ('The Ornament of the Near Ones'), the name for which he is known to Baháʼís. He is sometimes referred to as Jináb-i-Zayn (The Excellent Zayn), or Harfu'z-Zá (the Letter Z). Backgroun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexander Tumansky
Tumanskiy, Aleksandr Grigorevich (Russian: Туманский, Александр Григорьевич) (1861–1920) was an orientalist, military interpreter, and Major General of the Imperial Russian Army, belonging to an ancient Ukrainian aristocratic family which had originated from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Biography Aleksandr Grigorevich Tumanskiy (Toumansky) (Tumansky) was born on 23 September 1861. From 1888 to 1891 Tumansky, then an officer in the Imperial Russian Army, received his Oriental education at the Officers' Courses of Oriental Languages organized by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He studied Arabic, Turkish and Persian; in all he spoke eleven languages. From 1891 to 1895 Tumansky was stationed in Central Asia. In 1894 he was responsible for establishing communications with Persia. Between 1900 and 1905 he served as the Russian vice consul in Van, Turkey. From 1908 to 1909 he was ordered to Persia again to resume his diplomatic duties. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Q-D-Š
''Q-D-Š'' is a triconsonantal Semitic root meaning " sacred, holy", derived from a concept central to ancient Semitic religion. From a basic verbal meaning "to consecrate, to purify", it could be used as an adjective meaning "holy", or as a substantive referring to a "sanctuary, sacred object, sacred personnel." The root is reflected as ''q-d-š'' ( Phoenician , Hebrew ) in Northwest Semitic and as ''q-d-s'' ( ar, ق-د-س) in Central and South Semitic. In Akkadian texts, the verb conjugated from this root meant to "clean, purify." Canaanite religion It was used this way in Ugaritic, as for example, in the words ''qidšu'' (meaning "holy place" or "chapel") and ''qad(i)šu'' (meaning "consecrated gift" or "cultic personnel"). In some Ugaritic texts, ''qdš'' is used as a divine epithet. For example, the gods are referred to as "the sons of holiness" or "the holy ones" (''bn qdš''), and in the Ugaritic ''Legend of Keret'', the hero is described as "the son of El and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apostles Of Baháʼu'lláh
The Apostles of Baháʼu'lláh were nineteen prominent early followers of Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith. The apostles were designated as such by Shoghi Effendi, head of the religion in the earlier half of the 20th century, and the list was included in ''The Baháʼí World'', Vol. III (pp. 80–81). These individuals played a vital role in the development of the Baháʼí Faith, consolidating its adherents and bringing its teachings around the world. To Baháʼís, they filled a similar role as the sons of Jacob, the apostles of Jesus, Muhammad's companions, or the Báb's Letters of the Living. List of Apostles Many of the stories of the Apostles are well known to Baháʼís. The names of the apostles were: #Mírzá Músá - a.k.a. Kalím, the brother of Baháʼu'lláh #Badíʻ - a.k.a. Mirza Buzurg, the 17-year-old who delivered Baháʼu'lláh's tablet to Nassiru'd-Din Shah and was subsequently killed. # Siyyid Hasan - the 'King of Martyrs' of Isfaha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William McElwee Miller
William McElwee Miller (December 12, 1892 – July 7, 1993) was an American missionary to Persia, and author of several books. Born in Middlesboro, Kentucky, Miller received a M.A. in 1913 from Washington and Lee University, and a B.D. in 1919 from Princeton Theological Seminary. He went to Persia (Iran) as a missionary of the Presbyterian Church and, except for a short period around 1932, he remained in Persia until 1962. As a part of his missionary work, he learned Persian and studied Islam, particularly Shi'a Islam, Persia and Persian culture. During his missionary work in Persia, he also encountered followers of the Baháʼí Faith, a large religious minority there. Much of his ministerial work involved developing Christian apologetic responses to these religions. With respect to the Baháʼí Faith, his ''Baha'ism, Its Origin, History and Teachings'', published in 1931, was the first of two books, and several apologetic and polemical articles on the subject. Along with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the terms used for individual clergy are clergyman, clergywoman, clergyperson, churchman, and cleric, while clerk in holy orders has a long history but is rarely used. In Christianity, the specific names and roles of the clergy vary by denomination and there is a wide range of formal and informal clergy positions, including deacons, elders, priests, bishops, preachers, pastors, presbyters, ministers, and the pope. In Islam, a religious leader is often known formally or informally as an imam, caliph, qadi, mufti, mullah, muezzin, or ayatollah. In the Jewish tradition, a religious leader is often a rabbi (teacher) or hazzan (cantor). Etymology The word ''cleric'' comes from the ecclesiastical Latin ''Clericus'', for thos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Personification
Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person, in literature or art, as a type of anthropomorphic metaphor. The type of personification discussed here excludes passing literary effects such as "Shadows hold their breath", and covers cases where a personification appears as a character in literature, or a human figure in art. The technical term for this, since ancient Greece, is prosopopoeia. In the arts many things are commonly personified. These include numerous types of places, especially cities, countries and the four continents, elements of the natural world such as the months or Four Seasons, Four Elements, Four Winds, Five Senses, and abstractions such as virtues, especially the four cardinal virtues and seven deadly sins, the nine Muses, or death. In many polytheistic early religions, deities had a strong element of personification, suggested by descriptions such as "god of". In ancient Greek religion, and the related ancient R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Narration
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the audience, particularly about the plot (the series of events). Narration is a required element of all written stories (novels, short stories, poems, memoirs, etc.), with the function of conveying the story in its entirety. However, narration is merely optional in most other storytelling formats, such as films, plays, television shows, and video games, in which the story can be conveyed through other means, like dialogue between characters or visual action. The narrative mode encompasses the set of choices through which the creator of the story develops their narrator and narration: * ''Narrative point of view, perspective,'' or ''voice'': the choice of grammatical person used by the narrator to establish whether or not the narrator and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alliteration
Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various languages around the world, including Arabic, Irish, German, Mongolian, Hungarian, American Sign Language, Somali, Finnish, Icelandic. Historical use The word ''alliteration'' comes from the Latin word ''littera'', meaning "letter of the alphabet". It was first coined in a Latin dialogue by the Italian humanist Giovanni Pontano in the 15th century. Alliteration is used in the alliterative verse of Old English, Old Norse, Old High German, Old Saxon, and Old Irish. It was an important ingredient of the Sanskrit shlokas. Alliteration was used in Old English given names. This is evidenced by the unbroken series of 9th century kings of Wessex named Æthelwulf, Æthelbald, Æthelberht, and Æthelred. These were followed in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
