137. the Most Great Name #109

As explained in note 33, the Greatest Name of God can take various forms,

all based on the word "Baha". The Baha'is in the East have implemented

this injunction of the Aqdas by heading their wills with such phrases as

"O Thou Glory of the All-Glorious", "In the name of God, the All-Glorious"

or "He is the All-Glorious" and the like.

138. All Feasts have attained their consummation in the two Most Great

Festivals, and in the two other Festivals that fall on the twin days #110

This passage establishes four great festivals of the Baha'i year. The two

designated by Baha'u'llah as "the two Most Great Festivals" are, first,

the Festival of Ridvan, which commemorates Baha'u'llah's Declaration of

His Prophetic Mission in the Garden of Ridvan in Bag{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}h{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}dad during twelve

days in April/May 1863 and is referred to by Him as "the King of

Festivals" and, second, the Bab's Declaration, which occurred in May 1844

in S{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}h{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}iraz. The first, ninth and twelfth days of the Festival of Ridvan

are Holy Days (Q and A 1), as is the day of the Declaration of the Bab.

The "two other Festivals" are the anniversaries of the births of

Baha'u'llah and the Bab. In the Muslim lunar calendar these fall on

consecutive days, the birth of Baha'u'llah on the second day of the month

of Muharram 1233 A.H. (12 November 1817), and the birth of the Bab on the

first day of the same month 1235 A.H. (20 October 1819), respectively.

They are thus referred to as the "Twin Birthdays" and Baha'u'llah states

that these two days are accounted as one in the sight of God (Q and A 2).

He states that, should they fall within the month of fasting, the command

to fast shall not apply on those days (Q and A 36). Given that the Baha'i

calendar (see notes 26 and 147) is a solar calendar, it remains for the

Universal House of Justice to determine whether the Twin Holy Birthdays

are to be celebrated on a solar or lunar basis.

The Kitáb-i-Aqdas · 第 135 / 186 题