The Sunday Mail
Flora Teckie
Bahais of Harare join millions of people worldwide, who will be celebrating the 200 year anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh in October.
Bahais of Harare join millions of people worldwide, who will be celebrating the 200 year anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh in October.
These are festivals to celebrate the transformative impact of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings on the lives of families, neighborhoods and communities around Zimbabwe and all over the world.
They are not only events, they include activities generated at the grassroot level, which reinforce Bahá’u’lláh’s vision of the oneness of humanity and empower the participants to contribute towards building better communities.
Two celebrations will mark this historic occasion in Harare, the first one will be on October 21 and the second one on October 22. Both events will take place at the National Bahá’í Centre in Harare.
Bahá’u’lláh was born in Iran in 1817. At age 27, He began an undertaking that has gradually captured the imagination and loyalty of several million people from virtually every race, culture, class, and nation on earth.
Bahá’u’lláh, whose name means “The Glory of God,” is regarded by Bahá’ís as the Manifestation of God and the Divine Educator for this age.
As in the case of the other Manifestations of God, Bahá’u’lláh was the direct recipient of Revelation from God. Thousands of verses, letters and books flowed from His pen. As the creative Word of God, His Writings have the power to touch the human hearts and transform the world.
Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings constitute over a hundred volumes – which today form the core of the Sacred Scripture of the Bahá’í Faith. In those Writings, Bahá’u’lláh outlined a framework for the reconstruction of human society at all levels. His Writings cover a vast range of subjects from social issues such as the oneness of humanity, racial integration, the equality of men and women, universal education, disarmament, to those questions that affect the innermost life of the human soul.
His Writings also address essential themes as the freedom from all types of prejudice, the inherent nobility of the human being, the progressive revelation of religious truth, the crucial need for development of spiritual qualities, the importance of integrating worship and service, the centrality of justice to all human endeavours, and the dynamics of the relationships that are to bind together individuals, communities, and institutions as humanity advances towards its collective maturity.
It is the central theme of Bahá’u’lláh’s message that humanity is one, that the diversity of ethnic backgrounds adds to the beauty and perfection of the whole, and that the day has come for the unification of humanity into one global society.
As Bahá’u’lláh proclaims: “The earth, is but one country, and mankind its citizens.’ He further affirms that the unification of mankind, the last stage in the evolution of humanity towards maturity is inevitable … and he regards the ‘love of mankind’ and service to its interests as the worthiest and most laudable objects of human endeavour”.
The Baha’i communities all over the world are working to give practical expression to Bahá’u’lláh’s vision of a united and peaceful world. They welcome every one to join hands with them in building better communities and creating an ever-advancing, peaceful and prosperous world civilization.
For feedback please contact: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website: www.bahai.org
