1) “Allah’u'Abha’”, meaning “God is All-Glorius”, to Baha’is is the “Greatest Name of God”. There are 99 names of God in the Qur’an. This (Abha’) is said to be the 100th. So that’s its relationship to “Allah’u'Akhbar”. The name Baha’u'llah, meaning “Glory of God” is a derivative of the Greatest Name. “Allah” is the Arabic word for God, just as Dios is the Spanish word for God. Baha’is, being global, refer to God in their own language but always call Baha’u'llah by the same Arabic title and, although admonished to not over use it, all Baha’is say “Allah’u'Abha” as a greeting regardless of what language they speak natively.

2) According to the Baha’i Teachings, both Buhdism and Hinduism began as monotheistic faiths. I know both Budhists and Hindus today who hold a monotheistic view of their faith. The many “gods” that appear in Hindu writings are representations of the various attributes (“names”) of the one creator,God. (from Hindu scripture “Oh though Brahm than Bramha greater, Oh though infinite creator” – Brahm symbolic of God, and Bramha symbolic of various attributes)

3) Baha’i “culture”? If you wish to call it culture we can say yes, but I prefer to call it a Baha’i pattern of living because today it’s more personal than collective.
I’ll write more about this later, for now I’ll answer that Baha’is have a calendar established by the Bab (forerunner of Baha’u'llah) which has 19 months of 19 days each with an intercalary period called “Ayyam-i-Ha” filling the gap. Ayyam-i-Ha lasts five days in a leap-year and immediately precedes our month (19 days) of fasting from sunrise until sunset – no food, no drink (unless working physically in the hot sun), and no smoking. Ramadan is longer, so the Baha’i Fast should be easy for you!

4) Afterlife – eternal subject (wink). Briefly, Heaven and Hell are respectively “nearness to God” and “remoteness from God” (so you can experience either one right now while living!) Human spiritual life has a beginning but no end. Progression toward God is eternal and yes you will associate with those loved ones still.

5) Baha’u'llah’s first book was Kitab-i-Iqan or “Book of Certitude” It’s my recommended first read. You might also seek-out “Some Answered Questions” by His son, Abdul-Baha.

If you email me with your physical address (I sent you an email already), I will try and locate Baha’is on your area for you to contact directly.

///Darrell
Darrell Rodgers
Singer, Songwriter, Performer, Humorist
http://darrellsongs.com

To be frank, I was very pleased and happy by what both of you wrote me. The information about the card makes perfect sense to me, as does the idea that one can be Baha’i by holding Baha’ullah’s teachings in their heart. And I totally agree with the privacy of one’s belief, as well as obedience to laws as long as they conform to God’s Laws and Morals, which seem so right to me. So thank you ))

And now for some new questions! ))

1) This one isn’t so serious )) I was wondering about the Baha’i greeting “Allah u Abha” )
Do Baha’is address God as Allah as well? ) Obviously that’s what Muslims do as well ))
The phrase reminds me of the Arabic “Allah u Akhbar” (“God is Great”), so I was just wondering if there were any similarities ))

2) I had a question about Baha’i theology, since I was a bit confused on it. I understand that many of the Faith’s prophets include the Abrahamic prophets, such as Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and others mentioned in the holy texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and to me it would make perfect sense since the Baha’i Faith is clearly strictly monotheistic and strongly affirms One God. But I was wondering why religious figures such as the Buddha and Krishna are counted among the Faith’s prophets (or Manifestations of God), when Buddhism is an agnostic or nontheistic faith, and Hinduism is clearly a polytheistic one. How are Buddhism and Hinduism, for instance, from the same God as the Abrahamic faiths, when the Abrahamic deity calls on mankind to worship Him and condemns idolatry as blasphemy? Isn’t it sort of like .. a contradiction between many of these faiths’ messages? What does the Baha’i Faith say about this?

3) Is there such a thing as a “Baha’i culture”? I know that sounds a little random, but I was just wondering if there were certain practices or holidays or Baha’i-specific morals I could potentially pass on to my children someday? Darrell, you mentioned a ninteen-day fast, which sounds interesting! I have fasted for Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, since I was a child, so perhaps there are similarities between the Baha’i fasting period and Ramadan. Could you tell me a little bit more on this fasting period?

4) I was just wondering what the Baha’i view on the afterlife was. Is there an eternal Heaven and Hell, just like in Christianity and Islam? And if so, if I were to go to Heaven could I be with the ones that I love in this life in Heaven, too?

5) As for reading directly on the Baha’i Faith itself, what should I read first? I checked out “Reality of Man” by Baha’ullah but is that his first book? I’d really want to know where to start off in reading about this!

Thank you so so so so so so sooo much, for answering all my questions!!!
I know I’m being totally selfish by taking up your time and energies with my questions, so I apologize in advance ((
In real life, I don’t know a single Baha’i, so the internet really is my only way to find out from the Baha’i faithful.

So thank you again!
Samian

1) The “card” and being a Baha’i: To be a Baha’i all you really need do is accept Baha’u'llah as the Manifestation of God for this age, and live by his teachings. It’s that second step that takes time to develop, by the way. The card is simply a declaration of your intent to do so. With the card, you become part of the Naha’i community and receive the newsletter and the right to vote for those who you would like to serve the community on a Local Spiritual Assembly. It’s part spiritual (being a personal committment to transformation) and part administrative.

2) Covenant Breakers: Only the Universal House of Justice, as an Institution, determines if someone is breaking the covenant, no individual is empowered to do so. And, having seen it happen, I know that the institution tries repeatedly to get the offender to change his behavior before declaring the a Covenant Breaker. There is ONE Bha’i Faith. Anyone attempting to declare himself leader of his own sect is violating the Covenant established by Baha’u'llah.
Now out here on the internet we can read several blogs by Baha’is who voice their displeasure over other people’s behavior. That may be poor manners, but its not Covenant breaking. But Baha’u'llah teaches that we are solely responsible for only our own spiritual development. I like to call that the “mind your own business” law.

3) Private Belief: All belief is personal. You can declare yourself a Baha’i, even sign the card, yet choose not to exercise your right to participate in community functions. Baha’u'llah requires only that we pray an obligatory prayer daily, fast during the month of the fast (Ala’, 19-days, happening now by the way) and read His writings. But that’s not really what the Faith is about. As you read Baha’u'llahs writings (a good place to start) you discover that in this Faith we all called upon to minister to the needs of society and our first obligation in that respect is to teach others about Baha’u'llah and His Cause. You cannot help unite the world by sequestering yourself away from it. It requires action. And collective unified action by the Baha’i community members yields the best results.

4) Obedience to Government: As I recall, the instruction is “obedience to JUST government”. If a government’s actions violates the laws of God as prescribed by Baha’u'llah, it is not acting with justice. During the war in Nazi Germany, Baha’is faced that terrible condition with quiet civil disobedience hiding Jews and teaching equality of all races. (I knew a lady who was a Jew in Bahgdad in 1943 when she became a Baha’i (as the Nazis were marching in). She had stories to tell!) In South Africa during Apartheid, Baha’is of all races met secretly together often disguising their fraternity as a work setting. When forced by law to hold separate elections for blacks and whites, they did so, but then all the whites resigned so only the black-populated instition remained to serve the entire community.

I look forward to more questions.

///Darrell Rodgers
Singer, Songwriter, Performer, Humorist
http://darrellsongs.com

I was just wondering a few things though, but I apologize in advance if anything I say comes off as offensive. It really isn’t my intention ((

1) Someone said up above that you need a declaration card to be Baha’i. But then, I can’t understand why I have to fill out a card to be a member of a religion. (I know Catholics have paperwork and certificates and such for Communion, so I’m sure that the Baha’i Faith wouldn’t be the only religion to have that.) So even if I had the teachings of Baha’ullah and the Baha’i Faith in my heart, none of it would matter and I wouldn’t be Baha’i because of a piece of paper?

2) I read a little bit of the Covenant-Breakers and how people are excommunicated from the Baha’i Faith by the Universal House of Justice, so I was just wondering how people can declare others to be non-Baha’is, or nonbelievers, when religion is supposed to be something in your heart? I thought that religion was supposed to be for myself, and others couldn’t say what I was or wasn’t.

3) And about the declaring of faith, if I wanted to do that, could I believe it privately? For instance, I’m currently living in New Orleans, and I don’t know a single Baha’i or a Baha’i community – at all. Maybe there aren’t any here. But even if there are no others, would that stop me from being Baha’i?

4) I read that Baha’is have to be completely loyal to whatever government is in power, but theoretically what would Baha’is in Nazi Germany do? Would they follow Nazi law and turn in any Jews in hiding, or does personal conscience and a desire to protect the rights of the oppressed take precedence?

I have soo many questions!!! I can’t believe all this! lol ))
It’s alright if no one wants to answer my questions, but if anyone would be as kind to I’d greatly appreciate it. My email is samian.quazi@gmail.com ))
I hope that my questions weren’t too offensive, even though I know they were sort of tough. Anyway, have a nice day!

On other sites, particularly blogs, you only learn about some individual Baha’is.

///Darrell

Priscilla

I like that quote, and it is very true. I have been told the declaration card is a ticket to the Bahá’í Faith, but we still have to get there on our own.

Allah’u'abha!