Saturday, May 28th marks the anniversary of the Ascension of Baha’u'llah, the prophet-founder of the Baha’i Faith. Baha’u'llah passed away after a brief illness in 1892 outside of Akka, Israel.
Baha’u'llah—the “Glory of God”—is the Promised One foretold by all of the Divine Messengers of the past. Baha’u'llah delivered a new Revelation from God to humanity. Thousands of verses, letters and books flowed from His pen. In His Writings, He outlined a framework for the development of a global civilization which takes into account both the spiritual and material dimensions of human life. For this, He endured 40 years of imprisonment, torture and exile.
The Ascension of Baha’u’llah is one of nine holy days during the year on which Baha'is suspend work, if possible. The Holy Day starts at sunset on Friday, the 27th, and ends at sunset on Saturday, May 28th. As a result, the offices and studios of Radio Baha’i are closed for this period. The station will continue to air music and programs throughout the Holy Day.
Please join your local Baha’i community for their commemoration of the Ascension of Baha’u’llah, or you can join us on air for our observance of this Holy Day at 4:00 AM Saturday morning, which coincides with the actual time of His passing. For more information about Baha’u’llah, or the Baha’i Faith click on any of the links, or scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the links there.
Wednesday, April 20th, is the First Day of the Ridvan Festival. This annual Baha’i festival commemorates the 12 days in 1863, from April 20th to May 1st, when Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, resided in a garden called Ridvan, in Baghdad, Iraq. While He was in the Garden of Ridvan, Baha’u’llah publicly proclaimed His mission as God’s messenger for this age, the promised one of all religions. The first, ninth and twelfth days of the Ridvan Festival are celebrated as holy days when work or school is suspended for Baha’is, if at all possible.
