Ridván
| Part ofa serieson the |
| Baháʼí Faith |
|---|
 |
Riḍván(Arabic:رضوان,romanized:Riḍwān,lit. 'Paradise';Bahá'í orthography:Rezván,Persian pronunciation:[ɾezvɒːn]) is a twelve-day festival in theBahá'í FaithcommemoratingBahá'u'lláh's declaration that he was aManifestation of God.[1]In theBahá'í calendar,it begins at sunset on the 13th of Jalál, which translates to the 20th or 21 April, depending on the date of theMarch equinox(exactly one month on the Gregorian calendar after the equinox).[2]In 2024, it begins in the evening of 19 April.[3]On the first, ninth and twelfth days of Ridván, work and school should be suspended.[4]
Riḍwānis named for theGarden of Ridván, Baghdad,where Bahá'u'lláh stayed for twelve days after theOttoman Empireexiled him from the city before he journeyed toConstantinople.[5]
It is the holiest Bahá'í festival, and is also referred to as the "Most Great Festival" and the "King of Festivals".
History[edit]
Context[edit]
In 1844 Ali-Muhammad ofShirazproclaimed that he was theBáb(Arabicfor 'Gate'), after aTwelver Shi'ireligious concept. His followers were therefore known asBábís.The Báb's writings introduced the concept of "He whom God shall make manifest",a Messianic figure whose coming, according to Bahá'ís, was announced in the scriptures of all of the world's great religions.[6][7]
Bahá'u'lláhclaimed that his mission as the Promised One of the Báb, was revealed to him in 1852 while imprisoned in the prison known as theBlack PitofQajar Iran.[6]After his release from the Black Pit, Bahá'u'lláh was banished from Qajar territory and he settled inBaghdad,which became the centre of Bábí activity. Although he did not openly declare this prophetic mandate, he increasingly became the leader of the Bábí community.[8]
Bahá'u'lláh's rising prominence in the city, and the revival of the Persian Bábí community, gained the attention of his enemies in theulemaand the Qajar government. They were eventually successful in having theOttoman governmentsummon Bahá'u'lláh from Baghdad toIstanbul.[9]
Najibiyyih garden[edit]
Before Bahá'u'lláh left for Constantinople, many visitors came to visit him. To allow his family to prepare for the trip, and to be able to receive all these visitors, he decided to move to the Garden of Ridwan across theTigrisfrom Baghdad. He entered the garden on 22 April 1863 (31 days afterNawrúz,which usually occurs on 21 March) accompanied by his sonsʻAbdu'l-Bahá,Mírzá MihdíandMírzá Muhammad ʻAlí,his secretary Mirza Aqa Jan, and some others, and stayed there for eleven days.[5][10]
After he arrived in the garden, Bahá'u'lláh announced his mission and station for the first time to a small group of family and friends. The exact nature and details of Bahá'u'lláh's declaration are unknown.Bahíyyih Khánumis reported to have said that Bahá'u'lláh stated his claim to his sonʻAbdu'l-Baháand four others. While some Bábís had come to the realization that Bahá'u'lláh was claiming to be the Promised One through the many remarks and allusions that he had made during his final few months in Baghdad, it appears that most other Bábís were unaware of Bahá'u'lláh's claim until a few years later while he was inEdirne.[10]
For the next eleven days Bahá'u'lláh received visitors including the governor of Baghdad. Bahá'u'lláh's family was not able to join him until 30 April, the ninth day, since the river had risen and made travel to the garden difficult though lasting only nine days was a comparatively mild flooding of the river.[11]On the twelfth day of their stay in the garden, Bahá'u'lláh and his family left the garden and started on their journey to Constantinople.[10]
Festival[edit]
In theKitáb-i-Aqdas,written during 1873, Bahá'u'lláh ordains Ridván as one of two "Most Great Festivals", along with the Declaration of the Báb. He then specified the first, ninth, and twelfth days to be holy days; these days mark the days of Bahá'u'lláh's arrival, the arrival of his family and their departure from the Ridván garden, respectively.[12]
The Festival of Ridván is observed according to theBahá'í calendar,and begins on the thirty-second day of the Bahá'í year, which falls on 20 or 21 April. The festival properly starts at two hours before sunset on that day, which symbolises the time that Bahá'u'lláh entered the garden. On the first, ninth, and twelfth days, which areBahá'í Holy Days,work is prohibited. Currently, the three holy days are usually observed with a community gathering where prayers are shared, followed by a celebration.[10]
Significance[edit]
The time that Bahá'u'lláh spent at the Garden of Ridván in April 1863, and the associated festival and celebration, has a very large significance for Bahá'ís. Bahá'u'lláh calls it one of two "Most Great Festivals" and describes the first day as "the Day of supreme felicity" and he then describes the Garden of Ridvan as "the Spot from which He shed upon the whole of creation the splendours of his Name, the All-Merciful".[12][13]
The festival is significant because of Bahá'u'lláh's private declaration to a few followers that he was "Him Whom God shall make manifest" and aManifestation of God,and thus it forms the beginning point of Bahá'ism distinct from Bábism It is also significant because Bahá'u'lláh left hishouse in Baghdad,which he designated the "Most Great House", to enter the Garden of Ridván. Bahá'u'lláh compares this move from the Most Great House to the Garden of Ridwan toMuhammad'sHijrah.
Furthermore, during Bahá'u'lláh's first day in the garden, he made three further announcements: (1) abrogatingreligious war,which was permitted under certain conditions inIslamand the Bábí faith; (2) that there would not beanother Manifestation of Godfor another 1000 years; and (3) that all thenames of Godwere fully manifest in all things.[10]These statements appear in a text written some years after 1863, which has been included in the compilationDays of Remembrance(section 9). Nader Saiedi states that these three principles are "affirmed, expounded, and institutionalized" in Bahá'u'lláh'sKitab-i-Aqdas,which was completed in 1873.[14]
Related texts[edit]
Throughout his life, Bahá'u'lláh wrote severaltabletsand prayers on the occasion of Ridván, among which are the following.
- Lawh-i Húr-i ʻUjáb(Tablet of theMaid of Heaven)[15]
- Lawh-i ʻÁshiq vaMaʻshúq(Tablet of the Lover and the Beloved)
- Súrih-i Qalam(Súrihof the Pen)
These and several others are published in the volume titledDays of Remembrance.
Bahá'í elections[edit]
The Ridván period is also the time whenBahá'í electionsfor the local and nationalSpiritual Assembliestake place every year, as well as the election of theUniversal House of Justice,every five years.[1]
Ridván messages[edit]
Annually, during Ridván, the Universal House of Justice sends a 'Ridván message' to the worldwide Bahá'í community,[1]which generally looks back on the previous year, and provides further guidance for the coming year.[note 1]
| Year | Naw-Rúz | 1st day of Ridván | 9th day of Ridván | 12th day of Ridván | Declaration of the Báb | Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh | Martyrdom of the Báb | Birth of the Báb | Birth of Bahá'u'lláh | Day of the Covenant | Ascension of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 21 Mar | 21 Apr | 29 Apr | 2 May | 24 May | 29 May | 10 Jul | 26 Oct | 27 Oct | 26 Nov | 28 Nov |
| 2023 | 21 Mar | 21 Apr | 29 Apr | 2 May | 24 May | 29 May | 10 Jul | 16 Oct | 17 Oct | 26 Nov | 28 Nov |
| 2024 | 20 Mar | 20 Apr | 28 Apr | 1 May | 23 May | 28 May | 9 Jul | 2 Nov | 3 Nov | 25 Nov | 27 Nov |
| 2025 | 20 Mar | 20 Apr | 28 Apr | 1 May | 23 May | 28 May | 9 Jul | 22 Oct | 23 Oct | 25 Nov | 27 Nov |
| 2026 | 21 Mar | 21 Apr | 29 Apr | 2 May | 24 May | 29 May | 10 Jul | 10 Nov | 11 Nov | 26 Nov | 28 Nov |
| 2027 | 21 Mar | 21 Apr | 29 Apr | 2 May | 24 May | 29 May | 10 Jul | 30 Oct | 31 Oct | 26 Nov | 28 Nov |
| 2028 | 20 Mar | 20 Apr | 28 Apr | 1 May | 23 May | 28 May | 9 Jul | 19 Oct | 20 Oct | 25 Nov | 27 Nov |
| 2029 | 20 Mar | 20 Apr | 28 Apr | 1 May | 23 May | 28 May | 9 Jul | 7 Nov | 8 Nov | 25 Nov | 27 Nov |
See also[edit]
Notes and citations[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^All Ridván messages can be found atBahai.organdBahaiprayers.net/Ridvan(multi-lingual).
Citations[edit]
- ^abcSmith, Peter(2000)."Ridvan".A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith.Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp.296–297.ISBN1-85168-184-1.
- ^"Baha'i Dates 172–221 B.E."(PDF).Baha'i Library.Retrieved20 April2018.
- ^"Regarding the Implementation of the Badi' Calendar".
- ^Esslemont, J.E. (1980).Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era(5th ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. pp. 182–183.ISBN0-87743-160-4.
- ^abTaherzadeh, Adib (1976).The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 1.Oxford, UK: George Ronald. p. 259.ISBN0-85398-270-8.
- ^abHutter, Manfred (2005)."Bābīs".In Ed. Lindsay Jones (ed.).Encyclopedia of Religion.Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Detroit:Macmillan Reference USA.pp. 727–729.ISBN0-02-865733-0.
- ^Esslemont, J.E. (1980).Baháʼu'lláh and the New Era(5th ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Baháʼí Publishing Trust.ISBN0-87743-160-4.
- ^Ma'sumian, Bijan (Fall 1993)."Baha'u'llah's Seclusion in Kurdistan".Deepen Magazine.1(1): 18–26.
- ^"The Baháʼí Faith".Britannica Book of the Year.Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica. 1988.ISBN0-85229-486-7.
- ^abcdeWalbridge, John (2005).Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time.Oxford, UK: George Ronald.ISBN0-85398-406-9.
- ^Charles Issawi Bayard Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies Princeton University (14 July 1988).The Fertile Crescent, 1800–1914: A Documentary Economic History: A Documentary Economic History.Oxford University Press, USA. p. 105.ISBN978-0-19-536421-7.
- ^abUniversal House of Justice (1992)."Notes".The Kitáb-i-Aqdas.Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. pp. 213–225.ISBN0-85398-999-0.
- ^Baháʼu'lláh(1992) [1873].The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book.Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. p. 59.ISBN0-85398-999-0.
- ^Saiedi, Nader (2000).Logos and Civilization – Spirit, History, and Order in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh.USA: University Press of Maryland and Association for Baha'i Studies. pp. 243–258.ISBN1883053609.OL8685020M.
- ^Smith, Peter(2000)."Bahá'u'lláh, writings of".A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith.Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 79–86.ISBN1-85168-184-1.
- ^Universal House of Justice(10 July 2014)."Regarding the Implementation of the Badi` Calendar".Retrieved13 March2024.
References[edit]
- Baháʼu'lláh(1992) [1873].The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book.Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Baháʼí Publishing Trust.ISBN0-85398-999-0.
- Phelps, Myron H.; Bahíyyih Khánum; Gail, Marzieh (1985).The Master in ʻAkka: Including the Recollections of the Greatest Holy Leaf.Los Angeles: Kalimát Press.ISBN0-933770-49-9.
- Taherzadeh, Adib(1976).The Revelation of Baháʼu'lláh, Volume 1.Oxford, UK: George Ronald.ISBN0-85398-270-8.
Further reading[edit]
- Baháʼí World Centre(2017).Days of Remembrance – Selections from the Writings of Baháʼu'lláh for Baháʼí Holy Days.
- Related documents on Baháʼí Library Online