On Ridvan: He forbade the use of the sword
On Ridvan. -gw
The First Day of Ridvan Holy Day ... marks the end of the dispensation of the Bab and of the first epoch of the Heroic or Apostolic Age of the Baha’i dispensation (BBD 72-79 cited in Campbell and Momen 1996: 69).
“On the same day Baha’u'llah [made] three important statements to His followers:
1. He [forbade] 
the use of the sword.
2. He [stated] that no other Manifestation will appear before one thousand years. This is later reiterated in the Kitab-i-Badi and the Kitab-i-Aqdas.
3. He [stated] that from [that] moment, all the names and attributes of God are manifested within all created things, implying the advent of a new Day" [RB1 278-80] cited in Campbell and Momen (1996: 70).
Maureen Flynn-Burhoe
http://hdcommittee.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/timeline-of-events-related-to-festival-of-ridvan/
Source: Campbell, Glen; Momen, Wendi. 1996. A Basic Baha’i Chronology. Oxford: George Ronald.
2 comments:
Interesting this reference to the Hold Day site. The third statement is probably stronger than the impression in the article. Baha'u''lah abrogates the human customs and traditions concerning "ritual purity" by which certain groups, people tribes were considered unclean and that it was improper to sit or associate with them. At Ridvan Baha'u'llah abrogates or does away with ritual purity laws and regulations and instead immerses all beings in a vast sea of purification and oneness. Of course the world has yet to imbibe this knowledge but the potentiality was released at Ridvan.
The use of the sword is also another way of abrogating holy war and it is remarkable that on the very first day of his dispensation Baha'u'llah establishes the covenant of succession concerning the one who is to come down in the clouds after Him by specifying the inner datum of that time frame.
Remarkable. Thanks for bringing it to evryone's attention. My favourite time of year as a Baha'i.
See Stephen Lambden's notes here:
http://www.bahai-library.org/resources/tablets-notes/lawh-ridvan/notes.html
Wonderful elaboration, Steve. Thanks. I'll have to check out Stephen's notes, too.
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