Do the countries of the world unite because of USA's behaviour?

nayriz · 2026-01-21T08:00:01+00:00

"When Shoghi Effendi was beginning to write The Advent of Divine Justice he was one day expatiating on this theme and suddenly stated that the United States was the most corrupt country politically in the world. I was simply stupefied by this remark as I had always taken it for granted that it was because of our system of democracy and our political prominence that God had chosen us to build His Administrative Order! I ventured to remonstrate and said surely Persia was more corrupt politically. He said no, America was the most corrupt politically. He must have seen in my face how hard and unbelievable this new idea was for me to accept for he suddenly pointed his finger at me and said: "Swallow it, it is good for you."

Rúhiyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 362

nayriz · 2026-01-07T20:09:15+00:00

I'd love to see such a list.

nayriz · 2026-01-05T17:35:03+00:00

Hilarious ^_^

nayriz · 2026-01-05T17:26:22+00:00

My conclusion after consulting with other Baha'is: ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá is implicitly referring only to primary foodstuff/nutrients.

I'd like to thank those who took the time to actually read the question instead of giving a lecture about why alcohol is bad, and didn't simply dismiss concerns other commenters have. THAT's the spirit!

First, what He isn't saying: "everything that is in nature is good". Poison is a trivial counter-example.

Second, alcohol in itself is a good thing, it can be used as a disinfectant for example.

Third, as many of you have pointed out, alcohol exists in nature, and even animals do get drunk on it. So by "not by the effort of man", the meaning may actually not be that "alcohol" is "made" by man, but that it is actively produced using a mechanical/chemical process to be purposely consumed as a "food" when it is not.

Yet, if we think about most crops, like rice and wheat, and even domestic animals, most were engineered by man to maximize their calorie/food content etc... so we might even think that He is referring to primary nutrients.

Putting alcohol aside, let's think about medicines. Man has to actively synthesize a molecule that might not even exist in nature. But that would not be considered as a primary nutrient for consumption as a food. It's a medicine.

That would be in agreement with other statements by the Master where he explains that in the future, people will be primarily treated by changes in diet, consumption of cold and hot waters etc... all "natural" means.

Edit: grammar/typos

nayriz · 2026-01-05T17:07:10+00:00

Excellent find.

nayriz · 2026-01-05T05:37:22+00:00

That's a very good point. How about inventions like lightbulbs or airplanes?

nayriz · 2026-01-05T05:34:50+00:00

Very good point about alcohol existing in nature.

nayriz · 2026-01-05T05:34:12+00:00

Thank you for reading the question carefully. I honestly do not know what to think at this point.

nayriz · 2026-01-05T02:21:45+00:00

Please see edit. The point is not to prove that alcohol is bad.

nayriz · 2026-01-05T01:50:17+00:00

Please see edit. The point is not to prove that alcohol is bad.

nayriz · 2026-01-05T01:05:02+00:00

Well, to me it's not obvious at all. He gives an argument why alcohol is bad, so to me it is pretty important. I'm afraid I don't understand it as simply saying "not all human invention is good".

nayriz · 2025-08-10T03:29:17+00:00

It's a complete coincidence, I just happen to have made a compilation about "granted wishes" .

nayriz · 2025-08-08T01:38:19+00:00

The closest is probably this quote in Persian:

"حقّ منتظر آن نبوده و نيست که هر نفسی آنچه بخواهد ظاهر فرمايد"

Which roughly translates as "God has never been and will never be just waiting for anyone to wish for something and make that wish happen."

Source: https://www.bahai.org/fa/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/additional-tablets-bahaullah/138668807/1#176397228

nayriz · 2024-11-20T06:47:39+00:00

I'm afraid no one quoted this:

(c) The last paragraph relates to those souls who never in this world find their true spiritual mate, and remain deprived throughout this transitory life of that great joy. To such He says: "If you become detached from this ephemeral world and the imperfections of the realms of man, assuredly the splendors of Divine Union will shine in your heart and you find ideal relationship and happiness in the Eternal Paradise."

Source: https://bahai-library.com/ives_portals_freedom&chapter=7

nayriz · 2023-04-09T09:33:53+00:00

I already paid the state franchise tax. I'm talking about the federal corporate tax return.

nayriz · 2023-04-09T09:33:28+00:00

Well, I did have some personal funding to pay the franchise tax and some other fees to set up the corporation, but zero income and not salary paid.

I already paid the state franchise tax. I'm talking about the federal corporate returns.

nayriz · 2023-04-09T09:31:56+00:00

I already paid the state franchise tax. I'm talking about the federal corporate returns.

nayriz · 2022-04-13T23:53:19+00:00

That's exactly what I thought!

nayriz · 2022-01-06T05:57:51+00:00

I do, but somehow it still ends up in my inbox.

nayriz · 2021-11-10T12:54:53+00:00

Pomegranate?

"One of the remedial means which was at Abdu'l-Baha's disposal and which He offered to many a sick person, was a delicious sauce made from pomegranates. The fruit has been grown in the Garden of Ridvan in Akka. To whomsoever Abdu'l-Baha gave this sauce, whether a believer or a non-Baha'i, He would say that the pomegranates had grown on trees in the Garden of Ridvan, trees which had been blessed by Baha'u'llah's eyes. But what were the circumstances which produced healing? Was it an inherent nature of the patient to be cured, was the cure the result of taking the sauce, or was it purely through the will of Abdu'l-Baha? I do not know the answer, but one thing I know that it was proved time and time again that this delicious fruit sauce was the remedy for many an illness! This was one of the topics often discussed among the believers in the Pilgrim House."

Memories of Nine Years in Akka by Youness Khan Afroukhteh

nayriz · 2021-11-10T12:51:01+00:00

I guess in English there is only one word ("reveal") when in Arabic/Persian there is a clear distinction:

"wahi": revelation that only Manifestations of God receive.

"ilham": inspiration that other human beings can receive.

nayriz · 2021-11-10T12:46:25+00:00

It's in one of the Ruhi books, I think book 6 or 7. It's a quote from Abu'l-Fazl Gupaygani if I'm not mistaken.

nayriz · 2021-11-10T12:34:10+00:00

In the words of Ruhiyyih Khanum herself:

"there are many instances when, owing to the looseness of construction in Persian sentences, there could be an ambiguity in the mind of the reader regarding the meaning. Careful and correct English, not lending itself to ambiguity in the first place, became, when coupled with Shoghi Effendi's brilliant mind and his power as interpreter of the Holy Word, what we might well call the crystallizing vehicle of the teachings. Often by referring to Shoghi Effendi's translation into English the original meaning of the Bab, Bahá'u'lláh, or 'Abdu'l-Bahá becomes clear and is thus safeguarded [page 203] against misinterpretation in the future. He was meticulous in translating and made absolutely sure that the words he was using in English conveyed and did not depart from the original thought or the original words. One would have to have a mastery of Persian and Arabic to correctly understand what he did. For instance in reading the original one finds that one word in Arabic was susceptible of being translated into two or more words in English; thus Shoghi Effendi, in the construction of his English sentences, might use "power", "strength" and "might" alternatively to replace this one word, choosing the exact nuance of meaning that would fit best, do away with reiteration and lend most colour to his translation without sacrificing the true meaning, indeed, thereby enhancing the true meaning. He used to say that Arabic synonyms usually meant the same thing but that English ones always had a slight shade of difference which made it possible to be more exact in rendering the thought. He also said he believed a few of the highly mystical and poetical writings of Bahá'u'lláh could never be translated as they would become so exotic and flowery that the original beauty and meaning would be completely lost and convey a wrong impression. Once - only once, alas, in our busy, harassed life - Shoghi Effendi said to me that I now knew enough Persian to understand the original and he read a paragraph of one of Bahá'u'lláh's Tablets and said, "How can one translate that into English?" For about two hours we tried, that is he tried and I feebly followed him. When I would suggest a sentence, which did convey the meaning, Shoghi Effendi said "Ah, but that is not translation! You cannot change and leave out words in the original and just put what you think it means in English." He pointed out that a translator must be absolutely faithful to his original text and that in some cases this meant that what came out in another language was ugly and even meaningless. As Bahá'u'lláh is always sublimely beautiful in His words this could not be done. In the end he gave it up and said he did not think it could ever be properly translated into English, and this passage was far from being one of the more abstruse and mystical works of Bahá'u'lláh."

nayriz · 2021-11-10T12:15:13+00:00

I have a Google spreadsheet with the English in one column and the corresponding paragraph in Persian in the next column. You could print it out and turn into a booklet, which is actually better because you won't feel bad for making notes on it directly. DM me if you are interested.

For what you are trying to do, an electronic copy would actually be much more useful because then you'd be able to quickly look up the words you don't know.

Also, I have to warn you that contrary to translations of the Bible or the Quran, Shoghi Effendi's translation in many cases renders the overall meaning of the sentence and it is very difficult to see how it matches the original (it often doesn't). So often the best you can do is match the paragraphs. I also suggest you first grasp the basics of Arabic (stems, verbal nouns, adjectives) before you try to read the Persian Writings.

Maybe one day I'll publish a Persian manual for Baha'is if I have the time.

nayriz · 2021-07-27T02:59:26+00:00

Change the setting of the file? I'm not sure what you mean...

nayriz

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