The Countenance of the Blessed Beauty in the Mirror of Mawlúd Tablets

by Foad Seddigh

Abstract: Historically, the commemoration of the anniversary of the birth of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh was celebrated in the East over two consecutive days according to the lunar calendar on the first and second of Muharram, and in the West on October 20 and November 12, according to the Gregorian calendar respectively. Since B.E. 172 (2015), in accordance with the call of the Universal House of Justice, these two Holy Days have been celebrated globally in a uniform fashion, over two consecutive days, based on the provisions of the Badí‘ calendar. According to a procedure set in place by the Universal House of Justice and intended to harmonize the lunar and solar dates celebrated previously, the twin Holy Days will be celebrated on the “first and second day following the occurrence of the eighth new moon after Naw-Rúz”, resulting in the twin Birthdays being commemorated somewhere between mid-October to mid-November depending on the specific year in question. This clarification by the Universal House of Justice follows the pronouncement by Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and the Epistle of Questions and Answers that these two days are considered as one day in sight of God.

Due to the limitation of space in this paper, a brief review of four Tablets in the compilation is undertaken, namely Tablets number 41, 43, 44 and 45; and a more detailed discussion of two of the Tablets carried out, i.e. Tablets number 40 and 42.