Guest Author - Sandy Mullins
Back on November 28, 1921 at 1:00 a.m. in Haifa, Israel, ‘Abdu’l-Baha ascended to the Abha Kingdom. It is one of two Holy Days that work doesn’t have to be suspended, the other is the Anniversary of the Birth of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. The Guardian, Shoghi Effendi advised that there must be a celebration or observance, and if possible to be held at 1:00 a.m. usually with prayers and music in a solemn and reverent manner.
It is believed that the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Baha was the end of the Heroic Age, one of the three Ages of the Baha’i Faith. The Heroic Age or the Apostolic Age had three epochs (significant period of time), Nine , thirty-nine and twenty-nine years. The nine-year epoch, was the first with the Badi Dispensation with the leadership of the Bab. The second epoch of thirty-nine years was ministry of Baha’u’llah. The third and final epoch of the Heroic Age was the twenty-nine years of the ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Baha.
With the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Baha the Baha’i Faith entered the Formative Age. The first epoch of the Formative Age lasted twenty-five years, during the leadership of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Faith. The Baha’i Faith is now in it’s second Epoch of the Formative Age and there will probably will be many epochs in the Formative Age. ‘Abdu’l-Baha divided the epochs into stages or plans, each having a goal for the Baha’i Faith.
The final epoch, The Golden Age is far off in the theme of time. It is believed that in the Golden age there will be no war, where humanity can live in world peace, free of prejudice and hatred.
“ The emergence of a world community, the consciousness of world citizenship, the founding of a world civilization and culture -- all of which must synchronize with the initial stages in the unfoldment of the Golden Age of the Bahá'í Era -- should, by their very nature, be regarded, as far as this planetary life is concerned, as the furthermost limits in the organization of human society, though man, as an individual, will, nay must indeed as a result of such a consummation, continue indefinitely to progress and develop.”
Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 163
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