Bahai Library Online

Tag "Maid of Heaven"

tag name: Maid of Heaven type: General; Terminology
web link: Maid_of_Heaven
references: bahai9.com/wiki/Maid_of_Heaven;
related tags: Bahá'u'lláh, Birth of Revelation of; Most Great Spirit; Síyáh-Chál (Black Pit, Tehran)
referring tags: Hur-i-Ujab (Tablet of the Wondrous Maiden); Lawh-i-Ghulamul-Khuld (Tablet of the Immortal Youth); Lawh-i-Huriyyih (Tablet of the Maiden); Lawh-i-Malláhu'l-Quds (Tablet of the Holy Mariner, Arabic); Lawh-i-Ruya (Tablet of the Vision); Lawh-i Halih, Halih, Halih ya Bisharat (Tablet of Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah O Glad Tidings); Qasidiyyih-Varqaiyyih (Ode of the Dove); Rashh-i-Ama (Sprinkling from the Cloud of Unknowing); Subḥána Rabbíya'l-A'lá (Praise to the Exalted Lord); Suriy-i-Bayan (Tablet of Utterance); Suriy-i-Haykal (Surih of the Temple); Suriy-i-Qalam (Surih of the Pen)

"Maid of Heaven" appears in:

1.   from the main catalog (47 results; less)

  1. Michael W. Sours. Bahá'í Cosmological Symbolism and the Ecofeminist Critique (1995). Constituents of Bahá'í cosmological symbolism; introduction to the main feminist/environmentalist arguments; eschatological character of Bahá'í cosmological symbolism; Bahá'í eschatology provides answers to many feminist and ecological objections.
  2. John S. Hatcher, Amrollah Hemmat, Ehsanollah Hemmat. Bahá'u'lláh's "Ode of the Dove": A Provisional Translation (2019). A lengthy dialogue between Bahá'u'lláh (as persona/narrator) and the Huriyyih — the Maid of Heaven (a personification of “the Most Great Spirit”).
  3. John S. Hatcher, Amrollah Hemmat, Ehsanollah Hemmat. Bahá'u'lláh's Symbolic Use of the Veiled Ḥúríyyih (2019). Analyzing some of the meanings behind the appearance of the Veiled Maiden, as alluded to by Bahá'u'lláh in His letters.
  4. Farshid Kazemi. Celestial Fire: Bahá'u'lláh as the Messianic Theophany of the Divine Fire in Zoroastrianism (2013). Heat is used as a symbol of the dynamic nature of motion and existence, and in a tablet to the Zoroastrians, Bahá'u'lláh says that fire is a symbol of the Primal Will personified in the Manifestations. This paper explores such symbolism in the Gathas.
  5. Bahá'u'lláh. Days of Remembrance: Selections from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh for Bahá'í Holy Days (2017). Forty-five selections revealed for, or relating to, nine Bahá’í Holy Days.
  6. Hui Bau. Demystifying Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet of the Holy Mariner: History, Translations, Interpretations and Analysis (2016). Lengthy compilation, with background information on the Tablet, and commentary from Bau, Adib Taherzadeh, Michael Sours, Jamsheed Samandari, and Aziz Mboya.
  7. Hui Bau. Demystifying Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet of the Temple (Súratu'l-Haykal) (2018). Background of the Suriy-i-Haykal: historical context and verses primarily from the first half of the surih, which feature the themes of the Body and Letters of the Temple, and Bahá’u’lláh’s introductory dialogues with two heavenly Maidens.
  8. John Walbridge. Erotic Imagery in the Allegorical Writings of Baha'u'llah (1997). Mystical symbolism in early Bahá'í poetry.
  9. Mark A. Foster. Father and the Maiden, The: The Abrahamic Patriarchate and the Divine Feminine (1999). While the outward structure of the Bahá'í Faith may be patriarchal, the spirit of the age is expressed in the divine feminine. 
  10. Lil Osborn. Female Representations of the Holy Spirit in Bahá'í and Christian writings and their implications for gender roles (1994). A response to feminist theologian Mary Daly's argument that a male representation of God reinforces patriarchy with the suggestion that sexual equality is independent of, and unrelated to, gender images of the Divine.
  11. Paula A. Drewek. Feminine Forms of the Divine in Bahá'í Scriptures (1992). Examples of the interaction between male and female principles in the writings. Complementarity of masculine and feminine images of divinity enriches our understanding of the divine–human encounter, but does not supplant the unity or unknowability of God.
  12. Daryl Lowery. Hidden Words: Allusion to Progressive Revelation in Persian HW #77 (1999). Student paper, exploring one of the longest and more mystical Hidden Words.
  13. Michael W. Sours. Immanence and Transcendence in Theophanic Symbolism (1992). Bahá'u'lláh uses symbols to depict theophanies — the appearance of God and the divine in the realm of creation — such as "angel," "fire," and the prophets' claims to be incarnating the "face" or "voice" of God; these convey the transcendence of God.
  14. Ross Woodman. "In the Beginning Was the Word": Apocalypse and the Education of the Soul (1993). Hidden meanings in scripture and the soul are metaphorically identified with the huris, or brides. The bridegroom, Bahá'ulláh, enters union as the marriage of the Manifestation with the Maid of Heaven, who releases the Logos and the newly created soul.
  15. Mohamad Ghasem Bayat. Introduction to the Súratu'l-Haykal (Discourse of The Temple), An (2001). One of Bahá’u’lláh's major writings. It includes references to the manifold stations of the Manifestation of God; God's promise to create a race of men to support His Cause; and the power of this revelation.
  16. John S. Hatcher. List of Articles on BahaiTeachings.org (2021). List of online essays and articles by Dr. John Hatcher.
  17. Báb, The, Bahá'u'lláh, Shoghi Effendi, Universal House of Justice. Anonymous, comp. Maid of Heaven, The: A Personal Compilation (2020). Compilation of texts related to the Maid of Heaven, a personification of the “Most Great Spirit."
  18. Michael W. Sours. Maid of Heaven, the Image of Sophia, and the Logos, The: Personification of the Spirit of God in Scripture and Sacred Literature (1991). The Logos in Christianity and the Maiden for Bahá'u'lláh can be equated as one and the same eternal reality; the divine image of wisdom in Proverbs; Sophia and Logos are combined in the feminine personification of the Most Great Spirit.
  19. Ross Woodman. Metaphor and the Language of Revelation (1997). To enter the realm of metaphor as the language of the soul is to come into direct contact with the Word as the originating power of creation.
  20. Sandra Lynn Hutchison. O Pen!: Reflections on Suriy al-Qalam (Surih of the Pen) (2017 Autumn). On the background and themes of Bahá'u'lláh's tablet about the inception of his revelation and the assumption of his prophetic mission. Essay published in online art magazine e*lix*ir.
  21. Bahá'u'lláh. Juan Cole, trans. Ode of the Dove (1997). Translation of Qasídiy-i- Varqá'íyyih.
  22. Christopher Buck. Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Bahá'í Faith (1999). Study of Bahá'í and Christian symbology, the "first academic monograph comparing Christianity and the Bahá'í Faith."
  23. Ismael Velasco. Prolegomenon to the Study of Babi and Baha'i Scriptures, A: The Importance of Henry Corbin to Babi and Baha'i Studies (2004). On the foremost Western authority on the Islamic philosophy of Persia, one of the most influential Islamicists of the 20th century, whose work is uniquely relevant in understanding the philosophical context for the emergence of the Bábí Faith.
  24. Peyman Sazedj. Provisional Translations of Selected Writings of the Báb, Baháʼuʼlláh, and ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (2009-2011). Twenty-four translations from 2009, 2010, and 2011 copied from the defunct website peyman.sazedj.org.
  25. Alison Marshall. Revelation in the Voices of Baha'u'llah (1999-06). Paper examines how the process of revelation can be understood by examining how ordinary human beings create speech and write, and explores the voices Bahá'u'lláh uses in six of his mystical works.
  26. Ross Woodman. Role of the Feminine in the Bahá'í Faith, The (1995). On the terms 'Masculine' and 'Feminine' as referring to 2 interdependent energies at work within the Manifestation of God and throughout creation, including the human individual; the important role of the 'Feminine' principle in the Bahá’í Faith.
  27. Marion Woodman. Role of the Feminine in the New Era, The (1989). The  unveiled feminine, symbolized by the unveiling of the Persian poet Táhirih at the conference of Badasht in 1848, announces a long-awaited coming of age or psychic integration.
  28. Todd Lawson. Seeing Double: The Covenant and the Tablet of Ahmad (2005). The Tablet of Ahmad is believed to have special potency. "Seeing double" means both looking at the words of Scripture, and looking in the direction beyond the words, as indicated by the context. This paper also discusses the meaning of Covenant in Islam.
  29. Ismael Velasco, Julio Savi. Sprinkling from a Cloud (Rashh-i-Amá): Wilmette Institute faculty notes (1999).
  30. Universal House of Justice. Station of Bahá'u'lláh and the Significance of His Revelation, The (1992-10-15). As the soul is a mystery that the human mind cannot unravel, even more ineffable is the nature of the Manifestations of God, the relationships between them, and their relationship to God.
  31. Christopher Buck. Symbolic Profile of the Bahá'í Faith, A (1998). A “symbolic profile” of Bahá’í consciousness as shaped by the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ancillary texts: Ninian Smart’s dimensional model of religion is used to order and classify the symbols, together with insights from Sherry Ortner & John Wansbrough.
  32. Universal House of Justice. Tablet of Ahmad and Tablet of the Holy Mariner (1996-12-02). Date of publications of translations of the Tablet of Ahmad and the Tablet of the Holy Mariner.
  33. Bahá'u'lláh. John Walbridge, trans. Tablet of the Deathless Youth (Lawh-i-Ghulamu'l-Khuld) (1996).
  34. Bahá'u'lláh. Juan Cole, trans. Tablet of the Holy Mariner (1999). Provisional translations of both the Persian and Arabic sections of Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet of the Holy Mariner.
  35. Bahá'u'lláh. Shoghi Effendi, trans, Mehran Ghasempour, trans. Tablet of the Holy Mariner (1924/2002). Complete tablet, both the Arabic (official translation) and the Persian (provisional translation) sections.
  36. Aziz Mboya. Tablet of the Holy Mariner (Lawh-i-Malláhu'l-Quds): Study Compilations (2000/2021). Includes a provisional translation of the Persian part of this Tablet, and. two compilations on the Lesser prophets, and mini-compilations on 82 topics: "angels," "apostles," "balance," "clouds," "Maid of Heaven," "trumpet," "Youth," etc.
  37. Jonah Winters. Tablet of the Holy Mariner (Lawh-i-Malláhu'l-Quds): Tablet study outline (1999).
  38. Michael W. Sours, Jonah Winters. Tablet of the Holy Mariner (Lawh-i-Malláhu'l-Quds): Wilmette Institute faculty notes (1999).
  39. Universal House of Justice. Tablet of the Maiden: Commentary on its translation (1997/1998). Two letters on the mystical/symbolic content of "Tablet of the Maiden," with comments on the translation by Juan Cole.
  40. John Walbridge. Tablet of the Temple (Súratu'l-Haykal) (1996).
  41. John Walbridge. Tablet of the Temple (Suratu'l-Haykal) (1999).
  42. Jonah Winters. Tablet of the Temple (Súratu'l-Haykal): Tablet study outline (1999).
  43. Bahá'u'lláh. Stephen Lambden, trans. Tablet of the Vision (1999).
  44. Bahá'u'lláh. Juan Cole, trans. Tablet of Vision (1996). Translation of Lawh-i-Ru'yá.
  45. Universal House of Justice. Tablet to Amir Khan and Tablet of the Holy Mariner (1996/2001/2007). Three letters about Abdu'l-Bahá'ís Tablet to Amír Khán; one letter about the Tablet of the Holy Mariner, the "Call of God," and Native American Prophets; short note from David Ruhe about Deganawida.
  46. Moojan Momen. Two Episodes from the Life of Bahá'u'lláh in Iran (2019). Regarding the conference of Badasht and Baha'u'lláh's arrival at the shrine of Shaykh Tabarsi, and on His experience in the Siyah Chal, close attention to the text of two Tablets leads to conclusions that differ from current Bahá'í history books.
  47. John S. Hatcher. Unveiling the Huri of Love (2005). Three versions of this paper: Powerpoint presentation, audio file, and published article.

2.   from the Chronology (3 results; less)

  1. 1852-10-00 —
      Bahá'u'lláh had a vision of the Maiden, who announced to Him that He was the Manifestation of God for this Age. [BBD142–3, 212; BKG823 ESW11–12, 21 GPB101–2; KAN62]

    • "While engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet voice, calling above My head. Turning My face, I beheld a Maiden-" [SLH5-6]
    • This experience compares to the episode of Moses and the Burning Bush, Zoroaster and the Seven Visions, Buddha under the Bodhi tree, the descent of the Dove upon Jesus and the voice of Gabriel commanding Muhammad to 'cry in the name of thy Lord'. [GPB93, 101]
    • The Báb repeatedly gave the year nine as the date of the appearance of 'Him Whom God shall make manifest'. The Declaration of the Báb took place in AH 1260; year nine was therefore AH 1269, which began in the middle of October when Bahá'u'lláh had been in prison for about two months. [CB46–7]
    • Subsequently in His Writings Bahá'u'lláh declared that He was the "Promised One" of all religions, fulfilling the messianic prophecies found in world religions. He stated that being several messiahs converging one person were the spiritual, rather than material, fulfilment of the messianic and eschatological prophecies found in the literature of the major religions. His eschatological claims constitute six distinctive messianic identifications: from Judaism, the incarnation of the "Everlasting Father" from the Yuletide prophecy of Isaiah 9:6, the "Lord of Hosts"; from Christianity, the "Spirit of Truth" or Comforter predicted by Jesus in His farewell discourse of John 14-17 and the return of Christ "in the glory of the Father"; from Zoroastrianism, the return of Shah Bahram Varjavand, a Zoroastrian messiah predicted in various late Pahlavi texts; from Shi'a Islam the return of the Third Imam, Imam Husayn; from Sunni Islam, the return of Jesus, Isa; and from the Bábí religion, He whom God shall make manifest.
    • While Bahá'u'lláh did not explicitly state Himself to be either the Hindu or Buddhist messiah, He did so in principle through His writings. Later, 'Abdu'l-Bahá stated that Bahá'u'lláh was the Kalki avatar, who in the classical Hindu Vaishnavas tradition, is the tenth and final avatar (great incarnation) of Vishnu who will come to end The Age of Darkness and Destruction. Bahá'ís also believe that Bahá'u'lláh is the fulfilment of the prophecy of appearance of the Maitreya Buddha, who is a future Buddha who will eventually appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure Dharma. Bahá'ís believe that the prophecy that Maitreya will usher in a new society of tolerance and love has been fulfilled by Bahá'u'lláh's teachings on world peace. [Bahaipedia]
    • See P&M195-196 (1969), 298-299 (1987) where states, "...the First Call gone forth from His lips than the whole creation was revolutionized, and all that are in the heavens and all that are on earth were stirred to the depths". What was "the First Call"?. See GPB121, "These initial and impassioned outpourings of a Soul struggling to unburden itself, in the solitude of a self-imposed exile (many of them, alas lost to posterity) are, with the Tablet of Kullu't-Tá'am and the poem entitled Rashh-i-'Amá, revealed in Ṭihrán, the first fruits of His Divine Pen."

        "While engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet voice, calling above My head. Turning My face, I beheld a Maiden—the embodiment of the remembrance of the name of My Lord—suspended in the air before Me. So rejoiced was she in her very soul that her countenance shone with the ornament of the good pleasure of God, and her cheeks glowed with the brightness of the All-Merciful. Betwixt earth and heaven she was raising a call which captivated the hearts and minds of men. She was imparting to both My inward and outer being tidings which rejoiced My soul, and the souls of God's honoured servants.

        Pointing with her finger unto My head, she addressed all who are in heaven and all who are on earth, saying: By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend not. This is the Beauty of God amongst you, and the power of His sovereignty within you, could ye but understand. This is the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of God and His glory unto all who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if ye be of them that perceive. This is He Whose Presence is the ardent desire of the denizens of the Realm of eternity, and of them that dwell within the Tabernacle of glory, and yet from His Beauty do ye turn aside." Súriy-i-Haykal para 6-7; SLH5-6

    • See Two Episodes from the Life of Bahá'u'lláh in Iran (2019) pp12-20 by Moojan Momen for an analysis of the provisional translation of a Tablet of Bahá'u'lláh. His interpretation is as follows: As a child Bahá'u'lláh read a story of the sufferings and unjust killing of the Banú Qurayza tribe in the time of Muhammad. It filled Him with such sorrow that He beseeched God to bring about what would be the cause of love and harmony among the people for the world. While imprisoned in the Siyáh Chál, He had an experience that caused great turmoil within Him and elevated His spiritual state. The duration of this state is considered as the beginning of His mission as a Manifestation of God and occurred over a twelve day period from 2 Muharram to 13 Muharram 1269, which equates to 16 October to 27 October 1852 A.D. It was after this that He began to reveal verses. Later He openly manifested Himself in the Garden of Ridván in Baghdad. Finally He revealed the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and then a series of Tablets such as Ishráqát, Tajalliyyát, the Tablet of the World and the Book of the Covenant in which he gave all of the guidance necessary to eliminate the causes of suffering, distress, and discord and to bring about unity and fellowship, thus fulfilling what He had longed for in His childhood.
  2. 1860-00-00 —
      Of the Suratu'l-Bayan (The Epistle of Utterance) it is written: "This highly eloquent and challenging treatise highlights some key spiritual verities from Bahá'u'lláh's teachings. Written entirely in the Arabic language, its timeless message is primarily addressed to the generality of His faithful followers. " [BBS124-131]

      In this Tablet the Maiden appears as the personification of the spirit of God. The Maiden has emerged from her hidden chamber symbolizes the appearance of Bahá'u'lláh's revelation in the world, and her afflictions mirror that of Bahá'u'lláh's. In the Surah of the Bayan Bahá'u'lláh identifies with Himself a passage in the Qayyumu'l-Asma in which the Báb had referred to "the Maid of Heaven begotten by the Spirit of Baha" (SWB:54).

    • In all likelihood this treatise was revealed during the in Baghdad during the visionary, allegorical period of His Writings, however the manner in which Bahá'u'lláh refers to the "Maiden" is in keeping with the style of the Akka period.
    • Portions of this treatise can be found in Gleanings CXXIX, CXXVIII, And CXLV.
  3. 1873-03-01 — Bahá'u'lláh revealed the Tablet of the Vision, "Lawh-i-Rú'yá" in Arabic. See the Provisional Translation by Stephan Lambden.
 
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