| (ḥúrí, or houri; literally, white one). A houri, according to Islam one of the maidens dwelling in paradise who would consort with the souls of the blessed. |
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| In Bahá'u'lláh's writings the houri, often described as clothed in white, is used as a symbol of the Spirit of God, a personification of the Spirit which descended upon Bahá'u'lláh. It was in the Síyáh-C̲h̲ál prison in Tehrán that the Holy Spirit first appeared to Him in the form of a maiden; '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 shown 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 honored 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."'2 |
| [BD 142] |
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| In the Bahá'í
Faith, the symbol of the Most Great Spirit, respectively symbolized in the Zoroastrian,
the Mosaic, the Christian and Muḥammadan Dispensations by the Sacred Fire, The Burning Bush, the Dove and the Angel Gabriel.
(GPB 101; 121). |
| [BG 30] |
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| See also: |
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