| 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] |
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| Religion and philosophy |
- Nine, as the highest single-digit number (in base ten), symbolizes completeness in the Bahá'í Faith. In addition, the word Bahá' in the Abjad notation has a value of 9, and a 9-pointed star is used to symbolize the religion.
- The number 9 is revered in Hinduism and considered a complete, perfected and divine number because it represents the end of a cycle in the decimal system, which originated from the Indian subcontinent as early as 3000 BC.
- In Buddhism, Gautama Buddha, was believed to have nine virtues, which he was (1) Accomplished, (2) Perfectly Enlightened, (3) Endowed with knowledge and Conduct or Practice, (4) Well-gone or Well-spoken, (5) the Knower of worlds, (6) the Guide Unsurpassed of men to be tamed, (7) the Teacher of gods and men, (8) Enlightened, and (9) Blessed.
- Important Buddhist rituals usually involve nine monks.
- The first nine days of the Hebrew month of Av are collectively known as "The Nine Days" (Tisha HaYamim), and are a period of semi-mourning leading up to Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of Av on which both Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed.
- Nine is a significant number in Norse Mythology. Odin hung himself on an ash tree for nine days to learn the runes.
- The Fourth Way Enneagram is one system of knowledge which shows the correspondence between the 9 integers and the circle.
- In the Christian angelic hierarchy there are 9 choirs of angels.
- Ramadan, the month of fasting and prayer, is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
- Tian's Trigram Number, of Feng Shui, in Taoism.
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| [ Wikipedia - 9 ] |
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| Mit̲h̲qál in the Glossary in the Kitab-i-Aqdas reads: |
A unit of weight, equivalent to a little over 3 1/2 grammes, used in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas with reference to quantities of gold or silver for various purposes, usually in amounts of 9, 19 or 95 mithqáls.
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| [ABG] |
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| The year 9 should be stressed this year, stressed and stressed. We should be meditating and thinking of the fate of Bahá'u'lláh in the Siyah-Chal. We have to know about it to think about it. We should study it in "God Passes By", "The Epistle," Nabil's narrative, "Some Answered Questions" and the "Íqán". |
| We must know our basic books thoroughly, not superficially, reading them and considering them studied. Everyone should know thoroughly the New Era, Some Answered Questions, Íqán, Epistle and Gleanings. |
| We should know the significance of the year 9. The prophecy in the Bible of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Woes. Bahá'u'lláh kept His mission a secret for ten years. During that time He poetry alluding to His Mission. There are many odes in Persian and Arabic which have not yet been translated. Nabil refers to the Odes. "The Sweet Scented Streams", was revealed in Kurdistan. |
| The Luminous Maided (p. 101 "God Passes By") the symbol of religion in the highest form, to Moses it was the burning bush, Christ the Dove, and the Angel Gabriel to Muḥammad. |
| Shoghi Effendi referred to the cable sent to America which appeared in the Bahá'í News where he likened the "Tree" to an "Olive Tree". He said the tree of 6,000 years started with Adam, the last of Many Adams, it grew in Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhamad. The tree, like an olive tree, yielded its fruit in the Báb, in His martyrdom it was crushed by the mill of adverstiy. The oil from this crushed fruit made the light which appeared 10 years later in the Siyah-Chal. It ignited in a flicker in the darkest dungeon, it was clouded over for 10 years and when it reached the land of mystery, Adrianople, it became more radiant, it became a crystal. For 40 years it only showed its light in ten countries. After that it spread to the west. (See Chapter on Birth of the Bahá'í Revelation in "God Passes By"). |
| The growth of the Cuase was by diffusion, Machinery and will be suffusion. This, he said, must be taught in the Summer Schools. The Machinery will continue throughout the formative years after the 10-year crusade. |
| This began with Adam and ends with the Golden Age. There will be great reaction in favor of the Faith and great destruction but we are not concerened with the catastrophe but only with the 10-year crusade. He emphasized the necessity of teaching about the Birth and Growth of the Faith now and the understanding and teaching of the significance of the year 9. He told us that when Ruhiyyih Khanum read this at the Dedication of the Temple it would be the most solemn moment of the entire time. We are celebrating the birth of the light of God. We are not only to charm the Bahá'ís by speaking of this, but to convince the non-Bahá'ís with the explanation of the year 9. |
PILGRIM NOTES OF MARGUERITE R. SEARS
Haifa, Israel, Feb.26 to March 8, 1953.
(Dated Collection, 1953 Feb 26-Mar 8, Marguerite Sears) |
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