`Abdu'l-Bahá
The "Servant of Bahá", Abbás Effendi (1844-1921), the eldest son and
appointed Successor of Bahá'u'lláh, and the Centre of His
Covenant.
Abjad
The ancient Arabic system of allocating a
numerical value to letters of the alphabet, so that numbers may be represented
by letters and vice versa. Thus every word has both a literal meaning and a
numerical value.
Báb, The
Literally the "Gate", the title
assumed by Mírzá `Alí-Muhammad (1819-1850) after the Declaration of His Mission
in Shíráz in May 1844. He was the Founder of the Bábí Faith and the
Herald of Bahá'u'lláh.
Bahá
Bahá means Glory. It is the
Greatest Name of God and a title by which Bahá'u'lláh is designated. Also, the
name of the first month of the Bahá'í year and of the first day of each Bahá'í
month.
Bahá'u'lláh
The "Glory of God", title of Mírzá
Husayn-`Alí (1817-1892), the Founder of the Bahá'í
Faith.
Bayán
The Bayán ("Exposition") is the title given by
the Báb to His Book of Laws, and it is also applied to the entire body of His
Writings. The Persian Bayán is the major doctrinal work and principal repository
of the laws ordained by the Báb. The Arabic Bayán is parallel in content but
smaller
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and less weighty. References in the annotations to subjects found
in both the Persian Bayán and the Arabic Bayán are identified by use of the term
"Bayán" without further qualification.
Huqúqu'lláh
The
"Right of God". Instituted in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, it is an offering made by the
Bahá'ís through the Head of the Faith for the purposes specified in the Bahá'í
Writings.
Mashriqu'l-Adhkár
Literally "the
Dawning-place of the praise of God", the désignation of the Bahá'í House of
Worship and its dependencies.
Mithqál
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. The equivalents of these in the metric
system and in troy ounces (which are used in the measurement of precious
metals), are as follows:
9 mithqáls = 32.775 grammes = 1.05374
troy ounces
19 mithqáls = 69.192 grammes = 2.22456 troy ounces
95
mithqáls = 345.958 grammes = 11.12282 troy ounces
This computation
is based on the guidance of Shoghi Effendi, conveyed in a letter written on his
behalf, which states "one mithqál consists of nineteen nákhuds.
The weight of twenty-four nákhuds equals four and three-fifths grammes.
Calculations may be made on this basis." The mithqál traditionally used
in the Middle East had consisted of 24 nákhuds but in the Bayán this was
changed to 19 nákhuds and Bahá'u'lláh confirmed this as the size of the
mithqál referred to in the Bahá'í laws (Q and A 23).
Nákhud
A
unit of weight. See "mithqál".
Qayyúmu'l-Asmá
The
Báb's commentary on the Súrih of Joseph in the
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Qur'án. Revealed in 1844, this work is characterized by
Bahá'u'lláh as "the first, the greatest, and mightiest of all books" in
the Bábí Dispensation.
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
(1897-1957), Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921-1957. He was the eldest
grandson of `Abdu'l-Bahá and was appointed by Him as the Head of the
Faith.
Síyáh-Chál
Literally "the Black Pit". The
dark, foul-smelling, subterranean dungeon in Tihrán where Bahá'u'lláh was
imprisoned for four months in 1852.