The year 2013 marks the hundredth anniversary of ‘Abdu’l- Bahá’s return to the Holy Land from His historic trip to Egypt and the West. He left Haifa for Egypt in September 1910 and returned there three years later. The person “invested … with the responsibility” to attend “to the multitudinous details arising out of His protracted absence from the Holy Land” was His honoured sister, Bahíyyih Khánum, [2] the Greatest Holy Leaf. In the words of Shoghi Effendi: “At the time of His [‘Abdu’l- Bahá’s] absence in the western world, she was His competent deputy, His representative and vicegerent, with none to equal her” [3].
The centenary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s return to the Holy Land after His protracted absence coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Universal House of Justice. As we gather to celebrate these landmarks, we take time to ponder upon the life of a most remarkable woman in the history of religion, focus attention on the outstanding services she rendered and on the significance of the site Shoghi Effendi chose for her burial place. It was his choice of a specific spot on Mount Carmel that determined the location of the Arc, around which are built the institutions of the world administrative centre of the Faith, the Seat of the Universal House of Justice occupying its centre top.
- Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani (‘The Greatest Holy Leaf’s
unparalleled role in religious history and the significance of the Arc, the
site of her resting place;pPresented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #121
[English], Louhelen Bahá'í Center: Davison, Michigan, USA, October 10–13, 2013
published in Lights of Irfan, volume 15)
[1] ‘BAHÍYYIH KHÁNUM’, A compilation from Bahá'í sacred
texts and writings of the Guardian of the Faith and Bahíyyih Khánum's own
letters, made by the Research department at the Bahá'í World Centre
[2] The name engraved on the seal, with which the Greatest
Holy Leaf sealed her letters, is Bahá’íyyih. This may be the reason the Iranian
friends refer to her as Bahá’íyyih Khánum and, as a sign of respect, do not use
it to name their daughters. In his messages to the western friends Shoghi
Effendi used Bahíyyih as the Greatest Holy Leaf’s name, probably because it is
easier to pronounce and is used as a proper noun. Bahá’íyyih and Bahíyyih are
derivatives of the Arabic root Bahá’, which means “glory.”
[3] ‘BAHÍYYIH KHÁNUM’, A compilation from Bahá'í sacred
texts and writings of the Guardian of the Faith and Bahíyyih Khánum's own
letters, made by the Research department at the Bahá'í World Centre