Riḍván (; Bahá'í orthography: Rezván, ) is a twelve-day festival in the Bahá'í Faith commemorating Bahá'u'lláh's declaration that he was a Manifestation of God. In the Bahá'í calendar, it begins at sunset on the 13th of Jalál, which translates to the 20th or 21 April, depending on the date of the March equinox (exactly one month on the Gregorian calendar after the equinox). In 2026, it begins in the evening of 21 April. On the first, ninth and twelfth days of Ridván, work and school should be suspended.

Riḍwān is named for the Garden of Ridván, Baghdad, where Bahá'u'lláh stayed for twelve days after the Ottoman Empire exiled him from the city before he journeyed to Constantinople.

It is the holiest Bahá'í festival, and is also referred to as the "Most Great Festival" and the "King of Festivals".

History

Context

In 1844 Ali-Muhammad of Shiraz proclaimed that he was the Báb (Arabic for 'Gate'), after a Twelver Shi'i religious concept. His followers were therefore known as Bábís. The Báb's writings introduced the concept of "He whom God shall make manifest", a Messianic figure whose coming, according to Bahá'ís, was announced in the scriptures of all of the world's great religions.

Bahá'u'lláh claimed that his mission as the Promised One of the Báb, was revealed to him in 1852 while imprisoned in the prison known as the Black Pit of Qajar Iran.

Bahá'u'lláh's rising prominence in the city, and the revival of the Persian Bábí community, gained the attention of his enemies in the ulema and the Qajar government. They were eventually successful in having the Ottoman government summon Bahá'u'lláh from Baghdad to Istanbul.

Najibiyyih garden

thumb|Garden of Ridván, Baghdad

Before Bahá'u'lláh left for Constantinople, many visitors came to visit him. To allow his family to prepare for the trip, and to be able to receive all these visitors, he decided to move to the Garden of Ridwan across the Tigris from Baghdad. He entered the garden on 22 April 1863 (31 days after Nawrúz, which usually occurs on 21 March) accompanied by his sons ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, Mírzá Mihdí and Mírzá Muhammad ʻAlí, his secretary Mirza Aqa Jan, and some others, and stayed there for eleven days.

After he arrived in the garden, Bahá'u'lláh announced his mission and station for the first time to a small group of family and friends. The exact nature and details of Bahá'u'lláh's declaration are unknown. Bahíyyih Khánum is reported to have said that Bahá'u'lláh stated his claim to his son ʻAbdu'l-Bahá and four others. While some Bábís had come to the realization that Bahá'u'lláh was claiming to be the Promised One through the many remarks and allusions that he had made during his final few months in Baghdad, it appears that most other Bábís were unaware of Bahá'u'lláh's claim until a few years later while he was in Edirne. On the twelfth day of their stay in the garden, Bahá'u'lláh and his family left the garden and started on their journey to Constantinople.

The Festival of Ridván is observed according to the Bahá'í calendar, and begins on the thirty-second day of the Bahá'í year, which falls on 20 or 21 April. The festival properly starts at two hours before sunset on that day, which symbolises the time that Bahá'u'lláh entered the garden. On the first, ninth, and twelfth days, which are Bahá'í Holy Days, work is prohibited. Currently, the three holy days are usually observed with a community gathering where prayers are shared, followed by a celebration.

The festival is significant because of Bahá'u'lláh's private declaration to a few followers that he was "He Whom God shall make manifest" and a Manifestation of God, and thus it forms the beginning point of the Bahá'í faith as distinct from Bábism. It is also significant because Bahá'u'lláh left his house in Baghdad, which he designated the "Most Great House", to enter the Garden of Ridván. Bahá'u'lláh compares this move from the Most Great House to the Garden of Ridwan to Muhammad's Hijrah.

Furthermore, during Bahá'u'lláh's first day in the garden, he made three further announcements: (1) abrogating religious war, which was permitted under certain conditions in Islam and the Bábí faith; (2) that there would not be another Manifestation of God for another 1000 years; and (3) that all the names of God were fully manifest in all things.

Throughout his life, Bahá'u'lláh wrote several tablets and prayers on the occasion of Ridván, among which are the following.

  • (Tablet of the Maid of Heaven)
  • (Tablet of the Lover and the Beloved)
  • ( of the Pen)

These and several others are published in the volume titled Days of Remembrance.

Bahá'í elections

The Ridván period is also the time when Bahá'í elections for the local and national Spiritual Assemblies take place every year, as well as the election of the Universal House of Justice, every five years.

See also

  • Garden of Ridván, Akka

Notes and citations

Notes

Citations

References

Further reading

  • Baháʼí World Centre (2017). Days of Remembrance – Selections from the Writings of Baháʼu'lláh for Baháʼí Holy Days.
  • Related documents on Baháʼí Library Online
  • A compendium on Ridván