Flowers of Faith

Baha'i

"Lay not any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you and, desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself"
Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah

Flower: Peach Rose

Sacred: Nine-pointed star

Mantra/Prayer: Daily Remembrance

(God is MOST GLORIOUS)

Flower:

Roses are frequently mentioned in the Baha’i writings. When Baha’u’llah (1817-1892 CE), founder of the Baha’i faith, describes roses, it is as though they are a source of divine inspiration. His metaphors encourage us to take in what roses have to offer - beauty, fragrance and pure energy - and to internalise it.
A garden full of roses embodies the Baha’i teachings on oneness, unity in diversity, and the love of God:
“Anyone who goes into a rose garden will see various roses, white, pink, yellow, red, all growing together and replete with adornment. Each one accentuates the beauty of the other. Were all of one colour, the garden would be monotonous to the eye. If they were all white or yellow or red, the garden would lack variety and attractiveness; but when the colours are varied, white, pink, yellow, red, there will be the greatest beauty. Therefore, I hope that you will be like a rose garden” Abdu’l-Baha (1844-1921 CE), eldest son and appointed successor of Baha’u’llah (The Promulgation of Universal Peace).

Sacred Symbol:

The sacred symbol in the middle of the painting is ‘The Nine-Pointed Star’, which Bahai’s have informally adopted for several reasons:
(i) The word Baha (Arabic for ‘Glory’) corresponds to the number nine in the Arabic system that assigns numerical values to letters;
(ii) Nine symbolises comprehensiveness and culmination, simply because it is the highest single digit number; and
(iii) Baha’i temples have nine sides, which symbolises the fact that everyone is welcome to come in and pray, regardless of what religious direction they come from

Mantra/Prayer:


Words surrounding the flower is Allah-u-Abha, translated as “God is MOST GLORIOUS” or “God the ALL-GLORIOUS”. One of the obligations Baha’u’llah set for his followers is to engage in a daily remembrance of repeating the phrase Allah-u-Abha 95 times.
In Baha’i writings, repeating this phrase allows a practitioner to establish a spiritual connection with the divine and become a channel of divine influence.