Nabat: A Persian rock candy.
Nabil: Arabic, literally means: ‘noble’, ‘learned’; surname of Mulla Muhammad-i-Zarandi, who wrote the detailed history of the Babi Faith titled 'The Dawn-Breakers'.
Najaf: A city in south central Iraq that was the site of the martyrdom of the Imam 'Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad whom Shia Muslims believe to be the Prophet's rightful successor. The shrine of the Imam ‘Ali is a place of pilgrimage for Shiites, and the city itself is considered holy.
National Spiritual Assembly: The national administrative body in the Baha'i Faith, ordained in the Baha'i sacred writings, with authority over all activities and affairs of the Baha'i Faith throughout its area. Among its duties are to stimulate, unify, and coordinate the manifold activities of Local Spiritual Assemblies and of individual Baha'is within its jurisdiction. The members of National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world constitute the electoral college for the Universal House of Justice. At Ridvan 2002, there were 182 National or Regional Spiritual Assemblies.
Navvab: Literally ‘Grace’, ‘Highness’: A title of great courtesy and respect used by Persian noblemen for their wives. The title that Baha’u’llah addressed ‘Asiyih Khanum, His wife and mother of 'Abdu'l-Baha, Bahiyyih-Khaum, and Mirza Mihdi. Baha’u’llah designated her as the "Most Exalted Leaf" and His "perpetual consort in all the wor1d.s of God."
Naw-Ruz: Literally ‘New Day’; the Babi, Baha’i, Persian, and Zoroastrian New Year's Day. It occurs on the date of the vernal equinox, which, in the Northern Hemisphere, normally falls on 21 March but sometimes on 20 or 22 March. According to the Persian calendar, it is the day on which the sun enters Aries.
Nayriz: A town in southern Iran, near Shiraz. Two episodes occurring in Nayriz in the province of Fars in 1850 and 1853, in which a number of Babis were forced to take up defensive positions against much superior Government forces. In both cases they were defeated by betrayal, followed by torture and massacres and cruel treatment of their women and children.
Nineteen Day Feast: A Baha’i institution inaugurated by the Bab and confirmed by Baha’u’llah in the Kitab-i-Aqdas. It is held on the first day of every Baha’i month, each consisting of nineteen days and bearing the name of one of the attributes of God. The Nineteen Day Feast is the heart of Baha’i community life at the local level and consists of devotional, consultative, and social elements. It is the principal gathering in each local Baha'i community, every Baha'i month, for the threefold purpose of worship, consultation, and fellowship.
Niyavaran: A village north of Tehran, in which there is a royal residence.
Nudbih, Prayer of: A "Lamentation" of the Imam 'Ali.
Nugtih: “Point”
Nur: Literally ‘light’: A district of the province of Mazindaran in which Baha’u’llah’s ancestral home was located.
Ottoman Empire: The Turkish dynasty based in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) that ruled over regions including Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Arabia during the time of Baha’u’llah. The empire lasted from the decline of the Byzantine Empire in the fourteenth century until the establishment of Turkey as a republic in 1922. Two of its leaders, Sultan ‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz and Sultan ‘Abdu’l-Hamid II, were responsible for the imprisonment and banishment of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu'l-Baha in Constantinople, Adrianople, and Acre. Both leaders were eventually deposed.
Pahlavan: ‘Athlete,’ ‘champion.’ Term applied to brave and muscular men.
Paradise: A heavenly garden; a state of bliss. The Manifestation is "The Nightingale of Paradise"; His Revelation, "the rustling of the leaves of Paradise"; "the love of God" is itself Paradise.
Paran: Paran is a mountain range north of Sinai and south of Seir; all are sacred as places of revelation. Teman lies in northwest Edam, not far from Paran. See Habakuk 3:3. Moses himself uses "Paran" with special reference to Muhammad and "Seir" to Jesus Christ: "And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from His right hand went a fiery law for them." (Deut. 33:2). Here Moses foretells the coming of three revelations and three prophets after himself, the last being Baha'u'llah. Ishmael (Gen. 21:21) founded the Arabian peoples in Paran.
Pentateuch: Literally, "the fivefold volume," referring to the first five books of the Bible attributed to Moses.
People of Baha: Followers of Baha’u’llah
Pharaoh: The common title of the kings of Egypt. The Pharaoh of the oppression is usually held to be Ramesis II (about 1340 B.C.), and his son and successor Merenptah, the Pharaoh of the Exodus, but this is highly uncertain and the birth of Moses is dated as early as 1520 B.C.
Philosopher's Stone: An imaginary substance which the alchemists formerly sought as a means of converting baser metals into gold.
Phoenix: A bird fabled to exist single, to be consumed by fire by its own act, and to rise again from its ashes.
Pioneer: Any Baha'i who arises and leaves his or her home to journey to another country for the purpose of teaching the Baha'i Faith. "Home-front pioneer" describes those who move to areas within their own country that have yet to be exposed to the Baha’i Faith or where the Baha’i community needs strengthening.
Pride of Martyrs: A title bestowed by Baha’u’llah on the seventeen-year-old youth heroically who delivered His tablet to Nasirid-Din Shah of Persia.
Primal Will: "The first thing which emanated from God is that universal reality . . . which the people of Baha call the 'First Will.'" (‘Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 237)
Prime mover of sedition: A reference to Mirza Muhammad-'Ali, a son of Baha’u’llah and younger half-brother of 'Abdu'l-Baha who attempted to subvert the provisions of Baha’u’llah’s written will and to seize leadership of the Baha’i community after the passing of Baha’u’llah
Promised Husayn: The prophesied return of the Imam Husayn anticipated in Shia Islam. Baha’is believe Baha’u’llah to be the fulfillment of that prophecy.
Promised One(s): A term used to refer to the Messenger(s) of God. Baha’is believe the Bab to be the Promised One of Islam (the Qa'im) and Baha’u’llah to be the Promised One of the Bayan and of all religions.
Prophet: The Baha'i writings allude to two distinct types of prophets, the Greater Prophets and the Lesser prophets. The Greater Prophets, also called Messengers or Manifestations of God, are the lawgivers and founders of a new religious cycle. The Lesser prophets are followers and promoters of the Greater Prophets and include such Old Testament prophets as Solomon, David, and Isaiah.
Purest Branch: A reference to Mrza Mihd, a son of Baha’u’llah. He served his Father as an amanuensis. He died in 1870 at the age of twenty-two after falling to his death in the Most Great Prison in ‘Akka.
Qaba: An ankle-length gown or caftan, open in front, and worn only by men.
Qa'im: Literally ‘He Who Arises’: The Promised One of Shi’ih Islam. A reference to the Twelfth Imam, the Mihdi, who was to return in the fullness of time and bring a reign of righteousness to the world. The Bab declared Himself to be the Qa’im and the Gate to a greater Messenger, "Him Whom God shall make manifest" -- Baha’u’llah.
Qadi: ‘Judge’: civil, criminal, and ecclesiastical
Qalyan: A pipe for smoking through water
Qayyum: Arabic, literally means: ‘Self-Subsisting, Self-existent, All-Compelling’: A term used in certain Islamic traditions in reference to the One who would come after the appearance of the Qa’im. Baha'is believe Baha’u’llah to be the Qayyum.
Qayyumu’l-Asma: One of the chief works of the Bab. A commentary on the Surih of Jospeh in the Qur'an, written by the Bab in 1844, and regarded by the Babis as in effect their Qur'an. (For an outline of its contents, see God Passes By, p. 23). It is the first work written by the Bab.
Qiblih: Arabic means ‘That which one faces; prayer-direction; point of adoration’; the direction to which the face must be turned in prayer; the focus to which the faithful turn in prayer. Qur'an, surih 2:136-145, establishes Mecca as the Qiblih for Muslims. The Qiblih for Baha’is is the Most Holy Tomb of Baha’u’llah at Bahji.
Quintessence: An imagined fifth "essence of heaven" in addition to the four elements of earth: hence, the last or highest essence of anything.
Qur'an: The Qur'an, Arabic, meaning "reading". It is the holy scriptures of the Muhammadan faith, revealed by Muhammad in Arabic language. The verses are built up into chapters called surihs. It contains 77,974 words and is slightly longer than the New Testament; it was composed over a period of 21 years. The whole book was not arranged until after the Prophet's death, but He is believed to have Himself divided the surihs and given most of them their present titles. Translation into English by G. Sale (1734) is the most authoritative. but that by J. M. Rodwell (Everyman's Series) is recommended as the best. See also A. J. Arberry, The Koran Interpreted.
Qurban: “Sacrifice”
Rasht: A city in the Province of Gilan in northerm Iran.
Rayy: An ancient city near which Tihran was built.
Regional Baha'i Council: An element of Baha'i administration between the local and national levels, established at the discretion of the Universal House of Justice in countries where the condition and size of the Baha'i community warrant. A means of decentralizing the work of the National Spiritual Assembly, a Regional Council may be formed either by election or by appointment, depending on local requirements and the condition of the Baha'i community. It provides for a level of autonomous decision making on both teaching and administrative matters. In some countries, State Baha'i Councils perform these tasks within specific civic jurisdictions.
Regional Spiritual Assembly: An institution identical in function to the National Spiritual Assembly but including a number of countries or regions in its jurisdiction, often established as a precursor to the formation of a National Spiritual Assembly in each of the countries it encompasses.
Revelation: The Unveiling by God to men of something which hitherto He had hidden from them. It generally include the laws, teachings and message of God transmitted through His Manifestations to humanity.
Rida: The Turk hired by Mirza Buzurg to seek out and kill Baha’u’llah. More than once Rida approached Baha’u’llah with the intention of taking His life, but each time he found himself overcome with fear and unable to carry out the task.
Ridvan: Arabic for “Paradise.” The annual Ridvan Festival, the holiest and most significant of all Baha'i festivals, commemorates Baha’u’llah’s declaration of His mission to His companions in the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad in 1863. It is a twelve-day period celebrated from 21 April to 2 May. During this time, Local and National Spiritual Assemblies are elected and, once every five years, the Universal House of Justice is elected.
Rik'ats: Prostrations
