Your Father’s Dream

Thy Raven Hair floating upon the sea of creation

With hardly a ripple in their perfect formation.

Whilst they slept upon their beds You appeared.

The Day that many awaited and some feared.

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The Sun brilliantly reflected in those Perfect Strands.

The Divine Standard set by Your Almighty Commands.

I cling and hold to those black lines of true eternal care.

For I wish not to drift away uncertain how I shall fare.

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Yours is the truth of this Dawning; the movement of this Sea.

For here is the Ancient Covenant You made with all humanity.

Permit us to serve Thee by truly loving one another.

Bringing light, hope, and joy to all those who suffer.

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Carol Campbell

Written in honor of the bicentenary of Baha’u’llah’s Birth in 1817.

Below is the story of a dream His father had about his Son.

When Bahá’u’lláh was still a child, the Vazir, His father, dreamed a dream. Bahá’u’lláh appeared to him swimming in a vast, limitless ocean. His body shone upon the waters with a radiance that illumined the sea. Around His head, which could distinctly be seen above the waters, there radiated, in all directions, His long, jet-black locks, floating in great profusion above the waves. As he dreamed, a multitude of fishes gathered round Him, each holding fast to the extremity of one hair. Fascinated by the effulgence of His face, they followed Him in whatever direction He swam. Great as was their number, and however firmly they clung to His locks, not one single hair seemed to have been detached from His head, nor did the least injury affect His person. Free and unrestrained, He moved above the waters and they all followed Him.

The Vazir, greatly impressed by this dream, summoned a soothsayer, who had achieved fame in that region, and asked him to interpret it for him. This man, as if inspired by a premonition of the future glory of Bahá’u’lláh, declared: “The limitless ocean that you have seen in your dream, O Vazir, is none other than the world of being. Single-handed and alone, your son will achieve supreme ascendancy over it. Wherever He may please, He will proceed unhindered. No one will resist His march, no one will hinder His progress. The multitude of fishes signifies the turmoil which He will arouse amidst the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Around Him will they gather, and to Him will they cling. Assured of the unfailing protection of the Almighty, this tumult will never harm His person, nor will His loneliness upon the sea of life endanger His safety.”

That soothsayer was subsequently taken to see Bahá’u’lláh. He looked intently upon His face, and examined carefully His features. He was charmed by His appearance, and extolled every trait of His countenance. Every expression in that face revealed to his eyes a sign of His concealed glory. So great was his admiration, and so profuse his praise of Bahá’u’lláh, that the Vazir, from that day, became even more passionately devoted to his son. The words spoken by that soothsayer served to fortify his hopes and confidence in Him. Like Jacob, he desired only to ensure the welfare of his beloved Joseph, and to surround Him with his loving protection.

– Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated. and edited by Shoghi Effendi)