Note 137

137. the Most Great Name # 109

As explained in note 33, the Greatest Name of God can take various forms, all based on the word "&Baha". The &Baha'is in the East have implemented this injunction of the Aqdas by heading their wills with such phrases as "O Thou Glory of the All-Glorious", "In the name of God, the All-Glorious" or "He is the All-Glorious" and the like.

138. All Feasts have attained their consummation in the two Most Great Festivals, and in the two other

Festivals that fall on the twin days # 110

This passage establishes four great festivals of the &Baha'i year. The two designated by &Baha'u'llah as "the two Most Great Festivals" are, first, the Festival of &Ridvan, which commemorates &Baha'u'llah's Declaration of His Prophetic Mission in the Garden of &Ridvan in &Baghdad during twelve days in April/May 1863 and is referred to by Him as "the +P225 King of Festivals" and, second, the &Bab's Declaration, which occurred in May 1844 in &Shiraz. The first, ninth and twelfth days of the Festival of &Ridvan are Holy Days (Q and A 1), as is the day of the Declaration of the &Bab.

The "two other Festivals" are the anniversaries of the births of &Baha'u'llah and the &Bab. In the Muslim lunar calendar these fall on consecutive days, the birth of &Baha'u'llah on the second day of the month of &Muharram 1233 A.H. (12 November 1817), and the birth of the &Bab on the first day of the same month 1235 A.H. (20 October 1819), respectively. They are thus referred to as the "Twin Birthdays" and &Baha'u'llah states that these two days are accounted as one in the sight of God (Q and A 2). He states that, should they fall within the month of fasting, the command to fast shall not apply on those days (Q and A 36). Given that the &Baha'i calendar (see notes 26 and 147) is a solar calendar, it remains for the Universal House of Justice to determine whether the Twin Holy Birthdays are to be celebrated on a solar or lunar basis.