The Twin Holy Birthdays:Bringing two calendars

together The BThe Bááb: 1 Muharram, 1819b: 1 Muharram, 1819

BahBaháá'u'll'u'llááh: 2 Muharram, 1817h: 2 Muharram, 1817

Prepared for the Wilmette Institute by Nicola Daniels – 5 Rahmat/Mercy 172 BE (28 July, 2015)

The Islamic lunar calendar has 12 months of 29 or 30 days.Each month starts on the birth of the new lunar cycle.Traditionally, this is based on actual witnessing of thecrescent marking the end of the previous lunar cycle.

The total number of days in a year is 354 or 355.

The Gregorian/Western/solar calendar has 12 months of30 or 31 days, with one month having 28 or 29 days.

The total number of days in a year is 365 or 366.

The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh were born Muslims, in a region

where the Islamic lunar calendar was and is used.

Quick Comparison of the Two Calendars

This means the Islamic/lunar year is shorterthan the Gregorian year by about 11 days.

Moon Phases (www.calculatorcat.com)

Day 1 Day 7-8 Day 15 Day 22-23

Day 29.5

2nd day after 1st New Moonin August 2015 ------->>>

Image: www.webexhibits.org/calendars/moon.html

NB: Depending on the time of daywhen the moon is new, the waxingcrescent may not be visible to thenaked eye until the 2nd day afterthat new moon.

Comparing the Birth-dates

The Báb was born on 1 Muharram, 1235 Hijri.The Gregorian date was October 21st, 1819.

Bahá'u'lláh was born 2 years earlier: 2 Muharram, 1233 Hijri.The Gregorian date was November 12th, 1817.

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar.It means forbidden and is called this because battle/

fighting is forbidden for Muslims during this month.

There are 22 days between October 21 and November 12, becauseeach year, the Islamic calendar slips behind the Gregorian calendar

by about 11 days, and there were 2 years between the two birthdays.

21 October 1819, when The Báb was born, was the 2nd day after the 8th new moon after Naw Ruz. The crescent

moon would have been first witnessed on this day.

new moonafter

Naw Ruz

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Moon phases for Tehran, 1819 (www.timeanddate.com)

12 November 1817, when Báhá'u'llah was born, was the 3rd dayafter the 8th new moon after Naw Ruz. The day before, the

crescent moon was first witnessed, and it was The Báb's birthday.

new moonafter

Naw Ruz

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Moon phases for Tehran, 1817

There are 30 days between 14 Oct and 13 November. This is the time it takesfor a full lunar cycle (new moon to new moon, or full moon to full moon) .

Spiritual Significance of Twin Birthdays

The Manifestations of God are often likened to perfect mirrors –intermediaries between the Sun of Truth (God) and humanity.

The appearance and reappearance of the moon each lunar cycle

is analogous to the birth, rise, and decline of the religion brought by each Manifestation of God to a

subsection of humanity.

Our moon, which reflects light from our sun, is analogous to theManifestation of God, Who reflects the Light of the Sun of Truth.

Religious prophecies such as found in the Revelation of John point to not one but two Manifestations destined to arise

contemporaneously, tousher in a world-embracing religion of peace, equality and

justice.

“I come quickly” (Revelation 3:11, 22:7,12, 20)

'Abdu'l-Bahá, in Some Answered Questions (p. 44), asserts that the three woes of Revelation Chapter 11 are Muhammad, The

Báb, and Bahá'u'lláh.

The fact that Báha'u'lláh's declaration of His mission, in 1863,

came so (relatively) 'quickly' after the declaration of The Báb,

in 1844, is one way in which this prophecy is fulfilled.The close proximity of the birthdays of the Twin Manifestations,at the start of the lunar cycle and at the beginning of the

Islamic Year, when fighting is forbidden, is perhaps another.

11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Moon phases for Tehran, 2015

The Twin Holy Days for 2015 will fall on November 13th and 14th, as these are the 1st and 2nd days after the 8th New Moon after Naw Ruz.

new moonafter

Naw Ruz

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Notice the new moon on Nov 11 is at 9:17 pm. Since the Bahá'í/Islamic day startsat sunset, the New Moon date is actually the 12th of November, not the 11th.

Why the 1st and not the 2nd day after New Moon?

***This is a personal interpretation***

Traditionally, the start of the month of Muharram has been decidedbased on actual witnessing of the crescent moon by the eye...

But, depending on the time of day when the new moon occurs, it may

be possible to see the crescent the 1st day after the new moon. And, thanks to science, we can know with

certainty that themoon is beginning to wax, even if we can't see it

yet!Most of all, thanks to the teachings of the Twin

Manifestations, we live by the light of the Spiritual Reality revealed by

Them, even if we don't fully understand the reasons for the laws/ordinances They brought.