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Few honours can be greater than receiving the visit of a member, past or present, of the
Universal House of Justice. Mr. Ali Nakhjavani, whose service as a member of this beloved institution spans 40 years back to its
creation in 1963, has taken advantage of his recent retirement to travel, meeting Bahá'ís throughout the world and giving talks, notably the keynote
address at this year's Association for Bahá'í Studies conference in Calgary.
It was the unquestioned love for the Canadian Bahá'í community that led
him and his wife, Violette Nakhjavani, author and long-time companion of 'Amatu'l-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum, back to meet us in Montreal,
the city once blessed by the footsteps of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Both spoke at length, but seemingly not long enough. Mr. Nakhjavani spoke about the blessings that
have been showered upon Canada, particularly Quebec (among others, being the home of North America's only Bahá'í martyr, May Maxwell),
and the four important topics of
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Detachment,
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Teaching,
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Steadfastness in the Covenant, &
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Living the Bahá'í life. (read flower/ray
commentary)
Mrs. Nakhjavani's address centered on 'Amatu'l-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum, her life with Shoghi Effendi, her personality, her humility and selflessness, and her great love
for French Canadians and the Native peoples of Canada, both of whom she paid special attention to whenever she returned to visit Canada.
The audience left the Bahá'í centre that evening with an undeniable feeling of appreciation for the bounty and
privilege given them, to have
played host to such deeply inspiring speakers. But they also left with questions:
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How detached am I from this material, mortal world?
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Am I striving
day by day to observe the fundamental laws of the Faith – obligatory prayer, reading the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh morning and evening?
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What am I
doing with my life?
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Will I look back at the end and regret the things I've left undone?
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What if I resolve to arise and teach the Cause, seeking
divine confirmations every step of the way?
MartinsQuest.com warmly invites you, as you enjoy the pictures taken at this uniquely uplifting talk, to
ponder these questions, perchance to
capture that rarefied atmosphere of spirituality, warmth and loving grace showered upon us that night.
(Above script prepared by
Dan Jones)
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