Pilgrimage

Consider thou the blessed, the divinely-revealed verse in which pilgrimage to the House is enjoined upon everyone.

Holy places are undoubtedly centres of the outpouring of Divine grace, because on entering the illumined sites associated with martyrs and holy souls, and by observing reverence, both physical and spiritual, one's heart is moved with great tenderness.

In the Bayan, the Báb enjoined the ordinance of pilgrimage once in a lifetime upon those of His followers who were financially able to undertake the journey. He stated that the obligation was not binding on women in order to spare them the rigours of travel.  Bahá’u’lláh likewise exempts women from His pilgrimage requirements. The Universal House of Justice has clarified that this exemption is not a prohibition, and that women are free to perform the pilgrimage.

The Lord hath ordained that those of you who are able shall make pilgrimage to the sacred House: Two sacred Houses are covered by this ordinance, the House of the Báb in Shiraz and the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad. Bahá’u’lláh has specified that pilgrimage to either of these two Houses fulfils the requirement of this passage (Q and A 25, 29). In two separate Tablets, known as Suriy-i-Hajj (Q and A 10), Bahá’u’lláh has prescribed specific rites for each of these pilgrimages. In this sense, the performance of a pilgrimage is more than simply visiting these two Houses. After the passing of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá designated the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh at Bahji as a place of pilgrimage. In a Tablet, He indicates that the "Most Holy Shrine, the Blessed House in Baghdad and the venerated House of the Báb in Shiraz" are "consecrated to pilgrimage", and that it is "obligatory" to visit these places "if one can afford it and is able to do so, and if no obstacle stands in one's way". No rites have been prescribed for pilgrimage to the Most Holy Shrine.

The Lord hath ordained that those of you who are able shall make pilgrimage to the sacred House, and from this He hath exempted women as a mercy on His part. He, of a truth, is the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous.

Therefore it beseemeth thee to meet thine obligation to the Right of God first, then to direct thy steps toward His blessed House. This hath been brought to thine attention as a sign of favour.

O thou herald of the Kingdom! Render thanks unto God that thou didst come to the Blessed Spot, didst lay thy head upon the Threshold of the Sacred Shrine, and didst make pilgrimage to the hallowed sanctuary round which circle in adoration the intimates of the spiritual realm. Thou didst gain admittance into the assemblage of the Merciful and didst enjoy communion with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Thou didst pass thy days in perfect fellowship and happiness, and thereafter wast thou granted permission to return, that … thou mightiest engage in service to the Kingdom, lead the people to the way of heaven, and guide them to the Lord of Hosts.

O thou pilgrim of the Sacred Dust! Render great thanks to God, the Most Glorious, the Lord Who hath guided thee unto this path and caused thee to enter the sanctuary of the All Knowing. Render thanks unto Him for having enabled thee to take shelter beneath His bountiful favour and attain that which is the hope and aspiration of the chosen ones of God.

Remember the saying: "Of all pilgrimages the greatest is to relieve the sorrow-laden heart."

You have asked about visiting holy places and the observance of marked reverence toward these resplendent spots. Holy places are undoubtedly centers of the outpouring of Divine grace, because on entering the illumined sites associated with martyrs and holy souls, and by observing reverence, both physical and spiritual, one’s heart is moved with great tenderness.

Assemblies get a new life and spirit when they come in touch with a pilgrim newly coming from a visit to the Sacred Shrines. The pilgrim can impart to those he meets some of the spirit he has obtained himself while kneeling in absorbed meditation and prayer at the Thresholds.

He instructed me to write that your visit and companionship with you in the vicinity of the illumined Holy Shrines were a cause of exceeding joy. There is no doubt that after this pilgrimage and your prayers for aid and grace at the sacred Threshold of the Abhá Beauty – the Point round which the concourse on high revolve – and the Shrines of the Báb, and of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, you will be privileged to render greater and more glorious services.

I wish you from all my heart the fullest success in your efforts to teach and spread our beloved Cause, and trust that you may some day undertake the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and visit the Bahá’í sacred Shrines and thus obtain a clearer vision of the mission and significance of the Faith.

May I again express his sincere hope that your long-cherished desire to visit the Holy Shrines may be fulfilled very soon, and that through this pilgrimage you may attain a renewed zeal and vigour, as well as a new vision of the task you are called upon to accomplish for the Faith in New-Zealand.

Pilgrimage – “A Journey made with the intention of visiting a shrine or holy place.”

For the purpose of pilgrimage, one person or a married couple may apply for pilgrimage on behalf of a family group comprising persons who are closely related to the applicant(s). However, once this application has been made, it is still possible to add one or more of the following family members to the request:

• Spouse (Bahá’í or non-Bahá’í);

• Bahá’í children and/or stepchildren under age 18;

• Non-Bahá’í children and/or stepchildren at any age;

• Bahá’í parent(s) 70 years of age or older;

• Non-Bahá’í parent(s) at any age

… to pray in the Shrines of the Central Figures of their Faith, to visit the places hallowed by the footsteps, sufferings and triumphs of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and to meditate in the tranquillity of these sacred precincts, beautified with so much loving care by our beloved Guardian.

Each pilgrim makes two pilgrimages in one: the pilgrimage of the head and the pilgrimage of the heart.

The first is the pilgrimage of the mind. Notes are taken of special information, new developments of the Faith, instructions from the Guardian to be applied to one's community or one's own self. This is the pilgrimage of "What the Guardian Said".

The second is the pilgrimage of the emotions: the sea that surges inside the pilgrim from the moment he or she catches the first glimpse of that glistening, golden dome. This is the warm flooding tide that soon will fill every empty inlet along the cold coastline of the spirit. This is the pilgrimage of joy, ecstasies, sorrows, shames, repentances and reformations that storm through one's being.

It is the first meeting with the Guardian, the first walk along the tile-red path that leads to the Shrine of the Báb, the moment that holy door is swung inward for the first time and you enter the presence of the gentle, lovable Báb, the very air of Whose Shrine throbs with the blood of the martyrs.

This is the pilgrimage of reunion with the welcoming arms of the beloved Master.

It is above all, the awe-stricken moment when the impure heart dares to present itself before that other sanctified spot where the Supreme Manifestation is enshrined: the pilgrimage of BahjÌ, Mazra'ih, Ridvan, the house at 'Akka, the prison cell, the sufferings, the triumphs that are relived again through the eyes of each pilgrim who looks upon this land so much beloved."

Economy was a very rigid principle with Shoghi Effendi and he had very stern ideas on money matters. He more than once refused to permit an individual to make the pilgrimage who he knew was in debt, saying he must first pay his debts.