On January 19, 2000, Madame Ruhiyyih Rabbani, born as Mary Sutherland Maxwell, and affectionately known by the title Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum, passed away from this earthly plain. She was the Handmaiden of Glory; the beloved consort of Shoghi Effendi; his “shield”, his “helpmate”, and his “tireless collaborator”; a Hand of the Cause of God; and the…
From their earliest years, generations of Baha’is have prayed: “Make of me a shining lamp and a brilliant star.” Shining lamps and brilliant stars are only necessary, and only visible, in times of darkness. The women of Zanjan, a city in north-west Persia, who recognised the truth of the claim of the Bab, shone as…
Story by Sonjel Vreeland “Leonora, what are you waiting for? Go!” Those were the words of May Maxwell to Leonora Holsapple Armstrong. Leonora wanted to go pioneering to South America but her resolve weakened in the face of her friends’ and family’s concerns. Leonora, like Dorothy Baker, learned of the Baha’i Faith from her grandmother and…
Chinese businesswoman Zhang Xin is a billionaire who made much of her money in the real estate sector. She co-founded and served as the former CEO of SOHO China, a Chinese office building developer, along with her spouse Pan Shiyi. On September 7, 2022, she gave up her position as CEO in order to devote…
Lady Sara Louisa Blomfield Born: 1859 Death: December 31, 1939 Place of Birth: Ireland Location of Death: London, England Burial Location: Hampstead Municipal Cemetery, London, England Sara Louisa Blomfield was named Setareh (star) Khanum by ‘Abdu’l-Baha. She spent much of her life in London and accepted the Baha’i faith in 1907 making her the first Irish person to become a…
The year is 1922. In Karachi, the Islamic centre of British India, a 17-year-old woman is stepping up to the stage of the Town Hall when the audience rushes forward. Fearing for her safety, she retreats behind a curtain. It takes the mayor to reassure her that the people are simply keen to hear what…
Women have always played a pivotal role in space exploration. From key roles in sci-fi fantasy television shows and movies to real-life scientific heroines, the impact of women is undeniable, and we celebrate it. Did you know that Star Trek® almost didn’t make the network? After a failed pilot, Lucille Ball not only advocated for a second pilot but…
Hazel Scott, the sole survivor of her parents’ seven children, loved the piano from the time she was a very young child. Her mother, Alma, practiced and taught piano in their home in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The sound was as much a part of the child as was her breathing. Later, Hazel would call…
“Oh what an enormous duck! Oh what a wonderful duck! How splendid was this great big glorious duck!” Clara Dunn was present on the occasion that Abdu’l-Baha recounted a story of a person who spoke in such a manner. Her humility and spiritual receptivity, combined with the fact that the Master was looking directly at…
“The world of humanity has two wings—one is women and the other men,” wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible.” In this small selection of passages and quotations, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains how human success and prosperity is dependent on the achievement of…
