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LETTERS FROM THE GUARDIAN OF THE Bahá'í FAITH TO INDIVIDUAL BELIEVERS, GROUPS AND Bahá'í COMMUNITIES IN GERMANY AND AUSTRIA
Page 3It is with regret and sorrow that I enclose at least the long- protracted translations of `Abdu'l-Bahá'í answer to your letter. His sudden passing to the Great Beyond has plunged us all in profound grief and added heavily to our preoccupations and responsibilities. Happily, however, the full answer to your epistle, had been written, and signed by him many days before his passing and were it not for the desire to have it adequately rendered into English and French, it would have reached you far sooner than now. As I am not certain of your address at the present moment, I am enclosing a copy of the original text which bears his signature, hoping to forward the text as soon as I am assured of your true address.
I am sending, too, a copy of the English version to Mr. A. Isfahani, a Bahá'í friend of ours who, I understand, has had the pleasure and privilege of meeting you on more than one occasion, and who I am sure will submit it to you, should this letter fail to reach its destination.
The Bahá'ís the world over will be delighted to have copies of `Abdu'l-Bahá'í answer to your letter circulated amongst them as it is unique in many respects and much appreciated in its nature and comprehensiveness. I have refrained from giving them copies until I hear of your desire to do so.
Being a personal letter I thought it incumbent upon me to inform you and request you on this point.
My very best wishes and kind regards and hoping to hear from you soon,
I am yours very sincerelyThe beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
The glory of the All-Glorious rest upon them!His honor, Jinab-i 'Abdu'l-Husayn-i Avarih, fired with the spirit of service and teaching which the passing of our beloved Master has kindled in every heart, is proceeding to Europe and will visit every Bahá'í centre in that great continent, that he may with the aid of the many friends in those regions raise the Call of Ya-Baha'u'l-Abha and stimulate interest in the Cause of God. He is indeed qualified for such an eminent noble task and I am confident that by the Grace of God and with the whole-hearted assistance of the loved ones of `Abdu'l-Bahá, he may be enabled to promote far and wide the universal Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh.
His wide experience and familiarity with the various aspects of the Movement, his profound and extensive knowledge of its history; his association with some of the early believers, the pioneers and martyrs of the Cause will I am sure to appeal to every one of you and will serve to acquaint you still further with the more intimate and tragic side of this remarkable Movement.
May his sojourn in your country lend a fresh impetus to the onward march of the Cause in the West and arouse widespread interest in the history as well as the principles of the Bahá'í Movement!
6Euren schonen Brief vom 9. Kaul hat unser geliebter Huter, Shoghi Effendi erhalten und grosse Freude dadurch bekommen. Damit stromt die Liebe Gottes und der susse Duft Eurer Harmonie, Einigkeit, Aufrichtigkeit und Ergebenheit der Wohlfahrt der heiligen Sache.
Unser geliebter Huter hat mich beauftragt, diese Zeilen an Euch zu schreiben und seine Liebe und herzliche Grusse euch zu ubersenden. Er versichert Euch, dass er fur Euch am heiligen Grabe Unseres Geliebten, `Abdu'l-Bahás mit ganzem Herzen betet. Er erwartet immer gute Nachrichten von Eurem Wohlsein und von dem Fortschritte der heiligen Sache in Eurem Land.
Liebe Geschwister, die Angelegenheiten in meiner Heimat haben mich gezwungen, eine Reise nach Persien zu machen. Der geliebte Huter hat mir Urlaub dafur bewilligt. Ich verlasse Haifa binnen drei oder vier Tagen. Da wahrend meiner Abwesenheit von Haifa niemand hier ist, der Deutsch kann, sollen alle die Briefe und Nachrichten, die dem lieben Shoghi Effendi geschickt werden werden, auf Englisch geschrieben werden. Die heilige Familie lassen Euch auch herzliche Grusse.
Mit treuer Liebe, verbleibe ich immer, Euer ergebener Bruder in Seinem heiligen Namen und Dienste unsers geliebten Huter
My dearest friends:This is to assure you personally of my continued and earnest prayers for your happiness, welfare and spiritual advancement. The Esslingen friends are near and dear to my heart. I have great ad-
Page 6miration for their steadfastness, their love and devotion and cherish great hopes for their future. They are destined to achieve great things for our beloved Cause.
Always your true brother,With regard to your first question on alcohol and drinking Bahá'u'lláh fully aware of the great misery that it brings about, prohibits it as He expressly states that everything that takes away the mind or in other words makes one drunk is forbidden. The Master has promoted the same idea.
In connection with spiritualism, although the Master says that there is some element of truth in what some teach under the subject of auto-suggestion and others, spiritualism as such is not taught by the Bahá'í religion. Our Master has said that religion and true science must go together and most of these things have not been proved by science.
As to your third question Shoghi Effendi would like you to understand that when one believes in one to be divinely inspired and when one is convinced that he has a great mission to the world in his teachings, he must very naturally be ready to accept all that that world-teacher that divinely-inspired man says. It is with this view that he feels that a real Bahá'í would be one whop is convinced that Bahá'u'lláh was a world-teacher and a Messenger of God bearing to mankind a great Message, and would therefore be ready to accept all that Bahá'u'lláh has said and the same is true of the Master whom we believe to have been the great propounder of the Bahá'í teachings and the one through whom the Covenant of God was firmly established in the world.8
Page 7With regard to the differentiation between Bahá'í and Bahá'í friend. This differentiation was not one which Bahá'u'lláh and the Master firmly established but because there are so many people who are attracted to the Bahá'í Cause just as they are attracted to some society and people who have not developed spiritually to look at the world and the spiritual elements of life in the proper light that a Bahá'í would look at it, it has become a habit of differentiating between what you might call beginners in the Bahá'í Movement and those who have studied the Movement thoroughly and who know its teachings exactly and who understand the real spirit that is back of it all. You should not think, however, that a Bahá'í is one who is superior to a Bahá'í friend, but only that he has studied the Movement better and realizes well the great and divine spirit that is at the root of all Bahá'í teachings.
I hope that in spite of the briefness that has been necessary in answering your interesting questions, I have been able to explain to you properly the meaning of each answer. It is always through questioning and mature thought that we can arrive at the root of everything and in the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh there are so many things which though at present seemingly unnecessary will be of great necessity in the future development of mankind.
4 November 1926The wine mentioned in the Tablets has undoubtedly a spiritual mentioned in the Tablets has undoubtedly a spiritual meaning for in the book of Aqdas we are definitely forbidden to take not only wine, but every thing that deranges the mind. In poetry as a whole wine is taken to have a different connotation than the ordinary intoxicating liquid. We see it thus used by the Persian Poets such as Sa'di and 'Umar Khayam and Hafiz to mean that element which nears man to his divine beloved, which makes 9
Page 8him forget his material self so as better to seek his spiritual desires. It is very necessary to tell the children what this wine means so that they may not confuse it with the ordinary wine.
The books of laws or Aqdas has not yet been properly translated because as you mentioned we do not have any competent person for the work. When the Cause was first introduced to west one of the Arab friends made such an attempt but it was so misleading and confusing that the Master forbade any individual to make another trial. He said that it is the work of a group of competent translators and not of one person. Most of the important subjects mentioned there are, however, quite familiar to the friends through other tablets and there is no pressing need for such a work at present.
Your welcome letter, indicative of your perseverance in service, despite the great loss you have sustained, was a source of great comfort and strength to me. I hope and pray that your dear children will grow in spiritual understanding, wisdom and virtue and by their life, their conduct and future services to the Cause make the soul of their departed father radiant and joyous and prove a solace to your heart. Rest assured that you all occupy a warm and abiding place in my heart and are the object of my constant and fervent prayers at the holy Shrines.
9 November 1926He has great hopes for Germany. That country forms the center of a politically and socially troubled country; many an individual are weary of mere palliative measures. They desire a complete reform beginning with the heart and branching into all the different branches of activity.10
Page 9This is just a word that I wish to add in person, assuring you and the dear friends in Esslingen of my great love for you and my continued prayers for your welfare and spiritual advancement. I will tenderly remember you at the three holy Shrines and will supplicate for each of you Divine Guidance and Strength.
6 April 1928To the Friends gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Renftle[1]
[in Karlsruhe 11]He thanks you very much for your kind Naw-Ruz greetings and he is highly pleased to receive such a sweet message from his friends in Karlsruhe. He hopes and prays that the new Bahá'í year may be full of happiness and prosperity for you all, and may witness a great progress in the spread of the Bahá'í teachings in Karlsruhe.
You will surely make your best effort in that connection and Shoghi Effendi will pray that our dear and departed Master may help you and strengthen you. He will be always glad to hear from you and of your doings there and you should be happy to hold your meetings in such a beautiful home, the photograph of which you had sent. ...
My dear co-workers:I wish to add a few words in person and assure you of my keen pleasure in receiving your most welcome message, as well as of my prayers for your success and spiritual advancement. I trust that you may each grow to become a radiant star in the firmament of the
Page 10Cause and exemplify in your life and conduct the radiant spirit that animates the Faith.
Your true brother,Your kind words of New Year greetings to Shoghi Effendi has been received and it gave him much pleasure. He hopes that this coming year will bring to the Cause many spiritual victories, especially in Germany which stands as the heart of the present troubled Europe. If the banner of peace should not be raised in that continent, only God can foresee what will ensue, what calamities another war will bring, and what will happen to our present civilization.
Shoghi Effendi will remember you all in his prayers and ask for your divine guidance and help. ...
Dearly-beloved friends:I am deeply touched by your message and I wish to add these words in person as a token of my affection and prayers for you. The beloved of the Lord in Karlsruhe are dear and near to my heart. I long to hear from them, and to learn of the progress of their activities. May the Almighty guide their steps, cheer their hearts, deepen their understanding and enable them to fulfil their heart's desire.
Your true and loving brother,He hopes that your number may daily increase and include people of capacity and spiritual insight. It is true that the Cause in Germany has some difficult problems to solve and some differences to overcome, but these should merely arouse as to greater activity. The Cause ever since its inception has been confronting our faith and adding to our energy.
It is very necessary that we should endeavour to strengthen the National Assembly. Without it no unity and cooperation could be obtained throughout the country.
As you say in your letter private, informal gatherings held in homes where different friendly individuals are invited often give better result for only those who are really interested are attracted and then once attracted they could be traced and kept in touch.
8 June 1929The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout Europe.
Dearly-beloved friends:Dr. Yunis Khan Afrukhtih, an outstanding figure in the teaching and administrative activities of the believers in Persia, is proceeding to Europe in order to visit the Bahá'í centres and reinforce the bonds of Bahá'í fellowship that unite the East with the West. His mature experience, his wide knowledge of the state of affairs in Persia, his exemplary loyalty and devotion to the Cause, his ability and character eminently qualify him to undertake such a noble task, and I feel confident that his prolonged stay amongst 13
Page 12you will prove of the utmost benefit to the interests of our beloved Cause.
I urge every individual believer, and particularly every local Assembly, to endeavour to get into close touch with him, to obtain an insight into the material and spiritual conditions now prevailing in Persia and to seek a clearer understanding of the animating purpose, the distinguishing features and the moving history of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh.
May his deliberations and intimate companionship with you serve to draw closer the ties that bind the Eastern and Western sections of the Bahá'í World and prepare the way for the ultimate formation of that international body that must guard the unity, and reinforce the strength of the Bahá'í Faith.
Your true brother,Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated January 23rd 1929 and the enclosed photos of the friends in Rostock. Though your number is still very small yet we hope that through the Master's help and confirmation it will increase until it can in its turn radiate its light to regions around.
Shoghi Effendi will remember you in his prayers and ask for you divine guidance.
Yesterday one of our prominent Persian friends, Dr. Yunis Khan left for Europe. His main purpose is to visit the different centers in Germany and meet the friends. Through such travellers we hope the East and the West will become more closely united.14
Page 13I wish to assure you in person of my keen interest in your activities as well as of my fervent prayers for you, that the Beloved may guide your steps, cheer your heart and enable you to fulfil your most cherished desire.
Your true brother,Shoghi Effendi has been very glad to receive your letter of August and to learn of the visit of Dr. Yunis Khan and Mr. Fred. Kline. He is also very pleased to know that you have already chosen a plot of land for a Bahá'í home.
The Guardian has always wished to see Esslingen a great and flourishing Bahá'í center, just as our beloved Master always hoped that it may become. Of course you realize that perseverance, enthusiasm and a firm faith in the ultimate success of our Cause is necessary, and when we are assisted by the Almighty there can be no doubt that all our endeavours will be crowned with success.
Assuring you one and all of Shoghi Effendi's warm regards and of his prayers for you,
With the assurance of my deep affection and fervent prayers at the holy Shrines for you,
Your true brother,At this season of the year when Bahá'ís throughout the world are celebrating the Ridvan festivities and are renewing their determination to work and live under the banner of Bahá'u'lláh, Shoghi Effendi is very glad indeed to receive your message.
He wishes me to take the opportunity and assure you of his affection and also of his wish and prayers that you may strive unitedly for the progress of the Faith and its establishment in your land. He hopes that you will stand firm, unaffected by the dark forces around us, and that you will help to carry the message of Bahá'u'lláh far and wide.
...I will continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart. The tests and trials, through which you are passing, are for the good of our beloved Cause. Be happy and hopeful. `Abdu'l-Bahá will bless you a hundredfold for your perseverance and devoted efforts.
Your true brother,Shoghi Effendi ... is extremely appreciative of your desire to serve the Cause and help to spread its message of peace throughout the world, and sincerely hopes that the time would come when you would realize this hope and attain your heart's desire.
We are, however, told and urged by the Master to consult with our friends, especially the Assemblies, before we undertake any important decision in our life especially when the subject pertains 16
Page 15to any plan of service we have in mind. There are always so many circumstances to take into consideration. Personally Shoghi Effendi has no objection to any such plan of service but would much prefer to have you consider, in consultation with the friends, the subject from all its aspects, among others its financial one.
Meanwhile, Shoghi Effendi hopes that you will devote all your free time to the study of the Teachings, and at the same time help their spread in Germany. Europe with all its menaces of war surely needs the principles of the Cause that are the only foundations for a permanent establishment of peace.
8 April 1931Shoghi Effendi wishes me to ... express his great pleasure for the service you have been rendering the friends by visiting them and telling them of your experiences in Haifa. Those who are privileged to visit the shrines and obtain from it its life-giving spirit, should on their return home, diffuse it among the friends, gladden their heart and thus draw them nearer to the source of all blessing.
You mention in your letter that Mr. Herrigel is becoming conscious of the mistake he has made. He surely ought to have studied the true situation before taking sides and expressing his opinion. This is exactly what I wrote to him on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, but he was blinded by Mrs. White. Anyhow, Shoghi Effendi hopes that as time passes the truth that the Master's will encloses will more and more dawn upon him and make him repent for his past deeds.
Convey to the friends in Berlin the expression of my loving appreciation of their devoted endeavours for the promotion of our 17
Page 16beloved Cause. May the Beloved bless richly their efforts and enable them to fulfil their heart's desire.
10 September 1931 [1]In regard to your father's spiritual testament, which betrays on the part of the author an inadequate knowledge of the Bahá'í Faith, the Guardian feels that you should make it clear to all the inquirers that the late Dr. Forel, as many other persons who have embraced the Cause, did not have a complete understanding of the fundamentals of the Bahá'í religion. He was particularly interested in the social aspect of the Movement and owing to some psychological reasons he did not lay much emphasis on its doctrinal side. This can be explained by the fact that our lamented doctor being advanced in age at the time of his acquaintance with the Bahá'í teachings was not able to devote all his time to a deep study of the tenets of the Faith.
Shoghi Effendi, however, in his letter addressed personally to your father explained to him that the Bahá'ís should firmly believe in the existence of God and in the immortality of the soul and in many other fundamental teachings which the Bahá'ís share with the adherents of many other religions. Our lamented doctor may have most probably considered it unwise to declare openly that he had rejected all his previous conceptions in regard to the existence of God and such similar ideas and preferred to express in an indirect way the many changes which the knowledge of the Faith had brought in his mind by declaring that he had become a Baha'i.
At any rate there is no doubt whatever that the well-known Tablet revealed by `Abdu'l-Bahá for him had brought a tremendous
Page 17change in his monistic theories and induced him to accept the Message openly.
However great the contradictions in Dr. Forel's testament in regard to his attitude towards the Cause we cannot fail but to recognize him as a Bahá'í who had but a partial glimpse of the Bahá'í Revelation. No one can claim that his knowledge of this Revelation is adequate, especially at this time when the Bahá'í Faith is still in the embryonic stage of its development. Dr. Forel was sincere in his convictions but like every human being his comprehension was limited and this was not in his power to change.
These are the ideas which came to Shoghi Effendi's mind when he read a 'resum^e' of Dr. Forel's testament in one of the well-known Swiss journals and he wishes you to share them with all those who are interested to know of the Doctor's attitude towards this Movement. ...
Dear and valued co-worker:The passing of your distinguished father has indeed grieved me profoundly and I wish to assure you of my heartfelt sympathy in your irreparable loss. I would deeply appreciate a written account of his eventful life and of the meritorious services he rendered humanity, either from your pen or any other friend in Germany, for publication in the next issue of the Bahá'í World. I feel that his reference to the Cause in the codicil of this testament indicates the perceptible change in his mental outlook since he penned the earlier passages of his will, for he must have known from the Table he received as well as from the letters I wrote him and from many other Bahá'í publications the fundamental and distinguishing features of the Cause. That is why I feel that with your consent and approval, the publication of his references to the Cause in his testament could very well be published in the Bahá'í World. With my best wishes and deepest sympathy,
Shoghi 19He was particularly gratified to learn of your interesting visit to the different Bahá'í centres in Germany and he wishes me to assure you of their great importance for the unity of the Cause in that land.
The Germany believers have undoubtedly experienced a very severe trial and their faith has been tested in an unprecedented way. Their staunchness, however, has been admirable and their sincerity deeply rooted. With the exception of a few they have proven that their conversion to the Faith had a solid foundation and that it withstood all the violent storms of recent years.
Shoghi Effendi wishes you to persevere in your work and he fervently prays that the Almighty may assist you and sustain your efforts and to enable you to render great services to the Cause.
Dear and valued co-worker:Your letter has indeed rejoiced my heart. I strongly feel that you should, if convenient and feasible, concentrate your efforts on Germany and help to consolidate the foundations of the Cause and increase the unity and understanding of the friends. This, I feel, is your great and special mission.
14 January 1932Shoghi Effendi was very glad to learn that you devoted a considerable amount of your time to the study of the teachings. It is absolutely essential for those who desire to spread the movement to be quite familiar with the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the
Page 19Master. Without that knowledge we may be spreading our own views and wrongly attributing to them things that are the result of our imaginings.
Concerning cremation I have not seen anything in the writings. But as Bahá'u'lláh in the book of Aqdas directs the friends to bury their dead, he indirectly discourages cremation. Whether there is some basic reason for such a preference he does not say, but we may try and find it. much improve. With the appearance of every Revelation a new
`Abdu'l-Bahá does often state that the medical science will insight is created in man and this in turn expresses itself in the growth of science. This has happened in past dispensations and we find its earliest fruits in our present day. What we see however is only the beginning. With the spiritual awakening of man this force will develop and marvelous results will become manifest. Among other phases of human learning the medical science will have a place. There is a Tablet of Medicine that Bahá'u'lláh has revealed and which is translated into English. That does not contain much of scientific informations but has some interesting advices for keeping healthy.
Shoghi Effendi was very glad to hear that you are planning to study Persian very seriously. Should you do it you will obtain ample reward for your labours, for you will then be able to go straight to the writings themselves.
6 December 1932Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated November 28th 1932 written on the occasion of
Page 20the commemoration of the passing away of our beloved Master `Abdu'l-Bahá.
The Guardian is very glad to see that at such celebrations the friends come together and with a true spirit of service and devotion renew their determination to consecrate their life to the service of the Faith. It is only through such methods that the fire of enthusiasm can be kept burning in our hearts, and that we can keep the goal of our very being upon this earth ever present before our minds.
In his moments of prayer at the blessed Shrines, Shoghi Effendi, will think of you all and ask God to guide you and sustain your efforts. He trusts that through your constant efforts and God's infinite grace the Cause will spread throughout that city and the neighbouring regions and your group become a center of attraction for those sincere souls who seek the spiritual life and desire the resuscitation of mankind. ...
Dear co-workers:Your welcome message brought cheer and comfort to me in my great sorrow. I value your sentiments, your collaboration, your assurances of undying loyalty to the Cause of God. I will continue to supplicate for you all the Beloved's blessings.
Your true and affectionate brother,It is surely very unfortunate that the material means do not permit you to travel as much as you desire. But these days are exceptional. Better days are sure to come, and you, as well as other souls who desire to serve, will find the way open for them.
Page 21Meanwhile you can try and teach those you meet - people who are within easy reach and who also need the spiritual enlightenment that the spirit and teachings of the Cause provide.
The German people have true appreciation for spiritual matters and when they are interested in a certain sphere they are not satisfied with a shallow knowledge of it. They try to go deep in any subject they take up, and once they are convinced of its truth are ready to devote all their life to it. Such are the people that the Cause needs. Such should be the souls that you should try and interest in the Faith.
I greatly value your past and present services, and cherish bright hopes for your future contributions to the spread of our beloved Faith. Persevere in your efforts, and, if possible, travel to different centres in central and south-Eastern Europe, and do all you possibly can to further the interests of the Faith. This work is highly meritorious. May the Beloved inspire, sustain and bless you.
Your true brother,Through Dr. Grossmann Shoghi Effendi has come to learn of your activities in serving the Cause of God and diffusing its divine spirit in Frankfurt. He therefore wished me to write you this short note and express his deep appreciation.
He sincerely hopes that through your persistent efforts and God's infinite guidance and blessings the Faith will be established in that city and many earnest souls will cluster around its banner.
Consider what source of joy and gratification it should be to you to see people, who have been for years seeking for the truth
Page 22and craving to obtain it, who look upon the prevailing conditions of the world with distress and earnestly pray for salvation, find through you the object of their quest and attain the peace, tranquillity and spiritual life which they have longed for. The accomplishment of the task and the resulting success will be an ample reward for all your strivings.
16 April 1933The Guardian sincerely hopes and prays that the study of the Dawn-Breakers will inspire the friends to greater activity and more exerted energy in serving the Cause and spreading its message in that town. The life of those heroes of the Faith should teach us what true sacrifice is, and to what extent we should forego our personal and worldly interests while endeavouring to carry the divine message to the four corners of the earth.
Shoghi Effendi would advise the friends in Rostock to hold regular study classes and read that book with great care, committing its salient facts to memory, so that while teaching the Cause, they may be able to show the motivating spirit of the Faith by referring to some incidents of those early days.
25 April 1934The Guardian has read with deep and sustained interest your beautiful message of Ap. 15th, and he was greatly touched by the
Page 23expressions of hope, of devotion and of loyalty which it so faithfully conveyed, and by the repeated assurances it gave of the united and continued efforts of your community to extend and consolidate the foundations of the Faith in your center. Such repeated evidences of your determination to spread the Message and of your splendid cooperation in establishing the administrative order of the Cause in Germany make him invariably think of the promises the Master did so forcefully give in regard to the future progress of the Movement in that country. May your endeavours contribute an increasing share towards the gradual realization of these promises.
Shoghi Effendi was greatly impressed by the beautiful marriage ceremony which you had organized in honour of Mr. and Mrs. Hugo Bender. He hopes that through this union the bonds of cooperation and of fellowship will be further strengthened between the members of your community. His prayers for the success of your activities will continue to be offered to Bahá'u'lláh, that you may each and all be enabled to assist in the consummation of the great work He has summoned us to achieve in this Day.
Dearly-beloved co-workers:Your joint and most welcome message brought infinite joy to my heart. I am delighted to learn of your hopes, your plans and activities. The summer-school is the object of my constant and fervent prayers. I cherish great hopes for its expansion in the days to come. May it become a great teaching center and may the light of this glorious Revelation radiate from it to all parts of your great and promising country.
Your true brother,The Guardian has deeply appreciated your kind words to him, as well as the beautiful message addressed to him by the Esslingen friends, all of which conveyed in a remarkable and touching way the intense devotion and the unflinching loyalty of the German believers to the Cause. His hopes for the future development of the Faith in your country are brighter and firmer than ever. He is fervently supplicating to Bahá'u'lláh that you may all be given a wider opportunity to carry into the field of action the noble thoughts and the good and sincere wishes you so deeply cherish in your hearts.
...please convey the Guardian's warmest greetings to all the believers in Esslingen and in Stuttgart, and also to our dear Mrs. Schweizer who seems to be still living with us in Haifa. Let me also assure you of his prayers on your behalf at the Holy Shrines.
25 September 1934 [1]On behalf of the Guardian I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your deeply appreciated message of August 19th written through the care of dear Mr. Schultheiss, and to thank you for it, as well as for the beautiful photographs which you have been most kind in sending to him. From them all he has gathered a very good impression about the conditions of the Cause in your centre, and was much encouraged to witness the beautiful spirit of fellowship and of service which is animating your group. He cherishes, indeed, the brightest hopes for the future expansion of the Faith not
Page 25only in your two localities but throughout Germany as a whole. He is ardently praying that the beloved Master's promises to that effect may gradually and by means of your painstaking and continued labours be completely realized. In the meanwhile he wishes you to persevere in your efforts for the study and the spread of the Teachings, and to confidently and quietly toil for the future establishment of Bahá'u'lláh's world order in your country.
His prayers on behalf of each and every one of you will be continually offered to God, that through His guidance and love you may individually and collectively make a steady advancement in His Cause.
With hearty greetings and good wishes to you all,I was so pleased to receive your most welcome message. Any letter bearing such evidences of exemplary devotion to the Cause of God is a source of immense joy to my heart. I will most assuredly pray for you all and cherish the brightest hopes for your future contribution to the spread of our glorious Faith. Persevere and never feel depressed or discouraged. May the Almighty enable you to mirror forth the glory and splendour of this stupendous Revelation.
Your true and grateful brother,Your welcome message dated November 4th is just at hand, and its perusal has, as usual, greatly cheered our Guardian's heart. He feels ever so grateful to you for the remarkable spirit and manner
Page 26in which you are collaborating for the further consolidation of Bahá'í administration in your locality. Your painstaking labours to this end are being surely rewarded and guided by Bahá'u'lláh Who, as so often promised in His writings, will sustain and bless all those who arise to promote His message, and whom, no consideration whatever, deters from serving His Cause.
Shoghi Effendi is specially pleased to realize that you are in such a close touch with the friends in other parts of Germany, and in particular with those two indefatigable and devoted servants of the Cause Mrs. A. M. Schweizer and Miss A. Kostlin. Their frequent and warm visits to Goppingen are surely of an incalculable benefit to you all, and it is hoped that by their means your centre will come to play an increasingly important role in the spread of the Teachings, as well as in the general administration of the Cause in Southern Germany...
Dearly-beloved co-workers:Your most welcome letter rejoiced my heart and served to remind me of the spirit of devotion, of determination and zeal that animate the believers in that promising country. I will no doubt continue to pray for you from the bottom of my heart, that you may each and all arise to diffuse far and wide the fragrance of this wondrous Revelation and to establish its truths in the hearts of your fellow countrymen.
Your true brother,He is, indeed, happy to realize the remarkable share you are having in the promotion of the general interests of the Faith in Goppingen. Your active participation in all Bahá'í gatherings and
Page 27meetings, and the zeal and enthusiasm which you succeed in creating among the attendants are, indeed, a real source of strength to the community of the believers in your centre.
The Guardian hopes, therefore, that you will continue exercising this highly-beneficial and much-needed influence among the friends, so that by its means you may all work as unitedly and harmoniously as possible.
For what the Cause greatly needs in Germany at present is unity, both of thought and action. Not until the believers succeed in putting the Bahá'í principle of cooperation and fellowship into actual practice can they hope to vindicate the truth of the Message. Unity, therefore, is vital, and constitutes the main key to the success of your endeavours in every field of Bahá'í activity.
7 December 1934 [1]Shoghi Effendi was deeply moved by your beautiful message dated November 27th, and he has directed me to convey to you on his behalf the expression of his loving appreciation and gratitude for the sentiments of love, devotion and loyalty which that message expressed.
He was, indeed, so pleased to learn that you had gathered at the home of our dearly-beloved sister and co-worker Miss Johanna Hirsch, and that you had heard from her the story of her pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
It is his hope that you may also one day have the privilege of undertaking a similar journey and of visiting the Holy Shrines in 'Akka and Haifa.
Page 28Shoghi Effendi is continually praying on behalf of each and every one of you, and is entreating Bahá'u'lláh that He may continue sending you His blessings and guidance, that as a result your efforts for the promulgation of His message may be crowned with success. ...
May the Beloved of our hearts guide and strengthen you, bless your efforts, add to your numbers, remove every obstacle from your path, and deepen your knowledge of the fundamentals of His Cause, and the distinguishing features of His glorious Revelation.
Your true and grateful brother,He has been deeply gratified and comforted, indeed, to learn that the authorities have, as a result of your efforts and of those of Mrs. Bishop, accepted to grant permission for the holding of Bahá'í meetings in Berlin. For this, the friends must feel deeply grateful to the Government and should strive, through both their words and actions, to win the full confidence of the authorities, and to demonstrate that they are law-abiding and faithful citizens.
The Guardian fervently hopes and prays that, now that the believers are permitted to hold meetings, they will take full advantage of this opportunity and will come together as frequently as possible, and will thus resume their activities which had been abated for such a long time.
Page 29The Guardian has duly received your letter of the fourth of this month, and was delighted to learn, from your detailed report of Bahá'í activities in Esslingen, of the growing spirit of devotion, of unity and of cooperation that is animating you all in your labours for the promotion and further establishment of the Cause in your centre.
He feels truly confident, indeed, that through the manifestation of this same spirit and through its fuller embodiment in all your manifold activities, whether teaching or administrative, the Faith in Esslingen will acquire increasing strength, both in number and influence, and will come to play an important and unique role in the administration of the interests of the Cause throughout Germany.
His continued advice to you all is to persevere in your work, and to toil confidently and with one accord for the speedy and complete attainment of this objective. ...
May the Almighty keep you under His shadow, bless your devoted, your valued and ceaseless efforts, guide your steps, cheer your hearts, and enable you to widen the range of your historic services.
Your true brother,Your secretary's message of the 21st of March last addressed on your behalf to the Guardian has duly reached him, and its perusal has greatly rejoiced his heart.
He has been particularly impressed by the warm sentiments you have been moved to express to him on the occasion of the feast of Naw-Ruz, and wishes me to fully reciprocate your greetings and good wishes. He cherishes the hope that in this new Bahá'í year the friends in Esslingen will be specially assisted in spreading the Cause in their center, and in effectively helping their fellow- believers throughout Germany in their stupendous and weighty task of extending and consolidating the foundations of the Faith in that country.
He is continually praying on behalf of you all at the Holy Shrines that your labours in this connection may be blessed and enriched, and that the results achieved may be such as to stimulate you to redouble your efforts for the wider penetration of the Cause and its firmer establishment in your land.
With loving and sincere greetings to you allYour message filled my heart with joy and gratitude and has served to remind me of your constancy, your devotion, and unsparing efforts for the spread of the Faith and the consolidation of its institutions. I will continue to supplicate on your behalf that the Beloved whom you serve so diligently and well may bless, sustain and guide you in your high endeavours.
Your true and grateful brother,The increasing evidences of the new fervour, zeal and unity with which the German friends, and particularly those living in Warnemunde, Rostock, Schwerin and other northern German centers, are toiling for the spread of the Cause invariably serve to reinforce his faith in `Abdu'l-Bahá'í promises regarding the future of the Faith in Germany. These signs of the new revival that has set in the conditions of the Cause in your country are, indeed, remarkable and highly encouraging to the friends. You should, therefore, persevere in your efforts and not feel discouraged if you encounter some difficulties in your way. The essential thing now is perseverance, courage and faith.
The Guardian has been also much gratified to learn of the steps you have taken for the holding of a North German Bahá'í conference this year. He thinks that Berlin, due to its central situation, is a suitable place for the friends to come together. Besides, this may prove also to be a source of great encouragement to the believers in that city, and may serve to stimulate them to take a more active part in the organization of the Cause throughout Northern Germany.
Shoghi Effendi is also hopeful that the study courses which your daughter is preparing for this incoming Northern German Congress will prove to be of an immense benefit to the believers. The subject matter is, no doubt, highly important, and can be thoroughly grasped if it is clearly and adequately presented to them.
With regard to the German translation of Mrs. Bedikian's letters. The Guardian approves of your Contact Committee's suggestion that only extracts from these letters be translated and published. This will, of course, save much time, and will, in addition,
Page 32make it easier and more interesting for the friends to get acquainted with the full contents of Mrs. Bedikian's communications.
Dear and valuable co-worker:Your notable share in the revival and extension of Bahá'í activity in northern Germany will be ever remembered with joy and gratitude. Your work will no doubt attract the blessings of Bahá'u'lláh, and will serve as an inspiring example to the generations that will arise to serve after you. Persevere, and never feel disheartened.
ShoghiShoghi Effendi has read with much pleasure your welcome message of the 23rd of May last, and has learned with deep satisfaction of the success of the meeting you have held on the occasion of the anniversary of Báb's Declaration. He feels, indeed, so happy to realize how unitedly and harmoniously your community is discharging its activities, and is certain that, as years go by, it will increasingly manifest a zeal and ardour that will enable it to achieve accomplishments that will not only be unique but which will have far-reaching effects upon the progress of the Cause throughout Germany.
In his moments of meditation and prayers he will specially remember you, and will ask Bahá'u'lláh to continue pouring His
Page 33blessings upon you all, that your community may daily grow in strength, unity and fervour.
With loving Bahá'í greetings and sincere good wishes...
Dearly-beloved co-workers:I deeply appreciate your most welcome message, and wish to assure you of my deepfelt gratitude for the constancy and zeal which characterize your labours in the Divine Vineyard. I am following the progress of your activities with the utmost interest and joy, and feel confident that the blessings of the Beloved, whom you serve with such ardour, steadfastness and loyalty will guide, enrich and reinforce your historic work for the propagation of His glorious and invincible Faith. Persevere in your high endeavours and rest confident.
Your true and grateful brother,He is very happy to learn of the beautiful meeting you have had in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lehne, and of the visit paid to the friends in Berlin by some of the believers from various parts of Northern Germany. He trusts that these warm and frequent contacts between these Northern Bahá'í centers will be maintained and that as a result greater cooperation will prevail among them. He is praying from the very depth of his heart on behalf of you all, that your efforts for the promulgation of the Message may be continually enriched, guided and blessed through Divine confirmations.
In closing please convey the Guardian's loving greetings to all the believers in Berlin, and particularly to dear Mr. and Mrs. Lehne who are contributing such a conspicuous share to the advancement of the Faith in their centre.
Page 34He wishes me particularly to convey to you his most genuine appreciation of your services in connection with the publication of "La Nova Tago" which he hopes will, through your efforts and those of the Esperanto-speaking Bahá'ís both in Germany and abroad, develop gradually into a leading Esperanto review, and thus become an effective medium for the spread of Teachings in Esperantist circles throughout the world. It is in view of the far-reaching possibilities which this publication can have as a teaching organ, that he has urged the German N.S.A. to resume its publication when, a few months ago, they had almost decided to discontinue printing it.
With regard to your request for a special article from the Guardian which you wish to have published in the forthcoming issue of your magazine. He would suggest that you should translate his general letter addressed to the friends a few years ago, entitled "The Goal of a New World Order", as this, he feels, is a very suitable material for publication in that review, and is by far better than anything he can write at present.
As to your suggestion regarding a more widespread use of the Esperanto among the Bahá'ís as a medium of correspondence. Shoghi Effendi, as you know, has been invariable encouraging the believers, both in the East and in the West, to make an intensive study of that language, and to consider it as an important medium for the spread of the Cause in international circles. He has been specially urging the friends to have the Cause well represented in all Esperanto Congresses and associations, and by this means cultivate greater friendship and cooperation between them and the Esperantists.
But in this connection, he feels, he must make it clear that although the Cause views with much sympathy and appreciation the activities which the Esperantists are increasingly initiating for
Page 35the spread of their language, yet it considers that the adoption of the Esperanto by the entire world is by no means an inevitable fact. Neither Bahá'u'lláh, nor even `Abdu'l-Bahá, ever stated that Esperanto will be the international auxiliary language. The Master simply expressed the hope that it may, provided certain conditions were fulfilled, develop into such a medium.
24 December 1935...Bahá'í Summer School at Esslingen. He is rejoiced to learn of the unprecedented success that has attended this meeting, and hopes that the next few years will witness still greater progress in that direction. The enthusiasm and devotion of the attendants constitute, undoubtedly, a most remarkable asset which will ensure the steady development of the school into one of the leading Bahá'í educational institutions throughout the world.
25 January 1936 [1]Shoghi Effendi...is very pleased that you have at last found the opportunity of visiting the Holy Shrines. He wishes me therefore to extend to you, and also to Mrs. Muhlschlegel, a most cordial welcome, and to express the hope that through this visit you will receive a fresh and added stimulus and a wider vision in your labours for the Cause in Germany. ...
It is hoped that more friends will be encouraged to undertake a similar journey to the Holy Land in the near future
Page 36Assuring you both of a hearty welcome, and wishing you always success in the service of our beloved Faith,
Your true and grateful brother,On behalf of the Guardian I wish to acknowledge with deepest thanks and appreciation the receipt of your welcome message of the 18th instant.
He is, indeed, very happy to learn of the news of the progress of the Cause in Esslingen, and of the recent accomplishments of your Assembly in that center. The improvements that you have made in the Bahá'í Home will, undoubtedly rejoice all the friends in Germany and will greatly encourage them to attend the next Summer School. He hopes that the believers outside Germany will also be attracted to your centre, and will thus contribute to the further growth and consolidation of your community.
The Guardian is continually supplicating on your behalf at the Holy Shrines, that Divine confirmations may strengthen and guide your Assembly in the discharge of its heavy duties and responsibilities.
He will also remember all the other friends in Esslingen, and will ask the Almighty to bless and inspire them all in the service of His Cause.
With most loving greetings and best wishes for a happy and prosperous season...
Page 37Your message brought joy and imparted strength and hope to my heart. I deeply value your constancy, your devotion, your unremitting labours, your notable services to our beloved Faith. I will continue to pray that your numbers may increase, your influence may deepen, and your hopes may be fuller and speedily realized. Persevere and never lose heart,
Your true brother,Heartiest thanks from the Guardian for your very kind message dated March 21st. He feels so deeply touched by your kind words, and is especially moved at the Naw-Ruz greetings which you have conveyed to him so beautifully, and all of which he fully reciprocates. He sincerely hopes that this New Bahá'í Year we have just entered will bring upon the entire Esslingen community untold blessings, and that through them you will all be filled with a renewed determination to carry on your labours for the spread of the Cause.
The Guardian feels also very thankful and happy to learn that three new believers have recently joined your group. He is praying fervently to Bahá'u'lláh that these new members may increasingly gain in spiritual power and insight, and thus become valuable helpers to your assembly.
With his renewed greetings and best wishes...Your New-Year greetings rejoiced my heart and filled it with loving gratitude. I prize the assurance you give me, and feel deeply thankful for it. I will, from the depths of my heart, pray for you that the Almighty may rain His blessings upon you, may fulfil your highest hopes, and assist you to advance the best interests of His glorious and sacred Faith,
Your true and grateful brother,The Guardian has received the letter you had written him on behalf of the Esslingen Assembly and dated September 27th, and wishes to convey to your fellow-members in that body his thanks and appreciation, and his gratitude for the sentiments they had expressed to him through you. He very deeply values the assurances of love, loyalty and devotion you have given him, and is ardently praying that Bahá'u'lláh may abundantly reward you for all these evidences of your undying attachment to His Cause.
The Guardian wishes me also to extend his grateful thanks and his hearty congratulations to your Assembly and to the community of believers in Esslingen for the unprecedented success that has crowned your efforts in connection with the organization of this year's session of the German Bahá'í Summer School. He is praying from the bottom of his heart for your continued guidance throughout the succeeding years...
Dear co-workers:I am deeply moved by the remarkable evidences of zeal and of activity manifested by the believers of Esslingen. My heart is filled
Page 39with unspeakable gratitude. Persevere in your efforts and rest assured.
Your true brother,Your kind letter of the fifth instant enclosing photostatic reproductions of `Abdu'l-Bahá'í Tablets revealed to you and to your dear mother have all duly reached our beloved Guardian and have been read with profoundest interest and appreciation by him.
He wishes me to thank you for so kindly sending him copies of these Tablets of the Master which he will keep as a gift from you in the International Bahá'í Archives on Mt. Carmel. Needless to say how deeply he appreciates this gift, and how much he considers it of value to the first Archives of the Cause in the Holy Land.
In closing may I express his admiration and gratitude for the services you are so devotedly rendering our beloved Cause in Esslingen. The Esslingen community owes you indeed a great debt, and can never be too grateful for the manifold accomplishments you have, steadily and splendidly, contributed towards its development, ever since the early days of the Cause in Germany.
The Guardian wishes you also to convey his thanks and appreciation to dear Mrs. Schweizer. He is grieved to learn of her indisposition, but hopes and fervently prays that by the time this letter reaches you she will have been completely cured and restored to full health.
With renewed greetings to you both, and also to the community of believers in Esslingen,
Page 40I am deeply touched by your splendid and highly valued gift. I will continue to pray for your good-health, your happiness and the uninterrupted extension of your historic activities and achievements. Please assure dear Mrs. Schweizer of my special and fervent prayers for her speedy. Her health is so precious to us all.
Your true brother,I am instructed by our beloved Guardian to inform you of the receipt of your letter of February 21st written on behalf of the Bahá'í Assembly of Rostock, and to ask you to convey to them, and also to our dear friend Mr. Lorenzen, his grateful thanks for the enlarged copy of the photograph of the North German Bahá'í Congress which they have been so kind in sending him. It is indeed a most beautiful and impressive picture, and will be placed very soon in the Mansion of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahji, where it will be seen by both the Bahá'í and non-Bahá'í visitors. Please, thank very warmly your fellow-members in the Rostock Assembly for this gift, and express to them the Guardian's hope that, through them, as well as through the united and combined efforts of all North German Bahá'í centers, this year's conference will be even more successful than the one held last summer, and that the outcome of it will be to open new fields of teaching for the Cause in Northern Germany.
Page 41The Guardian has been most deeply touched by your message of the third inst., and wishes me to assure you both of his profound appreciation of the sentiments you have expressed to him on the occasion of his marriage. It was most kind and thoughtful of you to have written him in such moving terms, and to have given him such firm assurances of your undying loyalty and devotion to the Cause. He is ardently praying on your behalf that the spirit which is animating you may ever grow deeper, and may translate itself into sustained and whole-hearted service to the Faith in the beloved land of Germany. He is specially entreating the Beloved that the difficulties which you and your beloved co-workers in that land are su unexpectedly encountering may be gradually removed, and that you may be again set free to assist in spreading the Teachings among your fellow-countrymen.
20 October 1937 [1]Ihre andere Frage, Feuerbestattung: Bahá'u'lláh hat in Seinem Gesetz-Buch, dem "Aqdas", bestimmte Gesetze fur Begrabung geoffenbart. Und `Abdu'l-Bahá sagte, dass der menschliche Korper langsam durch einen Prozess zusammengestellt worden ist. So auch solte er durch Natur auseinander gehen.
Wegen Ihrer Frage um die Esperanto-Zeitschrift in Holland, der Huter glaubt, dass jetzt ist keine Zeit, um etwas in dieser Beziehung anzufangen. Fruher hat sie unbedingt viel fur die Verbreitung der Sache getan, aber jetzt ist es unmoglich und auch nicht beratbar (advisable). Wie Sie vielleicht schon wissen, Lydia arbeitet in Amerika jetzt.
43Our welcome guest Th. Emeric Salas has duly presented to our beloved Guardian your letter of December 19th which you had written him on behalf of the Vienna Bahá'í Assembly. He has read it, together with the accompanying letter addressed to your Assembly by Dr. Ziemand, with the utmost care and deepest appreciation, and wishes you to assure your fellow-members of his gratitude for the efforts they are so devotedly exerting for the further promotion of the Faith throughout Austria.
We welcomes indeed Dr. Ziemand's offer to undertake some Bahá'í translations into German, specially as the German believers are no longer able to arrange for the translation and publication of any Bahá'í book. He also hopes that this will serve as a means for deepening Dr. Ziemand's interest in the Teachings, and to inspire him to eventually join actively the Cause.
He would recommend the "Gleanings from the writings of Bahá'u'lláh" as the most important work to be translated into German at present.
As regards the hundred dollars which have been anonymously donated to your Assembly for the publication fund; the Guardian would advise, that part of this sum be expended on the printing of the pamphlet on "World Religion", and that written by Dr. Esslemont "What is the Bahá'í Movement?", and the rest put aside for use in the future.
With the renewed expression of his abiding appreciation of your services, and with loving greetings to all the friends in Vienna...
Dear and valued co-worker:I wish to assure you and your dearly-beloved co-workers in Vienna
of my constant prayers for your success in the magnificent efforts
you are all exerting for the spread and protection of this sacred and
44precious Cause. You are often in my thoughts and I will continue to
supplicate ardently and affectionately on your behalf. Rest assured
and persevere.Shoghi Effendi has been deeply touched by your very cordial message of the 31st December, and is moved to write to you again and to assure you of his best wishes, and of his continued prayers for your protection and guidance in those hard and trying times.
His thoughts often turn to you and to our well-beloved German brethren in dear remembrance and loving appreciation of your services to the Cause. He is daily supplicating the Beloved to cheer and comfort your hearts, strengthen and guide your steps, and keep you ever steadfast and loyal in His path.
On the occasion of this New Year which we have just entered he further wishes me to convey to you his warmest greetings, and to reciprocate heartily the good wishes you have so kindly expressed...
May the Almighty bless and protect you, guide you in your devoted and continued endeavours and fulfil your highest hopes and dearest wishes,
Your true brother,The Guardian was pleased to receive your letter of the 22nd January which you had written him on behalf of the Vienna Assembly regarding the method of Bahá'í elections.
He wishes you to kindly inform your fellow-members that this question of Bahá'í electoral procedure has been explained and elucidated by him in one of his communications to the American N.S.A. which you will find reproduced in the book "Bahá'í Administration", a copy of which is being mailed to you for presentation to your Assembly.
As you will notice from that letter the method of assembly elections is exceedingly simple, and the Guardian wishes the friends to desist from adding any more regulations to those few ones which he has felt it his duty to lay down for the conduct of the believers.
In closing kindly convey to the friends in Vienna, and in particular to your fellow-workers in the Assembly, the assurances of his prayers for the success of their elections, and for the promotion and guidance of their community...
May the all-conquering, all-embracing Spirit of Bahá'u'lláh overshadow you and your dearly-loved co-workers at all times and under all circumstances, and enable you to raise the Call of God throughout the length and breadth of your country, and establish firmly the basis of the administrative order of the Faith.
Your true brother,...it made Shoghi Effendi truly happy to know that our dear friend Mrs. ... will be soon coming to Haifa. Much as he regrets that her stay will be of such an exceptionally short duration he hopes nevertheless that through contact with these Holy Spots she will be so refreshed and strengthened spiritually as to be able to impart fresh hope and vigour to the hearts of the friends when she returns home.
Needless to tell you what a great pleasure it is for the Guardian to meet again this year, and so unexpectedly, one of our German friends, as his heart is longing to hear of your news, and to share the experiences you have been passing through during all these months.
29 March 1938Shoghi Effendi has just received your very kind message of the 20th ins. conveying to him your greetings and good wishes on the occasion of the feast of Naw-Ruz. He values beyond words your sentiments, and wishes me to assure you of his prayers at the Shrines on your behalf, that this New Year we have just entered may bring to you and your fellow-brethren throughout Germany every blessing, and happiness, and the highest success in both your spiritual and material pursuits.
It was a matter of profound grief to Shoghi Effendi to hear of the sad news of the passing away of our friend Mr. Emil Lips. Kindly convey to the bereaved members of his family his heartfelt condolences, and the expression of his profound and deepfelt sympathy in this grievous loss they have sustained.
Page 46He too wishes me to extend to you his deep love and good wishes on this happy and blessed occasion, and to assure you, and our dear friends in Esslingen, of his prayers for your protection and guidance in these days of widespread gloom and distress, that your hearts may be strengthened and assured, and that you may emerge from your present-day tests and trials more united, and firmer than ever in your love and loyalty towards the Faith.
However gloomy the immediate future may seem to appear, the prospect which the distant future has in store for the community of German believers is of such immeasurable brightness as it cannot but afford the deepest comfort and encouragement to you in your moments of uttermost sorrow and distress.
More than ever to-day the Guardian's thoughts turn towards you, and our sore-tried brethren in your land, in admiration for the courage and fortitude you have so well displayed in the midst of your afflictive trials, and in thanksgiving to the almighty God for having sustained and blessed you so repeatedly through His unfailing grace and mighty confirmations.
May His spirit continue to aid and guide your Community in the distressing days yet to come...
Dear co-workers:It was such a joy to hear from you. You, as well as the other German believers, are often in my thoughts and prayers. I will continue to pray for the realization of your highest hopes. Be not despaired, nay be assured that a glorious future awaits you all, more brilliant than any you can imagine.
Your true brother,Your letter of April 21st reached the beloved Guardian - the first direct mail from Germany! - and he was rejoiced to see you are all so devoted and active in the service of our precious Faith.
He hopes the Frankfurt Bahá'ís, now that they have a Spiritual Assembly and are free to conduct their affairs publicly, will succeed in teaching many new souls this life-giving message.
The need in Europe to hear of the Cause is more desperate than ever before, and the responsibility of the German friends very great, being as they are the largest Bahá'í Community in Europe.
You may be sure he will pray for your labours to promote the Cause, in the Holy Shrines, and he assures you that you and your work are very dear to him...
Dear and valued co-worker:My heart was filled with joy, pride and gratitude when I perused your most welcome message, as I regard it as a remarkable evidence of the unfailing providence and power of Bahá'u'lláh, who has watched over you, preserved and sustained you, and has now enabled you to resume your historic work for His Cause. You have often been in my thoughts and prayers and I rejoice that your city is to become the administrative centre of our beloved Faith and the national focus of its spiritual and humanitarian activities. Persevere in your great task and rest assured and be happy.
Your true and grateful brother,I need not try and convey to you in words how the Guardian has deplored, and suffered over, all the tragic happenings of the last few years! He was particularly sorry to hear such a dear Bahá'í as Paul Kohler, of Dresden, had died, as well as his wife and children. We can only be grateful that so many of the German friends have survived such terrible years!
He is very anxious to have the German Bahá'ís resume their activities on a larger scale than ever before - particularly as they are now free for the first time in so many years. He fully realizes how great your problems are, and that you are still suffering from many shortages and restrictions; but knowing you all - and what our beloved Master foresaw your future would be - the Guardian is confident the Faith will spread as never before in Germany, and that the believers of that country will aid in establishing the institutions of Bahá'u'lláh all over Europe.
11 July 1946Your letter dated May 23rd has reached our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf, and to thank you for the loving greetings you sent him.
He hopes that now the believers in Germany are at last free to work for the Cause they will strive together - as the Master desired - as one soul in many bodies and show forth such an example of love and unity within the Bahá'í Community that the hearts of the people will be attracted to them. The world is longing
Page 49for example more than for anything else, for on all sides we hear good advice but see no sincerity and no practicing of what people are preaching!
He assures you all his loving prayers are offered on your behalf and for the success of your Bahá'í work...
Dear and valued co-workers:I was so pleased to hear from you and to receive such expressions of devotion and determination in the service of our beloved Faith. Your centre is near and dear to my heart, and you are, I assure you, often in my thoughts. I will pray for your success, for the extension of your activities, and the speedy realization of the hopes you cherish for the advancement of our glorious Faith,
Your true and grateful brother,[1 Addressed to Dr. Hermann Grossmann, family and Bahá'í friends]
Dear Bahá'í Brother and Bahá'í Friends:the Post Card you sent our beloved Guardian on June 3rd reached him, and he was very happy to receive news from you direct and from your dear family and all the Bahá'í friends who were gathered together with you on that day in Neckargemund.
He hopes you (Dr. Grossmann) received the long letter he forwarded to you (in answer to yours) through Mr. Holley?
The news of the devotion, enthusiasm, and renewed activity of the dear German Bahá'ís is a source of joy to him, and he hopes that the N.S.A. is able to meet often and conduct the affairs of the Faith in that country, where for so long it was banned and persecuted.
Page 50You may be sure his loving prayers are often offered on your behalf, for the success of your labours to promote the Faith, and for your protection and welfare...
P.S. The Guardian is very anxious to receive reports of the work of the N.S.A. He considers it advisable that during the course of this year any groups which attain nine members should be allowed to form an Assembly at once without waiting until April 21st. in order to encourage the friends after so many years of suppression and suffering.
May the Spirit of Bahá'u'lláh sustain, guide and bless you in your truly exemplary and meritorious services, aid you to overcome all obstacles in your path, to extend the range of your activities, to proclaim the truths of this glorious Faith to the suffering masses, and to multiply and consolidate its God-given institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,[1 Addressed to Miss Edith Horn, Dr. Hermann Grossmann, Mr. Bruce Davison]
He was delighted at the good news you conveyed to him; for some time now he has been anxiously awaiting news of the activities of the N.S.A. - if it is feasible, please send him reports of that body.
He feels that, in view of all the German believers having passed through their long period of persecution and suppression, that it is all right during this year to permit the formation of local assemblies, as soon as 9 or more believers are available, in order to encourage the friends and stimulate their work in the teaching field.
Page 51He feels that the subject of the Bahá'í work in Esperanto in Germany is a matter for you to take up with the National Spiritual Assembly; we Bahá'ís do not claim Esperanto will be the auxiliary language of the future - but, as we firmly believe in the necessity of an auxiliary language we are glad to support this work by publishing books in Esperanto and encouraging the Bahá'ís to learn it, if they wish to. Cooperation with this society is an excellent means of spreading the Cause, as Martha Root demonstrated in her travels. However, all details in this matter must be decided by the N.S.A. You can contact Bahá'í Esperantists in England and the U.S.A. through their respective N.S.As.
30 July 1946 [1]He was so very happy to hear the wonderful news you conveyed of the receptivity you find among the German people, and especially the youth, to the Teachings.
He considers the work of the Cause in Germany of primary importance; the German believers not only have the fertile field of their own people's minds to cultivate, but must, eventually, do a large part of the teaching work to be carried out in the future in Central and Eastern Europe. So he is very anxious to have your affairs running on a smooth administrative basis, and to also have you receive the necessary literature or means of printing it.
He was also delighted to hear the Sun of Truth is again being printed, and that you have been able, in spite of so many handicaps, to distribute thousands of pamphlets and hold so many important public meetings.
Page 52Now is certainly the time to carry on the work on an ever-increasing scale; the hearts have suffered much, and the minds are grasping for a solution to the terrible problems facing them. The Cause can surely, in this golden hour of opportunity, make greater headway than every before in its history in Europe, and you may be sure he will do all in his power to assist you in your labours.
He assures you his loving and ardent prayers will be offered on your behalf and for the success of the work you and the other friends are carrying on at present...
P.S. The Guardian was very pleased to hear that the former adherents of Ruth White and Mr. Herrigel's ideas have expressed their desire to be enrolled in the Faith, and to work according to the administrative Order. He recommends that the National Assembly, by all means, accept them, and assist them to fully grasp the fundamentals of the Will and Testament.
Dear and valued co-worker,I am so glad and grateful to learn of the progress of your activities and of the success attending your efforts in the service of our beloved Faith. I feel confident that you will, in the days to come, add fresh laurels to the crown you have already won in the service of our beloved Faith. Persevere, and rest assured that I will continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart.
Your true and grateful brother,The sufferings which the German Bahá'ís have passed through have grieved his heart very much - but he is very proud of their loyal and devoted spirit, and the way their faith in Bahá'u'lláh has
Page 53come out of the fire of these war years pure and unstained and stronger than ever! They have a great future, promised them by the beloved Master...
As you may perhaps have heard, our Guardian does not like to give pictures of himself to the believers - he prefers that they should keep in their homes photographs of the Master Who is our inspiration and Exemplar.
He hopes very much that you will be able to teach other young Germans the Cause there. The youth in particular need desperately to be given the Message, for it is their lives that have suffered the greatest ruin through this cruel war. Teaching them should be your first duty...
18 January 1947 [1]Your welcome letters ... were received, together with the poems you enclosed in them...
He wishes me to assure you he will include some of the poems in the next volume of "Bahá'í World"; it is, unfortunately, too late to get them into the latest number which is now being printed in America.
It seems now absolutely certain that our dear Bahá'í sister, Lydia Zamenhof, lost her life in a gas-chamber during the war! It is a great loss, as she could have rendered the Faith many services in Europe in these past-war days! But her services to the Cause and her memory are imperishable!
He would be very pleased to receive an article from you about her for the next volume of Bahá'í World, but not for the "In Memoriam" section. Also he regrets he will not be able to publish
Page 54in the Bahá'í World the In Memoriam article you sent about your dear parents. Only those people who have died in the period covered by each volume receive mention in that volume, and the next one will be for 1946 - 48!...
P. S. He is very happy to hear dear Mr. Zabih is meeting the friends there; you may be sure he will pray that the way may open for him to help you all in Germany at the present time and serve the Faith in England later on.
The Guardian assures you he is delighted to hear of the translations you have already made and are at present engaged upon; the German literature of the Faith is of the utmost importance, both because of the great future the Cause has there, and the fact that so many other Europeans read German. He hopes "Gleanings" and the "Dispensation" can soon be printed. These matters you should refer to your Nat. Spiritual Assembly.
My dear and valued co-worker:I am so glad and grateful to learn of the activity and perseverance of the dear German believers, and of your own valued and constant services to our beloved Faith. You are, I assure you, often in my thoughts and prayers, and I prize the spirit that animates you in His service. I cherish the brightest hopes for the future of your historic work for the promotion of the Faith, and wish you to persevere and rest assured that the Beloved will continue to guide and sustain you, and will reward you abundantly for your high endeavours.
Your true and grateful brother,He realizes that every effort the friends make in Germany these days is made in the face of great obstacles and at the cost of real sacrifice. But they must ever keep their goals in sight, and persevere for the sake of the Cause and for the sake of their fellow-countrymen who now, in their greatest hour of need, have the right to hear of Bahá'u'lláh Who alone can save the world and lead it to peace and happiness.
He will certainly pray that all obstacles may be soon overcome, and the printing work go ahead. He also hopes, and will pray, that the N.S.A. will make every effort to arrange its affairs so as to meet in Frankfurt. These things cannot be done over night, he fully realizes, but the believers must strive to accomplish them constantly.
The services which you and your dear family are so constantly rendering the Faith are very, very deeply appreciated by him. Be happy that God has enabled you to do so much for His Faith!
His loving prayers are with you all ...Assuring you of my abiding gratitude for your constant and splendid services to our beloved Faith, and of my ardent prayers for your welfare and the realization of every hope you cherish for the advancement and consolidation of its new-born institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,Your letter dated Nov. 15th, 1946, written by your secretary, Mrs. Vio Henseler, was received by our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He was very happy to see that so many of you are now active in the Holy Faith in Plochingen and holding your Feasts and meetings regularly in such a spirit of dedication and Bahá'í love. This love and unity among the friends cannot but attract the blessings of Bahá'u'lláh upon your work for His Cause.
Now is the time to teach the hungry, war-disillusioned people of Germany the Message of God for this day. He urges you to redouble your efforts to attract and confirm new souls, and to teach them not only the spiritual aspects of the Faith but its World Order as well - for this Divine solution to the ills of mankind is what the people need to hear of.
He remembers the visit of Mrs. Henseler and Mrs. Victoria B. von Sigsfeld to Haifa, and is happy to hear both have been ceaselessly active in the Cause, the one until her death and the other up until the present day! To serve is indeed a blessed privilege!
You may be sure his loving prayers will be offered for you all and for the success of the work there...
May the Beloved bless your efforts, guide your steps in the path of service, and aid you to promote, effectively and at all times, the best interests of His Faith and its institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,To the Bahá'ís of Rostock, Warnemunde and Schwerin.
Dear Bahá'í Friends:Your letter, dated Rostock Sept. 22nd and Schwerin Sept. 28th, 1946, was received, and it brought great joy to our Guardian's heart to see the names of so many of the dear friends who are now united and actively serving the Faith in far northern towns! He has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
Now that it is once more possible for you all to meet, he urges you to do so often, and to exert your utmost in spreading the Message of Bahá'u'lláh to those who are seeking the Truth - and there are many of them these days! Likewise, he hopes you will be able to soon have three flourishing Spiritual Assemblies in those towns.
He will pray that this may speedily come about; he will also pray for you all, for your protection and success in all you do for the beloved Faith...
May the Beloved bless your efforts, guide you in your devoted labours, aid you to increase your numbers, multiply your institutions, consolidate your accomplishments, and fulfil every desire you cherish for the promotion of His Faith,
Your true and grateful brother,Regarding the time to hold the 19 Day Feast: any time most convenient for all the believers is permissible, as long as it is between sunset and sunset of the calendar day on which the feast
Page 58falls, as our Bahá'í days begin and end at sunset. The feasts are really for the believers only, but if a non-Bahá'í happens to come, we should not ask him to leave and hurt the person's feelings.
22 February 1947Your loving greeting sent to our beloved Guardian on Nov. 11th, 1946, reached him, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He was very happy to see the names of so many friends gathered in Plochingen, and feels sure that your efforts to spread the Message of Bahá'u'lláh there are meeting with success. Now is the time to teach and to lead the hungry souls of mankind to the heavenly banquet of this Mighty Revelation.
He assures you one and all of his most loving prayers for the success of your services to the Faith...
May the Beloved bless your efforts, guide your steps, remove all obstacles from your path, and enable you to promote, effectively and at all times, the vital interests of His Faith and its institutions.
Your true and grateful brother,Your joint letter to our beloved Guardian, dated Jan. 19th, and announcing the formation of your joint Assembly, reached him, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf and congratulate you on this great step forward you have taken.
He hopes that in the near future your numbers will grow sufficiently to enable you to form two separate Spiritual Assemblies, and he assures you all that he will pray in the Holy Shrines that this objective may speedily be achieved.
Your services, in these days of toil and trouble for your native land, are of the utmost importance and upon them depends the future course of events in its spiritual unfoldment...
May the Beloved of our hearts bless, guide and sustain you in your devoted endeavours and continued services to His Cause, aid you to extend the range of your activities, and enable you to win mighty victories for His Faith,
Your true brother,Bahá'u'lláh has given His wonderful teachings and His New World Order to all men; it is up to each individual to accept this Divine Message and promote its healing laws and principles for himself. No one can decide for you what you must do. Your own heart must tell you that your place is serving this struggling new
Page 60Faith in the days when it is still, for the most part, unrecognized by the masses. In the future, when it has won more adherents, and its true stature becomes obvious to all, it will not require the courage to sponsor it which it does today!
We must always remember that the administrative Order is a means to an end, an instrument to co-ordinate and unify the efforts of the Bahá'ís. It is still imperfectly understood by them, but very great progress has been made already. Now, through this administration, it is becoming possible to at last bring the knowledge of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings to the masses, and this is a field you could render great services in. Your fire, your love for your fellow men, are qualities much needed in our work, and Shoghi Effendi hopes you will feel the urge to plunge yourself into the service of this glorious Cause.
In German there is such a demand for the teachings that the German Bahá'ís, exhausted from the war and hampered by restrictions on travel, etc., find it almost impossible to meet the call on their teaching abilities. They are a very devoted, well organized Community, but could surely use all the extra help they can get. If you could see your way clear to go to Germany and aid them in the teaching work, it would be rendering that suffering land a great spiritual service.
1 April 1947The Germans, and the German Bahá'ís, have suffered terribly during these long years of war and suppression of all freedom and spiritual life; now, it seems, from reports reaching him, there is a revival of the spirit, and the people are longing for a plan, a way out of this moral chaos and darkness, a belief to hold to. This is therefore the time for the Bahá'ís to teach the Cause as never
Page 61before, especially to the young people, and spread the glad tidings that a solution to the world's problems exists!
The German National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís is now doing all it can to get more Bahá'í books printed; it also has many new and important translations of our books already made, and we hope very soon these will be printed and distributed.
I am enclosing a little booklet which will give you an idea of how great the progress and spread of the Cause has been, and daily it is growing all over the world.
Shoghi Effendi hopes some-day, when Palestine is calmer, that you will be able to visit here.
4 April 1947He fully realizes the great handicaps you are all labouring under, and admires the wonderful spirit of devotion to the Cause of God which keeps you going. You must never feel discouraged, but persevere in your labours, knowing Bahá'u'lláh will bless them.
Regarding the question you asked about the advisability of Dr. Muhlschlegel moving to Frankfurt: he has no objection to this, but feels it is a matter for the National Spiritual Assembly to decide upon.
4 April 1947The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Stuttgart.
Dear Bahá'í Friends:The letter you wrote our beloved Guardian, dated Jan. 11th, 1947, was received, as well as the report you enclosed of the
Page 62meetings held in Stuttgart, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He was very pleased to see that there are now as many as 95 believers there, and he hopes this number will steadily and rapidly increase. All the Bahá'ís, new and old alike, should devote themselves as much as possible to teaching the Faith; they should also realize that the atmosphere of true love and unity which they manifest within the Bahá'í Community will directly affect the public, and be the greatest magnet for attracting people to the Faith and confirming them.
In considering purchasing the Schwarz home as a future headquarters for the Stuttgart Bahá'ís, (a plan which he fully approves of) he urges you to, at the same time, bear in mind the responsibility of all the Bahá'ís - in Stuttgart and elsewhere - towards the purchase and maintenance of a National Headquarters; this is of the utmost importance, and when such a headquarters is established it will greatly stimulate the work all over Germany, Stuttgart included. It takes precedence over local Community activities.
He assures you all, and all the Stuttgart believers, of his most loving prayers for the advancement of your Bahá'í labours...
P.S. He was delighted to see you are doing teaching work in neighbouring towns; this is a very important service to the Cause.
May the Beloved bless your meritorious efforts, guide and sustain you in your activities, aid you to extend the range of your deeply appreciated services, and enable you to proclaim the verities of His Faith, and help in the consolidation of its nascent and God-given institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,Your loving Naw-Ruz greeting was received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He assures you all he will pray in the Holy Shrines for you, for the growth of your Community and the success of your services to our glorious Faith. You are all dear to him!
May the Beloved bless, guide and sustain you at all times, enable you to extend the scope of your activities, and win great and memorable victories for the institutions of our beloved Faith,
Your true brother,Your letters to our beloved Guardian, dated Feb. 7th and 11th, as well as the manuscript of "Hidden Words" have been received, and he has instructed me to answer them on his behalf.
He is very happy to have this opportunity of communicating with you personally, and assuring you of how much he appreciates your devoted services in the path of our glorious Faith.
Regarding the questions you have asked him:There is no correspondence or connection between the Hidden Word (Arabic) no. 1 and the last Arabic Hidden Word, or between these and any passage of the Seven Valleys.
The Cairo edition of the Hidden Words, approved by the Master, is the one you must refer to for accuracy, and disregard all
Page 64other texts. This answers the questions connected with Hidden Words number 18 and 39 and 1 (two) and 35 (two).
Hidden Word no. 70: this is not addressed to any person but is a mystical expression and an allusion to the Manifestation of God.
No marginal notes should be added except any of `Abdu'l-Bahá Himself or the notes of the Cairo edition.
The whole question of translation from the original text is very important. He has just written on this subject, at some length, to Baroness von Werthern, explaining to her that he considers now is not the time to translate the teachings into German from Persian and Arabic. No Persian with a sufficient expert knowledge of German is available to help in this matter; he does not feel, therefore, that such works as "Some Answered Questions", "Seven Valleys", etc. should be embarked upon at all. People who have not spent years steeped in the atmosphere and language and literature of the East cannot possibly grasp the subtleties of oriental usage. A good example of this very point is that Prof. Sussheim has not grasped what Bahá'u'lláh means by the word " ". He is using it in a loose and colloquial sense which means "a passing thing", a small amount, and not literally associating it with food.
He feels you should continue your study of the teachings in the original and, from time to time, if you desire to, translate material from the original in short excerpts; but not at present important books and Tablets. These you can better translate from good English editions.
There is so much teaching work, and administrative work, to be done in Germany at present that he urges you to concentrate on this form of service. The public need to receive the Message on a large scale, to have available literature at once, to read articles on the Bahá'í Faith; and in all these ways your services can be of great help.
P.S. "Tur" and "Sinai" should not be taken literally; the first is an
Page 65allusion to Mt. Sinai, which in this case means the Manifestation of God; the second, "Sinai", represents the human heart.
May the Almighty bless, sustain and guide you, at all times and under all conditions, assist you to proclaim the verities of His Faith, and lend a tremendous impetus to the advancement and consolidation of its new-born and God-given institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,He was happy to hear the message had been broadcast over the Radio Frankfurt, and hopes this teaching method can often be used, as it reaches the people in their homes and many of them would not attend public meetings.
The very encouraging report you sent him of the work in Germany was most welcome, and he wishes that the National Teaching Committee or the N.S.A. would send him a statement showing how many Spiritual Assemblies there are, how many groups and how many isolated Bahá'ís, and in which cities and towns they are to be found, respectively.
Generally speaking his instructions to the American Bahá'ís and their N.S.A. are, whenever they concern administrative principles and procedure and general statements about and interpretations of the Faith, binding for all Bahá'ís everywhere. Naturally specific instructions to the American Bahá'ís are not applicable to other communities. "Bahá'í Procedure", as Mr. Holley pointed out, is not binding on other National Assemblies, as many things
Page 66in it are purely secondary rulings made by the American N.S.A. to facilitate the work of the Cause under its jurisdiction.
The believers should certainly, under no circumstances, drink any alcoholic beverages as this has been forbidden in the Aqdas. Not all of its laws and precepts can be practiced at present; but those he has, in his instructions to America, laid down as applicable at present should be followed.
4 July 1947Your letter dated May 23rd was received by our beloved Guardian, and he wishes me to tell you all how very happy he was to hear that you now have a Spiritual Assembly there. This is the beginning of your work - not the end of it! - and you may be sure his ardent and loving prayers will be offered for your success, and expansion, in the Holy Shrines.
He also takes this opportunity of thanking Mrs. Brauns-Forel for her letter and assures her of his prayers...
Assuring you of my loving prayers for your success, for the extension of your valued activities, and the realization of your dearest hopes in the service of the Faith and its divinely appointed institutions,
Your true brother,The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Stuttgart
Dear Bahá'í Friends:Your letter of March 10th was received, and as our beloved Guardian was very busy he could not reply to you sooner. However, he has now instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He has no objection to the Stuttgart Bahá'ís arranging to have a center of their own on Mrs. Schwarz' land. As this was a spot visited by the beloved Master, it is all the more appropriate as a center for the Cause there.
He hopes that the Stuttgart friends will so arrange their affairs that this new undertaking will not prevent them from assisting the national interests of the Cause and spending them their full support.
His loving prayers are offered for you all, and for the success of the work you are doing there, which is so sacred and so vitally important...
May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you in your meritorious and constant services to His glorious Faith, aid you to extend the range of your activities, to proclaim the truths of His Faith, multiply its institutions, and consolidate its foundations,
Your true and grateful brother,He was very distressed to learn of the conditions in Germany which you say are getting steadily worse. Both the beloved Guardian
Page 68and the Persian N.S.A. have remitted sums to America for Care packages for the believers in Germany, and he hopes these will soon reach you.
In view of the great hardships the friends must endure he marvels at all that they are able to do for the Faith. He greatly admires their devotion, and prays ardently for the conditions they are living under to improve.
14 November 1947He feels that, if your health is now sufficiently good for you to endure the rigours of life in Germany at the present time, it would certainly be rendering the Faith a great service for you to return to Berlin and inspire the believers there, and teach the Cause. In connection with the question you asked him about the advisability of putting on your house a name plate saying "Bahá'í Buro", this is something you must get permission for either from the Spiritual Assembly of Berlin (if it is functioning by the time you return) or the National Assembly.
He was very happy to hear Herr Lehne is now so active in serving the Cause in Berlin and planning a large public meeting. When you write to him please assure him of the Guardian's appreciation and his prayers on his behalf.
21 November 1947He is so very happy to hear that there [1] are now 36 believers there and new souls coming into the Faith all the time!
[1 In Frankfurt]He was also delighted to learn that at last the National Hazira is secured. This is a most important step forwards, and will greatly enhance the prestige of the Faith in Germany.
Page 69You must never become discouraged; your services are both needed and appreciated, and the Guardian deeply values them.
He was pleased to hear Mrs. Davison is helping you so much there with the work in Frankfurt, and he hopes she will be able to stay there another year.
21 November 1947Regarding your questions: by holiness in our Bahá'í teachings is meant attachment to God, His Precepts and His Will. We are not ascetics in any sense of the word. On the contrary, Bahá'u'lláh says God has created all the good things in the world for us to enjoy and partake. But we must not become attached to them and put them before the spiritual things. Chastity in the strict sense means not to have sexual intercourse, or sexual intimacies, before marriage. In the general sense it means not to be licentious. This does not mean we Bahá'ís believe sexual relations to be impure or wrong. On the contrary they are natural and should be considered one of God's many blessings. He does not know anything about whether albumen and delicious food affect sex; this is a medical question. Sex is a very individual matter, some people are more passionate by nature than others, and might consequently suffer more if forced to be continent. But when the world becomes more spiritual there will not be such an exaggerated emphasis on sex, as there is today, and consequently it will be easier for young people to be chaste and control their passions. A man of noble character and strong willpower, could certainly remain faithful to his wife during a long absence!
Any good orientalist could probably refer you to commentaries on the Quran and on the Buddhist Scriptures. `Abdu'l-Bahá has stated that all references to Muhammad to fighting refer to defensive war, not to aggression.
Page 70He is very happy to see that you are all studying the Bahá'í Teachings, and preparing yourselves to be worthy servants of Bahá'u'lláh, and of humanity, when you grow older.
You may be sure he will pray for you all in the Holy Shrines, and that you may attract other children and young people to the Bahá'í Cause. No one is ever too young to teach this Message to others.
27 November 1947He was very happy to hear of the progress being made spiritually there [1], and that now there are 9 Bahá'ís in all. He hopes this will enable you to form a Spiritual Assembly. You may be sure he will pray that this may come about.
[1 In Warnemunde]Assuring you of my loving prayers for your success in the service of our beloved Faith and its God-given institutions,
Your true brother,Your loving greeting to our beloved Guardian, dated Nov. 12th, 1947, was received and he has instructed me to write you on his behalf and thank you for it.
Page 71He assures you all that your devotion to the Cause of God is very deeply appreciated, and the perseverance you show in its service greatly valued by him.
He will pray for you all in the Holy Tombs, that Bahá'u'lláh may bless, guide and protect you in your service to His Faith...
May the Spirit of Bahá'u'lláh guide, sustain and protect you in your deeply valued endeavours for the propagation of our glorious Faith, aid you to add to your numbers, to deepen your understanding of its fundamental truths, and promote its vital interests.
Your true and grateful brother,...although he is very overburdened with work he wishes me to drop you a little line and assure you of how happy he is to hear that the relief packages your Com.[1] receives from America and other countries do so much good.
[1 In Esslingen]He admires the steadfast devotion of the German assemblies and the German friends which keeps them busy serving the Cause in spite of every hardship and obstacle.
Page 72Your loving message of greeting, signed by so many names, reached our beloved Guardian, and he was very happy to see so many are active in the Faith there.
He hopes in April circumstances will permit the formation of a Spiritual Assembly there, which will greatly assist you all in your devoted services to the Cause of God.
You may be sure in his visits to the Holy Shrines here he will remember you all in his prayers and pray for your welfare and success...
May the Spirit of Bahá'u'lláh sustain, guide and bless you, at all times and under all conditions, graciously assist you to enlarge the limits of the Faith, add to your numbers, deepen your understanding of its verities, and proclaim its principles far and wide.
Your true brother,To the Bahá'ís of Esslingen who were present at the Naw-Ruz Feast, 105 B.E.
Dear Bahá'í Friends,Your loving Naw-Ruz greeting only reached our beloved Guardian on May 31sat, but he was very pleased to receive it, and to see that so many of the dear believers had gathered together to celebrate that happy Feast day.
Page 73In spite of the gloom which man's disobedience to the Divine Laws is creating throughout the world, the Bahá'ís must be courageous, joyous and ever-active in spreading the Message of Bahá'u'lláh, for in the end it will triumph and dispel the evil and sadness engulfing mankind.
He assures you all he will pray for the success of your Bahá'í labours in the Holy Shrines...
May the Spirit of Bahá'u'lláh sustain, guide and protect you under all circumstances, cheer your hearts, enable you to extend continually the range of your activities, and aid you to win memorable victories for His Faith and its institutions.
Your true and grateful brother,Your letters to our beloved Guardian... were received, as well as the report of the persecution of the German Bahá'ís, and the greetings from the Teaching conference, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He was very pleased to receive all the good news you conveyed to him, and the love and devotion with which you and your dear husband and family serve the Cause of God is a source of great comfort to him.
He would have answered you before, but pressure of work, and the recent very disturbed state of the country, has held up his correspondence. He hopes this letter will reach you safely.
The progress being made by the Faith in Germany is excellent. It is if at last the Cause were let out of the cage and can spread its
Page 74wings there and fly - and the hearts of the German people are a very rich field in which to sow the Divine Seeds. He has always foreseen for Germany a great future in the Bahá'í world...
He was particularly glad to hear the working people, the backbone of every nation, are receptive to the Cause and being taught.
10 June 1948 [1]Unfortunately conditions here in Palestine were so disturbed and disorganized that the Guardian could not send a message as you requested, to the Esperanto Congress in Munich in May. He has been, and is, as you can well imagine, very concerned over the state of the Holy Land. But so far all has gone will, the Shrines have been protected, and the Bahá'í Community respected here and assisted, by the new authorities.
It seems as if some time must elapse before pilgrims from anywhere can again visit here. But he hopes, at a future date, your heart's desire will be granted and you will be able to come to Haifa.
Unfortunately the American National Spiritual Assembly has such a very heavy program to carry out at present, in the teaching field and in the decoration of the Temple, that many other projects must wait until more money is available. Printing Bahá'í literature is one of them. But he hopes in the near future some new editions can be gotten out.
Page 75Your loving message to our beloved Guardian, dated Mulk 9th, 104, was received, and very much appreciated, and he was delighted to learn you had been able to hold such a large meeting for the Youth Symposium day.
He has been very busy lately, due to conditions here and the great amount of work there is to do, but nevertheless he wishes to answer your letter and assure you he will pray for your success, and that he is proud of your spirit and your devotion to the Faith...
May the Beloved of our hearts guide every step you take in the path of service, aid you to deepen your understanding of the essentials of His Faith, and promote, at all times, the best interests of its institutions,
Your true brother,He does not think that we can yet go so far as to write commentaries and lengthy treatises on the relation of the Bahá'í teachings to Education, Economics, etc., as the world knows these subjects at present. We have our basic principles, but... (unreadable) We cannot say in detail what the "Baha'i" system will be. It has yet to grow and mature. However, articles on these matters, where our
Page 76general ideas are correlated to present knowledge and usage, and compared, would be good because not too much detail could be gone into.
3 December 1948It will make you all happy to hear that the columns for The Báb's Shrine, and the capitals and many stones - the first shipment - have now reached Haifa, and are being transported to the Shrine gardens. Soon the Guardian hopes the actual building work can be begun.
13 December 1948 [1]He has, as a result of your letter, just cabled you via Geneva asking you to please get from Mrs... the letter Hussein wrote her and forward it to him, as he wishes to see it.
I cannot tell you how much and how bitterly our beloved Guardian has suffered from the disloyalty and dishonourable conduct of the members of the Master's Family, and now his own family. They have not only disobeyed him, and flouted his advice and instructions, but done things which are so shameful he is unable to mention them. In view of this, we was forced in 1944, to expel Hussein - but not until he had of his own accord left the Master's house gone to the Covenant-Breakers, and refused warnings and advice alike. His heart is unrepentant, and his character greatly changed, which is surely a great tragedy.
Page 77He was very pleased to hear you were able to visit the Bahá'í convention in Hamburg, and that you found the believers there so enthusiastic and devoted. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done everywhere, and such active and tireless workers, as you and your dear family, are needed urgently in every direction!
He most deeply values your loyalty, your devotion and your services. You may be sure he will pray for you in the Holy Shrines and for your family and dear Mrs. Benke. ...
Dear and valued co-worker:I deeply and increasingly appreciate the spirit that animates you, and wish to assure you of my abiding appreciation of your exemplary loyalty, your perseverance and splendid services to our glorious Faith. Persevere in your manifold and meritorious activities, and rest assured that the Beloved is well pleased with the standard of your accomplishments,
Your true and grateful brother,He sees no objection to the Bahá'ís taking part in the movement for "World-Citizenship", as this is marking towards one of our most cherished goals - the unification of the human race under some form of International government. As long as this movement takes no political side of any nature and keeps quite clear of all forms of politics, the Bahá'ís may support it.
He thinks it was a fine gesture for the National Assembly to invite Mr. Garry Davis to be present on Baha'i-World-Youth-Day and he hopes, this courageous and independent man will be able to accept the invitation.
Page 78You, as devoted and experienced believers, must do all in your power to urge the friends to unite in order to protect the Faith. The Hamburg difficulty is not insurmountable, as long as the friends all make up their minds that no sacrifice of personal feeling or opinion in this matter is too great to make in order to maintain the unity of the administrative order there and the unity of the believers. The more friends take sides, the more difficult it will be to solve this problem.
He urges you both to encourage your son and brother to look upon the perfection of the Faith and not upon the imperfections of the believers - for we are all imperfect.
11 March 1949Our beloved Guardian wishes me to thank you on his behalf for your greetings and the report of Bahá'í World Youth Day.
He was very pleased indeed to learn you held such successful meetings on this occasion, and to see with what fervour and devotion you are assuming your responsibilities as young Bahá'ís who, in the not distant future, will be called upon to carry forward so much of the important work of the Faith as adult members of the Community.
Page 79Regarding your book: he feels that this can only come under the heading, judging by the outline you gave him, of a romance woven about a historical episode: The Báb and the events following His Martyr(dom); we do not know enough concrete facts about the relation of the Russian Court, the Russian consul, and what exact part he played in the events of those days to fill a large paragraph! He feels, therefore, that your book should be presented as such a romance, and not in any way as a historical narrative.
There were many factors at work in releasing Bahá'u'lláh from the Siya Chal, not the last of which was the intervention of His own sister who presented very valuable gifts to the Shah himself while she interceded for her Brother's life. So you see your information - not merely yours, any Baha'i's at present time - is far too scanty to permit of a really historical account being written. This does not mean you cannot get your book out as a romance. He certainly would not want you to destroy your manuscript!
24 March 1949He was also very pleased to see the contact with the Esperantists is being maintained. This friendly cooperation with them, and attendance in their Congresses, is very good, and will no doubt bring the Bahá'í Cause to many of their member's attention. Also, he hopes, it will lead to many of them becoming Bahá'ís in the future.
Page 80First, let me say that one of the reasons God has given us the institution of Guardianship is to prevent men from crystallizing the Cause of God into a rigid system. Your questions are mostly along the line of trying to lay down a fixed pattern for future society, long before the time for such a pattern is ripe. Remember that Bahá'u'lláh says what is not already revealed, the International House of Justice must in the future legislate, and it can make, and abrogate if necessary, its own laws. This means not fixity in guiding society, but fluidity!
No. 1 Bahá'u'lláh and the Master mention only Local, National and an International House of Justice. There is no provision for divisional ones. Each city will have its own Spiritual Assembly, not a number of district ones. Naturally, district 19 Day Feasts can be held where there are very many Bahá'ís in one city.
No. 2 The Hands of the Cause will have executive authority in so far as they carry out the work of the Guardian.
No. 3 Spiritual Assembly is a name at present for the body which in future will be called "House of Justice".
No. 4 The Badi' Calendar will be used generally. The Bahá'í week has seven days.
No. 5 There is nothing about "ground organization". These details are left for future legislation.
No. 6 No. Such things are for the consideration of the legislative bodies in future.
No. 7 No. But `Abdu'l-Bahá stated there are other worlds than ours which are inhabited by beings capable of knowing God.
No. 8 The Bahá'í Temple in America has been dragging on, uncompleted, since 19..(figures unreadable); its completion is absolutely essential. We are builders, we have confidence in the protection of God. We cannot give up our work just because the atom bomb has been invented! This would be cowardly! The
Page 81United Nations disposes of millions and millions of dollars and part of its work is to educate humanity towards peace and against war. Our completion of the Bahá'í Temple will cost 3/4 of a million; what could this sum do in comparison to the efforts of the United Nations?
The thing the German believers must do is to deepen themselves in the Covenants of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá. Mere intellectual understanding of the teachings is not enough. Deep spirituality is essential, and the foundation of true spirituality is steadfastness in the Covenant.
11 April 1949 [1]He fully approves of Dr. Townshend being invited to speak in Germany, as you propose, providing, of course, that the necessary funds for his trip can be arranged for.
The contact with intellectuals is very important, but so far, like the early days of christianity, in the West, few of them have cared to identify themselves with this young and struggling Faith of ours! Let us hope, however, that the time is approaching when they will.
The Guardian has been considerably disturbed by the inharmony that has arisen in Germany. He feels that what the German Bahá'ís need - and must have - more than anything else in the world is a far deeper understanding of the Covenants of both Bahá'u'lláh and the Master. This is the rock foundation without which no sound super-structure can be built. Neither the administration, nor the general teaching work of the Cause in Germany, will progress, or be able to accomplish anything, unless the believers are truly firm, deep, spiritually convinced Bahá'ís.
Page 82An intellectual grasp of the teachings is purely superficial; with the first real test such believers are shaken from the bough! But once a Bahá'í has the profound conviction of the authority from God, nested in the Prophet, passed on to the Master, and by Him, to the Guardian, and which flows out through the assemblies and creates order based on obedience - once a Bahá'í has this, nothing can shake him. He, therefore, urges you, and the other members of the N.G.R., to devote as much time as you possibly can, to educating the believers in the Covenant.
15 April 1949 [1]As he has cabled the N.S.A. a few days ago, he feels that the difficulties which have arisen in Germany, and which called forth the letter you rightly felt was likely to cause more harm than good, are mainly due to the fact that the believers need to be deepened in their knowledge and appreciation of the Covenants of both Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá. This is the stronghold of the Faith of every Baha'i, and that which enables him to withstand every test and the attacks of the enemies outside the Faith, and the far more dangerous, insidious, lukewarm people inside the Faith who have no real attachment to the Covenant, and consequently uphold the intellectual aspect of the teachings while at the same time undermining the spiritual foundation upon which the whole Cause of God rests.
He feels you and your dear family should do all you can to teach the believers the Will and Testament to strengthen their understanding of its important provisions; for all the authority of the administrative bodies, as well as of the Guardian himself, is mainly derived from this tremendous document.
Page 83The Guardian, in spite of the fact that there is a larger community in Stuttgart, is very anxious to have the national affairs of the German Bahá'í Community centered in Frankfurt, which is far more central. He realizes at first this will present some difficulties for the friends, but every step forward in the Cause always is attended by complications and difficulties. The same was true in America, where for years New York was the center of the administration for America. When the National Headquarters were shifted to Chicago, it was at first very inconvenient, but it now has proved much more convenient and suitable than New York ever was.
30 May 1949Your letter to our beloved Guardian, of April 20, and conveying to him your loving Ridvan greetings, was received, and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He values very deeply your message of loyalty and devotion and your assurance that you will uphold the administration of our beloved Faith.
The German friends must always remember that, after the long years of suppression, and the war, when they were both cut off from the Guardian and forbidden to hold organized meetings, it is only natural that difficulties should sometimes arise in the course of their progress.
Page 84The main thing, however, is that all the believers should at all times feel conscious of their deep unity and brotherhood in the Cause of God, and that with love and understanding they should arise to overcome every problem, knowing that the Master will help and assist them to do so.
Firmness in the Covenant is their Fortress, their greatest protection, and new Bahá'ís should be taught this before they are admitted into the Community. In this way they will be given the spiritual strength to overcome the tests which are inevitable, and which strengthen the growth of the Community and drive its roots deeper in the soil of faith.
He hopes your Bahá'í work will make great progress during this Bahá'í year...
Dear and valued co-workers:Your joint and most welcome message brought great joy to my heart, as I feel greatly attached to, and greatly value the sentiments of the members of a community which has distinguished itself by its zeal, its accomplishments, its long record of service, and on which the Beloved has conferred such great bounties and blessings. I cherish great hopes for its future, and will supplicate on its behalf, that the Almighty may enable it to render His Faith still more notable services, and contribute, in an outstanding manner, to the onward march of the Faith and the development of its institutions in that promising country.
Your true and grateful brother,You have asked for his advice about two matters which concern you very deeply, and although he knows your love for this Holy
Page 85Cause will assist you in making the right decisions, he knows it will be hard for you to do so, and therefore assures you of his loving prayers that you may take these steps courageously, and that the way may be made easy for you.
He has heard nothing against the character of Mrs ... and does not doubt in many ways she may be a very commendable woman. However, this does not change the fact that in view of her inhered convictions about Bahá'u'lláh it is best for the Bahá'ís, including yourself, not to associate with her. That which is in the heart of those who have actively opposed the Manifestation of God is spiritually unhealthy, and although we in our limited human understanding cannot always see the wisdom of shunning them, the Master has instructed us to do so, and for our good, and the good of the Cause, we must obey this instruction.
The matter of your giving up your church membership is a conscientious obligation. He does not force you to do so, but as you no longer believe in all the doctrines of your former church, to continue to be a member of it is really to put yourself in a position of one who is acting insincerely. Should you decide to withdraw from the church as a member, however there is no reason why you should not continue to go to church with your husband, and to continue your friendly association with the congregation. He will pray that your husband may be willing for you to take this step.
30 September 1949 [1]He fully appreciates your point about certain well known names of Persian and other Oriental cities being spelt according to the general usage in German literature. However, he feels that
Page 86it is necessary to follow in full the transliteration used in God Passes By, even for the names of famous cities, etc., which have in European languages an accepted way of being spelt. Only by doing this can confusion be avoided in our Bahá'í translations and uniformity be maintained.
A key to pronunciation should be printed, in order to coordinate it with the German language, and also an explanation of the reason for this system being used: namely that it was adopted by an international Congress as being the most practical and universal means of spelling these oriental names in the latin alphabet.
He hopes that the fact that two people translated different parts of this book will not be noticeable in the style, and thus detract from its literary value in German?
Your labours, and those of the other friends concerned in getting this valuable history ready to be printed in German, are deeply appreciated. ...
May the Beloved of our hearts, whose Faith you are serving with distinction, zeal and loyalty, reward you a thousandfold for your constant and notable services, aid you to extend continually the range of your activities, and will still greater victories for its institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,National Youth Committee of the Bahá'ís of Germany and Austria
Dear Bahá'í Brother:Your letter of September 3, with enclosed report of the Bahá'í Youth Summer School, was received, and the beloved Guardian thanks you for it.
He read with interest the report of the activities of the Youth, and was particularly pleased to see that Dr. Grossmann had given a course on the Covenant. The Youth must ponder deeply over the significance and implications of the Covenants of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá, for these form the hub of the Bahá'í wheel, so to speak, the point of unity and strength for all the believers all over the world. Without these Covenants the Divine Protection of God over this new world Faith would not exist. Obedience to these Covenants is the stronghold of all the Bahá'ís, everywhere.
The Youth must grasp this fundamental truth, for this will strengthen them in their service to the Cause, as nothing else can or will.
Another thing he wants the young people to do is to set an example in obedience to the Administration, and to rise above the tendency, alas, so pronounced in some of the friends, to consider personalities instead of principles. This Cause is based on spiritual laws, and we must consider these, and obey them, and not lose time in thinking about the individual person's peculiarities, or opinions...
May the Beloved bless, sustain and guide you, to enable you, to acquire a fuller understanding of the implications of God's Covenant in this day, and contribute effectively to its clarification and its comprehension by the believers.
Your true brother,Your letter dated March 27, has been received by our beloved Guardian, as well as the report of the activities of your Assembly, and he thanks you for sending him this information.
He, likewise, wishes to thank Mr. Adolf Lorey for his letter to him of July 30, enclosing a newspaper clipping concerning Sohrab.
He feels your Assembly, wisely and lovingly, must guide the friends to a firmer grasp of both the independent nature of our glorious Faith and the need to study and uphold its Administrative Order.
To continue to be a member of the church places a Bahá'í in an insincere position - for we believe the Christ has come again, in Bahá'u'lláh, and that all His promises have been gloriously fulfilled. No church would tolerate one of its members believing such a thing, for the church is still blindly waiting the second coming. Therefore it is obvious why the Bahá'ís must leave the church, they are not leaving Christ, but rather rallying to His support in the new day of His coming.
Also, he feels your Assembly should obey and work with the National Assembly in the greatest love and harmony. The past must be forgotten, and all the believers concentrate, unitedly on the spread of the Faith and strengthening its administration.
He will pray for you all, and for the success of your work.
With Bahá'í loveMay the Almighty, Whose Faith you are serving with zeal, constancy and devotion, bless you and your dear collaborators, remove
Page 89all obstacles from your path, and enable you to win great and memorable victories for His Faith and its institutions,
Your true brother,It is the privilege of youth not to commit the same mistakes all over again of the older generations, and he hopes the German youth will rise above personalities, adhere to the principles of the Cause and its administration, be examples of firmness in the Covenant, and thus carry the Faith forward in Germany on a higher plane of development.
30 October 1949 [1]As the Guardian already wrote the N.G.R., he feels that most of the trouble which recently arose in the German community was due to the fact that the believers everywhere did not seem to know how to function administratively - almost everything they did was irregular and this caused added confusion, more wounded feelings, and confused the entire situation. He trusts that by now the whole situation has been straightened out and that the N.G.R. and the assemblies will work strongly and unitedly for the fulfilment of their Plan.
He was very glad that dear doctor Grossmann could attend the Brussels Conference. All the believers there were so happy to have a German brother with them! Also, he has received reports of the
Page 90excellent teaching work on the Covenant that your dear husband is doing. This is very important, especially at this time when Ahmad Sohrab is trying to again become active in Germany.
The German friends must learn to put the teachings above personalities and stop taking sides. This is a sign of immaturity and this old and beloved community cannot afford to linger in childhood, but must become a strong adult community of united, alert and active believers. ...
Dear and valued co-worker:I am deeply grateful to you for your constant and splendid services to our beloved Faith. These services and achievements will, no doubt, attract the blessings of Bahá'u'lláh. Rest assured that the Beloved is well pleased with your accomplishments, and will increasingly bless your high endeavours. May every obstacle be removed from your path and the dearest wish of your heart fulfilled.
Your true and grateful brother,The Guardian is in receipt of your your letter of October 26th, and feels very much pleased at the news of the completion of the German translation of "The Seven Valleys". He wishes me to congratulate you most heartily for this great service you have been able to render the Cause, and which no doubt will serve to enrich the record of the manifold contributions you have, during the last few years, so brilliantly made towards the spread of the Faith throughout Germany. He is praying to Bahá'u'lláh that He may continue to guide and inspire you, and assist you in
Page 91accomplishing still more outstanding works for the Cause in your country.
Regarding the publication of the manuscript, he sees no objection that it should be undertaken by a non-Bahá'í publisher, inasmuch as it will then have a greater appeal to the general public. But, of course, in this as well as in all other local matters of this kind you should first seek the approval of the N.S.A. As to the expenses of printing the work, they should be preferably furnished by the national fund.
The Guardian is also very much pleased to learn of the new publications which the N.S.A. is planning to issue very soon. The printing of the lectures delivered at the last Esslingen Summer School in a book form is, no doubt, highly useful. It is hoped that the funds required in this connection, as well as for other important publications, will be generously contributed by both the individual believers, and the local groups and assemblies.
With reference to the publication of the "Kitáb'i-Iqan" into Esperanto, the Guardian also hopes that some action will be taken in this matter by the N.S.A. But obviously the printing of this, and other non-German works, should be subordinated to the publication of Bahá'í literature in German. ...
Dear and valued co-worker:I am so eager to learn that your health is fully restored, for I believe your services are a most valuable asset to the Faith you serve in these troublous days. I welcome your efficient and unrelaxing cooperation, in spite of the obstacles which face you, in so many fields of Bahá'í activity. I am confident that as a result of your strenuous endeavours the administrative institutions in your land will be further consolidated and extended and the cause of teaching receive an added impetus.
Your true brother,Your letter of November 12 has been received by our Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He will certainly pray for the success of your very important branch of the Bahá'í work in Germany and Austria.
We, as students of religion and history, cannot but expect that when God's Greatest Revelation, (up until this time,) reaches the world, it will cause terrific repercussions in the lives of men. This is what we are witnessing all about us today, and although we, and others, suffer from the state of society, we cannot but derive inspiration from the fact that this very chaos is a testimony to the strength and potency of the Divine Remedy brought by Bahá'u'lláh. ...
May the Almighty Whose Cause you are serving in such a vital sphere of Bahá'í activity, guide, bless and sustain you, remove the formidable obstacles that stand in your bath, and enable you to win great and memorable victories for its institutions.
Your true and grateful brother,He will certainly pray for dear Mrs. ... and her son who so tragically took his life.
When a child is old enough to declare his intention of being a Bahá'í he is also old enough to leave the church. The Guardian
Page 93does not see any harm in what you did; the parents accepted that Bahá'í writings should be read at the funeral.
Please give the Guardian's loving greetings to all the Munich believers, and assure them of his prayers on their behalf. Urge them to persevere in their teaching efforts.
30 September 1950Your letters of 16 July, signed by the friends, and 21 July, signed by the secretary, and your photograph were received by our beloved Guardian, and he was happy to hear from you, and to learn dear Mrs. Ashton had visited you.
He often thinks of you, and it rejoices his heart to see you are faithfully serving the Faith, and that you have a Spiritual Assembly, in spite of the many difficulties you have passed through in Berlin.
He assures you he will ardently pray for your welfare, protection, and the success of your Bahá'í work.
In these days the most important thing of all is to teach the Faith to the people, for the world's salvation can only be found in the Plan of Bahá'u'lláh. ...
Dear and valued co-workers:I was so pleased to receive your letter, and I greatly value the sentiments you have expressed. You are often in my thoughts and prayers, and I will continue to supplicate the Beloved to protect and
Page 94sustain you, remove all obstacles from your path, and enable you to achieve your heart's desire in His service,
Your true and grateful brother,To those present at Youth Summer School, August 3, 1950, c/o National Bahá'í Youth Committee of the Bahá'ís of Germany and Austria
Dear Bahá'í Friends:The letter dated August 3, and signed by those attending the Youth Summer-School, was received by our beloved Guardian, as well as the photo of Burg Breuberg, and he was delighted to see so many youth had attended from Germany and different countries.
He urges you all to concentrate on teaching the Faith to the young people, who must be surely bewildered by the state of the present day world, and who are so in need of guidance and supranational goal towards which they can strive with heart and soul.
We know that only the remedy of the "Divine Physician" can solve the problems facing humanity and we work day and night to give the message of Bahá'u'lláh to the masses. ...
Dear and valued co-workers:I was deeply touched by your welcome message, and I wish to express my deepfelt appreciation of the sentiments you have expressed. I greatly value your labours, and I feel confident that the Beloved, whose Cause you serve so devotedly, will guide and sustain you in your high endeavours. Persevere and rest assured that the work you are achieving will bear rich fruit in the days to come.
Your true and grateful brother,...our beloved Guardian wishes me to assure you he will certainly pray for your success in teaching in Magdeburg. He deeply values your devotion to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
Assuring you of my loving prayers for your protection, welfare and the success of every effort you exert for the promotion of our beloved Faith,
Your true brother,He hopes the German believers, led by their N.S.A., are now united and active, and exerting their utmost to spread the Faith and support its institutions financially and morally.
26 October 1950Your suggestion regarding a book for the general public is a good one. The question is not only have we Bahá'ís competent to present this subject in a way which would catch the attention of the public, but also even if such a book existed would it achieve its end? We have, unfortunately, not very many capable Bahá'í writers, and the condition of confusion in the world is such that it seems doubtful if such a work would arrest the attention of distracted mankind.
However, we need more and better Bahá'í books, and he suggests you present your idea to the German, British and American N.S.A.'s.
Page 96The Hamburg situation he trusts is now greatly improved. The believers there must learn to function according to the Administration. When they do this, ninety percent of their problems will be solved.
Regarding your questions concerning the Gleanings:
1st. CXL up until CXLI refers to Muhammad-'Ali. The following pages do not.
2nd. The Guardian does not remember to who Chapter CXLIII refers. He gathered the quotations for the Gleanings from innumerable individual tablets and writings, and did not keep a record of all of them; and has not at present time to go back over this material and find out. He does not consider it important to whom it refers.
3rd. On Page 312, the words "I feign would hope" are merely a very elevated style of English for saying "I hope". This tablet has nothing to do with Muhammad-'Ali.
The Guardian asks you to please convey his love to all the members of your dear family, as well as to dear Mrs. Benke.
He very much appreciates the translation you have made of the Gleanings, and hopes that it will soon be in the hands of all the believers, as it is an extremely important volume for acquiring a deeper understanding of the Faith, and greatly enriches the literature available in the German language.
Page 97He feels that you should not ask the believers not to elect you to the Spiritual Assembly during the coming year. However, you might ask your fellow-members not to elect you as Chairman or as an officer of the Spiritual Assembly, if you are reelected to that body. This will lighten your work, and enable you, if you do not feel well enough, to omit attending some of the meetings; but your presence on the Assembly, if elected to it, the Guardian feels is important, because of your long experience in the Faith and your loyalty and tact. ...
Your long and devoted services to the Faith are very deeply valued; and he feels you have every reason to be happy as you look about you and see the great progress made in Germany, and the fact that the believers there are more loyal, more active and more numerous than ever before.
5 April 1951To the Believers who were present on World Youth Day held at Heidelberg.
Dear Bahá'í Friends:Your message of March 25th has been received by our beloved Guardian; and he was most happy to know that so many of the Bahá'ís were present on this occasion.
He urges you all to concentrate your time and energies on spreading the Cause, and not to become distracted by the extremely confused condition of the world and the acuteness of the problems facing humanity.
Page 98There is only one answer to these problems, and that is the Message of Bahá'u'lláh; and we, His followers, are the ones who alone can carry this Message to our fellow-men before it is too late.
You may be sure he will remember you all in his prayers in the Holy Shrines, and supplicate for the rapid expansion of the Cause in Germany and the consolidation of its administrative institutions....
May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you always, remove every obstacle from your path, and enable you to promote, at all times, the vital interests of its nascent institutions,
Your true brother,He hopes that the German youth, in spite of the fact that they now have Persian co-workers in their midst, will consider that the work in Germany is their responsibility, primarily, and not the responsibility of foreign students, whether they be Persians, Americans, or from any other nation.
Each country must create its own active corps of servants; and it is only right and proper that the German youth should do the lion's share of their work, and not permit other people to do it for them. He feels that the German Bahá'í young people have made great progress during the last few years, and prays that they may continue to do so; and he urges you all to concentrate your efforts on this important branch of Bahá'í activity; namely, consolidating and strengthening the activities of the young men and women enrolled in the Cause of God in that country.
Page 99He sees no objection to ... going to Persia for a visit. It would be a happy experience for him to meet with the believers there. However, he feels you should bear in mind that administrative experience and practice is not the strong point in the East; on the contrary, the Bahá'í Administration has, as far as being grasped by the average Bahá'í goes, made far greater progress in the West, particularly America.
What can be learned from our Oriental brethren is reverence, self-sacrifice, unquestioning obedience and complete devotion to the Cause. These are wonderful traits, and ones which the West must emulate. In exchange we can offer them our sense of principle and efficiency and capacity for action.
19 September 1951To the Bahá'ís who were gathered at Dilsberg, August 22, 1951
The beloved Guardian was very happy to see so many of the young friends had gathered to study the Faith, and associate with each other in Bahá'í fellowship.
He feels sure these experiences are building up among you a greater sense of dedication and uniting your hearts in the service of Bahá'u'lláh.
He urges you all to exemplify in your personal lives the teachings, as well as to study them, and to also learn well the principles of the Administrative Order.
Page 100May the Beloved of our hearts guide and bless you, remove every obstacle from your path, and aid you to contribute increasingly to the consolidation of the institutions of His Faith,
Your true brother,Through the National Assembly the beloved Guardian heard of your serious illness and your sufferings, and he wishes me to assure you of his loving sympathy and of his ardent prayers for your relief.
Life afflicts us with very severe trials sometimes, but we must always remember that when we accept patiently the will of God He compensates us in other ways. With faith and love we must be patient, and He will surely reward us.
The Guardian is also praying for your children, that they may grow up to rejoice your heart and be wonderful Bahá'ís.
6 December 1951To the Bahá'í Youth Who were gathered at Maulbronn October 28, 1951.
Dear Bahá'í Friends:The beloved Guardian appreciated receiving your message, and was happy to see that so many of you had met to consult together about ways and means of spreading the Divine Message in Germany.
Page 101He assures you he will pray that your efforts will be blessed; and he urges you, as far as possible, to disperse to centers in Germany where there are either no Bahá'ís, or there is a weak group and your presence would strengthen it to establish a new center.
20 January 1952To the Bahá'ís who were present at the Winter Youth Meeting
December 28, 1951.He was very happy to see that it was possible for so many to attend this Youth Meeting; and he trusts that the study of the Teachings together, and the spiritual interchange of thought among you on that occasion will cause you to devote your lives even more single-mindedly to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh and its requirements; and that you will each inspire the friends in your homes to further study, a closer unity and increased activity.
14 March 1952...he urges you to devote as much of your time as possible to the actual teaching work rather than writing on technical or theoretical subjects, especially in relation to the Faith, because the Bahá'í attitude in detail regarding such questions as sociology and economics must be formulated in the course of time and cannot possibly be elaborated on at this point. To do so would be premature. This does not mean that you should not make the best possible use of the manuscript you sent him, but he would not advise you to devote much time to a similar work in the immediate future.
Page 102To the Bahá'í Youth of Germany Who were present on Annual World Youth Day.
He hopes that each one who was present carried away with him a new strength and resolve to do all in his power to teach, and attract new souls to the Cause of God.
7 May 1952Your letter of April 26th reached the beloved Guardian, and he appreciated very much the kind sentiments you expressed. I also appreciated them very deeply.
He will pray in the Holy Shrines that your work in Heidelberg may be blessed, and that you will be able to promulgate the Faith in that area, especially amongst the student body. ...
Assuring you of my deep appreciation of the sentiments you expressed, and of my loving prayers for your success in the service of our beloved Faith,
Your true brother,To the Bahá'ís gathered in Frankfurt for Ridvan, 1952
Dear Bahá'í Friends:The beloved Guardian has received your loving greeting of April 27th, which he deeply appreciates, and which he has instructed me to acknowledge on his behalf.
He trusts that from this Convention the friends have carried back to their homes a renewed spirit of dedication, in order to enable them to carry forward the teaching work, now in their own land, and later on, beyond its borders.
In the Intercontinental Teaching Conference to be held in Stockholm in the summer of 1953, the German believers will have their part to play, and will have their goal allotted to them for the ten-year period beginning in 1953. Therefore, they must endeavor to realize the great importance of this Conference, and bend every effort towards its most complete success. ...
May the Almighty bless abundantly your noble endeavours, guide and sustain you always, remove every obstacle from your path, and enable you to win great and memorable victories in the service of His glorious Faith,
Your true brother,He is happy to hear you are in Tihran, and determined to help the friends directly with their teaching work, as this is the most important field of all.
Page 104You should follow their advice, and consult with them in all matters, as the situation there is very precarious, and any indiscretion could have serious repercussions on the affairs of the friends.
30 August 1952To the Bahá'í Youth who attended the first and second week of the Annual Youth Summer School at Heppenheim.
He was happy to see you are so active, because very great things lie ahead of the Bahá'í Youth, in particular during the next ten years; when you see what the task of Germany must be, (the details of which he will be revealing at the time of the Stockholm Conference), you will understand how great is the need for your services during the next decade.
The future has always belonged to youth, and now more than ever before, in order to ensure the fulfilment of Bahá'u'lláh's plans for this planet, the youth must labour and pioneer.
Now is the time, therefore, to consecrate yourselves and prepare yourselves for the work that lies ahead of you, and of all the young Bahá'ís the world-over. You must study both the teaching and the Administration, in order to be ready and qualified - qualified with both knowledge and shining personal characters...
May the Almighty guide your steps, aid and sustain you always, and enable you to contribute effectively to the progress of our beloved Faith and the consolidation of its nascent institutions.
Your true brother,To the Bahá'í Youth gathered at Heilbronn-Neckar, on October 26th.
The Guardian is made very happy by the spirit of the friends in Germany, as this spirit will attract to you the help of Bahá'u'lláh, as you go forward together to accomplish the tremendous goals set for Germany in your own country and in other lands, during the coming World Crusade.
13 March 1953...this will be just a brief note to thank you for your loving message to him of March 6th, which was received through the kindness of dear Ben Levy.
He assures the Esslingen friends of his prayers in the holy Shrine, for the abundant success of their teaching efforts, and particularly for the anniversary of the visit of `Abdu'l-Bahá to Esslingen.
The Guardian feels sure Ben will inspire you all with the account of his pilgrimage, on his return.
13 May 1953The Bahá'í Youth of Germany who were gathered in Titisee, January 1, for Winter School Session.
He urges each one of you, when the details covering the Ten Year Crusade are released, to give this subject careful study, so that you may, during the entire period of this World Crusade, serve the
Page 106Cause efficiently and devotedly in the place and in the manner in which you are best fitted to do so.
16 March 1953 [1]Mr. Ben Levy has safely delivered the Tablets of `Abdu'l-Bahá which you forwarded to the Holy Land, and the Guardian has read them, and will place them in the International Archives. It is indeed a miracle that you were able to protect these precious things during the long and dangerous years of the war, and the German Bahá'ís must be very grateful to you for doing so. The Guardian was happy to hear that photographs have been made of them and kept in Germany.
He also remembers your visit to Haifa; and your long and faithful services to our beloved Cause are most deeply appreciated. He feels sure that you and your family will continue to assist in spreading the Message in Germany, and in consolidating the foundations of the Faith, and will pray for the success of your efforts.
16 March 1953 [1]The Guardian does not feel that now is the time for the Hands to give up their normal sphere of activity, and prepare themselves to be free to travel and teach all the time. In most cases, this would be quite impossible financially, especially for people who, like yourself, have the responsibility of families to look after. No doubt, as the Cause grows in numbers, and has greater resources,
Page 107it will be possible to assist the Hands to carry out definite teaching missions; but for the present, we must stretch our limited resources, and accomplish the most essential tasks first. He was very pleased to hear that you will be present at the Stockholm Conference.
The tasks of the Auxiliary Boards will be under the direction of the Hands in their area, and in cooperation with the administrative bodies existing, to strengthen the teaching work. They will not have administrative functions, but will no doubt be able to help stimulate weak centers, groups and assemblies through their visits.
A Covenant-breaker, as you know, is one who disobeys and turns away from the Center of the Covenant. Until such time as they repent of this sincerely, and express their willingness to work under the Center of the Covenant, their status must be considered the same. However, such matters should be discussed and decided upon within the National Spiritual Assembly itself.
19 April 1953Regarding your question, on Page 40 of "Prayers and Meditations", where it says: "Methinks He", this "He" refers to The Báb. The last paragraph on Page 40 and the continuation of it on Page 41 right down to the end of the quotation marks on Page 42, is all the Spirit of The Báb addressing Bahá'u'lláh; therefore, the words: "Thou art, in very truth, the Self-Subsisting" refers to Bahá'u'lláh, and is addressed by The Báb's Spirit to Him in the mystical sense of this prayer.
Regarding the words on Page 39 beginning with: "He it is, O my Lord," up to: "Thou didst weep continually", these are addressed by Bahá'u'lláh to The Báb.
Page 108Your loving letter of April 5th has been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has asked me to acknowledge it on his behalf.
He is delighted to learn of the activity of the friends in Esslingen, and of their unity and devotion.
The visit of `Abdu'l-Bahá to Esslingen on April 4, 1913, was a historic occasion, and the friends certainly are correct in holding a memorial meeting each year.
Now that the Ten-Year World Crusade has been launched, the Guardian sincerely hopes that all of the friends in Germany will treble their efforts, and arise to accomplish the great goals which the German Bahá'ís have set themselves to achieve.
You may be sure the Guardian will pray for you at the holy Shrines. He sends his warm love to each and every one of you. ...
May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you, and aid you to promote the vital interests of Faith,
Your true brother,The beloved Guardian greatly appreciated your Ridvan Greetings, which were sent on the post card showing the Haziratu'l-Quds in Frankfurt.
This has been an especially wonderful Ridvan, marking as it does the ninetieth anniversary of the announcement of
Page 109Bahá'u'lláh, and also the launching of the great World Crusade in addition to the 100th anniversary of the Intimation of Bahá'u'lláh's Prophetic Mission - in the Siyah-Chal.
The Guardian speaks frequently of the German Bahá'ís, and of the great role they will have to play in the development of the Faith from now on. He will pray that divine confirmations may reach you at all times, and that your efforts will be guided and confirmed.
1 November 1953 [1]I am writing you this little note on behalf of our beloved Guardian to reassure you, as he has heard from one of the friends that sometimes you feel you have failed in your services to our glorious Faith.
He considers that you have no justification for ever having such dark thoughts. You have served the Cause of God unstintingly, and with complete loyalty and dedication year after year; and he feels confident that the Master has reserved a rich reward for you in the next world.
Your loving devotion, and the harmony that you are able to produce amongst the friends, is very essential for the work in such an important Center as Frankfurt, which will soon, in addition to its being the administrative center of the Faith in Germany, possess the first Bahá'í Temple in Europe.
The Guardian, therefore, urges you to continue your work there amongst the friends with a cheerful and peaceful heart; and you may be sure he remembers you in his prayers in the Holy Shrine.
Page 110The sudden passing of dear Dorothy Baker is indeed a great loss to the Faith, and leaves a sad gap in the ranks of the Hands of the Cause. She was exemplary in so many ways, and her services can ill be spared at this important period in Bahá'í history.
No doubt there is a wisdom in such calamities; and through her death others may feel moved to become more consecrated to the service of the Faith. Surely such a soul's influence will continue to be felt in this world.
Your own constant and devoted labours for the promotion of the Cause of God, as well as those of your dear family, are very deeply appreciated by him, and you are often remembered in his prayers. He hopes that you are in good health; and urges you, while serving the Cause, not to neglect yourself. Old and experienced Bahá'ís, especially the Hands, are needed to strengthen the foundations of the Faith; and for the sake of the Cause, they must protect themselves.
11 May 1954 [1]As regards the question you asked in your letter about a concealed group of masters in the Himalayas or anywhere else, there is no foundation whatsoever for this in the Bahá'í Writings. We as Bahá'ís must not believe in the divine origin of any such things which have not been mentioned in our own Sacred Scriptures by either The Báb, Bahá'u'lláh or the Master.
Page 111There is nothing whatsoever to lead us to believe that there is any foundation or truth in these mystical stories of beings that are "behind the scenes" so to speak. We must avoid such thoughts and teachings, and try to wean others away from the as we give them the Message. ...
He hopes that, now that a Board has been appointed by you and your fellow-Hands in Europe, the teaching work in the goal countries as well as in France and England will go forward much more rapidly; and also that the pioneers opening up the many new territories and islands in the Mediterranean and in the North Sea areas will likewise benefit greatly from the assistance this Board can give them ever increasingly.
5 June 1954This is just a brief note to acknowledge, on behalf of the beloved Guardian, your letter of greeting, dated May 9th.
He was very happy to learn that such a study group now exists, and he hope that each one of you will make a deep study of the Faith, so that you will be well prepared to take it to other friends there. The Guardian attaches the greatest importance to Munich, and he hopes others will be enkindled and confirmed, so that within a short time, a Spiritual Assembly may be established in your city. ...
Assuring you of my loving prayers for the success of your efforts for the promotion of our beloved Faith,
Your true brother,There can be no doubt that the opposition of the churches to the erection of the Bahá'í Temple is a marked step forward in the progress of the Faith in Germany. He hopes, however, that the situation will never reach a point where the National Spiritual Assembly as to go to the Federal Constitutional Court or to UNO. This would be unwise and doubtful as to results. We are not yet ready for the publicity such a case would bring us - not to mention the increase in opposition it would lead to, and which would inevitably affect our work in the more backward countries where pioneers are so devotedly labouring to establish the Faith.
He is praying that a solution will be forthcoming in the near future and all complications avoided.
The German Bahá'ís must be very careful not to be involved in any way if this Temple issue gets into the hands of politicians. Nothing could be more dangerous for us!
He deeply appreciates the constant and devoted services you are rendering the Cause of God, in which you are so whole-heartedly supported by your dear family.
He sends you all his loving greetings, and prays for your health and the success of your labours to promote and to protect the Faith. ...
May the Almighty, Whose Cause you have served so long, and are still serving with such devotion, distinction and courage, bless continually your high endeavours, guide and sustain you in your deeply appreciated labours, and enable you to enrich the record of your fine and unforgettable accomplishments.
Your true brother,The beloved Guardian has received your note of August 28th, signed by all those present at the Summer School.
He is happy to know that you have had such a happy and profitable time together; and he hopes that now you will promise yourselves to spend these days of your youth in the accomplishment of the goals set by the Guardian for your various countries for this particular period of the great World Crusade. ...
May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you, and enable you to promote the vital interests of His Faith.
Your true brother,Your letter of November 26th was received by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He is very happy to see the spirit of love and unity animating you, because without this, no work can go forward in the Cause of God. Personal differences of opinion, of character etc. must melt away in the love of the friends for Bahá'u'lláh, and their desire to serve His Cause.
He hopes that in the near future the Vienna Community will have its Haziratu'l-Quds, to which he attaches the greatest
Page 114importance, as it will be the visible sign of the firm foundation on which that Community stands.
He will pray for you all, and for the rapid spread of the Faith through your efforts. ...
May the Almighty bless your meritorious efforts, reward you abundantly for your valued and constant services, and enable you to achieve great and memorable victories in the days to come,
Your true brother,He assures you he very deeply appreciates the loving attention and care you have been giving to Valiyu'llah Varqa and his family.
This precious Hand of the Cause of God was always an honoured and favored servant of the Faith during the days of the Master, and very close to His heart; and has always been a completely trusted and truly dedicated helper of the Guardian, who loves him very deeply.
To know of his present condition does grieve the heart, and distresses and saddens the Guardian greatly. He feels confident, though, that this distinguished soul, who is so dear to the hearts in so many lands, in being where he is, is now surrounded with infinite love and tenderness; and for this he is most grateful. ...
May the Almighty richly reward you for the deeply appreciated and highly meritorious assistance you extend to our dearly beloved and distinguished brother and co-worker, Valiyu'llah Varqa, and enable you to extend continually the range of your splendid accomplishments in the service of our glorious Faith,
Your true brother,To the Bahá'í Youth who were present at the Titisee Winter School.
Dear Bahá'í Friends:The beloved Guardian was happy to receive your note of greeting from the School, dated December 26th.
He urges each one of you to exert your utmost effort in the teaching field, and do all in your power to establish many new Centers throughout Germany.
May the Almighty bless your constant endeavours, remove all obstacles from your path, and enable you to extend continually the scope of your valued activities,
Your true brother,Many of the problems which you see facing the German Community are akin to other Bahá'í Communities. There is a desperate need for deepening the Bahá'ís themselves in their own faith. They do not study the Teachings enough. They do not therefore either act as whole-heartedly as Bahá'ís as they should, or derive the spiritual strength from the Faith which studying, praying and meditating brings.
The answer of course to many of these problems is that we need more Bahá'ís to share in the work, more money to finance traveling
Page 117teachers, more understanding between the youth and older people, and a wiser distribution of the work of the Faith amongst those able to carry it on, whether young or old.
As regards the question you have asked about your own obligations, he feels you should not resign from the National Assembly, as your presence on that Body is of great help in the work. On the other hand, he approves of your requesting that they do not give you so much work as a member of the National Assembly, and as a member of national committees, thus freeing you more for the teaching work as a "Hand", and also enabling you to take better care of your health, which is a precious asset to the Faith.
3 May 1956 [1]He is glad to see that the work is progressing well in Innsbruck; and feels sure that, with your enthusiasm and that of the other dear friends, it will not be long before a flourishing Bahá'í Community exists there. ...
As you no doubt know, he has not been satisfied with the Temple drawings received from Germany, and is now in touch with the National Assembly regarding possible modifications of some recently sent him.
He considers that the prestige of our beloved Faith is directly involved with this building, and that what may to an architect, fond of an advanced style, seem appropriate, would not be sufficiently dignified to represent our Faith as the first Temple on the European continent. The problem will no doubt soon be solved. It merely requires patience and more effort.
Page 118He is well satisfied and pleased with the progress of the work there. It shows a healthy condition, and that you are being aided by Bahá'u'lláh in your efforts to establish the Cause in that new area.
He values very deeply your pioneering services, through which you are carrying on a long history in your family of single-hearted devotion to the Faith. It is indeed good that your dear brother Dr. Grossmann can give you such invaluable teaching assistance.
The Guardian hopes those who are now interested in and drawn toward the Cause will earnestly study the Teachings until they feel impelled to join the ranks of the Bahá'ís. He also hopes that others may soon follow their example, so that within a short time a Spiritual Assembly may be established in Westerland-Sylt.
His prayers will constantly surround you as you lovingly labour for the attainment of this important goal. ...
May the Almighty, whose Cause you have served, and are serving, so devotedly, so determinedly and courageously, reward you a thousandfold for your historic services and enable you to win still greater victories in the days to come,
Your true brother,He is very sorry to hear you may have to leave Graz, where you are laying a good foundation for the work; even though our dear
Page 119Bahá'í sister, Mrs. Johnson Norvell is there now, which the Guardian was happy to hear.
If it is not possible for you to remain in Graz, you should try to follow your plan of working in Vienna, and going down to help Mrs. Norvell on week-ends.
The Guardian feels you should inquire whether the German National Spiritual Assembly cannot help you to remain in Graz, as he considers this city of great importance. ...
Assuring you of my loving and fervent prayers for the success of your historic services, and of my admiration for the spirit that that animates you in the promotion of our beloved Faith,
Your true brother,He was sorry indeed to hear of the conditions there, and will ardently pray for the greater dedication of the members of the German Community, so that they may realize the pressing needs of the Faith, and arise determinedly to meet them.
He assures you he deeply appreciates your constant services, and the devoted labours of your dear and honoured brother.
Page 120As regards the translation of the Iqan, as this is a very important and fundamental book, the Guardian hopes that it will be published as soon as possible.
The basis of your translation should be his English translation of it and not the Persian original. He feels that you should adhere as closely as possible to the English text without making your translation so literal as to be un-German and unidiomatic, and therefore not very readable to German-speaking people.
As regards Dr. Schuck's book, which the Guardian is very pleased to hear he has written, as we need always more literature to attract new people to the Faith through different approaches: Any Bahá'í book presenting the Faith should be reviewed by a competent body. This only means that they should ascertain whether there is any misrepresentation of the Teachings in it. Sometimes the friends think they have to go into literary reviews and interfere with the author's style etc., which of course is wholly unnecessary. It should therefore not take long for your National Body or the Italo-Swiss National Assembly to pass upon the book.
17 November 1956Your letter of November 12th has been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
Page 121He deeply appreciates the sentiments you expressed and also the loving labours you are performing in the teaching field in Salzburg.
He was happy to note that your letter had seven signatures, and hopes that by Ridvan you will be able to form an Assembly there, which will be a great step forward in the progress of the Faith in Austria.
You may be sure he will pray for you all at the holy Shrines. ...
May the Almighty bless your high endeavours, guide every step you take, and fulfil every desire you cherish, for the promotion and consolidation of His glorious Faith.
Your true brother,He appreciates very deeply the sentiments you expressed to him on the occasion of the thirty-fifth anniversary of his Guardianship. The love of the friends and the services they render the Faith have in a great part sustained him in his arduous and exhausting work; and he feels that the Hands of the Cause will be called upon ever-increasingly to display a loyalty and devotion which will stimulate the rank and file of the friends to arise and fulfil their tasks, in spite of every obstacle. ...
May the Beloved reward you a thousandfold for your outstanding and unforgettable services, during so many years, to our beloved Faith, fulfil every desire you cherish, and bless every effort you exert, in the days to come, for the spread and consolidation of His glorious
Page 122Faith, and enable you to enrich the distinguished record of your highly meritorious accomplishments,
Your true brother,He very deeply appreciates the loving sentiments you expressed to him on the occasion of the thirty-fifth anniversary of his Guardianship. The devotion of the Bahá'ís, and the fidelity they have shown to the Master's wishes, and the love they have showered upon him, have enabled the Guardian to carry out the work he has accomplished.
He hopes that the older German Bahá'ís like yourself will do all you can to deepen the younger generation in the verities of the Faith, and create in them the same flame of devotion which has animated you all over so long a period. ...
Assuring you of my deep and abiding appreciation of the sentiments you have expressed, as well as for your highly meritorious services to the Cause of God - services which have greatly sustained and encouraged me amidst my strenuous labours in His service.
Your true brother,He deeply appreciates the loving sentiments you expressed to him on the occasion of the thirty-fifth anniversary of his Guardianship. The devotion the friends have shown to the Cause of God and the love they have showered upon him have enabled him to carry on his heavy burden.
He hopes that your persistent and devoted labours there will soon bear the reward of a Spiritual Assembly, and assures you that his prayers are offered for your success.
15 December 1956He also hopes that you will persuade this friend to withdraw from the church if he has not already done so. The line of demarcation must be more and more distinct at this critical point in the fortunes of humanity, and the Bahá'ís must courageously stand forth, upholding the laws of Bahá'u'lláh and supporting the Administrative Order openly.
2 February 1957He is happy, to hear that the Bahá'í friends from Budapest are safely installed in the United States, and that they are going to make an effort to settle in a way that will serve the work on the Home Front.
Page 124It was too bad that you lost some of the members of your much-prized Community there, just when you are trying to build up a Spiritual Assembly, but the Guardian hopes you will soon replace them with new believers recruited from the local population, in other words, permanent ones!
He attaches great importance to the creation of an Assembly in Salzburg and will pray that you may be successful in the teaching work there. ...
May the Almighty bless, abundantly and continually, your high endeavours, guide every step you take, and enable you to lay a firm foundation for our beloved Faith in that city.
Your true brother,He fully appreciates that you are not strong enough to act as National Secretary and at the same time fulfil your functions as a member of the Auxiliary Board, and he therefore approves of your asking the National Assembly, if you are reelected on it this year, to not make you the Secretary. He does not think however that you should resign from the National Assembly if you are elected to it.
Page 125Regarding the matters raised in your letter, as he wrote you before, he does not feel in this stage in the development of the Faith and the Institution of the Hands, that the Hands should request to not be elected on National Bodies, or resign from them. However, there is no reason why they cannot ask their fellow-members, if they are elected, to leave them free of the heavier administrative offices, so that they can do more in their function as Hands. There is no reason why there should not be a frank discussion of these problems before the National Assembly itself votes for its Officers.
The National Assembly is not obliged to follow the wish of the Hands.[1] It is also not the Body empowered to tell the Hands what to do; they can make suggestions to them.
[1 The Hands, however, can make suggestions to the N.S.A.]
As regards your highly meritorious desire to pioneer behind the Iron Curtain, he does not feel that this would be advisable or in the best interests of the Faith. You should continue your work where you are in Germany, and do all you can, as a Hand and as a member of the National Body, to see that some pioneers undertake this important service.
28 March 1957As regards the question you have asked: The Bahá'í marriage should take place the same day.
It is not necessary that this should be an occasion for a feast or publicity, although that would of course be good if it could be combined with obedience to the Laws. The most important thing is that they should have the Bahá'í ceremony, which, as you
Page 126know, is extremely simple, on the same day as the other ceremony.
28 April 1957The passing of dear George Townshend has been a real loss to the work in Europe - but what Europe has lost Asia in the Pacific has gained!
14 May 1957 [1]He would certainly not advise you to move outside of Germany, in view of the tremendous needs in that country. However, he approves, if you find it financially possible, of your moving to Dortmund where as you say there are no Bahá'ís, and which is one of Germany's major cities. This would indeed be rendering the Faith a valuable services at this time in setting an example to others. Either Dortmund or Berlin would be highly acceptable, whichever would be easiest for you.
28 May 1957To the Youth who were present in Aachen on May 19, 1957.
He was very happy to see that so many of the Bahá'í Youth had gathered together to study the Teachings, and hopes such meetings will be held often throughout Germany.
Page 127The believers, especially the young ones, should always remember that the first thing the non-Bahá'ís are going to notice in us is our character; therefore, the highest standard of moral conduct and courtesy should be shown forth by the youth, in order to attract the hearts of other people, and, through arousing their admiration, create in them a desire to know more about our beloved Faith, and eventually to arise to serve it.
He will pray for you all, that you may be successful in your labours, to give the Glad Tidings of Bahá'u'lláh to the young people. ...
May the Almighty bless your efforts, guide and sustain you, and aid you to win great victories in the services of His Faith,
Your true brother,Your letter of May 16th was received, and the beloved Guardian wishes to assure you of how happy he is over the formation of the Salzburg Assembly, and to see that you not only have nine Bahá'ís but ten Bahá'ís!
He hopes that during the coming months, you will each attract many new souls, enlarge your Community and confirm especially Austrians who will remain there, and free the pioneers for further services in new fields.
You may be sure he will remember you in the holy Shrines. ...
Page 128May the Almighty bless your valued endeavours, guide and sustain you in your historic services to His Faith, and enable you to promote its vital interests,
Your true brother,He greatly appreciates the services you have been able to render the Faith in Austria, and feels that you have every reason to be satisfied, now that you see that a Spiritual Assembly was established in Graz. The fact that the friends there did not cable him makes no difference at all. Not all of the new Assemblies cable.
You will be able, he hopes, on your return to Germany, to assist in the formation of a new Spiritual Assembly there, through taking up your residence where there is a Group. In this way you will be strengthening the Home Front, which is also a very important phase of our Bahá'í activities. If you must go back to Stuttgart, he hopes you can still live in its neighbourhood and be instrumental in forming another Assembly, rather than to be just one more Bahá'í in an already crowded Community. As you perhaps already know, he has urged the large communities to send out pioneers. Indeed, if only fifteen Bahá'ís remained in each city, willing to serve, it would be quite sufficient to maintain the Spiritual Assembly. The sooner the rest would arise to pioneer, the better it would be for them and for the Faith.
22 July 1957He was indeed happy to hear that the teaching work in Frankfurt is going forward so rapidly, and that such fine people are becoming deeply interested. He hopes, through these meetings, many new souls will become Bahá'ís, who will be active supporters of the Faith there.
Page 129The beloved Guardian has received your letter of July 3rd with its enclosure, and has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He was very sorry to hear of the death of Mehrangiz Mashoodi. Her devotion to the Faith will no doubt be rewarded in the Abhá Kingdom.
He appreciates your sending him the fine newspaper article about her.
Please assure her mother of his prayers for her and her daughter's soul. He hopes other Persian Bahá'í youth will follow her noble example.
The Guardian has wanted for some time to see a Spiritual Assembly established in Graz, and therefore he was made very happy this year over its formation. ...
May the Beloved bless your meritorious efforts, guide every step you take, and fulfil every desire you cherish, for the spread and consolidation of His glorious Faith.
Your true brother,Your efforts to promote peace and love among the friends are indeed deeply appreciated by him.
The National Spiritual Assembly must protect the Faith, but must always be fair. Because a person is accused does not necessarily
Page 130prove that he or she is guilty; and the administrative bodies cannot be too careful in such matters.
The Guardian hopes ... will obey the National Spiritual Assembly, and that ways will be found for him to serve the Cause, as his devotion to it is sincere, and the deep desire of his heart is to labour for the Cause. ...
May the Almighty bless your incessant and highly meritorious labours, guide and sustain you in your manifold activities, and enable you to enrich the record of your unforgettable achievements,
Your true brother,