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****************Prepared under the supervision of The Universal House ofjustice
VOLUME XIVCopyright � 1974 by The Universal House of Justice
World Rights ReservedNOTE: The spelling of the Oriental words and proper names used in this volume of The Bahá'í World is according to the system of transliteration established at one of the International Oriental
Congresses.Printed in England by The Broadwater Press Limited
Weiwyn Garden City, I{ertfordshireTHE successive volumes of The Bahá'í World have come to be anticipated by Bahá'ís as the record of their own collective endeavours on behalf of their Faith, of the establishment t and development of its administrative order throughout the world and as the source of data, both historical and statistical, relating to the rise of that Faith during its formative e age.
By librarians and students The Bahá'í World is becoming ever more widely known as a source of authentic information about the aims, tenets, history, activities, organization and growth of the Bahá'í Faith. The editors therefore have always in mind the preservation n of an even balance between the presentation of material of supreme interest to believers and of a fair and objective picture to enquirers. In this they are guided by the policy of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, who directed the compilation of the successive volumes from Ito XII covering the years 1925 to 1954. The first volume, known as Bahá'í Year Book, was in fact a one year survey; the next seven volumes were biennial, terminating in 1940; volume IX recorded the four years from 1940 to 1944; volume X was again biennial and volumes XI and MI presented the periods 1946 � 1950 and 1950 � 1954 respectively. All these volumes were published in the United States under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly, volume I being compiled by an editorial committee of American Baha'is, and the remainder by an international board of editors, all under the supervision of the Guardian of the Faith. Volume XIII, which recorded the passing of the Guardian and the course and completion of his Ten Year Crusade, covered the entire period from 1954 to 1963 and was produced under the supervision of the Universal House of Justice, which thenceforth assumed responsibility for publication.
This volume, XIV, relates to the years 1963 to 1968, the centenary period of the announcement t and initial proclamation by Bahá'u'lláh of His Mission, and of His second, third and fourth exiles, which terminated in His arrival at the "Most Great Prison" of 'AttA. Volume XIV, therefore, presents the record of these world-shaking events together r with the text of the "Great Announcement" and an essay by Shoghi Effendi on Bahá'u'lláh. The centenary period was further enriched by the completion, with the election of the Universal House of Justice, of the administrative structure of BahA'u'-lidli's s World Order.
Page 6AIMS AND PURPOSES OF THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH, by David llofman. xxi
PART ONEA. Summons to the Kings and Rulers of the World I
B. Summons to the World's Religious Leaders14II. SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF SHOGHI EFFENDI ABOUT
BAHÁ'U'LLÁH1. The Birth of the Baha Revelation 30
2. Bahá'u'lláh 39
PART TWOI. THE MOST GREAT JUBILEE, by Beatrice Ashton 57
IL INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF CURRENT BAHÁ'Í ACTIVITIES 81
III. THE LAUNCHING OF THE NINE YEAR PLAN 101
IV. EXPANSION AND CONSOLIDATION OF TIlE BAnAl FAITH �
INFORMATION STATISTICAL AND COMPARATIVE, RIpYAN 1968 141
V. PROCLAMATION OF THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH 195
1. The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh 1952. Delivery of the Proclamation to Today's Heads of State 204 3. Proclamation to Mankind in General 211
VI. SIX INTERCONTINENTAL CONFERENCES 221
1. Panama City 223
2. Chicago/Wilmette 229
3. Sydney 239
4. Kampala 243
5. Frankfurt 249
6. New Delhi 253
vii291 300 303 304 305 308 310 311 313 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 323 325 326 326 329 330 332 332 333 334 336 337 340 341 343 346 348 348 348 349
GhulAm-}{usayn Kayv~n.X. RECOGNITION OF THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH � DOCUMENTATION.
291 350 351 353 354 354 355 356 357 357 358 360 362 364 366 366 366 367 368 369 370 373 373 374 375 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 385 387 388 389 390 392
1. Incorporation of National Spiritual Assemblies 392
2. Incorporation of Local Spiritual Assemblies4093. A selection of other Documents Giving Official Recognition to the Baha'i
Faith 415I. THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE 425
1. Announcement by the Hands of the Cause of God of the Historic Election of the First Universal House of Justice 425 2. First International Convention, by Charlotte M. Linfoot 427 3. First Statement from the Universal House of Justice 431
4. The World Centre of the Bahá'í Faith � Its Supreme Administrative Importance
ance � Address by the Hand of the Cause Paul Haney 433 5. The Authority, Powers and Functions of the Universal House of Justice 439
II. THE HANDS OF THE CAUSE OF GOD 445
1. The Institution of the Hands of the Cause of God 459 2. The Work and Travels of the Hands of the Cause of God 467 3. Hands of the Cause who Represented the Universal House of Justice at
Conventions for the Election of New National Spiritual Assemblies 473
4. Hands of the Cause who Represented the Universal House of Justice at
Conferences and Dedications 474IlL THE INSTITUTION OF THE MASIIRJQU'L-ADHKAR 475
1. Foreword, by Horace Holley 4752. The Spiritual Significance of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar 476
3. The Razing of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of 'I�qAbAd 479 4. Dedication of the Mother Temple of Europe 483 (i) Das ilaus der Andacht der Bahá'í � Address by Dr. Eugen Schmidt 489
5. The Mother Temple of Latin America 493IV. THE INSTITUTION OF THE NATiONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY, by
Horace Holley 4971. A Model Declaration of Trust and ByLaws for a National Spiritual Assembly 500
2. A Procedure for the Conduct of the Annual Baha Convention 508 V. THE LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY � The Institution and its significance 511
1. ByLaws of a Local Spiritual Assembly 525VI. THE NONPOLITICAL CHARACTER OF THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH. 531
VII. BAHÁ'ÍS AND MILITARY SERVICE 541
1. Loyalty to Government 545
VIII. BAHÁ'Í CALENDAR, FESTIVALS AND DATES OF HISTORIC
SIGNIFICANCE 547
1. Foreword 547
2.Bahá'í Feasts, Anniversaries and Days of Fasting 547 Bahá'í Holy Days on which work should be suspended 548 4.Additional Material Gleaned from NaN l's Narrative (vol. II), regarding the
Bahá'í Calendar 5485. Historical Data Gleaned from Nabil's Narrative (vol. II), regarding Bahá'u'lláh 11Th 551 6. Dates of Historic Significance during the First One Hundred and Twenty-Four Years of the Bahá'í Faith 554
PART FOURI. BAHÁ'Í DIRECTORY 196768 559
1. The Universal House of Justice 559
2. TheHandsoftheCause 5593. Bahá'í International Community 559
4. Baha National Spiritual Assemblies 560II. BAHÁ'Í BIBLIOGRAPHY 561
1. Bahá'u'lláh's Bestknown Works 561
2. The Báb's Bestknown Works 562
3. 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í Bestknown Works 563
4. Some Compilations from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá 564
S. Shoghi Effendi's Bestknown Works 564
6. Bahá'í Publishing Trusts 565
7. Languages into which Bahá'í Literature has been Translated 566 8. Major Works and Partial List of Languages in which they are available 570
A. Works of Bahá'u'lláh 570
n. Works of 'Abdu'l-Bahá 570 cxWorks Compiled from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb and 'Abdu'l-Bahá
Baha 570D. Works of Shoghi Effendi 570
9. A Selection of Introductory and Expository Works 571
10. Translation of the Literature and Sacred Writings of the Bahá'í Faith 573
III. ORIENTAL TERMS 576
1. Transliteration of Oriental Words frequently used in Bahá'í Literature 576 2. Guide to Transliteration and Pronunciation of the Persian Alphabet 578 3. Notes on the Pronunciation of Persian Words578 4. Definitions of some of the Oriental Terms used in Baha Literature 580
PART FIVEI. ARTICLES AND REVIEWS 587
1. Bahá'u'lláh, by IT. M. Bahá'í 587 2. One God, One Truth, One People, by Ugo Giacliery 612 3. The Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, by 'Abdu'1-Iflarnid-i-Ishniq Baha'i, translated and adapted by Ijabib TThirzAdih 620 4. The Tongue of Power, by Eunice Braun 633
II. VERSE 639
III. MUSIC 643An illuinina ted Tablet in the handwriting of Bahá'u'lláh Frontispiece The house of RiglA Big, one of the seven houses occupied by Bahá'u'lláh during the period He spent in Adrianople 3 Entrance to the Dulma-Ba'gh Chih Palace of the Sul{Ans of Turkey, Istanbul 11 A view of the bridge at Btiyiikqekmece, Turkey over which Bahá'u'lláh crossed on the journey from Constantinople to Adrianople 19 A view of Gallipoli, Turkey, where Bahá'u'lláh spent three nights before leaving for 'Akka 22 An aerial view of presentday 'Akka showing the Most Great Prison 25 A close view of the prison at 'Akka showing the two windows of the room occupied by
Bahá'u'lláh 27
An aerial view of presentday 'Akka 32 The Mansion at Mazra'ih, occupied by Bahá'u'lláh for approximately two years 36 The room occupied by Bahá'u'lláh in the Mansion at Bahá'í 40 A view of the Garden of RigivAn, a favourite retreat of Bahá'u'lláh 40 A view of the Mansion at Baha, before the developments and beautification of its surroundings gs were carried out 44 A presentday view of Bahá'í showing the Mansion and the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh 44 A group of eastern pilgrims gathered at Baha, 1914 49 Partial panorama of Mt. Carmel showing the Shrine of the Báb and the International
Archives Building 54Believers from all corners of the globe gathering at the Royal Albtrt Hall on the opening day of the World Congress, London, 1963 58 A group departing for London from Idlewild International Airport, New York 59 View of the platform at the World Congress from one of the upper tiers of the Royal Albert
Hall 62The Hand of the Cause Amatu'J-BahA Ritiyyih KliAnum opening the World Congress on
April 28, 1963 63
The Hand of the Cause TarAzu'llAh Samandari, who thrice attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, h, addressed the Congress on April29 65 The members of the first Universal House of Justice stood before the World Congress while Mr. David llofman read the first statement of the newly-elected Institution 68 The youngest son of Fu'6A TaIA~n, a Moroccan Bahá'í under sentence of death, reciting a prayer in Arabic from the platform of the Congress 70 The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Ri~iyyih Kh6num renewed her friendship with "Uncle" Fred Murray, an Australian Aborigine believer 71 View of the interior of the Royal Albert Hall as it looked when thousands of Baha gathered for the World Congress 73 The national dresses of Bahá'ís from many lands added colour and variety to the World
Congress 75
A group of African Bahá'ís presenting a selection of songs with Baha themes composed by the Baha of Africa 77 A group of Baha outside the Royal Albert Hall discussing the inspiring events they have witnessed 78 A London news stand advertises a souvenir edition of a newspaper containing reports and photographs of the World Congress 79 Aerial view of Baha'i, 1963 83 Formerly used to accommodate pilgrims from the East, this building now serves as a reception centre for pilgrims from both Fast and West 88 Seated in the Conference Room is a group of Bahá'ís who toured the United Nations headquarters in April, 1965 89 xi
Page 12President Zalman and Mrs. Shazar of Israel, and Mayor and Mrs. Aba Khoushy of Haifa, on the occasion of their formal visit to the Shrine of the Nib and the Bahá'í gardens on Mt. Carmel in the spring of 1964 92 Mr. Hendrik Olsen, the first indigenous Bahá'í of Greenland; July, 1965 94 The first Yaqui Indian to become a Bahá'í in the State of Sonora, Mexico; 1966 94 Sr. Martin Zamora of Embarcaci6n, Argentina, the first believer of the Mataco tribe 94 Moroccan Bahá'í prisoners leaving Kenitra prison, December 13, 1963 97 Mr. P.1. Pukoya, first indigenous believer of the Laccadive Islands; Mr. S. B. Mobedzadeli, Auxiliary Board member; and Mr. A. P. Kumaran, Bahá'í pioneer; 1966 98 The first Teaching Conference of the Bahá'ís of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, 1967 100 Bahá'ís of Rangoon, Burma; May, 1966. Burma was opened to the Bahá'í Faith during the period of Bahá'u'lláh's ministry, 1853 � 1892 145 Bahá'í pioneer Napoleon Bergamaschi, an Alaskan Eskimo who, with his three children, opened St. Lawrence Island to the Faith on March 22, 1966 146 Mr. Noel Bluett, pioneer to New Guinea, with the first Bahá'í of the highlands area, Mr. Wanume Hegite of Arufa village; 1967 146 A Bahá'í study class led by Mrs. Margaret Bluett, Arufa village, highlands of North East
New Guinea 146
Piaroa Indian Baha'is, Caflo Tawari village, Territorio Amazonas, Venezuela, who accepted ed the Bahá'í Faith in April, 1965 148 Bahá'ís of the Manobo tribe of Mindanao, a southern island of the Philippines, standing before the Baha Centre which they built 148
The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Ral$yyih KiPnum visiting Guajiro Indian Baha'is
at their Centre, Prieto, Venezuela; February, 1968150 Auxiliary Board member Hooper Dunbar with Mataco Indian Bahá'ís and friends, Embar-caci6n, n, Argentina 150 Auxiliary Board member OrplA Daugherty with first Bahá'ís of the Yao tribe, Laos;
February, 1966 150
Members of the Bahá'í community of Guadeloupe, French West Indies, with their friends, 1968 152 Bahá'í community of Nginamadolo, Swaziland, with visiting Bahá'í friends; 1965 152 The first legally recognized Bahá'í wedding in Europe took place on May 19, 1966, in Finland where marriages performed under the auspices of the Bahá'í community are legal 154 A Bahá'í wedding performed by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Tainan, Taiwan; 1968 154 A Bahá'í wedding party, Mog~discio, Somalia; September, 1964 154 Bahá'í children's class, Chacoma, Departamento de La Paz, Bolivia; 1968 156 Baha children's class, Baymis village, Anatolia; 1965 156 Bahá'í youth and children, Green Acre Summer School, Eliot, Maine; August, 1965. 156 First Bahá'í Youth Group, Oruro, Bolivia; 1966 158 Bahá'í Youth School, Yerrinbool, Australia; April, 1968 158 Youth project training session, Geyserville, California; June, 1965 158
National Jjanratu'1-Quds of Gilbert and Ellice Islands; Vietnam; Rdunion Island; Korea 160
National Ijaziratu'1-Quds of Tanzania; Solomon Islands; Kenya 162
Local Haziratu'1-Quds of Tananarive, Malagasy Republic; Shiraoi, Hokkaido Island,
Japan; Lusaka, Zambia 164
Sites of future Baha Houses of Worship in Mbabane, Swaziland; Vientiane, Laos; Lusaka,
Zambia 166
Sites of future Bahá'í Houses of Worship in Willowdale, Ontario, Canada; Oslo, Norway 168 Bahá'í Summer School, Kobe, Japan; August, 1966 170 Bahá'í Winter School, Laliti, Finland; January, 1967 170
Page 13Bahá'í Winter School, Avids, Baerum, Norway; February, 1964 172 Baha Summer School, Juneau, Alaska; June, 1966 172 Guajiro Indian Bahá'ís attending the first Teacher Training Institute held at Riohacha,
Colombia; December, 1965 174
First Bahá'í Summer School, Bomi Hills, Liberia, West Africa; March, 1967 174 Baha Teaching Conference, Ekpene Tete, Eastern Nigeria; August, 1965 176 First Bahá'í Teaching Conference, Yasothon, Thailand; 1966 176 Benelux Baha Summer School, De Vechtstrom, Holland; August, 1965 178 Members of the Teaching Committee of Tinto District, West Cameroon, withtbree members of the National Spiritual Assembly; October, 1965178 Bahá'ís of the Dang area attending the first Teacher Training Institute held at Deviati,
India; December, 1964 180
Bahá'í Summer School of Western Canada, held at Banif, Alberta; August, 1965 182 Bahá'í Teaching Conference, Galle, Ceylon; 1966 184 Bahá'í Summer School, TibrAn, Iran, 1966 186 Bahá'í Winter School, Panchgani, India; December, 1963 186 Third National Convention of the Bahá'ís of the Hawaiian Islands; April, 1966 188 National Convention of the Bahá'ís of the Philippine Islands, 1965 190 National Convention of the Bahá'ís of the Dominican Republic, 1967 190 The Hands of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Rfi~iyyih KhAnum and Ja161 KhAzeh with a group of friends at the InterContinental Conference in Panama, 1967 192 View of the dormitory wing, New Era High School, Pancligani, India 193 The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, published by the Universal House of Justice in 1967 to mark the centenary of the inception of that proclamation 194
SultAn 'Abdu'1-'Azfz 196
Alexander II 197
Francis Joseph 198
Napoleon III 199
NAsiri'd-Din ShAh 200
Pope Pius IX 201
Queen Victoria 202
William I 203
Facsimile of letter from the President of the United States of America, Lyndon B. Johnson 207 Facsimile of letter addressed by the private secretary of ll.M. Queen Julianato the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Netherlands acknowledging receipt of The
Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh 208Presentation of The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh to His Majesty King Phumipon Adulyadet
of Thailand; November, 1967 209 Presentation of The Proclamation of BaJui'u' lid/i to the President of Ecuador, Dr. Otto Arosemena G.; April, 1968 209 Presentation of The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh to the President of the Republic of Paraguay,
General Aifredo Stroessner; November, 1967 210
Presentation of Tire Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh to Mr. T. J. Molefhe, Private Secretary to the President of Botswana, Sir Seretse Khama; March, 1968 210 Bahá'í booth, Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto, Canada; August � September, 1963 213 Bahá'í floral exhibit, World Flower and Garden Show, Chicago, Illinois; March, 1964 213 Miss Marian Anderson planting a "Marian Anderson" rose bush in the gardens of the Bahá'í House of Worship, Wilmette; May 3, 1964 214 Tree planting ceremony in observance of the centenary of the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh,
Edinburgh, Scotland 214
Facsimile of Senate Concurrent Resolution extolling the Bahá'í Faith, adopted by both houses of the Legislature of the State of Michigan, U.S.A., 1965 215
Page 14Baha display, International Fair, Nice, France; March 13 � 14, 1966 216 Bahá'í bookmobile which toured the State of Connecticut, U.S.A., April, 1966 216 Baroness Maria Von Trapp visiting the I3ah&i House of Worship, Wilmette; April, 1966 217 Participants in the World Peace Day programme sponsored by the Baha of the Sey chelles Islands; September, 1966 217 Presentation of trees to the city of Huelitietenango, Guatemala, by the National Spiritual
Assembly; April, 1966 218
The award winning float sponsored by the Bahá'ís of Hawaii in the Aloha Week Parade;
October 14, 1967 218
Attendants at the Bahá'í booth, International Book Fair, Frankfurt, West Germany;
October, 1967 219
The Australian Dawn-Breakers singing group; January, 1968 219
Representatives of the Bahá'í Faith who attended the memorial service for Bishop Joost de Blank, held in observance of Human Rights Year, 1967 � 1968, at Westminster Abbey 220 The Hands of the Cause of God who delivered the Message from the Universal House of Justice to the six Intercontinental Conferences held in October, 1967 222 Friends assembled at Cerro Sonsonate for the laying of the cornerstone of the Mother
Temple of Latin America, Panama 225
The Hands of the Cause and friends attending the Panama Conference 226 The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Rvibfyyih Kli~num and distinguished guests at the banquet attended by dignitaries of Panama 227 The Panama Conference in session 228 The Bahá'ís assembled on the steps of the House of Worship, Wilmette, before the first service 230 Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, addressing the public meeting 233 Dr. Daniel Jordan, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of the United States, extending greetings in the unique telephonic call connecting the six
Intercontinental Conferences 233
The Hand of the Cause TarAzu'11&h Samandari accepting the greetings of the friends 234 Friends viewing the paintings of Mark Tobey from the collection of Mr. Arthur Dahi 235 The Hand of the Cause Tar~zu'I1Ah Samandari addressing the Conference 237 Some of the friends who volunteered to pioneer at the Wilmette Conference 238 Distinguished guests at the civic reception given in honour of the Hand of the Cause Dr. Ugo Giachery and Bahá'í friends by the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Australia 240 The Hands of the Cause and friends assembled on the steps of the House of Worship,
Sydney 241
The Hand of the Cause H. Collis Featherstone meeting with members of the Auxiliary
Board of Australasia 242
Mrs. Margaret Clayton awaiting completion of the intercontinental telephonic hookup 244 The Hands of the Cause and friends on the speaker's platform, Kampala, Uganda 244 The Hands of the Cause 'Ali-Akbar Fur6tan and Enoch Olinga greeting the friends 245 A Bahá'í singing group entertaining the friends during the "Traditional Welcome" 246 The National Haziratu'1-Quds, Kampaht, Uganda, dedicated October 5, 1967 247 British Bahá'ís attending the Intercontinental Conference, Frankfurt, gathered at the
Centenary Hall 249
The Hand of the Cause Paul Haney addressing the Conference 250 The Baha, some in native costume, assembled at the House of Worship, Frankfurt 250 Centenary Hall, Frankfurt, where the Conference was held 251 Friends meeting at the Bahá'í book display booth, Frankfurt 252 The Hand of the Cause Abti'1-QAsirn Faizi with some of the Bahá'ís of Tibet who attended the New Delhi Conference 253 A close view of some of the Bahá'ís during the Conference session 254
Page 15Mr. Morarji Desai, Deputy Prime Minister of India, receiving a delegation of Hands of the Cause and Bahá'í friends 255 A group of Bahá'ís from Indian villages with two friends from abroad 256 Mr. Jagjivan Ram, Minister of Food and Agriculture, with the Hands of the Cause
Abfl'1-Q6sirn Faizi and ShuTu'lhh 'A1A'f 257
Youth Project Training Session, Green Acre Bahá'í School, Eliot, Maine; July, 1966 261 Youth Project Training Session, Baha Summer School, Davison, Michigan; 1965 261 Youth Institute, Dexter, Michigan; November, 1965262 Bahá'í Youth Conference, Sarasota, Florida; February, 1968 262 Summer Youth Project, Martha Root Institute, Muna, Yucat6n; 1967 264 Baha Children's Class, Quezaltenango, Guatemala; 1965 264 Baha Children's Class, Summer School, Turkey; 1965 264 Young Bahá'í teacher with his students, Baha School, Jankarachi, Bolivia; 1967 265 Youth Conference, Sucre, Bolivia; 1966 265 First B2h&i Children's School, Burzaco, Argentina; 1965 267
First National Bahá'í Youth Conference of Brazil; 1965 267
Baha Youth Conference, Panama; January, 1967 268 Bahá'í Youth Conference, Belle Rose, Mauritius Island; June, 1967 268 Baha Youth Winter School, Freudenstadt, Germany; 1967 270 Baha Youth Symposium, Rimini, Italy; March, 1967270 Bahá'í Youth, Swiss Autumn School, Rietbad, Switzerland; October, 1966 271 National Bahá'í Youth School, Valencia, Spain; July, 1966 271
Ba1A'i Youth of Ujjain, India; 1965 273
Baha Youth of Bombay, India; 1968 273World Peace Symposium sponsored by the Bahá'í Youth of Karachi, Pakistan; 1967 274 Bahá'í Choir of the Mother Temple of the Antipodes, Sydney, Australia; December, 1966 274 A group of Bahá'í youth and friends at the InterContinental Conference in New Delhi, 1967 275 Ambassador Fakhri'd-Din Mubammad of the Sudan talks with Mr. and Mrs. Rafi Mottahedeli at a reception given by the Ambassador at the United Nations on January 5, 1967, in honour of Sudan Independence Day 279 Speakers and part of the audience of three hundred who were present at the Bahá'í observance ce of United Nations Day, Victoria, Seychelles Islands, 1966 282 Bahá'í participants in the seminar at the United Nations headquarters, May 21 � 22, 1966 283 Baha participants in the third annual seminar at the United Nations headquarMay 26 � 28, 1967 284 Mr. Asdrubal Saismendi, Deputy Director of UNESCO, addressing the United NaInstitute held at Green Acre Baha Summer School, Eliot, Maine; August, 1966 285
PageLeroy Toas 293 Frank Albert Baker 321
Jessie Revell 301 Stanley William Bolton323
Mildred Eileen Clark303 Ibr6iMm Chalabi 325
Marcia Steward de Matarnoros 305 Dr. Genevieve Coy 327
Charles William Dunning 307 ~ubiii Daniel 329
Roy Fernie 309 William deForge 331
Mabel Grace Geary 311 'Abdu'1-Q6xlir Diri6z332
Elizabeth G. Hopper 312 SalmAn Dloomy 333
Catherine ileward Huxtable 314 JinAb-i-F6Ai1 334
Alyce Janssen 315 Mario Fiorentini 336
Malcolm King 316 Kathryn Frankland 338
Richard Nolen 317 Henriette From 340
'Au Akbar Rafi'i Rafsanj~ini 318 Charlotte Gillen 343
Effie Baker 320 Mariam Haney 344
Page 16347 349 350 351 352 353 355 356 357 358 359 361 363 365 366 366 366 367
PageTwo photographs of the metal box on which Eduardo Durante Viera wrote messages for his family from his prison cell 391 Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of the
Hawaiian Islands 393
Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual AssemNy of the Bahá'ís of Vietnam 394 Certificate of Filing of Bylaws of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the
Philippines 395
Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Korea 396 Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Tanzania 398 Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Kenya 399 Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of the South
Pacific Ocean 401
Certificate of Incorporation of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Mauritius
(Indian Ocean) 402
Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Italy 403 Certificate of Registration of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Malaysia 404 Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Cameroon
Republic 405
Certificate of Registration of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Burma 406 Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Leeward, d, Windward and Virgin Islands 407 Certificate of Change of Name in Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Zambia 408 Certificate of Incorporation of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Monaco 410 Certificate of Incorporation of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Sante Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A 411 Certificate of Incorporation of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A 412 Certificate of Incorporation of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of San Jos6, Occidental
Mindoro, Philippine Islands 413
Certificate oflncorporation of theSpiritualAssembly of the Bahá'ís of Cochabamba, Bolivia 414
Certificate of Marriage, Brazil 416
Proclamation of Human Rights Day, Bakersfield, California, U.S.A 417
Page 17Judgement of a Court of Tekirdag, Turkey, permitting the Claimants to change the religious designation on their identity cards from "IslAm" to "Baha" 418 Police Certificate permitting Bahá'ís to engage in teaching activity in Guatemala 420 Letter from Department of Education, Pago Pago, American Samoa, exempting Baha children from attendance at school on Bahá'í Holy Days 421 Bahá'ís of fifteen eastern states converged on New York City in April, 1966, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the revelation of the Tablets of the Divine Plan 422 The members of the Universal House of Justice assembled in the gardens surrounding the Shrine of the Nb on Mt. Carmel 425 The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá ROtiiyyih KNinum explaining balloting procedures to the delegates assembled in the Master's House426 The delegates leaving the House of the Master after casting their ballots for the first Universal
House of Justice 426
The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Rttbiyyih KiPnum greeting the members of the Universal House of Just ice 428 Mr. Charles Wolcott responding to the applause of the delegates 428 International Convention session, Nit Harofe Auditorium, Haifa 429 Delegates assembled at the International Archives building 430 The office and temporary seat of the Universal House of Justice 432 View of the Arc on Mt. Carmel, showing the Shrine of the Báb and the International
Archives Building 442
Governor John A. Burns of Hawaii signs a proclamation designating September 15, 1963, as "World Peace Day" 444 The Hand of the Cause IJAJI MullA 'AJi-Akbar-i-Shahmirz&di, known as Jj6ji Akh~nd. 445 The Hand of the Cause tI6ji Mirza Mu1~ammad Taqiy-i-Abhari, known as Ibn-i-Abhar 445 The Hand of the Cause Mirza Muliammad-Tjasan, entitled Adibu'1-'UlamA, known as Adib 445 The Hand of the Cause Mirza 'ALI-Mu$ammad, known as Ibn-i-Asdaq 445 The Hand of the Cause AqA Muhammad-i-QA'inf, known as Nabil-i-Akbar 446 The Hand of the Cause Mirza 'AII-Muhammad-i-VarqA, the martyr 446 The Hand of the Cause Udji AbCI-Uasan, the Trustee of Huqtiqu'lhih, known as II~Fiji Amin 447
The Hand of the Cause John E. Esslemont 447
The Hand of the Cause Louis Gregory 447
The Hand of the Cause Keith Ransom-Keller 447
The Hand of the Cause Martha Root 448
The Hand of the Cause Mustafft Rami 448
The Hand of the Cause 'Abdu'1-Jalil Bey Sa'd 448
The Hand of the Cause Roy C. Wilhelm 448
The Hand of the Cause John Henry Hyde-Dunn 449
The Hand of the Cause Muliammad Taqiy-i-II~fah4ni 449
The Hand of the Cause Dorothy B. Baker 449
The Hand of the Cause Amelia E. Collins 449
The Hand of the Cause 'Ali-Akbar Furfltan 450
The Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery 450
The Hand of the Cause Hermann Grossmann 450
The Hand of the Cause Horace Wiley 450
The Hand of the Cause Leroy Toas 451
The Hand of the Cause William Sutherland Maxwell 451
The Hand of the Cause TarAzu'1i&h Samandari 451
The Hand of the Cause George Townshend 451
The Hand of the Cause Valiyu'lhffi Varqi 452
The Hand of the Cause ShukVu'lkih 'AI6'i 452
The Hand of the Cause M6s~ BanAni 452
Page 18The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Riiliiyyih Kh6num
The Hand of the Cause JalAl Kihgzeh453 453 453 453 454 454 454 455 455 455 � 456 456 456 456 � 457 457 � 457 � 457 The Hands of the Cause who delivered the Message from the Universal House of Justice to the six Intercontinental Conferences held in October, 1967, and the members of the
Universal House of Justice at Babji 458
The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Rii]'iyyih Kh~num and Mrs. Violette NakhjavAni
with the Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, May 26, 1967, in New Delhi 460 The Hand of the Cause TarAzu'11Th Samandari breaking ground for the New Era High School, Panchgani, India, March 12, 1967 461 The Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga with the friends attending the first National Convention on of the Indian Ocean 461 The Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander with the friends attending the seventh National Convention of the Bahá'ís of North East Asia 462 The Hand of the Cause Dhikru'IlAh Kh~dem with Auxiliary Board member Curtis Kelsey on the occasion of the observance of the fiftieth anniversary of the revelation of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í 's Tablets of the Divine Plan 463 The Hand of the Cause Mfls~i BanAni with Mrs. BanAni and Mr. 'All Na~fijav6~ni 464 The Hand of the Cause William Sears during a visit to the Bahá'ís of Tanzania; January, 1967 465 The Hand of the Cause John Ferraby with the friends attending the Luxembourg Baha
Summer School; August, 1964 466
Participantsintheconferencesponsored bytheHands ofthe CauseinAfrica; September, 1965 466 The Hands of the Cause Shu'd'u'IlAh 'AIA'i and 'All-Muhammad VarqA with the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Persia; August, 1966 468 Monument erected at Sydney, Australia in 1966 to mark the resting place of the Hands of the Cause Hyde and Clara Dunn 468 The Hand of the Cause Adelbert Mtihlschlegel with the members of the National Spiritual
Assembly of Switzerland; RiQvAn 1967 470
The Hand of the Cause Leroy loas standing at the Shrine of the Báb beside the octagon door named after him (BTh-i-Ioas) by Shoghi Effendi 470 The Hand of the Cause SaUl KhAzeh at the fourth Regional Teaching Congress of South
America; November, 1965 472
The Hands of the Cause Adelbert Miihlschlegel, TarAzu'llAh Samandari and Hermann
Grossmann 472
The Mother Temple of America, Wilmette, Illinois; dedicated May 2, 1953 477 The Mother Tempk of the Antipodes, Mona Vale (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia; dedicated September 16, 1961 478
Page 19The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of 'Ishqabad, TurkistAn 479
Closeup view of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of 'I~qAbAd showing earthquake damage; 196The Mother Temple of Africa, Kampala, Uganda; dedicated January 15, 1961 482 The Mother Temple of Europe, Langenhain, West Germany; dedicated July 4, 1964 483 Aerial view of the Temple at Langenhain, West Germany 485 Interior view of the Temple at Langenhain, West Germany 491 The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Rahiyyih K1i~inum laying the foundation stone of the
Mother Temple of Latin America; Octobet 8, 1967 492
The architect's elevation of the Mother Temple of Latin America, to be constructed near
Panama City, Panama 493
The architect's elevation of the Temple to be constructed at TihrAn, Persia 495 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of West Africa, 1964 � 1965 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís oP West Central Africa, 1964 � 1965 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Kenya, 1964 � 1965 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, 1964 � 1965 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of South Central Africa, 1964 � 1965The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of South and West Africa, 1964 � 196The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of the Indian Ocean, 1964 � 1965 514 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of the Hawaiian Islands, 19644965 514
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the South Pacific Ocean, 1964 � 1965 516
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the South West Pacific Ocean, 1964 �
1965 516
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of North East Asia, 1964 � 1965 520
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Korea, 1964 � 1965 520
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Malaysia, 1964 � 1965 522
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Vietnam, 1964 � 1965 522
Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad; April, 1965 526 First Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Reykjavik, Iceland; April, 1965 526 First Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Laura de Freitas, Brazil; April, 1965 528 Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of London, England; April, 1965 52&
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Thailand, 1964 � 1965 532
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Philippines, 1964 � 1965 532 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Brunei, 1966 � 1967The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Algeria and Tunisia, 1967 � 1968 First National Convention of the Baha of Sikkirn, 1967 � 1968 538 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Cameroon Republic, 1967 � 1968 538 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique, 1967 � 1968 540
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Zambia, 1967 � 1968 540
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Leeward, Windward and Virgin
Islands, 1967 � 1968 542
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Taiwan, 1967 � 1968 542
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Belize, 1967 � 1968 543
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, 1967 � 1968
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Laos, 1967 � 1968 544
First Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Nimba, Liberia; April, 1965 545 Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Ekpene Tete, Eastern Nigeria; April, 1965 546 Exhibit of Baha literature, International Book Fair, Frankfurt, Germany; October, 196Bahá'í literature display, Library Exhibition Room, Dar-es-Salaarn, TanzaniaA happy newsboy outside the Albert Hall during the Jubilee Congress in April, 196Part of the audience at the InterContinental Conference in New Delhi, 1967 581
Page 20The principal face of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Tihrdn showing the decorative windows of the main hail where Bahá'u'lláh was born 593 Detail of ornamental window of the room in which Bahá'u'lláh was born 595 Another view of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Tibr&n 597 Detail of ornamentation in the bath of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Tibr~n 599 A view of the section of Bag~ddd where the House of Bahá'u'lláh is located 601
The House of Bahá'u'lláh in Constantinople 602
Mural paintings on the balconywalls of the Mansion at Babji where IBahA'u'11Th spent the last years of His life 606 Detail of mural paintings on the balcony walls of the Mansion at Bahá'í 607
Page 21IRELIGION has two objectives, the regeneration of men and the advancement of mankind. "All men have been created to carry forward an ever advancing civilization" proclaims
Bahá'u'lláh, and "Thepurpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems that lie hidden within the mine of their true and inmost selves."
These aims of religion, universal and eternal, nevertheless have been conditioned to the capacities of each age or dispensation and the great religions of the past have developed their social orders within generally definable times and areas. Judaism, for instance, attained its peak under Solomon and was confined, before the dispersion, to the Near East; Zoroastrianism remained Persian until the Arab conquest and the settlement of a remnant in Western India; Christianity became the religion of European civilization; the building of the nation state undertaken by Isliun remained a Muslim experiment until feudal Europe learned the lesson and its city states gave way to and adopted the more advanced order. It has remained for the Bahá'í religion to declare and promote the cause of world order � the sine qua non of its existence � and to disclose the concomitant unities of religion, of mankind and of historical purpose.
"Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established.
World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving.
Nation-building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax.
A world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fetish, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life."1 Religion sees the course of history as an organic process, moving towards the full realization of all the potentialities implanted in man. The vicissitudes, the great advances, the hiatuses it regards as the natural unfoldment of that process just as the succession of bud, leaf, flower and fruit is the natural unfoldment in the life of a tree; or infancy, childhood, youth and maturity in that of a man. Indeed, Bahá'í scripture explains, the process is the same.
The sun is the effective agent in the organic life of the earth; religion in that of humanity.
"The sun of truth is the Word of God, upon which depends the training of the people of the country of thought."2 The Creative Word, revealed in each stage of human progress by a Manifestation of God, and conditioned to the requirements of the time, is the effective agent in the long, single process of humanity's development from infancy to World Order. This truth is enshrined in all revealed religion although it needs the illumination of Bahá'u'lláh's revelation to enable men to perceive it. "The first picture presented in the Bible is that of human unity in its simplest form: that of a single family. The last picture is that of a unity manifold and universal in which all kindreds and tongues and peoples and nations are gathered into one and unified in the enjoyment of a common worship, a common happiness, a common glory.
"The great problem which, according to the Bible, confronts the human race in its progress is that of advancing from the barest, baldest unity through a long experience of multiplying
1 Shoghi Effendi, Guardianxxii THE BAHÁ'Í WORLD diversities till ultimately a balance between the two principles is struck, poise is gained and the two forces of variety and unity are blended in a multiple, highly developed world fellowship, the perfection of whose union was hardly suggested in the primitive simplicity of early mait' '1 This spiritual view of evolution is the constant theme of religion. Each revelation refers to the past, looks forward to the future and concentrates upon the immediate need for spiritual regeneration and enlightenment. The Prophet evokes in human hearts a sacrificial love which transcends self-interest and causes the early believers to dedicate themselves entirely to the practice and diffusion of the new message. As it spreads it works like leaven in society, reforming its morals, uplifting its vision and promoting a greater diffusion of love in social action.
"World history at its core and in its essence is the story of the spiritual evolution of mankind. From this all other activities of man proceed and round it all other activities revolve."2 Unlike the revelations of the past, the Bahá'í revelation releases not only the Creative Word necessary to the renewal of spiritual vitality in the human spirit, but embodies that divine energy in an administrative order capable of bringing within its shade all the diversified ethnic groups and myriad types of the human race, who may find within its wide embrace a full, happy and purposeful life.
Baha activity therefore is directed not only, as in the past, to the spreading of the Word, but to the establishment of the fabric of that Order which, enshrined within the Creative Word itself, becomes the chief instrument for the further diffusion and social application of the Divine Message.
This World Order, which the Baha Faith exists to establish, is none other than that long-promised Kingdom in which peace, justice and brotherhood shall prevail universally and "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."3 The establishment of this World Order is dependent upon the regeneration of mankind which must turn again to God and recognize His purpose.
The two aims of religion are, therefore, interacting and interdependent.
Such a world-shaking transformation cannotHeart of the Gospel, 1939. 2 ibid. flabakkuk 2:14 be brought about by any movement of reform, however disinterested, nor by any unaided human effort.
Modem man has turned away from God and, bereft of his traditional sanctions, has inevitably wrecked his old order which, in truth, is lamentably inadequate to modern conditions and is not susceptible of repair. "Soon", is Bahá'u'lláh's prophetic view of our day, "will the present day order be rolled i~p, anda new one spread out in its stead." Likewise, "The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears to be lamentably deft ctive."
The current aim of religion, embodied in the aims and purposes of the Bahá'í Faith, is the bringing to birth of the next stage in the organic process of human evolution, and may be regarded as the coming of age of the human race. The outward sign of this maturity is the unification of mankind and a federation of the world in a single all-embracing world society of human brotherhood.
It is envisaged in the following words from the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith in his essay The Unfoldment of World Civilization: "The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Bahá'u'lláh, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples.
A world executive, backed by an international Force, will carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth. A world tribunal will adjudicate and deliver its compulsory and final verdict in all and any disputes that may arise between the various elements constituting this universal system.
A mechanism of world intercommunication will be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and restrictions, and functioning with marvel
Page 23INTRODUCTION xxiii bus swiftness and perfect regularity. A world metropolis will act as the nerve centre of a world civilization, the focus towards which the unifying forces of life will converge and from which its energizing influences will radiate.
A world language will either be invented or chosen from among the existing languages and will be taught in the schools of all the federated nations as an auxiliary to their mother tongue. A world script, a world literature, a uniform and universal system of currency, of weights and measures, will simplify and facilitate intercourse and understanding among the nations and races of mankind. In such a world society, science and religion, the two most potent forces inhumanlife,will be reconciled, wilico-operate, and will harmoniously develop.
The press will, under such a system, while giving full scope to the expression of the diversified views and convictions of mankind, cease to be mischievously manipulated by vested interests, whether private or public, and will be liberated from the influence of contending governments and peoples. The economic resources of the world will be organized, its sources of raw materials will be tapped and fully utilized, its markets will be coordinated and developed, and the distribution of its products will be equitably regulated.
"National rivalries, hatreds, and intrigues will cease, and racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and cooperation.
The causes of religious strife will be permanently removed, economic barriers and restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inordinate distinction between classes will be obliterated. Destitution on the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership on the other, will disappear.
The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet, to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spirituallife of the entire human race.
"A world federal system, ruling the whole earth and exercising unehallengeable authority over its unimaginably vast resources, blending and embodying the ideals of both the Last and West, liberated from the curse of war and its miseries, and bent on the exploitation of all the available sources of energy on the surface of the planet, a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice, whose life is sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by its allegiance to one common Revelation � such is the goal towards which humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving."
Page 24x. THE PROCLAMATION OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; yet they deem Us a stirrer up of sir We and sedition worthy of bondage and banishment....
That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled � what harm is there in this?. Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come Yet do We see your kings and rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on means for the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the happiness of mankind.
� These strffes and this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as one kindred and one family... Let not a man glory in this, that lie loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind. 1
A. THE SUMMONS TO THE KINGS COLLECTIVELYO KINGS of the earth! He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is come. The Kingdom is God's, the omnipotent Protector, the Self-Sub-sisting.
Worship none but God, and, with radiant hearts, lift up your faces unto your Lord, the Lord of all names. This is a Revelation to which whatever ye possess can never be compared, could ye but know it. We see you rejoicing in that which ye have amassed from others, and shutting out yourselves from the worlds which naught except My Guarded Tablet can reckon. The treasures ye have laid up have drawn you far away from your ultimate objective. This ill beseemeth you, could ye but understand it. Wash your hearts from all earthly defilements, and hasten to enter the Kingdom of your Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, Who caused the worid to tremble, and all its peoples to wail, except them that have renounced all things and clung to that which the Hidden Tablet hath ordained.
Spoken by flahg'u'1tTh as recorded by E. 0.Browne, the orientalist, during the first of the four interviews which he was granted between April15 and 20, 1890.
O Kings of the earth!The Most Great Law hath been revealed in this Spot, this Scene of transcendent splendour. Every hidden thing bath been brought to light, by virtue of the Will of the Supreme Ordainer, He Who hath ushered in the Last Hour, through Whom the Moon hath been cleft, and every irrevocable decree expounded.
Ye are but vassals, 0 Kings of the earth! He Who is the King of kings hath appeared, arrayed in His most wondrous glory, and is summoning you unto Himself, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Take heed lest pride deter you from recognizing the Source of Revelation; lest the things of this world shut you out as by a veil from Him Who is the Creator of heaven.
Arise, and serve Him Who is the Desire of all nations, Who hath created you through a word from Him, and ordained you to be, for all time, the emblems of His sovereignty.
By the righteousness of God! It is not Our wish to lay hands on your kingdoms. Our 1
Page 2mission is to seize and possess the hearts of men.
Upon them the eyes of Baha are fastened. To this testifieth the Kingdom of Names, could ye but comprehend it. Whoso followeth his Lord, will renounce the world and all that is therein; how much greater, then, must be the detachment of Him Who holdeth so august a station! Forsake your palaces, and haste ye to gain admittance into His Kingdom. This, indeed, will profit you both in this world and in the next. To this testifieth the Lord of the realm on high, did ye but know it. How great is the blessedness that awaiteth the king who will arise to aid My Cause in My Kingdom, who will detach himself from all else but Mel Such a king is numbered with the companions of the Crimson Ark, the Ark which God hath prepared for the people of Bali All must glorify his name, must reverence his station, and aid him to unlock the cities with the keys of My Name, the omnipotent Protector of all that inhabit the visible and invisible kingdoms. Such a king is the very eye of mankind, the luminous ornament on the brow of creation, the fountainhead of blessings unto the whole world. Offer up, 0 people of RaM, your substance, nay your very lives, for his assistance.
We have asked nothing from you. For the sake of God We, verily, exhort you, and will be patient as We have been patient in that which hath befallen Us at your hands, 0 concourse of kings!
O KINGS of the earth! Give ear unto the Voice of God, calling from this sublime, this fruit-laden Tree, that hath sprung out of the Crimson Hill, upon the holy Plain, intoning the words: "There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Wise." ... Fear God, 0 concourse of kings, and suffer not yourselves to be deprived of this most sublime grace. Fling away, then, the things ye possess, and take fast hold on the Handle of God, the Exalted, the Great.
Set your hearts towards the Face of God, and abandon that which your desires have bidden you to follow, and be not of those who perish.
Relate unto them, 0 Servant, the story of 'All (the Bin), when lie came unto them with truth, bearing His glorious and weighty Book, and holding in His hands a testimony and proof from God, and holy and blessed tokens from Him. Ye, however, 0 Kings, have failed to heed the Remembrance of God in His days and to be guided by the lights which arose and shone forth above the horizon of a resplendent Heaven.
Ye examined not His Cause when so to do would have been better for you than all that the sun shineth upon, could ye but perceive it. Ye remained careless until the divines of
Persia� those cruel ones � pronounced judgment against Him, and unjustly slew Him.
His spirit ascended unto God, and the eyes of the inmates of Paradise and the angels that are nigh unto Him wept sore by reason of this cruelty.
Beware that ye be not careless henceforth as ye have been careless aforetime. Return, then, unto God, your Maker, and be not of the heedless.
My face hath come forth from the veils, and shed its radiance upon all that is in heaven and on earth; and yet, ye turned not towards Him, notwithstanding that ye were created for Him, o concourse of kings! Follow, therefore, that which I speak unto you, and hearken unto it with your hearts, and be not of such as have turned aside. For your glory consisteth not in your sovereignty, but rather in your nearness unto God and your observance of His command as sent down in His holy and preserved Tablets. Should any one of you rule over the whole earth, and over all that lieth within it and upon it, its seas, its lands, its mountains, and its plains, and yet be not remembered by God, all these would profit him not, could ye but know it; ... Arise, then, and make steadfast your feet, and make ye amends for that which hath escaped you, and set then yourselves towards His holy Court, on the shore of His mighty Ocean, so that the pearls of knowledge and wisdom, which God bath stored up within the shell of His radiant heart, may be revealed unto you.
Beware lest ye hinder the breeze of God from blowing over your hearts, the breeze through which the hearts of such as have turned unto Him can be quickened. ...
Beware not to deal unjustly with any one that appealeth to you, and entereth beneath your shadow. Walk ye in the fear of God, and be ye of them that lead a godly life. Rest not on your power, your armies, and treasures. Put your whole trust and confidence in God, Who hath created you, and seek ye His help in
Page 3The house of Ri4d Big, one of the seven houses occupied by Bahá'u'lláh during the period He spent in Adrianople from December 12, 1863, to August 12, 1868.
all your affairs. Succour cometh from Him alone.He succoureth whom He willeth with the hosts of the heavens and of the earth.
Know ye that the poor are the trust of God in your midst. Watch that ye betray not His trust, that ye deal not unjustly with them and that ye walk not in the ways of the treacherous. Ye will most certainly be called upon to answer for His trust on the day when the Balance of Justice shall be set, the day when unto every one shall be rendered his due, when the doings of all men, be they rich or poor, shall be weighed.
If ye pay no heed unto the counsels which, in peerless and unequivocal language, We have revealed in this Tablet, Divine chastisement shall assail you from every direction, and the sentence of His justice shall be pronounced against you. On that day ye shall have no power to resist Him, and shall recognize your own impotence. Have mercy on yourselves and on those beneath you, and judge ye between them according to the precepts prescribed by God in His most holy and exalted Tablet, a Tablet wherein He hath assigned to each and every thing its settled measure, in which He hath given, with distinctness, an explanation of all things, and which is in itself a monition unto them that believe in Him.
Examine Our Cause, inquire into the things that have befallen Us, and decide justly between Us and Our enemies, and be ye of them that act equitably towards their neighbours.
If ye stay not the hand of the oppressor, if ye fail to safeguard the rights of the downtrodden, what right have ye then to vaunt yourselves among men?
What is it of which ye can rightly boast? Is it on your food and your drink that ye pride yourselves, on the riches ye lay up in your treasuries, on the diversity and the cost of the ornaments with which ye deck yourselves?
If true glory were to consist in the possession of such perishable things, then the earth on which ye walk must needs vaunt itself over you, because it supplieth you, and bestoweth upon you, these very things, by the decree of the Almighty. In its bowels are contained, according to what God hath ordained, all that ye possess. From
Page 4it, as a sign of His mercy, ye derive your riches. Behold then your state, the thing in which ye glory!
Would that ye could perceive it! Nay, by Him Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of the entire creation!
Nowhere doth your true and abiding glory reside except in your firm adherence unto the precepts of God, your wholehearted observance of His laws, your resolution to see that they do not remain unenforced, and to pursue steadfastly the right course.
...Twenty years have passed, 0 Kings, during which We have, each day, tasted the agony of a fresh tribulation.
No one of them that were before Us hath endured the things We~ have endured. Would that ye could perceive it! They that rose up against Us, have put Us to death, have shed Our blood, have plundered Our property, and violated Our honour. Though aware of most of Our afflictions, ye, nevertheless, have failed to stay the hand of the aggressor. For is it not your clear duty to restrain the tyranny of the oppressor, and to deal equitably with your subjects, that your high sense of justice may be fully demonstrated to all mankind?
God hath committed into your hands the reins of the government of the people, that ye may rule with justice over them, safeguard the rights of the downtrodden, and punish the wrong doers.
If ye neglect the duty prescribed unto you by God in His Book, your names shall be numbered with those of the unjust in His sight. Grievous, indeed, will be your error. Cleave ye to that which your imaginations have devised, and cast behind your backs the commandments of God, the Most Exalted, the Inaccessible, the All-Compelling, the Almighty? Cast away the things ye possess, and cling to that which God bath bidden you observe. Seek ye His grace, for he that seeketh it treadeth His straight Path....
0 KINGS of the earth! We see you increasing every year your expenditures, and laying the burden thereof on your subjects.
This, verily, is wholly and grossly unjust. Fear the sighs and tears of this Wronged One, and lay not excessive burdens on your peoples. Do not rob them to rear palaces for yourselves; nay rather choose for them that which ye choose for yourselves. Thus We unfold to your eyes that which profiteth you, if ye but perceive. Your people are your treasures. Beware lest your rule violate the commandments of God, and ye deliver your wards to the hands of the robber.
By them ye rule, by their means ye subsist, by their aid ye conquer.
Yet, how disdainfully ye look upon them! How strange, how very strange!
Now that ye have refused the Most Great Peace, hold ye fast unto this, the Lesser Peace, that haply ye may in some degree better your own condition and that of your dependents.
0 Rulers of the earth!Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions. Beware lest ye disregard the counsel of the All-Knowing, the Faithful.
Be united, 0 Kings of the earth, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst you, and your people find rest, if ye be of them that comprehend. Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice.
'I' HE one true God, exalted be His glory, hat ever regarded, and will continue to regard, the hearts of men as His own, His exclusive possession.
All else, whether pertaining to land or sea, whether riches or glory, He hath bequeathed unto the kings and rulers of the earth. From the beginning that bath no beginning the ensign proclaiming the words "He doeth whatsoever He willeth" hath been unfurled in all its splendour before His Manifestation.
What mankind needeth in this day is obedience unto them that are in authority, and a faithful adherence to the cord of wisdom. The instruments which are essential to the immediate protection, the security and assurance of the human race have been entrusted to the hands, and lie in the grasp, of the governors of human society. This is the wish of God and His decree.
We cherish the hope that one of the kings of the earth will, for the sake of God, arise for the triumph of this wronged, this oppressed people. Such a king will be eternally extolled and glorified. God hat prescribed unto this people the duty of aiding whosoever will aid them, of serving
Page 5his best interests, and of demonstrating to him their abiding loyalty. They who follow Me must strive, under all circumstances, to promote the welfare of whosoever will arise for the triumph of My Cause, and must at all times prove their devotion and fidelity unto him. Happy is the man that hearkeneth and observ-eth My counsel.
Woe unto him that faileth to fulfil My wish.KING of Paris! Tell the priest to ring the bells no longer. By God, the
True One! The Most MightyBell hath appeared in the form of Him Who is the Most Great Name, and the fingers of the will of Thy Lord, the
Most Exalted, the MostHigh, toll it out in the heaven of Immortality, in His name, the All-Glorious. Thus have the mighty verses of Thy Lord been again sent down unto thee, that thou mayest arise to remember God, the Creator of earth and heaven, in these days when all the tribes of the earth have mourned, and the foundations of the cities have trembled, and the dust of it-religion hath enwrapped all men, except such as God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, was pleased to spare. Say: He Who is the Unconditioned is come, in the clouds of light, that He may quicken all created things with the breeze of His Name, the Most Merciful, and unify the world, and gather all men around this Table which hath been sent down from heaven.
Beware that ye deny not the favour of God after it hath been sent down unto you. Better is this for you than that which ye possess; for that which is yours perisheth, whilst that which is with God endureth. He, in truth, ordaineth what He pleaseth.
Verily, the breezes of forgiveness have been wafted from the direction of your Lord, the God of Mercy; whoso turneth thereunto, shall be cleansed of his sins, and of all pain and sickness. Happy the man that hath turned towards them, and woe betide him that hath turned aside.
Wert thou to incline thine inner ear unto all created things, thou wouldst hear: "The Ancient of Days is come in His great glory!" Everything celebrateth the praise of its Lord.
Somehave known God and remember Him; others remember Him, yet know Him not. Thus have We set down Our decree in a perspicuous Tablet.
Give ear, 0 King, unto the Voice that calleth from the Fire which burneth in this verdant Tree, on this Sinai which hath been raised above the hallowed and snow-white Spot, beyond the Everlasting City: "Verily, there is none other God but Me, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful I" We, in truth, have sent Him Whom We aided with the Holy
Spirit (Jesus Christ)that He may announce unto you this Light that hath shone forth from the horizon of the will of your Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and Whose signs have been revealed in the West. Set your faces towards Him (Bahá'u'lláh) on this Day which God hath exalted above all other days, and whereon the All-Merciful hath shed the splendour of His effulgent glory upon all who are in heaven and all who are on earth.
Arise thou to serve God and help His Cause. He, verily, will assist thee with the hosts of the seen and unseen, and will set thee king over all that whereon the sun riseth. Thy Lord, in truth, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty.
The breezes of the Most Merciful have passed over all created things; happy the man that hath discovered their fragrance, and set himself towards them with a sound heart. Attire thy temple with the ornament of My Name, and thy tongue with remembrance of Me, and thine heart with love for Me, the Almighty, the Most High. We have desired for thee naught except that which is better for thee than what thou dost possess and all the treasures of the earth.
Thy Lord, verily, is knowing, informed of all.Arise, in My Name, amongst My servants, and say: "0 ye peoples of the earth! Turn yourselves towards Him Who hath turned towards you. He, verily, is the Face of God amongst you, and His Testimony and His Guide unto you. He hath come to you with signs which none can produce." The voice of the Burning Bush is raised in the midmost heart of the world, and the Holy Spirit calleth aloud among the nations:
"Lo, the Desired One0 King! The stars of the heaven of knowledge have fallen, they who seek to establish the truth of My Cause through the things they possess, and who make mention of God in My
Page 6Name. And yet, when I came unto them in My glory, they turned aside. They, indeed, are of the fallen.
This is, truly, that which the Spirit of God (Jesus Christ) bath announced, when He came with truth unto you, He with Whom the Jewish doctors disputed, till at last they perpetrated what bath made the Holy Spirit to lament, and the tears of them that have near access to God to flow.
0 King! We heard the words thou didst utter in answer to the Czar of Russia, concerning the decision made regarding the war (Cri-mean War). Thy Lord, verily, knoweth, is informed of all. Thou didst say: "I lay asleep upon my couch, when the cry of the oppressed, who were drowned in the Black Sea, wakened me." This is what we heard thee say, and, verily, thy Lord is witness unto what I say. We testify that that which wakened thee was not their cry but the promptings of thine own passions, for We tested thee, and found thee wanting. Comprehend the meaning of My words, and be thou of the discerning.
It is not Our wish to address thee words of condemnation, out of regard for the dignity We conferred upon thee in this mortal life.
We, verily, have chosen courtesy, and made it the true mark of such as are nigh unto Him.
Courtesy, is, in truth, a raiment which fitteth all men, whether young or oki. Well is it with him that adorneth his temple therewith, and woe unto him who is deprived of this great bounty.
Hadst thou been sincere in thy words, thou wouldst have not cast behind thy back the Book of God, when it was sent unto thee by Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise. We have proved thee through it, and found thee other than that which thou didst profess. Arise, and make amends for that which escaped thee, lire long the world and all that thou possessest will perish, and the kingdom will remain unto God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy fathers of old. It behoveth thee not to conduct thine affairs according to the dictates of thy desires.
Fear the sighs of this Wronged One, and shield Him from the darts of such as act unjustly.
For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion, and thine empire shall pass from thine hands, as a punishment for that which thou hast wrought. Then wilt thou know how thou hast plainly erred. Commotions shall seize all the people in that land, unless thou arisest to help this Cause, and followest Him Who is the
Spirit of God (Jesus Christ)in this, the Straight Path. ilath thy pomp made thee proud? By My Life!
It shall not endure; nay, it shall soon pass away, unless thou lioldest fast by this firm Cord. We see abasement hastening after thee, whilst thou art of the heedless. It behoveth thee when thou hearest His Voice calling from the seat of glory to cast away all that thou possessest, and cry out: "Here am I, 0 Lord of all that is in heaven and all that is on earth!"
0 King! We were in 'Jitq, when the hour of patting arrived. At the bidding of the King of Is1~m (SultAn of Turkey) We set Our steps in his direction.
Upon Our arrival, there befell Us at the hands of the malicious that which the books of the world can never adequately recount. Thereupon the inmates of Paradise, and they that dwell within the retreats of holiness, lamented; and yet the people are wrapped in a thick veil!
.More grievous became Our plight from day to day, nay, from hour to hour, until they took Us forth from Our prison and made Us, with glaring injustice, enter the Most Great
Prison.Know of a truth that your subjects are God's trust amongst you. Watch ye, therefore, over them as ye watch over your own selves. Beware that ye allow not wolves to become the shepherds of the fold, or pride and conceit to deter you from turning unto the poor and the desolate. Arise thou, in My name, above the horizon of renunciation, and set, then, thy face towards the Kingdom, at the bidding of thy Lord, the Lord of strength and of might.
Adorn the body of thy kingdom with the raiment of My name, and arise, then, to teach My Cause.
Better is this for thee than that which thou possessest.
God will, thereby, exalt thy name among all the kings. Potent is He over all things. Walk thou amongst men in the name of God, and by the power of His might, that thou mayest show forth His signs amidst the peoples of the earth.
Regard ye the world as a man's body, which is afflicted with divers ailments, and the recovery of which dependeth upon the harmonizing of all of its component elements.
Gather ye around that which We have prescribed unto you, and walk not in the ways of such as create dissension. Meditate on the world and the state of its people. He, for Whose sake the world was called into being, hath been imprisoned in the
Page 7most desolate of cities ('Akka), by reason of that which the hands of the wayward have wrought.
From the horizon of His prison-city He summoneth mankind unto the Dayspring of God, the Exalted, the Great. Exultest thou over the treasures thou dost possess, knowing they shall perish? Rejoicest thou in that thou rulest a span of earth, when the whole world, in the estimation of the people of Bah6, is worth as much as the black in the eye of a dead ant? Abandon it unto such as have set their affections upon it, and turn thou unto Him Who is the Desire of the world. Whither are gone the proud and their palaces? Gaze thou into their tombs, that thou mayest profit by this example, inasmuch as We made it a lesson unto every beholder. Were the breezes of Revelation to seize thee, thou wouldst flee the world, and turn unto the Kingdom, and wouldst expend all thou possessest, that thou mayest draw nigh unto this sublime
Vision.thine ear unto the voice of God, the King, the Holy, and turn thou unto Paradise, the Spot wherein abideth He Who, among the Concourse on high, bear-eth the most excellent titles, and Who, in the kingdom of creation, is called by the name of God, the Effulgent, the All-Glorious.
Beware lest thy desire deter thee from turning towards the face of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We, verily, have heard the thing for which thou didst supplicate thy Lord, whilst secretly communing with Him. Wherefore, the breeze of My lovingkindness wafted forth, and the sea of My mercy surged, and We answered thee in truth. Thy Lord, verily, is the MI-Knowing, the All-Wise. Whilst I lay chained and fettered in the prison, one of thy ministers extended Me his aid. Wherefore hath God ordained for thee a station which the knowledge of none can comprehend except His knowledge. Beware lest thou barter away this sublime station.. Beware lest thy sovereignty withhold thee from Him Who is the Supreme Sovereign.
He, verily, is come with His Kingdom, and all the atoms cry aloud: "Lo! The Lord is come in His great majesty!" He Who is the Father is come, and the Son (Jesus), in the holy vale, crieth out: "1-lere am I, here am I, 0 Lord, My God!"
whilst Sinai circieth round the House, and the Burning Bush calleth aloud: "The All-Bounteous is come mounted upon the clouds! Blessed is he that draweth nigh unto Him, and woe betide them that are far away."
Arise thou amongst men in the name of this all-compelling Cause, and summon, then, the nations unto God, the Exalted, the Great.
Be thou not of them who called upon God by one of His names, but who, when He Who is the Object of all names appeared, denied Him and turned aside from Him, and, in the end, pronounced sentence against Him with manifest injustice.
Consider and call thou to mind the days whereon the Spirit of God (Jesus) appeared, and Herod gave judgment against Him. God, however, aided Hun with the hosts of the unseen, and protected Him with truth, and sent Him down unto another land, according to His promise. He, verily, ordaineth what He pleaseth.
Thy Lord truly preserveth whom He willeth, belie in the midst of the seas, or in the maw of the serpent, or beneath the sword of the oppressor....
Again I say: Hearken unto My Voice that calleth from My prison that it may acquaint thee with the things that have befallen My Beauty, at the hands of them that are the manifestations of My glory, and that thou mayest perceive how great hath been My patience, notwithstanding My might, and how immense My forbearance, notwithstanding My power.
By My Life! Couldst thou but know the things sent down by My Pen, and discover the trea-sires of My Cause, and the pearls of My mysteries which lie hid in the seas of My names and in the goblets of My words, thou wouldst, in thy love for My name, and in thy longing for My glorious and sublime Kingdom, lay down thy life in My path. Know thou that though My body be beneath the swords of My foes, and My limbs be beset with incalculable afflictions, yet My spirit is ifiled with a gladness with which all the joys of the earth can never compare.
Set thine heart towards Him Who is the Point of adoration for the world, and say: 0 peoples of the earth! Have ye denied the One in Whose path He Who came with the truth, bearing the C
Page 8announcement of your Lord, the Exalted, the Great, suffered martyrdom? Say: This is an Announcement whereat the hearts of the Prophets and Messengers have rejoiced. This is the One Whom the heart of the world remembereth and is promised in the Books of God, the Mighty, the All-Wise. The hands of the Messengers were, in their desire to meet Me, upraised towards God, the Mighty, the
Glorified.� Some lamented in their separation from Me, others endured hardships in My path, and still others laid down their lives for the sake of My Beauty, could ye but know it. Say: I, verily, have not sought to extol Mine Own Selt but rather God Himself were ye to judge fairly. Naught can be seen in Me except God and His Cause, could ye but perceive it. I am the One Whom the tongue of Isaiah bath extolled, the One with Whose name both the Torah and the Evangel were adorned.. Blessed be the king whose sovereignty hath withheld him not from his Sovereign, and who hath turned unto God with his heart. He, verily, is accounted of those that have attained unto that which God, the Mighty, the All-Wise hath willed. Em long will such a one find himself numbered with the monarchs of the realms of the Kingdom. Thy Lord is, in truth, potent over all things. He giveth what He willeth to whomsoever He willeth, and withholdeth what He pleaseth from whomsoever He willeth.
lie, verily, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty.thine ear unto the voice of thy Lord, the Lord of all mankind, calling from the Divine Lote-Tree: Verily, no God is there but Me, the Almighty, the All-Wise! Cast away all that is on earth, and attire the head of thy kingdom with the crown of the remembrance of thy Lord, the All-Glorious. He, in truth, bath come unto the world in His most great glory, and all that hath been mentioned in the Gospel hath been fuiffiled. The land of Syria hath been honoured by the footsteps of its Lord, the Lord of all men, and North and South are both inebriated with the wine of His presence.
Blessed is the man that inhaled the fragrance of the Most Merciful, and turned unto the Dawning-Place of His Beauty, in this resplendent
Dawn. The Mosque of Aqs~vibrat-eth through the breezes of its Lord, the All-Glorious whilst DathA (Mecca) trembleth at the voice of God, the Exalted, the Most High. Whereupon every single stone of them cele-brateth the praise of the Lord, through this Great Name.
Lay aside thy desire, and set then thine heart towards thy Lord, the Ancient of Days. We make mention of thee for the sake of God, and desire that thy name may be exalted through thy remembrance of God, the Creator of earth and heaven. He, verily, is witness unto that which I say. We have been informed that thou hast forbidden the trading in slaves, both men and women. This, verily, is what God hath enjoined in this wondrous Revelation.
God bath, truly, destined a reward for thee, because of this. He, verily, will pay the doer of good his due recompense, wert thou to follow what hath been sent unto thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. As to him who turneth aside, and swelleth with pride, after that the clear tokens have come unto him, from the Revealer of signs, his work shall God bring to naught. He, in truth, hath power over all things.
Man's actions are acceptable after his having recognized (the Manifestation).
He that turneth aside from the True One is indeed the most veiled amongst His creatures.
Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Almighty, the
Most Powerful.We have also heard that thou hast entrusted the reins of counsel into the hands of the representatives of the people. Thou, indeed, hast done well, for thereby the foundations of the edifice of thine affairs will be strengthened, and the hearts of all that are beneath thy shadow, whether high or low, will be tranquillized.
lit behoveth them, however, to be trustworthy among His servants, and to regard themselves as the representatives of all that dwell on earth. This is what counselleth them, in this Tablet, He Who is the Ruler, the All-Wise.
Blessed is he that entereth the assembly for the sake of God, and judgeth between men with pure justice. He, indeed, is of the blissful...
Turn thou unto God and say: 0 my Sovereign Lord!I am but a vassal of Thine, and Thou art, in truth, the King of Kings.
I have lifted my suppliant hands unto the heaven of
Page 9Send down, then, upon me from the clouds of Thy generosity that which will rid me of all save Thee, and draw me nigh unto Thyself.
I beseech Thee, 0 my Lord, by Thy name, which Thou hast made the king of names, and the manifestation of Thyself to all who are in heaven and on earth, to rend asunder the veils that have intervened between me and my recognition of the Dawn-ing-Place of Thy signs and the Dayspring of Thy Revelation. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Bounteous.
Deprive me not, 0 my Lord, of the fragrances of the Robe of Thy mercy in Thy days, and write down for me that which Thou hast written down for thy handmaidens who have believed in Thee and in Thy signs, and have recognized Thee, and set their hearts towards the horizon of Thy Cause. Thou art truly the Lord of the worlds and of those who show mercy the Most Merciful. Assist me, then, 0 my God, to remember Thee amongst Thy handmaidens, and to aid Thy Cause in Thy lands. Accept, then, that which hath escaped me when the light of Thy countenance shone forth. Thou, indeed, hast power over all things.
Glory be to Thee, 0 Thou in Whose hand is the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth.
To KAISER WILHELM IO KING of Berlin! Give ear unto the Voice calling from this manifest Temple: Verily, there is none other God but Me, the Everlasting, the Peerless, the Ancient of Days. Take heed lest pride debar thee from recognizing the Dayspring of Divine Revelation, lest earthly desires shut thee out, as by a veil, from the Lord of the Throne above and of the earth below.
Thus counselleth thee the Pen of the Most High.He, verily, is the Most Gracious, the All-Bountiful. Do thou remember the one whose power transcended thy power (Napoleon III), and whose station excelled thy station. Where is he? Whither are gone the things he possessed? Take warning and be not of them that are fast asleep. He it was who cast the Tablet of God behind him, when We made known unto him what the hosts of tyranny had caused Us to suffer.
Wherefore, fore, disgrace assailed him from all sides, and he went down to dust in great loss. Think deeply, 0 King, concerning him, and concerning them who, like unto thee, have conquered cities and ruled over men.
The All-Merciful brought them down from their palaces to their graves. Be warned, be of them who reflect..
0 banks of the Rhine! We have seen you covered with gore, inasmuch as the swords of retribution were drawn against you; and you shall have another turn. And We hear the lamentations of Berlin, glory.
though she be today in conspicuouswho is the Dayspring of God's Light dwelt in the prison of 'Akka, at the time when thou didst set forth to visit the Aq~A Mosque (Jerusalem). Thou passed Him by, and inquired not about Him, by Whom every house is exalted, and every lofty gate unlocked.
We, verily, made it (Jeru-salem) a place whereunto the world should turn, that they might remember Me, and yet thou hast rejected Him Who is the Object of this remembrance, when He appeared with the Kingdom of God, thy Lord and the Lord of the worlds. We have been with thee at all times, and found thee clinging unto the Branch and heedless of the Root.
Thy Lord, verily, is a witness unto what I say.We grieved to see thee circle round Our Name, whilst unaware of Us, though We were before thy face.
Open thine eyes, that thou mayest behold this glorious Vision, and recognize Him Whom thou invok-est in the daytime and in the night season, and gaze on the Light that shineth above this luminous
Horizon.LII EARKEN, 0 King, to the speech of Him that speaketh the truth, Him that doth not ask thee to recompense Him with the things God
Page 10hath chosen to bestow upon thee, Him Who unerringly treadeth the straight Path. He it is Who summonetli thee unto God, thy Lord, Who showeth thee the right course, the way that leadeth to true felicity, that haply thou mayest be of them with whom it shall be well.
Beware, 0 King, that thou gather not around thee such ministers as follow the desires of a corrupt inclination, as have cast behind their backs that which hath been committed into their hands and manifestly betrayed their trust. Be bounteous to others as God bath been bounteous to thee, and abandon not the interests of thy people to the mercy of such ministers as these. Lay not aside the fear of God, and be thou of them that act uprightly. Gather around thee those ministers from whom thou canst perceive the fragrance of faith and of justice, and take thou counsel with them, and choose whatever is best in thy sight, and be of them that act generously.
Know thou for a certainty that whoso dis-believeth in God is neither trustworthy nor truthful. This, indeed, is the truth, the undoubted truth. lie that acteth treacherously towards God will, also, act treacherously towards his king. Nothing whatever can deter such a man from evil, nothing can hinder him from betraying his neighbour, nothing can induce him to walk uprightly.
Take heed that thou resign not the reins of the affairs of thy state into the hands of others, and repose not thy confidence in ministers unworthy of thy trust, and be not of them that live in heedlessness.
Shun them whose hearts are turned away from thee, and place not thy confidence in them, and entrust them not with thy affairs and the affairs of such as profess thy faith.
Beware that thou allow not the wolf to become the shepherd of God's flock, and surrender not the fate of His loved ones to the mercy of the malicious. Expect not that they who violate the ordinances of God will be trustworthy or sincere in the faith they profess. Avoid them, and preserve strict guard over thyself, lest their devices and mischief hurt thee. Turn away from them, and fix thy gaze upon God, thy Lord, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.
lie that giveth up himself wholly to God, God shall, assuredly, be with him; and he that placeth his complete trust in God, God shall, verily, protect him from whatsoever may harm him, and shield him from the wickedness of every evil plotter.
Wert thou to incline thine ear unto My speech and observe My counsel, God would exalt thee to so eminent a position that the designs of no man on the whole earth could ever touch or hurt thee.
Observe, 0 King, with thine inmost heart and with thy whole being, the precepts of God, and walk not in the paths of the oppressor. Seize thou, and hold firmly within the grasp of thy might, the reins of the affairs of thy people, and examine in person whatever pertaineth unto them. Let nothing escape thee, for therein lieth the highest good.
Render thanks unto God for having chosen thee out of the whole world, and made thee king over them that profess thy faith. It well beseemeth thee to appreciate the wondrous favours with which God hath favoured thee, and to magnify continually His name. Thou canst best praise Him if thou lovest His loved ones, and dost safeguard and protect His servants from the mischief of the treacherous, that none may any longer oppress them. Thou shouldst, moreover, arise to enforce the law of God amongst them, that thou mayest be of those who are firmly established in His law.
Shouldst thou cause rivers of justice to spread their waters amongst thy subjects, God would surely aid thee with the hosts of the unseen and of the seen and would strengthen thee in thine affairs.
No God is there but Him.All creation and its empire are His. Unto Him return the works of the faithful.
Place not thy reliance on thy treasures. Put thy whole confidence in the grace of God, thy Lord.
Let Him be thy trust in whatever thou doest, and be of them that have submitted themselves to His Will. Let Him be thy helper and enrich thyself with His treasures, for with Him are the treasuries of the heavens and of the earth. He bestoweth them upon whom He will, and from whom He will He withlioldeth them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Possessing, the Mi-Praised. All are but paupers at the door of His mercy; all are helpless before the revelation of His sovereignty, and beseech His favours.
Overstep not the bounds of moderation, and deal justly with them that serve thee. Bestow upon them according to their needs and not to the extent that will enable them to lay up riches
Page 11Entrance to the Dulma-Ba'gh Chili Palace of the Sul.tdns of Turkey, Istanbul.
for themselves, to deck their persons, to embellish their homes, to acquire the things that are of no benefit unto them, and to be numbered with the extravagant. Deal with them with undeviating justice, so that none among them may either suffer want, or be pampered with luxuries. This is but manifest justice.
Allow not the abject to rule over and dominate them who are noble and worthy of honour, and suffer not the high-minded to be at the mercy of the contemptible and worthless, for this is what We observed upon Our arrival in the City (Constantinople), and to it We bear witness.
We found among its inhabitants some who were possessed of an affluent fortune and lived in the midst of excessive riches, whilst others were in dire want and abject poverty. This ill beseemeth thy sovereignty, and is unworthy of thy rank.
Let My counsel be acceptable to thee, and strive thou to rule with equity among men, that God may exalt thy name and spread abroad the fame of thy justice in all the world. Beware lest thou aggrandize thy ministers at the expense of thy subjects. Fear the sighs of the poor and of the upright in heart who, at every break of day, bewail their plight, and be unto them a benignant sovereign. They, verily, are thy treasures on earth.
It behoveth thee, therefore, to safeguard thy treasures from the assaults of them who wish to rob thee.
Inquire into their affairs, and ascertain, every year, nay every month, their condition, and be not of them that are careless of their duty.
Set before thine eyes God's unerring Balance and, as one standing in His Presence, weigh in that Balance thine actions every day, every moment of thy life. Bring thyself to account ere thou art summoned to a reckoning, on the Day when no man shall have strength to stand for fear of God, the Day when the hearts of the heedless ones shall be made to tremble.
It behoveth every king to be as bountiful as the sun, which fostereth the growth of all beings, and giveth to each its due, whose benefits are not inherent in itself, but are ordained by Him Who is the Most Powerful, the Almighty. The king should be as generous, as liberal in his mercy as the clouds, the outpourings of whose bounty are showered upon every land, by the
Page 12Have a care not to entrust thine. affairs of state entirely into another's hands. None can discharge thy functions better than thine own self. Thus do We make clear unto thee Our words of wisdom, and send down upon thee that which can enable thee to pass over from the left hand of oppression to the right hand of justice, and approach the resplendent ocean of His favours.
Such is the path which the kings that were before thee have trodden, they that acted equitably towards their subjects, and walked in the ways of undeviating justice.
Thou art God's shadow on earth. Strive, therefore, to act in such a manner as befitteth so emfnent, so august a station.
If thou dost depart from following the things We have caused to descend upon thee and taught thee, thou wilt, assuredly, be derogating from that great and priceless honour.
Return, then, and cleave wholly unto God, and cleanse thine heart from the world and all its vanities, and suffer not the love of any stranger to enter and dwell therein. Not until thou dost purify thine heart from every trace of such love can the brightness of the light of God shed its radiance upon it, for to none bath God given more than one heart. This, verily, hath been decreed and written down in His ancient Book. And as the human heart, as fashioned by God, is one and undivided, it behoveth thee to take heed that its affections be, also, one and undividecL Cleave thou, therefore, with the whole affection of thine heart, unto His love, and withdraw it from the love of any one besides Him, that He may aid thee to immerse thyself in the ocean of His unity, and enable thee to become a true upholder of His oneness. God is My witness. My sole purpose in revealing to thee these words is to sanctify thee from the transitory things of the earth, and aid thee to enter the realm of everlasting glory, that thou mayest, by the leave of God, be of them that abide and rule therein.
...Let thine ear be attentive, 0 King, to the words We have addressed to thee.
Let the oppressor desist from his tyranny, and cut off the perpetrators of injustice from among them that profess thy faith. By the righteousness of God! The tribulations We have sustained are such that any pen that recounteth them cannot but be overwhelmed with anguish. No one of them that truly believe and uphold the unity of God can bear the burden of their recital. So great have been Our sufferings that even the eyes of Our enemies have wept over Us, and beyond them those of every discerning person. And to all these trials have We been subjected, in spite of Our action in approaching thee, and in bidding the people to enter beneath thy shadow, that thou mightest be a stronghold unto them that believe in and uphold the unity of God.
Have I, 0 King, ever disobeyed thee? Have I, at any time, transgressed any of thy laws? Can any of thy ministers that represented thee in 'Ir&q produce any proof that can establish my disloyalty to thee? No, by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds!
Not for one short moment did We rebel against thee, or against any of thy ministers.
Never, God willing, shall We revolt against thee, though We be exposed to trials more severe than any We suffered in the past.
In the day time and in the night season, at even and at morn, We pray to God on thy behalf, that He may graciously aid thee to be obedient unto Him and to observe His commandment, that He may shield thee from the hosts of the evil ones. Do, therefore, as it pleaseth thee, and treat Us as befitteth thy station and beseemeth thy sovereignty. Be not forgetful of the law of God in whatever thou desirest to achieve, now or in the days to come. Say: Praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds!
To NASIRI'D-DJN SHAHKING! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the Mi-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow. The learning current amongst men I studied not; their schools I entered not.
Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak falsely.
This is but a leaf which the winds of thewill of thy Lord, the Almighty, the Mi-Praised, have stirred. Can it be still when the tempestuous winds are blowing? Nay, by Him Who is the Lord of all Names and Attributes!
They move it as they list.The evanescent is as nothing before Him Who is the Ever-Abiding.
His all-compelling summons bath reached Me, and caused Me to speak His praise amidst all people. I was indeed as one dead when His behest was uttered.
The hand of the will of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful, transformed Me. Can any one speak forth of his own accord that for which all men, both high and low, will protest against him?
Nay, by Him Who taught the Pen the eternal mysteries, save him whom the grace of the Almighty, the All-Powerful, bath strengthened. The Pen of the Most High addresseth Me saying: Fear not. Relate unto His Majesty the Shah that which befell thee. His heart, verily, is between the fingers of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, that haply the sun of justice and bounty may shine forth above the horizon of his heart.
Thus hath the decree been irrevocably fixed by Him Who is the MI-Wise.
Look upon this Youth, 0 King, with the eyes of justice; judge thou, then, with truth concerning what hath befallen Him.
Of a verity, God hath made thee His shadow amongst men, and the sign of His power unto all that dwell on earth. Judge thou between Us and them that have wronged Us without proof and without an enlightening Book. They that surround thee love thee for their own sakes, whereas this Youth loveth thee for thine own sake, and hath had no desire except to draw thee nigh unto the seat of grace, and to turn thee toward the right-hand of justice. Thy Lord beareth witness unto that which I declare.
0 King! Wert thou to incline thine ear unto the shrill of the Pen of Glory and the cooing of the Dove of Eternity which, on the branches of the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing, uttereth praises to God, the Maker of all names and Creator of earth and heaven, thou wouldst attain unto a station from which thou wouldst behold in the world of being naught save the effulgence of the Adored One, and wouldst regard thy sovereignty as the most contemptible of thy possessions, abandoning it to whosoever might desire it, and setting thy face toward the Horizon aglow with the light of His countenance. Neither wouldst thou ever be willing to bear the burden of dominion save for the purpose of helping thy Lord, the Exalted, the Most High. Then would the Concourse on high bless thee. 0 how excellent is this most sublime station, couldst thou ascend thereunto through the power of a sovereignty recognized as derived from the Name of God!
0 King of the age! The eyes of these refugees are turned towards and fixed upon the mercy of the Most Merciful. No doubt is there whatever that these tribulations will be followed by the outpourings of a supreme mercy, and these dire adversities be succeeded by an overflowing prosperity.
We fain would hope, however, that His Majesty the Sh6h will himself examine these matters, and bring hope to the hearts. That which We have submitted to thy Majesty is indeed for thine highest good.
And God, verily, is a sufficient witness unto Me. ...
o would that thou wouldst permit Mc, 0 $hAh, to send unto thee that which would cheer the eyes, and tranquillize the squls, and persuade every fair-minded person that with Him is the knowledge of the Book. But for the repudiation of the foolish and the connivance of the divines, I would have uttered a discourse that would have thrilled and carried away the hearts unto a realm from the murmur of whose winds can be heard: "No God is there but He!"...
I have seen 0 ShAh, in the path of God what eye bath not seen nor ear heard.. How numerous the tribulations which have rained, and will soon rain, upon Me! I advance with My face set towards Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Bounteous, whilst behind Me glideth the serpent. Mine eyes have rained down tears until My bed is drenched. I sorrow not for Myself, however.
By God! Mine head yearneth for the spear out of love for its Lord. I never passed a tree, but Mine heart addressed it saying: "0 would that thou wert cut down in My name, and My body crucified upon thee, in the path of My
Lord!". By God! Thoughweariness lay Me low, and hunger consume Me, and the bare rock be My bed, and My fellows the beasts of the field, I will not complain, but will endure patiently as those endued with constancy and firmness have endured patiently, through the power of God, the Eternal King and Creator of the nations, and will render thanks unto God under all conditions.
We pray that, out of His bounty � exalted be He � He may release,
Page 14though this imprisonment, the necks of men from chains and fetters, and cause them to turn, with sincere faces, towards His Face, Who is the Mighty, the Bounteous. Ready is He to answer whosoever calleth upon Him, and nigh is 1-le unto such as commune with Him.
To THE RULERS OFof America and the Presidents of the Republics therein, unto that which the Dove is warbling on the Branch of Eternity: There is none other God but Me, the Ever-Abiding, the Forgiving, the All-Boun-tiful. Adorn ye the temple of dominion with the ornament of justice and of the fear of God, and its head with the crown of the remembrance of your Lord, the Creator of the heavens. Thus counselleth you He Who is the Dayspring of Names, as bidden by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. The Promised One hath appeared in this glorified Station, whereat all beings, both seen and unseen, have rejoiced. Take ye advantage of the Day of God. Verily, to meet Him is better for you than all that whereon the sun shineth, could ye but know it. o concourse of rulers! Give ear unto that which hath been raised from the Dayspring of Grandeur: Verily, there is none other God but Me, the Lord of Utterance, the Mi-Knowing. Bind ye the broken with the hands of justice, and crush the oppressor who flourisheth with the rod of the commandments of your Lord, the Ordainer, the All-Wise.
To THE ELECTED(])YE the elected representatives of the people in every land! Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be oniy for that which profiteth mankind, and bettereth the condition thereof, if ye be of them that scan heedfully.
Regard the world as the human body which, though at its creation whole and perfect, hath been afflicted, through various causes, with grave disorders and maladies. Not for one day did it gain ease, nay its sickness waxed more severe, as it fell under the treatment of ignorant physicians, who gave full rein to their personal desires, and have erred grievously. And if, at one time, through the care of an able physician, a member of that body was healed, the rest remained afflicted as before.
Thus informeth you the MI-Knowing, the Mi-Wise.We behold it, in this day, at the mercy of rulers so drunk with pride that they cannot discern clearly their own best advantage, much less recognize a Revelation so bewildering and challenging as this.
And whenever any one of them hath striven to improve its condition, his motive hath been his own gain, whether confessedly so or not; and the unworthiness of this motive hath limited his power to heal or cure.
That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician. This, verily, is the truth, and all else naught but error....
B. TO THE WORLD'S RELIGIOUS LEADERSLEADERS of religion! Weighthe peoples and kindreds not the Book of God with of the earth possess must such standards and sciences asbe weighed, while the are current amongst you, measure of its weight for the Book itself is should be tested according the unerring balance to its own standard, did established amongst men. ye but know it. In this most perfect The eye of My lovingkindness balance whatsoever weepeth sore
Page 15over you, inasmuch as ye have failed to recognize the One upon Whom ye have been calling in the day time and in the night season, at even and at morn. Advance, 0 people, with snow-white faces and radiant hearts, unto the blest and crimson Spot, wherein the Sadratu'1-MuntaM is calling: "Verily, there is none other God beside Me, the Omnipotent
Protector, the Self-Subsisting!"Who is the man amongst you that can rival Me in vision or insight?
Where is he to be found that dareth to claim to be My equal in utterance or wisdom? No, by My Lord, the All-Merciful! All on the earth shall pass away; and this is the face of your Lord, the Almighty, the Well-Beloved.
We have decreed, 0 people, that the highest and last end of all learning be the recognition of Him Who is the Object of all knowledge; and yet, behold how ye have allowed your learning to shut you out, as by a veil, from Him Who is the Dayspring of this Light, through Whom every hidden thing hath been revealed. Could ye but discover the source whence the splendour of this utterance is diffused, ye would cast away the peoples of the world and all that they possess, and would draw nigh unto this most blessed Seat of glory.
Say: This, verily, is the heaven in which the Mother Book is treasured, could ye but comprehend it. He it is Who hath caused the Rock to shout, and the Burning Bush to lift up its voice, upon the Mount rising above the Holy Land, and proclaim: "The Kingdom is God's, the sovereign Lord of all, the All-Powerful, the Loving!"
We have not entered any school, nor read any of your dissertations. Incline your ears to the words of this unlettered One, wherewith He summoneth you unto God, the Ever-Abiding. Better is this for you than all the treasures of the earth, could ye but comprehend it. o CONCOURSE of divines!
When My verses were sent down, and My clear tokens were revealed, We found you behind the veils. This, verily, is a strange thing.. We have rent the veils asunder. Beware lest ye shut out the people by yet another veil.
Pluck asunder the chains of vain imaginings, in the name of the Lord of all men, and be not of the deceitful. Should ye turn unto God, and embrace Ills Cause, spread not disorder within it, and measure not the Book of God with your selfish desires.
This, verily, is the counsel of God aforetime and hereafter. ... Had ye believed in God, when He revealed Himself, the people would not have turned aside from Him, nor would the things ye witness today have befallen Us. Fear God, and be not of the heedless.... This is the Cause that hath caused all your superstitions and idols to tremble.
0 concourse of divines!Beware lest ye be the cause of strife in the land, even as ye were the cause of the repudiation of the Faith in its early days. Gather the people wound this Word that hath made the pebbles to cry out: "The Kingdom is God's, the Dawning-Place of all signs!"
Tear the veils asunder in such wise that the inmates of the Kingdom will hear them being rent.
This is the command of God, in days gone by, and for those to come.
Blessed the man that observeth that whereunto he was bidden, and woe betide the negligent.
ow long will ye, o concourse of divines, level the spears of hatred at the face of RaM? Rein in your pens. Lo, the Most Sublime Pen speaketh betwixt earth and heaven. Fear God, and follow not your desires which have altered the face of creation. Purify your ears that they may hearken unto the Voice of God. By God! It is even as fire that consumeth the veils, and as water that washeth the souls of all who are in the universe.
o CONCOURSE of divines!Can any one of you race with the Divine Youth in the arena of wisdom and utterance, or soar with Him into the heaven of inner meaning and explanation? Nay, by My Lord, the God of mercy!
All have swooned away in this Day from the Word of thy Lord. They are even as dead and lifeless, except him whom thy Lord, the Almighty, the Unconstrained, hath willed to exempt. Such a one is indeed of those endued with knowledge in the sight of Him Who is the All-Knowing. The inmates of Paradise, and the dwellers of the sacred Folds, bless him at eventide and at dawn. Can the one possessed of wooden legs resist him whose feet God hath made of steel? Nay, by Him Who illumineth the whole of creation!
Page 16WHEN We observed carefully, We discovered that Our enemies are, for the most part, the divines.
Among the people are those who said: He bath repudiated the divines.
Say:Yea, by My Lord! I, in very truth, was the One Who abolished the idols!
We, verily, have sounded the Trumpet, which is Our Most Sublime Pen, and lo, the divines and the learned, and the doctors and the rulers, swooned away except such as God preserved, as a token of His grace, and He, verily, is the All-Bounteous, the Ancient of Days...
0 concourse of divines!Fling away idle fancies and imaginings, and turn, then, towards the Horizon of Certitude. I swear by God! All that ye possess will profit you not, neither all the treasures of the earth, nor the leadership ye have usurped.
Fear God, and be not of the lost ones.. Say: 0 concourse of divines!
Lay aside all your veils and coverings. Give ear unto that whereunto calleth you the Most Sublime Pen, in this wondrous Day... The world is laden with dust, by reason of your vain imaginings, and the hearts of such as enjoy near access to God are troubled because of your cruelty. Fear God, and be of them that judge equitably.
O YE the dawning-places ofknowledge! Beware that ye suffer not yourselves to become changed, for as ye change, most men will, likewise, change.
This verily, is an injustice unto yourselves and unto others... Ye are even as a spring. If it be changed, so will the streams that branch out from it be changed. Fear God, and be numbered with the godly. In like manner, if the heart of man be corrupted, his limbs will also be corrupted.
And similarly, if the root of a tree be corrupted, its branches, and its offshoots, and its leaves, and its fruits, will be corrupted....
o concourse of divines!Be fair, I adjure you by God, and nullify not the Truth with the things ye possess. Peruse that which We have sent down with truth. It will, verily, aid you, and will draw you nigh unto God, the Mighty, the Great.
Consider and call to mind how when Mubanmmd, the Apostle of God, appeared, the people denied }-Iim.
They ascribed unto Him what caused the Spirit (Jesus) to lament in His Most Sublime Station, and the Faithful Spirit to cry out. Consider, moreover, the things which befell the Apostles and
Messengers of God before Him, by reason of what the hands of the unjust have wrought.
We make mention of you for the sake of God, andremind you of His signs, and announce unto you the things ordained for such as are nigh unto Him in the most sublime Paradise and the all-highest Heaven, and I, verily, am the Announcer, the Omniscient.
lie bath come for your salvation, and bath borne tribulations that ye may ascend, by the ladder of utterance, unto the summit of understanding...
Peruse, with fairness and justice, that which bath been sent down.
It will, verily, exalt you though the truth, and will cause you to behold the things from which ye have been withheld, and will enable you to quaff
His sparkling Wine.THOSE divines.. who are truly adorned with the ornament of knowledge and of a goodly character are, verily, as a head to the body of the world, and as eyes to the nations.
The guidance of men hath, at all times, been and is dependent upon these blessed souls.
iPHE divine whose conduct is upright, and the sage who is just, are as the spirit unto the body of the world. Well is it with that divine whose head is attired with the crown of justice, and whose temple is adorned with the ornament of equity.
THE divine who hath seized and quaffed the most holy Wine, in the name of the sovereign Ordainer, is as an eye unto the world. Well is it with them who obey him, and call him to remembrance.
GREAT is the blessedness of that divine that hath not allowed knowledge to become a veil between him and the One Who is the Object of all knowledge, and who, when the Self-Subsist-ing appeared, hath turned with a beaming face towards Him. He, in truth, is numbered with the learned.
The inmates of Paradise seek the blessing of his breath, and his lamp sheddeth its radiance over all who are in heaven and on earth. He, verily, is numbered with the inheritors of the Prophets.
He that beholdeth himhath, verily, beheld the True One, and he that turneth towards him hath, verily, turned towards God, the Almighty, the All-Wise.
O CONCOURSE of divines!Ye shall not henceforth behold yourselves possessed of any power, inasmuch as We have seized it from you, and destined it for such as have believed in God, the One, the MI-Powerful, the Almighty, the Unconstrained.
To POPE PIUS IXO POPE! Rend the veils asunder. He Who is the Lord of Lords is come overshadowed with clouds, and the decree hath been fuiffiled by God, the Almighty, the Unrestrained...
He, verily, hath again come down from Heaven even as He came down from it the first time. Beware that thou dispute not with Him even as the Pharisees disputed with Him (Jesus) without a clear token or proof On His right hand flow the living waters of grace, and on His left the choice Wine of justice, whilst before Him march the angels of Paradise, bearing the banners of His signs. Beware lest any name debar thee from God, the Creator of earth and heaven. Leave thou the world behind thee, and turn towards thy Lord, through Whom the whole earth hath been illumined. Dwellest thou in palaces whilst He Who is the King of Revelation liveth in the most desolate of abodes? Leave them unto such as desire them, and set thy face with joy and delight towards the Kingdom...
Arise in the name of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, amidst the peoples of the earth, and seize thou the Cup of Life with the hands of confidence, and first drink thou therefrom, and proffer it then to such as turn towards it amongst the peoples of all faiths...
Call thou to remembrance Him Who was the Spiritcame, the most learned of His age pronounced judgment against Him in His own country, whilst he who was only a fisherman believed in Him. Take heed, then, ye men of understanding heart! Thou, in truth, art one of the suns of the heaven of His names.
Guard thyself, lest darkness spread its veils over thee, and fold thee away from His light. Consider those who opposed the Son (Jesus), when He came unto them with sovereignty and power.
How many the Pharisees who were waiting to behold Him, and were lamenting over their separation from Him! And yet, when the fragrance of His coming was wafted over them, and His beauty was unveiled, they turned aside from Him and disputed with Him. None save a very few, who were destitute of any power amongst men, turned towards His face. And yet, today, every man endowed with power and invested with sovereignty prideth himself on His Name! In like manner, consider how numerous, in these days, are the monks who, in My Name, have secluded themselves in their churches, and who, when the appointed time was fuiffiled, and We unveiled Our beauty, knew Us not, though they call upon Me at eventide and at dawn.
The Word which the Son concealed is made manifest.
It hath been sent down in the form of the human temple in this day. Blessed be the Lord Who is the Father! He, verily, is come unto the nations in His most great majesty. Turn your faces towards Him, 0 concourse of the righteous.
This is the day whereon the Rock (Peter) crieth out and shouteth, and cele-brateth the praise of its Lord, the All-Possess-ing, the Most High, saying: "La! The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled! ." My body longeth for the cross, and Mine head waiteth the thrust of the spear, in the path of the All-Merciful, that the world may be purged from its transgressions....
0 Supreme Pontiff! Inclinethine ear unto that which the Fashioner of mouldering bones counselleth thee, as voiced by Him Who is His Most Great Name.
Sell all the embellished ornaments thou dost possess, and expend them in the path of God, Who causeth the night to return upon the day, and the day to return upon the night. Abandon thy kingdom unto the kings, and emerge from thy habitation, with thy face set towards the Kingdom, and, detached from the world, then speak forth the praises of thy Lord betwixt earth and heaven. Thus hath bidden thee He Who is the Possessor of Names, on the part of thy Lord, the Almighty, the Mi-Knowing.
Exhort thou the kings and say: "Deal equitably with men. Beware lest ye transgress the bounds fixed in the
Page 18Book." This indeed becometh thee. Beware lest thou appropriate unto thyself the things of the world and the riches thereof.
Leave them unto such as desire them, and cleave unto that which bath been enjoined upon thee by Him Who is the Lord of creation. Should any one offer thee all the treasures of the earth, refuse to even glance upon them. Be as thy Lord hath been. Thus hath the Tongue of Revelation spoken that which God hath made the ornament of the book of creation... Should the inebriation of the wine of My verses seize thee, and thou determinest to present thyself before the throne of thy Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, make My love thy vesture and thy shield remembrance of Me, and thy provision reliance upon God, the Revealer of all power... Verily, the day of ingathering is come, and all things have been separated from each other. He hath stored away that which He chose in the vessels of justice, and cast into fire that which befitteth it. Thus hath it been decreed by your Lord, the Mighty, the Loving, in this promised Day.
1-le, verily, ordaineth what He pleaseth. There is none other God save He, the Almighty, the
All-Compelling.At one time We address the people of the Torah and summon them unto Him Who is the Revealer of verses, Who liath come from Him Who layeth low the necks of men.... At another, We address the people of the Evangelandsay:"The All-Glorious is come in this Name whereby the Breeze of God hath wafted over all regions.".. .At still another, We address the people of the Qur'an saying: "Fear the All-Merciful, and cavilnot at Him through Whom all religions were founded."
Know thou, moreover, that We have addressed to the Magians Our Tablets, and adorned them with Our Law.. We have revealed in them the essence of all the hints and allusions contained in their Books. The Lord, verily, is the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
CALL out to Zion, 0 Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: lie that was hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereignty is manifest; His all-encompassing splendour is revealed.
Beware lest thou hesitate or halt. Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that hath descended ftorn heaven, the celestial Kaaba round which have circled in adoration the favoured of God, the pure in heart, and the company of the most exalted angels. 0 how I long to announce unto every spot on the surface of the earth, and to carry to each one of its cities, the glad-tidings of this Revelation � a Revelation to which the heart of Sinai hath been attracted, and in whose name the Burning Bush is calling: "Unto God, the Lord of Lords, belong the kingdoms of earth and heaven."
Verily this is the Day in which both land and sea rejoice at this announcement, the Day for which have been laid up those things which God, through a bounty beyond the ken of mortal mind or heart, hath destined for revelation.
Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee, and will manifest the people of Bah~ who have been mentioned in the Book of Names.
~lII~ HE Most Great Lawis come, and the Ancient Beauty ruleth upon the throne of David. Thus hath My Pen spoken that which the histories of bygone ages have related.
At this time, however, David crieth aloud and saith: "0 my loving Lord! Do Thou number me with such as have stood steadfast in Thy Cause, 0 Thou through Whom the faces have been illumined, and the footsteps have slipped!"
Page 19A view of the bridge at Biiyiikpekmece, Turkey, over which Bahá'u'lláh and His entourage crossed on the twelve-day journey from Constantinople to Adrianople in December, 1863.
'THE Breath hath been wafted, and the Breeze hath blown, and from Zion hath appeared that which was hidden, and from Jerusalem is heard the Voice of God, the One, the Incomparable, the
Omniscient.LEND an ear unto the song of David. He saith: "Who will bring me into the
Strong City ?" The StrongCity is 'Akka,, which hath been named the Most Great Prison, and which possesseth a fortress and mighty ramparts... Peruse that which Isaiah hath spoken in His Book. He saith: "Get thee up into the high mountain, 0 Zion, that bringest good tidings; lift up thy voice with strength, 0 Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings. Lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judali:
'Behold your God! Beholdthe Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him."' This Day all the signs have appeared. A great City hath descended from heaven, and Zion trembleth and exulteth with joy at the Revelation of God, for it bath heard the Voice of God on every side.
O CONCOURSE of Christians!We have, on a previous occasion, revealed Ourseif unto you, and ye recognized Me not. This is yet another occasion vouchsafed unto you. This is the Day of God; turn ye unto Him.
The Beloved One loveth not that ye be consumed with the fire of your desires.
Were ye to be shut out as by a veil from Him, this would be for no other reason than your own waywardness and ignorance.
Ye make mention of Me, and know Me not. Ye call upon Me, and are heedless of My Revelation. 0 people of the Gospel! They who were not in the Kingdom have now entered it, whilst We behold you, in this day, tarrying at the gate. Rend the veils asunder by the power of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous, and enter, then, in My name My Kingdom.
Thus biddeth you He XTho desireth for you everlasting life. We
Page 20behold you, 0 children of the Kingdom, in darkness.
This, verily, beseemeth you not. Are ye, in the face of the Light, fearful because of your deeds?
Direct yourselves towards Him... Verily, He (Jesus) said: "Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." In this day, however, We say: "Come ye after Me, that We may make you to become quickeners of mankind."
WE, verily, have come for your sakes, and have borne the misfortunes of the world for your salvation. Flee ye the One Who bath sacrificed His life that ye may be quickened? Fear God, 0 followers of the Spirit (Jesus), and walk not in the footsteps of every divine that bath gone far astray.. Open the doors of your hearts.
He Who is the Spirit (Jesus) verily, standeth before them. Wherefore keep ye afar from Him Who hath purposed to draw you nigh unto a Resplendent Spot? Say: We, in truth, have opened unto you the gates of the Kingdom.
Will ye bar the doors of your houses in My face?O CONCOURSE of patriarchs ! He Whom ye were promised in the Tablets is come.
Fear God, and follow not the vain imaginings of the superstitious. Lay aside the things ye possess, and take fast hold of the Tablet of God by His sovereign power. Better is this for you than all your possessions. Unto this testifieth every understanding heart, and every man of insight. Pride ye yourselves on My Name and yet shut yourselves out as by a veil from Me? This indeed is a strange thing!
O CONCOURSE of archbishops!In the plain of guidance He calleth mankind, whilst ye are numbered with the dead! Great is the blessedness of him who is stirred by the Breeze of God, and hath arisen from amongst the dead in this perspicuous Name.
0 CONCOURSE of bishops!Trembling hath seized all the kindreds of the earth, and He Who is the Everlasting Father calleth aloud between earth and heaven. Blessed the ear that hath heard, and the eye that hath seen, and the heart that hath turned unto Him Who is the Point of Adoration of all who are in the heavens and all who are on earth....
0 CONCOURSE of bishops!Ye are the stars of theheaven of Myknowledge. Mymercy desireth not that ye should fall upon the earth. My justice, however, declareth: "This is that which the Son (Jesus) bath decreed."
And whatsoever hath proceeded out of His blameless, His truth-speaking, trustworthy mouth, can never be altered.
The bells, verily, peal out My Name, and lament over Me, but My spirit re-joiceth with evident gladness. The body of the Loved One yearneth for the cross, and His head is eager for the spear, in the path of the All-Merciful. The ascendancy of the oppressor can in no wise deter Him from His purpose.. The stars of the heaven of knowledge have fallen, they that adduce the proofs they possess in order to demonstrate the truth of My Cause, and who make mention of God in My name. When I came unto them, in My majesty, however, they turned aside from Me. They, verily, are of the fallen.
This is what the Spirit (Jesus) prophesied when He came with the truth, and the Jewish doctors caviled at Him, until they committed what made the Holy Spirit to lament, and the eyes of such as enjoy near access to God to weep.
0 CONCOURSE of priests!Leave the bells, and come forth, then, from your churches. It behoveth you, in this day, to proclaim aloud the Most Great Name among the nations. Prefer ye to be silent, whilst every stone and every tree shouteth aloud: "The Lord is come in His great glory!".
He that summoneth men in My name is, verily, of Me, and he will show forth that which is beyond the power of all that are on earth... Let the Breeze of God awaken you. Verily, it hath wafted over the world. Well is it with him that hath discovered the fragrance thereof and been accounted among the well-assured....
0 CONCOURSE of priests!The Day of Reckoning hath appeared, the Day whereon
Page 21He Who was in heaven bath come. He, verily, is the One Whom ye were promised in the Books of God, the Holy, the Almighty, the All-Praised. How long will ye wander in the wilderness of heedlessness and superstition? Turn with your hearts in the direction of your Lord, the Forgiving, the Generous.
0 CONCOURSE of monks! Seclude not yourselves in churches and cloisters. Come forth by My leave, and occupy yourselves with that which will profit your souls and the souls of men.
Thus biddeth you the King of the Day of Reckoning.
Seclude yourselves in the stronghold of My love. This, verily, is a befitting seclusion, were ye of them that perceive it. He that shutteth himself up in a house is indeed as one dead.
It behoveth man to show forth that which xviii profit all created things, and he that bring-eth forth no fruit is fit for fire. Thus counselleth you your Lord, and He, verily, is the Almighty, the Mi-Bounteous.
Enter ye into wedlock, that after you someone may fill your place.
We have forbidden you perfidious acts, and not that which will demonstrate fidelity. Have ye clung to the standards fixed by your own selves, and cast the standards of God behind your backs?
Fear God, and be not of the foolish. But for man, who would make mention of Me on My earth, and how could My attributes and My name have been revealed? Ponder ye, and be not of them that are veiled and fast asleep. He that wedded not (Jesus) found no place wherein to dwell or lay Ills head, by reason of that which the hands of the treacherous had wrought.
His sanctity consisteth not in that which ye believe or fancy, but rather in the things We possess.
Ask, that ye may apprehend His station which hath been exalted above the imaginings of all that dwell on earth. Blessed are they who perceive it. CONCOURSE of monks! If ye choose to follow Me, I will make you heirs of My Kingdom; and if ye transgress against Me, I will, in My longsuffering, endure it patiently, and I, verily, am the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merci-ful...
Bethlehem is astir with the Breeze of God. We hear her voice saying: "0 most generous Lord!
Where is Thy great glory established? The sweet savours of Thy presence have quickened ened me, after I had melted in my separation from
Thee. Praised be Thouin that Thou hast raised the veils, and come with power in evident glory."
We called unto her from behind the Tabernacle of Majesty and Grandeur:
"0 Bethlehem! This Lighthath risen in the orient, and travelled towards the occident, until it reached thee in the evening of its life. Tell Me then: Do the sons recognize the Father, and acknowledge Him, or do they deny Him, even as the people aforetime denied Him (Jesus) ?"
Whereupon she cried out saying: "Thou art, in truth, the All-Knowing, the Best-Informed."
CONSIDER, likewise, how numerous at this time are the monks who have secluded themselves in their churches, in My name, and who, when the appointed time came, and We unveiled to them Our beauty, failed to recognize Me, notwithstanding that they call upon Me at dawn and at eventide.
IREAD ye the Evangel and yet refuse to acknowledge the All-Glorious Lord?
This indeed beseemeth you not, 0 concourse of learned men! The fragrances of the All-Merciful have wafted over all creation.
Happy the man that hath forsaken his desires, and taken fast hold of guidance.
PERUSED ye not the Qur'an Read it, that haply ye may find the Truth, for this Book is verily the Straight Path. This is the Way of God unto all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. If ye have been careless of the Qur'an, the BayAn cannot be regarded to be remote from you.
Behold it open before your eyes. Read ye its verses, lest perchance ye desist from committing that which will cause the Messengers of God to mourn and lament.
Speed out of your sepulchres.The earth hath quaked with a great quaking, and cast forth her burdens. Will ye not admit it? Say: Will ye not recognize how the mountains have become like flocks of wool, how the people are sore vexed at the
Page 22A view of Gallipoli, Turkey, where Bahá'u'lláh and "about seventy" exiles spent three nights in August, 1868, before leaving for 'Akka. At the hour of His departure Bahá'u'lláh warned His companions that this journey will be unlike any of the previous journeys...
awful majesty of the Cause of God? Witness how their houses are empty ruins, and they themselves a drowned host.
This is the Day whereon the All-Merciful bath come down in the clouds of knowledge, clothed with manifest sovereignty.
He well knoweth the actions of men. He it is Whose glory none can mistake, could ye but comprehend it. The heaven of every religion hath been rent, and the earth of human understanding been cleft asunder, and the angels of God are seen descending. Say: This is the Day of mutual deceit; whither do ye flee? The mountains have passed away, and the heavens have been folded together, and the whole earth is held within His grasp, could ye but understand it. Who is it that can protect you? None, by Him Who is the All-Merciful!
None, except God, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Beneficent. Every woman that hath had a burden in her womb hath cast her burden. We see men drunken in this Day, the Day in which men and angels have been gathered together.
Is there any doubt concerning God? Behold how He hath come down from the heaven of His grace, girded with power and invested with sovereignty.
Is there any doubt concerning His signs? Open ye your eyes, and consider His clear evidence. Paradise is on your right hand, and hath been brought nigh unto you, while Hell hath been made to blaze. Witness its devouring flame. Haste ye to enter into Paradise, as a token of Our mercy unto you, and drink ye from the hands of the Mi-Merciful the Wine that is life indeed.
BY Him Who is the GreatThe Balance bath been appointed, and all them that dwell on earth have been gathered together. The Trumpet bath been blown, and lo, all eyes have stared up with tenor, and the hearts of all who are in the heavens and on the earth have trembled, except them whom the breath of the verses of God
Page 23bath quickened, and who have detached themselves from all things.
This is the Day whereon the earth shall tell out her tidings. The workers of iniquity are her burdens, could ye but perceive it. The moon of idle fancy hath been cleft, and the heaven bath given out a palpable smoke.
We see the people laid low, awed with the dread of thy Lord, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. The Crier hath cried out, and men have been torn away, so great hath been the fury of His wrath.
The people of the left hand sigh and bemoan.The people of the right abide in noble habitations: they quaff the Wine that is life indeed, from the hands of the All-Merciful, and are, verily, the blissful.
The earth hath been shaken, and the mountains have passed away, and the angels have appeared, rank on rank, before Us. Most of the people are bewildered in their drunkenness and wear on their faces the evidences of anger. Thus have We gathered together the workers of iniquity. We see them rushing on towards their idol. Say: None shall be secure this Day from the decree of God. This indeed is a grievous Day. We point out to them those that led them astray. They see them, and yet recognize them not. Their eyes are drunken; they are indeed a blind people. Their proofs are the calumnies they uttered; condemned are their calumnies by God, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting. TheEvil One bath stirred up mischief in their hearts, and they are afflicted with a torment that none can avert.
They hasten to the wicked, bearing the register of the workers of iniquity.
Such are their doings.Say: The heavens have been folded together, and the earth is held within His grasp, and the corrupt doers have been held by their forelock, and still they understand not. They drink of the tainted water, and know it not.
Say: The shout hath been raised, and the people have come forth from their graves, and arising are gazing around them. Some have made haste to attain the court of the God of Mercy, others have fallen down on their faces in the fire of Hell, while still others are lost in bewilderment.
The verses of God have been revealed, and yet they have turned away from them. His proof hath been manifested and yet they are unaware of it. And when they behold the face of the All-Merciful, their own faces are saddened, while they are disporting themselves. They hasten forward to Hell Fire, and mistake it for light. Far from God be what they fondly imagine! Say: Whether ye rejoice or whether ye burst for fury, the heavens are cleft asunder, and God hath come down, invested with radiant sovereignty. All created things are heard exclaiming: "The Kingdom is God's, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."
O CONCOURSE of Persiandivines! In My name ye have seized the reins of men, and occupy the seats of honour by reason of your relation to Me.
When I revealed Myself, however, ye turned aside, and committed what hath caused the tears of such as have recognized Me to flow. Erelong will all that ye possess perish, and your glory be turned into the most wretched abasement, and ye shall behold the punishment for what ye have wrought, as decreed by God, the Ordainer, the All-Wise.
O YE divines of the City ! We came to you with the truth, whilst ye were heedless of it. Methinks ye are as dead, wrapt in the coverings of your own selves. Ye sought not Ourpresence, when so to do would have been better for you than all your doings.. Know ye, that had your leaders, to whom ye own allegiance, and on whom ye pride yourselves, and whom ye mention by day and by night, and from whose traces ye seek guidance � had they lived in these days, they would have circled around Me, and would not have separated themselves from Me, whether at eventide or at morn.
Ye, however, did not turn your faces towards My face, for even less than a moment, and waxed proud, and were careless of this Wronged One, Who hath been so afflicted by men that they dealt with Him as they pleased.
Ye failed to inquire about My condition, nor did ye inform yourselves of the things which befell Me. Thereby have ye withheld from yourselves the winds of holiness, and the breezes of bounty, that blow from this luminous and perspicuous Spot. Methinks ye have clung to ougward things, and forgotten the inner things, and say that which ye do not. Ye are lovers of names, and appear to have given yourselves up to them. For this reason make ye mention of the names of your leaders.
And should any one like them, or superior unto them, come unto you, ye would D
Page 24flee him. Through their names ye have exalted yourselves, and have secured your positions, and live and prosper. And were your leaders to reappear, ye would not renounce your leadership, nor would ye turn in their direction, nor set your faces towards them. We found you, as We found most men, worshipping names which they mention during the days of their life, and with which they occupy themselves. No sooner do the Bearers of these names appear, however, than they repudiate them, and turn upon their heels....
Know ye that God will not, in this day, accept your thoughts, nor your remembrance of Him, nor your turning towards Him, nor your devotions, nor your vigilance, unless ye be made new in the estimation of this Servant, could ye but perceive it. B ECAUSE of you the Apostle (Muhammad) lamented, and the Chaste One (FAlimili) cried out, and the countries were laid waste, and darkness fell upon all regions.
0 concourse of divines!Because of you the people were abased, and the banner of Ishm was hauled down, and its mighty throne subverted. Every time a man of discernment hath sought to hold fast unto that which would exalt IslAm, you raised a clamour, and thereby was He deterred from achieving His purpose, while the land remained fallen in clear ruin.
OF all the peoples of the world, they that have suffered the greatest loss have been, and are still, the people of Persia.
I swear by the Day Star of Utterance which shineth upon the world in its meridian glory! The lamentations of the pulpits, in that country, are being raised continually.
In the early days such tamentations were heard in the Land of TA (Tihr~n), for pulpits, erected for the purpose of remembering the True One � exalted be His glory � have now, in Persia, become places wherefrom blasphemies are uttered against Him Who is the Desire of the worlds.
IN this day the world is redolent with the fragrances of the robe of the Revelation of the Ancient King..
and yet, they (divines) have gathered together, and established themselves upon their seats, and have spoken that which would put an animal to shame, how much more man himself! Were they to become aware of one of their acts, and perceive the mischief it hath wrought, they would, with their own hands, dispatch themselves to their final abode.
CONCOURSE of divines!...Lay aside that which ye possess, and hold your peace, and give ear, then, unto that which the Tongue of Grandeur and Majesty speaketh. How many the veiled handmaidens who turned unto Me, and believed, and how numerous the wearers of the turban who were debarred from Me, and followed in the footsteps of bygone generations!
0 HIGH priests! Ears have been given you that they may hearken unto the mystery of Him Who is the Self-Dependent, and eyes that they may behold Him. Wherefore flee ye?
The Incomparable Friendis manifest. He speaketh that wherein lieth salvation.
Were ye, 0 high priests, to discover the perfume of the rosegarden of understanding, ye would seek none other but Him, and would recognize, in His new vesture, the
All-Wise and PeerlessOne, and would turn your eyes from the world and all who seek it, and would arise to help Him.
WHATSOEVER bath been announced in the Books hath been revealed and made clear. From every direction the signs have been manifested.
The Omnipotent One is calling, in this Day, and announcing the appearance of the Supreme Heaven.
THIS is not the day whereon the high priests can command and exercise their authority.
In your Book it is stated that the high priests will, on that Day, lead men far astray, and will prevent them from drawing nigh unto Him. He indeed is a high priest who hath seen the light and hastened unto the way leading to the Beloved.
0 HIGH priests! The Handof Omnipotence is stretched forth from behind the clouds; behold ye it with new eyes. The tokens of His majesty and greatness are unveiled; gaze ye on
Page 25them with pure eyes. Say, 0 high priests! Ye are held in reverence because of My Name, and yet ye flee Me! Ye are the high priests of the Temple.
Had ye been the high priests of the Omnipotent One, ye would have been united with Him, andwouldhaverecognizedHim.... Say, 0 high priests! No man's acts shall be acceptable, in this Day, unless he forsaketh mankind and all that men possess, and setteth his face towards the Omnipotent One.
An aerial view of presentday 'Ak/Cd. The exile of Bahá'u'lláh in 'Akka and environs extended from August 31, 1868, until His death on May 29, 1892. The large structure in the lower right foreground is the Most Great Prison. Behind it, and to the left, can be seen the dome and minaret of the mosque where "the text of the farmdn" banishing Bahá'u'lláh "was read publicly, soon after the arrival of the exiles. as a warning to the population".
c. THE GREAT ANNOUNCEMENT TO MANKIND THE time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come.
The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the Law of God, and Jerusalem, and the hills and land thereof, are filled with the glory of His Revelation.
Happy is the man that pondereth in his heart that which hath been revealed in the Books of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Meditate upon this, 0 ye beloved of God, and let your ears be attentive unto His Word, so that ye may, by His grace and mercy, drink your fill from the crystal waters of constancy, and become as steadfast and immovable as the mountain in His
Cause.VERILY I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the Face, and hear the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of God bath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men.
It behoveth everyman to blot out the trace of every idle word from the tablet of his heart, and to gaze, with an open and unbiased mind, on the signs of His Revelation, the proofs of His Mission, and the tokens of His glory.
Great indeed is this Day!The allusions made to it in all the sacred Scriptures as the Day of God attest its greatness. The soul of every Prophet of God, of every Divine Messenger, hath thirsted for this wondrous Day. All the divers kindreds of the earth have, likewise, yearned to attain it. No sooner, however, had the
Day Star of His Revelationmanifested itself in the heaven of God's Will, than all, except those whom the Almighty was pleased to guide, were found dumbfounded and heedless.
0 thou that hast remembered Me! The most grievous veil bath shut out the peoples of the earth from His glory, and hindered them from hearkening to His call.
God grant that the light of unity may envelop the whole earth, and that the seal, "the Kingdom is God's", may be stamped upon the brow of all its peoples.
O YE children of men! The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity.
This is the straight Path, the fixed and immovable foundation. Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure. Our hope is that the world's religious leaders and the rulers thereof will unitedly arise for the reformation of this age and the rehabilitation of its fortunes. Let them, after meditating on its needs, take counsel together and, through anxious and full deliberation, administer to a diseased and sorely-afflicted world the remedy it requires..
It is incumbent upon them who are in authority to exercise moderation in all things. Whatsoever passeth beyond the limits of moderation will cease to exert a beneficial influence.
Consider for instance such things as liberty, civilization and the like.
However much men of understanding may favourably regard them, they will, if carried to excess, exercise a pernicious influence upon men...
Please God, the peoples of the world may be led, as the re-suit of the high endeavours exerted by their rulers and the wise and learned amongst men, to recognize their best interests.
How long will humanity persist in its waywardness ? How long will injustice continue? How long is chaos and confusion to reign amongst men? How long will discord agitate the face of society? The winds of despair are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divideth and afflict-eth the human race is daily increasing.
The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appeareth to be lamentably defective. I beseech God, exalted be His glory, that He may graciously awaken the peoples of the earth, may grant that the end of their conduct may be profitable unto them, and aid them to accomplish that which beseemeth their station.
O CONTENDING peoples and kindreds of the earth!Set your faces towards unity, and let the radiance of its light shine upon you. Gather ye together, and for the sake of God resolve to root out whatever is the source of contention amongst you. Then will the effulgence of the world's great Luminary envelop the whole earth, and its inhabitants become the citizens of one city, and the occupants of one and the same throne. This Wronged One hath ever since the early days of His life, cherished none other desire but this, and will continue to entertain no wish except this wish.
There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed. All of them, except a few which are the outcome of human perversity, were ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose. Arise and, armed with the power of faith, shatter to pieces the gods of your vain imaginings, the sowers of dissension amongst you. Cleave unto that which draweth you together and uniteth you. This, verily, is the most exalted Word which the Mother Book bath sent down and revealed unto you. To this beareth witness the Tongue of Grandeur from His habitation of glory.
Page 27A close view of the prison at 'Ak/al. The two windows on the right are those of the room occupied by Bahá'u'lláh.
THE Great Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites of the peace and tranquillity of the world and the advancement of its peoples, bath written: The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized.
The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world's Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace de-mandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him.
If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of every people, government and nation. We fain would hope that the kings and rulers of the earth, the mirrors of the gracious and almighty name of God, may attain unto this station, and shield mankind from the onslaught of tyranny.... The day is approaching when all the peoples of the world will have adopted one universal language and one common script. When this is achieved, to whatsoever city a man may journey, it shall be as if he were entering his own home. These things are obligatory and absolutely essential. It is incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding to strive to translate that which hath been written into reality and action.
That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. The
Great Being saith: Blessedand happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. In another passage He hath proclaimed: It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.
Page 28hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its presentday afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and centre your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.
We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions.
We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices.
They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.
Incline your ears to the sweet melody of this Prisoner.
Arise, and lift up your voices, that haply they that are fast asleep may be awakened. Say: 0 ye who are as dead!
The Hand of Divine bounty proffereth unto you theWhoso hath been reborn in this Day, shall never die; whoso remaineth dead, shall never live.
0 PEOPLES of the earth!God, the Eternal Truth, is My witness that streams of fresh and soft-flowing waters have gushed from the rocks, through the sweetness of the words uttered by your Lord, the Unconstrained; and still ye slumber. Cast away that which ye possess, and, on the wings of detachment, soar beyond all created things. Thus biddeth you the Lord of creation, the movement of Whose Pen bath revolutionized the soul of mankind.
Know ye from what heights your Lord, the All-Glorious is calling? Think ye that ye have recognized the Pen wherewith your Lord, the Lord of all names, commandeth you?
Nay, by My life! Did ye but know it, ye would renounce the world, and would hasten with your whole hearts to the presence of the Well-Beloved. Your spirits would be so transported by His Word as to throw into commotion the Greater World � how much more this small and petty one! Thus have the showers of My bounty been poured down from the heaven of My lovingkindness, as a token of My grace; that ye may be of the thankful...
Beware lest the desires of the flesh and of a corrupt inclination provoke divisions among you. Be ye as the fingers of one hand, the members of one body.
Thus counselleth you the Pen of Revelation, if ye be of them that believe.
Consider the mercy of God and His gifts. He enjoineth upon you that which shall profit you, though He Himself can well dispense with all creatures. Your evil doings can never harm Us, neither can your good works profit Us. We summon you wholly for the sake of God. To this every man of understanding and insight will testify.
T HE world's equilibrium bath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Manidud's ordered life bath been revolutionized though the agency of this unique, this wondrous System � the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.
Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths.
Take heed that ye do not vacillate in your determination to embrace the truth of this Cause � a Cause through which the potentialities of the might of God have been reveaLed, and His sovereignty established. With faces beaming with joy, hasten ye unto Him. This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath refused to seek it � verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above any need of His creatures.
Say: This is the infallible Balance which the Hand of God is holding, in which all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth are weighed, and their fate determined, if ye be of them that believe and recognize this truth. Say: Through it the poor have been enriched, the learned enlightened, and the seekers enabled to ascend unto the presence of God. Beware, lest ye make it a cause of dissension amongst you. Be ye as firmly settled as the immovable mountain in the Cause of your Lord, the Mighty, the Loving.
Page 29Know assuredly that My commandments are the lamps of My loving providence among My servants, and the keys of My mercy for My creatures. Thus hath it been sent down from the heaven of the Will of your Lord, the Lord of Revelation.
Were any man to taste the sweetness of the words which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he would, though the treasures of the earth be in his possession, renounce them one and all, that he might vindicate the truth of even one of His commandments, shining above the Dayspring of His bountiful care and loving-kind-ness.
From My laws the sweet smelling savour of My garment can be smelled, and by their aid the standards of victory will be planted upon the highest peaks.
The Tongue of My power hath, from the heaven of My omnipotent glory, addressed to My creation these words: "Observe My commandments, for the love of My beauty."
Happy is the lover that bath inhaled the divine fragrance of his Best-Beloved from these words, laden with the perfume of a grace which no tongue can describe.
By My life! He who bath drunk the choice wine of fairness from the hands of My bountiful favour, will circle around My commandments that shine above the Dayspring of My creation.
Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power. To this beareth witness that which the Pen of Revelation hath revealed. Meditate upon this, 0 men of insight!
Whenever My laws appear like the sun in the heaven of Mine utterance, they must be faithfully obeyed by all, though My decree be such as to cause the heaven of every religion to be cleft asunder. He doth what He pleaseth. He chooseth; and none may question
His choice. WhatsoeverHe, the Well-Beloved, ordaineth, the same is, verily, beloved. To this He Who is the Lord of all creation beareth Me witness. Whoso bath inhaled the sweet fragrance of the All-Merciful, and recognized the Source of this utterance, will welcome with his own eyes the shafts of the enemy, that he may establish the truth of the laws of God amongst men. Well is it with him that bath turned thereunto, and apprehended the meaning of His decisive decree.
217' HIS is the Day in which God's most excellent favours have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things.
It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and lovingkindness.
It behoveth them to cleave to whatsoever will, in this Day, be conducive to the exaltation of their stations, and to the promotion of their best interests. Happy are those whom the all-glorious Pen was moved to remember, and blessed are those men whose names, by virtue of Our inscrutable decree, We have preferred to conceal.
Beseech ye the one true God to grant that all men may be graciously assisted to fulfil ihat which is acceptable in Our sight.
Soon will the presentday order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, thy Lord speak-eth the truth, and is the Knower of things unseen.
Page 30n THE BIRTH OF THE BAHÁ'Í REVELATION (From God Passes By, Chapter VJ, pp. 91 � 103) ... At a time when the Cause of the Báb seemed to be hovering on the brink of extinction, when the hopes and ambitions which animated it had, to all human seeming, been frustrated, when the coThssal sacrifices of its unnumbered lovers appeared to have been made in vain, the Divine Promise enshrined within it was about to be suddenly redeemed, and its final perfection mysteriously manifested. The B~bi Dispensation was being brought to its close (not prematurely but in its own appointed time), and was yielding its destined fruit and revealing its ultimate purpose � the birth of the
Mission of Bahá'u'lláh.In this most dark and dreadful hour a New Light was about to break in glory on Persia's sombre horizon. As a result of what was in fact an evolving, ripening process, the most momentous if not the most spectacular stage in the Heroic Age of the Faith was now about to open.
During nine years, as foretold by the Wit Himself, swiftly, mysteriously and irresistibly the embryonic Faith conceived by Him had been developing until, at the fixed hour, the burden of the promised Cause of God was cast amidst the gloom and agony of the SiyAh~hA1 of TihrTh.
"Behold," Bahft'u'llThHimself,years later, testified, in refutation of the claims of those who had rejected the validity of His mission following so closely upon that of the Mb, "how immediately upon the completion of the ninth year of this wondrous, this most holy and merciful Dispensation, the requisite number of pure, of wholly consecrated and sanctified souls has been most secretly consummated." "That so brief an intervah" He, moreover has asserted, "should have separated this most mighty and wondrous
Revelation from Mineown previous Manifestation is a secret that no man can unravel, and a mystery such as no mind can fathom.
Its duration had been foreordained."St. John the Divine had himself, with reference to these two successive Revelations, deafly prophesied: "The second woe is past; and, behold the third woe cometh quickly." "This third woe," 'Abdu'l-Bahá, commenting upon this verse, has explained, "is the day of the Manifestation of Bahá'u'lláh, the Day of God, and it is near to the day of the appearance c/the 13db."
"All the peoples of the world," He moreover has asserted, "are awaiting two Manifestations, Who must be contemporaneous; a!! wait for the fulfilment of this promise." And again: "The essential fact is that all are promised two Manifestations, Who will come one following on the other." 5fiaykh Ahmad-i-AhsA'i, that luminous star of Divine guidance who had so clearly perceived, before the year sixty, the approaching glory of Bahá'u'lláh, and laid stress upon "the twin Revelations which are to follow each other in rapid succession," had, on his part, made this significant statement regarding the approaching hour of that supreme Revelation, in an epistle addressed in his own hand to Siyyid Kazfin: "The mystery of this Cause must needs be made manifest, and the secret of this Message must needs be divulged. II can say no more. I can appoint no time. His Cause will be made known after hun (68)."
The circumstances in which the Vehicle of this newborn Revelation, following with such swiftness that of the Báb, received the first intimations of His sublime mission recall, and indeed surpass in poignancy the soul-shaking experience of Moses when confronted by the Burning Bush in the wilderness of Sinai; of Zoroaster when awakened to His mission by a succession of seven visions; of Jesus when coming out of the waters of the Jordan He saw the heavens opened and the Holy Ghost descend like a dove and light upon Him; of Muhammad when in the Cave of Hira, outside 30
Page 31of the holy city of Mecca, the voice of Gabriel bade Him "cry in the name of Thy Lord"; and of the Báb when in a dream He approached the bleeding head of the ImAm Ijusayn, and, quafling the blood that dripped from his lacerated throat, awoke to find Himself the chosen recipient of the ourpouring grace of the Almighty.
What, we may well inquire at this juncture, were the nature and implications of that Revelation which, manifesting itself so soon after the Declaration of the Báb, abolished, at one stroke, the Dispensation which that Faith had so newly proclaimed, and upheld, with such vehemence and force, the Divine authority of its Author?
What, we may well pause to consider, were the claims of Him Who, Himself a disciple of the DAb, had, at such an early stage, regarded Himself as empowered to abrogate the Law identified with His beloved Master? What, we may further reflect, could be the relationship between the religious Systems established before Him and His own
Revelation � a Revelationwhich, flowing out, in that extremely perilous hour, from His travailing soul, pierced the gloom that had settled upon that pestilential pit, and, bursting though its walls, and propagating itself as far as the ends of the earth, infused into the entire body of mankind its boundless potentialities, and is now under our very eyes, shaping the course of human society?
He Who in such dramatic circumstances was made to sustain the overpowering weight of so glorious a Mission was none other than the One Whom posterity will acclaim, and Whom innumerable followers already recognize, as the Judge, the Lawgiver and Redeemer of all mankind, as the Organizer of the entire planet, as the Unifier of the children of men, as the Inaugurator of the long-awaited millennium, as the Originator of a new "Universal Cycle", as the Establisher of the
Most Great Peace, as the Fountainof the Most Great Justice, as the Proclaimer of the coming of age of the entire human race, as the Creator of a new World Order, and as the Inspirer and Founder of a world civilization.
To Israel He was neither more nor less than the incarnation of the "Everlasting Father", the "Lord of Hosts" come down "with ten thousands of saints"; to Christendom Christ returned "in the glory of the Father" to
Shi'ahTs1~m the return of the Im~�m tiusayn; to Sunni IslAm the descent of the
"Spirit of God" (JesusChrist); to the Zoroastrians the promised ShTh-Bahnim; to the Hindus the reincarnation of Krishna; to the Buddhists the fifth Buddha.
In the name He bore He combined those of the Im~m ~Iusayn, the most illustrious of the successors of the Apostle of God � the brightest "star" shining in the "crown~~ mentioned in the Revelation of St. John � and of the
Im~m 'A Ii, the Commanderof the Faithful, the second of the two "witnesses"extolled in that same Book. He was formally designated Bahá'u'lláh, an appellation specifically recorded in the Persian Baydn, signifying at once the glory, the light and the splendour of God, and was styled the "Lord of
Lords", the "Most GreatName", the "Ancient Beauty", the "Pen of the Most High", the
"Hidden Name", the "PreservedOcean", the "Supreme Heaven", the "Pre-Existent Root", the "Self-Subsistent", the "Day � Star of the Universe", the "Great Announcement", the "Speaker on Sinai", the "Sifter of Men", the "Wronged One of the World", the "Desire of the Nations" the "Lord of the Covenant", the "Tree beyond which there is no passing".
He derived His descent, on the one hand, from Abraham (the Father of the Faithful) through his wife Katurali, and on the other from Zoroaster, as well as from Yazdigird, the last king of the SAsAnfyAn dynasty. lie was moreover a descendant of Jesse, and belonged, through His father, Mirza 'Abbas, better known as Mirza Buzurg � a nobleman closely associated with the ministerial circles of the Court of Fath-'A1I ShAh � to one of the most ancient and renowned families of
M~izindarAn.To Him Isaiah, the greatest of the Jewish prophets, had alluded as the "Glory of the Lord," the "Everlasting Father," the "Prince of Peace," the "Wonderful," the "Counsellor," the "Rod come forth out of the stem of Jesse" and the "Branch grown out of His roots," Who "shall be established upon the throne of David," Who "will come with strong hand," Who "shall judge among the nations," Who "shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips slay the wicked," and Who "shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather
Page 32together the dispersed of Judah from the Ibur corners of the earth." Of Him David had sung in his Psalms, acclaiming Him as the "Lord of Hosts" and the
"King of Glory." To Him Haggaihad referred as the "Desire of all nations," and Zachariah as the "Branch" Who "shall grow up out of His place," and "shall build the Temple of the Lord." Ezekiel had extolled Him as the "Lord" Who "shall be king over all the earth," while to His day Joel and Zephaniah had both referred as the "day of Jehovah," the latter describing it as "a d~y of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers."
His Day Ezekiel and Danielhad, moreover, both acclaimed as the "day of the Lord," and Malachi described as "the great and dreadful day of the Lord" when "the
Sun of Righteousness"will "arise, with healing in His wings," whilst Daniel had pronounced His advent as signalizing the end of the "abomination that inaketh desolate."
To His Dispensation the sacred books of the followers of Zoroaster had referred as that in which the sun must needs be brought to a standstill for no less than one whole month.
To Him Zoroaster must have alluded when, according to tradition, He foretold that a period of three thousand years of conflict and contention must needs precede the advent of the Worid-Saviour Sh~ih-Bahr~im, Who would triumph over Abriman and usher in an era of blessedness and peace.
He alone is meant by the prophecy attributed to Gautama Buddha Himself, that "a Buddha named Maitreye, the Buddha of universal fellowship" should, in the fullness of time, arise and reveal "His boundless glory."
To Him the Rhagavad-Gitaof the Hindus had referred as the "Most Great Spirit," the "Tenth Avatar," the
"Immaculate ManifestationTo Him Jesus Christ had referred as the "Prince of this world", as the "Comforter" Who will "reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, andofiudgement," as the "Spirit of Truth" Who "will guide you into all truth," Who "shall not speak c~f Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak," as the "Lord of the Vineyard," and as the "Son of Man" Who "shall come in the glory of His Father" "in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory," with "all the holy angels" about Him, and "all nations" gathered before His throne.
To Him the Author of the Apocalyspe had alluded as the "Glory of God," as "Alpha and Omega," "the Beginning and the End," "the First and the Last."
Identifying His Revelationwith the "third woe," he, moreover, had extolled His Law as "a new heaven anda new earth," as the "Tabernacle of God," as the "Holy City," as the "New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
To His Day Jesus ChristHimself had referred as "the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory."
To the hour of His advent St. Paul had alluded as the hour of the "last trump," the "trump of God," whilst St. Peter had spoken of it as the "Day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat." His Day he, furthermore, had described as "the times of refreshing," "the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy Prophets since the world began."
To Him Mu1~ammad, the Apostleof God, had alluded in His Book as the "Great An-~zouncement," and declared His Day to be the Day whereon "God" will "come down" "over-shadowed with clouds," the Day whereon "thy Lord shall come and the angels rank on rank," and "The Spirit shall arise and the angels shall be ranged in order." His advent He, in that Book, in a s~irih said to have been termed by Him "the heart of the ~ur'~n,"had foreshadowed as that of the "third" Messenger, sent down to "strenghten" the two who preceded Him. To His Day He, in the pages of that same Book, had paid a glowing tribute, glorifying it as the "Great Day," the "Last Day," the "Day of God," the "Day of Judgement," the "Day of Reckoning," the "Day of Mutual Deceit," the "Day of Severing," the "Day of Sighing," the "Day of Meeting," the Day "when the Decree shall be accomplished," the Day whereon the second "Trumpet blast" will be sounded, the "Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the world," and "all shall come to Him in humble guise," the Day when "thou shalt see the mountains, which thou thinkest so firm, pass away with the passing of a cloud," the Day "wherein account shall be taken," "the approaching Day, when men's hearts shall rise up,
Page 34choking them, into their throats," the Day when "all that are in the heavens and all that are on the earth shall be terror-stricken, save him whom God pleaseth to deliver," the Day whereon "every suckling woman shailforsake her sucking babe, and every woman that hatl'z a burden in her womb shall cast her burden," the Day "when the earth shall shine with the light of her Lord, and the Book shall be set, and the Prophets shall be brought up, and the witnesses; and judgement shall be given between them with equity; and none shall be wronged."
The plenitude of His glory the Apostle of God had, moreover, as attested by Bahá'u'lláh Himself, compared to the 'full moon on its fourteenth night." His station the
Im~m 'Au, the Commanderof the Faithful, had, according to the same testimony, identified with "Him Who conversed with Moses from the Burning Bush on Sinai." To the transcendent character of His mission the Tm~m Ijusayn had, again according to Bahá'u'lláh, borne witness as a "Revelation whose Revealer will be He Who revealed" the Apostle of God Himself.
About Him ~hayi~i2 Ahmad-i-A~is~i'i, the herald of the B~bi Dispensation, who had foreshadowed the "strange happenings" that would transpire "between the years Sixty and sixty-seven," and had categorically affirmed the inevitability of His Revelation had, as previously mentioned, written the following: "The Mystery of this Cause must needs be made manifest, and the Secret of this Message must needs be divulged. I can say no more, I can appoint no time. His Cause will be made known after Ijfn (68)" (i.e., after a while).
Siyyid K64m-i-Rashti ShaykhAlimad'sdisciple and successor, had likewise written: "The Q~'im must needs be put to death. After He has been slain the world will have attained the age of eighteen."
In his Sharii-i-Qa~iidiy-i-Ldmiyyih he had even alluded to the name Furthermore, to his disciples, as his days drew to a close, he had significantly declared :"Verily, I say, after the Q~'im the Qayyi~im will be made manifest.
For when the star of the former has set the sun of the beauty of Ijusayn will rise and illuminate the whole world. Then will be unfolded in all its glory the 'Mystery' and the 'Secret' spoken of by ~haykli Abmad.
To have attained unto that Day of Days is to have attained unto the crowning glory of past generations, and one goodly deed performed in that age is equal to the pious worship of countless centuries."
The BTh had no less significantly extolled Him as the "Essence of Being," as the "Remnant of God," as the "Omnipotent Master," as the "Crimson, all-encompassing Light," as "Lord of the visible and invisible," as the "sole Object of all previous Revelations, including the Revelation of the Qd'im Himself." He had formally designated Him as "He Whom God shall make manifest," had alluded to Him as the "AMid Horizon" wherein He Himself lived and dwelt, had specifically recorded His title, and eulogized His "Order" in His bestknown work, the Persian Baydn, had disclosed His name through His allusion to the "Son of 'Au, a true and undoubted Leader of men," had, repeatedly, orally and in writing, fixed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the time of His Revelation, and warned His followers lest "the Baydn and all that hatli been revealed therein" should "shut them out as by a veil" from Him.
He had, moreover, declared that He was the "first servant to believe in Him," that He bore Him allegiance "before all things were created," that "no allusion" of His "could allude unto Him," that "the year-old germ that holdeth within itself the potentialities of the Revelation that is to came is endowed with a potency superior to the combined forces of the whole of the Baydn."
He had, moreover, clearly asserted that He had "covenanted with all created things" concerning Him Whom God shall make manifest ere the covenant concerning His own mission had been established.
He had readily acknowledged that He was but "a letter" of that "Most Mighty Book," "a dewdrop" from that "Limitless Ocean," that His Revelation was "only a leaf amongst the leaves of His Paradise," that "all that bath been exalted in the Bay~n" was but "a ring" upon His own hand, and He Himself "a ring upon the hand of Him Whom Godshall make manifest," Who, "turnetli it as Hepleasetlz,for whatsoever Hepleasetli, and through whatsoever He pleaseth."
He had unmistakably declared that He had "sacrificed" Himself "wholly" for Him, that He had "consented to be cursed" for His sake, and to have "yearned for naught but martyrdom" in the path of His love.
Finally, He had unequivocally prophesied: "Today the Baydn is in the stage of seed; at the beginning of the manifestation of Him Whom God shall make man West its ultimate perfection will become ap
Page 35parent." "Ere nine will have elapsed from the inception of this Cause the realities of the created things will not be made manifest.
All that thou hast as yet seen is but the stage from the moist-germ until We clothed it with flesh.
Be patient until thou beholdest a new creation."He around Whom the Point of the Baydn (Bab) hath revolved is come" is Bahá'u'lláh's confirmatory testimony to the inconceivable greatness and preeminent character of His own Revelation.
"If all who are in heaven and on earth," He moreover affirms, "be investedin this day with the powers and attributes destined for the Letters of the Baycin, whose station is ten thousand times more glorious than that of the Letters of the Qur'tinic Dispensation, and if they one and all should, swift as the twinkling of an eye, hesitate to recognize My Revelation, they shall be accounted, in the sight of God, of those that have gone astray, and regarded as 'Letters of Negation."' "Powerful is He, the King of Divine might," He, alluding to Himself in the Kitáb-i-Iqdn, asserts, "to extinguish with one letter of His wondrous words, the breath of iWe in the whole of the Baydn and the people thereof, and with one letter bestow upon them a new and everlasting life, and cause them to arise and speed out of the sepulchres of their vain and selfish desires." "This," He furthermore declares, "is the king of days," the "Day of God Himself," the "Day which .vhall never be followed by night," the "Springtime which autumn will never overtake," "the eye to past ages and centuries," for which "the soul of every Prophet of God, of every Divine Messenger, hath thirsted," for which "all the divers kindreds of the earth have yearned," through which "God hath proved the hearts of the entire company of His Messengers and Prophets, and beyond them those that stand guard over His sacred and inviolable Sanctuary, the inmates of the Celestial Pavilion and dwellers of the Tabernacle of Glory." "In this most mighty Revelation," He moreover, states, "all the Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their final consummation." And again: "None among the Manifestations of old, except to a prescribed degree, hath ever completely apprehended the nature of this Revelation." Referring to His own station He declares: "But for Him no Divine Messenger would have been invested with the Robe of Proplietlicod, nor would any of the sacred Scriptures have been revealed."
And last but not least is 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í own tribute to the transcendent character of the Revelation identified with His Father: "Cen-turks, nay ages, must pass away, ere the DayStar of Truth shineth again in its midsummer splendour, or appeareth once more in the radiance of its vernal glory." "The mere contemplation of the Dispensation inaugurated by the Blessed Beauty," He furthermore affirms, "would have sufficed to overwhelm the saints of bygone ages � saints who longed to partake for one moment of its great glory." "Concerning the Manifestations that will come down in the future 'in the shadows of the clouds,' know verily," is His significant statement, "that in so far as their relation to the source of their inspiration is concerned they are under the shadow of the Ancient Beauty. In their relation, however, to the age in which they appear, each and every one of them 'doeth whatsoverHe willeth,"' And finally stands this, His illuminating explanation, setting forth conclusively the true relationship between the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh and that of the BTh: "The Revelation of the Báb may be likened to the sun, its station corresponding to the first sign of the Zodiac � the sign Aries � which the sun enters at the vernal equinox.
The station of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation, on the other hand, is represented by the sign Leo, the sun's midsummer and highest station. By this is meant that this holy Dispensation is illumined with the light of the Sun of Truth shining fron7 its most exalted station, and in the plenitude of its resplendency, its heat and glory."
To attempt an exhaustive survey of the prophetic references to Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation would indeed be an impossible task.
To this the pen of Bahá'u'lláh Himself bears witness:
"All the Divine Booksand Scriptures have predicted and announced unto men the advent of the Most Great Revelation. None can adequately recount the verses recorded in the Books of former ages which forecast this supreme Bounty, this most mighty
Bestowal."In conclusion of this theme, I feel it should be stated that the Revelation identified with Bahá'u'lláh abrogates unconditionally all the Dispensations gone before it, upholds uncompromisingly the eternal verities they enshrine, recognizes firmly and absolutely the Divine origin of their Authors, preserves in
Page 36The Mansion at Mazra'ih, occupied by Bahá'u'lláh for approximately two years.
Page 37violate the sanctity of their authentic Scriptures, disclaims any intention of lowering the status of their Founders or of abating the spiritual ideals they inculcate, clarifies and correlates their functions, reaffirms their common, their unchangeable and fundamental purpose, reconciles their seemingly divergent claims and doctrines, readily and gratefully recognizes their respective contributions to the gradual unfoldment of one Divine Revelation, unhesitatingly acknowledges itself to be but one link in the chain of continually progressive Revelations, supplements their teachings with such laws and ordinances as conform to the imperative needs, and are dictated by the growing receptivity, of a fast evolving and constantly changing society, and proclaims its readiness and ability to fuse and incorporate the contending sects and factions into which they have fallen into a universal Fellowship, functioning within the framework, and in accordance with the precepts, of a divinely conceived, a world-unifying, a world-redeeming
Order.A Revelation, hailed as the promise and crowning glory of past ages and centuries, as the consummation of all the Dispensations within the Adamic Cycle, inaugurating an era of at least a thousand years' duration, and a cycle destined to last no less than five thousand centuries, signalizing the end of the Prophetic Era and the beginning of the Era of Fulfilment, unsurpassed alike in the duration of its Author's ministry and the fecundity and splendour of His mission � such a Revelation was, as already noted, born amidst the darkness of a subterranean dungeon in TibrAn � an abominable pit that had once served as a reservoir of water for one of the public baths of the city. Wrapped in its Stygiafi gloom, breathing its fetid air, numbed by its humid and icy atmosphere, His feet in stocks, His neck weighted down by a mighty chain, surrounded by criminals and miscreants of the worst order, oppressed by the consciousness of the terrible blot that had stained the fair name of His beloved Faith, painfully aware of the dire distress that had overtaken its champions, and of the grave dangers that faced the remnant of its followers � at so critical an hour and under such appalling circumstances the "Most Great Spirit," as designated by Himself, and symbolized in the Zoroastrian, the Mosaic, the Christian, and Mu1~ammadan Dispensations by the Sacred Fire, the Burning Bush, the Dove and the Angel Gabriel respectively, descended upon, and revealed itself, personated by a "Maiden," to the agonized soul of Bahá'u'lláh.
"One night in a dream," He Himself, calling to mind, in the evening of His life, the first stirrings of God's Revelation within His soul, has written, "these exalted words were heard on every side: 'Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy pen. Grieve Thou not for that which bath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for Thou art in safety. Ere long will God raise up the treasures c/the earth � men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith God bath revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him."' In another passage He describes, briefly and graphically, the impact of the onrushing force of the Divine Summons upon His entire being � an experience vividly recalling the vision of God that caused Moses to fall in a swoon, and the voice of Gabriel which plunged Muhammad into such consternation that, hurrying to the shelter of His home, He bade His wife, Khadijih, envelop Him in His mantle.
"During the days hay in the prison of Tihrdn," are His own memorable words, "though the galling weight of the chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me but little sleep, still in those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if something flowed from the crown of My head over My breast, even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain.
Every limb of My body would, as a result, be set afire. At such moments My tongue recited what no man could bear to hear."
In His Sdratu'l-Haykal(the Sarili of the Temple) He thus describes those breathless moments when the Maiden, symbolizing the "Most Great Spirit" proclaimed His mission to the entire creation: "While engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet voice, calling above My bead. Turning My face, I beheld a Maiden � the embodiment of the remembrance of the name of My Lord � suspended in the air before Me.
So rejoiced was she in her very soul that her countenance shone with the ornament of the good-pleasure of God, and her cheeks glowed with the brightness of the All-Merciful. Betwixt earth and heaven she was raising a call which captivated the hearts and minds of men. She was imparting to both My inward and outer being tidings which rejoiced
Mysoul, and the souls of God's honoured servant. Pointing with her finger unto My head, she addressedall who are in heaven and all who are on earth, saying: 'By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend not. This is the Beauty of God amongst you, and the power of His sovereignty within you.
could ye but understand.This is the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of God and His glory unto all who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if ye be of them that perceive."'
In His Epistle to Nd~'iri'd-DinSh~~Iz His royal adversary, revealed at the height of the proclamation of His Message, occur these passages which shed further light on the Divine origin of
His mission: "0 King!I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when Ic, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And he bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, andfor this there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow... This is but a leaf which the winds of the will of Thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised, have stirred. His all-compelling summons bath reached Me, and caused Me to speak His praise amidst all people.
I was indeed as one dead wizen His behest was uttered.
The hand of the will of Thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Merclfu4 transformed
Me." "By My Life!" Heasserts in another Tablet, "Not of Mine own volition have I revealed Myself, but GocA of His own choosing, bath manifested Me." And again: "Whenever I chose to hold My peace and be still, lo, the Voice of the Holy Spirit, standing on My right hand, aroused Me, and the Most Great Spirit appeared before My/ace, and Gabriel overshadowed Me, and the Spirit of Glory stirred within My bosom, bidding Me arise and break My silence."
Such were the circumstances in which the Sun of Truth arose in the city of Tihr~n � a city which, by reason of so rare a privilege conferred upon it, had been glorified by the B~b as the "Holy Land," and surnamed by
Bahá'u'lláh"the Mother of the world," the "Dayspring of Light," the "Dawning-Place of the signs of the Lord," the "Source of the joy of all mankind." The first dawnings of that Light of peerless splendour had, as already described, broken in the city of Shir~iz.
The rim of that Orb had now appeared above the horizon of the SiyTh-Ch~iI of TibrAn. Its rays were to burst forth, a decade later, in Baghdad, piercing the clouds which immediately after its rise in those sombre surroundings obscured its splendour. It was destined to mount to its zenith in the faraway city of Adrianople, and ultimately to set in the immediate vicinity of the fortress-town of 'Akka.
The process whereby the effulgence of so dazzling a Revelation was unfolded to the eyes of men was of necessity slow and gradual. The first intimation which its Bearer received did not synchronize with, nor was it followed immediately by, a disclosure of its character to either His own companions or His kindred. A period of no less than ten years had to elapse ere its far-reaching implications could be directly divulged to even those who had been intimately associated with Him � a period of great spiritual ferment, during which the Recipient of so weighty a Message restlessly anticipated the hour at which He could unburden His heavily laden soul, so replete with the potent energies released by God's nascent Revelation.
All He did, in the course of this preordained interval, was to hint, in veiled and allegorical language, in epistles, commentaries, prayers and treatises, which He was moved to reveal, that the Báb's promise had already been fulfilled, and that He Himself was the One Who had been chosen to redeem it. A few of His fellow-disciples, distinguished by their sagacity, and their personal attachment and devotion to Him, perceived the radiance of the as yet unrevealed glory that had flooded His soul, and would have, but for His restraining influence, divulged His secret and proclaimed it far and wide.
Page 39(Part I of The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, published in The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 97 � 119) To the beloved of God and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout the West.
Fellow-labourers in theOn the 23rd of May of this auspicious year1 the Bahá'í world will celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the
Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.We, who at this hour find ourselves standing on the threshold of the last decade of the first century of the Bahá'í era, might well pause to reflect upon the mysterious dispensations of so august, so momentous a Revelation. How vast, how entrancing the panorama which the revolution of four score years and ten unrolls before our eyes! Its towering grandeur well-nigh overwhelms us. To merely contemplate this unique spectacle, to visualize, however dimly, the circumstances attanding the birth and gradual unfoldment of this supreme Theophany, to recall even in their barest outline the woeful struggles that proclaimed its rise and accelerated its march, will suffice to convince every unbiased observer of those eternal truths that motivate its life and which must continue to impel it forward until it achieves its destined ascendancy.
Dominating the entire range of this fascinating spectacle towers the incomparable figure of Bahá'u'lláh, transcendental in His majesty, serene, awe-inspiring, unapproachably glorious. Allied, though subordinate in rank, and invested with the authority of presiding with Him over the destinies of this supreme Dispensation, there shines upon this mental picture the youthful glory of the BTh, infinite in His tenderness, irresistible in His charm, unsurpassed in His heroism, matchless in the dramatic circumstances of His short yet eventful life. And finally there emerges, though on a plane of its own and in a category entirely apart from the one occupied by the twin Figures that preceded Him, the vibrant, the magnetic personality of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, reflecting to a degree that no man, however exalted his station, can hope to rival, the glory and power with which 1934.
They who are the Manifestations of God are alone endowed.
With 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í ascension, and more particularly with the passing of His well-beloved and illustrious sister the Most Exalted Leaf � the last survivor of a glorious and heroic age � there draws to a close the first and most moving chapter of Bahá'í history, marking the conclusion of the
Primitive, the ApostolicIt was 'Abdu'l-Bahá Who, through the provisions of His weighty Will and Testament, had forged the vital link which must for ever connect the age that has just expired with the one we now live in � the Transitional and Formative period of the Faith � a stage that must in the fullness of time reach its blossom and yield its fruit in the exploits and triumphs that are to herald the Golden Age of the Revelation of
Bahá'u'lláh.The onrushing forces so miraculously released through the agency of two independent and swiftly successive Manifestations are now under our very eyes and through the care of the chosen stewards of a far-flung Faith being gradually mustered and disciplined. They are slowly crystallizing into institutions that will come to be regarded as the hallmark and glory of the age we are called upon to establish and by our deeds immortalize.
For upon our presentday efforts, and above all upon the extent to which we strive to remodel our lives after the pattern of sublime heroism associated with those gone before us, must depend the efficacy of the instruments we now fashion � instruments that must erect the structure of that blissful Commonwealth which must signalize the Golden Age of our
Faith.It is not my purpose, as I look back upon these crowded years of heroic deeds, to attempt even a cursory review of the mighty events that have transpired since 1844 until the present day. Nor have I any intention to undertake an analysis of the forces that have precipitated them, or to evaluate their influence upon peoples and institutions in almost every conti E
Page 40The room occupied by Bahá'u'lláh in the Mansion of Baha'i.
A view of the Garden of Ridvan, a favourite retreat of Bahá'u'lláh, situated on a small island in the river Na'mayn to the east of 'Akka.
Page 41nent of the globe. The authentic record of the lives of the first believers of the primitive period of our Faith, together with the assiduous research which competent Bahá'í historians will in the future undertake, will combine to transmit to posterity such masterly exposition of the history of that age as my own efforts can never hope to accomplish. My chief concern at this challenging period of Bahá'í history is rather to call the attention of those who are destined to be the champion-builders of the Administrative Order of Bahá'u'lláh to certain fundamental verities the eLucidation of which must tremendously assist them in the effective prosecution of their mighty enterprise.
The international status which the Religion of God has thus far achieved,moreover, imperatively demands that its root principles be now definitely clarified.
The unprecedented impetus which the illustrious deeds of the American believers have lent to the onward march of the Faith; the intense interest which the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of the West is fast awakening among divers races and nations; the rise and steady consolidation of Bahá'í institutions in no less than forty of the most advanced countries of the world; the dissemination of Baha literature in no fewer than twenty-five of the most widely-spoken languages; the success that has recently attended the nationwide efforts of the Persian believers in the preliminary steps they have taken for the establishment, in the outskirts of the capital-city of their native land, of the third Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of the Bahá'í world; the measures that are being taken for the immediate formation of their first National Spiritual Assembly representing the interests of the overwhelming majority of Bahá'í adherents; the projected erection of yet another pillar of the Universal House of Justice, the first of its kind, in the Southern Hemisphere; the testimonies, both verbal and written, that a struggling Faith has obtained from Royalty, from governmental institutions, international tribunals, and ecclesiastical dignitaries; the publicity it has received from the charges which unrelenting enemies, both new and old, have hurled against it; the formal enfranchisement of a section of its followers from the fetters of Muslim orthodoxy in a country that may be regarded as the most enlightened among Islamic nations � these afford ample proof of the growing momentum with which the invincible community of the Most Great Name is marching forward to ultimate victory.
Dearly-beloved friends!I feel it incumbent upon me, by virtue of the obligations and responsibilities which as Guardian of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh I am called upon to discharge, to lay special stress, at a time when the light of publicity is being increasingly focussed upon us, upon certain truths which lie at the basis of our Faith and the integrity of which it is our first duty to safeguard.
These verities, if valiantly upheld and properly assimilated, will, I am convinced, powerfully reinforce the vigour of our spiritual life and greatly assist in counteracting the machinations of an implacable and vigilant enemy.
To strive to obtain a more adequate understanding of the significance of Bahá'u'lláh's stupendous Revelation must, it is my unalterable conviction, remain the first obligation and the object of the constant endeavour of each one of its loyal adherents. An exact and thorough comprehension of so vast a system, so sublime a revelation, so sacred a trust, is for obvious reasons beyond the reach and ken of our finite minds. We can, however, and it is our bounden duty to seek to derive fresh inspiration and added sustenance as we labour for the propagation of His Faith through a clearer apprehension of the truths it enshrines and the principles on which it is based.
In a communication addressed to the American believers I have in the course of my explanation of the station of the 18Th made a passing reference to the incomparable greatness of the Revelation of which
He considered HimselfHe Whom Bahá'u'lláh has acclaimed in the Kitáb-i-fqdn as that promised Q~'im Who has manifested no less than twenty-five out of the twenty-seven letters which all the Prophets were destined to reveal � so great a Revealer has Himself testified to the preeminence of that superior Revelation that was soon to supersede His own. "The germ," the Báb asserts in the Persian Baydn, "that holds within itself the potentialities of the Revelation that is to come is endowed with apotency superior to the combined forces of all those who follow me."
"Of all the tributes," lie again affirms, "I have paid to Him Who is to come after Me, the greatest is this, My written confession, that no words of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor
Page 42can any reference to Him in My Book, the Baydn, do justice to His Cause."
"The Bayt~n," He in that same Book categorically declares, "and whosoever is therein revolve round the saying of 'Him Whom God shall make manifest,' even as the A hf (the Gospel) and whosoever was therein revolved round the saying of Mukammad, the Apostle of God." "A thousand perusals of the Baydn," He further remarks, "cannot equal the perusal of a single verse to be revealed by 'Him Whom God shall make manifrst.'... Today the Baydn is in the stage of seed, at the beginning of the manifestation of'Hiin Whom God shall make manifest' its ultimate perfection will become apparent.
The Baydn and such as are believers therein yearn more ardently after Him than the yearning of any lover after his beloved. The Bay~~n deriveth all its glory from 'Him Whom God shall make mamfest.'
All blessing be upon him who believeth in Him and woe betide him that reject eth His truth."
Addressing Siyyid Yaby~y-i-D~rThisurnamed Valiid, the most learned, the most eloquent and influential among His followers, the Báb utters this warning: "By the righteousness of Him Whose power causeth the seed to germinate and Who breatheth the spirit of life into all things, were Ito be assured that in the day of His manifestation thou wilt deny Him, I would unhesitatingly disown thee and repudiate thy faith. If, on the other hand, I be told that a Christian, who beareth no allegiance to My Faith, will believe in Him, the same will I regard as the apple of Mine Eye."
In one of His prayers He thus communes withHow puny and contemptible my word and all that pertaineth unto me appear unless they be related to Thy great glory. Grant that through the assistance of Thy grace whatsoever pertaineth unto me may be acceptable in Thy sight."
In the Qayyi~mu'l-Asmd'-� the BTh's commentary on the Si~rih of Joseph � characterized by the Author of the Iqan as "the first, the greatest and mightiest" of the books revealed by the Báb, we read the following references to Bahá'u'lláh: "Out of utter nothingness, 0 great on2nlpotent Master, Thou hast, through the celestial potency of Thy might, brought mefortli and raised me up to proclaim this Revelation. I have made none other but Thee my trust, I have clung to no will but Thy will...
0 Thou Remnantof God! I have sacrificed myse if wholly for Thee; 1 have accepted curses for Thy sake, and have yearned for naught but martyrdom in the path of Thy love.
Sufficient witness Untome is God, the Exalted, the Protector, the Ancient of Days." "And when the appointed hour hat/i struck," He again addresses Bahá'u'lláh in that same commentary, "do Thou, by the leave of God, the All~ Wise, reveal from the heights of the
Most Lofty and MysticMount a faint, an infinitesimal glimmer of Thy impenetrable Mystery, that they who have recognized the radiance of the Sinaic Splendour may faint away and die as they catch a lightening glimpse of the fierce and crimson Light that envelops Thy Revelation."
As a further testimony to the greatness of the Revelation identified with Bahá'u'lláh may be cited tile following extracts from a Tablet addressed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to an eminent Zoroastrian follower of the Faith: "Thou hadst written that in the sacred books of the followers of Zoroaster it is written that in the latter days, in three separate Dispensations, the sun must needs be brought to a standstill.
In the first Dispensation, it is predicted, the sun will remain motionless for ten days, in the second for twice that time; in the third for no less than one whole month.
The interpretation of this prophecy is this: the first Dispensation to which it refers is the
Mukammadan Dispensationduring which the Sun of Truth stood stilifor ten days. Each day is reckoned as one century.
The Mu~ammadan Dispensationmust have, therefore, lasted no less than one thousand years, which is precisely the period that has elapsed from the setting of the Star of the Imamate to the advent of the Dispensation proclaimed by the 13db.
The second Dispensationreferred to in this prophecy is the one inaugurated by the 13db Himself; which began in the year 1260 A.H. and was brought to a close in the year 1280 A.H. As to the third
Dispensation� the Revelation proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh � inasmuch as the Sun of Truth when attaining that station shinetli in the plenitude of its meridian splendour its duration hath been fixed for a period of one whole month, which i.s~ the maximum time taken by the sun to pass through a sign of the Zodiac. From this thou canst imagine the magnitude of the Bahá'í cycle � a cycle that must extend over a period of at least five hundred thousand years."
From the text of this explicit and authoritative interpretation of so ancient a prophecy it is
Page 43evident how necessary it is for every faithful follower of the Faith to accept the divine origin and uphold the independent status of the Mu1~ammadan Dispensation.
The validity of the Imamate is, moreover, implicitly recognized in these same passages � that divinely-appointed institution of whose most distiim guished member the 13Th Himself was a lineal descendant, and which continued for a period of no less than two hundred and sixty years to he the chosen recipient of the guidance of the Almighty and the repository of one of the two most precious legacies of IslAm.
This same prophecy, we must furthermore recognize, attests the independent character of the Báb Dispensation and corroborates indirectly the truth that in accordance with the principle of progressive revelation every Manifestation of God must needs vouchsafe to the peoples of His day a measure of divine guidance ampler than any which a preceding and less receptive age could have received or appreciated. For this reason, and not for any superior merit which the Bahá'í Faith may be said to inherently possess, does this prophecy bear witness to the unrivalled power and glory with which the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh has been invested � a Dispensation the potentialities of which we are but beginning to perceive and the full range of which we can never determine.
The Faith of Bahá'u'lláhshould indeed be regarded, if we wish to be faithful to the tremendous implications of its message, as the culmination of a cycle, the final stage in a series of successive, of preliminary and progressive revelations.
These, beginning with Adam and ending with the BTh, have paved the way and anticipated with an ever-increasing emphasis the advent of that Day of Days in which He Who is the Promise of All Ages should be made manifest.
To this truth the utterances of Bahá'u'lláh abundantly testify. A mere reference to the claims which, in vehement language and with compelling power, He Himself has repeatedly advanced cannot but fully demonstrate the character of the Revelation of which He was the chosen bearer. To the words that have streamed from His pen � the fountainhead of so impetuous a Revelation � we should, therefore, direct our attention if we wish to obtain a clearer understanding of its importance and meaning. Whether in His assertion of the unprecedented claim He has advanced, or in His allusions to the mysterious forces He has released, whether in such passages as extol the glories of His long-awaited Day, or magnify the station which they who have recognized its hidden virtues will attain, Bahá'u'lláh and, to an almost equal extent, the 11Th and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, have bequeathed to posterity mines of such inestimable wealth as none of us who belong to this generation can befittingly estimate.
Such testimonies bearing on this theme are impregnated with such power and reveal such beauty as oniy those who are versed in the languages in which they were originally revealed can claim to have sufficiently appreciated.
So numerous are these testimonies that a whole volume would be required to be written in order to compile the most outstanding among them.
All I can venture to attempt at present is to share with you oniy such passages as I have been able to glean from His voluminous writings.
"Itestify before Godj"proclaims Bahá'u'lláh, "to the greatness, the inconceivable greatness of this Revelation.
Again and again have We in most of Our Tablets borne witness to this truth, that mankind may be roused from its heedlessness." "In this most mighty Revelation," He unequivocally announces, "all the Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their final consummation." "That which hatli been made manifest in this preiminent, this most exalted Revelation, stands unparalleled in the annals of the past, nor will future ages witness its like." "He it is," referring to Himself He further proclaims, "Who in the Old Testament hath been named Jehovah, Who in the Gospel bath been designated as the Spirit of Truth, and in the Qur'an acclaimed as the Great Announcement." "But for Him no Divine Messenger would have been invested with the robe of prophethood, nor would any of the sacred scriptures have been revealed.
To this bear witness all created things." "The word which the one true God uttereth in this day, though that word be the most familiar and commonplace of terms, is invested with supreme, with unique distinction." "The generality of mankind is still immature.
Had it acquired sufficient capacity We would have bestowed upon it so great a measure of Our knowledge that all who dwell on earth and in heaven would have found themselves, by virtue of the grace stream
Page 44A view of the Mansion of Baha, before the developments and beautification of its surrOUfldi1~g'S were carried out.
A presentdaY view of Babli ~howiflg the Mansion (left) and the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh (centre).
Page 45ing from Our pen, completely independent of all knowledge save the knowledge of God, and would have been securely established upon the throne of abiding tranquillity." "The Pen of Holiness, I sokrnnly affirm before God, hath writ upon My snow-white brow and in characters of effulgent glory these glowing, these musk-scented and holy words: 'Belioldye that dwell on earth, and ye denizens of heaven, bear witness, He in truth is your Well-Beloved, lie it is Whose like the world of creation bath not seen, He Whose ravishing beauty bath delighted the eye of God, the Ordainer, the All-Powerful, the Incomparable!"' "Followers of the Gospel," Bahá'u'lláh addressing the whole of Christendom exclaims, "behold the gates of heaven are flung open. He that had ascended unto it i now come. Give ear to His voice calling aloud over land and sea, announcing to all mankind the advent of this Revelation � a Revelation through the agency of which the Tongue of Grandeur is now proclaiming: 'Lo, the sacredPledge hath been fulfihled,for He, the Promised One, is come)"' "The voice of the Son of Man is calling aloud from the sacred yak: 'Here am I, here am I, 0 God my God!'... whilst from the Burning Bush breaketh forth the cry: 'Lo, the Desire of the world is made manifest in His transcendent glory!'
Tue Father bath come. That which ye were promised in the Kingdom of God is fulfilled. This is the Word which the Son veiled when He said to those around Him that at that time they could not bear it... Verily the Spirit of Truth is come to guide you unto all truth. He is the One Who glorified the Son and exalted His Cause.. ." "The Comforter Whose advent all the scriptures have promised is now come that He may reveal unto you all knowledge and wisdom. Seek Him over the entire surface of the earth, haply ye may find Him."
"Call out to Zion, 0 Carmel," writes Bahá'u'lláh, "and announce the joyful tidings: 'He that was hidden from mortal eyes is come!
His all-conquering sovereignty is manifest; His all-encompassing splendour is revealed.
Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that hath descended from heaven � the celestial Kaaba round which have circled in adoration the favoured of God, the pure in heart and the company of the most exalted angels."' "I am the One," He in another connection affirms, "Whom the tongue of Isaiah hath extolled, the One with Whose name both the Torah and the Evangel were adorned."
"The glory of Sinai hath hastened to circle round the Dayspring of this Revelation, while from the heights of the Kingdom the voice of the Son of God is heard proclaiming: 'Bestir yourselves, ye proud ones of the earth, and hasten ye towards Him.' Carmel hath in this day hastened in longing adoration to attain His court, whilst from the heart of Zion there cometli the cry: 'The promise of all ages is now fulfilled.
That which had been announced in the Holy Writ of God, the Beloved, the Most High, is made manifest."' "Ijajdz is astir by the breeze announcing the tidings of joyous reunion.
'Praise be to Thee,' We hear her exclaim, '0 my Lord, the Most High.
I was dead through my separation from Thee; the breeze laden with the fragrance of Thy presence hath brought me back to life. Happy is he that turneth unto Thee, and woe betide the erring."' "By the one true God, Elijah bath hastened unto My court and liath circumambidated in the day time and in the night season My throne of glory." "Solomon in all his majesty circles in adoration around Me in this day, uttering this most exalted word: 'I have turned my face toward.~ Thy face, o Thou omnipotent Rukr of the world! I am wholly detached from all things pertaining unto me, and yearn for that which Thou dost possess."' "Had
Muhammad, the Apostleof God, attained this Day," Bahá'u'lláh writes in a Tablet revealed on the eve of His banishment to the penal colony of 'Akka, "He would have exclaimed: 'I have truly recognized Thee, 0 Thou the Desire of the Divine
Messengers!' Had Abrahamattained it, He too, faIling prostrate upon the ground, and in the utmost lowliness before the Lord thy God, would have cried: 'Mine heart is filled with peace, 0 Thou Lord of all that is in heaven and on earth! I testify that Thou hast unveiled before mine eyes all the glory of Thy power and the full majesty of Thy law!'... Had Moses Himself attained it, He, likewise, would have raised Hi~v voice saying: 'All praise be to Thee for having lifted upon me the light of Thy countenance and enrolled me among them that have been privileged to behold Thy face!"' "North and South both vibrate to the call an-flouncing the advent of our Revelation.
We can hear the voice of Mecca acclaiming: 'All praise be to Thee, 0 Lord my God, the AII-Glorious,for having wafted over me the breath redolent with the fragrance of Thy presence!'Jerusalem, likewise, is calling aloud: 'Lauded and magnified art
Page 46Thou, 0 Belo ved of earth and heaven,for having turned the agony of my separation from Thee into the joy of a life-giving reunion!"' "By the righteousness of God~" Bahá'u'lláh wishing to reveal the full potency of His invincible power asserts, "should a man, all alone, arise in the name of Baha and put on the armour of His love, him will the Almighty cause to be victorious, though the forces of earth and heaven be arrayed against him." "By God besides Whom is none other God! Should any one arise for the triumph of Our Cause, him will God render victorious though tens of thousands of enemies be leagued against him. And if his love for Me wax stronger, God will establish his ascendancy over all the powers of earth and heaven.
Thus have We breathed the spirit of power into all regions."
"This is the King of Days," He thus extols the age that has witnessed the advent of His Revelation, "the Day that hath seen the coming of the Best-beloved~ Him Who through all eter-nUy bath been acclaimed the Desire of the World."
"The world of being shineth in this Day with the resplendency of this Divine Revelation. A 11 created things extol its saving grace and sing its praises. The universe is wrapt in an ecstasy of joy and gladness. The Scriptures of past Dispensations celebrate the great]ubilee that must needs greet this most great Day of God. Well is it with him that bath lived to see this Day and hath recognized its station." "Were mankind to give heed in a befitting manner to no more than one word of such a praise it would be so filled with delight as to be overpowered and lost in wonder. Entranced, it would then shine forth resplendent above the horizon of true understanding."
"Be fair, ye peoples of the world;" He thus appeals to mankind, "is it meet and seemly for you to question the authority of one Whose presence 'He Who conversed with God'(Moses) hath longed to attain, the beauty of Whose countenance
'God's Well-beloved'(Muliammad) had yearned to behold, through the potency of Whose love the 'Spirit of God' (Jesus) ascended to heaven, for Whose sake the 'Primal Point' (the BTh) offered up His life?" "Seize your chance," He admonishes His followers, "inasmuch as a fleeting moment in this Day excelleth centuries of a bygone age. Neither sun nor moon hadi witnessed a day such as ....... It is evident that every age in which a Manifestation of God bath lived is divinely ordained and may, in a sense, be characterizedas God'sappointedDay.
This Day, however, is unique and is to be distinguishedfrom those that have preceded it. The designation 'Seal of the Prophets' fully reveals and demonstrates its high station."
Expatiating on the forces latent in His Revelation Bahá'u'lláh reveals the following: "Through the movement of Our Pen of glory We have, at the bidding of the omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human frame and instilled into every word a fresh potency. All created things proclaim the evidences of this worldwide regeneration."
"This is," He adds, "the most great, the most joyfultidings imparted by the Pen of this Wronged One to mankind." "How great," lie in another passage exclaims, "is the Cause! How staggering the weight of its message!
This is the Day of which it hath been said: '0 my son! verily God will bring everything to light though it were but the weight of a grain of mustard seed~ and hidden in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth; for God is subtile, in-forn2ed of all."' "By the righteousness of the one true God! If one speck of a jewel be lost and buried beneath a mountain of stones, and lie hidden beyond the seven seas, the Hand of Omnipotence will assuredly reveal it in this day, pure and cleansed from dross."
"lie that par-taketh of the waters of My Revelation ivill taste all the incorruptible delights ordained by God from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end." "Every single letter proceeding from Our mouth is endowed with such regenerative power as to enable it to bring into existence a new creation � a creation the magnitude of which is inscrutable to all save God. He verily hath knowledge of all things."
"It is in Our power, should We wish it, to enable a speck of floating dust to generate, in less than the twinkling of an eye, suns of infinite, of unimaginable splendour, to cause a dewdrop to develop into vast and numberless oceans, to infuse into every letter such a force as to empower it to unfold all the knowledge ofpast and future ages."
"We are possessed of such power which, if brought to light, will transmute the most deadly of poisons into a panacea of unfailing efficacy."
Estimating the station of the true believer He remarks: "By the sorrows which afflict the beauty of the All-Glorious!
Such is the station ordained for the true believer that if to an extent smaller than a needle's eye the glory of that station were to be unveiled to mankind, every
Page 47beholder would be consumed away in his longing to attain it. For this reason it hath been decreed that in this earthly life the full measure of the glory of his own station should remain conceakd from tize eyes of such a believer."
"If the veil be lifted," He similarly affirms, "and the full glory of the station of those who have turned wholly towards God, and in their love for Him renounced the world, be made manifest, the entire creation would be dumbfounded."
Stressing the superlative character of His Revelation as compared with the Dispensation preceding it, Bahá'u'lláh makes the following affirmation: "If all the peoples of the world be invested with the powers and attributes destined for the Letters of the Living, the Báb's chosen disciples, whose station is ten thousand times more glorious than any which the apostles of old have attained, and if they, one and all, should, swift as the twinkling of an eye, hesitate to recognize the light of My Revelation, their faith shall be of no avail and they shall be accounted among the infidels." "So tremendous is the outpouring of Divine grace in this Dispensation that if mortal hands could be swWt enough to record them, within the space of a single day and night there would stream verses of such number as to be equivaknt to the whole of the Persian Baydn."
"Give heed to my warning,ye people ofPersia,' He thus addresses His countrymen, "if I be slain at your hands, God will assuredly raise up one who will fill the seat made vacant through my death; for such is God's method carried into effect of old, and no change can ye find in God's mode of dealing." "Should they attempt to conceal His light on the continent, He will assuredly rear His head in the midmost heart of the ocean and, raising His voice, proclaim: 'I am the life-giver of the world!'.. And i/they cast Him into a darksome pit, they will find Him seated on earth',v loftiest heights calling aloud to all mankind: 'ho, the Desire c/the world is come in Hiv majesty, His sovereignty, His transcendent domi-nionj~ And if He be buried beneath the depths of the earth, His Spirit soaring to the apex of heaven shall peal the summons: 'Behold ye the coming of the Glory; witness ye the Kingdom of God, the most Holy, the Gracious, the All-Powerful!"' "Within the throat of this Youth," is yet another astounding statement, "there lie prisoned accents which, if revealed to mankind to an extent .rnwller than a needle's eye, would suffice to cause every mountain to crumble, the leaves of the trees to be discoloured and their fruits to fall; would compel every head to bow down in worship and every face to turn in adoration towards this omnipotent Ruler Who, at sundry times and in diverse manners, appearetli as a devouring flame, as a billowing ocean, as a radiant light, as the tree which, rooted in the soil of holiness, lifteth its branches and .vpreadetli out its limbs as far as and beyond the throne of deathless glory."
Anticipating the Systemwhich the irresistible power of His Law was destined to unfold in a later age, He writes: "The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System � the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed."
"The Hand of Omnipotence hath established His Revelation upon an unassailable, an enduring foundation.
Storms of human strife are powerless to undermine its basis, nor will men's fanciful theories succeed in damaging its structure."
In the St~ratu'I-Haykal, one of the most challenging works of Bahá'u'lláh, the following verses, each of which testifies to the resistless power infused into the Revelation proclaimed by its Author, have been recorded: "Naught is seen in My temple but the Temple of God, and in My beauty but His Beauty, and in My being but His Being, and in My se If but His Self, and in My movement but His Movement, and in My acquiescence but His Acquiescence, and in My pen hut His Pen, the Mighty, the All-Praised. There bath not been in My soul but the Truth, and in Myself naught could be seen but
God." "The Holy SpiritItself hath been generated through the agency of a single letter revealed by this
Most Great Spirit, 'if"Within the treasury of Our Wisdom there lies unrevealed a knowledge, one word of which, if we chose to divulge it to mankind, would cause every human being to recognize the Manifestation of God and to acknowledge His omniscience, would enable every one to discover the secrets of all the sciences, and to attain so high a station as to find himself wholly independent of all past and future learning. Other knowledges We do as well possess, not a single letter of which We can disclose, nor do We find humanity able to hear even the barest reference
Page 48to their meaning. Thus have We informed you of the knowledge of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise." "The day is approaching when God will have, by an act of His Will, raised up a race of men the nature of which is inscrutable to all save God, the All-Powerful, the Self-Subsisting." "He will, ere long, out of the Bosom of Power draw forth the Hands of Ascendancy and Might � Hands who will arise to win victory for this Youth and who will purge mankind from the defilement of the outcast and the ungodly.
These Hands will gird up their loins to champion the Faith of God, and will, in My name the Self-subsistent, the Mighty, subdue the peoples and kindreds of the earth.
They will enter the cities and will inspire with fear the hearts of all their inhabitants.
Such are the evidences of the might of God; how fearful, how vehement is His might!"
Such is, dearly-beloved friends, Bahá'u'lláh's own written testimony to the nature of His Revelation.
To the affirmations of the BTh, each of which reinforces the strength, and confirms the truth, of these remarkable statements, I have already referred.
What remains for me to consider in this connection are such passages in the writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the appointed Interpreter of these same utterances, as throw further light upon and amplify various features of this enthralling theme. The tone of His language is indeed as emphatic and His tribute no less glowing than that of either iBah~'u'11Th or the Bib.
'Centuries, nay ages, must pass away," He affirms in one of His earliest Tablets, "ere the Daystar of Truth shineth again in its midsummer splendour, or appeareth once more in the radiance of its vernal glory... How thankful must we be for having been made in this Day the recipients of so overwhelming a favour! Would that we had ten thousand lives that we might lay them down in thanksgiving for so rare aprivilege, so high an attainment, so priceless a bounty!" "The mere contemplation," He adds, "of the Dispensation inaugurated by the Blessed Beauty would have sufficed to overwhelm the saints of bygone ages � saints who longed to partake for one moment of its great glory."
"The holy ones of past ages and centuries have, each and all, yearned with tearful eyes to live, though for one moment, in the Day of God. Their longings unsatisfied, they repaired to the Great Beyond. How great, therefore, is the bounty of the Abhd Beauty Who, notwithstanding our utter unworthiness, bath through His grace and mercy breat bed into us in this divinely-illumined century the spirit of life, hath gathered us beneath the standard of the Beloved of the world, and chosen to confer upon us a bounty/or which the mighty ones of bygone ages had craved in vain."
"The souls of the well-favoured among the concourse on high," He likewise affirms, "the sacred dwellers of the most exalted Paradise, are in this day filled with burning desire to return unto this world, that they may render such service as lieth in their power to the threshold of the Ablid Beauty."
"The effulgence of God's splendrous mercy," He, in a passage alluding to the growth and future development of the Faith, declares, "hath enveloped the peoples and kindreds of the earth, and the whole world is bathed in its shining glory..
The day will soon come when the light of Divine unity will have so permeated the East and the West that no man dare any longer ignore it." "Now in the world of being the Hand of divine power hath firmly laid the foundations of this all-highest bounty and this wondrous gift. Whatsoever is latent in the innermost of this holy cycle shall gradually appear and be made manifest, for now is but the beginning of its growth and the dayspring of the revelation of its signs. Ere the close of this century and of this age, it shall be made clear and evident how wondrous was that springtide and how heavenly was that gift!"
In confirmation of the exalted rank of the true believer, referred to by Bahá'u'lláh, He reveals the following: "The station which he who hath truly recognized this Revelation will attain is the same as the one ordained for such prophets of the house of Israel as are not regarded as Manifestations 'endowed with constancy"' In connection with the Manifestations destined to follow the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá makes this definite and weighty declaration: "Concerning the Manifestations that will come down in the future 'in the shadows of the clouds,' know verily that in so far as their relation to the source of their inspiration is concerned they are under the shadow of the Ancient Beauty.
In their relation, however, to the age in which they appear, each and every one of them 'doeth whatsoever He willeth."' "0 my friend!" He thus addresses in one of
Page 49A group of eastern pilgrims gathered at Baha, 1914.
Page 50His Tablets a man of recognized authority and standing, "The undying Fire which the Lord of the Kingdom bath kindled in the midst of the holy Tree is burning fiercely in the midmost heart of the world. The conflagration it will provoke will envelop the whole earth. Its blazing flames will illuminate its peoples and kindreds.
All the signs have been revealed; every prophetic allusion hat/i been manifested.
Whatever hath been enshrined in all the Scriptures of the past hath been made evident.
To doubt or hesitate is no more possible. Time is pressing. The Divine Charger is impatient, and can tarry no longer. Ours is the duty to rush forward and, ere it is too late, win the victory." And finally, is this most stirring passage which He, in one of His moments of exultation, was moved to address to one of His most trusted and eminent followers in the earliest days of His ministry: "What more shall Isay? What else can my pen recount? So loud is the call that reverbe rates from the Abhd Kingdom that mortal ears are well-nigh deafened with its vibrations.
The whole creation, met hinks, is being disrupted and is bursting asunder through the shattering influence of the Divine summons issued from the throne of glory. More than this I cannot write."
Dearly-beloved friends!Enough has been said, and the quoted excerpts from the Writings of the Bin, of Bahá'u'lláh and of 'Abdu'l-Bahá are sufficiently numerous and varied, to convince the conscientious reader of the sublimity of this unique cycle in the world's religious history.
It would be utterly impossible to over-exaggerate its significance or to overrate the influence it has exerted and which it must increasingly exert as its great system unfolds itself amidst the welter of a collapsing civilization.
To whoever may read these pages a word of warning seems, however, advisable before I proceed further with the development of my argument. Let no one meditating, in the light of the aforequoted passages, on the nature of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, mistake its character or misconstrue the intent of its Author.
The divinity attributed to so great a Being and the complete incarnation of the names and attributes of God in so exalted a Person should, under no circumstances, be misconceived or misinterpreted.
The human temple that has been made the vehicle of so overpowering a Revelation must, if we be faithful ful to the tenets of our Faith, ever remain entirely distinguished from that "innermost Spirit of Spirits" and "eternal Essence of Essences" � that invisible yet rational God Who, however much we extol the divinity of His Manifestations on earth, can in no wise incarnate His infinite, His unknowable, His incorruptible and all-embracing Reality in the concrete and limited frame of a mortal being. Indeed, the God Who could so incarnate His own reality would, in the light of the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, cease immediately to be God. So crude and fantastic a theory of Divine incarnation is as removed from, and incompatible with, the essentials of Bahá'í belief as are the no less inadmissible pantheistic and anthropomorphic conceptions of God � both of which the utterances of Bahá'u'lláh emphatically repudiate and the fallacy of which they expose.
lie Who in unnumbered passages claimed His utterance to be the "Voice of Divinity, the Call of God Himself" thus solemnly affirms in the Kitáb-i-Iqdn: "To every discerning and illumined heart it is evident that God, the unknowable Essence, the Divine Being, is immeasurably exalted beyond every human attn-bute such as corporeal existence, ascent and descent, egress and regress...
He is, and hath ever been, veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence, and will remain in His Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight of men... He standeth exalted beyond and above all separation and union, all proximity and remoteness.
'God was alone; there was none else beside Him' is a sure testimony of this truth."
"From time immemorial,"Bah~'u'116~h, speaking of God, explains, "He, the Divine Being, hath been veiled in the ineffable sanctity of His exalted Self, and will everlastingly continue to be wrapt in the impenetrable mystery of His unknowable Essence.
Ten thousand Prophets, each a Moses, are thunderstruck upon the Sinai of their search at God's forbidding voice, ~Thou shah never behold Me!', whilst a myriad Messengers, each as great as Jesus, stand dismayed upon their heavenly thrones by the interdiction 'Mine Essence thou shalt never apprehend!"' "How bewildering to me, insignificant as I am," Bahá'u'lláh in His communion with God affirms, "is the attempt to fathom the sacred depths of Thy knowledge! How futile my efforts to visualize the magnitude of the power inherent
Page 51in Thine handiwork � the revelation of Thy creative power!" "When I contemplate, 0 my God, the relationship that bindeth me to Thee," He, in yet another prayer revealed in His own handwriting, testifies, "I anz moved to proclaim to all created things 'verily lam God!'; and when I consider my own sell; lo, I find it coarser than clay!"
"The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days," Bahá'u'lláh further states in the Kitáb-i-Iqdn, "being thus closed in the face of all beings, He, the Source of infinite grace..
hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of/lie realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable Essence.
All the Prophets of God,holy and chosen Messengers are, without exception, the bearers of His names and the embodiments of
His attributes. These Tabernaclesof Holiness, these primal Mirrors which reflect the Light of unfading glory, are but expressions of Him Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles."
That Bahá'u'lláh should, notwithstanding the overwhelming intensity of His Revelation, be regarded as essentially one of these Manifestations of God, never to be identified with that invisible Reality, the Essence of Divinity itself, is one of the major beliefs of our Faith � a belief which should never be obscured and the integrity of which no one of its followers should allow to be compromised.
Nor does the Bahá'í Revelation, claiming as it does to be the culmination of a prophetic cycle and the fulfilment of the promise of all ages, attempt, under any circumstances, to invalidate those first and everlasting principles that animate and underlie the religions that have preceded it. The God-given authority, vested in each one of them, it admits and establishes as its firmest and ultimate basis. It regards them in no other light except as different stages in the eternal history and constant evolution of one religion, Divine and indivisible of which it itself forms but an integral part. It neither seeks to obscure their Divine origin, nor to dwarf the admitted magnitude of their colossal achievements.
It can countenance no attempt that seeks to distort their features or to stultify the truths which they instill. Its teachings ings do not deviate a hairbreadth from the verities they enshrine, nor does the weight of its message detract one jot or one tittle from the influence they exert or the loyalty they inspire. Far from aiming at the overthrow of the spiritual foundation of the world's religious systems, its avowed, its unalterable purpose is to widen their basis, to restate their fundamentals, to reconcile their aims, to reinvigorate their life, to demonstrate their oneness, to restore the pristine purity of their teachings, to coordinate their functions and to assist in the realization of their highest aspirations.
These divinely-revealed religions, as a close observer has graphically expressed it, "are doomed not to die, but to be reborn... 'Does not the child succumb in the youth and the youth in the man; yet neither child nor youth perishes?"' "They Who are the Luminaries of Truth and the Mirrors reflecting the light of Divine Unity," Bahá'u'lláh explains in the Kitáb-i-Iqdn, "in whatever age and cycle they are sent down from their invisible habitations of ancient glory unto this world to educate the souls of men and endue with grace all created things, are invariably endowed with an all-compelling power and invested with invincible sovereignty.
These sanctified Mirrors, these Daysprings of ancient glory are one and all the exponents on earth of Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its essence and ultimate purpose.
From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His deathless glory.
Through them is transmitted a grace that is infinite, and by them is revealed the light that can neverfade...
Human tongue can never befittingly sing their praise, and human speech can never unfold their mystery." "Inasmuch as these Birds of the celestial Throne," He adds, "are all sent down from the heaven of the Will of God, and as they all arise to proclaim His irresistible Faith, they therefore are regarded as one soul and the same person. They all abide in the same tabernacle, soar in the same heaven, are seated upon the same throne, utter the same speech, and proclaim the same Faith.. They only differ in the intensity of their revelation and the conwara-tive potency of their light. That a certain attribute of God hath not been outwardly manifested by these Essences of Detachment doth in no wise imply that they Who are the Daysprings
Page 52of God's attributes and the Treasuries of His holy names did not actually possess it." It should also be borne in mind that, great as is the power manifested by this Revelation and however vast the range of the
Dispensation its Authorhas inaugurated, it emphatically repudiates the claim to be regarded as the final revelation of God's will and purpose for mankind. To hold such a conception of its character and functions would be tantamount to a betrayal of its cause and a denial of its truth.
It must necessarily conflict with the fundamental principle which constitutes the bedrock of Bahá'í belief, the principle that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is orderly, continuous and progressive and not spasmodic or final.
Indeed, the categorical rejection by the followers of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh of the claim to finality which any religious system inaugurated by the Prophets of the past may advance is as clear and emphatic as their own refusal to claim that same finality for the Revelation with which they stand identified.
"To believe that all revelation is ended, that the portals of Divine mercy are closed, that from the daysprings of eternal holiness no sun shall rise again, that the ocean of everlasting bounty is forever stilled, and that out of the tabernacle of ancient glory the Messengers of God have ceased to be made manifest" must constitute in the eyes of every follower of the Faith a grave, an inexcusable departure from one of its most cherished and fundamental principles.
A reference to some of the already quoted utterances of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. will surely suffice to establish, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the truth of this cardinal principle. Might not the following passage of The Hidden Words be, likewise, construed as an allegorical allusion to the progressiveness of Divine Revelation and an admission by its Author that the Message with which He has been entrusted is not the final and ultimate expression of the will and guidance of the Almighty? "0 Son ofJustice!In the night season the beauty of the immortal Being hath repaired from the emerald height of fidelity unto the Sadratu'l-Muntahd, and wept with such a weeping that the concourse on high and the dwellers of the realms above wailed at His lamenting. Whereupon there was asked, Why the wailing and weeping?
He made reply: As bidden I waited expectant upon the hill of faithfulness, yet inhaled not from them that dwell on earth the fragrance offidelity. Then summoned to return I beheld, and lolcertain doves of holiness were sore tried within the claws of the dogs of earth. Thereupon the Maid of heaven hastened forth unveiled and resplendent from Her mystic mansion, and asked of their names, and all were told but one.
And when urged, the first letter thereof was uttered, whereupon the dwellers of the celestial chambers rushed forth out of their habitation of glory. And whilst the second letter was pronounced they fell down, one and all, upon the dust. At that moment a voice was heard from the inmost shrine: 'Thus far and no farther.'
Verily We bear witness to that which they have done and now are doing."
In a more explicit language Bahá'u'lláh testifies to this truth in one of His Tablets revealed in Adrianople: "Know verily that the veil hiding Our countenance bath not been completely lifted.
We have revealed Our Self to a degree corresponding to the capacity of the people of Our age. Should the Ancient Beauty be unveiled in the fullness of His glory mortal eyes would be blinded by the dazzling intensity of His revelation."
In the Si~riy-i-5abr, revealed as far back as the year 1863, on the very first day of His arrival in the garden of Ri~Iv~n, He thus affirms: "God hath sent down His Messengers to succeed to Moses and Jesus, and He will continue to do so till 'the end that hath no end'; so that His grace may, from the heaven of Divine bounty, be continually vouchsafed to mankind."
"I am not apprehensive for My own self," Bahá'u'lláh still more explicitly declares, "My fears are for Him Who will be sent down unto you after Me � Him Who will be invested with great sovereignty and mighty dominion."
And again He writes in the S4ratu'l-Haykal: "By those words which I have revealed, Myself is not intended, but rather He Who will come after Me. To it is witness God, the All-Knowing." "Deal not with Him," He adds, "as ye have dealt with Me."
In a more circumstantial passage the BTh upholds the same truth in His writings. "It is clear and evident," He writes in the Persian Baydn, "that the object of all preceding Dispensations hath been to pave the way for the advent of
Muhammad, the Apostleof God. These, including the Mui~iarn,nadan Dispensa
Page 53tion, have had, in their turn, as their objective the Revelation proclaimed by the Qd'im. The purpose underlying this Revelation, as well as those that preceded it, has, in like manner, been to announce the advent of the Faith of Him Whom God will make manifest.
And this Faith � the Faith of Him Whom God will make manifest � in its turn, together with all the Revelations gone before it, have as their object the Manifestation destined to succeed it. And the latter, no less than all the Revelations preceding it, prepare the way for the Revelation which is yet to follow. The process of the rise and setting of the Sun of Truth will thus indefinitely continue � a process that hath had no beginning and will have no end."
"Know of a certainty," Bahá'u'lláh explains in this connection, "that in every Dispensation the light of Divine Revelation has been vouchsafed to men in direct proportion to their spiritual capacity.
Consider the sun. How feeble its rays the moment it appeareth above the horizon. How gradually its warmth and potency increase as it approacheth its zenith, enabling meanwhile all created things to adapt themselves to the growing intensity of its light. How steadily it declines until it reacheth its setting point. Were it all of a sudden to manifest the energies latent within it, it would no doubt cause injury to all created things. ...
In like manner, i/the Sun of Truth were suddenly to reveal, at the earliest stages of its manifestation, the full measure of the potencies which the providence of the Almighty hath bestowed upon it, the earth of human understanding would waste away and be consumed; for men's hearts would neither sustain the intensity of its revelation, nor be able to mirror forth the radiance of its light.
Dismayed and overpowered, they would cease to exist."
In the light of these clear and conclusive statements it is our clear duty to make it indubitably evident to every seeker after truth that from "the beginning that hath no begin-fling" the Prophets of the one, the unknowable God, including Bahá'u'lláh Himself, have all, as the channels of God's grace, as the exponents of His unity, as the mirrors of His light and the revealers of His purpose, been commissioned to unfold to mankind an ever-increasing measure of His truth, of His inscrutable will and Divine guidance, and will continue to "the end that hath no end" to vouchsafe still fuller and mightier revelations of His limitless power and glory.
We might well ponder in our hearts the following passages from a prayer revealed by Bahá'u'lláh which strikingly affirm, and are a further evidence of, the reality of the great and essential truth lying at the very core of His Message to mankind: "Praise be to Thee, 0 Lord my God, for the wondrous revelations of Thine inscrutable decree and the manifold woes and trials Thou hast destined for myself.
At one time Thou didst deliver me into the hands of Nimrod; at another Thou heist allowed Pharaoh's rod to persecute me. Thou alone canst estimate, through Thine all-encompassing knowledge and the operation of Thy Will, the incalculable afflictions I have suffered at their hands. Again Thou didst cast me into the prison-cell of the ungodly for no reason except that I was moved to whisper into the ears of the well-favoured denizens of Thy kingdom an intimation of the vision with which Thou hadst, through Thy knowledge, inspired me and revealed to me its meaning through the potency of Thy might.
And again Thou didst decree that I be beheaded by the sword of the infidel.
Again I was crucified for having unveiled to men's eyes the hidden gems of Thy glorious unity, for having reveakd to them the wondrous signs of Thy sovereign and everlasting power. How bitter the humiliations heaped upon me, in a subsequent age, on the plain of Karbild!
How lonely did I feel amidst Thy people; to what state of helplessness I was reduced in that land! Unsatisfied with such indignities, my persecutors decapitated me and carrying aloft my headfrom land to land paraded it before the gaze of the unbelieving multitude and deposited jt on the seats of the perverse and faithless.
In a later age I was suspended and my breast was made a target to the darts of the malicious cruelty of my foes. My limbs were riddled with bullets and my body was torn asunder. Finally, behold how in this day my treacherous enemies have leagued themselves against me, and are continually plotting to instil the venom of hate and malice into the souls of Thy servants. With all their might they are scheming to accomplish their purpose.
Grievous as is my plight, 0 God, my Well-beloved, I render thanks unto Thee, and my spirit is gratefulfor whatsoever liath befallen me in the path of Thy good-pleasure.
lam welipleased with that which Thou didst ordain for me, and welcome, however calamitous, the pains and sorrows I am made to suffer."
Page 54Partial panorama of Mt. cannel showing the Shrine of the Báb (left) and the International Archives Building (right).
Page 55Report on the Bahá'í World Congress held in 'London
APRIL 28-MAY 2, 1963"The vision now disclosed.., is indeed ent hralling. The tasks which, if that vision is to be fulfilled, must be valiantly shouldered.. are staggering. The time during which so herculean a task is to beperformedis alarmingly brief The period during which so gigantic an operation must be set in motion, prosecuted and consummated, ated, coincides with the critical, and perhaps the darkest and most tragic, stage in human affairs. The opportunities presenting themselves are now close at hand. The invisible battalions of the Concourse on High are mustered, in serried ranks, ready to rush their reinforcements to the aid of the vanguard of Bahá'u'lláh's ldh's crusaders in the hour of their greatest need, and in anticzpation of that Most Great, that Wondrous Jubilee in the joyfulness of which both heaven and earth will partake... SHOGHI EFFENDI, November 23, 1951
THE "Most Great Jubilee"held in London during the closing days of the RiQv~n period celebrated at one and the same time the "King of Festivals" commemorating "the formal assumption by Bahá'u'lláh of His Prophetic Office"1 one hundred years earlier, at the time of His Declaration in the Garden of RhJv~n in BaghdAd, and the victorious consummation of the "fate-laden, soul-stirring, decade-long, world-embracing Spiritual Crusade"2 which had been inaugurated by the Guardian and had established the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh on a worldwide basis, closing the first epoch in the unfoldment of the Divine Plan of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
This great centenary of the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh marked the second step of three in the unfoldment of His revelation, which, as Shoghi Effendi tells us,8 began with "the first intimation" its Bearer received while a prisoner in chains in the dungeon of the SiyTh-~~1 of Tih6n, an experience commemorated in the Holy Year which preceded the World Crusade. The third step in this process, proclamation, would have its centenary later, in 1967, celebrating the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh's addresses dresses proclaiming His mission to the rulers and ecciesiastics of the world.
The ten years between the centenary of the birth of Bahá'u'lláh's mission and that commemorating His declaration were filled with the Guardian's Spiritual Crusade of which he had written in the cablegram launching it :~ "Current Bahá'í history must henceforth, as second decade of second Bahá'í century opens, move rapidly and majestically as it has never moved before since the inception of the Faith over a century ago."
The upsurge of activity envisioned in these words of the Guardian was reflected in the World Congress in London, for surely never before had the Faith moved forward so rapidly or so majestically as it had in the ten years of jhis global Crusade.
The Jubilee offered the channel for an outpouring of gratitude to Bahá'u'lláh for His assistance in its triumphant conclusion.
It was fitting that London was the place chosen for this joyous Jubilee, after it became evident that it was impossible to hold it in BaghdAd.
It was London that had welcomed 'Abdu'l-Bahá a little over half a century ago, 57
Page 58Believers from all corners of the globe gathering at the Royal Albert Hall on the opening day of the World Congress.
and it was in London that, midway during the Crusade, Shoghi Effendi, beloved Guardian of the Cause of God, had passed away and been laid to rest there, a brief five and a half years before. This was the Guardian's Crusade that was being gloriously concluded in loving tribute to him: he had set its time, he had given its objectives, he had encouraged and honoured its pioneers who went to the ends of the world in obedience to his call and to the exhortations of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, to teach and bring God's healing Message to the hearts of all mankind.
The purpose of the Crusade, the Guardian had explained, was to establish, "on a worldwide scale, an unassailable administrative foundation for Bahá'u'lláh's
Christ-promisedpromised Kingdom on earth, swelling thereby the chorus of universal jubilation wherein earth and heaven will join, as prophesied by Daniel, echoed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá 'on that day will the faithful rejoice with exceeding gladness.'
"~ Now, the "faithful" were indeed rejoicing, in London and throughout the world.
Shoghi Effendi had hinted, at the end of a general letter written in 1931, that the hundredth anniversary of the declaration of Bahá'u'lláh might "mark the inauguration" of the era of "realiza-tion of that Wondrous Vision which constitutes the brightest emanation of His Mind and the fairest fruit of the fairest civilization the world has yet seen."~ Indeed, those present at this
Page 59A tnueS Photo) A group departing for London from Idlewild International Airport, New York.
first Bahá'í World Congress felt keenly aware that they were witnessing yet arrnther step in the unfoldment of Bahá'u'lláh's World Order, the crowning unit of which is the
Universal House of Justice.The nine members of that newly-elected body were in our midst, honoured participants at this World Congress, with twelve Hands of the Cause of God, who brought to the Congress the nearness of the Guardian's spirit and his presence. In all, more than six thousand Bahá'ís from all corners and continents of the world converged on the Royal Albert Hall during those joyful days. The gathering of the Bahá'ís in such numbers appeared to release a spiritual force that flowed far beyond the confines of the Hall, beyond the confines of London itself. A generation as yet unborn would ask their parents, "Were you there ?" And the answer might be, as one present did answer, "Yes, I was there, but I did not know it." How could one, at this moment in time, realize the significance of this
Most Great Jubilee?The happy, jubilant Baha, many in native costumes, thronged across Knightsbridge, halting the traffic on this busy thoroughfare, crowding up the steps of the huge hail, eager to witness the opening of this first
Bahá'í World Congress.The familiar surroundings of London seemed to be of secondary importance as though, in this moment of history, they fulfilled their purpose in serving as a backdrop for the holding of the Most Great Jubilee of the declaration of Bahá'u'lláh. Nothing in London, nothing in the world, would be the same again. A new era was inaugurated; here was tangible, visible evidence of it! The joy and excitement of the occasion were reflected in the faces of the Baha rushing forward to join their fellow-believers of every race, tongue, colour and nationality.
The seasoned veterans of the Guardian's World Crusade and the newly-enrolled from remote lands who were part of the harvest of that globe-girdling enterprise triumphantly gathered to celebrate the victories of the Ten Year Plan and give thanks
Page 60to Bahá'u'lláh for His merciful assistance. Inside the great hail the deep, warm voice of Enoch Olinga, beloved early African believer and pioneer who had been elevated to the rank of Hand of the Cause by Shoghi Effendi, was drawing the attention of the friends. The Bahá'ís were seated, tier on tier, to the roof, in a wide circle. The speakers' platform was accented with colourful floral arrangements and Persian rugs. Simultaneous translation was provided in Persian,
German, French and Spanishby shifts of translators housed in booths in the top balcony, though specially equipped earphones available to all who desired this service.
FIRST DAYThe opening session had for its theme "The Day of Victory". After prayers in Persian and English and the reading of excerpts from the Tablet of Ridvan in English, the chairman read the historic cablegram of April 22, 19 63* from the Hands of the Cause to the entire Bahá'í world announcing the results of the election of the members of the Universal House of Justice at the first Bahá'í World Convention, One's mind could not grasp the significance of this announcement, but the spirit could, and did, rejoice. This was the Universal House of Justice called into being by Bahá'u'lláh and * For text of cablegram, see p. 425 of this volume.
BAnAl WORLD CONGRESSPresentation of the members of the Universal House of Justice and the reading of its first message to the Bahá'í world * Address given by Ian Semple in place of Leroy Toas who was prevented by illness from addressing the Congress.
Page 61described by Shoghi Effendi as the "last refuge of a tottering civi1ization",~ the "supreme organ of the Bahá'í Commonwealth" of the futureA These were its first members, here with us! They would be officially presented at a later point in the Congress programme.
Before introducing the first speaker for the opening session, the chairman, Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga, "with a heart full of joy and gladness", greeted and welcomed the assembled friends and paid tribute to Bahá'u'lláh and the Rib for the glories of this day. In concluding his remarks he said: "May the blessings of Bahá'u'lláh be with us all and enable us to fully appreciate the greatness ness of His Station and of this Day, so that we may, when we return to our respective homes and countries, make use of the dynamic forces which have been released during this time, forces which will enable the Faith of God to traverse the plains of obscurity, of repression, of emancipation and recognition as a State religion, a stage which, in the words of our beloved Guardian, 'will signalize the long-awaited advent of the Christ-promised Kingdom of God on earth � the Kingdom of Bahá'u'lláh...', which in its turn is to signalize 'the birth of a world civilization..
the fairest fruit of the Golden Age of the Dispensation of Bah& 8p.m.
PUBLIC MEETINGPresentation of representatives of the new races and peoples enrolled under the Banner of
Bahá'u'lláhPresentation of representatives of the new races and peoples enrolled under the Banner of
Bahá'u'lláhView of the platform at the World Congress from one of the upper tiers of the
Royal Albert Hall.The first of three speakers at this session was the Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá
Ri~iyyih KhAnum. Afterreferring to the many titles by which Bahá'u'lláh had been designated, cited by Shoghi Effendi from the sacred Writings of many Faiths, she spoke of Bahá'u'lláh's blessings flowing into the world at this time, like waves one after another, from the Most Great Ocean.
She reviewed very briefly some highlights of what Shoghi Effendi did for us during the thirty-six years of his ministry: how he reminded us of the standards to be upheld by those who go forth to teach, and how in the last ten years we had seen the results of the response to his call. At the Baha World Centre he completed the Shrine of the BTh, raised the International Archives Building and laid out the gardens on Mt. Carmel and at Baha, where they beautify the area around the Tomb of Bahá'u'lláh. He appointed twenty-seven Hands of the Cause of God and strengthened this Institution by giving it Auxiliary Boards for teaching and protection of the Faith.
He appointed the International Bahá'í Council as forerunner of the Universal House of Justice and guided it to enhance the prestige of the
Faith in Israel. Abdu'l-BaháRfiljiyyib KhAnum then gave a statistical review of the great progress made in establishing the Faith and its institutions during the last ten years, the period of the World Crusade. She concluded with saying: "We cannot slacken the pace, particularly at this moment when we have elected the crowning institution of the Baha world. Underneath it there must be strong pillars, the National Spiritual Assemblies. Those pillars must rest on strong Local
Spiritual Assemblies.The Assemblies must be composed of enlightened, strong and enthusiastic believers.
We must create new Assemblies throughout the world. And all of this depends upon the spirit of the Baha'is, upon their eagerness and willingness to serve and, above all, upon their faith in Bahá'u'lláh.
He has promised that He will always help those who arise to serve Him, and I am sure that the believers in this room and their fellow-believers all over the world arc going to face the future now with a fresh determination to win even more marvellous victories than have been won in the past. This is the way we show our love for Bahá'u'lláh, our love for
Page 63Abdu'l-Bahá Ra~iyyiIz KL4nurn opened the World Congress on April28, 1963. To her right is the Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga, chairman of the opening session. Other Hands of the Cause and some members of the Universal House of Justice also appear in the photograph.
'Abdu'l-Bahá and our gratitude for the bounty of the Divine Plan; and this is how we demonstrate our love for our Guardian, who wore himself out and burned himself up in leading the way and showing us how we could go forward and what we must do.
I am sure that every Baha is going to do his utmost in the years to come.~~ The other two speakers at the opening session were the Hands of the Cause 'Ali-Alkbar Fur6tan and Ijasan Baha'i. Mr. Furi~tan cited some prophecies from the Holy Books of many Faiths pointing to this day, that have been fulfilled by the coming of Bahá'u'lláh.
Mr. Bahá'í outlined the pattern of crisis and victory in the history of the Bahá'í Faith that has propelled us towards this day of victory. We know that other crusades are to follow, he said, but "none can ever be more precious, more dear to the hearts of the Baha'is, than the one we have concluded, because it was the Crusade launched by our beloved Shoghi
Effendi."Brief but intensive consideration was given to the Mission of Bahá'u'lláh, to the Divine Plan of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and its unfoldment under the guidance of the Guardian in the successive plans initiated by him, and to the spiritual significance and administrative importance of the World Centre of the Faith with the newly-elected
Universal House of Justiceas its supreme unit. The programme then revolved around our sacred duty of teaching the Faith, in the opening of new territories and enrollment of the masses.
The chairman of a later session, Mr. 'Au Nakhjav&nf, summarized our course: "From praise, from thanksgiving, from glorification, from applause to the field of action." The final session was in tribute to our beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, and his thirty-six years of intensely active, wise and farseeing leadership of the Cause of God.
SECOND DAYThe morning session, with the Hand of the Cause Dhikru'llAh Kh&lem as chairman, had for its theme "The Mission of Bahá'u'lláh". There were three speakers: Auxiliary
Board member Marion Hofmanof England, Amoz Gibson, newly-elected member of the Universal House of Justice and the Hand of the Cause TarAzu'lhh Samandari. In the afternoon the
Page 64Ridvan Feast was held, celebrating the ninth day of RiQvAn.
After prayers in Turkish, Chinese, Swahili and Arabic, Mr. KMdem spoke a few words filled with the love of Bahá'u'lláh. Marion Hofman, whose address was on "The Promise of All Ages' cited passages from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh referring to this Day, when "He, the Ancient of everlasting days is come, girded with majesty and power."lo Amoz Gibson, in his address on "The Blessed Beauty", cited many evidences in the world today of the
Spirit of Bahá'u'lláhat work, though the people of the world are as yet unaware that His sufferings from the injustices and hardships inflicted on Him were those of "the Divine Educator which shortened the afflictions of human beings on this planet" and gave them the strength to build His new creation. "Evidences of the emerging new world are all around us," Mr. Gibson said.
The Hand of the Cause TarAzu'llAhSaman-dad was introduced by Mr. KMdem as the one whom Bahá'u'lláh "held in store for this Most Great Jubilee as a gift to us, the precious soul who belongs to the oldest family which starts from the time of Shayijft A1jmad~i~A~s~j,"* and as "one of the few souls who met Bahá'í u -11Th."
Mr. KMdem said: "I don't know how to call him. The Blessed Beauty called him TarAz Effendi. The Centre of the Covenant called him Mirza Tardz.
Our beloved Guardian called him JinAb-i-Samandari.
He dedicated all his life to the service of his Beloved."
Jin&b-i-Samandari's resonant voice, welling up from his frail body, gave evidence of the strength of his spirit. His remarks in Persian were translated by Marzieh Gail as he spoke. He told about being in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh three times during the six months he was in 'Akka as a young man of sixteen.
That was in 1891 � 1892. One time was on the first day of Rh3vAn in the room at Bahá'í "that you all know" who have been to Bahá'í Another time was in a garden at Nawruz. "There were poets there that day and one of them was the historian, the great Nabil" (author of The Dawn-Breakers).
Bahá'u'lláh was revealing Tablets in another room, "and I heard the Tablets being chanted," Mr. Samandari said. Later they were in a garden with Bahá'u'lláh, and the young Samandari walked from the garden to Baha in * See The Dawn-Breakers, p. 42; God Passes By, p. 92.
His presence, "while a little rain was falling.~~ "This was one of the great honours that came my way on that day."
A week before Bahá'u'lláh ascended, the young Samandari was one of those present in the Mansion at Baha when they were called into
His presence. Bahá'u'lláh"He was reading those verses of the Most Holy Book which tell about His ascen-....... And weak as He was, He spoke. He mentioned this many times: be one and be united. Unity, avoidance of all discord, steadfastness.
Those were the three words He emphasized that day," JinAb-i-Samandari told us. For the celebration of the RkIvAn Feast, held in the same hail as the Congress sessions, Luis deFretes, Auxiliary Board member from the Netherlands, was chairman. After prayers the Tablet of J?idvdn was chanted in Persian. Passages selected by the Guardian from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh referring to this day, included in his essay The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh were read in English. There were prayers in many languages and a selection of songs sung by the friends from Africa to close the Feast of RhJvAn.
THIRD DAYThe morning session of the third day of the Congress, Tuesday, April 30, was devoted to consideration of "The Unfoldment of the Divine Plan" of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
The chairman, H. Borrah Kavelin, newly-elected member of the Universal House of Justice, pointed out: "In the opening days of this glorious historic Congress all of us laid our hearts at the feet of the Blessed Perfection. This morning we do no less we lay our hearts at the feet of the beloved and revered Master and our best-beloved
Shoghi Effendi."member from Canada and a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of that country, recalled that, as a boy, he had been taken to the Royal Albert Hall to hear Handel's Messiah. He cited passages from that great oratorio that had special dramatic impact for him now, passages referring to Bahá'u'lláh and to the reign of the King of kings, linking these passages with the Words of Bahá'u'lláh addressed to the kings of the earth as vassals, and to the
Page 65The Hand of the Cause Tardzu'!ldh Samandari, who thrice attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh Ii, addressed the Congress on April29.
Pope. He then outlined the progressive steps in the release of the spiritual forces set in motion by Bahá'u'lláh through the Divine Plan of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the guidance of Shoghi Effendi in his letters and in the successive teaching plans instituted by him.
Mr. Estall read passages from The Advent of Divine Justice's in which Shoghi Effendi gives the "spiritual prerequisites of success" for all teaching work.
He then outlined the accomplishments under the first Seven Year Plan in North and South America, and the second Seven Year Plan in Europe, through which a basis was laid for future development of the Cause. "The friends had arisen to teach," said Mr. Estall. "The lessons of love and unity had, however haltingly, been learned. The purpose for which the Administrative Order had been developed was being served. The supreme mission of Bahá'u'lláh, the achievement of the organic and spiritual unity of the whole body of nations, was, however, still far off. But at least we were a little closer.
Jan Sijsling, AuxiliaryBoard member from the Netherlands and a member of that country's National Spiritual Assembly, spoke on "The Vision of 'Abdu'l-Bahá" and in his address dress traced the development of the Cause in Europe during the second Seven Year Plan, through the arrival there of teachers and pioneers, the establishment of Local Spiritual Assemblies, first in the capital cities, through translation of the Writings into native languages, through teaching conferences, summer schools, the purchase of national headquarters (Hazfratu'1-Quds), and through loyalty to the Covenant, sacrifice and enduring steadfastness.
The last address on Tuesday morning was given by Jan Semple, newly-elected member of the Universal
House of Justice. Thechairman explained that the Hand of the Cause Leroy C. Joas was, through serious illness, prevented from addressing the Congress on "Unparalleled Achievements under the Infallible
Guidance of Shoghi Effendi"and that Mr. Semple would speak on the same subject.
Mr. Semple first paid tribute to the great self-sacrifices of the Hands of the Cause and commented that "this is the first religion in human history which has spread following the passing of its Founder under the continuing guidance of God." lie pointed out that "the way that our beloved Guardian tackled the tasks that lay before him" was an example of how we should
Page 66carry on our administrative and teaching work. He read passages from The
Advent of Divine Justice'4describing the condition of the world, and he related that, while in the Guardian's presence, he had felt that Shoghi Effendi "was fully aware of every shortcoming of the person who stood before him but he was interested oniy in whatever small virtues that person might possess. These he would seize; these he would foster; these he would encourage. This I believe is what he has done with the whole Baha world."
The instructions of the Guardian were truly "the commands of God to His army.
It is God who is uniting the world. He knows the work we have to do, and He knows when it must be done. And this we can see again and again, looking back on the instructions of our beloved Guardian and seeing the fruits which result from obedience to these instructions."
Comparative statistics were then cited by Mr. Semple illustrating the phenomenal growth of the Faith under the Guardian's guidance.
The moment had come for presentation of the Kinghts of Bahá'u'lláh, those valiant souls who had answered the Guardian's call and pioneered to the ends of the earth.
H. Borra.h Kavelin, chairman of the session, read from the Guardian's cablegram announcing the illuminated Roll of Honour that was to bear the names of these Knights and be placed at the entrance door of the inner sanctuary of the Tomb of Bahá'u'lláh, "as a permanent memorial of the contribution by the champions of His Bahá'í "Happily there are too many to be presented individually," the chairman said, but row upon row they sat, behind the speakers' platform, as the thousands attending the Congress poured out their love and gratitude to them in spontaneous waves of sustained applause.
How we loved them; they had brought the Guardian joy!
The drama of this session was climaxed with the reading, by Dr. 'Aziz Navidi, of a message to the Congress from the Bahá'ís imprisoned in Morocco, and by a tape-recorded chanting of prayers sent by them. The African singers then led us all in singing AI1Ah-u-AbhA, our voices reverent and tear-choked, our hearts turning to our imprisoned brothers, or absent family.
"The World Centre of the Faith" was the subject for the afternoon session of the third day. The spirit had been building up and now it seemed that it would burst the very walls of the huge old building. Indeed, the spirit was not contained within the Royal Albert Hall. Bahá'ís were all over London, joyously meeting one another everywhere, in restaurants, on the streets, in the city's famous "tube". Photographs were appearing in the newspapers, with headlines; numerous inquiries were made of the Baha wherever they gathered; spontaneous "curbside" teaching abounded; London's staid indifference seemed to melt through the contagion of our glee.
But who really recognized the significance of the World Congress? Who was really aware that these happy thousands were the harbingers of the new world, were celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of its beginning, were united by bonds deeper than any man had devised, and were, even now, hurrying into the Hall eager to greet the first members of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme administrative institution raised up by the Pen of Bahá'u'lláh At last the Universal House of Justice had been established, with its seat at the World Centre of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, on Mt. Carmel, the Mountain of God � the first God-guided, truly international body in the history of mankind! The Bahá'ís struggled to grasp the reality of the moment as they gathered for the afternoon session on that April day.
The chairman of the proceedings was Charles Wolcott, newly-elected member of the Universal
House of Justice. Prayerswere said in Italian and Samoan and a message of greeting from the Baha of 'Iraq was read.'6 Mr. Wolcott gave a brief historical background of the "twin cities" of 'Akka and Haifa, the spiritual and administrative centre of the Faith. He then introduced the first of two speakers for this session, Dr. Ugo Giachery, Hand of the Cause of God and former member of the Italo-Swiss
National Spiritual Assembly. AsDr. Giachery had been the Guardian's personal representative for all the work done in Italy for the building of both the superstructure of the Shine of the Báb and the International Archives Building on Mt. Carmel, he spoke feelingly and knowingly on his subject, "The Unique Spiritual Significance of the World Centre of the Faith".
Dr. Giachery explained how it happened that the World Centre came to be in the Hoiy Land "not by
Page 67accident" but as "a part of the pattern of the Divine Scheme". He spoke briefly about the construction of the Sepulchre of the Báb during the lifetime of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, reminding us that Bahá'u'lláh Himself, on one of His visits to the Mountain of God, had pointed out to 'Abdu'l-Bahá the place where the Shine was to be erected. In the Tablet of Carmel Bahá'u'lláh, addressing Carmel, says: "Rejoice,for God kwh in this Day established upon thee His throne."'~ Dr. Giarchery spoke also of how the beloved Guardian embarked upon the fulfillment of his wish to honour the three Central Figures of the Faith, Bahá'u'lláh, the Rib and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and to enhance the prestige of the Faith, by beautification of the Shrines and the areas surrounding them by laying out the gardens at Baha and on Mt. Carmel.
The Guardian also, in the development of the spiritual centre of the Faith, created the Monument
Gardens on Mt. Carmelwhere rest the remains of the Greatest Holy Leaf, the Purest Branch, and the mother of 'Abdu'l-Bahá The beauty and sacredness of this area are extolled by Shoghi Effendi in his letter entitled The Spiritual Potencies of That Consecrated Spot.lB In these gardens is laid out the great arc above the tombs of these "thee incomparably precious souls". At the western end of this arc he erected the International Archives Building. Moreover, at Bahá'í the Guardian extended the properties and laid out the pattern and enlarged the beautiful gardens there surrounding the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, the Qibllh of the Baha Faith, towards which in the future, Dr. Giachery said, the whole world will turn "for solace, for comfort, for faith".
"What Shoghi Effendi accomplished, other men could not have accomplished in centuries," Dr. Giachery stated. "We, too, must have this vision of a far, far, far distant future, of the great victory the Faith is going to experience... That is why our beloved Guardian succeeded."
The second speaker at this session was Paul Haney, Hand of the Cause residing in the Holy Land. In his address on "The Supreme
Administrative Importanceof the World Centre" * he quoted many passages from the writings of' Shoghi Effendi, illustrating that the Guardian had carefully prepared the Bahá'í world for the establishment of the "world-shaking, world-embracing, world-directing administrative in* * For full text of' this address see p.433 of' this volume.
stitutions ordained by Bahá'u'lláh and anticipated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá Their focal centre was destined to be "in the vicinity of its world spiritual centre, signalizing the sailing of the Divine Ark on God's mountain, prophesied in the Tablet of Carmet"20 And in January 1951, when the Guardian appointed members of the International Baha Council, "forerunner of the supreme administrative institution~~,21 the Universal House of Justice, destined to be elected "in the fullness of time", he also opened the door to international contributions for the construction of the superstructure of the Shrine of the Rib and the erection of the International
Archives Building. Helaid out the arc, extending eastward from this building, in the Monument Gardens, on which the future edifices would be erected "constituting the
World Bahá'í AdministrativeCentre."22 Thus all was in readiness for the election, at the close of the Ten Year Crusade, of the "last unit crowning the structure of the embryonic World Order of Bahá'u'lláh the
Universal House of Justice.Earlier in his talk Mr. Haney had pointed out that the Guardian had indicated that the Tablet of Carmel24 was the charter for the development of the institutions of the Faith at its World Centre.
Among the many stirring passages quoted by Mr. Haney from the writings of Shoghi Effendi describing the station and function of the House of Justice and the inestimable blessings that would be conferred upon the world when it came into existence was the following:25 "In this great Tablet (of Carmel) which unveils divine mysteries and heralds the establishment of two mighty, majestic and momentous undertakings � one of which is spiritual and the other administrative, both at the World Centre of the Faith � Bahá'u'lláh refers to an 'Ark', whose dwellers are the men of the Supreme House of Justice, which, in conformity with the exact provisions of the Will and Testament of the Centre of the Mighty Covenant is the Body which should legislate on laws not explicitly revealed in the Text. In this Dispensation, these laws are destined to flow from this Holy Mountain, even as in the Mosaic Dispensation, the Law of God was promulgated from Zion. The 'sailing of the Ark' of His laws is a reference to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice."
Mr. Haney then briefly reported what hadThe members of the first Universal House of Justice stood befrre the World Congress while Mr. David Hofman read the first statement of the newly-elected Institution. The Hand of the Cause Paul Haney is seated in the foreground.
just taken place at the historic first Inter-nationalBahá'í Convention held in Haifa when, on April 21, 1963, at the House of the Master, the members of the fifty-six
National Spiritual Assembliesof the Bahá'í world elected the Universal House of Justice. In describing this first Bahá'í World Convention Mr. Haney said that the unique manner in which the election was conducted set a pattern for the world to marvel at and, in the future, to follow.
Mr. Haney then presented to the Congress the individual members of this newly-elected Universal House of Justice, while the friends rose and joyously applauded, able but dimly to realize the significance and greatness of this moment.
The elected members were:As their names were mentioned, each member stepped forward until all nine members stood together before the Congress.26 The first statement27 from the Universal House of Justice was then read by David Ilofman.* The message opened with an excerpt from a prayer of praise revealed by Bahá'u'lláh. Then the various steps were mentioned that made possible the attainment of the crowning victory celebrated by this Most Great Jubilee, with "grateful thanks to Bahá'u'lláh for all His bounties showered upon the friends throughout the world." And humble tribute was paid to the Hands of the Cause of God ". for they share the victory with their beloved commander, he who raised them up and appointed them. They kept the ship on its course and brought it safe to port."
Then, "with all the love and gratitude of our hearts" was acknowledged "the reality of the sacrifice, the labour, the self-discipline, the superb stewardship of the Hands of the Cause of God." The message concluded: "The Universal House of Justice greets you all lovingly and joyfully * For full text see p.431 of this volume.
Page 69at this time, and asks you to pray fervently for its speedy development and the spiritual strengthening of its members."
PUBLIC MEETINGOn the evening of the third day of the Congress a meeting open to the public was held in the
Royal Albert Hall. Thesubject was "World Unity with Security". There were two speakers, Philip }Iainsworth, member of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Central and East Africa, and William B. S&irs, Hand of the Cause in Africa.
John Long, member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles, served as chairman. Both speakers presented the simple spiritual truths enshrined in the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh.
Mr. Hainsworth emphasized the great redemptive plan of God for the development of man's soul. Just as a seed holds within itself the potentiality to grow but cannot of itself realize that potential, needing the effect of the sun, so the soul of man needs the Sun of Truth, the Word of God, in order to develop as its Creator intends it should. "It is the response to this challenge," the speaker said, "that produces civilizations."
So also, the oniy power of unity in the world comes from the Word of God, for God is one eternally.
Thus the unity of mankind is and has been since the creation of man; what is now necessary is that man recognize this fact and help establish a society that will reflect this unity.
This is what Bahá'u'lláh came to do. It is "this tremendous spiritual outpouring of Bahá'u'lláh that can find its response in the soul of every single human being", whether in Africa or in the most sophisticated metropolis, Mr. Hainsworth said.
The Hand of the Cause William Sears, in his address, gave many instances of man's present afflictions and unhappy condition and of his unsuccessful efforts to find remedies, unsuccessful because he is ignoring the Source of the healing remedy, the Divine Physician.
Among other passages, Mr. Sears quoted what Bahá'u'lláh wrote to Queen Victoria, that the solution to the ills of the world was to be found in "the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith."28 Mr. Sears also cited passages from the Bible and from scholars concerning the day in which we are living and the coming of Bahá'u'lláh.
An enthralled thralled audience heard Mr. Sears's stirring appeal: "So let us no longer remain a society of nuclear giants and ethical midgets..
Let us be at last the children of God, and not of man!" He concluded his address by citing selections from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh concerning the
Divine Physician.Prayers in Ateso, Icelandic, Urdu and Thai opened the programme for the next-to-last day of the Congress which had for its theme "The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet".
'All Naishjavdni, member of the newly-elected Universal House of Justice, one of the first to respond to the Guardian's call for pioneers to Africa during the Ten Year Crusade, was chairman of the morning session, He reviewed the topics covered in the first three days of the Congress and stated: "We now invite you to move together into the field of action.., the all-important work of teaching the Faith to the multitudes."
He referred to the special meeting held the previous evening to discuss experience in mass conversion areas and added: "We realize how the Faith of God is rapidly moving into a new era." He quoted several passages from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh pointing to this time, and read some messages from the Guardian written at the beginning of the teaching work in Africa which showed that Shoghi Effendi saw in those modest achievements the beginning of mass conversion. The Guardian likened the efforts of the pioneers to the deeds of the Apostles of Christ and to those of the Dawn-breakers in our Faith. "What has been achieved in Mrica," the Guardian wrote though his secretary, "sets an example to be followed by Bahá'ís everywhere.
The Guardian sees no reason why such victories should not be achieved in all parts of the world."
The addresses of the three speakers revolved around the subject "The Opening of New Territories: Victories of the Pioneers". Ruth Pringle was the first to speak.
In introducing her the chairman said that she had become a Bahá'í in the first year of the Ten Year Crusade, had been a pioneer in Central America and was now a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Panama.
She gave a thrilling presentation of mass conversion
Page 70The youngest son of Fu'dd Takkdn, a Moroccan Bahá'í under sentence of death, reciting a prayer in Arabic from the platform of the Congress. To the right of the photograph is the Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga to the left, Mr. 'Au Nakhjavdni.
among the San Bias Indians of Panama and told of devoted teaching work done by two "graduates" of the school for indigenous Baha'is, one of whom, though blind, went out through dangerous mountain trails to teach the Indians in these areas.
The second speaker wasBoard member and a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Bolivia. He had been a pioneer in Central Persia, then in Argentina, and more recently in Bolivia.
He told of the rapid progress of the Faith in Bolivia within the past three years, chiefly among the Indians, who have actively participated in the teaching work, walking great distances, sometimes sixty miles a day, to visit scattered villages. Their strenuous efforts were rewarded and there are now more than six thousand Baha in Bolivia.
Giving many examples of how the pioneers were guided to find waiting souls, he commented that the potential is there but many more teachers are needed.
The Hand of the Cause EnochOlinga, the Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for the British Cameroons, was the final speaker of the morning.
Mr. NakhjavAni, in introducing Mr. Olinga, said that the beloved Guardian called him "the father of victories".
Mr. Olinga, in his turn, began his address by referring to Mr. Nakhja-vAnf as "the father of mass conversion in Africa." He said we should not be surprised at what has been accomplished in Africa because, at the beginning of the Crusade, Shoghi Effendi had called upon the Bahá'ís of the world to eclipse, in this decade, what had been achieved in the preceding eleven decades3~ The Guardian, Mr. Olinga added, "living in the world of reality, was able to see what the people of God, the followers of Bahá'u'lláh, were destined to achieve in a single decade."
With great humility Mr. Olinga told of a cablegram that had been received from the beloved Guardian one day early in April saying that five believers were to go to five virgin territories in West Africa before April 21st and that these pioneers were to be believers from British Cameroons.
The Bahá'í Faith had been known there for only about five months. Mr. Olinga said this was a lesson in faith to him. A meeting was called, and five new believers did arise. They went in response to the Guardian's
Page 71wish and all were named by him Knights of Bahá'u'lláh.
Then came one of the most poignant moments of the Congress. The chairman called upon Mrs. Fawziyyih TaliMn, the wife of one of the three Bahá'ís imprisoned and under sentence of death in Morocco. She was present at the Congress with her young son. She chanted a prayer and then the little boy was lifted up to the microphone and he chanted a short prayer in Arabic. "The beloved Guardian in one of his letters in Persian says that joy and sadness always embrace each other," Mr. Nakhjav~ni said. "Here at this moment of great joy and jubilation, we see reason for broken hearts, and we hope that everything that is happening will result in the ultimate triumph of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh."
Fred Murray, an eighty-seven-year-old Australian Aborigine, addressed the Congress. In simple words he spoke from an overflowing heart of the happiness he was experiencing in being with the Baha'is. He described being carried from Australia across the ocean in "a great new flying kangaroo" and being set down in London in a multicoloured garden of humanity. "Yes, dear friends, 1 am glad to see the people here, like flowers of all colours Bahá'u'lláh has given me a good life.. I have joy in my heart."
The afternoon session continued the theme ofof the Planet", with special emphasis on "Enrichment of the World Bahá'í Community
:Enrollment ofthe Masses". Theremember and a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of India; Alvin Blum,
Knight of Bahá'u'lláhBoard member and a member of the Regional Spiritual
Assembly of South EastAsia; and the Hand of the Cause Dr. Rahmatu'11Th MuhAjir. The chairman, K. K. Bhargawi, member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India, pointed out that it was Bahá'u'lláh Who had shown the way to teach, with pure hearts and proclaiming the Message in His Name.
Mrs. Boman spoke of the progress in teaching the masses in India.
It began, she said, in 1961 with the visit of the Hand of the Cause Dr. Mirza to a village in central India. This was followed by visits to villages "where Amatu'I-Bahd Rd~iyyih Klzdnum renewed Izerfriendshjp with "Uncle" Fred Murray, an Australian Aborigine believer.
Page 72teeming, illiterate masses, cut off from a sophisticated atmosphere, unaware of the socalled culture and ways of the world, live." It was soon realized that in the realm of spirituality these people far surpassed those who are educated according to modern concepts. As an example Mrs. Boman told of one illiterate believer who explained how she remembered God in her daily life: she likened it to a woman carrying a jug of water on her head while walking and conversing with friends or avoiding obstacles in her path � she was always remembering the pot full of water on her head.
Alvin Blum told of his pioneering experiences inIn the Philippines he met a group who had become Bahá'ís through reading a small pamphlet left in a university library by a Bahá'í world traveller who had stopped there for a few hours just before World War I. From that small beginning the Faith grew and today there are thousands of Bahá'ís in the Philippines.
Mr. and Mrs. Blum arrived in the Solomons aboard an old ship and found living in the islands a Bahá'í pioneer who was ill from hardship and discouragement. They took her on board their ship in the harbour for meals. The ship's departure was delayed time and again by a broken engine; meanwhile, the pioneer was restored to health and encouraged. A Bahá'í school has been established there and now there are many Baha'is.
The secret of pioneering, Mr. Blum said, is to sacrifice and be willing to give everything of yourself in the path of service.
"Be willing to be sick, to be lonely, to cry, to give up your 'self' and to pray for God's help.
The power of prayer, friends, is dynamic!" He described a number of experiences illustrating how Bahá'u'lláh opens doors to the hearts.
Two Indian friends from Bolivia who are active in teaching and pioneering in that country were presented, expressing their happiness at being with the friends at the Congress. "In the name of the Indians of Bolivia I greet and salute you," said Andr~s Jachakollo.
"I am not a literate man, and I am very happy to be here to see my brothers from all over the world..
We want unity and love for the whole world...When we go out from here, we have to teach all that we have learned from this International Congress.
We have to help each other through prayers all over the Bahá'í world. The Holy Spirit is the power that propels us in our lives... This is the way we can find unity, love and universal peace."
Max Kenyerezi, Knightof Bahá'u'lláh for French Equatorial Mrica, a member of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of Central and East Africa where lie is actively associated with mass teaching, called on the friends to use "the spirit radiating from this Conference to galvanize our teaching effort and bring in masses of believers in all continents."
In introducing JamshidFozdar, the chairman said that the beloved Guardian had referred to Mr. Fozdar as "the spiritual conqueror of Sarawak." Mr. Fozdar said, "If we, the pioneers, have learned one thing from this Crusade, we have learned this, that we must never gauge the power of Bahá'u'lláh by our own ability to perform and deliver."
He said he was "haunted" by the limitations that one's degree of faith placed on what could be achieved. He gave illustrations of the great spiritual capacity of the Bahá'ís of Vietnam and British Borneo under conditions of imprisonment, surrounded by chaos and revolution.
There is no "separate standard" for persons of different nationalities, he said, and mass conversion is possible even in highly developed countries if we apply the universal standard of belief in Bahá'u'lláh as the Messenger of God for this time. He reminded us that the religion of God is like air and water, freely given by God, the Giver of life and that in crusades to follow "like tidal waves" other Bahá'ís "will take the torch of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh to the dark continents of the hearts of men."
Several indigenous believers, from Malaysia, Mentawei Islands, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cameroon, spoke with profound emotion of their joyful experiences in teaching the Faith. Vicente Samaniego, speaking of his return to his native Philippine Islands, said: "When I return to the villages I can tell them that I saw the garden of God! I can tell them that we now have the International House of Justice! Let me close by saying a prayer for the Universal House of Justice.
The Hand of the Cause Rahmatu'lhh Muhftjir expressed delight to have seen "on this blissful day, the fruits of those who laboured in the teaching field during the Ten Year Crusade." He said that mass conversion was now in
Page 73View of the interior of the Royal Albert Hall as it looked when thousands of Ba/uP/s gathered for the World Congress.
augurated in thirty countries of the world but that this is just a beginning.
We must arise in full confidence that Bahá'u'lláh and the beloved Master will help us as They promised and as They helped those who arose before us. The nations and islands "yearn for pioneers" and wherever they have gone the pioneers have been greeted by the native people with the question "Why didn't you come earlier to give us this Message?"
In 1921, he reminded us, Agnes Alexander, Hand of the Cause of God, who was then a young woman, pioneered to Korea and travelled in the Orient where today there are three thousand believers.
We must make a beginning.If the result of the labours of approximately one hundred friends has been a quarter of a million believers, what will be the result if a vast army of us will arise to pioneer!
FIFTH DAYThe morning session of the last day of the Congress, Thursday, May 2, directed our attention to the future, the theme being "Our
Sacred Duty, Our GloriousPrayers were offered in various languages and then the chairman, Gila Data, member of the
Regional Spiritual Assemblyof North East Africa, read the opening passage of Shoghi
Effendi's The PromisedAnnaliese Bopp, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Germany, said that in Europe "our sacred duty, our glorious challenge" was "to reach our goal of mass conversion even if we are the last ones to pass the line." The "edifice, the foundations of which Bahá'u'lláh has laid in our hearts"3o has now been erected, but it remains for the Ba1A'is to make it the refuge for mankind. Much remains to be done before our Assemblies learn to function as Houses of Justice, before the victory is won over our own selves and we become conscious "at every moment of our lives, that we alone are the instruments through which
Bahá'u'lláh, the ManifestationIjushmand Fatheazarn, member of the newly-elected Universal House of Justice,
Page 74related many inspiring instances of the rapid spread of the Faith among the masses in India. He likened the simple, unlettered, humble believers in the mass conversion areas to the rough, unpolished stone that the Master placed as the cornerstone of the great Mother Temple of the West; through their acceptance of the Faith will be raised the temple of the unity of mankind and on this foundation world civilization will be built. He encouraged us to continually engage in service to the Cause regardless of the apparent results for no service is wasted and if we are faithful to this responsibility we can enter the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, when our earthly lives end, with contented hearts.
Dr. Peter Khan, an Auxiliary Board member from the United States said that as mass conversion is extended it will "disturb the equilibrium of the world." From a letter of Shoghi Effendi's he read words that are "as vividly relevant as when they were written": "There is no time to lose. The hour is ripe for the proclamation, without fear, without reserve, and without hesitation, and on a scale never as yet undertaken, of the One Message that can alone extricate humanity from the morass into which it is steadily sinking.
Dr. Khan concluded his remarks by saying that as our community grows more diverse we should strive to follow the example of the Guardian and "adjust our goals to the conditions, the background, the nature of the people in each national community..
It is like raising children of different ages, talents and training... The Faith must be kept simple, and its procedures flexible."
We must remember that our Faith is not a scientific or economic system, but a world religion and in our teaching we must continually "bear in mind that the centre of our Faith is the acceptance and recognition of Bahá'u'lláh as a Manifestation of God."
The Hand of the Cause of God John Robarts reminded us that while we rejoice over our victories, we must "remember that the beloved Guardian's Ten
Year Spiritual Crusadeis the beginning of the beginning." He cited passages from the writings of Shoghi Effendi in which the Guardian appealed to the friends to arise, to teach, to serve this great Cause, for the time is short and the hour critical. "We really should reread and study the letters and messages of Shoghi Effendi." Teaching is like building a bridge over an abyss of despair, said Mr. Robarts, with God on one side of the abyss and man on the other. "Every one of us has some part to play in the construction of this bridge.
Leong Tat Chee of Malayagreeted the Congress and sketched the progress of the Faith in that country, commenting that most of the believers in Malaya are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, that their "enthu-siasm and steadfastness pushed older people like myself to go forward and do more for the Cause" and that they long for the day when they can participate in spreading the Faith throughout China.
The final session of the Congress inevitably arrived and, with profound appreciation and overflowing hearts, was devoted to the loving memory of Shoghi Effendi, the Sign of God on earth.
For this programme theand many Bahá'ís in colourful native costumes were seated in tiers rising behind the speakers.
William Masehia, member of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of South and West Africa, was the chairman. After referring briefly to the deteriorating condition of the world in contrast to the victories won by the Bahá'ís under the leadership of the Guardian, he introduced the Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Ra~iyyih Kh~num to whom all hearts turned in deepest love and longing to hear her speak of Shoghi Effendi.*
A brief r6sumd of her remarks follows.Kh6num spoke of the station of Bahá'u'lláh, giving the example of the sun which shines on every part of the world. Nobody owns it, controls it or has a monopoly of it. The same is true of Bahá'u'lláh. He belongs to those who have accepted Him. This is not a derived right.
The Bahá'ís have not had this belief in Him passed on to them by pioneers or institutions but have it because they accept Him, like the plants which accept to grow in the sunlight everywhere.
This great and varied gathering of Baha is evidence of this fact.
Literacy, education, riches are not necessary for this acceptance.
The materialistic civilization of the Western countries, afflicted with the diseases of regimentation and uniformity and prejudice, is an evil, and not something to be imitated by other nations. More* * Excerpts from this and other addresses given at the World Congress appear in Baha News,
August 1963.The national dresses of Bahá'ís from many lands added colour and variety to the World Congress.
Fourth from the right in the photograph is the Hand of the Cause IjasanBalyuzi, who addressed the Congress on the first day.
over, it is not in accord with the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh nor with many points of guidance given to us by Shoghi Fifendi. Unity in diversity is the watchword of the Faith. We are not supposed to be alike.
We are supposed to be different within a certain great framework. The Guardian encouraged National Spiritual Assemblies to have diversity in secondary administrative matters, each adapting the principle in the Teachings to its own way. Shoghi Effendi assigned to different parts of the Bahá'í world responsibilities and tasks commensurate with their maturity and strength. He did not expect the Bahá'ís of primitive tribes to do what he expected the communities of Tihiin or London, Paris or New York to accomplish.
For example, Baha is in some parts of the world need only board a bus near their own front door in order to attend the Nineteen Day Feast; while in other parts of the world the friends must travel at night through snake-infested grass in the jungle. The point is that the Bahá'í world is a living, evolving thing. It moves at different paces and adapts itself to local needs, to some extent.
We all cannot live in the same way and we had better look after the beam in our own eye before busying ourselves with the mote in the eye of another.
The process of education of the Bahá'ís of the West in obeying the laws of Bahá'u'lláh began with 'Abdu'l-Bahá and was continued by Shoghi Effendi, who extended it to the African believers so that now they are able to also apply many of the laws of Bahá'u'lláh that have been in force in Persia and America for many years. In this picture of the different stages of development of the Cause we see the evidence of how perfect it is. These are the signs of its life and vitality; the signs of the wisdom and guidance of Shoghi Effendi. He brought us all to where we are today and gave each one of us the measure we could take. He told us how to forge ahead and build the Cause in the days to come. That is the supreme task facing us, to carry out his instructions when we leave this hail.
The desire to dominate is an animal instinct that is probably bound up with the desire to survive.
We must ensure that the Cause is protected, that the functions of Spiritual Assemblies as defined by the Guardian are carried
Page 76out. Our administrative bodies must not be used as a means of stifling the believers or dominating them unduly. Implicit obedience to the administrative institutions is the law of God. This brings great spiritual strength and cohesion which renders the Bahá'í Faith unassailable, locally, nationally and internationally.
Nevertheless, this system enshrines the freedom of the individual and the protection of his or her rights. It might be said that ours is the religion of the golden mean � you do not have dominance by an institution or defiance and rebellion on the part of individuals.
When the time came for the Guardian to launch the Ten Year World Crusade he called for pioneers, for sacrifice, and the
Bahá'ís responded. Wewould not have won this Crusade, nor would we be sitting in this hail today so radiantly happy, with such a wide representation from the Baha of the world, if the Guardian had not encouraged everybody to go forth and serve. He had only thirty-six years to give us the necessary instructions and interpretations, and that was a very brief time in which to make as clear as Shoghi Effendi made it the picture of the Administrative Order and the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh and what they represent.
He has given us all that we really need to go on with.
The Guardian was always delighted when news came of large increases in the number of Bahá'ís in any country. He clearly recognized that the friends needed deepening, that the victories needed consolidating.
But if we teach fearlessly and welcome these people into the Cause of God, God will raise up from amongst them teachers and ways and means of deepening them. Again and again the Guardian told the Bahá'ís that we do not study the Teachings enough.
Abdu'l-Bahá R6~iyyihKb4num then said she would talk a little about the Guardian, about his person and his personality.
She described his appearance, his beautiful eyes, his sensitive hands and his true humility. "He hadn't one speck of personal pride or conceit in his entire makeup; but when it came to the Cause of God, he was a lion."She spoke of how simply he lived. On her trips with him to Switzerland, where he loved to climb and walk among the mountains, she told of their staying in the cottages of peasants, living on a very strict budget which he had established.
He had a great love for the mountains and during the last summer of his life he returned to all tht places he most loved.
At this point Abdu'l-Bahá RiM~iyyih KMnum was unable to continue for a few moments, as these memories overwhelmed her. Spontaneously the African singers arose and softly and lovingly sang A11Ah-u-AbhA until she was able to go on. She then began to speak of the characteristics of the Guardian, one of the strongest of which she described as his "absolutely iron principle". "Nothing could interfere with what he considered right.
Nothing swayed him at all, neither love, nor hate, nor danger." She related examples. One concerned the naming of a small street opposite the Master's house by the
Haifa Municipality. Itconsidered it an insult to the Faith to put the name of its Prophet on a street and lit sent his brother to the authorities to tell them to take down the sign immediately; if they did. not, he would tear it down with his own hands, and if th&y wanted to put him in jail, let them.
Another example of what was described as� Shoghi Effendi's "diamond-like integrity" was that when the Hand of the Cause Valiyu'llAh Varq~ applied to make his pilgrimage to Haifa, he had to take his turn. Although he was a Hand of the Cause and Trustee of Ijuqaqu'llAh he was not given preferential treatment but received permission in his turn.
"It made no difference to Shoghi Effendi who anyone was, if there was a matter of principle involved." Whether it was a matter of returning a donation of some $150,000 made in the absence of the Guardian from Haifa by a man with whom Shoghi Effendi was "displeased", or having to declare his own brother a violator because of misconduct, where a matter of principle in the Faith was involved, Shoghi Effendi wa~ "absolutely impervious". It is these things we must learn from him. This kind of integrity will keep this Cause spotless for a thousand years. The example of the integrity of Shoghi Effendi must be followed by the Bahá'ís and the Assemblies, because it is the standard of
God.Some examples were cited of other characteristics of the Guardian we should seek to emulate, his courtesy, his patience, his sense of order. He did not once rebuke her in all their twenty years together for her own untidiness. lie knew when to say no, and said it, whether
Page 77He suffered deeply because of the actions of members of his family. He showed them great patience, warned them repeatedly, and these sorrows wore him down. She spoke of his instant decisions that were like flashes of inspiration, and of other times when he would "burn and suffer by the hour" over some problem or plan before coming to any decision at all.
"So much of his life was suffering.. he had such a capacity for suffering..
he was deeply sensitive and loving and he was ground down all his life though the actions and words of others. .2 From the day he was appointed Guardian, for the rest of his life, he could not have a moment's respite from the responsibilities and burdens of the Faith.
He was its Guardian. He wrote out in his own hand the cablegrams that were sent from Haifa, including the one concerning the passing of Martha Root.32 His beautiful tribute to Miss Root he wrote sitting up in bed when he was ill with a high fever. Brushing aside R6ljiyyih KhAnum's protestations he said, "Don't you understand, the greatest teacher in the Bahá'í world has died and the whole Bahá'í world is waiting to hear what I am going to say about her. This cannot wait."
Abdu'l-Bahá Rfl~iyyihKhftnurn concluded her address with these words: "Friends, do not fail Shoghi Effendi. You have not finished with him and he has not finished with you. lit is the time to put your step on new trails, to make new vows to go out and please Shoghi Effendi and make him happier than he ever was in this world... Let us all carry on the work of our beloved Lord, Bahá'u'lláh, every day of our lives, because we are His people and we are blessed far beyond our deserts."
The closing address of the Congress was given by the Hand of the Cause
Abfi'1-QAsim Faizi. Asthough from an inexhaustible storehouse he brought forth story after story to illustrate deep spiritual truths. In one story Mr. Faizi told what Bahá'u'lláh had said to some Persian and Arab princes who were standing among the many people gathered outside His House in BaghdAd.
Bahá'u'lláh asked them, "What is the news of the town?
What is the A group of Africaui Bahá'ís presenting a selection of songs with Bahá'í themes composed by the Bahá'ís of Africa.
Page 78A group of Bahá'ís outside the Royal Albert Hall discussing the inspiring events they have witnessed.
news of the market?" One of the Persian princes said, "How is it that when You are with Your own people You speak to them of exalted subjects, but to us You only ask about the news of the market?"
As Bahá'u'lláh paced back and forth, He said, in effect, that "the people who can hear My words are not yet created," and He added: "If there are pearls beneath seven seas, I will bring them up.
If there are jewels hidden beyond seven mountains, by the power of the attraction of the Word of God, I will bring them out." These pearls and jewels, Mr. Faizi pointed out, we see gathered here at this World Congress from all parts of the world.
Another story Mr. Faizirelated was about a little boy and his father who were standing on the edge of a crowd watching a juggler. Neither the father nor his son could see through the crowd so the father lifted the boy up on his shoulders and soon the child was laughing and clapping and asked his father why he did not join in the merriment.
The kind father did not answer the boy's question but a man standing nearby said to the child, "My dear boy, you can see all these things because you are up on the shoulders of your father.
Do not be ungrateful to your father!" Mr. Faizi added, "So let us not forget the early believers, because we are standing on their shoulders when we see all these glorious victories of Bahá'u'lláh's Faith today."
The greatest requirement for pioneers is patience, Mr. Faizi said, referring to pioneers who teach for years without apparent results, as, for example, JamAl Effendi, sent by Bahá'u'lláh to India, and Mirza Jjaydar-'A1I, the first teacher sent by Him to Africa. "Patience," he continued, "is a quality which is described in the Qur'an as having rewards unlimited. Please have patience. God will work through you and, even if it is not in your lifetime, in the lifetime of generations after you, all services will be rewarded."
Tn concluding his address, Mr. Faizi said that although the Ten Year Crusade of the beloved Guardian has come to a victorious conclusion, we are always in his service, we live forever under his shadow, and we will carry in our hearts forever the memory of his beautiful face.
After the reading of selections from theWritings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and prayers in English and Persian, the first
Bahá'í World Congresscame to an end, but the spirit it engendered would carry on, immeasurable by time or place. There would be other Congresses, perhaps, concluding other Crusades in the future, patterned after this one, but none would ever be the same.
This Crusade was the belovedhad achieved its great objective, the "conquest of the citadels of men's hearts", and this paved the way for the election of the crowning unit of the Administrative Order. The victories just celebrated would be eclipsed by victories of the future. All the promises of Bahá'u'lláh and of the Guardian would be fulfilled. The instruments of that fulfillment, the Bahá'ís of the world, now looked forward eagerly to wider fields of action, on an unassailable foundation, under the guidance of the Universal
House of Justice.To conclude this report no more fitting comments can be made than those by the Universal House of Justice in its first message to the National Conventions throughout the world, sent out a few days after the Congress ~ "The Universal House of Justice wishes to reaffirm at this time the tribute which it felt moved to pay to the Hands of the Cause of God at the World Congress, those precious souls who have brought the Cause safely to victory in the name of Shoghi Effendi. We wish also to remember the devoted work of their Auxiliary Board members, as well as the services of the Knights of Bahá'u'lláh, of the army of pioneers, the members of the National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies, the services and prayers and sacrifices of the believers everywhere, all of which in the sum total have attracted such bounties and favors from Bahá'u'lláh...
"Beloved friends, we enter the second epoch of the Divine Plan blessed beyond compare, riding the crest of a great wave of victory produced for us by our beloved Guardian. The Cause of God is now firmly rooted in the world. Forward then, confident in the power and protection of the Lord of Hosts, Who will, through storm and trial, toil and jubilee, use His devoted followers to bring to a despairing humanity the life-giving waters of His supreme Revelation."
A London news stand advertises a souvenir edition of a newspaper containing reports and photographs of the World Congress.
Page 80Effendi, October 8, 1952 (Messages to the Bahá'í World, p. 41).
3. God Passes By, by Shoghi Effendi, p. 103.Effendi, October 8, 1952 (Messages to the Bahá'í World, pp. 43 � 44).
5. ibid., p. 44.9. Letter of Shoghi Efi'endi, May 4, 1953 (Ba/id'! World, vol. xii, p. 138).
10. Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 36.
11. Excerpts from Mr. Samandari's reminiscences are given in Canadian Bahá'í News, insert, July 1964, and briefly in Bahá'í News (U.S.), No. 389,
August12. Dated February 8, 1934 ( World Order ofBahd'u'Ildh pp. 103 � 107).
13. The Advent of DivineEffendi, May 28, 1953 (Messages to the Ba/id'! World, p. 49).
16. See Bahd'iNeivs (U.S.), No. 388, July 1963, p. 5.
17. Gleanings..., p. 15.18. Dated December 21, 1939 (Messages to America, p. 31).
19. ibid., p. 32.Effendi, January 9, 1951 (Messages to the Ba/id'! World, p. 7).
22. Letter of Shoghi Effendi,Effendi, April 25, 1951 (Messages to the Ba/id'! World, p. 14).
24. Gleanings. ., Section XI, p. 14.to the Bahá'ís of the East, dated Nawruz 111 � 1955, translated from the Persian (Bahá'í Holy Places at the World Centre, pp. 80 � 81).
26. Charles Wolcott: Member, elected International Bahá'í Council. Formerly: member,
NationalSpiritual Assembly of the Ba1A'is of the United States.
'All Nakhjav~ni: Member, elected International Bahá'í Council. Formerly: member,
National Spiritual Assemblyof the Bahá'ís of Iran; member, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Central and East Africa; member, Auxiliary Board for the protection of the
Faith in Africa.of the Bahá'ís of the United States and member-at-large of elected International
Bahá'í Council.Lutfu'lldh Hakim: Member, elected International Bahá'í Council. Formerly: in the service of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and later of Shoghi Effendi in the Holy Land; member, appointed International
Bahá'í CouncilSpiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States. Formerly: member, Auxiliary Board for the protection of the Faith in the Western Hemisphere.
Hushmand Fatheazam: Member,Effendi, October 8, 1952 (Messages to the Bahá'í World, p. 41).
30. Letter of Shoghi Effendi,Order," November 28, 1931 (World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 48).
31. Letter of Shoghi Effendi, March29, 1945 (Messages to America, p. 79).
32. In letter of Shoghi Effendi, February 12,33. Letter dated May 7, 1963 (Wellspring of Guidance, pp. 5 � 8).
Page 81"Call out to Zion, 0 Cannel, and announce the joyful tidings: He that was hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereignty eignty is mant/est; His all-encompassing splendour is revealed.
Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee, and will mantfest the people of Ba/id who have been mentioned in the Book of Names."
Bahá'u'lláh: Tablet of CarmelRIDVAN 120(1963), a date well remembered. No doubt future generations will look back on those twelve days as some of the most momentous in human history.
At that time, however, only a handful of people had any concept of their importance in shaping the destiny of mankind. It was the one hundredth anniversary of the Most Great Festival,1 and the Bahá'ís were beginning to assemble in London to observe the Most Great Jubilee,2 while to the east in the Holy Land their elected representatives were meeting in convention3 to elect, for the first time, the members of the Universal
House of Justice.Those fate-laden days introduced a period of untold significance both to the future unfoldment of the Cause of God and to human destiny, a period which embraced the opening of the second epoch in 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í Divine Plan and the beginning of the tenth and last part of that divinely propelled process which began six thousand years ago at the dawn of the Adamic cycle and which, as stated by Shoghi Effendi, is destined to culminate in "the stage at which the light of God's triumphant Faith shining in all its power and glory will have suffused and enveloped the entire planet."
Having triumphantly concluded the beloved Guardian's Ten Year Global Crusade, the believers were afforded a one year respite before the launching, at Ri~1vAn 1964, of a new worldwide teaching plan covering a nine year period, culminating in 1973, the centenary year of the
1 Ridvan2 1863, when Bahá'u'lláh first announced His mission.
See page 57 of this volume for a detailed account of the Bahá'í World Congress.
See page 427 of this volume for a report of the first
International Convention.Although no specific goals were assigned, during the intervening year the rapid expansion of the Faith continued. Thirteen new
National Spiritual AssembliesAssemblies were added; and there were 4,114 more centres established throughout the world making a total of 15,186 localities where
Baha resided. Duringthat year Bahá'í literature was translated and printed in 37 additional languages, and believers from 83 new tribes enrolled under the banner of Bahá'u'lláh; and there were many other accomplishments such as the establishment of 55 new Bahá'í Schools and
Institutes.In preparing the Bahá'ís of the world for the launching of the Nine Year Plan1 the Universal House of Justice reminded the friends that "We stand now upon the threshold of the second epoch of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í Divine Plan.. ." and that the Cause of God".. now enters a new epoch, the third of the Formative Age."
The message launching the Plan at RhJvAn 1964 stated that Shoghi Effendi "clearly foresaw in the 'tremendously long' tenth part of the process already referred to, a series of plans to be launched by the Universal House of Justice, extending over 'successive epochs of both the Formative and Golden Ages of the "2 In broad outline the Nine Year Plan3 called for the settling of nearly all territories remaining unopened to the Faith; the adding of forty-six new National Spiritual Assemblies; nearly Message to the Bahá'ís of the world, October 1963.
S For full text of the message see page 102 of this volume.
For an account of thisnearly quadrupling the centres where Bahá'ís reside; the building of two Baha Temples; the acquisition of numerous
15a4-ratu'1-Quds, Templesites, endowments, schools and institutes; establishing four new Publishing Trusts; enriching the supply of Bahá'í literature in many languages and adding new translations; publication of a Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas; formulation of the Constitution of the Universal House of Justice; development of the Institution of the Hands of the Cause of God, with a view to the extension into the future of its appointed functions of protection and propagation; continued collation and classification of the Bahá'í sacred Scriptures as well as the writings of Shoghi Effendi; continued efforts directed towards the emancipation of the Faith from the fetters of religious orthodoxy and its recognition as an independent religion; the preparation of a plan for the befitting development and beautification of the entire area of Bahá'í property surrounding the Holy Shines; the extension of existing gardens on Mount Carmel; development of the relationship between the IBahá'í Community and the United Nations; the holding of Oceanic and Intercontinental Conferences; coordination of worldwide plans to commemorate in 1967 � 68 the Centenary of Bahá'u'lláh's proclamation to the kings and rulers which centred around His revelation in Adrianople of the Sariy-i-Mul4kA The formulation of the Teaching Plan was not the only consideration of the Universal House of Justice during the first year of its existence.
It had to provide its own offices; settle its members and their families in the Holy Land; assemble a staff to assist with its work; provide for the continuation of the Pilgrimage; define its relationship with the Hands of the Cause, both those residing in the Holy Land and those responsible for continental areas; provide for the continuing custodianship and maintenance of the Hoiy Places and their surrounding gardens; set up procedures for the conduct of its business and for the handling of its communications; take charge of and provide for the replenishment of the Bahá'í International Fund; consult upon such important matters as the razing of the Temple in 'Jsjhq& 1 A more detailed presentation of the launching of the Nine Year Plan appears on page 101 of this volume.
bad,' the completion of the Mother Temple of Europe,2 the persecutions in Morocco; and deal from day to day with the cares and concerns of a growing Bahá'í international community.
THE GUARDIANSHIPBut the major question to be resolved, and the one which oniy the Universal House of Justice, by virtue of the authority conferred upon it by the Pen of Bahá'u'lláh, could speak upon at this time, was that of a successor to Shoghi Effendi as Guardian of the Cause of God. On
October 6, 1963 the Housethat after prayerful and careful study of the Holy Texts and after prolonged consultation the Universal House of Justice "finds that there is no way to appoint or to legislate to make it possible to appoint a second Guardian to succeed Shoghi Effendi."3 Subsequently the brief text of the resolution of the House of Justice was elucidated in letters written to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Netherlands4 and to an individual be1iever,~ citing references which had been studied by the Universal House of Justice prior to the release of its letter of October 6, 1963 and further explaining the relationship between the Guardianship and the Universal House of
Justice.sent the following cable to the United States for publication in Bahá'í News and shared the text with National Spiritual Assemblies by letter:
ANNOUNCE BAHÁ'Í WORLDLetter dated March 9, 1965 � see page 439 of this volume.
Letter dated May 27, 1966 � see page 441 of this volume.
Page 83Aerial view of Baha; 1963.(Photo by F. Csasznik, Jerusalem)
BAIIAULLAH STOP THIS FINALMirza Mubammad-'Ali, half-brother of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, designated by Shoghi Effendi as the "archbreaker of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant," had challenged the appointment of 'Abdu'l-Bahá as the Centre of that Covenant. Following the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, Muliammad-'Ali, his children, relatives and a few other
Covenant-breakersbreakers continued to live in the immediate vicinity of the Sacred Tomb, having inherited some shares in the Mansion and adjacent buildings.
Mu]~ammad-'A1i died in 1937, five years after the Guardian had succeeded in removing him from the Mansion itself and restoring it to its former beauty. Over a long period of years Shoghi Effendi was able to carry out the legal steps that eliminated most of the unsightly structures which stood near the Mansion and the Shrine, and which continued to be occupied by the Covenant-breakers.
On September 6, 1957, shortly before his passing, Shoghi Effendi announced the "com-plete evacuation of the remnant of Covenant-breakers and the transfer of all their belongings from the precincts of the Most Holy Shrine and the purification, after six long decades, of the Ijararn-i-Aqdas from every trace of their contamination." The removal of the remains of Mirza Diy&u'llTh from the inner sanctuary of the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh was final evidence of the decline of the fortunes of those who for so many years had attempted to subvert the Cause of God.
Page 84At the end of the fourth year of the Nine Year Plan, the Universal House of Justice reported progress on the World Centre goals.
PUBLICATION OF A SYNOPSISPreliminary studies for the realization of this important objective have been completed and the Universal House of Justice, on the basis of a draft prepared by Shoghi Effendi in his own handwriting, is actively engaged in codification of the laws of the Most Jloiy
Book.In addition to the above mentioned draft by the beloved Guardian which includes the Annex to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, known as the "Questions and Answers", there are a number of supplementary documents which must be studied in connection with the codification of the laws such as: Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh in "elaboration and elucidation of some of the laws "Subsidiary ordinances designed to supplement the provisions of His Most Holy Book," revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in some of His Tablets.
The letters and writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi in interpretation of the laws and ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
It may also be recalled that at the instruction of the beloved Guardian, and with his approval, the laws of personal status were codified in Egypt to serve as a legal document to be submitted to the
Egyptian Government. Furthermorethere are a number of compilations in Persian by BaWd scholars in which attempts were made to classify the laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and collate the Writings connected with those Laws.
FORMULATION OF THEThe Universal House of Justice has been working toward the accomplishment of this goal since the inception of the Nine Year Plan, but since its achievement is dependent upon careful study of the Texts and the instructions of the beloved Guardian as well as upon the resolution of many important questions, it has not yet been possible to formulate the Constitution of the Universal House of Justice. A document of such fundamental importance to the Faith will require, it is anticipated, many more months of intensive study and deliberation for its realization.
DEVELOPMENT OF THEThe passing of the Guardian and the impossibility of appointing a successor to Shoghi Effendi left the Universal House of Justice as the sole infallibly guided institution in the Faith and, ipso facto, its head. This brought about an entirely new relationship between the Universal House of Justice and the Hands of the Cause of God, a relationship which has to be progressively defined by the House of Justice itself.
The responsibility for and authority to expel Covenant-breakers had been conferred upon the Hands of the Cause in the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, as part of their function of protection.
This responsibility became operative following the passing of Shoghi Effendi when the Hands, as Chief Stewards of Bahá'u'lláh's embryonic World Commonwealth, had to undertake the direction of the Cause pending the election of the Universal House of Justice. In October
1963 the Universal Houseof Justice confirmed that the Hands would continue to exercise this authority, fully investigating all cases involving Covenant-breaking and expelling violators from the Faith, subject to the ultimate approval of the House of Justice itself.
In May 1963 the Hands of the Cause had decided that their Auxiliary Board members should be freed from administrative responsibilities and had requested them to decide by 1 For a further report on the Hands of the Cause see page 459 of this volume.
Page 85RIQvAn 1964 in which function they wished to serve.
In view of this decision and request, the Universal House of Justice ruled in November 1963 that Auxiliary Board members would continue to be eligible for election to National Spiritual Assemblies, but that whenever one was elected he would have to choose between service on the Auxiliary Board or the
Assembly.This, therefore, was the situation when the Nine Year Plan was launched in April 1964, with the Hands of the Cause of God as its Standard Bearers.
At the end of October and in early November 1964 the Universal House of Justice consulted the Body of the Hands of the Cause of God and, after considering their viewsand recommendations, and studying the Sacred Texts, concluded that there is no way to appoint, or to legislate to make it possible to appoint Hands of the Cause of God.
This decision was the first major step indicating the direction which the fulfilment of the goal of the Plan must take.
Clearly, the functions of protection and propagation would have to be continued in the future and the development of the institution of the Hands would have to follow a course which would enable it to carry out its functions at the present time while facilitating the future transition.
Three steps were then taken to develop the work of the Institution of the Hands: 1. The continents of Asia and the Western Hemisphere were each divided into zones for the day-to-day work of the Hands, one or more Hands being responsible for each zone; the Hawaiian Islands were transferred from the continental area of the Western Hemisphere to that of Australasia.
2. The number of Auxiliary Board members for the propagation of the Faith was increased in each continent, raising the total number of Auxiliary Board members in Africa from eighteen to twenty-seven; in Asia from fourteen to thirty-six; in Australasia from four to nine; in Europe from eighteen to twenty-seven; and in the Western Hemisphere from eighteen to thirty-six.
3. In accordance with a precedent established by the beloved Guardian, the Hands of the Cause in each continent were called upon to appoint one or more of their Auxiliary Board members to act in an executive capacity on behalf of and in the name of each Hand, thereby assisting him in carrying out his work.
As this goal is specified to be achieved in consultation with the Hands of the
Cause, the Universal Houseof Justice and the Hands of the Cause are carefully reviewing all available Texts on this subject in preparation for full consultation during the gathering of the Hands which is to be held in the Iloiy Land following the International
Convention in RhJvAnEver since the Universal House of Justice has come into existence, it has been deeply conscious of the need to refer continuously to the Sacred Scriptures, as well as to the writings of Shoghi Effendi, to draw guidance and enlightenment on the manifold problems with which it is faced.
Thanks to the efforts of Shoghi Effendi and the response of the friends in Persia to his call, great strides have already been taken in the collation of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. A special National Committee in Persia is assiduously and regularly engaged in classifying the Holy Texts in fuiffiment of this goal.
The collation and indexing of the writings of Shoghi Effendi, in both English and Persian, have been the object of the closest attention of the House of Justice. Though one of its Departments continuous and uninterrupted efforts are made to make extracts and to index important passages from his communications available at the World Centre.
Shoghi Effendi's published writings, quotations from his letters that have appeared in "Bahá'í News", and various compilations made by Assemblies and individual Bahá'ís have proved of immense assistance to this work. In this connection we wish to express appreciation to the Hands of the Cause residing in the lloiy Land for their invaluable help in this field.
In most cases Shoghi Effendi preserved the letters and cables addressed to him. Now that these have been classified chronologically, it is found that a comparison of the text of his
Page 8686 answers with the original questions or reports as presented to him, results in a fuller understanding and a deeper appreciation of the manifold implications of his inspired replies.
In December 1967, the House of Justice appealed, through all National Spiritual Assemblies, to all recipients of letters from Shoghi Effendi for copies of these texts.
CONTINUED EFFORTS DIRECThDTo carry forward this essential objective, a number of measures have been taken in countries that have for many years been traditionally opposed to the Faith:
PersiaAssembly, following instructions of the House of Justice, has taken a number of official actions to bring to the attention of the ShTh, the Prime Minister, certain cabinet ministers, government officials of lower rank in the capital as well as those in the provinces, the disabilities and difficulties which have affected the lives of many of the believers in that country. On a number of occasions, discussions of these problems resulted in their removal in a limited degree.
At the United Nationsa number of officials in the Human Rights Department have been briefed on conditions in Persia affecting that Bahá'í community.
An official memorandum listing some of these disabilities has been submitted by our United Nations representative to the IrAnian delegate to the Human Rights Conference.
Morocco'The grave problem caused by the imprisonment of a number of Baha in that country was being dealt with prior to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice in April 1963. Full responsibility for its further solution was assumed by the House of Justice, and ultimate success was achieved resulting in the complete exoneration and release of all the imprisoned 1 For a more complete report see page 97 of this volume.
Baha'is. (However, it was learned in early 1968 that another Moroccan believer had been detained and sentenced to three years' imprisonment.)
TurkeyFor a number of years, the Cause in that land was in the stage of obscurity.
It was misunderstood as a sect of IslAm and consequently banned as a matter of government policy affecting religious sects. Vigorous steps were taken to have the Faith recognized as an independent religion, as the result of which a number of Bahá'ís have been successful in obtaining a Court ruling permitting them to change the designation of their birth certificates from "Muslim" to "Baha'i" thereby, in effect, giving official recognition to the Faith as an independent religion.
Indonesiawere forbidden, under a ban which involved a number of international organizations, to conduct any administrative activities. Measures to clarify the position of the Faith and to remove all misunderstandings as to its true character were taken, both within and outside the country.
MalaysiaIn Selangor Province, a bill was in process of introduction which, if adopted, would have resulted in banning the Cause in that Province, and might have had serious consequences in the rest of the country. Prompt intervention by the Bahá'ís in explaining the true character of the Faith brought about the abandonment of the government bill in Selangor. Further measures are being taken to strengthen the foundations of the Faith in order to avoid the possibility of similar activities on the part of the government in future.
FURTHER RECOGNITIONThe surmounting of tests and difficulties is often followed by significant victories. During the quinquennium covered by this volume, one of the outstanding recognitions accorded the Faith was the incorporation in 1966 of the National Spiritual Assembly of Italy, a goal
Page 87long sought by the friends in Italy and the attainment of which freed their activities from the fetters of a religious orthodoxy centred for centuries in their country. Great strides in the teaching and proclamation programmes were made, and it was possible to select Palermo as the site of the first of the Oceanic Conferences called for in the Nine Year
Plan.Another significant achievement in this period was the incorporation of the
National Spiritual AssemblyIncorporation of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Reykjavik, Iceland was an important step toward establishing a firm foundation for the election of a National Spiritual Assembly in that country during the course of the Nine Year
Plan.of Finland on September 18, 1963 brought about a unique recognition entitling the Bahá'í Faith to its own religious register. This was a notable accomplishment in a country which has a state church, but also has a religious freedom law. Through this recognition the secretaries of Local and National Spiritual Assemblies were granted the authority to prepare and execute official documents required by BaWt'is in many instances when dealing with local or federal authorities.
The United States Armyalso granted a special kind of recognition to the Bahá'í Faith. The
Chief of Army Chaplainswrote:". the Baha World Faith is recognized as an independent religion by the United States Government, and therefore by the United States Army."
Bahá'í servicemen were thereafter entitled to be identified as Baha in the section of their service record describing religious preference and on their "dogtags".
In Canada the action of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration in defining the status of Baha pioneers as "representatives" of the Bahá'í "organization" in foreign lands exempted them from automatic loss of citizenship after prolonged absence from their home country.
Other incorporations and recognitions of Baha Holy Days and the Bahá'í marriage certificate, too numerous to mention in this survey, were achieved during the period covered by this report and many of them are referred to elsewhere in this volume.
THE PREPARATION OF A PLANThe extension of existing gardens on Mount Carmel As those who have visited the Holy Shrines in Baha and on Mount Carmel well know, the Bahá'í properties in those areas are very extensive, approaching 550,000 square metres.
Much less than half this total area has been developed into gardens and therefore it must be realized that any plan for the extension of the gardens and the beautification of the surroundings of the Holy Shrines might well take many years to implement.
Development at Babjiin 1951 attempts had been made to close the unpaved road which ran close by the Mansion of Bahá'u'lláh and bisected the Eah&iproperty. This was accomplished in 1968 and the road rerouted so as to permit the extension of the formal gardens to the east of the Mansion of Bahá'u'lláh. A quadrant in similar design to the quadrant of the Ijaram-i-Aqdas was laid out. Sufficient ground lies to the south and west for the development in future of the other two quadrants completing the circumference of the gardens around the Holy Shrine. Plans were made for a new entrance making for a more direct approach to the gardens from the main road. Closing the unpaved road also made it possible to erect a fence completely around the Bahá'í property, thus giving a measure of protection to the gardens.
Mt. CarmelA distinguished Baha architect was called to the Holy Land on two occasions by the Universal House of Justice to prepare a concept for the extension of the gardens above the Shrine of the Rib and the Archives Building, and in this connection a photogrammetrie survey was obtained. Based upon this survey the architect prepared tentative plans for the development of the entire property and representations were made with both the Haifa Municipality and the Government of the State of Israel towards the adoption of definite plans H
Page 88Formerly used to accommodate pilgrims from the East, this building now serves as a reception centre for pilgrims from both East and West.
for the development of the area in consonance with the wishes expressed by the beloved Guardian.
Beyond this, extended improvements were made, such as, the fencing of property on Mt. Carmel, including the Temple site; the development of gardens and parking lots adjacent to the Pilgrim House; the paving of the Arc and the main entrance; the building of a wall and the extension of the sidewalk along UNO Avenue adjacent to the IBahá'í gardens, and adding new soil to higher levels of the gardens where erosion had taken place. The Guardian's plan for the floodlighting of the Archives Building was implemented, the floodlighting of the Shrine of the Bib and the Monument Gardens was extended, and all the electrical circuits in the gardens were rewired.
Holy Places and other buildings One of the first decisions which had to be taken by the Universal House of Justice related to providing its own offices.
This was accomplished by converting to office space the former Western Pilgrim House and arranging accommodations at the
Eastern Pilgrim HousePractically all the Holy Places and other buildings underwent extensive repairs and maintenance. Included were the following projects: retiling the roof of the Mansion of Bahá'u'lláh and rebuilding the portico of the Shrine; re-roofing the Pilgrim Houses in bath Bahá'í and Haifa; repainting the Mansion at Babji and the House of 'AblThd in 'Akka; painting and gilding the ornamentation on the Shrines of Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb and the various gates and ornaments in the gardens at Babji and on Mt. Carmel. The flat roof of the Shrine of the flAb was also repaired, and extensive repairs had to be made to the eastern wing of the terrace in front of the Shrine of the Dab due to the collapse of a retaining wall.
DEVELOPMENT OF THEIn pursuance of this objective a number of measures were taken, the most significant of which was the decision that the status of the Faith in the world had reached a level justifying
Page 89Seated in the conference Room is a group of Bahá'ís who toured the United Nations headquarters rs in April, 1965. To the left of the photograph is Mrs. Mildred Mottaliedeb, accredited representative of the Bahá'í International Community to the United Nations.
application for recognition by the United Nations of the Bahá'í International Community as a nongovernmental organization with consultative status. To this end the
Universal House of Justicedecided to assume the function of representing the Bahá'í International Community in its relations with the United Nations, a responsibility which had been shouldered for many years, with great distinction, by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States.
The Universal House of Justice decided in 1967 that the volume and scope of the work of the Bahá'í
International Communityjustified the appointment of a full-time observer.
Mrs. Mildred Mottahedeh, who had performed devoted and distinguished part-time service in that office for nearly twenty years, asked to be relieved of the heavy responsibility, and Dr. Victor de Araujo was appointed Accredited Representative.
Mrs. Mottahedeli accepted appointment as Alternate Representative of the Baha International
Community.A number of valuable and constructive acti vities were carried out during the 1963 � 6S period.
In continuing its observer status as a NonGovernmental
Organization, the Baha InternationalCommunity sent representatives to meetings open to it as well as maintaining current contact with the activities of the United Nations in New York and elsewhere.
Baha delegations attended the annual conferences of Non-Goverrnnental Organizations associated with the United Nations and a delegation also attended the observances of the Twentieth Anniversary of United Nations held in San Francisco in June 1965. At this gathering, as a token of appreciation and support of United Nations, the Baha International Community presented to each delegation and to some of the officials a small, beautifully finished wooden box bearing on its cover the celestial and terrestrial globes of the world. The following message was attached: Presented in appreciation by the Bahá'í International Community on the occasion of the Twentieth Anniversary
CommemorativeMeetings of the United Nations, San Francisco, June, 1965.
"The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens."
Bahá'u'lláhRights Day were also held in many local communities throughout the Bahá'í world each year. The Bahá'í
International Communitycontinued to play an increasingly active role in promoting interest in United Nations activities.
One of the important assignments given by the Universal House of Justice to its representative was the presentation on behalf of the Universal House of Justice of The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh to fifty-six Heads of State via their ambassadors to the United Nations. This delicate mission was carried out with great success and with but few exceptions, for reasons beyond control, all the fifty-six ambassadors received this historic document.
In late 1965 the Bahaestablished its own offices in New York, renting space in a new building facing the United Nations complex to the south. The Bahá'í
United Nations CommitteeOctober1967, thel3ah&iworldenteredthe third phase of the Nine Year Plan. Over nine thousand believers assembled in six simul-taneously-held Intercontinental Conferences, deliberated on ways and means to proclaim the Divine Message of Bahá'u'lláh to the leaders and masses of the planet.' Thus the third phase of the Nine Year Plan, which added "proclama-tion" to the scope of Bahá'í activities, was inaugurated. In keeping with the urgency of the hour, barely a month elapsed from the close of the six Intercontinental Conferences to the announcement by the Universal House of Justice that the first Oceanic Conference would be held at Palermo, Sicily in August 1968, just prior to the commemoration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of Bahá'u'lláh's arrival in the Holy Land. With this auspicious begin-fling, the worldwide community of the Most 1 For a report an the
Six TntercontinentalGreat Name launched on a global scale the long-to-be-sustained campaign to bring the Divine
Message of Bahá'u'lláhto the Bahá'ís of the world, the preparation was called for of "...national and local plans for the befitting celebration of the centenary of Bahá'u'lláh's proclamation of His Message in September! October, 1867, to the kings and rulers of the world..
." and all National Spiritual Assemblies were called upon to "consider now the appointment of National
Proclamation Committees.National and local plans were made and carried out at the appointed time, and in the capitals and major cities of the world as well as in smaller towns, villages and islands public announcements of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh were made.
Such events as public meetings, receptions, exhibitions, radio programmes, banquets and other activities, reported in the press in many instances, were undertaken, initiating a universal proclamation of the Cause on a scale never before attempted.
On the international stage three events took place.
On the Feast of Ma~iyyat (September 26, 1967) six Hands of the Cause of God, representing the Bahá'í world, visited the site of Bahá'u'lláh's house in Adrianople where the celebrated Sariy-i-Muldk, the chief depository of His general messages to the kings had been revealed a hundred years before, and in long hours though day and night made ardent supplication for the confirmation of the activities of the friends in the new phase of the Nine Year Plan, and indeed of the Cause itself At the same time the Universal House of Justice offered its prayers in the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh.
From this holy and historic site these six Hands of the Cause made their ways, as the For a report on proclamation activities see page 195 of this volume.
Page 91distinguished representatives of the Universal House of Justice, to the six
InterContinental Conferenceswhich had been called to commemorate the inception of Bahá'u'lláh's Own proclamation of the Cause of God, to". .sound the 'opening notes' of a period of proclamation of the Cause of God. ." and to deliberate on ways to achieve the goals of the Nine Year Plan. Each Hand bore, from the World Centre, a photograph of the Blessed Beauty to be shown to the friends attending the Conferences, which are described elsewhere.
The Universal House of Justicecompiled and published a book entitled The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh comprising the greater part of the Sdriy-i-Mulak, Tablets to specific kings and potentates, addresses to other monarchs and rulers named in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, and essential passages from His announcement to religious leaders and to mankind in general.
Two editions of this volume were made, one limited to thee hundred copies with embellished text and rich binding and the other a general edition. Copies of the limited edition were presented to Hands of the Cause and to all National Spiritual Assemblies, an adequate number being held in reserve for presentation to new National Spiritual Assemblies to be established during the Nine Year Plan.
One hundred and forty copies of the special edition were designated for Heads of State.2 To kings, presidents and rulers, individual letters were addressed by name and inserted in these one hundred and forty copies.
The gist of these letters was to call to the attention of the rulers the Message of Bahá'u'lláh, to refer, where relevant, to IBah~'u'11dh's Tablet to his or her predecessor, to beg the recipient not to set the message lightly aside and to assure him of prayers for his welfare and that of his country.
Of these one hundred and forty books, fifty-six were scheduledforpresentationthroughtheambassadors to the United Nations of the countries concerned, a task of personal interviewing discharged with conscientious devotion by the Bahá'í
International Community'sThree were sent by registered post. The remainder were assigned to National Spiritual Assemblies to present by personal interview or in whatever way they could. Bahá'í delegations have been 1 The complete text of this book begins on page 1 of this volume.
See page 204 of this volume for additional report.
courteously received by kings and presidents and in some instances the name of the Cause has appeared in the press for the first time.
Many National and Localare using the general edition for presentation to ministers of state, religious dignitaries, state and provincial governors, mayors and other leaders of society.
PILGRIMAGEof Justice decided to use for its offices the building in Haifa which had been for so many years the Western Pilgrim House, it became necessary to find other accommodation for the western pilgrims.
It was found possible, by sligh{ alteration, to accommodate all the pilgrims from both east and west in the former
Eastern Pilgrim HouseThese alterations were made in time for the beginning of the pilgrimage season in November 1963. It was also decided that the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land would continue to be responsible for the pilgrimage programme.
THE INTERNATIONAL BAHÁ'Íannounced to National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world the establishment of the International
Baha AudioVisual Centrein Victor, outside Rochester, New York. Its functions included "creating, producing, storing, indexing, marketing and distributing audiovisual materials for the benefit of the World Centre and
National Spiritual Assemblies".or to individuals, but rather to act as a wholesale supplier to National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world. It was also envisaged that IBAVC would operate and be managed on a basis similar to that of the Baha Publishing Trusts, i.e., would be self-supporting. Mr. William Richter was named manager.
The first assignment of the International Bahá'í AudioVisual Centre was to arrange for audiovisual coverage of the six Intercontinental Conferences held in October 1967. The outgrowth of that assignment was the production and distribution of a slide programme
Page 92President Zalman and Mrs. Shazar of Israel, and Mayor and Mrs. Aba Khouslzy of Haifa, on the occasion of their formal visit to the Shrine of the Báb and the Bahd'igardens on Mt. Garmel in the spring of 1964.
entitled The Hundredth Year featuring the sights and sounds of the historic Conferences held in Kampala, Frankfurt, Panama City, New Delhi, Sydney and Chicago.
The Centre also reproduced and distributed copies of the sound-slide presentation Carmel � The Mountain ofGodwhich the AudioVisual Department of the Universal House of Justice had prepared for showing at the Conferences.
Other early projects included assistance in distributing the Columbia Broadcasting System television film
And His Name Shall BeOne to those National Assemblies which acted as hosts to the Intercontinental Conferences, and the acquisition and copyright clearance of photographs of the kings and rulers to whom Bahá'u'lláh had addressed His momentous Tablets.
Office space and other facilities for use of the Centre were generously made available by Mr. Richter on the farm owned by him in Victor. The tenant house was converted for use as an office and workshop. Photographic laboratories, a small printing shop, and other facilities were installed in the basement of the
Richter residence. Amplespace is available in other outbuildings for future expansion.
The counterpart of theAudioVisual Centre was established at the World Centre through the creation of an AudioVisual Department responsible directly to the
Universal House of Justice.The State of Israel from its inception has accorded high status to the international institutions of the Faith located at the World Centre. Historically speaking, there had always been, from the time of Bahá'u'lláh Himself, high respect for the Faith and its leaders on the part of local government officials.
The rights, privileges and status granted to the Bahá'ís in the time of the Mandate were continued and in some respects enlarged following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
The first official act of the Universal House of Justice following its election at RhjvAn 1963
Page 93was to send a delegation consisting of two Hands of the Cause and two members of the House of Justice to attend the State funeral of Israel's second President, Izhak Ben Zvi, which was held in Jerusalem on April 23, 1963.
Israel's third President, Zalman Shazar, accepted the invitation of the
Universal House of Justicein the spring of 1964 to pay a formal visit to the Shrine of the BTh and the Bahá'í gardens on Mount Carmel. included in the Presidential party on that occasion were
Mrs. Shazar and Mayorand Mrs. Aba Khoushy of Haifa. Later a delegation composed of Hands of the Cause and members of the Universal House of Justice returned the visit by calling on President
Shazar at Beit HanassiThe cordial relationship which exists between the World Centre and the State of Israel was further enhanced when
Mark Tobey and BernardLeach each presented a piece of their work to the new Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The Mayor of Jerusalem, who is also Director of the Museum, expressed great pleasure and gratitude for these gifts from Bahá'ís of such fame.
The change in management of the various IsraelAssemblies from the Custodians to members of the Universal House of Justice was officially accepted by the State of Israel, and in all other respects the status of the Universal House of Justice as the head of the Faith was recognized and respected.
In 1966 a stone wall and new entrance to the Baha cemetery in Haifa were constructed, resulting in the beautification of this treasured visiting place of Bahá'í pilgrims where many outstanding early Bahá'ís are buried at the foot of Mount Carmel just below the cave of
Elijah.Assemblies were formed in the Western Hemisphere during the five-year period ending in 1968. Both were formed at Ri4vtin
1967: Belize (BritishHonduras) with its seat in the city of Belize, and the Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands with its seat in Charlotte
Amalie. The HawaiianIslands were under the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United
States until Ridvan 1964.At that time a new National Assembly was formed in the Hawaiian
IslandsThe beginnings of mass teaching in Bolivia in the closing years of the Ten Year Crusade spread to other Latin American countries, notably Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and
Panama. The NationalSpiritual Assembly of Belize was able to win all its home-front teaching goals during the first year of its existence.
By 1968, six thousand and ninety-eight Bahá'í centres had been established in the Western Hemisphere' and one thousand one hundred and seventeen Local Spiritual Assemblies had been raised tip. A total of one hundred and sixty-five American tribes and ethnic minorities were represented in the Faith and Baha literature in fifty-eight American languages and dialects had been published.
The great focus of attention, however, was on Panama where, during the course of the second half of the Nine Year Plan the majestic Mashriqu'1-A~hk6r conceived by architect Peter Tillotson was to be erected on Cerro Sonsonate hill just outside Panama City.
Widespread use of television for proclaiming the Faith had its beginnings in the United States with the release of the Columbia
Broadcasting System'sifim And His Name Shall Be One. Produced originally for use by the Columbia Broadcasting System in a series of religious programmes, the film was used extensively by the Bahá'ís throughout the world.
The California VictoryCampaign launched by a Victory Committee appointed by the Figures include areas temporarily under the jurisdiction of National
Spiritual AssembliesMr. Hendrik Olsen (second from the right), the first indigenous Bahá'í Greenland; July, 1965.
To the left is Mrs. Jolianne Hoeg, Auxiliary Board member, and to the right Dr. H. Ra'fat, both of Denmark.
The first Yaqui Indian to become a Bahá'í the Sr. Martin Zamora of Embaraci6n, Argentina, State of Sonora, Mexico; 1966. To her right is the first believer of the Mataco tribe. Sr. Esther Krieger, Bahd'ipioneer. Zamora assisted in making the first translations tions of the Bahá'í Writings into the Mataco language.
Page 95National Assembly in 1965 heralded the begin-flings of a new dimension in teaching in the United States. The Hand of the Cause William Sears, assisted by Auxiliary Board members Florence
Mayberry and AnthonyLease, made outstanding contributions to the eight-month campaign.
The goal was to double the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies in the State.
An impudent and somewhat naive attempt by the followers of Mason Remey to gain possession of all Bahá'í properties and funds in the United States, including the Mother Temple of the West in Wilmette, was commenced in 1964. The first intimation of this fantastic claim was a letter from a lawyer received in the summer of that year by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States setting out the demands of the Covenant-breakers, suggesting that the whole matter could be settled without recourse to the courts, and proposing a date for discussion of the matter.
On November 5, 1964 the Covenant-breakers formally ified suit in the United
States District Courtfor Northern Illinois, supporting their claimsby allegingthatthey werethe "orthodox" Baha and that Mason Remey was the "hereditary guardian".
The National Spiritual Assembly, defendant in the case, answered this claim, stating its historic and legal right to all Baha properties in the United States.
The National Assemblyalso filed a counterclaim asking the court to restrain the Covenant-breakers from using Baha names and symbols protected by United States trademark.
On March 23, 1965 the Covenant-breakers' case was dismissed on technical grounds; they filed a further suit making the same claims and this was dismissed on March 8, 1966, leaving the National Assembly's counterclaim outstanding. This was set for trial on June 1, 1966 but the Covenant-breakers failed to appear and defend.
Judgement was rendered in favour of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States.
As a result of this action the authority and rights of the National Assembly over the properties and funds in its care were upheld by the court, and the dwindling group of Remey followers was forbidden to use those Bahá'í names and symbols which by long use have become associated with the Faith ofBahA'u'lhh and its Administrative Order.'
United States Bahd'iNews,Assemblies were formed on the European continent during the period 1963 � 1968.
The fifteen European NationalEurope was honoured by being the host to approximately seven thousand believers attending the World Congress in London at Ri~1v~n 1963 � the largest gathering of Bahá'ís ever witnessed � and in the following year (July, 1964) the eyes of the Baha world were focused on Langenhain (near Frankfurt) on the occasion of the dedication of the Mother Temple of Europe.
Outstanding recognitions for the Faith were the incorporation of the
National Spiritual Assemblyin the predominantly Roman Catholic country of Italy, as well as in Finland and Monaco.
Also noteworthy was the election of a Local Spiritual Assembly on the fringes of the Arctic Circle in Reykjavik, Iceland and its incorporation.
By 1968 one thousand and eighty-two Bahá'í centres had been established in Europe' and one hundred and eighty-two Local Spiritual Assemblies elected.
A new Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Maison d'Edition, for the publication of Baha literature in the French language, was formed at Brussels by the Belgian National Assembly, thus accomplishing a major goal of the Nine Year
Plan.with its seat in Kampala North East Africa with its seat in Addis Ababa 1 Figures given include areas temporarily under the jurisdiction of National
Spiritual AssembliesNorth West Africa with its seat in Tunis South and West Africa with its seat in
JohannesburgSpiritual Assemblies were formed in all these regions except
North East Africa. Theof Central and East Africa was dissolved and the following new National Spiritual Assemblies established: Kenya with its seat in
NairobiAssembly of Uganda and Central Africa had jurisdiction over the following countries:
UgandaInthat sameyear the territory of the National Spiritual
Assembly of North WestAfrica was altered and two new National Spiritual Assemblies were formed.
These National Spiritual Assembliesand the territories comprising them were as follows:
North West AfricaAlso in 1964 the area of South and West Mrica was altered and two new
National Regional Assemblieswere formed. Their names and territories follow: Indian Ocean with its seat in Port Louis
MauritiusIn 1967 an additional four new National Spiritual Assemblies were formed, making fourteen in all.
The new Assemblies were as follows: Algeria and Tunisia with its seat in Algiers The Cameroon Republic with its seat in Victoria Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique with its seat in Mbabane with its seat in
Page 97Moroccan BaluI'iprisoners leaving Kenitra prison, December 13, 1963.
Zambia (Northern Rhodesia)with its seat in Lusaka The seat of the National Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa was transferred from Tunis to Rabat.
By RicJv6n 1968 Bahá'ísresided in six thousand three hundred and nineteen localities in the African continent' and two thousand and sixty-six of these had formed Local Spiritual Assemblies. A total ofsixhundred and sixty-four tribes and minority groups were represented in the membership and Bah~ 'I literature had been translated and published in one hundred and thirteen African languages and dialects. Seven National
Spiritual Assemblieshad been incorporated � one of them, the Indian Ocean, by legislative enactment.
The spectre which hung over Africa at the time of the Most Great Jubilee observance in London was the persecution of Baha in Morocco. Beginning with the arrest of four believers in Nador on April12, 1962 the number 1 Figures given include areas temporarily under the jurisdiction of National
Spiritual Assembliesof Bahá'ís imprisoned in Morocco finally reached fourteen. They were eventually arraigned on charges of(1) rebellion and disorder, (2) attacks on public security, (3) constitution of an association of criminals, (4) constitution of an association and (5) attacks on religious faith. Upon trial in December 1962, though the prosecution made no attempt to prove the charges, nine were convicted. Three were sentenced to death; five to life imprisonment; one to imprisonment for fifteen years.'
The sentences were appealed to the Supreme Court.The focus of world public opinion, favourable to the Baha, was brought to bear on the Moroccan government. Representations were made at the United Nations; a white paper on the Moroccan persecutions was prepared and widely circulated; the public press was aroused in many countries; and
Bahá'í Spiritual Assembliesthroughout the world appealed to King Hassan TI for the release of the prisoners.
After nearly a year of patient waiting for the The Rahd'f World, ~o1. XIII, p. 288.
Page 98Mr. P. I. Pukoya, first indigenous believer of the Laccadive Islands (right); Mr. S. B. Mobedzadeh, Auxiliary Board member (centre); and Mr. A. P. Kwnaran, Bahá'í pioneer (left); 1966.
Supreme Court to hear the appeals, the Universal House of Justice called "for believers throughout the world to pray at the Feast of Qawi (November 23) that early favourable action may be taken in the cases of these devoted and steadfast friends whose long suffering on behalf of our Faith has been an inspiration to Baha everywhere."' Shortly after the Feast of Qawi the Supreme Court heard the appeals, reversed the decision of the trial court and ordered the release of the prisoners. The men were freed on Friday, December 13, 1963 following twenty months of close confinement and one year after hearing sentences of death and imprisonment imposed on them.1 Prayers of gratitude were offered throughout the world, and letters expressing gratification for the decision of the Supreme Court were written by National Spiritual Assemblies to the King.
Universal HOTISe of Justice, letter of October 17, 1963. Universal House of Justice, letter of December 18, 1963.
Page 99At the time of the launching of the Nine Year Plan six new National
Spiritual Assembliesof South East Asia was dissolved: Indonesia with its seat in Djakarta and comprising
Indonesia, the MentawaiPhilippine Islands with its seat in Manila Thailand with its seat in Bangkok and having jurisdiction over the Bahá'ís of Laos Vietnam with its seat in Saigon and having jurisdiction over the Bahá'ís of Cambodia Malaysia with its seat in Kuala Lumpur and comprising Malaya, Singapore, Brunei, Sabali and Sarawak
In 1966 the National SpiritualAssembly of Brunci was established with its seat in Brunei town, and in 1967 four additional
National Spiritual Assemblieswere formed in Asia, raising the total to nineteen:
Eastern and Southern ArabiaThe mass teaching in India which had begun in the closing years of the Ten Year Crusade continued with thousands enrolling under the banner of Bahá'u'lláh in that country each year.
Korea, the Philippinesand Vietnam also experienced the results of mass teaching, making the Asian continent' the world leader in total
Baha population. In1968 there were seventeen thousand four hundred and ninety-nine centres in Asia (more than half the world total) of which three thousand three hundred and seventy-three were Local Spiritual Assembly areas. A total of two hundred and twenty-five Asian tribes and minority groups were represented in the Faith, and Baha literature had been translated and published in one hundred and thirty-two languages and dialects.
One of the great victories of this period was the acquisition and possession of Chibrig, the fortress on the northern border of Persia wnere the blessed 13Th was once imprisoned and from 1 Figures given include areas temporarily under the jurisdiction of National
Spiritual Asseinb1ie~whence He was taken to His martyrdom. This achievement immensely enriched the spiritual and historical endowments of the Faith.
AUSTRALASIAAt the time of the Most Great Jubilee this vast region comprised only three National Spiritual Assemblies: Australia, New Zealand and the South
Pacific Islands. At Ri41v~nAssembly of the Hawaiian Islands, with its seat in Honolulu, was formed, and its territory was added to this region. The
Regional National SpiritualAssembly of the South Pacific Islands was dissolved and its territory divided into two National Assembly areas: South Pacific Ocean with its seat in Suva (Fiji) and comprising the Gilbert and
Ellice Islands, NauruIsland, Fiji, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga and
Cook Islands.with its seat in iloniara (Solomon Islands) and comprising the Solomon
Islands, the New HebridesAssembly of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands was formed at RhJvAn 1967 with its seat in Tarawa.
By 1968 Bahá'ís resided in five hundred and seventy-four localities in Australasia' of which one hundred and two had formed their Local
Spiritual Assembly. Sixty-onetribes and minority groups were represented among the believers of this region, and Bahá'í literature had been published in forty-eight different languages and dialects.
One of the, outstanding achievements in Australasia during this period was the enactment of a new law in the Solomon Islands, as a direct result of the efforts of the Baha'is, which enabled them to incorporate the National Assembly and all Local Assemblies in the Solomons. The bill was presented to the legislative assembly in December 1964 where it received warm praise and support from government and non-government members alike. It received the assent of the Queen's official representative on December 29th of that year.
I Figures given include areas temporarily under the jurisdiction of National
Spiritual AssembliesThe first Teaching Conference of the Bahá'ís of the Gilbert and Ellis Islands, 1967. The Hand of the Cause C'ollis Featherstone is seen on the far right.
Page 101THE first direct reference to the Plan to begin at Ri~1vAn 1964 was made in the message of the Universal House of Justice to National Conventions sent from
London on 7 May 1963:"The Universal House of Justice, in close consultation with the Hands of the Cause, is examining the vast range of Bahá'í activity and growth in order to prepare a detailed plan of expansion for the whole DahA'i community, to be launched at Ridvan 1964...
"The plan to be embarked upon next Ri4vAn, the details of which will be announced during the coming year, will include such projects as the extension and embellishment of the endowments at the World Centre; collation of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi; continual reinforcement of the ties binding the Bahá'í world to the United Nations; formation of many more National Spiritual Assemblies, both by division of existing Regional
Spiritual Assembliesand the development of new Baha communities, together with the purchase of national Jjaatu'1-Quds, Temple sites, and national endowments; the opening of new territories to the Faith; detailed plans for National Spiritual Assemblies involving, in some areas, consolidation goals, in others the multiplication of Bahá'í institutes and schools, in others a great enrichment of Bahá'í literature, and in all a vast increase in the number of IBahA'is, and the holding of oceanic and intercontinental conferences."
In its message of October, 1963, addressed to "The
Followers of Bahá'u'lláhthroughout the World", the Universal House of Justice first informed the friends that the new Plan would extend over a period of nine years and announced the formation at RhJvAn 1964 � the opening date of the Nine Year Plan � of nineteen new National
Spiritual Assemblies:"Next Rh~v&n will be launched the second of those world-encircling enterprises destined in the course of time to carry the Word of God to every human soul.
The Standard Bearersof this Nine Year Plan are the Hands of the Cause of God. The responsibility for directing the work will rest upon the shoulders of the National Spiritual Assemblies, the generals of the Army of Light, under the guidance of the Universal House of
Justice."As the first step inaugurating this great undertaking we rejoice to announce the formation next Ri~1v~n of nineteen National Spiritual Assemblies, resulting in the dissolution of six of the existing Regional National Spiritual Assemblies, and bringing the total number of these pillars of the Universal House of Justice to sixty-nine.
The National and Regional NationalAfrica, with its seat in Tunis, comprising Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Spanish Sahara, Rio de Oro,
Mauritania, the CanaryAssembly of the Bahá'ís of West Africa, with its seat in Monrovia, comprising Liberia, S~n~ga1, Gambia, Portuguese Guinea, Guin6e, Sierra Leone, Mali, Upper
Volta, IvoryIsland, Corisco Island, Nigeria, Niger, Dahomey, Togo and Ghana.
4. The National SpiritualAssembly of the Bahá'ís of Uganda and Central Africa, witb its seat in Kampala, comprising Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Republic of the Congo (ex-Belgian), the
Congo RepublicAssembly of the Baha of Kenya, with its seat in Nairobi.
6. The National SpiritualAssembly of the Bahá'ís of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, with its seat in Dar-es-Salaam, comprising 101
Page 102102 THE BAHA Tanganyika, Zanzibar, Mafia
Island and Pemba Island.Assembly of the Bahá'ís of South Central Africa, with its seat in Salisbury, comprising Nyasaland, Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and
Bechuanaland.Assembly of the Bahá'ís of South and West Africa, with its seat in Johannesburg, comprising Angola,
SouthWest Africa, SouthAfrica, Zululand, Swaziland, Easutoland, Mozambique and St. Helena.
9. The National SpiritualAssembly of the Bahá'ís of the Indian Ocean, with its seat in Port Louis, comprising Mauritius, the Malagasy Republic,
R&rnion Island, SeychellesAssembly of the Baha of the Hawaiian Islands, with its seat in Honolulu.
11. The National SpiritualAssembly of the Bahá'ís of the South Pacific Ocean, with its seat in Suva, comprising the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Nauru Island,
Fiji, SamoaAssembly of the Bahá'ís of the South West Pacific Ocean, with its seat in Honiara, comprising the Solomon
Islands, New HebridesAssembly of the Bahá'ís of North East Asia, with its seat in Tokyo, comprising Japan,
Formosa, HongKongAssembly of the Bahá'ís of Korea, with its seat in Seoul.
15. The National SpiritualAssembly of the Baha of Malaysia, with its seat in Kuala Lumpur, comprising Malaya, Singapore, Brunei,
Sabah and Sarawak.Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Indonesia, with its seat in Djakarta, comprising
Indonesia, the Men-tawaiAssembly of the Bahá'ís of Vietnam, with its seat in Saigon, and having jurisdiction over the Bahá'ís of Cambodia.
18. The National SpiritualAssembly of the Bahá'ís of Thailand, with its seat in Bangkok, and having jurisdiction over the Baha of Laos.
19. The National SpiritualAssembly of the Baha of the Philippines, with its seat in Manila.
"The detailed goals of the Plan, which will include sixty-nine national plans, have yet to be announced, but they must be such as to develop still further the World Centre of the Faith and the work of its institutions; to consolidate those territories which have already been opened to the Faith; to bring
God's healing Messageto many more of the peoples and territories of the world including all the unopened territories of the Ten Year Crusade and all the remaining independent states of the planet; and to achieve worldwide proclamation of the Faith to mark the
Centenary of Bahá'u'lláh'sProclamation to the kings and rulers in 1867 � 1 868."
The Hands of the Cause of God had carefully examined the condition of the Bahá'í world and had analysed the victories of the beloved Guardian's
Ten Year World Crusade. Fromthis study they developed a summary of goals which, in their opinion, were attainable in the years that lay immediately ahead.
The results of their devoted labours were lovingly made available to the Universal House of Justice immediately after its formation, and the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land continued to offer their advice and counsel to the Universal House of Justice as it embarked upon the research, surveys and study which were the necessary prelude to the drafting of the several messages which together made up the announcement of the Nine Year Plan.
The text of the general message sent to the Bahá'ís of the world at RhulvAn 1964 read: "To the Bahá'ís of the
World"Dearly-loved Friends, "The divinely propelled process, described in such awe-inspiring words by our beloved Guardian, which began six thousand years ago at the dawn of the Adamic cycle and which is destined to culminate in 'the stage at which the light of God's triumphant Faith shining in all its power and glory will have suffused and
Page 103enveloped the entire planet', is now entering its tenth and last part.
"The Ten Year Crusade, so recently consummated in a blaze of victory and rejoicing, constituted the entire ninth part of this process. It saw the Cause of God leap forward in one mighty decade-long effort to the point at which the foundations of its Administrative Order were laid throughout the world, thus preparing the way for that awakening of the masses which must characterize the future progress of the Faith.
"From the beginning of this Dispensation the most urgent summons of the Word of God, voiced successively by the flAb and Bahá'u'lláh, has been to teach the Cause. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in His own words, 'spent His days and nights in promoting the Cause and urging the peoples to service'.
Shoghi Effendi, discharging the sacred mission laid upon him, raised the
Administrative Orderof the Faith, already enshrined within the Sacred Writings, and forged it into a teaching instrument to accomplish through a succession of plans, national, international and global, the entire Divine Plan of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and he clearly foresaw in the 'tremendously long' tenth part of the process already referred to, a series of plans to be launched by the Universal House of Justice, extending over 'successive epochs of both the Formative and Golden Ages of the
Faith'."The first of these plans is now before us. Opening at RiQvAn 1964, while the memories of the glorious Jublice of 1963 still surge within our hearts, it must, during its nine year course, witness a huge expansion of the Cause of God and universal participation by all believers in the life of that Cause.
"At the World Centre of the Faith the tasks of the Plan include publication of a synopsis and codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Book; formulation of the Constitution of the
Universal House of Justice;development of the Institution of the Hands of the Cause of God, in consultation with the body of the Hands of the Cause, with a view to the extension into the future of its appointed functions of protection and propagation; continued collation and classification of the Bahá'í Sacred Scriptures as well as of the writings of Shoghi Effendi; continued efforts directed towards the emancipation of the Faith from the fetters of religious orthodoxy and its recognition as an independent religion; the preparation of a plan for the befitting development and beautification of the entire area of Baha property surrounding the Holy Shrines; extension of the existing gardens on Mount Carmel; development of the relationship between the Baha Community and the United Nations; the holding of oceanic and intercontinental conferences; the coordination of worldwide plans to commemorate, in 1967/68, the centenary of Bahá'u'lláh's Proclamation to the kings and rulers which centred round His revelation of the Sariy-i-Muldk in Adrianople.
"In the world community the Plan involves the opening of seventy virgin territories and the resettlement of twenty-four; the raising of the number of National SpirituaL Assemblies, the pillars sustaining the Universal House of Justice, to one hundred and eight, nine times the number which embarked on the first historic World Crusade in 1953; increasing the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies to over thirteen thousand seven hundred, scattered throughout the territories and islands of the world, at least one thousand seven hundred of them to be incorporated; the raising of the number of localities where Baha reside to over fifty-four thousand; the building of two more Mashriqu'l-Adhkar's one in Asia and one in Latin America; the acquisition of thirty-two Teaching Institutes, fifty-two national IjIa4-ratu'I-Quds, fifty-four national endowments and sites for sixty-two future Temples; wide extension of recognition by civil authorities of the Bahá'í
Holy Days and Bahá'íthe translation of literature into one hundred and thirty-three more languages, and its enrichment in major languages into which translations have already been made; the establishment of four new Baha Publishing Trusts, and a vast increase in the financial resources of the Faith.
"The healthy development of the Cause requires that this great expansion be accompanied by the dedicated effort of every believer in teaching, in living the Bahá'í life, in corm tributing to the Fund, and particularly in the persistent effort to understand more and more the significance of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation.
In the words of our beloved Guardian, 'One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own
Page 104inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendour of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh'.
"Expansion and universal participation are the twin objectives of this initial phase of the second epoch of the Divine Plan, and all the goals assigned to the sixty-nine National Communities are contributory to them. The process of cooperation between National Spiritual Assemblies, already initiated by the beloved Guardian, will, during the course of this Plan, apply to over two hundred specific projects and will further strengthen this process which may well assume great importance in future stages of the Formative
Age."Once more, dear friends, we enter the battle but with an incomparably greater array than that which embarked upon the World Crusade in 1953.
To that small force of twelve national communities, now veteran campaigners, have been added fifty-seven new legions, each under the generalship of a National Spiritual Assembly, each destined to become a veteran of this and future campaigns. That Crusade began with slightly more than six hundred Local Spiritual Assemblies, the greater part of which were situated in Persia, North America and Europe; the home fronts now comprise nearly four thousand six hundred Local Spiritual Assemblies scattered throughout the continents and islands of the world.
We begin this Plan with a tremendous momentum, exemplified by the addition, since last RiQv&n, of over four thousand new centres and thirteen National Spiritual Assemblies, and by the beginning, in several countries, of that entry by troops into the Cause of God prophesied by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and so eagerly anticipated by
Him.of this Nine Year Plan are those same divinely appointed, tried and victorious souls who bore the standard of the World Crusade, the Hands of the Cause of God, whose advice and consultation have been invaluable in the working out of this Nine Year Plan. Supported by their 'deputies, assistants and advisers', the members of the Auxiliary Boards, they will inspire and protect the Army of God, lead through every breach to the limit of available resources and sustain those communities struggling over intractable or stony ground, so that by 1973 the celebrations befitting the centenary of the Revelation of the Most Holy Book may be undertaken by a victorious, firmly established, organically united world community, dedicated to the service of God and the final triumph of His Cause.
"Therefore let each of the sixty-nine communities seize its tasks, at once consider how best to accomplish them within the allotted span, raise its band of pioneers, consecrate itself to unremitting labour and set out on its mission. Now is the golden opportunity. Eor whatever convulsions the waywardness of a godless and materialistic age may yet precipitate in the world, however grievous may be the effects of the rolling up of the present order on the plans and efforts of the Community of the Most Great Name, we must seize the opportunities of the hour and go forward confident that all things are within His mighty grasp and that, if we but play our part, total and unconditional victory will inevitably be ours."
Each of the sixty-nine National Spiritual Assemblies, as indicated abc ye, received a separate message setting forth the details of their respective goals, and these, together with the World Centre goals, are summarized in the following analysis:
ANALYSIS OF THE NINE YEAR INTERNATIONAL1. Publication of a Synopsis and Codification of the Kitd b-i-A qdas.
2. Formulation of the Constitution of the Universal House of Justice.
3. Development of the Institution of the Hands of the Cause of God, with aviewto extension into the future of its appointed functions of protection and propagation.
Page 1054. Continued collation and classification of the Bahá'í Sacred Scriptures as well as of the writings of Shoghi Effendi.
5. Continued efforts directed towards the emancipation of the Faith from the fetters of religious orthodoxy and its recognition as an independent religion.
6. The preparation of a plan for the befitting development and beautification of the entire area of Baha property surrounding the Holy Shrines.
7. The extension of existing gardens on Mount Carmel.
8. Development of the relationship between the Bahá'í community and the United Nations.
9. The holding of Oceanic and Intercontinental Conferences.
10. Coordination of worldwide plans to con~rnemorate in 1967/68 the Centenary of Bahá'u'lláh's Proclamation to the kings and rulers which centred around His revelation of the Sariy-i-Muldk in Adrianople.
GOALS THROUGHOUT THE WORLDCITIES IN WHICH BAHÁ'Í TEMPLES ARE TO BE CONSTRUCTED � 2
TilirAn, Persia Panama, Republic of Panama
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES TO BE ESTABLISHED � 46
(National Assembly responsible for formation of new National Assemblies shown in brackets) resulting in the altering of the regional areas of of one hundred and eight National Assemblies six National Assemblies and the dissolution of by Ri~1vdn, 1973.
seven for a net gain of thirty-nine and a net total
Algeria (North West Africa)Belize (Guatemala) The Gujanas and Surinam (British Isles)
Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands Trinidad and Tobago (Venezuela)
(United States of America)Bismarck Archipelago and New Guinea Fiji Islands (South Pacific Ocean)
(Australia) Samoa (South Pacific Ocean)
Gilbert and Ellice Islands (South Pacific Solomon Islands (South West Pacific Ocean)
Ocean) Tonga and Cook Islands (South Pacific Ocean)
Etn~oPE � 2NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES TO BE INCORPORATED � 65
A AlgeriaThe incorporation should be for the proposed altered area of the
National Assemblies.Belize (Belize)Trinidad and Tobago (Port of Spain)
Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands The Gujanas and Surinam (Georgetown)
(Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Island)a The incorporation should be for the proposed altered area of the National Assemblies.
2 By conversion of local Haziratu'1-Quds if feasible.
Nepal (Katmandu)Gilbert and Ellice Islands (Tarawa)' Samoa (Apia)'
Hawaii (Honolulu)' Solomon Islands (Floniara)1
Bismarck Archipelago and New Guinea South West Pacific Ocean (Noum~a)
(Rabaul) Tonga and Cook Islands (Nuku'alofa)
EUROPE � 2(Within a fifteen mile radius of the city named in brackets)
Algeria (Algiers)Bismarck Archipelago and New Guinea Samoa (Apia)
(Rabaul) Solomon Islands (iloniara)
Gilbert and Ellice Islands (Tarawa) South West Pacific Ocean (Noum6a)
Hawaii (Honolulu) Tonga and Cook Islands (Nuku'alofa)
'By conversion of local Haziratu'1-Quds if feasible.
Page 109(The National Spiritual Assembly responsible is shown in brackets)
AFRICA � 9Chad (Uganda and Central Mrica) Mauritania (North West Africa)
Gabon (Uganda and Central Africa) Niger (West Central Africa)
Guinea (West Mrica) Rodriguez Island (Indian Ocean)
Ifni (North West Africa) Upper Volta (West Africa)
Mali (West Africa)'The endowment is to be located within the proposed altered area ofjurisdictian of these National Spiritual Assemblies.
Page 110(The National Spiritual Assembly responsible is shown in brackets)
AnucA � 6Central Africa) Islands (West Central Africa)
Mafia Island (Tanganyika Spanish Guinea (West Central
and Zanzibar) Africa) Spanish SaharaLANGUAGES INTO WHICH BAnAl LITERATURE IS TO BE TRANSLATED � I 33
(The National Spiritual Assembly responsible is shown in brackets)
AERICA � 3 1LANGUAGES 114 WHICH BAHA LITERATURE IS TO BE ENRICHED'45
(The National Spiritual Assembly responsible is shown in brackets)
Chaco (Colombia)MINORITY GROUPS AND RACES WHICH ARE TO BE INCREASINGLY TAUGHT
AND ENROLLED � 55(The National Spiritual Assembly responsible is shown in brackets)
AnucA � 3LOCATIONS IN WHICH BAHÁ'Í PUBLISHING TRUSTS ARE TO BE FOUNDED � A
Brussels, BelgiumLOCATIONS OF SUMMER/WINTER SCHOOLS TO BE ESTABLISHFD � 4
AFRICA � 3COUNTRIES TN WHICH BAHÁ'Í MARRIAGE CERTIEJCAThS ARE TO BE
RECOGNIZED � 87COUNTRIES IN WHICH BAHÁ'Í HOLY DAYS ARE TO BE RECOGNJZED. � 95
AlgeriaBismarck Archipelago Hawaiian Islands Tonga and Cook Islands
Fiji IslandsNew Caledonia(Listing is by continent and by National Spiritual Assembly charged with giving assistance to the National Spiritual Assembly � named in brackets � responsible for the work)
AnucA � 1Acquiring Temple site in Monrovia, Liberia (West Africa)
Acquiring Temple site in Luxembourg (Luxembourg)Acquiring Temple site in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (South Central Africa)
Enriching literature in Quechua (Bolivia)Translate and publish Literature in Mataco (Argentina)
Brazil � 6Acquiring Temple site in Lusaka, Northern Rhodesia (South Central Africa)
Consolidating Mozambique (South and West Africa)Establishing National Spiritual Assembly of the Gujanas and Surinam (British Isles)
Consolidating French Guiana (France)Acquiring Jjazfratu'1-Quds in Port Louis, Mauritius (Indian Ocean)
Acquiring Temple site in Port Louis, Mauritius (Indian Ocean)
Consolidating St. Helena (South and West Africa)Consolidating Central African Republic (Uganda and Central Africa)
Opening and consolidating Guinea (West Mrica)Acquiring Temple site in Copenhagen, Denmark (Denmark)
Acquiring Temple site in Helsinki, Finland (Finland)
Page 117THE LAUNCHING OF THE NINE YEAR PLAN 117
Chile � iAcquiring Temple site in BlantyrefLimbe, Malawi (South Central Africa)
Colombia � iConsolidating Virgin Islands (United States of America)
Ecuador � iAcquiring Temple site in Zanzibar (Tanganyika and Zanzibar)
Guatemala � 2Consolidating Fernando Po Island (West Central Africa)
Teaching Maya Indians in Chiapas, Campeche, YucatAn and Quintana Roo (Mexico)
Haiti � 2Consolidating British West Indies (United States of America)
Consolidating Basutoland (South and West Africa)Acquiring Temple site in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika (Tanganyika and Zanzibar)
Resettling Spanish Sahara (North West Africa)Acquiring Temple site in Bangui, Central African Republic (Uganda and Central Africa)
Translating and publishing literature in Araucan (Colombia)
Teaching Chocoa Indians (Colombia)Acquiring Temple site in Brazzavile, Congo Republic (Uganda and Central Africa)
United States � 26Acquiring Teaching Institute in Mauritius (Indian Ocean)
Acquiring Ua4ratu'1-Quds in St. Pierre, R&mion Island (Indian Ocean)
Opening Ifni (North West Africa)Consolidating French Somaliland (North East Africa)
Acquiring Teaching Institute in South Mrica (South and West Africa)
Acquiring t{a4ratu'1-Quds in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika (Tanganyika and Zanzibar)
Consolidating Burundi (Uganda and Central Mrica)Opening and consolidating Gabon (Uganda and Central Africa)
Acquiring Ijla4ratu'1-Quds in Brazzaville, Congo Republic (Uganda and Central Africa)
Consolidating Senegal (West Africa)Acquiring Summer/Winter School in West Mrica (West Africa)
Acquiring Ija4ratu'1-Quds in Monrovia, Liberia (West Africa)
Consolidating Togo (West Central Africa)Acquiring kla4ratu'1-Quds in Acera, Ghana (West Central Africa)
Acquiring Teaching Institute in Ghana (West Central Africa)
Consolidating Marshall Islands (Hawaiian Islands)Acquiring Temple site in Lisbon, Portugal (Portugal)
Acquiring Temple site in Santiago, Chile (Chile)Acquiring Temple site in Caracas, Venezuela (Venezuela)
Teaching the Mayan Indians in Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo (Mexico) Consolidating mass conversion Areas (Bolivia)
Uruguay � ]Acquiring Temple site in Khartoum, Sudan (North East Africa)
Translating and publishing Araucan (Colombia)Acquiring Temple site in Bathurst, Gambia (West Africa)
India � ] 1Acquiring Ija4ratu'1-Quds in Bathurst, Gambia (West Africa)
Resettling Maldive Islands (Ceylon)Mass teaching in PAkist&n (Ptikistdn) Mass teaching in Burma (Burma) Mass teaching in Ceylon (Ceylon)
Consolidating China (Vietnam)Consolidating AfgiPnist4n and establishing National Spiritual Assembly (Persia)
Consolidating Rwanda (Uganda and Central Africa)Acquiring Temple site in Tananarive, Malagasy Republic (Indian Ocean)
Acquiring Ija4ratu'1-Quds in Lusaka, Northern Rhodesia (South Central Africa)
Acquiring Training Institute in Basutoland (South and West Africa)
Consolidating Pemba Island (Tanganyika and Zanzibar)
Consolidating Muscat and Oman (Arabia)Acquiring Temple site in Mbabane, Swaziland (South and West Africa)
Acquiring Teaching Institute in Nigeria (West Central Africa)
Consolidating Syria ('IrAq)Acquiring Teaching Institute in Swaziland (South and West Africa)
Acquiring Temple site in Victoria, Cameroon Republic (West Central Africa)
Resettling Kuria Muria Islands (Arabia)Acquiring Temple site in Maseru, Basutoland (South and West Africa)
Opening Mali (West Africa)Acquiring Ljaziratu'1-Quds in Tananarive, Malagasy Republic (Indian Ocean)
Acquiring tla4ratu'1-Quds in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (South Central Africa)
Acquiring Ija4ratu'1-Quds in Maseru, Basutoland (South and West Africa)
Acquiring Ua4ratu'1-Quds in Mbabane, Swaziland (South and West Africa)
Consolidating Zanzibar (Tanganyika and Zanzibar)Acquiring three Teaching Institutes in Uganda (Uganda and Central Africa)
Consolidating Congo Republic (Leopoidville) (Uganda and Central Africa)
Consolidating Trucial Sheikhs (Arabia)Acquiring two Teaching Institutes in Congo Republic (Leopoidville) (Uganda and Central
Africa)Acquiring Teaching Institute in Central Mrican Republic (Uganda and Central Africa)
Consolidating Ivory Coast (West Africa)Acquiring Ija4ratu'1-Quds in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (West Africa)
Opening Niger (West Central Africa)Acquiring Ijaziratu'1-Quds in Lagos, Nigeria (West Central Africa)
Resettling Absti (Arabia)Enriching Baha literature in Kurdish ('IrAq) Transfer remains of the mother of the flAb ('IrAq)
AUsTRALAsIA � 19Acquiring Temple site in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (North East Africa)
Acquiring Jja4ratu'1-Quds in Zanzibar, Zanzibar (Tanganyika and Zanzibar)
Consolidating South Pacific Ocean, including the forming of four National Assemblies (South
Pacific Ocean)Consolidating South West Pacific Ocean, including the forming of two National Assemblies
(South West Pacific Ocean)Acquiring Ija4ratu'1-Quds in Tarawa, Gilbert Islands (South Pacific Ocean)
Page 120Acquiring Ua;fratu'1-Quds in Honiara, Solomon Islands (South West Pacific Ocean)
Acquiring lja4ratu'1-Quds in Noum~a, New Caledonia (South West Pacific Ocean)
Acquiring Temple site in Tarawa, Gilbert Islands (South Pacific Ocean)
Acquiring Temple site in Honiara, Solomon Islands (South West Pacific Ocean)
Acquiring Temple site in Noum6a, New Caledonia (South West Pacific Ocean)
Hawaiian Islands � iEnrich literature in Tagalog and Ilocano (Philippine Islands)
New Zealand � 8Acquiring Ila4ratu'1-Quds in Nuku'alofa, Tonga Islands (South Pacific Ocean)
Acquiring Temple site in Nuku'alofa, Tonga Islands (South Pacific Ocean)
Acquiring Temple site in Apia, Western Samoa (South Pacific Ocean)
Acquiring Lja4ratu'1-Quds in Apia, Western Samoa (South Pacific Ocean)
Consolidating Tonga (South Pacific Ocean)Consolidating American Samoa (South Pacific Ocean)
EURoPE � 74Acquiring Teaching Institute in South Central Africa (South Central Mrica)
Enriching literature in German (Germany)Consolidating Congo Republic (Leopoidville) (Uganda and Central Africa)
Acquiring }ja4ratu'1-Quds in Usumbura, Burundi (Uganda and Central Mrica)
Acquiring Ijaziratu'1-Quds in Bukavu, Congo Republic (Leopoidville) (Uganda and Central
Africa)Acquiring Temple site in Bukavu, Congo Republic (Leopoidville) (Uganda and Central Africa)
Teaching in Luxembourg (Luxembourg)Acquiring Ija4ratu'1-Quds in BlantyrelLimbe, Malawi (South Central Africa)
Consolidating South West Africa (South and West Africa)
Consolidating Sierra Leone (West Africa)Acquiring J3a4ratu'1-Quds in Victoria, Cameroon Republic (West Central Africa)
Opening Tokelau Islands (New Zealand)Consolidating Gilbert and Ellice Islands (South Pacific Ocean)
Consolidating Rhodes (italy)Forming National Spiritual Assembly in Belsize (Guatemala)
Consolidating Hong Kong (North East Asia)Consolidating Iceland and forming National Spiritual Assembly (Canada)
Consolidating Faroe Islands (British Isles)Acquiring Teaching Institute in Tanganyika (Tanganyika and Zanzibar)
Page 121Consolidating Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (Germany)
France � 7Acquiring Ijaziratu'I-Quds in Bangui, Central African Republic (Uganda and Central Africa)
Opening Upper Volta (West Africa)Acquiring Temple site in Cotonon, Dahomey (West Central Africa)
Germany � 9Acquiring Temple site in St. Pierre, R4union Island (Indian Ocean)
Acquiring Temple site in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (West Africa)
Acquiring Ua4ratu'1-Quds in Cotonou, Dahomey (West Central Africa)
Teaching in Austria (Austria)Acquiring Temple site in Usumbura, Burundi (Uganda and Central Africa)
Italy � 3Acquiring Temple site in Accra, Ghana (West Central Africa)
Consolidating Monaco (France)Acquiring Summer/Winter School in Ethiopia (North East Mrica)
Portugal � SResettling Sao Tome and Principe Islands (West Central Africa)
Spain � 4Acquiring Teaching Institute in Cameroon Republic (West Central Africa)
Page 122Acquiring Temple site in Lagos, Nigeria (West Central Africa)
Opening Estonia (Finland)Consolidating Congo Republic (Brazzaville) (Uganda and Central Africa)
Teaching in Austria (Austria)Enriching literature in French (Belgium) Enriching literature in German (Germany) Enriching literature in Italian (Italy)
MISCELLANEOUS UNTABULATED GOALS � 104(a) Transfer the remains and construct the tomb of the wife of the BTh (Persia) (b) Identify and transfer the remains of the mother of the Rib ('IrAq)
2. Acquisition of Holy Sites(a) Acquire the RigivAn Garden in Baghd6d ('Ir&q) (Ii) Acquire the site of the martyrdom of the Báb (Persia) (c) Acquire the site of the prison of Mtth-Kti (Persia)
3. Bahá'í Literature(a) Classification and collation of Sacred Scriptures and the Guardian's writings (Persia) 4. Expansion (See also tables which follow) (a) Establish at least two Local Spiritual Assemblies in each State or Province (Belgium) (United
States)(b) Establish at least one Local Spiritual Assembly in each major administrative subdivision of the country
Carneroon Republic Jamaica South Africa
Congo Republic (Leopoidville) Mauritius Tanganyika
Haiti New Zealand Uganda(c) Establish Local Spiritual Assemblies along the Black Sea Coast (Turkey) (d) Establish at least one group in each major administrative subdivision (Switzerland) (e) Establish at least one locality in each major administrative subdivision (or Island) of the territory
Argentina Dominican Republic MexicoCuba Honduras South West Pacific
(f) Establish locality in each major town and village visited by Bahá'u'lláh (Turkey)
5. Teaching(a) Greatly increase proportion of native believers
Austria Italy Switzerland(b) Extend support and assistance to mass conversion areas in Africa, Asia and Latin America
(Persia)Develop Baha Schools (Burma) (Mentawei Jslands � add twenty schools) (Uganda)
8. Local Haziratu'I-QudsAcquire Local Endowments in well-grounded communities
Bechuanaland Northern RhodesiaIncorporate at least one Local Assembly in each State (United States)
11. Miscellaneous(a) Deepen newly enrolled believers in the Faith (in addition to Teaching Institutes) (Bolivia) (b) Extend Bahá'í education to the largest number possible of Bahá'í youth and children, preparing aring them for active Baha life
Bolivia Kenya(c) Participation of Bahá'í women in Local and National Assembly membership (Arabia)
Tanganyika and ZanzibarAssemblies of the 1964 BY Bahá'í world, 1973 listed by continent, with the countries, territories, islands and dependencies at home and abroad for which they are responsible ~ ~ ~ ~ k k ~ ~' AFRICA INDIAN OCEAN 18 22 40 1 40 iG 250 13
Mauritius. 1 1 1Rodriguez I. 3 9 12 10 3
Malagasy Republic 1 10 11 5Reunion I. 3
KENYA Kenya 166 532 698 1 800 300050
NORTH EAST AFRICA 13 20 33 1 30 300 10
Egypt (U.A.R.) 1 2 3 1 5Libya 4 9 13 1 15 5
Sudan 1 18 19 15 5
Ethiopia 2 8 10 10 5
Eritrea 1 5 6 5NORTH WEST AFRICA 1 22 23 10 200 5
Tunisia 1 2 4 10 5
Algeria 10 12 22 25 5
Morocco. 1 (2)
Mauritania 1Rio de Oro 1 (5)
Spanish Sahara IMadeira (to be 1 1 2 2 transferred to Portugal) Canary Is. (to 2 1 3 5 be transferred toSpain)
Page 125Assemblies of the 1964 BY Bahá'í world, 1973 listed by continent, with the countries, territories, islands and dependencies at home and abroad for which they are responsible '1 " ~ i:~j ~ ~ .~
~ ~SOUTH CENTRAL AFRICA19 60 79 2 60 600 12
Northern Rhodesia 1 19 20 2 20 5TANGANYIKA & ZANZIBAR66 172 238 2 200 8 30
Tanganyika 1 800UGANDA & CENTRAL AFRICA671 655 132610 1500 1000050
Uganda 3 3 10 3Congo Republic~razza.)1 1 10 3
Gabon 1Assemblies of the Baud'! world, listed by continent, with the countries, territories, islands and depend encies at home and abroad for which they are responsible
ARGENTINA 6 15 21 2 18 50 6Assemnbhes of the 1964 BY Bahá'í world, 1973 listedhy continent, with the countries, territories, islands and depend encies at home and abroad for which they are responsible � ~ .~ ~ ~ ~ ~, ~ CANADA 64 191 255 19 130 iL 750 57
CanadaKeewatin. 1 1 1 1 1
Labrador 1 2 6
Mackenzie 1 1 1Queen Charlotte 17 20 10 iG
Is. 1 1CHILE 8 24 32 3 25 iL 70 9 Chile 1 1 iL 2
Chilo6 I. IL 1I. COLOMBIA Colombia. 11 8 19 1 27 iL 100 5 St. Andr~s I. Providencia iL 1 J 1
COSTA RICA CostaRica22 15 37 1 45 100 10
CUBA Cuba 4 1 5 2 8 15 6Assemblies of the 1964 BY Bahá'í world, 1973 listed by continent, with the countries, territories, islands and dependencies at home and abroad for which they are responsible ~ ' ~ ~ ~ [ ~ ~ '~ ~, R ~ ~
ECUADOR 5 39 44 2 120 300 10EL SALVADOR. ElSalvador3 10 13 1 9 27 3
GUATEMALA 1 21 29 3 27 100 12HONDURAS 15 11 26 6 50 IL 150 12
Honduras 1Mexico iL I Tibur6n I.. IL 1 Cozumel I. iL 1
Las Mujeres I. 1THE LAUNCHING OF TILE NINE YEAR PLAN 129
STATISTICS GOALSAssemblies of the Bahá'í world, ~ listed by continent, with the countries, territories, islands and depend encies at home L ~ ~,~ ~ E~ ~ and abroad for which they are responsible
VENEZUELAUnited States (Continental). 3311379 1710 117 596
Key West 1 1 1 3000St. Kitts-Nevis iL Dominica iL
St. Vincent ILAssemblies of the 1964 BY Bahá'í world, 1973 listed by continent, with the countries, territories, islands and dependencies at home and abroad for which they are responsible ~ ~ k ~ ~, ~ ~ ASIA 1 3 19 iL 15
ARABIA 3 fBURMA Burma. ii 15 26 3 30 95 20 CEYLON 8 38 46 1 50 iL 150 15
Ceylon 1INDIA 106434624526 26 4000IL 20000200
India 6 17 23 12 iL 50
Sikkim 2 12 14 15 50INDONESIA 46 60 106 3 150 iL 600 30
Indonesia 16 10 26 3 30 40 9
Mentawei Is. 1 1 3 9
Portuguese Timor 1 3Assemblies of the 1964 BY Bahá'í world, 1973 listed by continent, with the countries, territories, islands and depend encies at home and abroad for which they are responsible ~ k , ~ ~ '0 ..~,~ ~,~ ~ ~, 'IRAQ 2 1 1 19 30 5 'Ir~iq 1 1 6 9
Lebanon. 2 1 1 5 9NORTH EAST ASIA 13 50 63 1 60 iL 15020 Japan 1 1 2 5 iL 20 3
HongKong 1 1 1 1PERSIA 530 973 1503 1000 iG 3000
Persia 1 1 4 9Assemblies of the 1964 BY Bahá'í world, 1973 listed by continent, with the countries, territories, islands and dependencies at home and abroad for which they are responsible
~ Co J ~ ~ ~~ S. ~ ~ ~
PHILIPPINE IS. Philippine150 130 280 2 200 100018
Is.TURKEY 12 13 25 25 iG 60 5 Turkey iG 1 Imroz I. iG 1
Bozca Ada 1VIETNAM 195 100 295 1 400 iL 900 60 Vietnam 1 1 2 6 iG 15 2
Cambodia 1 1 1 1
China. 122345028726261 6536 27475518 A USTRALASIA AUSTRALIA30 88 118 19 60 iL 250 30 Australia 2 7 9 iL 1
Tasmania 1Bathurst I. 1 9 10 2 4
Bismarck Archipelago 2 iG 4
Admiralty Is. 1 1 2 4
NorthEast New 1 1 2 2
GuineaNEW ZEALAND NewZealand3 41 44 3 10 iG 64 5 Tokelau Is. iG 1
Niuel. 1Assemblies of the 1964 BY Bahá'í world, 1973 listed by continent, with the countries, territories, islands and depend encies at home and abroad for which they are responsible ~ ~Z k k .~ '~ � ~
SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN 16 18 18 2 4 25 9SOUTH WEST PACIFIC OCEAN1 55 63 40 70 7
Solomon Is. 1 1 2 3 51AUSTRIA 1 1 1 ii Austria.. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
HungaryAssemblies of the 1964 BY ~ahd'i world, 1973 listed by continent, with the countries, territories, islands and dependencies at home and abroad for which they are responsible ~ �~ ~ ~ ~ ~
DENMARK Denmark. 5 17 22 10 401 1 iG 2 FINLAND Finland. 4 5 9 4 12 iL 30 12
Ahvenanmaa 1 1FRANCE 1 33 41 16 iL 60 5
France 1 1 1 1GERMANY 31 141 17220 62 iL 500 30 Germany 1 1 1 iL 1 N. Frisianls. iL 1 Cyclades Is. 11, 1 Latvia iL 1
Lithuania. 1Russian S.F.S.R. 1 Albania 1 1 1 iL 1
Bulgaria 1 1 1 1ITALY 15 12 27 24 iG 70- 7010 10
Italy 1 1 2 10Aeolian Is. SanMarino Rhodes. 1 1 1 1 1 1
Page 135Assemblies of the1964 BY Bahá'í world, 1973 listed by continent, with the countries, territories, islands and dependencies at home and abroad for which they are responsible ~ ci �~ 0 ~ ~ ~
LUXEMBOURG 4 3 7 1 8 20 3W. Frisian Is. Surinam 1 1 1 1 NORWAY Norway. 4 15 19 1 1 iG 30 3
Lofotenls. 1 1 1 1SPAIN Spain 11 13 24 20 Ri 70
Balearic Is. Andorra.1 1 2 f 1 1 I SWEDEN 4 23 27 ii 8 1GJ 4
SwedenSWITZERLAND 12 34 46 12 24 iG 80 24
Switzerland 1AFRICA 136119163277 34 4465 17200337
AMERICA 707 27763483 223 2107 6997296
ASIA 223450287262 61 6536 27475518
AUSTRALASIA 82 329 411 33 251 720 79
EUROPE 182 571 753 62 378 1710156
Grand TotalsSupplementary goals were added during the course of the Nine Year Plan, being, for the most part, assignments to new National Spiritual Assemblies at the time of their formation.
Even before announcing the Nine Year Plan thebegan calling attention to several important factors which would, of necessity, affect the progress of the teaching and consolidation work.
One of these factors was the Fund:House of Justice feels that it is timely to lay clearly before the Bahá'ís of all countries the needs of the Fund at all its levels: local, national, continental, and international.
"The continual expansion of the Faith and the diversification of the activities of Bahá'í communities make it more and more necessary for every believer to ponder carefully his responsibilities and contribute as much and as regularly as he or she can. Contributing to the Fund is a service that every believer can render, be he poor or wealthy; for this is a spiritual responsibility in which the amount given is not important. It is the degree of the sacrifice of the giver, the love with which he makes his gift, and the unity of all the friends in this service which bring spiritual confirmations. As the beloved Guardian wrote in August 1957: 'All, no matter how modest their resources, must participate.
Upon the degree of self-sacrifice involved in these individual contributions will directly depend the efficacy and the spiritual influence which these nascent administrative institutions, called into being through the power of Bahá'u'lláh, and by virtue of the design conceived by the Centre of His Covenant, will exert.'
"Not only the individual's responsibility to contribute is important at this time, but also the uses to which the Fund is put and the areas in which it is expended.
"Much of the present rapid expansion of the Faith is taking place in areas of great poverty where the believers, however much they sacrifice, cannot produce sufficient funds to sustain the work. It is these very areas Which are the most fruitful in teaching, and a sum of money spent here will produce ten times � even a hundred times � the results obtainable in other parts of the world. Yet in the past months the Universal House of Justice has had to refuse a number of appeals for assistance from such areas because there just was not enough money in the International
Fund."It should therefore be the aim of every local and national community to become not only self-supporting, but to expend its funds with such wisdom and economy as to be able to contribute substantially to the
Bahá'í InternationalFund, thus enabling the House of Justice to aid the work in fruitful but impoverished areas, to assist new National Assemblies to start their work, to contribute to major international undertakings of the Nine Year Plan such as oceanic conferences, and to carry forward the work of beautifying the land surrounding the Holy Shrines at the World Centre of the Faith.
"Nor should the believers, individually or in their assemblies, forget the vitally important continental funds which provide for the work of the Hands of the Cause of God and their Auxiliary Boards.
This divine institution, so assiduously fostered by the Guardian, and which has already played a unique role in the history of the Faith, is destined to render increasingly important services in the years to come.
"In the midst of a civilization torn by strifes and enfeebled by materialism, the people of BaM are building a new world. We face at this time opportunities and responsibilities of vast magnitude and great urgency. Let each believer in his inmost heart resolve not to be seduced by the ephemeral allurements of the society around him, nor to be drawn into its feuds and shortlived enthusiasms, but instead to transfer all he can from the old world to that new one which is the vision of his longing and will be the fruit of his labours."
Shortly after the Plan was inaugurated the Universal House of Justice, conscious of a new dimension in teaching, dispatched a list of suggestions to National Spiritual Assemblies on the important subject of teaching the masses, and accompanied it with the following message: "When the masses of mankind are awakened and enter the Faith of God, a new process is set in motion and the growth of a new civilization begins. Witness the emergence of Christianity
Page 137and of Isldm. These masses are the rank and file, steeped in traditions of their own, but receptive to the new Word of God, by which, when they truly respond to it, they become so influenced as to transform those who come in contact with them.
"God's standards are different from those of men. According to men's standards, the acceptance of any cause by people of distinction, of recognized faire and status, determines the value and greatness of that cause. But, in the words of Bahá'u'lláh: 'The summons and Message which We gave were never intended to reach or to benefit one land or one people only. Mankind in its entirety must firmly adhere to whatsoever has been revealed and vouchsafed unto it.' Or again, 'He has endowed every soul with the capacity to recognize the signs of God. How could He, otherwise, have fulfilled His testimony unto men, if ye be of them that ponder His Cause in their hearts.' In countries where teaching the masses has succeeded, the I3ah&'is have poured out their time and effort in village areas to the same extent as they had formerly done in cities and towns.
The results indicate how unwise it is to concentrate solely on one section of the population. Each National Assembly therefore should so balance its resources and harmonize its efforts that the Faith of God is taught not only to those who are readily accessible but to all sections of society, however remote they may be.
"The unsophisticated people of the world � and they form the large majority of its population � have the same right to know of the Cause of God as others. When the friends are teaching the Word of God they should be careful to give the Message in the same simplicity as it is enunciated in our teachings. In their contacts they must show genuine and divine love. The heart of an unlettered soul is extremely sensitive; any trace of prejudice on the part of the pioneer or teacher is immediately sensed.
"When teaching among the masses, the friends should be careful not to emphasize the charitable and humanitarian aspects of the Faith as a means to win recruits.
Experience has shown that when facilities such as schools, dispensari~, hospitals, or even clothes and food are offered to the people being taught, many complications arise.
The prime motive should always be the response of man to Gad's Message, and therecognition of His Messenger. Those who declare themselves as Bahá'ís should become enchanted with the beauty of the teachings, and touched by the love of Bahá'u'lláh.
The declarants need not know all the proofs, history, laws, and principles of the Faith, but in the process of declaring themselves they must, in addition to catching the spark of faith, become basically informed about the Central Figures of the Faith, as well as the existence of laws they must follow and an administration they must obey.
"After declaration, the new believers must not be left to their own devices. Through correspondence and dispatch of visitors, though conferences and training courses, these friends must be patiently strengthened and lovingly helped to develop into full Bahá'í maturity. The beloved Guardian, referring to the duties of Bahá'í assemblies in assisting the newly declared believer, has written:'..
the members of each and every assembly should endeavour, by their patience, their love, their tact and wisdom, to nurse, subsequent to his admission, the newcomer into Bahá'í maturity, and win him over gradually to the unreserved acceptance of whatever has been ordained in the teachings.'
"Expansion and consolidation are twin processes that must go hand in hand.
The friends must not stop expansion in the name of consolidation. Deepening the newly enrolled believers generates tremendous stimulus which results in further expansion.
The enrollment of new believers, on the other hand, creates a new spirit in the community and provides additional potential manpower that will reinforce the consolidation work...
"We are fervently praying that all National and Local Spiritual Assemblies, supported by the individual believers, will achieve outstanding success in the fulfilment of this glorious objective."
The principle of universal participation, first alluded to by the Universal House of Justice in its message of 7 May 1963, was another important factor affecting the progress of the Cause which was made the subject of a special appeal:
Haifa"In our message to you of April 1964, announcing the Nine Year Plan, we called attention to two major themes of that Plan, namely
Page 138.... a huge expansion of the Cause of God and universal participation by all believers in the life of that Cause.'
"The enthusiastic vigour with which the believers throughout the world, under the devoted guidance of their National Spiritual Assemblies, have arisen to meet the challenge of the Plan, augurs well for the huge expansion called for.
We now ask you to bend your efforts and thoughts, with equal enthusiasm, to the requirements of universal participation.
"In that same message we indicated the meaning of universal participation: the dedicated effort of every believer in teaching, in living the Bahá'í life, in contributing to the Fund, and particularly in the persistent effort to understand more and more the significance of
Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation.In the words of our beloved Guardian, "One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendour of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh."' "'Regard the world as the human body,' wrote
Bahá'u'lláh to Queen Victoria.We can surely regard the Baha world, the Army of God, in the same way.
In the human body, every cell, every organ, every nerve has its part to play.
When all do so the body is healthy, vigorous, radiant, ready for every call made upon it. No cell, however humble, lives apart from the body, whether in serving it or receiving from it. This is true of the body of mankind in which God 'has endowed each humble being with ability and talent,' and is supremely true of the body of the Baha world community, for this body is already an organism, united in its aspirations, unified in its methods, seeking assistance and confirmation from the same Source, and illumined with the conscious knowledge of its unity. Therefore, in this organic, divinely guided, blessed, and illumined body the participation of every believer is of the utmost importance, and is a source of power and vitality as yet unknown to us. For extensive and deep as has been the sharing in the glorious work of the Cause, who would claim that every single believer has succeeded in finding his or her fullest satisfaction in the life of the Cause? The Baha world community, growing like a healthy new body, develops new cells, new organs, new functions and powers as it presses on to its maturity, when every soul, living for the Cause of God, will receive from that Cause, health, assurance, and the overflowing bounties of Bahá'u'lláh which are diffused though His divinely ordained
Order."In addition to teaching, every believer can pray.
Every believer can strive to make his 'oxvn inner life and private character minor forth in theft manifold aspects the splendour of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh.' Every believer can contribute to the Fund. Not all believers can give public talks, not all are called upon to serve on administrative institutions. But all can pray, fight their own spiritual battles, and contribute to the Fund. If every believer will carry out these sacred duties, we shall be astonished at the accession of power which will result to the whole body, and which in its turn will give rise to further growth and the showering of greater blessings on all of us. "The real secret of universal participation lies in the Master's oft-expressed wish that the friends should love each other, constantly encourage each other, work together, be as one soul in one body, and in so doing become a true, organic, healthy body animated and illumined by the spirit. In such a body all will receive spiritual health and vitality from the organism itself, and the most perfect flowers and fruits will be brought forth.
"Our prayers for the happiness and success of the friends everywhere are constantly offered at the Holy Shrines."
Of supreme importance to the winning of the teaching goals was the raising and settling of hundreds of pioneers in the far-flung goal areas of the world.
During the period covered by this report (196t � 1968) three calls for pioneers were made. The first was at Ri4vttn 1965: "Four challenging and immediate tasks present themselves. The first is to raise and dispatch, during the coming year, no less than four hundred and sixty pioneers who will open the fifty-four remaining virgin territories of the Plain resettle the eighteen unoccupied ones, reinforce areas where the numbers and cohesion of the Baha communities are at present inadequate to launch effective teaching plans, and support and extend the work in the areas of mass teaching.
Let every believer consider this challenge, be he, in the words of the beloved Guardian, 'in active service or not, of either
Page 139sex, young as well as old, rich or poor, whether veteran or newly enrolled...'
..... A careful estimate has been made of the pioneer needs of every area during the next twelve months and the result, including those for the seventy-two areas mentioned above, is a call for four hundred and sixty-one pioneers; eighty-six for Africa, ninety-six for the Americas, one hundred and ninety-one for Asia, twenty-nine for Australasia, and fifty-nine for Europe. Each National Spiritual Assembly has been consulted as to its pioneer needs and these have been made known to all National Spiritual Assemblies...
The friends, therefore, are urged to consult their National Spiritual Assemblies for information about pioneer needs and responsibilities both of their own communities and in general."
The second call for pioneers, reinforcing and supplementing the first, was in the form of a cablegram on
11 December 1965:"Announce all believers rejoice response Bahá'í world pioneer call raised Ri4v6n message requiring four hundred sixty pioneers course current year. Thus far ninety-three settled posts including fifteen virgin territories: St. Andres Island, Providencia Island, Marmara Island, Chad, Niger, Cayman Islands, Thrks and Caicos, Ischia, Gotland, Alaska Peninsula, Barbuda, St. Kitts-Nevis, Inner Hebrides, Bornholm, Capri. Thirtyfive additional settled same goals. One hundred sixty-seven more arisen and in process settling. Total two hundred ninety-five souls responded call. Further two hundred believers needed next four swiftly passing months fill remaining goals. Fate pioneer plan hanging balance, praying fervently Holy Shrines required number heroic souls arise meet challenge critical hour.
Uige promptly Assembliesneeding funds execute assignments apply immediately International Deputization Fund. Imperative settle all territories announced Ri~1van except those dependent favourable circumstances.
Virgin and resettlement territories priority.Confident spirit devotion friends glorious Faith ensure brilliant victory this primary objective so vital Nine Year Plan."
The third call for pioneers was raised at Ridvan 1967: "The brilliant pioneering feat of the second year of the Plan is beginning to reveal its beneficent effects, but pioneers are still urgently needed and will coniinue to be needed in all parts of the world for consolidation and development of the Faith in the newly won territories as well as for those resettled during the opening years of the Plan. The immediate requirement is for 209 pioneers to settle in eighty-seven territories named on the attached list, and the call is now raised for the speedy achievement of this task. Service in this highly meritorious field is open to every believer and all those who are moved to respond to this particular call are asked to consult the list of territories and to make their offers to their own National Spiritual
Assembly."Two new developments in connection with the settling of pioneers were announced at Ridvan 1965 viz., the appointment of Continental Pioneer Committees and the inauguration of an
International Deputization"To assist the pioneer efforts of the friends and their transfer to their posts during the next twelve months we announce the formation of five Continental Pioneer Committees, namely:
Pioneer Committee for Africa'appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the British
Isles; Pioneer Committeefor the Americas appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of the United
States; Pioneer Committeefor Asia appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Persia; Pioneer Committee for Australasia appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia; Pioneer Committee for Europe appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Germany.
"These committees will in no way infringe upon the responsibilities of other pioneer committees, or of National Spiritual Assemblies, who are in charge of the teaching work, and under whose jurisdiction they will function. They are established to facilitate and assist the work of these national bodies by providing effective exchange of vital information, both continentally and intercontinentally, by assisting in the routeing of pioneer offers, and in the transfer of pioneers to their posts...
"For the first time in Bahá'í history, an International Deputization Fund has been established at the World Centre under the administration of the
Universal I-louse of Justice.'Responsibility for appointing the Pioneer Committee for Africawas subsequently transferred to the National
SpiritualAssemblies were advised by letter dated 18 March 1966.
Page 140From it supplementary support will be given to specific pioneering projects when other funds are not available.
All friends, and particularly those who are unable to respond to the pioneer call, are invited to support this Fund, mindful of the injunction of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Centre your energies in the propagation of the Faith of God. Whoso is worthy of so high a calling, let him arise and promote it. Whoso is unable, it is his duty to appoint him who will, in his stead, proclaim this Revelation, Whose power bath caused the foundation of the mightiest structures to quake, every mountain to be crushed into dust, and every soul to be dumbfounded.'" A call for travelling teachers was made at RiQvAn 1966: "The Universal House of Justice attaches such importance to this principle of travelling teaching that it has decided to develop it internationally, and now calls for volunteers to offer their services in this field. By their visits to lands other than their own, these friends will lend a tremendous stimulus to the proclamation and teaching of the Cause in all continents. It is hoped that such projects will be self-supporting, since the International Deputization Fund will still be needed for pioneering. However, when a proposal which is considered to be of special benefit to the Faith cannot be financed by the individual or the receiving National
Assemblies, the Houseof Justice will consider a request for assistance from the Deputization Fund.
Offers, which may be for any period, should be made to one's own National Spiritual Assembly or to the Continental Pioneer Committees, which have been given the additional task of assisting National Assemblies to implement and coordinate this new enterprise. Let those who arise recall the Master's injunction to 'travel like 'Abdu'l-Bahá... sanctified and free from every attachment and in the utmost severance.'" In that same message the
Universal House of Justicecalled the attention of all the friends to their individual responsibilities toward the advancement of the Cause: "The challenge to the individual Baha in every field of service, but above all in teaching the Cause of God, is neverending.
With every fresh affliction visited upon mankind our inescapable duty becomes more apparent, nor should we ever forget that if we neglect this duty, 'others', in the words of Shoghi Effendi, 'will be called upon to take up our task as ministers to the crying needs of this afflicted world.'
Now, it seems, we may well be entering an era of the longed-for expansion of our beloved Faith. Mankind's growing hunger for spiritual truth is our opportunity.
While reaching forth to grasp it, we would do well to ponder the following words of Bahá'u'lláh: 'Your behaviour towards your neighbour should be such as to manifest clearly the signs of the one true God, for ye are the first among men to be recreated by His Spirit, the first to adore and bow the knee before Him, the first to circle round His throne of Glory.'
"As humanity plunges deeper into that condition of which Bahá'u'lláh wrote, 'to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly,' so must the believers increasingly stand out as assured, orientated, and fundamentally happy beings, conforming to a standard which, in direct contrast to the ignoble and amoral attitudes of modern society, is the source of.their honour, strength, and maturity. It is this marked contrast between the vigour, unity, and discipline of the Baha community on the one hand, and the increasing confusion, despair, and feverish tempo of a doomed society on the other, which during the turbulent years ahead, will draw the eyes of humanity to the sanctuary of Bahá'u'lláh's world-redeeming Faith.
"The constant progress of the Cause of God is a source ofjoy to us all and a stimulus to further action. But not ordinary action. Heroic deeds are now called for such as are performed oniy by divinely sustained and detached souls. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the Commander of the hosts of the Lord, in one of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, uttered this cry: 'Oh!
that I could travel, even though on foot and in the utmost poverty, to these regions and, raising the caltof YdBahd'u'l-Ablid in cities, villages, mountains, deserts, and oceans,promote the Divine Teachings.
This, alas, I cannot do.How intensely I deplore it.' And He concluded with this heart-shaking appeal, 'Please God, ye may achieve it.' The Nine Year Plan was effectively launched. There follows in the next section a statistical summary of the accomplishments of the Bahá'í world in the course of the first four years of that Plan.
Page 141THE following tabulation of the expansion of the Bahá'í world covers the entire five-year period beginning at RhJv&n 1963 and, of course, includes the statistics for the first four years of the Nine Year Plan as published by the Universal House of Justice in 1968, with the exception of World Centre goals which are reported elsewhere in this volume.'
For ease of reference the material has been arranged in the same order as for the preceding section on the launching of the Nine Year Plan.
1 See International Survey1. The number of Mashriqu'l-Adhkar's has increased through the completion of: The first flah&i Temple in Europe
(Frankfurt)The foundation of the first Bahá'í Temple in Latin America (Panama) The number of future Temple sites has increased to 57 through the addition of: 6 in the African continent 2 in the Asian continent 3 in the European continent 2. The number of National
Spiritual Assemblieshas increased to 81 through the formation of: lOin the African continent 2111 the American continent lOin the Asian continent 3 in Australasia 3. The number of incorporated
National Spiritual Assembliesihas increased to 57 through the addition of: 6 in the African continent 3 in the American continent 6 in the Asian continent 2 in the European continent 2 in Australasia Of the 81 existing National Spiritual Assemblies, 78 have acqufred national Ija4ratu'1-Quds, and 61 have secured national endowments.
See Directory Section, p. 560, for dates of incorporation.
4. The number of countries, significant territories and islan4s opened to the Faith has increased to 323 through the opening of: 6 in the African continent 31 in the American continent 4 in the Asian continent 14 in the European continent S in Australasia 5. The number of languages into which Baha literature has been translated has increased to 417 through the addition of: 21 languages in the Mrican continent 23 in the American continent 56 in the Asian continent 6 in the European continent 11 in Australasia 6. The number of tribes and minority groups represented in the Bahá'í Faith has increased to 1,179 through the enrollment of: 313 tribes in the Mrican continent 82 in the Western hemisphere 205 in the Asian continent and Australasia 7. The number of Bahá'í Publishing Trusts has increased to 9 with the establishment of a Publishing Trust in Brussels, Belgium.
8. The number of Bahá'í schools and institutes has increased to 107 through the establishment of: 8 in the Mrican continent 21 in the American continent 51 in the Asian continent 141
Page 142ji. 1844 � 1853 15 2. 1853 � 1892 37 3. 1892 � 1921 262 4. 1921 � 1963 323] 5. 1963 � 1968
142 THE BAHÁ'Í WORLD9. Baha marriage certificates, recognized in 23 countries in 1963, are now recognized in 25 countries. Bahá'í Holy Days were recognized in 20 countries in 1963 and are now recognized in 23 countries.
10. The number of Local Spiritual Assemblies has increased to 6,840 through the establishment of: 964 in the African continent 441 in the American continent 1,850 in the Asian continent 9 in the European continent 25 in Australasia The number of incorporated
Local Spiritual Assemblies11. The number of localities where Bahá'ís reside throughout the world has increased to 31,572 through the opening of: 3,583 in the African continent 3,165 in the American continent 13,089 in the Asian continent 389 in the European continent 275 inAustralasia
COUNTRTES, SIGNIFICANT TERRITORWS AND ISLANDS OPENED TO
THE BAHÁ'Í FMTH 184419684. Period from 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í Ascension, including the Ten Year World Spiritual Crusade inaugurated by Shoghi Effendi
5. Period from Ri IvAn 1963 to Rhjv&n 1968COUNTRIES, SIGNIFICANT TERRITORIES AND iSLANDS OPENED
TO THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH209. St. Helena 210. St. Lucia 211. St.PierreandMiquelonls.
212. San Marino(OPENED D1JRr~JG THE PERIOD RIDVAN 1963 � RipvkN 1968)
263. Aeolian 265. Alaska310. St. Andr6s I. 311. St. Eustatius 312. St. Kitts-Nevis 313. St. Lawrence I. 314. St. Martin 315. St. Vincent
316. Sen ReservationBahá'ís of Rangoon, Burma; May, 1966. Burma was opened to the Bahá'í Faith during the period of Bahá'u'lláh's ministry, 1853 � 1892.
Page 146Bahá'í pioneer Napoleon Bergamasehi, an Mr. NoelBluett (righ~,pioneer to New Guinea, Alaskan Eskimo who, with his three children, with the first Bahá'í of the highlands area, Mr. opened St. Lawrence Island to the Faith on Wanume Hegite of Artifa village; 1967.
March 22nd, 1966,fihling one of the goals of theA Bahá'í study class kd by Mrs. Margaret Bluett (centre), Arufa village, in the highlands of
North East New Guinea.The names in the wide column on the left are, first continents in capital letters, then the names in bold type of the National Spiritual Assemblies recognized at Rijv~n 1968, followed by the territory y comprising the homefront of those Assemblies.
The deeply indented listings represent the extraterritorial areas whose teaching goals are temporarily under the jurisdiction of the National Assembly listed above them; these territories are not included in the hornefront � e.g., Spanish Guinea, et seq.
Bracketed territories represent possible groupings for future National Spiritual Assemblies.
The headings of columns numbered ito 7 show the goals which were set for accomplishment by the national community, e.g., incorporation, acquisition of a Temple site, etc., and the letters in the colun-m indicate whether the goal had been won by Ri~1v~n 1968.
The columns numbered 8 to 11 are as indicated in the headings.
GA � Nine Year Plan Goal AccomplishedAssemblies (bold type) followed by territories under their jurisdiction 1234567 ~ 9 1011 I ~ ~ 0 ~ ~, ~ ~ ~
AFRICA GA GA GA GA A 46 50 96 4Comoro Islands 506 130218081
{R~union Island GA GAPiarca Indian Baha'is, Cai~o Tawari village, Territorio Amazonas, Venezuela, who accepted the Bahá'í Faith in April, 1965 during the visit of Mr. Amoz Gibson (second from right, front row).
Contact with the Piaroa was first made in 1964.Bahá'ís of the Manobo tribe of Mindanac, a southern island of the Philippines, standing before the Bahá'í Centre which they built. Teaching among the Manobo began in 1964.
Page 149(bold type) followed by territories under their jurisdiction
NORTH EAST AFRICAMar and Isa French Territory 1 1
NORTH WEST AFRICA{Congo Republic (Kinshasa) 5 881 886
{ Congo Republic (Brazzaville) 2 2 4
Gabon 3 3Khc~num (centre) visiting Gualiro Indian Bahá'ís at their Centre, Prieto, Venezuela; February, 1968.
Auxiliary Board member Hooper Dunbar (rear centre) with some Mataco Indian Bahá'ís and their friends, Embarcacicn, Argentina. Enrolinents among the Mataco first occurred in August, 1967.
Auxiliary Board member Orpha Daugherty with first Bahá'ís of the Yac tribe, Laos; February, 1966.
Page 1511 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011 0 ~ '~ ~ ~ .~ ~.)~ ~ National Spiritual ~ ~ ~ ~ R...
Assemblies(bo1dtype)followedbyterritorie~ ~ N. under their jurisdiction
AMERICAMembers of the Bahd'icommunity of Guadeloupe, French West Indies, with their friends, 1968.
Guadeloupe was opened to the Bahá'í Faith in 1965.
Bahá'í community of Nginamadolo, Swaziland, with visiting Bahd'ifriends; 1965.
Page 153(bold type) followed by territories under their jurisdiction
CANADAA A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A 269 295 338 321 1 191220 2 2 25 31 9 96105
Page 154The first legally recognized Bahá'í wedding in Europe took place on May 19th, 1966, in Finland where ,narriagesper.formed under the auspices of the Bahá'í community are legal.
A Bahá'í wedding performed by the SpiritualAssembly of the Bahá'ís of Tainan,
Taiwan; 1968.A Bahá'í wedding party, Mogadiscic, Somalia; September, 1964.
Page 1551 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 z ~ ~ o ~ '. � . ~
National Spiritual~ ~ k L~ ~ ~ ~.Assemblies (bold ~ k type) followed ~ by territories under their jurisdiction
HONDURASHonduras A A A A I � A36 67103 6
Islas de la Baha 1 1Marie Galante Islands 1 1
St. BarthelemyLas Mujeres Island I I
Quintana Roo Territory 2 3 5
NICARAGUAPanama A A A A A 1 � A35199 234 4
PARAGUAYBahá'í children's class, Chacoma, Departa-Balzd'i i children's class, Baymis village, mento deLaPaz, Bolivia; 1968. Anatolia; 1965.
Bahc~'iyoutIi and children, Green Acre Summer School, Eliot, Maine; August, 196S.
Page 1571 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011 q ~
National Spiritual~ ~~ � ~ ~Assemblies (bold ~ type) followed by territories under their jurisdiction ~ ~� k ~
UNITED STATES OFUnited States (Continental) A AA 42143' 3 � A375 1713 2088 141
Key West 1 1{Trinidad & Tobago 1 13 14
TOTALS 10204732 5752 240Southern Yemen RepublicGA GA 2 1 3
YemenBahá'í Youth School, Yerrinbool, Australia; April, 1968.
Youth project training session, Geyserville, California; June, 1965. The Hand of the Cause William Sears is seen standing, second row, sixth from the right.
Page 159Assemblies (bold type) followed ~ by territories under ~ their jurisdiction
INMA'IRAQ 'IrAq A A A 6 10 16
{ Lebanon 2 2 41 2 345 6 7 8 9 10 11 ~, '~ ~ ~, ~ ~.,
~ National Spiritual~. b~ ~ ~ � ~
Assemblies(bold type) followed ~ by territories under ~ their jurisdiction
PHILIPPINE ISLANDSPhilippineIslands GA A GA 116 1595 1711
SIKKIMVietnam GA GA GA GA A 176 544 720 125
UNALLOCATEDI Bismarck Archipelago GA GA 2 16 18
Admiralty Islands 1 1 2Hawaiian Islands GA GA GA GA A 10 10 20 4
Marshall Islands 1 3 4(bold type) followed by territories under their jurisdiction ~ k ~
SOUTH PACIFIC OCEANTo be part of the National Spiritual Assembly of Guyana. Surinain and French Guiana.
A A A A1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 q ~ o ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~ ~ ~, ~ ~ , ~ National Spiritual~, ~ k ~ ~ ~ Assemblies Assemblies (bold ~ type) followed ~ ~ by territories under~ their jurisdiction
FINLANDAssemblies (bold type) ~o 1/owed by territories under their jurisdiction ~ R ~ 4 ~ ~ ' 8 9 10 11 ~ '
~ R~. ~ 'PORTUGAL GA A A A 3' 1 11 18 7
Portugal 1 1Azores 1 1 74
Mad eira IslandsC H Bahá'í Summer School, Kobe, Japan; August, 1966. The Hand of the Cause Tardzu'lldh Sarnandari is seen in r~i the centre of the photograph holding the Greatest Name.
zJ.Bahá'í Winter School, Avl6s, Baerum, Norway, February, 1964.
Bahá'í Summer School, Juneau, Alaska, June 1966. The Hand of the Cause William Sears is seen in the centre of the photograph holding the Greatest Name.
Page 173Gualiro Indian Bahá'ís attending the first Teacher Training Institute held at Riohacha, Colombia, December, 1965.
First Bahá'í Summer School, Bomi Hills, Liberia, West Africa; March, 1967.
Page 175Bahá'í Teaching Conference, Ekpene Thie, Eastern Nigeria; August, 1965.
First Bahá'í Teaching Conference, Yasoihon, Thailand; 1966.
Page 177Benelux Bahá'í Summer School, De Vechtstrom, Holland; August, 1965.
Members of the Teaching Committee of Tinto District, West cameroon, with three members of the National Spiritual Assembly; October, 1965.
Page 179Bahá'ís of Dang area attending the first Teacher Training Institute held at Deviati, India; December, 1964.
Page 18130. Manus (Admiralty Is.) 31. Maori (Australia, New
Zealand)34. Micronesian (Mariana, Marshall, Caroline Is.)
35. Minen Aborigine (Australia)1. Agua Caliente 5. Apurinan (U.S.A.) (Brazil) 2. Aguaraunas 6. Arapahoc (Peru) (U.S.A.) 3. Alabama-Coushatta 7. Arawak (U.S.A.) (Jamaica) 4. A.leut (Alaska) 8. Assiniboine
(Canada)Bahá'í Summer School of Western Canada, held at Banif, Alberta, August, 1965.
Page 18324. Cherokee (U.S.A.) 25. Chetco (U.S.A.) 26. Cheyenne (U.S.A.) 27. Chinook (U.S.A.) 28. Chippewa (U.S.A.)
29. Chiriguano (Bolivia)also "Noanam&' 32. Choctaw (U.S.A.) 33. Chook Chansee (U.S.A.)
34. Chulpa (Bolivia)62. Isleta-Jemez (U.S.A.) 63. Isleta-Picuri (U.S.A.)
64. Itariri (Brazil)96. Navajo (U.S.A.) 97. Nez Perc6 (U.S.A.) 98. Nisqually (U.S.A.)
99. Nootka (Canada)101. Omaha (U.S.A.) 102. Oneida (Canada, U.S.A.) 103. Osage (U.S.A.)
104. Otavalos (Ecuador)107. Pajute (U.S.A.) 108. Papago (U.S.A.) 109. Pawnee (U.S.A.)
110. Paya (Honduras)t~1 Bahá'í Teaching Conference, Galle, Ceylon; 1966.
Page 185137. Taos Pueblo (U.S.A.) 138. Tejas (U.S.A.) 139. Tewa (U.S.A.) 140. Tlingit (Alaska, Canada) 141. Toba (Argentina, Paraguay)
142. Tocachis (Ecuador)150. Ute (U.S.A.) 151. Wailake (U.S.A.) 152. Washoc (U.S.A.) 153. Wichita (U.S.A.) 154. Winnebago (U.S.A.) 155. Yakima (U.S.A.)
156. Yanaigua (Paraguay)also "Yupik" 161. Yuki (U.S.A.) 162. Yurok (U.S.A.)
163. Zapotec(Mexico)Bahá'í Summer School, Tihrdn, Irdn, 1966. The Hand of the Cause 'Ali-Akbar Furi~tan is seen seated in the centre.
Bahá'í Winter School, Panchgani, India; December, 1963.
Page 187LANGUAGES INTO WHICH BAHÁ'Í LITERATURE HAS BEEN TRANSLATED
(Listed by Continent)Third National Convention of the Bahá'ís of the Hawaiian Islands; April, 1966. The hand of the Cause Dhikru'Ildh Khddem is seen seated in the centre of the photograph. Auxiliary Board member Marc Towers is holding the Greatest Name.
Page 189National Convention of the Bahá'ís of the Phili),p me Islands; 1965.
National Convention of the Bahá'ís of the Dominican Republic; 1967.
Page 191The Hands of the CauseAmatu'l-BahdRiThiyyih dnum and Jaldi KJidzeh with a group offriendsat the InterContinental Conference in Panama, 1967.
Page 193He Who is the King of Kings hath appeared, arrayed in His most wondrous glory, and is summoning you unto Himself.. Arise, and serve Him Who is the Desire of all nations, Who hath created you through a wordfrom Him, and ordained you to be,for all time, the emblems of His sovereignty. Bahá'u'lláh
1. THE PROCLAMATION OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁHto His followers in Baghdad during those memorable days in the spring of 1863, it remained for Bahá'u'lláh to proclaim that same Mission to the world's secular and ecclesiastical leaders. "This historic Proclamation was made at a time when the Faith was in the throes of a crisis of extreme violence," writes Shoghi Effendi in God Passes By, "and it was in the main addressed to the kings of the earth, and to the Christian and Muslim ecclesiastical leaders who, by virtue of their immense prestige, ascendancy and authority, assumed an appal-lung and inescapable responsibility for the immediate destinies of their subjects and followers.~~ "The initial phase of that Proclamation," Shoghi Effendi continues, "may be said to have opened in Constantinople with the communication (the text of which we, alas, do not possess) addressed by
Bahá'u'lláh to Su1t~n 'Abdu'1-'Azizhimself, the self-styled vicar of the Prophet of Is1~m and the absolute ruler of a mightyempire.
So potent, so august apersonage was the first among the sovereigns of the world to receive the Divine Summons, and the first among Oriental monarchs to sustain the impact of God's retributive justice. The occasion for this communication was provided by the infamous edict the Su1t~n had promulgated, less than four months after the arrival of the exiles in his capital, banishing them, suddenly and without any justification whatsoever, in the depth of winter, and in the most humiliating circumstances, to Adrianople, situated on the extremities of his empire."
The following monarchs, and the Pope, were addressed by name, all, except Francis Joseph, being sent one or more individual Tablets.
(Opposite)The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, a compilation of His Own announcements, made one hundred years ago, to the kings and ecciesisatical leaders of the world and to mankind in general, was published by the Universal House of Justice in 1967 to mark the centenary of the inception of that proclamation. A limited deluxe edition was printed for presentation to today's kings and rulers.
195"Observe, 0 king, with thine inmost heart and with thy whole being, the precepts s of God, and walk not in the paths of the oppressor... Shouldst thou cause rivers ofiustice to spread their waters amongst thy subjects, God would surely aid thee with the hosts of the unseen and of the seen, and would strengthen thee in thine affairs... Overstep not the bounds of moderation, and deal justly with them that serve thee."
The Bettniann ArchiveSu1t~n 'Abdu'1-'Aziz was deposed after a palace revolution, condemned by sentence of the Mufti in his own capital, and four days later assassinated (1876). The war of 1914 � 18 resulted in the dissolution of the Ottoman empire, the abolition of the sultanate, the proclamation of a republic, and the sounding of the death-knell of a rulership that had endured for more than six centuries.
Page 197"Arise thou amongst men in the name of this all-compelling Cause, and summon, then, the nations unto God... Blessed be the king whose sovereignty bath withheld him not from his Sovereign, and who hat/i turned unto God with his heart."
The ]3ettmann ArchiveAlter suffering several attempts on his life, Nicolaevitch Alexander II, Czar of Russia, died at the hand of an assassin. The harsh policy of repression he initiated in the latter part of his reign and which his successors maintained, led eventually to a revolution which swept away on a bloody tide the empire of the Czars, bringing in its wake war, disease and famine, which led to the establishment of a militant proletariat which massacred the nobility, persecuted d the clergy, drove away the intellectuals, disendowed the state religion, executed the Czar with his consort and family, and forever extinguished the dynasty of the Roinanoffs.
Page 198"We have been with thee at all times, and found thee clinging unto the Branch and heedless of the Root. We grieved to see thee circle round Our Name, whilst unaware of Us, though We were before thy face."
Ewing GallowayFrancis Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, was engulfed by misfortunes and tragedies unsurpassed in the calamities they inflicted upon his nation. The shrunken republic built on the ruins of his vanished Holy Roman Empire was, after a brief and precarious existence, blotted out from the political map of Europe.
Page 199"0 King of Paris! Tell the priest to ring the bells no longer. The' Most Mighty Bell hath appeared. We have desired for thee naught except that which is better for thee than what thou dost possess and all the treasures of the earth. For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion, and thine empire shall pass from thine hands.. We see abasement hastening after thee, while thou art of the heedless.
The Bettmann ArchiveNapoleon III, the most august monarch of his day in the West, sustained ignominious defeat at the Battle of Sedan (1870), an event which marked one of the greatest military capitulations recorded in modern history. He lost his kingdom and spent the remaining years of his life in exile; his much vaunted empire collapsed, a ferocious civil war ensued, and the crowning of William I, the Prussian King, as Emperor of a unified Germany, took place in the Palace of Versailles.
Page 200"Look upon this Youth, 0 King, with the eyes of justice; judge thou, then, wit/i truth concerning what hath befallen Him. They that surround thee love thee for their own sakes, whereas this Youth loveth thee for thine own sake, and hath had no desire except to draw thee nigh unto the seat of grace, and to turn thee toward the right-hand of,justice."
The Bettmann ArchiveN~isiri'd-Din Sh~ih in the plenitude of his power, was dramatically assassinated d while at prayer on the eve of a jubilee celebration designed to go down in history as the greatest day in the annals of the Persian nation. The fortunes of his hapless house thereafter steadily declined, the scandalous and irresponsible misconduct of his successor leading to the ignominious eclipse and final disappearance of the Q6.j~r dynasty.
Page 201"..He Who is the Lord of Lords is come overshadowed wit/i clouds. this is the day whereon the Rock (Peter) crieth out and shouteth. saying. 'Lo, the Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled.'" "
Ewing GallowayThe undisputed head of the most powerful Church in Christendom was cQmpelled to submit himself to dispossession of the Papal States and of Rome itself, over which the Papal flag had flown for one thousand years, and to witness the humiliation of the religious orders under his jurisdiction, adding mental anguish to his physical infirmities and embittering his latter years. The virtual extinction of the Pope's temporal sovereignty was signalized by the formal recognition of the Kingdom of Italy subsequently exacted from one of his successors in the Vatican.
Page 202"God hath, truly, destined a reward for thee. He, verily, will pay the doer of good his due recompense... thou hast entrusted the reins of counsel into the hands of the representatives of the people. Thou, indeed, hast done well, for thereby the foundations of the edifice of thine affairs will be strengthened, and the hearts of all that are beneath thy shadow, whether high or low, will be tranquillizedi"
The Bettmamt Archive"The renowned Queen Victoria, whose sovereignty extended over the greatest political combination the world has witnessed" to whom Bahá'u'lláh h "addressed an Epistle in which He assures her that God would reward her for having 'forbidden the trading in slaves,' "and "commends her for having 'entrusted the reins of counsel into the hands of the representatives of the people,' " enjoyed the longest reign of any monarch in British history.
Her granddaughter, Queen Marie of Rumania, ". alone among all those of royal birth or station, was moved to spontaneously acclaim the greatness of the Message of Bahá'u'lláh... to commend the Bahá'í Teachings to all men and women, and to extol their potency, sublimity and beauty..
Page 203"Say: 0 King of Berlin! Give ear unto the Voice calling from this man West Temple. Take heed lest pride debar thee from recognizing the Dayspring of Divine Revelation, lest earthly desires shut thee out, as by a veil,ftom the Lord of the Throne above and of the earth below.. We hear the lamentations of Berlin, though she be today in conspicuous glory."
The Bettmann ArchiveWilliam I, conqueror of Napoleon III, sustained two attempts on his life.
His throne was bequeathed to William II whose pride and shortsightedness engulfed Europe in the Great War of 1914 � 18 which in turn precipitated swift and sudden revolution in the German capital. Communism appeared in a number of cities; the princes of the German states abdicated. Fleeing ignominiously to Holland, William II was compelled to relinquish his right to the throne. The constitution of Weimar marked the extinction of the empire, giving rise to a treaty whose severe terms provoked "the lamentations" " prophesied by Bahá'u'lláh half a century before.
Page 204In addition to the foregoing summons to individual kings and rulers, Bahá'u'lláh proclaimed His Message in Tablets and other passages in His Writings addressed to the kings and rulers collectively, to the "Rulers of America and the Presidents in every land," to the world's religious leaders, to the clergy and people of various faiths, and in the Great Announcement to mankind.
"A glance at the Writings of the Author of the Baha
Revelation," wrote ShoghiEffendi,' "will reveal the important and significant fact that He Who addressed collectively an immortal message to all the kings of the earth, Who revealed a Tablet to each of the outstanding crowned heads of Europe and Asia, Who issued His call to the sacerdotal leaders of IsUm, both sunni and ~i'ih, Who did not exclude from His purview the Jews and the Zoroastrians, has, apart from His numerous and repeated exhortations and warnings to the entire Christian world, directed particular messages, some general, others precise and challenging, to the heads, as well as to the rank and file, of the ecclesiastical orders of Christendom � its pope, its kings, it patriarchs, its archbishops, its bishops, its priests, and its monks."
"Never since the beginning of the world," Bahá'u'lláh testified, "hath the Message been so openly proclaimed."
2. DELIVERY OF THE PROCLAMATIONIn its introduction to the compilation of Bahá'u'lláh's announcements to the many categories of humanity, as well as individual rulers, whom He addressed, the Universal House of Justice wrote: One hundred years ago, Bahá'u'lláh, Founder of the Baha Faith, proclaimed in clear and unmistakable language, to the kings and rulers of the world, to its religious leaders, and to mankind in general that the long-promised age of world peace and brotherhood had at last dawned and that He Himself was the Bearer of the new message and power from God which would transform the prevailing system ~f ~mtagonism and enmity between men and create the spirit and form of the destined world order.
At that time the splendour and panoply of the monarchs reflected the vast power which they exercised, autocratically for the most part, over the greater portion of the earth. Bahá'u'lláh, an exile from His native Persia for His religious teaching, was the prisoner of the tyrannical, all-powerful SultAn of the Ottoman Empire. In such circumstances He addressed the rulers of the world. His Tablets to particular kings and to the Pope, although delivered, were either ignored or rejected, their wise counsels and dire warnings went unheeded, and in one instance the bearer was cruelly tortured and killed.
1 The Promised Day is Come.Bahá'u'lláh, viewing that old world and seeing it "at the mercy of rulers so drunk with pride that they cannot discern clearly their own best advantage" declared that ". the strife that divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective."
Although painting in sombre tones the 'divine chastisement' which would assail most of those rulers and engulf in ruin the peoples of the world, He nevertheless left no doubt about the outcome. "Soon", He declared, "will the present day order be rolled up anda new one spread out in its stead." Since the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh in 1892, in the Holy Land, the rolling up of the old order has become the daily experience of mankind and no abatement of this process is descernible.
The essence of Bahá'u'lláh's World Order is the unity of the human race. "0 ye children of men", He writes, "the fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and Ills Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race. ." And He warns, "The wellbeing of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established." The achievement of this unity is Bahá'u'lláh's declared mission and the aim of all Baha activity. Its outline and structure are indicated in the following passage from the writings of
Page 205Shoghi Effendi, great-grandson of Bahá'u'lláh and Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith: The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Bahá'u'lláh, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded.
This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as~ shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples. A world executive, backed by an international Force, will carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth. A world tribunal will adjudicate and deliver its compulsory and final verdict in all and any disputes that may arise between the various elements constituting this universal system. A mechanism of world intercommunication will be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and restrictions, and functioning with marvellous swiftness and perfect regularity. A world metropolis will act as the nerve centre of a world civilization, the focus towards which the unifying forces of life will converge and from which its energizing influences will radiate.
A world language will either be invented or chosen from among the existing languages and will be taught in the schools of all the federated nations as an auxiliary to their mother tongue.
A world script, a world literature, a uniform and universal system of currency, of weights and measures, will simplify and facilitate intercourse and understanding among the nations and races of mankind. In such a world society, science and religion, the two most potent forces in human life, will be reconciled, will cooperate, and will harmoniously develop. The press will, under such a system, while giving full scope to the expression of the diversified views and convictions of mankind, cease to be mischievously manipulated by vested interests, whether private or public, and will be liberated from the influence of contending governments and peoples.
The economic resources of the world will be organized, its sources of raw materials will be tapped and fully utilized, its markets will be coordinated and developed, and the distribution of its products will be equitably regulated.
National rivalries, hatreds and intrigues will cease, and racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and cooperation.
The causes of religious strife will be permanently removed, economic barriers and restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inordinate distinction between classes will be obliterated.
Destitution on the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership on the other, will disappear. The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet, to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race.
A world federal system, ruling the whole earth and exercising unchallengeable authority over its unimaginably vast resources, blending and embodying the ideals of both the East and the West, liberated from the curse of war and its miseries, and bent on the exploitation of all the available sources of energy on the surface of the planet, a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice, whose life is sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by its allegiance to one common Revelation � such is the goal towards which humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving.
Bahá'u'lláh's message is one of hope, of love, of practical reconstruction.
Today we reap the appalling results of our forebears' rejection of His divine call; but today there are new rulers, new people, who perchance may hear and avoid
Page 206or mitigate the severity of impending catastrophe.
It is with this hope and believing it to be its sacred duty, that the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Bahá'í Faith, proclaims again, through publication of these selected passages, the essence of that mighty call of a century ago.
In the same hope and belief the Baha throughout the world will do their utmost during this centenary period to bring to the attention of their fellowmen the redeeming fact of this new outpouring of divine guidance and love. We believe they will not labour in vain.
Haifa, 1967A special limited edition of this book was printed1 and presented individually to one hundred and forty Heads of State. In each volume so presented was pasted a personal letter addressed by name to the ruler or president. Fifty-five of these were sent through the courtesy of the country's ambassador to the United Nations, the remainder being delivered either personally by a delegation from the Bahá'í community in each country, by a special representative of the Universal House of Justice or, in the case of two or three copies, by post. Most copies were courteously acknowledged.
1 Seep. 194.1 am pleased to greet you on this centenaty 'of' your eventful history, and to acknowledge the growing goQd ~QU do.
Yours ha~s been a~work of 1ove~ You have sown seeds of righteousness and justice, ~and humanity will reap rich harvests froni your toil.
Your purpose is the ~~xpo~e ~of America, your hope the hope of men of goodwill everyw1~ere. On every pont, Our nation presses forward for a world w1i~ere hatred has no p1~ace and Where all may walk in peace and live in freedom, decency~ and understanding.
All thoughtful and farsigI~ted men i~espect the mis-sio~ ~ of yot~r faith. Fox every one of us looks forward to that day when the earth will truly be one~ country and d manldndits citizens.
Facsi,nik of a letter from the President of the United States of America, Lyndon B. Johnson.
Page 208Read van de B~hS'$s v~n t4ederland Riouw~tr~t 27, s � Gr~venhage.
Ha$re M~jesteit de Kohingis, t~eeft nd~ yerzocht U ha~te1ijk~ dank to zag9en vQor de aanbieding van bet bijzonde: fre4 uitgevQf~rde boekwe~=k 'Pe Pr6cIametie~ van
~iare Ma~e~teit de Koningin(Jonkvr.c.E~B.R~,1Jj Facsimile of a letter addressed by the private secretary of H.M. Queen Juliana to the National SpiritualAssembly of the Bahá'ís of the Netherlands acknowledging rece jpt oflhe Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh.
Page 209Presentation of The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh to His Malesty King Phurnipon Adulyadet
of Thailand by members of the National Spiritual Assembly, November, 1967.
Presentation of The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh o the President of Ecuador, Dr. Otto Aroseniena G., April, 1968.
Page 210Presentation of The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh to the President of the Republic of Paraguay, General A if redo Stroessner, by members of the National Spiritual Assembly, November, 1967.
Presentation of The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh to Mr. T. J. Molef lie, Private Secretary to the President of Botswana, Sir Seretse Khama, March, 1968.
Page 211The first mention of a worldwide proclamation effort was made by the Universal House of Justice in its message to the Bahá'í world at
Ri4vAn 1966:The splendid achievements in the pioneering and teaching fields, together with the enthusiastic attention given to the preparation of plans for the befitting celebration of the centenary of Bahá'u'lláh's
Proclamation of His Messageto the kings and rulers of the world, have sealed with success the first, and opened the way for the second phase of the Nine Year Plan, a phase in which the Bahá'í world must prepare and arm itself for the third phase, beginning in October 1967 when the six intercontinental conferences' will sound the "opening notes" of a period of proclamation of the Cause of God extending through the remaining years of the Nine Year Plan to the centenary, in 1973, of the revelation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The threefold purpose of these conferences is to commemorate the centenary of the opening of BahA'u'-liAli's own Proclamation of His Mission, to proclaim the Divine Message, and to deliberate upon the tasks of the remaining years of the Nine Year
Plan.A year later, at Ri4lvAn 1967, the specific task was set: As we approach the third phase of the Nine Year Plan there opens before us a prospect of enthralling opportunities such as to thrill the heart of every ardent follower of Bahá'u'lláh. For more than a century we have toiled to teach the Cause; heroic sacrifices, dedicated services, prodigious efforts have been made in order to establish the outposts of the Faith in the chief countries, territories, and islands of the earth and to raise the framework of the Administrative Order around the planet.
But the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh remains, as yet, unknown to the generality of men. Now at last, at long last, the worldwide community of the Most Great Name is called upon to launch, on a global scale and to every stratum of human society, an enduring and intensive proclamation of the healing message that the Promised One has come and that the unity and wellbeing of the human race is the purpose of His Revela-A report of these Intercontinental Conferences appears on pp.221 etseq.
tion. This long-to-be-sustained campaign, commencing next October in commemoration of the centenary of the sounding of the "open-ing notes" of Bahá'u'lláh's own Proclamation, and gathering momentum throughout the remainder of the Nine Year Plan, may well become the spearhead of other plans to be launched continually until humanity has recognized and gratefully acclaimed its Redeemer and its
Lord.A hundred years ago Bahá'u'lláh Himself addressed the kings, rulers, religious leaders, and peoples of the world. The Universal House of Justice feels it its bounden duty to bring that Message to the attention of the world leaders today.
It is therefore presenting to them, in the form of a book, the essence of Bahá'u'lláh's announcement. Entitled The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, a special edition will be presented to Heads of State' during the opening of the proclamation period and a general edition will be available to the friends in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish...
Worldwide proclamation, the unknown sea on which we must soon sail, will add another dimension to our work, a dimension which will, as it develops, complement and reinforce the twin processes of expansion and consolidation. This pattern of teaching, emerging so soon after the completion of the framework of the Administrative Order, may well be the means of advancing the vital work of consolidation and of rendering more effective the teaching wisdom which has been gained in a hundred years, and more particularly since the beloved Guardian called us to systematic and planned activity. Therefore, in those countries where we are free to publicize our religion, this activity must become part of our regular work, included in budgets, assigned to national and local committees for study and implementation and above all for coordination with the programs operating to achieve the goals of the Nine Year Plan.
Every effort of proclamation must be sustained by teaching, particularly locally, where public announcements should be related to such efforts. This coordination is essential, 1 See p. 204 for further report on the presentation of The
Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláhfor nothing will bemore disheartening than for form of activity. National and local communi-thousands thousands to hear of the Faith and have no-ties made long-ranging plans to deliver the where to turn for further information, message of Bahá'u'lláh to their countrymen, The Bahá'ís of the world embarked with using all means of communication available to great enthusiasm on this new and satisfying them.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETHNovember 12, 1967, will mark the 150th anniversary of Bahá'u'lláh's birth. We call the entire Bahá'í world to joyful celebration, befitting an event so momentous to the fortunes of humanity.
The Universal House of Justice feels that the coincidence e of this great occasion with the opening of the proclamation period provides a splendid opportunity for bringing to public attention both the spiritual and social import of the Cause. Not only its message, but the historical fact of a new Revelation, with all its implications of a new and worldwide civilization, should be made clear.
Let the friends not hesitate to welcome to their observances, , even to those of a devotional character, the non-Bah~i'i public, many of whom may well be attracted d by the prayers and expressions of gratitude of the believers, no less than by the exalted tone of passages from Bahá'í Writings.
June 25, 1967The Bahá'ís of Canada sponsored a booth at the Canadian National Exhibition held in Toronto during the months of August and September, 1963.
Each year during the period covered by this volume the Bahá'ís of the United States sponsored a colourful exhibit at the Chicago World Flower and Garden Show. The Exhibit held in March, 1964,featured gardens reminiscent of those at the World Centre in Haifa. Over 365,000 visitors saw this large and prominently placed display.
Page 214On Sunday, May 3, 1964, Miss Marian Anderson planted a "Marian Anderson" rose bush in the Temple gardens in Wilmette. The Hand of the Cause Leroy Icas said on that occasion, "It is befitting that in these beautiful gardens surrounding this universal House of Worship, dedicated to the oneness of mankind, of religion and of God, Miss Anderson should plant this universal symbol of the unity of the world, of purity and ofperfection.., for the rose is truly the one universal flower, found in all parts of the world."
In observance of the centenary of the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh the Bahá'ís of Edinburgh presented the city with a tree. Mr. J. Robertson, the oldest Bahá'í Edinburgh, is shown planting the tree. Councillor Robertson-Murray accepted the tree on behalf of the city.
Page 215The above Senate Concurrent Resolution extolling the Bahá'u'lláh was adopted by both houses of the Legislature of the State of Michigan in ]96S, and copies were widely circulated.
Page 216Bahá'í display at the International Fair in Nice, France, March 13 � 14, 1966. More than 5,000 people visited the display and 4,000 pieces of literature were given away, and many invitations to Bahd'ifireside meetings were accepted.
In April, 1966, the Bahá'ís of Connecticut in the United States sponsored a "Bahá'í Week".
A bookmobile toured the State with a display of Bahá'í books and literature.
Page 217Bahá'í Houses of Worship, often referred to as "silent teachers", are an effective means of proclaiming the Faith. Baroness Maria Von Trapp, whose life story inspired the musical play The Sound of Music, visited the House of Worship in Wilmette in April, 1966, and was greeted by Dr. David S. Ruhe, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States (to the left of the photograph), and Mr. Salvatore A. Pelle, Director of Public Information for the Bahá'ís of the United Stales.
In September, 1966, the Bahá'ís of the Seychelles Islands sponsored a Bahá'í Peace Day programme addressed by Mr. Edward Sanches, a Bahá'í visitor from the Philippines. Others participating in the programme were Dr. Guy Lionnet, M.B.E., Director of Agriculture, and Archdeacon L T. Winterburn, M.A.
Page 218During the National Convention in 1966, the National Spiritual Assembly of Guatemala presented twenty-two trees, including two ciebas, the national tree of Guatemala, to the city of Huehuetenango.
The Bahá'ís of Hawaii sponsored an award-winning float in the Aloha Week Parade held on October 14, 1967. The theme Na Opio I Ke Ola 0 Ka Ama (The Youth is the Life of the Land) was spelled out in large floral letters along the side. It was estimated that 75 ,OOO people attended the parade, and that an additional 225,000 saw it on television. In addition, the Faith was mentioned in radio and television newscasts and in the local newspapers.
Page 219Attendants at the Bahá'í booth at the International Book Fair in Frankfurt, West Germany, October, 1967. The Bahá'í Publishing Trusts of Germany, the British Isles and Belgium participated cipated in sponsoring the literature display.
The Australian Dawn-Breakers singing group made a month-long tour of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia during January, 1968. They presented a musical fireside written by Russell and Gina Garcia who rehearsed the group and accompanied them on their tour. In South Australia the group visitedseveralAboriginal missions andpresentedthe Bah~~'iTeacIzings.
Page 220Representatives of the Bahá'í Faith who attended the Memorial Service for Bishop Joost de Blank, held in observance of Human Rights Year, 1967 � 1968, at Westminster Abbey. Bishop de Blank was Chairman of the United Kingdom Committee for Human Rights Year, and was Archbishop of Cape Town from 1957 to 1963, and from 1964 to 1968 a Canon of Westminster.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the British Isles particzpated as a member organization of the United Kingdom Committee for Human Rights Year.
Page 221House of Justice made the felicific announcement:".
prepare national and local plans for the befitting celebration of the centenary of Bahá'u'lláh's proclamation of His Message in September/Octo-ber 1867, to the kings and rulers of the world... The celebration of this fate-laden centenary period will open with a visit, in September1967, on the Feast of Ma�iyyat, by a few appointed representatives of the Bahá'í world to the site of the house in Adrianople, where the historic Szfriy-i-Mulz4k was revealed.
Immediately following this joyful and pious act, six Intercontinental Conferences will be simultaneously held during the month of October in Panama City, Wilmette, Sydney, Kampala, Frankfurt and
New Delhi."On the follpwing pages are recorded the highlights of the historic events which occurred at these six Intercontinental Conferences, based on the report published in U.S. Bahá'í News, No. 441, December 1967.
MESSAGE FROM THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE TO THE
INTERCONTINENTAL CONFERENCESDearly-loved Friends, On this, the hundredth anniversary of the sounding in Adrianople of the opening notes of Bahá'u'lláh's proclamation to the rulers, leaders and peoples of the world, we recall with profound emotion the circumstances surrounding the Faith of God at that time.
In a land, termed by Him, the "Land of Mystery", the Bearer of God's Revelation had arisen to carry that Faith a stage further in its divinely-ordained destiny.
Internally, the infant Cause of God was convulsed by a crisis from whose shadows emerged the majestic figure of Bahá'u'lláh, the visible Center and Head of a newly-established Faith. The first pilgrimages were made to His Residence, a further stage in the transfer of the remains of the 8Th was achieved, and above all the first intimations were given of the future station of 'Abdu'l-Bahá as the Center of the Covenant and of the revelation of the new laws for the New Day. Externally, the full significance of the new Revelation was proclaimed by no one less than its Divine Bearer, His followers began openly to identify themselves with the Most Great Name, the independent character of the Faith became established and its fearless exponents took up their pens in defense of its fair name.
Now, a hundred years later, the friends gathered in the six Intercontinental Conferences to commemorate the events of the past, privileged to gaze upon the portrait of their Beloved, must consider the urgent needs of the Cause today. As the Bahá'í world enters the third phase of the Nine Year Plan we are called upon to proclaim once again that Divine Message to the leaders and masses of the world, to aid the Faith of God to emerge from obscurity into the arena of public attention, to demonstrate through steadfast adherence to its laws the independent character of its mission and to brace ourselves in preparation for the attacks that are bound to be directed against its victorious onward march. Upon our efforts depends in very large measure the fate of humanity. The hundred years' respite having ended, the struggle between the forces of darkness � man's lower nature � and the rising sun of the Divine Teachings which draw him on to his true station, intensifies day by day.
221Hands of the Cause of God who delivered the Message from the Universal House of Justice to the six Intercontinental Conferences. From left to right: Dr. Ugo Giachery to Sydney, Australia; Paul E. Haney to Frankfurt, Germany; Abdu'l-Bahá Rd~iyyih Khdnum to Panama; Aim'!-Qdstm tm Faizi to New Delhi, India; Tardz'ulldh Samandari to Wilmette, Illinois; 'Au Akbar Furdtan to Kampala, Uganda. Photograph taken in front of the Shrine of the Báb just prior to their departure for Adrianople.
The Centenary campaign has been opened by thepresenting to one hundred and forty Heads of State a compilation of Bahá'u'lláh's
Own proclamation. Thefriends must now take the Message to the rest of humanity. The time is ripe and the opportunities illimitable. We are not alone nor helpless. Sustained by our love for each other and given power through the Administrative Order � so laboriously erected by our beloved Guardian � the Army of Light can achieve such victories as will astonish posterity.
We pray at the Holy Shrines that these Intercontinental Conferences will be centers of spiritual illumination inspiring the friends to redouble their efforts in further expanding and consolidating the Faith of God, to arise to fill the remaining pioneer goals, to undertake travelling teaching projects, and to offer generously of their substance to the various funds, particularly to the vital project of erecting the Panama Temple, the foundation stone of which is being laid by
Abdu'l-Bahá RfiljiyyihAs humanity enters the dark heart of this age of transition our course is clear � the achievement of the assigned goals and the proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh's healing Message. It is our ardent hope that from these Conferences valiant souls may arise with noble resolve and in loving service to ensure the successful and early accomplishment of the sacred tasks that lie ahead.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,There was warmth and color everywhere, spreading itself like a gentle breeze in a garden of flowers. There was warmth in the laughter of greeting, in the dark, gentle eyes of Indians of many tribes � Guaymi, Kunas, Caribs, Guaji-ros, Mayas and others from faraway Peru, Bolivia and elsewhere � meeting each other for the first time since the great migrations of centuries ago that sent them on separate paths. Most of all there was warmth in the hearts, reflecting itself in the happy faces of Bahá'ís who came from all over Latin America and other parts of the world. There was thanksgiving too, for this was the first Intercontinental Conference ever to be held in Latin America and two hundred and thirty-nine Indian brothers and sisters in their beautiful, graceful dress were sharing in this historic event. There was a cornerstone of the Panama Temple to be laid in that land which 'Abdu'l-Bahá had said would "unite the East and the West, tire North and the South"; and surely there was unity at this great festival that opened the Conference on Friday, October 6.
There were two Hands of the Cause of God, Abdu'l-Bahá Rti1~yyih KMnum, representative of the Universal House of Justice, and JalAl
KhAzeh of South America.Beautiful gifts were presented to R6lflyyih KNnum at that opening festival � a colourful bead collar, a hat � there were Peruvian ponchos, jewelry and other items brought for the friends also, one of the many signs of the skill and artistry of the Indian people.
RiM2fyyih Kkinum was herself overcome by the joy and radiance that abounded among the six hundred and sixty believers assembled for the Conference. She said: "My heart is so full that I can hardly catch my breath...
When I saw the faces of all the Bahá'ís here as I came into this room I rejoiced. But when I saw the faces of the Indian Baha something a little different happened.
I wonder i~ in our human frailty and smallness, we realize the greatness and the implications of some of the Words of Bahá'u'lláh. We cling to His Words, we follow Him, we love Him, we want to serve Him hut we forget that each one of His phrases is the
Word of God Himself.And when I looked at the Indian Bahá'ís here tonight I remembered the Words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá which, although they are not quite the same as the Words of Bahá'u'lláh are, nevertheless, an animating influence in the Cause of God for all time. He said that if the indigenous peoples of the Americas would accept this Revelation they would have an effect on the world equal to that which had been produced when the Arabians had accepted the Prophet
Mubammad."In our present world we forget the influences of the past. We are lost in the 20th century and we forget our history; but when the people of the Arabian Peninsula accepted the Manifestation of God, Mubammad, they produced an influence in the world that went deep into China in the East and that brought about the Renaissance in Europe. It would perhaps not be too great an exaggeration to say that one of the waves released by the Renaissance was the colonization by Europeans of the Americas. These are all a part of history.
So we may well ask ourselves what will be the repercussions from the Indian Bahá'ís who accept Bahá'u'lláh in the Western Hemisphere?
According to the Words of the Son of Bahá'u'lláh, they will release an impetus that will travel all over the world because that is the implication of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í Words.
When I heard that tonight a great many more Indian Bahá'ís were present than had been anticipated I rejoiced and I hope that our Indian brothers and sisters who are here tonight and who will be here throughout this Intercontinental Conference whether they happen to be from Panama or from other countries of Latin America, will carry back to their own people, whether they are Bahá'ís or not, the spirit of this Conference and the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh's
Message."We make a great mistake in this world when we think that unity in the concept of Bahá'u'lláh means uniformity. When you analyze it, the people of the world today, whatever political bloc they belong to, whatever party they adhere to, whatever religion they follow, they think the best thing would be if everybody was like themselves; but this is not the Message of Bahá'u'lláh.
God created us different.This is our honor, this is our blessing, this is our distinction. It means that each group of the human race has developed its own capacities.
It has itsown gift to bring to the family of human beings. "So I ask particularly the Indian Bahá'ís to remember this and to be immensely proud of their past and immensely proud of being Indians. They remember as I am sure I remember that it was the white people who did a great deal to destroy their history. They made them feel that the history of the white man was greater than the history of the red man. But this is not the Message of Bahá'u'lláh.
The Message of Bahá'u'lláhis that they have a great future and they have great capacity.
"I want them to know that their Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, rejoiced when the news reached him of every single Indian Baha'i.
He could not wait to speak about it. lie would tell it to all those who served at the World Center, he would tell it to the pilgrims, and then he would cable it to the BTh&i world.
This was a very sincere act on his part, it came from the depths of his heart. The Baha world, which after all is a world of its own which exists all over the planet now, is waiting for more Indian Baha to enter the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh. They want them to teach their own people more; they want them to increase by the thousands.
Who knows, when we have enough Indian Bahá'ís in the Western Hemisphere under the shadow of Bahá'u'lláh, perhaps they will be the ones to carry the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh to the white population of this
Hemisphere!"You Indian friends arc like a great tree that has its roots in the soil of all the Americas. To the degree to which your people accept Bahá'u'lláh, you will bear your fruit.
It will be good fruit and when the white man eats it he will be a better white man."
The formal opening of the Conference was on Saturday morning. In the afternoon the Hand of the Cause Ja1~1 Khizeh addressed the representatives of twenty-three American
National Assemblies, AuxiliaryBoard members, and all the believers on the "Praise and Glory of Bahá'u'lláh", again emphasizing the special privileges of this particular Conference. Ri~jiyyih KhThum spoke again in the evening on the banishment and imprisonment of Bahá'u'lláh and of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. This was followed by a showing of Carmel, the Mountain of God, the film sent by the Universal House of Justice, and also the Columbia Broadcasting System television program,
And His Name Shall BeSunday morning came and the moment of dedication had arrived. Would it rain? It was the rainy season. But the sun shone bright and hot as the seven buses, many private cars and taxis arrived at the foot of the hill and the path leading to the Temple site. The believers walked about two hundred and fifty yards to the place where the Temple is to be built in an area called Cerro Sonsonate. Spanish, French, English, Arabic and Guaymi � these were the languages of prayer. Peter Tillotson, the young English architect of the future House of Worship, not a Baha'i, pledged his best. Dr. Tejada Morn, attorney for the Panama National Assembly, and Raul Mango, engineer and original owner of the land, also spoke.
RiMdyyih KhAnum, after laying the cornerstone, a native stone found not far from the site, and placing within it the sacred dust and roses brought by her from the tomb of Bahá'u'lláh, observed that Shoghi Effendi himself had stated that the first place in Central America to have a House of Worship would be Panama. The Temple, she emphasized, was for all peoples, not for the Baha alone.
The afternoon brought the most moving event of the Conference, the viewing of the portrait of Bahá'u'lláh.
It rested on gold fabric brought from Irgn, placed aver a red silk cloth. Just before the viewing, Rfi~iyyih KhAnum placed red and white roses beside the picture. Then the friends slowly came forward. There was a blind Indian friend who stood before the photograph he could not see with his physical eyes. Rtxl3iyyih Kh4num guided his fingers over the frame so that he might experience the richness of this moment and see with his inner vision.
This day, so full and profound, was concluded with a public meeting where at least one hundred and fifty guests joined the Baha to fill the hail and to hear Oscar
Sierra I, National Assemblymember from Guatemala, speak on the meaning of Bahá'u'lláh's coming and His Message for humanity.
On Monday, October 9, Hoopermember, led a discussion on literature and mentioned the need to translate into the native languages for many of the poorer peoples.
It is important, he said, that the translations reflect the Teachings uniformly. Copies of all materials to be translated for any part of Latin America should be sent through the
Page 225Friends assembled at Cerro Sonsonate for the laying of the cornerstone of the Mother Temple of Latin America.
respective National Spiritual Assemblies to the Bahá'í
Publishing Trust in Argentina.The Spanish translation of The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh was announced. The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Rfi~dyyih KMnum said that the Words of Bahá'u'lláh are different from any other words; they are food for the soul of man and when people eat of these Words their souls grow. In translating for the Indian peoples we should always give them some of this precious food.
Eduardo Perez de Leonof Mexico opened an afternoon consultation on publicity, asking that publicity on the Conference be utilized in all countries, as specified by the Universal House of Justice. Auxiliary
Board member Artemus Lambof Mexico concentrated attention on radio, since television is available oniy in large cities and on a limited scale. Even the poor people generally have access to radios.
It is important to develop good relations with radio stations, he said, and to try to acquire free radio time for public service. Sometimes this can be accomplished through arranging interviews with a visiting Bahá'í and through current Baha events of public interest.
Fred Berest of the Nationalmentioned a radio program of five minutes a day, five days a week, which costs only fifteen dollars per month, after which the tapes are given to small village stations.
A strong appeal for pioneer teachers to go into the mountain areas was made by Rose Mangopis of Nicaragua.
"Let us get moving," she said, "and go into the mountains to teach Bahá'u'lláh's laws."
Margot Worley, AuxiliaryBoard member from Brazil, quoted from the Guardian's writings on the Fund. No individual, she said, was functioning fully in the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh unless he supports the Fund, no matter how modestly. The Hand of the Cause JalAl KhAzeh spoke of the need for the new, infant national communities to gradually grow
Page 226The Hands of the Cause and friends attending the Panama Conference.
into maturity and to become completely self-supporting.
Ra~iyyih KiPnum said: "Itseems to me that we should remember that just the way it does not matter what we eat, every human being eats with his mouth; the same thing is true of everything else we do in this world. Sometimes people say, 'Well, we had to give to the church in the past, or, we belonged to some society and they were forever asking for funds and now that we are Bahá'ís we do not want any more of that.' They say, 'That was the past and we are the future.'
But the fact remains that all of us � families, communities, tribes, municipalities, nations � we all have to live by means.
The whole Baha system has to go forward also through making certain expenditures because we live in a material world and have to live with material means.
"We have no choice, so that it seems to me that everybody can grasp this point and certainly our Indian friends can grasp it with the same understanding that we do because they are men and we are men and it is understandable to everybody. The most precious thing has already been emphasized here � that everybody should give. This is because this one peso or one penny or one centavo or whatever your smallest denomination here is, that you give to your Faith makes the work go along. Personally, I do not think anything in the world has the value of the contributions of the poor. No matter how much a rich man gives, he never succeeds really in giving because he is like a spring, he is fortunate enough to always have something coming out of the bottom of the well, he never really sacrifices.
"There is a tribe in Africa that lives in the desert and has so little water that they have to catch the dew, drop by drop, and one sip of that means the difference between life and death, so we see how preCious this is. This is like a poor man's money. I think that we should sometimes remember that people who live in primitive societies are making the transition from a society that lives on barter and exchange of goods to our way of money. They have very little money but still they can give that one penny and it is their blessing to do so." It was announced that over eighty thousand
Page 227Arnatu'l-Bahd Rd~iyyiJz KMnum and distinguished guests at the banquet attended by dignitaries of of Panama.
dollars had been contributed toward the building of the Temple by National
Spiritual Assembliesand individuals, and many contributions were received during the Conference.
Architect Peter Tillotsondesignated two years as building time, once the preliminaries are completed. The secretary of the National Spiritual
Assembly of Panama, LeotaLockman, gave tribute to Bahá'í consulting architect, Robert Mctaugh-liii, of the U.S.A., and to Paul Thick of Hawaii who supervised the building of the road.
The Kuna Indian tribe of Panama donated $93.21 to the Temple Fund and an equal amount to their
National Assembly Fundfrom the sale of molas, large pieces of beautifully designed fabric.
A banquet at the Hilton Hotel, to present the Hand of the Cause Amatu'I-BahA Ral2iyyih KhAnum, entertained many dignitaries of Panama, various foreign embassies and members of the press.
Another banquet was held at the Lions' Club Camp on the outskirts of the city. It was ajoyous, festive evening. There were colorful decorations, beautiful costumes, an excellent meal, dances and songs by many tribal groups.
The publicity generated by the Conference was extensive. There were thirtyfive press stories and photographs used in local papers, two features appearing on the Saturday after the close of the Conference; a five-minute television coverage of the dignitaries' banquet; two television interviews; five television news stories; five radio news stories; a ten-minute radio interview of four personalities at the Conference; a United Press International press interview sent throughout Latin America; and a press interview by the Copley newspapers to be distributed during
Abdu'l-Bahá Rfl1~yyih KhAnum'sA number of people became Bahá'ís as a direct effect of the Conference, many of whom were moved by the spirit of the Indian believers
Page 228The Panama Conference in session. Arnatu'1-Bahd Ri~iyyih jizdnum is seen in the upper left of the photograph.
and by thejoyful unity of so many people, all of which are only some of the visible manifestations of that invisible essence, the power of the love of Bahá'u'lláh.
A cable to the Universal House of Justice evoked the following reply, read at the
Conference:From every corner of the continent, drawn as by a magnet to its spiritual heart, the travellers came, three thousand in number.
Some were on the way since early dawn; many had travelled all through the night. They turned into the quiet streets near the shore of Lake Michigan, moving through the pale windy sunlight, under the high thin clouds and olive-toned leaves of early autumn, and past the splash of the fountains in their fluttery circles of late-blooming petunias.
Quietly they gathered, all the flowers of His garden together, the rich clark ones and the delicate oriental ones, accenting the rank and file of the occident.
They assembled in happy expectancy to share, as the fitting begin-fling of the momentous Conference, the service of commemoration in the holiest House of Worship in the Bahá'í world.
The service began with the ringing voice of the Hand of the Cause Ta6zu'l1&h Samandari chanting in Persian the Words of Him to Whose voice he had once listened as a youth. Then in the English tongue came Words from
Bahá'u'lláh's Writings:"Magnified be Thy Name, 0 my God, for that Thou hast man jfested the Day which is the King of Days..
And again: "Many a chilled heart, 0 my God, bath been set ablaze with the Fire of Thy ....... How many are the strangers . how numerous the thirsty ones.
And yet again: "Release yourselves, 0 nightingales of God, from the thorns and brambles of wretchedness and misery now is the time to gaze upon His beauty..
to hearken to His voice..Young voices welled into the dome of the Temple of Light. All turned toward the Holy Land as the Hand of the Cause of God John Robarts recited the beautiful Tablet of Visitation: .....
the glory which bath slioneforthfrorn Thy most effulgent Beauty rest upon Thee, 0 Thou Who art the Man jfestation of Grandeur... through Thee the Beauty of the Unseen bath shone forth above the horizon of creation..
In the hush that followed Mr. Samandari, clasping to his breast with both arms the portrait of Him Who is known as the Glory of God, walked to the table and placed the portrait beside a bouquet of deep red roses.
Row by row and one by one every person in theEach had his precious moment to gaze at the photograph of Bahá'u'lláh. Thus, with hearts lifted and illuminated by prayer, and refreshed by the unique privilege of viewing the likeness of the Beloved, the friends began the historic days of the
Conference.The Grand Ballroom of the Palmer House in Chicago was full at the opening of the meeting on Thursday evening for commemoration of the momentous events in Adrianople one hundred years ago. On the platform were seated the three Hands of the Cause and members of their Auxiliary
Boards in North America.Auxiliary Board member Velma Sherrill introduced the Hands of the Cause: Ta6zu'llAh Samandari, representative of the Universal House of Justice at this historic
Conference; Dhikru'llAh Kh~demwho had been sent to the United States by the beloved Guardian; and John Robarts, recently returned to Canada from Africa.
After the singing of one of Bahá'u'lláh's poems by Mrs. ZhAlih Ktaidem, accompanied on the violin by Dr. Parviz Movagh, Mr. Kh~dem spoke of the great privilege the.
believers of today have in being able to deliver to all the world the Message of Bahá'u'lláh rejected by the rulers of the earth one hundred years ago. He introduced Mr. Samandari, a member of one of the oldest families in the Faith, who (Mrs. Marzieh Gail interpreting) gave loving greetings from the Universal House of Justice. This is a precious Faith, he pointed out, a Faith the Like of which appears not once in one thousand years, but once in five hundred thousand years; a Faith which came to the whole world, not just to one people.
The message from the Universal House of Justice to the Conference was read by Mr. Robarts after which Mr. Samandari continued with an admonition which had been emphasized by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, by Shoghi Effendi, and by the Universal House of Justice: you must know the value of these days. He spoke of the sacrifices made by the
Exalted Mb and His Lettersof the Living, and by Bahá'u'lláh for almost fifty years. He quoted Shoghi Effendi as saying that all the peoples of the world must pass through three stages: they must suffer for what their hands have wrought; they will awaken after a
Page 230The Bahá'ís assembled on the steps of the House of Worship before the first service.
punishment which will burn away the drunken fumes from their brains; and then they will come into the Cause of Godin troops.
He spoke of the importance of teaching ("begin tonight" Mr. KhAdcm interpolated), and urged each one to deepen in his understanding of the Faith by concentrating on the Holy Tablets, and to remain firm and united.
In closing he told the moving account of being in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh just seven days before His passing. As the Blessed Beauty lay in His bed, He spoke of the importance of preventing disunity and unhappiness among the Baha, of investigating the motives of people, and of being alert. It will take strength to meet the great upheavals which the Guardian has said were certain to take place; first in the Holy Land; second in Persia; and third in America. The friends must be steadfast and detached, they must be the Teachings, and must immediately obey the commands of the Universal House of Justice.
Throughout the day and evening of Friday, the Conference continued in the ballroom of the Palmer House, under the glittering, many-tiered crystal chandeliers of the room's sump tuous d6cor. The theme on this day was "World-Wide
Proclamation � A New Dimension".From the opening morning prayers, raised in concert with the beautiful musical supplication of A lid h-u-A Hid by the California Victory Chorus, to the climactic afternoon's reading of President Lyndon B. Johnson's letter of greeting to the Conference sent through the delegation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, the day was one of a rising spiritual dan. There were loving cabled greetings from around the world. A thrilling roll-call of nations brought to their feet representatives of the far-flung sovereignty of the Greatest Name as well as those Knights of Bahá'u'lláh who carried His banner to distant outposts.
The Hand of the Cause Dhikru'llfih KhAdem gave an overwhelming account from Nabil's unpublished narrative telling of Bahá'u'lláh's last night in Constantinople when, in reference to the royal Ottoman farmAn banishing Him still further, to the "land of mystery", He vowed that with the twelve followers then with Him He would "overthrow their dynasty and establish the Kingdom of God on earth".
That night everyone could see the great power emanating from Bahá'u'lláh.
Then in a poignant tribute of remembrance, Mr. Khadem chanted two verses from the Tablet of Nawruz revealed on that night, a group of Persian friends chanting the response as the original faithful twelve had done.
"Look what happened through twelve that night, and now with one hundred thousand think what will happen to the world!"
exclaimed the belovedof the National Teaching Committee, followed with a stirring appeal for each individual to recall the "con-tract" into which he entered when he declared his acceptance of the Faith, and emphasized such potent phrases from the message of the Universal House of Justice as "the time is ripe"; "the hundred years respite having ended"; "as humanity enters the dark heart of this age of transition". He discussed the burgeoning population with its growing preponderance of youth and pointed out the special opportunities for Bahá'í youth to teach, remembering as their models the illustrious first believers who were all under thirty years of age. The responsibility of the entire Baha community at this time is to take the Message to the"hyways and back alleys of the world", he said.
Speaking for Alaska, RobertMoul, member of the National Spiritual Assembly, gave a detailed r~sum~ of their proclamation plans, the highlights of which include: preparation of special pamphlets for direct mailing to villages unreached by the usual communication media; preparation for mass mailing in two Indian languages of A Message w tire Native Peoples of Alaska; presentation to one hundred and thirty Alaskan personages of the book,
The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh;posters, spot radio announcements and a television show.
Canadian National SpiritualAssembly member, Dr. Suhell Bushru'i, presented a broad picture of that country's spiritual heritage and gave details of their plan for six annual phases of proclamation, each directed toward a particular segment of the population. Delegations are being sent to thirty-four religious organizations to present The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh and on October 15 a copy of this book is being presented to the Prime Minister.
Ten thousand clergymen are receiving a series of four letters from the Canadian Bahá'í community, these letters to be dispatched at eight-week intervals. Proclamation material will be sent to Indian Chiefs of Councils and Reservations and there will be a special emphasis on the Bahá'í teachings on social justice in the hope that eventually the majority of the Canadian Bahá'í membership will be Indians.
Highlights of the American proclamation plan, given by the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, Dr. David Ruhe, include: presentation to President
Lyndon B. Johnson of Themailing to ten thousand national leaders the booklet Bahá'u'lláh: His Call to the Nations; fully capitalizing on the United Nations' 1968 Human Rights Year beginning with the issuing of a statement on human rights during this Conference; publicity on the Mark Tobey exhibit at the Roosevelt University, Chicago, during October; and the six-continent radiotelephone hookup at the Conference.
The crowning moment of the day was the reading of the letter from President Johnson to the Conference.
It said, in part: "I am pleased �to acknowledge the growing good you do. Yours has been a work of love.
You have sown seeds of righteousness and justice, and humanity will reap rich harvests from your toil. Your purpose is the purpose of America, your hope the hope of men of goodwill everywhere...
All thoughtful and farsighted men respect the mission of your faith. For every one of us looks forward to that day when the earth will truly be one country � and mankind its citizens."
That evening at the public meeting in the ballroom an overflow crowd numbering well above three thousand, including many guests, heard Bishop James A. Pike, wellknown Episcopalian clergyman, and Dr. Firuz Kazem-zadeh, former chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, speak respectively on "Qualm and Quest" and
"Bahá'u'lláh: His CallBishop Pike instantly commanded attention with an opening series of humorous remarks about the world political scene and a gracious acknowledgement that "We're very fortunate there is in the world. an inclusive
Faith.After exploring current trends of religious interest among the avant-garde youth who are "seeking a shortcut to mystical experience", Bishop Pike's summation included an admonition to the Baha to emulate Bahá'u'lláh,
Whopromoted truths unpopular in His time and even endorsed the religion whose adherents persecuted Him. "Carry on. Say it loud and clear", were his parting words.
Dr. Kazenizadeh, historian, scholar and writer, prefaced his delivery of the Message of Bahá'u'lláh with a comment on the historical significance of His call to the nations as constituting a turning point in world history.
He called ~pecia1 attention to Bahá'u'lláh's counsels of justice and peace and His plea to world rulers to reduce armaments and use the money to relieve the plight of the poor.
The summation of the talk affirmed Bahá'í belief in the inevitability of a new World Order and brought a standing ovation from the audience.
On Saturday the scene of the Conference was the Continental Room of the
Conrad Hilton Hotel. Hereas in the previous sessions the spirit rose from climax to climax until one was sure it could rise no higher, only to be thrilled by the next great climax.
The Hand of the Cause John Robarts spoke movingly of the Tab Jets of the Divine Plan which are instructions from God Himself. In them the North American Bahá'ís are given the responsibility of taking the Eaith to all parts of the world.
The prayers which are in these Tablets should be used by the friends daily. Had this been done fifty years ago there might have been masses of believers today. A power has been infused into the world by the
Universal House of Justiceby which the Faith will advance on the unknown seas of proclamation, but the results depend ultimately on the efforts of the individual Baha.
As Mr. Robarts finished speaking it was announced that the telephone hookup with the other Intercontinental Conferences was ready. For the first time in history a conference call was made connecting six continents simultaneously. What a thrill it was to hear Dr. Daniel Jordan speak words of greeting and then to hear similar greetings from each of the five other continents. Over three hundred and fifty Bahá'ís and six National Spiritual
Assemblies of AustralasiaIn Frankfurt there were one thousand six hundred believers. More than seven hundred Bahá'ís gathered in Panama were thrilled about the laying of the cornerstone of a new Mashriqu'l-Adhkar.
From New Delhi came the greetings from three thousand Baha of Asia. The Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga spoke on behalf of the Bahá'ís gathered in Kampala.
The telephone company's communications engineer was almost as excited as the Baha'is. This moment was a forceful reminder of the first telegraphic message, "What hath God wrought?"
on the night of the Declaration of the Bib, and was a fitting event for the centenary of Bahá'u'lláh's proclamation. Many present thought of the Hand of the Cause Dhikru'lIgh Khddem's favourite quotation, "0 Lord, in crease my astonishment in Thee!"
The morning session ended with a beautifully narrated slide program, prepared and presented by the Centenary Committee, showing highlights of the role played by North American DaMNs in the spread of the Faith.
The story of early American believers, skillfully woven together into an inspiring presentation of past victories was a challenge to go on without faltering to win the victories assigned by the Universal House of Justice today.
In the afternoon the three ly4ational Assemblies gave illuminating reports of the Nine Year Plan goals of their countries, the progress made to date, and their needs to win those remaining. Mrs. Beverly Koistoc drew a striking picture of the vast, varied country of Alaska. Michael Rochester outlined clearly the assets of the Canadian Bahá'ís as well as their problems of geographical barriers and ethnic diversity.
Dr. Dwight Mien presented the U.S. picture with attractive and informative charts of progress and needs.
In all three countries the administrative goals such as legal recognition, incorporation of local assemblies, and translating and publishing of literature seem to be well in hand. For the goals of opening new localities, forming new Assemblies, and meeting foreign pioneering commitments, however, Bahá'ís who are willing to arise and move to serve Bahá'u'lláh are needed in all three countries.
Indian teaching, as well as teaching all minority groups, is emphasized in all three countries, and examples of successes in one place are valuable as guidance for others.
After a beautiful musical interlude by a Bahá'í choral group, the afternoon program was presented by the Hands of the Cause.
A Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed to the father of the Hand of the Cause TarAzu'lhh Saman-dad, read both in English and Persian, stated
Page 233Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh addressing the public meeting, On the right are Bishop James A. Pike, guest speaker, and Dr. Sarah Pereira.
Dr. Daniel Jordan extends greetings in the unique telephonic call connecting the six Inter continental Conferences.
Page 234The Hand of the Cause Tardzu'lldh Samandari accepting the greetings of the friends.
that He was waiting for the souls who would work ceaselessly day and night for the Cause. Auxiliary
Board member FlorenceMayberry in introducing the Hands referred to the National Spiritual Assemblies as generals, the kind who go into the thick of battle with the troops, and characterized the Hands of the Cause as Standard Bearers who go out ahead, but who want their followers to catch up with them and who are continually calling them to come ahead.
The Hand of the Cause Dhikru'llAh KhAdem spoke of the rich heritage of the North American Bahá'ís as spiritual descendants of the Dawn-Breakers, and reminded them that the Universal House of Justice would not have given them the tasks if it were not possible for these valiant believers to meet them.
The Hand of the Cause TarAzu'llAh Saman-dan, with Mrs. Marzieh Gail as interpreter, referred to the telephone communication, quoting a poet who wrote, "This is only the tracing of the dawn; wait until you see what the morning brings." He called for sacrificial services on the part of all believers, recalling the ceaseless labors of the beloved Guardian and reminding the believers that today the Universal House of Justice waits anxiously for the Baha'is, particularly the young believers, to arise to serve the
Faith.At seven in the evening of Saturday, October 7, the foyer outside the Continental Room of the Hilton Hotel was the scene of a happy milling crowd awaiting the small miracle achieved by the caterers who were able to metamorphose the huge assembly room of the Conference sessions into a festive, candlelit banquet hail.
No one seemed to need the reminder, but Master of Ceremonies Arthur Dahi called attention to the fact that this banquet was the opportunity for Bahá'ís to pause in their work and enjoy each other's company � that life is to be enjoyed and everyone should be happy and can be so, when he knows that in spite of the grimness of the times there are counterforces working right now to
Page 235And so, this night, the )Bahá'ís did enjoy art, music, poetry and humor.
The magnificent voice of young Thomas Paul, bass, who has appeared with all the major American symphonies, winning significant awards, gave a thrilling recital of songs including two of the lovely scriptural verses set to music by
Charles Wolcott, BlessedEdwin C. Berry, Executive Director of the Chicago Urban League � who has written extensively on, and is considered one of the outstanding creative thinkers in, the field of race relations, who has spent years in social work, taught in nine universities, and has been named Chicagoan of the year � spoke on "The Current Dilemma". He reminded the audience that he does not condone violence but he does understand it. Referring to the fetish of "law and order", he wisely indicated that it should read "law and justice", and that an impossible burden has been placed on police who must keep order in an unjust society. He pointed out the vast difference between suppressing riots and eliminating their cause. Hitler, too, he said, had a society with order, but no justice. In conclusion he spoke for his people, that "We do not seek more (than everyone's right to be the person he was meant to be).. but we will settle for no less!"
The Bahá'í answer to Mr. Berry's appeal had already been prepared for distribution on Sunday morning, but that statement by the National
Spiritual Assembliesof North America was so right and timely an answer that it was read then and there � the statement,
"Human Rights are God-GivenRobert Hayden, one of the faculty of Fisk University, an award-winning poet and Poetry Editor of World Order magazine, gave the first public reading of the beautiful verses he had composed especially for this Intercontinental Conference,
And All the Atoms Cryspoke of "The Coming Century", yet another reminder that "Now," indeed, "is the time for very great things," even in the contingent world. "For a hundred years now, Bahá'u'lláh has unrolled for sensitive hearts. His mighty Message � ushering in the day of justice and world unity � A selection of the paintings of Mark Tobey from the collection of Mr. Arthur Dahi was displayed as part of the centennial observance.
Page 236Bahá'ís have barely understood the implications of His words, when He referred to 'advancing civilization'."
She reminded the audience that Bahá'u'lláh spoke of unreligious things like free commerce between countries... He spoke of the dignity of labor...
She pointed out that the Baha concept of world language is not simply the bare business of one utilitarian international language, but the whole concept of intercommunication of ideas. There is room in this brave, new world only for unity, never for prejudice. World government is the oniy logical conclusion of this burgeoning new civilization. "A new race will inhabit the earth," she said, "linked in love � rising at last after the years of struggle to the brink of maturity. The Great Wind of God is changing the earth � the world of the future will look upon the past century as a century of travail that gave birth to a beautiful civilization."
Following the banquet, a music festival taking as its theme, "Sounds of a New World", featured a number of highly talented young Bahá'ís and the
Southern California Bahá'í Chorus.The enthusiastic performers began with a monologue to musical accompaniment.
The musical monologue was followed with selections by the Chorus and various popular young singers.
And thus with music in the modern vein did the evening of joy and relaxation come to a happy conclusion.
The last session, held Sunday morning was, like the first, given over to the Hands of the Cause of God and rose to great heights of power and dedication.
Mr. John Robarts made a heartfelt appeal for more fervent use of prayer, begging those in the audience to say the Greatest Name for him while he was speaking.
He told stories of how the power of intense concentration in prayer to remove personal difficulties had changed the course of the Faith in Canada to miraculous success in teaching. Dedication and love are not enough.
Pray, he said, and God will send the hungry, waiting people to you.
Mr. Samandari spoke (with his son Dr. Samandari interpreting) on the necessity for prayer.
He told of being in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh with two or three others when he was sixteen years old. As they were leaving, Bahá'u'lláh said to them, "Pray for
Us. Prayfor Us." Prayer is not just saying or reading the words; it is heartfelt feeling.
He quoted from Bahá'u'lláh to show the greatness of this day, spoke of the enormous quantity of His Writings, and then brought home the responsibility to each of us. The result of these Conferences will be, he said, that each will gain from them whatever he should. Each must make a new covenant with Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and the
Universal House of JusticeHe spoke at some length about detachment from material goods, warning that wealth is ephemeral.
Whatever is given to the treasury of Bahá'u'lláh will be protected and will remain when all else is swept away. The needs for the Faith in the Holy Land are enormous, the duties of the Universal House of Justice are great and are expensive, but the world will be changed by their activities.
lie told of the pilgrimage to Adrianopie of the six Hands of the Cause delegated by the Universal House of Justice to represent them at the Conferences.
Before they left Haifa they gathered at the Hoiy Shrines, praying for the Bahá'ís throughout the world. The six delegates flew to Istanbul, where they stayed one night before going on to Adrianople, accompanied by the National Spiritual Assembly of Turkey and two Auxiliary Board members. In Adrianople the six Hands of the Cause, alone in the House of Bahá'u'lláh, read together the Sariy-i-Mulak. On the following day the other believers (members of the National Assembly of Turkey, of the Local
Assembly of Adrianopleand two Auxiliary Board members) were present and a reception was held in the home of one of the believers. The House of Bahá'u'lláh, he said, is very beautiful and is exactly as it was in His time. It has been a silent teacher in all Turkey. The holy places in Adrianople are owned by the Baha'is, are looked after by the Assemblies and are in excellent condition.
At the end of Mr. Samandari's talk a prayer was movingly recited with the pure simplicity of childhood, by a little girl � his great granddaughter.
After a summary of the Conference ably presented by Dr. Peter Khan, Auxiliary Board member, the audience was permitted to see, in a beautifully arranged slide program, the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Adrianople, the places sancti
Page 237The Hand of the Cause Tardzu'lldh Sarnandari addressing the Conference.
fled by His presence in 'Akka, and all the Holy Shrines and gardens at the World
Center.The great surge of the spirit, which had risen steadily throughout the Conference, now reached its peak, a spirit expressed not in noisy emotionalism, but in deep and quiet dedication. The points Peter Khan had brought out in his review of the Conference brought home to all the realization that they stand on the threshold of years without precedence, that much of the fuwre welfare of mankind rests in their hands, and that on leaving the Conference they face a world of turbulence in which only the Bahá'ís can proclaim the healing Message of Bahá'u'lláh, that the Promised Onehas come.
It was in that spirit that the friends listened and silently participated in the message from this Conference to the Universal House of Justice, read by Mrs. Janet Smith of the National Spiritual
Assembly of Alaska. Itwas in that spirit that two hundred and sixteen believers rose, quietly, deeply moved, but without fanfare to answer the call of the Hands of the Cause for pioneers.
The friends left the Conference with a deep sense of gratitude to all those who, working unobtrusively, had made this meeting possible; to the Hands of the Cause of God, who had stirred them out of their lethargy and deepened their awareness; and above all to the
Universal House of Justicefor its guidance of the friends in six Conferences throughout the world, friends linked together by an indissoluble bond.
Only when it was over did one realize that all the events of the North American Conference had been arranged to bring us closer to Bahá'u'lláh.
We had looked upon His face as recorded by an actual photograph; had seen and heard one who had looked upon His living face and heard His voice, and had been shown the places where He had walked.
The Universal House of Justice, that supreme, infallible vehicle of divine guidance today, had focused the light on Bahá'u'lláh alone.
Seeking no glory for themselves, they had taken loving care to enable each one to "gaze on" His "beauty and observe whatsoever is in" His "book".
Page 238The Universal House of DURiNG MOMENTOUS PERIOD
Justice cabled the ConferenceJUST INAUGURATED EXFMPLIFY
on October 9: BEFORE EYES ENTIRE HARM
DEEPLY MOVED STIRRINGSHRINES SPIRITUAL PREPONDERATING ROLE PROPAGATION
WORLDWIDE ESTABlISHMENTwas sounded on an auspicious and joyous opening note.
The Lord Mayor of Sydneygave a civic reception in honor of the Hand of the Cause of God Dr. Ugo Giachery and seventy Bahá'ís representing all areas of the Pacific and the Australian continent.
This event, held at noon, Thursday, October 5, generated an Australian Broadcasting Commission television program presented on the opening night of the Conference, giving an extra stimulus to the extensive newspaper coverage.
The Lord Mayor was deeply impressed by the wide representation of visitors coming from such a far-flung area and by the tenor of the Bahá'í principles, and gave a warm welcome to the assemblage.
The Conference itself opened with the introduction of the Hand of the Cause of God Dr. Ugo Giachery, representative of the Universal House of Justice, as well as Collis Featherstone, the Hand of the Cause of
God from Australia. JeffRodwell, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, greeted the nine Auxiliary Board members, the members of National Spiritual Assemblies and other believers from Australia,
New Zealand, Westernand American Samoa, French Polynesia, British Solomon Islands,
Fiji, Gilbert and Elliceand New Guinea, Tonga, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, the Philippines, the United States of America,
Canada and Great Britain.Could anything but the love of Bahá'u'lláh bring together so many people from such distant and disparate areas in such joy and unity? There were over thee hundred and fifty of them from twenty-one countries and islands, a true expression of the uniting power of the Faith. Later that evening the friends were shown the film, And His Name Shall Be One, from the
Columbia BroadcastingOn the morning of Friday, October 6, Dr. Giachery presented the message of the Universal House of Justice and spoke of thevisit of the six Hands to the holy places associated with the exile of Bahá'u'lláh to Constantinople and Adrianople. He expressed the hope that he might convey some of the emotions experienced on this journey, the first official pilgrimage to these places. He explained that with every step ofthejourneyfromlstanbul to Adrianople they contemplated the sufferings of Bahá'u'lláh, Who had made the same journey one hundred years before.
He mentioned the prayers of the Hands in the house of RiKIA Big, which has been restored to its original condition, and the Feast of MaThiyyat with readings from the Sariy-i-Mulak.
Mrs. Viva Rodwell reviewed the events which transpired in Adrianople, culminating in Bahá'u'lláh's revelation of the Sariy-i-Mulak. As background she gave an outline of European history and of the oppressed conditions of the masses, pointing out the relevancy of Bahá'u'lláh's Message to the leaders of the world. This review was followed with the reading of the Sariy-i-MultW and other Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh to the rulers, interspersed with appropriate musical selections.
John Davidson gave a presentation of the history and scope of Bahá'u'lláh's proclamation, not only conveying the historical facts, but also the deep suffering of Bahá'u'lláh because of Mirza Yatiy~'s transgression and the subsequent oppression of SultAn 'Abdu'1-'Aziz.
In outlining the scope of ]lahA'u'lIAh's proclamation he summarized the major themes of the Divine Summons of Bahá'u'lláh. Auxiliary Board member Miss Thelma Perks spoke on the monarchs and religious leaders and institutions who were the recipients of the Message of Bahá'u'lláh.
William Washington continued with the account of the effect of Bahá'u'lláh's Teachings on the world, and Niualeava Tuataga terminated this session with a spirited and inspiring talk on the Faith.
On Friday night a special commemorative Temple service was held at which a youth choir sang selections of Bahá'u'lláh's Words.
After the service the assembled believers viewed the portrait of Bahá'u'lláh brought from the Holy Land for this occasion. The atmosphere in the Temple was intense as each believer approached and gazed on the face of Bahá'u'lláh, recalling the words of Professor E. G. Browne, "The face of Him on Whom I gazed I can never forget, though I cannot describe it.
The National SpiritualDistinguished guests at reception; left to right: The Lord Mayor of Sydney; the Hand of the Cause Dr. Ugo Giachery; Mr. James Heggie, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia; the Hand of the Cause H. Collis Featherstone.
tralia, through its representative, Mr. P. de Vogel, announced its plans to present the book, The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, to the Gover-nor-General, the Prime Minister, political leaders, religious dignitaries and people of eminence throughout Australia.
These activities are to be accompanied by an intensive proclamation to all sections of the community. The representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand, Mrs. Ereda Butler, mentioned that a special proclamation conference in Auckland was held prior to the Intercontinental Conference, which resulted in a plan being launched to culminate with a public meeting on November 12, the birthday of Bahá'u'lláh.
Their plan included the presentation of one hundred and fifty books to leaders and a special weekend festival on October 19 � 20.
Mrs. Lillian 'A1A'i of the National Spiritual Assembly of the South Pacific Ocean stated that with the distances involved in the South Pacific the difficulties of proclamation were evident. Two special copies of The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh are to be presented to the King of Tonga and the King of Samoa.
The National SpirjtualAssembly of the South Pacific announced plans to present the book, The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, to fifty leaders and cabinet members, together with the pamphlet on loyalty to government.
Mrs. Gertrude Blum of the National Spiritual Assembly of the South West Pacific Ocean spoke of the difficulties of teaching the Faith in Noumca and the New Hebrides.
However, with the help of pioneers Mr~ and Mrs. Owen Battrick who speak French, it is hoped that greater progress will be made in these islands.
Mrs. Mabel Aritera of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands spoke of the excellent relationship developing with the magistrates in these islands, but explained that in over two million square miles of sea there are only forty to fifty square miles of land. She mentioned the need for traveling teachers.
Dr. Claude Caver of theof Hawaii presented an inspiring program of events, some interesting features being a letter to all believers in Hawaii on the importance of proclamation, the formation of a national proclamation committee, a series of
Page 241The Hands of the Cause and friends assembled on the steps of the House of Worship, Sydney.
Sunday afternoon programs at the Waikiki band shell, the production of a four-page newspaper to be distributed free to all, an exhibition of art at the Ala Moana shopping center and the presentations to leaders and religious dignitaries.
On Saturday evening a special public meeting attended by over three hundred and eighty people was held featuring the Hand of the Cause Dr. Giachery,
Marc Towers and Stanley Daltonas speakers, with Alvin Blum as chairman. Following immediately, seventy-nine friends gathered at the Ija4ratu'1-Quds for the intercontinental telephone hookup. This thrilling moment came at 2 a.nt Sunday and proved of great interest to the Australian newspapers.
The entire Conferencefelt privileged to heat Dr. Ugo Giachery speak on the beloved Guardian whom he intimately portrayed to the friends on several occasions.
The Hands of the Cause and members of Nationalmet together to discuss mutual plans and problems of teaching. The call for pioneers was raised during various sessions and by the closing session nineteen had responded, as well as a number who offered themselves for traveling teaching. The entire Conference was conducted in English.
Specialgratitude is due Mrs. Battrick who translated many of the discourses into French for the indigenous
Baha from French Oceania.A public service was held at the Bahá'í Temple on Sunday at 3 p.m. This was preceded by the taking of an official photograph on the Temple steps. Over four hundred people attended the service, a record since the dedication of the Temple. The Lindfield a capella choir sang, including three songs especially composed by one of their members for dedication, using words from Baha Writings.
Sunday evening was given over to social activities and an address by the Hand of the Cause Dr. Ugo Giachery, followed by the showing of the slides of Mount Carmel.
The last poignant hours of the Conference were unforgettable. The pioneers who had arisen came forward amidst applause and excitement and stood before the gathered friends as Mrs. Giachery read the prayer,
0 Thou Incomparable God.returned and told of the presentation of The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh to the
Chief Justice of Australiawho was the first national dignitary to receive the book. Alvin Blum, pioneer to Honiara, raised the call to universal participa
Page 242tion and spoke of the bounty of pioneering. Indigenous believers from New Guinea came forward to tell how they had accepted the Faith. Mr. Tiamuel, a tribal chief from the Solomons, enacted the story of his people and his acceptance of the Faith with a sparkling vivacity and humor. An Australian aboriginal from the River Murray greeted the Conference on behalf of his people, and friends from Hawaii and New Zealand came forward to express their greetings. Then there was the poignancy of the Maori farewell and the words which carried everyone on wings of peace to the Land of the Long White
Cloud.The chairman spoke for everyone when he extended heartfelt thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Giachery who had given a new vision of the grandeur of the Faith and a new spirit to uplift all hearts: "Surely, we have been blessed far beyond our deserving and can but turn to Bahá'u'lláh in praise and thanksgiving that He has brought us together in this Bahá'í family."
In response to the cable sent to the World Center by the Conference, the
Universal House of JusticeThe Hand of the Cause H. Collis Featherstone, and Mrs. Featlzerstone, meeting with nine members of the Auxiliary Board of Australasia at the tlaziratu'l-Quds, Sydney.
Page 243for Africa was unique in the highlights it produced and the emotions it evoked in the more than four hundred and fifty Bahá'ís from twenty-four nations gathered in the Lugogo Stadium Clubhouse, Kampala, Uganda. Scenes lively, joyful, refreshing and sad, moving but inspiring, combined to raise the spirits of all to renewed heights of awareness, enthusiasm and determination.
A great African animal-hide drum sounded the call to consultation at the beginning of each session and prayers rose in innumerable tongues, chants and choruses of the believers of Africa � black, white and brown. Here and there simultaneous translations conveyed knowledge of the wide representation of tribes and peoples.
The weather was warm and sunny, the flowers colorful and sweet-scented.
The messages and greetings that poured in from the 1-loly Land, the other Conferences, many parts of Africa and friends around the world brought a warm feeling of oneness. And the news was good, encouragingly good. Yes, there were problems, many and serious problems, but there was accomplishment and victories, too, handsome victories won by believers and communities laboring in difficult circumstances.
When it was over it seemed that the believers of Africa were poised, ready and eager to flood this vast continent with the swelling tide of proclamation in order that "the wilderness, the mountain, the valley, the forests, the prairies and the seas" should resound with the Name of the Lord.
This had not been an easy Conference to arrange.A large committee had labored for months over details without number.
For a period the government had refused permission for the selected dates as it was also the season for celebrating independence in Uganda. One by one the members of the committee were stricken by illness or personal crisis. But through it all was seen the finger of God opening the long-closed door of radio, attracting journalists and photographers from home and abroad to a fine press conference and to cover the events of the weekend, providing sponsors for a four-page Bahá'í supplement in the daily English language newspaper, offering a program gram on television though which the Hands of the Cause A. A. Furiitan and Enoch Olinga introduced the Faith, sending a Bahá'í writer, Mrs. Beth McKenty, and a photographer from the American magazine, Ebony, to cover the Conference in meticulous detail.
On the first evening the friends gathered for registration and to join in a unity feast punctuated by laughter and loving spirit. The choirs of Kenya and Uganda sang. Greetings were exchanged as the roll call of countries was read. When all had finally arrived, seventeen countries in Africa were presented, two in the Indian Ocean and five in other parts of the world. Tape-recorded messages from the other Conferences were heard. A great banner was arrayed across one wall announcing the purpose of the Conference, and the auditorium was embellished with numerous Bahá'í photographs including a large colored reproduction of the design of the Panama
House of Worship.Mr. Kolonerio Oule, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Uganda and Central Africa, opened the Conference on the first day, welcoming and greeting the friends. The Hands of the Cause of God started the Conference along its threefold path of celebrating the centenary of the declaration of Bahá'u'lláh to the rulers of the world, of opening the six-year period of worldwide proclamation of the Faith, and of deliberating on the progress of the Nine
Year Plan in Africa.Most ably representing the Universal House of Justice, the Hand of the Cause 'Ali-Akbar Furgtan read the inspiring message sent from the World Center to the six Intercontinental Conferences.
He spoke of the arduous life of Bahá'u'lláh in Adrianople and the revelation of the Sariy-i-Mulak.
He told of the moving experiences of the Hands of the Cause on the pilgrimage to the house c4 Bahá'u'lláh in Adrianople. He was followed by the Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga speaking with eloquence about the history and scope of Bahá'u'lláh's proclamation.
On the afternoon of the first day the believers were taken by bus to the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar on Kikaaya Hill where they attended a special service and viewed the portrait of Bahá'u'lláh. On a far crest of that same hill the new national
Page 244and Central Africa and a Teaching Institute have just been completed.
The Ijapratu'1-Quds is a circular building having a round central auditorium surrounded by a group of offices, a library, archives room, publishing room, guest room and kitchen. Following the service, Mr. Eurfi-tan dedicated the new buildings designed by Baha architect Patrick Robarts, who spoke briefly about their construction. Ijasan Sabri explained the history of the I5a4ratu'1-Quds in Uganda. Sacred relics of Bahá'u'lláh from the national archives were on view as the believers passed through the auditorium.
In the evening the friends were privileged to see the exquisite slide productions with sound, Carmel, Mountain of God; and International Bahá'í
Convention and WorldThe second day of the Conference was given to reports of plans and consultation on methods of proclaiming the Faith in Africa. The subject was brought into sharp focus through the thoughtprovoking words of chairman William Masehia and speaker Dr. Elsie Austin, who put definition to public proclamation and its techniques and stressed the role of individual responsibility in the teaching work.
As the representatives of the National Assemblies reported on their plans and progress, it was clearly seen that much thought and effort had gone into the preparations for this great campaign and that each Assembly is dealing with the situation in
Mrs. Margaret Claytonawaiting completion of the intercontinental telephone hookup, as a technician looks on. The Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga is seated on the left.
The Hands of the Cause and friends on the speaker's platform. The traditional African drum in the foreground was used to call the sessions to order.
its own region with a fine blend of audacity and wisdom. Step by careful, well-planned step, the Name of Bahá'u'lláh will be carried from the cities to the towns, villages, homes and hearts of the people. The high and the low, rich and poor, literate and illiterate, religious and pagan, young and old, men and women, all will hear His Message.
That is the plan.At 5.30 p.m. on the afternoon of the second day a public meeting was held in the main auditorium of Makerere
University College. Approximatelyfive hundred people were present to hear Mr. Furfitan and Mr. Olinga speak.
Over one thousand invitations had been sent to leaders in government and public life in Uganda. Each invitation had been accompanied by a letter, a specially prepared pamphlet giving extracts from Bahá'í Teachings, and a brief statement of the history and purpose of the Cause.
Following the public meeting a reception for two hundred and fifty people was held at the new State Hotel, attended by representatives of the government, the diplomatic corps, the clergy, educational institutions and the business and professional communities.
Saturday was a day of sober reflection on the problems and prospects of fulfilling that "lion's share" of the Nine Year Plan so confidently given to Africa by the Universal House of
Page 245The Hands of the Cause 'Al! Akbar Furidan and Enoch Olinga greeting the friends.
Justice. As the friends listened to chairman Ijasan Sabri and the reports from each National Assembly they marvelled; for whereas the Plan is orderly and methodical, destined to anchor the Faith in every land, the ways by which God aids His Cause are mysterious and fascinating. Believers are imprisoned, persecuted, and the Faith gains inner strength and outward recognition. New nations are disrupted, torn asunder with strife, and the Bahá'í refugees plant the banner of Bahá'u'lláh their foster homelands. Pioneers are badly needed hero or there; none appears, but a Baha is transferred across the world in his profession and fills the breach. A white pioneer dies, is buried in a black burial ground, and the barriers of race tumble. A Baha cemetery is acquired. The sweet spur of enthusiasm far exceeds goals � nine Local Assemblies where five were wanted in the harsh heartlands of prejudice; twenty Assemblies called for, and one hundred and two formed where breathes the air of freedom.
New believers have been contacted; large numbers enrolled; National and Local Assemblies formed; Temple and endowment lands acquired; Baha Schools, Teaching Institutes, Ua4ratu'I-Quds erected; whole institutions launched; communities incorporated; legal recognition obtained; IlahA'i literature tans-lated, published and disseminated; Summer Schools started; funds contributed; womep, youth and children trained and the believers deepened.
The friends all over the continent are active in the service of this precious and sacred Cause.
The previous day a cablegram had been sent to the Universal House of Justice by the Conference.
The following reply was read onAssembly had sent a beautifully illuminated and framed Tablet which was presented by their representative, Roger White. A cablegram of greeting and encouragement was received from the only remaining believer in Africa who met Bahá'u'lláh,
Mrs. Mura~~a' RawhAniOn Saturday afternoon Elton Smith of Kenya chaired the consultation on the
Nine Year Plan. PeterMazibuko of South Mrica said, "Although it was the pioneers who carried the Faith to Africa, it is the Mrican believers who must now arise and carry the Message to their fellow-Mricans."
He emphasized the vital role in the teaching work played by the African Bahá'í women in his area in training children and holding firesides in the home. "The future of the Faith lies with our youth and children. If we are in love with our Faith, we cannot resist teaching and spreading it."
S. Mooten of Mauritiussaid, "An army cannot march on an empty stomach, and the Faith cannot progress without funds. The Universal House of Justice has called for universal participation in contribution to the Fund.
A child, for a time, is dependent on his parents, but when he reaches maturity he becomes self-supporting."
Festus Mukalama of Kenyareminded us, "1ff it were possible for the Master to walk in the street, or from place to place, teaching and winning hearts for the Faith, we should not be too proud to follow His example."
Saturday evening the believers crowded into the auditorium in the hope of hearing the intercontinental telephonic greetings to be exchanged by the six Conferences. The loudspeakers were connected to the telephone. First the Kampala operator, then London � a long pause � repeated apologies from London � prayers � White Plains, New York and finally Chicago.
Mr. Olinga conveyed the message from Africa. Then silence.
Nothing was received.But later that evening high spirits prevailed during the "traditional welcome" accorded the representative of the Universal House of Justice and the Hands of the Cause, hosted by Auxiliary Board member, Max Kenyerezi. The chofrs, some in customary dress, sang in the warm and exhilarating tempos of Africa. An orchestra of hand-carved African instruments A Bahá'í singing group entertaining the friends during the "Traditional Welcome".
Page 247The Haziratu'l-Quds, Kampala, Uganda, dedicated October 5, 1967.
played by youthful, skilled, blind musicians put ear to the heartbeat of Africa.
A group of Ugandan children performed a small play
The Day of God.On the last day the children performed again in a brief series of recitations and prayers. Mrs. Helen
Wilks, Auxiliary Boardmember for Swaziland, displayed and explained the visual aids she devised for training and encouraging children in the Cause.
Sunday brought the Conference to a climax and conclusion.
It started in the morning with an inspiring talk by Auxiliary Board member Pouva Murday, chaired by Auxiliary Board member 'Aziz Yazdi, on the spirit of love and devotion which can carry the believers and the Cause through to total victory in the Plan.
This was followed by a statement, lighted with sage humor, by Jack McCants of America, speaking on the role of the Hands of the Cause in the achievement of the Plan.
On Sunday afternoon there were four Hands of the Cause together for the first time during the Conference, under the chairmanship of Auxiliary
Board member Oloro Epyeru. 'Ali-AkbarFuriitan, representative of the Universal House of Justice, admonished us to be united and to obey the Law of God if we would win victory for Bahá'u'lláh. "Love is the essence of all religions and the greatest gift of God to humanity.
Bahá'u'lláh declared that the principal teaching of His Cause was the unity of humanity, and that all His laws, ordinances and teachings were to bring about unity."
Enoch Olinga reminded us that though we are far apart we are one in spirit and this will be our strength. "Great mercies and blessings," said the Master, "are promised unto you provided your hearts are filled with the fire of love, that you live in perfect kindness and harmony, as one soul in different bodies.
Take no thought of yourselves or your lives, whether you eat or whether you sleep, whether you are comfortable, whether you are ill or well, whether you are with friends or foes, whether you receive praise or blame � for all these things you must not care at all. You must die to yourselves and to the world. Behold a candle, how it weeps its life away drop by drop in order to give forth its flame of light... As you have faith so shall your powers and your blessings be."
SThe Hand of the Cause William Sears was seriously ill, en route to the United States for major surgery, only able to leave his bed long enough to attend the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar service and to pour his heart and spirit into that final magnificent exhortation with which we were sent forth to "mount our steeds".
He reminded us that thepointed out that humanity is entering the dark heart of the age of transition, and said:
"The beloved Guardiantold us that we were being swept into the vortex of unprecedented disasters, undreamed of afflictions and sufferings. The world around us is suffering.
It is tragic, but the real tragedy is that the Bahá'ís within the community may fail to respond to His exhortations to accomplish the task before them... Unless we are Bahá'ís outwardly and within, we cannot win the victories. Sometimes we appear outwardly devoted and active, but inwardly we lack dedication; we go through the motions but our hearts are not in it, the fire seems to have gone out. We can fool other people, but we cannot fool Bahá'u'lláh.
Sometimes we can fool ourselves, but not for long. No man is happy without the love of God in his heart... 'One thing and only one thing,' said Shoghi Effendi, 'will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely the extent to which our own inner lives and private character mirror foith in their manifold aspects the splendour of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh."' And then, as we were all there, gathered to hear the words of these "stewards" of the Faith of God, beloved AqA Jan, our "dear father" as he is known here, the Hand of the Cause Mi~sA Ean~ini, was carried down the stairs and into the auditorium in the arms of a loving friend, was gently placed in his wheelchair and taken to the speakers' platform. Every believer rose to his feet in spontaneous, deeply sincere love, respect and honor. Here was the hero of Africa, scarred but unbent and unwavering, Mr. Banirni, sixteen years a pioneer to Mrica, and in the twilight of his life, ill and almost blind with dia-bytes, paralyzed on his right side by a devastating stroke, and now straight from bed, his left leg amputated above the knee three weeks ago to arrest the angry thrust of gangrene.
We sang AlldIz-u-Abhdwhen he entered; we listened intently while his daughter, Violette Nakhia-vt�ni, translated his message; we admired his stern self-control as he sat in obvious physical discomfort throughout the talks of his fellow-Hands.
An era seemed to have ended; we sensed it. Would he ever come amongst us like that again? Never mind � we have lived with the towering example of his dedication, loyalty, obedience, sacrifice, service and longsuffering; is this not blessing enough?
Are these not the lessons which no eloquence can teach? How great the wisdom of God, that here amongst the simple, unlettered people of Mrica He placed a giant who would, without the aid of words, teach all Africa the meaning of the word "faithful".
That evening there was a final service at the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in supplication for God's blessing on our proclamation efforts and the remaining years of the Nine Year Plan.
It was a warm, starlit night. God seemed very close. We pledged ourselves to His work.
Page 249British Bahá'ís attending the Intercontinental Conference, Frankliirt, gathered at the Centenary
HalLThe praise of God was raised in many languages in the heart of Europe as one thousand seven hundred Bahá'ís participated in the Xntercontinental Conference in Frankfurt-am-Main,
Germany. All western Europewas represented. There were two hundred and fifty-five from the British Isles. Nineteen came from Turkey, five from Iceland, and over a hundred from IrAn. African voices, Middle Eastern voices, North and South American � even P&kist&nian and Indonesian voices blended with those of their
Western brothers. Oneby one they viewed the precious portrait of Bahá'u'lláh.
Together they greeted the Hand of the Cause of God Paul Haney, arriving from Adrianople, the representative sent by the Universal House of Justice. His guidance for proclaiming the Faith in Europe came in clear, purposeful words to those gathered in the Jahrhunderthalle (Centenary Hall), so appropriately named for the occasion.
Fifteen countries sent representatives to consult upon the plans for proclamation, their individual plans and the coordination of those plans with others. The prayers in various languages brought a unity of worship, and all workily differences of a groping humanity were forgotten, drowned out by the tide of love through the power of Bahá'u'lláh.
Berbers of Ncwth Africahad combined to weave a rug of many colors to send with a friend as a gift, its bright reds and blues bringing a warm note of joy. The intercontinental telephone hookup was a physical evidence to all of a growing interdependence as hundreds of nations and thousands of hearts were united for a few moments.
In addition to Mr. Haney, three other Hands of the Cause of God were present:
Dr. Hermann Grossmannwhose illness permitted him to attend only one day; John Ferraby and Dr. Adelbert Mdhlschlegel.
Twenty-one Auxiliary Boardmembers were there. Europe hastened on its busy path while the Bahá'ís began to comprehend more fully the immense significance of this day as the Conference unfolded.
Page 250Mr. Haney read the message from the Universal House of Justice. His commentary on the sufferings of Bahá'u'lláh Adrianople brought an expectancy to the Conference and placed an urgency underneath the joy and thanksgiving. Baha alone have been given the vision to understand the reality of today's world and yet have no fear. He called for a vision of the greatness of the Cause and "a faith within to fulfil our responsibilities".
Mr. Haney quoted from the message sent by the Hands of the Cause to the Frankfurt
Conference of 1958: "Thework of Bahá'u'lláh remains to be completed. No one generation will achieve this. Great moments require great deeds."
Dr. Muhlschlegel encouraged a dedication that would not fade as the Conference ended and as the weeks passed, but rather a total offering to the great things that were happening in the world.
"As we become more aware of these great movements of history, as we begin to see how this age is the greatest event since the time of Adam, when man became aware of himself, so will we be able to take the action that fits the times." The action required is teaching, pioneering and travel teaching. With this in mind, Dr. Mithisehiegel quoted a passage by Shoghi Effendi: "All must participate, however humble their origin, however limited their experience, however restricted their means, however deficient their education, however pressing their cares and preoccupations, however ever unfavourable the environment in which they live... The field is indeed so immense, the period so critical, the Cause so great, the workers so few, the time so short, the privilege so priceless, that no follower of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, worthy to bear His name, can afford a moment's hesitation."
The Hand of the Cause John Ferraby stressed most powerfully the need of the day for heroic deeds, as repeated by the Universal House of Justice in recent messages. When people empty themselves completely so that all they offer comes from God, then will their teaching be effective, he said.
As the news of the Conference began to come through on radio and in the newspapers, the Bahá'ís centred their consultation on the Nine Year Plan. Mr. Ferraby introduced this discussion with a probing study of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í Tablets of the Divine Plan, the teaching charter and basis of all later Plans. He spoke of the two great movements revealed in these Plans: the movement within the Bahá'í world community and the movement in the outside world seen in the founding of the United Nations and developments that would eventually lead to the Lesser Peace, and then the coming of the Most Great Peace of Bahá'u'lláh.
Following a survey of the financial needs of Europe by Charles Macdonald, the Hand of the Cause Paul Haney brought the Funds into a world perspective.
He said that the greatest The Baha'is, some in native costume, assembled at the House of Worship.
Page 251Jahrhunderthalle (Centenary Hall), Frankfurt, where the Conference was held.
flow of Bahá'ís was coming from the underdeveloped countries where capacity to give was very small, thus placing extra responsibility on the Bahá'ís of Europe for the financial needs of the world. He also referred to the needs of the World Center in respect to its maintenance and development.
Some of the good news shared was the success of the Faith in Iceland, the nine pioneers ready to form an Assembly on Rhodes, the developments in the Balearics. The goals to be won are still many.
Special stress was laid on the importance of the islands around the mainland of Europe, those of the North Sea and the islands off Scotland and Fire.
The need for pioneers, for traveling teachers, for sacrificial giving, the need to generate universal participation became sobering responsibilities, almost overwhelming in relation to the seemingly few available to carry on the tasks. Slowly, through the fear that the challenge was too great, came the realization that not the few souls but only the power of God would win the objectives. Some results were immediately apparent � several volunteered to pioneer, some started on their way. New confidence was engendered to sail with unbounded faith upon the "unknown sea" of proclamation.
A full conference hail heard Mr. Haney give clear answers to a troubled world at the public meeting held on Sunday evening.
Just prior to the opening of the Conference a reception was held at the Continental Hotel attended by a number of dignitaries, including Dr. Ernst Benz, Professor of Comparative Religion at Marburg, who had spoken on the Faith on a series of national broadcasts.
A press conference attracted Dr. Barres, Director of
Social Studies at Palermo.A special session xvas devoted to youth. Charles loas of Spain, Auxiliary Board member, stressed their "energy, enthusiasm, imagination and spirituality" on which is based the "future strength of the Faith".
The representatives from the twelve countries consulted on the special message of the Universal House of Justice to youth.' The young people present See p. 259 this volume.
Page 252Friends meeting at the Bahá'í book display booth, Frankfurt.
showed their practical approach to the real challenges when they asked the adults to give them more intense moral education to help them live up to the required standards. This education, they said, must be frank and allow the youth to freely discuss the pressures they feel today in the outside world. Inter-religious round table discussions, special group trips to goal towns, literature with quotations relevant to youth, holiday teaching � these were just a few of the ideas generated.
The Conference concluded with a final address by the Hand of the Cause Paul Haney and the friends returned to their homes renewed and refreshed, more aware than ever of the glorious task to which their efforts had been and were to be directed.
Fresh in their memories were the words of the message cabled by the Universal House of Justice in response to the cable sent to the World Center from the
Conference:The spirit of the European Conference is best summed up in the words of an observer: "The significance of this Conference and the others with which it was linked in so many ways � by phone, by love, by common worship and purpose and by a common authority on earth that had called them together � was in fact too overwhelming for people to realize and fully understand.
Its place in history is dimly seen as we Look back at the history of God's renewed religion, at the turmoil of a century in which a bewildered continent lost its empires and its glory, at the sacrifice of those who had labored to bring the new truth. But its true significance will be seen only after the spiritual rebirth of Europe is apparent, not only to Bahá'ís in the spirit of such momentous gatherings, but to everyone.~~
Page 253Heartwarming smiles, radiant love and joyous companionship permeated the massive gathering of divers cultures, nationalities, language groups and religious backgrounds at the Intercontinental Bahá'í Conference held at New Delhi, attended by more than three thousand Baha'is, a multicolored garden of humanity. The Conference was held on the spacious and beautiful lawns of the national Ijlaziratu'1-Quds of India, a large, white, stately and imposing building.
A huge tent made of bright fabric of the vivid, vibrant colors of India covered the entire area, offering seating capacity for more than three thousand.
The speakers platform was tastefully decorated with Indian and Persian carpets. Directly in front was a carpeted area where the children of various Bahá'í schooLs usually sat. During the first evening and the next day people poured into the grounds and all roads led to the
Ija4ratu'1-Quds, Messagesof greetings by letter and cable started arriving in great numbers some days prior to the Conference and continued in a steady flow throughout. Bus-loads of Bahá'ís from Uttar
Pradesh, MadhyaPradesh, Mysore, Gujarat and other provinces, people from major cities and from every nook and comer of India, including remote tribal representatives, participated. Baha from eighteen Asian countries and four western nations, as well as from Africa and Australia, attended the inspiring gathering, They came by plane-loads from Persia numbering about four hundred, including some people from the tribes, The next largest representation outside India was from the Arabian countries.
on Saturday evening, October 7, the Conference was formally opened by Mrs. Shirin Boman, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of India. Ilindi, English and Persian were the languages used throughout the Conference, but prayers were heard in many different tongues.
The Hand of the Cause of God A. Q. Faizi, representative of the Universal House of Justice, was introduced and greeted the friends. The Hands of the Cause Dr. A. M. Varq~, General S. 'M&i and Dr. R. MuhAjir briefly addressed the Conference, saying that at the time of the first
Asian IntercontinentalThe Hand of the Cause Abu'1-Qdsim Faizi (in rear of photograph) with some c/the Bahá'ís of
Tibet.A close view of some of the Bahá'ís during the Conference session.
ing Conference held inin the world compared with the present eighty-one.
A message to the Conference from the Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander was read.
The Hand of the Cause for Asia, Dr. R. Mirza, introduced the twenty-two Auxiliary Board members present of a total of thirty-six in Asia.
The National SpiritualAssemblies represented were: India, Ceylon, Arabia, Laos, Thailand, North East Mrica, Philippines, mm, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, South and Central Arabia, Turkey and PAkistAn. This session was covered by the Government of India newsreel department and a representative from London Television Company, in addition to many newspaper reporters and photographers.
On Sunday, October 8, the Hand of the Cause A. Q. Faizi spoke movingly of the meeting of the six Hands with the members of the Universal House of Justice in Baha, prior to leaving for Adrianople and then proceeding to the six Conferences. This was followed by 1 See The Bahá'í World, vol. xii, p. 178.
his reading of the message from the Universal House of Justice.
The latest to enter the Faith, the Indian masses, were given the first opportunity to view the portrait of Bahá'u'lláh, while Mr. Faizi stood in silent reverence.
A cable was sent to theKhAnum informing her of the acceptance of the Faith by Tibetans, much loved by her, and her cabled response was received.
Tapes of telephone messages of the Conferences, sent in advance to be played in case there was a breakdown of communicatipns between the Conferences (which did occur) were played.
On Monday morning, Octoberof Arabia presiding, Mr. Faizi spoke on the Guardian of the Paith, Shoghi Effendi, and his thirty-six years of ceaseless labor. He said that the friends probably do not realize fully the many things the beloved Guardian did personally over a period of so many years that made it possible for the significant victories to be won. He then asked
Page 255the Indian teachers to come upon the platform. Among them was a badly crippled old man who must walk with crutches on the tips of his toes. This gentleman has walked through the villages of India enrolling thousands under the banner of the Faith. Also called to the stage were five of the first Tibetans to become Bahá'ís from among the Tibetan refugees in northern India.
The afternoon session was chaired by the representative of mm, JalAl ~abil,i, with representatives of participating National Assemblies speaking on proclamation plans.
A pubLic meeting featured the Food and Agriculture
Minister of India, JagjivanRam, in the public hail of the spacious Vigyan Bhavan.
The two Bahá'í speakers were Dr. M. Salmanpour and Mrs. Shirin Fozdar.
In summing up, the minister, Jagjivan Ram, spoke with warmth and eloquence about the Bahá'í Faith and said that the Message of Bahá'u'lláh, the Prophet for the present age, provided the foundation for a spiritual basis of universal peace and that in it one found all the ancient wisdom expressed in terms of the needs of a modern age. He further said that in his opinion every rational person is a potential Baha'i, and he wished the Bahá'ís every success in their endeavours.
On the evening of October 9, a delegation of four friends, including the Hand of the Cause A. Q. Faizi, had an audience with His Excellency the President of India, Dr. Zakir Hussain. The chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India, Mrs. Shirin Boman, and the vice-chairman Dr. K. K. Bliargava, presented the proclamation book compiled by the Universal House of Justice to the Head of the State of Jndia, who received it with great respect and promised to read its contents.
The proclamation book for the King of Nepal, sent by the Universal House of Justice to Jndia to be presented to His Highness, was taken to Katmandu and presented to the king by Auxiliary Board members Dr. (Mrs.) Pain Oliyai and Mr. Lal Harvansh Singh.
Deliberation on the Nine Year Plan occupied most of the Tuesday sessions, with addresses by the Hands of the Cause Dr. VarqA and Dr. Mr. Morarji Desai, Deputy Prime Minister of India, receiving a delegation of Hands of the
Cause and Bahd'ifriends.A group of Bahá'ís from Indian villages with two friends from abroad.
Mirza. Mrs. Sadaquat, representative of theof Asia, and Vic Samaniego, representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Philippines, presided over the morning and afternoon sessions.
The Deputy Prime Ministerof India, Mr. Morarji Desai, received a delegation from the Intercontinental
Conference on Tuesdayat 3 p.m., consisting of representatives from countries literally encircling the globe. Mr. Faizi, General 'Ahi'i and Dr. VarqA were first presented, followed by the introduction of individuals from most of the thirty countries represented at the Conference. As individuals were being introduced to him, Mr. Desai commented on the wide spread of the Bahá'í Faith. Mter these introductions Mr. Desai invited eyeryone to sit at a long conference table in his office where he gave a short talk stating that he believed in alI religions, including the Baha Faith. Mr. Faizi told him about a Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in which the Master foretold of the future spiritual importance of India.
General 'AIA'i told of meeting Mr. Nehru some years ago and of his friendly attitude toward the Faith.
Dr. C. J. Sundram, representative of the National Assembly of Malaysia, chaired the Wednesday session after an address by IshrAq KhAvari, internationally known Baha teacher from frAn, when the role of youth in teaching the Faith in Asia was discussed.
Some of the youth spoke on their teaching experiences among the masses and urged other youth to come forward.
During the Conferencea special program was arranged by the youth to discuss teaching in colleges. Dr. Suzuki, representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Asia, chaired an afternoon session highlighted by the Hands of the Cause and the Auxiliary Board members.
A reception for the dignitaries of India and abroad was held at the Hotel Oberoi Intercontinental at 5.30 p.m. The guest of honor was the Mayor of Delhi, It was attended by about a thousand persons and the hall was filled to
Page 257capacity. The Hand of the Cause A. Q. Faizi was the chief speaker and was well received.
One of the important features of the Conference was the arrangement made to lodge and board the Indian Baha at the Talkatora Garden where well over two thousand believers stayed. The whole ground, measuring over half a mile, was covered with huge tents partitioned into compartments to house the various representations. Separate arrangements were made for women and children. A temporary telephone connection, first-aid camps supervised by Bahá'í doctors, loudspeaker connections and a reception and registration office were provided to make the stay of the friends a happy and memorable one. Night sessions were regularly held there for the benefit of the Ilindi-speaking believers who came forward to relate their experiences of various ways in which they became Baha'is. Many volunteered as pioneers and teachers; including a number of very new Baha'is.
Immediately after the Conference a press interview was organized for two days, October 12 � 13, the first press conference in the history of the Faith in India.
The conference was honored by the chief guest, J. R. Mudholkar, president of the Press Council of India, who remarked:"..
All spiritual teachings speak of a common source for all creation, yet we continue to separate each other. The only effective way in which man can hope to be saved from nuclear warfare is to launch a concerted spiritual movement for the regeneration of mankind. The Bahá'í Faith, from what I have been able to gather, contains a universal medicine.
Itis myinstruction to the representatives of the press here today to continue a regular discussion on this subject and to be the avant-garde of the new world which is to be ushered in soon.
If the press serves humanity in this way, you would be focusing public attention upon the most important aspect of life, the spiritual development of man."
The press conference consisted of twelve sessions comprised of panel discussions or lectures, talks by various Baha in which selected subjects were presented to the press. Each session was followed by questions or comments. The presentation of the conference Mr. Jag]ivan Barn, Minister of Food and Agriculture (left in photograph), with the Hands of the Cause Aba' l-Qdsim Faizi andShu'd'u'lIdIz 'Ald'L
Page 258of the press wa~ under the guidance of Auxiliary Board member Keith de Fob.
The Hand of the Cause A. Q. Faizi is to be warmly thanked for the wise and thoughtful comments he provided at the conclusion of many of the press sessions. His calm and loving wisdom provided the perfect background for every subject. He commanded great respect from everyone and his summing up always gave the subject a new and larger scope.
K. H. Vajdi, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of India, has written: "This great Intercontinental Conference which was so anxiously awaited in the picturesque metropolis of New Delhi was all too quickly over. To most of us it all seemed like a beautiful dream come true in the garden of delight. Some of the friends were heard to say, 'Perhaps we may not be able to meet again,' while those of younger age promised to meet again at one of the InterOceanic Conferences.
Thus came to an end yet one more gmat and glorious gathering reminiscent of the Bahá'í
World Congress in London."Those who attended the Conference departed for their homes with a heightened awareness of the significance of the task to which the Universal House of Justice directed their attention in the cable sent to the Conference on October 9:
DELIGHTED EXCELLENT ATTENDANCEThe new garden at BaA/i to the northeast of the mansion of Bahá'u'lláh; April, 1968.
Page 259A MIGHTY crescendo of activity among Baha youth coupled with increased receptivity to the Teachings by their non-KBahá'í contemporaries was a significant development during the period covered by this report (1963 � 1968). The upward trend in the enrollment of youth indicated that a period of rapid expansion of the Faith was in prospect.'
This ever-increasing interest by youth in the Bahá'í Teachings was set against the wave of immorality and permissiveness sweeping through the ranks of young people the world over � the rise in the incidence of drug use among teenagers, resentment of parental authority, sexual promiscuity, campus unrest and rioting, excesses in deportment and dress, affronts to law and order, and a general revolt against what was ambiguously referred to as "the establishment".
In an effort to fortify Bahá'í youth in their teaching activity and to enable them to resist the temptations of the wave of materialism engulfing contemporary society, the Universal House of Justice sent out the following letter:
June 10, 1966Friends, In country after country the achievements of Bahá'í youth are increasingly advancing the work of the Nine Year Plan and arousing the admiration of their fellow believers.
From the very beginning of the Baha Era, youth have played a vital part in the promulgation of
God's Revelation. TheDAb Himself was but twenty-five years old when He declared His Mission, while many of the Letters of the Living were even younger.
The Master, as a very young man, was called upon to shoulder heavy responsibilities in the service of His Father in 'IrAq and Turkey; and His brother, the Purest Branch, yielded up his life to God in the Most Great Prison at the age of twenty-two that the servants of God might "be quickened, and all that dwell on earth be united". Shoghi Effendi was a student at Oxford when called to the 1 For example, during the year 1966 � 67 the United States Bahá'í community increased by 13% while the increase among youth was nearly 35%.
throne of his Guardianship, and many of the Knights of Bahá'u'lláh, who won imperishable fame during the Ten Year Crusade, were young people. Let it, therefore, never be imagined that youth must await their years of maturity before they can render invaluable services to the Cause of God.
For any person, whether Baha or not, his youthful years are those in which he will make many decisions which will set the course of his life. In these years he is most likely to choose his life's work, complete his education, begin to earn his own living, marry, and start to raise his own family.
Most important of all, it is during this period that the mind is most questing and that the spiritual values that will guide the person's future behaviour are adopted. These factors present Baha youth with their greatest opportunities, their greatest challenges, and their greatest tests � opportunities to truly apprehend the teachings of their Faith and to give them to their contemporaries, challenges to overcome the pressures of the world and to provide leadership for their and succeeding generations, and tests enabling them to exemplify in their lives the high moral standards set forth in the Bahá'í writings.
Indeed, the Guardian wrote of the Baha youth that it is they "who can contribute so decisively to the virility, the purity, and the driving force of the life of the Bahá'í community, and upon whom must depend the future orientation of its destiny, and the complete unfoldment of the potentialities with which God has endowed it." Those who now are in their teens and twenties are faced with a special challenge and can seize an opportunity that is unique in human history.
During the Ten Year Crusade� the ninth part of that majestic process described so vividly by our beloved Guardian � the community of the Most Great Name spread with the speed of lightning over the major territories and islands of the globe, increased manifoldly its manpower and resources, saw the beginning of the entry of the peoples by troops into the Cause of God, and completed 259
Page 260the structure of the Administrative Order of Bahá'u'lláh. Now, firmly established in the world, the Cause, in the opening years of the tenth part of that same process, is perceptibly emerging from the obscurity that has, for the most part, shrouded it since its inception and is arising to challenge the outworn concepts of a corrupt society and proclaim the solution for the agonizing problems of a disordered humanity.
During the lifetime of those who are now young the condition of the world, and the place of the Bahá'í Cause in it, will change immeasurably, for we are entering a highly critical phase in this era of transition.
Three great fields of service lie open before young Baha'is, in which they will simultaneously be remaking the character of human society and preparing themselves for the work they can undertake later in their lives.
First, the foundation of all their other accomplishments, is their study of the teachings, the spiritualization of their lives, and the forming of their characters in accordance with the standards of Bahá'u'lláh. As the moral standards of the people around us collapse and decay, whether of the centuries-old civilizations of the East, the more recent cultures of Christendom and Is1~m, or of the rapidly changing tribal societies of the world, the Bahá'ís must increasingly stand out as pillars of righteousness and forbearance. The life of a Bahá'í will be characterized by truthfulness and decency; he will walk uprightly among his fellowmen, dependent upon none save God, yet linked by bonds of love and brotherhood with all mankind; he will be entirely detached from the loose standards, the decadent theories, the frenetic experimentation, the desperation of presentday society, will look upon his neighbours with a bright and friendly face, and be a beacon light and a haven for all those who would emulate his strength of character and assurance of soul.
The second field of service, which is linked intimately with the first, is teaching the Faith, particularly to their fellow youth, among whom are some of the most open and seeking minds in the world. Not yet having acquired all the responsibilities of a family or a long-established home and job, youth can the more easily choose where they will live and study or work. In the world at large young people travel hither and thither seeking amusement, educa lion, and experiences.
Bahá'í youth, bearing the incomparable treasure of the Word of God for this Day, can harness this mobility into service for mankind and can choose their places of residence, their areas of travel, and their types of work with the goal in mind of how they can best serve the Faith.
The third field of service is the preparation by youth for their later years.
It is the obligation of a Baha to educate his children; likewise it is the duty of the children to acquire knowledge of the arts and sciences and to learn a trade or a profession whereby they, in turn, can earn their living and support their families.
This, for a Baha youth, is in itself a service to God, a service, moreover, which can be combined wjth teaching the Faith and often with pioneering. The Baha community will need men and women of many skills and qualifications; for, as it grows in size the sphere of its activities in the life of society will increase and diversify. Let Baha youth, therefore, consider the best ways in which they can use and develop their native abilities for the service of mankind and the Cause of God, whether this be as farmers, teachers, doctors, artisans, musicians, or any one of the multitude of livelihoods that are open to them.
When studying at school or university Bahá'í youth will often find themselves in the unusual and slightly embarrassing position of having a more profound insight into a subject than their instructors.
The Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh throw light on so many aspects of human life and knowledge that a Bahá'í must learn, earlier than most, to weigh the information that is given to him rather than to accept it blindly. A Bahá'í has the advantage of the Divine Revelation for this ago, which shines like a searchlight on so many problems that baffle modern thinkers; ho must therefore develop the ability to learn everything from those around him, showing proper humility before his teachers, but always relating what he heas to the Bahá'í teachings, for they will enable him to sort out the gold from the dross of human error.
Paralleling the growth of their inner life through prayer, meditation, service, and study of the teachings, Bahá'í youth have the opportunity to learn in practice the very functioning of the Order of Bahá'u'lláh.
Through taking part in conferences and summer schools as well as Nineteen Day Feasts, and in service on corn
Page 261Youth Project Training Session, Green Acre Bahá'í School, Eliot, Maine; July, 1966.
Youth Project Training Session, Bahá'í Summer School, Davison, Michigan; 1965.
Page 262Youth Institute, Dexter, Michigan; November, 1965.
Bahá'í Youth Conference, Sarasota, Florida, February, 1968.
Page 263mittees, they can develop the wonderful skill of Bahá'í consultation, thus tracing new paths of human corporate action. Consultation is no easy skill to learn, requiring as it does the subjugation of all egotism and unruly passions, the cultivation of frankness and freedom ofthought as well as courtesy, openness of mind, and wholehearted acquiescence in a majority decision.
In this field Baha youth may demonstrate the efficiency, the vigour, the access of unity which arise from true consultation and, by contrast, demonstrate the futility of partisanship, lobbying, debate, secret diplomacy, and unilateral action which characterize modern affairs. Youth also take part in the life of the Bahá'í community as a whole and promote a society in which all generations � elderly, middle-aged, youth, children � are fully integrated and make up an organic whole. By refusing to carry over the antagonisms and mistrust between the generations which perplex and bedevil modem society, they will again demonstrate the healing and life-giving nature of their religion.
The Nine Year Plan has just entered its third year.
The youth have already played a vital part in winning its goals. We now call upon them, with great love and highest hopes and the assurance of our feryent prayers, to consider, individually and in consultation, wherever they live and whatever their circumstances, those steps which they should take now to deepen themselves in their knowledge of the D~vi~e Message, to develop their characters after the pattern of the Master, to acquire those skills, trades, and professions in which they can best serve God and man, to intensify their service to the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, and to radiate its Message to the seekers among their contemporaries.
The effect of this letter is indicated in the following extract from a report, written by a Bahá'í youth in the United States for the National Spiritual Assembly of that country: "These formative years (1963 � 68) of the American Bahá'í youth movement were punctuated by a letter from the Universal House of Justice dated June 10, 1966 and addressed 'To the Bahá'í Youth in every Land.' It was the first communication of its kind to be sent out from the World Centre of the Faith. The letter, written in masterful prose, outlined three great fields of service to the Faith which lie before all youth.. The letter came without warning at a time when many youth were gathered at summer project training sessions where it was quickly reproduced and distributed. lit was received with surprise and awe, almost with disbelief, by youth gathered at these sessions, The words of this letter, though only dimly understood at the time, sunk deeply into the consciousness of all youth who read them. This letter. became a standard of youth identity and set a tone for youth activities for some time.
it was distributed to every Baha youth in the country and was studied again and again at youth conferences and institutes.
In later years, quotations from 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi on Bahá'í youth and their special mission in the Faith were to become more common. But for a time this letter was the primary source of direction for Bahá'í youth activities...
"During the years from 1963 to 1968, within the American nation as a whole, youth in huge numbers were shaken to a new awareness of the decay and corruption of their society. A new youth culture grew to claim the allegiance of millions of alienated young people who had rejected the old order, but had not yet discovered the new one. This mood of the youth culture within the United States was reflected in the young Baha'is. Its positive elements affected the Bahá'í community as a whole, revitalizing and strengthening it and advancing Bahá'í youth to new levels of commitment and sacrifice and eagerness for direct action and service.
Its negative elements were largely eliminated by the laws and standards of Bahá'u'lláh and the guidance of the Administrative Order.
By 1964, many Bahá'íyouth had been infected by this spirit of urgency and activism. They brought their concerns to the National Convention of that year where a responsive chord was struck in many adult Baha who were also aroused by the racial struggles which gripped the nation.
As a result, the National Spiritual Assembly promptly developed a program of summer youth projects into which this new energy could be channelled.
The area of activist service to the Cause, especially in the form of summer service projects, became the domain of Bahá'í youth.
Youth were, almost universally, thrilled and challenged by this new arena of se~ice...
the opportunity to completely dedicate six or eight weeks to a Bahá'í T
Page 264Bahá'í Children's Class, Quezaltenango, Guatemala, 1965.
Bahá'í Children's Class, Summer School,Young Bahá'í teacher with his students, Bahá'í School, Jankaraclzi, Bolivia; 1967.
Youth Conference, Sucre, Bolivia; 1966.Youth listened eagerly to the reports of the successes oftheprojectsand swelled with pride that youth could win such victories for the Cause of God.
"The political pressure of American society had another effect upon Bahá'í youth. Stirred to a new awareness of political realities, youth began to read the writings of Shoghi Effendi with new eyes. The revolutionary scope of the Faith suddenly came into view and was appreciated, as Bahá'ís began to explore the implications of the World
Order of Bahá'u'lláh.Bahá'í youth began to understand that the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh demanded changes more complete and more radical than those demanded by the movements that made the headlines. They discovered that the foundation of such changes lay in their own personal conduct.
Such books as The Worldand The Advent of Divine Justice became the center of attention. These discoveries stimulated both a more clear and complete rejection of the values of a dying order and a firmer commitment to a fully Bahá'í identity."
Bahá'í youth served the Faith in a wide variety of ways. The most obvious and most direct, of course, was in teaching and these activities ranged all the way from simple firesides at home to long-distance travel-teaching projects in far off lands. In between were summer youth projects involving travelling though their own countries or settling for a few weeks in a single locality where assistance was needed.
Two of the more ambitious travel-teaching projects were those of groups of American youth to Yucatan and Bolivia. A team of four youths embarked on a six-week pilot project in the native villages of Yucatan in the summer of 1967. They made daily trips to the villages with Auxiliary Board member Artemus Lamb, a weekend trip to the territory of Quintana Roo, assisted in two courses in the
Martha Root Bahá'í InstituteThe account of their project in Bahá'í News stated: "The inspiration of the example of their lives, their knowledge of the Teachings and their loving dedication brought rich confirmations. Their visit has given a great surge forward to youth activities."
Among other accomplishments they, with the help of an enthusiastic group of Mayan youth, opened a new village to the Faith.
In September 1966 two young Baha men set out from Miami on a pilot youth teaching project to the high altiplano of Bolivia. They soon learned that Bolivia is a country almost entirely bereft of the material advancements and personal comforts to which they had been accustomed. They travelled by steam train, open trucks, in "rickety overcrowded" buses and on foot to reach the remote villages where they were to teach, and once there they stayed in very simple accommodations and observed that even some of the larger towns were not yet blessed with running water, electricity or sanitary facilities.
The purpose of the project was to give them experience in Bahá'í teaching, to expose them to the problems and the rewards of work in an isolated mass teaching area, and to test the feasibility of future youth projects of a similar nature. In partiCipating in the project the youths were to contribute as much as they could to the difficult teaching and consolidation work in Bolivia and to encourage the local believers in their endeavours. In addition to the physic~1 privations which they had to endure, the youths experienced the difficulties of speaking though an interpreter, and they learned of the problems associated with teaching among primitive peoples who cannot read or write. Teachers must be sent to each of the hundreds of villages where Bahá'ís reside to train and deepen the believers, and yet there are so few teachers available.
The report in the United States Bahá'í News stated:
"The rural-dwelling Bahá'íof Bolivia farm the barren land and herd sheep and llamas, raising potatoes to eat and fibers to protect them from the freezing cold and mountain winds.
They have only wooden plows for tilling the soil, the wood itself being scarce in a land of few trees, and there is no wheel in their daily life. Disease, hard work and hunger serve to shortentheirlifeexpectancyto afraction of ours, and many die at birth or in childhood. And yet their hearts are so pure that they are truly thankful for that which God has given them, and they were able to teach their North American brothers to appreciate deeply the beauty and peace of their life and attitude, the perfection of their hospitality and the light in their worn faces. These were experiences never to be forgotten."
American Bahá'í youth engaged in a number of summer projects. The following are excerpts from some of the reports:
Page 267First Bahá'í Children's School, Burzaco, Argentina; 1965.
Ffrst National Bahá'í Youth Conference of Brazil; 1965. The Hand of the Cause Jaldi Khdzeh
is seen seated in the centre oftliepliotograpiz.Bahá'í Youth Conference, Belle Rose, Mauritius Island; June, 1967. The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Rt~ziyyiIi Ki~dnurn is seen seated in the centre foreground of the photograph.
Page 269the South there is a rapid social evolution which focuses upon the emergent Negro minority. It is a place of bright hope for Baha progress through interracial teaching and living a team of six youth was sent to Greenville, South Carolina to undertake, under the guidance of the Local Spiritual Assembly, a six-week combined program of tutorial assistance to Negro students, of rural Bahá'í teaching, and of Baha human rights activities.
fifty-five Negro students of primary and secondary school age had applied for transfer to heretofore all-white schools. Their tutoring program, designed to prepare them for the stiffer requirements of the new schools was staffed by four youth... the six weeks were rich in experience, in the planting of Bahá'í seeds, in the public recognition of the unequivocal Bahá'í position on the oneness of mankind, in new declarations, and in the opportunities to serve the community and its neediest citizens.
"New Mexico � Arizona � At Gallup, in two periods of two weeks each, the girls undertook to canvass the town to inform about the Cause, and helped to recruit students for a free art class conducted at the Bahá'í Center..
They worked with the juvenile probation officer..,
accompanying him on his rounds and contacting Indian parents. to staff the Bahá'í booth full time, there to make friends for the Faith... in Phoenix, tutoring of high school dropouts and work in the Golden Gate Settlement House was combined with HahA'i discussion meetings both in the city and in nearby
Tempo."Canada � Across eastern Canada went a handsome teaching-by-singing group whose enthusiasm was so infectious that 'it brought an absolute transformation of the Canadian communities' which they visited."
No less spectacular were some of the summer youth projects undertaken elsewhere.
The National Bahá'í YouthCommittee of Malaysia requested youth groups to elect state representatives to consolidate activities within the state and also to furnish regular reports from their districts.
Very high standards were fixed for the representatives.
They were expected to read and study selected books, to memorize a number of prayers, and to be prepaied to travel in their state to arrange youth activities.
One of the youth projects of Malaysia was to help with the cleaning of the newly-acquired national ljfaziratu'1-Quds.
The youth of Kuala Lumpur are permitted to use it for their activities.
In Kenya the services of Bahá'í youth are summed up in the following adaptation from an article by Samuel
Obura:to embrace the Bahá'í Faith were four youths studying at a medical training school in 1953.
Fi om these four, the beloved Faith of God has now spread to more than twenty thousand believers (re-siding in approximately two thousand localities). Many of these believers are youth under thirty years of age. Through the unfailing guidance and assistance of the
Blessed Perfection, Baha'iyouth in Kenya have played a vital role in achieving this wonderful success.
Two main obstacles came in the way of teaching progress: First of all, there is poor public transport especially in remote rural areas, and a lack of adequate private transport among the Baha'is. Consequently, a good part of any teaching trip included travelling on foot or by bicycle.
Secondly, in a country with probably fifty spoken languages and dialects, and where academic education came only recently, when the, Faith reached Kenya, only the youth had any reasonable educational standard and could read and speak English. Thus the English language, in which most of the literature is avajiable, was not lingua franca, and the task of translating pamphlets and a few books into the local languages was enormous.
"Through the divine love, and devotion, differentorganized the youth into teaching groups, and these groups arranged regular teaching trips to the rural areas. Many a time they stayed the weekends with the villagers, spending most of the evenings (when the villagers had finished their day's work), sitting and discussing with them till very late in the night. It was during one of such trips to a seminomadic pastoral tribe (the Masai) who had rejected all previous Faiths, and who in this particular part had forced Christian missionaries to abandon their enterprise in the face of failure after twenty years of strenuous effort, that a significant victory was won. On the second teaching trip to this same place, a group of Masal accepted the Baha Faith, declaring that it was the one they have been waiting for all these years. And with subsequent trips many of them embraced
Page 270Bahá'í Youth Symposium, Rimini, Italy; March, 1967.
Page 271YOUTH ACTIVITY 271, Bahá'í Youth, Swiss Autumn School, Rietbad, Switzerland; October, 1966.
National Bahá'í Youth School, Valencia, Spain; July, 1966.
Page 272the Faith despite the hostile attitude of and propaganda by missionaries and priests.
"At the same time, weekly fireside meetings were held, and every youth made it a point to bring a friend or interested inquirer. On the occasions of Bahá'í Anniversaries, or when a Hand of the
Cause, Auxiliary Boardmember or Baha teacher from another country was present, round table discussions were sometimes organized, and these attracted large crowds.
Many of those who attended became interested and keen investigators, who ultimately found the one truth and accepted the Bahá'í Faith. It is mainly through the tireless efforts of the youth, supported by the unfailing assistance of the Blessed Beauty, that such tremendous achievements were registered and could be pointed to with joy.
"It is indeed very wonderful how though the invisible power of God, His Cause spread so rapidly in a most difficult environment.
The Mau Mau rebellion had begun two years before the first Bahá'í pioneer set foot in Kenya, and the country was torn with bitter strife, ruled by stringent emergency regulations, and race relations were at the lowest ebb. The churches which used to overflow with enthusiastic Mrican Christians were half empty as the attendance dwindled Sunday after Sunday. Many of those in authority looked at the Bahá'í Faith with dislike, and most of the rebel Christians were very sceptical about anything to do with religion because they had identified Christianity with the. decadent Colonial rule, but they gave a very sympathetic hearing to the wonderful message of the Bahá'í Faith."
By 1964 there were active Youth Committees working throughout the British Isles, some publishing their own newsletters and magazines. In the year 1964 � 65 in Ireland, sixty per cent of the new declarants were youth who actively assisted in accomplishing many of the important and difficult goals of the. Nine Year Plan.
After a special mass in one of the city's most important Catholic churches, the youth of Belfast were asked to have tea with the Monsignor, several priests and a few Catholic businessmen, thus establishing a friendly and important relationship with the Catholic church in Belfast. The youth of Dublin were equally active despite the problems of teaching in that community.
Weekend schools, workshops, seminars were organized throughout the British Isles; book displays were arranged and there was participation in youth discussion panels.
Youth teaching teams were active in 1965 � 66 visiting weak Assembly areas to establish new friendships and aid the teaching effort. Teaching projects sponsored by youth wore undertaken in villages throughout the country and to some of the remote islands off the coast of Scotland.
A number of Youth Conferences were held during 1966 � 67 under the auspices of the National Youth Committee. Youth were quick to consult with the National Teaching Committee about summer teaching projects and to participate in ita plans during the summer vacations. Discussions were commenced with the National Youth Committees of several European countries to foster international youth teaching projects, which led to tremendous activity in later years.
Significant increases in the tempo of Bahá'í activity in high schools and on college campuses throughout the world kept pace with other advances. More college clubs were organized than ever before, many opportunities were offered to talk about the Faith from the college lecture platform and in classroom situations, the Faith was proclaimed in many ways, and enrollments among high school and college students multiplied.
Throughout the five continents it was evident that JIahA'i youth were on the move.
An outstanding example of this vitality was the news from Ujjain, India, that sixty college students, some of whom were from the government Polytechnic College, had accepted the Faith.
Enthusiasm, knowledge and inspiration were freely dispensed at innumerable Youth Conferences, institutes, summer schools, retreats, workshops and rallies in all parts of the Bahá'í world. Here youth shared experiences, discussed topics of particular interest to them, studied the Writings, planned their teaching objectives, and prayed for success.
Music became an increasingly important medium by which Bahá'í youth shared with the world the Glad Tidings of the coming of DaM'-u'llAh.
Many composed songs with a Bahá'í theme or set to music extracts from the Sacred Writings. Pioneers and travelling teachers carried the songs of the Baha of Africa, Persia and North America to every part of the globe and eagerly added to their repertoire a newsong written bythe Bahá'ís of Asia, Europe,
Page 273World Peace Symposium sponsored by the Bahá'í Youth of Karachi, Pdkistdn; 1967.
Bahá'í Choir of the Mother Temple of the Antipodes, Sydney, Australia; December, 1966.
Page 275Latin America or the South Pacific. Both formal and informal music groups were formed, some travelling widely to proclaim the Faith. Spontaneous musical firesides were held, public musical programmes were arranged, and ambitious and creative sound-and-light presentations were designed and staged by youth.
A successful and widely publicized youth chorus sprang up, the California Victory Chorus, which soon found a counterpart in the
Dawn-Breakers ChorusThese groups were interviewed by the press, radio and television in various places they visited.
Attractively attired, enthusiastic, interracial, these singing groups were widely acclaimed as "the happy people", "musical ambassadors," and their message of hope, joy and confidence in a dissonant age attracted a warm response among all age groups.
In December 1966 a YoungPeoples' Choir was organized to sing at the public services held every Sunday at the Bahá'í House of Worship in Sydney, Australia, and at the Intercontinental
Conference in 1967 "The Dawn-Breakers"of Australia presented their first concert of Bahá'í songs. They later toured though the states of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia, visiting major towns, presenting their "Musical Fireside" and several songs adapted to the sing-along format with audience participation.
A compelling testimony to the striking flexibility of the divinely-conceived administrative order was the remarkable capacity of the newly-enriched Bahá'í world community to absorb such a large influx of youth and harness their zeal and dynamism to the task of speedily accomplishing the goals of the Nine Year Plan. The problems arising from this challenging situation, one youth observed, "never failed to resolve themselves when brought into the open and frankly and lovingly discussed. Bahá'ís of A group of Bahá'u'lláh and friends at the InterContinental Conference in New Delhi, 1967.
Page 276all ages were to discover that the unifying power of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh was awesome indeed!" An adult believer who served actively with youth in this period affirms: "Bahá'u'lláh respected the authority of Bahá'í institutions and trusted the integrity of adult
Bahá'ísthey vitalized and strengthened the community and gave invaluable support and assist~ce... the Bahá'í spirit, young and old, demonstrated its power to meld into dynamic unity elements locked in a cycle of accelerating animosity outside the refuge of the Faith of
Bahá'u'lláh."Wherever they laboured the Bahá'í youth had before them a vision of the magnitude of their role in the words of Shoghi Effendi written on October 26, 1932, to which the Universal House of Justice had directed their attention by having his letter reprinted in Bahá'í
News:"The activities, hopes and ideals of the Baha youth.., of the world, are close and dear to my heart. Upon them rests the supreme and challenging responsibility to promote the interests of the Cause of God in the days to come, to coordinate its worldwide activities, to extend its scope, to safeguard its integrity, to exalt its virtues, define its purpose, and translate its ideals and aims into memorable and abiding achievements. Theirs is a mighty task at once holy, stupendous and enthralling. May the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh protect, inspire and sustain them in the prosecution of their divinely appointed task!"
Page 277(Reprinted from The Bahá'í World � vols. XII and XIII)
IN the spring of 1947 the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the
United States and Canadawas accredited to United Nations as a national nongovernmental organization qualified to be represented at
United Nations Conferencesthen existing were recognized collectively as an international nongovernmental organization under the title "The
Bahá'í International Community."were those of North America; the British Isles; Germany and Austria; Egypt and
Si~dAn; '16q; IrAn (Persia);and Australia and New Zealand. To these eight bodies have since been added the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha of Canada, of Central America and of South America.
Each National SpiritualAssembly in its application established the National Assembly of the United States as its representative in relation to United
Nations.1A significant action was taken in July, 1947, when the United Nations Special
Committee in Palestineaddressed a letter to Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, as Head of the Baha Faith resident in the Bahá'í World Centre at Haifa, requesting an expression of the Bahá'í attitude on the future of Palestine.
In his reply, Shoghi Effendi made it clear that "Our aim is the establishment of universal peace in the world and our desire to see justice prevail in every domain of human society, including the domain of politics."
The Guardian also pointed out his concern that "the fact be recognized by whoever exercises sovereignty over Haifa and 'Akka, that within this area exists the spiritual and administrative centre of a world Faith, and that the independence of that Faith, its right to manage its international affairs from this source, the rights of The number of National
Spiritual Assemblieshas increased to eighty-one. See Ba/nfl Directory (1968), p. 560.
Bahá'ís from any and every country of the globe to visit it as pilgrims (enjoying the same privilege in this respect as Jews,
Muslims and Christiansdo in regard to visiting Jerusalem) be acknowledged and permanently safeguarded." With this communication the Guardian enclosed a summary of the history and teachings of the Bahá'í Faith which the Bahá'ís of the United States reprinted and distributed widely.
In addition to participation in a number of United Nations regional and international conferences four Bahá'í documents have been formally submitted:
"A Bahá'í DeclarationStatement on the Rights of Women," 1947; and "The Work of Bahá'ís in Promotion of Human Rights," 1948.
On November 9th, 1949, a letter was addressed to United Nations explaining the Bahá'í concept of worship, in connection with the effort of United Nations to formulate a method of worship acceptable for use in its future prayer building.
On May 9th, 1947, the Guardian wrote through his secretary to explain why he was encouraging Bahá'í association with United Nations: "He feels that the friends should bear in mind that the primary reason that he is encouraging Bahá'í association with the United Nations is to give the Cause due publicity as an agency working for and firmly believing in the unification of the human family and permanent peace, and not because he believes that we are at present in a position to shape or influence directly the course of human affairs!
Also, he believes this association will afford the believers an opportunity of contacting prominent and progressive-minded people from different countries and calling the Faith and its principles to their attention. We should associate ourselves in every way with all movements of UN which are in accordance with our principles and objectives; but we should not seek to take the 277
Page 278initiative or... focus a glare of publicity and public attention on a very wide scale upon ourselves which might prove very detrimental to our own interests. He considered, for instance, the 'Bahá'í Declaration of
Human Obligations and Rights'appropriate and believes this type of action to be wise and suitable."
Other references in words of the Guardian include the following. From cablegram dated April 16th, 1948, addressed to the National Convention of the Bahá'ís of the
United States:"Recognition extended to the Faith by United Nations as an international nongovernmental body, enabling appointment of accredited representatives to United Nations conferences is heralding world recognition for a universal proclamation of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh" From cable of April 26th, 1948, a passage included recognition by United Nations as one of the achievements of the American Bahá'í Community, "whose spokesmen are securing recognition of the institutions of Bahá'u'lláh's rising world order in the United Nations."
From letter dated May 18th, 1948: "The ttcognition given your Assembly (as representative of the other National Spiritual Assemblies) by TJNO as a nongovernmental body entitled to send representatives to various UNO conferences marks an important step forward in the struggle of our beloved Faith to receive in the eyes of the world its just due, and be recognized as aninde-pendent World Religion. Indeed, this step should have a favorable reaction on the progress of the Cause everywhere, especially in those parts of the world where it is still persecuted, belittled, or scorned, particularly in the East."
All NonGovernmental Organizationsmake contact with United Nations through its Department of Public Information, section for NonGovernmental Organizations. The status of the nongovernmental organization has been defined by the
Section for NonGovernmental OrganizationsInformation does not accredit organizations, but aceredits the person nominated by an organization as an observer.
This system is similar to the accredit-ization of newspaper correspondents, which does not give acereditization to the paper, but to the man. Of course, the aecreditization of the observer or the correspondent is dependent upon the standing of the organization or paper. This may seem a fine line, but it is specifically designed to avoid the impression that we give status to organizations as such. The oniy way in which an organization can receive status from the United Nations is thtough having been granted consultative status by the Economic and
Social Council."This defihition of the Baha relationship to United Nations is important.
In referring to that relationship in public talks or publicity, the correct statement to make is: Bahá'í observers are accredited from the Bahá'í
International Community(or from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States if reference to the national nongovernmental organization is intended).
In 1947 a United NationsCommittee was appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of the United States, and Bahá'í relations with United Nations have been channelled through that committee.
THE BAHÁ'Í INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND1954 � 1963 THE period of 1954 to Bahá'í International Community 1963 was a highly eventfulsent delegates to many one, marking an increase international, regional of strength though the and state conferences.
participation of the By the end of 1956 the newly elected National scope of the international and Regional Assemblies. activities had reached These years contained, the point where it was as well, the desperate desirable to divide the appeal to the United Nationstasks previously assigned to save the lives of to the Bahá'í United Nations the Persian Baha. As Corn-in in previous years, the
Page 279THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH AND THE UNITED NATIONS 279
Ambassador Fakhri'd-Din Mui~iammad of the Sudan talks with Mr. and Mrs. Raft Mottahedek at a reception given by the Ambassador at the United Nations on January 5, 1967, in honour of Sudan Independence Day. Mrs. Mottahedek for many years served as Observer at the United Nations on behalf of the International Bahá'í Community.
Page 280mittee. That Committee was given the specific task of developing relations between the American Bahá'ís and the United Nations and included the increasingly important function of assisting the American Bahá'í Community to celebrate properly United
Nations Day and Human RightsDay, dates which soon became annual events in the calendar of the Bahá'í communities. The work of the Bahá'í International Community was assigned to our international observer at the United Nations, Mrs. Mildred R. Mottahedeh, in consultation with the Executive Secretary of the Community, Mr. Horace Holley.
In that same year Shoghi Effendi appointed a special committee to be called into action for matters of international importance.
Perma~ nent members of the committee were Dr. Ugo R. Giachery, John Ferraby, 'Aziz Navidi, Dr. A~nin
Ban~n1 and Mildred R.observers accredited to the United Nations were the Hand of the Cause Ugo R. Giachery, Europe; Mrs. 0. H. Blackwell, United
States; and Mrs. Mildredwrote its Charter in 1945 in San Francisco, the member nations realized that changing world conditions might necessitate changes in its Charter. It, therefore, arranged for a Charter Revision Conference to be convened in 1955. In anticipation of this significant event each Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly was solicited for suggestions which might be incorporated in Bahá'í proposals for Charter revision. Bearing these suggestions in mind, a carefully conceived pamphlet representing the first united effort of all the
National Spiritual AssembliesSubmitted to the United Nations by the Bahá'í International Community", a copy of this pamphlet, together with a covering letter written by the Executive Secretary, Mr. Horace Holley, was sent to each of the delegates at the Conference. In addition, copies were presented to officials of many universities, to librarians, and newspaper men. The distribution of this pamphlet is specially to be noted as a point of future reference.
Preceding the opening of the Charter Revi-Sian Conference, a "Festival of Faith" was held in the San Francisco
Cow Palace. The seven Faithsrepresented were: Buddhist, Christian-Eastern Orthodox, Orthodox, Christian-Pro-testant, Hindu, Jewish, Moslem, and Baha. Mr. Arthur L. Dahi, Jr., representing the Bahá'í Faith, read a prayer taken from the words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Fifteen thousand people were present at the Festival and the programme was both televised and broadcast by several nations, as well as being widely covered by the press.
UNITED NATIONSCommunity was represented in many international, regional and local conferences of United Nations NonGovernmental
Organizations. Bahá'ídelegations chosen from many racial backgrounds attended international conferences held in the New York and the Geneva headquarters of the United Nations.
Their contributions to the discussion on various subjects were highly constructive and received serious attention.
On May 2Oth � 2lst, 1959, at the New York headquarters, a United Nations Conference for NonGovernmental Organizations was held on the problems of technical aid given by the United Nations and its specialized agencies in the social and economic fields. In connection with those in the social field, a delegation representing the Bahá'í International Community and the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States presented a resolution recommending that NonGovernmental Organizations endeavor to obtain endorsements of the Genocide Convention from their respective organizations.
Typical of local conferences, in the United States two delegates were sent each year to the Kansas Conference organized for the NonGovernmental Organizations in that state.
THE BAHÁ'Í APPEAL TO THE UNITEDIn May 1955, a sudden, violent storm of persecutions against the Persian Bahá'ís broke loose � wanton murder, rape, imprisonment,
Page 281desecration of Bahá'í graves, dismissal of Bahá'ís from all civil service, destruction of the dome of the Bahá'í
National Headquartersin Tihr~n by government officials, and destruction of the House of the BTh in ShirAz. In short, these acts all denying human rights threatened the existence of the entire community of Persian Baha'is.
Cables to the ShAh and the Prime Minister from Bahá'ís all over the world brought no cessation of the persecutions.
The frenzy of the mobs, who were not only unrestrained but actually encouraged, reached such heights that the possibility of a widespread massacre of the Persian Bahá'ís became very real. This massacre was, in fact, openly promised in the press and in public meetings.
In July 1955, Shoghi Effendicabled the Bahá'í International Community to lodge an appeal for immediate assistance with the United Nations.
At that moment, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations was meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, and it was to this Council, or to some division of it, that the petition would have to be addressed.
The chances that the Bahá'ís could present their case in time to save their coreligionists was slim. It was well known that the files of the Human Rights Commission contained thousands of appeals for relief from religious persecution and that the United Nations was able to do very little to alleviate the distress of the victims. It was decided to send a committee to Geneva to make a desperate appeal for help. The Committee consisted of Dr. Ugo R. Giachery, Dr. Hermann Gross-mann, John Ferraby,
'Aziz Navidi and Mildred R.Mottahedeh, each coming from a different country and meeting within thirty-six hours of the time that the decision had been taken to convene.
First, the Committee tried to get one of the delegates sitting on the Economic and Social Council to present their case from the floor of the Council.
All delegates, except those from Communist or Arab countries, were interviewed and to each a strong appeal was made. At the same time, the Committee pressed for an interview with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Despite days of ceaseless efforts, only the personal sympathy of many of the delegates was won. Each passing day brought news of still more violent attacks on the Persian Bahá'ís and the date for the promised massacre drew steadily closer. The Committee redoubled its efforts but without effect. The head of the Human Rights Commission could offer little hope. Though many were friendly and sympathetic, no delegate or organization wished to speak up for the Baha'is. The day of the adjournment of the
Economic and Social Councilwasdrawing near. It was decided to seek the assistance of a competent lawyer to frame the appeal. Mr. Max Habicht was chosen, though at the time, the Committee did not know that it was this same lawyer who had represented the Bahá'ís before the
League of Nations.The appeal, together with the evidence of the persecutions, was presented to the Secretary-General, to all members of the Economic and Social Council who had been interviewed, to the Human Rights Commission, to the Specialized Agencies, and to the international NonGovernmental organizations.
A press conference was held and the news of the appeal circulated.
The Committee could do no more in Geneva. With hearts made heavy by a sense of their failure to save their Persian brothers from extermination, they left Geneva to return to their native lands to launch a publicity campaign to arouse the public conscience.
A few days before the scheduled massacre, the Committee received the startling news that the
Secretary-General, DagHammarskjdld, yielding to the pleas of the American delegates and of the High Commissioner for Refugees, Dr. G. J. van Heuven Goedhart, decided to send Dr. Goedhart to meet with Mr. Na~ru'11~h Inti~m, chief Iranian delegate to the United Nations, and his brother, Mr.
'Abdu'll&h IntizAm, Ministerof Foreign Affairs in IrAn. The meeting took place in Bonn, West Germany, where the two brothers were visiting at the time.
Their government had been certain that the United Nations would not intervene to save the Bahá'ís since the provisions of the Charter for upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms were morally, but not legally, binding. The intervention of the Secretary-General astounded the Iranian government. This intervention, the efforts of prominent Bahá'ís in lr6n, the appeals of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States to the American State Department, and the publicity campaign, brought an immediate
Page 282Speakers andpart of the audience of three hundred who were present at the Bahá'í observance of United Nations Day in Victoria, Seychelles Islands, 1966.
end to the physical persecution and lifted the danger of massacre.
Economic reprisals against the Bahá'ís continued.Bahá'ís who had been summarily dismissed from civil service or from teaching posts were not restored to their posts.
They were still denied the fundamental religious right of assembly for worship, and their centers were still being held by the government. After months of attempts by individual Bahá'ís in TfhrAn and many appeals by the Americans to their State Department, Shoghi Effendi instructed the Bahá'ís to launch another appeal to the
United Nations.They spoke individually with the delegates of the Economic and Social Council, but were unable to get them to present the Bahá'í case. Finally,.
Dr. Jose Vincente Trujillo, the delegate from Ecuador and Chairman of the Social Commission, opened the session of that Commission with the following words: In regard to prevention of discrimination against religious minorities, we have received many complaints. One of these, which, in my estimate, is of great importance,regards the curtailment of rights of areligious group in a country which is an honored member of the United Nations and which has a good record in human rights matters � I am referring to the complaints of a new religious group called the Bahá'ís which have been distributed to the Secretary-General and other delegates.
I believe this matter should receive the close attention of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and should receive equal attention with other instances of religious discrimination. This new religion should be respected like all other religions in the world."'
ENDORSEMENT OF THE GENOCIDE CONVENTIONOn April 10th, 1959, representatives of the Bahá'í International Community presented to the President of the Human
Rights Commission, AmbassadorGunewardene of Ceylon, a statement endorsing the Genocide Convention. For the second time, the
National Spiritual Assembliesrepresenting Bahá'í communities Further details of these appeals and the successful outcome appear in The Bahá'í World, vol. xni~ pp~ 292 � 296.
Page 283Approximately sixty Bahá'ís participated in the seminar at the United Nations on May 21 � 22, 1966, sponsored by the UN Committee,for the purpose of increasing their knowledge about the organization and learning how it relates to the Bahá'í Faith. The seminar included a tour of the United Nations,films, slides, lectures auddiscussion. The keynote address was given by Mr. Erik Valters, United Nations Information Officer.
located in North and South America, Europe, Africa,
Asia, Australia and NewZealand, made ajoint effort in regard to the United
Nations.Mr. H. Borrah Kavelin, Chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of the United States, made the following statement: "Mr. President, I have the honor and the privilege to present to you, as the keeper of the conscience of the United Nations and therefore of the world at large, documents which represent an act of conscience of my fellow coreligionists of more than eighty countries and territories.
"The resolution they have adopted reads: 'Since the teaching and practice of the oneness of mankind is the cornerstone of the religion revealed by Bahá'u'lláh, His followers though-out our jurisdiction recognize the vital importance of the Genocide Convention for assuring the protection of small and helpless races and peoples.'
"The Bahá'ís of the world have endorsed the Genocide Convention as an expression of their firmly held conviction of the oneness of mankind and of the human race.
"Nations, races and religious groups are called upon to enrich, through their own inherent gifts, the common treasury of civiliza tion. Therefore, the destruction of any one of them impoverishes the whole of the human race.
"Upon the preservation of this basic noble principle depend all the other efforts of the United Nations. By endorsing the Genocide Convention, the Bahá'ís express, through us, the hope that all the nations of the world will rally around this great Convention."
Ambassador Ratnakirtiof the Bahá'í International Community: I am greatly impressed by the endorsement of the Genocide Convention by eighty National and Regional Assemblies of the Baha'is, coming as they do from countries and territories all over the globe. This is a most powerful expression of world opinion. It makes us feel that our work here in the United Nations is supported indeed not oniy by the Governments, but by the people themselves.
"The Genocide Conventionis a treaty by the people and for the people. It has been ratified by an impressive number of fifty-nine Parliaments for the purpose of protecting not the Governments but the people themselves.
It is people who provide the backbone of human history,
Page 284Representatives of more than forty Bakd'i communities participated in the third United Nations seminar held in New York, May 26 � 28, 1967. The seminar focused interest on those activities of the United Nations which relate to improving conditions for the world's population and to promoting cooperation between the nations. Four prominent United Nations officials highlighted the programme with challenging addresses.
and by destroying them, history itself is interrupted.
Millions of innocent men and women perished from genocide throughout the ages, but death did not silence their voices.
These voices have awakened and nourished our conscience.
It is with the ink of their blood that the Genocide Convention was written by the United Nations.
We have now in this Convention a meaningful compact between East and West for the preservation of mankind.
"The Genocide Conventionhas already made an impact on human consciousness.
The word 'genocide' carries in itself a moral judgment which the world will not suffer to be circumvented or weakened. To weaken a treaty which deals with the protection of life would mean undermininglife itself. It is for this reason that nations have been unwilling to let the Genocide Convention lose its forcefulness by having its concept included in other documents which are not enforceable.
We hope that more nations will ratify the Genocide Convention and will adopt domestic laws against genocide. Let us rededicate ourselves to an affirmation of our belief in this great Convention which is so basic to civilization.~~
The Second Indian Nationalon United Nations Information was held at Yigyan Bliavan,
New Delhi, from April3rd to 5th, 1959. This Conference was opened by the Prime Minister, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, with an address advocating the idea of the oneness of nations of the whole world, thus attaining the federation of all nations.
About one hundred nongovernmental organizations of India were represented at this Conference, including political, semi-political, nonpolitical, social welfare, trade unionist and some religious organizations. The Baha Community was represented by Mrs. Shirin Fozdar, Dr. K. K. Bhargava, R. R. Williams, and P. C. Auplish.
Among the most important resolutions passed by the Conference were those on peace, universality, universal education for peace, and a world language.
Several resolutions sponsored by the Baha delegates were also passed.
On May 17th and 18th,Office of Publlc Information, in cooperation with the Executive Committee of the NonGovernmental Organizations, called a meeting at United
Nations HeadquartersTHE BAHÁ'Í FAITH AND THE UNITED NATIONS 285
Mr. Asdrubal Saismendi, Deputy Director of UNESCO, was the guest speaker at the United Nations Instit ute he Id at Bahd'iHal!, Green Acre Summer Sciwol, Eliot, Maine, in August1966.
The institute was sponsored by the United Nations Committee of the National SpiritualAssembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and consisted of a series of workshops on the peace-building efforts of the United Nations and the relationship of these activities to the Bahá'u'lláh.
Page 286United Nations famfly in so far as its program affects the new nations."
Each organization was invited to nominate two delegates and not more than three observers.
In addition, each organization was asked to invite a member of its own executive governing board. Some 400 delegates and observers attended.
The Bahá'í InternationalMoye and Mildred Mottahedeh as delegates and Harriett Wolcott as observer. Charles Wolcott participated as secretary of the Bahá'í
International Community.During the final plenary session the nongovernmental organizations were invited to submit statements regarding their work in the "new nations". The Bahá'í
International Communitysubmitted the following which became part of the record of the conference:
"The Bahá'í InternationalCommunity, representing the Bahá'ís of over eighty countries in all five continents of the globe, wishes to present a few of its achievements in the new nations.
"Community centres have been established both in rural and urban areas.
In the urban areas, vigorous assistance has been provided the primitive peoples enabling them to integrate successfully into these more highly developed societies.
"Since a fundamental principle of the Bahá'í Faith is education for all, schools at various scholastic levels form an important part of a continuously expanding educational programme for adults as well as children.
"Each Bahá'í community endeavors to develop in its members a world point of view leading to a broader understanding of the fundamental oneness of the human race. This serves to eliminate the traditional prejudices between nations, races and religions.
"Since so many of our aims and those of the United Nations are identical, Bahá'í communities all over the world support a vigorous programme explaining the structure and pin-poses of the United Nations, an important part of which is the annual observance of United Nations and
Human Rights Days."In the field of Human Rights, the equality of men and women has been firmly established in every Bahá'í community.
In many of these communities situated in primitive areas where the status of women has been very low, women are now increasingly being elected to serve on governing bodies. Bahá'ís are active in the promotion of all fundamental Human Rights, even to the extent of the sacrifice of their own lives to preserve and uphold these principles on which the ultimate peace and security of all peoples depend."
During the conference our observers and delegates had many opportunities to meet members of the
United Nations Secretariatand members of other nongovernmental organizations. Those attending on behalf of the Bahá'í International Community felt that the 1960 Conference was yet another step in the process of "strengthening our ties with the United Nations," one of the ten goals which the beloved Guardian had set for the World Center of the Faith during the Ten-Year Crusade.
In 1962, for the second time in the nine-y~ period covered by this report, persecution of Baha made it necessary to appeal to the United Nations for redress. This time the events took place in Morocco in the form of arrests and imprisonment of a number of believers on April 12th of that year. It was not until October 31st, however, that they were finally arraigned before the Regional Court of Nador, and not until December 10th that trial was finally held in the
Criminal Court of Nador. Deathsentences were imposed upon three, five were sentenced to life imprisonment, and one was sentenced to imprisonment for fifteen years.
As the session of the General Assembly of the United Nations was to close on the evening of the 21st of December, telegrams were sent to thirtyfive delegations appealing for help under the Genocide Convention, which is a part of International
Law. The Bahá'í International Communitywrote to U Thant, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the British United Nations Association, quite independently, cabled U Thant requesting his intervention.'
� Adapted from the report of Mildred B. Mottahedeli,
Baltd'ilnternational1 Further details concerning the Moroccan affair are reported in The Bahá'í World, vol.xIII, pp.238 � 9.
Page 287THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH AND THE UNITED NATIONS 287
A ~7 uNITER) STATES a � * '~
Page 288The Bahá'í International Community, in its capacity of an international nongovernmental organization, submits recommendations for revision of the Charter of United Nations and the Statute of the International Court of Justice.
These recommendations constitute the considered d views of the twelve1 National Bahá'í Assemblies representing the Bahá'ís of Irdn, India, Pdkistdn and Burma, Australia and New Zealand, 'Irdq, Egypt and Sikldn, Germany and Austria, Italy and Switzerland, the British Isles, Canada, Central America, South America and the United States. Their participation unites a wide diversity of national, racial and religious backgrounds in one common concept of the structure needed to establish justice and peace.
In submitting its recommendations the Bahá'í International Community is concerned with the desperate condition into which the nations and peoples of the world have fallen. The seeds of destruction are sown within as well as without the present membership of United Nations. No minor and legalistic adjustment of the Charter, the Bahá'ís are convinced, can restore the supremacy of moral law in the conduct of human affairs nor seize control of events from the chaos which engulfs mankind. The Bahá'ís appeal to every enlightened and responsible statesman associated with United Nations to grasp, before it is too late, this providential opportunity to create a political organism commensurate with the new and unprecedented character of the world in our time.
The Bahá'í recommendations are based upon three apparent truths: that real sovereignty is no longer vested in the institutions of the national state because the nations have become interdependent; ; that the existing crisis i.v moral and spiritual as well as political ; and that the existing crisis can only be surmounted by the achievement of a world order representative of the peoples as well as the nations of mankind.
The Bahd'iconcept of world order is defined in these terms: A world Super-State in whose favor all the nations of the world will have ceded every claim to make war, certain rights to impose taxation and all rights to maintain armaments, exceptforpurposesof maintaining internal order within their respective dominions. This State will have to include an International Executive adequate to enforce supreme and unchalkngeable authority on every recalcitrant member of the Commonwealth; a World Parliament whose members are elected by the peoples in their respective countries and whose election is confirmed firmed by their respective governments: a Supreme Tribunal whose judgment has a binding effect even in cases where the parties concerned have not voluntarily agreed to submit their case to its consideration.
Since action by peoples as well as governments is essential, the Bahá'í recommendations include the proposal that consideration of revision by United Nations be accompanied by wide dissemination semination of the principles of international relations and the calling of peoples' conventions to register the general will.
Impossible as the achievement of world order may appear to traditionalist or partisan, mankind is passing through a crucial stage likened to that of an individual entering maturity and using new powers and faculties beyond the grasp of irresponsible sponsible youth. Unassailable is the position that any lesser international body represents a compromise promise with the forces of disaster and destruction.
tion.In support of its thesis the Bahd'ilnternational Community presents with this letter an annex citing references to the sublect in Bahd'iwritings, and an annex proposing specific revisions.
Sincerely,1 Since the submission of these Proposals for Charter Revision the number of National Spiritual Assemblies comprising the Bahá'í International Community has (1968) increased to eighty-one. See Bahá'í Directory, p. 560.
Page 289THE BAHA I FAITH AND THE UNITED NATIONS 289
BAHÁ'Í PROPOSALS TO THE UNITED NATIONSTHE experiences of the last decade have demonstrated the need for certain fundamental changes in the charter of the United Nations if that organization is "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.. ., reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small; to promote social progress and better standards of living in larger freedom."
In order to insure the realization of the principles proclaimed in the Preamble of the Charter of the United Nations, that organization must be given real authority and military power to maintain Peace and uphold international Justice; it must operate in accordance with the principle of equality of nations large and small; it must become the guarantor of human rights, faith in which was so eloquently proclaimed in the Preamble.
The authors of the Charter foresaw a time when its terms would need revision and provided, in articles 108 and 109, for changes and revisions. In this connection, the Bahá'í
International Communitysubmits, in addition to its statement of principle, a number of specific and general suggestions listed below.
I. Membership in the United Nations being an indispensable condition for the preservation of international peace, no nation should be allowed to leave the organization.
It is therefore proposed that Article 6 of the Charter be amended to read: A member of the United Nations which has persistently violated the Principles contained in the present Charter maybe subjected by the General Assembly, upon recommendation of the Security Council, to economic and other sanctions, and, in extreme cases, may be corn-pelledby force to abide by the principles of the Charter.
II. In order to give the General Assembly more freedom of discussion, it is suggested that Article 12 of the Charter and all references to it which occur in any other Article (such as Articles 10, 11, 35, etc.) be eliminated.
HI. It is suggested that membership in the General Assembly be apportioned according to some form of proportionate representation and Paragraph 1, of Article 18 of the Charter, be amended accordingly.
IV. The Principle of the equality of nations large and small, proclaimed in the Preamble, must not be disregarded or contradicted in any article of the Charter. Therefore, it is suggested that Article 23 be changed to read:
1. The Security Councilshall consist of eleven Members of the United Nations elected by the General Assembly for a term of two years, no retiring member being eligible for immediate reelection.
2. Each member of the Security Couqcil shall have one representative.
All reference to permanent members of the Security Council found in any of the articles of the Charter to be eliminated.
V. In conformity with Article 23 (as revised), Paragraph 2 of Article 27 shall read: Decisions of the Security Council shall be made by an affirmative vote of seven members; provided that in decisions made under Chapter VI, and under Paragraph 3 of Article 52, a party to the dispute shall abstain from voting.
Paragraph 3 of ArticleVI. The maintenance of peace being a task incumbent upon all members of the United Nations, it is proposed that the first sentence of Paragraph 2, Article 47, be amended to read:
The Military Staff Committeeshall consist of the Chiefs of Staff of the members of the Security Council or their representatives.
VII. In the interests of justice, it is proposed that Article 50 be amended to read: Ifpreventive or enforcement measures against any state are taken by the Security Council, any other state, whether a member of the United Nations or not, which finds itself confronted with special economic problems
Page 290arising from the carrying out of those measures, shall have the right to ask the Security Councilfor a solution of its problems.
VIII. Having been written and adopted during the course of the Second
World War, the UnitedNations Charter at times reflects the feelings and conditions which prevailed then and which do not exist any longer.
It is inappropriate to perpetuate the use of the term enemy in relation to certain states which must inevitably cooperate in the establishment and the maintenance of world peace. It is suggested that
Paragraph 2 of Article53, as well as references to "enemy states" in any other article of the Charter, be eliminated.
IX. In the interests of Justice, which is the oniy principle upon which the edifice of durable peace can be raised it is proposed that the International Court of Justice be given compulsory jurisdiction in all legal disputes between states and Article 35 of the "Statute of the International Court of Justice" be amended to read: 1. The jurisdiction of the Court comprises all cases and all matters especially providedfor in the Charter of the United Nations or in treaties and conventions in force.
2. The states parties to the present Statute declare that they recognize as compulsory U,so facto and without special agreement, the jurisdiction of the Court in all legal disputes concerning: a. the interpretation of a treaty; b. any question of international law; c. the existence of any fact which, if established, would constitute a breach of an international obligation; d. the nature or extent of the reparation to be made for the breach of an international obligation; 3. In the event of a dispute as to whether the Court has jurisdiction, the matter shall be settled by the decision of the
Court.X. It is recommended that the United Nations adopt a Bill of Rights, which guarantees to every individual freedom of speech, of the press, of religion, and of thought, as well as freedom from racial and religious discrimination, freedom from arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, equality of sexes, equality before law, equality of opportunity, and other basic human rights. The individual human being is a spiritual as well as a physical creation and the purpose of society is to provide for the evolution of spiritual qualities in a framework of unity sustained by law.
(See Development of the Relationship Between the Rahd'i Community and the United Nations, 1963 � 1968.)
Page 291February 15, 1896 � July 22, 1965 Leroy, as he was affectionately known though-out the world by Bahá'ís and countless other associates, was the brightest luminary of a large and united family whose services to Bahá'u'lláh began shortly after the inception of His Faith in North America.
Leroy was born in Wilmington, Illinois, in the heartland of America, soon after
Bahá'u'lláh's Messagefirst reached the West in 1893. His father, Charles toas, was of Lutheran background and had come from Munich to the United States in 1880. He accepted the Faith in 1898 and served it faithfully until his death in 1917, as a member and secretary of the House of Spirituality in Chicago, the first Local Spiritual Assembly. To him 'Abdu'l-Bahá made a remarkable promise:".
thou wilt behold thyself in a lofty station, having all that is in earth under its shadow. ." He was "that wonderful man Toas", whose seed, like Abraham's, scattered around the globe in succeeding generations, to carry the news of the New Day.
Leroy's mother, Maria, born a German Catholic, accepted Bahá'u'lláh with her husband. For her son, she was "one of the angels of the American Bahá'í community", and lived to. hear of his elevation to the rank of Hand of the Cause and to participate in the dedication of the
Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in Wilmettein 1953, to the erection of which both husband and children had greatly contributed.
Leroy, as many have heard, was the Guardian's Hercules.
His "vigorous spirit of determination and of noble enthusiasm," his "energy, judgment, zeal and fidelity," his "incessant activities and prodigious labours", his "tireless vigilance, self sacrifice, and devotion to the Cause in all its multiple fields of activity" � these arc the Guardian's words � were greatly prized by Slioghi Effendi as "assets for which I am deeply and truly thankful." "I admire the spirit that animates you Eand] marvel at your stupendous efforts," he wrote to this "dearest and most valued coworker".
Leroy was a practical man, of outstanding attainment in business, shrewd, determined, hardworking, content only with success � all qualities essential to the achievement of the goals to which his life was dedicated. Yet such qualities are not unique. Leroy's rare gift was his spirit, which propelled him tirelessly � a spirit of impeccable loyalty and obedience to the greatest or least wish and guidance of the Covenant, as embodied in 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. He was discerning, undeviating, trustful in his orientation to the Covenant, and this was the true source of his "enduring and remarkable" services. "The path is thorny and the problems many," he wrote in 1957, "but the spiritual confirmations are great, and the blessings of the Holy Spirit unending.
I dare say, no one would trade his opportunity of service, and spiritual victory, for anything in the world."
Leroy himself described his life as moving through four episodes: his acceptance as a child and youth of spiritual truth and his meeting with 'Abdu'l-Bahá; his years in San Francisco (1919 � 46); his return to Chicago (1946 � 52); and his transfer to Haifa, the World Centre of the Faith (1952 � 65).
These episodes provide a frame in which to examine his achievements.
From boyhood Leroy was sensitive to the light of the Spirit. When, in 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá came to Chicago, Leroy led his parents to Him in a crowded hotel lobby by the radiance which enveloped Him. Although only sixteen, he took the Master for his guide, and was aware of His guidance at several critical periods of his life. He was present when 'Abdu'l-Bahá laid the cornerstone of the Temple in Wilmette � his father had helped to draft the petition to the Master for permission to build it � and as a young man he taught classes on its grounds. Also at sixteen, after high school and some commercial training, he began work in the railway industry which he continued, chiefly with Southern Pacific Lines, for forty years, rising from an insignificant post to become Passenger Traffic Manager in the
Easternhe was married to Sylvia Kuhiman, and together they set out for
San Francisco.In his own estimation, his years in the West were the "most productive".
(He evaluated them before transferring to Haifa.)As his business career grewin rank and responsibility, so did the scope of his
Baha activities. For Leroyhad a creative vision matched by practical sense and determination, and his hopes for the expansion of the Faith were boundless. And he arrived in California at the threshold of the Formative Age, in which, led by the newly-appointed Guardian, the American Bahá'ís would pioneer the establishment of the Administrative
Order.Almost his first act on reaching San Francisco was to address a letter to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, begging confirmation for all his family and his children unborn, and for his own severance, knowledge, and steadfastness "that this faltering one may be quickened through that Divine Power, and thereby render some service which may be conducive to the happiness of the heart of 'Abdu'l-Bahá."
He had heard the Master's Divine Plan Tablets read at the American Convention in New York that spring, and his desire to serve had been fully awakened.
Led by such pioneers as Mrs Goodall and her daughter Ella 0. Cooper, the Faith had been established in San Francisco and the Bay area for a quarter of a century, and opportunities of teaching were rapidly developing. Sylvia and Leroy opened their home to study classes, and before long Leroy was conducting, almost unaided, classes of a hundred in San Francisco and Oakland. They had also moved to the Bahá'í Centre, which they kept open for all occasions, and to these responsibilities were added Leroy's chairmanship of the San Francisco Spiritual Assembly, an office he held for twenty years, and membership of the Western States
Teaching Committee.At this time so few believers in the West were available to teach and conduct study classes that, as Leroy wrote, "the situation became extremely discouraging" and the burdens he carried affected his health.
He determined to change the situation, to train teachers, "that we should not again find ourselves in such a deplorable situation.
By nature I have always faced a situation and then tried to figure out the steps necessary for solving the problem.
Thus, during this period of intensive teaching and great stress my mind began to work on steps towards a solution...
Out of this period three different plans of teaching came to me. One was to establish in this liberal western area very large unity conferences...
Another.. was ... the revised teaching plan which ultimately found its consummation in the first Seven Year Plan.
The third was to. find a place where people could gather for a period of one or. two weeks for the dual purpose of deepening their understanding of the Faith and preparing them for public teaching..
These ideas were the genesis of projects which mightily influenced the growth of the Faith in America and, indeed, in the Baha world.
In 1912, when bidding farewell to Bahá'ís gathered in San Francisco, 'Abdu'l-Bahá had been greatly moved and had voiced His hope that "this amity shall lead to spirituality in the world, to impart guidance to all who dwell on earth."
Leroy remembered these words and sought to arrange an amity conference.
He found support fromof Stanford University, Rabbi Rudolf I. Coffee and other civic leaders, but had to overcome some timidity among the Baha.
At last, they gave their blessing, and the Conference for World Unity, held at the Palace Hotel,
San Francisco, on March20 � 22, 1925, was a brilliant success. Shoghi Effendi, "much interested", hoped it would "prove a starting point for further important developments", and in 1926 � 7, a series of World Unity Conferences were sponsored by the Baha is in sixteen cities of the United States and Canada. Two decades later, shortly before leaving the West, Leroy took an active part with the Bahá'ís of the Bay area in arranging another series of four great public meetings at the Palace Hotel (1943 � 4), followed a year later by a wide proclamation of the Faith on the occasion of the first United Nations
Conference in 1945. HisLeroy's association with Dr. Jordan brought him the offer of a scholarship for Stanford University: "he seems to me a young man of marked promise who ought not to lose the advantages, which may be extremely real, of a
Page 293college education." But Leroy could not accept, for his family and Bahá'í responsibilities were already too great; by then his two daughters, Farrukh and Anita, had been born.
Ten years later this decision was fully vindicated when the Guardian wrote to him: "What the Cause now requires is not so much a group of highly-cultured and intellectual people but a number of devoted, sincere and loyal supporters who, in utter disregard of their own weaknesses and limitations, and with hearts afire with the love of God, forsake their all for the sake of spreading and establishing His Faith." (Though his secretary, November 14, 1935.)
For some time Leroy had been seeking to implement his idea of a Bahá'í school, and had consulted several believers throughout California. A fortuitous circumstance led him to John and Louise Bosch in Geyserville, to find that they had long thought on similar lines and had even expressed to 'Abdu'l-Bahá their desire to dedicate their property to Bahá'í service.
As John's seventieth birthday was approaching (August 1, 1925), they decided to invite the friends to celebrate it and the Feast of KamM under the Big Tree.
About one hundred came from nine communities; they discussed a unified teaching plan and resolved to meet there annually.
Consultation with the National Assembly brought the appointment of John Bosch,
Leroy, and George Latimerto consider the establishment of a Bahá'í School; Geyser-yule was chosen for its venue and the first session opened in 1927. This is not the place for its history, unforgettable to early students, nor to extol all those who contributed to its development, most notably Mrs. Amelia Collins, nor to appreciate the gift, in the School's ninth year, of its property to the National Spiritual Assembly, thus making it the first truly Bahá'í school. But these words from Leroy are appropriate: "John and Louise were unique characters, and their devotion to the Faith, their spirit of dedication, is one of the strong pillars upon which the school is built.
The Guardian has referred to the Geyserville Summer School as the child of the
Administrative Order.This expresses the whole spirit of the school, how its goals are the goals of the Faith itself, namely, developing teachers, deepening the understanding of the believers, and confirming souls." "It would be no exaggeration to say," wrote Shoghi Effendi, "that the unique contribution which the
Gey-servile Summer Schoolhas made.. has been to teach the friends and inspire them to live up to the high standard which the Teachings inculcate, and thus teach the Cause through the power of example."
(Though his secretary, March 14, 1939.)Leroy's first decade in San Francisco had indeed been productive, and his efforts had widened to include the San Joaquin
Valley, Southern Californiaand Arizona. But in 1932, with his election to the National Spiritual Assembly � its youngest member � his activities became national and his labours truly herculean.
Shoghi Effendi greeted his election with a "deep sense of satisfaction" and looked to his "advice and executive ability" to "lend a fresh impetus.
to the work that the Assembly has arisen to accomplish." (May 30, 1932.)
He was at once appointed to the National Teaching Committee and served as its chairman for fourteen years. This was the period of the First Seven Year Plan (1937 � 44), which the Guardian characterized "as the first and practical step" in fulfilling America's mission under the Divine Plan, and midway in its course as
Page 294(Cable to Leroy loas, May 14, 1941.) Leroy was already attuning himself to the coming challenge and, in May 1932, he submitted a plan of work for the National Teaching Committee which the Guardian found "most promising". But in fact it was Shoghi Effendi who was leading the American Bahá'ís toward their prodigious task, as his messages between 1932 � 5 amply attest, and Leroy responded to every word. Tn September 1935 he placed before
Shoghi Effendi the Committee'splan to introduce the Faith into the twelve states of the United States where there were as yet no Baha; the Guardian "fully and gladly" endorsed it, and galvanized the American Community in October by heralding a "new hour" in the Faith, "calling for nation~wide, systematic, sustained efforts in teaching field. .7' (Cable, October 26, 1935.) The following Convention received this astounding call: ". Would to God every State � within American Republic and every Republic in American continent might ere termination of � this glorious century embrace the light of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh and establish structural basis of His World Order." The
First SevenYear Plan came to birth to fulfil this tremendous dous challenge.
And it did fulfil it, for it established Local Spiritual Assemblies in tbfrty-four states and provinces of the United States and Canada (including Alaska, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia) where none had existed in 1937, trebled the number of localities in North America where Bahá'ís lived, and achieved its Latin American goals. it was "the greatest collective undertaking in the annals of the first Baha century,"1 and it was a battle for heroes all the way.
The records of that time are ample and may be sought. What here concerns us is Leroy's share, preeminently his chairmanship of the Committee which led the great campaign in
North America. The Guardianand acclaimed its work as "truly stupendous, highly meritorious and magnificent in all its aspects. In itself it constitutes a glorious chapter in the history of the Faith in the North American continent. ." (To Leroy Loas, December 17, 1943.) And to Sylvia foas he
1 Shoghi Hifendi, cited TheBahá'í Centenary (Wilmette Illinois, 1944), p. 171.
wrote that "without the steady faith and tireless devotion" which Leroy had "brought to bear on the teaching work of North America, the Plan might not have gone ahead as smoothly to victory as it did." (Through his secretary, July 6, 1944.)
The writer was privileged to experience six years of those "difficult but happy times", as Leroy wrote, when "we were struggling through the First Seven Year Plan, with all its implications of bringing about a balance between individual initiative and group coordination,, in the creative field of teaching." No words could describe the debt which the American Co~~ity owes to Leroy as chairman and Charlotte Linfoot as secretary of the National Teaching Committee, in those years of incredible work, anxiety and strain, which were so joyously crowned with heart-thrilling victory.
In November 1946, Leroy received promotion and was transferred to Chicago by the Southern Pacific Company. Thus began a brief but useful phase, coinciding with the Second Seven Year Plan, when Leroy lived near the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar.
As a member of the National Spiritual Assembly he had been a Temple trustee since 1932, but now he was able to assist more actively as the inner ornamentation proceeded and plans for the landscaping were begun; For the last three years of this period he was National Treasurer, a critical post for the completion of this project which had engaged the Bahá'ís during most of the twentieth century.
But further horizons were beckoning.In May 1948, Leroy represented, with four others, the International Bahá'í Community at the United
Nations Conference on HumanRights in Geneva. He also participated in the first European Bahá'í Teaching Conference in that city, where he spoke memorably on the Covenant. Afterwards, he visited Bahá'í communities in the ten European goal countries of the Second Seven Year Plan, and in 1949 became a member of the European Teaching Committee. It was the beginning of his association with Bahá'í teaching in Europe.
Leroy's reputation outside Bahá'í circles was also steadily increasing.
He was always a companionable man, with a ready sense of humour, and was warmly admired by people from all walks of life. "We believe in severance but not
Page 295he wrote in 1933, and proved it by the scope of his social and humanitarian activities. Member of the Commonwealth, Kiwanis and Cosmos Clubs in San Francisco, and of the Rotary, Skal and Union League Clubs in Chicago, he was also elected to the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People in SanFrancisco as its first white member, and served on the executive committee of the American Association of Passenger Traffic Officers while working in Chicago.
As he added to his multitudinous enterprises much public speaking, and never concealed his Bahá'í conviction, it is certain that his life was a continuous proclamation of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh to his "legion of friends".1
Thus his sudden resignation from his high business connection, to assist the Faith at its World Centre in Haifa, astonished colleagues throughout the United States, who yet respected a decision of such courage and principle.
The effect on his fellow Bahá'ís was no less far-reaching.
When, in December 1951, the Guardian raised him to the rank of Hand of the Cause, scores of letters and telegrams arrived from all parts of America and the world, from individuals and Assemblies, in loving tribute to his past services and to wish him well.
Only three months later these friends were stunned by the further news of his departure for Haifa. Again their messages flowed to him, in even greater number, filled with joy, pride, appreciation, and a sense of immense loss.
"We are bewildered by our loss of a friend and distinguished worker.
It is a shock which we feel deep within." (National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States.)
"Words are inadequate to express the feelings in our hearts." (Chicago
Local Spiritual Assembly.)"We were profoundly surprised, grieved and overjoyed all at the same time.
(Pasadena Local Spiritual"We are profoundly affected by spirit of dedication devotion obedience with which you have responded to beloved Guardian's summons."
(New York Local Spiritual Assemblyof the Southern Pacific Company, to announce Leroy's resignation over the entire nation.
." (San Mateo LocalTo read these messages is to realize how deep-iy Leroy's years of service had influenced the American Baha'is. And his decision was significant in other ways, for it focused the thoughts of many on the needs at the World Centre, and prepared them to respond with like promptitude and sacrifice to the Guardian's call just one year later for pioneers for the World Crusade.
"It is the most difficult decision I have had to make in my entire Bahá'í life," Leroy wrote to Paul Haney on the eve of his departure.
Yet events had been leading to this end for several months, and well before his appointment as a Hand of the Cause.
In the spring of 1951, Mrs. Amelia Collins, ever his devoted friend, on a visit from the Holy Land where she then lived, described the tremendous and sorrowful burdens of the Guardian. "I was deeply moved, saddened, and agitated," Leroy wrote. "Only once have I felt more anguish when the Beloved Master ascended.
." In October he received a letter from Shoghi Effendi, expressing the hope that "a time will come when you can devote more time to the work, and internationally as well as nationally."
(Through his secretary, September 28, 1951.)Striving to understand the implications of these words, Leroy consulted Milly Collins and his wife, drew up a statement of his personal position for Mrs. Collins to present to Shoghi Sifendi when she returned, and later was moved by his appointment as a Hand of the Cause to send this directly to the Guardian. He received from Shoghi Effendi an invitation to come for consultation, but by February 15th the Guardian had reconsidered and wrote (through his secretary): what he needs, I might almost say desperately, is a capable, devoted believer to come and really take the work in hand here, relieve him of constant strain and details, and act as the secretary-general of the International Bahá'í
Council."We know from Leroy's letters that he faced then a "terrifically hard" decision, that his "steps... faltered," but that with the support of his wife � "a tower of spiritual strength" � he was able to reply at once, on February 25th: "Sylvia and I deeply moved privilege serve Beloved Guardian." He arrived in Haifa on March 17th, leaving Sylvia to settle their affairs V
Page 296and follow, and carrying to the Guardian the love and greetings of a host of friends, many of whom had gathered in Temple Foundation Hall to bid farewell to one who for nearly forty years had served the Faith in America with all his loyalty and strength.
Before Leroy arrived in Haifa, Shoghi Effendi had already announced the enlargement of the year-old
International Bahá'íCouncil and the functions of its members, in an historic cablegram which first revealed his plan for a global ten-year crusade (March 8, 1952).
Leroy was both its Secretary-General and one of the four Hands residing in the Hoiy Land, and very soon he became the Guardian's assistant secretary as well.
Bahá'u'lláh Himself had inaugurated the World Centre of His Faith and had given it a charter in His Tablet of Carmet Over the years this spiritual Centre had unfolded its potentialities, but its administrative development had only just begun. Thus Leroy found himself in the midst of enormous responsibilities, delegated by the Guardian, which he shared in lesser or greater degree with his fellow members of the Council. With them, and under the Guardian's close direction, he sought to consolidate the Council's relationship with the civil authorities of Israel; negotiated for the purchase of a number of properties on Mount Carmel and near the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh; established Israel branches of four
National Spiritual Assembliesto take title to these properties; and defended the Faith against virulent enemies who, at every turn, tried to hinder and forestall the Guardian in his cherished plans. Alone, guided only by the Guardian, he supervised the construction of the drum and dome of the Shine of the Bib, thus bringing this noble building to its completion and full glory in October 1953. And he supervised the erection, in the space of two years, of the
International ArchivesBuilding, which was completed before Ri4vAn 1957.'
At the same time the progress of the Crusade needed constant stimulus and guidance, and in this Leroy had a significant share, both through a voluminous correspondence and by personal I The carved stone and components of these buildings were supplied from Italy by the Hand of the Cause tTgo Giachery, Leroy's task being to supervise their assembly and erection in Haifa~ contact in visits to various national and local communities.
He was also making friends in Israel, was a member of half-a-dozen clubs and societies, and lectured widely on the Faith, particularly to Rotary Clubs, from
Jerusalem and BeershebaAnd he gave Press interviews which brought favourable and extensive publicity, not only in Israel but in the United States,
South Mrica and Europe.Not much imagination is needed to realize that Leroy was a busy man!
The fact is brought homemoreclearly if one turns to the Guardian's messages to the Bahá'í world, announcing the fast-succeeding achievements at the World Centre during these years, 1952 � 7.
But only the few who lived and worked in Haifa at this time, handicapped by the austerities of a new State, the conditions of labour, the interminable procedures of officialdom, the excessive burdens which they strove to carry, and even their own inexperience for the tasks assigned, could ever truly say what their life was like in this period of the Faith's greatest expansion. Looking back on it in 1962, Leroy remarked, "When I think of the way in which I had to carry on the work here, alone, on foot, with no auto, in spite of every difficulty, of a new State, of new people, of situations within the community.. ." What a contrast, indeed, to his conditions of work in America. And little wonder that those early years in Haifa changed him from a vigorous man in the prime of life � "Ioas could have been stepping off a Chicago bus," wrote a Chicago Tribune reporter, who was hoisted with him to the base of the dome of the Shrine on a 3-foot square wooden tray � to a man perpetually troubled in health, in need of long periods of rest and cure which he sought almost annually in Europe or America. Indeed, by October 1953, with the completion of the Shrine of the 8Th, his heart was already weakened, and in January 1955 the Guardian was cabling him: "Be not anxious.
Rest full month.For Shoghi Effendi, having toiled for decades almost alone and in even more difficult circumstances, well appreciated what his Hands and Council were performing. As success followed success, Leroy received through Abdu'l-Bahá RiM~yyih KMnum a number of cablegrams: "Tell Leroy loving appreciation...", "delighted victories.
2, "deeply appreciate splendid achievement".written, in his own hand, when her son first came to Haifa: "The work in which your very dear and highly esteemed son is now so devotedly and actively engaged is highly meritorious... his self-sacrificing labours will be richly rewarded by Bahá'u'lláh."
(March 20, 1952.) One such reward was the naming after him of the Octagon door of the Shrine of the flAb, soon after he had stayed back from the public dedication of the Temple in Wilmette to complete the dome of the Shrine,' and another he must have realized when he accompanied Shoghi Effendi to the base of the dome on the Ninth Day of Ri4vAn, 1953, and assisted him to place beneath a golden tile some plaster from the room of the Báb's imprisonment at MTh-Kit The most memorable expression of the Guardian's appreciation is contained in his last long message to the American Bahá'í Community, sent only six weeks before his passing, in which he praises "the magnificent and imperishable contribution" made by members of that community, "singly and collectively, to the rise and establishment of the institutions of their beloved Faith at its World Centre, through the assistance given by their distinguished representatives serving in the lloiy Land...", and he lists all that had been achieved in "four brief years of unremitting devotion to the interests of the Ten-Year Plan.
." (September 21, 1957.)A book could be written about these "endur-ing achievements", but here only two will be specially mentioned. The acquisition of the Temple land on Mount Carmel involved most intricate negotiations.
The Guardian had chosen a singularly beautiful site at the mountain's head, overlooking both sea and city, with a view of the Shrine along Carmel's flank. Bahá'u'lláh had visited this land and revealed there His Tablet of Carmel. Except for the unique problems posed by its purchase, it was an ideal site. But its position was strategic and the Army controlled the property, which belonged to the
Catholic Church. Leroyneeded over two years to resolve this tangle and obtain the title deeds.
The last service Leroy rendered to his beloved Guardian while he lived was the one most valued � "the final and definite purification, after the lapse of no less than six decades, of the 'The naming of the door was announced by Shoghi Effendi, in a message to the Intercontinental
Conference in New Delhi, October1953, acknowledging Leroy's "assiduous constant care...
(Ba/nil World, vol. xn, p. 239.)World. ." It was the climax of "along-drawn-out process" for expropriation by the State of Israel of the entire property owned and controlled by the Covenant-breakers, which surrounded Bahá'u'lláh's resting-place and the Mansion of Baha. (Shoghi Effendi, September 21, 1957.) In entrusting this task to Leroy, the Guardian had told him that all else he had done, even his work for the Shrine of the Nb, was as silver; to accomplish this assignment would be as gold. A thrill of happiness went round the Bahá'í world when, on June 3, 1957, the Guardian cabled: "With feelings of profound joy, exultation and thankfulness, announ~... signal, epochmaking victory won over the ignoble band of breakers of His Covenant.
They had appealed to the Supreme Court against the expropriation order and had lost, and by September 6, 1957, they and all their belongings had gone from the precincts of the Shrine. On December 2, 1957, title to the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, the Mansion, and all other buildings and lands which the Covenant-breakers had owned there, passed on Leroy's signature to the Israel Branch of the United States National Spiritual Assembly, in an historic transaction witnessed also by the Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery and Mrs. loas.
We who today enjoy the supreme tranquillity and peace of those holy surroundings should pause to recall that neither the Master nor the Guardian ever walked there without knowing the presence of those tainted souls.
In all his services at the World Centre in the lifetime of the Guardian, Leroy knew full well that he was but an instrument guided and impelled by Shoghi Effendi. Happily, he was an instrument uniquely prepared for the demanding tasks which were laid upon him. His forty years of preliminary service to the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, his unexcelled loyalty to His Covenant, his character steeled by experience to unremitting effort and perseverance, and his practical wisdom, provided the qualities which enabled him to bring them to fulfilment at that crucial stage of the Faith's development.
And now something must be said of his activities outside the World Centre.
For Leroy managed, between 1953 and 1964, to travel in four continents. His most important missions were as Shoghi Effendi's special representative to the first Intercontinental Conference in
Page 298Kampala in February 1953, when the World Crusade in Africa was launched; and after the Guardian's passing, to the last of the Intercontinental Conferences at the midway point of the Crusade, held in Djakarta and Singapore, September 1958.
Here, as so many times before and after, Leroy spoke so movingly of Shoghi Effendi "that every eye in the audience was in tears". He had the power to evoke the life, the spirit and the very presence of the Guardian, and there are many of us who will remember him in eternity for this.
Shoghi Effendi also sent Leroy to Frankfurt, Germany, in January 1956, to assist that National Spiritual Assembly with its project of erecting the first European Temple, and to con-suit on teaching.
Again in July 1961 and in June 1962 he met with the German National Assembly on problems concerning the Temple.
Two memorable visits were made to the British Isles, the first in January 1955, on the occasion of the dedication of the British I-Iaziratu'I-Quds during the annual Teaching Conference, and the second for the month-long commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í sojourn in Britain in September 1911.
He participated in theSchool celebration on the very date of the Master's coming (September 4th); then spoke in Edinburgh and at the national celebration in London on September 8th, after which he met the National Assembly in session and visited seven other communities in England and South Wales.
It was a strenuous schedule for one not well, but Leroy's love for the Master carried him through as, in the words of the National Spiritual Assembly, he poured out "spiritual bounties" on the British friends.
For Leroy, teaching was "the creative phase of the Faith", the service which brought him the greatest happiness and for which he had a special genius. After the Guardian's passing and with the approval, sometimes at the request, of his fellow Hands, he found more and more opportunities to visit Bahá'í communities in many lands, always awakening in those whom he met a deeper love for the Master and the Guardian; a greater consciousness of the significance of the World Centre, of the functions of the Hands of the Cause and, after its election, of the Universal House of Justice; and an increased determination to play an active part in the
Ten Year Plan. Thesewere his constant stant themes, the "spiritual realities"; to deepen understanding of them was, he believed, a particular responsibility of the Hands. He had always been a perceptive teacher � logical, persuasive, yet mild � but now, after his years in Haifa, wrote one Baha'i, "your spiritual power is entirely irresistible".
In 1958 he participated in the Intercontinentaland Wilmette, and later that year visited South Africa after the Conference at Singapore. In 1960 he attended the United States Annual Convention, spoke thrice at the Geyserville Summer School, and visited a number of communities in America. This was the year of his daughter Anita's marriage, followed closely by the unanticipated and tragic death of Farrukh, his elder daughter. Both had served the Faith internationally as pioneers, bringing much joy to their parents. In 1961 he met German Bahá'ís attending a regional conference in Frankfurt, and imparted "a new energy to the work" in Switzerland by visiting all twelve of their Local
Spiritual Assemblies.1962, though advised to rest for three months, he cut short his cure to go to Scandinavia (July 30 � September 1), for a teaching tour which included the Finnish Summer School in Labti, a meeting with the National Spiritual Assembly and Board members, and stops in Helsinki and Turku; meetings in Sweden in Stockholm, Uppsala, Gdteborg and MaImb; consultation with the National Spiritual Assembly of Denmark and gatherings in Copenhagen; participation in the
Scandinavian Summer Schoolnear Wilsingborg, Sweden; and visits to Bergen, Stavanger and Hetland in Norway.
On his way to the first Summer School of Luxembourg (Echternach, September 4 � 6), he stopped at the Temple in Frankfurt.
Although his public teaching was limited by his damaged heart, his meetings with the Bahá'ís brought them "wonderful contributions of knowledge, spirit and radiance".
The death of Shoghi Effendi in London in November 1957 had been for Leroy, as for the Bahá'ís of the world, a wholly-unexpected and grievous blow. Already he had overspent his health in the work of the World Centre. There followed his most taxing years when, as one of the nine Hands elected to serve in Haifa, he faced with them the incalculable problems of this unparalleled hiatus between the death of
Page 299the divinely-guided Guardian and the birth of the divinely-ordained
Universal House of Justice.That body has paid memorable tribute to the services of the Hands of the Cause in this critical period.
For Leroy, except when teaching, it was a troubled time, unfit as he was to sustain the stresses which beset them. The winter months of 1962 � 3 were particularly demanding, with the annual Conclave of the Hands, the crisis of the Moroccan persecutions, the final months of the Crusade, and the preparations for the first World Convention and election of the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, to be followed immediately by the World Congress in London at the Albert Hall. In all this Leroy played his part.
Unhappily, in London he contracted pneumonia at the opening of the World Congress and had to recuperate in Germany until the October meetings of the Hands with the Universal House of Justice, sessions leading to decisions of the greatest import for the future of the Faith.
After these meetings he departed for the United States for further convalescence in Washington, D.C. and Bradenton, Florida, where his family, always loyal and affectionate, surrounded him. Never yielding, he held study classes in both areas.
The news of his intended American visit had been the signal for an invitation in July 1963 from the
United States NationalAssembly to assist them in deepening the new believers and inspiring the community to greater teaching effort. They renewed their invitation in December; the opportunity to plan a tour of the South and West came when Leroy accepted an invitation from the Hands in the Western Hemisphere to attend their January conference in Wilmette with their Auxiliary Boards.
Members returned from that conference "aglow with spirit and enthusiasm.
." for the approaching Nine Year Plan and their roles in it.
Then followed Leroy'slast magnificent service to Bahá'u'lláh. From February 22 to April 12, 1964, he travelled to meet the Baha of eight regions, in weekend gatherings in the following centres: Sarasota and
Miami Beach, Florida;Albuquerque, New Mexico; Phoenix, Arizona; Riverside and
Los Angeles, San FranciscoA photograph taken in Austin is evidence of the frailty of his physical constitution, which, strained by his heart and a now chronic bronchitis, was unequal to the magnitude of this teaching journey, and at its close his fatigue and weakness were such that he was unable to return to Haifa until October. But his spiritual powers were perhaps never greater, as he unfolded his lofty themes, made vivid for the Bahá'ís the "vital spirit emanating always from the World Centre," spurred them, particularly the youth, to arise as pioneers, and prepared them for the Nine Year Plan. He met nearly sixteen hundred believers, many of them newly-declared.
And at the close, he represented the Hands in Haifa at the Annual Convention which launched that Plan in the United States.
Significantly, when in Atlanta and Greenville, South Carolina, he sensed the latent capacity of the Deep South to recognize Bahá'u'lláh.
"The spirit of the entire area is afire," he informed the National Spiritual Assembly, "and if the blaze starts mounting you may have a conflagration..." And he also remarked to them on a new development, that "nearly all of the new Baha are young people the real source of the power for the rapid spread of the Faith..
Too many to quote were the letters to Leroy of love and appreciation for this fruitful journey which crowned his closing years. While convalescing in Germany he received an encouraging message from the Hands in Haifa:
"The House of Justiceis aware of the great need for the type of deepening in the Faith which you have been able to give the friends in America, particularly the newer believers and young people who are entering the Faith in such large numbers."
(August 20, 1964.) And a few days later came a tribute from the United
States National SpiritualAssembly: "We cannot express in words how grateful we are to you and Sylvia for your visit and for the inspiration which you have given to so many hundreds of the newer believers." (August 25, 1964.)
It was fitting to include Sylvia, for she was ever Leroy's strong support, his champion, and his tireless companion in the last months of his life.
lie returned to Haifa in October, broken in health but rejoiced in spirit, surely, that he had carried out to the last ounce of his strength the Guardian's hope so long ago expressed: "You will, I am sure, persevere till the very end."
Leroy died, after some weeks in hospital, on July 22, 1965, at the age of sixty-nine, and lies
Page 300buried in the Bahá'í Cemetery on Mount Cannel, near to his fellow Hands and lifelong colleagues,
Amelia Collins and HoraceIlolley. His death brought many testimonies of grief and admiration from Israelis in all walks of life. He was remembered in memorial services at the Bahá'í Temple in Wilmette, the Geyserville Summer School, and in Bahá'í communities throughout the world. One will find Bahá'í institutions bearing his name, and overlooking the town of Geyserville a Sequoia Redwood grove stands dedicated to his memory.
One coworker spoke for all when she wrote toT feel in my heart is, I am certain, echoed in the hearts of countless of the friends � deep and humble gratitude for the work you have done and the sacrifices made for our loved Cause."
We are assured by thethat the name of Leroy loas is immortal in the annals of the Faith.
MARION HOFMANMarch 23, 1891 � April 14, 1966 More than fifty years ago Jessie Revell was addressed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in these words: "0 thou who art firm in the Covenant!... Notwithstanding the lack of time, I write thee this letter that thou mayest know how dear thou art to me. As thou art brilliant and pure and haM no wish but to serve the Cause of God and promulgate the divine teachings, I pray and entreat at the threshold of God and beg for thee limitless assistance and bounty. Thou must engage in those regions, day and night, in service...
As to the children with whom thou art speaking, thy pure breath will undoubtedly exert its influence upon them.
(Star of the West, vol. x, p. 317) Jessie Revell's brilliant record of service to the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, extending from eariy in the century, came to an end with her passing in Haifa on April 14, 1966.
Her story is best told in the words of her devoted sister, Ethel Revell.
"My mother, my sister and I first heard of the Faith in Philadelphia � it was approximately
1906 � through Mrs. AnnieOn the evening when Jessie first heard Mrs. Brittingham speak on the Faith, Jessie followed her to the door as the speaker departed and said, 'I cannot remember all you said tonight, but I want what you have!'
When she accepted the Faith she wrote to 'Abdu'l-Bahá and mentioned that our father had passed away when we were very young.
The Master replied � I believe in these exact words � 'The realfatherhoodis the spiritualfatherhood.
Therefore rest thou assured that thou art the beloved daughter.'
"In the early days of her Bahá'í life, as there was but little literature available to the friends, Jessie, who was then employed in an office, would spend her evenings typing copies of Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and sharing them with theflahA'is, whom turn would recopy themand pass them along to other believers.
"Jessie's dearest wish was to be of service to the Cause. 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited Philadelphia in June, 1912. After speaking to the friends on Sunday morning at the Rittenhouse Hotel where He was staying, the Master took a short walk, during which time Jessie and a brother visited the various newspaper offices with material on the Faith which appeared in the papers the following day.
"During the meeting at the hotel, 'Abdu'l-Bahá said to our mother that He would see us at nine o'clock the following morning at our house.
Excitedly, everyone spread the news and the humble home was crowded. The Master spoke to the friends most beautifully andi touchingly about the life of Bahá'u'lláh.
Mter-wards He went upstairs, and each one had a brief interview with him. When Jessie's turn came, she said 'I would like to be of service in the Kingdom.'
'Abdu'l-Bahá replied, 'You are a smiling angel; you will be of service in the Kingdom.'
"Jessie visited 'Abdu'l-Bahá in New York City a few days before He sailed from America. As she was taking leave the Master said that Lie would see her again. Jessie always lived in the thought of again seeing Him on this earth. In 1921 she received a Tablet in which He told her she had permission to make her pilgrimage in the winter of that year. Everything was in order: the expense of her voyage was the loving gift of a Bahá'í friend; her employer consented
Page 301to her leave of absence and agreed to hold open her position until she returned; her plans were all made.
When the news reached her of the ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá she was completely heartbroken.
Slowly, painfully she reconciled herself to the realization that her meeting with the Master was not to be on this physical plane. At the suggestion of Mrs. Brittingham she postponed her pilgrimage for a few years and was very happy she did so, because when she arrived in Haifa she was able to meet the beloved Guardian which would not have been the case had she gone at the time originally planned.
"One day during her pilgrimage Shoghi Effendi invited her to stroll up Mount Carmel with him to visit the Shine of the 13Th.
On that walk he said that the Bahá'ís must make a superhuman effort. Jessie often said there was something about the way the Guardian said 'superhuman' that engraved it for all time in her heart.
"Jessie constantly searched for ways of meeting souls who were longing for truth.
With this object in view she had just completed a course in public speaking when the invitation came to travel to Haifa to assist the beloved Guardian.
When she told of receiving this cable, she said she believed she lost consciousness usness for a moment, it was so overwhelming."
A tribute to Jessie Revell by Mr. and Mrs. Lyall Hadden published in the Bulletin of the Spiritual Assembly of Philadelphia at the time of her death describes her early services in that community: "Jessie's entire life was one of service to the Faith, first here in Pennsylvania where she served for many years on the Spiritual
Assembly of Philadelphiaand the regional teaching committee, and later in Haifa where she and Ethel were summoned by the Guardian in 1951.
"Her years of service in Haifa, her many travels throughout the world on behalf of the Faith, are well known to all, but we in Pennsylvania have a deeper knowledge of, and a great love for, this little person who gave of her time and energy so cheerfully and efficiently.
No distance was too far for Jessie to travel; no demand upon her time too great in service to Bahá'u'lláh.
"When we first met the Revells back in 1936 both Jessie and Ethel were carrying out 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í instructions in a most energetic and able manner.
We had just arrived in the Philadelphia area from New York where we had been briefly introduced to the Faith. Almost immediately upon our arrival Jessie, Ethel and their mother came to call upon us, and every week thereafter these dear and faithful souls traveled the twenty miles to our home to further our instruction in the
Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. Afterwe declared our faith they, true to the Master's wish, continued to visit every Saturday morning to instruct our three small sons. So effective were their teaching methods that at one children's session at Davison Ba1A'i School our boys were asked to refrain from raising their hands to answer questions and let some of the other children have the opportunity.
'Thy pure breath will undoubtedly exert its influence upon theni...'
"Many times we met the Revell sisters and drove them to Reading where they had engaged a room in order to hold Baha meetings. Whether one person attended, or a dozen, or no one at all, those two devoted believers were always there on the designated night, and our own knowledge was strengthened and deepened."
It is fitting that Jessie Revell's services in the Holy Land be glimpsed through the eyes of one
Page 302of the countless pilgrims whose hearts she won. An account of her passing appeared in the Alaskan Bahá'í News, September, 1966: "Late in 1950 two selfeffacing little ladies from Philadelphia, Ethel and Jessie Revell, received a cablegram: WELCOME
YOUR PRESENCE HAIFA � SHOGHI.These two lovely souls were overwhelmed and puzzled, but they soon began to pack...
"For Jessie, this was a return to the land of her heart's desire..
What kind of woman was this 'little giant', barely five feet tall, who earned the trust, love and admiration of Shoghi Effendi, and became a loyal companion of Abdu'l-Bahá Ri~iyyih KhAnum and the friend and counsellor of every pilgrim? The beloved Guardian received many letters from American believers but it was the rare Bahá'í who, like Jessie, would write to him, as she did in 1948, to thank him for his peerless translation of
Prayers and Meditations."En routeto ilaifathe Revell sisters found an additional opportunity to proclaim the Faith. Three hundred miles east of the Azores, a floating observance of World Religion Day was held on the S.S. LaGuardia by Jessie and Ethel.
Fifty people of various nationalities attended in response to the invitation listed in the ship's calendar."
Jessie Revell's services in Haifa were manifold: she was entrusted by the Guardian shortly after her arrival with the task of sending and collecting all his mail; this was a task to which he attached great importance as during his absences from the Holy Land no one had access to him except his "postman" whose integrity must be of the highest order.
Even after the Guardian's passing she continued to collect the mail, in spite of her age, until the election of the Universal
House of Justice.In 1951 she was appointed treasurer of the International Baha Council by the Guardian and after its election in 1961 continued to hold the same office.
Her services to the Guardian and to the World Center in these and other capacities brought her in contact with many people in Haifa where she was widely known and respected as a Baha.
"How Jessie loved to be with the pilgrims," Ethelloved to look after their comfort and received them with a loving welcome, visiting with them, helping them on their shopping trips. At times the pilgrims arrived very late at night from certain countries.
On one occasion a group of dear pilgrims came at about eleven-thirty at night. It was raining heavily. They were shown their rooms and made comfortable by Jessie. The next morning Jessie awakened to find she had slept peacefully all night in a wet raincoat!"
A pilgrim writes, "She won the hearts of all the pilgrims and saw the best, the true Baha'i, in everyone. In her quiet, unassuming way she would seek every avenue to serve her beloved Faith.
No task was too great or too small. Pilgrims around the world treasure the picture of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Philadelphia or some other small token from the
Revel! sisters. Dearlyloved by the people of Haifa, they would voice concern: 'Please talk Miss Jessie into getting a car � a little one will do; she goes back and forth so much; I worry for her.' A friend of 'Miss Jessie's' would get a special price in the souvenir shops. Everyone in Haifa knew her; everyone loved her. Her calm, assured manner, regardless of the turbulence about her, seemed to be in natural setting in Haifa. While the Shrines, of course, stand apart as the very core of pilgrimage, Haifa unfailingly brings to mind Jessie Revell."
Before his passing Shoghi Effendi had himself announced that Jessie Revell would attend the Intercontinental Conference to be held in the United States in 1958,1 in addition to the Hand of the Cause he had delegated to represent him on that occasion.
In 1961 she accompaniedKThnum on her trip to Australia to open the Mother Temple of the Antipodes to public worship. When Abdu'l-Bahá was taken ill, Jessie Revell, at her request, visited the New Zealand Bahá'í community in her stead, bringing the spirit of the beloved Guardian to all the friends there.
"I trust and pray that some day you may be enabled to visit Persia, and there render a distinct service to the Cause," Shoghi Effendi wrote to her on December 17, 1928.
"Wherever you are, the Beloved will watch over you and sustain you, and you must feel encouraged to realize that your services, your faith and constancy, will in time be fully rewarded."
Ethel's words describe the joy her sister experienced in realizing this long-held hope: "Persia and Turkey were the last countries The Bahá'í World, vol. xiii, p.323.
Page 303She traveled to IrAn just seven months before she passed away. To be in the land of Bahá'u'lláh was such ajoy to her, to visit all the Holy Places such a sacred experience. Then too, the believers were so thoughtful, kind and hospitable in a quiet and efficient manner that she really felt at home.
It seemed to me that with that accomplished, she in a way relaxed somewhat.
A few days before she departed she said to me, 'Since I went to Persia, I seem to be living there all the time."' Advising the Baha world community of her passing, the Universal House of Justice cabled:
WITH PROFOUND GRIEF ANNOUNCE1892 � 1967 Mildred Eileen Clark was born on May24, 1892 in Manchester, Illinois, and terminated her earthly life at her pioneer post in Turku, Finland, on May 27, 1967. Pioneering was her chosen field of service from the earliest days of her association with the Bahá'í Faith, and she never relaxed in this service.
In the first Seven Year Plan (1937 � 1944) assigned to the United States she pioneered to Denver, Colorado, and there married Mr. George Clark. In 1946, at the inception of the second Seven Year Plan, she offered to go to Europe and was requested by the European Teaching Committee to settle in Norway where, in 1948, she assisted in the formation of the first Spiritual
Assembly of Oslo. InJanuary, 1950 she pioneered to the Netherlands and in 1952 was asked to go to Luxembourg to assist in making the necessary arrangements for the European Teaching Conference held there in September, 1952.
Following this she returnedto Oslo and actively resumed her service there. While attending the European
Intercontinental TeachingConference held in Stockholm in July, 1953, Mildred Clark volunteered to serve in Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands. She was one of the first to arise in the Ten Year Crusade, arriving at her post in August, 1953. For this service she was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh by Shoghi Effendi. She remained at this distant post for more than ten years, later returning to Norway. When the need for pioneers in Finland became apparent, she moved to that country, her final pioneer goal.
After her passing, messages expressing appreciation of the services of Mildred Clark reached the World Center from the National Spiritual Assemblies of the United States, Norway and Finland.
In cabling the American NationalHouse of Justice described Mildred Clark's services as "adding lustre" to the "overseas annals American Bahá'í community."
The National SpiritualAssembly of Finland, atthetime of her passing, receivedthe following message:
DEEPLY GRIEVED PASSINGof Bahá'u'lláh 1904 � 1966 Marcia Steward was born in 1904 in Pasadena, California, to the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Rudolph Shiffman and to a Mr. Steward, one of the trio that founded the McCormick Harvester concern renowned in industrial history.
She attended Girls' Collegiateand spent much of her childhood at her grandparents' home with its huge white columns, its great hail and double grand staircase and landscaped grounds dotted with greenhouses and gazebos which spread down to the very foot of the canyon. She graduated in late 1920 and made her d6but to a waiting society at Midwick Country Club, followed by a fashionable tour of Europe with anaunt.
She was one of that large group of American exiles to Paris, where she lived for a good part of the 'twenties.
Marcia embraced the Bahá'í Faith in 1938 and was eager to pioneer before the conclusion of the first Seven Year Plan of Shoghi Effendi. She sailed from New Orleans, en route to Santiago de Chile, where she lived in a pension in order to learn the language.
Within a year she was lecturing in Spanish on the Bahá'í Faith in the University of Santiago.'
Marcia had launched upon a brilliant series of services to the Cause which the Guardian described, in his many letters to her, as "magnificent", "exemplary", "meritorious", and "unfor-gettable".
Determined to establish her residence in Latin America, Marcia purchased a rather elaborate hacienda on the outskirts of Santiago, entertaining the press and those in education and diplomatic circles. She wrote many articles for the press.
Latin countries do not pay for editorial articles, as the prestige that comes with their publication is deemed to be coin of the
See "Chile and Three Crucialrealm. When her funds were exhausted is not known.
There are some who feel that her real pioneering began only after her personal fortune was expended. Marcia lavished her wealth, her abundant energy and eventually her health in the course of her service to the beloved Guardian in establishing the Faith in Latin America.
With the remnants of her means and the assistance of a friend or two, Marcia purchased a property in the mountains of Honduras, near Tegucigalpa. She named it "Karbih". It was her dream that it eventually become a hospice for pioneers and a summer school for nearby Bahá'í communities. She acquired it for her beloved, the Guardian, and she was alone there most of her remaining years. An aged horse was her only tie with the outside world during the part of each year when abundant rains washed out the bridges and roads. She went cold and hungry in order to maintain "KarbilA". During these lonely years Marcia's companionship was in a copious exchange of letters with Shoghi Effendi.
That beautiful relationship is glimpsed in the following few extracts from the letters Marcia received: "July 29, 1942 � lam thrilled by the news you give me, and I certainly urge you to resume your historic task in Chile, if you find it at all possible.
The formation of an Assembly in that country will be an imperishable crown for you in the service of this glorious Cause.
I long to hear the news of such a consummation and I will pray for it from the depths of my heart. Persevere in your magnificent and historic labors.
"January 23, 1944 � I am deeply touched by, and feel profoundly grateful for, your immediate and exemplary response to my request. The Bahá'ís . will be thrilled to hear of the historic enterprise on which you have embarked.
I have already informed the friends in 'lhq and Persia, and sent them the envelope bearing the stamp and name of that faraway city (Punta Arenas), as a clear evidence of the high accomplishments of the American believers.
Persevere in your meritorious labors, however great the sacrifices required.
The Beloved is welipleased with you and is watching over you. Be happy."
"July 31, 1946 � May the Beloved bless continually your magnificent activities, sustain you at all times in your high endeavour, remove all
Page 305obstacles from your path, and enable you to add fresh laurels to the crown you have already won in the service of His Faith."
"July 19, 1947 � ... you have, I assure you, been often in my thoughts and prayers, and the memory of your indefatigable and outstanding services has been a great encouragement to me in my labors. I greatly admire the spirit that so powerfully sustains and animates you, and I will continue to supplicate on your behalf the Almighty's richest blessings. Persevere in your glorious task, and rest assured that the Beloved is well pleased with your standard of service.
"October 25, 1949 � Yourmagnificent services to the Faith, rendered so devotedly and energetically, under such difficult circumstances, and in such distant fields, deserve the highest praise, and will increasingly attract the blessings of Bahá'u'lláh Who is well pleased with the quality of your achievements..
"October 24, 1957 � May theyou have served so devotedly and diligently, reward you abundantly for your truly historic services, and assist you, in the days to come, to enrich considerably the record of your splendid, your meritorious and unforgettable accomplishments."
Marcia's greatest victory was to plant thein the Marshall Islands in the Guardian's Ten Year Crusade in 1954, thus crowning an already distinguished record by joining the ranks of the Knights of Bahá'u'lláh. Past connections with the United States government and an indomitable will effected her clearance into an almost hermetically sealed area, which was then a bomb-testing site, open oniy to government employees and the native population.
In 1955 Marcia visited Texas en route from the Marshall Islands to "Karbild", her beloved retreat. She was aged by hardship and illness and was physically almost beyond recognition, yet the flame of the spirit burned bright within andher smile was still youthful.
She knew she was seriouslyill, possibly the effect of the radiation in the Islands from which many of the natives had died or suffered a severe physical decline. After a period of recuperation she returned to Honduras.
Marcia next pioneered to San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. Letters described the trips on foot from the city into the remote Indian mountain villages. Water was scarce and after spending two or three days with the indigenous people she loved so dearly, dry and caked mud had to be chipped from her limbs. She wrote that the Indians listened eagerly to the Great Message and that being with them was a great joy to her.
Marcia passed away in August 1966.1 picture her, as a schoolgirl, climbing the rooftops of His Kingdom and, in quiet moments, gazing up, up into the
Heavens of His Knowledge.Hound of Heaven was her favorite poem. Borrowing some of its phrasing:
God-intoxicated, Marciawill ever hear His Breath behind her, His Footfall ahead.
MARY BEAL EDSON25, 1967 Charles Dunning was born, it would seem, to uphold the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh at the inception of its second century, to serve as a soldier of courage and fortitude in the greatest spiritual crusade of mankind's history, and thus to win a hero's accolade from the one he loved most
Page 306The first sixty-three years of Charles' life ripened his native qualities and tempered his strength and will for all he would encounter and endure in the last nineteen years as a Bahá'í pioneer. For Charles, though short in stature, was physically strong and stalwart in character and optimistic faith. He came into this world a child of the British working class and was ever true to his birthright, conscious and proud of the special inheritance of his upbringing. He had the inquiring, attentive mind of a student, but his education came from the mine and the sea.
He observed his fellow men with acumen and love, pondered on all that he heard and read, and carried into every experience of life his "torch of sincerity", not only as a guide to his own path, but as a light and stimulus to those about him.
Charles was a Yorkshireman, born in or near Leeds into a large family, chiefly of girls. Times were hard for them, but Charles learned both pride and love at home, watched "real life" in the procession of guests at his parents' boarding house, and was rooted in Christian teaching at his Church school and by hymns and Bible readings at home; he "loved a good sermon His parents were strict but fair and his mother seems to have been their chief support. "We all loved her greatly," he wrote, and was ever loyal to her memory.
Charles did not walk until he was nine, but by thirteen he was driving a pit pony in a coal-mine, and at fifteen he went to sea from Liver-pooi as galley-boy in a three-masted schooner plying between Truro, Cornwall, and Lancaster. Later he returned to the mines, worked in cotton mills, and in 1914 sailed in a German ship carrying coal from Cardiff to the Canary Islands.
During this voyage the Great War began; after touching the Canaries and the Azores the crew were taken aboard a German warship, then returned to England.
Charles immediately joined another ship and sailed from London under sealed orders, with naval escort, to
Archangel. Engrossedby the customs, dress and work of the Siberian prisoners there, as he was in every place he visited, Charles made friends, was invited into their homes and eagerly inquired into their ways of life.
And he had always a special sympathy for animals and children.
Charles saw active service in both World Wars. On his return from Russia he enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps; after training at Hampton Court he was sent to France as a lorry driver. Stationed near Ronen, he often visited the tomb of Joan of Arc, whom he greatly admired.
(He was ever without prejudice towards women.)Between the wars Charles was restless, tried shipbuilding, factory and hotel work, and tram-bus driving, all in the North of England.
When the Second War came he managed to enlist by giving a wrong age, was sent to Brittany but was soon evacuated with British Forces, lived though the London blitz stationed at Richmond Park, was trained as a commando in the Welsh Guards, then transferred to the Royal Air Force at Driffleld, from whence bombers were sent over Germany. Here he saw "terrible sights" in the returning planes and himself made many trips across the Channel.
At the end of the war he was sent to Leeds Hospital for major surgery.
By 1948 Charles was a storekeeper with Metropolitan
Vickers in Manchester.His war experiences had disturbed him greatly and he began to seek "mental reassurance" in various churches and religious groups.
Thus he came to the Manchester DahA'i Centre where, from the moment he read the Bahá'í principles framed on the wall, his life attained its destiny. Under the guidance for six months of Alfred Sugar and John Craven, and through meeting on holiday in Edinburgh Isobel Locke (Sabri) and John Marshall, Charles recognized his faith and declared it. Within a fortnight he arose at a conference in Manchester to offer himself as pioneer to Belfast, most intractable goal of the British Six Year
Plan.Charles has said that he knew instantly the truth of Bahá'u'lláh's teaching of the oneness of mankind because he had witnessed that oneness in mass graves in France. Bahá'í principles spoke to Charles' heart and mind because his whole life had led him to them. They were, henceforward, his constant motivation.
His pioneer road opened in March 1948 when, after Committee consultation in Birmingham and a brief period of training in Cardiff, he departed by boat from
Liverpool for Belfast.There he found, after weary search, a room with the Copley family, who aided his teaching, and whose daughter Claire, then but twelve, later became a Baha'i. Moving amongst
Page 307the people of Belfast, Charles soon met its difficulties, "the suspicion and mistrust" � "there is a terrifying bitterness here" � the religious antagonism which greatly puzzled him.
"For how can we say we love God, whom we have never seen, if we do not love all those around us, whom we can see?"
Nevertheless, he perceived that Belfast would "make great strides" should it come to understand the Baha teachings. Within ten weeks he was arranging the first public meetings, to which George Townshend and his son Brian came from Dublin to speak.
Charles spent one year in Belfast, during which he saw to his joy the first acceptance of Bahá'u'lláh, the arrival of Ursula Newman (Samandari) whom he highly valued, and the strengthening of the Faith by other pioneers and teachers. But that winter his health was gravely affected, for he suffered periodically from acute bronchitis. Wisdom indicated a change and he was sent to recuperate in Cardiff.
In Belfast Charles had learned what it is to pioneer: to strive to live as a Baha'i, to persevere despite setback, to rely upon prayer, and to sow widely the seed of the Faith. ". At times," he wrote, "things seemed so distressing, and what you worked so hard for seemed to be leaving your grasp. But as a pioneer you had to. steel yourself both bodily and spiritually, to face events as they arise."
All this he pondered in his months in Cardiff.By June he could record in his notebook: for when these lines (were written) your pioneer Charles was happy and getting well again."
To Belfast he meant to return but it was not to be, for by then the need was greater to open Sheffield before the end of the Six Year Plan. It cost him "a severe battle, as I could not bring my heart from Belfast...
But soon I found out, a pioneer must go wherever he is sent and get down to it." And so he did, finding trying work as a baker, and participating in the intensive campaign to establish a Spiritual
Assembly by RiKivAn 1950.His life in these years was preparing him for his greatest battle, not only by active teaching but in thoughtful study of
Bahá'í Writings. In Sheffieldhe came to know of IJAji SulaymAn KhAn who met his death in the streets of TihrAn in terrible circumstances, with a song of praise on his lips. The vision of this intrepid martyr was to sustain Charles in his darkest hours in the Orkney
Islands.Charles was prompt to answer the Guardian's call to settle the unopened territories in the Ten Year Crusade. He was sent to Glasgow to con-suit Brigitte llasselblatt and chose Kirkwall as his goal, arriving there in September, 1953. (Brigitte proceeded to the Shetland Islands and these two, exchanging visits, were a great consolation to each other in lonely years.) Then in his sixty-ninth year, with winter closing in on these northern windswept islands, he set out to support himself as a salesman, trudging many miles in country and town. Little wonder that he ended in hospital.
In those days Kirkwall was not linked to the mainland by small aircraft nor was its isolation relieved by the motor car. Its narrow High Street was an unblemished vista of stone and old buildings, set off by a single great tree, and its people looked with suspicion on newcomers. Active as ever, Charles explored every corner of Kirkwall, learned its history, attended churches and lectures, and made friends where he could, chiefly in cafes and the street. .....
Our work is to tell the people and leave theBut he was dogged by distrust and resentment, and the oddity of his face and figure called forth ridicule and even personal abusefroni gangs of boys who pursued him.
There were days when he walked that High Street supported only by his mind's picture of Jj%ji Sulaymcin KMn. "You are a true Knight of the Faith," wrote Ben Levy in March 1954, "a champion soldier of the Cause. Your privations sadden me, but your spirit gladdens me."
Indeed, Charles was not a fragile spirit. A lifetime of hardship had steele4 him for this post and he bravely maintained it alone for four years.
Gradually, teaching work developed, items appeared in the Kirkwall paper, and meetings were held when visitors came. But, essentially, Charles was left to win his goal alone � to win it by qualities of tenacity, devotion and sacrifice which defy description but which, without doubt, opened the way for the founding of the Kirkwall Spiritual Assembly, the first in the island goals round Britain. Charles, however, did not see this; broken by ill health and persecution, for his own safety he was sent once again to Cardiff.
The shining event in Charles' life, his "greatest moment", was his pilgrimage to Haifa in January 1957. Quite simply, Charles loved Shoghi Effendi both as man and Guardian. And the Guardian loved Charles, was cheered by his Yorkshire humour and touched by his pure-hearted sincerity.
He expressed a wish that Charles might visit Bahá'í communities in Britain before returning to Orkney and this was arranged.
On hearing the news Shoghi Effendi cabled: "Delighted. Assure Charles loving prayers accompanying him."
The thought of the Guardian accompanied Charles all through the last nine years he spent in Cardiff.
How many times, in gatherings of the friends, he recounted his unforgettable experiences of pilgrimage; nor will those who heard him ever forget. The theme of his words was always the same � the "radiance" and capacity implanted in each human soul, the value of each one's contribution, the need to carry on the work of the Faith ever hopeful and assured. These thoughts imbue his notebooks, written in those years, with a dynamism and poignancy which may well in future make him better known as the vivid and unique man he was. Much of his writing was done on the bench outside Cardiff Castle, where, too, he taught hundreds of people about Bahá'u'lláh.
Charles had a bad fall in early 1967 from which he never fully recovered.
Yet he was as ardent in faith in his last months as he had ever been, and nine days before his death he arose and went out to attend the wedding of youthful Bahá'í friends.
He passed quietly in his sleep on Christmas day. His life's story is best told in his own words: "I did at least go and I can assure whoever goes will have rebuffs. But remember this, no one can remeve the footprints you made, or the echo of your voice, or the smiles you gave and those you got in return, and as you go around in your travels, you will see beauty spots, all belonging to God."
MARION HOEMAN1922 � 1964 Roy Fernie, Knight of Bahá'u'lláh and first pioneer to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, was the oniy son of Evelyn Granthame-ilayes and Cyril Fernie, owner of the C. Fernie Steamship Company in the Panama Canal Zone.
He was born on January20, 1922 at Ancon in the Canal Zone, but spent most of his school years in England with his grandparents.
Since Roy was the only son, his father definitely expected him to major in business administration and take aver the reins of the Steamship Company.
Accordingly, he sent him to business college in England. But Roy, from childhood on, manifested a tremendous variety of talents, none of them in the least related to the business world.
He had an excellent ear for harmony and learned to play both the accordion and piano by ear. He painted, wrote science fiction stories, directed stage plays, and was a superb actor. His abilities were so diverse they seemed to include almost everything but business. But his greatest ambition, he often said, was always to be a doctor.
When World War II broke out Roy was only too glad to escape what he considered to be the dull routine of business school and he joined the Royal Air Force. Because of illness he was discharged from the Air Force, but then
Page 309emigrated to the United States and again entered the Armed Services. When the war ended he became an American citizen and lived for several years in St. Louis, Missouri.
By that time Roy's father had retired from active participation in the Steamship Agency, but he constantly kept hope that Roy would take over the business, and eventually, to please his father, Roy returned to the Canal Zone. It was there that he first heard of the Bahá'í Faith. He was recuperating from a severe tropical fever at his sister's home in Panama City when he heard her mention a Bahá'í girl she had just met. It was late in the evening, and to his sister's consternation he insisted he must meet the "Bahá'í girl" immediately.
He was so dogged in his determination that she called the girl and practically begged her to let Roy come over.
That same night Roy found himself in the headquarters of the National Spiritual
Assembly of Central Americaand the Antilles. The "Bahá'í girl" was Elena Maria Marsella, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly. Roy's family background was Anglican, but he himself had long since ceased to adhere to any "organized religion".
With his naturally inquisitive mind he had investigated many faiths but had never found one that seemed sensible or, in his words, "logical".
From that point onward Roy's life took a very different turn. He made his declaration in March of 1953; two months later he and Elena were married, and in another three months the newlyweds had answered the call of the Guardian and were settling their affairs and preparing to pioneer in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.
For Roy's father this was the last straw. He disinherited his son. This was a great shock to Roy who attached little importance to wealth, because he genuinely wished his father to understand what he called a "hew job that was worth more than a million dollars".
After many interesting adventures the Fernies found themselves on Abalang in the Gilbert and Ellice
Islands. The beloved Guardianhad warned them not to teach the Faith but to make friends with the people and win their love.
From the first the Gilbertese were fascinated with this tall, lanky American with the brilliant blue eyes, the bubbling personality, the unfailing sense of humor. He kept them constantly intrigued. He put on magic shows for them, played the piano, sang with them, learned their language and started English classes for them. Although he could not openly teach the Faith, he actually taught all the principles by example. And before long he had a myriad opportunities to teach that way, for the missionaries began to suspect that the Fernies were not just visiting the Gilbert Islands to study the flora and fauna.
Soon they were hinting that the Fernies were a ''dangerous'' couple who were under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Th-vestigation and Scotland Yard. The Colonial Government, without giving Roy an opportunity to defend himself, accepted the accusations as true.
Day by day the persecution grew more intense, but it served oniy to draw the people themselves closer and closer to the Fernies. When finally a Catholic priest saw the word "Baha" on a letter addressed to the "danger-ous Americans" he proclaimed the Faith for them. He obtained information about it from Australia, then wrote scathing articles in The Star of the Gilberts magazine which went to every island in the atoll. Meanwhile, one Gilbertese had actually declared his acceptance
Page 310of the Bahá'í Faith. Peter became Roy's constant companion. He could read English and he eagerly devoured every book in the Fernie library. The Guardian, in a letter to him, also told him not to teach his people yet, but to follow the example of the Fernies.
With the proclamation of the Faith by the Catholic priest, Roy, and Peter the first Gilbertese Baha, were constantly harassed, both by the missionaries and the heads of the Colonial Government. It was because neither of them displayed any hatred to their malefactors nor retaliated in any way that three hundred and twenty-five Gilbertese affixed their names to a document expressing sympathy with the Faith.
But time was short for Roy. First Peter was deported to his own island in the Southern Gilberts, accused of crimes he had never committed.
Then Roy was accused of being a divisive influence, and was deported to Canton Island.
And he was alone, for the Acting Resident Commissioner, who favored the Fernies and the Faith, intimated that oniy Roy's name was on the deportation order.
For Roy it was truly a tragedy. He loved the Gil-berts and the Gilbertese people with all his heart; had he not been deported he would have remained all his life in those
Islands.He went to Hawaii to be as near as possible to the Gilberts, hoping always that as a result of the Colonial Government's investigation in London and the efforts of the
British National SpiritualAssembly, he would be allowed to return. But it was not to be. He passed on to the Abh~ Kingdom on October 21, 1964, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Before Elena left the Gilberts, after having tried to arrange for Roy's return in Tarawa, a delegation of Catholic "unimane," revered old men, who had served on the Island Council, came to her and said: "We want you to tell Mr. Fernie that we are sorry for what we did. We did not realize he would be deported.
We did not intend for things to happen that way. We liked Mr. Fernie and we wish he would came back."
The last letter Roy received from Shoghi Effendi, dated October 20, 1957, bore the following postscript in the Guardian's handwriting: "May the Almighty abundantly reward you for your vast, unforgettable and historic services in so remote an area of the globe; to graciously assist you to return to that field and there enrich the record of your splendid and enduring achievements."
ELENA MARSELLA FERNIE1888 � 1965 In the Fall of 1937 Grace Geary attended public meetings given at the Brunswick Hotel, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, where she heard several lectures given by Mrs. Mabel Ives on the New Revelation of God, the Bahá'í Faith.
Inspired by what she heard, Grace accepted the invitation of Mrs. Ives to join a study group to learn more of the new teachings. After a period of several weeks' study, Grace and a number of other friends arose to embrace the Bahá'í Faith. From that point on Grace expressed her love for Bahá'u'lláh through courageous and indefatigable service.
Through her efforts the Cause of God in the Maritime region of Canada was established on an unassailable foundation.
Early in 1938 Grace became a member of the firstMoncton. The Geary home became a haven for traveling Bahá'í teachers, a point of attraction in the entire area. Many visitors from other places were speakers at informal fireside meetings sponsored by Grace � the
Hands of the Cause Dorothy Bakerand Siegfried Schopflocher, Mr. Harlan Ober, Mrs. Rosemary Sala, and others.
During 1943 Grace joined Mrs. Doris McKay on a teaching trip to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and in 1944 became a member of the first Local Spiritual Assembly to be established there. Several years later, on the advice of the newly-formed National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, she brought her wisdom to bear in the consultations of the Spiritual Assembly of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
While attending the firstTeaching Conference in Chicago in 1953 the stirring message of the Guardian inspired Grace to offer to pioneer to the unopened territory of Cape Breton Island at the beginning of the
Ten Year Spiritual Crusade. ForThe difficult years spent in Cape Breton Island were surmounted by her unwavering faith and characteristic courage. Her volunteer services as librarian at the public library in Bacldeck afforded her excellent opportunities to spread the Glad Tidings of Bahá'u'lláh.
Always ready to meet a need in the Cause, she returned to Charlottetown in 1961 to help complete the Spiritual Assembly there. Called finally to the AbliA Kingdom Grace Geary must watch with tender pride and humility the rich harvest now being garnered in luxuriant abundance in the seemingly inhospitable soil of the Maritime region where she was among the first to plant with infinite loving patience the seed of a new truth.
ROGER WmtE1883 � 1 967 Elizabeth G. Hopper, Knight of Bahá'u'lláh, died at her pioneer post in Funchal,
Madeira Islands, on May3, 1967, after fourteen years of dedicated effort for the promotion of the Dah&i Saith in those islands.
Miss Hopper was born on April 8, 1883, at flume,York. She was an ambitious and spirited woman for her period. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Cornell University, and entered the field of library science, serving for some time as senior librarian for an international agency for the United
States.Her interest in education and new ideas led her to the Bahá'í Faith.
She became a Bahá'í during the prime of her life, and worked for the Faith with intensity and devotion.
She was a member of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Washington, D.C. for more than twenty years, serving it as secretary and on local and national Bahá'í committees involved with teaching and publication.
Fragile in appearance, gentle in manner and yet possessed of tremendous will and a capacity for generosity and deep loyalty to the Faith and the friends she loved, Elizabeth entered the pioneering service during her late years. After years of service in her professional field, she had retired (in 1952) secure and established in her comfortable apartment in Washington, D.C. However, in 1953 the stirring appeals of the beloved Guardian for pioneers to take the Faith to the virgin areas of the world had become increasingly urgent, and were directed to the friends of all ages and backgrounds. In the sensitive heart of Elizabeth Hopper there was an irresistible prompting that bade her arise and respond to the Guardian's appeal. Although she was entering her seventies she heeded this inner call and changed the whole course of her life.
She offered to go as a pioneer settler to the virgin area of the Madeira Islands. Such was her determination that by September of 1953 she had given up her apartment, packed her belongings and set forth for her goal. Joining her in this pioneer venture was another, younger Baha'i, Miss Ada Schott, who volunteered to go so that Madeira would have a pioneer team to teach the Faith and establish a new community.
On September 20, 1953, Elizabeth and Ada landed in Funchal, Madeira's chief port and city, and cabled the news of their arrival. Their names were added to the World Crusade map and they were assured that they brought joy to the beloved Guardian, to the National As-w w
Page 312sembly of the United States and to the Mrica Committee which supervised the pioneering efforts in the islands off the coast of Africa. The early months of that first year were mercifully pleasant for the two pioneers. They made friends and were courteously received and assisted by the people and the officials of that charming island.
By 1956 after three years of ardent prayer, patiently cultivated contacts and innumerable firesides, they were at last able to report the declaration of three new Bahá'ís in Funchal. The joy of this hard-won achievement brought new problems.
They were required to leave the island temporarily before their permanent residence visas could be obtained.
Then personal circumstances made it necessary for Miss Schott to return to the United States.
This meant that Elizabeth was alone. She was seventy-six years of age at that time, feeling the inevitable handicaps of age, subject to bouts of discouragement, and yet impelled to continue the work of deepening, strengthening and teaching new believers and contacts. She appealed for help from additional settlers and through visitors from the accessible Bahá'í communities.
There was an encouraging trickle of visitors who came and stayed for a time and added much happiness and help though their presence. She mentioned them all so lovingly: Mrs. Sara Kenney and her mother, Mrs. Ella Duffield, Mrs. Peggy True, Miss Trudy Eisenberg,
Miss Katherine Meyer, MissElsie Austin, Mr. and Mrs. Valine from the Canaries, Mrs. Elizabeth Stamp, Mr. Missaghieb, and others.
The friends tried to help by writing to her of tourists and visitors they knew who would come to the island, but to her great dismay no permanent settler could be found to come and stay.
During the period from 1956 to 1961 when Elizabeth was the only resident pioneer, her letters and reports to the United
States Mrica Committeeunfold a moving account of the problems and situations which many pioneers must face. They are worthy of mention and reflection since we who view the pioneers at a distance may sometimes miss the significance and impact of the challenges they encounter. When the progress of the teaching work is slow and the area inhospitable, the pioneer must constantly struggle against discouragement and loneliness. Elizabeth fought this battle alone.
Elizabeth G. HopperThere was also the constant strain of cornmuni-cation in a language which she could not master. There were the subtle barriers with which cultural differences can impair understanding and confidence. Elizabeth grieved deeply over the "spiritual dropouts" she encountered when she had worked so hard to give a redeeming message.
She also had to deal with the conflict and confusion which can result from situations where actions and attitudes of the believers fail to uphold the moral standards and spiritual responsibilities of the Bahá'í Faith.
Only once, during this lonely period, did Elizabeth look back in anguish.
In a letter to a dear friend she wrote of her loneliness and despair and wondered whether another place might have yielded better results.
But in the same letter her strength of spirit was expressed for she corrected herself, writing,"..
and then I have to remember that Madeira is in the Divine Plan and the Guardian wanted an Assembly there."
In this period of tests two of her most wonderful Bahá'í experiences occurred.
She attended the Most Great Jubilee in London and also received permission to go on a pilgrimage to the Jloiy Land. How happy these two confirming experiences made her and how much she learned from seeing the devotion of the friends who serve at the World Center.
Page 313Elizabeth warmly welcomed and praised Mr. Joseph Kubik who came and helped with the Bahá'í community responsibilities. Then came a new Bahá'í family from the Canaries. There was great happiness and activity for several months, and then again Elizabeth was alone.
In 1963, at the age of eighty, Elizabeth, still alone and with her hearing growing steadily worse, was urged by friends to return to the United States. She bad the courage to reply, "No, dears, I do not want to come back regardless of how difficult things are becoming." Her greatest solace was reflection on the beloved Guardian's appreciation of steadfastness in the believers, and how reluctant he was to remove from his Crusade map the name of an area shown as settled. She knew that Madeira would always have a Baha identification if she remained and persevered in that difficult pioneer post.
Great happiness came tofelt near the end of her time. A Bahá'í came to be with her, Mrs. Isabel Horton, who stayed with her until her end, giving her the assurance she needed that her lifelong accumulation of Bahá'í literature and archives materials would be safely preserved. She passed away serene in the knowledge that she had been faithful to her pioneer trust, and that her weary body would rest in that island she had chosen. Elizabeth must have met that radiant "Messenger of Joy" confident of the promise of Bahá'u'lláh: "They that have forsaken their country for the purpose of teaching Our Cause � these shall the Faithful Spirit strengthen through its power.
By MyLife!No act, however great, ean compare with it, except such deeds as have been ordained by God, the All-Powerful, the Most Mighty. Such a service is, indeed, the prince of all goodly deeds, and the ornament of every goodly act."
Madeira is indeed illumined by the memory of this loyal pioneer. The Universal House of Justice in recognition of her self-sacrifice cabled the National Spiritual Assembly of the United
States on May 5, 1967:1932 � 1967 The young people listened attentively as Clifford Huxtable answered their question about how he had met his remarkable wife. "I first met Catherine at a dance at the University of Toronto. I had never seen such a beautiful girl.
I was halfway across the room to ask her to be my partner before I realized that she was seated in a wheelchair. Instead of my dancing partner, she became my wife."
Catherine iluxtable was born in England on January 6, 1932. Upon her family's return to Canada she entered Havergal College at the age of seven. Following an almost fatal attack of scarlet fever in her tenth year it was discovered that she suffered from muscular dystrophy of a rare type which indicated a rapid decline and a greatly shortened life span which would probably not reach twenty years. She was to be confined to a wheelchair for half her life. At sixteen her worsening condition made it impossible to continue formal schooling.
Despite her physical limitations and waning strength Catherine developed into a self-reliant young woman of diversified interests. She attracted to her a widening circle of friends who accompanied her to concerts, ballets, theatres, art galleries, lectures. She became a gifted writer and an accomplished artist in needlepoint. In 1951 she and Clifford Huxtable, by then one of her determined suitors, embraced the Bahá'í Faith; in 1955 they were married.
Catherine served on the Spiritual Assembly of Toronto with dedication and became an extremely effective and informed speaker. She had an unusual capacity for sharing the insights gathered from her intensive study of the Teachings. The intimate "fireside" meetings in her home with Catherine presiding as gracious hostess were a source of confirmation to many; cynicism, doubt and the qualified acceptance of the power of God receded in her presence, so marvellously did she exemplify the Message she presented.
A friend records: "The overpowering combination of Cathy's serenity and saintliness of spirit, her nobility and radiance of character, and the sheer beauty of her physical person � a beauty at one time curiously both regal and winsome � served to almost blind one to her
Page 314great humanness. Only after being with her did one reflect: she is a truly splendid human being, total and balanced and genuine. She lived to an unusual degree in a condition of consciousness of the presence of God, equally committed to the victory of the spirit and to the joy of a full human life. Perhaps this balance was the source of her power and tranquillity.
She seemed always to be simultaneously static and meditative, engaged in some higher communion, and soaring in an authoritative, graceful motion that the eye could hardly trace.
Wherever she went she was described as a saint, a heroine and a true Baha.
She was perhaps never more saintly than when withstanding our fusty, needless solicitousness, the limitations we sought to impose on her Baha service, our unconscious projection on her of both our hidden doubts about the assistance promised in the Cause and our desire to see fulfilled in her existence our own deepest spiritual aspirations; nor was she more heroic than when accosted by our need for vindication of the power of the Faith to raise a saint in our midst; nor more a true Bahá'í than when yielding to our efforts to come to her assistance xbith an empty cup, only to withdraw from her strengthened, renewed and with cup overflowing.
"One cannot imagine the countless subtle hurts and humiliations that arose from her physical condition nor measure the will she applied to overcoming them. Once I found her weeping in a brief and rare surrender to self-pity and rejection.
Her child had run to her for comfort and brushing the cold steel of her chair had turned away baffled and accepted solace from the housekeeper. Catherine asked for five minutes in which to pray and regain her composure, then invited me to introduce the friend I had brought to meet her. My companion, a cynical, pragmatic businessman emerged from his meeting with Catherine with an altered attitude, a confirming experience which led him into the Faith.
'What an incredible power that woman has!' he commented.
'She tells me that there is a God, and I believe her. Furthermore I suspect that Catherine Huxtable must be one of God's favourite teddybears!"' The sensitive observer noting Catherine's special love for the pioneers and her frequent letters to those serving in distant areas would have known that inevitably she would pioneer. The passing of the Guardian whom she loved wholeheartedly crystallized her intention; in response, the Huxtables pioneered to Regina, Saskatchewan, to assist in rebuilding the Spiritual Assembly in 1957. That task successfully accomplished, a more distant and less hospitable goal was selected still farther removed from their home base and offering fewer amenities and comforts.
The Jiuxtables founded the first Spiritual Assembly in the Gulf Islands, a virgin territory of the Ten Year Crusade. By this sacrificial service they joined the ranks of the
Knights of Bahá'u'lláh.In this remote outpost in the North Pacific Ocean, in 1962, as though in reward for this devoted service, Catherine bore a child, Gavin. Her happiness was complete.
When the call for pioneers in the Nine Year Plan was raised in 1965, again the hearts of Catherine and Clifford Huxtable were touched. They vohmteered to settle on the lonely volcanic island of St. Helena, final prison and restingplace of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Catherine confided to a friend on the eve of her departure for Africa: "I don't aspire to be a saint; I would rather be one of God's teddybears.
I am really no different from anyone else. It is just that I know I shall have less time than others; I cannot be like the unwary bird Bahá'u'lláh speaks of in The Hidden Words, Only by
Page 315centering myself in the Covenant of God can my life or death have any significance. If I have a private prayer, it's this: Let my life and death count in the Faith!"
On October 25, 1967, just nineteen months after arriving at St. Helena, Catherine passed away. "The end came suddenly after only one day of discomfort," Clifford wrote. "Her last words were an earnest but not anguished prayer, 'I want to die."' The frail vessel which contained her triumphant spirit rests in the bosom of a soft green hill high in the centre of St. Helena looking out to the South Atlantic. From the uncertain and circumscribed fabric of her brief life Catherine fashioned a cloak of immortality, hers to wear through all the worlds of God. As she draws closer to His Throne of Glory, assuredly she is dancing.
ROGER WanEof Bahá'u'lláh 1900 � 1964 Alyce Janssen answered the call of the beloved Guardian to pioneer during the Ten Year Crusade and as a result of settling in Spanish Morocco joined the ranks of the Knights of
Bahá'u'lláh.To capture a picture of Alyce one would visualize neatly bobbed graying brown hair, sparkling blue-gray eyes, a small stature and an enchanting smile.
Deeply spiritual in nature and vivacious and loving in personality, her warm appeal and genuine concern for the rights and equalities of all races attracted manyresponsive souls who became confirmed in the
Cause of Bahá'u'lláh.Although handicapped by age and poor health Alyce successfully pioneered in several foreign lands including Switzerland, Italy and the Canary Islands.
As part of an interracial party of five crusaders, she assisted in establishing the Faith in Ceuta, Spanish Morocco. The writer of this memoir, whose family together with Alyce and others composed that pioneer team, recalls with profound tenderness the feeling of oneness, the mutual sharing of resources both tangible and intangible, that marked every step of what might otherwise
Alyce Barbara May Janssenhave been a harrowing and distressing experience: the bedsprings without mattresses, the leaks in the ceilings, the unwanted lice, the bugs in the flour.
These physical inconveniences intensified our fervor and increased our dedication to the goal we had set out to accomplish. The courage, understanding,love and fortitude that characterized the spirit of our dearly-loved spiritual sister, Alyce, as we met each new hardship, was a splendid example and a source of great inspiration to us all.
Alyce ended her days on earth in Santa Rosa, California, on December 10, 1964, mourned by her family and a wide circle of friends whose lives she touched: the sad of heart for whom she performed countless deeds of kindness, the discouraged and disillusioned to whom she offered words of comfort, the little bands of Arab and Spanish children who clustered around to hear her beautiful stories related in her special brand of broken Spanish, and those to whom she so generously gave of her material goods. Our sadness at our loss is sweetened by the certain knowledge that Alyce has won an everlasting crown.
LUELLA MCKAY1885(?)'1966 Dr. Malcolm King made his declaration of faith as a Bahá'í in March 1931 and such was his capacity that he was elected as a member of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 20, 1931. He served with distinction on the Milwaukee Spiritual Assembly for nine years during which time he stressed that the Bahá'ís must ever be on the alert, seeking, planning, consulting and praying that they might be illumined with the glorious and effulgent light of the Hoiy Spirit and that Bahá'u'lláh would guide and direct them so that they could blaze a new path and unfold new vistas of social, spiritual orientation for the American Bahá'í con~imunities and hasten the realization of the Kingdom of the Most Great Peace. Dr. King left Milwaukee to pioneer in the First Seven Year Plan set forth by the beloved Guardian (1937 � 19~).
He remained a pioneer for the rest of his life, serving also in the Second Seven Year Plan, the World Crusade and even in the Nine Year Plan.
This stalwart pioneer concentrated his efforts on the Caribbean area. He taught the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh in Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Antigua,
British Guiana and Jamaica.The Guardian appointed him a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh in October 1953 when he set out for British Guiana at the beginning of the World Crusade.
In Nicaragua Dr. Kingworked diligently toward the establishment of a Spiritual Assembly.
Much time and effort were necessary in order to obtain official approval for holding public meetings and publicizing the Cause in that country. A statement of the aims and principles of the Faith was placed in the government records.
This delicate situation was handled with tact and patience by him. Weekly study classes were organized which interested and attracted all classes of people. Regular weekly broadcasts were given over a radio station that was heard throughout Central
America.Later Dr. King settled in Haiti to teach for an indefinite period of time. He held meetings three times a week and worked to enable the Spiritual Assembly to become strong, virile and functioning.
He worked diligently to have theFaith registered in that country. While in Haiti Dr. King traveled to Santiago, Dominican Republic, to start a regional project there. He then went to Kingston, Jamaica, to help work out an extension project before returning to
Haiti.frequently felt the frustration of a foreigner in a strange country who does not speak the native language.
He feared that it would affect his teaching for he firmly believed that a professional interpreter lacked the motive to impart the spirit of the Faith in his translations.
Yet Dr. King's sincerity and great faith must have reached his listeners because he left behind him in each of his pioneering posts many believers and many assemblies which remained strong, active and pulsating with life.
Dr. King was distinguished for his knowledge of the Sacred Writings, many of which he could quote verbatim. He was an outstanding Bible scholar and so could relate his teaching work to the background of his listeners. He firmly believed in expansion and consolidation taking place simultaneously.
He followed all his lectures by a series of classes which were well attended.
He was an advocate of a directtype of teaching for he stressed the importance and significance of this age, that Bahá'u'lláh is a Manifestation of God, that this is the Day of God and that Bahá'u'lláh has come to establish the Kingdom of God, and the Most Great Peace.
In 1961 Jamaica became his last pioneering post. He was inspired, despite his advancing years, by the spiritual and dynamic power of the
Teachings of Bahá'u'lláhto the end of his life. Knight of Bahá'u'lláh Malcolm King, having served Bahá'u'lláh for more than thirty years, twenty of them as a pioneer in foreign lands, passed to the AbbA Kingdom in Jamaica at approximately eighty-one years of age on October 19, 1966.
RICHARD H. NOLEN1914 � 1964 Richard H. Nolen was born in Almont, Michigan, March 14, 1914. At the age of five he contracted rheumatic fever which left him with a defective heart and curtailed his physical activity all his life. Compelled to seek quiet pursuits he developed a deep love of good music and a burning thirst for spiritual truth. As a young man he composed and arranged orchestral music and played in local orchestras. He investigated religion. In 1948, through an advertisement in the area newspaper, he learned of the Baha Faith and met
Kenneth and Roberta Christianin Lansing, Michigan. His search was ended. He immediately accepted the Bahá'í Cause and it became the dominating passion of his life. He participated in local, state and national activities and was a tireless, humble and successful teacher.
Responding to the call of the beloved Guardian for pioneers to arise in the Ten Year Crusade, Mr. Nolen and his family immediately volunteered to go to a virgin territory.
It was suggested by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States that he go to the Mores Islands where the climate is mild. He resigned his job as a draftsman, disposed of his home and household furnishings, and with his wife and three children boarded a freighter which brought them to the Azores on October 8, 1953. For this sacrificial action, Mr. and Mrs. 317
Richard H. NolenNolen were designated Knights of Bahá'u'lláh by Shoghi
Effendi.After a period of physical hardship, and handicapped in his search for employment because of lack of knowledge of the Portuguese language, Mr. Nolen found work with a building contractor at a United States air base and later he was employed by the United States Government as a draftsman at Lajes Air Force base on Terceira Island. Life became considerably easier. Mr. Nolen applied himself diligently to a study of the Portuguese language in order to equip himself to teach the Faith. He traveled to all nine islands in the group, teaching, presenting literature and raising the cry "YA Bah&u'1-Abh&' and in addition he also made several trips to meet the Bahá'ís of Portugal and Germany.
At RiQvAn 1958, the first Spiritual Assembly was formed on Terceira Island but it was not until December of that year that the first two native believers embraced the Faith. This was a time of great rejoicing and the Faith continued to grow slowly but steadily. By 1961 the local religious authorities grew concerned. The International
Police summoned Mr. Nolenand advised him that he must discontinue teaching the Faith or leave the islands.
Despite thesethis point of no return where the outworn vessel rests.
obstacles the Spiritual Assembly continued to meet and study classes were held in Bahá'í homes.
A functioning body of believers was left in the Azores when Mr. Nolen's failing health led to his reluctant decision, in 1962, to return to the United States.
Two more children had been born to the Nolens in the Azores, and although the eldest daughter had matured and returned to America earlier, there was still a family of six who settled in Tacoma,
Washington, in August1962 and enjoyed the sorely-missed activities of Bahá'í schools, institutes and conventions.
Mr. Nolen now enjoyed the bounty of unfettered teaching of the Faith he loved.
After a prolonged illness which confined him to hospital, Richard Nolen was called to join the Concourse on high on May 5, 1964.
In tribute to Richard Nolen, the following poem was written by Preble
(Hazel) Mon:Ring of faith is on his finger, and nine fragrant heart's red roses at his feet; enwrapped in purest white silken lining, the memoried chalice that housed this Knight.
Ennobled is this glen where rain-washed sun sifts through trees lifting their welcoming leaves to the muted harmonies of two worlds mingled here and now under these boughs.
I yield Thee thanks that Thou hast allowed Thy servant to find greater realms of Thine, and claimed in Thine own Name
'ALl AKEAR RAFFI RAFSANJANI1882 � 1965 Mr. RafPi was born in 1882 in KirmAn, a small town in the southeastern province of IrAn. He embraced the
Faith of Bahá'u'lláhthirty and became one of its courageous, kind and generous servants. He was always re4dy to assist anyone in need and was constant in his support of Baha funds. When difficulties arose for the Bahá'ís in the backward and fanatical community of RafsanjAn, as they often did, he was a staunch, fearless and effective defender of the Cause.
After years of continuous and devoted service, he received permission in 1952 to make his pilgrimage with his family. The following
Page 319including that held in New Delhi from where, in response to the call for pioneers to open unsettled territories, he went immediately to Tangier, Morocco, a goal of the
Ten Year Crusade. Forthis action his name was recorded as one of the Knights of Bahá'u'lláh. He arrived at his goal in October 1953 and established himself in the International Zone. When problems were encountered in obtaining residence permits, he promptly secured the services of two lawyers and after two months of persistent effort he succeeded in dissipating all misunderstandings on the part of the officials regarding the intentions of the Baha'is, following which the necessary visas were granted for himself and other pioneers.
He participated in the formation of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Tangier. Later he moved successively to Rabat to complete the Assembly, and to Larache to open that goal area and assist in the formation of its Assembly. He remained there in spite of his delicate health and the inclement climate and was widely known for his hospitality, outstanding kindness and his simple and cordial manners.
When persecution of the Bahá'ís broke out in Na~1or he was advised to settle in a larger city.
He moved first to Rabat and then to Meknes. His ardent desire to be of service led him to establish residence not in the city but in the suburbs of Meknes in order to attempt to establish a new centre. He died there on June27, 1965, leaving behind children and grandchildren who continue to follow his example of consecrated service.
It is impossible to correctly appraise the contribution of an individual to the success of a collective endeavour. Nevertheless, all who had the privilege of knowing Mr. Rafi'i are unanimous in their belief that his exemplary spiritual and material contributions had great impact in the achievements of Bahá'í communities in North West Mrica.
FRANCISCO PIMIENTA ARPUSHANAare a seminomadic tribe composed of large castes or clans. Theirs is a relatively lawless life as they have no central authority nor do they turn to the government in settling problems arising from relationships among themselves.
Francisco was considered the chief of the Arpushana clan and wielded considerable authority and influence among his people. He embraced the
Bahá'í Faith in April1964 and was distinguished from the cultural pattern of the area by his constant efforts to create peaceful relationships among the various castes, attempting to persuade them to seek unity in the Teachings of Dah&u'llah and abandon ancient feuds and blood revenge.
Through his teaching efforts and the example of his life, many Guajiros embraced the Faith. He accompanied the Bahá'í pioneers on teaching trips and translated into the Guajiro language a number of Bahá'í prayers.
For a long time the clan headed by Francisco had been engaged in a feud with another caste and a number of deaths had occurred on both sides.
The unresolved quarrel continued to rankle and outbreaks of hostility threatened to lead to more deaths. Francisco sought to bring about a permanent peace by arranging to meet with the chief of the other clan. Hopeful of reaching a peaceful agreement, Francisco accompanied by his seven-year-old son and an older male relative set out for the meeting by bus on April 15, 1966. En route to their destination the vehicle was ambushed.
Francisco was killed by members of the enemy clan and his companion was injured. The child escaped unharmed. Although urged by his relative to use his pistol in self-defense and not to "die like a woman", Francisco refused to resort to violence.
One report indicated that eighteen bullets riddled his body.
Gathering with members of his family at his burial site, the Bahá'í pioneers were addressed by an uncle of Francisco who later accepted the Faith: "Yes, of course, you have a complete right to be here.
Francisco was one of you, a Baha'i."One day his son who witnessed the senseless slaying will perhaps understand how well his father lived and how gallantly he died.
Page 320left Sydney for Victoria late in 1922, Effie Baker had become disenchanted with the church. She and Miss Ruby Beaver were on the welcoming committee and were charged with the responsibility of arranging for speakers for the New Thought organization when
Hyde Dunn visited Melbourne.One evening Effie noticed a benign looking whitehaired gentleman in the audience and made a note of intention to request him to come as a speaker for their group. The next meeting Effie was late in arriving and saw that the notice board in the vestibule stated that Mr. Hyde Dunn would be speaking on the Bahá'í Faith. And so it was that Effie first heard of the Faith and accepted it that night. Miss Baker thus became the first woman believer in Australia. The first man to accept the Faith, Mr. 0. Whitaker, had accepted earlier in the year in Lismore,
New South Wales.Effie's first activities were in accompanying the Dunns on their subsequent visits to other States; she also attended Martha Root on Martha's first lecture tour which took her to New Zealand where she met Mrs. and Miss F. Blundell and Mrs. Margaret
Stevenson, New Zealand'swere planning a trip to the Holy Land and Martha suggested that Effie join the party. Effie then sold her home and left with the first pilgrims from the Antipodes. The party was made up of Effic, Miss M. Stevenson, Mrs. Blundell, Ethel and Hugh Blundell, though Hugh had not then accepted the Faith. They left Melbourne on Tuesday, February 10, 1925.
The party arrived in Haifa on March 13 where they were met at the train by Fujita who took them to the Western Pilgrim House where they were welcomed by Mrs. Corinne True. Shoghi Effendi asked them to see him before lunch.
Effie described this as a wonderful interview.The party visited the Shrines the next day and then met with the Greatest
Hoiy Leaf, whom Effieeulogized. The group spent nineteen days in the Holy Land and then proceeded to London for three months. Effie accompanied the others on the Guardian's instructions to visit the friends there and then return to Australia and work with the Dunns.
The ladiesHaving spent three busy months in England Effie returned to Haifa in June and found that Mirza JinAb-i-EAJiI, returning with his family to Persia from a lecture tour in America, had fallen ill while visiting Haifa, as had Fujita also, so Effie looked after them and the ladies of the household asked Effle to remain until Shoghi Effendi returned to the Holy Land.
When the Guardian came back to Haifa and took her to Babji, Effie offered her services to him in
Haifa, but Shoghi Effendisaid she was to return to Australia. The next day the Guardian told Effie he had reconsidered her offer to remain in Haifa, and thus began Effie's eleven years of service at the World
Centre.Besides carrying out the myriad tasks of hostess at the World Centre, Effie, being a photographer and an extremely artistic and talented craftswoman, was able to assist the Guardian by photographing events and places in Haifa. About 1930, when the need became apparent for the securing of photographs of historical places in Persia, it was decided by the
Page 321Guardian that Effie should travel there and take them.
To travel from Haifa to Persia by automobile across Syria and 'Iraq, in territory where bandits were common, was Effie's introduction to an arduous but interesting and fruitful episode in her period of direct service to the Guardian. In all but a few places where it was too dangerous for a westerner to go, Effie photographed sites of
Bahá'í interest. Mostof the trip was accomplished by automobile supplied by the Persian believers, but at times it was necessary to travel on horseback, or sometimes by donkey or mule. On one of these occasions while on a mountain track, steep and dark, she fell and injured her collarbone, but continued the journey.
A selection of the photographs taken by Effie during this period have been immortalized by their being selected by the Guardian for inclusion in The Dawn-Breakers.
In 1937 Effie returned to Australia. For a time she stayed in Sydney and then spent several years in her parent's home in Golds-borough, Victoria. The last years of her life were spent at the national tla4ratu'1-Quds where she lived at the invitation of the National Spiritual Assembly, from time to time visiting the friends in other States.
Effie's loyalty to the Guardian was absolute. Her dignity, humour and quiet unassuming manner made her a treasured companion of the friends. She had kept a day-by-day account of her Persian journey, but her modesty and humility were such that it was with some difficulty that she was finally persuaded to send a copy of her journal to the
Universal House of Justice.Effie lived a true and exemplary Bahá'í life, helpful, loving and affectionate and ever encouraging those who sought to arise to serve the Cause she loved so well.
In a letter addressed to Miss Baker on August 27, 1951, the secretary of the Guardian wrote:
"Often Shoghi Effendiremarks that if you were in Haifa, you would take some wonderful photos.
He considers that no one has ever captured the beauty of the place as you did, and your photographs adorn his own rooms, and the archives and the Mansion, just as they did when you were with us!"
A postscript to this letter, in the handwriting of Shoghi EfTendi, states: "Assuring you of my deep appreciation of your unforgettable services at the World Centre of our beloved Faith, and of my prayers for the success of every effort you exert for its promotion."
Death came to Effie gently, on January II, 1968. She was laid to rest in Mona Vale Cemetery beneath weeping skies, mourned by a wide circle of friends.
JAMES HEGGIE1889 � 1963 Frank Albert Baker was barn on November 21, 1889, in Zanesville, Ohio.
German was still the family language, and he spoke no English until he started school. When he was a small boy
Frank Albert BakerFrank would sometimes stand at his window at night, thinking about the Bible prophecies concerning the time of the end.
He felt that he might well be living in that time, and that perhaps during his lifetime Christ would return. Years later, when he told his father about the Bahá'í Faith, his father replied that while he was too old to change he thought that this message was true, and he felt privileged to know of it while still in this world.
Page 322� When Frank was in his second year at Yale University he met Mary Stoltzenbach, and after a whirlwind romance they were married.
His family knew his bride and were delighted with his choice. He went to work in his father's bakery, where he stayed for seven years until Mary died of pneumonia. He then left Zanes-yule with his two children, Conrad and Sarah, and became manager of the National Biscuit Company bread bakeries.
In the autumn of 1920 he met Dorothy Beecher, a young grammar school teacher, in Montclair, New Jersey, at the boarding house where she lived and he and his children usually ate dinner. They were married the following June and their first child, Winifred Louise, was born in May, 1922. Soon after her birth they moved to Buffalo, New York, where their second child, William King, was born. It was in Buffalo that they became actively involved in Bahá'í teaching. When Dorothy first told Frank about the Faith, before their marriage, he was very receptive and felt that it was probably true.
In those days new believers did not register, and he simply grew closer and closer to the Faith, gradually moving from his Lutheran past into active Bahá'í participation.
When his daughter Sarah was almost thirteen Dorothy took her to hear Dr. Ali-Kuli Khan speak on
The Seven Valleys. SarahThat same night she told Dorothy, "Muzz, whatever happens, I want you to know that I am a Baha." It was only a few weeks later that she died of leukemia.
Two years after Sarah's death Frank established his own wholesale bakery in Lima, Ohio. At Dorothy's request they bought a centrally located house, with a large, frosted, old-English "B" on the glass front door which eventually came to stand for "Baha'i" when the house became the local Bahá'í centre, which it still is today.
During their second year in Lima Frank was approached by a group of people who were studying comparative religion. They said, "Frank, you and your wife have something that we don't have. What is it?" He told them that they had indeed, but that he could not explain it as well as Dorothy could. They arranged an evening when she would tell them about the Bahá'í Faith. The fourteen members of the group all came on a Tuesday, and those weekly gatherings were continued throughout that season.
It was Dorothy's first sustained, independent teaching, and she spent twenty to forty hours every week preparing the one hour class. The following April all fourteen members of the group accepted the Faith, and the first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in Lima. When the community began to grow, a number of ministers attacked the Faith from their pulpits. Frank's business was badly hurt, to the point that he was not at all sure that it would survive. The local Baha activity, which was largely centered in his home, increased dramatically in response to the attack. It was primarily though his efforts that the community got free time on the new local radio station. With a public forum available, the attacks quickly subsided.
From that time until he left Lima to pioneer inIndies, sometwenty-five years later, Frank served uninterruptedly as treasurer of the Lima Spiritual Assembly and was frequently a delegate to the National Convention. He contributed constantly, both directly and indirectly, to the life of the local, national and finally the international Bahá'í community, 'primarily in nonverbal ways. When his son Bill was eight or nine years old he told him, "You know, your mother may well go down in history as a prominent BahA'L"1 He had a constant and profound appreciation of her work, and gave her unflagging moral support and encouragement as well as full financial backing. It was not only to Dorothy that he extended such support. Many pioneers could not have gone out without his help. He also took Bahá'u'lláh's teachings on the importance of education very much to heart and helped several young people to go on to higher education.
All four of Frank's children became Baha'is, and two of them have been pioneers.
Conrad, Frank's oldest son, died in 1948, but Conrad's son, Dwight, has continued to give dedicated service to the
Faith.In 1954 Frank and Dorothy, with Dorothy's mother, "Aunty Lou" fleecier, planned to pioneer in
Grenada. By then Frankhad sold his bakery and retired. He and Aunty Lou were en route to meet Dorothy in Trinidad when the tragic news came of her death, when the air-'Dorothy thy B. Baker was appointed a Hand of' the Cause by Shoghi Effendi on24 December 1951. See The Bahá'í World, vol. XII, p. 670.
Page 323plane in which she was returning to the United States from a teaching tour in India exploded and crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea. They returned briefly to Lima, and from there went to Italy, with Frank's two surviving children, Bill and Louise, for her funeral at sea near the island of Elba. At the Guardian's invitation he and Aunty Lou went on to Haifa.
This was Frank's oniy pilgrimage to the World Centre. The following year they proceeded with their plans and went to Grenada where Frank bought a home which he opened to the Faith and where he supported pioneers to help in establishing the Cause in towns and villages throughout the island.
Grenada and Lima continued to be his two bases until his death in June 1963 in Lima, shortly after his return from Grenada.
Frank was so generous, gregarious, relaxed and sympathetic that he fitted into almost any group and was at ease, and put others at ease, in almost any situation. He was totally faithful to his friends and wholly constant in his affections. Even though he knew deep suffering during his lifetime, he remained outgoing and responsive to the needs of others.
He was grateful for the faith that sustained him and no matter what sorrow visited him he turned always to plans for the future. He taught by the example of his life more than by his words, and while his acts of kindness were performed without fanfare, and indeed often almost secretly, he is known, loved and remembered for the fruits of his deeds.
Following his passing on June 10, 1963, the Hands of the Cause of God in the Holy Land cabled:
GRIEVED NEWS PASSING DEVOTED1892 � 1966 So often when one looks back over a human life, one is astounded by the small coincidences which appear to have influenced that life. A
Stanley William Boltonchance remark, a teacher, or someone met over a meal are seen, later, as special threads in the fabric of human experience, giving colour and beauty to the finished design.
And when those special incidents are added by the touch of the Master's hand they are especially significant. I see such coincidences in the life of the late Staxiley William Bolton, whose deep love for Bahá'u'lláh is still felt by those who knew him best.
Late last century, in Canada, a young man, Hansford
Bolton, married MaryF. Linton who, on March 24, 1892, brought forth a son whom she named Stanley William. At the time the parents were living on the Second Line North Adelaide Township and young Stanley was sent to the Crathie School, on No. 81 highway. Here he came under the instruction of Mr. Eli Oliver. Did this Eli, I wonder, like Eli of the Book of Samuel, arouse in the young boy a listening ear to the call of God?
When he was thirteen years of age, Stanley Bolton left the influence of Eli Oliver and went with his parents to live at Strathroy, Ontario. While there he attended Stratliroy Collegiate on High and Princess Streets and displayed an aptitude for mathematics.
Page 324At the outbreak of World War I, Stanley joined the Canadian Armed Forces and served in France where he was wounded. On returning to civilian life, he joined the Fuller Brush Company and about three years later was transferred to Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Here in the spring of 1922 lie met and fell in love with Mariette Germaine Roy, an attractive girl from Quebec. Twelve months later they were married and, shortly afterwards, Stanley's company asked him to go to Australia as their representative.
They sailed on the old Makura, berthing in Sydney on September 24, 1924.
Stanley at once set about establishing the Fuller Brush Company in his adopted country. During the next ten years he saw much of Australia, visiting each of the various
States.Not long after their arrival in Sydney they were befriended by Dr. Coxon and his wife. This again seems to be the touch of the Master's hand, for one day the Coxons invited them to lunch. As Stanley and his wife walked up the path to the house, they saw their host on the balcony. With him was a striking looking whitehaired gentleman. Drawing closer they noticed the visitor wpre a lumberjack shirt having banded cuffs buttoned at the wrist. Mound his waist he wore a cummerbund and at his neck a bow tie. The two men left the balcony and walked down the path towards them.
They met on the path, Stanley and his wife making their first acquaintance with John Henry Hyde Dunn, the Baha pioneer to Australia.
Over luncheon, Mr. Dunn told them of the Bahá'í Faith, a world religion.
He spoke of a universal language; he quoted Bahá'u'lláh's Words.
A deep spiritual curiosity was aroused in Stanley Bolton and his wife.
They became eager to know more of this amazing new revelation from God.
In the ensuing years, Stanley ]3olton en-deavoured to consolidate his business, while at the same time deepening his understanding of the claims of Bahá'u'lláh.
Finally he answered the Voice of God by declaring himself a Baha. In this his wife was one with him and they both devoted themselves to espousing the new Cause.
About the early 1930's the depression forced the closing of the Fuller
Brush Company in Australiaand Mr. and Mrs. Bolton returned to America where they both entered the
Palmer School of Chiropractic.After qualification, they returned to Australia in 1934 and commenced a joint practice. By now they had four children,
Marie Antoinette, MarietteAs a family they lived for the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh and, naturally enough, their material circumstances were so blessed they were able to do more and more for the Faith.
It was during 1936 that a third thread was woven into thepattern of Stanley's life, athread that was to make a dream come true.
Set amidst wild gums of the Australian bushland, seventy miles from Sydney, they built the home that was to become Australia's first Summer School. Mr. and Mrs. Dunn (who had become known affectionately to the Australian Baha as Father and Mother Dunn) laid the foundation stone for them. Here, at first, they spent leisure days, but in 1942 Stanley and his wife made the property their permanent residence.
Working more devotedly for the Faith, the Bolton property became more frequently used by other Bahá'ís for meetings of various kinds until 1952, when they handed over the property to the National Spiritual
Assembly of Australia.Thus was established the first official cultural centre for Summer and Winter Schools on this continent.
From the day of his meeting with Hyde Dunn, Stanley William )3olton endeavoured to serve the Cause of
Bahá'u'lláh. WhetherCommittee or as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, he was forthright and definite in both thought and deed. Of the twenty years, 1937 � 1958, he served on the National Spiritual Assembly for seventeen, frequently as chairman.
A source of encouragement and inspiration were the words of Shoghi Effendi addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Bolton in a letter dated July 30, 1941: ..... When I recall your magnificent services, and especially when I remember the spirit which animates you in your task, I feel grateful to Bahá'u'lláh for having raised you up in that faraway continent, and inspired you to promote and establish His Faith.
He will surely watch over you both and bless the splendid work you are achieving.
The year 1953 brought to Stanley and hiswife the joyous privilege of representing Australia and New Zealand at the dedication of the Wilmette Temple and the bounty of going on pilgrimage to Haifa. From their pilgrimage, they brought back to Australia gifts from the Guardian of the Faith � a cream fez of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and a sketch of the Shine of the Rib. Abdu'l-Bahá R~Thiyyih KhAnum, too, entrusted to their care a picture of 'Abdu'l-Bahá as a young man, and peacock feathers and a Persian silk cloth.
Their Yerrinbool home was enriched by visits from many early pioneers, among whom were Keith Ransom-Keller (appointed a Hand of the
Cause in 1933), Marthaof the Cause in 1939), and Siegfried Schopflocher (appointed a Hand of the Cause in 1952). It was Mr. Schopilocher who suggested "Bolton Place" as the name for the property.
Although with the passing years Stanley's physical activity had to be somewhat curtailed, his dedication to the Cause remained the passion of his life.
Anyone who has been in the Faith for some years cannot visit the Ijaziratu'1-Quds without feeling the spirit, the vitality and the warmth of Stanley's presence.
I recall him as a man immaculate in dress, dynamic in manner, having a keen sense of humour and warmly spontaneous in friendship. Above all, a dedicated follower of
Bahá'u'lláh.The measure of his service to the Faith can be judged from the cable sent by the Universal House of Justice at the time of his passing:
DEEPLY GRIEVED LEARN PASSING1879 � 1963 IbrAhim Chalabi was born in SulaymAniyyih, '1r6q, in the year 1879. His parents died when he was a small child. He went to Turkey in 1900
Ibrd him Chalabiand studied in the old schools in Kalis. In the year 1910 he took up residence in Aqsar&i, Konya. In this period he was guided to the Bahá'í Faith by his brother who had come from Cairo to visit him.
Mr. Chalabi was initially engaged in corn-merical enterprises and then for thirtyfive years served the Muslim community as a preacher and mu'adhdhin.
About 1951 when organized Baha activities commenced in that part of the world, Mr. Chalabi resigned from the abovementioned spiritual position, was officially registered as a Bahá'í and arose to serve as a teacher and administrator of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
Mr. Chalabi engaged inactive teaching work in Saratli, Baymis and AqsarAi, and a great number of the Baha in these centers are among his spiritual children.
In 1955 he pioneered to Erzurum and enrolled a family of eight members who are now under the shadow of the Faith. He pioneered to Adrianople in 1957 and there served as a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly and as custodian of the House of Bahá'u'lláh.
In addition, he served as a traveling teacher, visiting other Baha'i
Page 326centers where all the friends benefited from his presence.
In 1963, at the age of nearly eighty-four, Mr. Chalabi passed to the AbM Kingdom, mourned by a wide circle of friends and admirers, and leaving three children who have espoused the Faith which won their father's wholehearted allegiance and inspired his devoted service.
FRANCISCO CHIRIVITOFrancisco Chirivito was neither young nor in good health when he accepted the Bahá'í Faith in Calacala, Province of Bustillos, Bolivia, but he arose immediately to dedicate his remaining strength and health to its service, holding regular meetings in his home and traveling to attend Baha conferences.
He accompanied traveling teachers on their visits to the friends in the area and, although he was not literate, he was himself a splendid teacher.
With his assistance the membership of the Calacala community grew to eighty.
A friend records a description of the passing of Mr.
Chirivito in January1967: "After attending the National Convention Mr. Chirivito did not have enough for his trip.
He walked back to his village, a journey that took six days. He visited some huts on his way and talked about the Faith.
This is an example of his service. When returning home on foot from another Bahá'í meeting during the rainy season we came to a river which he could not cross. We remained with him on the shore and during the night he passed away. Thus his sacrificial service to the Cause continued to the very end."
ISIDRO C. JACHAKOLLO1886 � 1963 Dr. Genevieve Coy, for more than half a century, served the Baha Faith selflessly and unceasingly with distinction in a wide variety of roles, as pioneer, teacher, administrator and author.
To have known Genevieve Coy was to have found a confidant and friend, and to have had one's horizons expanded beyond the limitations of self. She was keenly interested in the spiritual capacity within the individual, the creative energy with which the Teachings tell us all men are endowed, and through her written articles and spoken discourses Dr. Coy en-deavoured to bring others to this awareness of their latent capacities.
Before she came into contact with the Bahá'í Faith in 1911, Dr. Coy composed a poem, "Let Me Know Life", published in the early
Bahá'í magazine, Starof the West (Vol. XXI, No. 4, July 1930, p. 101), of which the editors wrote: It was as if she had previously reached out subconsciously for truth and had arrived at an attitude of mind and spirit which made the truth of the Bahá'í Cause a complete fulfillment of her spiritual aspirations."
One felt that Genevieve Coy's Baha service was her grateful response to that fulfillment.
Of the many articles contributed by Dr. Coy to Bahá'í publications over the years, none is more precious than the account of her pilgrimage to the Holy Land, made between September 1 � 8, 1920, in company with Mabel and Sylvia Paine, and Cora Grey.
Genevieve recounted this visit in several issues of Star of the West (Vol. xii, Nos. 10 � 13, Sept. � Nov. 1921, pp. 163 � 214). From her touching word portrait of the Master is derived, too, a portrait of Genevieve
Coy:"It is very difficult to remember much of what He said. Indeed, it was almost difficult to listen! I wished only to look and look at the beauty of His face! For that was what impressed me first, the exquisite beauty of the Master. It was like the most beautiful pictures we have of Him, with life and color added. His is a face of living silver � the wonderful silver of hair and beard, and the blue of His eyes. The side face is majestic and sweet and loving. It was that which we saw most of the time. The full face is more dignified; to me it seemed more awe-inspiring. And yet, when He smiled, it was most exquisitely friendly, and human! But He looked very, very tired... and yet the weariness was not, I think, a weariness of spirit. I cannot tell why I felt that way, partly because lIe can reach, as no one else can, the infinite sources of spiritual strength.
"I had no desire to speak to the Master; there was nothing that I could say. I do not
Page 327know what happened in my mind and heart. There was no shock, no surprise, no sadness, no thought of my own faulty past.
But I came to understand that for one who has been long in His presence, there can be no desire except to serve Him; that one's life would be happy only as one pleased Him; that one would be sad oniy as one grieved Him.
I felt then that I had begun to learn � that the will to serve was becoming greater, as I had prayed that it might..
In 1921, after the passing of Miss Lillian Kappes who had served as director of the Tarbiyat School for girls in Tih~n, the Master asked whether someone from the American Bahá'í community could be sent to Persia to carry on her work. "The Annual Convention of last year (1921) with His confirmation chose Miss Genevieve L. Coy, a specialist in the education of gifted children and teacher of psychology in one of the great State Universities, who this spring took her Ph.D. at Columbia University, New York," states the account of this incident in Star of the West.
"During the year she has been studying Persian and preparing for her work of teaching English to the children in Tihr~n.
She sailed from New York for Egypt, May 10, 1922. She will stop in the Holy Land on her way to Persia." Under her able directorship the school continued to grow in reputation and stature and became the foremost institution of its kind in Persia. Dr. Coy's description of the Tarbiyat School appeared in an article entitled
"Educating the Womenof Persia", Star of the West, Vol. xvii, No. 1, April 1926, p.50.
Upon her return to theCoy made a highly effective contribution to the work of the Cause, serving for a number of years on the Spiritual Assembly of New York City. A friend describes this period: "I had the privilege of serving on the Spiritual Assembly at a time when Genevieve was chair-nun. I was deeply impressed by her sensitivity to others; how she drew out the timid Assembly member and, with loving kindness, subdued the too vocal member. She was boundless in her patience with others.
She was never quick in passing judgment but always considered the motives of the individual.
It is obvious that her educational background, her training as' a doctor of psychology, gave her a deep insight into areas of thought and behaviour with which the average believer was unfamiliar. Her compassionate and warm nature drew many to her for counselling.
"Not oniy was she a fine administrator, but an outstanding teacher as well. Her own thirst for knowledge was contagious and a like thirst rapidly developed in her students.
She made any topic so interesting that soon one became fascinated with the Writings on the subject. Early in the Ten Year Crusade I remenTher that Dr. Coy gathered a large number of believers at the New York Bahá'í Centre and had each one select for study one of the pioneer goals of the Plan. We were asked to go to the public library and return with all the information we could obtain about our particular subject. Genevieve made an adventure of learning. As a result of that research project, many of the participating believers pioneered to distant goals during the
Crusade."Mr. H. Borrah Kavelin has provided this tribute to Genevieve Coy: "I have the deepest admiration for Genevieve Coy with whom I was associated in service on the Spiritual
Assembly of New York Cityfrom 1941 onward. Bahá'u'lláh has written: '0 Son of Man! For everything there is
Page 328a sign. The sign of love is fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials.' Fortitude, patience, detachment and integrity are the qualities that best describe the life and service of this devoted, highly competent and faithful maidservant of
Bahá'u'lláh. Sufferingfor many years from aphysicaldisabilitywhich caused her to walk with what must have been a painful limp, Genevieve Coy was always the essence of radiance and serene acceptance of God's Will.
"As a distinguished educator in the field of psychology, she was able to relate herself closely to the Teachings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His example in dealing with the various problems that came before the Spiritual Assembly in the City of the Covenant, New York. She served on the Assembly for many years and was a tower of strength for all who sought her wise counsel.
By nature, she was modest and selfeffacing, but in relation to matters affecting the Faith she was a model of courage, conviction and assurance.
Although shy, she had a wry sense of humour and was always a pleasant and cheerful companion.
"Her entire life was an example of total dedication to the Faith. Assuredly, her passing was an unqualified passport to the Abh~ Kingdom where loving arms awaited her arrival."
A contemporary of Genevieve Coy records: "Those of us who had the privilege of serving with
Dr. Coy at Green AcreBali WI School of which she was senior administrator and chairman of the program committee, would perhaps single out this contribution as one of her great services to the Faith, if not her greatest. She transformed Green Acre from a vacation place, where people of different religious and philosophical persuasions met, to a school of education, Her experience as principal of the Dalton School in New York City, one of the first progressive schools in the United States, and her deep understanding of the Writings, contributed much to the success of Green Acre during the years she administered it. She was always considerate in her planning of the programs of Green Acre, taking into account the needs of those who were just approaching the Faith and of those confirmed and longstanding believers 'who had read everything'.
She found a way of including everyone in the classes and curriculum and, avoiding rigidity, allowed for creati vity and exploration.
But study one must if he or she were to remain at Green Acre. The school could well be a memorial to Genevieve Coy.
In 1957, Dr. Coy retired from the Dalton School and looked forward to the freedom retirement would bring, but after six months she had had all she wanted of retirement and at the Intercontinental Conference held in Chic-cago in May 1958, she was one of those who came forward to the platform and volunteered to pioneer to Alaska or Africa.
Her physician suggested the warmer climate. She left immediately for Salisbury, Rhodesia.
Her con-eluding years of service were to be performed on a third continent.
The National Spiritual Assemblyof the Bahá'ís of Rhodesia has written: "Genevieve Coy came to South Africa as a pioneer very late in her life but was of tremendous service to the Faith during the period she lived here. While in Salisbury she lived at the National Bahá'í Centre for a time, enabling many Bahá'í friends to benefit from her vast knowledge of and experience in the Faith. She wrote two correspondence courses which were and are in wide use, one on Baha History and one on character development entitled
'To Live the Life.'"Genevieve was a devoted and dedicated soul, serving Bahá'u'lláh under great physical stress in the last years of her life in Salisbury. She was sadly missed by all when she passed away on July 31, 1963. How fitting that she was laid to rest next to the first African woman to accept the message of J3ah&u'11&h in Rhodesia!"
Genevieve Coy's life was a rich and faithful exemplification of one of her favourite passages from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá: "How wonderful it will be when the teachers are faithful, attracted and assured, educated and refined Baha'is, well-grounded in the science of pedagogy and familiar with child psychology; thus they may train the children with the fragrances of God. In the scheme of human life the teacher and his system of teaching plays the most important role, carrying with it the heaviest responsibilities and most subtle influence."
(Star c/the West, vol. xvii', No. 1, p. 55)1910 � 1968 On January 4, 1968, at the age of fifty-eight, Mr. ~ubbi Daniel passed away following a short illness.
Mr. Daniel first received the Baha message in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1947. After embracing the Faith, Mr. Daniel rapidly distinguished
5ubki Danielhimself as a well-qualified teacher. His particular interest, because of his orthodox Muslim background, was in gathering proofs from the Holy Books of other faiths, and esp&ially IslAm, pertaining to his newly-espoused religion.
Tn 1957 he moved to Cairo and succeeded in enrolling four friends who, in turn, shared the message with their relatives at SuWtj, upper Egypt, in 1964.
When an outbreak of hostility directed against Baha occurred in 1965, Mr. Daniel was among the thirteen friends who were imprisoned and investigated. During his one-month internment he took an active part in establishing good relationships with prisoners of other faiths, winning their love and sympathy. An opportunity arose for Mr. Daniel to address a meeting held for the specific purpose of discussing the aims and purposes of the Faith with the Chief Officer, the Director and the Secretary of the prison whose interest was won by his lucid exposition.
On another occasion an invitation was extended to Mr. Daniel to address the weekly prisoners' meeting, usually addressed by a teacher of the Muslim faith. The real intention clearly was to render Mr. Daniel embarrassed before the attending prisoners when he would be subjected to provocative cross-examination by the Muslim teacher during the question period. In the discussion that followed Mr. Daniel's talk the Muslim teacher enquired about Bahá'í moral and social laws. In explain-tion, Mr. Daniel described the renewal from age to age of the eternal spiritual verities of religion, and the evolving social teachings established by the Manifestations in keeping with the exigencies of the time. The teacher, angered by the explanation and the suggestion that Bahá'u'lláh had established the standards of justice for this age and had abrogated the Islamic tradition of punishing thieves by severing their hands, arose to protest that Islamic law was unchangeable and represented the sole remedy for the ills of society.
His vitriolic defense of Muslim tradition aroused the bitter and vocal opposition of the prisoners to the old law and their recognition of the need to welcome the mitigation brought in the Teachings of DahA'u'I1&Ia.
In 1967 Mr. Daniel was again imprisoned, with twenty-six other Baha'is, from June 8 to November 13. During that time he was active in establishing friendly relations with other prisoners and wherever possible sharing with them the Bahá'í Teachings.
Mr. Rawshan Yazdi was among the interned Baha and was well known to most members of the Muslim Brotherhood Association for his humane services at Port Said, which provided the opportunity for the Faith to become a topic of discussion among the prisoners. With the approval of the detention camp commander and his officers, evening meetings, attended by twenty or more members of the Muslim Brotherhood and four or five Baha, were held for the purpose of discussing the Bahá'í Teachings.
Often the meetings, held over a three-month period, would last until daybreak. Mr. Daniel's capacity to offer irrefutable proofs ofBah&u'11Th's fulfillment of Islamic traditions and prophecies, drawn from his deep know
Page 330ledge of the Muslim religion, amazed all those who heard him. He made an unforgettable contribution to the firm establishment and ultimate victory of the Cause.
Such was the rich life and blessed ending of Subbi Daniel. His wife and children stood firm and succeeded in arranging his interment in the Bahá'í cemetery despite the strong opposition of his unsympathetic relatives.
May his soul abide in peace in the Kingdom of Abh~!
WILLIAM deFORGE 1899 � 1963 The following cablegram from the Universal House of Justice was received by Mrs. deForge and her son, William Maurice deForge:
GRIEVED LEARN PASSING BELOVEDHouse of Justice added the note that the passing of William deForge was an "inexpressible loss teaching work Western Hemisphere."
How befitting his life was Billy's departure from this earth! On May 3, 1963, the morrow of the Most Great Jubilee, he died suddenly of a heart attack while sharing the glad tidings of Bahá'u'lláh with strangers on a Paris-bound train.
I-laying left his own compartment to make friends in another, he was telling a French family about the Faith and with his arm around the shoulder of one of them had just made an appointment to meet them at the Paris Bahá'í Center.
"Don't grieve," they later told his wife, "your husband was the happiest of men."
The personality of William deForge was so vibrant, the warmth of his heart so all-embrac-ing, the area of his friendships so wide, that the news of his death was a shock that reverberated in many countries. He, whose life was completely dedicated to the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, had shared in the blissful Centenary celebration of "the accession of Him Who is the Lord of the Kingdom to the throne of everlasting glory"; he, whose dearest desire was the promotion of the divine institutions, had lived to witness the establishment of the supreme legislative body; he, who had contributed so much to the victories of the World Crusade, had just gone out from the center of the global thanksgiving for its triumphant conclusion; he, who so loved to be with people, had in the last few days of his life been among more than six thousand believers, spending the happiest hours with friends from all over the world; he who had proclaimed the principles of God's Hoiy Revelation far and wide spent his last breath talking of the oneness of mankind; he who had traveled to so many countries to teach the Cause of God, died while delivering the message to strangers in a foreign land.
In November of 1941 the Guardian had written to him,.., to promote the teaching work in the most effective manner, to consolidate the institutions of the Faith, to promote unity and cooperation among the believers, and to proclaim far and wide the regenerative principles and laws of this glorious Revelation."
How faithful was this steward to each one of these directives from the Sign of God!
William deForge was born in Jersey City on January 17, 1899, the son of a Canadian father whose parents had emigrated from France. Raised in that city, William married his childhood sweetheart, Catherine Marie de Garcia, and was a lifelong resident of the State of New Jersey.
For a period of eight years he organized and conducted the North Jersey
Symphony Orchestra. Oftenhe compared the part that each individual had to play in the Cause to the various instruments of a great orchestra. For thirtyfive years, until his death, his work was in real estate in New York City, and he was a member of the New York Real Estate Board and the National Association of Realtors.
Mrs. Laura C. Wilhelm introduced Billy to theFaithwhichhe acceptedinApril 1933 andto which he gave so many years of devoted, self-sacrificing service. In the words of his wife, "The Faith came first; it was his whole life." Elected almost immediately to the Teaneck Spiritual Assembly he was a member of that Assembly, and for some years its chairman, until the family moved to Hackensack where an Assembly was formed, due largely to Billy's untiring efforts.
In the first Seven Year Plan his great capacityWilliam deForge for teaching was placed at the disposal of both the National Teaching Committee and the Inter-America Committee. Under the auspices of the latter committee he made "an important voyage" in 19384939 to the virgin territories of the Dominican
Republic and PuertoRico. "His success in these two countries was phenomenal. His list of contacts was so numerous that the Inter-America Committee was obliged to place them in its Bahá'í Bulletin."
He succeeded in contactingRico who was thrilled with the message and the literature. The librarians of both San Juan and the Trujillo libraries stated that they would be happy to accept Bahá'í books and place the Baha magazine, World Order, on their reading tables.
The newspapers wrote of his peace-bringing message. Over the years the National Spiritual Assembly appointed Mr. deForge to the membership of various national committees.
In addition, because of his loyalty, his tact, his exceptional capacity for meeting people in all walks of life and the confidence he inspired, he was often entrusted with special missions.
He was the official observer for the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States at the United Nations sessions until he could no longer continue because of his tremendous responsibilities as a member of the Auxiliary Board and chairman of the Western Hemisphere
Teaching Committee.As chairman of the latter committee and its only continuous member for the entire decade of the World Crusade he guided its vast network of operations and, by his dynamic and enthusiastic leadership and his efficient attention to the innumerable details of its work, made a great contribution to the spread of the Faith in the West.
At RWv6n 1954 through his appointment by the Hands of the Cause for the Western Hemisphere to their Auxiliary Board, he took part in the inauguration of the historic mission of the Hands of the Cause. It is difficult to � estimate his great services as "deputy, assistant and adviser to the Hands".
He combined the utmost loyalty to the institutions of the Faith ~ and steadfast adherence to principle, with a gentle warm sympathy for each individual.
While seeing clearly and feeling deeply the needs, the gaps between existing conditions and what they should be, always his loving enthusiasm inspired the believers to greater dedication and service.
"Galvanize" was a word he often used, and when he visited the friends he effectively galvanized their efforts. He was a dynamic public speaker and an effective attractor in intimate meetings.
His missions for the Auxiliary Board took him throughout the United States, Canada and Alaska, and most of the Latin American Republics. Following the 1958 Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, he visited eight European countries.
Billy exemplified Bahahospitality and the warm, openhearted atmosphere of the de-Forge home drew large numbers of people to their happy and instructive fireside meetings. Many friends now hold tender memories of the joyful hours spent in that home.
But Billy was host not oniy in his own house but in whatever gathering he happened to be in, for Billy loved people and his love for man was universal. Once, when ifihing out a visa application, he wrote in the blank for race:
"HumanEverything he did combined his love for God and his love for man. The calls at his office were as likely to be fox the Faith as for his business, and every call was answered with the same
Page 332kindly interest. With the vision of the Cause always in his heart, he responded to the duty at hand.
His body now lies in the Bogneux Cemetery in France, the home of his ancestors.
He lived and died triumphantly for the Cause of God.
"Arise for the triumph of My Cause, that while yet on earth thou mayest obtain the victory."
KATHERINE MCLAUGHLIN1888 � 1963 'Abdu'1-QAdir Diri6z was born in 1888 in Birecik, a town on the shore of the Euphrates in southeastern Turkey, and died in 1963 at the age of seventy-five in Ankara. After completion of his primary education, Mr. Diri6z successfully taught himself Persian and Arabic literature.
At the age of twenty-six he came to know about the Bahá'í Faith through his uncle, the late Shibi
~hay~h Muslim. Assistedin his study by the friends in Gh6zi 'AntTh, he readily embraced the Cause.
Three times � first in Birecik, his home; then in Adana; and finally in Aksaray, a dependency of Konya � he was tried for being a Bahá'í and imprisoned.
He defended himself on all three occasions bravely and with absolute faith and assurance, and was the cause of awakening many people to the truth of the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh.
In 1957, at the request of the National Spiritual Assembly of Turkey, Mr. Diri6z took up residence in the national Ijazfratu'1-Quds in Istanbul and engaged in translating the Bahá'í Writings, teaching the friends, speaking at conferences and serving as a traveling teacher. Among the important translations made into oldTurkishby
Mr. Diri6z are Nabil'sHis original writings in old Turkish include A History of the Bahá'u'lláh in Birecik and Memories, The Promised One of all Nations, and Ithbdt-i Ul4hiyyat ('Proofs of the Existence of God").
At the age of thirty-threeThe three children of the marriage are all loyal supporters
'Abdu'l-Qddir Diribzof the Faith which their beloved father served with such distinction.
SALMAN DEQOMY1905 � 1965 Salm6n Dloomy was one of the wellknown believers of 'IrAq, a faithful, steadfast and devoted Bahá'í who served the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh until his last days. His entire Bahá'í life was full of various brilliant achievements. He was courageous in defending the Cause, active and extremely zealous, and he served the Faith in many fields. He was the treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly and a member of the Spiritual Assembly of BaghdAd until the end of his earthly life.
In his professional career Mr. Dloomy held an important position in one of the best known banks in Bag~d6d.
By virtue of his constant contact with various merchants and government officials he used to seek propitious occasions to speak about the Faith. He distinguished himself particularly by his generous support of every achievement undertaken for the promo-
Page 333tion of the Cause in 'Ir&q. His last gift to the Baglichid community was a portion of land to be used as a Ba1A'i cemetery. His financial advice and the temporary aid he would generously provide to the National Spiritual Assembly were greatly valued and facilitated the vital work of the Cause in that area.
Mr. Dloomy's Bahá'í marriage was openly conducted amid a large gathering of Bahá'ís and other friends and served as a means of publicly proclaiming the Faith in Bag~d~d. His zeal and devotion won him the love and appreciation of Shoghi Effendi who cabled him on the occasion of his marriage tendering congratulations, extolling his exemplary behaviour and pledging prayers for unprecedented blessings.
FRANCES ESTY1878 � 1963 Mrs. Frances Esty's name will long be remembered by the Baha world for two particular actions: arranging for the painting of the portrait of 'Abdu'l-Bahá by the distinguished Polish-American artist, Sigismond Ivanowski,1 and the establishment with the cooperation of her husband, Harold M. Esty, of the Esty Scholarship Fund in the American University at Beirut, Lebanon, for Bahá'í students.
Mrs. Esty first learned of the Bahá'í Faith from her mother, Mrs. John D. Larkin, who read much about it but never became a Baha'i. Two books that appear to have led Mrs. Esty to embrace the Faith were a compilation of excerpts from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, probably given her by an early believer, and one compiled by the Reverend James Storer, a Christian minister in Buffalo, New York, which included quotations from The Hidden Words,
Kitáb-i-Iqdn and TabletsIn 1912 when 'Abdu'1-Da.h~ visited Buffalo the Esty family was living in nearby Queens-town, Ontario, Canada, but Frances was unable to visit Him, a fact she deeply regretted during the remainder of her life.
In 1927, in memory of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and with the permission of Shoghi Effendi, Mrs. Esty established the scholarship fund already mentioned.
In 1930 Mrs. Esty attended the annual Bahá'í Convention in Wilmette, Illinois, in company with Mrs. Grace
Ober and Mrs. HarriettL. Bush and was a guest in the home of Mr. Louis Bourgeois, designer of the Bahá'í House of Worship.
That same year she compiled a collection of Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá which was published under the title, The Garden of the Heart. In that year she also arranged for the painting of the wellknown portrait of the Master by Sigismond Ivanowski.
The portrait was completed in 1931.2 Soon afterwards
Mrs. Esty visited Shoghiand there received permission from him to have the portrait sent to the Holy Land.
The following year Mr. and Mrs. Ivanowski personally carried the portrait to Haifa and delivered it to the
Guardian.While Mrs. Esty was in the Holy Land, Mr. Ivanowski was inspired to paint another portrait of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
This one was hung in an upstairs room of Mrs. Esty's home where it became a beautiful teaching medium and an inspiration to Baha who frequently visited 1 The EaAd'f World, vol. v, p. 76. ibid.,pp. 77 � 79.
Page 334the room to pray and meditate. This portrait was sent some years later to the National Bahá'í Archives in Wilmette, Illinois.
For many years Mrs. Esty served as a member r of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Buffalo. Many distinguished persons, Bahá'ís and nonBahA'is, were guests in her home in Buffalo and her summer home in Lakeview,
New York.Suffering from Parkinson's disease, Mrs. Esty was confined from the early 1950's to a wheelchair and later to her bed. On January 13, 1963 she entered the AbliA Kingdom. Her close Bahá'í friend, Mrs. Harriett Bush, who supplied d the facts for this article, wrote that Mrs. Esty was "a loving, sharing, friendly person, shy, but very firm and always courageous for her beloved Faith."
CHARLOTTE M. LINFOOT1 88O( ?) � 4 957 Mirza Asadu'llAh F6jil, one of the prominent teachers and scholars of the Faith, was born into a noble family in ThirftirflTh (B6bul), a city in MAzindar6~n,
IrAn.His studies began during his early childhood at his home under the tutelage of his father. When he was in his teens he participated in the discourses given by notable scholars in his city who were the followers of ~hay~h Abmad-i-AtisA'i.
F64ilbecamearecognizedscholarwhen he was only twenty years old, His assiduous study made him an authority in the current knowledge of his time, in Arabic literature, philosophy, astronomy, logic and
Islamic traditions. Whenhe was still under the care and tutelage of his teacher, a number of his fellow students chose him as their own teacher.
It was at this time that F~ji1 became acquainted with Bahá'ís who were his father's friends.
Moreover, he had the opportunity to meet some of the survivors of Fort Tabarsi. F64i1 traveled to TibrAn with some of his own students in order to improve his knowledge and meet some of the outstanding scholars who lived in that city. At the same time, he himself used to teach.
In Tihxdn he was able to contact some of the prominent Baha. He expressed the wish to study the revealed Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, The first of these which came to his hand was Bishdrdt
("The Glad Tidings").As a result of reading this and other Tablets and Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, he became an enthusiastic Bahá'í Thereafter he immersed himself in the ocean of the Writings and improved his knowledge of the Faith.
He immediately began to teach the Faith to his fellow students in TihrAn and gradually he became known in the circle of his friends as a Baha.
Except for a number of broadminded friends who continued their admiration and friendship, the rest, particularly the MullAs, ostracized him.
F~jiI in this period wrote a letter to 'Abdu'l-Bahá and expressed his acceptance of the Faith and beseeched the Master to advise him about his future services.
'Abdu'l-Bahá encouraged him to teach the Faith. From that moment he left everything and became one of the bestknown and most successful Bahá'í teachers.
Shortly after, the Master gave FAglil a mission.He was asked to travel to 'Iraq and meet MuIIA Mul2ammad Mzim, the head of the Shi'ah sect of IslAm. The purpose of his mission was to acquaint this important Muslim personage with the Faith and assure him that Bahá'ís do not participate in political activities and are
Page 335He was to assure the MuIIA that Bahá'ís are well-wishers of the world and do not wish to harm any person.
The reason 'Abdu'l-Bahá wanted FAQi1 to seek this interview was that at that time in Persia there had been violent confrontations between those who supported the concept of a parliamentary form of government and those who supported the monarchy.
In the ensuing confusion the Azalis, who were the active enemies of the Baha, joined hands with fanatical elements in the country and incited the heads of both factions against the Faith. To the monarchists the Rah&is were accused of being in favor of constitutional government and to the constitutional faction they were accused of being supporters of the monarchic regime. If the true position of the Bahá'ís were not made known to the prominent leaders, the Baha would be placed in very grave danger. Such a delicate and important mission was not carried out without considerable danger to the life of FThil and his companion,
Mirza 'Abdu'1 ~LusaynIn the first days of their arrival at Najaf which was the seat of the great MuIIA both these friends were arrested, chained, imprisoned and later sent back to Persia. The letters and writings of F64ilwere confiscated. However, he was able to discharge the task entrusted to him by the Master as a result of these events.
An elaborate and exhaustive interrogation was conducted in the presence of the representatives of the Persian government and others during which F~i4i1 had the opportunity to explain the purpose of his mission and defend the Baha position. The details of these interrogations were conveyed officially to Mu1J~ K6zirn and through the Persian representative reached the ears of other political figures in the country.
FAdil served the Cause until his last breath, both in Persia and beyond the borders of his native land.
During his fifty years of service to the Faith he had the privilege of meeting 'Abdu'l-Bahá three times: on his return from 'IrAq and before his visit to India; when he was sent by the Master to the United States; and upon returning from his teaching trip to America.
After the ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá the beloved Guardian asked F6411 and his family to come to the Holy Land and from there go to the United States to teach the Cause. The first visit of FAQi1 to the United States lasted more than one year. On the second journey he spent over two years in various parts of the United States and Canada. He won many individuals to the Faith in those countries and held lectures in synagogues, churches, universities and addressed various organizations such as the Theosophists and others.
A moving appreciation of F64i1's services abroad is found in a publication of the Bahá'ís of the United States, The Bahá'í Centenary (1844 � 1944), a booklet describing the development of the Cause in the West: "Undoubtedly the crowning event of the latter part of this entire period (1917 � 1920) was the arrival in this country of the distinguished Bahá'í teacher from Persia, a precious gift from 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the Baha teaching program in America for 'Abdu'l-Bahá had said He would send us 'a rjpenedsozd.'
He did fulfill this promise in the person of JinTh-i-FAJiI who He said had been 'growing for a long time,' that 'lie was wise, well informed and a thinker, a revered person, learned, sincere, humble andseveredfrom mortal things.'
"JinTh-i-Th4i1's arrival in this country produced the greatest happiness.
Literally volumes could be written about his brilliant services.
He travelled from the Atlantic to the Pacific, visiting every Baha Center en route and in each Center he spoke before crowded audiences in churches, colleges, organizations of every kind. Indeed he travelled a pathway of Light, the Light of the Kingdom, and there is no doubt that thousands and thousands heard the Bahá'í message proclaimed by him in a scholarly manner. He served sincerely and brilliantly, and, with wisdom, graciousness and eloquence.
He proved to be indeed 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í 'gift to America'. The story of his teaching tour when recorded in detail will form a unique chapter in the Baha history of this country..,
his work was so deeply appreciated that it greatly surpassed any adequate expression of gratitude."
Other teaching trips were undertaken by flQil. He spent about eleven months in India and briefer periods of time in various parts of Caucasia and Turkistan.
His last years were spent in the service of the Cause in Persia. He travelled to all the important places in that co~mtry and for some years served as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly as well as of the Spiritual
Assembly of TilirAn. Hiswere greatly valued by the beloved Guardian and all those who entered his presence benefited from his vast knowledge.
The Persian section of the early Bahá'í magazine Star of the West was edited by FAjil and the portions in Persian script were written in his own hand. In addition he wrote and compiled numerous books, some of which are encyclopedic works about the Faith. Perhaps his most significant work is a compilation of Bahá'í history in nine volumes called Zuhara'? Ijaq.
He is the author of many articles which have appeared in Baha periodicals.
In spite of his prominence and scholarship F64iI was kind and humble by nature and was loved by all who came in contact with him. On December 26, 1957, when he was going to a Bahá'í meeting he passed away of a heart attack and his seventy-seven years of service to the Cause of God were ended. A more detailed biography of F~ji1 is printed in the the seventh volume of Ma~vdbflz-i-Hiddyat.
MARIO EJORENTINIwas a born artist. He had the great gift of being able to reproduce in drawings and colors the beauty of nature, which he saw with the eyes of a master, He was born and grew up in Rome. There he frequented the Academy of Fine Arts from which he graduated with distinction at the beginning of the twentieth century. He was fascinated by the great archeological riches of his native city, and he specialized in depicting, in various media, characteristic scenes of "old Rome" and other places. Some of his paintings found their way to foreign art galleries.
In his youth he had traveled to England, France, Spain and the United States, absorbing the beauty of the works of the great masters in architecture, sculpture and painting. He also became very proficient in the languages of those countries to the point where he could lecture with great facility on the history of art in any of them. Although he was born into a Jewish family which in the Middle Ages had been raised to the rank of nobility, he himself was not a follower of any religion, including that of his forefathers, and considered himself an agnostic.
Mario FiorentiniThe year 1935 found him in Palestine where he had gone at the request of the Italian Consular authorities in Jerusalem to hold the first one-man Italian art show in that country. The success of his exhibit and the host of friends he won convinced him that he was justified in accepting a position of lecturer on art. He was also to teach English to beginners and to wouldbe teachers. When the Second World War started, he was arrested and interned in the prison of 'Aldd as an enemy alien, where he remained until by the intervention of some friends he was permitted to pursue his occupation without any further restriction. It was during this period that he visited Haifa and had the rare privilege and good fortune to become acquainted with the Baha Revelation, by visiting the Shrine of the BTh on Mt. Carmel.
After this visit, he wrote some years later: "On leaving the Gardens I felt deeply transformed; from that day I knew with certainty that I had finally acquired a Faith, the culmination of all my spiritual aspirations, which I would be willing to serve with all my capabilities."
It was not until 1948, however, that this opportunity came to him. On completion of the war he returned to Italy to care for his beloved
Page 337wife who had become afflicted with an incurable disease.
During the months of great sorrow and grief after her death, a painter who had been his schoolmate and who had already accepted the Bahá'í Faith, brought him to our home in Rome, at Via Liguria 38. His earlier desire to serve the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh became fulfilled. After a few weeks of instruction he was formally enrolled, with deep joy and conviction. At last he had found a Faith in which he could believe.
From that time until his last day on this earth he became an example of activity and dedication.
He was one of the first members of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Rome and its treasurer.
He assisted efficiently in the translation into Italian of the Sacred Writings, undertook teaching trips to various cities of the country and, in 1953, at the begin-fling of the Ten Year Crusade, he was elected to the
Italo-Swiss NationalSpiritual Assembly, the twelfth National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'í world, at its formation in Florence, becoming its treasurer for the
Italian area. In 1961he was elected to the first National Spiritual Assembly of the lBah&fs of Italy, and became its treasurer. In 1964 he was appointed an Auxiliary Board member to the Hands of the Cause in Europe, a position he was holding at the time of his passing on December 16, 1967, a few months before his eighty-first birthday.
His two pilgrimages to the World Center of the Faith, one during the beloved Guardian's life, strengthened his faith, particularly because Shoghi Effendi had been extremely loving and kind to him.
That love and kindness he brought with him wherever he went, and his passing grieved everyone who knew him.
He was generous in his services to the Cause, jovial and entertaining, a highly cultured gentleman whose rich knowledge gave him a great advantage in presenting the Faith.
Because of his profound understanding or art and archeology, he has friends and correspondents all over the world who feel his loss deeply.
We were in the Americas when the sad news of his passing reached us. We felt that the Faith had lost one of its most devoted and dynamic servants, that Italy had lost an illustrious artist and critic, and that we had lost a much loved friend, a companion in our work and a true brother in the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
UGO AND ANGELINE GIACHERY1872 � 1963 Kathryn Frankland was a pioneer and trail blazer.
She had the boldness, the faith, the indomitable spirit, the restless drive of a pioneer. Yet she was little in size, attractive in appearance, physically frail, and gentle in manner. She was kind andloving and easilywon people's confidence, always ready to help, to encourage, to inspire.
Early in life she found her goal and never deviated from it. She worked for it tirelessly, incessantly, and with great joy. And in her work she made many devoted friends all over the United States and in many parts of the world.
Kathryn Sherman FranWandwas born on January 20, 1872, in the little town of Richiand Center, Wisconsin.
Her mother was a Universalist and very broadminded; she felt that creeds should not obscure the underlying reality.
Her father's family were Presbyterians. They were very religious and great believers in prayer. But they were serious people, almost austere. Richiand Center was isolated and dull. Lifethere was too confining for alively, spirited girl like Kathryn.
She would often go to her little attic bedroom and pray for release.
When the opportunity came to visit her sister in Mitchell, South Dakota, she felt like a bird released from its cage. During her visit she met a young traveling salesman by the name of Alec Frankland.
Mter a brief courtship, they were married. The family was shocked. Her sister fainted when she heard the news. Her mother did not write to her for six months. Undaunted, Kathryn returned to Richiand Center to see her mother.
She knocked on the door and said: "Here is your new son-in-law."
The young couple moved to Chicago. For a while they lived near the fair grounds where the great
Columbian Expositionhad been held. In 1901 Alec Frankland became a newspaper man. In that same year something happened which was to affect Kathryn deeply and shape her wholelife.
Through aneiglibour she learned oftheflah6iiFaithandimmediatelyshe decided to inquire further.
Few English translations of the Bahá'í Writings were available and fragmentary copies were scarce and eagerly sought. Kathryn obtained a copy of Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet to the Christians. She took it to her room
Page 338and read: "0 Concourse of Christians. Ye make mention of Me, and know Me not. Ye call upon Me, and are heedless of My Revelation...
As she read she could not restrain her tears.Then and there she knew she believed. She was transformed. More than ever she wanted to learn. She attended the small gatherings where Persian teachers sent from the Holy Land explained d the beliefs, the principles and the history of the new Faith. The more she learned, the more convinced and enthusiastic she became.
. She held meetings in her home, and once when the teacher was absent she took charge.
To be one of the few to know of the Prophet of God for this age filled her with awe and happiness.
.Kathryn loved children but did not have any of her own. A deep yearning for a child was in her heart as she wrote to 'Abdu'I-]3ah~t to declare her faith. In 1902 the reply came in the first of many Tablets she was to receive from the
Master:It behooveth thee to turn thy whole being toward the Kingdom of God, to sever thyself from all save Him, to fill thyself with the love of God, to clothe thyself with the vesture of holiness and of freedom from worldly things, to adorn thyself with the robe of heavenly bestowals, to be a great sign amongst women � that the Supreme Concourse may breathe from thee a sweet fragrance that will reloice the hearts and refresh the souls.
Teach thou every soul thou findest ready to heed the call of God, for truly this is better for thee than the whole earth."
She had expected a different answer. At first she was stunned with disappointment.
Then gradually as the message reached her heart she recognized the mission that had been assigned to her. It was a divine summons to teach, to spread the "Glad Tidings". This became the goal of her life and long before the end a host of "spiritual children" called her
"Mother Frankland".She wrote again to 'Abdu'l-Bahá with a great longing that her husband become a believer.
She did not express this yearning, saying instead: "Master, do you know what is in my heart?"
From 'Abdu'l-Bahá came the now classic words: "Be confident in the bounty ofthyLord. Verily He will make thee a manifest example and an evident prooffor the attainment
Kathryn Franklandof His Kingdom in this glorious century... The Spirit knowetl'z the spirit, the Spirit addresseth the spirit, and the Spirit associateth with the spirit."
In one year Alec became a Baha'i. Now the Franklands served the Faith together.
Bahá'í teachers were needed in California. In 1903 Kathryn and Alec moved west and settled in Fruityale (now part of Oakland).
There they met Mrs. Helen S. Goodall and Mrs. Ella G. Cooper, prominent workers in the early days of the
Cause in California.There they met the Mattesons who soon became Baha'is.
There they met Kanichi Yamamoto, the first Japanese to join the Faith.
Kathryn became ill. It was at this time that a thirteen year old Japanese boy in knee pants came to the Franklands and asked to work for $1.50 a week. His name was Fujita, and they called him "the little squirrel".
He went to school, did the housework and washing.He was small, but his mistress was smaller and he would carry her down to the garden. While Mrs. Isabella D. Brittingham, a pioneer Bahá'í teacher, was a guest of the Franklands, Fujita declared that he was a Baha'i. This marked the beginning of a long life of service that later took him to Haifa.
Page 339moved to Los Angeles, then to Glendale. In 1909 they took their newly-adopted baby and went to live in Mexico City. There they received 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í first Tablet about teaching in Mexico.
They were living in their Tropico (Glendale) home when the Master visited
California in 1912. Kathrynwas suffering from poor health but nothing could prevent her going to San Francisco to attend the meetings at which He spoke. On one occasion, 'Abdu'l-Bahá took two little girls, one of them Helen Frankland, in His arms and held them while He talked: "I longed very much to see you all..." (then to the children) ". to see you and to kiss you. All My endeavours are for the purpose that you may be happy."
In 1920, a year before the passing of the Master, Kathryn obtained permission to make a pilgrimage and was a guest in the home of 'Abdu'l-Bahá for thirty days, accompanied by Mrs. Goodall, Mrs. Cooper and other friends. Abdu'l-Bahá gave them many important teachings, saying, "This is the Lord's Supper... Now we have gathered in this spot through the grace of His Holiness, Bahá'u'lláh.
In the same way that we are gathered at this table, we hope that we shall be gathered at the table in the Kingdom of Abhd. His Holiness, Christ, gathered His disciples one evening at supper and bestowed upon them His teachings because it was near the time of His crucifixion. He gave them as much as was necessary."
After the passing of the Master, Kathryn devoted her life to serving Shoghi
Effendi.died. Kathryn who had always been protected found herself without support. She joined the staff of Equitable Life, purchased a car, learned to drive, and became one of the company's most successful agents.
In 1925, she assisted in the establishment of the first Spiritual
Assembly of Berkeley.When the first Seven Year Plan was announced by the Guardian Kathryn wholeheartedly devoted herself to it and worked continuously towards its goals.
In 1944, at the age of seventy-two, when most people retire from active life, she embarked on a new and strenuous project.
She again offered to teach the Faith anywhere in the United States where there were few or no Baha'is. With limited funds and failing health, her back encased in a steel brace, she went from city to city, and from state to state, staying months here, years there, but always teaching, consolidating and building new Assemblies.
A poignant glimpse into the life of Kathryn Frankland is afforded by even the most cursory examination of the letters she received from Shoghi Effendi between the years 1924 and 1955, letters which reflect her deep love of the Cause, her unceasing service, the joy she brought the Guardian, and the pride and admiration her exemplary services evoked in him.
On November 11, 1924, Shoghi Effendi wrote, "I assure you of my deep affection and ardent prayers for the success of your spiritual activities."
On November 24, 1925, he paid tribute to her long service: "Your magnificent services, your patient endeavours, your great devotion to the Cause of God will ever be remembered with gratitude and joy." "Your past services, your presentday endeavours and self-sacrificing labours are deeply appreciated by me, and will always be remembered with emotion and gratitude," he wrote on December 23, 1927.
Learning of her intention to pioneer, the Guardian wrote on September 22, 1936, "I am deeply touched and encouraged by your most welcome letter. Your pioneer move and above all your spirit of devotion will as a magnet attract the untold blessings of Bahá'u'lláh. How glorious the pioneer work which you are undertaking! Persevere and be happy." On November 1, 1940 he wrote saying, "I wish to assure you in person of my keen and abiding appreciation of the splendid services which you have, during so many years and with such marvellous devotion, rendered our beloved Faith.
I will certainly continue to pray for your welfare and success from the bottom of my heart, and feel truly proud of your achievements. Persevere and rest assured."
Kathryn's success in confirming in the Cause an Eskimo believer inspired the Guardian to write on July 24, 1943, "I wish to congratulate you on your splendid and indeed historic achievement.
I am deeply grateful to you, and greatly admire the spirit that so powerfully animates you in the service of our beloved Faith.
In 1946 he wrote of her "splendid and meritorious labours" and "magnificent efforts"
Page 340and in a letter dated September 24, 1947, again voiced his pride in her: "I wish to express in person my deep sense of appreciation of your constant, your deeply valued and notable endeavours for the spread of our beloved Faith. I feel truly proud of the spirit that animates you..
Kathryn was to outlive the Guardian whom she loved so deeply and served with such distinction.
The sustaining comfort of her last years is found in the bright promise contained in a letter written by Shoghi Effendi through his secretary on May 22, 1955: "The Guardian greatly values your own devoted services to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
He assures you of rich spiritual rewards, not only in this world, but in the realms beyond. Your record of service is truly magnificent, having started in the early days of the Faith in America, and continuing though the first and second Seven Year Plans, and now the Ten Year Plan.
He assures you of his prayers on your behalf, and sends you his loving greetings."
At the age of eighty-seven, she was granted permission to see the Guardian and to visit the Holy Shrines.
Then, while she was making preparations for her journey, news came of the sudden death of Shoghi Effendi. She was grief-stricken, disappointed and disheartened. Hearing of this, the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land sent her a special invitation to make her tragically interrupted pilgrimage.
She responded eagerly.Alone, frail, and with failing eyesight, she flew to the Holy Land and prayed at the Sacred Shrines.
On the way back she went to London and prayed at the tomb of her beloved
Shoghi Effendi. ThenShe served faithfully to the end. On Sunday, November 4, 1963, shortly before her ninety-second birthday, she died peacefully in her sleep.
'ALl AND MARION YAZDI1875 � 1967 Miss Henriette From ascended to the AbliA Kingdom on July 19, 1967, after a long life of dedicated service to the Cause of God in Hawaii. Simple graveside services were held
Henriette Fromat her request when she was laid to rest at Hawaiian
Memorial Park. On August20 a memorial service was held at the national IJa4ratu'1-Quds for "Frommie" as she was known to her many friends.
Miss From was born in Fr0rup, Christians-felt, Denmark, on August 25,
1875. Leaving Denmarkfor America at the age of eighteen, she trained as a nurse and later won a diploma as a teacher from the International
Montessori School. Shebecame the beloved teacher of the children of the Baldwin family of Hawaii for twenty-one years and in this period learned of the Faith though Elizabeth
Muther.Long before she became a Baha, Frommie told of a wonderful dream she had in which she saw a marvellous golden name written against a blue sky. Years later she was to recognize the letters as those of The Greatest Name. When she became a IBahá'í she wept, for she said the Master had come to America (1912) and she knew nothing about Him until she came to Hawaii.
While she wept, a bell-clear voice said: "You can meet 'Abdu'l-Bahá any time you wish in His
Writings."Frommie contributed greatly to the work of the Cause in Hawaii. She served as secretary of the Honolulu Spiritual Assembly for many
Page 341years and was always the "steady rock" that acted as the balance during consultation. She is warmly remembered by the friends not oniy for her loving spirit and tireless effort on behalf of the Faith but for the many contributions her generous nature led her to make. She always donated generously whenever an emergency arose and greatly assisted the early struggles of the Hawaiian community.
A charming and cherished contribution is the beautiful little Japanese garden at the entrance to the }jazfratu'1-Quds. The bequest of Frommie's property in Manoa to the National Spiritual Assembly enabled Hawaii to fulfill another of the goals given by the Universal House of
Justice.Her early schooling in the Word of God was in the United Lutheran Church.
She began the study of music at the age of eight and taught professionally when she was twelve years old.
She studied at Boston Conservatory of Music and later headed the music department of Stetson University, Deland, Florida.
During that time she played the organ and directed the choir in the Baptist Church, then hurried across the street to do the same for the Presbyterian congregation.
These early activities set the pattern for her future.
In 1894 she married Richard Henry Gillen, M.D., and a daughter, Evelyn June, was born. The family moved to Seattle, Washington, in 1901 where Mrs. Gillen opened the Seattle School of Music which she conducted for twenty years and where she became active in civic affairs. It was in Seattle that she learned of the Bahá'í movement from Mrs. Ida Finch, proprietress of an art supply shop, who oniy recently had been attracted by Mrs. Isabella D. Brittingliam, an early itinerant Bahá'í teacher. Mrs. Finch sold her store and joined a party of early believers in San Francisco who came on pilgrimage to the Holy Land to visit 'Abdu'l-Bahá in prison.
During Mrs. Finch's absence, Charlotte attended an Easter sunrise service on the shores of Lake Washington. She arrived early, praying and thinking of Ida's experiences.
She later related that she felt her mind suddenly illuminated by the presence of the Creator and the unity of
Jesus and Bahá'u'lláh.Religion, which had always seemed like music to her, proper and natural, took on a new meaning. She had listened to the sermons of every persuasion with an intellectual interest but she was now flooded with an awareness that the Baha pilgrims were experiencing the reality of living with God though obedience to His Manifestation and His Covenant on earth!
God was for them a vitaiworking force in their lives, not a beautiful, vague idea! In that moment, Mrs. Gillen's acceptance of the Bahá'í Faith crystallized and she devoted the rest of her life to teaching its truth.
In 1912 she and her sixteen-year-old daughter traveled to Chicago to experience the fullest moment of their lives in a private interview with 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
As part of the ceremony when the Master laid the foundation stone of the Mother Temple of the West, Charlotte turned a shovelful of earth in the name of Alaska.
After the death of her husband in 1916, Mrs. Gillen divided her time between her Seattle school and an apple orchard the family had planted on Lake Chelan in eastern Washington. The village of Chelan was to be her home for many years. It proved a sterile ground for teaching and the few who were attracted moved onto other places, but it served as a spot to rest and garner resources between teaching trips.
In 1919, in response to the Tablets of the Divine Plan, Charlotte traveled through Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, financially assisted by Ella Cooper.
She stopped in small towns, spoke to women's clubs, penitentiaries, where-ever there were listeners. The high point of this trip, she records, was in giving the Message as guest speaker at the community New Year celebration in the rotunda of the new courthouse in Boise, Idaho, and, with characteristic wit, she notes that the low point was country hotel bedbugs.
A Tablet from the Master dated October, 1919, addressed to Helen
Goodall and Ellathe utmost love and kindness on my behalf. On their behalf I address the following supplication:
Page 342These souls have given up their rest, their happiness, tlieir]oy, and their comfort, have left their (homes) in order to raise the call of Thy Kingdom upon the seas, the plains and the mountains. They are giving the Glad Tidings of Thy Manifestation, are bestowing sight to the eyes, hearing to the ears. They are unloosing the tongues, vivifying the dead and purifying the unclean. 0 Divine Providence! Be Thou their companion during their travels, for they are helpless and lonely and they are firm in Thy love. Thou art the Powerful and the
Omnipotent."Another Tablet from the Master dated June 21, 1921, was received, addressed "To the MaidServant of God, Charlotte Z. Gillen" which said in part: "0 Thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of God!
'Abdu'l-Bahá'í associate, day and night, is the mention and thought of the friends. Praise be to God, thou art striving in service; thou hast a pure heart, and art bestowed with a luminous souL No matter how much man may be sinful, yet divine pardon and forgiveness is greater than his sinfulness. Be thou confident in the infinite graces. The friends of God in those regions are the reclient of the di vine favors and the reflectors of the heavenly bounties.
During the long years in the conservative village of Lake Chelan, where she lived from 1916 until 1944, the Tablets of the Master were her solace.
During this time she played the organ for the Catholic mass at 9.00 am. and for the Episcopal service at 11.00 a.m. In those days women did not run orchards without assistance, nor attend university, nor entertain people of all races, nor discuss international affairs, nor develop friendships with persons from all walks of life, nor drive old rattling cars around dangerous mountain roads. Fortunately, the village's need for an organist was greater than its frustration and bewilderment at her nonconformist ideas and behavior. However, it was a place of deep loneliness. Charlotte missed contact with the Baha world.
There were few books, oniy carefully copied letters and Tablets. At the age of fifty-five she enrolled at the University of Washington where she studied music and gave the Message for three years. She also attended Washington State Agricultural College during this period. Tn 1937 and 1938 she held two-day summer schools at her Chelan orchard, which were attended by approximately fifty
Baha. The small Caucasiantown had never before witnessed a gathering of different races united in the love of God. To her grandchildren who had often heard of but had not witnessed such a gathering, this scene, so familiar to most Baha'is, provided a wonderful, beautiful and lifelong memory. The friends gathered there, later scattered to the corners of the earth as they arose to take their places in history as pioneers in the Seven Year Plans, the Ten Year Crusade or the Nine Year Plan.
In 1942, during the firstmade her first visit to the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar since 1912. Two years later she sold her orchard, attended the Centenary
Celebration in Chicagoand commenced a five-year teaching tour of the United States, remaining awhile in Arlington, Virginia, to maintain the Assembly there.
In 1950, in response to a call for home-front pioneers, she settled in Laramie, Wyoming to maintain at nine the membership of the only Assembly in the State. At the age of eighty-one she enrolled at the University of Wyoming in order to establish a Bahá'í College Club and make contact with youth. It was here that she met one of the most beloved friends of.a long lifetime, the young music student, Daniel Jordan.
She was present at the dedication of the Temple in Chicago in 1953 and, leaving Wyoming, served during the next four years in Wenatchee and Monroe in Washington State where she created Bahá'í centers.
In 1959, sustained by the Tablets addressed to her by the Master forty years earlier assuring her of divinepardon and companionship, urged on by her love of Shoghi Effendi and by the sorrow of his passing, deeply moved by the courage and loving guidance of the Hands of the Cause of God and determined to give every ounce of her own strength to serve the Faith she loved, Charlotte Gillen at ninety years of age attended the National Convention, visited Ohio, Indiana and Michigan to give a last greeting to relatives and set forth to that frontier which had been the object of her love and prayers for many years, Alaska.
An Alaskan friend records: "Charlotte Gillen brought two special gifts to Alaska, a symbolic link with 'Abdu'l-Bahá and an unparalleled example of steadfast, determined
Page 343service despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
She did much to infuse into the consciousness of the Alaskan Bahá'ís the personality of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Ills ever-abiding presence.
She lost no opportunity in this endeavor. A Bahá'í teasingly told her once that he knew of one place she had never been, the AbliA Kingdom. 'Oh, yes I have!'
was her instant retort.'The day I saw 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í "She imparted a measure of the private, intimate feelings of the friends when they lost their beloved
Master in 1921. Duringa meeting commemorating the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, after reading aloud from God Passes By about the passing of the Master, she lowered the book, gazed off into the distance and recounted those touching moments: 'I can remember it as if it were yesterday.
It was nine o'clock in the morning in San Francisco when the friends first got the word that 'Abdu'l-Bahá had passed.' Then she related in moving terms the shock, the sense of loss and despair which swept over the believers.
"Aware of her unique role as the only Alaskan to have entered the presence of the Master she strived to pass on and preserve this link with the past.
She gave gifts of books to babies born of Baha parents so that 'they will have something from someone who knew 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
"She was candid and forthright and her indomitable spirit and restless energy were always directed to the service of the Cause. The hesitant, inactive or disobedient person was rarely comfortable in her presence. Her candid manner sometimes embarrassed the Baha and amused their friends, one of whom said, 'Oh, you Baha'is! Every time Grandma Gillen says something, you worry about how it's going to affect us!' But her candor disarmed them and brought them closer to the spirit of the
Faith."From Mrs. Gillen we learned the meaning of constancy.
The well-meaning Bahá'íwho, out of concern for Charlotte's advanced age suggested that it was no longer obligatory for her to fast, received a scolding: 'Young man, I've been fasting for fifty years and you're not going to stop me!' And he didn't.
"Her Civil War widow's pension was inadequate and her meager savings were being rapidly depleted.
It was a trembling delegation that visited her one day to suggest that the expenses and hardships of living in Alaska may
Charlotte Gillenbe too much for her. Alert to the dilemma of the friends, she eased the tension and soon had everyone laughing. Ste had pioneered for more than a year in the north. Her life's dream had been fulfilled and the pledge she had made to herself as a young woman to serve 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Alaska had been redeemed.
She left contented that she had done her part."The spirit of Charlotte Gillen's entire life is sunm-ied up in the words she used, at the age of ninety, as she played with vitality for a group of singers, urging them to "Wake up! Wake up! Christ has returned! Sing your hearts out!"
MARIAM HANEY1872 � 1965 Mother Haney, as she was affectionately called in her later years by the great number of friends whose lives were influenced by her strong and loving guidance, was one of the precious early believers in America.
Born November 13, 1872, in New York City, Mrs. Haney's maiden name was
Mary IdaParkhurst. After she embraced the Faith, the name "Mariam" was given her by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and was always used by her after this gift had been bestowed by the
Master.At the age of twenty-one, she was united in marriage with an attorney, Charles Freeborn Haney. The year was 1893. The marriage of these two spiritually receptive souls took place in the very year that the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh was first mentioned in North
America.Mr. and Mrs. Haney heard of the Faith in Chicago, in January 1900, through two American believers, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Greenleaf, and they became Bahá'ís almost immediately. This contact with the Cause was the culmination of years of questioning investigation and search for truth, which yielded them no convincing answer until they came in contact with the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh.
From the outset of herbecame very active in serving the Faith. In those early days there was little Bahá'í literature and the source of inspiration and encouragement to the friends was the flow of letters and Tablets from the beloved Master to the individual believers.
Mrs. Haney for many years acted as a clearinghouse for these precious Tablets, reproducing them and circulating them widely amongst the small but steadily growing band of followers of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
One of her first services of an international character in those early years was to accompany Mrs. Lua Getsinger, the great early American teacher of the Faith, to Paris, when Mrs. Getsinger at the instruction of 'Abdu'l-Bahá journeyed to that city and had an audience with the ShAh of Persia, who was visiting Paris. The purpose of this interview was to plead for justice for the severely oppressed Bahá'ís in Persia and a halt to the endless persecution to which they were being subjected.
In February 1909 Mr. and Mrs. Haney had the bounty of a pilgrimage to 'Akka and spent nine days as guests of the Master in His home within the walls of the prison city.
Those never-to-be-forgotten days as the guest and student of 'Abdu'l-Bahá were the highlight of Mrs. Haney's Baha life.
As a special gift she received the Master's blessing on her unborn son, Paul, who would later be appointed a Hand of the Cause by the beloved
Guardian.Stenographic notes of the utterances of 'Abdu'l-Bahá upon the occasions when
Mr.and Mrs. Haney were in His holy presence were taken by Mrs. Haney, and subsequently these pilgrim's notes were published, at the instruction of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, under thetitle A Heavenly Feast.
After basking in the sunlight of the presence of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Mariarn was almost consumed with grief as the days of her pilgrimage came to an end. On the final day the Master promised her that if she ever needed Him, He would be with her. In later years she often said that manytimes in herlife she did call upon Him and knew that He came to her assistance.
As Mariam left His HolyPresence she was able to hide her tears until she was safely aboard ship. Then there was no stopping them, she wept and wept. Later at home when she received the first letter from 'Abdu'l-Bahá, He had written: "I was with you when you were weeping on the shjp."
The Haney family was residing in Washington, D.C., in 1912 when the Master twice visited the capital city of the United States, and thus they had the bounty of participating in many of the events of His memorable sojourns there.
At the conclusion of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í stay inAmerica, Mrs. Haney journeyed to New York to have one last glimpse of the Master she loved so completely and by Whose utterances she had set the course of her life.
The last spoken words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in America, when He addressed the friends who had gathered on board the S.S. Celtic on December 5, 1912, to bid Him farewell, were recorded stenographically by Mrs. Haney and comprise the final address published in The Promulgation of
Universal Peace.Following the death of Mr. Haney in Illinois in 1919, Mrs. Haney wrote to 'Abdu'l-Bahá asking Him where He wished her to go with her son to best serve the Faith.
He instructed her to return to Washington, D.C. After attending the Annual
Convention in April 1920in New York City, Mrs. Haney proceeded to Washington and immediately, at the request of the Bahá'í Temple Unity, at that time the governing body of the Faith in the United States, became the Secretary of the newly-established National Teaching Committee, serving in that capacityfor several years. This committee published a series of Bulletins reporting the news of teaching activities throughout the United States and Canada, and containing inspiring addresses and Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá This Bulletin was compiled and edited by Mrs. Haney.
In a Tablet addressed to her, the Master expressed Ills happiness at receiving this Bulletin and indicated that it was "very acceptable".
One of the foremost interests of Mrs. Haney throughout her Bahá'í life was the interracial work to which she dedicated herself unceasingly. She was a member of the con~rnittee of arrangements for the
"First Convention for Amitybetween the Colored and White Races", held in Washington, D.C., in May 1921. This convention was called at the express instruction of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and was the forerunner of many such gatherings held subsequently in different parts of the United States.
Mrs. Haney's love for this aspect of the teaching work of the Faith was deep, and to it she brought tremendous enthusiasm and awareness of its supreme importance as stressed so often by the
Master.Haney was the Associate Editor of the Bahá'í magazine Star of the West and during this period also served on many national committees appointed by the
National Spiritual Assembly.She was a member of the Editorial Board which produced the first two volumes of The Bahá'í World, the international periodical record of the worldwide activities and progress of the Faith.
Throughout the remaining years of her life Mrs. Haney continued to serve the Faith by carrying on extensive correspondence with believers in different parts of the world, including pioneers, deepening them in the Teachings, sharing with them precious quotations from the Sacred Writings, and encouraging them in their Baha activities.
In 1944, as the first Bahá'í century drew to a close, the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States prepared for the occasion a centenary volume constituting the record of the response of the American believers to the call of Bahá'u'lláh.
The historical material on Bahá'í teaching in North America appearing in this volume was prepared by Mrs. Haney at the request of the National Assembly.
Another servicewhich Mrs.Haneycontinued to render in later years was the writing of "In Memoriam" articles for the successive volumes of The Bahá'í World, particularly those commemorating the lives and work of the early believers.
From the outset of their Bahá'í lives, both Mr. and Mrs. Haney were blessed in receiving numerous Tablets from 'Abdu'l-Bahá, encouraging them in their services to the Cause of God and testifying to their steadfastness in the Covenant.
A few quotations from some of the Tablets addressed to Mrs. Haney seem appropriate to this memorial:
"He is God!All that thou hast written was perused, and I write an answer thereto notwithstanding the lack of time.
Thy services at the Threshold of the Beauty of Abhci have caused a smile in the face of 'Abda' 1-Babel andconducedto joy andhappiness;for that, praise be to God, one dear handmaiden of God liatli raised the Call of the Kingdom in such a region and engaged in quickening the dead souls, and that size hath circulated the cup overflowing with the love of God in order to exhilarate every worshzper of Truth. This is a great attainment,
Page 346do thou know its value, and open thy mouth in thanksgiving."
"He is God!Its entire content was the utmost of supplication and invocation toward the
Kingdom of Abhd. TrulyI say thy respected husband, Mr. Haney, and thyself � both of you are firm and faithful, and are servants of the Kingdom of Bahá'u'lláh. You have no other aim except the goodpleasure of God, and are longing for the realization of no other hope except servitude at the Divine Threshold.
lam pleased with both of you."o thou who art attracted by the breaths of the Holy Spirit: Thy letter was received. The text and the meanings were proof of firmness and steadfastness in the Cause of the Glorious Lord;.
"0 thou leaf of the BlessedAlthough thou hast encountered great difficulties, and wert afflicted with violent trials, yet,praise be to God, that thou art patient and thankful, and art engaged in the praise and glorification of the Forgiving Lord.
Thou art not downhearted, but art free. Thou art not complaining, but offering thanks to the Lord.
Thou art not lamenting andsighing, but art spendingthydaysin the utmo.stjoyandfragrance. This is the characteristic of every assured believer.
When man becomes firm and steadfast in faith � during the days of ordeal � he is long-~uffering and thankful; and while he enjoys composure and tranquility, he is a loyal servant. Praise be to God that thou belongest to this class.
Following the ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Mrs. Haney gave to the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, from the very outset of his ministry the same quality of devotion and complete obedience which had characterized her relationship to the Master. During these thirty-six years she was blessed by receiving fromthe Guardian agreatmanyletters, guiding and encouraging her in her services to the Faith. Many of these letters conveyed also beautiful and moving expressions of appreciation of her labors for the advancement of the Cause. Space does not permit the inclusion of any wide selection from those precious communications.
However, the words addressed to her by Shoghi Effendi in his own handwriting early in 1957, only a few months before his passing, are indicative of the bounties he bestowed upon her and the esteem in which he held this devoted pioneer of the Faith in
America:"May the Almighty bless your efforts, guide and sustain you always, and aid you to enrich the record of your unforgettable services to His Faith."
When the Universal Houseof Justice was informed of Mrs. Haney's passing on September 1, 1965, that Supreme Body immediately sent a beautiful cable to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, the text of which provides a befitting conclusion to this memorial:
GRIEVED ANNOUNCE PASSINGBut for the tribulations which are sustained in Thy path, how could Thy true lovers be recognized, and were itnotfor the trials which are borne for love of Thee, how could the station of such as yearn for Thee be revealed?"
The above words from the Pen ofBah~'u'11Th and those which conclude this account, best describe the brief life of Sayyid Ilasan who suffered greatly in his love for the Cause, and in his twenty-eighth year chose death so that his longing soul might find joy and reunion at the Threshold of the Beloved in the spiritual world.
Born in Needeh, a village near Sukij in upper Egypt, Sayyid Ijasan established himself in Cairo where, in 1964, he first accepted the Faith through one of his relatives from Suh~j who also lived in Cairo.
In turn, Mr. Ijasanshared the message with his young wife who quickly embraced it, and together they looked forward to a life of active service to the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh.
In 1965 Mr. IJasan and his wife and six-month-old daughter were among those arrested and imprisoned in a wave of persecution directed against the Baha community and accused of religious heresy, political subversion and high treason. During the interrogation Mr. Itlasan was required to write a report about his involvement in the Bahá'í Faith. Fearlessly he wrote at the top of the report, in large capital letters, "A11Ah-u-AbhA!"
In searching his person the authorities found a short Bahá'í prayer which they seized as evidence and concerning which they questioned him. Unflinchingly he answered that the prayer was engraved on his heart and could not be effaced.
The investigation continued for four days during which the child became ill and required medical attention which was denied. Sleeping on the floor of the prison worsened the child's condition.
The attempts of the mother to invoke the kindness of the chief officer to assist her ailing child were greeted by brutal unkindness. Powerless to assist, Mr. ilasan was forced to witness the inhuman treatment of his wife and child in complete patience and utter surrender to God. On the fourth day his wife and baby were released. In the night, the child died.
On the following day Mr. Ijasan was released on bail, while some others were sentenced to prison.
He returned to his home to find his infant daughter dead. His wife had been taken to their home village by her brother who was also the cousin of Mr. Ijasan.
He encouraged Mr. Ijasanto follow his wife to the village where an atmosphere of intolerance, bigotry and fanaticism prevailed.
In an effort to make him recant his faith, the villagers set upon Mr. Ijasan, beating and torturing him. lie was spat upon, scoffed at, wounded about the head by a blade, throttled, and driven through the village in outworn clothing amid the hateful shouts and curses of the mob. Not a single word of complaint was uttered by Mr. Ijasan and he endured the indignity and excruciating pain with the God-intoxicated tranquillity that characterizes the martyr who esteems suffering in the path of service a demonstration of fidelity. Joyfully, triumphantly, his voice rang out above the noise of the crowd: "Y& BahA'u'1-AbhA!"
Failing in their attempts to force him to recant his faith, the authorities contrived a forced divorce between the couple, the wife being required to remain in the village.
Mr. Ijasan returned to the desolating loneliness of Cairo. Grieved by the death of his child, deprived of the solace of his wife's companionship, rejected by his kin and townspeople, and living in a danger-fraught situation inwhichtheBahá'ís wereforbidden to associate with each other, the young man surrendered to the irresistible impulse to seek the release of his spirit into the next world, and so died by his own hand on July 16, 1965.
Despite the blighting difficulties that beset her, his wife has remained firm and steadfast, accepting persecution and loss with deep spiritual content.
She still lives at her home village, virtually a semi-prisoner, and refusing all offers for remarriage.
"Thy might beareth me witness! The companions of all who adore Thee are the tears they shed, and the comforters of such as seek Thee are the groans they utter, and the food of them who haste to meet Thee is the fragments of their broken hearts.
Page 348With the passing of Lucas ilillanes in July, 1965, the Bahá'í community of Bolivia lost one of its most active and outstanding native Indian teachers.
Before embracing the Baha Cause he was known in his home community of Jancarachi, Province of Alonzo de Ibafiez, as a profoundly spiritual man. It was his habit to go into the mountains to pray, to cross his hands and turn his face to the Almighty beseeching His blessings. He did notlike to cheat orlie.
His constant search for the spirit of truth was one of his distinguishing characteristics which was often the cause of misunderstanding and suspicion among his neighbors.
Mr. Hillanes' spiritual yearnings were fulfilled when he learned of and accepted the Baki'i Faith.
He wholeheartedly dedicated his life to its service, sponsoring meetings in his home community and voluntarily accompanying traveling teachers to the villages of the area. In time his health declined and his activities were curtailed, but he continued to use the BaWt'i prayers until his passing.
As the Baha gathered for a training course in the community of Totoroco the news reached them of the loss of their coworker. Mrs. Hillanes walked four leagues (approximately twelve miles) to tell the Bahá'í friends of the passing of her husband. Prayers were immediately offered for the progress of his radiant soul on its homeward journey.
ISUJRO C. JACHAKOLLO1897 � 1966 Eight months short of seventy years was the life span of Alethe Holsapple
H6gberg. The Baha Faithwas the influence from the beginning of Alethe's long, productive life.
Her gand-mother, LeonoraStirling, who raised Alethe, was one of the earliest American Baha'is.
With her husband, Carl Siqurd, who became a Bahá'í in 1948, Alethe established the first Spiritual Assembly of Tnglewood Judicial District, California. In 1953 they volunteered to pioneer to Sweden but these plans did not materialize. Instead they remainedin California where Alethe became known as "The Secre-ta~", serving in this capacity a Local
Assembly, the RegionalTeaching Committee and the Committee for the Blind, In 1956 the Hogbergs pioneeredto Auburn, California, which formed its assembly in 1957.
A second attempt to pioneer to Sweden was successful in June, 1960. While Sweden was Carl's native land, to Alethe it meant a new language, new friends, and a new way of life. Her knowledge of English and the Baha Writings was of special value as she assisted in the translation of Gleanings
From the Wriringsof Bahá'u'lláhShe helped in the teaching work in the way she favored best, working quietly in the background in a constant spirit of service.
With the death of her husband in 1962, she felt the additional frustrations of one alone in a foreign land with meagre command of the language. Leaving Sweden, Alethe arrived in Kodiak, Alaska, to assist once more in the formation of a "first" Local Assembly and again she became the secretary.
In 1963 Alethe resumed her career as a social worker in Auburn, California.
She was actively teaching and formulating exciting plans: retirement � a trip to Brazil to visit her sister whom she had not seen since 1934 and whom she had at times deputized during her forty years of pioneering � pilgrimage� a return to Sweden � on to Norway � perhaps to resettle in Scandinavia.
These dreams ended in Auburn in June, 1966, when an automobile accident released her soul from the cage of her body.
Her soul is freed; her spirit lives in the hearts of those who knew and loved her; and her service continues though a most fitting memorial � the devoted services of her daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters.
MAJDU'D-DIN INANwent to Egypt in 1872 during the Turko-Russian wars to visit his uncle and, during his four-year stay in Egypt, he embraced the Faith. After his return to his homeland he was the cause of enrolling his relatives and many others.
Page 349JinAb-i Majdi fn~n successfully completed his studies in the schools of Rushdiyyih, and then at the American College in Ghdzi-'AntAb and thus acquired fluency in the Persian, Arabic and
English languages. Fromthe beginning he revealed much interest in reading and translating the Bahá'í
Writings.At the beginning of World War I, during his last years of college, he was called for military service and sent to Palestine.
While there he requested permission to travel to Haifa and succeeded in visiting 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
During his visit the Master prayed for him and said "God willing, they will not send you to Beersheba." Later he was informed that all his friends had been sent tofleersheba where they were ailkilled.
JinAb-f Majdi In~n became a target of persecution in IYrfi He was tried by a military court but was acquitted. It was no longer feasible for him to remain in Ghgzi-'AntTh so he moved to Istanbul and worked as a translator and served as secretary of the Local Spiritual
Assembly.In 1930 during an outbreak of hostility directed against the Bahá'ís he was arrested and brought to trial, but he was well defended and won an acquittal. On another occasion he was pursued but was freed without trial.
Mr. Majdi Jn~n married in 1926 and four children were born to him, ills three Sons predeceased him but he is survived by his daughter. He passed away in 1967 after a lengthy period of illness.
In addition to serving on administrative bodies on both the local and national level Mr. Jn&n performed invaluable services in the field of translation. His translations of many of the most important
Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Baháand Shoghi Effendi will keep the memory of his services alive for generations.
YADU'LLAH KARIMiI19 15 � 1966 Though UAJi Asad, a devoted Shaykhi, prepared the people of his native Says&n, in the remote seclusion of A4hirbAyjAn, in Persia, for the appearance of the Promised One even prior to the Advent oftheBAb, itwasnotuntildecades later, when Bahá'u'lláh was immured in the fortress-prison of 'Akka, that the descendants of these people heard of, and embraced, His divine Cause. Having accepted it, they clung to it with such tenacity that nothing could shake their faith.
None of the guileful machinations that a cunning foe could devise � no propaganda of vilification over a broadcasting system specially contrived for that purpose; no allurement of pomp and power by association with the Establishment in the erection of a massive mosque; not even intimidation and threats to their lives � could succeed in undermining their belief or dampening their ardour.
Infuriated at their failure to win back the Bahá'ís by these means to the Muslim fold, the priests � headed by one of deeply evil intent � inflamed the passions of the mob and urged action.
Anyone who arose to carry out their behests was promised full support for any deed he perpetrated and total immunity from its consequences.
BAIA KMn responded to this call. He prevailed on two ruffians to assault Yadu'llAh Karimi, born of Bahá'í parents, who had lived in SaysAn all his life. He was fifty-one years of age at this time, married, with seven children. They chose to make an example of him because of his ardent devotion, his unflagging loyalty, his unwavering steadfastness.
The opposition he encountered served but to intensify the
Page 350fervour of his longing for sacrifice that he had always cherished in his heart.
As no threat could make him recant his belief, they beat him to death.
It was on the 25th day of December 1966, that our beloved brother laid down his life for our precious Cause.
The local physician, biased against the Baha'is, specified the cause of death in the certificate he issued, as heart failure. The SaysAn friends, however, questioned the validity of this document and, in consequence, Yadu'11Th's body was taken to Tabriz for an autopsy. The ensuing report confirmed that his death was due to internal injuries caused by heavy blows dealt by some blunt instrument on his head and body and a warrant issued for the apprehension of the murderers. The body of our martyred brother was then taken back to Says~n and accorded a befitting Bahá'í burial in the presence of the local believers and some police officers.
To round off their nefarious deed, the miscreants smashed the windowpanes of the new mosque in broad daylight before a crowd of Muslim and Baha onlookers and laid it to the charge of nine Baha'is. Accused of vandalism, these nine were each sentenced to six months' imprisonment and a heavy fine. Their sentence was confirmed at the retrial that was ordered.
GIIULAM-UUSAYN KAYVANChulAm-Husayn Kayv&n was born in TibrAn where he received his formal education and mastered the French language in addition to Persian and Arabic.
Succeeding his father, Ism6iii KMn Sartip ~hayb~ni in the service of the fr~nian
Ministry of Post, Telegraphand Telephone, he soon attained fame and rank because of his native intelligence and his frank and independent character.
In his youth he was interested in politics. His exceptional talents and his outspoken and courageous discussions with political leaders of the newly-established constitutional government of IrAn made him a popular companion and colleague of those leaders. However, his overwhelming passion for truth and his quest for knowledge caused him to lose patience with their vacillations and partisan manceuvres and he soon broke awayfrom ailpolitical affiliation.
During this period of uncertainty and disappointment he made the acquaintance of ArbTh Siy~vash a devoted
Baha of Zoroastrianorigin. Arb6b Siy~va~h was by no means erudite, but he possessed the blessed gift of unaffected sincerity and a heart burning with the desire to serve his beloved Faith. Finding Mr. KayvAn a pure and righteous soul earnestly in search of truth, he began telling him about the Faith in his own simple language and reciting passages from the Bahá'í Writings with much force and fervour.
Increasingly Mr. Kayv&ngrew impressed by the Tablets he had studied and the sincerity of his teacher. As he related afterwards, he marvelled at the power that could cause a Zoroastrian to learn quotations from the Qur'an in order to convince a Muslim of the divine origin and authenticity of this new revelation.
Mr. Kaywin subsequently met other Bahá'í teachers including Ij4ji Abu'1-Ijasan Amin, Dr. Araspi KhAn
Hakim and ~hayk~ Mubam-madand was profoundly affected and transformed though contact with these venerable souls. He was especially influenced by F&Ji1 who possessed outstanding spiritual qualities and was also a wellknown theologian and mystic.
Mr. Kayvftn, his mother and two of his five sisters embraced the Faith and became sincere and steadfast servants of the Cause of God.
Mr. Kayv~n traveled in Europe and while inGhuldm-Husayn Kay vein England mastered the English language. It was during this period that he twice visited the Holy Land and was so captivated by the Guardian that he returned to his own country completely galvanized and determined to devote his whole life to the service of the Cause.
In spite of his official position he was proud of his service as a Bahá'í and, heedless of the intrigues of the envious, he used his vast knowledge and remarkable capacity in teaching the message of Bahá'u'lláh to his countrymen. Even when his enemies succeeded in making him retire on a meagre pension, he joyously welcomed the opportunity of devoting all his time to the service of his beloved Faith, translating, teaching or speaking in Bahá'í meetings. On behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly of Inin he spent almost a year supervising the construction of the tomb of the Hand of the Cause of God Keith Ransom-Kehier, in IsfdMn.
In 1954, despite his advanced age, he arose to participate in the Ten Year Crusade, setting out on a journey to Africa to visit pioneers.
In consultation with theof North West Africa, he settled down in Kenitra, Morocco. There he lived alone in a hotel, contenting himself with very little material comfort and devoting his time and effort to the service of God. Toward the end of his life he attended the Great Jubilee in London and returned to his goal town spiritually jubilant and determined to rededicate himself to his pioneering work.
He spent the remaining months of his life in the city where he had helped create a strong Bahá'í community whose strength was demonstrated by the steadfast Moroccan friends who were imprisoned and condemned to death because of their adherence to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
He died in 1965 and, because of certain problems encountered in Kenitra, was buried in the Bahá'í cemetery in Rabat, where already a number of Persian pioneers are buried.
MIRZA ALI-KULI KHANMirza Ali-Kuli Khan was born about 1879 in KAshTh, Persia, into a family which traces its genealolgy to King Nawshfrv4n the Just. His father, Mirza 'Abdu'r-Rahim KhTh Zarnibi moved to Tihr&n in 1880, becoming Mayor (Kalaintar) of that city. The youth was educated at the ShAh's Royal College, specializing in French and English. When the Mayor, aBah&f, died, Khan was fourteen or fifteen, took tutoring and translating positions and at seventeen was translator of foreign publications in the Secretariat of the Prime Minister.
Becoming a Baha some years later, with two friends he wandered across Persia, dressed as a dervish, and teaching his new religion, often at considerable risk.
Drawn by his love for 'Abdu'l-Bahá he then left TibrAn, secretly and without resources, and spent arduous months sleeping on floors and traveling steerage to reach the Holy Land in the spring of 1899. Having served the Master well over a year as amanuensis, he was sent by Him to the United States as interpreter to the great Bahá'í philosopher, Mirza Abu'1-Fajl, arriving in 1901. The following year Khan became secretary to the Persian Minister at Washington, D.C., and in 1904 married Florence Breed1 of Lynn and Boston.
The couple had thee children, Rahim, Marzieh and }Taniiideh.
With his wife and infant son, Khan made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1906, going on 1 The Bahá'í World, vol. xu, p. 703.
Page 352to Persia and returning as Consul to the United States.
In 1907, when Persiawas in a state of crisis and looking to various European countries for help, Khan decisively intervened in favor of American assistance, and was accordingly instructed by his government to seek technical and financial aid in the United States. In 1910 � 1911, he was Chief
Diplomatic Representativeaim was the same as that expressed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 1912: "...establishing a perfect bond between Persia and
America." (The Promulgationof Universal Peace, VoL I, p. 32.) In 1912 Khan was able to receive 'Abdu'l-Bahá in a befitting manner at the Persian Legation in Washington, bringing leading Americans into the Master's presence and translating a number of His addresses, one of them the farewell address on board the Celtic.
When, at the suggestion of President Wilson, Persia sent a Peace Delegation to the Versailles Conference, Khan was a member, he and his party traveling to France on a transport as guests of the United
States.With the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary, Khan later headed the Persian Embassy at Istanbul. From 1921 to 1923 he was Chief Minister of the Crown Prince Regent's Court in TibrAn, and was later appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to the Five Republics of the Caucasus. One of oniy a handful of Bahá'ís in the Diplomatic Corps, he then retired to private life.
In continual touch with the Guardian as he had been with the Master, he had the honor of serving the youthful Shoghi Effendi (en route to Oxford) in Paris, and of another pilgrimage to Haifa in 1924.
Khan's state title, Nabilu'd-Dawlih, was conferred on him in
1911 by Abmad ShAh. Amongwith honorary Ph.D., the Lion and Sun Class I, and Persia's highest order, the 'Timth6i' which bears the SiPh's portrait.
A member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States in 1925 and 1926, his name appears in the Declaration of Trust. He served on a number of Local Assemblies, including New York, Washington and Los Angeles, and spoke from countless public platforms, including early talks on the Bahá'í Faith for the Harvard classes of philosopher William James.
His eloquence was almost proverbial: the press reported how he once, in New York, delayed the sailing of an ocean liner, at high tide, when a traveling Persian dignitary was late. Confirming many souls in the Faith, he taught from the deep philosophical grounding received from the Master and Mirza Abu'1-FaKII.
Khan's Bahá'í translations include many Tablets, an early version of the
Iqan, The Seven ValleysNever to be compared with the magnificent later renditions by the Guardian, these provisional translations were vitally needed in the Occident at that time.
As yet another service to the union of East and West, he brought to the United States a number of Persian students, including his Bahá'í brother's two sons, 'AbbAs-Kuli and Allah K. Kalantar, and a niece, Bahá'u'lláh, the first Persian woman ever to be received at the White House.
The last decade and a half of Khan's life was spent mostly in Washington.
His portrait by Alice Pike Barney is in the Smithsonian; his grave is near that of other
Baha in RockCreek cemetery. Altogether, his span of Bahá'í service totaled close to sixty-eight years.
MARZJEH GAIL"Deeply saddened passing distinguished devoted steadfast pioneer Farkhundih Khus-ravi. ." were the cabled words of tribute of the Universal House of Justice lamenting the loss of the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Arabia, Mrs. Farkhundih
Khus-raw.In another communication to the National Spiritual
Assembly on December13, 1967, the Universal House ofJustice assured the believers that "her services will never be effaced from the records of the Kingdom".
This precious and esteemed servant of Bahá'u'lláh was born in Qazvin into a Bahá'í family of Zoroastrian origin. In her childhood she was mentioned in the Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed to the Zoroastrian believers. He prayed for her promising future.
Mrs. Khusravi attended the Bahá'í Girls' School of Qazvin and while obtaining her secondary education in Rasht contracted tuberculosis of the backbone which confined her to bed for years. While convalescing she continued her study of the BaWi'i Teachings.
In response to her request for prayers the beloved Guardian wrote to her on February 25, 1938, expressing his sympathy and assuring her of his prayers for her complete recovery.
Her health regained, Mrs. Kliusravi undertook travel teaching trips in Qazvin and Zanjdn, encouraged by the Hand of the Cause of God Abi%'1-Q~sim Faizi and Mr. Jshr~q Khdvari. Her foreign pioneering services commenced in 1941 when she arose with the first throng of pioneers to
'JrAq and Arabia. Drivenfrom her post in 'frAq by the hostile actions of the authorities against Irdnian Bahá'ís she returned to Persia and at the request of the National Spiritual Assembly commenced her services with the Bahá'í youth in ArAk, SultAn-AMd.
In 1951 she again pioneered abroad, this time to Kuwait, and there married Mr. Khusraw Khusravi theirs being the first Baha marriage to take place after the establishment of the Spiritual Assembly of Kuwait. Since its inception in 1957 Mrs. Kihusravi was active in formulating the programmes of the Bahá'í Summer School of Arabia and served as a teacher of courses on Acquiring Bahá'í Attributes and other subjects.
Despite local social difficulties and the restrictions on the freedom of women in the area, Mrs. Khusravi made many journeys to visit various Bahá'í centres and isolated friends, by whom she is warmly remembered for her gallant example, sage advice and helpful instruction. Her understanding of the significance of pioneering, her loving admonishments and her outstanding hospitality won her many friends among the Baha youth of Arabia.
In 1958 dear Farkhundihthe same year she travelled with her husband and two daughters to visit her father, mother, brother and sister, pioneers in Morocco. On the return journey Mrs. Khusravi was killed in a motor accident near IskandarOn,
Page 354Turkey on September 9, 1967. Her husband and two daughters were oniy slightly injured. The dear friends and pioneers in Iskandanin were a great comfort to the bereaved husband and to the two little daughters, Nura and Lewa, aged fourteen and eleven respectively.
Schooled by her early suffering perhaps, Farkhundih KNnum possessed the quality of patience in an outstanding measure and the capacity to forgive those who sought to hurt her. No unkind word or thoughtless deed disturbed the deep spiritual tranquillity that surrounded her life. Through her untimely death the Baha of Arabia have lost a true sister.
SUSAN GOLDEN KILFORD1883 � 1967 Miss Susan Golden Kilford, our beloved "Killie", at the age of eighty-four, passed to the AbhA Kingdom on October 6, 1967, after a very brief illness. Only a few months previously, she had fulfilled her longing to make the pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Killie first heard of the Faith in 1923 and had been a Bahá'í for over forty years. She knew Dr. Esslemont personally and entertained, amongst other visitors, Martha Root when the latter visited the Bournemouth area.
She lived five years at the nursing home, named RhJv6n by Shoghi Effendi, of Sister Grace Challis at Broadstone, and was a member of that early Bournemouth Assembly on which Sister Challis, Miss Florence Pinchon, and Miss May Cheesman also served.
Tn 1935 Killie spent five months in the United States and Canada and there met many of the early American believers whose illustrious names are now household words throughout the Bahá'í world.
She attended the two-day Congress held in the Foundation Hall of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in Wilmette, upon the completion of' the clerestory of that edifice. She was asked to speak on the progress of the Faith in England, and was perhaps the first Baha of Britain to speak in the Mother Temple of the West.
Returning in January 1936, Killie settled in London, became a member of the
London Spiritual AssemblyShe also served as hostess at the London Bahá'í Centre open daily to enquirers. In 1954, when she was over seventy years of age, Killierespondedto the call of the Guardian for Bahá'ís to settle in Cathedral cities and selected Winchester as her goal. Mter working there alone for two or three years the Faith became firmly established and in 1962, before the conclusion of the Ten Year Crusade, the Spiritual Assembly of Winchester was formed.
Killie was a source of love and inspiration to everyone.
We shall miss her but know that she must be serving even more happily in the
AbIa~ Kingdom.1879 � 1965 Margaret was born in Cuxhaven, Germany, where she had a carefree, happy youth in a well-situated family.
The First World War caused her to search for a deeper sense of life and after many years of disappointment her longing was finally fulfilled and Margaret was introduced to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. Here she found her real home. Soon after she joined the radiant spiritual army of the Blessed Beauty she received permission for a pilgrimage to the Most Holy Places of her new religion and to meet Shoghi Effendi, so much loved by her. These days were the highlights of her new life, and forty years later she still could refresh the spirit of young and old believers with her accounts of her experiences in the Holy Land.
After returning from the Holy Land she offered her services in all fields of Bahá'í work and soon went to Geneva where she served together with Anne Lynch for many years in the International Bahá'í Bureau as one of the most talented assistants of Emogene lloagg.1 These years in Geneva were the ones which deepened her still more firmly in the Cause, and Margaret developed outstanding qualities of absolute firmness in the Covenant, and strict and always immediate obedience to the call of the beloved Guardian.
When the Ten Year WorldImmediately she obeyed The Bahá'í World, vol. x, p. 520.
Page 355and went to Vienna where she was one of the very first pioneers after the Second World War � and this was exactly the place where she was most needed. Her keen and most delightful sense of humour, her fwmness in the Covenant, her deep and unfailing love for
Shoghi Effendi� these outstanding qualities were a source of attraction to the friends of that long-deprived community.
Together with the first Austrian believer, dear Franz P Ollinger, and the newly-arrived pioneers from Persia, they reestablished the Bahá'í work in that country.
After the purchase of the Ija4ratu'1-Quds in the Thimiggasse 1 2she became the "house-mother" for many years, much loved by all the friends and guests.
When she was eighty-three years old Margaret broke her hipbone. During this period the book Thi ef in the Night by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears became the focus of her life.
Thee days before the accident occurred this popular publication was received by the National Spiritual Assembly. Margaret avidly read the book and immediately decided to translate it. When she went to hospital with her broken hip, her only wish was to obtain enough paper to continue her translation work. When finally she was able to leave the hospital 355 she still was unable to sit up, but preferred to stand, and so she built herself a writing table out of several trunks and could thus continue with her translation by standing before her self-made writing table nearly the whole day long. Sometime before the conclusion of the Ten
Year Teaching CrusadeMargaret finished her German translation of Thief in the Night.
Soon afterwards Margaret'sShe could no longer stay in the busy Ija4ratu'1-Quds, so she went to a private old people's home in Klosterneuburg, near Vienna, where she opened one of the so-much-needed localities of the Plan.
Until her end Margaret was a tireless worker in the Bahá'í Faith and a constant source of pleasure and joy to everyone.
URSULA MPHLSCHLEGEL1892 � 1966 With the passing of Anne Lynch, a unique and beautiful chapter of service to the Bahá'í Faith came to an end, in this world, to add its lustre to the immortal annals of the followers of Bahá'u'lláh.
Born in Russia in December 1892, Anne fled her home at the end of World War Ito settle in England.
She first heard of thein 1926 from Mrs. Loulie Mathews, accepted it immediately, and spent the remainder of her life in service to Bahá'u'lláh, giving unstintingly of her capabilities and talents.
After a visit of several months' duration to the Guardian in the Holy Land early in her Bahá'í life, she went to Geneva to help in the work of the International Bahá'í Bureau, and later became its head. Her services in this post, which were directly under the guidance and supervision of the Guardian, were to last continuously until 1957 when the specific functions of the International Bureau had been fulfilled.
At the request of Shoghi Effendi, Mrs. Lynch remained at her post in Geneva throughout World War H, sending out from that centre news of the growth of the Faith and encouragement to the friends in the wartorn countries of Europe.
She was thus enabled to help andcomfort those who sorely needed contact with their Bahá'í world family.
Mrs. Lynch's extraordinary aptitude for languages made her services to her beloved Faith particularly valuable. She was completely fluent in Russian, French, English, German, Italian and Esperanto.
Some of the important translations and publications produced during her years at the
International IBahá'íand the New Era (Zan-ienhof translation � Polish). In addition she was responsible for the translation and printing of a number of news bulletins into various languages including the European publication News Exchange in English, beginning in 1945. The latter is referred to by Shoghi Effendi in his message The Challenging Requirements of the Present Hour. In the period 1945 � 1948 she published and distributed a bulletin in Esperanto.
With the establishment of twelve National Spiritual
Assemblies in WesternEurope the specific functions of the International DahA'i Bureau and of the office of the European Teaching Committee, which had worked in close cooperation under the direction of the Guardian, came to an end and the Cause of God in Europe was launched on a new phase of development.
With this work completed Anne, for the first time in her life, found the opportunity to fulfil her cherished desire to serve as a pioneer for the Faith. Although frail and failing in health, she set forth on a new adventure, a new path of service, which she trod until her death, pioneering in Neuchatel, Vevey and several other places around Lake Geneva.
She would often speak of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í words as He looked across Lake Geneva during his visit to Thonon: "There is much work to be done around this lake." It gave her great joy to take an active part in the pioneer work which 'Abdu'l-Bahá said should be done. Her profound knowledge of the Teachings, her many years of experience and her wisdom contributed to her success as an outstanding teacher.
Until her last days on this earth, she continued to serve her Faith with an exemplary zeal, selfless devotion, steadfastness and courage which are her priceless legacy to those who follow after.
In a letter from Shoghi28, 1945, is found a fitting tribute with which to conclude: "This is to assure you again of my abiding gratitude for, and appreciation of, your splendid services to our beloved Faith, despite the formidable obstacles you have encountered. The Beloved is well pleased with you, and will abundantly reward you for your perseverance, your devotion, your loyalty, and zeal in His service.
Rest assured, and neverlose heart. lam continually praying for you and your dear coworkers in that land. Persevere and be happy.~~
FELICIANO MAMANIIndian of Negro-Kayma, Poop6 Province, was noted for his high sense of honesty and integrity.
He had an inquiring mind and had eagerly searched for truth, a quest which was rewarded when he embraced the Baha Faith in 1960.
He immediately arose to teach his neighbors and volunteered his services as a traveling teacher.
Page 357The believers of his community could not read or write.
Through the efforts of Mr. Mamani a small private boys school was established in Negro-Kayma which functioned for three years.
He obtained the use of a building for the holding of classes and maintained the teacher. The pupils memorized Bahá'í prayers and songs and were taught the history of the Central Figures of the Faith. Literacy classes were conducted for adults who learned to read. Drawings and visual-aids were used in teaching them about the Baha Faith.
One of the boys who attended the school went on to become a literacy teacher in
Dejahuta.meetings and conferences, always eager to increase his knowledge of the Faith. In 1962 he attended the National Conference in Sucre, returning to his home community on foot, a journey lasting nine days. He spent the nights in the mountains and taught in villages along the way. He reached Negro-Kayma in a weakened condition due to lack of food. Although his health was affected he continued teaching and receiving visitors in his home, until he fell ill on one of his journeys and, after a brief stay in hospital, passed away on May 11, 1966. With quiet dignity his wife now carries on the work her husband commenced and to which he gave his life, teaching her children the verities of the Bahá'í Cause so that it may be the star of guidance to their lives.
]SIDRO C. JACHAKOLLO19 10 � 1968 The Many Bears learned of the Faith from Dr. Arthur Irwin and his wife, Lily Ann, and accepted it in October 1961, the first Canadian Indians of the Blackfoot tribe to become Baha'is. They immediately became active in carrying the Faith to others of the Blackfoot tribe and their determination and enthusiasm contributed greatly to the formation, at RigivAn 1962, of the Spiritual Assembly of the Blackfoot Reserve, near Calgary, Alberta.
Edmund Many BearsEdmund was a recognized leader among the Blackfoot people, as his father had been before him, and was accorded the courtesy title of Chief. He had served actively on the Indian Band Council and in a tribal organization called the Brave Dog Society.
By occupation he was a farmer and although he had little formal education he had a thirst for knowledge and a deep desire to improve the condition of his people.
In the Bahá'í Teachingshe found a solution to the depressed state of his people and a heightened understanding of the spiritual capacity and noble station of man.
Edmund and his wife, Jean, were instrumental in forming, in 1961, the Native Friendship Club, the purpose of which was to foster friendship and understanding between Indians and non-Ifndians by freely meeting together in social fellowship.
It was here that they encountered the Bahá'í Faith. As an outgrowth of this club, the Calgary
Indian Friendship Centrewas established about 1964, and Edmund served as director for a period of time.
Although dogged from the beginning of their Bahá'í lives by ill health and the need of frequent medical care, the Many Bears and their white Baha friends made many teaching trips
Page 358throughout the Canadian west, winning friends among people of the Peigan,
Blood and Cree Indiantribes. They also visited other Indian tribes in the States of Montana and Washington. Jean had a compelling and quiet manner, and was a very effective teacher.
On many occasions she confirmed people in the Faith. Edmund was an especially effective teacher in the Blackfoot tongue and frequently at Bahá'í gatherings was asked to intone prayers in that language. He possessed a gentleness, strength and assurance which marked him as a leader. One could feel a spiritual strength emanating from him during periods of prayer.
A friend writes of them: "They were very genuine, loving Baha, inflamed with the spirit of the Cause. Due to ill health and the many pressures put upon those who move between two cultures, it was often with great personal sacrifice that they continued their service to the Cause.~~ And again: "They each had a profound understanding of and respect for Bahá'u'lláh and His Teachings. One felt a certain peace and tranquillity in their company � quite assuredly a combination of their Indian heritage and the influence of their newly-found but well-beloved Faith.. Their teaching efforts and the example of their lives created a bridge of friendship between the Indian and white communities, and their influence assuredly will direct in some measure many whose lives they touched."
Succumbing at last to the physical frailties which had plagued them they died but several weeks apart. Even in death they taught � those attending the memorial service held by the Bahá'ís of Calgary described it as an outstanding demonstration of love and brotherhood.
ROGER WHITELucy Jane Marshall, third of the five children of Richard and Ann Brailey Marshall, was born in Nottingham, England, probably in 1879. The family emigrated to the United States in 1882, lived in the Chicago area, went back to England for a while, then returned to America to stay. In the Fall of 1912, the time of the visit of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to California, Lucy's story begins to come into focus for us. The family had settled in San Francisco. Lucy at thirty-two was a trim and efficient little stenographer with intense bright eyes.
She worked for a shipping firm, Goodall, Nelson and Perkins, which later became the Pacific Steamship Company. Her sister Elizabeth married into the Goodall-Cooper family, and so contacts opened up between the
Marshalls and Ella GoodallCooper, one of the most outstanding and beloved of the early American Baha'is.
In October of 1912, when "Aunt Ella" and her mother took the lead in arranging meetings with 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the Marshall family came.
Elizabeth took longhand notes as best she could.Her little boy, now a kindly San Francisco physician, remembers that the "Great Man" gave him marshmallows.
But for Lucy a lasting transformation came about. Whether or not she had any verbal exchange with the Master, she shook His hand, and her life became centered iii the Teachings He exemplified.
When formal membership records were kept in San Francisco the names of Lucy and her father and her brother Charles were there.
Page 359history is illumined with the services of many outstanding teachers and servants of the Faith.
Lucy's light is a modest one but absolutely constant, in the records she is never listed as speaker or teacher. Instead she served on the Spiritual Assembly almost continuously until in her eighties, and sometimes she was a member of as many as four local committees and two national ones.
Year in and year out she helped to produce the community newsletter with its careful covering of local events and its astonishing enrichment from national and world sources, items gleaned largely from the letters Lucy had received from friends abroad.
Her personal correspondencewas prodigious. She had a talent for seeing all pioneers as equally wonderful, and kept in touch with as many as she could, sending little gifts when possible. On the National Contacts Committee where she was chairman for two years she took part in writing about the Faith to people listed in
Who's Who. Person-to-personThe other national committee on which she served for many years was first called the Esperanto, then the Universal
AuxiliaryLanguage, and finally the World Language Committee. An ardent student of Esperanto herself, she maintained classes in the language season after season in her home, and sometimes they merged into Bahá'í study classes.
Hospitality was the other wing of Lucy Marshall's unobtrusive way of service.
Her father had built a fine two-flat home at 20 Broderick Street, around th& corner from their ifirst house on Wailer Street.
They rented the lower flat, lived in the upper, and had beehives on the roof, withLucy as beekeeper.
In the big basement was the workshop, for Richard Marshall Was a skilled cabinetmaker.
He kept .a printing press there too, and did a considerable amount of printing for the Baha'is.
Meetings of mahy sorts were held in the family flat. While other Baha families shared in this kind of service, it was the Marshall home that twice became the regular center for the Nineteen-Day Feasts.
Andit was Lucy who became the heart and center of the Marshall home. Her sisters married and moved away. Her mother died in 1932 and her father tenyears later. Her brother Charles, ill for many years as the result of a stroke, stayed with her in the flat until his passiiig in 1953. Still their home was virtually the.
Bahá'í Center. And whatever the other friends brought for the feast, Lucy made the tea and served it graciously.
She had room and welcome for out-of-town visitors, expected or not. Martha Root stayed with her.
Another highlight for her was the coming of the first group of Persian students, nine young men, in 1944. They had been given permission by the Guardian to come to America to continue their studies, and they went directly to 20 Broderick Street in San Francisco, telegraphing their parents from there that they had arrived safely. Thee of them forever after spoke of her place as their American home, though they moved away to go to school and later to teach. Lucy treasured their lasting friendship.
It seems that her round of duties from typewriter to writing-desk to telephone and cookstove, and her faithful visits to the sick, never degenerated into drudgery. She had a remarkable capacity for enjoyment. Her eyes would shine with enthusiasm whether she was with the world famous teacher or the shy new believer.
She had a glorious time traveling in Europe with her fellow Esperantist Martha Root when the International
Esperanto Conferencesame year she seems to have enjoyed immensely reporting, with Louis Gregory, the
Nineteenth Annual BahaConvention of the United States and Canada held in Montreal.
And when she found she could not attend thecelebration in Wilmette in 1953, she promptly paid the way for a new Bahá'í to go in her stead.
She made trips to Hawaii and Alaska with Bahá'í interests uppermost.
And there were motor jaunts with her family to Yosemite and Glacier National Park where, as they came upon bears and other wild creatures, she told her young nephews the Mowgli stories.
Tn 1963 she was one of the most enthusiastic of the visitors to the Bahá'í World Congress held in London. A photograph of her there1 has caught her sparkling expression of wonder and delight.
A year later, when someone at the last minute dropped out of a group leaving for Pine Springs, Arizona, to attend an Indian Council Fire, she was playfully asked if she would like to go. "I was just waiting to be invited!" she said, and in five minutes she was ready. Cheerfully she rode the long distance, slept outdoors in a sleeping bag, and with her courage and good spirits contributed much to that inspiring occasion.
In her last days, as her faculties dimmed, she never lost her cheerfulness, nor her childlike faith in Bahá'u'lláh. Loving friends stayed by her and felt privileged to do so. On January 26, 1967, her eyes closed in their last earthly sleep.
ANNA STEVENSONLoulie's contribution to the teaching work of the Faith is inestimable.
Her services over a period of many years in various fields of activity demonstrated the great reliance which she placed on prayer and through which she continually sought guidance.
She first heard of the Faith from a Mrs. Cocheran.
One morning she was shown to a room in Mrs. Cocheran's house. On the table was a single rose and above it hung the protrait of a man of noble bearing in Oriental dress. His eyes penetrated her very soul!
It was as though she was drawn by a magnet, a mysterious Bahá'í News, June 1963, page 9.
attraction, which she could not understand. When She asked the identity of the man in the portrait, Mrs. Cocheran replied: "It is 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the Son ofBaM'u'11Th, the Great Prophet Who has recently come to earth in our own times to reveal the Word of God to all mankind. I am sending you on New Year's eve a book. It contains the key to that which you are seek-111g.
You must begin to studyThe promised book arrived at exactly one minute past twelve (January 1, 1914). It was the Kitáb-i-Iqdn
(The Book of Certitude)and her daughter Wanden (now Mrs. Andrew Kane) were motoring to their country place in the White Mountains and met with an accident when a speeding car ran into them. Loulie was thrown from the vehicle and severely injured. She was carried into the nearest house which proved to be that of her cousin, Harry Randall, and his wife, Ruth, two wellknown early American Baha'is.
When Loulie regained consciousness, there on the wall opposite her bed hung the same portrait of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Both Harry and Ruth were eager to share their knowledge of the Faith with her.
During the weeks before she was able to return to New York, many hours were spent speaking about 'Abdu'l-Bahá and His great wisdom and love. His interpretation of the
Words of Bahá'u'lláhDay by day she absorbed more and more and felt the power of this wondrous Cause.
When she was able to return to her home, completely recovered, she accepted the Faith wholeheartedly and became active in the New York community.
At one of the Nineteen Day Feasts a letter was read from Edith Sanderson of Paris, in which she made a plea that a member of the community come to Paris to help in the teaching work. Loulie, with the consent of her husband, accepted and sailed shortly afterwards for France.
She settled at the Hotel France et Choiseul, and rented a room on the ground floor for the meetings. At that time there were many Persian believers passing through Paris who always attended the meetings. One evening Loulie was passing the tea when one of the Persian friends held up his cup; his flowing sleeves fell back and exposed wrists
Page 361that had been severed from the bone. She drew back in horror: "What has happened to you?" His answer came with a sad smile: "I was imprisoned for my Lord, my hands chained above my head."
When the friends departed, she questioned her soul about the Faith she had embraced: Did she really know the Station of Bahá'u'lláh, the Manifestation of God? Could she have borne the chains and prison for His sake? Before she could teach, she concluded, she must first know herself She decided to write to 'Abdu'l-Bahá: "Dear 'Abdu'l-Bahá, I think I must go home.
I don't know enough about the Faith to conduct a class and a Center, and besides I am not good enough..
She laid the stamped envelope on the table planning to post it later. Just at that moment a visitor was announced. He was a tall Persian friend who had come directly from Haifa and the presence of the Master. He handed her a small envelope addressed to her in the handwriting of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Alas!
she must have it translated.She thought of a Persian friend who knew English perfectly and who would translate it without delay.
"The determination to return home is very dear to the heart of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
The home is the center from which ftfe radiates to all horizons. Do thou go home and be humble andobedient and by-and-by thou shalt become 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í lion and roar across the
Seven Seas."These three episodes became the signposts of her future life. From then on she became an instrument to serve the Cause she loved so well.
After the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahágave to the Guardian of the Faith the same love and devotion which she had rendered the Master.
In 1928 Loulie had the inspiration to establish an International Lending Library which would have its seat at their villa in Portofino,
Italy. She wrote to Shoghi Effendito ask if they should include only Bahá'í literature.
His prompt reply was to "include the Sacred Writings of all religions". Mahy friends entered into the spirit of the idea as a means of spreading the Faith in Europe and the library issued its catalogue and began operating, when suddenly Loulie succumbed to a virulent form of pneumonia. She hovered between life and death for weeks.
Her daughter's cabled request for the Guardian's prayers brought a prompt response: "Your mother's work is not finished. She will live to complete it." The faithful doctor who did not believe in miracles saw one now with his own eyes! He did not understand that Shoghi Effendi's prayers had returned her life, but he repeatedly said that nothing in his medical career had prepared him for her recovery. However, he told her she could no longer live near the sea. No New York, no Portofino.
She must make her home in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado � "Destiny is a thing apart from knowledge, it is a dimension not in books but descends upon us, in the measure of the Supreme Being's will and no man knoweth."
The salubrious Coloradoair, the high dry altitude, soon restored Loulie's health. Her vitality restored, her activity increased.
They moved to Pine Valley.The winds and storms of the future held no tea or. She chose the name "Temerity" for her home, a ranch which was destined to become the school for the pioneers to Latin
America.In 1933 Loulie, accompanied byher husband, undertook a teaching journey to the Antipodes and the Pacific. On the ship she interested many souls, one of whom had travelled on the Cedric
Page 362with 'Abdu'l-Bahá. She contemplated going to India and, as always, sought the Guardian's advice.
He replied:feel it would be wiser not to dissipate your energies in so vast a field as India. I would urge you to concentrate on the South American continent for the present, with particular attention to the Hawaiian Islands where the work you have performed is so deeply appreciated. Japan and China are, moreover, fields where, if feasible, you could render notable and timely services. I would also urge you to induce, whenever you find the occasion suitable, some of the friends to settle permanently in South America. Your experience, judgment and devotion fully qualify you in making the proper selection and in encouraging the friends to follow your noble example.
Lovingly and gratefully,With her husband, known to us all as Matt, Loulie began her work in the
Latin American field. Shevisited Panama; Lima, Peru; Valparaiso and Santiago, Chile; the Chulian lakes; Buenos
Aires, Argentina; Riode Janeiro, Brazil; the Philippines. Each place was blessed with a dramatic and inspiring episode which made its mark and assured its future in the Faith. An account of some of Loulie's travels in which she fulfilled the promise of the Master that she would become a lion and "roar across the Seven Seas" has been left us in her book Not Every Sea
Hath Pearls.As interest grew in Latin America the need for pioneers became urgent and Loulie conceived the idea of establishing a training center at her Pine Valley home, "Temerity", for all who would volunteer to serve in that capacity. It filled a great need in preparing pioneers to settle in the goal countries.
After several years the property was deeded to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. It was commandeered later by the United States government and purchased for military training purposes. Thus another chapter was closed.
Loulie will long be remembered throughout the Bahá'í world.
Her brilliance, her never-failing sense of humor which opened the minds and hearts of those who heard her and unfolded the treasures of the Divine Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, made her famous as a Bahá'í teacher.
Her devotion to the Guardian was a star to her life; his great appreciation of her services and of her spiritual quality is reflected in the following postscript, penned by his own hand, to a letter dated March 13, 1939: "Dear and precious CoWorker: I will assuredly pray from the depth of my heart that your request may be granted... As to your own dear self I am thrilled by the news you give me and by the manner in which you discharge your manifold and vital duties. I am so pleased to know that Mr. Mathews is so closely collaborating with you.
May the Beloved protect and guide you both in the great work you are doing for the Cause. I will place the photo of the Mexican Assembly and the Spanish translation in the Mansion, close to the room where Bahá'u'lláh passed away. Shoghi"
MARION LITTLE1889 � 1964 To have been one of the early American Baha who responded to the Tablets of the Divine Plan, devoting thirty-nine years to the promotion of its goals, must now bring great happiness to the soul of Mrs. Margery McCormick. Born in Winnetka,
Illinois, on February9, 1889, at a time when lamplighters made their rounds each evening to ignite the gas streetlights, she lived to see not only great technological changes in her country, but also the historic raising up of the Administrative Order of the Bahá'í Faith and the beginning of the enlistment of the masses in its ranks.
"Grieved passing much loved Margery McCormick devoted servant Faith outstanding teacher board member her indefatigible services successive stages unfoldment divine plan unforgettable..
." cabled the Hands of the Cause of God residing in the Holy Land on being informed of her passing.
Margery received many honors in her lifetime which she viewed as new opportunities for service. She was appointed as Auxiliary Board member for teaching in 1954, a position which she actively filled until her death in 1964. She was also a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States for a number of years, a member of the
NationalTeaching Committee of that country, and a distinguished international traveling teacher.
Towards the end of her life she represented theof the United States at the establishment of the National Spiritual Assemblies of the South Pacific and of South East Asia and often recalled how thrilling she found those experiences.
Optimism was her gift � one lavishly shared with the thousands of visitors to the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette during her many years of guiding there, and with countless audiences, especially students on university campuses where she was a popular speaker.
At a time of great campus unrest the presence of this serene, assured lady, confidently presenting the vision of a united world and the solutions to contemporary problems contained in the Writings must have left an indelible impression.
If you went to Miargery with a problem she would reach for her prayer book and say, "Just the other day I happened to read these words..
.", and then lead you to the Divine key for solving your problem.
Certain passages in the Writings became so cherished by her that she gathered them together in a little booklet called Spirit-lifters and in encouraging seekers and Bahá'ís alike to turn to the Sacred Scripture for help, she would share a copy of this small selection, knowing it would increase thirst for the Word of
God.urologist and moved to Edmonton, Alberta. During a return visit to her family in 1925 she met Mr. Albert Vail and became attracted to the Baha Teachings. Following the retirement of her husband the family moved back to the United States.
After his death in 1935 she devoted her full attention to the Cause of God and set out for the Holy Land in 1937.
Margery's vivid account of her pilgrimage holds a special message for the shy and hesitant: "I wasn't sure then what would happen on pilgrimage; I just knew that I wanted to visit the Shrines and to meet the beloved Guardian.
But no one had told me that I would be expected to find my role in the Faith. Each day, at the dinner table, the beloved Guardian would encourage me to prepare a public talk. When I explained to him that I was not able to speak in public and had all my life been shy, he listened carefully and then continued speaking of the talk � I knew I must make an effort." As a child, Margery had not been able to attend school during a lengthy illness, and had developed a love of reading which stayed with her all her life.
Stored in her mind were numerous pertinent facts and observations which now came to assist her.
By the end of her pilgrimage, the Guardian had helped her to edit a talk and urged her to commit it to memory.
On her return to America, when the boat docked in New York, she was met by the Bahá'í friends and asked to speak in the Center. Her life as a platform speaker was launched.
Years later, she mentioned that she experienced much anguish and uncertainty on her first pilgrimage and left Haifa a "frightened, raw recruit"; but when she returned on pilgrimage in 1955, she was showered with the warm praise of Shoghi Effendi. "It felt as if all the banners were flying!" she recalled.
"It was the happiest time I have ever known."Having committed to memory so many passages from the Writings, Margery's public talks were charged with the spirit and power evoked by offering the Word unchanged, in all its purity. A generation of Bahá'ís in Canada and the United States came
Page 364under her influence; she would meet protestations about lack of capacity with keenly-recalled personal experiences from her first pilgrimage until each listener would feel that there must be something they, too, could do in service to the Cause.
Age failed to diminish Margery's service or slow its pace; instead, it added the lustre of continuous, consecrated effort. When an invitation came to visit some city or college campus that was new to her, she would study the map and joyfully set out for that area. When her physician warned her to curtail her activities, she told him she would rather "wear out than rust out!"
In addition to conducting a prodigious correspondence and devoting a large measure of her time to travel teaching, Margery was a successful business woman with investments in land, houses and dairy farms, and was active in various community organizations in Evanston. She lived toward the end of her life in the Bahá'í Home for the Aged in Wilmette of which she was a trustee and sponsor, as well as its first resident.
Margery preferred to call it the Baha Home for Senior Citizens, saying that the word ''aged'' applied only to her exterior.
Absolute faith was the hallmark of Margery's life.
Writing to a friend she said: "No wonder the Word is called 'wine!' Never was anything else so intoxicating when one really has absolute faith in it." Then she quoted: "I belong to him that loveth Me, that holdeth fast to My commandments, and castetli away the things forbidden him in
My Book."Her life was constantly guided, her achievements were an answer to prayer.
Asked how she knew when "God answers us", she replied: "Because of something we experience. We have a dilation of the breast, a warm feeling of love and devotion for Him. Every word of our prayer becomes vivid and alive. We have a glorious sensation of companionship; we know that God is actually 'closer to us than breathing, nearer than bands and feet' Bahá'u'lláh becomes our Best Beloved, our Comforter, our Refuge, our Strength, the Forgiver of our sins, our
Savior and Redeemer.It is all too glorious to describe what it is that awaits each soul who learns to pray until God answers him."
At her passing on July 14, 1964, in her seventy-fifth year, the Universal House of Justice cabled:
GRIEVFD LEARN PASSING1879 � 1965 Mien B. McDaniel was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, September 5, 1879. His father was a wellknown Unitarian minister, and from childhood he was reared in an atmosphere of liberal religious thought.
As though in preparation for the services he was to render in the construction of the Mother Temple of the West, Mr. McDaniel chose to become a Civil Engineer, and in 1901 received a degree in Architectural Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the foremost university of its kind in the United States.
It was more than a decade after his graduation that Allen McDaniel found the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
This occurred shortly after the passing of his wife, at about the time of the outbreak of World War I, when he was serving on the faculty of the
University of Illinoisand came in contact with the growing Bahá'í community in Urbana, the seat of this institution of higher learning.
In his book The Spell of the Temple Mr. McDaniel describes his experiences and reactions in learning of the Faith and reading for the first time The
Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh.Allen McDaniel became a Bahá'í in 1915, but it was not until about five years later that he began his association with the work of the first
Bahá'í House of Worshipin the Western world, when he was invited to advise the Temple Trustees on the elevation of the main floor of the Temple structure.
In the years which followed, Mr. McDaniel became increasingly absorbed in the challenging task of translating into a permanent and beautiful building the dream of Louis Bourgeois, the Bahá'í architect who designed the "Temple of Light". Finally, in 1930, the Temple Trustees requested Allen McDaniel and his
Page 365firm to undertake the supervision of the erection of the superstructure of the Temple, which was begun in the Fall of that year.
Throughout the remaining difficult stages of completing this unique and spiritually significant building, the cornerstone of which was laid by 'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself, Mr. McDaniel devoted a major part of his professional activity to this highly important work, to which he brought the dedication and enthusiasm of a devoted believer in combination with his outstanding technical knowledge and experience.
Mr. McDaniel attended as a delegate the annual Bahá'í Convention of 1925, held in Green Acre, the site of one of the Bahá'í Summer Schools, and it was at this convention that he was for the first time elected as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United
States and Canada. Followingthis first call to service on the highest administrative body of the Faith in North America, he continued as one of its members for twenty-one consecutive years (1925 � 1946), a period coinciding with the intensive development of the Administrative Order in the West, under the unerring guidance of the Guardian of the Faith.
During most of these years, in addition to his unique contribution to the technical aspects of completing the superstructure and exterior ornamentation of the Temple in Wilmette, Mr. McDaniel served as Chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, and rendered many other significant services to the Faith, including contacts with officials of the government of the United States and official representatives of many other governments in connection with matters affecting the Faith.
In the final stage of the completion of the Temple, the execution of the interior ornamentation of this unique structure (1947 � 1952), Mr. McDaniel served as a member of the Technical Advisory Board appointed by the Temple Trustees, thus extending to a period of more than thirty years his direct and active association with the construction of the Mother Temple of the West.
In addition to the technical knowledge and experience which enabled Allen McDaniel to make such an invaluable contribution to the building of the Temple he had a vision of its true significance and purpose, based on his deep study of the
Teachings of Bahá'u'lláhand 'Abdu'l-Bahá This is reflected in the following quotations from his book describing The Spell of the Temple: "In the years to come, around this Universal House of Worship will cluster institutions of social service and public welfare.
for under the New World Order, the salvation of a world in travail can come only from spiritual communion with God and the intelligent application of His laws to the daily life of humanity."
The following message, sent by the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States after Mr. McDaniel's passing, serves as a befitting epilogue to this memorial tribute to a distinguished and much beloved servant of the
Faith:A motor accident on February 26, 1963, took the lives of Bahman Mihrab&ni, Ni'mat YigThigi and Ram Dayal Sharma and deprived
Ni'mat YigdnigiBalimnan Mihrabd iii the Bahá'í community of India of three of its most outstanding teachers.
They had played an active role in initiating teaching in the remote villages and mass enrollment areas of the country. They were travelling to New Delhi to attend a recently called conference to celebrate the teaching victories achieved and to plan a campaign of expansion and consolidation. The friends gathered at the conference held a memorial meeting to mourn the loss of their three companions whose dedicated service was a source of inspiration and an example deserving of emulation.
Bahman MibrabAni, in his early teens, left his home in Yazd, Persia, and settled in Bombay. He learned of the Cause through his uncle and quickly embraced it. He was a gifted teacher and won to the Cause many people of capacity. With his wife and family he pioneered to Gwalior where there were no resident Bahá'ís
Rain Dayal Sharmaand largely through his devoted efforts the area became an active centre of mass conversion. He is remembered as a gentle, humble and kind man whose actions were a source of attraction to those who met him.
Ni'mat YigAnigi was born in Poona, India, and was only twenty-three years of age at the time of his passing. He was a student of agriculture at the University of Poona and achieved recognition both as a scholar and as an athlete and sportsman.
He was born into a family of Bahá'í pioneers who had assisted in building Spiritual Assemblies in various parts of India. Although just a few months remained before the completion of his studies, he was eager to participate in mass teaching before the end of the Ten Year Crusade and had volunteered to serve in Madhya Pradesh as a temporary settler.
His loving spirit, lucid explanations and moving recitation of prayers won the hearts of the villagers he taught.
In the last few months of his short life he assisted in carrying the Message to the remotest corners of Madhya Pradesh, forgetting rest and comfort in an outpouring of sacrificial service.
Ram Dayal Sharma was born into a Hindu family of high caste. Although he was a Brabmin by birth, he was devoid of caste prejudice. Before accepting the Faith he was elected
President of VillagePanchayat, a position which accorded him judicial powers to settle village disputes. He was deeply loved by the villagers for his strong sense of justice and his untiring services on behalf of rich and poor alike.
Upon accepting the Faith of IBahA'u'IIdh, he became an enthusiastic teacher noted for his capacity to present, in simple and moving language, the glad tidings of the return of Krishna. He was a gifted organizer and a fine singer and in the short span of his Bahá'u'lláh brought the Faith to thousands of people representative of all castes and walks of life. His sincerity and love of service endear his memory to those who knew him.
HERMA MUHLSCHLEGELHerma Weidle was born in 1902 in Stuttgart, Germany.
Her father was a policeman and the family lived in modest circumstances.
llama was a sunny, radiant girl with a fun-loving and vivacious nature, and was loved by everyone.
Tn 1920, five years before her husband became acquainted with her, the Master had prophesied in a Tablet addressed to Adelbert Mtihlschlegel: 'Whine honoured wife will be favoured at the
Threshold of Onenessand looked upon with eyes of mercy." When she became a Bahá'í and married Dr. Mtihlschlegel she personified to everyone the ideal of a loving, deeply sympathetic heart completely without prejudices.
Hence her home became a wellknown centre of hospitality and friendship, and it was blessed with five joyful children.
In 1936 Herma made a pilgrimage with her husband to the
Baha World Centre. Themeeting with the Guardian confirmed, heightened and inflamed her devotion to the Faith.
When the suppression of the Faith in Germany before World War II caused the interruption of Bahá'í activities and the severing of connections with the world at large, Herma devised a means of maintaining communication with the Holy Land. Possessed of a beautiful voice, Herma after some difficulty finally succeeded in obtaining permission from the State to take special singing lessons with a noted teacher and composer in ZUrich, Switzerland. This made it possible for her to dispatch reports to the beloved Guardian and to bring his messages into Germany. Herma's courage, strengthened by her deep love for Bahá'u'lláh, made possible the bringing of much needed guidance from the World Centre to the German Bahá'ís in their difficulties before the beginning of the Second World War.
In the postwar years of rebuilding the German national Bahá'í community, again Herma arose to serve the Cause of God in a variety of ways. She was a reliable administrator as well as a loving teacher.
Her Bahá'í life was an example of devotion and service.
When a young Persian Bahastudent lost part of her skin through an accident, Herma spontaneously offered a portion of her own skin tissue. The transplantation succeeded very well.
Later, therhythm of Herma'slife was calmer, her husband frequently travelling for the Cause and her children having established homes of their own. But her last illness had already begun. In 1964, after intense suffering, she radiantly ascended to the eternal homeland, on the blessings of which she had so often reflected on earth.
ADELBERT M{YHLSCHLEGEL1884 � 1963 Beneath a shady tree somewhere along the coast of Esperance Bay in West Australia, about the year 1884, an Australian aboriginal woman of the Minen tribe gave birth to a son. A pure soul was born, lived and grew to become probably the most wellknown person of his race.
His parents died when he was quite young. He and his brother were fostered by a European woman, the wife of a sheep station manager, who lived in the area. This proved the means of
Fred Murraysaving their lives as during an extremely serious drought soon after they were orphaned, the entire tribe died from drinking poisoned water. The two boys later travelled by foot many hundreds of miles overland to Yalata Sheep Station in South Australia, living off the land as was their tribal custom.
Yalata Station was owned by a family by the name of Murray who loved and cared for the boys. It was during this period that the young men adopted the name Murray. And so Fred Murray became a named citizen of Australia. Fred worked herding sheep and cattle, riding horses, prospecting, and living the rough life that prevailed at that time. His brother was killed while taming wild horses and thus Fred became the last living member of his tribe. Much of his life was spent with a family named Crowder and it was through this association that he was eventually brought to the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh.
Fred married one of his own race, an aboriginal woman from Lake Victoria.
He lived and worked along the River Murray for the rest of his life.
He travelled the river on the paddle steamers and workedinthe driedfruitsindustry. On reaching the age of retirement, Fred went
Page 369with his wife, son and two daughters to live on Gerard Aboriginal Reserve in the Upper Murray River area of South Australia.
His wife died a short time afterwards.Bahá'ís from Renmark visited the reserve and so Fred Murray met the Harwood family who were descendants of the Crowder family he had known and loved so long. Learning of the Bahá'í Faith he was deeply impressed by its Teachings.
"One people, one God, everybody one � that is good!"
he often said. Ills decision to become a Bahá'í was made on June 23, 1961. lie became an active teacher and served on the Spiritual
Assembly of Renmark.KMnum � "the dear Lady who sends out the love from Haifa," he called her.
There he also met Jessie Revell and Bahá'í friends from all over the world, including the Hand of the Cause
Dr. Ralxmatu'llAh Mirzawhom he accompanied on a teaching trip to South Australia and Victoria.
Perhaps the greatest thrill of Fred's life was attending the Most Great Jubilee celebration in London in 1963. There in Albert Hall, surrounded by thousands of Baha from around the globe, he spoke of the sorrow and suffering of his much persecuted people and added: "When I was a baby, my people died. I thought, 'I have no people!' But now lam Bahá'í � you are all my people." Fred was loved by everyone and his conduct and charm were so natural that he could enter any company and be perfectly at ease.
His Bahá'í friends and others spontaneously called him "Uncle", a term of respect and affection.
Fred had never been to school hut had a wisdom and dignity of impressive dimensions.
Fred's advanced age and failing sight made it impossible for him to travel unaccompanied. Consequently he went to live in the city, transferring to the Burnside community.
But God had other plans for him and Fred Murray, the first full-blooded Australian aboriginal to become a Baha'i, passed on to the Abh~ Kingdom on December 21, 1963, in his seventy-ninth year.
There is a bronze bust of Fred in the American National Museum and also in the South Australian Art Gallery. These were made when Fred was about thirtyfive years of age as he was considered to be a "perfect specimen" of his race.
As time goes by, the world will learn how perfect.
Message from the Universal� we have just learned of the passing of Mr. Fred Murray, first full-blooded Aborigine Bahá'í We recall Mr. Murray's attendance at the World Congress in London, and we are very grateful that he was permitted to observe this historic event before his passing to the AbM Kingdom. Please assure members of his family that we have offered prayers at the lloiy Shrines for the progress of his soul."
Message from the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land:
GRIEVED NEWS PASSING MUCHOn June 20, 1967, the first indigenous Bahá'í of Greenland passed away.
Although he was an elderly man when he became a believer in the summer of 1965, he rendered distinguished service to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
He began serving the Cause many years before he became formally affiliated with it, and the effect of his spirit, as well as his physical contribution to the work of the Cause in Greenland, will be felt for many years after his passing to the AbhA Kingdom.
Mr. Olsen's contact with the Faith began some twenty years before his declaration of belief, when Johanne
S0rensen (later Mrs. Johanneletters and literature about the Faith to several places in Greenland. One of these many letters reached Mr. Olsen who replied courteously with words of appreciation. The ensuing correspondence led him to translate into the Greenlandic language the booklet Bahá'u'lláh og
Hans Budskab (Bahá'u'lláhThis was a remarkable contribution. The Greenlandic language had oniy recently been committed to written form, and although still evolving, its development since then has been very rapid.
Mr. Olsen brought to bear on his task his own considerable skill as a writer and translator.
Highly respected and trusted by his compatriots, Mr. Olsen more than once had served as an elected member of the local government, and had been selected by the wellknown Danish-Greenlandic writer and explorer, Mr. Knud Rasmussen, to translate his books. He approached the Bahá'í translation with characteristic care and reverence, and seeking a measure of security for its accuracy sought the assistance of the kateket, the local Protestant priest, in reviewing his work.
Mr. Olsen's correspondence with Mrs. Johanne H0eg was maintained for many years. In the spring of 1965 he wrote expressing the desire to meet, once in his life, a believer in the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, the principles and Teachings of which increasingly attracted him. Mrs. H0eg, then some seventy years of age, undertook the long and arduous journey to Greenland, an island highly exposed to inclement weather, and offering little accommodation.
It was a great relief to the Danish Bahá'í community when young Dr. H. Ra'fat volun-teeredto accompany Mrs. H0eg. They travelled by ship and by plane, taking the long route.
The meeting in the summer of 1965 in Upernavik at ilendrik Olsen's home was both cordial and poignant for the longtime correspondents.
Mr. Olsen signed a declaration of his acceptance of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, expressing regret for not having done so much earlier.
Eager to translate his belief into action, he offered to translate into Greenlandic Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, a work he had oniy half accomplished when he passed away and which the Baha group in Godthaab is making efforts to complete.
Hendrik Olsen was unquestionably a leader in Greenland, and in many ways a pioneer � a
Hendrik Olsenfeature apparently running in his family, as he was a direct descendant of the first Greenlandic Christian � and his prestige on this vast island is still very great. His name will long be remembered in the Baha community.
The humility and courteousness radiating from his letters, which Johanne Hseg has cherished and preserved, will be a source of inspiration for coming generations.
Informed of his passing, the Universal House of Justice cabled:
GRIEVED PASSING HENDRIKAlthough she was one of the earliest luminaries of the Bahá'í Faith in the British Isles and one of its most able exponents, whose example, lectures and writings had a profound influence on those who subsequently embraced the Cause, and although the recipient of a glowing tribute from Shoghi Effendi, little is known about the personal life of Florence Pinchon,
Page 371even by those who deeply admired her and benefited from her tutelage. To one of her retiring and unostentatious nature the appreciations received upon her passing would have been a source of embarrassment. She was disciplined, patrician, impeccable in manner and dress, and for half a century served the Baha Cause with serene conviction of its ultimate triumph.
The first written account of Miss Pinchon's association with the Bahá'í Faith is to be found in the letters of Dr. 3. E.
Essleniont to Dr. Lutfu'11ThUakim, written between 1915 � 1921. Dr. Esslemont was at that time resident medical officer at the Home Sanatorium, IBournemouth. Hewroteon May 6,1915: "This afternoon Miss Pinchon, Miss Duke, Miss Martyn and I had a little meeting; they are all deeply interested.
" And then, on May 19: "Miss Pinchon and one or two others are coming tomorrow. Quite a number of friends here are interested in reading the books and I am getting quite a little lending library now."
"The interest continues to grow quietly," he wrote the following month.
"I hope you will be able to pay a return visit to Bournemouth during the summer to help us along. I have Bahá'í talks here every Wednesday and Thursday with a few friends and am keeping a good deal of literature circulating, and am preparing the ground and sowing seed as I find opportunity."
In April 1916 Dr. Esslemontrelated that "our meetings are not very large but they are helpful" and three months later that Miss Pinchon was teaching a Bahá'í class for children; the class donated ten shillings to the Temple Fund and occasionally held their meetings at the home of Major Tudor
Pole.Dr. Esslemont records on August 2,1919, that "Miss
Pinchon's Progressiveand she hopes, after that lecture, to start Esperanto Classes at the library."
A letter to Dr. Ijakim dated March 21, 1920 states that Miss Pinchon was "delighted" to receive a message from 'Abdu'l-Bahá which had been forwarded through Dr. Esslemont. "I saw
Miss Pinchon today," Esslemontwrote. "We were talking about starting a weekly Bahá'í meeting at her library.
I have started revising and pruning the book.." The following summer Dr. Esslemont wrote of the visit of a Bahá'í teacher from London, Mrs. George, who came to assist the struggling Bournemouth group. In the spring of 1921 he was able to report that he and Miss Pinchon had shared with some others the platform of a Bahá'í public meeting held at Boscombe which nine attended, and that Feasts were held regularly at Miss Pinchon's library.
After the passing of theflowered into fruitful service. The interplay of the Bahá'í teachings upon her creative mind resulted in the publication of a book The Coming of the Glory. Written just six years after the Baha world was deprived of the physical presence of the Centre of the Covenant, the book reflects a deep grasp of the history of the Cause and its spiritual and administrative teachings which are imaginatively presented. "Your book admirable in presentation exquisite in style," Shoghi Effendi cabled Miss Pinchon in
1927. Volume II of Theof the Glory at the head of the twenty-one titles listed as "Bahá'í Publications of England" and notes that the book "has been highly endorsed by Shoghi Effendi".
In her preface to the slim volume Miss Pinchon states: "The following has been written in the hope that it may serve to awaken interest, particularly among the young and thoughtful, in a great modern Movement, the spirit and principles of which are, I believe, the spiritual light of the epoch now opening before us, and which is steadily gaining adherents, and the recognition of enlightened and progressive minds, in every quarter of the globe."
The book was serialized in Star of the West, commencing with Volume xviii, in 1927. The footnote introducing it contained another appreciation from the Guardian: "The book is correct in its presentation of the essentials of the Faith, eminently readable, exquisitely arranged, and has a distinctive charm unsurpassed by any book of its kind, whether written by Eastern or Western believers.
I heartily recommend it to every earnest and devout teacher of the
Cause."Pinchon contributed generously to Baha periodicals.
In addition to the instalments of her book, the pages of early issues of Star of the West and World Order magazine carried fifteen articles on an astonishingly wide variety of subjects, one play dramatizing an encounter between a devout Christian
Page 372clergyman and a travelling Bahá'í teacher from the East, and a series of four presentations of the Cause to those speaking from the position of sincere belief in the Church of England, Theosophy,
Spiritualism and ChristianIn a letter to the Bahá'í friends in Great Britain written on December 16, 1922, the Guardian stated: "That in every one of you our departed Master reposed his future and truest hopes for an able and convincing presentation of the Cause to the outside world is abundantly revealed in His spoken and written words to you, as well as in His general references to the spirit of sincerity, of tenacity and devotion that animates His friends in that land.., the rise... of a few but indeed capable, reliable, devoted and experienced followers and admirers of the Cause; the splendid and in many instances unique opportunities that are yours � these indeed are cherished thoughts for a land that illumines its past and should cheer its future," In the same message he wrote of the "comfort-ing and sustaining" thought that his British, coworkers had offered "spontaneous and undiminished support, as well as wise and experienced assistance" which he assured them would "hearten me in the midst of my future labours for the Cause". Inspired by words like these, Miss Pinchon took up her gifted pen.
Of the many articles she wrote perhaps none was more treasured than her compilation of the Bahá'í teachings on the immortality of the soul, published as a pamphlet in Great Britain in 1945 and reprinted in the United States in 1954. One cannot estimate into how many homes this splendid booklet entitled Life After Death brought solace and comfort. For many years, nothing in Bahá'í literature was so appropriate a gift to friends who had suffered the loss of loved ones.
One who loved Miss Pinchon has written: "I spent a year in Bournemouth, 1946 � 1947... As a young Bahá'í I used to love to visit 'Floy' Pinchon in her modest bedsitter and listen to her talking.
She was very scholarly, had deep spiritual perception, and I grew very fond of this rare person. But she was the master and I was a grateful pupil.
I like to think I was able to give Floy a little pleasure; our last meeting we celebrated by rowing up the river from Christchurch and had tea and scones � it was an ideal summer day.
She did so enjoy simple things and really appreciated any small treat. I often found in her a youthful enthusiasm, an almost childish delight, that, blended with her brilliant mind, made her such a delightful companion. Being shy and retiring she did not mix readily and sometimes one sensed that her world was far removed from this one for which she probably cared little. I am one who is glad to have enjoyed her companionship and who often recalls the refuge to which I fled in my youth, to seek the world of Ploy Pinchon and rest awhile.'
Another correspondent attests: "My recollections of Florence Pinehon go back to her visit to Bradford in 1939 when, as a year-old Baha, I sat at her feet and absorbed a great deal from her. In later years I occasionally went on teaching trips to Bournemouth and spent precious hours with her. In spite of her quiet nature she kept herself amazingly well-informed about world events and had a tremendous vision of the future of the Cause. At a time when some of the friends were struggling to achieve an awareness of the station of the beloved Guardian, Eloy had already achieved that insight and given him her heart, loyalty and obedience.
I found her quietly hesitant when speaking privately, but she could give a firm, impressive, knowledgeable and well-planned public address. On the subject of immortality, she had no rival."
A third friend writes: "At an early summer schoolgive one of the most spiritually-uplifting and comprehensive talks that I have ever heard.
Her intellectual capacity was amazing. Her wide reading, her intellectual gifts and her grasp of the Bahá'í teachings were of the utmost value and importance to the Bournemouth community."
Miss Pinchon's death on March 31, 1966, was recorded with deep sorrow by the
National Spiritual Assemblyof the British Isles: ..... frail in body but indomitable in spirit, dear Miss Pinchon waited serenely to pass through the door of the Abh~i Kingdom. Only a few days before her death we received a letter from her in which she welcomed the Messenger of Joy."
Perhaps Florence Pinchon'sown epitaph would be found in the words attributed to one of the characters in her book, The Coming of the Glory: "It is not so much a new life, as life renewed..."
ROGER WmmMr. Ampelius Posy was born in Jacmel, Haiti, the son of a Baptist minister.
He completed his studies in that city. In later years his business took him to the city of St. Marc where, in 1955,
Ampelius Posyhe first encountered the Bahá'í Faith. He was a member of the first Spiritual Assembly of that community and much of the Bahá'í activity there centered in and around his home. In 1961 he served as a member of the first historic National Spiritual
Assembly of Haiti.In 1963 when enrollment in significant numbers began in Haiti Mr. Posy emerged as a flame of fire and perhaps in this period made his most outstanding contribution to the work of the Cause. It was through his spirit, energy and enthusiasm that the first large community of Bahá'ís came into being in Haiti, the corn-munity of Pont ]3enoit in the Artibonite
Valley. The Mount CarmelBahá'í School flourishes in this active community today. Classes are conducted by the Bahá'ís of Pont Beno it. Entry by troops into the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh followed swiftly in other areas in the wake of the development of Pont Benoit and many large communities were established through the efforts of the friends in the Artibonite Valley. A number of fine
BahA'ipioneers of HaitianMr. Posy passed away very suddenly on October 17, 1965, following a short illness. He was the first to have a strictly Bahá'í burial in the Republic of Haiti. He is interred in the cemetery of St.
Marc.was born into a Muslim family in K~izir6n, Ir&n. In 1926 he learned of the Bahá'í Faith though his eldest brother and after thorough investigation accepted it. Although formerly illiterate he commenced an assiduous study of the Teachings. His concentrated studies and constant association with knowledgeable Bahá'ís soon qualified him as an effective teacher.
He taught actively inFor a number of years he served on the Spiritual Assemblies of Abdd&n and Khurramshahr and was a delegate to the National
Convention.His business affairs suffered because he was known as a Bahá'í but soon his neighbours and associates learned that he was righteous and fair in his dealings and were drawn to him.
One dayhe was informed that his neighbours were stoninghis house and abusing his pregnant wife.
He rushed home to find that his wife had fainted and was bleeding profusely.
The attending doctor urged him to complain to the authorities but instead he forgave the offenders. This incident increased his fame among his associates and those who were hostile toward him, and as he gained acceptance and recognition his financial affairs prospered.
The Rawh~ni home became a centre of hospitality for pioneers en route to 'IrAq. One pioneer family wrote to Shoghi Effendi expressing their gratitude for this assistance and in reply received a letter written on behalf of the beloved Guardian praising the actions of Mr. and Mrs. Rawhdni in extending care and hospitality to the pioneers.
In 1949 Mr. RawhAni served for eight difficult months in Mecca, assisting the friends there in the establishment of the Spiritual Assembly.
Page 374The airplane on which he was returning to Persia crashed. He rendered assistance to the injured passengers among whom was an eminent Egyptian who was a great enemy of the Faith. The enemy was moved by the kindness and affection Mr. RawliAni demonstrated toward the injured passengers.
He invited Mr. RawliAnito visit Cairo as his personal guest, an incident which pleased the believers in Cairo.
The greatest task of Mr. RawhAni's life, one which assures his enduring fame, was the identification of the grave of the father of Bahá'u'lláh, Mirza Buzurg, in Karbil&.
This mission was entrusted to him by the National Spiritual
Assembly of Persiaand he persevered in this difficult assignment for three years, at the end of which time he identified the grave and photographed the tombstone for the approval of Shoghi Effendi. Having received assurance from the Guardian that it was correct he succeeded, with the aid of another Bahá'í friend, in transferring the remains to the Baha cemetery in Bag~d~d.
During an outbreak of persecution in 1955 the Bahá'ís of Persia were in great danger. Mr. RawliAni's home in Khurramshahr was stoned several times but owing to the respect in which he was held by the local Chief of Police he was spared further ordeals.
Mr. Rawh6ni became ill in 1964 and soughttreatment in London where he passed away a year later. According to his wish he is buried in the Great
Northern Cemeteryin London, near the resting place of the Guardian of the Faith. A modest man who never spoke of the many contributions he made to the work of the Cause, Mr. RawhAni became widely known within and without the Faith for his devotion, kindness and exemplary behaviour.
SIYYID 'ALL RID VANIwas born into a conservative Muslim family and became a devoted Shay~hi.
He learned of the Baha Faith at an early age and quickly embraced it, devoting the rest of his life to its service. He made many teaching trips throughout eastern bin from Mashhad to Bandar 'Abbas, and found great happiness in visiting the House of the Mb in Shir&z. Although ostracized and deprived of his inheritance by his family when he became a Baha'i, Mr. Ri~IvAnf continued to serve the Cause wholeheartedly, and ultimately experienced the joy of welcoming his brother into the Faith.
A frequent victim of persecution because of his allegiance to the Bahá'í Cause, Mr. RhJvAni on one occasion received a threatening communication from a religious group calling itself the Islamic Society which said: "Come, Oh you who have lost your way, your religion and your Faith, come and be Muslim. Come and drive away that satanic belief, repent to the Muslim mu11~...
If you fail to do so, be assured that we will kill you during the days of RamaQ~n.. Your death will be accomplished easily.. it will cost us just one bullet to correct your negation of truth. Come, have pity on your soul, and purify it from evil beliefs. If not, you will not escape certain and immediate death even if you remain in your home."
As a result of a conspiracy led by a hostile mu11~, Mr. RhJv~ini was attacked and received twenty-thee knife wounds. His body was cast into an abandoned well some distance from the village of RAvar, iAn, and he was considered dead.
A Baha friend who witnessed the assault informed the Bahá'ís who came thirty-six hours later, under cover of darkness, to transport the
Page 375body for burial. It was discovered that Mr. RiijvAni was still alive. His recovery was effected after a lengthy recuperation in Kirm&n. Eager to participate in the Ten Year Crusade, Mr. Ri4vAni with his wife and some members of his family pioneered to Morocco in December 1954 where their home became a centre of attraction and confirmation.
The devoted couple assisted in the establishment of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Rabat in 1955. Later they served on the Spiritual Assemblies of Tetuan and Kenitra and, in 1958, assisted in the formation of the first
Spiritual Assembly of Sal&In 1930, and again in 1953, Mr. and Mrs. RkLv~nf made pilgrimages to the Holy Land. A treasured experience drawn from that first pilgrimage was that the beloved
Guardian permitted Mr.Ri~1v&ni to serve as the host to the pilgrims attending the Feast held in the garden of RhJvAn on the ninth day of the Ri4vAn period. Mr. RiQv~ini kept alive his memory of that occasion by requesting the Baha'is, wherever he was, to permit him to be their host on the ninth day of RhjvAn, a small personal tradition warmly remembered by his friends.
Mr. Rhlvdni was one of the happy, excited Bahá'ís who gathered in London in 1963 to celebrate the Most Great Jubilee and the successful conclusion of the Ten Year Crusade in which he had played a significant role in Morocco.
After a brief illness he passed away on June 28, 1964, and is buried in the Bahá'í cemetery of Rabat. He williong be remembered as an example of the courage and steadfastness to which Bahá'u'lláh calls those who arise to serve
His Cause:And be thou so steadfast in My love that thy heart shall not waver, even if the swords of the enemies rain blows upon thee and all the heavens and the earth arise against thee...
SHOWn R. RAWUANIThis was the cabled reply by Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, to the message from the
National Spiritual Assemblyof the Baha of the United States informing him of the death of Mrs. Annie Romer in Manchester, Connecticut, on March 6, 1955, after long months of intense suffering.
A review of the many letters Mrs. Romer received from the Guardian, several of which address her as "dearly loved and precious Bahá'í sister", reveals that most of her early work for the Faith was done under his persona! direction.
Daughter of John 13. and Isabel Seymour Brown, Annie Romer was born in South Windsor, Connecticut, onJanuary24, 1876. Her husband, Harry H. Romer, was a newspaper correspondent and held important posts during World War I with the Associated Press in Berlin and London after which he became a member of the staff of that organization in London where he was stationed at the time of the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. lit was largely through Mr. Romer's efforts that the news of
AAthis heartrending event was heralded to the Baha throughout the world.
Following their marriage in the United States, Mr. and Mrs. Romer moved to London and for several years Annie was very active in the London Baha community, serving for some time as secretary of the Local
Spiritual Assembly. Theletters exchanged between Shoghi Effendi and herself, especially between 1930 and 1934, record that under his instructions she secured from a number of persons of international renown statements of appreciation of the Bahá'í Faith, some of which were later published in Volume VIII of The Bahá'í World and other Bahá'í documents. Among those she interviewed for this purpose were Sir Francis Younghusband, Arnold J. Toynbee, Dr. Han Prasad
Shastri, Lillian HelenMontague, and the Reverend Griffith J. Sparham. Also, at the Guardian's instructions, Mrs. Romer gave the message of the Baha Faith to many other men and women of great influence and renown in the fields of science, literature and religion.
Through her efforts persons prominent in public affairs were often invited to the Bahá'í Center in London and to speak at public meetings sponsored by the London Spiritual Assembly. Annie also arranged for a number of these individuals to meet Bahá'ís of prominence in other countries where they might be visiting.
Furthermore, she maintained close contact with various organizations working for peace and often made arrangements to include Bahá'í speakers on their platforms.
Ofttimes the speaker was Lady Blomfield and sometimes herself.
When Harry Romer passed away suddenly on April 13, 1935, Annie was plunged into deep grief and returned to the United States broken in health, almost without funds and without a home.
About a year later she wrote to the Guardian from New York asking for guidance. "I am trying to sense alittle of what Bahá'u'lláh means," she stated, "when lie reiterates... that we are to go forth and teach His Cause if necessary alone. I have a little money and could use it and go somewhere to teach, or keep it for my old age..,
and then I may not live to be very old... I pray I may be a channel in some way for His glorious Message." The Guardian expressed his admiration for her "fortitude, unsparing devotion and unshakable resolve" and urged her "not to allow sorrow and bereavement reavement to interfere with the progress of your historic services and activities".
He advised her to "fully concentrate" on the matter of teaching and suggested that if possible she go back to England to aid in the new teaching campaign, or to Central or South America where "the future is full of promise".
Mrs. Romer returned to London a few months later but, unable to find employment and with her funds fast dwindling, she returned to New York at the end of October, 1937. Here she began to study Bahá'í Administration and to bring herself up to date on teaching methods. She attended classes at Green Acre and met Martha Root, Keith Ransom-Keller and other pioneer teachers whose reports, as she wrote to Shoghi Effendi in April, 1938, "have stimulated me and given me new hope and helped clear away many questions and problems. May Bahá'u'lláh assist me to translate this into action and to spread the knowledge where it will do most good."
Again expressing his great gratitude for her historic services in England, the Guardian replied that for the present America "provides the best and most promising field on which to concentrate".
That was early in the first Seven Year Plan. From then on through the remainder of her life, Annie Romer was available for any and all teaching assignments, no matter how difficult. Her knowledge of the Teachings, her love and devotion to the Faith, her humility and self-sacrifice were a great inspiration to Bahá'ís and non-Bah&is wherever she went. One of her most significant services during this period was her settlement in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where she helped to bring into being the first Local Spiritual Assembly in that province in 1944.
In 1946 Mrs. Romer responded to the call to settle in the southern states to strengthen the new communities that had been formed during the first Seven Year Plan.
Making Greenville, SouthCarolina, her headquarters for the next three years, she devoted all her time to teaching in the surrounding states. Next she moved to Columbia, South Carolina, for some months and later spent approximately a year in New Orleans, Louisiana, after which she settled in Louisville, Kentucky, from 1951 to 1953. Then after residing a few months in Knoxville, Tennessee, her health began to fail rapidly but
Page 377she never ceased to continue her teaching, even when recuperating from surgery for cancer. Finally, when all hope for recovery was aban-dqncd, Annie was taken to the home of her brother, J. S. Brown, in Manchester, Connecticut, where she passed away, leaving, besides two brothers, a sister, a stepson, several grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
"0 thou lady of the Kingdom," she was called by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the one precious letter she had received from the Master. Her manyloving letters of appreciation from the Guardian and her glowing record of service testify how brilliantly Annie Romer lived up to this title.
CHARLOTTE LINFOOT1875 � 1965 Alice Schwarz, the daughter of the Bavarian industrialist, Heinrich Solivo, was born on July 12, 1875, in Stuttgart. She spent part of her youth in Stuttgart and part in Unterhausen in Echaztal on the Aib, where her father had built the first hosiery mill in Wlirttemburg.
Although very religious from her youth, she found no fulfilment in the Protestant beliefs. It is therefore readily understandable that she was indelibly impressed when she met, in 1912, the American dentist, Edwin Fisher � the first Baha to come to Germany � who told her about the new world religion.
Of her meeting with Edwin Fisher in her home, she said: "I have experienced this day either that which was sent to earth by the Most Glorious, or I have encountered a dreamer." When 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited Stuttgart a few months later in April, 1913, she was able to experience through her personal encounters with the Master the greatest bounty of her life. She was granted the inestimable honor of receiving 'Abdu'l-Bahá as a guest in her home.
From that time forward the life of Alice Schwarz was completely dedicated to the Baha Faith. She gave numerous public talks and made translations of the Writings. In her service she enjoyed the wholehearted support of her husband, Albert Schwarz (deceased 1931'), who also embraced the Cause and dedicated his life to its service. All the members of the 1 The Rahd't World, vol. xv, p. 264.
Alice Sclzwarz-Solivofamily were honored with personal Tablets from the Master. In 1922 the couple undertook a pilgrimage to Haifa where they met the Guardian. In 1936 Alice Schwarz again made a pilgrimage in company with other friends.
For many years Mr. and Mrs. Schwarz were members of the Spiritual Assembly of Stuttgart and both were closely associated with the initial propagation of the Faith in Germany and Austria. Shortly after World War I, she founded the Sonne der Wahreit (Sun of Truth), the first German Bahá'í periodical.
She also actively participated in the establishment of the Bahá'í Publishing Trust and translated and published Bahá'í articles in collaboration with Heinrich
JAger.During the Nazi regime the Bahá'í library which was maintained at her home was confiscated and she was able to preserve only a few of the Writings.
After her house and property were lost in air raids, she moved to her daughter's house in the Tyrol but as soon as conditions allowed she returned to her homeland in order to be of further service to the Faith. In an account of her life in this period a friend writes: "After World War H she worked with un-reduced interest in spreading the Bahá'í mes
Page 378sage. The two world disasters and the following events could not shake her faith in a better and more promising future. Thus she spent her last years under the loving care of her family, full of confidence in the future. She felt secure towards the end of her earthly life, remembering the worlds of Bahá'u'lláh: "I have made death a messenger ofloy to thee..
When she left this earth on April 7, 1965, Alice Schwarz left in her native land and far beyond its borders the memory of a woman who was unshakable in her Faith, loyal, energetic and brave.
At her gravesidethefollowing prayer, written for her by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, was read in accordance with her wish: "To the Handmaid of God, Mrs. Alice Schwarz, above her is Bahá'u'lláh 0 God! 0 God! In truth this Thy handmaid is dressed in Thy holy fragrances, and she has turned her face towards Thy merciful countenance. Destine for her all good in Thy Kingdom and let Thy blessings descend upon this noble family.
Allow the lights of Thy mercy to surround them in all eternity and grant them the shield of Thy protection and support.
Verily, Thou art the Charitable, the Mighty and the Giver of all Mercy."
AxEL SdnwAxz1906 � 1967 Colonel 'Abbas ~~hquIi, who served for many years as secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Persia, passed away in TibrAn on January 18, 1967. An account of his funeral was broadcast on television and six thousand people, Baha as well as members of other Faiths, attended the funeral ceremony held in the Bahá'í cemetery in that city.
In 1927 a group of Baha in Rasht a city in northwestern Persia, who were aware of Colonel $~Ahqu1i's concern with social problems and his broadmindedness and natural capacity, slowly introduced him to the
Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh.Through reading the Bahá'í Writings he came to an intellectual acceptance of the Teachings as representing the solution to the social problems of the age. As
'Abbas Shdqulihis study deepened, however, his heart became illumined with the light of faith and he became a faithful, devoted and outstanding follower of Bahá'u'lláh.
He placed at the service of the Cause his many talents and capacities which became further refined and polished as time went on. He served in various administrative capacities with competence and zeal and was a distinguished secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly for many years. He brought to his task perseverance, interest, sincerity, devotion and fidelity. Sacrificially, he worked late into the night in performance of his duties.
The effective organization of the National Pioneering Committee of Persia and the successful fulfillment of the forty-five month pioneering plan were due in large measure to the cooperation, guidance and successive travels of Colonel ~~hqu1i. The Bahá'í community of Tihdn will never forget the courageous measures he took for the safeguarding of the Dahd'fs of that city and its suburbs during the outbreak of persecutions in 1955 � 56. He also rendered extremely valuable services through his indefatigable efforts in assisting the Bahá'í Publishing Committee of Ir&n to enrich
Page 379its range of literature through the addition of new books and articles and the reprinting in large quantities of out-of-stock and rare material.
In addition to his gifts in the administrative field, Colonel ShAliquli was a capable teacher and until the last days of his life found his greatest happiness in this activity.
In his sixtieth year, at the height of his career as a distinguished attorney and officer in the military, he succumbed to a brain hemorrhage.
After reciting with fervor and devotion a prayer he favoured, he slipped into a coma from which he did not recover.
Informed of his passing, the Universal House of Justice cabled:
DEEPLY GRIEVED PASSING OUTSTANDING PRO-MOTOR1911 � 1967 Those who knew Ala Sommerau have a lasting memory of her vibrant and dynamic personality, her keen intelligence and capacity, her enthusiasm and generosity and particularly her deep love of Godand ofherfellowman.
Russian by birth, she came to Switzerland and through her marriage to a Swiss adopted the nationality of that country, but she retained a great love for the country of her birth.
In 1955 she encountered the Bahá'í Faith at Lausanne.
She often said that this was the most important event of her life. In hearing the words of the Bahá'í speaker her soul recognized at once thepoweroftheMessage of Bahá'u'lláh. Without hesitation she accepted the truth of the new Revelation and became a member of the
Lausanne community. Atthis time she was experiencing great personal problems but with characteristic tenacity and spiritual vigor she arose to conquer them.
Ala carried in her heart, like a precious treasure, the joy she found in her Faith. She plunged deeply into the Writings and was stunned by their clarity and infinite wisdom. She realized that there was no time to be lost and determined that she would spend her life in service to the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh.
In 1955, but a few months after finding the Faith, she made a pilgrimage to the Hoiy Land. It was an unforgettable experience and she was deeply touched by the warm welcome extended to her by the Guardian.
He reinforced and heightened her desire to serve and assigned her the task of contacting Russian refugees living in Europe.
Since that day to the end of her life, she worked constantly to accomplish this goal. She translated into Russian a booklet designed to serve as a basic introduction to the Teachings. She was in contact with the editor of a Russian magazine published in Argentina and subscribed to by Russians all over the world. In this way she was able to accomplish the wish of Shoghi Effendi. She asked Anne Lynch to collaborate in the preparation of monthly articles for this publication.
'Abdu'l-Bahá was Ala's cherished Exemplar and Standard. To pray with her was always a heart-moving experience. Her loving heart and
Page 380sympathy embraced all she encountered. In speaking of the Cause her words were charged sometimes with excitement, sometimes with tenderness, and the strength and sincerity of her own conviction attracted many waiting souls.
She was an example to everyone in her submissiveness in periods of illness and suffering, as well as in her modesty of lifestyle. Ala had an optimistic and courageous character, a feeling heart and a deep love for humankind; she cheered the depressed and moderated negative influences in any gathering she attended.
During her last years, despite poor health, Ala visited Russia twice.
On her last visit, exercising much tact, she made contact with interested groups and experienced the joy of finding souls who warmly responded to the message of redemption for a suffering humanity. The Russian spirit was ready, and Ala understood it. Ala Sommerau will never be forgotten. She was given the mission by Shoghi Effendi of taking the Message of Bahá'u'lláh to the Russians and her obedience is surely her crown.
FDWARD STRUVEN1875 � 1965 Edward Struven, well known to and loved by Baha who visited the Mother Temple of the West during the years it was in process of construction, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1875, the son of Dietrich Struven, a ship's chandler, and Rose Klaus Struven.
He was a graduate in engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where in 1904 he became acquainted with Mary Wood and Mrs. Lua Getsinger.
Lua Getsinger imparted to him the Message of Bahá'u'lláh and confirmed him in the Bahá'í Faith in that year.
In 1912, Edward Struvenwas among those privileged ones who welcomed 'Abdu'l-Bahá upon His arrival in New York.
In 1923, he was asked to assist in the construction of the Temple and in that year began a long period of dedicated and uninterrupted service in Wilmette. Long before any superstructure appeared above the foundation Mr. Struven conveyed to visitors to the Temple site an image of the glorious edifice that would soon begin to
Edward Struvendominate the landscape and lakefront area of Wilmette.
As early as 1927, Mr. Struven was the recipient of letters from the Guardian underscoring the importance of the House of Worship.
In a letter dated October, 1927, Shoghi Effendi wrote to Mr. Struven:
"My dear Coworker: Iwill continue to pray for the steady development and consolidation of the newly-established centre at Wilmette. May it grow in radiance and power, cement the bonds that should unite the East and the West in the Bahá'í world, and raise, as no Assembly has as yet raised, the call to arise and hasten the construction of God's Universal House of Worship.
On April 29, 1929, the Guardian wrote: "I wish to add these few words in person as a token of my love and keen appreciation of your efforts. 12 will pray for you and your wife at the sacred Shrines that you may help advance the interests of the Temple and fulfil your heart's desire.~~ On November 7,1933, the Guardian wrote to Mr. Struven expressing gratitude for his
Page 381''meritorious efforts and services in connection with our glorious and sacred Temple", and on May 15, 1937, assured hin~ of "loving appreciation of the many services you are rendering our beloved Faith at such an important centre."
About the mid-forties Mr. Struven retired from active service at the
Baha House of Worshipand briefly visited Arizona before settling in Florida where he continued to teach the Faith actively until his death on December 31, 1965, at the age of ninety.
In the concluding years of hislifehe had become Mmost blind, but never for a day did he cease to teach to others the Faith he loved so deeply and served with such devotion for more than half a century.
SonnE LOEDINGColonel Suhr&b was born into a family of learned and pious Muslims in IsfAh~n. His father, 1~4j~ Siyyid Zaynu'1-'Abidfn, accepted the Faith in his youth and because of being in a family of 'ulamAs he was under great pressure and suffered persecution from members of his family. On three occasions the home of
IJAji Siyyid Zaynu'1-Abidfnwas attacked and looted and he and his family of small children were under great difficulties.
The sufferings he endured in the path of God were rewarded by 'Abdu'l-Bahá who sent him a beautiful Tablet consoling him and assuring him that soon these difficulties would be turned into comfort and would produce beneficial results. In the Tablet the Master reminded him that the tempestuous winds and storms of the winter give way to a beautiful harvest of flowers in the spring.
As a child Colonel SuhrAbwas an eyewitness to the acts of heroism of his father. He has recorded in his diary how he and his brother were frightened in these upheavals and feared for their lives, Ills father at last had to leave his native town.
After having made pilgrimage to KarbilA, he requested permission to visit 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the Holy Land. He stayed several months in the Holy Land and has written a beautiful memoir of those days spent in the presence of the Master. In the absence of his father, Colonel SuhrAb, who was the eldest son, accepted the responsibility of caring for his mother and three younger brothers.
Becausetheir properties were in the hands of enemies they hadlittle with which to sustain themselves. In spite of the difficult circumstances in which they lived, the parents of Colonel Suhrt�b educated their children. Colonel SuhrAb has written poignant biographies of his father and grandfather which graphically depict the situation of the Bahá'ís of Persia in those difficult days.
Although physically frail, Colonel Suhrdb manifested a powerful spirit and learned valuable lessons in the school of adversity.
In his twenty-fifth year he was invited to serve in the army in an administrative capacity. He achieved the rank of Colonel.
His career in the service of his government reflected his honesty, sincerity and integrity.
Colonel SuhrAb has an enviable record of Bahá'í service, He was one of the first members of the Spiritual Assembly of hfdhAn and served that institution for forty years. He undertook numerous travel teaching trips throughout Iran. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in one of His Tablets to him, praised Colonel SubrAb for traveling to a remote tribal area and blessed him for his endeavour.
Page 382was sent to Europe to make purchases for his government. He sought permission to make pilgrimage at this time. Tn a letter written through his secretary on September 4, 1939, Shoghi Effendi advised him that the troubled situation in the Holy Land made it unwise to come at that time. Instead, the beloved Guardian requested that he visit the friends in France and England, and that he visit Miss Marion Jack, the lone pioneer in Sophia, Bulgaria.
On his return to IrAn he served the Cause with renewed vigor and dedication.
Some years later, Colonel Suhr&b had the bounty of coming on pilgrimage.
Colonel SuhrAb was a wonderful teacher and was a well-loved and popular instructor of the Bahá'í youth. He compiled numerous study courses, articles and books many of which have been published.
In the early spring of 1968 he was summoned to the Throne of Eternity.
SAIALALA TAMASESE1, 1912. Although descended from one of the royal families of Samoa, he was a very humble person and was known for his kindness and great love for all people. He was educated at the Seventh
Day Adventist TheologicalCollege at Vailoa, Saluafata, but was not happy in his religion and continued his search for truth.
He studied the Mormon teachings but, still unsatisfied, he decided to attend no church and to study the Christian Bible himself
Late in 1955, Sajalalaand his wife, To'alima learned of the Bahá'í Faith through their daughter, Fuatino, who was employed by a Persian family who had pioneered to Samoa. Sajalala's interest in the Teachings grew rapidly and he returned again and again as a guest to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ni'mat 'A1&i until he proved to his own satisfaction that Bahá'u'lláh is the Manifestation of God for this day.
He then commenced to teach his wife and children who all became Baha'is.
Every Sunday Sajalalaaccompanied Mr. Suhayl 'AIA'i on teaching trips, walking from village to village, serving as translator, and telling those who showed interest about the
Salalata TamaseseAlthough the first Spiritual Assembly was formed in Apia in 1957, soon, as a result of the visits to the villages, groups and assemblies were formed in Sina-moga, Mega, Leauva'a, Nofoali'i and other places.
Sajalala interpreted for the Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga during his visit to Western Samoa in 1958 during which large proclamation meetings were held in the villages of Leauva'a and Fasito'otai with hundreds attending.
He also made a significant contribution by translating into Samoan some of the IBah&i prayers, a portion of The Hidden Words and other Writings.
In later years he fell ill and for two years before his death he was not able to participate actively in teaching. But his spirit was ever strong and he continued to encourage his family and taught and deepened the friends who visited him. On the return to Samoa of Mr. and Mrs. Suhayl 'AIA'f, he said: "I am a Baha and I will remain a Baha'i. Now you have returned I can die."
A few weeks later, on September 25, 1965, he passed to the AbhA Kingdom, the first indigenous Samoan to believe in Bahá'u'lláh and
Page 383IN MEMORIAM serve Him all the years of his life. Because of his rank, his funeral was attended by representatives of noble families, leading chiefs and church dignitaries. Despite pressure brought to bear by clergy and relatives his wife steadfastly insisted upon a Bahá'í burial service, the simplicity, beauty and dignity of which deeply impressed those who attended and further enhanced the prestige of the Faith. Thus, even in death, Sajalala Tamasese served the Cause of God which he assisted in establishing in his island home in the midmost heart of the Pacific.
"In the East the light of His Revelation bath broken; in the West have appeared the signs of His dominion.
Should they attempt to conceal its light on the continent, it will assuredly rear its head in the midmost heart of the ocean, and, raising its voice, proclaim 'lam the life-giver of the world!"'
KATHERINE KNIGHT TRUEand her twin brother, Kenneth Knight True, were born in Chicago, Illinois, on September 2, 1893.
The attachment between these two children was very deep and Katherine herself seemed to wonder at her sense of loss, which continued throughout her life, from the time of Kenneth's sudden death when he was only seven years old.
Her mother's early interest in and acceptance of the Bahá'í Faith, the first mention of which in the Western Hemisphere had been made at the International
Congress of Religionsin Chicago just days after Katherine's birth, was undoubtedly of profound influence throughout her life.
How early this influence became evident is manifested in an exchange of correspondence between the beloved
Master and Katherine.When but nine years of age she wrote the following letter to 'Abdu'l-Bahá: To the Dear Master, 'Abdu'l-Bahá:
I-jI~ji Mirza Ijlasanpromised to take me to the Holy City, Acca, in his robe to see the Beloved Master.
I am learning The Hidden Wordy of theI supplicate to you to pray to God for me to fill me with
His Holy Spirit.I ask you, won't you please send me a Tablet in your own handwriting.
Give my love to all your Household and dear Mirza Assad'u'Ilah.
Your little maidservant,About two months later this "little maidservant" received a much-treasured Tablet from her beloved Master, in His own handwriting and addressed to "The maidservant of God, Kathryn True, the revered."
"0 Thou who art attracted to God!I send this letter written by my own hand, that thou mayest thank God, thy Lord, the Bahá'u'lláh Supreme, grow in happiness in the love of God and be kindled by the fire of His love, chanting verses ofgreetings and thanks, andbe quicken-edby the breezes of life blown from the garden of the knowledge of God."
Again, some sixteen years later when Katherine was deciding on her life profession she wrote to 'Abdu'l-Bahá about her desire to study medicine, asking for His counsel in this decision.
His reply came in the following Tablet dated March31, 1919, and translated by Shoghi Effendi who was then serving as the Master's secretary:
"He is God.From it, it became known that with a firm resolution you were determined to serve the world of humanity.
One of the Divine Teachings is that man should be the source of a benevolent cause amongst the creature.~ and if it be universal good, all the better.
The study of medicines is highly acceptabk andpraiseworthy.
With allthypower endeavor that thou mayest attain the utmost proficiency in this art and thus serve the world of humanity.
This loving and inspiring Tablet from the Master, so characteristic of His sincere concern for all who turned to Him, cleared up any remaining questions in regard to her final decision, for in His Message she found not only the
Page 384approval of her choice in study but the encouragement and assurance she most needed, as well as the direction and purpose to which her life work should be dedicated; namely, "service to the world of humanity".
Ignoring the serious problems of health caused by a prolonged illness when about twelve years old, Katherine began her years of intensive study, astonishing her family and friends by her persistence and faithfulness in completing the difficult stages of her professional education, taking her pre-medics at Northwestern University and finally in 1926 receiving her degrees of Bachelor of Science, Master of
Science and Doctoratein Medicine from the University of Pittsburg. Her high standing in her profession was later attested by the invitation which she received, in 1941, to become a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons, on an occasion when two women with some five hundred men received this honor.
During most of her professional life, while practising on the North Shore of Chicago, Dr. True was closely associated with the Mary Thompson Hospital in Chicago, and served in various administrative capacities such as Head of the Surgery Department and President of the Medical
Staff.While unusually dedicated to her profession, Katherine always found time for her continuous activities in the Baha Faith. In her own community she was deeply interested in the development of the Local Spiritual Assembly, serving as its chairman for several years and as one of its most effective teachers both in her own firesides and in public meetings.
Later, her Bahá'í activities were more in the national and international fields.
From 1945 though 1948 Katherine devoted most of her time to her work on the National Teaching Committee, acting as its chairman in the years 1947 and 1948. Elected to the National Spiritual Assembly at RhjvAn 1956, she served as member of that body to Ri4IvAn 1960, contributing especially to one of the specific goals of the Ten Year Crusade, namely, the establishment of the Bahá'í Home for the Aged, the first dependency of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in Wilmette. Because of her background of experience, she played an important part in this project though all its difficult stages � the selection of its location, its architectural plans,
Katherine Knight Truethe construction of the building and the organization of the operation of the Home after its completion.
For a number of years afterwards she was a very active member of its Admissions Committee.
One of the most important of Katherine~ s services to the Faith was her very able chairmanship of the Arrangements Committee for the historic All-America
Intercontinental TeachingConference commemorating the Centenary of the inception of the Mission of Bahá'u'lláh, held in Chicago and Wilmette, April 29 � May 6, 1953, and which included the momentous dedication of the House of Worship on May 2.
Of all her various endeavors for the Cause, the one she seemed to particularly enjoy was that of the establishment of the Faith in the countries of Western Europe. As member and vice-chairman of the European Teaching Committee throughout its period of operation, from 1946 to 1963, she contributed richly to the achievement of the goals set by the beloved Guardian in this international field of action. It was during these years that she received (October 4, 1950) the following encouraging
Page 385"May the Beloved bless your deeply appreciated endeavours, reward you for your labours, remove all obstacles from your path, and enable you to extend continually the range of your activities.
Your true brother,It was Katherine's joyous privilege to make several pilgrimages to Haifa during the Guardian's lifetime. Of special interest and import was her first visit when she accompanied her mother to the Holy Land in the very early part of 1922, soon after the deeply lamented passing of the beloved Master. Each of her journeys to the Holy Land must surely have had its own particular place in the storehouse of her experiences, even to her last visit in November 1952 when the Guardian permitted her to accompany her mother on a very special occasion arranged by the Guardian for this Hand of the Cause of God,
Corinne True.The memory of Katherine True will, I believe, remain vivid in the hearts of her family and of her many, many friends even more for what she was than for what she accomplished in her rich and full life, for the rare qualities which she possessed and which combined to make her such a uniquely beautiful individual. Although gifted with an excellent mind, a deep and clear thinker known for her sound judgment and intellectual integrity, she constantly demonstrated a unique balance of her mental powers and the dictates of her beautiful spirit, her sincere compassion, loving understanding and extraordinary kindness.
One of her most conspicuous endowments was her delightful and ever-present sense of humor, completely free of all caustic or sarcastic implications, and contagious to those who experienced it. Unconscious of her charm and attraction for people, she was extremely humble to the point of being, really, very shy, a surprising quality in one so gifted.
Dr. True passed away quite unexpectedly on September 26, 1963, from a sudden and virulent attack of leukemia. The great longing of her heart had been granted to her, the privilege and joy of living long enough to care for her beloved mother during her declining years. Katherine's professional skill and knowledge, her most loving and tender care were poured out unstintingly upon this precious, most cherished of all of her patients, up to the moment of Mother True's passing to the
AbM Kingdom in April 1961.To those who had been privileged to be associated with Katherine Knight True and to know her intimately, it seemed that the hopes expressed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His cherished Tablets to her had been beautifully fulfilled: "With all thy power endeavor that thou mayest attain the utmost proficiency in this art and may thus serve the world of humanity."
Katherine's life, as her beloved Master had directed in this early Tablet had indeed been a continuous service to the world of humanity.
EDNA M. TRUETurvey, the artist and "spiritual father of South Africa" ascended to the AbliA Kingdom from Durban,
South Africa, on MarchThe Turvey family traces its ancestors back to 1172 to Ireland, and through various families honored by royalty to Edward Turvey, Reg's artist grandfather, who headed a party of settlers from London to South Africa in 1820 and finally settled in Ladybrand,
Orange Free State.Reg was born in Ladybrand on August 29, 1882. His father who owned farms and operated a trading store was a member of the Raad, the first parliament of the Orange Free State.
Reg was educated at Grey College, Bloemfontein.He did not complete school because his housemaster discovered his marked artistic talent and persuaded his father to send him to London for art training. In London he studied under Henry Tonks from 1903 � 07 at the Slade School of Art where he received an award for painting, and at the London School of
Art.Leach, Britain's master potter, who became his lifelong friend. In 1910 the two men attempted to open an art school in Japan but the venture failed and Reg returned to South Africa and barely made a living teaching art in
Page 386Durban. His father decided he could not go on being a starving artist so he bought him a farm in Kenya and sent Reg off to learn to be a farmer.
The artist was not a farmer, however, and the farm made very little.
After four years Reg returned to South Mrica where he became very ill for many months. Eventually he recovered and began to paint. In 1922 he sold the farm in Kenya and used the money to get married and return to England to study and paint.
At Dartington both Regand Bernard Leach made friends with the American painter, Mark Tobey, and heard from him of the life and teachings of Bahá'u'lláh. During all the years of their friendship both Reg and Bernard Leach had been searching for truth as well as beauty and they had spent endless hours discussing it. Reg at the time was interested in Theosophy. It was not long after Mark Tobey had told him of the Message of Bahá'u'lláh that he accepted. This was in 1936.
In 1939 the family returned to South Africa. Reg continued to paint and hold private exhibitions, but his paintings did not sell well. During these difficult years in Johannesburg Reg tried to make contact with other RaM is in South Africa and although there were several, including a group established by Fanny Knob-loch in nearby Pretoria, he failed to locate them. The Administrative Order of the Faith was not yet established in that part of the world and Reg was not in comnanuication with the World Centre.
There is little doubt, according to his friends, that had Reg not been sustained by the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith during those lean years he would have left the arts. He clung to and drew inspiration from the Baha concept that the true artist is a servant of mankind.
In 1953, life suddenly changed. The Hands of the Cause MiisA EanThi and Dhikru'llAh KhAdem and their wives visited Bahá'í Centers throughout Africa at the request of Shoghi Effendi. For an entire week Reg found himself surrounded by Bahá'í love and was uplifted by the news that soon, as part of the Ten Year Crusade, a group of Bahá'í pioneers would be arriving to reestablish the Faith in South Africa and lay a solid foundation for its administrative functioning. At last his many years of isolation and loneliness were broken.
Within a few months Mr. and Mrs. Harry Ford and Reginald Turvey (self portrait) Mr. and Mrs. William Sears' and family arrived in Johannesburg. Reg was invited to live on the Sears farm where he found warm companionship, the inspiration of regular Bahá'í activities and was provided with a studio in which to work. Thus began the most fruitful period of Reg's artistic life and the full maturing of his talent. His paintings took on a more abstract and mystical aspect.
Under the direction of the Guardian teaching work began among the African people and Reg enthusiastically participated. He especially enjoyed serving as chauffeur for African teachers who needed transport and he made frequent trips to the remote rural areas of South Africa, Swaziland and Basutoland. Although he was not a public speaker, the Africans loved his gentle spirit and affectionately termed him "Uncle Reg".
In 1956 Reg made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. At last the long-isolated believer achieved his heart's desire. His notes taken at the time record a deep appreciation of the beauty of the Shrines and a warm and tender love for~ Shoghi Effendi: a wonderful 1 Mr. Sears was appointed a Hand of the Cause in
October387 person; he has a great sense of humor, a great kindness in his eyes. ." Reg's journal indicates that the Guardian's table-talk revolved around the purification of mankind, the suffering humanity must endure in preparation for an era of unity, love and justice. He reports that the Guardian explained that the Faith had faded in South Africa mainly because the Administrative Order had not yet been firmly established in the world and that the establishment of the
Administrative Orderon a secure foundation would prevent "a reversion to a virgin state".
It was while Reg was inrecognized the steadfastness and pure spirit of this believer and named him "the spiritual father of South Africa".
After returning from pilgrimage Reg continued to serve faithfully on the Spiritual Assembly of Johannesburg and he continued to paint prolifically.
The year 1963 was a particularly happy one for him. One of his fondest hopes was fulfilled through a reunion with his fellow artists and friends, Bernard Leach and Mark Tobey, when they met at the
World Congress in London.Reg carried with him three of his abstract paintings to show to his old friends.
Between sessions of the Congress, and for several days afterwards, Reg haunted the art galleries with his companions and related afterwards how much he enjoyed their discussion of the significance of the New Day ushered in by the Bahá'í revelation.
Upon returning to South Africa a one-man exhibition of Reg's paintings at the Lidchi Gallery brought him the recognition that had been delayed for almost sixty years. In that same year, as if he knew his life's work had been completed, he laid down his brushes, never to lift them again.
His eyesight deteriorated further and he suffered an almost total loss of hearing. Creeping arthritis had already gnarled his right hand. Reg withdrew within himself in serenity.
ills last days were spent quietly in a nursing home where he enjoyed frequent visits from those who loved and admired him.
Reg lived the Bahá'í teachings and is spoken of by his fellow artists and colleagues as a man who was "courteous, gentle and serene, firm, original, spiritual, mystical, honest, trusting, modest, genuine and a man ofintegrity".
He is a man of history, a man who lived his life for tomorrow. His paintings are now widely dis tributed in outstanding private collections in South Africa, in all the major art galleries, and in collections as far afield as Germany, England and America. When the significance of his Bahá'í life in South Africa is understood, Reg's work will speak to generations to come.
Reginald Turvey was a fine artist who relied upon God and the deep spirit within for his inspiration.
He was never without his treasured, wellthumbed prayer book. The steadfastness of faith of "the spiritual father of South Africa" assures his eternal progress in the spiritual world.
He passed away peacefully in his eighty-fifth year.
At his simple Bahá'í burial service was read a Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the opening words of which define the lodestar of Reg's life: "In this great dispensation, art is identical with an act of worsl4p and this is a clear text of the Blessed Perfection.
LOWELL JOHNSONwas born in Na~rAbAd, Yazd, IrAn, in 1905 of Zoroastrian background.
He settled in India when a youth of nineteen years.
Immediately after becoming a IBahá'í in 1931 he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He deeply loved Shoghi Effendi and wished never to part from him.
The Guardian consoled him by saying that his service to the Cause would be the fulfillment of that wish. His exemplary obedience to the wishes of Shoghi Effendi and his willingness to respond to every need of the Cause despite considerations of health and limited finances were the hallmark of the sacrificial services rendered by Mr. Vatankhdh during the balance of his life.
In 1943, in response to the call of the Guardian for the Bahá'ís to disperse from the larger cities,
Mr. VatanklThh left Bombayand settled in Sholapur where he contributed greatly to the teaching work. An even more significant phase of his Bahá'í activity commenced in 1962 when he arose to serve as a teacher in areas where large masses were responding to the Teachings,
Page 388a task to which he dedicated his full time. With unswerving confidence he travelled to remote villages bringing the Faith to rich and poor, literate and illiterate, wherever his steps were guided.
His greatest happiness was in teaching. Despite serious health problems he could not be persuaded to remain away from the teaching field for more than a day or two at a time.
In the period 1962 � 66, Mr. Vatankh&h visited more than three hundred villages in the Sholapur area and other parts of
Maharaslitra StateIn July 1966 he travelled fifteen hundred kilometers to assist the Spiritual Assembly of Kota develop a teaching plan to establish the Faith in area villages.
He rested briefly at the insistence of the friends, but then immediately arose to undertake teaching journeys to the outlying villages. Accompanied by the Baha of Kota he visited the village of Tirath on July 10.
It was his last teaching exploit. He fell ill the following day and was confined to bed in the care of a doctor. The next day he rallied briefly and conversed jubilantly with the friends, inviting them to accompany him that evening to open another village to the Faith,
TIlE BAHÁ'Í WORLDHis last words before slipping into unconsciousness were: "Which village will we visit this evening?"
The Universal Houseof Justice expressed its sorrow at the loss of this outstanding teacher by cabling:
SADDENED PASSING BAHÁ'Í1901 � 1964 In the year 1920, John and Louise Bosch, two early American believers, took an extended journey to the French
Polynesian Islandsof the Pacific, settling in Papeete, Tahiti, for a period of five months. Their purpose was to bring the
Message of Bahá'u'lláhto the inhabitants of __ this island, so much loved by the French impressionist pressionist Paul Gauguin, and by him defined a veritable paradise.
During their stay in Papeete they became well acquainted with Ariane Drollet, then seventeen years old, who was the first
Tahitianto embrace the Bahá'í Faith. A photograph of Mile. Drollet standing between Louise and John Bosch appears in The Bahá'í World, vol. iv, p. 349.
Some time later, Mile.Drollet visited the United States and was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Bosch at their home in Geyserville, California, for approximately a year. During this time she became acquainted with many
Baha in California.Mter her return to Tahiti she went to France where she married and lived until the end of World War II.
Mterthe sudden death of her husband and one son, she returned to her native island.
In 1955 the Frenchpioneer Jean S6vin went to Tahiti and found Mine. Vermeesch still aflame with the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh. Her daughter, Liliane, became the bride of
Mr.S6vin and the mother of two lovely young girls who represent the third generation of Tahitian Dah&is. Mine. Vermeesch passed away on May 8,
Page 3891964. She is remembered by all who knew her for her winning character, sterling qualities and dedication to her Faith. A marble memorial bearing an inscription from The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh marks her resting place.
EDUARDO DURANTE VIERAHe was well educated, charming, liberal-minded and pro-foundily spiritual.
His noble qualities made him a popular figure among his people. He held a prominent position in the government of the colony and was often called upon to tender an address of welcome to important visitors to Bissau, the capital of Portuguese Guinea, on behalf of the government.
He served as a member of the church council in Bissan.
Mr. Viera learned of the Bahá'í Faith while on a brief visit to Lisbon during the course of the Ten Year Crusade and became an eager student of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. Quickly he embraced the Cause and became an enthusiastic, staunch and knowledgeable believer. The friends in Lisbon warmly remember the pleasure and stimulation he brought to the meetings.
On his return to Bissau, Mr. Viera severed his affiliation with the church and proceeded with courage and vigor to promote the Bahá'í Teachings among his countrymen.
The first to embrace the Faith was his wife who recognized the truth of the Message of Bahá'u'lláh after a period of keen study and meditation.
Soon a Bahá'í community of fifteen members was established in Bissau and a Bahá'í center in one of its suburbs.
A Bahá'í friend in Lisbon records: "hi those days we used to receive magnificent letters from Mr. Viera.
They were highly inspiring and instructive. Wheneverhislettersarrivedlwould share them with the friends who also drew much pleasure and enlightenment from them. However, as time went on, his letters grew more infrequent and fitful and eventually stopped altogether. He had often made some passing reference to the hardships and obstacles he encountered in his own work, and spoke of himself as being in a distressing position; but we in Portugal could hardly grasp the gravity of the situation, and when his letters stopped altogether, we grewvery anxious about him.
Although urged by the clergy to do so, Mr. Viera refused to apostatize his Faith. A brief, harsh interval followed. He was summarily dismissed from his post and deprived of all the benefits and privileges he had hitherto enjoyed. Faced with the need of providing for his wife and seven children, one of them a victim of paralysis, Mr. Viera established a travel agency and offered his services as legal advisor to the native population of his home town. Lie sustained a crushing disappointment when his application for a visa to enable him to attend the World Congress in London in 1963 was curtly rejected. His Bahá'í teaching activity continued unabated. The clergy instigated the authorities to take severe repressive measures: his house was raided, his Bahá'í books and literature were confiscated, and he was forbidden to hold meetings in his home.
Moreover, a strict censorship was imposed on all his correspondence. Eventually all his letters were intercepted.
On several occasionswas arrested by the police on frivolous pretexts, was detained, maltreated and brutally beaten. This mounting tide of trials served only to increase the tenacity of his loyalty to the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh and to give fresh impetus to his heroic spirit.
Mr. Viera's final arrest, on a charge of subversive political activity, took place on March 11, 1966, following a period of increasing pressure and harassment. A cloud of obscurity surrounds the uncertain circumstances of his death in prison on March 31, 1966, the first African Baha to lay down his life as a martyr for the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, his sublime heroism thus immortalizing his name in the annals of the Eaith.
An account of the tragic events of this period was recorded by Mrs. Viera: "At about 4 a.m. on March lithe police suddenly broke into the house and ordered my husband to keep quiet and not to move. After a thorough search of the house they permitted him to change his clothes and they took him away. We could not have contact with him.
Even when we were permitted to take him some food through the help of the prison physician, we were not allowed to see him. About ten days later the police brought him home to obtain the key to his office.
It was one o'clock in the morning.His office was entered and the papers and books confiscated. One day when II took food to him the doctor informed me that he would be taken to another room and I could glimpse my husband passing by.
That was the last time I saw him. The officials ordered me to leave.
After his death, through the intervention of the doctor, I was permitted to prepare his body for Baha burial. While washing we found his body full of the signs of tortures, especially on his head.
But we had a IBahá'í funeral and prayers...Final messages for his wife and children were found crudely scratched with a sharp instrument on the metal biscuit box in which Mrs. Viera had transported food to the prison: "Tonia: This was the way of destiny. All is terminated.
Love your fellowman and raise your children with love. Love everybody.
Forgive all the wrongs I have done. Be able to face life with naturalness.
Goodbye, and I wish you a long life, Durante 29 � 3 � 1966"
"Dear children: Alwaysbe friendly towards all people. Do not have hate towards anyone. Life is eternal and it never ends; it finishes one cycle and begins another. Forgive all the wrongs of your father. May God protect you,
Durante 29 � 3 � 1966"Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved?
and what seeker findeth rest away from his heart's desire? To the true lover reunion is life, andseparation is death. ills breast is void ofpatience and his heart hathno peace. A myriad lives he would forsake to hasten to the abode of his beloved.
Bahá'u'lláh'Jzzatu'llgh Zabil2 was born into a Bahá'í family related to UAJI Mirza JAnI of K6shAn. His father passed away when he was oniy seven years of age and he was raised by his devoted and distinguished mother. At a very early age he displayed an aptitude for learning foreign languages, and developed a deep knowledge of the Faith.
While still a youth, he organized and taught deepening classes, and his interest in teaching youth continued to the end of his life.
Page 391who had the privilege of attending his classes have become pioneers and prominent teachers and servants of the Cause in various parts of the world.
Mr. Zabihstudied textile design and engineering in Europe and made a valuable contribution, particularly to the emerging Baha community of France, in stimulating and teaching the friends there, in a period when there were few DahA'i teachers available.
He was deeply loved by those outside the Baha community as well.
In atime of great unrest among laborers, his close and affectionate relationship with the workers in his textile factory and the respect in which they held him stood in marked contrast to conditions prevailing generally in similar organizations.
Mr. ZabUtwas one of the founders, organizers and most popular teachers of the
Bahá'í Summerof Ir&n and continued until his death to actively participate in its sessions.
It wasand to meet him on pilgrimage, a profound experience to which he frequently referred; He passed away on
OctoberPhotographs of the metal box on which Eduardo Durante Viera wrote messages for his family from his prison cell.
Page 392THE Bahá'í Faith has been officially recognized by governments � national, state, provincial and municipal � in more than three hundred countries, significant territories and islands of the world.
Previous volumes of The Bahá'í World have printed hundreds of facsimiles of certificates, proclamations, clamations, statutes and other documents attesting recognition of the Faith in a variety of aspects such as the incorporation of its administrative institutions, authority to conduct Baha marriage ceremonies, and recognition of its Holy Days.
As the Faith grows the volume of documentation increases to the point where it is no longer possible to publish an exhaustive compilation of these documents. In this volume, therefore, are included only the certificates of incorporation of some of the National Spiritual Assemblies incorporated between RiQvAn 1963 and RhjvAn 1968, a few local incorporation certificates, and a few documents indicating other forms of civil recognition.
1. INCORPORATION OF NATIONAL SPIRITUALIn previous volumes, Certificates of Incorporation of thirty-two National Spiritual Assemblies have been reproduced. The following fourteen were obtained during the period covered by this volume.
1. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Hawaiian Islands. June 5, 1964.
2. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Vietnam.
October 8, 1964.3. Certificate of Filing of ByLaws of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Philippines. February 18, 1965.
4. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Korea.
March 19, 1965.5. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Tanzania.
May 5,1965.6. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Kenya.
June 11, 1965.7. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the South Pacific Ocean. July 14, 1965.
8. Certificate of Incorporation of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Mauritius (Indian Ocean). September 8, 1966.
9. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Italy.
November 21, 1966.10. Certificate of Registration of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Malaysia.
May 10, 1967.11. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Cameroon Republic. June 30, 1967.
12. Certificate of Registration of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Burma.
September 18, 1967.13. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands. February 1, 1968.
14. Certificate of Change of Name in Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spjritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Zambia. February 10, 1968.
392!23 4� ch~~r~qt~ t4w~ivdap tin ~ JSv s~ij~-~ciAng ~ut~n~ Th-4~hcj jg~V' g'b.~ ye.
S C1~4 VXt~ asm 4*0 U,. ~AA4 I $Th&V tAu.ntn~~ 59r4~utn mj1 sS'~ ~ v~a7 S r1vtn~ t& r~. v A t~c tp,,~ v(~ Kj rib U
I At ~ fp � ~ tTh ~ � ~t;~ Thn1~cnarh T4r~ vct L4ti � e~ ~ni U 4 2. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Vietnam.
October 8 19643. Certificate of Filing of ByLaws of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Philippines. February 18, 1965.
Page 3964. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'í of Korea.
March 19, 1965 (left half).~Tj t ~p ~4~4i ~ \~ V ~K~~zj:7i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~k
Page 398THIS IS T~ CF~RTWY ~h~t ~GI6TE~ED T~USTE~S OF ~ ~A~7~JAI4
SPI~XTUAL ASSEMBLY O~ U~HE BAHA ~IS O~' TANZAI~Aj is a body ~incorpc~rated und~r~ th~ p1~ovis~ons pf the Th~st~e~ bicorporation Ordinance,~ 1b56; ~SUBJECT to t~w~ *~Uowuv~ ~orn1itioi~s, 4th4 ~ to say � First that suchjx~1 co1Tor~te~shaI1 u V without first btaini~g pa?y consentl.u writing, acquire any estate or linere~t in Ia~id ~ud ~e~9ndJy, that ~eh body ~orporoie shall not, with6u~ ji]~e c6ns~nt, ~ or pe~m~i or suffer to 13e~ used &ryland yested in it otherwise than in direct fulmment of the frusta for~which such I~o~y 6~ora~ isest~b1i~hed.
GIVEN ~t Fares S~1a~m Under m~band ~hi~ 5th day of ~M~' 19 65.
S&. fl.J~A. DO~DAXLflp 5. C'ertlfkate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Tanzania. May 5, 1965.
Page 399z~I~dj4U. ~d b~4~ ~Iy ~d pr~pe~'ty ~ ~ b7 the ~f AU ~ th~~aj}~ DIne Mr~4 ~M ~t~tv~4o~ir, ~ j~ ~ ~ & ~ ~ ~d I.?
6. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Kenya.
June 11, 1965. (Continuation overleaf)A ~e~b~y ~ ~A3 ~ ~ (1~~ld ~ 1. ~ ~the
A~.The~ cp}a t~ d} 3 t ft & 3 p V A,~2 ~ ~ S i~ )~ )~ 7. Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the South Paci:fic Ocean. July 14, 1965.
Page 4028. Certificate of Incorporation of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Mauritius (Indian Ocean). September 8, 1966.
Page 4039. Certificate of Incorporation c/the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Italy.
November 21, 1966.It is hereby certi~ed~ that ~* 2h Natio~ia1 $p� ~ A*ee~b~r of the 32, Jalau M~sna Setapak, Z~.1& IAw~pu~ has this day bei~ regi~Lered a~a society under se~tion lot th~ SQc~etics Act, 1066, and that it~ registrahon Irnn)ber js I~3 (S.1az~or).
~Givix wider my hai~4 ~ia XOth day~of19 67.(,cHIN HOK t ~ 10. CertLficate of Registration of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Malaysia.
May 10 1967.~~rd I Rcp~ib~c ~ ( ~t~~pp I ~ Pc~pi fl~u ~~(r~Wh~ (?jill~i~~z' (Caj~ ~ ~ ~ 4 Certificate ~f hcorpQration �t ~ r ~A~IO~AL 8?fl~ITUAL A8~AL~ ~ ~W ~AMU~O~5N tTC~
~ Mr. Jaw~d �Th1& ~tC~4r~O'~~ ~ / 3%fli 4 ( ( , ~ ~ ~ ~ Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Cameroon Republic. June 30, 1967.
Page 406~ib0~p ~be '~aba'ig tbe~ions~. 8~�i'�tuaI ?~ ~ i~n~oon,ha~ thie d~r ~een~re~istered ~inde~ th~ ~e�et{e~ r~iv~n under xnyh~d ~t ~R A ~r~GiV ~ One~tbouuan~ nine hi~nd2~ed ~i~&s ~ x~r ~s ~ V z a
C SEAT12. Certificate of Registration of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Burma.
September 18, 1967.'7 - V V / � ~ ___ C � 195 � 62 A p GOV~E~NMENT OF
THE VI~GtN ISLANDS QV~TKE UNITED STATESCHARLOlTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS V ~ t I, die undersigned, QOVERNMENT SECRETARY, do hereby ce2tify that
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL XSSF41ThY 6~ ti-Li BAIiAXS O~N~
TL%2_LEEWARTh~WIND\ MW ND VIRGDZ AN4 the Virgin I~1ands filed in my office on ~z~jJ9r 29 1~7 as pixwided Thr by law, Articles of Incorporation, fluW at4nowledged; and thatadwp1~cate'~ original th&eof h~s been filed in tlke, Omee of tliq Gletk of the District qourt of t~e~Virgin Islands) � 3 WHEREFORE 'thu p~rsons nar~ied in the said Atcles and who hay?
signed the same, and their successors, tare bereby declared to be:frorn the date aforesaid, A corporation ty the unme and foe the putpose~ set �orth in said Artide~. with th~ rigW of suc6e~�on as tb4tein stated.
:~'? t4A1 hand aiA ~ Sealof the dov~rnjnent ates, at Chat lotte Amaile, St. �Phom~, tThs ~9 dAy of �February~ 4, D 19. P~.
. enregistr{~ enunemne temps que flSs pr~entes hnx4tgel its ii e4Aemeurr$ ci � ~xinex4 apr~C~s mention.
flit22 % A a a ibitta~tOI1 DJSWIbXI
� OLCRnO WrREMO de �, Rents.2 ~ j) S La so1ic~,ttd :)Pe3ePt4da~ Thor eJ. pera;nero 1~ta2 de la ~nati�cjon "A9A~BLEA � tIWAL LOCAL EB~ 1.03 BAHÁ'Í DE tOCHABAM~ flAt~�cazi d&niciJiw e~, i4 ciulart 4e CochAbamba ~ � 1 tkfl de~r&~ner.a4uridicn~. ~a � 2.
-414.zPQ2t Q2t 4 r~oedieflte org~n~z~do 'il q$ecto, ~se eatable ~a qua se ha4a4~Licnto a j~q &~o~ionos_rflvistaa Pozt~e]~
iecr~tnCu$-emo &e .4 ~ xThvis~riybve de4933, refercr.te_si_trAmi~t 4 /, � 4e 1&sitaQi~ entiii4~1 r~iwF~ea pen gue~ �in4idadn4.4e 4cd~tA4ucattio, m~ra1 �~c4.1tYr4. y ~9 hail en contraciaccian -dsd~acaflWtdyQ dyQ � � I - � n5q~r&~ jurSdi~ a lp Inst~t~u46n r1tr14
� an 4phomnnat~ 'AS$?$�A ~'V14TfUA~ J~A1. ~b I9~ 8AJ4A'~�~ ~7CW~AY
y n.sobar~s ~t~to~ eA el tt~xt~ d~ ~U~P~tnr9e cajflsuuu' txe{nta y ~iA art4~ub~s "Tin4p41q8y unart{qI4o~ztnnstv9r2 A 2 5 4. Police Certificate permitting Bahá'ís to engage in teaching activity, Guatemala.
November 13, 1963.2 ~ ~ j~ to~ yogi ~.tt.r ot ~ or 14, ~ if f~~.-~n�i~a ft~jd $~4ir ~Lt~i t~~h 23.
A~.1 ~L?~41~ ~b~fl ~e e~~ztid to br~~ a vt~ttet~ ~vsi~ fro' thAW ~~mt8 J. C. ~t~t~?
~ li.45. Letter dated December 19, 196.3, from Department of Education, Pago Pago, American Samoa, exempting Bahá'í children from attendance at school on Bahd'iHoly Days.
Page 422Bahá'ís offifteen eastern states converged on New York City in April1966 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the revelation of the Tablets of the Divine Plan. On April 3 they went on a walking tour of the most important places visited by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. They are shown here leaving the Church of the
Ascension."It is incumbent upon the Trustees of the House of Justice, to take counsel together regarding those things which have not outwardly been revealed in the Book, and to enforce that which is agreeable to them. God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth, and He, verily, is the Provider, the Omniscient."
Bahá'u'lláhOCCASION WORLDWIDE CELEBRATIONS MOST GREAT JUBILEE COMMEMORATING CENTENARY
Y ASCENSION HAHAULLAH THRONE HIS SOVEREIGNTY WITH HEARTS OVERFLOWING
GRATITUDE HIS UNFAILING PROTECTION OVERFLOWING BOUNTIES JOYOUSLY ANNOUNCE
FRIENDS EAST WEST ELECTION SUPREME LEGISLATIVE BODY ORDAINED BY HIM IN HIS MOST
HOLY BOOK PROMISED BY HIM RECEIVE HIS INFALLIBLE GUIDANCE STOP MEMBERS FIRST
HISTORIC HOT~SE JUSTICE DULY ELECTED BY DELEGATES COM~PB1SING MEMBERS FIFTY SIX
NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES ARE CHARLES WOLCOTT ALT NAKHJAVANI H BORRAH KAVELIN IAN
SEMPLE LIJTFULLAH HAKIM DAVID HOFMAN HUGH CHANCE AMOZ GIBSON HUSHMAND
FATHEAZAM STOP TO JUBILATION ENTIRE BAHAI WORLD VICTORIOUS COMPLETION BELOVED
D GUARDIANS UNIQUE CRUSADE NOW ADDED HUMBLE GRATITUDE PROFOUND
THANKSGIVING FOLLOWERS BAHÁ'U'LLÁH POR ERECTION TJNIVERSAL HOUSE JUSTICE
AUGUST BODY TO WHOM ALL BELIEVERS MUST TURN WHOSE DESTINY IS TO GUIDE UNFOLDMENT
T HIS EMBRYONIC WORLD ORDER THROUGH ADMINISTRATIVE INSTITUTIONS
PRESCRIBED BY BAHÁ'U'LLÁH ELABORATED ~Y ABDU'L-BAHÁ LABORIOUSLY ERECTED BY
SHOGHI EFFENDI AND ENSURE EARLY DAWN GOLDEN AGE FAITH WHEN THE WOk]) OF
THE LORD WILL COVER THE EARTH AS THE WATERS COVER THE SEA
HANDSFAITHThe members of the Universal House of Justice assembled in the gardens surrounding the Shrine of the Báb on Mt. C~arrnel. From left to right: C'harks Wolcott, Amoz Gibson Hushmand Fatheazam, Hugh Chance, H. Borrali Kavelin, Ian Semple, Lutfu'Ildh Ijakirn, David Hofrnan, ~A1i NaAhjavdni.
425Abdu'l-Bahá Ri~ziyyih Khdnum instructing the tellers who worked through the night in order to report the election results promptly.
The home of the Master, No. 7 Haparsirn Street, Haifa, where the delegates cast their ballots.
In the centre foreground is the Hand of the Cause Tardzu'lldh Sarnandari and, to his right, the
Hands of the Cause Dhikru'lldh Khddern and Ugo Giacliery.
Page 427THE date of April 21, 1963, the first day of RiQv&n, year 120, the hundredth anniversary of the declaration by Bahá'u'lláh of His sacred mission, has now been recorded in history as the day that witnessed the birth of the Universal House of Justice, that supreme administrative body of the Bahá'í Faith referred to in Bahá'u'lláh's prophetic Tablet of Carmel and which Shoghi Effendi stated "is to be the exponent and guardian of that Divine Justice which can alone insure the security of, and establish the reign of law and order in, a strangely disordered world."
As early as November 5, 1961, the Hands of the Cause had called the First
International Conventionof the Bahá'í Faith at which the election of this crowning administrative institution was to take place. The delegates were the five hundred and four members of the fifty-six National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies elected at their respective Annual Conventions in RiQv~n 1962, charged with the sacred privilege and duty of voting for the nine members of the Bahá'í world community who would comprise the membership of the Universal House of Justice.
To enable the delegates to prepare themselves spiritually for their great responsibility, arrangements had been made by the Hands of the Cause, with the cooperation of the International Baha Council, for all to visit the several holy places on God's sacred mountain, Mt. Carmel in Haifa, and in its twin city, 'Akka. This was the greatest mass pilgrimage ever to have been made to the World Center of our Faith. For the five-day period, April 20 to April 24, the Shine of the BTh was closed to the public, thus making it possible for the delegates to visit this most sacred spot on Mt. Carmel to pray and meditate at any hour and as many times as they wished.
Also, on each of three evenings, a designated group of delegates spent more than two hours in the International Archives Building viewing the sacred relics and documents, beautifully Reprinted from U.S. Bahd'iNews, June, 1963.
preserved and arranged in accordance with the personal instructions of the beloved Guardian, and gaining a deeper understanding of the significance of this edifice which he said is the first of the several structures which will eventually constitute the Ark referred to by
Bahá'u'lláh in His Tabletof the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh whose beginnings trace back to the concluding years of the Heroic Age of the
Faith.The election of the Universal House of Justice, designated by Shoghi Effendi as "the supreme legislative body of the Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh", took place on the morning of the first day of RiQv~n.
The manner in which it was carried out and the results were reported by the Hand of the Cause Paul E. Haney at the Most Great Jubilee a few days later, as follows: The election was held in the House of the Master and the Guardian in Haifa.
The delegates gathered and entered the main hail silently and all were in their designated places by 9.30 a.m.
The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Rffl~fyyihKh&num gave a brief address of welcome and explained the mechanics of the election.
There were two prayers only, preceding the election itself The two hundred and eighty-eight members of the fifty-one
National and RegionalSpiritual Assemblies present proceeded to fill out their ballot papers.
Ballots were received from every National and Regional Spiritual Assembly � fifty-six in all. Representatives were present from all but five of these fifty-six
Assemblies.In silence the roll was called, each National Assembly in alphabetical order.
The members present placed their ballots in the ballot box and those from absentee delegates were called and deposited by the chief tellers.
As the various Assemblies came forward, Mr. Haney commented, one was continuously impressed by the widely representative charac
Page 428Abdu'l-Bahá Rz~kiyyih Khdnum extending greetings and good wishes to the members 0/the Universal House of Justice.
Mr. charles Wolcott, who received the highest number of votes, responding to the applause of the delegates.
Page 429Interior view of Beit Ilarofe Auditorium, Haifa, where the general sessions of the International convention were held.
ter of the electors and that we "were privileged to witness one of the great events of history taking place before our eyes.~~ "When the balloting was completed," lie concluded, "every one felt that Bahá'u'lláh had indeed been present in that gathering and that a unique ~nd wonderful pattern had been estab-Ushed for the world to marvel at and, in the fullness of time, to follow."
Following the casting of the ballots and the appointment of eighteen tellers representing as many countries, all the delegates except the tellers adjourned for luncheon.
In mid-after-noon they gathered a second time at Bahá'í where, in the beautiful gardens in front of the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, they, together with the believers who reside in and near the twin holy cities of 'Akka and Haifa, commemorated the Feast of RiQvAn, followed by another visit to the resting place of IBah~'u'1hh.
The thee-day convention resumed the following morning, and was opened by the Hand of the Cause
Aniatu'I-BahA Rhlflyyih KhAnum.There were three sessions on each of the remaining two days, with a Hand of the Cause presiding and the discussion led by a different delegate. The discussions were very spirited, and while no formal resolutions were presented or adopted, all delegates took back to their national communities many valuable ideas which they may be able to incorporate in their own teaching and proclamation plans in the years ahead.
The results of the election were announced at the close of the morning session of the convention on April 22. The nine members were greeted and introduced by Abdu'l-Bahá Rfllgyyih Kh~num and each believer present felt that he had witnessed not only the birth of an institution which would be regarded by posterity as the "last refuge of a tottering civilization" but also the beginning of a new and more glorious stage in the evoLution of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh. This was indeed an occasion of great rejoicing in the community of the Most Great Name around the world and another historic and history-making step toward "that blissful consummation" envisioned by the beloved Guardian in his message of April 1955 "when the shackles
Page 430The International Archives Building where the delegates assembled for the official convention photograph.
hampering the growth of whole earth, and its dominion their beloved Faith will will have been established have been finally burst over the entire planet."
asunder, when its independent ... from the heart of status will have been Zion there cometh the cry: officially and universally "The promise is fulfilled.
recognized, when it will That which had been announced have ascended the throne in the holy Writ of God, and wielded the scepter the most Exalted, the of spiritual and temporal Almighty, the Best-Beloved, authority, when the brightnessis made man We St." of its glory will have illuminated the
Page 431on April30, 1963, at the World Congress All praise, 0 my God, be to Thee Who art the Source of all glory and majesty, of greatness and honour, of sovereignty and dominion, of loftiness and grace, of awe and power. Whomsoever Thou wiliest Thou causest to draw nigh unto the Most Great Ocean, and on whomsoever Thou desirest Thou conferrest the honour of recognizing Thy Most Ancient Name. Of all who are in heaven and on earth, none can withstand the operation of Thy sovereign Will. From all eternity Thou didyt rule the entire creation, and Thou wilt continue for evermore to exercise Thy dominion over all created things. There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Powerful, the All-Wise.
BELOVED friends: On this glorious occasion, the celebration of the Most Great Jubilee, we raise our grateful thanks to Bahá'u'lláh for all His bounties showered upon the friends throughout the world. This historic moment marks at one and the same time the fulfilment of Daniel's prophecy, the hundredth anniversary of the Declarationof the Promised One of all ages, the termination of the first epoch of the Divine Plan of 'Abdu'l-Bahá designed to establish the Faith of God in all the world, and the successful conclusion of our beloved Guardian's world-encircling Crusade, enabling his lovers and loved ones everywhere to lay this glorious harvest of victory in his name at the feet of the Blessed
Beauty. This Most Great Jubileeis the crowning victory of the life work of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Cause of God. He it was, and he alone, who unfolded the potentialities of the widely scattered, numerically small, and largely unorganized Baha community which had been called into being during the Heroic Age of the Faith.
He it was who unfolded the grand design of God's Holy Cause; set in motion the great plans of teaching already outlined by 'Abdu'l-Bahá; established the institutions and greatly extended the endowments at the World Centre, and raised the Temples of America, Mrica, Australasia, and Europe; developed the Administrative Order of the Cause throughout the world; and set the ark of the Cause true on its course. He appointed the Hands of the Cause of God.
The paeans of joy and gratitude, of love and adoration which we now raise to the throne of Bahá'u'lláh would be inadequate, and the celebrations of this Most Great Jubilee in which, as promised by our beloved Guardian, we are now engaged would be marred, were no tribute paid at this time to the Hands of the Cause of God. For they share the victory with their beloved commander, he who raised them up and appointed them. They kept the ship on its course and brought it safe to port. The Universal House of Justice, witlipride and love, records on this supreme occasion its profound admiration for the heroic work which they have accomplished.
We do not wish to dwell on the appalling dangers which faced the infant Cause when it was suddenly deprived of our beloved Shoghi Effendi, but rather to acknowledge with all the love and gratitude of our hearts the reality of the sacrifice, the labour, the self-discipline, the superb stewardship of the Hands of the Cause of God. We can think of no more fitting words to express our tribute to these dearly loved and valiant souls than to recall the words of Bahá'u'lláh Himself: "Light and glory, greeting and praise be upon the Hands of His Cause, through whom the light of longsuffering hath shone forth, and the declaration of authority is proven of God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Independent; and through whom the sea of bestowal bath moved, and the breeze of the favour of God, the Lord of mankind, bath wafted."
The members of the Universal House ofJustice, all being in Haifa at the time of the election, were able to visit the Holy Shrines of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb, and of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, where they prostrated themselves at the Sacred Thresholds and humbly sought strength and assistance in the mighty task before them.
Later, in London, they have paid homage at the resting-place of Shoghi Effendi, the blessed and sacred bough of the Tree of Holiness.
As soon as the House of Justice is able to organize its work and deploy its forces, it will examine carefully all the conditions of the Cause of God, and communications will be made to the friends. At this time we call upon the believers everywhere to follow up vigorously the opportunities opened up by the World Crusade.
Consolidation and deepening must go hand in hand with an eager extension of the teaching work so that the onward march of the Cause may continue unabated in preparation for future plans. Now that the attention of the public is becoming more and more drawn to the Cause of God, the friends must brace themselves and prepare their institutions to sustain the gaze of the world, whether it be friendly or hostile, eager or idle.
The Universal House of Justice greets you all lovingly and joyfully at this time, and asks you to pray fervently for its speedy development and the spiritual strengthening of its members.
Exterior view of No. 10 Ilaparsim Street, Haifa. This building which had formerly accommodated western pilgrims was converted to offices for the Universal House of Justice in 1963.
Page 433Address by the Hand of the Cause PAUL HANEY on April30, 1963, at the World Congress IN many of his glorious messages to the Baha world the beloved Guardian described for us the twin spiritual and administrative World Centres existing and fixed permanently in the Holy Land, "constituting the midmost heart of the entire planet", the source of spiritual power and the object of adoration of all Baha'is. He also drew for us a clear and inspiring picture of those sacred and divinely-ordained institutions which comprise the heart and the nerve centre of our Faith in the twin holy cities of 'Akka and Haifa.
Our Guardian explained to us that there are three divinely revealed charters which have set in motion three distinct processes in the unfoldment of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh.
1. The Tablet of Carmel, revealed by Bahá'u'lláh Himself, which is the charter for the development of the institutions of the Faith at its World Centre, including the establishment of the supreme edifice of the Universal
House of Justice.of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the charter for the establishment of the Administrative Order throughout the world; and 3. The Tablets of the Divine Plan, constituting the charter for the propagation of the Faith and the spiritual conquest of the planet.
It was the Tablet of Carmel which generated the spiritual impulse for the rise and establishment of the Bahá'í international institutions in the lloiy Land, a process the beginnings of which, Shoghi Effendi told us, "may be traced as far back as the concluding years of the Heroic Age of the Faith", and which will attain its final consummation in the Golden Age, "through the raising of the standard of the Most Great Peace and the emergence in the plenitude of its power and glory of the focal centre of the agencies constituting the World
Order of Bahá'u'lláh.The final establishment of this seat of the future Baha World Commonwealth will," he told us, "signalize at once the proclamation of the sovereignty of the Founder of our Faith and the advent of the Kingdom of the Father..."
PROFOUND SIGNIFICANCEAs long ago as 1939, at the time of the transfer of the sacred remains of the lloiy Mother and the Purest Branch to Mt. Carmel and their interment in the vicinity of the Tomb of the Greatest Holy Leaf, the beloved Guardian, in a stirring message to the American Baha'is, began to reveal the profound importance and administrative significance of the institutions which in the future would be established within the shadow of the Shrine of the BTh on God's Holy
Mountain.In commenting on the reburial of these holy souls, he told us that: "The transfer of the sacred remains of the brother and mother of our Lord and Master
'Abdu'l-Bahá to Mt. Carmeland their final interment within the hallowed precincts of the Shrine of the flAb, and in the immediate neighbourhood of the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf, constitute, apart from their historic associations and the tender sentiments they arouse, events of such capital institutional significance as oniy future happenings, steadily and mysteriously unfolding at the World Centre of our Faith, can adequately demonstrate."
In that same message lie referred to the Tablet of Carmel, quoting from its various passages, such as: "Haste thee, 0 Carmel, for Ic, the light of the countenance of God, the Ruler of the Kingdom of Names and Fashioner of the heavens, bath been lifted upon thee.". .'�Reioice,for God bath made thee the dawning-place of His signs and the dayspring c/His Revelation."
He also stated that: "It must be clearly understood, nor can it be sufficiently emphasized, that the conjunction of the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf with those of her brother and mother incalculably reinforces the spiritual
Page 434potencies of that consecrated spot which, under the wings of the DAb's overshadowing Sepulchre, and in the vicinity of the future Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, which will be reared on its flank, is destined to evolve into the focal centre of those world-shaking, world-embracing, world-directing administrative institutions, ordained by Bahá'u'lláh and anticipated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
"To attempt to visualize, even in its barest outline, the glory that must envelop these institutions, to essay even a tentative and partial description of their character or the manner of their operation, or to trace however inadequately the course of events leading to their rise and eventual establishment is far beyond my own capacity and power.
Suffice it to say that at this troubled stage in world history the association of these thee incomparablyprecious souls who, next to the three Central Figures of our Faith, tower in rank above the vast multitude of the heroes, letters, martyrs, hands, teachers and administrators of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, in such a potentially powerful spiritual and administrative Centre, is in itself an event which will release forces that are bound to hasten the emergence in a land which, geographically, spiritually and administratively, constitutes the heart of the entire planet, of some of the brightest gems of that World Order now shaping in the womb of this travailing age."
On July 7, 1950, in announcing to the Bahá'í world the completion of the initial stage of the building of the superstructure of the Shine of the Báb, the beloved Guardian referred to "the process set in motion sixty years ago by Bahá'u'lláh's visit to Mt. Carmel", and after reviewing the contribution to its unfoldment made by the successive stages in the construction of the Shrine, stated that this process would attain its consummation "through the emergence of the institutions of the World Administrative Centre of the Faith in the vicinity of its World Spiritual Centre, signalizing the sailing of the Divine Ark on God's Mountain, prophesied in the Tablet of CarmeL"
THE FIRST INTERNATIONALOn January 9, 1951, the beloved Guardian announced the formation of the first
International Bahá'í Counciland characterized it as the "forerunner of supreme administrative institution destined to emerge in fullness of time within precincts and beneath the shadow of World Spiritual Centre of the Faith already established in the twin cities of 'Akka and Haifa."
During the Ri4vAn period of the same year (1951), Shoghi Effendi, in opening the door to direct contributions to the International Fund in the Holy Land by individual believers throughout the world, as well as by National and Local Assemblies, referred to "the establishment of the International Bahá'í Council and the construction of the superstructure of the DAb's Sepulchre" as constituting "the initial major evidences" of "the rise and consolidation of the Administrative Centre of the World Faith of Bahá'u'lláh." In that same message he told the believers that upon their response to the needs which he described would "depend the nature and rapidity of the evolution of the World Administrative Centre designed to culminate in the erection of the last unit crowning the structure of the embryonic World Order of Bahá'u'lláh", this of course being a reference to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice.
More than three years later, after completion of the superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb, the Guardian, in announcing the acquisition of a thirteen hundred metre plot located in "a central position amidst the extensive Baha domains in the heart of God's Holy Mountain", indicated that the ownership of this plot would permit the location of the site, the excavation of the foundations and the erection of the structure of the International Baha Archives, constituting one of the foremost objectives of the Ten Year Plan.
In this historic message he also disclosed that the raising of the edifice of an International Archives would "in turn herald the construction, in the course of successive epochs of the Formative Age of the Faith, of several other structures" designed to serve as the administrative seat of the various divinely-appointed institutions of the Faith, including the Universal House of Justice. These edifices, he explained, will be in the shape of a far-flung arc surrounding the resting-places of the Greatest Holy Leaf, the Purest Branch and the Holy Mother. "The ultimate completion of this stupendous undertaking," he told us, "will mark the culmination
Page 435of the development of a worldwide divinely appointed
Administrative Order."In each of his last three annual RiQvAn Messages our beloved Guardian shared with the friends throughout the world additional news reflecting the rapid progress of construction of the International Archives Building and the expansion of the ownership of properties on Mt. Carmel, safeguarding the future development of the Bahá'í spiritual and administrative institutions.
In April 1955 announcement was made of steps "being taken for the purchase of several properties..
the acquisition of which is essential for the safeguarding of the area in the close vicinity of the BTh's Sepulchre, as well as for the future expansion of the arc around which the edifices destined to serve as the seat of the future
Bahá'í World CommonwealthEffendi informed the BaWd world that: "In the Hoiy Land, the centre and pivot round which the divinely appointed, fast multiplying institutions of a world-encircling, resistlessly marching Faith revolve, the double process, so noticeable in recent years, involving a rapid decline in the fortunes of the breakers of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant and proclaiming the rise of the institutions of its World Administrative Centre, in the shadow of His Shrine, has been accelerated on the one hand, through the death, in miserable circumstances, of the treacherous and malignant Majdi'd-Din, the last survivor of the principal instigators of the rebellion against the Will of the Founder of our Faith, and on the other, through the laying of the foundation, and the erection of some of the pillars, of the fagade and of the northern side of the International Bahá'í Archives � the first of the major edifices destined to constitute the seat of the World
Baha Administrative1957, the beloved Guardian was able to share with the friends the following joyful announcement: "In the Holy Land, the Qiblib of a world community, the heart from which the energizing influences of a vivifying Faith continually tinually stream, and the seat and centre around which the diversified activities of a divinely appointed
Administrative Orderrevolve � following upon the termination of the construction of the Rib's Holy Sepulchre, marking the closing of the first chapter in the history of the evolution of the central institutions of a world Faith, a marked progress in the rise and establishment of these institutions has been clearly noticeable.
The remaining twenty-two pillars of the International Bahá'í Archives � the initial edifice heralding the establishment of the Bahá'í
World AdministrativeCentre on Mt. Carmel � have been erected. The last half of the nine hundred tons of stone, ordered in Italy for its construction, have reached their destination, enabling the exterior of the building to be completed, while the forty-four tons of glazed green tiles, manufactured in Utrecht, to cover the five hundred square metres of roof, have been placed in position, the whole contributing to an unprecedented degree through its colourfulness, its classic style and graceful proportions, and in conjunction with the stately golden-crowned Mausoleum rising beyond it, to the unfolding glory of the central institutions of a World Faith, nestling in the heart of God's
Holy Mountain."Simultaneous with this striking development, the plan designed to insure the extension and completion of the arc serving as a base for the erection of future edifices constituting the World
Baha AdministrativeAnd now, in this RiQv~n period, at the termination of the World Crusade of our beloved Guardian, coinciding with the end of the first epoch of the unfoldment of the Divine Plan of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, that "last unit crowning the structure of the embryonic World Order of Bahá'u'lláh", the Universal House of Justice, has been established.
The election of this glorious institution which Shoghi Efi'endi said would be regarded by posterity as "the last refuge of a tottering civilization", brings to fruition at long last the ardent hopes of the Master and the Guardian, both of whom confidently anticipated the time when this august institution would come into
Page 436being and fulfil its divinely-ordained function as "the Supreme Legislative Body of the
Administrative OrderThe first foundations of this sacred edifice were reared in the days of the Master, Who devoted so much of His time and effort to raising up and training the Local Spiritual Assemblies and committees in the countries where groups of Baha existed.
Then the beloved Guardian, acting under the infallible guidance and supreme authority conferred upon him in the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, steadily expanded these foundations as he strove to educate and deepen the believers in their knowledge of the administration and its true purpose.
At length this process of preparation reached the point where our Guardian could assign definite plans with specific objectives to the various national communities, and, finally, a World Crusade for the spiritual conquest of the entire planet, making possible the erection of no less than fifty-six
National and Regional Assemblieswhich now constitute the pillars of the supreme edifice of the Universal
House of Justice.The importance of this process and its glorious consummation were described by Shoghi Effendi in various communications, some written as early as 1923. ma letter written in December of that year he said: "As to the order and management of the spiritual affairs of the friends, that which is very important now is the consolidation of the Spiritual Assemblies in every centre, because on these fortified and unshakable foundations, God's
Supreme House of Justiceshall be erected and firmly established in the days to come. When this most great edifice shall be reared on such an immovable foundation, God's purpose, wisdom, universal truths, mysteries and realities of the Kingdom, which the mystic
Revelation of Bahá'u'lláhof 'Abdu'l-Bahá, shall gradually be revealed and made manifest."
And less than a year later, in October 1924, he told us that:
"These Spiritual Assemblieshave been primarily constituted to carry out these affairs, and secondly to lay a perfect and strong foundation for the establishment of the divine and
Universal House of Justice.When that central pivot of the people of RaM shall be effectively, majestically and firmly established, a new era will dawn, heavenly bounties and graces will pour out from that Source, and the all-encom-passing promises will be fulfilled."
IMPORTANCE OF THE BELIEVERS' TASKSThen in a communication written a number of years preceding the inception of the Ten Year Plan, he gave us another glimpse of the supreme future importance of the tasks which the believers were being called upon to perform: "The purpose of so much perpetual and intensive emphasis on the support and consolidation of these Spiritual Assemblies is this.., that the foundation of the Cause of God must become broader and stronger day by day, that no confusion ever enter the divine order, that new and strong ties be forged between East and West, that Bahá'í unity be safeguarded and illumine the eyes of the people of the world with its resplendent beauty, so that upon these assemblies God's Houses of Justice may be firmly established and upon these secondary Houses of Justice the lofty edifice of the Universal House of Justice may, with complete order, perfection and glory, and with no delay, be raised up. When the Universal House of Justice shall have stepped forth from the realm of hope into that of visible fulfilment and its fame be established in every corner and clime of the world, then that august body, solidly grounded and founded on the firm and unshakable foundation of the entire Bahá'í community of East and West, and the recipient of the bounties of God and His inspiration... will proceed to devise and carry out important undertakings, worldwide activities and the establishment of glorious institutions.
By this means the renown of the Cause of God will become worldwide and its light will illumine the whole earth."
In one of his messages written in the period between the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the World Crusade, the beloved Guardian promised us that thb long process of building the foundations of the
Administrative Orderwould eventually bring us to the time � "During this Formative Age of the Faith".. when the "last and crowning stage in
Page 437the erection of the framework of the Administrative Order of Bahá'u'lláh, the election of the Universal House of Justice", would take place.
PROMISES, INJUNCTIONSis familiar with the spiritual authority conferred upon the Universal House of
Justice by Bahá'u'lláhand the Centre of His Covenant, it is appropriate at this historic moment to review some of the passages from the sacred Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá which set forth the divine promises and injunctions relating to this august institution.
"And now, concerning the House of Justice which God hath orda med as the source of all good and freed from all error, it must be elected by universal suffrage, that is, by the believers. Its members must be manifestations of the fear of God and daysprings of knowledge and understanding, must be steadfast in God's faith and the well-wishers of all mankind. By this House is meant the Universal House of Justice, that is, in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted, and these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the members of the Universal one.
Unto this body all things must be referred. It enacteth all ordinances and regulations that are not to be found in the explicit Holy Text."
"The sacred and youthful branch, the guardian of the Cause of God as well as tije Universal House of Justice, to be universally elected and estabIished~ are both under the care and pro tec-tion of the AbIuI Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One (may my life be offered up for them both). Whatsoever they decide is of God. Whoso obeyetli him not, neither obeyeth them, hath not obeyed God, wlioso rebelleth against him and against them hath rebelled against God, whoso opposeth him hath opposed God, wI~oso contendeth with them hath contended with God..
"This is the foundation of the belief of the people of Baha (may my life be offered up for them).
'His Holiness, the ExaltedOne, (the BcTh) is the Manifestation of die Unity and Oneness of God and the Forerunner of the Ancient Beauty.
His Holiness the AbhdBeauty (may my life be a sacrifice for His steadfast friends) is the Supreme Manifestation of God and the Dayspring of His Most Divine Essence.
All others are servants unto Him and do His bidding.'
Unto the Most Holy Bookevery one must turn and all that is not expressly recorded therein nwst be referred to the Universal
House of Justice. Thatwhich this body, whether unanimously or by a malority doth carry, that is verily the Truth and the Purpose of God Himself. Whoso doth deviate therefrom is verily of them that love discord, hath shown forth malice and turned away from the Lord of the Covenant."
"All must seek guidance and turn unto the Centre of the Cause and the
House of Justice. Andhe that turneth unto whatsoever else is indeed in grievous error.
"The Glory of GloriesIn many of his writings during the thirty-six year period of his ministry, the beloved Guardian explained the functions of the House of Justice and described the bounties which would descend upon the world following its establishment.
He made it clear that Bahá'u'lláh's promise that "God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willetli" referred to the institution of the House of Justice acting as the consultative body having the "exclusive right and prerogative to pronounce upon and deliver the final judgment on such laws and ordinances as Bahá'u'lláh has not expressly revealed."
In a message sent early in 1951 commenting on the participation of four National Spiritual Assemblies in the newly opened African teaching campaign which was to bring such joy to his heart, Shoghi Effendi gave an indication of the future role of the Universal House of Justice in linking the various National Assemblies in worldwide undertakings.
"Fervently praying participationunique epoch making enterprise African continent may prove prelude convocation first African Teaching Conference leading eventually initiation undertakings involving collaboration all national assemblies of Bahá'í world, thereby paving way ultimate organic union these assemblies through formation International House of Justice destined launch enterprises embracing whole Bahá'í world."
Page 438In closing let us attempt to understand, through these majestic words of our beloved Guardian, the extent of the blessing now conferred upon the entire world through the establishment ofBah&u'lIAh's
Universal House of Justice.Referring to the first charter mentioned earlier, Shoghi Effendi, in one of his messages explained that: "In this great Tablet (of Carmel) which unveils divine mysteries and heralds the establishment of two mighty, majestic and momentous undert~ings...
the Spiritual and Administrative World Centres of the Faith. Bahá'u'lláh refers to an 'Ark', whose dwellers are the men of the Supreme House of Justice, which in conformity with the exact provisions of the Will and Testament of the Centre of the Mighty Covenant is the body which should legislate on laws not explicitly revealed in the Text. In this dispensation, these laws are destined to flow from this Holy Mountain, even as in the Mosaic Dispensation, the law of God was promulgated from Zion. The 'sailing of the Ark' of His laws is a reference to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice, which is indeed the House of Legislature, one of the branches of the World
Administrative CentreAnd in other messages referring to the time when this supreme institution would be established, he told us that: "Through it the pillars of the Faith on this earth will be firmly established and its hidden powers be revealed, its signs shine forth, its banners be unfurled and its light be shed upon all peoples."
"Then will all our cherished hopes and aspirations be realized, the tree of our endeavours bear fruit, the Will and Testament of our Master and our Beloved be fully and firmly established, and the hidden powers of the Cause of our Lord and God be fully manifested.
Then will be unveiled before our eyes the inauguration of an era the like of which has never been witnessed in past ages."
� "Then will the throne of Bahá'u'lláh's sovereignty be founded in the promised land and the scales of justice be raised on high. Then will the banner of the independence of the Faith be unfurled, and His Most Great Law be unveiled and rivers of laws and ordinances stream forth from this snow-white spot with all-conquering power and awe-inspiring majesty, the like of which past ages have never seen.
Then will appear the truth of what was revealed by the Tongue of Grandeur: 'Call out to Zion, 0 Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: He that was hidden from mortal eyes is corneliUs all-conquering sovereignty is manifest; His all-encompassing splendour is revealed.
o Carmel well is it with him that circlet/i around thee, that proclaimeth the revelation of thy glory, and recounteth that which the bounty of the Lord, thy God, liath showered upon thee.
Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee, and will manifest the people of RaM, who have been mentioned in the Book of Names'"
Page 439THE Guardian stated in his World Order letters' that "we stand.., too close to so monumental a document to claim for oprselves a complete understanding of all its implications, or to presume to have grasped the manifold mysteries it undoubtedly contains.
Only future generations can comprehend the value and the significance attached to this Divine Masterpiece, which the hand of the Master-builder of the world has designed for the unification and the triumph of the worldwide
Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.Only those who come after us will be in a position to realize the value of the surprisingly strong emphasis that has been placed on the institution of the House of Justice and of the Guardianship."
One of the ways in which the friends will come to a fuller understanding of the authority, powers and functions of the
Universal House of Justicewill be through elucidations and statements made from time to time by that supreme body itself. Twice during the first five years of its existence the Universal House of Justice was called upon to make major statements in response to questions asked � once by a National Spiritual Assembly and at another time by an individual believer.
The elucidations provided by the Universal House of Justice in response to those questions are reprinted here.
Exce~pts from a Letter to a National Spiritual Assemb4y2
March 9, 1965We are glad that you have brought to our attention the questions perplexing some of the believers.
It is much better for these questions to be put freely and openly than to have them, unexpressed, burdening the hearts of devoted believers.
Once one grasps certain basic princi-pies of thesuch uncertainties are easily dispelled. This is not to say that the Cause of God contains no mysteries. Mysteries there are indeed, but they are not of a kind to shake one's faith once the essential tenets of the Cause and the indisputable facts of any situation are clearly understood.
The questions put by the various believers fall into three groups. The first group centres upon the following queries: Why were steps taken to elect a Universal House of Justice with the foreknowledge that there would be no Guardian?
Was the time ripe for such an action? Could not the International Bahá'í Council have carried on the work?
At the time of our beloved Shoghi Effendi's death it was evident, from the circumstances and from the explicit requirements of the lloiy Texts, that it had been impossible for him to appoint a successor in accordance with the 1 The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, p.s. Wellspring of Guidance, pp. 44 � 56.
provisions of the Will and Testament of'Abdu'1-BahA.
This situation, in which the Guardian died without being able to appoint a successor, presented an obscure question not covered by the explicit Holy Text, and had to be referred to the Universal
House of Justice. Thefriends should clearly understand that before the election of the Universal House of Justice there was no knowledge that there would be no Guardian.
There could not have been any such foreknowledge, whatever opinions individual believers may have held. Neither the Hands of the Cause of God, nor the International Baha Council, nor any other existing body could make a decision upon this all-important matter.
Only the House of Justice had authority to pronounce upon it. This was one urgent reason for calling the election of the Universal House of Justice as soon as possible.
Following the passing of Shoghi Effendi the international administration of the Faith was carried on by the Hands of the Cause of God with the complete agreement and loyalty of the National Spiritual Assemblies and the body of the believers. This was in accordance with the Guardian's designation of the Hands as the "Chief
Stewards of Bahá'u'lláh'sFrom the very outset of their custodianship of the Cause of God the Hands realized that since they had no certainty of Divine guidance such as is incontrovertibly assured to the Guardian and to the Universal House of Justice, their one safe course was to follow with undeviating firmness the instructions and policies of Shoghi Effendi. The entire history of religion shows no comparable record of such strict self-discipline, such absolute loyalty, and such complete self-abnegation by the leaders of a religion finding themselves suddenly deprived of their divinely inspired guide. The debt of gratitude which mankind for generations, nay, ages to come, owes to this handful of grief-stricken, steadfast, heroic souls is beyond estimation.
The Guardian had given the Bahá'í world explicit and detailed plans covering the period until Rktv~n 1963, the end of the
Ten Year Crusade. Fromthat point onward, unless the Faith were to be endangered, further Divine guidance was essential. This was the second pressing reason for the calling of the election of the Universal
House of Justice. Therightness of the time was further confirmed by references in Shoghi Effendi's letters to the Ten Year Crusade's being followed by other plans under the direction of the Universal House of Justice. One such reference is the following passage from a letter addressed to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles on February 25, 1951, concerning its Two Year Plan which immediately preceded the Ten Year
Crusade:"On the success of this enterprise, unprecedented in its scope, unique in its character, and immense in its spiritual potentialities, must depend the initiation, at a later period in the Formative Age of the Faith, of undertakings embracing within their range all National Assemblies functioning throughout the Baha world, undertakings constituting in themselves a prelude to the launching of worldwide enterprises destined to be embarked upon, in future epochs of that same age, by the Universal House of Justice, that will symbolize the unity and coordinate and unify the activities of these National
Assemblies."Having been in charge of the Cause of God for six years, the Hands, with absolute faith in the Holy Writings, called upon the believers to elect the Universal House of Justice, and even went so far as to ask that they themselves be not voted for. The sole, sad instance of anyone succumbing to the allurements of power was the pitiful attempt of Charles Mason Remey to usurp the Guardianship...
"At whatever time all the beloved of God in each country appoint their delegates, and these in turn elect their representadves, and these representatives elect a body, that body shall be re-gardedas the
Supreme House of Justice."The establishment of that House is not dependent upon the conversion of all the nations of the world. For example, if conditions were favourable and no disturbances would be caused~ the friends in Persia would elect their representatives, and likewise the friends in America, in India, and other areas would also elect their representatives, and these would elect a House of Justice. That House of Justice would be the Supreme House of Justice. That isa?!."
(Persian and Arabic TabletsThe friends should realize that there is nothing in the Texts to indicate that the election of the
Universal House of Justicecould be called oniy by the Guardian. On the contrary, 'Abdu'l-Bahá envisaged the calling of its election in His own lifetime. At a time described by the Guardian as "the darkest moments of His (the Master's) life, under 'Abdu'1-Ijamid's regime, when He stood to be deported to the most inhospitable regions of Northern Africa", and when even His life was threatened, 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote to Ij6ji Mirza Taqf Afn~n, the cousin of the DAb and chief builder of the 'Ishqabad Temple, commanding him to arrange for the election of the Universal House of Justice should the threats against the Master materialize.
The second part of the Master's Will is also relevant to such a situation and should be studied by the friends.
The second series of problems vexing some of the friends centres on the question of the infallibility of the Universal House of Justice and its ability to function without the presence of the Guardian...
It should be understood by the friends that before legislating upon any matter the Universal House of Justice studies carefully and exhaustively both the Sacred Texts and the writings of Shoghi Effendi on the subject.
The interpretations written by the beloved Guardian
Page 441cover a vast range of subjects and are equally as binding as the Text itself.
There is a profound difference between the interpretations of the Guardian and the elucidations of the House of Justice in exercise of its function to "deliberate upon all problems which have caused difference, questions that are obscure, and matters that are not expressly recorded in the Book." The Guardian reveals what the Scripture means; his interpretation is a statement of truth which cannot be varied. Upon the Universal House of Justice, in the words of the Guardian, "has been conferred the exclusive right of legislating on matters not expressly revealed in the Bahá'í Writings." Its pronouncements, which are susceptible of amendment or abrogation by the House of Justice itself, serve to supplement and apply the Law of God.
Although not invested with the function of interpretation, the House of Justice is in a position to do everything necessary to establish the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh on this earth. Unity of doctrine is maintained by the existence of the authentic texts of Scripture and the voluminous interpretations of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, together with the absolute prohibition against anyone propounding "authoritative" or "inspired" interpretations or usurping the function of Guardian. Unity of administration is assured by the authority of the
Universal House of Justice."Such," in the words of Shoghi Effendi, "is the immutability of His revealed Word. Such is the elasticity which characterizes the functions of His appointed ministers. The first preserves the identity of His Faith, and guards the integrity of His law. The second enables it, even as a living organism, to expand and adapt itself to the needs and requirements of an everchanging society."
The third group of queries raised by the friends concerns details of functioning of the Universal House of Justice in the absence of the Guardian, particularly the matter of expulsion of members of the House of Justice. Such questions will be clarified in the Constitution of the House of Justice, the formulation of which is a goal of the Nine Year Plan. Meanwhile the friends are informed that any member committing a "sin injurious to the common weal" may be expelled from membership of the House of Justice by a majority vote of the House itself. Should any member, God forbid, be guilty of breaking the Covenant, the matter would be investigated by the Hands of the Cause of God, and the Covenant-breaker would be expelled by decision of the Hands of the Cause of God residing in the Holy Land, subject to the approval of the House of Justice, as in the case of any other believer.
The decision of the Hands in such a case would be announced to the Baha world by the Universal
House of Justice.�You query the timing of the election of the Universal House of Justice in view of the Guardian's statement: given favourable circumstances under which the Bahá'ís of Persia and the adjoining countries under Soviet rule may be enabled to elect their national representatives.
the oniy remaining obstacle in the way of the definite formation of the International House of Justice will have been removed." On April 19, 1947, the Guardian, in a letter written on his behalf by his secretary, replied to the inquiry of an individual believer about this passage: "At the time he referred to Russia there were Bahá'ís there.
Now the community has practically ceased to exist; therefore the formation of the Wellspring of Guidance, pp.81 � 91.
International House of Justice cannot depend on a Russian National Spiritual Assembly, but other strong
National Spiritual Assemblieswill have to be built up before it can be established."
You suggest the possibility that, for the good of the Cause, certain information concerning the succession to Shoghi Efi'endi is being withheld from the believers. We assure you that nothing whatsoever is being withheld from the friends for whatever reason. There is no doubt at all that in the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi was the authority designated to appoint his successor; but he had no children and all the surviving Agli~6n had broken the Covenant. Thus, as the Hands of the Cause stated in 1957, it is clear that there was no one he could have appointed in accor
Page 442View of the Shrine of the Báb and the International Archives Building and what was described by Shoghi Effendi in his April, 195S, message as: ..... the arc around which the edifices destined to serve as the seat of the future Bahá'í World Commonwealth are to be erected."
dance with the provisions of the Will. To have made an appointment outside the clear and specific provisions of the Master's Will and Testament would obviously have been an impossible and unthinkable course of action for the Guardian, the divinely appointed upholder and defender of the Covenant.
Moreover, that same Will had provided a clear means for the confirmation of the Guardian's appointment of his successor, as you are aware. The nine Hands to be elected by the body of the Hands were to give their assent by secret ballot to the Guardian's choice. In 1957 the entire body of the Hands, after fully investigating the matter, announced that Shoghi Effendi had appointed no successor and left no will. This is documented and established.
The fact that Shoghi Effendi did not leave a wilicannot be adduced as evidence of his failure to obey Bahá'u'lláh � rather should we acknowledge that in his very silence there is a wisdom and a sign of his infallible guidance. We should ponder deeply the Writings that we have, and seek to understand the multitudinous significances that they contain. Do not forget that Shoghi Effendi said two things were necessary for a growing understanding of the World
Order of Bahá'u'lláh:the passage of time and the guidance of the Universal
House of Justice.The infallibility of the Universal House of Justice, operating within its ordained sphere, has not been made dependent upon the presence in its membership of the Guardian of the Cause.
Although in the realm of interpretation the Guardian's pronouncements are always binding, in the area of the Guardian's participation in legislation it is always the decision of the House itself which must prevail. This is supported by the words of the Guardian: "The interpretation of the Guardian, functioning within his own sphere, is as authoritative and binding as the enactments of the International House of Justice, whose exclusive right and prerogative is to pronounce upon and deliver the final judgement on such laws and ordinan
Page 443443 ces~as iBah&'u'fltih has not expressly revealed. .jteither can, nor will ever, infringe upon the sacred and prescribed domain of the other. Neither will seek to curtail the specific and undoubted authority with which both have been divinely invested.
'~Thougli the Guardian of the Faith has been made the permanent head of so august a body he can never, even temporarily, assume the right of exclusive legislation. He cannot override the decision of the majority of his fellow members, but is bound to insist upon a reconsideration by them of any enactment he conscientiously believes to conflict with the meaning and to depart from the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh's revealed utterances."
... As you point out with many quotations, Shoghi Effendi repeatedly stressed the inseparability of these two institutions.
Whereas he obviously envisaged their functioning together, it cannot logically be deduced from this that one is unable to function in the absence of the other. During the whole thirty-six years of his
Guardianship Shoghi Effendiof Justice must function without the Guardian, but the principle of inseparability remains. The Guardianship does not lose its significance nor position in the Order of Bahá'u'lláh merely because there is no living Guardian. We must guard against two extremes: one is to argue that because there is no Guardian all that was written about the Guardianship and its position in the Bahá'í World Order is a dead letter and was unim portant; the other is to be so overwhelmed by the significance of the Guardianship as to underestimate the strength of the Covenant, or to be tempted to compromise with the clear Texts in order to IThd somehow, in some way, a "Guardian
As As the Universal Houseof Justice has already announced, it cannot legislate to make possible the appointment of a successor to Shoghi Effendi, nor can it legislate to make possible the appointment of any more Hands of the Cause, but it must do everything within its power to ensure the performance of all those functions which it shares with these two mighty institutions.
It must make provision for the proper discharge in future of the functions of protection and propagation, which the administrative bodies share with the Guardianship and the Hands of the Cause; it must, in the absence of the Guardian, receive and disburse the }juqflqu'11Th, in accordance with the following statement of 'Abdu'l-Bahá: "Dis-position of the Ijuqaq, wholly or partly, is permissible, but this should be done by permission of the authority in the Cause to whom all must turn."
It must make provision in its Constitution for the removal of any of its members who commits a sin "injurious to the common weal". Above all, it must, with perfect faith in Bahá'u'lláh, proclaim His Cause and enforce Ills law so that the Most Great Peace shall be firmly established in this world and the foundation of the Kingdom of God on earth shall be accomplished.
Page 444Governor John A. Burns c/Hawaii signs a proclamation designating September 15, 1963, as "World Peace Day". "World Peace Day" is an annuii proclamation event sponsored by Bahá'ís in many parts of the world.
Page 445Jhiji Mu11~ 'A1i-Akbar-i-Shahmfrz~di, known as }jAji Ai~nd
Ihiji Mirza Mu1~ammadTaqiy-i-Abhari, known as Ibn-i-Abhar Mirza Mutiammad-Ijasan, entitled Adibu'1-Mirz~ 'A1i-Mu1~ammad, known as Ibn-i-Asdaq 'U1am~i, known as Adib "The Hands of the Cause, of Bahá'u'lláh's days, will be known to the friends by name when the history of the Cause in Persia and the Near East is written and available." (Letter written by the Guardian's secretary on his behalf.)
445AqA Mu1~ammad-i-QA'ini, known as Mirza 'Ali-Mu~ammad-i-VarqA, the martyr
Nabil-i-Akbar"You have asked me about the Hands: The Hands are persons appointed by the Pen of the Most High Bahá'u'lláh, or addressed with such an appellation by the Pen of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and honoured by Him with such a title. Any one of the Hands who is firm in the Covenant is the genuine bearer of this title." (Translated into English from a Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.)
Editor's note: Those referred to as Hands of the Cause in Memorials c/the Faithful, by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, , p. 5, are listed above.
Page 447Ij~ji Abi~i'1-Uasan, the Trustee of Huqi~qu'11Th, known as Ij~iji
AminCharles Mason Remey was appointed a Hand of the Cause by Shoghi Eflendi among the first contingent and was subsequently expelled.
Page 458C.,' 00 The Hands of the Cause who delivered the Message from the Universal House of Justice to the six Intercontinental Conferences held in October, 1967, were photograp hed with the members of the Universal House of Justice at Baha where they gathered for prayers before the departure of the Hands of the Cause for Adrianopk. (Left to right: Mr. Hugh Chance, Mr. David Hofman, Dr. Lulfu'lIdh Ijakim, Mr. H. Borrah Kavelin, the Hands of the Cause 'Abu'l-Qdsim Faizi, Tardzu'IIdh Samandari, Ugo Giachery, Abdu'l-Bahá Ri~kiyyih K!!dnum, Paul F. Haney, 'Ali-Akbar Furt~tan; Mr. Amoz Gibson, Mr. Ian Semple, Mr. 'Au Nai~hjavdni, Mr. Hushmand Fat ijeazam, Mr. Charles Wolcott.
Page 459Adaptedfrom Bahá'í Journal of the British Isles, November 1965
DURING the last years of Bahá'u'lláh's ministry the work of the Cause expanded greatly, centres were multiplying, and correspondence greatly increased. It was during this period that Professor E. G. Browne of Cambridge was granted his four successive interviews with Bahá'u'lláh during the five days he was His guest (April 15 � 20, 1890).'
In that same year Bahá'u'lláh's tent, the "Tabernacle of Glory", was raised on Mt. Carmel and it was during this period that a few of His followers were appointed as "Hands of the Cause of God", one of the "preliminary steps aiming at the disclosure of the scope and working of this Administrative
Order" ~2In the Tablet of Ta]alIiy~t Bahá'u'lláh addresses one of those whom He appointed as a Hand of the Cause:
"0 'Au Qabl-i-Akbar! Wehave heard thy voice repeatedly, and We have responded to thee in that which the sayings of the world cannot equal, and from which the sincere ones find the perfume of the utterance of the clement One, the lovers the fragrances of union, and the thirsty one the murmur of the kawlizar of life. Blessed is lie who attains thereto and discovers thatsweet fragrance which isnowbeingdiffused from the Pen of God, the Protector, the Mighty, the Bestower!
."Blessed is thy face, for it turned unto Our direction; tlzine ears, for they heard, and thy tongue, for it uttered the praise of God, the Lord of Lords!
We beg of God to make thee a banner for assistance of His Cause, and to draw thee nearer unto Him under all circumstances.
We make mention of the friends of God and His beloved ones in that place, and We gladden them through that which is revealed unto them from the kingdom of the utterance of their Lord, the King of the Day of Judgeinent.
Remember them on My part, and illumine them with the lights of/he orb of My utterance. Verily tliyLord is the Mighty, the Gracious."~ Surely we may read in these words a confirmation of Bahá'u'lláh's love and trust, and a lovinginstructionto one who had been appointed by Him to the station of service, a Hand of the
Cause of God.Bahá'u'lláh exhorts the Hands of the Cause to "illumine them (the friends) with the lights of the orb of My utterance" and 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His Willand Testament lays down very clearly their obligations. It is of interest to note that within the first few hundred words of His Will and
Testament 'Abdu'l-Bahá"Salutation and praise, blessing and glory rest...
upon the Hands (pillars) of the Cause of Gad that have Diffused widely the Divine
Fragrances Declared HisDetached themselves from all things but Him Stood for righteousness in this world And kindled the Fire of the Love of God in the very hearts and souls of His servants; In this beautiful passage Abdu'l-Bahá expresses to the Hands Hisjoy and praise for their work.
Then further on in that same Will and Testament He reiterates in clear language their obligations: "The obligations of the Hands of the Cause of God are to diffuse the Divine Fragrances, to edify the souls of men, to promote learning, to improve the character of all men, and to be, at all times and under all conditions, sanctified and detached from earthly things.
They must manifest the fear of God by their conduct, their manners, their deeds and their words."~ Although 'Abdu'l-Bahá did not appoint Hands of the Cause in His lifetime, He referred in writing to a few believers as
"Hands". HeThe Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Rdhiyyih Kizdnum and Mrs. Violette Naklzfavdni with the Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, May 26th, 1967, in New Delhi.
indicated in His Will and Testament that the Guardian of the Cause of God would make such appointments: "0 friends! The Hands of the Cause of God must be nominated and appointed by the Guardian of the Cause of God. All must be under his shadow and obey his command. Should any, within or without the company of the Hands of the Cause of God disobey and seek division, the wrath of God and His vengeance will be upon him, for he will have caused a breach in the true Faith of God."~ The Guardian appointed the first twelve living Hands in December, 1951, "equally allocated Holy Land, Asiatic, American, European continents.
It is important to realise that this long-defer-red step was taken in conjunction with six steps that were "greatly accelerated through series of swiftly succeeding events originated in World Centre of Faith."
These six steps (given in detail in Messages to the Bahá'í World, pp. 19 � 20) were momentous; in the words of the Guardian: "Opening years of the second epoch of the Formative Age now witnessing at long last commencement of third vast majestic fate-laden process following two above-men-tioned developments destined though gradual emergence of the manifold institutions in World Centre of the Faith as crown of the administrative structure of Bahá'u'lláh's embryonic
World Order."8Again it is important to realise that the first "four Conferences embracing eleven National Assembli&s in all continents of globe" were attended by Hands of the Cause of God as representatives of the Guardian. You can now see how clearly the Guardian foresaw these unfolding events when you read in God Passes By, written in 1944, the words quoted at the beginning of this article: one of the "prelimi-nary steps aiming at the disclosure of the scope and working of this Administrative Order...
Then in February 1952 afurther seven Hands were appointed, raising the number to nineteen, and in this message the Guardian mentions specifically twofold sacred functions:
Page 461The Hand of the Cause Tardzu'Ilcih Samandari breaking ground for the New Era High School, Panchgani, India, March 12th, 1967.
The Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga (left of centre) with the friends attending the first National Convention of the Indian Ocean, Port Louis, Mauritius, Ridvan 1967.
Page 462"Members august body invested in conformity with 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í Testament, twofold sacred function, the propagation and preservation of the unity of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, and destined to assume individually in the course of time the direction of institutions paralleling those revolving around the Universal House of
Justice.In December 195310 a further appointment was made to the ranks of the Hands of the Cause and it was in May of that same year that the Guardian sent a message to the Wilmette Intercontinental
Conference:..... Let there be no mistake. The avowed, the primary aim of this Spiritual Crusade is none other than the conquest of the citadels of men's hearts. The theatre of its operations is the entire planet. Its duration a whole decade... Its Marshal is none other than the Author of the Divine Plan. Its standard-bearers are the Hands of the Cause of God appointed in every continent of the globe. Its generals are the twelve National Spiritual Assemblies participating in the execution of its design.
In March 1954 a further appointment to the ranks of the Hands of the Cause was announced and finally, the Guardian in his last message to the Bahá'í world, of October, 1957, appointed a further eight Hands of the Cause, thus raising their number to twenty-seven. It was in this same message that the designation "Chief Stewards of Bahá'u'lláh's embryonic World Commonwealth" was given them, thus investing them with the authority they were, unbeknown, to need. In the words of the Guardian "...who have been invested by the unerring Pen of the Centre of His Covenant with the dual function of guarding over the security, and of ensuring the propagation, of His Father's
Faith."12was creating this truly wonderfulinstitution, carefully and slowly disclosing its functions, advising, guiding, not only the Hands, but the Bahá'í world so that, when the time came, we should understand their purpose and thus together face any problems that might come.
It was during March 1954 that the Guardian sent to all the Hands of the
Cause and National SpiritualAssemblies of the world a message in which the Auxiliary Boards were mentioned for the first time: "Greatly value their (Hands) support in The Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander (centre front) with the friends attending the seventh National Convention of the Bahá'ís of North East Asia, Tokyo, Japan; May, 1963.
Page 463The Hand of the Cause ikru'lldh Khddem with Auxiliary Board member Curtis Kelsey (right) at the Church of the Divine Paternity, New York, where, on May 19th, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed the congregation. Mr. Khddem led a walking tour of the important places visited by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the City of the Covenant on the occasion of the observance of the fiftieth anniversary of the revelation of the Tablets of the Divine Plan. Approximately three hundred BaIzd'isparticiatedin the observance held on April 2nd and 3rd 1966.
the erection of the Báb'sin reinforcing ties with the newly-emerged State of Israel; in the extension of the international endowments in the Holy Land; in the initiation of the preliminary measures for the establishment of the Baha World Administrative Centre, as well hs in their participation in four successive Intercontinental
Teaching Conferences;in their extensive travels in African territories, in North, Central and South America, in the European,
Asiatic and Australian"This newly constituted body, embarked on its mission with such auspicious circumstances, is now entering the second phase of its evolution signalized by forging of ties with the
National Spiritual Assembliesof the Bahá'í world for the purpose of lending them assistance in attaining the objectives of the Ten
Year Plan.""Then follows the request to appoint Auxiliary Board members with other details concerning cerning arrangements.
We need oniy note here the breadth and scope of the work of our Hands of the Cause and realise that from November 1957 to April 1963 these same Hands, so assiduously trained by the Guardian, were, with words of loving comfort, guidance, and support, indeed the Chief Stewards of Bahá'u'lláh's embryonic world commonwealth. Oniy time will disclose the immensity of the burden they bore. But we can see quite plainly how the law of consultation worked the miracle of welding their hearts into one heart, their wisdom pooled to guide the Baha world to victory. In the words of the Universal House of Justice in its 1963 Convention message: "The Universal House of Justice wishes to reaffirm at this time the tribute which it felt moved to pay to the Hands of the Cause of God at the World Congress, those precious souls who have brought the Cause safely to victory in the name of Shoghi
EffendiHouse of Justice refers to the Hands as the "standard bearers of the Nine Year
Plan":"The standard bearers of the Nine Year Plan are those same divinely appointed, tried, and victorious souls who bore the standard of the World Crusade, the Hands of the Cause of God, whose advice and consultation have been invaluable in the working out of this Nine Year Plan.
Supported by their 'deputies, assistants, and advisers', the members of the Auxiliary Boards, they will inspire and protect the army of God, lead through every breach to the limit of available resources, and sustain those communities struggling over intractable or stony ground, so that by 1973 the celebrations befitting the centenary of the revelation of the Most lloiy Book may be undertaken by a victorious, firmly established, organically united world community, dedicated to the service of God and the final triumph of His Cause."'5 From the foiegoing passages we can, perhaps, understand just a little the vital role played by the institution of the Hands of the Cause, an institution initiated by Bahá'u'lláh Himself, whose members have collectively and singly, by their example, shown the world how the love of Bahá'u'lláh leads to the knowledge of God and the love of our fellowmen. They have by their example shown the Bahá'í world true consultation in action, and we have witnessed the victories that flow therefrom; have opened our eyes to the meaning of dedicated service to the Cause of God, and by their sacrifice of personal considerations have helped us to a greater understanding of the meaning of detachment.
It was the Hands of the Cause who from 1957 kept the light of the Guardianship guiding the Cause; it was they who deviated not an inch from his instructions, and by this act of wisdom, devotion and faith kept the light of God's infant Faith burning in our hearts with ever-increasing intensity until the time when God's divinely ordained institution, the Universal House of Justice, assumed the guidance of the Bahá'í world, a guidance therefore which has been continuous and uninterrupted for over one hundred years and will continue throughout the Bahá'í dispensation.
In November 1964 the WorldCentre of our Faith "was the scene of historic events, affecting The Hand of the Cause Masd Bandnias lie appeared at the time of the Intercontinental Conference ce held in Kampala, Uganda, in October, 1967. On the left is Mrs. Bandni and on the right Mr. 'Au Nakkjavdni.
Page 465profoundly' the immediate The secret of the full functioning prosecution of the Nine of our Administrative Order Year Plan and the future in all its parts is for development of the World each individual believer Order of Bahá'u'lláh." to be centred and firmly rooted
The Universal House in the Covenant. The Universal
of Justice in full consultationHouse of Justice gives us with the Hands of the the key to firmness in Cause considered the the Covenant in its message "develop-ment of the of September 1964, a message institution of the Hands deserving of particularly of the Cause of God, careful study. If only we and after study of the could see with clear spiritual sacred texts and hearing sight we should realise the views of the Hands that the firmness in the Covenant of the Cause themselves,"of the individual believer arrived at the following decision:affects the whole Bahá'í "There is no way to world; it is as if the appoint, or to legislate light of Bahá'u'lláh shining to make it possible in each one of us were welded to appoint, Hands of into one light. The firmer the Cause of God."I6 we are in the Covenant, Therefore, these few the brighter will be that "precious souls" must be effulgence and that "power sustained with our love and vitality as yet unknown and prayers, but above to us" will be gradually all by our teaching disclosed.
activity so that the burden of their work is lightened "Know this for a certainty and the years left to that today, the penetrative them can be devoted power in the arteries of to the vitally im-portantthe world of humanity is duties conferred upon the power of the Covenant.
them in the Holy Writings.The body of the world will We must always remember not be moved through any that, just as we cannot power except through the "see" into another's power of the Covenant. There mind, so we cannot probe is no other power like the mysteries of God's unto this. This Spirit of inscrutable wisdom. The the Covenant is the real Centre exalted rank and specificof love and is reflecting functions conferred its rays to all parts of upon the Hands of the the globe, which are resuscitating Cause surround them with and regenerating man and a spiritual power commen-surateilluminating the path to with their spiritual Divine Kingdom." 'Abdu'l-Bahá."
duties and we can be sure that Bahá'u'lláh is with them working in waysReferences both mysterious and 10. ibid. p. 55.
powerful to achieve the 11. The Bahá'í World, vol. ends He has ordained. xii, p. 136.
12. Messages to the Bahá'í World, 1950 � 1957, p. 127.
1. God Passes By, p. 194.13. ibid. p. 58.
2. ibid. p. 329. 14. Wellspring of Guidance, 3. Bahá'í Revelation, p. 5.
pp. 152 � 153. 15. ibid. p. 26 � 27.
4. The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. ibid. pp. 40 � 41.
1963, p. 89. 17. The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, 5. ibid. pp. 101 � 102. 1963. p. 71.
6. ibid. p. 101.7. Messages to the Bahá'í World, 1950 � 1957, p. 20.
8. ibid. p. 19.(centre) during a visit to the Bahá'ís of Tanzania at Dar-es-Salaam; January, 1967. Auxiliary Board member 'Aziz Yazdi is seen in the left background.
Page 466The Hand of the Cause John Ferraby (centre front) with the friends attending the third national Bahá'í Summer School, Laroclzette, Luxembourg; August, 1964.
In September, 1965, the Hands of the Cause in Africa sponsored a conference attended by members of their Auxiliary Boards and the National Spiritual Assemblies of South and West, and South Central Africa. The Hands of the Cause Enoch Olinga and John Robarts are seen in the front row, third from left and third from right, respectively.
Page 467F OR nearly five-and-a-half years following the tragic loss of the beloved Guardian, the Hands of the Cause of God, acting in their assigned role as Custodians of the Bahá'í Faith, had effectively managed the affairs of the Cause, bringing into being in 1961 the first elected
International Bahá'íCouncil, guiding the Bahá'ís of the world toward the achievement of a triumphant conclusion of the Guardian's Ten Year Crusade, calling for the election of the first Universal House of Justice, and providing for the celebration of the Most Great Jubilee in London at Ri~lv&n, 1963.
Their sterling efforts during that awesome and critical period in the history of the Faith moved the Universal House of Justice to pay special tribute to the Hands of the Cause in its first message, on the occasion of the World Congress.1
With the election of the Universal House of Justice they could lay down the heavy administrative burdens which had been thrust upon them in November, 1957, and concentrate their energies on their specialized duties of protection and propagation.
It was decided that the five Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land would be Abdu'l-Bahá
Rabiyyih Kh~num, Leroyof the Cause were assigned to the five continents, carrying out their functions personally and through their Auxiliary
Boards.Designated by the Universal House of Justice as "The Standard Bearers of the
Nine Year Plan" the Handsof the Cause ranged far and wide throughout the Baha world raising the call of service to the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, inspiring the believers and directing their labours toward the attainment of the prodigious goals assigned to the various National Baha communities.
Most of the Hands of the Cause built up very impressive records of travel. Notable among these were the journeys of Abdu'l-Bahá Ri~iyyih
KhAnum to India, Southeastand South America. She For full text seep. 57 sup ra.
visited hundreds of Baha communities, large and small; went to remote places which no Hand of the Cause and few teachers had ever dared visit before; met all manner of people, high and low alike, from the Maharajah of Sikkim and the President and Prime Minister of India down to the humblest Indian village believers, to the Arnerindians in the far-off San Bias Islands and in the high plateaus of Bolivia. It was during this period that Abdu'l-Bahá RP~iyyih KhAnurn released that precious volume The Priceless Pearl, an intimate and personally authoritative account of the life and work of the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, an abridged version of which appears in The Bahá'í World, vol. xiii.
The Hand of the Cause Leroy Joas,1 though in failing health, nevertheless embarked upon an extensive teaching trip to the United States during the early months of 1964, attending the National
Convention in WilmetteThe Hand of the Cause Ugo Gaichery transferred his residence from Europe to the United States in 1964, settling in southern California whence he was able to schedule many trips into Central America and the Caribbean area.
He also travelled in Europe, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific area. It was Dr. Giachery who, at the request of the Universal House of
Justice, presented Theto the Vatican, carrying out this mission by presenting the book to Cardinal Paolo
Morella in Vatican CityThe Hand of the Cause Tar6zu'116h Saman-dan, the only living Hand of the Cause to have attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, was in his late eighties and early nineties during the period covered by this report. Displaying more vigour than most men many years his junior, JinTh-i-Samandari travelled in almost every part of the northern hemisphere � North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, PAkistAn, Europe, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, the United States,
Canada and Alaska. Hewas one of the few authorities on the handwriting of Bah&-'Deceased July 22, 1965. See In Memoriam, p. 291 supra.
Page 468The Hands of the Cause Shu'a'u'Ildh 'Ald'iand'Ali-Muiiarnmad Varqd (front row, secondfrom the right and the left, respectively) meeting with the members of the National SpiritualAssembly of Persia in August, 1966. Seen in the centre of the photograph is Mr. H. Borrah Kavelin.
Monument erected at Sydney, Australia, in 1966 to mark the resting place of the Hands of the Cause Hyde and Clara Dunn who, in response to the call of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the Tablets of the Divine Plan and with His cabled words "highly commendable" ringing in their hearts, settled in Sydney in April, 1919. Upon both Father and Mother Dunn, as they were affectionately known, rests the eternal honour of having established the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh in the continent of
Australia.u'llAh and His amanuenses, and when he was in the Holy Land he would spend much of his time identifying and classifying original manuscripts, letters and Tablets.
The Hand of the Cause A. A. Furhtan assisted with the pilgrimage programme whenever he was in the Holy Land, spending as much time with the pilgrims as his other duties permitted.
He also undertook teaching trips to Turkey, Persia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. In 1967, at the request of the
National Spiritual Assemblyof Persia, Mr. Furiitan wrote a pamphlet answering the attacks made by the enemies of the Faith in that country.
The Hand of the Cause Hermann Gross-mann, though in ill health much of the time during the period covered by this report, nevertheless made frequent visits to European centres and participated in summer schools.
The Hand of the Cause Dhikru'IlAh KhAdem travelled extensively in the United States, Canada and Alaska, participating in many conferences and summer schools and attending several National Conventions, including the National Convention of the Hawaiian Islands in 1966.
The Hand of the Cause Shu'~'u'116.h 'AIA'i rendered invaluable services in Persia in connection with the management of the extensive properties of the Faith there, including many Holy Places, and in these matters he was frequently called upon to conduct important negotiations with the Persian government.
His travels outside Persia included India, Algeria and
Tunisia.visited literally hundreds of European centres and attended many conventions, conferences and summer schools. His travels included Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, Switzerland, France, the Benelux countries, the Therian Peninsula,
Yugoslavia and Hungary.The Hand of the Cause Mfls~ Ban&ni, called by the beloved Guardian "The Conqueror of Africa", was forced by physical disabilities and poor health to carry on most of his work from his home in Kampala, Uganda. However, he was able to travel briefly to Tanzania, Kenya and the Holy Land.
Notwithstanding his inability to travel, the indomitable spirit of Mr. BanAni permeated the remotest parts of the continent he loved so dearly, and was a source of constant reassurance to the friends.
The Hand of the Cause Ja1M KhAzeh made his headquarters in South America during the yegrs 1963 � 1968, and travelled widely though-out that continent. He also visited centres in Persia and Europe as well as in North and Central America.
He was very active in the teaching work, and was the initiator of a newsletter in Spanish which was published in Latin America and widely circulated.
The Hand of the Cause Paul Haney, together with his fellow Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land, was busily engaged in coordinating the work of the Continental Hands of the Cause and also assisted in the supervision of the pilgrimage programme. He travelled to many centres in Europe, Vietnam, Japan and the
United States.The Hand of the Cause 'Au Mutiammad VarqA has acted as Trustee of }juqfiqu'11&h since his appointment as a Hand of the Cause in 1955.
He was active in the affairs of the Hands of the Cause in his native Persia and during the summers of several years he came to the Holy Land to assist in administering the affairs of the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land so that those regularly attending to these duties could be released for special teaching assignments or other duties abroad.
The Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander made her headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Her travels included visits to centres in Persia, the Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Hawaiian Islands.
In the summer of 1965, at the age of ninety, she suffered a fall and for the remaining years covered by this report was confined to hospital with a fractured hip. Despite pain and the restrictive nature of her disability, Miss Alexander maintained her usual cheerful spirit, receiving many Bahá'í visitors from all over the world.
The Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga, the oniy native African to have been appointed a Hand of the Cause, travelled in many countries in both
East and West Africaduring the years 1963 to 1968, transferring his residence to Kenya in 1963. Admired and loved as he is by his fellow African believers, he was spectacularly successful in other continents.
The Hand of the Cause William Sears served in both Africa and the Western Hemisphere. He was in Africa for a brief period in 1963 and early 1964, returning to the United States in February of that year. In 1966 he went to
Page 470The Handof the Cause Adelbe rt Miihlschkgel(fifth from the left) with the newly electedmembers of the National Spiritual Assembly c/the Bahá'ís of Switzerland; Ri~ivdn 1967.
The Hand of the Cause Leroy loas was photographed shortly before his passing in 1965 at the Shrine of the Báb, standing beside the octagon door named after him (Bdb-i-Ioas) by Shoghi Effendi. The naming of the door was announced by the Guardian in a message to the Intercontinental l Conference in New Delhi, October, 1953, acknowledging Mr. Joas's "assiduous constant care. ." in supervising the construction of both the drum and the dome of the Shrine.
(The Bahá'í World, vol. xii, p. 239.)Africa once more when the Hand of the Cause John Robarts transferred his residence to Canada. Mr. Sears, in addition to his extensive travels in Africa, the United States and Canada, went to Australia in 1963 and to many European countries in 1967. He attended the summer school in Alaska in 1966.111 1965 and 1966 he figured prominently in the California Victory Campaign which proved to be a very effective mass teaching programme and launched a similar project in British Columbia,
Canada.In 1966, after more than thirteen years of pioneering and travelling in Africa, the Hand of the Cause John Robarts returned to his native Canada and took up residence in Raw-don, Quebec. While in Africa, he visited almost every part of that continent. He also travelled in Europe, the United States,
Canada and Alaska.Although his health did not permit travel, the Hand of the Cause Jjasan Bahá'í devoted himself unstintingly to works of scholarship, undertaking extensive research preparatory to the completion of his volumes on the Central Figures of the Faith as well as a critique of the relationship to the Faith of the orientalist, the late Edward Granville
Browne.The Hand of the Cause John Ferraby travelled extensively throughout Europe, attending many sun-uner schools, conferences and conventions.
The Hand of the Cause Collis Peatherstone bore the burden of responsibility for the whole vast Australian area (Australia, New Zealand, Papua, New Guinea and the islands of the South Pacific), traversing frequently its huge distances, visiting remote outposts, island groups, and attending conferences, conventions and summer schools, as well as participating directly in the teaching work. Lie also travelled in other areas, notably in Northeast Asia, SoutheastAsia, Burma,
India and Ceylon. TheHand of the Cause Rahmatu'i1~h MuhAjir travelled to almost every part of the world.
Making his headquarters in the Philippines, he travelled many times to Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and centres in Southeast Asia as well as to India and Ceylon. In 1965 he made an extensive tour of the mass teaching centres in South and
Central America. Whenin the Holy Land at different times he helped with the cataloguing of some of the Tablets.
The Hand of the Cause Abu'1-QAsim Faizi made several extensive teaching trips, visiting centres in Europe, Asia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Hawaii and the United States. He wrote many short stories, articles. plays and commentaries, and made a valuable contribution in translating Baha books, including The Priceless Pearl, from
English into Persian.In addition to these continuous and world-embracing services, individual Hands of the Cause were called upon at various times to represent the
Universal House of Justiceat Conventions, Conferences and Dedications. These are set forth in separate listings in this section.
In its RiQvdn message,"Thesefew gallant and dedicated believers, whose place in history is forever assured by virtue of their appointment to their high office, are indeed a precious legacy left to us by our beloved Guardian, and as the years go by there is increasingly added to the honour and respect which is their due by reason of their exalted rank, the love and admiration of the friends evoked by their constant services."
GGThe Hand of the Cause Jaldi Khdzeh (centre) with Auxiliary Board members Margot Worley and Hooper Dunbar at the fourth Regional Teaching Congress of South America held in Buenos Aires, Argentina; November, 1965.
Members of the Auxiliary Board in Europe, and other Bahd'ifriends, gathered at the home of the Hand of the Cause Hermann Grossmann in March, 1968, to wekome the Hand of the Cause Tardzu'lIdh Samandari. The three Hands of the Cause seated in the middle of the second row are, from left to right, Dr. Mllhlschlegel, Mr. Samandori and Dr. Grossmann.
Page 473Ridvan 1964 Northwest Africa � Tunis
West Mrica � Monroviaand Mozambique � Mbabane Zambia � Lusaka (unable to attend � visa)
Leeward, WindwardDedication of the Mother Temple of Europe at Frankfurt,
West Germany � July, 1964KlAnum Leroy loas � replaced by TarAzu'IlAh Samandari
Ugo GiacheryLaying of the Foundation Stone of the Mother Temple of Latin America � Panama City, Panama � October, 1967
Abdu'l-Bahá Ra~iyyih Kb4numi. FOREWORD "Blessed is he who directetli his steps towards the Mashriqu' iA dhkdr at the hour of dawn, communing with Him, attuned to His remembrance, imploring Hisforgiveness.
And having entered therein, let him sit in silence to hearken unto the verses of God, the Sovereign, the Almighty, the All-Praised. Say, the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar is in truth any House raised in towns or villages, for mention of Me. Thus hat/i it been named before His Throne; would that ye know it." Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas MANY discerning minds have testified to the profoundly significant change which has taken place during recent years in the character of popular religious thinking.
Religion has developed an entirely new emphasis, more especially for the layman, quite independent of the older sectarian divisions.
Instead of considering that religion is a matter of turning toward an abstract creed, the average religionist today is concerned with the practical applications of religion to the problems of human life. Religion, in brief, after having apparently lost its influence in terms of theology, has been restored more powerfully than ever as a spirit of brotherhood, an impulse toward unity, and an ideal making for a more enlightened civilization throughout the world.
Against this background, the institution of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar stands revealed as the supreme expression of all those modern religious tendencies animated by social ideals which do not repudiate the reality of spiritual experience but seek to transform it into a dynamic striving for unity. The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar when clearly understood, gives the world its most potent agency for applying mystical vision or idealistic aspiration to the service of humanity.
It makes visible and concrete those deeper meanings and wider possibilities of religion which could not be realized until the dawn of this universal age.
The term "Mashriqu'l-Adhkar"means literally, "Dawning-place of the praise of God."
To appreciate the significance of this Bahá'í institution, we must lay aside all customary ideas of the churches and cathedrals of the past. The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar fulfills the original intention of religion in each dispensation, before that intention had become altered and veiled by human invention and belief.
The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar is a channel releasing spiritual powers for social regeneration because it fills a different function than that assumed by the sectarian church. Its essential purpose is to provide a community meeting-place for all who are seeking to worship God, and achieves this purpose by interposing no manmade veils between the worshipper and the Supreme.
Thus, the Mashriqu'l-Adhkaris freely open to people of all Faiths on equal terms, who now realize the universality of Bahá'u'lláh in revealing the oneness of all the Prophets. Moreover, since the Bahá'í Faith has no professional clergy, the worshipper entering the Temple hears no sermon and takes part in no ritual the emotional effect of which is to establish a separate group consciousness.
Integral with the Temple are its accessory buildings, without which the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar would not be a complete social institution. These buildings are to be devoted to such activities as a school for science, a hospice, a hospital, an asylum for orphans. Here the circle of spiritual experience at last joins, as prayer and worship are allied directly to creative service, eliminating the static subjective elements from religion and laying a foundation for a new and higher type of human association.
HORACE HaLLEYIt should be borne in mind that the central Edifice of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar round which in the fullness of time shall cluster such institutions of social service as shall afford relief to the suffering, sustenance to the poor, shelter to the wayfarer, solace to the bereaved, and education to the ignorant, should be regarded apart from these Dependencies, as a House solely designed and entirely dedicated to the worship of God in accordance with the few yet definitely prescribed principles established by Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. It should not be inferred, however, from this general statement that the interior of the central Edifice itself will be converted into a conglomeration of religious services conducted along lines associated with the traditional procedure obtaining in churches, mosques, synagogues, and other temples of worship.
Its various avenues of approach, all converging towards the central Hall beneath its dome, will not serve as admittance to those sectarian adherents of rigid formulae and manmade creeds, each bent, according to his way, to observe his rites, recite his prayers, perform his ablutions, and display the particular symbols of his faith within separately defined sections of Bahá'u'lláh's
Universal House of Worship.Far from the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar offering such a spectacle of incoherent and confused sectarian observances and rites, a condition wholly incompatible with the provisions of the Aqdas and irreconcilable with the spirit it inculcates, the central House of Baha worship, enshrined within the Ma~ftriqu'1-A4hk~r, will gather within its chastened walls, in a serenely spiritual atmosphere, only those who, discarding forever the trappings of elaborate and ostentatious ceremony, are willing worshippers of the one true God, as manifested in this age in the Person of Bahá'u'lláh. To them will the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar symbolize the fundamental verity underlying the Bahá'í Faith, that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is not final but progressive. Theirs will be the conviction that an all-loving and ever-watchful Father Who, in the past, and at various stages in the evolution of mankind, has sent forth His Prophets as the Bearers of His Message and the Manifestations of His Light to mankind, cannot at this critical period of their civilization withhold from His children the Guidance which they sorely need amid the darkness which has beset them, and which neither the light of science nor that of human intellect and wisdom can succeed in dissipating. And thus having recognized in Bahá'u'lláh the source whence this celestial light proceeds, they will irresistibly feel attracted to seek the shelter of His House, and congregate therein, unhampered by ceremonials and unfettered by creed, to render homage to the one true God, the Essence and Orb of eternal Truth, and to exalt and magnify the name of His Messengers and Prophets Who, from time immemorial even unto our day, have, under divers circumstances and in varying measure, mirrored forth to a dark and wayward world the light of heavenly Guidance.
But however inspiring the conception of Bahá'í worship, as witnessed in the central Edifice of this exalted Temple, it cannot be regarded as the sole, nor even the essential, factor in the part which the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar as designed by Bahá'u'lláh, is destined to play in the organic life of the
Bahá'í community. Divorcedfrom the social, humanitarian, educational and scientific pursuits centering around the Dependencies of the
Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, Baha'iworship, however exalted in its conception, however passionate in fervor, can never hope to achieve beyond the meagre and often transitory results produced by the contemplations of the ascetic or the communion of the passive worshipper. It cannot afford lasting satisfaction and benefit to the worshipper himself, much less to humanity in general, unless and until translated and transfused into that dynamic and disinterested service to the cause of humanity which it is the supreme privilege of the Dependencies of the Mashriqu'1-
Page 477The Mother Temple of America, Wilmette, Illinois; dedicated May 2, 19S3.
Adhk& to facilitate and promote. Nor will the exertions, no matter how disinterested and strenuous, of those who within the precincts of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar will be engaged in administering the affairs of the future Bahá'í Commonwealth, fructify and prosper unless they are brought into close and daily communion with those spiritual agencies centering in and radiating from the central Shrine of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar.
Nothing short of direct and constant interaction between the spiritual forces emanating from this House of Worship centering in the heart of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, and the energies consciously displayed by those who administer its affairs in their service to humanity can possibly provide the necessary agency capable of removing the ills that have so long and so grievously afflicted humanity. For it is assuredly upon the consciousness of the efficacy of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, reinforced on one hand by spiritual communion with His Spirit, and on the other by the intelligent application and the faithful execution of the principles and laws He revealed, that the salvation of a world in travail must ultimately depend. And of all the institutions that stand associated with His Holy Name, surely none save the institution of the Ma~~riqu'1-A~~k6r can most adequately provide the essentials of Bahá'í worship and service, both so vital to the regeneration of the world. Therein lies the secret of the loftiness, of the potency, of the unique position of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar as one of the outstanding institutions conceived by Bahá'u'lláh.
October 2S, 1929.The Mother Temple of the Antzodes, Mona Vale (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia; dedicated September 16, 1961.
Page 479announced to the Bahá'í world that the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in 'Ishqabad, the first Temple raised to the glory of Bahá'u'lláh, had been demolished by the authorities and the site cleared.
It was in an unsafe condition due to damage by earthquake.
Other than a brief account by a pilgrim, appearing in very early volumes of The Bahá'í World, no adequate description of the building or of the real significance of the 'I~hqTh&d Temple has yet appeared in this series. The history of the erection of this edifice, described by Shoghi Effendi as one of 't.. the outstanding achievements that have embellished the brilliant record of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í unique ministry" is recounted by the Guardian in God
Passes By:'"More conspicuous than any of these undertakings, however, was the erection of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of the Bahá'í world in the city of '~ftqTh~d, a center founded in the days of Bahá'u'lláh, where the initial steps preparatory to its construction, had beenalreadyunder-taken during His lifetime.
Initiated at about the close of the first decade of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í ministry (1902); fostered by Him at every stage in its development; personally supervised by the venerable 136Jf Mirza Muhammad-Taqi, the Vakilu'd-Dawlih, a cousin of the BTh, who dedicated his entire resources to its establishment, and whose dust now reposes at the foot of Mt Carmel under the shadow of the Tomb of his beloved Kinsman; carried out according to the directions laid down by the Center of the Covenant Himself; a lasting witness to the
Page 480fervor and the self-sacrifice of the Oriental believers who were resolved to execute the bidding of Bahá'u'lláh as revealed in the Kitáb-i-A qdas, this enterprise must rank not only as the first major undertaking launched through the concerted efforts of His followers in the Heroic Age of His Faith, but as one of the most brilliant and enduring achievements in the history of the first Bahá'í century.
"The edifice itself, the foundation stone of which was laid in the presence of General Krupatkin, the governor-general of Turkist6.n, who had been delegated by the Czar to represent him at the ceremony, has thus been minutely described by a Baha visitor from the West: 'The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar stands in the heart of the city; its high dome standing out above the trees and house tops being visible for miles to the travelers as they approach the town. it is in the center of a garden bounded by four streets. In the four corners of this enclosure are four buildings: one is the Bahá'í school; one is the traveler's house, where pilgrims and wayfarers are lodged; one is for the keepers, while the fourth one is to be used as a hospital. Nine radial avenues approach the Temple from the several parts of the grounds, one of which, the principal approach to the building, leads from the main gateway of the grounds to the principal portal of the Temple.'
'In plan,' he further adds, 'the building is composed of three sections; namely, the central rotunda, the aisle or ambulatory which surrounds it, and the loggia which surrounds the entire building.
It is built on the plan of a regular polygon of nine sides. One side is occupied by the monumental main entrance, flanked by minarets � a high arched portico extending two stories in height recalling in arrangement the architecture of the world famous Taj Mahal at Agra in India, the delight of the world to travelers, many of whom pronounce it to be the most beautiful temple in the world. Thus the principal doorway opens toward the direction of the Holy Land. The entire building is surrounded by two series of loggias � one upper and one lower � which opens out upon the garden giving a very beautiful architectural effect in harmony with the luxuriant semitropical vegetation which fills the garden... The interior walls of the rotunda are treated in five distinct stories.
First, a series of nine arches and piers which separate the rotunda from the ambulatory. Second, a similar treatment with balustrades which separate the ti iforium gallery (which is above the ambulatory and is reached by two staircases in the loggias placed one on either side of the main entrance) from the well of the rotunda. Third, a series of nine blank arches filled with fretwork, between which are escutcheons bearing the Greatest Name. Fourth, a series of nine large arched windows.
Fifth, a series of eighteen bull'seye windows. Above and resting on a cornice surmounting this last story rises the inner hemispherical shell of the dome. The interior is elaborately decorated in plaster relief work.
The whole structure impresses one by its mass and strength."' The local community and the activities of the friends throughout the provinces of Turkist~n expanded and developed in stature until 1928, when the law expropriating religious edifices was applied to this Temple. However, under the terms of two five-year leases, the Bahá'í community was permitted to continue to use the building as a House of
Worship. In 1938 the Templewas completely expropriated and converted into an art gallery.
In 1948 violent earthquakes shook the whole town causing devastation and ruin.
The building was seriously damaged. The oniy section which remained relatively secure was the central rotunda.
Heavy yearly rains further weakened the structure to such a degree as to endanger the safety of houses in the vicinity. It was at this point that the authorities decided to demolish the remaining edifice and clear the site.
A reliable report indicated that had the Temple been restored to us at this point, we would have had no option but to raze the building ourselves.
The Universal House of Justice appealed to Chairman Nikita Khrushchev to set aside the Temple ground as a public park and to agree to the erection of a suitable marker pointing out the significance of this site to the Bahá'ís of the world. It is not known whether any action was taken. The letter remains unanswered.
Page 481Closeup view of the Ma~hriqu'l-Adj~kc~r of ~ showing earthquake damage; 1963.
Page 482The Mother Temple of Africa, Kampala, Uganda; dedicated January 15, 196].
Page 483The Mother Temple of Europe, Langenhain, West Germany; dedicated July 4, 1964.
ON July 4, 1964, the Mother Temple of Europe, near Frankfurt am Main, Germany, was dedicated to the unity of God and of mankind.
Nearly one thousand five hundred Bahá'ís caine from all over the world to participate in this historic event that began with two dedication services on Saturday morning.
An equal number of people, including many Baha'is, attended the public programmes in the afternoon. The gigantic task of building the first Bahá'í House of Worship on the European continent, given to the Bahá'ís of Germany by Shoghi Effendi over a decade ago and assisted by the believers throughout the world, thus drew to its victorious conclusion.
The Temple stands on a low hill in the midst of peaceful, green countryside near the village of Langenhain in the Taunus Hills.
Planned and built by Teuto Rocholl, architect from Frankfurt am Main, this House of Worship seats approximately five hundred persons.
The diameter at base measures one hundred and fifty-eight feet and there are twenty-seven pillars supporting the dome on the interior.
The construction of the dome is such that a maximum amount of light can enter, bringing about an interesting play of light and shadow, attractively brightened by the sun's reflection on the five hundred and seventy glass panels.
After ascending the low steps encircling the Temple and entering though the clear glass doors, the beauty and light of the interior im
Page 484pels one to look upward to the Greatest Name, set in gold against a light blue background in the apex of the dome. Below the level of the dome, purple and gray-blue draperies line the glass walls, the colour being further enhanced by the many beautiful floral arrangements for this day of dedication.
DEDICATION PROGRAMMEThe Baha dedication programme opened with a solo, the twenty-third Psalm, sung in German by Norman Bailey, the famous English baritone.
This was followed by the reading of Bahá'í prayers in several languages and the dedication address in German by the Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Rfll4yyih Kh.inum the respresntative of the
Universal House of Justice.At the close of her address, she asked all to rise while she read a prayer revealed by Bahá'u'lláh.
This was followed by a prayer of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in German, an extract from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh in English, a prayer chanted in Persian and further readings from the Old and New Testaments in
German. Maria Montanasang a modification of a musical arrangement of the Arabic Hidden Words composed by Charles Duncan.
There were readings in German from the Bhagavad-Gita, the Qur'an and the Baha Writings, with additional prayers in Swedish, French and Spanish. The programme concluded with the prayer of Bahá'u'lláh, From the Sweet-Scented Streams, set to music by Charles Wolcott and sung solo in German.
VIEWING OF SACRED~num arranged the portraits of Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb on a table before an exquisite golden and red Persian rug which she had brought from the Holy Land as a gift to the
German National SpiritualAssembly for the Temple � a tug which had lain in the room of Bahá'u'lláh at Baha'i. Red roses brought from the grave of the beloved Guardian in London were placed near the portraits. The Bahá'ís were then privileged to view these sacred pictures, first passing in front of Abdu'l-Bahá Riibiyyih KhThum who anointed each one with attar of rose.
SPECIAL INAUGURAL SERVICEPreceding the two public programmes, a special inaugural service was held at 2.30 p.m. for officially invited guests from the government, including regional and local authorities. For this occasion, Ainatu'1-Bah~ RAiiiyyih Kh6nurn read an address in German.
A Frankfurt chorus of twenty voices sang three selections, a cappella, for this service and for the first of the public programmes which followed. These were Sigt dem Herrn dii neuces Lied by J. S. Bach; Exultate dec, ad]utori nostro by Alessandro Scarlatti sung in Latin; and, for closing, Cantata domini can ticum novum by Schlitz, sung in Latin.
PUBLICITY IN LEADING NEWSPAPERSOn July 3 about thirty press representatives had attended a press conference on the Temple dedication.
Articles appeared in five leading Frankfurt newspapers and on Saturday and Sunday radio and television publicity occurred. On Sunday, July 5, following the day of dedication, two thousand people visited the Temple. Weeklyinformalprogrammeswereinaugurated.
Illuminated at night, the Temple is visible from the city of Frankfurt.
Miss Edna True, representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, coniimenting on the significance of the Temple dedication said: "As the day of dedication progressed, the spiritual radiance of this Bahá'í House of Worship became increasingly evident, setting aglow the hearts of all who were privileged to be present."
The Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land cabled their joy and gratitude:
OCCASION HISTORIC DEDICATIONAnother Baha Temple has become a "silent teacher".
Based on the report appearing in U.S. Bahd'iNews, vol. 402, Sept. 1964.
Page 485Aerial view of the Temple at Langenhain, West Germany.
EUROPEAN TEACHING CONflRBNCETo the beloved of God gathered in the European Teaching Conference called on the occasion of the dedication of the Mother Temple of Europe.
Dear Bahá'í Friends, We have just witnessed the dedication of the Mother Temple of Europe � a project of untold significance and tremendous potential for the spread of the light of God's Faith in that continent. One of the major achievements called for by our beloved Guardian at the outset of the Ten Year Crusade, this Mashriqu'l-Adhkar was triumphantly raised during its closing years as the fruit of long and arduous labours in the face of determined opposition and upon the sacrificial gifts of believers from all parts of the world.
Now dedicated in the opening months of the Nine Year Plan, it forms a striking link between these two great crusades demonstrating afresh the organic progress of the Cause whereby the efforts exerted in one period bear fruit in the next, which in turn endow the Bahá'í Community with new and neater capacities for the winning of still greater victories.
You are now gathered in this Conference to deliberate on ways and means of accomplishing the goals which are set before you. Let every believer, as he considers in detail these various goals, bear in mind four supreme objectives: to carry the
Message of Bahá'u'lláhto every stratum of society, not only in the towns and cities but also in the villages and country districts where the virus of materialism has had much less effect on the lives of men; to take urgent, wise and well-considered steps to spread the Faith to those countries of Eastern Europe in which it has not yet become established; to reinforce strongly the heroic band of pioneers in the islands of the Mediterranean and the North Sea � islands which are to play such an important role in the awakening of the entire continent � as well as to persecute energetically the goals you are called upon to
Page 486achieve in other continents and oceans; and to foster the cooperation between
National Communitiesand between National Spiritual Assemblies and the Hands of the Cause of God which has contributed so markedly to the work of the Faith on that continent and is so essential for its future development.
Above all let every European Bahá'í have ever-present in his mind that these are the five years during which Bahá'u'lláh sojourned on the soil of that continent a century ago. Let him resolve so to deepen his knowledge of the Faith and so to increase his standards of self-sacrifice and dedication to the Cause as to play his part in building a Community which will be worthy of this supreme bounty and which will be a beacon light to the peoples of this fear-wracked world.
In 1953 Shoghi Effendiwrote that the continent of Europe had "at last at this critical hour � this great turning point in its fortunes � entered upon what may well be regarded as the opening phase of a great spiritual revival that bids fair to eclipse any period in its spiritual histort" Those who have been privileged to witness the extraordinary strengthening and consolidation of the Cause in Europe during the course of the last eleven years are well aware of the reservoir of spiritual potential that has been building up and the transformation of the life of the European Baha Community that has ensued. May the completion and dedication of the Ma~briqu'1-A4hk~r be the signal for the unleashing of this potential, bringing about on the European mainland and in the islands around its shores a quickening of the process of individual conversion comparable to those events which have transpired with such astonishing suddenness in other continents of the globe. The Universal House of Justice July, 1964 On Sunday, July 5, the day following the dedication of the Mother Temple of Europe, a European Teaching Conference was held in a spacious hail of the Gesellschaftshaus im Zoo-logischen Garten.
Mter a devotional programme of prayers in several languages, the conference was opened by Rupreclit G. Kruger, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany who welcomed the representative of the Universal House of Justice, the Hand of the Cause
Amatu'I-BahA RfibiyyihKhdnum who had just returned from a teaching trip to India, and the Hand of the Cause John Ferraby of England. Owing to illness, the other European Hands of the Cause were not able to be present at the dedication or the conference. The chairman then greeted representatives of National Spiritual Assemblies from America, Africa, Asia and Australia, as well as from the fourteen centres of Europe outside Germany who participated in this conference.
CABLES FROM THE WORLDKhAnum the first speaker, read a cablegram from the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land and the message from the Universal House of Justice. She emphasized the major themes contained in that message and pointed out that in these first years of the Nine Year Plan we are living in the same five year period in which, one hundred years ago, Bah&uThh suffered so much on the continent of Europe. The beloved Hand of the Cause conveyed the love and greetings of the Bahá'ís of India and of their National Spiritual Assembly, stating that she was returning to India and Ceylon after a brief rest.
Many messages were received and were read from time to time during the conference, from Hands of the Cause, from National and Local Spiritual Assemblies and from individual Baki'is in all parts of the world.
From Hawaii came the gift of a plant for the Temple grounds.
REPORTS PRESENTED BY FIFTEENReports on how to meet the requirements of the Nine Year Plan were then called for by the conference chairman from the representatives of the fifteen European
National Spiritual Assemblies.The interweaving pattern of the goals, assigned by the Universal House of Justice to each National Assembly, called for a close cooperation between them and the Bah~ 'is in all parts of the world, continuing and extending the work of the beloved Guardian in his Ten Year World Crusade. The representative from each National Spiritual Assembly gave the current statistical status of the Faith in that country, outlined the objectives assigned for the
Page 487Nine Year Plan on the homefront and in respect to the tasks in which it must assist or be assisted by other National Assemblies in overseas and global missions. Many of these representatives presented plans drawn up by their National Assemblies for achieving their objectives.
TEACHING THE MASSESPromptly at 5p.m. it was time for the eagerly awaited address by the Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Ri~iyyih KhAnum on mass conversion.
She told how she had spent four months travelling all over India, accompanied by Mrs. Violette NakhjavAni, visiting especially the villages. She said she now knows that mass conversion is a reality, as she has seen it and experienced it. To her, she said, it is like sowing the seeds of rice � if they are sown in the right soil, they grow profusely, but they will not grow if sown in cement. She said there are more than one hundred thousand Baha in the villages of India.
What kind of Bahá'ís are they? she asked. She stated that they are truly Baha'is, that those who have been Bahá'ís only a few months are as deeply devoted as the greatest teachers of the Bahá'í world.
These are the "cream~~ and even though illiterate they are the most outstanding Bahá'í teachers in the world today. There are others, she said, who have as yet barely grasped the significance of the Cause they have embraced and there are those in between these two extremes.
Abdu'l-Bahá RiibiyyihKhAnum said that the Hindus teach in symbols, so in speaking in the villages she used the symbol of the wheel on their ox carts, whose strength is in its hub. She would ask, Is the strength in the rim? No, they would answer. In the spokes?
No. In the hub? Yes. She likened the rim to humanity, the spokes to the many different customs and traditions of humanity, its races and religions, and the hub to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh which holds all firmly in unity and in perfect balance. This they accepted.
She also said: "Let us never give any human being the impression that you become a lBahá'í at the age of fifteen years or that signing a registration card has anything to do with belief You enroll by signing the card in order to be registered, to receive the privileges of the Faith and to protect it, but can anyone," she asked, "think that when 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
Bah6. as a boy of eight went to the SiyAh-ChAI to enquire about His Father this child was not yet aBahA'i?" She pointed out that Bahá'u'lláh commanded all parents to raise their children in the
Cause of God.The evening of Sunday, July 5, was given over to the public meeting.
The two speakers were the Hand of the CauseBoard member from Germany. Dr. Schmidt spoke in German on "The Bahá'í House of Worship" and outlined its spiritual significance and function, citing passages from Isaiah and from the Arabic Hidden Words in conclusion.
The subject of the address in English by Abdu'l-Bahá Rii1~iyyih KhAnum was
"Huma-nity in Crisis".She referred to the ever-recurring crises in the world, suggesting that they were due to its illnesses.
She pointed out that what the world needs today more than anything else is unity. This unity is provided in the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Divine Physician.
International organizations at present are not capable of holding in balance all the spokes of the wheel of human affairs; nothing short of the spiritual
Teachings of Bahá'u'lláhcan achieve this. The Bahá'í Faith, she said, is the gift that is being offered to the world, a gift as natural as the coming of spring and the shining of the sun. Annaliese Bopp, secretary of the German National Spiritual Assembly, gave an excellent concurrent translation into German of this talk.
GROUP CONSULTATION HELD5, from 8.30 to 10.30, group consultations were held on various topics, each topic being assigned a different meeting place.
The topics were: 1. Teaching on the homefront (methods, summer schools, travelling teachers); 2. Cooperation of National Spiritual Assemblies for propagation of the Faith in Europe;
3. Bahá'í PublishingTrusts and the printing and translation of Dah&i literature; 4. Mass media (press, radio, television); 5.
Bahá'í news exchange (joint publication); 6. Finances ~1anning, budgets, concentration on special tasks).
Summary reports of these consultations were given in the conference hail beginning at 11.00 a.m., with Louis Henuzet, Auxiliary Board member from Belgium as chairman for this session and the afternoon meeting which concluded the conference.
All felt that the group consultations and the meeting of the Baha from the various countries participating in the Nine Year Plan for Europe were of great benefit.
The European Teaching Conferencewas attended also by representatives of eleven National Spiritual Assemblies not participating in European objectives of the Nine Year Plan. These were the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá'ís of the Arabian Peninsula, of Australia, of Colombia, of the Indian Ocean (Mauritius), of IrAn, of 'IrAq, of North East Africa (Ethiopia), of PAkistAn, of Panama, of Turkey and of Venezuela.
Baha were also present from British Guiana, Indonesia and Malaysia.
SUMMARY OF CONFERENCEIn summarizing the conference, Mr. Henuzet emphasized the need for pioneers and called upon Miss Jessie Revell from the World Centre who read extracts from the words of Shoghi Effendi.
The Hand of the Cause John Ferraby pointed out that when one is in the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar one is in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, that is as near to being at the Holy Shrines as it is possible to come in Europe; that the Temple is the heart of the European Bahá'í community; and that the power of the Covenant will flow through those who actively follow the path of the Covenant � the path of the Nine Year Plan at this time.
The conference was closed with a plea by Abdu'l-Bahá Rfi1~iyyih KhAnum to the European Bahá'ís and particularly the German Bahá'ís in Frankfurt and the surrounding area, to support the regular weekly programmes of the Temple, pointing out that the eyes of all are now on the Baha. She said: "There is nothing we can give to the Cause; any sacrifice is returned one hundredfold."
From the European TeachingConference a cablegram was sent to the World Centre advising that one thousand five hundred friends had gathered to deliberate on the message of the Universal House of Justice. The cable expressed appreciation for the bounty of the presence of the Hands of the Cause and reported that a German believer had volunteered to settle in the East Frisian Islands. In reply, the
Universal House of JusticeBased on the report appearing in U.S. Bahá'í News, vol. 402, Sept. 1964.
Page 489(i) DAS HAUS DER ANDACHT DER BAHA Vortrag, ge/rn/ten am S. 7.1964 im Festsaal des Zoologischen Gartens in Frankfurt/Main
Seit der Industrialisierungdes christlichen Abendlandes, insbesondere nach dem ersten Weltkrieg, ist elne waclisende Verweitlichung der Menschheit zu beobachten, die mit elner zunehmenden Schw&chung und Aufsplitterung der
Lebenskraft der UberkommenenReligionsfremde und tejiweise religionsfeindliche Ideologien be-herrschen das Denken und Tun eines niclit geringen
Teiles der VdIker. BisherigeReligions-systeme finden sich durch sogenannte "Quasi-religionen" wie Nationalismus, Kommunismus und
WissenscbaftsglaubenIm Hinblick auf diese Entwicklung drangt sich jedem geistig aufgeschlossenen Menschen die Frage auf, ob die tiberkommenen
Formen der Anbetung Gottesheute noch dem Selbst-verstandnis und der hdheren Selbstverwirk-lichung des veriinderten Menschen und seiner gesellschaftlichen Finriclitungen wirklich zu helfen, bzw. geistig zu fiihren vermdgen.
Eine Meinungsforschungflber die Motive des schwachen Kirchenbesuclis wtirde vermutlich zu einem nachdenklich machenden Ergebnis fflhren.
GLAUDEN UND WISSEN � RELIGION UNDMiissen religidse und wissenschaftliche Glaubigkeit wesensgem~iss zu Widerspriiichen und
Spannungen ftihren? Wirsind der Auffasstrng, dass verntinftiges Denken und verinnerlichte Glaubigkeit durchaus kein Schisma, keine Entfremdung bedingen!
Die Suche nach Wahrheit1st geniieinsames An-liegen von Religion und Wissenschaft, von Herz und Verstand.
Dass wissenschaftliche Wahrheitsich nicht immer im rationalen Denken ersch6pft, beweisen intuitiv erworbene Erkenntnisse grosser Wissenschaftler.
Die Grenzen des Denkensund der Meditation sind fliessender Natur. Andererseits ist zu bedenken, dass wie
Jleisenberg mit Rechtsagt, Glaubens-bekenntnisse, "die fUr die Haltung im Leben verbindlich scm sollen", im Buck auf das heutige naturwissenschaftliche Weitbild un-mdglich "allein auf wissenschaftliche Erkennt-nis zu begrtinden" sind.
Diese bisherigen Gedankengangesollen das VerstKndnis fur den religionsgeschichtlichen Wendepunkt erleiclitern, der in den Gottes-diensten der
BahA'i-WeltgemeinschaftDie Unteilbarkeit der Wahrheit fflhrt bei tieferer Ejusiclit in die geistigen Lebenszusam-menhange zur
Finheit von Religionund Wissenschaft. Das Ethos der Wissenschaft liegt in ihrer unabdingbaren Bindung an die gdttlich geoffenbarte Wahrheit.
Dogmatisie-rung der Religioneinerseits und Sakularisie-rung der Wissenschaft andererseits bedrohen heute die innere und ~ussere Einheit und darnit die Sicherheit der Menschheit.
Das Verhaitnis des Menschenvon heute zu seinem Schdpfer unterliegt durch die geistigen Kififte der Bah&i-Religion seit der
Mitte des Ietzten Jahrhundertseinem Wandel. Scion vor 100 Jahren hat der Stifter tier Bah&f-Religion, Bahá'u'lláh, der Welt verkdndet: "Der Glanz der strahienden
Bar,nherzigkeit Gotteshat die Viliker rind Gesclzlechter der Erde wnhidlt.
Bald wird Jer Tag ersekeinen, da day Liclit derg6ttliclien
Rinheit Osten und Westernso durclzdrungen haben win!, class flirder kein Mensclz mehr wagen kann, es nicht zu beachten."
("Die Sending Bahá'u'lláh's", S. 22.)In der von Bahá'u'lláh authentisch und gdttlich bestimmten Weltordnung hat Er die Errichtung von ilausern der Andacht � Dtimnierungsorte der Lobpreisung Gottes (Mashriqu'l-Adhkar a1s cine zentrale Fin-riclitung fUr die Glaubigen angeordnet.
In diesen Gotteshausern, die in ilirer sakral-architektonischen Form die Finheit Gottes, die
Page 490und die Finheit der Menschheit versinnbildlichen, wird das Wort Gottes aus alien
Heiligen Schriften der Offenbarungsreligionengelesen oder gesungen, ohne Predigt, oline Exegese.
Ohne Instrumen-talmusikerklingt die menschuiche Stimme audi fin Solo-oder oder Chorgesang zur Verherrlichung und
Anbetung Gottes.Neun Tore nach alien Richtungen symboli-sieren die Offenheit fUr Menschen aller Rassen und Bekenntnisse, die sich zur Elnigung und Erleuchtung ihrer Herzen unter das Wort Gottes stellen wollen.
Folgende Worte Bahá'u'lláh'serhellen den tiefsten Sinn der ritus-und kultfreien Form, die den Gottesdiensten der Bahá'í eigen ist:
"11w Fiihrer der Reilgionen!nicht mit soiclien Massen und Wissen-schaft en, die euch gekiufig sind, denn das Buck seibst 1st die untrugliche Waage, die unter den Menschen aufgestellt worden ist!
Auf dieser voilkommenen Waage soil alles gewogen wet-den, was die V6lker und Geschlechter der
Erde besitzen. Verfdlschtnicht das heilige, allum-fassende Urwort Gottes tend versuclit nicht, seine Ileiligkeit zu entwerten und semen erlia-benen Charakter herabzuwiirdigen."
13cr Ruf Bahá'u'lláh'sSeine Offenbarung gipfelt in dem von Thin enthijilten gbttlichen Hejisplan fUr die Finigung und Befriedung der Menschheit als organische
Ganzheit. PersdnlicheHeilserfah-rung wird erhbht durch seit Jahrtausenden verheissene Hejisgewinnung fUr die in einem Glauben geeinte Menschheit. Fin neues gottverordnetes Zeitalter ist angebrochen, auf das die Propheten der voraufgegangenen Religionen mehrfach hingewiesen haben.
Die Vision des grossen hebraischen Pro-pheten Jesaja "Mein Haus soil cm Bethaus heissen alien Vdlkern" ist in unserer Zeit Wirklichkeit geworden.
Das gestern in schlich-terder Andacht auf cler weithin siclitbaren Anhbhe des vorderen Taunus in Langenhain ist nach dem Willen Bahá'u'lláh's dazu bestimmt, em Bethaus aller V6lker und Rassen in Erfdllung prophetischer Verheissungen Zn sein. In Nordamerika, nahe Chikago am Michigansee, in Kampala, Uganda (Ostafrika) und in Sydney/Australien dienen bereits Gottesh~iuser gleicher Art ibrer hohen v6lker-und rassenverbindenden
Bestinnung. Zur Verbreitungdes neu geoffenbarten Wortes Gottes werden in den kommenden neun Jabren in yerschiedenen Stadten zwei weitere Rinser der Andacht ibre Tore bffnen.
Das Haus der Andaclitverkdrpert in seiner sakralen Bestimmung symboihaft die grund-legende Erkenntnis, die dem BahA'i-Glauben innewolint, dass religibse Wabrheit nicht absolut, sondern relativ ist, und dass die gdttliche Offenbarung keine abgeschlossene, sondern eine fortscbreitende ist.
Die Bahá'í sind zutiefst davon Uberzeugt, wie Shoghi Effendi schrieb, "dass em allie-bender Vater und ailgegenwartiger Vater, der in der Vergangenheit zu bestimmten Zeitab-schnitten der menschuichen Entwicklung Seine Propheten als die Triiger Seiner Botschaft und.
Seines Liclites fUr die Menschheit aussandte, in dieser kritischen
Kulturepoche Semen Kindernniclit die Fubrung versagen kann, die sie in dieser dunklen Stunde dringend bendtigen."
Der allumfassende Charakterder Bah&'i-Gottesdienste bekraftigt die den vorauf-gegangenen Religionen "zugrundeliegenden ersten und immerw~ihrenden Grunds~itze."
Die Bahil-Offenbarungbestatigt "die jeder von ihnen innewolinende gottgewollte Autorit~t... und erkiart sie als ihre festeste und eigentlichste Grundlage.
Sie betraclitet sie in keinem anderen Lichte denn als verschiedene Stufen in der ewigen Geschichte und andauernden Entwickling einer gdttlichen und unteilbaren Religion, von der sic selber nur em abzul6-sender Teil ist." ("Die Sendung Bahá'u'lláh's", S.26.)
So kommt einem ilause der Andaclit der Bah&i-Weltgemeinschaft im Sinne seines gbtt-lichen Stifters die einzigartige hohe Aufgabe zu, cm geistig weithin ausstrahlender Brennspiegel des alle Erdenbewohner umhflhlenden
Lichtes des Wortes Gotteszu sein. Diese Orte der Anbetung sind fur die Angelidrigen aller Religionen der Welt gebaut, auf dass nach Worten 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í "die EinI'zeit der Men-sclzeit verkiindet und zur Dienerin Gottes werde."
Die gemeinschaftsbildende, schdp-ferisehe und erleuchtende Kraft des geoffen-batten Wortes Gottes findet in Europa, dem schwergeprtiften Kontinent, durch die
Gottes-dienste im BahA'f-TempelInterior view of the Temple at Langenhain, West Germany.
Das Wesen der Religionaus der Begegnung mit dem Heiligen liegt in ihrer universalisti-schen, wahrhaft bkumenischen Liebesmacht, weiche fiber alle irdischen Grenzen hinweg die Herzen der Menschen aller ilautfarben und Bekenntnisse zu erobern und zu einigen vermag.
Bahá'u'lláh spriclit: "Ziert euch mit demund erleuchtet euer Herz mit dem Liclite Seltzer Liebe! Das in der Schilissel, tier die Ilerzen der Mensehen Offnet. ." ("Aelirenlese", S.134.)
Das heute entscheidendeund Anbetung Gottes ist fried-liche Verst~ndigung und seibstioses Dienen im Bewusstsein urn cine letzte Gemeinsarnkeit und Verantwortungsgemeinschaft zur Lbsung der Weltprobleme, der Begrundung eines dauer-haften und gerecliten Friedens der zerrissenen Welt.
Mit der hbchsten Stiftung der Baha'i-Hiiuser der Andaclit sind nach dem Willen Bahá'u'lláh's menschendienende Einrichtungen verbunden.
"1st bisher dureh Wort gefiihrt worden, iflUSS esjeezt durch Taten geschehen", lesen wir in den "Verborgenen
Worten" des Religionsstifters. WeiterTaten ausgehen, denn der Worte bedienen sick alle. Cute Worte mid reine, heilige Taten steigen empor zum Himmel der gilitlichen Einheit. irn
Vorliofe des Angebetetenwerden die Prijfer des Seins nichts annebmen aix wabre Tugend and reine Taten."
Die im Lichte des Wortes Gottes empfan-genen alibelebenden Krafte und Erkenntnisse sind im Sinne dieser Work gleichsam als Segen des Gottesdienstes "in dynamisches und selbst-loses Dienen fbr die Sadie der Menschheit" zu tibertragen. Denn nur der verdiene heute Mensch genannt zu werden, weicher sich dem Dienste an der ganzen Menschheit weihe, schrieb Bahá'u'lláh. Dies ist der tiefere Grund, warum jedem Haus der Andacht in raumlicher Nahe, nach gewisser Zeit, soziale, humanitare, fiirsorgerische, erzieherische und wissen-schaftliche Einrichtungen wie z.B.
Krankenhaus, Altersheim, Gdstehaus, Waisenhauser, wissenschaftliche BildungsstKtten angegliedert werden.
Hier erbffnet sich wahrlich cm grosses, gemeinschaftliches und dankbares Aufgaben-gebiet imZeichenderschdpferischenEntfaltung religidser und denkerischer Krafte. � Irn
Liclite der BahA'i-Rcligionwird jede Arbeit, im Geiste des Dienens fur die Finheit und den Frieden der Menschheit getan, von unserem Schbpfer auf die Ebene wabren Gottesdienstes erhoben.
Wir diirfen grosse lloffnung auf das nach fast sieben
Jahren gelungene Bauwerkin Langenhain setzen, da das Ilaus der Andacht seine Erriclitung einem gdttlich bestimmten Auftrag verdankt.
Es ist em hohes Sinnbild des unerschfltterlichenan den Aubruch einer Aera religidser Erneucrung und
Einigung des Menschen-geschlechtesauf dem gottesgegebenen Fundament einer gerechten
Weltordnung, "der Archesind durch den Sprecher Gottes, Bahá'u'lláh, seit hundert Jabren aufgerufen, dem
Bestimmungszweck des Hausesder Andacht folgend, verantwortungsfreudig und zielbewusst an der Erriclitung des Menschheits-doms mitzuwirken.
Was im atomaren Zeitalter und auf unserem klein gewordenen Planeten existentiell gebiete-risch nottut, ist aufgeschlossene Begegnung der geschichtlichen Religionen, vorurteilsfrei und mit Liebe fUr alle! Auf das Umfassende, nicht auf das Begrenzte, auf das Finigende, nicht auf das Trennende, auf g6ttliche Gerechtigkeit, nicht auf menschliche Rechthaberei kommt es heute entscheidend an. Urn besser zu verdeutlichen, was ich damit abschliessend sagen will, sei em Wort des Stifters der Bah&i-Religion herausgesteilt: "Wisst 11w, warum Wir euch aus elner Erde erschaffen haben? Darnit keiner sick fiber den anderen erhebe.
Denket mimer daran, wie i/zr ersehaffen wurdet.Die Wir eucli alle aus dent gleichen Staff ersclzaffen liaben, euch geziernt es auch, wie eine Seele zu sein, in gleicher Weise zu wandein und im gleichen Lande zu wohnen, soc/ass aus eureni Wesen, euren Taten und Handlungen die Zeichen der Einheit and tier wa/teen Freilzeit sichtbar werden." ("Verbor-gene Worte", S.26.)
Arnatu'1-Bahd R44iyyih Khdnum laying the foundation stone of the Mother Temple of Latin America; October 8, 1967.
Page 493The architect's elevation of the Mother Temple of Latin America, to be constructed near Panama-City, Panama.
ONE of the many goals assigned to the American Bahá'í community in the beloved
Guardian's Ten Year WorldCrusade was to assist in the purchase of a site for the future
Temple in Panama City.in October of that year: "HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS
ACQtJISI-TION TEMPLE SITEThe foremost task assigned to the Bahá'ís of Panama in the Nine Year Plan was to "erect on your soil the first Ma~hriqu'1-A~hk6r of Latin America." A preliminary survey of the conditions affecting the construction of the Temple was soon undertaken, and in the spring of 1965 the National Spiritual Assembly of Panama, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, extended an invitation to architects, both Bahá'í and nonBahA'i, to submit designs for the Temple itself, giving general specifications concerning the site, the climate, the type of building and its approximate size.
Nearly fifty designs were submitted by architects of many countries, including Germany, Belgium, Canada, Italy, the British Isles, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Australia, Lebanon, France, Colombia, Panama and the United States.
The task of selecting the architect was made exceedingly difficult in view of the high level of excellence of many designs, most of which demonstrated interesting concepts, imagination, technical competence, and showed an awareness of the unique character of
Page 494Panama. The submissions were first carefully evaluated by the National Spiritual Assembly of Panama, and then all were sent to Haifa for the consideration of the Universal House of Justice, the National Assembly having indicated the ones which, in their opinion, merited further consideration.
Mr. Robed W. McLaughlin, sometime member of theof the United States and Dean Emeritus of the School of Architecture of Princeton University, who had been appointed by the Universal House of Justice as its architectural consultant in respect of the erection of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in Panama was invited to the Holy Land to assist in the selection of its architect.
lit was decided that the design showing the greatest promise was that submitted by Mr. Peter Tillotson, a non-Bahá'í English architect. Mr. McLaughlin proceeded to London to consult with Mr. Tillotson about his proposed design and various details concerning his possible engagement.
The services of Mr. Tillotson were retained and his final design embodying certain pre-Columbian architectural motifs in the wing walls supporting the dome, was approved.
In its message to the Bahá'í world at Ri4vAn 1966 the Universal House of Justice announced that it was initiating the Panama Temple Fund with a contribution of twenty-five thousand dollars, and called upon individual believers and Bahá'í communities everywhere to contribute liberally and continuously until sufficient funds for the erection of that historic edifice were assured.
Further investigation of the site purchased in 1954 revealed that, because of its rugged terrain, it was wholly unsuitable.
As the former owner of the land owned additional property in the vicinity, negotiations were entered into to exchange the original site for one more advantageously located.
It was soon found that a section known as "Cerro Sonsonate" would be ideal, and in September 1966, following difficult negotiations, an agreement was reached for the property transfer.
By RIQv&n 1967 an unpaved road had been cut to the site, enabling the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Panama to visit that spot for early morning prayers on the occasion of their first meeting of the new Bahá'í administrative year.
The Hand of the CauseKbAnum, representing the Universal House of Justice, laid the foundation stone of the future Temple on Sunday, October 8, 1967, assisted by the Hand of the Cause 3a161 Kh&zeh, in the presence of seven hundred believers, including nearly two hundred and fifty of the native Indian friends, all of whom were attending the Intercontinental Conference then being held in Panama City.
Mr. Peter Tillotson andPreparation of the site, the next step, was begun in 1968 in anticipation of commencing actual construction early in 1969. The top of the mountain was lowered by thirty-six feet, leaving a solid rock foundation, and the extra earth from the site was used to build up a parking area to accommodate approximately fifty cars.
Thus were concluded the preliminary steps presaging the letting of the contracts for the building of the
Mother Temple of Latin Americain that country often referred to by the Master and the beloved Guardian as the place where two great oceans meet in the Panama Canal. "That place," said 'Abdu'l-Bahá, "will become very important in the future. The Teachings, once established there, will unite the East and the West, the North and the South."
Page 495~L 3� ~ & � ~ a 2 ~ � The architect's elevation of the Temple to be constructed at Tihrc~n, Persia.
The construction of a property, which is very Bahá'í Temple in Tihr6n, anextensive, has surveyed the unfulfilled goal of the land and located the Ten Year Crusade, was site of the future edifice.
made a goal of the Nine A special committee ofBahá'í Year Plan. Pending the architects and engineers development of circumstanceshas worked on detailed propitious to its erection,plans for the Temple whose the National Spiritual design was approved many Assembly of fr~in has years ago by the Guardian built a wall around the of the Faith.
TempleNational Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of West Africa, 1964 � 1965. The Hand of the Cause John Robarts is standing in the front row, third from left.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of West Central Africa, 1964 � 1965 (two members absent). Tire Hand of the Cause Jo/in .Robarts is seated in the centre. Auxiliary Board members Manford Ekongwe and Samuel Smart are standing at the extreme left and right, back row.
Page 497THE sacred Writings of the Bahá'í Faith create organic institutions having a membership elected by the Bahá'í community. Bahá'u'lláh called these institutions into being; their establishment, definition, training and development came later, in the ministry of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and in that of the Guardian appointed in 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í
Testament.Since the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 1921, the formation of Local Spiritual Assemblies has multiplied in East and West, and the institution of the National Spiritual Assembly has become firmly established. Concerning this national administrative body Shoghi Effendi has provided clear information and direction. Its purpose, its power, its responsibility and its functions and duties are definitely prescribed.
"Its immediate purpose is to stimulate, unify and coordinate by frequent personal consultations the manifold activities of the friends [be-lievers]
as well as the Local Assemblies; and by keeping in close and constant touch with the Holy Land Bahá'í World Centre],
initiate measures, and direct in general the affairs of the Cause in that country.
"It serves also another purpose, no less essential than the first in conjunction with the other National Assemblies throughout the Bahá'í world, to elect directly the members of the International House of Justice, that Supreme Council that will guide, organize and unify the affairs of the [Faith]
throughout the world.it has to exercise full authority over all the Local Assemblies in its province, and will have to direct the activities of the friends, guard vigilantly the Cause of God, and control and supervise the affairs of the [Faith) in general.
"Vital issues, affecting the interests of the Cause in that country that stand distinct from strictly local affairs, must be under the full jurisdiction of the National Assembly.
Itto a special Committee, to be elected by the members of the National Spiritual Assembly, from among all the friends in that country...
"With it, too, rests the decision whether a certain point at issue is strictly local in its nature or whether it should fall under its own province and be regarded as a matter which ought to receive its special attention."' "The need for the centralization of authority in the National Spiritual Assembly, and the concentration of power in the various Local Assemblies, is.. manifest."2 "The authority of the
National Spiritual Assemblyis undivided and unchallengeable in all matters pertaining to the administration of the Faith [throughout its country]."3 The individual Baha has spiritual citizenship in a world community of believers acting through local, national and international bodies.
There is no division of interest or conflict of authority among these institutions, for ever since the ascension of
Bahá'u'lláh in 1892 HisFaith has possessed infallible guidance by virtue of His Covenant, which specifically provides it. The action of a Bahá'í administrative body, therefore, while rationally determined by constitutional principles, operates in a spiritual realm revealed by the Manifestation of God and maintained free from political pressure and the influence of materialism.
Apart from the appointedDecisions are confined to the sphere of action and are made by a body of nine persons.
The advice and direction clarifying the nature and operation of a National Spiritual Assembly have been compiled by the
American Bahá'ís� ibid., p. 42. � Bahti'iProcedure (1942), p. 63.
Bahá'í Administration;and ByLaws of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United
States.National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Kenya, 1964 � 1965.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, 1964 � 1965.
Page 499During the ministry of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, after He had approved the petition submitted to Him by the American Bahá'ís expressing their desire to construct a House of Worship, these Baha formed a national body known as Bahá'í Temple Unity, incorporated for the purpose of gathering funds and coordinating plans to erect the Temple in Wilmette. That body, though national in scope and elected by delegates representing the various local Bahá'í communities, was not a National Spiritual Assembly. It is interesting to note that in Bahá'í Temple
Unity the American Baha'isestablished a body reflecting their own national historical experience.
The local communities preceded the national body in time and each exercised an independent authority in the conduct of its own affairs. When their representatives agreed to form a national IBahá'í body with full jurisdiction over Temple matters, they transferred to it powers which vested final decision not in its directors but in the
Annual Convention. Thevital distinction between Temple Unity and the National Spiritual Assembly when later established lay in this field of ultimate authority. The National Spiritual Assembly possessed original authority, powers and functions of its own.
It came into existence through election of its nine members at a National Convention but constituted a continuing authority derived from the Baha Teachings and not conferred by any action of the believers, whether as local communities or as delegates. This authority emerged supreme in relation to Bahá'í matters within the national community but subject to the higher authority of the Guardian and also of the future International
House of Justice.is an institution created by the Teachings of the Faith independent of the Bahá'ís who elect its members and of the Bahá'ís composing its membership. In no way does this institution reflect either the political or the ecclesiastical influences of its environment, whether in America, Europe or the East. This fact has paramount importance.
On the one hand it reveals the existence of an organic religious society; on the other hand it demonstrates the freedom of this new community from the legalisms and devices acting within every human institution.
While the transition from Bahá'í Temple Unity toin North America emphasizes certain principles inherent in Bahá'í institutions, the formation of a National Spiritual Assembly in a new area represents more profoundly the creation of a new type of society.
Every national Bahá'ícommunity has gone through some evolution reflecting its historical background before its National Spiritual Assembly was established.
The functions of a National Spiritual Assembly are manifold: the publication of Bahá'í literature; national teaching plans; supervision of local communities; encouragement and direction of all the Baha in their service to the Faith; and representation of the Bahá'ís in relation to the civil authorities.
Each national body prepares and adopts its own constitution, formulated on the basis of the model approved by the Guardian of the
Baha Faith. All the Nationalcollectively, under the title of The Bahá'í International Community, constitute an international nongovernmental organization whose delegates are accredited by United Nations for attendance and participation in its regional conferences.
Through the institution of the National Spiritual Assembly, Bahá'ís are enabled to carry out plans of considerable magnitude, collaborate with Bahá'ís of all other lands in matters of international interest, maintain common standards of administrative principle, and take advantage, in the appointment of committees, of particular talents and aptitudes possessed by individual believers.
The National SpiritualAssembly stands as one of the pillars supporting the Bahá'í world community.
Participation in national Bahá'í activities serves to insulate the individual Bahá'í from infection by the psychic ills which afflict modern society as result of its lack of faith and spiritual direction. Within the shelter of this emerging order the storms of partisanship cannot engulf the soul.
Page 500THE 1926 � 27 National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada completed a task which, while pertaining to the outer and more material aspects of the Cause, nevertheless has a special significance for its spirit and inward sacred purpose. This task consisted in creating a legal form which gives proper substance and substantial character to the National Spiritual Assemblies and the administrative processes embodied in the Bahá'í Teachings by a form of incorporation recognized under common law. This Declaration of Trust, with its attendant ByLaws, became the model to be followed, with adaptations as local laws and circumstances required, by other National Spiritual Assemblies. The years following the election of the Universal House of Justice witnessed a great increase in the number of National Spiritual Assemblies (from fifty-seven in 1963 to eighty-one in 1968) and the House of Justice itself provided a model document, , largely based on the one devised by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, to be followed as closely as possible by all new National Spiritual Assemblies as they became incorporated, which they were required to do under the Nine Year Plan.
Careful examination of the Declaration, and its ByLaws will reveal the fact that this document contains no arbitrary elements nor features new to the Bahá'í Cause. On the contrary, it represents a most conscientious effort to reflect those very administrative principles and elements already set forth in the letters of the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, and already determining the methods and relationships of Bahá'í collective association. The provision both in the Declaration and in the ByLaws for amendments in the future will permit the National Spiritual Assemblies to adapt this document to such new administrative elements or principles as may at any time be given forth.
The Declaration, in fact, is nothing more nor less than a legal parallel of those moral and spiritual laws of unity inherent in the fullness of the Bahá'í Revelation and making it the fulfillment of the ideal of Religion in the social as well as spiritual realm. Because, in the Baha Faith, this perfect correspondence exists between spiritual and social laws, the Bahá'ís believe that administrative success is identical with moral success, and that nothing less than the true Bahá'í spirit of devotion and sacrifice can inspire with effective power the worldwide body of unity revealed by Bahá'u'lláh.
i. A MODEL DECLARATION OF TRUSTBy the NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ'Í S
or WE, duly chosen by the representatives of the Bahá'ís of. at the Annual Meeting held at... , on ... , to be the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of ... , with full power to establish a Trust as hereinafter set forth, hereby declare that from this date the powers, responsibilities, rights, privileges and obligations reposed in said National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of
Page 501... by Bahá'u'lláh, Founder of the HahA'i Faith, by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, its Interpreter and Exemplar, by Shoghi Effendi, its Guardian, and by the Universal House of Justice, ordained by Bahá'u'lláh in His Sacred Writings as the supreme body of the Bahá'í religion, shall be exercised, administered and carried on by the above-named National Spiritual Assembly and their duly qualified successors s under this Declaration of Trust.
The National Spiritual Assembly in adopting this form of association, union and fellowship, and in selecting for itself the designation of Trustees of the Bahá'ís of.. , does so as the administrative e body of a religious community which has had continuous existence and responsibility for � ... Inconsequence of these activities the National Spiritual Assembly is called upon to administer such ever-increasing diversity and volume of affairs and properties for the Bahá'ís of , that we, its members, now feel it both desirable and necessary to give our collective functions more definite legal form. This action is taken in complete unanimity agd with full recognition of the sacred relationship thereby created. We acknowledge in behalf of ourselves and our successors in this Trust the exalted religious standard established by Bahá'u'lláh for Bahá'í administrative bodies in the Utterance: "Be ye Trustees of the Merciful One among men"; and seek the help of God and His guidance in order to fulfill that exhortation.
(Signatures of the nine members)The name of said Trust shall be the "National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of. P
ARTICLE IISharing the ideals and assisting the efforts of our fellow Bahá'ís to establish, uphold and promote the spiritual, educational and humanitarian teachings of human brotherhood, radiant faith, exalted character and selfless love revealed in the lives and utterances of all the Prophets and Messengers of God, Founders of the world's revealed religions � and given renewed creative energy and universal l application to the conditions of this age in the life and utterances of Bahá'u'lláh � we declare the purposes and objects of this Trust to be to administer the affairs of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh for the benefit of the Bahá'ís of... according to the principles of Bahá'í affiliation and administration created and established by Bahá'u'lláh, defined and explained by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, interpreted and amplified by Shoghi Effendi, and supplemented and applied by the Universal House of Justice.
These purposes are to be realized by means of devotional meetings; by public meetings and conferences of an educational, humanitarian and spiritual character; by the publication of books, magazines and newspapers; by the construction of temples of universal worship and of other institutions and edifices for humanitarian service; by supervising, unifying, promoting and generally y administering the activities of the Bahá'ís of. in the fulfillment of their religious offices, duties and ideals; and by any other means appropriate to these ends, or any of them.
Other purposes and objects of this Trust are: a. The right to enter into, make, perform and carry out contracts of every sort and kind for the furtherance of the objects of this Trust with any person, firm, association, corporation, private, public or municipal or body politic, or any state, territory or colony thereof, or any foreign government; and in this connection, and in all transactions under the terms of this Trust, to do any and all things which a copartnership or natural person could do or exercise, and which now or hereafter may be authorized by law.
b. To hold and be named as beneficiary under any trust established by law or otherwise or under any will or other testamentary instrument in connection with any gift, devise, or bequest in which a trust or trusts is or are established in any part of the world as well as in ; to receive gifts, devises or bequests of money or other property.
c. All and whatsoever the several purposes and objects set forth in the written utterances of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, and enactments of the Universal House of
Page 502Justice, under which certain jurisdiction, powers and rights are granted to National
Spiritual Assemblies.d. Generally to do all things and acts which in the judgment of said Trustees, i.e., the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of. , are necessary, proper and advantageous to promote the complete and successful administration of this Trust.
ARTICLE IllSECTION 1. All persons, firms, corporations and associations extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against the Trustees, i.e., the National Spiritual Assembly, and the members thereat of any character whatsoever, whether legal or equitable and whether arising out of contract or tort, shall look solely to the funds of the Trust and to the property of the Trust estate for payment or indemnity, or for the payment of any debt, damage, judgment or decree or any money that may otherwise become due or payable from the Trustees, so that neither the Trustees nor any of them, nor any of their officers or agents appointed by them hereunder, nor any beneficiary or beneficiaries herein named shall be personally liable therefor.
SECTIoN 2. Every note, bond, proposal, obligation or contract in writing or other agreement or instrument made or given under this Trust shall be explicitly executed by the National Spiritual Assembly, as Trustees by their duly authorized officers or agents.
ARTICLE IVThe Trustees, i.e., the National Spiritual Assembly, shall adopt for the conduct of the affairs entrusted to them under this Declaration of Trust, such bylaws, rules of procedure or regulations as are required to define and carry on its own administrative functions and those of the several local and other elements composing the body of the Bahá'ís of , not inconsistent with the terms of this instrument and all in accordance with the instructions and enactments of the Universal l House of Justice.
ARTICLE VThe central office of this Trust shall be located in...
ARTICLE VIThe seal of this Trust shall be circular in form, bearing the following inscription: National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of....
ARTICLE VIIThis Declaration of Trust may be amended by majority vote of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of... at any special meeting duly called for that purpose, provided that at least thirty (30) days prior to the date fixed for said meeting a copy of the proposed amendment or amendments is mailed to each member of the Assembly by the Secretary.
BYLAWS OF THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLYTHE National Spiritual Assembly, in the fulfillment of its sacred duties under this Trust, shall have exclusive jurisdiction and authority over all the activities and affairs of the Bahá'í Cause throughout. , including paramount authority in the administration of this Trust. It shall en-deavourto o stimulate, unify and coordinate the manifold activities of the Local Spiritual Assemblies (hereinafter defined) and of individual Bahá'ís in and by all possible means assist them to
Page 503THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY 503
promote the oneness of mankind. It shall be charged with the recognition of such Local Assemblies, the scrutiny of all membership rolls, the calling of the Annual Meeting or special meetings and the seating of delegates to the Annual Meeting and their apportionment among the various electoral districts. It shall appoint all national Bahá'í committees and shall supervise the publication n and distribution of Bahá'í literature, the reviewing of all writings pertaining to the Baha Cause, the construction and administration of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar and its accessory activities, and the collection and disbursement of all funds for the carrying on of this Trust. It shall decide whether any matterlies within its own jurisdiction or within the jurisdiction of any Local Spiritual Assembly. It shall, in such cases as it considers suitable and necessary, entertain appeals from the decisions of Local Spiritual Assemblies and shall have the right of final decision in all cases where the qualification of an individual or group for continued voting rights and membership in the Baha body is in question. It shall furthermore represent the Baha of ... in all their cooperative and spiritual activities with the Bahá'ís of other lands, and shall constitute the sole electoral body of... in the election of the Universal House of Justice provided for in the Sacred Writings of the Bahá'í Cause. Above all, the National Spiritual Assembly shall ever seek to attain that station of unity in devotion to the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh which will attract the confirmations of the Holy Spirit and enable the Assembly to serve the founding of the Most Great Peace. In all its deliberation and action the National Assembly shall have constantly before it as Divine guide and standard the utterance of Bahá'u'lláh: "It behooveth them (i.e., members of Spiritual Assemblies) to be the trusted ones of the Merciful among men and to regard themselves as the guardians appointed of God for all that dwell on earth.
It is incumbent upon them to take counsel together and to have regard for the interests of the servants of God, for His sake, even as they regard their own interests, and to choose that which is meet and seemly."
ARTICLE HThe Bahá'ís of.. ., for whose benefit this Trust is established, shall consist of all persons of the age of 15 years or over resident in. who are accepted by the National Spiritual Assembly as possessing the qualifications of Baha faith and practice required under the following standard set forth by the Guardian of the Faith: Full recognition of the station of the Rib, the Forerunner, of Bahá'u'lláh, the Author and of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the True Exemplar of the Bahá'í religion; unreserved acceptance of, and submission ion to, whatsoever has been revealed by their Pen; loyal and steadfast adherence to every clause of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í sacred Will; and close association with the spirit as well as the form of Bahá'í Administration throughout the world.
Those residing in the area of jurisdiction of any Local Spiritual Assembly recognized by the National Assembly may declare their faith to, and be enrolled by, the Local Spiritual Assembly; those living outside any such area of local Bahá'í jurisdiction shall be enrolled in such manner as shall be prescribed by the National Assembly.
Upon attaining the age of 21 years, a Bahá'í is eligible to vote and to hold elective office.
ARTICLE IIIThe National Assembly shall consist of nine members chosen from among the Baha of...,
who shall be elected by the said Bahá'ís in manner hereinafter provided, and who shall continue for the period of one year, or until their successors shall be elected.
ARTICLE IVThe officers of the National Spiritual Assembly shall consist of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, and such other officers as may be found necessary for the proper conduct of its affairs. The officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the entire membership of the Assembly taken by secret ballot.
Page 504The first meeting of a newly-elected National Assembly shall be called by the member elected to membership by the highest number of votes or, in case two or more members have received the same said highest number of votes, then by the member selected by lot from among those members; and this member shall preside until the permanent Chairman shall be chosen. All subsequent meetings shall be called by the Secretary of the Assembly at the request of the Chairman or, in his absence or incapacity, of the Vice-Chairman, or of any three members of the Assembly; provided, however, that the Annual Meeting of the Assembly shall be held at a time and place to be fixed by a majority vote of the Assembly, as hereinafter provided.
ARTICLE VIFive members of the National Assembly present at a meeting shall constitute a quorum, and a majority vote of those present and constituting a quorum shall be sufficient for the conduct of business, except as otherwise provided in these ByLaws, and with due regard to the principle of unity and cordial fellowship involved in the institution of a Spiritual Assembly. The transactions and decisions of the National Assembly shall be recorded at each meeting by the Secretary, who shall supply copies of the minutes to the Assembly members after each meeting, and preserve the minutes in the official records of the Assembly.
ARTICLE VIIWhenever in any locality of..., the number of Baha resident therein recognized by the National Spiritual Assembly exceeds nine, these shall on April 21st of any year convene and elect by plurality vote a local administrative body of nine members, to be known as the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of that community. Every such Spiritual Assembly shall be elected annually thereafter upon each successive 21st day of April. The members shall hold office for the term of one year or until their successors are elected and qualified.
When, however, the number of Bahá'ís in any authorized civil area is exactly nine, these shall on April 21st of any year, or in successive years, constitute themselves the Local Spiritual Assembly by joint declaration. Upon the recording of such declaration by the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, said bodyof nine shall become establishedwith therights, privileges and duties of a Local Spiritual Assembly as set forth in this instrument.
SECTION 1. Each newly-elected Local Spiritual Assembly shall at once proceed in the manner indicated in Articles IV and V of these ByLaws to the election of its officers, who shall consist of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, and such other officers as the Assembly finds necessary for the conduct of its business and the fulfillment of its spiritual duties. Immediately thereafter the Secretary chosen shall transmit to the Secretary of the National Assembly the names of the members of the newly-elected Assembly and a list of its officers.
SECTION 2. The general powers and duties of a Local Spiritual Assembly shall be as set forth in the writings of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, and as laid down by the Universal
House of Justice.SECTION 3. Among its more specific duties, a Local Spiritual Assembly shall have full jurisdiction of all Babg'f activities and affairs within the local community, subject, however, to the exclusive and paramount authority of the National Spiritual Assembly as defined herein.
SECTION 4. Vacancies in the membership of a Local Spiritual Assembly shall be filled by election at a special meeting of the local Bahá'í community duly called for that purpose by the Assembly.
In the event that the number of vacancies exceeds four, making a quorum of the Local Assembly impossible, the election shall be held under the supervision of the National Spiritual Assembly.
SECTION 5. The business of the Local Assembly shall be conducted in like manner as provided for the deliberations of the National Assembly in Article VI above.
SECTION 6. The Local Assembly shall pass upon and approve the qualifications of each member of the Bahá'í Conimunity before such members shall be admitted to voting membership; but where
Page 505an individual is dissatisfied with the ruling of the Local Spiritual Assembly upon his Baha qualifications, , such individual may appeal from the ruling to the National Assembly, which shall thereupon take jurisdiction of and finally decide the case.
SECTION 7. On or before the 1St day of November of each year the Secretary of each Local Assembly shall send to the Secretary of the National Assembly a duly certified list of the voting members of the local Baha community for the information and approval of the National
Assembly.SECTION 8. All matters arising within a local Bahá'í community which are of purely local interest and do not affect the national interests of the Cause shall be under the primary jurisdiction of the Spiritual Assembly of that locality; but decision whether a particular matter involves the interest and welfare of the national Bahá'í body shall rest with the National Spiritual Assembly.
SECTION 9. Any member of a local Bahá'í community may appeal from a decision of his Spiritual Assembly to the National Assembly, which shall determine whether it shall take jurisdiction of the matter or leave it to the Local Spiritual Assembly for reconsideration. In the event that the National Assembly assumes jurisdiction of the matter, its findings shall be final.
SECTION 10. Where any dissension exists within a local Bahá'í community of such character that it cannot be remedied by the efforts of the Local Spiritual Assembly, this condition shall be referred by the Spiritual Assembly for consideration to the National Spiritual Assembly, whose action in the matter shall be final.
SECTIoN 11. All questions arising between two or more Local Spiritual Assemblies, or between members of different Bahá'í communities, shall be submitted in the first instance to the National Assembly, which shall have original and final jurisdiction in all such matters.
SECTION 12. The sphere of jurisdiction of a Local Spiritual Assembly, with respect to residential qualification of membership, and voting rights of a believer in any Bahá'í community, shall be the locality included within the recognized civil limits.
All differences of opinion concerning the sphere of jurisdiction of any Local SpiritualAssembly or concerning the affiliation of any Bahá'í or group of Bahá'ís in... shall be referred to theNational Spiritual Assembly, whose decision in the matter shall be final.
ARTICLE VIIIThe members of the National Spiritual Assembly shall be elected at an annual meeting to he known as the National Convention of the Bahá'ís of.. This Convention shall be held at a time and place to be fixed by the National Assembly. The National Convention shall be composed jointly of representatives chosen by the Baha of each.. under the principle of proportionate representation, and the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Notice of the annual meeting shall be given by the National Assembly sixty days in advance in the Convention Call which sets forth the number of delegates assigned to the various electoral units in proportion to the number of Bahá'ís resident in each such unit, to a total number of...
delegates for the Bahá'ís of.SECTION 1. All delegates to the Convention shall be elected by plurality vote. Baha who for illness or other unavoidable reasons are unable to be present at the election in person shall have the right to transmit their ballots to the meeting by mail. The meeting held in each. for the election of delegates shall be called by the National Spiritual Assembly and conducted by the Bahá'ís present under whatever procedure may be uniformly laid down by said body. Immediately after the meeting a certified report of the election containing the name and address of each delegate shall be transmitted to the National Spiritual Assembly.
SECTION 2. All delegates to be seated at the Convention must be recognized Bahá'ís and residents of the.. represented by them.
SECTION 3. The rights and privileges of a delegate may not be assigned nor may they be exercised by proxy.
SECTION 4. The recognition and seating of delegates to the National Convention shall be vested in the National Spiritual Assembly.
Page 506SECTION 5. Delegates unable to be present in person at the Convention shall have the right to transmit their ballots for election of the members of the National Assembly under whatever procedure is adopted by the National Assembly.
SECTION 6. If in any year the National Spiritual Assembly shall consider that it is impracticable or unwise to assemble together the delegates to the National Convention, the said Assembly shall provide ways and means by which the annual election and the other essential business of the Convention may be conducted by mail.
SECTION 7. The presiding officer of the National Spiritual Assembly present at the Convention shall call together the delegates, who after roll call shall proceed to the permanent organization of the meeting, electing by ballot a chairman, a secretary and such other officers as are necessary for the proper conduct of the business of the Convention.
SECTION 8. The principal business of the annual meeting shall be consultation on Bahá'í activities, , plans and policies, and the election of the nine members of the NationM Spiritual Assembly.
Members of the National Assembly, whether or not elected delegates, may take a full part in the consultation and discussion but only delegates may participate in the election of Convention officers or in the annual election of the members of the National Assembly. All action by the delegates, other than the organization of the Convention, the transmission of messages to the World Centre of the Bahá'í Faith, and the election of the National Assembly, shall constitute advice and recommendation for consideration by the said Assembly, final decision on all matters concerning the affairs of the Baha Faith in. being vested solely in that body.
SECTION 9. The general order of business to be taken up at the Annual Convention shall be prepared by the National Spiritual Assembly in the form of an agenda, but any matter pertaining to the Bahá'í Faith introduced by any of the delegates may upon motion and vote be taken up as part of the Convention deliberations.
SECTIoN 10. The election of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly shall be by plurality vote of the delegates recognized by the outgoing National Spiritual Assembly, i.e., the members elected shall be the nine persons receiving the greatest number of votes on the first ballot cast by delegates present at the Convention and delegates whose ballot has been transmitted to the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly by mail. In case, by reason of a tie vote or votes, the full membership is not determined on the first ballot, then one or more additional ballots shall be taken on the persons tied until all nine members are elected.
SECTION 11. All official business transacted at the National Convention shall be recorded and preserved in the records of the National Assembly.
SEcTION 12. Vacancies in the membership of the National Spiritual Assembly shall be filled by a plurality vote of the delegates composing the Convention which elected the Assembly, the ballot to be taken by correspondence or in any other manner decided upon by the National
Spiritual Assembly.Where the National Spiritual Assembly has been given in these ByLaws exclusive and final jurisdiction, and paramount executive authority, in all matters pertaining to the activities and affairs of the Bahá'í Cause in... , it is understood that any decision made or action taken upon such matters shall be subject in every instance to ultimate review and approval by the Universal
House of Justice.Whatever functions and powers are not specifically attributed to Local Spiritual Assemblies in these ByLaws shall be considered vested in the National Spiritual Assembly, which body is authorized to delegate such discretionary functions and powers as it deems necessary and advisable to the Local Spiritual Assemblies within its jurisdiction.
ARTICLE XIIn order to preserve the spiritual character and purpose of Bahá'í elections, the practice of nominations or any other electoral method detrimental to a silent and prayerful election shall not
Page 507prevail, so that each elector may vote for none but those whom prayer and reflection have inspired him to uphold.
Among the most outstanding and sacred duties incumbent upon those who have been called upon to initiate, direct and coordinate the affairs of the Cause as members of Local or National Spiritual Assemblies are: To win by every means in their power the confidence and affection of those whom it is their privilege to serve; to investigate and acquaint themselves with the considered views, the prevailing sentiments and the personal convictions of those whose welfare it is their solemn obligation to promote; to purge their deliberations and the general conduct of their affairs of selfcontained aloofness, the suspicion of secrecy, the stifling atmosphere of dictatorial assertiveness and of every word and deed that may savor of partiality, seif-centredness and prejudice; and while retaining the sacred right of final decision in their hands, to invite discussion, ventilate grievances, welcome advice, and foster the sense of interdependence and copartnership, of understanding and mutual confidence between themselves and all other Baha'is.
ARTICLE XIIThese ByLaws may be amended by majority vote of the National Spiritual Assembly at any of its regular or special meetings, provided that at least fourteen days prior to the date fixed for the said meeting a copy of the proposed amendment or amendments is mailed to each member of the Assembly by the Secretary.
Alternative "B"These ByLaws may be amended only by majority action of the National Spiritual Assembly, which, in making amendments, does so for the ByLaws of all Local Spiritual Assemblies throughout..?
?Assembly determines the date, duration and place of the Annual Convention and provides for such meetings in connection with the Convention as it may feel are desirable.
II. CONVENTION PROCEDUREConvention [of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada], held in 1934, voted a recommendation calling upon the National Spiritual Assembly to supply a parliamentary procedure for the conduct of the Annual Convention, and the present material has been prepared to meet the need indicated by that recommendation.
Order of BusinessPrayer and devotional readings, provided by the outgoing National Spiritual
Assembly.Opening of the Convention by Presiding Officer of the National Spiritual
Assembly.Roll call of delegates by the Secretary of the National
Spiritual Assembly.Election by secret ballot of Convention Chairman and Secretary. The Convention Officers are to be elected by the assembled delegates from among the entire number of delegates who are present at the Convention.
Annual Report of NationalThese are to be considered as part of the Report of the National Spiritual Assembly. They are whenever possible published in Bahá'í News in advance of the Convention date, for the information of the delegates.
Subjects for Consultation:Any delegate may, before the Convention convenes, recommend to the National Assembly such topics as he deems of sufficient importance to be included in the Convention agenda; and the National Spiritual Assembly, from the list of topics re ceived from delegates, and also suggested by its own knowledge and experience, is to prepare an agenda or order of business as its recoin-mendation to the Convention.
This agenda may include, as part of the National Assembly's Annual Report, the presentation of special subjects by well qualified members, committee representatives or nonBahá'í experts whose exposition is necessary or desirable for the information of the delegates.
On motion duly made, seconded and voted, any such subject may be omitted, and also on motion duly made, seconded and voted, any other subject may be proposed for special consultation.
Annual Election: The election of members of the National Spiritual Assembly is to take place approximately midway during the Convention sessions, so as to enable the delegates to consult with both the outgoing and incoming Assemblies, in accordance with the Guardian's expressed desire.
Conduct of BusinessEvery deliberative body, to fuiffi its functions, must conduct its deliberations in accordance with some established rules of order. The parliamentary procedure here set forth for the Convention is based upon the procedure already adopted for meetings of Local Assemblies and communities. It accordingly extends to sessions of the Annual Convention the same procedure under which the delegates, in their other Bahá'í activities, are accustomed to conduct discussion and consultation.
The purpose of consultation at the Annual Convention is threefold: to arrive at full and complete knowledge of the current conditions, problems and possibilities of the Faith in America; to give to the incoming National Assembly the benefit of the collective wisdom, guidance and constructive suggestions of the assembled delegates; and to contribute to the unity, in spirit and in action, of the entire American Bahá'í community.
The freedom of each and every delegate totake part in discussion and to initiate motions is untrammeled save as the undue activity of one delegate might hamper the rights of the other delegates. Any necessary limitation to be placed upon individual discussion shall be determined by the Chairman in the absence of any specific motion duly voted by the delegates themselves.
It shall be the duty of the Chairman to encourage general consultation and make possible the active participation of the greatest possible number of delegates.
The Chairman has the same power and responsibility for discussion and voting upon motions as other delegates. Members of the outgoing and incoming National Assembly who are not delegates may participate in the consultation but not vote.
A resolution, or motion, is not subject to discussion or vote until duly made and seconded. It is preferable to have each resolution clear and complete in itself, but when an amendment is duly made and seconded, the Chairman shall call for a vote on the amendment first and then on the motion. An amendment must be relevant to, and not contravene, the subject matter of the motion.
The Chairman shall call for votes by oral expression of ayes and nays, but where the result of the vote is doubtful by a show of hands or a rising vote. A majority vote determines.
Discussion of any matter may be terminated by motion duly made, seconded and voted, calling upon the Chairman to bring the matter to an immediate vote or proceed to other business.
The transactions of the Convention shall be recorded by the Secretary, and when certified by the Convention officers shall be given to the National
Spiritual Assembly.The electors in the Annual Election shall consist of those delegates included in the Roll Call prepared by the National Spiritual
Assembly.Ballots and tellers' report forms shall be provided by the National Assembly.
The election shall be conducted by the Convention, but delegates unable to attend the Convention shall have the right to vote by mail.
The Chairman shall appoint three tellers, chosen from among the assembled delegates.
The electoral method shall be as follows:shall call the roll of delegates, whereupon each delegate, in turn, shall place his or her ballot in a ballot box; and as the names are called ballots received by mail shall be placed in the ballot box by the Secretary of the National Assembly.
2. The ballot box shall then be handed to the tellers, who shall retire from the Convention Hall to determine the result of the election.
3. The result of the election is to be reported by the tellers, and the tellers' report is to be approved by the Convention.
4. The ballots, together with the tellers' report, certified by all the tellers, are to be given to the National Spiritual Assembly for preservation.
III. THE CONVENTION RECORDThe permanent record of each successive Annual Convention shall consist of the following: � (1) Convention Call as issued by the National Spiritual Assembly; (2) list of accredited delegates; (3) Annual Reports of the National Spiritual Assembly and of its Committees; (4) Messages sent to and received from the
World Centre; (5) Resolutionsand other transactions of the assembled delegates; (6) the result of the
Annual Election.National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of South Central Africa, 1964 � 1965
(one member absent).National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of South and West Africa, 1964 � 1965.
Page 511THE institution of the Spiritual Assembly was created by Bahá'u'lláh and is an integral part of His Revelation, together with the teachings, principles, supplications, truth, and laws written in the
Books and Tablets. Itis the foundation stone of the new World Order, the establishment of which is the essential aim of the Bahá'í Faith.
Though the loyalty of the believers who assist in the unfoldment of its latent attributes and poWers, divine guidance and reinforcement is promised, and the forces of unity, justice, affection and fellowship arc made to prevail over the negative elements which prey upon and destroy the civilization of an unbelieving age.
"...To it (Local Assembly) all local matters pertaining to the Cause must be directly and immediately referred for full consultation and decision. The importance, nay the absolute necessity of these Local Assemblies is manifest when we realize that in the days to come they will evolve into the local House of Justice, and at present provide the firm foundation on which the structure of the Master's Will is to be reared in future."
B.A., p. 37."In order to avoid division and disruption, that the Cause may not fall a prey to conflicting interpretations, and lose thereby its purity and pristine vigor, that its affairs may be conducted with efficiency and promptness, it is necessary that every one should conscientiously take an active part in the election of these Assemblies, abide by their decisions, enforce their decree, and cooperate with them wholeheartedly in their task of stimulating the growth of the Movement throughout all regions.
The members of these Assemblies, on their part, must disregard utterly their own likes and dislikes, their personal interests and inclinations, and concentrate their minds upon those measures that will conduce to the welfare and happiness of the Bahá'í Community and promote the common weal." B.A., p. 41.
From The Bahá'í Community, BPS., Wilmette 1963.When the requisite conditions exist, the local group of Bahá'ís is obligated to establish an Assembly.
It is not an optional matter.The. requisite conditions are simple. They include the following: 1. There must be nine or more adult Bahá'ís in good standing resident in the community.
2. These Bahá'ís are to be declared and recognized believers, all meeting qualifications of faith laid down by the Guardian.
If one or more members of the group are such newly-confirmed Bahá'ís that they are not yet recorded as believers by the National Spiritual Assembly, these new believers are to take a full part in the formation of the Assembly, subject to later determination of their Bahá'í status.
3. Each Local Assemblyhas a definite area of jurisdiction. In most cases the area is that of the civil boundaries of an incorporated village, town or city. An Assembly may also be formed by nine or more Bahá'ís who reside in the same township or county or unincorporated village.
Where the area of jurisdiction is a township, there must be nine or more adult Bahá'ís resident therein outside the limits of any incorporated town or city in the township, as each Bahá'í civil area must be separate and distinct from other areas where an Assembly might later be formed.
Where the area ofjurisdiction is a county, the county itself must be small enough to permit all the believers to meet regularly.
The county unit constitutes a Baha area of jurisdiction only when in it there are nine or more Baha who have access to no smaller civil area such as township or permanent electoral district. Postal areas and school districts do not represent areas of jurisdiction for Bahá'í
Assemblies.4. At the present time there is oniy one date when Local Assemblies can be formed � April 21 of any year. As the Bahá'í calendar consists of days which begin and end at sunset rather than midnight, the time to form an Assembly 511
Page 512is after sunset on April 20 and before sunset on April 21.
5. Where there are more than nine adult Baha, they form an Assembly by electing the nine members of the Spiritual Assembly. Where there are exactly nine adult Baha'is, they establish an Assembly by joint declaration, and all nine members must participate.
The National SpiritualAssembly provides different types of report forms for these two methods, and the group should apply for the proper form in advance.
(For further information refer to the following section on "The Annual
Election and Organization.")Assemblies will have to be elected directly by the friends, and every declared believer of 21 years and above, far from standing aloof and assuming an indifferent or independent attitude, should regard it his sacred duty to take part conscientiously and diligently, in the election, the consolidation and the efficient working of his own Local Assembly."
B.A., p. 39."Pending its (the Universal House of Justice) establishment, and to ensure uniformity throughout the East and throughout the West, all Local Assemblies will have to be reelected once a year, during the first day of RicJv~n, and the result of polling, if possible, be declared on that day." B.A., p. 41.
The annual meeting on April 21, called for the election of the Spiritual Assembly, provides the occasion for the presentation of annual reports by the Assembly and by all its committees.
The chairman of the outgoing Assembly presides at this meeting.
The order of business includes: Reading of the call of the meeting Reading of appropriate Bahá'í passages bearing upon the subject of the election Appointment of tellers Distribution of ballots Prayers for the spiritual guidance of the voters The election by secret ballot Presentation of annual reports Tellers' report of the election Approval of the tellers' report Assembly members are elected by plurality vote. The believers receiving the nine highest votes on the first ballot are elected, unless two or more are tied for ninth place. In case of a tie, a second ballot is cast by those present, and on this ballot the voter is to write the name of one of those who are tied in the fist ballot.
Contrary to the ways of the world, Bahá'í elections are approached in a spirit of prayer without preliminary electioneering or nominating of candidates. Before the ballots are cast, prayers should be read and all participating ask for guidance in selecting those best fitted to serve.
In this regard the Guardian wrote: Let us recall His explicit and often-repeated assurances that every Assembly elected in that rarefied atmosphere of selflessness and detachment is, in truth, appointed of God, that its verdict is truly inspired, that one and all should submit to its decision unreservedly and with cheerfulness."
B.A., p. 65."...the elector.., is called upon to vote for none but those whom prayer and reflection have inspired him to uphold. Moreover, the practice of nomination, so detrimental to the atmosphere of a silent and prayerful election, is viewed with mistrust Should this simple system (based on plurality) be provisionally adopted, it would safeguard the spiritual principle of the unfettered freedom of the voter, who will thus preserve intact the sanctity of the choice he first made.. ." B.A., p. 136.
"The newly elected Assembly is called together by the believer who received the highest number of votes, or in case two or more members have received the same said highest number of votes, then by the member selected by lot from among those members; and this member shall preside until the permanent chairman is chosen." ByLaws of a L.S.A., Art. VIII.
It is preferable to have the election of the officers of the Assembly immediately following the annual election or formation by joint declaration; however, all nine members of the Assembly must be given an opportunity to vote for the officers.
In rare instances a meeting for the election of officers cannot be called because of inability on the part of one or more members to attend. In such cases, the best procedure is to elect or appoint immediately a temporary chairman and secretary to serve until such time as all members of the Assembly can be present to vote in person.
Page 513Permanent officers are elected by secret ballot and by majority rather than by plurality vote. (Plurality is the largest number; majority is the number greater than halt which, in this case, is at least five out of the nine.)
When an Assembly is organized, it is to report its formation and election of officers to the National Spiritual Assembly, together with whatever relevant facts may be necessary for recognition of the Assembly.
Dissolution of a LocalOnce elected or formed by joint declaration, an Assembly continues to exist until the next annual election or until the
National Spiritual Assemblyacts to declare the Assembly dissolved. This decision is not to be made by the members of the Local Assembly itself nor by any regional or national committee.
If the number of adult Bahá'ís in the community becomes less than nine, or other conditions arise which make it impossible for the Local Assembly to function, the facts should be reported to the National Assembly for final determination of the status of the
Assembly.are "invested with an authority rendering them unanswerable for their acts and decisions to those who elect them; solemnly pledged to follow, under all conditions, the dictates of the 'Most Great Justice' that can alone usher in the reign of the 'Most Great Peace' which Bahá'u'lláh has proclaimed and must ultimately establish; charged with the responsibility of promoting at all times the best interests of the communities within their jurisdiction, of familiarizing them with their plans and activities and of inviting them to offer any recommendations they might wish to make; cognizant of their no less vital task of demonstrating, through association with all liberal and humanitarian movements, the universality and comprehensiveness of their Faith; dissociated entirely from all sectarian organizations, whether religious or secular; assisted by committees annually appointed by, and directly responsible to, them, to each of which a particular branch of Baha activity is assigned for study and action; supported by local funds to which all believers voluntarily contribute.
G.P.B., p. 331.The various functions of the Local Spiritual Assembly, and its nature as a constitutional body, are duly set forth in Article VII of the ByLaws of the National Spiritual Assembly, and more definitely defined in the ByLaws of a Local Spiritual Assembly approved by the National Spiritual Assembly as recommended by the Guardian.
Each Local SpiritualAssembly of the United States, whether or not legally incorporated, is to function according to those ByLaws, and all members of the local Bahá'í community shall be guided and controlled by their provisions.
An essential function of Local Spiritual Assemblies is to act as intermediaries between the local communities and the National Spiritual
Assembly. The Local Assemblyis, therefore, the proper medium through which local Bahá'í communities can communicate with the body of their national representatives.
Appointment of CommitteesIn the appointment of committees, only those committees needed to carry out the activities of the community are necessary. Such committees are appointed by the Assembly from among the entire membership of the community, have specific functions to perform, and are responsible to the Assembly who will exercise constant and general supervision over their work. Before making appointments, it is usually beneficial to discuss the special abilities, aptitudes and personal wishes of the members under consideration in relation to the tasks which are to be performed by the committees.
MeetingsA meeting of the Spiritual Assembly is valid oniy when it has been duly called, that is, when each and every member has been informed of the time and place. The general practice is for the Assembly to decide upon some regular time and place for its meeting throughout the Bahá'í year, and this decision when recorded in the minutes is sufficient notice to the members. When the regular schedule cannot be followed, or the need arises for a special meeting, the secretary, on request by the chairman, or, in his absence or incapacity, of the vice-chairman, or of any three members of the Assembly, should send due notice to all the members.
The procedure for the calling of the Annual Meeting is outlined in Article XI of the ByLaws of a
Local Spiritual Assembly.National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the indian Ocean, 1964 � 1965.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Hawaiian Islands, 1964 � 1965.
Page 515"The prime requisites for them that take counsel together are purity of motive, radiance of spirit, detachment from all else save God, attraction to His Divine Fragrances, humility and lowliness amongst His loved ones, patience and longsuffering in difficulties and servitude to
His exalted Threshold.Should they be graciously aided to acquire these attributes, victory from the unseen Kingdom of Bah6. shall be vouchsafed to them. In this day, assemblies of consultation are of the greatest importance and a vital necessity. Obedience unto them is essential and obligatory." B.A., p. 21.
"The first condition is absolute love and harmony amongst the members of the Assembly. They must be wholly free from estrangement and must manifest in themselves the Unity of God, for they are the waves of one sea, the drops of one river, the stars of one heaven, the rays of one sun, the trees of one orchard, the flowers of one garden.
Should harmony of thought and absolute unity be nonexistent, that gathering shall be dispersed and that Assembly be brought to naught.
"The second condition: � They must when coming together turn their faces to the Kingdom on High and ask aid from the Realm of Glory.
They must then proceed with the utmost devotion, courtesy, dignity, care and moderation to express their views. They must in every matter search out the truth and not insist upon their own opinion, for stubbornness and persistence in one's views will lead ultimately to discord and wrangling and the truth will remain hidden.
The honoured members must with all freedom express their own thoughts, and it is in no wise permissible for one to belittle the thought of another, nay, he must with moderation set forth the truth, and should differences of opinion arise a majority of voices must prevail; and all must obey and submit to the majority. It is again not permitted that any one of the honoured members object to or censure, whether in or out of the meeting, any decision arrived at previously, though that decision be not right, for such criticism would prevent any decision from being enforced.
"In short, whatsoever thing is arranged in harmony and with love and purity of motive, its result is light, and should the least trace of estrangement prevail the result shall be darkness upon darkness.
If this be so regarded, that assembly shall be of God, but otherwise it shall lead to coolness and alienation that proceed from the Evil One Should they endeavor to fulfill these conditions the Grace of the lloiy Spirit shall be vouchsafed unto them, and that assembly shall become the center of Divine blessings, the hosts of Divine confirmation shall come to their aid, and they shall day by day receive a new effusion of spirit." B.A., pp. 22 � 23.
Recommended Agenda andshould conduct their business in an orderly manner.
The following agenda is suggested for meetings of the Local Spiritual
Assembly:Reading and approval of minutes of previous meeting Report of Secretary (or
Corresponding Secretary)including correspondence of interest and concern to the body of the believers, and any and all recommendations duly adopted by the community at the last Nineteen Day
FeastUnfinished business New business, including conferences with members of the community and with applicants for enrollment as members of the community Closing prayer A Spiritual Assembly, in maintaining its threefold function of a body given (within the limits of its jurisdiction) an executive, a legislative and a judicial capacity, is charged with responsibilities for initiating action and making decisions.
Its meetings, therefore, revolve around various definite matters which require deliberation and collective decision, and it is incumbent upon the members, one and all, to address themselves to the chairman on the subject under discussion and not introduce matters irrelevant to the subject.
Bahá'í principles of consultation and majority rule are requisite characteristics in Bahá'í Administration, and represent radical departures from the generally accepted rules of parliamentary procedure. In Bahá'í Assembly action, the chairman takes part in the discus
Page 516National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the South Pacjfic Ocean, 1964 � 1965 (three members absent). The Hand of the Cause Go/us Featherstone is standing at the right, front row.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the South West Pacific Ocean, 1964 � 1965. The Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone is standing in the back row, fourth from the left.
Page 517sion, and a majority decision becomes unanimous and binding upon all. There is no minority opinion in Baha Administration; the decision of the majority is the decision of all.
Every subject or problem before an Assembly is most efficiently handled when the following process is observed: First, ascertainment and agreement upon the facts; Second, agreement upon the spiritual or administrative principle which is involved; Third, full and frank discussion of the matter, leading up to the offering of a resolution; and, Fourth, voting upon the resolution.
A resolution, or motion, is not subject to discussion or vote until duly made and seconded. It is preferable to have each resolution clear and complete in itself, but when an amendment is duly made and seconded, the chairman shall call for a vote on the amendment first and then on the original motion. An amendment must be relevant to, and not contravene, the subject matter of the motion.
Oniy one motion should be considered at a time.The procedure for handling motions is: 1. Statement of motion
2. Second5. Announcement of the result of the voting. Amendments are to be voted on before the main motion. Motions can be amended only once, by one of the following actions: adding, striking out, inserting, striking out and inserting, substituting, dividing.
An action may be agreed upon by the Assembly without going though the formality of making amotion and voting upon it; however, if the agreement is not unanimous the question must be put to a vote.
The chairman, or other presiding officer, has the same right and responsibility as other members of the Assembly for discussing and voting upon all matters being considered by the Assembly.
Discussion of any subject before the Assembly may be terminated by a motion duly made, seconded and voted, calling upon the chairman to put the matter to a vote or to proceed to the next matter on the agenda. The purpose of this procedure is to prevent any member or members from unnecessarily prolonging the discussion beyond the point at which full opportunity has been given all members to express their views.
A motion to adjourn is always in order and has priority over all other motions except the motion to fix the time of the next meeting. The motion to adjourn is not debatable and cannot be amended.
It requires a majority vote. Before voting, however, the presiding officer should point out items of unfinished business on the agenda, so that the members will know whether to vote for or against adjournment at that moment.
A motion may be withdrawn by the mover, provided no one objects, and before a vote has been taken.
When the Assembly has taken action upon any matter, the action is binding upon all members, whether present or absent from the meeting at which the action was taken.
Individual views and opinions must be subordinated to the will of the Assembly when a decision has been made. A Spiritual Assembly is an administrative unit, as it is a spiritual unit, and therefore no distinction between "majority" and "minor-ity" groups or factions can be recognized.
Each member must give undivided loyalty to the institution to which he or she has been elected.
Any action taken by the Assembly can be reconsidered at a later meeting, on motion duly made, seconded and carried. This reconsideration, according to the result of the consultation, may lead to a revision or the annulment of the prior action. If a majority is unwilling to reconsider the prior action, further discussion of the matter by any member is improper.
Vacancies on AssemblyThe Assembly has a responsibility in filling a vacancy caused by the inability of any member to attend the meetings. "It is only too obvious that unless a member can attend regularly the meetings of his Local Assembly, it would be impossible for him to discharge the duties incumbent upon him, and to fulfill his responsibilities as a representative of the community. Membership in a Local Spiritual Assembly carries with it, indeed, the obligation and capacity to remain in close touch with local Bahá'í activities, and ability to attend regularly the sessions of the Assembly."
Letter from Shoghi Effendi, Feb. 16, 1935.When a vacancy on an Assembly involves also one of its officers, the Assembly vacancy
Page 518is filled in the usual manner by election at a special meeting of the local Bahá'í community, after which the entire Assembly elects the new officer.
Minutes and FilesThe Spiritual Assembly, as a permanent body, is responsible for maintaining all minutes of its meetings, important records and cones-pondence, and financial records throughout its existence as a Bahá'í institution.
Each officer, therefore, on completing his or her term of office, shall turn over to the Assembly all records and files pertaining to the business of the Assembly. A permanent record of minutes is of special importance and necessity when an Assembly is incorporated, because situations could arise which would make it necessary to produce the minutes for inspection by state authorities.
Other items which would be of historical interest in the future should be kept in the local archives.
It is vitally important that each Local Spiritual Assembly maintain a complete file of Bahá'í News and the US. Supplement for reference on various directives regarding laws and procedures, teaching suggestions, and other pertinent information.
It should also maintain and keep up to date a file of all special instructions and statements from the National Spiritual Assembly dealing with matters of permanent value.
Minutes are the permanent official record of the meeting taken by a secretary.
If the community is large and the Assembly handles a great amount of business, a recording secretary may be elected to record the minutes. The minutes should include all essential details, such as the election of the Assembly and its officers at the beginning of each year, by-elec-tions for filling vacancies on the Assembly occurring during the year, attendance of all members at its meetings, new enrollments and transfers, marriages, and deaths.
All carried motions are recorded in the minutes.The minutes should be written in such a way as to provide sufficient background to understand the reason for the motions and decision, but the entire discussion does not need to be recorded.
It is not necessary to record names of individuals making and seconding motions or making comments during the dis cussion. Names are of importance, however, when the minutes record reports given on special assignments or situations, or when assignments are given to particular individuals.
If a decision is adopted by common consent without the formality of a motion, even this decision should be clearly stated by the chairman and recorded in the minutes so that there is no question as to what action was agreed upon by the group.
Correspondence should be listed in the minutes.Copies of important outgoing correspondence, in addition to the incoming letters, should be kept for the files.
Record should be made in the minutes of consultation with individuals meeting with the Assembly, whether requested by the individual or the Assembly.
Minutes should be written or typed legibly. They should be corrected and approved by the Assembly before they become a matter of permanent record.
Records of Nineteen-DayFeasts need include only the recommendations made by the community to be presented to the Local Spiritual Assembly, with the background necessary for understanding them.
Minutes of Assembly meetings are not read at the Nineteen-Day Feasts; only the actions taken by the Assembly which concern the community affairs are reported at Feasts. The judgment of what should be shared at the Feasts belongs to the Local Spiritual
Assembly.Local Assemblies having fifteen or more active adult believers in the community are authorized to effect legal incorporation.
To do so the matter should be presented at a Nineteen-Day Feast and a recommendation adopted which expresses the desire of the community that the Spiritual Assembly be legally incorporated.
The Bahá'í World volumes reproduce many local Certificates of Incorporation which supply models for consideration by the Assembly's attorney.
What is incorporated is the Spiritual Assembly, not the entire community.
The community is associated with the instrument though the annual election of the Local Assembly and the Spiritual Assembly's authority to enroll new believers and determine the membership list.
Page 519are to make proper reference to the Central Figures of the Faith and to the
National Spiritual Assembly. Ifnecessary, the National Assembly on request will provide an example of how this is to be done.
Before the Incorporationpapers are recorded, a copy is to be sent to the National Spiritual Assembly for final approval. After recording, three photostatic copies of the recorded Articles are to be sent to the National Spiritual Assembly, together with a photograph of the nine Assembly members.
Incorporation must be preserved in accordance with the manner prescribed by state law.
THE NINETEEN-DAY FEASTThe institution of the Nineteen-Day Feast provides the recognized and regular occasion for general consultation on the part of the community, and for consultation between the Spiritual Assembly and the members of the community. The conduct of the period of consultation at Nineteen-Day Feasts is a vital function of each Spiritual Assembly.
From words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá,was inaugurated by the Báb and ratified by Bahá'u'lláh, in His Holy Book, the Aqdas, so that people may gather together and outwardly show fellowship and love, that the Divine mysteries may be disclosed. The object is concord, that through this fellowship hearts may become perfectly united, and reciprocity and mutual helpfulness be established. Because the members of the world of humanity are unable to exist without being banded together, cooperation and helpfulness is the basis of human society.
Without the realization of these two great principles no great movement is pressed forward." B.W., Vol. XII, p. 298.
The Nineteen-Day Feasthas been described by the Guardian as the foundation of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh. It is to be conducted according to the following programme: the first part, entirely spiritual in character, is devoted to the reading of Bahá'í Prayers and selections from the Bahá'í Sacred Writings; the second part consists of general consultation on the affairs of the Cause; the third part is the material feast and social meeting of all the believers, and should maintain the spiritual nature of the
Feast.In selecting the readings for the devotional part of the Feast the friends may be guided by the latest instructions printed in Bahá'í News quoting the following excerpt from a letter to a believer from the Guardian though his assistant secretary dated April 27, 1956: "The Writings of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh can certainly be read at any time at any place; likewise the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá are read freely during the spiritual part of the Feast. The Guardian has instructed that during the spiritual part of the Feast, his own writings should not be read. In other words, during the spiritual part of the Feast, readings should be confined to the Writings of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh and to a lesser extent, of the Master; but during that part of the Feast the Guardian's writings should not be read. During the period of administrative discussion of the Feast, then the Guardian's writings may be read. Of course, during the administrative part of the Feast there can be no objection to the reading of the Writings of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh or 'Abdu'l-Bahá." Bahá'í News, Jan. 1959.
Bahá'ís should regard this Feast as the very heart of their spiritual activity, their participation in the mystery of the Holy Utterance, their steadfast unity one with another in a universality raised high above the limitations of race, class, nationality, sect, and personality, and their privilege of contributing to the power of the Cause in the realm of collective action.
AttendanceOnly members of the Bahá'í community and visiting Baha from other localities may attend these meetings.
Young people between fifteen and twenty-one years of age, who have declared their acceptance of the qualifications of membership in the Faith are considered as members although they are referred to as Bahá'í youth. Children up to age fifteen, of Bahá'í parents, may also attend the Nineteen-Day Feasts.
Regular attendance at the Nineteen-Day Feast is incumbent upon every Baha, illness or absence from the city being the only justification for absence. Believers are expected to arrange their personal affairs so as to enable them to observe the Bahá'í calendar.
Order of Business for the Consultation Period The chairman or other appointed representa-. tive of the Spiritual Assembly presides during the period of consultation.
KKNational Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of North East Asia, 1964 � 1965 (one member absent).
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Korea, 1964 � 1965.
Page 521reports to the community whatever communications have been received from the World Centre and the National Spiritual Assembly, as well as other correspondence of concern to all believers of tbe community. This does not necessarily mean that all communications must be read in full at the Feast.
A matter of vital importance at this meeting is consideration of national and international Bahá'í affairs, to strengthen the capacity of the community to cooperate in promotion of the larger Baha interests and to deepen the understanding of all believers concerning the relation of the local community to the Bahá'í
World Community.The Assembly likewise reports its own activities and plans, including committee appointments that may have been made since the last Feast, the financial report, arrangements made for public meetings, and in general shares with the community all matters that concern the Faith.
These reports are to be followed by general consultation.
Provision is to be made for reports from committees, with discussion of each report.
The meeting is to be open for suggestions and recommendations from individual believers to the Local Spiritual Assembly on any matter affecting the Cause. Such recommendations must be adopted by majority vote of the community members present before constituting a resolution to be considered by the
Local Spiritual Assembly.Through this means individual Baha find in the Nineteen-Day Feast the channel through which to make suggestions and recommendations to the
National Spiritual Assembly.These recommendations are offered first to the local community, and when adopted by the community come before the Local Assembly, which then may in its discretion forward the recommendations to the National Spiritual Assembly accompanied by its own considered view.
Upon each member of the community lies the obligation to make his or her utmost contribution to the consultation, the ideal being a gathering of Bahá'ís inspired with one spirit and concentrating upon the one aim to further the interests of the Faith.
Bahá'í visitors attending a Feast do not take part in the consultation of the community unless invited to do so. The secretary of the Assembly records each resolution adopted by the community, as well as the various suggestions advanced during the meeting, in order to report these to the Spiritual Assembly for its consideration.
Whatever action the Assembly takes is to be reported at a later Nineteen-Day
Feast.It should be borne in mind that the consultation period of the Nineteen-Day Feast is not the time for the Local Spiritual Assembly to consult and make decisions.
Matters of a personal nature should be brought to the Spiritual Assembly and not to the community at the Nineteen-Day Feast. Concerning the attitude with which believers should come to these Feasts, the Master has said, "You must free yourselves from everything that is in your hearts, before you enter."
CONSULTATION"In this Cause, consultation is of vital importance; but spiritual conference and not the mere voicing of personal views is intended.
Antagonism and contradiction are unfortunate and always destructive of truth.
The purpose is to emphasize the statement that consultation must have for its object the investigation of truth.
He who expresses an opinion should not voice it as correct and right but set it forth as a contribution to the consensus of opinion; for the light of reality becomes apparent when two opinions coincide..."
P.U.P., pp. 6869."The principle of consultation, which constitutes one of the basic laws of the Administration, should be applied to all Bahá'í activities which affect the collective interests of the Faith for it is though cooperation and continued exchange of thoughts and views that the Cause can best safeguard and foster its interests.
Individual initiative, personal ability and resourcefulness, though indispensable, are, unless supported and enriched by the collective experience and wisdom of the group, utterly incapable of achieving such a tremendous task."
Shoghi Effendi, Bahci'iNews, Nov. 1933."Shoghi Effendi firmly believes that consultation must be maintained between the NSA and the entire body of the believers, and that such consultation, while the Convention is not in session, can best be maintained through the agency of the Local Assemblies, one of whose essential functions is to act as intermediaries between the local communities and their
Page 522National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Malaysia, 1964 � 1965. The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Ri~1iiyyih Kitdnum is seated second from the left.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Vietnam, 1964 � 1965.
Page 523The main purpose of the Nineteen-Day Feasts is to enable individual believers to offer any suggestion to the Local Assembly which in its turn will pass it to the NSA. The Local Assembly is, therefore, the proper medium through which local Bahá'í communities can communicate with the body of the national representatives." Letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Nov. 18, 1933.
"Let us also remember that at the very root of the Cause lies the principle of the undoubted right of the individual to self-expression, his freedom to declare his conscience and set forth his views.
"Let us also bear in mind that the keynote of the Cause of God is not dictatorial authority but humble fellowship, not arbitrary power, but the spfrit of frank and loving consultation. Nothing short of the spirit of a true Bahá'í can hope to reconcile the principles of mercy and justice, of freedom and submission, of the sanctity of the right of the individual and of self-surrender, of vigilance, discretion and prudence on the one hand, and fellowship, candor, and courage on the other."
BA., pp. 63 � 64.At this crucial stage in the history of our Faith it seems advisable to emphasize to each Local Assembly an important principle of administration which has been too frequently overlooked.
This principle establishes the National Assembly as the court of appeal from decisions of Local Assemblies when protested by one or more members of the community as unjust or as not conforming to the actual facts.
A court of appeal is not responsible for determining the facts but oniy for reviewing the local decision based upon the facts assembled by the Local Assembly itself. On receiving an appeal the National Spiritual Assembly will send a copy of it to the Local Assembly and request its opinion. When this is received the case will be studied in the light of the facts presented to the National Assembly and a final decision made. The National Assembly can decide only upon the facts presented to it; therefore, when a matter is submitted to it, all obtainable facts, together with supporting documentary evidence should be included.
The National Assembly'sdecision, whether approving or disapproving the original decision of the Local Assembly, will be communicated to both the Local Assembly and to the person or persons who made the appeal.
This procedure is in accordance with both the national and local ByLaws.
Any complaint received by the National Assembly from a member or members of a local community who have not first submitted their complaint to the Local Assembly will be returned to those making the protest, with a copy of the letter being sent to the Local Assembly for its information. In such a case the Local Assembly is to call the person or persons in for consultation and act upon the complaint.
An essential function of the Local Spiritual Assembly is the maintenance of unity and devotion among the believers. As "Trustees of the Merciful" the Spiritual Assembly must be selfless and impartial, considerate of the rights of the individual, but firm and steadfast in upholding the vital truths of the Revelation and obedience to its institutions.
Therefore, they must discriminate between situations which are transient and trivial and those which threaten to disrupt the community.
A distinction is to be made between personalities who cause disturbances because they lack grounding in the basic Teachings and attitudes of the Bahá'í life, and those who deliberately cause trouble because in their hearts they do not accept the principle of authority as vested in the Manifestation, or in the institutions of the Bahá'í World Community.
The Local Assembly is responsible for dealing with all local problems, but can call upon the
National Spiritual AssemblyThe National Assembly, in any case involving two or more local communities, however, acts directly and deals with the problems as the court of original jurisdiction, since no Local Assembly has authority outside its own civil area.
"The authority of the NSA is undivided and unchallengeable in all matters pertaining to the administration of the Faith throughout the United States, therefore, the obedience of individual Baha'is, delegates, groups and Assemblies to that authority is imperative and should be wholehearted and unqualified. He is convinced that the unreserved acceptance and complete application of this vital provision of the Administration is essential to the main
Page 524tenance of the highest degree of unity among the believers, and is indispensable to the effective working of the administrative machinery of the Faith in every country." Letter from Shoghi Effendi through his secretary, Bahá'í News,
July 1934."As the progress and extension of spiritual activities is dependent and conditioned upon material means, it is of absolute necessity that immediately after the establishment of Local as well as National Spiritual Assemblies, a Baha Fund be established, to be placed under the exclusive control of the Spiritual Assembly. All donations and contributions should be offered to the treasurer of the Assembly, for the express purpose of promoting the interests of the Cause, throughout that locality or country. It is the sacred obligation of every conscientious and faithful servant of Bahá'u'lláh who desires to see His Cause advance, to contribute freely and generously for the increase of that Fund. The members of the Spiritual Assembly will at their own discretion expend it to promote the Teaching Campaign, to help the needy, to establish educational Bahá'í institutions, to extend in every way possible their sphere of service. I cherish the hope that all the friends, realizing the necessity of this measure will bestir themselves and contribute, however modestly at first, towards the speedy establishment and the increase of that Fund " B A ,pp.4l � 42.
"We must be like the fountain or spring that is continually emptying itself of all that it has and is continually being refilled from an invisible source. To be continually giving out for the good of our fellows undeterred by the fear of poverty and reliant on the unfailing bounty of the Source of all wealth and all good � this is the secret of right living."
Shoghi Effendi, Balid'iNews, Sept. 1926."As the activities of the American Bahá'í community expand, and its worldwide prestige correspondingly increases, the institution of the National Fund, the bedrock on which all other institutions must necessarily rest and be established, acquires added importance, and should be increasingly supported by the entire body of the believers, both in their individual capacities, and through their collective efforts, whether organized as groups or as Local Assemblies.
The supply of funds, in support of the National Treasury, constitutes, at the present time, the lifeblood of these nascent institutions you are laboring to erect.
Its importance cannot, surely, be overestimated.Untold blessings shall no doubt crown every effort directed to that end." MA., p. 5.
"In connection with the institution of the National Fund... I feel urged to remind you of the necessity of ever bearing in mind the cardinal principle that all contributions to the Fund are to be purely and strictly voluntary in character..." B.A., p. 101.
"Moreover, we should, I feel, regard it as an axiom and guiding principle of Bahá'í administration that in the conduct of every specific Baha activity, as different from undertakings of a humanitarian, philanthropic, or charitable character, which may in future be conducted under Bahá'í auspices, oniy those who have already identified themselves with the Faith and are regarded as its avowed and unreserved supporters should be invited to join and colla � borate."
B.A., p. 182.A statement from the National Treasurer is included in an issue of the Rain?!
News each year, setting out the various funds � international, national, and local � with instructions for making contributions to each of them.
Page 525We, the undersigned members of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of. , desiring to incorporate this body do hereby adopt the following ByLaws:
ARTICLE ITHE Trustees, i.e., the members of the Spiritual Assembly, recognize that this action has been taken in full unanimity and agreement. They acknowledge for themselves and on behalf of their successors the sacred meaning and universal purpose of the Bahá'í Faith, the teachings and principles of which fulfill the divine promise of all former revealed religions.
ARTICLE HIn administering the affairs of the Bahá'í Religion under this Corporation for the benefit of the Bahá'ís of.. in accordance with the religious teachings and administrative principles of this Faith, the Spiritual Assembly shall act in conformity with the functions of a Local Spiritual Assembly as defined in the ByLaws adopted by the National Spiritual Assembly and published by that body for the information and guidance of Bahá'ís throughout..
ARTICLE IllThe Spiritual Assembly, in the fulfillment of its obligations and responsibilities under this Corporation, shall have exclusive jurisdiction and authority over all the local activities and affairs of the Bahá'í community of... , including paramount authority in the administration of this Corporation. It shall be responsible for maintaining the integrity and accuracy of all Bahá'í teaching, whether written or oral, undertaken throughout the local community. It shall make available the published literature of the Faith. It shall represent the community in relationship to the National Spiritual Assembly, the Universal House of Justice, other local Bahá'í communities and the general public in... It shall be charged with the recognition of all applicants requesting membership in the local Baha community. It shall pass upon the right of any and all members of the community whose membership is in question to retain their status as voting members of the community. It shall call the meetings of the community, including the Bahá'í Anniversaries and Feasts, the Meetings of consultation, and the Annual Meeting at which the members of the Assembly are elected. It shall appoint and supervise all committees of the Baha community.
It shall collect and disburse all funds intended for the maintenance of this Corporation. It shall have full and complete custody of the headquarters or meeting place of the Bahá'í community.
It shall have exclusive authority to conduct Bahá'í marriage ceremonies and issue Bahá'í marriage certificates within the area of its jurisdiction. It shall report to the National Spiritual Assembly annually, or when requested, the membership roll of the Bahá'í community, for the information and approval of the National Assembly. The Spiritual Assembly, however, shall recognize the authority and right of the National Spiritual Assembly to declare at any time what activities and affairs of the Bahá'í community of.. are national in scope and hence subject to the jurisdiction of the National Assembly. It shall likewise recognize the right of any member of the community to appeal to the National Spiritual Assembly for review and decision of any matter in which the previous decision of the Local Spiritual Assembly is felt by the member to be contrary to the explicit teachings of the Bahá'í Faith or opposed to its best interests. It shall, on the other hand, have the authority and right to appeal from the decision of the National Assembly to the Universal House of Justice for review and final decision of any matter related to the Faith in... I Name of country or region;
Page 526Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, April1965.
First Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Reykiavik, Iceland, April1965.
Page 527The Spiritual Assembly, in administering this Corporation, shall ever bear in mind the ideals upheld in the Sacred Writings of the Bahá'í Faith respecting the relationships of a Spiritual Assembly to its Bahá'í community, respecting the relations of Bahá'ís to one another in the community, and the relationships of Bahá'ís to all nonBahA'is, without prejudice of race, creed or nationality. The Assembly shall therefore above all recognize its sacred duty to maintain full and complete unity throughout the Bahá'í community, to relieve and comfort the sick and distressed, , to assist the poor and destitute, to protect the orphans, the crippled and the aged, to educate the children of Bahá'ís according to the highest religious and intellectual standards, to compose differences and disagreements among members of the community, to promulgate the principles of Divine Civilization revealed by Bahá'u'lláh, and to promote in every way possible the Bahá'í aim of the oneness of mankind. It shall faithfully and devotedly uphold the general Bahá'í activities and affairs initiated and sustained by the National Spiritual Assembly. It shall cooperate wholeheartedly with other Local Spiritual Assemblies throughout. 1 in all matters declared by the National Spiritual Assembly to be of general Bahá'í importance and concern.
It shall rigorously abstain from any action or influence direct or indirect, that savours of intervention on the part of a Bahá'í body in matters of public politics and civil jurisdiction. It shall encourage intercourse between the Baha community of... and other recognized Bahá'í communities, issuing letters of introduction to Bahá'ís travelling ftom... and passing upon letters of introduction n issued by other Bahá'í Assemblies. It shall regard its authority as a means of rendering service to Baha and non-Bah&is and not as a source of arbitrary power. While retaining the sacred right of final decision in all matters pertaining to the Baha community, the Spiritual Assembly shall ever seek the advice and consultation of all members of the conmiunity, keep the community informed of all its affairs, and invite full and free discussion on the part of the community of all matters affecting the Faith.
ARTICLE VThe Bahá'ís of. ., for whose benefit this Corporation has been established, shall consist of all persons of the age of 15 years or over resident in.. who are accepted by the National Spiritual Assembly as possessing the qualifications of Bahá'í faith and practice required tinder the following standard set forth by the Guardian of the Faith: Full recognition of the station of the 13Th, the Forerunner, of Bahá'u'lláh, the Author and of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the True Exemplar of the Baha religion; unreserved acceptance of, and submission n to, whatsoever has been revealed by their Pen; loyal and steadfast adherence to every clause of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í sacred Will; and close association with the spirit as well as the form of Bahá'í Administration throughout the world.
Upon attaining the age of 21 years, a Bahá'í is eligible to vote and to hold elective office.
ARTICLE VIThe Spiritual Assembly shall consist of nine Trustees chosen from among the Bahá'ís of.
who shall be elected by these Bahá'ís in a nianner hereinafter provided and who shall continue in office for the period of one year, or until their successors shall be elected.
ARTICLE VIIThe officers of the Spiritual Assembly shall consist of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, and such other officers as may be found necessary for the proper conduct of its affairs. The officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the entire membership of the Assembly taken by secret ballot.
1 Name of country or region.First Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Lauro de Freitas, Brazil, April1965.
Spirit ualAssernbly of the Bahá'ís of London, England, April1965, the last year of its existence.
In April1966, new Spiritual Assemblies were formed in twelve London Boroughs.
Page 529The first meeting of a newly-elected Assembly shall be called by the member elected to membership p by the highest number of votes or, in case two or more members have received the same said highest number of votes, then by the member selected by lot from among those members; and this member shall preside until the permanent Chairman shall be chosen. All subsequent meetings shall be called by the Secretary of the Assembly at the request of the Chairman or, in his absence or incapacity, of the Vice-Chairman, or of any three members of the Assembly; provided however, that the Annual Meeting of the Assembly shall be held on April21, in accordance e with the administrative principles recognized by all Bahá'í Assemblies.
SECTION 1. Five members of the Assembly present at a meeting shall constitute a quorum, and a majority vote of those present and constituting a quorum shall be sufficient for the conduct of business, except as otherwise provided in these ByLaws, and with due regard to the principle of unity and cordial fellowship involved in the institution of a Spiritual Assembly. The transactions and decisions of the Assembly shall be recorded at each meeting by the Secretary, who shall have the minutes adopted and approved by the Assembly, and preserve them in the official records of the Assembly.
SECTION 2. Vacancies in the membership of the Spiritual Assembly shall be filled by election at a special meeting of the local Bahá'í community duly called for that purpose by the Assembly. In the event that the number of vacancies exceeds four, making a quorum of the Spiritual Assembly impossible, the election shall be under the supervision of the National Spiritual Assembly.
ARTICLE IXThe sphere of jurisdiction of the Spiritual Assembly, with respect to residential qualification of membership, and voting rights of a believer in the Bahá'í community, shall be the locality included within the civil limits of.
ARTICLE XSECTION 1. In the event that any decision of the Assembly is unacceptable to any member or members of the community, the Assembly shall after endeavouring to compose the difference of opinion invite the said member or members to make appeal to the National Spiritual Assembly and notify that body of the condition of the matter and the readiness of the Assembly to become party to the appeal.
SECTION 2. In the same manner, if any difference arises between the Assembly and another Local Assembly, or Assemblies, in A, the Assembly shall report the matter to the National Assembly and inform that body of its readiness to make joint appeal together with the other Assembly or
Assemblies.SECTION 3. If, however, the result of such appeal is unsatisfactory to the Spiritual Assembly, or the Assembly at any time has reason to believe that actions of the National Spiritual Assembly are affecting adversely the welfare and unity of the Bahá'í community of... , it shall, after seeking to compose its difference of opinion with the National Assembly in direct consultation, have the right to make appeal to the Universal House of Justice.
SEcTION 4. The Assembly shall likewise have the right to make complaint to the National Spiritual Assembly in the event that matters of local Bahá'í concern and influence are referred to the national body by a member or members of the local community without previous opportunity for action by the Local Assembly.
ARTICLE XIThe Annual Meeting of the Corporation at which its Trustees shall be elected shall be held on April 21, at an hour and place to be fixed by the Assembly, which shall give not less than fifteen days' notice of the meeting to all members of the local Bahá'í community.
I Name of country or region.SECTION 1. The Assembly shall accept those votes transmitted to the Assembly before the election by members who by reason of sickness or other unavoidable reason are unable to be present at the election in person.
SEcTIoN 2. The election of members to the Spiritual Assembly shall be by plurality vote.
SECTION 3. All voting members of the local Bahá'í community are eligible for election as members of the Spiritual Assembly.
SECTION 4. The Assembly shall prepare an agenda for the Annual Meeting in which shall be included reports of the activities of the Assembly since its election, a financial statement showing all income and expenditure of its fund, reports of its committees and presentation of any other matters pertaining to the affairs of the Baha community. The Assembly, both preceding and following the annual election, shall invite discussion and welcome suggestions from the community, , in order that its plans may reflect the community mind and heart.
SECTION 5. The result of the election shall be reported by the Spiritual Assembly to the National
Assembly.In addition to the Annual Meeting, the Assembly shall arrange for regular meetings of the Bahá'í community throughout the year at intervals of nineteen days, in accordance with the calendar incorporated in the teachings of the Baha Faith.
ARTICLE XIIIThe seal of the Corporation shall be circular in form, bearing the following inscription: The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of..
ARTICLE XIVThese ByLaws may be amended by majority vote of the Spiritual Assembly at any of its regular or special meetings, provided that at least fourteen days prior to the date fixed for the said meeting a copy of the proposed amendment or amendments is mailed to each member of the Assembly by the Secretary.
Alternative "B"These ByLaws may be amended only by majority action of the National Spiritual Assembly, which, in making amendments, does so for the ByLaws of all Local Spiritual Assemblies throughout....1
1 'Name of country or region.THE Baha principles clearly define and explain the nonpolitical character of the Faith, and serve as a guide for conduct in the relations of Baha with one another, with their fellow men, and in their relations with different departments of the civil government.
A brief summary of excerpts from the Bahá'í Writings will show that nonparticipation in political affairs is one of the basic axioms of Bahá'í action.
The keynote to this theme may be found in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. 1-Je has stated: "That one is indeed a man who, today, dedi-cateth himself to the service of the entire human race.
The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. In another passage He hath proclaimed: It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."1 "Sow not the seeds of discord among men, and refrain from contending with your neighbor...
Open, 0 people, the city of the human heart with the key of your utterance.
"That which beseemeth you is the love of God, and the love of Him Who is the Manifestation of His Essence, and the observance of whatsoever He chooseth to prescribe unto you, did ye but know it. "Say: Let truthfulness and courtesy be your adorning.
Suffer not yourselves to be deprived of the robe of forbearance and justice, that the sweet savors of holiness may be wafted from your hearts upon all created things.
Say: Beware, 0 people of Baha, lest ye walk in the ways of them whose words differ from their deeds. Strive that ye may be enabled to manifest to the peoples of the earth the signs of God, and to mirror forth His commandments. Let your acts be a guide unto all mankind, for the professions of most men, be they high or low, differ from their conduct. It is through your deeds Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 250.
that ye can distinguish yourselves from others. Through them the brightness of your light can be shed upon the whole earth..
The aim of the Faith is to produce the reality of virtue in souls and evolve institutions capable of dealing with social matters justly, in the light of the revealed truths.
This is entirely distinct from the province filled by partisan civil institutions.
'Abdu'l-Bahá counselled the Bahá'ís from the early beginnings of the American Bahá'í community not to discuss political affairs :2 .... All conferences (i.e., all consultation and discussion) must be regarding the matters of benefit, both as a whole and individually, such as the guarding of all in all cases, their protection and preservation, the improvement of character, the training of children, etc. "If any person wishes to speak of government affairs, or to interfere with the order of government, the others must not combine with him because the Cause of God is withdrawn entirely from political affairs; the political realm pertains only to the Rulers of those matters; it has nothing to do with the souls who are exerting their utmost energy to harmonizing affairs, helping character and inciting (the people) to strive for perfections. Therefore no soul is allowed to interfere with (political) matters, but only in that which is commanded."
With the development of a worldwide administrative structure within the Bahá'í Faith, institutions have been set up in national and local areas which assure the unity and integrity of the Faith.
In unfolding these administrative institutions Shoghi Effendi has reiterated the importance of the nonpolitical character of the Bahá'í teachings in a letter written March 21, 1932, to the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada :~ "I feel it, therefore, incumbent upon me to stress, now that the time is ripe, the importance ibid.. pp.303 � 305. ' Ba/id'!
World Faith, p.407.National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Thailand, 1964 � 1965 (one member absent).
The Hand of the Cause Arnatu'l-Bahd Ri4iiyyih Khdnum is seated second from the left.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Philippines, 1964 � 1965.
Page 533NONPOLITICAL CHARACTER OF THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH 533
of an instruction which, at the present stage of the evolution of our Faith, should be increasingly emphasized, irrespective of its application to the East or to the West.
And this principle is no other than that which involves the nonparticipation by the adherents of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, whether in their individual capacities or collectively as Local or National Assemblies, in any form of activity that might be interpreted, either directly or indirectly, as an interference in the political affairs of any particular government.
Whether it be in the publications which they initiate and supervise; or in their official and public deliberations; or in the posts they occupy and the services they render; or in the communications they address to their fellow-disciples; or in their dealings with men of eminence and authority; or in their affiliations with kindred societies and organizations, it is, I am firmly convinced, their first and sacred obligation to abstain from any word or deed that might be construed as a violation of this vital principle.
Theirs is the duty to demonstrate, on one hand, their unqualified loyalty and obedience to whatever is the considered judgment of their respective governments.
"Let them refrain from associating themselves, whether by word or by deed, with the political pursuits of their respective nations, with the policies of their governments and the schemes and programmes of parties and factions.
In such controversies they should assign no blame, take no side, further no design, and identify themselves with no system prejudicial to the best interests of that worldwide Fellowship which it is their aim to guard and foster. Let them beware lest they allow themselves to become the tools of unscrupulous politicians, or to be entrapped by the treacherous devices of the plotters and the perfidious among their countrymen.
Let them so shape their lives and regulate their conduct that no charge of secrecy, of fraud, of bribery or of intimidation may, however ill-founded, be brought against them. Let them rise above all particularism and partisanship, above the vain disputes, the petty calculations, the transient passions that agitate the face, and engage the attention, of a changing world. It is their duty to strive to distinguish, as clearly as they possibly can, and if needed with the aid of their elected representatives, such posts and functions as are either diplomatic or political from those that are purely administra tive in character, and which under no circumstances are affected by the changes and chances that political activities and party government, in every land, must necessarily involve.
Let them affirm their unyielding determination to stand, firmly and unreservedly, for the way of Bahá'u'lláh, to avoid the entanglements and bickerings inseparable from the pursuits of the politician, and to become worthy agencies of that Divine Polity which incarnates God's immutable Purpose for all men.
"It should be made unmistakably clear that such an attitude implies neither the slightest indifference to the cause and interests of their own country, nor involves any insubordination on their part to the authority of recognized and established governments. Nor does it constitute a repudiation of their sacred obligation to promote, in the most effective manner, the best interests of their government and people.
It indicates the desire cherished by every true and loyal follower of Bahá'u'lláh to serve, in an unselfish, unostentatious and patriotic fashion, the highest interests of the country to which he belongs, and in a way that would entail no departure from the high standards of integrity and truthfulness associated with the teachings of his Faith.
"As the number of the Bahá'í communities in various parts of the world multiplies and their power, as a social force, becomes increasingly apparent, they will no doubt find themselves increasingly subjected to the pressure which men of authority and influence, in the political domain, will exercise in the hope of obtaining the support they require for the advancement of their aims.
These communities will, moreover, feel a growing need of the goodwill and the assistance of their respective governments in their efforts to widen the scope, and to consolidate the foundations, of the institutions committed to their charge. Let them beware lest, in their eagerness to further the aims of their beloved Cause, they should be led unwittingly to bargain with their Faith, to compromise with their essential principles, or to sacrifice, in return for any material advantage which their institutions may derive, the integrity of their spiritual ideals.
Let them proclaim that in whatever country they reside, and however advanced their institutions, or profound their desire to enforce the laws and apply the principles, enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh, they will, unhesitat
Page 534National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Brunei, 1966 � 1967. The Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone is seated sixth from the left.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Algeria and Tunisia, 1967 � 1968.
The Hand of the Cause Shu'd'u'lldh 'Ald'i is seated third from the left.
Page 535NONPOLITICAL CHARACTER OF THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH 535
ingly, subordinate the operation of such laws and the application of such principles to the requirements and legal enactments of their respective governments.
Theirs is not the purpose, while endeavoring to conduct and perfect the administrative affairs of their Faith, to violate, under any circumstances, the provisions of their country's constitution, much less to allow the machinery of their administration to supersede the government of their respective countries.
"It should also be borne in mind that the very extension of the activities in which we are engaged, and the variety of the communities which labour under divers forms of government, so essentially different in their standards, policies, and methods, make it absolutely essential for all those who are the declared members of any one of these communities to avoid any action that might, by arousing the suspicion or exciting the antagonism of any one government, involve their brethren in fresh persecutions or complicate the nature of their task. How else, might I ask, could such a far-flung Faith, which transcends political and social boundaries, which includes within its pale so great a variety of races and nations, which will have to rely increasingly, as it forges ahead, on the goodwill and support of the diversified and contending governments of the earth � how else could such a Faith succeed in preserving its unity, in safeguarding its interests, and in ensuring the steady and peaceful development of its institutions?
"Such an attitude, however, is not dictated by considerations of selfish expediency, but is actuated, first and foremost, by the broad principle that the followers of Bahá'u'lláh will, under no circumstances, suffer themselves to be involved, whether as individuals or in their collective capacities, in matters that would entail the slightest departure from the fundamental verities and ideals of their Faith.
Neither the charges which the uninformed and the malicious may be led to bring against them, nor the allurernents of honours and rewards, will ever induce them to surrender their trust or to deviate from their path. Let their words proclaim, and their conduct testify, that they who follow Bahá'u'lláh, in whatever land they reside, are actuated by no selfish ambition, that they neither thirst for power, nor mind any wave of unpopularity, of distrust or criticism, which a strict adherence to their standards might provoke."
And again: "The BahaFaith as it forges ahead throughout the western world and particularly in lands where the political machinery is corrupt and political passions and prejudices are dominant among the masses, should increasingly assert and demonstrate the fact that it is nonpolitical in character, that it stands above party, that it is neither apathetic to national interests nor opposed to any party or faction, and that it seeks through administrative channels, rather than through diplomatic and political posts to establish, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the capacity, the sane patriotism, the integrity and highmindedness of its avowed adherents.
This is the general and vital principle; it is for the National representatives to apply it with fidelity and vigor."' These instructions raised the question whether Bahá'ís should vote in any public election.
A Tablet revealed byCoase was sent to the Guardian, and the following reply was received, dated January26, 1933 :2 "The Guardian fully recognizes the authenticity and controlling influence of this instruction from 'Abdu'l-Bahá upon the question. He, however, feels under the responsibility of stating that the attitude taken by the Master (that is, that American citizens are in duty bound to vote in public elections) implies certain reservations.
He, therefore, lays it upon the individual conscience to see that in following the Master's instructions no Bahá'í vote for an officer nor Baha participation in the affairs of the Republic shall involve acceptance by that individual of a program or policy that contravenes any vital principle, spiritual or social, of the Faith." The Guardian added to this letter the following postscript: "I feel it incumbent upon me to clarify the above statement, written in my behalf, by stating that no vote cast, or office undertaken, by a Bahá'í should necessarily constitute acceptance, by the voter or office holder, of the entire program of any political party. No Baha can be regarded as either a Republican or Democrat, as such. He is, above all else, the supporter of the principles enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh, with which, I am firmly convinced, the program of no political party is completely harmonious."
1 BabdiNews, December, 1932. ibid., April, 1933.
LLIn a letter dated March 16, 1933, the Guardian sent these further details:' "As regards the nonpolitical character of the Bahá'í
Faith, Shoghi Effendifeels that there is no contradiction whatsoever between the Tablet (to Thornton Chase, referred to above) and the reservations to which he has referred. The Master surely never desired the friends to use their influence towards the realization and promotion of policies contrary to any of the principles of the Faith. The friends may vote, if they can do it, without identifying themselves with one party or another. To enter the arena of party politics is surely detrimegtal to the best interests of the Faith and will harm the Cause. It remains for the individuals to so use their right to vote as to keep aloof from party politics, and always bear in mind that they are voting on the merits of the individual, rather than because he belongs to one party or another. The matter must be made perfectly clear to the individuals, who will be left free to exercise their discretion and judgment. But if a certain person does enter into party politics and labours for the ascendancy of one party over another, and continues to do it against the expressed appeals, and warnings of the Assembly, then the Assembly has the right to refuse him the right to vote in Bahá'í elections."
That this principle, as do all Bahá'í principles, has worldwide application is made clear by Shoghi Effendi in a letter dated March 11, 1936 :2
"The Faith of Bahá'u'lláhhas assimilated, by virtue of its creative, its regulative and ennobling energies, the varied races, nationalities, creeds and classes that have sought its shadow, and have pledged unswerving fealty to its cause. It has changed the hearts of its adherents, burned away their prejudices, stilled their passions, exalted their conceptions, ennobled their motives, coordinated their efforts, and transformed their outlook. While preserving their patriotism and safeguarding their lesser loyalties, it has made them lovers of mankind, and the determined upholders of its best and truest interests.
While maintaining intact their belief in the Divine origin of their respective religions, it has enabled them to visualize the underlying purpose of these religions, to discover their merits, to recognize their sequence, their inter-'Ba/id'!
'Ba/id'! News, January, 1934.dependence, their wholeness and unity and to acknowledge the bond that vitally links them to itself.
This universal, this transcending love which the followers of the Bahá'í Faith feel for their fellowmen, of whatever race, creed, class or nation, is neither mysterious nor can it be said to have been artificially stimulated. It is both spontaneous and genuine.
They whose hearts are warmed by the energizing influence of God's creative love cherish His creatures for His sake, and recognize in every human face a sign of His reflected glory.
"Of such men and women it may be truly said that to them 'every foreign land is a fatherland, and every fatherland a foreign land.' For their citizenship, it must be remembered, is in the
Kingdom of Bahá'u'lláh.Though willing to share to the utmost the temporal benefits and the fleeting joys which this earthly life can confer, though eager to participate in whatever activity that conduces to the richness, the happiness and peace of that life, they can, at no time, forget that it constitutes no more than a transient, a very brief stage of their existence, that they who live it are but pilgrims and wayfarers whose goal is the Celestial City, and whose home the Country of never-failing joy and brightness.
"Though loyal to their respective governments, though profoundly interested in anything that affects their security and welfare, though anxious to share in whatever promotes their best interests, the Faith with which the followers of Bahá'u'lláh stand identified is one which they firmly believe God has raised high above the storms, the divisions, and controversies of the political arena.
Their Faith they conceive to be essentially nonpolitical, supranational in character, rigidly nonpartisan, and entirely dissociated from nationalistic ambi-dons, pursuits, and purposes.
Such a Faith knows no division of class or of party. It subordinates, without hesitation or equivocation, every particularistic interest, be it personal, regional, or national to the paramount interests of humanity, firmly convinced that in a world of interdependent peoples and nations the advantage of the part is best to be reached by the advantage of the whole, and that no abiding benefit can be conferred upon the component parts if the general interests of the entity itself are ignored or neglected."
The unity of I3aM'i action throughout theNONPOLITICAL CHARACTER OF THE BAHÁ'Í I FAITH 537
world is further emphasized in a letter from Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'ís of Vienna, written in 1947 through his secretary, in which he said in part :1 "We Bahá'ís are one the world over; we are seeking to build up a new world order, divine in origin.
How can we do this if every Baha is a member of a different political party � some of them diametrically opposite to each other? Where is our unity then? We would be divided because of politics, against ourselves and this is the opposite of our purpose.
Obviously if one Bahá'í in Austria is given freedom to choose a political party and join it, however good its aims may be, another Bahá'í in Japan or America, or India, has the right to do the same thing and he might belong to a party the very opposite in principle to that which the Austrian Bahá'í belongs to. Where would be the unity of the Faith then? These two spiritual brothers would be working against each other because of their political affiliations (as the Christians of Europe have been doing in so manyfratricidaiwars).
The best wayfor aBahá'í to serve his country and the world is to work for the establishment of Bahá'u'lláh's World Order, which will gradually unite all men and do away with divisive political systems and religious creeds.
In the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá the Bahá'ís are instructed to "obey and be the well-wishers of the governments of the land, regard disloyalty unto a just king as disloyalty to God Himself and wishing evil to the government a transgression of the Cause of God."2 In explanation of this statement the Guardian wrote, in a letter dated July 3, 1948 :~ "Regarding your question about politics and the Master's Will: the attitude of the Baha must be twofold, complete obedience to the government of the country they reside in, and no interference whatsoever in political matters or questions. What the Master's statement really means is obedience to a duly constituted government, whatever that government may be in form. We are not the ones, as individual Baha'is, to judge our government as just or unjust � for each believer would be sure to hold a different viewpoint, and within our own Bahá'í fold a hotbed of dissension would spring up and destroy our unity. We must buildup our 1 BabdiNews, April, 1949.
2 lJahd'iAdministrat ion (1945 ed.), p.4.Bahá'í system, and leave the faulty systems of the world to go their way.
We cannot change them through becoming involved in them; on the contrary, they will destroy us." Another application of this principle concerns the right, propriety or usefulness of exerting Bahá'í influence for the enactment of legislative measures reflecting more or less the purpose of some Bahá'í principle or teaching. For example, should a Bahá'í community, local or national, lend the name of the Baha Faith to support legislation which seeks to abolish race and religious discrimination in matters of industrial employment, or intervene when measures concerning military training of youth are before a legislature?
The National SpiritualAssembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States has stated' that, ''as a general policy subject to the Guardian's specific direction in special cases, Bahá'ís and their administrative institutions should not feel obligated to adopt a 'Baha'i' attitude or course of action on matters of civil legislation.
Our teachings and basic principles speak for themselves. These we can always declare and set forth with all possible energy whenever occasions arise. But a truth which is sundered from its sustaining spiritual Source, lifted out of its organic relationship to the Baha community, broken off from the other truths, and made subject to the storm and stress of secular controversy, is no longer a truth with which we can usefully have concern.
It has become an enactment to be carried out by institutions and groups committed to other enactments, other aims and purposes and methods not in conformity with the 'Divine Polity' entrusted to those alone who give full loyalty to Bahá'u'lláh. Far better for us to strive to mirror forth radiantly the individual and community virtues of anew era than to hope others than believers will achieve the holy mission of the Faith.
We Bahá'ís have in reality accepted a world order and not merely a new decalogue of truths or commands.
On the other hand, obedience to civil government is an obligation laid by Bahá'u'lláh upon every Baha'i" Shoghi Effendi2 points out, as a guiding principle of Baha conduct, that "in connection with their administrative activities, no matter how grievously interference with them 1 The Bahá'í World, vol. x, p.278.
2 Bahd'iAdrni,zistration (1945 ed.),p. 162.First National Convention of the Bahá'ís of Sikkim, 1967 � 1968. The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Bahá Ri~idyyih Khdnum is seen seated in the centre of the photograph.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Cameroon Republic, 1967 � 1968.
Page 539might affect the course of the extension of the Movement, and the suspension of which does not constitute in itself a departure from the principle of loyalty to their Faith, the considered judgment and authoritative decrees issued by their responsible rulers must, if they be faithful to Bahá'u'lláh's and 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í express injunctions, be thoroughly respected and loyally obeyed. In matters, however, that vitally affect the integrity and honor of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, and are tantamount to a recantation of their faith and repudiation of their innermost belief, they [the Bahá'ís are convinced, and are unhesitatingly prepared to vindicate by their lifeblood the sincerity of their conviction, that no power on earth, neither the arts of the most insidious adversary nor the bloody weapons of the most tyrannical oppressor, can ever succeed in extorting from them a 539 word or deed that might tend to stifle the voice of their conscience or tarnish the purity of their faith."
"Small wonder if by the Pen of Bahá'u'lláh these pregnant words, written in anticipation of the present state of mankind, should have been revealed: 'It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.'
And again, 'That one indeed is a man who today dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race.' 'Through the power released by these exalted words,' He explains, 'He hath lent a fresh impulse, and set a new direction, to the birds of men's hearts, and hath obliterated every trace of restriction and limitation from God's
Holy Book.' "1National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Swaziland, Lesotlic and Mozambique, 1967 � 1968.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Zambia, 1967~ � 1968.
Page 541IN a letter published in Bahd'iNews, January, 1938,
Shoghi Effendi, the Guardianof the Bahá'í Faith wrote through his secretary: "With reference to the absolute pacifists or conscientious objectors to war: their attitude, judged from the Bahá'í standpoint, is quite antisocial and due to its exahation of the individual conscience leads inevitably to disorder and chaos in society. Extreme pacifists are thus very close to anarchists, in the sense that both of these groups lay an undue emphasis on the rights and merits of the individual.
The Bahá'í conception of social life is essentially based on the subordination of the individual will to that of society. It neither suppresses the individual nor does it exalt him to the point of making him an antisocial creature, a menace to society. As in everything, it follows the 'golden mean.' The oniy way society can function is for the minority to follow the will of the majority.
"The other main objection to the conscientious objectors is that their method of establishing peace is too negative.
Noncooperation is too passive a philosophy to become an effective way for social reconstruction.
Their refusal to bear arms can never establish peace. There should first be a spiritual revitalization which nothing, except the Cause of God, can effectively bring to every man's heart."
THE BAHÁ'Í POSITION ON MILITARY SERVICE(A Public Statement issued by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States) In view of the increasing importance of a clear understanding of the details of the Baha position on military service, the National Bahá'í Assembly presents the following statement of general principles for the information and guidance of the members of the Bahá'í Community in the United States and others who may have an interest in the Bali viewpoint.
The Baha teachings require that followers of the Faith obey the laws of the government under which they live, and this requirement includes the obligation for military service which tests upon all citizens. However, Bahá'ís are also required to apply for noncombatant service whenever the opportunity to do so is legally provided by their government on the basis of religious training and belief.
While the religious convictions of Bahá'ís require them to seek whatever exemption from combatant duty may be granted by their government on the grounds of religious belief', they definitely are not pacifists in the sense of refusal to cooperate with and obey the laws of an established government.
Thus Bahá'ís do not, on the grounds of religious conviction, seek to abandon their obligation as citizens in time of war or national emergency. Neither do they attempt to avoid the dangers and hardships which are inevitable in time of war, and to which all citizens of military age are liable.
Thus Baha who are citizens of the United States are able to reconcile their fundamental spiritual convictions and their civil obligations as citizens by applying for noncombatant service under the existing Selective Service law and regulations.
The members of the Baha Faith make no reservations in claiming that they are fully obedient to all provisions of the laws of their country, including the constitutional right of the Federal government to raise armies and conscript citizens for military service.
541National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands, 1967 � 1968. The Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery is seated in the centre.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Taiwan, 1967 � 1968 (one member absent).
Page 543National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Belize, 1967 � 1968. The Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery is third from the left.
SUMMARY OF THE GUARDIAN'S INSTRUCTIONS ON THE OBLIGATION
OF BAT{A'IS IN CONNECTION WITH MILITARY SERVICEDuring World War II the Bahá'í position on military training and service, and the obligation of individual Baha to apply for and maintain a noncombatant status when this is possible under the laws of their country, were outlined specifically in a series of instructions and bulletins issued by the National
Assembly.Since 1945, two items on this subject have been published in Bahá'í News; one in the October, 1946 issue (pp. 9 � 10), and the other in the September, 1948 issue (p. 6). Both of these articles quoted the Guardian's instruction contained in a letter to the National Assembly dated July 20, 1946, written in reply to a question as to whether the existence of the United Nations in its present form should change the attitude of Bahá'ís toward military duties which might require the taking of human life.
The Guardian's answer to this question is again quoted below: "As there is neither an
International Police Forcenor any immediate prospect of one corn-hag into being, the Baha should continue to apply, under all circumstances, for exemption from any military duties that necessitate the taking of life. There is no justification for any change of attitude on our part at the present time."
These words indicate that the Guardian still felt that a Baha cannot voluntarily enter any form of combatant military duty, and must seek exemption from such service if this is possible under the laws of his country.
The instruction given in the July 20, 1946 letter was confirmed once again in a cable received from the Guardian by the National Assembly on January 17, 1951.
The Guardian, in these and earlier communications, has made it clear that it is obligatory, and not an optional matter, for all Baha to apply for and maintain a noncombatant status if this is possible under the law. When such a law exists, as is the case in the United States, Baha cannot voluntarily enlist in any branch of the armed forces where they would be subject to orders to engage in the taking of human life.
Page 544National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, 1967 � 1968 (two members absent). The Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone isfifthfrom the left, and Auxiliary Board members Margaret Bowling and Niu Tuataga are first on the left and eighth from the left respectively. Mr. S. 'A14'i, representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of the South Pacific Ocean, is on the extreme right.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Laos, 1967 � 1968. The Hand of the Cause Rahrnatu'lldh Muhei]ir is seated in the centre.
Page 545i. LOYALTY TO GOVERNMENT Statement Prepared by the National Spiritual Assembly of the BaIzci'z's of the United States of America WHEN a great social crisis sweeps through a civilization, moral values become impaired.
In the crisis of our own time, members of the Bahá'í Faith go on record as firmly upholding the principle of loyalty to government.
Bahá'u'lláh Himself set forth this cardinal principle: 'tin every country or government where any of this community reside, they must behave toward that government with faithfulness, trustfulness, and truthfulness."
Loyalty to government, in the Bahá'í view, is an essential spiritual and social principle. "We must obey and be the well-wishers of the government of the land..." "The essence of the Baha spirit is that in order to establish a better social order and economic condition, there must be allegiance to the laws and principles of government."
This allegiance is part of the strong emphasis on integrity of character found in the Bahá'í teaching.
"Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts." "Beautify your tongues, o people, with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the ornament of honesty. Beware, o people, that ye deal not treacherously with any one. Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people."
Without integrity of character in its citizens and without loyalty to government, a nation will find itself torn asunder and unable to function as an organic society. Not oniy do the Bahá'í teachings obligate members to be loyal to their government � they also specifically forbid them from taking any part in subversive political and social movements.
First Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Nimba, Liberia, April1965. (One member absent.)
Page 546Spiritual Assembly of the Ba/id' is of Ekpene TUe, Eastern Nigeria, April1965.
Page 547AMONGdifferentpeoplesandatdifferent times many different methods have been adopted for the measurement of time and fixing of dates, and several different calendars are still in daily use, e.g., the Gregorian in
Wes~em Europe, the Julianamong the Jews, and the Muhammadan in Muslim countries.
The DAb signalized the importance of the dispensation which lie came to herald, by inaugurating a new calendar. In this, as in the Gregorian Calendar, the lunar month is abandoned and the solar year is adopted.
The Bahá'í year consists of 19 months of 19 days each (i.e., 361 days), with the addition of certain "intercalary days" (four in ordinary and five in leap years) between the eighteenth and nineteenth months in order to adjust the calendar to the solar year. The Báb named the months after the attributes of God. The Bahá'í New Year, like the ancient Persian New Year, is astronomically fixed, commencing at the March equinox (March 21), and the Bahá'í era commences with the year of the flAb's declaration (i.e., 1844 A.D., 1260 A.H.). In the not far distant future it will be necessary that all peoples in the world agree on a common calendar.
It seems, therefore, fitting that the new age of unity should have a new calendar free from the objections and associations which make each of the older calendars unacceptable to large sections of the world's population, and it is difficult to see how any other arrangement could exceed in simplicity and convenience that proposed by the Báb.
2. BATIA'I FEASTS, ANNIVERSARIES AND DAYSFeast of RPjv~n (Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh), April 21 � May 2, 1863.
Feast of Nawruz (New Year), March 21.Fasting season lasts 19 days beginning with the first day of the month of 'AlA', March 2 � the feast of Naw-Riiz follows immediately after.
547The first day of Riglv&n, The ninth day of RPjvAn, The twelfth day of RhJv~n, The anniversary of the declaration of the Báb, The anniversary of the birth of Bahá'u'lláh, The anniversary of the birth of the flAb, The anniversary of the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, The anniversary of the martyrdom of the Báb, The feast of Nawruz.
NOTE: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in one of His Tablets addressed to a believer of Nayriz, Persia, has written the following: "Nine days in the year have been appointed on which work is forbidden.
Some of these days have been specifically mentioned in the Book. The rest follow as corollaries to the Text. Work on the Day of the Covenant (F&te Day of 'Abdu'l-Bahá), however, is not prohibited. Celebration of that day is left to the discretion of the friends.
Its observation is not obligatory. The days pertaining to the Abh& Beauty (Bahá'u'lláh) and the Primal Point (the DAb), that is to say these nine days, are the oniy ones on which work connected with trade, commerce, industry and agriculture is not allowed. In like manner, work connected with any form of employment, whether governmental or otherwise, wise, should be suspended."
As a corollary of this Tablet it follows that the anniversaries of the birth and ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá are not to be regarded as days on which work is prohibited. The celebration ration of these two days, however, is obligatory.
Bahá'ís in East and West, holding administrative positions, whether public or private, should exert the utmost effort to obtain special leave from their superiors to enable them to observe these nine holy days.
4. ADDITIONAL MATERIAL GLEANED FROM NABIL'SCalendar) has been taken by me from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas', one of the works written by the Báb. As I have observed in these days that certain believers are inclined to regard the year in which Bahá'u'lláh departed from BaghdAd to Constantinople as marking the beginning of the Badi' Calendar, I have requested Mirza AqA JAn, the amanuensis of Bahá'u'lláh, to ascertain His will and desire concerning this matter. Bahá'u'lláh answered and said: "The year sixty A.H. (1844 A.D.), the year of the Declaration of the BTh, must be regarded as the beginning of the Badi' Calendar."
The Declaration of the 13Th took place on the evening preceding the fifth day of Jam6xlfy-u'1-Avval, of the year 1260 AM.
It has been ordained that the solar calendar be fob lowed, and that the vernal Equinox, the day of Naw-Rtiz, be regarded as the New Year's Day of the Badi' Calendar. The year sixty, in which the fifth day of Jam6Aiyu'1-Avval coincided with the sixty-fifth day after Nawruz, has accordingly been regarded as the first year of the Badi' Calendar. As in that year, the day of Naw-Riiz,
Page 5491st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th
BARk' f CALENDAR AND FESTIVALS 549the vernal Equinox, preceded by sixty-six days the date of the Declaration of the Báb, I have therefore, throughout my history, regarded the Naw-Rtiz of the year sixty-one A.H. (the Naw-Ritz immediately following the Declaration of the B&b) as the first Naw-RCxz of the Badi' Calendar.
I have accordingly considered the Naw-Rfiz of this present year, the year 1306 Afi.,
which is the 47th solar year after the Declaration of the BTh, as the 46th Naw-Riiz of the Badi'
Calendar.'Akka and was dwelling in the house of Malik, in that city, He commanded me to transcribe the text of the Badi' Calendar and to instruct the believers in its details. On the very day in which I received His command, I composed, in verse and prose, an exposition of the main features of that Calendar and presented it to Him. The versified copy, being now unavailable, I am herein transcribing the version in prose. The days of the week are named as follows:
English NameThe names of the months, which are the same as the days of each month, are as follows:
Arabic NameAyyAm-i-HA (Intercalary Days) February 26 to March 1 inclusive � four in ordinary and five in leap years.
The first day of each month is thus the day of sisting of 19 months of 19 days each, with the Baha, and the last day of each month the day addition of certain intercalary days. He has of 'Au'.named the New Year's Day, which is the day The ETh has regarded the solar year, of 365 of Naw-Rfiz, the day of Bah~, of the month of days, 5 hours, and fifty odd minutes, as con-BahA. ahA. He has ordained the month of 'Ah' to be
Page 550550 the month of fasting, and has decreed that the day of Naw-Rttz should mark the termination of that period. As the Báb did not specifically define the place for the four days and the fraction of a day in the Badi' Calendar, the people of the Baydn were at a loss as to how they should regard them. The revelation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas in the city of 'Akka resolved this problem and settled the issue. Bahá'u'lláh designated those days as the "Ayy~m-i-H~" and ordained that they should immediately precede the month of 'AlA', which is the month of fasting. He enjoined upon His followers to devote these days to feasting, rejoicing, and charity.
Immediately upon the termination of these intercalary days, Bahá'u'lláh ordained the month of fasting to begin. I have heard it stated that some of the people of the Baydn, the followers of Mirza YaliyA, have regarded these intercalary days as coming immediately after the month of 'Ah', thus terminating their fast five days before the day of Naw-Rtiz. This, notwithstanding the explicit text of the Baydn which states that the day of Nawruz must needs be the first day of the month of Bah&, and must follow immediately after the last day of the month of 'MA'. Others, aware of this contradiction, have started their fasting on the fifth day of the month of 'ALA', and included the intercalary days within the period of fasting.
Every fourth year the number of the intercalary days is raised from four to five. The day of Nawruz falls on the 21St of March only if the vernal Equinox precedes the setting of the sun on that day. Should the vernal Equinox take place after sunset, Naw-Rfiz will have to be celebrated on the following day.
The Báb has, moreover, in His writings, revealed in the Arabic tongue, divided the years following the date of His Revelation, into cycles of nineteen years each. The names of the years in each cycle are as follows:
1. AlifEach cycle of nineteen years is called V6hid. Nineteen cycles constitute a period called Kull-i- Shay'.
The numerical value of the word "VAbid" is nineteen, that of "Kull-i-Shay'" is 361. "Viliid" signifies unity, and is symbolic of the unity of God.
The Báb has, moreover, stated that this system of His is dependent upon the acceptance and good-pleasure of "Him Whom God shall make manifest." One word from Him would suffice either to establish it for all time, or to annul it forever.
For instance, the date of the 21st of April, 1930, which is the first day of Rht1v~n, and which according to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas must coincide with the "thirteenth day of the second Bahá'í month," and which fell this year (1930) on Monday, would, according to the system of the Bahá'í Calendar, be described as follows: "The day of KamM, the day of Qudrat, of the month of Jalid, of the year Rabbi, of the fifth VAliid, of the first
Kull-i-Shay'."Arrival latter part Jam~diyu'th-Th~ini 1269House of A.H. H~tji 'All-Madad March 12 � April 10, 1853 (in old A.D. Baghdad) Departure for Su1aym~niyyihHouse of on Wednesday, April SuIaym~in-i-Ghann~m 10, 1854 A.D. � Rajab 12, MM 1270 A.H. B. SULAYMJ~.NiYYIH Before reaching Su1ayxn~niyyih, He lived for a time on the Sar-Galii mountain.
During His absence from Baghdad, His family transferred their residence from
House of H~ji 'Ali-MadadNabil arrived at Baghdad 6 months after Bahá'u'lláh's departure for Su1aym~tniyyih.
C. BA~DADon Wednesday, March 19, 1856 A.D. � Rajab 12,1272
AM.for Constantinople, Wednesday afternoon (first day of RhJv~n), April 22, 1863 A.D.
� Dhi'1-Qa'dih 3, 1279A.H. Short stay in Mazra'iy-i-Va~h~h~sh during above period to celebrate Nawruz ended with departure on Thursday, March 26, 1863 A.D. � Shavv~1 5 1279 A.H.
Works Revealed DuringC. BAGHDAD � continued Arrival at Garden of Najibiyyih (Garden of R4vAn), April 22, 1863 A.D. � Dhi'1-Qa'dih 3, 1279 AM.
Arrival of Bahá'u'lláh'sFamily at Garden of RhJvAn on eighth day after first of RhWAn.
Departure from Gardenof Ri4v~n for Constantinople last day of RiQv~n, at noon on Sunday, May 3, 1863 A.D. � Dhi'1-Qa'dih 14, 1279 A.H. Length of overland journey from Garden of R4vAn to S~msfln on Black Sea: 110 days.
Works Revealed DuringFirayjdt (arrival early afternoon � stayed sevep days), arrived on Sunday, May 3, 1863 A.D. � Dhi'1-Qa'dih 14, 1279 A.H. (FirayjAt is about 3 miles distant from Bag~d~d) Judaydih, Dili-'Abb&s, Qarih-Tapih, Sa1~~fyyih (stayed 2 nights),
Dflst-Khurmdt6T&wuq, Karkfik (stayed 2 days), Irbil, ZAb River, Bahá'u'lláh, Mosul (stayed 3 days), zdkha, Jazirih, Ni~ibfn, Ijasan-AqA, M&din, DiyAr-Bakr, Ma'dan-Mis, Khdrpfit (stayed 2 or 3 days), Ma'dan-Nuqrih, Sivas, Amasia (stayed 2 days), IlAhiyyih (while approaching S~msiTh, "Law$-i-llawdaj" was revealed), (last day of overland journey), S6msiTh (stayed 7 days), Black Sea port. Sailed in a Turkish steamer about sunset for Constantinople, Sinope (arrived next day about noon), Black Sea port: stayed few hours, Anyabuli (arrived next day).
D. CONSTANTINOPLEWorks Revealed Houses Occupied D~ation
During This During ThisBig month Sunday, August Lawb-i-'Abdu'1-'Aziz(near the 16, mosque of 1863, A.D. Va-VukalA Khirqiy-i-~~arif
Rabi'u'1-AvvalD. CONSTANTINOPLE � continued Length of sea voyage from
S~ms~in to Constantinople:1. Kiichik-Chakma~hih (3 hours from Constantinople � spent one night) 2. Bi~yt~k-Qiakma~hih (arrived about noon) 3. Salvari 4. B E. ADRIANOPLE Works Revealed Dur-Houses
Occupied Dur1863 A.D. � Rajab 1, 1280 A.H. Lawii-i-Ijajj I Length of years, 8 22 days.
stay: 4 months, Length of overland journey Law1~-i-Hajj II from Constantinople to Ad-rianople: 12 days.
(Tablet of the22, 1285 AM. AIv6.1i-i-Laylatu'I-Quds
Mun~JAth~y-i-SiyAm (Prayers(Tablet to the Shah of Persia) (caravanserai, two-story, near house of 'Jzzat-Aq~i)
2. House in Mur~diy-yihquarter, near house 2 (several stories, near SuIt~in-Sa1im Mosque)
5. House of Ri~hi BigNorth of SuIt~.n-Sa1im Mosque) 7. House of ~Izzat-Aq~
Durationwas revealed in this place) 3. Gallipoli (length of journey from Adrianople to Gallipoli about 4 days) (after a few days' stay sailed before noon in Austrian steamer for Alexandria,
Egypt)4. Madelli (arrived about sunset � left at night) 5. Smyrna (stayed 2 days, left at night)
6. Alexandria(arrived in the morning, transshipped and left at night for Haifa) 7. Port Said (arrived morning, left the same day at night) 8. Jaffa (left at midnight) 9. Haifa (arrived in the morning, landed and after a few hours left on a sailing vessel for 'Akka)
F. 'AKKI4L Works RevealedHouses OccupiedDuration
Dur-Dur DurKitáb-i-Aqdas Lawlj-i-NApulyiin 1. Barracks 2 years, II (Second 2 months, 5 Tablet to Napoleon days
III)Lawli-i-Malikih (Tablet 2. House of 3 months to Queen Victoria)Mallik Lawii-i-Malik-i-lUs (Tablet 3. House of to the RAbi'ih 2 or
Czar) 3to Son of the 5. House of Wolf) 'Abb(id (where
Laws-i-PAp KitTh-i Aqdas(Tablet to was re vealed) the 6. Mazra'ih
Pope)12, 1817 Birth of the BAbOctober 20, 1819 Declaration of the Mission of the BTh in
ShfrAz May 23, 1844Birth of 'Abdu'l-Bahá 23, 1844 Departure of the flAb on His pilgrimage to
Mecca September, 1844Incarceration of the BTh in Chibriq, Adhir bAyjAnApril, 1848 Conference of BadaslitJune, 1848 Interrogation of the E~b in Tabriz, Adhir bAyjAn July, 1848 Martyrdom of the flAb in Tabriz, Adhir bAyjAn July 9, 1850 Attempt on the life of
NA~iri'd-Din ShAhin the SiyTh-Ch~1 of TibrAn August, 1852
Banishment of Bahá'u'lláhfrom KurdistTh March 19, 1856 Declaration of the Mission of ]lahA'u'llAh April 22, 1863
Arrival of Bahá'u'lláh29,1892 First public reference to the Faith in America
September 23, 1893of the construction of the Mashriqu'1-A4likdr of 'IsfiqAbAd November 28, 1902 Release of 'Abdu'l-Bahá from His incarcera tion September, 1908 Interment of the DAb's remains on Mt. Carmel
March 21, 1909 Openingtion March 21, 1909 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í departure from Egypt
September, 1910'Abdu'l-Bahá'í arrival in London September 4, 1911 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í arrival in America April 11, 1912 Laying of the cornerstone of' the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in Wilmette, flL, by 'Abdu'l-Bahá May 1, 1912 Second visit of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Europe and tour through the United Kingdom, France, Germany,
Hungary and Austriato June, 1913 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í return to the Holy Land
December 5, 1913Verdict of the Mubammadan Court in Egypt pronouncing the Faith to be an independent religion May 10, 1925 Martha Root's first interview with Queen
Marie of Rumania January30, 1926 Resolution of the Council of the League of Nations upholding the claim of the Bahá'í community to the House of Bahá'u'lláh in
BaghdAd March 4, 1929Passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf.. July, 1932 fnception of the First American
Seven-YearCelebration of the Centenary of the Declaration of the flAb May 23, 1944 Inception of the Second
American Seven-YearCentenary of the Martyrdom of the Nb July 9, 1950 Completion of Arcade and Parapet of the Shrine of the flAb on Mt. Cannel
July 9, 1950Inauguration of the Centenary Celebrations of the birth of Bahá'u'lláh's Prophetic
Mission October, 1952Teaching Conference, Kampala, Uganda, Africa February 12 � 18, 1953 Inauguration of the Ten-Year
International Baha TeachingOctober 7 � 15, 1953 Completion of the construction of the Shrine of the B~b October, 1953 Expansion of the Faith to 100 additional countries and islands by settlement of the
Knights of Bahá'u'lláh 1953 � 1954Completion of exterior of International Arch ives Building 1957
Passing of Shoghi Effendi.November 4, 1957 The holding of five Intercontinental Teaching Conferences successiv&ly in Kampala, Sydney, Wilmette,
Frankfurt, Djakarta/SingaFirst dependency of a Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, the Bahá'í Home for the Aged, opened in Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A January, 1959 Dedication of the Mother Temple of Mrica, Kampala, Uganda January, 1961 Dedication of the Mother Temple of the Antipodes, Sydney, Australia...
September, 1961Completion of the Ten Year Crusade Rh~vAn, 1963 Election of the Universal
House of Justice.Launching of the Nine Year Plan April, 1964 Dedication of the Mother Temple of Europe, near
Frankfurt, GermanyCelebration of the Centenary of the Revelation of the S4riy-i-Mu!dk September/October, 1967 Opening of period of proclamation of the Cause, inaugurated by the presentation by the
Universal House of Justiceto 140 Heads of State of a special edition of The Proclama tion of Bahá'u'lláh October, 1967 The holding of six Intercontinental Conferences October, 1967 Laying of the foundation stone of the Mother Temple of Latin America, Panama
Cityand development of the gardens at Baha surrounding the Most Holy Shine... 1963 � 1968
Page 557Address: 10 Haparsim Street, Haifa 35 055, Israel (P.O. Box 155, Haifa 31 000)
2. THE HANDS OF THE CAUSEAddress: 7 Haparsim Street, Haifa 35055, Israel (P.O. Box 155, Haifa 31 000)
THE HANDS OF THE CAUSE RESIDING INDr. Victor de Araujo, 345 East 46th Street, Room 809, New York, New York 10017, U.S.A. 559
Page 560The following list shows those eighty-one countries and areas in which National Spiritual Assemblies s were established by Rhjv~n 1968, names the city in which the sea 1. ALASKA, Anchorage (1957) 2. ARABIA, Kuwait 3. ARGENTINA, Buenos Aires (1964) 4. AUSTRALIA, Sydney (1938) 5. AUSTRIA, Vienna 6. BELGIUM, Brussels (1962) 7. BELIZE, Belize 8. BoLiviA, La Paz (1963) 9. BRAZIL, S~o Paulo (1962) 10. BRITISH ISLES, London (1939) 11. BRtmiEI, Brunei (1960 12. BURMA, Rangoon (1967) 13. CAMEROON RBPUBLTC,ViCtQria (1967) 14. CANADA, Toronto (1949) 15. CEYLON, Colombo 16. CifiLE, Santiago (1964) 17. CoLo~aIA, Bogota (1962) 18. COSTA RICA, San Jose (1963) 19. CUBA, La Habana (1962) 20. Dnqi~t~.uc, Hdllerup
(Copenhagen) (1963)22. ECUADOR, Quito (1963) 23. EL SALVADOR, San Salvador (1962)
24. EASTERN AND SOUTHERN25. FINLAND, Helsinki (1963) 26. FRANCE, Paris (1959) 27. GERMANY, Frankfurt (1935)
28. GILBERT AND ELLICE29. GUATEMALA, Guatemala (1961) 30. HAITI, Port-au-Prince (1962) 31. HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, Honolulu (1964) 32. HoNDuRAS, Tegucigalpa (1961) 33. INDIA, New Delhi (1933) 34. Iisrrm~ OCEAN, Mauritius (1966) 35. INDoNEsIA, Djakarta 36. 'IRAQ, Bag~d~d 37. ITALY, Rome (1966) 38. JAMAICA, Kmgstc,n 39. KENYA, Nairobi (1966) 40. KOREA, Seoul (1966) 41. LAos, Vientiane 42. LEEWARD, WINDWARD AND VIRGIN IsLANDS, St. Thomas
(Virgin Islands) (1968)43. LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg (1963) 44. MALAYSIA, Kuala Lumpur (1967) 45. MEXICO, Mexico (1959) 46. NETHERLANDS, The Hague (1963) 47. N~w ZEALAND, Auckland (1958) 48. NICARAGUA, Managua 49. NORTH AFRICA, Algiers
(Algeria)53. NORWAY, Oslo (1963) 54. PAKISTAN, Karachi (1958) 55. PANAMA, Panama (1962) 56. PARAGUAY, Asunci6n (1963) 57. PERSIA, Tibrdn 58. PERU, Lima (1962) 59. PORTUGAL, Lisbon 60. PiiawPmirs, Manila (1967) 61. SIKKIM, Gangtok 62. SOUTH CENTRAL AFRICA,
Salisbury (Rho-desia)68. SWEDEN, Euskede (Stockholm) (1964) 69. SWITZERLAND, Bern (1962) 70. TAIWAN, Taipei 71. TANZANIA, Dar-es-Salaam (1966) 72. THAILAND, Bangkok 73. Tuaxr~r, Istanbul
74. UGANDA AND CENTRAL76. URUGUAY, Montevideo 77. VENEZUELA, Caracas (1961) 78. VmTNAtvx, Saigon (1964) 79. W~si AFRICA, Monrovia
(Liberia) (1966)81. ZAMBIA, Lusaka Currentpost office addresses are available from Bahá'í World Centre, P.O. Box 155, Haifa 31 000, Israel.
Page 561Rashh-i-'AmA. Siiriy-i-Ismuna'1-Mursil.
RiQvAnu'1-'Adl. S~riy-i-JavAd.SalAt-i-Mayyit (Prayer for the Dead). Stiriy-i-Man'.
Sdqi-Az-Qliayb-i-BaqA.SOriy-i-MuhXk.Sfriy-i-~hikr. Tafsfr-i-S&iy-i-Va'sh-Shams.
SOriy-i-FaJl. TajalliyAt (Effulgences).
Si~riy-i-Fa~. TarAzAt (Ornaments).Sariy-i-Fu'Ad. Ziy6xat-NAmih (The Visiting Tablet).
Si~riy-i-Qhusn (Tablet of the Branch). Ziy&rat-N&miy-i-AwliyA.
Si~riy-i-~ajj I. Ziydrat-NAmiy-i-BAbu'1-BAb va Qud&is. SOriy-i-tlajj II. ZiyArat-N&miy-i-Bayt.
Si~riy-i-Hayka1. ZiyArat-NAmiy-i-Maryam.
Sariy-i-~if~. Ziy~rat-Ndmiy-i-Siyyidu'~~-Shuhadi
(Note: The works of Bahá'u'lláh, translated into English by Shoghi Effendi, are listed on p. 564 under the subheading, "Translations".)
2. THE Báb's BESTKNOWN WORKSCommentary on the SOrili of Kawthar. RisAliy-i-'Adliyyih.
Commentary on the Stirih of Va'1-'A~r. Ris61iy-i-~hahabiyyih.
Dal&'il-i-Sab'ih. RisAliy-i-Fiqhiyyih.Epistles to Muhammad Sh&h and I5~ji Mirza Risdliy-i-Funa'-i-'Adliyyih.
AqAsi. ~a~ifatu'1-~aramayn.Kitáb-i-Aqdas'. Sabifiy-i-Ma~Mfr~mfyyih.
Kittib-i-Panj-Sha'n. Sa1~fiy-i-Ra~Iaviyyih.(Note: The Nb himself states in one passage of the Persian BayAn that His writings comprise no less than 500,000 verses.)
Page 563Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1957.
Originally published by Cope & Fenwick, London 1910, under the title The Mysterious
Forces of Civilization;First printed by Kegan, Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co. Ltd., London, 1908. Subsequently published by Bahá'í Publishing Society, Chicago, 1918, and other
Bahá'í Publishing Trusts.Tablet to the Central Organisation for a Durable Peace,
The Hague. Bahá'í PublishingTablets of the Divine Plan. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1959.
A Traveller's Narrative.by Edward Granville Browne under the title A Traveller's Narrative written to illustrate The Episode of the Báb.
Cambridge University Press, 1891. Baha Publishing Committee, New York, 1930.
Will and Testament. BahaBahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1944, 1968, and other Baha Publishing
Trusts.Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1945.
Paris Talks; a compilation of His addresses in Paris. G. Bell and Son Ltd., London, 1923.
Subsequently published by Bahá'í Publishing Trust, London, 10th edition 1961; and in the United States under the title The Wisdom of 'Abdu'l-Bahá; Brentano's, New York, 1924.
The Promulgation of UniversalPeace, vols. I, II; a compilation of His addresses in Canada and the United States in 1912.
Bahá'í Publishing Society,Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, vols. I, II, III; a compilation of I-Us letters to individual believers in America.
Bahá'í Publishing Society, Chicago, 1909, 1915, 1916.
Page 564Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, 1943, 1956.
The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh.Bahá'í Publishing Trust, London, 1950; revised, 1963.
The Divine Art of Living.Bahá'í Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, 1944; revised, 1960.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh.Bahá'í Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, 1939, 1952, and other Bahá'í Publishing
Trusts.by Bahá'u'lláh. Baha Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, 1938, 1954, and other Bahá'í Publishing Trusts.
The Reality of Man. Bahá'íPublishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, 1931; revised, 1962.
(Note: A large number of Prayer Books compiled of prayers revealed by Bahá'u'lláh, the BTh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá has been published by Baha Publishing Trusts and National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world.)
5. SHOGHI EFFENDI'S BESTKNOWN WORKSThe Golden Age of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh. March, 1932.
America and the Most Great Peace. April, 1933.(Note; The above seven essays have been published in one volume entitled The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1938. Revised edition, 1955; second printing, 1965.)
The Advent of Divine Justice.Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1939.
The Promised Day is Come.TRANSLATIONS (see note p. 562) The Dawn-Breakers, byNabil-i-Zarandi.
Bahá'í Publishing Committee, New York, 1932, and other
Bahá'í Publishing Trusts.Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, by Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1941, 1953, and other Bahá'í Publishing Trusts.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1939, 1952, and other Baha Publishing Trusts.
The Hidden Words of Bahd'u'York, 1924. Bahá'í Publishing Committee, London, 1932, and other
Baha PublishingBahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1931, 1950, and other Bahá'í
Publishing Trusts.by Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1938, 1962, and other
Baha Publishing Trusts.Tablet to the Central Organ isation for a Durable Peace, The Hague, by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, dated December 17, 1919. Published as a leaflet by Rah&'i Publishing Trust,
London.Tablet to Dr. Forel, by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Published in Star of the West, vol. xiv, no. 4, July 1923, p. 101. Subsequently published as a leaflet by various
Bahá'í Publishing Trusts.Tablet of the Holy Mariner, by Bahá'u'lláh. Published in Star of the West, vol. xiii, no. 4, May 1922, p. 75. Subsequently published in Prayer Books and other compilations.
The Will and Testamentof 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Bahá'í Publishing Committee, New York, 1925, 1935.
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wil-mette, Illinois, 1944, 1968, and other Bahá'í Publishing
Trusts.Bahá'í Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, 1928, 1960.
Messages to America (1932 � 1946).Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1947.
Messages to the Bahá'íBahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1965.
Messages to Canada. NationalSpiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada, 1965.
6. BAHÁ'Í PUBLISHING TR ARGENTINAMaison d'Editions Bah~i'ies, 26, rue Stanley, 1040 Brussels,
Belgium.Trust, Praja do Flamengo, 120 Casa 2, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
BRITISH ISLESBahá'í Publishing Trust, 6, Canning Road, Post Office Box 19, New Delhi 1, India.
IRANMr. RiMii Arb~b, Shirkat-i-NawnahThn, Manuchehri Avenue, Tihr~n, IrAn.
UGANDA264. Nepali; Nepal, Sikkim 265. Newari; Nepal, Sikkim
266. Ngala; Zatre393. Twi; Ghana, Togo 394. Urdi~i; India, Pdkistdn
395. Urhobo; NigeriaEpistle to the Son of the Woift 2, 4, 5 Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh (Compilation):2, 3, 4, 7 The Hidden Words: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Kitáb-i-Iqdn
(The Book of Certitude):2,3,4,7 The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys: 1, 2, 3, 4,5,7
B. WORKS OF 'ABDU'L-BAHÁ1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Tablet to the Central Organisation for a Durable Peace, The Hague: 1, 2, 4, 5 Tablets of the Divine Plan: 2, 3, 5 The Talks of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in America and Europe, vols. I, u:1, 5
A Traveller's Narrative:1, 2, 5 Willand Testament: 1,2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7 C. WORKS COMPILED FROM THE WRITINGS OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH,
THE Báb AND 'ABDU'L-BAIIA(What it means to be a Bahá'í Youth): 2, 6 The Pattern of Bahd'iLife: 2, 3 The Reality of Man: 2, 7
D. WORKS OF SHOGITI EFFENDIThe Advent of Divine Justice:Compilations from His
2, 3, 4, 6, 7 Writings The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh: Bahá'í Holy Places at 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 the World Centre: 2, God Passes By: 2, 3, 4, 5 Principles of Bahd'iAd,ninistration 5, 6, 7 (U.K.):2, 3, 4,6,7
The Promised Day is Come:571 CHBISTfAN, Roberta K. A Bahá'í Child's ABC: 2, 3, 4
RQFMAN, DavidESSLEMONT, J. E. Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7 rAl?L, Mirza Abii'1 Bahd'iProofs: 1, 2
FATHEAZAM, HushmandCommentary on the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá: 2 The Renewal of Civilization: 2, 3, 6, 7
HOLLEY, Horace.Rekase the Sun: 2, 6 Thief in the Night: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 The Wine of Astonishment: 2, 3
SHOOK, GlenChrist and Bahá'u'lláh: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 The Heart of the Gospel: 2, 3
The Mission of Bahá'u'lláh and Other LiteraryEffendi): 1,2,3,4,5,7 (Note: Bahá'í Publishing Trusts and National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world constantly stantly issue pamphlets and leaflets on various aspects of the Teachings.)
PERIODICALS2 Published by the NationalPublished by the National Spiritual Assembly of Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United the Bahá'ís of Australia.
States. Editorial Office: P.O. Box 3202011 Yale Station Mona Vale, New South Wales
New Haven, Connecticut 2103Published by the National Spiritual Assem-Published by the National Spiritual Assembly bly of the Baha of Switzerland. bly of the Bahá'ís of Germany.
Editorial Office: P.O. Box 175 Editorial Office: 7 Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen 1260 Nyon, Switzerland Friesenstrasse 26, Germany (Note: There are, in addition, numbers of domestic organs, issued by National Spiritual Assemblies or their Committees, for use by the Baha communities.)
INTERNATIONAL RECORDThe Bahá'í World, vols. i � xrv (1925 � 1968): 2 Exhibit of Bahá'í literature, International Book Fair, Frankfurt, Germany; October, 1967.
Page 573I bear witness, 0 my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth.
There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the
Self-Subsisting.ABOVE is the English text of one of the prayers prescribed by Bahá'u'lláh for fulfilment of the daily obligatory prayer.
It is known as the Short Obligatory Prayer, and when used is recited once in twenty-four hours, at noon. Following is a shortselectionfromthefourhundred and nine languages and dialects into which Bahá'í literature had been translated by RiQvAn (April 21st � May 2nd) 1968. A subsequent volume of The Bahá'í Worldwill include thetext of this prayer in all the languages into which it will have been translated.
AFRICAwangu, kwamba umeniurnba nikujue na kukuabudu Wewe. Nashuhudia sasa kwa ulegevu wangu kwa uweza Wako, kwa urnaskini wangu na kwa ukwasi Wako.
Hapana Mungu mwingine ila Wewe, Msaada shidani, Uliyepo pekee.
XHOSA (South Africa)Ndiyangqina, 0 Thixo warn, ukuba undi-dalale ukuba ndikwazi ndikunaule.
Ndiyang-qinisisa ngalo eli thuba ngokungabinamandla kwam, nobungangamsha bakho, ngobuhl-wempu barn nangobutyebi bakho. Akukho Thixo wumbi ngaphandle kwakho, oluncedo emgciphekweni, ozimele ngokukokwakhe.
ZANDE (Congo Republic,Mi ni gamu bob, ai Mboli, wa ma vungule tipa hinolo, tipa hilisolo. Mi idi, ti ku logbo Ic gimi nangala na gamu ngulu, gimi lungo na gamu hiliso.
Meinongo kula Mboli balo 'te, Kuko na hundo a bob lo lungo yo, Kuko nala na a gala nitiko.
AMERICAUvanga qauyititsivunga tapsuma Gutip sanala ursimamanga imminik qauyimaqupluni tugsiavigiqublunilu.
Tukisititsivungalu mana-mit pitguniqanginimnik tapsuma pitguniqan-inganut, akslunimnutlu aksluinirnut.
Asingnik Gutitaqangilaqigvit kisiuit, ika-yuqtauyargiaqaniptinit ilingnit ayugaqangi-tumit.
MAYA (Central America)Ten i16, oh, in Jajal-Dios, tech dzaen yalal in kajoltqucch yolal kuiquech. Ten ilAe tijunzut~j, minaan in muk, tech6 yan a muk, otzilen; teche ayiklech yetel yacunall. Minaan u laalc Jajal-Dios, chen tech, tech ca antaj can anac baal kaz, cu cuxtal chen led.
NAVAJO (United States)shil beehozin 61 alhinAhodiilziih biniigh~ Ashuinlaa A&d66
Niji'sodjizin do. T'6A Wad bee haszfi', hA6IA shich'i' nahwii'nA ~4d66 Ni t'&yA Nidziil, t6'6'f shidaah ndahkai 6Ad66 Ni t'~iyA fdA altoni Ni hoI6.
T'&iA Ni t'&I& AlAadi Diyinnih h&AIA nihich'i' nahwiilnA'igif t'aa' finifisin, Hool'-A~g66
Honil6.Saksihan ko, 0 akong Diyos, nga gibuhat Mo ako aron sa pag-ila ug pagsimba Kanimo. Akong matuoron karon ang akong pagkawalay gahom ug ang Imong pagkagarnhanan, sa akong kakabos ug sa Imong bahandi.
Wala nay laing Diyos gawas Kanimo, ang hinabang sa
Kalisdanan, ang BinuhiYek tanggongkan ley sa-bagai saksi, Mei Tuhan yek, Pal yei menjadik-kan yek ney gelong yek kenel Pai dan bersembahyang Paf. Yek luek saksi bahawa peryam ta'ah, ok lemei yek dan ok et et Pai maken basat yek dan Kayak Pal.
Berak Tuhan peu chan lebali Pai, Tulung keleng Bahayak, yang Henjan Belak.
IRAN "SEA DYAK" (Sara wak) Akn nyadi saksi ka Petara Aku, Nuan udah ngaga awak ka aku nemu Nuan sereta lalu nyembah Nuan. Aku besaksi ka diatu, ngena samoa pengurang kuasa aku, ka samoa pengering Nuan, sereta enggau penycranta aku enggau pengeraja Nuan.
Nadai bisi Petara kalimpali an Nuan, Penulong leboli Tusah, Fenulong Din.
AUSTRALASTA0 God bilong mi, Mi tokaut nau long Yu yet bin wokim mi baembai mi nap long save long Yu na mi nap long preia long Yu. Nau tasol mi tokaut, olsem mi no strong na Yu i strong moa. Na mi tokaut tu olsem mi rabis pinis na Yu i holim olgeta samting.
I no gat narapela God.Yu tasol I stap. Na Yu halivimol long taim bagarap i laik kisim ol na Yu tasol i lukautim Yu yet.
SAMOAN (Samoa)Lo'u Atua e, ou te molimau atu, na faja c Lau Mo a'u ma Ia ou iloa Qe ma tapual atu ia te Oe. Ou to tautino atu i lend itula, lo'u augavale ma Lou malosi, o lo'u mativa i Ic ma Lou tamaoaiga.
E leai lava se tasi Atua na o Qe, o le Fesoa-soani i Puapuaga, o le Puna-o-le-Ola.
RAROTONGAN MAORI (CookKo au te kite E taku Atua e Naau au i anga mai kia kite ja Koe e kia akamori Ia Koe. Te akapapu nei au i tela nei i toku puapingakore e i Toou ririnui, ki toku putaua e ki Toou ki e manganui.
Kare atu e Atua ke man ra ko Koe anake, to Tauturu i roto i te tuatau o te kino, te Tauturu o te oraanga.
EUROPETugaim fianaise, a Dhia, gur chruthaigh ha m6 chun thg a aithint agus a adhradh.
Dear-bhaim san am sco mo neamh6ifeacht agus do Neart,mo bhochtaineacht agus do Shaiblireas. Nil Dia ar bith cue ann ach Di, an C6nt6ir mBaol, an F6in-Chothaitheach.
PIEDMONTESE (Northern Italy)Mi diciaro ant c6st m6ment mia deb6kssa e T6a p6tensa, mia p6vert& e T6a rich~ssa.
A j'6 gnun &utr Signor die Ti, 1'agiut ant ~1 pericol, Col ch'a esist dasp&chi~1.
GREENLANDIC (Greenland)a, Ivdlit pingortf-kangma ilisariniAsagavkit patdlorfiginidsagav-kitdlo.
Manakorpiak navsuerpunga piginauniki-ningnut ivdlitdlo pfssaunekarnernut, pits~-ningnut ivdlitdlo pisslijunernut.
Avdlamik Gutik~ngi1ak Tvdlitkisivit, navianartune ikior-tek, tamanut sapigakAngitsok.
Page 575Mi atestas, ho mia Dio, ke Vi kreis mm, por ke mi konu kaj adoru Yin.
Mi atestas ~i-momente pri mia senforteco kaj pri Via potenco, pri mia mairiecco kaj pri Via rieeco. Ne ekzistas alia Dio krom Vi, la Defendanto,
Ia Mem-Ekzistanto.lo testimonia, o mie Deo, que tn me ha create, pro Te cognoscer e adorar.
Jo testimonia in iste instante a mie debilitate e a Tie potentia, a mie paupertate e a Tie riechessa.
No existe Altere Deo salvo Tu, le adjutor en periculo, le in Sc mesmo-existente.
Ba/id'! literature display, Library Exhibition Room, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
Page 576'Abbas 'Abdu'l-Bahá 'Abdu'1-Ijamid 'Abdu'1-ilusayn 'Abdu'llAh
AbhAAhvAz Akbar 'Akka 'AlA' 'All 'A1I-Mubammad A11Th-u-AbM A1v~
Abdu'l-BaháIi 'urn Im~m ImAm-Jum'ih Im&m-Zadih Iqan IrAn 'I-r~q
'IrAqi 'lrAq-i-'Ajam'I~hqAbAd J5~rdqAt IshtibArd IslAm Islamic IsmA'iliyyih IstarAbAd 'Izzat
Ja1M%mm � u, b (Y, _ (b~IOS ~Od a...asin i.. .as(e)in u...as(o)in aw...asin account best short mown a...asin i...as(ee)in (i.. .as(oo)in arm meet moon The "i" added to the name of a town signifies "belonging to." Thus Sbfr~izi means native of ~hfrAz.
3. NOTES ON THE PRONUNCIATIONThe emphasis in Persian words is more or less evenly distributed, each syllable being equally stressed as in French. For example, do not say Tabriz or Tabarsi: stay as long on one syllable as on the next; Tabriz; Tabarsi. (While there are many exceptions to this rule, it is the most generally correct method of treating the question of stress.)
A frequent mistake is the failure to distinguish between broad and flat "a's." This differentiation makes the language especially musical and should be observed: in the word Mn~n, for example, pronounce the first "a" as in account, and the second syllable to rhyme with on. Americans are apt to pronounce short "a" plus "r" like the verb form are; this is a mistake; "ar" should be pronounced as in the word hurry � cf. Tarbfyat.
The same differentiation should be observed in the case of long and short "i" and long and short "u." As the guide to the transliteration indicates, short "i" is like "e" in best, and long "i" like "ee" in meet; for example, IbrAhim is pronounced
Eb-r~heem; Is1~m is Ess-Iahm. Short"u" being like "o" in short, andlong "ii" like "oo" in moon, the following would be
Page 579Pronounce "aw" to rhyme with low, or mown; Naw-Rfiz is Now-Rooz.
The following consonants may be pronounced like v dh z z, 41.
The following consonants may be pro-flounced like ss' th s ~. Zli is pronounced like the "s" in pleasure. Ri is pronounced like "cli" in Scottish loch or German naclit. Do not pronounce it as "k." Westerners are as a rule incapable of pro-flouncing "gli" and "q"; a gutteral French "r" will serve here; otherwise use hard "g" as in good.
H and b, approximately like the English aspirate "li", should never be dropped. Tihnin is Teh-ron; madrisih is mad-res-seh;
Mirza is Meli-rob.In the case of double letters pronounce each separately: 'Abbas.
The character transliterated (') represents a pause; it is not unlike the initial sound made in pronouncing such a word as every.
The word Baha is phonetically as follows: "a~~ as in account; "A" as in hail; ('), pause; "1" as ee in meet.
The character transliterated (') may also be treated as a pause.
N.B. As Persian often indicates no vowel sounds and as its pronunciation differs in different localities throughout Persia and the Near East as well as among individuals in any given locality, a uniform system of translitera-lion such as the above, which is in use by Baha communities all over the world, is indispensable to the student.
A happy newsboy outside the Albert Hall during the Jubilee Congress in April, 1963
Page 580Ab6, Abti, Abi: Father of. 'Abd: Cloak or mantle. 'Abdu'l-Bahá:
Servant of Baha Abh&:AdhAn: Muslim call to prayer. Adib: literally "the learned." Afn~n: literally "twigs." Denotes the relations of the Báb.
Agh~~n: literally "branches."of Mu�mmad's migration from Mecca to Medina, and the beginning of the Muslim era.
'Ahd: Covenant.Ahsanu'1-Qi~as: One of the commentaries on the Qur'an revealed by the Báb, on the Siirih of Joseph, translated by
TAhirih.'Au: The first Im~m, the rightful successor of Mubammad; also the fourth Caliph.
AllAh: "God."Name, adopted during the period of Bahá'u'lláh's exile in Adrianople as a greeting among Bahá'ís AllAh-u-Akbar: "God is the Most Great." Superseded by "A11~h-u-Abh&' during the Adrianople period.2
AJ-Madinah: The city to which Mubammad migrated.Title given by Bahá'u'lláh to 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Also "Mister" when preceding a name..
Aqdas: "The Most Holy."AsmA': "Names." Ninth month of the BacH' calendar.
Ayy~m: (See HA.)BTh: "Gate." Title assumed by Mirza 'Au-Mubammad, after the declaration of His Mission in ShirAz in May, 1844 A.D. Bab: Follower of the
Bib.of the Gate." Title of Mulid Ijusayn, the first Letter of the Living.
Badi': literally "the wonderful."Baha: "Glory," "splendour," "light." Title by which
Bahá'u'lláh (Mirza ~usayn-'A1i)of God." Title of Mirza Ijusayn-'AII; born Tibrgn, Persia, Nov. 12, 1817; ascended Baha, Palestine, (now Israel) May 29, 1892.
Baha: literally "delight."Bani-H~shim: The family from which Mubam-mad descended.
Bahá'u'lláh: "RemnantBay6.n: "Exposition," "explanation." Title given by the Báb to His Revelation, and to two of His Writings, one in Persian the other in
Arabic.Big: Honorary title; lower titlethan KhAn. BishArAt: literally "Glad-tidings."
Title of one of the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh.Caravansary (also "caravanserai," "caravan-sera"): An inn for caravans.
DAraghib: "High constable." Dhi'b:Dhikr: "Remembrance," "commemoration," "mention;" praise or glorification of God; recital of His Names; religious exercise or ceremony: (plural adhkAr).
E1-AbM: "The Most Glorious." FarmAn:tTl Part of the audience at the InterContinental Conference in New Delhi, 1967. The Hand of the Cause A. Q. Faizi is seen on the far right of the front row.
Page 582582 Farsakh: Unit ot'measurement.Approximately three miles or six kll6meters.
Fatv~: Sentence or judgementby Muslim muftf.Ghusn: "Branch? Son or male descendant of Bahá'u'lláh.
1k, (Days of): AyyAm-i-HA.the Intercalary Days, so named by Bahá'u'lláh in the Book of Aqdas, where He also Ordained that they should immediately precede the month of 'A1~', i.e. the month of fasting which closes the Bahá'í year. Every fourth year the number of the Intercalary Days is raised from four to five.
Uadith: Tradition. Thewhole body of the sacred tradition of the Muslims is called the badilfi.
(Plural ah6.dith.)Courtesy title sometimes translated as "His Holiness:" Ijdji: A Muslim who has performed the pilgrimage to Mecca.
I.{aram4-Aqdas: The MostHoly Sanctuary, a designation given by the Guardian to the northwestern quadrant of the garden surrounding the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh.
Ija4ratu'1-Quds: "TheSacred Fold;" official title designating headquarters of Bahá'í administrative activity.
Hijrat (also "Hijra," "Hegira."): literally "migration."
The ba~is of Islamic chronology. The date of Muban-imad's migration from
Mecca to Medina.E{owdah: A litter carried by a camel, mule, horse or elephant for travelling purposes.
Ijuqaqu'llAh: "Right of God;" payment by believers instituted in the KITAB-I-AQDAS.
Ijusayniyyih: Place where martyrdom of Ijusayn is mourned, or where Muslim passion plays maybe presented.
Designation given by Shi'ahs to Bahá'u'lláh's Most Great House in BaghdAd, forcibly occupied by them.
Ibn: "Son." Ii: "Clan.''ImAm: Title of thetwelve I $hi'ah successors of Mubamntad.
Also applied to ~Mus1im religious leaders.Im~m-Jum'ih: Chief of the mu11~s, who recites the Fridayprayers for the sovereign.
Im~m-Z~dih: DescendantTnshd'allAh: "If God wills it." Iqan literally "certitude."
The title of BahA'u'-liTh's Epistle to one 6f the uncles of the Báb.
I~~rAq~t: literally "splendours."IsrAf II.: The Angi whose function is to sound the trumphet on the Day of
Judgement.J&hilfyyih: The dark age of ignorance among the Arabs before the appearance of Mubam-mad.
SalM: "Glory." SecondJam~1-i-Mub&ak: literally "the Blessed Beauty;" applied to Bahá'u'lláh.
iamM-i-Qidam: lIterally "the Ancient Beauty," applied to Bahá'u'lláh.
JihAd: Holy war, as specified in Qur'an. JinAb~ Courtesy title sometimes translated "His
Honour."Ka'bih: Ancient shine at Mecca. Now recognized as the most holy shrine of IslAm.
Kabir: literally "great."Chief of a ward or parish in a town.; headman of a village.
KalAntar: "Mayor."converses with God." Titlegivento Moses in the Islamic dispensation.
kaflm~t: "Words." Seventh'rnonth of the Badi' calendar.
KamAl: "Perfection." EighthKarbilA'i: A Muslim who has performed the pilgrimage to KarbilA.
Kawthar.: A river in Paradise, whebce all the other rivers derive their source.
KhAdimu'llAh: "ServantKhutbih: Sermon delivered on Fridays at noon in Islamic religion.
Kitáb: "Book."O KulAh: The Persian lambskin hat worn by government employees and civilians.
Madrisili: "Seminary," "school," "religious college."
Man-Yuzhiruhu'llAh: "HeMashhadf: A Muslim who has performed the pilgrimage to Maslihad.
Ma~iyyat: "Will." EleventhMashriqu'l-Adhkar: literally "the dawning place of the praise of God." Title designating Baha Houses of Worship.
Masjid: Mosque; MuslimMihjf: Title of the Manifestation expected by Ishm.
Mibr6.b: The principal place in a mosque where the imAm prays with his face turned towards Mecca.
Mi'r~j: "Ascent." UsedMirza: A contraction of "Amir-ZAdih," meaning son of Amfr. When affixed to a name it signifies prince; when prefixed, simply Mister.
Mishkin-Qalam: literally "the musk-scented pen."Mu'adhdhin: The one who sounds the AdhAn the Muslim call to prayer.
Mufti: Expounder of Muslimlaw; gives a fatWt or sentence on a point of religious jurisprudence.
Mu1~arram: First month of the Muslim year, the first ten days of which are observed by Shi'ahs as part of their mourning period for the 1m6ms.
The tenth day, 'AMvard', is the day of the martyrdom of ~usayn.
Mulk: "Dominion." EighteenthMost of the mujtahids of Persia have received their diplomas from the most eminent jurists of Karbild and Najaf.
MuIlA: Muslim priest.Mustag~th: "He Who is invoked;" the numerical value of which has been assigned by the Báb as the limit of the time fixed for the advent of the promised
Manifestation.applied to the Bahá'í New Year's Day; according to the Persian calendar the day on which the sun enters Aries.
Nuqtih: "Point."Pahlavdn: "Athlete," "champion;" term applied to brave and muscular men.
P~ishA: Honorary title formerly given to officers of high rank in Turkey.
Pishkish: "Present," "tip," "douceur."QA4Ii: "Judge;" civil, criminal and ecclesiastical.
QA'im: "He Who shall arise."prayer-direc-tion toward which the faithful turn in prayer. The Most Holy Tomb of Bahá'u'lláh at Baha is "the Heart and Qiblih of the Bahá'í world."'
Qur'an: "Sacrifice.""that which ought to be read." The Book revealed by Mubammad.
Rabb-i-A'IA: "Exalted Lord."Rijv&n: "Paradise;" also the name of the custodian of Paradise. The holiest and most significant of all Baha festivals commemorating
Bahá'u'lláh's Declarationof His Mission to His companions in 1863, a twelve-day period beginning on April 21st and celebrated annually.
Sadratu'1-Muntahd: TheS~hibu'z-Zamdn: "Lord of the Age;" one of the titles of the promised QA'im.
Sahim: "Peace," "salutation."SarkAr-AqA: literally "The ilonourable Master," applied to 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
ShAh: "King,' especially of Persia.Shaykh: Venerable old man; man of authority; cider, chief, professor, superior of a dervish order, etc. Shaykhi: School founded by Shay~h-A~imad-i-AhsA'i.
Among his doctrines, in addition to the imminent dual Advent, was that the Prophet Muliammnad's material body did not ascend on the night of the Mi'rdj.
Shaykhu'I-IslAm: Headof religious court, appointed to every large city by the ShAh.
Shi'ah Shi'ih Shi'ite:Party (of 'Au). Partisan of 'Au and of his descendants as the sole lawful "Vicars of the Prophet." The Shi'ahs reject the first three Caliphs, believing that the successorship in IslAm belonged rightfully to 'All (first ImAm and fourth Caliph) and to his descendants by divine right. Originally, the successorship was the vital point of difference, and IslAm was divided because Mu]xammad's (albeit verbal) appointment of 'All was disregarded.
Sir~t: literally "bridge" or "path;" denotes the religion of God.
SiyAh-ChA1: Black Pitin TibrAn where, in August 1852, Bahá'u'lláh was chained in the darkness thee flights of stairs underground, with some 150 thieves and assassins.
Here He received the first intimations of His world Mission.
Holiest place in Persia's capital.(the Way or Practice of the Prophet, as reported in the hadith.) By far the largest sect of IslAm, this includes the four socalled orthodox sects: Hanbalites, Hanafites, Malikites, Shaflites.
Sfirih: Name of the chapters of the Qur'an.S(iriy-i-Muhilc: "S&ih of Kings;" Tablet revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in Adrianople.
TA: Letter "T", standing for TibrAn.TAj: literally "crown;" tall felt headdress adopted by Bahá'u'lláh in 1863, on the day of His departure from His Most Holy House.
TajailfyAt: literally "effulgences." Title of one of the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh.
Takyih: Religious establishment; usual place of observance of the martyrdom of ImAm Ijusayn.
TarAzAt: literally "ornaments."'Ulam6: Plural of "one who knows;" "learn-ed," "a scholar."
'Urvatu'1-Vuthq~: literally "the strongest handle," symbolic of the Faith of God.
VAliid: 1. A "unity" or section of the Bayiin. The Persian BayAn consists of nine VAbids of nineteen chapters each, except the last, which has only ten chapters. 2. The eighteen Letters of the Living (constituting the Báb's first disciples) and the DAb Himself.
3. Each cycle of nineteen years in the Badi' calendar.
The word, signifying unity, symbolizes the unity of God. The numerical values of the letters of this word total nineteen.
VaWd: "Unique."Varaqiy-i-'UIyA: literally "the Most Exalted Leaf," applied to Bahá'u'lláh (Baha'i) KhAnum sister of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í Varq~: literally "the dove."
Viltsyat: "Guardianship."Waqf: Muslim endowments; in Persia, the landed property of the expected
ImAm.the religion of God. YA: "O" � e.g., Th BahA'u'1-AbhA (0 Thou the Glory of the
Most Glorious!)Zaynu'1-Muqarrabin: literally "the Ornament of the favoured."
Zamzam: Sacred well within the precincts of the Great
Mosque at Mecca. Thoughsalty, its water is much esteemed for pious uses, such as ablutions, and drinking after a fast.
1 The Rahd'i World, vol. v, p. 205 "Genealogy of Bahá'u'lláh".
Page 585i. BAHÁ'U'LLÁH by H. M. BAHÁ'Í (The following passages are reprinted, with permission, from the book Bahá'u'lláh, by H. M. Baha'i. George Ronald, Oxford, 1963.)
"The humanitarian and spiritual principles enunciated decades ago in the darkest East by Bahá'u'lláh and moulded by Him into a coherent scheme are one after the other being taken by a world unconscious of their source as the marks ofprogres-sive sive civilization. And the sense that mankind has broken with the past and that the old guidance will not carry it through the emergencies of the present has filled with uncertainty and dismay all thoughtful men save those who have learned to find in the story of Bahá'u'lláh the meaning of all the prodigies andportents of our time."
Shoghi EffendiTHE towering grandeur and the tender beauty of the life of a Manifestation of God cannot be comprehended by events usually associated with a saintly life.
The immensity of such a life presents itself in that mysterious influence which it exerts over countless lives, an influence which functions not through social status and prestige, wealth, secular power or worldly dominion; indeed not even through a medium of mere superior knowledge and intellectual achievement.
The Manifestation of Godis the Archetype, and His life is the supreme pattern. His vision, not arrested by time and space, encompasses the future as well as the past. He is the only and the necessary link between one period of social evolution and another.
Without Him history is meaningless and coordination is impossible. Furthermore, the Manifestation of God releases deep reservoirs of spiritual power and quickens the forces latent in humanity. By Him, and by Him alone, can Man attain "second birth".
Mirza Ijusayn-'A1I, later surnamed Bahá'u'lláh, was born on November 12th, 1817, in TibrAn, the capital of Persia.
His father, Mirza Buzurgof Ndr, held a responsible post in the ministerial circle of the ShTh's court. All accounts of Bahá'u'lláh's childhood indicate that from His earliest years He possessed remarkable and very unusual powers. At the age of seven, He appeared before the SMh, to argue a case on behalf of His father, and proved His suit, ills character endeared Him not only to His kinsmen and immediate entourage, but to strangers as well.
The minister was fully conscious of the extraordinary powers of his Son, although the destiny of the Child could not but be unknown to him. Bahá'u'lláh grew up in the environs of the court, amidst riches and great comfort. But when His father died, and the post left vacant in the court was offered to Him, lie refused to accept it. The Grand Vizier, we are told, said that Mirza ~usayn-'A1i was intended for a work of greater magnitude, and the arena of government was too small a field for His capacities.
In those days, the nobility of IrAn cared little for the sciences and the arts of the learned. Beyond excellent calligraphy, a knowledge of the sacred scriptures of IslAm, and a well-founded acquaintance with the works of such prominent figures in Persian literature as Rflmi, Firdausi, Sa'di and Ij~fiz, they generally knew but little. There were notable exceptions of course. Bahá'u'lláh was more than an exception.
Although untutored, Heplunged freely and naturally into such talks and discussions as were considered to be the domain of the theologian and the scholar.
Time and again He astounded the doctors of religion and the learned of the land by His clear reasoning and irrefutable logic.
Oftentimes a person encroaching upon precincts reserved to others becomes presumptuous, arrogant, and haughty.
Bahá'u'lláh was modest, genial, and forbearing.This youthful scion of a house of nobility had an overwhelming passion for justice. He deserted the court to tend the oppressed and the aggrieved. Not once did He hesitate to champion the cause of the poor and the fallen who turned to Him for succour and help. None who deserved was refused. Thus passed the days of His Youth, until a day came when an emissary set out with a letter to seek Him, and the very qualities that made Him a haven and refuge, and raised Him in the esteem of His fellow men, convinced that emissary that the Son of the late minister from Ni2r was indeed the Exalted Person intended to receive the letter of the BTh.
On May 22nd, 1844, a young merchant of Shfr&, whose name was Siyyid 'Ali-Mubam-mad, revealed Himself to a seeker as that Deliverer Whom the world of IslAm anxiously awaited. An independent Manifestation of God and the Harbinger of a greater Manifestation, He took the title of the Rib, meaning "Gate". His primary mission was to awaken the slumbering people of IrAn, and to warn the followers of the Faith of Mubammad � a Faith by then, alas, laden with abuses. The Báb sent MuIIA Ijusayn, that seeker who was the first to believe in Him, to the capital, and entrusted Him with a letter for an unnamed Person, supreme in heavenly rank. MuIIA IJusayn reached TibrAn, determined to let Providence guide his steps. He searched indomitably, but in vain.
At last a visitor came to him, whose hometown was N6r in MAzindarAn, the home of Bahá'u'lláh's family.
In the course of conversation MullA Ijusayn inquired about the sons of the late Mirza Buzurg, the minister from Nflr. Thus he heard of Mirza Ijusayn-'Ali, and eagerly asked for more information. And when the full story was unfolded to him, he knew in an instant that he had found the unnamed Person Who was to receive the letter sent by the Báb. He had come to the end of his quest. In due course, the Báb's Epistle was taken to Bahá'u'lláh, Who accepted the Truth that it contained.
Thus at the age of twenty-seven, the Son of the minister, Who had withdrawn from the life of the court, the brilliant nobleman Whose sense of justice was a byword amongst all who knew Him, Whose knowledge, eloquence and lovable nature were exemplary, put Himself on the side ofareligious renaissance that was bound to excite the hatred of the ruling classes of the realm.
The Báb had implicit assurance that the nobleman of Nfir would ultimately wield the sceptre of supreme authority.
It was the DAb Who assigned to Him the designation Bahá'u'lláh � the Glory of God. One cannot fail to perceive the affection, the respect and the attachment which the BTh showed towards Bahá'u'lláh, sentiments which found no parallel in His regard for the rest of His able and devout followers.
Soon after His conversion, IBahá'u'lláh travelled to His native province on the shores of the Caspian Sea, to promote the Message of the DAb. He was highly esteemed in MAzin-darAn, and therefore apt to arouse controversy in orthodox camps. He challenged a clergyman of considerable local standing to refute His proofs, but the latter, finding himself unequal to the task, evaded the issue.
Then, in the middle part of 1848, occurred the Conference of Badasht. The followers of the Báb, harassed and persecuted, witnessing their Master in prison and cruel detention, came to meet in a secluded part of Khur6sAn in the northeast of Persia, to examine the problems facing them as a hounded community and adherents of a proscribed Faith. There was present the learned and confident Qudd6s, the most venerated of the first disciples of the IBAb � those who sought Him and found Him and believed in Him, and were named by Him "The Letters of the Living". There was the silver-tongued and courageous poetess Qurratu'1-'Ayn, later known as TAhirili, another of the Letters of the Living and the only one of that band of eighteen who never met the 13Th, but believed in Him from afar and sent Him her eloquent homage through a kinsman who was setting out on his quest. Bahá'u'lláh, too, was there. Throughout the discussion He maintained a dignified silence, but when the Conference reached its end, His was the decisive and the undisputed word.
The BThis had not yet fully grasped the significance of the Bait's revelation.
Qurratu'1-'Ayn discarded her veil and appeared in the assemblage of men with face uncovered, as a token of new birth and a new day. In that gathering she raised her voice in defiance of superstition, prejudice and blind imitation. Qudd6s, deeply versed in theology, and firm in his beliefs, would not sanction the advanced measures advocated by Qurratu'1-'Ayn. Now Bahá'u'lláh threw the weight of His innate
Page 589The Báb, He told the assembly, was the Founder of a new Dispensation, and stood in the same heavenly lineage as Mubammad, Jesus and Moses. A few halfhearted souls left disgustedly, but the great majority were confirmed in their faith. When the Rib heard of the outcome of the Conference of Bada~fit, His delight was immense.
From Badaslit Bahá'u'lláhreturned to TibrAn. Not long after, He visited MullA Ijusayn, who, with more than three hundred Báb's had sought refuge in the shrine of ~hay~li Tabarsi in the forests of M&zindardn.
MullA ~Iusayn built defences around the shrine, and was eventually joined by Quddas. The infuriated clergy stormed the government to send a punitive expedition against that hounded band of innocent and Godfearing men. Troops marched and laid siege to the fortress which sheltered the Báb's.
Hearing the news, Bahá'u'lláh left promptly for the Fort of Tabarsi, wishing to share the calamities of His brethren in faith.
Providence had deemed that the heroic defenders of Sliay~li Tabarsi should seal the Covenant of the Báb with their blood, and that Bahá'u'lláh should be preserved for a far greater purpose in days to come.
He was stopped on His way, by the Governor's men, and taken to the town of Amul. The doctors of religion preached death, and the mob thirsted for violence. In order to appease the populace, the deputy-governor decided to inflict some kind of punishment on the members of Baha'u'-lidli's retinue.
Bahá'u'lláh offered Himselfin lieu of His friends, and voluntarily drew the wrath of the mob upon His own Person. He was bastinadoed.
On July 9th, 1850, the gracious and gentle Báb was shot in the public square of Tabriz. His breast, that heaved not but in adoration of God, was made the target of bullets.
Bahá'u'lláh had sent SulaymAn Kb&n, a brilliant and brave youth, to rescue the mangled remains of the Báb from the fury of the foe. And then He arranged for the concealment of the remains in order to protect them from the evil designs of the oppressors. For more than fifty years they were hidden from the knowledge of friends and enemies alike. Today they rest on Mount Carmel, in a beautiful mausoleum under a golden dome.
Not only did the Báb quaff the cup of martyrdom, but His able and selfless lieutenants were one by one hunted down with brutal hatred � Mulh Ijusayn, Quddfis, the erudite and fearless Vabid of D6.nib, the indomitable Ijujiat of Zanj6n, all murdered and gone. In the length and breadth of Inin the Báb's had no peace, no security, no right to life itself How long can a mutilated and agonised community bear and sustain the severe impact of continuous shocks! Bahá'u'lláh's arduous task had already begun. In Him were centred all those highest qualities, human and divine, that went to make the Báb and Quddfls.
On Him, and Him alone, depended the fate of the Báb's. It was to Him that the Rib had sent His seals, pen, and papers, a symbolic act of untold significance.
In June, 1851, Bahá'u'lláh travelled to 'IrAq. There the Báb's lived in comparative safety, but were distracted and forlorn. Bahá'u'lláh refortified their faith, and gave them fresh hope. No sooner had He returned to TihrTh than the storm broke out again. It was more than a storm. It was a holocaust.
The BANs presented, indeed, a sad spectacle in this period of their short but eventful history. Their morale was impaired and their energy sapped. The fickle and the timid amongst them could see no redeeming hand, no prospect of emancipation.
Two irresponsible young men, driven to despair, decided to avenge their Master and their martyred brethren.
To them the source of persecution and tyranny seemed to be no other than the person of the
Sovereign� the ShTh, in whose hand was the power to give them justice. The ShAh, they argued in their tormented minds, had not exercised his sovereign authority in favour of their maligned and oppressed community, and therefore he had to pay the supreme penalty.
So deranged were their faculties that they did not put in their pistols proper bullets for killing a man.
On August 12th, 1852, they ventured upon their insane attempt and failed.
The ShAh received only superficial injuries.The wouldbe murderers were not given the chance of a trial, and were summarily dealt with. But the matter did not end there. The enemies of the B&b had found their golden opportunity to exterminate His followers.
Here at last, they frenziedly declaimed, was the proof of a deadly menace to the
State.Bahá'u'lláh was, at this moment, staying in a summer residence in the vicinity of the capital.
Page 590His friends warned Him of the engulfing tide. They offered to hide Him from the wrath of His ill-wishers.
But he remained calm and composed. He had nothing to fear, and the next day He rode towards the camp of the ShAh.
The news of His approach confounded the enemy. Whilst they were plotting His arrest, and starting to search for Him, lIe was coming to them, of His own accord. But when had Bahá'u'lláh ever shown fear or panic?
They laid their rough hands upon His Person. On the road to the dungeon in TihrAn, a big crowd gathered to jeer at Him and to heap in-suits upon Him. He Who had been their friend and defender, their shield and support in need, was now the victim of their blazing hatred.
People did the same tothey went out to greet Him. They gave Him a royal welcome. And Jerusalem echoed with "Hosanna to the Son of David". "Blessed is He,"they cried, "that cometh in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the Highest." A few days later, in the courtyard of Pontius Pilate, they were given a choice. Which should die? Barrabas, the proved and convicted criminal, or Jesus, the Light of the World? They asked for the death of Jesus. They rejected the Christ. "Crucify Him," they cried.
Thus has the world ever treated its true friend. Among the crowd, which hurled abuse at Bahá'u'lláh and pelted Him with stones, was an old woman. She stepped forward with a stone in her hand to strike at Him. Although frenzied with rage, her steps were too weak for the pace of the procession.
"Give me a chance to fling my stone in His face," she pleaded with the guard. Bahá'u'lláh turned to them and said, "Suffer not this woman to be disappointed. Deny her not what she regards as a meritorious act in the sight of God." Such was the measure of His compassion.
About the attempt on the life of the ShAh Bahá'u'lláh writes in His Epistle to the Son of the Wolf' "By the righteousness of God! We were in no wise connected with that evil deed, and Our innocence was indisputably established by the tribunals. Nevertheless, they apprehended Us, and from NiyAvarAn, which was then the residence of His Majesty, conducted Us, on foot and in chains, with bared head and bare feet, to the dungeon of TibrAn. A brutal man, accompanying Us on horseback, snatched off Our hat, whilst We were being hurried along by a troop of executioners and officials. We were consigned for four months to a place foul beyond comparison.
As to the dungeon in which this Wronged One and others similarly wronged were confined, a dark and narrow pit were preferable. Upon Our arrival We were first conducted along a pitch-black corridor, from whence We descended three steep flights of stairs to the place of confinement assigned to Us. The dungeon was wrapped in thick darkness, and Our fellow-prisoners numbered nearly a hundred and fifty souls: thieves, assassins and highwaymen.
Though crowded, it had no other outlet than the passage by which We entered.
No pen can depict that place, nor any tongue describe its loathsome smell. Most of these men had neither clothes nor bedding to lie on. God alone knoweth what befell Us in that most foul-smelling and gloomy place I"~ The prison cell in which Bahá'u'lláh was confined, together with many other BThis, was a grim, dark and stench-laden pit that once had served as a reservoir for a public bath, and to which the worst criminals were now consigned. Around His neck they placed one of the two most dreaded chains in the whole land.
Under its ponderous weight His whole frame was bent. In that same book, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Bahá'u'lláh speaks of those awesome chains: "Shouldst thou at sometime happen to visit the dungeon of His Majesty the ShAh, ask the director and chief jailer to show thee those two chains, one of which is known as QarA-Guhar, and the other as SalAsil.
I swear by the DayStar of Justice that for four months this Wronged One was tormented and chained by one or the other of them. 'My grief exceedeth all the woes to which Jacob gave vent, and all the afflictions of Job are but a part of My sorrows!"2 Nabil, the immortal historian of the Bahá'í Faith, recounts in his work the words which he himself heard from Bahá'u'lláh, describing the torments of those days: "We were all huddled together in one cell, our feet in stocks, and around our necks fastened the most galling of chains.
The air we breathed was laden with the foulest of impurities, while the floor on which we sat was covered with filth and infested with vermin.
No ray of Light wasallowed to penetrate that pestilential dungeon or to warm its icy coldness.
We were placed in two rows, each facing the other. We had taught them to repeat certain verses which, every night, they chanted with extreme fervour. 'God is sufficient unto me; He verily is the All-suffi-cing!' one row would intone, while the other would reply: 'In Him let the trusting trust.' The chorus of these gladsome voices would continue to peal out until the early hours of the morning. Their reverberation would fill the dungeon, and, piercing its massive walls, would reach the ears of NAsiri'd-Din ShAh, whose palace was not far distant from the place where we were imprisoned.
'What means this sound?'he was reported to have exclaimed. 'It is the anthem the Báb's are intoning in their prison,' they replied.
The ShTh made no further remarks, nor did be attempt to restrain the enthusiasm which his prisoners, despite the horrors of their confinement, continued to display."3 Day by day an official would come to the prison and call out the names of those who were to meet their martyr's death on that day. And out would walk those whose names were called, with firm steps and shining brows.
Hundreds of BThis died in that bloodbath of 1852, after being subjected to excruciating tortures.
One of that glorious band was SulaymAn Khgn the same brave spirit who, at the bidding of Bahá'u'lláh, had rescued the body of the BA!,. They bored nine holes in his body and placed nine lighted candles in them. Thus they paraded him in the streets, with a howling mob jeering at his heels.
SulaymAn KhAn was a young courtier, accustomed to power and display.
On this day of his martyrdom he stopped in the midst of his tortures and exclaimed: "What greater pomp and pageantry than those which this day accompany my progress to win the crown of glory! Glorified be the ]Thb, Who can kindle such devotion in the breasts of His lovers, and can endow them with a power greater than the might of kings." As the candles flickered in his wounds, he said, "You have long lost your sting, 0 flames, and have been robbed of your power to pain me. Make haste, for from your very tongues of fire I can hear the voice that calls me to my Beloved !"~ And when one of his tormentors reviled him, he answered with these lines: "Clasping in one hand the wine-cup, in one hand the Loved One's hair; Thus my doom would I envisage dancing through the market-square."
Thus died Sulaym6n KhAn.Another victim in this tornado was TAhirih, the beautiful, talented poetess of Qazvin � the same heroic soul who, at the Conference of Badasht raised the call of the emanicpation of her sex. Now in the dead of night they strangled her and cast her body into a pit of which no trace was left. But the memory of her supreme constancy, courage and devotion will forever endure. She knew of her approaching end and was ready for it. To her hostess, the wife of the magistrate in whose custody she was placed, TAhirili said on the day preceding the night of her martyrdom: "I am preparing to meet my Beloved, and wish to free you from the cares and anxieties of my imprisonment."
She was in bridal array.Such was the fortitude of the BANs and such was the magnitude of their sacrifice.
For four agony-laden months Bahá'u'lláh lingered in chains, in that dismal, pestilential dungeon of
Tihrdn.But it was in the dark of that dungeon that Bahá'u'lláh saw the Light of God shining in His own Self.
He Himself gives us a vivid and overpowering account of those hours when He became conscious of His heavenly Mission.
"During the days I lay in the prison of TilirAn, though the galling weight of the chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me but little sleep, still in those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if something flowed from the crown of My head over My breast, even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth itself upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain. Every limb of My body would, as a result, be set afire.
At such moments My tongue recited what no man could bear to hear."5 God, in His infinite Grace, gave the world a Universal
Manifestation of HisAbsolute Qualities and Attributes. The promise of the DAb, nay, the promise of all the Messengers of God, was fulfilled.
The time, however, had not come for a public declaration. Ten more years had to elapse, before Bahá'u'lláh would announce His Manifestation to human kind.
There was no shadow of doubt that Bahá'u'lláh was not an accomplice in the attempt made
Page 592on the life of the Sh&h. Yet the enemies were loath to release Him, and at the same time they dared not bring Him to the scaffold. Once, poison was introduced into His food, and the effect of it remained with Him for many years. In the end He was freed and exiled from IrAn. His property was confiscated, and nothing was left to Him of His wealth. The Russian minister invited Him to go to Russia where He would be assured of a free unmolested life.
IBah&u'llAh declined the invitation, and chose to proceed to 'Iraq. On January 12th, 1853, He left TibrAn, never to return. With Him were the members of His family.
The winter was severe.The route was over high mountains covered with deep snow, and the means of comfort were scant. Deprived of all His earthly goods, Bahá'u'lláh could not provide such facilities as. would lessen the toils and hardships of that long and arduous journey.
Travelling under those adverse conditions was immensely hard, and the pace was necessarily slow.
As Bahá'u'lláh neared the frontier, a period drew to its close. Were the people of fran aware of the loss they sustained?
Steepedin ignorance, sunk in bigotry, blinded by prejudice, theirs was not to see and know. And thus Bahá'u'lláh passed out of their midst. tie Who once was loved and respected by rich and poor, high and low, prince and peasant alike, was now deserted by the same people on whom He had lavished mercy, love, justice, and charity at all times. Persia lost the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, but could His spirit ever be absent from that or any other land?
In the Epilogue to Nab il's Narrative, a history of the early days of the Cause, written by Nabil of Zarand, and translated by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í
Faith, Shoghi Effendithus described those tempestuous days culminating in Bahá'u'lláh's exile: "Never had the fortunes of the Faith proclaimed by the BTh sunk to a lower ebb than when Bahá'u'lláh was banished from His native land to 'IrAq.
The Cause for which the 13Th had given His life, for which Bahá'u'lláh had toiled and suffered, seemed to be on the very verge of extinction. Its force appeared to have been spent, its resistance irretrievably broken.
Discouragement and disasters, each more devastating in its effect than the preceding one, had succeeded one another with bewildering rapidity, sapping its vitality and dimming the hopes of its stoutest supporters."6 Bahá'u'lláh arrived at Baghdad in March, 1853.
His physical strength was momentarily impaired.To a casual observer He might have looked like a man approaching His end. Indeed the court and the priesthood of IrAn were confident that Bahá'u'lláh was doomed to an early death and oblivion. But He survived all the hardships to which He was subjected, and as soon as He recovered from the effects of His harsh imprisonment and painful journey, He arose to reassemble and reanimate the stricken and shattered community of the Bin. That was the resolve He had come to, in the dungeon of TihrAn.
"Day and night, while confined in that dungeon," He tells us, "We meditated upon the deeds, the condition, and the conduct of the Báb's, wondering what could have led a people so high-minded, so noble, and of such intelligence, to perpetrate such an audacious and outrageous act against the person of His Majesty. This Wronged One, thereupon, decided to arise, after His release from prison, and undertake, with the utmost vigour, the task of regenerating this people.
"One night, in a dream, these exalted words were heard on every side: 'Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy Pen. Grieve Thou not for that which bath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for Thou art in safety. Ere long will God raise up the treasures of the earth � men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him."'7 The plight of the Báb's was grievous indeed. Stunned by the staggering blows dealt them by a vigilant and relentless enemy, disintegrated by factional strifes, they could not for the moment observe the guiding hand of Bahá'u'lláh.
Yet, unknown to friend and foe, He was the Repository of Divine Revelation, the Vicar of God on Earth.
The BTh had clearly, and in most emphatic language, foretold the proximity of the advent of "Him Whom God Will Make Manifest", that World Educator Who was to rear and lead humanity in the "Day of Days".
At this period many an adventurer forwarded a claim to that station.
Thus a number of the B6tis wereThe principal face of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Tilirdn showing the decorative windows of the main hail where Bahá'u'lláh was born.
divided into numerous parties, each supporting one of these self-appointed messiahs. The nominal head of the BThi Community, Bahá'u'lláh's half-brother,
Mirza Ya~y~, entitled Subl2-i-Azalor "Morning of Eternity", was incompetent to cope with the forces of disruption.
He lacked courage. At a time when RaM'-u'llAh was facing the enemy with calm fortitude, Azal was a fugitive trying to save his own life.
When Bahá'u'lláh was in chains, Azal roamed the countryside, in disguise.
in the garb of a dervish, he reached BaghdAd, sometime after the arrival of Bahá'u'lláh, not having raised so much as a finger in vindication of the Cause. It was Bahá'u'lláh Who had exposed Himself to the fury of the court and the clergy. As conflicts grew and rifts widened, as baseless claims became more blatant, the hopes of the Báb community sank lower and lower.
And yet, still unknown to the Báb's as the One promised to them by the Báb, there was amongst them and suffering with them, He Who
Page 594was destined to change their misery to glory, their weakness to towering strength.
No sooner had Bahá'u'lláh started upon the task of rescuing the Báb's from their waywardness, than ~ubb-i-Aza1, goaded by a few of the self-seeking who had chosen to make that already discredited figure the instrument of their own treacherous designs, began to obstruct Bahá'u'lláh's benevolent lead. So fierce became the opposition engineered by Azal that Bahá'u'lláh decided to retire from the scene of contention.
He had no wish to add to the injuries afflicting the B~bi community. One morning His household awoke to find Him gone. He sought an abode in the mountains of KurdistAn. Such seclusion from the society of men has always occurred in the lives of the Manifestations of God. Moses went out to the desert of Sinai.
Buddha sought the wilds of India. Christ walked the wilderness. Mubam-mad paced the sunbaked hullocks of Arabia.
Bahá'u'lláh's self-imposed exile was a test. Were He to be the only Guide cap~tb1e of showing the right path to the BANs, the only One Who could restore to them their broken inner peace, their vision, their serenity, their faith and determination, the passage of time and His absence would prove it conclusively. And time did amply demonstrate the fact. This is how He writes of those days: "A number of people who have never inhaled the fragrance of justice, have raised the standard of sedition, and have leagued themselves against Us. On every side We witness the menace of their spears, and in all directions We recognize the shafts of their arrows.
This, although We have never gloried in anything, nor did We seek preference over any soul. To everyone We have been a most kindly companion, a most forbearing and affectionate friend.
In the company of the poor We have sought their fellowship, and amidst the exalted and learned We have been submissive and resigned. I swear by God, the one true God! grievous as have been the woes and sufferings which the hand of the enemy and the people of the Book inflicted upon Us, yet all these fade into utter nothingness when compared with that which hath befallen Us at the hand of those who profess to be Our friends.
"What more shall We say?The universe, were it to gaze with the eye of justice, would be incapable of bearing the weight of this utterance!
ance! In the early days of Our arrival in this land, when We discerned the signs of impending events, We decided, ere they happened, to retire. We betook Ourselves to the wilderness, and there, separated and alone, led for two years a life of complete solitude.
From Our eyes there rained tears of anguish, and in Our bleeding heart there surged an ocean of agonizing pain. Many a night We had no food for sustenance, and many a day Our body found no rest. By Him Who hath My being between His hands!
notwithstanding these showers of afflictions and unceasing calamities, Our soul was wrapt in blissful joy, and Our whole being evinced an ineffable gladness. For in Our solitude We were unaware of the harm or benefit, the health or ailment, of any soul.
Alone, We communed with Our spirit, oblivious of the world and all that is therein. We knew not, however, that the mesh of divine destiny ex-ceedeth the vastest of mortal conceptions, and the dart of His decree transcendeth the boldest of human designs. None can escape the snares He setteth, and no soul can find release except through submission to His WilL By the righteousness of God! Our withdrawal contemplated no retail, and Our separation hoped for no reunion.
The one object of Our retirement was to avoid becoming a subject of discord among the faithful, a source of disturbance unto Our companions, the means of injury to any soul, or the cause of sorrow to any heart. Beyond these, We cherished no other intention, and apart from them, We had no end in view. And yet, each person schemed after his own desire, and pursued his own idle fancy, until the hour when, from the Mystic Source, there came the summons bidding Us return whence We came. Surrendering Our will to His, We submitted to His injunction."8 Gradually the fame of Bahá'u'lláh spread around the district of Su1aym~niyyih.
None in the neighbourhood knew His identity, but all were charmed by His kindliness and wisdom. Some mistook Him for an adherent of a SPfi order. He was known by the name of
Darvish Mubammad. Andin a widening circle, Bagli-dAd came to hear of the wise hermit who had appeared in the mountainous regions of the north.
They spoke of His knowledge, gentleness, piety and astonishing insight.
The BThis, bereft of the counsels of Bahá'u'lláh, and sinking ever deeper into the mires of conflict and
Page 595Detail of ornamental window of the room in which Bahá'u'lláh was born.
dissension, longed for His guidance, but knew not where to seek Him. No sooner did some of them hear of the Sage of Sulaym6niyyih, than they saw behind that veil the very Person of Bahá'u'lláh, and dispatched emissaries to find Him and implore His return.
Bahá'u'lláh was surprised to see them, but He knew that He had to answer the call. This was the voice of God, the plan of Providence. Time had shown His indispensability to the community of the
Bit.On March 19th, 1856, Bahá'u'lláh returned to Bahá'u'lláh.
His absence had lasted two years.Henceforth His power, His word, and His command were gladly welcomed by the Báb's. They had gone through a severe ordeal, and had learned their lesson in the school of adversity. No doubt opposition was still rife. Azal, a man of weak will, was held aloft by a handful of the ambitious and the self-seeking, as a puppet leader. But the BThis had come to know them for what they were. Bahá'u'lláh exerted His utmost efforts to protect His half-brother from the seditious devices of plotters and agitators, but Azal was of an inferior type. He disregarded
Page 596the sound advice of the One Who was his true friend, and became more and more implicated in vain scheming.
Hitherto, the believers in the ETh had been recruited from the Shf'ih sect of Islam. Now, under the aegis of Bahá'u'lláh, others came to enlist. He recreated the withered lives of the Báb's. They were told not to resist by violence any encroachments made on their liberties. In this manner He stemmed the tide of lawlessness that at one time had seriously menaced the integrity of the BAN community.
And so it came that Bahá'u'lláh's Divine guidance rallied the Báb's once again to a noble life. Once again they lived with faith in their hearts, their deeds testifying to the belief they bore.
* * * The Cause of the BTh was once more healthy and alive. The gloom of drift and anarchy had dispersed.
From far and wide the Báb's came to bask in the sunshine of Bahá'u'lláh's love and guidance. Savants and learned men brought their intricate problems and received solutions to their satisfaction. But the renown attending upon the name of Bahá'u'lláh stirred anew the feelings of envy and hatred. A number of the Shi'ih divines assembled to determine a plan of action against the Faith of the Báb and its revered Exponent.
One should take note of the fact that ~haykh-i-Ans~ri the most prominent of them all, refused to participate in their deliberations.
They commissioned one of their members to wait upon Bahá'u'lláh and demand convincing proofs.
This man did as he was bidden, and went back with a definite offer � Bahá'u'lláh would bring forth any proof that the clergy might require, on condition that they would on their part pledge themselves to accept His authority thereafter. Their emissary told them that he had witnessed nothing but truth and righteousness in the wards and deeds of the Báb Leader. Those men had come together, not to find truth, but to oppose it. Fearful lest Bahá'u'lláh should really bring forth the proof demanded by them, they refused to give any pledge, rejected the offer, and brought pressure upon the government of the ShTh to adopt repressive measures. The man who acted as their emissary, himself a noted cleric, was disgusted by their behaviour, and as long as he lived, told the people the truth of what acutally transpired.
The Persian Consul in BaghdTh supported the divines, and so insistent became their pleading, cajoling and finally intimidation that the Shdh took fright and instructed his envoy at Constantinople to enter into negotiations with the
Turkish government. Hewanted Bahá'u'lláh to be escorted to the frontier, and handed over to his men. Failing that he demanded the removal of Bahá'u'lláh to a locality far from the borders of IrAn. Negotiations went on for some time between the two States, and at last the SultAn ordered the Governor of BaghdAd to send Bahá'u'lláh to Constantinople.
His enemies were jubilant, and His friends horrified and sorrowful. Can we stretch our imagination far enough to visualise the despondency and the heartache of the Báb's in that month of April, 1863? Can we contemplate their grief?
Bahá'u'lláh moved to the garden of Ri4vAn, outside the gates of BaghdAd.
The Báb's thronged there to see the last of their Beloved so cruelly torn from their midst. It was the twenty-second day of April. With tears in their eyes they gathered around Him. He was calm, serene and unruffled. The hour had struck. To that company Bahá'u'lláh revealed Himself � He was the Promised One in Whose path the BTh had sacrificed His life, "Him Whom God will make manifest", the ShAh-Bahrdm, the Fifth Buddha, the Lord of Hosts, the Christ come in the station of the Father, the Master of the
Day of Judgment."Canst thou discover any one but Mc, 0 Pen, in this Day? What bath become of the creation and the manifestations thereof?
What of the names and their kingdom? Whither are gone all created things, whether seen or unseen?
What of the hidden secrets of the universe and its revelations?
Lo, the entire creation bath passed away! Nothing remaineth except My Face, the Ever-Abiding, the Resplendent, the All-Glorious.
"This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendours of the Light that shineth from the face of Thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Bountiful. Verily, We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being a new creation, as a token of Our grace unto men. I am, verily, the
All-Bountiful, the AncientAnother view of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Tihrdn.
crieth out: 'Great is thy blessedness, 0 earth, for thou hast been made the footstool of thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His mighty throne.'
The realm of glory exclaimeth: 'Would that my life could be sacrificed for thee, for He Who is the Beloved of the All-Merciful hath established His sovereignty upon thee, through the power of His Name that hath been promised unto all things, whether of the past or of the future.
"Arise, and proclaim unto the entire creation the tidings that He Who is the All-Merciful hath directed His steps towards the RhJvAn and entered it. Guide, then, the people unto the garden of delight which God bath made the Throne of His Paradise...
"Look not upon the creatures of God except with the eye of kindliness and of mercy, for Our loving providence bath pervaded all created things, and Our grace encompassed the earth and the heavens.
This is the Day whereon the true servants of God partake of the life-giving waters of reunion, the Day whereon those that are nigh unto Him are able to drink of the soft-flowing river of immortality, and they who believe in His unity the wine of His Presence, through their recognition of Him Who is the highest and Last End. of all, in Whom the
Page 598Tongue of Majesty and Glory voiceth the call: 'The Kingdom is Mine. I, Myself, am, of Mine own right, its Ruler...'
"Rejoice with exceeding gladness, 0 people of Baha, as ye call to remembrance the Day of supreme felicity, the Day whereon the Tongue of the Ancient of Days bath spoken, as He departed from His House, proceeding to the Spot from which He shed upon the whole of creation the splendours of His name, the All-Merciful."9 Heads were bent as the immensity of that Declaration touched the consciousness of men. Sadness had vanished; joy, celestial joy, prevailed.
Bahá'u'lláh left BaghdAdon May 3rd, 1863, and arrived at the capital of the Turkish Empire three months later. He had been summoned there on the orders of the SultAn. Was lie to face a formal trial? Was His case to be investigated by the Ottoman ruler in person? Was He to be led to prison in some distant part or to be kept indefinitely in Istanbul? Such questions undoubtedly assailed the minds of His people; no one was certain. Yet, although they could find no convincing answers, and although the future looked dark and perilous, many of His followers shared His exile with willing hearts.
From the Sublime PorteBahá'u'lláh solicited no favour. His only protest was His silence. Several of the dignitaries of the capital called upon Him. Mound an oriental court in thelast century thrived malcontents and intriguers. While Living in IHag~dAd, Bahá'u'lláh had been approached by a number of such persons who had hoped to win the affection of the BThfs.
He had refused to meet them, and the few who gained admittance to His presence had received no encouragement.
In Constantinople, Bahá'u'lláhHe refused all association with their designs. His Cause had not the remotest connection with sedition; in fact, the whole urge of His teachings was absolutely otherwise. Was this not also the path taken by Christ eighteen hundred years before? Calm, serene and patient, Bahá'u'lláh awaited the decision of
His oppressors. Thus HeAt last they banished Him to Adirnih (Adrianople).
So began another journey fraught with hardships.In falling snow, He and His companions set out towards their destination, without adequate means to provide against the rigours of a severe winter.
The journey took them twelve days, and they arrived at Adirnili in a state of exhaustion. Yet even thus engulfed, Bahá'u'lláh could write in such terms as these: "lam not impatient of calamities in His way, nor of afflictions for His love and at His goodpleasure...
Through affliction bath His light shone, and His praise been bright unceasingly; this has been His method through past ages and bygone times."
Bahá'u'lláh was now a prisoner of the Ottoman government.
It had no charge to bring against Him, and yet it restrained the freedom of His movements.
At Adrianople Bahá'u'lláhissued an open and public announcement of His Revelation, and the Báb's, wherever they were, except for a few dissident voices, rallied to His Cause and submitted to His God-given Authority.
Henceforth they were styled Baha'is. Azal, however, though outwardly subdued, was, with a number of the self-seeking around him, secretly engaged in opposition. The account of his intrigues and base dealings makes sorry reading.
He and his accomplices dared not come into the open, because their motives were too transparent not to be detected and exposed.
Azal imagined that he was undermining Bahá'u'lláh's position; in fact he was bringing ruin upon himself.
Bahá'u'lláh did His utmost to save His brother, but His kindness and generosity met with more venom and hatred. Time, that unfaltering test of right and wrong, eventually showed the hollowness of Azal's contention and the misery of his purpose.
He introduced poison into Bahá'u'lláh's food. Bahá'u'lláh's life was saved, but the effects of that deadly substance remained with Him to the end of His days. Having failed in his dastardly attempt, Azal turned round and pointed an accusing finger at Bahá'u'lláh.
It was his Brother, he alleged, Who had poisoned the food, and then accidentally partaken of it. Today, at the remove of a century, we can pity the malefactor, and feel amused by his calumnies and presumptions. At the time, such vile conduct served to increase the rigours of Bahá'u'lláh's life.
The following is an extract from the autobiography of UstAd Muhammad-'Ali, the barber attendant upon
Bahá'u'lláh in Adria-nople:Detail of ornamentation in the bath of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Tihrdn.
waiting for the Blessed Cause. Azal went on to Perfection to arrive, Azalpraise courage and bravery came in, washed himself and said that some were and began to apply henna. brave by nature and at I sat down to serve him the right time it showed and he began to talk to in their conduct. He again me. He mentioned a former Governormentioned Nayriz and of Nayriz who had killed said that at one time the believers and had there was left of the been an inveterate enemy children of the believers of the only one boy, of ten or eleven pp
Page 600years. One day, when the Governor was in the bath, this boy went in with a knife, and as the Governor came out of the water, he stabbed him in the belly and ripped him open. The Governor cried out and his servants rushed into the bath, saw the boy with the knife in his hand and attacked him. Then they went to see how their master was, and the boy, although wounded, rose up and stabbed him again.
Azal again began to praise bravery and to say how wonderful it is to be courageous. He then said, 'See what they are doing in the Cause; everybody has risen up against me, even my brother, and in my wretched state I know nothing of comfort.'
His tone and implication were that he, being the successor of the BTh, was the wronged one and his Brother an usurper and aggressor. (I take refuge in God!) Then he again said that bravery is praiseworthy, and the Cause of God needs help. In all this talk, relating the story of the Governor of Nayriz and praising bravery and encouraging me, he was really urging me to kill Bahá'u'lláh.
The effect of all this upon me was so disturbing that I had never felt so shattered in my life.
I felt as if the building were tumbling about me.I said nothing, but in a very agitated state of mind went out to the anteroom and sat upon the bench there. I told myself that I would go back to the bath and cut off his head, no matter what the consequences. Then I reflected that to kill him was not an easy matter and perhaps I would offend
Bahá'u'lláh. SupposeI kill this man, I said to myself, and then go into the presence of the Blessed Perfection and He asks me why I killed him, what answer could I give? This thought prevented me from carrying out my intention. I returned to the bath and being very angry told Azal to 'clear off'.* Azal began to whimper and to tremble and asked me to pour water over his head to wash off the henna. I complied and he washed and went out of the bath in a state of great trepidation and I have never seen him since.
My condition was such that nothing could calm me. As it happened the Blessed Perfection did not come to the bath that day, but Mirza Miis& (Bahá'u'lláh's faithful brother) came, and I told him that Azal had set me on fire with his fearful suggestion. Mirza MfisA said, "He has been thinking of this for years; take no notice of him. He has always been thinking in this way."
* in Persian tbis is highlyi nsulting.No one else came to the bath so I closed it. I then went to the Master* and told Him that Mirza Ya~yA had spoken words which had infuriated me and that I had wanted to kill him but did not.
The Master said this was something which people did not realize and told me not to speak of it but to keep it secret.
I then went to Mirza Aq~ J6n (Bahá'u'lláh's amanuensis and secretary) and reported the whole incident to him and asked him to tell Bahá'u'lláh. AqA JAn returned and said: "Bahá'u'lláh says to tell UstAd Mubammad-'AII not to mention this to anyQne."
That night I collected all the writings of Azal and went to the coffee room of Bahá'u'lláh's house and burnt them in the brazier. Before doing so I showed them to seven or eight of the believers present, saying "These are the writings of Azal".
They all protested and asked me why I did it. I answered that until today I esteemed Azal highly, but now he was less than a dog in my sight.
From Adrianople, and later from 'Akka, Bahá'u'lláh addressed the rulers of the world in a series of Letters. To them He declared His Divine Mission, and called them to serve peace, justice and righteousness.
The majestic sweep of His counsel and admonition revealed in these letters, arrests the deepest attention of every earnest student of the Bahá'í Faith.
Here we see a Prisoner wronged by the world, judged and condemned by a conspiracy of tyrants, facingthe concourse of sovereigns, nay, the generality of mankind. He stands in judgment upon the values of human society, and undaunted, He throws a bold challenge, not alone to His oppressors, not alone to ephemeral shadows of earthly might and dominion, but principally to those dark passions and motives which dare to intervene between man and the goal destined for him by his Maker.
Here, an Exile rejected and betrayed is seen to be the True and Only
Judge.* * * Bahá'u'lláh's fame was now spreading far and wide. Except for a very small number who supported Mal, the BANs, wherever they were, had accepted the Divine mandate of
Bahá'u'lláh. The Turkishauthorities in Adrianople treated Him with great courtesy and marked
* 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh'sA view of the section of Baghddd where the House of Bahá'u'lláh is located � looking across the Tigris river.
respect. Governors such as SulaymAn PAshA and Khurshid PAshA sought His company with eagerness. And many of His followers from Persia and neighbouring lands travelled to Adrianople to drink deeply at the fount of His Revelation.
All these things stung his adversaries to fresh action. Azal and his miserable accomplices, discredited and disowned by the community, their tortuous devices and designs abortive and exposed, having failed repeatedly to shake the allegiance which the Báb's had given to Bahá'u'lláh, next tried to poison the minds of the rulers of the Ottoman Empire against Him � their true Benefactor Whom they hated so venomously.
They sent anonymous letters to Constantinople, in which they accused Bahá'u'lláh of collusion with the Bulgarian leaders and European powers in a plot to capture the capital with the aid of His followers. Sult6n 'Abdu'1-'Azfz and his ministers took fright and Azal's treachery bore him bitter fruit, for not only were Bahá'u'lláh and His people condemned to imprisonment in the desolate barracks of 'Akid, but Azal himself was banished, to Cyprus � to oblivion.
He outlived Bahá'u'lláh, dragging on existence until the year 1912, impenitent to the end, a broken man, the victim of his passions and selfish pursuits.
One morning, without any previous intimation, soldiers were posted round the house of Bahá'u'lláh, and His followers were told to prepare for their departure from Adrianople. Bahá'u'lláh writes thus of that event: "The loved ones of God and His kindred were left on the first night without food. The people surrounded the house, and Muslims and Christians wept over Us... We perceived that the weeping of the people of the Son (Christians) exceeded the weeping of others � a sign for such asponder."bO Aqa RhJ~, a steadfast follower of Bahá'u'lláh, who shared His exiles from BaghdAd to 'Ak1c~, relates that, "A great tumult seized the people.
All were perplexed and full of regret... Some expressed their sympathy, others consoled us and wept over us. Most of our possessions were auctioned at half their value."'1 Some of the foreign consuls resident in Adrianople offered their assistance to Bahá'u'lláh, which He courteously refused,
The Governor, Khurshidment's decision a travesty of justice, and felt unable to carry it through.
He deputed another official to inform Bahá'u'lláh of the judgment passed upon Him. People thronged to bid farewell to the One Whom they had learned to love and esteem. With tears welling from their eyes, they kissed the hem of His robe.
On August 12th, 1868, Bahá'u'lláh and His family, accompanied by a Turkish escort, took once again the road to exile. They reached 'Akka on the last day of the month.
'Akka, Ptolemais of the ancient world, St. Jean d'Acre of the Crusaders that defied the siege of Richard I of England, and in a later age refused to bow to the might of Napoleon, a city that had gathered renown throughout the centuries, had indeed fallen into disrepute at this period of its chequered history. Its air and water were foul and pestilential Proverb had it that a bird flying over 'Ak1c~ would fall dead. To its forbidding barracks were consigned the desperadoes and dangerous criminals of the Ottoman realms � there to perish.
This was also the city of which David had spoken as "The Strong City", which Hosea had called "A door of hope", of which Ezekiel had said, "Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east."12 And the Founder of IslAm had thus eulogized this very city, "Blessed the man that hath visited 'Akka, and blessed be he that bath visited the visitor of 'Ak/cd.
He that raisetlz therein the call to prayer, his voice will be lifted up unto Paradise."" The 'Aklc6 which opened its gates to receive as a prisoner the Deliverer of the world, was a city that had fathomed the depths of misery. And Bahá'u'lláh's exile to Palestine, the Holy Land, His incarceration in the grim citadel of 'Akka, was intended by His adversaries to be the final blow which, in their calculations, would shatter His Faith and fortune. How significant and momentous will this exile seem, if we recall certain prophecies uttered in the past. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the Son of Bahá'u'lláh and the Expounder of His Message, thus speaks of this stupendous event: "When Bahá'u'lláh came to this prison in the Holy Land, the wise men realized that the glad tidings which God gave through the tongue of the Prophets two or three thousand years before were again manifested, and that God was faith
Page 603ful to His promise; for to some of the Prophets He had revealed and given the good news that 'The Lord of Hosts should be manifested in the Holy Land.' All these promises were fulfilled and it is difficult to understand how Bahá'u'lláh could have been obliged to leave Persia, and to pitch His tent in this Holy Land, but for the persecution of His enemies, His banishment and exile."'4 "Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates," David had so majestically announced; "even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory."15 "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them," Isaiah had said, "and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God."1' "The Lord will roar from Zion," had been Amos's testimony, "and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither."'7 And Micab had thus foreseen, ". from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain," he shall come.'8 Life in the barracks of 'Akka was indeed hard and hazardous. The prisoners were about seventy in number: men, women and children, all huddled in a few dirty and nieagrely protected cells. They were viewed with the utmost hostility by the townsmen. On their arrival they were greeted derisively at the landing-place by a group of idle onlookers who had gathered in a mocking mood to seethe "God of the Persians". The first night in the prison they were, Bahá'u'lláh tells us, "deprived of either food or drink.. They even begged for water and were refused." Their rations consisted of three flat loaves of black and unpalatable bread for each person. Later slight concessions were made, but food remained pitiably inadequate and the water supply was polluted.
Before long disease raged among them. In vain they pleaded with the governor for medical succour. All but two were ill and helpless.
Thee of them died. Two of these were brothers who died, in the words of Bahá'u'lláh, "locked in each other's arms". Their bodies could not be removed, because the guards required money to induce them to carry out their duty. Bahá'u'lláh gave the carpet on which He slept, to be sold for this purpose. The sum thus raised was given to the wardens, and even then the dead were not given a proper burial.
But amidst their afflictions, the prisoners retained their serenity. They were happy because they were co-sharers in the sufferings of their Lord, and dwelt near His Persop.
For a long while the Bahá'ís in IrAn and elsewhere possessed no news of Bahá'u'lláh. Later it was possible to establish communications, and a number came to 'Akka to find prison walls intervening between them and the One Whose presence they so eagerly sought. Some had journeyed on foot over the high mountains of western IrAn and the burning deserts of 'IrAq and Syria. They had perforce to content themselves with a momentary glimpse of His figure, as He stood behind the bars, and they beyond the second of the moats which surrounded the prison. Only a wave of His hands from afar was their reward; and then they turned homewards, grateful for the bounty conferred upon them. That was enough to kindle a more vigorous flame in their hearts, enough to make their dedication more dedicated. Others came in their wake, and took back the memory of that Figure appearing at the window, behind iron bars � a memory which they treasured above everything in their lives. And some had the supreme bounty of gaining admittance to the "Most Great Prison", to the Presence of Bahá'u'lláh.
Close confinement in the barracks lasted until October, 1870. Military reinforcements had been sent to that part of the Ottoman Empire and the citadel of 'Akka was in demand for their accommodation.
The prisoners were led out, but not to freedom.Bahá'u'lláh and His family were conducted to a small house within the city walls, and others were lodged in a caravanserai. They were still held as prisoners inside the town.
Four months before this event a further tragedy, dire and poignant, had cast its shadow upon them.
That was the death of Mirza Milidi, entitledHe had shared his Father's exile from childhood, and was His amanuensis.
Page 604One day at dusk, while walking on the roof of the prison, engaged in his devotions, he fell through a skylight and received fatal injuries. "His dying supplication to a grieving
Father," writes Shoghiof the Faith, "was that his life might be accepted as a ransom for those who were prevented from attaining the presence of their Beloved." He was twenty-two years old.
One might imagine that release from strict bondage would have spelt relief Such was not the case however. Enclosed within the barracks, Bahá'u'lláh and His companions had few contacts with the inhabitants of 'Akl&, while rumours of the ugliest kind regarding them were spread abroad. Ignorant of the real identity of Bahá'u'lláh, the townsmen relegated Him and His followers to the same category as the previous inmates of the prison of 'Akka. Even worse, in their unrestrained imaginations, they laid every odious act to the charge of the Baha'is, whom they described as renegades from the true faith, traitors to the august person of the SultAn, plotters against the peace and the security of the land, licentious ruffians and outlaws who deserved the censure of the righteous. These were the same views held of Christians in the first centuries of the Christian Era. The Baha were ushered into this charged atmosphere of undisguised hatred and contempt. Their task of conciliation was indeed herculean.
Then bappened an awful act, committed by seven of the Baha, which added to the furies of the populace. When the Ottoman authorities sent Bahá'u'lláh to the prison of 'Akka, they included in the band of His followers accompanying Him, some of the accomplices of Azal, as spies. These men never lost an opportunity to torment the exiles and spread falsehoods. Their constant schemings brought fresh sorrows in their wake, further incited the townsmen against Bahá'u'lláh, and placed His life in great jeopardy. On Ills part Bahá'u'lláh repeatedly exhorted His followers to forbearance, and counselled them to avoid any deed which bore, no matter how remotely, any re. semblance to retaliation. But the treachery and malevolence of the adversaries waxed high. Then it was that seven of the Bahá'ís chose to disregard the injunctions of Bahá'u'lláh, and slew three of the evil men.
This flagrant act not only aroused the people, but forcing the intervention vention of the officials, subjected the Person of Bahá'u'lláh to arrest and interrogation. 'Abdu'l-Bahá was put in chains for one night. Viewing this calamitous event, Bahá'u'lláh wrote: "My captivity cannot harm Me. That which can harm Me is the conduct of those who love Me, who claim to be related to Me, and yet perpetrate what causeth My heart and My pen to groan. My captivity can bring Me no shame," He also wrote.
"Nay, by My life, it conferretli on Me glory.That which can make Me ashamed is the conduct of such of My followers who profess to love Me, yet in fact follow the
EvilSuch was the measure of Bahá'u'lláh's sufferings in the prison-city of 'Akka.
Notwithstanding the fierce prejudices which assailed them on every side, the Bahá'ís succeeded before long in subduing the hatred of the populace.
A war was waged between the forces of character and integrity, and turbulent passions bred by ignorance. In the end victory went to the side which had risen above the plane of conflict, and in submitting its will to a Higher Will, had freed itself of fear and distrust. It gradually dawned upon the officials and the leaders of religion that their Chief Prisoner was not an ordinary man, that they had in their custody a Personage of vastly superior gifts and powers. They became enamoured of His majestic bearing, of His amazing knowledge of human affairs, of His disarming charity and forbearing nature.
Their prisoner He was, but a time came when it was almost impossible to realize the fact, or to enforce the harsh and drastic injunctions of the government in Constantinople.
Baha came from far and wide, and with little difficulty attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh.
High officials of the Ottoman government sought interviews with the Prisoner, to pay Him their respects.
The Mufti of 'Akka, who was once a bigoted opponent, gave Him his allegiance.
The new governor, Abmad Big Tawfiq, begged to be allowed to render Him a personal service, and was told by Him to repair, instead, the aqueduct outside the town which had become derelict.
This measure ensured the water supply of 'Akka, and the people said that the air of their town had taken a decided turn for the better, since Bahá'u'lláh's arrival in their midst. Later, another governor, MustafA 9iyA
Page 605PAsb~ made it known that should Bahá'u'lláh wish to leave 'Akka for the countryside, He would not be prevented.
However nine years elapsed before Bahá'u'lláh left the confines of the city walls. 'Abdu'l-Bahá gives us a graphic account of the circumstances of that significant event.
Significant indeed it was, as it verified a promise uttered by Bahá'u'lláh long before, while still incarcerated in the forbidding barracks of the prison town. "Fear not," He had written, "these doors shall be opened, My tent shall be pitched on Mount Carmel, and the utmost joy shall be realized."
Bahá'u'lláh was very fond of the countryside, but, detained within the cheerless walls of 'Akka, He was barred from the beauties of nature. A day came when He said, "I have not gazed on verdure for nine years. The country is the world of the sou4 the city is the world of bodies." Then 'Abdu'l-Bahá knew that the time had arrived when it would be possible to end the spell of imprisonment. Accordingly He went in search of a house in the plains.
Some four miles north of 'Akka, He rented the residence of 'Abdu'llAh PAshA. This is the house which we know as Mazra'ih.
He also rented the garden of Na'mayn which lay in the middle of a river, only a short distance from the city. Later Bahá'u'lláh gave it the name of RicjvAn, an honour reminiscent of that garden outside Bag~d~d where Bahá'u'lláh first spoke of His Divine mandate. These abodes were ready to receive Him, but Bahá'u'lláh, considering Himself still a prisoner would not agree to leave the city walls.
He maintained that He was not entitled to the freedom of His movements. A second and a third time 'Abdu'l-Bahá repeated His request to His Father, and received the same answer. Next the Mufti of 'Akka, Shay~h 'Aliy-i-Miri, who was very devoted to Bahá'u'lláh, pleaded with Him: "God forbid! Who has the power to make you a prisoner.
You have kept yourself in prison." At the end the S~ay~jh obtained His consent.
Mter two years at Mazra'ih,residence to a neighbouring house � the Mansion of Bahá'í � built by a man named 'Udi Khamm6r, and there He lived the remaining years of His life. Whilst Bahá'u'lláh was imprisoned in the citadel, this charming mansion was in the process of construction. Now its owner had fled due to fear of a raging epidemic, and the spacious building was vacant. It was rented by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and afterwards purchased.
Baha, meaning "Delight", was near the coast, but far enough from the drab surroundings of 'Akka to be invested with rural beauty.
From the windows of His room, Bahá'u'lláh could watch the pure blue of the Mediterranean, the distant minarets of the prison-city, and even further, beyond the bay, He could see the dim outline of the gentle slope of Mount Carmel. The Mansion, in all its splendour, stands guard today over the adjoining Shrine which, to the Baha'is, is the most sacred spot on the face of the earth, and liar-bours the mortal remains of Bahá'u'lláh.
In its radius one can experience that peace for which one's soul has ever yearned.
Dr. J. E. Esslemont, author of that immortal work, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, thus describes the life at Baha'i: "Having in His earlier years of hardship shown how to glorify God in a state of poverty and ignominy, Bahá'u'lláh in His later years at Babji showed how to glorify God in a state of honour and affluence. The offerings of hundreds of thousands of devoted followers placed at His disposal large funds which He was called upon to administer. Although His life at Bahá'í has been described as truly regal, in the highest sense of the word, yet it must not be imagined that it was characterized by material splendour or extravagance. The Blessed Perfection and His family lived in very simple and modest fashion, and expenditure on selfish luxury was a thing unknown in that household. Near His home the believers prepared a beautiful garden called RhJvAn, in which He spent many consecutive days or even weeks, sleeping at night in a little cottage in the garden.
Occasionally He went further afield. He made several visits to 'Akka and Haifa, and on more than one occasion pitched His tent on Mount Carmel, as He had predicted when imprisoned in the barracks at 'Akki"20 It was to Baha that Edward Granville Browne, the distinguished orientalist and Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge, then at the outset of his brilliant academic career, came in April, 1890. Returned home, he committed to paper the impressions he had received: "So here at Behjd was I installed as a guest, in the very midst of all that Báb's accounts most noble and most holy; and here did I spend five most memorable days, during which I enjoyed unparalleled and unhoped-for opportunities of
Page 606Mural paintings on the balcony walls of the Mansion at Baha ivliere Bahá'u'lláh spent the last years of His life.
Page 607Detail of mural paintings on the balcony walls oft/ic Mansion at Baha
Page 608holding intercourse with those who are the very fountainheads of that mighty and wondrous spirit which works with invisible but ever-increasing force for the transformation and quickening of a people who slumber in a sleep like unto death. It was in truth a strange and moving experience, but one whereof I despair of conveying any save the feeblest impression. I might, indeed, strive to describe in greater detail the faces and forms which surrounded me, the conversations to which I was privileged to listen, the solemn melodious reading of the sacred books, the general sense of harmony and content which pervaded the place, and the fragrant shady gardens whither in the afternoon we sometimes repaired; but all this was nought in comparison with the spiritual atmosphere with which I was encompassed.
The spirit which pervades the Báb's is such that it can hardly fail to affect most powerfully all subjected to its influence. It may appal or attract: it cannot be ignored or disregarded. Let those who have not seen disbelieve me if they will; but, should that spirit once reveal itself to them, they will experience an emotion which they are not likely to forget."21 Edward Browne has left us a pen-portrait of Bahá'u'lláh.
It is the oniy one of its kind in existence, and therefore of tremendous value to the student of the Baha Faith. Today a visitor to Baha can read this document, before venturing into Bahá'u'lláh's chamber. Thus can one try to recreate in one's mind the interview granted to the English orientalist: my conductor paused for a moment while I removed my shoes. Then with a quick movement of the hand, he withdrew, and, as I passed, replaced the curtain; and I found myself in a large apartment, along the upper end of which ran a low divan, while on the side opposite to the door were placed two or three chairs. Though I dimly suspected whither I was going and whom I was to behold (for no distinct intimation had been given to me), a second or two elapsed ere, with a throb of wonder and awe, I became definitely conscious that the room was not untenanted. In the corner, where the divan met the wall, sat a wondrous and venerable figure, crowned with a felt headdress of the kind called nil by dervishes (but of unusual height and make), round the base of which was wound a small white turban.
The face of him on whom I gazed I can never forget, though I cannot describe it. Those piercing eyes seemed to read one's very soul; power and authority sat on that ample brow; while the deep lines on the forehead and face implied an age which the jetblack hair and beard flowing down in indistinguishable luxuriance almost to the waist seemed to belie.
No need to ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before one who is the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain!
"A mild dignified voice bade me be seated, and then continued: "Praise be to God that thou ha st attained!... Thou liast come to see aprisoner and an exile. We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; yet they deem us a stirrer-up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and banishment.
That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled � what harm is there in this?... Yet so it shall be; these fruitless sin/es, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the "Most Great Peace" shall come. Do not you in Europe need this also? Is not this that which Christ foretold?...
Yet do we see your kings and rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on means for the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the happiness of mankind.
These .strifes and this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as one kindred and one family..
Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this; that he loves his kind...'
"Such, so far as I can recall them, were the words which, besides many others, I heard from BehA. Let those who read them consider well with themselves whether such doctrines merit death and bonds, and whether the world is more likely to gain or lose by their diffusion."22 In that year, 1890, Bahá'u'lláh visited Haifa, and pitched His tent on Mount Carmel.
To the Mountain of God came the Lord of Hosts, and the prophecies of old as well as His own emphatic promise were fulfilled. He visited Haifa four times and once He raised His tent in the neighbourhood of the Carmelite monastery within which is the Cave of Elijah. There He revealed a Tablet which we know as the Tablet
Page 609609 of Carmel, majestic and momentous, ringing with joy and with triumph.
* * * One day, Bahá'u'lláh, standing by the side of some lone cypress trees, nearly halfway up the slopes of Mount Carmel, pointed to an expanse of rock immediately below Him and told His Son, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, that on that spot should be built the mausoleum to enshrine the remains of the Báb, the Martyr-Prophet-� remains that had been kept in hiding since the second night after July 9th, 1850, the day on which the BTh was shot in the public square of Tabriz.
More than a decade had to elapse before 'Abdu'l-Bahá could carry through the mandate laid upon Him by His Father. Today, on the very spot indicated by I3ahA'u'116h, stands a mausoleum of glorious beauty, surmounted by a golden dome reflecting many hues of the sea and sky, and surrounded by gardens that ravish the eyes and enchant the soul. Within that mauso-lenin the mangled remains of the Martyr-Prophet are laid to rest.
The last years of Bahá'u'lláh's life were devoted to writing and revealing innumerable Tablets,
Epistles and Treatiseson many and varied subjects of spiritual and educative purport. He was relieved of such cares as His supreme station entailed by the able administration of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Who shielded Him from the interference of the outside world and met and conversed with the officials of the Government, inquirers and the learned, admitting into the Presence of Bahá'u'lláh only those who had genuine problems to resolve.
It was during the years of confinement within the city walls of 'Akka that He had revealed, besides many other Tablets, "The Mother Book of His Dispensation", thus styled by the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith.
That was the Kitáb-i-AqdasTherein He specified the laws and the institutions of His World Order; addressed, admonished and warned the leaders and rulers of men, individually and collectively; exhorted His followers, indeed the generality of mankind, to walk in the paths of righteousness, to be just, to be tolerant, to be truthful, to be loyal, to shun division and conflict, to live in peace.*
* In the Kitáb-i-Aqdasthere are laws thateoncern the individual, and laws that guard the wellbeing of society; laws that find immediate application, and laws that await the world of the future.
The last book which flowed from His creative Pen was Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, a book addressed to a clergyman of IsfaliTh, an inveterate and notorious enemy of the Faith, whose greed and schemings resulted in murder and cruel persecution.
Here Bahá'u'lláh reiterates His challenge to His detractors, Ills Call is from God, His trust is in God, and no earthly power can deter Him in His purpose. Herein is also a representative selection from the vast volume of His Writings, culled and presented by Himself.
The Writings of Bahá'u'lláhin their range, their scope and their depth, remain unequalled amongst the Scriptures of mankind.
We should pause to examine in brief their nature and their purport. That erudite Bahá'í scholar and teacher, Mirza Abu'1~FaCj1* of Gu1pAyg~n,t classifies them into four categories, namely, laws and ordinances; meditations, communes and prayers; interpretations of the sacred scriptures of the past; and finally discourses and exordiums.
Of the first category he writes: "Some of them contain laws and regulations whereby the rights and interests of all the nations of the world can be perpetuated, for these statutes are so enacted that they meet the necessities of every land and country, and are acceptable to every man of intelligence.
In this universality they resemble the laws of Nature, which secure the progress and development of all peoples; and they will bring about universal union and harmony."23 Some of the principal Works of the Author of the Bahá'í Faith have been mentioned in previous pages, and it is impossible to tabulate the rest in this limited account of His life. Bahá'u'lláh states that the volume of His revealed Word totals the Scriptures of the Manifestations preceding Him. We ought to remember the incalculable advantage which the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh possess in relation to the Holy Books of former times.
Their originals are extant and well preserved, and future generations will be spared the crushing responsibility of deciding the authenticity of the Works ascribed to the Prophet.
Oral tradition finds no place in the Scriptures of the Bahá'í Faith.
Bahá'u'lláh left His human temple on the 29th of May, 1892. A telegram bore the news to the Sulpin of Turkey: "The Sun of DaM has set."
* 1844 � 1914. t A town inYet It shines dazzlingly in the full meridian. Its energizing and life-bestowing rays continue to revivify the hearts and minds of men, to penetrate the dark clouds of superstition, bigotry and prejudice, to disperse the heavy and oppressive fogs of despair and disillusionment, to shed light upon the baffling problems which bewilder a wayward, fatigued and storm-tossed humanity.
Man has essayed to dim Its brilliance, to deny Its potency, to abjure Its gifts, to disparage Its claims � futile and bootless attempts, for the signal proof of the sun remains the sun itself Seventy years separate us from the days when Bahá'u'lláh lived amongst men. The Faith which He proclaimed has encircled the globe and marches from triumph to triumph, and the resplendent edifice which Lie raised stands to offer certitude and peace to a disordered world.
In Ills Will and Testament, Bahá'u'lláh appointedwe know as 'Abdu'l-Bahá (the Servant of Glory), the Centre of His Covenant with all men, and the sole Expounder of His revealed Word. His name was 'Abbas.
His Father referred to Him as the "Greatest Branch", and spoke of Him as the
"Mystery of God". Bahá'u'lláhreferred to Him also as the "Master", and so did the Baha'is. 'Abdu'l-Bahá was the designation which He chose for Himself, after His Father's ascension.
The Will and Testamentof Bahá'u'lláh is indeed a unique document. Never before bad a Manifestation of God so explicitly established a Covenant to be the shield and the buttress of His Faith, or so clearly and indubitably named Him Who was to be His authorized successor with power to ward off the machinations of self-seekers, to keep pure and unsullied His Word, to preserve and watch over the unity of His followers, to bar sectarianism and banish corruption.
Indeed the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh is, in the words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, "the Sure Handle mentioned from the foundation of the World in the Books, the Tablets and the Scri-aires of old." "The pivot of the oneness of mankind," 'Abdu'l-Bahá has also said, "is nothing else but the power of the
Covenant."Itis on this rock � therock of the Covenant � that the edifice of the World Order is built. It is this ark, the ark of the Covenant, that has brought the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh safely through storms and hurricanes of unsurpassed intensity.
Many a Judas has tried to pierce this shield, the shield of the Covenant, only to find himself in grievous loss.
Bahá'u'lláh wrote in HisHorizon is devoid of trivial possessions of the earth, We have nevertheless bequeathed unto Our heirs a noble and peerless heritage within the treasure-house of trust and resignation.
We have left no treasure nor have We added to man's pains. In bearing hardships and tribulations and in revealing verses and expounding proofs, it has been the purpose of this oppressed One to extinguish the fire of hate and animosity, that haply the horizons of the hearts of mankind may be illumined with the light of concord and attain real tranquillity.
Truly I say, the tongue is for mentioning that which is good; do not defile it by evil speech..
Man's station is great..This is a Day great and blessed. Whatsoever was hidden in man is today being revealed. The station of man is great, were he to cling to truth and righteousness and be firm and steadfast in the Cause.. .0 people of the world! The religion of God is to create love and unity; do not make it the cause of enmity and discord. All that is regarded by men of insight and the people of most lofty outlook as the means for safeguarding and effecting the peace and tranquillity of man, has flowed from the Supreme Pen..
Do not make the cause of order a cause for disorder, nor the means of unity a means for disunity.
It is hoped that the people of Bah6. will observe the sacred verse: 'Say, all are created by God'.
This lofty utterance is like unto water for quenching the fire of hate and hostility which is hidden and stored in men's hearts and minds.
This single utterance will cause the various sects and creeds to attain the light of true unity.
Verily, He speaketh truth and guideth to the right path; and He is the Mighty, the Glorious, the Omnipotent..
Bahá'u'lláh had left the mortal phase. Many they were who came to mourn Him. They did not bear allegiance to Him, they could not see in Him the Redeemer of Mankind, yet they knew that a great Being had gone from their midst.
They were from diverse backgrounds and sects and Faiths � officials and leading figures and priests, learned men and poets, rich and poor, Druzes,
Sunni and ShPih Muslims, ChristiansARTICLES A Damascus and Aleppo and Cairo, they sent their eulogies and poems and tributes. And Bahá'u'lláh, at the time of His ascension, was still a prisoner of the Turkish government. No imperial edict of the Su1t~n had set Ejim free.
How different was this day of His ascension, when the plain stretching between the city of 'Akka and the Mansion of Babji teemed with crowds who came to pay Him homage and lament their loss, from that far-off day nearly twenty-four summers before when crowds had awaited His arrival at the seashore of 'Akka, to deride and insult Him. Total, unmitigated defeat seemed to be His fate then, and now all triumph was His.
Indeed, how strange and awe-inspiring had been the contrasts of His sojourn among men, particularly in the lloiy Land.
Brutally insulted in His native province, shorn of all earthly possessions, which He had in abundance, twice consigned to a prison of thieves and desperadoes, four times set on the road to exile, basely betrayed by His own brother whom He had endeavoured to protect, forced to seek the solitude of bare mountains, venomously and ferociously assailed and denounced and opposed by hordes of the mighty and the powerful and the insignificant alike, He had stood His ground with a certitude and a constancy which no adversity could shake and no cataclysm could thwart. And upon a swelling number of faithful adherents He conferred that supreme gift which Jesus had spoken of to Nicodemus when the Jewish nobleman sought Him in the dead of night � the gift of second birth.
He touched the hearts of men, and He won their allegiance by His Divine power. His followers were not alone in feeling its sweep and its command.
Many who had denied Him and reviled Him and openly contended with Him, were eventually subdued by the charm, the majesty, the kindliness, the radiance of His Being. Indeed there were many amongst these erstwhile adversaries who, without enrolling in the ranks of His followers, bore testimony to His supremacy, and lent their support in His defence.
And where was 'Abdu'1-'Aziz of Turkey, the SultAn who decreed His exile and incarceration? Where was Napoleon, the Emperor of the French who disdained His summons and waxed proud before Him? Beaten, deposed, sunk in ignominy.
N&~iri'd-Din of Persia, who had cast Him out of His native land, and who had made Him take the road to exile twice, fell only five years after the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, before the bullets of an avenger, on the very eve of his golden jubilee.
The records of history amply show that great was the fall of anyone, mighty or low alike, who dared to challenge Bahá'u'lláh, and gainsay His sovereignty. No one has opposed Bahá'u'lláh and raised his hand to injure His Cause and His followers, and has escaped shame, doom and degradation.
This is an attempt to catch the ocean in a diminutive cup, to gaze at the orb though plain glass. Far, very far from man's effort must be an adequate portrayal of a Manifestation of the
Qualities and Attributesof Almighty God. And here we deal with the life of One Whose advent implies the "coming of age of the entire human race", and under Whose dominion the earth will become one fatherland.
References1. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Bahá'u'lláh, pp.
20 � 21. Baha Publishing8. Kitáb-i-Iqdn, Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 249 � 51. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, London, 1961.
9. Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, xiv. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, London, 1949.
10. God Passes By, Shoghi Effendi, pp. 179 � 80. Baha Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1957.
11. ibid., p. 180.14. Some Answered Questions, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Chap. ix. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, London.
15. Psalms 24: 9 � 10.21. A Traveller's Narrative, Browne, E. G., pp. xxxviii � xxxix.
Cambridge University23. Bahá'í Proofs, Mirza Abu'1-Fadl, p. 71. Bahá'í Publishing Committee, New York, 1929.
Page 612Some Thoughts on the Peace Encyclical of Pope John XXIII
Uoo R. GIACHERY(Reprinted by permission. Copyright 1970 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States.)
IF we consider the past history of mankind, we readily see that all religious institutions, from time immemorial, have been concerned with the problem of individual salvation. But the needs of people in their everyday lives and in their relation to society � their freedom and general welfare � were too frequently matters of concern only when the safety and continued existence of the religious institutions were challenged and endangered.
The clergy occupied themselves with the beatitudes and the mystic aspects of life after death on the one hand and ritual and administration on the other.
They remained insensible to the longings of the masses, particularly in the fields of learning and knowledge.
The records of all extant revealed religions show clearly that in the beginning of each great Faith social progress was the concern of religion just as was spiritual salvation.
These were linked together as two aspects of the same truth. Every Founder of a great religion announced His purpose in revealing the Divine law to be "to bring happiness in the after life and civilization and refinement of character in this." As long as the fundamentals of the Founder's law were honoured and practised, as long as morality and both spiritual and material learning were the basis of culture, the conditions of a given society advanced, and individuals attained the saving qualities of faith in God and a good character. True religion has been the very basis and root principle of culture and civilization, the wellspring of "social progress, wellbeing and peace."
When the inner spirit of religion died away and when the clergy separated themselves from attention to the general welfare, progress ceased and decline began. History speaks clearly of the rise and fall, of the disintegration and abasement, the division, ignorance and oppression that follow in the wake of spiritual backsliding.
THE WEAKENING OF CHRISTIANITYAfter the first three or four hundred years of constant progress in transforming human life in a vast area of the world, a change in the church and in society began. A time came when the tenets of Christianity lived only within the shell of theological theories and ritual observances, while man wandered aimlessly from despair to hope, from joy to misery. Bloody wars took place between armies of the same faith; scientific facts were denied or ignored; the Inquisition, and persecution of the Jews and of the followers of Luther and of Calvin, dealt bodily blows to faith and hope.
In the Christian world during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the human family clamoured for some form of "political rights", as in the French Revolution and the struggle between the American colonies and the British Crown. Not alone did Christianity abandon the path of spiritual regeneration, but IslAm did likewise. After pouring a new spiritual impulse into Europe that lifted its people out of the "dark ages", IslAm itself succumbed to its own militant attitude of conquest and subjugation.
The result of this spiritual decay in both cultures was a struggle for domination and influence reaching into our century, which could have been avoided had all the religious institutions of the world prepared man for an inner belief and conviction based solely on the spiritual approach.
Human society after the time of Christ was widely regulated by a different order based on the now outworn system of master and serf, aristocrat and plebeian, caste, unilateral economic practice and the like. Scientific investiga
Page 613613 tion through several centuries was discouraged by the Christian church; indeed at times it was forbidden and its protagonists persecuted. Leaders, particularly those of Christian institutions, were caught slumbering when the first rays of light appearing on the horizon of scientific discoveries began to revolutionize the world and bring about a complete new order. Although the Renaissance of the fifteenth century heralded, after one thousand years of total darkness, the explosion to come and gave warning of the vast upheaval in the making, nevertheless, the leaders of Buddhism, of Ishm and of Christianity, missed the opportunity presented.
Deeply involved in the expansion and administration of their widespread domains and in the exercise of their temporal powers, they failed to see what lay ahead. They missed the opportunity to avert the catastrophic reactions which have successively beset the world for well over four hundred years.
CIVILIZATION WITHOUT GODDuring the past centuries, as has already been stated, men did here and there struggle for freedom, but they found little sympathetic response or encouragement from religious institutions that held power. History teaches us that any attempt to achieve rights based on justice, freedom, truth and common interests were either opposed or denied, or drowned in blood.
We may say that the fundamental reason for this long and arduous struggle lay in an erroneous conception which insidiously grew up that religion is necessary only for the salvation of the soul and that anything pertaining to human problems, such as race, politics, freedom, social and economic needs, education, and the like, did not come within the realm of spiritual consideration. The solution of these human problems, therefore, was believed to lie outside the interests of the organized religious institutions.
On the other hand, governments which were revolving around the principle of absolute monarchy, in which the life, possessions and happiness of the subject peoples were in the hands of despotic rulers, never understood the spiritual aspect of a well-regulated, law-abiding, peaceful and harmonious society.
When, in the eighteenth century, a spirit of new freedom brought to birth new states and new movements, it was, however, a continuation of the Renaissance inspiration, with church and state separated by wide chasms. Even today, with a new spiritual leaven working, it is still a "city of man," rather than a City of God, that men will be trying to build until they recognize the Source of their salvation.
THE DTVINE PLANOne hundred years ago Bahá'u'lláh presented to the whole world a set of basic principles and laws which today constitute the still unfulfilled though longed-for basis on which man can in this day found his happiness.
Exiled from His native land of Persia and kept a prisoner of the Turkish SultAn, Bahá'u'lláh was awakened by the breezes of the Holy Spirit in ample time both to foresee the revolutionary technological changes coming in the nineteenth century and to reveal a complete plan for the worldwide regeneration of mankind and the harmonious evolution of human society.
In His letter addressed (c. 1868) from His prison to N&siri'd-Din, the
Sh6h of Persia, Bahá'u'lláhproclaimed: "0 king! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hat/i been.
This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing.
And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what bath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow..
I was indeed as one dead when His behest was uttered.
The hand of the will of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Mere Wul, transformed
Me."Bahá'u'lláh, out of His great universal love for every living thing, formulated the broad, unassailable foundation for the establishment of a durable peace and of a veritable "Kingdom of God" on earth. The irresistible impact of His Revelation has produced unparalleled events and changes in the world since the middle of the last century. Though men may remain unaware of the Source, it is lending a "fresh impulse" and setting a "new direction" to men's hearts. World unity is the goal toward which His Revelation is moving all humanity.
As an element of this vast process taking place in the world, there is once again evolving
Page 614an integration of divine law and human civilization, this time on a grand and global scale. There is also a growing realization of the function of religion as a collective influence on the mass of humanity, an influence not recognized in previous ages. Bahá'u'lláh's words were spoken, God's Spirit revealed, not alone for individuals for their spiritual regeneration, but to mankind as a whole � as "compo-nent parts of one indivisible entity."
It is from this collective spiritual awakening that will arise a new order.
The world as a whole, however, except for a handful of Bahá'u'lláh's followers, has thus far ignored not only the application but even the acknowledgment of such a mighty Revelation, trying, selectively, to adopt some of His basic principles though roundabout and thorny measures and ignoring others. The first open recognition (not, however, officially admitted) came with the universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in Paris on December 10, 1948. (The writer, as an Observer to the United Nations from the Baha World Community, was present at that historic meeting. He also collaborated with other representatives of many NonGovernmental Organizations in the drafting of that document, at the NGO Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in May of that same year.)
In recent years the head of the most powerful church in Christendom, after some lesser attempts by one or two of his predecessors, has had to admit openly the need to transfer the whole matter of "human rights" from the political-economic-social area of human activities to the more effective, nobler and loftier field of a spiritual crusade.
He thus has not only acknowledged but has come to support, almost word for word, what Bahá'u'lláh had formulated and proclaimed a century before � a proclamation for which Bahá'u'lláh underwent untold suffering, persecution and imprisonment for nearly forty years.
"PACEM IN TERRIS"It was on April 11, 1963 � while the Bahá'ís of the world were preparing for first the election of their supreme international body � the Universal House of Justice in Haifa at the IBahá'í World Centre � that Pope John XXIII issued to the world his last Pastoral letter, the
Encyclical "Pacem in Terris"this letter he received worldwide acclaim. (It is noteworthy that this Encyclical was addressed, for the first time in history, to "All Men of Good Will," as well as to the officials and the faithful of the church.)
In the light of the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, it will be of interest to quote from the official translation of this document. The headings are those of the writer, but they parallel the world unity principles of Bahá'u'lláh: 1. A world community. ".
men are taught [by lawsJ how.. the comnmfity of all peoples should act towards each other. the establishment of such a world community of peoples being urgently demanded today by the requirements of universal common good...
"Today the universal common good poses problems of worldwide dimensions which cannot be adequately tackled or solved except by the efforts of public authorities ... in a position to operate in an effective manner on a worldwide basis. The moral order itself, therefore, demands that such a form of public authority be established..,
its purpose is to create, on a world basis, an environment in which the public authorities of each political community, its citizens. can carry out their tasks, fulfill their duties and exercise their rights with greater security."
2. Search after truth."Every human being has the right to freedom in searching for truth... has the right to be informed truthfully.
to investigate the truth freely, with the duty of seeking it and possessing it ever more completely and profoundly."
3. Universal education."The natural law also gives man the right to share in the benefits of culture, and therefore the right to a basic education.
4. Equality between men and women."... equal rights and duties for man and woman.
Women have the right to working conditions in accordance with their requirements and their duties as wives and mothers. Since women are becoming ever more conscious of their human dignity, they will not tolerate being treated as mere material instruments.
."Human society... ought to be regarded above all as a spiritual reality.
The order which prevails in society...racial discrimination can in no way be justified, at least doctrinally or in theory."
6. Oneness of God. "Men..,are brought to a better knowledge of the true God who is personal and transcendent, and thus they make the ties that bind them to God the solid foundations and supreme criterions of their lives.
The progress of science and the inventions of technology show above all the infinite greatness of God, who created the universe and man himself" "At the present time no political community is able to pursue its own interests and develop itself in isolation, because the degree of its prosperity and development is a reflection and a component part of the degree of prosperity and development of all the other political communities."
11. Obedience to rulers."When, in fact, men obey their rulers, it is not at all as men that they obey them. Through their obedience it is God, the provident Creator of all things, whom they reverence...
7. Science and religion."It is not enough to be illumined with the gift of faith. And since our present age is one of outstanding scientific and technical progress and excellence, one will not be able to enter these organizations [for the public good] and work effectively from within unless he is scientifically competent, technically capable and skilled. In other words, it is necessary that human beings ... should so live and act in their temporal lives as to create a synthesis between scientific, technical and professional elements on the one hand, and spiritual values on the other."
8. Disannarnent. "It is with deep sorrow that we note the enormous stock of armaments that have been and still are being made in the more economically developed countries with a vast outlay of intellectual and economicresources... Justice, right reason and humanity, therefore, urgently demand that.. a general agreement should eventually be reached about progressive disarmament and an effective method of control."
9. Atomic energy � a warning."One must bear in mind that, even though the monstrous power of modern weapons acts as a deterrent, it is to be feared that the mere continuance of nuclear tests will have fatal consequences for life on the earth."
10. Spiritual solution of the economic problem. "Human beings have the natural right to free initiative in the economic field and the right to work..
and that each worker receives a wage in keeping with the laws of justice and equity... peoples should set up relationships of mutual collaboration, facilitating the circulation from one to the other of capital, goods and manpower...
12. The common good. "Men, however, composed as they are of bodies and immortal souls, can never in this mortal life succeed in satisfying all their needs or in attaining perfect happiness.
Therefore all efforts made to promote the common good, far from endangering the eternal salvation of men, ought rather to serve to promote it." These sentiments echo the pronouncements revealed by Bahá'u'lláh one hundred years ago, for which He was long subjected to exile and imprisonment.
The full significance of His Revelation becomes clearer by a comparison of His own statements with the papal pronouncements.
* The following selections from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, revealed in the latter ha if of the nineteenth century, are only a token selection from His voluminous Writings that deal with the social problems involved in a universal struggle for world unity, and the individual's spiritual orientation to a world in transition.
TEACHINGS OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH"My object is none other than the betterment of the world and the tranquillity of its peoples. The wellbeing of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.
This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded." (Gi.
286) "So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. The one true God, He Who knoweth all things, Himself testifieth
QQto the truth of these words. This goal ex-celleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the monarch of all aspirations."
(Gi. 288)"Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world.
The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."
(Gl. 250)"All nations and kindreds will be gathered together under the shadow of this Divine Banner and will become a single nation. Religious and sectarian antagonism, the hostility of races and peoples, and differences among nations, will be eliminated. All men will adhere to one religion, will have one common faith, will be blended into one race and become a single people. All will dwell in one common fatherland, which is the planet itself..
Whatsoever is latent in the innermost of this holy Cycle shall gradually appear, and be made manifest, for now is but the beginning of its growth, and the dayspring of the revelation of its signs." (WOB 204205) 2. Search after truth.
". 0 my brother, when a true seeker determines to take the step of search in the path leading to the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse and purify his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth.
Even as thou dost witness in this day how most of the people, because of such love and hate, are bereft of the immortal Face, have strayed far from the embodiments of the divine mysteries, and, shepherdless, are roaming through the wilderness of oblivion and error."
(Iqan 192 � 193)"Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker's heart, and the breeze of His lovingkindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being." (Iqan 195 � 196. These references also in GI. 264 � 267.)
3. Universal education."It is decreed that every father must educate his sons and daughters in learning and writing and also in that which hath been ordained in the Tablet. He who neglects that which hat been commanded, if he is rich, it is incumbent on the trustees to recover from him the amount required for the education of the children; otherwise this matter shall devolve on the House of Justice.
Verily We have made it an asylum for the poor and needy." (B WE 200) "Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply the dissensions that divide it may, through the power of the Most Great Name, be blotted out from its face, and all mankind become the upholders of one Ord&r, and the inhabitant of one City. ." (GL 333 � 334) "Man is the supreme Talisman.
Lack of a proper education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess. Through a word proceeding out of the mouth of God he was called into being; by one word more he was guided to recognize the Source of his education; by yet another word his station and destiny were safeguarded. The Great Being saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value.
Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom."
(Gl. 259 � 260)u '11Th emphasized and established the equality of man and woman. Sex is not particularized to humanity; it exists throughout the animate kingdoms but without distinction or preference.
�Is it becoming to man that he, the noblest of creatures, should observe and insist upon such distinction?
Woman's lack of progress and proficiency has been due to her need of equal education and opportunity. Had she been allowed this equality there is no doubt she would be the counterpart of man in ability and capacity.
The happiness of mankind will be realized when women and men coordinate and advance equally, for each is the complement and helpmeet of the other."
(B WE 241)5. Oneness of mankind. "Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.
Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony.
." (GA 288)"Adam, the parent of mankind [symboli-cally], may be likened to the tree of nativity upon which you are the leaves and blossoms. Inasmuch as your origin was one, you must now be united and agreed; you must consort with each other in joy and fragrance.
man must recognize the oneness of humanity, for all in origin belong to the same household and all are servants to the same God." (B WE 233) "We have erewhile declared � and Our Word is the truth � : 'Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship.' Whatsoever bath led the children of men to shun one another, and bath caused dissensions and divisions amongst them, hath, through the revelation of these words, been nullified and abolished. The summons and the message which We gave were never intended to reach or to benefit one land or one people only. Mankind in its entirety must firmly adhere to whatsoever hath been revealed and vouchsafed unto it. Then and only then will it attain unto true liberty...
Behold how the generality of mankind bath been endued with the capacity to hearken unto God's most exalted Word � the Word upon which must depend the gathering together and spiritual resurrection of all men..
." (GJ. 95 � 97) "Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas and convictions of the children of men."
(WOB 42)"0 ye children of men, the fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard theinterests and promote the unity of the human race.. This is the straight Path, the fixed and immovable foundation.
Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure."
(GA 215)6. Oneness of God. "Beware, beware, lest thou be led to join partners with the Lord, thy God. He is, and hath from everlasting been, one and alone, without peer or equal, eternal in the past, 617 eternal in the future, detached from all things, ever-abiding, unchangeable, and self-subsist-ing.
Bear thou witness in thine inmost heart unto this testimony which God bath Himself and for Himself pronounced, that there is none other God but Him, that all else besides Him have been created by His behest, have been fashioned by His leave, are subject to His law, are as a thing forgotten when compared to the glorious evidences of His oneness, and are as nothing when brought face to face with the mighty revelations of His unity." (GI. 192 � 193) "Regard thou the one true God as One Who is apart from, and immeasurably exalted above, all created things.
The whole universe reflecteth His glory, while He is I-Iimself independent of, and transcendeth His creatures. This is the true meaning of Divine unity.
He Who is the Eternal Truthis the one Power Who exerciseth undisputed sovereignty Over the world of being, Whose image is reflected in the mirror of the entire creation.
All existence is dependent upon Rim, and from Him is derived the source of the sustenance of all things. This is what is meant by Divine unity; this is its fundamental princi-pie."
(GA 166)7. Science and religion. "Knowledge is like unto wings for the being, and is as a ladder for ascending. To acquire knowledge is incumbent on all, but of those sciences which may profit the people of the earth, and not such sciences as begin in mere words, and end in mere words."
(BWF 189)"To study sciences and arts of all descriptions is allowable; but such sciences as are profitable, which lead and conduce to the elevation of mankind."
(BWF 195)"The fourth teaching of Bahá'u'lláh is the agreement of religion and science. God has endowed man with intelligence and reason whereby he is required to determine the verity of questions and propositions.
If religious beliefs and opinions are found contrary to the standards of science they are mere superstitions and imaginations; for the antithesis of knowledge is ignorance, and the child of ignorance is superstition. Unquestionably there must be agreement between true religion and science..."
(B WE 240)8. Disarmament. "0 kings of the earth! We see you increasing every year your expenditures, and laying the burden thereof on your subjects.
Page 618Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions." (Gi.
253 � 254) "Compose your differences, and reduce your armaments, that the burden of your expenditures may be lightened; and that your minds and hearts may be tranquilized.
Heal the dissensions that divide you, and ye will no longer be in need of any armaments except what the protection of your cities and territories demand-eth. Fear ye God, and take heed not to outstrip the bounds of moderation, and be numbered among the extravagant. ." (Gi.
250 � 251) "The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized.
The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world's Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him.
If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of every people, government and nation (GI. 249) 9. Atomic energy � a warning.
"A strange and wonderful instrument exists in the earth; but it is concealed from minds and souls.
It is an instrument which has the power to change the atmosphere of the whole earth, and its infection causes destruction."
(AWE 183)10. Spiritual solution of the economic problem.
"They who are possessed of riches... must have the utmost regard for the poor, for great is the honour destined by God for those poor who are steadfast in patience.
Please God, the poor may exert themselves and strive to earn the means of livelihood. This is a duty which, in this most great Revelation, hath been prescribed unto every one, and is accounted in the sight of God as a goodly deed." (BWF13O � 131) "It is made incumbent on every one of you to engage in some one occupation, such as arts, trades, and the like. We have made this � your occupation � identical with the worship of God, the True One... Waste not your time in idleness and indolence, and occupy yourselves with that which will profit yourselves and others beside yourself.
Thus bath the matter been decreed in this Tablet from the horizon of which the sun of wisdom and divine utterance is gleaming! The most despised of men before God is he who sitsandbegs..
." (BWF 195)"A king whom the pride of authority and independence does not withhold from being just, and whom benefits, opulence, glory, hosts and legions do not deprive of the splendours of the orb of equity � such a king shall possess a lofty station and an exalted rank in the Supreme Concourse: it is incumbent on all to assist and love such a blessed being. ." (BWF 181) "In every country or government where any of this community reside, they must behave toward that government with faithfulness, trustfulness and truthfulness." (BWF 192) 12. The common good. "0 people of God! Do not busy yourselves with your own concerns let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men. It is incumbent upon every man, in this Day, to hold fast unto whatsoever will promote the interests, and exalt the station, of all nations and just governments..
." (GJ. 93 � 95) "All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man." (Gi. 215) "Address yourselves to the promotion of the wellbeing and tranquility of the children of men. Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply the dissensions that divide it may, through the power of the Most Great Name, be blotted out from its face, and all mankind become the upholders of one Order, and the inhabitants of one City. Ye dwell in one world and have been created through the operation of one Will. Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost kindliness and love." (Gi. 333 � 334) "The wellbeing of mankind, its peace and
Page 619security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established."
(GZ. 286)"0 ye the elected representatives of the people in every land! Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be oniy for that which profiteth mankind, and bettereth the condition thereof.. Regard ye the world as the human body which, though at its creation whole and perfect, hath been afflicted, through various causes, with grave disorders and maladies... That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith."
(Gi. 254 � 255)Translated and adapted by IJabib TAhirzAdih THE mightiest proof of the greatness of Bahá'u'lláh and of the transcendental character of His divine mission lies in His Writings which streamed from Ills Pen like a torrential rain during a period of no less than forty years of uninterrupted revelation.
History clearly shows that Bahá'u'lláh never attended a school and that the tuition He received at home after the fashion of the nobility at that time was but rudimentary.
In His Epistle to the Sh6.h of Persia, Bahá'u'lláh writes these challenging words: "The learning current amongst men I studied not: their schools I entered not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou inayest be well assured that Jam not of them who speak falsely."
When we look at the surging ocean of Bahá'u'lláh's Writings against a background of a life of suffering, imprisonment, privation and manifold calamities, we are amazed at the vastness, the range and the rare quality of this priceless heritage which He has bequeathed to posterity.
Indeed no human mind can chart the extent or fathom the depths of this immense ocean or appreciate the true value and significance of those myriads of priceless gems which are enshrined in it. One striking feature of
Bahá'u'lláh's Writingsis its prodigious flow. We know for instance that the whole book of Iqan was revealed within the short space of two days during the last year of His stay in Baghd~id. Commenting on the copious outpouring of His Writings Shoghi Effendi affirms in God
Passes"A certain Mubammad Karim, a native of ShfrAz, who had been a witness to the rapidity and the manner in which the DAb had penned the verses with which He was inspired, has left the following testimony to posterity, after attaining, during those days, the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, and beholding with his own eyes what he himself had considered to be the oniy proof of the mission of the Promised One: 'I bear witness that the verses revealed by Bahá'u'lláh were superior, in the rapidity with which they were penned, in the ease with which they flowed, in their lucidity, their profundity and sweetness to those which I, myself, saw pour from the pen of the Báb when in His presence. Had Bahá'u'lláh no other claim to greatness, this were sufficient, in the eyes of the world and its people, that He produced such verses as have streamed this day from His pen.~
And further on he writes: "'Day and night,' an eyewitness has written, 'the Divine verses were raining down in such number that it was impossible to record them. Mirza AqA JAn wrote them as they were dictated, while the Most Great Branch was continually occupied in transcribing them. There was not a moment to spare.' 'A number of secretaries,' Nabf 1 has testified, 'were busy day and night and yet they were unable to cope with the task.
Among them was Mirza B6qir-i-ShirAzL.. He alone transcribed no less than two thousand verses every day. lie laboured during six or seven months. Every month the equivalent of several volumes would be transcribed by him and sent to Persia.
About twenty volumes, in his fine penmanship, he left behind as a remembrance for Mirza AqA JAn.' Bahá'u'lláh, Himself, referring to the verses revealed by Him, has written: 'Such are the outpourings..
from the clouds of Divine Bounty that within the space of an hour tire equivalent of a thousand verses kwh been revealed.'
'So great is the grace vouchsafed in this day that in a single day and night, were an amanuensis capable of accomplishing it to be found, the equivalent of the Persian Baydn would be sent down from the heaven of Divine holiness.'
'Iswear by God!' He, in another connection has affirmed, 'In those days the equivalent of alithat kwh been sent down aforetime unto the Prophets bath been revealed.' 'That which bath already been revealed in this
Page 621land (Adrianople),' He, furthermore, referring to the copiousness of His writings, has declared, 'secretaries are incapable of transcribing.
It has, therefore, remained for the most part untrans-cribed."' In The Bahá'í World volumes there is a list of some one hundred and fifty of the bestknown works of Bahá'u'lláh which were revealed in the form of books, epistles and Tablets.
But this list is by no means exhaustive; it barely covers a portion of His Writings. In order to get a fair idea of their scope and vastness we ought also to take into account:
1. Thousands of Tabletsof varying length, ranging from a few lines to numerous pages which were addressed to individual believers in Persia and other neighbouring countries.
2. The vast amount of His original Writings which have been lost to posterity either though ill-preservation, or because they fell into wrong hands, or were destroyed by enemies, or obliterated by Bahá'u'lláh's own instruction. Concerning the fate of the last portion, Shoghi Effendi quotes Nabil's testimony as follows: "No less an authority than Mirza Aqd JAn, Bahá'u'lláh's amanuensis, affirms, as reported by Nabil, that by the express order of Bahá'u'lláh, hundreds of thousands of verses, mostly written by His own hand, were obliterated and cast into the river.
'Finding me reluctant to execute His orders,' Mirza AqA JAn has related to Nabf 1, 'Bahá'u'lláh would reassure me saying: "None is to be found at this time worthy to hear these melodies.
." Not once, or twice, but innumerable times, was I commanded to repeat this act."' 3. Bahá'u'lláh's unrecorded utterances which rained down so profusely that the secretaries could not cope with their recording.
Again the Guardian invokes"So prolific was this period, that during the first two years after His return from His retirement, according to the testimony of Nabil, who was at that time living in Baglid~d the unrecorded verses that streamed from His lips averaged, in a single day and night, the equivalent of the Qur'an!"
As to the immensity of the field of Bahá'u'lláh's Writings we would do well to refer to Shoghi Effendi's comments in God Passes By: "With this book (Epistle to the Son of the Wolf) revealed about one year prior to His ascension, the prodigious achievement as author of a hundred volumes, repositories of the priceless pearls of His Revelation, may be said to have practically terminated � volumes replete with unnumbered exhortations, revolutionizing principles, world-shaping laws and ordinances, dire warnings and portentous prophecies, with soul-uplifting prayers and meditations, illuminating commentaries and interpretations, impassioned discourses and homilies, all interspersed with either addresses or references to kings, to emperors and to ministers, of both the East and the West, to ecciesiastics of divers denominations, and to leaders in the intellectual, political, literary, mystical, commercial and humanitarian spheres of human activity."
Bahá'u'lláh's Writingsare profound, and peerless in eloquence. They are lavishly sprinkled with symbolic expressions and vibrate with a spiritual potency that no pure-hearted seeker can fail to discern.
They are revealed in Persian and Arabic in a style and language which are unique and unrivalled in every sense. Unbiased scholars of the Persian and Arabic tongues readily recognize Bahá'u'lláh's Writings as a novel creation, quite distinct in wording and expression from the conventional literary styles used until then by any known writer. Indeed a casual study of these Writings would suffice to convince the unprejudiced reader that the Author must have been divinely inspired and that His knowledge and wisdom were innate and not scholastic. Needless to say, many seekers after truth who had a literary bent of mind readily embraced the Cause soon after perusing some passages from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh.
In the following pages an attempt is made to give a brief description of some of the wellknown
Works of Bahá'u'lláhwhich were revealed before His declaration in 1863 and up to the time of His arrival in 'Akka in 1868. These Writings are dealt with in chronological order following the path of His journey � TibrAn, BaghdAd, SulaymAniyyih, Bagj~dAd, Constantinople and Adrianople. A few of these works have been translated into English by the beloved Guardian; others he has referred to in his writings, chiefly
GodPasses By.This wondrous poem was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in TibrAn before He was exiled to 'IrAq, and is regarded as the first intimation of the stirring of the Spirit of God within His Soul.
The language used in this poem is full of ecstasy and exultation and contains many veiled and figurative terms such as: "the hidden ocean", "the musk-laden breeze", "the Maid of heaven", "the Day of God", "the dawn of the revelation of I am He", "the warbling of the Dove", "the living waters of God", "the wondrous Beauty", which are but the effusions of that billowing ocean of divine Revelation which surged and swelled within His inner Being, though it was still hidden from the eyes of men.
TABLET OF KULLU'T-TA'AMrevealed in the year 1854, soon after His banishment to 'Iitq. It is rather long and written in exquisite Arabic. In a passage in God Passes By Shoghi Effendi describes the circumstances which led to the revelation of this eloquent and illuminating commentary. The passage runs as follows: "The circumstances leading to the revelation of the Tablet of KuIlu'f-jj'a'dm, written during that period, at the request of IJAji Mirza KamAlu'd-Din-i-Natitqi, a Báb of honorable rank and high culture, could not but aggravate a situation that had already become serious and menacing.
Impelled by a desire to receive illumination from Mirza Ya~y~i concerning the meaning of the Qur'Anic verse 'All food was allowed to the children of Israel,'
Igji Mirza KamAlu'd-Dinhad requested him to write a commentary upon it � a request which was granted, but with reluctance and in a manner which showed such incompetence and superficiality as to disillusion 156J1 Mirza KamAlu'd-Din, and to destroy his confidence in its author. Turning to Bahá'u'lláh and repeating his request, he was honored by a Tablet, in which Israel and his children were identified with the Báb and His followers respectively � a Tablet which by reason of the allusions it contained, the beauty of its language and the cogency of its argument, so enraptured the soul of its recipient that he would have, but for the restraining hand of Bahá'u'lláh, proclaimed forthwith his discovery of God's hidden Secret in the person of the One Who had revealed it." Apart from the numerous interpretations of the terms "Israel" and "children of Israel", Bahá'u'lláh defines in this Tablet the qualities and attributes with which every seeker after truth must be endowed, dwells on the wrongs and afflictions He endured both at the hand of His foes and through the vile conduct of His friends, and alludes, in no ambiguous terms, to the imminent fulfilment of the Will of God amongst men. Another significant feature of this Tablet is that in it Bahá'u'lláh confers the exalted title of "The Last Point" upon Quddfls.
On receiving this inspiringbecame an ardent admirer of Bahá'u'lláh and later, when lie declared His mission, he distinguished himself as a devoted follower of the Faith. His name is immortalized by a number of Tablets Bahá'u'lláh '11Th revealed in his honour.
It is interesting to note that at the time of Bahá'u'lláh's departure from BaghdAd, when He was actually leaving His house for the last time amidst the wailing and weeping of the Báb's, it was this same KamM who, overwhelmed by grief and despondency, was moved to offer his infant son as a ransom, by placing him at the feet of Bahá'u'lláh.
The little child shriekingly grasped the hem of His garment with his tiny hands and made a piognant gesture which clearly meant he was begging Him not to leave. Bahá'u'lláh Himself confirms this incident in a Tablet which was revealed soon after His declaration: "He (Bahá'u'lláh) observed at His feet a suckling, withdrawn from the breast of his mother, grasp the sacred Hem with beseeching fingers and call to Him in a weak voice."
It should be noted, moreover, that IJ~ji Mirza KamAl's great-grandfather was the wellknown MuLJA Mihdi, one of the leading Muslim clergy during the reign of Fath 'Au SliTh (179 8 � 1834). He is the author of the book entitled Muhriqu'l-Qulab, which contains a stirring account of the episode of KarbilA and the martyrdom of ImAm Ifjlusayn. This is the same book parts of which were read aloud to the Báb every morning by His amanuensis during his period of incarceration, and in Nabil's words: ..... its recital would provoke intense emotion in the heart of the Báb and his tears would keep flowing as He listened to that tale." IjlAji Mirza
Page 623Kam~J passed away in his home town NarAq in Persia, in the year 1881.
SAQI AZ GIIAYB-I-BAQAAnother outpouring of divine grace which streamed from the Pen of Bahá'u'lláh during His retirement to the mountains of Sulay-mAnfyyih is this soul-entrancing ode in Persian which exhibits a rare beauty. The whole poem is full of veiled and symbolic terms which unmistakably hint at llisforthcoming
Revelation. Shoghi Effendialludes to this point in these words: "These initial and impassioned outpourings of a Soul struggling to unburden itself, in the solitude of a self-imposed exile (many of them, alas lost to posterity) are, with the Tablet of Kullu't-Ta'dm and the poem entitled Raslzh-i-'Amd revealed in Tih~n, the first fruits of His divine Pen."
The opening couplet of the above ode runs as follows: Rend asunder Thy veil, 0 Cupbearer of the invisible eternity! So that from the Face of the All-Glorious, Imay quaff the wine of immortality. All the wine in thy store can scarce allay the ardour of my love: pour out for me an ocean of thy mystic wine!
And further on occurs this verse which is familiar to many of the friends: If tlzine aim be to cherish thy life, approach not our Court: but if sacrifice be thy heart's desire, come and let others come with thee. For such is the way of Faith, if in thy heart thou seekest reunion with Baha: shouldyt thou refuse to tread this path, why trouble Us, begone!
QASIDIY-I-VARQA'IYYJT{This wonderful ode is endowed with much beauty and power.
It comprises a series of thoughtprovoking verses in Arabic and was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh during the period of His retirement to the mountains of Kurdist~n in the year 1854 � 5.
In God Passes By ShoghiEffendi describes how Bahá'u'lláh was prompted to reveal this poem at the request of a delegation of eminent doctors and distinguished scholars of KurdistAn: "Amazed by the profundity of His insight and the compass of His understanding, they were impelled to seek from Him what they considered to be a conclusive and final evidence of the unique power and knowledge which lie now appeared in their eyes to possess. 'No one among the mystics, the wise, and the learned,' they claimed, while requesting this further favor from Him, 'has hitherto proved himself capable of writing a poem in a rhyme and meter identical with that of the longer of the two odes, entitled QayiJy-i-Td'iyyih composed by lint-i-FdricL We beg you to write for us a poem in that same meter and rhyme.' This request was complied with, and no less than two thousand verses, in exactly the manner they had specified, were dictated by Him, out of which He selected one hundred and twenty-seven, which He permitted them to keep, deeming the subject matter of the rest premature and unsuitable to the needs of the times. It is these same one hundred and twenty-seven verses that constitute the Qayidiy-i-Varqd'iyyili, so familiar to, and widely circulated amongst His Arabic speaking followers."
The theme of this inspiring poem, portrayed in symbolic terms, is the advent of the Promised Day and the release of the quickening power of the Spirit of God in this age. Referring to the same poem, Shoghi Effendi affirms that it was revealed "in praise of the Maiden personifying the Spirit of God recently descended upon Him." In a passage of this verse Bahá'u'lláh also gives vent to the "agonies of His sorrow-laden heart" in these words: Noah's flood is but the measure of the tears I have shed, and Abraham's fire an ebullition of My soul.
Jacob's grief is but a reflection of My sorrows, and Job's afflictions a fraction of My calamity.
THE HIDDEN WORDSThe Hidden Words is another wellknown work of Bahá'u'lláh which was revealed in Baghddd before His Declaration in 1863. It is unique in style and captivating in eloquence and power of appeal.
In God Passes By ShoghiEffendi extols the exalted character of this work in these words: "Next to this unique repository of inestimable treasures (the Iqan) must rank that marvellous collection of gemlike utterances, The Hidden Words with which Bahá'u'lláh was inspired, as He paced, wrapped in His medita
Page 624tions, the banks of the Tigris. Revealed in the year 1274 A.H., partly in Persian, partly in Arabic, it was originally designated The Hidden Book of Fd.timih and was identified by its Author with the Book of that same name, believed by Shi'ah IslAm to be in the possession of the promised Q&im, and to consist of words of consolation addressed by the angel Gabriel, at God's command, to F~timih, and dictated to the Im~m 'Au, for the sole purpose of comforting her in her hour of bitter anguish after the death of her illustrious Father.
The significance of this dynamic spiritual leaven cast into the life of the world for the reorientation of the minds of men, the edification of their souls and the rectification of their conduct can best be judged by the description of its character given in the opening passage by its Author: "This is that which hath descended from the Realm of Glory, uttered by the tongue ofpower and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue."
In the vast field of Bahá'u'lláh'sstands out forever as a shining beacon shedding the light of divine guidance upon thepathofawaywardliumanity.
KITAB-J-IQANThe Iqan bears ample testimony to the greatness and divine knowledge of Bahá'u'lláh and is an outstanding landmark in the vast field of His Writings.
Plunging into this inexhaustible fountain of divine Truth one can find explicit answers to many questions which have, for centuries, perplexed the minds of men.
Concerning the revelation as well as the contents of this masterpiece of literary beauty and eloquence, Shoghi Effendi writes in God Passes By: "Foremost among the priceless treasures cast forth from the billowing ocean of
Bahá'u'lláh's Revelationranks the Kitáb-i-lqdn (Book of Certitude), revealed within the space of two days and two nights, in the closing years of that period (1278 A.H. � A.D. 1862). It was written in fulfillment of the prophecy of the BAt, Who had specifically stated that the Promised One would complete the text of the unfinished Persian Bay[in, and in reply to the questions addressed to Bahá'u'lláh by the as yet unconverted maternal uncle of the
Bab, lidji Mirza SiyyidMutiammad, while on a visit, with his brother, $Aji Mirza Uasan-'Ali, to KarbilA.
A model of Persian prose, of a style at once original, chaste and vigorous, and remarkably lucid, both cogent in argument and matchless in its irresistible eloquence, this Book setting forth in outline the
Grand Redemptive Schemeof God, occupies a position unequalled by any work in the entire range of Bahá'í literature, except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá'u'lláh's
Most Holy Book. Revealedon the eve of the declaration of His Mission, it proffered to mankind the 'Choice Sealed Wine', whose seal is of 'musk', and broke the 'seals' of the 'Book' referred to by Daniel, and disclosed the meaning of the 'words' destined to remain 'closed up' till the 'time of the end'.
"Within a compass of two hundred pages it proclaims unequivocally the existence and oneness of a personal God, unknowable, inaccessible, the source of all Revelation, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and almighty; asserts the relativity of religious truth and the continuity of Divine Revelation; affirms the unity of the Prophets, the universality of their Message, the identity of their fundamental teachings, the sanctity of their scriptures, and the twofold character of their stations; denounces the blindness and perversity of the divines and doctors of every age; cites and elucidates the allegorical passages of the New Testament, the abstruse verses of the Qur'an, and the cryptic Mubammadan traditions which have bred those agelong misunderstandings, doubts and animosities that have sundered and kept apart the followers of the world's leading religious systems; enumerates the essential prerequisites for the attainment by every true seeker of the object of his quest; demonstrates the validity, the sublimity and significance of the DAb's Revelation; acclaims the heroism and detachment of His disciples; foreshadows, and prophesies the worldwide triumph of the Revelation promised to the people of the Bay&n; upholds the purity and innocence of the Virgin Mary; glorifies the Lmgms of the Faith of Mubammad; celebrates the martyrdom, and lauds the spiritual sovereignty, of the
Page 625ImAm Ijusayn; unfolds the meaning of such symbolic terms as 'Return', 'Resurrection', 'Seal of the Prophets' and 'Day of Judgment'; adumbrates and distinguishes between the three stages of Divine Revelation; and expatiates, in glowing terms, upon the glories and wonders of the 'City of God', renewed, at fixed intervals, by the dispensation of Providence, for the guidance, the benefit and salvation of all mankind. Well may it be claimed that of all the books revealed by the Author of the Bahá'í Revelation, this Book alone, by sweeping away the agelong barriers that have so insurmountably separated the great religions of the world, has laid down a broad and unassailable foundation for the complete and permanent reconciliation of their followers."
This "priceless treasure" to which Bahá'u'lláh subsequently gave the title of Iqan (Certitude) was originally known among the early believers as "Epistle to the Uncle (of the Blab)", since it was his request for elucidation regarding some specific questions which prompted Bahá'u'lláh to reveal this book.
The questions he had asked were closely linked with the coming of the Promised Q&im, such as the following: The fulfillment of specific signs The question of Mubammad being considered as the last of the Prophets The resurrection of the dead The sovereignty of the
QA'imThe return of the ImAms $elief in the perpetual character of the laws of
IslAmOpposition of the clergy These as well as many other interesting topics are treated in this outstanding work.
THE SEVEN VALLEYS ANDis a monumental work in the realm of mystical thought. Shoghi Effendi refers to it as "a treatise that may well be regarded as His greatest mystical composition which He wrote in answer to the questions of $haykfi Muliyi'd-Din, the QAQI of ~h~niqayn, in which lie describes the seven stages which the soul of the seeker must needs traverse crc it can attain the object of its existence."
This profound essay opens up a new outlook on life and brings abiding delight to the heart of many a seeker after truth, The story is one of a lover who, despite much suffering and hardship, trudges through mystic valleys in his eager search for the One Who is the Object of his quest. The valleys referred to in the text are those of: Search, Love, Knowledge, Unity, Contentment,
Wonder, True Povertyand Absolute Selflessness, each of which has been described in this treatise.
The Four Valleys is a sister essay to the former.It is revealed in the same mystical language and is full of charm and food for thought.
ft streamed from the Pen of RaM-'u'11&h some time after the Seven Valleys had been revealed, and is addressed to Shaykh 'Abdu'r-RabmAn-i-KarkPti, a learned Siif I of that period. In it Bahá'u'lláh traces out four paths, namely: Spirit, Reason, Love and the Realm of Conscience, by which the ardent lover may set out on his spiritual journey to the court of the Beloved.
These two essays are unique among the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and their perusal serves immensely to enhance one's capacity for meditation and spirituad perception.
TABLET OF THE HOLY MARINERThis is one of the weightiest emanations from the Pen of Bahá'u'lláh. In it He hints at the ominous happenings which then loomed on the horizon and foreshadows the approach of a period of apprehension and grave anxiety. Expatiating on the circumstances which prevailed at the time when this Tablet was revealed Shoghi Effendi writes: "It was on the fifth of Nawruz (1863), while Bah ft'u'llAh was celebrating the festival in the Mazra'iy-i-Vash6sh in the outskirts of Bagfid~d and had just revealed the Tablet of the Holy Marincir, whose gloomy prognostications had aroused the grave apprehensions of His companions, that an emissary of NAmiq P&,h~ arrived and delivered into His hands a communication requesting an interview between Him and the governor.
"Already, as Nabil has pointed out in his narrative, Bahá'u'lláh had, in the course of His discourses, during the last years of His
Page 626sojourn in BaglidAd, alluded to the period of trial and turmoil that was inexorably approaching, exhibiting a sadness and heaviness of heart which greatly perturbed those around
Him."And further on: "'Oceans of sorrow,' Nabil affirms, 'surged in the hearts of the listeners when the Tablet of the Holy Mariner was read aloud to them... It was evident to every one that the chapter of Baglid6d was about to be closed, and a new one opened, in its stead. No sooner had that Tablet been chanted than Bahá'u'lláh ordered that the tents which had been pitched should be folded up, and that all His companions should return to the city.
While the tents were being removed He observed: "These tents may be likened to the trappings of this world, which no sooner are they spread out than the time comet/i for them to be rolled up." From these words of His they who heard them perceived that these tents would never again be pitched on that spot. They had not yet been taken away when the messenger arrived from Eag~dAd to deliver the aforementioned communication from the governor."'
LAWII-J-HURIYYJH(Tablet of the Maiden) This is yet another matchless outpouring from the Pen of Bahá'u'lláh in which, as affinned by the beloved Guardian, "events of a far remoter future are foreshadowed."
This Tablet is wholly in Arabic and begins with these words: "In the Name of God, the
Most Holy, the Most Exalted!Praise be to Thee, 0 Lord, my God. I make mention of Thee at this moment when Thy divine Luminary hat/i risen above the horizon of the sacred Mount of Thy celestial realm c/oneness."
The main part of this Tablet is couched in figurative language, depicting a wondrous Maiden who embodies the Most Great Spirit.
SURIY-I-SAiBRThis lengthy Epistle, also known as the Sfirih of Ayy6b (Job) was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh on the first day of RiQv&i 1863. The whole Sarili is written in Arabic. It is highly eloquent in style and vibrant with power and glory. In it, among other things, Bahá'u'lláh refers to the woeful episode of Nayriz and praises in glowing terms the heroism and fortitude of ValMd and the company of his fellow-sufferers. The recipient of this mighty Epistle is none other than the indomitable, the longsuffering H' Mubammad Taqi who bore heroically, over a long period, horrible tortures beyond human endurance.
Ij&ji Mubammad Taqi was one of the wealthiest natives of Nayriz, famous for his honesty and noble character. When the Báb declared His mission in 1844, he embraced the new Faith and became one of its ardent followers.
At the outbreak of the Nayriz upheaval in 1850, lThji Muhammad Taqi threw in his lot with the defenders of the Fort of Kh~jih near Nayriz, and during the whole period of siege, which lasted no less than four months, he acted as the host, furnishing unstintingly from his own resources all the food and provisions needed for the subsistence of his besieged companions. This vital contribution, together with the daring deeds whereby he managed to get the supplies into the fort in the teeth of enemy vigilance and opposition, made zaynu'1-'Abidin KhAn, the fanatical governor of Nayriz, so furious that he vowed to wreak his vengeance upon him as soon as the EThis had surrendered. Later when, through enemy treachery, the evacuation of the fort took place, tiAji Mubammad Taqi was delivered into the hands of the ruthless governor, who imprisoned him in a dungeon and tortured him daily for nearly a year.
The nature of the torture the governor had prescribed for this victim is too shocking to contemplate.
Every morning, even on cold, winter days, he was stripped of clothing, then cast into the pooi in the courtyard, while a number of guards stood around the pool and thrashed him mercilessly with rods until the water was tinged red with his blood and the victim was in a state of collapse. Mter a short time, the sight of the havoc wrought upon his body through this daily torture was frightful. His head and shoulders were a mass of blood and swollen flesh, while his face was wholly disfigured beyond recognition. Sometimes, with his ghastly wounds exposed, he was paraded through the bazaars and along the streets at the head of a shouting and jeering crowd, while his jailers were busily engaged in
Page 627extorting money from the awestruck shopkeepers and passersby.
The story of how IiAji Mu1~ammad Taqi was miraculously rescued from jail is part of Bahá'í history.
It remains to be said that he eventually went to Yazd where by the grace of God his wounds gradually healed and he was later able to go on foot to Baghd~td where he attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh not long before His declaration in 1863.
COMMENTARY ON THE LETTERSThis lengthy Epistle, revealed in Arabic, is profound.
it enshrines many pearls of divine reality and unfolds the meaning of a number of symbolic terms and passages, including various interpretations of the disconnected letters Alif, LAm, Mim, which occur at the commencement of the second Si~irih of the Qur'an. Moreover, the commentary on the figurative passage in the Qur'an which begins with the words "AIIdh is the light of the heaven and of the earth" is highly illuminating.
In this Epistle Bahá'u'lláh also expatiates on the significance and use of certain elements and makes reference to the substance known as "elixir andthephilosoplzer's stone".
This Epistle was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in Bagiid~d in reply to questions put to Him by one of the followers of the BTh, named Mirza Aq6y-i-Rik~b-SAz who was eventually martyred in Shfr~iz with two other
B~bis. Shoghi Effendiin God Passes By refers to this episode in these words: "In Shfr~iz Mirza Aq6.y-i-RikAb-S~iz, together with Mirza Rafi'-i-Khayy~t and Mash-bach Nabi, were by order of the local muitahid simultaneously strangled in the dead of night, their graves being later desecrated by a mob who heaped refuse upon them."
The muitahid who condemned the above believers to death was named Shaykh
Uusayn-i-N~im, whom Bahá'u'lláhWithin the pages of this enthralling Tablet Bahá'u'lláh proclaims the oneness of God, describes some of His transcendent attributes and affirms that no one can ever attain to His knowledge save by recognizing those who are the Bearers of His Message and the Repositories of His celestial wisdom and glory. The opening verse of this Tablet runs as follows: "This is the City of Divine Unity. Enter ye therein, 0 concourse of the believers in divine unity, so that ye may, through heavenly tidings, be numbered among those who rejoice with exceeding gladness."
From the latter part of this Tablet is wafted the vivifying breeze of the coming Springtime. Here Bahá'u'lláh gives, in clear and thrilling language, the tidings of the approaching hour of His Revelation.
One passage reads: "Hearken unto the Day when the Herald raiseth His Call in the midmost heart of the immortal realm, when the Dove of IcIiPz warbkth from the land of 'Irdq summoning all unto concord, and when the gate of heaven is flung open before the face of the entire creation.
This is the Day that shall not be overtaken by the gloom of night, as the sun receiveth its light therefrom, inasmuch as this Day is illumined by the splendour of His radiant face. By the righteousnes.v of God!
At that moment a holy and new earth is spread out at the behest of God, the Omnipotent, the Mighty, the Inaccessible."
The recipient of this beautiful Tablet was the devoted Shaykli Sa1ni~n of Hindiy~in in southern
Persia, Bahá'u'lláh'strusted and high-spirited courier during the whole period of His ministry.
He also continued his services during the days of the Master until lie passed away in Shir6z after a lifelong period of Unexcelled devotion and sacrifice.
When Bahá'u'lláh was exiled to Baghd64 in 1852, SaIm6n was the first follower of the Báb to enter His presence. Once he asked Him for some explanations about the oneness of God and how one could reach Him and know Him. In reply, Bahá'u'lláh revealed this soul-uplift-ing Tablet in his honour.
~AUIFIY-I-SHAfliYYiH In this inspiring, lengthy Tablet Bahá'u'lláh demonstrates the invincible power of the Cause of God. He asserts that no matter how formidable the reverses it might suffer in the future it is nevertheless endowed with a power such as to surmount every crisis and tear down every
Page 628obstacle that stands in its way. It is simply undefeatable. lit forges ahead victoriously from strength to strength until its glorious mission is wholly consummated. Dwelling on this subject, Bahá'u'lláh likens the irresistible march of the Faith to a great river (hence the title Sakifiy-i-Sha((iyyih meaning river-like) which when in flood carries everything before it. He portrays this point in these words: "Behold the flow of this river which we see before Us. When torrential and swollen it rolletli on and surgeth forward.
Whatever coarse it taketh, it is irresistible in its might. It taketli no notice of the hue and cry the populace raise, shouting: 'The great dyke hath burst', or 'the embankment is flooded', or 'the house is ruined', or 'the palace is devastated'.
Unconcerned it rusheth on pursuing its path with vehement fury and force and with overwhelming strength and ma]esty."
MUSIBAT-J-HUROFAT-I-'ALIYATA stream of sadness runs through this Tablet as Bahá'u'lláh dramatically depicts the transitory nature of this earthly life and brings home to one's mind, in graphic manner, the important fact that there is no refuge for man save through submission to the inscrutable Will of the Supreme Ordainer.
In the dedicatory note at the beginning of this Tablet Bahá'u'lláh affirms that this Epistle was written about the calamities of the Letters of Loftiness and that in those days He dedicated it to a particular person. Later certain individuals begged Bahá'u'lláh to write a commentary on it in the Persian tongue. It was done and this Tablet became manifest and resplendent in gemlike words. He explains also that since word-for-word translation, in conformity with the original style, lacks refinement, that which streamed forth from His Pen was recorded.
The person alluded to in the text is Bahá'u'lláh's cousin, Mirza Mubammad Vazir, who was much loved and favoured by Him.
He passed away in M~zindar~n, Persia, at the time when Bahá'u'lláh was in BaghdAd.
Ills death came as a tragic blow both to Bahá'u'lláh and the rest of the Hoiy Family, particularly to the wife and sister of the deceased named
LIavvA (Eve) and MaryamTherefore as a token of heartfelt sympathy for the loss His tw6 loved kinswomen had sustained, Bahá'u'lláh honoured them with this Tablet which immortalized their memory and brought solace and consolation to their grief-laden hearts. In the closing paragraph of this Tablet Bahá'u'lláh recalls to mind, in touching language, the burdens of care and anguish these two souls were destined to bear. The epilogue opens with these words: "However, Thou I-ian ordained that afflictions shall, in these times, be the lot of these two beauteous countenances. The first is named after the One whom Thou liast singled out to be the Mother of all mankind, and the other is the one who beareth the name of Her whom Thou hast raised above all the women in the world."
Maryam, the sister of the deceased Mirza Mubainmad
Vazir, was Bahá'u'lláh'sRfiJA Qull. She was greatly devoted to IBahA'u'Ihh, enjoyed His unqualified confidence and was highly admired by Him for her noble qualities and spiritual attainments. Notable among Maryam's writings is a poem she wrote in praise of Bahá'u'lláh in which she gives vent to the gnawing grief she bore for her separation from
Him.revealed in her name is the wellknown Tablet of Maryam from which Shoghi Effendi quotes a few passages in God Passes By. One passage is as follows: "The wrongs I suffer have blotted out the wrongs suffered by My First Name (the BeTh) from the Tablet of creation."
"0 Maryam!" He continues, "From the Land of Td (Tilirdn), after countless afflictions, We reached 'Irdq, at the bidding of the Tyrant of Persia, where after the fetters of Our foes, We were afflicted with the perfidy of Our friends. God knoweth what befell Me thereafter."
And another passage: "I roamed the wilderness of resignation, travelling in such wise that in My exile every eye wept sore over Me, and all created things shed tears of blood because of My anguish. The birds of the air were My companions and the beasts of the field My associates."
Maryam passed away in TihrAn and is buried in the precincts of N~siri'd-Din ShTh's sepulchre in the outskirts of the capital.
Page 629The other "beauteous countenance" mentioned in the Tablet is Havvi She was the wife of the deceased Mirza Mubammad and a niece of Bahá'u'lláh whom He always regarded with much favour and affection and used to call by the pet name "ShAh B6.ji". She died in TAkur, MAzindarAn where she was laid to rest close to the tombs of her parents.
JAVAHIRU'L-ASRARJavdhiru'l-Asrdr is a monumental work. It is one of the choicest fruits that the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh has yielded. Judged by the nature of its contents, this illuminating book, which is written in eloquent Arabic, may be regarded as a sister to the Iqan, since most of the subjects treated in that celebrated work are also briefly mentioned in this epistle. it was written by Bahá'u'lláh in BaghdAd sometime before the revelation of the Iqan, in answer to a number of questions put to Him by 1kM Siyyid Mu�m-mad-i-IsfAh~ni, one of the most accomplished Persian students of 15f&hAn who at that time resided in 'frdq.
In this mighty epistle, within the space of about one hundred pages, Bahá'u'lláh refers to the grievous tribulation and adversities that He suffered at the hand of the infidels; deplores the perversity of the followers of past religions; elucidates the meaning of the signs and prophecies concerning the advent of the new Manifestation, including the mea.ning of the passage in the Bible where it says: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass away"; affirms the continuity of divine revelation; unfolds the significance of such symbolic terms as "the Day of Judgment", "the Balance", "the Way", "the resurrection of the dead", and "the identity of the Promised QA'im and the place from which He is expected to appear"; asserts the inevitability of heaven-sent trials, and describes the inner meaning of such terms as "life and death", "attainment to the presence of God", "the valley of bewilderment", "the station of self-surrender" and "the character and qualities of those who have attained His Court".
IjAji Siyyid Mubammadwas one of the distinguished disciples of the learned and wellknown Shaykh Murti4la Ansciri who was the recognized head of the Shi'ah hierarchy and occupied a preeminent position among the leaders of Is1~m. (This is the same Ans~ri to whom Bahá'u'lláh refers in His Epistle to the ShAh of Persia).
On completing his studies at the Muslim centre of learning at SAmarrA' in 'IrAq, Siyyid Mubammad was elevated to the rank of Mujtahid, a title which confers upon the holder the authority to expound and apply the laws and doctrines of Is1~m. Having thus attained the pinnacle of the learning of his time, he decided to return to his home town of IsfAhAn to practise law and act as the leading cleric of that city. He therefore left for Baghda~d where he stayed for a time at the home of two Persian merchant brothers from his home town of Isf&h~n.
During his sojourn there he learned that the B&bi movement had made great headway in that city under the leadership of one who bore the title of Bahá'u'lláh. Siyyid Mubammad, boastful of his high learning and priding himself on his new title and position, felt inclined to seek a confrontation with the leader of this new movement, with the view to confound him by his power of argument and superior knowledge, and to assert his ascendancy over him. Such a victory, he thought, would enhance his position in the eyes of the leading muI1~s and redound to his glory and reputation throughout Persia and 'Jr~q.
Therefore, one evening he sought a meeting with Bahá'u'lláh at Ills home and was admitted into His presence. This meeting must have been dramatic and stirring beyond words.
It lasted several hours at the end of which time Siyyid Muliammad, far from having gained ascendancy over his adversary found, to his amazement, that he had virtually been reduced to a speck of dust in the face of the overwhelming power and knowledge of his Host.
Presently his sense of pride and vanity evaporated and gave way to humility and submissiveness. There at this meeting he became convinced of the divine character of the new Revelation and was so impressed by the transcendent personality of Bahá'u'lláh that he sat in His presence for a long time, spellbound with wonder and awe. Eventually when the time for leavetaking came, it was well past midnight.
On reaching his lodging that night he boldly told his landlords where he had been and what had transpired at the meeting.
Being extremelyfanatical in religious matters, the two I~fAhdni brothers rebuked him severely, denied him food and drink, and in a rush of anger expelled him from their house in the dead of night. Undismayed by this ungracious treatment, Siyyid Mubainmad trudged his way on foot to SAmarrA', a distance of about one hundred kilometers, where he sought the presence of his former master and spiritual leader, the far-famed Shayijfi Murti~1a Ap~Arf at the same school which he himself had attended as a pupil. When he entered his presence, he found him giving a discourse to a vast company of his disciples. He sat there among the audience and, immediately after the talk was over, sprang to his feet and in a courageous and impressive manner expounded the teachings of the Báb and vindicated the truth of His mission.
Thereupon a wave of indignation swept over the whole company who denounced him as a heretic and rushed upon him in fury, and had it not been for the tactful and timely intervention of their master they would have inflicted severe injuries upon him.
The words of Siyyid Mubammad, however, made a deep impression upon his learned master, who deplored the unseemly conduct of his students.
Meanwhile he thought the moment was not propitious to comment on this subject, but promised to examine the teachings of this new creed and make a statement about it later.
As to Siyyid Muhammad, he remained firm and steadfast in the new Faith he had embraced, despite the bitter hatred and opposition of the Muslim clergy, and soon after this incident took up his residence in Najaf, renounced title and position and devoted much of his time to studying and spreading the teachings of this Revelation. Then sometime later he was prompted to write to Bahá'u'lláh and ask for elucidation of certain questions which baffled his mind.
In reply, Bahá'u'lláhrevealed this sparkling gem, the Javdlziru'l-Asrdr, for his enlightenment and that of men of understanding in this age.
LAWIJ-I-SHIKKAR SHIKANThis Tablet was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh sometime towards the end of His sojourn in BaghdAd in reply to a seemingly mild communication addressed to Him by Mirza Said Khdn the then Persian
Foreign Minister. In Goddescribes the evil machinations of this crafty man who stigmatized the Faith as a "misguided and detestable sect" and assiduously endeavoured, through the dissemination of false reports and alarming accusations, to have Bahá'u'lláh banished to a place far removed from the Persian border. In his letter the minister feigned concern about Bahá'u'lláh's safety, saying that he had reasons to believe that His enemies were conspiring against Him, and that it would be advisable for him to transfer His place of residence to another town away from Bagfid~d. Bahá'u'lláh's reply, embodied in this Tablet, is imbued with the spirit of detachment and fortitude and strikingly reflects His imperturbable calm and serenity. One passage runs as follows: "One should kiss the hand of the executioner and, rapt in holy ecstasy, set one's face towards the abode of the Beloved."
And further He says: "Holding up Our neck, We eagerly yearn for the pitiless sword of the Loved One, and, exposing Our breast, We crave, with heart and soul, after the darts of His Decree.
We disdain fame and keep alooffrom aught else but Him. We neither flee from Our enemies nor disperse them. We earnestly pray for adversity in order to soar in the holy realms of the spirit, abide 'neath the shade of the tree of reunion and attain the loftiest station of love. Afflictions cannot annihilate this people.
This wayfaring cannot be accomplished by human fret, nor can any veil obscure this Countenance.
And further He continues: "We are established upon the seat of tranquillity and occupy the couch of resignation. Why should the mysticfishfear shipwreck, or the sanctified spirit allow itself to be distressed at the destruction of the physical body?"
LAWIJ-I-GHULAMU'L KHULDduring the Ridvan Festival. The first part is in Arabic, the latter in Persian. It begins with these words: "This is in commemoration of what bath been manifested in the year sixty, in the Days of God,
Page 631the Omnipotent, the Help in Peril, the Almighty, the
All-Knowing."Every word of this Tablet rings with ecstasy and heavenly delight and reverberates with the glorification of the dawning light of the Day of God which broke on the horizon of ShirAz through the appearance of the DAb.
Here Bahá'u'lláh extols this momentous event by means of symbolic expressions which are interspersed with many a soul-stirring refrain such as this one: "Glad-tidings! This is the Youth of Paradise. Verily He is come with the crystal water."
In the latter part of this Tablet Bahá'u'lláh refers to the coming of Him Who is the Desired One, and proclaims: "0 friends! The Wine of eternal life is streaming forth. 0 ye that yearn after Him! The Beauty of the Beloved is unveiled and manifest. 0 beloved ones! The Flame on the Sinai of love is shining resplendent."
LA WIT-I-HA WDAJ(Tablet of the Ifowdah) This Tablet which is also known as the Tablet of Sdmsan is yet another wondrous outpouring of the Pen of Bahá'u'lláh.
It was revealed in August 1863 when He, together with the company of the exiles, had reached the outskirts of S&msan on the Black Sea, on their way to Constantinople.
In God Passes By ShoghiEffendi refers to this Tablet in these words: "Sighting from His howdah the Black Sea, as He approached the port of SAmsiin, RaM-'u'lhh, at the request of Mirza Aq~ JAn, revealed a Tablet, designated
Law4-i-Ilawdaj (Tabletof the Tlowdah), which by such allusions as the 'Divine Touchstone', 'the grievous and tormenting mischief', reaffirmed and supplemented the dire predictions recorded in the recently revealed Tablet of the Holy Mariner."
The opening passage of the Tablet runs as follows: "These verses were revealed behind the Veil of Immortality, in the Howdak of Holiness, when the Most Great Name arrived from the court of the All-Glorious in the land of Sdins4n, on the shore of the great sea. Thereupon the hosts of divine revelation descended; arrayed in such beauty that all that are in heaven and on earth were dumbfounded. The Day Star of Beauty shone forth before them in His holy and ethereal Temple and addressed to the Ark what had previously been revealed in a Tablet by the Pen of the Most High, in which the Holy Mariner is invoked in a tone of grief" The theme which runs through the text of this historic Tablet is the aflirnmtion of the invincible power of the Cause of God, stressing that whatever the reverses and setbacks the Cause may yet suffer, there can be no shadow of doubt that its future glory and triumph are unimaginably great.
TABLET TO SULTAN 'ABDU'L-'AZIZUnfortunately the text of this momentous Tablet is not available. However, in GodPasses By Shoghi Effendi describes the historical background as well as the dire circumstances which led to the revelation of this mighty Tablet.
The following extracts are highly illuminating: "The initial phase of that Proclamation may be said to have opened in Constantinople with the communication (the text of which we, alas, do not possess) addressed by Bahá'u'lláh to Su1t~n 'Abdu'1-'Aziz himself, the self-styled vicar of the Prophet of IslAm and the absolute ruler of a mighty empire. The occasion for this communication was provided by the infamous edict the SultAn had promulgated, less than four months after the arrival of the exiles in his capital, banishing them, suddenly and without any justification whatsoever, in the depth of winter, and in the most humiliating circumstances, to Adrianople, situated on the extremities of his empire. No less a personage than the highly-respected brother-in-law of the Sadr-i-A'zarn was commissioned to apprize the Captive of the edict pronounced against Him.
. ."That same day a Tablet, severely condemnatory in tone, was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh, was entrusted by Him, in a sealed envelope, on the following morning to Shamsi Big, who was instructed to deliver it into the hands of 'Air P6sh~ and to say that it was sent down from God. "I know not what that letter contained," Shamsi Big subsequently informed AqAy-i-Kalim, "for no sooner had the Grand Vizir perused it than he turned the color of a corpse, and remarked: 'It is as if the King of Kings
RRwere issuing his behest to his humblest vassal king and regulating his conduct.'
So grievous was his condition that I backed out of his presence." "Whatever aclion," Bahá'u'lláh, commenting on the effect that Tablet had produced, is reported to have stated, "the ministers of the Suitdn took against Us, after having become acquainted with its contents, cannot be regarded as unjustifiable.
The acts they committed before its perusal, however, can have no justification."
"That Tablet, according to Nabil, was of considerable length, opened with words directed to the sovereign himself, severely censured his ministers, exposed their immaturity and incompetence, and included passages in which the ministers themselves were addressed, in which they were boldly challenged, and sternly admonished not to pride themselves on their worldly possessions, nor foolishly seek the riches of which time would inexorably rob them.
LAWIJ-T-NAQUS(The Tablet of the Bell) "0 Monk of the Incomparable One! Ring out the Bell, inasmuch as the Day of the Lord hath shone forth and the Beauty of the All-Glorious is established upon His holy and resplendent Throne."
This Tablet, the opening verse of which is given above, reflects in every word the grandeur and sublimity of this divine Revelation. Whether this is due to its rare eloquence or the captivating charm of its refrains, or the depth and wealth of its symbolic terms, or the beauty of its rhymed words and phrases, or the sense of heavenly joy its glad-tidings evoke, or is due to any combination of these features, it is hard to say. Bahá'u'lláh revealed these verses of praise in celebration of that auspicious night which witnessed the inception of the Faith of God on earth through the declaration of the BTh.
Shoghi Effendi in a letter to Mr. Ag~h of Shir~z affirms that this Tablet was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh and written in His own hand in Constantinople on the eve of the fifth of Jam~idiyu'1-Avva1, 1280 AM. (October 19, 1863) which marks the twenty-first lunar anniversary of the Báb's declaration, at the request of one of His devoted companions named Mubammad 'Mi IsfTh~nf.
(An outline of his biography appears in 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í Memorials of the FaithfuL) Shoghi Effendi considers that it would be appropriate to read this Tablet at the meetings held for the celebration of this anniversary.
MATHNAVIThis is a collection of veritable mystic gems which the Pen of Bahá'u'lláh has strung together into a masterpiece of poetry.
The work comprises more than three hundred lines of enchanting verse in Persian, and is yet another striking evidence of Bahá'u'lláh's matchless utterance.
In these verses Bahá'u'lláh communes with His own inner Being in the language of a lover whose heart leaps with joy and adoration, or like a nightingale which pours forth songs of praise in its ardent longing for the beauty of the mystic Rose. He invokes the Source of
His Soul, beseeching Itto reveal a glimpse of Its eternal beauty and to bestow upon the world a dewdrop from the infinite ocean of divine mercy, so that wayward humanity may be redeemed and attain to a new life.
The verses abound in allegorical terms, and their reading evokes a subtle and deep thought in one's mind.
It opens up a new approach to the knowledge of God and unfolds a vast horizon for contemplation of the greatness of Bahá'u'lláh's manifestation.
The work was revealed in Constantinople in 1863, as Bahá'u'lláh Himself affirms in His monumental apologia, the Kitáb-i-Badi',where-in He voices His yearning for tribulation in the path of His Beloved. There He quotes the closing lines of this work which refer to the same theme and give vent also to His anguish at the fate
His Most Holy Habitationin Bag~d~d was destined to suffer. These few lines run somewhat like this: "From the Court of the Beloved, 0 gentle breeze!
Wing for once thy way over the land of Bag]How canst thou remain tranquil since thy Beloved is gone away?
Thy Beloved is consigned to prison and sorely wronged, Like unto Ifusayn on the plain of Karbild.
One lonely Ijusayn amid thousands of Yazids, One single Friend among a host of fierce foes."
Page 633OF all the works of man, words are the most enduring.
The temple of Solomon has crumbled to dust, the melodies that David played to accompany the psalms have drifted away on an ancient wind, but the words live: "Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge." The
Ten Commandments of Mosesand the parables of Jesus still guide men's lives though no material tokens remain to mark the passing of Their days on earth.
For words are carried forward not only on clay and stone, on papyrus and parchment, but in the mind and heart and on the tongue; and the words of the Prophet of God are like no other words for they are inscribed upon the inner recesses of the soul.
"Write all that We have revealed unto thee with the ink of light upon the tablet of thy spirit,"' Bahá'u'lláh commands.
This is the ink that survives millenniums of time and comes forth renewed in each dispensation when the Divine Author appears again. In this King of Days, the dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, He gives us the Hidden Words, a volume slim and sparing of words as a small book of poetry, but so potent that it reveals to us the essence of all that has been "uttered by the tongue ofpower and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old."2 History does not trace the exact pathway that began with man's first uttered words as symbols of communication until the day that language became letters to be engraved on tablets of stone, so that man could record the laws of his Lord for the generations that followed. The pictograplis and hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt are the earliest known written symbols; and it seems highly significant to the unfolding drama of Revelation through the ages that the phonetic alphabet is attributed to a Semitic People and had its origin in the Sinaitic peninsula.
Undoubtedly it was a Manifestation of God who brought the impetus that made man's tongue an instrument of power and inspiration. "The God of Mercy Izath taught the Qur'an, bath created man, and taught him articulate speecIz."~ The pathway of civilization is marked by words � from first, simple sounds spoken to convey man's needs and desires, to a religious literature revealed for planetary man in an age of universal peace.
Literature is defined as the "writings of a period or country kept alive by beauty of style or thought", but the revealed Word of God cannot be contained within this definition. Although it has its origin in the land of the Prophet and is revealed in the tongue that He speaks, it has a power which transcends limitations of language, culture and physical boundaries. Men may reach forth to quench it but it is carried like an underground stream beyond the borders of its beginning.
It belongs to no one people or culture but to all the souls who desire it. Drop by drop, through hidden springs, or thundering over cataracts, it brings its soul-refreshing water of life.
Thus the parables of Jesus, spoken in an almost forgotten Aramaic tongue in ancient Palestine, were retold throughout the Greek and Latin world and were later to become Holy Scripture to all
Europe, the New Worldand beyond. The holy books of the Jews were included, making words recorded on clay tablets on Mount Sinai a code of ethics for the western world.
The scholar who selects, c9mpares and evaluates, must use a different measuring rod when confronted with the Revealed Word of God. He must look through the same glass as the artist, craftsman, lawyer or labourer � the glass of a pure heart, whereby all who know truth are aided to see with their "own eyes and not through the eyes of otIzers."~ The greatest of all divine gifts to man, apart from the gift of life and consciousness itself, is the Creative Word of God. Through it, God manifests His mercy and His justice.
The Word spoken by His chosen Manifestation changes individual lives and redirects the currents of civilization. This is the Word, which the Bible declares is not "returned void". It accomplishes its mission, for it is creative.
The fabric of personal faith is knitted to that Word when the golden thread of man's inner faculty,
Page 634his spiritual insight, responds to the Word of the Prophet of God and reaches out to be woven with the greater pattern of the Divine Will.
"Be" declares the Prophet of God, and it is. It may not be visible to our eyes today, but tomorrow or next year or next century all is fulfilled.
Stories of the coming of Revelation from God are ifiled with mystery and awe for us. To Moses the Voice spoke from a burning bush that flames would not consume. A Voice from the heavens spoke to Jesus when He came out of the River
Jordan; and Mubammad'sfirst awareness of His role as God's Revelator came to Him on Mount Hira, near Mecca, when the Voice spoke: "Cry in the Name of Thy Lord!" In this new Dispensation, when the whole world of humanity shall look to one Author, we have been brought nearer to this divine phenomenon, for we live in the Day of Days when the Word itself has been signed and sealed and sometimes even penned by the Prophet's own hand.
What were the circumstances surrounding Bahá'u'lláh when the first intimation of Revelation came to Him Who was to be the Creator of a new world order, the Lord of Hosts, the Spirit of Truth? Shoghi Effendi, great grandson of
Bahá'u'lláh, Guardianof the Bahá'í Faith, has shed light upon this auspicious event in his historical work, God Passes By.
To Bahá'u'lláh, descendant of Abraham, Zoroaster and Jesse, and scion of a noble Persian family, Revelation did not come at first on a mountain top nor on the banks of a river. It came in a subterranean dungeon in the prison of SiyTh-CI2M in Tibr~n, where He had been placed as an expounder of the Cause oftheBAb, the youthful Prophet who had been martyred three years earlier. In chains Bahá'u'lláh first heard the Voice that said: "Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy Pen."5 The short, meteoric mission of the flAb, Herald and Forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh, was evolving "in the year nine"~ (as He had proclaimed in His book, the Persian Baydn), into the Mission of "Him Whom God would make manifest".~ The Baydn was the seed, the Báb wrote from the prison fortress of MTh-Kit that held within it the potentialities of the "Revela-tion that was to come." It was revealed "Iirw no other purpose except to establish the truth of
His Bahá'u'lláh's Cause."contained laws and ordinances that were to abrogate the Quranic laws and inaugurate a new, universal cycle, Shoghi Effendi states that these were not designed to be a permanent guide for the future, but rather a eulogy of the Promised One. In referring to these ordinances, Bahá'u'lláh later wrote: the world of Command bath been made dependent upon Our acceptance."
He had, therefore, "enforced some of them and revealed them in a different text, in the Book of Aqdas, while We have not adopted others."8 Much of the B6t's voluminous Writings were despoiled andinterpolated by His enemies. Of all His works, Bahá'u'lláh states in the Kitáb-i-Iqdn, "the first, the greatest and might-jest of all" was the Qayyamu'l-Asmd', the commentary on the
Sikili of Joseph. Thefirst chapter had been revealed to MuIIA Ijusayn in the upper room of the BTh's home on that memorable eve of May 23, 1844.
A portion was later presented to Bahá'u'lláh, winning His immediate allegiance to the BTh's Cause. Its main purpose was to prepare the people for the coming of the "true Joseph" (Bahá'u'lláh) and to foretell the tribulations that He would suffer at the hand of His own brother.
Revealed in Arabic, this entire work was translated into Persian by the renowned poetess, TAhirili, the only woman among the BTh's early disciples. Portions of this work and others of the BTh are quoted in many passages in the major Baha works.
The Voice that spoke to Bahá'u'lláh in the fetid dungeon of the Siyah-Ch6l marked the beginning of Revelation. It continued with His banishment to Bahá'u'lláh where He revealed the Tablet of Kullu't-Ta'dm, proving His ascendancy over the superficiality of His half-brother Mirza Ya~y6, who was already fulifihing the divisive role foretold by the Báb. The Voice accompanied Bahá'u'lláh to the mountains of Kurdist~n, in Su1aym~niyyih, where He retreated for a time in the attire of a dervish. Here He astounded scholars, learned doctors and people of all degree when they discovered His presence.
The beauty and power of an Arabic ode, the Qa~idiy-i-Varqd'iyyilz, so moved them that they declared it surpassed the work of their most illustrious poet, Ibn-i-FAriQ, though they were unaware of Bahá'u'lláh's true station.
Page 635These days of self-exile were to be His last days of comparative tranquillity.
Soon He would return to BaghdAd, knowing full well the role He must play.
A soul-stirring picture comes to mind when we think of Him now, pacing the banks of the River Tigris, revealing the Hidden Words, a portion each in Persian and Arabic.
It was the year 1858.He was forty-one years of age, approaching the springtide of His spiritual magnitude.
The Kitáb-i-Iqdn was revealed during this second Baglid&1 period and Shoghi Effendi declares these two works to be "two outstanding contributions to the world's religious literature."
The Kitáb-i-Iqdn, he further states, is "foremost among the priceless ~ of His Revelation, occupying an unequalled station in Baha literature (except for the KiM b-i-A qdas, the
Book of Laws).The Seven Valleys and The Four Valleys were written during this period, together with a flood of epistles, odes, tablets, commentaries and prayers. These were portents of what was to come, as He gathered together the reins of His Prophethood in the seven-year period that marked His return from Su1aym~niyyih, until the declaration of His Mission in the garden of RhJv6n, in April, 1863.
In the Tablet of the Holy Mariner, written on the fifth day of Nawruz, 1863, before His banishment to Constantinople, He foretold the grim trials that lay ahead, a theme shortly reaffirmed in the Lawh-i-Hawdaj revealed as the band of exiles neared the port of SAmsfin where Bahá'u'lláh caught a first sunset glimpse of the Black Sea and a Turkish steamer that awaited Him.
Now began a new phase of Bahá'u'lláh's ministry, to be reflected in His Writings. During the four months in Constantinople, the Proclamations to the kings and ecclesiastical leaders began. First came a Tablet to the proud, arrogant
Sulpin of Turkey, 'Abdu'1-'Aziz;then a Tablet to 'Au PAsM Grand Vizier, who stated that it was as if "the King of Kings were issuing his behest to his humblest vassal.
Through the subsequent five years in Adria-nople, the calamities foreshadowed in the earlier Tablets developed relentlessly.
Here Bahá'u'lláh suffered some of the most anguished moments of His entire life. Here He proclaimed His Mission, powerfully and inexorably to the world's leaders. The prayers of fasting were revealed.
The Tablets to Napoleon HI, the ShAh of Persia, the rulers of Christendom were written and the Tablet to the Kings (the
Sdriy-i-Muldk). Thesewere the letters of a divine Prisoner to those who seemingly held His life in their hands, who had the power not only to assuage His suffering but to summon the people and nations of the world to a just and lasting peace.
Shoghi Fifendi's condensed but weighty work, The Promised Day is Come, addressed to DahA'is of the West, summarizes many of these illustrious Tablets and analyses the impact they were destined to have upon their recipients and upon the whole world.
Hardly had they been written, when religious and political dynasties began to reveal their internal weaknesses.
The "sword of wisdom..hotter than summer heat, and sharper than blades of steel"1' had struck.
Shortly before leaving for His last exile to 'Akka in Palestine in 1868, IBaM'u'lldh revealed the
Tablet to Ra'is. Fromthis moment, He declared, the equilibrium of the world and its people had been upset, a process that would continue until the Teachings of the true Physician would be applied.
In The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, a series of letters written by Shoghi Effendi immediately preceding World War H, we are apprised of this retributive and purifying process that involves the disintegration of the old order along with the emergence of a new, divinely inspired civilization.
Herein are outlined the steps that will take humanity from the nucleus of that new order as it exists today, to its fruition in a universal, golden age when the whole earth "will have yielded its noblest fruits," The product of Bahá'u'lláh's pen reached its zenith during His incarceration in 'Akka from August 31, 1868, until His passing on May 29, 1892. Additional Tablets were written to the kings, to Pope Pius IX, and to Queen Victoria, whom He commends for having "entrusted the reins of counsel into the hands of the representatives of the people."
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, HisBook of Laws, revealed while residing in the House of 'Abbad, was the "most signal act" of
Ills ministry, ShoghiFifendi states. The resounding theme of all these Tablets and of the Aqdas itself is justice for all mankind.
Although not yet adequately translated into English or available in its entirety, large portions of this
Most HolyBook are found in the major Bahá'í works such as Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf and are quoted by Shoghi Effendi in his works, God Passes By, The World Order of
Bahá'u'lláh, The Promisedof Divine Justice.* Its spirit is also to be found in the gradual training of the believers by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in a whole new arena of spiritual understanding and social responsibility.
The Aqdas was supplemented by Bahá'u'lláh with additional ordinances in such Tablets as I~~rdqdt, Tajalliydt,
Tardzuit Bishdrdt, Tabletof the World, and others, contained complete or in part, in chapter four of Bahá'í World Faith.
Bahá'u'lláh's last major work was the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf It was written to a bitter enemy, a person filled with hatred for Bahá'u'lláh and for the Light which He brought. Its soul-lifting theme is the overflowing mercy of God, a divine gift to which even a darkened soul can reach out and grasp, if it will. In this work Bahá'u'lláh alludes to Ills Book of the Covenant, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, as the "Crimson Book",
His "Most Great Tablet".This was written entirely in His own hand and given to 'Abdu'l-Bahá for safekeeping shortly before His passing.
In this document, the link that was to maintain the unity and authority of the Faith was forged when 'Abdu'l-Bahá, His eldest Son, was appointed the Centre of His Faith, the "delineator of its future institutions."
These are highlights only of the voluminous Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, the outpouring of thirty-nine years of continuous Revelation. "Well is it with him who fixeth his gaze upon the Order of Bahá'u'lláh , the Báb had declared in the
Baydn. Now Bahá'u'lláhcould say as His earthly life neared its close: "We have not fallen short of Our duty to exhort men and to deliver that whereunto I was bidden by God.
One of the first Tablets revealed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
during the first year of His ministry, was to reecho the call of the Rib to the Western nations and peoples, singling out especially the American continent which was to "lead all nations spiritually", a call which culminated later in the revelation of The Tablets of the Divine Plan revealed during
World War I. Sent to Americashortly after the war, these letters brought to that community its first understand*
* "A Synopsis and Codificationof the Laws and Ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas" was published by the
Universal House of Justiceing of the leading role it was to play in bringing the
Teachings of Bahá'u'lláhUpon it were based two Seven-Year Plans for the American Baha'is, the great Ten-Year World Crusade undertaken by the entire world Baha community and launched by the Guardian in 1953, the current Nine Year Plan of the Universal House of Justice and upon it will be based other teaching plans in the future.
'Abdu'l-Bahá'í Writingsform a unique part of the literature of the Baha Faith. Although not the Creative Word of the Manifestation of God, they nonetheless possess authority, both because He was the appointed
Interpreter and Exemplarof the Teachings and because of the inherent spiritual stature of this Vehicle to Whom the authority had been given.
'Abdu'l-Bahá'í Writingshad reached the West as early as 1891 when A Traveller's Narrative, translated by Professor E. G. Browne, the famous orientalist, was published by the Cambridge University Press, its authorship unknown at the time.
In the East, The Secretof Divine Civilization had also been anonymously published in India in 1875, followed by an English translation published in 1910 in London, under the title
The Mysterious ForcesNoteworthy during this period were the talks given as answers to the questions of a pilgrim to the Holy Land in the years 1904 � 1906, the most troublous period of 'Abdu'l-Bahá'í ministry. These answers were given to Laura Clifford Barney in Persian, translated into English and published with His approval as Some Answered Questions in 1908. During this time, 'Abdu'l-Bahá was known to write with His own hand as many as ninety Tablets a day, often working through the nighttime hours to carry on His manifold responsibilities.
'Abdu'l-Bahá'í lectures and informal talks during His western journeys to proclaim the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh (1911 � 1913) were recorded in many compilations as Paris Talks (published in the
United States as TheWisdom of 'Abdu' 1-Bahd) and the comprehensive American collection,
The Promulgation of UniversalPeace (a selection of which is now available in Foundations of World Unity). These lectures were given in churches, mosques, synagogues, universities, the public platforms of philosophical
Page 637and peace societies, in missions and in private homes.
They covered a broad range of subject matter � from the progressive character of religious revelation, the essential harmony of science and religion, the need for eliminating all forms of prejudice � to the steps necessary for establishing lasting peace and world order. Underlying all was the emphasis on the common origin and destiny of man and the organic unity that must be achieved in this century and which would evolve into a universal civilization, characterized by higher moral and ethical standards than mankind has ever known. This, He said, would manifest itself through the power of the new Word released by Bahá'u'lláh.
As the BTh and Bahá'u'lláh had shared a unique spiritual communion that blended the Revelation of the Primal Point into that of the Promised One of all ages � so, in a lesser but equally efficacious way, The Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, according to Shoghi Effendi, was the result of the "mystic intercourse" between the Author of the IBahá'í Revelation and His appointed Interpreter. Through this Charter, the continuing unity and integrity of the Faith were assured through the institutions of the Guardianship, the Hands of the Cause of God and the Universal House of Justice ordained by Bahá'u'lláh. This document, unique in religious annals, appointed
Shoghi Effendi Guardianof the Faith. Under his patient but firm leadership, the institutions were further defined and reinforced and the administrative framework was outlined and caused to emerge throughout the world. His instructive letters guiding this development are found in Bahd'iAdministration and in Messages to the
Bahá'í World, 1950 � 1957that marked the beginning of his communications to the Bahá'í world community as a whole, rather than to National Assemblies and communities only.
These works and those mentioned previously (The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, The Promised Day is Come and The Advent of Divine Just ice) are all analyses and commentaries on the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
They pertain either to the direct application of its administrative principles and the delineation of its goals, or they penetrate deeply into the significance of His Revelation to modern society, to the political, social and religious crisis of our time as well as to the future structure of world order. His monu mental, historical work, God Passes By, records the birth and rise of the Faith during its first century.
A commentary on Shoghi Effendi's contribution to Bahá'í literature is not complete without mention of The Bahá'í World volumes which received his deep interest and careful direction. These volumes, initiated by Horace Holley, which began in 1925, were, he stated, "unex-celled and unapproached by any publication of its kind" in the varied literature of the Faith. They are an international record of the aims and purposes of the Faith and a documentation of its worldwide activities.
Bahá'í literature will be further enriched in the future. There are Tablets not yet adequately translated into English. There are letters from the Master and from Shoghi Effendi not yet available in published form. One thing is certain however � Shoghi Effendi did not cease in his labours until the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh was abundantly and authentically rendered into the English language, from which it has since been translated into hundreds of languages and tribal tongues. In the midst of the overwhelming task of guiding a world community, and in addition to his own writings, he translated the Kitáb-i-!qcin, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf Hidden Words, Prayers and Meditations, Glean ings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, many prayers and Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Nabil-i-A'zam's Narrative of the early days of the Faith, to which he gave the
English title The Dawn-Breakers(a work he advocates as an "unchallengeable textbook" for summer schools and an "inspiration in all literary and artistic pursuits").
The writings of Shoghi Effendi complete the literary symphony of the Faith.
As an inspired conductor, he has taken the divine composition of the Composer, blended it with the coda of the Master, and interpreted and applied it with clarity and precision for the guidance of those who comprise its multifarious audience.
The Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, increasingly understood and practiced by its adherents, will in the future bring about a new, golden age of literature as in all the arts of man. In this current Formative Age, when the "new humanity" has not yet come into being, this flowering cannot spring forth. This is the day of planting, rooting and nurturing the Creative Word of God in the hearts of men. Man's most creative act in this
Page 638day is the revivifying of souls so that the whole world can one day bring forth its finest fruit, the Kingdom of God, a divinely-inspired civilization.
"Unloose your tongues and proclaim unceasingly His Cause. This shall be better for you than all the treasures of the past and of the future.
References5. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 21.
6. God Passes By, p. 29.And all the Atoms cry aloud I bear Him witness now Who by the light of suns beyond the suns beyond the sun with shill pen revealed renewal of the covenant of timelessness with time, proclaimed advent of splendor joy alone can comprehend and the imperious evils of an age could not withstand and stars and stones and seas acclaimed � His life its crystal image and magnetic field.
I bear Him witness now � mystery Whose major clues are the heart of man, the mystery of God:
Bahá'u'lláh:Logos, poet, cosmic hero, surgeon, architect of our hope of peace, wronged, exiled One, chosen to endure what agonies of knowledge, what auroral dark bestowals of truth vision power anguish for our future's sake. "I was but a man "like others, asleep upon My couch, when, lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me..."
Called, as in dead of night a dreamer is roused to help the helpless flee a burning house.
I bear Him witness now: towards Him our history in its disastrous quest for meaning is impelled.
Robert Hayden(From Words in the Mourning Time, October House, Inc. Reprinted by permission.)
Bahá'u'lláh in the Garden of Ridvan Agonies confirm His hour, and swords like compass-needles turn toward His heart.
639 The midnight air is forested with presences that shelter
Himand sheltering praise The auroral darkness which is God and sing the word made flesh again in Him, Eternal exile whose return epiphanies repeatedly foretell.
He watches in a borrowed garden, prays. And sleepers toss upon their armored beds, Half-roused by golden knocking at the doors of consciousness.
EnergiesWithin the rock the undiscovered suns release their light.
Robert Hayden"From the Corpse Woodpiles, from the Ashes" From the corpse woodpiles, from the ashes and staring pits of Dachau, Buchenwald they come � 0 David, }-Iirschel, Eva, cops and robbers with me once, their faces are like yours � From Johannesburg, from Seoul.
Their struggles are all horizons.Through target streets I run, in light part nightmare and part vision fleeing What I cannot flee, and reach that cold cloacal cell where He, who is man beatified And Godly mystery, lies chained, His pain our anguish and our anodyne.
Robert Haydenof Truths Today requires a stronger lace than the Vienna cord with which Mrs. Waigreen blessed my birth in Chicago.
Our modern scene demands (even of femininity) a cup less fragile than the Copeland-Spode of my earlier desire.
It must be as harp-like in sound and form as the lace of steel that wings the Varrazzano bridge.
As eclectic as the lace that Truths form in the stone of the temple of Baha'i, as forever enduring in grace as the intermolding of the Benin Bronze.
Margaret Danner� 1971 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States.)
Desert SpringYou cannot see them so much as feel them Coming in crowds, never singly, coming Sudden, bursting color, thrusting blood-reds, Golds, pinks, on a landscape soon vibrant With the pristine singing of Spring, Laid upon a sea of dunes.
Watch them bloom quickly, coming Sudden to the hidden self, Spilling cocoons, gathering in groups, To share the blaze of freedom After the long year, The inward movement of the soil, The care of the single seed.
Now the moment deeply ancient, Now the meaning fully cosmic Explodes into being Revealing the kingdom of AbhA! Joan Imig Taylor
(Reprinted from World� 1971 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States.)
PilgrimageBy a stone in that most holy place, Where the water runs and the white birds fly, The Mystery stands revealed.
See! The abiding lake!How it trembles To hold reflected for an ecstatic moment A vision beyond time.
Olive V. Applegate� 1971 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States.)
The ReturnOnce more in warm silence, let us understand each other, and into the stillness let a drum start beating. Let us sing once again with the wonderful lifting
Spiritof the days when the prairies had no fences, but were clean and beautiful for thousands of miles.
Let us ready ourselves for a great awakening, for it is now the day. This is the time when the Indian people will return to the Spirit. This is the age when we must teach the world to love; this is the day when our voices must be raised at the council tables of the world.
As our Wise ones foretold, we lost our Spirit.The way was dark and confusion blinded us. The path of another people led us far from the old way and from the wisdom we had known.
But this is the day of our return to the Spirit! Let us not fear, for there is a great new message from the East.
Let us search for this message and in it find our greatness and our joy. But let us beware lest we find a false message; let us study its meaning, let us make sure.
Let us turn to the inner light, dear people, and let us find warmth in its glow. Let us be swept up on the waves of glory to His nearness, to His knowledge.
Ron GordonKllally,Saskatche wan We are searching Once on the prairies of blue, rose and yellow, my people sang their songs of glory to the Great One above. They hunted and chased and were all free together. Their hearts held the rose of love.
Now it hurts to see them. Day by day their hearts are broken they are the lonely, they are the sad, and misery is all they have.
But we have been told this sadness shall end, that there would come One from out of the East Who would ease our pain; He would come from the East and out over the West
Page 641VERSE 6 to plant the rose of love within the garden of our hearts. He would be a star of Beauty, a star of Light, the star of Truth. He would be as our Spirit and we would find our greatness in the light of the Beauty of the New Day, our happiness in this awakening Dawn. Yes, I believe that You are the return of the Spirit, O good and kind
Bahá'u'lláh!Around me changes the ever changing. For the changing is He Who is spoken of as the All Powerful, Who is the changeless.
And thus this great light never darkens but forever blazes over the ages in splendid beauty. Again in this age, in clothed beauty, does He return.
0 people who hear me! Study this wonderful Spirit which has touched the earths; Learn of the wisdom within its beauty so that you may arise in happiness and joy. O people! You know of Whom I speak. This new cycle has brought the Angel of all Glad
Tidings.Here is the perfect silence Above the white and blue of ancient walls, The silver censer of the moon swings in mid-heaven. Faint fragrance of white jasmine is the spirit of all love Set free, � a still white flame within the crystal air.
Upon the seaward slope, the grove of giant pines Is etched in majesty against the moonlit night; Those tall black trunks are bars across the argent light, A high barred window set against the sky.
At sunset, when I knelt within the Shrine The windows to the west were walls of fire.
Within my soul the flame of His great Name Was like a flashing sword, that severed all my past.
From this eternal moment � I knew myself before the Face of God, Too terrible His gkry and too great His power!
How shall one drop resist the ceaseless tide Of His celestial sea?
But now, when night is deep upon the land And the calm beauty of the moon Moves softly through the vast ethereal arch, Peace breathes through every atom of the air And draws each living spark to one pure unity.
The Timeless holds this instant in His hand: "lie still, be still, and know that Jam God!"
Here is the perfect silence.(And he hath put a new song in my mouth. Psalms 40:3) It was comfortable in the smalitown smugness of your childhood.
You were born securely into salvation's complacent trinity, a Catholic, Protestant or Jew. In a spasm of spiritual megalomania you praised His good judgment in selecting such eminently deserving souls for the gift of His exclusive One True Faith. But only on Sundays.
The world was small and safe and familiar.No red or black offended our prim steepled vaults of self-congratulation.
Indians were the bad guys who got licked in movies, dying copiously amid candy wrappers and the popcorn smell of matinees.
Amos and Andy probably lived in some far place, like Hollywood, or maybe in the radio. And there was no proof that God spoke Negro.
You knew that He loved Canadians; they didn't start wars.
He would approve our thrift and industry and seeing our virtuous sunlit wheatfields, our unpretentious brick, He would agree with the Chamber of Commerce that ours was a good town in which to live.
Yes, it was comfortable then.Of course there were a handful who found solace in the medicinal doctrines of Muriel Sweetbun Udder, or the burnished tablets of Myron J. Hammerschmitt; a few who gathered in tents or behind vacant storefronts with ambitious titles attesting orthodoxy or reformation; but then every town has its malcontents.
A small brave band scorned our coniicbook catechism, our insolent litany of insularity, and made a kind of Faith of not-believing.
Still, God did not strike them dead.He was said to be extraordinarily patient with sinners and heathens.
When you heard that God had died, you wondered whether it was from sheer boredom � all that joyless music and our impudent prayers.
Your sophomoric seifrighteousness would have been enough to do Him in. So you would have described it then, the frightened child striving to cope with acne and Auschwitz and an anger that sought release in a word powerful enough to shake the universe, intimidate the stars, blind to His love of the people of your town for the innocence of their aspiration; blind to their genuine virtue and power and beauty.
The tempest came in your twelfth or fifteenth year, a clean cold wind, and you were left like a stripped young tree in autumn with a cynical winter setting in and nothing large enough to house your impulse to believe.
The need lay as quiet, unhurried and insidious as a seed snowlocked in a bleak and lonely landscape.
But forgiveness came, an unselective flooding rain, and the seed was there, a promise kept.
Even your rejection was forgiven and in the burgeoning lovesap slowly stirred.
God hadn't died, of course, abandoned us for Russia, nor moved to Uganda.
You caught a glimpse of Him in the clearing smoke of the rifles in the barrack-square of Tabriz; heard a whisper in the soft silk dress of TAhirih, bridally white.
His fragrance was carried by the wind startling the wildflowers of the fields of BArfujtsh where Quddtts was felled.
The stones of 'Akka saw His beauty and His pain and cried aloud.
On Carmel's sandy slope you traced the outline of His tent and saw, in its tall cypress, the talisman of His triumph.
There is a new song.Up from the SlyAb-ChAl it rose breaking the SMh's dreanr the Su1t~n turned in terror as its sweetness grew.
It echoed through the palaces of Europe, empty now.
The bells grew silent, the minarets fell mute; the full-risen sun embarrassed our disputatious sputtering candles.
Our doomed and desperate dissonance was stilled, trickling out like the dismal incense rising from our saddened, separate altars.
The dust of Shfrttz throbbed as Thornton Chase took up the song and all the roses of 16n spilled their musk triumphantly at Lua's peal.
Martha heard the music; its accents captivated May.
Westward it moved, and woridward, rejoicing the trees of Adrianople as the chorus grew � Esslemont, IBreakwell, Dreyfus � and grew and grew.
Now the earth is flooded with the felicity of this new song, this Godsong.
Oh! Man must learn it well!0~ God, God, I beg ot'~ Thee by the o -cean of
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0) � C'A K ~k a) L K I 7 pen and by Thy ma cy cy that hath pr~ -ced cd � is � � � � � a a t A /7%
II~ k k ~ K ~ a -tion to of all whoare inheav en and on earth
II~. ~ N N N I', A I .3 � '-'--~--'--~- 9 a m ~ � , i~ m A ~ K .~. 7 ~ purge..me.. withthe& ~ .j -wa-tersfront. y y of Thy boun ev -'ry ty af-flic -tion A A 2 ~J~Z A
I~ Kp p purgemc withthe ~wv V '' cv -'ry waters of from.af-fly Thy boun -tion ty k. � I I~. I, r ~ ~ 3N ~ 3 m � � & M � g ~ are are inheav en and on earthto a tion of all who
Page 649k ~ ~ ~\ N w 6.. � . & # ~ U)a der a Thou and and dig trom or all w w
-~-I~W I~W ~akness ness ~nd fee -b~e b~e ne A ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ .J~ � II I~ I
A seest, 0 my Lord,Thy Thy sup pliant pliant waiting at the door of
A Al, ~seest my Lord Thy Thy mc, sup 0 pliant pliant waiting at the door of anddis and and allweak or or from from ness and der fee -b~e b~e Thou K ~ ~ K
Ah_______________ Ah__________________
Page 650II. I, I'IDI boun ty andhimwho ha~ Sd his hopes onThee
C' (3ah____________ ah boun ty ty and him who hath set his hopes on Thee ah ah � ,, ,, V ~j,i cling-fig to the corcU. of Thyger~ ~ os I ly A w ~ w W : r~-~& & � ~� ah___ ah___ gen-cr os os ah ah ~N � i ty ty � � 4j� .if if~ j'~~NI ~ ~ 6;
Page 651A K 651 K ~ K K V V V De ny.. h~n~ ~ci~f~ -seech Thee,heseek -eth the things from the divi~j � ahThah ah ah ali ness K A K K I k ~ o-ceanof Thygracea2~Ith~ Day Star o~ thy loving kind. ~ ~ ~!
ah______ ah~____ ah t~ ~ � ah_____________ ah ~ll r
Page 652.3 I I Pow to do what pleas -eth er Thee.
frA art Thou p � . � � � � � I There �is noneother God________ save Thee_____ I I 4 4 4 .~) � 1� � � � � � There other God save Thee_____ is none lj,-7 lj,7
Page 653Somewhat slowly, serenely Don Addison (United States)
p ~ ~I have Wa -kened in Thyshel ter, 0 my God, p ~ ______ A .1 I I I have wa -kened in Thy shel ter, 0 my God,~
ZZZ~r==-~ ~ ~.1.1 I I have Wa -kened in Thy shel ter, 0 rny God, B, I I 'I and it be corn -cth him that seck -eth that shel ter to a 2z~== 2z~== � -~=~z = � p and it be corn -cth him that seek -etli that shel tel to a to to a
Page 655655 mf a V fr' and nd a) bide with in thc Sane tu ar -tionthe y of Thy pro -tec crese. mf W U ~ ~ W �� Q a a bide, with in the Sane tu ar y of Thy pro -tec and nd crese. mf tionthe k ~ .1
g. I I and nd bide with in the Sanc tu tu ar -ytionthe of Thy pro -tec cresc. mf bide with in the Sanc tu ar and nd y of Thy pro -tec tionthe � f mf Strong hold of Thy de -fense II lu mine my my f -~--El-.
Strong hold of Thy de -fense.A in -nerbe -ing, 0 my Lord, II Lu u mine my in -ner ner be - -ing, ng, p
Os IiIi lu mine flay P II Lu mine my 0 My Lord, .1 ~ -in-ncr in-ncr being, 0 My Lord, in -ner be -ing, 0 my. Lord, p crese. mf with thc splcn -dors s of the Day p p cre~c. mf __ p with the splen -dors s of the Day p p cregc. mf with the splcn -dors rs of the Day Spring p cresc. mf with the splen -dors rs of the Day -
Page 657nt. I. '7' p p p Spring ring ofThy Reye -tion,
- IaA f ~ � A nt. p Spring ng of Thy Re ye ye la la -tion, tion, T A 'it.
A t~-~.� � � � I of Thy Re nt.- ye Ia -tion, ion, f B: B: P Spring ring Thy Re ye -tion, of Ia
Iatempo I I I cv en en asThou didst--mine mine my out ii - Iu Iu er A a tempo l\P .3 6/ 6/ cv en as Thou dldst --mine mine my out ii - ILl
ILla tempo cv cn as a Thou didst-mine mine my o~it er er tempo ii p p Ju U U 657 asThou - mine ne didst ii Iu
Page 658______ mp be -ing g with the morn -ing light mp be - -ing g with the morn mp lie - -ing g with the morn P_______ my out er be -ing nt. of Thy fa -vor. ____ PP nt. .3 -ing g light of Thy______ fa -vor.
I I inglight of Thy ____ fa var. I P~ nt.. with the morn -ing light of Thy fa - -vor. r.
Page 659Duh Duh -Duh~ Duh-Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh -Duh Duh
-Duh r~u I (1) The wind is sing � ing in the moan tam, a � Dub Duh 2) The. cric -kets kets cry -ing ing in the val -ley can't 3) So let us shouL it from the moun tam, and i~u t) -~-cross oss the val -k~y and the plain, And call -ing joy -ous in the fcel the bril -liancc of the sun_____ Can't hear the sing -ing in the fill the world with the song,.. The wind is � U ~ is land, let love and un i ty rcign... Let inoun tam, the Pro -mised One has corne... The inoun tam, 0 hear the song. of the wind.. 0 Ii I ii ~ 1) love and un i ty reign, Let love and un i ty reign, The 2) Pro -mised One,_____ has come, The Pro -mised 0nc. has come, The 3) hear. the song. of the wind, 0 hear the song of the wind, The 4) h~ - WiIi has come, Ba Ii~ - ]1~h has come,
The I I �11*-WindWind is sing -ing iii the moun tam, let love and un i i ty Wind is sing -ing in the moun lain, the Pro -mised One has Wind is sing -ing ing in the moun tam, 0 hear the song of the Wind is sing -ing ing in the moun tam, Ba - -1I~h has ~Coda 12 H3 D.S.Y&al~"4 ~ ~ reign.Duli windBa come. Letlove and un i -come.Duh h Ict love and Un i i ty reign.
Reprinted by permission, Copyright � 1970 by the National Spiritual Assernbfy of the Bahá'ís of the United
States.G F G I I I I I I /~fl~1 -~-called~.
d~. I-Jim thePrince � of Peace. _________ light isshin -ingforth for all to see.
I I I I I i ICon stan tin 0 0 pie CDV -ered the earth, � .
. w �to A -dri-an o pie, to given~ it new birth. His � L I
E7'Ak k~i, the pri son by the sea. _________________ light is shin -ing forth for you and me. __________________
- II IIA 1. There lived a man ______________ a cross the o -cean, lay men, 2. His teach -ings spread from kings to A
Sop. & Alto IIA 661 E ~ Thereliveda man a cross the sea~ His teach all man kind.
-ings ings spread to I UAm Dm E7 Am
I.spoke spoke of love, � He of jus teach -tice, all re re -ings ings took in ii -gions, gions, ~ a ~zzz~zzzz .3 I I He spoketo man of u ni ty,
AndReprinted by permission. Copyright � 1970 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the
United States.N To ko za - na Ia ba wan-ki. Ic Rc -joice ice Re -joice~ for a new day has dawned The
D7 G ______IIilan-ga.la-ku-ka na To ko za-ni.ni-na Ia-whole e wide world is all one fold Re -joico re -joice for a new
D ~ D7 I D7 I I I Cba wan-kL. Icii lan ga Ia ku ka na day has dawned Thc pla of God has now been told The
I D91-. � a ~ ~ a. To ko Ia ka La 1u-kuBa-h~i urn lama wamlam pa Promised One by the name of Bah. came to bring a new day
G D9 G~ ~ ~ ka day ku day si ii -en-do Ic..
� let us be hap py leL. us say. ~'a Ba-ha -'u'I- Ab Ti Ti say I i ~
AUD9 G D9 GY~ Ba-ha -'u'I-Ab Say y Y~ Ba-h~i -'u'1-Ab h~. .
I I -t:~v~I- I Rcprintcd by permission. Copyright ~ 1970 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United
States.Vertonung von Bijan Khadernissagh Oesterreich, 1968
Gm Dm A7ge -gen 2.Dm Cm und ii ber dic
DinI naus Dmund nichts Er in in den Him-mom aus -ser Gott auf den kann Ge
I I Iund Gm DrnI I I gc gc ge -Nichts Er den und in den Him ben, ben, auf mein
A7 Dm Gm (~w w a aus ser Gott ge ben. Wahr -lich, -kannGe nGe Er ist in sich ni~ gc A7 ,~ Dm A7 Din
Dmsclbst der der Al -icr hal ter Wis -scn der All -rn~fch ti - dc ge
Page 664Unison Donna Taylor (United States)
A ~ ~ ~ -Weare Weare the peo-plc of Ba -h~i, We are the people of Ba ~ ~ ~ K i k K. '-I Wc arc thc people of, We arc the peo pie of, We are the people of Ba .1..
We are the peo pie of Ba _________ _________ II I Y~i Ba - 'u'1 Ab b -h~i, I k k K We are the peo pie of Ba We We are the peo pie of, r r I A
Ab Ab -AI-hih-u AI-hih-u Ab II I I Y~i Ba -h~i 'u'1 u'1 -Ab-h~, Ab-h~, AI-1~h-u Ab Ab -h~i,A1- A1-Si Si . . w ~ We arc thc pco pie of, We arc the pco pie of Ba I I y y � liii ii Ab -h~i, i, We arc the pco-plc of Ba -h6A 1 � I F � I I I kih U U Ab b -h'~i, ~i, W~ arc the pco-ple of Ba * * Substitutes for "people":
2. "Lovers"Rcprinted by pcrrnission. Copyri~zht � 1970 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United
States.C C C ~ In to parched and ar id id waste lands nds I I I C C C C ~ jrt " 9 ~vi11 bring our song of love _____________ ~vith a K: d of heal -ing Wa tars pour -ing forth from up a : : I I U G � 4_____1)0 i
Al -hih - ii Ab ______ ______~ 2. We will raise up new believers 3. Consecrate your lii'e to' service
Marching for Bahá'u'lláh Teaching for Bahá'u'lláh
Singing out our song of vict'iy Hosts on high will rush to aid you Burning with the fire of love In this day of victory
A11~h ii -AbM AlI6h u -Abh~i AII~h u -Abh~ AI1~h IT -Abh~
4. Forward! Forward! California!Reprinted by permission. Copyright � 1970 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United
States.Reprinted by pcrmission. Copyright 0 1970 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United
666 THE BAHÁ'Í WORLDd is one, man is one and allthe re ii -gions. . arc
I I I I I YI I'~ ~ � ~.. .. � one. Land and sea, Hill and vaL-Iey,. Un -der the
U�J!1 Ii I ~ ~ I
jr.' ~ I I I I I
A A7 D A7beau ti -ful sun____________ God is onc, man is one and r I I
D D D7I iN I I � U U W. all the re Ii -gions a -gree. Whcn cv' ry one 1. 1. I I I I I f~m Ft~ Bm D A7 D learns the three one ness � Cs, We'll have world u � ni ty. I I I I
States.A Prayer Revealcd by The B~ibHarmony: Margaret Jensen (Unitcd States)
prai sod sod be God! Hc is God! All are His .4 I
ALL I II r 'CIi I I I I 2 ser -vants, and all a bide by His bid - ding! ng!
I i 2. J i i Sing twice: first, with soprano solo.
Second, with tenor/bass solo.Nightingale of Paradise You sing of love Flooding all the world with light Heedless men hear not Your song of life eternal. They're Lost in the dark of night.
Nightingale of.Paradise You sing of joy Flooding all the world wiih love Singing out Your song of peace and brotherhood. With I-Iopc for all from above.
Reprinted by permission. Copyright 0 1970 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United
States.~.3 � ~ � IT -h~i A1-1~h-u w w ci.
Ab gA1-hih-u -h~i h~i Ab -h~i h~i
Al-hih-u -AI-ldh AI-ldh C. h~ u Ab ha AI-Uh-u-Ab -h~i Al lah it Ab ~ I ~1 p nt. I I I A ha ha AI-lAh-u-Abh~i Al ha -lah lah
AL-hih-u-Ab I I u(Round) (Africa)
3)Musical setting by Charles Wolcott Words of Bah~'u'11~hChoral arrangement by Robeit Tucker
Veryrubato J ' I ~~rL ~ I p Oh Thou 1,y whose Name_______ the sea of joy~~. maY -eth......
~ ~ ~~ I I I II II I II II I IOh Thou by whose Name..................... the sea of joy............ mov .
I � I I 'I A I ~ I j j � ______________________ � 'Al ~ � and the fra -grance.. ofhap-pi ness..... is waft - I
I ~ II � I� ir ~ ~ � � and the fra -grance � of hap-pi ness..~ is waft if f ~ jJ ~J J 1~ ,~J W ~r.'. i If'
I I I-ed I ask Thee to show ~ from the wanders .1 � y'~~' ~6I � ~� ', ~, w w Cd� ed_____________ I ask Thee to show mc........~. from thc won -ders .2 .2 4~ '.~J K! I I I
Page 672I I I. . ~ . ~ ~ v of Thy fa -vors that___________ whichshall brighten my eyes.
I I Iof Thy fa -vors Au ____________ � ~ p ______ and shall gladden my hcart____________________ jk ff~ I heart________________________ r5 -~~-ff~
I~ ~heart_____ _________ Ver i ly: .Thou 1 art the Giv - Cr; Thc Gen - Cr -ous pp ~W ~
I [)/TJ. Ap i I I I I' I~ artthe Gly - er; r; Thc Gcn - - er er -ous___________ pp I I i 11F 'F I
Page 673