Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablet addressed to the Greatest Holy Leaf inscribed around the circular dome of her resting place on Mount Carmel

He is the Eternal! This is My testimony for her who hath heard My voice and drawn nigh unto Me. Verily, she is a leaf that hath sprung from this preexistent Root. She hath revealed herself in My name and tasted of the sweet savours of My holy, My wondrous pleasure. At one time We gave her to drink from My honeyed Mouth, at another caused her to partake of My mighty, My luminous Kawthar. Upon her rest the glory of My name and the fragrance of My shining robe.

- Baha’u’llah  (compilation: ‘Bahiyyih Khanum, The Greatest Holy Leaf’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, 1982)

“the mystery of supplication and the wisdom of stating one's wants”

During thy supplications to God and thy reciting, “Thy Name is my healing," consider how thine heart is cheered, thy soul delighted by the spirit of the love of God, and thy mind attracted to the Kingdom of God! By these attractions one's ability and capacity increase. When the vessel is enlarged the water increases, and when the thirst grows the bounty of the cloud becomes agreeable to the taste of man. This is the mystery of supplication and the wisdom of stating one's wants. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Quoted by J.E. Esslemont in "Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era"; The Compilation of Compilations vol. II, The Importance of Prayer, Meditation and the Devotional Attitude)

circa 1926: Mountfort Mills and Fujita San

Mountfort Mills of New York and London, international lawyer and distinguished Baha'i who has represented the Baha'i Cause at Geneva and other important places, here pictured with Fujita San in Haifa, the little man who contributed a big service to the pilgrims.

Eating meat is permissible in the religion of God

… in the religion of God eating meat is permissible. Man can live without meat. To kill an animal and eat his flesh seems to be cruelty, but today it is almost impossible for the people not to eat the flesh of animals. It is difficult to tell people not to eat pork, mutton, beef, fish. Supposing that they do not eat these, what are they going to do about drinking water: for in this glass there are thousands of living animalcule which cannot be seen under the microscope, swimming in the water. They are dancing in the air that man breathes… They enter the body of man and die. This cheese is full of them. If you put it under the microscope you will see them moving. When you consider this with a broader view, you see it is not possible not 'to eat animals. Why is it permissible?

We must observe that these animals which are in the cheese represent animal life without intelligence, but you are eating them. This transfers them from the animal kingdom to the human kingdom. They were without intelligence and now they find intelligence; they were knowledge zand now they attain knowledge. Their sensibilities were primitive now they become developed, they receive a portion in thinking and reasoning. Then these animals which you are eating evolve from a low stage to a higher stage of existence. Therefore it is permissible to eat animals. 

- 'Abdu'l-Baha  (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, October 29, 1920, recorded by Mrs. H.E. Hoagg)

“The prime requisites for them that take counsel together”

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 long-suffering in difficulties and servitude to His exalted Threshold. Should they be graciously aided to acquire these attributes, victory from the unseen Kingdom of Bahá shall be vouchsafed to them.... The members thereof must take counsel together in such wise that no occasion for ill-feeling or discord may arise. This can be attained when every member expresseth with absolute freedom his own opinion and setteth forth his argument. Should any one oppose, he must on no account feel hurt for not until matters are fully discussed can the right way be revealed. The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions. If after discussion, a decision be carried unanimously, well and good; but if the Lord forbid, differences of opinion should arise, a majority of voices must prevail. 

- `Abdu'l-Bahá  (cited in a letter dated 5 March 1922 written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada, published in ‘Bahá'í Administration: Selected Messages 1922-1932’; The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. I, Consultation)

“Bahá’u’lláh… forecasting the bright future in store for a world now wrapt in darkness”

“The whole earth,” Bahá’u’lláh, on the other hand, forecasting the bright future in store for a world now wrapt in darkness, emphatically asserts, “is now in a state of pregnancy. The day is approaching when it will have yielded its noblest fruits, when from it will have sprung forth the loftiest trees, the most enchanting blossoms, the most heavenly blessings.” “The time is approaching when every created thing will have cast its burden. Glorified be God Who hath vouchsafed this grace that encompasseth all things, whether seen or unseen!” “These great oppressions,” He, moreover, foreshadowing humanity’s golden age, has written, “are preparing it for the advent of the Most Great Justice.” This Most Great Justice is indeed the Justice upon which the structure of the Most Great Peace can alone, and must eventually, rest, while the Most Great Peace will, in turn, usher in that Most Great, that World Civilization which shall remain forever associated with Him Who beareth the Most Great Name.  

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Promised Day Is Come’)

Nabil’s chronicle gives us “not only great historical value but high moral power”

The Bahá’í Movement is now well known throughout the world, and the time has come when Nabíl’s unique narrative of its beginnings in darkest Persia will interest many readers. The record which he sets down with such devoted care is in many respects extraordinary. It has its thrilling passages, and the splendour of the central theme gives to the chronicle not only great historical value but high moral power. Its lights are strong; and this effect is more intense because they seem like a sunburst at midnight. The tale is one of struggle and martyrdom; its poignant scenes, its tragic incidents are many. Corruption, fanaticisms and cruelty gather against the cause of reformation to destroy it, and the present volume closes at the point where a riot of hate seems to have accomplished its purpose and to have driven into exile or put to death every man, woman, and child in Persia who dared to profess a leaning towards the teaching of the Báb.

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘Introduction to ‘The Dawn-Breakers’)

The Guardian’s inexhaustible memory

Always amazing was his inexhaustible memory and the ease with which he recalled episodes, placing personages in their proper positions, with all their particulars of names, backgrounds and degrees of relationship. It was like reliving the spellbound days of my childhood when my aged and learned tutor would narrate the legendary feats of Greek mythology, with gods and people brought alive by his fascinating word pictures.

- Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery  (‘Shoghi Effendi – Recollections’)

High-level features of the fourth period of the first Baha’i century: 1921–1944

The fourth period (1921–1944) is motivated by the forces radiating from the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, that Charter of Bahá’u’lláh’s New World Order, the offspring resulting from the mystic intercourse between Him Who is the Source of the Law of God and the mind of the One Who is the vehicle and interpreter of that Law. The inception of this fourth, this last period of the first Bahá’í century synchronizes with the birth of the Formative Age of the Bahá’í Era, with the founding of the Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh—a system which is at once the harbinger, the nucleus and pattern of His World Order. This period, covering the first twenty-three years of this Formative Age, has already been distinguished by an outburst of further hostility, of a different character, accelerating on the one hand the diffusion of the Faith over a still wider area in each of the five continents of the globe, and resulting on the other in the emancipation and the recognition of the independent status of several communities within its pale.

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘Preface to God Passes By’)

1915: Ridvan Feast in Oakland, California

 

To “be immersed in the ocean of pardon and forgiveness” in the next world

O thou seeker of the Kingdom! Thy letter was received. Thou hast written of the severe calamity that hath befallen thee—the death of thy respected husband. That honourable man hath been so subjected to the stress and strain of this world that his greatest wish was for deliverance from it. Such is this mortal abode: a storehouse of afflictions and suffering. It is ignorance that binds man to it, for no comfort can be secured by any soul in this world, from monarch down to the most humble commoner. If once this life should offer a man a sweet cup, a hundred bitter ones will follow; such is the condition of this world. The wise man, therefore, doth not attach himself to this mortal life and doth not depend upon it; at some moments, even, he eagerly wisheth for death that he may thereby be freed from these sorrows and afflictions.

As to thy husband, rest assured. He will be immersed in the ocean of pardon and forgiveness and will become the recipient of bounty and favour. Strive thine utmost to give his child a Bahá’í training so that when he attaineth maturity he may be merciful, illumined and heavenly. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

November 2004: The passing of Hand of the Cause ‘Ali Akbar Furutan

He was an educator, author and, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, the "establisher and promoter" of the Baha'i Administrative Order in the Cradle of the Faith. Born in Sabzivar, Khurusan, Persia, in 1905, when he was but five years old his father became the first Baha'i in the family, followed immediately by his mother and grandmother. In 1914 he moved with his family to 'Ishqabad, Russia, and attended the elementary Baha'i boys' school, where, on his graduation at age 14, he was asked to teach the children of the first grade. He did this until 1922, when he began his secondary education. This was completed in 1925, and he went to work as principal of the Baha'i schools for a year prior to going on to the University of Moscow (where he graduated in psychology and education). Always active in the Faith, he traveled widely throughout the Caucasus region even while young and also taught in Leningrad and other Russian cities. In 1930 he was expelled from the Soviet Union for his participation in Baha'i activities, an event which seems only to have strengthened his resolve, because from that time forward he immersed himself totally in the administrative affairs of the Faith.

A year (1931) after his return to Iran he married Ata'iyyih Aziz-Khurasani. Together they settled in the remote village of Saysan and established a Baha'i school for girls and another for boys; this was the first access to modem education available to these children (eventually the schools had an attendance of about 700 students). In 1933 he was offered the position of principal of the Tarbiyat School for boys in Tihran but declined in order to remain in Saysan.

In 1934 he was elected to the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Iran and served as its secretary. He was also elected to the local Spiritual Assembly of Tihran and served on both simultaneously often as secretary of both bodies -- for a great many years. Also in 1934, at the request of the Guardian, he accepted the position of principal of the Tarbiyat School. A few months after he took on this role, Reza Shah Pahlavi issued an order to close all the Baha'i schools in Iran.

1979: Seat of the Universal House of Justice under construction

(Baha'i News, March 1979)

God, His Manifestations and the “Primal Will of God” – explained by the Báb

If thou art sailing upon the sea of God's Names, which are reflected in all things, know thou that He is exalted and sanctified from being known through His creatures, or being described by His servants. Everything thou beholdest hath been called into being through the operation of His Will. How can such a created thing, therefore, be indicative of His essential oneness? God's existence in itself testifieth to His Own oneness, while every created thing, by its very nature, beareth evidence that it hath been fashioned by God. Such is the proof of consummate wisdom in the estimation of those who sail the ocean of divine Truth.

If, however, thou art sailing upon the sea of creation, know thou that the First Remembrance, which is the Primal Will of God, may be likened unto the sun. God hath created Him through the potency of His might, and He hath, from the beginning that hath no beginning, caused Him to be manifested in every Dispensation through the compelling power of His behest, and God will, to the end that knoweth no end, continue to manifest Him according to the good-pleasure of His invincible Purpose.

And know thou that He indeed resembleth the sun. Were the risings of the sun to continue till the end that hath no end, yet there hath not been nor ever will be more than one sun; and were its settings to endure for evermore, still there hath not been nor ever will be more than one sun. It is this Primal Will which appeareth resplendent in every Prophet and speaketh forth in every revealed Book. It knoweth no beginning, inasmuch as the First deriveth its firstness from It; and knoweth no end, for the Last oweth its lastness unto It.

In the time of the First Manifestation the Primal Will appeared in Adam; in the day of Noah It became known in Noah; in the day of Abraham in Him; and so in the day of Moses; the day of Jesus; the day of Muhammad, the Apostle of God; the day of the 'Point of the Bayan'; the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest; and the day of the One Who will appear after Him Whom God shall make manifest. Hence the inner meaning of the words uttered by the Apostle of God, 'I am all the Prophets', inasmuch as what shineth resplendent in each one of Them hath been and will ever remain the one and the same sun. 

- The Báb  ('Selections from the Writings of the Báb')

'Abdu'l-Baha's absolute naturalness -- an utter absence of any desire or effort to impress one with his greatness

Every morning it is the custom of the household to meet in the large sitting room, where tea is served, and the little children of the family come and chant for the Master while he drinks his tea. At this first meeting, at seven o'clock in the morning, how inexpressibly I was impressed by the absolute poise of the Master; his absolute naturalness; absolute freedom. There was an utter absence of any desire or effort to impress one with his greatness, which is majestic in its simplicity.

- Mary Lucas  (‘A Brief Account of my visit to Akka’, 1905)

On becoming a Bahá'í a person should withdraw from church

If a person is registered as a member of a church or similar religious organization he should withdraw from it on becoming a Bahá'í.

In the case of new believers, it should be made clear to them in the course of teaching them the Faith that one cannot be a Bahá'í and also a member of another religious organization. This is simply a matter of straight-forwardness and honesty. A great part of the teaching of Jesus Christ concerned His Second Coming and the preparation of His followers to be ready for it. The Bahá'ís believe He has come. No Christian Church believes this; on the contrary, they either look for Him still, or have ceased to believe that He will come. For a Bahá'í to be a member of a community which holds such beliefs is disloyalty to Christ and hypocrisy towards the Christians.

You should not formalize the method by which the withdrawal from the church is to be made, and certainly nothing should be added to a declaration form, if you use one. It should be left to the Local Spiritual Assembly which is accepting the declaration to satisfy itself, as it deems best in each case, that the new believer has already resigned from the church, or does so within a reasonable time of his declaration.

In regard to the old believers, your Assembly should tactfully, and in a kindly way, make the Bahá'í position clear to them and gently persuade them to resign from their former churches. This is a matter for great tact and discretion. If such a believer remains adamant you will have to consider depriving him of his voting rights. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of Switzerland, November 21, 1968: Canadian Bahá'í News Special Section, March 1973; compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)

A dervish’s early recognition of Baha’u’llah’s station

One day, in the course of one of His riding excursions into the country, Baha’u’llah accompanied by His companions seated by the roadside, a lonely youth. His hair was dishevelled, and he wore the dress of a dervish.[1] By the side of a brook he had kindled a fire, and was cooking his food and eating it. Approaching him, Baha’u’llah most lovingly inquired: 'Tell me. dervish, what is that you are doing'?" "I am engaged in eating God," he bluntly replied. "I am cooking God and am burning Him." The unaffected simplicity of his manners and the candour of his reply pleased Baha’u’llah extremely. He smiled al his remark and began to converse with him with unrestrained tenderness and freedom. Within a short space of time, Baha’u’llah had changed him completely. Enlightened as to the true nature of God, and with a mind purged from the idle fancy of his own people, he immediately recognized the Light which that loving Stranger had so unexpectedly brought him. That dervish, whose name was Mustafa became so enamoured with the teachings which had been instilled into his mind that, leaving his cooking utensils behind, he straightway rose and followed Baha’u’llah. On foot, behind His horse, and inflamed with the fire of His love, he chanted merrily the verses of a love-song which he had composed on the spur of the moment and had dedicated to his Beloved. "Thou art the Day-Star of guidance," ran its glad refrain. 'Thou art the Light of Truth. Unveil Thyself to men, O Revealer of Truth." Although, in later years, that poem obtained wide circulation among his people, and it became known that a certain dervish ... had, without premeditation, composed it in praise of his Beloved, none seemed to be aware to whom it actually referred, nor did anyone suspect, at a time when Baha’u’llah was still veiled from the eyes of men, that this dervish alone had recognized His station and discovered His glory.

- Nabil  ('The Dawn-Breakers')

[1] Literally beggar, poor one: the name given to one of many orders of religious mendicants and Islamic mystics

How we can each contribute to the building of a new social order that is shaped by the truths of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh – from a talk by Paul Lample

“It is incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding,” Bahá’u’lláh states, “to strive to translate that which hath been written into reality and action.”[1] To be a Bahá’í, to “live the life,” means to comprehend the Word of God and act on it, individually and collectively. It is to make the reality of one’s personal life and the pattern of society at large reflect the teachings. Bahá’u’lláh Himself affirms that “the object of every Revelation” is to “effect a transformation in the whole character of mankind, a transformation that shall manifest itself both outwardly and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner life and external conditions.” Otherwise, He observes, “the futility of God’s universal Manifestations would be apparent.”[2]

Collectively, we receive the gift of the Word of God, and through its application we are to raise the Kingdom of God on earth; that is, we are to gradually contribute to the building of a new social order that is shaped by the truths of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. This statement appears simple, yet implicit in it is a challenge to reflect deeply about how we are to understand and behave. Achieving Bahá’u’lláh’s intended purpose for the human race requires new morals, new ways of generating knowledge, new ways of communicating, new ways of acting, and new institutions. How do we Bahá’ís, with our diverse, sometimes conflicting, understandings of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, collaborate to bring about the society that reflects His will? The answer will have to be found in learning, over time, to better understand the text and translate it into efficacious action consistent with its divine intent.

- Paul Lample  (Excerpt from a plenary talk given by Paul Lample at the 32nd annual conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies – North America, 29 August to 1 September 2008)

[1]. Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

[2]. Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Íqán

“The most acceptable prayer”

The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of God. 

- The Báb  (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

The fact that we can consult with our own spirit is a proof of the immortality of the spirit

There is another indication that we might mention concerning the immortality of the spirit. When man is confronted with a difficulty he seems to consult himself, as though there were a something within him, a power, a voice. He says, shall I do this, or shall I not do it? What shall be the consequence? What harm will result? Then from that consultant emanates a certain opinion, and that still small voice says that the results will be either favorable or unfavorable, and advises that the matter should or should not be carried out. What is that something man consults when he thus deliberates? It is undoubtedly the spirit, which is changeless and therefore immortal. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk at Theosophical Society, San Francisco, October 11, 1912; Unpublished Manuscript by Ella Cooper)