“the Cause has the spiritual power to re-create us”

The believers, as we all know, should endeavour to set such an example in their personal lives and conduct that others will feel impelled to embrace a Faith which reforms human character. However, unfortunately, not everyone achieves easily and rapidly the victory over self. What every believer, new or old, should realize is that the Cause has the spiritual power to re-create us if we make the effort to let that power influence us, and the greatest help in this respect is prayer. We must supplicate Bahá'u'lláh to assist us to overcome the failings in our own characters, and also exert our own will-power in mastering ourselves. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 27 February 1945 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to two believers; The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II, The Importance of Prayer, Meditation and the Devotional Attitude)

Impact of Baha’u’llah’s arrest in Tehran on His family: - - Bahiyyih Khanum recalls

From our doors nobody was ever turned away; the hospitable board was spread for all comers … 

Whilst the people called my Father 'The Father of the poor', they spoke of my mother as 'The Mother of Consolation', though, naturally, only the women and little children ever looked upon her face unveiled…

One day I remember very well, though I was only six years old at the time. It seemed that an attempt had been made on the life of the Shah by a half-crazy young Babi.

My father was away at his country house in the viliage of Niyavaran, which was his property, the villagers of which were all and individually cared for by him.

Suddenly and hurriedly a servant came rushing in great distress to my mother.

'The master, the master, he is arrested - I have seen him! He has walked many miles! Oh, they have beaten him. They say he has suffered the torture of the bastinado! His feet are bleeding! He has no shoes on! His turban has gone! His clothes are torn! There are chains upon his neck!’'

My poor mother’s face grew whiter and whiter.

We children were terribly frightened and could only weep bitterly.

Immediately everybody, all our relations, and friends, and servants fled from our house in terror, only one man servant, Isfandiyar, remained, and one woman. Our palace, and the smaller houses belonging to it were very soon stripped of everything; furniture, treasures all were stolen by the people.

Baha’u’llah’s brother, Mirza Musa., who remained faithful throughout his life, helped the distraught mother and her three children to escape and found them a small house near the prison where they could remain in hiding. Asiyih Khanum [Baha’u’llah’s wife] gathered what small treasures she could, such as the gold buttons on her wedding dress, and sold everything to provide money to pay the gaolers to take food to Baha’u’llah and to keep the family alive. 

- Bahiyyih Khanum  (Quoted by lady Blomfield in 'The Chosen Highway'; David Hofman, 'Baha’u’llah the Prince of Peace')

Wisdom of attending Baha’i events

Attendance at the gatherings of the friends is specifically to keep them alert, vigilant, loving and attracted to the divine Kingdom. 

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

"Sirru'llah" (the Mystery of God)

'Abdu'l-Baha in front of Memorial Church where He paused during a tour of the Leland Stanford Junior University campus on 8 October 1912 and read the inscription on the stone plaque which reads: "... erected by Jane Stanford to the glory of God and in loving memory of her husband Leland Stanford"

"He ['Abdu'l-Baha] alone had been accorded the privilege of being called 'the Master,' an honor from which His Father had strictly excluded all His other sons. Upon Him that loving and unerring Father had chosen to confer the unique title of 'Sirru'llah' (the Mystery of God), a designation so appropriate to One Who, though essentially human and holding a station radically and fundamentally different from that occupied by Bahá'u'lláh and His Forerunner, could still claim to be the perfect Exemplar of His Faith, to be endowed with super-human knowledge, and to be regarded as the stainless mirror reflecting His light." 

- Shoghi Effendi  (God Passes By)

“The domain of His [God’s] decree is too vast for the tongue of mortals to describe, or for the bird of the human mind to traverse…”

Behold, how many are the mysteries that lie as yet unravelled within the tabernacle of the knowledge of God, and how numerous the gems of His wisdom that are still concealed in His inviolable treasuries! Shouldest thou ponder this in thine heart, thou wouldst realize that His handiwork knoweth neither beginning nor end. The domain of His decree is too vast for the tongue of mortals to describe, or for the bird of the human mind to traverse; and the dispensations of His providence are too mysterious for the mind of man to comprehend. His creation no end hath overtaken, and it hath ever existed from the “Beginning that hath no beginning”; and the Manifestations of His Beauty no beginning hath beheld, and they will continue to the “End that knoweth no end.” Ponder this utterance in thine heart…

- Baha’u’llah  (‘The Kitab-i-Iqan’)

1912 Chicago: 'Abdu'l-Baha walking with Ruhiyyih Jones

Primary criteria for selecting travel teachers: those who have “pure spirit and… true love for the Cause” and “capacity to convey that spirit and love to others”

It must be realized that people who are mostly illiterate cannot have the benefit of reading for themselves the written word and of deriving directly from it the spiritual sustenance they need for the enrichment of their Bahá'í lives. They become dependent, therefore, to a large extent on their contacts with visiting teachers. The spiritual calibre or moral quality of these teachers assumes, therefore, great importance. The National Spiritual Assembly or the Teaching Committees responsible for the selection of these teachers should bear in mind that their choice must depend, not only on the knowledge or grasp of the teachings on the part of the teachers, but primarily upon their pure spirit and their true love for the Cause, and their capacity to convey that spirit and love to others. ...What wonderful results will soon be witnessed in the areas under your jurisdiction if you devise ways and means to ensure, as far as circumstances permit, that the travelling teachers you are encouraging to circulate among the friends will all be of the standard called for in these quotations -- pure and sanctified souls, with nothing but true devotion and self-sacrifice motivating them in their services to God's Holy Cause.... 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 26 October 1967 written by the Universal House of Justice to National Spiritual Assemblies engaged in mass teaching; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Teaching the Masses)

November 1918: Martha Root writes to ‘Abdu’l-Baha about her desire to travel the world on behalf of the Faith

Martha committed her thoughts to paper as easily as most humans breathe and frequently sent them off to 'Abdu'l-Baha in Haifa. On 7 November 1918 she wrote to Him of her desire to travel the world on behalf of the Faith. This was a source of joy to 'Abdu'l-Baha. In His response He replied, "My hope from the blessings of His Holiness Baha'u'llah is that thou mayest forget rest and composure and like unto a swift-flying bird, thou mayest reproduce the melody of the Kingdom and engage in songs and music in the best of tunes." If Martha needed incitement or additional stimulus for her already strong desires to travel and teach, the Master provided it with His colorful directives. It was like a clarion call, a trumpet blast, for He added: "All ears are alert for the summons to the Most Great Peace. It is therefore better for thee to travel now around the world, if this is conveniently possible, and roar out the call of the Divine Kingdom. Thou shalt witness great results and extraordinary confirmations." 

(Adapted from ‘Martha Root Lioness at the Threshold’, by Garis)

Friends “should be encouraged to observe the Nineteen Day Feast”; Groups and isolated believers; Voting on recommendations at Feasts

In reply to your letter of November 8th we feel that all friends, whatever their circumstances, should be encouraged to observe the Nineteen Day Feast. Obviously it can only be an official administrative occasion where there is a Local Spiritual Assembly to take charge of it, present reports to the friends, and receive their recommendations. But groups, spontaneous gatherings of friends, and even isolated believers should certainly remember the day and say prayers together. In the case of a group it may well hold the Feast in the manner in which a Local Spiritual Assembly would do so, recognizing of course that it has no official administrative standing.

As to visitors to a Nineteen Day Feast, Bahá'ís from anywhere in the world should of course be warmly welcomed, and may take part in consultation. However, only members of the local community can vote on recommendations to the Local Spiritual Assembly. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 1 December 1968 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, The Nineteen Day Feast)

1922: Baha’is of Britain formed a National Council [1] – the Guardian delineates its duties

I need hardly tell you how grateful and gratified I felt when I heard the news of the actual formation of a National Council whose main object is to guide, co-ordinate and harmonise the various activities of the friends, and when I learned of its satisfactory composition, its harmonious procedure and the splendid work it is achieving.

My earnest prayer is that the blessing of the Almighty may rest upon all its deliberations, that it may be divinely guided, inspired in its work, may smooth speedily and definitely all differences that may arise, may promote the all-important work of Teaching, may widen the sphere of its correspondence and exchange of news with the distant parts of the Bahá'í world, may secure through its publications a dignified and proper presentation of the Cause to the enlightened public, and may in every other respect prove itself capable of distinct and worthy achievements. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Excerpt from a letter dated 16 December 1922 to Baha’is in Great Britain; 'The Unfolding Destiny of the British Baha’i Community') 

[1] Dr. Esselmont and E. T. Hall were "chosen" to represent Bournemouth and Manchester respectively and they met with seven others representing "The London Groups" to form the first "All-England Bahá'í Council" which met at the London home of Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper 6 June, 1922. Mr. G. P. Simpson was elected Chairman.

Story: "...thousands of worlds of incomparable splendor were unveiled to my eyes…” – a spiritual experience by a youth

Mirza Aqa Jan embraced the religion of the Báb when he was about sixteen years old and became instantly “aflame with devotion.” He was neither learned nor rich and made his living in his hometown of Kashan making and selling soap. Soap-making was a humble trade in those days, often carried out at home by people who were not well educated.

Mirza Aqa jan was also a seeker of truth who had seen the Báb in his dreams and believed in Him. He had also read the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and felt the urge to attain His presence. He left his home in Kashan unexpectedly and traveled to Iraq.

When he reached Baghdad, he learned that Bahá’u’lláh was visiting the Babís in the neighboring town of Karbila, and there He was the guest of one of the resident Bábis. This was before Baha’u’llah’s Declaration in the Garden of Ridvan. Mirza Aqa Jan followed Baha’u’llah to Karbila.

Bahá’u’lláh liked to spend the hot summer nights on the flat roof of the house, as people often did. There He chanted His prayers under a canopy of stars and slept in the fresh night air.

One night Bahá’u’lláh invited Mirza Aqa Jan who had just arrived in Karbala to join Him on the roof. Bahá’u’lláh was already sleeping when Mirza Aqa jan spread out his bedding nearby on a carpet and lay down for a brief rest.

Many years later, Mirza Aqa jan related the following amazing account to the great Baha’i historian, Nabil:

A proof concerning the immortality of the soul of each Prophet

Among other evidences of the immortality of the spirit is the fact that there can be no effect without a cause. It is impossible for a non-existent cause to produce existent effects. For instance, if we suppose the sun to be non-existent, it would logically follow that its rays and heat would be non-existent. However, we know that the solar energy does exist, because its rays and heat are continuous. The sun being the cause, and the rays and heat the effects, how could the cause be non-existent when the effects are continuous? Likewise, the effects of the Sun of Reality are continuous in the world of reality, for, inasmuch as the influence of the manifestations of God who lived thousands of years ago continues to be felt in the world of to-day, surely the divine manifestations themselves must somewhere be still existent. For example, His Holiness Christ lived upon the earth nineteen hundred years ago, yet the effects of his presence at that time are evident in human minds and hearts to-day. Then how could he be non-existent when his lights are still shining, his praises still sung? He is existent and immortal. The Christ is everlasting, even as its traces are everlasting. 

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

“Every act of the Blessed Beauty constitutes in itself a consummate proof.”

The assistance of the Blessed Beauty brings about extraordinary things. Every act of the Blessed Beauty constitutes in itself a consummate proof. In one of my early writings I wrote that in the eyes of the possessors of insight the doings of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth have no equal. For instance, if the Blessed Beauty asked after someone's health, although outwardly a common expression, it could give to a person who was perceptive hints as to the wisdom and mystery hidden in the words spoken on that occasion. Thus it is that God in all His actions is distinct from all others, just as a wise man displays in all his actions the signs of wisdom. 

- 'Abdu'l-Baha  (Utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Mahmud’s Diary chronicling ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s journey to America, entry August 4, 1912)

A Baha’i teaching: “The virtues and attributes” that are among the “highest and most laudable of all acts"

The virtues and attributes pertaining unto God are all evident and manifest, and have been mentioned and described in all the heavenly Books. Among them are trustworthiness, truthfulness, purity of heart while communing with God, forbearance, resignation to whatever the Almighty hath decreed, contentment with the things His Will hath provided, patience, nay, thankfulness in the midst of tribulation, and complete reliance, in all circumstances, upon Him. These rank, according to the estimate of God, among the highest and most laudable of all acts. All other acts are, and will ever remain, secondary and subordinate unto them.... 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh’; also in ‘The Compilation of Compilations vol II’)

1916: Some Baha'is in Japan

Miss Alexander (upper row) and Dr. Augur (lower row) of Honolulu, with a group of Japanese Baha'is in Japan

Condition of humanity when Jesus appeared

… when the holy breaths of the Spirit of God (Jesus) were shedding their sweetness over Palestine and Galilee, over the shores of Jordan and the regions around Jerusalem, and the wondrous melodies of the Gospel were sounding in the ears of the spiritually illumined, all the peoples of Asia and Europe, of Africa and America, of Oceania, which comprises the islands and archipelagoes of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, were fire-worshipers and pagans, ignorant of the Divine Voice that spoke out on the Day of the Covenant. Alone the Jews believed in the divinity and oneness of God. Following the declaration of Jesus, the pure and reviving breath of His mouth conferred eternal life on the inhabitants of those regions for a period of three years, and through Divine Revelation the Law of Christ, at that time the vital remedy for the ailing body of the world, was established. 

- 'Abdu’l-Baha  ('Secret of Divine Civilization')

Shoghi Effendi does not demand any deference, but one feels absolutely weak and lowly in his presence

He is completely simple and direct. He himself does not demand all this deference, but just to be in his presence makes one fell absolutely 'weak and lowly'. The Guardian is ever courteous and does not lose patience with questions of the immature. However, he is not reticent about letting people know which questions are important, and which are not, and which will be answered later by the International House of Justice... 

(Recorded by a pilgrim in 1956; quoted by Ruhiyyih Khanum in ‘The Priceless Pearl’)

The instrument ‘Abdu’l-Baha devised for the proclamation of the Faith to the remotest corners of the Earth was the Divine Plan laid out in the fourteen great Tablets of the Divine Plan

As war's inferno was engulfing the world, 'Abdu'l-Bahá turned His attention to the one great task remaining in His ministry, that of ensuring the proclamation to the remotest corners of the Earth of the message which had been neglected -- or opposed -- in Islamic and Western society alike. The instrument He devised for this purpose was the Divine Plan laid out in fourteen great Tablets, four of them addressed to the Bahá'í community of North America and ten subsidiary ones addressed to five specific segments of that community. Together with Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet of Carmel and the Master's Will and Testament, the Tablets of the Divine Plan were described by Shoghi Effendi as three of the "Charters" of the Cause. Revealed during the darkest days of the war, in 1916 and 1917, the Divine Plan summoned the small body of American and Canadian believers to assume the role of leadership in establishing the Cause of God throughout the planet. The implications of the trust were awe-inspiring. 

(‘Century of Light’, a document prepared under the supervision of the Universal House of Justice and published in 2001)

Prayer that Christ said while on the cross

O My beloved Lord, how long wilt Thou abandon Me to them? Lift Me up unto Thee, shelter Me close to Thee, make Me a dwelling by Thy throne of glory. Verily art Thou the Answerer of prayers, and Thou art the Clement, the Merciful. O My Lord! Verily this world with all its vastness can no longer contain Me, and I love this cross, out of love for Thy beauty, and yearning for Thy realm on high, and because of this fire, fanned by the gusts of Thy holiness, aflame within My heart. Help me, O Lord, to ascend unto Thee, sustain Me that I may reach unto Thy sacred Threshold, O My loving Lord! Verily Thou art the Merciful, the Possessor of great bounty! Verily Thou art the Generous! Verily Thou art the Compassionate! Verily Thou art the All-Knowing! There is none other God save Thee, the Mighty, the Powerful!

- Jesus Christ  (Quoted by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in 'Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu'l-Baha')

1934: First National Convention of the Baha'is of Iran

Symbolic representation of the stages in the Administrative Order by means of a monument designed by Shoghi Effendi

Shrine of Greatest Holy Leaf

This love the Guardian had for the Greatest Holy Leaf, who had watched over him for thirty-five years as far more than a mother, continued to be demonstrated for the remainder of his life. When the news of her death [15 July 1932 at the age of 86] reached him in Switzerland his first act was to plan for her grave a suitable memorial which he hastened to Italy to order. No one could possibly call this exquisitely proportioned monument, built of shining white Carrara marble, anything but what it appears - a love temple, the embodiment of Shoghi Effendi's love, he had undoubtedly conceived its design from buildings of a similar style and, under his supervision, an artist now incorporated his concept in the monument he planned to erect on her resting-place. Shoghi Effendi used to compare the stages in the Administrative Order of the Faith to this monument, saying the platform of three steps was like the local Assemblies, the pillars like the National Assemblies, and the dome that crowned them and held them together like the Universal House of Justice, which could not be placed in position until the foundations and pillars were first firmly erected. After the Greatest Holy Leaf's monument had been completed in all its beauty he had a photograph of it sent to many different Assemblies, as well as to a special list of individuals to whom he wished to present so tender a memento. 

- Ruhiyyih Khanum  ('The Priceless Pearl')

'Abdu'l-Baha in Haifa

A suggested quote to memorize: To become “a source of social good”

…the honor and distinction of the individual consist in this, that he among all the world's multitudes should become a source of social good. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘The Secret of Divine Civilization’; Ruhi Book 5)

Leroy C. Ioas (1896-1965) - The Guardian's Hercules; "vigorous spirit of determination… and of noble enthusiasm"; "energy, judgment, zeal and fidelity"; "incessant activities and prodigious labours"; "tireless vigilance, self-sacrifice, and devotion to the Cause in all its multiple fields of activity"; “Outstanding Hand of the Cause”; “First Secretary-General of the International Baha’i Council”; “Personal Representative of the Guardian of the Faith”

Leroy, as he was affectionately known throughout the world by Baha'is and countless other associates, was the brightest luminary of a large and united family whose services to Baha'u'llah began shortly after the inception of His Faith in North America.

Leroy was born in Wilmington, Illinois, in the heartland of America, soon after Baha'u'llah's Message first reached the West in 1893. His father, Charles loas, 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-Baha 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 loas", 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 Baha'u'llah with her husband. For her son, she was "one of the angels of the American Baha'i 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 Wilmette in 1953, to the erection of which both husband and children had greatly contributed.

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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’)