January 31, 2018

Baha’u’llah’s advice to “the elected representatives of the people in every land”

O ye the elected representatives of the people in every land!  Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be only 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 All-Knowing, the All-Wise. 
- Baha'u'llah  (Tablet to Queen Victoria, Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)

January 29, 2018

1844-1944: Evolution of Baha’i literature

…the extent of its literature—a literature which, restricted at first to the narrow range of hurriedly transcribed, often corrupted, secretly circulated, manuscripts, so furtively perused, so frequently effaced, and at times even eaten by the terrorized members of a proscribed sect, has, within the space of a century, swelled into innumerable editions, comprising tens of thousands of printed volumes, in diverse scripts, and in no less than forty languages, some elaborately reproduced, others profusely illustrated, all methodically and vigorously disseminated through the agency of world-wide, properly constituted and specially organized committees and Assemblies 
- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

January 27, 2018

Home Visits – a few excerpts from recent messages of the Universal House of Justice

  • …"home visits" are giving rise to an array of deepening efforts, both individual and collective, in which the friends are delving into the Writings and exploring their implications for their lives. (UHJ, 27 December 2005)
  • Plans being devised for this phase invariably involve the implementation of carefully designed teaching projects and campaigns of home visits and firesides, often through the mobilization of teaching teams. (UHJ, 27 December 2005)
  • Those not participating in study circles are nurtured through a series of home visits,and all are invited to devotional meetings, to the celebration of the Nineteen Day Feast and to Holy Day observances and are gradually introduced to the patterns of community life. (UHJ, 27 December 2005)
  • Meanwhile, the Area Teaching Committee is rising to a new level of functioning… how to organize systematic home visits to the friends who would benefit from deepening and discussions that connect them with the community; (UHJ, 29 December 2015)
  • Clearly, the institute process raises capacity for a broad range of undertakings; from the earliest courses, participants are encouraged to visit their friends at their homes and study a prayer together or share with them a theme from the Bahá’í teachings. (UHJ, 29 December 2015)

January 26, 2018

Quoting a passage from the Qur'an, Quddus explained to his companions at Fort Tabarsi the dire conditions they would experience

Quddus, [the last Letter of Living] immortalized by Him [the Báb] as Ismu'llahi'l-Akhir (the Last Name of God); on whom Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet of Kullu't-Ta'am later conferred the sublime appellation of Nuqtiy-i-Ukhra (the Last Point); whom He elevated, in another Tablet, to a rank second to none except that of the Herald of His Revelation; whom He identifies, in still another Tablet, with one of the ‘Messengers charged with imposture’ mentioned in the Qur'án; whom the Persian Bayan extolled as that fellow-pilgrim round whom mirrors to the number of eight Vahids revolve; on whose ‘detachment and the sincerity of whose devotion to God's will God prideth Himself amidst the Concourse on high;’ whom 'Abdu'l-Bahá designated as the ‘Moon of Guidance;’ and whose appearance the Revelation of St. John the Divine anticipated as one of the two ‘Witnesses’ into whom, ere the ‘second woe is past,’ the ‘spirit of life from God’ must enter. (Shoghi Effendi, 'God Passes By')

Quddus would sometimes ask his Iráqí companions to chant various passages of the Qur’án, to which he would listen with close attention, and would often be moved to unfold their meaning. In the course of one of their chantings, they came across the following verse:

“With somewhat of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and fruits, will We surely prove you: but bear good tidings to the patient.” (Surih [chapter]: ‘The Cow’, Rodwell translation)

These words,” Quddús would remark, “were originally revealed with reference to Job and the afflictions that befell him. In this day, however, they are applicable to us, who are destined to suffer those same afflictions. Such will be the measure of our calamity that none but he who has been endowed with constancy and patience will be able to survive them.”  (Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)

January 25, 2018

Taking “an oath, if required, on any sacred book”

In reply to your letter of September 12th the Universal House of Justice asked us to refer you to a letter on this subject written on behalf of the beloved Guardian on July 11th, 1956 to your National Spiritual Assembly:

"Regarding taking oaths, there is nothing in the Teachings on this subject. As a Bahá'í is enjoined by Bahá'u'lláh to be truthful, he would express his truthfulness, no matter what the formality of the law in any local place required of him. There can be no objection to Bahá'ís conforming to the requirements of the law court whatsoever they may be in such matters, as in no case would they constitute in any way a denial of their own beliefs as Bahá'ís.”

The above decision makes it clear that Bahá'ís may take an oath, if required, on any sacred book. The Universal House of Justice considers that it may be preferable for them to do so on a Bahá'í book, if possible." 
- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual of the United Kingdom, September 20, 1973; compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)

January 22, 2018

“…the forerunner of a divine, a slowly maturing civilization”

…the Mother Temple of the West, [Chicago Baha'i Temple] the forerunner of a divine, a slowly maturing civilization. 
- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

January 20, 2018

God established Baha’u’llah’s “covenant with every one who hath been created in the kingdoms of earth and heaven and in the realms of revelation and of creation.”

I testify, O my God, that this is the Day whereon Thy testimony hath been fulfilled, and Thy clear tokens have been manifested, and Thine utterances have been revealed, and Thy signs have been demonstrated, and the radiance of Thy countenance hath been diffused, and Thy proof hath been perfected, and Thine ascendancy hath been established, and Thy mercy hath overflowed, and the Day-Star of Thy grace hath shone forth with such brilliance that Thou didst manifest Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself and the Treasury of Thy wisdom and the Dawning-Place of Thy majesty and power. Thou didst establish His covenant with every one who hath been created in the kingdoms of earth and heaven and in the realms of revelation and of creation. Thou didst raise Him up to such heights that the wrongs inflicted by the oppressors have been powerless to deter Him from revealing Thy sovereignty, and the ascendancy of the wayward hath failed to prevent Him from demonstrating Thy power and from exalting Thy Cause.

January 18, 2018

1844-1944: Evolution of Baha’i Institutions

…advance in the rise of its institutions, whether as administrative centers or places of worship—institutions, clandestine and subterrene in their earliest beginnings, emerging imperceptibly into the broad daylight of public recognition, legally protected, enriched by pious endowments, ennobled at first by the erection of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of Ishqábád, the first Bahá’í House of Worship, and more recently immortalized, through the rise in the heart of the North American continent of the Mother Temple of the West, the forerunner of a divine, a slowly maturing civilization. 
- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

January 15, 2018

Passages Inscribed in the Interior of the Bahá'í Temple in Chicago

1. "All the prophets of God proclaim the same faith."
2. "Religion is a radiant light and an impregnable stronghold."
3. "Ye are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch."
4. "So powerful is unity's light that it can illumine the whole earth."
5. "Consort with the followers of all religions with friendliness."
6. "O Son of Being! Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee."
7. "O Son of Being! Walk in My statutes for love of Me."
8. "Thy Paradise is My love; thy heavenly home reunion with Me."
9. "The light of a good character surpasseth the light of the sun."
- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Bahá'í Faith, The: 1844-1950: Information Statistical and Comparative’, compiled by Shoghi Effendi)

January 13, 2018

How will mankind eventually adopt the Cause of Baha’u’llah

One of the Apostles of Baha’u’llah was Mirza ‘Ali-Muhammad, entitled Varqa. Once he asked Bahá'u'lláh, 'How will the Cause of God be universally adopted by mankind?' Bahá'u'lláh said that first, the nations of the world would arm themselves with infernal engines of war, and when fully armed would attack each other like bloodthirsty beasts. As a result, there would be enormous bloodshed throughout the world. Then the wise from all nations would gather together to investigate the cause of such bloodshed. They would come to the conclusion that prejudices were the cause, a major form being religious prejudice. They would therefore try to eliminate religion so as to eliminate prejudice. Later they would realize that man cannot live without religion. Then they would study the teachings of all religions to see which of the religions conformed to the prevailing conditions of the time. It is then that the Cause of God would become universal.
(Adapted from ‘The Revelation of Baha’u’llah, vol. 4’, by Adib Taherzadeh)

January 12, 2018

Discoveries by soul in the next life

As to thy question regarding discoveries made by the soul after it hath put off its human form: certainly, that world is a world of perceptions and discoveries, for the interposed veil will be lifted away and the human spirit will gaze upon souls that are above, below, and on a par with itself. It is similar to the condition of a human being in the womb, where his eyes are veiled, and all things are hidden away from him. Once he is born out of the uterine world and entereth this life, he findeth it, with relation to that of the womb, to be a place of perceptions and discoveries, and he observeth all things through his outer eye. In the same way, once he hath departed this life, he will behold, in that world whatsoever was hidden from him here: but there he will look upon and comprehend all things with his inner eye. There will he gaze on his fellows and his peers, and those in the ranks above him, and those below. As for what is meant by the equality of souls in the all-highest realm, it is this: the souls of the believers, at the time when they first become manifest in the world of the body, are equal, and each is sanctified and pure. In this world, however, they will begin to differ one from another, some achieving the highest station, some a middle one, others remaining at the lowest stage of being. Their equal status is at the beginning of their existence; the differentiation followeth their passing away. 
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writing of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

January 10, 2018

A blessed soul…

Many a chilled heart, O my God, hath been set ablaze with the fire of Thy Cause, and many a slumberer hath been wakened by the sweetness of Thy voice. How many are the strangers who have sought shelter beneath the shadow of the tree of Thy oneness, and how numerous the thirsty ones who have panted after the fountain of Thy living waters in Thy days!

Blessed is he that hath set himself towards Thee, and hasted to attain the Day-Spring of the lights of Thy face. Blessed is he who with all his affections hath turned to the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation and the Fountain-Head of Thine inspiration. Blessed is he that hath expended in Thy path what Thou didst bestow upon him through Thy bounty and favor. Blessed is he who, in his sore longing after Thee, hath cast away all else except Thyself. Blessed is he who hath enjoyed intimate communion with Thee, and rid himself of all attachment to any one save Thee.

I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Him Who is Thy Name, Who, through the power of Thy sovereignty and might, hath risen above the horizon of His prison, to ordain for every one what becometh Thee and beseemeth Thine exaltation.

Thy might, in truth, is equal to all things. 
- Baha’u’llah  (‘Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah’)

January 9, 2018

Evolution of Baha’i Community: 1844 to 1944

…increase in the diversity of the elements within its fellowship, which from being confined, in the first period of its history, to an obscure body of followers chiefly recruited from the ranks of the masses in Shí’ah Persia, has expanded into a fraternity representative of the leading religious systems of the world, of almost every caste and color, from the humblest worker and peasant to royalty itself. 
- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

January 7, 2018

Evolution of Baha’i teachings between 1844 to 1944

…evolution in the scope of its [Baha’i] teachings, at first designedly rigid, complex and severe, subsequently recast, expanded, and liberalized under the succeeding Dispensation, later expounded, reaffirmed and amplified by an appointed Interpreter, and lastly systematized and universally applied to both individuals and institutions. 
- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

January 5, 2018

Five types of spirit – ‘Abdu’l-Baha explains

Now as to what thou askest concerning the spirit and its “return” to this world of humanity and this elemental space: Know that spirit in general is divided into five sorts—the vegetable spirit, the animal spirit, the human spirit, the spirit of faith, and the divine spirit of sanctity.

The vegetable spirit is the virtue augmentative, or growing or vegetative faculty, which results from the admixture of the simple elements, with the co-operation of water, air and heat.

The animal spirit is the virtue perceptive resulting from the admixture and absorption of the vital elements generated in the heart, which apprehend sense impressions.

The human spirit consists of the rational, or logical, reasoning faculty, which apprehends general ideas and things intelligible and perceptible.

January 4, 2018

Worldwide progress of the Faith – stages to go through

…the stages of obscurity, of proscription, of emancipation, and of recognition—stages that must needs culminate in the course of succeeding centuries, in the establishment of the Faith, and the founding, in the plenitude of its power and authority, of the world-embracing Bahá’í Commonwealth. 
- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

January 2, 2018

Spiritual transformation of Europe – Assignment to Baha’is from the Universal House of Justice

We have not, as yet, found the secret of setting aglow the hearts of great numbers of Europeans with the divine fire. This must now be your constant preoccupation, the subject of your deliberations at this Conference, the purpose of your lives, to which you will attain "only if you arise to trample beneath your feet every earthly desire." We call upon every Baha'i in Europe to ponder this vital matter in his inmost soul, to consider what each may do to attract greater power to his efforts, to radiate more brilliantly and irresistibly the joyous, regenerating power of the Cause, so that the Baha'i community in every country of Europe may stand out as a beacon light repelling the dark shadows of godlessness and moral degradation now threatening to obliterate the last remnants of a dying order. We call upon the Continental Board of Counsellors to consult following this Conference with every National Spiritual Assembly in Europe, and together, launch such a campaign of spiritualization of the Baha'i community, allied with intensified personal teaching, as has never been witnessed in your continent.  The goals of the Seven Year Plan can all be accomplished as the result of such a programme and the European Baha'i community may achieve through it the spiritual force and character to demonstrate to a stricken and declining civilization the peace and joy and order of the long-awaited, Christ- promised Kingdom of God on earth. 
- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 2 June 1982 addressed to the friends gathered at the International Conference in Dublin; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)