Proofs that Bahá’u’lláh’s “divine Revelation is that same heavenly Kingdom which Christ said was nigh” – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains

O thou seeker after Truth! Thy letter was received and thy purpose became known. Thou hast asked: If this divine Revelation is that same heavenly Kingdom which Christ said was nigh, then by what proof and testimony can this be demonstrated, and by what tidings can it be announced? There is no time for a detailed reply, so a brief account is provided.

Know thou that the proofs of the truth of this new Kingdom are the same as those of the Kingdom of Christ. The proof of the subsequent Kingdom is the same as that of the previous one—nay, it is the mightiest proof!

Proofs are of two kinds: those for the common people and those for the learned. The latter will not be convinced by the proofs for the former, who, likewise, will not be assured by the proofs for the latter. The common people seek miracles and marvels, while the learned regard these not as proof; these neither satisfy their search nor quench their thirst. Rather, they seek conclusive rational proofs. Thus, as thou art endowed with a keen vision and a sound mind, we will set forth conclusive and rational proofs that leave none the possibility for denial.

We say that the purpose underlying the advent of the Kingdom is the edification of the souls of men, the progress of the world of humanity, the manifestation of the love of God, the establishment of fellowship and unity amongst all peoples, the appearance of divine perfections, and the realization of the glory of the human race. This is the purpose of the advent of the Kingdom, and this is its result. Observe, then, how the edifying power of Bahá’u’lláh hath enlightened the darksome East, transformed voracious beasts into heavenly angels, endowed the ignorant with knowledge, and caused ravening wolves to become as gazelles in the meads of oneness. Those who, because of custom or belief, rose in enmity against all peoples now associate with all in a spirit of perfect unity. Those who used to burn the Holy Bible out of exceeding ignorance now set forth the truths and mysteries of the Old and New Testaments. In a brief span of time, He so educated His followers that, even in chains and stocks, and under the threat of swords and blades, they would raise the cry of “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!” and would offer sugar candy to their executioners that they might strike the final blow with sweetened mouths. Thou dost surely recall the story of Peter the disciple, and the crowing of the cock!

The incredible, awe-striking power of the Manifestation of God

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 splendor, 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 of past and future ages. 

- Baha’u’llah (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, The Power of Divine Assistance)

2017: “the single greatest worldwide opportunity there has ever been for connecting hearts to Bahá’u’lláh”

The signs could hardly be more promising, then, for what the coming year might bring. And what could be more fitting to offer the Blessed Beauty on the two hundredth anniversary of His Birth than the earnest striving of His loved ones to extend the reach of His Faith? The first of the two bicentenaries to be celebrated by the Bahá’í world is thus an occasion with prospects most thrilling. Viewed aright, this year presents the single greatest worldwide opportunity there has ever been for connecting hearts to Bahá’u’lláh. In the months ahead, let all be mindful of this precious chance and alert to the possibilities that exist in every space for acquainting others with His life and sublime mission. 

- The Universal House of Justice (Ridvan 2017 message; Messages from the Universal House of Justice 2001-2022)

Mary Magdalene asked Roman emperor to spare the executioners of Jesus Christ and the Jews who “were responsible for killing Christ” – ‘Abdu’l-Baha relates

Following the martyrdom of Jesus Christ, among the services Mary Magdalene rendered was that, by some means or other, she secured a meeting with the emperor of Rome.[1] That meeting took place at a time when Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas were both aware that the Jews had levelled unfounded allegations against Jesus Christ, and that He was in fact innocent of any crime. Pilate and Herod, therefore, began to persecute the Jews. When the emperor of Rome inquired about the reason for her visit, Mary Magdalene replied, “I have come on behalf of the Christians; they have asked that the executioners of Jesus Christ be spared punishment, and the Jews be left undisturbed. Since Pilate and Herod persecuted the Jews, even though the Jews were responsible for killing Christ, He would not at all be pleased if anyone attempted to exact vengeance upon them.” These remarks from Mary Magdalene pleased the emperor greatly and made a profound impression on him. As a result, the emperor decreed that the Jews were to be left alone. 

- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 22 December 1912, London, England recorded by Mahmud Zarqani, His secretary and chronicler during His travels in the West; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’, vol. 2: ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Europe 1912-1913)

[1] Apparently a reference to Tiberius, the second Roman emperor.

Auxiliary Board Members: their broad range of responsibilities

These consecrated officers of the Cause constitute an institution originally conceived and created by Shoghi Effendi to assist the Hands of the Cause of God in their “dual and sacred task of safeguarding the Faith and of promoting its teaching activities.” Now serving as auxiliaries to the Continental Counsellors,

• they and their assistants play a decisive part in the unfoldment of the global Plans,
• bringing to the work breadth of vision and clarity of thought,
• flexibility and resourcefulness.
• In cluster after cluster, from the first stirrings of activity, they labour alongside the friends, assisting individuals, communities, and institutions
•  to focus their attention on the Plan,
• to maintain a conception of what needs to be done and the next steps to be taken,
• and to appreciate the complementarity of the efforts of all the friends and the need for mutual support. 
• And in every aspect of their service, they foster a spirit of love and unity.

The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 25 November 2016 to the Bahá’ís of the World regarding the total number of the Auxiliary Board members worldwide; Messages from the Universal House of Justice 2001-2022)

“The signs of…progress” in “the evolution of the new World Order [that] are being stimulated by the spiritual forces released through the unfoldment of the Divine Plan”

During this period, the adoption of an evolving framework for action has enabled the friends to progressively nurture and refine essential capacities, giving rise to simple acts of service at first, leading to more elaborate patterns of action, which in turn demanded the development of capacities still more complex. In this way, a systematic process of human resource development and community building has been started in thousands of clusters—and, in many of them, become far advanced. The focus has not been solely on the individual believer, or the community, or the institutions of the Faith; all three inseparable participants in the evolution of the new World Order are being stimulated by the spiritual forces released through the unfoldment of the Divine Plan. The signs of their progress are more and more apparent:

•  in the confidence that countless believers have acquired to share accounts of Bahá’u’lláh’s life and discuss the implications of His Revelation and peerless Covenant;
• in the growing contingents of souls who, as a result, have been attracted to His Cause and are contributing to the achievement of His unifying vision;
• in the ability of Bahá’ís and their friends, at the very grassroots of the community, to describe in eloquent terms their experience of a process capable of transforming character and shaping social existence;
• in the significantly larger numbers of those indigenous to a country who, as members of Bahá’í institutions and agencies, are now guiding the affairs of their communities;
• in the reliable, generous, and sacrificial giving to the Fund, so vital for sustaining the advancement of the Faith;

Dust from the Shrine of the Báb Placed in the Chile Temple

29 April 2015

To all National Spiritual Assemblies

Dear Bahái Friends,

The swiftly advancing construction work of the last continental House of Worship paused today as the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Chile, together with a handful of believers, assembled to mark a moment of significant symbolism. Having been hand carried from the Holy Land to Santiago, a small ornamental silver case containing dust lovingly collected decades earlier from the sacred space of the inner Shrine of the Báb by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum was ceremoniously set within a cavity at the heart of the wooden carving of the Greatest Name designed to adorn the apex of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. This bold yet graceful calligraphic piece, crafted by a local artisan from the timber of the roble pellín tree native to Chile, is now raised into its permanent position twenty-nine metres above ground, framed against the sky, at the perfect centre of the Temple.

The Universal House of Justice

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 2001-2022)

The reported response of Napoleon III to Baha’u’llah’s first Tablet and the resulting conversion of the transmitter of the second Tablet

It is reported that upon receipt of this first Message that superficial, tricky, and pride-intoxicated monarch flung down the Tablet saying: “If this man is God, I am two gods!” The transmitter of the second Tablet had, it is reliably stated, in order to evade the strict surveillance of the guards, concealed it in his hat, and was able to deliver it to the French agent, who resided in Akká, and who, as attested by Nabíl in his Narrative, translated it into French and sent it to the Emperor, he himself becoming a believer when he had later witnessed the fulfillment of so remarkable a prophecy. 

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

The unbelievable capacity released by the Báb

“The Báb,” ‘Abdu’l Bahá, moreover, has written, “hath said: ‘Should a tiny ant desire, in this day, to be possessed of such power as to be able to unravel the abstrusest and most bewildering passages of the Qur’án, its wish will no doubt be fulfilled, inasmuch as the mystery of eternal might vibrates within the innermost being of all created things.’ If so helpless a creature can be endowed with so subtle a capacity, how much more efficacious must be the power released through the liberal effusions of the grace of Bahá’u’lláh!” 

- Shoghi Effendi (Quoting ‘Abdu’l-Baha in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

An example of the transformative power of the Manifestation of God: - Peter, the chief disciple of Christ

“Peter,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has testified, “according to the history of the Church, was also incapable of keeping count of the days of the week. Whenever he decided to go fishing, he would tie up his weekly food into seven parcels, and every day he would eat one of them, and when he had reached the seventh, he would know that the Sabbath had arrived, and thereupon would observe it.” If the Son of Man was capable of infusing into apparently so crude and helpless an instrument such potency as to cause, in the words of Bahá’u’lláh, “the mysteries of wisdom and of utterance to flow out of his mouth,” and to exalt him above the rest of His disciples, and render him fit to become His successor and the founder of His Church, how much more can the Father, Who is Bahá’u’lláh, empower the most puny and insignificant among His followers to achieve, for the execution of His purpose, such wonders as would dwarf the mightiest achievements of even the first apostle of Jesus Christ! 

- Shoghi Effendi (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

The incredible spiritual experience of Mírzá Áqá Ján, Baha’u’llah’s amanuensis

This same Mírzá Áqá Ján, recounting to Nabíl his experiences, on that first and never to be forgotten night spent in Karbilá, in the presence of his newly-found Beloved, Who was then a guest of Hájí Mírzá Hasan-i-Hakím-Báshí, had given the following testimony:

“As it was summer-time Bahá’u’lláh was in the habit of passing His evenings and of sleeping on the roof of the House.… That night, when He had gone to sleep, I, according to His directions, lay down for a brief rest, at a distance of a few feet from Him. No sooner had I risen, and … started to offer my prayers, in a corner of the roof which adjoined a wall, than I beheld His blessed Person rise and walk towards me. When He reached me He said: ‘You, too, are awake.’ Whereupon He began to chant and pace back and forth. How shall I ever describe that voice and the verses it intoned, and His gait, as He strode before me! Methinks, with every step He took and every word He uttered thousands of oceans of light surged before my face, and thousands of worlds of incomparable splendor were unveiled to my eyes, and thousands of suns blazed their light upon me! In the moonlight that streamed upon Him, He thus continued to walk and to chant. Every time He approached me He would pause, and, in a tone so wondrous that no tongue can describe it, would say: ‘Hear Me, My son. By God, the True One! This Cause will assuredly be made manifest. Heed thou not the idle talk of the people of the Bayán, who pervert the meaning of every word.’ In this manner He continued to walk and chant, and to address me these words until the first streaks of dawn appeared.… Afterwards I removed His bedding to His room, and, having prepared His tea for Him, was dismissed from His presence.” 

- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)

The Báb’s amazing dream of Imám Husayn “in the year before the declaration of My Mission” and its transformative effect on His soul: “I felt that the Spirit of God had permeated and taken possession of My soul.”

In one of His writings revealed in the year ’60 A.H., the Báb declares the following: “The spirit of prayer which animates My soul is the direct consequence of a dream which I had in the year before the declaration of My Mission. In My vision I saw the head of the Imám Husayn, the Siyyidu’sh-Shuhada’, which was hanging upon a tree. Drops of blood dripped profusely from His lacerated throat. With feelings of unsurpassed delight, I approached that tree and, stretching forth My hands, gathered a few drops of that sacred blood, and drank them devoutly. When I awoke, I felt that the Spirit of God had permeated and taken possession of My soul. My heart was thrilled with the joy of His Divine presence, and the mysteries of His Revelation were unfolded before My eyes in all their glory.” 

- Nabil  (‘The Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)

Study Guide to the Introduction of 'The Dawn-Breakers' by Shoghi Effendi - pdf downloadable

The “outward powers” and “inward powers” in a human being - 'Abdu'l-Baha explains

There are five outward material powers in man which are the means of perception—that is, five powers whereby man perceives material things. They are sight, which perceives sensible forms; hearing, which perceives audible sounds; smell, which perceives odours; taste, which perceives edible things; and touch, which is distributed throughout the body and which perceives tactile realities. These five powers perceive external objects.

Man has likewise a number of spiritual powers: the power of imagination, which forms a mental image of things; thought, which reflects upon the realities of things; comprehension, which understands these realities; and memory, which retains whatever man has imagined, thought, and understood. The intermediary between these five outward powers and the inward powers is a common faculty, a sense which mediates between them and which conveys to the inward powers whatever the outward powers have perceived. It is termed the common faculty as it is shared in common between the outward and inward powers.

For instance, sight, which is one of the outward powers, sees and perceives this flower and conveys this perception to the inward power of the common faculty; the common faculty transmits it to the power of imagination, which in turn conceives and forms this image and transmits it to the power of thought; the power of thought reflects upon it and, having apprehended its reality, conveys it to the power of comprehension; the comprehension, once it has understood it, delivers the image of the sensible object to the memory, and the memory preserves it in its repository.

The outward powers are five: the power of sight, of hearing, of taste, of smell, and of touch. The inward powers are also five: the common faculty and the powers of imagination, thought, comprehension, and memory. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Table talks in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014 revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre)

New Site: Memorandums by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice

Visit the site.

“In the Bahá’í family, the married couple are true partners…they navigate life’s challenges—whether spiritual, material, or social”

In the Bahá’í family, the married couple are true partners; one is not subordinated to the other. Together they navigate life’s challenges—whether spiritual, material, or social—through prayer, study, consultation, and reflection on action. Consider, for example, decisions pertaining to the education of children. The Bahá’í Writings acknowledge the mother as the first educator of the child and uphold her prerogatives in this regard. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá observes, “truly it is the mothers who determine the happiness, the future greatness, the courteous ways and learning and judgement, the understanding and the faith of their little ones.” Yet, the father also bears responsibility for their education and upbringing, and cannot abdicate such a vital duty and leave it to the mother alone. And while, to support the mother in this role and ensure she is not disadvantaged by it, the father bears a corollary obligation to support the family financially, this does not mean roles are inflexibly fixed. Based on their understanding of the Teachings, the couple determine the best way to manage the family’s affairs in response to different personal and social circumstances. Each stage of married life will present corresponding challenges and opportunities a couple must strive to manage, cooperatively and effectively, while ensuring both the wife and husband’s spiritual, intellectual, and professional progress. 

- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 19 March 2025 to the Bahá’ís of the World; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

“A twofold process” bringing to “a climax the forces that are transforming the face of our planet”: – “an integrating” and a “fundamentally disruptive”

A twofold process, however, can be distinguished, each tending, in its own way and with an accelerated momentum, to bring to a climax the forces that are transforming the face of our planet. The first is essentially an integrating process, while the second is fundamentally disruptive. The former, as it steadily evolves, unfolds a System which may well serve as a pattern for that world polity towards which a strangely-disordered world is continually advancing; while the latter, as its disintegrating influence deepens, tends to tear down, with increasing violence, the antiquated barriers that seek to block humanity’s progress towards its destined goal. The constructive process stands associated with the nascent Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, and is the harbinger of the New World Order that Faith must erelong establish. The destructive forces that characterize the other should be identified with a civilization that has refused to answer to the expectation of a new age, and is consequently falling into chaos and decline. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Unfoldment of World Civilization’)

The reason the Báb encountered intense opposition from the divines

There are many authentic traditions showing that the Qá’im on His appearance would bring new laws with Him and would thus abrogate Islám. But this was not the understanding of the established hierarchy. They confidently expected that the promised Advent would not substitute a new and richer revelation for the old, but would endorse and fortify the system of which they were the functionaries. It would enhance incalculably their personal prestige, would extend their authority far and wide among the nations, and would win for them the reluctant but abject homage of mankind. When the Báb revealed His Bayán, proclaimed a new code of religious law, and by precept and example instituted a profound moral and spiritual reform, the priests immediately scented mortal danger. They saw their monopoly undermined, their ambitions threatened, their own lives and conduct put to shame. They rose against Him in sanctimonious indignation. They declared before the Sháh and all the people that this upstart was an enemy of sound learning, a subverter of Islám, a traitor to Mhammad, and a peril not only to the holy church but to the social order and to the State itself.

- Shoghi Effendi (Introduction to 'The Dawn-Breakers')

‘The Dawn-Breakers’ book currently available contains the first half of Nabil’s chronicle – “parts of the manuscript were reviewed and approved, some by Bahá’u’lláh, and others by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá”

His [Nabil] chronicle was begun in 1888, when he had the personal assistance of Mírzá Músá, the brother of Bahá’u’lláh. It was finished in about a year and a half, and parts of the manuscript were reviewed and approved, some by Bahá’u’lláh, and others by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

The complete work carries the history of the Movement up to the death of Bahá’u’lláh in 1892.

The first half of this narrative, closing with the expulsion of Bahá’u’lláh from Persia, is contained in the present volume. Its importance is evident. It will be read less for the few stirring passages of action which it contains, or even for its many pictures of heroism and unwavering faith, than for the abiding significance of those events of which it gives so unique a record.

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

The awesome effects of the “onrushing winds of the grace of God” that Bahá’u’llah’s Revelation has brought to the world

“The onrushing winds of the grace of God,” He, in the Súratu’l-Haykal, proclaims, “have passed over all things. Every creature hath been endowed with all the potentialities it can carry. And yet the peoples of the world have denied this grace! Every tree hath been endowed with the choicest fruits, every ocean enriched with the most luminous gems. Man, himself, hath been invested with the gifts of understanding and knowledge. The whole creation hath been made the recipient of the revelation of the All-Merciful, and the earth the repository of things inscrutable to all except God, the Truth, the Knower of things unseen. 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!” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh in ‘The Unfoldment of World Civilization’)

The growing “capacity” of the “world of being” for the "potentialities" of the revelation of Bahá’u’lláh

“The heights,” Bahá’u’lláh Himself testifies, “which, through the most gracious favor of God, mortal man can attain in this Day are as yet unrevealed to his sight. The world of being hath never had, nor doth it yet possess, the capacity for such a revelation. The day, however, is approaching when the potentialities of so great a favor will, by virtue of His behest, be manifested unto men.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh in ‘The Unfoldment of World Civilization’)

Báhá’u’lláh’s Tablets to “the emperors of the West and the potentates of the East”: - the “diversity of the subjects touched upon”

No less amazing is the diversity of the subjects touched upon in these Tablets.

• The transcendent majesty and unity of an unknowable and unapproachable God is extolled, and the oneness of His Messengers proclaimed and emphasized.
• The uniqueness, the universality and potentialities of the Bahá’í Faith are stressed, and the purpose and character of the Bábí Revelation unfolded.
• The significance of Bahá’u’lláh’s sufferings and banishments is disclosed, and the tribulations rained down upon His Herald and upon His Namesake recognized and lamented.
• His own yearning for the crown of martyrdom, which they both so mysteriously won, is voiced, and the ineffable glories and wonders in store for His own Dispensation foreshadowed.
• Episodes, at once moving and marvelous, at various stages of His ministry, are recounted, and the transitoriness of worldly pomp, fame, riches, and sovereignty, repeatedly and categorically asserted.
• Appeals for the application of the highest principles in human and international relations are forcibly and insistently made, and the abandonment of discreditable practices and conventions, detrimental to the happiness, the growth, the prosperity and the unity of the human race, enjoined.
• Kings are censured, ecclesiastical dignitaries arraigned, ministers and plenipotentiaries condemned, and the identification of His advent with the coming of the Father Himself unequivocally admitted and repeatedly announced.
• The violent downfall of a few of these kings and emperors is prophesied, two of them are definitely challenged, most are warned, all are appealed to and exhorted. 

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

Why some recognize the Cause of God and others are deprived of that blessing – Baha’u’llah explains

Be thankful to God for having enabled you to recognise His Cause. Whoever has received this blessing must, prior to his acceptance, have performed some deed which, though he himself was unaware of its character, was ordained by God as a means whereby he has been guided to find and embrace the Truth. As to those who have remained deprived of such a blessing, their acts alone have hindered them from recognising the truth of this Revelation. We cherish the hope that you, who have attained to this light, will exert your utmost to banish the darkness of superstition and unbelief from the midst of the people. May your deeds proclaim your faith and enable you to lead the erring into the paths of eternal salvation. The memory of this night will never be forgotten. May it never be effaced by the passage of time, and may its mention linger for ever on the lips of men.

- Baha'u'llah  (Words of Baha’u’llah addressed to some pilgrims and a few resident believers on January 8, 1889, quoted by Nabil in the ‘Dawn-Breakers’, translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)

“The essence of belief in Divine unity”

The essence of belief in Divine unity consisteth in regarding Him Who is the Manifestation of God and Him Who is the invisible, the inaccessible, the unknowable Essence as one and the same. By this is meant that whatever pertaineth to the former, all His acts and doings, whatever He ordaineth or forbiddeth, should be considered, in all their aspects, and under all circumstances, and without any reservation, as identical with the Will of God Himself. This is the loftiest station to which a true believer in the unity of God can ever hope to attain. Blessed is the man that reacheth this station, and is of them that are steadfast in their belief.

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)

Some of the Baha’i “convictions underpinning” “the principle of the oneness of humankind”

…Bahá’ís across the globe, in the most unassuming settings, are striving to establish a pattern of activity and the corresponding administrative structures that embody the principle of the oneness of humankind and the convictions underpinning it, only a few of which are mentioned here as a means of illustration:

• that the rational soul has no gender, race, ethnicity or class, a fact that renders intolerable all forms of prejudice, not the least of which are those that prevent women from fulfilling their potential and engaging in various fields of endeavour shoulder to shoulder with men;
• that the root cause of prejudice is ignorance, which can be erased through educational processes that make knowledge accessible to the entire human race, ensuring it does not become the property of a privileged few;
• that science and religion are two complementary systems of knowledge and practice by which human beings come to understand the world around them and through which civilization advances;
• that religion without science soon degenerates into superstition and fanaticism, while science without religion becomes the tool of crude materialism;
• that true prosperity, the fruit of a dynamic coherence between the material and spiritual requirements of life, will recede further and further out of reach as long as consumerism continues to act as opium to the human soul;
• that justice, as a faculty of the soul, enables the individual to distinguish truth from falsehood and guides the investigation of reality, so essential if superstitious beliefs and outworn traditions that impede unity are to be eliminated;
• that, when appropriately brought to bear on social issues, justice is the single most important instrument for the establishment of unity;
• that work performed in the spirit of service to one’s fellow human beings is a form of prayer, a means of worshipping God.

Translating ideals such as these into reality, effecting a transformation at the level of the individual and laying the foundations of suitable social structures, is no small task, to be sure. Yet the Bahá’í community is dedicated to the long-term process of learning that this task entails, an enterprise in which increasing numbers from all walks of life, from every human group, are invited to take part. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 2 March 2013 to the Bahá’ís of Iran; authorized translation from Persian; Online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

“the watchword of the entire body of the American believers”: - “Freedom from racial prejudice, in any of its forms”

Freedom from racial prejudice, in any of its forms, should, at such a time as this when an increasingly large section of the human race is falling a victim to its devastating ferocity, be adopted as the watchword of the entire body of the American believers, in whichever state they reside, in whatever circles they move, whatever their age, traditions, tastes, and habits. It should be consistently demonstrated in every phase of their activity and life, whether in the Bahá’í community or outside it, in public or in private, formally as well as informally, individually as well as in their official capacity as organized groups, committees and Assemblies. It should be deliberately cultivated through the various and everyday opportunities, no matter how insignificant, that present themselves, whether in their homes, their business offices, their schools and colleges, their social parties and recreation grounds, their Bahá’í meetings, conferences, conventions, summer schools and Assemblies. It should, above all else, become the keynote of the policy of that august body which, in its capacity as the national representative, and the director and coordinator of the affairs of the community, must set the example, and facilitate the application of such a vital principle to the lives and activities of those whose interests it safeguards and represents. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

Introducing a New Site: 'The Unfoldment of World Civilization'

Passages in sequential order from a letter by Shoghi Effendi known as ‘The Unfoldment of World Civilization’, March 11, 1936

In 1936 he wrote The Unfoldment of World Civilization; once again, as he so often did, Shoghi Effendi links this to the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. It was a further exposition of the state of the world, the rapid political, moral and spiritual decline evident in it, the weakening of both Christianity and Islam, the dangers humanity in its heedlessness was running, and the strong, divine, hopeful remedy the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh had to offer. Important and educative as these wonderful letters of the Guardian were they provided, in their wealth of apposite quotations from Bahá'u'lláh's own words which the Guardian had translated and lavishly cited, spiritual sustenance for the believers, for we know that the World of the Manifestation of God is the food of the soul. They also contained innumerable beautifully translated passages from the beloved Master's Tablets. All this bounty the Guardian spread for the believers in feast after feast, nourished them and raised up a new strong generation of servants in the Faith. His words fired their imagination, challenged them to rise to new heights, drove their roots deeper in the fertile soil of the Cause. 

- Ruhiyyih Khanum  (‘The Priceless Pearl’)

circa 1986: Delegates to Canadian National Baha'i Convention

“the initial stages in the unfoldment of the Golden Age of the Bahá’í Era”: - “the furthermost limits in the organization of human society”

• The emergence of a world community,
• the consciousness of world citizenship,
• the founding of a world civilization and culture—

all of which must synchronize with the initial stages in the unfoldment of the Golden Age of the Bahá’í Era—should, by their very nature, be regarded, as far as this planetary life is concerned, as the furthermost limits in the organization of human society, though man, as an individual, will, nay must indeed as a result of such a consummation, continue indefinitely to progress and develop. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Unfoldment of World Civilization’, included in ‘The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh)

Stories about Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and others – pdf downloadable

Other Compilations...

References to the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad and its designation as “a center of pilgrimage”

The House of Baha'u'llah in Baghdad after
restoration in early 1930's

Within its walls

• the “Most Great House of God,”
• His “Footstool” and the “Throne of His Glory,”
• “the Cynosure of an adoring world,”
• the “Lamp of Salvation between earth and heaven,”
• the “Sign of His remembrance to all who are in heaven and on earth,”
• enshrining the “Jewel whose glory hath irradiated all creation,”
• the “Standard” of His Kingdom,
• the “Shrine round which will circle the concourse of the faithful” was irrevocably founded and permanently consecrated.
• Upon it, by virtue of its sanctity as
• Bahá’u’lláh’s “Most Holy Habitation” and
• “Seat of His transcendent glory,”
• was conferred the honor of being regarded as a center of pilgrimage second to none except the city of ‘Akká, His “Most Great Prison,” in whose immediate vicinity His holy Sepulcher, the Qiblih of the Bahá’í world, is enshrined.

 - Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

June 15, 1955: Festival of Faith, San Francisco

Photograph taken during the reading of prayers of all Faiths at the Festival of Faith, San Francisco, June 15, 1955, preceding the Tenth Anniversary celebration of United Nations. Standing at the far right is Arthur L. Dahl, Jr., who read the Bahá’í prayer. In the background is the 1500-voice choir and the UN flag. 

(Baha’i News, August 1955)

“This is what is worthy of the Bahá’ís” – counsel from ‘Abdu’l-Baha

This is what is worthy of the Bahá’ís: that they be infinitely kind to one another and ready to lay down their lives for each other. For service to the loved ones of God is servitude to His threshold, and consideration shown to the friends is one of the hallmarks of the beloved of the All-Merciful. God, in the loftiness and sublimity of His Lordship, is exalted above and completely independent of all things. The servitude of God’s servants, however, is acceptable and pleasing in His sight. Praised be God that ye have attained thereunto. The recompense for this praiseworthy deed and laudable effort is with Him Who is the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving. And this recompense consisteth of heavenly confirmation, of divine assistance and gracious favour. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

The “evolution in the scope” of the teachings of the Faith during 1844-1944

We perceive a no less apparent evolution in the scope of its 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  (‘Preface to God Passes By’)

Who Bahá’u’lláh considers to be His “true follower”

“Say,” He proclaims, “He is not to be numbered with the people of Bahá who followeth his mundane desires, or fixeth his heart on things of the earth. He is My true follower who, if he come to a valley of pure gold will pass straight through it aloof as a cloud, and will neither turn back, nor pause. Such a man is assuredly of Me. From his garment the Concourse on high can inhale the fragrance of sanctity.… And if he met the fairest and most comely of women, he would not feel his heart seduced by the least shadow of desire for her beauty. Such an one indeed is the creation of spotless chastity. Thus instructeth you the Pen of the Ancient of Days, as bidden by your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Baháu’lláh in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

‘Abdu’l-Baha had predicted world war

One of those present inquired about the possibility of a world war. In response, the Master said:

“In America, I stated that the Balkan War' was the beginning of the world war to which you refer.” 

At that moment I [Mahmud Zarqani] recalled that, when we were in America, Mirza Ahmad Sohrab told me that the Master had previously made this same remark when asked about the prospect of a world war.

- 'Abdu'l-Baha  (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha en route to Liverpool, on board the Celtic, 13 December 1912; recorded by Mahmud Zarqani, His secretary and chronicler during His travels in the West; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’, vol. 2: ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Europe 1912-1913)

The Bahá’í International Fund and the World Centre Endowment Fund

…the Bahá’í International Fund. A great portion of the resources in this Fund is expended outside the Holy Land for the advancement of the Cause of God. These expenditures are of special importance at this time when the Five Year Plan gives every indication of yielding a significant advance in the process of entry by troops in the years ahead. This same Fund must finance the operation of the Bahá’í World Centre, the maintenance of the sacred properties in the Holy Land, the conduct of the pilgrimage programme, and the defence and proclamation of the Faith….

…the necessity to provide assistance from the Bahá’í International Fund to sustain the work of the Faith in the growing number of countries devastated by warfare, internal division, and endemic poverty. …the necessity to maintain, at a befitting standard, the buildings and gardens at the World Centre….

The Bahá’í International Fund must not fail to meet these needs. To assist it, we have decided to set up the World Centre Endowment Fund, for the preservation, upkeep, and security of the edifices and precincts of the Spiritual and Administrative Centres of the Faith—activities that currently form so large a part of the responsibilities of the Bahá’í International Fund. This decision follows the example of Shoghi Effendi, who during his ministry dedicated the income from lands in the environs of the Jordan Valley for the upkeep of the Holy Shrines.

This Endowment Fund, to which you are urged to contribute, beyond your general support of the Bahá’í International Fund, will initially be used to defray the related expenses, estimated at the present time to be seven million dollars annually. Whatever balance remains unexpended at the end of each year will be retained as an earmarked fund and, as it grows in the years ahead, will provide a continuing source of investment income dedicated to maintaining the magnificent setting of these Holy Places. These precincts were created gradually, during the past century, through the sacrificial outpouring of resources by the believers who responded to the vision of Bahá’u’lláh and supported the strenuous endeavours of the Master and the Guardian. It is essential that this splendour, befitting so sacred a place, be preserved undiminished in the decades and centuries ahead. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 12 November 2001to the Bahá’ís of the World; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 2001-2022’)

The writing of ‘God Passes BY’ – Ruhiyyih Khanum explains the process the Guardian went through

'God Passes By', the most brilliant and wondrous tale of a century that has ever been told, is truly a "Mother" of future histories, a book wherein every word counts, every sentence burgeons with thought, every thought leads the way to a field of its own. Packed with salient facts it has the range and precision of snow flake crystals, each design perfect in itself, each theme brilliant in outline, coordinated balanced self-contained a matrix for those who follow on and study, evaluate and elaborate the Message and Order of Bahá’u’lláh. It was one of the most concentrated and stupendous achievements of Shoghi Effendi’s life.

The method of Shoghi Effendi in writing God Passes By was to sit down for a year and read every book of the Bahá’i Writings in Persian and English, and every book written about the Faith by Bahá’is, whether in manuscript form or published, and everything written by non-Bahá’is that contained significant references to it.

I think in all this must have covered the equivalent of at least two hundred books. As he read he made notes and compiled and marshalled his facts. Anyone who has ever tackled a work of an historical nature knows how much research is involved how often one has to decide, in the light of relevant material between this date given in one place and that date given in another, how backbreaking the whole work is. How much more so then was such a work for the Guardian who had, at the same time, to prepare for the forthcoming Centenary of the Faith and make decisions regarding the design of the superstructure of the Báb’s Shrine. 

Study Guide to the Forward section of God Passes By – pdf downloadable

Requirements for membership in the Bahá’í community: – Guidance from the Universal House of Justice

In considering the status of believers such as Mr…, it is necessary to review the requirements for membership in the Bahá’í community. The basic considerations are set out by the Guardian in his statement:

“...I would only venture to state very briefly and as adequately as present circumstances permit the principal factors that must be taken into consideration before deciding whether a person may be regarded a true believer or not. Full recognition of the station of the Forerunner, the Author, and the True Exemplar of the Bahá’í Cause, as set forth in Abdu’l-Bahá’s Testament; unreserved acceptance of, and submission to, whatsoever has been revealed by their Pen; loyal and steadfast adherence to every clause of our Beloved’s sacred Will; and close association with the spirit as well as the form of the present day Bahá’í administration throughout the world—these I conceive to be the fundamental and primary considerations that must be fairly, discreetly and thoughtfully ascertained before reaching such a vital decision. ... (Bahá'i Administration, p. 90, October 24, 1925)

This specification was restated by the Universal House of Justice in addressing the issue of acceptance of new believers, when it wrote:

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. (From a letter to all National Spiritual Assemblies, 13 July 1964)

It follows that individuals who do not satisfy these requirements cannot be regarded as members of the Bahá’í community, irrespective of whatever statements they might make concerning the nature of their belief in Bahá’u’lláh. Such a situation arises, in some instances, when a person claims to accept the station of Bahá’u’lláh but does not accept the authority of the Administrative Institutions. The Guardian clarified this matter in a letter written on his behalf, stating:

... To accept the Cause without the administration is like to accept the teachings without acknowledging the divine station of Bahá’u’lláh. To be a Bahá'í is to accept the Cause in its entirety. To take exception to one basic principle is to deny the authority and sovereignty of Bahá’u’lláh, and therefore is to deny the Cause… (Letter to a National Spiritual Assembly, 30 May 1930)

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 28 June 1987 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the NSA of New Zealand;  ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)

Ninety-five Excerpts from Tablets and Talks of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - Pdf downloadable

Navváb - “the Most Exalted Leaf”: “May God have mercy upon him that draweth nigh unto thee, and remembereth thee.. that He may forgive us, and forgive them that have turned unto thee, and grant their desires, and bestow upon them, through His wondrous grace, whatever be their wish.”

O faithful ones! Should ye visit the resting-place of the Most Exalted Leaf, who hath ascended unto the Glorious Companion, stand ye and say: ‘Salutation and blessing and glory upon thee, O Holy Leaf that hath sprung from the Divine Lote-Tree! I bear witness that thou hast believed in God and in His signs, and answered His Call, and turned unto Him, and held fast unto His cord, and clung to the hem of His grace, and fled thy home in His path, and chosen to live as a stranger, out of love for His presence and in thy longing to serve Him. May God have mercy upon him that draweth nigh unto thee, and remembereth thee through the things which My Pen hath voiced in this, the most great station. We pray God that He may forgive us, and forgive them that have turned unto thee, and grant their desires, and bestow upon them, through His wondrous grace, whatever be their wish. He, verily, is the Bountiful, the Generous. Praise be to God, He Who is the Desire of all worlds; and the Beloved of all who recognize Him. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in a letter dated December 21, 1939; ‘Messages to America’)

Manifestations of “a rectitude of conduct” “with ever-increasing potency” by each Baha’i

Such a rectitude of conduct must manifest itself, with ever-increasing potency, 

• in every verdict which the elected representatives of the Bahá’í community, in whatever capacity they may find themselves, may be called upon to pronounce. 
• It must be constantly reflected in the business dealings of all its members, 
• in their domestic lives, 
• in all manner of employment, and in 
• any service they may, in the future, render their government or people. 
• It must be exemplified in the conduct of all Bahá’í electors, when exercising their sacred rights and functions. 
• It must characterize the attitude of every loyal believer towards 
• nonacceptance of political posts, 
• nonidentification with political parties, 
• nonparticipation in political controversies, and 
• nonmembership in political organizations and ecclesiastical institutions. 
• It must reveal itself in the uncompromising adherence of all, whether young or old, 
• to the clearly enunciated and fundamental principles laid down by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His addresses, and 
• to the laws and ordinances revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in His Most Holy Book. 
• It must be demonstrated

Upper chamber of the House of the Báb, Shíráz, where He declared His Mission to Mullá Husayn in 1844

Virtues each Baha’i is called upon to strive to develop – summarized by the beloved Guardian from the Writings of Bahá’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha

“righteousness”

“Cleave unto righteousness, O people of Bahá,” He [Bahá’u’lláh] thus exhorts them, “This, verily, is the commandment which this wronged One hath given unto you, and the first choice of His unrestrained will for every one of you.”  

“righteous act”

“One righteous act,” He [Bahá’u’lláh], again, has written, “is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond asunder, and hath the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and vanished.… Be pure, O people of God, be pure; be righteous, be righteous.… 

“truthfulness”; "honesty"; not to “deal treacherously with anyone”

“Beautify your tongues, O people,” He [Bahá’u’lláh] further admonishes them, “with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the ornament of honesty. Beware, O people, that ye deal not treacherously with anyone. Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people.”

“eye… chaste,… hand faithful,… tongue truthful,.… heart enlightened”

“Let your eye be chaste,” is yet another counsel, “your hand faithful, your tongue truthful, and your heart enlightened.”

“countenance of truth”; “brow of fidelity”; “temple of righteousness”; “hosts of justice”; “a luminary above the horizon of virtue”

“Be an ornament to the countenance of truth,” is yet another admonition, “a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue.”

Recitation of the Prayer for the Dead: - “should be read in its entirety by one person, while all others stand in silence”

22 May 1987

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

In response to your letter of 15 April 1987 enclosing a letter from Miss. . . concerning the Prayer for the Dead, the Universal House of Justice instructs us to reply as follows.

The Prayer for the Dead should be read in its entirety by one person, while all others stand in silence. It is not the practice for those present to repeat any part of the prayer in unison.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

The Spirit of Baha'i Consultation at Spiritual Assembly Meetings

6 March 1970 

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada

Dear Baha'i friends,

We have your letter of 14 January 1970 asking questions about the decision-making process of Spiritual Assemblies.

It is important to realize that the spirit of Baha'i consultation is very different from that current in the decision-making processes of non-Baha'i bodies.

The ideal of Baha'i consultation is to arrive at a unanimous decision. When this is not possible a vote must be taken. In the words of the beloved Guardian: "... when they are called upon to arrive at a certain decision, they should, after dispassionate, anxious, and cordial consultation, turn to God in prayer, and with earnestness and conviction and courage record their vote and abide by the voice of the majority, which we are told by our Master to be the voice of truth, never to be challenged, and always to be wholeheartedly enforced."

As soon as a decision is reached it becomes the decision of the whole Assembly, not merely of those members who happened to be among the majority.

Introducing a site that promotes one of the goals of the Plan: - “involvement in the discourses of society”

Perspektiven Wechsel (Perspective Change) contains essays by various individuals exploring issues concerning society, environment, family, education, lifestyle, interreligious dialogue, prayer and meditation, science and art - all inspired by the writings of the Baha'i Faith." Though the site is in German, Google Chrome readily translates it into English.

A “summary of the contents” of the Kitab-i-Aqdas – by Shoghi Effendi

From the Universal House of Justice: “As is well known, the beloved Guardian has already given in God Passes By, pp. 214-15, a summary of the contents of this Most Holy Book…” (Letter dated 6 December 1965 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963 to 1986’)

From God Passes By:

Revealed soon after Bahá’u’lláh had been transferred to the house of ‘Údí Khammár (circa 1873), at a time when He was still encompassed by the tribulations that had afflicted Him, through the acts committed by His enemies and the professed adherents of His Faith, this Book, this treasury enshrining the priceless gems of His Revelation, stands out, by virtue of the principles it inculcates, the administrative institutions it ordains and the function with which it invests the appointed Successor of its Author, unique and incomparable among the world’s sacred Scriptures. For, unlike the Old Testament and the Holy Books which preceded it, in which the actual precepts uttered by the Prophet Himself are non-existent; unlike the Gospels, in which the few sayings attributed to Jesus Christ afford no clear guidance regarding the future administration of the affairs of His Faith; unlike even the Qur’án which, though explicit in the laws and ordinances formulated by the Apostle of God, is silent on the all-important subject of the succession, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, revealed from first to last by the Author of the Dispensation Himself, not only preserves for posterity the basic laws and ordinances on which the fabric of His future World Order must rest, but ordains, in addition to the function of interpretation which it confers upon His Successor, the necessary institutions through which the integrity and unity of His Faith can alone be safeguarded.

Bahá’u’llah revealed a prayer for Queen Victoria to say

Turn thou unto God and say: O 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 Thy grace and Thy bounties. Send 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, O 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 Dawning-Place of Thy signs and the Dayspring of Thy Revelation. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Bounteous. Deprive me not, O 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, O 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, O Thou in Whose hand is the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth.” 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi, ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)

The incredible effect of “One righteous act”

“One righteous act,” He [Bahá’u’lláh], again, has written, “is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond asunder, and hath the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and vanished.… Be pure, O people of God, be pure; be righteous, be righteous.… 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh; ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

New Site: Words of 'Abdu'l-Baha

Words attributed to ‘Abdu’l-Baha by His various secretaries, those in attendance during His travels, pilgrims and visitors, press interviews and friends of the Faith.

Bahá’u’lláh explains the “purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself” through His Prophets

The purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself is to summon all mankind

• to truthfulness and sincerity,
• to piety and trustworthiness,
• to resignation and submissiveness to the will of God,
• to forbearance and kindliness,
• to uprightness and
• wisdom.

His object is to array every man with the mantle of a saintly character, and to adorn him with the ornament of holy and goodly deeds.” 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

The “rectitude of conduct” and “its implications” that “must distinguish every phase of the life of the Bahá’í community”

This rectitude of conduct, with its implications of

• justice,
• equity,
• truthfulness,
• honesty,
• fair-mindedness,
• reliability, and
• trustworthiness,

must distinguish every phase of the life of the Bahá’í community. “The companions of God,” Bahá’u’lláh Himself has declared, “are, in this day, the lump that must leaven the peoples of the world. They must show forth such trustworthiness, such truthfulness and perseverance, such deeds and character that all mankind may profit by their example.” “I swear by Him Who is the Most Great Ocean!” He again affirms, “Within the very breath of such souls as are pure and sanctified far-reaching potentialities are hidden. So great are these potentialities that they exercise their influence upon all created things.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

An example of ‘Abdu’l-Baha using science to explain the need for the presence of an intermediary (Manifestation of God) between humanity and God

The Divine Reality is far removed from man. It is absolutely remote and independent in its essence—beyond the comprehension of man—abstract, limitless and impersonal.

Man is limited, weak, fearful, poverty-stricken and helpless. The Divine Reality represents the Power Absolute, capacity for all things, fulfillment for all the needs of man.

The Divine Reality is to man what the sun is to the earth. The sun is life, radiance, heat, energy, power. The earth is dead, inert, helpless, incapable of initiative or change. It is poor, cold, and without resources.

The sun in its remoteness could never reach the earth, and the earth, wretched indifferent clod, could never attain to the glory and splendor of the sun. In order that one may gain the other, that life and fragrance may come to the helpless earth floating alone in dim space, there must be an intermediary. In some way the life-giving power of the radiant sun must be brought to the sodden earth, and this becomes possible through the media of light and heat. Through their means the glory of the distant luminary is transmitted to the dark ball of earth, and instantly it becomes the home of fragrance and blooming life. The glory of the magnificent source of light touches our dim planet and banishes death and darkness.

As there must be an intermediary to transmit to earth the life-giving power of the sun, so there must be an intermediary to bring God to man, and this is found through the ever-present efficacy of the Holy Spirit. As the media of light and heat carry fragrance and bloom to the earth, so the intermediary of the Holy Spirit brings to man warmth, perfection and inspiration.

The “Divine origin of His [Bahá’u’lláh’s] mission”

In His Epistle to Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, 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: “O 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 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.… 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 hath 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.” “By My Life!” He asserts in another Tablet, “Not of Mine own volition have I revealed Myself, but God, of His own choosing, hath 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 face, and Gabriel overshadowed Me, and the Spirit of Glory stirred within My bosom, bidding Me arise and break My silence.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  ('God Passes By')

Recitation of the Tablets of Visitation at Baha’i Holy Days

The Universal House of Justice has received your letter of 15 June 1992 regarding the conduct of Bahá'í Holy Day observances. We have been asked to provide the following response.

The commemoration of Holy Days, including the development of programs for these observances, is a matter left to the discretion of the appropriate National and Local Spiritual Assemblies, which are entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that such observances are conducted in a manner in keeping with the spirit of the divine teachings and ordinances. While it is customary for the Tablets of Visitation to be recited at the conclusion of the Holy Day programs held at the Bahá'í World Centre, as well as in countries of the Middle East, this practice is not binding upon Bahá'í communities elsewhere, nor has a specific time been fixed for the recitations to occur.

Nothing has been found in the Bahá'í Writings requiring the friends to stand and face the Qiblih whenever the Tablets of Visitation are recited. No issue should be made of this matter when a Holy Day observance is being held. However, when one is actually in, or within the precincts of one of the Holy Shrines, it is an act of simple reverence to stand and face that Shrine when the Tablet of Visitation is recited. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 19 August 1992 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; Baha’i Library Online)

A healing miracle performed by the Báb: - Reported by Muhammad Big, the leader of the mounted escort that accompanied the Báb from Isfahan to Tabriz

In the “Taríkh-i-Jadíd,” Muhammad Big is reported to have related the following account to Hájí Mírzá Jání:

“So we mounted and rode on till we came to a brick caravanserai distant two parsangs from the city. Thence we proceeded to Milán, where many of the inhabitants came to see His Holiness, and were filled with wonder at the majesty and dignity of that Lord of mankind. In the morning, as we were setting out from Milán, an old woman brought a scald-headed child, whose head was so covered with scabs that it was white down to the neck, and entreated His Holiness to heal him. The guards would have forbidden her but His Holiness prevented them, and called the child to Him. Then He drew a handkerchief over its head and repeated certain words; which he had no sooner done than the child was healed. And in that place about two hundred persons believed and underwent a true and sincere conversion.” 

(Taríkh-i-Jadíd, pages 222–21; Footnotes to chapter 12 of 'The Dawn-Breakers', provided by Shoghi Effendi)

1990: “One World for All” Concerts with Dizzy Gillespie

At the end of the East-West German conflict and the beginning of the reconciliation between East and West, the German Baha’i community organized the benefit tour “One World for All” Concerts with Dizzy Gillespie which occurred May 9 to 11, 1990.  John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was a famous American Baha’i jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer who often used his art to promote the teachings of the Baha’i Faith.

Three concerts were given in three days in East-Berlin, Moscow and Prague under the patronage of Willy Brandt (former German Chancellor) with a kick-off concert in the Palace of the Republic in Berlin. In Prague, his legendary words, “There is only one world or none” in the middle of the concert in the presence of Václav Havel, then president of Czechoslovakia, earned him minutes of applause.

The aim of the project was to proclaim the message of the unity of mankind in Eastern Bloc countries. This happened at a time when religion was viewed as an opium for the people in those countries and wasn’t openly discussed. The project resulted in numerous references to the teachings of the Baha'i Faith in the press and other media, a historic milestone.

“Bahá’u’lláh’s inscrutable purpose… so thoroughly infused into the conduct of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá”

Bahá’u’lláh’s inscrutable purpose, we must ever bear in mind, has been so thoroughly infused into the conduct of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and their motives have been so closely wedded together, that the mere attempt to dissociate the teachings of the former from any system which the ideal Exemplar of those same teachings has established would amount to a repudiation of one of the most sacred and basic truths of the Faith. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah; included in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)

Pilgrimages of the Hand of the Cause Tarázu’lláh Samandari

• 
  As a youth the desire of Tarázu’lláh’s heart was to gain admittance to the presence of Bahá’u’lláh who was then an exile in the Turkish penal colony of Akká. The pilgrimage of his brother and cousin increased his ardour for meeting his Beloved. This bounty was conferred upon him in 1891 when he made the arduous journey of several weeks from Persia to the Holy Land, accompanied by his sister and his maternal aunt. At the age of seventeen he was in the entourage of Bahá’u’lláh in ‘Akká for six months and remained there for about four weeks after the passing of the Blessed Beauty in 1892. 
• Bahá’u’lláh received him, three days after his arrival, in the House of ‘Abbúd, and on other occasions in Bahjí, the garden of Ridván and elsewhere.
• During his 1891 pilgrimage, he had the supreme honour on two occasions to be in the presence of Bahá’u’lláh at the time of revelation. Although he acknowledged that this experience was impossible to describe, he said the Words poured forth like a mighty torrent, while the greatest majesty was evident in His person. On other occasions, Bahá’u’lláh manifested His own title "Mazlúmíyyih" (the Wronged One).
• On the morning of Naw-Rúz, Bahá’u’lláh sent Tarázu’lláh a gift of clothes, a robe, a shirt, a cummerbund and socks. The same day He received the friends in a small garden. The famous poets, Nabil and ‘Andalíb, had composed poems for the occasion. The garden was adorned with citrus trees; rain was drizzling. On this day the friends gathered at the Feast had the supreme bounty of hearing Bahá’u’lláh revealing verses. A banquet was served and Tarázu’lláh and other friends accompanied the Blessed Beauty on His return to Bahji.
• Tarázu’lláh received permission from ‘Abdu’l-Baha to make another pilgrimage in 1898. With a group of friends from Persia he stayed in ‘Akká for four months and ten days, in the company of the Master, gaining in spirituality and knowledge.
• In 1908, Tarázu’lláh made a third pilgrimage for forty days, in a period when conditions in the Holy Land were very unsettled; 'Abdu’l-Bahá’s life was in danger and the enemies of the Faith were emboldened by events which seemed momentarily to assure their ascendancy. 
• In 1910 he travelled to the Holy Land and spent two months in the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá…
• In the autumn of 1940 Tarázu’lláh and his wife were granted permission to make the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. During their stay for forty days Shoghi Effendi surrounded them with kindness and made use of Tarázu’lláh’s ability by giving him a number of original Tablets to identify.

(Adapted from a write-up by Mihdi Samandari, ‘The Baha’i World 1968-1973’)