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