The “forces of disintegration that are an inseparable feature of an age in transition”: - Responsibilities of “family, and the community as a whole”

Cultivating a new pattern of family life also counters the forces of disintegration that are an inseparable feature of an age in transition. 

• These forces assailing society have particularly affected the family, sundering its ties, and taking a heavy toll on its members, especially on children.
• They can expose family members to some of the most destructive social pathologies:
• an absence of love and care,
• neglect of the things of the spirit,
• dehumanization,
• poverty,
• insecurity, and
• violence.
• Individuals are tempted to surrender to a life of material distractions or personal gratification, thereby becoming mere objects to be manipulated by those who seek to impose their designs on society.
• Contrasting ideologies and identities, incompatible with the ideals of the oneness of humanity and a peaceful world, vie for the allegiance of the masses and contend for superiority with one another.
• Some of these movements plant seeds of prejudice and fanaticism which ultimately yield estrangement, conflict, and contention among the peoples of the world.
• Others may seem to conform to some aspect of the Teachings, only to subtly lead the friends away from Bahá’u’lláh’s straight path.
• The forces associated with the process of disintegration affect different populations in different ways.

The family, and the community as a whole, will need to 

• learn to examine existing circumstances, 
• grasp the nature and impact of such forces, and, 
• with full reliance on divine assistance, develop preventive and remedial measures in order to weather the tumultuous storms of a perilous age.

- 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)

“the Bahá’í Writings illuminate all areas of human endeavor and all academic disciplines”

…statements in the Bahá’í Writings which disclose the relationship between the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh and the knowledge which is acquired as a result of scholarly endeavors. Bahá’u’lláh asserts that:

“Unveiled and unconcealed, this Wronged One hath, at all times, proclaimed before the face of all the peoples of the world that which will serve as the key for unlocking the doors of sciences, of arts, of knowledge, of well-being, of prosperity and wealth. . . .”

It is evident that the Bahá’í Writings illuminate all areas of human endeavor and all academic disciplines. Those who have been privileged to recognize the station of Bahá’u’lláh have the bounty of access to a Revelation which casts light upon all aspects of thought and inquiry, and are enjoined to use the understanding which they obtain from their immersion in the Holy Writings to advance the interests of the Faith.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 19 October 1993, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)

Next Manifestation of God: “not definite that it will be 1000 years; it may be 2000, or 10,000 or 20,000 years”

…during the cycle of the Blessed Perfection —May My life be a sacrifice to His believers—all are beneath His shadow. He is the Unique and Peerless One till the next Manifestation. It is, however, not definite that it will be 1000 years; it may be 2000, or 10,000 or 20,000 years; but it is definite that for the coming 1000 years there will appear no Manifestation; for 1000 years there shall arise no Sun. All the appearances will be beneath the shade of the Most Great Appearance; they will be as stars of guidance. All of them shall gather around this Fountain of Life; all of them will become illumined with the rays of this Sun; all of them will receive a share and a portion from this great Sea; all of them will become vivified with this soul imparting breeze and all of them will be under the down-pour of this rain. The aim is this: His Holiness the Báb gave the Glad-tidings concerning the Appearance of the Manifestation of God, and His Holiness, the Blessed Perfection, was the “Promised One” of all the nations and religions. The Báb was the “Morning Star,” heralding the glorious Dawn of the Sun of Reality. Now all of us are under Its shadow and receive the refulgent Bestowals from It. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, recorded by Ahmad Sohrab, one of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's secretaries and translators from 1912 to 1919; Star of the West, volume 5, no. 6, June 24, 1914)

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‘Abdu’l-Baha’s interpretation of a believer’s dream

The dream:

"A young girl became evident to me as belonging with the family, but I could not make out who she was. She spoke of a horse that my son had had long ago, but I did not understand what she meant. After a time it became known that she was my daughter, and I felt grieved to think that I had not been conscious of her presence in all the past years. She seemed not hurt, but surprised that we did not under- stand her. Just as I was waking, I realized that she was our little baby who had passed away over twenty-one years ago, when nine months old." (end of dream.)

Mrs.--- added: "She was my idol, and because I loved her so much, I tried hard to put her out of my thought, and the dream made me feel that we should not do this.”

‘Abdu’l-Baha interpreted it thus:

"That child is your trust within the charge of God. She was a child when she went, but you shall find her full grown in the Kingdom of God. You shall find her mature. You shall not find her there as a child. You shall find her perfect and mature.

"As to the horse once belonging to your son, of which she spoke: Horse in the dream means a wish. It shows that your daughter has fulfilled her wish and her desire, and that shows the loftiness of her station. The wish is one in which your son shared, but she attained to it. It is my hope, God willing, that, he, too, will attain to it."

1947: Hand of the Cause of God Amelia Collins - “The high rank you now occupy and which no Bahá'í since the Master's passing has ever held in his own lifetime…”

With a heart overflowing with profound gratitude I am now writing you these few lines to reaffirm the sentiments, expressed lately on several occasions and in a number of telegrams, of heartfelt and unqualified admiration for your magnificent services, rendered in circumstances so exceptional and difficult as to make them doubly meritorious in the sight of God. You have acquitted yourself of the task I felt prompted to impose upon you in a manner that deserves the praise of the Concourse on High. The high rank you now occupy and which no Bahá'í since the Master's passing has ever held in his own lifetime has been conferred solely in recognition of the manifold services you have already rendered, and is, by no means, intended to be a stimulus or encouragement in the path of service. Indeed the character of this latest and highly significant service you have rendered places you in the category of the Chosen Nine who, unlike the other Hands of the Cause, are to be associated directly and intimately with the cares and responsibilities of the Guardian of the Faith. I feel truly proud of you, am drawn closer to you, and admire more deeply than ever before the spirit that animates you. May the Beloved reward you, both in this world and the next, for your truly exemplary achievements.

- Shoghi Effendi (Appended to a letter dated 14 January 1947 written on his behalf to Mrs. Collins;  ‘The Bahá'í World", vol. XIII’)

“knowledge and sciences [that] will be brought into light” if a person enters “the universal university of the Kingdom”

Thou hast written that thou art a student in the progressive spiritual school. Happy is thy condition! If the various progressive schools join themselves to the universal university of the Kingdom, such knowledge and sciences will be brought into light that

• man will see that the potentialities of the “Open Tablet” of existence are infinite;
• will realize that all the created things are as letters and words;
• will be instructed in the lessons of the degrees of significances;
• will perceive the signs of oneness in the primordial atoms of the earth;
• will hear the voice of the Lord of the Kingdom;
• will behold the confirmations of the Holy Spirit and
• will find such ecstasy and joy that, being unable to contain himself in the vast area of existence, he will prepare himself for the journey toward the Kingdom and
• will hasten to the immensity of the Realm of Might.

As soon as a bird if fledged, it cannot keep itself on the ground; nay, rather it soareth up toward the Supreme Apex—except the birds whose feet are tied, whose wings are clipped and feathers broken and who are soiled with water and clay. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 3)

To “nurture communities that can manifest the fundamental principles of peace and the requirements of amity and oneness”

Praise be to God that the followers of the Greatest Name throughout the world are familiar with this task and have exerted the utmost effort at all times, in all places, and to the degree possible to discharge this critical responsibility and to learn, in collaboration with like-minded and sympathetic people, how to nurture communities that can manifest the fundamental principles of peace and the requirements of amity and oneness.

• Such communities keenly endeavour to give practical expression to the principle of the equality of women and men;
• they are committed to the centrality of justice and fairness;
• they strive to create harmony and unity, combined with diversity;
• they make consultation the axis for individual and collective decision-making, the remover of conflict, and the builder of agreement;
• they promote economic solidarity and mutual support among people;
• they teach children and junior youth freedom from both prejudice and rancour, and regard the youth as being at the vanguard of the advancement and transformation of society;
• they view spiritual and moral principles as the foundation of the exaltation of humanity and of every kind of progress.

And in this way, they spread a culture of peace and reconciliation.

- The Universal House of Justice (From Naw-Rúz 181[2024] message to the followers of the Greatest Name and the helpers of the Ancient Beauty in the sacred land of Iran; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

“Over the span of His life, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laboured tirelessly in service to Bahá’u’lláh”

Over the span of His life, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laboured tirelessly in service to Bahá’u’lláh, fulfilling, in its entirety, His Father’s sacred trust.

• He faithfully nurtured and protected the precious seed that had been planted.
• He sheltered the Cause in the cradle of its birth and, guiding its spread in the West, established there the cradle of its administration.
• He set firm the footsteps of the believers and raised up a cohort of champions and saints.
• With His own hands, He interred the holy remains of the Báb in the mausoleum He raised on Mount Carmel,
• devotedly tended the twin Holy Shrines, and
• laid the foundations of the Faith’s world administrative centre.
• He safeguarded the Faith from its avowed enemies, internal and external.
• He revealed the precious Charter for sharing Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings with all peoples across the globe,
• as well as the Charter that called into being and set in motion the processes of the Administrative Order.
• His life spanned the entire period of the Heroic Age inaugurated by the declaration of the Báb;
• His ascension ushered in a new Age whose features were as yet unknown to the believers.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 28 November 2023 addressed to the Bahá’ís of the World; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Canada: “the future of Canada, whether from a material or a spiritual standpoint, is very great”

“The future of the Dominion of Canada,” He [‘Abdu’l-Bahá], in another Tablet of the Divine Plan, has asserted, “is very great, and the events connected with it infinitely glorious. The eye of God’s loving-kindness will be turned towards it, and it shall become the manifestation of the favors of the All-Glorious.” “Again I repeat,” He, in that same Tablet reaffirms His previous statement, “that the future of Canada, whether from a material or a spiritual standpoint, is very great.” 

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

'Abdu’l-Baha’s counsel to Lua Getsinger: “Thou must be firm and unshakable in thy purpose, and never, never let any outward circumstances worry thee.”

Thou must be firm and unshakable in thy purpose, and never, never let any outward circumstances worry thee. I am sending thee to India to accomplish certain definite results. Thou must enter that country with a never-failing spirituality, a radiant faith an eternal enthusiasm, an inextinguishable fire, a solid conviction, in order that thou mayest achieve those services for which I am sending thee.

Let not thy heart be troubled. If thou goest away with this unchanging condition of invariability of inner state, thou shalt see the doors of confirmation open before thy face, thy life will be a crown of heavenly roses, and thou shalt find thyself in the highest station of triumph.

Strive day and night to attain to this exalted state. Look at me! Thou dost not know a thousandth part of the difficulties and seemingly unsurmountable passes that rise daily before my eyes. I do not heed them; I am walking in my chosen highway; I know the destination. Hundreds of storms and tempests may rage furiously around my head; hundreds of Titanics may sink to the bottom of the sea, the mad waves may rise to the roof of heaven; all these will not change my purpose, will not disturb me in the least; I will not look either to the right or to the left; I am looking ahead, far, far. Piercing through the impenetrable darkness of the night, the howling winds, the raging storms, I see the glorious Light beckoning me forward, forward. The balmy weather is coming, and the voyager shall land safely.

“trailblazing actions and... dazzling initiatives the followers of Bahá’u’lláh undertook for the sake of the development and progress of Iran”

Consider what trailblazing actions and what dazzling initiatives the followers of Bahá’u’lláh undertook for the sake of the development and progress of Iran and in the discharge of the commitment to the good of humanity that He nurtured in them. See what a range of educational, medical, industrial, and agricultural establishments and what material, spiritual, intellectual, and cultural advancements were brought about as a result of the profound faith that generation after generation of those followers placed in the truth that success and prosperity, spiritual salvation and the good pleasure of God are made possible through service, love, and goodwill towards one’s fellow beings. A few examples suffice to attest this truth.

• In some of the remotest corners of the country, more than a hundred years ago, the Bahá’ís of Iran established modern schools that they might impart knowledge to girls and boys and eradicate ignorance.
• By teaching literacy to adults, whether men or women, they swiftly eliminated illiteracy in their communities.
• Courageously and persistently, from the earliest days of the Cause, they have striven to promote the freedom of women and the equality of women and men and have endeavoured to ensure that this important principle—which is an inseparable aspect of Bahá’u’lláh’s fundamental principle of the oneness of humanity—is not only implemented in their personal and family lives, but is also institutionalized in their social and administrative affairs as well as in their educational programmes.
• They established hospitals and dispensaries, so that with the aid of modern medical science and new inventions they might contribute to the health and well-being of their fellow citizens and heal physical ailments too.
• They have exerted great effort to contribute to the development and prosperity of cities and villages, to further industry and agriculture, and to exalt and celebrate the arts and crafts of Iran.
• They have endeavoured to remove ethnic and religious prejudices and have taught their children the lesson of the oneness of humanity from their earliest years.
• They have raised the banner of truthfulness, honesty, and moral conduct in such manner that, throughout the history of this blessed Cause, even its sworn enemies have confessed to their honesty and truthfulness and been astonished and dumbfounded to see that they refuse to deny the truth for the sake of worldly benefit, material advantage, or the preservation of their lives and possessions.
• A hundred years ago they instituted the culture of freedom of choice and the election of representatives in every town and village in which they lived, and they have learned and practised consultation as a principle essential for the creation of harmony and unity together with variety and diversity.
• And above all, they have placed great value on education and have made every effort to ensure that, by means of educational programmes that train human character, the divine principles and teachings are translated into reality.

- The Universal House of Justice (From Naw-Ruz 2024 Message to the Baha’is in Iran; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

A prayer to ‘Abdu’l-Baha by Thornton Chase "the first American believer”: - Reveal Thyself to those who can bear the Knowledge!

This grain of human dust, stirred by the Breath of the Spirit, longs for Thy Presence, for the Life-giving touch of Thy Glorious Love. These captives of Love yearn for Thy Nearness! These ignorant ones seek Thy instruction. These isolated ones hope for the Unity of Thy Meeting. These helpless ones trust in Thine Attraction to awaken the hearts of their friends and relatives.

O my Beloved! What can we say but to praise Thee; to thank God for Thee, His Greatest Gift to man; to implore Thee to pray for His Mercy upon these impotent ones, His Strength for these powerless ones, His Guidance for those erring ones. His Guard to protect us from ourselves!

Teach us to serve. Guide us in the paths of Knowledge and Wisdom.

Unite us in mutual purpose and aim, and grant us the favor of Thy personal Presence and Voice.

(signed) Thornton Chase, August 9, 1912

San Francisco, California.

(Star of the West, vol. 4, no. 11, September 27, 1913)

“To comprehend the society-building power possessed by the Faith, one need look no further than the achievements of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His ministry and the transformative effects of the guidance that flowed unceasingly from His pen.”

'Abdu'l-Baha leaving Hotel Ansonia, New York City, 1912

A year of preparation and reflection, as well as of great exertion, has concluded, distinguished by the efforts of the friends worldwide to mark the centenary of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, including by sending representatives to participate in a special event honouring Him in the Holy Land. Through these efforts, the inspiration offered by the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has been felt by countless souls and not only Bahá’ís.

• His concern for every member of the human family,
• His teaching work,
• His promotion of undertakings for education and social well-being,
• His profound contributions to discourses in both the East and the West,
• His heartfelt encouragement of projects to construct Houses of Worship,
• His shaping of early forms of Bahá’í administration,
• His cultivation of varied aspects of community life—

all these complementary facets of His life were a reflection of His constant and complete dedication to serving God and serving humanity. Beyond being a towering figure of moral authority and surpassing spiritual insight, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a pure channel through which the forces released by the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh could act upon the world. To comprehend the society-building power possessed by the Faith, one need look no further than the achievements of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His ministry and the transformative effects of the guidance that flowed unceasingly from His pen. So many of the marvellous advances made by the present-day Bahá’í community—which were surveyed in our message to you last Ridván—trace their origins to the actions, decisions, and directions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. 

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

Ṭáhirih (the Pure One): “the first woman suffrage martyr”

Thus ended the life of this great Bábí heroine, the first woman suffrage martyr, who, at her death, turning to the one in whose custody she had been placed, had boldly declared: “You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women.” Her career was as dazzling as it was brief, as tragic as it was eventful. Unlike her fellow-disciples, whose exploits remained, for the most part unknown, and unsung by their contemporaries in foreign lands, the fame of this immortal woman was noised abroad, and traveling with remarkable swiftness as far as the capitals of Western Europe, aroused the enthusiastic admiration and evoked the ardent praise of men and women of divers nationalities, callings and cultures. Little wonder that ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá should have joined her name to those of Sarah, of Ásíyih, of the Virgin Mary and of Fáṭimih, who, in the course of successive Dispensations, have towered, by reason of their intrinsic merits and unique position, above the rank and file of their sex. “In eloquence,” ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá Himself has written, “she was the calamity of the age, and in ratiocination the trouble of the world.” He, moreover, has described her as “a brand afire with the love of God” and “a lamp aglow with the bounty of God.” 

- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)

“the human spirit”: its “existential rewards and punishments”, and its “ultimate rewards and punishments” – an explanation by ‘Abdu’l-Baha

Having established the existence of the human spirit, we must now establish its immortality.

In the heavenly Books, mention is made of the immortality of the spirit, which is the very foundation of the divine religions. For rewards and punishments are said to be of two kinds—one being existential rewards and punishments and the other, ultimate rewards and punishments. Existential paradise and hell are to be found in all the worlds of God, whether in this world or in the heavenly realms of the spirit, and to gain these rewards is to attain life eternal. That is why Christ said: Act in such a manner that you may find eternal life, be born of water and of the spirit, and thus enter into the Kingdom.[Cf. John 3:5]

Existential rewards consist in the virtues and perfections that adorn the human reality. For example, man was immersed in darkness and becomes luminous; he was ignorant and becomes informed; he was heedless and becomes aware; he was asleep and is awakened; he was dead and is quickened to life; he was blind and begins to see; he was deaf and begins to hear; he was earthly and becomes heavenly; he was material and becomes spiritual. Through these rewards he is reborn in spirit, is created anew, and becomes the manifestation of the verse in the Gospel that says that the Apostles “were born, not of blood, nor of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”[ Cf. John 1:13]—that is, they were delivered from the animal characteristics and qualities that are inherent to human nature, and acquired divine attributes, which are the outpouring grace of God. This is the true meaning of being born again. For such souls, there is no greater torment than to be veiled from God, and no worse punishment than selfish qualities, evil attributes, baseness of character, and engrossment in carnal desires. When these souls are delivered from the darkness of these vices through the light of faith, when they are illumined by the rays of the Sun of Truth and endowed with every human virtue, they reckon this as the greatest reward and regard it as the true paradise. In like manner, they consider spiritual punishment—that is, existential torment and chastisement—to consist in subjection to the world of nature; in being veiled from God; in ignorance and unawareness; in engrossment with covetous desires; in absorption in animal vices; in being marked by evil attributes, such as falsehood, tyranny, and iniquity; in attachment to worldly things; and in immersion in satanic fancies—all of which they reckon to be the greatest of torments and punishments.

“that mighty and heavenly power that brings about the betterment of the world, a power latent in the reality and essence of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh”

After a hundred years of endeavour—and of sacrifice, trial, and learning—all that the Bahá’ís of the world have attained, and which, in the past twenty-five years in particular, took a new form and acquired new systems and organization, has prepared them for the fulfilment of an exalted spiritual and moral mission. Its principal purpose is to release that mighty and heavenly power that brings about the betterment of the world, a power latent in the reality and essence of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh, so that it may, day by day, become increasingly manifest and conduce to the building of society.

The release of this power, briefly stated, implies a profound inner and outer transformation. Its purpose is the appearance of a heavenly character, the emergence of conduct and manner befitting the station of a human being, and the manifestation of unity and harmony in the various strata of society.

This creative power

• promotes and brings about the spiritual, moral, and intellectual progress of peoples, so that they may concentrate on both material and spiritual education and may advance in knowledge and understanding;
• that the younger generation may become equipped, as rational and loyal citizens, with the requirements of service to humanity;
• that contending individuals, tribes, and peoples may become united;
• that thoughts and perspectives may harmonize around the axis of unity and oneness, in order that this foundational principle and other divine teachings may be manifested in practical ways in collective life;
• that through the strengthening of cooperation and goodwill, collaboration and solidarity, the pillars of society may be fortified and social cohesion may increase;
• that individuals may become as members of one family;
• that progressive and noble societies may emerge;
• that the culture of society may be affected by these developments, and both reflect and reinforce them;
• and that the three protagonists in this collective enterprise—the individual, the community, and the institutions—each in its own reality as well as in relation to one another, may make considerable advances. 

- House of Justice (From the Naw-Rúz 2022 Message to the Bahá’ís of Iran (Messages from the Universal House of Justice 2001-2022)

Features of a “consolidated” third milestone cluster

The third milestone is a measurement of a journey whose beginnings are well understood. Once it is passed, clusters where progress has been consolidated can be seen to share important features.

• The institute’s programmes are being supported by a relatively substantial and expanding pool of human resources.
• Effort is being made to enable more neighbourhoods and villages to sustain intense activity.
• There is a capacity to embrace large numbers and manage increasing complexity through both formal and informal arrangements.
• Crucially, in these clusters, consistent attention is being given to sustaining effective cycles, so that there is a regular pulse of study, consultation, action, and reflection through which the community enhances its capacity to grow and to contribute to the advancement of the society to which it belongs. These cycles include
• periods of particular intensity,
• an injection of energy that is propelling the engagement of the widest possible circle of friends.
• Community undertakings such as family festivals, junior youth camps, service projects, arts endeavours, and collective teaching initiatives are proceeding according to their own respective rhythms.
• Reflection spaces bring together many friends, and the use of such spaces is thoughtful and deliberate—there is awareness that the quality and utility of reflection is measured by the purposeful action arising from it.
• From these clusters, resources flow to surrounding clusters to help the friends there make accelerated progress.

- The Universal House of Justice (Message dated 31 December 2025 to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

May 1960: Ruhiyyih Khanum's visit to Peigan Reserve (Piikani Nation), Alberta, Canada

(Baha'i Canada, Spring 2018)