1998: The “purpose for training institutes”

In the two years since the launching of the Four Year Plan, considerable progress has been made in raising the friends’ awareness of the need for training. As a result, the rigorous and methodical study of the writings, a habit that required reinforcement in many communities, has assumed prominence. This is a welcome development, but more has to be accomplished before the implications of systematic training are fully grasped. The Universal House of Justice explains:

“With the growth in the number of enrollments, it has become apparent that such occasional courses of instruction and the informal activities of community life, though important, are not sufficient as a means of human resource development, for they have resulted in only a relatively small band of active supporters of the Cause. These believers, no matter how dedicated, no matter how willing to make sacrifices, cannot attend to the needs of hundreds, much less thousands, of fledgling local communities. Systematic attention has to be given by Bahá’í institutions to training a significant number of believers and assisting them in serving the Cause according to their God-given talents and capacities.” [1]

In many parts of the world, attention is focused largely on gaining an understanding of the fundamental verities of the Faith. The corresponding institute programs cover a wide range of subjects aimed at deepening the friends’ knowledge of various aspects of the teachings. To be effective in developing human resources, these programs need to impart knowledge, provide spiritual insights, and endow the participants with skills and abilities of service. In the messages on the Four Year Plan, the House of Justice has made a number of statements on the nature of training, and the variations in wording lend perspective on this complex matter:

New compilation: The Story of the Báb - Birth to Revelation

 

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The Kitáb-i-Íqán: a broad outline by the beloved Guardian

Within a compass of two hundred pages it [the Kitáb-i-Íqán]

• proclaims unequivocally the existence and oneness of a personal God, unknowable, inaccessible, the source of all Revelation, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and almighty;
• asserts the relativity of religious truth and the continuity of Divine Revelation;
• affirms the unity of the Prophets, the universality of their Message, the identity of their fundamental teachings, the sanctity of their scriptures, and the twofold character of their stations;
• denounces the blindness and perversity of the divines and doctors of every age;
• cites and elucidates the allegorical passages of the New Testament, the abstruse verses of the Qur’án, and the cryptic Muhammadan traditions which have bred those age-long misunderstandings, doubts and animosities that have sundered and kept apart the followers of the world’s leading religious systems;
• enumerates the essential prerequisites for the attainment by every true seeker of the object of his quest;
• demonstrates the validity, the sublimity and significance of the Báb’s Revelation;
• acclaims the heroism and detachment of His disciples;
• foreshadows, and prophesies the world-wide triumph of the Revelation promised to the people of the Bayán;
• upholds the purity and innocence of the Virgin Mary;
• glorifies the Imáms of the Faith of Muhammad;
• celebrates the martyrdom, and lauds the spiritual sovereignty, of the Imám Husayn;
• unfolds the meaning of such symbolic terms as “Return,” “Resurrection,” “Seal of the Prophets” and “Day of Judgment”;
• adumbrates and distinguishes between the three stages of Divine Revelation;
• and expatiates, in glowing terms, upon the glories and wonders of the “City of God,” renewed, at fixed intervals, by the dispensation of Providence, for the guidance, the benefit and salvation of all mankind.

Well may it be claimed that of all the books revealed by the Author of the Bahá’í Revelation, this Book alone, by sweeping away the age-long barriers that have so insurmountably separated the great religions of the world, has laid down a broad and unassailable foundation for the complete and permanent reconciliation of their followers. 

- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)

“The fundamental principle enunciated by Bahá’u’lláh”

The fundamental principle enunciated by Bahá’u’lláh ... is

• that religious truth is not absolute but relative,
• that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process,
• that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin,
• that their basic principles are in complete harmony,
• that their aims and purposes are one and the same,
• that their teachings are but facets of one truth,
• that their functions are complementary,
• that they differ only in the nonessential aspects of their doctrines, and
• that their missions represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society.... 

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

A prescription for action by ‘Abdu’l-Baha

Therefore, O ye friends of God! Show ye forth an earnest endeavor and display ye a resolute effort, so that ye may become assisted in the adoration of the Ancient Beauty and the Manifest Light;

• to be the cause of spreading the light of the Sun of Truth;
• to infuse into the dead, antiquated body of the world a new spirit;
• to cast in the fields of the hearts pure seeds;
• to arise in the service of the Cause;
• to speak with eloquent tongues;
• to become candles of guidance in the assemblage of the world;
• to become shining stars in the horizon of the existent being;
• to become merciful birds in the rose-garden of oneness;
• to sing the melodies of realities and significances;
• to spend every breath of your lives in the most great Cause; and
• to devote the period of your existence to the service of this conspicuous Light;

so that in the end ye may be freed from loss and failure and attain to the inexhaustible treasury of the Kingdom. 

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

Events in the world “are but aspects of a greater Plan, one and indivisible, whose Source is God, whose author is Bahá’u’lláh, the theater of whose operations is the entire planet”

Such simultaneous processes of rise and of fall, of integration and of disintegration, of order and chaos, with their continuous and reciprocal reactions on each other, are but aspects of a greater Plan, one and indivisible, whose Source is God, whose author is Bahá’u’lláh, the theater of whose operations is the entire planet, and whose ultimate objectives are the unity of the human race and the peace of all mankind.

Reflections such as these should steel the resolve of the entire Bahá’í community, should dissipate their forebodings, and arouse them to rededicate themselves to every single provision of that Divine Charter whose outline has been delineated for them by the pen of ‘Abdu’l Bahá. 

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

Baghdád 1856-1863: ”hundreds of thousands of verses, mostly written by His [Bahá’u’lláh] own hand, were obliterated and cast into the river.”

As to those verses which He either dictated or wrote Himself, their number was no less remarkable than either the wealth of material they contained, or the diversity of subjects to which they referred. A vast, and indeed the greater, proportion of these writings were, alas, lost irretrievably to posterity. No less an authority than Mírzá Áqá Ján, Bahá’u’lláh’s amanuensis, affirms, as reported by Nabíl, that by the express order of Bahá’u’lláh, hundreds of thousands of verses, mostly written by His own hand, were obliterated and cast into the river. “Finding me reluctant to execute His orders,” Mírzá Áqá Ján has related to Nabíl, “Bahá’u’lláh would reassure me saying: ‘None is to be found at this time worthy to hear these melodies.’ … Not once, or twice, but innumerable times, was I commanded to repeat this act.” 

- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)

Baghdád 1856-1858: The “unrecorded verses…in a single day and night” = “the equivalent of the Qur’án!”

So prolific was this period, that during the first two years after His [Bahá’u’lláh’s] return from His retirement, according to the testimony of Nabíl, who was at that time living in Baghdád, the unrecorded verses that streamed from His lips averaged, in a single day and night, the equivalent of the Qur’án! 

- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)

Baghdád 1856-1863: The “scope and volume of Bahá’u’lláh’s writings, after His return from Sulaymáníyyih”

The enormous expansion in the scope and volume of Bahá’u’lláh’s writings, after His return from Sulaymáníyyih, is yet another distinguishing feature of the period under review. The verses that streamed during those years from His pen, described as “a copious rain” by Himself, whether in the form of

• epistles,
• exhortations,
• commentaries,
• apologies,
• dissertations,
• prophecies,
• prayers, odes or specific Tablets, contributed,
• to a marked degree, to the reformation and progressive unfoldment of the Bábí community,
• to the broadening of its outlook,
• to the expansion of its activities and
• to the enlightenment of the minds of its members.

- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)

Contributions of the Baha’i Faith towards “the universal principle of the equality of men and women”

...the equality of men and women is...a universal spiritual truth—a statement about human nature—that was promulgated by Bahá’u’lláh nearly one hundred and fifty years ago in His native Iran. That women should enjoy equal rights with men is a requirement of justice. It is a principle consonant with the highest standard of purity and sanctity, whose application strengthens family life and is essential to the regeneration and progress of any nation. Indeed, peace in the world and the advancement of civilization depend on its realization. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has explained:

“The world of humanity has two wings—one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be.” 

…Táhirih, that peerless heroine of Iranian history, courageously advocated the emancipation of women in 1848, at a time when efforts to improve the status of women were only beginning to gather momentum in a few parts of the world. From that time on, you [the Baha’is in Iran] have raised generation after generation of your children—both boys and girls—to value this fundamental tenet of the Faith and to express it in every facet of their lives. In 1911, nearly a century ago, you founded the Tarbíyat School for Girls in Tihrán, which provided girls of all backgrounds with an opportunity for education, encouraging, in this way, progressive thinking and making an indelible mark on society. For half a century now, Bahá’í women in Iran have worked shoulder to shoulder with men in administering the affairs of the community at the local, regional and national levels. And long ago you succeeded in eliminating in your community illiteracy among women under the age of forty. 

1997: The Functions of Regional Baha’i Councils

The functions of a Regional Baha’i Council and the degree of authority conferred upon it are within the discretion of a National Spiritual Assembly. However, they should not be limited to those of a national or regional committee for, in such a case, there would be no justification for bringing into being a Regional Baha’i Council rather than appointing a national or regional committee. The functions and responsibilities generally envisaged for a Regional Bahá'í Council are as follows:

• To carry out the policies of the National Spiritual Assembly and to supervise, on behalf of the National Assembly, the smooth and efficient execution of the plans and projects for its region.
• To keep the National Spiritual Assembly regularly informed of the Council’s activities and of the conditions of the Faith throughout the region. Regional Bahá’í Councils are allowed to develop their own strategies and programs, and to carry out their day-to-day work without having to obtain further approval from the National Spiritual Assembly. However, through their frequent reports and the minutes of their meetings, the National Assembly is kept informed of their activities and maintains its overall supervision of the affairs of the Cause in all parts of the country.
• To take initiative in the promotion of the Faith in the region and to carry out its decisions within the range of authority vested in it by the National Assembly. The National Assembly allows the Council a wide latitude for autonomous action, intervening in its work only in matters which the Assembly regards as being of major importance. The main task of a Regional Bahá’í Council is to devise and execute expansion and consolidation plans in close collaboration with the Local Spiritual Assemblies and the believers within its area of jurisdiction. Its goal is to create strong Local Spiritual Assemblies which will be the focal centers of Bahá’í activity, will exercise their vitally important role in the development of the Faith and will demonstrate their ability to regulate the affairs of their local communities.
• To deal with both teaching and administrative matters within the region including the appointment of committees for issues within its terms of reference, such as external affairs and the translation, publication and distribution of Baha’i literature.

The “devotional character” of the community: - Increasing our awareness of its broad role and significance

House of Worship- Papua New Guinea

…in the enhancement of the devotional character of the community through regular gatherings for worship

- The Universal House of Justice (Ridvan 2016 message)

*******

Responding to the inmost longing of every heart to commune with its Maker, they carry out

• acts of collective worship in diverse settings,
• uniting with others in prayer,
• awakening spiritual susceptibilities, and
• shaping a pattern of life distinguished for its devotional character.

- The Universal House of Justice (Ridvan 2008 message)

*******

...the Local Assembly to begin...to consult as a body on…how the devotional character of the village is being enhanced through the efforts of individuals who have completed the first institute course;…

- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated December 2010)

“One of the signs of the maturity of the world”: - “no one will accept to bear the weight of kingship”

Indeed, He even goes further, and states in His Tablet addressed to Shaykh Salmán: “One of the signs of the maturity of the world is that no one will accept to bear the weight of kingship. Kingship will remain with none willing to bear alone its weight. That day will be the day whereon wisdom will be manifested among mankind. Only in order to proclaim the Cause of God and spread abroad His Faith will anyone be willing to bear this grievous weight. Well is it with him who, for love of God and His Cause, and for the sake of God and for the purpose of proclaiming His Faith, will expose himself unto this great danger, and will accept this toil and trouble.” 

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

“Badí’ (Unique) language”: During the early years in Baghdád, on one occasion, Bahá’u’lláh chanted in the “language used by the denizens of one of the worlds of God”

Mirza Áqá Ján [Bahá’u’ll’áh’s amanuensis] related to Nabil that, one day in Kázimayn, when both he and Aqá Muhammad-Hasan-i-Isfahání [a merchant] were in the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, in the house of Hájí ‘Abdu'l-Majid-i-Shirázi, He asked the host whether he wished to hear the Badí’ (Unique) language, which, He said, was the language used by the denizens of one of the worlds of God. He then proceeded to chant in that language. Mirzá Áqá Ján said that hearing this language had a wonderful effect on the listener. 

One day, Mirzá Áqá Ján related, Bahá'u'lláh said to Haji ‘Abdu’l-Majid: ‘Haji, you have heard the Badí’ language, and witnessed God's supremacy over His worlds. Render thanks for this bounty and appreciate its worth.’” "

- Hand of the Cause Hasan Balyuzi (‘Bahá’u’lláh King of Glory’)

The amazing way in which “most of those who surrounded Bahá’u’lláh” in Baghdád decided to help each other to maintain strict spiritual discipline

“Most of those who surrounded Bahá’u’lláh,” wrote Nabíl, describing the spirit that animated the reformed Bábí community in Baghdád, “exercised such care in sanctifying and purifying their souls, that they would suffer no word to cross their lips that might not conform to the will of God, nor would they take a single step that might be contrary to His good-pleasure.” “Each one,” he relates, “had entered into a pact with one of his fellow-disciples, in which they agreed to admonish one another, and, if necessary, chastise one another with a number of blows on the soles of the feet, proportioning the number of strokes to the gravity of the offense against the lofty standards they had sworn to observe.” Describing the fervor of their zeal, he states that “not until the offender had suffered the punishment he had solicited, would he consent to either eat or drink.” 

- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)

The amazing station of a “just king”

A just king enjoyeth nearer access unto God than anyone. Unto this testifieth He Who speaketh in His Most Great Prison. 

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

Concerning the law of the ninety-five day period of engagement before marriage

The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of … U.S.A.

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

Your email letter dated 4 December 2011 seeking clarification of the law of engagement for the Persian believers in your community has been received by the Universal House of Justice, which has asked us to respond as follows.

To assist you in your efforts to educate the friends about the law of engagement, the following comments may be helpful. Bahá’u’lláh states in the “Questions and Answers” section of The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book, number 43, that “it is unlawful to announce a marriage earlier than ninety-five days before the wedding.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has provided further explanation:

“Following the agreement for marriage and its official public announcement, that is, when all the friends, relatives, and kindred have been informed that the two parties have been betrothed, the period of engagement must not exceed ninety-five days, during which marriage should take place, and the verses be recited, and the dowry paid. Although it is forbidden to exceed the ninety-five days as this is an act of disobedience to the Law of God, the marriage contract should not be revoked on this account.”

Thus, the period of ninety-five days begins when the couple have agreed to marry, the consent of the parents has been obtained, and the intent to marry has been officially announced, that is to say, made known to members of the families and friends of the couple.

Striving to create an environment in the community that would allow “cultivation of those attributes that are to distinguish a Bahá’í life" – responsibilities of individuals and institutions

…a community that serves increasingly as an environment conducive to the cultivation of those attributes that are to distinguish a Bahá’í life—

• an environment in which a spirit of unity animates one and all;
• in which the ties of fellowship bind them;
• in which mistakes are treated with tolerance and fear of failure is diminished;
• in which criticism of others is avoided and backbiting and gossip give way to mutual support and encouragement;
• in which young and old work shoulder to shoulder, studying the Creative Word together and accompanying one another in their efforts to serve;
• in which children are reared through an educational process that strives to sharpen their spiritual faculties and imbue them with the spirit of the Faith;
• in which young people are helped to detect the false messages spread by society, recognize its fruitless preoccupations, and resist its pressures, directing their energies instead towards its betterment.

The institutions of the Faith, for their part,

• strive to ensure that such an environment is fostered.
• They do not pry into the personal lives of individuals.
• Nor are they vindictive and judgemental, eager to punish those who fall short of the Bahá’í standard. Except in extreme cases of blatant and flagrant disregard for the law that could potentially harm the Cause and may require them to administer sanctions,
• their attention is focused on encouragement, assistance, counsel, and education.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 19 April 2013; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 2001-2022’)

New Compilation: Ninety-five passages from the Baha'i Writings and literature on a variety of subjects

 

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