Baha’is had expressed surprise at positive reception ‘Abdu’l-Baha received from clergy in America

One of the Bahai Friends said to ‘Abdu’l-Baha, "What we expected in connection with your visit to America has not happened and what we did not expect to happen has indeed come to pass. We expected an attitude of hostility towards you by the clergy and theologians. Instead of this they have welcomed you in the spirit of fairness and sincerity. We did not expect the churches and religious societies would open their doors, but they have done so and most of your important public addresses have been delivered from pulpits of various denominations."

‘Abdu’l-Baha replied:

"According to the record of three Gospels, His Holiness Jesus Christ went into the Temple of Jerusalem, rebuked the Jews for the degeneracy of their worship into materialistic forms and delivered the Message of Divine Gladtidings. For nineteen hundred years this has been pointed out by Christians as a most wonderful event, - that His Holiness without opposition from the Jews was permitted to enter their most sacred place of worship and proclaim the 'Word of God.

“Consider what has happened in this century. During the past year we have been welcomed in churches and pulpits of Europe and America by different denominations, - upraising the Divine Standard of Unity, summoning mankind to the Glad Tidings of the Most Great Peace, proclaiming the Reality of the Kingdom of Abha. And this has been accomplished not only without opposition but by invitation, and in a spirit of the utmost love and fragrance. Consider therefore the wonderful influence and importance of this in the future." 

(From Notes by Howard MacNutt; Star of the West, vol. 4, no. 1, 21 March 1913)

Aim and benefits of Baha’i teaching conferences

Teaching conferences can have a great value for the advance of the Faith. Their aim is

• to strengthen the bonds of unity and fellowship among the friends,
• to increase their involvement in the teaching work and their interest in its progress, and
• to serve as magnets to attract divine confirmations.
• They are also
• rallying points for the believers,
• evidences of the vitality of their love for Baha'u'llah, and
• potent instruments for generating enthusiasm and spiritual drive for advancing the interests of the Faith. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 25 May 1975; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986)

Administering the needs of pioneers for financial assistance

Ideally, of course, a pioneer should be, or become as soon as possible, financially independent of the Fund in his chosen post, not only to husband the financial resources of the Faith but because it is a Baha'i principle that everyone should work and support himself and his family whenever possible, and there is no such profession as pioneer or teacher in the Baha'i Faith as there are professional missionaries and clergymen in other religions. Nevertheless it must be recognized that in some posts where pioneers are desperately needed there is no possibility for them to get work. Either there is no work available in the area or else the pioneer is refused a work permit because he is a foreigner. In such cases it is essential for the Assemblies to provide financial assistance to support the pioneer for as long as is necessary.

There are a number of methods of financing pioneers in areas where work is unobtainable. Believers can be found who have independent means and are willing to pioneer to the area and live on whatever income they have, however slender. There are those who, in accordance with Baha'u'llah's injunction, have been deputized by friends who are unable to go themselves. Believers may be found who are willing to go to such an area for a specific period supported by the meagre budget that the Fund can afford, with the clear understanding that at the end of that period they will return from the pioneer post and become self-supporting again; in such a way an area can be serviced with a succession of pioneers. Then there are those believers who are willing to serve in a remote and inhospitable area, but whose age or situation makes it clear from the outset that they will not be able to become self-supporting again; when the need is great and cannot be met in any other way, an Assembly would be fully justified in supporting them, but it should realize from the outset the extent of the responsibility it is incurring for an indefinite period into the future.

Ways of Pioneering

There are several ways of pioneering, and all are entirely valid and are of great help to the teaching work. There is, first of all, the pioneer who goes to a particular country, devotes the remainder of his life to the service of the Faith in that land and finally lays his bones to rest in its soil. Secondly, there is the pioneer who goes to a post, serves valiantly there until the native Baha'i community is strongly established, and then moves on to new fields of service. Thirdly, there are those, for example youth between the completion of their schooling and the starting of their chosen profession, who go pioneering for a specific limited period. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 25 May 1975; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986)

The purpose of teaching the Faith

Teaching the Faith embraces many diverse activities, all of which are vital to success, and each of which reinforces the other. Time and again the beloved Guardian emphasized that expansion and consolidation are twin and inseparable aspects of teaching that must proceed simultaneously, yet one still hears believers discussing the virtues of one as against the other. The purpose of teaching is not complete when a person declares that he has accepted Baha'u'llah as the Manifestation of God for this age; the purpose of teaching is to attract human beings to the divine Message and so imbue them with its spirit that they will dedicate themselves to its service, and this world will become another world and its people another people.  Viewed in this light a declaration of faith is merely a milestone along the way -- albeit a very important one. Teaching may also be likened to kindling a fire, the fire of faith, in the hearts of men. If a fire burns only so long as the match is held to it, it cannot truly be said to have been kindled; to be kindled it must continue to burn of its own accord. Thereafter more fuel can be added and the flame can be fanned, but even if left alone for a period, a truly kindled fire will not be extinguished by the first breath of wind.

The aim, therefore, of all Baha'i institutions and Baha'i teachers is to advance continually to new areas and strata of society, with such thoroughness that, as the spark of faith kindles the hearts of the hearers, the teaching of the believers continues until, and even after, they shoulder their responsibilities as Baha'is and participate in both the teaching and administrative work of the Faith. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated  25 May 1975; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986)

December 24, 1951: Hands of the Cause of God appointed by Shoghi Effendi

William Sutherland Maxwell

Mason Remey

Amelia Collins

Leroy Ioas

Valiyu'llah Varqa

Ugo Giachery

George Townshend

Horace Holley

Tarazu'llah Samandari

Ali-Akbar Furutan

Hermann Grosmann

Dorothy Baker

(The Baha'i World 1950-1954)

Baha'i historical events associated with the House of ‘Abdu’llah Pasha

4 March 1975

To all National Spiritual Assemblies

Dear Baha'i friends,

Immediately after sending the cable announcing the joyful news of the acquisition of this property [the house of 'Abdu'llah Pasha], the Universal House of Justice had the enclosed article prepared at the World Centre, and it is sent for you to disseminate as you see fit.

With loving Baha'i greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

 The House of 'Abdu'llah Pasha

Some of the most poignant, dramatic and historically significant events of the Heroic Age of our Faith are associated with this house, which derives its name from the Governor of 'Akka who built it and used it as his official residence during his term of Office, from 1820 to 1832. It stands just inside the north-western corner of the sea wall of 'Akka in the close neighbourhood of the citadel where Baha'u'llah was confined. The main building is L-shaped, facing south and cast on its outer prospects. The structure, though chiefly on two stories, is irregular and on the inside angle has balconies, uncovered stairways, a bathhouse and a well. The entire property comprises large courtyards and is bounded on the west, or seaward, side by a wall, which turns due east at its southern angle and continues towards the heart of 'Akka, forming after a few yards, the wall of a narrow street; at the eastern terminus of this wall, and within the property, is an imposing house which was occupied by that Governor of 'Akka whose incumbency coincided with 'Abdu'l-Baha's residence in the main building, and whose northern windows permitted him to maintain a constant surveillance of 'Abdu'l-Baha's activities. Beyond this house is a small mosque. The eastern boundary of the property is a row of houses giving directly, on its western aspect, to the courtyard and offering many additional vantage points for observing the Master. A similar row of houses extends from the north-eastern corner along the northern boundary until they terminate at the longitudinal wing of the main building which, at this point, projects northwards into several conjoined buildings, making a large irregular outcrop on the northern boundary. The western end of the northern boundary is a short stretch of wall completing the enclosure at the north-western corner of the west wall. Large stables, coach houses and storerooms line the southern boundary.

“The principal cause of… suffering” that humanity is experiencing – and ways in which help can be rendered by Baha’is

19 November 1974

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Italy

Dear Baha'i friends,

In your letter of 11 September you say that the questions of how to help the Third World or the poor who are suffering under calamities are much discussed in your community and you wish to know whether to create a special fund for such needs, to ask for special contributions from time to time, or whether there are other ways in which you could help.

It is understandable that Baha'is who witness the miserable conditions under which so many human beings have to live, or who hear of a sudden disaster that has struck a certain area of the world, are moved to do something practical to ameliorate those conditions and to help their suffering fellow-mortals.

There are many ways in which help can be rendered. Every Baha'i has the duty to acquire a trade or profession through which he will earn that wherewith he can support himself and his family; in the choice of such work he can seek those activities which are of benefit to his fellowmen and not merely those which promote his personal interests, still less those whose effects are actually harmful.

There are also the situations in which an individual Baha'i or a Spiritual Assembly is confronted with an urgent need which neither justice nor compassion could allow to go unheeded and unhelped. How many are the stories told of 'Abdu'l-Baha in such situations, when He would even take off a garment He was wearing and give it to a shivering man in rags.

A “world beset by ills and groaning under the burden of suffering”

When viewing the conditions of our society we see a world beset by ills and groaning under the burden of suffering. This suffering, Baha'u'llah has Himself testified, is because the "body" of the world, "though created whole and perfect, has been afflicted, through divers causes, with grave ills and maladies," and "its sickness waxed more severe, as it fell under the treatment of unskilled physicians who have spurred on the steed of their worldly desires and have erred grievously." Baha'u'llah's statement in this passage concludes with the assertion that the "sovereign remedy" lies in turning and submitting to the "skilled," the "all- powerful," and "inspired Physician. This, verily, is the truth, and all else naught but error.

This Divine Physician has assured us in His Writings that God is All-Seeing and All-Knowing and has willed to establish in this Day and among men His everlasting Kingdom. "The whole earth," Baha'u'llah has stated, "is now in a state of pregnancy. The day is approaching when it will have yielded its noblest fruits, when from it will have sprung forth the loftiest trees, the most enchanting blossoms, the most heavenly blessings." In order to achieve this purpose God sent us the spirit and message of the New Day through two successive Manifestations, both of Whom the generality of mankind have rejected, and have, alas, preferred to continue in their own blindness and perversity. Commenting on such a world spectacle, Baha'u'llah wrote: "soon will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead." "After a time," He further wrote, "all the governments on earth will change. Oppression will envelop the world. And following a universal convulsion, the sun of justice will rise from the horizon of the unseen realm."

Foreword to ‘God Passes By’ by Shoghi Effendi – a descriptive list

•   1844: “the inception of the Bábí Dispensation, …the inauguration of the Bahá’í Era, …the commencement of the Bahá’í Cycle, and… the birth of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá”
• 1844: The “culmination of a universal prophetic cycle”
• The magnitude of Baha’u’llah’s “shadow” on “successive Prophets destined to be raised up after Him”
• “a tumult in human society such as no mind can fathom”
• “a fermentation in the general life of mankind”
• The “emergence of His [Baha’u’llah’s] embryonic World Order…has ‘deranged the equilibrium of the world and revolutionized mankind’s ordered life’”
• The “spirit” which is ““vibrating in the innermost realities of all created things”
• The “evidences of the travail of an age that has sustained the impact of His [Baha’u’llah’s] Revelation, that has ignored His summons”
• The Guardian’s purpose in writing God Passes By
• In ‘God Passes By’ the Guardian makes a review of certain worldwide events from 1844 to 1944
• In ‘God Passes By’ the Guardian identifies “momentous happenings” within the Faith during its first 100-year worldwide growth and expansion
• Subjects not in the scope of this book
• Baha'i administrative institutions
• Subjects not ignored in the book

“A unity in diversity of actions”: - “each person cannot do everything and all persons cannot do the same thing”

An expansion of thought and action in certain aspects of our work would enhance our possibilities for success in meeting our aforementioned commitments. Since change, ever more rapid change, is a constant characteristic of life at this time, and since our growth, size and external relations demand much of us, our community must be ready to adapt. In a sense this means that the community must become more adept at accommodating a wide range of actions without losing concentration on the primary objectives of teaching, namely, expansion and consolidation. A unity in diversity of actions is called for, a condition in which different individuals will concentrate on different activities, appreciating the salutary effect of the aggregate on the growth and development of the Faith, because each person cannot do everything and all persons cannot do the same thing. This understanding is important to the maturity which, by the many demands being made upon it, the community is being forced to attain. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (Ridvan 1990 message)

The title of 'Hidden Words' and its meaning

"... The title 'Hidden Words' was given by Bahá'u'lláh because there is a tradition in Islam, that Fatimih, Muhammad's daughter, grieved greatly over the Martyrdom of her son, and God sent Gabriel to speak encouraging words to her. These words were 'hidden', only she having heard them, and in these latter days the Promised One has revealed them, thus fulfilling a tradition." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 20, 1949)

"With regard to your question concerning the meaning of the name 'Hidden Words'. It is, indeed, one of the most suggestive titles of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. These words are called hidden due to the fact that men have had neither the knowledge nor a true sense of appreciation of them before they were revealed by Bahá'u'lláh. It is through Him, Who is the sole Mouthpiece of God in this age, that spiritual realities and truths have been once more reinterpreted and revealed afresh to mankind. Bahá'u'lláh's Message is thus the only key to a true revealed afresh to mankind. Bahá'u'lláh's Message is thus the only key to a true understanding of the mysteries that envelop man's spiritual life." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, September 1, 1935)

(Compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)

1944: USA - a group of Iranian Baha'i students who came to America to continue their studies

 

(Baha'i News, September 1944)

1955: First Asia Teaching Conference in Nikko Japan

 

Besides Japan, participants were from Caroline Islands, Formosa, Guam, Hong Kong, Korea, Macao, Iran and the United States (Baha'i News, December 1955)

1955: Group of Baha'is of Abaiang, Gilbert Islands

The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Tuarabu, Abaiang 
was incorporated on September 24, 1955
(The Baha'i World 1954-1963)

1848: The “inauguration of the new Dispensation was sounded” at Badasht by Tahirih, “the noblest of her sex in that Dispensation”

A little over four years had elapsed since the birth of the Báb’s Revelation when the trumpet-blast announcing the formal extinction of the old, and the inauguration of the new Dispensation was sounded. No pomp, no pageantry marked so great a turning-point in the world’s religious history. Nor was its modest setting commensurate with such a sudden, startling, complete emancipation from the dark and embattled forces of fanaticism, of priestcraft, of religious orthodoxy and superstition. The assembled host consisted of no more than a single woman and a handful of men, mostly recruited from the very ranks they were attacking, and devoid, with few exceptions, of wealth, prestige and power. The Captain of the host was Himself an absentee, a captive in the grip of His foes. The arena was a tiny hamlet in the plain of Badasht on the border of Mázindarán. The trumpeter was a lone woman, the noblest of her sex in that Dispensation, whom even some of her co-religionists pronounced a heretic. The call she sounded was the death-knell of the twelve hundred year old law of Islám. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’) 

Introduction to 'The Dawn-Breakers' by Shoghi Effendi - A descriptive list

• 
  Nabil’s chronicle gives us “not only great historical value but high moral power”
• Nabil was “a participant in some of the scenes which he recites”
• Nabil’s style of composition
• The main features of Nabil’s narrative
• One needs to have “some knowledge of the condition of church and state in Persia [at that time] and of the customs and mental outlook of the people and their masters”
• English literature about Persia in the nineteenth century
• Pocket Qur'an of the Báb (photo)
• Nineteenth century Persia as seen by various Western observers
• ‘Abdu’l-Baha compares Persia’s glorious past to her darkened condition in the nineteenth century
• A Church-State Country - The right to take life was vested in the Shah alone; and so were all the functions of government, legislative, executive, and judicial.
• All major and many minor leadership posts were given to descendants of the Shah
• Obstacles to a Shah being able to make just decisions
• Robe of the Báb (photo)
• The system of giving and receiving gifts permeated government and all aspects of life in Persia
• The practice of the “balance of personal advantage” – “usually expressed in money form”: a system “so open, so shameless, or so universal” in the entire country in the nineteenth century Persia; “far from being limited to the sphere of domestic economy or to commercial transactions, it permeates every walk and inspires most of the actions of life.”
• Penalties and prisons in 19th Century Persia
• Features of government administration and judicial procedure in 19th Century Persia

Three kinds of persecution ‘Abdu’l-Baha had to bear

All who stand up in the Cause of God will be persecuted and misunderstood. It has always been so; it will always be so. Let neither enemy nor friend disturb your peace, destroy your happiness, prevent your accomplishment. Fix your soul upon God. Then persecution and slander will make you the more radiant. The purposes of your enemies will be reflected upon themselves. They will be injured instead of you. Oppression is the wind which fans the fire of the love of God. Welcome persecution and bitterness. A soldier may bear arms, but until he has faced the enemy in battle he has no right to a place in the king's army. Let nothing defeat you. God is your helper. God is invincible. Be firm in the Heavenly Covenant. Pray for strength. It will be given you, no matter how difficult the conditions.

When ‘Abdu’l-Baha was sent to Akka, he experienced three kinds of persecution. Two kinds were easy to bear. When he arrived in Akka they placed chains upon his limbs and circlets of steel were locked around his ankles and knees. While the guards were doing this ‘Abdu’l-Baha laughed and sang. They were astonished and said, "How is this? You are laughing and singing. When prisoners are ironed in this way, they usually cry out, weep and lament." ‘Abdu’l-Baha replied, "I rejoice because you are doing me a great kindness; you are making me very happy. For a long time I have wished to know the feelings of a prisoner in irons, to experience what other men have been subjected to. I have heard of this; now you have taught me what it is. You have given me this opportunity. Therefore I sing and am very happy. I am very thankful to you."

How to introduce teachings of the Faith to our friends - learning from ‘Abdu’l-Baha

In my talks with the reverend doctors of religion and men of the peace societies I have spoken the Glad-tidings of Baha’u’llah, but always according to their varying need and capacity. As capacities differ, the purpose must be to satisfy the degree of hunger, destroy all possible antagonism and establish a point of agreement. We cannot induce men to lay clown their arms by fighting with them. War intensifies the spirit of strife. War begets war. We are peacemakers, not destroyers of peace. Therefore ‘Abdu’l-Baba finds the note of harmony which vibrates in every human heart. This is our subtle basis. Build upon it. Follow no other method. Talk about things upon which we agree and say nothing about things upon which we differ. We must disorganize humanism in order to construct a spiritual edifice in the world of humanity. This edifice is heavenly but its foundations are planted in the unity of human hearts. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Baha recorded by Howard MacNutt; Star of the West, vol. 4, no. 1, 21 March 1913)