1: ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ (Stories About)

“He would also urge you to attach no importance to
the stories told about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá or to those
attributed to Him by the friends. These should be regarded in the
same light as the notes and impressions of visiting pilgrims. They
need not be suppressed, but they should not also be given prominent
or official recognition.”

2: ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S
MINISTRY (Re: World Objectives)

“As to the three aims which Shoghi Effendi has
stated in his America and the Most Great Peace to have been the chief
objectives of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ministry, it
should be pointed out that the first was: The establishment of the
Cause in America; the erection of the Bahá’í
Temple in Ishqábád, and the building on Mt.
Carmel of a mausoleum marking the resting-place of the Báb,
were the two remaining ones.”

3: ADMINISTRATION–Attitude
Towards (National Assembly’s Statement Approved)

“He also wishes me to express his approval of your
statement in the November issue of the Bahá’í
News to the effect of creating within the Assemblies and individual
believers a more positive and active attitude towards the
Administration. The need for positive action seems, indeed, to be one
of the most urgent needs of the Cause at present.”

4: ADMINISTRATION, BAHÁ’Í–(Rules
and Regulations)

“The various rulings and regulations recorded in
the ‘Bahá’í Administration’, and the
supplementary statements already issued by the National Assembly, he
feels, are for the present sufficiently detailed to guide the friends
in their present-day activities… The American believers, as well as
their National representatives, must henceforth direct their
attention to the greater and vital issues which an already
established Administration is called upon to face and handle, rather
than allow their energies to be expended in the consideration of
purely secondary administrative matters.”

5: ADMINISTRATION (Study and Apply)

“Without the study and application of the
administration the teaching of the Cause becomes not only
meaningless, but loses in effectiveness and scope.”

6: ADMINISTRATIVE MACHINERY (Related
to America)

“Now that they (the American believers) have
erected the administrative machinery of the Cause they must put it to
its real use–serving only as an instrument to facilitate the
flow of the spirit of the Faith out into the world. Just as the
muscles enable the body to carry out the will of the individual, all
Assemblies and committees must enable the believers to carry forth
the Message of God to the waiting public, the love of Bahá’u’lláh,
and the healing laws and principles of the Faith to all men.”

7: AFRICAN STUDENTS AND VISITORS

“He hopes that wherever it is possible the
believers will make every effort to contact African students and
visitors, and to show them kindness and hospitality. This may not
only lead to the conversion of some while in America, but will also
make friends for the Faith in Africa.”

8: AGES AND EPOCHS (Define)

“The Faith is divided into three Ages: the Heroic,
the Formative, the Golden Age, as has been outlined in His Writings.
The Heroic Age closed with the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
The Formative Age is divided into epochs. The first epoch lasted 25
years. We are now actually in the second epoch of the Formative Age.
How long the Formative Age will last is not known, and there will
probably be a number of epochs in it.

“The Divine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
is divided into epochs. The first Seven-Year Plan constituted the
first stage of the first epoch; the second Seven-Year Plan
constitutes the second stage; while the Ten-Year Crusade will
constitute the third stage of the first epoch of the Divine Plan. The
first epoch of the Divine Plan will conclude with the conclusion of
the Ten-Year Crusade.”

9: ALLÁH-U-ABHÁ
(Bahá’í Greeting)

“The Bahá’ís are free to greet
each other with Alláh-u-Abhá when they meet, if they
want to, but they should avoid anything which to outsiders, in a
western country, might seem like some strange Oriental password. We
must be very firm on principles and laws, but very normal and natural
in our ways, so as to attract strangers.”

10: ANNUAL CONVENTION

“I am deeply convinced that if the Annual
Convention of the friends in America, as well as the National
Spiritual Assembly, desire to become potent instruments for the
speedy realization of the Beloved’s fondest hopes for the
future of that country, they should endeavor, first and foremost, to
exemplify, in an increasing degree, to all Bahá’ís
and to the world at large the high ideals of fellowship and service
which Bahá’u’lláh and the beloved Master
repeatedly set before them.”

11: AQDAS (THE)–LAWS OF

“In view of the importance of such a statement, he
feels it is his duty to explain that the Laws revealed by Bahá’u’lláh
in the Aqdas are, whenever practical and not in direct conflict with
the Civil laws of the land, absolutely binding on every believer or
Bahá’í institution whether in the East or in the
West. Certain laws, such as fasting, obligatory prayers, the consent
of the parents before marriage, avoidance of alcoholic drinks,
monogamy, should be regarded by all believers as universally and
vitally applicable at the present time. Others have been formulated
in anticipation of a state of society destined to emerge from the
chaotic conditions that prevail today.

“When the Aqdas is published, this matter will be
further explained and elucidated. What has not been formulated in the
Aqdas, in addition to matters of detail and of secondary importance
arising out of the application of the laws already formulated by
Bahá’u’lláh, will have to be enacted by the
Universal House of Justice. This body can supplement but never
invalidate or modify in the least degree what has already been
formulated by Bahá’u’lláh. Nor has the
Guardian any right whatsoever to lessen the binding effect much less
to abrogate the provisions of so fundamental and sacred a Book…”

12: ARCHIVES (The Importance Of)

“The importance of the institution of Bahá’í
Archives is not due only to the many teaching facilities it procures,
but is especially to be found in the vast amount of historical data
and information it offers both to the present-day administrators of
the Cause, and to the Bahá’í historians of the
future. The institution of Bahá’í Archives is
indeed a most valuable storehouse of information regarding all the
aspects of the Faith, administrative as well as doctrinal. Future
generations of believers will be surely in a better position than we
are to truly and adequately appreciate the many advantages and
facilities which the institution of the Archives offers to individual
believers and also to the community at large. Now that the Cause is
rapidly passing through so many different phases of its evolution, is
the time for the friends to exert their utmost in order to preserve
as much as they can of the sacred relics and various other precious
objects that are associated with the lives of the Founders of the
Faith, and particularly the Tablets They have revealed. Every
believer should realize that he has a definite responsibility to
shoulder in this matter, and to help, to whatever extent he can, in
rendering successful and valuable work which National and local
Bahá’í Archives committees are so devotedly
accomplishing for the Faith in America.”

13: ARCHIVES

“The general principle should be that any object
used by Him in person should be preserved for posterity, whether in
the local or National Archives. It is the duty and responsibility of
the Bahá’í Assemblies to ascertain carefully
whether such objects are genuine or not, and to exercise the utmost
caution in the matter.”

14: ASSEMBLIES–UNITY OF
(Bahá’u’lláh’s Promise)

“Bahá’u’lláh has given
the promise that in every Assembly where unity and harmony prevail,
there His glorious spirit will not only be present, but will animate,
sustain and guide all the friends in all their deliberations.

“It is to unity that the Guardian has been
continually calling the friends: For where a united will exists,
nothing can effectively oppose and hamper the forces of constructive
development.”

15: ASSEMBLY MEETINGS

“The Spiritual Assembly must decide how often it
should meet in order to properly handle the affairs of the Cause
under its jurisdiction. Twice a week or twice a month is not the
point, the point is that it should be alert and carry on the work
adequately.”

16: ASSEMBLY VACANCY

“…It is establishing a dangerous precedent to
allow Assemblies to put a time limit on non-attendance of their
members at meetings of the S.A., beyond which that person is
automatically dropped from the Assembly and a vacancy declared …
there should be no time limit fixed by Assemblies beyond which a
person is dropped. Every case of prolonged absence from the sessions
of the Assembly should be considered separately by that Assembly, and
if the person is seen to not want to attend meetings or to be held
away from them indefinitely because of illness or travel, then a
vacancy could legitimately be declared and a new member be elected.”

17: ASSOCIATE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
(Appointing of)

“The Guardian wishes your Assembly to abandon the
practice of appointing associate members to some of the committees…
Such a practice, he feels, tends to create confusion and
misunderstanding.”

18: ATTACKS FROM CHURCH MISSIONARIES

“The Guardian has read very carefully the letters
your Assembly has received from the Spiritual Assemblies of Urbana
and Chicago, reporting the criticisms that have been advanced by Rev.
John Elder, a missionary from Iran. While he is certain that such
attacks from church missionaries are destined to increase in number
and force in the future, he feels that for the present they do not
constitute a challenge so grave and widespread as to justify any
strong action by your Assembly. Later on, when the very progress of
the Cause on the one hand, and the corresponding decline in
ecclesiastical organizations on the other, will inevitably incite
Christian ecclesiastical leaders to vehemently oppose and undermine
the Faith, the believers will then have a real chance to defend and
vindicate the Cause. Under present conditions it would be inadvisable
for the American community to give such issues too much prominence.”

19: BÁB, DECLARATION OF

“In regard to the question submitted to your
Assembly by the Bahá’í group at Maui, Hawaii,
concerning the passage on page 88 of the book ‘Bahá’í
Administration,’

“…The Guardian wishes me to inform you that the
festivals of the Declaration of the Báb and the birthday of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá referred to in that passage as having
been celebrated on the twenty-second of November, 1925, by the
Bahá’ís of the Orient, are based on the lunar
calendar. For this reason the date of the celebration is not fixed,
but shifts every year. Eventually as the Master has explicitly
stated, a uniform system will have to be established by the
International House of Justice.”

20: BÁB’S PHOTOGRAPH

“May I also draw your attention to the fact that
the Báb’s photograph which appeared in Nicolas’
book, Siyyid ‘Alí Muhammad dit le Báb, many years
ago, is not authentic, although it presents great similarity to the
original drawings of the Báb’s portrait.”

21: BAHÁ’Í
DISPENSATION (Duration of)

“Concerning your question relative to the duration
of the Bahá’í Dispensation. There is no
contradiction between Bahá’u’lláh’s
statement in the Íqán about the renewal of the City of
God once every thousand years, and that of the Guardian in the
Dispensation to the effect that the Bahá’í cycle
will extend over a period of at least 500,000 years. The apparent
contradiction is due to the confusion of the terms cycle and
dispensation. For while the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh
will last for at least one thousand years, His Cycle will extend
still farther, to at least 500,000 years.

“The Bahá’í cycle is, indeed,
incomparable in its greatness. It includes not only the Prophets that
will appear after Bahá’u’lláh, but all
those who have preceded Him ever since Adam. These should, indeed, be
viewed as constituting but preliminary stages leading gradually to
the appearance of this supreme Manifestation of God.”

22: BAHÁ’ÍS
(Destiny of)

“I, for my part, am determined to reinforce the
impulse that impels its members forward to meet their destiny. The
Founders of their Faith survey from the Kingdom on high the range of
their achievements, acclaim their progress, and are ever ready to
speed their eventual triumph.”

23: BAHÁ’ÍS–NEW
(On Admittance of New Applicants)

“He has noted with care what you had written him
regarding the question of admittance of applicants into the Cause.
This is certainly a matter which calls for the utmost tact, wisdom
and consideration on the part of Bahá’í
Assemblies. While, as he himself has repeatedly stressed, a uniform
procedure should be adopted and followed whereby every applicant
should be required to express his whole-hearted and unconditional
acceptance of the essential verities of the Cause, great care should
also be taken not to insist on matters of a secondary importance
which the newcomer cannot, for obvious reasons, fully grasp and
apprehend at the beginning. Once the applicant has been admitted in
the Community with a clear understanding of the duties and
responsibilities, and essential implications which such membership
entails, there would be no difficulty for him in gradually adjusting
his whole ideas according to the requirements set forth in the
Teachings. The process of becoming a Bahá’í is
necessarily slow and gradual. The essential is not that the beginner
should have a full and detailed knowledge of the Cause, a thing which
is obviously impossible in the vast majority of cases, but that he
should, by an act of his own will, be willing to uphold and follow
the truth and guidance set forth in the Teachings, and thus open his
heart and mind to the reality of the Manifestation.”

24: BAHÁ’ÍS–NEW
(On Presenting the Master’s Will to New Applicants)

“Concerning the best method of presenting the
Master’s Will to the newcomers, Shoghi Effendi is of the
opinion that the N.S.A. should first make some suitable extracts from
the Testament and to send these to all the local Assemblies for their
use, so that there may be full unity in circulating the provisions of
the Will among the new believers. The problem of choosing such
excerpts is left entirely to the discretion of the N.S.A. The main
thing, as it appears to the Guardian, is that the full station of the
Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
be clearly explained and that the origin, nature and working of the
Administrative Order of the Faith be clearly stated. The full
implications of such a recognition are evidently beyond the
comprehension of any new believer. Such a knowledge can be acquired
gradually and only when the essentials of the Faith have been clearly
recognized and adequately understood.”

25: BAHÁ’ÍS–NEW
(Qualifications of a New Believer)

“When a person becomes a Bahá’í,
he gives up the past only in the sense that he is a part of this new
and living Faith of God, and must seek to pattern himself, in act and
thought, along the lines laid down by Bahá’u’lláh.
The fact that he is by origin a Jew or a Christian, a black man or a
white man, is not important any more, but, as you say, lends color
and charm to the Bahá’í community in that it
demonstrates unity in diversity.”

26: BAHÁ’ÍS–NEW
(The “Two Extremes” in Bringing in New Bahá’ís)

“The believers must discriminate between the two
extremes of bringing people into the Cause before they have fully
grasped its fundamentals and making it too hard for them, expecting
too much of them, before they accept them. This requires truly keen
judgment, as it is unfair to people to allow them to embrace a
movement the true meaning of which they have not fully grasped. It is
equally unfair to expect them to be perfect Bahá’ís
before they can enter the Faith. Many teaching problems arise out of
these two extremes…”

27: BAHÁ’ÍS (Two
Kinds of)

“There are two kinds of Bahá’ís,
one might say: those whose religion is Bahá’í and
those who live for the Faith. Needless to say if we can belong to the
latter category, if we can be in the vanguard of heroes, martyrs and
saints, it is more praiseworthy in the sight of God.”

28: BAHÁ’Í WAY
OF LIFE (The Strength of the Cause)

“It is good for the Bahá’ís to
learn that being a Bahá’í is essentially an inner
thing, or way of life, and not dependent on fixed patterns. Important
as our organized Institutions are, they are not the Faith itself. The
strength of the Cause grows no matter how much disrupted its
activities may temporarily be. This we see over and over again, in
lands where the Faith has been temporarily banned; at times when the
believers are persecuted and even killed; where they are serving all
alone or scattered and isolated. So it has been a stimulating
experience for the American believers to be without their schools for
a few years, rather than a depressing one.”

29: BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
(In accepting)

“In accepting Bahá’u’lláh
you have accepted Christ in His appearance as the Father, as He
Himself so clearly foretold. The Catholic Church does not believe
this; on the contrary, it still awaits the return of Christ. If you
decide, in order to be buried next to your dear husband, to return to
the Church, you either would have to, in good faith, deny Bahá’u’lláh
or you would be just using the church as a means to satisfy a desire
of your own, which would certainly not be an upright and
conscientious thing to do.

“When you think that your husband’s soul is
now free of the limitations of this world, and that he no doubt is
beginning to see religious truth in its true light and to appreciate
the station of Bahá’u’lláh, you should ask
yourself whether he would wish you to leave the truth for this day
and re-enter the church just for the sake of your dust being near his
dust. Your spirit, when you pass away, will be near his spirit; of
what importance, then, is the body? He will pray for your guidance in
this matter.”

30: BELIEVERS, NEW (Accept Cause
Without Qualifications)

“The believers, and particularly those who have
not had sufficient experience in teaching, should be very careful in
the way they present the teachings of the Cause. Sincerity, devotion
and Faith are not the sole conditions of successful teaching.
Tactfulness, extreme caution and wisdom are equally important. We
should not be in a hurry when we announce the message to the public
and we should be careful to present the teachings in their entirety
and not to alter them for the sake of others. Allegiance to the Faith
cannot be partial and half-hearted. Either we should accept the Cause
without any qualification whatsoever or cease calling ourselves
Bahá’ís. The new believers should be made to
realize that it is not sufficient for them to accept some aspects of
the teachings and reject those which cannot suit their mentality in
order to become fully recognized and active followers of the Faith.
In this way all sorts of misunderstandings will vanish and the
organic unity of the Cause will be preserved.”

31: BELIEVERS, REMOVAL OF

“Concerning the removal of believers I feel that
such a vitally important matter should be given the most serious
consideration and preferably be referred to the National Assembly for
further consideration and final decision. We should be slow to accept
and reluctant to remove. I fully approve and whole-heartedly and
unreservedly uphold the principle to which you refer that
personalities should not be made centers around which the community
may revolve but they should be subordinated under all conditions and
however great their merits to the properly constituted Assemblies.
You and your co-workers can never over-estimate or over-emphasize
this cardinal principle of Bahá’í
Administration.”

32: BIBLE (Authenticity of the)

“As to the question raised by the Racine Assembly
in connection with Bahá’u’lláh’s
statement in the Gleanings concerning the sacrifice of Ishmael;
although His statement does not agree with that made in the Bible,
Genesis 12:9, the friends should unhesitatingly, and for reasons that
are only too obvious, give precedence to the sayings of Bahá’u’lláh
which, it would be pointed out, is fully corroborated by the Qur’án,
which book is more authentic than the Bible, including both the New
and Old Testaments. The Bible is not wholly authentic, and in this
respect not to be compared with the Qur’án, and should
be wholly subordinated to the authentic Sayings of Bahá’u’lláh.”

33: CALENDAR (BAHÁ’Í)

“It is advisable to use both the Bahá’í
dates, according to the Bahá’í Calendar, and the
usual Gregorian dates as well. The friends at present are free to do
as they please.”

34: CALIPHATE AND IMÁMATE

“Both Caliphate and Imámate mean
successorship. Either term could be used.”

35: CATASTROPHE (The Apocalyptic
Upheaval)

“We have no indication of exactly what nature the
apocalyptic upheaval will be; it might be another war … but as
students of our Bahá’í Writings, it is clear that
the longer the ‘Divine Physician’ (i.e. Bahá’u’lláh)
is withheld from healing the ills of the world, the more severe will
be the crisis, and the more terrible the sufferings of the patient.”

36: CIVIL COURTS (Disputes)

“The Guardian wishes to emphasize the importance
of avoiding (reference to civil courts) of cases of dispute between
believers, even in non-Bahá’í issues. It is the
Assembly’s function to endeavor to settle amicably such
disputes, both in order to safeguard the fair name and prestige of
the Cause, and to acquire the necessary experience for the extension
of its functions in the future.”

37: CIVIL ELECTIONS (Voting in)

“…No Bahá’í vote for an
officer, no Bahá’í participation in the affairs
of the Republic, shall involve acceptance of a program or policy that
contravenes any vital principle, spiritual or social, of the Faith.

“…No vote cast, or office undertaken, by a
Bahá’í should necessarily constitute acceptance,
by the voter or office holder, of the entire program of any political
party. No Bahá’í can be regarded as either a
Republican or Democrat, as such. He is above all else, the supporter
of the principles enunciated by Bahá’u’lláh,
with which, I am firmly convinced, the program of no political party
is completely harmonious.”

38: COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS (Assembly
Members)

“Regarding the non-appointment of Assembly members
to membership on National Committees, the Guardian firmly believes
that no such principle should be recognised. Those who are best
fitted for the specific work assigned to the Committees should be
elected irrespective of their membership on either National or local
Assemblies. The greater the pressure on those who shoulder both
Committee and Assembly responsibilities, the greater the reward and
the richer the blessings vouchsafed to those who willingly and
gratefully sustain this double burden.”

39: COMMITTEES’
RESPONSIBILITIES

“He feels that Committees must assume more
responsibility and exercise freedom of choice and judgment in
electing their officers, and function as a corporate body with a
corporate spirit. More especially so as now that the Cause is growing
in numbers, and its responsibilities are being multiplied, National
committees are acquiring added importance and must seek, ever
increasingly, to follow the pattern of Bahá’u’lláh
and assume responsibility for the election of their officers. These
committees must develop, become mature, and forge ahead courageously
relying more on united effort and less on personal leadership, as is
now the case with Local and National Assemblies.”

40: CONTRIBUTION

“As to the idea of ‘giving what one can
afford’, this does by no means put a limit or even exclude the
possibility of self-sacrifice. There can be no limit to one’s
contributions to the national fund. The more one can give the better
it is, especially when such offerings necessitate the sacrifice of
other wants and desires on the part of the donor. The harder the
sacrifice the more meritorious will it be of course in the eye of
God. For after all it is not so much the quantity of one’s
offerings that matters, but rather the measure of deprivation that
such offerings entail.”

41: CONTRIBUTIONS (Lifting the
Burden of Misery from Mankind)

“…In the first place every believer is free to
follow the dictates of his own conscience as regards the manner in
which to spend his own money. Secondly, we must always bear in mind
that there are so few Bahá’ís in the world,
relative to the world’s population, and so many people in need,
that even if all of us gave all we had, it would not alleviate more
than an infinitesimal amount of suffering. This does not mean we must
not help the needy, we should; but our contributions to the Faith are
the surest way of lifting once and for all time the burden of hunger
and misery from mankind, for it is only through the System of
Bahá’u’lláh–Divine in origin–that
the world can be gotten on its feet, and want, fear, hunger, war,
etc., be eliminated. Non-Bahá’ís cannot
contribute to our work or do it for us; so really our first
obligation is to support our own teaching work, as this will lead to
the healing of the nations.”

42: CONTRIBUTIONS ARE VOLUNTARY

“In connection with the Institution of the
National Fund and the budgetary system set forth in the minutes of
the National Spiritual Assembly, I feel urged to remind you of the
necessity of ever bearing in mind the cardinal principle that all
contributions to the Fund are to be purely and strictly voluntary in
character. It should be made clear and evident to every one that any
form of compulsion, however slight and indirect, strikes at the very
root principle underlying the formation of the Fund ever since its
inception. While appeals of a general character, carefully worded and
moving and dignified in tone are welcome under all circumstances, it
should be left entirely to the discretion of every conscientious
believer to decide upon the nature, the amount, and purpose of his or
her contribution for the propagation of the Cause.”

43: COVENANT (Meaning of Bahá’í)

“As regards the meaning of the Bahá’í
Covenant: The Guardian considers the existence of two forms of
Covenant both of which are explicitly mentioned in the literature of
the Cause. First is the Covenant that every Prophet makes with
humanity or, more definitely, with His people that they will accept
and follow the coming Manifestation who will be the reappearance of
His reality. The second form of Covenant is such as the one
Bahá’u’lláh made with His people that they
should accept the Master. This is merely to establish and strengthen
the succession of the series of Lights that appear after every
Manifestation. Under the same category falls the Covenant the Master
made with the Bahá’ís that they should accept His
administration after Him.”

“The Most Great Covenant is different from the
Everlasting Covenant.”

44: COVENANT BREAKERS (Expulsion and
Reinstatement of)

“The Guardian, like the Master before him, has not
considered it advisable to as yet permit any person or Assembly to
put another person out of the Cause of God. There is a sharp
distinction between depriving a believer of his voting rights, which
is a severe disciplinary measure and not a spiritual sanction, and
pronouncing a former believer to be a truly spiritually diseased
soul, a soul in the condition the Master referred to when, in His
last cable to America before His ascension, He said: ‘He who
sitteth with a leper catcheth leprosy.’ The Guardian has,
within the last few years, considered the National Assemblies strong
enough to wield the instrument of sanction in the sense of depriving
a Bahá’í of his voting rights. But no one but
himself can pronounce a person to be in that diseased condition we
call ‘Covenant Breaking’ and no one but he can reinstate
a Covenant Breaker. No National Assembly has been given this right
and cannot therefore review the question or reinstate anyone…”

45: COVENANT BREAKERS (Shun)

“…Bahá’u’lláh and the
Master in many places and very emphatically have told us to shun
entirely all Covenant breakers as they are afflicted with what we
might try and define as a contagious spiritual disease; they have
also told us, however, to pray for them. These souls are not lost
forever. In the Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh says
that God will forgive Mírzá Yaḥyá if he
repents. It follows, therefore, that God will forgive any soul if he
repents. Most of them don’t want to repent, unfortunately. If
the leaders can be forgiven it goes without saying that their
followers can also be forgiven…

“Also, it has nothing to do with unity in the
Cause; if a man cuts a cancer out of his body to preserve his health
and very life, no one would suggest that for the sake of unity it
should be reintroduced into the otherwise healthy organism. On the
contrary, what was once a part of him has so radically changed as to
have become a poison.”

46: CRIMSON BOOK (The)

“Unfortunately it would seem that the knowledge
‘which could largely eliminate fear’ has not been
disclosed or identified by Bahá’u’lláh, so
we do not know what it is.

“However, what Bahá’u’lláh
did not elaborate but what He meant by the ‘world’
recorded in the Crimson Book was the power of the Covenant.

“The ‘Crimson Book’ refers to the Book
of His Covenant, and the reference above means the power for unity
which the Covenant possesses and radiates. On page 238 of ‘God
Passes By’ you will find the cross-reference to the ‘Crimson
Book’ and the ‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf.’”

47: CRITICISM

“When criticism and harsh words arise within a
Bahá’í community, there is no remedy except to
put the past behind one, and persuade all concerned to turn over a
new leaf, and for the sake of God and His Faith refrain from
mentioning the subjects which have led to misunderstanding and
inharmony. The more the friends argue back and forth and maintain,
each side, that their point of view is the right one, the worse the
whole situation becomes.

“When we see the condition the world is in today,
we must surely forget these utterly insignificant internal
disturbances, and rush, unitedly, to the rescue of humanity. You
should urge your fellow Bahá’ís to support you in
a strong effort to suppress every critical thought and every harsh
word, in order to let the spirit of Bahá’u’lláh
flow into the entire community, and unite it in His love and in His
service.”

48: CRITICISM (On)

“…Vicious criticism is indeed a calamity. But
its root is lack of faith in the system of Bahá’u’lláh,
i.e., the Administrative Order–and lack of obedience to Him–for
He has forbidden it! If the Bahá’ís would follow
the Bahá’í laws in voting, in electing, in
serving and in abiding by Assembly decisions, all this waste of
strength through criticizing others could be diverted into
cooperation and achieving the Plan…”

49: DANIEL, THE PROPHECY OF

“Regarding the Prophecy of Daniel: The passage in
Esselmont should be changed to state that this prophecy refers to the
one-hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh,
in the Garden of Ridván, Baghdád–reference
to this can be found in ‘The Passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
in quotation from two of His Tablets.”

50: DISPENSATION OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH

“With reference to … the Dispensation of
Bahá’u’lláh, he wishes me to explain that
although ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s station is not that
of a Manifestation of God, nevertheless supplications may be
addressed to Him. It is essential, however, that every believer
should realize that while doing so he is directing his thoughts
toward the Master as an intermediary between him and the
Manifestation, and not as the Source of Divine Revelation and
Spiritual Guidance. Provided this distinction is clearly established,
there can be no harm or objection in addressing prayers to
‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”

51: DISPUTES,
INDIVIDUAL–(Consultation with Assembly)

“Regarding consultation: Any person can refer a
matter to the Assembly for consultation whether the other person
wishes to or not. In matters which affect the Cause the Assembly
should, if it deems it necessary, intervene even if both sides don’t
want it to, because the whole purpose of the Assemblies is to protect
the Faith, the Communities and the individual Bahá’ís
as well.”

52: DRAMA–MANIFESTATIONS
(Dramatic Works)

“With reference to your question whether the
Figures of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh
should be made to appear as characters in dramatic works written by
the believers, Shoghi Effendi’s opinion is that such an attempt
to dramatize the Manifestations would be highly disrespectful, and
hence should be avoided by the friends, even in the case of the
Master. Besides it would be practically impossible to carry out such
a plan faithfully, and in a dignified and befitting manner.”

53: DRAMA OF THE FAITH

“The Faith can certainly be dramatized, but two
things must be remembered: No personal presentation of the Báb,
Bahá’u’lláh or the Master, only their Words
can be used, but no figure must represent Them; great dignity must be
the keynote.”

54: ECONOMIC TEACHINGS

“With regard to your wish for reorganizing your
business along Bahá’í lines, Shoghi Effendi
deeply appreciates the spirit that has permitted you to make such a
suggestion. But he feels nevertheless that the time has not yet come
for any believer to bring about such a fundamental change in the
economic structure of our society, however restricted may be the
field for such an experiment. The economic teachings of the Cause,
though well known in their main outline, have not as yet been
sufficiently elaborated and systematized to allow anyone to make an
exact and thorough application of them even on a restricted scale.”

55: ECONOMICS–BAHÁ’Í

“As you say, the Writings are not so rich on this
subject and many issues at present baffling the minds of the world
are not even mentioned. The primary consideration is the spirit that
has to permeate our economic life, and this will gradually
crystallize itself into definite institutions and principles that
will help to bring about the ideal condition foretold by
Bahá’u’lláh.”

“No, Bahá’u’lláh did not
bring a complete system of economics to the world. Profit sharing is
recommended as a solution to one form of economic problems. There is
nothing in the teachings against some kind of capitalism; its present
form, though, would require adjustments to be made.”

“There are practically no technical teachings on
economics in the Cause, such as banking, the price system, and
others. The Cause is not an economic system, nor its Founders be
considered as having been technical economists. The contribution of
the Faith to this subject is essentially indirect, as it consists of
the application of spiritual principles to our present-day economic
system. Bahá’u’lláh has given us a few
basic principles which should guide future Bahá’í
economists in establishing such institutions which will adjust the
economic relationships of the world…

“Social inequality is the inevitable outcome of
the natural inequality of man. Human beings are different in ability
and should, therefore, be different in their social and economic
standing. Extremes of wealth and poverty should, however, be
abolished…

“The Master has definitely stated that wages
should be unequal, simply because that men are unequal in their
ability and hence should receive wages that would correspond to their
varying capacities and resources.”

56: ECONOMIC TEACHINGS

“As regards the activities of the economic
committee of the National Assembly; Shoghi Effendi fully sympathizes
with the desire of some of the members to see the Committee find ways
and means to put into practice the economic teachings of the Cause,
as explained in some of the recorded Writings and Sayings of
Bahá’u’lláh and the Master. But he believes
that the time is not yet ripe for such activities. First we have to
study the economic teachings in the light of modern problems more
thoroughly so that we may advocate what the Founders of the Faith say
and not what we conjecture from Their Writings. There is great
difference between sounding a great general principle and finding its
application to actual prevailing conditions. Secondly, the Cause is
not financially in a position to launch itself in such undertakings
at present. Such plans need great financial backing to be worked out
in a permanent form. In time, Shoghi Effendi hopes all these things
will come to pass. For the present we have to consolidate our basic
institutions and spread the teachings and spirit of the Faith among
the public.”

57: EDUCATION (On Inability of
Modern Education to Produce a Mature Mind)

“People today indeed do tend to be very
superficial in their thinking, and it would seem as if the
educational systems in use are sorely lacking in ability to produce a
mature mind in a person who has reached supposedly adult life! All
the outside influences that surround the individual seem to have an
intensely distracting effect, and it is a hard job to get the average
person to do any deep thinking or even a little meditation on the
problems facing him and the world at large.

“Over and over again Bahá’u’lláh
cried out against the heedlessness of humanity, and warns of the fate
such an attitude must lead to. Did we not know what God plans to, and
will do, with the world in the future, we should certainly be as
hopeless as many of the best thinkers of our generation have become.”

58: ELDERS (Four and Twenty)

“Regarding the four and twenty elders: The Master,
in a Tablet, stated that they were the Báb, the eighteen
Letters of the Living, and five others who would be known in the
future. So far we do not know who these five others are.”

59: ELECTION (Acceptance of)

“Concerning the question of refusal by certain
believers to accept election to an administrative post: The Guardian
strongly feels that criticism, opposition, or confusion do not
provide sufficient grounds for either refusal or resignation. Only
cases of physical or mental incapacity, which, by their very nature,
are extremely rare, constitute valid reasons for such an act. The
difficulties and tests involved in the acceptance of Administrative
posts, far from inducing the believers to dissociate themselves from
the work of the Cause, should spur them on to greater exertions and
to a more active participation in the privileged task of resolving
the problems that confront the Bahá’í community.

“Only in cases where individual believers, without
any valid reason, deliberately refuse the repeated exhortations,
pleas, and warnings addressed to them by their Assemblies, should
action be taken in removing them from the voting list. This is a
measure designed to sustain the institutions of the Faith at the
present time, and to insure that the abilities and talents of its, as
yet, limited number of supporters are properly consecrated to its
service.

“The believers, for the sake of the Cause, now in
the period of its infancy, should accept their duties in a spirit a
self-sacrifice, and should be animated by the desire to uphold the
verdict of the electorate, and to lend their share of assistance
however difficult the circumstances, to the effective administration
of the affairs of the Faith.

“The same sanction should apply to those who
persistently refuse to dissociate themselves from political and
ecclesiastical activities. This is a general principle which is being
maintained throughout the Bahá’í world…”

60: ELECTIONS (BAHÁ’Í)

“I feel that reference to personalities before the
election would give rise to misunderstanding and differences. What
the friends should do is get thoroughly acquainted with one another,
to exchange views, to mix freely and discuss among themselves the
requirements and qualifications for such a membership without
reference or application, however indirect, to particular
individuals. We should refrain from influencing the opinion of
others, of canvassing for any particular individual, but should
stress the necessity of getting fully acquainted with the
qualifications of membership referred to in our Beloved’s
Tablets of learning more about one another through direct, personal
experience rather than through the reports and opinions of our
friends.”

61: ELECTIONS (BAHÁ’Í)
(To Administrative Posts)

“There is no objection in principle to an Assembly
being re-elected whether in toto or in part, provided the members are
considered to be well qualified for that post. It is individual merit
that counts. Novelty, or the mere act of renewal of elections, are
purely secondary considerations. Changes in Assembly membership would
be welcome so far as they do not prejudice the quality of such
membership. Once Assembly elections are over, the results should be
conscientiously and unquestionably accepted by the entire body of the
believers, not necessarily because they represent the Voice of Truth,
or the Will of Bahá’u’lláh, but for the
supreme purpose of maintaining unity and harmony in the community.”

62: ELECTIONS (Assembly Voting)

“With these Assemblies, Local as well as National,
harmoniously, vigorously and efficiently functioning throughout the
Bahá’í world, the only means for the
establishment of the Supreme House of Justice will have been assured.
And when this Supreme Body will have been properly established, it
will have to consider afresh the whole situation, and lay down the
principle which shall direct, as long as it deems advisable, the
affairs of the Cause.

“Pending the establishment, and to insure
uniformity throughout the East and throughout the West, all Local
Assemblies will have to be re-elected once a year, during the first
day of Ridvan, and the result of polling, if possible, be declared on
that day.”

63: ELECTIONS (The Character of
Bahá’í)

“Let us recall His explicit and often-repeated
assurance that every Assembly elected in that rarified atmosphere of
selflessness and detachment is in truth, appointed of God, that its
verdict is truly inspired, that one and all should submit to its
decision unreservedly and with cheerfulness … the elector … is
called upon to vote for none but those whom prayer and reflection
have inspired him to uphold… Hence it is incumbent upon the chosen
delegates to consider without the least trace of passion and
prejudice, and irrespective of any material consideration, the names
of only those who can best combine the necessary qualities of
unquestioned loyalty, of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind,
of recognized ability and mature experience… Nothing short of the
all-encompassing, all-pervading power of His Guidance and Love can
enable this newly enfolded order to gather strength and flourish amid
the storm and stress of a turbulent age, and in the fullness of time
vindicate its high claim to be universally recognized as the one
Haven of abiding felicity and peace.”

64: ELECTION OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES
(Radical Changes Not Advised)

“Regarding your questions concerning the
advisability of changing the basis of the National Assembly’s
election and confining it to the body of delegates or of limiting the
term of office: He feels that as any such changes are of a radical
nature and should therefore apply to the National Spiritual
Assemblies of other countries, they are inadvisable and premature,
both for this reason and because of their very nature.

“What is needed is to get the administration in
its present form to run more efficiently and at the same time to
build up a higher sense of the responsibility among the body of the
believers. They should be encouraged to think more, not only about
the qualifications of their elected bodies, but also about such
things as you mention, the law of averages, the age and indisposition
of some of the members, etc.

“When we look back and see what the administration
has accomplished in twenty-odd years, indeed what it has done in the
last seven years, we see what strides forward have been made. Far
greater tasks lie ahead, but the Guardian does not feel that the way
to meet them is to change the present system but rather to perfect it
by educating the believers and training them, holding more
conferences, publishing more news for Bahá’ís,
getting more people active.”

65: ELECTIONS, REGARDING (In the
United States)

“The Guardian has written the National Assembly in
detail and given them the principle upon which he would like to see
them act. He has asked them to advise the friends accordingly and
also to expound the principles so as to apply to the local conditions
in America.”

“To facilitate matters and avoid misunderstandings
he prefers to refer you and the individual friends to them (The
National Assembly). He is sure that you will obtain full satisfaction
by putting the question to them. The purpose of the Guardian in this
is not to avoid the issue but only to facilitate matters and
eliminate misunderstandings. In all such matters the friends should
first approach the Local, then the National Assembly and only in case
they can obtain no satisfaction should they approach the Guardian on
these matters. This way many difficulties will be avoided.”

66: EMMANUEL, HIS HIGHNESS

“In connection with your question regarding the
reference made by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to ‘His
Highness Emmanuel’ in Vol. III of His Tablets; this obviously
refers to the Báb, as the text shows it clearly, and is in no
way a reference to Swedenborg.”

67: ESPERANTO (The Subject of)

“Regarding the subject of Esperanto; it should be
made clear to the believers that while the teaching of that language
has been repeatedly encouraged by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
there is no reference either from Him or from Bahá’u’lláh
that can make us believe that it will necessarily develop into the
international auxiliary language of the future. Bahá’u’lláh
has specified in His Writings that such a language will either have
to be chosen from one of the existing languages, or an entirely new
one should be created to serve as a medium of exchange between the
nations and peoples of the world. Pending this final choice, the
Bahá’ís are advised to study Esperanto only in
consideration of the fact that the learning of this language can
considerably facilitate intercommunication between individuals,
groups and Assemblies throughout the Bahá’í world
in the present stage of the evolution of the Faith.”

68: EVOLUTION, MAN’S

“You have asked as to what point in man’s
evolution he becomes conscious of self. This consciousness of self in
man is a gradual process, and does not start at a definite point. It
grows in him in this world and continues to do so in the future
spiritual world.

“Man can certainly recall past experiences in his
evolution, and even when his soul leaves this world it will still
remember the past.”

69: FAMILY TIES, SPIRITUAL TIES
(Vs.)

“Deep as are family ties, we must always remember
that the spiritual ties are far deeper; they are everlasting and
survive death, whereas physical ties, unless supported by spiritual
bonds, are confined to this life. You should do all in your power,
through prayer and example, to open the eyes of your family to the
Bahá’í Faith, but do not grieve too much over
their actions. Turn to your Bahá’í brothers and
sisters who are living with you in the Light of the Kingdom.

“Indeed, the believers have not yet fully learned
to draw on each other’s strength and consolation in time of
need. The Cause of God is endowed with tremendous powers, and the
reason the believers do not gain more from it is because they have
not learned to draw fully on these mighty forces of love and strength
and harmony generated by the Faith.”

70: FAST (Necessary Permission For)

“With reference to your son’s request for
advice regarding the observance of the Bahá’í
Fast; much as the Guardian realizes the difficulty which a believer
of his position, attending a military school, will have to encounter
if he wishes to strictly conform to the regulations of the Fast, he
nevertheless would advise him to make every effort to obtain from the
school authorities the necessary permission. In case his request is
refused the only alternative for him would be to obey his superior.”

71: FASTING (The Ordinance of)

“As regards fasting, it constitutes, together with
the obligatory prayers, the two pillars that sustain the revealed Law
of God. They act as stimulants to the soul, strengthen, revive and
purify it, and thus insure its steady development.”

“The ordinance of fasting is, as is the case with
these three prayers (obligatory) a spiritual and vital obligation
enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh upon every believer
who has attained the age of fifteen. In the Aqdas He thus writes: ‘We
have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity;
this is ordained by God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers.
He has exempted from this those who are weak from illness or age, as
a bounty from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving, the Generous.’

“And in another passage He says: ‘We have
enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close
have designated for you Naw-Rúz as a Feast… The traveller,
the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by
the Fast… Abstain from food and drink, from sunrise to sundown, and
beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that is appointed in the
Book.’

“Also in the ‘Questions and Answers’
that form an appendix to the Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh
reveals the following: ‘Verily, I say that God has appointed a
Great station for fasting and prayer. But during good health its
benefit is evident, and when one is ill, it is not permissible to
fulfill them.’ Concerning the age of maturity, He reveals in
the appendix of that same Book: ‘The age of maturity is in the
fifteenth year; women and men are alike in this respect.’
Regarding the vital character and importance of the Divine ordinances
and laws, and the necessity of complete obedience to them by the
believers, we thus read in the Gleanings, p. 175:

‘Know verily that the essence of justice and the
source thereof are both embodied in the ordinance prescribed by Him
Who is the Manifestation of the Self of God amongst men, if ye be of
them that recognize this truth. He doth verily incarnate the highest,
the infallible standard of justice unto all creation. Were His law to
be such as to strike terror in the hearts of all that are in heaven
and on earth, that law is naught but manifest justice. The fears and
agitation which the revelation of this law provoke in men’s
hearts should indeed be likened to the cries of the suckling babe
weaned from his mother’s milk, if ye be of them that
perceive…’

“The fasting period, which lasts nineteen days
starting as a rule from the second of March every year and ending on
the twentieth of the same month, involves complete abstention from
food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It is essentially a period
of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the
believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner
life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in
his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally
spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of
abstinence from selfish and carnal desires.”

72: FAST (THE)

“Regarding your question concerning the Fast:
Travellers are exempt from fasting, but if they want to fast while
they are travelling, they are free to do so. You are exempt the whole
period of your travel, not just the hours you are in a train or car,
etc. If one eats unconsciously during the fasting hours, this is not
breaking the Fast as it is an accident. The age limit is 70 years,
but if one desires to fast after the age limit is passed, and is
strong enough to, one is free to do so. If during the Fast period a
person falls ill and is unable to fast, but recovers before the Fast
period is over, he can start to fast again and continue until the
end. Of course the Fast, as you know, can only be kept during the
month set aside for that purpose.”

73: FEAST DAY (Changing Observance
of)

“This is really a matter of secondary importance,
and should be decided by the Assembly. Meetings which have been
publicly advertised for a certain date cannot obviously be
cancelled.”

74: FEAST (Nature of)

“Concerning the nature of the Nineteen-Day Feast,
in the Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh clearly revealed
the spiritual and social character of this Institution. Its
administrative significance, however, has been stressed by the
Guardian in direct response to the growing needs of the Bahá’í
Community in this formative period of the Bahá’í
era for better training in the principles and practice of Bahá’í
administration.”

75: NAW-RÚZ FEAST (Observance
of Feast Day Calendar)

“The Naw-Rúz Feast should be held on March
21 before sunset and has nothing to do with the 19-day Feast. The
19-day Feast is administrative in function whereas the Naw-Rúz
is our New Year, a Feast of hospitality and rejoicing.”

76: NAW-RÚZ, TIME OF
CELEBRATION OF

“Regarding Naw-Rúz: If the vernal equinox
falls on the 21st of March before sunset, it is celebrated on that
day. If at any time after sunset, Naw-Rúz will then, as stated
by Bahá’u’lláh, fall on the 22nd. As to
which spot should be regarded as the standard, this is a matter which
the Universal House of Justice will have to decided. The American NSA
need not therefore take any action in this matter at present.”

77: FEAST (Time for Holding)

“Regarding the time for the holding of the
Nineteen-Day Feasts and elections; the Guardian would advise your
Assembly to urge the friends to hold such gatherings on the
prescribed day before sunset. If impossible, then it is permissible
to hold them on the preceding day. In connection with the nine holy
days, however, the friends should consider it obligatory to celebrate
them on the prescribed day before sunset.”

78: FEASTS (Attendance at)

“Attendance at 19-Day Feasts is not obligatory but
very important, and every believer should consider it a duty and a
privilege to be present on such occasions.”

“He wishes the Bahá’ís to
press for recognition of their right to observe their own Holy Days,
and to observe them whenever possible in strict accordance with our
teachings.”

79: FEASTS AND ANNIVERSARIES–Bahá’í

“The Bahá’í Day starts and
ends at sunset, and consequently the date of the celebration of
Bahá’í Feasts should be adjusted to conform to
the Bahá’í Calendar Time…”

80: FUND (How Every Believer Can
Test the Measure of His Faith)

“He wishes you particularly to impress the
believers with the necessity of maintaining the flow of their
contributions to the Temple, and also to stress the importance of the
Institution of the National Bahá’í Fund which, in
these early days of the administrative development of the Faith, is
the indispensable medium for the growth and expansion of the
Movement. Contributions to this fund constitute, in addition, a
practical and effective way whereby every believer can test the
measure and character of his Faith, and to prove in deeds the
intensity of his devotion and attachment to the Cause.”

81: FUND (The Life-blood of these
Nascent Institutions)

“As the activities of the American Bahá’í
Community expand, and its world-wide prestige correspondingly
increases, the Institution of the National Fund, the bedrock on which
all other Institutions must necessarily rest and be established,
acquires added importance, and should be increasingly supported by
the entire body of believers, both in their individual capacities and
through their collective efforts, whether organized as groups or as
Local Assemblies. The supply of funds, in support of the National
Treasury, constitutes, at the present time, the life-blood of these
nascent institutions you are laboring to erect. Its importance
cannot, surely, be overestimated. Untold blessings shall no doubt
crown every effort directed to that end.”

82: FUND (National Fund, Chief
Obligation of)

“Regarding his special contributions to the
Teaching Fund; he feels that this is a matter to be left entirely to
the discretion of the N.S.A. He feels that the continuous expenditure
of a considerable sum to provide for traveling expenses of teachers
who are in need, constitutes in these days the chief obligation of
the National Fund. An effort should be made to facilitate as much as
possible, the extension of the teaching work by helping those who are
financially unable to reach their destination, and once there to
encourage them to settle and earn the means of their livelihood.”

83: FUND (We must be like the
Fountain)

“We must be like the fountain or spring that is
continually emptying itself of all that it has and is continually
being refilled from an invisible source. To be continually giving out
for the good of our fellows undeterred by fear of poverty and reliant
on the unfailing bounty of the Source of all wealth and all good–this
is the secret of right living.”

84: FUND (The Sacred Obligation)

“And as the progress and extension of spiritual
activities is dependent and conditioned upon material means, it is of
absolute necessity that immediately after the establishment of Local
as well as National Spiritual Assemblies, a Bahá’í
Fund be established, to be placed under the exclusive control of the
Spiritual Assembly. All donations and contributions should be offered
to the Treasurer of the Assembly, for the express purpose of
promoting the interests of the Cause, throughout the locality or
country. It is the sacred obligation of every conscientious and
faithful servant of Bahá’u’lláh who desires
to see His Cause advance, to contribute freely and generously for the
increase of that Fund…”

85: FUNERAL (Bahá’í
Funeral Service)

“Regarding the Bahá’í funeral
service: It is extremely simple, as it consists only of a
congregational prayer to be read before burial. This prayer will be
made available to the friends when the Aqdas is translated and
published. In the meantime your N.S.A. should take great care lest
any uniform procedure or ritual in this matter be adopted or imposed
upon the friends. The danger in this, as in some other cases
regarding Bahá’í worship, is that a definite
system of rigid rituals and practices be developed among the
believers. The utmost simplicity and flexibility should be observed,
and a selection from the Bahá’í Sacred Writing
should serve the purpose at the present time, provided this selection
is not rigidly and uniformly adopted on all such occasions.”

“There is no objection whatsoever to non-Bahá’ís
being present when the long prayer for the dead is read, as long as
they respect our manner of reading it by rising and standing as the
Bahá’ís do on this occasion. Nor, indeed, is
there any objection to non-Bahá’ís being present
during the reading of any Bahá’í prayer for the
departed.

“An official Bahá’í funeral
service should only be given for a believer, but there is no
objection to the reading of Bahá’í prayers, or
indeed, to a Bahá’í conducting the funeral
service of a non-Bahá’í if this has been
requested.”

86: GREATEST NAME (Translation of
Symbol of)

“He also wishes me to inform you that the symbol
of the Greatest Name represents an invocation which can be translated
either as ‘O Glory of Glories’ or ‘O Glory of the
All-Glorious’. The word Glory used in this connection is a
translation of the Arabic term ‘Bahá, the name of
Bahá’u’lláh.”

87: GROUP, BAHÁ’Í

“…next to an isolated believer, any number of
confirmed Bahá’ís less than nine persons should
be considered as automatically constituting a Bahá’í
Group…”

88: GUARDIAN (Infallibility of the)

“The infallibility of the Guardian is confined to
matters which are related strictly to the Cause and interpretation of
the teachings; he is not an infallible authority on other subjects,
such as economics, science, etc. When he feels that a certain thing
is essential for the protection of the Cause, even if it is something
that affects a person personally, he must be obeyed, but when he
gives advice, such as that he gave you in a previous letter about
your future, it is not binding; you are free to follow it or not as
you please.”

89: GUIDANCE, DIVINE (Of Guardian)

“He feels that if … ponders more deeply about
the fundamentals of Divine Revelation, she will also come to
understand the Guardianship. Once the mind and heart have grasped the
fact that God guides men through a Mouthpiece, a human being, a
Prophet, infallible and unerring, it is only a logical projection of
this acceptance to also accept the station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
and the Guardians. The Guardians are the evidence of the maturity of
mankind in the sense that at long last men have progressed to the
point of having one world, and of needing one world management for
human affairs. In the spiritual realm they have also reached the
point where God could leave, in human hands (i.e. the Guardians)
guided directly by the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh,
as the Master states in His Will, the affairs of His Faith for this
Dispensation. This is what is meant by ‘this is the day which
will not be followed by night.’ In this Dispensation, divine
guidance flows on to us in this world after the Prophet’s
ascension, through first the Master, and then the Guardians. If a
person can accept Bahá’u’lláh’s
function, it should not present any difficulty to them to also accept
what He has ordained in a Divinely guided individual in matters
pertaining to the Faith.”

90: GUIDANCE (Individual)

“The questions you ask in your letter about
individual guidance have two aspects, one might say. It is good that
people should turn to God and beseech His aid in solving their
problems and guiding their acts, indeed every day of their lives, if
they feel the desire to do so. But they cannot possibly impose what
they feel to be their guidance on anyone else, let alone on
Assemblies or Committees, as Bahá’u’lláh
has expressly laid down the law of consultation and never indicated
that anything else superseded it.”

“As to meditation: This also is a field in which
the individual is free. There are no set forms of meditation
prescribed in the teachings, no plan as such, for inner development.
The friends are urged–nay enjoined–to pray, and they also
should meditate, but the manner of doing the latter is left entirely
to the individual.”

91: GUIDANCE (Question of)

“The question of Guidance is a very subtle one. We
cannot be positive that an impulse or a dream is guidance. We can
seek, through earnest prayer and longing, sincerely to do God’s
will, His guidance. We can try, as you say, to emulate the Master and
at all times live up to the teachings, but we cannot be sure that
doing these things we are still making no mistakes and are perfectly
guided. These things help us not to make so many mistakes and to
receive more directly the guidance God seeks to give us.”

92: HANDS OF THE CAUSE–INSTITUTIONS
(Station and Function–When Mentioned in Writing)

“The rank and position of the Hands of the Cause
are superior to the position of the National Assemblies. In writing
concerning the Hands, therefore, when there is reference to the
Institutions of the Faith, after the Guardian should be mentioned the
Hands, and then the National Bodies…”

93: HAZÍRATU’L-QUDS
(Functions of)

“While the National Office in Wilmette, designated
by the Guardian as Hazíratu’l-Quds, is primarily an
administrative center, its use should by no means be confined to
purely administrative work, but should include such activities of a
social and intellectual character, both local and national, as can
best establish its character as the foremost teaching and
administrative center of the Faith throughout the States.”

“As a teaching center, where Bahá’í
lectures, conferences, meetings, whether local, regional or national,
could be held, the Hazíratu’l-Quds can also prove of
invaluable help, and the N.S.A. should indeed see to it that the
necessary facilities are provided in the building for that purpose.
But thus combining these three features, namely teaching,
administrative, and social the Hazíratu’l-Quds can best
fulfill its mission, as the visible symbol of the steadily-growing
National Bahá’í Community in Northern America,
and as the chief rallying center for all its activities and plans
throughout that Continent.”

94: HEALING

“The Guardian knows nothing about your kind of
healing… But he can lay down for your guidance certain broad
principles: There is no such thing as Bahá’í
healers or a Bahá’í type of healing. In His Most
Holy Book (the Aqdas) Bahá’u’lláh says to
consult the best physicians, in other words, doctors who have studied
a scientific system of medicine; He never gave us to believe, He
Himself would heal us through ‘Healers’ but rather
through prayer and the assistance of medicine and approved
treatments. Now, as long as your healing is in no opposition to these
principles, as long as you do not try and take the place of a regular
doctor in trying to heal others, but only give them your kind of help
through constructive suggestion–or whatever it may be–and
do not associate this help with being a channel of the direct grace
of Bahá’u’lláh, the Guardian sees no harm
in your continuing your assistance to others. But you must
conscientiously decide whether, in view of the above, you are really
justified in continuing. He will pray for your guidance and
happiness.”

95: HEROISM IS NEEDED

“These, indeed, are the days when heroism is
needed on the part of the believers. Self-sacrifice, courage,
indomitable hope and confidence are characteristics they should show
forth, because these very attributes cannot but fix the attention of
the public and lead them to enquire what, in a world so hopelessly
chaotic and bewildered, leads these people to be so assured, so
confident, so full of devotion? Increasingly, as time goes by, the
characteristics of the Bahá’ís will be that which
captures the attention of their fellow-citizens. They must show their
aloofness from the hatreds and recriminations which are tearing at
the hearts of humanity, and demonstrate by deed and word their
profound belief in the future peaceful unification of the entire
human race.”

96: HIDDEN WORDS (Arabic)

“As to the passage No. 13 of the Arabic Hidden
Words: That which Bahá’u’lláh declares we
can find abiding within us is the power of the Divine Spirit, the
reflection of the light of His Revelation. This reflection of the
Divine Spirit, however, can in no way be compared to the Revelation
which God discloses to His Prophets and Messengers. The similarity in
the terminology should not confuse this distinction which is most
fundamental.”

97: HOLY DAYS–BAHÁ’Í

“He wishes the Bahá’ís to
press for recognition of their right to observe their own Holy Days,
and to observe them whenever possible in strict accordance with our
teachings.”

“He wishes also to stress the fact that, according
to the Bahá’í laws, work is forbidden on our nine
Holy Days. Believers who have independent businesses or shops should
refrain from working on these days. Those who are in government
employ should, on religious grounds, make an effort to be excused
from work; all believers, whoever their employers, should do
likewise. If the government or other employers refuse to grant them
these days off, they are not required to forfeit their employment,
but they should make every effort to have the independent status of
the Faith recognized and their right to hold their own religious Holy
Days acknowledged.”

98: HOLY DAYS OF OTHER RELIGIONS

“As regards the celebration of the Christian
Holiday by the believers; it is surely preferable and even highly
advisable that the friends should in their relation to each other
discontinue observing such holidays as Christmas and New Years, and
to have their festival gatherings of this nature instead during the
Intercalary Days and Naw-Rúz….”

99: HOLY SHRINE (Believers turn to
the)

“He feels the drawing of the hearts together, as
the believers turn towards the Holy Shrine, will produce a greater
love and unity amongst the friends, and attract the blessings of
Bahá’u’lláh.”

100: HOSTS OF HIS TESTAMENT (The)

“‘The Hosts of His Testament’ refers
to those who are firm in the Will and Testament of Bahá’u’lláh
and who defend and uphold it.”

101: CORD (Meaning of)

“The word ‘cord’ so often mentioned in
the Teachings means both the Faith itself and also the power of the
Faith which sustains those who cling to it.”

102: ILLNESS

“Such hindrances (i.e., illness and other
difficulties) no matter how severe and insuperable they may at first
seem, can and should be effectively overcome through the combined and
sustained power of prayer and of determined and continued effort.”

103: ILLNESS (Cancer)

“Cancer is such a terrible scourge in the world
today! But when the believers are called upon to go through such
bitter ordeals they have the Faith to sustain them, the love of their
Bahá’í friends to comfort them, and the glorious
words of Bahá’u’lláh regarding immortality
to give them confidence and courage. Blessed are we, indeed, even in
the midst of our greatest trials.”

104: INHERITANCE (Division of)

“To divide the inheritance as it is prescribed by
Bahá’u’lláh we have to divide it into 2,520
shares. But we can also divide it into 42 shares. Then every one of
the beneficiaries will take so many of these shares. These numbers
form like a highest denominator for the different fractions which
represent the shares of the different individuals that will benefit
in case of intestacy. In case of the non-existence of one class of
inheritors the Aqdas mentions how it should be divided. As a general
rule a part goes to the House of Justice, a part to the children.”

105: INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE (Whole
question of)

“Regarding the whole question of an International
Language and its relation to the Faith: We, as Bahá’ís,
are very anxious to see a universal auxiliary tongue adopted as soon
as possible; we are not the protagonists of any one language to fill
this post. If the governments of the world agree on an existing
language, or a constructed, new tongue, to be used internationally,
we would heartily support it because we desire to see this step in
the unification of the human race take place as soon as possible.

“Esperanto has been in wide use, more so than any
similar language, all over the world, and the Bahá’ís
have been encouraged by both the Master and the Guardian to learn it
and to translate Bahá’í literature into it. We
cannot be sure it will be the chosen language of the future; but as
it is the one which has spread most, both East and West, we should
certainly continue to cooperate with its members learn to speak it,
and translate Bahá’í literature into it.”

106: ISLÁM

“Islám attained a very high spiritual
state, but Western scholars are prone to judging it by Christian
standards. One cannot call one World Faith superior to another, as
they all come from God; they are progressive, each suited to certain
needs of the time.”

107: JESUS (Virgin Birth of)

“With regard to your question concerning the
Virgin Birth of Jesus; on this point, as on several others, the
Bahá’í teachings are in full agreement with the
doctrines of the Catholic Church. In the Kitáb-i-Íqán
(Book of Certitude) page 56, and in a few other Tablets still
unpublished, Bahá’u’lláh confirms, however
indirectly, the Catholic conception of the Virgin Birth. Also
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Some Answered Questions’,
Chap. 12, page 73, explicitly states that Christ found existence
through the spirit of God which statement necessarily implies, when
reviewed in the light of the text, that Jesus was not the son of
Joseph.”

“We believe that Christ only was conceived
immaculately. His brothers and sisters would have been born in the
natural way and conceived naturally.”

108: LIFE AFTER DEATH

“Those who have never had any opportunity of
hearing of the Faith but who lived good lives will no doubt be
treated with the greatest love and mercy in the next world and reap
their full reward.”

109: LOVE (Turn to Bahá’í
Brothers and Sisters)

“Turn to your Bahá’í brothers
and sisters, who are living with you in the kingdom. Indeed, the
believers have not yet fully learned to draw on each other’s
love for strength and consolation in time of need. The Cause of God
is endowed with tremendous powers, and the reason the believers do
not gain more from it is because they have not learned to duly draw
these mighty forces of love and strength and harmony generated by the
Faith.”

110: LOVE, CUSTODIANS OF (World
Exceedingly Dark)

“The friends must, at all times, bear in mind that
they are, in a way, like soldiers under attack. The world is at
present in an exceedingly dark condition spiritually; hatred and
prejudice of every sort are literally tearing it to pieces. We, on
the other hand, are the custodians of the opposite forces, the forces
of love, of unity, of peace and integration, and we must continually
be on our guard, whether as individuals or as an Assembly or
Community, lest through us these destructive, negative forces enter
into our midst. In other words, we must beware lest the darkness of
society become reflected in our acts and attitudes, perhaps all
unconsciously. Love for each other, the deep sense that we are a new
organism, the dawn-breakers of a new World Order, must constantly
animate our Bahá’í lives, and we must pray to be
protected from the contamination of society which is so diseased with
prejudice.”

111: LOVE–UNITY (The Greatest
Need)

“The greatest need it seems everywhere inside the
Cause is to impress upon the friends the need for love among them.
There is a tendency to mix up the functions of the Administration and
try to apply it in individual relationships, which is abortive,
because the Assembly is a nascent House of Justice and is supposed to
administer, according to the Teachings, the affairs of the Community.
But individuals towards each other are governed by love, unity,
forgiveness and a sin-covering eye. Once the friends grasp this they
will get along much better, but they keep playing Spiritual Assembly
to each other and expect the Assembly to behave like an individual.”

112: MANIFESTATION–IN 1000
YEARS (Organic Unity)

“As to the meaning of the quotation, ‘My
fears are for Him Who will be sent down unto you after Me,’
this refers to the Manifestation who is to come after a thousand or
more years, who like all previous Messengers of God will be subjected
to persecutions, but will eventually triumph over them. For men of
ill-will have been and will always continue to be in this world,
unless mankind reaches a state of complete and absolute perfection–a
condition which is not only improbable but actually impossible to
attain. The fundamental difference, however, between this
Dispensation and all previous ones is this, that in this Revelation
the possibility of permanent schism between the followers of the
Prophet has been prevented through the direct and explicit
instructions providing for the necessary instruments designed to
maintain the organic unity of the body of the Faithful.”

113: MANIFESTATIONS (The Phrase–“His
Holiness”)

“In Persian it is impolite not to use the word
Hadrat before the name of the Prophet, so that strictly speaking, a
proper translation should always have ‘His Holiness Moses’
etc.; however, as this seems peculiar in English, and not in the best
usage of our language, he feels it can be dispensed with. Pronouns
referring to the Manifestation, or the Master, should, however,
invariably be capitalized.”

114: MANIFESTATIONS (Return of the
Qualities)

“The reflection of the qualities of holy souls can
take place at any time; it is not confined to the period when the
Manifestation is on earth.”

115: MANIFESTATIONS (Significance of
the Remains of the Prophets)

“There is no special physical significance in the
remains of the Prophets or relics of Their Persons. But there is a
profound spiritual significance in the sense that Their dust was the
physical mirror of the greatness of God. In other words we know God
through His Prophets, Who have bodies; these bodies–Their very
dust–are precious through association. It is natural for people
to be touched by a lock of hair or some token of one they loved; how
much more should we treasure and feel moved by a relic of the Beloved
of God?

“The Báb has told us to bury the dead in
silk (if possible) in coffins of crystal. Why? Because the body,
though now dust, was once exalted by the immortal soul of man! The
portrait of the Báb should be regarded as an inestimable
privilege and blessing to behold, as past generations were denied a
glimpse of the Face of the Manifestation, once He had passed on.”

“The atoms of the Prophets are just atoms, like
all others, but the association of this great spiritual power with
them leaves in the place they are laid to rest a spiritual
atmosphere, if one can use this expression. They are, no doubt,
endowed with a tremendous spiritual influence and far-reaching power.
But the physical character of their atoms are not different from
other people’s, any more than their bodies and physical
functions are different.”

116: MANIFESTATIONS (Station of)

“The Manifestations no doubt had some
consciousness of their station, but what the nature of that
consciousness was we do not know.”

117: MARRIAGE, BAHÁ’Í

“In regard to your question concerning the nature
and character of Bahá’í marriage. As you have
rightly stated, such a Marriage is conditioned upon the full approval
of all four parents. Also your statement to the effect that the
principle of the oneness of mankind prevents any true Bahá’í
from regarding race itself as a bar to union is in complete accord
with the Teachings of the Faith on this point. For both Bahá’u’lláh
and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá never disapproved of the idea of
interracial marriage, nor discouraged it. The Bahá’í
Teachings, indeed, by their very nature transcend all limitations
imposed by race, and as such can and should never be identified with
any particular school of racial philosophy.”

118: MARRIAGE, BAHÁ’Í
(Consent of Parents–duty of Assembly to ascertain validity)

“With reference to the matter of the consent of
the parents to a Bahá’í marriage: As this is a
vital binding obligation, it is the duty of the Assemblies to
ascertain, before giving their sanction, that the consent obtained
has been given freely by the parents themselves.”

119: MARRIAGE–(Consent of
Parents–Non-Bahá’í Participants)

“Regarding the question whether it is necessary to
obtain the consent of the parents of a non-Bahá’í
participant in a marriage with a Bahá’í; as
Bahá’u’lláh has stated that the consent of
the parents of both parties is required in order to promote unity and
avoid friction, and as the Aqdas does not specify any exceptions to
this rule, the Guardian feels that under all circumstances the
consent of the parents of both parties is required.”

120: MARRIAGE TO NON-BAHÁ’Í

“The general principle in regard to the marriage
of a Bahá’í to a non-Bahá’í
is as follows:

“If a Bahá’í marries a
non-Bahá’í who wishes to have the religious
ceremony of his own sect carried out, it must be quite clear that,
first, the Bahá’í partner is understood to be a
Bahá’í by religion, and not to accept the
religion of the other party to the marriage through having his or her
religious ceremony; and second, the ceremony must be of a nature
which does not commit the Bahá’í to any
declaration of faith in a religion other than his own. Under these
circumstances the Bahá’í can partake of the
religious ceremony of his non-Bahá’í partner.

“The Bahá’í should insist on
having the Bahá’í ceremony carried out before or
after the non-Bahá’í one, on the same day.”

121: MARRIAGES, BAHÁ’Í–(Reporting
to the NSA)

“In reporting Bahá’í marriages
it is much better to mention that the ceremony was performed by the
Assembly, as this is the proper thing to do, and an individual only
acts for the Assembly on this occasion. As a funeral is not a legal
ceremony more latitude can be allowed, especially as the family of
the deceased may want some particular Bahá’í
friend to officiate.”

122: MARRIAGE, BAHÁ’Í
(re: Consent of Natural Parents)

“Our beloved Guardian made it clear that it was
the responsibility of the Bahá’í body performing
the marriage ceremony to confirm without question the fact that the
living natural parents of the two individuals who are being married
have given their consent to the marriage. It is preferable that this
consent be given in writing, but if this is not possible, or
inadvisable for some reason, verbal consent in the present of
witnesses is sufficient.”… “Regarding your question of
applying the sanction of suspension of voting rights to people who
marry without the consent of parents, this should be done from now
on. The laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas are explicit and not open to
any ambiguity at all. As long as the parents are alive, the consent
must be obtained; it is not conditioned on their relationship to
their children. If the whereabouts of the parents is not known
legally, in other words, if they are legally dead, then it is not
necessary for the children to obtain their consent, obviously. It is
not a question of the child not knowing the present whereabouts of
the parents, it is a question of a legal thing–if the parents
are alive, they must be asked.”

123: MARRIAGE OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH

“It would, however, be very helpful for the
friends to know that the question which the above-mentioned
missionary has raised in connection with the marriage of Bahá’u’lláh
and the provisions in the Aqdas regarding the institution of marriage
have been explained by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in a Tablet
which the Guardian hopes to have translated and published in
conjunction with the Aqdas. Moreover, as regards Bahá’u’lláh’s
marriage, it should be noted that His three marriages were all
contracted before He revealed His Book of Laws, and even before His
declaration in Baghdád, at a time when Bahá’í
marriage laws had not yet been made known, and the Revelation not yet
disclosed.”

124: MASONRY, FREE (Membership in)

“Disapprove membership (in) Freemasonry.”
“Any Bahá’í determined retain membership
(in) Freemasonry loses voting rights.”

“The directive regarding membership in Freemasonry
should be carried out by your Assembly in all areas under your
Assembly’s jurisdiction.”

125: MEDICAL SCIENCE (Leaving bodies
to)

“There is nothing in the Teachings against leaving
our bodies to Medical Science. The only thing we should stipulate is
that we do not wish to be cremated, as it is against Bahá’í
Law.”

“As many people make arrangements to leave their
bodies to Medical Science for investigation, he suggests that you
inquire, either through some lawyer friend or through some hospital,
how you could do this and then make the necessary provision in your
will, stipulating that you wish your body to be of service to mankind
in death, and that, being a Bahá’í, you request
that your remains not be cremated and not be taken more than an
hour’s journey from the place you die.”

“The spirit has no more connection with the body
after it departs, but as the body was once the temple of the spirit,
we Bahá’ís are taught that it must be treated
with respect.”

126: MEDITATION

“Through meditation doors of deeper knowledge and
inspiration may be opened. Naturally, if one meditates as a Bahá’í
he is connected with the Source;… Meditation is very important, and
the Guardian sees no reason why the friends should not be taught to
meditate, but they should guard against superstitions or foolish
ideas creeping into it.”

127: MEETINGS, BAHÁ’Í

“Regarding your question as to the advisability of
holding Bahá’í meetings at a time coinciding with
church meetings; the Guardian would advise the friends to avoid such
a coincidence, as otherwise many church people may feel offended, and
this may lead to unnecessary and even harmful misunderstandings and
developments which may injure the Cause and affect its prestige in
the eyes of the public. The friends should, under all circumstances,
be careful not to arouse unnecessarily any feelings of religious
antagonism.”

128: MEMBERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES,
LSA (Residential Qualifications)

“…it is only too obvious that unless a member
can attend regularly the meetings of his local Assembly, it would be
impossible for him to discharge the duties incumbent upon him, and to
fulfill his responsibilities, as a representative of the community.
Membership in a Local Spiritual Assembly carries with it, indeed, an
obligation and capacity to remain in close touch with local Bahá’í
activities, and ability to attend regularly the sessions of the
Assembly.”

129: MEMORIAL OFFERINGS

“He feels sure this offering, expended in memory
of your dear ones, will rejoice their spirits, and aid them to
progress in the world beyond.”

130: MENTAL ILLNESS

“Regarding persons whose condition has not been
defined by the civil authorities after medical diagnosis, the
Assembly on the spot must investigate every case that arises and,
after consultation with experts, deliver its verdict. Such a verdict,
however, should, in important cases, be preceded by consultation with
the NSA. No doubt, the power of prayer is very great, yet
consultation with experts is enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh.
Should these experts believe that an abnormal case exists, the
withholding of voting rights is justified.”

131: MILITARY DUTY (Status of
Bahá’ís in relation to)

“No change whatsoever (in) status (of) Bahá’ís
(in) relation (to) active military duty. No compromise (of) spiritual
principles (of) Faith possible however tense (the) situation, however
aroused public opinion.”

132: MILITARY SERVICE

“As there is neither an International Police Force
nor any immediate prospect of one coming into being, the Bahá’ís
should continue to apply, under all circumstances, for exemption from
any military duties that necessitate the taking of life. There is no
justification for any change of attitude on our part at the present
time.”

133: MORMONS (Religious
sects–Associate with all–Show tolerance and friendliness)

“The Bahá’ís should deal with
the members of all religious sects, however, with the greatest
tolerance and friendliness, and try to point out to them the
significance of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh
to the world in this Great Day. The Guardian would advise you to
teach the Mormons, like everyone else, the Faith, when you find them
receptive. They have many great principles and their teachings
regarding charity, not drinking or smoking, etc., are quite similar
to ours and should form a point of common interest.”

134: MUNÍRIH KHÁNUM

“With regard to Munírih Khánum’s
account of her life, concerning which certain questions have been
raised by one of the believers; what has been written by Munírih
Khánum herself in that account, and also the references
to the subject made by Nabíl in his Narrative should be taken
as the accurate standard and not what has been reported in Dr.
Esslemont’s book.”

135: MUSIC

“Music, as one of the arts, is a natural cultural
development, and the Guardian does not feel that there should be any
cultivation of ‘Bahá’í Music’ any
more than we are trying to develop a Bahá’í
school of painting or writing. The believers are free to paint, write
or compose as their talents guide them. If music is written
incorporating the Sacred Writings, the friends are free to make use
of it, but it should never be considered a requirement at Bahá’í
meetings to have such music. The farther away the friends keep from
any set forms, the better, for they must realize that the Cause is
absolutely universal, and what might seem a beautiful addition to
their mode of celebrating a Feast, etc., would perhaps fall on the
ears of people of another country as unpleasant sounds–and vice
versa. As long as they have music for its own sake it is all right,
but they should not consider it ‘Bahá’í
Music’.”

136: NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES (Authority
of)

“I wish to reaffirm in clear and categorical
language, the principle already enunciated upholding the supreme
authority of the National Assembly in all matters that affect the
interests of the Faith in that land. There can be no conflict of
authority, no duality under any form or circumstances in any sphere
of Bahá’í jurisdiction whether local, national or
international. The National Assembly, however, although the sole
interpreter of its Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, is directly and
morally responsible if it allows any body or institution within its
jurisdiction to abuse its privileges or to decline in the exercise of
its rights and privileges. It is the trusted guardian and the
mainspring of the manifold activities and interests of every national
community in the Bahá’í world. It constitutes the
sole link that binds these communities to the International House of
Justice, the supreme administrative body in the Dispensation of
Bahá’u’lláh.”

137: N.S.A. INVOLVEMENT (Appeals
Prohibited)

“Anything whatsoever affecting the interests of
the Cause and in which the National Assembly as a body is involved
should, if regarded as unsatisfactory by Local Assemblies and
individual believers, be immediately referred to the National
Assembly itself. Neither the general body of the believers, nor any
Local Assembly, nor even the delegates to the annual Convention,
should be regarded as having any authority to entertain appeals
against the decision of the National Assembly. Should the matter be
referred to the Guardian it will be his duty to consider it with the
utmost care and to decide whether the issues involved justify him to
consider it in person, or to leave it entirely to the discretion of
the National Assembly.

“This administrative principle which the Guardian
is now restating and emphasizing is so clear, so comprehensive and
simple that no misunderstanding as to its application, he feels, can
possibly arise. There are no exceptions whatever to this rule, and
the Guardian would deprecate any attempt to elaborate or dwell any
further upon this fundamental and clearly enunciated principle.”

138: N.S.A.’s JURISDICTION
OVER COMMITTEES (Authority of)

“The N.S.A.’s final jurisdiction over both
the National Teaching Committee and the Regional Teaching Committees
is certainly indisputable, and is of the same nature and character as
the authority to which it is entitled over all other national
committees.”

139: NEW ASSEMBLIES (Formation of)

“Regarding the formation of Local Assemblies, the
Guardian does not advise any departure from the principle that every
civil community should have its own independent Assembly.”

140: NEW ASSEMBLIES (Residence
Qualifications)

“In connection with the formation of new
Assemblies and the maintenance of their Assembly status, the Guardian
wishes to reaffirm the general principle that only those who reside
within the city limits of any given locality have the right to either
vote or be elected as member of the Assembly, even though this may
involve frequent dissolution of the Assembly owing to insufficient
number of members. It will, on the other hand, serve as a stimulus to
those outside these limits to establish a group and eventually an
Assembly of their own. This principle should be closely adhered to,
otherwise it will lead to confusion and overlapping.”

141: NINE (Number)

“The number nine, which in itself is the number of
perfection, is considered by the Bahá’ís as
sacred, because it is symbolic of the perfection of the Bahá’í
Revelation which constitutes the ninth in the line of existing
religions, the latest and fullest Revelation which mankind has ever
known. The eighth is the religion of the Báb and the remaining
seven are: Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity,
Islám, and the religion of the Sabaeans. These religions are
not the only true religions that have appeared in the world but are
the only ones still existing. There have always been Divine Prophets
and Messengers, to many of whom the Qur’án refers. But
the only ones existing are those mentioned above.”

“The Guardian feels that with intellectuals and
students of religion the question of exactly which are the nine
existing religions is controversial, and it would be better to avoid
it. He does not want the friends to be rigid in these matters, but
use their judgment and tact, sometimes one statement is exactly the
right thing for one type of mind and the wrong thing for another.

“Strictly speaking the 5-pointed star is the
symbol of our Faith, as used by the Báb and explained by Him.
But the Guardian does not feel it is wise or necessary to complicate
our explanations of the Temple by adding this.”

“Nine is the highest digit, hence symbolizes
comprehensiveness, culminations; also, the reason it is used in the
Temple’s form is because 9 has exact numerical value of ‘Bahá
(in the numerology connected with the Arabic alphabet) and ‘Bahá
is the name of the Revealer of our Faith, Bahá’u’lláh.
The 9-pointed star is not a part of the teachings of our Faith, but
only used as an emblem representing ‘9’. In telling
people of the

9: religions of the world, that is
‘existing religions, we should not

give this as the reason the Temple has nine sides. This
may have been an idea of the architect, and a very pleasing idea,
which can be mentioned in passing, but the Temple has 9 sides because
of the association of 9 with perfection, unity and ‘Bahá.”

142: ORIENTALS

“As regards those Persian or Oriental
non-believers who become genuinely interested in the Cause in
America, they can be admitted to study classes, but every care should
be taken by the Assemblies to fully test their sincerity and the
genuineness of their desire to join the Community before they are
given the necessary facilities that will enable them eventually to be
regarded as voting members of the Faith.”

143: ORIENTALS (Association with)

“In this connection, the Guardian wishes to draw
once more your attention to the all-importance of his instructions to
the Western believers regarding association with Orientals. The
friends in the West must be wide awake, and be extremely cautious
when dealing with Easterners, particularly with those who in the name
of the Cause desire to satisfy their own desires and ambitions. The
first step which they should take in protecting themselves against
such mischief-makers is to insist that they should obtain proper
credentials from the Assembly of the locality in which they live.
This measure, he feels, is absolutely essential and there can be no
exception whatever to it.”

144: PACIFISM (Bahá’í
View of)

“With reference to the absolute pacifists, or
conscientious objectors to war; their attitude, judged from the
Bahá’í standpoint is quite anti-social and due to
its exaltation of the individual conscience leads inevitably to
disorder and chaos in society. Extreme pacifists are thus very close
to the anarchists, in the sense that both of these groups lay an
undue emphasis on the rights and merits of the individual. The Bahá’í
conception of social life is essentially based on the subordination
of the individual will to that of society. It neither suppresses the
individual nor does it exalt him to the point of making him an
anti-social creature, a menace to society. As in everything, it
follows the ‘golden mean’. The only way that society can
function is for the minority to follow the will of the majority.

“The other main objection to the conscientious
objectors is that their method of establishing peace is too negative.
Non-cooperation is too passive a philosophy to become an effective
way for social reconstruction. Their refusal to bear arms can never
establish peace. There should first be a spiritual revitalization
which nothing, except the Cause of God, can effectively bring to
every man’s heart.”

145: PEACE

“…I might add that he does not believe any
radiations of thought or healing, from any group, is going to bring
peace. Prayer, no doubt, will help the world, but what it needs is to
accept Bahá’u’lláh’s system so as to
build up the World Order on a new foundation, a divine foundation!”

146: PHOTOGRAPHS

“It is quite important that the Greatest Name or a
picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá be placed in a dignified
position. They should not be placed on the floor nor, on the other
hand, should they be held above the heads of the people in the
photograph. It would seem that the proper position would be for them
to be held about chest height.”

147: PILGRIM’S NOTES

“Regarding the notes taken by pilgrims at Haifa.
The Guardian has stated that he is unwilling to sign the notes of any
pilgrim, in order that the literature consulted by the believers
shall not be unduly extended… This means that the notes of pilgrims
do not carry the authority resident in the Guardian’s letters
written over his own signature. On the other hand, each pilgrim
brings back information and suggestions of a most precious character,
and it is the privilege of all the friends to share in the spiritual
results of these visits.”

148: PIONEERING

“…Sometimes people strive all their lives to
render outstanding service. Here is the time and opportunity to
render historic services; in fact the most unique in history, aiding
in the fulfillment of Daniel’s Prophecies of the Last Day, and
the 1335 days, when men are to be blessed by the Glory of the Lord,
covering the entire globe–which is the real goal of the Ten
Year Crusade.

“In other words, when we fulfill the Ten Year
Crusade we will have brought into fulfillment Daniel’s great
prophecy of ’Blessed is he who waits and comes to the 1335
days.’ What could be more wonderful than taking part in the
fulfillment of religious prophecy of over 3,000 years!”

“The pioneers themselves must realize that not
only are they fulfilling the wishes of Bahá’u’lláh,
and doing that which the Master Himself said He longed to do; namely,
to go, if necessary on foot, and carry His Father’s Message to
all the regions of the earth; but they are enhancing the prestige of
the Faith to a remarkable degree in the eyes of the public, and
specially in the eyes of the officials. There is no doubt that the
rapid forward march of the Faith recently has attracted a far greater
measure of attention on the part of the thoughtful people, and people
of position in society and in educational fields, than has been the
case for almost one hundred years.

“Therefore, each pioneer must feel his
responsibility very heavily, and understand that his calling is far
above the average service; and his duty to remain at his post a very
pressing one indeed.”

149: POLITICAL FIGURES
(Non-Political Character of the Bahá’í Faith)

“The Guardian wishes me to draw the attention of
the friends through you that they should be very careful in their
public utterance not to mention any political figures … either side
with them or denounce them. This is the first thing to bear in mind.
Otherwise they will involve the friends in political matters, which
is definitely dangerous for the Cause.”

150: POLITICS (Loyalty to World
Order of Bahá’u’lláh)

“Loyalty (to the) World Order of Bahá’u’lláh,
security of its basic institutions, both imperatively demand all its
avowed supporters … in these days when sinister uncontrollable
forces are deepening (the) cleavage sundering peoples, nations,
creeds (and) classes, (to) resolve, despite (the) pressure (of) fast
crystallizing public opinion, (to) abstain individually and
collectively, in word (and) action, informally as well as in all
official utterances and publications, from assigning blame, taking
sides, however indirectly, in recurring political crises now
agitating (and) ultimately engulfing human society. Grave
apprehension lest cumulative effect (of) such compromises (should)
disintegrate (the) fabric, clog (the) channel of grace that sustains
(the) system of God’s essentially supranational, supernatural
order so laboriously evolved, so recently established.”

151: POLITICS (Non-Interference in)

“The attitude of the Bahá’ís
must be two-fold, complete obedience to the government of the country
they reside in, and no interference whatsoever in political matters
or questions. What the Master’s statement really means is
obedience to a duly constituted government, whatever that government
may be in form. We are not the ones, as individual Bahá’ís,
to judge our government as just or unjust–for each believer
would be sure to hold a different viewpoint, and within our own
Bahá’í fold a hotbed of dissension would spring
up and destroy our unity. We must build up our own Bahá’í
system, and leave the faulty systems of the world to go their way. We
cannot change them through becoming involved in them; on the
contrary, they will destroy us.”

152: POLITICS (Remain Aloof from
Political Affairs)

“We should–every one of us–remain
aloof, in heart and in mind, in words and in deeds, from the
political affairs and disputes of the Nations and of Governments. We
should keep ourselves away from such thoughts. We should have no
political connection with any of the parties and should join no
faction of these different and warring sects.

“Absolute impartiality in the matter of political
parties should be shown by words and by deeds, and the love of the
whole humanity, whether a Government or a nation, which is the basic
teaching of Bahá’u’lláh, should also be
shown by words and by deeds…

“According to the exhortations of the Supreme Pen
and the confirmatory explanations of the Covenant of God Bahá’ís
are in no way allowed to enter into political affairs under any
pretense of excuse; since such an action brings about disastrous
results and ends in hurting the Cause of God and its intimate
friends.”

153: POLITICS (Shun Politics Like
the Plague)

“The cardinal principle which we must follow …
is obedience to the government prevailing in any land in which we
reside….

“We see therefore that we must do two things–Shun
politics like the plague, and be obedient to the Government in power
in the place where we reside… We must obey in all cases except
where a spiritual principle is involved, such as denying our Faith.
For these spiritual principles we must be willing to die. What we
Bahá’ís must face is the fact that society is
disintegrating so rapidly that moral issues which were clear a half
century ago are now hopelessly confused and what is more, thoroughly
mixed up with battling political interests. That is why the Bahá’ís
must turn all their forces into the channel of building up the Bahá’í
Cause and its Administration. They can neither change nor help the
world in any other way at present. If they become involved in the
issues the Governments of the world are struggling over, they will be
lost. But if they build up the Bahá’í pattern
they can offer it as a remedy when all else has failed.”

154: PRAYER (Five Steps of)

“Regarding the five steps of prayer outlined by
the Guardian, and recorded by Mrs. Moffett in her booklet, the ‘Call
to Prayer’, these, he wishes me to explain, are merely personal
suggestions and need not, therefore, be adopted strictly and
universally by the believers.”

155: PRAYER BEADS

“In the matter of the use and distribution of
prayer beads, in this and other matters of secondary importance he
does not wish that any hard and fast rules be set up. The believers
should not be required to use prayer beads, nor should they be
prevented from doing so, as the Teachings do not contain any specific
instruction on the subject.”

156: PRAYER (Bahá’u’lláh’s
in Dispensation)

“The names of those cited in Bahá’u’lláh’s
Prayer in the Dispensation are quite correct as you gave them,
(Abraham, Moses, Joseph, John the Baptist, Christ, Muhammad, Imám
Husayn, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.)

“The Prophets ‘regarded as one and the same
person’ include the lesser Prophets as well, and not merely
those who bring a ‘Book’. The station is different, but
They are Prophets and Their nature thus different from that of ours.

“In the prayer mentioned above Bahá’u’lláh
identifies Himself with Imám Husayn. This does not make him a
Prophet, but his position was very unique, and we know Bahá’u’lláh
claims to be the ‘return’ of the Imám Husayn. He,
in other words, identifies His Spirit with these Holy Souls gone
before, that does not, of course, make Him in any way their
re-incarnation. Nor does it mean all of them were Prophets.”

157: PRAYERS

“You have asked whether our prayers go beyond
Bahá’u’lláh; It all depends whether we pray
to Him directly or through Him to God. We may do both, and also can
pray directly to God, but our prayers would certainly be more
effective and illuminating if they are addressed to Him through His
Manifestation Bahá’u’lláh.

“Under no circumstances, however, can we, while
repeating the prayers, insert the name Bahá’u’lláh
where the word ‘God’ is used. This would be tantamount to
blasphemy.”

“In quoting prayers any part may be used, but
should be quoted as it is, however short.”

158: PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS (Book
of)

“He is indeed pleased to know that the Book of
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh has
been out in time to enable the friends to read it during the Fast,
and he has every hope that the perusal of such a precious volume will
help to deepen more than any other publication, the spirit of
devotion and faith in the friends, and thus charge them with all the
spiritual power they require for the accomplishment of their
tremendous duties towards the Cause…”

159: PRAYERS (Daily)

“The daily prayers are to be said each one for
himself, aloud or silent makes no difference. There is no
congregational prayer except that for the dead. We read healing and
other prayers in our meetings, but the daily prayer is a personal
obligation, so someone else reading it is not quite the same thing as
saying it for yourself.

“If you find you need to visualize someone when
you pray, think of the Master. Through Him you can address
Bahá’u’lláh. Gradually try to think of the
qualities of the Manifestation, and in that way a mental form will
fade out, for after all the body is not the thing, His Spirit is
there and is the essential, everlasting element.”

160: PRAYERS (Daily Obligatory)

“The daily obligatory prayers are three in number.
The shortest one consists of a single verse which has to be recited
once in every twenty-four hours and at midday. The medium (prayer)
which begins with the words: ‘The Lord is witness that there is
none other God but He,’ has to be recited three times a day, in
the morning, at noon and in the evening. The long prayer which is the
most elaborate of the three has to be recited once in every
twenty-four hours, and at any time one feels inclined to do so.

“The believer is entirely free to choose any one
of those three prayers but is under the obligation of reciting one of
them, and in accordance with any specific directions with which they
may be accompanied.

“These daily obligatory prayers, together with a
few other specific ones, such as the Healing Prayer, the Tablet of
Ahmad, have been invested by Bahá’u’lláh
with a special potency and significance, and should therefore be
accepted as such and be recited by the believers with unquestioned
faith and confidence, that through them they may enter into a much
closer communion with God, and identify themselves more fully with
His Laws and precepts.”

161: PRAYERS (Healing)

“The healing prayers revealed by Bahá’u’lláh
can be effective even though used by non-believers. But their
effectiveness is of course greater in the case of those who fully
accept the Revelation.”

162: PRAYERS (To be Read as
Revealed)

“Regarding your question as to the changing of
pronouns in Bahá’í prayers: The Guardian does not
approve of such changes, either in the specific prayers or in any
others. They should be read as printed without changing a single
word.”

163: PREJUDICES (Racial)

“Regarding the solution of the racial problem; the
believers should of course realize that the principle of the oneness
of mankind which is the cornerstone of the message of Bahá’u’lláh
is wholly incompatible with all forms of racial prejudice. Loyalty to
this foundation principle of the Faith is the paramount duty of every
believer and should be therefore wholehearted and unqualified. For a
Bahá’í, racial prejudice, in all its forms, is
simply a negation of Faith, an attitude wholly incompatible with the
very spirit and actual teachings of the Cause.

“But while the friends should faithfully and
courageously uphold this Bahá’í principle of the
essential unity of all human races, yet in the methods they adopt for
its application and further realization on the social plane they
should act with tact, wisdom and moderation. These two attitudes are
by no means exclusive. Bahá’ís do not believe
that the spread of the Cause and its principles and teachings can be
effected by means of radical and violent methods. While they are
loyal to all those teachings, yet they believe in the necessity of
resorting to peaceful and friendly means for the realization of their
aims.

“As regards the meaning of the passage on page 188
of the Gleanings it is an emphasis by Bahá’u’lláh
on the importance of maintaining differences of station and classes
in society and does not refer to the question of race.”

164: PROPHETS (Many will appear)

“After Bahá’u’lláh many
Prophets will, no doubt, appear but they will be under His Shadow.
Although they may abrogate the laws of this Dispensation in
accordance with the needs and requirements of the age in which they
appear, they nevertheless draw their spiritual force from this mighty
Revelation. The Faith of Bahá’u’lláh
constitutes, indeed, the stage of maturity in the development of
mankind. His appearance has released such spiritual forces which will
continue to animate, for many long years to come, the world in its
development. Whatever progress may be achieved, in later ages, after
the unification of the whole human race is achieved, will be but
improvement in the machinery of the world. For the machinery itself
has been already created by Bahá’u’lláh.
The task of continually improving and perfecting this machinery is
one which later Prophets will be called upon to achieve. They will
thus move and work within the orbit of the Bahá’í
Cycle.”

165: PSYCHIATRY

“There is nothing in our teachings about Freud and
his method. Psychiatry treatment in general is no doubt an important
contribution to medicine, but we must believe it is still a growing
rather than a perfected science. As Bahá’u’lláh
has urged us to avail ourselves of the help of good physicians
Bahá’ís are certainly not only free to turn to
psychiatry for assistance but should, when available, do so. This
does not mean psychiatrists are always wise or always right; it means
we are free to avail ourselves of the best medicine has to offer us.”

166: PSYCHIC PHENOMENA

“With reference to psychic phenomena referred to
in your letter; these, in most cases, are an indication of a deep
psychological disturbance. The friends should avoid as much as
possible giving undue consideration to such matters.”

167: PURE SOULS

“Those who have never had any opportunity of
hearing of the Faith but who lived good lives will no doubt be
treated with the greatest love and mercy in the next world, and reap
their full rewards.”

168: PYRAMID PROPHECIES

“We have nothing in our Bahá’í
Writings about the so-called Prophecies of the Pyramids; so he (the
Guardian) does not think you need attach any importance to them.”

169: PROMINENT FIGURES (Letters to
Government Heads)

“The Guardian feels that any communications
addressed to international figures of this nature, particularly in
connection with political proposals of any one group, should not be
written unless approved by him. He feels matters of this type so
important that he does not wish such communications sent without his
prior consideration and approval. It may lead to quite difficult and
embarrassing situations, especially when the letters are made
public…”

170: QUR’ÁN (‘Sales’
Translation Recommended)

“As to the question raised by the Spiritual
Assembly of Los Angeles concerning the best English translation of
the Qur’án, the Guardian would recommend ‘Sales’
translation which is the most accurate rendering available, and is
the most widespread.”

171: QUR’ÁN–STUDY
OF (Concerning School Program)

“With regard to the school’s program
(Louhelen) for the next summer; the Guardian would certainly advise,
and even urge the friends to make a thorough study of the Qur’án,
as the knowledge of this sacred Scripture is absolutely indispensable
for every believer who wishes to adequately understand and
intelligently read, the writings of Bahá’u’lláh.
Although there are very few persons among Western Bahá’ís
who are capable of handling such a course in a scholarly way, the
mere lack of such competent teachers should encourage and stimulate
the believers to get better acquainted with the Sacred Scriptures of
Islám. In this way, there will gradually appear some
distinguished Bahá’ís who will be so well versed
in the teachings of Islám as to be able to guide the believers
in their study of that religion.”

172: QUR’AN, SURIHS OF THE

“It is certainly most difficult to thoroughly
grasp all the Súrihs of the Qur’án, as it
requires a detailed knowledge of the social, religious and historical
background of Arabia at the time of the appearance of the Prophet.
The believers can not possibly hope, therefore, to understand the
Súrihs after the first or even second or third reading. They
have to study them again and again, ponder over their meaning, with
the help of certain commentaries and explanatory notes as found, for
instance, in the admirable translation made by SALE, endeavor to
acquire as clear and correct understanding of their meaning and
import as possible. This is naturally a slow process, but future
generations of believers will certainly come to grasp it. For the
present, the Guardian agrees, that it would be easier and more
helpful to study the Book according to subjects, and note verse by
verse and also in the light of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh
and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s interpretation which
throw such floods of light on the whole of the Qur’án.”

173: RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS,
NON-BAHÁ’Í

“Concerning membership in non-Bahá’í
religious associations, the Guardian wishes to re-emphasize the
general principle already laid down in his communications to your
Assembly and also to the individual believers that no Bahá’í
who wishes to be a whole hearted and sincere upholder of the
distinguishing principles of the Cause can accept full membership in
any non-Bahá’í ecclesiastical organization. For
such an act would necessarily imply only a partial acceptance of the
Teachings and Laws of the Faith, and an incomplete recognition of its
independent status, and would thus be tantamount to an act of
disloyalty to the verities it enshrines. For it is only too obvious
that in most of its fundamental assumptions the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh
is completely at variance with outworn creeds, ceremonies, and
institutions. To be a Bahá’í and at the same time
accept membership in another religious body is simply an act of
contradiction that no sincere and logically-minded person can
possibly accept. To follow Bahá’u’lláh does
not mean accepting some of His teachings and rejecting the rest.
Allegiance to His Cause must be uncompromising and whole-hearted.
During the days of the Master the Cause was still in a stage that
made such an open and sharp disassociation between it and other
religious organizations, and particularly the Muslim Faith not only
inadvisable but practically impossible to establish. But since His
passing, events throughout the Bahá’í World and
particularly in Egypt where the Muslim religious courts have formally
testified to the independent character of the Faith, have developed
to a point that have made such an assertion of the independence of
the Cause not only highly desirable but absolutely essential.”

174: RESURRECTION (Explains the
Passage on page 231 of the Gleanings)

“‘From it (the earth) have We created you’,
etc., this is a verse from the Qur’án and the quotation
mark has been wrongly omitted from the text and should be added after
‘time’. Bahá’u’lláh in quoting
this passage seeks to refute the argument of the Muslims, who attach
a purely literal interpretation to this verse of the Qur’án,
and therefore consider it as implying bodily resurrection. To these
Muslims, He says, that you who literally believe that the human body
will return to dust and will be raised from it again, and therefore
attach so much importance to this mortal world, how then can you wax
so proud, and boast over things which are but perishable and
consequently void of any true and lasting value.”

175: RINGSTONES AND BURIAL STONES

“In regard to the use of ringstones and burial
stones, the Guardian leaves this matter at present entirely to the
discretion of the believers, and has no objection if your Assembly
provides facilities for their purchase by the friends. When the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas is published the necessary instructions will be
given regarding this matter.”

176: SUMMER SCHOOLS, BAHÁ’Í
(Importance of)

“He fervently hopes that through the earnest and
sustained efforts of your committee these annual gatherings will
acquire increasing importance in the eyes of the public, and will
constitute an effective medium for the dissemination of the
Teachings. He feels that in your next summer meetings continued
emphasis should be laid upon the teaching of the Administration,
especially in its relation to the outside world, so as to impress the
non-Bahá’í attendants at the school with the
nature, character, and world-significance of the World Order of
Bahá’u’lláh.”

177: SUMMER SCHOOLS, BAHÁ’Í
(Purpose of)

“The basic purpose of all Bahá’í
Summer Schools, whether in East or West, is to give the believers the
opportunity to acquaint themselves, not only by mere study but
through whole-hearted and active collaboration in various Bahá’í
activities with the essentials of the administration and in this way
enable them to become efficient and able promoters of the Cause. The
teaching of the Administration is therefore, an indispensable feature
of every Bahá’í Summer School and its special
significance can be better understood if we realize the great need of
every believer today for a more adequate understanding of the social
principles and laws of the Faith.”

“How wonderful it would be if all the friends
could arrange to spend at least a few days in one of these summer
schools and take an active part in their development. These centers
could attract many souls if properly arranged and made interesting;
those non-Bahá’ís who visit them will then have
some time to get into the spirit of the place and make a study of the
Cause… We constantly receive letters from people who became Bahá’í
by visiting one of these centers and obtaining the Message there.”

178: SERVICE TO HUMANITY

“He feels that, although your desire to partake
actively of the dangers and miseries afflicting so many millions of
people today, is natural, and a noble impulse, there can be no
comparison between the value of Bahá’í work and
any other form of service to humanity.

“If the Bahá’ís could evaluate
their work properly they would see that whereas other forms of relief
work are superficial in character, alleviating the sufferings and
ills of men for a short time at best, the work they are doing is to
lay the foundation of a new Spiritual Order in the world founded on
the Word of God, operating according to the Laws He has laid down for
this age. No one else can do this work except those who have fully
realized the meaning of the Message of Bahá’u’lláh,
where as almost any courageous, sincere person can engage in relief
work, etc.

“The believers are building a refuge for mankind.
This is their supreme, sacred task and they should devote every
moment they can to this task.”

179: SEVEN LIGHTS OF UNITY

“The seven lights of Unity will not necessarily
come in the order given. A product of the second may well be
universal culture.”

180: SOCIAL ASPECTS OF THE FAITH (A
Single Divine and World-Embracing System)

“Concerning the idea of the Bahá’í
World Order and the proper emphasis which should be laid on the
social aspect of the Faith; the Guardian feels the necessity for all
teachers to stress the fact that the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh
can, under no circumstances, be divorced from the spiritual
principles and teachings of the Cause; that the social laws and
institutions of the Faith are inseparably bound up and closely
interwoven with the moral and spiritual principles enunciated by
Bahá’u’lláh, Who, Himself, indeed, has time
and again emphasized the underlying oneness and the identity of
purpose of all His spiritual, doctrinal, and social teachings. The
Friends, while emphasizing both of these aspects, should, in
particular, point out that they constitute parts of one and the same
plan, and elements of a single, divine and world-embracing system.”

181: SPIRITUALITY (The Troubles of
This World Pass)

“As we suffer these misfortunes we must remember
that the Prophets of God Themselves were not immune from these things
which men suffer. They knew sorrow, illness and pain too. They rose
above these things through Their spirits, and that is what we must
try and do too, when afflicted. The troubles of this world pass, and
what we have left is what we have made of our souls; so it is to this
we must look–to becoming more spiritual, drawing nearer to God,
no matter what our human minds and bodies go through.”

182: SUMMER SCHOOLS (The Bahá’í)

“Definite courses should be given along the
different phases of the Bahá’í Faith and in a
manner that will stimulate the students to proceed in their studies
privately once they return home, for the period of a few days is not
sufficient to learn everything. They have to be taught the habit of
studying the Cause constantly, for the more we read the Words the
more will the truth they contain be revealed to us.”

183: SUMMER SCHOOLS (Bahá’í
Atmosphere in)

“He (the Guardian) thinks the less time spent on
such topics as ‘Current Events in the light of the Bahá’í
Faith’, and ‘The Bahá’í Faith and
Modern Science’ the better. There is no harm in having an
evening lecture by a qualified speaker once on each of these
subjects, but he certainly does not feel that much time should be
spent on them, for the very simple reason that there is so little
that can be said on the subject.”

“The Bahá’ís must realize that
they belong to a world-wide Order, and not an American civilization.
They must try and introduce the Bahá’í atmosphere
of life and thought into their Summer Schools, rather than making the
Summer School an episode and a pleasant vacation period, during which
they learn a little more about the Faith.”

184: SUPREME TRIBUNAL

“The Supreme Tribunal is an aspect of a world
Superstate; the exact nature of its relationship to that state we
cannot at present foresee. Supreme Tribunal is the correct
translation; it will be a contributing factor in establishing the
Lesser Peace. There is no statement in the teachings indicating that
the Lesser Peace will definitely be established by 1957 or 1963.”

185: TABLETS OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ

“The work of collecting and publishing the Tablets
is one of the most important tasks that this generation has to
undertake for upon it depends our true understanding of the Cause and
its principles. Only Tablets with the Master’s signature and in
the original tongue should be recognised. Any translation or copies
of them fail having real authority. This shows the importance of
collecting the original Tablets that bear the Master’s
signature.”

186: TEACHERS (Unqualified Loyalty)

“In connection with the problems facing the
friends in their teaching work; these, the Guardian is well aware,
are by no means easy to overcome, specially in view of the limited
number and resources of the believers. But in the field of Bahá’í
service, as the history of the Cause abundantly demonstrates, there
is no obstacle that can be said to be unsurmountable. Every
difficulty will, in due time, be solved. But continued and collective
effort is also needed. The Bahá’í teacher should
not get discouraged at the consciousness of the limitations within or
without him. He should rather persevere, and be confident, that no
matter how numerous and perplexing the difficulties that confront him
may appear, he is continually assisted and guided through Divine
Confirmations. He should consider himself as a mere instrument in the
Hands of God, and should, therefore, cease looking at his own merits.

“The first and most important qualification of a
Bahá’í Teacher is, indeed, unqualified loyalty
and attachment to the Cause. Knowledge is, of course essential; but
compared to devotion it is secondary in importance.”

187: TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS
(Can Serve as Both)

“Regarding the statement made by the Guardian …
concerning the fact that believers can serve both as teachers and
administrators. Shoghi Effendi would approve your Assembly making
this fact known to all the friends. For although it is essential for
the believers to maintain always a clear distinction between teaching
and administrative duties and functions, yet they should be careful
not to be led to think that these two types of Bahá’í
activity are mutually exclusive in their nature and as such cannot be
exercised by one and the same person. As a matter of fact, the
friends should be encouraged to serve in both the teaching and the
administrative fields of Bahá’í service. But as
there are always some who are more specially gifted along one of
these two lines of activity it would seem more desirable that they
should concentrate their efforts in acquiring the full training for
that type of work for which they are best suited by nature. Such a
specialization has the advantage of saving time and of leading to
greater efficiency, particularly at this early stage of our
development. The great danger, however, lies in that by so doing the
friends may tend to develop a sort of class consciousness which is
fundamentally contrary to both the spirit and actual teachings of the
Faith.

“It is precisely in order to overcome such a
danger that the Guardian thinks it advisable that the friends should
be encouraged to serve from time to time in both the teaching and the
administrative spheres of Bahá’í work, but only
whenever they feel fit to do so.”

188: TEACHERS, BAHÁ’Í
(A Principle)

“Regarding the principle that the Cause must not
be allowed to center around any Bahá’í
personality, the Guardian wishes to make it clear that it was never
intended that well qualified individual teachers should not receive
from local Assemblies every encouragement and facilities to address
the public. What the Guardian meant was that the personality and
popularity of such a speaker should never be allowed to eclipse the
authority or detract from the influence of the body of the elected
representatives in every local community. Such an individual should
not only seek the approval, advice and assistance of the body that
represents the Cause in his locality, but should strive to attribute
any credit he may obtain, to the collective wisdom and capacity of
the Assembly under whose jurisdiction he performs his services.
Assemblies and not individuals constitute the bedrock on which the
Administration is built. Everything else must be subordinated to, and
be made to serve and advance the best interests of these elected
custodians and promoters of the laws of Bahá’u’lláh.”

189: TEACHING

“The Cause of God is developing rapidly in the
virgin areas of the Crusade; but on the home front we seem to be not
so successful. No doubt this is due to the fact that the friends at
home are not as diligently taking advantage of every teaching
opportunity as the pioneers do in foreign lands. Success will crown
the efforts of the friends on the home front when they meditate on
the teaching, pray fervently for divine confirmations for their work,
study the teachings so they may carry the spirit to the seeker, and
then act,–and above all persevere in action. When these steps
are followed, and the teaching work carried on sacrificially and with
devoted enthusiasm, the Faith will spread rapidly.”

190: TEACHING (Love for Bahá’u’lláh)

“…Without the spirit of real love for
Bahá’u’lláh, for His Faith and its
Institutions, and the believers for each other, the Cause can never
really bring in large numbers of people. For it is not preaching any
rules the world wants, but love and action…”

191: TEACHING

“Shoghi Effendi would urge every Bahá’í
who feels the urge to exercise his right of teaching unofficially the
Cause, to keep in close touch with the Local Spiritual Assembly of
the locality in which he is working. The Local Spiritual Assembly,
while reserving for itself the right to control such activities on
the part of individual Bahá’ís, should do its
utmost to encourage such teachers and to put at their disposal
whatever facilities they would need in such circumstances. Should any
differences arise, the National Spiritual Assembly would naturally
have to intervene and adjust matters.”

192: TEACHING (Advent of Divine
Justice)

“In the matter of teaching, as repeatedly and
emphatically stated, particularly in his ‘Advent of Divine
Justice’, the Guardian does not wish the believers to make the
slightest discrimination, even though this may result in provoking
opposition or criticism from any individual, class or institution.
The Call of Bahá’u’lláh, being universal,
should be addressed with equal force to all the peoples, classes and
nations of the world, irrespective of any religious, racial,
political or class distinction or difference…”

193: TEACHING, CONCENTRATE ON
(Source of Joy and Consolation)

“We all have our petty material obstacles in this
life. We cannot totally get rid of them. The best thing to do, after
all our efforts have failed to deliver us, is to concentrate on that
which can alone bring real happiness and peace to our heart. And you
should be thankful to God for having enabled you to recognize and
accept His Faith. For this is, assuredly, the only source of joy and
consolation you can have in your moments of suffering. Is there
anything more worthwhile to work for than the Teachings of the
Message?”

194: TEACHING (The Concourse on
High)

“The invisible battalions of the Concourse on
High, are mustered, in serried ranks, ready to rush their
reinforcements to the aid of the vanguard of Bahá’u’lláh’s
crusaders in the hour of their greatest need, and in anticipation of
that Most Great, that Wondrous Jubilee in the joyfulness of which
both heaven and earth will partake.”

195: TEACHING (Direct)

“He approves of your desire to teach the
principles of the Faith through radio. But he urges you to do all you
can to always, however small the reference you are able to make to it
may be, clearly identify or associate what you are giving out with
Bahá’u’lláh. The time is too short now for
us Bahá’ís to be able to first educate humanity
and then tell it that the source is this new World Faith. For their
own spiritual protection people must hear of the name Bahá’í–then,
if they turn blindly away they cannot excuse themselves by saying
they never even knew it existed! For dark days seem still ahead of
the world, and outside this Divine Refuge the people will not, we
firmly believe, find inner conviction, peace and security. So they
have a right to at least hear of the Cause as such.”

196: TEACHING–Divine World
Order–The Sole Panacea

“In connection with your teaching work: What the
Guardian wishes you to particularly emphasize in all your talks is
the supreme necessity for all individuals and nations in this day to
adopt in its entirety the social program given by Bahá’u’lláh
for the reconstruction of the religious, economic and political life
of mankind. He wishes you to explain and analyze the elements that
help in raising this Divine World Order in the light of the
present-day events and conditions in the world. Special stress, he
feels, should be laid on the impending necessity of establishing a
super-national, and sovereign world state, as the one described by
Bahá’u’lláh. With the world becoming
increasingly subject to tumults and convulsions never experienced
before, the realization of such a necessity is entering into the
consciousness of not only the wise and learned, but of the common
people as well. The believers should, therefore, seize this
opportunity to make a supreme effort to present, in convincing and
eloquent language, those social and humanitarian teachings of the
Faith which we believe to constitute the sole panacea for the
innumerable ills afflicting our present-day world.”

197: TEACHING (Duty of Every
Believer)

“Indeed to bring this message to mankind in its
darkest hour of need is the paramount duty of every believer. All the
agony, the suffering, privation and spiritual blindness afflicting
people today everywhere in the world, to a greater or lesser degree,
is because they are unaware of, or indifferent to, the Remedy God has
sent them. Only those who are aware of it can carry its healing
knowledge to others, so that each Bahá’í has an
inescapable and sacred duty to perform.”

198: TEACHING (Give the Message)

“The believers ought to give the message even to
those who do not seem ready for it, because they can never judge the
real extent to which the Word of God can influence the hearts and
minds of the people, even those who appear to lack any power of
receptivity to the teachings.”

199: TEACHING (Greater Unity Among
the Friends)

“Regarding your question about the need for
greater unity among the friends, there is no doubt that this is so,
and the Guardian feels that one of the chief instruments for
promoting it is to teach the Bahá’ís themselves,
in classes and through precepts, that love of God, and consequently
of men, is the essential foundation of every religion, our own
included. A greater degree of love will produce a greater unity,
because it enables people to bear with each other, to be patient and
forgiving.”

200: TEACHING (Love and Unity)

“The most important thing for the believers is, of
course, to be united and to really love each other for the sake of
God, (Otherwise it is not possible to love everyone). However, if
communities wait until love and complete harmony are established
before teaching, the teaching work will come to a standstill. Both
sides must be cultivated; whilst actively teaching the friends must
themselves be taught and deepened in the spirit of the Faith, which
brings love and unity.”

201: TEACHING–BAHÁ’Í
FAITH (What the Cause Now Requires)

“What the Cause now requires is not so much a
group of highly cultured and intellectual people who can adequately
present its Teachings, but a number of devoted, sincere and loyal
supporters, who, in utter disregard of their own weaknesses and
limitations, and with hearts afire with the love of God, forsake
their all for the sake of spreading and establishing His Faith. In
other words, what is mostly needed nowadays is a Bahá’í
pioneer and not so much a Bahá’í philosopher or
scholar. For the Cause is not a system of philosophy; it is
essentially a way of life, a religious faith that seeks to unite all
people on a common basis of mutual understanding and love, and in a
common devotion to God.

“Bahá’í scholars and writers
will, no doubt, gradually appear, and will as promised by Bahá’u’lláh
lend a unique support to the Faith. But in the meantime, we should
not tarry, or slacken in our efforts.”

202: TEACHING (Study Early History
and Principles of the Faith)

“I wish to urge the necessity of concentrating at
your next summer session, on the systematic study of the early
history and principles of the Faith, on public speaking, and on a
thorough discussion, both formally and informally, of various aspects
of the Cause. These I regard as essential preliminaries to a future
intensive campaign of teaching in which the rising generation must
engage, if the spread of the Cause is to be assured in that land.”

203: TEACHING (The Utmost Effort)

“I cannot refrain from adding a few words to renew
and reaffirm my fervent plea to you, and through you to every
individual member of the American Bahá’í
Community, to exert the utmost effort in order to further the Cause
of Teaching throughout the American Continent. Every possible
assistance, whether moral, financial, or administrative, should be
continuously, generously, and systematically extended to this most
urgent, this sacred and meritorious Cause. My heart yearns to learn
of any speedy and effective action which the valiant members of that
community may determine, whether collectively or severally, to
undertake. The invisible hosts of the Abhá Kingdom are arrayed
and ready to rush forth and ensure the triumph of every stout-hearted
and persevering herald of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.

204: TEACHING (In South)

“Regarding the whole manner of teaching the Faith
in the South; the Guardian feels that, although the greatest
consideration should be shown the feelings of white people in the
South whom we are teaching, under no circumstances should we
discriminate in their favour, consider them more valuable to the
Cause than their Negro fellow-southerners, or single them out to be
taught the Message first. To pursue such a policy, however necessary
and even desirable it may superficially seem, would be to compromise
the true spirit of our Faith, which permits us to make no such
distinctions in offering its tenets to the world. The Negro and white
races should be offered, simultaneously, on a basis of equality, the
Message of Bahá’u’lláh. Rich or poor, known
or unknown, should be permitted to hear of this Holy Faith in this,
humanity’s greatest hour of need.

“This does not mean that we should go against the
laws of the State, pursue a radical course which will stir up
trouble, and cause misunderstanding… Even in places where the two
races can meet together in the South, he feels it would be, in
certain cases, preferable to teach them separately until they are
fully confirmed and then bring them together…”

205: TEACHING METHODS

“The same thing is true of teaching methods; no
system, for teachers to practice, exists. But obviously the more
people know about the teachings and the Cause, the better they will
be to present the subject. If some people find that prayer and
placing all their trust in God, releases in them a flood of
inspiration, they should be left free to pursue this method if it is
productive of results.

“The inspiration received through meditation is of
a nature that one cannot measure or determine. God can inspire into
our minds things that we had no previous knowledge of, if He desires
to do so.

“We cannot clearly distinguish between personal
desire and guidance, but if the way opens, when we have sought
guidance, then we may presume God is helping us.”

206: TEMPLE, CHANTING IN THE

“As regard the chanting of Tablets in the Temple,
Shoghi Effendi wishes in this connection to urge the friends to avoid
all forms of rigidity and uniformity in matters of worship. There is
no objection to the recital or chanting of prayers in the Oriental
language, but there is also no obligation whatsoever of adopting such
a form of prayer at any devotional service in the auditorium of the
Temple. It should neither be required nor prohibited. The important
thing that should always be borne in mind is that with the exception
of certain specific obligatory prayers, Bahá’u’lláh
has given us no strict or special rulings in matters of worship,
whether in the Temple or elsewhere. Prayer is essentially a communion
between man and God, and as such transcends all ritualistic forms and
formulae.”

207: TESTS AND PROBLEMS

“Ultimately all the battle of life is within the
individual. No amount of organization can solve the inner problems or
produce or prevent, as the case may be, victory or failure at a
crucial moment. In such times as these particularly, individuals are
torn by great forces at large in the world and, we see some weak ones
strong, and strong ones fail–we can only try, through loving
advice, as your Committee has done, to bring about the act on the
part of the believer which will be for the highest good of the Cause.
Because obviously something bad for the Cause cannot be the highest
good of the individual Bahá’í.”

208: THEOCRACY

“What the Guardian was referring to was the
Theocratic systems, such as the Catholic Church and the Caliphate,
which are not divinely given as systems, but man-made and yet, having
partly derived from the teachings of Christ and Muhammad are, in a
sense, theocracies. The Bahá’í theocracy, on the
contrary, is both divinely ordained as a system and, of course, based
on the teachings of the Prophet Himself… Theophany is used in the
sense of Dispensation…”

209: TOMBSTONE, BAHÁ’Í
SYMBOL ON

“In regard to your question regarding the use of
the Greatest Name on tombstones of Bahá’ís, the
Guardian considers this too sacred to be placed in such a position in
general use, and the friends should not use it on their tombstones.
They can use quotations from the Teachings, if they wish to, but not
the Greatest Name. Naturally, if anyone has already used it, it does
not matter.”

NINE-POINTED STAR FOR HEADSTONE

“Approve star for graves.” Cable of October
22, 1954.

210: TRANSLITERATION OF BAHÁ’Í
TERMS

“…the faithful spelling of which by all the
Western friends will avoid confusion in future, and insure in this
matter a uniformity which is greatly needed at present in all Bahá’í
literature… I feel confident that all the friends will from now on
follow this system and adhere scrupulously and at all times to this
code in all their writings.

“The preparation of Bahá’í
articles, committee reports, etc., should therefore employ the system
of transliteration which the Guardian has supplied.”

211: UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE,
MEMBERSHIP

“As regards your question concerning the
membership of the Universal House of Justice, there is a Tablet from
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in which He definitely states that
the membership of the Universal House is confined to men and that the
wisdom of it will be fully revealed in the future. In the local, as
well as the National Houses of Justice, however, women have the full
right of membership. It is therefore, only to the International House
that they cannot be elected. The Bahá’ís should
accept this statement of the Master in a spirit of deep faith,
confident that there is a divine guidance and wisdom behind it, which
will be gradually unfolded to the eyes of the world.”

“Regarding your question, the Master said the
wisdom of having no women on the International House of Justice,
would become manifest in the future. We have no other indication than
this.

“At present there are women on the International
Council, and this will continue as long as it exists, but when the
International House of Justice is elected, there will only be men on
it, as this is the law of the Aqdas.”

212: VACCINATION

“Regarding your question about vaccination:

“These are technical matters which have not been
specifically mentioned in the Teachings, and consequently, the
Guardian cannot make any statement about them. No doubt medical
science will progress tremendously as time goes by and the treatment
of disease becomes more perfect.”

213: VISIONS

“There is a fundamental difference between Divine
Revelation as vouchsafed by God to His Prophets, and the spiritual
experiences and visions which individuals may have. The latter
should, under no circumstances, be construed as constituting an
infallible source of guidance, even for the person experiencing
them.”

214: VOTING–(Civil)

“The friends may vote, if they can do it, without
identifying themselves with one party or another. To enter the arena
of party politics is surely detrimental to the best interests of the
Faith and will harm the Cause. It remains for the individuals to so
use their right to vote as to keep aloof from party politics, and
always bear in mind that they are voting on the merits of the
individual, rather than because he belongs to one party or another.
The matter must be made perfectly clear to the individuals, who will
be left free to exercise their discretion and judgment. But if a
certain person does enter into party politics and labors for the
ascendency of one party over another, and continues to do it against
the expressed appeals and warnings of the Assembly, then the Assembly
has the right to refuse him the right to vote in Bahá’í
elections.”

215: VOTING RIGHT, The

“I feel I must reaffirm the vital importance and
necessity of the right of voting–a sacred responsibility of
which no adult recognized believer should be deprived, unless he is
associated with a community that has not as yet been in a position to
establish a Local Assembly. This distinguishing right which the
believer possesses, however, does not carry with it nor does it imply
an obligation to cast his vote, if he feels that the circumstances
under which he lives do not justify or allow him to exercise that
right intelligently and with understanding. This is a matter which
should be left to the individual to decide himself according to his
own conscience and discretion.”

216: VOTING RIGHTS (Status of
Individuals Deprived of)

“Concerning your question as to the status of
those individuals whom the Local Assembly or the N.S.A. have
considered it necessary to deprive of the voting right and to suspend
from local meetings and gatherings; such action which Local and
National Assemblies have been empowered to take against such
recalcitrant members, however justified and no matter how severe,
should under no circumstances be considered as implying the complete
expulsion of the individuals affected from the Cause. The suspension
of voting and other administrative rights of an individual, always
conditional and therefore temporary, can never have such far reaching
implications, since it constitutes merely an administrative sanction;
whereas his expulsion or ex-communication from the Faith, which can
be effected by the Guardian alone in his capacity as the supreme
spiritual head of the community, has far-reaching spiritual
implications affecting the very soul of that believer. The former, as
already stated, is an administrative sanction, whereas the latter is
essentially spiritual, involving not only the particular relationship
of a believer to his local or National Assembly, but his very
spiritual existence in the Cause. It follows, therefore, that a
believer can continue calling himself a Bahá’í
even though he may cease to be a voting member of the community. But
in case he is excluded from the body of the Cause by an act of the
Guardian he ceases to be a believer and cannot possibly identify
himself even nominally with the Faith.”

217: WORK, BAHÁ’Í

“If the believers could properly evaluate the work
they are doing they would be astonished at its importance, but they
are in the position of not being able to see the forest for the
trees; they are too close to it to realize its true import.”

218: WORK, DAILY–(Bahá’u’lláh’s
Command Concerning Daily Work)

“With reference to Bahá’u’lláh’s
command concerning the engagement of the believers in some sort of
profession; the teachings are most emphatic on this matter,
particularly the statement in the Aqdas to this effect which makes it
quite clear that idle people who lack the desire to work can have no
place in the new World Order. As a corollary of this principle,
Bahá’u’lláh further states that mendicity
should not only be discouraged but entirely wiped out from the face
of society. It is the duty of those who are in charge of the
organization of society to give every individual the opportunity of
acquiring the necessary talent in some kind of profession, and also
the means of utilizing such a talent, both for its own sake and for
the sake of earning the means of his livelihood. Every individual, no
matter how handicapped and limited he may be, is under the obligation
of engaging in some work or profession, for work, especially when
performed in the spirit of service, is according to Bahá’u’lláh,
a form of worship. It has not only a utilitarian purpose, but has a
value in itself, because it draws us nearer to God, and enables to
better grasp His purpose for us in this world. It is obvious,
therefore, that the inheritance of wealth cannot make anyone immune
from daily work. As to the question of retirement from work for
individuals who have reached a certain age, this is a matter on which
the International House of Justice will have to legislate as there
are no provisions in the Aqdas concerning it.”

219: WORLD FEDERATION–(On
Bahá’í Participation in International
Conferences)

“He feels that the statement which your assembly
made in your letter to him … regarding Bahá’ís
cooperating with peace and world unity conferences, covers the
subject adequately. There is no reason to draw a line of demarcation
as to whether the type of world federation being promoted by a
certain society involves governments or peoples. The point is that if
it is not allied to any particular political faction, and is not
either Eastern or Western in its projects, the Bahá’ís
may appear as speakers on its platform and give it moral support.”

220: YEAR NINE, The

“The ‘Year Nine’ is an abbreviation of
1269 A.H. The beginning of the Year Nine occurred about two months
after His (Bahá’u’lláh’s)
imprisonment in that dungeon. We do not know the exact time He
received this first intimation… We therefore regard the entire Year
Nine as a Holy Year, and the emphasis should be placed … on the
entire year, which started in October, 1852. This means our Centenary
Year of Celebration will be from October, 1952 to October, 1953.”

221: YOUTH

“He quite agrees that the dangers facing the
modern youth are becoming increasingly grave, and call for immediate
solution. But, as experience clearly shows, the remedy to this truly
sad and perplexing situation is not to be found in traditional and
ecclesiastical religion. The dogmatism of the Church has been
discarded once for all. What can control youth and save it from the
pitfalls of the crass materialism of the age is the power of a
genuine, constructive and living Faith such as the one revealed to
the world by Bahá’u’lláh. Religion as in
the past, is still the world’s sole hope, but not that form of
religion which our ecclesiastical leaders strive vainly to preach.
Divorced from true religion, morals lose their effectiveness and
cease to guide and control man’s individual and social life.
But when true religion is combined with true ethics, then moral
progress becomes a possibility and not a mere ideal.

“The need of our modern youth is for such a type
of ethics founded on pure religious faith. Not until these two are
rightly combined and brought into full action can there be any hope
for the future of the race.”

“The world that lies ahead of us after this war is
going to be in a terrible condition, and if the believers are going
to accomplish their duty and present the Divine Solution to mankind,
they must prepare themselves for the great tasks that lie ahead. This
particularly applies to Bahá’í youth. Young men
and women in the Faith must be deep and thoughtful scholars of its
teachings, so that they can teach in a way that will convince people
that all the problems facing them have a remedy. They must grasp the
Administration, so that they can wisely and efficiently administer
the ever-growing affairs of the Cause; and they must exemplify the
Bahá’í way of living. All this is not easy–but
the Guardian is always greatly encouraged to see the spirit animating
such young believers as yourself. He has high hopes of what your
generation will accomplish.”

222: YOUTH (Regarding the Age of
Fifteen)

“Regarding the age of fifteen fixed by
Bahá’u’lláh: This relates only to purely
spiritual functions and obligations and is not related to the degree
of administrative capacity and fitness which is a totally different
thing, and is, for the present, fixed at twenty-one.”

“Bahá’í youth under twenty-one
may serve on Committees.

“The question of young Bahá’ís
being permitted to serve on committees other than the Youth Committee
has been raised in a number of letters recently, and in considering
the matter he felt that Bahá’í young people under
twenty-one should not be denied the privilege of committee work.
Though they cannot be voting members of Bahá’í
communities (or exercise the electoral vote at all until they reach
that age), and though they cannot, likewise, be elected to
Assemblies, there is no reason why they should not serve the Cause on
various committees as all committees, national or local, are
subordinate to Assemblies and their members not elected but
appointed, and appointed by Assemblies. We have many devoted and
talented young believers who can be of great assistance to the Cause
even though not yet legally of age.”

“This Cause, although it embraces with equal
esteem people of all ages, has a special message and mission for the
youth of your generation. It is their charter for their future, their
hope, their guarantee of better days to come. Therefore the Guardian
is especially happy that the young Bahá’ís are
active in the pioneer work.”

“The importance of young Bahá’ís
to become thoroughly steeped in every branch of the teachings can not
be over-emphasized, as they have great teaching tasks ahead of them
to accomplish.”

223: BAHÁ’Í
YOUTH IN SCHOOL

“The problem with which you are faced is one which
concerns and seriously puzzles many of our present-day youth. How to
attain spirituality is indeed a question to which every young man and
woman must sooner or later try to find a satisfactory answer. It is
precisely because no such satisfactory answer has been given or
found, that the modern youth finds itself bewildered, and is being
consequently carried away by the materialistic forces that are so
powerfully undermining the foundations of man’s moral and
spiritual life.

“Indeed the chief reason for the evils now rampant
in society is the lack of spirituality. The materialistic
civilization of our age has so much absorbed the energy and interest
of mankind that people in general do no longer feel the necessity of
raising themselves above the forces and conditions of their daily
material existence. There is not sufficient demand for things that we
call spiritual to differentiate them from the needs and requirements
of our physical existence.

“The universal crisis affecting mankind is,
therefore, essentially spiritual in its causes. The spirit of the
age, taken on the whole, is irreligious. Man’s outlook on life
is too crude and materialistic to enable him to elevate himself into
the higher realms of the spirit.

“It is this condition, so sadly morbid, into which
society has fallen, that religion seeks to improve and transform. For
the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling which unites Man
with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and
maintained by means of meditation and prayer. And this is the reason
why Bahá’u’lláh has so much stressed the
importance of worship. It is not sufficient for a believer merely to
accept and observe the teachings. He should, in addition, cultivate
the sense of spirituality which he can acquire chiefly by means of
prayer. The Bahá’í Faith, like all other Divine
Religions, is thus fundamentally mystic in character. Its chief goal
is the development of the individual and society, through the
acquisition of spiritual virtues and powers. It is the soul of man
which has first to be fed. And this spiritual nourishment prayer can
best provide.

“Laws and institutions, as viewed by Bahá’u’lláh,
can become really effective only when our inner spiritual life has
been perfected and transformed. Otherwise religion will degenerate
into a mere organization, and becomes a dead thing. The believers,
particularly the young ones, should therefore fully realize the
necessity of praying. For prayer is absolutely indispensable to their
inner spiritual development, and this, as already stated, is the very
foundation and purpose of the religion of God.”

224: YOUTH, JUNIOR (Do Great Deeds)

“He urges you to make up your minds to do great,
great deeds for the Faith; the condition of the world is steadily
growing worse, and your generation must provide the saints, heroes,
martyrs and administrators of future years. With dedication and will
power you can rise to great heights!”

“He appreciates very much the devoted and
determined spirit with which you are facing the future and all the
Bahá’í responsibility it will bring you
increasingly. The part of youth is very great; you have the
opportunity to really determine to exemplify in word and deed the
Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, and to show your
generation that the New World Order He has brought is a tangible
reality in the lives of His followers.”