iii
DAWN OF A NEW DAY
SHOGHI EFFENDI
"...the dawn of a New Day shall break upon that
land and the Rays of this Divine Revelation shall make
of India a spiritually-quickened, peaceful and united
country."--Shoghi Effendi, Jan. 9, 1923
BAHA'I PUBLISHING TRUST
POST BOX 19
NEW DELHI (India)
iv
Note: The passages marked with a * are in Guardian's own
handwriting.
(C) BAHA'I PUBLISHING TRUST, INDIA
Reprinted by
K.L. Sachdeva - for Skylark Printers,
479, Matia Mahal, Jama Masjid, Delhi-6
v
P R E F A C E
The sub-continent of India, favoured by special mention in
the Qayyumu'l-Asma, on the Day of the Declaration of the Bab,
is a land of the greatest spiritual potentialities. During the life
time of Abdu'l-Baha a steady stream of teachers from East and
West arrived to establish the Faith, and at the time of His
passing, there was a sizeable community of Baha'is in India.
This was the community that grew into spiritual maturity, expanded
and developed under the unerring guidance of our
beloved Guardian who fostered its growth, ever beckoning it
forward.
The Guardian summoned the believers to achieve great victories,
local movements and limited projects would not be commensurate
with the greatness of the Revelation of Baha'u'llah; he
led them to self-sacrifice, to big undertakings, and to bold ventures.
Gradually, he brought to light the vastness of the realm of
service, pointing out the many races and tribes that inhabited
this land of ancient civilization and cradle of important world
religions. He gave instructions and plans to this Community to
take the healing Message of God to all these peoples and tribes.
Step by step, Shoghi Effendi guided the Community on how to
plan and organize a comprehensive teaching plan.
As far back as 1933, the beloved Guardian summoned the
Baha'is of India to teach among the masses, and to reach persons
of capacity in every strata of society. He guided us in every
accomplishment, pointing out the objectives, counselling and
urging the completion of goals set for the Community.
The reader will find for himself what great victories still
remain to be won and what great potentialities still remain
hidden in India--"a vast country and an excellent field of service".
This book is for those, anywhere in the world, who wish
to arise individually and collectively to establish the World
Order of Baha'u'llah and the Kingdom of God on earth.
New Delhi, Dr. R. Muhajir
March 9, 1970
vi
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Facsimile of Guardian's letter
Preface
Letter to believers in India [&and] Burmah 1
Excellent Field of Service 3
Position of Baha'i Women 3
The Baha'i News 4
An era of unprecedented activity 5
Nothing Must Dampen Our Zeal 7
Unite in promoting the work of the Cause 7
Consolidation of the Foundations of the N.S.A. 8
The House of Baha'u'llah in Baghdad 10
Inaugurate a fresh campaign of teaching 10
Increasing Activities 11
Bring Together the Hindus and Mohammedans 12
Cause will ultimately conquer 13
Publication of Kaukab 15
The Baha'i News 16
Widen the scope of activities 17
Conduct of the Work of N.S.A. 19
Extend the scope of activities 20
Present the teachings at various conventions and gatherings 22
The Faith publicized in Turkey 23
Assemblies must endeavour to inspire confidence 24
Maintain and strengthen the unity of the National Assembly 24
"Baha'i World"--Foremost Baha'i publication 27
"Huquq" 27
Syed Jenab Ali--Distinguished Baha'i leader 27
Martha Root Visits India 28
Baha'i Representation at the All-Asia Women's Conference 30
Publication of the "Dawn-Breakers" 31
Advertisements in Baha'i periodicals 32
Mrs. Ransom-Kehler visits India 32
viii
Translation of Baha'u'llah [&and] the New Era 33
Mrs. Kehler Visits Calcutta 34
Translation of Baha'u'llah and the New Era 35
Need of Baha'i teachers all over the world 36
Baha'u'llah and the New Era to be translated into Urdu and
Hindi 36
Passing away of the Greatest Holy Leaf 38
Publication of Baha'u'llah [&and] the New Era 39
Baha'i Center in Calcutta 40
Translation of Baha'u'llah [&and] the New Era into Burmese 41
Teaching among the masses in India 42
Baha'i Magazine 43
Publication of Baha'u'llah [&and] the New Era 44
Passing away of brilliant teacher--Mrs. Kehler 45
Twentyfive printed versions of Baha'u'llah [&and] the New Era 46
Registration of Bombay Assembly 46
Bedrock of Baha'i Administrative Order 47
Accept justified resignation 49
Revival of the spirit of fellowship 49
Changes in membership of Baha'i Assemblies 49
Intensify teaching throughout India 50
"Kitab-i-Iqan" translated in many languages 51
Persecution of the Baha'is in Iran 51
Training of Baha'i teachers 53
Registration of L.S.A. of Karachi 53
Formation of an Assembly in Lahore 54
Historic step in development of Administrative Order 54
Circulation of Abdu'l-Baha's photographs 55
Splendid initiative 55
Baha'i holidays must be observed 56
Effective publicity throughout India 57
Correspondence with the Guardian 58
"New Era" in Sindhi [&and] Bengali printed 58
Union with loved ones in the next world 58
Effort in the field of teaching urgently required 58
Voting is sacred obligation 59
It is but a beginning 59
Daidanaw Baha'i School 60
Two main principles to follow 60
ix
Visit of Mr. Schopflocher to India 61
Systematized and nation-wide teaching campaign 62
Inflexible determination required 63
Welcome extended to Mr. Schopflocher 64
Theosophists 64
Baha'i Holidays 65
Baha'i Administration 65
Obligatory Prayers 66
Progress of teaching most gratifying 67
National Fund 67
Martha Root's teaching trip 69
Resting place of Holy Mother 70
LSA [&and] Summer School in Simla 70
Six-Year Plan 70
First Indian Baha'i Summer School 71
Task immense--Time short 72
Splendid work accomplished by Miss Root 72
Baha'i Youth Groups 74
Six-Year Plan--Spontaneous undertaking of Indian Baha'i
Community 75
Summer School 76
David 76
Inheritance 77
Reason of severe laws revealed by the Bab 77
Teaching--the paramount task 78
Membership in Baha'i Assembly or Committee is a sacred
obligation 79
Meaning of resurrection 79
Teaching--the paramount task 80
Martha Root's arrival in Bombay 80
Paramount task facing the believers 81
Passing away of dearest Martha 82
Sacred task 83
Steady extension of the teaching campaign 83
Financial assistance to Baha'i teachers 84
Great Message can redeem bewildered humanity 84
Translation of Baha'u'llah's Writings 85
Training of children 86
Membership of the International House of Justice 86
x
Appearance of two Davids 86
Importance of the Teaching Campaign 87
Greatest need of the hour 88
Priceless days 88
Refrain from imposing new rules 89
Prosecute Six-Year Plan with unremitting energy 90
Every obstacle should be surmounted 91
Persecution of Baha'is of Kadwai 93
Use of A'rabs (Vowel points) 93
Two Davids 93
He Whom God Will Make Manifest 94
The Holy Book--The Aqdas 94
Use of A'rabs (Vowel points) 94
Writings of the Bab 95
The Universal House of Justice 95
Surmount every obstacle 95
Remarkable evidence of activity 96
Future is blessed and glorious 97
New Assemblies of Hyderabad [&and] Kotah 98
Prizes to be won 99
Passing of Abdul-Jalil Beg Sa'ad 100
Painstaking and fruitful efforts 100
Placing of burial stone 101
Ensure the triumphant conclusion 101
Proper administrative headquarters 102
Passing away of Mr. Vakil 103
Secretary of the N.S.A. 103
Election of LSA's 103
National administrative headquarters 104
Baha'is can undertake philanthropic work 104
Centenary celebrations 104
Friends should unite 106
The Six-Year Plan has progressed magnificently 107
Centenary celebrations 108
Historic achievements 108
Baha'u'llah and the New Era in Kanarese 109
Achieved mighty victories 109
Re-instate Assemblies in Burma 111
Depriving of voting rights--Function of N.S.A. 111
Teach a wider range of Indians 111
xi
Passing away of Siyyid Mustafa 112
Baha'i marriage 112
Task urgent, vast and sacred 113
Shoulder heavy responsibilities 113
Threefold task 115
Baha'is can accept grants-in-aid from the government 116
Baha'i Holy Days 116
Voting Rights 116
Responsibilities immense 117
Answer to various matters 118
Unstinted devotion displayed 119
More pioneers to go forth 120
Esslemont Book in Karen language 122
Rules [&and] regulations should not be multiplied 123
Added responsibility 123
Threshold of a new epoch 124
Set the highest example of tolerance 125
Greater dedication to service 126
Opportunity which may never occur again 127
Excommunication is a spiritual matter 128
Unite to serve Him 129
Seeking to purify the world 129
Stormy yet glorious path of service 130
Old and tried Community 132
Arcade of the Shrine of the Bab 133
Grave challenge 133
Superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab 136
Keep in close touch with pioneers 137
End of Six-Year Plan approaches 137
Arcade of the Shrine 139
Baha'is may join non-partisan organisations 140
A Baha'i cannot be a Theosophist 140
Killing of a believer in Kamarhatti 140
Convention Delegates 141
No effort is too great 142
Photos of the Arcade of the Shrine 143
Inter-Assembly Conferences 144
Assembly in Moulmein, Burma 144
Centenary pamphlet excellent 144
Increase the number of delegates to 95 144
xii
Pioneering to Siam 145
Registration of Assemblies 145
Contribution for the Shrine of the Bab 145
Baha'is cannot become Freemasons 145
Reviewing of Baha'i books 145
Pioneers for Indonesia and Siam 146
Great Historic enterprise 146
Increase of believers in Benares 148
Teaching in South-East Asia 149
The 19-Month Plan 149
Pioneers to settle in Africa 149
19-Month Plan--third of its kind 150
First pilgrims from India 152
Inter-Continental Conference 152
No harm in taking part in dramas 153
Encouraging the Hindu Baha'is 153
The work is still formidable 154
No age limit for serving the Cause 156
Contributions not accepted from those whose voting rights
are suspended 156
Answer to various questions 157
Consolidation of the manifold institutions 157
The most important thing is to serve 160
Youth [&and] the Ten-Year Crusade 161
Translation of literature 161
Keynote of the Crusade 162
Message to the Inter-Continental Conference, New Delhi 165
Consultation of delegates 172
Concentrate on home-front 172
Increase number of Assemblies 172
Translation of Baha'i books into Russian 173
Many victories won 173
Pioneering to Ceram 174
Baha'i literature in native tongues 175
Pioneers in Sikkim 175
Pioneers to be sent to Maldive Islands 176
Historic and heart-stirring 176
Letters addressed to the Baha'i Youth of India 177-184
Letters addressed to individual Baha'is in India 185-202
Letters addressed to Burmese Baha'is 203-206
Cablegrams 207-228
xiii
LETTERS ADDRESSED TO THE
N.S.A. OF INDIA
xiv DAWN OF A NEW DAY
(India, date unknown)
FILENAME: DND
FILEDATE: 1-1-95
+P1
The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the
Merciful throughout India and Burmah,
Care of the members of the Spiritual Assembly.
Beloved co-workers in the Vineyard of God!
It has been my great pleasure and privilege to send you,
since my return to the Holy Land, first my general message of
confidence and of love addressed to all believers throughout the
East, and later another letter wherein I appeal in particular to
those faithful lovers of His Cause in that vast and distant dominion
to labour whole-heartedly and to the very end for the
diffusion of His Light and the spread of His Cause. Remembering,
however, the few among my friends in that land who are
as yet unfamiliar with the Persian Tongue, I have thought of
sending these few lines to them in particular and through them
to the rest of my brethren and sisters in those regions who, despite
the diversity of tongue, of race and custom are all united
at heart and animated by one common desire to uplift humanity
and carry out His Divine Purpose for this world.
What an alluring field of service India with all its possibilities
unfolds to our eyes at the present time and how vast are
the opportunities of sowing the seeds of unity and loving kindness
in the hearts of its divers peoples!
True, that land seems now unhappily to be plunged in the
darkness of prejudice, hate and mistrust, yet however dark the
immediate prospect may appear, our confidence remains unshaken
that ere long these mists shall clear away, the dawn of a
New Day shall break upon that land and the Rays of this Divine
Revelation shall make of India a spiritually-quickened, peaceful
and united country.
+P2
The universal Teachings of Baha'u'llah if declared and propounded
with wisdom and judgement, determination, selflessness
and sincerity, and above all if exemplified in our lives and dealings
with our fellow-men, cannot fail to inspire and stimulate
the mind of the enlightened seeker and win the admiration and
allegiance of all mankind. Ours then is the duty and privilege to
bring to the attention of this distressed and war-weary world
this Message of Eternal Salvation and help to establish the Era
of Peace and Brotherhood as purposed and foretold by
Baha'u'llah.
The welcome news of the progress of the Third All-India
Baha'i Convention as well as the favourable comment made
upon it by the Press of that country have been fully shared with
the pilgrims and resident friends in the Holy Land and we have
all admired and rejoiced at the efforts you are exerting for the
consolidation of the Movement in that ancient land.
May your endeavours in every sphere of your spiritual activities
be crowned with brilliant success, that His glorious Promise
regarding the future of that land may be speedily fulfilled!
It is my earnest hope that "The Baha'i News", the representative
organ of the Baha'i Community in India, may expand
and develop, may widen the sphere of its correspondence, add
to the number and quality of its articles in Persian as well as in
English, report regularly in its columns the news of the spiritual
activities of all Baha'i centres in India and elsewhere, and in
general provide for the full, correct and dignified presentation of
the Cause to the general public.
Assuring every one of you of my constant prayers on your
behalf and wishing you success in your noble task,
I am your brother and co-worker,
SHOGHI
January 9, 1923
+P3
Excellent Field of Service
As you mentioned India is a vast country and an excellent
field of service. If the younger Baha'i generation, in whom
Shoghi Effendi has great hopes, take the pain of studying the
Cause deeply and thoroughly, read its history, find its underlying
principles and become both well informed and energetic,
they surely can achieve a great deal. It is upon their shoulders
that the Master has laid the tremendous work of teaching.
They are the ones to raise the call of the Kingdom and arouse
the people from slumber. If they fail the Cause is doomed to
stagnation. May we all hope and earnestly pray that through
God's infinite grace, through the Master's spiritual guidance and
through Shoghi Effendi's tender care we may do justice to this
tremendous work and not fail to do the Master's bidding.
As Shoghi Effendi has not yet taken up the tremendous work
and responsibility of attending to the correspondence of the individual
friends, he asked me to write you this note, acknowledge
the receipt of your letter, and ask you to do the following
things: (1) Change the name of your Executive Committee to
"The National Spiritual Assembly", because the corresponding
Assembly in England and America bear the same name, and uniformity
in such matters is most advisable. (2) He likes to receive
regular and detailed reports of the position of the Cause as well
as the activities of the friends in India drafted as well as sent by
the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly. So as to be
informed of the conditions there and administer to your needs.
(3) He wishes to have the postal as well as telegraphic address
of the secretary so as to send his communications to him.
Shoghi Effendi earnestly hopes and prays that this National
Spiritual Assembly will be able to achieve a great deal and herald
a new era of spiritual awakening in that land.
April 26, 1923
Position of Baha'i Women
[From the Guardian:]
Regarding the position of the Baha'i women in India and
Burma, and their future collaboration with the men in the
administrative work of the Cause, I feel that the time is
+P4
now ripe that those women who have already conformed to
the prevailing custom in India and Burma by discarding the
veil should not only be given the right to vote for the election
of their local and national representatives, but should themselves
be eligible to the membership of all Baha'i Assemblies
throughout India and Burma, be they local or national.
This definite and most important step, however, should be
taken with the greatest care and caution, prudence and thoughtfulness.
Due regard must be paid to their actual capacity
and present attainments, and only those who are best
qualified for membership, be they men or women, and irrespective
of social standing, should be elected to the extremely
responsible position of a member of the Baha'i Assembly.
This momentous decision, I trust, will prove to be a great
incentive to the women Baha'is throughout India and Burma
who, I hope, will now bestir themselves and endeavour to the
best of their ability to acquire a better and more profound
knowledge of the Cause, to take a more active and systematic
part in the general affairs of the Movement, and prove themselves
in every way enlightened, responsible and efficient
co-workers to their fellow-men in their common task for the
advancement of the Cause throughout their country.
May they fully realise their high responsibilities in this day,
may they do all in their power to justify the high hopes we
cherish for their future, and may they prove themselves
in every respect worthy of the noble mission which the
Baha'i world is now entrusting to their charge.
December 27, 1923
The Baha'i News
[From the Guardian:]
Your long-awaited letter, penned by our dear and devoted
brother, Mr. N. R. Vakil, has been received and read with
profound interest. I note with deep satisfaction the vigour
and earnestness with which you are conducting the affairs of
the Movement throughout the length and breadth of
that vast and distant land, and ardently pray that you may
achieve, individually and collectively, the highest success in
all your endeavours.
+P5
Regarding the Baha'i News, I strongly urge those responsible
for its publication, and in particular, our beloved friends,
Prof. Pritam Singh, Mr. Vakil, ... Mr. M. U. Abasi, Mirza
Niku, Mr. Ardeshir Khodadad, and Haji Ahmad, to do their
utmost that this Baha'i organ may increase in volume, widen
in scope, broaden in its outlook, improve in style and general
presentation, and reflect more extensively the activities of the
friends in India, Burma, and elsewhere. As a magazine that
has been established in the days of our departed Master, and
been the recipient of His special favours and blessings, it
ought, and I have no doubt it will, with your active support
and under your constant and general supervision, carry out
the great plan it is destined to fulfill in this world.
With regard to Burma and its Baha'i activities, I trust you
realise that that province falls directly within the sphere of
your activities, and although a Central Council for all Burma
is in the process of establishment, that Council as well as all
local Assemblies throughout Burma will have to be under
the protection, care and direction of the All-India Spiritual
Assembly.
I would indeed welcome regular, frequent and comprehensive
reports from the National Assembly on the various
branches of its manifold activities, and will spare no effort
to contribute my humble share in consolidating and extending
the Teaching Campaign throughout that vast Dominion.
I would be pleased to receive the permanent postal and telegraphic
address of the Secretary of the National Assembly,
and am confident that by the grace of Baha'u'llah and under
the guiding Hand of our beloved Master, we shall all carry
triumphantly the noble task entrusted to our charge to a
speedy and successful conclusion.
June 1, 1923
An Era of Unprecedented Activity
[From the Guardian:]
It is a great pleasure and privilege for me to renew the bonds
of fellowship and affection that have always united our
hearts in the service of our beloved Master. I need not recall
to your minds the warm and abiding place which that gifted
+P6
Dominion has always occupied in our Beloved's heart, and
the high hopes he cherished for its future contribution
towards the triumph of the Movement in those distant
regions of the earth.
I am sure the hour has struck when those dearly-beloved
pioneers of the Master's Cause, scattered throughout the
length and breadth of that vast and promising land, should
unite, consolidate their forces, and effectively combine for the
laying of a firm foundation for the future progress of their noble
task. It is my earnest hope and my most cherished desire
that at the forthcoming Convention the vigour and enlightened
efforts of the Baha'i youth of India, coupled with the generous
support and devotion of the old beloved Parsee friends,
and reinforced by the vast numbers of the ardent followers
of the Faith in Burma, may, by imparting power and brilliancy
to its proceedings, herald an era of unprecedented activity
for the ultimate recognition of the Cause by the peoples
of that country.
I shall welcome with genuine satisfaction every effort which
that talented and untiring servant of Baha'u'llah, our highly-esteemed
sister Mrs. Stannard, may exert in this connection,
and would feel truly gratified to learn of her determination
to play a conspicuous part in the presentation of the
Cause to the eyes of the enlightened public. May the sustaining
grace of God, the power of Baha'u'llah, and the loving counsels
of our beloved &Abdu'l-Baha guide you and aid you in
your mighty endeavours for the accomplishment of your
task.
I shall eagerly await any particulars you might wish to
send me regarding your various activities in the service of the
Cause, and I trust that during the interval between now and
Ridvan a complete and careful arrangement for the successful
conduct of the coming Convention will have been drawn
by all the friends and assemblies of India and Burma, and
to which, I assure you, I shall be most pleased to contribute
my humble share of cooperation and advice.
Hoping to hear from you, individually and collectively,
and assuring you of my constant prayers on your behalf.
December 5, 1923
+P7
Nothing Must Dampen Our Zeal
Nothing, I dare say, can be more encouraging and gladsome
to Shoghi Effendi than the news of the activities of the friends
in such a vast and promising field as India. In the last few years
the harvest of the friends' endeavours was not as rich and abundant
as we all would wish and undoubtedly the political throes
through which India has been passing and the general unrest
which such conditions have brought about, account to a large
measure for this comparative unfruitfulness in the self-sacrificing
efforts of the Indian Baha'is. Yet nothing must damp our zeal
and we cannot for a moment doubt the remarkable change that
the Master said would take place in that country.
We have been all very much interested in the first-hand information
which Mrs. Stannard has given us and we lament the
formidable difficulties and obstacles with which the Baha'is
must cope in their effort to imbue the individual with a new
spirit and to bring new measures of reform in the social order.
We shall, however, pray for you all and eagerly await every
good news you have to share with us.
[From the Guardian:]
I always eagerly await detailed and frequent reports from
the National Assembly and desire strongly its members to
meet as often as possible and actively, efficiently and constantly
direct, co-ordinate and reinforce the activities of the
individuals and Local Assemblies throughout India and
Burma. I thirst for more specific information and urge its
secretary to ensure that every communication from the Holy
Land or from any other Baha'i centre is promptly and
widely distributed. I assure you of my loving prayers.
March 5, 1925
Unite in Promoting the Work of the Cause
We were sorry to know of the state of tension that exists
between India and Burma. Let us hope that Shoghi Effendi's
letter will draw both parties nearer together and so ease up the
matter. It is very sad to see two sections of such a continent
+P8
though closely connected together, unable to work in harmony.
Let us pray and also try our best that all petty misunderstandings
should be forgotten and that the work should start on a
new basis firmer than before.
[From the Guardian:]
I do hope and pray that the Indians and Burmese friends
will once the new N.S.A. is elected support their representatives
and whole-heartedly unite in promoting the work of
the Cause. An earnest, capable, energetic, loyal and experienced
soul must discharge the responsible and arduous
duties of a National Secretary. So much depends upon him.
You will have my fullest and unqualified support in impressing
upon the friends the supreme necessity of establishing
forthwith and maintaining to the best of their ability the institution
of the National Fund. I will pray for you all and
assure you personally of my great affection.
April 1, 1925
Consolidation of the Foundations of the N.S.A.
By now the election of the new National Spiritual Assembly
and of its office-bearers will probably be completed. The office of
Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly is most important
and the smooth and efficient working of the Baha'i organisation
in India and Burmah will depend to a large extent on him. Shoghi
Effendi hopes that the new Secretary of the National Assembly
will send him as soon as possible a full list of the members and
office-bearers of the Assembly with his own postal address. He
would like him also, as soon as possible, to procure from each
of the local assemblies in India and Burmah a full list of the
members and office-bearers of the Local Spiritual Assembly with
the address of the Secretary, and to transmit a copy of that list
to Shoghi Effendi. This is to be done every year immediately
after the election of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Further it is desirable that each local Assembly should have
a register of the names and addresses of all declared Baha'is in
their district and should be careful to keep the register up-to-date,
promptly noting any changes in the address or number of the
+P9
believers. It is also desirable that the National Secretary should
have a list of all believers in India and Burmah who are living in
districts where there is no Local Spiritual Assembly, with full
postal address in each case, so that these believers may be kept
in touch with the body of believers by letters, literature etc., and
travelling Baha'is visiting these districts may be put in touch
with the believers there. Shoghi Effendi would like to have a
copy of this list also.
The National Secretary should keep in as close touch as
possible with the Local Spiritual Assemblies, should urge the
secretaries of these Local Assemblies to furnish regular reports
of the progress of the movement in their respective localities,
and should, by means of circular letters etc., keep these local
assemblies and isolated believers informed of all matters of
importance affecting the Cause, remind them of the importance
of contributing as regularly and generously as possible to the
National Fund, and so on.
It is obvious that to carry out these manifold duties efficiently,
thoroughly and tactfully is no easy task and Shoghi Effendi
greatly hopes that some one may be found who will be able to
devote the necessary ability, time and energy to carry them out
satisfactorily.
A Baha'i Year Book is now in course of preparation and
Shoghi Effendi wishes to include in this Year-Book a complete
list of the local Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world,
with the address of the Secretary in each case, also a complete
list of those localities where there are resident Baha'is but
where no local Spiritual Assembly exists. It will probably be
impracticable to include the addresses of all isolated believers,
but these should be known to the Secretary of the National
Spiritual Assembly in each country, so that they may be available
on application to him.
It will interest you to know that the Baha'is of Egypt have
just elected their first National Spiritual Assembly.
[From the Guardian:]
Your past and present efforts are indeed worthy of the
deepest admiration and the highest praise. Concentrate as
+P10
much as you can at present on the consolidation of the
foundations of the N.S.A. of India and Burma. This is the
first and most essential step to further expansion in any
direction. The institution of the National Fund is of vital
importance and should be greatly stressed and emphasized
in every circular or communication addressed to the friends.
I will continue to pray for you from all my heart and assure
you of my support and brotherly love.
May 12, 1925
The House of Baha'u'llah in Baghdad
Yesterday he ordered me to write a few words and acknowledge
the receipt of your letter, conveying to you his love and
greeting. He was much pleased to see that you have followed
his telegraphic instructions concerning the Baghdad House
promptly.
From other centres also telegraphic communications have
been done to both the High Commissioner and to His Majesty
King Faisal. We are hoping for a desirable result. Up to this
time no definite information has reached us. We shall keep you
informed as soon as we receive any.
[From the Guardian:]
The prompt and effective measures you have taken are
worthy of the highest praise. I will inform you if further
action is deemed necessary. I hope and pray your devoted
efforts will yield abundant fruit in the near future.
November 18, 1925
Inaugurate a Fresh Campaign of Teaching
Shoghi Effendi prays for all of you and hopes that through
your practical devotion, you will all attract divine assistance more
and more day by day and so this coming year the Cause of God
will make unprecedented progress in that country. He sends
+P11
you and all the members of the National Spiritual Assembly
his affectionate greeting and expects your good news regularly.
[From the Guardian:]
I pray that your newly constituted National Spiritual Assembly
may grow from strength to strength, may co-ordinate
and consolidate the ever-expanding activities of the friends in
India and Burma and inaugurate a fresh campaign of Teaching
that will redound to the glory and power of the Most
Great Name.
May the projected Congress at Cawnpore attract widespread
interest and stimulate the work undertaken by the friends in
that promising country. I assure you of my best wishes for
your success.
November 24, 1925
Increasing Activities
It is always a source of immeasurable joy and encouragement
to our dear Guardian to learn of your increasing activities
in serving our dear Cause and also of the growing measure of
success which you are meeting with in all your endeavours. The
unity of the friends in India and Burma, the spread of the
Cause in that vast country and especially among the real natives,
intelligent connections with the universities and schools and the
direction of the thoughts of the students to a proper understanding
of the Cause and its great mission on earth, will not only
be real accomplishment on the part of our dear fellow-workers
but will relieve to a very large extent our dear Guardian of the
stupendous task that he shoulders, and will give him the deepest
joy and confidence. We earnestly trust that through the help
of our dear Master from on high all your efforts will be crowned
with success.
Shoghi Effendi is always interested to hear from you on the
work in India and to help you in every possible way.
You are, I am sure, in touch with Mr. Horace Holley in
America and you would be interested to know that they are
+P12
publishing soon a Baha'i Year Book which will be of widespread
interest not only to the Baha'is but also to many interested
men and women in our dear Cause.
Mrs. Stannard is very successful in her work in Geneva and
she has already started a fine center there. She is able to make
many connections with influential men and learned people and
this is in itself a great work.
[From the Guardian:]
I am very pleased and gratified to learn of your persistent
efforts in advancing and consolidating the Cause. The
establishment of a Central Office in Delhi is a great step
forward and I await very eagerly the first issue of the publication
of the National Spiritual Assembly of India [&and] Burma.
The Burmese friends are very satisfied and pleased with the
consideration shown and the activity displayed by your
Assembly and my prayer is that the relations of the National
Body with the local Assemblies will grow firmer everyday.
I will specially remember the friends who are promoting the
Cause among the Qadiyani community whenever I visit the
Shrines. I wish them the fullest success.
March 27, 1926
Bring Together the Hindus and Mohammedans
Shoghi Effendi received your letter dated June 11th and
was very glad to see the result of the election of the National
Spiritual Assembly. He sincerely hopes that this year will
witness a great change and progress for the Cause in India. As
the friends are sincere in their love and devotion, the members
of the Assembly strong in their faith and unfailing in their
services, there is full assurance of an ultimate victory and final
settlement of the existing difficulties. Shoghi Effendi has great
hopes in you personally and trusts in your wise judgment,
watchful attentiveness and absolute assurance in the Cause you
serve. He wants me to assure you of his prayers.
He also hopes that the friends in India will do their very
best to bring together the Hindus and Mohammedans. In such
+P13
cases the friends can show their good-will, devotion to humanity,
and disinterestedness in the material result obtained. He will pray
that ... Prof. Pritam Singh will be guided in this
undertaking and ably represent the spirit of the Cause as
well as its teachings. Being competent themselves and having
the necessary divine blessing and guidance it is sure that they
will achieve much. May be this will be a good chance for attracting
the attention of some of the prominent leaders to the
reality of the Cause.
[From the Guardian:]
I have written in person to the Bombay Assembly and
urged them most emphatically to support morally and
financially the National Assembly and the National Fund.
...We have to repeat and repeat over and over again until
the truth, the necessity and the urgency of our Beloved's
instructions sink in the hearts and minds of the believers. I
am sure you will continue to remind the friends of their
primary obligations. Assuring you again of my prayers for
your success in your high endeavours.
July 10, 1926
Cause Will Ultimately Conquer
&Abdu'l-Baha used often to say that the difference between a
prophet and an ordinary person is that the latter looks only to
the present. He does not try to imagine the future victories and
thereby forget the present trivial obstructions. The prophet,
however, having a deep insight in the future condition of things
sees his ultimate victory and does not get disheartened even
though he sees a whole-sale massacre of his followers.
As Baha'is we should follow the prophet's method. We know
that the Cause will ultimately conquer and its ranks be fully
united. We know that the Master's promises will ultimately be
realized, therefore why be discouraged by trivial oppositions we
see on our way. We should rather add to our zeal and persist
in our prayers and endeavours... It always takes time for a people
to change from one administration to another. Up to the
present they have been accustomed to think of the local assemblies
+P14
as next only to the Center of the Cause, and it will take
some time and training before they can admit another superior.
[From the Guardian:]
I have cabled to Bombay and will soon confirm it by letter.
I have urged them to support consistently and whole-heartedly
the very essential and vital institutions of the National Fund
and the National Assembly. It must be made clear to them
all that continuous support to these twin institutions is the
corner-stone of all future achievements, the mainspring from
which all future blessings will flow. Persevere in your heroic
effort and remember that the end is glorious and bright.
September 7, 1926
I take pleasure in thanking you on behalf of our dear Guardian,
Shoghi Effendi, for your letter...
As it announced the election of a new body to take up the
responsible but lofty work of supervising and guiding the promulgation
of the Baha'i Cause throughout India and Burma,
Shoghi Effendi wishes me to take this opportunity and assure
each and every member of that distinguished body not only of
his heartfelt congratulations and prayers but also of the high
hopes that he cherishes for you all. It is from you and through
you that he expects to see emanating that glorious spirit for
which our departed Master gave his entire life; and with your
earnest endeavours, your consummate wisdom and your unflinching
faith he awaits to see you lead the humble workers of that
great country to an ultimate victory.
May I also take this opportunity and express the great desire
of Shoghi Effendi that the National Assembly should try to
be in close communication with him. To him it is a joy beyond
words to try to do all in his power to help you in the noble work
you have undertaken.
[From the Guardian:]
Now that the N.S.A. has been properly constituted and its
officers duly appointed, it is incumbent upon each and all to
introduce and promote such measures as will consolidate the
work that you have so well begun. The institution of the
+P15
National Fund, a Baha'i Bulletin similar to the News Letter
issued by the American N.S.A., a rigorous and well-conceived
campaign of Teaching, a continuous and purposeful
endeavour to coordinate the activities of the local Assemblies
and groups throughout India and Burma and the sending of
detailed and frequent reports to the Holy Land are among
the most primary and urgent requirements of the new day
that has dawned upon India. I eagerly await your reports and
assure you of my continued prayers for the success of your
arduous labours.
October 28, 1926
Publication of Kaukab
The news that the difficulties, which for a time prevailed and
threatened grave disturbances between the N.S.A. and the Local
Assemblies, have vanished, was a source of great satisfaction
and gratification to him. We were quite sure that it was all due
to misunderstandings and that they would be easily overcome...
In a letter which I have lately written to Seyed Jenabe Ali
on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, I intimated his desire that a special
committee of the N.S.A. should be created to undertake the
management of everything pertaining to the Kaukab. Furthermore,
if a certain sum is offered to the National Fund with the
expressed desire that it should be spent for the Kaukab, i.e., if
the offer is labelled, then the N.S.A. should take into consideration
the wish of the giver and spend it only for that purpose.
Though the friends are advised to give unlabelled contributions
they cannot in any way be prevented from using their choice in
the way it should be spent.
Though the Local Assemblies should give the N.S.A. all the
moral and financial support the latter needs, it is the duty of the
N.S.A. to inspire the necessary confidence in keeping the management
of its work as efficiently as possible.
In a cable recently sent to the N.S.A. Shoghi Effendi recommended
the publication of the Kaukab. He desires this paper
+P16
to play an important role in drawing the attention of the more
thoughtful and seeking people to the potency of this divine
Cause. I herein enclose a cheque for L19 which Shoghi Effendi
desires to be spent for this all important organ of the Cause in
India.
[From the Guardian:]
I am enclosing a general message, clearly worded, emphatically
expressed, and vitally important in all its bearings, conveyed
through Mirza Mahmood to the National Assembly
for the information of all Baha'is in India and Burma. I am
sure you will promptly and effectively take all necessary
measures for its dissemination throughout India and Burma.
The `Kaukab' must, at all costs be continued, and I feel that
its two editors ... are the most suitable to form a committee
which will conduct its affairs under the direct supervision of
the National Assembly. Whatever is contributed to the
National Assembly for a specific purpose should be expended
for that purpose only, but I would encourage the friends to
send unlabelled contributions in order not to tie the hands of
the National Assembly although I do not in the least require
them to do so. I will pray for your success from all my
heart.
November 16, 1926
The Baha'i News
It is most gratifying to him to hear that the difficulties that
darkened the horizon of the Cause in India have vanished and
the National as well as Local Assemblies are united to further
the interests of the Cause. He hopes that Kaukab will become
a Baha'i organ administered even better than before.
Shoghi Effendi hopes that Aqa Mirza Moneer will cause
another stir in India and draw many individuals into a full understanding
of the movement. His zeal as well as knowledge
of the Cause stand to his credit and are sure to win him success
wherever he goes. Please convey to him Shoghi Effendi's loving
greetings and assure him of his prayers.
+P17
[From the Guardian:]
I hope to hear soon of the re-establishment and circulation
of the Kaukab. The matter of the publication of a Baha'i
News Letter issued by the National Assembly is also of utmost
importance. May the support to the National Fund be
such as to render it a truly worthy and representative Baha'i
periodical. Persevere in your splendid efforts and do not
lose heart for I will continue to pray for you from the depth
of my heart.
December 21, 1926
Widen the Scope of Activities
With the opening of this new Baha'i year our Guardian
trusts that it will be marked by a new and greater effort, by
a more intense cooperation among the friends in India and
Burma and by an unsurpassed record of success.
Now that Mrs. Schopflocker has in many places broken the
ground, it devolves upon the faithful workers in India
to follow up the work, to seize every opportunity and to
give to her hasty and in many places insufficient services a more
permanent and lasting character.
I express the hopes of our Guardian without disregard
to your many problems and difficulties, but the field is so
vast and the ground so fresh and fertile that it cannot but
evoke almost unreasonable expectations. This feeling and
yearning, I am sure, is much more yours than ours could be.
[From the Guardian:]
I urge you to take every means at your disposal
... to follow up the work that
has been so splendidly begun by Mrs. Schopflocker.
I would also urge you to arrange for the preparation of an
annual report by the National Assembly of the activities
of the friends in India and Burma, to be forwarded to the
American National Spiritual Assembly for insertion in the
next issue of the Annual Baha'i Year Book. A representative
group photograph of the Baha'is of divers races and creeds
+P18
in that land would also greatly enhance the Year Book, if
such a thing is possible.
April 25, 1927
He is very glad to learn of the good work of Nabilzadeh
and Mrs. Schopflocker and hopes that the friends will
follow up their work in order to obtain some definite and
permanent results. For a teacher to fly from one end of India
to another is not sufficient, there must be somebody who can
stay long enough in one place and start regular gatherings.
The latter function naturally falls upon the friends in India
and he earnestly hopes that the new year may bring fresh and
lasting achievements.
Shoghi Effendi awaits eagerly the results of the election of
the N.S.A. and he should like to see that body accomplish
something more than routine work. They should take new
steps and carry out a regular campaign in India and Burma.
[From the Guardian:]
It is my hope and prayer that the newly-elected National
and Local Assemblies may widen the scope of their activities,
initiate new and valuable measures, extend the circle of their
correspondence with foreign Baha'i centres, and promote
the independence and distinctiveness of the Baha'i Faith. I
would urge you to inform the Year Book Committee
through Mr. Holley of the results of all elections in India
and to send if possible an annual report to that Committee.
Wishing you success and happiness.
May 24, 1927
In the midst of his work and many responsibilities, it is
a source of comfort for him to feel that the initiative and
guidance of the Cause in India is in such able hands and he
trusts to see in the near future greater and fuller results.
True, the minds of many are turned away from all that
sounds religious, but it is only because they are ill-advised as
+P19
to the meaning of true religion and it is just that mission that
devolves upon us--to give a new viewpoint, to revive fresh
hopes and to guide by the sacred utterances the thoughts and
actions of mankind.
Perhaps India has not yet reached the high mark which our
hopes have made us expect, but the time still remains and the
hopes of our Guardian are anxiously turned to the educated,
sincere and zealous fellow-brothers he so much loves in India
and Burma.
[From the Guardian:]
I have received lately your second letter dated June 10th
enclosing the list of the members of the newly-elected Indian
Assemblies as well as the report of the receipts and expenditures
of the National Fund. Your loyal and untiring attention
to the pressing manifold requirements of our beloved
and steadily expanding Cause is a thing never-to-be
forgotten and worthy of unqualified praise. I trust you
will continue to keep in touch with the American National
Assembly whose Secretary is only too anxious to incorporate
in the newsletter and the Year Book every bit of news
regarding the progress of the Faith in India [&and] Burma.
July 14, 1927
Conduct of the Work of N.S.A.
He is very glad indeed to hear of the interview of Mr.
Nabilzadeh with the Governor of Burma. He will pray that
the seeds he has sown will germinate in the course of time and
will prove of great benefit to our beloved Cause.
Our Guardian hopes that henceforth the secretaries of all
local and national Assemblies will immediately upon their
election inform the American National Assembly of their
membership and the address, that the results may without
delay be published in the Baha'i Year Book.
Our Guardian will not cease to pray for you all that the
Beloved may guide you to achieve that which will conduce
+P20
to the consolidation and extension of the influence of the Cause.
[From the Guardian:]
I trust the newly-elected Assembly will endeavour to follow
the example of the American National Assembly in method,
action, and procedure. The American Newsletter will indicate
clearly the lines along which Baha'i National Assemblies
are to conduct their work in future and I earnestly
urge you to encourage the friends to follow and adopt the
method outlined in its columns.
August 19, 1927
Extend the Scope of Activities
For a country like India and also Burma where the Baha'i
communities are so much scattered and are of varied extraction
a common centre to coordinate the different efforts and to link
up together both the Assemblies within India and in the various
parts of the world, is also ... necessary, and our Guardian
hopes and trusts to see in time great results from this new
measure. Of course much depends upon how well this organ
functions.
Shoghi Effendi is in good health having taken a good rest
during the summer. He awaits as much as ever the good news
of the friends in India and above all news of real accomplishment.
[From the Guardian:]
I hope that nothing has transpired of late that might
have in any manner affected the expansion of the work in
those regions. I fully realize your single-handedness in
such a vast and varied field, but I assure you, dearest friend,
that your reward is proportionately great, for He that
watches over you is aware of the great devotion which
animates you in the pursuit of your arduous and noble
task.
November 1, 1927
Your frequent communications keeping him in close touch
with your activities and the work in India, are deeply appreciated,
+P21
and he relies much upon your efforts to coordinate the work
in India and to have more direct and material results than we
have been accustomed to lately. When compared to some
other countries and remembering the many years since the
Cause was first known there, India, I am afraid, does not come
up to expectations. Are we going to accept this secondary
position or has the future a surprise in store? At any rate we
patiently wait.
November 16, 1927
He was greatly pleased with the news of the work of Prof.
Pritam Singh in Karachi and Lahore and he read his well-worded
lectures with interest. It gives him immense pleasure to keep
in touch with his activities and he prays for the success of his
efforts from the bottom of his heart. He is confident that when
his plans are carried out and he does travel throughout the
whole of India in the interests of the Cause, he will show a
record of constant progress and would have rendered valuable
services to the Baha'i Faith. Please assure him of our Guardian's
unfailing prayers and good wishes and also kindly convey to
the Amritsar Baha'is the loving greetings of Shoghi Effendi...
I am sure it will interest you to know that we have had during
the Ridwan festivals the first Baha'i pilgrim from Tunis.
The representative of the Tunis Assembly is a young man full of
hopes and schemes for the future.
[From the Guardian:]
I will specially supplicate, on behalf of my dear brethren
in India [&and] Burma, at the Beloved's Shrine, that they may
arise with heart and soul and in perfect harmony and understanding
to extend the scope of their activities, to consolidate
the foundations of their work, to deepen their knowledge
and understanding of the fundamentals of the Faith, and to
carry out the Beloved's explicit instructions for the establishment
of Baha'u'llah's undisputed sovereignty on this earth.
May they be richly blessed and guided in their endeavours.
May 6, 1928
+P22
Among the subjects that the Guardian would expect your
body to take are a coordination of the various efforts and
endeavours throughout India and Burma, an acceleration and
increase in the number of Baha'is and fellow-workers, ways and
means to attract the attention of Indians from every class and
creed to the message and vital dynamic spirit of the Baha'i
Faith and as a cumulative and culminating step the final
recognition of the Baha'i Community as a separate religious
organization similar to what has been already achieved in
America.
June 22, 1928
The news that we obtain from the various parts of the world
are most gratifying, for though there are some great problems
to solve, yet no one can fail to see the constant realization of
those ideals we cherish. May that day soon dawn when the
source of this spiritual power, which is permeating the whole of
society, will be appreciated and venerated.
August 21, 1928
Present the Teachings at Various Conventions
[&and] Gatherings
This is to acknowledge the receipt of your letter ... reporting
the events of the Brahmo Samaj Centenary gathering to
Shoghi Effendi. Such meetings are wonderful occasions for
showing the spirit and teachings of the Cause.... Shoghi
Effendi's hope is that at such Conventions and gatherings the
friends would present the teachings to persons otherwise inaccessible
for individual contact.
[From the Guardian:]
I heartily approve the project of a Baha'i Convention and
would leave the choice of the site and other arrangements to
the National Assembly. The Cause in various countries is
making a great headway and the reference of the case of the
+P23
Baghdad House to the Mandates Commission of the League
of Nations is a great step forward.
October 10, 1928
The Faith Publicized in Turkey
He was glad to hear from you and he has read with deep
satisfaction the account of the good work of Syed Ilmi in Burma.
Shoghi Effendi has always wondered as to the reasons why
despite so many years of effort and activity, the Cause has
not spread more rapidly either in India or Burma, perhaps the
latter can be more proud of its results. He would in fact
appreciate your own personal opinion, although God's ways are
often hard to understand. We have lately had a remarkable
illustration in Turkey where the Baha'is were an insignificant
little group. Suddenly accused of constituting a secret political
society the members of the N.S.A. in Constantinople and the
S.A. in Smyrna were dragged to the police and kept for one
night pending the formation of the Board of Inquiry. The next
day the court sat and the president of the N.S.A. was cross-examined
for eight consecutive hours. The result was that they
were all dismissed, with the members of the Court deeply influenced
and impressed by the teachings and principles which
the President boldly and eloquently described. They asked
for literature and many of them carried from that session much
food for thought. Furthermore every paper in Turkey filled its
front pages with the incident and a repetition of the teachings
and good many a Turk heard of the Cause in a way that Baha'is
could never bring about.
[From the Guardian:]
I trust and pray that circumstances will be favourable and
the means provided for the holding of a Baha'i convention
this year representative of India and Burma. A closer touch
and more frequent interchange of thought among the Baha'i
Centres in those lands are absolutely essential. I am sending
you a copy of the recently issued "Baha'i World", and
wish you to urge the National and Local Assemblies in India
[&and] Burma to order as many copies as they possibly can from
+P24
America for distribution among the enlightened public as
well as a means for the assistance and encouragement of the
Baha'i Publishing Committee in New York which is doing
excellent service at the present time.
November 15, 1928
Assemblies Must Endeavour to Inspire
Confidence
Although I had never meant that my enquiry from you as
to the reasons of lack of progress of the Cause in India, should
be asked from every individual Baha'i, yet I am sure, our Guardian
will be interested to know the ideas and opinions of various
sections of the friends both in India and Burma.
The expression of our views in written form sometimes helps
us to think better and deeper and often brings various matters
into proper perspective, enabling us thereby to disregard what
is extraneous and unimportant. The answers to the question
put forth, would, I feel, be extremely valuable to the N.S.A. in
India, and with the proper backing, respect and support of the
entire friends, they should not lose a minute in an endeavour to
remedy and inspire what ought not and what should be done,
in an effort to spread the Cause.
[From the Guardian:]
I trust that the forthcoming Convention will remedy most
if not all the present deficiencies in the Cause and lend an
unprecedented impetus to the progress of the Faith. The
Teaching work should be stressed as it is the Fountain-head
from which all future blessings will flow. We must first and
foremost add to our small numbers, and introduce fresh
blood into the organic life of the community. I will specially
supplicate this bounty for the representative delegates to be
assembled at Convention this year.
December 19, 1928
Maintain and Strengthen the Unity of the
National Assembly
He was very glad to hear of the success of the Convention.
He hopes that such gatherings will become yearly and, like in
+P25
other countries, lead to a better understanding among the friends.
It is surely true that as the Cause progresses differences will
more and more arise. So unless there be a meeting place where
the different views are thrashed, true unity of purpose and
activity will not be obtained.
Just as much as the result of the Convention made him
happy he was sorry to hear of the differences that exist between
the N.S.A. members. The real source of the difficulty is, I
believe, the lack of constant intercourse between the different
members. As the country is so very vast meetings cannot be
very frequent and well attended, and this ultimately leads to
misunderstandings and lack of faith in each other. Shoghi
Effendi knows the different individuals involved, he knows their
integrity and faith in the Cause and its spirit. He is sure that
they, each and all, have no other purpose but to serve the
progress of the movement and uphold its interests. And they
will surely not commit an act that would retard the very Cause
they are serving. What the solution is, I do not know. What
Shoghi Effendi has been hoping during the last two or three
years is a spirit of mutual trust that would overcome physical
handicaps. But that seems to be impossible. A lurking dissatisfaction
is sure to appear at the end.
[From the Guardian:]
Your subsequent letter dated Jan. 24 has also reached me.
I will specially remember our dear and valued co-worker
Prof. Pritam Singh when I visit the sacred Shrine that the
spirit of Baha'u'llah may inspire, guide and sustain him in
his great task. Regarding your last convention and the non-participation
of the Burma delegates, I feel that the utmost
effort must be exerted during the coming elections in April
to elect those who are best fitted for this supreme and responsible
position, and once elected, resignation is not to be
accepted. The members must meet and consult in person.
Persia is preparing for the holding of national elections, and
for India and Burma to revert to a system that is being abandoned
by the Persian believers would be a decidedly retrograde
step. We must at all costs maintain and strengthen
the unity of the National Assembly. Everything must be
+P26
subordinated to this end. I will supplicate our Beloved to
enable you to achieve His purpose.
February 12, 1929
It is his sincere hope and desire to see the newly-elected
National Assembly during its term of office, infuse a new and
fresh spirit into every Baha'i activity both in India and Burma,
and while establishing perfect unity and harmony within its own
ranks and the entire body of the believers, should take vigorous
steps to teach the Cause and to establish a progressive and representative
Baha'i community in both countries.
June 20, 1929
With regard to your proposal that the N.S.A. should meet
once in Burma and once in India, the Guardian wishes me to
record his hearty approval and to even suggest that if it should
be feasible they should meet even more often than that in both
places.
It is his sincere hope that in this manner and through the
individual effort of every member the misunderstandings existing
between India and Burma will be wiped out altogether and that
a fresh start will be made in a spirit of true and whole-hearted
accord.
July 8, 1929
He hopes that the new National Assembly will do its utmost
to bring about unity in its group and among the friends. For,
as he has often stated, the work of the Cause will remain
cramped unless that unity is obtained. The petty differences
that do exist are the result of misunderstandings and these can
surely be eliminated.
August 20, 1929
+P27
"Baha'i World"--Foremost Baha'i Publication
I write on behalf of the Guardian to remind you that the
next issue of the `Baha'i World' will soon appear and its editors
are already busy compiling material.
He has been asked by the editors in America to request you
please to make a special effort to contribute as much material
as you possibly can in the form of photographs, reports, accounts,
and individual articles; and to send them as soon as
possible to America in order that a work which the Guardian
considers our foremost Baha'i publication in the world, may be
as representative of the many countries and especially Eastern
peoples as we would all wish it to be.
December 15, 1929
"Huquq"
...As regards "Huquq", it is really 19 per cent of
one's income payable to the Guardian. But it is not obligatory
now.
December 19, 1929
Syed Jenab Ali--Distinguished Baha'i Leader
He was very sorry to learn of the illness of Syed Jenab Ali
and since the receipt of your letter, he has been extremely
grieved to learn of his passing. His sudden departure throws a
shadow of gloom upon all of us here and in India and while
Burma loses a distinguished and truly earnest Baha'i leader, it
must be especially unfortunate to you that just at a time when
you were considering and preparing the ground for Government
Recognition and a temporary consideration of Baha'i laws,
you were deprived of his valued cooperation. The Cause in
India is as yet in such a tender age that we can ill afford the
loss of those few that keep the torch aflame.
+P28
[From the Guardian:]
The news of the passing of our dear and able friend and
collaborator Syed Jenab Ali has brought profound sorrow to
our hearts. He leaves a great gap behind him. I hope that
the friends far from feeling disheartened and discouraged at
such a great loss will arise and redouble their efforts in order
to compensate for the loss which they have sustained. Kindly
assure his relatives of my deep grief, and my prayers for his
departed soul.
January 6, 1930
Martha Root Visits India
...Miss Root is at present in Tehran and she does not
know just how long she will stay, but surely before leaving for
India she would inform you of her plans in time.
It is such a pity that Mr. Vakil is unwell. He is a man we
cannot spare just as the passing of Syed Jenab Ali leaves a serious
gap in Burma.
[From the Guardian:]
Miss Root will soon be with you, and I trust her visit may
lend a fresh impetus to your work of consolidation and
spread of the Cause. I will continue to pray for your efforts
and activities from the depths of my heart. Be not disheartened.
Persevere in your labours and rest assured that
the Beloved will richly reward those who stand firm in the
Faith, and those who persevere in their endeavours.
March 1, 1930
Miss Root has been delayed by the enthusiastic reception she
has received in Persia and she is now planning to visit southern
and eastern Persia where she has not yet been. We hope her
visit to India will prove of some value in attracting the attention
of the intelligent classes among the non-Baha'is, but perhaps the
+P29
political agitation will entirely defeat that purpose at the present
time.
April 26, 1930
He was very glad to hear of the activities of Miss Martha
Root in India and hopes that they will all bear some wonderful
fruits for the progress of the Cause in India. It is sure that
with the existence of the present political unrest in that country
few are ready to pay any attention to religious matters, but
among the very intelligent people there are undoubtedly people
whose vision extends further than the present difficulties and
desire a spiritual rebirth for that much divided and troubled nation.
To these the Baha'i teachings should undoubtedly present a
much desired reform movement. Anyhow Shoghi Effendi hopes
that with the help of Miss Root you have been able to approach
such eminent persons and have sown in their heart the seed of
faith.
July 4, 1930
Concerning the trip of Miss Martha Root, we have already
heard about her activities from many sources. Shoghi Effendi
sincerely hopes that the National Assembly will undertake such
measures as would keep up the work and produce some tangible
result from her visit. It is very important to follow up the
work that she started and keep in touch with the people she has
been able to interest.
[From the Guardian:]
With the assurance of my deep appreciation of your many
and highly successful endeavours in connection with the visit
of Miss Root and of my fervent and loving prayers for your
own happiness and spiritual advancement.
September 19, 1930
+P30
Baha'i Representation at the All-Asian
Women's Conference
Concerning Baha'i representation at the All-Asian Women's
Conference; this is undoubtedly a most commendable thing to
do especially as the Cause has so much concerning the position
of women in society. Shoghi Effendi hopes that the National
Assembly will do its best to win the admiration of all the
assembled delegates for the teachings of the Cause along that
line. We should always take such opportunities that present
themselves. May be we would succeed to render some service
to society and alleviate its ills.
November 10, 1930
Shoghi Effendi hopes that with the combined efforts of the
friends and the Master's infinite mercy a great success will be
achieved at both of the conferences. While visiting the Blessed
Shrines he will remember the delegates and ask for them divine
guidance. If presented properly the position of women in the
Baha'i teachings will surely attract much attention, for it is not
only legal but also spiritual and educational. Our ideals are
so high and at the same time so practicable that all other views
will fall short if compared to them.
Shoghi Effendi hopes that many will be able to attend these
conferences and render all the assistance they possibly can.
[From the Guardian:]
I trust that the message sent on behalf of the Greatest Holy
Leaf and myself has reached in time and been conveyed to
the members of the conference. May the Almighty Hand of
Baha'u'llah guide your steps and sustain your efforts in the
manifold services you are rendering to the Cause. I will
continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart.
January 7, 1931
+P31
Publication of the "Dawn-Breakers"
The Guardian has also received the account of the National
Fund of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India
[&and] Burma and he read it with careful attention and deep
interest.
He was very pleased to learn with what self-sacrificing
efforts our Indian brothers are toiling and he fervently prays
that the Almighty may continually shower His blessings upon
them that they may be able to spread the Cause in the most
rapid and in the most efficient way.
Shoghi Effendi was particularly rejoiced at the perseverance
with which our talented Baha'i brother, Dr. Pritam Singh, is
carrying on his work in connection with the publication of the
"Baha'i Weekly", copies of which he has received and read with
deepest interest.
You may have heard of the projected publication by the
Baha'i Publishing Committee of the book entitled "The Dawn-Breakers"
being Nabil's narrative of the early days of the
Baha'i revelation, recently translated by the Guardian. It is
hoped that the Indian friends will order a few copies of this
highly valuable book and that they will send a few others to
some of the leading libraries in India and Burma.
[From the Guardian:]
My prayers will continue to be offered on behalf of the
loyal and self-sacrificing friends in India and Burma. Prof.
Pritam Singh's notable and ever-increasing share in the administrative,
literary and financial activities of the Faith in
that land is a source of genuine and constant satisfaction.
I would specially request your Assembly to prepare a comprehensive
and detailed report on the activities and progress
of the Faith in India and Burma during the last two years,
1930-32, for inclusion in the forthcoming issue of the Baha'i
World. Will you kindly forward the report to Mr. Horace
Holley as soon as possible, as he has been charged to draw
up a survey similar to the one published in the last volume.
+P32
I would also urge the friends in India and Burma to order
as many copies of the "Dawn-Breakers" as they possibly
can as I regard its circulation of vital importance to the
Cause.
August 29, 1931
Advertisements in Baha'i Periodicals
Shoghi Effendi wishes me to drop you these few lines to
draw your attention to a general principle he has laid down for
all the Baha'i periodicals, namely that they should be very careful
in selecting the advertisements they accept to publish. It
should be highly dignified, such as books for example, otherwise
it would detract from the dignity of the periodical itself. This
may cause certain difficulty in financially establishing the paper,
but we should face the sacrifice and not endanger the prestige
of our publications. He wishes you to take note of this general
recommendation in accepting advertisements for the Baha'i
Weekly.
January 7, 1932
Mrs. Ransom Kehler Visits India
Mrs. Ransom Kehler has informed us of her trip to India.
Shoghi Effendi hopes that the friends will give her all the necessary
facilities to make of her tour a real success. The report
of her work in Australia and New Zealand has been brilliant.
There is no reason why she should not do the same in India and
Burma if she is given the chance, and be put in touch with
really open-minded and interested people. In America she is
considered among the first class national teachers and is well
informed as to the progress of modern thought and the teachings
of the Cause. May be she will be able to give a new impetus
to the teaching work....
+P33
He trusts that through the efforts of you and the other
members of the National Assembly the Cause will take a real
lead in uniting the different elements existing in India and turn
the face of its people to the light of God shining through Baha'u'llah.
[From the Guardian:]
Your most welcome letter interrupting a prolonged silence
on your part, has brought joy and strength to my heart. I
will most assuredly pray for your complete recovery, for in
you the Cause in India has an invaluable asset which I, for
my part, greatly value and prize. I trust and pray that
Mrs. Kehler's visit will lend a fresh impetus to the work
which you are so ably conducting. I would certainly
advise her to prolong her stay in your midst if it is practicable
for her to do so. It is a splendid opportunity which
the friends in India should utilize to the utmost possible
extent. May the Beloved bless and reinforce your high
endeavours, remove every obstacle from your path, and
enable you at once to broaden and reinforce the foundations
of the Faith in that troubled land.
February 11, 1932
Shoghi Effendi was very glad to hear of the arrangements
you have made for the trip of Mrs. Ransom Kehler to India.
Being thoroughly familiar with the teachings and a competent
speaker, she should succeed to render wonderful services to the
progress of the movement in India. She could be easily ranked
as a first class teacher among the Baha'is of America and has
been the cause of guidance to innumerable souls. Guided and
helped by Prof. Pritam Singh she should be able to awaken
many souls to the spirit and teachings of Baha'u'llah.
March 12, 1932
Translation of Baha'u'llah [&and] the New Era
[From the Guardian:]
I wish to urge you to take as soon as you possibly can,
the necessary and most effective steps to ensure the translation
+P34
of Dr. Esslemont's book into Urdu and Gujrati. I
have already expressed the desirability to have these translations
to a number of pilgrims, but so far my hopes have
not materialized. This book has already been translated
and printed into eight different languages, the latest being
Russian, Hebrew and Chinese. The Persian, the Albanian,
the Bulgarian, the French and the Swedish versions will be
printed this year. I wish you to do all in your power to
ensure the speedy and correct translation of this book into
these two languages, and if necessary to hire the services of
a competent non-Baha'i translator. I shall be only too
pleased to assist financially both with regard to their translation
and publication. May the Beloved guide and assist
you in this vital and important task.
March 12, 1932
Mrs. Kehler Visits Calcutta
Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter dated March 14th 1932 informing him about the arrival
of Mrs. Ransom Kehler to Calcutta. He was very glad to
know that her visit was successful and that it has very much
stimulated the teaching work in that city. He sincerely hopes
that as a consequence a number of souls will enter the Cause
and be inspired by its divine teachings and ennobling spirit.
Such teachers of the Cause who, with all sincerity and determination,
undertake such long trips, should be very much helped
by the resident believers if real progress is to be achieved.
They ought to be assisted to reach important people speak to
intelligent and receptive audiences, and obtain interviews with
persons whose heart is open to the light of God. Otherwise,
during their short stay they would, like a helpless man in a
strange country, be impotent to achieve their purpose.
Shoghi Effendi is very glad the friends have taken the necessary
step to assist Mrs. Ransom Kehler by appointing Professor
+P35
Pritam Singh to accompany her in her trip through India. May
God help her and help you in proclaiming the Word of God
through the length and breadth of that vast land.
March 28, 1932
He was very glad to learn of the plans you made for Mrs.
Ransom Kehler. He sincerely hopes that in these meetings and
public lectures delivered in so many cities, she has been able to
attract some new souls to the Cause and confirm people who
until now have been merely interested. We should admit,
however, that the time at her disposal was too short to give her
the chance of doing her best. A teacher ought to remain at
least a few months in the same city if he wants to really confirm
souls. Mere passing and giving a lecture or two is not sufficient
unless there are resident Baha'is to continue the work that was
merely started. Anyhow Mrs. Ransom Kehler is expected to
reach Haifa in about 3 weeks and Shoghi Effendi will hear the
report of her journey from herself.
Translation of Baha'u'llah and the New Era
The Guardian was very glad to learn of your quick response
to his expressed desire in having Dr. Esslemont's book translated
into Urdu and Gujrati. As he comes to learn from one
of the Parsee pilgrims here in Haifa, the book has already been
translated by a competent Baha'i in India into Gujrati. So
there remains only Urdu. So Shoghi Effendi wishes you to
concentrate upon having the book translated only into Urdu.
[From the Guardian:]
I wish you to concentrate your efforts on the completion of
the Urdu version of Dr. Esslemont's book, and to take the
necessary step for its early publication. I shall be only too
glad to assist financially in its printing as soon as its
+P36
translation is completed. I also desire to stress the paramount
importance of following up the valuable work
accomplished by Mrs. Kehler and which I hope other
international Baha'i teachers will reinforce. How vast is the
field and how small the number of competent teachers!
Baha'u'llah will however bless and crown our efforts with
success if we persevere and labour with unabated confidence
and vigour.
April 5, 1932
Need of Baha'i Teachers all over the World
He sincerely hopes that as a result of her (Mrs. Kehler's)
trip the Cause will make a great progress in India and many
souls will be drawn into the Cause. It was surely very nice
and wise on the part of the National Assembly to appoint Mr.
Pritam Singh to travel with her and help her make openings
into intellectual circles. It is unfortunate, however, that she
cannot stay long in every centre and make really confirmed
believers such as she did in certain centres in Australia. But
perhaps the National Assembly will attend to that task and
keeping in touch with persons she will interest, and gradually
make them embrace the Faith and lend a help towards its progress.
We need teachers in every part of the world, and as
those who are in active service are few we should create some
from the material we have. It is the work of the N.S.A. to
attend to such matters and develop some of our young Baha'is
into competent teachers.
Baha'u'llah and the New Era to be Translated
into Urdu [&and] Hindi
In a previous letter I informed you on behalf of Shoghi
+P37
Effendi that as we already have a translation of Dr. Esslemont's
book into Gujrati, you concentrate your efforts on having it
rendered only into Urdu, so that the work may soon be completed
and published.
[From the Guardian:]
I trust you have by now taken the necessary steps for a
prompt and careful translation of the book into Urdu. This
service will, I am sure, be an added blessing to the masses
of India, whom you are striving so devotedly and energetically
to arouse and teach. May it prove a prelude to an
intensive and fruitful teaching campaign that shall bring in
its wake enlightenment, peace and hope to the distracted
multitudes of that agitated country.
April 12, 1932
Even though we can refer to a non-Baha'i when we have no
one among the friends to undertake a proper work of translation,
yet it is always preferable to have it accomplished by a
person who is imbued with the spirit and is already familiar
with the different expressions of Baha'i conceptions unfamiliar
to a non-Baha'i. Shoghi Effendi wishes him success and will
pray for his guidance.
Mrs. Ransom Kehler is now in Haifa taking some rest before
starting for Persia, where she expects to stay a few months.
Shoghi Effendi was very glad to hear of her great success in
India. He hopes that she will after Persia pay another visit to
that country and resume the work she has started. She is
surely a very competent teacher and well versed in the Writings.
[From the Guardian:]
I trust and pray that you will be enabled to start promptly
the publication of the Hindi translation on one
hand, and to ensure, on the other, the early completion of the
Urdu version, both of which, I feel are indispensable preliminaries
to an intensive teaching campaign among the great
masses of the Indian people. I am confident that the publication
of the Gujrati version together with these and the
Burmese translations, will reinforce the impetus which the
+P38
projected visit of Mrs. Kehler to India next autumn will lend
to the onward march of our beloved Cause in India. May
the Almighty reinforce your labours and bless your high
endeavours.
May 31, 1932
He is very glad to know that the different translations of Dr.
Esslemont's book, that you have undertaken to have made, are
progressing rapidly. He sincerely hopes that before long they
will be passed through the press and be ready for distribution.
Even though the book was written by a Christian and was
meant to be for people of that Faith to read, yet it is a very fine
presentation of the teachings as a whole and might prove interesting
to other people as well.
Shoghi Effendi surely hopes that before long the Cause may
produce scholars that would write books which would be far
deeper and more universal in scope, but for the present this is
the best we possess to give a general idea as to the history and
teachings of the Faith to new seekers. After reading this they
get the necessary introduction to delve more deeply into the
fundamental tenets such as are explained in the Iqan.
Shoghi Effendi hopes that these books will greatly stimulate
the teaching work in India and become the cause of guidance
to many sincere souls.
Passing Away of the Greatest Holy Leaf
The Guardian wishes me also to thank you for your kind
words of sympathy in connection with the passing away of the
Greatest Holy Leaf. This great loss will be felt by every Baha'i
but especially the pilgrims to whom she used to be such a source
of inspiration and joy. All those who met her left her presence
with a new spirit and a firm determination to serve the Cause
for which she suffered so much and whose progress was so near
to her heart.
+P39
What the Guardian is glad about is that her passing is creating
a new spirit among the friends and arousing them to greater
effort. May her death do for the progress of the Faith as much
as her life did.
Publication of Baha'u'llah [&and] the New Era
[From the Guardian:]
I wish to emphasize afresh the vital necessity of speeding
up the work of the translation and publication of the Gujrati,
the Urdu and the Hindi versions of the `New Era', a book
that has already been published into 14 different languages
and is being translated into sixteen additional tongues. I
am deeply appreciative of what you have already achieved,
and wish to assure you of my continued prayers for the
success of your painstaking efforts and the realization of
your dearest wish in the service of our beloved Faith.
October 19, 1932
Shoghi Effendi wishes me to communicate with you to inquire
regarding the Hindi and Urdu translations of Dr. Esslemont's
book. It is sometime that he has had no definite word as to
the progress of that work which you have so kindly undertaken
to supervise. He sincerely hopes that gradually that task will
be successfully achieved and that they will be ready to be
submitted to the printers and then to the readers who may be
anxiously awaiting to study them and benefit from their
contents.
This work once completed will become a great stimulus to
the teaching activities of the friends, for books can do infinitely
more work than teachers. Sitting in a chair in a solitary corner
one is infinitely more receptive to truth than in a lecture hall or
in a discussion group. The public has learned the habit of
reading. It is through that channel therefore that we have to
approach them.
November 19, 1932
+P40
He was very glad to obtain some news regarding the translation
of Dr. Esslemont's book into Urdu and Hindi, for he
feels deeply interested in the work. He feels that it is only when
such books are accessible to the public that the Cause will begin
to spread and its followers increase in number.
He, therefore, wishes you to exert your effort along that
line so that the task may be achieved properly and without any
needless delay. Also please keep him informed regarding any
new development or any progress made.
We do not now have any pilgrims, but the news we receive
from different parts of the world show great progress achieved by
the friends. Even though material conditions in some instances
hamper their activities to an appreciable extent, yet their devotion
and self-sacrifice are daily winning for them the admiration
and sympathy of the world around them. Every day a new
group is formed and new souls attracted to the faith.
[From the Guardian:]
I grieve to learn of the delay in the translation and publication
of the various translations of Dr. Esslemont's valuable
book, and I urge you to do all you possibly can to hasten
the realization of our cherished hopes--hopes which when
fulfilled will no doubt lend a great and fresh impetus to the
advancement of the Faith in that land. I am enclosing a
copy of my recent letter concerning the Greatest Holy Leaf
and the measures which, I feel, must be taken by the friends
in Persia preliminary to the formation of the House of
Justice.
January 10, 1933
Baha'i Center in Calcutta
He sincerely hopes that through God's infinite blessings the
necessary sum will be forthcoming and that in time a Center
worthy of the prestige and name of the Cause will be purchased
or built.
+P41
Such institutions greatly help the spread of the Faith, for
there will be a permanent place where the interested souls can
go for information. It also operates as the center of the different
activities of the Spiritual Assembly of that locality.
In his moments of prayer at the Blessed Shrines, the Guardian
will think of you as well as of the other friends in that
locality and ask for you all divine guidance and help.
He was also delighted to hear that three new souls have
accepted the Faith in Calcutta. He hopes that before long we
will have large groups, comprising hundreds of earnest and
seeking souls, enter the Cause and take part in spreading the
Message. Please assure the three of them of Shoghi Effendi's
loving greetings.
February 8, 1933
Translation of Baha'u'llah [&and] the New Era into
Burmese
Shoghi Effendi wishes me to write you this short note to enclose
a check for thirty pounds.
This is his contribution towards the publication of the
translation of Dr. Esslemont's book into Burmese which has
been made by Sayed Mustafa Rumi. Please inform the latter
about its receipt because he has asked the Guardian to send
this contribution through you and he may be anxious to receive
this news.
March 1, 1933
He was very glad to learn that the Burmese translation has
been completed and that it is now in the hands of the printers.
Now the translation into Burmese and Gujrati have been
completed and the latter is even printed and circulated the
+P42
Guardian feels we should concentrate upon the Hindi and Urdu
translations. We should not permit so much unnecessary delay.
If one way seems closed or difficult we could try another and
strive for the speedy completion of those books. The more we
see the crying need of the world for the spiritual teachings of
our Faith the more restless we should feel in giving out the
Message and improving the means of diffusing the precepts of
the Cause.
In his moments of prayers at the Blessed Shrines the Guardian
will think of you and ask God to guide and sustain your
efforts. He knows fully how difficult it is these days to bring a
task to a speedy and successful conclusion, but to a person
who is determined and lays his trust in God nothing is
impossible.
Teaching Among the Masses in India
[From the Guardian:]
I rejoice to hear of the steps that are being taken for the
printing of the Burmese edition of the `New Era' but deplore
the delay in the translation of the book into Hindi and Urdu.
The Gujrati copies have already been placed in the library
of the Mansion at Bahji, and I long with all my heart to witness
these remaining translations in their final and printed
form, side by side with the nineteen printed versions which
have already been collected and distributed throughout the
world. I would urge you to concentrate your energy on this
important and essential preliminary to an intensive campaign
of teaching among the masses in India. Persevere and rest
assured that my prayers will continue to be offered on your
behalf.
March 24, 1933
He was very glad to receive the Gujrati translation of Dr.
Esslemont's book, and he hopes that through your efforts the
Hindi and Urdu translation of it will soon be ready for publication.
+P43
As you may know, this work has already been translated
into 19 different languages and its rendering into 11 others will
be soon completed. This is really encouraging.
[From the Guardian:]
I long to hear from you and of the progress of your devoted
and incessant activities in the service of our beloved
Faith. I am also eager to receive the good news of the completion
of the translation and early publication of the Urdu
and Hindi versions of the `New Era'. The utmost effort
should be exerted to ensure the consummation of this work
which, I feel, must precede an intensive teaching campaign
among the masses in India. I am arranging for Mrs. Kehler
to visit southern Persia this autumn after which she is expecting
to visit India, this winter.
June 8, 1933
Baha'i Magazine
He was particularly glad to learn that some of our Indian
friends have encouraged you to start a fortnightly paper on the
Cause. The idea is, undoubtedly, most genuine and meets with
our Guardian's wholehearted approval. He wishes you, however,
not to act hurriedly, to take all the necessary steps which
can insure its safety and development. Such projects are not so
easy to carry out, especially in these days when the economic
crisis is getting so acute. At any rate, if you find that your
financial conditions allow you to undertake such an important
work, you should persevere in your efforts and try to make your
paper an indispensable adjunct to the teaching activities of the
friends.
The Guardian hopes that you will be more successful in
this, your second attempt. The unexpected death of the `Baha'i
Weekly', he feels, had badly affected the prestige of the Cause.
It is hoped that your new fortnightly paper will enable all to
appreciate more adequately the divine potency with which it is
endowed.
+P44
Mrs. Keith Ransom-Kehler, who has been doing such a fine
work in Persia, is planning to leave for India at the beginning of
winter. Her presence among you will be certainly appreciated.
She is such a wonderful soul, so devoted, so active and so capable.
The Guardian hopes that you will make the utmost use of
her stay in India.
[From the Guardian:]
Your unswerving loyalty and inflexible resolve to carry on
the work you have so nobly initiated are indeed worthy of
the highest praise. I will pray for your success and the
steady and uninterrupted progress of your activities whenever
I lay my head on the sacred Threshold and will supplicate
for you all the strength and guidance you need for the
prosecution of your task. The friends in India and Burma
should bestir themselves and, under the guidance and by the
aid of the National Assembly prepare the way for the forthcoming
visit of our able and brilliant international teacher
Mrs. Kehler. May the Lord sustain and guide them in their
endeavours and reward them for their acts of self-sacrifice in
His Path.
June 13, 1933
Publication of Baha'u'llah [&and] the New Era
As regards the Urdu translation of Dr. Esslemont's book,
Shoghi Effendi wishes you to make all the necessary effort to
have it published as soon as possible. He is fully aware of
the difficulties that have caused an inevitable delay in the
publication of this highly important work, but he feels certain
that, through your perseverance and through the kind and
invaluable assistance of Prof. Pritam Singh ...
the translation will be soon completed and be ready for
publication.
The Guardian would like you also to take all the necessary
steps for the Hindi translation of this same work. It is hoped
that no delay will be caused this time.
[From the Guardian:]
The Serbian and Hungarian versions of "The New Era"
+P45
have been recently published through the efforts of Martha
Root. The Rumanian translation has been undertaken and
the Greek version will soon be started. I long to see the
Urdu, the Hindi and the Burmese versions in print and
circulated among the masses of the Indian people. Persevere
and redouble in your efforts.
August 6, 1933
Shoghi Effendi was deeply gratified to learn of the important
steps you have taken for the translation and publication of
Dr. Esslemont's book into Hindi. He has greatly appreciated
the assistance of Dr. Kaushal Kishore, and sincerely trusts that
through your combined efforts the work will be soon completed
and will be ready for circulation. In a recent communication to
the Guardian, our devoted friend Siyyid, Mustafa Rumi, has
given the news of the publication of this same book in Burmese.
It is hoped that this will serve to encourage our Indian believers
to follow his example.
[From the Guardian:]
I am so pleased and grateful to you for your incessant
efforts in connexion with the translation and publication of
the `New Era', and I am deeply gratified to learn of the progress
already achieved. I will continue to pray for the speedy
realization of your hopes, plans and wishes in the service
of this glorious Faith.
September 10, 1933
Passing Away of Brilliant Teacher--Mrs. Kehler
The sudden passing of that wholly-consecrated and brilliant
teacher and international promoter of the Cause Mrs. Keith
Ransom-Kehler, has plunged Shoghi Effendi into deepest
sorrow for in her he has lost not only a valuable co-worker
but a dear friend. After more than a year of intense teaching
work in Persia, where she was entrusted by the Guardian with
the mission of acquainting our Persian brethren with the basic
+P46
principles of the Administration and of liberating them from
the appalling persecutions to which they have been lately
subjected, our precious Keith left this world under so tragic
circumstances that she was given by the Guardian the title of
the first western martyr on Persian soil, and was raised by him
to the station of one of the Hands of the Cause. Her deep-rooted
and unshakable faith, her unqualified loyalty to the
Cause of the Administration and her profound knowledge of
the Teachings, all these fully entitle her to occupy such an
eminent rank among the faithful.
Our Indian friends, who have been so appreciative of her
last visit to them, must have been particularly affected by such
an irretrievable loss. May the memory of her services inspire
them to follow in her footsteps, and to tread the path of service
as firmly and as successfully as she did.
Twentyfive Printed Versions of Baha'u'llah [&and]
the New Era
[From the Guardian:]
I am so eager to receive the news of the completion and
publication of the Hindi and Urdu versions of the "New
Era", and it will please and encourage you to know that
we have already twentyfive different printed versions of
this precious book translated into Eastern and Western
tongues.
November 26, 1933
Registration of Bombay Assembly
The Guardian was greatly pleased to read the minutes of
the last meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly of the
Baha'is of India and Burma and he wishes me to express his
genuine appreciation of the important steps which your
Assembly has taken for the further extension and consolidation
+P47
of the administrative institutions of the Faith in that country.
He would be very grateful if you send him regularly the minutes
of the meetings of the N.S.A. and he would be only too glad
to offer any suggestion or advice which may help its members
to better discharge their manifold and delicate functions. He
sincerely hopes that your Assembly will meet as regularly and
as frequently as possible in order to maintain the efficiency of
its functioning and to raise the standard and to widen the scope
of its activities.
The important decision of the N.S.A. relative to the registration
of the Bombay Assembly as a recognized religious body is,
in the Guardian's opinion, a leading step towards the official
recognition of the Cause as an independent religious organisation
by the Government authorities both in India and Burma. He
would strongly urge, however, that the constitution to be
adopted should not only be based on that which the New York
Assembly has adopted for its own registration but should
reproduce it identically without any change whatsoever but
with due consideration to all local and geographical differences.
The Guardian wishes also to stress the necessity of completing
the Urdu and the Hindi translations of Dr. Esslemont's `New
Era'. He has already, in several communications addressed
to Mr. N.R. Vakil, requested him to take all the necessary steps
in this direction. May the decision of the N.S.A. on this point
hasten and insure the completion of this task to which the
Guardian has so repeatedly drawn the attention of the friends.
December 27, 1933
Bedrock of Baha'i Administrative Order
The Guardian was very pleased to learn of the progress
done by the Indian N.S.A. in its efforts to consolidate, widen
and maintain the scope of its national activities. The difficulties
in your way are tremendous. The differences of language and
of social and intellectual background do, undoubtedly, render
the work somewhat difficult to carry out and may temporarily
+P48
check the efficient and smooth working of the national administrative
machinery of the Faith. They, nevertheless, impart to
the deliberations of the National Assembly a universality which
they would be otherwise lacking, and give to its members a
breadth of view which is their duty to cultivate and foster. It
is not uniformity which we should seek in the formation of
any national or local assembly. For the bedrock of the Baha'i
administrative order is the principle of unity in diversity, which
has been so strongly and so repeatedly emphasized in the
writings of the Cause. Differences which are not fundamental
and contrary to the basic teachings of the Cause should be
maintained, while the underlying unity of the administrative
order should be at any cost preserved and insured. Unity, both
of purpose and of means is, indeed, indispensable to the safe
and speedy working of every Assembly, whether local or
national.
Another factor which, in the Guardian's opinion, is essential
to the development of your N.S.A. is the holding of frequent
meetings. Although the members are stationed at great distances
from one another, yet they can communicate through correspondence.
It is not necessary that all the members should be
present in all the sessions. Those who for some reason or
another are unable to attend in person the meetings of the
N.S.A., can express their views in a written form and send them
to the Assembly. The main point is that your national
activities should not be let to suffer in any way, and its work
be retarded and postponed because of such necessarily unimportant
and secondary considerations.
[From the Guardian:]
I wish to assure you in person of my prayers for the
removal of the difficulties, domestic and otherwise, that
beset your path in these days. I will supplicate the Almighty
to guide you in your manifold and valuable activities in the
service of His Faith, to cheer your heart, and to deepen
your understanding of the fundamentals of His Faith. You
should concentrate your efforts at the present time on whatever
will, in your opinion reinforce the basis and extend the
influence, of the administrative institutions and the teaching
activities of the Faith. The Cause will, no doubt, surmount
+P49
the obstacles that now hinder its growth and will establish
its ascendency in the fulness of time and at the appointed
hour. We should persevere and never feel disheartened.
January 2, 1934
Accept Justified Resignation
The N.S.A. cannot refuse accepting a resignation when it is
well justified, and when it is done not with the purpose of
shirking responsibility but with the intention of giving a chance
to others to prove themselves worthy of occupying responsible
posts in the administrative field.
April 10, 1934
Revival of the Spirit of Fellowship
The resolutions passed by your N.S.A. at its recent meeting
at Delhi have given him sufficient evidence of the new spirit
that has come to animate its members. It is his hope that
through the continued development of that same spirit your
Assembly will be enabled to do more effective work for the
Cause.
[From the Guardian:]
The splendid resolutions passed by the National Assembly
at Delhi are admirable and indicate the revival of the spirit
of fellowship and determination to consolidate the administrative
basis of the Faith in India and Burma. I am eagerly
anticipating to hear the news that these resolutions have
been duly carried out, particularly regarding the incorporation
of the Bombay Assembly and the translation and
publication of the New Era into Urdu and Sindhi.
May 29, 1934
Changes in Membership of Baha'i
Assemblies
He fully agrees with the Bombay Assembly that they are
in need of an English-speaking Secretary, in view of the
+P50
increasingly large volume of correspondence they receive in English.
But he feels that this emergency does not afford sufficient
justification to any believer or Assembly to make the slightest
departure from the recognized and duly established principles
governing the election of the members of any Assembly, whether
local or national. If the Bombay Assembly feels it necessary
to have a Secretary for the English correspondence they can
appoint an Assistant Secretary from outside the Assembly.
It is only the body of Baha'i electors who can bring about
any change in the membership of the Assembly, and this during
the Ridvan feast which for all administrative purposes is the
beginning of the Baha'i Year.
June 5, 1934
Intensify Teaching Throughout India
He notes with deep satisfaction the important steps taken by
your N.S.A. for intensifying the spread of the Cause throughout
India and Burma, and particularly values the encouragement
and help which they have extended to dear Mr. Pritam
Singh in his teaching tour in Northern India. He is praying
from the depth of his heart for the success of this trip, as well
as for the speedy and complete materialisation of the plans
which you, in close collaboration with your fellow-members in
the National Assembly, are initiating for the wider diffusion of
the teachings throughout your country.
He fully appreciates, indeed, the suggestions you have
offered him in this connection. The lack of competent teachers
is no doubt a serious obstacle facing the Indian believers at
present. But it is by no means the most difficult problem with
which they have to deal. The essential is that all the friends,
without any exception whatever, should realise the full measure
of the responsibility which Baha'u'llah has placed on them for
teaching far and wide His Message. It is only through such an
awakened consciousness of their heavy and sacred responsibilities
and duties that the believers can hope to effectively promote and
safeguard the interests of the Cause. The Baha'i era is thus
+P51
the age of individual responsibility--the age in which everyone is
called to consider the spread of the Cause as his most sacred and
vital obligation.
This is the point which the Guardian wishes your Assembly
to emphasize in connection with the problem of teaching in
India. He hopes that through their collective efforts a new
zeal for teaching will come to animate the entire community of
the believers throughout India and Burma.
Shoghi Effendi approves of your suggestion to utilize the
fifty pounds which he sent to you, for the publication of the
Bengali translation of the "New Era". He hopes that this
work will soon be ready for distribution.
November 25, 1934
"Kitab-i-Iqan" Translated in Many Languages
I am directed by the Guardian to request you to kindly mail
to his address five copies of the Urdu translation of the "Kitab-i-Iqan"
(Book of Certitude).
You will certainly be interested to know that the Iqan has
already been translated and published into Russian, English,
French, German, Chinese, Albanian, Urdu and Braille. Steps
have also been taken for its rendering and publication into
Arabic, Armenian, Swedish and Danish.
November 27, 1934
Persecution of the Baha'is in Iran
The persecutions from which the Persian friends are now
suffering represent, indeed, the culmination in the long and
nation-wide campaign which the authorities in that country have
during the last two years launched against the Faith. In many
of its aspects this campaign is reminiscent of the persecutions
suffered by the early Babis,...
+P52
The first incident which led to this outburst of fierce antagonism
on the part of the Government was in connection with
the Tarbiat Schools in Tehran. The school authorities having,
after due consultation with the N.S.A. and in strict conformity
with the principle governing the observance of Baha'i holidays,
decided to close the schools on the occasion of the celebration
of the anniversary of Bab's martyrdom, the authorities in the
capital immediately issued orders that the schools be permanently
closed, and that also no public meetings of any kind be
held by the believers. This has been done in spite of the fact
that other religious communities, such as the Muslims and the
Zoroastrians, are allowed to celebrate their own feasts, and as
such enjoy full religious freedom. Similar orders were issued
to the believers in all other parts of Persia, with the result that
today the friends find their activities in Persia completely
paralyzed. Their schools have all been definitely closed, their
meetings suspended, their correspondence intercepted, and their
assemblies and committees for the most part dissolved.
The situation, as it stands at present, is highly disconcerting.
The friends, however, faithful to the injunctions of the Master
regarding obedience to government in all administrative matters
as distinguished from those affecting their conscience and loyalty
to the Cause strictly adhere to the laws and orders of the
government. Their sole hope is the assurance that in due time
all these restrictions are bound to disappear....
In the meantime, the Guardian would urge all the friends to
patiently and prayerfully wait until these sad happenings take
their due course. For the history of the Cause, particularly in
Persia, is a clear illustration of the truth that such persecutions
invariably serve to strengthen the believers in their faith, by
stimulating the spiritual powers latent in their hearts, and by
awakening in them a new and deeper consciousness of their
duties and responsibilities towards the Faith. Indeed, the mere
progress of the Cause, by provoking the hatreds and jealousies
of peoples and nations, creates for itself such difficulties and
obstacles as only its divine spirit can overcome. Abdu'l-Baha
has emphatically stated that the enmity and opposition of the
+P53
world will increase in direct proportion to the extension and
progress of the Faith. The greater the zeal of the believers and
the more striking the effect of their achievements, the fiercer
will be the opposition of the enemy.
Many are the passages in the Writings of Baha'u'llah wherein
He foreshadows the persecutions awaiting His Faith. But
side by side with such emphatic predictions is the assurance
that out of these sufferings and trials His Cause will emerge
triumphant and purified. May we not, therefore, gather strength
from such an assurance, and with hearts filled with confident
and joyous hope arise to fulfil our part in the establishment of
His Cause?
January 20, 1935
Training of Baha'i Teachers
With regard to the teaching outline you had enclosed,
Shoghi Effendi has read it with interest and appreciation and
wishes me to assure you of his whole-hearted approval. The
method you have adopted for the training of Baha'i teachers is,
indeed, very similar to the one used by the American friends.
It is very thorough, yet clear and highly effective. The Guardian
trusts that the believers in India and Burma will make full use
of your Assembly's suggestions and directions, and in this way
help in inaugurating a new and effective teaching campaign
throughout India and Burma.
July 8, 1935
Registration of L.S.A. of Karachi
He has been particularly pleased and encouraged to receive
the copy of the Certificate of Registration of the Karachi Baha'i
Assembly, and is eagerly awaiting for the registration papers of
the Delhi and Rangoon Spiritual Assemblies. He hopes that
the N.S.A. will expedite the matter of legalizing all the Local
+P54
Assemblies of India and Burma and in this way insure the
stability of the administrative institutions of the Cause in these
two countries.
August 12, 1935
Formation of an Assembly in Lahore
He is pleased to learn of the possibility of establishing an
Assembly in Lahore in the near future. He would urge you,
and through you your fellow-members in the N.S.A., to make a
special effort to bring about such a formation as soon as conditions
are found to be favourable. He hopes that the establishment
of a local Assembly in so important and central a town
in India will greatly help the expansion of the Faith, and will
consolidate the foundations of its institutions throughout that
country.
October 17, 1935
Historic Step in Development of Administrative
Order
He wishes me to congratulate you, and through you your
fellow-members in the N.S.A., for the steps you have taken for
the registration of the Delhi, Calcutta, Rangoon and other local
Assemblies. He hopes that by the end of the year six out of
the eight Assemblies will be duly registered. Needless to say
that the obtention of such an official recognition from the
authorities is an historic step in the development of the Administrative
Order of the Faith throughout India and Burma, and
one which shall greatly enhance its prestige, and consolidate its
position in the eyes of the public. May Baha'u'llah continue
to guide and assist your efforts for the fulfilment of this task.
The Guardian is also very much gratified to learn that the
N.S.A. is considering the possibility of establishing a local
+P55
Assembly in Lucknow. He trusts that in Jaunpur too an
Assembly will be formed very soon, and that through these two
valuable additions to the list of local Baha'i Assemblies, the
administrative work of the Cause in India will make further
and steady advancement.
In connection with the Teaching School which the N.S.A. is
planning to start, the Guardian wishes me to express his approval,
as well as his appreciation of this important action taken
by your Assembly for the extension of their teaching work. He
is also very pleased at the news of the teaching tour undertaken
by Prof. Pritam Singh throughout Northern India and Bengal.
He is praying for the success of this trip, and cherishes the hope
that it may serve to bring into the Cause people of capacity
and of true spiritual vision.
Circulation of Abdu'l-Baha's Photographs
Regarding the use of Abdu'l-Baha's photographs; Shoghi
Effendi sees no objection to their circulation. He would, however,
suggest that the Paris photograph be used, as well as the
American reproduction of it, printed on yellow paper with a
quotation from the Kitab-i-Ahd at the bottom.
Splendid Initiative
[From the Guardian:]
My heart swells with pride and gratitude as I witness, in
rapid succession and with ever-increasing dearness, the
evidences of the splendid initiative, the unwavering determination
and solidarity which have characterized your
accomplishments in recent months. The National Assembly
of India and Burma may be said to have resuscitated our
Cause and its institutions throughout the length and breadth
of that land. A mighty power whose source is centred in
Baha'u'llah Himself is copiously flowing through and permeating
the various organs of the Administrative Order of
+P56
His Faith in both India and Burma. You and your collaborators
stand on the threshold of unparalleled achievements. I
cannot but congratulate you on the start you have made and
on your choice of the path, which, after so many trials and
vicissitudes, you are so confidently treading. Persevere, and
be happy and thankful to Baha'u'llah.
November 15, 1935
Baha'i Holidays must be Observed
The Guardian ... feels truly delighted at the news of the
splendid meetings that were held in Bombay in honour of the
anniversary of the birthday of His Holiness Baha'u'llah. This
fresh evidence of the loyalty and devotion with which the Bombay
friends are upholding the institutions of the Faith is highly
gratifying and encouraging to him, indeed.
But he cannot but deplore the fact that some of the believers
are reluctant to observe, as strictly as they should, the Feasts
and anniversaries prescribed by the Cause. This attitude, which
may be justified in certain exceptional circumstances, is fraught
with incalculable dangers and harm to the community, and will,
if allowed to persist, seriously endanger its influence and prestige
in the public eye. Unity of action, in matters of so vital an
importance as the observance of Baha'i holidays, is essential.
It is the responsibility of the N.S.A. to remind and urge the
friends to faithfully carry out all such laws and precepts of the
Cause, the enforcement of which does not constitute an open
violation of the laws of their country.
[From the Guardian:]
The striking evidences of renewed Baha'i activity throughout
India and Burma, the recent manifestations of loyalty,
solidarity and self-sacrifice on the part of individuals, groups
and Assemblies in both the teaching and administrative
spheres of Baha'i service, rejoice my heart and revive and
enliven my hopes for the future of that land. The friends
in India and Burma have made a splendid start. They have
+P57
laid a firm foundation within the framework of the
administrative order of our Faith. They have weathered
manifold and distressing difficulties and successfully
surmounted formidable obstacles. A new era is opening
before them. I have no doubt that they will rise to the
height of the occasion, and will prove themselves worthy of
their high destiny.
November 22, 1935
Effective Publicity Throughout India
He feels greatly rejoiced at the important steps you have
taken for giving the Cause a wide and effective publicity
throughout India. He has read with much interest the newspaper
clipping which you had enclosed, and sincerely hopes
that your masterly sketch of the history and teachings of the
Cause will serve to attract leading personalities among the
Indian public to the Faith.
Regarding the publication of the Hindi, Sindhi and Bengali
translations of "Baha'u'llah and the New Era," the Guardian
very much appreciates your N.S.A.'s response to his call for
speeding up the printing of these works which, he hopes, will,
when widely circulated throughout the country open a new era
of unprecedented teaching activity not only in India and
Burma, but also in Ceylon and other neighbouring countries.
January 3, 1936
He feels really proud of you and of your distinguished and
able co-workers in the National Assembly for the unity,
efficiency and zeal with which you are labouring for the consolidation
of the Administration throughout India and Burma.
He is convinced that your sustained and collective efforts in this
connection will soon result in ushering in a new era in the
history of the Cause in that country.
+P58
Correspondence with the Guardian
The N.S.A. should, indeed, advise the believers to lessen their
correspondence with the Guardian. But under no circumstances
it can prevent them from writing to him. For this is a sacred
right and a supreme privilege which every believer can rightly
claim to possess, as through it alone he can get in direct touch
with his Guardian. If individuals feel, after the advice of the
N.S.A. to lessen correspondence, an inner urge to write to the
Guardian they should not be prevented or discouraged.
"New-Era" in Sindhi [&and] Bengali Printed
Shoghi Effendi is delighted to learn that the Sindhi and the
Bengali translations of the "New Era" have been already sent
to the press. He hopes that the Hindi version will also be completed
very soon. He is also very pleased that the N.S.A. is
taking the necessary steps for presenting to the authorities the
pamphlet regarding various laws and ordinances of the Cause on
matters of personal status. He sincerely hopes that the bill you
are planning to submit to the government will be approved.
He is eagerly awaiting to read the text himself.
Union With Loved Ones in the Next World
...the possibility of securing union with his beloved in
the next world is one which the Baha'i Teachings are quite
clear about. According to Baha'u'llah the soul retains its
individuality and consciousness after death, and is able to commune
with other souls. This communion, however, is purely
spiritual in character, and is conditioned upon the disinterested
and selfless love of the individuals for each other.
Effort in the Field of Teaching Urgently
Required
[From the Guardian:]
The evidences of the rise, the consolidation, and expansion
+P59
of the Administrative Order of our beloved Faith in India
and Burma are highly significant and most encouraging.
The incorporation of several local Assemblies is of historic
importance. Reproduction of all the Certificates of Incorporation
will adorn the pages of the forthcoming Biennial.
Now that the basis of Baha'i institutions has been firmly
laid, an unprecedented effort in the field of teaching is
urgently required. Such an effort is of vital and paramount
importance. May the Almighty sustain, inspire and guide
you in this meritorious endeavour.
March 10, 1936
...He would also appeal to all the friends to lend full
and continued support to the Cause of teaching throughout
India. He would suggest that those believers who have the
means and the necessary physical requirements, to settle in
those localities where the light of the Cause has not yet penetrated,
with the view of establishing a new group. This, he
feels, is a very effective way of spreading the Cause in a vast
and exceptionally varied country like India.
Voting is Sacred Obligation
Regarding voting; it is not only the right but the sacred
obligation of every member of any Baha'i administrative body,
whether permanent, or temporary like the Convention, to fully
and freely exercise this function. Abstention from voting is,
as a rule, not advisable, as it implies a shirking of responsibility
which every loyal and conscientious believer should consider it
a privilege to shoulder.
It is But a Beginning
[From the Guardian:]
The work thus far achieved, in both the teaching and
administrative spheres of Baha'i service, is highly reassuring
and truly meritorious in the sight of God. It is but a beginning
however. Much remains to be achieved. A systematic
effort, aiming at the settlement of individual believers in
+P60
those states and provinces of India where the banner of the
Faith has not yet been hoisted, must be deliberately exerted
and vigorously sustained. Southern India particularly, the
island of Ceylon and other outlying centres on the fringe of
the Indian Empire as well as within its very heart should be
won over, through your strenuous, constant and devoted
labours, to the ever-advancing Cause of Baha'u'llah. To
extend the outposts of our far-flung Faith should be your
immediate objective.
May 31, 1936
Daidanaw Baha'i School
Much as he realizes the heavy and ever-increasing expenses
which your Assembly is incurring, particularly in these hard
times, he feels nevertheless the urge to impress upon you the
vital necessity for the Indian and Burmese believers to help in
maintaining this Baha'i school in Daidanaw which, in addition
to the educational advantages it offers to the Baha'is, can be of
great help in promoting the cause of teaching throughout
Burma.
In view of that the Guardian wishes you to lay this matter
before the N.S.A. and to urge them to give it their careful consideration.
He himself is sending through the care of Siyyid
Mustafa Roumie, thirty pounds as his contribution towards the
upkeep of the school at Daidanaw.
July 10, 1936
Two Main Principles to Follow
With regard to the problems confronting the believers; these,
the Guardian fully realizes, are by no means easy to solve. But
the friends should be confident that the very progress of the
Cause will enable them to find the necessary solution to the
difficulties which appear now to so seriously puzzle their minds.
+P61
There are two main principles which the Guardian wishes
the friends to always bear in mind and to conscientiously and
faithfully follow. First is the principle of unqualified and whole-hearted
loyalty to the revealed Word. The believers should be
careful not to deviate, even a hair-breadth, from the Teachings.
Their supreme consideration should be to safeguard the purity
of the principles, tenets and laws of the Faith. It is only by
this means that they can hope to maintain the organic unity of
the Cause. There can and should be no liberals or conservatives,
no moderates or extremes in the Cause. For they are all
subject to the one and the same law which is the Law of God.
This law transcends all differences, all personal or local tendencies,
moods and aspirations.
Next is the principle of complete, and immediate obedience
to the Assemblies, both local and national. It is the responsibility
of these Baha'i administrative bodies to enable the community
to acquire, and increasingly deepen in the knowledge
and understanding of the Cause. Doctrinal unity and administrative
unity, these are the two chief pillars that sustain the
edifice of the Cause, and protect it from the storms of opposition
which so severely rage against it.
September 5, 1936
Visit of Mr. Schopflocher to India
I am addressing you these few lines on behalf of our beloved
Guardian to ask you to kindly inform your fellow-members in
the Indian N.S.A. of the happy news of the projected visit of dear
Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher to India, and to request you to take
any step that your Assembly deems advisable in order to make
his journey as fruitful and abundant in its results as possible.
Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher is not in need of any introduction,
as his long and manifold services to the Cause in America
and particularly his generous and unfailing support of the local,
national as well as international Baha'i funds, have endeared
him to all the friends, whether in the East or in the West.
+P62
For many years he has been a member of the American
N.S.A. and he contributed no small part in the steady development
and consolidation of the Administration ever since the
early days of its establishment in the States. He is indeed an
outstanding champion of the Administration not only in America
but also in the West, and has proved in deeds his profound
attachment and loyalty to all its principles, laws and institutions.
His name will be ever associated with the beloved Temple
in Wilmette. Had it not been for the continued and whole-hearted
support, both financial and moral, which he so
generously extended to it, that edifice could have never been
reared so steadily and efficiently. The friends will always
remember with deep gratitude the eminent services he has rendered
the Faith in this connection.
In view of these labours so devotedly accomplished, the
Guardian wishes your Assembly to urge the friends to draw full
benefit from Mr. Schopflocher's visit to India. He is confident
that you will extend to him a most hearty welcome, and will,
through association with him, draw fresh strength and inspiration
in your arduous labours for the Cause.
September 25, 1936
Systematized and Nation-wide Teaching
Campaign
Our beloved Guardian has read with intense interest and
deepest satisfaction your most welcome letter of the fifth
October conveying to him the joyful news of the teaching travels
undertaken by Prof. Pritam Singh and Dr. G.Y. Chitnis throughout
India. He wishes you to congratulate most warmly on his
behalf these two distinguished friends upon their determination
to carry the Message to those numerous and varied sections of
the Indian population who have not received as yet the blessings
which the knowledge of the Cause confers. He is deeply grateful
to them, and to those who have, whether directly or indirectly,
assisted them in the pursuit of this truly noble aim.
+P63
The Guardian wishes also to express his heartfelt thanks to
the Indian N.S.A. for its splendid efforts for the extension of the
teaching work throughout India. The evidences of its warm and
effective response to his earnest appeal for the inauguration of a
new systematized and nation-wide teaching campaign in that
country are indeed such as to give him fresh hopes concerning
the future expansion and consolidation of the Faith not only in
India and Burma but in the neighbouring regions where the
light of the Teachings has not yet penetrated. It is his sincere
hope that the National Assembly will, faithful to its pledge,
continue exerting its utmost for the furtherance of the cause of
teaching in India, and particularly in Southern India and Ceylon
where there are almost no centres at present. Nothing short of
the unity, self sacrifice and intelligent and systematized planning
which the local and national assemblies and also the individual
believers may show forth throughout the coming years can
enable them to attain this vital teaching goal.
[From the Guardian:]
I hasten to assure you in person of my personal and intense
satisfaction and of my special and fervent prayers for these
two stalwart pioneers who have arisen to accomplish so
noble a task in such difficult circumstances. The hosts of
the Abha Kingdom will assuredly guide and sustain them,
and will, if they persevere, crown their high endeavours with
success. May their example be followed by an increasingly
large number of their fellow workers.
October 22, 1936
Inflexible Determination Required
Now, that the teaching work is making a steady headway,
the friends should be on their guard lest they lose the opportunity
they have of spreading the Message in every corner
throughout India and Burma.
In this connection, he feels, he must congratulate most
warmly the members of the N.S.A. for the valuable steps they
have taken for the introduction of the Cause in central and
southern India.
+P64
[From the Guardian:]
The progress of the teaching activities initiated by your
Assembly is highly gratifying. Inflexible determination is
required to carry it to a successful conclusion. The methods
adopted by the American Baha'i community, the zeal, the
initiative, the efficiency, the fidelity with which they are prosecuting
their enterprise should be exemplified by individuals
and Assemblies in India and Burma. The administrative
machinery which the American believers have erected and
perfected has already had its counterpart in the institutions
you have so nobly reared in recent years. Your teaching
campaign, the supreme purpose for which this machinery
has been fashioned, should likewise be modelled according
to the plan which your sister community has devised and
is now developing so strenuously and successfully.
November 7, 1936
Welcome Extended to Mr. Schopflocher
He wishes me now to express in particular to you, and to
your distinguished fellow-members in the Indian N.S.A., his
most loving appreciation and thanks for the cordial welcome
you have extended to our dearly-beloved friend, Mr. Siegfried
Schopflocher, during his visit to India and Burma. He is confident
that the steps you have taken to render his trip successful
will greatly help in giving the Faith a wide and long-needed
publicity. The opportunity that has been offered you has been
truly splendid, and you certainly deserve to be heartily congratulated
for having fully availed yourselves of it. May the Beloved
reward you a thousand-fold for your ceaseless and
devoted endeavours in His Path.
January 7, 1937
Theosophists
With regard to the Theosophists and their activities;
although they obviously try to copy and claim as their own
some of the principles of the Cause, yet the Guardian feels that
it would be of no advantage to oppose them and to refute their
+P65
arguments. The best attitude for the friends to adopt in such
cases at the present time is to totally disregard and even neglect
their opponents. This has invariably been his advice to the
friends, whether in the East or in the West.
Baha'i Holidays
Regarding the sale of tea and other refreshments in a cinema
under non-Baha'i ownership; those friends who have hired
from the owner of the cinema a stall for the sale of such refreshments
should make every effort to obtain permission to close on
Baha'i holidays. In case, however, the non-Baha'i owner or
partner refuses to grant their request their only alternative is to
obey.
The case is different with a bread bakery owned by a believer.
In this case there can be no excuse whatever why the
shop should not be closed during Baha'i holidays, as there are
always non-Baha'i bakers from whom the public can buy.
Baha'i Administration
Concerning the LSA's right to suspend one of its members
from Assembly membership; the Assembly can, by a majority
vote, take such an action, even though the suspension may be
for a long period.
As regards your question whether the President of the N.S.A.
is entitled to give any ruling during the period of his tenure; the
Guardian wishes me to state that no such ruling can be valid
unless approved by the other members of the National Assembly.
The President has no special legislative capacity, except as a
member of the Assembly.
As to the question of removing a believer from the voting
list; although every duly constituted local Assembly has the
right to take such an action against any individual believer in
+P66
the community, nevertheless the Guardian feels the advisability
for the Local Assemblies to seek the advice and approval of the
N.S.A. in this most delicate and vital matter, as it is one fraught
with grave and far-reaching responsibilities.
Before closing I wish to express to you, and through you to
your fellow-members in the N.S.A., how happy the Guardian
feels to learn of the strong preparations your Assembly has
made for the holding of the next Annual Convention of the
friends in Karachi. He is the more rejoiced that the main item
of the discussions will be the problem of teaching. He is fervently
praying that the program upon which the delegates and
the N.S.A. will decide will mark the inauguration of an unprecedented
teaching campaign throughout India and Burma.
[From the Guardian:]
I am delighted to learn of the work which is being steadily
and efficiently accomplished in so many spheres of Baha'i
activity throughout India and Burma. My heart is filled
with gratitude as I witness the progress you have achieved,
the enterprises you have initiated, the method and measures
you have adopted, the plans you have conceived and above
all the spirit of exemplary loyalty and magnificent devotion
that impels you forward in the great mission you are destined
to fulfil.
February 28, 1937
Obligatory Prayers
...concerning the three daily obligatory prayers. The
friends are free to choose any one of these three prayers, but
have to follow the instructions revealed by Baha'u'llah concerning
them. The long prayer should be recited once in every
24 hours, and is accompanied by certain physical acts. The
short prayer, consisting of one verse, should be recited once a
day at noon; while the medium prayer should be said three
times a day: in the morning, at noon and in the evening. The
believer is entirely free to choose any one of these three prayers
for daily use.
+P67
While praying it would be better to turn one's thoughts to
the Manifestation as He continues, in the other world, to be our
means of contact with the Almighty. We can, however, pray
directly to God Himself.
April 27, 1937
Progress of Teaching Most Gratifying
The reports of the progress of the teaching work in India and
Burma are most gratifying, and all indicate the high measure
of devotion and zeal which the friends are putting at the service
of this most noble and sacred task. Dr. Ali of Rangoon is specially
active working through the press, and has already succeeded
in giving a very wide publicity to the Faith in many circles, both
native and foreign. He is certainly the most promising teacher
we have in Rangoon, and the N.S.A. would do well to encourage
him, and to give him every possible assistance with the view
of further extending the scope of his teaching activities throughout
Burma.
[From the Guardian:]
I am so glad ... of the progress of the teaching work in
India and Burma. I pray that Martha's forthcoming visit
to your shores may greatly stimulate the splendid work
which has been so nobly initiated and is being so painstakingly
continued.
July 12, 1937
National Fund
I wish, in particular, to express his gratification at the success
that has attended your annual Convention this year, and at the
recommendations and decisions taken by the N.S.A. with the
view of intensifying the teaching campaign throughout India
and Burma. He would strongly urge your Assembly to maintain
the standard of the teaching work, and to appeal to the
friends to rise up to the call of the hour, and to be ready to
undergo any sacrifice that their sacred task requires.
+P68
Above all he wishes through you to reiterate his wish,
already expressed in his recent cable to the N.S.A., that the
National Fund, which undoubtedly constitutes the bedrock
upon which all the activities of the Cause ultimately rest, should
receive the continued and whole-hearted support of all the
believers. Both the local Assemblies and the individual believers
should realize that unless they contribute regularly and
generously to that Fund the progress of the Faith in India and
Burma will not only be considerably retarded, but will inevitably
come to a standstill. There should be a continual flow of
funds to the National treasury of the N.S.A., if that body
wishes to properly administer the manifold and ever-increasing
activities of the Faith. Every Baha'i no matter how poor, must
realize what a grave responsibility he has to shoulder in this
connection, and should have confidence that his spiritual progress
as a believer in the World Order of Baha'u'llah will largely
depend upon the measure in which he proves, in deeds, his
readiness to support materially the divine institutions of His
Faith.
With reference to your question in connection with the
observance of Baha'i Holy Days; the Baha'i day begins and ends
at sunset. The night preceding a Holy day is therefore included
in the day, and consequently work during that period is
forbidden.
The Guardian is most delighted to hear of the activities
initiated recently by various local Assemblies in India, and
wishes you to convey to these dear friends, and particularly to
Prof. Abdu'l-Aziz of Hyderabad and the members of his teaching
group, the expression of his keenest appreciation of their
labours for the spread of the Cause. He would urge them each
and all to lend every effort to assist your N.S.A. in its nation-wide
teaching endeavours, and is most ardently praying that
they may be assisted and guided by the confirmations from on
high.
[From the Guardian:]
I am deeply touched by the varied and compelling evidences
of the vigour and loyalty which characterize the National
Assembly's conduct of Baha'i affairs in both India and
+P69
Burma. The Cause, as a result of their self-sacrificing
endeavours and inflexible resolve, is being firmly consolidated
and widely propagated in those regions. Perseverance
will enable you to attain your goal and to lay an unassailable
foundation for your future work in both the teaching
and administrative spheres of Baha'i service. I will
continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart.
July 17, 1937
Martha Root's Teaching Trip
Shoghi Effendi has been most pleased to receive your letter
of October 25th and to learn of the very warm reception you
have accorded Miss Martha L. Root upon her arrival in
India. He has every reason to hope that with the program the
N.S.A. has so carefully arranged for her she will be able to do
an extensive teaching work, and to contact as many classes and
sections of the population as her time and energies permit.
The Guardian would call upon you specially to make every
effort possible to render Miss Root's teaching trip successful
in every way, and wishes you to continually urge the friends
to make her visit an occasion for giving the Faith a widespread
publicity throughout India and Burma.
[From the Guardian:]
I am so glad to hear of the plans that have been conceived
and the activity that is being displayed by the friends in
connexion with dear Martha's visit to India.
November 7, 1937
He was particularly delighted to know of the warm hospitality
and wholehearted assistance which the friends have so
kindly extended to dear Miss Root all through her travels
throughout India and Burma.
This truly memorable visit of Miss Root to the friends in
that vast continent is indeed a God-sent opportunity, of which
the believers should fully avail themselves in order to give the
+P70
Faith the widest possible publicity, and also to attract to it the
attention and sympathy of responsible leaders throughout India
and Burma.
The Guardian will continue to pray that at the termination
of this year the results of this historic teaching trip undertaken
by our beloved Miss Root may prove to be such as to ensure
for many years to come the uninterrupted extension of the
teaching work in all parts of India.
March 20, 1938
Resting Place of Holy Mother
It will surely please and interest the believers to know that
the Holy Mother's remains have been laid to rest in a spot
in the vicinity of, and overshadowed by the resting-place of the
Greatest Holy Leaf on Mt. Carmel.
L.S.A. [&and] Summer School in Simla
The Guardian was delighted to hear of the formation of a
Spiritual Assembly in Simla, and wishes that body to apply
soon for official registration. He would very much appreciate
receiving two copies of the Certificate of Incorporation of the
Assembly, as soon as they are obtained from the authorities.
The news of the projected holding of the first Indian Baha'i
Summer School in Simla has also considerably rejoiced the
heart of our beloved Guardian. He will pray that this excellent
and indeed historic project may be satisfactorily carried out,
and receive the whole-hearted, generous and sustained support
of the entire body of the believers throughout India and Burma.
Six-Year Plan
The Six-Year Plan which your N.S.A. has resolved to
+P71
initiate with the purpose of furthering the teaching work has
met with the full approval of the Guardian. He wishes your
Assembly every success in this remarkable and nation-wide
undertaking which you have decided to launch.
[From the Guardian:]
Your letter of June 19, enclosing reports of great interest
and value, has also reached me and I am filled with a sense
of happiness and gratitude for these incessant evidences of
your zeal and united endeavours. I am truly impressed by
the sound progress and expansion of the activities in which
the believers of India and Burma are so earnestly and
devotedly engaged. The institutions you have recently
initiated, the plan of teaching you have launched, the degree
of unity, of consecration and solidarity you have attained,
the measures for internal consolidation you have devised,
the support you have consistently and cordially extended
to our dear Martha, all proclaim the depth of your devotion
and attest the nobility and staunchness of your faith. The
utmost care is now required to nurse, foster, multiply and
coordinate these nascent institutions and activities. Every
nerve should be strained, every sacrifice should be made to
enable them to fructify and prosper.
July 4, 1938
First Indian Baha'i Summer School
I am instructed by our beloved Guardian to acknowledge
with thanks the receipt of your communication dated October
17th, together with the enclosed report on the first Indian
Baha'i Summer School held in Simla during last September.
And as to the photographs of the Summer School you had
submitted under separate cover, these will be placed in the
Mansion of Baha'u'llah at Bahji, and will also appear in the
"Baha'i World" Vol. VIII.
The Guardian wishes me in this connection to express his
profound satisfaction at the success that has attended the
N.S.A.'s efforts for the formation of this first Baha'i Summer
School in India--a step which, he strongly feels, is bound to
+P72
accelerate the extension of the teaching activities of the believers
in that land.
He is truly delighted to know that the attendance at the school
has been satisfactory, and that the young believers, in particular,
have been most enthusiastic about it. What he feels now is
most essential for the N.S.A. is to make arrangements to have
this school held regularly every year, so that it may develop
into an effective, and increasingly vital, instrument for the
propagation of the Faith, and also for the education and training
of Baha'i teachers.
It is the Guardian's fervent hope that as this Institution
expands, and fulfils the high hopes you all set upon it, it will
be felt advisable by the N.S.A. to consider the possibilities of
establishing, in due time, one or two more of such schools,
thus permitting those friends, who in view of their limited means
are not in a position to travel over large distances, to avail
themselves of the benefits derived from these nascent Baha'i
institutions of learning.
Task Immense--Time Short
[From the Guardian:]
The Six-Year Plan, initiated by the National Assembly of
India and Burma with such spontaneous devotion, admirable
zeal and unflinching resolve, marks a milestone on the road
of progress trodden by them and their fellow-workers in both
of those countries. The task is immense, the time is short, the
hour critical but the faith that animates and sustains them is
strong enough to surmount all obstacles, however formidable,
that may stand in their way. That they may persevere,
redouble their efforts and win signal success in their mighty
enterprise is the dearest wish of my heart and the object of
my constant and earnest prayers.
December 1, 1938
Splendid Work Accomplished by Miss Root
The Guardian was most pleased to receive your letter of the
3rd inst. and has noted with genuine satisfaction the farewell
meeting which the N.S.A. had arranged in Bombay in honour
+P73
of our indefatigable and distinguished Baha'i sister Miss Martha
L. Root on the occasion of her departure to Australia.
The feelings of unbounded joy with which you all unanimously
acclaimed her arrival in India, and the expressions of
deep and sorrowful regret which your National Assembly, as
the official mouthpiece of all the Indian and Burmese believers,
had been moved to convey to her upon her leaving your shores,
all attest the high value which the friends have attached to her
presence in India and the splendid work accomplished by her
throughout her travels in that country. The cooperation she
had received from the Assemblies and individual believers in
every centre she visited, and the effective support, both moral
and material, so lovingly and continually extended to her by the
N.S.A. in the execution of her teaching plans, have contributed
to a marked degree to the success of her journey, which
has been indeed the longest and most fruitful she had ever
undertaken to your shores.
The Guardian hopes that the friends, and in particular the
N.S.A., will now endeavour to follow up, with united and unflinching
resolve, the splendid work accomplished by Miss Root.
The contacts she has formed with leading personalities in social,
religious and university circles should be maintained, nay
extended and consolidated, and every effort exerted in order to
speed up the progress of the teaching work which has received
such a fresh impetus as a result of her uninterrupted teaching
activity during this past year.
January 25, 1939
He has noted with profound appreciation, in particular, the
account of the farewell meeting held in Bombay under the
auspices of your Assembly on the occasion of the departure of
our indefatigable and highly esteemed Baha'i sister Miss Martha
Root from India. No more eloquent tribute could have been
paid indeed to the historic work accomplished by that well-beloved
star-servant of the Cause during her stay of one full
year in that country than that beautiful and impressive gathering
which had met to bid her a last farewell upon her leaving your
+P74
shores. The warmth and spontaneity of your love must have
profoundly impressed and moved her heart, and given her an
added proof of the unbounded gratitude which you all surely
cherish for her, after these many months of ceaseless teaching
activity she has spent in your midst.
The Guardian wishes to express his own gratitude to the
members of the N.S.A., and through them to the community of
believers throughout India and Burma for the hospitality and
loving assistance you have all, individually as well as collectively,
continually extended to Miss Root all through her stay in
your country. The essential now, he feels, is for each one
of the friends, and particularly the local Assemblies, to arise
and with unflinching resolve to endeavour to follow up the
splendid work she has so ably, yet so unostentatiously, accomplished.
They would be certainly failing in their debt of gratitude
to her, if they allow the seeds she has faithfully and
painstakingly scattered, during these months of arduous and
uninterrupted effort, to get lost. Rather, they should spare no
effort to water these seeds and enable them to germinate and
yield in due time most abundant and lasting results.
Baha'i Youth Groups
With regard to the formation of Baha'i Youth groups; the
Guardian is most pleased to hear of the satisfactory progress
that has been accomplished along this line, and of the extensive
programme you have arranged for the development of Baha'i
Youth activity during the coming year. He wishes me to
express, in particular, his appreciation of the very warm
response made by six of these youth groups to the suggestion
of the National Youth Committee of America regarding the
holding of special youth meetings on the 26th of this month.
He wishes you to assure them of his special prayers for the success
and confirmation of their efforts.
+P75
Six-Year Plan--Spontaneous Undertaking of
Indian Baha'i Community
In connection with the Six-Year Plan initiated by your
N.S.A.; the Guardian cannot too highly praise this undertaking
of unprecedented magnitude which your Assembly has resolved
to carry out. One year has already elapsed since that Plan was
first launched, and the task that will have to be accomplished
during the remaining five years is indeed immense, and calls for
no less than a combined and tremendous sacrificial effort by
every Assembly, group and individual believer throughout India
and Burma.
But the friends should derive much encouragement at the
realization that their efforts for the prosecution of this Plan are,
in a way, far more meritorious than those which their fellow-believers
in the American Continent are exerting in connection
with the Seven-Year Plan of the American N.S.A.
Whereas this latter Plan, which, it should be fairly admitted,
is the largest enterprise of its kind ever undertaken by any
national Baha'i Community, has been conceived and formulated
directly by the Guardian himself, the Six-Year Plan adopted
by the Indian N.S.A. has been initiated solely through the efforts
of the elected body of the national representatives of the Indian
and Burmese believers, and represents therefore the spontaneous
undertaking of the Indian Baha'i Community itself, and as such
is endowed with a special merit and a unique spiritual potency.
When successfully completed this Plan will constitute indeed an
abiding monument to the resourceful energy, the unstinted
devotion, and the unquenchable enthusiasm of the Indian Baha'is,
from which future generations of believers in that land will derive
endless inspiration and guidance.
In view of the paramount importance of this Six-Year Plan,
and the urgency which the friends must undoubtedly feel to
carry it out as speedily and efficiently as possible during the
remaining five years, the Guardian would advise that in the
next Annual Convention meeting in Calcutta a special session
be devoted to the findings and consideration by all the delegates
+P76
and friends present of such policies and means as, in their considered
opinion, can best insure the speedy and timely completion
of this glorious undertaking.
The Guardian would particularly suggest that special stress
be laid on the necessity for pioneer teaching in those states and
provinces in India and Burma, where the Cause has not yet been
introduced. Those believers who have the means, and also the
capacity to teach, should be encouraged, no matter how great
the sacrifice involved, to settle in these virgin territories, until
such time as a local assembly has been constituted, or at least
a group of firm believers formed that can safely and gradually
evolve into a firmly-organized and properly-functioning local
assembly. This policy of teaching by settlement which the
Guardian has also advised and indeed urged the American
believers to adopt has been proved by experience to be the most
effective way of establishing the Faith in new territories, and he
therefore confidently recommends it for adoption by your
Assembly.
Summer School
As regards the Indian Summer School; its importance, the
Guardian feels, cannot be overstressed, specially in view of its
recognized teaching value, both as a centre for the training of
Baha'i teachers, and also for the attraction of outsiders to the
Cause. The wide popularity which this newly-established yet
highly-promising institution is already enjoying, truly attests its
high value as one of those vital institutions of the Faith in this
formative age of its development.
David
...The David referred to by the Bab, and stated by Him
to have preceded Moses, is not the same one as King David,
the father of King Solomon, who lived in the tenth century
B.C. and who obviously lived many years, and indeed many
+P77
centuries after Moses. Abdu'l-Baha has explained this in a
Tablet.
Inheritance
...Although in the "Questions [&and] Answers" Baha'u'llah
has specifically stated that non-Baha'is have no right to inherit
from their Baha'i parents or relatives, yet this restriction applies
only to such cases when a Baha'i dies without leaving a will and
when, therefore, his property will have to be divided in accordance
with the rules set forth in the Aqdas. Otherwise, a Baha'i
is free to bequeath his property to any person, irrespective of
religion, provided however he leaves a will, specifying his wishes.
As you see therefore it is always possible for a Baha'i to provide
for his non-Baha'i wife, children or relatives by leaving a will.
And it is only fair that he should do so.
Reason of Severe Laws Revealed by the Bab
...The severe laws and injunctions revealed by the Bab can
be properly appreciated and understood only when interpreted
in the light of His own statements regarding the nature, purpose
and character of His own Dispensation. As these statements
clearly reveal, the Babi Dispensation was essentially in the
nature of a religious and indeed social revolution, and its duration
had therefore to be short, but full of tragic events, of
sweeping and drastic reforms. These drastic measures enforced
by the Bab and His followers were taken with the view of undermining
the very foundations of Shi'ah orthodoxy, and thus paving
the way for the coming of Baha'u'llah. To assert the
independence of the new Dispensation, and to prepare also the
ground for the approaching Revelation of Baha'u'llah the Bab
had therefore to reveal very severe laws, even though most of
them, were never enforced. But the mere fact that He revealed
them was in itself a proof of the independent character of His
Dispensation and was sufficient to create such widespread agitation,
+P78
and excite such opposition on the part of the clergy that
led them to cause His eventual martyrdom.
The Bab specified that the "Bayan" is not completed and
that "He Whom God would manifest" (Baha'u'llah) would
complete it, though not in its actual form, but only spiritually
in the form of another book. The "Iqan" is believed to be its
continuation.
February 17, 1939
Teaching--The Paramount Task
He is truly delighted to know that your Annual Convention
this year has been most united, and highly constructive and
fruitful in its result, and trusts that the important discussions
and deliberations held by the delegates at various Convention
sessions will have the result of stimulating afresh the progressive
and systematic penetration of the teaching work throughout
India and Burma. The Six-Year Plan of teaching inaugurated last
year by your N.S.A., the Guardian feels, however, cannot succeed
unless it receives the continued moral and material support of
the entire body of the Indian and Burmese believers, and it is
this fact which the National Assembly should continually endeavour
to impress upon them all, through frequent appeals
destined at once to encourage and provide the facilities required
for all those friends who are qualified to work in the field of
pioneer teaching. The Guardian would particularly recommend
that the N.S.A. should make every possible effort to open up to
the Cause those Indian provinces which still remain deprived of
the light of the Teachings, and to this end would suggest that
those believers who can arrange to settle in those virgin territories
should at once be urged to do so, and the necessary
facilities extended to them by the N.S.A., with the view of
enabling them to prolong their stay until some definite results
are accomplished. Also, he feels, your Assembly should endeavour
to strengthen the weak areas which have been recently
opened, and also launch a wide and systematic campaign for
the dissemination of Baha'i literature throughout the whole
country.
+P79
Membership in Baha'i Assembly or Committee
is a Sacred Obligation
...The Guardian wishes you to make clear to all the
believers that membership in a Baha'i Assembly or Committee is
a sacred obligation which should be gladly and confidently
accepted by every loyal and conscientious member of the Community,
no matter how humble and inexperienced. Once elected
to serve in a given Assembly a believer's duty is to do his utmost
to attend all Assembly meetings, and cooperate with his fellow-members,
unless, however, he is prevented from doing so by
some major reason such as illness, and even then he should
notify the Assembly to this effect. The N.S.A.'s duty is to
urge, and also facilitate attendance at assembly meetings. If
a member has no valid reason to justify his repeated absence
from assembly meetings, he should be advised, and even warned,
and if such warning is deliberately ignored by him,
the assembly will then have the right to suspend his rights as a
voting member of the Community. Such administrative sanction
would seem to be absolutely imperative and necessary, and while
not tantamount to a complete expulsion of such a member from
the Cause, deprives him of any real participation in its administrative
functions and affairs, and is thus a most effective corrective
measure which the Assembly can use against all such half-hearted
and irresponsible individuals in the Community.
Meaning of Resurrection
...Concerning the meaning of "Resurrection": although
this term is often used by Baha'u'llah in His Writings, as in the
passage quoted in your letter, its meaning is figurative. The
tomb mentioned is also allegorical, i.e. the tomb of unbelief.
The Day of Resurrection, according to Baha'i interpretation, is
the Judgement Day, the Day when unbelievers will be called
upon to give account of their actions, and whether the world
has prevented them from acknowledging the new Revelation.
The passage in Baha'u'llah's Tablet in which He explains the
+P80
Sura of "The Sun" should not be interpreted literally. It does
not mean that after the Day of Resurrection praise and peace
will cease to be vouchsafed to the Prophet. Rather it means to
the end of time, i.e. indefinitely and for all times.
The intercession spoken of by Baha'u'llah in one of His
prayers which you have quoted is a purely spiritual act and is
applicable to Muhammad as well as to all Prophets. This passage,
however, refers more particularly to that kind of intercession
in which Muslims believe, though the manner and circumstances
of it, according to Baha'i belief, are mysterious and
unknowable.
Teaching--The Paramount Task
[From the Guardian:]
I long to hear of the progress of your teaching work in
those areas and provinces where the light of the Faith has
not as yet shone forth. Teaching is the paramount task that
urgently demands the concentrated attention and the complete
consecration of the united and persistent efforts of the
believers of India and Burma at the present stage of the Six-Year
Plan which they of their own accord have so magnificently
initiated. No dissipation of efforts, no delay in the
initiation and execution of the necessary measures for its
success should be allowed. All assemblies, all committees
and individuals should regard the teaching work as the most
essential factor in the discharge of their obligations to the
Faith of Baha'u'llah, and as the supreme purpose of the
machinery of the Administrative Order which they have
lately so laboriously and faithfully erected. I will from all
my heart pray that the high aim they pursue may be reached,
that their hopes may be fulfilled, and that their individual
and corporate lives may equally reflect the noble principles
that animate their Cause.
July 2, 1939
Martha Root's Arrival in Bombay
Your joint and welcome message of October 18th written on
the occasion of our beloved sister Miss Martha Root's arrival
+P81
in Bombay has duly reached the Guardian and his heart is
filled with gratitude to you for the very warm and befitting
welcome you have so kindly extended to that well-beloved star-servant
of the Cause. This is truly in keeping with the tradition
of warm hospitality for which our Indian believers have already
won such a high reputation. The cordiality you have shown
this distinguished international teacher on her previous visits to
India could have hardly been surpassed, and there is every
reason to believe, therefore, that on this trip, which will be
probably the most extended one she has ever been able to
undertake throughout that continent, she will be the object of
the same devotion and love manifested towards her on previous
occasions.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless you for the magnificent welcome
accorded to such an outstanding champion of the Cause,
and may He enable you, in conjunction with her, to lend a
mighty impetus to the progress of the Faith and the extension
of its institutions.
November 4, 1939
Paramount Task Facing the Believers
What you had written him regarding the various steps taken
by the N.S.A. to further the Six-Year Plan of Teaching has
immeasurably rejoiced his heart, and he too joins with your
Assembly in humbly supplicating Baha'u'llah to vouchsafe to
all those dear friends who have offered to undertake pioneer
teaching in various parts of India such measure of His guidance
and blessings as would enable them to effectively further the
interests of this Plan. He would urge you all to persevere in
your self-sacrificing exertions, and, notwithstanding the various
handicaps under which you may be compelled to labour, to
confidently strive to achieve this high teaching objective.
[From the Guardian:]
The energetic prosecution of the Six-Year Plan, despite the
perils, the uncertainties and gravity of the present hour, is the
paramount task facing the believers of India and Burma. All
projects and activities, however desirable and urgent, must
+P82
henceforth be subordinated to this most pressing and vital
issue, inasmuch as it is the fountain-head from which all
future blessings will flow and the one and only instrument
which can at the present time, most effectively establish and
consolidate the administrative order of the Faith throughout
the Indian Peninsula. My prayers for your signal success
in such a mighty and glorious enterprise will continue to be
offered, with increasing fervour, at the Threshold of Baha'u'llah.
Persevere and be confident.
November 26, 1939
Passing Away of Dearest Martha
Your very kind message ... expressing your profound sorrow
and sympathy at the passing away of our beloved sister
Miss Martha Root has just reached our dear Guardian, and he
feels indeed most deeply touched by the very thoughtful words
which you had been moved to convey to him. The loss which
the entire Baha'i world has come to sustain through her untimely
departure from this world is indeed enormous, and can be
compensated only partially by the self-sacrificing efforts which
our dear Baha'i teachers in East and West are now exerting in
their respective fields of teaching.
The Guardian's hope, however, is that, spurred by the noble
example of Martha's life and character, the friends in every land
will make a supreme and united effort to carry onward the
great teaching task which she had so untiringly been endeavouring
to accomplish during all these years, and thus bring eternal
joy and impart infinite hope and solace to her heart in the other
world.
[From the Guardian:]
I deeply appreciate, and am greatly touched by, the noble
sentiments you have expressed. The passing of dearest
Martha, that distinguished hero of the Cause of Baha'u'llah,
is indeed a great loss to those who labour for His Cause,
both in the East and West. May her glorious example
+P83
continue to inspire the friends in India and Burma to tread in
her footsteps, and to extend the work she so nobly initiated.
December 8, 1939
Sacred Task
It greatly pleased and encouraged him to know that the
Annual Convention held this year in Poona has proved such a
high success, and that the important decisions taken by the
delegates with the view of intensifying the teaching campaign
in India and Burma are being effectively implemented by the
offer made by so many of the friends to teach and travel in
virgin territories. He wishes these dear believers, who have so
heroically responded to the call of the hour, every blessing and
success in their respective fields of teaching, and will pray most
earnestly for the confirmation of their labours in the pursuit of
their high and sacred task.
May 14, 1940
Steady Extension of the Teaching Campaign
The slow yet steady extension of the teaching campaign
throughout India is a matter which greatly rejoices his heart,
and for which he feels moved to convey his warmest congratulations
to the N.S.A. Considering the well-nigh insufferable
obstacles in your way, and the difficult conditions created by
the war, the progress so far achieved, though small, has been
remarkable in many ways, and augurs well for the future of the
Six-Year Plan which your Assembly is so energetically carrying
out.
The signal success which the able and untiring efforts
of Mr. [&and] Mrs. Bakhtiari, Mr. M. H. Ilmi ... have
won for the Cause in Kashmir deserves particular mention;
and it is to be hoped that the group already established in
that center will steadily develop and soon attain the status of a
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Spiritual Assembly. To these dear teachers who have so successfully
accomplished such high teaching mission, as well as to our
new Baha'i brother Moulvi Abdullah of Kashmir who, notwithstanding
the violent opposition and criticisms of the Qadianis
has firmly stood by the Cause, the Guardian wishes you to
convey his warmest appreciation and gratitude.
Financial Assistance to Baha'i Teachers
In connection with your teaching campaign, the Guardian
wishes you to inform the N.S.A. that although there exists in
the Cause no such institution as that of paid teachers, the N.S.A.
nevertheless should, in view of the urgent and pressing requirements
of the Six-Year Plan, extend, though only temporarily, any
financial assistance in its power to those believers who offer to
undertake pioneer work throughout India and Burma. Also,
those believers who are not themselves able to offer their services
as pioneers, and who wish to directly and effectively participate
in the campaign of teaching can instead offer to defray,
through the National Fund, the expenses of any believer they
choose to deputize for that purpose. Such deputy teachers, however,
should for all other purposes be responsible to the N.S.A.
and the teaching bodies concerned.
Great Message Can Redeem Bewildered
Humanity
[From the Guardian:]
I regret that owing to present circumstances arising from
the war and its grave repercussions, the activities, particularly
in the teaching field, connected with the Six-Year Plan, so
spontaneously initiated by your Assembly, have had to be
curtailed. I wish to appeal, however, to all its members, and
through them to the general body of the devoted friends in
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India and Burma to make a united and supreme endeavour
to overcome, while there is yet time, the obstacles that stand
in their way, and to refuse to allow the perils, the uncertainties
and anxieties that face and afflict their country to deter
them from carrying out the original plan they have so nobly
conceived. Let them remember that a firm resolution on
their part, an absolute rededication of their resources, and an
actual attempt to translate into action their meritorious
intentions, coupled with perseverance in the discharge of
their duties, would suffice to ensure the success of the mission
to which they are now committed. The time is indeed ripe,
and the minds and hearts of the suffering multitudes are
being mysteriously prepared for the Great Message that can
alone redeem, exalt and regenerate a sore-tried and bewildered
humanity. I will specially and fervently pray for the
success of any and every effort the dearly-beloved friends in
India and Burma may arise to exert.
November 28, 1940
Translation of Baha'u'llah's Writings
Regarding his instruction to the N.S.A. of Iran to the effect
that Baha'u'llah's writings in Arabic should not be translated
into Persian; this applies to the translation of the revealed
words into Persian only. Your Assembly, therefore, may proceed
with its plan for the rendering of the Tablet of Ahmad,
the three daily obligatory prayers and other Tablets, into Urdu.
. . . .
With reference to ... question whether it is permissible for
the Baha'is to see pictures; there is nothing in the Teachings
that would forbid such a practice.
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. . . .
Also with regard to the practice of circumcision; the Teachings
bear no reference to this matter, and it is therefore not
enjoined upon the believers.
Training of Children
The question of the training and education of children in
case one of the parents is a non-Baha'i is one which solely concerns
the parents themselves, who should decide about it the
way they find best and most conducive to the maintenance of
the unity of their family, and to the future welfare of their
children. Once the child comes of age, however, he should be
given full freedom to choose his religion, irrespective of the
wishes and desires of his parents.
Membership of the International House of
Justice
As regards the membership of the International House of
Justice, Abdu'l-Baha states in a Tablet that it is confined to
men, and that the wisdom of it will be revealed as manifest as
the sun in the future. In any case the believers should know
that, as Abdu'l-Baha Himself has explicitly stated that sexes are
equal except in some cases, the exclusion of women from the
International House of Justice, should not be surprising. From
the fact that there is no equality of functions between the sexes
one should not, however, infer that either sex is inherently
superior or inferior to the other, or that they are unequal in
their rights.
Appearance of two Davids
Concerning the appearance of two Davids; there is a Tablet
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from Abdu'l-Baha in which He says that just as there have been
two Ishmaels, one the son of Abraham, and the other one of the
Prophets of Israel, there have appeared two Davids, one the
author of the Psalms and father of Solomon, and the other before
Moses.
Importance of the Teaching Campaign
The Guardian wishes me once again to stress the all-importance
of the teaching campaign throughout India and Burma.
Much as he is aware of the obstacles that stand in the way of
the expansion of pioneer teaching--obstacles which your sister
Assembly in the U.S.A. are far in a better position to overcome,
owing to the larger resources at their disposal and to their longer
and wider experience in matters of teaching--he nevertheless
strongly feels that, through the united, determined and passionate
resolve of your N.S.A., of all the local Assemblies,
groups and individuals, much can be accomplished in that
direction, and firm foundations laid down for future expansion
and consolidation. The greater your handicaps the firmer your
determination should wax, and the more abundant will assuredly
be the blessings and confirmations of Baha'u'llah. May His
love and guidance lead you and our dearly-beloved friends
in that land to still greater heights of selfless accomplishment in
His path, and thereby crown with success the Six-Year Plan so
ably devised and so energetically pursued by the N.S.A.
[From the Guardian:]
I wish to reassure you in person of my fervent and continued
prayers for the protection, the success and the spiritual
advancement of the community of the Indian and Burmese
believers who, under your direction, and stimulated by the
initiative and example, of their national elected representatives,
are arising, in these days of widespread confusion,
turmoil and danger, to carry out the Plan they are pledged
to fulfil. No sacrifice can be regarded as too great for the
attainment of so great and splendid an objective. They
should persevere in their task, undaunted by the rising tide
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of calamity and despair which afflicts the world, and which
is mysteriously paving the way for its unification and ultimate
redemption. May the Beloved guide every step you take,
and bless every endeavour you exert in His path.
December 14, 1940
Greatest Need of the Hour
Whenever the Guardian receives news of the spread of the
Cause it brings him fresh hope and helps to lighten his heavy
burden. This is the greatest need of the present hour in India;
more teachers in new fields! His prayers are always being
offered for the advancement of this all-important work and the
fulfilment of the Six-Year Teaching Plan.
April 19, 1941
Priceless Days
He was very happy to note the spirit of true and profound
dedication to their holy task of spreading the Faith in India
and Burma which the members of the N.S.A. manifest, and
he feels sure that, if they exert the utmost effort, they will,
through the confirmations of Baha'u'llah, succeed in fulfilling
what is required of them under the Six-Year Plan.
He regrets very much that circumstances have prevented any
active furtherance of the teaching work during the past Baha'i
year. Because of this the Guardian felt impelled, after reading
your Assembly's letter, to transmit by cable the sum of two
hundred pounds sterling to be set aside by your Assembly as
the nucleus of a special fund to be established for the specific
purpose of furthering the all-India teaching campaign of the
Six-Year Plan. He trusts that this will stimulate the body of
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Indian and Burmese Baha'is to also contribute to this fund
generously and by providing the necessary means to enable
them to speedily fulfil the task they have vowed to carry out.
Concerning the methods to be adopted for the realization of
your urgent task, Shoghi Effendi approves of the suggestion
that some business firms open branches in new districts and
thus provide Baha'i settlement by this means. However, he
feels that this will not be enough, and that all the Spiritual
Assemblies, as well as each individual believer, should rally to
this great opportunity which, indeed, may not again be presented
to them, of spreading the Faith through the length and
breadth of India while they are still in a position to do so. The
world is day by day becoming increasingly involved in this
cataclysmic struggle, but so far the Baha'is of India, Australia,
New Zealand and the American continents have not felt either
the dangers or the restrictions imposed on less fortunate communities
which find themselves either over-run and temporarily
eclipsed, or in the actual theatre of war. Therefore the believers
of India should not allow these truly priceless days to slip
by without exerting themselves to the utmost and sacrificing
comfort, home, and money, to the great duty of giving the
Divine Message to the people of their vast country.
Smallness of numbers, lack of skilled teachers, and modesty
of means should not discourage or deter them. They must
remember the glorious history of the Cause, which, both in East
and West, was established by dedicated souls who, for the most
part, were neither rich, famous, nor well educated, but whose
devotion, zeal and self-sacrifice overcame every obstacle and
won miraculous victories for the Faith of God. Such spiritual
victories can now be won for India and Burma by the friends.
Let them dedicate themselves--young and old, men and women
alike--and go forth and settle in new districts, travel, and teach
in spite of lack of experience, and be assured that Baha'u'llah
has promised to aid all those who arise in His Name. His
strength will sustain them; their own weakness is unimportant.
Refrain from Imposing New Rules
In reading your annual Convention report the Guardian has
+P90
noted the request made that the N.S.A. should lay down certain
rules of procedure. He has already informed the American
N.S.A. that they should henceforth refrain from laying down
any further rules and regulations, as these would tend to rigidify
the affairs of the Cause and ultimately obscure its spirit and
retard its growth. He feels that your Assembly should exercise
the same care, and avoid introducing any rules of procedure not
already in existence. Every case coming before the Assembly
should be judged on its own merits, and be decided individually
without any recourse to new rulings.
The Guardian will constantly pray for the success of all your
undertakings, as well as for the welfare and progress of all the
dear believers in India and Burma. Particularly will he remember
in his prayers the members of the National Assembly
who are called upon to direct, coordinate, and carry out the
Indian Baha'is' great and noble teaching enterprise.
Prosecute Six-Year Plan With Unremitting
Energy
[From the Guardian:]
The Six-Year Plan, which you have so nobly conceived and
so enthusiastically initiated, must, during these crucial years,
when the first century of the Baha'i Era is drawing to a
close, be prosecuted with unremitting energy, and unshaken
determination. The vastness of the field, the smallness of
your numbers, the indifference of the masses, must neither
discourage nor appal you. You should at all times fix your
gaze on the promise of Baha'u'llah, put your whole trust in
His creative Word, recall the past and manifold evidences of
His all-encompassing and resistless power and arise to become
worthy and exemplary recipients of His all-sustaining
grace and blessings. I appeal to every Indian and Burmese
believer, however modest his position, however limited his
knowledge, however restricted his means, to rise to the height
of this great opportunity which if missed will not recur
again. To disperse, to settle, to teach by word and deed,
to persevere and sacrifice are the requirements of the present
hour. May the Almighty, Whose Cause you are labouring
+P91
to advance, endow you and your fellow-workers with all the
wisdom, the strength, and guidance that you need to acquit
yourselves worthily of this task.
June 29, 1941
Shoghi Effendi was also very happy to hear from you that
you consider the Faith is making substantial progress in India,
due to the tireless and devoted efforts of our Baha'i brothers
and sisters in that land. He would, however, urge the friends
to follow the example of the American believers by sending out
more pioneers to work in territories where there are no Baha'is.
This is in accordance with the idea expressed by the beloved
Master in the "Divine Plan" Tablets, and should be followed
by all Baha'is.
The Guardian will pray for the success of the Summer School
to be held in Surat. He is delighted that the Indian friends are
so well organised and are, year by year, strengthening the
administrative institutions of their Faith.
[From the Guardian:]
I am eagerly and hopefully awaiting to witness fresh
evidences of the renewed determination of the believers
throughout India and Burma, to carry aloft and into virgin
territories the torch of Divine Guidance despite the dark
clouds that threaten on the horizon. In these days of stress
and peril, every effort expended, every victory achieved,
every sacrifice made, will be rewarded a hundredfold. I will
pray earnestly and continually that the friends may evince
such zeal and perseverance as to ensure the complete success
of the Six-Year Plan which they, of their own accord, have
so splendidly initiated.
October 5, 1941
Every Obstacle Should Be Surmounted
He was very happy to receive so much good news of the
progress of the Baha'i teaching work in India, as well as the
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success of the Summer School.
The fact that the friends of India, and also of Iran, are now
finding themselves in a position where they can arise and teach
the Cause far and wide, greatly cheers the Guardian's heart.
He hopes that the Baha'is of India, in spite of the fact that the
war is now so close to their native land, with all its attendant
dangers and problems, will allow nothing to deter them in their
prosecution of their Six-Year Teaching Plan for India and
Burma.
Now is the time of true test and trial--the time when the
friends must follow in the footsteps of the first Persian believers,
who, heedless of comfort and even life itself, raised the Banner
of Baha'u'llah's Faith aloft, for all the world to see and follow.
He feels confident that the believers, led by their National
Spiritual Assembly, and aided and inspired by their Local
Spiritual Assemblies, will arise to new heights of service, and
distinguish themselves in the eyes of the Baha'i world. His
constant prayers will be offered on their behalf, and he will
remember them in the Shrines with love and yearning for their
success.
[From the Guardian:]
I wish to add a few words in person and appeal to you, and
through you to the dear friends in Burma and India, not to
allow, despite the increasing gravity of the international
situation and the dangers that threaten the East, the work,
which has been so enthusiastically initiated, to suffer through
any relaxation of effort, or any deflection of purpose, on the
part of any individual or Assembly. These perils, sufferings
and commotions are blessings in disguise, which pave the way
and prepare the hearts of those who face and sustain them
for a deeper realization and an earlier and fuller acceptance
of the Divine Message of Baha'u'llah. The opportunities
are manifold and priceless. Every effort should be exerted,
every sacrifice should be made, every obstacle should be
surmounted.
December 16, 1941
+P93
It rejoices his heart to see that the Indian believers are now
rising to such noble heights of self-sacrifice and utter devotion
to the Faith of God, and that they are, despite the great difficulty
of these war times we are living through, determined to fulfil
their Six-Year Plan of teaching the Baha'i Cause in India and
Burma and complete the spread of its divine and healing message
to her peoples before the end of the first Baha'i century.
Persecution of Baha'is of Kadwai
He was very sad to hear of the persecution of the Baha'is
of Kadwai by the fanatical Muslim population. Please convey
to the friends there the assurance of his most loving prayers for
their protection, and tell them that, though they are suffering for
their Faith, this very persecution is a blessing to the believers
of India, as we know that wherever the Cause has suffered it
has always grown stronger and attracted more attention and
more adherents.
He was also very pleased to hear of the success of the
Summer School this year. The Indian Baha'is have every reason
to feel encouraged by the marked progress of their activities
in all fields.
Use of A'rabs (Vowel Points)
Regarding your question as to the use of A'rabs on the Arabic
texts of the Tablets: The Guardian feels that this is a matter
which concerns the entire Baha'i world, and requires to be
worked out by a highly specialized group of qualified people
at some future date. He, therefore wishes you not to print the
A'rabs on the Holy Tablets except on rare occasions where it is
absolutely necessary in order to distinguish the word from some
other word just like it.
Two Davids
Abdu'l-Baha is the one who has interpreted the reference of
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the Bab concerning David, by saying that there were two
Davids, one of them was the author of the Psalms. The
Tablet in which the Master states this is absolutely authentic,
but at the moment the original is not available.
He Whom God Will Make Manifest
The Bab said that whenever "He whom God will make
manifest" appears, accept Him. He never said don't accept
Him until after the lapse of 1000 years. Also Baha'u'llah says
that in the year 9 of the Babi Dispensation the time was ripe
for the Revelation of "He whom God will make manifest".
As the Bab was not only a Manifestation but a Herald of this
Baha'i Faith, the interval between His Revelation and that of
Baha'u'llah was of shorter duration. His Dispensation in a
sense will last as long as Baha'u'llah's lasts.
The Holy Book--The Aqdas
There are no doubtful verses in the Holy Book, the Aqdas.
The reason it is not circulated amongst all the Baha'is is, first,
because the Cause is not yet ready or sufficiently matured to
put all the provisions of the Aqdas into effect and, second,
because it is a book which requires to be supplemented by
detailed explanations and to be translated into other languages
by a competent body of experts. The provisions of the Aqdas
are gradually, according to the progress of the Cause, being
put into effect already, both in the East and the West.
Use of A'rabs (Vowel Points)
No vowel points, as A'rabs, should be published with any
part of the text of the Aqdas. Certain of the Tablets may be
translated in Urdu, but not the Aqdas itself, for the reasons
mentioned above.
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Writings of the Bab
The books of the Bab have not as yet been printed in the
original. Except for the Bayan, the Seven Proofs and Commentary
on the Surih of Joseph, we cannot be sure of the
authenticity of most of His other works as the text has been
corrupted by the unfaithful.
The Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is elected by the members of
the National Houses of Justice. At this time when the National
Assemblies in the Cause are not yet functioning sufficiently
or fully representative of all the various important elements
within it, and when some of the Baha'is are not even free to
practise their faith, despite their numbers, it is quite impracticable
to seek to establish the Universal House of Justice.
Whenever conditions permit, it will be established.
Surmount Every Obstacle
The Guardian wishes the members of your Assembly to
persevere, in spite of the dangers of the war now raging near
to India, in the all-important task of fulfilling the Six-Year Plan.
He is confident that the friends of India and Burma like their
Baha'i brothers and sisters of other lands, will surmount every
obstacle, overcome every difficulty, and emerge victorious at
the end of the first Baha'i Century.
[From the Guardian:]
The news conveyed by your latest communication has
rejoiced my heart. The manner in which the friends have
arisen to promote the teaching work throughout their country
merits the highest praise. By their enthusiasm, their self-abnegation,
the determination and vigour they display, they
have lent a fresh impetus to the onward march of the Faith
and the expansion of its institutions and the multiplication of
its administrative centres. The perils of the present hour,
the repercussions of this tremendous world ordeal on their
+P96
native land, must, in no wise, alarm or discourage them.
Their purpose must never be deflected, their enthusiasm
never dimmed, their vision never obscured, their exertions
never discontinued. Adversity prepares the hearts of men,
and paves the way for a wholehearted and general
acceptance of the tenets and claims of our beloved Faith.
Challenged by the obstacles in their path, encouraged by
work already initiated, assured of the Divine Promise of
Baha'u'llah, let them forge ahead until their goal is attained.
My prayers will ever surround them.
December 27, 1941
Remarkable Evidence of Activity
He has been greatly encouraged by the work the Indian believers
are doing in the pioneer teaching field. It makes him
proud to behold the way this great eastern nation is arising,
through its enlightened Baha'is, to serve the Cause of God, and
is fast pushing to the forefront of Baha'i service, and becoming
an example and an inspiration to the other Baha'i communities
in the Orient and Far East.
The noble response the Indian friends are making to his
appeals has encouraged him to send them further donations for
their teaching work, and he trusts that, under the indefatigable
leadership of the National Spiritual Assembly, they will redouble
their efforts, and push on to the full and glorious completion
of the Six-Year Plan they laid down for themselves with such
courage and devotion.
The establishment of the Hyderabad Assembly and that
of Bangalore are great steps forward, and the Guardian is
waiting hopefully to receive the good news of more new spiritual
Assemblies in this coming Baha'i year.
He was also very pleased to hear that the Summer School is
becoming an institution of national importance, and that the
friends are increasingly attending it and realizing its great value
in the life of the entire Community of believers. In a country
such as India it might grow to be the first permanent institution
+P97
of Baha'i learning if the believers support it sufficiently and
carry out their teaching campaign with whole-hearted devotion
and zeal; for, with the influx of many new Baha'is into the
Cause in that country, it should not be difficult to evolve it into
a Baha'i university as time goes by.
The Guardian wishes to convey, through you, his loving
appreciation of their noble services to all the dear Indian
believers who have gone out as pioneers and teachers in these
momentous days. He will remember them, and all the Indian
friends, in his prayers in the Holy Shrines, and supplicate for
them a victorious conclusion for their Six-Year Plan by 1944.
[From the Guardian:]
I have been greatly heartened in my arduous task by the
remarkable evidences of activity, devotion and perseverance
which the believers in India have lately manifested, and
by the manner in which they have arisen to promote the
cause of our Beloved, and extend the range of its institutions.
I admire, their spirit, and feel truly proud of their
achievements. The field is indeed vast, and the problems
manifold, but the spirit they have demonstrated will, if kept
alive, enable them to surmount every obstacle. My prayers
will continue to be offered on their behalf and particularly
for those who are planting the banner of the Faith in
virgin territories. How glorious their task, how meritorious
their accomplishments.
January 10, 1942
Future is Blessed and Glorious
He was very relieved to hear from Mr. Butt that the
Burmese Baha'is were all safe, and he trusts that, in spite of the
grave dangers now so near them, God will continue to over-shadow
them and protect them in His mercy and wisdom.
We Baha'is are indeed most blessed in that we know that,
however dark the days immediately ahead of the human race,
the future is blessed and glorious. It is for this future that the
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believers must labour day and night, heedless of the state of the
world and the dangers threatening.
The Guardian will continuously pray that Baha'u'llah will
strengthen and guide the Indian friends to succeed in their
teaching plans, and to persevere in their efforts until they have
completed the Six-Year Plan.
[From the Guardian:]
In these days when perils are fast gathering about India
and Burma my heart and my thoughts turn increasingly
towards the friends, and particularly those who are vigorously
and devotedly promoting the interests of the Six-Year
Plan. I will specially and fervently pray for them all,
that their vision may not be obscured, that their
efforts may not diminish, that their courage many
remain undaunted, and their steadfastness and loyalty
unshaken. The greater their problems and anxieties and
the more formidable the obstacles in their way, the more
glorious and abundant will be the recompense and blessings
that will be bestowed upon them by their all-seeing, their
all-bountiful, all-powerful Master.
February 23, 1942
New Assemblies of Hyderabad [&and] Kotah
The Guardian has written the new Hyderabad Assembly, and
he will indeed pray for their protection and blessing. They
are an important group in an important State, and he hopes
that your Assembly will render them every assistance and help
possible, in order to deepen them in the knowledge of the
teachings and in Faith.
The establishment of the Assembly of Kotah, no less than
that of Hyderabad, must be viewed in the light of another
milestone in the forward march of the Faith in India. The
Guardian would like you to convey to all the dear pioneers and
teachers whom you have enumerated in your letters, the expression
of his deep gratitude for, and appreciation of the
wonderful work they are doing. The believers of India, though
few in number in relation to the millions that form their nation,
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are performing a service to their fellow-countrymen which in
the future will be seen in the true magnitude. Let them rest
assured and toil ceaselessly for the establishment of the Faith
which they serve, and which alone can ultimately heal the ills
of sorely-tried mankind.
[From the Guardian:]
The pioneer activities in which the friends in India are
so steadfastly, so energetically and so devotedly engaged, in
spite of the perils, the uncertainties and the stress of the
present hour, are a marvellous evidence of the indomitable
spirit that animates them in the service of the Cause of
Baha'u'llah. Perseverance is the magnet that will, in these
days, attract the promised blessings of the Almighty Author
of our beloved Faith. Unity and harmony constitute the
basis on which the structure of these activities can securely
rest. Self-sacrifice, audacity, undeviating adherence to the
essentials of the Faith, will reinforce that structure and
accelerate its rise. That the dear friends in India are
increasingly demonstrating the quality and depth of their
faith and the character and range of their accomplishments
is a source of intense satisfaction to me, and I will continue
to supplicate our Beloved to guide their steps, cheer their
hearts, illumine their understanding, and fulfil their highest
and noblest aspirations. He indeed is well pleased with
the record of their past services, and will, if they redouble
their efforts, enable them to achieve a signal victory.
June 27, 1942
Prizes to be Won
...The extremely good news of the way the Baha'is of India
are arising and serving in new fields in spite of the war conditions
prevailing, and the formation of the new Assemblies of
Hyderabad and Kotah, the work in Kashmir and various other
centres, has all greatly cheered his heart, and impelled him to
contribute the sum he forwarded through you to help carry out
the many teaching enterprises now under way. The rate at
which the Indian believers are advancing is increasingly entitling
+P100
them to a position in the foremost ranks of the Faith, and will
no doubt greatly inspire and encourage other Baha'is of the East
to follow their example. Such prizes are to be won in these
days of universal trial and suffering, and it makes the Guardian
very happy to feel that some of them are evidently going to be
merited by the Indian believers!
It is a great deprivation that the friends should be cut off
from their devoted fellow-Baha'is in Burma. We can only
hope and pray that Baha'u'llah will protect and watch over
them until the ordeal of these times is past, and the faithful
believers the world over can again join hands and work together
for the peace and progress of the entire world.
Passing of Abd'ul-Jalil Beg Saad
The passing of Abd'ul-Jalil Beg Saad was a great loss to the
Faith in Egypt, and the Guardian was pleased to hear that his
co-workers in India held memorial meetings for him. Such
occasions constitute eloquent testimonials to the profound love
that binds Baha'is to each other, whoever and wherever they
may be.
Painstaking and Fruitful Efforts
[From the Guardian:]
I wish to reaffirm my deep sense of satisfaction and
gratitude for the sustained, the painstaking and fruitful
efforts exerted so far by the Indian believers for the promotion
of the Six-Year Plan. The limits of the Faith have
been enlarged, the centres and groups have multiplied, and
the determination and zeal of the prosecutors of the Plan
are visibly increasing. I am greatly cheered and encouraged,
and will, with redoubled fervour, pray at the holy Shrines,
for the victorious conclusion of the campaign initiated with
such devotion, energy, and resolution. May the Beloved
sustain them in their noble task.
July 27, 1942
+P101
The marked, and extremely encouraging, progress which the
Cause is making in India has so pleased the Guardian and
cheered his over-burdened heart that he felt impelled to forward
to your Assembly the sum of two hundred pounds to be expended
for the further promotion of the teaching work.
That at such a time, when dangers threaten on every side and
the whole planet is plunged in war and confusion, the Indian
believers should, so steadily and patiently, with such devotion
and enthusiasm, pursue their tasks of teaching under the Six-Year
Plan, is, indeed, a cause for universal acclaim and rejoicing
on the part of their fellow-Baha'is. They are ever increasingly
arising to take their place as one of the foremost Baha'i
Communities, and their spirit and their accomplishments are
arousing the envy and the admiration of their fellow-workers in
Eastern lands.
Placing of Burial Stone
The placing of the burial stone on the dead has no other
significance than to emphasize our profound conviction that our
souls come from our Creator and to Him they return, and in
Him we believe and trust.
Ensure the Triumphant Conclusion
[From the Guardian:]
The accomplishments of the believers of India, in virgin
fields and in furtherance of the interests of the Six-Year
Plan, merit the highest praise. Prompted by their achievements,
and as a token of my keen appreciation of their
notable services, and in order to facilitate further expansion
and consolidation of their teaching activities, I have forwarded
to you a contribution which I trust will serve as a
nucleus for a Fund designed to promote the vital and urgent
interests of the nation-wide teaching enterprise in which you
have embarked, and which constitutes the greatest single
+P102
organized undertaking launched in the service of Baha'u'llah
in that country. Perseverance, coupled with a spirit of complete
dedication to the cause of teaching, will, I feel confident,
ensure the triumphant conclusion of your labours. I will
continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart.
Redouble your efforts and be confident.
July 29, 1942
Proper Administrative Headquarters
Concerning his recent cable to the National Spiritual Assembly:
The Guardian feels that, if feasible, it is highly desirable
and necessary that the rapidly growing and strengthening Indian
Baha'i Community should have a proper administrative Headquarters,
situated in the capital--Delhi--and suitable for the
next few years at least. He wishes the N.S.A. to find a building
or house which will suit their requirements in every way, and
inform him at once of the price required. He considers that it
is premature at present to think of purchasing a site for a future
Baha'i Temple. The thing for the friends to concentrate on at
present is the Haziratu'l-Quds.
He has been greatly encouraged of late to witness the
marked increase of activity shown by the Baha'i Communities
everywhere in India. They are demonstrating their right to a
place in the foremost ranks of the Baha'i World, and he is very
pleased with them and eager that they should forge ahead in
every field of Baha'i life.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty graciously assist the Indian believers
to establish, at the close of the first Baha'i Century, their
administrative headquarters in the capital city of India, and
thus befittingly crown their meritorious teaching activities.
January 28, 1943
+P103
Passing Away of Mr. Vakil
He was very sad to hear of the passing of our dear and
esteemed brother, Mr. Vakil. His loss will be much felt by the
Indian believers, and the many services he rendered the Cause
will never be forgotten. It is too bad that he was denied the
burial he himself longed for, but no doubt his spirit is now rejoicing
in the Abha Kingdom after its long and faithful labours
in this world.
Secretary of the N.S.A.
Regarding your question concerning the Secretary of the
N.S.A.: There cannot be any permanently elected Secretary who
would year after year hold office, as this would be contrary to
the principles of the administration; however, the Guardian
feels that the N.S.A. should supply the Secretary with a paid
helper in order to enable him to carry on his duties properly
and at the same time pursue his own profession, if that is
necessary for him. In other words the Secretary of the N.S.A.
can have a full-time secretary under him if the work requires it.
Election of L.S.A.'s
The Guardian has notified the friends in other countries
that, in view of the fact that this is the hundredth year of the
Faith and we are going to celebrate our Centenary next May,
Spiritual Assemblies may be constituted or elected anytime
before next April, wherever there are 9 or more believers. He
has done this in order to encourage the friends and stimulate
the work everywhere. He would like you to impress this fact
on the believers in India so that they may redouble their efforts
and have a truly impressive number of Assemblies by next
May.
+P104
National Administrative Headquarters
He is sorry to hear that you have not as yet been able to
find a suitable house for the National administrative Headquarters.
The establishment of this headquarters will greatly
enhance the prestige of the Indian Baha'i Community and
stimulate the growth and work of the Cause. He hopes you
will soon meet with success, and cable him the glad news he is
eagerly waiting to receive.
Baha'is Can Undertake Philanthropic Work
Mr. Mani Mehta forwarded to the Guardian a copy of the
N.S.A.'s decision informing him that he must either give up his
connection with the War Comforts Fund or his Baha'i administrative
work. The Guardian feels that there is no objection to
a Baha'i undertaking work of a philanthropic or humanitarian
nature and at the same time being on elected Baha'i bodies or
holding office in them. The War Comforts Fund is in no way
contrary to our principles, and there can be no objection to Mr.
Mehta's work in this connection. He hopes that the N.S.A.
will clarify this matter and remove any misunderstandings
that have arisen.
Centenary Celebrations
The friends in India are, after years of labour and devotion,
beginning to find their number greatly increased, their assemblies
multiplied, their Faith increasingly well-known to the public;
they are about to initiate their first national headquarters, and
in a few months will be celebrating the glorious occasion of the
hundredth anniversary of their Faith. At such a critical time
they should, one and all, devote their energies to achieving their
+P105
objectives and impressing upon the public the nobility and
beauty of their teachings, divinely inspired, and of such vast
import to the entire world, and cast aside, once for all, any
differences of opinion or personal viewpoints or prejudices that
may hinder the success of their plans and cast a blight on the
wonderful achievements they have carried out and are about to
crown with still greater victories.
The Guardian feels that the N.S.A. must from now on
coordinate its plans and set in motion its preparations for the
Centenary Celebration. The believers must hold gatherings for
the Baha'is at exactly 2 hours and 11 minutes after sunset on
May 22nd, 1944 as this is the exact time when the Bab declared
His Mission to Mulla Hussayn. They should also arrange to
hold public gatherings on May 23rd and enlist the support of
prominent friends of the Faith as speakers, together with
Baha'i speakers, on that occasion. They should, as far as possible,
hold festive gatherings at this time, give banquets at which
friends of the Cause and believers are present, obtain as much
space in the press of India as possible, and in general devise
ways and means of making this a glorious and memorable celebration.
He would also like to have the N.S.A. publish, in
conjunction with the Centenary, a pamphlet giving a brief outline
of the Faith's origin and teachings and major events in
India, since its establishment there, and a detailed outline of the
accomplishments of the Indian Baha'i Community, its early
history, its development, etc.
He has been greatly encouraged by the progress made by the
Indian Baha'i Community in recent years, and he longs to see
them shine still brighter amidst its fellow communities the world
over.
You may be sure that his loving prayers will be offered on
your behalf and on behalf of all the other N.S.A. members,
that you may speedily find a suitable Hazira, that the Cause
may go on to still greater triumphs during this last year of the
Century, and that the unity of the friends may be increased
everywhere, as befits our Holy Faith.
+P106
[From the Guardian:]
The celebration of the Centenary of our glorious Faith by
the friends in India should, under your direction, and with
your encouragement and the assistance of individuals and
local Assemblies throughout India, constitute a befitting
conclusion to the magnificent labours and accomplishments
that have marked your stewardship in the service of the
Cause of Baha'u'llah in recent years. A special fund should
be initiated, a strong committee should be set up, the utmost
care should be taken, the most diligent efforts should be
exerted and every sacrifice should be made to ensure the
unqualified success of this great undertaking. I will pray
for your success from the depths of my heart. There is no
time to lose. The Beloved will, no doubt, crown your exertions
with signal victory if you arise and persevere.
June 22, 1943
Friends Should Unite
He was very pleased to hear that the Convention was so
well attended, and the believers enthusiastic and united. One
of the most paramount needs of the Cause in India is that the
friends should unite, should become really keenly conscious of
the fact that they are one spiritual family, held together by
bonds more sacred and eternal than those physical ties which
make people of the same family. If the friends will forget all
personal differences and open their hearts to a great love for
each other for the sake of Baha'u'llah, they will find that their
powers are vastly increased; they will attract the heart of the
public, and will witness a rapid growth of the Holy Faith in
India. The N.S.A. should do all in its power to foster unity
among the believers, and to educate them in the administration
as this is the channel through which their community life must
flow, and which, when properly understood and practised, will
enable the work of the Cause to go ahead by leaps and bounds.
The excellent news you conveyed of the progress of the Faith
in so many hitherto virgin territories of India greatly rejoiced
+P107
the Guardian's heart, and he is proud to witness the manner in
which the Indian believers are arising, teaching, and sacrificing
for the Faith of God. The friends themselves must be astonished
at the rapidity with which the devoted pioneers have succeeded
in establishing new spiritual Assemblies; and he hopes that
many more souls will, thrilled by these achievements, follow in
their footsteps, and thus ensure a truly glorious celebration of
the hundredth anniversary of the Cause next May. The eyes of
the Baha'i world are being increasingly attracted by the achievements
of the Indian friends, and they have the opportunity of
crowning their Centenary celebrations with a victory outstanding
in the records of the Baha'is of the East. The Guardian
hopes that in this connection many more Baha'i young people
will arise and serve. They have the advantages of health and
freedom from family responsibilities which are not always
enjoyed by older people, and they should cooperate to the full
with more experienced believers in carrying on the pioneer work
of the Cause.
He is most anxious that now that the National administrative
Headquarters of the Faith has been successfully established--
a tremendous step forward for the Faith there--you should give
special attention to getting out the Esslemont book in three
additional languages as soon as possible.
The Six-Year Plan Has Progressed Magnificently
[From the Guardian:]
The achievements of the Indian believers in recent months
have been truly stupendous. The Six-Year Plan has progressed
magnificently; the dissemination of Baha'i literature has
been stimulated, the national administrative headquarters, to
be henceforth designated as the Haziratu'l-Quds, has been
established; a new spirit stirs in the hearts of the believers,
teachers, pioneers as well as administrators; the evidences of
a fast-developing community life are evident everywhere. The
impetus lent to these activities must be continually reinforced
in these concluding months of the first Baha'i century.
The Indian believers have amply demonstrated the vitality
of the faith they profess. They must win fresh laurels. They
cannot rest on their oars. They must scale still loftier
+P108
heights. They must persevere till the end. They must sacrifice
to the utmost. They must unite as never before. They
must prove themselves worthy of the task they have so nobly
initiated and are now so energetically prosecuting. I will,
with redoubled fervour, pray for its consummation. Rest
assured.
October 26, 1943
Centenary Celebrations
He approves of the plans for holding the Centenary, and
wishes the annual Baha'i Convention to be held in conjunction
with it (as already confirmed by cable to you). All Baha'i
Communities free to convene conventions will be also meeting
this year during the Centenary celebrations. This will both facilitate
the work of the Cause, stimulate the friends, and be of
added interest to the public.
The truly remarkable work accomplished by the pioneers
and teachers in India during this last year has greatly pleased,
and even astonished, the Guardian, and he hopes that the
friends, newly enlisted under the banner of Baha'u'llah, will
study the teachings deeply, help to promote unity and concord
among the believers, and greatly aid in spreading the Divine
Message among the people of India.
Historic Achievements
[From the Guardian:]
The truly splendid and indeed historic achievements of
the Indian believers during the concluding months of the
first Baha'i century deserve the highest praise. The repeated
and striking evidences of their high accomplishments invigorate,
encourage, and excite the admiration of, their sister
communities in East and West. They are holding aloft the
standard of Divine guidance in a manner that cannot but
evoke the unstinted praise and the unqualified gratitude of
their brethren throughout the Baha'i world. The Beloved is
well pleased with their magnificent record of service. I feel
+P109
truly proud of their stewardship of the Faith of Baha'u'llah,
of the spirit which animates them, and of the steadfastness
with which they pursue their manifold and ever-expanding
activities in the service of this glorious Faith.
March 19, 1944
Baha'u'llah and the New Era in Kanarese
A few days ago the Kanarese volumes reached him and he
was very happy to see them; he has placed most of them in the
Mansion of Baha'u'llah and the others he has distributed to
various Assemblies and Baha'i libraries. He is eagerly awaiting
copies of the various other translations your Assembly has undertaken,
and in this connection he urges you again to persevere
in your efforts to overcome every obstacle and get these further
additions to your Baha'i literature in India speedily out and in
the hands of the newly-attracted souls.
Achieved Mighty Victories
The Guardian wishes to once again stress the immediate tasks
which face your Assembly: the important--and almost miraculous
--work achieved during the closing years of our first Baha'i
Century in forming so many Assemblies, most of them in virgin
territory, should be carefully consolidated through travelling
teachers, additional pioneers (if necessary), extension of financial
help, etc., so that none of them will be weakened and forced
to revert to group status. Also the newly formed groups should
be given every assistance to enable them to become Assemblies
and take part in the administrative order of the Cause in India.
He urges you to concentrate on these three things: the publication
and distribution of the newly translated books; the firm consolidation
of the new Assemblies; and the development of existing
groups, that they may speedily achieve Assembly status.
+P110
Important as new teaching undertakings are they should
not be given precedence at the present time until these other
objectives are well on the way to being realized.
In closing let me assure you that the beloved Guardian
cherishes the brightest hopes for the future development of the
Cause there, and expects great things of the Indian believers in
view of the truly remarkable tasks they have been accomplishing
these last few years with such a spirit of zeal and devotion. His
loving prayers are offered on your behalf and for your fellow-members
of the N.S.A., that you may be blessed and guided
always.
[From the Guardian:]
The achievements of the Indian Baha'i Community during
the closing years of the first Baha'i Century have shed a
great lustre on the record of their imperishable services ever
since the inception of the Faith in their vast and promising
country. Both in the teaching and administrative spheres
of Baha'i activity they have assiduously laboured, nobly persevered,
generously given of their resources, consistently
collaborated, achieved mighty victories and raised to a new
level the standard of Baha'i stewardship. The field now
stretching before them during the opening year of the second
Baha'i Century is vast and highly promising. The call is
urgent, the opportunities priceless, the need of the waiting
masses desperate, the machinery for the execution of the
Divine Purpose already erected and vigorously functioning,
the promise of signal victory clear and definite. A higher
degree of administrative efficiency; a closer collaboration
between the various elements constituting the organic Baha'i
Community; a greater measure of self sacrifice; a still more
intensified exertion aiming at the consolidation and preservation
of the newly constituted Assemblies and the rapid conversion
of the existing groups into full-fledged Assemblies; a
systematic, sustained and nation-wide endeavour for the purpose
of disseminating the literature of the Faith, increasing
its volume and adding to its diversity and lastly a more
audacious and convincing presentation of its tenets to the
masses of the people--these constitute the primary tasks facing
+P111
now the Indian believers. That they may achieve their
high destiny is my constant hope and fervent prayer.
December 20, 1944
Re-instate Assemblies in Burma
First let me say that he was very pleased to receive your
cable telling him the Baha'is in at least a part of Burma have
survived. His thoughts and prayers have often been with them
during these terrible years of war.
He wishes to urge the N.S.A. to concentrate above all on
re-instating any Spiritual Assemblies which were disbanded last
Baha'i year owing to insufficient numbers. This must always
be the first consideration, so that the hardly won prizes of these
new Assemblies may not be lost.
Depriving of Voting Rights--Function of
N.S.A.
Also he wishes to point out that the power to put a person
outside the Faith administratively must be solely, for the present
time, in the hands of the N.S.A. This applies only to the
cases where believers are deprived of their voting rights. Such
extremely important and dramatic measures should never be resorted
to unless absolutely necessary, and should certainly never
be left in the hands of local assemblies, where personal feelings
might colour the Assembly's decision. On the other hand, the
right to enroll believers has always been given to the Local
Assemblies. But they should be strongly urged to make sure the
applicant is sincere and fully understands and accepts the fundamentals
of the Faith.
Teach a Wider Range of Indians
He also feels that now that you have so much literature on
hand in various languages you should endeavour to teach a
+P112
wider range of Indian races; especially the Hindus and Moslems
as they form the preponderating mass of the people. Also Hindu
and Moslem believers should be encouraged to teach, pioneer,
lecture, and be appointed on Committees, and elected to
Assemblies, so that our true inter-racial, inter-religious character
may be incontestably demonstrated to the world.
The Guardian does not feel that it is necessary to wait one
whole year before an applicant is admitted into the Faith. The
Assemblies must not be too strict, but should make every effort
to increase the membership of their communities.
June 26, 1945
Passing Away of Siyyid Mustafa
He was deeply grieved to hear of the death of our very dear
and esteemed Baha'i brother, Siyyid Mustafa. He was truly an
example of steadfast devotion and one of the outstanding pioneers
the Faith produced during the first century of its existence.
He was also very sad to hear of the ruin of the Baha'i Haziras
and the plight of the Baha'is in general. He wishes your Assembly
to exert its utmost in alleviating the suffering of the Burmese
friends, and assisting them in every way possible. Convey to
them all the assurance of his ardent and loving prayers on their
behalf, and for the speedy re-establishment of the Faith and its
institutions in Burma.
Baha'i Marriage
Regarding the question of ... marriage: She should have
performed the Baha'i marriage rites, but, as the Guardian
already wrote her, she can now be re-instated in her voting
rights by having a Baha'i marriage ceremony performed. As
she was married by civil, and not religious, law she need have
no divorce or annulment of her civil marriage.
As at present a Baha'i marriage is not yet legally recognized
by the authorities, the friends should also have the civil
marriage in addition. We have no objection to it at all, as it is
non-sectarian and in no way affects our Baha'i status.
+P113
As long as both the Baha'i and the other religious (whatever
it may be) ceremony are both performed prior to the consummation
of the marriage, we do not mind which ceremony is
performed first. It should be left to the individuals concerned
to decide among themselves.
Task Urgent, Vast and Sacred
[From the Guardian:]
The task facing the members of the Indian Baha'i community
in these days of stress and trial, is urgent, vast and
sacred. The responsibilities they shoulder are growing in
number and complexity. The obstacles in their path are
numerous and seemingly insurmountable. The victories,
however, which they have won during the concluding years
of the first Baha'i century, augur well for the future, and
constitute only a preliminary stage in the great work they
are destined to accomplish in the years that lie ahead. A
unity that is truly unshakable, a consecration to their task
which no trial or test can impair, a resolve that no force,
however inimical, can shake, a united and systematic endeavour
to proclaim and firmly establish their Faith which
enemies neither from within nor from without can undermine
--all these are vitally required to enable them to
achieve their high destiny. To you as their national elected
representatives I desire to appeal in particular to exercise
the utmost forbearance, care and vigilance, to exert the
utmost endeavour, to deliberate, cooperate and carry out
with exemplary vigour the necessary measures which the
urgency of the task and the criticalness of the hour imperatively
demand. That their glorious mission may be crowned
with signal success is the object of my constant and fervent
prayers at the holy Shrine.
August 9, 1945
Shoulder Heavy Responsibilities
He was very sad to read of the sufferings of the beloved
Burmese friends, of the death of that bright star of the Faith,
Siyyid Mustafa, and of the murder of many other of the friends!
+P114
At the same time his heart swelled with pride when he saw
that already the believers have re-assembled, elected an Assembly,
and started their school again. This shows how deep their
faith is, and presages a glorious future for the Cause there.
As you already know he has sent you a sum to be devoted
to rebuilding the Baha'i institutions, teaching the Faith, and
assisting the friends who are in desperate need. He has also
invited other National Assemblies to contribute to this fund,
and thus assist your Assembly to carry out this very important
task of re-establishing a flourishing Community in Burma.
The Indian believers are finding themselves increasingly
called upon to shoulder heavy responsibilities; they are becoming
more numerous, have spread to many new centres, undertaken
a large publishing program, increased the number of their
institutions, and are gradually becoming known to their fellow-Indians
as followers of a new and glorious Faith. In view of
this he feels your Assembly should constantly exhort the friends
to be more conscious of their duties, and to be very careful of
having differences of opinion which are so strong as to lead to
disputes and thus humiliate our beloved Faith in the eyes of non-Baha'is.
The public is beginning to observe them, and they must
therefore conduct themselves at all times as befits those who
bear the glorious Name of Baha. They must be forgetful of self,
but ever mindful of the Cause of God!
[From the Guardian:]
The rehabilitation of the community of the sore-stricken
believers throughout Burma constitutes the most urgent task
of the Indian believers, and is a direct challenge which they
cannot ignore or neglect. The reconstitution of dissolved
assemblies, the extension of relief to the needy, the promotion
of the teaching work, the dissemination of Baha'i
literature, the construction of the Haziras, the re-establishment
of schools and committees are all vitally urgent, and
should be carried out fully, systematically, and with
the utmost speed. I long to hear of the progress of your
labours in this important field, upon which the future welfare
of the Burmese community depends, and with which
the destinies of the Indian believers are closely interwoven.
+P115
I will pray from the depths of my heart that your meritorious
efforts may soon be crowned with magnificent
success.
December 18, 1945
Threefold Task
There is no objection to permitting the name of a Baha'i
or his relative, to be placed on a stone incorporated in some
Baha'i building he has donated to the Faith.
He is delighted with the progress your work is making in
every field, and he urges you all to continually stimulate and
inspire the friends to make ever greater effort and sacrifice in
the service of their beloved Faith. The opportunity is unique
and the rewards of Baha'u'llah inestimably glorious.
[From the Guardian:]
My heart swells with joy, pride, and gratitude as I contemplate
the range of the services rendered in recent years by
the Indian believers to the Cause of Baha'u'llah. I particularly
rejoice at the splendid initiative, the magnificent zeal,
the unconquerable spirit that have characterised their recent
understanding associated with the new Plan which they
have audaciously conceived, and which, I feel confident, they
will prosecute with exemplary vigour and constancy.
Simultaneous with the united efforts that must be strenuously
exerted to ensure its success, a systematic endeavour must
be made to proclaim the verities of our glorious Faith
to the masses, and to disseminate far and wide its literature.
This threefold task requires the concentrated and sustained
attention of the rank and file of the believers, the subordination
of every consideration to its paramount interests, the
extension of generous financial assistance to the agencies
designed for its promotion. The believers in India have
set an inspiring example to their fellow-believers throughout
the East, and even to the great mass of their co-religionists
in Baha'u'llah's native land, and have abundantly demonstrated
+P116
to them all, what organized activity, boldly conceived
and soundly and energetically conducted, can achieve
when directed and animated by the ennobling influences and
the generative spirit of the Faith of Baha'u'llah. Their
exploits are indeed unsurpassed by those of any community
throughout the Baha'i world except those which stand
associated with the community that may well claim to be
the standard-bearer of the Cause of God in the West. That
these exploits may be the forerunners of still mightier and
nobler achievements is my fervent hope and prayer.
March 20, 1946
Baha'is Can Accept Grants-in-aid From The
Government
Your question about whether Baha'is can accept grants-in-aid
and free plots from Government....
There is no objection, the beloved Guardian says, to the
Baha'is receiving this type of help from the Government
and civic authorities.
March 24, 1946
Baha'i Holy Days
He thinks it is better for Baha'i doctors not to work on our
9 Holy Days--but, of course, that does not mean they should
not attend to very sick people and emergencies on these days.
Voting Rights
As he already told you in a previous communication he feels
that your Assembly should not deprive people of their voting
rights unless the matter is really very grave; this is a very heavy
sanction, and can embitter the heart if lightly imposed, and
also make people think we unduly resort to pressure of a strong
nature. The friends must be nursed and assisted, for they are
still mostly immature spiritually, and their "sins" are those of
+P117
immaturity! Their hearts are loyal to the Cause, and this is the
most important thing.
Responsibilities Immense
[From the Guardian:]
The responsibilities confronting the Indian and Burmese
Baha'i Communities, in these days of stress and turmoil, are
immense and inescapable. The task facing them is urgent,
complex and rich in possibilities. The Plan which they
are now striving to carry out demands the utmost vigilance,
care, vigour and perseverance. All must arise to lend their
assistance, and ensure its unqualified success in all its
aspects. An intensification of effort aimed at increasing
the number of pioneers who are labouring throughout the
length and breadth of that land; a more vigorous and
systematic endeavour to ensure the speedy publication of
Baha'i literature in all the languages that have already been
determined upon and its immediate dissemination as an
adjunct to the all-important teaching work; the elimination
of every trace of inharmony, misunderstanding and ill-will
so detrimental, at this juncture, to the interests of the Plan;
the initiation of measures designed to give greater publicity
to the aims and purposes of the Faith and its fundamental
teachings, through the Press and radio; the adoption and
enforcement of whatever measures are required to
increase the number of Indian and Muslim converts to the
Faith, on whom its ultimate triumph and recognition must
depend; the steady consolidation and expansion of newly-established
institutions, such as the Summer School, the
hostel and the local Haziras; a more liberal and widespread
contribution of funds to the National Treasury for the
support of these institutions, and for the promotion of the
general interests of the Faith--these stand out as the
primary duties and obligations of both the participants of
the Plan and of those who conduct its operation.
A special effort must simultaneously be exerted to provide
whatever is required to re-establish the long-suffering and
dearly-loved Burmese community on a secure foundation.
+P118
The despatch of competent teachers and visitors to that
sorely-tried land; the extension of the necessary relief to those
who are still in need; the reconstruction of the administrative
headquarters and the re-establishment of the Baha'i
school; the construction of the memorial to the beloved and
unforgettable pioneer and martyr Siyyid Mustafa; the
formation of Assemblies and Groups in as many localities
as possible--these constitute the immediate tasks confronting
your Assembly in addition to the responsibilities you
are called upon to discharge under the new Plan.
No sacrifice can be deemed too great for the achievement of
this dual purpose, no effort should be spared in order to
carry out in its entirety this twofold objective. May the
Beloved grant you the strength you require for the
accomplishment of your historic task.
August 2, 1946
Answer to Various Matters
Concerning ... divorce: He has no right to demand
from his wife a refund of the marriage expenses he incurred. In
the Aqdas it is quite clear that the husband must not only give
the dowry but must support his wife until the time when the
divorce is completed. In view of this she is not required to repay
expenses of the marriage, etc.
The paying of the Huquq is a spiritual obligation; the friends
must not be obliged by the Assemblies to pay it, but they should
be encouraged to fulfil this spiritual obligation laid upon them
in the Aqdas.
He is very pleased to note the list of literature the publishing
committee is forwarding to him, and urges you to persevere in
pressing the translation and publishing of the New Era in the
important languages already chosen for the purpose, as he attaches
the greatest importance to this work.
He was also delighted to see that the Srinagar Assembly held
its elections. These new Assemblies must receive every aid and
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encouragement from your Assembly and every effort must be
made to carry the Faith to new Centres, and to stimulate pioneering
amongst the friends.
The Indian believers have a great opportunity to compete
with both the American and British Baha'is in pioneer services;
they already have a record to be proud of, and are first among
the countries of the East in the record they hold of achievements
in this field. He hopes they will go on from victory to victory,
and vindicate the high hopes he cherishes for their future.
If the National Assembly is sure that it was Siyyid Mustafa
Roumie's wish to be buried next to his wife in Mandalay, then
you should, by all means, arrange for the interment of his remains
there. A befitting memorial can then be erected over
the vault. The spirit of this great and valiant teacher surely
watches over the land of his adoption, and will aid the Burmese
believers in their efforts to rebuild their centres and promulgate
the Cause of God there.
As we see the confusion in the world spreading, and the hatreds
that divide men augmenting steadily, we, as the trustees of
our Lord's glorious Faith, must rise to higher levels of self-sacrifice
and devotion. He prays that the Indian believers may
achieve wonderful victories for Baha'u'llah in the months that
lie ahead, and prove themselves worthy of the great destiny that
beckons to them.
Unstinted Devotion Displayed
[From the Guardian:]
The perseverance, the tenacity, the unstinted devotion displayed
consistently by the Indian Baha'i Community, so
clearly demonstrated by the reports recently received by their
national elected representatives, are truly exhilarating and
augur well for the future of the Plan. The members of this
Community, however, must not be content with the standard
already achieved, but must exert themselves ever more determinedly
and unitedly to fulfil the high hopes cherished for
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the success of their collective enterprise. The Burmese Baha'i
Community, which they are so devotedly striving to rehabilitate,
must, likewise participate without reserve, in the glorious
task that confronts them, and demonstrate, thereby,
its virility and resilience in the face of the trials and obstacles
which it has had to struggle against in the past. The
establishment of new centres in Burma, the consolidation of
the reinstated Assemblies, are both equally vital and urgent.
The verities of the Faith must be proclaimed, its literature
must be disseminated and its institutions reinforced and multiplied
throughout that land. Both communities must collaborate
and through sustained, vigorous and systematic effort
and mutual assistance lend an unprecedented impetus to the
onward march of the Faith in India and Burma. The greater
the effort and self-sacrifice, the richer the benefits that will
accrue, and the more potent the blessings that will be vouchsafed
from on high. The goals are clearly defined. The prizes
to be won are within reach and inexpressibly glorious. Time
is running out and the opportunity is priceless. The promise
of Divine unfailing assistance is assured. All are challenged
to arise, to toil and to persevere, until their solemn pledge
under the Plan is completely and totally fulfilled. That they
may prove themselves worthy of their high mission is my fervent
hope and constant prayer.
October 12, 1946
More Pioneers to Go Forth
He has been very encouraged to see the way the Indian, and
now the Burmese friends have responded to his repeated call
for greater sacrifice and for more pioneers to go forth into the
teaching field. Your country is so vast that less valiant hearts
than those possessed by the indomitable Baha'is might well
have quailed before the tasks to be undertaken. But, on the
contrary, the Indian and Burmese friends have arisen and demonstrated
the calibre of their faith and courage in a manner
which excites the admiration of their fellow Baha'is East and
West.
Now is not the time to rest on their oars, but rather to re-double
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their efforts and go on from victory to victory, and to
add new fame to their exploits, conscious that the eyes of their
fellow-believers are focussed upon them to see what they will
achieve next.
He was particularly happy to see how active the beloved
Burmese friends are, and that through the efforts of some members
of their Community and Indian friends they have now established
a new centre in Kyigone, where a Spiritual Assembly
can exist. This is a great step forward, and he hopes many new
Baha'i Assemblies will be developed in Burma during the coming
Baha'i year.
He was also very pleased to hear of the book exhibit held in
Kolhapur, and of the interest shown in our Baha'i literature
by persons of standing in the Community. Such exhibitions
offer a great opportunity to show the public what the Cause is
doing and what it stands for, and every advantage of them
should be taken.
Although your Assembly has succeeded in getting out a
number of new language publications, you should not relax for
a moment in your efforts to translate and publish the New Era
in the remaining languages chosen, as this work is of the utmost
importance, enables you to teach new language groups the Faith,
and adds to the prestige of the Cause not only in India but abroad.
Although you have many obstacles to overcome the results
in the future will be great.
He cannot impress too strongly upon the friends the need
for action: they must arise in still greater numbers to pioneer;
those who cannot go themselves should remember the admonition
of Baha'u'llah and send, through the N.S.A., someone in
their stead; the young people should learn to teach and go forth
in the field in the days of their youth and receive this great blessing;
more qualified teachers should arise, and circulate among
the new and weak Assemblies in order to consolidate them.
[From the Guardian:]
The rich and varied material which you have been forwarding
during recent months to the Holy Land proclaim and
demonstrate, beyond the shadow of a doubt the assiduous
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care, the magnificent devotion, the exemplary fidelity, the
increased efficiency with which you are conducting the
affairs, and consolidating the activities of a steadily growing
community. My heart swells with gratitude as I witness, in
so many fields, the striking evidences of the growth, the multiplication
and establishment of highly diversified communities
throughout the length and breadth of India and Burma, the
expansion of Baha'i literature, the rise of new institutions,
the growing consciousness and solidarity of the teachers and
administrators of the Faith, and of the contact that is being
established between them and the great masses of their countrymen,
at so critical a period in their history. However
much these communities have already achieved, they cannot
afford, for a moment, to rest content with the laurels that
they have won. Spurred on by these initial and superb victories
--victories unprecedented in the annals of their Faith in
that land--they must press on, more diligently than ever, to
reinforce their unity, to deepen their understanding of the
spiritual verities of their Faith and of the administrative
principles underlying its new world order, to multiply its
nascent institutions, to broadcast its Message, to disseminate
its literature, to exemplify its spirit, to proclaim its truths,
and to swell the ranks of its unreserved supporters. The
greater the effort they exert along these lines, the more abundant
the measure of celestial grace that will be vouchsafed
to them from on high. That they may go from strength to
strength, that they may add still more glorious chapters to
the distinguished record of their immortal services to the
Cause of Baha'u'llah is my constant prayer and the most cherished
desire of my heart.
March 13, 1947
Esslemont Book in Karen Language
He advises you to make every effort to have the Esslemont
book translated into Karen at present, and to persevere in
your attempts to find someone to translate it into Chin in the
future. He urges you to make a supreme effort to complete
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these translations and publication of the Esslemont book in
the remaining chosen languages.
Rules [&and] Regulations Should Not Be Multiplied
You may not perhaps know that in connection with all
National Assemblies the Guardian is advising that rules and regulations
should not be multiplied and new statements on "procedure"
issued; we should be elastic in details and rigid in principles;
consequently he does not want your Assembly to issue
statements of a binding nature unless absolutely necessary.... It is
only those who have been spiritually ex-communicated by the
Guardian with whom the believers are forbidden to associate,
and not a person who is being punished by being deprived of his
voting rights. As contributions to Baha'i funds are used to support
the administration of the Faith, they should not be accepted
from those who are deprived of their voting rights; but such
believers, should not be prevented from being buried in a Baha'i
Cemetery or receiving charity--which we even give to non-Baha'is
--if in dire need.
Added Responsibility
As the N.S.A. of Persia is, it would seem, unable
to send pioneers to Bahrayn or Afghanistan, he fully approves
of your Assembly doing so, if some of the dear Indian believers
are willing to assume this added responsibility and perform this
valuable service, highly meritorious in the sight of God.
The recent news conveyed to him by you of the achievement
of the immediate goals that lay before the Indian and Burmese
Baha'is, pleased him greatly. He feels that the Community of
believers there, as they see their own Plan developing and their
own labours bearing fruit, their fame spreading amongst their
sister-communities and their star rising in the heaven of the
Baha'i world, are now acquiring a new zest for teaching, and are
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ever more ready to sacrifice themselves in order to win complete
victory for their Plan! This pleases him greatly and encourages
him to believe the future of the dear Indian and Burmese
believers is very bright.
He was also delighted and relieved to hear that unity was
achieved at Convention amongst the friends, and that all of
them have resolved to put away childish differences, unworthy
of them as servants and custodians of our glorious Faith in that
great country, and unitedly strive for the good of the Cause
and the successful completion of their sacred tasks.
He wishes once more to impress upon your Assembly the
great importance of immediately finding and purchasing, and
moving into, a befitting Hazira in Delhi. This will bring upon
the entire community great confirmations.
Threshold of a New Epoch
[From the Guardian:]
The perusal of your Annual Report and the messages conveyed
by the elected representatives of the Indian and Burmese
Baha'i communities, assembled at Convention, have served
to deepen my sense of admiration for the work collectively
achieved by the members of these communities, and of my
gratitude for the magnificent qualities they display, and
for the spirit which so powerfully animates them in their
stewardship to the Faith of Baha'u'llah.
They now stand on the threshold of a new epoch in
the history of the evolution of the Administrative Order
in their land. The transfer of the central institution of
that Order to the capital of India; the wide measure of centralization
which this historic step must needs involve; the purchase
of a befitting seat for the ever expanding activities and
multiplying agencies of that institution in that same capital,
the progressive transfer of the national committees to the
national Haziratu'l-Quds--all these must synchronize with a
remarkable, and indeed unprecedented, intensification of
effort in the pioneer field of Baha'i activity, as well as in the
sphere of public teaching, designed to arouse the masses and
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proclaim the verities of the Faith throughout the length and
breadth of that subcontinent and its adjoining territory of
Burma.
In this twofold activity, supporting directly and indirectly
the interests of the Plan, committed to your charge, the
Hindu, the Moslem, the Burmese and Zoroastrian believers
must jointly, unitedly, and effectively participate. The
minority elements in these ever-expanding communities
must be continually stimulated, encouraged, trained and in
some cases, as when an equal number of ballots have been
cast in an election, given priority, in order to reinforce the
representative character of Baha'i institutions, demonstrate
the distinction of these institutions from all other man-made
agencies, and win, to an ever-increasing degree, the
sympathy and support of the teeming masses of Hindu and
Moslem extraction, on whose adherence to the Faith, the
ultimate progress, establishment, and triumph of the Cause
of Baha'u'llah must chiefly depend.
Courage, good-will, resolution, self-abnegation, are imperatively
required, at this momentous stage in the evolution
of these nascent communities, who, having reared, with
assiduous care, the machinery of their Administrative Order,
and launched the Plan which the institutions of that Order
are now so efficiently promoting, have arisen to initiate
a crusade which, as it gathers momentum, must embrace
all the diversified races, classes and creeds of that vast
country, and its adjoining territories. May the impelling
power of the Faith which they champion enable them
to surmount every obstacle, and reach their destined goal.
May 8, 1947
Set the Highest Example of Tolerance
During the great period of transition that vast land has been,
and still is, going through his thoughts have been very frequently
with you all, and his anxiety for the safety of the beloved
friends there is very keen.
He fully appreciates the fact that the Baha'is, in spite of
their total lack of religious or other prejudice, and their
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strict political neutrality, are nevertheless placed in danger
sometimes by the passions and unrest of their countrymen.
His ardent prayers are offered for their protection, and he urges
them to, at all times, set the highest example of tolerance, freedom
from any form of partisanship in the present troubles and
disputes going on, and sympathy with the deep sufferings of all
classes and creeds.
Greater Dedication to Service
The work of your Assembly is even more onerous and
delicate than before. Now that India, Burma and Pakistan
no longer form one unit, in the sense of being under one
regime, you will, no doubt, have many new problems to meet.
But he feels assured that the experience the Community of
believers has gained during recent years, the increased awareness
of the glory of this Cause, and the greater dedication to
its service which unites the hearts of all the Baha'is out there,
will now manifest themselves in the Community's wholehearted
cooperation with the N.S.A., and in a renewed determination
to achieve its Plan.
The believers must realize that they, in fulfilling the immediate
goals of this Plan, are hastening the day when India,
Pakistan and Burma can respectively have each its own National
Spiritual Assembly, which, in due time, will become one of the
pillars of the International House of Justice. Although three
N.S.A.'s and not one must be envisaged in the future, how
appropriate it is that, at present, when political division has
taken place and animosities are fanned into flame, the believers
in the Cause of God are united under one Spiritual Assembly,
guiding and aiding all believers with love and understanding!
Please particularly assure the Serampur Baha'is of his loving
prayers, and that he is proud of their devotion to the Faith.
He also wishes to assure you of his prayers for the progress
of all the work your Assembly is doing, and especially for the
solution of the problems involved in the National Headquarters'
purchase. He attributes great importance to this undertaking,
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and is delighted to see the determined and self-sacrificing
manner in which the believers are supporting it.
Opportunity Which May Never Occur Again
[From the Guardian:]
The strife and bloodshed, with their attendant misery, sorrow
and confusion, that have afflicted the entire subcontinent
of India, in recent months, have caused me the gravest
concern. The disorders, following in the wake of this great
crisis in the life of its people, constitute a challenge, which
the Community of the steadfast followers of Baha'u'llah
in that land must resolutely face, and demonstrate in meeting
it the quality of their faith, the depth of their devotion,
the strength of their unity, the solidity of their institutions
and the heroic character of their resolve. They must neither
feel alarmed, nor falter or hesitate in the execution of their
Plan. Shielded by the institutions which their hands have
reared, abiding securely in the stronghold of their love
for Baha'u'llah and their devotion to His Faith, pursuing
with unrelaxing vigilance and singleness of purpose the
course set by the Plan they themselves have inaugurated,
heartened by the initial success already achieved since that
Plan was set in motion, they, however much buffeted by
present circumstances, and no matter how perilous the path
they now tread, must press forward, unafraid of persecution,
scorn of calumny, towards the shining goals they have set
themselves to attain.
The newly-fledged Assemblies, constituted with so much
labour and sacrifice, must above all be thoroughly safe-guarded.
The administrative nuclei formed throughout the
length and breadth of that land, must, however great the
effort demanded, be preserved and continually fostered,
and enabled to develop into groups destined in time to
evolve into firmly knit Assemblies. The obstacles that have
arisen in connection with the purchase and registration of
the Haziratu'l-Quds in Delhi must be resolutely overcome
and all the subsidiary issues connected with it definitely and
speedily settled, enabling thereby the attention of your
Assembly to be focussed on the vital requirements of the
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teaching work on which the prosperity of the community
and its rapid growth must ultimately depend. Attention,
moreover, should be directed to the completion of the task
undertaken in connexion with the translation and publication
of the New Era in the few remaining languages selected
for that purpose. The dissemination of Baha'i literature
should, likewise, be simultaneously carried out with increasing
vigour. Whatever measures are required to ensure a
more systematic and extensive propagation of the teaching
of the Faith among the masses must be promptly and
unhesitatingly adopted.
The hour is indeed propitious. The ordeals and tribulations
which the hungry, the dispossessed, the sick, as well as the
disillusioned and restless multitudes, are now experiencing,
offer the bearers of the Message of the Most Great Name, an
opportunity which may never again recur. There is no time
to lose. Every warrior in the ever-advancing army of
Baha'u'llah must arise and participate in this holy crusade.
The rewards and prizes to be won are inestimable. However
circumscribed its resources, however small its numbers, however
formidable the obstacles with which it is confronted,
the entire community of the believers in India, Burma and
Pakistan, must arise as one man, and, pledging anew its
fidelity to its Faith prove itself fully worthy of the Cause it
has espoused and the high mission it has undertaken.
October 24, 1947
Excommunication is a Spiritual Matter
Excommunication is a spiritual thing and up until now the
Guardian has always been the one who exerted this power,
and he feels for the present he must continue to be. Only actual
enemies of the Cause are ex-communicated. On the other hand,
those who conspicuously disgrace the Faith or refuse to abide by
its laws can be deprived, as a punishment, of their voting rights;
this in itself is a severe action, and he therefore always urges all
National Assemblies (who can take such action) to first warn
and repeatedly warn the evil-doer before taking the step of
depriving him of his voting rights. He feels your Assembly must
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act with the greatest wisdom in such matters, and only impose
this sanction if a believer is seriously injuring the Faith in the
eyes of the public through his conduct or flagrantly breaching
the laws of God. If such a sanction were lightly used the friends
would come to attach no importance to it, or to feel the N.S.A.
used it every time they got angry with some individual's disobedience
to them. We must always remember that, sad and often
childish, as it seems, some of those who make the worst nuisances
of themselves to their National Bodies are often very loyal
believers, who think they are protecting the true interests of their
Faith by attacking N.S.A. decisions!
Unite to Serve Him
The Guardian feels very strongly that everywhere, throughout
the entire Baha'i world, the believers have got to master and
follow the principles of their divinely laid down Administrative
Order. They will never solve their problems by departing from
the correct procedure... The Baha'is have got to learn to live up
to the laws of Baha'u'llah which are infinitely higher, more
exacting and more perfect than those the world is at present
familiar with. Running away, fighting with each other, fostering
dissension, is not going to advance the Indian or any other
Community; all it is going to do is to bring Baha'u'llah's plans
and work to a standstill until such time as the believers unite to
serve Him, or new and more dedicated souls arise to take their
place.
Seeking to Purify the World
He also feels very strongly, as he has pointed out in the
enclosed letter to the Calcutta Assembly, that the Baha'is must
be mature and realize that, whether they are conscious of it or
not, the intense feelings of hatred, suspicion and jealousy which
are flaming up everywhere in India and Pakistan, are tinging the
attitudes of the believers themselves. At such a time, seeing
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this colossal example before them of the very essence of everything
we are seeking to purify the world from, the Hindu,
Moslem and Zoroastrian Baha'is should determine to show a
love for each other and an inner spiritual solidarity so great as
to forcibly attract the attention of their countrymen and impress
them with the fact that Baha'u'llah's Message is, indeed, the only
remedy for the ills afflicting the great multitudes of the Far
East. It would seem, however, from your reports and those of
individuals who write him, that the Baha'is are doing the very
opposite and enabling outsiders to point the finger at them and
say "the very rivalry we are experiencing between various communities,
the Baha'is are also experiencing!" How terrible, how
tragic, if Baha'is should let such a situation develop, such a
betrayal of not only the trust God has placed in their hands but
also a betrayal of the glorious victories they themselves won during
the past decade!
The Guardian assures you all, and through you, the believers
of India, Pakistan and Burma, that he will supplicate in the Holy
Shrines that the labours you have all achieved together may be
preserved from blemish, and that you may go on together to
fulfil your plan and raise still higher the name of your fame.
Stormy Yet Glorious Path of Service
[From the Guardian:]
The work now engaging the attention of the members of the
Baha'i Communities in India, Pakistan and Burma, as it
develops and is further consolidated, acquires momentous
importance, and should be pursued with added zeal, ever
deepening consecration, firmer unity, closer collaboration,
greater vigilance and nobler self-sacrifice. The sufferings and
trials they have recently experienced, the disappointments
and anxieties they have borne, the obstacles and setbacks they
have encountered in their path, should, far from causing them
to flinch in their determination or to relax in their efforts, act
as a stimulant and challenge, to scale loftier heights, and win
mightier victories in their strenuous labours for the propagation
of their beloved Faith.
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Though they are pressed by the multitudinous demands of an
ever-growing task, though overburdened by the manifold
responsibilities of an ever-expanding administration, I have,
in my desire to enable them to enrich the splendid record of
their stewardship to the Faith in recent years, and enhance
the prestige of all three communities, urged them to push
still further the outposts of the Faith, both southward and
eastward of the present field of their joint labours. In the
island of Ceylon, the Republic of Indonesia and the
sovereign State of Siam, which due to their proximity must,
sooner or later be opened up to the Faith by these Communities,
an effort, however tentative, must be made to
establish a nucleus, through the settlement of one or two
pioneers which will, as Plans are initiated in the years to
come, develop into full-fledged communities capable of
illuminating the eastern and southern fringes of the continent
of Asia.
Through the successful conclusion of this added task to be
shouldered by these communities, the believers in these
three communities will have contributed, to a marked degree,
to the raising to one hundred of the number of countries included
within the pale of the ever-advancing Faith of
Baha'u'llah. They will be emulating the example of their
American, Canadian and Persian brethren, who, through
their respective plans, are hastening this glorious consummation
by initiating Baha'i activities in Latin America, in
Greenland and New Foundland and the territories of the
Arabian Peninsula.
Their solid achievements in recent years, the marvellous
multiplication of Baha'i Centres, the establishment of befitting
national headquarters, the remarkable impetus lent to the
translation, publication and dissemination of Baha'i Literature,
embolden me to appeal to them, to undertake fresh enterprises,
ere the termination of the present Plan, and on however
small a scale, beyond the confines of India and Burma.
The greater the range of their collective enterprises, the
mightier the effusion of the Abha grace from on high, a
grace that will sustain, protect, guide and cheer them as they
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tread the stormy yet glorious path of service for the furtherance
of their beloved Cause.
Let them, at this momentous stage of their historic labours,
eliminate, once and for all, every trace of inharmony from
their midst, purge their hearts from every lingering suspicion,
prejudice and animosity, acquire a clearer vision of the
greatness of their Faith and the significance of their mission,
give heed to the urgent and tragic needs of the vast multitudes
of their disillusioned and sore-tried countrymen, now
hungering for the Bread of Life, and arise, as one man, to
discharge their sacred and inescapable responsibilities. The
hour is propitious, the situation critical, the Cause infinitely
precious, the prize within reach and inexpressibly glorious.
May 8, 1948
Old and Tried Community
The news that from Calcutta two souls have volunteered to
go forth as pioneers to Siam and Indonesia greatly pleased him.
Likewise, he was rejoiced to hear a pioneer for Ceylon has been
found.
The Burmese, Indian and Pakistan Baha'is, forming as they
do a relatively old and tried Community of believers, have
heavy responsibilities to discharge. They cannot be looked
upon as children or youngsters in this great Cause, but rather
must be considered more in the light of elders, and consequently
their Baha'i brothers and sisters expect great things of them,
and look to them for signs of leadership in that part of the
world! Therefore, the fulfilment of their Plan, and the sending
forth of their pioneers to neighbouring Asiatic countries, is of
crucial importance in maintaining their leadership in this field
and their prestige in the Baha'i world.
He was very glad to see your Assembly has not relaxed its
efforts in the matter of translating and publishing the Esslemont
book. As you know, he considers this a vital service being
rendered by your Community to not only the peoples of that part
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of the world, but to the Faith as a world-wide movement. He
has begun to receive lately some of your publications, and
trusts, now the mails are again running, to receive safely all the
material you are sending.
Arcade of the Shrine of the Bab
The Foundation of the arcade of the Shrine has now been
laid and all the heavy threshold stones placed in position. More
than half of the stone work ordered in Italy for this first unit
of the beautiful shell, which will enclose and protect for all-time
the sacred building built by the beloved Master Himself, has
now been received on the Shrine property, and plans are being
made for the next stage of construction to go ahead.
This glorious work, so cheering to all our hearts, is, however,
greatly increasing the burden our beloved Guardian bears,
and he hopes the friends will understand this when they find
letters to him can no longer be answered promptly. At such a
time, when this country has passed through so much danger and
difficulty, it is little short of miraculous the way this work on
the Shrine has been facilitated and protected and gone ahead
steadily! It is greatly enhancing the prestige of the Faith here,
and the authorities have been cooperative and helpful.
Grave Challenge
[From the Guardian:]
The communications addressed to me several months ago
by your Assembly have, after considerable delay in transmission,
reached the Holy Land, and, together with the
reports and minutes accompanying them, were read with
deep and sustained interest.
The tremendous task facing the Baha'i Communities in India,
Pakistan and Burma, constitutes a grave challenge to the
followers of the Faith of Baha'u'llah in these countries and
must be faced and met with courage, determination and a
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spirit of complete dedication to His Cause. The disturbances
that have so gravely shaken the peoples of these countries, on
the morrow of a world-convulsing international conflict; the
unfortunate and sudden cessation of communications between
these countries and the World Centre of the Faith in the
Holy Land during the past year; the fears and anxieties engendered
by a steadily deteriorating international situation
which cannot but dismay the stoutest hearts, have no doubt
contributed, in varying degrees, and in no small measure, to
a slowing down of the progress of the collective enterprise,
so nobly, so enthusiastically and so energetically initiated by
the upholders of the Faith throughout the sub-continent of
India and Burma.
The reverses they have suffered, with their attendant
disappointments, confusion and relaxation of effort,
must never be allowed, however short the period remaining
before the termination of their Plan, to jeopardize
the chance of a success which is still in their power to achieve.
They must close their ranks, gird up their loins, rededicate
their souls and spirits to the unfinished tasks which face
them, purge themselves of every taint of communal prejudice,
detach themselves from every thought of self-interest,
and arise, while there is yet time, to attain the goals they
have pledged themselves to attain.
The final phase of the Plan with which they stand identified,
and on which their immediate destiny depends, coincides
with the hundredth anniversary of the most bloody, tragic
and turbulent period in the history of their Faith--a period
immortalised by the noblest evidences of Baha'i self-sacrifice,
marked by acts of sublime heroism, and ennobled by a spirit
of dedication and determination unsurpassed at any subsequent
stage in Baha'i history. Now, if ever, is the time
to emulate the example of these heroes, saints and martyrs.
Now is the time to pour out one's substance as copiously
and as readily, as the Dawn-breakers of the Heroic Age of
the Faith have shed their life-blood in the path of this most
precious Cause. No more befitting tribute can be paid to
the memory of these luminous souls, by those who carry the
torch of Divine Guidance after them, than by a corresponding
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manifestation of solidarity, self-abnegation, zeal and devotion,
which will impel them to forsake their homes, sacrifice
their treasure, brave every danger, endure every hardship,
expend every ounce of energy, that the Plan which they have
spontaneously and unitedly sponsored may, through its triumphant
termination, carry them a stage further along the
broad highway of their destiny.
The multiplication of Baha'i Assemblies, at any cost
and with the utmost speed; the reconstitution of
dissolved Assemblies, however great the effort required;
the completion of the translation into, and the
printing of the New Era, in the few remaining languages,
within the shortest possible time, the despatch of no more
than one pioneer, to the neighbouring Island of Ceylon, to
Siam and to Indonesia, ere the termination of the closing year
of the Plan--these stand out as the immediate requirements
of the present challenging hour--requirements that the prosecutors
of the Plan must meet. The eyes of their fellow-workers
in East and West, are fixed upon them. The Concourse
on high watches their actions, and stands ready to
bless and reinforce their labours. The Centre of the Covenant
Himself is eagerly waiting to witness the evidences of
their victory, and will no doubt intercede, on their behalf,
before the throne of Baha'u'llah, if they but arise resolutely
and spur their chargers into the arena of service.
The sands are indeed running out. The task that remains to
be accomplished is indeed colossal. The distractions, temptations,
and pitfalls that might interfere with its consummation
are many and varied. The resources however spiritual
and material still at the disposal of the members of these
communities, are still adequate, if they but resolve to utilize
them, to the needs of the present hour. The blessings from
on high, ready to be showered upon them, are more than
adequate to ensure their complete and total victory. So much
hangs on the fortunes of the present Plan! So much must
necessarily depend on the manner and the spirit in which
they discharge their terrific responsibilities, during the few
fleeting months still allotted them ere the expiry of the Plan!
+P136
I entreat them, with all the fervour of my soul, not to allow
this golden opportunity to slip from their grasp. They have,
in the past, proved themselves capable, in times of crisis, of
overleaping the most formidable barriers, and of wresting
victory from the jaws of impending defeat. Theirs is the
opportunity, now if ever, to demonstrate a similar resolution,
a no less spectacular outburst of enthusiasm, an even
nobler heroism and self-sacrifice than they have ever shown
in the past.
Then, and only then, will the next stage in the evolution of
their common destiny be unveiled to their eyes. Then, and
only then, will the call summoning them to press forward to
yet another landmark in their history be sounded. Then, and
only then, will a still fuller measure of heavenly prizes be
laid up for them in reward for their inestimable and arduous
services in the treasuries of the Abha Kingdom by Him who
alone knows how to re-ignite His faithful servants.
April 9, 1949
Superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab
He would like you to please thank on his behalf those friends
who have forwarded Huquq to him and contributions for the
building of the Super-structure of the Bab's Shrine.
This building is now beginning to take shape and promises
to be very beautiful, befitting and dignified. It is the realization
of the fond hope of the beloved Master, who stated to Badi
Bushrui one day, as He looked up at the building He Himself
had already completed: "The Shrine is as yet unbuilt.... God
willing, it will be built. We have brought it up to this stage."
The friends should be told this, as many of them do not
realize it was the Master's own plan to go much further, and
erect a dome over the Resting Place of the Bab.
+P137
Keep in Close Touch With Pioneers
The Guardian desires your Assembly to keep in close touch
with your pioneers abroad and give them strong moral, as well
as financial support. It will please you to know two Dutch
Baha'is are going out to Indonesia, and he has asked them to
communicate with your Assembly and cooperate with you in
spreading the Faith there and in having at least a pamphlet, to
begin with, translated into the most needed native language.
His heart has been very anxious over the fate of the believers
in Burma, and it relieved him greatly to hear that you received
news they were safe. Please assure them his loving prayers are
with them and offered for their protection.
End of Six-Year Plan Approaches
[From the Guardian:]
As the end of the Plan to which your community stands
committed inexorably approaches, my anxious thoughts increasingly
turn towards you and your fellow workers, on
whose shoulders a staggering responsibility--grave as well as
inescapable--is weighing so heavily in these days. I am fully
aware of the character of the manifold and unexpected trials
this community has been called upon to face in India, Pakistan
and Burma since its inception. The ordeal of internal
disorder and of civil strife; the dislocation of the machinery
of internal administration, the inevitable consequence
of the vast political changes that have been effected in these
countries; the reverses suffered by this same community
through the temporary seizure of its newly acquired administrative
headquarters and the loss of some of its precious
assets in both India and Burma; the hardships endured by
the pioneers of this community as well as its administrators
as a consequence of severely imposed restrictions, outbursts
of fanaticism and civil riots--have been such as to dismay
the stoutest heart and tax to the uttermost the determination
of the most resolute.
+P138
And yet, in spite of these successive afflictions the members
of this community have forged ahead, valiantly, unitedly and
determinedly, and have even extended the original range of
their Plan by embarking on fresh and historical enterprises
beyond the confines of these territories, through the despatch
of pioneers to the neighbouring Dominion of Ceylon and the
adjacent Kingdom of Siam and the Republic of Indonesia.
Whatever the fate of the Plan which they are now seeking
to bring to its consummation, this striking evidence of the
indomitable spirit of faith that animates the rank and file of
this community, and which has prompted it to seek fresh
laurels in virgin territories beyond the frontiers of its homeland,
will, without the slightest doubt, redound eternally to
its credit, and be abundantly rewarded by a vigilant and all-Bountiful
Master.
To enhance the value of so rich a prize won, in so
short a period, by a community so burdened by cares
and anxieties, in territories for the most part overshadowed
by discord and internal revolution, through the triumphant
conclusion of the major task entrusted to its hands,
and the successful conclusion of the second collective enterprise
embarked upon by its indefatigable and resolute members,
on the morrow of a world-encircling conflict, must now
be the paramount and all-absorbing purpose of all who are
privileged to participate in this mighty endeavour. Time is
short. Every week is precious. The resources of the community,
financial, moral and spiritual are, I firmly believe,
adequate to meet the needs of this critical hour. So golden
an opportunity, if missed, will not recur for who knows how
extensive a period. The launching of subsequent enterprises
destined to culminate in the triumph and ascendancy of a
struggling Faith in the subcontinent of India, as well
as in the establishment of its institutions in South-East
Asia, will be inevitably and indefinitely postponed.
Undaunted by the setbacks it has experienced; heartened
by the settlement and the initial victory won by its
pioneers in the newly opened virgin territories in the
North, the South and the East; fully conscious of its ability
+P139
to perform adequately its task and discharge befittingly its
responsibility; relying on the unfailing grace of an all-Powerful,
ever solicitous, continually watching Providence; deriving
fresh inspiration and confidence from the amazing feat
achieved, by the small band of its brethren, in the West, and
in a continent more devastated by the ravages of war than
any other continent of the globe; let this community, while
time still remains, gird up its loins, sink its differences, rededicate
itself to its urgent task, sweep away every barrier that
confronts it, and rise, with an upsurge of unprecedented
enthusiasm and determination, to those heights to which its
spiritual destiny is now beckoning it.
With a heart, aglow with gratitude for what
this community has in the initial stage of its administrative
development accomplished, filled with confidence
in the potentialities with which our beloved
Master has endowed it in the years of His earthly ministry,
and overflowing with love for those who, through their incessant
labours and heroic self-sacrifice, have achieved unforgettable
victories in recent years, I will continue to supplicate
for all its members, at home and abroad, in their administrative
spheres of activity as well as in the teaching field
such blessings as will enable them to crown their concerted
efforts with a success that will resound throughout the
Baha'i world.
November 6, 1949
Arcade of the Shrine
The past winter and spring have been very arduous months
for our beloved Guardian and very anxious ones. As you
know, he has been pressing the work on the arcade of the Shrine
of the Bab in order to have it completed by the Centenary of
His martyrdom. As the arcade which fits about and protects
the Holy Tomb, built by our beloved Master, is considerably
larger than the original edifice, it has been necessary to excavate
the mountain immediately behind the Shrine, and this very difficult
work was carried out under the close and constant supervision
of the Guardian himself in order to ensure it was accomplished
safely, quickly and economically. This absorbed, for
+P140
many months, his precious time and energies. When this was
accomplished he looked forward to turning his attention to the
various National Assembly letters piled up, but, unfortunately,
Mr. Maxwell, the architect of the Shrine, became dangerously
ill at the beginning of April, and is still in hospital. His condition
was so grave that for weeks our Guardian and household
were prevented from concentrating on the many tasks waiting to
be attended to owing to the constant anxiety, the coming and
going of doctors, etc. He feels you should be informed of these
facts as an explanation of the long delay in hearing from him.
Mr. Maxwell, thanks to the mercy of God and the determination
of the Guardian, is now recovering, and we hope will live to
continue his work on the Shrine.
The contributions sent by the Indian believers for the Holy
Shrine were very much appreciated. Ever since the Burmese
friends contributed the Sarcophagus for the Holy Remains, the
friends in that part of the world have been linked with this
sacred enterprise. Their joy will be great when, once the pilgrimage
can be resumed, their eyes fall upon the beauty of this
Shrine.
Baha'is May Join Non-Partisan Organisations
There is no objection to the Baha'is associating with such
organisations as the World Government Organisation. The
instructions he gave to the British Baha'is may be followed.
However, great care should be taken to make sure these organisations
are absolutely non-partisan in their political views and
lean neither to East or West.
A Baha'i Cannot be a Theosophist
A Baha'i cannot at the same time be a theosophist; many
theosophists have become believers and very enlightened ones,
but as we do not believe in reincarnation we obviously cannot be
active as theosophists and Baha'is at the same time.
Killing of a Believer in Kamarhatti
The tragic killing of a believer in Kamarhatti grieved the
+P141
Guardian very much. If you are in touch with any of the relatives
please convey his sympathy to them, and assure them of his
prayers. Terrible as persecution is, we must always remember
that it waters the tree of Religion, and that from such deeds as
this the believers--far from being cowed and silenced--must derive
inspiration and courage.
Convention Delegates
The Guardian feels that, if a delegate is elected to represent
an Assembly (or community having Assembly status) during
the administrative year in which the Assembly existed he is
properly qualified, even if at Ridvan that community falls back
to group status. A community, however, which reverts to
group status at Ridvan cannot have a delegate to the following
year's Convention.
No Effort is Too Great
[From the Guardian:]
The severe restrictions to which the dearly-loved, highly
devoted, long struggling Baha'i community of India, Pakistan
and Burma have been subjected, the repeated setbacks
they have suffered, the grave disturbances in the wake of
which their manifold and meritorious activities have been
caught, evoke my heartfelt sympathy and arouse my deep
concern. The spirit which, despite adversities, delays and
dislocations, they have consistently manifested in recent years
is, however, worthy of the highest praise, and will, no doubt,
triumph over every obstacle, and will enable them to weather
every storm and win ultimate victory.
Though the course of the Plan they spontaneously undertook
has, of necessity, been affected by these constant vicissitudes
and unexpected developments, their achievements, beyond
the confines of their homelands, as well as in the publishing
field, have ennobled the record of their service to the Cause
of Baha'u'llah, and constitute a memorable chapter in the
history of the Faith in the sub-continent of India.
+P142
The translation and publication of the "New Era" in more
than twenty languages in recent years, the planting of the
banner of the Faith in the Island of Ceylon, the Republic
of Indonesia and the Kingdom of Siam--though not originally
an integral part of their Plan--has signalized the
opening of a new epoch in the evolution of the Faith in
South Eastern Asia, and has marked the formal association
of the Indian the Pakistani and Burmese believers with
their brethren in Europe, America, Egypt and Persia, in
carrying the torch of the Faith beyond the confines of their
respective continents and countries, and in executing the
last wishes of the Centre of the Covenant so movingly expressed
in His Will [&and] Testament.
Whatever these communities, so valiantly labouring in that
disturbed and strife-ridden corner of the Asiatic continent,
undertake to perform within the confines of their homelands
in the years ahead, this double process of extending the range
of the literature of the Faith and of propagating its Message
within the virgin territories, lying to the North and South-East
of their native lands, must continue with undiminished
momentum, and must receive the undivided attention of
the elected representatives of these communities.
Consolidation at home, and the provision of the necessary
measures to ensure the speedy and effective extension of
the influence of the Faith abroad, constitute the dual, the
immediate and inescapable responsibilities of all the members
of these communities, who are labouring, at so critical
a period, with such steadfast zeal and devotion, amidst the
masses of their fearful and harassed countrymen, for so
lofty an ideal and so precious a Faith.
Firmly united in their purpose, banishing, once and
for all, every trace of estrangement and prejudice
from their midst, assured of the all-compelling, ever-sustaining
power of Baha'u'llah, deriving fresh inspiration
from the triumphs collectively achieved by their
brethren in all continents of the globe, undeflected
in their resolve by any setback, opposition or injustice, let
them, with so notable a record of service behind them,
march resistlessly forward, entering still wider fields, scaling
+P143
nobler heights, plumbing still greater depths of heroism and
self-sacrifice.
As the Centenary of the birth of Baha'u'llah's prophetic
mission approaches, these sorely tried, much loved, indefatigable
communities, must brace themselves, however
challenging future circumstances may prove to be, however
arduous the tasks they are called upon to discharge, to
contribute, in whatever, way possible in whatever field they
may find it practicable, a memorable share to the collective
tribute which the followers of the Most Great Name are
now arising to pay, through action in the field of service,
to the Founder of their Faith on the occasion of the
hundredth anniversary of the inception of His Revelation.
The hour is indeed both precious and propitious. The
opportunity is glorious and will not recur in the lifetime of
this generation. No effort is too great to ensure the
success of so historic a commemoration. Time is short
for an adequate preparation for the celebration, through
collective and sound achievement, of so great a jubilee. All
must arise and contribute a share worthy of the name they
bear and of the privilege bestowed upon them.
That all three communities may rise to this occasion, may
rededicate themselves with renewed resolve and fresh
vigour, is my ardent and constant prayer.
June 28, 1950
Photos of the Arcade of the Shrine
Under separate cover two enlargements of the arcade of the
Shrine of the Bab have been mailed you. The Guardian wishes
this gift from him to be shown to the believers as widely as possible,
and then be hung in the National Headquarters.
He has sent the American N.S.A. two negatives of the
Shrine, and the Baha'is can order from the States copies if they
desire to purchase some.
He feels it will make the friends happy to see the beauty
+P144
of this blessed building so dear to all our hearts.
November 2, 1950
Inter-Assembly Conferences
He was very pleased to see that the policy of holding inter-assembly
conferences has been adopted and is meeting with
success; and he urges your Assembly to encourage the believers
to hold more of such gatherings. It cannot but have a stimulating
effect upon the teaching work, and inspire the friends to
make greater efforts in their respective communities.
Assembly in Moulmein, Burma
The news of the formation of an Assembly in Moulmein
pleased him very much; and he wishes you to assure the
believers there that he will pray for them in the Holy Shrines.
The devotion and loyalty of the Burmese believers, in the face
of so much turmoil in their native land, has aroused his admiration
and increased his affection for this long-standing Baha'i
Community, so persevering and so attached to the Cause of
Baha'u'llah.
Centenary Pamphlet Excellent
In connection with your publications, he would like to say
that he found your "Centenary of the Martyrdom of the Bab"
pamphlet excellent in every way, and was delighted to see that
the Indian Baha'is had shown so much initiative in getting out
this memorial pamphlet.
Increase the Number of Delegates to 95
The increase in the number of delegates to 95 is an important
milestone in the history of the Cause in those parts; and he
feels that the friends, proud of the progress they have made,
should determine that the coming Convention will be distinguished
+P145
as one of the most harmonious and constructive ever
held.
Pioneering to Siam
The Guardian is very anxious that pioneer activities should
be carried forward in Siam; and he urges your Assembly to
push this matter further, and ... send some other pioneer
there.
Registration of Assemblies
The Guardian hopes that wherever you have a strongly
established Spiritual Assembly, you will make every effort to
register it legally, as he attaches great importance to the registration
and incorporation of Spiritual Assemblies, and hopes
that you will make every effort to add to their number in areas
under your jurisdiction.
Contribution for the Shrine of the Bab
The contributions sent by the believers for the construction
of the Tomb of the Bab have been deeply appreciated by our
beloved Guardian. It is only right that this old Baha'i Community,
so tried in the fire of tests, and having been in existence
from practically the days of the beloved Bab Himself, should
play a part in building his sepulchre. The Guardian is now
undertaking the second phase of the construction work, which
involves raising the Edifice above the level of the original Tomb.
Baha'is Cannot Become Freemasons
The Guardian does not consider it advisable for Baha'is to
become Freemasons.
Reviewing of Baha'i Books
...Local Spiritual Assemblies are not empowered to review
material which is for national circulation. The Guardian thinks
+P146
that your Assembly, or the Committee that you delegate such
authority to, should review the pamphlet in question; and if
it is in accordance with the Teachings, there is certainly no
reason why it should not be circulated; but in the future, the
Spiritual Assemblies should be more careful about publishing
literature which is for more than local use.
Pioneers for Indonesia and Siam
In closing, he would like to urge the members of your
Assembly to redouble your efforts to assist pioneers to go forth
to Indonesia and Siam. The extraordinary success the promulgation
of the Faith has met with in Ceylon should be sufficient
evidence for all concerned of the way in which God strengthens
the endeavours of His servants, and blesses their seed-sowing,
and brings it to harvest. He hopes that many of the believers,
not only in India, but in Pakistan and Burma as well, will
volunteer to go forth as pioneers, and will make every effort to
do so.
The success of your past endeavours should encourage you
all and the Community whom you represent, to forge ahead,
unmindful of obstacles, and forgetful of personal differences of
opinion in one united and unanimous effort to carry out all
the work you have set for yourselves and achieve all your
goals.
Great Historic Enterprise
[From the Guardian:]
The communications received in recent months from your
Assembly testify to the perseverance and devotion with
which the Baha'i Communities of India, Pakistan and Burma
have pursued the course of their activities in the face of
manifold obstacles and trials and despite the severity of
the problems which have confronted them since the outbreak
of the political disturbances that have agitated the Indian
sub-continent. Though suffering from various reverses,
though afflicted with disappointment, though sustaining
repeated losses they have persevered in their labours, widened
the scope of their task, pushed further the outposts of
+P147
the Faith, and won their initial victories beyond the confines
of their respective homelands.
In the field of Baha'i publications, in the publicity given to
the Baha'i teachings, in their negotiations with the civil
authorities under whose jurisdiction they function, in their
constant encouragement and support of the pioneers labouring
both at home and abroad, the national elected representatives
of these communities have, likewise, demonstrated
a spirit of dedication, a zeal and fidelity worthy of the
highest praise.
The great historic enterprise launched by them in recent
years in the neighbouring territories of Ceylon, Siam, Indonesia
and the Malayan Peninsula,--a vast and highly
meritorious undertaking still in its initial stage of development,
and conferring a great and imperishable lustre on
its valiant initiators--must be energetically prosecuted notwithstanding
the unsettled political situation prevailing in
those territories, and however threatening the clouds gathering
on the international horizon. The movement and settlement
of pioneers throughout India, Pakistan and Burma
must, moreover, continue unabated and must be paralleled
by a steady multiplication of Baha'i Centres and the consolidation
of nascent institutions, the negotiations with the civil
authorities, however disillusioning and unfruitful they have
been so far in their results, must continue to be conducted
with extreme vigilance and unrelaxing vigour. The highly
commendable task of completing the translation and publication
of the "New Era" in the languages already chosen
should be promptly and befittingly consummated. The
efforts exerted to publicize the Faith, disseminate its teachings
and spread its fame, should be redoubled by all administrative
agencies concerned with this vital sphere of Baha'i
activity. The sacred duty of deepening and enriching the
spiritual life of the newly enrolled believers should be faithfully
discharged by both the local and national elected
representatives of these communities. The added responsibility
of contributing to the raising of the superstructure of
the Bab's holy Sepulchre, now entering upon the second
+P148
phase of its construction, and of speeding its consummation
in view of the increasingly critical world condition, should
be valiantly faced and nobly discharged. Above all, the inescapable
obligation of guarding the integrity of the Faith,
of preserving the unity of its followers, and of reinforcing
its spiritual and administrative foundations, must be continually
borne in mind not only by the representatives of these
communities but by every individual believer labouring for
the good name and the glorification of the Cause of
Baha'u'llah.
The Baha'i Communities of the Indian sub-continent and of
Burma constituting the largest entity throughout the Orient,
next to the body of believers residing in the Cradle of the
Faith, and enjoying, unlike their Eastern sister communities
in Persia, Egypt and Iraq, the blessings of relative freedom
from repression or persecution, and including within their
fold a greater variety of races, creeds and tongues than
any of their sister communities throughout the world, are
faced with both a peculiar challenge and a unique opportunity.
The resources at their disposal, the privileges they
possess, the facilities they enjoy should, with clear vision,
with confident hearts and inflexible resolve, be consecrated
to the noble objectives which it is their mission to pursue.
Conscious of their high calling, aware of the potentialities
with which their homelands have been endowed, these communities,
placing their reliance on the all-conquering power
of Baha'u'llah must unitedly arise, however numerous the
barriers imposed between them, to achieve their destiny, and
contribute collectively and effectively, to the world-wide propagation,
the universal recognition and ultimate world
triumph of the Cause of Baha'u'llah.
March 10, 1951
Increase of Believers in Benares
The wonderful news of the increase of believers in the
Benares area, thanks largely to the heroic determination and
+P149
great faith of Mr. Badi-uz-Zaman, brought great happiness to
the Guardian. Please assure this devoted soul that the Guardian
is very pleased about the wonderful services he is rendering the
Cause of God, and that he is praying for him to be richly blessed
by Baha'u'llah. He has suffered from the enemies of the
Cause, but his reward will be very great!
Teaching in South-East Asia
It brought great joy to the Guardian's heart to see there are
so many believers now in the area of South-East Asia. This
marks a new epoch in the unfoldment of our Faith and an
important one. Just as Ceylon, at one time empty of believers,
has now developed an active and devoted community of Baha'is,
so now, in these far-flung territories, Assemblies and groups
must be built up.... He urges the younger believers, who are less
held down by family ties, to make an effort to migrate there
and seek employment.
The 19-Month Plan
He was delighted over the formulation of your Assembly's
19-Month Plan. This spirit of initiative shown by you is highly
commendable, and he hopes that all the Baha'is, whether of
Indian or Persian origin, will arise to unitedly see it achieve its
goals. Determination, courage, faith and perseverance are
necessary if the Plan is to be a success, but he feels sure the
friends will not hesitate to demonstrate their capacity to meet
the challenge it presents.
Pioneers to Settle in Africa
He, likewise, wishes to call special attention to the work in
Africa which is very promising and which is going ahead very
well. Your Assembly must do all it can to speedily get pioneers
settled in the two countries allotted to you as your portion in
this historic campaign. Also, you should keep in close touch
with the British NSA as they are the co-ordinators of this work,
and well situated in order to give advice as English experts,
+P150
having had such a long contact with Africa, its peoples and
problems, are available in London and elsewhere for consultation
with the British Africa Committee.
19-Month Plan--Third of its Kind
[From the Guardian:]
The initiation of the 19-Month Plan by the elected representatives
of the Baha'i Communities of the sub-continent
of India and of Burma--the third of its kind undertaken by
them since the inception of the epoch marking the commencement
of the Formative Age of the Baha'i Dispensation--
evokes my deepest admiration. Through this spontaneous act,
momentous in its consequences, and eloquently testifying to
the initiative, the zeal and the valour of the followers of
Baha'u'llah in India, Pakistan and Burma, the body of
their elected national representatives can well boast of the
distinction it has achieved, throughout the Baha'i world
through the successive formulation of no less than three far-reaching
Plans since the inauguration of the First Epoch
in the history of the systematic prosecution of Abdu'l-Baha's
Divine Plan. This striking demonstration of their resourcefulness
and dedication to the interests of the Faith is, indeed,
highly praiseworthy, extremely encouraging and augurs
well for the future of the Mission which it is theirs to
carry out, in the years to come, not only in that subcontinent
and the adjoining territories and neighbouring islands, but
in South Asia as well.
They cannot, however, ensure the success of the Plan they
have devised, unless the unity and solidarity of those who
are participating in its execution, and above all the harmony
of the body directing its operation, are safeguarded, maintained
and consolidated. Time is pressing. The issues
involved are momentous. The centenary celebrations of the
birth of Baha'u'llah's prophetic Mission will soon be upon
us. The inauguration of the first organized Crusade, in
which several Baha'i National Spiritual Assemblies, in no
less than four continents of the globe will be intimately
associated, for the purpose of proclaiming the Message of
+P151
Baha'u'llah in the South Pacific Islands as well as in South
Eastern Asia, must directly depend upon the successful conclusion
of the Plan now envisaged. The obligations involved
in, and the privileges conferred by, such an association
--an association that will find its parallel in the collective
and organized effort now being exerted in the African Continent,
as well as in the joint campaign destined to be launched,
by other national Baha'i communities, in both Northern
and North Eastern Asia,--are at once sacred and unique.
Their significance, at this early stage, cannot be fully apprehended.
It is not for them, however, to attempt at the
present time, to assess their value. Theirs, rather, is the
duty, to avoid any action or thought that might delay the
unfoldment of so glorious a Plan or damage so splendid a
destiny.
The members of all the communities participating in this
Nineteen-Month Plan, which may be regarded as a prelude
to the mighty and historic Crusade, of still vaster dimensions
and nobler scope, that is to be launched in the future,
irrespective of race, creed, or class, of either sex and of every
age, must rise as one man to the occasion that now presents
itself.
No trace of bickering, no consciousness of racial distinction,
no petty jealousies, must be allowed, under any circumstances,
to darken the glorious prospect opening before
them. They must neither flinch, nor hesitate nor lose sight,
however briefly, of the distant and shining goal. An all-powerful,
all-loving, all-Bountiful Master, watching their
exertions from on high, will, surely, bless their effort, will
intercede on their behalf before the throne of His all-glorious
Father, and will, if they persevere in their high endeavours,
render them victorious.
I, for my part, will, with a prayerful heart, follow the course
of their activities, and will continue to lend them whatever
assistance that lies in my power, for the complete discharge
of their inescapable duty and the total fulfilment of their
united pledge to the Author of their Faith.
October 16, 1951
+P152
First Pilgrims from India
It has been a great pleasure to the beloved Guardian to
welcome recently in Haifa the first pilgrims from India; their
love and devotion to the Faith have brought their brethren in
that far-off land very close, and he hopes that they, in turn,
will carry back to the friends there a new sense of nearness to
the World Center at Haifa, and thus serve to create greater unity
and dedication amongst the believers.
Inter-Continental Conference
The Guardian attaches the greatest possible importance to
the forthcoming Inter-continental Conference to be held during
the Holy Year in New Delhi; as the National Assemblies of
Persia, United States, Canada, Central and South America,
Iraq, Australia and New Zealand, as well as your own body, are
to send representatives to it, it will, through having eight N.S.A.s
pooling their thoughts and suggestions, be, no doubt, the
most important of the four Inter-continental Conferences to be
held. Also, aside from the numerical importance of the participating
bodies, the vast field their plans must embrace is truly
awe-inspiring. In view of this he feels that the members of
your Assembly have very heavy responsibilities to discharge
during the coming months, and that all petty details and
misunderstandings must be put aside, once and for all, in
order to ensure a brilliant success--a success, whose repercussions
must be felt during ten years of Baha'i history between
this coming great Jubilee and the Most Great Jubilee which will
take place in 1963.
As convenor of this great Conference you must lay your
plans very carefully to ensure that the representatives of the
various N.S.A.s., the visiting Hands of the Cause, the many
Baha'is attending, are properly accommodated, the sessions of
the Conference held in an efficient manner, and suitable
publicity given to this event. The Guardian also suggests that
one or two private sessions could be held at which the
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N.S.A. representatives and the Hands of the Cause could meet
to better and more effectively suggest plans for the future campaign.
There will, naturally, be no delegates to the Conference,
as it is in no sense a convention, but more concentrated
consultation can be obtained through a smaller number being
present. No doubt you will also, without sacrificing the interests
of the Conference, make good use of any visiting teachers and
lecturers.
No Harm in Taking Part in Dramas
In the teachings there is nothing against dancing, but the
friends should remember that the standard of Baha'u'llah is
modesty and chastity. The atmosphere of modern dance halls,
where so much smoking and drinking and promiscuity goes on,
is very bad, but decent dances are not harmful in themselves.
There is certainly no harm in classical dancing or learning
dancing in school. There is also no harm in taking part in
dramas. Likewise in cinema acting. The harmful thing, nowadays,
is not the art itself but the unfortunate corruption
which often surrounds these arts. As Baha'is we need avoid
none of the arts, but acts and the atmosphere that sometimes
go with these professions we should avoid.
Encouraging the Hindu Baha'is
As regards the question you asked about minorities: because
the Hindu believers are a minority at present in the
Faith in India, preference should be given to them in India,
where the majority of the population is Hindu. A special effort
should be made to convert them, so that our enemies may have
no excuse for stating that the Cause has scarcely affected the
largest elements in the country. There is also an added reason
for encouraging the Hindu Baha'is because within the Faith in
India they are a minority. In every country throughout the
Baha'i World the Baha'is must make a special effort to attract
to the Faith the element which constitutes the majority, whether
religious or national.
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The Work is Still Formidable
[From the Guardian:]
The multiplicity of the vital issues that have of late confronted
me at the World Centre of the Faith, the opening of the
door of pilgrimage, and the unexpected problems which, by
their urgency, have required my immediate and close attention
have, to my extreme regret, prevented me from acknowledging,
as promptly as I would have wished the communications
which various Baha'i National Assemblies have
addressed me in recent months. I have followed, however,
with admiration and keen interest the progress of the activities
initiated under the 19-Month Plan by the valiant
Baha'i Communities of India, Pakistan and Burma. The
generous, unceasing contributions made by them for the
completion of the Bab's holy Sepulchre proclaim, in unmistakable
terms, their devotion to the Cause for which He laid
down so heroically His life. The expansion of the activities
initiated by the high-minded and resolute pioneers in Ceylon,
Indonesia, Siam, Malaya and Sarawak indeed merit the
highest praise. The efforts exerted for the multiplication of
the institutions of the Faith and their consolidation both in
the subcontinent of India and beyond its confines augur well
for the future of the Plan, the third of its kind embarked
upon by the followers of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, who are
destined to play a predominant part in the unfoldment of
His World Order throughout the territories of South East
Asia. The steady endeavours made for the translation, publication
and dissemination of the literature of the Faith by
your Assembly have greatly enriched and ennobled the
record of the services you have rendered it in recent years.
Great as have been the victories already won in its service,
the work that still remains to be accomplished under this
same Plan during the fleeting months that lie ahead is still
formidable, and demands unrelaxing vigilance, heroic self-sacrifice,
and inflexible resolve on the part of not only the
elected representatives of these communities but of all their
members as well. The uninterrupted and rapid multiplication
of Baha'i administrative centres; the conversion of groups
into assemblies; the development of isolated centers into
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groups; a marked increase in the number of incorporated
Local Assemblies; the early completion of the highly important
task assumed in connexion with the translation and
publication of the New Era in the remaining languages already
selected for that purpose; the despatch, without further
delay, of no more than one pioneer for the present to Nepal
and Indo-China, as well as to Zanzibar and Madagascar, in
pursuance of the Plan initiated in both Africa and South
East Asia; the maintenance, at any cost, of the present status
of the newly formed assemblies; the concentration of effort
for the promotion of unity and cooperation among the divers
elements that constitute the warp and woof of these communities
--these stand out as the predominating obligations
facing the entire body of the followers of the Faith in the
subcontinent of India and its neighbouring territories.
Nor must the privileged members of these communities, and
particularly their elected representatives, neglect, for a moment,
the paramount duty, of preparing, by every means at
their disposal, for the historic and in some respects, the
most vital, Conference to be held in the course of the Holy
Year which the entire Baha'i world will soon befittingly
celebrate. As the Convenor of such a fate-laden Conference,
whose task is to facilitate the execution of the most far-reaching,
the most challenging, and the most dramatic of all the
enterprises destined to be launched by the followers of the
Faith throughout the whole planet, your Assembly assumes
a responsibility at once immense, soul-stirring and inescapable.
In providing adequate facilities for the accommodation of
the Hands of the Cause and of the official representatives of
no less than eight National Spiritual Assemblies and of the
large number of visitors who will participate in its proceedings;
in ensuring wide publicity through the press and radio
for such a unique gathering; in exerting their utmost for the
maintenance of harmony and for full consultation on the
weighty issues that will face its attendants; in fostering the
spirit of heroic adventure and noble resolve on the part of
the members of the communities that are to act as hosts to
the honoured participants of such an epoch-making assemblage,
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which will, God willing, enable them to play a notable
role in the Crusade destined to embrace the continents of
Asia and Australasia and of the Pacific Islands--in all these
the members of your Assembly, supported by the rank and
file of the faithful, must display a determination, a valour and
consecration that will excite the admiration of the entire
Baha'i world.
The work that calls for unswerving fidelity, urgent attention
and continuous vigilance, during the swiftly passing months
ahead, is immense, truly sacred and infinitely meritorious.
The consummation of the Plan already initiated would constitute
the best preparation for the assumption of the
still greater functions, and the discharge of still weightier
responsibilities, that await the patiently labouring,
the steadfast, the loyal and devoted followers of the Most
Great Name in India, Pakistan and Burma. That they
may victoriously discharge their present responsibilities,
that they may befittingly embark on the glorious Mission
that lies ahead of them, that they may distinguish themselves
through their collective contribution to the success of the
World Crusade soon to be inaugurated by the followers of
Baha'u'llah in both the East and the West, is the object
of my constant prayer and one of the most cherished desires
of my heart.
June 30, 1952
No Age Limit for Serving the Cause
There is no age limit whatsoever for serving the Cause in
administrative capacities after one has reached twenty-one years.
Indeed we are supposed to serve the Cause to our last breath.
Contributions Not Accepted From Those
Whose Voting Rights are Suspended
As regards the question of accepting contributions from
people whose voting rights are suspended, the Guardian says
this is not permissible.
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Answer to Various Questions
Local Haziras may be converted to National ones; this is
premature at present.
The recognition of our Laws of Personal Status must naturally
precede formation of Baha'i courts; as long as your
translation is correct his approval is not needed.
You should start a Temple Fund; the site need not exceed
two or three acres, and should be inside Delhi or near the city
limits.
You will be able to consult with the members of Australian
N.S.A. at the time of the Conference in New Delhi about literature;
they will certainly assist your Assembly with the publications.
Baha'is from India, Pakistan and Burma are eligible for your
Asian Teaching Committee.
Consolidation can mean the establishment of the institutions
you enumerate, but it is not essential at present; to increase
the assemblies and groups, and bring in new believers, is the
most important part of consolidation; as the plan unfolds, he
will have to see what other things are really essential and call
your attention to them.
Consolidation of the Manifold Institutions
[From the Guardian:]
The splendid efforts, so devotedly exerted by the members
of the Baha'i communities in India, Pakistan and Burma,
extending over more than a decade, in connexion with the
launching and prosecution of no less than three successive
Plans, formulated for the promotion of the interests of the
Faith in South-East Asia, have raised their prestige in the
eyes of the Baha'i World, and have fitted them to undertake,
at this auspicious hour in the evolution of its institutions in
the Indian sub-continent and its neighbouring territories and
islands, yet another collective enterprise, of still vaster
dimensions, of far greater possibilities, requiring the utmost
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exertion and consecration for a period of no less than ten
years, and culminating in the Most Great Jubilee, designed
to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Declaration
of the Mission of the Founder of their Faith.
The task they now assume involves the consolidation of the
manifold institutions which, through the operation of three
successive Plans, have been patiently and laboriously established,
as well as the erection of the administrative structure
of the Faith in the virgin territories along the shores, and
in the vicinity, of the Indian sub-continent, in the Islands of
the Indian Ocean, in African Dependencies, and as far as
the Islands of the South Pacific Ocean.
Through the prosecution of the Plans initiated by your
Assembly these communities have acquired the training and
experience that have qualified them to embark upon so extensive
and momentous an undertaking--an undertaking
which if victoriously consummated will eclipse all the joint
efforts and enterprises which have illuminated the pages of
Indian Baha'i history since the inception of the Formative
Age of the Baha'i Dispensation.
The first and most sacred obligation confronting them,
on the morrow of the launching of their Ten-Year
Plan, is the despatch and settlement, during the current year
and the one succeeding it, of pioneers in the sixteen virgin
territories and islands, assigned to your Assembly according
to the provisions of the aforementioned Plan. The opening
of the six dependencies along the eastern and western coasts
of the Indian subcontinent must be given careful attention,
and must be carried out with promptitude and vigour. The
despatch and definite settlement of no more than one or two
pioneers in each of these territories and islands is a task not
only of great urgency but of infinite merit, and constitutes
the most important feature of the initial phase of the Plan.
Next in importance and of no less urgency is the selection
and purchase, either within or in the outskirts of the capital-city
of India--in which the Administrative Headquarters of
the Faith has already been established--of the site of the
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First Mashriq'ul Adhkar of the Indian sub-continent, covering
an area of approximately one or two acres at least which
can gradually be enlarged in the course of the coming years.
Collateral with this vital project is the preparation in conjunction
with the Australian National Assembly of a suitable
pamphlet by your Assembly, and the adoption of energetic
measures for its translation into the languages allocated to
the Australian and Indian National Assemblies.
While this threefold objective is being assiduously pursued,
the process of the multiplication of local Assemblies, of
groups and isolated centres must be maintained, nay accelerated,
for upon it will depend the early formation of independent
National Spiritual Assemblies in India, Pakistan,
Burma, Ceylon and South-East Asia.
The responsibilities devolving upon your Assembly in the
course of the opening stage of the Plan are enormous, sacred
and pressing. All Baha'i communities participating in
this glorious enterprise must bend every effort, and sacrifice
to the utmost of their power to ensure the unqualified success
of the great work that lies immediately ahead.
There is no time to lose. The newly launched Plan demands
a vigilance, an expenditure of effort and resources on a scale
unprecedented in Indian Baha'i history. Baha'i communities
in East and West, embarked on a similar Crusade, are vying
with one another and with your Assembly in the world-wide
field of Baha'i pioneering. The glory of the prizes to be
won, the benefits that will accrue to all participants are unimaginable.
I direct my appeal to your Assembly and, through its members,
to all communities participating in this unprecedented
enterprise, to arise to this great and unique occasion that
now presents itself, at this critical hour in the fortunes of
mankind and at so significant a stage in the evolution of the
Faith, and to resolve, with inflexible determination, to consummate,
at the appointed time, this fate-laden enterprise on
which all our hearts are set and upon which the immediate
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destinies of the Cause of Baha'u'llah so largely depend.
In my hours of prayer and meditation in the holy Shrines I
will supplicate on behalf of your Assembly, as well as on
behalf of the communities you represent, that Divine Guidance
may direct your steps, that God's sustaining grace
may aid you to overcome every obstacle, that His strength
may be poured out upon you, that His providence and love
may enfold you, and that the inspiration of the Dawn-breakers,
who proclaimed the birth of His Cause, may carry you
to ultimate and total victory.
June 21, 1953
The Most Important Thing is to Serve
The most important thing we know from the Teachings is
to serve. In carrying out the Plans of God we are strengthened,
blessed and purified; we attract the loving attention of Baha'u'llah;
our efforts are confirmed; and we are enabled through His
power to achieve great victories for His Faith.
He urges you, one and all, as one soul in many bodies, to
consecrate yourselves to fulfilling the objectives of the Ten-Year
Plan. He feels sure that when the proper unity and dedication
prevail in the National Body, it will be sensed by the mass of
the believers, and react upon their efforts. As Abdu'l-Baha said,
nothing is impossible if we have faith; and this must always be
the standard for all the Baha'is. As we have faith, so are our
powers and our blessings.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty enable you to lend a fresh and unprecedented
impetus to the onward march of the Faith, revive the
spirit of its supporters, enlarge its limits, multiply its local
institutions, consolidate its foundations, safeguard its rights,
spread abroad its fame, and aid its followers to discharge
befittingly their responsibilities, and concentrate on the
attainment of the objectives of the Ten-Year Plan, on which
the immediate destiny of the entire community depends.
December 26, 1955
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Youth [&and] the Ten-Year Crusade
The Guardian urges as many of the Baha'i youth of India,
Pakistan and Burma as possible to attend the historic Conference
to be held in New Delhi, in October. At that Conference,
plans will be made for the carrying of the Message of Baha'u'llah,
during the coming ten years, far beyond the borders of
their homeland; and it will be the youth who will shoulder a
great part of this and the other tasks that will be given to your
Community. In fact, the settling of these virgin fields both close
to your own lands, and in far-off areas, is the very first responsibility
of the believers, in this Ten-Year World Crusade. Therefore,
each one of you should think now seriously what you are
going to do about it, and start making your plans accordingly.
The sooner the virgin fields are settled, the sooner will be witnessed
the tremendous power that is released in this day; and
the bounties that await those who go forth to pioneer in these
lands, are great indeed.
May 28, 1953
Translation of Literature
Naturally it will be difficult for the Faith to be established
in the new territories or amongst the new tribes if they
do not have at least a pamphlet for distribution to the new
contacts.
He therefore feels that along with the sending of pioneers
into the virgin areas, the translation of literature into the languages
assigned to the Indian National Assembly should take
place.
The Guardian feels that one of the existing pamphlets would
be satisfactory, or a new one, which you may feel it desirable to
prepare. At this time it is not necessary to enter into the question
of translation of Baha'i books, simply a pamphlet, which
can be used for teaching purposes.
The Guardian wishes you to budget the necessary funds to
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cover this work, and to see that it is actively pursued, so that
the literature will be available at an early date.
June 8, 1953
Keynote of the Crusade
Our beloved Guardian has been greatly encouraged by reports
reaching him from all parts of the Baha'i world; of the
victories already gained, and the plans being laid for the prosecution
of the Ten-Year Crusade.
They have evoked his awe-inspiring, and soul-stirring cablegram
of May 28th, calling for the immediate settlement of all
the 131 virgin areas of the Plan, just as quickly as possible. He
is convinced, that the friends will arise and translate their enthusiasm
into Action, because the Keynote of the Crusade, must
be Action, Action, Action!
The beloved Guardian has directed me to write your Assembly
to amplify some of the aspects of his dynamic message.
The settlement of these virgin areas is of such an emergency
nature, that he feels pioneering in one of them takes precedence
over every other type of Baha'i service--whether it be in the
teaching or administrative fields of the Faith. So important is
it that the National Assembly may delay initiation of steps to
fulfill other phases of the Plan, until all these areas are conquered
for the Faith. Nothing, absolutely nothing, must be
allowed to interfere with the placing of pioneers in each of the
131 goal countries.
In America some 150 people have volunteered for pioneer
service, and some of them already are preparing to leave for
their posts. The beloved Guardian fully expects the dear
friends in India, Pakistan and Burma to follow this example,
and quickly settle the areas allotted to them.
Because of it being the Chief Executor of the Divine Plan,
and having so many pioneers available, the Guardian has given
permission to the United States to send pioneers into any area
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of the globe regardless of whom it may be assigned to. Thus
pioneers from the United States may ask permission to settle in
one of the areas assigned to your Assembly. If this is done, you
should assist them in every way possible.
There are some general observations which the Guardian
shares with you, and then some specific suggestions which are
enumerated below:
1. Every individual who has offered to pioneer, must be encouraged
in every way by the National Assembly.
2. The National Assembly should assist each pioneer, so
they may be placed in their post just as quickly as
possible.
3. The handling of each application for pioneering service,
must be expedited, and not allowed to be bogged down
for any reason, or in the hands of Committees.
4. The National Assembly should make it their first
order of business to follow up actively this most important
task. They must make it the first order of business
at each Assembly meeting, to see that each application
is being progressed rapidly. This does not mean
the special committees should not handle the details; but
it does mean the Assembly itself, must review each application
at each meeting; and see that the pioneer gets into
the field as soon as possible.
5. A large number of pioneers should not be sent to any
one country. One, or even two, will be sufficient for the
time being. Later on, if supplementary assistance is
needed, that of course can be taken care of. The all important
thing now, is to get at least one pioneer in each
of the 131 virgin areas.
6. The National Assembly may exercise its prerogatives and
suggest to applicants where their services are most needed.
This, of course, applies particularly to pioneers,
where a large number wish to go to the same place.
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The specific suggestions of the Guardian, are:
a. Areas close at hand and easy of settlement should be
filled first. Then the areas more difficult, and finally,
those which will be difficult.
b. Whenever a pioneer enters a new territory, a cable
should be sent at once to the Guardian, giving the name,
place, and any pertinent information.
c. A monthly report of progress is to be sent by your
Assembly to the Secretary-General of the International
Baha'i Council. Special matters of report nature, for the
Guardian, in connection with the plan of settling these
131 areas, should be sent to the Secretary-General of the
Council also.
This does not mean that any administrative matters in
connection with the settlement of pioneers should be
handled with the council. These should continue to be
handled with the Guardian direct. The Council is simply
to coordinate reports, consolidate them, keep maps up
to date, etc. for the Guardian, and your reports will enable
them to do this.
d. The Guardian feels the following areas should be easily
settled, and he would appreciate your early cable advice
of such new victories:
Bhutan, Daman, Diu, Goa, Karikal, Mahe, Pondicherry,
Sikkim, as pointed out in his cable to your Assembly of
May 30th, 1953. These have first precedence.
The beloved Guardian feels the friends living in large
Baha'i Centres, could easily move into these territories, which
are a part of India itself.
As his dramatic cable indicates, the Guardian will have prepared
an illuminated "Roll of Honor" on which will be inscribed
the names of the "Knights of Baha'u'llah" who first enter
these 131 virgin areas. This "Roll of Honor" will be placed
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inside the entrance door of The Inner Sanctuary of the Tomb of
Baha'u'llah.
From time to time, the Guardian will announce to the Baha'i
World, the names of those Holy Souls who arise under the conditions
outlined in his message, and settle these areas and conquer
them for Baha'u'llah.
Now is the time for the Baha'is of the World to demonstrate
the spiritual vitality of the Faith, and to arise as one soul to
spread the Glory of the Lord, over the face of the Earth. The
Guardian is sure, that the Baha'is of India, Pakistan and
Burma who have served and sacrificed so long for the Faith,
will continue their glorious record by winning many new victories
for the Faith.
June 8, 1953
Message to the Inter Continental Conference,
New Delhi
[From the Guardian:]
To the Hands of the Cause, the members of the National
Spiritual Assemblies, the pioneers, the resident believers
and visitors attending the Asian Intercontinental Teaching
Conference in New Delhi, India.
Well-beloved friends:
With high hopes and a joyful heart I acclaim the convocation,
in the leading city of the Indian sub-continent, of
the fourth and last of the Intercontinental Teaching Conferences
of a memorable Holy Year commemorating the centenary
of the birth of the prophetic Mission of Baha'u'llah.
On this historic occasion, when the members of the National
Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha'is of the United States of
America, of the Dominion of Canada, of Central and of
South America, of Persia, of the Indian subcontinent and of
Burma, of Iraq and of Australasia, as well as representatives
of the sovereign states and dependencies of the Asiatic
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continent, of the Republics of North, Central and South
America, and of Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania are
assembled, and are to deliberate on the needs and requirements
of the recently launched triple Campaign embracing
the Asiatic mainland, the Australian continent and the
islands of the Pacific Ocean--a campaign which may well
be regarded as the most extensive, the most arduous and
the most momentous of all the campaigns of a world-girdling
Crusade, and which, in its scope, is unparalleled in the
history of the Faith in the entire eastern Hemisphere--my
thoughts, on such an occasion, go back to the early dawn
of our Faith, to those unforgettable scenes of matchless
heroism, of dark tragedy, of imperishable glory which
heralded its birth, and accompanied the spread, of its infant
Light, in the heart of the Asiatic continent.
I vividly recall the meteoric rise of the Faith of the Bab in
the provinces of Persia and the stirring episodes associated
with His cruel incarceration in the mountain-fastnesses of
Adhirbayjan, with the revelation of the laws of His Dispensation,
with the proclamation of the independence of His
Faith, with the peerless heroism of His disciples, with the
fiendish cruelty of His foes--the Chief Magistrate, the civil
authorities, the ecclesiastical dignitaries and the masses of the
people, of His native land--with the humiliation, the spoliation,
the dispersal, the eventual massacre of a vast number
of His followers, and, above all, with His own execution in
the City of Tabriz.
With a throb of wonder I call to mind the early and sudden
fruition of His Dispensation in the capital city of that land,
and the dramatic circumstances attending the birth of
Baha'u'llah's Revelation culminating in His precipitate
banishment to Iraq.
I am reminded, moreover, of the initial spread of the light
of this Revelation, in consequence of the banishment of
Baha'u'llah, to the adjoining territories of Iraq, and, as far as
the western fringes of that continent, to Turkey and the
neighbouring territories of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, and,
at a later stage, to the Indian sub-continent and China,
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situated on the southern and eastern extremities of that continent
as well as to the Caucasus and Russian Turkistan.
Nor can I fail to remember the series of alternating crises
and victories--each constituting a landmark in the evolution
of the Faith--which it has experienced in some of these
territories, associated with the distressful withdrawal of its
Author to the mountains of Sulaymaniyyih; with the
glorious Declaration of His Mission in Baghdad; with His
second and third banishments to Constantinople and
Adrianople; with the grievous rebellion of His half-brother;
with the proclamation of His own Mission; with His fourth
banishment to the desolate and far-off penal colony of
Akka in Syria; with the revelation of the Kitab-i-Aqdas,
His Most Holy Book; with His ascension in the Holy
Land; with the establishment of His Covenant and the inauguration
of the Ministry of Abdu'l-Baha, His son and the
Exemplar and authorized interpreter of His teachings.
These opening stages in the evolution of His Faith in the
Asiatic continent were followed, while the first and Apostolic
Age of His Dispensation was drawing to a close, by the
opening of the Islands situated in the Pacific Ocean, Japan in
the north, and the Australian continent in the South. To
these memorable chapters of Asian Baha'i history another
was soon added, on the morrow of the ascension of the
Centre of Baha'u'llah's Covenant, and during the initial
epoch of the Formative Age of the Faith, distinguished
by the rise of the Administrative Order and the erection of
its pillars in the cradle of that Faith, in Iraq, in India,
Pakistan and Burma and in the Antipodes. This memorable
episode in its development in that vast continent was
succeeded by the initiation, during the second Epoch of
that same Age, of a series of Plans in those same territories
in support of Abdu'l-Baha's Divine Plan and as a prelude
to the opening of the recently launched world-embracing
Spiritual Crusade.
The hour has now struck for this continent, on whose soil,
more than a century ago, so much sacred blood was shed,
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in whose very heart deeds of such tragic heroism were performed,
and in many of whose territories such brilliant
victories have been won, to contribute, in association with
its sister continents, to the progress and ultimate triumph of
this global Crusade, in a manner befitting its unrivalled
position in the entire Baha'i world.
The various Baha'i Communities dwelling within the borders
of this continent and those situated to the south of its shores
in the Antipodes, which include the oldest and most venerable
among all the communities of the Baha'i world, and
whose members in their aggregate constitute the overwhelming
majority of the followers of Baha'u'llah, are called upon,
in close association with four other Baha'i communities in
the Western Hemisphere, to undertake in the course of the
coming decade: First, the construction of the first
Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in Baha'u'llah's native land, in the
City of Tihran, surnamed by Baha'u'llah "Mother of the
World". Second, the purchase of land for the future construction
of three Mashriqu'l-Adhkars, one in the city of
Baghdad, enshrining the "Most Great House", the third
holiest city of the Baha'i world, one in New Delhi, the leading
city of the Indian sub-continent, and the third in Sydney,
the oldest and foremost Baha'i Centre in the Antipodes.
Third, the formation of no less than eleven National Spiritual
Assemblies, one each in Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon, under
the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is
of India, Pakistan and Burma; one in Turkey and one
in Afghanistan, under the aegis of the National Spiritual
Assembly of the Baha'is of Persia; one in Japan, under the
aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the
United States of America; one in New Zealand, under the
aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is
of Australia and New Zealand, as well as four regional
National Spiritual Assemblies, one in the Arabian Peninsula,
under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the
Baha'is of Persia; one in South-East Asia, under the aegis
of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India,
Pakistan and Burma; a third in the South Pacific, under the
aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
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the United States of America; and a fourth in the Near
East, under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Baha'is in Iraq. Fourth, the opening of the following
forty-one virgin territories and islands: Andaman Islands,
Bhutan, Daman, Diu, Goa, Karikal, Mahe, Mariana Islands,
Nicobar Islands, Pondicherry, Sikkim, assigned to the
National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India, Pakistan
and Burma; Caroline Islands, Dutch New Guinea,
Hainan Island, Kazakhstan, Macao Island, Sakhalin Island,
Tibet, Tonga Islands, assigned to the National Spiritual
Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States of America;
Brunei, Chagos Archipelago, Krigizia, Mongolia, Solomon
Islands, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, assigned to the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Persia; Admiralty
Islands, Cocos Island, Loyalty Islands, Mentawei Islands,
New Hebrides Islands, Portuguese Timor, Society Islands,
assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is
of Australia and New Zealand; Gilbert and Ellice Islands,
Marshall Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago, assigned to the
National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Central
America; Hadhramaut, Kuria-Muria Islands, assigned to
the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Iraq;
Marquesas Islands, Samoa Islands, assigned to the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada; Cook
Islands, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the
Baha'is of South America. Fifth, the translation and publication
of Baha'i literature in the following forty languages,
to be undertaken by the National Spiritual Assembly of
the Baha'is of India, Pakistan and Burma, in association
with the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
Australia and New Zealand: Abor Miri, Aneityum, Annamese,
Balochi, Bentuni, Binandere, Cheremiss, Chungchia,
Georgian, Houailou, Javanese, Kado, Kaili, Kopu, Kusaie,
Lepcha, Lifu, Manchu, Manipuri, Manus Island, Marquesas,
Mentawei, Mongolian, Mordoff, Mwala, Na-Hsi, Nicobarese,
Niue, Ossete, Ostiak, Pali, Panjabi, Pashto, Perm, Petats,
Samoan, Tho, Tibetan, Tonga, Vogul. Sixth, the consolidation
of Aden Protectorate, Adhirbayjan, Afghanistan, Ahsa,
Armenia, Bahrayn Island, Georgia, Hijaz, Saudi-Arabia,
Turkey, Turkmenistan, Yemen, allocated to the National
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Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Persia; of Baluchistan,
Borneo, Burma, Ceylon, Indo-China, Indonesia, Malaya,
Nepal, Pakistan, Sarawak, Siam, allocated to the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India, Pakistan and
Burma; of China, Formosa, Japan, Korea, Manchuria,
Philippine Islands, allocated to the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Baha'is of the United States of America; of
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, Trucial Sheikhs,
Umman, allocated to the National Spiritual Assembly of
the Baha'is of Iraq; of Bismarck Archipelago, Fiji, New
Caledonia, Australian New Guinea, allocated to the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Australia and
New Zealand; of Hong Kong, allocated to the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the British Isles.
Seventh, the incorporation of the eleven above-mentioned
National Spiritual Assemblies, as well as those of Persia and
Iraq. Eighth, the establishment by these above-mentioned
eleven National Spiritual Assemblies of national Baha'i endowments.
Ninth, the establishment of a national Haziratu'l-Quds
in the capital cities of each of the countries where
National Spiritual Assemblies are to be established, as well
as one in Suva, one in Jakarta, one in Bahrayn and one
in Beirut. Tenth, the establishment of a national Baha'i
Court in the capital cities of Persia, of Iraq, of Pakistan and
of Afghanistan--the leading Muslim centres in the Asiatic
continent. Eleventh, the establishment of two National
Baha'i Publishing Trusts, one in Tihran and one in New
Delhi. Twelfth, the formation of Israel Branches of the
National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha'is of Persia, of
Iraq and Australia; authorized to hold on behalf of their
parent institutions property dedicated to the holy Shrines at
the World Centre of the Faith in the State of Israel. Thirteenth,
the appointment, during Ridvan 1954, by the Hands
of the Cause in Asia and in Australia of an auxiliary Board
of nine members who will, in conjunction with the eight
National Spiritual Assemblies participating in the Asiatic
and Australian campaigns, assist, through periodic and
systematic visits to Baha'i centres, in the efficient and
prompt execution of the Plans formulated for the prosecution
of the teaching campaigns in the continent of Asia
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and in the Antipodes.
The Asiatic continent, the cradle of the principal religions
of mankind; the home of so many of the oldest and
mightiest civilizations which have flourished on this planet;
the crossways of so many kindreds and races; the battleground
of so many peoples and nations; above whose
horizon, in modern times, the suns of two independent Revelations
--the promise and consummation of a six thousand-year-old
religious Cycle--have successively arisen; where
the Authors of both of these Revelations suffered banishment
and died; within whose confines the Centre of a
divinely-appointed Covenant was born, endured a forty-year
incarceration and passed away; on whose Western extremity
the Qiblih of the Baha'i world has been definitely established;
in whose heart the City proclaimed by Baha'u'llah as the
"Mother of the World" is enshrined; within whose borders
another City regarded as the "cynosure of an adoring world"
and the scene of the greatest and most glorious Revelation
the world has witnessed is embosomed; on whose soil so
many saints, heroes and martyrs, associated with both of
these Revelations, have lived, struggled and died--such a
continent, so privileged among its sister continents and yet
so long and so sadly tormented, now stands, at the hour of
the launching of a world-encompassing Crusade, on the
threshold of an era that may well recall, in its glory and
ultimate repercussions, the great periods of spiritual revival
which, from the dawn of recorded history have, at various
stages in the revelation of God's purpose for mankind,
illuminated the path of the human race.
May this Crusade, launched simultaneously on the Asiatic
mainland, its neighbouring islands and the Antipodes, under
the direction of eight National Spiritual Assemblies, and
through the operation of eight systematic Teaching Plans,
and the concerted efforts of Baha'i communities in both
the East and the West, provide, as it unfolds, an effective
antidote to the baneful forces of atheism, nationalism, secularism
and materialism that are tearing at the vitals of this
turbulent continent, and may it re-enact those scenes of
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spiritual heroism which, more than any of the secular revolutions
which have agitated its face, have left their everlasting
imprint on the fortunes of the peoples and nations
dwelling within its borders. --SHOGHI
October, 1953
Consultation of Delegates
It should be pointed out to the delegates that the function
of consultation of the delegates takes place only when they are
in session at the Annual Convention. They do not have any
consultative status prior to the Convention or after the Convention.
In other words, they are elected to serve as electors
of the new National Assembly during the Convention, and to
consult on all matters properly coming before the Convention
during the Convention period, not before and not after.
April 27, 1956
Concentrate on Home Front
The Guardian has been greatly pleased with the results of
the expansion of the Faith in the new centers during the past
year, and the establishment of new Assemblies. He urges the
National Assemblies to concentrate on this type of teaching
work, and particularly on the home front. The Ten-Year
Crusade is making most remarkable progress in all fields
except the teaching on the home front. If the Baha'is remaining
"at home" would arise with the same spirit of devotion and
fervor as animates the pioneers, there is no question of the
remarkable results that would be achieved.
May 6, 1956
Increase Number of Assemblies
The Guardian was very happy to note the intensive manner
in which your Assembly is taking hold of the very important
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matter of increasing the number of Baha'is, isolated Centers,
Groups and particularly Assemblies in the territories under your
jurisdiction, particularly those where National Assemblies are
to be elected.
He feels every effort should be made to bring as many
groups up to Assembly status during this critical year as
possible. The Assemblies formed at Ridvan 1957, cannot take
part in the election of the National Assemblies elected during
that same Ridvan period; but they do make a much stronger
base on which the National Assembly can be formed.
In other words, answering directly your question, the
Guardian advises the practice prevalent now throughout the
world that a local Assembly may not participate in the election
of a National Assembly, until a year after its coming into being,
must continue, and be applicable in the areas referred to by
you.
September 11, 1956
Translation of Baha'i Books into Russian
With regard to the translations into the languages of the
countries of the Russian Zones--the Guardian feels you should
under no circumstances contact Universities in Russia. He feels
this might create great difficulty for the Faith, particularly
during these troublesome times.
If there are Universities in India, or Great Britain where
the translations can be made, there is no objection to utilizing
such sources, but no University or institution in Russia.
Perhaps the British NSA can be helpful--or the Italo-Swiss
NSA, as there are many Russian refugees in Switzerland.
November 12, 1956
Many Victories Won
He is quite distressed that some of the hard won goals have
+P174
become virgin again. He requests that your Assembly study the
matter carefully, to see if you cannot send pioneers into these
areas that have fallen back. He is thinking particularly of
Nepal, Bhutan, and Goa. Also, he is very anxious indeed
that some assistance be given our lone pioneer in Tibet. That
noble soul is holding the difficult post, without any aid, and the
Guardian hopes you will be able to send a pioneer into that
land to cooperate in establishing the Faith.
He assures you of his prayers in your behalf so you may
quickly regain the lost ground in these virgin areas, and go
forward to new victories.
The fact of the matter is, in some countries, they have been
able to add new areas to the Crusade--in other words, they
have established the Faith in areas, where the Faith has not
existed, and which were not included in the Crusade.
In other areas, many other victories have been won, not
contemplated in the Crusade. The Guardian has set up a new
map, showing the supplementary goals won, so far,--outside
the Crusade goals. It would be wonderful if India could add
some objectives to this supplementary map.
December 27, 1956
Pioneering to Ceram
The Guardian feels it is most important the teaching work
in the areas mentioned by Abdu'l-Baha in the Tablets of
the Divine Plan, be carried forward with intensive activity....
It has been over 40 years since the Master wrote the Tablets
of the Divine Plan, and only now has this center mentioned by
him, been settled. Surely the Master will watch over his devoted
servant who is labouring so diligently in this center, and
guide and protect him; as well as to confirm his work.
January 19, 1957
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Baha'i Literature in Native Tongues
He was very happy to receive these reports, which indicate
that the work of translating is actively in hand. He feels this
is a very important aspect of our teaching work, as it is impossible,
or at least, most difficult to teach natives, without some
of the literature being translated into their languages. Thus
he hopes you will follow up the matter quite actively.
January 19, 1957
Pioneers in Sikkim
The beloved Guardian has directed me to write you concerning
the wonderful news that he has received of the fact
that there are now ten Baha'is in Sikkim.
The pioneers there have been very successful and have been
able to win souls to the Cause of God. This is a distinct victory
for the Faith, and all are to be congratulated. The
Guardian wishes them to know how much he values their
services.
The most difficult goals, and the most arduous duties win
the greatest spiritual rewards. Thus, he hopes that the friends
in Sikkim, who naturally are looking forward to their Spiritual
Assembly this coming Ridvan, will realise how great would be
their reward, if they were able now to reinforce the work in
Tibet. There is only one pioneer there, and perhaps some of
the new Baha'is could enter Tibet to assist in the work there.
Great would be their reward if they could do so.
Should others be able to go to Nepal and Bhutan, that
would be most helpful. In other words, the Guardian feels
that more important than an Assembly in Sikkim, would be the
reinforcing of the pioneers and teaching work, first in Tibet,
and then in Bhutan and Nepal.
January 26, 1957
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Pioneers to be Sent to Maldive Islands
The beloved Guardian has directed me to write to your
Assembly with regard to the Maldive Islands.
He attaches great importance to these Islands, and hopes
they can be settled by one or more pioneers at an early date.
The Light of Divine Guidance should shine in that area, and
if one of the friends will arise to pioneer there, he is sure they
will win many signal victories for the Cause of God.
February 17, 1957
Historic and Heart-Stirring
The beloved Guardian has been very pleased with the
teaching work which has been done in the Virgin Areas of the
Ten-Year Crusade. Indeed, all the pioneers have rendered
historic and heart-stirring service to the Cause of God. Now,
the banner of the Faith is firmly established over the entire face
of the Globe. Blessed and happy is everyone who has been
able to join in this, the Greatest Spiritual Crusade of all times.
March 6, 1957
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LETTERS ADDRESSED
TO THE BAHA'I
YOUTH OF INDIA
+P178
+P179
Though as yet your youth group is small in number he
hopes that through your efforts during the coming year it will
grow and become a strong and vital one and play an important
part in helping the youth of India to better serve the Cause of
Baha'u'llah.
The field of work open to Baha'i young people is very great,
and they must increasingly bear their share of the all-important
teaching campaign which the Indian Baha'is have embarked
upon.
June 19, 1941
[From the Guardian:]
I have just heard the very sad news of the passing of your
dearly-loved father. This is a great loss to the Baha'i Community
in that land and indeed to the Baha'i world. His
exemplary devotion, his indefatigable efforts, his shining
faith, his unswerving fidelity, his zeal, his magnificent achievements,
in both the administrative and teaching spheres of
Baha'i activity have enriched the annals of the Cause of
Baha'u'llah. I personally greatly loved and admired him.
The Beloved, I assure you, was pleased with him, and will
now bless his soul in the Great Beyond. I will pray for him
from the depths of my heart. (Letter addressed to the
daughters of Mr. N.R. Vakil).
May 5, 1943
The responsibility of young believers is very great, as they
must not only fit themselves to inherit the work of the older
Baha'is and carry on the affairs of the Cause in general, but the
world which lies ahead of them--as promised by Baha'u'llah--
will be a world chastened by its sufferings, ready to listen to
His Divine Message at last; and consequently a very high character
will be expected of the exponents of such a religion. To
deepen their knowledge, to perfect themselves in the Baha'i
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standards of virtue and upright conduct, should be the paramount
duty of every young Baha'i.
June 6, 1941
He was very happy to see how active and devoted the young
Baha'is of India are. The interests of our beloved Faith require
that the youth in particular exert every effort to spread it, while
at the same time deepening their own knowledge of the Teachings
and perfecting their private lives in accordance with the
standards of conduct laid down by Baha'u'llah.
Upon the present generation of youth will devolve the
weighty task of helping to construct a new world after the
effects of this tragic war have passed away. They must be ever
conscious of their supreme duty towards their fellow-men--the
duty of holding up to their enquiring gaze the model upon
which a sound future society can be constructed. This is the
system of Baha'u'llah which the Baha'is must first learn themselves
to live up to, and then share with the whole world.
June 19, 1941
He has been most encouraged by the increasing evidences of
the activity of the Baha'i youth of India and their determination
to play their part in the great teaching campaign which the believers
of that country have undertaken.
The responsibility of the Baha'i youth is very great indeed,
as they constitute the generation of Baha'is who will be called
upon to help re-construct the world after this devastating war
is over. They should devote their lives to the supreme objective
of perfecting themselves as members in Baha'u'llah's divine
World Order.
The Guardian hopes that during the coming year an ever-increasing
number of young believers will devote themselves to
teaching the Cause and helping the Six-Year Plan to be fulfilled.
June 19, 1941
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The Guardian feels that the role of Baha'i youth in these
days is becoming increasingly important, and that your Committee,
as well as all local youth committees, should do all in
your power to encourage the Baha'i young people to a greater
activity and sense of responsibility. In the field of teaching, in
pioneer service and settlement, in the administration of the
Cause, they must increasingly take an active part, as upon these
same youth will devolve the many and heavy responsibilities of
the future when the Baha'is will be called upon to demonstrate
to their fellow-men the perfection of Baha'u'llah's laws and
World Order in such a manner that bewildered humanity will
turn to them as their only refuge.
[From the Guardian:]
I was greatly cheered and heartened by the expressions of
devotion, determination and loyalty conveyed in the welcome
message enclosed in your letter, attesting the significant
spirit that animates the Baha'i youth of India. They
are indeed the object of my unfailing solicitude and of my
ardent and constant prayers. I feel proud of the work which
they are so strenuously promoting. Baha'u'llah is indeed
well pleased with them, and our Beloved Master will no
doubt reinforce their labours. May their work prosper, and
their numbers increase, and their influence extend and their
enterprises be consolidated and their highest hopes be
fulfilled.
June 19, 1941
The young Baha'is of India must take part in all the work of
the Indian Baha'i Community, whether it be in teaching the
Cause, pioneering in new territory, attending the Summer
School, or aiding in the administrative work of the Faith. Only
in this way can they prepare and train themselves for all that
they will have to do in the future.
December 27, 1941
That at such a time the young believers should be so busy,
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both studying the teachings and spreading them, is an eloquent
testimony to the character of their Faith and the devotion it inspires
in its adherents. The Guardian hopes that in these days
of universal danger and suffering, the young Baha'is of Karachi
will play an ever-increasing part in the spread and consolidation
of the Faith in that city and nearby centres, and arise and
help lighten the load of the older believers who have so patiently
and tirelessly served the Cause in that land.
July 3, 1942
He is greatly pleased to note the progress which the young
Baha'is of India are making. Year by year he sees them growing
stronger in faith, more conscious of their duties and privileges
as Baha'is; more anxious to develop their knowledge of the
teachings and their capacity to serve in the administration.
He strongly feels that now is the time for them to arise and
follow the example of their American brothers and sisters, and
begin, wherever possible, to undertake pioneer teaching work.
The services rendered in this field by some of the American
youth have been little short of astounding, and he sees no
reason why the young believers of India should not win for
themselves similar laurels in the path of Baha'u'llah.
Their beginning has been excellent, and he hopes that their
future will be even more outstanding and praiseworthy.
June 27, 1942
[From the Guardian:]
I was deeply touched by your messages, and I greatly value
the sentiments you have expressed, and your determination
to promote the interests of our beloved Faith. The Plan
conceived by your national elected representatives offers you
a wide field in which to demonstrate your resourcefulness,
your energy, your perseverance, and your devotion to the
vital interests of the Cause and its nascent institutions. May
the Beloved, whose Cause you are so eager to serve, bless
your activities, increase your numbers, guide your steps, and
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enable you to contribute a notable share to the advancement
of its institutions.
April 8, 1946
It pleased him greatly to see that there are so many active
Baha'i youth groups in India, and his heart was particularly rejoiced
to receive messages from such far-off centres as Kashmir
and Baluchistan, where, a few years ago, there were practically
no Baha'is at all!
He hopes that in the years that lie ahead of us--years of unrest,
of trouble; of transition for the whole world--that the
Baha'i youth will increasingly rise to meet the challenge of the
times, and to carry the Message of Baha'u'llah, through
both teaching and example, all over India and, indeed, Asia.
You who are at present in your teens, or twenties, must realize
that tomorrow, to a large extent, the burden of the Cause
will rest on your shoulders; you will have to be the administrators
and teachers and scholars of the Faith. Now is the time to
prepare yourselves for your future duties.
He hopes you will study the teachings deeply, their spiritual,
moral, and administrative precepts, and at the same time take
as active a part as possible in the life of your respective Baha'i
communities.
April 12, 1945
He was indeed highly pleased and encouraged to note from
the contents of your annual report how alive the members of
the Baha'i Youth Group in Bombay are to their responsibilities
and duties towards the Cause, and he will assuredly pray on
their behalf that in spite of the perils, the uncertainties and dangers
of the present hour their activities for the Faith may steadily
gain in scope and in effectiveness, and that they may
each and all receive such confirmations from On High as would
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enable them to forge ahead, and to attain their high destiny in
service to our beloved Cause.
October 15, 1940
He feels that, in the important teaching Plans now being undertaken
by the Indian Baha'is, the youth have an ever-increasingly
significant part to play; they are standing at the threshold
of active Baha'i service in both the pioneer and administrative
fields, and they must prepare themselves for the future and
follow, at the same time, the example of American Baha'i young
people, so many of whom have entered the field as pioneers
during the last ten years, and not only rendered the Cause great
services but prepared themselves, through this experience, for
their future tasks as administrators and teachers of the Faith.
April 8, 1946
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LETTERS ADDRESSED
TO
INDIVIDUAL BAHA'IS IN INDIA
+P186
+P187
Our dear Shoghi Effendi owing to the shock he received
at the sudden news of the Ascension of our Master and owing
to the great fatigue occasioned to him through the excess of
work has become susceptible to malaria of which Haifa is a
great centre. This summer is very hot too. He was troubled
with malaria two days or three in every week. So the members
of the Holy Family conjointly with the Haifa Spiritual Assembly
repeatedly begged him to change his residence during these
hot summer months to some cooler climate. At last he affectionately
accepted our humble entreaty and left this morning
for Egypt whence he'll proceed to some summer resort as he
considers suitable. He wishes all the friends to be more
active in his absence.
June 20, 1923.
[From the Guardian:]
I trust that the National Assembly of which you are the
honoured and esteemed President will distinguish itself by
its unremitting labours, its profound wisdom, its distinct
contribution to the deepening of the spirit of love, service,
unity, understanding and confidence amongst the friends. It
is the vital and urgent duty of the Secretary to keep in close
and constant touch with Burma and the various other
Baha'i localities and distribute with efficiency and promptitude
all the glad tidings it receives from the Holy Land and
elsewhere.
November 5, 1924
Shoghi Effendi trusts that your elections are over and that
they were conducted in the proper manner. He earnestly hopes
that the new N.S.A. will be able to accelerate the progress of
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the Cause in India and Burma and will bring in the dawning of
a new day for the Baha'i movement in India. Both Shoghi
Effendi and the friends have had to satisfy their eagerness with
insufficient progress in the past, and although there are many
difficulties to meet and overcome and in spite of the fact that
no one is more alive to them than Shoghi Effendi himself, we
hope and pray that the future may have great accomplishments
in store for us.
May 17, 1926
[From the Guardian:]
I trust that by now a better understanding and more
substantial cooperation has been attained by the friends of
India and Burma. It is for the delegates who are to be
chosen by them this year, to elect those whom they think
are best qualified for membership of the National Spiritual
Assembly, and once elected, the unity and efficiency of this
body must at any cost be maintained. I cannot but pray
that they may be guided in their choice, and discharge
honourably their functions.
March 2, 1929
He was very glad that your N.S.A. meeting in Bombay was
such a success and he is extremely happy of your decision to
hold your next meeting in Burma, for he shares your hope that
by meeting the friends in Burma and ventilating in a spirit of
goodwill all past misunderstandings and problems, a new and
enduring unity of purpose and effort may prevail and the
Cause may make a fresh start.
[From the Guardian:]
I trust and pray that your gathering in Rangoon may prove
a landmark in the history of the Cause in India and Burma
and may lend a fresh and unprecedented impetus to the
onward march of the Cause in those lands. May the
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Beloved strengthen you and guide you and enable you to
consolidate the foundations of His Faith.
December 17, 1929
He is pleased to hear of the receipt of his cablegram addressed
to the Asian Women's Conference through Prof. Pritam
Singh and he sincerely hopes that the Baha'i members attending
will take an active share in its proceedings and will thereby
be putting to actual effect the teachings of Baha'u'llah. Various
and innumerable contacts will naturally be made and the effort
should be to take advantage of this unique opportunity.
January 14, 1931
Shoghi Effendi is as usual extremely busy. But his health
is in a very good condition and he is anxiously awaiting the
news of further achievements for the spreading of the Cause.
The conditions in India are now quite favourable but what the
Baha'is need is a group of well-educated and seriously-minded
people who would spend a good deal of their time in lecturing
before large audiences and in writing and distributing books
and pamphlets. We are in need of such people. They are, as
you know very well, very few in number and the Guardian
hopes that you will do your utmost to organize or to encourage
and assist the formation of such a group.
July 10, 1931
[From the Guardian:]
Your previous letter of Aug. 25 has reached me and I rejoice
to learn that the Burmese version of the "New Era"
is being circulated. I long to hear of the completion and
publication of the Hindi and Urdu versions. The utmost
effort should be exerted in order to expedite this most
important and urgent work.
October 27, 1933
[From the Guardian:]
I am so glad to note a decided improvement in the administrative
conduct of Baha'i affairs in India, and I
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trust and pray that the teaching work will as a result
receive a fresh and unprecedented impetus. To teach
the Cause is the ultimate purpose and the supreme objective
of all Baha'i institutions. These are but means to
an end. May the Beloved grant you strength to enhance
the splendid work you have already achieved. I am eagerly
awaiting the news of the publication of the Urdu and the
Sindhi editions of the "New Era".
November 3, 1934
The report of your teaching work in Mysore and Bangalore,
and of your meeting with Prof. Shastri and His Highness the
Maharaja of Mysore, who had been gracious enough to accord
you an audience, has been noted with feelings of highest satisfaction
and gratitude by the Guardian. He wishes me to
express to you his heart's warmest congratulations upon the
success of your efforts in contacting such eminent personalities
who, if closely drawn and attracted to the Faith, can lend
invaluable support to its spread and wider recognition throughout
India.
Shoghi Effendi would indeed urge that you follow up these
important contacts by every means you can, so that you may
obtain some more tangible results in the way of confirming
some important personalities in these high social and intellectual
Indian circles.
October 15, 1940
The Guardian wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter dated September 14th 1932 expressing your words of
sympathy for the passing away of the Greatest Holy Leaf.
She was such a source of joy, hope and inspiration to those
who met her that not only Shoghi Effendi but every single
Baha'i pilgrim will miss her terribly. To the lady pilgrims it
was a real treat to go and have tea with her in the afternoons.
+P191
She was always so radiantly hopeful and tried to persuade
others that sorrows are passing and have to be disregarded. The
only consolation of Shoghi Effendi is that she has been freed
from the physical weakness that during these last years was
confining her to her room for most of the time. He is
sure that in the realm in which she now is she is thinking of
her friends and asking for them divine guidance and help.
October 12, 1932
The Indian believers, in spite of the troubled condition of
their country, its vastness, and the relative fewness of their numbers,
are really demonstrating a remarkable tenacity of purpose in
carrying out their pioneer teaching plan and in organizing and
supporting their Baha'i activities. He is therefore very pleased
with them, and wishes the young people to take part more and
more in the work of the Cause in India.
May 2, 1947
There is no refuge in the world today except the Cause of
Baha'u'llah. The believers must rest assured that, having the
Faith, they have everything. They must place their lives in the
Hand of God, and, confident of His mercy and protection, go
on teaching the Cause and serving it, no matter what happens.
May 8, 1942
He considers that the most important thing, as he has often
pointed out to the friends, is to maintain the Spiritual Assemblies
already in existence throughout India, to create Spiritual
Assemblies out of Groups, and to establish new Centres. He
therefore does not feel that, if the Cause is precarious in Surat
and this goal of the Assembly has not been successfully achieved,
the Baha'is who are working there should leave and go
elsewhere.
The principle he has laid down has invariably been that
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the friends must establish a Spiritual Assembly on a firm and
enduring basis with a nucleus of about fifteen Baha'is in the
Community, so that the Assembly would be maintained, and
then the other believers are free above the number fifteen to
disperse and teach elsewhere; in fact they should consider it
their duty to do so. This instruction of our beloved Guardian
applies to Surat as well as to other Centres.
February 2, 1957
Your frank expression of the situation in India and your
energetic desire to see things moving after years of practical
stagnation, is gladly welcomed by the Guardian, and he is
refreshed to see a feeling of dissatisfaction with present conditions
and a desire for fresh endeavours along enlightened lines,
evident among a good many of our friends in India and Burma.
It is especially gratifying to see you realize the fact that
when the world has developed and been enlightened enough
through the unseen powers of the Almighty, to be led to the
teachings and spirit of the Cause, it will be our shameful task
to go round proclaiming such principles as we were taught so
many years before and none of which we had lived up to.
Concerning Huquq, the Guardian wishes me to inform you
that at present it is not obligatory for the friends to pay, but
that they should be urged to contribute to the local and
national funds.
September 19, 1929
Concerning the Esslemont book in languages read by
Hindus: The text of the book can in no way be changed, but
two things can be done to make it more suitable for teaching
Hindus: a footnote can be added informing the reader that the
book was written by a Scotsman who was anxious to present
to the Christians the Baha'i Faith in relation to their own
religion, and hence he used many Biblical quotations with
Baha'i interpretations given; secondly an appendix may be
+P193
added which will include quotations from the Baha'i writings
suitable to the Hindu mind and interests.
Regarding Baha'i women using facial make-up: individuals
are entirely free to do as they please in such purely personal
matters. As Baha'is are enjoined to use moderation in all
things, and to seek the Golden mean, the N.S.A. can, if it
deems it necessary or advisable, counsel the believers to use
moderation in this respect also.
Concerning your question as to whether a person may sign
a registration card and then request his declaration to not be
made public: all such administrative details must be referred
to the N.S.A. for decision and their instructions followed.
The Guardian counsels you to refrain by all means from
criticizing and attacking the National Assembly and its members
or any local assemblies. The good that you think can be
done by such criticism is far out-weighed by the harm it does.
The new assemblies and believers will cease to have confidence
in the administration, cease to love and respect their representatives
and the pioneer work you have done will suffer in
general.
December 1, 1944
The Guardian has been very pleased to note the progress
the Bombay friends have been making in their various activities.
He would, however, urge the Bombay Assembly and
community to redouble their efforts in the field of teaching;
to send forth new souls into the pioneer field; and to devote
as much time as possible to fostering the spread of the Cause in
nearby centres.
He hopes that the contemplated celebration of the anniversary
of the Birthday of Baha'u'llah will prove to be a great
success, and he sees no objection to the friends helping nearby
centres to hold a similar public meeting to attract new souls and
teach the Faith.
In all matters of national importance, or which in any way
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transcend the purely local jurisdiction of the assembly, the
Guardian would urge your Assembly to consult with, and seek
the advice of, the N.S.A., as only in this way can administrative
authority be upheld, and the work of the Cause progress
swiftly and smoothly just as the individual believers are bound
to support and sustain their local assembly, for the preservation
of the unity of the Faith and the strengthening of its as
yet embryonic World Order, so must the local assemblies obey
and sustain their national representatives. The closer the
cooperation between local and national assemblies, the greater
will be the power and radiance which can and must stream forth
from these institutions to the suffering ranks of humanity.
[From the Guardian:]
The activities of the Indian believers in the teaching field, in
these days of uncertainty and peril, deserve the highest praise.
I will specially pray at the holy Shrines for the expansion
of these activities to which I attach the utmost importance in
these concluding years of the First Baha'i Century. What
the Bombay believers have accomplished in this respect is
noteworthy, and I trust and pray that the Beloved may aid,
sustain and guide them to achieve great victories in the
pioneer field in the days to come.
July 29, 1942
Regarding your question concerning Baha'is printing and
circulating matter on the Faith: Whether the person writes it
openly, as a Baha'i, or gives the impression he is not a Baha'i,
(in order to make his statements seem those of a dispassionate
observer and thus carry more weight with some minds), if he
is a voting member of our Faith he should submit the material
to the N.S.A., or its appointed Committee, to be passed upon
as to its accuracy and acceptability. Naturally non-Baha'i
material the individual is free to do as he likes about. The
National Assembly should deal efficiently with such matters and
thus encourage the friends to follow the correct procedure. The
whole object in Baha'i administration is not only to manage
the affairs of the Cause, but to stimulate the believers
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to work for it and to teach it to the masses. When the N.S.A.
provides competent and quick service, in its own work and
that of its Committees, it will see a far greater manifestation
of enthusiasm and enterprise on the part of the believers.
[From the Guardian:]
The steady extension of the activities of the Indian Baha'i
Community, in accordance with the fundamental administrative
principles of the Faith, constitutes a landmark in
the early history of the Formative Age of the Baha'i Dispensation,
and augurs well for the ultimate triumph and official
recognition of the Cause of Baha'u'llah in the course of the
second Baha'i Century. The concerted endeavours of the
Indian believers during the closing years of the first century
have been crowned with signal success. A solid foundation
has been laid. The machinery for the systematic and efficient
development of the institutions of the Faith in the capital
and in the provinces is now functioning. Its literature is
being widely disseminated. Its pioneers are labouring in
distant fields. What is now required is an intensification
of effort to establish direct contact with the masses, proclaim
audaciously the verities of the Faith, to consolidate the work
already achieved and to lend further impetus to the settlement
of pioneers in areas where the light of the Faith has not
as yet penetrated. A greater measure of self-sacrifice, closer
cooperation, and a higher degree of consecration to the task
facing them are required of the believers of India in the
course of the second year of the second Baha'i Century.
May the Beloved sustain, aid and bless their concerted
and meritorious endeavours.
March 28, 1945
He admires very much the devoted manner in which the
Kolhapur Baha'is have built up the Spiritual Assembly there
and caused that community to be one of the most active in
Southern India. You must not now become discouraged because
some of your teachers have left and gone to serve the Cause
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elsewhere. This gives you the opportunity of learning to do
more of the work yourselves, and of also putting your reliance
on Baha'u'llah and realizing that He will assist all those who
arise to serve Him.
The Guardian assures you he will pray in the Holy Shrines
for your protection and that God may assist you in your work,
aid you to be united and show the greatest love, one for another,
and bless your work.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty guide every step you take in the path of
service, and enable you to proclaim the verities of His Faith,
and contribute effectively to the consolidation of its newly-born
institutions.
December 19, 1949
He was surely very sorry to hear of the passing away of
your father who was such an old and devoted servant of the
Cause. Such persons, at their passing, proceed to the presence
of Baha'u'llah and partake of His infinite blessings and divine
bounties. They enter into a state which, should we only have
the eye to see, we would envy and earnestly desire. It is only
because we ignore the beautiful and glorious life of the world
beyond that we seem attached to our earthly abode and often
forget the goal of our very existence here.
May 14, 1932
It is to the youth that the Guardian is today eagerly looking,
and it is upon their shoulders that he is laying all the responsibility
for the promotion of the Faith. Theirs is the opportunity
to arise and serve to their utmost this great Cause of God.
June 6, 1933
Concerning the use of alcoholic drinks and drugs the Guardian
wishes you to know that they have been explicitly
+P197
forbidden in the "Kitab-i-Aqdas". Opium is, undoubtedly,
prohibited. But smoking, though allowed, is discouraged. Various
other points which may be raised in this connection and
which have not been explained in the Holy Writings have to be
carefully considered and acted upon by the future International
House of Justice which is the body empowered by Baha'u'llah
to legislate in all matters which have not been explicitly revealed
in the Sacred Writings of the Faith.
December 27, 1933
What, in the last resort, is most essential to every believer
is a conscious and an unwavering faith in the mission which the
Cause has been called upon to fulfill. Through the light of
faith the darkness which envelops our thoughts and feelings
gives way to a radiance and a splendour before which every
gloom vanishes.
January 7, 1934
While secrecy in matters of religious faith should be deprecated
as being against the spirit of the Cause yet, it is always
recommendable to exercise full tact and wisdom whenever, by
too frank and open a declaration of our beliefs, we run the risk
of exciting the animosity and opposition of those around us.
September 25, 1934
With regard to your question relative to the advisability of
having Baha'is join film companies. Although on principle
there is no objection if any believer wishes to become a cinema
actor, yet in view of the excessive corruption that now prevails
along such a line of occupation, the Guardian would not advise
any believer to choose this kind of profession, unless he finds
this to be the only means of earning his livelihood.
Concerning the passage in the Old Testament in which
Abraham is reported to have addressed his wife as his sister, the
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interpretation given it by some Christians cannot hold, as it
implies that the Messengers of God are all sinners. A much
more plausible explanation would be, that in doing so Abraham
wished to emphasize the superiority of the spiritual relationship
binding him with his wife to the purely physical and material
one.
September 4, 1935
As regards your study of the Hindu religion. The origins of
this and many other religions that abound in India are not quite
known to us, and even the Orientalists and the students of
religion are not in complete accord about the results of their
investigations in that field. The Baha'i Writings also do not
refer specifically to any of these forms of religion current in
India. So, the Guardian feels it impossible to give you any
definite and detailed information on that subject. He would
urge you, however, to carry on your studies in that field, although
its immensity is well-nigh bewildering, with the view of
bringing the Message to the Hindus. The task of converting
this section of the Indian population is a most vital obligation,
although the Guardian is fully aware of the many difficulties
that it presents. Nevertheless the friends should do their best
to make as many converts among the Hindus as they possibly
can.
Also with regard to the problem of inter-marriage between
the Zoroastrian and Hindu Baha'is, this is a highly delicate and
vital question, as important as the problem of the black and
white in America. The friends should all realize that racial
considerations do not, in the light of the Baha'i Teachings, constitute
any hindrance to any kind of intercourse between the
believers. The Hindu and Zoroastrian Baha'is should forget
their former and traditional prejudices whether religious, racial
or social, and commune together on a common basis of equality,
love and devotion to the Cause. While the goal is quite clear
yet, wisdom and caution are needed in order to carry this ideal
into full practice.
April 17, 1936
+P199
In these days when the forces of inharmony and disunity
are rampant throughout the world, the Baha'is must cling to
their Faith and to each other, and, in spite of every difficulty
and suffering, protect the unity of the Cause. Often the first
efforts at getting the administration of the Faith to mark
harmoniously, are painful because the individual must learn to
subject his will to the whole--but these are all minor details, and
the friends must all concentrate on constructive work for the
Cause.
Of course no one is debarred from becoming a Baha'i; rich
or poor, learned or ignorant, all have a sacred and equal right
to accept the Supreme Manifestation for this age.
The question of residence and taking part in administrative
affairs hangs together: wherever a Baha'i has his legal residence,
he belongs to the community that is established in that
same civil area as his residence, and he cannot vote or be elected
to any Baha'i body outside of that area except, of course,
National Assembly and Committees. This, of course, does not
prevent his teaching in nearby towns or anywhere else. But
he cannot live in one city and be a voting Baha'i in another.
May 7, 1941
He urges you to redouble your efforts during the coming
year, to teach the youth this great Message of Baha'u'llah. It
is indeed the one hope for the spiritual and material security of
the world; and although the response may be slow at first,
through your perseverance and devotion, you will gradually
succeed in attracting a very large group to the Cause of
Baha'u'llah.
April 7, 1952
He was also delighted to hear that the Message was given to
such large crowds of people in a spot associated with the
enlightenment of the Manifestation of God, Buddha. The
Guardian attaches great importance to the conversion of
+P200
Buddhists to the Faith as well as Hindus, and he urges your
Assembly to do everything in your power to attract the members
of these Faiths and convert them.
January 27, 1957
The Guardian is confident that the ceremony of your
marriage will be conducted along strictly Baha'i lines and feels
certain that your example will create a deep impression upon
the non-believers, and will also serve to greatly encourage the
believers in their efforts for the emancipation of the Cause from
the doctrines and traditions of the past, and for its wide and
effective recognition as an independent religion.
February 7, 1937
In this connection, the Guardian feels the necessity of bringing
to your attention the fact that the validity of a Baha'i
marriage is conditioned upon the consent of the two parties and
their parents only. So that in case the other members of your
family show any dislike or opposition to your sister's union ...
their objection does under no circumstances invalidate it. Your
parents' approval would be sufficient, even though all the rest
of your family may violently oppose it.
March 31, 1937
1. In the passage "eschew all fellowship with the ungodly",
Baha'u'llah means that we should shun the company of those
who disbelieve in God and are wayward. The word "ungodly"
is a reference to such perverse people. The words "Be thou as
a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My
loved ones" should not be taken in their literal sense. Baha'u'llah's
advice is that again we should flee from the enemies of
God, and instead seek the fellowship of His lovers.
2. A believer has the right to vote for himself during the
election time, if he conscientiously feels the urge to do so. This
+P201
does not necessarily imply that he is ambitious or selfish. For
he might conscientiously believe that his qualifications entitle
him to membership in a Baha'i administrative body, and he
might be right. The essential, however, is that he should be
sincere in his belief, and should act according to the dictates of
his conscience. Moreover, membership in an assembly or committee
is a form of service, and should not be looked upon
as a mark of inherent superiority or a means for self-praise.
3. The Baha'i view of "reincarnation" is essentially different
from the Hindu conception. The Baha'is believe in the
return of the attributes and qualities, but maintain that the
essence or the reality of things cannot be made to return. Every
being keeps its own individuality, but some of his qualities can
be transmitted. The doctrine of metempsychosis upheld by the
Hindus is fallacious.
4. The eating of pork is not forbidden in the Baha'i
Teachings.
5. Genesis XIX, 29-38--the text makes it quite clear that
Lot was not responsible for the action committed by his two
daughters, as they gave him wine and made him drunk.
6. Electioneering and all forms of propaganda are against
the spirit of Baha'i elections. The chief opportunity which the
friends have for discussion on administrative questions is during
the Nineteen Day Feasts, at which time the members of the
assembly can meet with the body of the believers and discuss
in common the affairs of the Cause, and suggest new policies
and methods. But even then no reference to individuals should
be made.
7. Baha'is are permitted to marry non-believers but they
should insist on observing the Baha'i marriage ceremony and
should also not object if their non-Baha'i partner wishes to
observe the marriage ceremony of his or her particular religion.
Civil marriage is generally practised amongst the Western
believers, but in most of the East it is unknown.
March 27, 1938
+P202
...as to the meaning of the passage in the "Iqan" in which
Baha'u'llah refers to the renewal of the "City of God" once in
about a thousand years; this, as the word about implies, is
simply an approximate date, and should not therefore be taken
literally.
The Administrative Order of the Cause, though first established
in America, copied as a model by other national Baha'i
communities, is not an American production, but is a universal
system based on the teachings of Baha'u'llah. It is not simply
by coincidence however that it was first initiated and perfected
by the American believers.
October 29, 1938
The task of bringing up a Baha'i child, as emphasized time
and again in Baha'i Writings, is the chief responsibility of the
mother, whose unique privilege is indeed to create in her home
such conditions as would be most conducive to both his material
and spiritual welfare and advancement. The training
which the child first receives through his mother constitutes the
strongest foundation for his future development...
November 16, 1939
The Baha'is all over the world are subject sometimes to
suffering, along with their fellow-men. Whatever vicissitudes
befall their country, they will be protected though, and watched
over by Baha'u'llah, and should not fear the future but rather
fear any failure on their part to carry out the work of His
Cause. This applies to the Indian Baha'is.
April 27, 1946
+P203
LETTERS ADDRESSED TO BURMESE
BAHA'IS
+P204
+P205
[From the Guardian:]
Your most welcome letter has rejoiced my heart, and has
redoubled my confidence and hope in that little band of
earnest and ardent followers of the Baha'i Faith who labour
so devotedly for the diffusion of the Light of Baha'u'llah
throughout the world.
The glowing account you give me of your recent efforts and
activities to extend and consolidate the Campaign of Service
in that land has been shared with the resident friends and
pilgrims in the Holy Land, and incorporated in the circular
letters which the Haifa Spiritual Assembly addresses to the
Baha'i world. It will send, I am sure, a thrill of enthusiasm
and courage throughout the body of the friends the world
over, and will serve to strengthen the ties that bind us all
to you, our beloved co-workers in that far-eastern land!
I am looking forward with the greatest interest, to the time
when your high hopes will have been fully realized, your
plans fulfilled and your selfless efforts crowned with glorious
success. It is my fervent hope and prayer that your endeavours
to constitute a Central Council for all Burma, and
establish a Baha'i Magazine, exclusively devoted to the
progress of the work in that province, will soon bear abundant
fruit, and will stand a testimony to the efficiency, the
energy and the zeal of the beloved Burmese friends.
May our loving and ever-watchful Master, guide and protect
you in all the services you are so whole-heartedly tendering
to His sacred Threshold, and may He enable you to
contribute your full share in carrying out His Great Purpose
for mankind! This is my prayer for you all whenever I visit
the Three Holy Shrines, and I feel certain that He will not
fail to answer it, if we but hold fast to those principles for
which He lived, laboured and died.
June 1, 1923
+P206
[From the Guardian:]
The detailed report I have recently received from the tried
and faithful servant of Baha'u'llah, Aqa Syed Mustapha,
regarding the progress of your labours in those remote regions
of the world has filled my heart with hope and gladness,
and has served to fortify the ties of loving fellowship
that bind our hearts together in the service of His Cause.
I have read and re-read the account of your activities with
profound interest, and have been deeply touched to realize
how constantly and fervently you are carrying on the work
entrusted to your charge. May His Spirit guide you, sustain
you and protect you in all your endeavours, and make of
you the vanguard of His Host that shall conquer the world.
I shall await the joyful news of the expansion of your work,
the establishment of your Magazine, the consolidation of
your Assemblies, the increase of your numbers, with keen
interest, and wish to assure you again and again of my
readiness and desire to help you and serve you in your
efforts to promote the Cause in even the uttermost corners
of the world.
By day and by night, in my hours of prayer and meditation,
I tenderly remember every one of you, and pray from the
bottom of my heart, for your spiritual happiness, material
prosperity, and ultimate success in your sacred mission
in this world.
I shall be most pleased to receive frequent and direct letters
from every Baha'i locality in Burma, and will not fail to do
all I can to stimulate your work, and extend your activities
throughout that distant province.
May the day be not far distant when the few and ardent
followers of the Faith in that land, will have increased a
hundred-fold, and the promises of our beloved Abdu'l-Baha
strikingly and speedily fulfilled.
June 2, 1923
+P207
CABLEGRAMS
+P208
+P209
18.11.1935 Urge exert supreme effort publication Bengali
Sindhi Hindi publication Esslemonts book praying
success love--SHOGHI
29.4.1937 Ardently praying success deliberations. Earnest
prayerful consultation intensify teaching campaign
already energetically initiated India Burma
vitally required. Anticipate epoch making success
loving remembrance Holy Shrines--SHOGHI
27.6.1937 Earnestly urge every loyal Believer particularly
local assemblies India Burma demonstrate their
ever ready eagerness rally round elected body
national representatives by stimulating flow their
contributions to national fund the bedrock upon
which security expansion their newborn institutions
must ultimately rest--SHOGHI
2.9.1937 Martha Root arriving Bombay September sixteenth
urge individuals Local National Assemblies
vigorously participate ensure triumphant success
her extended stay accord magnificent welcome
best beloved star servant Baha'u'llah--SHOGHI
22.9.1938 Assure first Summer School signalized presence
beloved Martha fervent prayers success deliberations
--SHOGHI
27.6.1942 Baha'i world deplores loss distinguished promoter
Faith Abduljalil Saad his eminent services as
champion Cause in Egypt as teacher author
administrator unforgettable inform friends hold
memorial gatherings his honour--SHOGHI
RABBANI.
8.7.1942 Notable progress achieved dear Indian believers
teaching Faith Baha'u'llah impels me contribute
+P210
two hundred pounds teaching fund. Appeal
intensification efforts wider dispersion increase
number volunteers multiplication groups Assemblies
praying conspicuous victories--SHOGHI
RABBANI
3.1.1943 Greatly cheered remarkable expansion teaching
activities valiant pioneers urge perseverance
cabling three hundred pounds facilitate Baha'i
settlement virgin states praying magnificent
victories resounding success historic task--
SHOGHI RABBANI
15.1.1943 Completion temple by American believers
necessitates direct attention establishment administrative
centre for Faith in India. Enquire
whether purchase suitable house in Delhi
as temporary centre pending construction
special edifice in future possible. Wire after
prompt consultation with members Assembly
result inquiries regarding site prices. Praying
its early establishment ere conclusion first
Baha'i Century--SHOGHI RABBANI
28.1.1943 Urgent expedite choice suitable building wire
fully results inquiries to save time--SHOGHI
RABBANI
5.3.1943 Wire prices demanded purchase suitable building
--SHOGHI RABBANI
12.3.1943 Owing exorbitant price advise rent suitable
house--SHOGHI RABBANI
23.4.1943 Desire address plea representatives Indian
believers assembled convention last year first
Baha'i Century deliberate necessary measures
prompt establishment much needed Baha'i
national headquarters capital city India. Cabling
one thousand pounds contribution fund
dedicated meritorious purpose stop Advise consider
+P211
ways means ensure befitting celebration May
1944 Centenary Faith and publication survey
history Faith since inception India. Urge unrelaxing
vigilance redoubled efforts ensure
success six year plan praying Almighty's blessings
guidance mighty undertakings. Heroic self
sacrifice imperative--SHOGHI RABBANI
2.5.1943 Rejoice multiplication centres urge ensure unity
harmony believers indispensable condition
further progress Faith advise renewed efforts
early establishment Baha'i administrative headquarters
--SHOGHI RABBANI
6.5.1943 Share fully poignant grief Indian Baha'i Community
passing its distinguished champion firm
pillar able teacher administrator beloved Vakil.
Concourse on high acclaim his pioneer historic
services. Advise hold befitting memorial
gatherings recognition tribute his high station--
SHOGHI RABBANI
10.5.1943 Assure youth conference delegates members
loving remembrance shrines. Urge continued
endeavours safeguard consolidate unity. Exert
immediate efforts wider dispersion teaching
virgin territories establish urgently required
administrative headquarters marking consummation
recent notable achievements dear Indian
believers in teaching field. Wire permanent street
address for future use--SHOGHI RABBANI
27.7.1943 Praying success concentrate purchase building
and promotion teaching activities--SHOGHI
RABBANI
6.8.1943 Advise undertake prompt measures translation
publication Esslemonts book into Mahratti Tamil
and three other languages selected by National
Assembly. Multiplication assemblies establishment
administrative headquarters must be
+P212
speedily supplemented by measures aiming much
needed publicity. Praying still greater victories.
Cabling three hundred pounds this meritorious
purpose--SHOGHI RABBANI
9.10.1943 Wire price purchased Hazira also whether any
surplus funds left--SHOGHI RABBANI
17.10.1943 Cabling one thousand pounds nucleus formation
special fund for translation printing widespread
dissemination Baha'i literature...--SHOGHI
RABBANI
15.2.1944 Overjoyed magnificent successes praying abundant
blessings three newly formed assemblies.
Local assemblies should be elected as usual
during Ridvan. Annual Convention should be
held same week as Centenary Celebrations.
Advise fix number convention delegates at fifty-seven
or three times nineteen. Choice place
celebrations left discretion National Assembly--
SHOGHI RABBANI
April 1953 Assembled delegates communities India Pakistan
Burma lovingly remembered Shrines occasion
Most Great Festival Holy Year coinciding launching
world, Spiritual Crusade designed diffuse
light Baha'u'llahs Revelation entire planet.
Members all three communities constituting
next cradle Faith second stronghold its institutions
Asiatic continent distinguished record
services His Cause extending three quarters
century called upon enrich considerably coming
decade annals Faith Indian Subcontinent Burma.
Ten Year Plan fourth series plans undertaken
these communities designed carry stage further
collective achievements within beyond borders
homelands involves first opening following
virgin territories eleven Asia Andaman Islands
Bhutan Daman Diu Goa Karikal Mahe Mariana
+P213
Islands Nicobar Islands Pondicherry Sikkim five
Africa Comoro Islands French Cameroons
Gambia Ruanda Urundi Socotra Island second
consolidation Faith following territories eleven
Asia Baluchistan Borneo Burma Ceylon Indo-China
Indonesia Malaya Nepal Pakistan Sarawark
Siam three Africa Madagascar Mozambique
Zanzibar third establishment National Spiritual
Assemblies Pakistan Burma Ceylon South East
Asia fourth incorporation each aforementioned
National Assemblies fifth establishment national
endowments same assemblies sixth establishment
national haziratulquds Karachi Rangoon
Colombo Jakarta seventh establishment national
Baha'i court New Delhi eighth establishment
national Baha'i court Karachi ninth purchase
land New Delhi anticipation first Mashriquladhkar
India tenth translation Baha'i literature
forty languages collaboration National Spiritual
Assembly Australasia Abor Miri Aneityum Annamese
Balochai Bentuni Binandere Cheremiss
Chungchia Georgian Houailou Javanese Kado
Kaili Kopu Kusaie Lepcha Lifu Manchu Manipuri
Manus Island Marquesas Mentawei Mongolian
Mordoff Mwala Na-Hsi Nicobarese Niue
Ossete Ostiak Pali Panjabi Pashto Perm Petats
Samoan Tho Tibetan Tonga Vogul eleventh
doubling number Spiritual Assemblies localities
India Pakistan Burma twelfth doubling number
incorporated Spiritual Assemblies India Pakistan
Burma thirteenth establishment Baha'i Publishing
Trust New Delhi fourteenth expansion Panchgani
School fifteenth formation Asian Teaching
Committee designed stimulate coordinate teaching
activities Plan. May valiant followers Faith
representatives four principal religions mankind
recruited highly diversified classes races boasting
already noteworthy share unfoldment Administrative
Order Baha'u'llah arise ennoble past
achievements be enabled through future victories
+P214
pay befitting tribute His memory occasion hundredth
anniversary declaration His Mission--
SHOGHI
24.4.1944 Appreciate Ridvan greetings loving remembrance.
Extraordinary progress Baha'i teaching activities
initiated by Indian believers necessitates corresponding
extension field Baha'i literature cabling
one thousand pounds for this meritorious purpose
as well as further multiplication Baha'i
centres. Praying continually abundant blessings.
Advise undertake immediately translation Esslemonts
into Rajasthani--SHOGHI RABBANI
22.5.1944 Deeply appreciate heartily reciprocate Centenary
greetings beloved valiant victorious community
Indian believers. Triumphant conclusion Six Year
Plan sheds imperishable lustre record community's
services Faith Baha'u'llah course first Baha'i
century and augurs well still greater victories
opening years second century. With grateful
heart supplicate this glorious occasion unprecedented
blessings historic task so vast field in both
teaching administrative spheres Baha'i activity--
SHOGHI RABBANI
24.5.1944 Announce friends joyful tidings hundredth anniversary
declaration mission martyred Herald
Faith signalized by historic decision complete
structure His sepulchre erected by Abdu'l Baha
on site chosen by Baha'u'llah. Recently designed
model dome unveiled presence assembled believers.
Praying early removal obstacles consummation
stupendous plan conceived by Founder
Faith and hopes cherished by Centre His Covenant
--SHOGHI RABBANI
24.8.1944 Intensification teaching activity and extension
range Baha'i literature as necessary prelude inauguration
systematic teaching campaigns neighbouring
territories course opening years second
+P215
Baha'i century imperative. Urge undertake immediate
measures translation Esslemonts New
Era into Nepali Assamese Chin languages.
Cabling one thousand pounds promotion two
fold purpose praying abundant blessings unprecedented
victories--SHOGHI RABBANI
31.10.1944 Urge expedite translation publication New Era
thirteen languages already chosen. Redoubled
efforts urgently required necessary prelude
mighty tasks ahead praying success. Wire progress
meritorious enterprise--SHOGHI RABBANI
26.11.1944 Overjoyed magnificent extension publication
activities. Urge similar exertions no less vital
teaching tasks particularly conversion existing
groups into local assemblies. Mail whenever
ready hundred copies each Esslemont translation
and fifty each other publications praying ever
increasing success abiding gratitude--SHOGHI
RABBANI
15.12.1944 Hundred copies Kinarese received. Loving appreciation
advise mail five copies each national
assembly also future version. Wire date publication
Tamil Telugu urge expedite translation
reviewing publication remaining languages--
SHOGHI RABBANI
15.2.1945 Wire date despatch hundred copies Tamil Telugu
versions New Era also wire progress translation
publication other languages praying speedy
success--SHOGHI RABBANI
13.3.1945 Urge renewed exertion expedite translation
publication New Era--SHOGHI RABBANI
4.4.1945 Urge translation publication remaining languages
+P216
Punjabi Rajasthani Nepali Chin praying removal
obstacles persevere--SHOGHI RABBANI
30.4.1945 Convey delegates sixteenth Baha'i convention
deepest loving appreciation message assurance
remembrance Shrines. Second year second Baha'i
century must witness alike steady consolidation
newly fledged assemblies multiplication groups
unprecedented expansion teaching activities
nation wide dissemination Baha'i literature.
Incoming assembly's paramount duty initiate
sound measures ensure effective prosecution
urgent tasks--SHOGHI RABBANI
9.1.1946 Admire initiative overjoyed magnificent spontaneous
decision national representatives Indian
believers inaugurate plan designed consolidate
extend range splendid achievements associated
termination first Baha'i century. Fervently supplicating
outpourings Baha'u'llahs blessings
mighty undertaking. Pledging one thousand
pounds furtherance highly meritorious purpose
--SHOGHI RABBANI
10.1.1946 German Baha'i community emerging ten years
trials bitterest endured by followers Faith
throughout West. Urge Indian believers transmit
contribution token Baha'i solidarity through Valiollah
Varqa Trustee Fund--SHOGHI RABBANI
16.7.1946 Hearts griefstricken passing Supreme Concourse
distinguished pioneer Faith Baha'u'llah dearly beloved
staunch high minded noble soul Siyyid
Mustafa. Long record his superb services both
teaching administrative fields shed lustre on both
heroic and formative ages Baha'i Dispensation.
His magnificent achievements fully entitle him
join ranks Hands Cause Baha'u'llah. His resting
place should be regarded foremost Shrine community
Burmese believers. Advise holding memorial
+P217
gatherings throughout India honour his imperishable
memory. Urge Indian Burmese Baha'is
participate construction tomb. Cabling three
hundred pounds my personal contribution so
praiseworthy purpose--SHOGHI RABBANI
11.11.1946 Greatly deplore tribulations afflicting dearly beloved
Burmese friends profoundly moved circumstances
attending assassination heroic apostle
Baha'u'llah Sayed Mustafa and associates. Admire
unquenchable spirit animating long suffering brethren
Rangoon Mandalay Daidanow assure them
admiration gratitude strong attachment fervent
prayers revival activities. Soon transmitting one
thousand pounds my contribution relief rebuilding
institutions promotion teaching activities.
Urge National Assembly immediate concentrated
continual attention promote vital interests Burmese
community--RABBANI
18.11.1946 Praying success mission Indian Burmese believers
lovingly remember appreciate greetings invoke
blessings Baha'u'llah both communities
--SHOGHI
14.1.1947 Deepest loving appreciation noble sentiment
dearly beloved coworkers India Burma proud
their historic exemplary achievements praying
ever increasing success mighty endeavours--
SHOGHI
4.4.1947 Cable number local assemblies groups and isolated
believers India Burma separately. Cable approximate
value Baha'i endowments local and
national in May 1944 and at present. Cable
present status translations publication New Era
urge redouble efforts early completion this vital
task--SHOGHI
5.4.1947 Cable how much money has been set aside for
future National Haziratul Quds cable also
present approximate value Delhi Haziratul
Quds--SHOGHI
+P218
11.4.1947 Advise take immediate steps purchase Delhi
befitting building for national Haziratul Quds.
Utilize funds reserved this purpose also proceeds
sale present Delhi structure. Owing overriding
importance suitable national headquarters advise
divert temporarily sum raised Panchgani School
this meritorious purpose. Cabling one thousand
pounds my contribution. Urge friends arise
unitedly contribute generously meet vital urgent
need Faith present hour--SHOGHI
24.4.1947 Deeply appreciate greetings Indian Burmese
Baha'is fervently praying success their activities
urge prompt action purchase vitally needed
Hazira Delhi fulfil without delay urgent national
need Faith--SHOGHI
30.4.1947 Deeply appreciate message convention delegates.
Heartily congratulate communities India Burma
magnificent achievements. Opening phase historic
plan victoriously concluded. Appeal all
members both communities demonstrate greater
solidarity higher resolve nobler self sacrifice
keener understanding fuller dedication in wider
fields pursuance more glorious victories. Valiant
prosecutors plan lovingly remembered Holy
Shrines occasion Most Great Festival--SHOGHI
28.5.1947 Approve borrow for purchase six hundred
thousand structure--SHOGHI
5.6.1947 Urge all assemblies groups individual believers
arise unitedly contribute generously redeem promise
debt incurred purchase Hazira focus all
national activities powerful magnet Divine
Blessings--SHOGHI
9.7.1947 Delighted magnificent response believers appeal
funds purchase Hazira. Praying complete success.
Congratulate national elected representatives
community holding harmonious historic session
Indias capital. Convey friends decision celebrate
+P219
this occasion through initiation of negotiations
by me with authorities Holy Land
aimed secure authorization transfer portion
Baha'i international endowments precincts Shrine
Mt Carmel to Palestine branch Indian National
Assembly already incorporated religious association
Palestine. Praying successful outcome
entitling Indian National Assembly unique distinction
throughout Baha'i world of sharing with
sister Assembly America honour ownership property
permanently dedicated Bab's Holy Shrine--
SHOGHI
7.8.1947 Advise register Hazira names two or three individuals
if registration Assemblys name absolutely
impossible--SHOGHI
23.10.1947 Heartfelt appreciation greetings Indian Burmese
friends lovingly remembered praying continually
protection unity triumph removal obstacles transfer
possession Haziratul Quds deepest love abiding
gratitude--SHOGHI
11.11.1947 Profoundly regret complications urge vigilant
strenuous unrelaxing effort ardently supplicating
removal difficulties ensure legal transfer early
occupation Hazira--SHOGHI
21.11.1947 Owing possibility antagonize authorities advise
postpone representations by National Assemblies.
If after lapse year promise unfulfilled representations
advisable. Urge continued efforts your
Assembly ensure early release. Supplicating
fervently success endeavours protection dearly
beloved friends--SHOGHI
27.12.1947 Rejoice registration Hazira Assembly's name
praying success representations authorities loving
appreciation--SHOGHI
5.5.1948 Number countries opened Faith Baha'u'llah approaching
+P220
hundred. Prompt response valiant
Indian believers regarding Ceylon prompts me
appeal dispatch volunteers Siam Indonesia thereby
hastening glorious consummation Abha reward
inestimable--SHOGHI
19.6.1948 Shrines safe appreciate progress New Era publications
urge translation Chin last remaining
version--SHOGHI
9.1.1949 Delighted progress translation New Era. Greatly
heartened response pioneers assure them fervent
prayers highly meritorious mission eager news
their settlement urge perseverance. Announce
friends despite turmoil Holy Land foundation
arcade Babs sepulchre designed safeguard structure
raised hands Beloved Master completed. Of
total six hundred tons material one-third already
received. Contemplating commence building
operations destined culminate erection dome
envisaged by Centre Covenant--SHOGHI
RABBANI
23.3.1949 Dearly beloved friends India Pakistan Burma
remembered Shrines supplicating manifold blessings
diversified activities total success plan.
Announce believers commencement building
operations arcade Babs Shrine coinciding fortieth
anniversary placing Sacred Remains by Centre
Covenant in sarcophagus presented by valiant
Burmese believers deepest love--SHOGHI
RABBANI
29.4.1949 Assembled delegates lovingly remembered
Shrines. Appeal through them entire community's
save fortunes plan. Work so nobly initiated so
vigorously prosecuted must be gloriously consummated
dispatch pioneers Ceylon Siam Indonesia
must be expedited remaining translations
publication New Era completed praying ardently
+P221
restoration Hazira fulfilment dearest hopes--
SHOGHI
26.11.1949 Delighted rising hopes brighter prospects success
plan entreat entire community steadfastly pursue
high objectives rise higher level enthusiastic
support vigorous prosecution this fateful hour
historic plan. Advise all centers local national
commemorate centenary through public meetings
press radio invitation participation notables--
SHOGHI
9.4.1950 Delighted magnificent achievement fields translation
publication Baha'i literature. Urge crown
this achievement through speedy publication
Punjabi and translation publication New Era
Kachin Shans Malay Indonesian languages.
Announce friends translation literature Eskimo
Welsh and three African languages raising total
languages Baha'i world sixtythree--SHOGHI
29.4.1950 Assembled delegates lovingly remembered
Shrines fervently praying blessings Almighty
their deliberation. Approve election assemblies
till July ninth. Urge continued effort
homefront foreign fields absolute necessity
maintenance present status assemblies groups at
home abroad determined endeavour enlist further
countries dependencies South East Asia under
banner Faith enhancing thereby record service
already performed beyond confines Indian subcontinent
--SHOGHI
13.6.1950 Community believers Indian subcontinent Burma
lovingly remembered historic occasion glorious
centenary Bab's martyrdom may poignant
memories His supreme sacrifice galvanize enable
them rededicate themselves twin historic tasks
within confines homeland adjacent territories win
signal unprecedented victories--SHOGHI
+P222
29.4.1951 Deeply appreciate sentiments assembled delegates.
Urge rededicate themselves manifold tasks confronting
them. Consolidation multiplication
institutions laboriously established homeland
translation publication New Era remaining
languages vigorous prosecution enterprises
launched Ceylon expansion activities Indonesia
Malaya Siam initiation extension work Indochina
participation erection superstructure Bab's Holy
Sepulchre outstanding inescapable responsibilities
present hour. Supplicating unprecedented blessings
historic labours loving remembrance Shrines
--SHOGHI
6.5.1951 Appeal community valiant followers Faith Indian
subcontinent arise lend assistance vast momentous
newly launched historic African enterprise
involving participation British American Persian
Egyptian Baha'i National Assemblies. Number
territories African continent already settled
course settlement over twenty. Baha'i literature
translated process translation twelve African
languages. Urge despatch pioneers virgin territories
preferably Zanzibar Madagascar. Praying
great African victories expansion international
tasks already initiated dearly beloved self-sacrificing
Indian friends South East Asia--SHOGHI
31.8.1951 Overjoyed momentous highly meritorious nineteen
months plan spontaneously initiated valiant
representatives Baha'i communities Indian subcontinent
Burma. Signal act distinguishes Indian
Pakistani Burmese believers as sole community
Baha'i world able boast inauguration three successive
plans since inception opening epoch evolution
Abdul Baha's divine plan. Heartily approve
chosen objectives. Advise fix date termination
Ridvan 1953 same as plans other sister Assemblies.
Fervent prayers ascending throne Baha'u'llah
supplicating triumphant conclusion enterprise
+P223
exercising direct influence immediate spiritual
destinies Faith Pacific Islands Asiatic African
continents. Contributing thousand pounds furtherance
interests magnificent plan--SHOGHI
7.10.1953 Occasion conclusion Holy Year overjoyed share
following triple announcement attendants fourth
final intercontinental teaching conference marking
termination festivities associated centenary birth
Baha'u'llahs prophetic mission. Five year old
three quarter million dollar enterprise constituting
final stage initial epoch evolution process
initiated over sixty years ago Founder Faith
heart mountain God consummated. Finishing
touches installation stained glass windows drum
octagon removal scaffolding exterior interior
edifice interior calcimining dome drum octagon
tuckpointing cleaning floodlighting entire structure
completed synchronizing closing weeks
glorious twelvemonth annals Holy Faith. Steadily
swelling throng visitors far near many days
exceeding thousand flocking gates leading inner
sanctuary majestic mausoleum paying homage
Queen Carmel enthroned Gods Mountain crowned
glowing gold robed shimmering white girdled
emerald green enchanting every eye from air sea
plain hill. Moved request attendants conference
hold befitting memorial gathering pay tribute
Hand Cause Sutherland Maxwell immortal
architect arcade superstructure Shrine. Feel
moreover acknowledgment be made same gathering
unflagging labours vigilance Hand Cause Ugo
Giachery negotiating contracts inspecting despatching
all materials required construction
edifice as well as assiduous constant care Hand
Cause Leroy Ioas supervising construction both
drum dome. To two doors Shrine recently
named after first two aforementioned Hands
octagon door now added henceforth associated
third Hand who contributed raising stately
+P224
sacred structure. Second announcement worldwide
process settlement virgin areas globe
accelerated arrival following pioneers respective
posts Cora Oliver British Honduras Carole
Dwight Allen Greece Mr Mrs Xavier Rodriques
Portuguese Guinea Brigitte Hasselblatt Shetlands
Elizabeth Hopper Ada Schott Sara Kenny Mrs
Duffield Madeira H. Snider Key West Hugh
McKinley and mother Cyprus Max Kenyerezi
French Equatorial Africa Elsa Grossmann
Frisian Islands Helen Robinson Baranof Mr
Mrs Ted Anderson Yukon Tabandeh Payman
San-Marino Una Townshend Malta Rolf Haug
Crete swelling roll honour raising number
territories pale Faith hundred sixty seven. Two
additional pioneers proceeding leper colonies
Puerto Rico French Guinea. Two valiant pioneers
India America preparing entry Tibet. Two
more members United States National Assembly
volunteered pioneer raising number five. United
States pioneers departing twenty four virgin
territories ere conclusion Holy Year. Total
United States pioneer applications two hundred
forty nine. Feast names celebrated last August
two stalwart crusaders weather station Buchanan
Bay desolate Ellesmere Island seventy nine latitude
less seven hundred miles North Pole. Irresistibly
unfolding crusade sanctified death heroic eighty eight
year old Ella Bailey elevating her rank
martyrs Faith shedding further lustre American
Baha'i community consecrating soil fast awakening
African continent. Third announcement
preliminary steps taken aiming acquisition extensive
area head Holy Mountain scene revelation
Tablet Carmel preparatory purchase site future
Mother Mashriquladhkar Holy Land made
possible munificent hundred thousand dollar
donation Hand Cause Amelia Collins signalizing
opening second stage unfoldment mighty process
set motion Author Faith. Triple bounty vouchsafed
+P225
community Most Great Name scattered
face planet calls for tremendous immediate concerted
exertion assembled believers adequately
discharge triple responsibility. First redoubled
consecration pioneering task particularly Pacific
area emphasized Tablets Divine Plan raising thereby
ere adjournment conference number territories
opened Faith or assigned pioneers immediate
settlement above two hundred. Second demonstration
increasing self-sacrifice through inauguration
funds purchase land future temples Asiatic
continent Antipodes Baghdad New Delhi Sydney.
Contributing three thousand pounds furtherance
meritorious enterprises. Third earnest consultation
representatives Persian Iraqi National Assemblies
directly concerned holy task with assembled
Hands Cause ways means conduct
through investigation ensure purchase holy
places particularly site Siyahchal cradle revelation
Author Faith as well as identification transfer
Baha'i cemeteries relatives Bab Baha'u'llah
constituting vital objectives Ten Year Plan.
Ardently hoping fervently supplicating epochal
conference setting seal celebration second Baha'i
jubilee contribute unprecedented degree through
character its deliberations solidity achievements
scope accomplishments ultimate attainment
shining goals World Crusade destined culminate
not far distant Most Great Jubilee associated
hundredth anniversary assumption Baha'u'llah
His prophetic office--SHOGHI
12.10.1953 Eve conclusion festivities commemorating centenary
birth Baha'u'llahs ministry moved direct
following specific message Hands assembled conference.
In grateful recognition multiple bounties
showered rapid succession army Lord Hosts
course Holy Year auspiciously ushered through
proclamation objectives world crusade whose
opening months witnessed convocation heart
+P226
African continent first intercontinental teaching
conference whose climax signalized simultaneous
holding heart North America Intercontinental
Conference Western Hemisphere dedication
Mother Temple West launching Ten Year
Plan whose record been ennobled two additional
intercontinental gatherings successively convened
European Asiatic continents all eleven Hands
called upon arise enhance abiding value strenuous
exemplary labours last twelve months constituting
initial chapter their steadily unfolding
world mission. Hour propitious morrow last
intercontinental conference gird loins yet another
still wider dispersal extending one or two months
embracing Asia Africa Australasia purpose establishing
close contact national assemblies
advising assisting local assemblies individuals
attain goals globe girdling plan. Adoption
following itinerary recommended. Mason Remey
Dorothy Baker Horace Holley India Pakistan
Burma Ceylon Ugo Giachery Persia Valiullah
Varqa Shuaullah Alai Iraq Turkey Egypt Clara
Dunn Ali Akbar Furutan Australia New Zealand
Zikrullah Khadem Malaya Japan Tarazullah
Samandari Musa Banani Arabian Peninsula.
Contributing three thousand pounds assistance
execution meritorious enterprise. Urge Persian
Indian Australian Egyptian Iraqi National
Assemblies extend utmost assistance arrange
schedules publicize Faith wherever advisable
direct local assemblies utilize every means their
power add momentum most ambitious undertaking
embarked followers Baha'u'llah hundred ten
years Baha'i history--SHOGHI
15.10.1953 As Holy Year expires overjoyed announce assembled
believers no less thirteen additions roll
honour since transmission last message conference
week ago. Claire Gung Southern Rhodesia
Ursula von Brunn Frisian Islands Richard Nolen
+P227
family Azores Katherine Meyer Margarita Island
Geraldine Craney Hebrides Fawzi Zeinolabedin
family Spanish Morocco Manouchihr Hezari
Morocco International Zone Chicago believer
St. Thomas Island Ted Cardell South West
Africa William Danjon Andorra Fred Jean Allen
Cape Breton Island Frederick Elizabeth Laws
Basutoland Amin Batt Rio de Oro. Total number
virgin areas inscribed scroll with names conquerors
since launching world crusade last Ridvan
mounted fifty. Number territories included
orbit Faith raised within unbelievably short time
hundred seventyeight marking increase hundred
countries since celebration first jubilee nine years
ago. In addition sixty unopened areas bespoken
including Ukraine Albania. No more eight
volunteers required be despatched Ashanti Protectorate
Bechuanaland Chagos Archipelago
Comoro Islands Marquesas Islands Marshall
Islands Spanish Sahara Tonga Islands in order
ensure attainment preeminent goal global crusade
excluding socialist republics satellite countries.
Moment arrived last day year forever sanctified
memory future generations owing its sacred
associations be linked closing already narrow gap
separating vanguard army crusaders victory most
glorious phase grandest collective spiritual enterprise
embarked organized firmly knit communities
Most Great Name scattered planet--
SHOGHI
13.4.1954 Beloved Guardian feels utmost importance all
virgin areas susceptible be settled before end
Ridvan. 98 areas settled. Ten of remaining
18 outside iron curtain can should be settled
during first year Crusade Guardian urges
you consider settlement following areas
most important task next three weeks
Admiralty Anticosti Chagos Archipelago Cocos
Comoro Hainan Loyalty Mariana Marshall
+P228
Portuguese Timor. In order assure spiritual victory
Guardian extending settlement period to end
Ridvan. This emergency should be followed
vigorously daily by assembly in conjunction appropriate
teaching committee. Cable progress
fulfilment strategic goals this cable sent National
Assemblies America Canada Australia India--
IOAS
26.4.1955 Cable immediately names new assemblies India
Pakistan Burma--SHOGHI
29.4.1955 Urge delegates rouse all communities concentrate
objectives Plan particularly intensification
teaching activities dispersal multiplication centres
assemblies homefront consolidation centres
allotted newly opened territories. Neglect sacred
duties harmful interests Faith immediate sustained
response essential--SHOGHI