Saturday, August 31, 2019

August 30. On this date in 1911, Ḥájí Mírzá Muḥammad-Taqí, also known as Vakílu'd-Dawlih ("Agent of the State") the chief financier of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár in Ashgabat and an Afnán, died in Haifa. He was the first to be buried in the Haifa Bahá'í cemetery.



August 30. On this date in 1911, Ḥájí Mírzá Muḥammad-Taqí, also known as Vakílu'd-Dawlih ("Agent of the State") the chief financier of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár in Ashgabat and an Afnán, died in Haifa. He was the first to be buried in the Haifa Bahá'í cemetery.

Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-Taqí was born in 1830 in Shíráz. After completing his studies at age 15, he went to Bushehr where he succeeded the Báb in his father's firm. He was in Búshihr when the Báb returned from his Hajj pilgrimage in 1845. In about 1854, he moved to Yazd where he married Bíbí Zahrá Bagum and sometime later married a second wife who brought a daughter named Maryam Bagum to the marriage.

In Yazd, his business prospered and reached as far as Hong Kong. As a leading merchant in town, he was appointed the consular agent for Russia, a position that afforded some protection from extortion by the Iranian officials. He was given the title Vakílu'd-Dawlih [agent of the state], but 'Abdu'l-Bahá named him Vakílu'l-Haqq [agent of God]. His cheerful and generous character won the respect of many, even though he was well known as a Bahá'í. He was on good terms with all the governors of Yazd, many of whom consulted him about their affairs. The following is recorded by Muhammad-Táhir Malmírí, who was a close associate of the Vakílu'd-Dawlih:

One of the divine blessings bestowed upon the friends in Yazd was that a large number of the illustrious Afnáns of the sacred Lote-Tree lived in that city. It is beyond the ability of my pen and tongue to recount their qualities. Even though outwardly these sanctified beings did not teach the Faith to others, yet they conducted themselves in Yazd with such goodly character and impressive behavior that, truly, this ephemeral servant cannot describe their vast influence. This luminous company and divine symbol of guidance was the cause of recognition for large numbers in Yazd. High and low have testified that these blessed persons were the effulgent signs, radiant proofs, and sanctified emblems of the Cause. They were the essence of chastity, faithfulness, and wisdom; and, even though they would not openly speak of the Faith or admit affiliation with the Cause, all the inhabitants of Yazd were certain that they were among the Bahá'ís and the Afnán of the sacred and divine Tree, and none dared be presumptuous towards them.

All the Afnáns had offices in the Saray-i Khajih and controlled the city's commerce. However, they conducted themselves in such a way that learned and unlettered, peasants and noblemen, young and old would freely say, "These men are indeed heavenly angels. They are worthy of their station as descendants of the Prophet of Islam. We are not concerned with their [current] beliefs because of their holy lineage."

The honored Hájí Mírzá Hasan-'Alí, who was an uncle of the Báb, would frequently attend the mosque and offer [Muslim] prayers. His three sons, Hájí Mírzá Áqá, Hájí Siyyid Mihdí, and Hájí Siyyid Husayn, each had a magnificent office, were pillars of commerce and employed a large staff of secretaries, accountants, attendants, and others. Despite their immense wealth and attainments, they were nevertheless very lowly and humble. It was truly astonishing and bewildering.

One of them was the honored Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-Taqí, the Vakílu'd-Dawlih, the official representative of the Russian government. He had won a special medal and displayed a flag over his house. Indeed, he was more accomplished than the others. He conducted himself with such tranquility, courtesy, humility, and selflessness, and dealt with people with such compassion, love, and equity, that when he passed through the streets, all the pedestrians would pause and, with great respect, defer to him, often bowing low before him. When a dispute took place between the merchants, they invariably would consider his word the final say and deciding factor. The day that he received a large golden emblem from the Russian government, several of the principal merchants happened to be his guests in his office. For two hours he wore that emblem, but never again. In His Tablets, Bahá'u'lláh has addressed him as, "O essence of respect!" In some other Tablets, he is addressed, "O essence of meekness!"

'Abdu'l-Bahá put Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-Taqí in charge of building the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár in Ashgabat. Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-Taqí closed his business in Yazd and set out on April 4, 1900 for Russia. When he arrived in Mashhad en route, the authorities and prominent citizens warmly welcomed him. In their company, he went on pilgrimage to the shrine of the eighth Imám. For some time, people came to visit him, and this aroused the jealousy of the divines. They schemed to prevent him from entering the shrine for a second visit. However, on the appointed day, the custodian of the shrine, Nasiru'l-Mulk Shírází, was also going for a visit. He was an old friend of the Vakílu'd-Dawlih, and, when he saw his friend, he deferred to him and showed him great consideration. Through this incident, not only were the opponents frustrated but also was the Nasiru'l-Mulk able to renew his friendship. Over the course of several meetings with the Vakílu'd-Dawlih, he became a believer. When the Vakílu'd-Dawlih arrived in 'Ishqábád, he supervised the construction of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, using the plans and instructions sent by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and paying much of the cost himself. By 1906, the building was almost complete.

In mid-1900, 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote to him confidentially about the troubles that surrounded Him in the Holy Land and instructed him to form the Universal House of Justice in the event of His slaying:
As to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, He is now in very great danger, beset by countless grave perils. Therefore, you must arise with the greatest strength and steadfastness and gather the Afnán of the divine Lote-Tree together. By this is meant that you must unite them in spirit and purpose, and let them join in harmony and concord with the Hands of the Cause, so that the Universal House of Justice may be formed as far as this is practicable and the provisions of the Will and Testament can be implemented when this is necessary. It is incumbent upon the Afnán of the holy Tree to stand in the forefront and to shield and protect the mighty stronghold of the Cause of God. In this way, they will become the recipients of such favors as will benefit the station that has been graciously conferred upon them.

Some time later, Vakílu'd-Dawlih settled in Haifa. 'Abdu'l-Bahá remembered him as "an uncommonly happy man" and ranked him as one of the 24 elders mentioned in the Book of Revelation. He died in Haifa on August 30, 1911 at the age of 81 and was the first to be buried in the Haifa Bahá'í cemetery. 'Abdu'l-Bahá revealed two Tablets of Visitation in his honor.

August 30. On this date in 1851, Bahá'u'lláh visited Karbala, where Muhammad's grandson Husayn is buried. "Imam Husayn has, as attested by the Iqan, been endowed with special grace and power among the Imams, hence the mystical reference to Bahá'u'lláh as the return of Imam Husayn, meaning the Revelation in Bahá'u'lláh of those attributes with which Imam Husayn had been specifically endowed."





August 30. On this date in 1851, Bahá'u'lláh visited Karbala, where Muhammad's grandson Husayn is buried. "Imam Husayn has, as attested by the Iqan, been endowed with special grace and power among the Imams, hence the mystical reference to Bahá'u'lláh as the return of Imam Husayn, meaning the Revelation in Bahá'u'lláh of those attributes with which Imam Husayn had been specifically endowed."

Husayn plays a key role in the Bahá'í Faith, as a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi on July 30, 1941, to an individual believer affirmed:
"Ali's appointment was clear to the Khalifs, who actually disregarded the Prophet's oral statements.
"The usurpation occurred immediately after the Prophet's death.
"Ali did not feel unqualified, but wished to avoid schism, which, unfortunately, could not be prevented.
"The schisms that have afflicted the religions preceding the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh establish its distinction from all previous Revelations, and single it out among all other Dispensations, as stated by Abdu'l-Bahá.
"The guidance vouchsafed to the Imams regarding the laws and institutions of Islam was absolute and unqualified. Their infallibility was derived directly from the Manifestation.
"The Bab's descent from the Imam Husayn is no doubt a proof of the validity of the Imamate. According to Nabil the dream the Bab had made him first conscious of His Revelation.
"The precedence of the name Husayn over Ali does establish the greatness of Imam Husayn.
"Imam Husayn has, as attested by the Iqan, been endowed with special grace and power among the Imams, hence the mystical reference to Bahá'u'lláh as the return of Imam Husayn, meaning the Revelation in Bahá'u'lláh of those attributes with which Imam Husayn had been specifically endowed.
"Joseph was one of the 'Sent Ones' of the Qur'an, meaning a Manifestation of God.
"The friends should uphold Islam as a revealed Religion in teaching the Cause but need not make, at present, any particular attempt to teach it solely and directly to non-Bahá'ís at this time.
"The mission of the American Bahá'ís is, no doubt, to eventually establish the truth of Islam in the West.
"The spirit of Islam, no doubt, was the living germ of modern Civilization; which derived its impetus from the Islamic culture in the Middle Ages, a culture that was the fruit of the Faith of Muhammad."
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, July 30, 1941)

Friday, August 30, 2019

August 29. On this date in 1912, the Montreal Gazzette introduced "‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who is 68 years old, is the centre of the Bahá’í movement, with a following in Persia, his native country, of three million people, while many thousands of others are to be found in India, Egypt and Turkey...conversion of one-third of Persia...No one is asked to leave his own faith to become a Bahá’í..."

 
August 29. On this date in 1912, the Montreal Gazzette introduced "‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who is 68 years old, is the centre of the Bahá’í movement, with a following in Persia, his native country, of three million people, while many thousands of others are to be found in India, Egypt and Turkey...conversion of one-third of Persia...No one is asked to leave his own faith to become a Bahá’í..."
 

Abdu’l-Bahá, Leader of Great Universalist Movement, Will Visit Montreal.

UNITE EAST AND WEST

Not Religious Cult, but Effort for Good Which Has Grown Despite Persian Persecution.

That war must cease and that the time has come for all mankind to live in religious unity. Orient joining hands with Occident, is the burden of the message of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a venerable religious teacher from the East, who will arrive in Montreal within a day or two for a week’s stay in the city. He has been to London and Paris and has just concluded a mission to the United States. While in Montreal he will stay at 716 Pine avenue west, where visitors interested in his movement will be made welcome. During his stay here he will address a number of public meetings.

Abdu’l-Bahá, who is 68 years old, is the centre of the Bahá’í movement, with a following in Persia, his native country, of three million people, while many thousands of others are to be found in India, Egypt and Turkey. According to Prof. Edward Granville Browne, of the University of Cambridge, about thirty thousand Bahá’ís have suffered martyrdom in Persia alone.

The Bahá’í movement originated in Persia about seventy years ago, when a young man named Mohammed Ali, who became known as “the Báb,” or “The Gate,” arose to preach a spiritual religion in contradiction to the gross superstitions of his time, and to announce the coming of a great teacher whose appearance would mean the dawn of a new age of peace and brotherhood. He suffered imprisonment and martyrdom, but not before he had gained many followers. A storm of persecution followed, in the deeds of which a great teacher appeared in the person of Bahá’u’lláh, a Persian of princely lineage, who united the scattered Bahá’ís and began a mission which resulted in the conversion of one-third of Persia. “I have come,” he said, “to unite all the faiths and peoples of the world into one. These ruinous wars, these fruitless stripes, must cease. Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; but let him glory in this that he loves his kind.”

Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching aroused all the fanaticism of the Mohammedan Mullahs, and at their instigation the Persian and Turkish authorities tried by persecution and massacre to suppress the movement. The teacher and his immediate followers were exited and imprisoned, and at Acca, in Syria, Bahá’u’lláh died, in 1892, at the age of 75.

Abdu’l-Bahá, his son, who is now to visit Montreal, then succeeded to the leadership of the movement. Most of his life has been spent in captivity at Acca, and he knows what it is to languish in a dungeon and in chains. His release came in 1908, when the Young Turks drove Sultan ‘Abdul Hamid from the throne of Turkey. In the meantime, the movement had spread throughout the Near East.

Not Religious Cult

It is explained that Bahá’ísm is not a cult, as it has neither clergy nor ritual, but a movement for religious unity and brotherhood, aiming especially to unite the East and the West. The East, it is pointed out, needs what is best in material civilization of the West, while the West needs the spiritual civilization attained in the East. With the blending of the two, a greater civilization than the world has yet known will arise.

No one is asked to leave his own faith to become a Bahá’í, but all people are urged to recognize the fundamental truths underlying all religious mental truths underlying all religions and to live in spiritual unity with people of all faiths and races. Above all, the abolition of war is insisted upon. True national greatness, says ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is not to be attained by means of dreadnoughts and murderous weapons, but by the doing of justice by nations and by individuals. The western world is reminded by this teacher from the East that it has forgotten to apply to gospel of “His Highness the Christ.” The Saviour meant it to be a law of lye, but we have turned it into a theory; and now ‘Abdul tells us we must go back to the original intention, put up our swords and dwell in peace with the nations the world over. Such in brief is the Bahá’í message.

August 29. On this date in 1983, the government of Iran banned the Bahá'í Administrative Order, preventing formation of Local Spiritual Assemblies and the participation of individual Bahá'ís in administrative activities. It always surprised me that Bahá'ís in the community that I was a member of would regularly travel to Iran in the 1980's and 1990's to visit relatives in Iran.

 
August 29. On this date in 1983, the government of Iran banned the Bahá'í Administrative Order, preventing formation of Local Spiritual Assemblies and the participation of individual Bahá'ís in administrative activities. It always surprised me that Bahá'ís in the community that I was a member of would regularly travel to Iran in the 1980's and 1990's to visit relatives in Iran.
 
The Universal House of Justice on 13 September 1983 communicated this information to the Bahá`í world by cable in these words:
`SORELY TRIED COMMUNITY GREATEST NAME IRAN HAS IN RECENT DAYS SUSTAINED YET ANOTHER CRUEL BLOW OPENING NEW CHAPTER ITS TURBULENT HISTORY. ON 29 AUGUST UNPRECEDENTED MOVE REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT THROUGH STATEMENT ISSUED ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNOUNCED BAN BAHA'I ADMINISTRATION, RECITING USUAL FALSE ACCUSATIONS STATING EXISTENCE ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALLY CONSIDERED TO BE AGAINST LAWS CONSTITUTION COUNTRY. HOWEVER STATEMENT SAID BAHA'IS MAY PRACTICE BELIEFS AS PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS PROVIDED THEY DO NOT TEACH OR INVITE OTHERS TO JOIN FAITH, THEY DO NOT FORM ASSEMBLIES OR HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH ADMINISTRATION. SERVING IN BAHA'I ADMINISTRATION NOW SPECIFIED AS CRIMINAL ACT. THIS LATEST ONSLAUGHT MERCILESS COMMUNITY CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED IMPLACABILITY FANATICAL ELEMENTS IN THEIR DRIVE SUPPRESS LIGHT GOD'S INFANT FAITH IN LAND ITS FIRST GLEAMING...'

Thursday, August 29, 2019

August 28. On this date in 1965, the Universal House of Justice wrote "The importance of communicating the progress of the Faith to every individual believer can hardly be over-emphasized. Learning of the victories achieved by the valiant souls who have arisen to serve Bahá'u'lláh can inspire others and can create a sense of world perspective which raises one's sights above his own petty pre-occupations and makes being a Bahá'í more meaningful and purposeful."



August 28. On this date in 1965, the Universal House of Justice wrote "The importance of communicating the progress of the Faith to every individual believer can hardly be over-emphasized. Learning of the victories achieved by the valiant souls who have arisen to serve Bahá'u'lláh can inspire others and can create a sense of world perspective which raises one's sights above his own petty pre-occupations and makes being a Bahá'í more meaningful and purposeful."
"The importance of communicating the progress of the Faith to every individual believer can hardly be over-emphasized. Learning of the victories achieved by the valiant souls who have arisen to serve Bahá'u'lláh can inspire others and can create a sense of world perspective which raises one's sights above his own petty pre-occupations and makes being a Bahá'í more meaningful and purposeful.
"Each believer should have access, for example, to the communications from the World Centre of his Faith--the Messages from the Universal House of Justice and the Hands of the Cause as well as news emanating from the World Centre."
(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to National Spiritual Assemblies in Latin America, Africa and the South Pacific, August 28, 1965)

August 28. On this date in 1934, the Most Great Name symbol was registered as a trademark (Trade-Mark 316,444). Similarly, the "Bahá'í" trademark (Trade-Mark 245,271) was registered with the Patent Office on August 7, 1928. These trademarks have not prevented the use of the term "Bahá'í" by groups considered Covenant-breakers by the Bahá'í Administrative Order, as upheld in repeated failed litigation. As early as 1941, the New York Supreme Court dismissed a court case brought by National Spiritual Assembly and Trustees of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada against Mirza Ahmad Sohrab for the use of the word "Bahá'í." The judge granted a motion to dismiss, stating that "the plaintiffs have no right to a monopoly of the name of a religion. The defendants, who purport to be members of the same religion, have an equal right to use the name of the religion..."




August 28. On this date in 1934, the Most Great Name symbol was registered as a trademark (Trade-Mark 316,444). Similarly, the "Bahá'í" trademark (Trade-Mark 245,271) was registered with the Patent Office on August 7, 1928. These trademarks have not prevented the use of the term "Bahá'í" by groups considered Covenant-breakers by the Bahá'í Administrative Order, as upheld in repeated failed litigation. As early as 1941, the New York Supreme Court dismissed a court case brought by National Spiritual Assembly and Trustees of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada against Mirza Ahmad Sohrab for the use of the word "Bahá'í." The judge granted a motion to dismiss, stating that "the plaintiffs have no right to a monopoly of the name of a religion. The defendants, who purport to be members of the same religion, have an equal right to use the name of the religion..."

August 28. On this date in 2012, an email asked the Universal House of Justice about statements by Hartmut Grossmann that “The Lesser Peace will be established by 2021 (war forbidden) and that by then the leaders of the world will gather to investigate alternatives after a period of great suffering and will turn to the Baha’is to reorganize the world as the Baha’i Faith has shown only to be of service to mankind and is established around the world. The troops will then come in even in greater numbers” and “The lesser peace will be established by 2021 when world leaders recognize that only the Baha’is offer a world system established all over the world which is service-minded and concerned for all people’s well-being.”





August 28. On this date in 2012, an email asked the Universal House of Justice about statements by Hartmut Grossmann that “The Lesser Peace will be established by 2021 (war forbidden) and that by then the leaders of the world will gather to investigate alternatives after a period of great suffering and will turn to the Baha’is to reorganize the world as the Baha’i Faith has shown only to be of service to mankind and is established around the world. The troops will then come in even in greater numbers” and “The lesser peace will be established by 2021 when world leaders recognize that only the Baha’is offer a world system established all over the world which is service-minded and concerned for all people’s well-being.”



Letter to the House of Justice

Subject: Enquiry concerning remarks of Mr. Hartmut Grossmann concerning the timing of the Lesser Peace
August 28, 2012 Dear Secretariat,
A document has been circulating on the Internet [e.g. here] dated June 2012 purporting to be notes of Mr Hartmut Grossman from presentations at the Swedish Baha’i Winter school, notes prepared by David Maytan.
Specifically these notes appear to represent or confirm the views of the Universal House of Justice on the timing of the Lesser Peace, to be established by the year 2021: For instance:
“During Mr. Grossmann’s opening remarks, he mentioned that he had a consultation with the Universal House of Justice about what he would be allowed to share with the Friends at the German and Swedish Winter Schools. All that he will say comes from the Writings, the messages of the Universal House of Justice and his consultation with the Universal House of Justice. Remember that Mr. Grossmann was a member of the Universal House of Justice from 2005-2010 and a member of the ITC 20 years before that. He stated that The Lesser Peace will be established by 2021 (war forbidden) and that by then the leaders of the world will gather to investigate alternatives after a period of great suffering and will turn to the Baha’is to reorganize the world as the Baha’i Faith has shown only to be of service to mankind and is established around the world. The troops will then come in even in greater numbers”
And
“The lesser peace will be established by 2021 when world leaders recognize that only the Baha’is offer a world system established all over the world which is service-minded and concerned for all people’s well-being.”
Could the Department of the Secretariat please confirm or deny the correctness of these views on the timing of the Lesser Peace and whether they are indeed held by the Universal House of Justice or are in fact just the personal private opinions of Mr. Grossmann or Mr. Maytan’s portrayal of those remarks. We are aware of a number of letters of both the House of Justice and the Guardian which indicate that the date of the Lesser Peace is not and cannot be known.
...

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

August 27. On this date in 1852, subsequent to a failed assassination attempt by some Bábís of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, Fatimah Baraghani, also known as Táhirih and Qurrat al-Ayn, was executed. An influential Bábí theologian, she would shun most of her family, including her children, because they did not adopt her new religion.



 
 
 
August 27. On this date in 1852, subsequent to a failed assassination attempt by some Bábís of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, Fatimah Baraghani, also known as Táhirih and Qurrat al-Ayn, was executed. An influential Bábí theologian, she would shun most of her family, including her children, because they did not adopt her new religion.
 
Fatimah Baraghani, later known as Qurrat al-Ayn (Consoloation of the Eyes) and Tahirih (the Pure One), was an influential theologian of the Bábi faith.
 
Her interpretation of the Báb's message was considered radical by many of his other believers, including Mullá Muḥammad 'Alí-i-Bárfurúshi, also known as Quddús, who was the most prominent disciple of the Báb and the eighteenth and final Letter of the Living who accused her of "heresy." Among her theological contributions was that she "wedded the messianic message to the figure of al-Bab." and "her rise to leadership aptly characterized the messianic ethos around which the entire Bábi movement was formed."
 
She abandoned and shunned most of her family because they did not adopt her new religion.
Likewise Qurratu’l-‘Ayn, who is celebrated in all the world, when she believed in God and was attracted to the Divine Breaths, she forsook her two eldest sons, although they were her two oldest children, because they did not become believers, and thereafter did not meet them. She said: “All the friends of God are my children, but these two are not. I will have nothing to do with them.”
The question of her returning to her husband arose, and this she absolutely refused to do. Try as they might, she would not consent to be reconciled with her husband, Mullá Muhammad. She gave as her reason: "He, in that he rejects God's religion, is unclean; between us there can be naught in common."
She has become the object of hagiographic work, including numerous biographies, poems, songs, choreographed dances, and paintings. The Tahirih Justice Center is named after her.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

August 26. On this date in 1954, Horace Holley, a Hand of the Cause of God and later a Custodian, gave a public address titled "Challenge to Chaos: The Mission of the Bahá'í Faith" delivered at the Bahá'í Temple Foundation Hall in Wilmette which he started by asking "Unity of God"? Who is God? What is God? Where is God?"





August 26. On this date in 1954, Horace Holley, a Hand of the Cause of God and later a Custodian, gave a public address titled "Challenge to Chaos: The Mission of the Bahá'í Faith" delivered at the Bahá'í Temple Foundation Hall in Wilmette which he started by asking "Unity of God"? Who is God? What is God? Where is God?"

Horace Holley, as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, had been in conflict with Ahmad Sohrab and Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler and his wife Julie over the "New History Society." Ahmad Sohrab had served as 'Abdu'l-Bahá's secretary and interpreter from 1912 to 1919, and in 1929, with Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler and his wife Julie, formed the "New History Society" in order to propagate the Bahá'í Faith. Conflict arose when Horace Holley, member of the National Spiritual Assembly, and the New York Spiritual Assembly attempted to gain control of the "New History Society," ultimately resulting in Ahmad Sohrab and the Chanlers' being declared Covenant-breakers around 1939.

On March 31, 1941, the New York Supreme Court dismissed a court case brought by National Spiritual Assembly and Trustees of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada against Mirza Ahmad Sohrab for the use of the word "Bahá'í." The judge granted a motion to dismiss, stating that "the plaintiffs have no right to a monopoly of the name of a religion. The defendants, who purport to be members of the same religion, have an equal right to use the name of the religion..."

On March 10, 1958, four months after Shoghi Effendi's death, the Hands of the Cause of God resident in Haifa addressed a letter "To the Hand of the Cause, Mr. Horace Holley" feeling "it necessary to urge that the statement 'A New Bahá'í Era' be withdrawn from circulation.
March 10, 1958
Revered Bahá'í Brother:
The Hands in the Holy Land are sending a detailed answer to the questions raised in the letter of February 24, 1958 addressed to us by the American Hands and the National Spiritual Assembly.
We believe that the points covered in our letter also meet the request made in your separate communication of February 25 to your fellow Hands in Haifa.
Here, as you know, we receive letters from all parts of the world which reflect the approach of the believers of diverse backgrounds to the problems created by the beloved Guardian's passing. As a result, the Custodians have been made very conscious of the necessity to strive for unity in the approach to fundamental matters affecting the structure and future development of the Cause. The Custodians from East and West are aware of the wisdom of avoiding statements or points of view on basic issues which cannot be accepted equally by East and West, and indeed by all of the Bahá'í world, especially in this period, so soon after the ascension of the beloved Guardian, when we are still unable to grasp the full implications of the present situation.
It would have been a great help if you yourself could have served here in these early and critical months, and given us the benefit of your experience and clarity of thought on the many pressing issues with which we have had to cope.
You will now, we feel sure, understand our delicate position and the reasons why we felt it necessary to urge that the statement "A New Bahá'í Era" be withdrawn from circulation. Your fellow-Hands serving here are confident you will place this whole question and its world-wide implications before the members of your National Assembly in such a way that they will fully understand the reasons underlying the actions taken here.
No doubt when the entire body of the Hands gather at our next meeting later this year we will have many things to discuss, and each one win have a greater contribution to make in view of this tragic year's experiences.
We all send you our devoted love and assure you that you are often remembered in our prayers.
Yours in the service of the beloved Guardian,
HANDS OF THE CAUSE IN THE HOLY LAND

Challenge to Chaos:The Mission of the Bahá'í Faith

by Horace Holley

Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Committee, 1954
[page 3] BECAUSE WE ARE GATHERED HERE in the Bahá'í house of Worship, dedicated to the Unity of God, the Unity of His Prophets and the Unity of Mankind, it seems befitting to summarize the mission of Bahá'u'lláh in accordance with these three essential truths.
The Unity of God
What do we mean by the "Unity of God"? Who is God? What is God? Where is God?
We look out into the measureless universe that transcends all our human notions of time and area. God is not there.
We examine all the manifold aspects of life in our earthly home — we probe into the psychology, the philosophy of the human heart. God is not there. God the Omniscient. God the Omnipotent. God the Source of Love, is known by His Creation, through the signs of His wisdom and power, but we human beings do not know God nor shall we ever behold


[page 4] Him in His Essence, because man is a created reality, and the created cannot contain the reality of the Creator.
We have a sign of the Unity of God in that, the scientists tell us, this universe is dominated and controlled by one Will. There is no duality in the universe because it is all under the governance of the one supreme Being. There is no principle of evil, although, through absence of good, people have created within their souls that gloomy vacuum we call evil.
To understand this duality let us think of the distinction between light and darkness.
Any man who has been lost on a dark night feels that darkness is a positive force. It stabs into one's eyes, it oppresses one's heart, it seems to stretch out hands to seize one as he struggles to find the path. Then! one ray of light and there is no darkness! Darkness is the absence of light. It is not an independent force.
Therefore there are not two principles in the universe — there is but one. But men, having free will, can withhold obedience and understanding, and then life becomes like that of a pilot whose ship suddenly


[page 5] flies through a vacuum. You cannot float an airship on a vacuum and you cannot rest a human life on the absence of good. The airship crashes, and the evil man goes to ruin.
But the searcher does not find God in the physical universe. There is but one revealer of God to the human heart — His Prophet. His Manifestation.
In majestic words we find this mystery unfolded in the writings of Bahá'u'lláh,
"Praise he to God. the All-Possessing, the King of incomparable glory, a praise which is immeasurably above the under standing of all created things, and is exalted beyond the grasp of the minds of men."[1]
"A sprinkling from the unfathomed deep of His sovereign and all-pervasive Will hath out of utter nothingness, called into being a creation which is infinite in range and deathless in its duration. The wonders of His bounty can never cease, and the stream of His merciful grace can never be arrested. The process of His creation hath had no beginning, and can have no end."[2]


[page 6] Unity of the Prophets
"The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being bath ever been, and will continue forever to be, closed in the face of men. No man's understanding shall ever gain access unto His holy court. As a token of His mercy, however, and as a proof of His loving-kindness, lie hath manifested unto men the Day Stars of His divine guidance, the symbols of His divine unity, and hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical with His own Self. Whoso recognizeth them hath recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to their call, bath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso testifieth to the truth of their Revelation, hath testified to the truth of God Himself. Whoso turneth away from them, hath turned away from God, and whoso disbelieveth in them, hath disbelieved in God. Every one of them is the Way of God that connecteth this world with the realms above, and the Standard of His Truth unto every one in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. They are the manifestations of God amidst men, the evidences of His Truth, and the signs of His glory."
The Prophet or Manifestation of God


[page 7] comes to this earth as the instrument of the Divine Will. He is the instrument of Omniscience and Omnipotence and what He says or what He writes — His message has the power behind it of the Divine Will. We human beings have betrayed ourselves in thinking that because the physical body of the Manifestation can be tortured; can be exiled; can be crucified, that in human will there is a way to overcome the Will of God. The test is one we impose upon ourselves. Because the sign of God in this world is the unique power of the Prophet to rekindle the extinct spirit of faith in the soul. Faith is not belief in a formula. Faith is a realization of the Will of the Omniscient and the Omnipotent. The realization that there has been made a connection through the Prophets between man and God. And faith, when it is quickened in the soul, is a new and higher realm of human being.
No one can do the work of the Prophet of God in quickening the soul and no one but the Prophet can be a point of unity to bring together into reconciliation and fellowship the hosts of the peoples of the world. We have had many forms of unity


[page 8] aside from faith, although every form of unity began, no doubt, as an aspect of faith, in the beginning. We have unity of race, unity of class, unity of nations and unity of creeds, and if you look at the world in which we live today I think you'll honestly agree with me that these forms of limited unity which operate outside faith in the universal Will of God, are actually instruments of disunity and violence. The only unity is the common experience of faith, in which man sees himself as the child of God and sees all other men as the children of God and therefore could not lift his hand against them because it would he against the will of God.
Why are there so many diverse religious systems each derived from a Prophet of the past?
The first generations of believers believe in God. They believe in the power of the Divine Will. They feel themselves caught up in a spiritual world and they give their lives and their fortunes because nothing that they have as human beings is commensurate with what they have been given by the Grace of God — immortality and joy. But as time goes on and the person


[page 9] of the Prophet recedes, the values begin to change. 'Abdu'l-Bahá described this as the succession of the seasons: the Prophet is the springtime, the Renewer of life, the Germinator of all the seeds of the past; and then you have your fruitful summer, and your harvest; and then the winter of unfaith. And therefore if we seek the reason for the diversity of systems in the world today we can only find it here in that, to the degree than any religious system differs from the original teachings of its own prophet, it will necessarily differ from other religious systems who also have repudiated much of the value of their own Manifestation. They differ from each other because they differ from the standard of truth that was given them by God Himself. The prophetic teachings are not the foundation of human life today — their values, their truths, their principles, their devotion, their ardor — and therefore human life to day is menaced with destruction.
Now, Bahá'u'lláh brings us a new teaching. It is the teaching that the Prophet returns to this earth at intervals of approximately one thousand years, more or less — returns to this world in order to


[page 10] revive the extinct spirit of faith. And therefore the history of religion is the coming of many great Prophets. But alas! their followers have all said that their own Prophet was different and superior and therefore there could be no reconciliation with the people who were equally loyal to some other Prophet.
Bahá'u'lláh proclaimed this majestic truth — that in their inmost being, in their functions as Manifestations of God, in their powers and attributes — the Prophets are one! So that when Jesus came, He was Moses, and the people who did not accept Him did not accept Moses, because their idea of Moses was not Moses. It was their conception. And when the western world refused to accept Muhammad, the Bahá'ís say that in His inmost being He was also Christ. That is the test that God imposes — it is not ours. No human power could devise a test like that — that a great Being comes into this world at intervals, different in body, different in family name, different in circumstances, but with the same inner spirit. So that in reality there is but one continuous, eternal faith of God in this world.


[page 11] but it goes through stages of evolution because with this teaching of oneness the Bahá'ís also say religion is progressive.
That is to say, the human race is evolving; new powers and capacities unfold from age to age. There was a childhood of primitive man; there was youth; and now we enter the great age of maturity. So that we say that the Bahá'í message has revealed God more fully than the Prophets of the past because the trend required and had capacity for a greater revelation. Today religion is for humanity — not for one isolated race. At the time that Jesus walked upon this earth they did not even know that North and South America existed. Marco Polo made his journey to China and return from Italy in the eleventh century. So you see the limited world that those people around the Mediterranean Sea were aware of, and Christ gave them all of the truth that those peoples had capacity to receive. He was not limited. He sacrificed Himself to raise the people from that degree to a higher degree, so that this eternal process of spiritual evolution can go forward age after age, world without end.


[page 12] We must also realize that with the evolution of man from stage to stage, from immaturity to maturity, his problems become more complicated with every successive cycle and the reason for the confusion in the world today is that so many people are trying to solve today's problems with the truths that were adapted to the past. I don't mean a truth like "Love thy neighbor as thyself" except that the word "neighbor" doesn't mean what it did a thousand years ago. But the social complications, the intricate relationships of human beings to politics, economics and culture, these raise problems which human beings can only solve by the teachings of their own day. So Bahá'u'lláh has come with a teaching for humanity, and a social order. The Prophets before Him could have brought the teachings for humanity, but there was no humanity. There were races, classes, nations and creeds. Humanity has just been born. And have we ever stopped to think that the unity of mankind is demonstrated by its present condition of interdependence? We can't get away. We are completely interdependent, and the first sign — the tragic sign — of man's capacity to


[page 13] enter one common faith is that we have already had one great emotional experience together — the whole human race. You say "What experience"? and I say "anguish." Anguish is the experience that has sought out and taken hold of people everywhere. It may not be the anguish of the American family who had sons in this war or that war; it may not be the anguish of Europe; but it is anguish, and anguish is the first of the purification of the human spirit.
We do not think deeply enough about religion. We bring religion down to human nature. Religion isn't human nature. Religion is God's Will, but God's Will so offered to human beings that that Will can penetrate and reinforce their will and raise them up into a new condition; unfold latent powers and attributes. That is religion.
The Unity of Mankind
Now we will speak about the unity of mankind.
From outer evidence nothing could be more impossible. Mankind is divided all the ways there are to divide. If there are


[page 14] any new ways we'll find them out tomorrow morning. They are not only divided in feeling, in thought, in habits, in actions, political interests, economic interests, and ever' in worship — people are not merely divided, they are armed! So our repudiation of the prophetic law carried forward generation after generation has come to its climax, in the two great armed camps into which humanity is divided in this hour — each capable of manipulating the laws of science and technology, to invent new and better ways of slaying multitudes of people with the pressure of one button. That is our world, and collectively all are responsible for it — we and our fathers. Because it didn't happen in a decade; it didn't happen in twenty or fifty or a hundred years — it slowly developed until the opportunity for this violence was handed to the spirit of unfaith in the human heart.
How, then, can one speak of the unity of mankind?
You remember, perhaps, that in the Qur'an, Muhammad spoke of Himself as the Seal of the Prophets. Among the people of Islam that is taken to mean that therefore He is the last of the Prophets. There


[page 15] will be no Prophet ever again, because He is the "Seal" of the Prophets.
The Bahá'í teachings throw that concept into a better perspective. We have lived through what is termed the "Prophetic Era," the era of preparation, the preliminary development of man's spiritual being, and each Prophet of the past gave a sign of assurance that the day would come when the Will of God would prevail over the entire earth, but not in His own day. He gave assurance that the day would come but not now, that is, the "now" of the Prophet. So those days of preparation, those ages, are called "The Prophetic Era." What Muhammad accomplished was to end the Prophetic Era and the Prophet after Him inaugurated the Dispensation of Reality; of understanding. Things are no longer veiled and symbolized; things are no longer kept secret among the occult few; truth is poured out for the whole world, and any man who climbs the ladder of truth can become an angel. He may be blacking your boots today and an angel tomorrow. Don't despise any man because of his economic condition, because God loves us all and He knows the qualities within the heart and


[page 16] He can use some very, very odd people that you and I would never select.
in this day of maturity, the problem of survival is the problem of cooperation and peace. That is where we stand. We cannot survive economically, politically nor physically with an extension of the present crisis many, many years more. What is the starting point toward unity? The starting point toward unity is unity with God; obedience to Divine Will; recognition of His Messenger; love for His Message and understanding of His sublime truth. That is the beginning. You say it's impossible?
Now, if we turn to the physical sciences we find that no matter how hard and resisting a material may be, the scientists can always find a way to overcome its resistance. Perhaps they find an element that will eat it away or a degree of heat that can melt it. Nothing is impossible any longer in the world of substance.
In the world of the soul, forces operate which are far beyond our understanding. All social movements are working toward the victory of a universal Faith. God employs the good and the evil alike as instruments for the victory of His plan of


[page 17] unity- Not what the press acclaims as important from day to day, hut the release of the Holy Spirit is the transcendent matter with which we are all concerned.
The longer we resist its imperative call to unity, the more we will devise means of suffering for mankind, hut we cannot turn back the Holy Spirit nor deny its ultimate achievement. God has expressed His Will through Bahá'u'lláh. His omnipotence and omniscience are its assurance.
The Holy Spirit has been working upon the human race since 1844. That is the reason why men are again concerned with religion. They feel the Presence but associate it with their own Prophet of a thousand years ago.
The starting point of unity is unity with God. But every man who turns to God turns with new eyes to his fellow-men. And there's a nucleus of people forming all around the world who love humanity; who understand that we're going through a new stage of development and they are prepared to accept the principle order. As 'Abdu'l-Bahá said, principle today is to extend the principle of federation until it of a new the great American embraces


[page 18] the nations of the world. He said that in 1912 in the United States.
What is the obstacle? Many people say, "Oh, these great powerful institutions with vested interests!" But there's nothing weaker than institutions. The only thing that has any strength is human beings. The obstacle, my friends, is simply that ever)' child is born with a spirit from God, with a soul, latent, undeveloped, feeble; he may not even be aware of it, but it's there, because it's God's gift to every human being. That little child, growing up, then comes under a racial culture, family influence, all kinds of indoctrination, the fanciful sociological notions of his particular day, or a theology. And then what happens is that around those God-given powers we have a thin but hard cover that prevents that child from reaching out to God. And that child's infinite spiritual treasure is wasted on secondary matters that have no reference to God whatsoever. They're human schemes and devices.
God is giving us an experience that is going to crack through the hard shell of indoctrination and reduce every human being to the degree of his elemental human


[page 19] self, and then those gifts will be released and after the trend toward peace begins to be more consciously arrayed, many, many thousands and millions will say "Oh, thank God, it's come!" because God has given us a hunger for righteousness and peace. We do not prefer war. Wars are the institutionalization of human society. And institutions are quite necessary. We have to extend them until they serve mankind as a whole.
"O kings of the earth! He who is the sovereign Lord of all is come. The Kingdom is God's the omnipotent Protector, the Self-subsisting. Worship none but God, and, with radiant hearts, lift up your faces unto your Lord, the Lord of all Names. This is a Revelation to which, whatever ye possess, can never be compared, could ye but know it."[4]
"Wash from your hearts all earthly defilements, and hasten to enter the Kingdom of your Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, Who caused the world to tremble and all its peoples to wail except them that have renounced all things and clung to that which the Hidden Tablet hath ordained."[5]
While the fundamental mission of the


[page 20] Bahá'í Faith is to reverse the human trend toward violence and inspire mankind with the spirit of universal peace, the teachings establish landmarks along the path to spiritual understanding. One landmark is the application of Divine Law to rulers and governments as well as to the mass of human beings. One is the command that no follower of Bahá'u'lláh is to engage in political affairs nor take part in any seditious movement. Obedience to government is incumbent upon Bahá'ís, including the civil authorities of countries where they may travel or reside, in addition to their native land.
Already there are Bahá'ís in more than two hundred thirty countries and territorial divisions, the actual demonstration of the power of unity manifested through the Prophet by the Divine Will.
All doors to security and progress are closed except that which opens upon the new world of Revelation. Truth has become law, and the power of Law is Omnipotence.
This last passage from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh is addressed to every human soul. It strips the veils of superstition and self-interest from all people.


[page 21] "Tear asunder, in My Name, the veils that have grievously blinded your vision, and, through the power born of your belief in the unity of God, scatter the idols of vain imitation. Enter, then, the holy paradise of the good pleasure of the All-Merciful. Sanctify your souls from whatsoever is not of God, and taste ye the sweetness of rest within the pale of His vast and mighty Revelation, and beneath the shadow of His supreme and infallible authority. Suffer not yourselves to be wrapped in the dense veils of your selfish desires, inasmuch as I have perfected in every one of you My creation, so that the excellence of My handiwork may be fully revealed unto men. It follows, therefore, that every man hath been, and will continue to be, able of himself to appreciate the beauty of God, the Glorified. Had he not been endowed with such a capacity, how could he be called - to account for his failure? . . . For the faith of no man can be conditioned by any one except himself."[6]
Public address delivered in Bahá'í Temple Foundation Hall, Wilmette, Illinois, August 26, 1954.
Notes:
  1. Gleanings, p.60;
  2. ibid., p. 61;
  3. ibid., pp. 49-50;
  4. ibid., p. 210;
  5. ibid., p. 210;
  6. ibid., p. 143.

Monday, August 26, 2019

August 25. On this date in 1963, the Universal House of Justice wrote all National Spiritual Assemblies "the sad fate which has overtaken the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in ‘Ishqábád, the first Temple raised to the glory of Bahá’u’lláh. Due to its unsafe condition, resulting from earthquakes, the building has been entirely demolished and the site cleared."


August 25. On this date in 1963, the Universal House of Justice wrote all National Spiritual Assemblies "the sad fate which has overtaken the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in ‘Ishqábád, the first Temple raised to the glory of Bahá’u’lláh. Due to its unsafe condition, resulting from earthquakes, the building has been entirely demolished and the site cleared."
To the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá’í World
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
The whole Bahá’í World will be grief-stricken at the news of the sad fate which has overtaken the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in ‘Ishqábád, the first Temple raised to the glory of Bahá’u’lláh. Due to its unsafe condition, resulting from earthquakes, the building has been entirely demolished and the site cleared.
The building of this edifice, the only structure of its kind to be raised and completed in the lifetime of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, was described by the beloved Guardian as “a lasting witness to the fervor and the self-sacrifice of the Oriental believers.” This “enterprise,” the Guardian further wrote, “must rank not only as the first major undertaking launched through the concerted efforts of His followers in the Heroic Age of His Faith, but as one of the most brilliant and enduring achievements in the history of the first Bahá’í century.”
The Bahá’í center in ‘Ishqábád was founded in the days of Bahá’u’lláh. Already during His lifetime preliminary steps had been adopted by the friends of that community to build, in accordance with the provisions of the Most Holy Book, a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.
However, the project had to be postponed until 1902, at the end of the first decade of the Ministry of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, when He initiated its construction, called on the friends in the East to offer their contributions towards the fulfillment of this goal, and personally encouraged and directed its development at every stage. The Báb’s cousin, the venerable Ḥájí Mírzá Muḥammad-Taqí, the Vakílu’d-Dawlih, offered his total wealth towards this meritorious enterprise, established his residence in that city, and personally supervised its construction.
The laying of the cornerstone of this edifice at a ceremony attended by the delegate of the Czar—the Governor-General of Turkistan—and the initial steps taken to raise this first House of Worship of the Bahá’í World, inspired the friends in America, who, in 1903, eager to demonstrate the quality of their faith, petitioned ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá for permission to erect the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the West.
In addition to the Temple itself, two schools, one for boys and one for girls, and a pilgrim house were built. The local community, and the activities of the friends throughout the provinces of Turkistan expanded and developed in stature until 1928, when the law expropriating religious edifices was applied to this Temple. However, under the terms of two five-year leases, the Bahá’í community was permitted to continue to use the building as a house of worship. In 1938 the Temple was completely expropriated and converted into an art gallery.
In 1948 violent earthquakes shook the whole town causing devastation and ruin. The building was seriously damaged. The only section which remained relatively secure was the central rotunda. Heavy yearly rains further weakened the structure to such a degree as to endanger the safety of houses in the vicinity. It was at this point that the authorities decided to demolish the remaining edifice and clear the site.
A reliable report, recently received, indicates that had the Temple been restored to us at this point, we should have had no option but to raze the building ourselves.
Please share this news with the friends but we do not wish National Assemblies, Local Assemblies or individual believers to take any action.
With loving greetings,
[signed: The Universal House of Justice]

August 25. On this date in 1926, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer stated that "To deepen in the Cause means to read the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the Master so thoroughly as to be able to give it to others in its pure form."



August 25. On this date in 1926, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer stated that "To deepen in the Cause means to read the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the Master so thoroughly as to be able to give it to others in its pure form."
"To deepen in the Cause means to read the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the Master so thoroughly as to be able to give it to others in its pure form. There are many who have some superficial idea of what the Cause stands for. They, therefore, present it together with all sorts of ideas that are their own. As the Cause is still in its early days we must be most careful lest we fall under this error and injure the Movement we so much adore.
"There is no limit to the study of the Cause. The more we read the writings the more truths we can find in them the more we will see that our previous notions were erroneous."
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, August 25, 1926)

Sunday, August 25, 2019

August 24. On this date in 1951, Shoghi Effendi wrote "Invite valiant co-sharers in Holy Enterprise join me in prayers" for the completion of the Shrine of the Bab given "Sudden unexpected worsening of international situation, necessity to effect economy, exigencies attending rise of World Administrative Center of Faith impelled me subsequently to place contract in Italy for provision of stones required for both Octagon and Dome, leaving resumption of construction work to indefinite future date."


August 24. On this date in 1951, Shoghi Effendi wrote "Invite valiant co-sharers in Holy Enterprise join me in prayers" for the completion of the Shrine of the Bab given "Sudden unexpected worsening of international situation, necessity to effect economy, exigencies attending rise of World Administrative Center of Faith impelled me subsequently to place contract in Italy for provision of stones required for both Octagon and Dome, leaving resumption of construction work to indefinite future date."
Announce to National Assemblies of East and West that hallowed, historic enterprise which posterity will hail as most befitting tribute by present generation of builders of embryonic World Order of Bahá'u'lláh in memory of the Prophet-Herald of Bahá'í Dispensation is now entering new stage of development presaging the approaching year of final consummation.
Owing to magnitude of task undertaken, manifold responsibilities already shouldered by Bahá'í communities of East and West, no further step beyond construction of Arcade, erection of crowning Parapet was originally envisaged. Sudden unexpected worsening of international situation, necessity to effect economy, exigencies attending rise of World Administrative Center of Faith impelled me subsequently to place contract in Italy for provision of stones required for both Octagon and Dome, leaving resumption of construction work to indefinite future date.
Am now encouraged, owing response to recent call, to take eagerly anticipated decision to commence Octagon, first major unit of superstructure of sacred stately Edifice designed to support Drum and pave way for erection of Dome, last remaining unit of entire enterprise. Contract of approximately thirty thousand dollars has just been placed in Holy Land for construction of Octagon including eight Pinnacles, following completion of structural work commenced last June.
Further consignment hundred twenty tons, comprising lower part of Octagon and Pinnacles, four completed Facades, Door, Window Frames have arrived at Port of Haifa.
Invite valiant co-sharers in Holy Enterprise join me in prayers for its uninterrupted prosecution, in speedy fulfilment of hopes cherished by both Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá for glorification of eternal resting-place of Primal Point in bosom of God's Holy Mountain
--Shoghi
[Cablegram, August 24, 1951]