December 2. On this date in 1935, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer urged "the friends to make a thorough study of the Qur'an as the knowledge of this Sacred Scripture is absolutely indispensable for every believer"

December 2. On this date in 1935, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer urged "the friends to make a thorough study of the Qur'an as the knowledge of this Sacred Scripture is absolutely indispensable for every believer"

1904. Teaching of the Qur'an is Absolutely Indispensable
"...the Guardian would certainly advise, and even urge the friends to make a thorough study of the Qur'an as the knowledge of this Sacred Scripture is absolutely indispensable for every believer who wishes to adequately understand and intelligently read the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. Although there are very few persons among our Western Bahá'ís who are capable of handling such a course in a scholarly way, yet, the mere lack of such competent teachers should encourage and stimulate the believers to get better acquainted with the Sacred Scriptures of Islam. In this way, there will gradually appear some distinguished Bahá'ís who will be so well versed in the teachings of Islam as to be able to guide the believers in their study of that religion."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, December 2, 1935: Centers of Bahá'í Learning, p. 9)

December 2. On this date in 1957, the title to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, the Mansion of Bahji and all other buildings and lands that had been owned by the Covenant-breakers were passed to Israel’s branch of the U.S. NSA. Documentation of that transfer was signed by Leroy Ioas, and the signed document showed that his wife Sylvia had served as the witness, as that same transfer was made official.

December 2. On this date in 1957, the title to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, the Mansion of Bahji and all other buildings and lands that had been owned by the Covenant-breakers were passed to Israel’s branch of the U.S. NSA. Documentation of that transfer was signed by Leroy Ioas, and the signed document showed that his wife Sylvia had served as the witness, as that same transfer was made official.

December 2. On this date in 1982, the Universal House of Justice wrote Juan Cole about the deletion of "objectionable passages" in Ustad Salmani's My Memories of Bahá'u'lláh noting it "untimely and unwise" to publish passages where believers refer to him as "You being God, Uncle" and other "unpleasant and unworthy" stories.

December 2. On this date in 1982, the Universal House of Justice wrote (also here) Juan Cole about the deletion of "objectionable passages" in Ustad Salmani's My Memories of Bahá'u'lláh noting it "untimely and unwise" to publish passages where believers refer to him as "You being God, Uncle" and other "unpleasant and unworthy" stories.

December 1. On this date in 2011, Ian Semple, a former member of the Universal House of Justice from its establishment in 1963 until 2005, died in Switzerland. He had also served as a member of the NSA of the British Isles, of the Auxiliary Board for Propagation in Europe and of the International Baha’i Council.

December 1. On this date in 2011, Ian Semple, a former member of the Universal House of Justice from its establishment in 1963 until 2005, died in Switzerland. He had also served as a member of the NSA of the British Isles, of the Auxiliary Board for Propagation in Europe and of the International Baha’i Council.

Ian Semple was born on December 2, 1928 in the North London suburb of New Barnet.

Semple studied at Pembroke College, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in 1952 and Master of Arts in 1955 in the German and French languages and literature from Oxford University. He subsequently studied accounting in the City of London, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1955 and becoming a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

From 1947 to 1949 Semple did his national service in the British Army, during which period he earned a commission in the Royal Corps of Signals.

He became a member of the Bahá'í Faith in 1950 and served first on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the British Isles in 1956 as its secretary. He was an Auxiliary Board member in Europe from 1957 to 1961 with particular responsibility for the north of England, Scotland, Norway and Sweden. In 1961 he was elected to the International Bahá'í Council, and moved his residence to Haifa, Israel.

In 1963 he was elected to the Universal House of Justice and served in that capacity until 2005 when he retired due to considerations of age.

December 1. On this date in 2005, the head of state of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, President Kessai Note, paid an official visit to the Baha'i World Centre with his wife, Mary Note. They were welcomed by Universal House of Justice member Peter Khan and his wife Janet Khan.

December 1. On this date in 2005, the head of state of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, President Kessai Note, paid an official visit to the Baha'i World Centre with his wife, Mary Note. They were welcomed by Universal House of Justice member Peter Khan and his wife Janet Khan.

The Khans were the first Muslim family in Australia to convert to the Bahá'í Faith, doing so in 1948. On September 10, 1986, the patriarch Fazel "Frank" Khan died. Frank Khan would serve on the NSA of Australia, as would his children Joy Vohradsky and Peter Khan, who also served on the International Teaching Centre and Universal House of Justice.
 
Peter Khan was a prolific speaker. Some of his notable talks include a talk delivered in 2000 to New Zealand Bahá'ís about their reaction to Alison Marshall's excommunication, partially annotated here, which received a rebuttal by Juan Cole.

He is also known for an August 13, 2006, talk titled "Education, Scholarship, and Global Civilization."

There are those who are deeply concerned that if their young people embark on education in a secular setting it will weaken their faith; for example, they should not study psychology because it rests on the material concept of human nature and that will take them away from religion. From that perspective, they should not study philosophy, or economics, or sociology, or history, or what ever because it will weaken their religious faith. There are those, perhaps (not many of them, hopefully) who feel that religion contains all the knowledge one needs; as quoted in the Kitáb-i-Íqán, knowledge is a point that the ignorant have multiplied, and by pursuing education in a secular setting one is exposing oneself to this multiplication of ignorance. There are some who have an apocalyptic view of the imminence of catastrophe, which gives rise to the question “why bother with education when the whole rotten mess is going to blow up anyhow?” This creates a pressure on young people not to make a long-term commitment of an educational nature.
Also, within the last few years, with the legitimate pressure for the core activities to be expanded and developed in the Five Year Plan, there are extremists who say that matters are so urgent at this time that we should abandon our long-term pursuits—educational or otherwise –because we have to get these 1500 intensive programs of growth. Their view is that nothing is more important than that, we should give up what ever else we are doing, just do this and maybe later (if there’s time) you can go and get your education.
...

December 1. On this date in 1866, Marion Jack was born in Saint John, New Brunswick. An early Canadian Bahá'í, she converted to the Bahá'í Faith in Paris, and went on to teach English to the family of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Akká for a short time. From 1931 until her death in 1954, she lived in Bulgaria.

December 1. On this date in 1866, Marion Jack was born in Saint John, New Brunswick.

An early Canadian Bahá'í, she converted to the Bahá'í Faith in Paris, and went on to teach English to the family of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Akká for a short time. When 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited London in 1911, he gave a talk at her home, in High Street, Kensington. In 1931, she pioneered to Bulgaria, where she lived until her death in 1954.

On May 24, 1954, Shoghi Effendi wrote the European Teaching Committee that "every Bahá'í, and most particularly those who have left their homes and gone to serve in foreign fields, should know of, and turn their gaze to, Marion Jack."

1939. Every Bahá'í, Especially Those Who Leave Their Homes to Serve in Foreign Lands, Should Turn Their Gaze to Marion Jack 

"For over thirty years, with an enlarged heart, and many other ailments, she remained at her post in Bulgaria. Never well-to-do, she often suffered actual poverty and want; want of heat, want of clothing, want of food, when her money failed to reach her because Bulgaria had come under the Soviet zone of influence. She was bombed, lost her possessions, she was evacuated, she lived in drafty, cold dormitories for many, many months in the country, she returned valiant to the capital of Bulgaria after the war, and continued, on foot, to carry out her teaching work. 

"The Guardian himself urged her strongly, when the war first began to threaten to cut her off in Bulgaria, to go to Switzerland. She was a Canadian subject, and ran great risks by remaining, not to mention the danger and the privations of war. However, she begged the Guardian not to insist, and assured him her one desire was to remain with her spiritual children. This she did, up to the last breath of her glorious life. Her tomb will become a national shrine, immensely loved and revered, as the Faith rises in stature in that country.
"He thinks that every Bahá'í, and most particularly those who have left their homes and gone to serve in foreign fields, should know of, and turn their gaze to, Marion Jack." 

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the European Teaching Committee, May 24, 1954)

December 1. On this date in 1866, [Marion Jack](https://bahaikipedia.org/Marion_Jack) was born in Saint John, New Brunswick. An early Canadian Bahá'í, she converted to the Bahá'í Faith in Paris, and went on to teach English to the family of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Akká for a short time. When 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited London in 1911, he gave [a talk at her home](http://bahai-library.com/abdulbaha_abdulbaha_london#s16), in High Street, Kensington. In 1931, she pioneered to Bulgaria, where she lived until her death in 1954. On May 24, 1954, Shoghi Effendi [wrote](https://bahai-library.com/hornby_lights_guidance_2&chapter=4#n1939) the European Teaching Committee that "every Bahá'í, and most particularly those who have left their homes and gone to serve in foreign fields, should know of, and turn their gaze to, [Marion Jack](https://bahaikipedia.org/Marion_Jack)." >[1939. Every Bahá'í, Especially Those Who Leave Their Homes to Serve in Foreign Lands, Should Turn Their Gaze to Marion Jack](https://bahai-library.com/hornby_lights_guidance_2&chapter=4#n1939) >"For over thirty years, with an enlarged heart, and many other ailments, she remained at her post in Bulgaria. Never well-to-do, she often suffered actual poverty and want; want of heat, want of clothing, want of food, when her money failed to reach her because Bulgaria had come under the Soviet zone of influence. She was bombed, lost her possessions, she was evacuated, she lived in drafty, cold dormitories for many, many months in the country, she returned valiant to the capital of Bulgaria after the war, and continued, on foot, to carry out her teaching work. >"The Guardian himself urged her strongly, when the war first began to threaten to cut her off in Bulgaria, to go to Switzerland. She was a Canadian subject, and ran great risks by remaining, not to mention the danger and the privations of war. However, she begged the Guardian not to insist, and assured him her one desire was to remain with her spiritual children. This she did, up to the last breath of her glorious life. [Her tomb will become a national shrine, immensely loved and revered, as the Faith rises in stature in that country](http://news.bahai.org/story/385/). >"He thinks that every Bahá'í, and most particularly those who have left their homes and gone to serve in foreign fields, should know of, and turn their gaze to, [Marion Jack](https://bahaikipedia.org/Marion_Jack)." >(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the European Teaching Committee, May 24, 1954)

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December 1. On this date in 1935, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada stated "that although Abdu'l-Bahá's station is not that of a Manifestation of God, nevertheless supplications may be addressed to Him. It is essential, however, that every believer should realize that while doing so he is directing his thoughts towards the Master as an intermediary between him and the Manifestation."

December 1. On this date in 1935, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada stated "that although Abdu'l-Bahá's station is not that of a Manifestation of God, nevertheless supplications may be addressed to Him. It is essential, however, that every believer should realize that while doing so he is directing his thoughts towards the Master as an intermediary between him and the Manifestation."

1621. Praying to Abdu'l-Bahá
"...he wishes me to explain that although Abdu'l-Bahá's station is not that of a Manifestation of God, nevertheless supplications may be addressed to Him. It is essential, however, that every believer should realize that while doing so he is directing his thoughts towards the Master as an intermediary between him and the Manifestation, and not as the Source of Divine Revelation and spiritual guidance. Provided this distinction is clearly established there can be no harm or objection in addressing prayers to Abdu'l-Bahá."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, December 1, 1934: Bahá'í News, No. 89, February 1935, p. 4)