And as to the world's evil plight, we need but recall the writings and
sayings of Baha'u'llah, who, more than fifty years ago, declared in terms
prophetic the prime cause of the ills and sufferings of mankind, and set
forth their true and divine remedy. "Should the Lamp of Religion be
hidden," He declares, "Chaos and confusion will ensue." How admirably
fitting and applicable are these words to the present state of mankind!
Ours is then the duty and privilege to labor, by day and by night, amidst
the storm and stress of these troublous days, that we may quicken the zeal
of our fellow-men, rekindle their hopes, stimulate their interest, open
their eyes to the true Faith of God and enlist their active support in the
carrying out of our common task for the peace and regeneration of the
world.
Let us take heart and be thankful to our beloved 'Abdu'l-Baha, as we
remember His manifold blessings and unfailing care and protection, ever
since the hour of His departure from our midst. The flames of sedition, so
maliciously kindled in the past by those who have dared to flout His will,
are gone out for ever, and the fondest hopes of these evil plotters are
now abandoned, doomed never to revive. He has indeed redeemed His promise!
It seemed not a long time ago that their agitation, so violently renewed
immediately after the passing of our Beloved, would for a time confuse the
Divine Message of Baha'u'llah, obscure His Covenant, retard the progress
of His Cause, and shatter its unity; and yet how well we see them all
today, not through our efforts, but by their own folly, and above all, by
the intervention of the hidden hand of God, reduced to the vilest and most
humiliating position.
And now, with the Cause purified and inwardly victorious, its principles
vindicated, its enemies silenced and sunk in unspeakable misery, may we
not, henceforth, direct all our efforts to collective action and
constructive achievement, and, in utter disregard of the flickerings of
their fast-fading light, arise to carry out those urgent measures that
will secure the outward and complete triumph of the Cause.
I, for my part, as I look back to the unfortunate circumstances of
ill-health and physical exhaustion that have attended the opening years of
my career of service to the Cause, feel hardly gratified, and would be
truly despondent but for the sustaining memory and inspiring example of
the diligent and ceaseless efforts which my fellow-workers the world over
have displayed during these two trying years in the service of the Cause.
I cherish the hope that, from now on, the Beloved may bestow upon me all
the strength and vigor that will enable me to pursue over a long and
unbroken period of strenuous labor the supreme task of achieving, in
collaboration with the friends in every land, the speedy triumph of the
Cause of Baha'u'llah. This is the prayer I earnestly request all my
fellow-brethren and sisters in the Faith to offer on my behalf.
Let us pray to God that in these days of world-encircling gloom, when the
dark forces of nature, of hate, rebellion, anarchy and reaction are
threatening the very stability of human society, when the most precious
fruits of civilization are undergoing severe and unparalleled tests, we
may all realize, more profoundly than ever, that though but a mere handful
amidst the seething masses of the world, we are in this day the chosen
instruments of God's grace, that our mission is most urgent and vital to
the fate of humanity, and, fortified by these sentiments, arise to achieve
God's holy purpose for mankind.
Your brother in His Service,
SHOGHI.
Haifa, Palestine.
November 14, 1923.
Letter of November 26, 1923.
To the members of the American National Spiritual Assembly.
Friends and fellow-workers in the Vineyard of God!
After a long and unbroken silence, it gives me the greatest joy to be
enabled to correspond again with my dearly-beloved co-workers of the
National Spiritual Assembly.
Your three letters, dated June 8th, July 10th and October 12th, have been
safely received, and to each I have given my earnest and fullest
attention. Their perusal which reflects only a certain amount of your
activities together with the study of the enclosed communications and
circulars and of the detailed and admirable report of the proceedings of
the Annual Convention have all served to heighten my admiration for the
thoroughness, the ability, and the devotion with which you are conducting
the affairs of the Cause of God in that land.
How often I have wished and yearned to be nearer to the field of your
activities and thus be able to keep in a more constant and closer touch
with every detail of the manifold and all-important services you render. I
cherish the hope that erelong the facilities in the means of communication
and transport will serve to draw us still nearer to one another, and
fulfill, though partially, this long-desired wish.