With the passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha the first century of the Baha'i era,
whose inception had synchronized with His birth, had run more than three
quarters of its course. Seventy-seven years previously the light of the
Faith proclaimed by the Bab had risen above the horizon of _Sh_iraz and
flashed across the firmament of Persia, dispelling the age-long gloom
which had enveloped its people. A blood bath of unusual ferocity, in which
government, clergy and people, heedless of the significance of that light
and blind to its splendor, had jointly participated, had all but
extinguished the radiance of its glory in the land of its birth.
Baha'u'llah had at the darkest hour in the fortunes of that Faith been
summoned, while Himself a prisoner in Tihran, to reinvigorate its life,
and been commissioned to fulfil its ultimate purpose. In Ba_gh_dad, upon
the termination of the ten-year delay interposed between the first
intimation of that Mission and its Declaration, He had revealed the
Mystery enshrined in the Bab's embryonic Faith, and disclosed the fruit
which it had yielded. In Adrianople Baha'u'llah's Message, the promise of
the Babi as well as of all previous Dispensations, had been proclaimed to
mankind, and its challenge voiced to the rulers of the earth in both the
East and the West. Behind the walls of the prison-fortress of Akka the
Bearer of God's newborn Revelation had ordained the laws and formulated
the principles that were to constitute the warp and woof of His World
Order. He had, moreover, prior to His ascension, instituted the Covenant
that was to guide and assist in the laying of its foundations and to
safeguard the unity of its builders. Armed with that peerless and potent
Instrument, 'Abdu'l-Baha, His eldest Son and Center of His Covenant, had
erected the standard of His Father's Faith in the North American
continent, and established an impregnable basis for its institutions in
Western Europe, in the Far East and in Australia. He had, in His works,
Tablets and addresses, elucidated its principles, interpreted its laws,
amplified its doctrine, and erected the rudimentary institutions of its
future Administrative Order. In Russia He had raised its first House of
Worship, whilst on the slopes of Mt. Carmel He had reared a befitting
mausoleum for its Herald, and deposited His remains therein with His Own
hands. Through His visits to several cities in Europe and the North
American continent He had broadcast Baha'u'llah's Message to the peoples
of the West, and heightened the prestige of the Cause of God to a degree
it had never previously experienced. And lastly, in the evening of His
life, He had through the revelation of the Tablets of the Divine Plan
issued His mandate to the community which He Himself had raised up,
trained and nurtured, a Plan that must in the years to come enable its
members to diffuse the light, and erect the administrative fabric, of the
Faith throughout the five continents of the globe.
The moment had now arrived for that undying, that world-vitalizing Spirit
that was born in _Sh_iraz, that had been rekindled in Tihran, that had
been fanned into flame in Ba_gh_dad and Adrianople, that had been carried
to the West, and was now illuminating the fringes of five continents, to
incarnate itself in institutions designed to canalize its outspreading
energies and stimulate its growth. The Age that had witnessed the birth
and rise of the Faith had now closed. The Heroic, the Apostolic Age of the
Dispensation of Baha'u'llah, that primitive period in which its Founders
had lived, in which its life had been generated, in which its greatest
heroes had struggled and quaffed the cup of martyrdom, and its pristine
foundations been established--a period whose splendors no victories in this
or any future age, however brilliant, can rival--had now terminated with
the passing of One Whose mission may be regarded as the link binding the
Age in which the seed of the newborn Message had been incubating and those
which are destined to witness its efflorescence and ultimate fruition.
The Formative Period, the Iron Age, of that Dispensation was now
beginning, the Age in which the institutions, local, national and
international, of the Faith of Baha'u'llah were to take shape, develop and
become fully consolidated, in anticipation of the third, the last, the
Golden Age destined to witness the emergence of a world-embracing Order
enshrining the ultimate fruit of God's latest Revelation to mankind, a
fruit whose maturity must signalize the establishment of a world
civilization and the formal inauguration of the Kingdom of the Father upon
earth as promised by Jesus Christ Himself.
To this World Order the Bab Himself had, whilst a prisoner in the mountain
fastnesses of A_dh_irbayjan, explicitly referred in His Persian Bayan, the
Mother-Book of the Babi Dispensation, had announced its advent, and
associated it with the name of Baha'u'llah, Whose Mission He Himself had
heralded. "Well is it with Him," is His remarkable statement in the
sixteenth chapter of the third Vahid, "who fixeth his gaze upon the Order
of Baha'u'llah, and rendereth thanks unto his Lord! For He will assuredly
be made manifest..." To this same Order Baha'u'llah Who, in a later
period, revealed the laws and principles that must govern the operation of
that Order, had thus referred in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Mother-Book of His
Dispensation: "The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the
vibrating influence of this Most Great Order. Mankind's ordered life hath
been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous
System, the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed." Its features
'Abdu'l-Baha, its great Architect, delineated in His Will and Testament,
whilst the foundations of its rudimentary institutions are now being laid
after Him by His followers in the East and in the West in this, the
Formative Age of the Baha'i Dispensation.
The last twenty-three years of the first Baha'i century may thus be
regarded as the initial stage of the Formative Period of the Faith, an Age
of Transition to be identified with the rise and establishment of the
Administrative Order, upon which the institutions of the future Baha'i
World Commonwealth must needs be ultimately erected in the Golden Age that
must witness the consummation of the Baha'i Dispensation. The Charter
which called into being, outlined the features and set in motion the
processes of, this Administrative Order is none other than the Will and
Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, His greatest legacy to posterity, the brightest
emanation of His mind and the mightiest instrument forged to insure the
continuity of the three ages which constitute the component parts of His
Father's Dispensation.
The Covenant of Baha'u'llah had been instituted solely through the direct
operation of His Will and purpose. The Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha,
on the other hand, may be regarded as the offspring resulting from that
mystic intercourse between Him Who had generated the forces of a God-given
Faith and the One Who had been made its sole Interpreter and was
recognized as its perfect Exemplar. The creative energies unleashed by the
Originator of the Law of God in this age gave birth, through their impact
upon the mind of Him Who had been chosen as its unerring Expounder, to
that Instrument, the vast implications of which the present generation,
even after the lapse of twenty-three years, is still incapable of fully
apprehending. This Instrument can, if we would correctly appraise it, no
more be divorced from the One Who provided the motivating impulse for its
creation than from Him Who directly conceived it. The purpose of the
Author of the Baha'i Revelation had, as already observed, been so
thoroughly infused into the mind of 'Abdu'l-Baha, and His Spirit had so
profoundly impregnated His being, and their aims and motives been so
completely blended, that to dissociate the doctrine laid down by the
former from the supreme act associated with the mission of the latter
would be tantamount to a repudiation of one of the most fundamental
verities of the Faith.
The Administrative Order which this historic Document has established, it
should be noted, is, by virtue of its origin and character, unique in the
annals of the world's religious systems. No Prophet before Baha'u'llah, it
can be confidently asserted, not even Muhammad Whose Book clearly lays
down the laws and ordinances of the Islamic Dispensation, has established,
authoritatively and in writing, anything comparable to the Administrative
Order which the authorized Interpreter of Baha'u'llah's teachings has
instituted, an Order which, by virtue of the administrative principles
which its Author has formulated, the institutions He has established, and
the right of interpretation with which He has invested its Guardian, must
and will, in a manner unparalleled in any previous religion, safeguard
from schism the Faith from which it has sprung. Nor is the principle
governing its operation similar to that which underlies any system,
whether theocratic or otherwise, which the minds of men have devised for
the government of human institutions. Neither in theory nor in practice
can the Administrative Order of the Faith of Baha'u'llah be said to
conform to any type of democratic government, to any system of autocracy,
to any purely aristocratic order, or to any of the various theocracies,
whether Jewish, Christian or Islamic which mankind has witnessed in the
past. It incorporates within its structure certain elements which are to
be found in each of the three recognized forms of secular government, is
devoid of the defects which each of them inherently possesses, and blends
the salutary truths which each undoubtedly contains without vitiating in
any way the integrity of the Divine verities on which it is essentially
founded. The hereditary authority which the Guardian of the Administrative
Order is called upon to exercise, and the right of the interpretation of
the Holy Writ solely conferred upon him; the powers and prerogatives of
the Universal House of Justice, possessing the exclusive right to
legislate on matters not explicitly revealed in the Most Holy Book; the
ordinance exempting its members from any responsibility to those whom they
represent, and from the obligation to conform to their views, convictions
or sentiments; the specific provisions requiring the free and democratic
election by the mass of the faithful of the Body that constitutes the sole
legislative organ in the world-wide Baha'i community--these are among the
features which combine to set apart the Order identified with the
Revelation of Baha'u'llah from any of the existing systems of human
government.
Nor have the enemies who, at the hour of the inception of this
Administrative Order, and in the course of its twenty-three year
existence, both in the East and in the West, from within and from without,
misrepresented its character, or derided and vilified it, or striven to
arrest its march, or contrived to create a breach in the ranks of its
supporters, succeeded in achieving their malevolent purpose. The strenuous
exertions of an ambitious Armenian, who, in the course of the first years
of its establishment in Egypt, endeavored to supplant it by the
"Scientific Society" which in his short-sightedness he had conceived and
was sponsoring, failed utterly in its purpose. The agitation provoked by a
deluded woman who strove diligently both in the United States and in
England to demonstrate the unauthenticity of the Charter responsible for
its creation, and even to induce the civil authorities of Palestine to
take legal action in the matter--a request which to her great chagrin was
curtly refused--as well as the defection of one of the earliest pioneers
and founders of the Faith in Germany, whom that same woman had so
tragically misled, produced no effect whatsoever. The volumes which a
shameless apostate composed and disseminated, during that same period in
Persia, in his brazen efforts not only to disrupt that Order but to
undermine the very Faith which had conceived it, proved similarly
abortive. The schemes devised by the remnants of the Covenant-breakers,
who immediately the aims and purposes of 'Abdu'l-Baha's Will became known
arose, headed by Mirza Badi'u'llah, to wrest the custodianship of the
holiest shrine in the Baha'i world from its appointed Guardian, likewise
came to naught and brought further discredit upon them. The subsequent
attacks launched by certain exponents of Christian orthodoxy, in both
Christian and non-Christian lands, with the object of subverting the
foundations, and distorting the features, of this same Order were
powerless to sap the loyalty of its upholders or to deflect them from
their high purpose. Not even the infamous and insidious machinations of a
former secretary of 'Abdu'l-Baha, who, untaught by the retribution that
befell Baha'u'llah's amanuensis, as well as by the fate that overtook
several other secretaries and interpreters of His Master, in both the East
and the West, has arisen, and is still exerting himself, to pervert the
purpose and nullify the essential provisions of the immortal Document from
which that Order derives its authority, have been able to stay even
momentarily the march of its institutions along the course set for it by
its Author, or to create anything that might, however remotely, resemble a
breach in the ranks of its assured, its wide-awake and stalwart
supporters.
The Document establishing that Order, the Charter of a future world
civilization, which may be regarded in some of its features as
supplementary to no less weighty a Book than the Kitab-i-Aqdas; signed and
sealed by 'Abdu'l-Baha; entirely written with His own hand; its first
section composed during one of the darkest periods of His incarceration in
the prison-fortress of Akka, proclaims, categorically and unequivocally,
the fundamental beliefs of the followers of the Faith of Baha'u'llah;
reveals, in unmistakable language, the twofold character of the Mission of
the Bab; discloses the full station of the Author of the Baha'i
Revelation; asserts that "all others are servants unto Him and do His
bidding"; stresses the importance of the Kitab-i-Aqdas; establishes the
institution of the Guardianship as a hereditary office and outlines its
essential functions; provides the measures for the election of the
International House of Justice, defines its scope and sets forth its
relationship to that Institution; prescribes the obligations, and
emphasizes the responsibilities, of the Hands of the Cause of God; and
extolls the virtues of the indestructible Covenant established by
Baha'u'llah. That Document, furthermore, lauds the courage and constancy
of the supporters of Baha'u'llah's Covenant; expatiates on the sufferings
endured by its appointed Center; recalls the infamous conduct of Mirza
Yahya and his failure to heed the warnings of the Bab; exposes, in a
series of indictments, the perfidy and rebellion of Mirza Muhammad-'Ali,
and the complicity of his son _Sh_u'a'u'llah and of his brother Mirza
Badi'u'llah; reaffirms their excommunication, and predicts the frustration
of all their hopes; summons the Afnan (the Bab's kindred), the Hands of
the Cause and the entire company of the followers of Baha'u'llah to arise
unitedly to propagate His Faith, to disperse far and wide, to labor
tirelessly and to follow the heroic example of the Apostles of Jesus
Christ; warns them against the dangers of association with the
Covenant-breakers, and bids them shield the Cause from the assaults of the
insincere and the hypocrite; and counsels them to demonstrate by their
conduct the universality of the Faith they have espoused, and vindicate
its high principles. In that same Document its Author reveals the
significance and purpose of the Huququ'llah (Right of God), already
instituted in the Kitab-i-Aqdas; enjoins submission and fidelity towards
all monarchs who are just; expresses His longing for martyrdom, and voices
His prayers for the repentance as well as the forgiveness of His enemies.
Obedient to the summons issued by the Author of so momentous a Document;
conscious of their high calling; galvanized into action by the shock
sustained through the unexpected and sudden removal of 'Abdu'l-Baha;
guided by the Plan which He, the Architect of the Administrative Order,
had entrusted to their hands; undeterred by the attacks directed against
it by betrayers and enemies, jealous of its gathering strength and blind
to its unique significance, the members of the widely-scattered Baha'i
communities, in both the East and the West, arose with clear vision and
inflexible determination to inaugurate the Formative Period of their Faith
by laying the foundations of that world-embracing Administrative system
designed to evolve into a World Order which posterity must acclaim as the
promise and crowning glory of all the Dispensations of the past. Not
content with the erection and consolidation of the administrative
machinery provided for the preservation of the unity and the efficient
conduct of the affairs of a steadily expanding community, the followers of
the Faith of Baha'u'llah resolved, in the course of the two decades
following 'Abdu'l-Baha's passing, to assert and demonstrate by their acts
the independent character of that Faith, to enlarge still further its
limits and swell the number of its avowed supporters.
In this triple world-wide effort, it should be noted, the role played by
the American Baha'i community, since the passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha until the
termination of the first Baha'i century, has been such as to lend a
tremendous impetus to the development of the Faith throughout the world,
to vindicate the confidence placed in its members by 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself,
and to justify the high praise He bestowed upon them and the fond hopes He
entertained for their future. Indeed so preponderating has been the
influence of its members in both the initiation and the consolidation of
Baha'i administrative institutions that their country may well deserve to
be recognized as the cradle of the Administrative Order which Baha'u'llah
Himself had envisaged and which the Will of the Center of His Covenant had
called into being.
It should be borne in mind in this connection that the preliminary steps
aiming at the disclosure of the scope and working of this Administrative
Order, which was now to be formally established after 'Abdu'l-Baha's
passing, had already been taken by Him, and even by Baha'u'llah in the
years preceding His ascension. The appointment by Him of certain
outstanding believers in Persia as "Hands of the Cause"; the initiation of
local Assemblies and boards of consultation by 'Abdu'l-Baha in leading
Baha'i centers in both the East and the West; the formation of the Baha'i
Temple Unity in the United States of America; the establishment of local
funds for the promotion of Baha'i activities; the purchase of property
dedicated to the Faith and its future institutions; the founding of
publishing societies for the dissemination of Baha'i literature; the
erection of the first Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar of the Baha'i world; the
construction of the Bab's mausoleum on Mt. Carmel; the institution of
hostels for the accommodation of itinerant teachers and pilgrims--these may
be regarded as the precursors of the institutions which, immediately after
the closing of the Heroic Age of the Faith, were to be permanently and
systematically established throughout the Baha'i world.
No sooner had the provisions of that Divine Charter, delineating the
features of the Administrative Order of the Faith of Baha'u'llah been
disclosed to His followers than they set about erecting, upon the
foundations which the lives of the heroes, the saints and martyrs of that
Faith had laid, the first stage of the framework of its administrative
institutions. Conscious of the necessity of constructing, as a first step,
a broad and solid base upon which the pillars of that mighty structure
could subsequently be raised; fully aware that upon these pillars, when
firmly established, the dome, the final unit crowning the entire edifice,
must eventually rest; undeflected in their course by the crisis which the
Covenant-breakers had precipitated in the Holy Land, or the agitation
which the stirrers of mischief had provoked in Egypt, or the disturbances
resulting from the seizure by the _Sh_i'ah community of the House of
Baha'u'llah in Ba_gh_dad, or the growing dangers confronting the Faith in
Russia, or the scorn and ridicule which had greeted the initial activities
of the American Baha'i community from certain quarters that had completely
misapprehended their purpose, the pioneer builders of a divinely-conceived
Order undertook, in complete unison, and despite the great diversity in
their outlook, customs and languages, the double task of establishing and
of consolidating their local councils, elected by the rank and file of the
believers, and designed to direct, coordinate and extend the activities of
the followers of a far-flung Faith. In Persia, in the United States of
America, in the Dominion of Canada, in the British Isles, in France, in
Germany, in Austria, in India, in Burma, in Egypt, in 'Iraq, in Russian
Turkistan, in the Caucasus, in Australia, in New Zealand, in South Africa,
in Turkey, in Syria, in Palestine, in Bulgaria, in Mexico, in the
Philippine Islands, in Jamaica, in Costa Rica, in Guatemala, in Honduras,
in San Salvador, in Argentina, in Uruguay, in Chile, in Brazil, in
Ecuador, in Colombia, in Paraguay, in Peru, in Alaska, in Cuba, in Haiti,
in Japan, in the Hawaiian Islands, in Tunisia, in Puerto Rico, in
Balu_ch_istan, in Russia, in Transjordan, in Lebanon, and in Abyssinia
such councils, constituting the basis of the rising Order of a
long-persecuted Faith, were gradually established. Designated as
"Spiritual Assemblies"--an appellation that must in the course of time be
replaced by their permanent and more descriptive title of "Houses of
Justice," bestowed upon them by the Author of the Baha'i Revelation;
instituted, without any exception, in every city, town and village where
nine or more adult believers are resident; annually and directly elected,
on the first day of the greatest Baha'i Festival by all adult believers,
men and women alike; invested with an authority rendering them
unanswerable for their acts and decisions to those who elect them;
solemnly pledged to follow, under all conditions, the dictates of the
"Most Great Justice" that can alone usher in the reign of the "Most Great
Peace" which Baha'u'llah has proclaimed and must ultimately establish;
charged with the responsibility of promoting at all times the best
interests of the communities within their jurisdiction, of familiarizing
them with their plans and activities and of inviting them to offer any
recommendations they might wish to make; cognizant of their no less vital
task of demonstrating, through association with all liberal and
humanitarian movements, the universality and comprehensiveness of their
Faith; dissociated entirely from all sectarian organizations, whether
religious or secular; assisted by committees annually appointed by, and
directly responsible to, them, to each of which a particular branch of
Baha'i activity is assigned for study and action; supported by local funds
to which all believers voluntarily contribute; these Assemblies, the
representatives and custodians of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, numbering, at
the present time, several hundred, and whose membership is drawn from the
diversified races, creeds and classes constituting the world-wide Baha'i
community, have, in the course of the last two decades, abundantly
demonstrated, by virtue of their achievements, their right to be regarded
as the chief sinews of Baha'i society, as well as the ultimate foundation
of its administrative structure.
"The Lord hath ordained," is Baha'u'llah's injunction in His
Kitab-i-Aqdas, "that in every city a House of Justice be established,
wherein shall gather counsellors to the number of Baha (9), and should it
exceed this number, it doth not matter. It behoveth them to be the trusted
ones of the Merciful among men, and to regard themselves as the guardians
appointed of God for all that dwell on earth. It is incumbent upon them to
take counsel together, and to have regard for the interests of the
servants of God, for His sake, even as they regard their own interests,
and to choose that which is meet and seemly." "These Spiritual
Assemblies," is 'Abdu'l-Baha's testimony, in a Tablet addressed to an
American believer, "are aided by the Spirit of God. Their defender is
'Abdu'l-Baha. Over them He spreadeth His Wings. What bounty is there
greater than this?" "These Spiritual Assemblies," He, in that same Tablet
has declared, "are shining lamps and heavenly gardens, from which the
fragrances of holiness are diffused over all regions, and the lights of
knowledge are shed abroad over all created things. From them the spirit of
life streameth in every direction. They, indeed, are the potent sources of
the progress of man, at all times and under all conditions." Establishing
beyond any doubt their God-given authority, He has written: "It is
incumbent upon every one not to take any step without consulting the
Spiritual Assembly, and all must assuredly obey with heart and soul its
bidding, and be submissive unto it, that things may be properly ordered
and well arranged." "If after discussion," He, furthermore has written, "a
decision be carried unanimously, well and good; but if, the Lord forbid,
differences of opinion should arise, a majority of voices must prevail."
Having established the structure of their local Assemblies--the base of the
edifice which the Architect of the Administrative Order of the Faith of
Baha'u'llah had directed them to erect--His disciples, in both the East and
the West, unhesitatingly embarked on the next and more difficult stage, of
their high enterprise. In countries where the local Baha'i communities had
sufficiently advanced in number and in influence measures were taken for
the initiation of National Assemblies, the pivots round which all national
undertakings must revolve. Designated by 'Abdu'l-Baha in His Will as the
"Secondary Houses of Justice," they constitute the electoral bodies in the
formation of the International House of Justice, and are empowered to
direct, unify, coordinate and stimulate the activities of individuals as
well as local Assemblies within their jurisdiction. Resting on the broad
base of organized local communities, themselves pillars sustaining the
institution which must be regarded as the apex of the Baha'i
Administrative Order, these Assemblies are elected, according to the
principle of proportional representation, by delegates representative of
Baha'i local communities assembled at Convention during the period of the
Ridvan Festival; are possessed of the necessary authority to enable them
to insure the harmonious and efficient development of Baha'i activity
within their respective spheres; are freed from all direct responsibility
for their policies and decisions to their electorates; are charged with
the sacred duty of consulting the views, of inviting the recommendations
and of securing the confidence and cooperation of the delegates and of
acquainting them with their plans, problems and actions; and are supported
by the resources of national funds to which all ranks of the faithful are
urged to contribute. Instituted in the United States of America (1925)
(the National Assembly superseding in that country the institution of
Baha'i Temple Unity formed during 'Abdu'l-Baha's ministry), in the British
Isles (1923), in Germany (1923), in Egypt (1924), in 'Iraq (1931), in
India (1923), in Persia (1934) and in Australia (1934); their election
renewed annually by delegates whose number has been fixed, according to
national requirements, at 9, 19, 95, or 171 (9 times 19), these national
bodies have through their emergence signalized the birth of a new epoch in
the Formative Age of the Faith, and marked a further stage in the
evolution, the unification and consolidation of a continually expanding
community. Aided by national committees responsible to and chosen by them,
without discrimination, from among the entire body of the believers within
their jurisdiction, and to each of which a particular sphere of Baha'i
service is allocated, these Baha'i National Assemblies have, as the scope
of their activities steadily enlarged, proved themselves, through the
spirit of discipline which they have inculcated and through their
uncompromising adherence to principles which have enabled them to rise
above all prejudices of race, nation, class and color, capable of
administering, in a remarkable fashion, the multiplying activities of a
newly-consolidated Faith.
Nor have the national committees themselves been less energetic and
devoted in the discharge of their respective functions. In the defense of
the Faith's vital interests, in the exposition of its doctrine; in the
dissemination of its literature; in the consolidation of its finances; in
the organization of its teaching force; in the furtherance of the
solidarity of its component parts; in the purchase of its historic sites;
in the preservation of its sacred records, treasures and relics; in its
contacts with the various institutions of the society of which it forms a
part; in the education of its youth; in the training of its children; in
the improvement of the status of its women adherents in the East; the
members of these diversified agencies, operating under the aegis of the
elected national representatives of the Baha'i community, have amply
demonstrated their capacity to promote effectively its vital and manifold
interests. The mere enumeration of the national committees which,
originating mostly in the West and functioning with exemplary efficiency
in the United States and Canada, now carry on their activities with a
vigor and a unity of purpose which sharply contrast with the effete
institutions of a moribund civilization, would suffice to reveal the scope
of these auxiliary institutions which an evolving Administrative Order,
still in the secondary stage of its development, has set in motion: The
Teaching Committee, the Regional Teaching Committees; the Inter-America
Committee; the Publishing Committee; the Race Unity Committee; the Youth
Committee; the Reviewing Committee; The Temple Maintenance Committee; the
Temple Program Committee; the Temple Guides Committee; the Temple
Librarian and Sales Committee; the Boys' and Girls' Service Committees;
the Child Education Committee; the Women's Progress, Teaching, and Program
Committees; the Legal Committee; the Archives and History Committee; the
Census Committee; the Baha'i Exhibits Committee; the Baha'i News
Committee; the Baha'i News Service Committee; the Braille Transcriptions
Committee; the Contacts Committee; the Service Committee; the Editorial
Committee; the Index Committee; the Library Committee; the Radio
Committee; the Accountant Committee; the Annual Souvenir Committee; the
Baha'i World Editorial Committee; the Study Outline Committee; the
International Auxiliary Language Committee; the Institute of Baha'i
Education Committee; the World Order Magazine Committee; the Baha'i Public
Relations Committee; the Baha'i Schools Committee; the Summer Schools
Committee; the International School Committee; the Pamphlet Literature
Committee; the Baha'i Cemetery Committee; the Haziratu'l-Quds Committee;
the Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar Committee; the Assembly Development Committee;
the National History Committee; the Miscellaneous Materials Committee; the
Free Literature Committee; the Translation Committee; the Cataloguing
Tablets Committee; the Editing Tablets Committee; the Properties
Committee; the Adjustments Committee; the Publicity Committee; the East
and West Committee; the Welfare Committee; the Transcription of Tablets
Committee; the Traveling Teachers Committee; the Baha'i Education
Committee; the Holy Sites Committee; the Children's Savings Bank
Committee.
The establishment of local and national Assemblies and the subsequent
formation of local and national committees, acting as necessary adjuncts
to the elected representatives of Baha'i communities in both the East and
the West, however remarkable in themselves, were but a prelude to a series
of undertakings on the part of the newly formed National Assemblies, which
have contributed in no small measure to the unification of the Baha'i
world community and the consolidation of its Administrative Order. The
initial step taken in that direction was the drafting and adoption of a
Baha'i National constitution, first framed and promulgated by the elected
representatives of the American Baha'i Community in 1927, the text of
which has since, with slight variations suited to national requirements,
been translated into Arabic, German and Persian, and constitutes, at the
present time, the charter of the National Spiritual Assemblies of the
Baha'is of the United States and Canada, of the British Isles, of Germany,
of Persia, of 'Iraq, of India and Burma, of Egypt and the Sudan and of
Australia and New Zealand. Heralding the formulation of the constitution
of the future Baha'i World Community; submitted for the consideration of
all local Assemblies and ratified by the entire body of the recognized
believers in countries possessing national Assemblies, this national
constitution has been supplemented by a similar document, containing the
by-laws of Baha'i local assemblies, first drafted by the New York Baha'i
community in November, 1931, and accepted as a pattern for all local
Baha'i constitutions. The text of this national constitution comprises a
Declaration of Trust, whose articles set forth the character and objects
of the national Baha'i community, establish the functions, designate the
central office, and describe the official seal, of the body of its elected
representatives, as well as a set of by-laws which define the status, the
mode of election, the powers and duties of both local and national
Assemblies, describe the relation of the National Assembly to the
International House of Justice as well as to local Assemblies and
individual believers, outline the rights and obligations of the National
Convention and its relation to the National Assembly, disclose the
character of Baha'i elections, and lay down the requirements of voting
membership in all Baha'i communities.
The framing of these constitutions, both local and national, identical to
all intents and purposes in their provisions, provided the necessary
foundation for the legal incorporation of these administrative
institutions in accordance with civil statutes controlling religious or
commercial bodies. Giving these Assemblies a legal standing, this
incorporation greatly consolidated their power and enlarged their
capacity, and in this regard the achievement of the National Spiritual
Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States and Canada and the Spiritual
Assembly of the Baha'is of New York again set an example worthy of
emulation by their sister Assemblies in both the East and the West. The
incorporation of the American National Spiritual Assembly as a voluntary
Trust, a species of corporation recognized under the common law, enabling
it to enter into contract, hold property and receive bequests by virtue of
a certificate issued in May, 1929, under the seal of the Department of
State in Washington and bearing the signature of the Secretary of State,
Henry L. Stimson, was followed by the adoption of similar legal measures
resulting in the successive incorporation of the National Spiritual
Assembly of the Baha'is of India and Burma, in January, 1933, in Lahore,
in the state of Punjab, according to the provisions of the Societies
Registration Act of 1860; of the National Spiritual Assembly of the
Baha'is of Egypt and the Sudan, in December, 1934, as certified by the
Mixed Court in Cairo; of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
Australia and New Zealand, in January, 1938, as witnessed by the Deputy
Registrar at the General Registry Office for the state of South Australia;
and more recently of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the
British Isles, in August, 1939, as an unlimited non-profit company, under
the Companies Act, 1929, and certified by the Assistant Registrar of
Companies in the City of London.
Parallel with the legal incorporation of these National Assemblies a far
larger number of Baha'i local Assemblies were similarly incorporated,
following the example set by the Chicago Baha'i Assembly in February,
1932, in countries as far apart as the United States of America, India,
Mexico, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Burma, Costa Rica,
Balu_ch_istan and the Hawaiian Islands. The Spiritual Assemblies of the
Baha'is of Esslingen in Germany, of Mexico City in Mexico, of San Jose in
Costa Rica, of Sydney and Adelaide in Australia, of Auckland in New
Zealand, of Delhi, Bombay, Karachi, Poona, Calcutta, Secunderabad,
Bangalore, Vellore, Ahmedabad, Serampore, Andheri and Baroda in India, of
Tuetta in Balu_ch_istan, of Rangoon, Mandalay and Daidanow-Kalazoo in
Burma, of Montreal and Vancouver in Canada, of Honolulu in the Hawaiian
Islands, and of Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, San
Francisco, Philadelphia, Kenosha, Teaneck, Racine, Detroit, Cleveland, Los
Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Winnetka, Phoenix, Columbus,
Lima, Portland, Jersey City, Wilmette, Peoria, Seattle, Binghamton,
Helena, Richmond Highlands, Miami, Pasadena, Oakland, Indianapolis, St.
Paul, Berkeley, Urbana, Springfield and Flint in the United States of
America--all these succeeded, gradually and after submitting the text of
almost identical Baha'i local constitutions to the civil authorities in
their respective states or provinces, in constituting themselves into
societies and corporations recognized by law, and protected by the civil
statutes operating in their respective countries.
Just as the formulation of Baha'i constitutions had provided the
foundation for the incorporation of Baha'i Spiritual Assemblies, so did
the recognition accorded by local and national authorities to the elected
representatives of Baha'i communities pave the way for the establishment
of national and local Baha'i endowments--a historic undertaking which, as
had been the case with previous achievements of far-reaching importance,
the American Baha'i Community was the first to initiate. In most cases
these endowments, owing to their religious character, have been exempted
from both government and municipal taxes, as a result of representations
made by the incorporated Baha'i bodies to the civil authorities, though
the value of the properties thus exempted has, in more than one country,
amounted to a considerable sum.
In the United States of America the national endowments of the Faith,
already representing one and three-quarter million dollars of assets, and
established through a series of Indentures of Trust, created in 1928,
1929, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1941 and 1942 by the National Spiritual Assembly
in that country, acting as Trustees of the American Baha'i Community, now
include the land and structure of the Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar, and the
caretaker's cottage in Wilmette, Ill.; the adjoining Haziratu'l-Quds
(Baha'i National Headquarters) and its supplementary administrative
office; the Inn, the Fellowship House, the Baha'i Hall, the Arts and
Crafts Studio, a farm, a number of cottages, several parcels of land,
including the holding on Monsalvat, blessed by the footsteps of
'Abdu'l-Baha, in Green Acre, in the state of Maine; Bosch House, the
Baha'i Hall, a fruit orchard, the Redwood Grove, a dormitory and Ranch
Buildings in Geyserville, Calif.; Wilhelm House, Evergreen Cabin, a pine
grove and seven lots with buildings at West Englewood, N.J., the scene of
the memorable Unity Feast given by 'Abdu'l-Baha, in June, 1912, to the
Baha'is of the New York Metropolitan district; Wilson House, blessed by
His presence, and land in Malden, Mass.; Mathews House and Ranch Buildings
in Pine Valley, Colo.; land in Muskegon, Mich., and a cemetery lot in
Portsmouth, N.H.
Of even greater importance, and in their aggregate far surpassing in value
the national endowments of the American Baha'i community, though their
title-deeds are, owing to the inability of the Persian Baha'i community to
incorporate its national and local assemblies, held in trust by
individuals, are the assets which the Faith now possesses in the land of
its origin. To the House of the Bab in _Sh_iraz and the ancestral Home of
Baha'u'llah in Takur, Mazindaran, already in the possession of the
community in the days of 'Abdu'l-Baha's ministry, have, since His
ascension, been added extensive properties, in the outskirts of the
capital, situated on the slopes of Mt. Alburz, overlooking the native city
of Baha'u'llah, including a farm, a garden and vineyard, comprising an
area of over three million and a half square meters, preserved as the
future site of the first Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar in Persia. Other
acquisitions that have greatly extended the range of Baha'i endowments in
that country include the House in which Baha'u'llah was born in Tihran;
several buildings adjoining the House of the Bab in _Sh_iraz, including
the house owned by His maternal uncle; the Haziratu'l-Quds in Tihran; the
shop occupied by the Bab during the years He was a merchant in Bu_sh_ihr;
a quarter of the village of _Ch_ihriq, where He was confined; the house of
Haji Mirza Jani, where He tarried on His way to Tabriz; the public bath
used by Him in _Sh_iraz and some adjacent houses; half of the house owned
by Vahid in Nayriz and part of the house owned by Hujjat in Zanjan; the
three gardens rented by Baha'u'llah in the hamlet of Bada_sh_t; the
burial-place of Quddus in Barfuru_sh_; the house of Kalantar in Tihran,
the scene of Tahirih's confinement; the public bath visited by the Bab
when in Urumiyyih, A_dh_irbayjan; the house owned by Mirza
Husayn-'Aliy-i-Nur, where the Bab's remains had been concealed; the
Babiyyih and the house owned by Mulla Husayn in Ma_sh_had; the residence
of the Sultanu'_sh_-_Sh_uhuda (King of Martyrs) and of the
Mahbubu'_sh_-_Sh_uhada (Beloved of Martyrs) in Isfahan, as well as a
considerable number of sites and houses, including burial-places,
associated with the heroes and martyrs of the Faith. These holdings which,
with very few exceptions, have been recently acquired in Persia, are now
being preserved and yearly augmented, and, whenever necessary, carefully
restored, through the assiduous efforts of a specially appointed national
committee, acting under the constant and general supervision of the
elected representatives of the Persian believers.
Nor should mention be omitted of the varied and multiplying national
assets which, ever since the inception of the Administrative Order of the
Faith of Baha'u'llah, have been steadily acquired in other countries such
as India, Burma, the British Isles, Germany, 'Iraq, Egypt, Australia,
Transjordan and Syria. Among these may be specially mentioned the
Haziratu'l-Quds of the Baha'is of 'Iraq, the Haziratu'l-Quds of the
Baha'is of Egypt, the Haziratu'l-Quds of the Baha'is of India, the
Haziratu'l-Quds of the Baha'is of Australia, the Baha'i Home in Esslingen,
the Publishing Trust of the Baha'is of the British Isles, the Baha'i
Pilgrim House in Ba_gh_dad, and the Baha'i Cemeteries established in the
capitals of Persia, Egypt and Turkistan. Whether in the form of land,
schools, administrative headquarters, secretariats, libraries, cemeteries,
hostels or publishing companies, these widely scattered assets, partly
registered in the name of incorporated National Assemblies, and partly
held in trust by individual recognized believers, have contributed their
share to the uninterrupted expansion of national Baha'i endowments in
recent years as well as to the consolidation of their foundations. Of
vital importance, though less notable in significance, have been,
moreover, the local endowments which have supplemented the national assets
of the Faith and which, in consequence of the incorporation of Baha'i
local Assemblies, have been legally established and safeguarded in various
countries in both the East and the West. Particularly in Persia these
holdings, whether in the form of land, administrative buildings, schools
or other institutions, have greatly enriched and widened the scope of the
local endowments of the world-wide Baha'i community.
Simultaneous with the establishment and incorporation of local and
national Baha'i Assemblies, with the formation of their respective
committees, the formulation of national and local Baha'i constitutions and
the founding of Baha'i endowments, undertakings of great institutional
significance were initiated by these newly founded Assemblies, among which
the institution of the Haziratu'l-Quds--the seat of the Baha'i National
Assembly and pivot of all Baha'i administrative activity in future--must
rank as one of the most important. Originating first in Persia, now
universally known by its official and distinctive title signifying "the
Sacred Fold," marking a notable advance in the evolution of a process
whose beginnings may be traced to the clandestine gatherings held at times
underground and in the dead of night, by the persecuted followers of the
Faith in that country, this institution, still in the early stages of its
development, has already lent its share to the consolidation of the
internal functions of the organic Baha'i community, and provided a further
visible evidence of its steady growth and rising power. Complementary in
its functions to those of the Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar--an edifice exclusively
reserved for Baha'i worship--this institution, whether local or national,
will, as its component parts, such as the Secretariat, the Treasury, the
Archives, the Library, the Publishing Office, the Assembly Hall, the
Council Chamber, the Pilgrims' Hostel, are brought together and made
jointly to operate in one spot, be increasingly regarded as the focus of
all Baha'i administrative activity, and symbolize, in a befitting manner,
the ideal of service animating the Baha'i community in its relation alike
to the Faith and to mankind in general.
From the Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar, ordained as a house of worship by
Baha'u'llah in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the representatives of Baha'i
communities, both local and national, together with the members of their
respective committees, will, as they gather daily within its walls at the
hour of dawn, derive the necessary inspiration that will enable them to
discharge, in the course of their day-to-day exertions in the
Haziratu'l-Quds--the scene of their administrative activities--their duties
and responsibilities as befits the chosen stewards of His Faith.
Already on the shores of Lake Michigan, in the outskirts of the first
Baha'i center established in the American continent and under the shadow
of the first Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar of the West; in the capital city of
Persia, the cradle of the Faith; in the vicinity of the Most Great House
in Ba_gh_dad; in the city of I_sh_qabad, adjoining the first
Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar of the Baha'i world; in the capital of Egypt, the
foremost center of both the Arab and Islamic worlds; in Delhi, the capital
city of India and even in Sydney in far-off Australia, initial steps have
been taken which must eventually culminate in the establishment, in all
their splendor and power, of the national administrative seats of the
Baha'i communities established in these countries.
Locally, moreover, in the above-mentioned countries, as well as in several
others, the preliminary measures for the establishment of this
institution, in the form of a house, either owned or rented by the local
Baha'i community, have been taken, foremost among them being the numerous
administrative buildings which, in various provinces of Persia, the
believers have, despite the disabilities from which they suffer, succeeded
in either purchasing or constructing.
Equally important as a factor in the evolution of the Administrative Order
has been the remarkable progress achieved, particularly in the United
States of America, by the institution of the summer schools designed to
foster the spirit of fellowship in a distinctly Baha'i atmosphere, to
afford the necessary training for Baha'i teachers, and to provide
facilities for the study of the history and teachings of the Faith, and
for a better understanding of its relation to other religions and to human
society in general.
Established in three regional centers, for the three major divisions of
the North American continent, in Geyserville, in the Californian hills
(1927), at Green Acre, situated on the banks of the Piscataqua in the
state of Maine (1929), and at Louhelen Ranch near Davison, Michigan
(1931), and recently supplemented by the International School founded at
Pine Valley, Colorado Springs, dedicated to the training of Baha'i
teachers wishing to serve in other lands and especially in Latin America,
these three embryonic Baha'i educational institutions have, through a
steady expansion of their programs, set an example worthy of emulation by
other Baha'i communities in both the East and the West. Through the
intensive study of Baha'i Scriptures and of the early history of the
Faith; through the organization of courses on the teachings and history of
Islam; through conferences for the promotion of inter-racial amity;
through laboratory courses designed to familiarize the participants with
the processes of the Baha'i Administrative Order; through special sessions
devoted to Youth and child training; through classes in public speaking;
through lectures on Comparative Religion; through group discussion on the
manifold aspects of the Faith; through the establishment of libraries;
through teaching classes; through courses on Baha'i ethics and on Latin
America; through the introduction of winter school sessions; through
forums and devotional gatherings; through plays and pageants; through
picnics and other recreational activities, these schools, open to Baha'is
and non-Baha'is alike, have set so noble an example as to inspire other
Baha'i communities in Persia, in the British Isles, in Germany, in
Australia, in New Zealand, in India, in 'Iraq and in Egypt to undertake
the initial measures designed to enable them to build along the same lines
institutions that bid fair to evolve into the Baha'i universities of the
future.
Among other factors contributing to the expansion and establishment of the
Administrative Order may be mentioned the organized activities of the
Baha'i Youth, already much advanced in Persia and in the United States of
America, and launched more recently in India, in the British Isles, in
Germany, in 'Iraq, in Egypt, in Australia, in Bulgaria, in the Hawaiian
Islands, in Hungary and in Havana. These activities comprise annual
world-wide Baha'i Youth Symposiums, Youth sessions at Baha'i summer
schools, youth bulletins and magazines, an international correspondence
Bureau, facilities for the registration of young people desiring to join
the Faith, the publication of outlines and references for the study of the
teachings and the organization of a Baha'i study group as an official
university activity in a leading American university. They include,
moreover, "study days" held in Baha'i homes and centers, classes for the
study of Esperanto and other languages, the organization of Baha'i
libraries, the opening of reading rooms, the production of Baha'i plays
and pageants, the holding of oratorical contests, the education of
orphans, the organization of classes in public speaking, the holding of
gatherings to perpetuate the memory of historical Baha'i personalities,
inter-group regional conferences and youth sessions held in connection
with Baha'i annual conventions.
Still other factors promoting the development of that Order and
contributing to its consolidation have been the systematic institution of
the Nineteen Day Feast, functioning in most Baha'i communities in East and
West, with its threefold emphasis on the devotional, the administrative
and the social aspects of Baha'i community life; the initiation of
activities designed to prepare a census of Baha'i children, and provide
for them laboratory courses, prayer books and elementary literature, and
the formulation and publication of a body of authoritative statements on
the non-political character of the Faith, on membership in non-Baha'i
religious organizations, on methods of teaching, on the Baha'i attitude
towards war, on the institutions of the Annual Convention, of the Baha'i
Spiritual Assembly, of the Nineteen Day Feast and of the National Fund.
Reference should, moreover, be made to the establishment of National
Archives for the authentication, the collection, the translation, the
cataloguing and the preservation of the Tablets of Baha'u'llah and of
'Abdu'l-Baha and for the preservation of sacred relics and historical
documents; to the verification and transcription of the original Tablets
of the Bab, of Baha'u'llah and of 'Abdu'l-Baha in the possession of
Oriental believers; to the compilation of a detailed history of the Faith
since its inception until the present day; to the opening of a Baha'i
International Bureau in Geneva; to the holding of Baha'i district
conventions; to the purchase of historic sites; to the establishment of
Baha'i memorial libraries, and to the initiation of a flourishing
children's Savings Bank in Persia.
Nor should mention be omitted of the participation, whether official or
non-official, of representatives of these newly founded national Baha'i
communities in the activities and proceedings of a great variety of
congresses, associations, conventions and conferences, held in various
countries of Europe, Asia and America for the promotion of religious
unity, peace, education, international cooperation, inter-racial amity and
other humanitarian purposes. With organizations such as the Conference of
some Living Religions within the British Empire, held in London in 1924
and the World Fellowship of Faiths held in that same city in 1936; with
the Universal Esperanto Congresses held annually in various capitals of
Europe; with the Institute of Intellectual Cooperation; with the Century
of Progress Exhibition held in Chicago in 1933; with the World's Fair held
in New York in 1938 and 1939; with the Golden Gate International
Exposition held in San Francisco in 1939; with the First Convention of the
Religious Congress held in Calcutta; with the Second All-India Cultural
Conference convened in that same city; with the All-Faiths' League
Convention in Indore; with the Arya Samaj and the Brahmo Samaj Conferences
as well as those of the Theosophical Society and the All-Asian Women's
Conference, held in various cities of India; with the World Council of
Youth; with the Eastern Women's Congress in Tihran; with the Pan-Pacific
Women's Conference in Honolulu; with the Women's International League for
Peace and with the Peoples Conference at Buenos Aires in Argentina--with
these and others, relationships have, in one form or another, been
cultivated which have served the twofold purpose of demonstrating the
universality and comprehensiveness of the Faith of Baha'u'llah and of
forging vital and enduring links between them and the far-flung agencies
of its Administrative Order.
Nor should we ignore or underestimate the contacts established between
these same agencies and some of the highest governmental authorities, in
both the East and the West, as well as with the heads of Islam in Persia,
and with the League of Nations, and with even royalty itself for the
purpose of defending the rights, or of presenting the literature, or of
setting forth the aims and purposes of the followers of the Faith in their
unremitting efforts to champion the cause of an infant Administrative
Order. The communications addressed by the members of the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States and Canada--the
champion builders of that Order--to the Palestine High Commissioner for the
restitution of the keys of the Tomb of Baha'u'llah to its custodian; to
the _Sh_ah of Persia, on four occasions, pleading for justice on behalf of
their persecuted brethren within his domains; to the Persian Prime
Minister on that same subject; to Queen Marie of Rumania, expressing
gratitude for her historic tributes to the Baha'i Faith; to the Heads of
Islam in Persia, appealing for harmony and peace among religions; to King
Feisal of 'Iraq for the purpose of insuring the security of the Most Great
House in Ba_gh_dad; to the Soviet Authorities on behalf of the Baha'i
communities in Russia; to the German authorities regarding the
disabilities suffered by their German brethren; to the Egyptian Government
concerning the emancipation of their co-religionists from the yoke of
Islamic orthodoxy; to the Persian Cabinet in connection with the closing
of Persian Baha'i educational institutions; to the State Department of the
United States Government and the Turkish Ambassador in Washington and the
Turkish Cabinet in Ankara, in defense of the interests of the Faith in
Turkey; to that same State Department in order to facilitate the transfer
of the remains of Lua Getsinger from the Protestant Cemetery in Cairo to
the first Baha'i burial-ground established in Egypt; to the Persian
Minister in Washington regarding the mission of Keith Ransom-Kehler; to
the King of Egypt with accompanying Baha'i literature; to the Government
of the United States and the Canadian Government, setting forth the Baha'i
teachings on Universal Peace; to the Rumanian Minister in Washington on
behalf of the American Baha'is, on the occasion of the death of Queen
Marie of Rumania; and to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, acquainting him
with Baha'u'llah's summons issued in His Kitab-i-Aqdas to the Presidents
of the American Republics and with certain prayers revealed by
'Abdu'l-Baha--such communications constitute in themselves a notable and
illuminating chapter in the history of the unfoldment of the Baha'i
Administrative Order.
To these must be added the communications addressed from the world center
of the Faith as well as by Baha'i national and local assemblies, whether
telegraphically or in writing, to the Palestine High Commissioner,
pleading for the delivery of the keys of the Tomb of Baha'u'llah to its
original keeper; the appeals made by Baha'i centers in East and West to
the Iraqi authorities for the restoration of the House of Baha'u'llah in
Ba_gh_dad; the subsequent appeal made to the British Secretary of State
for the Colonies, following the verdict of the Ba_gh_dad Court of Appeals
in that connection; the messages despatched to the League of Nations on
behalf of Baha'i communities in the East and in the West, in appreciation
of the official pronouncement of the Council of the League in favor of the
claims presented by the Baha'i petitioners, as well as several letters
exchanged between the International Center of the Faith, on the one hand,
and that archetype of Baha'i teachers, Martha Root, on the other, with
Queen Marie of Rumania, following the publication of her historic
appreciations of the Faith, and the messages of sympathy addressed to
Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, on behalf of the world-wide Baha'i Community,
on the occasion of the passing of her mother, and to the Duchess of Kent
following the tragic death of her husband.
Nor should we fail to make special mention of the petition forwarded by
the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of 'Iraq to the Mandates
Commission of the League of Nations, as a result of the seizure of
Baha'u'llah's house in Ba_gh_dad, or of the written messages sent to King
_Gh_azi I of 'Iraq by that same Assembly, after the death of his father
and on the occasion of his marriage, or of its condolences conveyed in
writing to the present Regent of 'Iraq at the time of the sudden death of
that King, or of the communications of the National Spiritual Assembly of
the Baha'is of Egypt submitted to the Egyptian Prime Minister, the
Minister of the Interior, and the Minister of Justice, following the
verdict of the Muslim ecclesiastical court in Egypt, or of the letters
addressed by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Persia to
the _Sh_ah and to the Persian Cabinet in connection with the closing of
Baha'i schools and the ban imposed on Baha'i literature in that country.
Mention should, moreover, be made of the written messages despatched by
the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Persia to the King of
Rumania and the Royal Family on the occasion of the death of his mother,
Queen Marie, as well as to the Turkish Ambassador in Tihran enclosing the
contribution of the Persian believers for the sufferers of the earthquake
in Turkey; of Martha Root's letters to the late President Von Hindenburg
and to Dr. Streseman, the German Foreign Minister, accompanying the
presentation to them of Baha'i literature; of Keith Ransom-Kehler's seven
successive petitions addressed to the _Sh_ah of Persia, and of her
numerous communications to various ministers and high dignitaries of the
realm, during her memorable visit to that land.
Collateral with these first stirrings of the Baha'i Administrative Order,
and synchronizing with the emergence of National Baha'i communities and
with the institution of their administrative, educational, and teaching
agencies, the mighty process set in motion in the Holy Land, the heart and
nerve-center of that Administrative Order, on the memorable occasions when
Baha'u'llah revealed the Tablet of Carmel and visited the future site of
the Bab's sepulcher, was irresistibly unfolding. That process had received
a tremendous impetus through the purchase of that site, shortly after
Baha'u'llah's ascension, through the subsequent transfer of the Bab's
remains from Tihran to Akka, through the construction of that sepulcher
during the most distressful years of 'Abdu'l-Baha's incarceration, and
lastly through the permanent interment of those remains in the heart of
Mt. Carmel, through the establishment of a pilgrim house in the immediate
vicinity of that sepulcher, and the selection of the future site of the
first Baha'i educational institution on that mountain.
Profiting from the freedom accorded the world center of the Faith of
Baha'u'llah, ever since the ignominious defeat of the decrepit Ottoman
empire during the war of 1914-18, the forces released through the
inception of the stupendous Plan conceived by Him could now flow
unchecked, under the beneficent influence of a sympathetic regime, into
channels designed to disclose to the world at large the potencies with
which that Plan had been endowed. The interment of 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself
within a vault of the Bab's mausoleum, enhancing still further the
sacredness of that mountain; the installment of an electric plant, the
first of its kind established in the city of Haifa, flooding with
illumination the Grave of One Who, in His own words, had been denied even
"a lighted lamp" in His fortress-prison in A_dh_irbayjan; the construction
of three additional chambers adjoining His sepulcher, thereby completing
'Abdu'l-Baha's plan for the first unit of that Edifice; the vast
extension, despite the machinations of the Covenant-breakers, of the
properties surrounding that resting-place, sweeping from the ridge of
Carmel down to the Templar colony nestling at its foot, and representing
assets estimated at no less than four hundred thousand pounds, together
with the acquisition of four tracts of land, dedicated to the Baha'i
Shrines, and situated in the plain of Akka to the north, in the district
of Beersheba to the south, and in the valley of the Jordan to the east,
amounting to approximately six hundred acres; the opening of a series of
terraces which, as designed by 'Abdu'l-Baha, are to provide a direct
approach to the Bab's Tomb from the city lying under its shadow; the
beautification of its precincts through the laying out of parks and
gardens, open daily to the public, and attracting tourists and residents
alike to its gates--these may be regarded as the initial evidences of the
marvelous expansion of the international institutions and endowments of
the Faith at its world center. Of particular significance, moreover, has
been the exemption granted by the Palestine High Commissioner to the
entire area of land surrounding and dedicated to the Shrine of the Bab, to
the school property and the archives in its vicinity, to the Western
pilgrim-house situated in its neighborhood, and to such historic sites as
the Mansion in Bahji, the House of Baha'u'llah in Akka, and the garden of
Ridvan to the east of that city; the establishment, as a result of two
formal applications submitted to the civil authorities, of the Palestine
Branches of the American and Indian National Spiritual Assemblies, as
recognized religious societies in Palestine (to be followed, for purposes
of internal consolidation, by a similar incorporation of the branches of
other National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the Baha'i world); and the
transfer to the Branch of the American National Spiritual Assembly,
through a series of no less than thirty transactions, of properties
dedicated to the Tomb of the Bab, and approximating in their aggregate
fifty thousand square meters, the majority of the title-deeds of which
bear the signature of the son of the Arch-breaker of Baha'u'llah's
Covenant in his capacity as Registrar of lands in Haifa.
Equally significant has been the founding on Mt. Carmel of two
international Archives, the one adjoining the shrine of the Bab, the other
in the immediate vicinity of the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf,
where, for the first time in Baha'i history, priceless treasures, hitherto
scattered and often hidden for safekeeping, have been collected and are
now displayed to visiting pilgrims. These treasures include portraits of
both the Bab and Baha'u'llah; personal relics such as the hair, the dust
and garments of the Bab; the locks and blood of Baha'u'llah and such
articles as His pen-case, His garments, His brocaded tajes (head dresses),
the ka_sh_kul of His Sulaymaniyyih days, His watch and His Qur'an;
manuscripts and Tablets of inestimable value, some of them illuminated,
such as part of the Hidden Words written in Baha'u'llah's own hand, the
Persian Bayan, in the handwriting of Siyyid Husayn, the Bab's amanuensis,
the original Tablets to the Letters of the Living penned by the Bab, and
the manuscript of "Some Answered Questions." This precious collection,
moreover, includes objects and effects associated with 'Abdu'l-Baha; the
blood-stained garment of the Purest Branch, the ring of Quddus, the sword
of Mulla Husayn, the seals of the Vazir, the father of Baha'u'llah, the
brooch presented by the Queen of Rumania to Martha Root, the originals of
the Queen's letters to her and to others, and of her tributes to the
Faith, as well as no less than twenty volumes of prayers and Tablets
revealed by the Founders of the Faith, authenticated and transcribed by
Baha'i Assemblies throughout the Orient, and supplementing the vast
collection of their published writings.
Moreover, as a further testimony to the majestic unfoldment and
progressive consolidation of the stupendous undertaking launched by
Baha'u'llah on that holy mountain, may be mentioned the selection of a
portion of the school property situated in the precincts of the Shrine of
the Bab as a permanent resting-place for the Greatest Holy Leaf, the
"well-beloved" sister of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the "Leaf that hath sprung" from
the "Pre-existent Root," the "fragrance" of Baha'u'llah's "shining robe,"
elevated by Him to a "station such as none other woman hath surpassed,"
and comparable in rank to those immortal heroines such as Sarah, Asiyih,
the Virgin Mary, Fatimih and Tahirih, each of whom has outshone every
member of her sex in previous Dispensations. And lastly, there should be
mentioned, as a further evidence of the blessings flowing from the Divine
Plan, the transfer, a few years later, to that same hallowed spot, after a
separation in death of above half a century, and notwithstanding the
protests voiced by the brother and lieutenant of the arch-breaker of
Baha'u'llah's Covenant, of the remains of the Purest Branch, the martyred
son of Baha'u'llah, "created of the light of Baha," the "Trust of God" and
His "Treasure" in the Holy Land, and offered up by his Father as a
"ransom" for the regeneration of the world and the unification of its
peoples. To this same burial-ground, and on the same day the remains of
the Purest Branch were interred, was transferred the body of his mother,
the saintly Navvab, she to whose dire afflictions, as attested by
'Abdu'l-Baha in a Tablet, the 54th chapter of the Book of Isaiah has, in
its entirety, borne witness, whose "Husband," in the words of that
Prophet, is "the Lord of Hosts," whose "seed shall inherit the Gentiles,"
and whom Baha'u'llah in His Tablet, has destined to be "His consort in
every one of His worlds."
The conjunction of these three resting-places, under the shadow of the
Bab's own Tomb, embosomed in the heart of Carmel, facing the snow-white
city across the bay of Akka, the Qiblih of the Baha'i world, set in a
garden of exquisite beauty, reinforces, if we would correctly estimate its
significance, the spiritual potencies of a spot, designated by Baha'u'llah
Himself the seat of God's throne. It marks, too, a further milestone in
the road leading eventually to the establishment of that permanent world
Administrative Center of the future Baha'i Commonwealth, destined never to
be separated from, and to function in the proximity of, the Spiritual
Center of that Faith, in a land already revered and held sacred alike by
the adherents of three of the world's outstanding religious systems.
Scarcely less significant has been the erection of the superstructure and
the completion of the exterior ornamentation of the first
Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar of the West, the noblest of the exploits which have
immortalized the services of the American Baha'i community to the Cause of
Baha'u'llah. Consummated through the agency of an efficiently functioning
and newly established Administrative Order, this enterprise has itself
immensely enhanced the prestige, consolidated the strength and expanded
the subsidiary institutions of the community that made its building
possible.
Conceived forty-one years ago; originating with the petition spontaneously
addressed, in March 1903 to 'Abdu'l-Baha by the "House of Spirituality" of
the Baha'is of Chicago--the first Baha'i center established in the Western
world--the members of which, inspired by the example set by the builders of
the Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar of I_sh_qabad, had appealed for permission to
construct a similar Temple in America; blessed by His approval and high
commendation in a Tablet revealed by Him in June of that same year;
launched by the delegates of various American Assemblies, assembled in
Chicago in November, 1907, for the purpose of choosing the site of the
Temple; established on a national basis through a religious corporation
known as the "Baha'i Temple Unity," which was incorporated shortly after
the first American Baha'i Convention held in that same city in March,
1909; honored through the dedication ceremony presided over by
'Abdu'l-Baha Himself when visiting that site in May, 1912, this
enterprise--the crowning achievement of the Administrative Order of the
Faith of Baha'u'llah in the first Baha'i century--had, ever since that
memorable occasion, been progressing intermittently until the time when
the foundations of that Order having been firmly laid in the North
American continent the American Baha'i community was in a position to
utilize the instruments which it had forged for the efficient prosecution
of its task.
At the 1914 American Baha'i Convention the purchase of the Temple property
was completed. The 1920 Convention, held in New York, having been
previously directed by 'Abdu'l-Baha to select the design of that Temple,
chose from among a number of designs competitively submitted to it that of
Louis J. Bourgeois, a French-Canadian architect, a selection that was
later confirmed by 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself. The contracts for the sinking of
the nine great caissons supporting the central portion of the building,
extending to rock at a depth of 120 feet below the ground level, and for
the construction of the basement structure, were successively awarded in
December, 1920 and August, 1921. In August, 1930, in spite of the
prevailing economic crisis, and during a period of unemployment
unparalleled in American history, another contract, with twenty-four
additional sub-contracts, for the erection of the superstructure was
placed, and the work completed by May 1, 1931, on which day the first
devotional service in the new structure was celebrated, coinciding with
the 19th anniversary of the dedication of the grounds by 'Abdu'l-Baha. The
ornamentation of the dome was started in June, 1932 and finished in
January, 1934. The ornamentation of the clerestory was completed in July,
1935, and that of the gallery unit below it in November, 1938. The
mainstory ornamentation was, despite the outbreak of the present war,
undertaken in April, 1940, and completed in July, 1942; whilst the
eighteen circular steps were placed in position by December, 1942,
seventeen months in advance of the centenary celebration of the Faith, by
which time the exterior of the Temple was scheduled to be finished, and
forty years after the petition of the Chicago believers had been submitted
to and granted by 'Abdu'l-Baha.
This unique edifice, the first fruit of a slowly maturing Administrative
Order, the noblest structure reared in the first Baha'i century, and the
symbol and precursor of a future world civilization, is situated in the
heart of the North American continent, on the western shore of Lake
Michigan, and is surrounded by its own grounds comprising a little less
than seven acres. It has been financed, at cost of over a million dollars,
by the American Baha'i community, assisted at times by voluntary
contributions of recognized believers in East and West, of Christian, of
Muslim, of Jewish, of Zoroastrian, of Hindu and Buddhist extraction. It
has been associated, in its initial phase, with 'Abdu'l-Baha, and in the
concluding stages of its construction with the memory of the Greatest Holy
Leaf, the Purest Branch, and their mother. The structure itself is a pure
white nonagonal building, of original and unique design, rising from a
flight of white stairs encircling its base; and surmounted by a majestic
and beautifully proportioned dome, bearing nine tapering symmetrically
placed ribs of decorative as well as structural significance, which soar
to its apex and finally merge into a common unit pointing skyward. Its
framework is constructed of structural steel enclosed in concrete, the
material of its ornamentation consisting of a combination of crystalline
quartz, opaque quartz and white Portland cement, producing a composition
clear in texture, hard and enduring as stone, impervious to the elements,
and cast into a design as delicate as lace. It soars 191 feet from the
floor of its basement to the culmination of the ribs, clasping the
hemispherical dome which is forty-nine feet high, with an external
diameter of ninety feet, and one-third of the surface of which is
perforated to admit light during the day and emit light at night. It is
buttressed by pylons forty-five feet in height, and bears above its nine
entrances, one of which faces Akka, nine selected quotations from the
writings of Baha'u'llah, as well as the Greatest Name in the center of
each of the arches over its doors. It is consecrated exclusively to
worship, devoid of all ceremony and ritual, is provided with an auditorium
which can seat 1600 people, and is to be supplemented by accessory
institutions of social service to be established in its vicinity, such as
an orphanage, a hospital, a dispensary for the poor, a home for the
incapacitated, a hostel for travelers and a college for the study of arts
and sciences. It had already, long before its construction, evoked, and is
now increasingly evoking, though its interior ornamentation is as yet
unbegun, such interest and comment, in the public press, in technical
journals and in magazines, of both the United States and other countries,
as to justify the hopes and expectations entertained for it by
'Abdu'l-Baha. Its model exhibited at Art centers, galleries, state fairs
and national expositions--among which may be mentioned the Century of
Progress Exhibition, held in Chicago in 1933, where no less than ten
thousand people, passing through the Hall of Religions, must have viewed
it every day--its replica forming a part of the permanent exhibit of the
Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago; its doors now thronged by
visitors from far and near, whose number, during the period from June,
1932 to October, 1941 has exceeded 130,000 people, representing almost
every country in the world, this great "Silent Teacher" of the Faith of
Baha'u'llah, it may be confidently asserted, has contributed to the
diffusion of the knowledge of His Faith and teachings in a measure which
no other single agency, operating within the framework of its
Administrative Order, has ever remotely approached.
"When the foundation of the Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar is laid in America,"
'Abdu'l-Baha Himself has predicted, "and that Divine Edifice is completed,
a most wonderful and thrilling motion will appear in the world of
existence... From that point of light the spirit of teaching, spreading
the Cause of God and promoting the teachings of God, will permeate to all
parts of the world." "Out of this Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar," He has affirmed
in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, "without doubt, thousands of
Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kars will be born." "It marks," He, furthermore, has
written, "the inception of the Kingdom of God on earth." And again: "It is
the manifest Standard waving in the center of that great continent."
"Thousands of Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kars," He, when dedicating the grounds of
the Temple, declared, "...will be built in the East and in the West, but
this, being the first erected in the Occident, has great importance."
"This organization of the Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar," He, referring to that
edifice, has moreover stated, "will be a model for the coming centuries,
and will hold the station of the mother."
"Its inception," the architect of the Temple has himself testified, "was
not from man, for, as musicians, artists, poets receive their inspiration
from another realm, so the Temple's architect, through all his years of
labor, was ever conscious that Baha'u'llah was the creator of this
building to be erected to His glory." "Into this new design," he,
furthermore, has written, "...is woven, in symbolic form, the great Baha'i
teaching of unity--the unity of all religions and of all mankind. There are
combinations of mathematical lines, symbolizing those of the universe, and
in their intricate merging of circle into circle, and circle within
circle, we visualize the merging of all the religions into one." And
again: "A circle of steps, eighteen in all, will surround the structure on
the outside, and lead to the auditorium floor. These eighteen steps
represent the eighteen first disciples of the Bab, and the door to which
they lead stands for the Bab Himself." "As the essence of the pure
original teachings of the historic religions was the same ... in the
Baha'i Temple is used a composite architecture, expressing the essence in
the line of each of the great architectural styles, harmonizing them into
one whole."
"It is the first new idea in architecture since the 13th century,"
declared a distinguished architect, H. Van Buren Magonigle, President of
the Architectural League, after gazing upon a plaster model of the Temple
on exhibition in the Engineering Societies Building in New York, in June
1920. "The Architect," he, moreover, has stated, "has conceived a Temple
of Light in which structure, as usually understood, is to be concealed,
visible support eliminated as far as possible, and the whole fabric to
take on the airy substance of a dream. It is a lacy envelope enshrining an
idea, the idea of light, a shelter of cobweb interposed between earth and
sky, struck through and through with light--light which shall partly
consume the forms and make of it a thing of faery."
"In the geometric forms of the ornamentation," a writer in the well-known
publication "Architectural Record" has written, "covering the columns and
surrounding windows and doors of the Temple, one deciphers all the
religious symbols of the world. Here are the swastika, the circle, the
cross, the triangle, the double triangle or six pointed star (Solomon's
seal)--but more than this--the noble symbol of the spiritual orb ... the
five pointed star; the Greek Cross, the Roman cross, and supreme above
all, the wonderful nine pointed star, figured in the structure of the
Temple itself, and appearing again and again in its ornamentation as
significant of the spiritual glory in the world today."
"The greatest creation since the Gothic period," is the testimony of
George Grey Barnard, one of the most widely-known sculptors in the United
States of America, "and the most beautiful I have ever seen."
"This is a new creation," Prof. Luigi Quaglino, ex-professor of
Architecture from Turin declared, after viewing the model, "which will
revolutionize architecture in the world, and it is the most beautiful I
have ever seen. Without doubt it will have a lasting page in history. It
is a revelation from another world."
"Americans," wrote Sherwin Cody, in the magazine section of the New York
Times, of the model of the Temple, when exhibited in the Kevorkian Gallery
in New York, "will have to pause long enough to find that an artist has
wrought into this building the conception of a Religious League of
Nations." And lastly, this tribute paid to the features of, and the ideals
embodied in, this Temple--the most sacred House of Worship in the Baha'i
world, whether of the present or of the future--by Dr. Rexford Newcomb,
Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of
Illinois: "This 'Temple of Light' opens upon the terrain of human
experience nine great doorways which beckon men and women of every race
and clime, of every faith and conviction, of every condition of freedom or
servitude to enter here into a recognition of that kinship and brotherhood
without which the modern world will be able to make little further
progress ...The dome, pointed in form, aiming as assuredly as did the
aspiring lines of the medieval cathedrals toward higher and better things,
achieves not only through its symbolism but also through its structural
propriety and sheer loveliness of form, a beauty not matched by any
domical structure since the construction of Michelangelo's dome on the
Basilica of St. Peter in Rome."