Celestial Realm she will send us her blessings and will extend to us her
help. Her memory will continue to cheer and strengthen our souls, deepen
our spiritual insight and bring us to a strong determination to serve till
the very last breath of our life a Cause for which our departed _Kh_anum
gave up her entire existence and for the future of which she cherished the
brightest hopes.
8: ...The news of the Memorial Service you ...
(82) ...The news of the Memorial Service you had held for the Greatest
Holy Leaf gave him the assurance that the friends are faithfully sharing
his grief and are demonstrating in a befitting manner their profound
devotion to one whose very life was an example of faithfulness and
sincerity, of self-abnegation and love.
The ascension of the Greatest Holy Leaf is, indeed, both a calamity and a
blessing. It is an overwhelming calamity since it has deprived us of the
presence in our very midst of the last Remnant of that Heroic age of the
Cause that gave birth to so many noble and faithful souls. The mere
presence of our beloved _Kh_anum among us was a source of inspiration and
blessing. And now that she has gone we cannot too deeply deplore the
immensity of our loss.
But thanks to God for having released her, after so many long years of
agonizing pain, of the bondage of this world and given her the priceless
privilege of being in direct communion with God.
May her everlasting spirit continue to guide our efforts and enable us to
serve a Cause, for which she suffered so much, with all our might, our
enthusiasm and hope.
9: The letter from that spiritual friend has ...
(83) The letter from that spiritual friend has reached the beloved
Guardian, and he is aware of your bitter grieving over the calamitous news
that a most glorious fruit of the Holy Tree, the Most Exalted Leaf, the
Remnant of Baha, has passed away.
This disastrous event has had an effect on the Guardian so terrible that
no pen can describe it nor paper bear the words; for that bright and
surpassingly fair presence, that quintessence of the perfections and
attributes of God, was his close companion, and the consolation of his
heart, so that his separation from her whom the world wronged, and the
ascension of that loved one of the community of love, was unspeakably hard
for him to bear.
She was a divine trust, a treasure of the Kingdom, and she spent all the
days of her precious life as an exile and a captive, and her every
priceless hour was passed under tests and afflictions and ordeals that she
endured at the hands of merciless foes. From early childhood she had her
share of the sufferings of Baha'u'llah, subjected even as He was to
hardships and calamities, and she was as well the partner in sorrows and
tribulations of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
For her there was never a night of peaceful sleep, for her no day when she
found rest, and always, like a moth, would her comely person circle about
the bright candle of the Faith. The words of her mouth were ever to
glorify the Abha Beauty, her only thought and her high purpose were to
proclaim the Cause of God and to protect His Law, while the dearest wish
of her glowing heart was to waft far and wide the sweet breathings of the
Lord.
Her heavenly ways were a model for the people of Baha, and those who dwell
in the pavilions of devotion and the denizens of the Abha Paradise found
in her celestial attributes their prototype and their guide. Glory be to
God, Who created her, fashioned her, called her into being, sent her forth
and revealed her, whose like the eye of the world had never seen.
The Guardian sends his message of consolation to your honoured self and
all the friends, and he says that it is fitting that the righteous should
hold fast to the cord of resignation and acquiescence, and adorn
themselves with the ornaments of faithfulness and servitude, and take for
their example that priceless treasure of the Kingdom.
10: The letter dated 5 August 1932, from that ...
(84) The letter dated 5 August 1932, from that spiritual friend has been
received by the Guardian of the Cause of God, may our lives be sacrificed
for him, and he has been informed of your receiving his telegram regarding
the ascension of that matchless fruit of the Tree of Glory, the Most
Exalted Leaf.
There is no question but that the burden of grief on his sorrowing heart,
because of this terrible ordeal, this great calamity, is heavier than
minds can conceive, or words can tell. That gem of immortality, that
precious and exalted being, was the one consolation, the one companion of
the Guardian in his sorrow-filled life; and she, with her sweet
encouragement, her gentle words, her never-ceasing, soothing care of him,
her smiles that came like fair winds from heavenly gardens, could always
gladden and refresh his spirit.
No one has understood the tender, spiritual and celestial bond between the
Guardian and her who was the Remnant of Baha, nor can any mind conceive
that plane of being, nor reckon its sublimity.
During her whole life span, that heavenly being was subjected to ordeals
and tribulations. She confronted the attacks of the hostile, and she
suffered afflictions any one of which could well have shattered a mountain
of iron. And yet the sweet and comely face of that spirit-like dove of
holiness, was wreathed till her very last hour in life-giving smiles, nor
did that patience and endurance, that greatness, that majesty and dignity,
ever desert her delicate and fragile person.
She who was the trust left by Baha'u'llah had no other aim nor goal but
these: to proclaim the Cause of God and exalt His Word; to praise and
glorify the Blessed Beauty's name; to bear 'Abdu'l-Baha in mind and serve
Him ever; to pity the sorely-troubled and give them endless, loving care;
to cherish and comfort them, and bring them joy. There is, then, good
reason, that with the passing of this peerless gem, this precious,
matchless pearl, we should rend our garments in mourning, and that our
eyes should stream with bitter tears.
The Guardian conveys his message of condolence, and says that in this
severest of afflictions, it would befit the people of Baha to hold fast to
resignation and acquiescence, and to rise up and loyally serve the Faith,
taking for their example that priceless treasure of the Abha Paradise.
11: What you had written concerning the ...
(85) What you had written concerning the memorial gatherings of men and
women believers to mourn the Most Exalted Leaf, who was the peerless fruit
of the Holy Tree, and to commemorate the ascension of her who was the most
glorious trust left on earth by the Lord--may the souls of holy men and
women be a sacrifice for her sacred resting-place--has been received by the
Guardian.
It cannot be imagined to what a degree this terrible and calamitous event
has saddened him, and, more than words can tell, clouded the radiance of
his heart. For that holy being, that resplendent person, with all her
heart and soul and endless love, had ever fostered and cherished him in
the warm embrace of her celestial tenderness. She was his single, dear
companion, she was his one and only consolation in the world, and that is
why he is so burdened down with the passing of her high and stately
presence, and why the departure of that comely spirit is so hard for him
to bear.
She who was left in trust by Baha'u'llah was the symbol of His infinite
compassion, the day star in the heaven of His bounty and grace. That
sanctified spirit revealed the loving-kindness of Him who was the Beauty
of the All-Glorious, and was the welling spring of the favours and
bestowals of Him Who was the Lord, the Most High. She was the comforter of
anyone who grieved, the solace of any with a broken heart. She, that
Remnant of Baha, was a loving mother to the orphan, and for the hapless
and bewildered it was she who would find a way. Her holy life lit up the
world; her heavenly qualities and ways were a standard for people all over
the earth. Like a cloud of grace, she showered down gifts, and her
bestowals, like the morning winds, refreshed the soul.
Stranger and friend alike were captured by her loving-kindness, her
spiritual nature, her unceasing care for them and tender ways; enamoured
of her great indulgence toward them, and how she favoured them and
cherished them. The mind could only marvel at that subtle and ethereal
being, at the majesty and greatness of her, and the heavenly modesty, and
the forbearance and long suffering. Even in the thick of the worst
ordeals, she would smile like an opening rose, and no matter how dark and
calamitous the times, like a bright candle she would shed her light.
The Guardian sends messages of heartfelt condolence to all of you, and
asks you to be submissive and acquiescent and patient, and loyally to
arise and serve, and take for your model that precious treasure of the
Abha Paradise.
You had asked the Guardian as to the nine months of mourning, during which
all Baha'i festivities are to be suspended. His answer is that this refers
to nine solar months. He says further that the blessed and exalted Leaf
ascended at one hour after midnight, on the eve of Friday, July 15.
12: ...He is eagerly awaiting to see the friends ...
(86) ...He is eagerly awaiting to see the friends as ever burning with the
desire to serve a Cause for the sake of which our departed Holy Leaf gave
up her entire existence.
May her glorious spirit cheer your hearts, strengthen your faith and
inspire you with renewed courage and hope.
13: His loss is too immense to be adequately ...
(87) His loss is too immense to be adequately expressed in words. But his
joy is also great. For such calamitous events, though cruel in their
immediate effects, nevertheless, serve to stimulate the friends and
quicken their souls.
Ours, therefore, is the opportunity to arise and serve the Cause and put
all our trust in God. Surely, He will guide our steps and will inspire us
with the necessary enthusiasm and strength.
May the immortal spirit of our departed _Kh_anum quicken our energies and
give fresh lustre to our endeavours for the greater extension of the
Cause.
14: The profound sorrow occasioned by the ...
(88) The profound sorrow occasioned by the sudden passing of the Greatest
Holy Leaf, as well as the unnumbered messages of sympathy received from
friends and believers in East and West, all of which the Guardian
acknowledged in person, have caused the unavoidable delay in giving his
immediate attention to various matters referred to in your communications
to him. He deeply regrets the obstacles which stood in his way and which
by their very nature he found them impossible to surmount.
15: The Guardian of the Cause of God has ...
(89) The Guardian of the Cause of God has received your letter of 21 July
1932, telling of your and the other friends' profound distress on
receiving word of this calamity, this dire ordeal, that is, the ascension
of the Most Exalted Leaf, that brightest fruit of the Eternal Tree.
It is certain that this anguish, this harrowing event, has reached into
the very depths of his being, and oppressed and darkened his radiant heart
more than words can ever tell. For the subtle and spiritual attachment
that the Guardian felt for her, and the heavenly tenderness and affection
between that lovely fruit of the divine Lote-Tree and himself, was a bond
so strong as to defy description, nor can the mind encompass that exalted
state. That secret is a secret well-concealed, a treasured mystery
unplumbed, and to a plane such as this, the minds of the believers can
never find their way. On this account the Guardian's anguish at being
parted from that bright and comely denizen of Heaven is beyond our
conceiving.
She who was a sparkling light of God, she who was so full of grace--that
widespread ray of Heaven's splendour, that sign of God's mercy--was made to
appear with all perfections, all goodly attributes, all blessed ways; and
never had the world's eye gazed upon such a welling spring of tender love,
of pity and compassion, and never will it behold again such a gem of
loving-kindness, such a fount of God's munificence.
How many a night did she whom the world wronged spend as a prisoner, worn
with care, tormented, banished from her home. How many a day did she live
through as an exile and a captive! There was no venom of affliction, at
the hands of this Faith's foes, that was not given her to drink, no arrow
of cruelty but struck her holy breast. Yet in spite of the endless
tribulations and disasters, she who was a spirit of holiness and a
songster of Heaven, would even in the midst of dire ordeals, her face
aglow, bloom like a rose.
The Guardian sends messages of consolation to you and all the friends in
this bereavement, and he says that in this calamitous time all must bow
down their heads and be acquiescent, arise in faithful service to His
Cause, and model themselves upon that most exalted, sacred and resplendent
presence.
16: The Guardian's anguish, because of this ...
(90) The Guardian's anguish, because of this tragic occurrence, is such
that it can neither be plumbed nor described in words. That sublime and
gloried Leaf, that precious jewel of the Kingdom, was the one great solace
of his life; she was his glorious companion, and her disappearance, and
the separation from her, and her ascending into the heavenly presence and
court of her Lord was the direst ordeal to be visited upon the people of
Baha. Alas for any future time that might produce such a calamity, when
the world's eye might see its like.
That sacred treasure, that jewel of Heaven, was the very sign and token of
spiritual attributes and qualities and perfections, the very model of high
honour and nobility and heavenly ways. The sufferings she bore in the
pathway of God were the cruellest ones, the afflictions that assailed her
were the severest of all. Fortitude was the rich dress she wore, serenity
and tranquil strength were her splendid robe, virtue and detachment,
purity and chastity, were all her jewels, and tenderness, care and love
for humankind, her beauty's bright adornings.
The Guardian conveys his message of consolation and comfort, enjoining
submission and acquiescence in this calamity, and the need for arising to
serve and to be steadfast, and to take for our model that gem of the Abha
Paradise.
17: Indeed, the Greatest Holy Leaf, the Trust of ...
(91) Indeed, the Greatest Holy Leaf, the Trust of Baha'u'llah amongst us,
was the emblem of His boundless grace, a luminary shining in the heaven of
tender mercy and gracious providence, the embodiment of the manifold
favours of the Abha Beauty, a repository of the bounty and loving-kindness
so characteristic of the Bab, the Exalted One. To every disconsolate one
she was an affectionate comforter, to every heart-broken and
grief-stricken soul, a token of unfailing sympathy, of kindliness, of
cheer and comfort. Her blessed life was a source of spiritual illumination
for the whole world and her noble traits and heavenly attributes served as
a shining example, an object of emulation for all mankind. Like the
showers of heavenly grace, her generosity knew no bounds, and as the
breeze of celestial blessing and favour, she breathed a new life into
every soul. Both friends and strangers were drawn by her sense of
spirituality, her tenderness and refinement, her unfailing solicitude, and
were attracted by the magic of her unbounded affection and goodwill. That
heavenly being displayed throughout her life such evidence of glory and
dignity, such manifestations of majesty and greatness, such a degree of
patience and resignation as bewildered the minds and souls. In the midst
of trials her radiant face bore the likeness of a sweet rose and in
moments of sore tribulation she was resplendent as a brilliant candle.
18: The Guardian trusts that the explanation he ...
(92) The Guardian trusts that the explanation he has given by wire
regarding the suspension for a period of nine months of Baha'i religious
festivity has been made clear. The Nineteen Day Feast being of a
quasi-administrative character should continue to be held, but should be
conducted with the utmost simplicity and should be devoid of any features
associated with feasts and entertainment. The celebration of Naw-Ruz, the
anniversary of the birth of Baha'u'llah and of the Bab should be
altogether cancelled as a token of our deep mourning for so distinguished
and precious a member of Baha'u'llah's family. The period of nine months
should be reckoned from the 15th of July to the 15th of April.
19: The loss of the Greatest Holy Leaf will be ...
(93) The loss of the Greatest Holy Leaf will be bitterly felt by all those
friends who had the pleasure and privilege to meet her. She always kept
such a wonderful atmosphere of joy and hope around her that was bound to
influence those that were present and help them to go out into the world
with added zeal and determination to consecrate all in the path of God.
The only consolation of Shoghi Effendi is in the knowledge that she has
been delivered from earthly worries and physical weakness and that she is
now in the presence of Baha'u'llah, her Father and Lord, enjoying the
infinite blessings of His eternal Kingdom.
20: Even though during these last years she was ...
(94) Even though during these last years she was weak and most of the time
confined to her room, yet she was a source of constant joy and inspiration
to those that met her. The Guardian feels her loss tremendously because
the greatest part of his leisure hours he used to spend in her company.
His only comfort is that she has been delivered from the worries and
weaknesses of a body that could no more withhold her spirit and help her
to express all her desire in meeting the friends and serving them.
At present, in the presence of her Father and Lord we trust she is
remembering us and asking for us His divine grace and blessings.
21: The passing away of the Greatest Holy Leaf ...
(95) The passing away of the Greatest Holy Leaf was a loss every Baha'i
will feel deeply if only he stops to think about it. She was such a
precious soul and so radiantly happy and hopeful even under most adverse
circumstances. Every believer that came in contact with her left her
presence with a more determined spirit of service and self-sacrifice. Both
Shoghi Effendi and the rest of the Baha'is will mourn her loss bitterly.
Their only consolation can be her own deliverance from a life of hardship
and difficulties, and her entrance into a realm which is naught but
eternal bliss and infinite divine grace.
22: Even though the Greatest Holy Leaf has left ...
(96) Even though the Greatest Holy Leaf has left us in body she is with us
in spirit, inspiring us in our work and beseeching for us God's loving
mercy and fatherly care. She will never forget her loving friends nor
leave them in their woes.
Shoghi Effendi was very sad to hear of your difficulties, especially as
they have encompassed you at an age when you cannot confront them but must
have comfort and peace. You should, however, take courage and resign to
the will of God when you see what the Greatest Holy Leaf had to face
during her life. All you may suffer is nothing compared to what she had to
endure; and yet how joyous and hopeful she used always to be!
This is the way of the world. The greatest among us seems to be the one
who has suffered most and withstood best the battles of life.
23: Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge ...
(97) Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
dated August 25th 1932 and to extend his deep appreciation for your kind
words of sympathy. This loss is a thing that will be bitterly felt by
every Baha'i throughout the world, because she used to be a source of
inspiration to every one of them. The mere coming into her presence and
thinking of the trials and difficulties she had to pass through in her
life, was sufficient to create in us new hope and arouse us to stronger
determination to promote the Cause she suffered for.
24: You should be very happy to have had the ...
(98) You should be very happy to have had the privilege of meeting her
upon this physical plane of existence, for the world has seen only very
few such souls who have suffered so much for the sake of God and yet kept
their cheer and uttered words of hope and encouragement to those who were
around them. What a source of inspiration she was to the pilgrims who came
from the four corners of the world to seek spirituality and attain a new
birth by visiting the Holy Shrines. They should surely remember those
blessed moments they spent in her room or in her presence elsewhere, and
remembering her suffering, take courage in confronting the problems of
their life. May God help us all to follow her example and like her be a
blessing to others.
25: Surely there is nothing that will console the ...
(99) Surely there is nothing that will console the Guardian more than the
happy news that the Cause for which the Greatest Holy Leaf lived and
suffered is gradually spreading and embracing the whole of the people of
the world.
She is undoubtedly conscious of our activities, following our work and
impatiently awaiting the result of our battles. Let her passing,
therefore, be a source of added sacrifice and more energetic striving on
the part of her devoted friends and lovers.
26: These nine months during which the Guardian ...
(100) These nine months during which the Guardian has asked the friends to
discard feast days, are meant to be months of mourning for the passing
away of the Greatest Holy Leaf. The friends should also use it as a period
of redoubled energy in serving the Cause in expression of our deep love
for her as well as for the Cause she so much suffered for.
27: Surely no matter what we say about her still ...
(101) Surely no matter what we say about her still we have not done
justice to the abounding love she had and the services she rendered to
Baha'u'llah and the Master. Her life was full of events, full of
sacrifices in the path of God. Ever since her childhood she had to endure
hardships and share the exile and persecution that Baha'u'llah had to
suffer. In her face one could easily read the history of the Cause from
its earliest days to the present moment.
Notwithstanding all this she never grumbled nor lost her faith in the
future. She kept cheerful and tried to give cheer to others. She was a
real source of inspiration to every person that met her.
The only adequate way to show our love and devotion to her is to arise and
serve the Cause for which she so earnestly laboured during all her mortal
life. Her deeds and sacrifices should act as examples for us to follow.
28: Indeed it would have been for you such a joy ...
(102) Indeed it would have been for you such a joy to meet the Greatest
Holy Leaf during her earthly life, but the Guardian does not wish you to
feel depressed about it; this beloved soul will from the Heaven of her
Almighty Father guide you to serve the Cause which has been so dear to
her. Shoghi Effendi values your sincere sympathy in this irreparable loss;
he hopes that we all will follow the example of her saintly life.
29: He fully appreciates the deep sorrow that ...
(103) He fully appreciates the deep sorrow that you, as well as the other
friends, feel for the passing away of the Greatest Holy Leaf. All those
who met her cannot feel but an emptiness in their hearts. She was always
such a source of courage and hope to those pilgrims that came from all
parts of the world and had the pleasure of meeting her, that they left her
presence with added hope and greater determination to serve the Cause and
sacrifice their all in its path. This was especially true of them after
the passing away of the Master when they felt that she was the only worthy
remnant of Baha'u'llah's immediate kin.
May her passing stir the friends to greater measures of sacrifice and
direct their attention towards the spiritual duties that have been laid
upon their shoulders.
30: He is sure that all the Baha'is throughout ...
(104) He is sure that all the Baha'is throughout the world share with him
in this sorrow, for she was a source of comfort and inspiration to them
all. No one left her presence without being deeply impressed by her
spirit. All the sufferings that she had endured during her life and that
had left their traces upon her feeble form, had not in the least affected
her spirit of joy and hopefulness. She liked to see the people happy, and
exerted all her efforts to make it easy for them to realize it.