this hallowed land, this luminous Spot, you were able to take back with
you the gift of the divine fragrance of holiness, to perfume the nostrils
of the handmaids of God, to refresh and stimulate, nay rather revive and
quicken the lifeless bodies through the potency of His wondrous
exhortations, His sublime counsels and teachings. To all the handmaids of
God announce the joyful tidings that both at the blessed and luminous
Shrine and in the holy presence of Him Who is the Mystery of God we
continually pray for all of you, extol your noble virtues, call to mind
the memory of the radiant faces of those faithful leaves, and from the
exalted court of the Lord of Glory implore for every one of you unbounded
heavenly assistance and confirmation.
16: On my return from Beyrouth I was sorry to ...
(125) On my return from Beyrouth I was sorry to find out that you had left
for Italy and I missed seeing you before you left. Not only I but all the
holy household miss you very much. Though we miss you we are glad to learn
that our Lord has directed you to go into the world and give the Glad
Tidings of the Kingdom to the people and awaken the sleeping souls. How
happy you must have been that you left with this thought in your mind that
with the direction of our Lord you have gone. We hope that we soon will
hear of your wonderful services in the Path of the Cause of God. Have no
fear and be not down-hearted. Trust in Him. Be sure you will be successful
at the end, for He has sent you and He will surely be with you and help
you always.
17: O my dear sister! Your excellent letter ...
(126) O my dear sister! Your excellent letter brought me much joy,
testifying as it did to your ardour and pure intent, and to your being
immersed in the ocean of God's heavenly love, and also to the harmony and
concord among His handmaids--which indeed is the greatest of God's
bestowals: for fellowship, closeness and love are glories of the Kingdom,
and richest gifts from the Lord of dominion and might. We thank Him then
for this great bounty.
To the honoured handmaid of God, Miss Barney, give my many and fond
wishes. I implore God to assist her and yourself to attain the greatest of
all His favours in His mighty Kingdom.
I conveyed the salutations from all of you, and your expressions of
devoted servitude, to Him Whom God hath purposed, the Centre of His
ancient Covenant.
From this imprisoned handmaid.
18: The Festival of Ridvan is come and the ...
(127) The Festival of Ridvan is come and the splendour of the light of God
is shining from the invisible horizon of His mercy. The overflowing grace
of the Lord of oneness is pouring down copiously from the unseen world and
the glad-tidings of the Kingdom are coming in from all countries. The
resplendent morn that betokens the advancement of the Cause of God and
heralds the exaltation of His Word is dawning in every region.
Praise be to God that the fame of the Ancient Beauty--may my life be
offered up for His loved ones--has been noised abroad in the world and the
glory of His Cause is spread far and wide throughout the East and the
West. These joyous developments will indeed gladden the hearts of His
loved ones.
19: You should not think that the record of ...
(128) You should not think that the record of those meetings can ever be
blotted out from the pages of history or that the memory of those
gatherings can fade from the face of the world. Nay every single act,
every deed or utterance is a seed sown in the garden of life. Ere long it
will grow and develop, yielding an abundant harvest even as a fruitful
tree....
Those sufferings were endured for the sake of God alone and for His love.
They occurred during this century in which the Manifestation of God has
appeared, and their underlying purpose was solely to glorify the Cause of
the Abha Beloved, and to exalt the Word of God. Indeed, a single deed
performed in this Day is equivalent to the deeds of a thousand years.
20: Both in the Persian and Arabic Writings of ...
(129) Both in the Persian and Arabic Writings of the Primal Point--may the
life of all men be offered up for Him--there are several, nay indeed
numerous passages in which He directs His plea to the exalted court of Him
Whom God shall make manifest, requesting Him to graciously protect the
leaves of the Tree of the Bayan, that they may not fall away but rather
attain their paradise which is the recognition of His Manifestation.
The detailed account you had given about the services she(130) has
performed during the early days of the Faith is entirely true, and
sufficient witness unto it is God. God willing, the services she has
rendered and the hardships she has endured may yield excellent results.
With the utmost humility and devotion we will pray for her at the Holy
Shrine, beseeching divine confirmation and assistance. Likewise, in the
sublime presence of Him Whom God has purposed we will beg earnestly for
His tender solicitude and the outpouring of His special favours.
21: HIS HOLINESS 'ABDU'L-BAHA ASCENDED TO ...
(131) HIS HOLINESS 'ABDU'L-BAHA ASCENDED TO ABHA KINGDOM INFORM FRIENDS.
GREATEST HOLY LEAF.
22: NOW IS A PERIOD OF GREAT TESTS. THE FRIENDS ...
(132) NOW IS A PERIOD OF GREAT TESTS. THE FRIENDS SHOULD BE FIRM AND
UNITED IN DEFENDING THE CAUSE. NAKEZEENS(133) STARTING ACTIVITIES THROUGH
PRESS AND OTHER CHANNELS ALL OVER THE WORLD. SELECT COMMITTEE OF WISE COOL
HEADS TO HANDLE PRESS PROPAGANDA IN AMERICA. GREATEST HOLY LEAF.
23: MEMORIAL MEETING WORLD OVER JANUARY ...
(134) MEMORIAL MEETING WORLD OVER JANUARY SEVEN. MASTER LEFT FULL
INSTRUCTIONS IN HIS WILL AND TESTAMENT. TRANSLATION WILL BE SENT. INFORM
FRIENDS. GREATEST HOLY LEAF.
24: IN WILL SHOGHI EFFENDI APPOINTED GUARDIAN ...
(135) IN WILL SHOGHI EFFENDI APPOINTED GUARDIAN OF CAUSE AND HEAD OF HOUSE
OF JUSTICE. INFORM AMERICAN FRIENDS. GREATEST HOLY LEAF.
25: The hearts of the people of Baha are ...
(136) The hearts of the people of Baha are intensely burning by reason of
the great calamity, and their longing cries are rising up to the Concourse
on High and the angelic dwellers in the Abha Paradise, yet, this day is
the day of service, and this time the time to spread the holy Teachings
far and wide; therefore must God's loved ones like unto a shining flame,
rise up to serve the Cause of God with all their might and vie with one
another in service. Let them, even as shooting stars, drive the disloyal
out--so that in the Preserved Tablet of God, they may be recorded with that
company who ever stood faithful to His Covenant and Testament.
Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Cause of God, the Chosen Branch and
leader of the people of Baha, as a result of intense and unceasing grief
over this great bereavement, this supreme affliction, has determined to
absent himself for a short period, in an effort to rest, and to regain his
health, after which he will return to the Holy Land and resume his
services and obligations to the Cause of God. During his absence, in
accordance with his letter herewith enclosed,(137) this prisoner is
appointed to administer the affairs of the Faith, in consultation with the
members of the Holy Household.
For this reason I have temporarily made arrangements so that the persons
named by Shoghi Effendi may meet and the affairs be conducted in
consultation with them. It is my hope that during the period of his
absence the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful will
exert their efforts to advance the Cause and accelerate its growth. He is,
verily, compassionate and merciful to His servants.
26: We thank you most sincerely for your kind ...
(138) We thank you most sincerely for your kind letters of sympathy, and
we appreciate your loving Messages, which are as comforting balm to our
wounded hearts.
It would be our wish to answer each letter individually, but the shock of
our bereavement was so sudden, and the work to which we were compelled to
attend, was so overwhelming, that time failed us. Now, we wish you to
realize that your words of steadfast faith and love were our greatest
solace throughout the days of our grief, for we felt that you would each
and all faithfully and loyally strive to carry on the work for which the
life of our Beloved Master was spent.
We are more than thankful to God that He has not left us without a leader,
but that Shoghi Effendi is appointed to guide the administration of the
Cause.
We hope that the friends of God, the beloved and the handmaidens of the
Merciful, will pray for us, that we may be enabled to help Shoghi Effendi
in every way in our power to accomplish the Mission entrusted to him.
27: REJOICED OVER CONVENTION NEWS. PRAYING ...
(139) REJOICED OVER CONVENTION NEWS. PRAYING FOR CONFIRMATION. HOLY LEAF.
28: In this day, those holy souls are divinely ...
(140) In this day, those holy souls are divinely confirmed who stand firm
in the most sacred Cause of the Abha Beauty, those who are steadfast, and
loyal to the Covenant and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
Praised be the undying glory of God that you and all His friends have
attained this greatest of gifts. You stand fast-rooted in the divine
Covenant, and you turn to the appointed Centre, the explicitly chosen
Branch. In all the world, what conceivable bounty could ever be greater
than this?
29: It is not unknown to those who stand firm ...
(141) It is not unknown to those who stand firm in the Covenant and
Testament of God that the centre of violation and his associates, from the
day of the ascension of the Ancient Beauty, may His Great Name be ever
exalted, have been working night and day and continually putting forth all
their efforts, to spread disorder and disrupt the Faith. At this time,
because of our terrible affliction, the ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha--may the
quintessence of our souls be sacrificed to His sacred resting-place--they
are busying themselves more than ever with the circulation of false
rumours and idle imaginings, their purpose being, one way or another, to
instil doubts into the minds, and thus to achieve their vain and futile
ends.
Alas for them, however, there is no doubt at all that they will achieve
nothing but the failure of their plans and the frustration of their hopes.
Utter disappointment and a bitter end is all they will ever gain--just as
'Abdu'l-Baha--may our lives be sacrificed for His meekness--has foretold in
His Will and Testament, where He clearly and unequivocally sets forth the
dissidence, the mischief-making and the wicked designs of that abominable
band. And it is certain that through the never-ceasing confirmations of
God, the light diffused by the loyalty of the true believers will scatter
the darkness of the suspicions which the malicious have been spreading,
and the brightness that streams from the believers' faces will dispel the
gloom of the people of doubt.
Briefly, for some time they had been applying to the various government
agencies, in the hope that with the government's assistance they would be
able to obtain legal support for their empty claims. However, God be
praised, they were disappointed. Then came a day, Tuesday, January 30--that
is, four months ago--when the disaffected gathered together at the Mansion
of Bahji, invited in some of the rabble of Akka, and after joint
consultation, determined to go to the Holy Tomb, forcibly wrest its key
from the caretakers, and hand it over to the arch Covenant-breaker, pivot
of the violation. Such was the plan, the disgraceful action, devised by
the prime mover of mischief and his lieutenant.
They then committed the brazen act. From the caretaker of the Holy Tomb,
Aqa Siyyid Abu'l-Qasim, they took away the key by force, and he, unable to
withstand their attack, at once dispatched his assistant, Aqa _Kh_alil, to
Haifa, to report to Shoghi Effendi what had taken place. The news reached
Haifa about two hours after sunset, and the matter was instantly referred
to the Governor. On his stringent orders, the key was surrendered that
very night and placed in Government custody until the matter could be
fully investigated to determine the question of rightful ownership.
Now, after the passage of four months, the Government has rendered its
verdict, to the effect that the question should be put to the Baha'i
community, and that whatever decision the Baha'is arrive at will be
conclusive. If the Baha'i community considers Mirza Muhammad-'Ali to be
excommunicated, then he has no rights whatever to the takeover. Therefore,
wherever Baha'is reside, they must, through the given city's Spiritual
Assembly, and bearing the signature of named individuals who are members
of the elected body, inform the British authorities in Jerusalem, either
by cable or letter sent through His Majesty's ambassadors or consuls, that
the Baha'i community, in conformity with the explicit writings and the
Will and Testament of His Eminence 'Abdu'l-Baha, Sir Abbas Effendi, texts
well known and available in His own hand--recognize His Eminence Shoghi
Effendi as the one to whom all Baha'is must turn, and as the Guardian of
the Cause of God, and that they have no connection whatever, either
material or spiritual, with Mirza Muhammad-Ali, whom they consider to be
excommunicated from the Baha'i Faith, according to the explicit writings
of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
It should be the request, therefore, of Baha'is of all countries, both men
and women, in every important centre, wherever they may reside throughout
the world, that the officials of His Britannic Majesty's Government in
Palestine, its Headquarters being Jerusalem, issue a categorical order
that the key of the Holy Tomb--which is the Point of Adoration and the
sanctuary of all Baha'is in the world--be restored to His Eminence Shoghi
Effendi, the Chosen Branch, and in this way to render the Baha'i
community, whether of the East or of the West, more appreciative than ever
of British justice. The text of both cable and letter, together with the
address, have been written on a separate sheet, as enclosed. The message
is to be signed by the representatives and known followers of the Baha'i
Faith in that city.
30: This dire calamity, this great affliction, the ...
(142) This dire calamity, this great affliction, the passing of
'Abdu'l-Baha, may our lives be sacrificed for His meekness, has shaken us
to the very depths. Our lives lie in ruins. In our hearts, the stars of
happiness have set, the lamps of joy have been put out. No more, from the
rose-garden of the All-Glorious, does the nightingale warble those songs
that fed the spirit in days gone by. From over the flower-beds of Heaven,
the dove trills and coos no more. Now is the bright morning dark, and
blazing noon is night, and the sea of woe has surged, and a storm of
sorrow has overwhelmed mankind.
Alas, alas, that luminous Moon, with His ravaged breast a thicket of
arrows--darts of the evil-doers' taunts, their derision, their
calumnies--and His heart grieved by the malevolence of His foes and the
rebellion of the violators, is now hidden behind heavy clouds, has
departed from this world's horizons, and has risen upward to the realm of
transcendent glory, to the all-highest Horizon.
And now, at such a time as this, a time of our affliction and deep
distress, the prime mover of mischief, the centre of sedition, thinking to
profit by this eclipse of the Sun of the Covenant, the Moon of spiritual
concord, has taken advantage of what he sees as a rare opportunity for
himself, and has mounted a violent revolt, and with the support of their
second chief, has begun to spread the most far-fetched of malicious
accusations, and is busy day and night, stirring up trouble and carrying
out plots and stratagems the details of which would take too long to
enumerate here and which you will be informed of later on.
Although they behold in every instance only grievous abasement and
disappointment, failures and defeats, still their burning jealousy blazes
up within them all the more, and their haughtiness and arrogance only
increase. At this hour of turmoil and deep anguish and sudden, unexpected
calamity, our only consolation lies in service to the Cause of God, and
steadfastness in His Faith, and the guarding of His Law, and in the bonds
of unity among the friends, and their fervour and joy, and in deeds that
exemplify the holy Teachings of the Abha Beauty, may His name be exalted,
and the counsels of 'Abdu'l-Baha, may our souls be sacrificed for His
servitude. It is our hope that we all shall be helped to achieve these
things, which alone befit this sacred day.
It appears from your letter that you had written prior to the receipt of
the Will and Testament of the Centre of the Covenant. You have certainly
perused it by now. This Text is His decisive decree; it constitutes the
very life of those endued with understanding. In it the Pen of Bounty has
set forth in the most powerful, comprehensive, clear and detailed manner
the obligations devolving on every stratum of the Baha'i community, and
has hacked out the tree of violation by its root, and has caused the
centre of it to be forlorn and disgraced. He has specifically named the
centre to whom all must turn, thus solidly fixing and establishing the
foundations of the Covenant, and has clearly appointed the centre, to whom
all the people of Baha must direct themselves, the Chosen Branch, the
Guardian of the Cause of God. This great bestowal is one of the special
characteristics of this supreme Revelation, which of all Dispensations is
the noblest and most excellent. Goodly be this to the steadfast,
glad-tidings to the staunch, blessings to those who win the day.
Praise be to God, you have arisen to serve Him, and are actively teaching
and spreading His Faith. Such a bounty merits thanks a thousand times
over, and praises forever, in the hallowed sanctuary of the one Beloved.
Convey my Baha'i salutations to all the faithful.
31: Although that supreme calamity, that ...
(143) Although that supreme calamity, that great ordeal, the ascension of
'Abdu'l-Baha, put the torch to the harvest of our hearts, and brought down
both our outer and inner beings, wedding us to grief and ceaseless pain,
yet praised be God, He Who is the Dayspring of the Covenant has appointed
in writing a specific centre, and designated the Guardian of the Cause,
Shoghi Effendi, as the one toward whom must turn all those who follow
Baha'u'llah--His purpose being that the Faith of God and His Cause should
remain secure and safe. For this greatest of gifts it is fitting that we
should return a thousand thanks to the one Beloved, and offer a thousand
praises to His court of holiness.
Likewise, the hand of divine grace has reared blessed souls who are
shining today like lamps of guidance in the assemblage of the Company on
High, and who like luminous stars are casting their bright rays across the
skies of faithfulness. How often we heard the Master, the Centre of the
Covenant, say: 'At the time when Christ rose out of this mortal world and
ascended into the Eternal Kingdom, He had twelve disciples, and even of
these, one was cast off. But because that handful of souls stood up, and
with selflessness, devotion and detachment, resolved to spread His holy
Teachings and to scatter abroad the sweet fragrances of God, disregarding
the world and all its peoples, and because they utterly lost themselves in
Christ--they succeeded, by the power of the spirit, in capturing the cities
of men's hearts, so that the splendour of the one true God pervaded all
the earth, and put the darkness of ignorance to flight.
'Now when I shall depart from this world, I shall leave more than fifty
thousand blessed individuals, every one of whom is staunch and firm as the
high mountains, shining out over the earth like sparkling stars. These are
the quintessence of loyalty and fellowship and love. They are the
self-sacrificing watchers over the Cause, and they are the guides to all
who seek after truth. Judge from this what the future will be!'
It is certain that when we act in accordance with the Teachings of the
Abha Beauty and the counsels of 'Abdu'l-Baha, then will this world become
the Abha Paradise, and its thorns and brambles of cruelty will change into
a blossoming garden of the faithful.
May we all be enabled to achieve this end.
32: O faithful servant of the Best-Beloved, the ...
(144) O faithful servant of the Best-Beloved, the Most Glorious! O
steadfast friend, flourishing in the garden of His luminous Beauty! The
brief but informative letter you had written to Shoghi Effendi, the Chosen
Branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God, has been received together with
the scrolls of doubt you had enclosed. Indeed, men whose nostrils have
been perfumed by the fragrance of the Abha Paradise, whose ears have been
exhilarated by the sweet melodies of the nightingale warbling in the
rose-garden of immortality, and whose souls have been refreshed and
quickened by the reviving breaths of holiness, would surely be saddened to
hear the screech of the raven and the croaking of the crow, and from them
they would certainly endeavour to flee. For the disgusting odour of
violation is like poisonous air, whose baneful effects upon the body and
soul are injurious and harmful, nay rather it will eventually lead to
terrible loss and perdition. Thus the way you have dealt with this matter
is approved and acceptable.
Since Shoghi Effendi has gone on a journey for a while, this lowly one was
prompted to answer your letter. Convey wondrous Abha greetings to all the
lovers of the Blessed Beauty and the faithful friends of 'Abdu'l-Baha. And
upon you be His glory.
33: O God, my God! ...
(145) O God, my God!
Thou seest me immersed in the depths of grief, drowned in my sorrow, my
heart on fire with the agony of parting, my inmost self aflame with
longing. Thou seest my tears streaming down, hearest my sighs rising up
like smoke, my never-ceasing groans, my cries, my shouts that will not be
stilled, the useless wailing of my heart.
For the sun of joy has set, has sunk below the horizon of this world, and
in the hearts of the righteous the lights of courage and consolation have
gone out. So grave this catastrophe, so dire this disaster, that the inner
being crumbles away to dust, and the heart blazes up, and nothing remains
save only despair and anguish.
Thou seest, O my God, in the midmost of this terrible event, this ultimate
calamity, when the devoted never put aside their mourning dress, and the
moaning and the tears never cease--how that malevolent band have, with all
their powers, mounted an attack against Thy loved ones who are loyal to
the Covenant, even as the assault of wolves upon the flock. They are
striving, with all their strength, to bring down the mighty structure of
Thy Covenant in ruins, and level Thy strong citadel to the ground, and
turn away from Thy straight and clearly-marked path those Thou hast guided
aright. O my Lord, I voice my complaint before Thee, and lay bare my
griefs and sorrows, and supplicate at the door of Thy oneness, and whisper
unto Thee, and weep and cry out.
O my kind Lord! Thou didst make a clear compact and a Covenant explicit
and firm, not in veiled and allusive language, that all should turn unto
the Centre of Thy Covenant and the Protector of Thy Cause--so that no
doubts whatever would remain for the hostile and the suspicious to
exploit; and then Thy lone Servant rose up to lift Thy banner high, and
carry the day for Thy Faith. For thirty years He summoned the people unto
Thee, publicly, privately, and spread Thy Teachings and Thy principles to
every corner, every country of the earth. Night and day, He fostered Thy
loved ones in the cradle of divine knowledge and wisdom, and endowed them
with the qualities of the spirit. And all this time He bore, at the hands
of that evil crew, not once but over and over again, every kind of
outrage, and calumny, and oppression. For they were forever lying in wait
for Him, were spying on Him at all times from their ambush, attacking Him
in whatever manner they chose, swelling with their insolence and pride.
And yet, through Thy strong support, Thine overwhelming confirmations,
they were the losers in the end, and their strivings came to nothing in
this world's life, and all they gained was their own ruin.