righteous, but to those evil ones who broke the Covenant, it was the
thunderbolt of God's avenging wrath.
55: Although the ascension of the beloved ...
(181) Although the ascension of the beloved Centre of the Covenant was the
ultimate calamity, the severest of ordeals, and the fire of that
bereavement consumed our hearts and souls, and there were no eyes but wept
their tears of blood to mourn Him, no breast but uttered fiery
sighs--still, God be praised, the Will and Testament of that Wellspring of
bounty and grace, and the designation by Him of the Centre of the Faith
and the Covenant, quieted our burning grief and stilled our sighing, and
came as balm to our sorely-wounded hearts.
The power of the Faith prevailed, the awesome majesty of the Word of God
flashed out, and day by day reveals in increasing measure its overpowering
might.
And now, to offer gratitude befitting such a bounty, we must prepare
ourselves, gird ourselves for service, and rise up and live in accordance
with the instructions of the Blessed Beauty and the counsels of
'Abdu'l-Baha, for these are the life of the world and the salvation of its
peoples. Thus, from every direction, will the portals of happiness and
spirituality open before us all.
The Chosen Branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God, Shoghi Effendi,
because of the intense grief and suffering and pain inflicted by this
terrible event, has desired to spend a period alone, in a quiet spot,
where he can devote his time to prayer and supplication, and communion
with God. He, therefore, left us sometime ago, but our hopes are high that
in a very short time he will come home to the Holy Land. For the moment,
then, this wronged and sad one has answered, however briefly, the letter
from your distinguished Assembly.
56: You have offered up thanks to the Lord for ...
(182) You have offered up thanks to the Lord for appointing the Centre of
His Cause and the Guardian of His Covenant, and have voiced your gratitude
and expressed your spiritual sentiments, for this favour and grace.
It is true, in all the world there could be no mercy greater than this, no
bounty more abundant.
'Abdu'l-Baha, may our lives be sacrificed for His sacred dust, has
bestowed on us a wondrous gift, a most great favour. He has clearly shown
us the highway of guidance and explicitly designated the Centre toward
whom all the people of Baha must turn, and with His own bounteous pen has
written down for us what will ensure prosperity and progress, and
salvation and bliss, for evermore.
Now is the time to arise and serve with all our powers, that we may grow
happier day by day, and fill our hearts with warmth and joy.
57: The Ancient Beauty, the Most Great Name, ...
(183) The Ancient Beauty, the Most Great Name, has, through the splendours
of His grace in this most glorious of all ages, made this world of dust to
radiate light. The loving counsels of 'Abdu'l-Baha have turned the beloved
of the Lord into signs and tokens of humility and lowliness. He has taught
them selflessness, and freedom from material things, and detachment from
the world, and has enabled them to understand the verities of Heaven.
In that supernal realm we are all but motes; in the court of the Lord
God's majesty we are but helpless shadows. He is the Shelter for all; He
is the Protector of all; He is the Helper of all; He is the Preserver of
all. Whensoever we look upon ourselves, we, one and all, despair; but He,
with all His grace, His bestowals, His bounties, is the close Companion of
each one.
It is certain that tests and trials are inseparable from this life and a
vital requirement thereof, especially for the human race and above all for
those who claim to have faith and love. Only through trials can the
genuine be known from the worthless, and purity from pollution, and the
real from the false. The meaning of the sacred verse: 'Do men think when
they say 'We believe' they shall be let alone and not be put to
proof?'(184) prevails at all times and is applicable at every breath, and
fire will only bring out the brightness of the gold.
So it is my hope that with lowliness and a contrite heart, with
supplications and prayers, with good intentions and faithfulness, with
purity of heart and adherence to the truth, with rising up to serve and
with the blessings and confirmations of the Lord, we may come into a
realm, and arrive at a condition, where we shall live under His
overshadowing mercy, and His helping hand shall come to our aid and
succour.
58: After the construction of the Bab's Shrine ...
(185) After the construction of the Bab's Shrine on Mount Carmel, it was
the wish and intention of 'Abdu'l-Baha--may our lives be sacrificed for His
holy dust--to open a path that would lead directly from the Shrine to the
German Avenue. Time and again He referred to this project and explained
how it should be built. You are no doubt familiar with this matter.
However, in those days many obstacles stood in the way, preventing the
execution of this important project. Among them was a house located at the
beginning of this path at the foot of the mountain, which belonged to one
of the German settlers. This house had become a serious barrier, inasmuch
as the owner had turned down every offer for the purchase of the property.
The German community had adopted a policy in the administration of the
real estate within the boundary of their settlement which required them
not to sell any tract of land or any house within that area to outsiders,
no matter how lucrative the payment might be. This ruling was strictly
observed by them and had developed into an insurmountable barrier. Another
obstacle was that the projected path would pass through tracts of land
which belonged to different people, and some of them were unable to sell
their property due to legal problems, while others deliberately would not
sell since they had perceived that this path was exclusively intended for
access to the Baha'i Shrine and that the Baha'is would eventually be
compelled, no matter when, to pay an enormous sum for the acquisition of
this land. Thus immersed in the sea of visionary hopes and dreams they
categorically refused to sell. So days and nights, and months and years
passed by until the hand of divine power wrought a change in the whole
situation, and the truth of the words: 'He shall establish His ascendancy
over His dominion as He pleaseth' was fulfilled; for not long afterwards
this territory was occupied by the equitable Government of Great Britain,
and the local authorities, acting according to their own judgement,
decided that the existence of the above house in that locality was
undesirable. Therefore they demolished the house, cleared the site and
carried away the stones. Then the Municipal Engineer prepared a design for
the path, emphasizing that the opening of that path to the Baha'i Shrine
was imperative. This design received the blessed attention of 'Abdu'l-Baha
Who graciously approved it and expressed His satisfaction and appreciation
to the Municipal Engineer. Later on, with the aid of divine confirmations,
enough land was purchased from the remaining tracts through which the path
passed.
59: At the Threshold of the Lord of Mercy we ...
(186) At the Threshold of the Lord of Mercy we supplicate Him to grant
perception and understanding to the ignorant, to awaken and bestow
awareness upon those who are fast asleep and to give the eye of insight to
the men of authority who conduct the affairs of the people, so that they
may clearly distinguish the peace-maker from the mischief-maker, the
faithful from the traitor, and the well-wisher from the ill-wisher.
60: The adherents of the Faith of Baha'u'llah ...
(187) The adherents of the Faith of Baha'u'llah have, under all
circumstances throughout the past sixty years or more, clearly proved
themselves to be the well-wishers of all governments and peoples and have
demonstrated that they are lovers of peace, are sincere, trustworthy and
devoted. However, they often become the object of calumny and slander
uttered by some foolish people. Indeed, such has ever been the way of God.
From time immemorial even to this day the chosen ones of God have always
been exposed to the woes and sufferings that the disdainful have inflicted
upon them. They have been made the targets of the darts and spears of
hatred and enmity that the heedless have unloosed upon them. Yet it is
clear and evident that the loved ones of God will always, with the whole
affection of their hearts and souls, welcome every tribulation in the path
of the peerless Beloved and will, with utmost joy and love, accept the
pain of every grievous wound for the sake of the incomparable One. Far
from grieving or complaining, they offer praise and thanksgiving to Him
Who is the Sovereign Lord of all. They commit their affairs to the care of
the Lord of all mankind and surrender everything to Him Whose power is
irresistible. He is the Potent, the Powerful, the Avenger, the
All-Compelling.
61: Regarding the Centre of Sedition and his ...
(188) Regarding the Centre of Sedition(189) and his scrolls of doubt, this
individual, for a period of thirty years, both within and without the
Cause, was busy with his mischief-making, and planting his seeds of
contention and dissension. He had in mind but one concern, one single
thought: to create discord in the Faith. All this is well known to
everyone, it is clear as the noonday sun, and is set forth in the Writings
of the Centre of the Covenant, including His Will and Testament, where
this person's evil intentions, satanic plots and diabolic acts are a
matter of record, and there is no need to elaborate on them here.
So things were until recent times, when we were subjected to this direst
of all ordeals. Once again, the Centre of Sedition, believing that the
field was his, and seizing the occasion, rose up and began to spread
abroad his scrolls of doubt, heedless of the fact that the instructions
and commandments of the Blessed Beauty, may His Name be glorified, and the
counsels of 'Abdu'l-Baha, may our souls be sacrificed for His meekness,
had reinforced the base of the Cause, and firmly established the edifice
of the Word of God, and They had, through God's favour and grace, drawn
Their faithful loved ones into a realm where no power in all the world,
nor the awesome majesty nor the onslaughts of the world's embattled
armies, could so much as disturb the faith of a single Baha'i child, nor
make him to stray from the path that leads aright. How much less could
such as he affect those noble personages every one of whom is rooted firm
in the love of God, and stands immovable as the high mountains!
God be praised, during all these long years, all this individual ever
achieved was injury to himself, and the defeat of his plans, and the
disappointment of his hopes. Nor will he ever have anything more.
In recent times, especially, from whatever direction he mounted his
attack, he discovered a solid barrier that proved impossible to assail,
and found his slings and arrows of doubt turned back against himself. Thus
were fulfilled the words of 'Abdu'l-Baha in His Will and Testament, that
'The Centre of Sedition was ... confounded in his craftiness...' To
whatsoever place this person addressed his evil treatises of doubt, these
same treatises were sent straight back to him, some with a reply, some
without, and thus he found it hopeless to make a breach in the Cause of
God.
62: Your letter has come, and I myself and the ...
(190) Your letter has come, and I myself and the Holy Family were
infinitely grieved to learn of the sufferings you have undergone, being
made as you were the targets of such injustice, malevolence and
aggression.
Since, however, you stood firm and steadfast and unchanging, as the arrows
of tyranny came against you, and since this happened for the sake of the
Blessed Beauty, and in the pathway of the One Beloved, it behoves you to
thank God and praise Him, for having singled you out for this great
bounty.
For this clamour and uproar, the blows, the abuse, the taunts, the curses,
when borne for love of the All-Bounteous Lord, are but festive days and
times for jubilee.
God be praised, you have been given a drop out of that ocean of
tribulations that swept across the Exalted One and the Beauty of the
All-Glorious, you were granted a droplet out of the seas of calamity that
engulfed 'Abdu'l-Baha.
The evil ones did not destroy the Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar, nor will they
ever; it was their own house that they brought down in ruins and gave to
the winds. They did not burn down the school, they put the flame to their
own roots.
Lofty is the structure of the House of Worship; it is certain that you
will build a new and greater one. Be you confident of the bestowals of the
Blessed Beauty and the gifts and blessings of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
63: The sad news about the death of your ...
(191) The sad news about the death of your husband has just reached us; we
fully sympathize with you. When one meditates over the general trend of
affairs and drinks deep from the fountain of the teachings of Baha'u'llah
and 'Abdu'l-Baha he is bound to come to the conclusion that this world is
no world of attachment; nay rather it constantly gives us the lesson of
keeping aloof as far as possible from it. This point becomes clearer now
that the physical body of the Master is taken away from us. We should
really congratulate the departing ones because they leave this world of
pains and troubles and enter the eternal bliss of being with holy spirits
which have been working to detach humanity from the ephemeral world.
64: The letter you have written was received ...
(192) The letter you have written was received with the utmost joy for it
was to us not only a message of love and unity but a message of humble
devotion and servitude at the divine Threshold. It was not only the cause
of comfort to our broken hearts but also a divine balm to our souls and we
are sure that the spirit which that letter bore is the one which reigns in
the heart of each single member of that united assembly.
You have written that your number is small; but it is decidedly true that
it is not numbers that count, it is, rather, the sincerity and devotion of
the hearts. It is the heart that, subduing within itself all earthly
cares, shines forth resplendent in the realm of love and selflessness,
attracting to itself the souls of the weary and depressed, soothing their
wounds with the balm of this Message. This new Revelation has in reality
been the water of life unto the thirsty, a sea of knowledge unto the
searcher, a message of condolence to the weary and a new spirit and life
to the whole world. And now it remains that we, the humble servants of our
Lord should be confirmed, through our own effort and through His bounty to
diffuse this light everywhere and to carry this Glad Tidings to every
cottage and princely home.
We ask God to make each one of that assembly a herald of love wherever he
may go and that he may be accepted as a humble servant of His Lord.
65: All praise be unto the Court of Holiness, ...
(193) All praise be unto the Court of Holiness, that God has drawn certain
blessed souls, entities delicate and pure, unto a realm where they have no
desire save the good-pleasure of the Beloved; where, in the pathway of the
Ancient Beauty and their devotion to 'Abdu'l-Baha, they yearn for naught
and have no other aim but to offer themselves up, to serve, to guide
humankind, and to wander, homeless and portionless, over the earth.
Such promptings derive from the blessings and confirmations of the Abha
Kingdom. Such impulses come when a soul is cleaving fast to the eternal
world.... As to your not being present in the Holy Land on the occasion of
the anniversary of His Passing, nor able to take part with these bereaved
ones in our mourning for the setting of the Sun of the Covenant: be
assured that in that dread hour, that calamitous time, the souls of the
people of Baha were, one and all, circumambulating His resplendent
resting-place, and the lamentation and wailing of this faithful band were
continually rising up to the heavenly Throne. And that immaculate Spirit
must have gazed down upon them from the realms on high, and bestowed upon
them all His grace, and grieved over the grieving of them all, and
consoled and soothed them all, and supplicated, even as He now
supplicates, His Supreme Companion to grant unto every one of them fervour
and joy, and ardour and bliss, and detachment from the world, and
steadfast faith.
It is our hope that we all shall be blessed and confirmed in whatever
befits this day.
66: It has been demonstrated time and time ...
(194) It has been demonstrated time and time again that whatever comes to
pass only enhances the glory of God's Faith, and further proclaims His
Word. This time it will be the same.
However savage this tempest of trials, however battered by surging waves
the Ark of the Faith may be, still, the Divine Mariner has taken into His
own two powerful hands the helm of this Ark--and He, steady, calm and able,
and endowed with all authority and might, is steering its course, and will
bring it at last safe and secure to its glorious haven. Of this there can
be no question.
You have sent us the good news that the believers are arising to serve the
Faith and are loyal and devoted to the Chosen Branch, the Guardian of the
Cause of God. This news rejoiced our hearts.
We pray for you most humbly at the Holy Thresholds, and beg of God to
grant His ever-increasing confirmations and blessings to all of you.
67: The cheque for the amount of two hundred ...
(195) The cheque for the amount of two hundred pounds that you had sent as
your contribution to the Temple Fund has been received and duly forwarded
to Chicago. Behold what a pervasive power this evidence of co-operation
and support, this spirit of selfless consecration is bound to release in
the realm of the heart and spirit. Consider to what extent the world of
human virtues will be enriched and adorned by this munificent act, and how
glorious the light that this manifestation of unity and solidarity is
likely to shed upon all regions. Indeed, this mighty endeavour has been
accomplished despite the adverse economic situation in Persia, where the
evidences of hardship, privation and depression are clearly apparent. But
since the object of this noble enterprise and praiseworthy effort is to
enhance the glory of the Cause of God, therefore it will unfailingly
attract divine blessings and bounty.
68: It is clear and evident that the body of ...
(196) It is clear and evident that the body of mankind in this day stands
in dire need of such members and organs as are capable, useful and active,
so that their movements and activities, their bearing and behaviour, their
tender feelings, lofty sentiments and noble intentions may at all times
reflect heavenly virtues and perfections and become the expressions of
divine attributes and saintly characteristics, thus breathing a new life
and spirit into all the dwellers of the world and causing the inner ties
and spiritual relationships to be fostered and fortified in all fields of
human endeavour.
69: We beseech God--exalted be His glory--to ...
(197) We beseech God--exalted be His glory--to grant awareness and insight
to the men of wisdom as well as to those who hold in their grasp the reins
of power in Persia, that they may be able to distinguish the right way
from the crooked and devious path and may clearly discern the well-wisher
from the ill-wisher with a true and genuine sense of discrimination.
As regards the amelioration of your own affairs, let us entrust the whole
matter to the Blessed Beauty. He is the best Benefactor, unsurpassed in
His bounty.
70: Your letter of 12th October 1922 is just ...
(198) Your letter of 12th October 1922 is just received and refreshed in
our memory the many beautiful days that you spent here when the Beloved
Lord, 'Abdu'l-Baha, was still on this earth. Those are days that many
events of history could never efface from the hearts, nay rather the
further we go in the scale of life the deeper become the impressions
thereof within the meshes of our inner life.
I read your letter with full attention and in the course of the reading
the words of the Master were ringing in my ear; words that have descended
like showers on all souls and hearts that could understand. Now is the
time when we should forget everything and concentrate our thoughts upon
the advancement of the Cause of God and strive day and night that the
principles and teachings of His Holiness Baha'u'llah and the words of the
Master may find full expression in the hearts of the true friends.
When I think over the history of the Cause and the many difficulties that
all its promoters have undergone I unhesitatingly am convinced that the
sincere friends who have watched the events will not lose a moment but
will with all their hearts and souls sacrifice everything of worth in
order to realize that for which the Divine plan has been working.
Have all your thoughts directed to the Master and heed not what you hear
from here or there. We hope that soon beloved Shoghi Effendi will come
back to Haifa and things will resume their natural course. What we need
today is complete unity amongst the friends and this will attract the
Divine assistance from the Abha Kingdom.
All the members of the Holy family remember you and pray for you at the
Holy Shrines. We hope to hear much good news from you; this will be the
Cause of the Master's happiness as He always wished to hear from you good
news. Convey my Abha greetings to all the brothers and sisters there.
71: All praise to the beloved Abha Beauty, ...
(199) All praise to the beloved Abha Beauty, that those nightingales of
the gardens of knowledge, those doves of the fragrant bowers of certitude,
are singing the holy verses on the boughs of grace and bounty, celebrating
the praise and glory of the Lord of the worlds, chanting His holy words,
carolling to Him hymns of love, and extolling and lauding His blessed
name.
God be thanked, the spirits rejoice, the hearts are full of fervour, the
souls are held spellbound by that shining Face. The Blessed Beauty's sea
of bounty is rolling up great waves; He is casting the rays of His grace
over the world and all its peoples; the clouds of His liberal bestowals
are showering down, the sun of His generosity is shining bright.
In its every aspect, this noblest of Dispensations and greatest of eras is
something set apart, for it is most exalted, most glorious, and
distinguished from the past. In no wise is it to be compared with the ages
gone before. So plainly, in this mighty day, have the mysteries been laid
bare, that to the perceptive and the initiated and those who have attained
the knowledge of divine secrets, they appear as tangible realities. In
this new Day the stars of allusions and hints have fallen, for the Sun of
explicit texts has risen, and the Moon of expositions and interpretations
has shone above all horizons.
As expressly stated in the Holy Text, a specific Centre has been give us.
With His own pen has 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Centre of the Covenant, selected
and appointed Shoghi Effendi, the Chosen Branch, the Guardian of the Cause
of God, the interpreter of the Book of God, so that the highway of divine
guidance has been clearly marked out and lighted up for all the ages to
come. This bounty is one of the distinguishing features of this mightiest
of Dispensations, a special grace allotted to this age.
It is my hope that we all shall arise, thus to prove our gratitude for all
these rich bestowals and gifts, and serve the Cause of God and spread the
holy Teachings and speedily carry out the instructions of 'Abdu'l-Baha--so
that day by day the limits of the Faith will be extended, and the seekers
will find their goal, and the lovers reach the beauty of the Beloved, and
the thirsty come to crystal waters, and spiritual joys embrace mankind,
and every heart be gladdened.
72: Your kind and loving letter written with an ...