sincere devotion for our beloved 'Abdu'l-Baha and His Cause has been duly
received. It spoke of that painful story where earthly cares and physical
illnesses have prevented blessed souls, so overflowing with love, to shine
in this dark and dismal world. Nevertheless, dear sister, rest assured and
never be sorrowful. It is in one of the foremost Tablets of Baha'u'llah
that He says: 'Verily God hath made adversity as a morning dew upon His
green pasture, and a wick for His lamp which lighteth earth and heaven.'
Meaning thereby that physical illnesses and misfortunes certainly make a
person nearer and nearer to his Lord. Why then should we sorrow over
earthly hindrances when we have done what we possibly could, and when we
are sure that this, our little service, will certainly be acceptable in
His Sight?
I was very glad to know that even with all these hindrances you could give
the Message to certain souls and I eagerly hope that they in turn will
acquire the love with which you taught them and will never stop giving
this Glad Tidings to every soul they meet.
73: Praise be to God that through the gracious ...
(201) Praise be to God that through the gracious assistance of the Abha
Kingdom those devoted friends have been enabled to achieve that which
befits the glory of the Cause of God and the protection of the community
of the followers of Baha'u'llah. This is none other than to foster unity
and fellowship under all conditions, to strengthen the bonds of harmony
and concord in all things, and to avoid political matters. It is
particularly important to refrain from making unfavourable remarks or
statements concerning the friends and the loved ones of God, inasmuch as
any expression of grievance, of complaint or backbiting is incompatible
with the requirements of unity and harmony and would dampen the spirit of
love, fellowship and nobility. Therefore it is incumbent upon the members
of the exalted Spiritual Assembly to exercise the utmost care with firm
determination and not to allow the doors of complaint and grievance to be
opened, or permit any of the friends to indulge in censure and backbiting.
Whoever sets himself to do so, even though he be the very embodiment of
the Holy Spirit, should realize that such behaviour would create
disruption among the people of Baha and would cause the standard of
sedition to be raised.
In these days when the peoples of the world are thirsting for the
teachings of the Abha Beauty--teachings that provide the incomparable,
life-giving waters of immortality--when we Baha'is have pledged ourselves
to proffer these living waters to all mankind and are known to be prepared
to endure every suffering and tribulation, how pitiful it would be if,
despite all this, we were to neglect our binding obligations and
responsibilities and to occupy ourselves with disagreeable discussions
that provoke irritation and distress and to turn our attention to matters
that lead to ill-feeling, to despondency and unhappiness and reduce the
penetrating influence of the Word of God.
74: Your letter was received and its contents ...
(202) Your letter was received and its contents were perused. The scrolls
you had enclosed were clearly understood. They are of no consequence
whatsoever, nor are they worthy of any attention. The letter you have
written in reply, although brief, is adequate and conclusive. What you
have written, even as the tablet of your heart, is illumined with the
light of constancy and steadfastness, and indicates your firmness and
determination in upholding His Covenant. In truth this is the essential
thing.
Following the ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha--may our lives be offered up for
His holy Dust--the Covenant-breakers, using every means in their power,
busied themselves in spreading false reports. No calumny, no slander did
they spare. Likewise, after the ascension of the Ancient Beauty, the Most
Great Name--may the life of all created things be sacrificed for His holy
dust--the people of doubt and hesitation seized upon every means and arose
to destroy the edifice of the Cause, to profane the honour of the Lord and
to violate His Covenant. Yet, during all this time and under all
conditions these bereaved and oppressed ones, with faces set towards His
luminous Threshold, held fast to the cord of patience and resignation,
engaged themselves in offering fervent prayers and supplications and
committed all their affairs to the care of the Blessed Beauty. For in
truth He is the Refuge of the oppressed and the unfailing Comforter of the
anguished, whereas the Centre of Sedition and his following have gathered
no fruit from their rebellious acts save despondency and utter loss.
75: It was sometime ago that I received your ...
(203) It was sometime ago that I received your kind and encouraging letter
through your honourable secretary. And although in a joyless world, the
love and unity of the friends in Yonkers imparted the utmost joy to this
bereaved family. Great indeed as was my desire to reciprocate those kind
sentiments so beautifully expressed in your letter, it is truly
unfortunate that I should have delayed the answer so long.
For the last few weeks we have all been happy over Shoghi Effendi's safe
arrival and we really miss all our beloved brethren and sisters in this
little town of Haifa. Last night's sad and solemn occasion was passed in
prayer and meditation. The loved ones of that dear Master had all gathered
from the countries near by to join His family in commemorating the
anniversary of His passing. In a night of utter silence with the rich
moonlight flooding the precincts of His Shrine, the humble devotees of
'Abdu'l-Baha had gathered in a little group just near His Tomb; and in
prayerful supplications they outpoured with their tears the woe of their
hearts refilling them again with faith in His loving-kindness and high
hopes for the future.
On such an occasion, dear friends, what better can we do than to realize
one and all that our dear Master has for ever gone from our midst, and yet
with the surest faith in His tender Spirit we should arise with one
accord, aided and guided by our beloved Guardian, to dedicate our lives to
the Cause for which He was a living sacrifice. Deep and painful as that
thought may be, it should fill our hearts with faith in the Lord. Then and
only then can we lead His Cause into a glorious victory.
76: You quite well realize, I presume, that ...
(204) You quite well realize, I presume, that Shoghi Effendi has always
cherished the fondest hopes for your services to the Cause of
'Abdu'l-Baha, and I am sure that your achievements will be great, shining
brilliantly as a star. The field is world-wide and with but a noble spirit
and faith in the Lord we can carry to every home this Message of peace and
brotherhood.
77: The Pen of the divine Ordainer has so ...
(205) The Pen of the divine Ordainer has so decreed that this house of
sorrows should be encompassed by unending calamity and pain. Even before
the dark clouds of one disaster are scattered, the lowering storm of yet a
new grief takes over, casting its darkness across the inner skies of the
heart. Such has been the lot of this broken-hearted one and the other
leaves of the Holy Tree, from earliest childhood until this hour; such has
been the fruit we have plucked from the tree of our lives.
We can see before us the Holy Shrine where lies the blessed, riddled body
of the Primal Point, and memory of the delicate and tender remains of
other martyrs passes before our eyes. The remembrance of the Ancient
Beauty's dungeon in Tihran, and that most noble Being's exile from city to
city, culminating in the murk of the Akka prison, is engraved upon our
minds. The calamities, the massive afflictions, endured by 'Abdu'l-Baha
throughout His entire life, and His wailing at the break of dawn are
recorded for all time upon the tablets of the soul, and those cries that
rose out of His luminous heart will linger on in the mind's ear.
It is clear, too, how the most dire of all ordeals, the ascension of the
divine Beauty, made the structure of our existence to topple down; how
being deprived of Him consumed the very limbs of our bodies. And when our
fiery tears brought on by this were not yet dried, and the heart's wound
had not healed over, then the bearer of God's decree called us to yet
another anguish, that dire calamity, that terrible disaster, the passing
of 'Abdu'l-Baha. Then were we, the sorrow-stricken, thrust again into the
fires of separation, and the pitch darkness of deep mourning enshrouded
this family.
Beloved friends of the Blessed Beauty: what could have been the purpose of
those holy Beings in enduring such agonies? Why did those precious and
luminous souls accept all that hardship and pain? Any just observer will
acknowledge that They had no other end in view but to better the human
race, and cleanse it from the imperfections of this contingent world, and
see to its advancement, and endow all peoples with the wondrous virtues of
humankind. Thanks be to God's bounties, the signs of such perfections, the
lights of such bestowals, have become clearly manifest throughout the
world. The tree of His Cause grows ever more massive, day by day, and
heavier with fruit, and from moment to moment taller, and it shall cast
its wondrous shade over all who seek its shelter.
The fruit of these boughs is plain to see: this Tree will bear sincere
love and true friendship, traits of Heaven and qualities of God. This
immortal Tree will yield kindness and humbleness, learning and wisdom, and
the divine virtues.
The aim of those blessed Ones, then, those Temples of holiness, in
enduring, over a whole century, all Their trials and tribulations, was to
firmly establish a way of life whereby human character in general and that
of God's loved ones in particular would be rectified. To such a degree
must this come to pass that from their very breathing and walking, their
rising up, sitting still, moving about, their every act--it can clearly be
seen that they are different from those others who are neglectful of God
and veiled away from Him: that they can be distinguished from the others
as easily as you can tell the day-star from the dark.
Although through the mighty influence of the Word of God the inner self of
each of the friends and of those who are steadfast in His perfect Covenant
is held fast by the magnet of His love, and they are known in every land
by this distinguishing characteristic and are everywhere illumined by this
light--still the thing to remember is this: until the accidental events
which arise from the world of the trivial and the personal are completely
lost in the world of the universal, that is, in the bounties and
attributes of the Merciful--that true and primal glory can never be
revealed as it merits, nor ever show forth the beauty with which it is
endowed. Let every steadfast soul ever bear in mind the anguish of those
holy Beings and the trials They endured, and because of the wrongs They
suffered, and the blood of the martyrs in His path, out of pity for what
has befallen God's Cause and His Law, put the good of the Cause before any
other good, and its honour before any other. Let him face every problem,
whether minor or major, with goodwill and purity of motive. Let him not
make of God's Law, created as it was to bring about unity and love, a
means of discord. 'Abdu'l-Baha says: 'If religion be the cause of
disunity, then irreligion is surely to be preferred.'
Today as well, the Chosen Branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God, is at
all times waiting expectantly--and indeed, it is the most cherished desire
of his heart--to see this reality, this proof of serious effort, this
feature that distinguishes the Baha'is from all others, clearly and
unmistakably revealed in the life of every single Baha'i.
As is well known, at the time when the Day-Star of the Covenant did set,
the Chosen Branch was absent from this luminous Spot, and when he received
the terrifying news of that direst of ordeals, he was overcome by a grief
such as no words can describe. Broken in health, his heart brimful of
sorrows, he returned to this blessed place. At that time the unfaithful,
with extreme perversity and at a high point of rebellion, were openly and
secretly spreading their calumnies, and this behaviour of theirs added
still more to the Guardian's burden of grief. He left, therefore, and
spent some time in seclusion, carrying on the affairs of the Faith, seeing
to its interests and its institutions, communing with God, and imploring
His help.
The Lord be praised, because of the divine bounties, during his absence
there were such evidences of staunchness and loyalty and high resolve and
unity and love and fervour among all the friends, men and women alike,
both of East and West, and in the Holy Land--that on the one hand the
Centre of Sedition, and the arrogant and the malevolent, found themselves
utterly defeated, their hopes of making a breach in the Faith bitterly
disappointed, while on the other, the exemplary quality and sound
condition of the believers, as referred to, was a comfort to the
Guardian's heart. Thus he was able, happy now and in perfect health, to
return to this Spot, and to carry out his sacred obligations.
By this time a great many matters of the utmost importance had
accumulated, and letters were coming in continuously from individuals and
communities, which for lack of time could not be dealt with individually.
The Guardian therefore dispensed with replies to individuals and sent out
general letters to the Spiritual Assemblies, in which in the clearest
terms he set forth the obligations devolving upon all, and gave the
friends his instructions. These basic spiritual guidelines were received
by the believers with great delight and the utmost joy; they immediately
put them into practice, and thus the preliminary steps were taken, and in
every area progress was being made to an ever-increasing degree.
Now, however, as the letters continually streamed in, the contents of one
or two of them showed that among some of the believers a certain
ill-feeling had arisen, and further, that some did not, as they should,
respect and duly defer to their Spiritual Assembly. It is obvious what an
effect this kind of news, whether implied or clearly stated, had on the
Guardian's heart, and what an unfavourable reaction it produced. The
result was that for the second time his health failed, and then, at the
importunity of this evanescent soul and the urgent entreaties of the Holy
Household and the repeated appeals of those in close association with
him--he went away last summer.
This proved of the greatest benefit to him, and his health was completely
restored. And then, one following the next, there came in good reports
from Spiritual Assemblies everywhere, and other gatherings and groups, and
also individuals, and this brought him great joy; so much so that
following that summer's journey, out of his intense love for the
believers, he began to correspond even with individuals; and continually,
in the various meetings, he would express his satisfaction with and praise
of all the servants of the Blessed Beauty's Threshold and the loyal
friends of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
Alas, however, once again in some communities, he noted from certain
letters an absence of spirituality and good-fellowship among some of the
friends, and a lack of respect among some for their Assemblies. Once more,
as a result of this, his heart was filled with sorrow and once again he
decided on departure. This lowly maidservant and the other members of the
Household and all the Holy Leaves did all we could to blot away this grief
from his radiant spirit. When in his presence, we would bring up all the
good news that by the grace of God continued to pour in, and to speak of
the staunchness, the loyalty, the love, the sacrifices of the believers
both of East and West. We begged him to reconsider his decision--but to no
avail.
He told us: 'My heart is sensitive. Just as I feel the ill-feeling that
exists between individuals, and am injured by it, so too do I treasure the
excellent qualities of the believers; indeed, I hold these dearer than
words can tell. After that most dread ordeal, the one and only solace of
my heart was the loyalty, the staunchness, the love of the friends for the
Blessed Beauty and for 'Abdu'l-Baha. Nothing can ever detract from the
value of such excellent qualities, and I am deeply grateful to all the
friends, men and women alike, for this. And yet, this love of theirs, with
all its fervour, can never, by itself, bring the Ark of the Faith to the
longed-for shore. It can never prove the claims of the people of Baha to
the people of the world. To safeguard the religion of God and reinforce
its power, the friends must make use of effective means: their love must
be so great that they worship one another, and shut any mutual ill-feeling
out of their hearts.
'If, for example, the non-Baha'is should ask the friends, "What
differentiates you from all the rest?", and if, to this, the friends
answer, "In the pathway of our love for the Centre of our Faith, we would
sacrifice our lives and possessions," those of the civilized world would
never be content with such a reply. They would merely say: "Your love,
your sacrifice for a single individual cannot possibly serve as a remedy
for the chronic ills which plague society today." If the friends then
answer: "Our religion provides principles and moral teachings whose value
the wisest of the day cannot deny," this will be the response: "Noble
principles and teachings will produce an effect on human character, and
heal the mortal sicknesses which afflict society, only at such time when
those who claim to believe in and support them are themselves the first to
act upon them, and to demonstrate and incorporate the value and the
benefits of them in their own everyday transactions and lives." Unless
this comes about, there is nothing to distinguish the Baha'is from the
rest.'
He also told us: 'The people of the world are carefully watching the
Baha'is today, and minutely observing them. The believers must make every
effort, and take the utmost care to ward off and remove any feelings of
estrangement, and consider themselves duty-bound to comply with the
decisions of their Spiritual Assemblies. To the same degree that
ill-feeling among some of the believers has cast its shadow on my heart,
to that same degree will my heart reflect their mutual agreement,
understanding and loving affection, and their deference to the authority
of their Spiritual Assemblies. And whenever I shall feel such lights
reflected, I will at once return to the Holy Land and engage in the
fulfilment of my sacred obligations. Convey this message of mine to all
the friends.'
It is now two weeks since he made this touching statement and left the
Holy Land.
O dearly-loved ones of 'Abdu'l-Baha! We know from His sacred Will that we
must 'Take the greatest care of Shoghi Effendi ... that no dust of
despondency and sorrow may stain his radiant nature' and that the tree of
his spiritual being may bear fruit. We must ever keep this in mind, and
from hour to hour we must develop our heedfulness, our love and affection,
our sagacity and magnanimity.
It is the hope of this writer that the friends of God will put forth such
efforts, and will so radiate their love for Him, as to light up the world;
a love that will make the heart of the Guardian leap for joy, and then,
God willing, he will soon come back again, so that before I close my eyes
upon this life, the separation I endure will be over, and I can bid you
all farewell with a happy heart.
My only joy, in these my numbered days, and the joy of the Master's
consort, rests in the hands of those well-loved friends of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
Upon you be the glory of the All-Glorious.
78: 'O God, My God! Thou hast lighted the lamp of ...
(206) 'O God, My God! Thou hast lighted the lamp of Thy Cause with the oil
of wisdom; protect it from contrary winds. The lamp is Thine and the glass
is Thine, and all things in the heavens and on earth are in the grasp of
Thy power.'(207)
O servants of the Abha Beauty's sacred Threshold, O beloved friends of
'Abdu'l-Baha!
It is well known that from the earliest dawning of the Sun of Revelation,
until the setting of the holy Covenant's Orb, the Ark of the Faith has
continuously been battered by great waves of affliction, and beaten by
calamity's storms. Tempest and whirlwind have ever assailed this holy
Tree.
Still, the exalted Star has continued on its destined journey, and despite
the piled-up clouds of hate and error, its rays of grace have illumined
the whole earth.
The Ark of Salvation was made the safe refuge of the righteous, and the
holy Tree was hung with bright, immortal fruit, so that the honeyed yield
of the love of God is sweet on the lips of His people. Out of the grace of
the Blessed Beauty, eyes began to see, and ears to hear, and through the
bounty of 'Abdu'l-Baha the spirits turned vigilant, and souls awoke, and
to the hearts were divine mysteries confided, and individuals became
day-springs of light.
And for ever and ever, time without end, the glance of God's bounty and
bestowal is, from the hidden world above, unceasingly cast down, and He
watches over us with favour and grace. It behoves us, then, to offer up
thanks with every breath, and to be blissful at all times.
Although the towering citadel of God's Cause is upraised on foundations of
iron, and His Word is founded on authority and power, and the loyal and
firm in His Covenant, through the blessings of the Abha Paradise, stand
immovable as the mountains, and are fast-rooted in their love--still, the
hurricanes of tests are mighty as well, and from every side comes the
thundering roar of violent commotions and bitter trials. From these, at
every moment each one of us should beg of God to defend and protect us.
Let us call to mind the clear statements and the warnings revealed by the
Blessed Beauty, and the explanations and commentaries of 'Abdu'l-Baha,
particularly as found in His Will and Testament. This Testament was the
last song of that Dove of the Rose-garden of Eternity, and He sang it on
the branch of the Tree of bestowal and grace. It was His principal gift,
indeed the greatest of all splendours that radiated forth from that
Day-Star of bounty, out of the firmament of His bestowals. This Testament
was the strong barricade built by the blessed hands of that wronged, that
peerless One, to protect the garden of God's Faith. It was the mighty
stronghold circling the edifice of the Law of God. This was an overflowing
treasure which the Beloved freely gave, a goodly and precious legacy, left
by Him to the people of Baha. In all the world, no gift could equal this;
no dazzling gem could rival such a precious pearl.
With His own pen, He designated as Guardian of the Cause of God, Shoghi
Effendi Rabbani, the Chosen Branch, and made him the 'blest and sacred
bough that hath branched out from the Twin Holy Trees,' to be the one to
whom all must turn, the centre and focus of all on earth.
In unmistakable terms did He set forth the obligations and elucidated the
nature of the institutions of God's Holy Faith. He laid hold of discord's
tree and brought it down. He for ever shut the door on conflicting
interpretations and views. With every breath ought we to offer praise and
thanks to the God of Grace for this bestowal. It is incumbent upon us to
read and meditate on the contents of the Will and Testament at all times,
and implore God at His Holy Threshold that He will aid us to carry out
whatsoever it ordains.
A few days ago I sent out a general letter. A detailed, and recent, letter
from the Guardian to all the people of Baha was likewise sent out, and it
is certain that you will be reading it; it is essential to circulate it
among all the friends. What I mean is, that because of my great and
spiritual love for you, the steadfast lovers of God and His Covenant, I
have now set about writing this present letter as well.