THE WORLD ORDER OF BAHA'U'LLAH
(U.S., First pocket-sized edition, 1991)
FILENAME: WOB.FN
FILEDATE: 08-06-94
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THE WORLD ORDER OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
To the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís
of the United States and Canada.
Dearly-beloved co-workers:
I have been acquainted by the perusal of your latest communications
with the nature of the doubts that have been publicly expressed,
by one who is wholly misinformed as to the true precepts of the
Cause, regarding the validity of institutions that stand inextricably
interwoven with the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. Not that I for a moment
view such faint misgivings in the light of an open challenge to the
structure that embodies the Faith, nor is it because I question in the
least the unyielding tenacity of the faith of the American believers,
if I venture to dwell upon what seems to me appropriate observations
at the present stage of the evolution of our beloved Cause. I
am indeed inclined to welcome these expressed apprehensions inasmuch
as they afford me an opportunity to familiarize the elected
representatives of the believers with the origin and the character of
the institutions which stand at the very basis of the World Order
ushered in by Bahá'u'lláh. We should feel truly thankful for such
futile attempts to undermine our beloved Faith--attempts that protrude
their ugly face from time to time, seem for a while able to
create a breach in the ranks of the faithful, recede finally into the
obscurity of oblivion, and are thought of no more. Such incidents
we should regard as the interpositions of Providence, designed to
fortify our faith, to clarify our vision, and to deepen our understanding
of the essentials of His Divine Revelation.
Sources of the Bahá'í World Order
It would, however, be helpful and instructive to bear in mind
certain basic principles with reference to the Will and Testament
of `Abdu'l-Bahá, which, together with the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, constitutes
the chief depository wherein are enshrined those priceless elements
of that Divine Civilization, the establishment of which is the primary
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mission of the Bahá'í Faith. A study of the provisions of these
sacred documents will reveal the close relationship that exists between
them, as well as the identity of purpose and method which
they inculcate. Far from regarding their specific provisions as incompatible
and contradictory in spirit, every fair-minded inquirer
will readily admit that they are not only complementary, but that
they mutually confirm one another, and are inseparable parts of one
complete unit. A comparison of their contents with the rest of Bahá'í
sacred Writings will similarly establish the conformity of whatever
they contain with the spirit as well as the letter of the authenticated
writings and sayings of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá. In fact, he
who reads the Aqdas with care and diligence will not find it hard to
discover that the Most Holy Book itself anticipates in a number of
passages the institutions which `Abdu'l-Bahá ordains in His Will.
By leaving certain matters unspecified and unregulated in His Book
of Laws, Bahá'u'lláh seems to have deliberately left a gap in the general
scheme of Bahá'í Dispensation, which the unequivocal provisions
of the Master's Will have filled. To attempt to divorce the one
from the other, to insinuate that the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh have
not been upheld, in their entirety and with absolute integrity, by
what `Abdu'l-Bahá has revealed in His Will, is an unpardonable
affront to the unswerving fidelity that has characterized the life and
labors of our beloved Master.
I will not attempt in the least to assert or demonstrate the authenticity
of the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá, for that in itself
would betray an apprehension on my part as to the unanimous confidence
of the believers in the genuineness of the last written wishes
of our departed Master. I will only confine my observations to those
issues which may assist them to appreciate the essential unity that
underlies the spiritual, the humanitarian, and the administrative
principles enunciated by the Author and the Interpreter of the
Bahá'í Faith.
I am at a loss to explain that strange mentality that inclines to
uphold as the sole criterion of the truth of the Bahá'í Teachings
what is admittedly only an obscure and unauthenticated translation
of an oral statement made by `Abdu'l-Bahá, in defiance and total
disregard of the available text of all of His universally recognized
writings. I truly deplore the unfortunate distortions that have resulted
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in days past from the incapacity of the interpreter to grasp
the meaning of `Abdu'l-Bahá, and from his incompetence to render
adequately such truths as have been revealed to him by the Master's
statements. Much of the confusion that has obscured the understanding
of the believers should be attributed to this double error involved
in the inexact rendering of an only partially understood statement.
Not infrequently has the interpreter even failed to convey the exact
purport of the inquirer's specific questions, and, by his deficiency of
understanding and expression in conveying the answer of `Abdu'l-Bahá,
has been responsible for reports wholly at variance with the
true spirit and purpose of the Cause. It was chiefly in view of the
misleading nature of the reports of the informal conversations of
`Abdu'l-Bahá with visiting pilgrims, that I have insistently urged
the believers of the West to regard such statements as merely personal
impressions of the sayings of their Master, and to quote and
consider as authentic only such translations as are based upon the
authenticated text of His recorded utterances in the original tongue.
It should be remembered by every follower of the Cause that
the system of Bahá'í administration is not an innovation imposed
arbitrarily upon the Bahá'ís of the world since the Master's passing,
but derives its authority from the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá,
is specifically prescribed in unnumbered Tablets, and rests
in some of its essential features upon the explicit provisions of the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas. It thus unifies and correlates the principles separately
laid down by Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá, and is indissolubly
bound with the essential verities of the Faith. To dissociate
the administrative principles of the Cause from the purely spiritual
and humanitarian teachings would be tantamount to a mutilation of
the body of the Cause, a separation that can only result in the disintegration
of its component parts, and the extinction of the Faith
itself.
Local and National Houses of Justice
It should be carefully borne in mind that the local as well as the
international Houses of Justice have been expressly enjoined by
the Kitáb-i-Aqdas; that the institution of the National Spiritual
Assembly, as an intermediary body, and referred to in the Master's
Will as the "Secondary House of Justice," has the express sanction
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of `Abdu'l-Bahá; and that the method to be pursued for the election
of the International and National Houses of Justice has been set
forth by Him in His Will, as well as in a number of His Tablets.
Moreover, the institutions of the local and national Funds, that
are now the necessary adjuncts to all local and national spiritual
assemblies, have not only been established by `Abdu'l-Bahá in the
Tablets He revealed to the Bahá'ís of the Orient, but their importance
and necessity have been repeatedly emphasized by Him in His
utterances and writings. The concentration of authority in the hands
of the elected representatives of the believers; the necessity of the
submission of every adherent of the Faith to the considered judgment
of Bahá'í Assemblies; His preference for unanimity in decision;
the decisive character of the majority vote; and even the
desirability for the exercise of close supervision over all Bahá'í
publications, have been sedulously instilled by `Abdu'l-Bahá, as evidenced
by His authenticated and widely-scattered Tablets. To accept
His broad and humanitarian Teachings on one hand, and to reject
and dismiss with neglectful indifference His more challenging and
distinguishing precepts, would be an act of manifest disloyalty to
that which He has cherished most in His life.
That the Spiritual Assemblies of today will be replaced in time
by the Houses of Justice, and are to all intents and purposes identical
and not separate bodies, is abundantly confirmed by `Abdu'l-Bahá
Himself. He has in fact in a Tablet addressed to the members of the
first Chicago Spiritual Assembly, the first elected Bahá'í body instituted
in the United States, referred to them as the members of the
"House of Justice" for that city, and has thus with His own pen
established beyond any doubt the identity of the present Bahá'í
Spiritual Assemblies with the Houses of Justice referred to by
Bahá'u'lláh. For reasons which are not difficult to discover, it has
been found advisable to bestow upon the elected representatives of
Bahá'í communities throughout the world the temporary appellation
of Spiritual Assemblies, a term which, as the position and aims of
the Bahá'í Faith are better understood and more fully recognized,
will gradually be superseded by the permanent and more appropriate
designation of House of Justice. Not only will the present-day Spiritual
Assemblies be styled differently in future, but they will be enabled
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also to add to their present functions those powers, duties,
and prerogatives necessitated by the recognition of the Faith of
Bahá'u'lláh, not merely as one of the recognized religious systems
of the world, but as the State Religion of an independent and Sovereign
Power. And as the Bahá'í Faith permeates the masses of
the peoples of East and West, and its truth is embraced by the
majority of the peoples of a number of the Sovereign States of the
world, will the Universal House of Justice attain the plenitude of
its power, and exercise, as the supreme organ of the Bahá'í Commonwealth,
all the rights, the duties, and responsibilities incumbent
upon the world's future super-state.
It must be pointed out, however, in this connection that, contrary
to what has been confidently asserted, the establishment of
the Supreme House of Justice is in no way dependent upon the
adoption of the Bahá'í Faith by the mass of the peoples of the world,
nor does it presuppose its acceptance by the majority of the inhabitants
of any one country. In fact, `Abdu'l-Bahá, Himself, in one of
His earliest Tablets, contemplated the possibility of the formation
of the Universal House of Justice in His own lifetime, and but for
the unfavorable circumstances prevailing under the Turkish régime,
would have, in all probability, taken the preliminary steps for its
establishment. It will be evident, therefore, that given favorable
circumstances, under which the Bahá'ís of Persia and of the adjoining
countries under Soviet rule, may be enabled to elect their
national representatives, in accordance with the guiding principles
laid down in `Abdu'l-Bahá's writings, the only remaining obstacle
in the way of the definite formation of the International House of
Justice will have been removed. For upon the National Houses of
Justice of the East and the West devolves the task, in conformity
with the explicit provisions of the Will, of electing directly the
members of the International House of Justice. Not until they are
themselves fully representative of the rank and file of the believers
in their respective countries, not until they have acquired the weight
and the experience that will enable them to function vigorously in
the organic life of the Cause, can they approach their sacred task,
and provide the spiritual basis for the constitution of so august a
body in the Bahá'í world.
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The Institution of Guardianship
It must be also clearly understood by every believer that the
institution of Guardianship does not under any circumstances abrogate,
or even in the slightest degree detract from, the powers granted
to the Universal House of Justice by Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas,
and repeatedly and solemnly confirmed by `Abdu'l-Bahá in
His Will. It does not constitute in any manner a contradiction to
the Will and Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, nor does it nullify any of
His revealed instructions. It enhances the prestige of that exalted
assembly, stabilizes its supreme position, safeguards its unity, assures
the continuity of its labors, without presuming in the slightest
to infringe upon the inviolability of its clearly-defined sphere of
jurisdiction. We stand indeed too close to so monumental a document
to claim for ourselves a complete understanding of all its
implications, or to presume to have grasped the manifold mysteries
it undoubtedly contains. Only future generations can comprehend
the value and the significance attached to this Divine Masterpiece,
which the hand of the Master-builder of the world has designed for
the unification and the triumph of the world-wide Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
Only those who come after us will be in a position to realize
the value of the surprisingly strong emphasis that has been placed
on the institution of the House of Justice and of the Guardianship.
They only will appreciate the significance of the vigorous language
employed by `Abdu'l-Bahá with reference to the band of Covenant-breakers
that has opposed Him in His days. To them alone will
be revealed the suitability of the institutions initiated by `Abdu'l-Bahá
to the character of the future society which is to emerge out
of the chaos and confusion of the present age. In this connection,
I cannot but feel amused at the preposterous and fantastic idea that
Muhammad-`Alí, the prime mover and the focal center of unyielding
hostility to the person of `Abdu'l-Bahá, should have freely associated
himself with the members of the family of `Abdu'l-Bahá
in the forging of a will which in the words of the writer herself,
is but a "recital of the plottings" in which for thirty years Muhammad-`Alí
has been busily engaged. To such a hopeless victim of
confused ideas, I feel I can best reply by a genuine expression of
compassion and pity, mingled with my hopes for her deliverance
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from so profound a delusion. It was in view of the aforesaid observations,
that I have, after the unfortunate and unavoidable delay
occasioned by my ill health and absence from the Holy Land during
the Master's passing, hesitated to resort to the indiscriminate circulation
of the Will, realizing full well that it was primarily directed
to the recognized believers, and only indirectly concerned the larger
body of the friends and sympathizers of the Cause.
The Animating Purpose of Bahá'í Institutions
And now, it behooves us to reflect on the animating purpose and
the primary functions of these divinely-established institutions, the
sacred character and the universal efficacy of which can be demonstrated
only by the spirit they diffuse and the work they actually
achieve. I need not dwell upon what I have already reiterated and
emphasized that the administration of the Cause is to be conceived
as an instrument and not a substitute for the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh,
that it should be regarded as a channel through which His promised
blessings may flow, that it should guard against such rigidity as
would clog and fetter the liberating forces released by His Revelation.
I need not enlarge at the present moment upon what I have
stated in the past, that contributions to the local and national Funds
are of a purely voluntary character; that no coercion or solicitation
of funds is to be tolerated in the Cause; that general appeals addressed
to the communities as a body should be the only form in
which the financial requirements of the Faith are to be met; that
the financial support accorded to a very few workers in the teaching
and administrative fields is of a temporary nature; that the
present restrictions imposed on the publication of Bahá'í literature
will be definitely abolished; that the World Unity activity is being
carried out as an experiment to test the efficacy of the indirect method
of teaching; that the whole machinery of assemblies, of committees
and conventions is to be regarded as a means, and not an end in
itself; that they will rise or fall according to their capacity to further
the interests, to cöordinate the activities, to apply the principles,
to embody the ideals and execute the purpose of the Bahá'í Faith.
Who, I may ask, when viewing the international character of the
Cause, its far-flung ramifications, the increasing complexity of its
affairs, the diversity of its adherents, and the state of confusion
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that assails on every side the infant Faith of God, can for a moment
question the necessity of some sort of administrative machinery
that will insure, amid the storm and stress of a struggling civilization,
the unity of the Faith, the preservation of its identity, and the
protection of its interests? To repudiate the validity of the assemblies
of the elected ministers of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh would be
to reject those countless Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá
wherein They have extolled the station of the "trustees of the
Merciful," enumerated their privileges and duties, emphasized
the glory of their mission, revealed the immensity of their task,
and warned them of the attacks they must needs expect from the
unwisdom of their friends as well as from the malice of their
enemies. It is surely for those to whose hands so priceless a
heritage has been committed to prayerfully watch lest the tool
should supersede the Faith itself, lest undue concern for the
minute details arising from the administration of the Cause obscure
the vision of its promoters, lest partiality, ambition, and
worldliness tend in the course of time to becloud the radiance, stain
the purity, and impair the effectiveness of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
Situation in Egypt
I have already referred in my previous communications of January
10, 1926, and February 12, 1927, to the perplexing yet highly
significant situation that has arisen in Egypt as a result of the final
judgment of the Muslim ecclesiastical court in that country pronounced
against our Egyptian brethren, denouncing them as heretics,
expelling them from their midst, and refusing them the application
and benefits of the Muslim Law. I have also acquainted you
with the difficulties with which they are faced, and the plans which
they have conceived, in order to obtain from the Egyptian civil
authorities a recognition of the independent status of their Faith.
It must be explained, however, that in the Muslim countries of
the Near and Middle East, with the exception of Turkey which
has lately abolished all ecclesiastical courts under its rule, every
recognized religious community has, in matters of personal status
such as marriage, divorce and inheritance, its own ecclesiastical
court, totally independent of the civil and criminal tribunals, there
being in such instances no civil code promulgated by the government
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and embracing all the different religious communities. Hitherto
regarded as a sect of Islám, the Bahá'ís of Egypt, who for the most
part are of Muslim origin, and unable therefore to refer for purposes
of marriage and divorce to the recognized religious tribunals
of any other denomination, find themselves in consequence in a
delicate and anomalous position. They have naturally resolved to
refer their case to the Egyptian Government, and have prepared for
this purpose a petition to be addressed to the head of the Egyptian
Cabinet. In this document they have set forth the motives compelling
them to seek recognition from their rulers, have asserted
their readiness and their qualifications to exercise the functions
of an independent Bahá'í court, have assured them of their implicit
obedience and loyalty to the State, and of their abstinence from interference
in the politics of their country. They have also decided
to accompany the text of their petition with a copy of the judgment
of the Court, with selections from Bahá'í writings, and with the
document that sets forth the principles of their national constitution
which, with few exceptions, is identical with the Declaration
and By-laws promulgated by your Assembly.
I have insisted that the provisions of their constitution should,
in all its details, conform to the text of the Declaration of Trust
and By-laws which you have established, endeavoring thereby to
preserve the uniformity which I feel is essential in all Bahá'í National
Constitutions. I would like, therefore, in this connection to
request of you what I have already intimated to them, that whatever
amendments you may decide to introduce in the text of the Declaration
and By-laws should be duly communicated to me, that I may
take the necessary steps for the introduction of similar changes in
the text of all other National Bahá'í Constitutions.
It will be readily admitted that in view of the peculiar privileges
granted to recognized religious Communities in the Islamic countries
of the Near and Middle East, the request which is to be submitted
by the Bahá'í Egyptian National Assembly to the Government
of Egypt is more substantial and far-reaching than what has
already been granted by the Federal Authorities to your Assembly.
For their petition is chiefly concerned with a formal request for
recognition by the highest civil authorities in Egypt of the Egyptian
National Spiritual Assembly as a recognized and independent Bahá'í
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court, free and able to execute and apply in all matters of personal
status such laws and ordinances as have been promulgated by
Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
I have asked them to approach informally the authorities concerned,
and to make the fullest possible inquiry as a preliminary
measure to the formal presentation of their historic petition. Any
assistance which your Assembly, after careful deliberation, may
find it advisable to offer to the valiant promoters of the Faith in
that land will be deeply appreciated, and will serve to confirm the
solidarity that characterizes the Bahá'í Communities of East and
West. Whatever the outcome of this mighty issue--and none can
fail to appreciate the incalculable possibilities of the present situation--
we can rest assured that the guiding Hand that has released
these forces will, in His inscrutable wisdom and by His omnipotent
power, continue to shape and direct their course for the glory, the
ultimate emancipation, and the unqualified recognition of His Faith.
. . . . . . .
Your true brother,
Shoghi.
Haifa, Palestine.
February 27, 1929.
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THE WORLD ORDER OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS
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THE WORLD ORDER OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS
To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful
throughout the West.
Dearly-beloved co-workers:
Amid the reports that have of late reached the Holy Land, most
of which witness to the triumphant march of the Cause, a few seem
to betray a certain apprehension regarding the validity of the institutions
which stand inseparably associated with the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
These expressed misgivings appear to be actuated by certain
whisperings which have emanated from quarters which are either
wholly misinformed regarding the fundamentals of the Bahá'í Revelation,
or which deliberately contrive to sow the seeds of dissension in
the hearts of the faithful.
A Blessing in Disguise
Viewed in the light of past experience, the inevitable result of
such futile attempts, however persistent and malicious they may be,
is to contribute to a wider and deeper recognition by believers and
unbelievers alike of the distinguishing features of the Faith proclaimed
by Bahá'u'lláh. These challenging criticisms, whether or not
dictated by malice, cannot but serve to galvanize the souls of its
ardent supporters, and to consolidate the ranks of its faithful promoters.
They will purge the Faith from those pernicious elements
whose continued association with the believers tends to discredit the
fair name of the Cause, and to tarnish the purity of its spirit. We
should welcome, therefore, not only the open attacks which its
avowed enemies persistently launch against it, but should also view
as a blessing in disguise every storm of mischief with which they
who apostatize their faith or claim to be its faithful exponents
assail it from time to time. Instead of undermining the Faith, such
assaults, both from within and from without, reinforce its foundations,
and excite the intensity of its flame. Designed to becloud its
radiance, they proclaim to all the world the exalted character of its
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precepts, the completeness of its unity, the uniqueness of its position,
and the pervasiveness of its influence.
I do not feel for one moment that such clamor, mostly attributable
to impotent rage against the resistless march of the Cause of
God, can ever distress the valiant warriors of the Faith. For these
heroic souls, whether they be contending in America's impregnable
stronghold, or struggling in the heart of Europe, and across the seas
as far as the continent of Australasia, have already abundantly demonstrated
the tenacity of their Faith and the abiding value of their
conviction.
Distinguishing Features of Bahá'í World Order
I feel it, however, incumbent upon me by virtue of the responsibility
attached to the Guardianship of the Faith, to dwell more fully
upon the essential character and the distinguishing features of that
world order as conceived and proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh. I feel impelled,
at the present stage of the evolution of the Bahá'í Revelation,
to state candidly and without any reservation, whatever I regard may
tend to insure the preservation of the integrity of the nascent institutions
of the Faith. I strongly feel the urge to elucidate certain
facts, which would at once reveal to every fair-minded observer the
unique character of that Divine Civilization the foundations of
which the unerring hand of Bahá'u'lláh has laid, and the essential elements
of which the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá has disclosed.
I consider it my duty to warn every beginner in the Faith that
the promised glories of the Sovereignty which the Bahá'í teachings
foreshadow, can be revealed only in the fullness of time, that the
implications of the Aqdas and the Will of `Abdu'l-Bahá, as the twin
repositories of the constituent elements of that Sovereignty, are too
far-reaching for this generation to grasp and fully appreciate. I
cannot refrain from appealing to them who stand identified with the
Faith to disregard the prevailing notions and the fleeting fashions
of the day, and to realize as never before that the exploded theories
and the tottering institutions of present-day civilization must needs
appear in sharp contrast with those God-given institutions which are
destined to arise upon their ruin. I pray that they may realize with
all their heart and soul the ineffable glory of their calling, the overwhelming
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responsibility of their mission, and the astounding immensity
of their task.
For let every earnest upholder of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh
realize that the storms which this struggling Faith of God must
needs encounter, as the process of the disintegration of society advances,
shall be fiercer than any which it has already experienced.
Let him be aware that so soon as the full measure of the stupendous
claim of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh comes to be recognized by those
time-honored and powerful strongholds of orthodoxy, whose deliberate
aim is to maintain their stranglehold over the thoughts and
consciences of men, this infant Faith will have to contend with enemies
more powerful and more insidious than the cruellest torture-mongers
and the most fanatical clerics who have afflicted it in the
past. What foes may not in the course of the convulsions that shall
seize a dying civilization be brought into existence, who will reinforce
the indignities which have already been heaped upon it!
The Onslaught of All Peoples and Kindreds
We have only to refer to the warnings uttered by `Abdu'l-Bahá
in order to realize the extent and character of the forces that are
destined to contest with God's holy Faith. In the darkest moments
of His life, under `Abdu'l-Hamíd's régime, when He stood ready to
be deported to the most inhospitable regions of Northern Africa, and
at a time when the auspicious light of the Bahá'í Revelation had only
begun to break upon the West, He, in His parting message to the
cousin of the Báb, uttered these prophetic and ominous words:
"How great, how very great is the Cause! How very fierce the onslaught
of all the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Ere long shall
the clamor of the multitude throughout Africa, throughout America,
the cry of the European and of the Turk, the groaning of India and
China, be heard from far and near. One and all, they shall arise with
all their power to resist His Cause. Then shall the knights of the
Lord, assisted by His grace from on high, strengthened by faith,
aided by the power of understanding, and reinforced by the legions
of the Covenant, arise and make manifest the truth of the verse:
`Behold the confusion that hath befallen the tribes of the defeated!'"
Stupendous as is the struggle which His words foreshadow, they
also testify to the complete victory which the upholders of the Greatest
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Name are destined eventually to achieve. Peoples, nations, adherents
of divers faiths, will jointly and successively arise to shatter its
unity, to sap its force, and to degrade its holy name. They will assail
not only the spirit which it inculcates, but the administration which
is the channel, the instrument, the embodiment of that spirit. For as
the authority with which Bahá'u'lláh has invested the future Bahá'í
Commonwealth becomes more and more apparent, the fiercer shall
be the challenge which from every quarter will be thrown at the
verities it enshrines.
Difference Between Bahá'í Faith and Ecclesiastical Organizations
It behooves us, dear friends, to endeavor not only to familiarize
ourselves with the essential features of this supreme Handiwork of
Bahá'u'lláh, but also to grasp the fundamental difference existing
between this world-embracing, divinely-appointed Order and the
chief ecclesiastical organizations of the world, whether they pertain
to the Church of Christ, or to the ordinances of the Muhammadan
Dispensation.
For those whose priceless privilege is to guard over, administer
the affairs, and advance the interests of these Bahá'í institutions will
have, sooner or later, to face this searching question: "Where and
how does this Order established by Bahá'u'lláh, which to outward
seeming is but a replica of the institutions established in Christianity
and Islám, differ from them? Are not the twin institutions of the
House of Justice and of the Guardianship, the institution of the
Hands of the Cause of God, the institution of the national and local
Assemblies, the institution of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, but different
names for the institutions of the Papacy and the Caliphate, with all
their attending ecclesiastical orders which the Christians and Moslems
uphold and advocate? What can possibly be the agency that can
safeguard these Bahá'í institutions, so strikingly resemblant, in some
of their features, to those which have been reared by the Fathers of
the Church and the Apostles of Muhammad, from witnessing the
deterioration in character, the breach of unity, and the extinction of
influence, which have befallen all organized religious hierarchies?
Why should they not eventually suffer the self-same fate that has
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overtaken the institutions which the successors of Christ and
Muhammad have reared?"
Upon the answer given to these challenging questions will, in a
great measure, depend the success of the efforts which believers in
every land are now exerting for the establishment of God's kingdom
upon the earth. Few will fail to recognize that the Spirit breathed by
Bahá'u'lláh upon the world, and which is manifesting itself with
varying degrees of intensity through the efforts consciously displayed
by His avowed supporters and indirectly through certain
humanitarian organizations, can never permeate and exercise an abiding
influence upon mankind unless and until it incarnates itself in a
visible Order, which would bear His name, wholly identify itself
with His principles, and function in conformity with His laws. That
Bahá'u'lláh in His Book of Aqdas, and later `Abdu'l-Bahá in His
Will--a document which confirms, supplements, and correlates the
provisions of the Aqdas--have set forth in their entirety those essential
elements for the constitution of the world Bahá'í Commonwealth,
no one who has read them will deny. According to these
divinely-ordained administrative principles, the Dispensation of
Bahá'u'lláh--the Ark of human salvation--must needs be modeled.
From them, all future blessings must flow, and upon them its inviolable
authority must ultimately rest.
For Bahá'u'lláh, we should readily recognize, has not only imbued
mankind with a new and regenerating Spirit. He has not merely
enunciated certain universal principles, or propounded a particular
philosophy, however potent, sound and universal these may be. In
addition to these He, as well as `Abdu'l-Bahá after Him, has, unlike
the Dispensations of the past, clearly and specifically laid down a set
of Laws, established definite institutions, and provided for the essentials
of a Divine Economy. These are destined to be a pattern for
future society, a supreme instrument for the establishment of the
Most Great Peace, and the one agency for the unification of the
world, and the proclamation of the reign of righteousness and justice
upon the earth. Not only have they revealed all the directions required
for the practical realization of those ideals which the Prophets
of God have visualized, and which from time immemorial have inflamed
the imagination of seers and poets in every age. They have
also, in unequivocal and emphatic language, appointed those twin
+P20
institutions of the House of Justice and of the Guardianship as their
chosen Successors, destined to apply the principles, promulgate the
laws, protect the institutions, adapt loyally and intelligently the Faith
to the requirements of progressive society, and consummate the incorruptible
inheritance which the Founders of the Faith have bequeathed
to the world.
Should we look back upon the past, were we to search out the
Gospel and the Qur'án, we will readily recognize that neither the
Christian nor the Islamic Dispensations can offer a parallel either to
the system of Divine Economy so thoroughly established by Bahá'u'lláh,
or to the safeguards which He has provided for its preservation
and advancement. Therein, I am profoundly convinced, lies the
answer to those questions to which I have already referred.
None, I feel, will question the fact that the fundamental reason
why the unity of the Church of Christ was irretrievably shattered,
and its influence was in the course of time undermined, was that
the Edifice which the Fathers of the Church reared after the passing
of His First Apostle was an Edifice that rested in nowise upon the
explicit directions of Christ Himself. The authority and features of
their administration were wholly inferred, and indirectly derived,
with more or less justification, from certain vague and fragmentary
references which they found scattered amongst His utterances as
recorded in the Gospel. Not one of the sacraments of the Church;
not one of the rites and ceremonies which the Christian Fathers
have elaborately devised and ostentatiously observed; not one of
the elements of the severe discipline they rigorously imposed upon
the primitive Christians; none of these reposed on the direct authority
of Christ, or emanated from His specific utterances. Not one of
these did Christ conceive, none did He specifically invest with sufficient
authority to either interpret His Word, or to add to what He
had not specifically enjoined.
For this reason, in later generations, voices were raised in protest
against the self-appointed Authority which arrogated to itself
privileges and powers which did not emanate from the clear text of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and which constituted a grave departure
from the spirit which that Gospel did inculcate. They argued with
force and justification that the canons promulgated by the Councils
of the Church were not divinely-appointed laws, but were merely human
+P21
devices which did not even rest upon the actual utterances of
Jesus. Their contention centered around the fact that the vague and
inconclusive words, addressed by Christ to Peter, "Thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church," could never justify the
extreme measures, the elaborate ceremonials, the fettering creeds and
dogmas, with which His successors have gradually burdened and
obscured His Faith. Had it been possible for the Church Fathers,
whose unwarranted authority was thus fiercely assailed from every
side, to refute the denunciations heaped upon them by quoting specific
utterances of Christ regarding the future administration of His
Church, or the nature of the authority of His Successors, they would
surely have been capable of quenching the flame of controversy, and
preserving the unity of Christendom. The Gospel, however, the only
repository of the utterances of Christ, afforded no such shelter to
these harassed leaders of the Church, who found themselves helpless
in the face of the pitiless onslaught of their enemy, and who eventually
had to submit to the forces of schism which invaded their ranks.
In the Muhammadan Revelation, however, although His Faith
as compared with that of Christ was, so far as the administration of
His Dispensation is concerned, more complete and more specific in
its provisions, yet in the matter of succession, it gave no written,
no binding and conclusive instructions to those whose mission was
to propagate His Cause. For the text of the Qur'án, the ordinances
of which regarding prayer, fasting, marriage, divorce, inheritance,
pilgrimage, and the like, have after the revolution of thirteen hundred
years remained intact and operative, gives no definite guidance
regarding the Law of Succession, the source of all the dissensions,
the controversies, and schisms which have dismembered and discredited
Islám.
Not so with the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh. Unlike the Dispensation
of Christ, unlike the Dispensation of Muhammad, unlike all the
Dispensations of the past, the apostles of Bahá'u'lláh in every land,
wherever they labor and toil, have before them in clear, in unequivocal
and emphatic language, all the laws, the regulations, the principles,
the institutions, the guidance, they require for the prosecution
and consummation of their task. Both in the administrative provisions
of the Bahá'í Dispensation, and in the matter of succession, as
embodied in the twin institutions of the House of Justice and of the
+P22
Guardianship, the followers of Bahá'u'lláh can summon to their aid
such irrefutable evidences of Divine Guidance that none can resist,
that none can belittle or ignore. Therein lies the distinguishing feature
of the Bahá'í Revelation. Therein lies the strength of the unity
of the Faith, of the validity of a Revelation that claims not to destroy
or belittle previous Revelations, but to connect, unify, and
fulfill them. This is the reason why Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá
have both revealed and even insisted upon certain details in connection
with the Divine Economy which they have bequeathed to us,
their followers. This is why such an emphasis has been placed in
their Will and Testament upon the powers and prerogatives of the
ministers of their Faith.
For nothing short of the explicit directions of their Book, and
the surprisingly emphatic language with which they have clothed
the provisions of their Will, could possibly safeguard the Faith for
which they have both so gloriously labored all their lives. Nothing
short of this could protect it from the heresies and calumnies with
which denominations, peoples, and governments have endeavored,
and will, with increasing vigor, endeavor to assail it in future.
We should also bear in mind that the distinguishing character of
the Bahá'í Revelation does not solely consist in the completeness and
unquestionable validity of the Dispensation which the teachings of
Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá have established. Its excellence lies
also in the fact that those elements which in past Dispensations have,
without the least authority from their Founders, been a source of
corruption and of incalculable harm to the Faith of God, have been
strictly excluded by the clear text of Bahá'u'lláh's writings. Those
unwarranted practices, in connection with the sacrament of baptism,
of communion, of confession of sins, of asceticism, of priestly domination,
of elaborate ceremonials, of holy war and of polygamy, have
one and all been rigidly suppressed by the Pen of Bahá'u'lláh; whilst
the rigidity and rigor of certain observances, such as fasting,
which are necessary to the devotional life of the individual, have
been considerably abated.
A Living Organism
It should also be borne in mind that the machinery of the Cause
has been so fashioned, that whatever is deemed necessary to incorporate
+P23
into it in order to keep it in the forefront of all progressive
movements, can, according to the provisions made by Bahá'u'lláh,
be safely embodied therein. To this testify the words of Bahá'u'lláh,
as recorded in the Eighth Leaf of the exalted Paradise: "It is incumbent
upon the Trustees of the House of Justice to take counsel
together regarding those things which have not outwardly been revealed
in the Book, and to enforce that which is agreeable to them.
God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth, and He,
verily, is the Provider, the Omniscient." Not only has the House of
Justice been invested by Bahá'u'lláh with the authority to legislate
whatsoever has not been explicitly and outwardly recorded in His
holy Writ, upon it has also been conferred by the Will and Testament
of `Abdu'l-Bahá the right and power to abrogate, according to
the changes and requirements of the time, whatever has been already
enacted and enforced by a preceding House of Justice. In this connection,
He revealed the following in His Will: "And inasmuch as
the House of Justice hath power to enact laws that are not expressly
recorded in the Book and bear upon daily transactions, so
also it hath power to repeal the same. Thus for example, the House
of Justice enacteth today a certain law and enforceth it, and a hundred
years hence, circumstances having profoundly changed and the
conditions having altered, another House of Justice will then have
power, according to the exigencies of the time, to alter that law.
This it can do because that law formeth no part of the divine explicit
text. The House of Justice is both the initiator and the abrogator of
its own laws." Such is the immutability of His revealed Word. Such
is the elasticity which characterizes the functions of His appointed
ministers. The first preserves the identity of His Faith, and guards
the integrity of His law. The second enables it, even as a living
organism, to expand and adapt itself to the needs and requirements
of an ever-changing society.
Dear friends! Feeble though our Faith may now appear in the
eyes of men, who either denounce it as an offshoot of Islám, or contemptuously
ignore it as one more of those obscure sects that abound
in the West, this priceless gem of Divine Revelation, now still in its
embryonic state, shall evolve within the shell of His law, and shall
forge ahead, undivided and unimpaired, till it embraces the whole of
mankind. Only those who have already recognized the supreme station
+P24
of Bahá'u'lláh, only those whose hearts have been touched by
His love, and have become familiar with the potency of His spirit,
can adequately appreciate the value of this Divine Economy--His
inestimable gift to mankind.
Leaders of religion, exponents of political theories, governors of
human institutions, who at present are witnessing with perplexity
and dismay the bankruptcy of their ideas, and the disintegration of
their handiwork, would do well to turn their gaze to the Revelation
of Bahá'u'lláh, and to meditate upon the World Order which, lying
enshrined in His teachings, is slowly and imperceptibly rising amid
the welter and chaos of present-day civilization. They need have no
doubt or anxiety regarding the nature, the origin or validity of the
institutions which the adherents of the Faith are building up
throughout the world. For these lie embedded in the teachings themselves,
unadulterated and unobscured by unwarrantable inferences,
or unauthorized interpretations of His Word.
How pressing and sacred the responsibility that now weighs upon
those who are already acquainted with these teachings! How glorious
the task of those who are called upon to vindicate their truth, and
demonstrate their practicability to an unbelieving world! Nothing
short of an immovable conviction in their divine origin, and their
uniqueness in the annals of religion; nothing short of an unwavering
purpose to execute and apply them to the administrative machinery
of the Cause, can be sufficient to establish their reality, and insure
their success. How vast is the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh! How great
the magnitude of His blessings showered upon humanity in this
day! And yet, how poor, how inadequate our conception of their
significance and glory! This generation stands too close to so
colossal a Revelation to appreciate, in their full measure, the infinite
possibilities of His Faith, the unprecedented character of His Cause,
and the mysterious dispensations of His Providence.
In the Íqán, Bahá'u'lláh, wishing to emphasize the transcendent
character of this new Day of God, reinforces the strength of His
argument by His reference to the text of a correct and authorized
tradition, which reveals the following: "Knowledge is twenty and
seven letters. All that the Prophets have revealed are two letters
thereof. No man thus far hath known more than these two letters.
+P25
But when the Qá'im shall arise, He will cause the remaining twenty
and five letters to be made manifest." And then immediately follow
these confirming and illuminating words of Bahá'u'lláh: "Consider:
He hath declared knowledge to consist of twenty and seven letters,
and regarded all the prophets, from Adam even unto Muhammad,
the `seal,' as expounders of only two letters thereof. He also saith
that the Qá'im will reveal all the remaining twenty and five letters.
Behold from this utterance how great and lofty is His station! His
rank excelleth that of all the prophets, and His revelation transcendeth
the comprehension and understanding of all their chosen
ones. A revelation, of which the prophets of God, His saints and
chosen ones have either not been informed or which, in pursuance
of God's inscrutable decree, they have not disclosed--such a revelation,
these vile and villainous people have sought to measure with
their own deficient minds, their own deficient learning and understanding."
In another passage of the same Book, Bahá'u'lláh, referring to the
transformation effected by every Revelation in the ways, thoughts
and manners of the people, reveals these words: "Is not the object
of every Revelation to effect a transformation in the whole character
of mankind, a transformation that shall manifest itself, both outwardly
and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner life and external
conditions? For if the character of mankind be not changed, the
futility of God's universal Manifestations would be apparent."
Did not Christ Himself, addressing His disciples, utter these
words: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear
them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will
guide you into all truth"?
From the text of this recognized tradition, as well as from the
words of Christ, as attested by the Gospel, every unprejudiced observer
will readily apprehend the magnitude of the Faith which
Bahá'u'lláh has revealed, and recognize the staggering weight of the
claim He has advanced. No wonder if `Abdu'l-Bahá has portrayed in
such lurid colors the fierceness of the agitation that shall center in
the days to come round the nascent institutions of the Faith. We can
now but faintly discern the beginnings of that turmoil which the rise
and ascendancy of the Cause of God is destined to cast in the world.
+P26
The Greatest Drama of the World's Spiritual History
Whether in the ferocious and insidious campaign of repression
and cruelty which the rulers of Russia have launched against the
upholders of the Faith under their rule; whether in the unyielding
animosity with which the Shiites of Islám are trampling upon the
sacred rights of the adherents of the Cause in connection with
Bahá'u'lláh's house in Baghdád; whether in the impotent rage which
has impelled the ecclesiastical leaders of the Sunnite sect of Islám
to expel our Egyptian brethren from their midst--in all of these we
can perceive the manifestations of the relentless hate which peoples,
religions, and governments entertain for so pure, so innocent, so
glorious a Faith.
Ours is the duty to ponder these things in our heart, to strive to
widen our vision, and to deepen our comprehension of this Cause,
and to arise, resolutely and unreservedly, to play our part, however
small, in this greatest drama of the world's spiritual history.
Your brother and co-worker,
Shoghi.
Haifa, Palestine,
March 21, 1930.
+P27
THE GOAL OF A NEW WORLD ORDER
+P28
+P29
THE GOAL OF A NEW WORLD ORDER
Fellow-believers in the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh:
The inexorable march of recent events has carried humanity so
near to the goal foreshadowed by Bahá'u'lláh that no responsible
follower of His Faith, viewing on all sides the distressing evidences
of the world's travail, can remain unmoved at the thought of its
approaching deliverance.
It would not seem inappropriate, at a time when we are commemorating
the world over the termination of the first decade since
`Abdu'l-Bahá's sudden removal from our midst, to ponder, in the
light of the teachings bequeathed by Him to the world, such events
as have tended to hasten the gradual emergence of the World Order
anticipated by Bahá'u'lláh.
Ten years ago, this very day, there flashed upon the world the
news of the passing of Him Who alone, through the ennobling influence
of His love, strength and wisdom, could have proved its stay
and solace in the many afflictions it was destined to suffer.
How well we, the little band of His avowed supporters who lay
claim to have recognized the Light that shone within Him, can still
remember His repeated allusions, in the evening of His earthly life,
to the tribulation and turmoil with which an unregenerate humanity
was to be increasingly afflicted. How poignantly some of us can
recall His pregnant remarks, in the presence of the pilgrims and
visitors who thronged His doors on the morrow of the jubilant
celebrations that greeted the termination of the World War--a war,
which by the horrors it evoked, the losses it entailed and the complications
it engendered, was destined to exert so far-reaching an
influence on the fortunes of mankind. How serenely, yet how powerfully,
He stressed the cruel deception which a Pact, hailed by peoples
and nations as the embodiment of triumphant justice and the unfailing
instrument of an abiding peace, held in store for an unrepented
humanity. Peace, Peace, how often we heard Him remark, the
+P30
lips of potentates and peoples unceasingly proclaim, whereas the
fire of unquenched hatreds still smoulders in their hearts. How often
we heard Him raise His voice, whilst the tumult of triumphant enthusiasm
was still at its height and long before the faintest misgivings
could have been felt or expressed, confidently declaring that the
Document, extolled as the Charter of a liberated humanity, contained
within itself seeds of such bitter deception as would further
enslave the world. How abundant are now the evidences that attest
the perspicacity of His unerring judgment!
Ten years of unceasing turmoil, so laden with anguish, so
fraught with incalculable consequences to the future of civilization,
have brought the world to the verge of a calamity too awful to
contemplate. Sad indeed is the contrast between the manifestations
of confident enthusiasm in which the Plenipotentiaries at Versailles
so freely indulged and the cry of unconcealed distress which victors
and vanquished alike are now raising in the hour of bitter delusion.
A War-Weary World
Neither the force which the framers and guarantors of the
Peace Treaties have mustered, nor the lofty ideals which originally
animated the author of the Covenant of the League of Nations,
have proved a sufficient bulwark against the forces of internal disruption
with which a structure so laboriously contrived had been
consistently assailed. Neither the provisions of the so-called Settlement
which the victorious Powers have sought to impose, nor the
machinery of an institution which America's illustrious and far-seeing
President had conceived, have proved, either in conception or
practice, adequate instruments to ensure the integrity of the Order
they had striven to establish. "The ills from which the world now
suffers," wrote `Abdu'l-Bahá in January, 1920, "will multiply; the
gloom which envelops it will deepen. The Balkans will remain discontented.
Its restlessness will increase. The vanquished Powers will
continue to agitate. They will resort to every measure that may
rekindle the flame of war. Movements, newly-born and world-wide
in their range, will exert their utmost effort for the advancement of
their designs. The Movement of the Left will acquire great importance.
Its influence will spread."
Economic distress, since those words were written, together with
+P31
political confusion, financial upheavals, religious restlessness and
racial animosities, seem to have conspired to add immeasurably to
the burdens under which an impoverished, a war-weary world is
groaning. Such has been the cumulative effect of these successive
crises, following one another with such bewildering rapidity, that the
very foundations of society are trembling. The world, to whichever
continent we turn our gaze, to however remote a region our survey
may extend, is everywhere assailed by forces it can neither explain
nor control.
Europe, hitherto regarded as the cradle of a highly-vaunted civilization,
as the torch-bearer of liberty and the mainspring of the
forces of world industry and commerce, stands bewildered and
paralyzed at the sight of so tremendous an upheaval. Long-cherished
ideals in the political no less than in the economic sphere of human
activity are being severely tested under the pressure of reactionary
forces on one hand and of an insidious and persistent radicalism on
the other. From the heart of Asia distant rumblings, ominous and
insistent, portend the steady onslaught of a creed which, by its
negation of God, His Laws and Principles, threatens to disrupt
the foundations of human society. The clamor of a nascent nationalism,
coupled with a recrudescence of skepticism and unbelief, come
as added misfortunes to a continent hitherto regarded as the symbol
of age-long stability and undisturbed resignation. From darkest
Africa the first stirrings of a conscious and determined revolt against
the aims and methods of political and economic imperialism can
be increasingly discerned, adding their share to the growing vicissitudes
of a troubled age. Not even America, which until very
recently prided itself on its traditional policy of aloofness and the
self-contained character of its economy, the invulnerability of its
institutions and the evidences of its growing prosperity and prestige,
has been able to resist the impelling forces that have swept her into
the vortex of an economic hurricane that now threatens to impair
the basis of her own industrial and economic life. Even far-away
Australia, which, owing to its remoteness from the storm-centers
of Europe, would have been expected to be immune from the trials
and torments of an ailing continent, has been caught in this whirlpool
of passion and strife, impotent to extricate herself from their
ensnaring influence.
+P32
The Signs of Impending Chaos
Never indeed have there been such widespread and basic upheavals,
whether in the social, economic or political spheres of human
activity as those now going on in different parts of the world. Never
have there been so many and varied sources of danger as those that
now threaten the structure of society. The following words of
Bahá'u'lláh are indeed significant as we pause to reflect upon the
present state of a strangely disordered world: "How long will
humanity persist in its waywardness? How long will injustice continue?
How long is chaos and confusion to reign amongst men?
How long will discord agitate the face of society? The winds of
despair are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that
divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of
impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as
the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective."
The disquieting influence of over thirty million souls living under
minority conditions throughout the continent of Europe; the vast
and ever-swelling army of the unemployed with its crushing burden
and demoralizing influence on governments and peoples; the wicked,
unbridled race of armaments swallowing an ever-increasing share of
the substance of already impoverished nations; the utter demoralization
from which the international financial markets are now
increasingly suffering; the onslaught of secularism invading what
has hitherto been regarded as the impregnable strongholds of Christian
and Muslim orthodoxy--these stand out as the gravest symptoms
that bode ill for the future stability of the structure of modern
civilization. Little wonder if one of Europe's preëminent thinkers,
honored for his wisdom and restraint, should have been forced to
make so bold an assertion: "The world is passing through the
gravest crisis in the history of civilization." "We stand," writes
another, "before either a world catastrophe, or perhaps before the
dawn of a greater era of truth and wisdom." "It is in such times,"
he adds, "that religions have perished and are born."
Might we not already discern, as we scan the political horizon,
the alignment of those forces that are dividing afresh the continent
of Europe into camps of potential combatants, determined upon a
contest that may mark, unlike the last war, the end of an epoch, a
+P33
vast epoch, in the history of human evolution? Are we, the privileged
custodians of a priceless Faith, called upon to witness a cataclysmical
change, politically as fundamental and spiritually as beneficent
as that which precipitated the fall of the Roman Empire in the
West? Might it not happen--every vigilant adherent of the Faith
of Bahá'u'lláh might well pause to reflect--that out of this world
eruption there may stream forces of such spiritual energy as shall
recall, nay eclipse, the splendor of those signs and wonders that
accompanied the establishment of the Faith of Jesus Christ? Might
there not emerge out of the agony of a shaken world a religious
revival of such scope and power as to even transcend the potency of
those world-directing forces with which the Religions of the Past
have, at fixed intervals and according to an inscrutable Wisdom,
revived the fortunes of declining ages and peoples? Might not the
bankruptcy of this present, this highly-vaunted materialistic civilization,
in itself clear away the choking weeds that now hinder the
unfoldment and future efflorescence of God's struggling Faith?
Let Bahá'u'lláh Himself shed the illumination of His words upon
our path as we steer our course amid the pitfalls and miseries of
this troubled age. More than fifty years ago, in a world far removed
from the ills and trials that now torment it, there flowed from
His Pen these prophetic words: "The world is in travail and its
agitation waxeth day by day. Its face is turned towards waywardness
and unbelief. Such shall be its plight that to disclose it now
would not be meet and seemly. Its perversity will long continue. And
when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that
which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then and only
then will the Divine Standard be unfurled and the Nightingale of
Paradise warble its melody."
The Impotence of Statesmanship
Dearly-beloved friends! Humanity, whether viewed in the light
of man's individual conduct or in the existing relationships between
organized communities and nations, has, alas, strayed too far and
suffered too great a decline to be redeemed through the unaided
efforts of the best among its recognized rulers and statesmen--
however disinterested their motives, however concerted their action,
+P34
however unsparing in their zeal and devotion to its cause. No scheme
which the calculations of the highest statesmanship may yet devise;
no doctrine which the most distinguished exponents of economic
theory may hope to advance; no principle which the most ardent of
moralists may strive to inculcate, can provide, in the last resort,
adequate foundations upon which the future of a distracted world
can be built. No appeal for mutual tolerance which the worldly-wise
might raise, however compelling and insistent, can calm its passions
or help restore its vigor. Nor would any general scheme of mere
organized international cöoperation, in whatever sphere of human
activity, however ingenious in conception, or extensive in scope,
succeed in removing the root cause of the evil that has so rudely upset
the equilibrium of present-day society. Not even, I venture to assert,
would the very act of devising the machinery required for the
political and economic unification of the world--a principle that has
been increasingly advocated in recent times--provide in itself the
antidote against the poison that is steadily undermining the vigor of
organized peoples and nations. What else, might we not confidently
affirm, but the unreserved acceptance of the Divine Program enunciated,
with such simplicity and force as far back as sixty years ago,
by Bahá'u'lláh, embodying in its essentials God's divinely appointed
scheme for the unification of mankind in this age, coupled with an
indomitable conviction in the unfailing efficacy of each and all of its
provisions, is eventually capable of withstanding the forces of internal
disintegration which, if unchecked, must needs continue to eat into
the vitals of a despairing society. It is towards this goal--the goal
of a new World Order, Divine in origin, all-embracing in scope,
equitable in principle, challenging in its features--that a harassed
humanity must strive.
To claim to have grasped all the implications of Bahá'u'lláh's prodigious
scheme for world-wide human solidarity, or to have fathomed
its import, would be presumptuous on the part of even the declared
supporters of His Faith. To attempt to visualize it in all its possibilities,
to estimate its future benefits, to picture its glory, would be
premature at even so advanced a stage in the evolution of mankind.
+P35
The Guiding Principles of World Order
All we can reasonably venture to attempt is to strive to obtain a
glimpse of the first streaks of the promised Dawn that must, in the
fullness of time, chase away the gloom that has encircled humanity.
All we can do is to point out, in their broadest outlines, what appear
to us to be the guiding principles underlying the World Order
of Bahá'u'lláh, as amplified and enunciated by `Abdu'l-Bahá, the
Center of His Covenant with all mankind and the appointed Interpreter
and Expounder of His Word.
That the unrest and suffering afflicting the mass of mankind are
in no small measure the direct consequences of the World War and
are attributable to the unwisdom and shortsightedness of the
framers of the Peace Treaties only a biased mind can refuse to
admit. That the financial obligations contracted in the course of the
war, as well as the imposition of a staggering burden of reparations
upon the vanquished, have, to a very great extent, been responsible
for the maldistribution and consequent shortage of the world's
monetary gold supply, which in turn has, to a very great measure,
accentuated the phenomenal fall in prices and thereby relentlessly
increased the burdens of impoverished countries, no impartial mind
would question. That inter-governmental debts have imposed a severe
strain on the masses of the people in Europe, have upset the equilibrium
of national budgets, have crippled national industries, and led
to an increase in the number of the unemployed, is no less apparent
to an unprejudiced observer. That the spirit of vindictiveness, of
suspicion, of fear and rivalry, engendered by the war, and which
the provisions of the Peace Treaties have served to perpetuate and
foster, has led to an enormous increase of national competitive
armaments, involving during the last year the aggregate expenditure
of no less than a thousand million pounds, which in turn has accentuated
the effects of the world-wide depression, is a truth that even
the most superficial observer will readily admit. That a narrow and
brutal nationalism, which the post-war theory of self-determination
has served to reinforce, has been chiefly responsible for the policy of
high and prohibitive tariffs, so injurious to the healthy flow of
international trade and to the mechanism of international finance,
is a fact which few would venture to dispute.
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It would be idle, however, to contend that the war, with all the
losses it involved, the passions it aroused and the grievances it left
behind, has solely been responsible for the unprecedented confusion
into which almost every section of the civilized world is plunged at
present. Is it not a fact--and this is the central idea I desire to
emphasize--that the fundamental cause of this world unrest is
attributable, not so much to the consequences of what must sooner
or later come to be regarded as a transitory dislocation in the affairs
of a continually changing world, but rather to the failure of those
into whose hands the immediate destinies of peoples and nations
have been committed, to adjust their system of economic and political
institutions to the imperative needs of a rapidly evolving age?
Are not these intermittent crises that convulse present-day society
due primarily to the lamentable inability of the world's recognized
leaders to read aright the signs of the times, to rid themselves once
for all of their preconceived ideas and fettering creeds, and to
reshape the machinery of their respective governments according to
those standards that are implicit in Bahá'u'lláh's supreme declaration
of the Oneness of Mankind--the chief and distinguishing
feature of the Faith He proclaimed? For the principle of the Oneness
of Mankind, the cornerstone of Bahá'u'lláh's world-embracing
dominion, implies nothing more nor less than the enforcement of His
scheme for the unification of the world--the scheme to which we
have already referred. "In every Dispensation," writes `Abdu'l-Bahá,
"the light of Divine Guidance has been focussed upon one central
theme.... In this wondrous Revelation, this glorious century, the
foundation of the Faith of God and the distinguishing feature of
His Law is the consciousness of the Oneness of Mankind."
How pathetic indeed are the efforts of those leaders of human
institutions who, in utter disregard of the spirit of the age, are
striving to adjust national processes, suited to the ancient days of
self-contained nations, to an age which must either achieve the unity
of the world, as adumbrated by Bahá'u'lláh, or perish. At so critical
an hour in the history of civilization it behooves the leaders of all
the nations of the world, great and small, whether in the East or
in the West, whether victors or vanquished, to give heed to the
clarion call of Bahá'u'lláh and, thoroughly imbued with a sense of
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world solidarity, the sine quà non of loyalty to His Cause, arise
manfully to carry out in its entirety the one remedial scheme He, the
Divine Physician, has prescribed for an ailing humanity. Let them
discard, once for all, every preconceived idea, every national prejudice,
and give heed to the sublime counsel of `Abdu'l-Bahá, the
authorized Expounder of His teachings. You can best serve your
country, was `Abdu'l-Bahá's rejoinder to a high official in the service
of the federal government of the United States of America, who
had questioned Him as to the best manner in which he could promote
the interests of his government and people, if you strive, in your
capacity as a citizen of the world, to assist in the eventual application
of the principle of federalism underlying the government of your
own country to the relationships now existing between the peoples
and nations of the world.
In The Secret of Divine Civilization (The Mysterious Forces
of Civilization), `Abdu'l-Bahá's outstanding contribution to the
future reorganization of the world, we read the following:
"True civilization will unfurl its banner in the midmost heart of
the world whenever a certain number of its distinguished and
high-minded sovereigns--the shining exemplars of devotion and
determination--shall, for the good and happiness of all mankind,
arise, with firm resolve and clear vision, to establish the Cause of
Universal Peace. They must make the Cause of Peace the object of
general consultation, and seek by every means in their power to
establish a Union of the nations of the world. They must conclude
a binding treaty and establish a covenant, the provisions of which
shall be sound, inviolable and definite. They must proclaim it to all
the world and obtain for it the sanction of all the human race. This
supreme and noble undertaking--the real source of the peace and
well-being of all the world--should be regarded as sacred by all that
dwell on earth. All the forces of humanity must be mobilized to
ensure the stability and permanence of this Most Great Covenant.
In this all-embracing Pact the limits and frontiers of each and
every nation should be clearly fixed, the principles underlying the
relations of governments towards one another definitely laid down,
and all international agreements and obligations ascertained. In like
manner, the size of the armaments of every government should be
+P38
strictly limited, for if the preparations for war and the military
forces of any nation should be allowed to increase, they will arouse
the suspicion of others. The fundamental principle underlying this
solemn Pact should be so fixed that if any government later violate
any one of its provisions, all the governments on earth should arise
to reduce it to utter submission, nay the human race as a whole
should resolve, with every power at its disposal, to destroy that
government. Should this greatest of all remedies be applied to the
sick body of the world, it will assuredly recover from its ills and will
remain eternally safe and secure."
"A few," He further adds, "unaware of the power latent in
human endeavor, consider this matter as highly impracticable, nay
even beyond the scope of man's utmost efforts. Such is not the
case, however. On the contrary, thanks to the unfailing grace of
God, the loving-kindness of His favored ones, the unrivaled endeavors
of wise and capable souls, and the thoughts and ideas of
the peerless leaders of this age, nothing whatsoever can be regarded
as unattainable. Endeavor, ceaseless endeavor, is required. Nothing
short of an indomitable determination can possibly achieve it. Many
a cause which past ages have regarded as purely visionary, yet in
this day has become most easy and practicable. Why should this
most great and lofty Cause--the day-star of the firmament of true
civilization and the cause of the glory, the advancement, the well-being
and the success of all humanity--be regarded as impossible
of achievement? Surely the day will come when its beauteous light
shall shed illumination upon the assemblage of man."
Seven Lights of Unity
In one of His Tablets `Abdu'l-Bahá, elucidating further His
noble theme, reveals the following:
"In cycles gone by, though harmony was established, yet, owing
to the absence of means, the unity of all mankind could not have
been achieved. Continents remained widely divided, nay even among
the peoples of one and the same continent association and interchange
of thought were well nigh impossible. Consequently intercourse,
understanding and unity amongst all the peoples and kindreds
of the earth were unattainable. In this day, however, means of communication
have multiplied, and the five continents of the earth have
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virtually merged into one.... In like manner all the members of
the human family, whether peoples or governments, cities or villages,
have become increasingly interdependent. For none is self-sufficiency
any longer possible, inasmuch as political ties unite all peoples and
nations, and the bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and
education, are being strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all
mankind can in this day be achieved. Verily this is none other but
one of the wonders of this wondrous age, this glorious century. Of
this past ages have been deprived, for this century--the century of
light--has been endowed with unique and unprecedented glory,
power and illumination. Hence the miraculous unfolding of a fresh
marvel every day. Eventually it will be seen how bright its candles
will burn in the assemblage of man.
"Behold how its light is now dawning upon the world's darkened
horizon. The first candle is unity in the political realm, the early
glimmerings of which can now be discerned. The second candle is
unity of thought in world undertakings, the consummation of which
will ere long be witnessed. The third candle is unity in freedom
which will surely come to pass. The fourth candle is unity in religion
which is the corner-stone of the foundation itself, and which, by the
power of God, will be revealed in all its splendor. The fifth candle
is the unity of nations--a unity which in this century will be securely
established, causing all the peoples of the world to regard themselves
as citizens of one common fatherland. The sixth candle is unity of
races, making of all that dwell on earth peoples and kindreds of one
race. The seventh candle is unity of language, i.e., the choice of a
universal tongue in which all peoples will be instructed and converse.
Each and every one of these will inevitably come to pass,
inasmuch as the power of the Kingdom of God will aid and assist in
their realization."
A World Super-State
Over sixty years ago, in His Tablet to Queen Victoria, Bahá'u'lláh,
addressing "the concourse of the rulers of the earth," revealed
the following:
"Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be only for that
which profiteth mankind and bettereth the condition thereof....
Regard the world as the human body which, though created whole
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and perfect, has been afflicted, through divers causes, with grave ills
and maladies. Not for one day did it rest, nay its sicknesses waxed
more severe, as it fell under the treatment of unskilled physicians
who have spurred on the steed of their worldly desires and have
erred grievously. And if at one time, through the care of an able
physician, a member of that body was healed, the rest remained
afflicted as before. Thus informeth you the All-Knowing, the All-Wise....
That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign
remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is
the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common
Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of
a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician. This verily is the
truth, and all else naught but error."
In a further passage Bahá'u'lláh adds these words:
"We see you adding every year unto your expenditures and laying
the burden thereof on the people whom ye rule; this verily is
naught but grievous injustice. Fear the sighs and tears of this
Wronged One, and burden not your peoples beyond that which they
can endure.... Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need
armaments no more save in a measure to safeguard your territories
and dominions. Be united, O concourse of the sovereigns of the
world, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst
you and your peoples find rest. Should any one among you take up
arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but
manifest justice."
What else could these weighty words signify if they did not
point to the inevitable curtailment of unfettered national sovereignty
as an indispensable preliminary to the formation of the future
Commonwealth of all the nations of the world? Some form of a
world super-state must needs be evolved, in whose favor all the
nations of the world will have willingly ceded every claim to make
war, certain rights to impose taxation and all rights to maintain
armaments, except for purposes of maintaining internal order within
their respective dominions. Such a state will have to include within
its orbit an international executive adequate to enforce supreme and
unchallengeable authority on every recalcitrant member of the commonwealth;
a world parliament whose members shall be elected by
the people in their respective countries and whose election shall be
+P41
confirmed by their respective governments; and a supreme tribunal
whose judgment will have a binding effect even in such cases where
the parties concerned did not voluntarily agree to submit their case
to its consideration. A world community in which all economic
barriers will have been permanently demolished and the interdependence
of Capital and Labor definitely recognized; in which the
clamor of religious fanaticism and strife will have been forever
stilled; in which the flame of racial animosity will have been finally
extinguished; in which a single code of international law--the
product of the considered judgment of the world's federated representatives--
shall have as its sanction the instant and coercive intervention
of the combined forces of the federated units; and finally a
world community in which the fury of a capricious and militant
nationalism will have been transmuted into an abiding consciousness
of world citizenship--such indeed, appears, in its broadest outline,
the Order anticipated by Bahá'u'lláh, an Order that shall come to be
regarded as the fairest fruit of a slowly maturing age.
"The Tabernacle of Unity," Bahá'u'lláh proclaims in His message
to all mankind, "has been raised; regard ye not one another as
strangers.... Of one tree are all ye the fruit and of one bough
the leaves.... The world is but one country and mankind its
citizens.... Let not a man glory in that he loves his country; let
him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind."
Unity in Diversity
Let there be no misgivings as to the animating purpose of the
world-wide Law of Bahá'u'lláh. Far from aiming at the subversion
of the existing foundations of society, it seeks to broaden its basis,
to remold its institutions in a manner consonant with the needs of
an ever-changing world. It can conflict with no legitimate allegiances,
nor can it undermine essential loyalties. Its purpose is neither to
stifle the flame of a sane and intelligent patriotism in men's hearts,
nor to abolish the system of national autonomy so essential if the
evils of excessive centralization are to be avoided. It does not ignore,
nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnical origins, of
climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought and habit,
that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world. It calls for a
wider loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any that has animated
+P42
the human race. It insists upon the subordination of national impulses
and interests to the imperative claims of a unified world. It
repudiates excessive centralization on one hand, and disclaims all
attempts at uniformity on the other. Its watchword is unity in
diversity such as `Abdu'l-Bahá Himself has explained:
"Consider the flowers of a garden. Though differing in kind,
color, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the
waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated
by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm and
addeth unto their beauty. How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers
and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruit, the branches and the
trees of that garden were all of the same shape and color! Diversity
of hues, form and shape enricheth and adorneth the garden, and
heighteneth the effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of
thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the
power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of
human perfection will be revealed and made manifest. Naught but
the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth
the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the
divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas and convictions of the children
of men."
The call of Bahá'u'lláh is primarily directed against all forms of
provincialism, all insularities and prejudices. If long-cherished ideals
and time-honored institutions, if certain social assumptions and religious
formulae have ceased to promote the welfare of the generality
of mankind, if they no longer minister to the needs of a continually
evolving humanity, let them be swept away and relegated to the
limbo of obsolescent and forgotten doctrines. Why should these, in
a world subject to the immutable law of change and decay, be exempt
from the deterioration that must needs overtake every human institution?
For legal standards, political and economic theories are
solely designed to safeguard the interests of humanity as a whole,
and not humanity to be crucified for the preservation of the integrity
of any particular law or doctrine.
The Principle of Oneness
Let there be no mistake. The principle of the Oneness of Mankind--
the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh revolve
+P43
--is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an expression of
vague and pious hope. Its appeal is not to be merely identified with
a reawakening of the spirit of brotherhood and good-will among
men, nor does it aim solely at the fostering of harmonious cöoperation
among individual peoples and nations. Its implications are
deeper, its claims greater than any which the Prophets of old were
allowed to advance. Its message is applicable not only to the individual,
but concerns itself primarily with the nature of those essential
relationships that must bind all the states and nations as members
of one human family. It does not constitute merely the enunciation
of an ideal, but stands inseparably associated with an institution
adequate to embody its truth, demonstrate its validity, and perpetuate
its influence. It implies an organic change in the structure of present-day
society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced. It
constitutes a challenge, at once bold and universal, to outworn
shibboleths of national creeds--creeds that have had their day and
which must, in the ordinary course of events as shaped and controlled
by Providence, give way to a new gospel, fundamentally different
from, and infinitely superior to, what the world has already conceived.
It calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarization
of the whole civilized world--a world organically unified
in all the essential aspects of its life, its political machinery, its
spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script and language,
and yet infinite in the diversity of the national characteristics of its
federated units.
It represents the consummation of human evolution--an evolution
that has had its earliest beginnings in the birth of family life, its
subsequent development in the achievement of tribal solidarity, leading
in turn to the constitution of the city-state, and expanding later
into the institution of independent and sovereign nations.
The principle of the Oneness of Mankind, as proclaimed by
Bahá'u'lláh, carries with it no more and no less than a solemn
assertion that attainment to this final stage in this stupendous evolution
is not only necessary but inevitable, that its realization is fast
approaching, and that nothing short of a power that is born of God
can succeed in establishing it.
So marvellous a conception finds its earliest manifestations in the
efforts consciously exerted and the modest beginnings already
+P44
achieved by the declared adherents of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh who,
conscious of the sublimity of their calling and initiated into the
ennobling principles of His Administration, are forging ahead to
establish His Kingdom on this earth. It has its indirect manifestations
in the gradual diffusion of the spirit of world solidarity which
is spontaneously arising out of the welter of a disorganized society.
It would be stimulating to follow the history of the growth
and development of this lofty conception which must increasingly
engage the attention of the responsible custodians of the destinies of
peoples and nations. To the states and principalities just emerging
from the welter of the great Napoleonic upheaval, whose chief preoccupation
was either to recover their rights to an independent
existence or to achieve their national unity, the conception of world
solidarity seemed not only remote but inconceivable. It was not until
the forces of nationalism had succeeded in overthrowing the foundations
of the Holy Alliance that had sought to curb their rising power,
that the possibility of a world order, transcending in its range the
political institutions these nations had established, came to be seriously
entertained. It was not until after the World War that these
exponents of arrogant nationalism came to regard such an order as
the object of a pernicious doctrine tending to sap that essential
loyalty upon which the continued existence of their national life
depended. With a vigor that recalled the energy with which the members
of the Holy Alliance sought to stifle the spirit of a rising
nationalism among the peoples liberated from the Napoleonic yoke,
these champions of an unfettered national sovereignty, in their turn,
have labored and are still laboring to discredit principles upon which
their own salvation must ultimately depend.
The fierce opposition which greeted the abortive scheme of the
Geneva Protocol; the ridicule poured upon the proposal for a United
States of Europe which was subsequently advanced, and the failure
of the general scheme for the economic union of Europe, may appear
as setbacks to the efforts which a handful of foresighted people are
earnestly exerting to advance this noble ideal. And yet, are we not
justified in deriving fresh encouragement when we observe that the
very consideration of such proposals is in itself an evidence of their
steady growth in the minds and hearts of men? In the organized
attempts that are being made to discredit so exalted a conception are
+P45
we not witnessing the repetition, on a larger scale, of those stirring
struggles and fierce controversies that preceded the birth, and assisted
in the reconstruction, of the unified nations of the West?
The Federation of Mankind
To take but one instance. How confident were the assertions
made in the days preceding the unification of the states of the North
American continent regarding the insuperable barriers that stood
in the way of their ultimate federation! Was it not widely and
emphatically declared that the conflicting interests, the mutual distrust,
the differences of government and habit that divided the states
were such as no force, whether spiritual or temporal, could ever hope
to harmonize or control? And yet how different were the conditions
prevailing a hundred and fifty years ago from those that characterize
present-day society! It would indeed be no exaggeration to say
that the absence of those facilities which modern scientific progress
has placed at the service of humanity in our time made of the problem
of welding the American states into a single federation, similar
though they were in certain traditions, a task infinitely more complex
than that which confronts a divided humanity in its efforts to
achieve the unification of all mankind.
Who knows that for so exalted a conception to take shape a
suffering more intense than any it has yet experienced will have to
be inflicted upon humanity? Could anything less than the fire of a
civil war with all its violence and vicissitudes--a war that nearly
rent the great American Republic--have welded the states, not only
into a Union of independent units, but into a Nation, in spite of all
the ethnic differences that characterized its component parts? That
so fundamental a revolution, involving such far-reaching changes in
the structure of society, can be achieved through the ordinary processes
of diplomacy and education seems highly improbable. We
have but to turn our gaze to humanity's blood-stained history to
realize that nothing short of intense mental as well as physical agony
has been able to precipitate those epoch-making changes that constitute
the greatest landmarks in the history of human civilization.
+P46
The Fire of Ordeal
Great and far-reaching as have been those changes in the past,
they cannot appear, when viewed in their proper perspective, except
as subsidiary adjustments preluding that transformation of unparalleled
majesty and scope which humanity is in this age bound to
undergo. That the forces of a world catastrophe can alone precipitate
such a new phase of human thought is, alas, becoming increasingly
apparent. That nothing short of the fire of a severe ordeal, unparalleled
in its intensity, can fuse and weld the discordant entities that
constitute the elements of present-day civilization, into the integral
components of the world commonwealth of the future, is a truth
which future events will increasingly demonstrate.
The prophetic voice of Bahá'u'lláh warning, in the concluding
passages of the Hidden Words, "the peoples of the world" that "an
unforeseen calamity is following them and that grievous retribution
awaiteth them" throws indeed a lurid light upon the immediate
fortunes of sorrowing humanity. Nothing but a fiery ordeal, out of
which humanity will emerge, chastened and prepared, can succeed in
implanting that sense of responsibility which the leaders of a new-born
age must arise to shoulder.
I would again direct your attention to those ominous words of
Bahá'u'lláh which I have already quoted: "And when the appointed
hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the
limbs of mankind to quake."
Has not `Abdu'l-Bahá Himself asserted in unequivocal language
that "another war, fiercer than the last, will assuredly break out"?
Upon the consummation of this colossal, this unspeakably glorious
enterprise--an enterprise that baffled the resources of Roman
statesmanship and which Napoleon's desperate efforts failed to
achieve--will depend the ultimate realization of that millennium of
which poets of all ages have sung and seers have long dreamed.
Upon it will depend the fulfillment of the prophecies uttered by the
Prophets of old when swords shall be beaten into ploughshares and
the lion and the lamb lie down together. It alone can usher in the
Kingdom of the Heavenly Father as anticipated by the Faith of
Jesus Christ. It alone can lay the foundation for the New World
Order visualized by Bahá'u'lláh--a World Order that shall reflect,
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however dimly, upon this earthly plane, the ineffable splendors of the
Abhá Kingdom.
One word more in conclusion. The proclamation of the Oneness
of Mankind--the head corner-stone of Bahá'u'lláh's all-embracing
dominion--can under no circumstances be compared with such expressions
of pious hope as have been uttered in the past. His is not
merely a call which He raised, alone and unaided, in the face of the
relentless and combined opposition of two of the most powerful
Oriental potentates of His day--while Himself an exile and prisoner
in their hands. It implies at once a warning and a promise--a warning
that in it lies the sole means for the salvation of a greatly
suffering world, a promise that its realization is at hand.
Uttered at a time when its possibility had not yet been seriously
envisaged in any part of the world, it has, by virtue of that celestial
potency which the Spirit of Bahá'u'lláh has breathed into it,
come at last to be regarded, by an increasing number of thoughtful
men, not only as an approaching possibility, but as the necessary outcome
of the forces now operating in the world.
The Mouthpiece of God
Surely the world, contracted and transformed into a single highly
complex organism by the marvellous progress achieved in the realm
of physical science, by the world-wide expansion of commerce and
industry, and struggling, under the pressure of world economic
forces, amidst the pitfalls of a materialistic civilization, stands in
dire need of a restatement of the Truth underlying all the Revelations
of the past in a language suited to its essential requirements.
And what voice other than that of Bahá'u'lláh--the Mouthpiece of
God for this age--is capable of effecting a transformation of society
as radical as that which He has already accomplished in the
hearts of those men and women, so diversified and seemingly irreconcilable,
who constitute the body of His declared followers
throughout the world?
That such a mighty conception is fast budding out in the minds
of men, that voices are being raised in its support, that its salient
features must fast crystallize in the consciousness of those who are
in authority, few indeed can doubt. That its modest beginnings have
already taken shape in the world-wide Administration with which
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the adherents of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh stand associated only those
whose hearts are tainted by prejudice can fail to perceive.
Ours, dearly-beloved co-workers, is the paramount duty to continue,
with undimmed vision and unabated zeal, to assist in the final
erection of that Edifice the foundations of which Bahá'u'lláh has
laid in our hearts, to derive added hope and strength from the
general trend of recent events, however dark their immediate effects,
and to pray with unremitting fervor that He may hasten the
approach of the realization of that Wondrous Vision which constitutes
the brightest emanation of His Mind and the fairest fruit of
the fairest civilization the world has yet seen.
Might not the hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of
the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh mark the inauguration of so vast an era in
human history?
Your true brother,
SHOGHI
Haifa, Palestine,
November 28, 1931
+P49
THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE CAUSE OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
+P50
+P51
THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE CAUSE OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
To the beloved of God and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout
the United States and Canada.
Friends and fellow-defenders of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh:
Significant as have been the changes that have lately overtaken
a swiftly awakening humanity at this transitional phase of its
checkered history, the steady consolidation of the institutions which
the administrators of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh are, in every land,
toiling to establish should appear no less remarkable to even those
who are as yet imperfectly acquainted with the obstacles they have
had to surmount or the meagre resources on which they could rely.
That a Faith which, ten years ago, was severely shaken by the
sudden removal of an incomparable Master should have, in the face
of tremendous obstacles, maintained its unity, resisted the malignant
onslaught of its ill-wishers, silenced its calumniators, broadened
the basis of its far-flung administration, and raised upon it
institutions symbolizing its ideals of worship and service, should
be deemed sufficient evidence of the invincible power with which
the Almighty has chosen to invest it from the moment of its
inception.
That the Cause associated with the name of Bahá'u'lláh feeds
itself upon those hidden springs of celestial strength which no force
of human personality, whatever its glamour, can replace; that its
reliance is solely upon that mystic Source with which no worldly
advantage, be it wealth, fame, or learning can compare; that it
propagates itself by ways mysterious and utterly at variance with
+P52
the standards accepted by the generality of mankind, will, if not
already apparent, become increasingly manifest as it forges ahead
towards fresh conquests in its struggle for the spiritual regeneration
of mankind.
Indeed, how could it, unsupported as it has ever been by the
counsels and the resources of the wise, the rich, and the learned in
the land of its birth, have succeeded in breaking asunder the shackles
that weighed upon it at the hour of its birth, in emerging unscathed
from the storms that agitated its infancy, had not its animating
breath been quickened by that spirit which is born of God,
and on which all success, wherever and however it be sought, must
ultimately depend?
It is not necessary for me to recall, even in their briefest outline,
the heart-rending details of that appalling tragedy which
marked the birth-pangs of our beloved Faith, enacted in a land
notorious for its unrestrained fanaticisms, its crass ignorance, its
unbridled cruelty. Nor do I need to expatiate on the valor, the
sublime fortitude, that defied the cruel torture-mongers of that race,
or stress the number, or emphasize the purity of the lives, of those
who died willingly that their Cause might live and prosper. Nor is
it necessary to dwell upon the indignation which those atrocities
evoked, and the feelings of unqualified admiration that surged, in
the breasts of countless men and women, in regions remote from
the scene of those indescribable cruelties. Suffice it to say that upon
these heroes of Bahá'u'lláh's native land was bestowed the inestimable
privilege of sealing with their life-blood the early triumphs
of their cherished Faith, and of paving the way for its approaching
victory. In the blood of the unnumbered martyrs of Persia lay the
seed of the Divinely-appointed Administration which, though transplanted
from its native soil, is now budding out, under your loving
care, into a new order, destined to overshadow all mankind.
America's Contribution to the Cause
For great as have been the attainments and unforgettable the
services of the pioneers of the heroic age of the Cause in Persia,
the contribution which their spiritual descendants, the American
believers, the champion-builders of the organic structure of the
Cause, are now making towards the fulfillment of the Plan which
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must usher in the golden age of the Cause is no less meritorious
in this strenuous period of its history. Few, if any, I venture to
assert, among these privileged framers and custodians of the constitution
of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh are even dimly aware of the
preponderating rôle which the North American continent is destined
to play in the future orientation of their world-embracing Cause.
Nor does any appreciable number among them seem sufficiently
conscious of the decisive influence which they already exercise in
the direction and management of its affairs.
"The continent of America," wrote `Abdu'l-Bahá in February,
1917, "is, in the eyes of the one true God, the land wherein the
splendors of His light shall be revealed, where the mysteries of His
Faith shall be unveiled, where the righteous will abide, and the free
assemble."
That the supporters of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, throughout the
United States and Canada, are increasingly demonstrating the truth
of this solemn affirmation is evident to even a casual observer of
the record of their manifold services, whether in their individual
capacities or through their concerted endeavors. The manifestations
of spontaneous loyalty which marked their response to the expressed
wishes of a departed Master; the generosity with which
they have, on more than one occasion, arisen to lend a helping hand
to the needy and harassed among their brethren in Persia; the
vigor with which they have resisted the shameless attacks which
unrelenting enemies, both from within and without, have, with
increasing frequency, launched against them; the example which
the body of their national representatives have set to their sister
Assemblies in fashioning the instruments essential to the effective
discharge of their collective duties; their successful intervention on
behalf of their persecuted fellow-workers in Russia; the moral support
they have extended to their Egyptian fellow-disciples at a most
critical stage in their struggle for emancipation from the fetters
of Islamic orthodoxy; the historic services rendered by those intrepid
pioneers who, faithful to the call of `Abdu'l-Bahá, forsook
their homes to plant, in the uttermost corners of the globe, the
standard of His Faith; and, last but not least, the magnificence of
their self-sacrifice, culminating in the completion of the super-structure
of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár--these stand out each as an eloquent
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testimony to the indomitable character of the faith Bahá'u'lláh has
kindled in their hearts.
Who, contemplating so splendid a record of service, can doubt
that these faithful stewards of the redeeming grace of God have
preserved, undivided and unimpaired, the priceless heritage entrusted
to their charge? Have they not, one might well reflect, in
ways which only future historians will indicate, approached the high
standard that characterized those deeds of imperishable renown
accomplished by those that have gone before them?
Not by the material resources which the members of this infant
community can now summon to their aid; not by the numerical
strength of its present-day supporters; nor by any direct tangible
benefits its votaries can as yet confer upon the multitude of the
needy and the disconsolate among their countrymen, should its
potentialities be tested or its worth determined. Nowhere but in the
purity of its precepts, the sublimity of its standards, the integrity
of its laws, the reasonableness of its claims, the comprehensiveness
of its scope, the universality of its program, the flexibility of its
institutions, the lives of its founders, the heroism of its martyrs,
and the transforming power of its influence, should the unprejudiced
observer seek to obtain the true criterion that can enable him to
fathom its mysteries or to estimate its virtue.
Decline of Mortal Dominion
How unfair, how irrelevant, to venture any comparison between
the slow and gradual consolidation of the Faith proclaimed by
Bahá'u'lláh and those man-created movements which, having their
origin in human desires and with their hopes centered on mortal
dominion, must inevitably decline and perish! Springing from a
finite mind, begotten of human fancy, and oftentimes the product
of ill-conceived designs, such movements succeed, by reason of their
novelty, their appeal to man's baser instincts and their dependence
upon the resources of a sordid world, in dazzling for a time the
eyes of men, only to plunge finally from the heights of their meteoric
career into the darkness of oblivion, dissolved by the very
forces that had assisted in their creation.
Not so with the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh. Born in an environment
of appalling degradation, springing from a soil steeped in age-long
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corruptions, hatreds and prejudice, inculcating principles
irreconcilable with the accepted standards of the times, and faced
from the beginning with the relentless enmity of government, church
and people, this nascent Faith of God has, by virtue of the celestial
potency with which it has been endowed, succeeded, in less than
four score years and ten, in emancipating itself from the galling
chains of Islamic domination, in proclaiming the self-sufficiency of
its ideals and the independent integrity of its laws, in planting its
banner in no less than forty of the most advanced countries of the
world, in establishing its outposts in lands beyond the farthest seas,
in consecrating its religious edifices in the midmost heart of the
Asiatic and American continents, in inducing two of the most
powerful governments of the West to ratify the instruments essential
to its administrative activities, in obtaining from royalty befitting
tributes to the excellence of its teachings, and, finally, in
forcing its grievances upon the attention of the representatives of
the highest Tribunal in the civilized world, and in securing from its
members written affirmations that are tantamount to a tacit recognition
of its religious status and to an express declaration of the
justice of its cause.
Circumscribed though its power as a social force may as yet
appear, and however obvious may seem the present ineffectiveness
of its world-embracing program, we, who stand identified with its
blessed name, cannot but marvel at the measure of its achievements
if we but compare them with the modest accomplishments that have
marked the rise of the Dispensations of the past. Where else, if not
in the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, can the unbiased student of comparative
religion cite instances of a claim as stupendous as that
which the Author of that Faith advanced, foes as relentless as those
which He faced, a devotion more sublime than that which He
kindled, a life as eventful and as enthralling as that which He led?
Has Christianity or Islám, has any Dispensation that preceded
them, offered instances of such combinations of courage and restraint,
of magnanimity and power, of broad-mindedness and loyalty,
as those which characterized the conduct of the heroes of the
Faith of Bahá'u'lláh? Where else do we find evidences of a transformation
as swift, as complete, and as sudden, as those effected
in the lives of the apostles of the Báb? Few, indeed, are the instances
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recorded in any of the authenticated annals of the religions of the
past of a self-abnegation as complete, a constancy as firm, a magnanimity
as sublime, a loyalty as uncompromising, as those which
bore witness to the character of that immortal band which stands
identified with this Divine Revelation--this latest and most compelling
manifestation of the love and the omnipotence of the
Almighty!
Contrast with Religions of the Past
We may vainly search in the records of the earliest beginnings
of any of the recognized religions of the past for episodes as thrilling
in their details, or as far-reaching in their consequences, as
those that illumine the pages of the history of this Faith. The
almost incredible circumstances attending the martyrdom of that
youthful Prince of Glory; the forces of barbaric repression which
this tragedy subsequently released; the manifestations of unsurpassed
heroism to which it gave rise; the exhortations and warnings
which have streamed from the pen of the Divine Prisoner in His
Epistles to the potentates of the Church and the monarchs and rulers
of the world; the undaunted loyalty with which our brethren are
battling in Muslim countries with the forces of religious orthodoxy
--these may be reckoned as the most outstanding features of what
the world will come to recognize as the greatest drama in the world's
spiritual history.
I need not recall, in this connection, the unfortunate episodes
that have, admittedly, and to a very great extent, marred the early
history of both Judaism and Islám. Nor is it necessary to stress the
damaging effect of the excesses, the rivalries and divisions, the
fanatical outbursts and acts of ingratitude that are associated with
the early development of the people of Israel and with the militant
career of the ruthless pioneers of the Faith of Muhammad.
It would be sufficient for my purpose to call attention to the
great number of those who, in the first two centuries of the Christian
era, "purchased an ignominious life by betraying the holy
Scriptures into the hands of the infidels," the scandalous conduct
of those bishops who were thereby branded as traitors, the discord
of the African Church, the gradual infiltration into Christian doctrine
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of the principles of the Mithraic cult, of the Alexandrian
school of thought, of the precepts of Zoroastrianism and of Grecian
philosophy, and the adoption by the churches of Greece and of Asia
of the institutions of provincial synods of a model which they
borrowed from the representative councils of their respective
countries.
How great was the obstinacy with which the Jewish converts
among the early Christians adhered to the ceremonies of their ancestors,
and how fervent their eagerness to impose them on the
Gentiles! Were not the first fifteen bishops of Jerusalem all circumcised
Jews, and had not the congregation over which they presided
united the laws of Moses with the doctrine of Christ? Is it not a
fact that no more than a twentieth part of the subjects of the Roman
Empire had enlisted themselves under the standard of Christ before
the conversion of Constantine? Was not the ruin of the Temple,
in the city of Jerusalem, and of the public religion of the Jews,
severely felt by the so-called Nazarenes, who persevered, above a
century, in the practice of the Mosaic Law?
How striking the contrast when we remember, in the light of
the afore-mentioned facts, the number of those followers of
Bahá'u'lláh who, in Persia and the adjoining countries, had enlisted
at the time of His Ascension as the convinced supporters of His
Faith! How encouraging to observe the undeviating loyalty with
which His valiant followers are guarding the purity and integrity
of His clear and unequivocal teachings! How edifying the spectacle
of those who are battling with the forces of a firmly intrenched
orthodoxy in their struggle to emancipate themselves from the
fetters of an outworn creed! How inspiring the conduct of those
Muslim followers of Bahá'u'lláh who view, not with regret or
apathy, but with feelings of unconcealed satisfaction, the deserved
chastisement which the Almighty has inflicted upon those twin
institutions of the Sultanate and the Caliphate, those engines of
despotism and sworn enemies of the Cause of God!
Fundamental Principle of Religious Truth
Let no one, however, mistake my purpose. The Revelation, of
which Bahá'u'lláh is the source and center, abrogates none of the
religions that have preceded it, nor does it attempt, in the slightest
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degree, to distort their features or to belittle their value. It disclaims
any intention of dwarfing any of the Prophets of the past,
or of whittling down the eternal verity of their teachings. It can,
in no wise, conflict with the spirit that animates their claims, nor
does it seek to undermine the basis of any man's allegiance to their
cause. Its declared, its primary purpose is to enable every adherent
of these Faiths to obtain a fuller understanding of the religion with
which he stands identified, and to acquire a clearer apprehension
of its purpose. It is neither eclectic in the presentation of its truths,
nor arrogant in the affirmation of its claims. Its teachings revolve
around the fundamental principle that religious truth is not absolute
but relative, that Divine Revelation is progressive, not final. Unequivocally
and without the least reservation it proclaims all established
religions to be divine in origin, identical in their aims,
complementary in their functions, continuous in their purpose, indispensable
in their value to mankind.
"All the Prophets of God," asserts Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Íqán,
"abide in the same tabernacle, soar in the same heaven, are
seated upon the same throne, utter the same speech, and proclaim
the same Faith." From the "beginning that hath no beginning," these
Exponents of the Unity of God and Channels of His incessant
utterance have shed the light of the invisible Beauty upon mankind,
and will continue, to the "end that hath no end," to vouchsafe fresh
revelations of His might and additional experiences of His inconceivable
glory. To contend that any particular religion is final, that
"all Revelation is ended, that the portals of Divine mercy are closed,
that from the daysprings of eternal holiness no sun shall rise again,
that the ocean of everlasting bounty is forever stilled, and that out
of the Tabernacle of ancient glory the Messengers of God have
ceased to be made manifest" would indeed be nothing less than
sheer blasphemy.
"They differ," explains Bahá'u'lláh in that same epistle, "only
in the intensity of their revelation and the comparative potency of
their light." And this, not by reason of any inherent incapacity of
any one of them to reveal in a fuller measure the glory of the Message
with which He has been entrusted, but rather because of the
immaturity and unpreparedness of the age He lived in to apprehend
and absorb the full potentialities latent in that Faith.
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"Know of a certainty," explains Bahá'u'lláh, "that in every Dispensation
the light of Divine Revelation has been vouchsafed to men
in direct proportion to their spiritual capacity. Consider the sun.
How feeble its rays the moment it appears above the horizon. How
gradually its warmth and potency increase as it approaches its zenith,
enabling meanwhile all created things to adapt themselves to the
growing intensity of its light. How steadily it declines until it
reaches its setting point. Were it, all of a sudden, to manifest the
energies latent within it, it would, no doubt, cause injury to all
created things.... In like manner, if the Sun of Truth were suddenly
to reveal, at the earliest stages of its manifestation, the full
measure of the potencies which the providence of the Almighty has
bestowed upon it, the earth of human understanding would waste
away and be consumed; for men's hearts would neither sustain the
intensity of its revelation, nor be able to mirror forth the radiance
of its light. Dismayed and overpowered, they would cease to exist."
It is for this reason, and this reason only, that those who have
recognized the Light of God in this age, claim no finality for the
Revelation with which they stand identified, nor arrogate to the
Faith they have embraced powers and attributes intrinsically superior
to, or essentially different from, those which have characterized
any of the reli