Not formatted or fully proofread. See https://bahai-library.com/uhj_bahai_world_16 ---------- [p1] THE BAHA'I WORLD VOLUME XVI 130, 131, 132 and 133 OF THE BAHA'I ERA 1973 Ñ 1976 [p2] [p3] [p4] Partial view of olive grove in the fourth quadrant of the gardens at Baha [p5] [p6] .iTh~ T Architect's impression of the seat of the Universal House of Justice [p7] THE BAHA'I WORLD AN INTERNATIONAL RECORD Prepared under the supervision of The Universal House of Justice VOLUME XVI 130, 131, 132 and 133 OF THE BAHA'I ERA 1973 Ñ 1976 BAHA'I WORLD CENTRE HAIFA 1978 [p8] © 1978 The Universal House of Justice World Rights Reserved NOTE: The spelling of the Oriental words and proper names used in this volume of The Bab 'i World is according to the system of transliteration established at one of the International Oriental Congresses. ISBN 0 85398 075 6 Printed in Great Britain at the University Press, Oxford by Eric Buckley Printer to the University [p5] PREFACE THE successive volumes of The Bali& 'i World have come to be anticipated by Baha'is as the record of their own collective endeavours on behalf of their Faith, of the establishment and development of its administrative order throughout the world and as the source of data, both historical and statistical, relating to the rise of that Faith during its formative age. By librarians and students The Baha 'i World is becoming ever more widely known as a source of authentic information about the aims, tenets, history, activities, organization and growth of the Baha Faith. The editors therefore have always in mind the preservation of an even balance between the presentation of material of supreme interest to believers and of a fair and objective picture to enquirers. In this they are guided by the policy of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, who directed the compilation of the successive volumes &rom Ito XII covering the years 1925 to 1954. The first volume, known as Baha'i Year Book, was in fact a one-year survey; the next seven volumes were biennial, terminating in 1940; volume IX recorded the four years from 1940 to 1944; volume X was again biennial and volumes XI and XII presented the periods 1946 to 1950 and 1950 to 1954 respectively. All these volumes were published in the United States under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly, volume I being compiled by an editorial committee of American Baha'is, and the remainder by an international board of editors, all under the supervision of the Guardian of the Faith. Volume XIII, which recorded the passing of the Guardian and the course and completion of his Ten Year Crusade, covered the entire period from 1954 to 1963 and was produced under the supervision of the Universal House of Justice, which thenceforth assumed responsibility for publication. Volumes XIV and XV covered the years 1963 to 1968 and 1968 to 1973 respectively. This volume, XVI, records the establishment at the World Centre in June 1973 of the International Teaching Centre, one of the world administrative institutions of the Faith to be located on Mount Carmel in the vicinity of the Shrine of the Bab, sets out the details of the Five Year Plan launched by the Universal House of Justice at Rhjv6n 1974, and chronicles the continued expansion and consolidation, to Ri~vAn 1976, of the Faith of Baha'u'llah. [p6] [p7] CONTENTS Introduction Page ALMS AND PURPOSES OF THE BAHA'I FAITH, by David Hofman 1 PART ONE THE BAHA'I REVELATION I. EXCERPTS FROM THE BAHA'I SACRED WRITINGS 1. Baha'u'llah 9 2. The Bab 23 3. 'Abdu'l-Baha 29 IL EXCERPTS FROM THE WRITINGS OF SHOGHI EFFENDI 1.The Greatest Drama in the World's Spiritual History Ñ Excerpts from The Promised Day is Come. 41 PART TWO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH Ñ The First Half Century of the Forma tive Age of the Baha'i Faith, by Eunice Braun. 63 PART THREE INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF CURRENT BAHA'I ACTIVITIES I. THE HOUSE OF 'ABDU'LLAH PASHA. 103 II. THE FIVE YEAR INTERNATIONAL TEACHING PLAN 19741979 1. The Launching of the Five Year Plan 107 2. Analysis of the Five Year Plan 111 III. INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF CURRENT BAHA'I ACTIVITIES 19731976 131 1. The World Centre 133 2. Survey by Continents 141 IV. THE HISTORY OF NEW ERA HIGH SCHOOL, byjamesP. West. 320 [p8] viii CONTENTS V.THE BAHA'I FAITH AND THE UNITED NATIONS Page 1.The Beginnings of Baha'i Relationship with the United Nations 327 2.A. The Baha'i International Community and the United Nations 19541963 329 B. 1963 Ñ 1973,byVictordeAraujo 333 c. 1973 Ñ 1976,byVictordeAraujo 337 VI. RECOGNITION OF THE BAHA'I FAITH 1.Incorporation of National Spiritual Assemblies 353 2. Incorporation of Local Spiritual Assemblies 362 3.A Selection of Other Documents Recording Official Recognition of the Baha Faith 369 PART FOUR THE WORLD ORDER OF BAHA'U'LLAH I. THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE 1.The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice 383 2.The Third International Convention for the Election of the Universal House of Justice. 392 3.The Greatest Single Undertaking of the Five Year Plan Ñ Announcement of the Initiation of Construction of the Permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice 397 4.The Permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice, by Husayn An~nat 399 H. THE HANDS OF THE CAUSE OF GOD 1. The Hands of the Cause of God and the Extension of their Functions into the Future 406 A. The Rulers and the Learned 406 n. The Hands of the Cause of God 407 c. The Continental Boards of Counsellors 408 D. The International Teaching Centre 411 2. The Work and Travels of the Hands of the Cause. 415 3. Hands of the Cause who Represented the Universal House of Justice at Inaugural Conventions for the election of National Spiritual Assemblies 1973 Ñ 1976 418 4. The Green Light Expedition 419 Ill. THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY 1. Introduction, by Horace Holley 449 2.A Model Declaration of Trust and ByLaws for a National Spiritual Assembly 451 3.A Procedure for the Conduct of the Annual Baha'i Convention 462 LV. THE LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY 1. The Institution and its Significance 465 2. ByLaws of a Local Spiritual Assembly 479 V. THE INSTITUTION OF THE MASHRIQU'L-ADHKAR 1. Foreword, by Horace Holley 483 2. The Spiritual Significance of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar 484 3. The Mother Temple of the Indian Subcontinent487 4. The First Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of the Pacific Islands 489 [p9] Page 563 546 520 514 542 525 512 550 531 552 540 549 527 561 565 560 544 CONTENTS lx VI. THE NONPOLITICAL CHARACTER OF THE BAHA'I FAITH 1. The NonPolitical Character of the Baha Faith Ñ Excerpts from the Writings of Shoghi Effendi VII. RELATIONSHIP TO GOVERNMENT 1. Loyalty to Government Ñ Statement Prepared by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States of America 2. The Baha View of Pacifism 3. The Baha Position on Military Service 4. Summary of the Guardian's Instructions on the Obligation of Baha'is in Connection tion with Military Service VIII. BAHA'I CALENDAR, FESTIVALS AND DATES OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE 1. Foreword, by Dr. J. E. Esslemont 2. Baha'i Feasts, Anniversaries and Days of Fasting 3. Baha'i Holy Days on Which Work Should be Suspended 4. Additional material gleaned from Nabil's Narrative (vol. II), regarding the Baha'i Calendar 5. Historical Data Gleaned from Nabil's Narrative (vol. II), regarding Baha'u'llah 6. Dates of Historical Significance in the Rise of the Baha Faith Page 490 496 497 497 498 499 499 500 500 503 507 PART FIVE IN MEMORIAM Ahmadpar, 'Ln6yatu'llTh ArbTh, Rtihi Ashen, Elizabeth Ann (Anna) AzamikhTh, Qudratu'llAh Baghd6xli, 'Abbas Ihs~n Bakhtiy6ri, JsfandiyAr Bare, Karen Becker, Matilda (Betty) Beeton, James Henry Isaac. Bode, Edward L. Dhabih Ishr~qiyyih Dreyfu~-Barney, Laura Clifford Elston, Mary Ashley Eziukwu, Isaac Facey, James Vassal Ferraby, John George, Prudence Graham, Fred Page • 529 547 • 553 • 519 • 543 • 554 • 524 • 538 • 551 • 566 517 • 535 • 530 • 522 • 556 • 511 • 534 • 558 Errata • 568 Krishnan, G. S. Santhanam Kuhiase, Christopher V. Kunz, Anna Loft, Alfred James Malkin, Seymour Marangella, Philip A. McKinley, Violet Mejia, Blanca Victoria Mills, Mary Olga Katherine MujAhid, Siyyid Amir-SliTh Na'imi, Mahbabih Patterson, Robert Henry Toeg, Daoud 'Ubb6Ai, Ghuhm-'Ali Vakil, Mirza Venturini, Verena zaynu'1-Abidin, Fawzi Estrada, Salom6n Pacora Vieira, Eduardo Duarte 568 [p10] x CONTENTS PART SIX DIRECTORY, BIBLIOGRAPHY, GLOSSARY I. BAHA'I DIRECTORY Page 1. The Universal House of Justice 571 2. The Hands of the Cause 571 3. The International Teaching Centre 571 4. Continental Boards of Counsellors 572 5. Baha International Community 572 6. National Spiritual Assemblies 572 7. Baha Publishing Trusts 572 II. BAHAI BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Baha'u'llah's BestKnown Works 574 2. The Bab's BestKnown Works 575 3. 'Abdu'l-Baha's BestKnown Works 576 4. Some Compilations from the Writings of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha 577 5. Shoghi Effendi's BestKnown Works 577 6. Languages into which Baha Literature has been Translated Ñ Ridvan 19734976 579 A. Africa 579 B. The Americas 580 cx Asia 581 ix Australasia and the Pacific Islands. 582 E. Europe 582 F. Invented Languages 583 G. Total by Continents 584 7. The Short Obligatory Prayer in 320 Languages, Dialects or Scripts 584 A. Africa 585 B. The Americas 594 c. Asia 600 D. Australasia and the Pacific Islands. 613 E. Europe -- 615 615 F. Invented Languages 619 8. Major Works and Partial List of Languages in which they are available 621 A. Works of Baha'u'llah 621 B. Works of 'Abdu'l-Baha 621 c. Works Compiled from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, The BTh and 'Abdu'l-Baha ah~ 621 it Works of Shoghi Effendi 621 9. A Selection of Introductory and Expository Works 622 22 A. General 622 H. For Children 623 c. Periodicals 623 D. International Record 623 III. ORIENTAL TERMS 1.Transliteration of Oriental Words Frequently used in Baha'i Literature 624 2.Guide to Transliteration and Pronunciation of the Persian Alphabet 626 3. Notes on the Pronunciation of Persian Words. 626 4.Definitions of Some of the Oriental Terms Used in Baha Literature 628 [p11] CONTENTS xi PART SEVEN LITERARY AND MUSICAL WORKS I. ESSAYS AND REVIEWS Page 1.The Sufferings of Baha'u'llah and Their Significance, by George Townshend 635 2.The Fragrance of Spirituality: An Appreciation of the Art of Mark Tobey, by Arthur Lyon Dahi 638 3.Excerpts from Beyond East and West, by Bernard Leach 646 4.La Foi Mondiale Baha: Religion Planetaire de 1'Avenir? by Jacques Chouleur 652 5. The Flowering of the Planet, by Guy Murchie 660 6.Some Themes and Images in the Writings of Baha'u'llah, by Baha'i NaRlijavani 670 7.BaM'u'llAh's Model for World Unity, by Douglas Martin 675 II. VERSE 687 LII. MUSIC 697 [p12] [p13] LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Frontispiece One: Partial view of olive grove in the fourth quadrant of the gardens at Baha'i Frontispiece Two: Architect's rendering of the Seat of The Universal House of Justice Part One: The Baha'i Revelation Page Aerial view of Baha; April 1975 17 The Shrine of the Bab; 1976 22 A signet ring of the BTh 27 Photograph of 'Abdu'l-Baha, Paris, 1911 28 Photograph of 'Abdu'l-Baha, Haifa, 1919 35 The Baha International Archives building; 1973 45 Partial view of Baha gardens, Mount Carmel 50 View of the arc on Mount Carmel looking towards the Baha International Archives building 54 The Shrine of Baha'i KMnum, Mount Carmel 54 The symbol of the Greatest Name adopted by Shoghi Effendi for use on his stationery 59 A transcription of the Tablet of Cannel by Baha'u'llah 60 Part Two: The First Half Century of the Formative Age A glimpse of 'Abdu'l-Baha 7 Persian Street, Haifa64 Baha'i (Baha'u'llah) KhAnum, 'The Greatest Holy Leaf' 66 Her Majesty Dowager Queen Marie of Romania 69 Baha'i International Bureau and offices of European Teaching Committee, Geneva 71 The Baha'i House of Worship, Wilmette, Illinois 74 First Baha'i Summer School, Yerrinbool, Australia; 1938 77 May Ellis Maxwell 78 Martha L. Root 78 First Local Spiritual Assembly of Kampala, Uganda; Ridvan 1952 84 Silhouette of the monument rising above the resting place of Shoghi Effendi, Great Northern London Cemetery, New Soutligate 89 Delegates to the first International Convention for the election of the Universal House of Justice; April 1963 91 Baha gathered in the Royal Albert Hall, London during the World Congress; April 1963 92 Baha'is gathering at first oceanic conference of the Baha'i world, Palermo, Sicily; August 1968 95 International Baha'i Conference of the North Pacific Ocean, Sapporo, Japan; 1971 96 Members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, Haifa; Ridvan 1973 98 Part Three: International Survey of Current Baha'i Activities The house of 'Abdu'llAh P~sli& 'Akka 105 First United States National Baha'i Conference of the Five Year Plan 110 First Teaching Conference of the Arctic and subArctic regions of Europe 110 Teaching Conference of the Mediterranean Area, Cagliari, Sardinia 113 Teaching Conference, Lima, Peru; July 1974 113 [p14] xlv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page National Teaching Conference, Apia, Western Samoa; August 1974 114 National Teaching Conference, Oruro, Bolivia; September 1974 114 Conference for study of the institutions of the Baha'i Faith, Kigali, Rwanda 117 National Teaching Conference, Valparaiso, Chile; December 1974 117 National Teaching Conference, Sogeri Teaching Institute, Papua; April 1975 118 Regional Teaching Conference, Karachi, Pakistan; April 1975 118 Regional Teaching Conference, Victoria, Cameroon; May 1975 121 National Teaching Conference, Bangalore, India; May 1975 121 Conference of Hands of the Cause, Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies, Wilmette, Illinois; July 1975 124 Regional Teaching Conference, Mamfe, Cameroon; January 1975 124 National Teaching Conference, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; October 1975 127 Third Inter-Assembly Conference of Western Asia, Tih6n, lr~n, December 1975 127 Aerial view of Mount Carmel showing the arc before the commencement of construction of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. 132 A view of Mazra'ih; 1973 139 Map of Africa showing the four zones of the Continental Boards of Counsellors 140 Baha of the Central African Republic participating in the Independence Day Parade; 1975 142 Mr. Albert Lincoln at swearing-in ceremony marking his admission to the bar of the Central African Republic 147 Baha singing group, Nhlangano, Swaziland 151 Royal guests who attended the United Nations International Women's Year Tea sponsored by the Baha of Swaziland 158 Baha'i Youth Conference, Hlatikulu, Swaziland 159 Baha'i Youth Institute, Agboku, Dahomey (Benin) 162 Participants in Baha Conference, Chad 164 Baha'i children's class, Talindingkunjang, the Gambia 166 The first West African (International) Baha'i Youth Conference, Accra, Ghana 167 Second Regional Youth Conference, Tajama, Sierra Leone 172 Map of North, Central and South America 176 Map of Central America and the Caribbean. 177 Baha'i children's class, Costa Rica 179 Baha children's class, Moca, Dominican Republic181 Presentation of Baha'i literature to Mas Clam, Carib Indian Chief, Dominica 181 First institute in El Salvador sponsored by Central American Counsellors 183 Presentation of Baha'i literature to the Hon. George H. Walter, Premier of Antigua and Barbuda 188 Baha'i children's class, Winter School, Muna, Yucatan 189 Youth Institute, Mexico City 190 Baha who attended the dedication of the Baha Centre, Baha'i Village, Panama 192 Participants in the first Radio and Television Workshop of the Caribbean, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 195 Dedication of the Baha recording studio of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 195 Map of North America 197 The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Baha Rtihiyyih KhAnum, Fairbanks, Alaska 198 The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Baha Rahiyyih KhAnum and students at Mathew Kaszab Baha'i Institute, Anchorage, Alaska. 199 The Hand of the Cause John Robarts and delegates to the annual convention of the Baha of Canada 201 Group of Canadian Baha who served as a teaching team to reach ethnic groups 202 Proclamation advertisement inserted during the bicentennial year of the United States of America in the special bicentennial issues of Ljfe, The New York Times Magazine and in the August 1976 issue of Ebony Ñ coloured photograph between pp. 202203 203 [p15] LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS XV Page Participants in the first Spanish language Baha Institute, Wilmette, Illinois 204 A participant in a teaching project for Chinese-speaking Americans, New York City 205 Baha'i float launched by the Baha'is of Webster Groves, Missouri, U.S.A. 205 Baha'i participants in an Indian Council Fire, Chinle, Arizona 206 Participants in the first Teaching Institute of the Bahamas 207 Map of South America 209 Participants in Baha'i Institute, LaLeones, Argentina 209 Baha children's class, Las Lomitas, Argentina 210 Newly-acquired National Haziratu'1-Quds of the Baha of Brazil 213 Some Baha of Brazil who coordinated teaching activities during the visit of Abdu'l-Baha Rfihiyyih KhAnum 214 Some of the first Alacalufe Indian Baha'is of Chile who accepted the Baha'i Faith in June 1974 215 Second annual Baha'i Children's Conference, Georgetown, Guyana 220 Peruvian Baha youth who participated in teaching project, Cuzco, Peru. 222 Baha and friends who gathered to hear Abdu'l-Baha Rtihiyyih KhAnum speak about the Green Light Expedition, Lima, Peru 223 The Hand of the Cause Dr. Rahmatu'11Th Mirza paying a courtesy call on the Hon. Sir A. H. McShine, Acting Governor-General of Trinidad and Tobago 224 Participants in teaching project held in Rivera, Uruguay 227 Baha'i children's class, Montevideo, Uruguay 227 Hawaiian Baha Chorus 230 Presentation of the Agnes Baldwin Alexander Award for Service by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of the Hawaiian Islands 230 Baha'i International Youth Conference, Hilo, Hawaii 232 Prizewinning float designed by the Baha'is of Hawaii 232 Map of Northeastern Asia 234 Presentation of Baha'i literature to Mr. S. Gyama, Mayor of Kurashiki, Japan 235 Map of the North West Pacific Ocean 237 The Hand of the Cause H. Collis Featherstone being welcomed to Guam by Governor Carlos Garcia Camacho 238 Institute on Baha'i family life, Taiwan 240 Map of South Central Asia 242 The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Baha Rfihiyyih KMnum with some Baha'is of Mirerbagh, Bangladesh 243 The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Baha Rtthiyyih KhAnum paying a courtesy call on His Excellency President Mohammadullah of Bangladesh.244 The National Baha'i Youth Committee of India 245 The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Baha Rtihiyyih KhAnum paying a courtesy call on His Excellency Varahagiri Venkata Girl, President of India 246 Presentation of Baha literature to Mr. Kasu Brahmanada Reddy, Minister of Home Affairs, India 247 Map of Southeastern Asia 249 The Hand of the Cause Abdu'l-Baha Rfihiyyih KhAnum visiting the tomb of MustafA Rami, Daidanaw Village, Burma~ 250 Some Baha'i youth of Luang Prabang area, Laos 252 Second National Baha Youth Conference of Laos 253 Some Baha'is of Mentawai and Padang, Indonesia 254 Participants in teaching institute, Kampong Tun Razak, Sarawak 256 Participants in Regional Teaching Conference, Los Banos, Philippines 258 Participants in National Baha'i Youth Conference, Singapore 260 The Hand of the Cause 'Ali-Akbar Furtitan with the Hands residing in IrAn and Counsellors of the Western Asian zone 263 [p16] xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page First Continental Youth Conference of Western Asia, Karachi, Pakistan 265 Some Baha'is of Sivas, Turkey 266 Map of Australasia and the Pacific Islands 268 Sixth Australian Baha Youth Conference, Canberra 269 Map of Islands of the Pacific Ocean 271 Catamaran used by Baha of the Gilbert Islands 273 National Youth Conference of New Zealand, Hamilton. 275 Baha'i marching group, Lae, New Guinea 277 Mrs. Elti Kunak of Madina, New Ireland 278 His Highness Malietoa Tanumafihi H of Western Samoa with the Hand of the Cause William Sears and other Baha 280 Haziratu'1-Quds of Pago Pago, American Samoa 281 First Baha Women's Conference of the Solomon Islands, Auki, Malaita 282 The Knight of Baha'u'llah Bertha Dobbins and distinguished guests at the dedication of the national Haziratu'1-Quds, Port Vila, New Hebrides 284 Map of Europe 288 The Dawn-Breakers of Austria 289 The Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery with other participants in the Scandinavian Youth Conference, Vissinge, Fuen, Denmark 291 The Jzlaziratu'1-Quds of Godth&b, Greenland 292 Baha booth, International Book Festival, Nice, France 296 Public proclamation of the Baha'i Faith, Darmstadt, Germany 297 The Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery with other participants in the first Baha'i Summer School of Greece 298 Participants in the Baha children's conference, Langenhain, Germany 299 The Hand of the Cause William Sears with other participants in the first International Baha Youth Conference of Iceland 301 The Hand of the Cause Paul Haney with other participants in the Irish Baha Summer School 302 The Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery with other participants in the Baha teaching conference, e, San Zeno, Italy 304 A poster produced by the Baha'is of the Netherlands 307 Some participants in the summerteaching project in southern Holland; 1975 308 Some Baha'is of Lisbon, Portugal during their Naw-Rtiz observance 311 First Baha Youth Conference of the Canary Islands, Santa Cnn 313 'Day-star'-Ñ a Baha'i music group of the United Kingdom 317 Facsimile of part of a handbook for teachers of religion in the United Kingdom 319 Front view of the New Era High School 321 The Hand of the Cause Arnatu'1-BalTh Rtihiyyih Kh6num presenting social service awards, New Era High School, 1974 323 Junior student choir performing on thirtieth anniversary of the New Era High School, 1975 325 Partial view of skyline of New York showing United Nations complex 330 United Nations Conference on 'New Perspectives on World Population', New York; May 1973 332 Mr. Genichi Akatani and Dr. Victor de Araujo in consultation during United Nations Conference on 'New Perspectives on World Population' 332 Foirnm on 'The Status of Womenin Today's Society' sponsored by the Baha'is of Mauritius in observance of United Nations International Women's Year 335 A selection of Baha'i literature prepared and distributed by the Baha'i International Community; y; 1973 Ñ 1976 336 United Nations Seminar on 'The Promotion and Protection of the Human Rights of National, Ethnic, and Other Minorities',Olirid, Yugoslavia; 1974 338 [p17] LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Xvii Page Regional Conference of NonGovernmental Organizations, Bangkok, Thailand; 1975 340 Seminar on 'The Participation of Women in Economic, Social and Political Development', Buenos Aires, Argentina; 1976 341 Some Baha'i delegates who participated in the United Nations International Women's Year Conference and the related Tribune, Mexico City; 1975 343 Baha'i International Community representatives attending the United Nations World Population Conference, Bucharest, Romania; 1974344 United Nations Seminar on 'Youth and Human Rights', San Remo, Italy; 1973 346 Dr. 'Aziz Navidi, 'World Congress on World Peace through Law', Abidj an, Ivory Coast; 1973 348 Mr. Will C. van den Hoonaard of the Baha International Community United Nations Office, New York 351 Extracts from Official Journal of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg relating to the revision of the Articles of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Luxembourg 354 Extract from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Jamaica Incorporation Act, No. 25 Ñ 1974, of the Parliament of Jamaica 355 Certificate of Incorporation on change of name of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Hong Kong 356 Extract from Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Malaysia 357 Letter from the President of the Republic of Upper Volta upon which was obtained official recognition of the Baha'i community of Upper Volta 358 Letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ghana according official recognition to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Ghana 359 Certificate of Incorporation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Nicaragua 360 Certificate of Registration of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Portugal 361 Extract from the Official Journal of New Caledonia relating to the incorporation of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Guahma (Mare), New Caledonia 363 Extract from the Official Journal of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg relating to the incorporation on of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Luxembourg 364 Certificate of Incorporation of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Naga City, Republic of the Philippines 365 Extract from Certificate of Incorporation of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Puerto Tejada, Cauca, Colombia 366 Certificate of Incorporation of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Freetown, Sierra Leone 367 Extract from Certificate of Incorporation of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Travesia, Cort6s, Honduras 368 Letter from the Attorney General of American Samoa recording recognition of Baha marriage 370 Letter from the Banjul City Council exempting the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the Gambia from the payment of rates on Baha property 371 Certificate of Registration of a Baha symbol granted to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Iceland 372 Circular of the Department of Education of the Government of the Virgin Islands permitting Baha'i students to absent themselves on Baha'i Holy Days 373 Circular of the Government of Sarawak granting leave of absence on Baha'i Holy Days to Baha'is in Government service 374 Decree of the Italian Ministry of the Interior approving the appointment of Mr. Augusto Robiati as officiant of marriages for the Baha'i community of Rimini on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Italy 375 [p18] xviii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page License to perform marriages, issued by the State of Hawaii to the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Lihue 376 Extract from Bill No. 51 of the Government of Alberta, Canada, relating to recognition of Baha'i marriage 377 Senate and House Resolutions of the State of Hawaii commending the Hawaiian Baha'i community on the production of a series of television programmes relating to the Baha Faith 378 Resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Wilmette, Illinois congratulating the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of the United States on its fiftieth anniversary 379 Certificate of Registration of the Baha'i Publishing Trust of Korea 380 Part Four: The World Order of Baha'u'llah Facsimile of signatures on the Constitution of the Universal House of Justice 385 The members of the Universal House of Justice, elected at Ridvan 1973 386 Partial view of Baha gathered during third International Convention 386 Baha gathered for the observance of the Ninth Day of Ridvan 393 Mr. Asfaw Tessema casting his ballot 394 Hands of the Cause and members of the Universal House of Justice entering the House of 'Abbtid 395 Excavation of the site for the Seat of the Universal House of Justice 396 Architectural drawing of front elevation, Seat of the Universal House of Justice 398 Longitudinal cross-section drawing, Seat of the Universal House of Justice 400 Floor plan of members' offices, Seat of the Universal House of Justice 400 400 Sketch showing siting of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice 401 Preparation of model of capitals of columns, Seat of the Universal House of Justice 402 Ornamental urn in the Baha gardens on Mount Carmel 405 Hands of the Cause who attended the third International Convention 408 Inaugural meeting of the International Teaching Centre. 412 The Green Light Expedition Ñ A Pictorial Report pp. 419448 Some newly-formed National Spiritual Assemblies 19731976 Page Page Hong Kong (1974) 452 Togo (1975) 461 Jordan (1976) 452 Upper West Africa (1975) Inaugural Niger (1975) 456 Convention 461 Sierra Leone (1975) 456 Some Local Spiritual Assemblies 197319 76 Page Page Waterford, Ireland (1973) 464Concord, New Hampshire, U.S.A. Galatsi, Greece (1973)464 (1975) 474 Bensberg, Germany (1973) 467Dillingham, Alaska (1974) 478 Isle of Mull, Scotland (1975) 467 St. Michael Parish, Barbados (1975) 478 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg (1975) 470 Guildford, United Kingdom (1975) 478 Zeist, the Netherlands (1975) 470 Agartala, Tripura, India (1975) 482 Atar, Mauritania (1975)474 [p19] xix Page • 485 • 486 • 487 • 488 • 489 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS The Mother Temple of Latin America, Cerro Sonsonate, Panama Map of New Delhi showing location of Baha properties Baha'is gathered at site of the future Baha Temple of India Map showing location of Baha'i properties, Western Samoa View of site of the future Baha'i Temple of Western Samoa Part Five: In Memoriam John Ferraby Violet McKinley Alfred James Loft Gravestone of Alfred James Loft Lshr~qiyyih Dhabih Qudratu'llAh Azamikhm Anna Kunz Isaac Eziukwu Karen Bare Philip A. Marangella Daoud Toeg 'JnAyatu'llAh Ahmadptir Mary Ashley Elston Mary Olga Katherine Mills. Prudence George Laura Clifford Dreyfus-Barney Matilda (Betty) Becker Mahbfibih Na'imi Seymour Malkin Page • 511 • 513 • 514 516 • 517 • 519 • 521 • 523 • 524 • 526 • 528 • 530 • 531 • 532 • 535 • 536 • 539 • 541 • 542 'Abbas Ihs~n BaglidAdi Fawzi Zaynu'1-'Abidin Christopher V. Khulase Rfihi ArbAb Robert Henry Patterson Blanca Victoria Mejia James Henry Isaac Beeton Siyyid Amir-SliTh Mujahid Elizabeth Ann (Anna) Ashen JsfandiyAr BakhtiyAri. James Vassal Facey Fred Graham Verena Venturini GhulArn-'Ali 'Ubbttdi. G. S. Santhanam Krishnan. Mirza Vakil Edward L. Bode Eduardo Duarte Vieira Salom6n Pacora Estrada Page •544 •545 •546 • 548 • 549 • 551 • 552 • 553 • 554 • 555 • 557 • 559 • 561 • 562 • 564 • 565 • 567 • 568 • 568 Part Six: Directory, Bibliography, Glossary Facsimile of the Short Obligatory Prayer in Braille (English) Grade II Baha exhibition and literature display, Roxboro, North Carolina, U.S.A. Calligraphic arrangement by Mishkin-Qalam. Part Seven: Literary and Musical Works • 620 • 620 • 627 'Movement Round a Martyr', • 645 by Mark Tobey Bernard • 648 Leach • 696 Le Ballet Shayda [p20] [p1] INTRODUCTION AIMS AND PURPOSES OF THE BAHA'I FAITH DAVID HOFMAN RELIGION has two objectives, the regeneration of men and the advancement of mankind. All men have been created to carry forward an ever advancing civilization proclaims Baha'u'llah, and The purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems that lie hidden within the mine of their true and inmost selves. These aims of religion, universal and eternal nevertheless have been conditioned to the capacities of each age or dispensation and the great religions of the past have developed their social orders within generally definable times and areas. Judaism, for instance, attained its peak under Solomon and was confined, before the dispersion, to the Near East; Zoroastrianism remained Persian until the Arab conquest and the settlement of a remnant in Western India; Christianity became the religion of European civilization; the building of the nation state undertaken by Ishm remained a Muslim experiment until feudal Europe learned the lesson and its city states gave way to and adopted the more advanced order. It has remained for the Baha'i religion to declare and promote the cause of world order Ñ the sine qua non of its existence Ñ and to disclose the concomitant unities of religion, of mankind and of historical purpose. 'Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving. Nation-building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fetish, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life.'1 Religion sees the course of history as an organic process, moving towards the full realization of all the potentialities implanted in man. The vicissitudes, the great advances, the hiatuses it regards as the natural unfoldment of that process just as the succession of bud, leaf, flower and fruit is the natural unfoldment in the life of a tree; or infancy, childhood, youth and maturity in that of a man. Indeed, Baha scripture explains, the process is the same. The sun is the effective agent in the organic life of the earth; religion in that of humanity. The Sun of Truth is the Word of God upon which depends the education of those who are endowed with the power of understanding and of utterance.2 The creative Word, revealed in each stage of human progress by a Manifestation of God, and conditioned to the requirements of the time, is the effective agent in the long, single process of humanity's development from infancy to World Order. This truth is enshrined in all revealed religion although it needs the illumination of Baha'u'llah's revelation to enable men to perceive it. 'The first picture presented in the Bible is that of human unity in its simplest form; that of a single family. The last picture is that of a unity manifold and universal in which all kindreds and tongues and peoples and nations are gathered into one and unified in the enjoyment of a common worship, a common happiness, a common glory. 'The great problem which, according to the Bible, confronts the human race in its progress is that of advancing from the barest, baldest unity 1 Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, The Unfoldment of World Civilization. 2 Baha'u'llah, Darydiy-i-Dt~nisjt. 1 [p2] 2 THE BAnAl WORLD through a long experience of multiplying diversities till ultimately a balance between the two principles is struck, poise is gained and the two forces of variety and unity are blended in a multiple, highly developed world fellowship, the perfection of whose union was hardly suggested in the primitive simplicity of early man." This spiritual view of evolution is the constant theme of religion. Each revelation refers to the past, looks forward to the future and concentrates upon the immediate need for spiritual regeneration and enlightenment. The Prophet evokes in human hearts a sacrificial love which transcends self-interest and causes the early believers to dedicate themselves entirely to the practice and diffusion of the new message. As it spreads it works like leaven in society, reforming its morals, uplifting its vision and promoting a greater diffusion of love in social action. 'World history at its core and in its essence is the story of the spiritual evolution of mankind. From this all other activities of man proceed and round it all other activities revolve.'2 Unlike the revelations of the past, the Baha revelation releases not only the creative Word necessary to the renewal of spiritual vitality in the human spirit, but embodies that divine energy in an administrative order capable of bringing within its shade all the diversified ethnic groups and myriad types of the human race, who may find within its wide embrace a full, happy and purposeful life. Baha'i activity therefore is directed not only, as in the past, to the spreading of the Word, but to the establishment of the fabric of that Order which, enshrined within the creative Word itself, becomes the chief instrument for the further diffusion and social application of the Divine Message. This World Order, which the Baha Faith exists to establish, is none other than that long-promised Kingdom in which peace, justice and brotherhood shall prevail universally and 'the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.'3 The establishment of this World Order is dependent upon the regeneration of mankind which must turn again to God and recognize His purpose. The two aims of religion are, therefore, interacting and interdependent. Such a world-shaking transformation cannot 'George Townshend, The Heart of the Gospel, 1939. 2ibid Habakkuk 2:14 be brought about by any movement of reform, however disinterested, nor by any unaided human effort. Modern man has turned away from God, and bereft of his traditional sanctions, has inevitably wrecked his old order which, in truth, is lamentably inadequate to modern conditions and is not susceptible of repair. Soon, is Baha'u'llah's prophetic view of our day, will the presentday order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Likewise, The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective. The current aim of religion, embodied in the aims and purposes of the Baha Faith, is the promotion of the next stage in the organic process of human evolution Ñ the coming of age of the human race. The achievement of this maturity will be attested by the unification of mankind and the federation of the world in a single, all-embracing world society of human brotherhood. But great objectives are reached by dedicated pursuit of the preliminary and intermediate stages of the task, without ever losing sight of the ultimate goal, and this has been and is now the occupation of the Baha world community Ñ the completion within specified times of specified goals. These teaching plans to which the Baha'is eagerly devote their lives do far more than simply increase the size and consolidation of that world community. They are devised and launched by the head of the Faith Ñ the Guardian and now the Universal House of Justice Ñ and are therefore conceived from a global view, directed to the immediate needs of the great objective, conservative of the community's resources, worldwide in scale permitting the organic development of each part according to its stage of growth but with due regard for the needs of the whole, fostering intensively the unity, the international co-oper-ation, the diversification of the ethnic, religious and social backgrounds of its increasing membership and developing new resources for the next step forward. It should be noted that none of these plans is isolated in aim or conception but all are directed towards the implementation of three great charters, enshrined in Baha'i sacred Writings, which authorize and guide the expansion of the Faith and the development of its institutions. In past Dispensations the command to 'spread the Gospel' has been general and unspecified. It was the [p3] INTRODUCTION 3 inspired guidance of the beloved Guardian of the Baha'i Faith which disclosed to a spiritually delighted and grateful community yet another of the unique features of this Dispensation in the specific guidance given in these three charters for the implementation of this eternal command. Baha'u'llah's Tablet of Carmel is the charter for the development of the Baha'i World Centre in the twin cities of 'Akka and Haifa, the site of its most sacred Shrines Ñ the tombs of the twin Prophets and of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Centre of the Covenant Ñ its monuments and gardens, and of its 'world-shaking, world-embracing, world-directing administrative institutions'.' The Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha is the charter for the development of the administrative order of the Faith. In this majestic document, the child of 'that mystic intercourse between Him Who communicated the generating influence of His divine Purpose and the One Who was its vehicle and chosen recipient,'2 are delineated the structure of the administrative order, its modus operandi, its main institutions, the chain of authority, the source of guidance and the position of every believer vis-&-vis the Covenant. It has been well called the 'Charter of the New World Order of Baha'u'llah'. The Tablets of the Divine Plan, a series of fourteen letters written by 'Abdu'l-Baha to the believers of the United States and Canada, some addressed to the entire company of believers in the North American continent and others to those in named geographical areas of that continent, constitute the charter for teaching the Faith throughout the world. 'Abdu'l-Baha names the places, the people to whom teachers must go, the conditions under which they must travel and settle and He reveals several prayers for those who undertake this all-important task. All the international plans of the Faith launched so far have set specific goals aimed at implementing these three charters and it is incontrovertibly apparent that never in any preceding Dispensation has the command to spread the Word of God been given, in the sacred text, such explicit guidance and detailed objectives. As the Faith of Baha'u'llah increases in size 1 Shoghi Effendi, The Spiritual Potencies of That Consecrated Spot. 2 Shoghi Effendi, The Dispensation of Bah~ 'u'116/z. and influence other aims and objectives become apparent and possible of pursuit. The relationship with agencies, institutions and authorities of the non-Bahti'i world becomes an important consideration once the community emerges from obscurity, and has led to public relations programmes and the development of closer association with the United Nations. The Baha'i International Community is accredited as a nongovernmental agency with consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and in various ways to other agencies of the United Nations. The fostering of this relationship has been the goal of all international plans so far, and is visualized as a continuing process. There are other objectives related to the special characteristics of Baha life which become more and more important as the Faith grows and engages greater and greater public attention. They affect Baha'i individuals, communities and institutions alike. These objectives fall into two groups Ñ those concerned specifically with standards of conduct and those which relate to special Baha'i practices. The standards of conduct enjoined by the Prophet are invariably different from and sometimes diametrically opposed to the generally accepted ones of His day. High standards of conduct are, throughout Baha scripture, constantly upheld and urged upon the believers, but the Guardian of the Faith in an essay writteti in 1938 addressed to the believers in the United States and Canada laid great stress upon the 'spiritual prerequisites which constitute the bedrock on which ... all teaching plans must ultimately rest. .'~ He writes of'. a high sense of moral rectitude in their social and administrative activities, absolute chastity in their individual lives, and complete freedom from prejudice in their dealings with peoples of a different race, class, creed or colour.'4 In his expansion of this theme he declared that 'This rectitude of conduct, with its implications of justice, equity, truthfulness, honesty, fair-mindedness, reliability, and trustworthiness, must distinguish every phase of the life of the Baha community.'5 A chaste and holy life must be made the controlling principle in the behaviour and conduct of all Baha'is, both in 3Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice. 5ibid. "ibid. [p4] 4 THE BAHA WORLD their social relationships with the members of their own community, and in their contacts with the world at large." It requires total abstinence from all alcoholic drinks, from opium, and from similar habit-forming drugs. It condemns the prostitution of art and of literature, the practices of nudism and of companionate marriage, infidelity in marital relationships, and all manner of promiscuity, of easy familiarity, and of sexual vices.'2 As to racial prejudice, the corrosion of which, for well nigh a century, has bitten into the fibre, and attacked the whole social structure of American society, it should be regarded as constituting the most vital and challenging issue confronting the Baha'i community [of that country] at the present stage of its evolution;'3 The regeneration of men Ñ the first objective of religion mentioned in this essay Ñ is therefore seen as the prime objective of the Baha'i Faith. Membership in the Faith is drawn from that society which permits and indulges itself in all those corrupt, unmoral and prejudiced activities which Baha'is are required to renounce, and since the Faith is steadily but persistently growing in numbers there is reason to hope that slowly but surely a regeneration will take place. Further, these Baha standards of conduct are not for individuals alone. They must be the hallmark of Baha'i institutions and communities. 'Such a rectitude of conduct,' wrote the Guardian, 'must manifest itself, with ever-increasing potency, in every verdict which the elected representatives of the Baha community, in whatever capacity they may find themselves, may be called upon to pronounce. It must be constantly reflected in the business dealings of all its members, in their domestic lives, in all manner of employment, and in any service they may, in the future, render their government or people.'4 It must be made the hallmark of that numerically small, yet intensely dynamic and highly responsible body of the elected national representatives of every Baha community, which constitutes the sustaiiiing pillar, and the sole instrument for the election in every community, of that Universal House whose very name and title, as ordained by Baha'u'llah, symbolizes that rectitude of conduct which is its highest mission to safeguard and enforce.'5 1 Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice. 3ibid. 4ibid. 5ibid. 2ibid The attitudes deriving from such standards, and from all the varied teachings of Baha'u'llah, must pervade all Baha'i communities and imbue them with distinctive characteristics which can be recognized, amid the welter of opposing or mutually uninterested groups and factions into which modern society is disintegrating, as easily as the features of an individual in a crowd. Those special Baha practices which will inevitably characterize the Baha'i community, are the regular observance of its Holy Days and Festivals, the abstention from work on nine such days during the year, the observance by all members of the community of the annual fast, of the laws governing marriage and divorce, of daily prayer, of the invariable practice of consultation in all affairs of life, and particularly by the regular observance of the Nineteen Day Feast. The habitual practice of such laws and ordinances is an objective pursued by all Baha'is and Baha'i families. It is seen that the aims and purposes of the Baha Faith may be stated as the raising up of a worldwide community recruited from every race, nation, colour, religious and social background known on the planet, inspired, united and regenerated by the spiritual teachings and love of Baha'u'llah, dedicated to the building of that New World Order which 'may well be regarded as the brightest emanation'6 of His mind and is none other than the long hoped for, Christ-promised Kingdom of God on earth. To prepare men for the gifts of that Kingdom Ñ peace, brotherhood, spirituality Ñ and to raise its very fabric in the world, are the immediate and longtime objectives of the Baha'i Faith. The energies of the Baha'is therefore, in pursuance of these aims, flow in three major channels: individual spiritual development, conveying the message of Baha'u'llah to others, and developing the pattern of world society embodied in the Baha'i administrative order. All these activities derive from the sacred text and it is the unique feature of the Baha revelation that whereas the first two are common to all revealed religions it is only Baha'u'llah Who creates the institutions and reveals the laws, delineates the social order and establishes the principles of the civilization to which His revelation will give rise. Neither Moses nor Christ, Muhammad, Buddha, 6 Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 213. [p5] INTRODUCTION 5 Zoroaster or Krishna did this, although They all foretold that it would be done by Him Who would take the government upon His shoulders and establish the Kingdom in peace and righteousness. None of the traditional motives operates to create the Baha community, neither former associations, political or economic identity of interest, racial or patriotic grouping. Only the recognition and love of Baha'u'llah brings into close relatedness and cooperative action people from every human background, of all types of character and personality, divergent and diversified interest. Through their brotherhood in Baha'u'llah the old crystallized forms of human divisiveness to which they formerly belonged, whether of class, race, religion, occupation, temperament or degree of civilization lose their rigidity and eventually disintegrate. The growing Baha'i community on the other hand is essentially based on love, is a brotherhood, a family, each member delighting in the diversity of its membership, welcoming the former pariah or outcast as a new flower in the garden, each as proud of his humanity as was ever the former chauvinist of his country. Within such a community the sun of Bahtt'u-'lhh's revelation can evoke new morals, new attitudes, new conventions, new hopes and visions, all enshrined within the text of the revelation itself and which provide the spiritual atmosphere and distinctive culture of the new day. Such a community, as it grows, becomes more and more a true social order, providing a soil to human life, a climate for its best development, an arena for the practice of its highest aspirations, and a beacon light to attract and guide the disillusioned, spiritually impoverished, frenetic and frustrated peoples of the earth. The energies of this new culture, guided and conserved to the service of human welfare by the agencies of Baha'u'llah's World Order will re-suit in the proliferation of new arts and sciences, new social and economic relationships, new educational methods and a general accession of wellbeing and felicity. The vision of the Baha'i Faith, though glorious, is a practical one, and the number of its dedicated promoters grows with increasing speed. It is summarized in the following words by the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith in his essay The Unfoldment of World Civilization: 'The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Baha'u'llah, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples. A world executive, backed by an international Force, will carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth. A world tribunal will adjudicate and deliver its compulsory and final verdict in all and any disputes that may arise between the various elements constituting this universal system. A mechanism of world intercommunication will be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and restrictions, and functioning with marvellous swiftness and perfect regularity. A world metropolis will act as the nerve centre of a world civilization, the focus towards which the unifying forces of life will converge and from which its energizing influences will radiate. A world language will either be invented or chosen from among the existing languages and will be taught in the schools of all the federated nations as an auxiliary to their mother tongue. A world script, a world literature, a uniform and universal system of currency, of weights and measures, will simplify and facilitate intercourse and understanding among the nations and races of mankind. In such a world society, science and religion, the two most potent forces in human life, will be reconciled, will cooperate, and will harmoniously develop. The press will, under such a system, while giving full scope to the expression of the diversified views and convictions of mankind, cease to be mischievously manipulated by vested interests, whether private or public, and will be liberated from the influence of contending governments and peoples. The economic resources of the world will be organized, its sources of raw materials will be tapped and fully utilized, its markets will be coordinated and [p6] THE BAHA'I WORLD developed, and the distribution of its products will be equitably regulated. 'National rivalries, hatred, and intrigues will cease, and racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and cooperation. The causes of religious strife will be permanently removed, economic barriers and restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inordinate distinction between classes will be obliterated. Destitution on the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership on the other, will disappear. The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement ment of the human brain, to the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet, to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race. 'A world federal system, ruling the whole earth and exercising unchallengeable authority over its unimaginably vast resources, blending and embodying the ideals of both the East and West, liberated from the curse of war and its miseries, and bent on the exploitation of all the available sources of energy on the surface of the planet, a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice, whose life is sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by its allegiance to one common Revelation Ñ such is the goal towards which humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving.' [p7] PART ONE THE BAHA'I REVELATION [p8] [p9] EXCERPTS FROM THE BAHA'I SACRED WRITINGS 1. BAHA'U'LLAH The remembrance of God and His praise, and the glory of God and His splendour, rest upon Thee, 0 Thou Who art His Beauty! I bear witness that the eye of creation hath never gazed upon one wronged like Thee. Thou wast immersed all the days of Thy life beneath an ocean of tribulations. At one time Thou wast in chains and fetters; at another Thou wast threatened by the sword of Thine enemies. Yet, despite all this, Thou didst enjoin upon all men to observe what had been prescribed unto Thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. ise. The Tablet of Visitation SOME PASSAGES FROM THE WRITINGS OF BAHA'U'LLAH ABOUT HIS SUFFERINGS, TRANSLATED BY SHOGHI EFFENDI A. FROM TABLETS He Who is the Lord of the seen and unseen is now manifest unto all men. His blessed Self hath been afflicted with such harm that if all the seas, visible and invisible, were turned into ink, and all that dwell in the kingdom into pens, and all that are in the heavens and all that are on earth into scribes, they would, of a certainty, be powerless to record it. Noah's flood is but the measure of the tears I have shed, and Abraham's fire an ebullition of My soul. Jacob's grief is but a reflection of My sorrows, and Job's afflictions a fraction of my calamity.1 The wrongs which I suffer have blotted out the wrongs suffered by My First Name (the Bab) from the Tablet of creation. 1 From 'Qa~idiy-i-Varq~'iyyih', an ode revealed during Baha'u'llah's retirement to Su1aym~rniyyih. Wert thou to hear with Mine ear, thou wouldst hear how 'Au (the Bab) bewaileth Me in the presence of the Glorious Companion, and how MuI~ammad weepeth over Me in the all-highest Horizon, and how the Spirit (Jesus) beateth Himself upon the head in the heaven of My decree, by reason of what hath befallen this Wronged One at the hands of every impious sinner. All this generation could offer Us were wounds from its darts, and the only cup it proffered to Our lips was the cup of its venom. On Our neck We still bear the scar of chains, and upon Our body are imprinted the evidences of an unyielding cruelty. Before Me riseth up the Serpent of wrath with jaws stretched to engulf Me, and behind Me stalketh the lion of anger intent on tearing Me in pieces, and above Me, 0 My Well-Beloved, are 9 [p10] 10 THE BAHA'I WORLD the clouds of Thy decree, raining upon Me the showers of tribulations, whilst beneath Me are fixed the spears of misfortune, ready to wound My limbs and My body. Couldst thou be told what hath befallen the Ancient Beauty, thou wouldst flee into the wilderness, and weep with a great weeping. In thy grief, thou wouldst smite thyself on the head, and cry out as one stung by the sting of the adder... By the righteousness of God! Every morning I arose from My bed, I discovered the hosts of countless afflictions massed behind My door; and every night when I lay down, lo! My heart was torn with agony at what it had suffered from the fiendish cruelty of its foes. With every piece of bread the Ancient Beauty breaketh is coupled the assault of a fresh affliction, and with every drop He drinketh is mixed the bitterness of the most woeful of trials. He is preceded in every step He taketh by an army of unforeseen calamities, while in His rear follow legions of agonizing sorrows. Such is My plight, wert thou to ponder it in thine heart. Let not, however, thy soul grieve over that which God hath rained down upon Us. Merge thy will in His pleasure, for We have, at no time, desired anything whatsoever except His Will, and have welcomed each one of His irrevocable decrees. Let thine heart be patient, and be thou not dismayed. Follow not in the way of them that are sorely agitated. During the days I lay in the prison of Tihr~n, though the galling weight of the chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me but little sleep, still in those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if something flowed from the crown of My head over My breast, even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth itself upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain. Every limb of My body would, as a result, be set afire. At such moments My tongue recited what no man could bear to hear. While engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet voice, calling above My head.' Turning My face, I beheld a Maiden Ñ the embodiment of the remembrance of the name of My Lord Ñ suspended in the air before Me. So rejoiced was she in her very soul that her countenance shone with the ornament of the good-pleasure of God, and her cheeks glowed with the brightness of the All-Merciful. Betwixt earth and heaven she was raising a call which captivated the hearts and minds of men. She was imparting to both My inward and outer being tidings which rejoiced My soul, and the souls of God's honoured servants. Pointing with her finger unto My head, she addressed all who are in heaven and all who are on earth, saying: 'By God! This is the Best-Beloved of the worlds, and yet ye comprehend not. This is the Beauty of God amongst you, and the power of His sovereignty within you, could ye but understand. This is the Mystery of God and His Treasure, the Cause of God and His glory unto all who are in the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation, if ye be of them that perceive.' 0 Maryam! From the Land of T~ (Ti/iran), after countless afflictions, We reached 'Jr~q, at the bidding of the Tyrant of Persia, where, after the fetters of Our foes, We were afflicted with the perfidy of Our friends. God knoweth what befell Me thereafter! I have borne what no man, be he of the past or of the future, hath borne or will bear. Oceans of sadness have surged over Me, a drop of which no soul could bear to drink. Such is My grief that My soul hath well nigh departed from My body. Give ear, 0 KamAl! to the voice of this lowly, this forsaken ant, that hath hid itself in its hole, and whose desire is to depart from your midst, and vanish from your sight, by reason of that which the hands of men have wrought. God, verily, hath been witness between Me and His servants. Woe is Me, woe is Me! All that I have seen from the day on which I first drank the pure milk from the breast ''In His Sz[eratu'1-Haykal (the Siirih of the Temple) He thus describes those breathless moments when the Maiden, symbolizing the Most Great Spirit proclaimed His mission to the entire creation' (during His imprisonment in the SiyTh-Ch~1 in Tihr~n). Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 101. [p11] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 11 of My mother until this moment hath been effaced from My memory, in consequence of that which the hands of the people have committed.1 I roamed the wilderness2 of resignation travelling in such wise that in My exile every eye wept sore over Me, and all created things shed tears of blood because of My anguish. The birds of the air were My companions and the beasts of the field My associates. From Our eyes there rained tears of anguish, and in Our bleeding heart there surged an ocean of agonizing pain. Many a night We had no food for sustenance, and many a day Our body found no rest. By Him Who hath My being between His hands! notwithstanding these showers of afflictions and unceasing calamities, Our soul was wrapt in blissful joy, and Our whole being evinced an ineffable gladness Alone, We communed with Our spirit, oblivious of the world and all that is therein.3 I saw4 the Prophets and the Messengers gather and seat themselves around Me, moaning, weeping and loudly lamenting. Amazed, I enquired of them the reason, whereupon their lamentation and weeping waxed greater, and they said unto Me: 'We weep for Thee, 0 Most Great Mystery, 0 Tabernacle of Immortality!' They wept with such a weeping that I too wept with them. Thereupon the Concourse on high addressed Me saying: .... Erelong shalt Thou behold with Thine own eyes what no Prophet hath beheld.. Be patient, be patient.'.. They continued addressing Me the whole night until the approach of dawn. I From Law? jz-i-Kulln't-Ta'im, revealed prior to Baha'u'llah's withdrawal to Su1aym~niyyih. 2 Su1aym~niyyih. Revealed during the period of Baha'u'llah's withdrawal to SulaymAniyyih. In a dream during the last years of Baha'u'llah's sojourn in Baglid~d. See God Passes By, p. 147. The cruelties inflicted by My oppressors have bowed Me down, and turned My hair white. Shouldst thou present thyself before My throne, thou wouldst fail to recognize the Ancient Beauty, for the freshness of His countenance is altered and its brightness hath faded, by reason of the oppression of the infidels. I swear by God! His heart, His soul, and His vitals are melted P By God! No spot is left on My body that hath not been touched by the spears of thy machinations ... Thou hast perpetrated against thy Brother what no man hath perpetrated against another.. What hath proceeded from thy pen hath caused the Countenances of Glory to be prostrated upon the dust, hath rent in twain the Veil of Grandeur in the Sublime Paradise, and lacerated the hearts of the favoured ones established upon the loftiest seats.6 0 Khalil! God beareth Me witness. Though My Pen be still moving on My Tablet, yet, in its very heart, it weepeth and is sore distressed. The lamp burning before the Throne, likewise, weepeth and groaneth by reason of the things which the Ancient Beauty hath suffered at the hands of them who are but a creation of His Will. God, Himself, knoweth and testifieth to the truth of My words. No man that hath purged his ear from the loud clamour of the infidels, and inclined it to all created things, can fail to hear the voice of their lamentation and weeping over the trouble that hath befallen Us at the hands of those of Our servants that have disbelieved in, and rebelled against, Us. Thus have We disclosed to thee a glimmer of the woes that have come upon Us, that thou mayest be made aware of Our sufferings, and patiently endure thy sorrows. Twenty years have passed, 0 kings, during which We have, each day, tasted the agony of a fresh tribulation. No one of them that were A detailed commentary on the circumstances which gave rise to this anguished statement appears in God Passes fly, chapter x. 6ibid. [p12] 12 THE HAHA'I WORLD before Us hath endured the things We have endured. Would that ye could perceive it! They that rose up against Us have put us to death, have shed Our blood, have plundered Our property, and violated Our honour. Though aware of most of Our afflictions, ye, nevertheless, have failed to stay the hand of the aggressor. The day is approaching when God will have raised up a people who will call to remembrance Our days, who will tell the tale of Our trials, who will demand the restitution of Our rights from them that, without a tittle of evidence, have treated Us with manifest injustice. God, assuredly, dominateth the lives of them that wronged Us, and is well aware of their doings. He will, most certainly, lay hold on them for their sins. He, verily, is the fiercest of avengers. I swear by God, 0 King! It is not My wish to make My plaint to thee against them that persecute Me. I oniy plead My grief and My sorrow to God, Who hath created Me and them, Who well knoweth our state and Who watcheth over all things. My wish is to warn them of the consequences of their actions, if perchance they might desist from treating others as they have treated Me, and be of them that heed My warning. The tribulations that have touched Us, the destitution from which We suffer, the various troubles with which We are encompassed, shall all pass away, as shall pass away the pleasures in which they delight and the affluence they enjoy. This is the truth which no man on earth can reject. The days in which We have been compelled to dwell in the dust will soon be ended, as will the days in which they occupied the seats of honour. God shall, assuredly, judge with truth between Us and them, and He, verily, is the best of judges. We render thanks unto God for whatsoever hath befallen Us, and We patiently endure the things He hath ordained in the past or will ordain in the future. In Him have I placed My trust; and into His hands have I committed My Cause. He will, certainly, repay all them that endure with patience and put their confidence in Him. His is the creation and its empire. He exalteth whom He will, and whom He will He doth abase. He shall not be asked of His doings. He, verily, is the All-Glorious, the Almighty. Let thine ear be attentive, 0 King, to the words We have addressed to thee. Let the oppressor desist from his tyranny, and cut off the perpetrators of injustice from among them that profess thy faith. By the righteousness of God! The tribulations We have sustained are such that any pen that recounteth them cannot but be overwhelmed with anguish. No one of them that truly believe and uphold the unity of God can bear the burden of their recital. So great have been Our sufferings that even the eyes of Our enemies have wept over Us, and beyond them those of every discerning person. And to all these trials have We been subjected, in spite of Our action in approaching thee, and in bidding the people to enter beneath thy shadow, that thou mightest be a stronghold unto them that believe in and uphold the unity of God. I have seen, 0 ShAh in the path of God what eye bath not seen nor ear heard. ... How numerous the tribulations which have rained, and will soon rain, upon Me! I advance with My face set towards Him Who is the Almighty, the Mi-Bounteous, whilst behind Me glideth the serpent. Mine eyes have rained down tears until My bed is drenched. I sorrow not for Myself, however. By God! Mine head yearneth for the spear out of love for its Lord. I never passed a tree, but Mine heart addressed it saying: '0 would that thou wert cut down in My name, and My body crucified upon thee, in the path of My Lord!' ... By God! Though weariness lay Me low, and hunger consume Me, and the bare rock be My bed, and My fellows the beasts of the field, I will not complain, but will endure patiently as those endued with constancy and firmness have endured patiently, through the power of God, the Eternal King and Creator of the nations, and will render thanks unto God under all conditions. We pray that, out of His bounty Ñ exalted be He Ñ He may release, through this imprisonment, the necks of men from chains and fetters, and cause them to turn, with sincere-faces, towards His Face, Who is the Mighty, the Bounteous. Ready is He to answer whosoever calleth upon Him, and nigh is Lie unto such as commune with Him. [p13] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 13 Hearken unto My voice that calleth from My prison, that it may acquaint thee with the things that have befallen My Beauty, at the hands of them that are the manifestations of My glory, and that thou mayest perceive how great bath been My patience, notwithstanding My iiiight, and how immense My forbearance, notwithstanding 'My power. By My life! Couldst thou but know the things sent down by My Pen, and discover the treasures of My Cause, and the pearls of My mysteries which lie hid in the seas of My names and in the goblets of My Words, thou wouldst for longing after His glorious and sublime Kingdom, lay down thy life in the path of God. Know thou that though My body be beneath the swords of My foes, and My limbs be beset with incalculable afflictions, yet My spirit is filled with a gladness with which all the joys of the earth can never compare. Ponder a while on the woes and afflictions which this Prisoner hath sustained. I have, all the days of My life, been at the mercy of Mine enemies, and have suffered each day, in the path of the love of God, a fresh tribulation. I have patiently endured until the fame of the Cause of God was spread abroad on the earth. Consider this wronged One. Though the clearest prSofs attest the truth of His Cause; though the prophecies He, in an unmistakable language, hath made have been fulfilled; though, in spite of His not being accounted among the learned, His being unschooled and inexperienced in the disputations current among the divines, He hath rained upon men the showers of His manifold and Divinely-inspired knowledge; yet, behold how this generation hath rejected His authority, and rebelled against Him! He hath, during the greater part of His life, been sore-tried in the clutches of His enemies. His sufferings have now reached their culmination in this afflictive Prison,1 into which His oppressors have so unjustly thrown Him. God grant that, with a penetrating vision and radiant heart, thou mayest observe, the things that have come to pass and are now happening, and, pdndering them in thine heart, mayest 1 'Akka. recognize that which most men have, in this Day, failed to perceive. None knoweth what befell Us, except God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing From the foundation of the world until the present day a cruelty such as this2 hath neither been seen nor heard of. Know thou, moreover, that We have been cast into an afflictive Prison, and are encompassed with the hosts of tyranny, as a result of what the hands of the infidels have wrought. Such is the gladness, however, which the Youth hath tasted that no earthly joy can compare unto it. By God! The harm He sufl'ereth at the hands of the oppressor can never grieve His heart, nor can He be saddened by the ascendancy of such as have repudiated His truth. Say: Tribulation is a horizon unto My Revelation. The day star of grace shineth above it, and sheddeth a light which neither the clouds of men's idle fancy nor the vain imaginations of the aggressor can obscure. Follow thou the footsteps of thy Lord, and remember His servants even as He doth remember thee, undeterred by either the clamour of the heedless ones or the sword of the enemy. Spread abroad the swe& savours of thy Lord, and hesitate not, though it be for less than a moment, in the service of His Cause. The day is approaching when the victory of thy Lord, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful, will be proclaimed. 0 AI~mad! Forget not My bounties while I am absent. Remember My days during thy days, and My distress and banishment in this remote prison. And be thou so steadfast in My love that thy heart shall not waver, even if the swords of the enemies rain blows upon thee and all the heavens and the earth arise against thee. If tribulation touch thee for My sake, call thou to mind My ills and troubles, and re2 Reference is to the tribulations endured by Baha'u'llah during His imprisonment in 'Akka. [p14] 14 THE BAHA'I WORLD member My banishment and imprisonment. Thus do We devolve on thee what hath descended upon Us from Him Who is the All-Glorious, the All-Wise. The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness. This is of the mercy of your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We have accepted to be abased, 0 believers in the Unity of God, that ye may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish. He Who hath come to build anew the whole world, behold, how they that have joined partners with God have forced Him to dwell within the most desolate of cities !1 Say: We have accepted to be tried by ills and troubles, that ye may sanctify yourselves from all earthly defilements. Why, then, refuse ye to ponder Our purpose in your hearts? By the righteousness of God! Whoso will reflect upon the tribulations We have suffered, his soul will assuredly melt away with sorrow. Thy Lord Himself beareth witness to the truth of My words. We have sustained the weight of all calamities to sanctify you from all earthly corruption, and ye are yet indifferent. God is my witness! Had it not been in conflict with that which the Tablets of God have decreed, I would have gladly kissed the hands of whosoever attempted to shed my blood in the path of the Well-Beloved. I would, moreover, have bestowed upon him a share of such worldly goods as God had allowed me to possess, even though he who perpetrated this act would have provoked the wrath of the Almighty, incurred His malediction, and deserved to be tormented throughout the eternity of God, the All-Possessing, the Equitable, the All-Wise. 1 'Akka. Let every man observe and meditate on the conduct of this wronged One. We have, ever since the dawn of this Revelation until the present time, refused either to hide Ourseif from Our enemies, or to withdraw from the companionship of Our friends. Though encompassed with a myriad griefs and afflictions, We have, with mighty confidence, summoned the peoples of the earth to the DaySpring of Glory. The Pen of the Most High is disinclined to recount, in this connection, the woes it hath suffered. To r~vea1 them would, no doubt, plunge into sorrow the favoured among the faithful, they that truly uphold the unity of God and are wholly devoted to His Cause. He, verily, speaketh the truth, and is the All-Hearing, the Mi-Knowing. Our life hath, for the most part, been spent in the midst of Our enemies. Witness how We are, at present, living in a nest of serpents. As My tribulations multiplied, so did My love for God and for His Cause increase, in such wise that all that befell Me from the hosts of the wayward was powerless to deter Me from My purpose. Should they hide Me away in the depths of the earth, yet would they find Me riding aloft on the clouds, and calling out unto God, the Lord of strength and of might. I have offered Myself up in the way of God, and I yearn after tribulations in My love for Him, and for the sake of His good-pleasure. Unto this bear witness the woes which now afflict Me, the like of which no other man hath suffered. Every single hair of Mine head calleth out that which the Burning Bush uttered on Sinai, and each vein of My body invoketh God and saith: '0 would I had been severed in Thy path, so that the world might be quickened, and all its peoples be united!' Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the MI-Knowing, the Mi-Informed. Know ye that Jam afraid of none except God. In none but Him have I placed My trust; to none will I cleave but Him, and wish for naught except the thing He hath wished for Me. This, indeed, is My heart's desire, did ye but know it. I have offered up My soul and My body as a sacrifice for God, the Lord of all worlds. Whoso hath known God shall know none but Him, and [p15] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 15 he that feareth God shall be afraid of no one except Him, though the powers of the whole earth rise up and be arrayed against him. I speak naught except at His bidding, and follow not, through the power of God and His might, except His truth. He, verily, shall recompense the truthful. By Him Who is the Truth! I fear no tribulation in His path, nor any affliction in My love for Him. Verily God hat made adversity as a morning dew upon His green pasture, and a wick for His lamp which lighteth earth and heaven. I swear by the beauty of the Well-Beloved! This is the Mercy that hath encompassed the entire creation, the Day whereon the grace of God hath permeated and pervaded all things. The living waters of My mercy, 0 'Au, are fast pouring down, and Mine heart is melting with the heat of My tenderness and love. At no time have I been able to reconcile Myself to the afflictions befalling My loved ones, or to any trouble that could becloud the joy of their hearts. Every time My name 'the All-Merciful' was told that one of My lovers had breathed a word that runneth counter to My wish, it repaired, grief stricken and disconsolate to its abode; and whenever My name 'the Concealer' discovered that one of My followers had inflicted any shame or humiliation on his neighbour, it, likewise, turned back chagrined and sorrowful to its retreats of glory, and there wept and mourned with a sore lamentation. And whenever My name 'the Ever-Forgiving' perceived that any one of My friends had committed any transgression, it cried out in its great distress, and, overcome with anguish, fell upon the dust, and was borne away by a company of the invisible angels to its habitation in the realms above. By Myself, the True One, 0 'Au! The fire that hath inflamed the heart of Baha is fiercer than the fire that gloweth in thine heart, and His lamentation louder than thy lamentation. Every time the sin committed by any one amongst them was breathed in the Court of His Presence, the Ancient Beauty would be so filled with shame as to wish He could hide the glory of His countenance from the eyes of all men, for He hath, at all times, fixed His gaze on their fidelity, and observed its essential requisites. I sorrow not for the burden of My imprisonment. Neither do I grieve over My abasement, or the tribulation I suffer at the hands of Mine enemies. By My life! They are My glory, a glory wherewith God hath adorned His own Self Would that ye know it! The shame I was made to bear hath uncovered the glory with which the whole of creation had been invested, and through the cruelties I have endured, the DayStar of Justice hath manifested itself, and shed its splendour upon men. My sorrows are for those who have involved themselves in their corrupt passions, and claim to be associated with the Faith of God, the Gracious, the Mi-Praised. It behoveth the people of Baha to die to the world and all that is therein, to be so detached from all earthly things that the inmates of Paradise may inhale from their garment the sweet smelling savour of sanctity, that all the peoples of the earth may recognize in their faces the brightness of the All-Merciful, and that through them may be spread abroad the signs and tokens of God, the Almighty, the Mi-Wise. They that have tarnished the fair name of the Cause of God, by following the things of the flesh Ñ these are in palpable error! To whatever place We may be banished, however great the tribulation We may suffer, they who are the people of God must, with fixed resolve and perfect confidence, keep their eyes directed towards the DaySpring of Glory, and be busied in whatever may be conducive to the betterment of the world and the education of its peoples. All that hath befallen Us in the past hath advanced the interests of Our Revelation and blazoned its fame; and all that may befall Us in the future will, have a like result. Cling ye, with your inmost hearts, to the Cause of God, a Cause that hath been sent down by Him Who is the Ordainer, the Mi-Wise. We have, with the utmost kindliness and mercy, summoned and directed all peoples and nations to that which shall truly profit them. [p16] 16 THE BAHA'I WORLD B. FROM PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS My God, My Master, My Desire! Thou hast created this atom of dust through the consummate power of Thy might, and nurtured Him with Thine hands which none can chain up. ... Thou hast destined for Him trials and tribulations which no tongue can describe, nor any of Thy Tablets adequately recount. The throat Thou didst accustom to the touch of silk Thou hast, in the end, clasped with strong chains, and the body Thou didst ease with brocades and velvets Thou hast at last subjected to the abasement of a dungeon. Thy decree hath shackled Me with unnumbered fetters, and cast about My neck chains that none can sunder. A number of years have passed during which afflictions have, like showers of mercy, rained upon Me. ... How many the nights during which the weight of chains and fetters allowed Me no rest, and how numerous the days during which peace and tranquillity were denied Me, by reason of that wherewith the hands and tongues of men have afflicted Me! Both bread and water which Thou hast, through Thy all-embracing mercy, allowed unto the beasts of the fieki, they have, for a time, forbidden unto this servant, and the things they refused to inflict upon such as have seceded from Thy Cause, the same have they suffered to be inflicted upon Me, until, finally, Thy decree was irrevocably fixed, and Thy behest summoned this servant to depart out of Persia, accompanied by a number of frail-bodied men and children of tender age, at this time when the cold is so intense that one cannot even speak, and ice and snow so abundant that it is impossible to move. Thou knowest, and seest, and hearest, 0 my Lord, that before every tree I am moved to lift up my voice to Thee, and before every stone I am impelled to sigh and lament. Bath it been Thy purpose in creating me, 0 my God, to touch me with tribulation, or to enable me to manifest Thy Cause in the kingdom of Thy creation? Thou hearest, 0 my God, my sighs and my groaning, and beholdest my powerlessness, and my poverty, and my misery, and my woes, and my wretchedness. I swear by Thy might! I have wept with such a weeping that I have been unable to make mention of Thee, or to extol Thee, and cried with such a bitter cry that every mother in her bereavement was bewildered at me, and forgot her own anguish and the sighs she had uttered. My God, my Master, my Highest Hope, and the Goal of my desire! Thou seest and hearest the sighing of this wronged one, from this darksome well which the vain imaginations of Thine adversaries have built, and from this blind pit which the idle fancies of the wicked among Thy creatures have digged. By Thy Beauty, 0 Thou Whose glory is uncovered to the face of men! I am not impatient in the troubles that touch me in my love for Thee, neither in the adversities which I suffer in Thy path. Nay, I have, by Thy power, chosen them for mine own self, and I glory in them amongst such of Thy creatures as enjoy near access to Thee, and those of Thy servants that are wholly devoted to Thy Self... Thou beholdest, therefore, 0 my God, how this wronged one hath fallen into the hands of such as have denied Thy right, and broken off from Thy sovereignty. He, round whose person circieth Thy proof, and in whose name and on behalf of whose sovereignty Thy testimony crieth out unto all created things, hath suffered more grievously in his days than any pen can recount, and been so harassed that He Who is Thy Spirit (Jesus) lamented, and all the denizens of Thy Kingdom and all the inmates of Thy Tabernacle in the realms above cried with a great and bitter lamentation. I swear by Thy glory, 0 Thou Who behoidest me from Thine all-glorious horizon, and hearest the voice of the Late-Tree beyond which there is no passing! Should any one consider Thy Books which Thou didst name the BayTh, and ponder in his heart what hath been revealed therein, he would discover that each of these Books an-nounceth my Revelation, and declareth my Name, and testifieth to my Self, and proclaim-eth my Cause, and my Praise, and my Rising, and the radiance of my Glory. And yet, notwithstanding Thy proclamation, 0 my God, and in spite of the words Thou didst utter, 0 my Beloved, Thou hast seen and heard their calumnies against me, and their evil doings in my days. [p17] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 17 Aerial view of Baha; April 1975. In the centre is seen the Mansion of Baha where Baha'u'llah spent the last twelve years of His l(fe. His resting place, 'the holiest Shrine of the Baha'i world,' is to the right of the Mansion. (See frontispiece.) Thou seest Thy dear One, 0 my God, lying at the mercy of Thine enemies, and hearest the voice of His lamentation from the midst of such of Thy creatures as have dealt wickedly in Thy sight. He it is, 0 my Lord, through Whose name Thou didst beautify Thy Tablets, and for Whose greater glory Thou didst send down the Bay6n, and at Whose separation from Thee Thou didst weep continually. Look Thou, then, upon His loneliness, 0 my God, and behold Him fallen into the hands of them that have disbelieved in Thy signs, have turned their backs upon Thee, and have forgotten the wonders of Thy mercy. He it is, 0 my God, about Whom Thou hast said: 'But for Thee the Scriptures would have remained unrevealed, and the Prophets unsent.' And no sooner had He, by Thy behest, been manifested and spoken forth Thy praise, than the wicked doers among Thy creatures compassed Him round, with the swords of hate drawn against Him, 0 Thou the Lord of all names! Thou well knowest what befell Him at the hands of such as have rent asunder the veil of Thy grandeur, and cast behind their backs Thy Covenant and Thy Testament, 0 Thou Who art the Maker of the heavens! He is the One for Whose sake Thou (the BTh) hast yielded Thy life, and hast consented to be touched by the manifold ills of the world that He may manifest Himself, and summoned all mankind in His name. As soon as He came down, however, from the heaven of majesty and power, Thy servants stretched out against Him the hands of cruelty and sedition, and caused Him to be afflicted with such troubles that the scrolls of the world are insufficient to contain a full recital of them. Thou seest, therefore, 0 Thou Beloved of the world, Him Who is dear to Thee in the clutches of such as have denied Thee, and beholdest Thy heart's desire under the swords of the ungodly. Methinks He, from His most exalted station, saith unto me: 'Would that my soul, 0 Prisoner, could be a ransom for Thy captivity, and my being, 0 wronged One, be sacrificed for the adversities Thou didst suffer! Thou art He through Whose captivity the standards of Thine almighty power were hoisted, and the daystar [p18] 18 THE BAHA'I WORLD of Thy revelation shone forth above the horizon of tribulation, in such wise that all created things bowed down before the greatness of Thy majesty. 'The more they strove to binder Thee from remembering Thy God and from extolling His virtues, the more passionately didst Thou glorify Him and the more loudly didst Thou call upon Him. And every time the veils of the perverse came in between Thee and Thy servants, Thou didst shed the splendours of the light of Thy countenance out of the heaven of Thy grace. Thou art, in very truth, the Self-Subsisting as testified by the tongue of God, the Mi-Glorious, the one alone Beloved; and Thou art the Desire of the world as attested by what hath flowed down from the Pen of Him Who hath announced unto Thy servants Thy hidden Name, and adorned the entire creation with the ornament of Thy love, the Most Precious, the Most Exalted. 'The eyes of the world were gladdened at the sight of Thy luminous countenance, and yet the peoples have united to put out Thy light, 0 Thou in Whose hands are the reins of the worlds! All the atoms of the earth have celebrated Thy praise, and all created things have been set ablaze with the drops sprinkled by the ocean of Thy love, and yet the people still seek to quench Thy fire. Nay Ñ and to this Thine own Self beareth me witness Ñ they are all weakness, and Thou, verily, art the All-Powerful; and they are but paupers and Thou, in truth, art the All-Possessing; and they are impotent and Thou art, truly, the Almighty. Naught can ever frustrate Thy purpose, neither can the dissensions of the world harm Thee. Through the breaths of rhine utterance the heaven of understanding hath been adorned, and by the effusions of Thy pen every mouldering bone hath been quickened. Grieve not at what hath befallen Thee, neither do Thou lay hold on them for the things they have committed in Thy days. Do Thou be forbearing toward them. Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.' Thou hast, verily, 0 my God, suffered Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine own Self to be afflicted with all manner of adversity in order that Thy servants may ascend unto the pinnacle of Thy gracious favour, and attain unto that which Thou hast, through Thy providence and tender mercies, ordained for them in the Tablets of Thine irrevocable decree. The glory of Thy might beareth me witness! Were they, every moment of their lives, to offer up themselves as a sacrifice in Thy path, they would still have done but little in comparison with the manifold bestowals vouchsafed unto them by Thee. Glorified art Thou, 0 Lord my God! I yield Thee thanks for that Thou hast made me the target of divers tribulations and the mark of manifold trials, in order that Thy servants may be endued with new life and all Thy creatures may be quickened. I swear by Thy glory, 0 Thou the Best Beloved of the worlds and the Desire of all such as have recognized Thee! The one reason I wish to live is that I may reveal Thy Cause, and I seek the continuance of life only that I may be touched by adversity in Thy path. I implore Thee, 0 Thou by Whose summons the hearts of all them who were nigh unto Thee have soared into the atmosphere of Thy presence, to send down upon Thy loved ones what will enable them to dispense with all else except Thee. Endue them, then, with such constancy that they will arise to proclaim Thy Cause, and will call on Thy name, before all that are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth, in such wise that the Pharaohic cruelties inflicted by the oppressors among Thy servants will not succeed in keeping them back from Thee. Thou art, verily, the God of power, the God of glory, the God of strength and wisdom. Glorified be Thy name, 0 Lord my God! Thou beholdest my dwelling-place, and the prison into which I am cast, and the woes I suffer. By Thy might! No pen can recount them, nor can any tongue describe or number them. I know not, 0 my God, for what purpose Thou hast abandoned me to Thine adversaries. Thy glory beareth me witness! I sorrow not for the vexations I endure for love of Thee, nor feel perturbed by the calamities that overtake me in Thy path. My grief is rather because Thou delayest to fulifi what Thou hast determined in the Tablets of Thy Revelation, and ordained in the books of Thy decree and judgement. [p19] THE BAHA'! REVELATION 19 My blood, at all times, addresseth me saying: '0 Thou Who art the Image of the Most Merciful! How long will it be ere Thou riddest me of the captivity of this world, and deliverest me from the bondage of this life? Didst Thou not promise me that Thou shalt dye the earth with me, and sprinkle me on the faces of the inmates of Thy Paradise?' To this I make reply: 'Be thou patient and quiet thyself The things thou desirest can last but an hour. As to me, however, I quaff continually in the path of God the cup of His decree, and wish not that the ruling of His will should cease to operate, or that the woes I suffer for the sake of my Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, should be ended. Seek thou my wish and forsake thine own. Thy bondage is not for my protection, but to enable me to sustain successive tribulations, and to prepare me for the trials that must needs repeatedly assail me. Perish that lover who discerneth between the pleasant and the poisonous in his love for his beloved! Be thou satisfied with what God hath destined for thee. He, verily, ruleth over thee as He willeth and pleaseth. No God is there but Him, the Inaccessible, the Most High.' Glorified art Thou, 0 my Lord! Thou behold-est my tribulations and all that hath befallen me at the hands of such of Thy servants as keep company with me, who have disbelieved in Thy most resplendent signs, and turned back from Thy most effulgent Beauty. I swear by Thy glory! Such are the troubles that vex me, that no pen in the entire creation can either reckon or describe them. I implore Thee, 0 Thou Who art the King of names and the Creator of earth and heaven, so to assist me by Thy strengthening grace that nothing whatsoever will have the power to hinder me from remembering Thee, or celebrating Thy praise, or to keep me back from observing what Thou hast prescribed unto me in Thy Tablets, that I may so arise to serve Thee that with bared head I will hasten forth from my habitation, cry out in Thy name amidst Thy creatures, and proclaim Thy virtues among Thy servants. Having accomplished what Thou hadst decreed, and delivered the thing Thou hadst written down, the wicked doers among Thy people would, then, compass me about and would do with me in Thy path as would please them. In the love I bear to Thee, 0 my Lord, my heart longeth for Thee with a longing such as no heart hath known. Here am I with my body between Thy hands, and my spirit before Thy face. Do with them as it may please Thee, for the exaltation of Thy word, and the revelation of what hath been enshrined within the treasuries of Thy knowledge. Potent art Thou to do what Thou wiliest, and able to ordain what Thou pleasest. All praise be to Thee, 0 Lord, my God! How mysterious the Fire which Thou hast enkindled within my heart! My very limbs testify to the intensity of its heat, and evince the consuming power of its flame. Should my bodily tongue ever attempt to describe Thee as the One Whose strength hath ever excelled the strength of the most mighty amongst men, the tongue of my heart would address me, saying: 'These are but words which can only be adequate to such things as are of the same likeness and nature as themselves. But He, of a truth, is infinitely exalted above the mention of all His creatures.' The power of Thy might beareth me witness, o my Well-Beloved! Every limb of my body, methinks, is endowed with a tongue that glori-fieth Thee and magnifieth Thy name. Armed with the power of Thy love, the hatred which moveth them that are against Thee can never alarm me; and with Thy praise on my lips, the rulings of Thy decree can in no wise fill me with sorrow. Fortify, therefore, Thy love within my breast, and suffer me to face the assaults which all the peoples of the earth may launch against me. I swear by Thee! Every hair of my head proclaimeth: 'But for the adversities that befall me in Thy path, how could I ever taste the divine sweetness of Thy tenderness and love?' Send down, therefore, 0 my Lord, upon me and upon them that love me, that which will cause us to become steadfast in Thy Faith. Enable them, then, to become the Hands of Thy Cause amongst Thy servants, that they may scatter abroad Thy signs, and show forth [p20] 20 THE BAHA'I WORLD Thy sovereignty. There is no God but Thee, Who art powerful to do whatsoever Thou wil-lest. Thou art, in truth, the All-Glorious, the All-Praised. Thou dost witness, 0 my God, how He Who is Thy splendour calleth Thee to remembrance, notwithstanding the manifold troubles that have touched Him, troubles which none except Thee can number. Thou beholdest how, in His prison-house, He recounteth Thy wondrous praises with which Thou didst inspire Him. Such is His fervour that His enemies are powerless to deter him from mentioning Thee, 0 Thou Who art the Possessor of all names! Praised be Thou that Thou hast so strengthened Him with Thy strength, and endowed Him by Thine almighty power with such potency, that aught save Thee is in His estimation but a handful of dust. The lights of unfading splendour have so enveloped Him that all else but Thee is in His eyes but a shadow. And when Thine irresistible summons reached me, I arose, fortified by Thy strength, and called all that are in Thy heaven and all that are on Thy earth to turn in the direction of Thy favours and the horizon of Thy bounties. Some caviled at me, and determined to hurt me and slay me. Others drank to the full of the wine of Thy grace, and hastened towards the habitation of Thy throne. I beeseech Thee, 0 Thou Who art the Creator of earth and heaven and the Source of all things, to attract Thy servants through the fragrances of the Robe of Thine Inspiration and Thy Revelation, and to help them attain the Tabernacle of Thy behest and power. From eternity Thou wert by Thy transcendent might supreme over all things, and Thou wilt be exalted unto eternity in Thy Godhead and surpassing sovereignty. Let Thy mercy, then, be upon Thy servants and Thy creatures. Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Inaccessible, the All-Glorious, the Unconditioned. The one true God well knoweth, and all the company of His trusted ones testify, that this wronged One hath, at all times, been faced with dire peril. But for the tribulations that have touched Me in the path of God, life would have held no sweetness for Me, and My existence would have profited Me nothing. For them who are endued with discernment, and whose eyes are fixed upon the Sublime Vision, it is no secret that I have been, most of the days of My life, even as a slave, sitting under a sword hanging on a thread, knowing not whether it would fall soon or late upon him. And yet, notwithstanding all this We render thanks unto God, the Lord of the worlds. Mine inner tongue reciteth, in the daytime and in the night-season, this prayer: 'Glory to Thee, 0 my God! But for the tribulations which are sustained in Thy path, how could Thy true lovers be recognized; and were it not for the trials which are borne for love of Thee, how could the station of such as yearn for Thee be revealed? Thy might beareth Me witness! The companions of all who adore Thee are the tears they shed, and the comforters of such as seek Thee are the groans they utter, and the food of them who haste to meet Thee is the fragments of their broken hearts. How sweet to my taste is the bitterness of death suffered in Thy path, and how precious in my estimation are the shafts of Thine enemies when encountered for the sake of the exaltation of Thy Word! Let me quaff in Thy Cause, 0 my God and my Master, whatsoever Thou didst desire, and send down upon me in Thy love all Thou didst ordain. By Thy glory! I wish only what Thou wishest, and cherish what Thou cherishest. In Thee have I, at all times, placed My whole trust and confidence. Thou art verily the All-Possessing, the Most High. Raise up, I implore Thee, 0 my God, as helpers to this Revelation such as shall be counted worthy of Thy Name and of Thy sovereignty, that they may remember Thee among Thy creatures, and hoist the ensigns of Thy victory in Thy land, and adorn them with Thy virtues and Thy commandments. No God is there but Thee, the Help in' Peril, the Self-Subsisting.' Lauded be Thy name, 0 Lord my God! Darkness hath fallen upon every land, and the forces of mischief have~ encompassed all the nations. Through them, however, I perceive [p21] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 21 the splendours of Thy wisdom, and discern the brightness of the light of Thy providence. They that are shut out as by a veil from Thee have imagined that they have the power to put out Thy light, and to quench Thy fire, and to still the winds of Thy grace. Nay, and to this Thy might beareth me witness! Had not every tribulation been made the bearer of Thy wisdom, and every ordeal the vehicle of Thy providence, no one would have dared oppose us, though the powers of earth and heaven were to be leagued against us. Were I to unravel the wondrous mysteries of Thy wisdom which are laid bare before me, the reins of Thine enemies would be cleft asunder. Glorified be Thou, then, 0 my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Most Great Name to assemble them that love Thee around the Law that streameth from the good-pleasure of Thy will, and to send down upon them what will assure their hearts. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou art, verily, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Glorified art Thou, 0 my God! Thou know-est that in my love for Thee I have not sought any rest, that in proclaiming Thy Cause I have denied myself every manner of tranquillity, and that in the observance of whatever Thou hast prescribed in Thy Tablets I have not delayed to do Thy bidding. I have, for this reason, suffered what no man among all the inhabitants of Thy realm hath suffered. Thy glory beareth me witness! Nothing whatsoever can withhold me from remembering Thee, though all the tribulations of the earth were to assault me from every direction. All the limbs and members of my body proclaim their readiness to be torn asunder in Thy path and for the sake of Thy pleasure, and they yearn to be scattered in the dust before Thee. 0 would that they who serve Thee could taste what I have tasted of the sweetness of Thy love! I implore Thee to supply whosoever hath sought Thee with the living waters of Thy bounty, that they may rid him of all attachment to any one but Thee. Thou art, verily, the Omniscient, the All-Glorious, the Almighty. Praise be unto Thee, 0 my God! Thou seest how He Who is Thy Light hath been shut up in the fortress-town of 'Akka, and been sore oppressed by reason of what the hands of the wicked doers have wrought, whose corrupt desires have kept them back from turning towards Thee, 0 Thou Who art the King of all names! I swear by Thy glory! Tribulations, however woeful, can never hinder me from remembering Thee or from celebrating Thy praise. Every vexation borne for love of Thee is a token of Thy mercy unto Thy creatures, and every ordeal suffered in Thy path is but a gift from Thee bestowed on Thy chosen ones. I testify that my countenance, which shineth above the DaySpring of eternity, hath been irradiated by adversity, and my body hath been adorned by it before all who are in heaven and all who are on earth. I pray Thee, by Thy Most Great Name, to aid all them that have believed on Thee and on Thy signs to be steadfast in Thy love and to set themselves towards the Dawning-Place of the DayStar of Thy lovingkindness. Inspire them, then, 0 my God, with what will unloose their tongue to praise Thee, and will draw them nigh unto Thee in the life that now is and the life that is to come. Thou truly art the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Beneficent. Magnified be Thy name, 0 Lord my God! I know not what the water is with which Thou hast created me, or what the fire Thou hast kindled within me, or the clay wherewith Thou hast kneaded me. The restlessness of every sea hath been stilled, but not the restlessness of this Ocean which moveth at the bidding of the winds of Thy will. The flame of every fire hath been extinguished except the Flame which the hands of Thine omnipotence have kindled, and whose radiance Thou hast, by the power of Thy name, shed abroad before all that are in Thy heaven and all that are on Thy earth. As the tribulations deepen, it waxeth hotter and hotter. Behold, then, 0 my God, how Thy Light hath been compassed with the onrushing winds of Thy decree, how the tempests that blow and [p22] 22 THE BAHA'I WORLD beat upon it from every side have added to its brightness and increased its splendour. For all this let Thee be praised. I implore Thee, by Thy Most Great Name, and Thy most ancient sovereignty, to look upon Thy loved ones whose hearts have been sorely shaken by reason of the troubles that have touched Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine own Self. Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou art, verily, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. The Shrine of the Bab viewed from the ninth terrace above Carmel Avenue; 1976. [p23] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 23 2. THE Bab Excerpts from Selections from the Writings of the Bab ~peoplesoftheearth!Verilytheresplendent Light of God hath appeared in your midst, invested with this unerring Book, that ye may be guided aright to the ways of peace and, by the leave of God, step out of the darkness into the light and onto this far-extended Path of Truth... God hath out of sheer nothingness and through the potency of His command, created the heavens and the earth and whatever lieth between them. He is single and peerless in His eternal unity with none to join partner with His holy Essence, nor is there any soul, except His Own Self, who can befittingly comprehend Him... 0 peoples of the earth! Verily His Remembrance is come to you from God after an interval during which there were no Messengers, that He may purge and purify you from uncleanliness in anticipation of the Day of the One true God; therefore seek ye wholeheartedly divine blessings from Him, inasmuch as We have, in truth, chosen Him to be the Witness and the Source of wisdom unto all that dwell on earth. o Qurratu'1-'Ayn!' Proclaim that which hath been sent down unto Thee as a token of the grace of the merciful Lord, for if Thou do it not, Our secret will never be made known to the people, while the purpose of God in creating man is but for him to know Him. Indeed God hath knowledge of all things and is self-sufficient above the need of all mankind. I am the Mystic Fane which the Hand of Omnipotence hath reared. lam the Lamp which the Finger of God hath lit within its niche and caused to shine with deathless splendour. I am the Flame of that supernal Light that glowed upon Sinai in the gladsome Spot, and lay concealed in the midst of the Burning Bush. 'In this passage the name Qurratu'1-'Ayn (Solace of the Eyes) refers to the flAb Himself Do not say, 'How can He speak of God while in truth His age is no more than twenty-five?' Give ye ear unto Me. I swear by the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: I am verily a servant of God. I have been made the Bearer of irrefutable proofs from the presence of Him Who is the long-expected Remnant of God. Here is My Book before your eyes, as indeed inscribed in the presence of God in the Mother Book. God hath indeed made Me blessed, wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon Me to observe prayer and fortitude so long as I shall live on earth amongst you. God hath, at all times and under all conditions, been wholly independent of His creatures. He hath cherished and will ever cherish the desire that all men may attain His gardens of Paradise with utmost love, that no one should sadden another, not even for a moment, and that all should dwell within His cradle of protection and security until the Day of Resurrection which marketh the dayspring of the Revelation of Him Whom God will make manifest. The Lord of the universe hath never raised up a prophet nor hath He sent down a Book unless He hath established His covenant with all men, calling for their acceptance of the next Revelation and of the next Book; inasmuch as the outpourings of His bounty are ceaseless and without limit. Say, verily any one follower of this Faith can, by the leave of God, prevail over all who dwell in heaven and earth and in whatever lieth between them; for indeed this is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the one true Faith. Therefore fear ye not, neither be ye grieved. Say, God hath, according to that which is revealed in the Book, taken upon Himself the task of ensuring the ascendancy of any one of the followers of the Truth, over and above [p24] 24 THE BAHA'I WORLD one hundred other souls, and the supremacy of one hundred believers over one thousand nonbelievers and the domination of one thousand of the faithful over all the peoples and kindreds of the earth; inasmuch as God calleth into being whatsoever He willeth by virtue of His behest. Verily He is potent over all things. Say, the power of God is in the hearts of those who believe in the unity of God and bear witness that no God is there but Him, while the hearts of them that associate partners with God are impotent, devoid of life on this earth, for assuredly they are dead. The Day is approaching when God will render the hosts of Truth victorious, and He will purge the whole earth in such wise that within the compass of His knowledge not a single soul shall remain unless he truly believeth in God, worshippeth none other God but Him, boweth down by day and by night in His adoration, and is reckoned among such as are well assured. Say, God indeed is the Sovereign Truth, Who is manifestly Supreme over His servants; He is the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. There is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers in the Divine Unity, more exalted than to obey God's commandments, and there is no fire in the eyes of those who have known God and His signs, fiercer than to transgress His laws and to oppress another soul, even to the extent of a mustard seed. On the Day of Resurrection God will, in truth, judge all men, and we all verily plead for His grace. There is no doubt that the Almighty hath sent down these verses unto Him [the Bab, even as He sent down unto the Apostle of God. Indeed no less than a hundred thousand verses similar to these have already been disseminated among the people, not to mention His Epistles, His Prayers or His learned and philosophical treatises. He revealeth no less than a thousand verses within the space of five hours. He reciteth verses at a speed consonant with the capacity of His amanuensis to set them down. Thus, it may well be considered that if from the inception of this Revelation until now He had been left unhindered, how vast then would have been the volume of writings disseminated from His pen. If ye contend that these verses cannot, of themselves, be regarded as a proof, scan the pages of the Qur'an. If God hath established therein any evidence other than the revealed verses to demonstrate the validity of the pro-phethood of His Apostle Ñ may the blessings of God rest upon Him Ñ ye may then have your scruples about Him... Concerning the sufficiency of the Book as a proof, God bath revealed: 'Is it not enough for them that We have sent down unto Thee the Book to be recited to them? In this verily is a mercy and a warning to those who believe. When God hath testified that the Book is a sufficient testimony, as is affirmed in the text, how can one dispute this truth by saying that the Book in itself is not a conclusive proof?... ... 0 concourse of light! By the righteousness of God, We speak not according to selfish desire, nor hath a single letter of this Book been revealed save by the leave of God, the Sovereign Truth. Fear ye God and entertain no doubts regarding His Cause, for verily, the Mystery of this Gate is shrouded in the mystic utterances of His Writ and bath been written beyond the impenetrable veil of concealment by the hand of God, the Lord of the visible and the invisible. Indeed God hath created everywhere around this Gate oceans of divine elixir, tinged crimson with the essence of existence and vitalized through the animating power of the desired fruit; and for them God hath provided Arks of ruby, tender, crimson-coloured, wherein none shall sail but the people of Bah~, by the leave of God, the Most Exalted; and verily He is the All-Glorious, the All-Wise. ... 0 peoples of the world! Whatsoever ye have offered up in the way of the One True God, ye shall indeed find preserved by [p25] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 25 God, the Preserver, intact at God's Holy Gate. o peoples of the earth! Bear ye allegiance unto this resplendent light wherewith God hath graciously invested Me through the power of infallible Truth, and walk not in the footsteps of the Evil One, inasmuch as he prompteth you to disbelieve in God, your Lord, and verily God will not forgive disbelief in Himself, though He will forgive other sins to whomsoever He pleaseth. Indeed His knowledge em-braceth all things... How vast the number of people who are well versed in every science, yet it is their adherence to the holy Word of God which will determine their faith, inasmuch as the fruit of every science is none other than the knowledge of divine precepts and submission unto His good-pleasure. Know thou that in the Bay~tn purification is regarded as the most acceptable means for attaining nearness unto God and as the most meritorious of all deeds. Thus purge thou thine ear that thou mayest hear no mention besides God, and purge thine eye that it behold naught except God, and thy conscience that it perceive naught other than God, and thy tongue that it proclaim nothing but God, and thy hand to write naught but the words of God, and thy knowledge that it comprehend naught except God, and thy heart that it entertain no wish save God, and in like manner purge all thine acts and thy pursuits that thou mayest be nurtured in the paradise of pure love, and perchance mayest attain the presence of Him Whom God shall make manifest, adorned with a purity which He highly cherish-eth, and be sanctified from whosoever hath turned away from Him and doth not support Him. Thus shalt thou manifest a purity that shall profit thee. Know thou that every ear which hearkeneth unto His Words with true faith shall be immune from the fire. Thus the believer, through his recognition of Him will appreciate the transcendent character of His heavenly Words, will wholeheartedly choose Him over others, and will refuse to incline his affections towards those who disbelieve in Him. Whatever one gaineth in the life to come is but the fruit of this faith. Indeed any man whose eye gazeth upon His Words with true faith well deserveth Paradise; and one whose conscience beareth witness unto His Words with true faith shall abide in Paradise and attain the presence of God; and one whose tongue giveth utterance to His Words with true faith shall have his abode in Paradise, wherein he will be seized with ecstasy in praise and glorification of God, the Ever-Abiding, Whose revelations of glory never end and the reviving breaths of Whose holiness never fail. Every hand which setteth down His Words with true faith shall be filled by God, both in this world and in the next, with things that are highly prized; and every breast which committeth His Words to memory, God shall cause, if it were that of a believer, to be filled with His love; and every heart which cherisheth the love of His Words and manifesteth in itself the signs of true faith when His Name is mentioned, and exem-plifieth the words, 'their hearts are thrilled with awe at the mention of God', that heart will become the object of the glances of divine favour and on the Day of Resurrection will be highly praised by God. Say, He Whom God shall make manifest will surely redeem the rights of those who truly believe in God and in His signs, for they are the ones who merit reward from His presence. Say, it is far from the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest that anyone should in this wise make mention of His name, if ye ponder the Cause of God in your hearts. Say, He shall vindicate the Cause through the potency of Hi~ command and shall bring to naught all perversion of truth by virtue of His behest. Verily God is potent over all things. If ye wish to distinguish truth from error, consider those who believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest and those who disbelieve Him at the time of His appearance. The former represent the essence of truth, as attested in the Book of God, while the latter the essence of error, as attested in that same Book. Fear ye God that ye may not identify yourselves with aught but the truth, inasmuch as ye have [p26] 26 THE BAnAl WORLD been exalted in the BayAn for being recognized as the bearers of the name of Him Who is the eternal Truth. Say, were He Whom God shall make manifest to pronounce a pious and truthful follower of the Bay6n as false, it is incumbent upon you to submit to His decree, as this hath been affirmed by God in the BayAn; verily God is able to convert light into fire whenever He pleaseth; surely He is potent over all things. And were He to declare a person whom ye regard alien to the truth as being akin thereto, err not by questioning His decision in your fancies, for He Who is the Sovereign Truth createth things through the power of His behest. Verily God transmuteth fire into light as He willeth, and indeed potent is He over all things. Consider ye how the truth shone forth as truth in the First Day and how error became manifest as error; so likewise shall ye distinguish them from each other on the Day of Resurrection. Say, by reason of your remembering Him Whom God shall make manifest and by extolling His name, God will cause your hearts to be dilated with joy, and do ye not wish your hearts to be in such a blissful state? Indeed the hearts of them that truly believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest are vaster than the expanse of heaven and earth and whatever is between them. God hath left no hindrance in their hearts, were it but the size of a mustard seed. He will cheer their hearts, their spirits, their souls and their bodies and their days of prosperity or adversity, through the exaltation of the name of Him Who is the supreme Testimony of God and the promotion of the Word of Him Who is the DaySpring of the glory of their Creator. Verily, these are souls who take delight in the remembrance of God, Who dilates their hearts through the effulgence of the light of knowledge and wisdom. They seek naught but God and are oft engaged in giving praise unto Him. They desire naught except whatever He desireth and stand ready to do His bidding. Their hearts are mirrors reflecting whatsoever He Whom God shall make manifest willeth. Thus God will cheer the hearts of those who truly believe in Him and in His signs and who are well assured of the life to come. Say, the life to come is none other than the days associated with the coming of Him Whom God will make manifest. Reduce not the ordinances of God to fanciful imaginations of your own; rather observe all the things which God hath created at His behest with the eye of the spirit, even as ye see things with the eyes of your bodies. How great the number of people who deck themselves with robes of silk all their lives, while clad in the garb of fire, inasmuch as they have divested themselves of the raiment of divine guidance and righteousness; and how numerous are those who wear clothes made of cotton or coarse wool throughout their lives, and yet by reason of their being endowed with the vesture of divine guidance and righteousness, are truly attired with the raiment of Paradise and take delight in the good-pleasure of God: Indeed it would be better in the sight of God were ye to combine the two, adorning yourselves with the raiment of divine guidance and righteousness and wearing exquisite silk, if ye can afford to do so. If not, at least act ye not unrighteously, but rather observe piety and virtue... He Ñ glorified be His mention Ñ resembleth the sun. Were unnumbered mirrors to be placed before it, each would, according to its capacity, reflect the splendour of that sun, and were none to be placed before it, it would still continue to rise and set, and the mirrors alone would be veiled from its light. I, verily, have not fallen short of My duty to admonish that people, and to devise means whereby they may turn towards God, their Lord, and believe in God, their Creator. If, on the day of His Revelation, all that are on earth bear Him allegiance, Mine inmost being will rejoice, inasmuch as all will have attained the summit of their existence, and will have been brought face to face with their Beloved, and will have recognized, to the fullest extent attainable in the world of being, the splendour of Him Who [p27] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 27 is the Desire of their hearts. If not, My soul will indeed be saddened. I truly have nurtured all things for this purpose. How, then, can anyone be veiled from Him? For this have I called upon God, and will continue to call upon Him. He, verily, is nigh, ready to answer. 0 Thou the Supreme Word of God! Fear not, nor be Thou grieved, for indeed unto such as have responded to Thy Call, whether men or women, We have assured forgiveness of sins, as known in the presence of the Best Beloved and in conformity with what Thou desirest. Verily His knowledge embraceth all things. I adjure Thee by My life, set Thy face towards Me and be not apprehensive. Verily Thou art the Exalted One among the Celestial Concourse, and Thy hidden Mystery hath, of a truth, been recorded upon the Tablet of creation in the midst of the Burning Bush. Ere long God will bestow upon Thee rulership over all men, inasmuch as His rule transcendeth the whole of creation. Lauded be Thy Name, 0 God. Thou art in truth our Lord; Thou art aware of whatso ever is in the heavens and on the earth. Send down then upon us a token of Thy mercy. Verily Thou art unsurpassed among them that show mercy. All praise be unto Thee, 0 Lord. Ordain for us from Thy presence that which will comfort the hearts of the sincere among Thy servants. Glorified art Thou, 0 God, Thou art the Creator of the heavens and the earth and that which lieth between them. Thou art the sovereign Lord, the Most Holy, the Almighty, the All-Wise. Magnified be Thy Name, o God, send down upon them who have believed in God and in His signs a mighty succour from Thy presence such as to enable them to prevail over the generality of mankind. Praise be unto Thee, 0 Lord. Forgive us our sins, have mercy upon us and enable us to return unto Thee. Suffer us not to rely on aught else besides Thee, and vouchsafe unto us, through Thy bounty, that which Thou lovest and desirest and well beseemeth Thee. Exalt the station of them that have truly believed and forgive them with Thy gracious forgiveness. Verily Thou art the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. A signet ring of the Bab bearing the inscrz]tion: 'Praise be unto Him; there is no God but Him. This is a Path revealed by His behest, and all shall pass thereon.' [p28] Bo,ssoflnas a, 28 THE BAHA'I WORLD 'Abdu'l-Baha Photograph taken in Paris, 1911. [p29] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 29 3. 'ABDU'L-BAHA Excerpts from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha A. On Universal Peace TODAY there is no greater glory for man than that of service in the cause of the 'Most Great Peace.' Peace is light whereas war is darkness. Peace is life; war is death. Peace is guidance; war is error. Peace is the foundation of God; war is satanic institution. Peace is the illumination of the world of humanity; war is the destroyer of human foundations. When we consider outcomes in the world of existence we find that peace and fellowship are factors of upbuflding and betterment whereas war and strife are the causes of destruction and disintegration. All created things are expressions of the affinity and cohesion of elementary substances, and nonexistence is the absence of their attraction and agreement. Various elements unite harmoniously in composition but when these elements become discordant, repelling each other, decomposition and nonexistence result. Everything partakes of this nature and is subject to this principle, for the creative foundation in all its degrees and kingdoms is an expression or outcome of love. Consider the restlessness and agitation of the human world today because of war. Peace is health and construction; war is disease and dissolution. When the banner of truth is raised, peace becomes the cause of the welfare and advancement of the human world. In all cycles and ages war has been a factor of derangement and discomfort whereas peace and brotherhood have brought security and consideration of human interests. This distinction is especially pronounced in the present world conditions, for warfare in former centuries had not attained the degree of savagery and destructiveness which now characterizes it. If two nations were at war in olden times, ten or twenty thousand would be sacrificed but in this century the destruction of one hundred thousand lives in a day is quite possible. So perfected has the science of killing become and so efficient the means and instruments of its accomplishment that a whole nation can be obliterated in a short time. Therefore comparison with the methods and results of ancient warfare is out of the question. According to an intrinsic law, all phenomena of being attain to a summit and degree of consummation, after which a new order and condition is established. As the instruments and science of war have reached the degree of thoroughness and proficiency, it is hoped that the transformation of the human world is at hand and that in the coining centuries all the energies and inventions of man will be utilized in promoting the interests of peace and brotherhood. Therefore may this esteemed and worthy society for the establishment of international peace be confirmed in its sincere intentions and empowered by God. Then will it hasten the time when the banner of universal agreement will he raised and international welfare will be proclaimed and consummated so that the darkness which now emcompasses the world shall pass away. Sixty1 years ago His Holiness Baha'u'llah was in mm. Seventy years ago His Holiness the BTh appeared there. These two blessed souls devoted Their lives to the foundation of international peace and love among mankind. They strove with heart and soul to establish the teachings by which divergent people might be brought together and no strife, rancour or hatred prevail. His Hohness Baha'u'llah addressing all humanity, said that Adam the parent of mankind may be likened to the tree of nativity upon which you are the leaves and blossoms. Inasmuch as your origin was one, you must now be united and agreed; you must I Words spoken by 'Abdu'l-Baha on 13 May 1912. [p30] 30 THE BAHA'I WORLD consort with each other in joy and fragrance. He pronounced prejudice, whether religious, racial, patriotic, political, the destroyer of the body-politic. He said that man must recognize the oneness of humanity, for all in origin belong to the same household and all are servants of the same God. Therefore mankind must continue in the state of fellowship and love, emulating the institutions of God and turning away from satanic promptings, for the divine bestowals bring forth unity and agreement whereas satanic leadings induce hatred and war.... The world of humanity has never enjoyed the blessing of Universal Peace. Year by year the implements of warfare have been increased and perfected. Consider the wars of past centuries; only ten, fifteen or twenty thousand at the most were killed but now it is possible to kill one hundred thousand in a single day. In ancient times warfare was carried on with the sword; today it is the smokeless gun. Formerly battleships were sailing vessels; today they are dreadnoughts. Consider the increase and improvement in the weapons of war. God has created us all human and all countries of the world are parts of the same globe. We are all his servants. He is kind and just to all. Why should we be unkind and unjust to each other 7 He provides for all. Why should we deprive one another? He protects and preserves all. Why should we kill our fellow-creatures? If this warfare and strife be for the sake of religion, it is evident that it violates the spirit and basis of all religion. All the divine Manifestations have proclaimed the oneness of God and the unity of mankind. They have taught that men should love and mutually help each other in order that they might progress. Now if this conception of religion be true, its essential principle is the oneness of humanity. The fundamental truth of the Manifestations is peace. This underlies all religion, all justice. The divine purpose is that men should live in unity, concord and agreement and should love one another. Consider the virtues of the human world and realize that the oneness of humanity is the primary foundation of them all. Read the Gospel and the other holy books. You will find their fundamentals are one and the same. Therefore unity is the essential truth of religion and when so understood embraces all the virtues of the human world. Praise be to God! this knowledge has been spread, eyes have been opened and ears have become attentive. Therefore we must endeavour to promulgate and practise the religion of God which has been founded by all the prophets. And the religion of God is absolute love and unity. When we review history from the beginning down to the present day we find that strife and warfare have prevailed throughout the human world. Wars, religious, racial or political, have arisen from human ignorance, misunderstanding and lack of education. We will first consider religious strife and conflict. It is evident that the divine prophets have appeared in the world to establish love and agreement among mankind. They have been the shepherds and not the wolves. The shepherd comes forth to gather and lead his flock and not to disperse them by creating strife. Every divine shepherd has assembled a flock which had formerly been scattered. Among the shepherds was His Holiness Moses. At a time when the tribes of Israel were wandering and dispersed, He assembled, united and educated them to higher degrees of capacity and progress until they passed out of the wilderness of discipline into the holy land of possession. He transformed their degradation into glory, changed their poverty into wealth and replaced their vices by virtues until they rose to such a zenith that the splendour of the sovereignty of Solomon was made possible and the fame of their civilization extended to the East and the West. It is evident therefore that His Holiness was a divine shepherd for He gathered the tribes of Israel together and united them in the power and strength of a great nationhood. When the Messianic star of Jesus Christ dawned, He declared He had come to gather together the lost tribes or scattered sheep of Moses. He not only shepherded the flock of Israel, but brought together people of Chaldea, Egypt, Syria, ancient Assyria and Phoenicia. These people were in a state of utmost hostility, thirsting for the blood of each other with the ferocity of animals; but His Holiness Jesus [p31] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 31 Christ brought them together, cemented and united them in His cause and established such a bond of love among them that enmity and warfare were abandoned. It is evident therefore that the divine teachings are intended to create a bond of unity in the human world and establish the foundations of love and fellowship among mankind. Divine religion is not a cause for discord and disagreement. If religion becomes the source of antagonism and strife, the absence of religion is to be preferred. Religion is meant to be the quickening life of the body politic; if it be the cause of death to humanity, its nonexistence would be a blessing and benefit to man. Therefore in this day the divine teachings must be sought, for they are the remedies for the present conditions of the world of humanity. At a time when the Arabian tribes and nomadic peoples were widely separated, living in the deserts under lawless conditions, strife and bloodshed continual among them, no tribe free from the menace of attack and destruction by another, Ñ at such a critical time Mohammed appeared. He gathered these wild tribes of the desert together, reconciled, united and caused them to agree so that enmity and warfare ceased. The Arabian nation immediately advanced until its dominion extended westward to Spain and Andalusia. From these facts and premises we may conclude that the establishing of the divine religions is for peace, not for war and the shedding of blood. Inasmuch as all are founded upon one reality which is love and unity, the wars and dissensions which have characterized the history of religion have been due to imitations and superstitions which arise afterward. Religion is reality and reality is one. The fundamentals of the religion of God are therefore one in reality. There is neither difference nor change in the fundamentals. Variance is caused by blind imitations, prejudices and adherence to forms which appear later, and inasmuch as these differ, discord and strife result. If the religions of the world would forsake these causes of difficulty and seek the fundamentals, all would agree, and strife and dissension would pass away; for religion and reality are one and not multiple. Other wars are caused by purely imaginary racial differences; for humanity is one kind, one race and progeny inhabiting the same globe. In the creative plan there is no racial distinction and separation such as Frenchman, Englishman, American, German, Italian or Spaniard; all belong to one household. These boundaries and distinctions are human and artificial, not natural and original. All mankind are the fruits of one tree, flowers of the same garden, waves of one sea. In the animal kingdom no such distinction and separation are observed. The sheep of the East and the sheep of the West would associate peacefully. The oriental flock would not look surprised as if saying, 'These are sheep of the Occident; they do not belong to our country.' All would gather in harmony and enjoy the same pasture without evidence of local or racial distinction. The birds of different countries mingle in friendliness. We find these virtues in the animal kingdom. Shall man deprive himself of these virtues? Man is endowed with superior reasoning power and the faculty of perception; he is the manifestation of divine bestowals. Shall racial ideas prevail and obscure the creative purpose of unity in his kingdom? Shall he say, 'I am a German,' 'I am a Frenchman,' or an 'Englishman' and declare war because of this imaginary and human distinction? God forbid! If love and agreement are manifest in a single family, that family will advance, become illumined and spiritual; but if enmity and hatred exist within it destruction and dispersion are inevitable. This is likewise true of a city. If those who dwell within it manifest a spirit of accord and fellowship it will progress steadily and human conditions become brighter whereas through enmity and strife it will be degraded and its inhabitants scattered. In the same way the people of a nation develop and advance toward civilization and enlightenment through love and accord, and are disintegrated by war and strife. Finally, this is true of humanity itself in the aggregate. When love is realized and the ideal spiritual bonds unite the hearts of men, the whole human race will be uplifted, the world will continually grow more spiritual and radiant and the happiness and tranquillity [p32] 32 THE BAHA'I WORLD of mankind be immeasurably increased. Warfare and strife will be uprooted, disagreement and dissension pass away and universal peace unite the nations and peoples of the world. All mankind will dwell together as one family, blend as the waves of one sea, shine as stars of one firmament and appear as fruits of the same tree. This is the happiness and felicity of humankind. This is the illumination of man, the glory eternal and life everlasting; this is the divine bestowal. I desire this station for you and I pray God that the people of America may achieve this great end in order that the virtue of this democracy may be ensured and their names be glorified eternally. B. On Education The primary, the most urgent requirement is the promotion of education. It is inconceivable that any nation should achieve prosperity and success unless this paramount, this fundamental concern is carried forward. The principal reason for the decline and fall of peoples is ignorance. Today the mass of the people are uninformed even as to ordinary affairs, how much less do they grasp the core of the important problems and complex needs of the time. But education is of three kinds: material, human and spiritual. Material education is concerned with the progress and development of the body, through gaining its sustenance, its material comfort and ease. This education is coimnon to animals and man. Human education signifies civilization and progress: that is to say, government, administration, charitable works, trades, arts and handicrafts, sciences, great inventions and discoveries, and elaborate institutions, which are the activities essential to man as distinguished from the animal. Divine education is that of the Kingdom of God: it consists in acquiring divine perfections, and this is true education; for in this state man becomes the focus of divine blessings, the manifestation of the words, 'Let us make man in our image and after our likeness.' This is the goal of the world of humanity. Now we need an educator who will be at the same time a material, human, and spiritual educator, and whose authority will be effective in all conditions. So if any one should say, 'I possess perfect comprehension and intelligence, and I have no need of such an educator', he would be denying that which is clear and evident, as though a child should say, 'I have no need of education; I will act according to my reason and intelligence, and so I shall attain the perfections of existence'; or as though the blind should say, 'I am in no need of sight, because many other blind people exist without difficulty.' Then it is plain and evident that man needs an educator, and this educator must be unquestionably and indubitably perfect in all respects, and distinguished above all men. Otherwise, if he should be like the rest of humanity, he cannot be their educator. More particularly because he must be at the same time their material and human as well as their spiritual educator; that is to say, he must teach men to organize and carry out physical matters, and to form a social order in order to establish cooperation and mutual aid in living, so that material affairs may be organized and regulated for any circumstances that may occur. In the same way he must establish human education; that is to say, he must educate intelligence and thought in such a way that they may attain complete development, so that knowledge and science may increase, and the reality of things, the mysteries of beings, and the properties of existence may be discovered; that day by day instructions, inventions, and institutions may be improved; and from things perceptible to the senses conclusions as to intellectual things may be deduced. He must also impart spiritual education; so that intelligence and comprehension may penetrate the metaphysical world, and may receive benefit from the sanctifying breeze of [p33] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 33 the Holy Spirit, and may enter into relationship with the Supreme Concourse. lie must so educate the human reality that it may become the centre of the divine appearance, to such a degree that the attributes and the names of God shall be resplendent in the mirror of the reality of man, and the holy verse, 'We will make man in Our image and likeness', shall be realized. There are some who imagine that an innate sense of human dignity will prevent man from committing evil actions and ensure his spiritual and material perfection. That is, that an individual who is characterized with natural intelligence, high resolve, and a driving zeal, will, without any consideration for the severe punishments consequent on evil acts, or for the great rewards of righteousness, instinctively refrain from inflicting harm on his fellow men and will hunger and thirst to do good. And yet, if we ponder the lessons of history it will become evident that this very sense of honour and dignity is itself one of the bounties deriving from the instructions of the Prophets of God. We also observe in infants the signs of aggression and lawlessness, and that if a child is deprived of a teacher's instructions his undesirable qualities increase from one moment to the next. It is therefore clear that the emergence of this natural sense of human dignity and honour is the result of education. Secondly, even if we grant for the sake of the argument that instinctive intelligence and an innate moral quality would prevent wrongdoing, it is obvious that individuals so characterized are as rare as the philosopher's stone. An assumption of this sort cannot be validated by mere words, it must be supported by the facts. Let us see what power in creation impels the masses toward righteous aims and deeds! Aside from this, if that rare individual who does exemplify such a faculty should also become an embodiment of the fear of God, it is certain that his strivings toward righteousness would be strongly reinforced. As to the differences among human beings and the superiority or inferiority of some individuals to others, the materialists are of two schools of thought: one group is of the opinion that these differences and the superior qualities of some individuals are inborn, and are, as they would put it, an exigency of nature. According to them, it is obvious that differences within the species are inherent. For example, there are, in nature, different kinds of trees; animals, too, are varied in their nature; even minerals vary naturally among themselves, and you have here a quarry filled with stones, there a mine of rubies, translucent and richly red; here a shell with pearl enclosed, there only a bit of clay. The other school of traditional philosophers holdeth to the view that the differences among individuals and the varying levels of intellects and talents derive from education: for with training, a crooked branch can grow straight, and a barren tree of the desert can be domesticated; it can be grafted and made to bear fruit, which may be bitter, but with time turneth sweet. At first, its fruit may be small; but will grow large and full of flavour, a delight to the taste. The strongest proof adduced by the second group is this, that the tribes of Africa are, generally speaking, ignorant and wild, while the civilized peoples of America are, in general, possessed of wisdom and understanding, which proveth that the difference between these two peoples is due to education and experience. Such are the stated views of the philosophers. The Manifestations of God, on the other hand, affirm that differences are demonstrably and indisputably innate, and that 'We have caused some of you to excel others'1 is a proven and inescapable fact. It is certain that human beings are, by their very nature, different one from the other. Observe a small group of children, born of the same parents, attending the same school, receiving the same education, living on the same diet: some, becoming well educated, will achieve a high degree of advancement; some will reach a middle level; and some will not prove educabid at all. It is therefore clear that the disparity among individuals is due to differences of degree which are innate. But the Manifestations also consider that training and education demonstrably exert a tremendous influence. If, for example, a child 1 Qur'an 17:22. [p34] 34 THE BAHA'I WORLD is deprived of schooling he will certainly remain ignorant, and his knowledge will be limited to what he is able to find out for himself; but if he is brought to a qualified teacher to study the sciences and arts, he will learn of the discoveries made by thousands of other human beings. Thus education is a guide to those who have gone astray; it maketh the blind to see; it bestoweth judgement on the foolish, and a yield of greatness on the unproductive; it causeth the mute to speak, and turneth the false dawn into the true morning's light; through it the tiny seed will become a towering palm, and the runaway slave, a reigning king. Thus is it certain that education exerteth an influence, and for this reason the Manifestations of God, the WellSprings of His mercy, are raised up in the world, that through the breaths of holiness They may educate the human race, and make of the sucking child a strong and valiant man. Through Them will the outcasts of the earth become the cherished companions of Heaven, and the portionless receive their due. Among the safeguards of the Holy Faith is the training of children, and this is among the weightiest of principles in all the divine teachings. Thus from the very beginning mothers must rear their infants in the cradle of good morals Ñ for it is the mothers who are the first educators Ñ so that, when the child cometh to maturity, he will prove to be endowed with all the virtues and qualities that are worthy of praise. And further, according to the divine commandments, every child must learn reading and writing, and acquire such branches of knowledge as are useful and necessary, as well as learning an art or skill. The utmost care must be devoted to these matters; any neglect of them, any failure to act on them, is not permissible. Observe how many penal institutions, houses of detention and places of torture are made ready to receive the sons of men, the purpose being to prevent them, by punitive measures, from committing terrible crimes Ñ whereas this very torment and punishment only increaseth depravity, and by such means the desired aim cannot be properly achieved. Therefore must the individual be trained from his infancy in such a way that he will never undertake to commit a crime, will, rather, direct all his energies to the acquisition of excellence, and will look upon the very commission of an evil deed as in itself the harshest of all punishments, considering the sinful act itself to be far more grievous than any prison sentence. For it is possible so to train the individual that, although crime may not be completely done away with, still it will become very rare. The purport is this, that to train the character of humankind is one of the weightiest commandments of God, and the influence of such training is the same as that which the sun exerteth over tree and fruit. Children must be most carefully watched over, protected and trained; in such consisteth true parenthood and parental mercy. Otherwise, the children will turn into weeds growing wild, and become the cursed, Infernal Tree,' knowing not right from wrong, distinguishing not the highest of human qualities from all that is mean and vile; they will be brought up in vainglory, and will be hated of the Forgiving Lord. Wherefore doth every child, new-risen in the garden of Heavenly love, require the utmost training and care. Were there no educator, all souls would remain savage, and were it not for the teacher, the children would be ignorant creatures. It is for this reason that, in this New Cycle, education and training are recorded in the Book of God as obligatory and not voluntary. That is, it is enjoined upon the father and mother, as a duty, to strive with all effort to train the daughter and the son, to nurse them from the breast of knowledge and to rear them in the bosom of sciences and arts. Should they neglect this matter, they shall be held responsible and worthy of reproach in the presence of the stern Lord. And among the teachings of Baha'u'llah is the promotion of education. Every child must be instructed in sciences as much as is necessary. If the parents are able to provide the expenses 1 The Zaqq~im, Qur'an 37:60, 44:43. [p35] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 35 of this education, it is all right, otherwise the community must provide the means for the teaching of that child. The education and training of children is among the most meritorious acts of humankind and draweth down the grace and favour of the All-Merciful, for education is the indispensable able foundation of all human excellence and alloweth man to work his way to the heights of abiding glory. If a child be trained from his infancy, he will, through the loving care of the Holy Gardener, drink in the crystal waters of the spirit and of knowledge, like a young tree amid the ruling brooks. And certainly he will gather to himself the bright rays of the Sun of Truth, and through its Light and heat will grow ever fresh and fair in the garden of life. Therefore must the mentor be a doctor as well: that is, he must, in instructing the child, remedy its faults; must give him learning, and at the same time rear him to have a spiritual nature. Let the teacher be a doctor to the character of the child, thus will he heal the spiritual ailments of the children of men. If, in this momentous task, a mighty effort be exerted, the world of humanity will shine out with other adornings, and shed the fairest light. Then will this &arksome place grow luminous, and this abode of earth turn into Heaven. The very demons will change to angels then, and wolves to shepherds of the flock, and the wild-dog pack to gazelles that pasture on the plains of oneness, and ravening beasts to peaceful herds; and birds of prey, with talons sharp as knives, to songsters warbling their sweet native notes. For the inner reality of man is a demarcation line between the shadow and the light, a place where the two seas meet ;1 it is the lowest point on the arc of descent,2 and therefore 'Qur'an 25:55, 35:13, 55:19 Ñ 25. See also Marriage Prayer revealed by 'Abdu'l-Baha beginning He is God! 0 peerless Lord! In mine almighty wisdom Thou hast enjoined marriage upon the peoples... 2 See Some Answered Questions, pp. 328 Ñ 9 for 'Abdu'l-Baha's comments on the arc of descent and ascent. 'S ~ A4 a 'Abdu'l-Baha inside the entrance to a building on Haparsim (Persian) Street, Hajfa, formerly occupied by Bahd'ipilgrims from the West; 1919. [p36] 36 THE BAnAl WORLD is it capable of gaining all the grades above. With education it can achieve all excellence; devoid of education it will stay on, at the lowest point of imperfection. Every child is potentially the light of the world Ñ and at the same time its darkness; wherefore must the question of education be accounted as of primary importance. From his infancy, the child must be nursed at the breast of God's love, and nurtured in the embrace of His knowledge, that he may radiate light, grow in spirituality, be filled with wisdom and learning, and take on the characteristics of the angelic host. Since ye have been assigned to this holy task, ye must therefore exert every effort to make that school famed in all respects throughout the world; to make it the cause of exalting the Word of the Lord. According to the explicit divine Text, teaching the children is indispensable and obligatory. It followeth that teachers are servants of the Lord God, since they have arisen to perform this task, which is the same as worship. You must therefore offer praise with every breath, for you are educating your spiritual children. The spiritual father is greater than the physical one, for the latter bestoweth but this world's life, whereas the former endoweth his child with life everlasting. This is why, in the Law of God, teachers are listed among the heirs. Now you in reality have acquired all these spiritual children free and gratis, and that is better than having physical children; for such children are not grateful to their fathers, since they feel that the father serveth them because he must Ñ and therefore no matter what he doeth for them, they pay it no mind. Spiritual children, however, are always appreciative of their father's lovingkindness. This verily is out of the grace of thy Lord, the Beneficent. Make ye every effort to improve the Tarbiyat School' and to develop order and discipline in this institution. Utilize every means to make this School a garden of the All-Merciful, from which the lights of learning will cast their beams, and wherein the children, whether Baha'i or other, will be educated to such a degree as to become God's gifts to man, and the pride of the human race. Let them make the greatest progress in the shortest span of time, let them open wide their eyes and uncover the inner realities of all things, become proficient in every art and skill, and learn to comprehend the secrets of all things even as they are Ñ this faculty being one of the clearly evident effects of servitude to the Holy Threshold. It is certain that ye will make every effort to bring this about, and will also draw up plans for the opening of a number of schools. These schools for academic studies must at the same time be training centres in behaviour and conduct, and they must favour character and conduct above the sciences and arts. Good behaviour and high moral character must come first, for unless the character be trained, acquiring knowledge will only prove injurious. Knowledge is praiseworthy when it is coupled with ethical conduct and a virtuous character; otherwise it is a deadly poison, a frightful danger. A physician of evil character, and who betrayeth his trust, can bring on death, and become the source of numerous infirmities and diseases. Devote ye the utmost attention to this matter, for the basic, the foundation-principle of a school is first and foremost moral training, character building, and the rectification of conduct. The subjects to be taught in children's schools are many, and for lack of time We can touch on oniy a few: First and most important is training in behaviour and good character; the rectification of qualities; arousing the desire to become accomplished and acquire perfections, and to cleave unto the religion of God and stand firm in His Laws, to accord total obedience to every just government, to show forth loyalty and trustworthiness to the ruler of the time, to be well wishers of mankind, to be kind to all. 1 The first school owned and operated by the Baha community of Persia, located in TibMn. See God Passes By, pp. 299, 363, 371, 372 for references to the establishment and later forced closure of Baha'i schools in Persia. [p37] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 37 And further, as well as in the ideals of character, instruction in such arts and sciences as are of benefit, and in foreign tongues. Also, the repeating of prayers for the wellbeing of ruler and ruled; and the avoidance of materialistic works that are current among those who see only natural causation, and tales of love, and books that arouse the passions. To sum up, let all the lessons be entirely devoted to the acquisition of human perfections. Here, then, in brief are directions for the curriculum of these schools. As to the organization of the schools: If possible the children should all wear the same kind of clothing, even if the fabric is varied. It is preferable that the fabric as well should be uniform; if, however, this is not possible, there is no harm done. The more cleanly the pupils are, the better; they should be immaculate. The school must be located in a place where the air is delicate and pure. The children must be carefully trained to be most courteous and wellbehaved. They must be constantly encouraged and made eager to gain all the summits of human accomplishment, so that from their earliest years they will be taught to have high aims, to conduct themselves well, to be chaste, pure, and undeffled, and will learn to be of powerful resolve and firm of purpose in all things. Let them not jest and trifle, but earnestly advance unto their goals, so that in every situation they will be found resolute and firm. Training in morals and good conduct is far more important than book learning. A child that is cleanly, agreeable, of good character, wellbehaved Ñ even though he be ignorant Ñ is preferable to a child that is rude, unwashed, ill-natured, and yet becoming deeply versed in all the sciences and arts. The reason for this is that the child who conducts himself well, even though he be ignorant, is of benefit to others, while an ill-natured, ill-behaved child is corrupted and harmful to others, even though he be learned. If, however, the child be trained to be both learned and good, the result is light upon light. Children are even as a branch that is fresh and green; they will grow up in whatever way you train them. Take the utmost care to give them high ideals and goals, so that once they come of age, they will cast their beams like brilliant candles on the world, and will not be defiled by lusts and passions in the way of animals, heedless and unaware, but instead will set their hearts on achieving everlasting honour and acquiring all the excellences of humankind. 0 ye haudmaids of the Merciful! The school for girls taketh precedence over the school for boys, for it is incumbent upon the girls of this glorious era to be fully versed in the various branches of knowledge, in sciences and the arts and all the wonders of this preeminent time, that they may then educate their children and train them from their earliest days in the ways of perfection. If, as she ought, the mother possesseth the learning and accomplishments of humankind, her children, like unto angels, will be fostered in all excellence, in right conduct and beauty. Therefore the School for Girls that hath been established in that place must be made the object of the deep concern and high endeavours of the friends. The teachers of that school are handmaids close to the Sacred Threshold, for they are of those who, obedient to the commandments of the Blessed Beauty, have arisen to educate the girl children. The day will come when those children will be mothers, and each one of them in her deep gratitude will offer up prayers and supplications to Almighty God and ask that her teachers will be granted joy and wellbeing forever, and a high station in the Kingdom of God. Name ye this school the Mawhibat School (The School of Bounty).' Today it is obligatory for the loved ones of God, and their imperative duty, to educate the children in reading, writing, the various branches of knowledge, and the expansion 1 A Baha'i school for girls in Hamad~n, Persia. [p38] 38 THE BAHA'I WORLD of consciousness, that on all levels they may go forward day by day. The mother is the first teacher of the child. For children, at the beginning of life, are fresh and tender as a young twig, and can be trained in any fashion you desire. If you rear the child to be straight, he will grow straight, in perfect symmetry. It is clear that the mother is the first teacher and that it is she who establisheth the character and conduct of the child. Wherefore, 0 ye loving mothers, know ye that in God's sight, the best of all ways to worship Him is to educate the children and train them in all the perfections of humankind; and no nobler deed than this can be imagined... O maidservants of the Merciful! It is incumbent upon you to train the children from their earliest babyhood! It is incumbent upon you to beautify their morals! It is incumbent upon you to attend to them under all aspects and circumstances, inasmuch as God Ñ glorified and exalted is He ! Ñ hath ordained mothers to be the primary trainers of children and infants. This is a great and important affair and a high and exalted position, and it is not allowable to slacken therein at all! If thou walkest in this right path, thou wouldst become a real mother to the children, both spiritually and materially. C. On Materialism You see all round you proofs of the inadequacy of material things Ñ how joy, comfort, peace and consolation are not to be found in the transitory things of the world. Is it not then foolishness to refuse to seek these treasures where they may be found? The doors of the spiritual Kingdom are open to all, and without is absolute darkness. No matter how far the material world advances it cannot establish the happiness of mankind. Oniy when material and spiritual civilization are linked and coordinated will happiness be assured. Then material civilization will not contribute its energies to the forces of evil in destroying the oneness of humanity, for in material civilization good and evil advance together and maintain the same pace. For example, consider the material progress of man in the last decade. Schools and colleges, hospitals, philanthropic institutions, scientific academies and temples of philosophy have been founded, but hand in hand with these evidences of development, the invention and production of means and weapons for human destruction have correspondingly increased. In early days the weapon of war was the sword; now it is the magazine rifle. Among the ancients men fought with javelins and daggers; now they employ shells and bombs. Dreadnoughts are built, torpedoes invented and every few days a new ammunition is forthcoming. All this is the outcome of material civilization; therefore although material advancement furthers good purposes in life, at the same time it serves evil ends. The divine civilization is good because it cultivates morals. Consider what the prophets of God have contributed to human morality. His Holiness Jesus Christ summoned all to the 'Most Great Peace' through the acquisition of pure morals. If the moral precepts and foundations of divine civilization become united with the material advancement of man, there is no doubt that the happiness of the human world will be attained and from every direction the glad-tidings of peace upon earth will be announced. Then humankind will achieve extraordinary progress, the sphere of human intelligence will be immeasurably enlarged, wonderful inventions will appear and the spirit of God will reveal itself; all men will consort in joy and fragrance, and life eternal will be conferred upon the children of the kingdom. Then will the power of the divine make itself effective and the breath of the Holy Spirit penetrate the essence of all things. Therefore the material and the divine or merciful civilizations must progress together until the highest aspirations and desires of humanity shall become realized. [p39] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 39 These are a few of the teachings and principles of Baha'u'llah briefly presented so that you may be informed of their significance and purpose and find them a stimulus to your knowledge and action. Material civilization is like unto the lamp, while spiritual civilization is the light in that lamp. If the material and spiritual civilization become united, then we will have the light and the lamp together and the outcome will be perfect. For material civilization is like unto a beautiful body and spiritual civilization is like unto the spirit of life. If that wondrous spirit of life enters this beautiful body, the body will become a channel for the distribution and development of the perfections of humanity... For man, two wings are necessary. One wing is the physical power and material civilization• the other is the spiritual power and divine civilization. With one wing oniy, flight is impossible. Two wings are essential. Therefore no matter how much material civilization advances it cannot attain to perfection except through uplift of the spiritual civilization. All the prophets have come to promote divine bestowals, to found the spiritual civilization and teach the principles of morality. Therefore we must strive with all our powers so that spiritual influences may gain the victory. For material forces have attacked mankind. The world of humanity is submerged in a sea of materialism. The rays of the Sun of Reality are seen but dimly and darkly through opaque glasses. The penetrative power of the divine bounty is not fully manifest. ... This is the time for man to strive and put forth his greatest efforts in spiritual directions. Material civilization has reached an advanced plane but now there is need of spiritual civilization. Material civilization alone will not satisfy; it cannot meet the conditions and requirements of the present age. Its benefits are limited to the world of matter. There is no limitation to the spirit of man, for spirit in itself is progressive and if the divine civiliza tion be established the spirit of man will advance. Every developed susceptibility will increase the effectiveness of man. Discoveries of the real, will become more and more possible and the influence of divine guidance will be increasingly recognized. All this is conducive to the divine form of civilization. This is what is meant in the Bible by the descent of the New Jerusalem. The heavenly Jerusalem is none other than the divine civilization, and it is now ready. Observe how darkness has overspread the world. In every corner of the earth there is strife, discord and warfare of some kind. Mankind is submerged in the sea of materialism and occupied with the affairs of this world. They have no thought beyond earthly possessions and manifest no desire save the passions of this fleeting, mortal existence. Their utmost purpose is the attainment of material livelihood, physical comforts and worldly enjoyments such as constitute the happiness of the animal world rather than the world of man. The honour of man is through the attainment of the knowledge of God; his happiness is from the love of God; his joy is in the glad-tidings of God; his greatness is dependent upon his servitude to God. The highest development of man is his entrance into the divine kingdom; and the outcome of this human existence is the nucleus and essence of eternal life. If man is bereft of the divine bestowals and if his enjoyment and happiness are restricted to his material inclinations, what distinction or difference is there between the animal and himself? In fact the animal's happiness is greater, for its wants are fewer and its means of livelihood easier to acquire. Although it is necessary for man to strive for material needs and comforts, his real need is the acquisition of the bounties of God. If he is bereft of divine bounties, spiritual susceptibilities and heavenly glad-tidings, the life of man in this world has not yielded any worthy fruit. While possessing physical life he should lay hold of the life spiritual, and together with bodily comforts and happiness, he should enjoy divine pleasures and content. Then is man worthy of the title man ; then will he be 'after the image and [p40] 40 THE BAHA'I WORLD likeness of God,' for the image of the Merciful consists of the attributes of the heavenly kingdom. ... If a man is successful in his business, art, or profession he is thereby enabled to increase his physical wellbeing and to give his body the amount of ease and comfort in which it delights. All around us today we see hoxi man surrounds himself with every modern convenience and luxury, and denies nothing to the physical and material side of his nature. But, take heed, lest in thinking too earnestly of the things of the body you forget the things of the soul: for material advantages do not elevate the spirit of a man. Perfection in worldly things is a joy to the body of a man but in no wise does it glorify his soul. It may be that a man who has every material benefit, and who lives surrounded by all the greatest comfort modern civilization can give him, is denied the all important gift of the Holy Spirit. It is indeed a good and praiseworthy thing to progress materially, but in so doing, let us not neglect the more important spiritual progress, and close our eyes to the divine light shining in our midst. Only by improving spiritually as well as materially can we make any real progress, and become perfect beings. It was in order to bring this spiritual life and light into the world that all the great Teachers have appeared. They came so that the Sun of Truth might be manifested, and shine in the hearts of men, and that through its wondrous power men might attain unto everlasting light. When the Lord Christ came He spread the light of the Holy Spirit on all around Him, and His disciples and all who received His illumination became enlightened, spiritual beings. It was to manifest this light that Baha'u'llah was born, and came into the world. He taught Eternal Truth to men, and shed the rays of divine light in all lands. Alas! behold how man disregards this light. He still goes on his way of darkness, and disunity, and quarrels and fierce war are still rife. He uses material progress to gratify his lust for war, and he makes destructive implements and appliances to destroy his brother man. But let us rather exert ourselves for the attainment of spiritual advantages, for this is the only way of true progress, that which cometh from God and is alone Godly. Know thou that there are two kinds of happiness, spiritual and material. As to material happiness, it never exists; nay, it is but imagination, an image reflected in mirrors, a spectre and shadow. Consider the nature of material happiness. It is something which but slightly removes one's afflictions; yet the peo~1e imagine it to be joy, delight, exultation and blessing. All the material blessings, including food, drink, etc., tend only to allay thirst, hunger and fatigue. They bestow no delight on the mind nor pleasure on the soul; nay they furnish oniy the bodily wants. So this kind of happiness has no real existence. As to spiritual happiness, this is the true basis of the life of man, for life is created for happiness, not for sorrow; for pleasure, not for grief. Happiness is life; sorrow is death. Spiritual happiness is life eternal. This is a light which is not followed by darkness. This is an honour which is not followed by shame. This is a life that is not followed by death. This is an existence that is not followed by annihilation. This great blessing and precious gift is obtained by man oniy through the guidance of God... This happiness is the fundamental basis from which man is created, worlds are originated, the contingent beings have existence and the world of God appears like unto the appearance of the sun at midday. This happiness is but the love of God. ... Were it not for this happiness the world of existence would not have been created. [p41] EXCERPTS FROM THE WRITINGS OF SHOGHI EFFENDI The Greatest Drama in the World's Spiritual History Excerpts from The Promised Day is Come1 A. tempest, unprecedented in its violence, unpredictable in its course, catastrophic in its immediate effects, unimaginably glorious in its ultimate consequences, is at present sweeping the face of the earth. Its driving power is remorselessly gaining in range and momentum. Its cleansing force, however much undetected, is increasing with every passing day. Humanity, gripped in the clutches of its devastating power, is smitten by the evidences of its resistless fury. It can neither perceive its origin, nor probe its significance, nor discern its outcome. Bewildered, agonized and helpless, it watches this great and mighty wind of God invading the remotest and fairest regions of the earth, rocking its foundations, deranging its equilibrium, sundering its nations, disrupting the homes of its peoples, wasting its cities, driving into exile its kings, pulling down its bulwarks, uprooting its institutions, dimming its light, and harrowing up the souls of its inhabitants. This ~udgement of God, as viewed by those who have recognized Baha'u'llah as His Mouthpiece and His greatest Messenger on earth, is both a retributory calamity and an act of holy and supreme discipline. It is at once a visitation from God and a cleansing process for all mankind. Its fires punish the perversity of the human race, and weld its component parts into one organic, indivisible, world-embracing community. Mankind, in these fateful years ... is, as ordained by Him Who is both the Judge and the Redeemer of the human race, being simultaneously called upon to give account of its past actions, and is being purged and prepared for its future mission. It can neither escape the responsibilities of the past, nor shirk those of the future. God, the Vigilant, the Just, the Loving, the All-Wise Ordainer, can, in this supreme Dispensation, neither allow the sins of an unregenerate humanity, whether of omission or of commission, to go unpunished, nor will He be willing to abandon His children to their fate, and refuse them that culminating and blissful stage in their long, their slow and painful evolution throughout the ages, which is at once their inalienable right and their true destiny. The whole earth, Baha'u'llah, ... forecasting the bright future in store for a world now wrapt in darkness, emphatically asserts, is now in a state of pregnancy. The day is approaching when it will have yielded its noblest fruits, when from it will have sprung forth the loftiest trees, the most enchanting blossoms, the most heavenly blessings. The time is approaching when every created thing will have cast its burden. Glorified be God Who hat/i vouchsafed this grace that encompasseth all things, whether seen or unseen! These great oppressions, He, moreover, foreshadowing humanity's golden age, has written, are preparing it for the advent of the Most Great Justice. This Most Great Justice is indeed the Justice upon which the structure of the Most Great Peace can alone, and must eventually, rest, while the Most Great Peace will, in turn usher in that world civilization which shall remain for ever associated with Him Who beareth the Most Great Name. 'Baha'i Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1941. 41 [p42] 42 THE BAHA'I WORLD Beloved friends! Well nigh a hundred years have elapsed since the Revelation of Baha'u'llah dawned upon the world Ñ a Revelation, the nature of which, as affirmed by Himself, none among the Manifestations of old, except to a prescribed degree, hath ever completely apprehended. For a whole century God has respited mankind, that it might acknowledge the Founder of such a Revelation, espouse His Cause, proclaim His greatness, and establish His Order. In a hundred volumes, the repositories of priceless precepts, mighty laws, unique principles, impassioned exhortations, reiterated warnings, amazing prophecies, sublime invocations, and weighty commentaries, the Bearer of such a Message has proclaimed, as no Prophet before Him has done, the Mission wit~ which God had entrusted Him. To emperors, kings, princes and potentates, to rulers, governments, clergy and peoples, whether of the East or of the West, whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, or Zoroastrian, He addressed, for well-nigh fifty years, and in the most tragic circumstances, these priceless pearls of knowledge and wisdom that lay hid within the ocean of His matchless utterance. Forsaking fame and fortune, accepting imprisonment and exile, careless of ostracism and obloquy, submitting to physical indignities and cruel deprivations, He, the Vicegerent of God on earth, suffered Himself to be banished from place to place and from country to country, till at length He, in the Most Great Prison, offered up His martyred son as a ransom for the redemption and unification of all mankind. We verily, He Himself has testified, have not fallen short of Our duty to exhort men, and to deliver that whereunto Iwas bidden by God, the Almighty, the All-Praised. Had they hearkened unto Me, they would have beheld the earth another earth. And again: Is there any excuse left for any one in this Revelation? No, by God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne! My signs have encompassed the earth, and My power enveloped all mankind, and yet the people are wrapped in a strange sleep! How Ñ we may well ask ourselves Ñ has the world, the object of such Divine solicitude, repaid Him Who sacrificed His all for its sake? What manner of welcome did it accord Him, and what response did His call evoke? A clamour, unparalleled in the history of Shi'ih IslAm, greeted, in the land of its birth, the infant light of the Faith, in the midst of a people notorious for its crass ignorance, its fierce fanaticism, its barbaric cruelty, its ingrained prejudices, and the unlimited sway held over the masses by a firmly entrenched ecclesiastical hierarchy. A persecution, kindling a courage which, as attested by no less eminent an authority than the late Lord Curzon of Kedleston, has been unsurpassed by that which the fires of Smithfield evoked, mowed down, with tragic swiftness, no less than twenty thousand of its heroic adherents, who refused to barter their newly-born faith for the fleeting honours and security of a mortal life. To the bodily agonies inflicted upon these sufferers, the charges, so unmerited, of Nihilism, occultism, anarchism, eclecticism, immorality, sectarianism, heresy, political partisanship Ñ each conclusively disproved by the tenets of the Faith itself and by the conduct of its followers Ñ were added, swelling thereby the number of those who, unwittingly or maliciously, were injuring its cause. Unmitigated indifference on the part of men of eminence and rank; unrelenting hatred shown by the ecclesiastical dignitaries of the Faith from which it had sprung; the scornful derision of the people among whom it was born; the utter contempt which most of those kings and rulers who had been addressed by its Author manifested towards it; the condemnations pronounced, the threats hurled, and the banishments decreed by those under whose sway it arose and first spread; the distortion to which its principles and laws were subjected by the envious and the malicious in lands and among peoples far beyond the country of its origin Ñ all these are but the evidences of the treatment meted out by a generation sunk in self-content, careless of its God, and oblivious of the omens, prophecies, warnings and admonitions revealed by His Messengers. The blows so heavily dealt the followers of so precious, so glorious, so potent a Faith failed, however, to assuage the animosity that inflamed its persecutors. Nor did the deliberate aWd mischievous misrepresentations of its fundamental teachings, its aims and purposes, its hopes and aspirations, its institutions and activities, suffice to stay the hand of the oppressor and the calumniator, who sought by every means in their power to abolish its [p43] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 43 name and extirpate its system. The hand which had struck down so vast a number of its blameless and humble lovers and servants was now raised to deal its Founders the heaviest and cruelest blows. Severe as were these tribulations which succeeded one another with bewildering rapidity as a result of the premeditated attacks and the systematic machinations of the court, the clergy, the government and the people, they were but the prelude to a harrowing and extensive captivity which that edict had formally initiated. Extending over a period of more than forty years, and carrying Him successively to '16q, SulaymAniyyih, Constantinople, Adrianople and finally to the penal colony of 'Akka, this long banishment was at last ended by His death, at the age of over three score years and ten, terminating a captivity which, in its range, its duration and the diversity and severity of its afflictions, is unexampled in the history of previous Dispensations. No need to expatiate on the particular episodes which cast a lurid light on the moving annals of those years. No need to dwell on the character and actions of the peoples, rulers and divines who have participated in, and contributed to heighten the poignancy of the scenes of this, the greatest drama in the world's spiritual history. After a revolution of well nigh one hundred years what is it that the eye encounters as one surveys the international scene and looks back upon the early beginnings of Baha'i history? A world convulsed by the agonies. of contending systems, races and nations, entangled in the mesh of its accumulated falsities, receding farther and farther from Him Who is the sole Author of its destinies, and sinking deeper and deeper into a suicidal carnage which its neglect and persecution of Him Who is its Redeemer have precipitated. A Faith, still proscribed, yet bursting through its chrysalis, emerging from the obscurity of a century-old repression, face to face with the awful evidences of God's wrathful anger, and destined to arise above the ruins of a smitten civilization. A world spiritually destitute, morally bankrupt, politically disrupted, socially convulsed, economically paralyzed, writhing, bleeding and breaking up beneath the avenging rod of God. A Faith whose call remained unanswered, whose claims were rejected, whose warnings were brushed aside, whose followers were mowed down, whose aims and purposes were maligned, whose summons to the rulers of the earth were ignored, whose Herald drained the cup of martyrdom, over the head of whose Author swept a sea of unheard-of tribulations, and whose Exemplar sank beneath the weight of lifelong sorrows and dire misfortunes. A world that has lost its bearings, in which the bright flame of religion is fast dying out, in which the forces of a blatant nationalism and racialism have usurped the rights and prerogatives of God Himself, in which a flagrant secularism Ñ the direct offspring of irreligion Ñ has raised its triumphant head and is protruding its ugly features, in which the 'majesty of kingship' has been disgraced, and they who wore its emblems have, for the most part, been hurled from their thrones, in which the once all-powerful ecclesiastical hierarchies of IslAm, and to a lesser extent those of Christianity, have been discredited, and in which the virus of prejudice and corruption is eating into the vitals of an already gravely disordered society. A Faith whose institutions Ñ the pattern and crowning glory of the age which is to come Ñ have been ignored and in some instances trampled upon and uprooted, whose unfolding system has been derided and partly suppressed and crippled, whose rising Order Ñ the sole refuge of a civilization in the embrace of doom Ñ has been spurned and challenged, whose Mother-Temple has been seized and misappropriated, and whose 'House ' Ñ the 'cynosure of an adoring world' Ñ has, through a gross miscarriage of justice, as witnessed by the world's highest tribunal, been delivered into the hands of, and violated by, its implacable enemies. We are indeed living in an age which, if we would correctly appraise it, should be regarded as one which is witnessing a dual phenomenon. The first signalizes the death-pangs of an order, effete and godless, that has stubbornly refused, despite the signs and portents of a century-old Revelation, to attune its processes to the precepts and ideals which that Heaven-sent Faith proffered it. The second proclaims the birth-pangs of an Order, divine and redemptive, that will inevitably supplant the former, and within whose administrative structure an embryonic civilization, incomparable and world-embrac-ing, is imperceptibly maturing. The one is being [p44] 44 THE BAHA'I WORLD rolled up, and is crashing in oppression, bloodshed, and ruin. The other opens up vistas of a justice, a unity, a peace, a culture, such as no age has ever seen. The former has spent its force, demonstrated its falsity and barrenness, lost irretrievably its opportunity, and is hurrying to its doom-The latter, virile and unconquerable, is plucking asunder its chains, and is vindicating its title to be the one refuge within which a sore-tried humanity, purged from its dross, can attain its destiny. Dear friends! For the trials which have afflicted the Faith of Baha'u'llah a responsibility appalling and inescapable rests upon those into whose hands the reins of civil and ecclesiastical authority were delivered. The kings of the earth and the world's religious leaders alike must primarily bear the brunt of such an awful responsibility. Every one well knoweth, Baha'u'llah Himself testifies, that all the kings have turned aside from Him, and all the religions have opposed Him. From time immemorial He declares, they who have been outwardly invested with authority have debarred men from setting their faces towards God. They have disliked that men should gather together around the Most Grew Ocean, inasmuch as they have regarded, and still regard, such a gathering as the cause of and the motive for, the disruption of their sovereignty. The kings, He moreover has written, have recognized that it was not in their interest to acknowledge Me, as have likewise the ministers and the divines, notwithstanding that My purpose hat/i been most explicitly revealed in the Divine Books and Tablets, and the True One bath loudly proclaimed that this Most Great Revelation bath appeared for the betterment of the world and the exaltation of the nations. It should not be forgotten that it was the kings of the earth and the world's religious leaders who, above all other categories of men, were made the direct recipients of the Message proclaimed by both the B&b and Baha'u'llah. lit was they who were deliberately addressed in numerous and historic Tablets, who were summoned to respond to the Call of God, and to whom were directed, in clear and forcible language, the appeals, the admonitions and warnings of His persecuted Messengers. It was they who, when the Faith was born, and later when its mission was proclaimed, were still, for the most part, wielding unquestioned and absolute civil and ecclesiastical authority over their subjects and followers. It was they who, whether glorying in the pomp and pageantry of a kingship as yet scarcely restricted by constitutional limitations, or entrenched within the strongholds of a seemingly inviolable ecclesiastical power, assumed ultimate responsibility for any wrongs inflicted by those whose immediate destinies they controlled. It would be no exaggeration to say that in most of the countries of the European and Asiatic continents absolutism, on the one hand, and complete subservience to ecclesiastical hierarchies, on the other, were still the outstanding features of the political and religious life of the masses. These, dominated and shackled, were robbed of the necessary freedom that would enable them to either appraise the claims and merits of the Message proffered to them, or to embrace unreservedly its truth. Small wonder, then, that the Author of the IBahA'i Faith, and to a lesser degree its Herald, should have directed at the world's supreme rulers and religious leaders the full force of Their Messages, and made them the recipients of some of Their most sublime Tablets, and invited them, in a language at once clear and insistent, to heed Their call. Small wonder that They should have taken the pains to unroll before their eyes the truths of Their respective Revelations, and should have expatiated on Their woes and sufferings. Small wonder that They should have stressed the preciousness of the opportunities which it was in the power of these rulers and leaders to seize, and should have warned them in ominous tones of the grave responsibilities which the rejection of God's Message would entail, and should have predicted, when rebuffed and refused, the dire consequences which such a rejection involved. Small wonder that He Who is the King of Kings and the Vicegerent of God Himself should, when abandoned, contemned and persecuted, have uttered this epigrammatic and momentous prophecy: From two ranks amongst men power bath been seized: kings and ecciesiastics. It should be borne in mind, however, that Baha'u'llah has not restricted the delivery of His Message to a few individual sovereigns, however potent the sceptres they severally wielded, and however vast the dominions which they ruled. All the kings of the earth have been collectively addressed by His Pen, appealed to, [p45] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 45 The Baha'i International Archives building, described by Shoghi Effendi as 'the first stately edifice destined to usher in the establishment of the World Administrative Centre of the Faith on Mount Carmel.' Construction commenced in 1955; the exterior was completed in 1957. and warned, at a time when the star of His Revelation was mounting its zenith, and whilst He lay a prisoner in the hands, and in the vicinity of the court, of His royal enemy. In a memorable Tablet, designated as the Sz~riy-i-Mulz~k (Si~irih of Kings) in which the Su1t~in himself and his ministers, and the kings of Christendom, and the French and Persian Ambassadors accredited to the Sublime Porte, and the Muslim ecclesiastical leaders in Constantinople, and its wise men and its inhabitants, and the people of Persia, and the philosophers of the world have been specifically addressed and admonished, He thus directs His words to the entire company of the monarchs of East and West: 0 Kings of the earth! Give ear unto the Voice of God, calling from this sublime, this fruit-laden Tree, that hath sprung out of the Crimson Hill, upon the holy Plain, intoning the words: There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Wise.' ... Fear God, 0 concourse of kings, and suffer not yourselves to be deprived of this most sublime grace. Fling away, then, the things ye possess, and take fast hold on the Handle of God, the Exalted, the Great. Set your hearts towards the Face of God, and abandon that which your desires have bidden you to follow, and be not of those who perish. Relate unto them, 0 servant, the story of 'Au (the Bab), when He came unto them with truth, bearing His glorious and weighty Book, and holding in His hands a testimony and proof from God, and holy and blessed tokens from Him. Ye, however, 0 kings, have failed to heed the Remembrance of God in His days and to be guided by the lights which arose and shone forth above the horizon of a resplendent Heaven. Ye examined not His Cause when so to do would have been better for you than all that the sun shineth upon, could ye but perceive it. In the Kitab-i-Aqdas (the Most Holy Book), that priceless treasury enslirining for all time the brightest emanations of the mind of Baha'u'llah, the Charter of His World Order, the chief repository of His laws, the Harbinger of His Covenant, the Pivotal Work containing some of His noblest exhortations, weightiest pronouncements, and portentous prophecies, and revealed during the full tide of His [p46] 46 THE BAHA'I WORLD tribulations, at a time when the rulers of the earth had definitely forsaken Him Ñ in such a Book we read the following: o kings of the earth! He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is come. The Kingdom is God's, the omn~potent Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Wor-shz~p none but God, and, with radiant hearts, lift up your faces unto your Lord, the Lord of all names. This is a Revelation to which whatever ye possess can never be compared, could ye but know it. We see you rejoicing in that which ye have amassed from others, and shutting out yourselves from the worlds which naught except My Guarded Tablet can reckon. The treasures ye have laid up have drawn you far away from your ultimate objective. This ill beseemeth you, could ye but understand it. Wash your hearts from all earthly defilements, and hasten to enter the Kingdom of your Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, Who caused the world to tremble, and all its peoples to wail, except them that have renounced all things and clung to that which the Hidden Tablet hath ordained. ... To the Christian kings Baha'u'llah, moreover, particularly directs His words of censure, and, in a language that cannot be mistaken, He discloses the true character of His Revelation: o kings of Christendom! Heard ye not the saying of Jesus, the Spirit of God, 'I go away, and come again unto you'? Wherefore, then, did ye fail, when He did come again unto you in the clouds of heaven, to draw nigh unto Him, that ye might behold His face, and be of them that attained His Presence? In another passage He saith: 'When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you unto all truth. 'And yet, behold how, when He did bring the truth, ye refused to turn your faces towards Him, and persisted in disporting yourselves with your pastimes and fancies. Ye welcomed Him not, neither did ye seek His Presence, that ye might hear the verses of God from His own mouth, and partake of the man~fo1d wisdom of the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise. Ye have, by reason of your failure, hindered the breath of God from being wafted over you, and have withheld from your souls the sweetness of its fragrance. Ye continue roving with delight in the valley of your corrupt desires. Ye and all ye possess shall pass away. Ye shall, most certainly, return to God, and shall be called to account for your doings in the presence of Him Who shall gather together the entire creation. The Bab, moreover, in the Qayyz'imu'l-Asmii', His celebrated commentary on the Si~irih of Joseph, revealed in the first year of His Mission, and characterized by Baha'u'llah as the first, the greatest, and mightiest of all books in the Bab Dispensation, has issued this stirring call to the kings and princes of the earth: 0 concourse of kings and of the sons of kings! Lay aside, one and all, your dominion which belongeth unto God. Vain indeed is your dominion, for God hath set aside earthly possessions for such as have denied Him. 0 concourse of kings! Deliver with truth and in all haste the verses sent down by Us to the peoples of Turkey and of India, and beyond them, with power and with truth, to lands in both the East and the West. ... By God! If ye do well, to your own behoof will ye do well; and ~f ye deny God and His signs, We, in very truth, having God, can well dispense with all creatures and all earthly dominion. He Who was God's Vicar on earth, addressing, at the most critical moment when His Revelation was attaining its zenith, those who concentrated in their persons the splendour, the sovereignty, and the strength of earthly dominion, could certainly not subtract one jot or tittle from the weight and force which the presentation of so historic a Message demanded. Neither the perils which were fast closing in upon Him, nor the formidable power with which the doctrine of absQlute sovereignty invested, at that time, the emperors of the West and the potentates of the East, could restrain the Exile and Prisoner of Adrianople from communicating the full blast of His Message to His twin imperial persecutors as well as to the rest of their fellow-sovereigns. The magnitude and diversity of the theme, the cogency of the argument, the sublimity and audacity of the language, arrest our attention and astound our minds. Emperors, kings and princes, chancellors and ministers, the Pope himseW priests, monks and philosophers, the exponents of learning, parliamentarians and deputies, the rich ones of the earth, the followers of all religions, and the people of BaM Ñ all are brought within the purview of the Author of these Messages, and receive, each according to their merits, the counsels and admonitions they deserve. No less amazing is the diversity of the subjects touched upon in these Tablets. The transcendent majesty and unity of an [p47] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 47 unknowable and unapproachable God is extolled, and the oneness of His Messengers proclaimed and emphasized. The uniqueness, the universality and potentialities of the Baha Faith are stressed, and the purpose and character of the Bab Revelation unfolded. The significance of Baha'u'llah's sufferings and banishments is disclosed, and the tribulations rained down upon His Herald and upon His Namesake recognized and lamented. His own yearning for the crown of martyrdom, which they both so mysteriously won, is voiced, and the ineffable glories and wonders in store for His own Dispensation foreshadowed. Episodes, at once moving and marvellous, at various stages of His ministry, are recounted, and the transitoriness of worldly pomp, fame, riches, and sovereignty, repeatedly and categorically asserted. Appeals for the application of the highest principles in human and international relations are forcibly and insistently made, and the abandonment of discreditable practices and conventions, detrimental to the happiness, the growth, the prosperity and the unity of the human race, enjoined. Kings are censured, ecclesiastical dignitaries arraigned, ministers and plenipotentiaries condemned, and the identification of His advent with the coming of the Father Himself unequivocally admitted and repeatedly announced. The violent downfall of a few of these kings and emperors is prophesied, two of them are definitely challenged, most are warned, all are appealed to and exhorted. It should not be forgotten that, apart from these specific Tablets in which the kings of the earth are severally and collectively addressed, Baha'u'llah has revealed other Tablets Ñ the Law4-i-Ra'is being an outstanding example Ñ and interspersed the mass of His voluminous writings with unnumbered passages, in which direct addresses, as well as references, have been made to ministers, governments, and their accredited representatives. I am not concerned, however, with such addresses and references, which, vital as they are, can not be regarded as being endowed with that peculiar pregnancy which direct and specific messages, voiced by the Manifestation of God and directed to the world's Chief Magistrates in His day, must possess. Dear friends! Enough has been said to portray the tribulations which, for so long a time, overwhelmed the Founders of so preeminent a Revelation, and which the world has so disastrously ignored. Sufficient attention has also been directed to the Messages addressed to those sovereign rulers who, either in the exercise of their unconditioned authority, have deliberately provoked these sufferings, or could have, in the plenitude of their power, arisen to mitigate their effect or deflect their tragic course. Let us now consider the consequences that have ensued. The reaction of these monarchs was, as already stated, varied and unmistakable and, as the march of events has gradually unfolded, disastrous in its consequences. One of the most outstanding amongst these sovereigns treated the Divine Summons with gross disrespect, dismissing it with a curt and insolent reply, written by one of his ministers. Another laid violent hold on the bearer of the Message, tortured, branded, and brutally slew him. Others preferred to maintain a contemptuous silence. All failed completely in their duty to arise and extend their assistance. Two of them, in particular, prompted by the dual impulse of fear and anger, tightened their grip on the Cause they had jointly resolved to uproot. The one condemned his Divine Prisoner to yet another banishment, to the most unsightly of cities in appearance, the most detestable in climate, and the foulest in water, whilst the other, powerless to lay hands on the Prime Mover of a hated Faith, subjected its adherents under his sway to abject and savage cruelties. The recital of Baha'u'llah's sufferings, embodied in those Messages, failed to evoke compassion in their hearts. His appeals, the like of which neither the annals of Christianity nor even those of IslAm have recorded, were disdainfully rejected. The dark warnings He uttered were haughtily scorned. The bold challenges He issued were ignored. The chastisements He predicted they derisively brushed aside. What, then Ñ might we not consider Ñ has, in the face of so complete and ignominious a rejection, happened, and is still happening, in the course, and particularly in the closing years, of this, the first Baha'i century, a century fraught with such tumultuous sufferings and violent outrages for the persecuted Faith of Baha'u'llah Empires fallen in dust, kingdoms subverted, dynasties extinguished, royalty besmirched, kings assassinated, poisoned, driven into exile, subjugated in their own realms, whilst [p48] 48 THE BAHA'I WORLD the few remaining thrones are trembling with the repercussions of the fall of their fellows. This process, so gigantic, so catastrophic, may be said to have had its inception on that memorable night when, in an obscure corner of Shir~z, the Nb, in the presence of the First Letter to believe in Him, revealed the first chapter of His celebrated commentary on the Stirih of Joseph (the Qayyiimu '1-A sm& 9, in which He trumpeted His Call to the sovereigns and princes of the earth. It passed from incubation to visible manifestation when Baha'u'llah's prophecies, enshrined for all time in the S&iy-i-Haykal, and uttered before Napoleon III's dramatic downfall and the self-imposed imprisonment of Pope Pius IX in the Vatican, were fulfilled. It gathered momentum when, in the days of 'Abdu'l-Baha., the Great War extinguished the Romanov, the Hohenzollern, and llapsburg dynasties, and converted powerful time-honoured monarchies into Republics. It was further accelerated, soon after 'Abdu'l-Baha's passing, by the demise of the Q~jtir dynasty in Persia, and the stupendous collapse of both the Sultanate and the Caliphate. It is still operating, under our very eyes, as we behold the fate which, in the course of this colossal and ravaging struggle, is successively overtaking the crowned heads of the European continent. Surely, no man, contemplating dispassionately the manifestations of this relentless revolutionizing process, within comparatively so short a time, can escape the conclusion that the last hundred years may well be regarded, in so far as the fortunes of royalty are concerned, as one of the most cataclysmic periods in the annals of mankind. Let none, however, mistake or unwittingly misrepresent the purpose of Baha'u'llah. Severe as has been His condemnation pronounced against those sovereigns who persecuted Him, and however strict the censure expressed collectively against those who failed signally in their clear duty to investigate the truth of His Faith and to restrain the hand of the wrongdoer, His teachings embody no principle that can, in any way, be construed as a repudiation, or even a disparagement, however veiled, of the institution of kingship. The catastrophic fall, and the extinction of the dynasties and the empires of those monarchs whose disastrous end He particularly prophesied, and the declining fortunes of the sovereigns of His Own generation, whom He generally reproved Ñ both constituting a passing phase of the evolution of the Faith, Ñ should, in no wise, be confounded with the future position of that institution. Indeed, if we delve into the writings of the Author of the Baha Faith, we cannot fail to discover unnumbered passages in which, in terms that none can misrepresent, the principle of kingship is eulogized, the rank and conduct of just and fair-minded kings is extolled, the rise of monarchs, ruling with justice and even professing His Faith, is envisaged, and the solemn duty to arise and ensure the triumph of Baha'i sovereigns is inculcated. To conclude from the above quoted words, addressed by Baha'u'llah to the monarchs of the earth, to infer from the recital of the woeful disasters that have overtaken so many of them, that His followers either advocate or anticipate the definite extinction of the institution of kingship, would indeed be tantamount to a distortion of His teaching. I can do no better than quote some of Baha'u'llah's Own testimonies, leaving the reader to shape his own judgement as to the falsity of such a deduction. In His Epistle to the Son of the Wolf He indicates the true source of kingship: Regard for the rank of sovereigns is divinely ordained, as is clearly attested by the words of the Prophets of God and His chosen ones. He Who is the Spirit (Jesus) Ñ may peace be upon Him Ñ was asked: '0 Spirit of God! Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?' And He made reply: 'Yea, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' He forbade it not. These two sayings are, in the estimation of men of insight, one and the same, for if that which belonged to Caesar had not come from God He would have forbidden it. And likewise in the sacred verse: 'Obey God and obey the Apostle, and those among you invested with authority.' By 'those invested with authority' is meant primarily and more specially the Imlims Ñ the blessings of God rest upon them. They verily are the man jfestations of the power of God and the sources of His authority, and the repositories of His knowledge, and the daysprings of His commandments. Secondarily these words refer unto the kings and rulers Ñ those through the brightness of whose justice the horizons of the world are resplendent and luminous. In the Lawh-i-Sultdn Baha'u'llah further [p49] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 49 reveals the significance of kingship: A just king is the shadow of God on earth. All should seek shelter under the shadow of his ]ustice, and rest in the shade of his favour. This is not a matter which is either specific or limited in its scope, that it might be restricted to one or another person, inasmuch as the shadow telleth of the One Who casteth it. God, glorified be His remembrance, hath called Himself the Lord of the worlds, for He hath nurtured and still nurtureth everyone. Glorified be, then, His grace that hath preceded all created things, and His mercy that hath surpassed the worlds. In the following passage He expresses this wish: We cherish the hope that one of the kings of the earth will, for the sake of God, arise for the triumph of this wronged, this oppressed people. Such a king will be eternally extolled and glorified. God hath prescribed unto this people the duty of aiding whosoever will aid them, of serving his best interests, and of demonstrating to him their abiding loyalty. 2 Dear friends! The decline in the fortunes of the crowned wielders of temporal power has been paralleled by a no less startling deterioration in the influence exercised by the world's spiritual leaders. The colossal events that have heralded the dissolution of so many kingdoms and empires have almost synchronized with the crumbling of the seemingly inviolable strongholds of religious orthodoxy. That same process which, swiftly and tragically, sealed the doom of kings and emperors, and extinguished their dynasties, has operated in the case of the ecclesiastical leaders of both Christianity and Is1~m, damaging their prestige, and, in some cases, overthrowing their highest institutions. Power Izath been seized indeed, from both kings and ecciesiastics. The glory of the former has been eclipsed, the power of the latter irretrievably lost. Those leaders who exercised guidance and control over the ecclesiastical hierarchies of their respective religions have, likewise, been appealed to, warned, and reproved by Baha'u'llah, in terms no less uncertain than those in which the sovereigns who presided over the destinies of their subjects have been addressed. They, too, and more particularly the heads of Muslim ecclesiastical orders, have, in conjunction with despots and potentates, launched their assaults and thundered their anathemas against the Founders of the Faith of God, its followers, its principles, and its institutions. This process of deterioration, however startling in its initial manifestations, is still operating with undiminished force, and will, as the opposition to the Faith of God, from various sources and in distant fields, gathers momentum, be further accelerated and reveal still more remarkable evidences of its devastating power. It must not be inferred that Baha'u'llah directed His historic addresses exclusively to the leaders of Ishm and Christianity, or that the impact of an all-pervading Faith on the strongholds of religious orthodoxy is to be confined to the institutions of these two religious systems. The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth, affirms Baha'u'llah, is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the Holy Scri~ptures, have all been fulfilled. ... This is the Day which the Pen of the Most High hath g1or~fied in all the Holy Scriptures. There is no verse in them that doth not declare the glory of His holy Name, and no Book that cloth not test W~ unto the loftiness of this most exalted theme. Were We, He adds, to make mention of all that hath been revealed in these heavenly Books and Holy Scriptures concerning this Revelation, this Tablet would assume impossible dimensions. As the promise of the Faith of Baha'u'llah is enshrined in all the Scriptures of past religions, so does its Author address Himself to their followers, and particularly to their responsible leaders who have intervened between Him and their respective congregations. At one time, writes Baha'u'llah, We address the people of the Torah and summon them unto Him Who is the Revealer of verses, Who hath come from Him Who layeth low the necks of men. At another, We address the people of the Evangel and say: 'The All-Glorious is come in this Name whereby the Breeze of God hath wafted over all regions.'. At still another, We address the people of the Qur '&n saying. [p50] 50 THE BAHA'I WORLD 'Fear the All-Merc~fui, and cavil not at Him through Whom all religions were founded.' Know thou, moreover, that We have addressed to the Magians Our Tablets, and adorned them with Our Law. ... We have revealed in them the essence of all the hints and allusions contained in their Books. The Lord, verily, is the Almighty, the All-Knowing. Leaders of religion, is Baha'u'llah's clear and universal censure pronounced in the Kit~tb-i-Iq~n, in every age, have hindered their people from attaining the shores of eternal salvation, inasmuch as they held the reins of authority in their mighty grasp. Some for the lust of leadership, others through want of knowledge and understanding, have been the cause of the deprivation of the people. By their sanction and authority, every Prophet of God hath drunk from the chalice of sacraice, and winged His flight unto the heights of glory. What unspeakable cruelties they that have occupied the seats of authority and learning have inflicted upon the true Monarchs of the world, those Gems of Divine virtue! Content with a transitory dominion, they have deprived themselves clan everlasting sovereignty. Not one Prophet of God was made manifest Who did not fall a victim to the relentless hate, to the denunciation, denial and execration of the clerics of His day! Woe unto them for the iniquities their hands have formerly wrought! Woe unto them for that which they are now doing! What veils of glory more grievous than these embodiments of error! By the righteousness of God! To pierce such veils is the mightiest of all acts, and to rend them asunder the most meritorious of all deeds! On their Partial view of the Baha'i gardens on Mount Carmel. In the foreground is seen an ornamental peacock mounted on a graceful pedestal. [p51] THE BANAl REVELATION 51 tongue, He, moreover, has written, the mention of God hath become an empty name; in their midst His holy Word a dead letter. Such is the sway of their desires, that the lamp of conscience and reason hath been quenched in their hearts. No two are found to agree on one and the same law, for they seek no God but their own desire, and tread no path but the path of error. In leadership they have recognized the ultimate object of their endeavour, and account pride and haughtiness as the highest attainments of their hearts' desire. They have placed their sordid machinations above the Divine decree, have renounced resignation unto the will of God, busied themselves with selfish calculation, and walked in the way of the hypocrite. With all their power and strength they strive to secure themselves in their petty pursuits, fearful lest the least discredit undermine their authority or blemish the display of their magnificence. The leaders of men, He has likewise asserted, have, from time immemorial, prevented the people from turning unto the Most Great Ocean. The Friend of God (Abraham) was cast into fire through the sentence pronounced by the divines of the age, and lies and calumnies were imputed to Him Who discoursed with God (Moses). Reflect upon the One Who was the Spirit of God (Jesus). Though He showed forth the utmost compassion and tenderness, yet they rose up against that Essence of Being and Lord of the seen and unseen, in such a manner that He could find no refuge wherein to rest. Each day He wandered unto a new place, and sought a new shelter. Consider the Seal of the Prophets (Mu1~iammad) Ñ may the souls of all else except Him be His sacrWce! How grievous the things which befell that Lord of all being at the hands of the priests of idolatry, and of the Jewish doctors, after He had uttered the blessed words proclaiming the unity of God! By My 1~fe! My pen groaneth, and all created things cry out by reason of the things that have touched Him, at the hands of such as have broken the Covenant of God and His Testament, and denied His Testimony, and gainsaid His signs. Jshm, at once the progenitor and persecutor of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, is, if we read aright the signs of the times, oniy beginning to sustain the impact of this invincible and triumphant Faith. We need only recall the nineteen hundred years of abject misery and dispersion which they who, oniy for the short space of three years, persecuted the Son of God, have had to endure, and are still enduring. We may well ask ourselves, with mingled feelings of dread and awe, how severe must be the tribulations of those who, during no less than fifty years, have, at every moment tormented with a fresh torment Him Who is the Father, and who have, in addition, made His Herald Ñ Himself a Manifestation of God Ñ to quaff, in such tragic circumstances, the cup of martyrdom. A glance at the writings of the Author of the Baha'i Revelation will reveal the important and significant fact that He Who addressed collectively an immortal message to all the kings of the earth, Who revealed a Tablet to each of the outstanding crowned heads of Europe and Asia, Who issued His call to the sacerdotal leaders of Jshm, both Sunni and Shi'ih Who did not exclude from His purview the Jews and the Zoroastrians, has, apart from His numerous and repeated exhortations and warnings to the entire Christian world, directed particular messages, some general, others pre-cisc and challenging, to the heads, as well as to the rank and file, of the ecclesiastical orders of Christendom Ñ its pope, its kings, its patriarchs, its archbishops, its bishops, its priests, and its monks. These fallen stars of the firmament of Christendom, these thick clouds that have obscured the radiance of the true Faith of God, these princes of the Church that have failed to acknowledge the sovereignty of the King of kings, these deluded ministers of the Son who have shunned and ignored the promised Kingdom which the Everlasting Father has brought down from heaven, and is now establishing upon earth Ñ these are experiencing, in this Day of Reckoning, a crisis, not indeed as critical as that which the Islamic sacerdotal order, the inveterate enemies of the Faith, has had to face, but one which is no less widespread and significant. Power hat/i been seized indeed, and is being increasingly seized, from these ecciesiastics that speak in the name, and yet are so far away from the spirit, of the Faith they profess. We have only to look around us, as we survey the fortunes of Christian ecclesiastical orders, to appreciate the steady deterioration of their influence, the decline of their power, the damage [p52] 52 THE BAHA'I WORLD to their prestige, the flouting of their authority, the dwindling of their congregations, the relaxation of their discipline, the restriction of their press, the timidity of their leaders, the confusion in their ranks, the progressive confiscation of their properties, the surrender of some of their most powerful strongholds, and the extinction of other ancient and cherished institutions. Indeed, ever since the Divine summons was issued, and the invitation extended, and the warning sounded, and the condemnation pronounced, this process, that may be said to have been initiated with the collapse of the temporal sovereignty of the Roman Pontiff, soon after the Tablet to the Pope had been revealed, has been operating with increasing momentum, menacing the very basis on which the entire order is resting. Aided by the forces which the Communist movement has unloosed, reinforced by the political consequences of the last war, accelerated by the excessive, the blind, the intolerant, and militant nationalism which is now convulsing the nations, and stimulated by the rising tide of materialism, irreligion, and paganism, this process is not only tending to subvert ecclesiastical institutions, but appears to be leading to the rapid dechristianization of the masses in many Christian countries. How tragically has Christendom ignored, and how far it has strayed from, that high mission which He Who is the true Prince of Peace has, in these, the concluding passages of His Tablet to Pope Pius LX, called upon the entire body of Christians to fulfil Ñ passages which establish, for all time, the distinction between the Mission of Baha'u'llah in this age and that of Jesus Christ: Say: 0 concourse of Christians! We have, on a previous occasion, revealed Ourseif unto you, and ye recognized Me not. This is yet another occasion vouchsafed unto you. This is the Day of God; turn ye unto Him. ... The Beloved One loveth not that ye be consumed with the fire of your desires. Were ye to be shut out as by a veil from Him, this would be for no other reason than your own waywardness and ignorance. Ye make mention of Me, and know Me not. Ye call upon Me, and are heedless of My Revelation. 0 people of the Gospel! They who were not in the Kingdom have now entered it, whilst We behold you, in this day, tarrying at the gate. Rend the veils asunder by the power of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous, and enter, then, in My name My Kingdom. Thus biddeth you He Who desireth for you everlasting 4fe. We behold you, 0 children of the Kingdom, in darkness. This, verily, beseemeth you not. Are ye, in the face of the Light, fearful because of your deeds? Direct yourselves towards Him Verily, He (Jesus) said: 'Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.' In this day, however, We say: 'Come ye after Me, that We may make you to become quickeners of mankind.' Say: He moreover has written, We, verily, have come for your sakes, and have borne the misfortunes of the world for your salvation. Flee ye the One Who bath sacrtficed His Iffe that ye may be quickened? Fear God, 0 followers of the Spirit (Jesus), and walk not in the footsteps of every divine that hat/i gone far astray. ... Open the doors of your hearts. He Who is the Spirit (Jesus) verily, standeth before them. Wherefore keep ye afar from Him Who hath purposed to draw you nigh unto a Respleiident Spot? Say: We, in truth, have opened unto you the gates of the Kingdom. Will ye bar the doors of your houses in My face? This indeed is naught but a grievous error. Such is the pass to which the Christian clergy have come Ñ a clergy that have interposed themselves between their flock and the Christ returned in the glory of the Father. As the Faith of this Promised One penetrates farther and farther into the heart of Christendom, as its recruits from the garrisons which its spirit is assailing multiply, and provoke a concerted and determined action in defence of the strongholds of Christian orthodoxy, and as the forces of nationalism, paganism, secularism and racialism move jointly toward& a climax, might we not expect that the decline in the power, the authority, and the prestige of these ecciesiastics will be accentuated, and further demonstrate the truth, and more fully unfold the implications, of Baha'u'llah's pronouncement predicting the eclipse of the luminaries of the Church of Jesus Christ. Devastating indeed has been the havoc wrought in the fortunes of the Shi'ih hierarchy in Persia, and pitiable the lot reserved for its remnant now groaning under the yoke of a civil authority it had for centuries scorned and dominated. Cataclysmic indeed has been the collapse of the most preeminent institution of Sunni Ishm, and irretrievable the downfall of its [p53] THE BAnAl REVELATION 53 hierarchy in a country that had championed the cause of the self-styled vicar of the Prophet of God. Steady and relentless is the process which has brought such destruction, shame, division, and weakness to the defenders of the strongholds of Christian ecciesiasticism, and black indeed are the clouds that darken its horizon. Through the actions of Muslim and Christian divines Ñ idols, whom Baha'u'llah has stigmatized as constituting the majority of His enemies Ñ who failed, as commanded by Him, to lay aside their pens and fling away their fancies, and who, as He Himself testified, had they believed in Him would have brought about the conversion of the masses, IslAm and Christianity have, it would be no exaggeration to say, entered the most critical phase of their history. Let none, however, mistake my purpose, or misrepresent this cardinal truth which is of the essence of the Faith of Baha'u'llah. The divine origin of all the Prophets of God Ñ including Jesus Christ and the Apostle of God, the two greatest Manifestations preceding the Reve-lafion of the BTh Ñ is unreservedly and unshakably upheld by each and every follower of the Baha'i religion. The fundamental unity of these Messengers of God is clearly recognized, the continuity of their Revelations is affirmed, the God-given authority and correlative character of their Books is admitted, the singleness of their aims and purposes is proclaimed, the uniqueness of their influence emphasized, the ultimate reconciliation of their teachings and followers taught and anticipated. They all, according to Baha'u'llah's testimony, 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. The Faith standing identified with the name of Baha'u'llah disclaims any intention to belittle any of the Prophets gone before Him, to whittle down any of their teachings, to obscure, however slightly, the radiance of their Revelations, to oust them from the hearts of their followers, to abrogate the fundamentals of their doctrines, to disregard any of their revealed Books, or to suppress the legitimate aspirations of their adherents. Repudiating the claim of any religion to be the final revelation of God to man, disclaiming finality for His own Revelation, Baha'u'llah inculcates the basic principle of the relativity of religious truth, the continuity of Divine Revelation, elation, the progressiveness of religious experience. His aim is to widen the basis of all revealed religions and to unravel the mysteries of their scriptures. He insists on the unqualified recognition of the unity of their purpose, restates the eternal verities they enshrine, coordinates their functions, distinguishes the essential and the authentic from the nonessential and spurious in their teachings, separates the God-given truths from the priest-prompted superstitions, and on this as a basis proclaims the possibility, and even prophesies the inevitability, of their unification, and the consummation of their highest hopes. Nor should it be thought for a moment that the followers of Baha'u'llah either seek to degrade or even belittle the rank of the world's religious leaders, whether Christian, Muslim, or of any other denomination, should their conduct conform to their professions, and be worthy of the position they occupy. Those divines, Baha'u'llah has affirmed, ... who are truly adorned with the ornament of knowledge and of a goodly character are, verily, as a head to the body of the world, and as eyes to the nations. The guidance of men hat/i, at all times, been and is dependent upon these blessed souls. And again: The divine whose conduct is upright, and the sage who is just, are as the spirit unto the body of the world. Well is it with that divine whose head is attired with the crown of justice, and whose temple is adorned with the ornament of equity. And yet again: The divine who hath seized and quaffed the most holy Wine, in the name of the sovereign Ordainer, is as an eye unto the world. Well is it with them who obey him, and call him to remembrance. Great is the blessedness of that divine, He, in another connection has written, that hath not allowed knowledge to become a veil between him and the One Who is the Object of all knowledge, and who, when the Self-Subsisting appeared, hath turned with a beaming face towards Him. He, in truth, is numbered with the learned. The inmates of Paradise seek the blessing of his breath, and his lamp sheddetl'z its radiance over all who are in heaven and on earth. He, verily, is numbered with the inheritors of the Prophets. He that beholdeth him hat/i, verily, beheld the True One, and he that turneth towards him bath, verily, turned towards God, the Almighty, the All-Wise. Respect ye the divines amongst you, is His exhortation, they whose acts [p54] 54 THE BAHA'I WORLD View of the arc on Mount Carmel looking towards the Baha'i International Archives building; 1973. Around this arc, wrote Shoghi Effendi, 'the edifices destined to serve as the seat ofthefuture Baha'i World Commonwealth are to be erected.' The Shrine on Mount Carmel of Baha'i Khdnum, daughter of Baha'u'llah. 'The conjunction of the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf with those of her brother and mother,' Shoghi Effendi wrote, 'incalculably reinforces the spiritual potencies of that consecrated Spot which is destined to evolve into the focal centre of those world-shaking, world-embracing, world-directing administrative institutions ordained by Baha'u'llah and anticipated by 'Abdu'l-Baha.' [p55] THE BAnAl REVELATION conform to the knowledge they possess, who observe the statutes of God, and decree the things God hath decreed in the Book. Know ye that they are the lamps of guidance betwixt earth and heaven. They that have no consideration for the position and merit of the divines amongst them have, verily, altered the bounty of God vouchsafed unto them. 3 Dear friends! I have, in the preceding pages, attempted to represent this world-afflicting ordeal that has laid its grip upon mankind as primarily a judgement of God pronounced against the peoples of the earth, who, for a century, have refused to recognize the One Whose advent had been promised to all religions, and in Whose Faith all nations can alone, and must eventually, seek their true salvation. This great retributive calamity, for which the world's supreme leaders, both secular and religious, are to be regarded as primarily answerable, as testified by Baha'u'llah, should not, if we would correctly appraise it, be regarded solely as a punishment meted out by God to a world that has, for a hundred years, persisted in its refusal to embrace the truth of the redemptive Message proffered to it by the supreme Messenger of God in this day. It should be viewed also, though to a lesser degree, in the light of a divine retribution for the perversity of the human race in general, in casting itself adrift from those elementary principles which must, at all times, govern, and can alone safeguard, the life and progress of mankind. Humanity has, alas, with increasing insistence, preferred, instead of acknowledging and adoring the Spirit of God as embodied in His religion in this day, to worship those false idols, untruths and half-truths, which are obscuring its religions, cor~ rupting its spiritual life, convulsing its political institutions, corroding its social fabric, and shattering its economic structure. Not only have the peoples of the earth ignored, and some of them even assailed, a Faith which is at once the essence, the promise, the reconciler, and the unifier of all religions, but they have drifted away from their own religions, and set up on their subverted altars other gods wholly alien not only to the spirit but to the traditional forms of their ancient faiths. The face of the world, Baha'u'llah laments, hat/i altered. The way of God and the religion of God have ceased to be of any worth in the eyes of men. The vitality of men's belief in God, He also has written, is dying out in every land... The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society. Religion, He affirms, is verily the chief instrument for the establishment of order in the world, and of tranquillity amongst its peoples. ... The greater the decline of religion, the more grievous the waywardness of the ungodly. This cannot but lead in the end to chaos and confusion. And again: Religion is a radiant light and an impregnable stronghold for the protection and welfare of the peoples of the world. As the body of man, He, in another connection, has written, needeth a garment to clothe it, so the body of mankind must needs be adorned with the mantle of justice and wisdom. Its robe is the Revelation vouchsafed unto it by God. This vital force is dying out, this mighty agency has been scorned, this radiant light is obscured, this impregnable stronghold abandoned, this beauteous robe discarded. God Himself has indeed been dethroned from the hearts of men, and an idolatrous world passionately and clamorously hails and worships the false gods which its own idle fancies have fatuously created, and its misguided hands so impiously exalted. The chief idols in the desecrated temple of mankind are none other than the triple gods of Nationalism, Racialism and Communism, at whose altars governments and peoples, whether democratic or totalitarian, at peace or at war, of the East or of the West, Christian or Islamic, are, in various forms and in different degrees, now worshipping. Their high priests are the politicians and the worldly-wise, the socalled sages of the age; their sacrifice, the flesh and blood of the slaughtered multitudes; their incantations outworn shibboleths and insidious and irreverent formulas; their incense, the smoke of anguish that ascends from the lacerated hearts of the bereaved, the maimed, and the homeless. The theories and policies, so unsound, so pernicious, which deify the state and exalt the nation above mankind, which seek to subordinate the sister races of the world to one [p56] 56 THE BAHA'I WORLD single race, which discriminate between the black and the white, and which tolerate the dominance of one privileged class over all others Ñ these are the dark, the false, and crooked doctrines for which any man or people who believes in them, or acts upon them, must, sooner or later, incur the wrath and chastisement of God. Contrasting with, and irreconcilably opposed to, these war-engendering, world-convulsing doctrines, are the healing, the saving, the pregnant truths proclaimed by Baha'u'llah, the Divine Organizer and Saviour of the whole human race Ñ truths which should be regarded as the animating force and the hallmark of His Revelation: 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. And again: Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that Imply.. all mankind may become the upholders of one order, and the inhabitants of one city Ye dwell in one world, and have been created through the operation of one Will. Beware lest the desires of the flesh and of a corrupt inclination provoke divisions among you. Be ye as the fingers of one hand, the members of one body. And yet again: All the saplings of the world have appeared from one Tree, and all the drops from one Ocean, and all beings owe their existence to one Being. And furthermore: That one indeed is a man who today dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. Not only must irreligion and its monstrous offspring, the triple curse that oppresses the soul of mankind in this day, be held responsible for the ills which are so tragically besetting it, but other evils and vices, which are, for the most part, the direct consequences of the weakening of the pillars of religion, must also be regarded as contributory factors to the manifold guilt of which individuals and nations stand convicted. The signs of moral downfall, consequent to the dethronement of religion and the enthronement of these usurping idols, are too numerous and too patent for even a superficial observer of the state of presentday society to fail to notice. The spread of lawlessness, of drunkenness, of gambling, and of crime; the inordinate love of pleasure, of riches, and other earthly vanities; the laxity in morals, revealing itself in the irresponsible attitude towards marriage, in the weakening of parental control, in the rising tide of divorce, in the deterioration in the standard of literature and of the press, and in the advocacy of theories that are the very negation of purity, of morality and chastity Ñ these evidences of moral decadence, invading both the East and the West, permeating every stratum of society, and instilling their poison in its members of both sexes, young and old alike, blacken still further the scroll upon which are inscribed the manifold transgressions of an unrepentant humanity. Small wonder that Baha'u'llah, the Divine Physician, should have declared: In this day the tastes of men have changed, and their power of perception hat/i altered. The contrary winds of the world, and its colours, have provoked a cold, and deprived men's nostrils of the sweet savours of Revelation. Brimful and bitter indeed is the cup of humanity that has failed to respond to the sunimons of God as voiced by His Supreme Messenger, that has dimmed the lamp of its faith in its Creator, that has transferred, in so great a measure, the allegiance owed Him to the gods of its own invention, and polluted itself with the evils and vices which such a transference must necessarily engender. Dear friends! It is in this light that we, the followers of Baha'u'llah, should regard this visitation of God which, in the concluding years of the first century of the Baha era, afflicts the generality, and has thrown into such a bewildering confusion the affairs, of mankind. It is because of this dual guilt, the things it has done and the things it has left undone, its misdeeds as well as its dismal and signal failure to accomplish its clear and unmistakable duty towards God, His Messenger, and His Faith, that this grievous ordeal, whatever its immediate political and economic causes, has laid its adamantine grip upon it. God, however, as has been pointed out in the very beginning of these pages, does not only punish the wrongdoings of His children. He chastises because He is just, and He chastens because He loves. Having chastened them, He cannot, in His great mercy, leave them to their fate. Indeed, by the very act of chastening them He prepares them for the mission for which He has created them. My calamity is My providence, He, by the mouth of Baha'u'llah, has assured [p57] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 57 them, outwardly it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly it is light and mercy. The flames which His Divine justice have kindled cleanse an unregenerate humanity, and fuse its discordant, its warring elements as no other agency can cleanse or fuse them. It is not only a retributory and destructive fire, but a disciplinary and creative process, whose aim is the salvation, through unification, of the entire planet. Mysteriously, slowly, and resistlessly God accomplishes His design, though the sight that meets our eyes in this day be the spectacle of a world hopelessly entangled in its own meshes utterly careless of the Voice which, for a century, has been calling it to God, and miserably subservient to the siren voices which are attempting to lure it into the vast abyss. God's purpose is none other than to usher in, in ways He alone can bring about, and the full significance of which He alone can fathom, the Great, the Golden Age of a long-divided, a long-afflicted humanity. Its present state, indeed even its immediate future, is dark, distressingly dark. Its distant future, however, is radiant, gloriously radiant Ñ so radiant that no eye can visualize it. The winds of despair, writes Baha'u'llah, as He surveys the immediate destinies of mankind, 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. Such shall be its plight, He, in another connection, has declared, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. These fruitless strWes, He, on the other hand, contemplating the future of mankind, has emphatically prophesied, in the course of His memorable interview with the Persian orientalist, Edward G. Browne, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace 'shall come. These strWes and this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as one kindred and one family. Soon, He predicts, will the presentday order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. After a time, He also has written, all the governments on earth will change. Oppression will envelop the world. Andlollowing a universal convulsion, the sun ofiustice will rise from the horizon of the unseen realm. The whole earth, He, moreover, has stated, is now in a state ofpregnancy. The day is approaching when it will have yielded its noblest fruits, when from it will have sprung forth the loftiest trees, the most enchanting blossoms, the most heavenly blessings. All nations and kindreds, 'Abdu'l-Baha likewise has written, will become a single nation. Religious and sectarian antagonism, the hostility of races and peoples, and c4fferences among nations, will be eliminated. All men will adhere to one religion, will have one common faith, will be blended into one race, and become a single people. All will dwell in one common fatherland, which is the planet itself What we witness at the present time, during 'this gravest crisis in the history of civilization,' recalling such times in which 'religions have perished and are born,' is the adolescent stage in the slow and painful evolution of humanity, preparatory to the attainment of the stage of manhood, the stage of maturity, the promise of which is embedded in the teachings, and enshrined in the prophecies, of Baha'u'llah. The tumult of this age of transition is characteristic of the impetuosity and irrational instincts of youth, its follies, its prodigality, its pride, its self-assurance, its rebelliousness, and contempt of discipline. The ages of its infancy and childhood are past, never again to return, while the Great Age, the consummation of all ages, which must signalize the coming of age of the entire human race, is yet to come. The convulsions of this transitional and most turbulent period in the annals of humanity are the essential prerequisites, and herald the inevitable approach, of that Age of Ages, the time of the end, in which the folly and tumult of strife that has, since the dawn of history, blackened the annals of mankind, will have been finally transmuted into the wisdom and the tranquillity of an undisturbed, a universal, and lasting peace, in which the discord and separation of the children of men will have given way to the worldwide reconciliation, and the complete unification of the divers elements that constitute human society. This will indeed be the fitting climax of that process of integration which, starting with the family, the smallest unit in the scale of human organization, must, after having called successively into being the tribe, the city-state and the nation, continue to operate until it culminates in the unification of the whole world, the final object and the crowning glory of human evolution on this planet. It is this stage [p58] 58 THE BAHA'I WORLD which humanity, willingly or unwillingly, is resistlessly approaching. It is for this stage that this vast, this fiery ordeal which humanity is experiencing is mysteriously paving the way. It is with this stage that the fortunes and the purpose of the Faith of Baha'u'llah are indissolubly linked. It is the creative energies which His Revelation has released in the year sixty, and later reinforced by the successive effusions of celestrial power vouchsafed in the year nine and the year eighty to all mankind, that have instilled into humanity the capacity to attain this final stage in its organic and collective evolution. It is with the Golden Age of His Dispensation that the consummation of this process will be for ever associated. It is the structure of His New World Order, now stirring in the womb of the administrative institutions He Himself has created, that will serve both as a pattern and a nucleus of that world commonwealth which is the sure, the inevitable destiny of the peoples and nations of the earth. This is the stage which the world is now approaching, the stage of world unity, which, as 'Abdu'l-Baha assures us, will, in this century, be securely established. The Tongue of Grandeur, Baha'u'llah Himself affirms, hath... in the Day of His Man~estation proclaimed: 'It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the world.' Through the power, He adds, released by these exalted words He hat/i lent a fresh impulse, and set a new direction, to the birds of men's hearts, and bath obliterated every trace of restriction and limitation from God's Holy Book. A word of warning should, however, be uttered in this connection. The love of one's country, instilled and stressed by the teaching of IslAm, as an element of the Faith of God has not, through this declaration, this clarion-call of Baha'u'llah, been either condemned or disparaged. It should not, indeed it cannot, be construed as a repudiation, or regarded in the light of a censure pronounced against, a sane and intelligent patriotism, nor does it seek to undermine the allegiance and loyalty of any individual to his country, nor does it conflict with the legitimate aspirations, rights, and duties of any individual state or nation. All it does imply and proclaim is the insufficiency of patriotism, in view of the fundamental changes effected in the economic life of society and the interdependence of the nations, and as the consequence of the contraction of the world, through the revolution in the means of transportation and communication Ñ conditions that did not and could not exist either in the days of Jesus Christ or of Muhammad. It calls for a wider loyalty, which should not, and indeed does not, conifict with lesser loyalties. It instills a love which, in view of its scope, must include and not exclude the love of one's own country. It lays, through this loyalty which it inspires, and this love which it infuses, the only foundation on which the concept of world citizenship can thrive, and the structure of world unification can rest. It does insist, however, on the subordination of national considerations and particularistic interests to the imperative and paramount claims of humanity as a whole, inasmuch as in a world of interdependent nations and peoples the advantage of the part is best to be reached by the advantage of the whole. The world is, in truth, moving on towards its destiny. The interdependence of the peoples and nations of the earth, whatever the leaders of the divisive forces of the world may say or do, is already an accomplished fact. Its unity in the economic sphere is now understood and recognized. The welfare of the part means the welfare of the whole, and the distress of the part brings distress to the whole. The Revelation of Baha'u'llah has, in His own words, lent afresh impulse and set a new direction to this vast process now operating in the world. The fires lit by this great ordeal are the consequences of men's failure to recognize it. They are, moreover, hastening its consummation. Adversity, prolonged, worldwide, afflictive, allied to chaos and universal destruction, must needs convulse the nations, stir the conscience of the world, disillusion the masses, precipitate a radical change in the very conception of society, and coalesce ultimately the disjointed, the bleeding limbs of mankind into one body, single, organically united, and indivisible. To the general character, the implications and features of this world commonwealth, destined to emerge, sooner or later, out of the carnage, agony, and havoc of this great world convulsion, I have already referred in my previous communications. Suffice it to say that this consummation will, by its very natnre, be a gradual process, and must, as Baha'u'llah has Himself anticipated, lead at first to the establish [p59] THE BAHA'I REVELATION 59 ment of that Lesser Peace which the nations of the earth, as yet unconscious of His Revelation and yet unwittingly enforcing the general principles which He has enunciated, will themselves establish. This momentous and historic step, involving the reconstruction of mankind, as the result of the universal recognition of its oneness and wholeness, will bring in its wake the spiritualization of the masses, consequent to the recognition of the character, and the acknowledgement of the claims, of the Faith of Baha'u'llah Ñ the essential condition to that ultimate fusion of all races, creeds, classes, and nations which must signalize the emergence of His New World Order. Then will the coming of age of the entire human race be proclaimed and celebrated by all the peoples and nations of the earth. Then will the banner of the Most Great Peace be hoisted. Then will the worldwide sovereignty of Baha'u'llah Ñ the Establisher of the Kingdom of the Father foretold by the Son, and anticipated by the Prophets of God before Him and after Him Ñ be recognized, acclaimed, and firmly established. Then will a world civilization be born, flourish, and perpetuate itself, a civilization with a fullness of life such as the world has never seen nor can as yet conceive. Then will the Everlasting Covenant be fulfilled in its completeness. Then will the promise enshrined in all the Books of God be redeemed, and all the prophecies uttered by the Prophets of old come to pass, and the vision of seers and poets be realized. Then will the planet, galvanized through the universal belief of its dwellers in one God, and their allegiance to one common Revelation, mirror, within the limitations imposed upon it, the effulgent glories of the sovereignty of Baha'u'llah, shining in the plenitude of its splendour in the AbhA Paradise, and be made the footstool of His Throne on high, and acclaimed as the earthly heaven, capable of fulfilling that ineffable destiny fixed for it, from time immemorial, by the love and wisdom of its Creator. Not ours, puny mortals that we are, to attempt, at so critical a stage in the long and chequered history of mankind, to arrive at a precise and satisfactory understanding of the steps which must successively lead a bleeding humanity, wretchedly oblivious of its God, and careless of Baha'u'llah, from its calvary to its ultimate resurrection. Not ours, the living witnesses of the all-subduing potency of His Faith, to question, for a moment, and however dark the misery that enshrouds the world, the ability of Baha'u'llah to forge, with the hammer of His Will, and through the fire of tribulation, upon the anvil of this travailing age, and in the particular shape His mind has envisioned, these scattered and mutually destructive fragments into which a perverse world has fallen, into one single unit, solid and indivisible, able to execute His design for the children of men. Ours rather the duty, however confused the scene, however dismal the present outlook however circumscribed the resources we dispose of, to labour serenely, confidently and unremittingly to lend our share of assistance, in whichever way circumstances may enable us, to the operation of the forces which, as marshalled and directed by Baha'u'llah, are leading humanity out of the valley of misery and shame to the loftiest summits of power and glory. Symbol of the Greatest Name adopted by Shoghi Effendijbr use on his stationery. [p60] 60 THE BAHA'I WORLD ' r ~ __ • Li.