Pilgrim Notes
Gayle Woolson
Feb. 16-25, 1956
Things said by Ruhiyyah Khanum, the Hands and Members of the international Baha’i Councel at Haifa during pilgrimage of Gayle Woolson
Ruhiyyih Khanum told of a British Baha’i who asked the Guardian for permission to go to pioneer in a village in Persia during the time of the persecution and as this would cause him to get killed, it would create an international issue and be of more help to the Persian believers. The Guardian said no,
She told of a Baha’i who offered to go behind the “iron curtain.” He said: “It doesn’t matter if I get killed — just so I get there.” He is making his arrangements to go. She said that this is the true spirit of martyrdom. Martyrdom is a station. A Baha’i getting killed doesn’t make a martyr out of him. What determines martyrdom are other factors besides just getting killed or dying.
She said, Baha’is act like committees, individually (taking you to task) and like individuals on committees. In committee meetings, we should give our suggestion and drop it let it go; go out and forget it. Out of the committee we should follow the example of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’i; be loving and forgiving.
She said she wishes she could take a Baha’i course and study mot. There are spheres upon spheres of knowledge in tale Cause. If she. Says this, who is so close to the Guardian, and always hearing his teachings, much more must the rest of us feel this way. She said that the Guardian has revealed many prayers for the Persians, a whole book of prayers.
During the war in Palestine a Covenant breaker left the country and said to his relative who was staying: “Watch what Shoghi Effendi does. If he stays, you stay; if he leaves, you leave.” During that same period a girl of the family or a covenant-breaker met Ruhiyyih Khanum on the street, and she greeted H. D. and said to her that her uncle (the covenant-breaker) had said to them that if they got into danger, they should go to Shoghi Effendi’s house and there they would be safe.
R.K. said: Our strong points can become our weak points; for example efficiency, which is a strong point, can make one intolerant with the inefficient. Informality can be overdone. If we are the prayerful type, with overdoing we don’t accomplish practical service. If we are the active type, by overdoing we don’t pray enough.
The evening that the Guardian spoke of touching the heart when we teach and that we should not be rigid nor make it hard for people to some into the Faith, after the Guardian left the dining room. R. K. stayed with the rest of us to talk and she said that tie Baha’is are going to stagnate the growth of the Faith if they continue with their rigidity and expecting too much of the student before making him a believer. She said that the Guardian said: “Touch the heart,” and Baha’u’llah said: heart is Throne”. He never said anywhere that we have to have brilliant minds. This smite rigidity, she meld, is seen in different parts.
Then Leroy loas said: They expect the new Baha’is to be as advanced as those already Baha’is.
R. K. mentioned how Baha’is get mixed up sometimes about explanations of the teachings, and said, “How wonderful we don’t have to follow traditions and we have a Guardian to interpret.” It would be a mess.