The signs in the heavens during the appearance of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh - by Hand of the Cause William Sears

It is said in Scripture and Tradition that at the time of the birth or announcement of every Messenger of God, a star or a sign appears in the heavens.

Nimrod was warned of the star that told of the coming of Abraham. The soothsayers warned Pharaoh of the star in the heavens that foretold the coming of Moses. The Magi informed Herod of the new star that guided them to the throne of the "spiritual king," Jesus. The same legend is told of Buddha, Zoroaster, Muhammad and Krishna.

What were the signs in the heavens during the appearance of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh? The holy Scriptures of all faiths had spoken of Twin-Revelations that would appear at the "time of the end." Now that the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh had appeared, fulfilling these prophecies, what were the signs in the heavens?  Signs, not for one, but for two Messengers of God, Who would appear almost simultaneously?

Some of us know the story of the great comet of 1843 which foreshadowed the coming of the Báb.

Sir James Jeans, late British astronomer and mathematician, stated in his book ‘Through Space and Time’, "oddly enough, many of the most conspicuous appearances of comets seem to have coincided with, or perhaps just anticipated, important events in history." [1]

One of the most unique stories of a comet is that told of the period during which the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh were engaging correspondence, and during which the Báb was preparing His followers for the appearance of Bahá'u'lláh. This story was told in the stars as well as on the earth.

The Greatest Holy Leaf’s unparalleled role in religious history and the significance of the Arc, the site of her resting place – by Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani

The year 2013 marks the hundredth anniversary of ‘Abdu’l- Bahá’s return to the Holy Land from His historic trip to Egypt and the West. He left Haifa for Egypt in September 1910 and returned there three years later. The person “invested … with the responsibility” to attend “to the multitudinous details arising out of His protracted absence from the Holy Land” (‘BAHÍYYIH KHÁNUM’, A compilation from Bahá'í sacred texts and writings of the Guardian of the Faith and Bahíyyih Khánum's own letters, made by the Research department at the Bahá'í World Centre [henceforth “BK”] p. 39) was His honoured sister, Bahíyyih Khánum, [1] the Greatest Holy Leaf. In the words of Shoghi Effendi: “At the time of His [‘Abdu’l- Bahá’s] absence in the western world, she was His competent deputy, His representative and vicegerent, with none to equal her” (BK 28).

The centenary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s return to the Holy Land after His protracted absence coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Universal House of Justice. As we gather to celebrate these landmarks, we take time to ponder upon the life of a most remarkable woman in the history of religion, focus attention on the outstanding services she rendered and on the significance of the site Shoghi Effendi chose for her burial place. It was his choice of a specific spot on Mount Carmel that determined the location of the Arc, around which are built the institutions of the world administrative centre of the Faith, the Seat of the Universal House of Justice occupying its centre top.

The Greatest Holy Leaf

Born in Tihran to Bahá’u’lláh and Ásíyih Khánum in 1846, she was named Fatimih at birth. She was later called Bahíyyih. In a Tablet revealed in her honour, Bahá’u’lláh confirms that she appeared in His name. “Verily she is a leaf that hath sprung from this preexistent Root. She hath revealed herself in My name and tasted of the sweet savours of My holy, My wondrous pleasure” (BK p. v). The full text of Bahá’u’lláh’s original Arabic of the above is inscribed around the circular dome of the Greatest Holy Leaf’s monument on Mount Carmel (Ibid).

The Meaning of Resurrection – by Hand of the Cause William Sears

What is the meaning of the Resurrection of His Holiness Jesus the Christ? It is written that after three days He rose from the dead. How can this be explained to the logical mind?

Baha'u'llah has also unsealed the meaning of the "resurrection" of Christ and the meaning of "resurrection day". Baha'u'llah pointed out that there was a beautiful, eternal truth hidden in this inward symbol of the Resurrection, but that it had been gravely misunderstood. As a result, it became the cause of disputes between religions, as well as between religion and science. The doctrine of the Resurrection has also been the cause of preventing literal-minded people from accepting the new Messenger of God, Baha'u'llah, in this day.

By clinging to this belief in the bodily resurrection, the eyes of the people have become blinded to the truth. They have deprived themselves of the spiritual resurrection, the very basic purpose of their existence on earth. Such people are truly "dead" in the "graves" of error.

The Teachings of the Baha'i Faith say:

"The resurrections of the [Messengers of God] are not of the body ... Their parables, and Their instructions, have a spiritual and divine signification, and have no connection with material things." [1]

The God Who walks with men – by Hand of the Cause Horace Holley

From an older day we hear there was a time when God walked with men. That ancient belief is now a faded rose that has lost its glory, but it keeps a precious fragrance which still stirs the heart with wonder and with hope.

God walked with men! The idea seems to change the world from a great, implacable machine into a place of adoration and fulfilled love. It makes us ask, do we live in a universe of mechanical atoms, of strange, perfect stars and suns looking down without feeling or pity upon our griefs and lonely failures, or can we be actually living in the compassionate heart of God?

How could such an exalted idea ever become lost and forgotten? Was it merely a beautiful but empty dream? Or was it a sublime truth we have sold for the price to pay for personal and selfish desires?

This world, we know too well, without a God who walks with men, imprisons us in a vast loneliness where we have to live with our own discontent, our failure, lacking real purpose or aim. It is not enough to become at times part of some officially heralded movement pronounced necessary and noble if the nobility does not penetrate into our own hearts and redeem us from our unsatisfying selves. But the discontent lingers and the hope occasionally returns.

What has happened to human beings that they can be so skillful in doing great things but so helpless when they turn their wonderful powers to the greater task of ordering their own hearts?

The Baha'i Concept of God – a talk by Ali-Kuli Khan, 1956

The Baha'i concept of God is that of a Supreme Being - of course, the language of man is inadequate to describe this great reality that we call God. All that we can speak concerning God is of the Manifestations of God's attributes; but as to the inner nature of God, Rumi, the mystic poet of Persia, 800 years ago, said: "How can you, O Philosopher, dare fathom this fathomless ocean? This is a Path that none could travel by meditation or contemplation. Man can no more fathom the essence of that divine Reality than a slip of straw could sink to the depths of the sea."

This shows the impossibility for the mind of man to comprehend the Invisible Essence, as for a wisp of straw to reach the bottom of the sea. Well, then, how are we to recognize and to know God?

The answer is that man can know God only through the Manifestations of His Names end Attributes in this visible world. For example you find the skies and the seas and of the earth, and the passing of the seasons, - phenomena manifesting forth life's various phases. Life finally ends in what seems to be a state of death; and then again, when the first season of the New Year comes around, you see life anew emerging from what appeared to be extinction, manifesting itself anew as does nature pregnant with blossoms, beauty, and delicious fruits.

The ninth cycle of the Bahá’í calendar and its relationship to the teaching work – by ‘Ali Nakhjavani, former member of the Universal House of Justice

[‘Alí Nakhjavání, now a resident of France, served for 40 years as a member of the Universal House of Justice.]

The letter of the Universal House of Justice dated July 10, 2014, with its attachment about the Bahá’í calendar, was a great surprise to many of the friends in the Bahá’í world. To clarify several technical issues involved and to appreciate the timing and understand the implications of this message, this article is offered to the readership of this eminent journal.

In this epoch-making message that launches a unified Bahá’í calendar, the Universal House of Justice pointed out to us: “The adoption of a new calendar in each dispensation is a symbol of the power of Divine Revelation to reshape human perception of material, social, and spiritual reality. Through it, sacred moments are distinguished, humanity’s place in time and space reimagined, and the rhythm of life recast.” The same message drew attention to the fact that the launching of the new calendar will further “unite” the Bahá’í world.

Why is the Bahá’í calendar associated with a lunar calendar?

The friends in the West had always known, through books such as God Passes By and The Dawn-Breakers, that many Bahá’í historical dates were recorded and mentioned based on the lunar calendar of Islam. They had been also aware that a few Bahá’í anniversaries were being observed in some countries in the East in accordance with the lunar calendar, while the rest adhered to the dates of the solar calendar.

To provide for resolving this disparity, the Bahá’í texts stipulated that the Universal House of Justice had to determine the locality in the world that should be used as the Bahá’í meridian and the manner in which the Bahá’í calendar could be adjusted to enable the Birthdays of Bahá’u’lláh and of the Báb to occur on two consecutive days, as indicated in Bahá’í texts attributed to Bahá’u’lláh Himself.

Simultaneous Process of Expansion and Consolidation – an explanation by Hand of the Cause 'Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum

[In 1964 Hand of the Cause 'Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum spent several months in India and in the nearby countries of Ceylon, Nepal and Sikkim. While in India she participated extensively in the mass teaching program being carried on in the villages in all parts of that land. The following comments written on her return to the Holy Land give much food for thought among all the Baha'is of the world who wish to see their beloved Faith grow and expand among the multitudes not yet touched by the Word of Baha'u'llah.]

The entire Baha'i world is watching the progress being made in India. Her teaching activities and the remarkable rate of increase in the number of believers in that country during the last five years, are the envy and admiration of her sister communities. But I feel a word of advice is in order here. Often, the active workers inside a community, who are bearing the full weight of teaching, administering and supporting it, get the idea that they should slow down on 'expansion' and 'consolidate.' This is a dangerous idea - a very dangerous idea.

It was our beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, who first used these terms; we learned them from him; but he never separated the two things. To him expansion was constant teaching, according to the express command of Baha'u'llah, like an army that is marching to conquer, never losing an advantage, never ceasing to go on. Consolidation is what comes behind the army; the food supply, the education of the conquered people, the establishment of garrisons. It would be a sorry army indeed that sat down to enjoy the luxuries of inaction when it had the advantage! There are other armies on the march in these days, ominous, terrible, destructive armies, not only physical ones (perhaps the least dangerous of all) but ideological ones; materialism is on the march at a terrifying rate, godlessness is advancing with frightening swiftness, inadequate political ideologies, whether from the East or from the West, are seeking to conquer the minds of men.

The Passing of ‘Abdu’l-Baha – from a letter by Emogene Hoagg to Nellie French dated January 2, 1922

[Emogene Hoagg was an early believer who made her way from Italy to Haifa soon after she received a cable announcement of the ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. For a very brief account of her life please visit We are Baha’is]

Haifa, Palestine

2nd January 1922

My dearest Nelly:

Your letter of December 14th has just reached me here in this blessed spot. Needless to say why I am here, for you will have realized that no other thought could have possessed me after getting the cable of the ascension of our beloved Master.

As you said you felt, I also felt. The world seemed to have lost its axis, and I seemed to be living without a support. I had planned to go to Genoa, but had no heart nor strength to continue the work at that time. I left Torino, from where I wrote you, returned to Milano and took the first steamer from Trieste which was on December 16th. The trip was a calm one and I arrived here on the 21st.

You may imagine the grief of the Holy Family. All was so sudden, so unexpected, that the shock to them as well as to all the friends was extreme. For the first week after getting here I had no head to use for anything, but since then have been very busy helping in the translation of some important Tablets. This has left no time for letter writing, which accounts for your not hearing from me before, as well as other friends whom I am sure are anxious for details. There is so much to tell it would take days to write it all, but later a full account is to be sent to all. Lady Bloomfield is here and is now compiling an accurate account of the few days prior to the Beloved's departure, of the cortege up the mountain to the Tomb of the Bab, and the fifth, ninth and fortieth days after the ascension.

Interview of Sachiro Fujita, - by Sylvia Ioas, 1975

Fujita 1971

Note: Sachiro Fujita was born in Yanai, Japan, April 15, 1886, and died in Haifa May 7, 1976. He is buried at the Bahá'í cemetery at the foot of Mt. Carmel. The following is inscribed atop his grave (from a photo taken by Robert Stauffer in 1978):

"Thou wilt render a great service and this will become the cause of thy everlasting glory."

— 'Abdu'l-Bahá

Mount Carmel, November 24th, 1965

Would you like to know something about my life? I, I left Japan 1903, and, ah, landed in San Francisco November 9th, 1903, and, ah, remained in San Francisco about a year. Then I happened to meet Mrs. Kathryn Frankland in Oakland. There I received Message, Bahá'í Message.

("You were how old?")

Fujita 1928

About 17. In Oakland about 5 years. I finished my, ah, high school in California, then I went from there to Cleveland, Ohio. From there I, ah, wish to attend, ah, University of Michigan, but, ah, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá came to United States. From, uh, then I went to Chicago to meet Him. That's when really my Bahá'í, ah, life began.

I was in Cleveland, Ohio, there was a Bahá'í, Doctor Barton-Peek. She informed me 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Cleveland, and I was away. I didn't get the message the next morning. Then, immediately, I went Doctor Barton-Peek's office. I ask, message just received, I can call or not. She says, "Well, too bad that `Abdu'l-Bahá just left." I says, "Well, I'm very sorry I was away, I couldn't meet Him. When can I make contact with 'Abdu'l-Bahá?" Says, "The best thing is you can wire to Mr. Windust in Chicago, maybe he will tell you just when to come to Chicago." So immediately, I wired to Mr. Windust, he says he's waiting for any time for arrival of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. So, I took opportunity, I went to Chicago.

About 8 o'clock in the evening He arrive in Chicago. He was very nice. At the front of LaSalle Station, embrace me, "My Japanese." And then, He says, "You follow Me." He is going to, ah, Mrs. True's home. He give a lecture. We had a wonderful time in Mrs. True's home. From there to Kenosha, I went Kenosha, you know? There's some Bahá'í there. `Abdu'l-Bahá spend overnight. That's where 'Abdu'l-Bahá asked me to join His party to go to California.

Teaching the Cause of God: A Two-Edged Sword – by Ali Nakhjavani

In one of his letters Shoghí Effendí has explained to us that one of the distinctive features of our Faith is that we cannot separate the spiritual life of the individual from the spiritual life of the community. Mutual reactions exist between the two. Under the influence of the divine teachings, the hearts of the individual believers bring into being and shape the community. In turn, the community provides an atmosphere where the individual believers develop and grow spiritually. Our teachings are designed so that the spiritual life of the individual Bahá’í, and the collective life of the community, complement each other. Let us look at some examples:

• Bahá’u’lláh calls on Bahá’ís to observe individual obligatory prayers, but at the same time He ordains that Houses of Worship for community prayers be established.

• We see that Bahá’u’lláh calls on parents to be the first educators of their children, but at the same time He anticipates that every local Bahá’í House of Worship will have a school, and He praises the work of teachers.

• He calls on the individual believer to teach His Cause and protect Its interests, but simultaneously Bahá’í institutions are given parallel assignments to provide for the teaching and protection of His Faith.

In the messages of the Universal House of Justice we read that the time has come for all Bahá’í communities to develop with greater confidence and self-reliance a culture of thinking which is fundamentally different from the community activities of other religions. Unlike other religions, there is no professional clergy in the Faith to lead the community. Leadership and authority are vested in elected institutions. Thus leadership is self-generated and home-grown through democratic methods, and every individual member of the community should be concerned with its welfare and healthy growth.

The Prayers of Baha’u’llah – by Ruhiyyih Khanum

Not the least of the treasures which Baha'u'llah has given to the world is the wealth of His prayers and meditations. He not only revealed them for specific purposes, such as the Daily Prayers, the prayers for Healing, for the Fast, for the Dead, and so on, but in them He revealed a great deal of Himself to us. At moments it is as if, in some verse or line, we are admitted into His Own heart, with all its turbulent emotions, or catch a glimpse of the workings of a mind as great and deep as an ocean, which we can never fathom, but which never ceases to enrapture and astonish us.

If one could be so presumptuous as to try and comment on a subject so vast and which, ultimately, is far beyond the capacity of any merely mortal mind to analyse or classify, one might say that one of His masterpieces is the long prayer for the Nineteen Day Fast. I do not know if He revealed it at dawn, but He had, evidently, a deep association with that hour of the day when the life of the world is re-poured into it. How could He not have? Was He not the Hermit of Sar-Galú, where He spent many months in a lonely stone hut perched on a hilltop; the sunrise must have often found Him waiting and watching for its coming, His voice rising and falling in the melodious chants of His supplications and compositions. At how many dawns He must have heard the birds of the wilderness wake and cry out when the first rays of the sun flowed over the horizon and witnessed in all its splendor the coming alive of creation after the night.

In this prayer it is as if the worshipper approaches the sun while the sun is approaching its daybreak. When one remembers that the sun, the life giver of the earth, has ever been associated with the God-Power, and that Baha'u'llah has always used it in His metaphors to symbolize the Prophet, the prayer takes on a mystical significance that delights and inspires the soul. Turning to the budding day He opens His supplication:

Shoghi Effendi: A uniquely significant figure of the twentieth century – by the 1997 editors of “World Order” Baha’i magazine

[The 1997 editors of World Order magazine were Firuz Kazemzadeh, Betty Fisher, Howard Garey, Robert Stockman, and James Stroke]

Shoghi Effendi, who was born a hundred years ago [as of 1997] in Ottoman Palestine, became a uniquely significant figure of the twentieth century. But his intrinsic importance to the history of the period is as yet generally unrecognized outside the Baha’i community. Through prodigious activity as Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, he carried out his designated responsibility as interpreter, both in literary and practical terms, of the vision of world unity advanced by Baha’u’llah, founder of the Baha'i Faith. The principal effect of Shoghi Effendi's thirty-six-year ministry as the Guardian of the Faith was to create an incomparably diverse but united global community in a remarkably short time. The potential of this community is to become a pattern for future society. Anyone acquainted with its workings will be impressed by the spirit that induces its coherence. As it expands and develops along the lines indicated by Shoghi Effendi, there emerges compelling evidence that the efficacy of his guidance is destined to obtain wide notice and, inevitably, to influence the shaping of a millennium.

No celebration will mark the centennial of Shoghi Effendi's birth: this absence of a memorial ceremony is out of respect for his clear instruction against the commemoration of any event associated with his life. Yet remembrance of his monumental achievements is irrepressible and begs for expression at every opportunity. This anniversary is a welcome occasion, then, to reflect on the nature of his work and the relevance of his thought to contemporary concerns about the state and direction of human society, especially as the century about which he offered such illuminating and proven analyses draws to a close. The sheer volume and efficiency of his output in any one of his vocations as exegete, author, translator, administrator, commentator on world trends, master planner, organizer of global undertakings, aesthete was astounding. But it was the distinction of his inspired insight that lent a singular quality to his varied occupations and that remains as a unique and potent legacy.

The Descent of the New Jerusalem – by Hand of the Cause George Townshend

Unnoticed by the great world, unfeared  as yet by the forces of Evil that now hold revel on the earth, the cause of Baha'u'llah  — of God in His Glory made manifest among men — confident, resplendent and irresistible, lifts its young strength amid the wrecks and ruins of an outworn and dissolving civilization.

Neither today nor at any period throughout the past has God left His people bereft of comfort or deprived of guidance. Age after age without intermission He has sent His Messengers to renew the glad tidings of the nearness and the love of God and to give to the people the help and the counsel of which they stood in need. The gates of His mercy have never been closed, and His grace has been poured down upon mankind continuously.

But the present age stands alone in the richness and in the splendor of the gifts that have been bestowed upon it. The sum of all the bounties of the past will not equal in glory the bounty which is lavished upon this dawning Dispensation. Never before has the Word of God sounded so full and clear. Never before has Revelation been so copious, or so comprehensive. Never before have all the predictions of the Scriptures concerning God's greatest advent been fulfilled in their completeness. Never has the power of the Most High been asserted with such prevailing force. And though all the High Prophets since the world began have promised that one day God's will would reign victorious over a regenerated and beatified earth, no Messenger before Baha'u'llah ever proclaimed that God's victory had been won or that the Golden Age had dawned.

The Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas – a talk by Ali Nakhjavani, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA, 1973

The Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, which the House of Justice has just published, was one of the goals of the Nine Year Plan, and this goal was carried over from the Ten Year Crusade of the beloved Guardian.

The book itself consists of four main divisions. In addition to the preface, there is an introduction written by the House of Justice which I consider to be extremely important, and I think that it should be the subject of a study by the friends. Then we have passages from the Kitab-i-Aqdas translated by Shoghi Effendi. No translations were included in this section by other translators, including the House of Justice itself, which has during the past years translated certain passages from the Aqdas and made them available to the friends. This section comprises only those passages that were translated by the Guardian at different times during his ministry. The next section is the synopsis and codification itself. Then there is a fourth section consisting of notes. These notes were written by the House of Justice; they were not originally envisaged in the original goals, and they have been given to the friends as an additional bonus. The House felt that these notes would be of interest to the friends and would help to clarify certain of the laws and ordinances of the Kitab-i-Aqdas.

Now, what the Book is not is a codification of [all] the Laws of Baha'u'llah. That will have to come later. What this book is, is exactly what its title states: A Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Book of Baha'u'llah. In other words, it is a codification of the contents of one Book, not of the entire subject of Baha'i laws. These are two different things -- not the same. The time will come when we will have, I am sure, a codification of [all] the laws of Baha'u'llah -- the Laws of the Baha'i Faith. That is not what is here before us.

The way the Guardian had envisaged this was to present this to the friends in the West in a gradual way, and this is how it has been done. Just to give you an idea of what the codification of the laws would involve: the Kitab-i-Aqdas will have questions and answers, and, as it happens, the questions and answers have also been added in this book [not in the same format as in the 1993 edition of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, but more like notes regarding certain of the laws]. But it is not in the title. It will have to include the Kitab-i-Aqdas; the Questions and Answers; the Tablets of Baha'u'llah -- Himself elucidating certain laws -- questions that have been put to Him; Tablets of Baha'u'llah revealing subsidiary laws and ordinances to supplement the original laws; interpretations of 'Abdu'l-Baha; interpretations by Shoghi Effendi; and, any additional explanations and annotations that would be required to make the picture complete by giving background information about certain laws that relate, say, to previous Dispensations. That bigger subject requires a lot of work and research which was not envisaged from the very beginning by the Guardian, nor was it envisaged by the House of Justice when it gave it in the Nine Year Plan -- this goal of publishing the Synopsis and Codification.

Commentary on the Kitab-i-Aqdas -- a talk by Hand of the Cause Abu'l-Qasim Faizi, 1973

Dear friends of the United States of America. Your National Assembly has given me a special honor and privilege to talk to you about the Mother Book of the Bahá'í Faith, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. I first give you the outline of this page with the hope that you will follow the subject matter one by one, and I pray that it will be well received by all the dear ones in that vast country.

First, the order in Bahá'u'lláh's life and His writings. Second, the revelation of the Book of Aqdas, where, in what year, how long. Third, the two gifts given to mankind through the Book of Aqdas. Fourth, this book is a gate through which mankind enters the age of maturity. There are many reasons for these, but three will be given here. Fifth, is the last one, and most important one. What is it, what exists in this Book which makes it the Mother Book of our Faith and this Dispensation?

Now we will start one by one, and before I start I pray to God that He will confirm me and strengthen me to do justice to this great subject.

Simplicity is the basis and order of Bahá'u'lláh's life. It rules throughout His ways and manners of living, including garments, residence, furniture, His approach to His friends and followers, and as a matter of fact, to all the people of the world. The same order applies to His Writings. All are easy to read, to follow and understand. Almost every Tablet starts with the praise of God, and immediately after that, He starts to answer questions put to Him by the believers. His answers are always direct, frank, to the point, and concise. There are, however, some exceptions to this rule and there are obvious reasons for such exceptional cases. I mention three of these exceptions.

The first is the Tablet to the King of Persia, Násiri'd-Dín Sháh. The language is very exalted and in some parts the vocabulary is very powerful and difficult to understand. The reason is this, that the King had been surrounded by the divines, who always boasted of their knowledge of the Arabic language. Bahá'u'lláh, Who had never been to their schools, by using elaborate words and perfect melodious sentences desired to awaken and address the King and his entourage to the source of His revelation, the greatness of His Cause, and the exceptional power with which He had been endowed. When the King received this Tablet, he sent it to the divines of his country and asked them to compose a suitable answer, but none dared to even a sentence which could be compared with the perfection of words, style and melody used by Bahá'u'lláh in that great Tablet.

Shoghi Effendi, Expounder of the Word of God – by David Hofman

[This essay was originally presented to the Ninth Annual Conference of the Association of Baha'i Studies. 'The Vision of Shoghi Effendi', November 1984 in Chicago, where it was read on behalf of the author. See proceedings of the conference to be published by the Association in late 1991.]

When, in 1921, Shoghi Effendi acceded to the office of Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith, he was in his second year as a student at Balliol College, Oxford. The traumatic shock of the Master's passing had barely given way to consciousness of unbearable loss, when the second blow fell with the reading of the Will and Testament, and this totally dedicated, modest young man faced the awe‑inspiring, appalling prospect of his appointment. He was overwhelmed. After a brief stay in Haifa he committed the care of the Faith to the Greatest Holy Leaf and retired for eight months to solitude and preparation.

Upon his return to Haifa it quickly became apparent that he had assumed the full responsibilities of his office, while more gradually it was realized that the functions of that office were unique in the history of the world. Present‑day visitors to the World Centre, students of the Revelation and the hosts of new believers now entering the Cause rapidly become aware of his mighty works. They see the magnificent gardens at Bahji and on Carmel, the Shrine of the Báb, the International Archives Building, the great arc which he created on the Mountain of God upon which Baha'u'llah has established His throne; his translations into English of the Sacred Word are the daily food of anglophone believers and the foundation of translations into other languages; one whole generation and more witnessed the rise of the Administrative Order under his direction, responded to his constant call to spread the knowledge and establish the institutions of the Faith throughout the earth, and all stand amazed at the vast range of his achievements and the character of his leadership, a leadership which evoked in a handful of ordinary people powers and capacities which they did not know they possessed and which enabled them to achieve, under his guidance, tasks inconceivable and impossible without his God‑given genius.

A Tribute to Shoghi Effendi – a talk by Hand of the Cause Amelia Collins given in July 1958

(The following address was delivered by Amelia Collins, Hand of the Cause, Haifa, Israel, at the Intercontinental Baha'i Conference held in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, July 25-29, 1958, which she attended as the chosen representative of Shoghi Effendi, late Guardian of the Baha'i Faith.)

How can ever find words to bring you what is in my heart about our beloved Guardian! I feel we must each so fill ourselves at this time with his spirit and his wishes that it will carry us through the next five years of the glorious Crusade he initiated and enable us to consummate his every hope and wish. This, the fulfillment of his own Plan, is the living memorial we must build in his memory.

When I first heard of the passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha, I was a very young believer and after the provisions of His will became known, my whole heart and soul turned to that youthful Branch, appointed by Him to watch over and guide the Faith of Baha'u'llah. How I prayed that God would help me to make him happy!

In 1923 I first met our beloved Guardian in Haifa. He was just a young man then, full of determination to carry forward the great work entrusted to his care. He was so spontaneous, so trusting and loving and outgoing in the buoyancy of his beautiful heart. Through the years we all watched with wonder and ever-deepening devotion to him and appreciation of his God-given gifts, the unfoldment of Baha'u'llah's Divine Order which he built up so patiently and wisely all over the world. But, oh friends, at what great cost to himself! 

In 1951, when the beloved Guardian called some of the friends to serve in Haifa, I began to learn of what he had passed through. His face was sad, one could see his very spirit had been heavily oppressed by the agony he went through for years during the period when the family pursued their own desires and finally abandoned the work of the Faith and their Guardian to go their own way. I can truthfully say that for a number of years we who served him at the World Center seldom saw him smile, and very often he poured out to us his woes and confided some of the things he had passed through. I do not know in any great detail the day to day afflictions of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha, but sometimes I wonder if they could have been any more heartbreaking than those of our beloved Shoghi Effendi. 

The Martyrdom of the Báb – by Hand of the Cause William Sears

A wave of violence unprecedented in its cruelty, its persistency, and its breadth swept the face of the entire land. From Khurasan on the eastern border of Persia to Tabriz on the west, from the northern cities of Zanjan and Tihran stretching as far south as Nayriz, the country was enveloped in darkness. Many recalled the prophecy of Shaykh Ahmad who spoke so glowingly of the Twin Revelations that were at hand. He had warned his followers to expect these days of suffering. "Pray God," he told them, "that you may not be present in (1) the day of the coming of the Prophet or (2) the day of His return, as there will be many civil wars. If any of you should be living at that time, he shall see strange things between the years 1844 and 1851." [1] Nicolas in his account of those days says: "The anxious priests, feeling their flock quivering with impatience and ready to escape their control, redoubled their slanders . . .; the grossest lies, the most bloody fictions were spread among the bewildered populace, torn between terror and admiration." [2]

When the news of the death of His beloved uncle reached the Báb, and he heard the moving account of the tragic fate of the "seven martyrs of Tihran," His heart was plunged in sorrow. He wrote a special tribute in their honor which testified to the exalted position they occupied in His eyes. The Báb said that these seven heroes were the "Seven Goats" spoken of in the prophecies of Islam who on the Day of Judgement would "walk in front of the Promised Qa’im [He who shall arise]." [3]

It was at this moment that the Prime Minister, Mirza Taqi Khan, issued the command that brought the Báb out of His prison-cell in Chihriq. The Prime Minister had at last decided to strike at the very head of the Faith. The forces of the Shah and the members of the clergy were suffering humiliating defeats all across the land. Remove the Báb, the Prime Minister told himself, and the old order could be restored. He called his counsellors together and unfolded to them his plan. This was a drastic change from the Prime Minister's original plan. Up to now, Mirza Taqi Khan had felt that the most effective way of destroying the Báb's influence would be to ruin him morally "to bring him out of his retreat in Chiriq where a halo of suffering, holiness, science and eloquence made him radiate like a sun; to show him to the people just as he was . . . a vulgar charlatan, a weak dreamer who did not have courage enough to conceive, still less to direct the daring enterprises" of Tabarsi, Nayriz and Zanjan, "or even take part in them." [4]

Manifestations of God – a brief introduction to the lives and teachings of Krishna, Buddha, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, the Báb, and Bahá’u’lláh – by Hushmand Fatheazam

Krishna

Krishna was a Messenger of God. His Message was the Message of love. He was born in a prison. This was a sign for us to know that all of us are born in the prison of self, the prison of this world. Krishna miraculously escaped from prison. If we try to be good, if we try to be godly, we too can escape from the prison of self.

Krishna, like all the other Manifestations of God, was confronted with the forces of evil. He fought against evil and became victorious. No matter how powerful evil might be, the power of truth is always victorious.

Krishna became the king of Dwarka - which means the small Gate. He was the gate of the knowledge of God Himself. His teachings were for the good of man. But alas! man has rejected them.

Krishna was sad that the people would not understand Him. He complained that people did not believe in Him because He came in human form. They had their own fancies about God and His Manifestation. Therefore, when Krishna claimed that He manifested God, the people rejected Him. This is what Krishna says in the Gita:

"The deluded despise Me clad in human body not knowing MY high nature as Lord of all existence." (Gita, IX, II)

Even His beloved disciple Arjuna could not understand the Divine Power in Krishna. Arjuna could not believe that the temple of man might become the seat of the Divine Being. They say that Krishna had to transfigure Himself into the Divine Form so that Arjuna could see His power and believe in Him. This means that Krishna helped Arjuna to understand His spiritual majesty and grandeur before Arjuna would find faith in the Lord.

Absence of women from the pages of the early history of the Bábi-Bahá’í Faith – by Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani

Women are generally absent from the pages of the early history of the Bábi-Bahá'í Faith and there are reasons for it. Their absence is better understood by older believers from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, for they are familiar with the dynamics at work. These believers rarely saw a woman's name and particulars appear in a history book and this seemed acceptable. They were raised in the cradle of gender inequality and witnessed biases against women all their lives. Almost all women were victims of prejudices that pushed them into oblivion. The older believers were well familiar with the social and religious background giving rise to the marginalization of women in history. They knew that the causes had deep roots and could not be eliminated without education and concerted effort. Some had more important things to do, such as struggling to stay alive and saving their souls. Others did not know any better. To them things looked all right as they were. However, it became increasingly difficult for them to convince the younger generation - the beneficiaries of the principle of gender equality brought by Baha'u'llah - not to challenge the status quo. The slow pace of progress acceptable to older Bahá'ís is insufficient for those who crave tangible and meaningful change.

One area where change is desperately needed is in the way women are treated in history. Lack of information about most of the early women believers, including the women closely related to the Central Figures of the Faith, raises questions about who they were, how they lived their lives, what contribution they made to the progress of the Faith and so on. Bridging the gap between the exercise of unlimited patience towards the unequal treatment of women in history advocated by older believers and the eagerness of the younger generation to ensure that they are not deprived of an important part of their heritage requires conscientious and systematic effort. A significant part of that effort lies in delving into and studying the lives of the early women believers who played an important role, through suffering and working behind the scenes, in shaping historical events. The effort also includes an analysis and assessment of the factors that prompted historians to discuss historical events without disclosing in full the names and particulars of female participants.

Does Soul Survive Body? – by Louis G. Gregory

Does soul survive body? This question has at times puzzled sages as well as peoples of lesser rank. What we know as death is so common that man, even in early life, is impressed with the certainty that mortal existence must sooner or later end. He soon discovers that his body is subject to the changes, decay and ultimate dissolution which attend all other earthly objects. But does his inner being, variously called soul, mind or spirit, really perish with the body as seems to be true? Assurance of life beyond the grave will in this day bring solace to millions who are concerned not only with their own fate, but that of loved ones of all ages who often prematurely cross the great divide. It was an eminent Greek who observed that it is usual during peace for sons to bury their fathers; but in war time fathers bury their sons. In such an unprecedented time as this, not only fathers and sons, but entire families, fellow citizens of great cities and nationals of vast areas, are forced to take their last journey in such numbers and under such tragic conditions as inspire awe. And so the eternal question presses as never before for an answer. And the answer, by divine favor, is now made complete.

The fact that religious devotees in all ages, whether in primitive stages of culture or highly developed, have believed in immortality is in itself impressive. Such people, whether their religious connections be formal or not, doubtless constitute an overwhelming majority of mortals. The probative value of this would not be impressive to the logician, falling into the category of the fallacy of argumentum ad hominem. It is however one often used by lawyers in court and sways both judges and jurors. Some of our greatest statesmen who have moulded the people’s will, have yet in times of great emergency, been led to make wise decisions by that selfsame will, indeed they have but voiced that will -- acted that will. This however is not a proof in itself of immortality, because people believe it and because to most mortals, life would be meaningless without it. Mass beliefs often err.

The belief in immortality has its foundation in the lives and teachings of the most eminent Beings that have ever appeared among mankind. These are the founders of the great Religions of the world, the Prophets of God. These not only proclaimed the truth but embodied the truth. Their tremendous influence throughout the ages is not only venerated by their followers but admitted by students of history and sociology who are not of their faith. They are the supreme authorities appearing among mortals and although living at times remote from each other and in different parts of the earth, they have without exception given their followers assurance of the joys of a heavenly home, this a reward for virtue and fidelity upon earth. They were the mouth-pieces of God upon earth. If we acknowledge the greatness of their stations, sustained as they can readily be by both logic and science as well as spiritual proofs, we must also acknowledge that theirs was a clear and perfect vision of life both upon this plane and those of the worlds beyond. The sunshine establishes its reality without the need of formal proof. Krishna, Buddha, Moses, Jesus, Zoroaster, etc., each and all taught immortality. Their sacrifices and endurance in the path of God are also among the most wonderful signs of it.

Baha’u’llah’s 'Epistle to the Son of the Wolf': explanation of its background circumstances and certain words and phrases, and elucidation concerning its uniqueness – by Marzieh Gail, 1953

"I was walking in the Land of Tá (Tihrán)—the dayspring of the signs of thy Lord—when lo, I heard the lamentation of the pulpits and the voice of their supplication unto God, blessed and glorified be He. They cried out and said: 'O God of the world and Lord of the nations! Thou beholdest our state and the things which have befallen us....'" (Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to the Son of Wolf’)

We, the two billion people currently on the planet, are living at a time when not only the pulpits of all the religions, but all things must be condemning us, each in that voice which, according to the Qur'án, God has given to all things: "God, Who giveth a voice to all things, hath given us a voice...." (41:20). We who have killed some forty-five million human beings in the past thirty-five years, strangers whom we did not even know by name. We who have denied our qualitative difference from the animals and have tried to live in their world, an attempt which has proved as successful as would be the animal's to turn into a tree or the tree's to be a stone. We who spend our time devising elaborate excuses to justify our ways; who always blame someone else, who always want someone else to save us.

It is not surprising that Bahá’u’lláh, the Persian nobleman Who declared His spiritual mission in 1863, should also say: "... ye walk on My earth complacent and self-satisfied, heedless that My earth is weary of you and everything within it shunneth you."

Meanwhile we long for happiness, and then reject it when it is brought to us. Because happiness for human beings means being raised out of the blind physical world into the conscious life of the spirit, and this can only be done by the Prophet of God. At His advent we fight Him and resist Him, whether He is Moses or Buddha, Jesus or Muhammad, or Bahá’u’lláh.

A Sacred History -- a talk by Matthew Weinberg, given at the formal opening of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, on 22 May 2001

Today we commemorate a sacred history of unexampled love, supreme sacrifice, and divine vision. It is a narrative prefigured in the pronouncements of the great seers of the past. As we stand awestruck at the majestic structures and the "tapestry of beauty” now defining the face of God's Holy Mountain, and ponder the mysterious processes responsible for the remarkable transformation of this once barren domain, the words of Isaiah echo on all sides: "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.. . the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God."[1]

In an enterprise revealing a tenacity of purpose, a sustained selflessness, and the power of unified action, the followers of the Greatest Name in all corners of the planet seized a unique moment in time. The raising up of this directing center of the Kingdom of Bahá’u’lláh evokes astonishment at His eternal might and gratitude for His generous dispensations of grace. For we are nothing more than His humble instruments striving to achieve His just and compassionate purpose. The completion of this grand undertaking at once provides evidence of the tangible greatness of the Cause of the 'Abhá Beauty and is a testimony to the existence of an objective spiritual reality - for such an accomplishment could not be brought about by human effort and insight alone. Certainly, the spiritual forces involved lie beyond our comprehension. As Bahá’u’lláh Himself testifies, "This, truly, is a Revelation which revealeth itself only once every five hundred thousand years. Thus have We removed the barrier and lifted the veils." [2]

This occasion offers us the opportunity to look back at a fate-laden and triumphant spiritual journey.

More than 150 years ago, a youthful Prisoner, banished to a desolate mountain fortress, boldly addressed the ruler of Persia in these words: "I am the Primal Point from which have been generated all created things. I am the Countenance of God Whose splendor can never be obscured, the Light of God Whose radiance can never fade."[3] Speaking with an astounding power reminiscent of the Prophets of old, the Báb proclaimed the arrival of a new Day, that long anticipated moment in human history when the Promised One would "fill the earth with equity and justice"[4] and "with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord"[5]

His "trumpet-blast of knowledge" awakened the darkened land of Persia and endowed all who responded with "a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind."[6] His message, though, was not directed to that land alone, for He was the Bearer of a Revelation destined to transform the spiritual life of the human race. "O ye peoples of the earth," the Báb declared, "Enter ye, one and all, through this Gate…”[7] To pass through this Door was to step out of the darkness into the light of God's love and compassion; it led to the "Path of Truth" and to the "ways of peace."[8]

My Visits with ‘Abdu’l-Baha in 1901 & 1912 – transcript of a recording by William Copeland Dodge, February 6th, 1959

This is William Copeland Dodge. Before relating the account of my visits with 'Abdu'l-Baha in 1901 & 1912 may I offer the following prayer written by 'Abdu'l-Baha: 

'O my God! Refresh and gladden my spirit, purify my heart, illuminate my mind. I lay all my affairs in Thy hands. Thou art my Guide and Refuge. I'll no longer be sorrowful or grieved, I’ll be happy and joyful. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety nor will I let troubles harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life. O God! Thou art kinder to me than I am to myself. I dedicate my life to Thee, O God!'

At 4:15 in the afternoon of November 16th, 1901, ‘Abdu’l-Baha entered our room and greeted us. We had just arrived at His Holy household in the prison city of Acca, Syria having traveled in a carriage driven by two horses along the shore of the Mediterranean from Haifa. ‘Abdu’l-Baha said: 'Welcome, my boys', and chanted a prayer for my brother Wendell and me. Wendell was 18 and I was 21 September 6, 1901. My father Arthur Pillsbury Dodge had arranged the trip for us. At that time, ‘Abdu’l-Baha was a prisoner of the Turkish government. But He was allowed the freedom of the city. His home was in the original section of the city enclosed by a high wall. As Acca increased in population a second high wall was build around the city. Finally a third high wall enclosed the entire area.

Before we could enter Acca, it was necessary to obtain a recommendation from the United States government. This requirement was in addition to the usual passport. ‘Abdu’l-Baha was such a living example of love and humility that the government officials, became friendly with Him. General Badri Beg of the Turkish army was the frequent guest at dinner with ‘Abdu’l-Baha, while we were there.

We stayed with ‘Abdu’l-Baha in His household 19 days: November 16th, 1901 to December 4th, 1901. Every day breakfast was served to us in our room. The noon day meal and the evening dinner we had with ‘Abdu’l-Baha at His table. Generally about 16 Persian believers attended each meal, making 19 present. In the Holy Land at that time women did not eat with men when others than the family were present. Each morning after breakfast ‘Abdu’l-Baha came to our room and greeted us. He was gracious, considerate and always concerned with our comfort. At every meal ‘Abdu’l-Baha gave us lessons and allowed us plenty of time to record His remarks in our notebooks.

The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah -- a talk by Hand of the Cause Abu'l-Qasim Faizi, December 9, 1967, Wilmette, Illinois

First of all, a general description of The Hidden Words:

When you study The Hidden Words, and compare it with other Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Writings revealed in Adrianople and later on in the Most Great Prison, you will come to realize that The Hidden Words is the embryonic stage of our Faith. Whatever exists in our Faith exists in The Hidden Words in an embryonic form. By that I mean the general shape of things is given, but not very clear, distinct, explicit and detailed. There are those references to many different aspects of our Faith. It is like a seed which is sown in the city of Baghdád, grew in Adrianople, and reached its fruition in the Most Great Prison. I will give you two examples and the rest you will find by yourselves.

In The Hidden Words Bahá'u'lláh says, "How can you ever turn from this clear, sweet water to that which is wine?"[1] This is not a prohibition sentence. It's just a statement: How can you turn from this to that? But when it grew, the tree grew in Adrianople, and then in the city of 'Akká the Book of Aqdas was revealed, it was utterly forbidden. It is no more ambiguous. It's explicit and is absolutely forbidden for any Bahá'í under any form.

In another place, He says:

"Do you remember that Covenant I made with you in that early morning?"[2] But what is the Covenant? Nobody knew at that time. I said that nobody knew; there were many who knew even then that 'Abdu'l-Bahá was the Center of the Covenant when He was a boy of twelve years. There were many who knew that, but the others did not know. It was ambiguous. But in the city of 'Akká, it was revealed in the Book of Aqdas [The Kitáb-i-Aqdas] that all that is known to you in the books and the writings regarding this Covenant that this refers to the Most Great Branch. He then made it explicit and 'Abdu'l-Bahá was introduced. That's why I call it the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh in its embryonic stage. This is one way to study this book.

The Hidden Words to me is a very glorious sunrise in a beautiful forest. When you study this glorious sunrise and this glorious forest, you must not go and think about one sentence. You will never realize the glory of it, the immensity and majesty of it. You will lose sight of the whole glorious sunrise. Therefore you stay far away from it so you can see the whole view in front of you, very clearly, full of color, full of beautiful references. When you go away from it, you will find it is a world , a plan of life for man. The lines are beautifully drawn; the roads are perfectly paved, on condition that we will not pay attention to little words here and there at the beginning. This is a mistake that many of us do with all the Writings; we stick to one sentence, and we stick to it accompanied by doubt.