November, 1984
Ninth Annual Conference of the Association for Baha'i Studies
Ottawa, Canada
I have been asked to speak of the beloved of all hearts, Shoghi Effendi. I will say a Persian poem: Tá'key bi-tammannáy-i-visál-i-Tu, Yigáneh Ashgam shavad az bar muzheh chun seyl raváneh. This is the English translation:
How long will this torrent of tears flood from each lash in my longing to meet thee?
O, the unique one, my beloved, Will the night of thy separation ever end?
O, thou, whose agony and tribulations have, as an arrow, pierced the hearts of thy lovers.
Multitudes are occupied in thy praise whilst thou art hidden from them.( Sheikh-i-Baha'i, Baha'i News, March, 1976; Ash’ar-i-parákandeh, Sheikh-i-Baha'i, 76)
Now we are all, as individuals in this multitude, occupied with the praise of the beloved Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of this glorious Manifestation. According to Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha such a dispensation as the Revelation of Baha'u'llah comes to the world only once in every 500,000 years. Only then will there be another Guardian of the Cause.
I remember the time I was in the presence of Shoghi Effendi when he spoke about the significance of twin [1] things in the Cause. In fact, he sent a cable about this to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the British Isles. In this cable, he told us about the significance of twin occurrences in this Cause. He told the Assembly that we have twin cities – holy cities -'Akka and Haifa; twin houses - the House of Shiraz and the House of Baghdad; twin Manifestations - the Manifestation of the Bab and that of Baha'u'llah. He continued, telling us everything is twin: twin festivals- the birthday of the Bab and that of Baha'u'llah; twin monuments - of the brother and mother of 'Abdu'l-Baha. During this time I was in his presence, the beloved Guardian was so exhilarated and happy. It gave me the courage to mention to him that we have two gardens: the garden of Ridvan and the garden of Firdaws. Then, the beloved Shoghi Effendi smiled and said, "You've noted that, but you have forgotten to say twin vistas: the view of the sea and the view of the mountain." After explaining these things, he paused and looked at me deeply and said, "In the Cause of God everything is twin." I have no doubt that he meant two Manifestations and two Interpreters: The Bab and Baha'u'llah, the two Manifestations of God; and 'Abdu'l-Baha and the beloved Shoghi Effendi, the two Interpreters.
Now that Baha'u'llah has called Shoghi Effendi to the Abha Kingdom, we can see it clearly. According to the scriptures, which I shared with some of the friends, it was known how long the beloved Shoghi Effendi would live in this world: the duration of his ministry. In that reference, it very expressly mentions that the first successorship after Baha'u'llah will have the name 'Abbas. "'Abbb will become the leader of mankind." (Yasiru’l ‘Abbas Imamun’Nas) It goes on to say that, "The second successorship belongs to the one, that wonderful glorious face, whose name starts with 'Shi' [Shoghi]." The quotation continues saying that they will reign seventy years. 'Abdu'l-Baha's ministry lasted thirty lunar years, and the beloved Guardian's lasted more than thirty-seven lunar years. When rounded off in the Arab custom, this comes to seventy years (1892-1963).
If that duration was known to them, how much more well known to the beloved Shoghi Effendi? Of course, he knew what time he was passing, so that removes from our minds any thought that the beloved Guardian left us prematurely. He just closed his eyes the moment Baha'u'llah called him. It was known to him. This is my firm conviction: that Shoghi Effendi answered the call of Baha’u’llah. When he got rid of this mortal life, he felt assured that he had accomplished his ministry, and we should be assured.
The greatest task for him was to form, to start the World Order of Baha'u'llah and the Universal House of Justice. Friends, the beloved Shoghi Effendi, I tell you, would not have passed before he accomplished his assignments from God. So, although we are heartbroken with his passing, and only time can remedy this, we have his guidance, the same way that we have the guidance of the Bab, Baha'u'llah, and 'Abdu'l-Baha. We have the World Order of Baha'u'llah, but have we ever thought who elaborated and unfolded the World Order of Baha'u'llah?
To the question whether there would be any person to whom all the Baha'is would be called upon to turn after the passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha, we read in The Dispensation of Baha'u'llah: "It should be borne in mind that the institution of the Guardianship has been anticipated by 'Abdu'l-Baha in an allusion He made in a Tablet addressed, long before His own ascension, to three of His friends in Persia." (Shoghi Effendi, The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah, p.58) We know the names of these friends. 'Abdu'l-Baha's Tablet stated:
“As to the question ye have asked me, know verily that this is a well-guarded secret. It is even as a gem concealed within its shell. That it will be revealed is predestined. The time will come when its light will appear, when its evidences will be made manifest, and its secrets unravelled.” (‘Abdu’l-Baha, quoted in Shoghi Effendi, The Dispensation of Baha’u'llah, 58)
This allusion was fulfilled in the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu'l-Baha, where 'Abdu'l-Baha speaks of "the Light that after my passing shineth from the Dayspring of Divine Guidance. . ." (‘Abdu'l-Baha, Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust) Be-beeneed! [means: look it up]
As I mentioned, because of his great modesty, the beloved Guardian gave every credit to the Central Figures of the Baha'i Faith and to the Baha'is, saying: "The Baha'is are going to announce the Ten-Year Crusade"; "The Baha'is are intending to do this and that" et cetera. But, Shoghi Effendi was predestined and was mentioned in the Holy Scriptures! ‘Abdu'l-Baha confirmed this: "That this is a well-guarded secret" from time immemorial; "It is even as a gem concealed within its shell." (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi, The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah, p. 58) In the Islamic Hadith [cited earlier], even the duration of his kingdom is mentioned; how long 'Abdu'l-Baha and the beloved Guardian would live are predicted. The name of the Guardian is there in all these scriptures. (Jafr-i-Jami or Imam-‘Ali)
You are familiar with the story of Miss Drayton of New York who wrote to 'Abdu'l-Baha about the prophecies of Isaiah regarding the time of the Branch, when the wolf and lamb will lie down together. Then it says "And a little child will lead them."( Isaiah 11:6) She asked whether this "little child," who, according to her understanding, would be the successor of 'Abdu'l-Baha, had been born. 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote back and said:
“Verily, that child is born and is alive and from him will appear wondrous things that thou wilt hear of in the future. Thou shalt behold him endowed with the most perfect appearance, supreme capacity, absolute perfection, consummate power and unsurpassed might. His face will shine with a radiance that illumines all the horizons of the world; therefore forget this not as long as thou dost live in as much as ages and centuries will bear traces of him.” (Ruhiyyih Rabbani, The Priceless Pearl, p. 2)
Friends, who am I to speak about the beloved Shoghi Effendi? I am so inadequate, humble dust. Let us see how ‘Abdu'l-Baha praises him: "Thou shalt behold him endowed with the most perfect appearance, supreme capacity, absolute perfection, consummate power and unsurpassed might. His face will shine with a radiance that illumines all the horizons of the world." (Ruhiyyih Rabbani, The Priceless Pearl, p., 2) The face of the beloved Guardian shines in all the Pacific, in all these islands, in Houses of Worship all over the world. All these places are the fruits of the pioneers and the Ten-Year Crusade that Shoghi Effendi announced. All these pioneers, these martyrs to whom every credit for the victory of the Baha'i Faith is given, were raised by him. The power of the words, the encouragement, and all the plans of the beloved Guardian moved them to go, and it now moves people to make all kinds of sacrifices. Of course, all these things are the result of the great power of Baha’u’llah being released to the world. "Therefore forget this not as long as thou dost live inasmuch as ages and centuries will bear traces of him." 'Abdu’l-Baha’s use of the phrase, "the Twin surging seas," beginning the salutation in his Will and Testament declaring the Guardianship of Shoghi Effendi, has its source in the most poetic chapter of the Qur'an.
Friends, it is too soon to appreciate the beloved Shoghi Effendi, the beloved Guardian. How much he sacrificed! I don't know how to tell you how hard he worked. When we were in the Holy Land, we stayed in the Pilgrim House, which is situated on a hill. At night we faced the room of the beloved Shoghi Effendi down the hill. We could see the light in his room. It was too far to see him, but we could see the light. After midnight, the light was still on. I said to Javadukht [Dhikru’llah Khadem’s wife] "O God, how hard the beloved Guardian works! When does he start, and when does he finish?" The following day in the presence of the Guardian, this was on my mind, but I did not mention it to him. But, through Baha'u'llah, he knew everything. When I walked with him, he turned to me and asked, "Do you know what time I start work?" He continued, "I start work at 4:00 a.m. every day, and I finish at midnight, after midnight, every day." Friends, this is how the beloved Shoghi Effendi worked.
I made my first pilgrimage in 1925, then again in 1926. And not again until 1937. Then I went in 1938 and 1939. I was so eager, I felt a burning love for Shoghi Effendi. I wished I could be in his presence many times. He was so kind to me; he said to me, "I give you a permanent visa. Any time you can come, you are welcome." It gave me courage and great happiness so that I tried to go almost every year until the beloved Shoghi Effendi said to me, "I'll call you." I did not return until 1952.
I was there in 1925. Shoghi Effendi did not come one day to the regular meeting of the friends. Every Sunday there was a meeting -- a big gathering. Just imagine a big gathering with the beloved Shoghi Effendi there speaking to you. Instead he had a guest, an honored guest, at the House of the Master.
Let me tell you something about Dr. Varqa, who is at this conference, and his beloved father, Valiyu'llah Varqa, the late Varqa, about whom the beloved Shoghi Effendi said, "In the company of the Hands, he is chosen."
You know, Mirza 'Ali-Muhammad-i-Varqa, Dr. Varqa's grandfather, was one of the greatest, most prominent martyrs. He gave his life and that of one of his sons, 12-year-old Ruh’u’llah, for Baha’u’llah. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 296) One of his other sons, Valiyu'llah Varqa, the father of our Hand Dr. Varqa, was in the entourage of 'Abdu'l-Baha in 1912, in the West, in America. Dr. Varqa's uncle sent a photograph to America showing Dr. Varqa (who was only four months old) sitting on his uncle's lap and said, "Baha'u'llah has given us this child." When anybody received mail from Persia, 'Abdu'l-Baha asked, "What was the news?" Mr. Varqa bowed and said he had received a letter including a photograph of his son sitting on the lap of his uncle. 'Abdu'l-Baha asked to see it. When the photograph was offered to 'Abdu'l-Baha, he kissed it and wrote on one of the baby's hands, "Hand" and on the other he wrote "Confirmed." And on his brow "Ya Baha’u’l-Abha"' or "Allah’u'Abha" This photograph remained in the family, and nobody knew the significance for so many years until the beloved Shoghi Effendi appointed Dr. Varqa as a Hand of the Cause of God. Later, when the photograph was reported to the Guardian, who had never been told, out of his great modesty he said, "Seemingly, I wasn't aware," but he knew. They know everything. They speak to us according to our capacity and our shortcomings, because how else can we be in their presence? If the beloved Guardian revealed his knowledge to those close to him, if he showed his power, none could stand it. So this is one of the wisdoms.
Well, I was telling you I was in the Pilgrim House, and I went to serve the pilgrims and friends by offering them tea. Then I faced the room of the beloved Guardian down the hill, and I felt a longing in my heart. I thought, "O Baha'u'llah, I wish I could be here during the wedding of the beloved Shoghi Effendi." That was in 1925. Later, I had a dream that the wedding would take place when the beloved Guardian was forty years old. Then, on one of my trips when the beloved Guardian was not there (in 1936), I went to the Shrine of ‘Abdu'l-Baha and prayed hard. And there, from that Shrine, I wrote a letter to the beloved Shoghi Effendi. I said I was so sinful, full of shortcomings, that I came to the Holy Land only to be deprived of being in his presence. The beloved Guardian wrote back saying, "Soon you'll come, and you will fulfill your heart's desire." I didn't understand what he meant until the time we were in Baghdad and heard the friends speaking of the great event. They said, "This is the day of joy. This is the beloved Guardian's wedding with Ruhiyyih Khanum, the daughter of the Maxwells." As soon as I heard this, I rushed to send a cable and give the news to Persia.
At that time, the old Shah, the father of the Shah who was recently dethroned, was in power. He had cut off relations with America and was not in favor of the Baha'i Faith. There were no diplomatic relations between Persia and America because of certain events. A cable was sent from the Holy Land announcing the wedding of the beloved Guardian in these terms: "NOW THE UNITY OF THE EAST AND WEST HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED." Just imagine: at the time the Shah had cut off relations with the West, this bold cable was sent from the Holy Land. We knew that it would not be permitted to reach Tehran. So, from Baghdad, I sent a cable to Tehran, and I gave the glad tidings very briefly: "GLAD TIDINGS GUARDIAN'S WEDDING MAXWELLS' DAUGHTER" and my signature. When I reached Haifa, Shoghi Effendi asked that a copy of the cable be submitted to him, which I did. He gave me the original cable from the Holy Land and asked me to cable it again to the Baha'is of Iran via Baghdad. It was just a year or less earlier, that he had said my heart's desire would be fulfilled, and I was blessed to give the news to the Baha'is of Iran.
I was instructed by the beloved Shoghi Effendi to visit the friends in Persia. He said: "Give the glad tidings to the friends in Iran and visit them on my behalf." So, we had a wonderful time driving every weekend from Tehran to different parts of the country. When I finished that assignment, he sent another message through Mr. Noonoo, my closest friend who accompanied me most of the time, saying, "Let him start over again." So we had that great bounty; nothing is more important. According to Baha'u'llah, nothing is sweeter than to be with his friends: "He that seeketh to commune with God, let him betake himself to the companionship of His loved ones. . . ." (Baha'u'llah, The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, p. 42) We covered all Persia for the second time.
In 1939, when the twin monuments of the brother and mother of 'Abdu'l-Baha were transferred to Mount Carmel, Shoghi Effendi gave me the original Tablet to the Persian friends. I had the bounty to be there in the Holy Land that night when the beloved Guardian dedicated the monuments and the spotlights were illumined, immersing the monuments in brilliance. Then the beloved Shoghi Effendi spoke of the station of the mother and brother of 'Abdu'l-Baha and said that this was the fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah, in the fifty-fourth chapter. Nobody had known this! He said the whole chapter is addressed to the mother of 'Abdu'l-Baha: "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: Spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes." I won't read the whole thing, although the beloved Shoghi Effendi said it from memory from the Scriptures. "Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed": the mother of 'Abdu'l-Baha. "Neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: . . . For thy Maker is thine husband"; Baha'u'llah: "thine husband."(Isaiah 54:2,4,5)
The beloved Shoghi Effendi said that for thousands of years they read this, yet nobody knew what it meant. But it couldn't be more explicit than "thy Maker," Baha'u'llah, "is thine husband”; "The Lord of Hosts is His name." Then the beloved Shoghi Effendi said this was the beginning --the beginning and prelude to the formation of the Universal House of Justice. Earlier, when he sent a message to the friends all over the world that this transfer of the remains was "great glad tidings," we didn't know what it meant!
I remember that when this was read, one of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, who is now in the Abha Kingdom, turned to us and wondered, "How can this be great glad tidings?" Well, he couldn't imagine that the beloved Shoghi Effendi had it in mind to establish the World Order of Baha'u'llah, crowned by the Universal House of Justice, around the monument of the Greatest Holy Leaf and these twin monuments. It started then. Now we know about the Arc and the unfoldment of the World Order of Baha’u’llah. Now we have the construction of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. We could not understand it then! He was the builder of all these things. And all the time he encouraged the friends to pray for that day that Baha’u’llah in the Tablet of Carmel has prophesied: "Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee. . . ." (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 16) Many times, perhaps every day, he would say to the pilgrims, "Sawfa tajri Safnat'u'llah alayki," as he gestured with a wave of his hand. He said it meant the Ark of God, whose occupants are the members of the Universal House of Justice, will sail on Thee, O Mount Carmel! He said that it meant the Laws of God will pour from Thee to the whole world! He said, "Let them pray for this day." This was his mission on behalf of Baha’u’llah, on behalf of the Bab. The Bab said in his Mother Book, the Bayan, "Well is it with him who hath gazed upon the Order of Baha'u'llah." He heralded it. The Bab would not physically see this Order, but He heralded it. The beloved Guardian said that according to the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the station of the Bab is, first, the Manifestation of the Unity of God and, then, the Forerunner of Baha'u'llah and, Shoghi Effendi added, based upon this verse by the Bab in the Bayan, the Forerunner of the World Order of Baha'u'llah.
In the meantime I was not busy there in the Holy Land, and I wished the beloved Shoghi Effendi would give me an assignment. I was just idle. I enjoyed myself; I had a good nap. I enjoyed going to the gardens and everything. Finally I told myself, "Today, I'll ask him to tell me to do something." I could pick the flowers, at least, and put the petals on the Threshold of the Shrines. To tell you the truth, I never opened my lips in front of him. I was just silent. I found so many times -- hundreds of times, thousands of times, that he read my heart through the channel of Baha'u'llah, just as 'Abdu'l-Baha read the hearts. I had made a pledge not to speak until spoken to, not to tell him anything. I thought, "If there was anything that I should know he would tell me; why should I take his time?" But that day, I made up my mind. I said, "Today I will ask the beloved Guardian."
We were in a big gathering on Mount Carmel. The beloved Shoghi Effendi was sitting there. He always sat one or two chairs further down from that window which faces the Mediterranean, and I think I was the fourth one or so. He told me where to sit. He was speaking to the audience of the wonders of this Faith. I was thinking and praying, "O Baha'u'llah, help me today to ask him to give me an assignment." In the middle of my thoughts, the beloved Shoghi Effendi turned and said to me, "Have you memorized the Tablet of Carmel?" At that moment I wanted the ground to open and swallow me.
On one assignment, the beloved Guardian sent me to Egypt. There was an old man, a resident of Egypt, who was around one-hundred years old -- Husayn Ruhi. This man was truly a wonderful man. He received a knighthood from the British government and was an historic figure. He was visiting there in Haifa. The beloved Shoghi Effendi bade him to go with me to Jerusalem and obtain a visa for Egypt. Upon our return with the visa, he said to me, "Go to Egypt and tell the friends the glad tidings." Then the beloved Guardian turned to Mr. Ruhi and said, "And you translate for him into Arabic." Neither of us knew what were the glad tidings that I should tell the friends. I did not dare ask the beloved Shoghi Effendi. So we went to Egypt and met the friends. The hall was packed; there was no room for anyone else. While I was in Cairo in the presence of all these friends, I wanted to tell them the glad tidings. I couldn't think of anything. "O God! Ya' Baha'u'l-Abha! What to tell them?"
Something in my ears said, "Tell them about the sufferings of the Baha'is of Iran," which did not seem to be glad tidings. So I started to tell them that I had been to the prison in Tehran and the prisoners were brought -- the entire membership of the Assembly of Yazd including two Afnan, the relatives of the Bab. This old Haji Muhammad Tahir-i-Malmiri, the great historian, was chained. His eyes were weak. He was perhaps eighty years old. And the other prisoners were there. There was a fence from the floor to the ceiling and, two meters beyond, another fence separating us. These prisoners were brought so we could see them, while an officer was standing with them.
Of course, you know what our emotions were. I said to the prisoners that I came from the beloved, and he has sent his bounties, blessings, and greetings to you all. Oh, they started to dance hearing these things! But this aged Haji Tahir could not hear, nor could he see me. He had these chains on his feet. He asked his friends, "What does he say?" So I said louder, "I came from on high and brought the good pleasure of the beloved for you." This is a phrase (az fawq amadam) that the Baha'is understand. Haji Muhammad Tahir cried and raised his hands in thanksgiving to Baha'u'llah. He said, "This only shows the generosity of the beloved Guardian! Who are we to deserve such a bounty?" Stories like this came to mind to tell the friends in Egypt.
When we finished and were coming back to the Holy Land, I was so unhappy, I blamed myself. Why didn't I ask the Guardian what were the glad tidings that I should deliver so I could have accomplished my assignment? In the Holy Land, while I was still agonizing over this, the beloved Shoghi Effendi said to me, ''Don't worry, the great glad tidings were the stories of the sufferings of the Baha'is of Iran that you have already told the believers in Egypt." That was my assignment in Egypt. Then in 1939 the beloved Guardian said, "This travel to Egypt was a prelude to your travelling to the West." Then he quoted Baha'u'llah from his poetic Mathnavi: "Ay Jamalul-lah burun a az niqab, Ta burun ayad ze maghrib aftab." "O Beauty of God," Baha'u'llah addresses Himself, "Unveil Thyself so that the Sun may shine from the West." The beloved Shoghi Effendi said (he was the Interpreter of the Writings), "It means that the Sun of miracles and the mysteries of the Faith, the Sun of majesty, will rise from the West, from America." He said that the Sun of the dignity of the Baha'i Faith will rise from the West. Then he paused and said to me, "I'll send you to the West, to America, to witness with your own eyes, the secret, the mystery, the light of the Cause in those lands."
With this wonderful man, Husayn Ruhi, walking with me, the beloved Shoghi Effendi told me, "In the future you'll be visiting all these places in the world." That very morning Husayn Ruhi and I busied ourselves putting our fingers on a globe of the world as we studied various places (without having a reason) until we reached Guatemala. Husayn Ruhi and I could not pronounce it. We tried to help each other to pronounce it.
Later that day, when we were in the presence of the beloved Guardian, he said, "Thanks to Baha'u'llah that His Cause has reached to all these places, to Iceland. . .” [I don't know what he would say now, there in the presence of Baha'u'llah, the Bab, and ‘Abdu'l-Baha! Look what has happened: The Cause has reached to every corner of the world.] Then he spoke about Europe and its ten goal countries. He spoke highly about America and then about Central America. Then he paused and turned to look at the two of us and said, "Also Guatemala." And this old man, Husayn Ruhi, he threw himself on the knees of the beloved Guardian and cried. Then the beloved Shoghi Effendi turned to me and said, "You will see all these places in the future. Your travelling to Egypt will be a prelude to these trips." He then paused and said, "And at the dedication of the House of Worship in Wilmette you will be chanting." Can you imagine? I asked the members of the United States National Assembly if any of them knew what time the dedication would take place. None of them knew. Later it was time for my wife to be in the presence of the beloved Guardian, and Shoghi Effendi said to her, "In the future you will accompany your husband, and you will see all these places." That was in 1939.
In 1952, he sat with us in the gardens of the Shrine of the Bab and handed me an envelope. The envelope had writing on the top, written hastily in pencil. It contained many pages, maybe sixteen to seventeen pages. Some of these pages were filled completely, some with one or two passages from the Bab's Commentary on the Surih of Joseph. He bade me to chant them. I didn't know the purpose. I was very happy because the beloved Guardian would comment and explain to me the passages we were reading. When I chanted, I put every sheet underneath thinking I might keep them. I was very happy because of the way he interpreted the Commentary. I thought, "Well, we'll go to the Pilgrim House, and we shall study it over again and remember his explanations." He corrected my chanting when I came to a particular point. [Later when I did chant at the Wilmette House of Worship, I did it according to the corrections of the beloved Guardian.] Then the moment I put the pages in the envelope intending to put it in my pocket, the beloved Shoghi Effendi extended his hand to take it back. That broke my heart. I had no choice, I walked to him and presented it. As I presented it, only in my heart I said, "O my beloved, I wish it were otherwise."
A year later, we were at the dedication of the House of Worship. The night we arrived at the hotel, our mail was on the table. When I opened the mail, the National Spiritual Assembly informed us that they had presented the program of the dedication of the House of Worship to the beloved Shoghi Effendi. He had approved it, but he added that, "Khadem is to chant from the Commentary on the Shrih of Joseph," and had sent me those same papers that I had wished to have. He fulfilled his prophecy of 1939 and the longing in my heart by giving me that precious gift.
(The Vision of Shoghi Effendi, Proceedings of the Association for Baha'i Studies, Ninth Annual Conference, November 2-4, 1984, Ottawa, Canada)
[1] Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Bahai' World 1950-1957: "Greatly enhanced international endowments in Holy Land in twin cities of Acre and Haifa, now include twin Holy Shrines situated on plain of Acre and slope of Mount Carmel; twin Mansions of Bahji and Mazra'ih, twin historic Houses inhabited by Baha'u'llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha; twin International Archives adjoining the Bab's Sepulcher and the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf; twin Pilgrim Houses, constructed for Oriental and Occidental pilgrims; twin Gardens of Ridvan and Firdaws, associated with the memory of the Author of the Baha'i Dispensation."