O peerless Lord! In Thine almighty wisdom Thou hast enjoined
marriage upon the peoples, that the generations of men may succeed one another
in this contingent world, and that ever, so long as the world shall last, they
may busy themselves at the Threshold of Thy oneness with servitude and worship,
with salutation, adoration and praise. “I have not created spirits and men, but
that they should worship me.” [Qur'an 51:56] 
Divorce should be avoided most strictly by the believers,
and only under rare and urgent circumstances be resorted to. Modern society is
criminally lax as to the sacred nature of marriage, and the believers must
combat this trend assiduously.
Verily, I hope from God that ye may become my associates in
servitude to His Holy Threshold and my partners at the entrance of the Door of
His Oneness; so that ye may equally serve in His great vineyard. Then thank ye
your Lord, for He hath favored you with this manifest success. By God, the true
One! this cannot be equaled either by the dominion of the world or by the gift
of ruling over all regions with pomp, glory and power! Reflect ye upon the
chosen ones of God in the earlier ages! How their worth was unknown during
their days; how they were known by people as but ordinary individuals and
unimportant persons! Afterwards, their arguments appeared, their lights
scintillated, their stars beamed, their trees became lofty, their mysteries
gleamed forth, their fruits were praised, their reservoirs became overflowing,
their gardens adorned, their birds warbled and their joy became perfect in the
Kingdom of their Beneficent Lord.
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, [cf. Qur’án
2:204] 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. [cf. Qur’án 4:51] Indeed His knowledge embraceth all
things...
...under the Covenant of God, Shoghi Effendi was, during his
ministry as Guardian of the Cause, the point of authority in the Faith to which
all were to turn.... The same thing applies to the position occupied by the
Universal House of Justice in its relationship to the friends.
The Administrative Order, which ever since 'Abdu'l-Baha's
ascension has evolved and is taking shape under our very eyes in no fewer than
forty countries of the world, may be considered as the framework of the Will
itself, the inviolable stronghold wherein this new-born child is being nurtured
and developed. This Administrative Order, as it expands and consolidates
itself, will no doubt manifest the potentialities and reveal the full
implications of this momentous Document -- this most remarkable expression of
the Will of One of the most remarkable Figures of the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah.
It will, as its component parts, its organic institutions, begin to function
with efficiency and vigour, assert its claim and demonstrate its capacity to be
regarded not only as the nucleus but the very pattern of the New World Order
destined to embrace in the fullness of time the whole of mankind.
Exalted, immensely exalted is He Who hath removed
differences and established harmony. Glorified, infinitely glorified is He Who
hath caused discord to cease, and decreed solidarity and unity. Praised be God,
the Pen of the Most High hath lifted distinctions from between His servants and
handmaidens, and, through His consummate favours and all-encompassing mercy,
hath conferred upon all a station and rank of the same plane. He hath broken
the back of vain imaginings with the sword of utterance and hath obliterated
the perils of idle fancies through the pervasive power of His might.
In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and a
source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto
him. Happy the man that cleaveth unto it, and woe betide the heedless.
The Bahá’í Faith upholds the unity of God, recognizes the
unity of His Prophets, and inculcates the principle of the oneness and
wholeness of the entire human race. It proclaims the necessity and the
inevitability of the unification of mankind, asserts that it is gradually
approaching, and claims that nothing short of the transmuting spirit of God,
working through His chosen Mouthpiece in this day, can ultimately succeed in
bringing it about.
…in every age, when a new Manifestation hath appeared and a
fresh revelation of God's transcendent power was vouchsafed unto men, they that
misbelieved in Him, deluded by the appearance of the peerless and everlasting Beauty
in the garb of mortal men, have failed to recognize Him. They have erred from
His path and eschewed His company -- the company of Him Who is the Symbol of
nearness to God.
... Each of us is responsible for one life only, and that is
our own. Each of us is immeasurably far from being 'perfect as our heavenly
Father is perfect' and the task of perfecting our own life and character is one
that requires all our attention, our will- power and energy. If we allow our
attention and energy to be taken up in efforts to keep others right and remedy
their faults, we are wasting precious time.
To read the writings of the Faith and to strive to obtain a
more adequate understanding of the significance of Baha’u’llah’s stupendous
Revelation are obligations laid on every one of His followers. All are enjoined
to delve into the ocean of His Revelation and to partake, in keeping with their
capacities and inclinations, of the pearls of wisdom that lie therein.
Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a
sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to
this I bear witness.
The Institution of the Hands of the Cause of God was brought
into existence in the time of Baha'u'llah and when the Administrative Order was
proclaimed and formally established by 'Abdu'l-Baha in His Will, it became an
auxiliary institution of the Guardianship.
No brotherhood appears in the world as lasting save that of
the spiritual type. Only that brotherhood is permanent and eternal, for it is a
spiritual brotherhood through the breath of the Holy Spirit. It is absolutely
indissoluble; permanently will it remain intact, and in all the worlds of God
will it be everlasting. It is a brotherhood not based upon thoughts, but one
that has emanated from the love of God. It is not founded for the attainment of
physical or material interests. This spiritual brotherhood has no other purpose
than nearness to the Threshold of God. It is not for defensive purposes but for
the illumination of the human heart.
The creative energies released by the Law of Baha'u'llah,
permeating and evolving within the mind of 'Abdu'l-Baha have, by their very
impact and close interaction, given birth to an Instrument which may be viewed
as the Charter of the New World Order which is at once the glory and the
promise of this most great Dispensation.
The Will may thus be acclaimed as the inevitable offspring resulting
from that mystic intercourse between Him Who communicated the generating
influence of His divine Purpose and the One Who was its vehicle and chosen
recipient. Being the Child of the Covenant -- the Heir of both the Originator
and the Interpreter of the Law of God -- the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha
can no more be divorced from Him Who supplied the original and motivating
impulse than from the One Who ultimately conceived it.
The world is in great turmoil, and what is most pathetic is
that it has learned to keep away from God, Who alone can save it and alleviate
its sufferings. It is our duty, we who have been trusted with the task of
applying the divine remedy given by Bahá'u'lláh, to concentrate our attention
upon the consummation of this task, and not rest until the peace foretold by
the Prophets of God is permanently established....
…man is said to be the greatest sign of God—that is, he is
the Book of Creation—for all the mysteries of the universe are found in him.
Should he come under the shadow of the true Educator and be rightly trained, he
becomes the gem of gems, the light of lights, and the spirit of spirits; he
becomes the focal centre of divine blessings, the wellspring of spiritual
attributes, the dawning-place of heavenly lights, and the recipient of divine
inspirations. Should he, however, be deprived of this education, he becomes the
embodiment of satanic attributes, the epitome of animal vices, and the source
of all that is oppressive and dark.
The waves of the ocean of divine mercy appear at the utmost
height, and the showers of the clouds of His grace and favor descend every
moment. During the days of sojourn in ‘Iráq this Oppressed One sat down and
consorted with all classes without veil or disguise. How many of the denizens
of the horizons entered in enmity and went forth in sympathy! The door of grace
was open before the faces of all. With rebellious and obedient did We outwardly
converse after one fashion, that perchance the evildoers might win their way to
the ocean of boundless forgiveness. The splendors of the Name of the Concealer
were in such wise manifested that the evildoer imagined that he was accounted
of the good. No messenger was disappointed and no inquirer was turned back.
It is a vital and urgent duty of the Assemblies, both
National and Local, not only to apply the Laws of Bahá'u'lláh with justice and
firmness, but to increase the believers' understanding of and devotion to these
Laws. In this way they will obey them not through fear of punishment but out of
love for Bahá'u'lláh and because their whole lives have been transformed and
re-oriented in the Way of God.
The Administrative Order conceived by Baha'u'llah
accomplishes its divinely ordained purpose through a system of institutions,
each with its defined sphere of action. The central governing body of the Order
is the Universal House of Justice, whose terms of reference are the revealed
Word of Baha'u'llah together with the
interpretations and expositions of 'Abdu'l-Baha
and the Guardian. Under its guidance, legislative, executive and
judicial authority over the affairs of the Baha'i community is exercised by
Local and National Spiritual Assemblies. This authority is also exercised by
Regional Councils, committees and other agencies established by these institutions,
to the extent that it is so delegated.
The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, whose supreme mission is none
other but the achievement of this organic and spiritual unity of the whole body
of nations, should, if we be faithful to its implications, be regarded as
signalizing through its advent the coming of age of the entire human race. It
should be viewed not merely as yet another spiritual revival in the
ever-changing fortunes of mankind, not only as a further stage in a chain of
progressive Revelations, nor even as the culmination of one of a series of
recurrent prophetic cycles, but rather as marking the last and highest stage in
the stupendous evolution of man's collective life on this planet.
The continual aim of the institutions of the Bahá’í
community—whether it be through the operation of summer schools and training
institutes, through the development of the Nineteen Day Feasts and National
Conventions, or through day-to-day interaction among the friends—is to empower
the individual believers so that they will learn how to live their lives with
increasing knowledge, wisdom, unity and fruitfulness in conformity with the
Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
The understanding of His words and the comprehension of the
utterances of the Birds of Heaven are in no wise dependent upon human learning.
They depend solely upon purity of heart, chastity of soul, and freedom of
spirit.
In accordance with the divine teachings in this glorious
dispensation we should not belittle anyone and call him ignorant, saying: 'You
know not, but I know’. Rather, we should look upon others with respect, and
when attempting to explain and demonstrate, we should speak as if we are
investigating the truth, saying: 'Here these things are before us. Let us
investigate to determine where and in what form the truth can be found.’
The believers must be encouraged to teach individually in
their own homes. Baha’u’llah has enjoined upon the Baha'is the sacred
obligation of teaching. We have no priests, therefore the service once rendered
by priests to their religion is the service every single Baha'i is expected to
render individually to his religion. He must be the one who enlightens new
souls, confirms them, heals the wounded and the weary upon the road of life,
and gives them to quaff from the chalice of everlasting life -- the knowledge
of the Manifestation of God in His Day.
Baha'u'llah tells us that prejudice in its various forms
destroys the edifice of humanity. We are adjured by the Divine Messenger to
eliminate all forms of prejudice from our lives. Our outer lives must show
forth our beliefs. The world must see that, regardless of each passing whim or
current fashion of the generality of mankind, the Baha'i lives his life
according to the tenets of his Faith. We must not allow the fear of rejection
by our friends and neighbours to deter us from our goal: to live the Baha'i
life. Let us strive to blot out from our lives every last trace of prejudice --
racial, religious, political, economic, national, tribal, class, cultural, and
that which is based on differences of education or age. We shall be
distinguished from our non-Baha'i associates if our lives are adorned with this
principle.
“The heights,” Bahá’u’lláh Himself testifies, “which,
through the most gracious favor of God, mortal man can attain in this Day are
as yet unrevealed to his sight. The world of being hath never had, nor doth it
yet possess, the capacity for such a revelation. The day, however, is
approaching when the potentialities of so great a favor will, by virtue of His
behest, be manifested unto men.”
'Abdu'l-Baha… may be said to have closed the Age to which He
Himself belonged and opened the one in which we are now labouring. His Will and
Testament should thus be regarded as the perpetual, the indissoluble link which
the mind of Him Who is the Mystery of God has conceived in order to insure the
continuity of the three ages that constitute the component parts of the Baha'i
Dispensation. The period in which the seed of the Faith had been slowly
germinating is thus intertwined both with the one which must witness its
efflorescence and the subsequent age in which that seed will have finally
yielded its golden fruit.