…we must reach a spiritual plane where God comes first and
great human passions are unable to turn us away from Him. 
The great thing is to "live the life"--to have our
lives so saturated with the Divine teachings and the Bahá'í Spirit that people
cannot fail to see a joy, a power, a love, a purity, a radiance, an efficiency
in our character and work that will distinguish us from worldly-minded people
and make people wonder what is the secret of this new life in us.
Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be
worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and
friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an
answerer to the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge.
The teachings of Bahá'u'lláh will establish a new way of
life for humanity. Those who are Bahá'ís must endeavour to establish this way
of life just as rapidly as possible. Now that the hour has arrived when the
Bahá'í Faith is gaining prominence, and is being reviewed by so many peoples,
it is necessary that the adherents of the Faith should live up to the high
ideals of the Faith in every way. In this way they can demonstrate that the
Bahá'í Faith does create a new way of life, which brings to the individual a
complete association with the Will of God, and thus the establishment of a
peaceful and universal society. Divisional attachments are of men, while
universal service is of God.
…the happiness and well-being of humanity depend upon…
cultivating human character and social order in conformity with reality. Divine
teachings shed light on reality, enabling every soul to investigate it properly
and to acquire, through the exercise of personal discipline, those attributes
that are to distinguish the human being. “Man should know his own self”,
Bahá’u’lláh states, “and recognize that which leadeth unto loftiness or
lowliness, glory or abasement, wealth or poverty.”
O Children of Dust! Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of
the poor, lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive
them of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine;
well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues.
The Guardian values the hymns that you are so beautifully
composing. They certainly contain the realities of the Faith, and will indeed
help you to give the Message to the young ones. It is the music which assists
us to affect the human spirit; it is an important means which helps us to
communicate with the soul. The Guardian hopes that through this assistance you
will give the Message to the people, and will attract their hearts.
With 'Abdu'l-Bahá's ascension, and more particularly with
the passing of His well-beloved and illustrious sister the Most Exalted Leaf --
the last survivor of a glorious and heroic age -- there draws to a close the
first and most moving chapter of Bahá'í history, marking the conclusion of the
Primitive, the Apostolic Age of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. It was 'Abdu'l-Bahá
Who, through the provisions of His weighty Will and Testament, has forged the
vital link which must forever connect the age that has just expired with the
one we now live in -- the Transitional and Formative period of the Faith -- a
stage that must in the fullness of time reach its blossom and yield its fruit
in the exploits and triumphs that are to herald the Golden Age of the
Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh.
The Guardian feels that your attitude towards the corrupt
practice of accepting commissions from fellow physicians and pharmacists is
most admirable. The more upright and noble the Bahá'ís are in their conduct,
the more they will impress the public with the spiritual vitality of the Faith
they believe in.
One must call the people to love and faithfulness, to zeal
and contentment, that the sinful may be admonished and the ranks of the
virtuous may swell. Nor is it possible that there be no sinners: So long as the
name “the Ever-Forgiving” shineth resplendent above the horizon of existence,
there will be sinners in the world of creation, for the latter cannot appear
without the former and the former cannot exist without the latter.
Behold how the sun shines upon all creation, but only
surfaces that are pure and polished can reflect its glory and light. The
darkened soul has no portion of the revelation of the glorious effulgence of
reality; and the soil of self, unable to take advantage of that light, does not
produce growth. The eyes of the blind cannot behold the rays of the sun; only
pure eyes with sound and perfect sight can receive them. Green and living trees
can absorb the bounty of the sun; dead roots and withered branches are
destroyed by it. Therefore, man must seek capacity and develop readiness. As
long as he lacks susceptibility to divine influences, he is incapable of
reflecting the light and assimilating its benefits. Sterile soil will produce
nothing, even if the cloud of mercy pours rain upon it a thousand years. We
must make the soil of our hearts receptive and fertile by tilling in order that
the rain of divine mercy may refresh them and bring forth roses and hyacinths
of heavenly planting.
…the happiness and well-being of humanity depend upon…
cultivating human character and social order in conformity with reality. Divine
teachings shed light on reality, enabling every soul to investigate it properly
and to acquire, through the exercise of personal discipline, those attributes
that are to distinguish the human being. “Man should know his own self”,
Bahá’u’lláh states, “and recognize that which leadeth unto loftiness or
lowliness, glory or abasement, wealth or poverty.”
A prime element in the careful and wise direction needed is
the achievement of victory in the Seven Year Plan, paying great attention to
the development and strengthening of Local Assemblies. Great efforts must be
made to encourage them to discharge their primary duties of meeting regularly,
holding the Nineteen Day Feasts and observing Holy Days, organizing children's
classes, encouraging the practice of family prayers, undertaking extension
teaching projects, administering the Baha'i Fund and constantly encouraging and
leading their communities in all Baha'i activities.
That truth is often imparted through dreams no one who is
familiar with history, especially religious history, can doubt. At the same
time dreams and visions are always coloured and influenced more or less by the
mind of the dreamer and we must beware of attaching too much importance to
them. The purer and more free from prejudice and desire our hearts and minds
become, the more likely is it that our dreams will convey reliable truth, but
if we have strong prejudices, personal likings and aversions, bad feelings or
evil motives, these will warp and distort any inspirational impression that
comes to us ... In many cases dreams have been the means of bringing people to
the truth or of confirming them in the Faith. We must strive to become pure in
heart and 'free from all save God.' Then our dreams as well as our waking
thoughts will become pure and true. We should test impressions we get through
dreams, visions or inspirations, by comparing them with the revealed Word and
seeing whether they are in harmony therewith.
The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality
between the sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged
prerequisites of peace. The denial of such equality perpetrates an injustice
against one half of the world's population and promotes in men harmful
attitudes and habits that are carried from the family to the workplace, to
political life, and ultimately to international relations. There are no
grounds, moral, practical, or biological, upon which such denial can be
justified. Only as women are welcomed into full partnership in all fields of
human endeavour will the moral and psychological climate be created in which
international peace can emerge.
Recite ye the verses of God every morning and evening. Whoso
reciteth them not hath truly failed to fulfil his pledge to the Covenant of God
and His Testament, and whoso in this day turneth away therefrom hath indeed
turned away from God since time immemorial.
…the heart that partakes of the outpouring grace of the Holy
Spirit and becomes sanctified is made goodly and pure. The purpose is that the
reality of man be purified and sanctified from the defilements of the world of
nature, which are vile attributes such as anger, lust, worldliness, pride,
dishonesty, hypocrisy, deceit, self-love, and so on.
Shoghi Effendi feels that it should be explained that
forbidding self defence by Bahá’u’lláh should not be taken too literally. To
put it as bluntly as this, he fears that the question might be misunderstood.
Bahá’u’lláh could surely have not meant that a Bahá’í should not attempt to
defend his life against any irresponsible assailant who might attack him for
any purpose whatever, whether religious or not. Every reasonable person would
feel under such circumstances justified in protecting his life....
…the appearance of the divine Manifestation must take place
in the most perfect form and invested with unparalleled powers and virtues.
With a divine influence and heavenly mighty He must be exalted above all else
and peerless in all His attributes, just as the sun is exalted above other
stars. Though every star and planet shines in its place and gives light in the
night, the sun has another splendor and its radiance is greater. The
Manifestation of the bounty of God must also be like the physical sun so that
the world may be convinced that He is a divine Teacher, an Educator of the
world of man, a sun of reality and the brightest Light shining from the realm
on high. His effulgence and influence must be inherent and not acquired from
other human beings, otherwise we would say that others imparted such powers to
Him. How can a man, who is educated by other human beings, become the educator
of humanity at large? The Manifestations of the bounty of God must be
self-subsistent, not under the shadow of others. He must be an educator, not
educated by others. He must be perfect, not deficient. He must be independent
of all, not dependent on training by others. He must combine in Himself all
perfections, unrestricted by human limitations, so that He may be able to
educate humanity, dispel the gloom of ignorance, through divine power change
the world, bring about universal peace, establish the oneness of humanity and
unite the diverse religions. I hope that the divine bounties and blessings may
shine brightly so that the lights of the Sun of Reality may give luster to our
eyes, illumination to our hearts and joy to our souls and may ennoble our thoughts
and grant us eternal life. Then we may attain to the apex of the world of man.
It is highly important for man to raise a family. So long as
he is young, because of youthful self-complacency, he does not realize its
significance, but this will be a source of regret when he grows old.... In this
glorious Cause the life of a married couple should resemble the life of the
angels in heaven — a life full of joy and spiritual delight, a life of unity and
concord, a friendship both mental and physical. The home should be orderly and
well-organized. Their ideas and thoughts should be like the rays of the sun of
truth and the radiance of the brilliant stars in the heavens. Even as two birds
they should warble melodies upon the branches of the tree of fellowship and
harmony. They should always be elated with joy and gladness and be a source of
happiness to the hearts of others. They should set an example to their
fellow-men, manifest a true and sincere love towards each other and educate
their children in such a manner as to blazon the fame and glory of their
family.
The Covenant is the "axis of the oneness of the world
of humanity" because it preserves the unity and integrity of the Faith
itself and protects it from being disrupted by individuals who are convinced
that only their understanding of the Teachings is the right one - a fate that
has overcome all past Revelations. The Covenant is, moreover, embedded in the
Writings of Bahá'u'lláh Himself. Thus, as you clearly see, to accept
Bahá'u'lláh is to accept His Covenant; to reject His Covenant is to reject Him.
The contest lasted no less than eleven months. Its theatre
was for the most part the forest of Mázindarán. Its heroes were the flower of
the Báb’s disciples. Its martyrs comprised no less than half of the Letters of
the Living, not excluding Quddús and Mullá Husayn, respectively the last and
the first of these Letters. The directive force which however unobtrusively
sustained it was none other than that which flowed from the mind of
Bahá’u’lláh. It was caused by the unconcealed determination of the
dawn-breakers of a new Age to proclaim, fearlessly and befittingly, its advent,
and by a no less unyielding resolve, should persuasion prove a failure, to
resist and defend themselves against the onslaughts of malicious and
unreasoning assailants. It demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt what the
indomitable spirit of a band of three hundred and thirteen untrained,
unequipped yet God-intoxicated students, mostly sedentary recluses of the
college and cloister, could achieve when pitted in self-defense against a
trained army, well equipped, supported by the masses of the people, blessed by
the clergy, headed by a prince of the royal blood, backed by the resources of
the state, acting with the enthusiastic approval of its sovereign, and animated
by the unfailing counsels of a resolute and all-powerful minister.
... a person who is not adorned with the ornaments of
virtue, sanctity, and morality, is not a true Baha'i, even though he may call
himself one and be known as such.
We… call upon every true-hearted Baha'i to consecrate his
life anew to the service of God and the betterment of the lot of mankind, so
that manpower will not be lacking in the fields of pioneering, teaching and
administrative service. Most urgently, may every believer give sacrificially of
his substance, each in accordance with his means, to the funds of the Cause,
local, national, continental and international, so that the material resources
-- the lifeblood of all activities -- will be adequate to the tremendous work
that we have to perform in the months and years immediately ahead. It requires
a concentration of effort, a unity of purpose and a degree of self-sacrifice to
match the heroic exertions of the victors of past plans in the progress of the
Cause.
…the focal point of the entire Administrative Order of the
Faith where, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, "the dust of its Founders
reposes, where the processes disclosing its purposes, energizing its life and
shaping its destiny all originate.
The problems which confront the believers at the present
time, whether social, spiritual, economic or administrative will be gradually
solved as the number and the resources of the friends multiply and their
capacity for service and for the application of Baha'i principles develops.
They should be patient, confident and active in utilizing every possible
opportunity that presents itself within the limits now necessarily imposed upon
them. May the Almighty aid them to fulfil their highest hopes ...
From the beginning of His stupendous mission, Baha'u'llah
urged upon the attention of nations the necessity of ordering human affairs in
such a way as to bring into being a world unified in all the essential aspects
of its life. In unnumbered verses and tablets He repeatedly and variously
declared the "progress of the world" and the "development of
nations" as being among the ordinances of God for this day. The oneness of
mankind, which is at once the operating principle and ultimate goal of His
Revelation, implies the achievement of a dynamic coherence between the
spiritual and practical requirements of life on earth. The indispensability of
this coherence is unmistakably illustrated in His ordination of the
Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, the spiritual centre of every Baha'i community round which
must flourish dependencies dedicated to the social, humanitarian, educational
and scientific advancement of mankind.