The uniqueness of Spiritual Assemblies

The Spiritual Assemblies to be established in this Age of God, this holy century, have, it is indisputable, had neither peer nor likeness in the cycles gone before. For those assemblages that wielded power were based on the support of mighty leaders of men, while these Assemblies are based on the support of the Beauty of Abha. The defenders and patrons of those other assemblages were either a prince, or a king, or a chief priest, or the mass of the people. But these Spiritual Assemblies have for their defender, their supporter, their helper, their inspirer, the omnipotent Lord. 

- ‘Abdu'l-Baha  (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu'l-Baha)

“healing is in the hand of God, not in the hand of doctors”

One must obey the command of God and submit to medical opinion. Thou hast undertaken this journey to comply with His command and not for the sake of healing, since healing is in the hand of God, not in the hand of doctors. 

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá  (The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Health, Healing and Nutrition)

Baha’i law for the burial of the dead

Briefly the law for the burial of the dead states that it is forbidden to carry the body for more than one hour's journey from the place of death; that the body should be wrapped in a shroud of silk or cotton, and on its finger should be placed a ring bearing the inscription "I came forth from God, and return unto Him, detached from all save Him, holding fast to His Name, the Merciful, the Compassionate"; and that the coffin should be of crystal, stone or hard fine wood. A specific Prayer for the Dead is ordained, to be said before interment. It has been explained by 'Abdu'l Baha and the Guardian that this law prohibits cremation of the dead. The formal prayer and the ring are meant to be used for those who have attained the age of maturity. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (‘A Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Book of Bahá'u'lláh’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Baha’i Burial)

To imagine the “teachings as one great whole with many facets”

He feels that many of the perplexities that arise in your mind could be dissipated if you always conceived of the teachings as one great whole with many facets. Truth may, in covering different subjects, appear to be contradictory, and yet it is all one if you carry the thought through to the end....He hopes you will...rest assured inwardly that for these things which sometimes seem difficult to understand there is usually a quite simple and reasonable explanation. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 24 February 1947 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, The Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith)

“cleanse your hearts of any trace of estrangement or conflict”

Root out the sources of dissension and raise up the foundations of harmony. Cling tenaciously to the hem of the love of God and cleanse your hearts of any trace of estrangement or conflict. Thus may the light of divine bestowal shine resplendent, and ye become the recipients of the effulgent glory of the Sun of Truth. Let each one of you become the servant of the other; let each sacrifice himself for the sake of the other. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Give Me Thy Grace to Serve Thy Loved Ones’, prepared by the prepared by the International Teaching Centre for the Continental Counsellors and their Auxiliaries, May 2018, online Baha’i Reference Library of the World Center)  

“We cannot be positive that an impulse or a dream are guidance.”

The question of guidance is a very subtle one. We cannot be positive that an impulse or a dream are guidance. We can seek, through earnest prayer and longing sincerely to do God's Will, His guidance. We can try, as you say, to emulate the Master and at all times live up to the teachings, but we cannot be sure that doing these things we are still making no mistakes and are perfectly guided. These things help us not to make so many mistakes and to receive more directly the guidance God seeks to give us. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated October 10, 1944, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer;  compilation: ‘Spiritualism, Reincarnation and Related Subjects’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, published in ‘Baha’i Institutions’ a compilation by India Publishing Trust, 1973)

“True consolidation”

True consolidation is to ensure that the love of Bahá'u'lláh and devotion to His Faith are firmly rooted in the hearts of the believers; this is the essential foundation for the subsequent addition of increased knowledge of the teachings and the development of the Bahá'í way of life. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated November 3, 1974 to a National Spiritual Assembly, in an unpublished compilation prepared by the International Teaching Center: ‘Teaching and Commitment’; compilation: Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies [Developing Distinctive Baha’i Communities], NSA of USA, 1998 edition)

“The Day of God”: “a Day of Joy, but also a Day of Judgement”

The Day of God is a Day of Joy, but also a Day of Judgement. Every man is guided both by the Love of God and by the Fear of God. In their relationships with one another individual believers should be loving and forgiving, overlooking one another's faults for the sake of God, but the Spiritual Assemblies are the upholders of the Law of God. They are embryonic Houses of Justice. The education of a child requires both love and discipline; so also does the education of believers and the education of a community. One of the failings of Bahá'ís, however, is to confuse these two roles, individuals behaving like little Spiritual Assemblies, and Spiritual Assemblies forgetting that they must exercise justice. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 22 July 1981 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Removal of Administrative Rights’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, 1993)

“No welfare and no well-being can be attained except through consultation.”

Say: no man can attain his true station except through his justice. No power can exist except through unity. No welfare and no well-being can be attained except through consultation. 

- Baha’u’llah  (compilation: ‘Consultation’, prepared by the Baha’i World Centre, 1978)

Baha’i gatherings: “to read the verses of God”

The friends of God, one and all, are remembered by the Supreme Pen: The bounties of the Source of Bounty are at every moment visibly descending. It behoveth the friends in whatever land they be, to gather together in meetings, and therein to speak wisely and with eloquence, and to read the verses of God; for it is God's Words that kindle love's fire and set it ablaze. 

- Bahá'u'lláh  (From unpublished Tablet; compilation: ‘Baha’i Meetings’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

Reincarnation

Regarding your question about reincarnation: we Bahá’ís do not believe that one individual soul keeps returning to this earthly life in different bodies. This is a very ancient belief, and based on a great truth—namely that the soul does go on developing and unfolding and returning towards its Creator. But the concept of its returning to this physical world is erroneous, and an outgrowth of man-made doctrines which have grown up about the fundamental concept of the progress of the soul. It would be like putting the child over and over again back into the world of the womb. It is unnecessary; but from state to state spiritually, after death, the soul does go on and go higher, so to speak. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 26 December 1948, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Reincarnation and the Nature and Progress of the Soul’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

“one of the most fundamental aspects of deepening and consolidation”

Some people accept the Faith, not as a response to the divine Summons to God's service, but as a way to find love and happiness and companionship and understanding for themselves. At the beginning this is only natural, for people are sorely in need of such spiritual strengths, but if such people do not soon progress to the point where they are more concerned about what they can do for God and His Cause than what it can do for them, they will surely become disillusioned and drift away. Arousing in the hearts of the friends the enthusiasm and spirit of selfless service that will carry them over this transition is one of the most fundamental aspects of deepening and consolidation. Deepening is far more a matter of developing a spiritual attitude, devotion and selflessness than it is of acquiring information, although this, of course, is also important. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 22 July 1981 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Removal of Administrative Rights’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, 1993)

Making a will: “a divinely established obligation”

That which is of primary and fundamental importance, and constituteth, by the express pronouncement of the holy text, a divinely established obligation, is the making of a will. Everyone must in his lifetime draw up a will, and dispose of his property in whatsoever manner he deemeth fit, while having due regard for the need to observe justice and equity. Under these conditions, there will be no one who hath not made a will, and inheritance will thus be dealt with according to the will of the deceased. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Concerning the Question of Inheritance: Extracts from Four Tablets by 'Abdu'l-Bahá’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

The condition of the world and the works of the “invisible hand”

To understand the condition of the world it is necessary to step back, so to speak, to gain a clearer view of the panorama of God's great redemptive Major Plan, which is shaping the destiny of mankind according to the operation of the divine Will. It should not be surmised that the calamitous events transpiring in all corners of the globe are random and lack purpose, though individually they may be difficult to comprehend. According to the words of our beloved Guardian: "The invisible hand is at work and the convulsions taking place on earth are a prelude to the proclamation of the Cause of God.” We can confidently anticipate therefore, the arrival of the "new life-giving spring" once the destructive icy blasts of winter's tempests have run their course. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 14 March 1985, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation ’Holocaust, the Greater Plan of God, and the Destiny of the Jewish People’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

The “Straight Path”

O my friend! In all circumstances one should seize upon every means which will promote security and tranquillity among the peoples of the world. The Great Being saith: In this glorious Day whatever will purge you from corruption and will lead you towards peace and composure, is indeed the Straight Path. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

Visions

…concerning visions; it is very difficult to distinguish between true visions which are true spiritual experiences of the soul and imaginations which have no reality in spiritual truths. True visions, however, can be granted to those who are spiritually pure and receptive, and are not therefore confined to the Prophets alone. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated November 26, 1939, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer;  compilation: ‘Spiritualism, Reincarnation and Related Subjects’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, published in ‘Baha’i Institutions’ a compilation by India Publishing Trust, 1973)

“cleanse your hearts of any trace of estrangement or conflict”

The purpose of the appearance of the holy Manifestations hath ever been the establishment of fellowship and love in the world of humanity. The friends should therefore lay down their lives in this arena that they may exhilarate the people of the world with the wine of love for one another and may gladden the hearts of the whole human race. The more they strive for harmony, the greater their progress; the more they exert effort to achieve unity, the more they will witness the tokens of divine assistance.... Root out the sources of dissension and raise up the foundations of harmony. Cling tenaciously to the hem of the love of God and cleanse your hearts of any trace of estrangement or conflict. Thus may the light of divine bestowal shine resplendent, and ye become the recipients of the effulgent glory of the Sun of Truth. Let each one of you become the servant of the other; let each sacrifice himself for the sake of the other.  

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Give Me Thy Grace to Serve Thy Loved Ones’, prepared by the prepared by the International Teaching Centre for the Continental Counsellors and their Auxiliaries, May 2018, online Baha’i Reference Library of the World Center)

“the fundamental purpose of all religions”

…the fundamental purpose of all religions -- including our own -- is to bring man nearer to God, and to change his character, which is of the utmost importance. Too much emphasis is often laid on the social and economic aspects of the Teachings; but the moral aspect cannot be over- emphasized. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 6 September 1946 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, A Chase and Holy Life)

“One of the characteristics of Bahá'í society”

One of the characteristics of Bahá'í society will be the gathering of the believers each day during the hours between dawn and two hours after sunrise to listen to the reading and chanting of the Holy Word. In many communities at the present time, especially in rural ones, such gatherings would fit naturally into the pattern of the friends' daily life, and where this is the case it would do much to foster the unity of the Local community and deepen the friends' knowledge of the Teachings if such gathering could be organized by the Local Spiritual Assembly on a regular basis. Attendance at these gatherings is not to be obligatory, but we hope that the friends will more and more be drawn to take part in them. This is a goal which can be attained gradually.  

- The Universal House of Justice  (From the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá'ís of the World, Naw-Ruz, 1974; compilation: Lights of Guidance)

How believers can have greater love for each other

You may be sure he will pray for the unity of the ... believers, as this is of paramount importance, and upon it depends the development of the Cause there, and the success of every teaching effort. The thing the friends need--everywhere-- is a greater love for each other, and this can be acquired by greater love for Bahá'u'lláh; for if we love Him deeply enough, we will never allow personal feelings and opinions to hold His Cause back; we will be willing to sacrifice ourselves to each other for the sake of the Faith, and be, as the Master said, one soul in many bodies. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 5 September 1946 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Living the Life)

Nineteen Day Feast: “If the Feast is befittingly held, in the manner described, then this supper will verily be the Lord's Supper…”

O thou steadfast in the Covenant! Thou hast written … concerning the Feast. This festivity, which is held on a day of the nineteen-day month, was established by His Holiness the Báb, and the Blessed Beauty directed, confirmed and warmly encouraged the holding of it. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance. You should unquestionably see to it with the greatest care, and make its value known, so that it may become solidly established on a permanent basis. Let the beloved of God gather together and associate most lovingly and spiritually and happily with one another, conducting themselves with the greatest courtesy and self-restraint. Let them read the holy verses, as well as essays which are of benefit, and the letters of 'Abdu'l-Bahá; encourage and inspire one another to love each and all; chant the prayers with serenity and joy; give eloquent talks, and praise the matchless Lord. The host, with complete self-effacement, showing kindness to all, must be a comfort to each one, and serve the friends with his own hands. If the Feast is befittingly held, in the manner described, then this supper will verily be the Lord's Supper, for its fruits will be the very fruits of that Supper, and its influence the same. 

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá  (From a Tablet to an individual believer, translated from the Persian; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Nineteen Day Feast)

“God hath created all humankind in His own image”

Know thou, O handmaid, that in the sight of Baha, women are accounted the same as men, and God hath created all humankind in His own image, and after His own likeness. That is, men and women alike are the revealers of His names and attributes, and from the spiritual viewpoint there is no difference between them. Whosoever draweth nearer to God, that one is the most favoured, whether man or woman. How many a handmaid, ardent and devoted, hath, within the sheltering shade of Baha, proved superior to the men, and surpassed the famous of the earth. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Women)

“example is the greatest teacher of all”

As the beloved Master so constantly reiterated, example is the greatest teacher of all, and the Guardian feels that the Bahá'ís must, each and every one of them, contribute his share to the unity of the community he lives in, and show forth to his fellow believers, and to the world at large, that love for which the world is dying, the love of God. When non-Bahá'ís see us loving and united, our power will be irresistible; the perfection of our teachings, laws, and principles will then be seen as a practical reality. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 23 October 1945, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Dayton, Ohio; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Youth)

Becoming “the essence of humility and the embodiment of meekness”

Servitude to God lieth in servitude to the friends. One must be the essence of humility and the embodiment of meekness. One must become evanescence itself and be healed of every disease of the self, in order to become worthy of thraldom to the Threshold of the Almighty. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Give Me Thy Grace to Serve Thy Loved Ones’, prepared by the prepared by the International Teaching Centre for the Continental Counsellors and their Auxiliaries, May 2018, online Baha’i Reference Library of the World Center)

“we have no priests in this Faith to interpret or answer for us”

The friends need only read the Writings; the answers are all in them; we have no priests in this Faith to interpret or answer for us. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 23 April 1957 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Prayer and Devotional Life, prepared by the Baha’i World Center February, 2019)

“Fasting and obligatory prayer are as two wings to man’s life”

One who performeth neither good deeds nor acts of worship is like unto a tree which beareth no fruit, and an action which leaveth no trace. Whosoever experienceth the holy ecstasy of worship will refuse to barter such an act or any praise of God for all that existeth in the world. Fasting and obligatory prayer are as two wings to man’s life. Blessed be the one who soareth with their aid in the heaven of the love of God, the Lord of all worlds. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Quoted by the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 28 December 1999 to the Bahá’ís of the World; compilation: ‘Prayer and Devotional Life, prepared by the Baha’i World Center February, 2019)

Power of the Obligatory Prayer

As for thy mention of the Obligatory Prayer: in truth, anyone who readeth this with absolute sincerity will attract all created things, and confer new life upon the world of being. This servant beseecheth his Lord to assist His loved ones in that which will deliver them from this world’s vicissitudes, its preoccupations, its frustrations, and its darkness, and will adorn them with that which shall under all conditions draw them nigh unto Him. He, verily, is the All-Possessing, the Most High. [1] 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (compilation: ‘Prayer and Devotional Life, prepared by the Baha’i World Center February, 2019)

[1] This Tablet was revealed in the voice of Bahá’u’lláh’s amanuensis, Mírzá Áqá Ján, surnamed Khádimu’lláh (Servant of God). Out of respect, the Bahá’ís, rather than addressing Bahá’u’lláh directly, would write to Mírzá Áqá Ján. The reply would be in the form of a letter from Mírzá Áqá Ján quoting words of Bahá’u’lláh, but would, in fact, be dictated in its entirety by Bahá’u’lláh. All parts of such Tablets, even those which ostensibly are the words of Mírzá Áqá Ján himself, are Sacred Scripture revealed by Bahá’u’lláh.

The “two mightiest pillars of God's holy Law”

In the realm of worship, fasting and obligatory prayer constitute the two mightiest pillars of God's holy Law. Neglecting them is in no wise permitted, and falling short in their performance is of a certainty not acceptable. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting’, compiled by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice; published in The American Baha'i, September 2000)

Baha’i fasting period “is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation”

The [Baha’i] fasting period…involves complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, fundamentally spiritual in character. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, January 10, 1936; compilation: Lights of Guidance)

As we obey the laws of the Faith we gradually come to see the benefits they confer

It is often difficult for us to do things because they are so very different from what we are used to, not because the thing itself is particularly difficult. With you, and indeed most Bahá'ís, who are now, as adults, accepting this glorious Faith, no doubt some of the ordinances, like fasting and daily prayer, are hard to understand and obey at first. But we must always think that these things are given to all men for a thousand years to come. For Bahá'í children who see these things practiced in the home, they will be as natural and necessary a thing as going to church on Sunday was to the more pious generation of Christians. Bahá'u'lláh would not have given us these things if they would not greatly benefit us, and, like children who are sensible enough to realize their father is wise and does what is good for them, we must accept to obey these ordinances even though at first we may not see any need for them. As we obey them we will gradually come to see in ourselves the benefits they confer. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, March 16, 1949; Lights of Guidance)

To “become entirely selfless and devoted to God”

We must become entirely selfless and devoted to God so that every day and every moment we seek to do only what God would have us do and in the way He would have us do it. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 14 February 1925 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Living the Life)