truthfulness

Man’s honour and glory lie in purity, truthfulness, benevolence, virtue and constancy, not in earthly vanities and riches. Should a soul succeed in rendering a signal service to the world of humanity, and in particular to the land of Persia, he will be exalted above the most exalted and will be accounted as the greatest of the great ones. This, indeed, is abounding riches! This, indeed, is abundant treasure! This, indeed, is everlasting wealth! 

(‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a Tablet quoted by the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 14 May 2009, addressed to the believers in the Cradle of the Faith)

truthfulness

Say: trustworthiness is the sun of the heaven of My commandments, truthfulness is its moon, and praiseworthy attributes are its stars. Yet the people, for the most part, understand not. 

(Baha’u’llah, The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II, Trustworthiness)

truthfulness

Let your eye be chaste, your hand faithful, your tongue truthful and your heart enlightened. Abase not the station of the learned in Bahá and belittle not the rank of such rulers as administer justice amidst you. 

(Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas; compilation ‘Unlocking the Power of Action’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice) 

truthfulness

Canadian NSA 1948

Referring to rectitude of conduct, Shoghi Effendi spoke of the “justice, equity, truthfulness, honesty, fair-mindedness, reliability, and trustworthiness” that must “distinguish every phase of the life of the Bahá’í community.” Though applicable to all its members, this requisite was directed principally, he underscored, to its “elected representatives, whether local, regional, or national,” whose sense of moral rectitude should stand in clear contrast to “the demoralizing influences which a corruption-ridden political life so strikingly manifests”.

(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated 28 December 2010 to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors)

truthfulness

Thornton Chase: the first 

American Baha'i

For unless some illustrious souls step forth into the arena of service and shine out resplendent in the assemblage of men, the task of vindicating the truth of this Cause before the eyes of enlightened people would be formidable indeed. However, if the friends become embodiments of virtue and good character, words and arguments will be superfluous. Their very deeds will well serve as eloquent testimony, and their noble conduct will ensure the preservation, integrity and glory of the Cause of God. 

(From a letter dated 19 December 1923 written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'ís of the East - translated from the Persian; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Living the Life)

truthfulness

Young Baha'is week of service at Chile
Baha'i radio station, Feb. 1988

The friends of God should, through the instrumentality of their business, lead the people to God's path, and make them so astonished as to exclaim: "How great is their truthfulness, how high their trustworthiness, and how true their good-will." 

(‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a Tablet; compilation ‘Professions - Merchants’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice )

truthfulness

Beautify your tongues, O people with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the ornament of honesty. Beware, O people, that ye deal not treacherously with anyone. Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people.

(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

truthfulness

Agnes Alexander - first 
Baha’i to settle in Japan 

One can hardly imagine what a great influence genuine love, truthfulness and purity of motives exert on the souls of men. But these traits cannot be acquired by any believer unless he makes a daily effort to gain them... It is primarily through the potency of noble deeds and character, rather than by the power of exposition and proofs, that the friends of God should demonstrate to the world that what has been promised by God is bound to happen, that it is already taking place and that the divine glad-tidings are clear, evident and complete. 

(From a letter dated 19 December 1923 written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'ís of the East - translated from the Persian; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Living the Life)

truthfulness

Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues. Without truthfulness progress and success, in all the worlds of God, are impossible for any soul. When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also be acquired. 

(‘Abdu’l-Baha, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

truthfulness

Let truthfulness and courtesy be your adorning. 

(Baha’u’llah, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

truthfulness

They who are the people of God have no ambition except to revive the world, to ennoble its life, and regenerate its peoples. Truthfulness and good-will have, at all times, marked their relations with all men. Their outward conduct is but a reflection of their inward life, and their inward life a mirror of their outward conduct. 

(Baha'u'llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah’)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

First Local Spiritual Assembly of 

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 1942

...the one vital activity which will enrich the quality of Bahá'í life is the strengthening of Local Assemblies, for in this institution, operating at the first level of human society, rests the greatest opportunity to foster the sound and healthy growth of the Bahá'í community. In other words, however efficient the National Assembly and its staff may be, and however diligently the national committees may function, it is only when the Local Spiritual Assemblies begin to operate vigorously that a firm home base can be provided from which to carry the Divine Message further afield. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 3 April 1974 to the National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa; The Compilation of Compilations vol. II)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

Indeed the Guardian wrote of the Baha'i youth that it is they 'who can contribute so decisively to the virility, the purity, and the driving force of the life of the Baha'i community, and upon whom must depend the future orientation of its destiny, and the complete unfoldment of the potentialities with which God has endowed it’. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated June 10, 1966 addressed to Baha’i Youth in every Land,; compilation: Lights of Guidance)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

The phrase "advance in the process of entry by troops" accommodates the concept that current circumstances demand and existing opportunities allow for a sustained growth of the Bahá'í world community on a large scale; that this upsurge is necessary in the face of world conditions; that the three constituent participants in the upbuilding of the Order of Bahá'u'lláh -- the individual, the institution, and the community -- can foster such growth first by spiritually and mentally accepting the possibility of it, and then by working towards embracing masses of new believers, setting in motion the means for effecting their spiritual and administrative training and development, thereby multiplying the number of knowledgeable, active teachers and administrators whose involvement in the work of the Cause will ensure a constant influx of new adherents, an uninterrupted evolution of Bahá'í Assemblies, and a steady consolidation of the community. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated Ridvan, 1996, to the Bahá'ís of the World)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

Delegates and Friends at First Baha'i
Temple Unity Convention 1909

The Community of the Most Great Name, the leaven that must leaven the lump, the chosen remnant that must survive the rolling up of the old, discredited, tottering order, and assist in the unfoldment of a new one in its stead, is standing ready, alert, clear-visioned, and resolute. The American believers, standard-bearers of this world-wide community and torch-bearers of an as yet unborn civilization, have girt up their loins, unfurled their banners and stepped into the arena of service. Their Plan has been formulated. Their forces are mobilized. They are steadfastly marching towards their goal. The hosts of the Abhá Kingdom are rushing forth, as promised, to direct their steps and reinforce their power. 

(Shoghi Effendi, letter dated July 5, 1938; ‘Messages to America’)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

Regarding the Nineteen Day Feasts; these are not strictly obligatory, but the believers should endeavor to regularly attend them, mainly for the following two reasons: First, because they foster the spirit of service and fellowship in the community, and secondly, in view of the fact that they afford the believers a splendid opportunity to fully discuss the affairs of the Cause and to find ways and means for continued improvement in the conduct of Bahá'í activities. 

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated November 30, 1936; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, The Nineteen Day Feast)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

US-Canada NSA 1933

Already, the community of the believers of the North American continent—at once the prime mover and pattern of the future communities which the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh is destined to raise up throughout the length and breadth of the Western Hemisphere—has, despite the prevailing gloom, shown its capacity to be recognized as the torchbearer of that light, the repository of those mysteries, the exponent of that righteousness and the sanctuary of that freedom. 

(Shoghi Effendi, letter dated December 25, 1938, ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

fostering the growth of the Baha'i Community

First Baha'i Temple: Ishqabad, 

Russian Turkistan

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. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá'ís of the World, October 20, 1983; compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

…every organized community enlisted under the banner of Bahá'u'lláh should feel it to be its first and inescapable obligation to nurture, encourage, and safeguard every minority belonging to any faith, race, class, or nation within it. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 22 September 1991; compilation on ‘Baha’i Elections and Defining a “Minority”’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

Members of the Unity of the East and West
Committee of Tihran, Iran, 1937

Such close interaction, such complete cohesion, such continual harmony and fellowship between the various agencies that contribute to the organic life, and constitute the basic framework, of every properly functioning Bahá’í community, is a phenomenon which offers a striking contrast to the disruptive tendencies which the discordant elements of present-day society so tragically manifest. Whereas every apparent trial with which the unfathomable wisdom of the Almighty deems it necessary to afflict His chosen community serves only to demonstrate afresh its essential solidarity and to consolidate its inward strength, each of the successive crises in the fortunes of a decadent age exposes more convincingly than the one preceding it the corrosive influences that are fast sapping the vitality and undermining the basis of its declining institutions. 

(Shoghi Effendi, from a letter dated December 25, 1938; ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

With great joy in our hearts and high expectations, we come to this Ridvan [2001] season at a change of time, when a new state of mind is evident among us all. Abroad in our world community there is a heightened awareness of the value of process, the necessity of planning and the virtue of systematic action in fostering growth and in developing the human resources by which expansion can be sustained and consolidation assured. The coherence of understanding about these prerequisites of progress cannot be overvalued, nor can the importance of perpetuating them through well-ordered training be overestimated. And so the arrival of our community at such a moment of consciousness is an occasion of significance for us. We are deeply grateful to the Blessed Beauty to be able to recognize and acclaim it at the very beginning of the global enterprise being launched during these festive days. 

(The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 158, 2001)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions. No movement in the world directs its attention upon both these aspects of human life and has full measures for their improvement, save the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh. And this is its distinctive feature. If we desire therefore the good of the world we should strive to spread those teachings and also practise them in our own life. Through them will the human heart be changed, and also our social environment provides the atmosphere in which we can grow spiritually and reflect in full the light of God shining through the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh. 

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Conservation of the Earth's Resources)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

The vitality of men's belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it. The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it? Is it within human power, O Hakim, to effect in the constituent elements of any of the minute and indivisible particles of matter so complete a transformation as to transmute it into purest gold? Perplexing and difficult as this may appear, the still greater task of converting satanic strength into heavenly power is one that We have been empowered to accomplish. The Force capable of such a transformation transcendeth the potency of the Elixir itself. The Word of God, alone, can claim the distinction of being endowed with the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change. 

(Baha'u'llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah’)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

Baha'i Children's Class in 

Qazvin, Iran, circa 1936

This Five Year Plan [1974-1979] must witness the development in the world-wide Bahá'í community of distinctive Bahá'í characteristics implanted in it by Bahá'u'lláh Himself. Unity of mankind is the pivotal principle of His Revelation; Bahá'í communities must therefore become renowned for their demonstration of this unity. In a world becoming daily more divided by factionalism and group interests, the Bahá'í community must be distinguished by the concord and harmony of its relationships. The coming of age of the human race must be foreshadowed by the mature, responsible understanding of human problems and the wise administration of their affairs by these same Bahá'í communities. The practice and development of such Bahá'í characteristics are the responsibility alike of individual Bahá'ís and the administrative institutions, although the greatest opportunity to foster their growth rests with the Local Spiritual Assemblies. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated Naw-Ruz, 1974, to the Bahá'ís of the World)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

The Baha'i Children's Class of Milwaukee, 

Wisconsin, USA, with their teachers, 1938

If the friends will forget all personal differences and open their hearts to a great love for each other for the sake of Bahá'u'lláh, they will find that their powers are vastly increased; they will attract the heart of the public, and will witness a rapid growth of the Holy Faith in... The National Spiritual Assembly should do all in its power to foster unity among the believers, and to educate them in the Administration as this is the channel through which their community life must flow, and which, when properly understood and practised, will enable the work of the Cause to go ahead by leaps and bounds. 

(From a letter dated 26 October 1943 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma; The Compilation of Compilations vol. II)

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

The House of Justice seeks the creation of a Bahá'í community in which the members encourage each other, where there is respect for accomplishment, and a common realization that everyone is, in his or her own way, seeking to acquire a deeper understanding of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh and to contribute to the advancement of the Faith. 

(From a letter dated 19 October 1993 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, Scholarship) 

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

A gathering of Baha'is at the Temple 
in Ishqabad, Russia

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." 

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

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

Yerrinbool Baha'i Summer School 1939

The Pen of Baha'u'llah, the voice of 'Abdu'l-Baha, have time and again, insistently and in terms unmistakable, warned an unheeding humanity of impending disaster. The Community of the Most Great Name, the leaven that must leaven the lump, the chosen remnant that must survive the rolling up of the old, discredited, tottering ordeal, and assist in the unfoldment of a new one in its stead, is standing ready, alert, clear-visioned, and resolute ... 

(Shoghi Effendi, from a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, July 5, 1938, included in ‘Messages to America, 1932-1946’; compilation: Lights of Guidance)   

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

Some early Baha'is of Chicago

The fifth Glad-Tidings: In every country where any of this people reside, they must behave towards the government of that country with loyalty, honesty and truthfulness. This is that which hath been revealed at the behest of Him Who is the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days. 

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

fostering the growth of the Baha’i Community

Baha'i Youth Group of Havana, Cuba, 1944

O ye Cohorts of God! Today in the present world each community is wandering in a wilderness, moving in accord with some passion and desire, and running to and fro in pursuance of his own imagination. Among the communities of the world, this community of the “Most Great Name” is free from every thought, keeping aloof from every project and scheme, arising with the purest designs and intentions, and striving and endeavoring with the utmost hope to live in accordance with the divine teachings in order that the surface of the earth become the delectable paradise, the nether world become the mirror of the Kingdom, the universe become another universe, and the human race attain to higher morals, conduct and manners. 

(‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’’, vol. 1)

memorizing & quoting the Writings

There is no limit to the study of the Cause. The more we read the Writings, the more truths we can find in Them, the more we will see that our previous notions were erroneous. 

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, quoted by the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 27 May 1966; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986)