He will certainly pray that you may entirely over-come your fear-complex. When you concentrate your thoughts on realizing that you now belong to Bahá'u'lláh, are His servant whom He loves and will always help, if you ask Him to, and that the great spiritual strength of the Cause of God is behind you for you to draw upon, you will soon see your fears melting away.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘High Endeavors: Letters to Alaska’)
It was in such dramatic circumstances, recalling the experience of Moses when face to face with the Burning Bush in the wilderness of Sinai, the successive visions of Zoroaster, the opening of the heavens and the descent of the Dove upon Christ in the Jordan, the cry of Gabriel heard by Muhammad in the Cave of Hira, and the dream of the Báb, in which the blood of the Imam Husayn touched and sanctified His lips, that Bahá'u'lláh, He "around Whom the Point of the Bayán hath revolved," and the Vehicle of the greatest Revelation the world has yet seen, received the first intimation of His sublime Mission, and that a ministry which, alike in its duration and fecundity, is unsurpassed in the religious history of mankind, was inaugurated. It was on that occasion that the "Most Great Spirit," as designated by Bahá'u'lláh Himself, revealed itself to Him, in the form of a "Maiden," and bade Him "lift up" His "voice between earth and heaven" — that same Spirit which, in the Zoroastrian, the Mosaic, the Christian, and Muhammadan Dispensations, had been respectively symbolized by the "Sacred Fire," the "Burning Bush," the "Dove," and the "Angel Gabriel."
- Shoghi Effendi (‘Messages to America’)
The system of Baha’i Administration is "indissolubly bound with the essential verities of the Faith" as set forth in the Writings of Baha’u’llah and ' Abdu’l-Baha. A unique feature of this system is the appointment of authorized interpreters, in the persons of 'Abdu'l-Baha and the Guardian, to provide authoritative statements on the intent of Baha'u'llah's Revelation. Writing in "The Dispensation of Baha'u'llah", Shoghi Effendi stated that ‘Abdu’l-Baha and the Guardian "share ... the right and obligation to interpret the Baha’i teachings". In relation to his own function as interpreter, he further stated that "the Guardian has been specifically endowed with such power as he may need to reveal the purport and disclose the implications of the utterances of Baha'u'llah and of 'Abdu'l-Baha". The significance of this important provision is that the religion of God is safeguarded and protected against schism and its essential unity is preserved.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 31 May 1988, to the NSA of New Zealand; US National Baha’i Administrative website)
When a human soul accepts Baha'u'llah as the Manifestation of God for this age and enters into the divine Covenant, that soul should progressively bring his or her whole life into harmony with the divine purpose -- he becomes a co-worker in the Cause of God and receives the bounty of being permitted to devote his material possessions, no matter how meagre, to the work of the Faith.
Giving to the Fund, therefore, is a spiritual privilege not open to those who have not accepted Baha'u'llah, of which no believer should deny himself. It is both a responsibility and a source of bounty.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 7 August 1985 to National Spiritual Assemblies; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986’)
To clarify their own understanding of the station of Bahá'u'lláh and His relationship to the other Manifestations of God, the Bahá'ís should unhesitatingly turn to "The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh".
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 21 December 1992, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; Baha’i Library Online)
What science calls a virgin birth we do not associate with that of Jesus Christ, which we believe to have been a miracle and a sign of His Prophethood. In this matter we are in entire agreement with the most orthodox church views.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘High Endeavors: Letters to Alaska’)
It would seem that the agitation shown by certain of the friends to the description of Bahá'u'lláh as "the most precious Being ever to have drawn breath on this planet", and their impression that this indicates some new doctrine, arises from their lack of familiarity with the range of expressions used in the Sacred Writings and by the beloved Guardian, and their inability to grasp that such expressions are used in the context of the illumination of the stations of the Manifestations of God as conveyed by Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Íqán and elucidated by the Guardian in "The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh".
This description, in fact, is not so different from the Guardian's words in his cablegram of 3 June 1957, which appears on page 122 of "Messages to the Bahá'í World". He refers to:
“… the adoption and execution of preliminary measures designed to herald the construction in future decades of the stately, befitting Mausoleum to enshrine the holiest dust the earth ever received into its bosom.”
In the letter written on behalf of the Guardian on 19 October 1947, which was quoted in our letter of 15 October 1992, the crucial point is made:
“No distinction can be made amongst the Prophets in the sense that They all proceed from one source, and are of one essence. But Their stations and functions in this world are different.”
In the phrase "the most precious Being ever to have drawn breath on this planet" the Universal House of Justice was obviously referring to the Person of Bahá'u'lláh as He appeared in this world — that Soul who was the channel of the Most Great Revelation of God. The Guardian's reference to "the holiest dust the earth ever received into its bosom" likewise refers to the physical remains of that Person. The preciousness and sanctity of both aspects being the consequence of their being the vehicle of a Revelation the splendour and magnitude of which eclipses all previous Revelations. There is nothing new or strange in such a concept, nor does it in any way contradict the essential unity of all the Manifestations of God.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 21 December 1992, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; Baha’i Library Online)
The harder you strive to attain your goal, the greater will be the confirmations of Bahá'u'lláh, and the more certain you can feel to attain success. Be cheerful, therefore, and exert yourself with full faith and confidence. For Bahá'u'lláh has promised His Divine assistance to everyone who arises with a pure and detached heart to spread His holy Word, even though he may be bereft of every human knowledge and capacity, and notwithstanding the forces of darkness and of opposition which may be arrayed against him. The goal is clear, the path safe and certain, and the assurances of Bahá'u'lláh as to the eventual success of our efforts quite emphatic. Let us keep firm, and whole-heartedly carry on the great work which He has entrusted into our hands.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 3 February 1937 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, The Power of Divine Assistance)
As you know, the human soul is “a heavenly gem … whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel,” “one of the signs of God, a mystery among His mysteries.” If even the soul of man is so ineffable a reality, how can a human being claim to understand or to set forth the nature of the Manifestations of God, of the relationships between Them, or of Their relationship to God, let alone to grasp the nature of God Himself?
Bahá’u’lláh has explained these mysteries to a degree never before approached, but we must accept that they are realities that cannot be defined in a rigorous manner, as one would attempt to define the terms of mathematics or even of philosophy. This is a realm of knowledge in which poetry, analogy, hyperbole and paradox are to be expected; a realm in which the Manifestations Themselves speak with many voices. Undoubtedly you are familiar with the passage in the Kitáb-i-Íqán in which Bahá’u’lláh elaborates this theme, commenting on Muhammad’s statement: “Some of the Apostles We have caused to excel the others. To some God hath spoken, some He hath raised and exalted. And to Jesus, Son of Mary, We gave manifest signs, and We strengthened Him with the Holy Spirit.”
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 15 October 1992 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; Baha’i Library Online)
The question of adhering strictly to the principle that every Spiritual Assembly must be composed of voting members living within the civic limits of the town, and that the Bahá’í Community of that town must likewise be composed of residents within its civic limits, is of the utmost importance. It is a matter of fundamental principle, and the Bahá’ís all over the world must conform to it, especially now that the Cause is becoming firmly established in so many nations. There is no objection if the believers living in a certain area comprising a number of civic units, join together to commemorate Bahá’í Holy Days, but Nineteen Day Feasts should be held apart by each Assembly in question. There can be no exceptions to these rules, and although it may temporarily diminish the number of assemblies in your country, you should establish the Cause on this firm foundation by next Bahá’í election.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 21 June 1953, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to NSA of Germany and Austria; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance’, vol. 1)
The believers…must come to realize that the Administration is a system both living and dynamic, and that, through obedience to its principles and regulations, they will gain greater strength in teaching the Faith, and be able to direct their energies as a united force into the different channels of service that lie open to them. One of the main reasons why the Faith does not advance more rapidly is because the friends have not learned to live with, and work within the framework of the Administrative Order. Either they crystallize it into too set a form, or they rebel against what they feel to be a System, and do not give it sufficient support. Both of these extremes impede the progress of the Faith, and the efficiency of the believers.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 30 May 1952, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to NSA of Germany and Austria; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance’, vol. 1)
We do not believe that there was a bodily resurrection after the crucifixion of Christ, but that there was a time after His ascension when His disciples perceived spiritually His true greatness and realized He was eternal in being. This is what has been reported symbolically in the New Testament and been misunderstood. His eating with His disciples after resurrection is the same thing.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘High Endeavors: Letters to Alaska’)
To attempt an exhaustive survey of the prophetic references to Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation would indeed be an impossible task. To this the pen of Bahá’u’lláh Himself bears witness: “All the Divine Books and Scriptures have predicted and announced unto men the advent of the Most Great Revelation. None can adequately recount the verses recorded in the Books of former ages which forecast this supreme Bounty, this most mighty Bestowal.”
- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)
We do not believe in Anti-Christ in the sense the Christians do. Anyone who violently and determinedly sought to oppose the Manifestation could be called an "anti-Christ," such as the Vazir in the Báb's day, Hájí Mírzá Áqási.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘High Endeavors: Letters to Alaska’)
He feels that now that you have found the thing you were searching for inwardly, and have this added joy in your life of our glorious Faith, you should be kinder to your husband and more considerate than ever, and do everything in your power to make him feel that this has not taken you away from him, but only made your love for him and your desire to be a good wife to him, greater. Whether he will ultimately be able to become a Bahá'í or not, is something that only time can tell; but there is no doubt where your duty lies, and that is to make him appreciate the fact that your new affiliation has not interfered in any way with his home life or his marriage, but on the contrary, has strengthened both.
It is very difficult when one has found what one knows is the truth, to sit by and see a dear and close relative completely blind to it. The temptation is to try and "stir them up and make them see the light", but this is often disastrous. Silence, love and forbearance will win greater victories in such cases. However, your husband has no right to ask you to give up being a Bahá'í. That is going too far. Nobody should trespass on the sacred bond every human being has a right to have with their Creator.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 2o April 1957, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘High Endeavors: Letters to Alaska’)
Perhaps one should not approach the people in that country on the basis of religion, but rather through the social teachings of the Faith and its Laws, and make them understand the need for World Order, rather than giving them the religious aspect first, when they are so fanatically attached to their church.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 24 January 1957, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; ‘High Endeavors: Letters to Alaska’)
The Bahá'ís believe what is in the Bible to be true in substance. This does not mean that every word recorded in that Book is to be taken literally and treated as the authentic saying of a Prophet. A striking example is given in the account of the sacrifice which Abraham was called upon to make. The Guardian of the Faith confirms that the record in the Qur'an and the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, namely that it was Ishmael, and not Isaac as stated in the Old Testament, whom Abraham was to sacrifice, is to be upheld. In one of His Tablets 'Abdu'l-Bahá refers to this discrepancy, and explains that, from a spiritual point of view, it is irrelevant which son was involved. The essential part of the story is that Abraham was willing to obey God's command to sacrifice His son. Thus, although the account in the Torah is inaccurate in detail, it is true in substance....
...The Bahá'ís believe that God's Revelation is under His care and protection and that the essence, or essential elements, of what His Manifestations intended to convey has been recorded and preserved in Their Holy Books. However, as the sayings of the ancient Prophets were written down some time later, we cannot categorically state, as we do in the case of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, that the words and phrases attributed to Them are Their exact words.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 9 August 1984 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation “The Bible: Extracts on the Old and New Testaments”, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
We have no indication of exactly what nature the apocalyptic upheaval will be; it might be another war ... but as students of our Bahá’í Writings, it is clear that the longer the ‘Divine Physician’ (i.e. Bahá’u’lláh) is withheld from healing the ills of the world, the more severe will be the crisis, and the more terrible the sufferings of the patient.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; ‘Directives from the Guardian’)
Concerning the removal of believers I feel that such a vitally important matter should be given the most serious consideration and preferably be referred to the National Assembly for further consideration and final decision. We should be slow to accept and reluctant to remove. I fully approve and whole-heartedly and unreservedly uphold the principle to which you refer that personalities should not be made centers around which the community may revolve but they should be subordinated under all conditions and however great their merits to the properly constituted Assemblies. You and your co-workers can never over-estimate or over-emphasize this cardinal principle of Bahá’í Administration.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘Directives from the Guardian’)