2/28/13
February 28
As regards fasting, it constitutes, together with the
obligatory prayers, the two pillars that sustain the revealed Law of God. They
act as stimulants to the soul, strengthen, revive and purify it, and thus
insure its steady development. (Shoghi Effendi, 'Directives from the Guardian')
2/27/13
February 27
The ordinance of fasting is, as is the case with these three
prayers (obligatory) a spiritual and vital obligation enjoined by Bahá'u'lláh
upon every believer who has attained the age of fifteen. (From a letter written
on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, ‘Directives from the Guardian’)
2/26/13
February 26
The joyous feasts which these companions, despite their
extremely modest earnings, continually offered in honor of their Beloved; the
gatherings, lasting far into the night, in which they loudly celebrated, with
prayers, poetry and song, the praises of the Báb, of Quddús and of Bahá’u’lláh;
the fasts they observed; the vigils they kept; the dreams and visions which
fired their souls, and which they recounted to each other with feelings of
unbounded enthusiasm; the eagerness with which those who served Bahá’u’lláh
performed His errands, waited upon His needs, and carried heavy skins of water
for His ablutions and other domestic purposes; the acts of imprudence which, in
moments of rapture, they occasionally committed; the expressions of wonder and
admiration which their words and acts evoked in a populace that had seldom
witnessed such demonstrations of religious transport and personal
devotion—these, and many others, will forever remain associated with the
history of that immortal period, intervening between the birth hour of
Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation and its announcement on the eve of His departure from
‘Iráq. (Shoghi Effendi, ‘God Passes By’)
2/25/13
February 25
As to your question relative to the last Nineteen Day Feast,
Shoghi Effendi sees no objection if the friends choose to celebrate it on one
of the intercalary days. They may also celebrate it during the month of
fasting, provided they abstain from food.
(In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi, 2 August 1934 to an individual believer; The Compilation of
Compilations, vol. I, The Nineteen Day Feast)
2/24/13
February 24
We have found no indication that any of the servants in the
household of Bahá'u'lláh were slaves. The only information we have found on
this subject is the following extract from a talk of 'Abdu'l-Bahá published in Star
of the West, mentioned above:
“My grandfather had many colored maids and servants. When the Blessed Perfection became the head of the family he liberated all of them, and gave them permission to leave or stay, but if they desired to remain it would, of course, be in a different manner. However, all of them, revelling in their new found freedom preferred to leave, except Esfandayar [sic], who remained in the household and continued to serve us with proverbial faithfulness and chastity.” (Star of the West, volume 9 (April 28, 1928), number 3, page 38)
(Memorandum from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice dated 2 February 2000)
“My grandfather had many colored maids and servants. When the Blessed Perfection became the head of the family he liberated all of them, and gave them permission to leave or stay, but if they desired to remain it would, of course, be in a different manner. However, all of them, revelling in their new found freedom preferred to leave, except Esfandayar [sic], who remained in the household and continued to serve us with proverbial faithfulness and chastity.” (Star of the West, volume 9 (April 28, 1928), number 3, page 38)
(Memorandum from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice dated 2 February 2000)
2/23/13
February 23
… the Bahá'í Administrative Order is an integral part of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh; it is a divinely conceived system which, as the Guardian explained in The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, "incorporates within its structure certain elements which are to be found in each of the three recognized forms of secular government, without being in any sense a mere replica of any one of them, and without introducing within its machinery any of the objectionable features which they inherently possess. It blends and harmonizes, as no government fashioned by mortal hands has as yet accomplished, the salutary truths which each of these systems undoubtedly contains without vitiating the integrity of those God-given verities on which it is ultimately founded."
It is the continuing task of Bahá'ís to increase their understanding of the principles on which the Administrative Order is founded, and to improve the faithfulness with which they implement these principles in their actions. (From a letter dated 18 July, 2000, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; forwarded subsequently by the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies on August 13, 2000)
It is the continuing task of Bahá'ís to increase their understanding of the principles on which the Administrative Order is founded, and to improve the faithfulness with which they implement these principles in their actions. (From a letter dated 18 July, 2000, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; forwarded subsequently by the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies on August 13, 2000)
2/22/13
February 22
As to whether the materials prepared by the Research
Department constitute the authoritative word of the Universal House of Justice
on a particular subject, as raised in your third question, the House of Justice
indicates that such materials, though prepared at its direction, represent the
views of that Department. While such views are very useful as an aid to
resolving perplexities or gaining an enhanced understanding of the Bahá'í
Teachings, they should never be taken to be in the same category as the
elucidations and clarifications provided by the Universal House of Justice in
the exercise of its assigned functions. However, the House of Justice chooses
to convey the materials prepared by the Research Department to the friends
because it wishes them to be thoughtfully attended to and seriously considered.
(From a letter dated 22 October, 1996, written on behalf of the Universal House
of Justice to an individual believer)
2/21/13
February 21
2/20/13
February 20
Now concerning nature, it is but the essential properties
and the necessary relations inherent in the realities of things. And though
these infinite realities are diverse in their character yet they are in the
utmost harmony and closely connected together. As one's vision is broadened and
the matter observed carefully, it will be made certain that every reality is
but an essential requisite of other realities. Thus to connect and harmonize
these diverse and infinite realities an all-unifying Power is necessary, that
every part of existent being may in perfect order discharge its own function.
Consider the body of man, and let the part be an indication of the whole.
Consider how these diverse parts and members of the human body are closely
connected and harmoniously united one with the other. Every part is the
essential requisite of all other parts and has a function by itself. It is the
mind that is the all-unifying agency that so uniteth all the component parts
one with the other that each dischargeth its specific function in perfect
order, and thereby co-operation and reaction are made possible. All parts function
under certain laws that are essential to existence. Should that all-unifying
agency that directeth all these parts be harmed in any way there is no doubt
that the constituent parts and members will cease functioning properly; and
though that all-unifying agency in the temple of man be not sensed or seen and
the reality thereof be unknown, yet by its effects it manifesteth itself with
the greatest power.
2/19/13
February 19
By way of introduction, we note that, as Mr. …is no doubt
aware, the Bahá'í Faith is the first religion to explicitly ban slavery in its
Sacred Scripture. Bahá'u'lláh prohibited this practice in clear and
un-ambiguous language. In the Kitab-i-Aqdas (paragraph 72), it is stated:
It is forbidden you to trade in slaves, be they men or women. It is not for him who is himself a servant to buy another of God's servants, and this hath been prohibited in His Holy Tablet. Thus, by His mercy, hath the commandment been recorded by the Pen of justice. Let no man exalt himself above another; all are but bondslaves before the Lord, and all exemplify the truth that there is none other God but Him. He, verily, is the All-Wise, Whose wisdom encompasseth all things. (Memorandum from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice dated 2 February 2000)
It is forbidden you to trade in slaves, be they men or women. It is not for him who is himself a servant to buy another of God's servants, and this hath been prohibited in His Holy Tablet. Thus, by His mercy, hath the commandment been recorded by the Pen of justice. Let no man exalt himself above another; all are but bondslaves before the Lord, and all exemplify the truth that there is none other God but Him. He, verily, is the All-Wise, Whose wisdom encompasseth all things. (Memorandum from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice dated 2 February 2000)
2/18/13
February 18
Let them exercise the utmost vigilance so that the elections
are carried out freely, universally and by secret ballot. Any form of intrigue,
deception, collusion and compulsion must be stopped and is forbidden. (From a
letter dated 8 March 1932, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to a Local
Spiritual Assembly, translated from the Persian; The Compilation of
Compilations, vol. I, Baha’i Elections)
2/17/13
February 17
In its broadest outline the first century of the Bahá’í Era
may be said to comprise the Heroic, the Primitive, the Apostolic Age of the
Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, and also the initial stages of the Formative, the
Transitional, the Iron Age which is to witness the crystallization and shaping
of the creative energies released by His Revelation. The first eighty years of
this century may roughly be said to have covered the entire period of the first
age, while the last two decades may be regarded as having witnessed the
beginnings of the second. The former commences with the
Declaration of the Báb, includes the mission of Bahá’u’lláh, and terminates
with the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The latter is ushered in by His Will and
Testament, which defines its character and establishes its foundation.
The century … may therefore be considered as falling into four distinct periods, of unequal duration, each of specific import and of tremendous and indeed unappraisable significance. These four periods are closely interrelated, and constitute successive acts of one, indivisible, stupendous and sublime drama, whose mystery no intellect can fathom, whose climax no eye can even dimly perceive, whose conclusion no mind can adequately foreshadow. Each of these acts revolves around its own theme, boasts of its own heroes, registers its own tragedies, records its own triumphs, and contributes its own share to the execution of one common, immutable Purpose. To isolate any one of them from the others, to dissociate the later manifestations of one universal, all-embracing Revelation from the pristine purpose that animated it in its earliest days, would be tantamount to a mutilation of the structure on which it rests, and to a lamentable perversion of its truth and of its history. (Shoghi Effendi, forward to ‘God Passes By’)
The century … may therefore be considered as falling into four distinct periods, of unequal duration, each of specific import and of tremendous and indeed unappraisable significance. These four periods are closely interrelated, and constitute successive acts of one, indivisible, stupendous and sublime drama, whose mystery no intellect can fathom, whose climax no eye can even dimly perceive, whose conclusion no mind can adequately foreshadow. Each of these acts revolves around its own theme, boasts of its own heroes, registers its own tragedies, records its own triumphs, and contributes its own share to the execution of one common, immutable Purpose. To isolate any one of them from the others, to dissociate the later manifestations of one universal, all-embracing Revelation from the pristine purpose that animated it in its earliest days, would be tantamount to a mutilation of the structure on which it rests, and to a lamentable perversion of its truth and of its history. (Shoghi Effendi, forward to ‘God Passes By’)
2/16/13
February 16
Not only must irreligion and its monstrous offspring, the
triple curse that oppresses the soul of mankind in this day, be held
responsible for the ills which are so tragically besetting it, but other evils
and vices, which are, for the most part, the direct consequences of the "weakening
of the pillars of religion," must also be regarded as contributory factors
to the manifold guilt of which individuals and nations stand convicted. The
signs of moral downfall, consequent to the dethronement of religion and the
enthronement of these usurping idols, are too numerous and too patent for even
a superficial observer of the state of present-day society to fail to notice.
The spread of lawlessness, of drunkenness, of gambling, and of crime; the
inordinate love of pleasure, of riches, and other earthly vanities; the laxity
in morals, revealing itself in the irresponsible attitude towards marriage, in
the weakening of parental control, in the rising tide of divorce, in the
deterioration in the standard of literature and of the press, and in the advocacy
of theories that are the very negation of purity, of morality and chastity —
these evidences of moral decadence, invading both the East and the West,
permeating every stratum of society, and instilling their poison in its members
of both sexes, young and old alike, blacken still further the scroll upon which
are inscribed the manifold transgressions of an unrepentant humanity. (Shoghi Effendi, "The Promised Day is
Come", rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1980); The Compilation
of Compilations, vol. I, Divorce)
2/15/13
February 15
The problem with which you are faced is one which concerns and seriously puzzles many of our present-day youth. How to attain spirituality is, indeed, a question to which every young man and woman must sooner or later try to find a satisfactory answer. It is precisely because no such satisfactory reply has been given or found, that modern youth finds itself bewildered, and is being consequently carried away by the materialistic forces that are so powerfully undermining the foundation of man's moral and spiritual life.
Indeed, the chief reason for the evils now rampant in society is a lack of spirituality. The materialistic civilization of our age has so much absorbed the energy and interest of mankind, that people in general no longer feel the necessity of raising themselves above the forces and conditions of their daily material existence. There is not sufficient demand for things that we should call spiritual to differentiate them from the needs and requirements of our physical existence. The universal crisis affecting mankind is, therefore, essentially spiritual in its causes. The spirit of the age, taken on the whole, is irreligious. Man's outlook upon life is too crude and materialistic to enable him to elevate himself into the higher realms of the spirit.
It is this condition, so sadly morbid, into which society has fallen, that religion seeks to improve and transform. (From a letter dated 8 December 1935 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, published in "Bahá'í News" 102 (August 1936); The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II, The Importance of Prayer, Meditation and the Devotional Attitude)
Indeed, the chief reason for the evils now rampant in society is a lack of spirituality. The materialistic civilization of our age has so much absorbed the energy and interest of mankind, that people in general no longer feel the necessity of raising themselves above the forces and conditions of their daily material existence. There is not sufficient demand for things that we should call spiritual to differentiate them from the needs and requirements of our physical existence. The universal crisis affecting mankind is, therefore, essentially spiritual in its causes. The spirit of the age, taken on the whole, is irreligious. Man's outlook upon life is too crude and materialistic to enable him to elevate himself into the higher realms of the spirit.
It is this condition, so sadly morbid, into which society has fallen, that religion seeks to improve and transform. (From a letter dated 8 December 1935 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, published in "Bahá'í News" 102 (August 1936); The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II, The Importance of Prayer, Meditation and the Devotional Attitude)
2/14/13
February 14
Your criterion should be to pursue your commercial activities with such fairness and equity as to be a cause of guidance to others. 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 is their good will!" (‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a Tablet; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Trustworthiness: A Cardinal Bahá'í Virtue)
2/13/13
February 13
I am delighted with your letter enclosing the splendid
report on International relations. I am particularly gratified to learn of the
active part played by the Bahá'í youth and of their harmonious co-operation
with the older and more experienced believers. I would warn them to be on their
guard lest the impression be given to the outside world that the Bahá'ís are
political in their aims and pursuits or interfere in matters that pertain to
the political activities of their respective governments. The Cause, still in
its state of infancy, should be adequately protected from this particular
danger.... (Postscript in the handwriting of Shoghi Effendi, from a letter dated 13 November 1931
to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Youth)
2/12/13
February 12
Upon becoming a Bahá’í, one accepts certain fundamental
beliefs; but invariably one’s knowledge of the Teachings is limited and often
mixed with personal ideas. Shoghi Effendi explains that “an exact and thorough
comprehension of so vast a system, so sublime a revelation, so sacred a trust,
is for obvious reasons beyond the reach and ken of our finite minds.” Over
time, through study, prayerful reflection, and an effort to live a Bahá’í life,
immature ideas yield to a more profound understanding of Bahá’u’lláh’s
Revelation. Service to the Cause plays a particular role in the process, for
the meaning of the Text is clarified as one translates insights into effective
action. As a matter of principle, individual understanding or interpretation
should not be suppressed, but valued for whatever contribution it can make to
the discourse of the Bahá’í community. Nor should it, through dogmatic
insistence of the individual, be allowed to bring about disputes and arguments
among the friends; personal opinion must always be distinguished from the
explicit Text and its authoritative interpretation by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi
Effendi and from the elucidations of the Universal House of Justice on
“problems which have caused difference, questions that are obscure and matters
that are not expressly recorded in the Book”. (From a letter dated 14 November
2005, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to all National
Spiritual Assemblies)
2/11/13
February 11
In reply to your letter of June 17th, an examination of the
letters of the beloved Guardian makes it absolutely clear that it is not
permissible to portray on the stage the figure of the Manifestation of God, nor
even of the Master.... The Universal House of Justice considers it
inappropriate to represent the Guardian of the Faith as a character in a play.
The use of light, either of great intensity or in different colours, needs your careful consideration. If the use of light in any way at all suggests a personification of the Manifestation of God it should not be used, but if it can be done without in any way giving the impression that the Prophet is being represented or personified then there is no objection to its use.(From a letter dated 12 August 1975 from the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation ‘Representation of Manifestations of God and the Master in Portraits, Photographs, and Dramatic Presentations’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
The use of light, either of great intensity or in different colours, needs your careful consideration. If the use of light in any way at all suggests a personification of the Manifestation of God it should not be used, but if it can be done without in any way giving the impression that the Prophet is being represented or personified then there is no objection to its use.(From a letter dated 12 August 1975 from the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation ‘Representation of Manifestations of God and the Master in Portraits, Photographs, and Dramatic Presentations’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
2/10/13
February 10
In the passage "eschew all fellowship with the
ungodly", [Persian Hidden Words no. 3] Bahá'u'lláh means that we should
shun the company of those who disbelieve in God and are wayward. The word
"ungodly" is a reference to such perverse people. (From a letter
dated 27 March 1938 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual
believer; compilation ‘Hidden Words: References of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi
Effendi’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of
Justice)
2/9/13
February 9
“Alláh-u-Abhá” is an Arabic phrase meaning “God the
All-Glorious”. It is a form of the Greatest Name of God. In Islám there is a
tradition that among the many names of God, one was the greatest; however, the
identity of this Greatest Name was hidden. Bahá’u’lláh has confirmed that the
Greatest Name is “Bahá”.
The various derivatives of the word “Bahá” are also regarded as the Greatest Name.
Shoghi Effendi’s secretary writing on his behalf explains that “The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá’u’lláh. “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá” is an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of Glories!”. “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a greeting which means: “God the All-Glorious”. Both refer to Bahá’u’lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá’u’lláh has appeared in God’s Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the supreme Manifestation of God.”
The greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” was adopted during the period of Bahá’u’lláh’s exile in Adrianople.
The repetition of “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times is to be preceded by the performance of ablutions. (The Notes section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
The various derivatives of the word “Bahá” are also regarded as the Greatest Name.
Shoghi Effendi’s secretary writing on his behalf explains that “The Greatest Name is the Name of Bahá’u’lláh. “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá” is an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of Glories!”. “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a greeting which means: “God the All-Glorious”. Both refer to Bahá’u’lláh. By Greatest Name is meant that Bahá’u’lláh has appeared in God’s Greatest Name, in other words, that He is the supreme Manifestation of God.”
The greeting “Alláh-u-Abhá” was adopted during the period of Bahá’u’lláh’s exile in Adrianople.
The repetition of “Alláh-u-Abhá” ninety-five times is to be preceded by the performance of ablutions. (The Notes section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
2/8/13
February 8
In the Bahá'í Faith there are two authoritative centers
appointed to which the believers must turn, for in reality the Interpreter of
the Word is an extension of that center which is the Word itself. The Book is
the record of the utterance of Bahá'u'lláh, while the divinely inspired
Interpreter is the living Mouth of that Book - it is he and he alone who can
authoritatively state what the Book means. Thus one center is the Book with its
Interpreter, and the other is the Universal House of Justice guided by God to
decide on whatever is not explicitly revealed in the Book. This pattern of
centers and their relationships is apparent at every stage in the unfoldment of
the Cause. In the Kitáb-i-Aqdas Bahá'u'lláh tells the believers to refer after
His passing to the Book, and to "Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath
branched from this Ancient Root." In the Kitáb-i-'Ahdí (the Book of
Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant), He makes it clear that this reference is to
'Abdu'l-Bahá. In the Aqdas Bahá'u'lláh also ordains the institution of the
Universal House of Justice, and confers upon it the powers necessary for it to
discharge its ordained functions. The Master in His Will and Testament
explicitly institutes the Guardianship, which Shoghi Effendi states was clearly
anticipated in the verses of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, reaffirms and elucidates the
authority of the Universal House of Justice, and refers the believers once
again to the Book: "Unto the Most Holy Book everyone must turn and all
that is not expressly recorded therein must be referred to the Universal House
of Justice," and at the very end of the Will He says: "All must seek
guidance and turn unto the Center of the Cause and the House of Justice. And he
that turneth unto whatsoever else is indeed in grievous error." (The Universal House of Justice, from a
letter dated 7 December 1969, published in "Messages from the Universal
House of Justice: 1968-1973"; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, The
Covenant)
2/7/13
February 7
The backbone of the Fund must be the regular
contributions of every believer. Even though such contributions may be small
because of the poverty of the donors, large numbers of small sums combine into
a mighty river that can carry along the work of the Cause. Moreover the unity
of the friends in sacrifice draws upon them the confirmations of the Blessed
Beauty. (The Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 29 December 1970, ‘Messages
from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986’) (To see the entire message
please visit Messages to the Baha’i World Community – by the Universal House ofJustice)
2/6/13
February 6
Who knows but that triumphs, unsurpassed in splendour, are
not in store for the mass of Bahá'u'lláh's toiling followers? Surely, we stand
too near the colossal edifice His hand has reared to be able, at the present
stage of the evolution of His Revelation, to claim to be able even to conceive
the full measure of its promised glory. Its past history, stained by the blood
of countless martyrs, may well inspire us with the thought that, whatever may
yet befall this Cause, however formidable the forces that may still assail it,
however numerous the reverses it will inevitably suffer, its onward march can
never be stayed, and that it will continue to advance until the very last
promise, enshrined within the words of Bahá'u'lláh, shall have been completely
redeemed. (Shoghi Effendi, from the Epilogue to "The Dawn-Breakers:
Nabil's Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Revelation", trans. and
ed. Shoghi Effendi; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Opposition)
2/5/13
February 5
O thou distinguished physician! ... Praise be to God that
thou hast two powers: one to undertake physical healing and the other spiritual
healing. Matters related to man's spirit have a great effect on his bodily
condition. For instance, thou shouldst impart gladness to thy patient, give him
comfort and joy, and bring him to ecstasy and exultation. How often hath it
occurred that this hath caused early recovery. Therefore, treat thou the sick
with both powers. Spiritual feelings have a surprising effect on healing
nervous ailments. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Selections
from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Some
Aspects of Heath, Healing, Nutrition and Related Matters)
2/4/13
February 4
Of the more than one hundred volumes comprising the sacred
Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas is of unique importance. “To build
anew the whole world” is the claim and challenge of His Message, and the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas is the Charter of the future world civilization that Bahá’u’lláh
has come to raise up. Its provisions rest squarely on the foundation
established by past religions, for, in the words of Bahá’u’lláh, “This is the
changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future.” In this
Revelation the concepts of the past are brought to a new level of
understanding, and the social laws, changed to suit the age now dawning, are
designed to carry humanity forward into a world civilization the splendours of which
can as yet be scarcely imagined.
In its affirmation of the validity of the great religions of the past, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas reiterates those eternal truths enunciated by all the Divine Messengers: the unity of God, love of one’s neighbour, and the moral purpose of earthly life. At the same time it removes those elements of past religious codes that now constitute obstacles to the emerging unification of the world and the reconstruction of human society. (The Universal House of Justice, ‘Introduction to Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
In its affirmation of the validity of the great religions of the past, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas reiterates those eternal truths enunciated by all the Divine Messengers: the unity of God, love of one’s neighbour, and the moral purpose of earthly life. At the same time it removes those elements of past religious codes that now constitute obstacles to the emerging unification of the world and the reconstruction of human society. (The Universal House of Justice, ‘Introduction to Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
2/3/13
February 3
Now surely, if ever, is the time for
us, the chosen ones of Bahá’u’lláh and the bearers of His Message to the world,
to endeavor by day and by night, to deepen, first and foremost, the Spirit of
His Cause in our own individual lives, and then labor, and labor incessantly to
exemplify in all our dealings with our fellow-men that noble Spirit of which
His beloved Son ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has been all the days of His life a true and
unique exponent. The sayings of our beloved Master have been noised abroad, His
name has filled all regions, and the eyes of mankind are now turned expectant
towards His disciples who bear His name and profess His teachings. Shall we not
by our daily life vindicate the high claims of His teachings, and prove by our
services the influence of His undying Spirit? This surely is our highest
privilege, and our most sacred duty. (Excerpt from a letter written by Shoghi
Effendi, dated March 12, 1923, to the Baha’is; Baha’i Administration pp. 34-43)
(To read the entire letter please visit Messages to the Baha’i World Community –by Shoghi Effendi)
2/2/13
February 2
Such a chaste and holy life, with its implications of
modesty, purity, temperance, decency, and clean-mindedness, involves no less
than the exercise of moderation in all that pertains to dress, language,
amusements, and all artistic and literary avocations. It demands daily
vigilance in the control of one's carnal desires and corrupt inclinations. It
calls for the abandonment of a frivolous conduct, with its excessive attachment
to trivial and often misdirected pleasures. It requires total abstinence from
all alcoholic drinks, from opium, and from similar habit-forming drugs. It
condemns the prostitution of art and of literature, the practices of nudism and
of companionate marriage, infidelity in marital relationships, and all manner
of promiscuity, of easy familiarity, and of sexual vices. It can tolerate no
compromise with the theories, the standards, the habits, and the excesses of a
decadent age. Nay rather it seeks to demonstrate, through the dynamic force of
its example, the pernicious character of such theories, the falsity of such
standards, the hollowness of such claims, the perversity of such habits, and
the sacrilegious character of such excesses. (Shoghi Effendi, ‘The Advent of
Divine Justice’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, A Chase and Holy Life)
2/1/13
February 1
Say, O people: Verily the Supreme House of Justice is under
the wings of your Lord, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful, that is, under His
protection, His care, and His shelter; for He has commanded the firm believers
to obey that blessed, sanctified and all-subduing body, whose sovereignty is
divinely ordained and of the Kingdom of Heaven and whose laws are inspired and
spiritual. ('Abdu'l-Bahá,
"Rahíq-i-Makhtúm" vol. I, pp. 302-4; "Bahá'í News, September
1966; cited in "Wellspring of Guidance" ; The Compilation of
Compilations, vol. I, Establishemnt of the Universal House of Justice)
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