May 31

Your faith and certitude in the Manifestation of God for this resplendent age, your detachment from worldly affairs and attentiveness to spiritual life, your adherence to the principles of this great Faith, your iron will and legendary patience in enduring the difficulties you face in His path, the wisdom and constructive resilience you manifest in the face of the appalling conditions that currently beset you, and your determined endeavours in service to your beloved country and to the world—all these call to mind this passage revealed by the Supreme Pen where, after describing the zeal and overflowing love of His followers and recounting the sacrifices they make in fulfilment of the Divine Will, He states: “I swear by Thy glory, O my God! I am astonished at them and at that which they have manifested in the path of Thy love. Blessings and joy be upon them!… Methinks Thou didst fashion them for Thy love and didst single them out for attraction to Thee; Thou didst infuse into them the spirit of Thy Cause and didst reveal unto them the beauty of Thy oneness.” 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 8 May 2015 to the Baha’is of Iran)

May 30

Condemning specifically the world’s ecclesiastical leaders, He [Baha’u’llah] has written: “The source and origin of tyranny have been the divines... God, verily, is clear of them, and We, too, are clear of them.” “When We observed carefully,” He openly affirms, “We discovered that Our enemies are, for the most part, the divines.” “O concourse of divines!” He thus addresses them, “Ye shall not henceforth behold yourselves possessed of any power, inasmuch as We have seized it from you...” “Had ye believed in God when He revealed Himself,” He explains, “the people would not have turned aside from Him, nor would the things ye witness today have befallen Us.” “They,” referring more specifically to Muslim ecclesiastics, He asserts, “rose up against Us with such cruelty as hath sapped the strength of Islám...” “The divines of Persia,” He affirms, “committed that which no people amongst the peoples of the world hath committed.” And again: “...The divines of Persia ... have perpetrated what the Jews have not perpetrated during the Revelation of Him Who is the Spirit (Jesus).” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

May 29

Six days before He passed away He summoned to His presence, as He lay in bed leaning against one of His sons, the entire company of believers, including several pilgrims, who had assembled in the Mansion, for what proved to be their last audience with Him. “I am well pleased with you all,” He gently and affectionately addressed the weeping crowd that gathered about Him. “Ye have rendered many services, and been very assiduous in your labors. Ye have come here every morning and every evening. May God assist you to remain united. May He aid you to exalt the Cause of the Lord of being.” To the women, including members of His own family, gathered at His bedside, He addressed similar words of encouragement, definitely assuring them that in a document entrusted by Him to the Most Great Branch He had commended them all to His care. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

May 28

Well nigh half a century had passed since the inception of the Faith. Cradled in adversity, deprived in its infancy of its Herald and Leader, it had been raised from the dust, in which a hostile despot had thrown it, by its second and greatest Luminary Who, despite successive banishments, had, in less than half a century, succeeded in rehabilitating its fortunes, in proclaiming its Message, in enacting its laws and ordinances, in formulating its principles and in ordaining its institutions, and it had just begun to enjoy the sunshine of a prosperity never previously experienced, when suddenly it was robbed of its Author by the Hand of Destiny, its followers were plunged into sorrow and consternation, its repudiators found their declining hopes revive, and its adversaries, political as well as ecclesiastical, began to take heart again. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

May 27

During the blessed days of Ridván and in the company of a large contingent of the followers of the Blessed Beauty — pilgrims, visitors, and the friends serving at the Bahá’í World Centre — we circumambulated the Holy Shrines… In our prayers and meditations, we called you to mind… In our supplications at the Holy Threshold, we beseeched Him to bestow justice upon the rulers and fairness upon the clerics so that this oppression and tyranny might be brought to an end and that you and the other noble citizens of your ancient and sacred land [Iran] may see the dawning light of peace and prosperity. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 8 May 2015 to the Baha’is of Iran)

May 26

More extraordinary still that he [1] who had been instrumental in carrying the Tablets of the Divine Plan from the One Who had revealed them to those into whose care they were to be committed, who had enjoyed, for so long and so intimately, near access to his Master as amanuensis, companion and interpreter, should have been blinded by his inordinate ambition, and should have arisen, with all the resources at his disposal, to attack and undermine the institutions of an Order which, springing from the authentic Will of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, had been designed by Him to be the chief instrument for the vigorous prosecution of that Plan and the fulfillment of its ultimate purpose. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated June 15, 1946; ‘Messages to America’)

[1] Mirza Ahmad Sohrab

May 25

The dark horizon faced by a world which has failed to recognize the Promised One, the Source of its salvation, acutely affects the outlook of the younger generations; their distressing lack of hope and their indulgence in desperate but futile and even dangerous solutions make a direct claim on the remedial attention of Bahá'í youth, who, through their knowledge of that Source and the bright vision with which they have thus been endowed, cannot hesitate to impart to their despairing fellow youth the restorative joy, the constructive hope, the radiant assurances of Bahá'u'lláh's stupendous Revelation. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 8 May 1985 addressed to the Baha’i youth of the world; Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963 to 1986)

May 24

He [the Báb] Who was, in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the “Morn of Truth” and “Harbinger of the Most Great Light,” Whose advent at once signalized the termination of the “Prophetic Cycle” and the inception of the “Cycle of Fulfillment,” had simultaneously through His Revelation banished the shades of night that had descended upon His country, and proclaimed the impending rise of that Incomparable Orb Whose radiance was to envelop the whole of mankind. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

May 23

“It was about an hour after sunset when my youthful Host began to converse with me. “Whom, after Siyyid Kázim,” He asked me, “do you regard as his successor and your leader?” “At the hour of his death,” I replied, “our departed teacher insistently exhorted us to forsake our homes, to scatter far and wide, in quest of the promised Beloved. I have, accordingly, journeyed to Persia, have arisen to accomplish his will, and am still engaged in my quest.” “Has your teacher,” He further enquired, “given you any detailed indications as to the distinguishing features of the promised One?” “Yes,” I replied, “He is of a pure lineage, is of illustrious descent, and of the seed of Fátimih. As to His age, He is more than twenty and less than thirty. He is endowed with innate knowledge. He is of medium height, abstains from smoking, and is free from bodily deficiency.” He paused for a while and then with vibrant voice declared: “Behold, all these signs are manifest in Me!” He then considered each of the above-mentioned signs separately, and conclusively demonstrated that each and all were applicable to His person.” 

- Mulla Husayn  (Quoted in ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, Translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)

May 22

The opening scene of the initial act of this great drama [the Advent of the Báb] was laid in the upper chamber of the modest residence of the son of a mercer of Shíráz, in an obscure corner of that city. The time was the hour before sunset, on the 22nd day of May, 1844. The participants were the Báb, a twenty-five year old siyyid, of pure and holy lineage, and the young Mullá Husayn, the first to believe in Him. Their meeting immediately before that interview seemed to be purely fortuitous. The interview itself was protracted till the hour of dawn. The Host remained closeted alone with His guest, nor was the sleeping city remotely aware of the import of the conversation they held with each other. No record has passed to posterity of that unique night save the fragmentary but highly illuminating account that fell from the lips of Mullá Husayn. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

May 21

On that very day, a few hours before sunset, whilst walking outside the gate of the city, his eyes fell suddenly upon a Youth of radiant countenance, who wore a green turban and who, advancing towards him, greeted him with a smile of loving welcome. He embraced Mullá Husayn with tender affection as though he had been his intimate and lifelong friend. Mullá Husayn thought Him at first to be a disciple of Siyyid Kázim who, on being informed of his approach to Shíráz, had come out to welcome him.

…‘The Youth [the Báb] who met me [Mulla Husayn] outside the gate of Shíráz overwhelmed me with expressions of affection and loving-kindness. He extended to me a warm invitation to visit His home, and there refresh myself after the fatigues of my journey. I prayed to be excused, pleading that my two companions had already arranged for my stay in that city, and were now awaiting my return. “Commit them to the care of God,” was His reply; “He will surely protect and watch over them.” Having spoken these words, He bade me follow Him. I was profoundly impressed by the gentle yet compelling manner in which that strange Youth spoke to me. As I followed Him, His gait, the charm of His voice, the dignity of His bearing, served to enhance my first impressions of this unexpected meeting.’ 

(Nabil, ‘The Dawn-Breakers’, Translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)

May 20

The people among whom He [the Báb] appeared were the most decadent race in the civilized world, grossly ignorant, savage, cruel, steeped in prejudice, servile in their submission to an almost deified hierarchy, recalling in their abjectness the Israelites of Egypt in the days of Moses, in their fanaticism the Jews in the days of Jesus, and in their perversity the idolators of Arabia in the days of Muhammad. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

May 19

To the extent possible, the World Centre supports activities in the Holy Land related to promoting a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation among the country’s religious communities. The contribution in Haifa to building good relations among the city’s religious and ethnic groups goes back to the time of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and is well known. It is interesting to note that Haifa is regarded as the city that has the most harmonious relations among the diverse citizenry of the land. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 13 January 2015 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)      

May 18

Stranger still that he [1] whom posterity will recognize to have been the founder of that Faith in the Western Hemisphere, whom the Center of the Covenant, in recognition of so signal a service, had acclaimed as “Bahá’s Peter” and “the Second Columbus”, should have, in his vanity and ambition, deserted the Fold he had labored to gather, should have allied himself with the Arch-Breaker of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, and remained until the end of his life, a sworn and bitter enemy of the One Who had entrusted him with such a holy and historic errand, and conferred upon him such glowing tributes. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated June 15, 1946; ‘Messages to America’)

[1] Ibrahim Khayru'llah

May 17

At the end of the twentieth century, the majority of the population of Latin America is under the age of 30. As this generation of youth assumes the responsibilities of conducting the affairs of society, it will encounter a landscape of bewildering contrast. On the one hand, the region can justly boast brilliant achievements in the intellectual, technological and economic spheres. On the other, it has failed to reduce widespread poverty or to avoid a rising sea of violence that threatens to submerge its peoples. Why - and the question needs to be asked plainly -- has this society been impotent, despite its great wealth, to remove the injustices that are tearing its fiber apart?

The answer to this question, as amply evidenced by decades of contentious history, cannot be found in political passion, conflicting expressions of class interest, or technical recipes. What is called for is a spiritual revival, as a prerequisite to the successful application of political, economic and technological instruments. But there is a need for a catalyst. Be assured that, in spite of your small numbers, you are the channels through which such a catalyst can be provided. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 8 January 2000 addressed to the friends gathered at the Youth Congress in Paraguay)

May 16

…consider what a difference and distinction is there between the material civilization and the Divine civilization! The natural civilization prevents men from doing harm and wrong through force and punishment and thus withholds them from committing crimes. But the Divine civilization so trains men that the human individuals avoid sins without having any fear from (material) punishment; and the very sin itself becomes unto them as the severest punishment. And they will engage in acquiring human virtues, gaining that by which mankind will be uplifted and that which will enlighten the human world with the utmost zeal and fervor. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet, Star of the West, vol. 2, no. 3, April 28, 1911)

May 15

Indeed, let them welcome with confidence the challenges awaiting them. Imbued with this excellence and a corresponding humility, with tenacity and a loving servitude, today's youth must move towards the front ranks of the professions, trades, arts and crafts which are necessary to the further progress of humankind -- this to ensure that the spirit of the Cause will cast its illumination on all these important areas of human endeavour. Moreover, while aiming at mastering the unifying concepts and swiftly advancing technologies of this era of communications, they can, indeed they must also guarantee the transmittal to the future of those skills which will preserve the marvellous, indispensable achievements of the past. The transformation which is to occur in the functioning of society will certainly depend to a great extent on the effectiveness of the preparations the youth make for the world they will inherit. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 8 May 1985 addressed to the Baha’i youth of the world; Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963 to 1986)

May 14

The increase in the numbers of Board members will inevitably be reflected in an increase in the needs of the Continental Funds… we feel sure that you [National Spiritual Assemblies] will do your utmost to meet the new requirements, bearing in mind the importance which the beloved Guardian attached to direct contributions to these Funds by National and Local Spiritual Assemblies, as well as by individual believers. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated November 1964 to the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha’i world; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)

May 13

And what of the other tribulations which, before and immediately after this dreadful episode, touched Him [Baha’u’llah]? What of His confinement in the home of one of the kad-khudás of Tihrán? What of the savage violence with which He was stoned by the angry people in the neighborhood of the village of Níyálá? What of His incarceration by the emissaries of the army of the Sháh in Mázindarán, and His receiving the bastinado by order, and in the presence, of the assembled siyyids and mujtahids into whose hands He had been delivered by the civil authorities of Ámul? What of the howls of derision and abuse with which a crowd of ruffians subsequently pursued Him? What of the monstrous accusation brought against Him by the Imperial household, the Court and the people, when the attempt was made on the life of Násri’d-Dín Sháh? What of the infamous outrages, the abuse and ridicule heaped on Him when He was arrested by responsible officers of the government, and conducted from Níyávarán “on foot and in chains, with bared head and bare feet,” and exposed to the fierce rays of the midsummer sun, to the Síyáh-Chál of Tihrán? What of the avidity with which corrupt officials sacked His house and carried away all His possessions and disposed of His fortune? What of the cruel edict that tore Him from the small band of the Báb’s bewildered, hounded, and shepherdless followers, separated Him from His kinsmen and friends, and banished Him, in the depth of winter, despoiled and defamed, to ‘Iráq? 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 28 March 1941; ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)

May 12

The heart of a Bahá’í cannot but be distressed when contemplating the desperate state of global affairs. The friends must remember, however, that the conflicts, injustices, and suffering they observe are symptoms of the disintegration of the old world order. Ultimately, political affairs must be reordered and the lesser peace established, for humanity is a single entity and the best interests of any part are inextricably bound up with the best interests of the whole. Yet, so long as particular nations, peoples, and political factions pursue their own interests, whether by political, economic, or military means and often at the expense of others, the great challenges facing humanity will remain insoluble. While each side portrays its position in terms of what is just and right, using whatever means available to gain public favor — especially the media and global forums — Bahá’ís must be careful not to be drawn into such arguments, for they are the well-wishers of all peoples and nations. “Let them refrain from associating themselves, whether by word or by deed, with the political pursuits of their respective nations, with the policies of their governments and the schemes and programs of parties and factions”, Shoghi Effendi stated. “In such controversies they should assign no blame, take no side, further no design, and identify themselves with no system prejudicial to the best interests of that world-wide Fellowship which it is their aim to guard and foster.” 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 13 January 2015 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

May 11

It should be remembered that the purpose of proclamation is to make known to all mankind the fact and general aim of the new Revelation, while teaching programmes should be planned to confirm individuals from every stratum of society. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message to the Baha’is of the world, Naw-Ruz, 1974; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986)

May 10

In contrast to these patterns bred by traditional antagonisms, the Bahá’í system is based upon the ideals of unity, harmony, justice, diversity and forbearance in the building of a divinely conceived administrative structure through a process of mutual learning and discovery. As already noted, the element of power-seeking is entirely absent. All members of a Bahá’í community, no matter what position they may temporarily occupy in the administrative structure, are expected to regard themselves as involved in a learning process, as they strive to understand and implement the laws and principles of the Faith. As part of this process, the Assemblies are encouraged to continually share their hopes and cares and the news of developments with the members of the community and to seek their views and support. There are, of course, matters such as the personal problems of a believer which he (or she) brings to his Assembly for advice, the amounts of the contributions of individual believers to the Fund, and so forth, in relation to which the Assembly must observe strict confidentiality. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 18 July 2000 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

May 9

When teaching among the masses, the friends should be careful not to emphasize the charitable and humanitarian aspects of the Faith as a means to win recruits. Experience has shown that when facilities such as schools, dispensaries, hospitals, or even clothes and food are offered to the people being taught, many complications arise. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 13 July 1964)

May 8

With regard to the status of women, the important point for Bahá'ís to remember is that in the face of the categorical pronouncements in Bahá'í Scripture establishing the equality of men and women, the ineligibility of women for membership on the Universal House of Justice does not constitute evidence of the superiority of men over women. It must also be borne in mind that women are not excluded from any other international institution of the Faith. They are found among the ranks of the Hands of the Cause. They serve as members of the International Teaching Center and as Continental Counsellors. And, there is nothing in the text to preclude the participation of women in such future international bodies as the Supreme Tribunal. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated May 31, 1988)

May 7

The education of each child is compulsory.... In addition to this widespread education each child must be taught a profession, art, or trade, so that every member of the community will be enabled to earn his own livelihood. Work done in the spirit of service is the highest form of worship...." 

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá  ('Abdu'l-Baha on Divine Philosophy’, The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Women)

May 6

The education of children in the teachings of the Faith must be regarded as an essential obligation of every Bahá'í parent, every local and national community and it must become a firmly established Bahá'í activity during the course of the Plan. It should include moral instruction by word and example and active participation by children in Bahá'í community life. 

- The Universal House of Justice (from a message to the Baha’is of the world, Naw-Ruz, 1974; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986)

May 5

“‘Abdu’l-Bahá,” writes Dr. J.E. Esslemont, “tells how one day He was allowed to enter the prison-yard to see His beloved Father when He came out for His daily exercise. Bahá’u’lláh was terribly altered, so ill He could hardly walk. His hair and beard unkempt, His neck galled and swollen from the pressure of a heavy steel collar, His body bent by the weight of His chains.” “For three days and three nights,” Nabíl has recorded in his chronicle, “no manner of food or drink was given to Bahá’u’lláh. Rest and sleep were both impossible to Him. The place was infested with vermin, and the stench of that gloomy abode was enough to crush the very spirits of those who were condemned to suffer its horrors.” “Such was the intensity of His suffering that the marks of that cruelty remained imprinted upon His body all the days of His life.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (from a letter dated 28 March 1941; ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)

May 4

Thus this flower once upon a time was of the soil. The animal eats the flower or its fruit, and it thereby ascends to the animal kingdom. Man eats the meat of the animal, and there you have its ascent into the human kingdom, because all phenomena are divided into that which eats and that which is eaten. Therefore, every primordial atom of these atoms, singly and indivisible, has had its coursings throughout all the sentient creation, going constantly into the aggregation of the various elements. Hence do you have the conservation of energy and the infinity of phenomena, the indestructibility of phenomena, changeless and immutable, because life cannot suffer annihilation but only change. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (from a talk, ‘Foundations of World Unity’; compilation ‘Nature’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

May 3

Those souls who are employed in government departments should approach their duties with entire detachment, integrity and independence of spirit, and with complete consecration and sanctity of purpose. Content with the wages they are receiving, they should see that they do not stain their fair character through acts of bribery and fraud. Were one of the friends in this day to misappropriate so much as a single penny, the sacred mantle of God's Cause would become sullied by his action and the shame of it would attach to the whole community. Heaven forbid! Nay, rather, the government and people should come to repose such trust in the Bahá'ís as to wish to commit all affairs of state throughout the provinces into the chaste, pure hands of God's well-beloved. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (from a Tablet; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Trustworthiness: A Cardinal Bahá'í Virtue)

May 2

The same tokens of devotion shown Bahá’u’lláh at the time of His departure from His House, and later from the Garden of Ridván, were repeated when, on the 20th of Dhi’l-Qádih (May 9, 1863), accompanied by members of His family and twenty-six of His disciples, He left Firayját, His first stopping-place in the course of that journey. A caravan, consisting of fifty mules, a mounted guard of ten soldiers with their officer, and seven pairs of howdahs, each pair surmounted by four parasols, was formed, and wended its way, by easy stages, and in the space of no less than a hundred and ten days, across the uplands, and through the defiles, the woods, valleys and pastures, comprising the picturesque scenery of eastern Anatolia, to the port of Sámsun, on the Black Sea. At times on horseback, at times resting in the howdah reserved for His use, and which was oftentimes surrounded by His companions, most of whom were on foot, He, by virtue of the written order of Námiq Páshá, was accorded, as He traveled northward, in the path of spring, an enthusiastic reception by the valís, the mutisárrifs, the qá’im-maqáms, the mudírs, the shaykhs, the muftís and qádís, the government officials and notables belonging to the districts through which He passed. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

May 1

The unsophisticated people of the world -- and they form the large majority of its population -- have the same right to know of the Cause of God as others. When the friends are teaching the Word of God they should be careful to give the Message in the same simplicity as it is enunciated in our Teachings. In their contacts they must show genuine and divine love. The heart of an unlettered soul is extremely sensitive; any trace of prejudice on the part of the pioneer or teacher is immediately sensed. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (from a message dated 13 July 1964)