The three daily Obligatory Prayers are
to be recited individually, not in congregation.
- The Universal House of
Justice (The ‘Notes’ section of ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
7/31/15
7/30/15
July 30
Congregational prayer in the sense of formal obligatory
prayer which is to be recited in accordance with a prescribed ritual as, for
example, is the custom in Islám where Friday prayer in the mosque is led by an
imám, has been annulled in the Bahá’í Dispensation. The Prayer for the Dead is
the only congregational prayer prescribed by Bahá’í law. It is to be recited by
one of those present while the remainder of the party stands in silence; the
reader has no special status. The congregation is not
required to face the Qiblih.
- The Universal House of Justice (‘Notes’
section of ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas’)
7/29/15
July 29
Some say that human existence is among those things that
have appeared in the world of being and that are due to the exigencies of
nature. Were this true, man would be the branch and nature the root. But is it
possible that there could exist a will, a consciousness, and certain
perfections in the branch which are absent in the root?
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Table
talks in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014
revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre)
7/28/15
July 28
When you consider nature itself… you see that it has neither
awareness nor will. For instance, the nature of fire is to burn; it burns
without consciousness or will. The nature of water is to flow; it flows without
consciousness or will. The nature of the sun is to shed light; it shines
without consciousness or will. The nature of vapour is to rise; it rises
without consciousness or will. It is therefore evident that the natural movements
of all created things are compelled, and that nothing moves of its own will
save animals and, in particular, man.
Man is
able to resist and oppose nature inasmuch as he discovers the natures of things
and, by virtue of this discovery, has mastery over nature itself. Indeed, all
the crafts that man has devised proceed from this discovery. For example, he
has invented the telegraph, which connects the East and the West. It is
therefore evident that man rules over nature.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Table talks
in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014
revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre)
7/27/15
July 27
“The
Book of God is wide open, and His Word is summoning mankind unto Him.” In such
exhilarating terms does the Supreme Pen describe the advent of the day of union
and ingathering. Bahá’u’lláh continues: “Incline your ears, O friends of God,
to the voice of Him Whom the world hath wronged, and hold fast unto whatsoever
will exalt His Cause.” He further exhorts His followers: “With the utmost
friendliness and in a spirit of perfect fellowship take ye counsel together,
and dedicate the precious days of your lives to the betterment of the world and
the promotion of the Cause of Him Who is the Ancient and Sovereign Lord of
all.”
- The Universal House of Justice (Ridvan 2013 message)
7/26/15
July 26
It can be helpful to consider that, on occasion, a believer
may discover that a personal understanding differs to some degree from the
teachings. How can it be otherwise, when our conceptions are forged in a social
milieu that Bahá’u’lláh has come to radically transform? “An exact and thorough
comprehension of so vast a system, so sublime a revelation, so sacred a trust,”
Shoghi Effendi reminds us, “is for obvious reasons beyond the reach and ken of
our finite minds.” A sensible approach is simply to recognize that the human
mind is both finite and fallible and that acquiring spiritual insight and
greater understanding is a gradual and ever-unfolding process that requires
time, continued study, reflection on action, and consultation with others. This
perspective is quite different, however, from contending with or attempting to
change explicit provisions of the Faith. Humility is required, rather than an
insistence that one’s personal views at any given time are correct.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a
letter dated 22 April 2013 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice
to an individual believer)
7/25/15
July 25
We are called upon by our beloved Master in His Will and
Testament not only to adopt it [Bahá'u'lláh's new world order] unreservedly,
but to unveil its merit to all the world. To attempt to estimate its full
value, and grasp its exact significance after so short a time since its
inception would be premature and presumptuous on our part. We must trust to
time, and the guidance of God's Universal House of Justice, to obtain a clearer
and fuller understanding of its provisions and implications. ...
- Shoghi
Effendi (From a letter dated 23 February 1924, published in ‘Bahá'í
Administration’)
7/24/15
July 24
Instruction in the schools must begin with instruction in
religion. Following religious training, and the binding of the child's heart to
the love of God, proceed with his education in the other branches of knowledge.
- ’Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet, The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Baha’i
Education)
7/23/15
July 23
It should not be surprising to find that certain aspects of the
Teachings of the Faith may not conform to one’s personal understanding. “Weigh
not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are current amongst
you, for the Book itself is the unerring Balance established amongst men,”
Bahá’u’lláh states. “In this most perfect Balance whatsoever the peoples and
kindreds of the earth possess must be weighed, while the measure of its weight
should be tested according to its own standard, did ye but know it.” As you
persevere in your efforts to resolve your concerns, you are encouraged to focus
your attention principally on the proofs of the authority of Bahá’u’lláh. This
process will be facilitated through prayer, study of the Writings,
participation in Bahá’í community life, and identification of preconceived
ideas which are derived from the standards and theories of current society. As
the years go by and humanity’s understanding of the spiritual nature of the
human being grows and develops, its view of many of the issues that are a cause
of much uncertainty and contention today can be expected to change.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 22 December 2009 written on behalf of
the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
7/22/15
July 22
There is a profound difference between the interpretations
of the Guardian and the elucidations of the House of Justice in exercise of its
function to "deliberate upon all problems which have caused difference,
questions that are obscure and matters that are not expressly recorded in the
Book." The Guardian reveals what the Scripture means; his interpretation
is a statement of truth which cannot be varied. Upon the Universal House of
Justice, in the words of the Guardian, "has been conferred the exclusive
right of legislating on matters not expressly revealed in the Bahá'í
writings." Its pronouncements, which are susceptible of amendment or
abrogation by the House of Justice itself, serve to supplement and apply the
Law of God. Although not invested with the function of interpretation, the
House of Justice is in a position to do everything necessary to establish the
World Order of Bahá'u'lláh on this earth. Unity of doctrine is maintained by
the existence of the authentic texts of Scripture and the voluminous
interpretations of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi together with the absolute
prohibition against anyone propounding "authoritative" or "inspired"
interpretations or usurping the function of Guardian. Unity of administration
is assured by the authority of the Universal House of Justice.
- The Universal
House of Justice (From a message dated 9 March 1965; Messages from the
Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)
7/21/15
July 21
Devote ye particular attention to the school for girls, for
the greatness of this wondrous Age will be manifested as a result of progress
in the world of women. This is why ye observe that in every land the world of
women is on the march, and this is due to the impact of the Most Great
Manifestation, and the power of the teachings of God.
- ’Abdu’l-Baha (From a
Tablet, ‘The Compilation of Compilations’, vol. I, Baha’i Education)
7/20/15
July 20
O ye recipients of the favours of God! In this new and
wondrous Age, the unshakable foundation is the teaching of sciences and arts.
According to explicit Holy Texts, every child must be taught crafts and arts,
to the degree that is needful. Wherefore, in every city and village, schools
must be established and every child in that city or village is to engage in
study to the necessary degree.
It followeth that whatever soul shall offer his aid to bring this about will
assuredly be accepted at the Heavenly Threshold, and extolled by the Company on
High.
7/19/15
July 19
“A race of men,” is His [Bahá’u’lláh’s] written
promise, “incomparable in character, shall be raised up which, with the feet of
detachment, will tread under all who are in heaven and on earth, and will cast
the sleeve of holiness over all that hath been created from water and clay.”
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 25 December 1938, published as ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’; also
included in a compilation on ‘A
New Race of Men’ prepared by the Research
Department of the Universal House of Justice and attached to a letter dated 15
September 2013 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an
individual believer)
7/18/15
July 18
Man’s identity or rather his individuality is never lost.
His reality as a person remains intact throughout the various stages of his
development. He does not pre-exist in any form before coming into this
world....
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 26
November 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer;
compilation ‘Reincarnation and the Nature and Progress of the
Soul’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
7/17/15
July 17
Evolution in the life of the individual starts with the
formation of the human embryo and passes through various stages, and even
continues after death in another form. The human spirit is capable of infinite
development.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 26
November 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer;
compilation ‘Reincarnation and the Nature and Progress of the
Soul’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
7/16/15
July 16
The Báb hath said that the people of Bahá must develop the
science of medicine to such a high degree that they will heal illnesses by
means of foods. The basic reason for this is that if, in some component
substance of the human body, an imbalance should occur, altering its correct,
relative proportion to the whole, this fact will inevitably result in the onset
of disease. If, for example, the starch component should be unduly augmented,
or the sugar component decreased, an illness will take control. It is the
function of a skilled physician to determine which constituent of his patient's
body hath suffered diminution, which hath been augmented. Once he hath
discovered this, he must prescribe a food containing the diminished element in
considerable amounts, to re-establish the body's essential equilibrium. The
patient, once his constitution is again in balance, will be rid of his disease.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
7/15/15
July 15
…the Laws revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in the Aqdas are, whenever
practicable and not in direct conflict with the Civil Law of the land,
absolutely binding on every believer or Bahá'í institution whether in the East
or in the West. Certain laws, such as fasting, obligatory prayers, the consent
of the parents before marriage, avoidance of alcoholic drinks, monogamy, should
be regarded by all believers as universally and vitally applicable at the
present time. Others have been formulated in anticipation of a state of society
destined to emerge from the chaotic conditions that prevail to-day. When the
Aqdas is published this matter will be further explained and elucidated. What
has not been formulated in the Aqdas, in addition to matters of detail and of
secondary importance arising out of the applications of the Laws already
formulated by Bahá'u'lláh, will have to be enacted by the Universal House of
Justice. This body can supplement but never invalidate or modify in the least
degree what has already been formulated by Bahá'u'lláh.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter written
on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United
States and Canada, August 1, 1935; compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)
7/14/15
July 14
…this Administrative Order is fundamentally different from
anything that any Prophet has previously established, inasmuch as Bahá’u’lláh
has Himself revealed its principles, established its institutions, appointed
the person to interpret His Word and conferred the necessary authority on the
body designed to supplement and apply His legislative ordinances. Therein lies
the secret of its strength, its fundamental distinction, and the guarantee
against disintegration and schism. Nowhere in the sacred scriptures of any of
the world’s religious systems, nor even in the writings of the Inaugurator of
the Bábí Dispensation, do we find any provisions establishing a covenant or providing
for an administrative order that can compare in scope and authority with those
that lie at the very basis of the Bahá’í Dispensation.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a
message dated February 8, 1934;
‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)
7/13/15
July 13
It should be remembered,
however, that apart from the miracle associated with the Báb’s execution, He,
unlike the Founder of the Christian religion, is not only to be regarded as the
independent Author of a divinely revealed Dispensation, but must also be recognized
as the Herald of a new Era and the Inaugurator of a great universal prophetic
cycle. Nor should the important fact be overlooked that, whereas the chief
adversaries of Jesus Christ, in His lifetime, were the Jewish rabbis and their
associates, the forces arrayed against the Báb represented the combined civil
and ecclesiastical powers of Persia, which, from the moment of His declaration
to the hour of His death, persisted, unitedly and by every means at their
disposal, in conspiring against the upholders and in vilifying the tenets of
His Revelation.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)
7/12/15
July 12
It would indeed be no exaggeration to say that nowhere in
the whole compass of the world’s religious literature, except in the Gospels,
do we find any record relating to the death of any of the religion-founders of
the past comparable to the martyrdom suffered by the Prophet of Shíráz.
So strange, so inexplicable a phenomenon, attested by eye-witnesses,
corroborated by men of recognized standing, and acknowledged by government as
well as unofficial historians among the people who had sworn undying hostility
to the Bábí Faith, may be truly regarded as the most marvelous manifestation of
the unique potentialities with which a Dispensation promised by all the
Dispensations of the past had been endowed.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)
7/11/15
July 11
Thus ended a life which posterity will recognize as standing
at the confluence of two universal prophetic cycles, the Adamic Cycle
stretching back as far as the first dawnings of the world's recorded religious
history and the Bahá'í Cycle destined to propel itself across the unborn
reaches of time for a period of no less than five thousand centuries. The
apotheosis in which such a life attained its consummation marks, as already
observed, the culmination of the most heroic phase of the Heroic Age of the
Bahá'í Dispensation. It can, moreover, be regarded in no other light except as
the most dramatic, the most tragic event transpiring within the entire range of
the first Bahá'í century. Indeed it can be rightly acclaimed as unparalleled in
the annals of the lives of all the Founders of the world's existing religious
systems.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)
7/10/15
July 10
On the evening of the very day of the Báb's execution, which
fell on the ninth of July 1850 (28th of Sha'ban 1266 A.H.), during the thirty-first
year of His age and the seventh of His ministry, the mangled bodies were
transferred from the courtyard of the barracks to the edge of the moat outside
the gate of the city. Four companies, each consisting of ten sentinels, were
ordered to keep watch in turn over them. On the following morning the Russian
Consul in Tabriz visited the spot, and ordered the artist who had accompanied
him to make a drawing of the remains as they lay beside the moat. In the middle
of the following night a follower of the Báb, Haji Sulayman Khan, succeeded,
through the instrumentality of a certain Haji Allah-Yar, in removing the bodies
to the silk factory owned by one of the believers of Milan, and laid them, the
next day, in a specially made wooden casket, which he later transferred to a
place of safety. Meanwhile the mullas were boastfully proclaiming from the
pulpits that, whereas the holy body of the Immaculate Imam would be preserved
from beasts of prey and from all creeping things, this man's body had been devoured
by wild animals. No sooner had the news of the transfer of the remains of the
Báb and of His fellow-sufferer been communicated to Bahá'u'lláh than He ordered
that same Sulayman Khan to bring them to Tihran, where they were taken to the
Imam-Zadih-Hasan, from whence they were removed to different places, until the
time when, in pursuance of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's instructions, they were transferred
to the Holy Land, and were permanently and ceremoniously laid to rest by Him in
a specially erected mausoleum on the slopes of Mt. Carmel.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘God
Passes By’)
7/9/15
July 9
A spike was driven into a pillar which separated two rooms
of the barracks facing the square. Two ropes were fastened to it from which the
Báb and one of his disciples, the youthful and devout Mirza
Muhammad-'Ali-i-Zunuzi, surnamed Anis, who had previously flung himself at the
feet of his Master and implored that under no circumstances he be sent away
from Him, were separately suspended. The firing squad ranged itself in three
files, each of two hundred and fifty men. Each file in turn opened fire until
the whole detachment had discharged its bullets. So dense was the smoke from
the seven hundred and fifty rifles that the sky was darkened.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)
7/8/15
July 8
The passage on page 156 of “Gleanings” regarding the
evolution of the soul after death clearly proves that the soul after its
separation from the body keeps its individuality and its consciousness both in
relation to other souls and to the human beings in this world.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 26 November 1939
written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, included in a compilation on ‘Reincarnation
and the Nature and Progress of the Soul’, prepared by the Research Department
of the Universal House of Justice)
7/7/15
July 7
No Revelation from God has ever taught reincarnation; this
is a man-made conception. The soul of man comes into being at conception; we do
not believe it goes on to another planet.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 1 April 1946 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an
individual believer; compilation ‘Reincarnation
and the Nature and Progress of the Soul’, prepared by the Research Department
of the Universal House of Justice)
7/6/15
July 6
My purpose is this, that ere the expiration of a thousand
years, no one has the right to utter a single word, even to claim the station
of Guardianship. The Most Holy Book is the Book to which all peoples shall refer,
and in it the Laws of God have been revealed. Laws not mentioned in the Book
should be referred to the decision of the Universal House of Justice. There
will be no grounds for difference ... Beware, beware lest anyone create a rift
or stir up sedition. Should there be differences of opinion, the Supreme House
of Justice would immediately resolve the problems. Whatever will be its
decision, by majority vote, shall be the real truth, inasmuch as that House is
under the protection, unerring guidance and care of the one true Lord. He shall
guard it from error and will protect it under the wing of His sanctity and
infallibility. He who opposes it is cast out and will eventually be of the
defeated.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Quoted by the Universal House of justice in a letter
dated 9 March 1965; Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)
7/5/15
July 5
It should be understood by the friends that before
legislating upon any matter the Universal House of Justice studies carefully
and exhaustively both the Sacred Texts and the Writings of Shoghi Effendi on
the subject. The interpretations written by the beloved Guardian cover a vast
range of subjects and are equally as binding as the Text itself.
- The Universal
House of Justice (From a message dated 9 March 1965)
7/4/15
July 4
…movement is essential to all existence. All material things
progress to a certain point, then begin to decline. This is the law which
governs the whole physical creation. Now let us consider the soul. We have seen
that movement is essential to existence; nothing that has life is without
motion. All creation, whether of the mineral, vegetable or animal kingdom, is
compelled to obey the law of motion; it must either ascend or descend. But with
the human soul, there is no decline. Its only movement is towards perfection;
growth and progress alone constitute the motion of the soul.
Divine perfection is infinite, therefore the progress of the
soul is also infinite. From the very birth of a human being the soul
progresses, the intellect grows and knowledge increases. When the body dies the
soul lives on. All the differing degrees of created physical beings are
limited, but the soul is limitless!
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk, ‘Paris Talks:Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
in Paris in 1911–1912’; compilation ‘Reincarnation
and the Nature and Progress of the Soul’, prepared by the Research Department
of the Universal House of Justice)
7/3/15
July 3
As to the order and the management of the spiritual affairs
of the friends, that which is very important now is the consolidation of the
Spiritual Assemblies in every centre, because on these fortified and
unshakeable foundations, God's Supreme House of Justice shall be erected and
firmly established in the days to come. When this most great Edifice shall be reared
on such an immovable foundation, God’s purpose, wisdom, universal truths,
mysteries and realities of the Kingdom, which the mystic revelation of
Bahá'u'lláh has deposited within the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, shall
gradually be revealed and made manifest.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated
19 December 1923, translated from the Persian, quoted by the Universal House of
Justice in a letter dated 9 March 1965; ‘Messages from the Universal House of
Justice 1963-1986’)
7/2/15
July 2
With the soul it is different. The soul is not a
combination of elements, it is not composed of many atoms, it is one
indivisible substance and therefore eternal. It is entirely out of the order of
the physical creation; it is immortal!
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk, ‘Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
in Paris in 1911–1912’; compilation ‘Reincarnation
and the Nature and Progress of the Soul’, prepared by the Research Department
of the Universal House of Justice)
7/1/15
July 1
As you
know, the principle of the oneness of mankind is described in the Baha'i
Writings as the pivot round which all the Teachings of Baha'u'llah revolve. It
has widespread implications which affect and remould all dimensions of human
activity. It calls for a fundamental change in the manner in which people
relate to each other, and the eradication of those age-old practices which deny
the intrinsic human right of every individual to be treated with consideration
and respect.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 24
January 1993 to an individual believer)
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