Every institution of this divinely created Order [“Order of
Baha’u’llah”] is one more refuge for a distraught populace; every soul
illumined by the light of the sacred Message is one more link in the oneness of
mankind, one more servant ministering to the needs of an ailing world. 
Events of the most profound significance are taking place in
the world. The river of human history is flowing at a bewildering speed.
Age-old institutions are collapsing. Traditional ways are being forgotten, and
newly born ideologies which were fondly expected to take their place, are
withering and decaying before the eyes of their disillusioned adherents. Amidst
this decay and disruption, assailed from every side by the turmoil of the age,
the Order of Bahá'u'lláh, unshakeably founded on the Word of God, protected by
the shield of the Covenant and assisted by the hosts of the Concourse on High,
is rising in every part of the world.
The first forty days of His [the Báb] sojourn in Isfáhán
were spent as the guest of Mírzá Siyyid Muhammad… the Imám-Jum’ih, one of the
principal ecclesiastical dignitaries of the realm, in accordance with the
instructions of the governor of the city, Manúchihr Khán… who had received from
the Báb a letter requesting him to appoint the place where He should dwell. He
was ceremoniously received, and such was the spell He cast over the people of
that city that, on one occasion, after His return from the public bath, an
eager multitude clamored for the water that had been used for His ablutions. So
magic was His charm that His host, [the Imám-Jum’ih] forgetful of the dignity
of his high rank, was wont to wait personally upon Him. It was at the request
of this same prelate that the Báb, one night, after supper, revealed His
well-known commentary on the súrih of Va’l-‘Asr. Writing with astonishing
rapidity, He, in a few hours... [revealed] verses that equalled in number a
third of the Qur’án, a feat that called forth such an outburst of reverent astonishment
from those who witnessed it that they arose and kissed the hem of His robe.
We have your letter of March 2, 1972 asking if ... a pioneer
couple living in a remote area lacking police protection may have a weapon in
their possession for defending themselves as thieves have broken into their
house twice and robbed them.
As regards the meaning of the Bahá’í Covenant: The Guardian
considers the existence of two forms of Covenant both of which are explicitly
mentioned in the literature of the Cause. First is the covenant that every
prophet makes with humanity or more definitely with His people that they will
accept and follow the coming Manifestation Who will be the reappearance of His
reality. The second form of covenant is such as the one Bahá’u’lláh made with
His people that they should accept the Master. This is merely to establish and
strengthen the succession of the series of Lights that appear after every
Manifestation. Under the same category falls the covenant the Master has made
with the Bahá’ís that they should accept His administration after Him.
If we but turn our gaze to the high qualifications of the
members of Baha’i Assemblies, as enumerated in Abdu’l Baha’s Tablets, we are
filled with feelings of unworthiness and dismay, and would feel truly
disheartened but for the comforting thought that if we rise to play nobly our
part every deficiency in our lives will be more than compensated by the all-conquering
spirit of His grace and power. Hence it is incumbent upon the chosen delegates
to consider without the least trace of passion and prejudice, and irrespective
of any material consideration, the names of only those who can best combine the
necessary qualities of unquestioned loyalty, of selfless devotion, of a
well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature experience.
We must realize our imperfection and not permit ourselves to
get too upset over the unfortunate things which occur, sometimes in
Conventions, sometimes in Assemblies or on Committees, etc. Such things are
essentially superficial and in time will be outgrown.
In the strict legal sense there are no "grounds"
for a Bahá'í divorce. No question of misbehavior of either party is involved
and the only condition under which a Bahá'í divorce may be considered is the
irreconcilable antipathy of the parties. Thus it is not sufficient that one or
both of the parties has asked that the date for the beginning of the year of
waiting be fixed; the Assembly must find the condition of irreconcilable
antipathy to exist before the date can be fixed.
A very important element in the attainment of such equality
is Bahá'u'lláh's provision that boys and girls must follow essentially the same
curriculum in schools.
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.
Not all of us are capable of serving in the same way, but
the one way every Bahá'í can spread the Faith is by example. This moves the
hearts of people far more deeply than words ever can.
The Bahá’í New Year, Naw-Rúz, is astronomically fixed,
coinciding with the March equinox.
Through example, loving fellowship, prayer, and kindness the
friends can attract the hearts of such people and enable them to realize that
this is the Cause of God in deed, not merely words!...
...There are no set forms of meditation prescribed in the
teachings, no plan, as such, for inner development. The friends are urged - nay
enjoined - to pray, and they also should meditate, but the manner of doing the
latter is left entirely to the individual...
The prescribed ablutions consist of washing the hands and
the face in preparation for [obligatory] prayer. In the case of the medium
Obligatory Prayer, this is accompanied by the recitation of certain verses.
Well aware of the impending trials that were to afflict Him,
the Báb had, ere His final separation from His family, bequeathed to His mother
and His wife all His possessions, had confided to the latter the secret of what
was to befall Him, and revealed for her a special prayer the reading of which,
He assured her, would resolve her perplexities and allay her sorrows.
... The powerful operations of this titanic upheaval [World
War II] are comprehensible to none except such as have recognized the claims of
both Bahá'u'lláh and the Bab. Their followers know full well whence it comes,
and what it will ultimately lead to. Though ignorant of how far it will reach,
they clearly recognize its genesis, are aware of its direction, acknowledge its
necessity, observe confidently its mysterious processes, ardently pray for the
mitigation of its severity, intelligently labor to assuage its fury, and
anticipate, with undimmed vision, the consummation of the fears and the hopes
it must necessarily engender.
The period of the Báb’s banishment to the mountains of
Ádhirbayján, lasting no less than three years, constitutes the saddest, the
most dramatic, and in a sense the most pregnant phase of His six year ministry.
It comprises His nine months’ unbroken confinement in the fortress of Máh-Kú,
and His subsequent incarceration in the fortress of Chihríq, which was
interrupted only by a brief yet memorable visit to Tabríz. It was overshadowed
throughout by the implacable and mounting hostility of the two most powerful
adversaries of the Faith, the Grand Vizir of Muhammad Sháh, Hájí Mírzá Aqásí,
and the Amír-Nizám, the Grand Vizir of Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh. It corresponds to the
most critical stage of the mission of Bahá’u’lláh, during His exile to
Adrianople, when confronted with the despotic Sulṭán ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz and his
ministers, ‘Alí Páshá and Fu’ád Páshá, and is paralleled by the darkest days of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ministry in the Holy Land, under the oppressive rule of the
tyrannical ‘Abdu’l-Hamíd and the equally tyrannical Jamál Páshá.
The voice of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Center of the Covenant of
God, has, likewise, been raised, announcing the dire misfortunes which were to
overtake, soon after His passing, the ecclesiastical hierarchies of both Sunní
and Shí’ih Islám. “This glory,” He has written, “shall be turned into the most
abject abasement, and this pomp and might converted into the most complete
subjugation. Their palaces will be transformed into prisons, and the course of
their ascendant star terminate in the depths of the pit. Laughter and merriment
will vanish, nay more, the voice of their weeping will be raised.” “Even as the
snow,” He moreover has written, “they will melt away in the July sun.”
Generally, the wisest course for the Bahá’í community in
controversial situations is to remain uninvolved; however, at times when
primary Bahá’í principles are at the heart of an issue, the decision of the National
Assembly concerned should not necessarily be to observe silence but, rather, to
take action which rises above the partisan political manifestations of the
controversy. The Assembly may, for instance, present its own statement to the
authorities, setting forth its views on essential issues on the basis of
principle, letting the circumstances determine how the principle is best to be
applied. If you feel that such action would be appropriate in the situation you
face with respect to the issues raised in your letter, you may wish to draft
such a statement, but before releasing it, kindly check with the World Centre.
... the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land have
shared with us a portion of the February 3rd letter of... referring to teaching
in the prison in ...and to the formation of Local Assemblies in cell blocks,
While this teaching work is commendable those who accept Bahá'u'lláh under
these conditions cannot undertake administrative responsibilities, nor can
Local Assemblies be formed in prisons. However, they may observe Nineteen Day
Feasts, Bahá'í Holy Days, and other Bahá'í events. When they return to their
own communities they may participate in administrative affairs as well."
Of the various writings that make up the Súriy-i-Haykal, one
requires particular mention. The Lawḥ-i-Sulṭán, the Tablet to Náṣiri’d-Dín
Sháh, Bahá’u’lláh’s lengthiest epistle to any single sovereign, was revealed in
the weeks immediately preceding His final banishment to ‘Akká. It was
eventually delivered to the monarch by Badí‘, a youth of seventeen, who had
entreated Bahá’u’lláh for the honour of rendering some service. His efforts won
him the crown of martyrdom and immortalized his name. The Tablet contains the
celebrated passage describing the circumstances in which the divine call was
communicated to Bahá’u’lláh and the effect it produced. Here, too, we find His unequivocal offer to
meet with the Muslim clergy, in the presence of the Sháh, and to provide
whatever proofs of the new Revelation they might consider to be definitive, a
test of spiritual integrity significantly failed by those who claimed to be the
authoritative trustees of the message of the Qur’án.
All Baha'is are subject to Baha'i law and Baha'i standards.
It would clearly be unacceptable for a Baha’i doctor to advocate abortion as a
method of birth control and set up a clinic for that purpose, or for a Baha'i
psychiatrist to publicly advocate sexual intercourse before marriage.
In reviewing your Minutes for 15 March 1967, we note Item 25-8
in which the Treasurer suggests a lottery as means of disposing of a Persian
carpet which has been given to you by one of the believers. We do not feel this
is an appropriate way in which to raise funds....
It is apparent that the crisis of contemporary civilization
is impelling thinkers in many lands to explore new scholarly methodologies
capable of coming to grips with spiritual, moral, cultural, and social
phenomena not hitherto encountered. No segment of humanity is so well equipped
as the Baha'i community to take a leading role in this effort. As a body of
people who are being steadily freed by the Revelation of Baha'u'llah from the
"gravitational pull," so to speak, of the cultures in which their
habits of mind have been formed, the community already has a unique approach to
the exploration of reality. This approach needs to be sharply honed as an ever
more effective instrument of social transformation. The devising of the new
scholarly paradigm called for by this circumstance offers a priceless
opportunity of service and achievement to those Baha'is who enjoy the dual
gifts of spiritual faith and intellectual faculties trained in the best that
contemporary society has to offer.
The spiritual growth generated by individual devotions is
reinforced by loving association among the friends in every locality, by
worship as a community and by service to the Faith and to one's fellow human
beings. These communal aspects of the godly life relate to the law of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár
which appears in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Although the time has not come for the
building of local Mashriqu'l-Adhkárs, the holding of regular meetings for
worship open to all and the involvement of Bahá'í communities in projects of
humanitarian service are expressions of this element of Bahá'í life and a
further step in the implementation of the Law of God.
You have asked whether it is permissible for the friends to
recite prayers other than those revealed by the Central Figures of our Faith,
prefacing your query by citing an instance when a prayer from a different
source was chanted at a Bahá'í public meeting. No prohibition has been found in
the Bahá'í Writings against the recitation at public gatherings of prayers other
than those provided in Bahá'í Scriptures. You are no doubt aware that in
devotional programs at Bahá'í Houses of Worship it is permissible to include
scriptures from other revealed religions, which may include prayers. You did
not specifically mention whether your concern was about prayers originating
from other sacred scriptures or from compositions by individuals. Bahá'ís are
generally encouraged to use the Creative Word, including those prayers and
Tablets revealed by Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb and 'Abdu'l-Bahá which are
authenticated and published in our Bahá'í literature. A letter dated 8 August
1942, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to a National Spiritual Assembly,
indicates that while spontaneous prayer is permitted, the revealed verses are
preferred because “the revealed Word is endowed with a power of its own”. The
friends, therefore, must use them in their own supplications with radiant joy.
This does not mean, however, that in addition to such prayers, they may not, in
private, use their own words whenever they feel the inclination to do so.
Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from
selfish and carnal desires.
The [Baha’i] fasting period…involves complete abstention
from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It is essentially a period of meditation
and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to
make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and
reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and
purpose are, fundamentally spiritual in character.
Fasting is the cause of the elevation of one's spiritual
station.
…obligatory prayer and fasting produce awareness and
awakening in man, and are conducive to his protection and preservation from
tests.