January 31

Between the truth which comes from God through His Prophets, and the glimmerings, often misunderstood and misinterpreted, of truth which come from the philosophers and thinkers, there is an immense difference. We must never, under any circumstances, confuse the two. Bahá'u'lláh has said that learning can be the veil between the soul of man and the eternal truth; in other words, between man and the knowledge of God. We have seen that many people who become very advanced in the study of modern physical sciences are led to deny God, and to deny His Prophets. That does not mean that God and the Prophets have not existed and do not exist. It only means that knowledge has become a veil between their hearts and the light of God. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 22 April 1954 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, Scholarship)

January 30

It should be carefully borne in mind that the local as well as the international Houses of Justice have been expressly enjoined by the Kitáb-i-Aqdas; that the institution of the National Spiritual Assembly, as an intermediary body, and referred to in the Master’s Will as the “Secondary House of Justice,” has the express sanction of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; and that the method to be pursued for the election of the International and National Houses of Justice has been set forth by Him in His Will, as well as in a number of His Tablets. Moreover, the institutions of the local and national Funds, that are now the necessary adjuncts to all local and national spiritual assemblies, have not only been established by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Tablets He revealed to the Bahá’ís of the Orient, but their importance and necessity have been repeatedly emphasized by Him in His utterances and writings. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 27 February 1929; ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)

January 29

... the friends have been required to be righteous, well-wishing, forbearing, sanctified, pure, detached from all else save God, severed from the trappings of this world and adorned with the mantle of a goodly character and godly attributes. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 19 December 1923 to the Baha'is of the East [translated from the Persian]; quoted in an open letter from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Iran about the Banning of the Baha'i Administration; included in Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)

January 28

It is one of the essential teachings of the Faith that unity should be maintained in the home. Of course, this does not mean that any member of the family has a right to influence the faith of any other member; and if this is realized by all the members, then it seems certain that unity would be feasible. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 6 July 1952 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Women)

January 27

When such difference of opinion and belief occurs between husband and wife it is very unfortunate for undoubtedly it detracts from that spiritual bond which is the stronghold of the family bond, especially in times of difficulty. The way, however, that it could be remedied is not by acting in such wise as to alienate the other party. One of the objects of the Cause is actually to bring about a closer bond in the homes. In all such cases, therefore, the Master used to advise obedience to the wishes of the other party and prayer. Pray that your husband may gradually see the light and at the same time so act as to draw him nearer rather than prejudice him. Once that harmony is secured then you will be able to serve unhampered. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter date 15 July 1928, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Women)

January 26

There are mighty agencies in this world, governments, foundations, institutions of many kinds with tremendous financial resources which are working to improve the material lot of human beings. Anything we Bahá'ís could add to such resources in the way of special funds or contributions would be a negligible drop in the ocean. However, alone among men we have the divinely-given remedy for the real ills of mankind; no one else is doing or can do this most important work. . . . 
- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated November 19, 1974; compilation: Developing Distinctive Baha’i Communities, NSA of USA, 1998 edition)

January 25

…the prohibition of monasticism and asceticism… In the Words of Paradise Bahá’u’lláh amplifies these provisions. He states: “Living in seclusion or practising asceticism is not acceptable in the presence of God,” and He calls upon those involved to “observe that which will cause joy and radiance”. He instructs those who have taken up “their abodes in the caves of the mountains” or who have “repaired to graveyards at night” to abandon these practices, and He enjoins them not to deprive themselves of the “bounties” of this world which have been created by God for humankind. And in the Tablet of Bishárát, while acknowledging the “pious deeds” of monks and priests, Bahá’u’lláh calls upon them to “give up the life of seclusion and direct their steps towards the open world and busy themselves with that which will profit themselves and others”. He also grants them leave “to enter into wedlock that they may bring forth one who will make mention of God”. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (‘The Notes section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

January 24

Dearly beloved friends! Great as is my love and admiration for you, [North American believers] convinced as I am of the paramount share which you can, and will, undoubtedly have in both the continental and international spheres of future Bahá’í activity and service, I feel it nevertheless incumbent upon me to utter, at this juncture, a word of warning. The glowing tributes, so repeatedly and deservedly paid to the capacity, the spirit, the conduct, and the high rank, of the American believers, both individually and as an organic community, must, under no circumstances, be confounded with the characteristics and nature of the people from which God has raised them up. A sharp distinction between that community and that people must be made, and resolutely and fearlessly upheld, if we wish to give due recognition to the transmuting power of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, in its impact on the lives and standards of those who have chosen to enlist under His banner. Otherwise, the supreme and distinguishing function of His Revelation, which is none other than the calling into being of a new race of men, will remain wholly unrecognized and completely obscured. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated December 25, 1938; published as ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

January 23

Regarding the questions you asked: self has really two meanings, or is used in two senses, in the Bahá’í writings; one is self, the identity of the individual created by God. This is the self mentioned in such passages as “he hath known God who hath known himself”, etc. The other self is the ego, the dark, animalistic heritage each one of us has, the lower nature that can develop into a monster of selfishness, brutality, lust and so on. It is this self we must struggle against, or this side of our natures, in order to strengthen and free the spirit within us and help it to attain perfection.

Self-sacrifice means to subordinate this lower nature and its desires to the more godly and noble side of our selves. Ultimately, in its highest sense, self-sacrifice means to give our will and our all to God to do with as He pleases. Then He purifies and glorifies our true self until it becomes a shining and wonderful reality. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 10 December 1947 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

January 22

The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh will last until the coming of the next Manifestation of God, Whose advent will not take place before at least “a full thousand years” will have elapsed. Bahá’u’lláh cautions against ascribing to “this verse” anything other than its “obvious meaning”, and in one of His Tablets, He specifies that “each year” of this thousand year period consists of “twelve months according to the Qur’án, and of nineteen months of nineteen days each, according to the Bayán”.

The intimation of His Revelation to Bahá’u’lláh in the Síyáh-Chál of Ṭihrán, in October 1852, marks the birth of His Prophetic Mission and hence the commencement of the one thousand years or more that must elapse before the appearance of the next Manifestation of God. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (‘The Notes section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

January 21

The virtual establishment of the Administrative Order of their Faith, the erection of its framework, the fashioning of its instruments, and the consolidation of its subsidiary institutions, was the first task committed to their charge, as an organized community [North America] called into being by the Will, and under the instructions, of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Of this initial task they have acquitted themselves with marvelous promptitude, fidelity, and vigor. No sooner had they created and correlated the various and necessary agencies for the efficient conduct of any policy they might subsequently wish to initiate, than they addressed themselves, with equal zest and consecration, to the next more arduous task of erecting the superstructure of an edifice the cornerstone of which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself had laid. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated December 25, 1938; published as ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

January 20

Bahá’u’lláh teaches that the Mercy of God exceeds His Justice. Ultimately there is hope for every soul of progress and forgiveness. But at the same time to turn aside from this Cause, once we have really contacted its spirit, is a grave error and one not to be minimized. But although we Bahá’ís know this, we cannot thrust such a statement on non-Bahá’ís. We must always teach constructively, and be very sure that none of us, through disagreement among ourselves or indiscretion, cool off the souls of the seekers. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 14 October 1947, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

January 19

Bahá’u’lláh prohibits confession to, and seeking absolution of one’s sins from, a human being. Instead one should beg forgiveness from God. In the Tablet of Bishárát, He states that “such confession before people results in one’s humiliation and abasement”, and He affirms that God “wisheth not the humiliation of His servants”.

Shoghi Effendi sets the prohibition into context. His secretary has written on his behalf that we “...are forbidden to confess to any person, as do the Catholics to their priests, our sins and shortcomings, or to do so in public, as some religious sects do. However, if we spontaneously desire to acknowledge we have been wrong in something, or that we have some fault of character, and ask another person’s forgiveness or pardon, we are quite free to do so.”

The Universal House of Justice has also clarified that Bahá’u’lláh’s prohibition concerning the confession of sins does not prevent an individual from admitting transgressions in the course of consultations held under the aegis of Bahá’í institutions. Likewise, it does not preclude the possibility of seeking advice from a close friend or of a professional counsellor regarding such matters. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (‘The Notes section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

January 18

In a number of earlier religious Dispensations and in certain cultures the kissing of the hand of a religious figure or of a prominent person was expected as a mark of reverence and deference to such persons and as a token of submission to their authority. Bahá’u’lláh prohibits the kissing of hands and, in His Tablets, He also condemns such practices as prostrating oneself before another person and other forms of behaviour that abase one individual in relation to another. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (‘The Notes section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

January 17

In teaching people, when they begin to seriously study the Faith there is no objection to impressing upon them that this message involves great spiritual responsibility, and should not be either accepted or cast aside lightly. But we must be very gentle, tactful and patient, and not administer shocks to people.

We must always teach constructively, and be very sure that none of us, through disagreement among ourselves or indiscretion, cool off the souls of the seekers. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 14 October 1947 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer) The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Guidelines for Teaching)

January 16

Its [North America] members, the executors of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Plan, the champion-builders of Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic Order, the torchbearers of a world-girdling civilization, must, in the years immediately ahead, bestir themselves, and, as bidden by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “increase” their exertions “a thousandfold,” lay bare further vistas in the “range” of their “future achievements” and of their “unspeakably glorious” mission, and hasten the day when, as prophesied by Him, their community will “find itself securely established upon the throne of an everlasting dominion,” when “the whole earth” will be stirred and shaken by the results of its “achievements” and “resound with the praises of majesty and greatness,” when America will “evolve into a center from which waves of spiritual power will emanate, and the throne of the Kingdom of God will, in the plenitude of its majesty and glory, be firmly established.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a message dated June 5, 1947; ‘Citadel of Faith’)

January 15

The teachings throw no light on the Prophet of the Sabaeans. The followers of this religion lived in Ur of the Chaldees, where Abraham appeared. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 30 July 1941 to an individual believer; Memorandum from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice dated 6 August 1996)

January 14

In teaching people, when they begin to seriously study the Faith, there is no objection to impressing upon them that this Message involves great spiritual responsibility, and should not be either accepted or cast aside lightly. But we must be very gentle, tactful and patient, and not administer shocks to people. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 14 October 1947, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

January 13

Each one of us, if we look into our failures, is sure to feel unworthy and despondent, and this feeling only frustrates our constructive efforts and wastes time. The thing for us to focus on is the glory of the Cause and the Power of Bahá’u’lláh which can make of a mere drop a surging sea! 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 13 October 1947 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles, published in "Unfolding Destiny: The Messages from the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith to the Bahá'í Community of the British Isles")

January 12

Invested, among its sister communities in East and West, with the primacy conferred upon it by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Divine Plan; armed with the mandatory provisions of His momentous Tablets; equipped with the agencies of a quarter-century-old Administrative Order, whose fabric it has reared and consolidated; encouraged by the marvelous success achieved by its daughter communities throughout the Americas, a success which has sealed the triumph of the first stage of that Plan; launched on a campaign of vaster dimensions, of superior merit, of weightier potentialities, than any it has hitherto initiated, a campaign destined to multiply its spiritual progeny in distant lands and amidst divers races, the community of the Most Great Name in the North American continent must arise, as it has never before in its history, and demonstrate anew its capacity to perform such deeds as are worthy of its high calling. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a message dated June 5, 1947; ‘Citadel of Faith’)

January 11

To those of His followers, dwelling in that enviable and blessed continent, [“the continent of America”] He has chosen to address these no less inspiring words, as recorded in one of those Tablets revealed in honor of the believers of the United States and Canada: “O ye apostles of Bahá’u’lláh! May my life be sacrificed for you!... Behold the portals which Bahá’u’lláh hath opened before you! Consider how exalted and lofty is the station you are destined to attain, how unique the favors with which you have been endowed... My thoughts are turned towards you, and my heart leaps within me at your mention. Could ye know how my soul gloweth with your love, so great a happiness would flood your hearts as to cause you to become enamored with each other.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a message dated June 5, 1947; ‘Citadel of Faith’)

January 10

Each one of what the world regards as independent religions is set in the mould created by its authoritative scripture and its history. As it cannot refashion its system of belief in a manner to derive legitimacy from the authoritative words of its Founder, it likewise cannot adequately answer the multitude of questions posed by social and intellectual evolution. Distressing as this may appear to many, it is no more than an inherent feature of the evolutionary process. Attempts to force a reversal of some kind can lead only to still greater disenchantment with religion itself and exacerbate sectarian conflict. 

(From “One Common Faith”, a document commissioned by and prepared under the supervision of the Universal House of Justice, 2005)

January 9

It is very difficult to know what choices to make in life, and they are always conditioned by our own state of spiritual advancement; what would constitute an impossible sacrifice for one soul would seem to another a very small step to take! 

-Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 20 April 1947, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

January 8

As to your question regarding the Fast: if there is any doubt in the mind of a person as to whether it will really be bad for that person’s health to keep it, the best doctor’s advice should be obtained. But generally speaking most people can keep it, anywhere in the world, with no detriment to their health. It is very good for the health and, once one forms the habit, each year it becomes easier to keep, unless one is run down. No one is obliged to keep it if it really harms them. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 14 April 1947, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

January 7

If you study the Bahá’í teachings deeply you will see that the laws of the Aqdas, as they will be applied in future, are really the protective framework of the New World Order, and have nothing to do with the ecclesiastical practices of the past. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 7 April 1947, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

January 6

The Master has often pointed out that deeds we do for, or contributions we make to, the Cause of God in the name of a departed person, aid that person’s soul in the World Beyond. This is one of the mercies of God! 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 28 December 1946, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

January 5

In explaining the fear of God to children, there is no objection to teaching it as 'Abdu'l-Bahá so often taught everything, in the form of parables. Also the child should be made to understand that we don't fear God because He is cruel, but we fear Him because He is just, and, if we do wrong and deserve to be punished, then in His justice He may see fit to punish us. We must both love God and fear Him. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 15 February 1957 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to some individual believers; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Baha’i Education)

January 4

'Abdu’l-Baha has emphatically stated that the enmity and opposition of the world will increase in direct proportion to the extension and progress of the Faith. The greater the zeal of the believers and the more striking the effect of their achievements, the fiercer will be the opposition of the enemy. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 20 January 1935 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; ‘Dawn of a New Day’)

January 3

It is not uniformity which we should seek in the formation of any national or local assembly. For the bedrock of the Baha’i administrative order is the principle of unity in diversity, which has been so strongly and so repeatedly emphasized in the writings of the Cause. Differences which are not fundamental and contrary to the basic teachings of the Cause should be maintained, while the underlying unity of the administrative order should be at any cost preserved and insured. Unity, both of purpose and of means is, indeed, indispensable to the safe and speedy working of every Assembly, whether local or national. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 2 January 1934 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; ‘Dawn of a New Day’)

January 2

True, the minds of many are turned away from all that sounds religious, but it is only because they are ill-advised as to the meaning of true religion and it is just that mission that devolves upon us—to give a new viewpoint, to revive fresh hopes and to guide by the sacred utterances the thoughts and actions of mankind. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 14 July 1927 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; ‘Dawn of a New Day’)

January 1

Now the glorious and brilliant twentieth century has dawned, and the divine bounty is radiating universally.... Truly, this can be called the miracle of centuries, for it is replete with manifestations of the miraculous. The time has come when all mankind shall be united, when all races shall be loyal to one fatherland, all religions become one religion, and racial and religious bias pass away. It is a day in which the oneness of humankind shall uplift its standard and international peace, like the true morning, flood the world with its light.... 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’; The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II, Peace)