April 29

He is very sorry to hear of the difficulties that have arisen between you and your husband regarding the education of your children.  In all cases where Bahá’ís marry non-Bahá’ís, especially of another Faith, they should have some understanding beforehand about the children’s future religious training; when this has not been done, and if the parents cannot agree, the Bahá’í should turn to his Assembly for advice. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 8 September 1947 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Family Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, revised March 2008)

April 27

A little over four years had elapsed since the birth of the Báb’s Revelation when the trumpet-blast announcing the formal extinction of the old, and the inauguration of the new Dispensation was sounded. No pomp, no pageantry marked so great a turning-point in the world’s religious history. Nor was its modest setting commensurate with such a sudden, startling, complete emancipation from the dark and embattled forces of fanaticism, of priestcraft, of religious orthodoxy and superstition. The assembled host consisted of no more than a single woman and a handful of men, mostly recruited from the very ranks they were attacking, and devoid, with few exceptions, of wealth, prestige and power. The Captain of the host was Himself an absentee, a captive in the grip of His foes. The arena was a tiny hamlet in the plain of Badasht on the border of Mázindarán. The trumpeter was a lone woman, the noblest of her sex in that Dispensation, whom even some of her co-religionists pronounced a heretic. The call she sounded was the death-knell of the twelve hundred year old law of Islám. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

April 25

The effective use of the talents of individuals with particular expertise also demands vigilance in ensuring that the initiative of some, usually those with access to more resources, does not end up suffocating the initiatives of others. The Administrative Order is structured in a way that fosters initiative and safeguards the right of people to be meaningfully involved in the development of their own communities.  Accordingly the activities of the friends in each country fall under the guidance of the institutions of the Faith in that country….

In general, the determining factor in matching offers of service and assistance to projects should be the capacity of the projects to receive help and not the amount of resources available. It is quite possible that the talents of the friends, especially those in … exceed the capacity of the development projects elsewhere to receive assistance at this stage in the growth of the Faith. In this connection, the two-pronged approach you are pursuing seems most appropriate. While striving to help increase the capacity of projects worldwide, you are at the same time encouraging individual believers from more materially prosperous countries to become involved in Bahá’í projects at home. You should also continue encouraging them to participate in worthy endeavors outside the Faith in order to influence their professional fields and infuse them with the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. They should be assured that this is, in and of itself, a tremendous service to the Cause and not feel that they are serving the Faith only if they dedicate themselves directly to Bahá’í projects. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a memorandum dated 11 March 1997 to the Office of Social and Economic Development; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)

April 23

But while the Guardian fully approves of your wish to dedicate your whole life to the service of the Cause, he also feels the necessity of drawing your attention to the fact that in case you get married it would be your duty as a Bahá’í wife not to neglect your home duties, which indeed form a close and vital part of your general Bahá’í work.  Family considerations should of course be subordinated to the collective interests and welfare of the Cause.  But they should be given their due importance, if a Bahá’í wishes to lead a normal, well-balanced and constructive life.  The loyalties facing a Bahá’í are not equally binding and important, but this does not necessarily make them irreconcilable. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 23 November 1937 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Family Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, March 2008)

April 21

A year of preparation and reflection, as well as of great exertion, has concluded, distinguished by the efforts of the friends worldwide to mark the centenary of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, including by sending representatives to participate in a special event honouring Him in the Holy Land. Through these efforts, the inspiration offered by the life of ‘Abdu’l Bahá has been felt by countless souls and not only Bahá’ís. His concern for every member of the human family, His teaching work, His promotion of undertakings for education and social well-being, His profound contributions to discourses in both the East and the West, His heartfelt encouragement of projects to construct Houses of Worship, His shaping of early forms of Bahá’í administration, His cultivation of varied aspects of community life—all these complementary facets of His life were a reflection of His constant and complete dedication to serving God and serving humanity. Beyond being a towering figure of moral authority and surpassing spiritual insight, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a pure channel through which the forces released by the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh could act upon the world. To comprehend the society-building power possessed by the Faith, one need look no further than the achievements of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His ministry and the transformative effects of the guidance that flowed unceasingly from His pen.  So many of the marvellous advances made by the present-day Bahá’í community—which were surveyed in our message to you last Riḍván—trace their origins to the actions, decisions, and directions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (Ridvan 2022 Message)

April 19

As you can see, all these developments relate directly to the teaching work inasmuch as the Bahá’í communities must reach a certain size before they can begin to implement many of them. How, for example, can a Bahá’í community demonstrate effectively the abolition of prejudices which divide the inhabitants of a country until it has a cross-section of those inhabitants within its ranks? A seed is the vital origin of a tree and of a tremendous importance for that reason, but it cannot produce fruit until it has grown into a tree and flowered and fruited. So a Bahá’í community of nine believers is a vital step, since it can bring into being for that locality the divine institution of the Local Spiritual Assembly, but it is still only a seed, and needs to grow in size and in the diversity of its members before it can produce really convincing fruit for its fellow-citizens. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 3 January 1982 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)

April 17

He is quite serious in stating that he believes that even in the large cities, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Baltimore, etc., the Cause would not suffer if the membership were reduced to fifteen. The Bahá’ís, who have been struggling for practically fifty years to attract people to the Faith in these immense cities, have been wholly unsuccessful, when one considers the slight numerical increase in the voting lists. He therefore feels that they had better go out and teach in towns and villages. They will be safer, in case war should break out, and they will be better off, spiritually, away from these centres of intense materialism, where so much time is wasted on trivialities and non-essentials. It is this sense of urgency in arising, dispersing and teaching that should be conveyed to the believers at the Summer Schools. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 23 May 1954 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to a Bahá’í committee; compilation: ‘Potential Calamities and Ensuring Sustainability of Communities’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)   

April 15

He does not feel that fear—for ourselves or for others—solves any problem, or enables us to better meet it if it ever does arise. We do not know what the future holds exactly, or how soon we may all pass through another ordeal worse than the last one. But what we do know is that all we can do as Bahá’ís is to teach and to exemplify the Faith. We cannot bear the burden of suffering of others, and we should not try to. All men are in God’s hands, and ... we know there is another life beyond this that can hold great hope and happiness for the soul....

No matter what happens, nothing is as important as our feeling of trust in God, our inner peacefulness and faith that all, in the end, in spite of the severity of the ordeals we may pass through, will come out as Bahá’u’lláh has promised.

He urges you to put these dark thoughts from your mind, and remember that if God, the Creator of all men, can bear to see them suffer so, it is not for us to question His wisdom. He can compensate the innocent, in His own way, for the afflictions they bear. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 30 September 1950 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Potential Calamities and Ensuring Sustainability of Communities’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

April 13

As regards the question of alcohol…The Assemblies must be wise and gentle in dealing with such cases, but at the same time must not tolerate a prolonged and flagrant disregard of the Bahá’í Teachings as regards alcohol. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 10 June 1956 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

April 11

There are two principles which the House of Justice feels are fundamental to the generality of such projects of social and economic development, although, of course, there will be exceptions. The first is that they should be built on a substructure of existing, sufficiently strong local Bahá’í communities. The second is that the long-term conduct of the project should aim at self-sufficiency and not be dependent upon continuing financial support from outside.

The first principle implies that the projects of social and economic development now to be undertaken are a natural stage of the growth of the Bahá’í community and are needed by the community itself, although they will, of course, benefit a much wider segment of society….

The second principle must take into account that any project started by the Cause should be designed to grow soundly and steadily, and not to collapse from attrition.  In other words, external assistance and funds, Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í, may be used for capital acquisitions, to make surveys, to initiate activities, to bring in expertise, but the aim should be for each project to be able to continue and to develop on the strength of local Bahá’í labour, funds and enthusiasm even if all external aid should be cut off. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 8 May 1984 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)

April 9

You should try to reactivate those you taught, but if there continues to be no response you had better concentrate on more receptive souls. He thinks your teaching efforts have been very fruitful, and you should be very happy. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a message dated 30 July 1956 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

April 7

Fruitless sciences is what Bahá’u’lláh refers to, like metaphysical hair splittings, and other abstract things carried to the extreme. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a message dated 30 July 1956 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

April 5

The second fundamental principle which enables us to understand the pattern towards which Bahá’u’lláh wishes human society to evolve is the principle of organic growth which requires that detailed developments, and the understanding of detailed developments, become available only with the passage of time and with the help of the guidance given by that Central Authority in the Cause to whom all must turn. In this regard one can use the simile of a tree. If a farmer plants a tree, he cannot state at that moment what its exact height will be, the number of its branches or the exact time of its blossoming. He can, however, give a general impression of its size and pattern of growth and can state with confidence which fruit it will bear. The same is true of the evolution of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 27 April 1995 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)

April 3

As regards your husband’s attitude towards the Cause: unfriendly though that may be you should always hope that, through conciliatory and friendly means, and with wise, tactful and patient effort, you can gradually succeed in winning his sympathy for the Faith. Under no circumstances should you try to dictate and impose upon him by force your personal religious convictions. Neither should you allow his opposition to the Cause to seriously hinder your activities for its spread…. You should act patiently, tactfully and with confidence that your efforts are being guided and reinforced by Bahá’u’lláh. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 23 July 1937 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Family Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, March 2008)

April 1

The same applies to the participation of the friends in charitable, scientific, and literary associations. The friends must, with wisdom and moderation, after careful consultation, and according to their capacity and means, assist any association that sincerely aims to contribute to the common weal and to the best interests of the world of humanity. They should participate to the extent possible, but must refrain from the least involvement in politics, whether in their deeds, hearts, or words, and must shun and avoid any association with malevolent and contending parties.

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated September 1926 written to the Bahá’ís of the East—translated from the Persian; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)