November 29

…you wished to know whether there is an explanation for this law given in the Bahá’í Writings, so that you can explain it to non-Bahá’í relatives. The words of the law, as they appear in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, are: “It is forbidden you to transport the body of the deceased a greater distance than one hour’s journey from the city; rather should it be interred, with radiance and serenity, in a nearby place.” The Research Department has been unable to locate any passage in the Writings giving specific reasons for this law, but if one bears in mind Bahá’u’lláh’s purpose to unite mankind and to free it from many of the ritual observances and traditional practices which divide one people from another, one can perhaps obtain an understanding for the very simple and dignified burial laws that He has given us. In past centuries it has been a practice of various peoples to transport the bodies of the dead over long distances so that they could be buried either in the vicinity of a sacred place or in some other location of special significance for the deceased. The Bahá’í law abolishes such practices. It also emphasizes the unity of the world and recognizes the importance of the spirit as compared with the body. The body of the dead person is treated with reverence and dignity and, without undue delay, is consigned to the earth in a place near where the person dies. The soul, we know, continues to exist in a world that is exalted above the limitations of time and place.  

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 23 November 1993 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Assembly Resource Compilation’, prepared by the NSA of Canada)

November 27

In the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not because they fear Him or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven....  When a man falls in love with a human being, it is impossible for him to keep from mentioning the name of his beloved.  How much more difficult is it to keep from mentioning the Name of God when one has come to love Him....  The spiritual man finds no delight in anything save in commemoration of God. 

- 'Abdu'l-Baha  (Utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, quoted by J. E. Esslemont in  ‘Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era’; compilation: ‘Prayer and Devotional Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice’)

November 25

The Cause of God must be protected from the enemies of the Faith, and from those who sow seeds of doubt in the hearts of the believers, and the greatest of all protections is knowledge: there is no doubt that the silliest of all charges ever made is that the “Will and Testament” of the Master is a forgery! It is all in His own hand, sealed in more than one place with His own seal, and was opened after His death by some members of His own family, who took it from His own safe, in this house, and from that day it has been kept in the safe under lock and key. The charges of Mrs. White were the result of an unbalanced mind. No other enemy, even those who were shrewd and clever, made this foolish accusation! The case of Aḥmad Sohrab is, for one who has had any experience of orientals and of psychology, easily understandable. He was, for some years the secretary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and enjoyed, as a result of this and the fact that he accompanied Him to America, (to be sure with a number of other Persians), a great deal of attention from the Bahá’ís who looked up to him and admired him. However, since the Master’s Will was read, and the administrative order, under the Guardianship, began to be developed, he became cognizant of the fact that his personal ambition for leadership would have to be subordinated to some degree of supervision; that he would have to obey the National and local assemblies—just like every other Bahá’í, and could not be free to teach wholly independent of any advice or supervision. This was the beginning of the defection which in the end took him outside the pale of the Faith: he refused not to be handled always as an exception, a privileged exception. In fact, if we keenly analyse it, it is almost invariably the soaring ambition and deep self-love of people that has led them to leave the Faith. Towards the end Sohrab used, in the course of his lectures, to incorporate quotation after quotation of Bahá’u’lláh’s words in his lectures, without once stating they were Bahá’u’lláh’s, and when the believers remonstrated with him over this plagiarism, it had no effect. After he had, of his own accord, left the organized body of the Faith and refused to be reconciled with it, he began to attack the administrators of it, first the American N.S.A., then the entire administrative order, and in the end the Guardian. What he teaches at present is so far divorced from our beloved Faith, and so tinged with the doctrines of many “cults” which we see thriving at present, as to be almost unrecognizable. Sohrab’s influence and activities in America have waned greatly, and he seems to now feel his only chance of causing mischief is to be active with his “caravan” movement abroad. The books and articles he published attacking the Guardian and, in fact, everything established in the Master’s Will, had no effect, and far from succeeding in causing any breach in the Faith in America, some of the very few who followed him out of the Cause, gave him up, and returned to serve the Cause with redoubled enthusiasm!

November 23

He suggests that you all hold special prayers that God may send to you receptive souls to teach.  Prayer unlocks doors that otherwise seem unopenable! 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 28 June 1945 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Prayer and Devotional Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice’)

November 21

The path you are treading is hard and stony and beset with many pitfalls. The tasks you are called upon to discharge are varied, complex, urgent and gigantic. The resources at your disposal are meagre. The hour, however, for raising the call of Bahá’u’lláh is propitious. The hearts of your countrymen, [Germany] prepared by bewilderment and suffering, are ready to respond to His message. You stand at the threshold of a new and glorious era in the evolution of His Faith in that land. The opportunities of the present hour are priceless and may never recur again. Time is pressing. The eyes of your fellow-workers in both Hemispheres are fixed upon you. Our beloved Master who showered, through His visit and His messages to you, so much love and encouragement and so many blessings, is watching over you from on high, ready to sustain your efforts and lead you on to victory.

That you may rise to still greater heights of heroism, that you may discharge befittingly your sacred responsibilities, that you may adorn the annals of your Faith with still greater evidences of your devotion, courage and perseverance, that you may achieve your high destiny as the torch-bearers of the light of Divine Guidance to the neighbouring countries in that continent, is the object of my fervent prayers at the holy shrines, and the dearest wish of my heart. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 24 October 1947; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance, vol. 1’)

November 19

When a person becomes a Bahá'í, what takes place is that the seed of the spirit starts to grow in the human soul. This seed must be watered by the outpourings of the Holy Spirit. These gifts of the spirit are received through prayer, meditation, study of the Holy Utterances and service to the Cause of God. ...Naturally there will be periods of distress and difficulty, and even severe tests; but if that person turns firmly toward the divine Manifestation, studies carefully His spiritual teachings and receives the blessings of the Holy Spirit, he will find that in reality these tests and difficulties have been gifts of God to enable him to grow and develop. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 6 October 1954 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, The Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith)

November 17

The spirit which the entire body of the German believers have displayed, despite the hardships and trials which they have heroically endured, and are still enduring, is a magnificent example to their fellow-workers in both the East and the West, a source of great inspiration to me, and a magnet that will powerfully attract the blessings of the Almighty. My thoughts, though I myself am immersed in an ocean of work and preoccupations, often turn in loving admiration and gratitude to those who, for more than a decade, have in the face of constant peril, held fast to the Faith of God, who have survived the greatest ordeal that has ever afflicted the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in the West, and who are now forging ahead, united, resolved and consecrated, in the path leading to still greater victories. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 24 October 1947; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance, vol. 1’)

November 15

He urges you all, in your work for the Cause in your local Communities, to stress the need for the greatest love and unity amongst the Bahá’ís themselves. It is this love and spiritual solidarity that is so sadly lacking in the world today, and for which its people are starving. When they see within the Bahá’í Community the true spirit of brotherhood exemplified, they will turn to Bahá’u’lláh and embrace His Message. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 27 September 1947 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance, vol. 1’)

November 13

The American Bahá'í Community -- the champion-builders of an Order which posterity will hail as the harbinger of a civilization to be regarded as the fairest fruit of the Revelation proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh; the principal trustees of a Plan which future generations will acclaim as one of the two greatest legacies left by the Center of His Covenant; marching in the van of a Crusade which history will recognize as the most momentous spiritual enterprise launched in modern times; beset by the same anxieties and perils by which the nation of which it forms a part finds itself, to an unprecedented degree, afflicted and surrounded -- such a community is, at this hour, experiencing the impact of a challenge unique in its sixty years of existence.

In its meteoric career its fortunes have risen so swiftly, its exploits have so greatly multiplied, its spirit in times of emergency has swelled and risen so high, it has earned on such occasions the applause and excited the admiration of its sister communities throughout both hemispheres to such a degree, that it cannot, at this critical hour in its destinies, suffer this golden opportunity to slip from its grasp, or this priceless privilege to be irretrievably forfeited.

This challenge, so severe and insistent, and yet so glorious, faces no doubt primarily the individual believer on whom, in the last resort, depends the fate of the entire community. He it is who constitutes the warp and woof on which the quality and pattern of the whole fabric must depend. He it is who acts as one of the countless links in the mighty chain that now girdles the globe. He it is who serves as one of the multitude of bricks which support the structure and insure the stability of the administrative edifice now being raised in every part of the world. Without his support, at once whole-hearted, continuous and generous, every measure adopted, and every plan formulated, by the body which acts as the national representative of the community to which he belongs, is foredoomed to failure. The World Center of the Faith itself is paralyzed if such a support on the part of the rank and file of the community is denied it. The Author of the Divine Plan Himself is impeded in His purpose if the proper instruments for the execution of His design are lacking. The sustaining strength of Bahá'u'lláh Himself, the Founder of the Faith, will be withheld from every and each individual who fails in the long run to arise and play his part. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a message dated 28 July 1954; ‘Citadel of Faith’)

November 11

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 letter dated 9 March 1965, published in "Wellspring of Guidance: Messages 1963-1968"; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, The Covenant)

November 9

…you who tread the path of God should focus your efforts and your energies on the vital task of ever more greatly exemplifying the divine counsels in this radiant age. You strive to strengthen spiritual bonds within your communities and to increase unity, harmony, and solidarity. You encourage, assist, and appreciate each other in all your services and do not allow the profound unity of your community or the heartfelt connections among all its members to be susceptible to the least weakening, however brief.

Beloved friends! In the midst of these events, bring hope to your countrymen’s hearts. Be a source of consolation to every burdened soul and of confidence to every weary heart. Care sincerely for everyone and bring solace to every helpless one. Heal the pains of others and thereby ease your own pain. And before Almighty God ask forgiveness for those who commit iniquity against you, and pray fervently that the dross of prejudice and ignorance may be cleansed from their hearts. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 23 August 2022 to the Baha’is in Iran; authorized translation from Persian)

November 7

Bahá’í men have the opportunity to demonstrate to the world around them a new approach to the relationship between the sexes, where aggression and the use of force are eliminated and replaced by cooperation and consultation. The Universal House of Justice has pointed out in response to questions addressed to it that, in a marriage relationship, neither husband nor wife should ever unjustly dominate the other, and that there are times when the husband and the wife should defer to the wishes of the other, if agreement cannot be reached through consultation; each couple should determine exactly under what circumstances such deference is to take place. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 24 January 1993 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Family Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, revised March 2008)

November 5

…withdrawing from all political movements, however close some of their ideals may be to ours. We Bahá’ís are one the world-over, we are seeking to build up a New World Order, Divine in origin. How can we do this if every Bahá’í is a member of a different political party—some of them diametrically opposed to each other? Where is our unity then? We would be divided because of politics, against ourselves, and this is the opposite of our purpose. Obviously if one Bahá’í in Austria, is given freedom to choose a political party and join it, however good its aims may be, another Bahá’í in Japan, or America or India, has the right to do the same thing, and he might belong to a party the very opposite in principle to that which the Austrian Bahá’í belongs to. Where would be the unity of the Faith then? These two spiritual brothers would be working against each other, because of their political affiliations (as the Christians of Europe have been doing in so many fratricidal wars).

The best way for a Bahá’í to serve his country and the world is to work for the establishment of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order, which will gradually unite all men and do away with divisive political systems and religious creeds. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 24 June 1947, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance, vol. 1)

November 3

Of the friends in Iran, trained by the hand of the Lord Himself, no less can be expected. But know truly that in this turbulent world of afflictions, in which the people are weary of violence and abhor it, especially when carried out in the name of religion—in such a world, were a person to observe with a pure eye unclouded by prejudice, the conduct and example of the Bahá’í community in Iran would be sufficient evidence and abiding proof of Bahá’u’lláh’s miracle and of the immense power of His sacred Cause to unify and promote peace. Through your adherence to His teachings and your behaviour and conduct, you have proven the practicability of the construction of a diverse and unified, ever-advancing and dynamic society and have demonstrated the reality of the effulgence of spiritual qualities and virtues in the world of humanity. Well done, a thousand times well done! This is the true meaning of the religion of God. This is eternal distinction and everlasting honour.  Do not underestimate this great bounty and have no doubt regarding the exalted rank of those who are the true promoters of peace and reconciliation, nor regarding the lofty station of the sincere lovers of the world of humanity. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 23 August 2022 to the Baha’is in Iran; authorized translation from Persian)

November 1

There are certainly wide differences among the world’s major religious traditions with respect to social ordinances and forms of worship. Given the thousands of years during which successive revelations of the Divine have addressed the changing needs of a constantly evolving civilization, it could hardly be otherwise. Indeed, an inherent feature of the scriptures of most of the major faiths would appear to be the expression, in some form or other, of the principle of religion’s evolutionary nature. What cannot be morally justified is the manipulation of cultural legacies that were intended to enrich spiritual experience, as a means to arouse prejudice and alienation. The primary task of the soul will always be to investigate reality, to live in accordance with the truths of which it becomes persuaded and to accord full respect to the efforts of others to do the same. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated April 2002, addressed to the World’s Religious Leaders)