February 7

Neighborhood children’s classes have proven to be a most promising development that has attracted to the Faith many families concerned about the spiritual and moral education of their children, and the friends should not underestimate the effect upon their own children when becoming involved in them. Indeed, many stories have been received that describe a strengthening of Bahá’í identity as Bahá’í children participate in classes with children from the wider society. With respect to the concern that the neighborhood classes do not yet fully meet the needs of Bahá’í children, it is expected that, through experience and consultation with the relevant institutions, the classes held in neighborhoods will continually improve until they equal or surpass the standard of the previous classes. 

(From a letter dated 11 January 2009 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

February 6

There are those who, either lacking proper information or promoting their own political agendas, regard the establishment of the Bahá’í World Centre in Israel as a political statement — as evidence of ties to the Zionist movement. Yet anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of historical facts knows that the location of the World Centre can be attributed to the machinations of the Iranian government itself. It was that government which exiled Bahá’u’lláh from His native Persia and instigated His final banishment to the Holy Land—then under the sovereignty of the Ottoman empire—some one hundred and forty years ago, eighty years prior to the establishment of the State of Israel. The relationship of the World Centre with that State is governed by the same principles being followed by any Bahá’í community — it is characterized by obedience to the laws of the land and a strict abstention from partisan politics.  

(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated 31 October 2008 to the Baha’is of Iran)

February 5

The system of Bahá'í Administration is "indissolubly bound with the essential verities of the Faith" as set forth in the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. A unique feature of this system is the appointment of authorized interpreters, in the persons of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardian, to provide authoritative statements on the intent of Bahá'u'lláh's revelation. Writing in The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, Shoghi Effendi stated that "Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardian share ... the right and obligation to interpret the Bahá'í Teachings". In relation to his own function as interpreter, he further stated that "the Guardian has been specifically endowed with such power as he may need to reveal the purport and disclose the implications of the utterances of Bahá'u'lláh and of 'Abdu'l-Bahá". The significance of this important provision is that the religion of God is safeguarded and protected against schism and its essential unity is preserved. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 31 May 1988 to a National Spiritual Assembly)

February 4

…the association of these three incomparably precious souls [1] who, next to the three Central Figures of our Faith, tower in rank above the vast multitude of the heroes, Letters, martyrs, hands, teachers and administrators of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh, in such a potentially powerful spiritual and administrative Center, is in itself an event which will release forces that are bound to hasten the emergence in a land which, geographically, spiritually and administratively, constitutes the heart of the entire planet, of some of the brightest gems of that World Order now shaping in the womb of this travailing age. 

(Shoghi Effendi, from a letter dated December 21, 1939; ‘Messages to America’)

[1] “…the Greatest Holy Leaf… [and] her brother and mother”

February 3

…it must be clearly understood, nor can it be sufficiently emphasized, that the conjunction of the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf with those of her brother and mother incalculably reinforces the spiritual potencies of that consecrated Spot which, under the wings of the Báb’s overshadowing Sepulchre, and in the vicinity of the future Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, which will be reared on its flank, is destined to evolve into the focal center of those world-shaking, world-embracing, world-directing administrative institutions, ordained by Bahá’u’lláh and anticipated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and which are to function in consonance with the principles that govern the twin institutions of the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. Then, and then only, will this momentous prophecy which illuminates the concluding passages of the Tablet of Carmel be fulfilled: “Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee (Carmel), and will manifest the people of Bahá who have been mentioned in the Book of Names.” 

(Shoghi Effendi, from a letter dated December 21, 1939; ‘Messages to America’)

February 2

…Baha’is… are the well-wishers of all. In whatever country they reside, including the birthplace of Bahá’u’lláh, they strive to promote the welfare of society. They are enjoined to work alongside their compatriots in fostering fellowship and unity and in establishing peace and justice. They seek to uphold their own rights, as well as the rights of others, through whatever legal means are available to them, conducting themselves at all times with honesty and integrity. They eschew conflict and dissension. They avoid contest for worldly power. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated 31 October 2008 to the Baha’is of Iran) 

February 1

Humanity, heedless and impenitent, is admittedly hovering on the edge of an awful abyss, ready to precipitate itself into that titanic struggle, that crucible whose chastening fires alone can and will weld its antagonistic elements of race, class, religion and nation into one coherent system, one world commonwealth. “The hour is approaching” is Bahá’u’lláh’s own testimony, “when the most great convulsion will have appeared... I swear by God! The promised day is come, the day when tormenting trials will have surged above your heads, and beneath your feet, saying: ‘Taste ye, what your hands have wrought.’” Not ours to question the almighty wisdom or fathom the inscrutable ways of Him in whose hands the ultimate destiny of an unregenerate yet potentially glorious race must lie. Ours rather is the duty to believe that the world-wide community of the Most Great Name, and in particular, at the present time its vanguard in North America, however buffeted by the powerful currents of these troublous times, and however keen their awareness of the inevitability of the final eruption, can, if they will, rise to the level of their calling and discharge their functions, both in the period which is witnessing the confusion and breakdown of human institutions, and in the ensuing epoch during which the shattered basis of a dismembered society is to be recast, and its forces reshaped, re-directed and unified. 

(Shoghi Effendi, from a letter dated July 28, 1939; ‘Messages to America’)

January 31

With regard to your question concerning spiritual healing: Such a healing constitutes, indeed, one of the most effective methods of relieving a person from either his mental or physical pains and sufferings. 'Abdu'l-Bahá has in His "Paris Talks" emphasized its importance by stating that it should be used as an essential means for effecting a complete physical cure. Spiritual healing, however, is not and cannot be a substitute for material healing, but it is a most valuable adjunct to it. Both are, indeed, essential and complementary. 

(From a letter dated 16 February 1935 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Health, Healing and Nutrition)

January 30

Throughout the entire planet the devoted followers of Baha'u'llah are labouring to develop further the Baha'i Administrative Order described by the Guardian "not only as the nucleus but the very pattern of the New World Order", thus setting the foundation for a world civilization destined to yield its dazzling splendour in the centuries to come. They do so notwithstanding the conditions of turmoil and disorder alluded to by Baha'u'llah in affirming that "the world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System - the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed."  

(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated 25 March 2007 to the Baha’is of the World)

January 29

Question: What will be the food of the united people?

‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Answer: As humanity progresses, meat will be used less and less, for the teeth of man are not carnivorous. For example, the lion is endowed with carnivorous teeth which are intended for meat and if meat be not found, the lion starves. The lion cannot graze; its teeth are of different shape. The formation of the lion's stomach is such that it cannot receive nourishment save through meat. The eagle has a crooked beak; the lower part shorter than the upper. Were it to try to pick up grain it would find it impossible; were it to try to graze, it would fail. Therefore it is compelled to partake of meat. But the domestic animals, the cow, horse, donkey, sheep, etc. have herbivorous teeth formed to eat grass which is their fodder. The human teeth, the molars, are formed to grind grain. The front teeth, the incisors, are for fruits, etc. It is therefore quite apparent, according to the implements for eating, man's food is intended to be grain and not meat. When mankind is more fully developed the eating of meat will gradually cease. 

(‘Abdu’l-Baha, Questions and Answers following ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Talk at Church of the Ascension, New York, June 2, 1912; Star of the West, vol. 3, no. 10, September 8, 1912) 

January 28

True equality [between men and women] is not easily attained; the transformation required is difficult for men and women alike. We encourage you, then, to continue to enhance your understanding of the operation of this principle and to strive to uphold it more consistently in your family and community life. You can, in addition, draw upon your experience to discuss this issue with friends, neighbours and co-workers, especially the challenges it presents and ways of surmounting them, and participate in projects designed to advance the status of women, whether by government agencies or organizations of civil society. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated 20 June 2008 addressed to the Baha’is in Iran)

January 27

In describing Baha'i elections, Shoghi Effendi, through a letter written on his behalf, conveyed that "Baha'i electoral procedures and methods have, indeed, for one of their essential purposes the development in every believer of the spirit of responsibility. By emphasizing the necessity of maintaining his full freedom in the elections, they make it incumbent upon him to become an active and well-informed member of the Baha'i community in which he lives." 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated 25 March 2007 to the Baha’is of the World)

January 26

It is always important to remember that with the coming of Bahá’u’lláh the human race as a whole was summoned to recognition of its oneness, and this has launched it on a wholly new stage in its spiritual and social evolution. He has stated clearly that His message and the glorious prospects envisaged belong to every people on the planet. “The summons and the message”, He wrote, “which We gave were never intended to reach or to benefit one land or one people only. Mankind in its entirety must firmly adhere to whatsoever hath been revealed and vouchsafed unto it. Then and only then will it attain unto true liberty.”  

(From a letter dated 3 June 2007 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

January 25

The development of Assemblies in relation to the teaching work is progressing through their direct support for individual initiative and cluster activities, their interaction with institutions operating at the cluster level, and the guidance and support they receive from Regional Councils. The training provided through your National Office complements this process by concentrating on subjects that go well beyond matters of growth, touching on such sensitive and often problematic issues as personal status, family violence, and other questions of a judicial or administrative character. Therefore you are free to continue these efforts, which fall mainly into the category of the administration of justice that you have carried out so well in the past, without the need to transfer them to the Regional Councils. 

(From a letter dated 5 January 2006 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States)

January 24

Question: What will be the food of the future?

‘Abdu’l-Baha’s answer: "Fruit and grains. The time will come when meat will no longer be eaten. Medical science is only in its infancy, yet it has shown that our natural diet is that which grows out of the ground. The people will gradually develop up to the condition of this natural food." 

('Abdu'l-Bahá, cited in Julia M. Grundy. "Ten Days in the Light of 'Akka"; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Health, Healing and Nutrition)

January 23

…the equality of men and women is not a Western construct but a universal spiritual truth — a statement about human nature — that was promulgated by Bahá’u’lláh nearly one hundred and fifty years ago in His native Iran. That women should enjoy equal rights with men is a requirement of justice. It is a principle consonant with the highest standard of purity and sanctity, whose application strengthens family life and is essential to the regeneration and progress of any nation. Indeed, peace in the world and the advancement of civilization depend on its realization. 

(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated 20 June 2008 addressed to the Baha’is in Iran)

January 22

Regarding the question of slavery, its horrifying aftermath in America and the abetment of Christians, you are no doubt aware that enslaving other human beings and otherwise discriminating against them were not unique to members of this religious community. Centuries before the African slave trade was introduced to the West, it was practiced by Muslims in the East. In fact this act of enforced, uncompensated labor and the humiliation it imposed have been a common part of mankind’s history stretching back to ancient times; Africans have themselves imposed slavery on different tribes residing among them. It is a sobering fact that this form of oppression has injured the lives of human groups across the planet. Erasing the scars so deeply etched on human consciousness requires a monumental remedy that only a Revelation of the global magnitude of the Bahá’í Faith can ensure. All so afflicted can now find relief in Bahá’u’lláh’s assertion that, as the Divine Physician, He has prescribed the remedy for all that ails the world of humanity. 

(From a letter dated 3 June 2007 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

January 21

The World Order of Baha'u'llah is the divinely ordained system for which nations and peoples so desperately search. Hailed by the Báb in the Persian Bayan, its foundational features prescribed by Baha'u'llah Himself, this Order is without precedent in human history for its standard of justice and its commitment to the practical realization of the oneness of mankind, as well as for its capacity to promote change and the advancement of world civilization. It provides the means by which the Divine Will illumines the path of human progress and guides the eventual establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.  

(The Universal House of Justice, from a message dated 25 March 2007 to the Baha’is of the World)

January 20

To say that the institute is only useful for newly enrolled believers and those who read little is not correct. Many mature and deepened believers are participating in the institute process, both as students and as teachers of various courses, in an effort to contribute directly to the promotion of entry by troops in their respective countries. Through such participation they have furthered their understanding of the requisites of growth and of the action required to maintain it, have caught fresh glimpses of spiritual truths, and have developed their skills and abilities of service. Far from interfering with their own study of the Writings, each according to his or her own capacity and needs, their association with a training institute has enhanced the process. Yet clearly such participation is not a requirement for every Baha’i, who, in the final analysis, can choose the manner in which he or she will serve the Faith. What is essential is that the institute process be supported even by those who do not wish to take part in it.  

(Letter dated 31 May 2001 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; ‘Building Momentum: A Coherent Approach to Growth’, prepared by the International Teaching Center)