July 8

The passage on page 156 of “Gleanings” regarding the evolution of the soul after death clearly proves that the soul after its separation from the body keeps its individuality and its consciousness both in relation to other souls and to the human beings in this world. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 26 November 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, included in a compilation on ‘Reincarnation and the Nature and Progress of the Soul’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

July 7

No Revelation from God has ever taught reincarnation; this is a man-made conception. The soul of man comes into being at conception; we do not believe it goes on to another planet. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 1 April 1946 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; compilation ‘Reincarnation and the Nature and Progress of the Soul’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

July 6

My purpose is this, that ere the expiration of a thousand years, no one has the right to utter a single word, even to claim the station of Guardianship. The Most Holy Book is the Book to which all peoples shall refer, and in it the Laws of God have been revealed. Laws not mentioned in the Book should be referred to the decision of the Universal House of Justice. There will be no grounds for difference ... Beware, beware lest anyone create a rift or stir up sedition. Should there be differences of opinion, the Supreme House of Justice would immediately resolve the problems. Whatever will be its decision, by majority vote, shall be the real truth, inasmuch as that House is under the protection, unerring guidance and care of the one true Lord. He shall guard it from error and will protect it under the wing of His sanctity and infallibility. He who opposes it is cast out and will eventually be of the defeated. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Quoted by the Universal House of justice in a letter dated 9 March 1965; Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)

July 5

It should be understood by the friends that before legislating upon any matter the Universal House of Justice studies carefully and exhaustively both the Sacred Texts and the Writings of Shoghi Effendi on the subject. The interpretations written by the beloved Guardian cover a vast range of subjects and are equally as binding as the Text itself. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 9 March 1965)

July 4

…movement is essential to all existence. All material things progress to a certain point, then begin to decline. This is the law which governs the whole physical creation. Now let us consider the soul. We have seen that movement is essential to existence; nothing that has life is without motion. All creation, whether of the mineral, vegetable or animal kingdom, is compelled to obey the law of motion; it must either ascend or descend. But with the human soul, there is no decline. Its only movement is towards perfection; growth and progress alone constitute the motion of the soul.

Divine perfection is infinite, therefore the progress of the soul is also infinite. From the very birth of a human being the soul progresses, the intellect grows and knowledge increases. When the body dies the soul lives on. All the differing degrees of created physical beings are limited, but the soul is limitless! 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, ‘Paris Talks:Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris in 1911–1912’; compilation ‘Reincarnation and the Nature and Progress of the Soul’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

July 3

As to the order and the management of the spiritual affairs of the friends, that which is very important now is the consolidation of the Spiritual Assemblies in every centre, because on these fortified and unshakeable foundations, God's Supreme House of Justice shall be erected and firmly established in the days to come. When this most great Edifice shall be reared on such an immovable foundation, God’s purpose, wisdom, universal truths, mysteries and realities of the Kingdom, which the mystic revelation of Bahá'u'lláh has deposited within the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, shall gradually be revealed and made manifest. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 19 December 1923, translated from the Persian, quoted by the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 9 March 1965; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)

July 2

With the soul it is different. The soul is not a combination of elements, it is not composed of many atoms, it is one indivisible substance and therefore eternal. It is entirely out of the order of the physical creation; it is immortal! 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, ‘Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris in 1911–1912’; compilation ‘Reincarnation and the Nature and Progress of the Soul’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

July 1

As you know, the principle of the oneness of mankind is described in the Baha'i Writings as the pivot round which all the Teachings of Baha'u'llah revolve. It has widespread implications which affect and remould all dimensions of human activity. It calls for a fundamental change in the manner in which people relate to each other, and the eradication of those age-old practices which deny the intrinsic human right of every individual to be treated with consideration and respect. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 24 January 1993 to an individual believer)

June 30

How vast is the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh! How great the magnitude of His blessings showered upon humanity in this day! And yet, how poor, how inadequate our conception of their significance and glory! This generation stands too close to so colossal a Revelation to appreciate, in their full measure, the infinite possibilities of His Faith, the unprecedented character of His Cause, and the mysterious dispensations of His Providence. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 21 March 1930; ‘The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh’)

June 29

The friends should realize that there is nothing in the Texts to indicate that the election of the Universal House of Justice could be called only by the Guardian. On the contrary, 'Abdu'l-Bahá envisaged the calling of its election in His own lifetime. At a time described by the Guardian as "the darkest moments of His [the Master's] life, under 'Abdu'l-Hamid's regime, when He stood ready to be deported to the most inhospitable regions of Northern Africa," and when even His life was threatened, 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote to Haji Mirza Taqi Afnan, the cousin of the Báb and chief builder of the 'Ishqabad Temple, commanding him to arrange for the election of the Universal House of Justice should the threats against the Master materialize. The second part of the Master's Will is also relevant to such a situation and should be studied by the friends. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 9 March 1965; Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)

June 28

The Báb, the Exalted One, is the Morn of Truth, the splendour of Whose light shineth through all regions. He is also the Harbinger of the Most Great Light, the Abha Luminary. The Blessed Beauty is the One promised by the sacred books of the past, the revelation of the Source of light that shone upon Mount Sinai, Whose fire glowed in the midst of the Burning Bush. We are, one and all, servants of Their threshold, and stand each as a lowly keeper at Their door. 

- ‘Adu’l-Baha  (Quoted by the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 8 March 1965; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)

June 27

At the time of our beloved Shoghi Effendi's death it was evident, from the circumstances and from the explicit requirements of the Holy Texts, that it had been impossible for him to appoint a successor in accordance with the provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. This situation, in which the Guardian died without being able to appoint a successor, presented an obscure question not covered by the explicit Holy Text, and had to be referred to the Universal House of Justice. The friends should clearly understand that before the election of the Universal House of Justice there was no knowledge that there would be no Guardian. There could not have been any such foreknowledge, whatever opinions individual believers may have held. Neither the Hands of the Cause of God, nor the International Bahá'í Council, nor any other existing body could make a decision upon this all-important matter. Only the House of Justice had authority to pronounce upon it. This was one urgent reason for calling the election of the Universal House of Justice as soon as possible. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 9 March, 1965; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986)

June 26

Shoghi Effendi, in various statements, celebrated the remarkable achievements and potential glories of that specially blessed community, but was moved to issue, in “The Advent of Divine Justice”, a profound warning which is essential to a proper understanding of the relation of that Baha?’i? community to the nation from which it has sprung. “The glowing tributes,” he solemnly wrote, “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 Baha?’u’lla?h, 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.” It is the far- reaching, transformative implications of this distinction which we especially invite you to contemplate. 

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 29 December 1988 to the Baha?’i?s of the United States included in a compilation on ‘A New Race of Men’ prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice and attached to a letter dated 15 September 2013 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

June 25

…general appeals addressed to the communities as a body should be the only form in which the financial requirements of the Faith are to be met… 

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

June 24

The Assemblies have been established to administer the affairs of the Cause with authority. The believers have the right to vote for whoever they please. If they do not like their Assembly's acts, they must, for the sake of the unity of the Faith, abide by its decisions. The individual has the right to make suggestions, to protest, but he has no rights over the Assembly; his force is his vote. If one of the friends is dissatisfied over the local situation he should nevertheless co-operate with his Spiritual Assembly and do all he can to help it. He can pray for it, he can show through his own deeds a noble Bahá'í example. The system is perfect, but if the instruments are imperfect we must still uphold the system, knowing God will watch over and protect His Cause, and that such conditions are only temporary and will pass away as the Cause grows and the Bahá'ís mature. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 14 November 1948 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, Issues Concerning Community Functioning)

June 23

…each must, in his actions, words and demeanor, represent the transforming influence of the Teachings of Baha?’u’lla?h, such personal transformations being the key to the creation of that new race of men and women promised by the Teachings; indeed, it is only when our “inner lives and private character” are imbued with the standards of the Faith and are reflected in our actions that we may truly represent the Cause in the noble purposes for which it was sent by God through the Blessed Beauty. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 26 November 1985, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a Baha?’i? couple included in a compilation on ‘A New Race of Men’ prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice and attached to a letter dated 15 September 2013 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

June 22

It befitteth the friends to hold a gathering, a meeting, where they shall glorify God and fix their hearts upon Him, and read and recite the Holy Writings of the Blessed Beauty - may my soul be the ransom of His lovers! The lights of the All-Glorious Realm, the rays of the Supreme Horizon, will be cast upon such bright assemblages, for these are none other than the Mashriqu'l-Adhkárs, the Dawning-Points of God's Remembrance, which must, at the direction of the Most Exalted Pen, be established in every hamlet and city…. These spiritual gatherings must be held with the utmost purity and consecration, so that from the site itself, and its earth and the air about it, one will inhale the fragrant breathings of the Holy Spirit. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá’; compilation ‘Baha’i Meetings’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

June 21

There is an answer in the teachings for everything; unfortunately the majority of the Bahá'ís, however intensely devoted and sincere they may be, lack for the most part the necessary scholarship and wisdom to reply to and refute the claims and attacks of people with some education and standing. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 25 September 1942 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, Scholarship)

June 20

The news of the co-operation of the Bahá'í young men and women in Montreal, their establishment of a group for study and discussion, the sane and sober expression of their methods as expressed in the programme you had enclosed, and their thoughtful and enthusiastic outlook upon the future, all these have helped to create the liveliest hopes and the deepest satisfaction in the heart of our Guardian. It is indeed with no little pleasure that he welcomes the active co-operation of his young friends in Montreal, and he sincerely trusts that with an adequate study of the proper teachings and their spiritual significance coupled with a sufficient knowledge of the problems and perplexities that the world is beset with, you will be able to render great services to the Cause and therefore to humanity.

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 20 March 1929 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, Scholarship)