June 15

…the paramount purpose of all Bahá’í activity is teaching. All that has been done or will be done revolves around this central activity, the “head corner-stone of the foundation itself,” to which all progress in the Cause is due. The present challenge calls for teaching on a scale and of a quality, a variety, and intensity outstripping all current efforts. The time is now, lest opportunity be lost in the swiftly changing moods of a frenetic world. Let it not be imagined that expedience is the essential motive arousing this sense of urgency. There is an overarching reason: it is the pitiful plight of masses of humanity, suffering and in turmoil, hungering after righteousness, but “bereft of discernment to see God with their own eyes, or hear His Melody with their own ears.” They must be fed. Vision must be restored where hope is lost, confidence built where doubt and confusion are rife. In these and other respects, The Promise of World Peace is designed to open the way. Its delivery to national governmental leaders having been virtually completed, its contents must now be conveyed, by all possible means, to peoples everywhere from all walks of life. This is a necessary part of the teaching work in our time and must be pursued with unabated vigor. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (Ridvan 1988 Message to the Bahá’ís of the World; Online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

June 13

Regarding your question concerning the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly:  There cannot be any permanently elected secretary who would year after year hold office, as this would be contrary to the principles of the administration; however, the Guardian feels that the National Spiritual Assembly should supply the secretary with a paid helper in order to enable him to carry on his duties properly and at the same time pursue his own profession, if that is necessary for him.  In other words the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly can have a full-time secretary under him if the work requires it …. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 22 June 1943 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; ‘Messages of Shoghi Effendi to the Indian Subcontinent 1923-1957)

June 11

The Guardian feels that there is no objection to a Bahá’í undertaking work of a philanthropic or humanitarian nature and at the same time being on elected Bahá’í bodies or holding office in them. The War Comforts Fund is in no way contrary to our principles, and there can be no objection to Mr. …’s work in this connection. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 22 June 1943 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; ‘Messages of Shoghi Effendi to the Indian Subcontinent 1923-1957)

June 9

At one of the darkest periods in the prolonged oppression of the dearly loved, resolutely steadfast friends in Iran, Shoghi Effendi was moved to comfort them in a letter of astounding insight. “It is the shedding of the sacred blood of the martyrs in Persia” he wrote, “which, in this shining era, this resplendent, this gem-studded Bahá’í age, shall change the face of the earth into high heaven and, as revealed in the Tablets, raise up the tabernacle of the oneness of mankind in the very heart of the world, reveal to men’s eyes the reality of the unity of the human race, establish the Most Great Peace, make of this lower realm a mirror for the Abhá Paradise, and establish beyond any doubt before all the peoples of the world the truth of the verse: ‘… the day when the Earth shall be changed into another Earth.’” Reflections like these, in adducing such wondrous future consequences from the horrific suffering to which our Iranian friends are subjected, illuminate the opportunity and the challenge facing us all at this crucial moment in the fortunes of the Cause. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (Ridvan 1988 Message to the Bahá’ís of the World; Online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

June 7

Consecration, dedication and enthusiastic service is the Keynote to successful teaching. One must become like a reed through which the Holy Spirit descends to reach the student of the Faith.

We give the Message, and explain the Teachings, but it is the Holy Spirit that quickens and confirms. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 16 February 1955 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Guidelines for Teaching)

June 5

Although there is no explicit reference to the Guardianship in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Synopsis and Codification lists "Anticipation of the Institution of the Guardianship."  On page 214 of God Passes By, when summarizing the contents of the Aqdas, Shoghi Effendi states that in it Baha'u'llah "anticipates by implication the institution of Guardianship," and again, on page 147 of The World Order of Baha'u'llah the Guardian refers to "the verses of the Kitab-i- Aqdas the implications of which clearly anticipate the institution of the Guardianship." One such implication is in the matter of Huququ'llah (The Right of God), which is ordained in the Kitab-i-Aqdas without provision being made for who is to receive it; in His Will and Testament 'Abdu'l-Baha fills this gap by stating "It is to be offered through the Guardian of the Cause of God ..." Other implications of this institution can be seen in the terms in which 'Abdu'l-Baha is appointed as the Successor of Baha'u'llah and the Interpreter of His Teachings. The faithful are enjoined to turn their faces towards the one whom "God hath purposed" and who "hath branched from this Ancient Root" and are bidden to refer whatsoever they do not understand in the Baha'i Writings to him who "hath branched from this mighty Stock." Yet another can be seen in the provision of the Aqdas concerning the disposition of international endowments -- a passage which not only refers this matter to the Aghsan (male descendants of Baha'u'llah) but also provides for what should happen should the line of Aghsan end before the coming into being of the Universal House of Justice. Thus the "Anticipation of the Institution of the Guardianship" is correctly included in the Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a document dated 27 May 1980, entitled “Extracts from a Reply Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice to Questions about the Kitab-I-Aqdas"; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986)

June 3

The invisible hand is at work and the convulsions taking place on earth are a prelude to the proclamation of the Cause of God. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoted by the Universal House of Justice in a message dated 10 February 1980 addressed to “the dear Iranian believers resident in other countries throughout the world”; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986’)

June 1

The institution of the Covenant has a direct bearing on the implementation of the laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. This Book is the repository of the basic laws for the Dispensation to be implemented gradually in accordance with the guidance given by God through those infallible Institutions which lie at the heart of the Covenant.  Indeed, one of those Institutions, the Universal House of Justice, has been given by Baha'u'llah the task not only of applying the laws but of supplementing them and of making laws on all matters not explicitly covered in the Sacred Text. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a document dated 27 May 1980, entitled “Extracts from a Reply Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice to Questions about the Kitab-I-Aqdas"; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986)

May 30

It is better to have one Bahá'í who understands the Teachings and is wholeheartedly convinced of their truth, than a number of Bahá'ís, who are not well aware of the Cause, and deep-rooted in the Covenant. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 22 January 1955 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Guidelines for Teaching)

May 28

You have asked whether our prayers go beyond Bahá’u’lláh:  it all depends whether we pray to Him directly or through Him to God.  We may do both, and also can pray directly to God, but our prayers would certainly be more effective and illuminating if they are addressed to Him through His Manifestation, Bahá’u’lláh.

Under no circumstances, however, can we, while repeating the prayers, insert the name Bahá’u’lláh where the word “God” is used.  This would be tantamount to a blasphemy. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 14 October 1937 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, February 2019)

May 26

The Bahá’ís must learn to forget personalities and to overcome the desire—so natural in people—to take sides and fight about it. They must also learn to really make use of the great principle of consultation. There is a time set aside at the 19 Day Feasts for the Community to express its views and make suggestions to its Assembly; the Assembly and the believers should look forward to this happy period of discussion, and neither fear it nor suppress it. Likewise the Assembly members should fully consult, and in their decisions put the interests of the Cause first and not personalities, the will of the majority prevailing.

Over and over, in going through the correspondence he received from your Assembly, he was struck by the fact that the friends acted so unadministratively. Instead of taking up their accusations and problems and unhappy feelings with their local Assembly, or the National Assembly, they referred to individuals or individual members of the Assembly, or they refused to meet with the Assembly. The first thing a believer should do is to turn to an Assembly—That is why we have assemblies! He feels this trouble would never have arisen if the Bahá’ís utilized their assemblies as they should. One of the healing remedies Bahá’u’lláh has given to a sick world is the Assembly (which in future will become a House of Justice); its members have very sacred and heavy responsibilities, its power to steer the Community, to protect and assist its members is likewise very great. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 30 June 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the NSA of Germany; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance, vol. 1’)

May 24

A successor or vicegerent the Báb never named, an interpreter of His teachings He refrained from appointing. So transparently clear were His references to the Promised One, so brief was to be the duration of His own Dispensation, that neither the one nor the other was deemed necessary. All He did was, according to the testimony of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in "A Traveller's Narrative," to nominate, on the advice of Bahá'u'lláh and of another disciple, Mirza Yahya, who would act solely as a figure-head pending the manifestation of the Promised One, thus enabling Bahá'u'lláh to promote, in relative security, the Cause so dear to His heart. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

May 22

It was about an hour after sunset when my youthful Host began to converse with me. “Whom, after Siyyid Kázim,” He asked me, “do you regard as his successor and your leader?” “At the hour of his death,” I replied, “our departed teacher insistently exhorted us to forsake our homes, to scatter far and wide, in quest of the promised Beloved. I have, accordingly, journeyed to Persia, have arisen to accomplish his will, and am still engaged in my quest.” “Has your teacher,” He further enquired, “given you any detailed indications as to the distinguishing features of the promised One?” “Yes,” I replied, “He is of a pure lineage, is of illustrious descent, and of the seed of Fátimih. As to His age, He is more than twenty and less than thirty. He is endowed with innate knowledge. He is of medium height, abstains from smoking, and is free from bodily deficiency.” He paused for a while and then with vibrant voice declared: “Behold, all these signs are manifest in Me!” He then considered each of the above-mentioned signs separately, and conclusively demonstrated that each and all were applicable to His person. 

- Mulla Husayn  (Quoted by Nabil in ‘The Dawn-Breakers', translated and edited by Shoghi Effendi)

May 20

He was also very glad to see that the believers are studying the Covenant of the Master. For in the Master’s Will and Testament are enshrined the principles underlying the World Order, and unless the believers fully grasp the greatness, functions, and purpose of the institutions outlined in that Testament (and elaborated by the Guardian in his book “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”) they will not be able to properly function as Bahá’ís individually or collectively. The… friends need to acquire a profound understanding of the Bahá’í Administrative Order to enable them to function as a Community, according to Bahá’í laws, and to protect them from tests and the attacks of the enemies of the Faith.... 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 3 July 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance, vol. 1’)

May 18

… the Spirit of God reaches us through the Souls of the Manifestations.  We must learn to commune with Their Souls and this is what the martyrs seemed to have done, and what brought them such ecstasy of joy that life became nothing.  This is the true mysticism, and the secret, inner meaning of life, which humanity has at present drifted so far from. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 28 July 1950 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Manchester, England; compilation: ‘Prayer and Devotional Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, February 2019)

May 16

It is of course clear to you, long-standing servants of the Abhá Beauty, that the revolution in the ordered life of the world and the chaos in the affairs of humanity are evidence of the advent of a new chapter in the never-ending story of the evolution of the social life of the human race. The suffering and pain currently afflicting the world are the inevitable labour pains of the birth of the next stage in the development of humanity from childhood to maturity, which is the realization of the unity of humankind and the establishment of a world civilization. The infinite bounties bestowed upon the world by the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh make possible the attainment of that stage, so that universal peace may be firmly established, the earth become the mirror of the highest paradise, and the Most Great Justice, awaited with hope by all peoples throughout the ages and centuries, become manifest. As He states in the Kitáb-i-Íqán:

“The universe is pregnant with these manifold bounties, awaiting the hour when the effects of Its unseen gifts will be made manifest in this world, when the languishing and sore athirst will attain the living Kawthar of their Well-Beloved, and the erring wanderer, lost in the wilds of remoteness and nothingness, will enter the tabernacle of life, and attain reunion with his heart’s desire. In the soil of whose heart will these holy seeds germinate? From the garden of whose soul will the blossoms of the invisible realities spring forth?“ 

- The Universal House of Justice  (Naw-Ruz 2023 message to the Baha’is in Iran)

May 14

… the Pen of the Centre of the Covenant has repeatedly prophesied the intolerable calamities which must beset this wayward humanity ere it heeds the life-giving Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.

“Chaos and confusion are daily increasing in the world. They will attain such intensity as to render the frame of mankind unable to bear them. Then will men be awakened and become aware that religion is the impregnable stronghold and the manifest light of the world, and its laws, exhortations and teachings the source of life on earth.”

Every discerning eye clearly sees that the early stages of this chaos have daily manifestations affecting the structure of human society; its destructive forces are uprooting time-honoured institutions which were a haven and refuge for the inhabitants of the earth in bygone days and centuries, and around which revolved all human affairs. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 10 February 1980 to the Iranian believers resident in other countries throughout the world)

May 12

As regards your question: Bahá’u’lláh is, of course, not God and not the Creator; but through Him we can know God, and because of this position of Divine Intermediary, in a sense, He is all (or the other Prophets) we can ever know of that Infinite Essence which is God. Therefore, we address ourselves in prayer and thought to Him, or through Him to that Infinite Essence behind and beyond Him. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 4 June 1951 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to individual believers; compilation: ‘Prayer and Devotional Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, February 2019)

May 10

He [the Guardian] wrote the ... Assembly urging upon them the necessity of cooperating with the National Assembly. He also pointed out to them that the attitude of “all for one and one for all” was very incorrect. An assembly constitutes within its area of jurisdiction the Trustees of the Faith. Its members must at all times put the interests of the Faith above personality and impartially go into any matter brought to its attention. Theoretically it is always possible for a member of an assembly to be unworthy or insincere. To take the attitude that any blame cast upon or any charge made against an assembly member is a charge against the body itself is very wrong. An assembly must protect the Faith and neither blindly accuse nor blindly defend one of its members. The ... Assembly has taken the attitude that the remarks referring to ... are an insult to the entire Assembly; at the same time it accuses the National Body of being dominated by one individual, an accusation which because of its own attitude could equally well be aimed at itself! The Guardian feels that all this is only evidence of the immaturity of the friends in relation to their Administrative Order. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 30 June 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the NSA of Germany; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance, vol. 1’)