August 14

The Guardian does not think that in the case you mention, it is right to ask this old man to resign from his Masonic Lodge. Generally speaking, the friends should not enter secret societies. It is certainly much better for the believers to dissociate themselves from such organizations; but as I said, it would seem unnecessary, in this particular case, to ask a very old man to break this connection at the end of his life. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 2 March 1951, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to NSA of Germany and Austria; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance’, vol. 1)

August 12

To whom else could these significant words of Muhammad, the Apostle of God, quoted by Quddús while addressing his companions in the Fort of Shaykh Tabarsí, apply if not to those heroes of God who, with their life-blood, ushered in the Promised Day? “O how I long to behold the countenance of My brethren, my brethren who will appear at the end of the world! Blessed are We, blessed are they; greater is their blessedness than ours.” Who else could be meant by this tradition, called Hadíth-i-Jábir, recorded in the Káfí, and authenticated by Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitáb-i-Íqán, which, in indubitable language, sets forth the signs of the appearance of the promised Qá’im? “His saints shall be abased in His time, and their heads shall be exchanged as presents, even as the heads of the Turk and the Daylamite are exchanged as presents; they shall be slain and burned, and shall be afraid, fearful and dismayed; the earth shall be dyed with their blood, and lamentation and wailing shall prevail amongst their women; these are My saints indeed.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

August 10

Let no one suggest that the Bahá’í community stands completely apart and immune from the ills of society. Let no one imagine that it is possible to eliminate every vestige of the impact of racial prejudice on the Bahá’í community before fully engaging in the work of teaching and community building within the wider society. And while there is currently a priceless opportunity for African American believers to reach out to the African American population in the United States, let it not be presumed that in some way this opportunity is closed to Bahá’ís of other racial backgrounds. Rather, the friends should make every effort to reach out to all people, offer the healing remedy of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings to everyone, and invite all to participate in the challenging, but rewarding, process of learning to translate what He has written into reality and action. For it is only through an ever-swelling mass of active workers, and their ever-growing capacity to expand the reach of their activities, that the process of creating the expression of race unity in more and more social spaces and of eliminating all forms of prejudice within them can unfold. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 28 January 2022, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; US Baha’i National Administrative website)

August 8

In regard to the various questions you have raised in your letters, the Guardian does not feel that we are justified in removing a Bahá’í from the voting list just because they resign from the Spiritual Assembly. Although it is considered a moral responsibility on the part of the believers to serve on Spiritual Assemblies if they are elected, if for some reason, they feel they must resign from that body—in other words for some really weighty reason—it certainly does not mean that they have lost their Bahá’í voting rights. The friends should be encouraged to shoulder the burdens of the administrative work—on the other hand, they cannot be forced to do so if they have any valid reason to support their refusal. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 2 March 1951, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to NSA of Germany and Austria; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance’, vol. 1)

August 6

The past winter and spring have been very difficult for our beloved Guardian, and this is why he has not been able to reply to you, (or to any other National Assembly), for so long. As you know, he has been carrying on the construction of the first stage, the arcade, of the Báb’s Shrine in anticipation of having it finished for the July 9 Centenary Celebrations of His Martyrdom. This necessitated a great deal of excavation of the solid rock behind the Shrine in order to enable the arcade to be built. The Guardian himself supervised this work in order to see it was done the most economical way and as quickly as possible; this took up a great deal of his time and energy.

At the beginning of April, just when he was planning to devote himself to the correspondence of the various N.S.A.’s, Mr. Maxwell, the architect of the Shrine, became very dangerously ill, and until the present time is in Hospital with special nurses day and night. His condition is now very much better, but the constant worry, and the problems arising daily, have hitherto prevented our Guardian and his secretary from answering any mail. He wishes you to know that these are the reasons you have not heard from him for so long. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 28 June 1950 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the NSA of Germany and Austria; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance’, vol. 1)

August 4

Regarding the issue of interpretations of the phrase “pupil of the eye”, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s statements comparing Black people to the “pupil of the eye” repudiated the pernicious and completely untenable scientific and social assertions circulating at the time that promulgated the odious view that Black people were inferior to white people and, indeed, to all other races. Today, His statements about the pupil of the eye, part of the Bahá’í Sacred Texts, serve as a metaphor that invites the reader to reflect upon and discover a range of meanings from an image that contains profound spiritual import. It points to potentialities that have to find expression in acts of selfless service. Like any artistic or spiritual literary device, however, it must not be taken to extremes in one’s personal interpretation. A metaphor is not to be taken literally. As indicated by your thoughtful insights on the matter, a Bahá’í cannot attribute some meaning to such brief passages that would stand in contradiction to Bahá’u’lláh’s vision of the oneness of humanity. It would also be unproductive and even potentially harmful to extrapolate beyond the evident meaning of the metaphor or to interpolate the Text by assigning meanings that do not exist in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s specific statements or anywhere in the Bahá’í writings—for example, by imputing characteristics to white people or other races. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 28 January 2022, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; US Baha’i National Administrative website)

August 2

…Bahá’ís are engaged in cities and villages across the globe in establishing a pattern of life in which increasing numbers, irrespective of background, are invited to take part. This pattern, expressive of the dynamic coherence between the material and spiritual dimensions of life, includes classes for the spiritual education of children in which they also develop a deep appreciation for the fundamental unity of the various world religions; groups that assist young people to navigate a crucial stage of their lives and to withstand the corrosive forces that especially target them; circles of study wherein participants reflect on the spiritual nature of existence and build capacity for service to the community and society; gatherings for collective worship that strengthen the devotional character of the community; and, in time, a growing range of endeavours for social and economic development. This pattern of community life is giving rise to vibrant and purposeful new communities wherein relationships are founded on the oneness of mankind, universal participation, justice, and freedom from prejudice. All are welcome. The process which is unfolding seeks to foster collaboration and build capacity within every human group—with no regard to class or religious background, with no concern for ethnicity or race, and irrespective of gender or social status—to arise and contribute to the advancement of civilization. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 12 February 2018 written on its behalf to an individual believer; US Baha’i National Administrative website)

July 31

The prerogative of the believer to offer at the Nineteen Day Feast "any suggestion, recommendation or criticism he conscientiously feels he should in order to improve and remedy certain existing conditions or trends in his local community" does not give him or the community the right to disobey a decision of the Assembly or to act in such a way as to undermine its authority. The point to bear in mind is also included in the first extract from Shoghi Effendi’s writings quoted in your letter: "But again it should be stressed that all criticisms and discussions of a negative character which may result in undermining the authority of the Assembly as a body should be strictly avoided. For otherwise the order of the Cause itself will be endangered, and confusion and discord will reign in the Community.”

A careful study of the principles of Bahá’í Administration and procedures which confirm the authority of the Assembly and, at the same time, guarantee the individual’s right to freedom of expression and provide him with the right of appeal… 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 14 May 1987, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

July 29

In a memorable Tablet, designated as the Súriy-i-Mulúk (Súrih of Kings) in which

• the Sultán himself and
• his ministers, and the kings of Christendom, and
• the French and Persian Ambassadors accredited to the Sublime Porte, and
• the Muslim ecclesiastical leaders in Constantinople, and
• its wise men and its inhabitants, and
• the people of Persia, and
• the philosophers of the world

have been specifically addressed and admonished, He [Bahá’u’lláh] thus directs His words to the entire company of the monarchs of East and West: … 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Promised Day Is Come’)

July 27

Most important of all is that love and unity should prevail in the Bahá'í Community, as this is what people are most longing for in the present dark state of the world. Words without the living example will never be sufficient to breathe hope into the hearts of a disillusioned and often cynical generation. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 20 October 1945 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Living the Life)

July 25

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 written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá’ís of the East—translated from the Persian; compilation: ‘The Universal House of Justice, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, revised February 2021; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

July 23

Regarding your question whether there is any special ceremony which the believers should perform when they wish to "name" a baby; the Teachings do not provide for any ceremony whatever on such occasions. We have no "baptismal service" in the Cause, such as the Christians have. There would be no objection, however, for the friends to come together on such happy occasions, provided they do not hold an official public ceremony, and provided also they strictly avoid uniformity and rigidity in all such practices. No rule whatsoever that would tend to be rigid and uniform should be allowed in such secondary matters, particularly as there are no specific instructions in the Teachings regarding them. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 20 December 1938, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Arohanui, Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand’)

July 21

The Guardian is fully conscious of the difficulties that impede the progress of the Faith in your community. Chief among these, you mention the lack of courage and of initiative on the part of the believers, and a feeling of inferiority complex which prevents them from addressing the public. It is precisely these weaknesses that he wishes the friends to overcome, for these do not only paralyze their efforts but actually serve to quench the flame of faith in their hearts. Not until all the friends come to realize that every one of them is able, in his own measure, to deliver the Message, can they ever hope to reach the goal that has been set before them by a loving and wise Master. It is no use waiting for some able and eloquent teacher to take all the responsibility for the spread of the Cause. For such a thing is not only contrary to the spirit of the Teachings but to the explicit text of the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, both of whom place the obligation of teaching not on any particular class, as in former ecclesiastical organizations, but on every faithful and loyal follower of the Cause. The teaching of the Word is thus made universal and compulsory. How long then shall we wait to carry out this command, the full wisdom of which only future generations will be able to appreciate? We have no special teachers in the Cause. Everyone is a potential teacher. He has only to use what God has given him and thus prove that he is faithful to his trust.

Visiting teachers, who are, at least in a general way, supposed to be more competent and able than the rest, are undoubtedly of a great help. But these can never replace the mass of individual believers and fulfil what must be inevitably accomplished through the collective effort and wisdom of the community at large. What visiting teachers are supposed to do is to give the final touch to the work that has been done, to consolidate rather than supplement individual efforts and thereby direct them in a constructive and suitable channel. Their task is to encourage and inspire individual believers, and to broaden and deepen their vision of the task that is to be done. And this, not by virtue of any inherent spiritual right, but in the spirit of simple and whole-hearted cooperation. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 1 September 1933, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Arohanui, Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand’)

July 19

As regards the passages in the sacred writings indicating the wrath of God; Shoghi Effendi says that the Divinity has many attributes: He is loving and merciful but also just. Just as reward and punishment, according to Bahá'u'lláh, are the pillars upon which society rests, so mercy and justice may be considered as their counterpart in the world to come. Should we disobey God and work against His commands He will view our acts in the light of justice and punish us for it. That punishment may not be in the form of fire, as some believe, but in the form of spiritual deprivation and degradation. This is why we read so often in the prayers statements such as "God do not deal with us with justice, but rather through thy infinite mercy." The wrath of God is in the administration of His justice, both in this world and in the world to come. A God that is only loving or only just is not a perfect God. The divinity has to possess both of these aspects as every father ought to express both in his attitude towards his children. If we ponder a while, we will see that our welfare can be insured only when both of these divine attributes are equally emphasised and practiced. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 29 April 1933, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Arohanui, Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand’)

July 17

The primary adherents are the stars of great magnitude in every land in the firmament of the Kingdom of God. They are the chosen people. They are like candles which, through their sacrificial efforts, are weeping their lives away in order to give light to the world and establish the purpose of their Lord and Saviour, which purpose is the salvation of mankind. His Holiness, Jesus Christ! see how small the group of His disciples was! No matter how few the number of the disciples was, yet they through His power illumined the world. Our Era is similar to that, but through the development of humanity it is greater, and through the evils of the material civilization and negligence of mankind our sacrifices must be greater. Divine light must make itself manifest in our daily life deeds.

In the early days of the appearance of our Saviour, virtue was to save ourselves. When we are once established in our faith, then virtue is to save others. The three mottoes of education hold true in our case too. First grow, then become and then contribute. We have developed; we have established ourselves, and now it is time to contribute to others. We have inexhaustible capital. The candles of our spiritual lives constantly weep away their lives in shedding light to the world, but they never become exhausted. For there is connection between our lives and that of Bahá'u'lláh and our beloved ‘Abdu'l-Bahá. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 22 June 1923, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Arohanui, Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand’)

July 15

In the affairs of the Bahá’í community, Bahá’ís are learning to transcend traditional barriers that divide people in the wider society and exacerbate tensions among people from different religious backgrounds. Shoghi Effendi explained that “every organized community enlisted under the banner of Bahá’u’lláh should feel it to be its first and inescapable obligation to nurture, encourage, and safeguard every minority belonging to any faith, race, class, or nation within it.” One example is the way in which all minorities, including those from a religious minority background, are encouraged in their participation. “If any discrimination is at all to be tolerated”, Shoghi Effendi has for instance stated when discussing the corrosive effects of prejudice, “it should be a discrimination not against, but rather in favour of the minority, be it racial or otherwise.” The practice of Bahá’í elections is symbolic of this commitment to encouraging minorities—when a tie vote arises and one of those involved belongs to a minority group in that society, that person is unhesitatingly accorded the priority without the necessity of another vote to break the tie. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 12 February 2018 written on its behalf to an individual believer; US Baha’i National Administrative website)

July 13

There can be no question then that Bahá'ís are committed to efforts toward social transformation. "Much as the friends must guard against in any way ever seeming to identify themselves or the Cause with any political party," Shoghi Effendi, through his secretary, cautioned, "they must also guard against the other extreme of never taking part, with other progressive groups, in conferences or committees designed to promote some activity in entire accord with our teachings - such as, for instance, better race relations." This involvement in activities for social reform and well-being can in certain circumstances even extend to taking part in demonstrations. A letter written on the Guardian's behalf indicated that he did not see any objection to Bahá'í students taking part as Bahá'ís in a protest concerning racial prejudice on campus, since "there was nothing political about it" and "he does not see how they could remain indifferent when fellow-students were voicing our own Bahá'í attitude on such a vital issue and one we feel so strongly about." Thus, individual Bahá'ís are free to participate in those efforts and activities, such as peaceful rallies, that uphold constructive aims in consonance with the Bahá'í teachings, for example, the advancement of women, the promotion of social justice, the protection of the environment, the elimination of all forms of discrimination, and the safeguarding of human rights. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 27 April 2017 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

July 11

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 German 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)

July 9

In the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá—the Báb’s commentary on the Súrih of Joseph—characterized by the Author of the Íqán as “the first, the greatest and mightiest” of the books revealed by the Báb, we read the following references to Bahá’u’lláh:

“Out of utter nothingness, O great and omnipotent Master, Thou hast, through the celestial potency of Thy might, brought me forth and raised me up to proclaim this Revelation. I have made none other but Thee my trust; I have clung to no will but Thy will… O Thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself wholly for Thee: I have accepted curses for Thy sake, and have yearned for naught but martyrdom in the path of Thy love. Sufficient witness unto me is God, the Exalted, the Protector, the Ancient of Days.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah; included in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)