Bahá’í World/Volume 14/The Most Great Jubilee

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PART TWO

INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF CURRENT Bahá’í ACTIVITIES

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THE MOST GREAT JUBILEE

Report on the Bahá’í World Congress held in London APRIL 28 — MAY 2, 1963

BY BEATRICE ASHTON

“T he vision now disclosed . . . is indeed enthralling. The tasks which, if that vision is to be fulfilled, must be valiantly shouldered . . . are staggering. The time during which so herculean a task is to be performed is alarmingly brief. The period during which so gigantic an operation must be set in motion, prosecuted and consummated, coincides with the critical, and perhaps the darkest and most tragic, stage in human aflairs. The opportunities presenting themselves . . . are now close at hand. The invisible battalions Of the Concourse on High are mustered, in serried ranks, ready to rush their reinforcements t0 the aid of the vanguard Of Bahá’u’lláh’s crusaders in the hour of their greatest need, and in anticipation of that M 0st Great, that Wondrous Jubilee in the joyfulness of which both heaven and earth will

partake. . .”

THE “Most Great Jubilee” held in London during the closing days of the Riḍván period celebrated at one and the same time the “King of Festivals” commemorating “the formal assumption by Bahá’u’lláh of His Prophetic Office”1 one hundred years earlier, at the time of His Declaration in the Garden of Ridva’m in Baghdad, and the victorious consummation of the “fate-laden, soul-stirring, decade-long, world-embracing Spiritual Crusade”2 which had been inaugurated by the Guardian and had established the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh on a world-wide basis, closing the first epoch in the unfoldment of the Divine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

This great centenary of the Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh marked the second step of three in the unfoldment of His revelation, which, as Shoghi Effendi tells us,3 began with “the first intimation” its Bearer received while a prisoner in chains in the dungeon Of the Siyéh-Qél of Ṭihrán, an experience commemorated in the Holy Year which preceded the World Crusade. The third step in this process, proclamation, would have its centenary later, in 1967, celebrating the revelation of Bahá’u’lláh’s ad 57

SHOGHI EFFENDI, November 23, 1951

dresses proclaiming His mission to the rulers and ecclesiastics of the world.

The ten years between the centenary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh’s mission and that commemoratin g His declaration were filled with the Guardian’s Spiritual Crusade of which he had written in the cablegram launching it:4

“Current Bahá’í history must henceforth, as second decade of second Bahá’í century opens, move rapidly and majestically as it has never moved before since the inception of the Faith over a century ago.”

The upsurge of activity envisioned in these words of the Guardian was reflected in the World Congress in London, for surely never before had the Faith moved forward so rapidly or so majestically as it had in the ten years of this global Crusade. The Jubilee offered the channel for an outpouring of gratitude to Bahá’u’lláh for His assistance in its triumphant conclusion.

It was fitting that London was the place chosen for this joyous Jubilee, after it became evident that it was impossible to hold it in Baghdad. It was London that had welcomed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá a little over half a century ago,

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\ «Mun.

,r

Believers from all corners of the globe gathering at the Royal Albert Hall

1 WORLD

on the opening day of the World Congress.

and it was in London that, midway during the Crusade, Shoghi Effendi, beloved Guardian of the Cause of God, had passed away and been laid to rest there, a brief five and a half years before. This was the Guardian’s Crusade that was being gloriously concluded in loving tribute to him: he had set its time, he had given its objectives, he had encouraged and honoured its pioneers who went to the ends of the world in obedience to his call and to the exhortations of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to teach and bring God’s healing Message to the hearts of all mankind. The purpose of the Crusade, the Guardian had explained, was to establish, “on a world-wide scale, an unassailable administrative foundation for Bahá’u’lláh’s Christ promised Kingdom on earth, swelling thereby the chorus of universal jubilation wherein earth and heaven will join, as prophesied by Daniel, echoed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: ‘on that day will the faithful rejoice with exceeding gladness.”’5

Now, the “faithful” were indeed rejoicing, in London and throughout the world. Shoghi Effendi had hinted, at the end of a general letter written in 1931, that the hundredth anniversary of the declaration of Bahá’u’lláh might “mark the inauguration” of the era of “realization of that Wondrous Vision which constitutes the brightest emanation of His Mind and the fairest fruit of the fairest civilization the world has yet seen.”6 Indeed, those present at this

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e 1 ERMA} WORLD CONGRESS jLON DON

Stilt 23 - MAY 2.1953 //

(KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Photo)

A group departing for London from Idlewild International Airport, New York.

first Bahá’í World Congress felt keenly aware that they were witnessing yet another step in the unfoldrnent of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order, the crowning unit of which is the Universal House of Justice. The nine members of that newly—elected body were in our midst, honoured participants at this World Congress, with twelve Hands of the Cause of God, who brought to the Congress the nearness of the Guardian’s spirit and his presence. In all, more than six thousand Bahá’ís from all corners and continents of the world converged on the Royal Albert Hall during those joyful days. The gathering of the Bahá’ís in such numbers appeared to release a spiritual force that flowed far beyond the confines of the Hall, beyond the confines of London itself. A generation as yet unborn would ask their parents, “Were you there ?” And the answer might be, as one present did answer, “Yes, I was there, but I did not know it.” How could one, at this moment in time, realize the significance of this Most Great Jubilee?

The happy, jubilant Bahá’ís, many in native costumes, thronged across Knightsbridge, halting the traffic on this busy thoroughfare, crowding up the steps of the huge hall, eager to witness the opening of this first Bahá’í World Congress. The familiar surroundings of London seemed to be of secondary importance as though, in this moment of history, they fulfilled their purpose in serving as a backdrop for the holding of the Most Great Jubilee of the declaration of Bahá’u’lláh. Nothing in London, nothing in the world, would be the same again. A new era was inaugurated; here was tangible, visible evidence of it! The joy and excitement of the occasion were reflected in the faces of the Bahá’ís rushing forward to join their fellowbelievers of every race, tongue, colour and nationality. The seasoned veterans of the Guardian’s World Crusade and the newlyenrolled from remote lands who were part of the harvest of that globe-girdling enterprise triumphantly gathered to celebrate the victories of the Ten Year Plan and give thanks

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60 THE BAHA

to Bahá’u’lláh for His merciful assistance.

Inside the great hall the deep, warm voice of Enoch Olinga, beloved early African believer and pioneer who had been elevated to the rank of Hand of the Cause by Shoghi Effendi, was drawing the attention of the friends. The Bahá’ís were seated, tier 0n tier, to the roof, in a wide circle. The speakers’ platform was accented with colourful floral arrangements and Persian rugs. Simultaneous translation was provided in Persian, German, French and Spanish by shifts of translators housed in booths in the top balcony, through specially equipped earphones available to all who desired this service.

9

i WORLD

FIRST DAY

The opening session had for its theme “The Day of Victory”. After prayers in Persian and English and the reading of excerpts from the Tablet of Riḍván in English, the chairman read the historic cablegram of Apri122, 1963* from the Hands of the Cause to the entire Bahá’í world announcing the results of the election of the members of the Universal House of J ustice at the first Bahá’í World Convention. One’s mind could not grasp the significance of this announcement, but the spirit could, and did, rejoice. This was the Universal House of Justice called into being by Bahá’u’lláh and

" For text ofcablegram, see p. 425 ofthis volume.

Bahá’í WORLD CONGRESS RIDVAN 120 28 April—2 May 1963

PROGRAMME OF SPEAKERS

SUNDAY, 28 April 3.30 pm. to 6.30 pm.

OPENING OF THE FIRST WORLD BAHA’I CONGRESS THE DAY OF VICTORY Chairman: Enoch Olinga Speakers: Amatu’l-Bahá’. Rúḥíyyih Khánum ‘Ali Akbar Furfitan Hasan Balyuzi

MONDAY, 29 April 10 a.m. to 117.711. THE MISSION OF Bahá’u’lláh Chairman: Dflikru’lláh Khádem THE PROMISE OF ALL AGES Marion Hofman THE BLESSED BEAUTY Amoz Gibson Tarazu’lláh Samandari

3.30 to 6.30 pm.

CELEBRATION OF THE NINTH DAY OF RIDVAN THE RIPVAN FEAST

Chairman: Luis de Fretes

TUESDAY, 30 April 10 am. to 1pm.

THE UNFOLDMENT OF THE DIVINE PLAN Chairman: H. Borrah Kavelin THE VISION OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHA Rowland Estall Jan Sijsling UNPARALLELED ACHIEVEMENTS Leroy Ioas* UNDER THE INFALLIBLE GUIDANCE OF SHOGHI EFFENDI

The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh will be presented

3.30 to 6.00 pm. THE WORLD CENTRE OF THE FAITH Chairman: Charles Wolcott ITS UNIQUE SPIRITUAL Ugo Giachery SIGNIFICANCE ITS SUPREME ADMINISTRATIVE Paul Haney IMPORTANCE Presentation of the members of the Universal House of Justice and the reading of its first message to the Bahá’í world

" Address given by Ian Semple in place of Leroy Ioas who was prevented by illness from addressing the Congress.

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described by Shoghi Effendi as the “last refuge of a tottering civilization”,7 the “supreme organ of the Bahá’í Commonwealth” of the future.8 These were its first members, here with us! They would be officially presented at a later point in the Congress programme.

Before introducing the first speaker for the opening session, the chairman, Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga, “with a heart full of joy and gladness”, greeted and welcomed the assembled friends and paid tribute to Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb for the glories of this day. In concluding his remarks he said:

“May the blessings of Bahá’u’lláh be with us all and enable us to fully appreciate the great ness of His Station and of this Day, so that we may, when we retuxn to our respective homes and countries, make use of the dynamic forces which have been released during this time, forces which will enable the Faith of God to traverse the plains of obscurity, of repression, of emancipation and recognition as a State religion, 21 stage which, in the words of our beloved Guardian, ‘will signalize the longawaited advent of the Christ—promised Kingdom of God on earth—the Kingdom of Bahá’u’lláh . . .’, which in its turn is to signalize ‘the birth of a world civilization . . . the fairest fruit of the Golden Age of the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh.’ ”9

8 p.m.

PUBLIC MEETING WORLD UNITY WITH SECURITY Chairman: John Long

Speakers: Philip Hainsworth Elsie Austin“ William Sears

WEDNESDAY, 1 May 10 am. to [p.m. THE SPIRITUAL CONQUEST OF THE PLANET Chairman: ‘Ali Nakhjavání THE OPENING OF NEW TERRITORIES

VICTORIES OF THE PIONEERS

Speakers: Ruth Pringle Mas’L’ld K__hamsi Enoch Olinga

Presentation of representatives of the new

races and peoples enrolled under the Banner Of Bahá’u’lláh

• Unable to attend.

3.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. THE SPIRITUAL CONQUEST OF THE PLANET Chairman: K. K. Bhargava ENRICHMENT OF THE WORLD Bahá’í COMMUNITY ENROLLMENT OF THE MASSES Speakers: Shirin Boman Alvin Blum J amshid Fozdar Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir Presentation of representatives of the new races and peoples enrolled under the Banner of Bahá’u’lláh

THURSDAY, 2 May 10 am. to [p.m.

OUR SACRED DUTY, OUR GLORIOUS CHALLENGE

Chairman: Gila Bata

Speakers: Annaliese Bopp H. Fatheazam Peter Khan John Robarts

3.30 to 6.30pm. SHOGHI EFFENDI, THE SIGN OF GOD Chairman: William Masehla Speaker: Amatu’l-Bahá'. Rúḥíyyih Khánum

CLOSING OF THE CONGRESS Abu’l-Qásim Faizi DEVOTIONAL

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View of the platform at the World Congress from one of the upper tiers of the

Royal Albert Hall.

The first of three speakers at this session was the Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum. After referring to the many titles by which Bahá’u’lláh had been designated, cited by Shoghi Effendi from the sacred Writings of many Faiths, she spoke of Bahá’u’lláh’s blessings flowing into the world at this time, like waves one after another, from the Most Great Ocean. She reviewed very briefly some highlights of what Shoghi Effendi did for us during the thirty-six years of his ministry: how he reminded us of the standards to be upheld by those who go forth to teach, and how in the last ten years we had seen the results of the response to his call. At the Bahá’í World Centre he completed the Shrine of the Báb, raised the International Archives Building and laid out the gardens on Mt. Carmel and at Bahjí, where they beautify the area around the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh. He appointed twenty-seven Hands of the Cause of God and strengthened this Institution by giving it Auxiliary Boards for teaching and protection of the Faith. He appointed the International Bahá’í Council as forerunner of the Universal House of Justice and guided it to enhance the prestige of the

Faith in Israel. Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum then gave a statistical review of the great progress made in establishing the Faith and its institutions during the last ten years, the period of the World Crusade. She concluded with saying:

“We cannot slacken the pace, particularly at this moment when we have elected the crowning institution of the Bahá’í world. Underneath it there must be strong pillars, the National Spiritual Assemblies. Those pillars must rest on strong Local Spiritual Assemblies. The Assemblies must be composed of enlightened, strong and enthusiastic believers. We must create new Assemblies throughout the world. And all of this depends upon the spirit of the Bahá’ís, upon their eagerness and willingness to serve and, above all, upon their faith in Bahá’u’lláh. He has promised that He will always help those who arise to serve Him, and I am sure that the believers in this room and their fellow-believers all over the world are going to face the future now with a fresh determination to win even more marvellous victories than have been won in the past. This is the way we show our love for Bahá’u’lláh, our love for

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Amatu’l-Bahá Ru'hiyyih Khdnum opened the World Congress on Apri128, 1963. To her right is the Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga, chairman of the opening session. Other Hands of the Cause and some members of the Universal House of Justice also appear in the photograph.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá and our gratitude for the bounty of the Divine Plan; and this is how we demonstrate our love for our Guardian, who wore himself out and burned himself up in leading the way and showing us how we could go forward and what we must do. I am sure that every Bahá’í is going to do his utmost in the years to come.”

The other two speakers at the opening session were the Hands of the Cause ‘Ali-Akbar Furt’ltan and Hasan Balyuzi. Mr. Furfitan cited some prophecies from the Holy Books of many Faiths pointing to this day, that have been fulfilled by the coming of Bahá’u’lláh. Mr. Balyuzi outlined the pattern of crisis and victory in the history of the Bahá’í Faith that has propelled us towards this day of Victory. We know that other crusades are to follow, he said, but “none can ever be more precious, more dear to the hearts of the Bahá’ís, than the one we have concluded, because it was the Crusade launched by our beloved Shoghi Effendi.”

Brief but intensive consideration was given to the Mission of Bahá’u’lláh, to the Divine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. and its unfoldment under the guidance of the Guardian in the successive

plans initiated by him, and to the spiritual significance and administrative importance of the World Centre of the Faith with the newlyelected Universal House of Justice as its supreme unit. The programme then revolved around our sacred duty of teaching the Faith, in the opening of new territories and enrollment of the masses. The chairman of a later session, Mr. ‘Ali Namavéni, summarized our course: “From praise, from thanksgiving, from glorification, from applause . . . to the field of action.” The final session was in tribute to our beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, and his thirty-six years of intensely active,’ wise and far-seeing leadership of the Cause of God.

SECOND DAY

The morning session, with the Hand of the Cause Mikru’lláh @221de as chairman, had for its theme “The Mission of Bahá’u’lláh”. There were three speakers: Auxiliary Board member Marion Hofman of England, Amoz Gibson, newly-elected member of the Universal House of Justice and the Hand of the Cause Tarézu’llah Samandari. In the afternoon the

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Riḍván Feast was held, celebrating the ninth day of Riḍván.

After prayers in Turkish, Chinese, Swahili and Arabic, Mr. Khádem spoke a few words filled with the love of Bahá’u’lláh. Marion Hofman, whose address was on “The Promise of All Ages”, cited passages from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh referring to this Day, when “He, the Ancient Of everlasting days is come, girded with majesty and power.”10

Amoz Gibson, in his address on “The Blessed Beauty”, cited many evidences in the world today of the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh at work, though the people of the world are as yet unaware that His sufferings from the injustices and hardships inflicted on Him were those of “the Divine Educator which shortened the afflictions of human beings on this planet” and gave them the strength to build His new creation. “Evidences of the emerging new world are all around us,” Mr. Gibson said.

The Hand of the Cause Tarézu’lláh Samandari was introduced by Mr. Khádem as the one whom Bahá’u’lláh “held in store for this Most Great Jubilee as a gift to us, the precious soul who belongs to the oldest family which starts from the time of Shayfl Ahmad—i-Ahsa’i,”* and as “one of the few souls who met Bahá’u’lláh.” Mr. ghadem said: “I don’t know how to call him. The Blessed Beauty called him Taraz Effendi. The Centre of the Covenant called him Mirza Taraz. Our beloved Guardian called him Jinab-i-Samandari. He dedicated all his life to the service of his Beloved.”

Jinab-i-Samandari’s resonant voice, welling up from his frail body, gave evidence of the strength of his spirit. His remarks in Persian were translated by Marzieh Gail as he spoke. He told about being in the presence of Bahá’u’lláh three times during the six months he was in ‘Akká. as a young man of sixteen. That was in 1891—1892. One time was on the first day of Riḍván in the room at Bahjí “that you all know” who have been to Bahjí.11 Another time was in a garden at NaW-Rfiz. “There were poets there that day and one of them was the historian, the great Nabil” (author of The Dawn Breakers). Bahá’u’lláh was revealing Tablets in another room, “and I heard the Tablets being chanted,” Mr. Samandari said. Later they were in a garden with Bahá’u’lláh, and the young Samandari walked from the garden to Bahjí in

• See The Dawn-Breakers, p. 42; God Passes By, p. 92.

His presence, “while a little rain was falling.” “This was one of the great honours that came my way on that day.”

A Week before Bahá’u’lláh ascended, the young Samandari was one of those present in the Mansion at Bahjí when they were called into His presence. Bahá’u’lláh was very weak and in bed. “He was reading those verses of the Most Holy Book which tell about His ascension. . . And weak as He was, He spoke. He mentioned this many times: be one and be united. Unity, avoidance of all discord, steadfastness. Those were the three words He emphasized that day,” Jinab-i-Samandari told us.

For the celebration of the Riḍván Feast, held in the same hall as the Congress sessions, Luis deFretes, Auxiliary Board member from the Netherlands, was chairman. After prayers the Tablet of Riḍván was chanted in Persian. Passages selected by the Guardian from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh referring to this day, included in his essay The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh,12 were read in English. There were prayers in many languages and a selection of songs sung by the friends from Africa to close the Feast of Riḍván.

THIRD DAY

The morning session of the third day of the Congress, Tuesday, April 30, was devoted to consideration of “The Unfoldment of the Divine Plan” of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The chairman, H. Borrah Kavelin, newly-elected member of the Universal House of Justice, pointed out: “In the opening days of this glorious historic Congress all of us laid our hearts at the feet of the Blessed Perfection. This morning we do no less . . . we lay our hearts at the feet of the beloved and revered Master and our bestbeloved Shoghi Effendi.”

The first speaker, Rowland Estall, Auxiliary Board member from Canada and a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of that country, recalled that, as a boy, he had been taken to the Royal Albert Hall to hear Handel’s Messiah. He cited passages from that great oratorio that had special dramatic impact for him now, passages referring to Bahá’u’lláh and to the reign of the King of kings, linking these passages with the Words of Bahá’u’lláh addressed to the kings of the earth as vassals, and to the

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»!

The Hand of the Cause Tara’zu’lláh Samandarz', who thrice attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, addressed the Congress on Apri129.

Pope. He then outlined the progressive steps in the release of the spiritual forces set in motion by Bahá’u’lláh through the Divine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. and the guidance of Shoghi Effendi in his letters and in the successive teaching plans instituted by him.

Mr. Estali read passages from The Advent of Divine Justice13 in which Shoghi Effendi gives the “spiritual prerequisites of success” for all teaching work. He then outlined the accomplishments under the first Seven Year Plan in North and South America, and the second Seven Year Plan in Europe, through which a basis was laid for future development of the Cause. “The friends had arisen to teach,” said Mr. Estall. “The lessons of love and unity had, however haltingiy, been learned. The purpose for which the Administrative Order had been developed was being served. The supreme mission of Bahá’u’lláh, the achievement of the organic and spiritual unity of the whole body of nations, was, however, still far off. But at least we were a little closer. . .”

Jan Sijsling, Auxiliary Board member from the Netherlands and a member of that country’s National Spiritual Assembly, spoke on “The Vision of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá” and in his ad dress traced the development of the Cause in Europe during the second Seven Year Plan, through the arrival there of teachers and pioneers, the establishment of Local Spiritual Assemblies, first in the capital cities, through translation of the Writings into native languages, through teaching conferences, summer schools, the purchase of national headquarters (Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds), and through loyalty to the Covenant, sacrifice and enduring steadfastness.

The last address on Tuesday morning was given by Ian Semple, newly-elected member of the Universal House of J ustice. The chairman explained that the Hand of the Cause Leroy C. loss was, through serious illness, prevented from addressing the Congress on “Unparalleled Achievements under the Infallible Guidance of Shoghi Effendi” and that Mr. Semple would speak on the same subject.

Mr. Semple first paid tribute to the great self-sacrifices of the Hands of the Cause and commented that “this is the first religion in human history Which has spread following the passing of its Founder under the continuing guidance of God.” He pointed out that “the way that our beloved Guardian tackled the tasks that lay before him” was an example of how we should

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carry on our administrative and teaching work. He read passages from The Advent of Divine Justice” describing the condition of the world, and he related that, while in the Guardian’s presence, he had felt that Shoghi Effendi “was fully aware of every shortcoming of the person who stood before him but he was interested only in whatever small virtues that person might possess. These he would seize; these he would foster; these he would encourage. This I believe is what he has done with the whole Bahá’í world.” The instructions of the Guardian were truly “the commands of God to His army. It is God who is uniting the world. . . He knows the work we have to do, and He knows when it must be done. And this we can see again and again, looking back on the instructions of our beloved Guardian and seeing the fruits which result from obedience to these instructions.” Comparative statistics were then cited by Mr. Semple illustrating the phenomenal growth of the Faith under the Guardian’s guidance.

The moment had come for presentation of the Kinghts of Bahá’u’lláh, those valiant souls who had answered the Guardian’s call and pioneered to the ends of the earth. H. Borrah Kavelin, chairman of the session, read from the Guardian’s cablegram announcing the illuminated Roll of Honour that was to bear the names of these Knights and be placed at the entrance door of the inner sanctuary of the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh, “as a permanent memorial of the contribution by the champions of His Faith.”15 “Happily there are too many to be presented individually,” the chairman said, but row upon row they sat, behind the speakers’ platform, as the thousands attending the Congress poured out their love and gratitude to them in spontaneous waves of sustained applause. How we loved them; they had brought the Guardian joy!

The drama of this session was climaxed with the reading, by Dr. ‘Aziz Navidi, of a message to the Congress from the Bahá’ís imprisoned in Morocco, and by a tape-recorded chanting of prayers sent by them. The African singers then led us all in singing Allah-u~Abhá, our voices reverent and tear-choked, our hearts turning to our imprisoned brothers, or absent family.

“The World Centre of the Faith” was the subject for the afternoon session of the third

day. The spirit had been building up and now it seemed that it would burst the very walls of the huge old building. Indeed, the spirit was not contained within the Royal Albert Hall. Bahá’ís were all over London, joyously meeting one another everywhere, in restaurants, on the streets, in the city’s famous “tube”. Photographs were appearing in the newspapers, with headlines; numerous inquiries were made of the Bahá’ís wherever they gathered; spontaneous “curbside” teaching abounded; London’s staid indifl‘erence seemed to melt through the contagion of our glee. But who really recognized the significance of the World Congress? Who was really aware that these happy thousands were the harbingers of the new world, were celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of its beginning, were united by bonds deeper than any man had devised, and were, even now, hurrying into the Hall eager to greet the first members of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme administrative institution raised up by the Pen of Bahá’u’lláh? At last the Universal House of Justice had been established, with its seat at the World Centre of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, on Mt. Carmel, the Mountain of God—the first God-guided, truly international body in the history of mankind! The Bahá’ís struggled to grasp the reality of the moment as they gathered for the afternoon session on that April day.

The chairman of the proceedings was Charles Wolcott, newly-elected member of the Universal House of Justice. Prayers were said in Italian and Samoan and a message of greeting from the Bahá’ís of ‘Iráq was read.16 Mr. Wolcott gave a brief historical background of the “twin cities” of ‘Akká and Haifa, the spiritual and administrative centre of the Faith. He then introduced the first of two speakers for this session, Dr. Ugo Giachery, Hand of the Cause of God and former member of the Italo-Swiss National Spiritual Assembly. As Dr. Giachery had been the Guardian’s personal representative for all the work done in Italy for the building of both the superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb and the International Archives Building on Mt. Carmel, he spoke feelingly and knowingly on his subject, “The Unique Spiritual Significance of the World Centre of the Faith”. Dr. Giachery explained how it happened that the World Centre came to be in the Holy Land “not by

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accident” but as “a part of the pattern of the Divine Scheme”. He spoke briefly about the construction of the Sepulchre of the Báb during the lifetime of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, reminding us that Bahá’u’lláh Himself, on one of His visits to the Mountain of God, had pointed out to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the place where the Shrine was to be erected. In the Tablet of Carmel Bahá’u’lláh, addressing Carmel, says: “Rejoice, for Godhath in this Day established upon thee His throne.”17

Dr. Giarchery spoke also of how the beloved Guardian embarked upon the fulfillment of his wish to honour the three Central Figures of the Faith, Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and to enhance the prestige of the Faith, by beautification of the Shrines and the areas surrounding them by laying out the gardens at Bahjí and on Mt. Carmel. The Guardian also, in the development of the spiritual centre of the Faith, created the Monument Gardens on Mt. Carmel where rest the remains of the Greatest Holy Leaf, the Purest Branch, and the mother of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The beauty and sacredness of this area are extolled by Shoghi Effendi in his letter entitled The Spiritual Potencies of That Consecrated Spot.”

In these gardens is laid out the great are above the tombs of these “three incomparably precious souls”. At the western end of this arc he erected the International Archives Building. Moreover, at Bahjí the Guardian extended the properties and laid out the pattern and enlarged the beautiful gardens there surrounding the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, the Qiblih of the Bahá’í Faith, towards which in the future, Dr. Giachery said, the whole world will turn “for solace, for comfort, for faith”. “What Shoghi Effendi accomplished, other men could not have accomplished in centuries,” Dr. Giachery stated. “We, too, must have this vision of a far, far, far distant future, of the great victory the Faith is going to experience. . . That is why our beloved Guardian succeeded.”

The second speaker at this session was Paul Haney, Hand of the Cause residing in the Holy Land. In his address on “The Supreme Administrative Importance of the World Centre”* he quoted many passages from the writings of Shoghi Effendi, illustrating that the Guardian had carefully prepared the Bahá’í world for the establishment of the “world-shaking, worldembracing, world—directing administrative in ‘ For full text of this address see p. 433 of this volume.

stitutions ordained by Bahá’u’lláh and anticipated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”” Their focal centre was destined to be “in the vicinity of its world spiritual centre, signalizing the sailing of the Divine Ark on God’s mountain, prophesied in the Tablet of Carmel.”20 And in January 1951, when the Guardian appointed members of the International Bahá’í Council, “forerunner of the supreme administrative institution”,21 the Universal House of Justice, destined to be elected “in the fullness of time”, he also opened the door to international contributions for the construction of the superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb and the erection of the International Archives Building. He laid out the arc, extending eastward from this building, in the Monument Gardens, on which the future edifices would be erected “constituting the World Bahá’í Administrative Centre.”“ Thus all was in readiness for the election, at the close of the Ten Year Crusade, of the “last unit crowning the structure of the embryonic World Order of Bahá’u’lláh”,2a the Universal House of Justice. Earlier in his talk Mr. Haney had pointed out that the Guardian had indicated that the Tablet of Carmel“ was the charter for the development of the institutions of the Faith at its World Centre.

Among the many stirring passages quoted by Mr. Haney from the writings of Shoghi Effendi describing the station and function of the House of Justice and the inestimable blessings that would be conferred upon the world when it came into existence was the following:25

“In this great Tablet (of Carmel) which unveils divine mysteries and heralds the establishment of two mighty, majestic and momentous undertakings—one of which is spiritual and the other administrative, both at the World Centre of the Faith—Bahá’u’lláh refers to an ‘Ark’, whose dwellers are the men of the Supreme House of Justice, which, in conformity with the exact provisions of the Will and Testament of the Centre of the Mighty Covenant is the Body which should legislate on laws not explicitly revealed in the Text. In this Dispensation, these laws are destined to flow from this Holy Mountain, even as in the Mosaic Dispensation, the Law of God was promulgated from Zion. The ‘sailing of the Ark’ of His laws is a reference to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice.”

Mr. Haney then briefly reported what had

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The members of the first Universal House of Justice stood befbre the World Congress while

Mr. David Hofman read the first statement of the newly-elected Institution. The Hand of the Cause Paul Haney is seated in the foreground.

just taken place at the historic first InternationalBahá’í Convention held in Haifa when, on April 21, 1963, at the House of the Master, the members of the fifty—six National Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá’í world elected the Universal House of Justice. In describing this first Bahá’í World Convention Mr. Haney said that the unique manner in which the election was conducted set a pattern for the world to marvel at and, in the future, to follow.

Mr. Haney then presented to the Congress the individual members of this newly—elected Universal House of Justice, while the friends rose and joyously applauded, able but dimly to realize the significance and greatness of this moment. The elected members were:

Charles Wolcott

‘Ali Nakhjavéni

H. Borrah Kavelin Ian Semple

Luṭfu’lláh Ḥakím David Hofman

Hugh Chance

Amoz Gibson

Hu gmand Fatheazam

As their names were mentioned, each member stepped forward until all nine members stood together before the Congress.26

The first statement27 from the Universal House of Justice was then read by David Hofman.* The message opened with an excerpt from a prayer of praise revealed by Bahá’u’lláh. Then the various steps were mentioned that made possible the attainment of the crowning victory celebrated by this Most Great J ubilee, with “grateful thanks to Bahá’u’lláh for all His bounties showered upon the friends throughout the world.” And humble tribute was paid to the Hands of the Cause of God “. . . for they share the victory with their beloved commander, he who raised them up and appointed them‘ They kept the ship on its course and brought it safe to port.” Then, “with all the love and gratitude of our hearts” was acknowledged “the reality of the sacrifice, the labour, the self—discipline, the superb stewardship of the Hands of the Cause of God.” The message concluded: “The Universal House of Justice greets you all lovingly and joyfully

• For full text see p. 431 of this volume.

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at this time, and asks you to pray fervently for its speedy development and the spiritual strengthening of its members.”

PUBLIC MEETING

0n the evening of the third day of the Congress a meeting open to the public was held in the Royal Albert Hall. The subject was “World Unity with Security”. There were two speakers, Philip Hainsworth, member of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Central and East Africa, and William B. Sears, Hand of the Cause in Africa. J ohn Long, member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles, served as chairman. Both speakers presented the simple spiritual truths enshrined in the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.

Mr. Hainsworth emphasized the great redemptive plan of God for the development of man’s soul. J ust as a seed holds within itself the potentiality to grow but cannot of itself realize that potential, needing the effect of the sun, so the soul of man needs the Sun of Truth, the Word of God, in order to develop as its Creator intends it should. “It is the response to this challenge,” the speaker said, “that produces civilizations.” So also, the only power of unity in the world comes from the Word of God, for God is one eternally. Thus the unity of mankind is and has been since the creation of man; what is now necessary is that man recognize this fact and help establish a society that will reflect this unity. This is what Bahá’u’lláh came to do. It is “this tremendous spiritual outpouring of Bahá’u’lláh that can find its response in the soul of every single human being”, whether in Africa or in the most sophisticated metropolis, Mr. Hainsworth said.

The Hand of the Cause William Sears, in his address, gave many instances of man’s present afflictions and unhappy condition and of his unsuccessful efforts to find remedies, unsuccessful because he is ignoring the Source of the healing remedy, the Divine Physician. Among other passages, Mr. Sears quoted what Bahá’u’lláh wrote to Queen Victoria, that the solution to the ills of the world was to be found in “the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith.”“ Mr. Sears also cited passages from the Bible and from scholars concerning the day in which we are living and the coming of Bahá’u’lláh. An en<

thralled audience heard Mr. Sears’s stirring appeal: “So let us no longer remain a society of nuclear giants and ethical midgets. . . Let us be at last the children of God, and not of man!” He concluded his address by citing selections from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh concerning the Divine Physician.

FOURTH DAY

Prayers in Ateso, Icelandic, Urdu and Thai opened the programme for the next-to-last day of the Congress which had for its theme “The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet”. ‘Ali Nafljavani, member of the newly-elected Universal House of Justice, one of the first to respond to the Guardian’s call for pioneers to Africa during the Ten Year Crusade, was chairman of the morning session. He reviewed the topics covered in the first three days of the Congress and stated:

“We now invite you to move together into the field of action . . . the all-important work of teaching the Faith to the multitudes.” He referred to the special meeting held the previous evening to discuss experience in mass conversion areas and added: “We realize how the Faith of God is rapidly moving into a new era.” He quoted several passages from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh pointing to this time, and read some messages from the Guardian written at the beginning of the teaching work in Africa which showed that Shoghi Effendi saw in those modest achievements the beginning of mass conversion. The Guardian likened the efforts of the pioneers to the deeds of the Apostles of Christ and to those of the Dawnbreakers in our Faith. “What has been achieved in Africa,” the Guardian wrote through his secretary, “sets an example to be followed by Bahá’ís everywhere. The Guardian sees no reason why such victories should not be achieved in all parts of the world.”

The addresses of the three speakers revolved around the subject “The Opening of New Territories: Victories of the Pioneers”. Ruth Pringle was the first to speak. In introducing her the chairman said that she had become a Bahá’í in the first year of the Ten Year Crusade, had been a pioneer in Central America and was now a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Panama. She gave a thrilling presentation of mass conversion

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i WORLD

The youngest son ofFu’cid Tahha’n, a Moroccan Bahá’í under sentence of death, reciting a prayer in Arabic from the platform of the Congress. T0 the right of the photograph is the Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga to the left, Mr. ‘Alz’ Nafljava’m’.

among the San Blas Indians of Panama and told of devoted teaching work done by two “graduates” of the school for indigenous Bahá’ís, one of whom, though blind, went out through dangerous mountain trails to teach the Indians in these areas.

The second speaker was Mas’fid _K_hamsi, Auxiliary Board member and a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Bolivia. He had been a pioneer in Central Persia, then in Argentina, and more recently in Bol ivia. He told of the rapid progress of the Faith in Bolivia within the past three years, chiefly among the Indians, who have actively participated in the teaching work, walking great distances, sometimes sixty miles a day, to visit scattered villages. Their strenuous efforts were rewarded and there are now more than six thousand Bahá’ís in Bolivia. Giving many examples of how the pioneers were guided to find waiting souls, he commented that the potential is there but many more teachers are needed.

The Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga, the Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for the British Cameroons, was the final speaker of the morning.

Mr. Naflavéni, in introducing Mr. Olinga, said that the beloved Guardian called him “the father of victories”. Mr. Olinga, in his turn, began his address by referring to Mr. Nakhjavání as “the father of mass conversion in Africa.” He said we should not be surprised at what has been accomplished in Africa because, at the beginning of the Crusade, Shoghi Effendi had called upon the Bahá’ís of the world to eclipse, in this decade, what had been achieved in the preceding eleven decades.“ The Guardian, Mr. Olinga added, “living in the world of reality, was able to see what the people of God, the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, were destined to achieve in a single decade.”

With great humility Mr. Olinga told of a cablegram that had been received from the beloved Guardian one day early in April saying that five believers were to go to five virgin territories in West Africa before April let and that these pioneers were to be believers from British Cameroons. The Bahá’í Faith had been known there for only about five months. Mr. Olinga said this was a lesson in faith to him. A meeting was called, and five new believers did arise. They went in response to the Guardian’s

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wish and all were named by him Knights of Bahá’u’lláh.

Then came one of the most poignant moments of the Congress. The chairman called upon Mrs. Fawziyyih Tahhén, the wife of one of the three Bahá’ís imprisoned and under sentence of death in Morocco. She was present at the Congress with her youn g son. She chanted a prayer and then the little boy was lifted up to the microphone and he chanted a short prayer in Arabic. “The beloved Guardian in one of his letters in Persian says that joy and sadness always embrace each other,” Mr. Nak_hjavéni said. “Here at this moment of great joy and jubilation, we see reason for broken hearts, and we hope that everything that is happening will result in the ultimate triumph of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.”

Fred Murray, an eighty-seven-year-old Australian Aborigine, addressed the Congress. In simple words he spoke from an overflowing heart of the happiness he was experiencing in being with the Bahá’ís. He described being carried from Australia across the ocean in “a great new flying kangaroo” and being set down in London in a multi-coloured garden of

humanity. “Yes, dear friends, I am glad to see the people here, like flowers of all colours . . . Bahá’u’lláh has given me a good life . . . I have joy in my heart.”

The afternoon session continued the theme of “The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet”, with special emphasis on “Enrichment of the World Bahá’í Community : Enrollment of the Masses’ ’. There were four speakers: Shirin Boman, Auxiliary Board member and a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of India; Alvin Blum, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for the Solomon Islands; Jamshid Fozdar, Auxiliary Board member and a member of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of South East Asia; and the Hand of the Cause Dr. Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir. The chairman, K. K. Bhargava’, member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of India, pointed out that it was Bahá’u’lláh Who had shown the way to teach, with pure hearts and proclaiming the Message in His Name.

Mrs. Boman spoke of the progress in teaching the masses in India. It began, she said, in 1961 with the visit of the Hand of the Cause Dr. Muhájir to a village in central India. This was followed by visits to villages “where

Amatu’l—Bahd Rdhz'yyih fldnum renewed her friendship with “ Uncle” Fred Murray, an Australian Aborigine believer.

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teeming, illiterate masses, cut off from a sophisticated atmosphere, unaware of the socalled culture and ways of the world, live.” It was soon realized that in the realm of spirituality these people far surpassed those who are educated according to modern concepts. As an example Mrs. Boman told of one illiterate believer who explained how she remembered God in her daily life: she likened it to a woman carrying a jug of water on her head while walking and conversing with friends or avoiding obstacles in her path—she was always remembering the pot full of water on her head.

Alvin Blum told of his pioneering experiences in New Zealand, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands. In the Philippines he met a group who had become Bahá’ís through reading a small pamphlet left in a university library by a Bahá’í world traveller who had stopped there for a few hours just before World War I. From that small beginning the Faith grew and today there are thousands of Bahá’ís in the Philippines. Mr. and Mrs. Blum arrived in the Solomons aboard an old ship and found living in the islands a Bahá’í pioneer who was ill from hardship and discouragement. They took her on board their ship in the harbour for meals. The ship’s departure was delayed time and again by a broken engine; meanwhile, the pioneer was restored to health and encouraged. A Bahá’í school has been established there and now there are many Bahá’ís.

The secret of pioneering, Mr. Blum said, is to sacrifice and be willing to give everything of yourself in the path of service. “Be willing to be sick, to be lonely, to cry, to give up your ‘self’ and to pray for God’s help. The power of prayer, friends, is dynamic!” He described a number of experiences illustrating how Bahá’u’lláh opens doors to the hearts.

Two Indian friends from Bolivia who are active in teaching and pioneering in that country were presented, expressing their happiness at being with the friends at the Congress. “In the name of the Indians of Bolivia I greet and salute you,” said Andrés Jachakollo. “I am not a literate man, and I am very happy to be here to see my brothers from all over the world. . . We want unity and love for the whole world. . . When we go out from here, we have to teach all that we have learned from this International Congress. . . We have to help each other through prayers all over the Bahá’í

world. . . The Holy Spirit is the power that propels us in our lives. . . This is the way we can find unity, love and universal peace.”

Max Kenyerezi, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for French Equatorial Africa, a member of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of Central and East Africa where he is actively associated with mass teaching, called on the friends to use “the spirit radiating from this Conference to galvanize our teaching effort and bring in masses of believers in all continents.”

In introducing Jamshid Fozdar, the chairman said that the beloved Guardian had referred to Mr. Fozdar as “the spiritual conqueror of Sarawak.” Mr. Fozdar said, “If we, the pioneers, have learned one thing from this Crusade, we have learned this, that we must never gauge the power of Bahá’u’lláh by our own ability to perform and deliver.” He said he was “haunted” by the limitations that one’s degree of faith placed on what could be achieved. He gave illustrations of the great spiritual capacity of the Bahá’ís of Vietnam and British Borneo under conditions of imprisonment, surrounded by chaos and revolution. There is no “separate standard" for persons of different nationalities, he said, and mass conversion is possible even in highly developed countries if we apply the universal standard of belief in Bahá’u’lláh as the Messenger of God for this time. He reminded us that the religion of God is like air and water, freely given by God, the Giver of life and that in crusades to follow “like tidal waves” other Bahá’ís “will take the torch of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh to the dark continents of the hearts of men.”

Several indigenous believers, from Malaysia, Mentawei Islands, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cameroon, spoke with profound emotion of their joyful experiences in teaching the Faith. Vicente Samaniego, speaking of his return to his native Philippine Islands, said: “When I return to the villages I can tell them that I saw the garden of God! I can tell them that we now have the International House of Justice! Let me close by saying a prayer for the Universal House of Justice. . .”

The Hand of the Cause Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir expressed delight to have seen “on this blissful day, the fruits of those who laboured in the teaching field during the Ten Year Crusade. ” He said that mass conversion was now in [Page 73]THE MOST GREAT JUBILEE 73

View of the interior of the Royal A lbert Hall as it looked when thousands of Balzd’z's gatheredfor the World Congress.

augurated in thirty countries of the world but that this is just a beginning. We must arise in f ull confidence that Bahá’u’lláh and the beloved Master will help us as They promised and as They helped those who arose before us. The nations and islands “yearn for pioneers” and wherever they have gone the pioneers have been greeted by the native people with the question “Why didn’t you come earlier to give us this Message?” In 1921, he reminded us, Agnes Alexander, Hand of the Cause of God, who was then a young woman, pioneered to Korea and travelled in the Orient where today there are three thousand believers. We must make a beginning. If the result of the labours of approximately one hundred friends has been a quarter of a million believers, what will be the result if a vast army of us will arise to pioneer!

FIFTH DAY

The morning session of the last day of the Congress, Thursday, May 2, directed our attention to the future, the theme being “Our

Sacred Duty, Our Glorious Challenge”. Prayers were offered in various languages and then the chairman, Gila Bata, member of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of North East Africa, read the opening passage of Shoghi Effendi’s The Promised Day Is Come.

Annaliese Bopp, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany, said that in Europe “our sacred duty, our glorious challenge” was “to reach our goal of mass conversion even if we are the last ones to pass the line.” The “edifice, the foundations of which Bahá’u’lláh has laid in our hearts”3° has now been erected, but it remains for the Bahá’ís to make it the refuge for mankind. Much remains to be done before our Assemblies learn to function as Houses of Justice, before the victory is won over our own selves and we become conscious “at every moment of our lives, that we alone are the instruments through which Bahá’u’lláh, the Manifestation of God, will save mankind.”

Ḥushmand Fatheazam, member of the newly—elected Universal House of Justice,

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related many inspiring instances of the rapid spread of the Faith among the masses in India. He likened the simple, unlettered, humble believers in the mass conversion areas to the rough, unpolished stone that the Master placed as the cornerstone of the great Mother Temple of the West; through their acceptance of the Faith will be raised the temple of the unity of mankind and on this foundation world civilization will be built. He encouraged us to continually engage in service to the Cause regardless of the apparent results for no service is wasted and if we are faithful to this responsibility we can enter the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, when our earthly lives end, with contented hearts.

Dr. Peter Khan, an Auxiliary Board member from the United States said that as mass conversion is extended it will “disturb the equilibrium of the world.” From a letter of Shoghi Effendi’s he read words that are “as vividly relevant as when they were written”: “There is no time to lose. The hour is ripe for the proclamation, without fear, without reserve, and without hesitation, and on a scale never as yet undertaken, of the One Message that can alone extricate humanity from the morass into which it is steadily sinking. . 3’31

Dr. Khan concluded his remarks by saying that as our community grows more diverse we should strive to follow the example of the Guardian and “adjust our goals to the conditions, the background, the nature of the people in each national community. . . It is like raising children of different ages, talents and training. . . The Faith must be kept simple, and its procedures flexible.” We must remember that our Faith is not a scientific or economic system, but a world religion and in our teaching we must continually “bear in mind that the centre of our Faith is the acceptance and recognition of Bahá’u’lláh as a Manifestation of God.”

The Hand of the Cause of God J ohn Robarts reminded us that while we rejoice over our victories, we must “remember that the beloved Guardian’s Ten Year Spiritual Crusade is the beginning of the beginning.” He cited passages from the writings of Shoghi Effendi in which the Guardian appealed to the friends to arise, to teach, to serve this great Cause, for the time is short and the hour critical. “We really should re-read and study the letters and messages of Shoghi Effendi.” Teaching is like building a

bridge over an abyss of despair, said Mr. Robarts, with God on one side of the abyss and man on the other. “Every one of us has some part to play in the construction of this bridge.”

Leong Tat Chee of Malaya greeted the Congress and sketched the progress of the Faith in that country, commenting that most of the believers in Malaya are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, that their “enthusiasm and steadfastness pushed older people like myself to go forward and do more for the Cause’ ’ and that they long for the day when they can participate in spreading the Faith throughout China.

The final session of the Congress inevitably arrived and, with profound appreciation and overflowing hearts, was devoted to the loving memory of Shoghi Effendi, the Sign of God on earth. For this programme the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh and many Bahá’ís in colourful native costumes were seated in tiers rising behind the speakers.

William Masehla, member of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of South and West Africa, was the chairman. After referring briefly to the deteriorating condition of the world in contrast to the victories won by the Bahá’ís under the leadership of the Guardian, he introduced the Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum to whom all hearts turned in deepest love and longing to hear her speak of Shoghi Effendi.* A briefrésumé of her remarks follows.

Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum spoke of the station of Bahá’u’lláh, giving the example of the sun which shines on every part of the world. Nobody owns it, controls it or has a monopoly of it. The same is true of Bahá’u’lláh. He belongs to those who have accepted Him. This is not a derived right. The Bahá’ís have not had this belief in Him passed on to them by pioneers or institutions but have it because they accept Him, like the plants which accept to grow in the sunlight everywhere. This great and varied gathering of Bahá’ís is evidence of this fact. Literacy, education, riches are not necessary for this acceptance. The materialistic civilization of the Western countries, afflicted with the diseases of regimentation and uniformity and prejudice, is an evil, and not something to be imitated by other nations. More ‘ Excerpts from this and other addresses given at the World Congress appear in Bahd’! News, August 1963.

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The national dresses Of Bahá’ís from many lands added colour and variety to the World Congress. Fourth from the right in the photograph is the Hand of the Cause Hasatz Balyuzi, who addressed the Congress on the first day.

over, it is not in accord with the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh nor with many points of guidance given to us by Shoghi Effendi. Unity in diversity is the watchword of the Faith. We are not supposed to be alike. We are supposed to be different within a certain great framework. The Guardian encouraged National Spiritual Assemblies to have diversityin secondary administrative matters, each adapting the principle in the Teachings to its own way. Shoghi Effendi assigned to diflerent parts of the Bahá’í world responsibilities and tasks commensurate with their maturity and strength. He did not expect the Bahá’ís of primitive tribes to do what he expected the communities of Ṭihrán or London, Paris or New York to accomplish. For example, Bahá’ís in some parts of the world need only board a bus near their own front door in order to attend the Nineteen Day Feast; while in other parts of the world the friends must travel at night through snake—infested grass in the jungle. The point is that the Bahá’í world is a living, evolving thing. It moves at difl'erent paces and adapts itself to local needs, to some extent. We all cannot live in the same way and

we had better look after the beam in our own eye before busying ourselves with the mote in the eye of another.

The process of education of the Bahá’ís of the West in obeying the laws of Bahá’u’lláh began with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and was continued by Shoghi Effendi, who extended it to the African believers so that now they are able to also apply many of the laws of Bahá’u’lláh that have been in force in Persia and America for many years. In this picture of the different stages of development of the Cause we see the evidence of how perfect it is. These are the signs of its life and vitality; the signs of the wisdom and guidance of Shoghi Effendi. He brought us all to where we are today and gave each one of us the measure we could take. He told us how to forge ahead and build the Cause in the days to come. That is the supreme task facing us, to carry out his instructions when we leave this hall.

The desire to dominate is an animal instinct that is probably bound up with the desire to survive. We must ensure that the Cause is protected, that the functions of Spiritual Assemblies as defined by the Guardian are carried

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out. Our administrative bodies must not be used as a means of stifling the believers or dominating them unduly. Implicit obedience to the administrative institutions is the law of God. This brings great spiritual strength and cohesion which renders the Bahá’í Faith unassailable, locally, nationally and internationally. Nevertheless, this system enshrines the freedom of the individual and the protection of his or her rights. It might be said that ours is the religion of the golden mean-—you do not have dominance by an institution or defiance and rebellion on the part of individuals.

When the time came for the Guardian to launch the Ten Year World Crusade he called for pioneers, for sacrifice, and the Bahá’ís responded. We would not have won this Crusade, nor would we be sitting in this hall today so radiantly happy, with such a wide representation from the Bahá’ís of the world, if the Guardian had not encouraged everybody to go forth and serve. He had only thirty-six years to give us the necessary instructions and interpretations, and that was a very brief time in which to make as clear as Shoghi Effendi made it the picture of the Administrative Order and the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh and what they represent. He has given us all that we really need to go on with.

The Guardian was always delighted when news came of large increases in the number of Bahá’ís in any country. He clearly recognized that the friends needed deepening, that the victories needed consolidating. But if we teach fearlessly and welcome these people into the Cause of God, God will raise up from amongst them teachers and ways and means of deepening them. Again and again the Guardian told the Bahá’ís that we do not study the Teachings enough.

Amatu’l-Bahá. Rúḥíyyih Khánum then said she would talk a little about the Guardian, about his person and his personality. She described his appearance, his beautiful eyes, his sensitive hands and his true humility. “He hadn’t one speck of personal pride or conceit in his entire make—up; but when it came to the Cause of God, he was alion.” She spoke of how simply he lived. On her trips with him to Switzerland, where he loved to climb and walk among the mountains, she told of their staying in the cottages of peasants, living on a very strict budget which he had established. He had a

great love for the mountains and during the last summer of his life he returned to all the places he most loved.

At this point Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum was unable to continue for a few moments, as these memories overwhelmed her. Spontaneously the African singers arose and softly and lovingly sang Alláh-u-Abhá until she was able to go on. She then began to speak of the characteristics of the Guardian, one of the strongest of which she described as his “absolutely iron principle”. “Nothing could interfere with what he considered right. Nothing swayed him at all, neither love, nor hate, nor danger.” She related examples. One concerned the naming of a small street opposite the Master’s house by the Haifa Municipality. It had put up a sign “Baha Street”. The Guardian considered it an insult to the Faith to put the name of its Prophet on a street and he sent his brother to the authorities to tell them to take down the sign immediately; if they did not, he would tear it down with his own hands, and if they wanted to put him in jail, let them.

Another example of what was described as Shoghi Effendi’s “diamond-like integrity” was that when the Hand of the Cause Valiyu’lláh Varqé applied to make his pilgrimage to Haifa, he had to take his turn. Although he was a Hand of the Cause and Trustee of Huququ’lláh he was not given preferential treatment but received permission in his turn. “It made no difference to Shoghi Effendi who anyone was, if there was a matter of principle involved.” Whether it was a matter of returning a donation of some $150,000 made in the absence of the Guardian from Haifa by a man with whom Shoghi Effendi was “displeased”, or having to declare his own brother a violator because of misconduct, where a matter of principle in the Faith was involved, Shoghi Effendi was “absolutely impervious”. It is these things we must learn from him. This kind of integrity will keep this Cause spotless for a thousand years. The example of the integrity of Shoghi Effendi must be followed by the Bahá’ís and the Assemblies, because it is the standard of God.

Some examples were cited of other characteristics of the Guardian we should seek to emulate, his courtesy, his patience, his sense of order. He did not once rebuke her in all their twenty years together for her own untidiness. He knew when to say no, and said it, whether

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to an individual or a National Spiritual Assembly. “He was swayed by nobody. The only consideration he had was for the Faith.” He suffered deeply because of the actions of members of his family. He showed them great patience, warned them repeatedly, and these sorrows wore him down. She spoke of his instant decisions that were like flashes of inspiration, and of other times when he would “burn and suffer by the hour” over some problem or plan before coming to any decision at all.

“So much of his life was suflering . . . he had such a capacity for suffering . . . he was deeply sensitive and loving and he was ground down all his life through the actions and words of others. . .” From the day he was appointed Guardian, for the rest of his life, he could not have a moment’s respite from the responsibilities and burdens of the Faith. He was its Guardian. He wrote out in his own hand the cablegrams that were sent from Haifa, including the one concerning the passing of Martha Root.32 His beautiful tribute to Miss Root he wrote sitting up in bed when he was ill with a high fever. Brushing aside Rúḥíyyih

Khánum’s protestations he said, “Don’t you understand, the greatest teacher in the Bahá’í world has died and the whole Bahá’í world is waiting to hear what I am going to say about her. This cannot wait.”

Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum concluded her address with these words: “Friends, do not fail Shoghi Effendi. You have not finished with him and he has not finished with you. It is the time to put your step on new trails, to make new vows . . . to go out and please Shoghi Effendi and make him happier than he ever was in this world. . . Let us all carry on the work of our beloved Lord, Bahá’u’lláh, every day of our lives, because we are His people and we are blessed far beyond our deserts.”

The closing address of the Congress was given by the Hand of the Cause Abfi’l-Qásim Faizi. As though from an inexhaustible storehouse he brought forth story after story to illustrate deep spiritual truths. In one story Mr. Faizi told what Bahá’u’lláh had said to some Persian and Arab princes who were standing among the many people gathered outside His House in Baghdad. Bahá’u’lláh asked them, “What is the news of the town? What is the

A group of A frican Bahd’zs presenting a selection ofsongs with Bahá’í themes composed by the Bahá’ís ofAfrica.

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l. . A group of Bahá’ís outside the Royal Albert Hall discussing the inspiring events they have witnessed.

news of the market ?” One of the Persian princes said, “How is it that when You are with Your own people You speak to them of exalted subjects, but to us You only ask about the news of the market?” As Bahá’u’lláh paced back and forth, He said, in effect, that “the people who can hear My words are not yet created,” and He added: “If there are pearls beneath seven seas, I will bring them up. If there are jewels hidden beyond seven mountains, by the power of the attraction of the Word of God, I will bring them out.” These pearls and jewels, Mr. Faizi pointed out, we see gathered here at this World Congress from all parts of the world.

Another story Mr. Faizi related was about a little boy and his father who were standing on the edge of a crowd watching a juggler. Neither the father nor his son could see through the crowd so the father lifted the boy up on his shoulders and soon the child was laughing and clapping and asked his father why he did not join in the merrirnent. The kind father did not answer the boy’s question but a man standing nearby said to the child, “My dear boy, you can see all these things because you are up on the

shoulders of your father. Do not be ungrateful to your father!” Mr. Faizi added, “So let us not forget the early believers, because we are standing on their shoulders when we see all these glorious victories of Bahá’u’lláh’s Faith today.”

The greatest requirement for pioneers is patience, Mr. Faizi said, referring to pioneers who teach for years without apparent results, as, for example, Jamal Effendi, sent by Bahá’u’lláh to India, and Mimi Haydar-‘Ali, the first teacher sent by Him to Africa. “Patience,” he continued, “is a quality which is described in the Qur’án as having rewards unlimited. Please have patience. God will work through you and, even if it is not in your lifetime, in the lifetime of generations after you, all services will be rewarded.”

In concluding his address, Mr. Faizi said that although the Ten Year Crusade of the beloved Guardian has come to a victorious conclusion, we are always in his service, we live forever under his shadow, and we will carry in our hearts forever the memory of his beautiful face.

After the reading of selections from the

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Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and prayers in English and Persian, the first Bahá’í World Congress came to an end, but the spirit it engendered would carry on, immeasurable by time or place. There would be other Congresses, perhaps, concluding other Crusades in the future, patterned after this one, but none would ever be the same. This Crusade was the beloved Guardian’s Crusade. It had achieved its great objective, the “conquest of the citadels of men’s hearts”, and this paved the way for the election of the crowning unit of the Administrative Order. The victories just celebrated would be eclipsed by victories of the future. All the promises of Bahá’u’lláh and of the Guardian would be fulfilled. The instruments of that fulfillment, the Bahá’ís of the world, now looked forward eagerly to wider fields of action, on an unassailable foundation, under the guidance of the Universal House of Justice.

To conclude this report no more fitting comments can be made than those by the Universal House of Justice in its first message to the National Conventions throughout the world, sent out a few days after the Congress :33

“The Universal House of Justice wishes to reafiirm at this time the tribute which it felt moved to pay to the Hands of the Cause of God at the World Congress, those precious souls who have brought the Cause safely to victory in the name of Shoghi Effendi. We wish also to remember the devoted work of their Auxiliary Board members, as well as the services of the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, of the army of pioneers, the members of the National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies, the services and prayers and sacrifices of the believers everywhere, all of which in the sum total have attracted such bounties and favors from Bahá’u’lláh. . .

“Beloved friends, we enter the second epoch of the Divine Plan blessed beyond compare, riding the crest of a great wave of victory produced for us by our beloved Guardian. The Cause of God is now firmly rooted in the world. Forward then, confident in the power and protection of the Lord of Hosts, Who will, through storm and trial, toil and jubilee, use His devoted followers to bring to a despairing humanity the life-giving waters of His supreme Revelation.”

A London news stand advertises a souvenir edition of a newspaper containing reports and photographs of the World Congress.

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THE Bahá’í WORLD

References

1. Letter of Shoghi Effendi, November 23, 1951 (Citadel of Faith, p. 105). 2. Cablegram from Shoghi Effendi, October 8, 1952 (Messages to the Bahá’í World, p. 41). 3. God Passes By, by Shoghi Effendi, p. 103. 4. Cablegtam from Shoghi Effendi, October 8, 1952 (Messages to the Bahá’í World, pp. 43—44). 5. ibid., p. 44. 6. “The Goal of a New World Order," November 28, 1931 (World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 48). 7. ibid., p. 89. 8. ibid., p. 7. 9. Letter of Shoghi Effendi, May 4, 1953 (Bahá't‘ World, vol. xxx, p. 138). 10. Gleanings from the Writings of Bahd‘u‘lláh, p. 36. ll. Excerpts from Mr. Samandari’s reminiscences are given in Canadian Bahá’í News, insert, July 1964, and briefly in Bahá’í News (U.S.), No. 389, August 1963, p. 6.

Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States.

‘Ali Nafltjavéni: Member, elected International Bahá’í Council. Formerly: member, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Irén; member, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Central and East Africa; member, Auxiliary Board for the protection of the Faith in Africa.

H. Bonah Kavelin: Member, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and member-at-large of elected International Bahá’í Council.

Ian Semple: Member, elected International Bahá’í Council. Formerly: member, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the British Isles; member, Auxiliary Board for the propagation of the Faith in Europe.

Luṭfu’lláh Ḥakím: Member, elected International Bahá’í Council. Formerly: in the service of ‘Abdu’l 12. Dated February 8, 1934 ( World Order of Bahá’u’lláh Bahá and later of Shoghi Effendi in the Holy Land;

pp. 103—107). member, appointed International Bahá’í Council 13. The Advent of Divine Justice, December 25, 1938, (1951).

pp. 18~24, 34. David Hofman: Member, National Spiritual l4. ibid., p. 4. Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the British Isles.

15. Cablegram from Shoghi Effendi, May 28, 1953 (Messages to the Bahá’í World, 1). 49). 16. See Bahá’í News (U.S.), No. 388, July 1963, p. 5. 17. GIeanings . . ., p. 15. Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. 18. Dated December 21, 1939 (Messages to America, Formerly: member, Auxiliary Board for the prop. 31). tection of the Faith in the Western Hemisphere. 19. ibid., p. 32. Huflmand Fatheazam: Member, National Spiri20. Letter of Shoghi Effendi, July 7, 1950 (Messages to tual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of India. the Bahá’í World, 13. 6). 27. Bahá’í News (U.S.), No. 388, July 1963, p. 8. 21. Cablegram from Shoghi Effendi, January 9, 1951 (Incomplete in Wellspring of Guidance, p. 1.) (Messages to the Bahd’! World, p. 7). 28. Gleanings . . ., p. 255. 22. Letter of Shoghi Effendi, April 1957 (Messages to 29. Cablegram from Shoghi Effendi, October 8, 1952 the Bahá’í World, p. 108). (Messages to the Bahá’í World, 1). 41). 23. Cablegram from Shoghi Effendi, April 25, 1951 30. Letter of Shoghi Effendi, “The Goal of a New (Mexsages to the Ruhr“ World, p. 14). World Order,” November 28, 1931 (World Order 24. Gleanings . . ., Section XI, p. 14. of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 48). 25. Letter of Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá’ís of the East, 31. Letter ofShoghi Effendi, March 29, 1945 (Messages dated Naw-Rúz 111—1955. translated from the to America, p. 79). Persian (Bahd'! Holy Places at the World Centre, 32. In letter of Shoghi Effendi, February 12, 1929 pp. 80—81). (Bahá’í NewsLetter (U.S.), No. 31, Apri11929, p. 4). 26. Charles Wolcott: Member, elected International 33. Letter dated May 7, 1963 (Wellspring of Guidance, Bahá’í Council. Formerly: member, National pp. 5—8).

Hugh Chance: Member, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Amoz Gibson: Member, National Spiritual