| ←418 | Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986 Renewed Call for Support of International Funds |
420→ |
| 3 January 1985 |
To the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in every land
Dearly loved Friends,
419.1 Twelve months have passed since we addressed to the devoted followers of the Blessed Beauty throughout the world a message in which we outlined the major challenges which face the Cause of God and the thrilling opportunities which are presenting themselves for us to use in His Service.[1]
419.2 There was an immediate and heart-warming response in offers of service, in plans of action put promptly into effect, and in contributions to the Fund.
419.3 [Page 651]The activities of the friends are still increasing, and evidences of rich harvests are appearing. In India alone, over 150,000 new believers have joined the Bahá’í community; in Samoa the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár has been dedicated amidst unprecedented recognition of the Cause; in Canada, at the conference held in London, Ontario, an upsurge of activity among the Bahá’í youth has started a movement which has caught the imagination of the friends far and wide.[2] In relation to the Fund, however, the rate of contributions during the second six months of the year has slowed seriously, and we feel it is timely to draw to your attention that our letter of 2 January 1984 was not an appeal for a one-time Herculean effort, but was intended to inform the whole world community of the present great challenges and opportunities which are not only immediate but require also a long-range, sustained increase in the efforts and self-sacrifices of the friends, both in service and in contributing from their financial resources to the advancement of the Faith.
419.4 The challenges which we enumerated then are by no means met, nor the opportunities wholly seized. The Indian Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, a building of great size and beauty, is still unfinished; plans for the further development of the World Center, for the design and erection of the three remaining buildings on the Arc must be laid in full confidence that the funds for their completion will be made available;[3] projects for social and economic development, for the establishment of Bahá’í schools and radio stations, for agricultural advancement, and a wide range of other urgently needed activities are multiplying; worldwide attention to the Faith has increased during the past year with even greater rapidity than before, demanding new measures to coordinate public information services and contacts with governments and leaders of thought; and last, but near to the hearts of all, is the need of funds to assist in the relief of those hard-pressed believers who have been forced to leave Iran, often penniless and in great distress, seeking to build a new life in other parts of the world.
419.5 Last April we were deeply touched by receiving a petition from the delegates gathered at the National Convention of the Bahá’ís of the United States, requesting that the Law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh be made binding on all the believers in that country.[4] Although it is not yet the time to take this far-reaching step, [Page 652]we were moved to decide that, as a preliminary measure, the texts relating to the Law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh will be translated into English for general information against the time when this law will be applied more widely.[5]
419.6 However, important as is the Law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, the devoted followers of Bahá’u’lláh have, even without it, every opportunity to contribute regularly and sacrificially to the work of the Cause. It is to a greater realization of the privilege and responsibility of supporting the multiple activities of our beloved Faith that we call you all at this critical time in world history, and remind you that to support the Bahá’í funds is an integral part of the Bahá’í way of life. The need is not only now, but throughout the years to come, until our exertions, reinforced by confirmations from on high, will have overcome the great perils now facing mankind and have made this world another world—a world whose splendor and grace will surpass our highest hopes and greatest dreams.
- With loving Bahá’í greetings,
- THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
Notes[edit]
- ↑ See message no. 385.
- ↑ For the dedication of the House of Worship in Western Samoa, see message dated August 1984 (no. 403). For the message to the youth conference in London, Ontario, see telex dated 23 August 1984 (no. 408).
- ↑ The Indian Temple was dedicated on 23–27 December 1986. The three buildings yet to be constructed on the Arc on Mount Carmel are the International Bahá’í Library and the seats for the International Teaching Center and the Center for the Study of the Texts.
- ↑ For information on the law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, see the Glossary. For information on the introduction of Ḥuqúqu’lláh to the West, see message dated 6 August 1984 (no. 404). In its Riḍván message of 1991, the Universal House of Justice noted the “exceptional confluence” of a number of imminent achievements (the publication of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the progress of the building projects on Mount Carmel, the conclusion of the Six Year Plan, and the inception of the Holy Year 1992, and announced that, as of Riḍván 1992, the law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh would become universally applicable to “all who profess their belief in the Supreme Manifestation of God.”
- ↑ The compilation was sent to selected National Spiritual Assemblies with the 4 July 1985 message (no. 430). For a copy of the compilation, see CC 1:489–527.
