The Drama of Salvation/Text

[Page -14]

THE DRAMA ‘

or 'ESALVATION

DAYS OF JIIIIGMEIT All) REDEMPTION

[Page -13]THE DRAMA 01‘ SA L VA T I ON

DAYS OF JUDGMENT AID REDEMPTION

INSTITUTE - STUDY

This is a compilation of excerpts from the Bahá’í Sacred Writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and from the writings of the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi.

Bahá’í Publishing Committee Wilmette, Illinois

1951

Printed in the U.S.A.

[Page -12]FOREWORD

This foreword contains information about the subject matter of the book and suggestions for the use and conduct of the Institute, which it is hoped will be helpful to both conductor and reader in gaining the maximum understanding of this most important subject.

Subject Matter

The fundamental thesis of the text is the Omnipotence of God, functioning through His Manifestations, in the lives and affairs of mankind.

When the Divine Manifestation makes His appearance, it is the most important single event in the era of which He is a part. For through Him the Word of God is ”made flesh and walks among men". The Revelation He brings defines the laws, standards and principles which, once they are proclaimed, are the only pattern of life for men henceforth. The Holy Spirit released by the new Manifestation flooding over the world permeates all elements of life and is the generating power which creates a ”new race of men" and thereby a new society. All things which try to deny, to impede, or to repulse the realization of God's Will in the world are destroyed and disappear. And gradually a new civilization is established as the direct result of the dominion in the world of the authority of the Manifestation.

In this age the Word of God has again been "made flesh" in the persons of the Báb and Baha' u'llah. Bah’a' u'llah's Revelation opens the vista of a world civilization, the pattern of which He has delineated. We have witnessed in the hundred years since the inception of the Baha' i Era, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, an unprecedented development of all the factors of life that are a part of the new world aborning, and we have witnessed, contrariwise, the unprecedented decline, dissolution and death of all men and agencies that have tried to disregard, or to obstruct, or to combat it. The Baha' i World Community is in embryo the new world, and it and it alone is the channel of God's Plan in this period of history.

This mighty theme of the effect of the Manifestation upon the world from the moment of His revelation is developed in the Institute through the concepts of the Judgment of God and the Redemption proffered by God to men individually and collectively.

The first part of the text is concerned with the summons of Baha' u'llah to mankind -- to Kings, to Ecclesiastics, and to humanity in general -- and with their response and the judgment effected by God. The historical evidence of this response and judgment is presented in the decline in royal authority, the waning power of the clergy, and the general breakdown of the structure of society, and the resultant disorder and chaos in human affairs.

Here is the picture of the revelation of God's Will through Baha‘ u‘llah, and what has happened to all facets of society that have ignored or tried to resist or to oppose the onward march of the Baha' i Faith.

The second section of the book deals with the redemption of mankind. First, consideration is given to the salvation of individual man through his contact with the Holy Spirit, and his transformation into an active agent of the world program of Baha' u'llah, and thereby into a channel for the redemption of soc1ety. This social redemption is portrayed through a bird's- -eye view of the evolvin World Order of Baha' u'llah. Attention is then given to the fact that the Baha' i World Community is the integrating, constructive force in the world building a new civilization, in contrast to all other components of society which are declining and disintegrating in the present hour, and which will continue their downward plunge with increasing momentum in the foreseeable future. This

i

[Page -11]condition of social chaos will lead the nations of the world to federate as the only means of survival, and the "Lesser Peace" referred to by Bahá' u'lláh will begin. The theme of universal redemption is completed with mankind's turn from the path of destruction to the task of erecting a new order; the Baha' i World Community will come to the fore as the repository of God's Program for World Order, and its pattern of world society will be accepted. Then shall the Baha' i Commonwealth become the supreme authority of the world and the "Most Great Peace" be realized.

In the second part of the text then is traced the gradual efflorescence of the World Order of Baha' u'llah, God's Redemptive Scheme for mankind today.

Suggestions of methods for the use and conduct of the Institute

"The Drama of Salvation" is based upon the theme of the "Promised Day Is Come”, and the major portion of that book is included in the Institute. This basic text has been much amplified by addition of material from other sources to more fully cover the aspect of the redemption of society. For this reason the Institute is considerably longer than the previous Institute that could be easily read in two days of meetings.

The following methods of study are suggested:

(1) The material can be covered in one weekend if sufficient time and concentration are devoted to its study.

(2) The Institute can be studied on two successive weekends.

(3) The Institute can be the subject of a weekly study class for the winter season.

(4) The Institute can be the subject of study at a winter school session of several days.

(5) The material can be used for individual study and reference.

This text lends itself most effectively to group study, and wherever there is group study there should be an orderly presentation of the material, ' with some one individual responsible for the conduct of the Institute. The following suggestions are made for conducting the Institute:

(1) The person conducting the Institute should first study the text and thoroughly understand its meaning. The conductor should also familiarize himself with the statement on subject matter in the Foreword because the points developed there should be emphasized as the text is read.

(2) It might be well to read the section from the Foreword on the subject matter aloud as a preface to the Institute.

(3) The "Theme" should then be read. Here in two paragraphs in a prayer Bahá’u’lláh states the essence of the effect of God's Manifest Word on the world.

(4) Read the text in its entirety -- not selected excerpts or any outline of the text. In this manner the material unfolds most effectively, and there is no room for interpretation.

(5) Each person attending the Institute should read aloud in turn.

ii

[Page -10](A. good system is to have each person read about one page.) The conductor should assist with the pronunciation of difficult words, and should be prepared to supply the definition of any word not understood. It might be adviseable to have a small dictionary at hand for this purpose.

(6) There should be constant opportunity to stop the reading for discussion of a point, provided the discussion is directly related to the text, and does not deal with any irrelevant subjects. It is only in this way that all of the participants will increase their knowledge and understanding of the material. The conductor should keep such discussion in order.

The ”Drama of Salvation" Institute is for Baha' is only. It is a deepening and preparation course intended for Baha' is and requiring concentration of interest and singleness of purpose. Only Baha' is have accepted the supreme station of Bahá’u’lláh, the premise upon which the study is based, and the explanation of this fact pius the answers to questions on basic points of the Faith required by non-Bahá’ís wou1d disturb the focus of attention.

The source of all the excerpts in this compilation are given at the conclusion of each passage. The major part of the material is taken from the writings of Shoghi Effendi, and is indicated only by the book from which it has been abstracted. Passages by the Báb, Baha' u'llah, or 'Abdu'l- Baha are identified in the excerpts, by authorship in the reference, or by the book from which drawn.

The Table of Contents is set up in the form of an outline, and is indeed an outline of the text of the Institute. All titles and sub-titles in the text are included in the contents and are placed in their relation to the major theme and the subjects under which that overall theme is developed. This outline can serve both as a general prospectus of the fundamental thesis as well as an index of the text.

The Institute has been prepared to help define the main issues of the Faith in relation to world events, and it is hoped that a careful study of the book will help to clarify the supreme significance of the Baha' 1 Faith in the world today, and also, the importance of the work each individual believer is doing toward the spread and consolidation of this divine instrument for human salvation.

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[Page -9]KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS OF REFERENCES

The Advent of Divine Justice, Shoghi Effendi, 1939.

America's Spiritual Mission, Teaching Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1916-1917.

Bahá’í Bulletin, (Official news-letter of Australia — New Zealand national Bahá’í Community).

Bahá’í Journal, (foicial news-letter of British national Bahá’í Community).

Bahá’í News, (Official news-letter of American national Bahá’í Community).

Bahá’í World Faith, selected writings of Bahá’u’lláh and 'Abdu'l—Bahá.

The Challenging Requirements of the Present Hour, Shoghi Effendi, 1947.

The Divine Art of Living, compilation from the writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. by Mary M. Rabb.

The Dawn-Breakers, Nab’il's Narrative.

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Baha'u'néh. Gleanings from the Writings of Bah/a'u'lláh.

God Passes By, Shoghi Effendi, 1944. Kitáb—i-Ilqén, (Book of Certitude), Bahá’u’lláh. Messages to America, Shoghi Effendi, 1932-1946. The Promised Day Is Come, Shoghi Effendi, 1941. Prayers and Meditations, Bahá’u’lláh.

Talks By 'Abdu'l—Bahá: Given in Paris.

The Promulgation of Universal Peace, discourses by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Abbas in the United States, 1912.

Some Answered Questions, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Star of the West, early Bah’a/i magazine in the United States.

The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, letters of Shoghi Effendi, 1929-1936.

iv

[Page -8]CONTENTS

PART ONE — PROCLAMATION AND JUDGMENT A. PROCLAMATION ................................... B. PERSECUTION OF THE MESSENGERS .................... 1. THE BIAB ...................................... 2. BAHA'U'LLAH .................................. 3. 'ABDU'L-BAHA ................................. C. RECIPIENTS OF THE MESSAGE ........................ l. KINGS ........................................ a. Proclamation and Warning ........................ (1) General Tablets to Kings ...................... (2) Tablets to Individual Monarchs .................. (3) Magnitude of these Tablets ..................... b. Response .................................... 0. Judgment - The Extinction of Dynasties and Empires ....... (1) Prime Movers of Founders' Sufferings ............. (a) The Doom of Imperial Turkey ................ (b) The Fall of the Qéjér Dynasty ................ (2) The Collapse of Western Monarchies .............. (3) The Decline in the Fortunes of Royalty ..... . ........ d. Recognition of Kingship .......................... 2. ECCLESIASTICS ................................. a. General Proclamation and Warning .................. b. Call to Muslim and Christian Divines ................. (1) Words to Muslim Ecclesiastics ..................

(2) Messages to Christian Leaders ..................

11 18 1921 21 23 23 24 26 27 29 29 31 31

34

[Page -7]3.

(3) Arraignment of Christian and Muslim Clergy ..........

c. Judgment — The Crumbling of Religious Orthodoxy .......... (l) The Falling Fortunes of Sh’i'ih Islém ................

(2) The Collapse of the Caliphate ....................

(3) Deterioration of Christian Institutions ...............

(4) Decline of Other Religious Hierarchies ..............

(5) Termination of Dominion ....................... HUMANITY IN GENERAL ............................ a. Proclamation .................................. b. Response ..................................... c. Warning ..................................... d. Judgment - World—Afflicting Ordeal ................... (1) Signs of Moral Downfall ........................

(Z) Breakdown of Political and Economic Structure ........

(a) Word Wars ..............................

(b) Bankruptcy of Institutions ....................

(3) The Three False Gods .........................

D. SIGNIFICANCE OF WORLD CHAOS .......................

l.

2.

HUMAN HEEDLESSNESS ............................ A CENTURY OF INDIFFERENCE ....................... a. God's Respite .................................. THE JUDGMENT OF GOD ............................ SIGNS OF THE TIMES ..............................

PART TWO - UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION

A. REDEMPTION OF INDIVIDUAL MAN .......................

l.

NATURE OF MAN ................................. a. PurpOSe of Creation .............................

13. Reality of Man Spiritual ...........................

vi

35 37 37 39 40 45 45 46 46 47 48 50 50 52 53 54 55 56 56 57 58 59 60

64 64 64

65

[Page -6](1) Soul, Mind, and Spirit ......................... Spiritual Capacity Latent ......................... Essentials for Spiritual Growth .....................

(1) Search for Knowledge of God ....................

Z. SECOND BIRTH ............ ' ......................

-a.

b.

C.

d.

Holy Spirit ................................... Divine Manifestation - Source of Salvation .............. (1) Prophet Manifests God ..................... - . . . (2) Channel of Holy Spirit ........................ (3) Revelation, Means of Spiritual Development .......... Bahá'u'll'ah, the Sole Redeemer in this Day ............. (1) Seize the Chalice of Salvation! ................... Redemption - The Spirit of Faith .................... (1) Eternal Life ...............................

(a) Immortality . . .‘ ......................... (2) The Station of the True Believer .................

(3) Welcome to the Kingdom! ......................

EMERGENCE OF SPIRITUAL WORLD ORDER ...............

l.

2.

THE PEOPLE OF BAHA ...........................

WORLD-WIDE BAHA'E COMMUNITY ...................

BAHA'T CYCLE AND DISPENSATION ......... . ..........

a.

The Three Ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation .............

DIVINELY - ORDAINED WORLD ORDER ..................

a.

Far —Reaching Potentialitie s .......................

BIRTH AND RISE OF WORLD ORDER ..................

a. b.

C.

Local Spiritual Assemblies ....................... National Spiritual Assemblies ......................

World Center .................................

Vii

65 66 67 69 69 69 70 70 71 71 72 73 73 74 75 76 76 77 77 78 79 80 81 82 84 85 85

86

[Page -5]6. CHAMPION- BUILDERS OF BAHA'U'LLAH'S WORLD ORDER. . . . 86

3. America, the Land of His Dominion ................... 86

b. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Bestowals .......................... 87

c. The Divine Plan ................................ 88

(1) Investiture with a World Crusade .................. 88

(2) Mission Embarked Upon ........................ 89

(3) Only One Divine Plan .......................... 90

d. American Bahá’ís and American Nation ................ 91

(l) Evils of the Nation ............................ 91

(2) The Destiny of America . . . . . . . . . . . . Q ........... 92

7. ADVANCING WORLD ORDER ......................... 97 a. World Center ........ _ .......................... 98 (1) International Council ......................... . 98

(Z) Shrine of the Báb ............................. 98

b. The African Campaign ......................... I . . . 100

c. The United Nations ......................... . . . . . 101

8. WORLD RELIGION ................................ 101 C. THIS AGE OF TRANSITION ............................. 104 1. UNIVERSAL FERMENTATION ................. ' ........ 104 a. Two-fold Process of Disintegration and Integration ......... 104

(1) The Fire of Ordeal ........................... 107

Z. MATURING OF THE HUMAN RACE ..................... 109 a. Adolescence to Maturity ........................... 109

b. Religion and Social Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . , ........... 111 (1) Christianity ................................ 112

(2) Islam .................................... 113

(3) The Bahá’í Faith ............................. 113

(3.) Unity in Diversity ......................... 115

viii

[Page -4]3.

(b) The Principle of Oneness ....................

(c) The Growth of the Conception of Unity ........... GLIMPSES OF THE NEAR FUTURE .................... a. Bahá’í COmmunity .............................. (l) Persecutions ...............................

(2) Tasks ...................................

(3) Steps to Ascendancy ..........................

UNFOLDMENT OF WORLD UNITY .......................

1.

2.

WORLD CITIZENSHIP ............................. WORLDPEACE ........ ..... a. The Lesser Peace ........................ . ..... b. The Most Great Peace ........................... WORLD BAHA'E COMMONWEALTH ....................

EPILOGUE ................................. .. . . .

ix

116 116 119 119 119 121 123 126 126 127 127 129 130

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T H E M E

I testify that no sooner had the First Word proceeded, through the potency of Thy will and purpose, out of His mouth, and the First Call gone forth from His lips than the whole creation was revolutionized, and all that are in the heavens and all that are on earth were stirred to the depths. Through that Word the realities of all created things were shaken, were divided, separated, scattered, combined and reunited, disclosing, in both the contingent world and the heavenly kingdom, entities of a new creation, and revealing, in the unseen realms, the signs and tokens of Thy unity and oneness. Through that Call Thou didst announce unto all Thy servants the advent of Thy most great Revelatton and the appearance of Thy most perfect Cause.

No sooner had that Revelation been unveiled to men's eyes than the signs of universal discord appeared among the peoples of the world, and commotion seized the dwellers of earth and heaven, and the foundations of all things were shaken. The forces of dissenston were released, the meaning of the Word was unfolded, and every several atom in all created things acquired its own dtsttnct and separate character. Hell was made to blaze, and the delights of Paradise were uncovered to men's eyes. Blessed is the man that turneth towards Thee, and woe bettde him who standeth aloof from Thee, who denieth Thee and repudiateth Thy signs in this Revelatton wherein the faces of the exponents of denial have turned black and the faces of the exponents of truthfulness have turned white, O Thou Who are the Possessor of all names and attributes, Who holdest tn Thy grasp the empire of whatever hath been created in heaven and on earth!

I / Baha'u'llah Prayers and Meditations, 1W- 295-296

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[Page 0]PART ONE

PROCLAMATION

AND

JUDGMENT

[Page 1]PROCLAMATION

We verily, have not fallen short of Our duty to exhort men, and to deliver that whereunto I was hidden by God, the Almighty, the All-Praised. Bahá’u’lláh, cited in P.D.C. 15. 4

Never since the beginning of the world hath the Message been so openly proclaimed. Bahá’u’lláh, cited in P.D.C. 1b. 47

Verily, I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the Face, and hear the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of God hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men.

61. P. 10

I am come to thee out of the Prison, 0 Land of Ta (Tihrafn), with tidings from God. I announce unto thee, the tender mercies of thy Lord, and greet thee in the name of Him Who is the Eternal Truth....

I am come to thee, 0 land of the Heart's desire, with tidings from God, and announce to thee His gracious favor and mercy....

Gl. Mb. 120-121

The measure of the favors of God hath been filled up, His Word hath been perfected, the light of His countenance hath been revealed, His sovereignty hath encompassed the whole of creation, the glory of His Revelation hath been made manifest, and His bounties have rained upon all mankind.

01. P. 259

The Pen of Holiness, I solemnly affirm before God, hath writ upon My snowowhite brow and in characters of effulgent glory these glowing, these muskscented and holy words: "Behold ye that dwell on earth, and ye denizens of heaven, bear witness, He in truth is your Well—Beloved. He it is Whose like the world of creation hath not seen, He Whose ravishing beauty hath delighted the eye of God, the Ordainer, the All-Powerful, the Incomparable ! "

Bahá’u’lláh, cited in V.0.B. b. 10A!

Naught is seen in My temple but'the Temple of God, and in My beauty but His Beauty, and in My being but His Being, and in My self but His Self, and in My movement but His Movement, and in My acquiescence but His Acquiescence, and in My pen but His Pen, the Mighty, the All-Praised. There hath not been in My soul but the Truth, and in Myself naught could be seen but God. Bahá’u’lláh, cited in v.0.3. p. 109

He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is come. The Kingdom is God's. GL. :5. 210

Behold ye the coming of the Glory; witness ye the Kingdom of God, the most Holy, the Gracious, the All—Powerful! Bahá’íurudh, cited in no.3. ¢. 108

He Who is the Pre-Existent is come, that He may bestow everlasting life, and grant eternal preservation, and confer that which is conducive to true living.

Bahá’u’lláh, cited in A.D.J. i). 68

He Who is the King of Kings hath appeared, arrayed in His most wondrous

1

[Page 2]glory, and is summoning you unto Himself, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Gl. 1). 211

The Revelation which, from time immemorial, hath been acclaimed as the Purpose and Promise of all the Prophets of God, and the most cherished Desire of His Messengers, hath now, by virtue of the pervasive Will of the Almighty and at His irresistible bidding, been revealed unto men. The advent of such a Revelation hath been heralded in all the sacred Scriptures.

G1. 1). 5

In this most mighty Revelation, all the Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their final consummation. Baha’ru'zzdh, cited in 19.0.0. 1:. 103

It is evident that every age in which a Manifestation of God hath lived is divinely ordained, and may, in a sense, be characterized as God's appointed Day. This Day, however, is unique, and is to be distinguished from those that have preceded it. The designation "Seal of the Prophets" fully revealeth its high station. The Prophetic Cycle hath, verily, ended. The Eternal Truth is now

come. Gl. ¢. 60

The Day of the Promise is come, and He Who is the Promised One loudly proclaimeth before all who are in heaven and all who are on earth, 'Verily there is none other God but He, the Help in Peril, the Self—Subsisting!l I swear by God! That which had been enshrined from eternity in the knowledge of God, the Knower of the seen and unseen, is revealed. Happy is the eye that seeth, and the face that turneth towards, the Countenance of God, the Lord of all being.

Baha’ru'ua’h, cited in A.D.J. {9. 65

He it is, Who in the 'Old Testament hath been named Jehovah, Who in the Gospel hath been designated as the Spirit of Truth, and in the Qur’án acclaimed as the Great Announcement. But for Him no Divine Messenger would have been invested with the robe of prophethood, nor would any of the sacred scriptures have been revealed. To this bear witness all created things. Bahd’u'lláh, cited in h’.0.B. 1» 10::

I am the One Whom the tongue of Isaiah hath extolled, the One with Whose name both the Torah and the Evangel were adorned. The glory of Sinai hath hastened to circle round the Day-Spring of this Revelation, while from the heights of the Kingdom the voice of the Son of God is heard proclaiming: 'Bestir yourselves, ye proud ones of the earth, and hasten ye towards Him.‘ Carmel hath in this day hastened in longing adoration to attain His court, whilst from the heart of Zion there cometh the cry: 'The promise of all ages is now fulfilled. That which had been announced in the holy writ of God, the Beloved, the Most High, is made manifest.‘

Bahd'u'leh, cited in 51.0.3. 1;. 105

Followers of the Gospel, behold the gates of heaven are flung open. He that had ascended unto it is now come. Give ear to His voice calling aloud over land and sea, announcing to all mankind the advent of this Revelation--a Revelation through the agency of which the Tongue of Grandeur is now proclaiming: 'Lo, the sacred Pledge hath been fulfilled, for He, the Promised One, is come!‘ The voice of the Son of Man is calling aloud from the sacred vale: 'Here am I, here am I, O God my God!' . . . whilst from the Burning Bush breaketh forth the cry: 'Lo, the Desire of the world is made manifest in His transcendent glory!‘

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[Page 3]The Father hath come. That which ye were promised in the Kingdom of God is fulfilled. This is the Word which the Son veiled when He said to those around Him that at that time they could not bear it . . . Verily the Spirit of Truth is come to guide you unto all truth . . . He is the One Who glorified the Son and exalted His Cause . . . The Comforter Whose advent all the scriptures have promised is now come that He may reveal unto you all knowledge and wisdom. Seek Him over the entire surface of the earth, haply ye may find Him.

Bahá’u’lláh, cited in V.0.B. 19¢. 104—105

He was none other than the One Whom posterity will acclaim, and Whom innumerable followers already recognize, as the Judge, the Lawgiver and Redeemer of all mankind, as the Organizer of the entire planet, as the Unifier of the children of men, as the Inaugurator of the long—awaited millennium, as the Originator of a new "Universal Cycle", as the Establisher of the Most Great Peace, as the Fountain of the Most Great Justice, as the Proclaimer of the coming of age of the entire human race, as the Creator of a new World Order, and as the Inspirer and Founder of a world civilization.

To Isreal He was neither more nor less than the incarnation of the "Everlasting Father," the ”Lord of Hosts" come down "with ten thousands of saints”; to Christendom Christ returned "in the glory of the Father", to Shi'ah Islam the return of the Ima’n Husayn; to Sunni Islam the descent of the ”Spirit of God" (Jesus Christ); to the Zoroastrians the promised Sha’h-Bahrafm; to the Hindus the reincarnation of Krishna; to the Buddhists the fifth Buddha.

G.P.B. M2. 93—94

This is the King of Days, the Day that hath seen the coming of the Bestbeloyed, Him Who through all eternity hath been acclaimed the Desire of the World....The world of being shineth in this Day with the resplendency of this Divine Revelation. All created things extol its saving grace and sing its praises. The universe is wrapt in an ecstasy of joy and gladness. The Scriptures of past Dispensations celebrate the great jubilee that must needs greet this most great Day of God. Well is it with him that hath lived to see this Day and hath recognized its station....Were mankind to give heed in a befitting manner to no more than one word of such a praise it would be so filled with delight as to be overpowered and lost in wonder. Entranced, it would then shine forth resplendent above the horizon of true understanding.

Bahd'u’lláh, cited in no.3. 1:. 106

This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath refused to seek it -- verily, God is Self—Sufficient, above any need of His creatures.

01. P. 136

PERSECUTION OF THE MESSENGERS

The rulers of the Turkish House of 'Uthman and of the Qafjafr dynasty in Persia - the arch-enemies of God's infant Faith - sought to extirpate, root and branch, the budding Faith of God.

P.D.0. m». 6'1, 66

From Muhammed Shah down to the last and feeble monarch of that (Qajalr) dynasty, the Faith of Baha'u'llah was denied the impartial consideration, the disinterested and fair treatment which its cause had rightly demanded. It had, on the contrary, been atrociously harassed, consistently betrayed and prosecuted....

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[Page 4]From the city of Constantinople, the traditional seat of both the Sultanate and the Caliphate, the rulers of Turkey had, for a period covering almost three quarters of a century, striven, with unabated zeal, to stem the tide of a Faith they feared and abhorred.... That for a period of almost three score years and ten, while still in the plenitude of its unquestioned authority,... this despotism should have failed in the end to extirpate a mere handful of its condemned subjects must, to every unbelieving observer, remain one of the most intriguing and mysterious episodes of contemporary history. W.0.B. M). 173—175

/ THE BAB

The Báb-J'the Point" as affirmed by Baha'u'llah, "round Whom the realities of the Prophets and Messengers revolve"--was the One first swept into the maelstrom which engulfed His supporters. Sudden arrest and confinement in the very first year of His short and spectacular career; public affront deliberately inflicted in the presence of the ecclesiastical dignitaries of Shíráz; strict and prolonged incarceration in the bleak fastnesses of the mountains of Adhirbáyján; a contemptuous disregard and a cowardly jealousy evinced respectively by the Chief Magistrate of the realm and the foremost minister of his government; the carefully staged and farcical interrogatory sustained in the presence of the heir to the Throne and the distinguished divines of Tabr1z; the shameful infliction of the bastinado in the prayerhouse, and at the hands of the Shaykhu'lIslam of that city; and finally suspension in the barrack- square of Tabríz and the discharge of a volley of above seven hundred bullets at His youthful breast under the eyes of a. callous multitude of about ten thousand people, culminating in the ignominious exposure of His mangled remains on the edge of the moat without the city gate—-these were the progressive stages in the tumultuous and tragic ministry of One Whose age inaugurated the consummation of all ages, and Whose Revelation fulfilled the promise of all Revelations.

"I swear by God! " the Báb Himself in His Tablet to Muhammad Shah has written, ”Shouldst thou know the things which in the space of these four years have befallen Me at the hands of thy people and thine army, thou wouldst hold thy breath from fear of God. . . . Alas, alas, for the things which have touched Me!

I swear by the Most Great Lord! Wert thou to be told in what place I dwell, the first person to have mercy on Me would be thyself. In the heart of a mountain is a fortress (Mékfi) . . . the inmates of which are confined to two guards and four dogs. Picture, then, My plight . . . In this mountain I have remained alone, and have come to such a pass that none of those gone before Me have suffered what I have suffered, nor any transgressor endured what I have endured! "

"How veiled are ye, ,0 My creatures," He, speaking with the voice of God, has revealed in the Bayan, ". . . who, without any right, have consigned Him unto a mountain (Maku), not one of whose inhabitants is worthy of mention . . . . With Him, which is with Me, there is no one except him who is one of the Letters of the Living of My Book. In His presence, which is My Presence, there is not at night even a lighted lamp! And yet, in places (of worship) which in varying degrees reach out unto Him, unnumbered lamps are shining! All that is on earth hath been created for Him, and all partake with delight of His benefits, and yet they are so veiled from Him as to refuse Him even a lamp!" P-D-G- Mt 6-7

BAHA'U'LLAH

What of Baha' u'llah, the germ of Whose Revelation, as attested by the Bab, is endowed with a potency superior to the combined forces of the Babi Dis 4

[Page 5]pensation? Was He not— -He for Whom the Báb had suffered and died in such tragic and miraculous circumstances--made, for nearly half a century and under the domination of the two most powerful potentates of the East, the object of a systematic and concerted conspiracy which, in its effects and duration, is scarcely paralleled in the annals of previous religions ?

”The cruelties inflicted by My oppressors," He Himself in His anguish has cried out, "have bowed Me down, and turned My hair white. Shouldst thou present thyself before My throne, thou wouldst fail to recognize the Ancient Beauty, for the freshness of His countenance is altered and its brightness hath faded, by reason of the oppression of the infidels. . ." "Wert thou to hear with Mine ear,” He also declares, "thou wouldst hear how 'A11 (The Báb) bewaileth Me in the presence of the Glorious Companion, and how Muhammad weepeth over Me in the all-highest Horizon, and how the Spirit (Jesus) beateth Himself upon the head in the heaven of My decree, by reason of what hath befallen this Wronged One at the hands of every impious sinner."

"By the righteousness of God! Every morning I arose from My bed I discovered the hosts of countless affictions massed behind My door, and every night when I lay down, 10! My heart was torn with agony at what it had suffered from the fiendish cruelty of its foes. With every piece of bread the Ancient Beauty breaketh is coupled the assault of a fresh affliction, and with every drop He drinketh is mixed the bitterness of the most woeful of trials. He is preceded in every step He taketh by an army of unforeseen calamities, while in His rear follow legions of agonizing sorrows."

Was it not He Who, at the early age of twenty- seven, spontaneously arose to champion, in the capacity of a mere follower, the nascent Cause of the Bab? Was He not the One Who by assuming the actual leadership of a proscribed and harassed sect exposed Himself, and His kindred, and His possessions, and His rank, and His reputation to the grave perils, the bloody assaults, the general spoliation and furious defamations of both government and people ? Was it not He--the Bearer of a Revelation, Whose Day "every Prophet hath announced," for which "the soul of every Divine Messenger hath thirsted, ” and in which "God hath proved the hearts of the entire company of His Messengers and Prophets”—was not the Bearer of such a Revelation, at the instigation of Sh1' ih ecclesiastics and by order of the Shah himself forced, for no less than four months, to breathe, in utter darkness, whilst in the company of the vilest criminals and freighted down with galling chains, the pestilential air of the vermin-infested subterranean dungeon of Tihranua place which, as He Himself subsequently declared, was mysteriously converted into the very scene of the annunciation made to Him by God of His Prophethood? P.D.C. pp. 7—9

And what of the other tribulations which, before and immediately after this dreadful episode, touched Him? What of His confinement in the home of one of the Kad- Khudas of Tihran? What of the savage violence with which He was stoned by the angry people in the neighborhood of the village of N1ya1a? What of His incarceration by the emissaries of the army of the Shah in Mazindaran, and His receiving the bastinado by order, and in the presence, of the assembled siyyids and mujtahids into whose hands He had been delivered by the civil authorities of Amul? What of the howls of derision and abuse with which a crowd of ruffians subsequently pursued Him? What of the monstrous accusation brought against Him by the Imperial household, the Court and the people, when the attempt was made on the life of Nasiri'd- D1n Shah? What of the infamous outrages, the abuse and. ridicule heaped on Him when He was arrested by responsible officers of the government, and conducted from Niyavaran "on foot and in chains, with bared head and bare feet, " and exposed to the fierce rays of the mid- summer

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[Page 6]sun, to the siyah-chal of Tihran? What of the avidity with which corrupt officials sacked His house and carried away all His possessions and disposed of His fortune ? What of the cruel edict that tore Him from the small band of the Báb's bewildered, hounded, and shepherdless followers, separated Him from His kinsmen and friends, and banished Him, in the depth of winter, despoiled and defamed, to 'Iráq? P.D.0. pp. 9-10

I The forced and sudden retirement of Baha'u'llah to the mountains of Sulaymamyyih, and the distressing consequences that flowed from His two years' complete withdrawal; the incessant intrigues indulged in by the exponents of Shi'ih Islam in Najaf and Karbilaf, working in close and constant association with their confederates in Persia; the intensification of the repressive measures decreed by Sultan 'Abdu'l-‘Aziz which brought to a head the defection of certain prominent members of the exiled community; the enforcement of yet another banishment by order of that same Sultan, this time to that far off and most desolate of cities, causing such despair as to lead two of the exiles to attempt suicide; the unrelaxing surveillance to which they were subjected upon their arrival in 'Akka, by hostile officials, and the insufferable imprisonment for two years in the barracks of that town; the interrogatory to which the Turkish pasha'. subsequently subjected his Prisoner at the headquarters of the government; His confinement for no less that eight years in a humble dwelling surrounded by the befouled air of that city, His sole recreation being confined to pacing the narrow space of His room . . . . P.D.c. p. 11

These tribulations (were) . . . a result of the premeditated attacks and the systematic machinations of the court, the clergy, the government and the people . . . . Extending over a perigd of more than forty years, and carrying Him successively to 'Iráq, Sulaymaniyyih, Constantinople, Adrianople and finally to the penal colony of 'Akka’, this long banishment was at last ended by His death, at the age of over three score years and ten, terminating a captivity which, in its range, its duration and the diversity and severity of its afflictions, is unexampled in the history of previous Dispensations. P.D.C. p. 10

/ 'ABDU'L-BAHA

To the mounting tide of trials which laid low the Báb, to the long-drawnout calamities which rained on Bahá’u’lláh, to the warnings sounded by both the Herald and the Author of the Bahá’í Revelation, must be added the sufferings which, for no less than seventy years, were endured by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as well as His pleas, and entreaties, uttered in the evening of His life, in connection with the dangers that increasingly threatened the whole of mankind. Born in the very year that witnessed the inception of the Babi Revelation; baptized with the initial fires of persecution that raged around that nascent Cause; an eye-witness, when a boy of eight, of the violent upheavals that rocked the Faith which His Father had espoused; sharing with Him, the ignominy, the perils, and rigors consequent upon the successive banishments from His native-land to countries far beyond its confines; arrested and forced to support, in a dark cell, the indignity of imprisonment soon after His arrival in 'Akka; the object of repeated investigations and the target of continual assaults and insults under the despotic rule of Sultan 'Abdu’l-Hamid, and later under the ruthless military dictatorship of the suspicious and merciless Jamal Pasha- -He, too, the Center and Pivot of Baha'u'llah's peerless Covenant and the perfect Exemplar of His teachings, was made to taste, at the hands of potentates, ecclesiastics, governments and peoples, the cup of woe which the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, as well as so many of their followers, had drained.

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[Page 7]With the warnings which both His pen and voice have given in countless Tablets and discourses, during an almost 1ife10ng incarceration and in the course of His extended travels in both the European and American continents, they who labor for the spread of His Father's Faith in the western world are sufficiently acquainted. How often and how passionately did He appeal to those in authority and to the public at large to examine dispassionately the precepts enunciated by His Father? With what precision and emphasis He unfolded the system of the faith He'was expounding, elucidated its fundamental verities, stressed its distinguishing features, and proclaimed the redemptive character of its principles ? How insistently did He foreshadow the impending chaos, the approaching upheavals, the universal conflagration which, in the concluding years of His life, had only begun to reveal the measure of its force and the significance of its impact on human society?

A c0— sharer in the woeful trials and momentary frustrations afflicting the Báb and Baha' u'llah; reaping a harvest in His lifetime wholly incommensurate to the sublime, the incessant and strenuous efforts He had exerted; experiencing the initial perturbations of the world-shaking catastrophe in store for an unbelieving humanity; bent with age, and with eyes dimmed by the gathering storm which the reception accorded by a faithless generation to His Father's Cause was raising, and with a heart bleeding over the immediate destiny of God's wayward children- —He, at last, sank beneath a weight of troubles for which they who had imposed them upon Him, and upon those gone before Him, were soon to be summoned to a dire reckoning. P.1).C. M2. 13—1u

Alas, a thousand times alas, that a Revelation so incomparably great, so infinitely precious, so mightily potent, so manifestly innocent, should have' received, at the hands of a generation so blind and so perverse, so infamous a treatment! P.D.C. t. 14

RECIPIENTS OF THE MESSAGE

It was the kings of the earth and the world's religious leaders who, above all other categories of men, were made the direct recipients of the Message proclaimed by both the Báb and Baha' u'llah. It was they who were deliberately addressed in numerous and historic Tablets, who were summoned to respond to the Call of God, and to whom were directed, in clear and forcible language, the appeals, the admonitions and warnings of His persecuted Messengers. It was they who, when the Faith was born, and later when its mission was proclaimed, were still, for the most part, wielding unquestioned and absolute civil and ecclesiastical authority over their subjects and followers. It was they who, whether glorying in the pomp and pageantry of a kingship as yet scarcely restricted by constitutional limitations, or entrenched within the strongholds of a seemingly inviolable ecclesiastical power, assumed ultimate responsibility for any wrongs inflicted by those whose immediate destinies they controlled. It would be no exaggeration to say that in most of the countries of the European and Asiatic continents absolutism, on the one hand, and complete subservience to ecclesiastical hierarchies, on the other, were still the outstanding features of the political and religious life of the masses. These, dominated and shackled, were robbed of the necessary freedom that would enable them to either appraise the claims and merits of the Message proffered to them, or to embrace unreservedly its truth.

Small wonder, then, that the Author of the Baha' 1 Faith, and to a lesser degree its Herald,shou1d have directed at the world's supreme rulers and religious leaders the full force of Their Messages, and made them the recipients of some of Their most sublime Tablets, and invited them, in a language at once

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[Page 8]clear and insistent, to heed Their call. Small wonder that They should have taken the pains to unroll before their eyes the truths of Their respective Revelations, and should have expatiated on Their woes and sufferings. Small wonder that They should have stressed the preciousness of the opportunities which it was in the power of these rulers and leaders to seize, and should have warned them in ominous tones of the grave responsibilities which the rejection of God's Message would entail . . . . P.D.C'. 1;. 18

KINGS

Proclamation and Warning

As to the kings and emperors who not only symbolized in their persons the majesty of earthly dominion but who, for the most part, actually held unchallengeable sway over the multitudes of their subjects, their relation to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh constitutes one of the most illuminating episodes in the history of the Heroic and Formative Ages of that Faith. The Divine summons which embraced within its scope so large a number of the crowned heads of both Europe and Asia; the theme and language of the Messages that brought them into direct contact with the Source of God's Revelation; the nature of their reaction to so stupendous an impact; and the consequences which ensued and can still be witnessed today are the salient features of a subject . . . . which will be fully and befittingly treated by future Bahá’í historians. P.D.Q. p. 1.9

The Báb, . . in the Qayyumu'l- Asma', His celebrated commentary on the Surih of Joseph, revealed in the first year of His Mission, and characterized by Baha' u'llah as ”the first, the greatest, and mightiest of all books" in the Bab1 Dispensation, has issued this stirring call to the kings and princes of the earth:

“O concourse of kings and of the sons of kings! Lay aside, one and all, your dominion which belongeth unto God. . . . Vain indeed is your dominion, for God hath set aside earthly possessions for such as have denied Him. . . . O concourse of kings! Deliver with truth and in all haste the verses sent down by Us to the peoples of Turkey and of India, and beyond them, with power and with truth, to lands in both the East and the West . . . . By God! If ye do well, to your own behoof will ye do well; and if ye deny God and His signs, We, in very truth, having God, can well dispense with all creatures and all earthly dominion. “

And again: "Fear ye God, O concourse of kings, lest ye remain afar from Him Who is His Remembrance (the Báb), after the Truth hath come unto you with a Book and signs from God, as spoken through the wondrous tongue of Him Who is His Remembrance. Seek ye grace from God, for God hath ordained for you, after ye have believed in Him, a Garden the vastness of which is as the vastness of the whole of Paradise.” P-D-C- 1% 37

General Tablets to Kings

. All the kings of the earth have been collectively addressed by His (Baha'u'llah's) Pen, appealed to, and warned, at a time when the star of His Revelation was mounting its zenith, and whilst He lay a prisoner in the hands, and in the vicinity of the court, of His royal enemy. In a memorable Tablet, designated as the Suriy- i- -Muluk (Surih of Kings) in which the Sultan 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

8

[Page 9]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 thus directs His words to the entire company of the monarchs of East and West:

”0 Kings of the earth! Give ear unto the Voice of God, calling from this sublime, this fruit-laden Tree, that hath sprung out of the Crimson Hill, upon the holy Plain, intoning the words: ‘There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the All—Powerful, the All—Wise.‘ . . . Fear God, O concourse of kings, and suffer not yourselves to be deprived of this most sublime grace. Fling away, then, the things ye possess, and take fast hold on the Handle of God, the Exalted, the Great. Set your hearts towards the Face of God, and abandon that which your desires have hidden you to follow, and be not of those who perish. Relate unto them, 0 servant, the story of 'A11 (the Báb), when He came unto them with truth, bearing His glorious and weighty Book, and holding in His hands a testimony and proof from God, and holy and blessed tokens from Him. Ye, however, 0 kings, have failed to heed the Remembrance of God in His days and to be guided by the lights which arose and Shone forth above the horizon of a resplendent Heaven. Ye examined not His Cause when so to do would have been better for you than all that the sun shineth upon, could ye but perceive it. Ye remained careless until the divines of Persia -- those cruel ones -- pronounced judgment against Him, and unjustly slew Him. His spirit ascended unto God, and the eyes of the inmates of Paradise and the angels that are nigh unto Him wept sore by reason of this cruelty. Beware that ye be not careless henceforth as ye have been careless aforetime. Return, then, unto God, your Maker, and be not of the heedless . . .

"My face hath come forth from the veils, and shed its radiance upon all that is in heaven and on earth; and yet, ye turned not towards Him, notwithstanding that ye were created for Him, O concourse of Kings! Follow, therefore, that which I speak unto you, and hearken unto it with your hearts, and be not of such as have turned aside. For your glory consisteth not in your sovereignty, but rather in your nearness unto God and your observance of His command as sent down in His holy and preserved Tablets. Should any one of you rule over the whole earth, and over all that lieth within it and upon it, its seas, its lands, its mountains, and its plains, and yet be not remembered by God, all these would profit him not, could ye but know it . . . Arise, then, and make steadfast your feet, and make ye amends for that which hath escaped you, and set then yourselves towards His holy Court, on the shore of His mighty Ocean, so that the pearls of knowledge and wisdom, which God hath stored up within the shell of His radiant heart, may be revealed unto you . . . Beware lest ye hinder the breeze of God from blowing over your hearts, the breeze through which the hearts of such as have turned unto Him can be quickened .

”Tread ye the path of justice, for this, verily, is the straight path. Compose your differences, and reduce your armaments, that the burden of your expenditures may be lightened, and that your minds and hearts may be tranquilized. Heal the dissensions that divide you, and ye will no longer be in need of any armaments except what the protection of your cities and territories demandeth. Fear ye God, and take heed not to outstrip the bounds of moderation, and be numbered among the extravagant. We have learned that you are increasing your outlay every year, and are laying the burden thereof on your subjects. This, verily, is more than they can bear, and is a grievous injustice. Decide justly between men, and be ye the emblems of justice amongst them. This, if ye judge fairly, is the thing that behooveth you, and beseemeth your station . . .

”If ye pay no heed unto the counsels which, in peerless and unequivocal language, We have revealed in this Tablet, Divine chastisement shall assail you from every direction, and the sentence of His justice shall be pronounced against you. On that day ye shall have no power to resist Him, and shall recog 9

[Page 10]nize your own impotence. Have mercy on yourselves and on those beneath you, and judge ye between them according to the precepts prescribed by God in His most holy and exalted Tablet, a Tablet wherein He hath assigned to each and every thing its settled measure, in which He hath given, with distinctness, an explanation of all things, and which is in itself a monition unto them that believe in Him.

"Examine Our Cause, inquire into the things that have befallen Us, and decide justly between Us and Our enemies, and be ye of them that act equitably towards their neighbors. If ye stay not the hand of the oppressor, if ye fail to safeguard the rights of the down-trodden, what right have ye then to vaunt yourselves among men? What is it of which ye can rightly boast? Is it on your food and your drink that ye pride yourselves, on the riches ye lay up in your treasuries, on the diversity and the cost of the ornaments with which ye deck yourselves ? If true glory were to consist in the possession of such perishable things, then the earth on which ye walk must needs vaunt itself over you, because it supplieth you, and bestoweth upon you, these very things, by the decree of the Almighty. In its bowels are contained, according to what God hath ordained, all that ye possess. From it, as a sign of His mercy, ye derive your riches. Behold then your state, the thing in which ye glory! Would that ye could perceive it! Nay, By Him Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of the entire creation! Nowhere doth your true and abiding glory reside except in your firm adherence unto the precepts of God, your wholehearted observance of His laws, your resolution to see that they do not remain unenforced, and to pursue steadfastly the right course . .

"God hath committed into your hands the reins of the government of the people, that ye may rule with justice over them, safeguard the rights of the down-trodden, and punish the wrong-doers. If ye neglect the duty prescribed unto you by God in His Book, your names shall be numbered with those of the unjust in His sight . . .

"Warn and acquaint the people, 0 Servant, with the things We have sent down unto Thee, and let the fear of no one dismay Thee, and be Thou not of them that waver. The day is approaching when God will have exalted His Cause and magnified His testimony in the eyes of all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. Place, in all circumstances, Thy whole trust in Thy Lord, and fix Thy gaze upon Him, and turn away from all them that repudiate His truth. Let God, Thy Lord, be Thy sufficing Succorer and Helper. We have pledged Ourself to secure Thy triumph upon earth and to exalt Our Cause above all men, though no king be found who would turn his face towards Thee. . . .”

In the Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book), that priceless treasury enshrining for all time the brightest emanations of the mind of Bahá’u’lláh, the Charter of His World Order, the chief repository of His Laws, the Harbinger of His Covenant, the Pivotal Work containing some of His noblest exhortations, weightiest pronouncements, and portentous prophecies, and revealed during the full tide of His tribulations, . . . in such a Book we read the following:

"0 kings of the earth! He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is come. The Kingdom is God's, the omnipotent Protector, the Self—Subsisting. Worship none but God, and, with radiant hearts, lift up your faces unto your Lord, the Lord of all names. This is a Revelation to which whatever ye possess can never be compared, could ye but know it . . .

"Ye are but vassals, O kings of the earth! He Who is the King of Kings hath appeared, arrayed in His most wondrous glory, and is summoning you unto Himself, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Take heed lest pride deter you from recognizing the Source of Revelation; lest the things of this world shut you out as by a veil from Him Who is the Creator of heaven. Arise, and serve Him Who is the Desire of all nations, Who hath created you through a word from

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[Page 11]Him, and ordained you to be, for all time, the emblems of His sovereignty.

”By the righteousness of God! It is not Our wish to lay hands on your kingdoms. Our [mission is to seize and possess the hearts of men. Upon them the eyes of Baha are fastened. To this testifieth the Kingdom of Names, could ye but comprehend it. Whoso followeth his Lord, will renounce the world and all that is therein; how much greater, then, must be the detachment of Him Who holdeth so august 3. station! Forsake your palaces, and haste ye to gain admittance into His Kingdom. This, indeed, will profit you both in this world and in the next. To this testifieth the Lord of the realm on high, did ye but know it.” . . .

And further, this evident arraignment in that same Book: ”We have asked nothing from you. For the sake of God We, verily, exhort you, and will be patient as We have been patient in that which hath befallen Us at your hands, O concourse of kings ! " P.D.c. pp. 20—26

Tablets to Individual Monarchs

Two thousand and more verses . . . streamed from the pen of Baha' u' llah and, to a lesser extent, from that of the Báb, addressed to individual monarchs in Europe and Asia . . . P.D.c. 12. 28

Neither the perils which were fast closing in upon Him (Baha'u'llah), nor the formidable power with which the doctrine of absolute sovereignty invested, at that time, the emperors of the West and the potentates of the East, could restrain the Exile and Prisoner of Adrianople from communicating the full blast of His Message to His twin imperial persecutors as well as'to the rest of their fellow-sovereigns. P.D.C. p. U5

The Emperor of the French, the most powerful ruler of his day on the European continent, Napoleon III; Pope Pius IX, the supreme head of the highest church in Christendom, and wielder of the scepter of both temporal and spiritual authority; the omnipotent Czar of the vast Russian Empire, Alexander II; the renowned Queen Victoria, whose sovereignty extended over the greatest political combination the world has witnessed; William I, the conqueror of Napoleon III, King of Prussia and the newly acclaimed monarch of a. unified Germany; Francis Joseph, the autocratic king— emperor of the Austro- -Hungarian monarchy, the heir of the far- famed Holy Roman Empire; the tyrannical 'Abdu'l— 'Az1z, the embodiment of the concentrated power vested in the Sultanate and the Caliphate; the Notorious Nasiri'd- D1n Shah, the despotic ruler of Persia and the mightiest potentate of Sh1' ih Islam -— in a word, most of the preeminent embodiments of power and of sovereignty in His day became, one by one, the object of Baha' u'llah's special attention, and were made to sustain, in varying degrees, the weight of the force communicated by His appeals and warnings.

P.D.0. 1;. 1.9

To the French Emperor, Napoleon III, Baha'u'llah addressed these words:

"0 King of Paris! Tell the priests to ring the bells no longer. By God, the True One! The Most Mighty Bell hath appeared in the form of Him Who is the Most Great Name, and the fingers of the will of thy Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most High, toll it out in the heaven of Immortality, in His Name, the All-Glorious. Thus have the mighty verses of thy Lord been again sent down unto thee, that thou mayest arise to remember God, the Creator of earth and heaven, in these days when all the tribes of the earth have mourned, and

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[Page 12]the foundations of the cities have trembled, and the dust of irreligion hath enwrapped all men, except such as thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, was pleased to spare . . . . Give ear, 0 King, unto the Voice that calleth from the Fire which burneth in this Verdant Tree, upon this Sinai . . . . We, in truth, have sent Him Whom We aided _with the Holy Spirit (Jesus), that He may announce unto you this Light that hath shone forth from the horizon of the will of your Lord, the Most Exalted, the All Glorious, and Whose signs have been revealed in the West, that ye may set your faces towards Him (Baha'u'llah), on this Day which God hath exalted above all other days, . . . Arise thou to serve God and help His Cause. He, verily, will assist thee with the hosts of the seen and unseen, and will set thee king over all that whereon the sun riseth . . . . Attire thy temple with the ornament of My Name, and thy tongue with remembrance of Me, and thine heart with love for Me, the Almighty, the Most High. We have desired for thee naught except that which is better for thee than what thou dost possess and all the treasures of the earth. Thy Lord, verily, is knowing, informed of all . . . . P.D.C’. pp. 28—29

”Two statements graciously uttered by the king of the age have reached the ears of these wronged ones. These pronouncements are, in truth, the king of all pronouncements, the like of which have never been heard from any sovereign. The first was the answer given the Russian Government when it inquired why the war (Crimean) was waged against it. Thou didst reply: 'The cry of the oppressed who, without guilt or blame, were drowned in the Black Sea wakened me at dawn. Wherefore, I took up arms against thee.’ These oppressed ones, however, have suffered a greater wrong, and are in greater distress. Whereas the trials inflicted upon those people lasted but one day, the troubles borne by these servants have continued for twenty and five years, every moment of which has held for us a grievous affliction. The other weighty statement, which was indeed a wondrous statement manifested to the world, was this: 'Ours is the responsibility to avenge the oppressed and succor the helpless.‘ The fame of the Emperor's justice and fairness hath brought hope to a great many souls. It beseemeth the king of the age to inquire into the condition of such as have been wronged, and it behooveth him to extend his care to the weak. Verily, there hath not been, nor is there now, on earth any one as oppressed as we are, or as helpless as these wanderers."

It is reported that upon receipt of this first Message that superficial, tricky and pride—intoxicated monarch flung down the Tablet saying: "If this man is God, I am two gods ! " P.D.c. p. 52

Baha'u'llah in His second Tablet revealed an Epistle which bore this indubitably clear arraignment and ominous prophecy:

"0 King! We heard the words thou didst utter in answer to the Czar of Russia, concerning the decision made regarding the war (Crimean War). Thy Lord, verily, knoweth, is informed of all. Thou didst say: 'I lay asleep upon my couch, when the cry of the oppressed, who were drowned in the Black Sea, awakened me.‘ This is what we heard thee say, and, verily, thy Lord is witness unto what I say. We testify that that which wakened thee was not their cry, but the promptings of thine own passions, for We tested thee, and I found - thee wanting. Comprehend the meaning of My words, and be thou of the discerning . . . Hadst thou been sincere in thy words, thou wouldst have not cast behind thy back the Book of God, when it was sent unto thee by Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise. We have proved thee through it, and found thee other than that which thou didst profess.

"Arise, and make amends for that which escaped thee. Ere long the world and all that thou possessest will perish, and the kingdom will remain

12.

[Page 13]unto God, . . . Fear the sighs of this Wronged One, and shield Him from the darts of such as act unjustly. For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion, and thine empire shall pass from thine hands, as a punishment for that which thou hast wrought. Then wilt thou know how thou hast plainly erred. Commotions shall seize all the people in that land, unless thou arisest to help this Cause, and followest Him Who is the Spirit of God (Jesus) in this, the straight Path. Hath thy pomp made thee proud? By My Life! It shall not endure; nay, it shall soon pass away, unless thou holdest fast by this firm Cord. We see abasement hastening after thee, while thou art of the heedless . . . Abandon thy palaces to the people of the graves, and thine ‘ empire to whosoever desireth it, and turn, then, unto the Kingdom. This, verily, is what God hath chosen for thee, wert thou of them that turn unto Him . . . Shouldst thou desire to bear the weight of thy dominion, bear it then to aid the Cause of thy Lord . . . .

"Exultest thou over the treasures thou dost possess, knowing they shall perish? Rejoicest thou in that thou rulest a span of earth, when the whole world, in the estimation of the people of Bahá, is worth as much as the black in the eye of a dead ant? . . . Whither are gone the proud and their palaces? Gaze thou into their tombs, that thou mayest profit by this example, inasmuch as We made it a lesson unto every beholder. Were the breezes of Revelation to seize thee, thou wouldst flee the world, and turn unto the Kingdom, and wouldst expend all thou possessest, that thou mayest draw nigh unto this sublime Vision."

P.D.0. 191:. 29—30

To Pope Pius IX, Baha'u'llah revealed the following:

"0 Pope! Rend the veils asunder. He Who is the Lord of Lords is come overshadowed with clouds, and the decree hath been fulfilled by God, the Almighty, the Unrestrained . . . He, verily, hath again come down from Heaven even as He came down from it the first time. Beware that thou dispute not with Him even as the Pharisees disputed with Him (Jesus) without a clear token or proof. On His right hand flow the living Waters of grace, and on His left the choice Wine of justice, whilst before Him march the angels of Paradise, bearing the banners of His signs. Beware lest any name debar thee from God, the Creator of earth and heaven . . . Dwellest thou in palaces whilst He Who is the King of Revelation liveth in the most desolate of abodes ? Leave them unto such as desire them, and set thy face with joy and delight towards the Kingdom . . . Arise in the name of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, amidst the peoples of the earth, and seize thou the Cup of Life with the hands of confidence, and first drink thou therefrom, and proffer it then to such as turn towards it amongst the peoples of all faiths . . .

”Call thou to remembrance Him Who was the Spirit (Jesus), Who, when He came, the most learned of His age pronounced judgment against Him in His own country, whilst he who was only a fisherman believed in Him. Take heed, then, ye men of understanding heart! Thou, in truth, art one of the suns of the heaven of His names. Guard thyself, lest darkness spread its veils over thee, and fold thee away from His light . . . Consider those who opposed the Son (Jesus), when He came unto them with sovereignty and power. How many the Pharisees who were waiting to behold Him, and were lamenting over their separation from Him! And yet, when the fragrance of His coming was wafted Over them, and His beauty was unveiled, they turned aside from Him and disputed with Him . . . None save a very few, who were destitute of any power amongst men, turned towards His face. And yet, today, every man endowed with power and invested with sovereignty prideth himself on His Name! In like manner, consider how numerous, in these days, are the monks who, in My Name, have secluded themselves in their churches, and who, when the appointed

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[Page 14]time was fulfilled, and We unveiled Our beauty, knew Us not, though they call upon Me at eventide and at dawn . . .

"The Word which the Son concealed is made manifest. It hath been sent down in the form of the human temple in this day. Blessed be the Lord Who is the Father! He, verily, is come unto the nations in His most great majesty. Turn your faces towards Him, O concourse of the righteous! . . . This is the day whereon the Rock (Peter) crieth out and shouteth, and celebrateth the praise of its Lord, the All—Possessing, the Most High, saying: 'L0! The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled! . . ." P-D-C- M’- 30-31

In the Tablet addressed to the Czar of Russia, Alexander 11, we read:

”0 Czar of Russia! Incline thine ear unto the voice of God, the King, the Holy, and turn thou unto Paradise, the Spot wherein abideth He Who, among the Concourse on high, beareth the most excellent titles, and Who, in the Kingdom of creation, is called by the name of God, the Effulgent, the All—Glorious . . . We, verily, have heard the thing for which thou didst supplicate thy Lord, whilst secretly communing with Him. Wherefore, the breeze of My lovingkindness wafted forth, and the sea of My mercy surged, and We answered thee in truth. Thy Lord, verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Whilst I lay chained and fettered in the prison, one of thy ministers extended Me his aid. Wherefore hath God ordained for thee a station which the knowledge of none can comprehend except His knowledge. Beware lest thou barter away this sublime station . . . Beware lest thy sovereignty withhold thee from Him Who is the Supreme Sovereign. He, verily, is come with His Kingdom, and all the atoms cry aloud: 'L0! The Lord is come in His great majesty!‘ He Who is the Father is come, and the Son (Jesus), in the holy vale, crieth out: 'Here am I, here am I, O Lord, My God! ', whilst Sinai circleth round the House, and the Burning Bush calleth aloud: "The All—Bounteous is come mounted upon the clouds! Blessed is he that draweth nigh unto Him, and woe betide them that are far away.‘

”Arise thou amongst men in the name of this all—compelling Cause, and summon, then, the nations unto God, the Exalted, the Great. Be thou not of them who called upon God by one of His names, but who, when He Who is the Object of all names appeared, denied Him and turned aside from Him, and, in the end, pronounced sentence against Him with manifest injustice . . . .

"Set thine heart towards Him Who is the Point of adoration for the world, and say: O peoples of the earth! Have ye denied the One in Whose path He Who came with the truth, bearing the announcement of your Lord, the Exalted, the Great, suffered martyrdom? Say: This is an Announcement whereat the hearts of the Prophets and Messengers have rejoiced. This is the One Whom the heart of the world remembereth and is promised in the Books of God, the Mighty, the All-Wise. The hands of the Messengers were, in their desire to meet Me, upraised towards God, the Mighty, the Glorified . . . Say: I, verily, have not sought to extol Mine Own Self, but rather God Himself were ye to judge fairly. Naught can be seen in Me except God and His Cause, could ye but perceive it. I am the One Whom the tongue of Isaiah hath extolled, the One with Whose name both the Torah and the Evangel were adorned . . . Blessed be the king whose sovereignty hath withheld him not from his Sovereign, and who hath turned unto God with his heart. He, verily, is accounted of those that have attained unto that which God, the Mighty, the All—Wise, hath willed. Ere long will such a one find himself numbered with the monarchs of the realms of the Kingdom. Thy Lord is, in truth, potent over all things." P.D.C. M. 32—34

To Queen Victoria Bahá’u’lláh has written:

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[Page 15]"0 Queen in London! Incline thine ear unto the voice of thy Lord, the Lord of all mankind, calling from the Divine Lote—Tree: Verily, no God is there but Me, the Almighty, the All-Wise! Cast away all that is on earth, and attire the head of thy kingdom with the crown of the remembrance of thy Lord, the All-Glorious. He, in truth, hath come unto the world in His most great glory, and all that hath been mentioned in the Gospel hath been fulfilled. The land of Syria hath been honored by the footsteps of its Lord, the Lord of all men, and north and south are both inebriated with the wine of His presence. Blessed is the man that inhaled the fragrance of the Most Merciful, and turned unto the Dawning-Place of His Beauty, in this resplendent Dawn . . . .

"Lay aside thy desire, and set then thine heart towards thy Lord, the Ancient of Days. We make mention of thee for the sake of God, and desire that thy name may be exalted throughthy remembrance of God, the Creator of earth and heaven. He, verily, is witness unto that which I say. We have been informed that thou hast forbidden the trading in slaves, both men and women. This, verily, is what God hath enjoined in this wondrous Revelation. God hath, truly, destined a reward for thee, because of this. He, verily, will pay the doer of good his due recompense; wert thou to follow what hath been sent unto thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. As to him who turneth aside, and swelleth with pride, after that the clear tokens have come unto him, from the Revealer of signs, his work shall God bring to naught. He, in truth, hath power over all things. Man's actions are acceptable after his having recognized (the Manifestation). He that turneth aside from the True One is indeed the most veiled amongst His creatures. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Almighty, the Most Powerful.

”We have also heard that thou hast entrusted the reins of counsel into the hands of the representatives of the people. Thou, indeed, hast ddne well, for thereby the foundations of the edifice of thine affairs will be strengthened, and the hearts of all that are beneath thy shadow, whether high or low, will be tranquilized. It behooveth them, however, to be trustworthy among His servants, and to regard themselves as the representatives of all that dwell on earth.

This is what counselleth them, in this Tablet, He Who is the Ruler, the AllaWise . . Blessed is he that entereth the assembly for the sake of God, and judgeth between men with pure justice. He, indeed, is of the blissful. . . ." P.D.C’. 1w. 34—35

, In the Kitab-i—Aqdas, His Most Holy Book, Baha'u'llah thus addresses the German Emperor, William I:

”Say: 0 King of Berlin! Give ear unto the Voice calling from this manifest Temple: Verily, there is. none other God but Me, the Everlasting, the Peerless, the Ancient of Days. Take heed lest pride debar thee from recognizing the Dayspring of Divine Revelation, lest earthly desires shut thee out, as by a veil, from the Lord of the Throne above and of the earth below. Thus counselleth thee the Pen of the Most High. He, verily, is the Most Gracious, the All-Bountiful. Do thou remember the one whose power transcended thy power (Napoleon III), and whose station excelled thy station. Where is he ? Whither are gone the things he possessed? Take warning, and be not of them that are fast asleep. He it was who cast the Tablet of God behind him, when We made known unto him what the hosts of tyranny had caused Us to suffer. Wherefore, disgrace assailed him from all sides, and he went down to dust in great loss. Think deeply, 0 King, concerning him, and concerning them who, like unto thee, have conquered cities and ruled over men. The All-Merciful brought them down from their palaces to their graves. Be warned, be of them who reflect."

And further, in that same Book, this remarkable prophecy: "0 banks of the Rhine! We have seen you covered with gore, inasmuch as the swords of

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[Page 16]retribution were drawn against you; and you shall have another turn. And We hear the lamentations of Berlin, though she be today in conspicuous glory." 10.0.0. p12. 36—37

Again in the Kitab-i-Aqdas these words, directed to Emperor Francis Joseph, are recorded:

"0 Emperor of Austria! He who is the Dayspring of God's Light dwelt in the prison of 'Akka, at the time when thou didst set forth to Visit the Aqsa Mosque (Jerusalem). Thou passed Him by, and inquired not about Him, by Whom every house is exalted, and every lofty gate unlocked. We, verily, made it (Jerusalem) a place whereunto the world should turn, that they might remember Me, and yet thou hast rejected Him Who is the Object of this remembrance, when He appeared with the Kingdom of God, thy Lord and the Lord of the worlds. We have been with thee at all times, and found thee clinging unto the Branch and heedless of the Root. Thy Lord, verily, is a witness unto what I say. We grieved to see thee circle round Our Name, whilst unaware of Us, though We were before thy face. Open thine eyes, that thou mayest behold this glorious Vision, and recognize Him Whom thou invokest in the daytime and in the night-season, and gaze on the Light that shineth above this luminous Horizon." P.D.C. 1x 37

In the suriy-i—Muluk Sultan 'Abdu'l—‘Aziz is addressed in the following terms:

"Hearken, 0 king, to the speech of Him that speaketh the truth, Him that doth not ask thee to recompense Him with the things God hath chosen to bestow upon thee, Him Who unerringly treadeth the straight Path. He it is Who summoneth thee unto God, thy Lord, Who showeth thee the right course, the way that leadeth to true felicity, that haply thou mayest be of them with whom it shall be well . . . He that giveth up himself wholly to God, God shall, assuredly, be with him; and he that placeth his complete trust in God, God shall, verily, protect him from whatsoever may harm him, and shield him from the wickedness of every evil plotter.

"Wert thou to incline thine ear unto My speech and observe My counsel, God would exalt thee to so eminent a position that the designs of no man on the whole earth could ever touch or hurt thee. Observe, 0 king, with thine inmost heart and with thy whole being, the precepts of God, and walk not in the paths of the oppressor. Seize thou, and hold firmly within the grasp of thy might, the reins of the affairs of thy people, and examine in person whatever pertaineth unto them. Let nothing escape thee, for therein lieth the highest good.

”Render thanks unto God for having chosen thee out of the whole world, and made thee king over them that profess thy faith. It well beseemeth thee to appreciate the wondrous favors with which God hath favored thee, and to magnify continually His name. Thou canst best praise Him if thou lovest His loved ones, and dost safeguard and protect His servants from the mischief of the treacherous, that none may any longer oppress them. Thou shouldst, moreover, arise to enforce the law of God amongst them, that thou mayest be of those who are firmly established in His law . . . .

”Overstep not the bounds of moderation, and deal justly with them that serve thee. Bestow upon them according to their needs, and not to the extent that will enable them to lay up riches for themselves, to deck their persons, to embellish their homes, to acquire the things that are of no benefit unto them, and to be numbered with the extravagant. Deal with them with undeviating justice, so that none among them may either suffer want, or be pampered with luxuries. This is but manifest justice. Allow not the abject to rule over and

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[Page 17]dominate them who are noble and worthy of honor, and suffer not the highminded to be at the mercy of the contemptible and worthless, for this is what We observed upon Our arrival in the City (Constantinople), and to it We bear witness . . . . .

"Set before thine eyes God's unerring Balance and, as one standing in His Presence, weigh in that balance thine actions every day, every moment of thy life. Bring thyself to account ere thou art summoned to a reckoning, on the Day when no man shall have strength ‘to stand for fear of God, the Day when the hearts of the heedless ones shall be made to tremble. .

. "Thou art God's shadow on earth . . . Return, then, and cleave wholly unto God, and cleanse thine heart from the world and all its vanities, and suffer not the love of any stranger to enter and dwell therein. Not until thou dost purify thine heart from every trace of such love can the brightness of the light of God shed its radiance upon it, for to none hath God given more than one heart. This, verily, hath been decreed and written down in His ancient Book. And as the human heart, as fashioned by God, is one and undivided, it behooveth thee to take heed that its affections be, also, one and undivided. . . .

”Let thine ear be attentive, 0 king, to the words We have addressed thee . . . So great have been Our sufferings that even the eyes of our enemies have wept over Us, and beyond them those of every discerning person. And to all these trials have We been subjected, in spite of Our action in approaching thee, . . .

"Have I, 0 king, ever disobeyed thee? Have I, at any time, transgressed any of thy laws ? Can any of thy ministers that represent thee in 'Iráq produce any proof that can establish My disloyalty to thee ? No, by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds! Not for one short moment did We rebel against thee, or against any of thy ministers. Never, God willing, shall We revolt against thee, though We be exposed to trials more severe than any We suffered in the past. In the day-time and in the night season, at even and at morn, We pray to God on thy behalf, that He may graciously aid thee to be obedient unto Him and to observe His commandments, that He may shield thee from the hosts of the evil ones...." 13.0.0. 1». 37—40

As to Nasiri'd-Din Shah, the Lawh-i-Sultan (Tablet to the Shah of Persia), despatched to him from 'Akka and constituting Baha'u'llah's lengthiest Epistle to any single sovereign, proclaims:

"0 king! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when 10, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow. The learning current amongst men I studied not; their schools I entered not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak falsely. This is but a leaf which the winds of the will of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised, have stirred. Can it be still when the tempestuous winds are blowing? Nay, by Him Who is the Lord of all Names and Attributes! They move it as they list. The evanescent is as nothing before Him Who is the Ever-Abiding. His all-compelling summons hath reached Me, and caused Me to speak His praise amidst all people.

I was indeed as one dead when His behest was uttered. The hand of the will of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful, transformed Me. Can any one speak forth of his own accord that for which all men, both high and low, will protest against him? Nay, by Him Who taught the Pen the eternal mysteries, save him whom the grace of the Almighty, the All-Powerful, hath strengthened. The Pen of the Most High addresseth Me saying: Fear not. Relate unto His Majesty the

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[Page 18]Shah that which befell thee. His heart, verily, is between the fingers of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, that haply the sun of justice and bounty may shine forth above the horizon of his heart. Thus hath the decree been irrevocably fixed by Him Who is the All-Wise.

"Look upon this Youth, 0 King, with the eyes of justice; judge thou, then, with truth concerning what hath befallen Him. Of a verity, God hath made thee His shadow amongst men, and the sign of His power unto all that dwell on earth. Judge thou between Us and them that have wronged Us without proof and without an enlightening Book. They that surround thee love thee for their own sakes, whereas this Youth loveth thee for thine own sake, and hath had no desire except to draw thee nigh unto the seat of grace, and to turn thee toward the righthand of justice. Thy Lord beareth witness unto that which I declare.

"0 King! Wert thou to incline thine ear unto the shrill of the Pen of Glory and the cooing of the Dove of Eternity which . . . uttereth praises to God, the Maker of all names and Creator of earth and heaven, thou wouldst attain unto a station from which thou wouldst behold in the world of being naught save the effulgence of the Adored One, and wouldst regard thy sovereignty as the most contemptible of thy possessions, abandoning it to whosoever might desire it, and setting thy face toward the Horizon aglow with the light of His countenance. Neither wouldst thou ever be willing to bear the burden of dominion save for the purpose of helping thy Lord, the Exalted, the Most High. Then would the Concourse on high bless thee. . . .

"0 King of the age! The eyes of these refugees are turned towards and fixed upon the mercy of the Most Merciful. .We fain would hope, however, that His Majesty the Shah will himself examine these matters, and bring hope to the hearts. That which We have submitted to thy Majesty is indeed for thine highest good. And God, verily, is a sufficient witness unto Me. .

"0 would that thou wouldst permit Me, O Shah, to send unto thee that which would cheer the eyes, and tranquillize the souls, and persuade every fairminded person that with Him is the knowledge of the Book . . . But for the repudiation of the foolish and the connivance of the divines, I would have uttered a discourse that would have thrilled and carried away the hearts unto a realm from the murmur of whose winds can be heard: 'No God is there but He!'. . . "

P.1).C. pp. 40—42

"Would that the world- adorning wish of His Majesty might decree that this Servant be brought face to face with the divines of the age, and produce proofs and testimonies in the presence of His Majesty the Shah! This Servant is ready, and taketh hope in God, that such a gathering may be convened in order that the truth of the matter may be made clear and manifest before His Majesty the Shah. It is then for thee to command, and I stand ready before the throne of thy sovereignty. Decide, then, for Me or against Me." P.D.0. 1:. us

Magnitude of these Tablets

How vast a panorama these gem-like, these soul-searching divinely uttered pronouncements outspread before our eyes! P-D-C- fi- W

The magnitude and diversity of the theme, the cogency of the argument, the sublimity and audacity of the language, arrest our attention and astound our minds. Emperors, kings and princes, Chancellors and ministers, the Pope himself, priests, monks and philosophers, the exponents of learning, parliamentarians and deputies, the rich ones of the earth, the followers of all religions, and the people of Bahái -- all are brought within the purview of the Author of these Messages, and receive, each according to their merits, the counsels and ad 18

[Page 19]monitions they deserve. No less amazing is the diversity of the subjects touched upon in these Tablets. The transcendent majesty and unity of an unknowable and unapproachable God is extolled, and the oneness of His Messengers proclaimed and emphasized. The uniqueness, the universality and potentialities of the Baha" 1 Faith are stressed, and the purpose and character of the Babi Revelation unfolded. The significance of Baha' u'llah's sufferings and banishments is disclosed, and the tribulations rained down upon His Herald and upon His Namesake recognized and lamented. His own yearning for the crown of martyrdom, which they both so mysteriously won, is voiced, and the ineffable glories and wonders in store for His own Dispensation foreshadowed. Episodes, at once moving and marvelous, at various stages of His ministry, are recounted, and the transitoriness of worldly pomp, fame, riches, and sovereignty, repeatedly and categorically asserted. Appeals for the application of the highest principles in human and international relations are forcibly and insistently made, and the abandonment of discreditable practices and conventions, detrimental to the happiness, the growth, the prosperity and the unity of the human race, enjoined. Kings are censured, ecclesiastical dignitaries arraigned, ministers and plenipotentiaries condemned, and the identification of His advent with the coming of the Father Himself unequivocally admitted and repeatedly announced. The violent downfall of a few of these kings and emperors is prophesied, two of them are definitely challenged, most are warned, all are appealed to and exhorted. P.D.0. Ma. 45—46

1 Referring to these Tablets addressed to the sovereigns of the earth, Baha' u'llah has written: "Each one of them hath been designated by a special name. The first hath been named ”The Rumbling,” the second, ”The Blow," the third, "The Inevitable,“ the fourth, "The Plain," the fifth, "The Catastrophe," and the others, "The Stunning Trumpet Blast," ”The Near Event," ”The Great Terror," "The Trumpet," "The Bugle," and their like, so that all the peoples of the earth may know, of a certainty, and may witness, with outward and inner eyes, that He Who is the Lord of Names hath prevailed, and will continue to

prevail, under all conditions, over all men . . . Never since the beginning of the world hath the Message been so openly proclaimed . . . Glorified be this Power which hath shone forth and compassed the worlds! . . . It is indubitably

clear and evident that in these things He Who is the Lord of Revelation hath sought nothing for Himself. Though aware that they would lead to tribulations, and be the cause of troubles and afflictive trials, He, solely as a token of His loving-kindness and favor, and for the purpose of quickening the dead and of redeeming all who are on earth, hath closed His eyes to His own well—being and borne that which no other person hath borne or will bear." P.1).0. M). 46—47

Enough has been said to portray the tribulations which, for so long a time, overwhelmed the Founders of so preeminent a Revelation, and which the world has so disastrously ignored. Sufficient attention has also been directed to the Messages addressed to those sovereign rulers who, either in the exercise of their unconditioned authority, have deliberately provoked these sufferings, or could have, in the plenitude of their power, arisen to mitigate their effect or deflect their tragic course. Let us now consider the consequences that have ensued. The reaction of these monarchs was ...varied and umnistakable and, as the march of events has gradually unfolded, disastrous in its consequences. P.D.0. p12. 48—149

Resgonse

The French Emperor had, it was reported, flung away Baha'u'llah's

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[Page 20]Tablet, and directed his minister, as Baha'u'llah Himself asserts, to address to its Author an irreverent reply. The Grand Vizir of 'Abdu'l-‘Aziz, it is reliably stated, blanched while reading the communication addressed to his Imperial master and his ministers, and made the following comment: ”It is as if the kings of kings were issuing his behest to his humblest vassal king, and regulating his conduct!" Queen Victoria, it is said, upon reading the Tablet revealed for her remarked: "If this is of God, it will endure; if not, it can do no harm." It was reserved for Nasiri'd-Din Shah, . . . to wreak, at the instigation of the divines, his vengeance on One Whom he could no longer personally chastise by arresting His messenger, a lad of about seventeen, by freighting him with chains, by torturing him on the rack, and finally slaying him. P.D.C. M7. 66-67

Others preferred to maintain a contemptuous silence. All failed completely in their duty to arise and extend their as sistance. Two of them, in particular, prompted by the dual impulse of fear and anger, tightened their grip on the Cause they had jointly resolved to uproot. The one condemned his Divine Prisoner to yet another banishment, to "the most unsightly of cities in appearance, the most detestable in climate, and the foulest in water (Akka)"whilst the other, powerless to lay hands on the Prime Mover of a hated Faith, subjected its adherents under his sway to abject and savage cruelties. P.D.C. p. 49

The recital of Baha'u'llah's sufferings, embodied in those Messages, failed to evoke compassion in their hearts. His appeals, the like of which neither the annals of Christianity nor even those of Islam have recorded, were disdainfully rejected. The dark warnings He uttered were haughtily scorned. The bold challenges He issued were ignored. The chastisements He predicted they derisively brushed aside. 19.0.0. 1). 49

For the trials which have afflicted the Faith of Baha'u'llah a responsibility appalling and inescapable rests upon those into whose hands the reins of civil and ecclesiastical authority were delivered. The kings of the earth and the world's religious leaders alike must primarily bear the brunt of such an awful responsibility. "Every one well knoweth, " Baha' u'llah Himself te st1f1es, "that all the kings have turned aside from Him, and all the religions have opposed Him.” "From time immemorial" He declares, "they who have been outwardly invested with authority have debarred men from setting their faces towards God. They have disliked that men should gather together around the Most Great Ocean, inasmuch as they have regarded, and still regard, such a. gathering as the cause of, and the motive for, the disruption of their sovereignty." ”The kings" He moreover has written, "have recognized that it was not in their interest to acknowledge Me, as have likewise the ministers and the divines, notwithstanding that My purpose hath been most explicitly revealed in the Divine Books and Tablets, and the True One hath loudly proclaimed that this Most Great Revelation hath appeared for the betterment of the world and the exaltation of the nations." P.D.C’. 1». 16—17

To the Christian kings Baha'u'llah, . . . particularly directs His words of censure, and, in a language that cannot be mistaken, He, discloses the true character of His Revelation: \

"O kings of Christendom! Heard ye not the saying of Jesus, the Spirit of God, 'I go away, and come again unto you' ? Wherefore, then, did ye fail, when He did come again unto you in the clouds of heaven, to draw nigh unto Him, that ye might behold His face, and be of them that attained His Presence ? In another passage He saith: 'When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you unto all truth.' And yet, behold how, when He did bring the truth, ye refused

20

[Page 21]to turn your faces towards Him, and persisted in disporting yourselves with your pastimes and fancies. Ye welcomed Him not, neither did ye seek His Presence, that ye might hear the verses of God from His own mouth, and partake of the manifold wisdom of the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the All—Wise. Ye have, by reason of your failure, hindered the breath of God from being wafted over you, and have withheld from your souls the sweetness of its fragrance. Ye continue roving with delight in the valley of your corrupt desires. Ye and all ye possess shall pass away. Ye shall, most certainly, return to God, and shall be called to account for your doings in the presence of Him Who shall gather together the entire creation. . . ." P.D.0. pp. 26—27

”Twenty years have passed, 0 kings!" He (Baha'u'llah), addressing the kings of Christendom, at the height of His mission, has written, "during which We have, each day, tasted the agony of a fresh tribulation. No one of them that were before Us hath endured the things We have endured. Would that ye could perceive it! They that rose up against Us have put Us to death, have shed Our blood, have plundered Our property, and violated Our honor. Though aware of most of Our afflictions, ye, nevertheless, have failed to stay the hand of the aggressor. For is it not your clear duty to restrain the tyranny of the oppressor, and to deal equitably with your subjects, that your high sence of justice may be fully demonstrated to all mankind?" P.0.C. M?- 11—12

Baha'u'llah warned . . . the rulers and leaders . . . in ominous tones of the grave responsibilities which the rejection of God's Message would entail, and . . . predicted, when rebuffed and refused, the dire consequences which such a rejection involved. Small wonder that He Who is the King of Kings and the Vice-gerent of God Himself Should, when abandoned, contemned and persecuted, have uttered this epigrammatic and momentous prophecy:

"From two ranks amongst men power hath been seized: kings and

ecclesiastics." P.D.C'. 1». 18—19

Judgment — The Extinction of Dynasties and Empires

What, then -- might we not consider -- has, in the face of so complete and ignominious a rejection, happened, and is still happening, in the course . . . of the first Baha' 1 century, a century fraught with such tumultuous sufferings and violent outrages for the persecuted Faith of Baha' u'llah? P D 0-15 #9

Vast and awful is, indeed, the spectable which meets our eyes, as we survey the field over which the retributory winds of God have, since the inception of the ministry of Baha' u'llah, furiously swept, dethroning monarchs, extinguishing dynasties, uprooting ecclesiastical hierarchies, precipitating wars and revolutions, driving from office princes and ministers, dispossessing the usurper, casting down the tyrant, and chastizing the wicked and the rebellious.

0.19.3. i). 224

Prime Movers of Founders' Sufferingg

Already in the lifetime of Baha' u'llah and later during the ministry of 'Abdu’l- Baha, the first blows of a slow yet steady and relentless retribution were falling alike upon the rulers of the Turkish House of 'Uthman and of the Qajar dynasty in Persia -- the arch— enemies of God's infant Faith.Su1tan 'Abdu'l- 'Az1z fell from power and was murdered soon after Baha' u'llah's banishment from Adrianople, while Nasiri'd- D1n Shah succumbed to an assassin‘s

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[Page 22]pistol, during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's incarceration in the fortress-town of 'Akka. It was reserved, however, for the Formative Period of the Faith of God -- the Age of the birth and rise of its Administrative Order -- which . . . is through its unfoldment casting such a turmoil in the world, to witness not only the extinction of both of these dynasties, but also the abolition of the twin institutions of the Sultanate and the Caliphate.

Of the two despots 'Abdu'l- 'Az1z was the more powerful, the more exalted in rank, the more preeminent in guilt, and the more concerned with the tribulations and fortunes of the Founder of our Faith. He it was who, through his farmans, had thrice banished Baha' u'llah, and in whose dominions the Manifestation of God spent almost the whole of His forty years captivity. It was during his reign and that of his nephew and successor, 'Abdu'l— Hamid II, that the Center of the Covenant of [God had to endure, for no less than forty years, in the fortress- town of 'Akka, an incarceration fraught with so many perils, affronts and privations. P.D.C.1). 61

"The day is approaching," Baha' u'llah thus prophesies in the Lawh- iRa'1s, "when the Land of Mystery (Adrianople), and what is beside it shall be changed, and shall pass out of the hands of the king, and commotions shall appear, and the voice of lamentation shall be raised, and the evidences of mischief shall be revealed on all sides, and confusion shall spread by reason of that which hath befallen these captives at the hands of the hosts of oppression. . .”

"Soon,” He, moreover has written, "will He seize you in His wrathful anger, and sedition will be stirred up in your midst, and your dominions will be disrupted. Then will ye bewail and lament, and will find none to help or succor you . . . Several times calamities have overtaken you, and yet ye failed utterly to take heed. One of them was the conflagration which devoured most of the City (Constantinople) with the flames of justice, and concerning which many poems were written, stating that no such fire had ever been witnessed. And yet, ye waxed more heedless . . . Plague, likewise, broke out, and ye still failed to give heed! Be expectant, however, for the wrath of God is ready to overtake you. Erelong will ye behold that which hath been sent down from the Pen of My command. "

”By your deeds, " He, in another Tablet, anticipating the fall of the Sultanate and the Caliphate, thus reproves the combined forces of Sunni and Sh1' ih Islam, "The exalted station of the people hath been abased, the standard of Islam hath been reversed, and its mighty throne hath fallen. "

And finally, in the Kitab- i- Aqdas, revealed soon after Baha' u'llah's banishment to 'Akka, He thus apostrophizes the seat of Turkish imperial power: "0 Spot that art situate on the shores of the two seas! The throne of tyranny hath, verily, been established upon thee, and the flame of hatred hath been kindled within thy bosom. . . . Thou art indeed filled with manifest pride. Hath thine outward splendor made thee vainglorious ? By Him Who is the Lord of mankind! It shall soon perish, and thy daughters, and thy widows, and all the kindreds that dwell within thee shall lament. Thus informeth thee, the All-Knowing, the A11Wise."

Indeed, in a most remarkable passage] in the Lawh- -i- -‘Fu ad, wherein mention has been made of the death of Fu' ad Pasha, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, the fall of the Sultan himself is unmistakably foretold: "Soon will We dismiss the one who was like unto him, and will lay hold on their Chief who ruleth the land, and I, verily, am the Almighty, the All-Compelling.”

P.D.0. 1219. 62—63

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[Page 23]The Doom of Imperial Turkey

A cataclysmic process, one of the most remarkable in modern history, was set in motion ever since Baha' u'llah, while a prisoner in Constantinople, delivered to a Turkish official His Tablet, addressed to Sultan 'Abdu'l- 'Aziz and his ministers, to be transmitted to 'Al1 Pasha, the Grand Vizir. It was this Tablet which, as attested by that officer and affirmed by Nabil in his chronicle, affected the Vizir so profoundly that he paled while reading it. This process received fresh impetus after the Lawh—i-Ra'is was revealed on the morrow of its Author's final banishment from Adrianople to 'Akka. Relentless, devastating, and with ever-increasing momentum, it ominously unfolded, damaging the prestige of the Empire, dismembering its territory, dethroning its sultans, sweeping away their dynasty, degrading and deposing its caliph, disestablishing its religion, and extinguishing its glory. The "sick man" of Europe, whose condition had been unerringly diagnosed by the Divine Physician, and whose doom was pronounced inevitable, fell a prey, during the reign of five successive sultans, all degenerate, all deposed, to a series of convulsions which, in the end, proved fatal to his life. Imperial Turkey that had, under 'Abdu'l- Majid, been admitted into the European Concert, and had emerged victorious from the Crimean War, entered, under his successor, 'Abdu'l- lAz1z, upon a period of swift decline, culminating, soon after 'Abdu'l- Baha' s passing, in the doom which the judgment of God had pronounced against it. P.1). 0. M2. 63— 6A!

Sultan 'Abdu'l- 'A.z1z, . . . who had been stigmatized, in the Kitab- i- Aqdas, as occupying the "throne of tyranny," and whose fall had been prophesied in the Lawh— i- Fu' ad, was deposed in consequence of a palace revolution, was condemned by a fatva (sentence) of the Muft1 in his own capital, was four days later assassinated (1876), and was succeeded by a nephew who was declared to be imbecile. The war of 1877-78 emancipated eleven million people from the Turkish yoke; Adrianople was occupied by the Russian forces; the empire itself was dissolved as a result of the war of 1914-18; the sultanate was abolished (1922); a republic was proclaimed; and a rulership that had endured above six centuries was ended. G.P.B. p. 225

An empire which had stretched from the center of Hungary to the Persian Gulf and the Sudan, and from the Caspian Sea to Oran in Africa, had now dwindled to a small Asiatic republic. Constantinople itself, which, after the fall of Byzantium, had been honored as the splendid metropolis of the Roman Empire, and had been made the capital of the Ottoman government, was abandoned by its conquerors, and stripped of its pomp and glory -- a mute reminder of the base tyranny that had for so long stained its throne.

Such, in their bare outline, were the awful evidences of that retributive justice which so tragically afflicted 'Abdu'l-‘Aziz, his successors, his throne and his dynasty. P.D.0. 15. 66

The Fall of the Qa’jafr Dynasty

.What of Nasiri‘d— Din Shah, the other partner in that imperial conspiracy which sought to extirpate, root and branch, the budding Faith of God? His reaction to the Divine Message borne to him by the fearless Bad1, the "Pride of Martyrs," who had spontaneously dedicated himself to this purpose, was characteristic of that implacable hatred which, throughout his reign, glowed so fiercely in his breast. . .Nasiri'd- D1n Shah (wreaked), at the instigation of the divines, his vengeance on One Whom he could no longer personally chastise by arresting His messenger, a lad of about seventeen, by freighting him with chains, by torturing him on the rack, and finally slaying him. P.D.C. M. 66-67

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[Page 24]In a Tablet in which the pen of Baha’.‘ u'llah condemns him, we read: "Among them (kings of the earth) is the King of Persia, who suspended Him Who is the Temple of the Cause (the Báb) in the air, and put Him to death with such cruelty that all created things, and the inmates of Paradise, and the Concourse on high wept for Him. He slew, moreover, some of Our kindred, and plundered Our property, and made Our family captives in the hands of the oppressors. Once and again he imprisoned Me. By God, the True One! None can reckon the things which befell Me in prison, save God, the Reckoner, the Omniscient, the Almighty.Subsequent1y he banished Me and My family from My country, whereupon We arrived. in 'Iráq in evident sorrow. We tarried there until the time when the King of Rum (Sultan of Turkey) arose against Us, and summoned Us unto the seat of his sovereignty. When We reached it there flowed over Us that whereat the King of Persia rejoiced. Lated We entered this Prison, wherein the hands of Our loved ones were torn from the hem of Our robe. In such a manner hath he dealt with Us. ' " P. D. 0. ¢>. 70

The vain and despotic Nasiri'd— D1n Shah, denounced by Baha' u'llah as the "Prince of Oppressors”; of whom He had written that he would soon be made an "object- lesson for the world"; whose reign was stained by the execution of the Báb and the imprisonment of Baha' u'llah; who had persistently instigated his subsequent banishments to Constantinople, Adrianople and 'Akka; who, in collusion with a vicious sacerdotal order, had vowed to strangle the Faith in

its cradle, . . . whose reign had been sullied by the slaughter of no less than twenty thousand of His followers (P.D.C'. ¢. 67) . . . was dramatically assassinated, . . . on the very eve of his jubilee, which, as ushering in a new era, was

to have been celebrated with the most elaborate magnificance and was to go down in history as the greatest day in the annals of the Persian nation. The fortunes of his house thereafter steadily declined, and finally through the scandalous misconduct of the dissipated and irresponsible Ahmad Shah, led to the eclipse and disappearance of the Qajar dynasty (1925). 0- P 13-13-325

l Already grandsons of both Nasiri'd- D1n Shah and of Sultan 'Abdu'l'Aziz have, in their powerlessness and destitution, turned to the World Center of the Faith of Baha u'llah, and sought respectively political aid and pecuniary assistance. In the case of the former, the request was promptly and firmly refused, whilst in the case of the latter it was unhesitatingly offered. 10.0.0. p. 71

The Collapse of Western Monarchies

Napoleon III, the foremost monarch of his day in the West,excessive1y ambitious,inordinate1y proud, tricky and superficial, who is reported to have contemptuously flung down the Tablet sent to him by Baha' u'llah, who was tested by Him and found wanting, and whose downfall was explicitly predicted in a subsequent Tablet, was ignominiously defeated in the Battle of Sedan (1870), marking the greatest military capitulation recorded in modern history; lost his kingdom and spent the remaining years of his life in exile. His hopes were utterly blasted, his only son, the Prince Imperial, was killed in the Zulu War, his much vaunted empire collapsed, a civil war ensued more ferocious than the FrancoGerman w'ar itself, and William I, the Prussian king, was hailed emperor of a unified Germany in the Palace of Versailles.

William I, the pride- intoxicated newly— acclaimed conqueror of Napoleon III, admonished in the Kitab- -i- Aqdas and bidden to ponder the fate that had overtaken "one whose power transcended" his own, warned in that same Book, that the ”Lamentations of Berlin" would be raised and that the banks of

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[Page 25]the Rhine would be "covered with gore," sustained two attempts on his life, and was succeeded by a son who died of a mortal disease, three months after his accession to the throne, bequeathing the throne to the arrogant, the headstrong and short—sighted William 11. The pride of the new monarch precipitated his downfall. Revolution, swiftly and suddenly, broke out in his capital, communism reared its head in a number of cities; the princes of the German states abdicated, and he himself, fleeing ignominiously to Holland, was compelled to relinquish his right to the throne (1918). The constitution of Weimar sealed the fate of the empire, whose birth had been so loudly proclaimed by his grandfather, and the terms of an oppressively severe treaty (The Treaty of Versailles -1919) provoked "the lamentations” which, half a century before, had been ominously prophesied.

The arbitrary and unyielding Francis Joseph, emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, who had been reproved in the Kitab— —i— Aqdas, for having neglected his manifest duty to inquire about Baha' u'llah during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, was so engulfed by misfortunes and tragedies that his reign came to be regarded as one unsurpassed by any other reign in the calamities it inflicted upon the nation. His brother, Maximilian, was put to death in Mexico; the Crown Prince Rudolph perished in ignominious circumstances; the Empress was assassinated; Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were murdered in Sarajevo; the "ramshackle empire" itself disintegrated, was carved up, and a shrunken republic was set up on the ruins of a vanished Holy Roman Empire

(1913).

Nicolaevitch Alexander II, the all- powerful Czar of Russia, who, in a Tablet addressed to him by name had been thrice warned by Baha' u'llah, had been bidden to ”summon the nations unto God", and had been cautioned not to allow his sovereignty to prevent him from recognizing ”the Supreme Sovereign”, suffered several attempts on his life, and at last died at the hand of an as sas sin. A. harsh policy of repression, initiated by himself and followed by his successor, Alexander III, paved the way for a revolution which, in the reign of Nicholas II, swept away on a bloody tide the empire of the Czars, brought in its wake war, disease and famine, and established a militant proletariat (Bolshevism-Communism) which massacred the nobility, persecuted the clergy, drove away the intellectuals, disendowed the state religion, executed the Czar with his consort and his family, and extinguished the dynasty of the Romanoffs (1917-1918).

Pope Pius IX, the undisputed head of the most powerful Church in Christendom, who had been commanded, in an Epistle addressed to him by Baha'u'llah, to leave his "palaces unto such as desire them", to "sell all the embellished ornaments" in his possession, to ”expend them in the path of God", and hasten towards "the Kingdom", was compelled to surrender, in distressing circumstances, to the besieging forces of King Victor Emmanuel, and to submit himself to be depossessed of the Papal States and of Rome itself (1870). The loss of "the Eternal City", over which the Papal flag had flown for one thousand years, and the humiliation of the religious orders under his jurisdiction, added mental anguish to his physical infirmities and embittered the last years of his life. The formal recognition of the Kingdom of Italy subsequently exacted from one of his successors in the Vatican, confirmed the virtual extinction of the Pope's temporal sovereignty. G.P.B. pp. 225—227

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[Page 26]The Decline in the Fortunes of Royalty

But the rapid dissolution of the Ottoman, the Napoleonic, the German, the Austrian and the Russian empires, the demise of the Qéja’tr dynasty and the virtual extinction of the temporal sovereignty of the Roman Pontiff do not exhaust the story of the catastrophes that befell the monarchies of the world through the neglect of Baha' u'llah's warnings conveyed in the opening passages of His Suriy- 1- -Mu1uk. The conversion of the Portuguese (1910) and Spanish monarchies (1931), as well as the Chinese empire (1911), into republics; the strange fate that has, more recently, been pursuing the sovereigns of Holland, of Norway, of Greece, of Yugoslavia and of Albania now living in exile*; the virtual abdication of the authority exercised by the kings of Denmark, of Belgium, of Bulgaria, of Rumania and of Italy**; the apprehension with which their fellow sovereigns must be viewing the convulsions that have seized so many thrones; the shame and acts of violence which, in some instances, have darkened the annals of the reigns of certain monarchs in both the East and the West, and still more recently the sudden downfall of the Founder of the newly established dynasty in Persia

• • • (The royal adversary, personal1y responsible for the recrudescence of persecution closing all Baha‘ 1 Schools in Baha' u'llah's native land, has been humbled

to the dust. (M. A. p. 53) these are yet further instances of the infliction of the ”Divine Chastisement" foreshadowed by Bahá’u’lláh in that immortal Sfirih, and show forth the divine reality of the arraignment pronounced by Him against the rulers of the earth in His Most Holy Book. G-P-B- ?P- 227-228 I

(The) warnings addressed (to) kings . . . (are) responsible (for the) successive overthrow (of) fourteen monarchies (of) East (and) West. Shoghi Effendi, 5.1]. July, 1950 insert

This process, so gigantic, so catastrophic, may be said to have had its inception on that memorable night when, in an obscure corner of Sh1raz, the Báb, in the presence of the First Letter to believe in Him, revealed the first chapter of His celebrated COmmentary on the Surih of Joseph (The Qayyurnu' l- Asma'),1n which He trumpeted His Call to the sovereigns and princes of the earth. Itpassed from incubation to visible manifestation when Baha' u'llah's prophecies, enshrined for all time in the Suriy- 1- Haykal, and uttered before Napoleon III' s dramatic downfall and the self-imposed imprisonment of Pope Pius IX 1n the

• This was written in 1944, during World War II; the status of these countries

in 1951 is:

Holland: Queen fled country 1940, returned to throne 1945; daughter now ruling. Norway: King fled country in 1940, returned 1945; still ruling.

Greece: King fled country 1941, returned 1944; still ruling.

Yugoslavia: Kingfled country 1941, debosed 1945; country nowunder dictatorship. Albania: King fled country 1939; deposed 1946 when country declareda retublic.

• ‘This was firepared during Wbrld War II, 1944; the status of these countries

1n 1951 15:

Denmark: King remained in country during war; son now on throne.

Belgium: King capitulated to Nazi armies 1940, left country 1944, returned from exile 1950, forced to abdicate; son now ruling.

Bulgaria: In filebiscite in 1046 hing was ousted, and a republic was proclaimed.

Rumania: King fled country 1940. leaving son as ruler; son forced to abdicate 1947, country now a fieoples’ refiublic.

Italy: Monarchy dissolved 1946; country now a republic.

• ’”Riza Shéh Pahlevi crowned 1925. abdicated 1941; son now ruling.

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[Page 27]Vatican, were fulfilled. It gathered momentum when, in the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Great War extinguished the Romanov, the Hohenzollern, and Hapsburg dynasties, and converted powerful time— honored monarchies into Republics. It was further accelerated, soon after 'Abdu'l- Baha' s passing, by the demise of the Qajar dynasty in Persia, and the stupendous collapse of both the Sultanate and the Caliphate. It is still operating, under our very eyes, as we behold the fate which, in the course of this colossal and ravaging struggle, is successively overtaking the crowned heads of the European continent. Surely, no man, contemplating dispassionately the manifestations of this relentless revolutionizing process, within comparatively so short a time, can escape the conclusion that the last hundred years may well be regarded, in so far as the fortunes of royalty are concerned, as one of the most cataclysmic periods in the annals of man kind. P.D.C. M). 49—50

Re cognition of Kingshig

Ifet none, however, mistake or unwittingly misrepresent the purpose of Baha'u'llah. Severe as has been His condemnation pronounced against those sovereigns who persecuted Him, and however strict the censure expressed (:01lectively against those who failed signally in their clear duty to investigate the truth of His Faith and to restrain the hand of the wrong—doer, His teachings embody no principle that can, in any way, be construed as a repudiation, or even a disparagement, however veiled, of the institution of kingship. The catastrophic fall, and the extinction of the dynasties and empires of those monarchs whose disastrous end He particularly prophesied, and the declining fortunes of the sovereigns of His Own generation, whom He generally reproved -- both con-' stituting a passing phase of the evolution of the Faith, -- should, in no wise, be confounded with the future position of, that institution. Indeed, if we delve into the writings of the Author of the Baha' i Faith, we cannot fail to discover unnumbered passages in which, in terms that none can misrepresent, the principle of kingship is eulogized, the rank and conduct of just and fair—minded kings is extolled, the rise of monarchs, ruling with justice and even professing His Faith, is envisaged, and the solemn duty to arise and insure the triumph of Baha' 1 sovereigns] is inculcated. To conclude from the above quoted words, addressed by Baha' u'llah to the monarchs of the earth, to infer from the recital of the woeful disasters that have overtaken so many of them, that His followers either advocate or anticipate the definite extinction of the institution of kingship, would indeed be tantamount to a distortion of His teaching.

I can do no better than quote some of Baha'u'llah’s Own testimonies, leaving the reader to shape his own judgment as to the falsity of such a deduction. In His "Epistle to the Son of the Wolf" He indicates the true source of kingship: "Regard for the rank of sovereigns is divinely ordained, as is clearly attested by the words of the Prophets of God and His chosen ones. He Who is the Spirit (Jesus) -- may peace be upon Him —- was asked: '0 Spirit of God! Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?‘ And He made reply: 'Yea, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's He forbade it not. These two sayings are, in the estimation of men of insight, one and the same, for if that which belonged to Caesar had not come from God He would have forbidden it. P-D-C- M)- 73-74 .

And again: "A. just king enjoyeth nearer access unto God than anyone. Unto this testifieth He Who speaketh in His Most Great Prison. "

Likewise in the Bisharat (Glad- Tidings) Baha' u'llah asserts that "the majesty of kingship is one of the signs of God. ” "We do not wish, " He adds, ”that the countries of the world should be deprived thereof." P.D.c. 12. W

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[Page 28]In one of His Tablets Baha'u'llah has also written: "The one true God, exalted be His glory, hath bestowed the government of the earth upon the kings. To none is given the right to act in any manner that would run counter to the considered views of them who are in authority. That which He hath reserved for Himself are the cities of men's hearts; and of these the loved ones of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth are, in this Day, as the keys." P.ILC. p. 75

In the Kitáb-i-Aqdas He sets forth His purpose, and eulogizes the king who will profess His Faith: ”By the righteousness. of God! It is not Our wish to lay hands on your kingdoms. Our mission is to seize and possess the hearts of men. Upon them the eyes of Baha are fastened. To this testifieth the Kingdom of Names, could ye but comprehend it. Whoso followeth his Lord, will renounce the world and all that is therein; how much greater, then, must be the detachment of Him Who holdeth so august a station! " ”How great the blessedness that awaiteth the king who will arise to aid My Cause in My Kingdom, who will detach himself from all else but Me! Such a king is numbered with the Companions of the Crimson Ark -- the Ark which God hath prepared for the people of Bahá. All must glorify his name, must reverence his station, and aid him to unlock the cities with the keys of My Name, the Omnipotent Protector of all that inhabit the visible and invisible kingdoms. Such a king is the very eye of mankind, the luminous ornament on the brow of creation, the fountain- head of blessings unto the whole world. Offer up, O people of Bahá, your substance, nay your very lives, for his assistance. " P. D. 0. M). ?U- 75

Baha'u'llah . . . states in His Tablet addressed to Shaykh Salman: "One of the signs of the maturity of the world is that no one will accept to bear the weight of kingship. Kingship will remain with none willing to bear alone its weight. That day will be the day whereon wisdom will be manifested among mankind. Only in order to proclaim the Cause of God and spread abroad His Faith will anyone be willing to bear this grievous weight. Well is it with him who, for love of God and His Cause, and for the sake of God and for the purpose of proclaiming His Faith, will expose himself unto this great danger, and will accept this toil and trouble." P.D.C. p. 72

In the Lawh-i-Ra'is He actually and categorically prophesies the rise of such a king: "Ere long will God raise up from among the kings one who will aid His loved ones. He, verily, encompasseth all things. He will instill in the hearts the love of His loved ones. This, indeed, is irrevocably decreed by One Who is the Almighty, the Beneficent. " . .

In the Kitab- i- Aqdas He visualizes in these words the elevation to the throne of His native city, "the Mother of the Worldll and "the Day- spring of Light, " of a king who will be adorned with the twin ornaments of justice and of devotion to His Faith: ”Let nothing grieve thee, 0 Land of Ta, for God hath chosen thee to be the source of the joy of all mankind. He shall, if it be His will, bless thy throne with one who will rule with justice, who will gather together the flock of God which the wolves have scattered. Such a ruler will, with joy and gladness, turn his face towards and extend his favors unto, the people of Bahá. He indeed is accounted in the sight of God as a jewel among men. Upon him rest forever the glory of God, and the glory of all that dwell in the kingdom of His Revelation." P.D.0. 1215. 75—76

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[Page 29]ECCLESIASTICS

General Proclamation and Warning

The time fore-ordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the Holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. . . . This is the Day which the Pen of the Most High hath glorified in all the Holy Scriptures. There is no verse in them that doth not declare the glory of His holy Name, and no Book that doth not testify unto the loftiness of this most exalted theme. . . . Were We, to make mention of all that hath been revealed in these heavenly Books and Holy Scriptures concerning this Revelation, this Tablet would assume impossible dimensions.

Bahdrulzléh, cited in 19.0.0. p. 78

As the promise of the Faith of Baha'u'llah is enshrined in all the Scriptures of past religions, so does its Author address Himself to their followers, and particularly to their responsible leaders who have intervened between Him and their respective congregations. ”At one time," writes Baha' u'llah, "We address the people of the Torah and summon them unto Him Who is the Revealer of verses, Who hath come from Him Who layeth low the necks of men. . .

At another, We address the people of the Evangel and say: 'The All- Glorious is come in this Name whereby the Breeze of God hath wafted over all regions.‘ .At still another, We address the people of the Qur' an saying: 'Fear the All— Merciful, and cavil not at Him through Whom all religions were founded.‘ . Know thou, moreover, that We have addressed to the Magians Our Tablets,

and adorned them with Our Law. . . . We have revealed in them the essence of all the hints and allusions contained in their Books. The Lord, verily, is the Almighty, the All-Knowing. P.D.0. 19. 78

Addressing the Jewish people Baha'u'llah has written: "The Most

Great Law is come, and the Ancient Beauty ruleth upon the throne of David. Thus hath My Pen spoken that which the histories of bygone ages have related."

. And again: "The Breath hath been wafted, and the Breeze hath blown, and from Zion hath appeared that which was hidden, and from Jerusalem is heard the Voice of God, the One, the Incomparable, the Omniscient. " Furthermore, in His ”Epistle to the Son of the Wolf" Baha' u'llah has revealed: 'Lend an ear unto the song of David. He saith: 'Who will bring me into the Strong City?‘ The Strong City is 'Akkal, which hath been named the Most Great Prison, and which possesseth a fortress and mighty ramparts. O Shaykh! Peruse that which Isaiah hath spoken in His Book. He saith: 'Get thee up into the high mountain, 0 Zion, that bringest good tidings; lift up thy voice with strength, 0 Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings. Lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah: 'Behold your God! Behold the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him.‘ This Day all the signs have appeared. A great City hath descended from heaven, and Zion trembleth and exulteth with joy at the Revelation of God, for it hath heard the Voice of God on every side."

To the priestly caste, holding sacerdotal supremacy Over the followers of the Faith of Zoroaster, that same Voice, identifying itself with the voice of the promised Shah- Bahram, has declared: "0 high priests! Ears have been given you that they may hearken unto the mystery of Him Who is the Self—Dependent, and eyes that they may behold Him. Wherefore flee ye? The Incomparable Friend is manifest. He speaketh that wherein lieth salvation. Were ye, 0 high priests, to discover the perfume of the rose-garden of understanding, ye would seek none other but Him, and would recognize, in His new vesture,

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[Page 30]the All- Wise and Peerless One, and would turn your eyes from the world and all who seek it, and would arise to help Him. " "Whatsoever hath been announced in the Books," Baha' u'llah, re lying to a Zoroastrian who had inquired regarding the promised Shah— Bahram, has written, "hath been revealed and made clear. From every direction the signs have been manifested. The Omnipotent One is calling, in this Day, and announcing the appearance of the Supreme Heaven.” "This is not the day," He, in another Tablet declares, ”whereon the high priests can command and exercise their authority. In your Book it is stated that the high priests will, on that Day, lead men far astray, and will prevent them from drawing nigh unto Him. He indeed is a high priest who hath seen the light and hastened unto the way leading to the Beloved."

P.D.C. M7. 78—80

In the Kitab-i-Aqdas we read the following: "Say: 0 leaders of religion! Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are current amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring Balance established amongst men. In this most perfect Balance whatsoever the peoples and kindreds of the earth possess must be weighed, while the measure of its weight should be tested according to its own standard, did ye but know it. The eye of My loving-kindness weepeth sore over you, inasmuch as ye have failed to recognize the One upon Whom ye have been calling in the daytime and in the night season, at even and at morn. . . . O ye leaders of religion! Who is the man amongst you that can rival Me in vision or insight? Where is he to be found that dareth to claim to be My equal in utterance or wisdom? No, by My Lord, the All-Merciful! All on the earth shall pass away; and this is the face of your Lord, the Almighty, the Well-Beloved. . . . We have not entered any school, nor read any of your dissertations. Incline your ears to the words of this unlettered One, wherewith He summoneth you unto God, the Ever-Abiding. Better is this for you than all the treasures of the earth, could ye but comprehend it."

"O concourse of divines ! " He moreover has written, ”When My verses were sent down, and My clear tokens were revealed, We found you behind the veils. This, verily, is a strange thing. . . . We have rent the veils asunder. Beware lest ye shut out the people by yet another veil. Pluck asunder the chains of vain imaginings, in the name of the Lord of all men, and be not of the deceitful. Should ye turn unto God, and embrase His Cause, spread not disorder within it, and measure not the Book of God with your selfish desires. This, verily, is the counsel of God aforetirne and hereafter. . . . Had ye believed in God, when He revealed Himself, the people would not have turned aside from Him, nor would the things ye witness today have befallen Us. FEar God, and be not of the heedless. . . . This is the Cause that hath caused all your superstitions and idols to tremble. . . ."

And again: "How long will ye, O concourse of divines,leve1 the spears of hatred at the face of Baha? Rein in your pens. Lo, the Most Sublime Pen speaketh betwixt earth and heaven. Fear God, and follow not your desires which have altered the face of creation. " Baha 'u’llah, cited in P. D. C. M7 811—85

"When We observed carefully," He significantly remarks, "We dis covered that Our enemies are, for the most part, the divines." “Among the people are those who said: 'He hath repudiated the divines.‘ Say: 'Yea, by My Lord! I, in very truth, was the One Who abolished the idols!"' "We, verily,

have sounded the Trumpet, which is Our Most Sublime Pen, and lo, the divines and the learned, and the doctors and the rulers, swooned away except such as God preserved, as a token of His grace, and He, verily, is the All-Bounteous, the Ancient of Days."

"O concourse of divines! Fling away idle fancies and imaginings, and

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[Page 31]turn, then, towards the Horizon of Certitude. . . . The world is laden with dust, by reason of your vain imaginings, and the hearts of such as enjoy near access to God are troubled because of your cruelty. Fear God, and be of them that judge equitably.” P.D.C. Mb. 85—86

"Say: O concourse of divines! . . . Consider and call to mind how when Muhammad, the Apostle of God, appeared, the people denied Him. They ascribed unto Him what caused the Spirit (Jesus) to lament in His Most Sublime Station, and the Faithful Spirit to cry out. Consider, moreover, the things which befell the Apostles and Messengers of God before Him, by reason of what the hands of the unjust have wrought. We make mention of you for the sake of God, and remind you of His signs, and announce unto you the things ordained for such as are nigh unto Him in the most sublime Paradise and the all-highest Heaven, and I, verily, am the Announcer, the Omniscient.". . . P.D.0. pp. 86—87

Call to Muslim and Christian Divines

It is to Islam and, to a lesser extent, to Christianity, that my theme is directly related. Islam, from which the Faith of Baha' u'llah has sprung, even as did Christianity from Judaism, is the religion within whose pale, that Faith first rose and developed, from whose ranks the great mass of Baha' 1 adherents have been recruited, and by whose leaders they have been, and indeed are still being, persecuted. C/hristianity, on the other hand, is the religion to which the vast majority of Bahá’ís of non- Islamic extraction belong, within whose spiritual domain the Administrative Order of the Faith of God is rapidly advancing, and by whose ecclesiastical exponents that Order is being increasingly assailed. Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and even Zoroastrianism which, in the main, are still unaware of the potentialities of the Cause of God, and whose response to its Message is as yet negligible, the Muhammadan and Christian Faiths may be regarded as the two religious systems which are sustaining, at this formative stage in its evolution, the full impact of so tremendous a Revelation. P.D.0. 17. 80

Words to Muslim Ecclesiastics

Let us now consider . . .the specific references, and the words directly addressed, to Muslim ecclesiastics by the Báb and by Baha' u'llah. The Bab, as attested by the Kitab- i— Iqan, has "specifically revealed an Epistle unto the divines of every city, wherein He hath fully set forth the character of the denial and repudiation of each of them. " Whilst in Iṣfahán, that time- honored stronghold of Muslim ecclesiasticism, He, through the medium of its governor, Manuchihr Khan, invited in writing the divines of that city to engage in a contest with Him, in order, as He expressed it, to ”establish the truth and dissipate falsehood. " Not one of the multitude of divines who thronged that great seat of learning had the courage to take up that challenge.Bahá’u’lláh,on His part, while in Adrianople, and as witnessed by His own Tablet to the Shah of Persia, signified His wish to be "brought face to face with the divines of the age, and produce proofs and testimonies in the presence of His Majesty, the Shah. "

This offer was denounced as a "great presumption and amazing audacity" by the divines of Tihran, who, in their fear, advised their sovereign to instantly punish the bearer of that Tablet. Previously, while Baha' u'llah was in Baghdad, He expressed His willingness that, provided the divines of Najaf and Kla-rbila -the twin holiest cities next to Mecca and Medina, in the eyes of the sh1' ihs -assembled and agreed regarding any miracle they wished to be performed, and signed and sealed a statement affirming that on performance of this miracle

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[Page 32]they would acknowledge the truth of His Mission, He would unhesitatingly produce it. To this challenge they, as recorded by 'Abdu'l- Baha in His "Some

Answered Questions," could offer no better reply than this: "This man is an enchanter; perhaps he will perform an enchantmlent, and then we shall have nothing more to say. " ”For twelve years," Baha' u'llah Himself has testified,

"We tarried in Baghdad. Much as We desired that a large gathering of divines and fair- minded men be convened, so that truth might be distinguished from falsehood, and be fully demonstrated, no action was taken. " And again: "And likewise, while in 'Iráq, we wished to come together with the divines of Persia. No sooner did they hear of this, than they fled and said: 'He indeed is a manifest sorcerer!‘ This is the word that proceeded aforetime out of the mouths of such as were like them. These (divines) objected to what they said, and yet, they themselves repeat, in this day, what was said before them, and understand not. By My life! They are even as ashes in the sight of thy Lord. If He be willing, tempestuous gales will blow over them, and make them as dust. Thy Lord, verily, doth what He pleaseth."

These false, these cruel and cowardly sh1' ih clericals, who, as Baha'u'llah declared, had they not intervened, Persia wou1d have been subdued by the power of God in hardly more than two years, have been thus addressed in the Qayyumu'l- -A.sma: "O concourse of divines! Fear God from this day onwards in the views ye advance, for He Who is Our Remembrance in your midst, and Who cometh from Us, is, in very truth, the Judge and Witness. Turn away from that which ye lay hold of, and which the Book of God, the True One, hath not sanctioned, for on the Day of Resurrection ye shall, upon the Bridge, be, in very truth,he1d answerable for the position ye occupied. ”

In that same Book the Báb thus addresses the sh1' ihs, as well as the entire body of the followers of the Prophet: ”O concourse of sh1' ihs! Fear ye God, and Our Cause, which concerneth Him Who is the Most Great Remembrance of God. For great is its fire, as decreed in the Mother- Book. ” "O people of the Qur' an! Ye are as nothing unless ye submit unto the Remembrance of God and unto this Book. If ye follow the Cause of God, We will forgive you your sins, and if ye turn aside from Our command, We will, in truth, condemn your sculs in Our Book, unto the Most Great Fire. We, verily, do not deal unjustly with men, even to the extent of a speck on a date- stone. " P D 0 M- 87-88

"The Lote- Tree beyond Which there is no passing.” He (Bahá’u’lláh) exclaims, "crieth out, by reason of the cruelty of the divines. It shouteth aloud, and bewaileth itself. ” "From the inception of this sect (sh1' ih), " He, in His "Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, " has written, ”until the present day, how great hath been the number of the divines that have appeared, none of whom became cognizant of the nature of this Revelation. What could have been the cause of this waywardness ? Were We to mention it, their limbs would cleave asunder. It is necessary for them to meditate, nay to meditate for a thousand thousand years, that haply they may attain unto a sprinkling from the ocean of knowledge,

and discover the things whereof they are obllivious in this day. Bahd'u’tléh, cited in P. D. C. p. 89

"These thick clouds," He, in that same Epistle has stated, "are the exponents of idle fancies and vain imaginings, who are none other than the divines of Persia. " "By 'divines' in the passage cited above," He, in that same connection explains, ”is meant those men who outwardly attire themselves with the raiment of knowledge, but who in ardly are deprived therefrom. In this connection, We quote, from the Tablet 3 idreFSrai to His Majesty the Shah, certain passages from the 'Hidden Words' which we e revealed by the Abhá Pen.

‘O ye that are foolish, yet have a name to be wise! Wherefore do ye wear the guise of the shepherd, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent upon My

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[Page 33]flock? Ye are even as the star, which rises ere the dawn, and which, though it seem radiant and luminous, leadeth the wayfarers of My city astray into the paths of perdition.l And likewise He saith: 'O ye seemingly fair yet inwardly foul! Ye are like clear but bitter water, which to outward seeming is but crystal pure but of which, when tested by the Divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the sunbeam falleth alike upon the dust and the mirror, yet differ they in reflection even as doth the star from the earth: nay, immeasurable is the difference ! "'

"We have invited all men,” Baha'u'llah, in another Tablet has stated, ”to turn towards God, and have acquainted them with the Straight Path. They (divines) rose up against Us with such cruetly as hath sapped the strength of Islam, and yet most of the people are heedless. ' " . . . ”The divines of Persia committed that which no people amongst the peoples of the world have committed.” 19.0.0. M). 89—90

"Say: O concourse of Persian divines ! " Baha'u'llah again prophesies, ”In My name ye have seized the reins of men, and occupy the seats of honor, by reason of your relation to Me. When I revealed Myself, however, ye turned aside, and committed what hath caused the tears of such as have recognized Me to flow. Erelong will all that ye possess perish, and your glory be turned into the most wretched abasement, and ye shall behold the punishment for what ye have wrought, as decreed by God, the Ordainer, the All- Wise. "

In the Suriy- i- -Muluk, addressing the entire company of the ecclesiastical leaders of Sunm Islam in Constantinople, the capital of the Empire and seat of the Caliphate, He has written: "O ye divines of the City! We came to you with the truth, whilst ye were heedless of it. . . . Know ye, that had your leaders, to whom ye owe allegiance, and on whom ye pride yourselves, and whom ye mention by day and by night, and from whose traces ye seek guidance -- had they lived in these days, they would have circled around Me, and would not have separated themselves from Me, whether at even—tide or at morn. Ye, however, did not turn your faces towards My face, for even less than a moment, and waxed proud, and were careless of this Wronged One, Who hath been so afflicted by men that they dealt with Him as they pleased. Ye failed to inquire about My condition, nor did ye inform yourselves of the things which befell Me. Thereby have ye withheld from yourselves the winds of holiness, and the breezes of bounty, that blow from this luminous and perspicuous Spot. Methinks ye have clung to outward things, and forgotten the inner things, and say that which ye do not. Ye are lovers of names, and appear to have given yourselves up to them. For this reason make ye mention of the names of your leaders. And should any one like them, or superior unto them, come unto you, ye would flee him. Through their names ye have exalted yourselves, and have secured your positions, and live and prosper. And were your leaders to reappear, ye would not renounce your leadership, nor would ye turn in their direction, nor set your faces towards them. We found you, as We found most men, worshiping names which they mention during the days of their life, and with which they occupy themselves. No sooner do the Bearers of these names appear, however, than they repudiate them, and turn upon their heels . . . Know ye that God will not, in this day, accept your thoughts, nor your remembrance of Him, nor your turning towards Him, nor your devotions, nor your vigilance, unless ye be made new in the estimation of this Servant, could ye but perceive it. "

The voice of 'Abdu'l- Baha, the Center of the Covenant of God, has, likewise, been raised, announcing the dire misfortunes which were to overtake, soon after His passing, the ecclesiastical hierarchies of both Sunni and Sh1' ih Islam. "This glory, " He has written, "Shall be turned into the most abject abasement, and this pomp and might converted into the most complete subjugation.

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[Page 34]Their palaces will be transformed into prisons, and the course of their ascendant star terminate in the depths of the pit. Laughter and merriment will vanish, nay more, the voice of their weeping will be raised." "Even as the snow," He moreover has written, ”they will melt away in the July sun." P.D.C. 751:. 92—93

Messages to Christian Leaders

Let us now consider the addresses specifically made to the members of the Christian clerical order who, for the most part, have ignored the Faith of Baha‘ u'llah, whilst a few among them have, as its Administrative Order gained in stature and spread its ramifications over Christian countries, arisen to check itsprogress, to belittle its influence, and obscure its purpose.

A glance at the writings of the Author of the Bahá’í Revelation will reveal the important and significant fact that He Who addressed collectively an immortal message to all the kings of the earth, Who revealed a Tablet to each of the outstanding crowned heads of Europe and Asia, Who issued His call to the sacerdotal leaders of Islam, both sunni and shi'ih, Who did not exclude from His purview the Jews and the Zoroastrians, has, apart from His numerous and repeated exhortations and warnings to the entire Christian world, directed particular messages, some general, others precise and challenging, to the heads, as well as to the rank and file, of the ecclesiastical orders of Christendom -- its pope, its kings, its patriarchs, its archbishops, its bishops, its priests, and its monks. We have already, in connection with the messages of Baha' u'llah to the crowned heads of the world, considered certain features of the Tablet to the Roman Pontiff, as well as the words written to the kings of Christendom. Let us now turn our attention to those passages in which the aristocracy of the church and its ordained servants are singled out for exhortation and admonition by the Pen of Bahaf‘u'llahz

"Say: O concourse of patriarchs! He Whom ye were promised in the Tablets is come. Fear God, and follow not the vain imaginings of the superstitious. Lay aside the things ye possess, and take fast hold of the Tablet of God by His sovereign power. Better is this for you than all your possessions. Unto this testifieth eVery understanding heart, and every man of insight. Pride ye yourselves on My Name, and yet shut yourselves out as by a veil from Me ? This indeed is a strange thing!"

"Say: O concourse of archbishops! He Who is the Lord of all men, hath appeared. In the plain of guidance He calleth mankind, whilst ye are numbered with the dead! Great is the blessedness of him who is stirred by the Breeze of God, and hath arisen from amongst the dead in this perspicuous Name."

"Say: O concourse of bishops! Trembling hath seized all the kindreds of the earth, and He Who is the Everlasting Father calleth aloud between earth and heaven. Blessed the ear that hath heard, and the eye that hath seen, and the heart that hath turned unto Him Who is the Point of Adoration of all who are in the heavens and all who are on earth." "O concourse of bishops! Ye are the stars of the heaven of My knowledge. My mercy desireth not that ye should fall upon the earth. My justice, however, declareth: 'This is that which the Son (Jesus) hath decreed.‘ And whatsoever hath proceeded out of His blameless, His truth—speaking, trustworthy mouth, can never be altered. The bells, verily, peal out My Name, and lament over Me, but My spirit rejoiceth with evident gladness.".

"Say: O concourse of priests! Leave the bells, and come forth, then, from your churches. It behooveth you, in this day, to proclaim aloud the Most Great Name among the nations. Prefer ye to be silent, whilst every stone and

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[Page 35]every tree shouteth aloud: 'The Lord is come in His great glory!"' . . . And again: "O concourse of priests! The Day of Reckoning hath appeared,‘the Day whereon He Who was in heaven hath come. He, verily, is the One Whom ye were promised in the Books of God, the Holy, the Almighty, the All-Praised. How long will ye wander in the wilderness of heedlessness and superstition? Turn with your hearts in the direction of your Lord, the Forgiving, the Generous."

"Say: O concourse of monks! Seclude not yourselves in churches and Cloisters. Come forth by My leave, and occupy yourselves with that which will profit your souls and the souls of men. Thus biddeth you the King of the Day of Reckoning. Seclude yourselves in the stronghold of My love. This, verily, is a befitting seclusion, were ye of them that perceive it. He that shutteth himself up in a house is indeed as one dead. It behooveth man to show forth that which will profit all created things, and he that bringeth forth no fruit is fit for fire. Thus counselleth you your Lord, and He, verily, is the Almighty, the AllBounteous. Enter ye into wedlock, that after you someone may fill your place. We have forbidden you perfidious acts, and not that which will demonstrate fidelity. Have ye clung to the standards fixed by your own selves, and cast the standards of God behind your backs ? Fear God, and be not of the foolish. But for man, who would make mention of Me on My earth, and how could My attributes and My name have been revealed? Ponder ye, and be not of them that are veiled and fast asleep. He that wedded not (Jesus) found no place wherein to dwell or lay His head, by reaSOn of that which the hands of the treacherous had wrought. His sanctity consisteth not in that which ye believe or fancy, but rather in the things We possess. Ask, that ye may apprehend His station which hath been exalted above the imaginings of all that dwell on earth. Blessed are they who perceive it.”

And again: "O concourse of monks! If ye choose to follow Me, I will make you heirs of My Kingdom; and if ye transgress against Me, I will, in My long-suffering, endure it patiently, and I, verily, am the Ever—Forgiving, the All—Merciful . . . Bethlehem is astir with the Breeze of God. We hear her voice saying: '0 most generous Lord! Where is Thy great glory established? The sweet savors of Thy presence have quickened me, after I had melted in my separation from Thee. Praised be Thou in that Thou hast raised the veils, and COme with power in evident glory.‘ We called unto her from behind the Tabernacle of Majesty and Grandeur: 'O Bethlehem! This Light hath risen in the orient, and traveled towards the occident, until it reached thee in the evening of its life. Tell Me then: Do the sons recognize the Father, and acknowledge Him, or do they deny Him, even as the people aforetime denied Him (Jesus) ?" Whereupon she cried out saying: 'Thou art, in truth, the All-Knowing, the Best-Informed.” P.D.0. M. 103-107

Arraignment of Christian and Muslim Clergy

Challenging and ominous is the Voice that has warned and called to account the Muhammadan divines and the Christian clergy.

"Leaders of religion," is Bahá’u’lláh's clear and universal censure pronounced in the Kitafb—i-Iqafn, ”in every age, have hindered their people from attaining the shores of eternal salvation, inasmuch as they held the reins of authority in their mighty grasp. Some for the lust of leadership, others through want of knowledge and understanding, have been the cause of the deprivation of the people. By their sanction and authority, every Prophet of God hath drunk from the chalice of sacrifice, and winged His flight unto the heights of glory. What unspeakable cruelties they that have occupied the seats of authority and learning have inflicted upon the true Monarchs of the world, those Gems of

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[Page 36]Divine virtue! Content with a transitory dominion, they have deprived themselves of an everlasting sovereignty." . . .

"'They,have thrust their fingers into their ears.‘ And the people also, utterly ignoring God and taking them for their masters, have .placed themselves unreservedly under the authority of these pompous and hypocritical leaders, for they have no sight, no hearing, no heart, of their own to distinguish truth from falsehood. Notwithstanding the divinely-inspired admonitions of all the Prophets, the Saints, and Chosen Ones of God, enjoining the people to see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears, they have disdainfully rejected their counsels and have blindly followed, and will continue to follow, the leaders of their Faith. Should a poor and obscure person, destitute of the attire of the men of learning, address them saying: 'Follow ye, O people, the Messengers of God,‘ they would, greatly surprised at such a statement, reply: 'What! Meanest thou that all these divines, all these exponents‘of learning, with all their authority, their pomp, and pageantry, have erred, and failed to distinguish truth from falsehood? Dost thou, and people like thyself, pretend to have comprehended that which they have not understood?’ If numbers and excellence of apparel be regarded as the criterions of learning and truth, the peoples of a bygone age, whom those of today have never surpassed in numbers, magnificence and power,‘ should certainly be accounted a superior and worthier people.” . . .

"On their tongue," He, moreover has written, "The mention of God hath become an empty name; in their midst His holy Word a dead letter. Such is the sway of their desires, that the lamp of conscience and reason hath been quenched in their hearts. . . . No two are found to agree on one and the same law, for they seek no God but their own desire, and tread no path but the path of error. In leadership they have recognized the ultimate object of their endeavor, and account pride and haughtiness as the highest attainments of their hearts' desire. They have placed their sordid machinations above the Divine decree, have renounced resignation unto the will of God, busied themselves with selfish calculation, and walked in the way of the hypocrite. With all their power and strength they strive to secure themselves in their petty pursuits, fearful lest the least discredit undermine their authority or blemish the display of their magnificence." . . .

”The leaders of men,” He has likewise asserted, "have, from time immemorial, prevented the people from turning unto the Most Great Ocean. The Friend of God (Abraham) was cast into fire through the sentence pronounded by the divines of the age, and lies and calumnies were imputed to Him Who discoursed with God (Moses). Reflect upon the One Who was the Spirit of God (Jesus). Though He showed forth the utmost compassion and tenderness, yet they rose up against that Essence of Being and Lord of the seen and unseen, in such a manner that He could find no refuge wherein to rest. Each day He wandered unto a new place, and sought a new shelter._ Consider the Seal of the Prophets (Muhammad) —— may the souls of all else except Him be His sacrifice! -- How grievous the things which befell that Lord of all being at the hands of the priests of idolatry, and of the Jewish doctors, after He had uttered the blessed words proclaiming the unity of God! By My life! My pen groaneth, and all created things cry out by reason of the things that have touched Him, at the hands of such as have broken the Covenant of God and His Testament, and denied His Testimony, and gainsaid His signs.” . . .

"The pagan priests," in yet another Tablet is written, ”and the Jewish and Christian divines, have committed the very things which the divines of the age, in this Dispensation, have committed, and are still committing. Nay,these have displayed a more grievous cruelty and a fiercer malice. Every atom beareth witness unto that which I say."

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[Page 37]To these leaders who "esteem themselves the best of all creatures and have been regarded as the vilest by Him Who is the Truth," who "occupy the seats of knowledge and learning, and who have named ignorance knowledge, and called oppression justice," and who, "worship no God but their own desire, who bear allegiance to naught but gold, who are wrapt in the densest veils of learning, and who, enmeshed by its obscurities, are lost in the wilds of error," -to these Baha' u'llah has chosen to address these words: "O concourse of divines! Ye shall not henceforth behold yourselves possessed of any power, inasmuch as We have seized it from you, and destined it for such as have believed in God, the One, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Unconstrained."

P.D.C’. M). 81—84

Judgment - The Crumbling of Religious Orthodoxy

The decline in the fortunes of the crowned wielders of temporal power has been paralleled by a no less startling deterioration in the influence exercised by the world's spiritual leaders. The colossal events that have heralded the dissolution of so many kingdoms and empires have almost synchronized with the crumbling of the seemingly inviolable strongholds of religious orthodoxy. That same process which, swiftly and tragically, sealed the doom of kings and emperors, and extinguished their dynasties, has operated in the case of the ecclesiastical leaders of both Christianity and Islam, damaging their prestige, and, in some cases, overthrowing their highest institutions.

Those leaders who exercised guidance and control over the ecclesiastical hierarchies of their respective religions have, likewise, been appealed to, warned, and reproved by Baha' u'llah, in terms no less uncertain that those in which the sovereigns who presided over the destinies of their subjects have been addressed. They, too, and more particularly the heads of Muslim ecclesiastical orders, have, in conjunction with despots and potentates, launched their assaults and thundered their anathemas against the Founders of the Faith of God, its followers, its principles, and its institutions. Were not the divines of Persia the first who hoisted the standard of revolt, who inflamed the ignorant and subservient masses against it, and who instigated the civil authorities, through their outcry, their threats, their lies, their calumnies, and denunciations, to decree the banishments, to enact the laws, to launch the punitive campaigns, and to carry out the executions and massacres that fill the pages of its history? . . .

It was these divines, who, by these very acts, sowed the seeds of the disintegration of their own institutions, institutions that were so potent, so famous, and appeared so invulnerable when the Faith was born. It was they who, by assuming so lightly and foolishly, such awful responsibilities, were primarily answerable for the release of those violent and disruptive influences that have unchained disasters as catastrophic as those which overwhelmed kings, dynasties, and empires, and which constitute the most noteworthy landmarks in the history of the first century of the Baha' 1 era.

This process of deterioration, however startling in its initial manifestations, is still operating with undiminished force, and will, as the opposition to the Faith of God, from various sources and in distant fields, gathers momentum, be further accelerated and reveal still more remarkable evidences of its devastating power. P.D.C. pp. 76—77

The Falling Fortunes of Shi'ih Islam Let us first consider the visitations that have marked the falling

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[Page 38]fortunes of sh1' ih Islam. The iniquities summarized in the beginning of these pages, and for which the sh1' ih ecclesiastical order in Persia is to be held primarily answerable, . . . could not, and were not to, remain unpunished. God, the Fiercest of Avengers, was lying in wait, pledged "not to forgive any man's injustice." The scourge of His chastisement, swift, sudden and terrible, was, at long last, let loose upon the perpetrators of these iniquities.**

A revolution, formidable in its proportions, far-reaching in its repercussions,** . . . shook the foundations of the entire sacerdotal order in Persia, though its formal divorce from the Persian state is as yet unproclaimed. A ”church—state", that had been firmly rooted in the life of the nation and had extended its ramifications to every sphere of life in that country, was virtually disrupted. A sacerdotal order, the rock wall of Shi'ih Islam in that land, was paralyzed and discredited; its mujtahids, the favorite ministers of the hidden Imam, were reduced to an insignificant number; all its beturbaned officers, except for a handful, were ruthlessly forced to exchange their traditional headdress and robes for the European clothes they themselves anathematized; the pomp and pageantry that marked their ceremonials vanished; their fatva's (sentences) were nullified; their endowments were handed over to a civil administration; their mosques and seminaries were deserted; the right of sanctuary accorded to their shrines ceased to be recognized; their religious plays were banned; their takyihs were closed and even their pilgrimages to Najaf and Karbila were discouraged and curtailed. The disuse of the veil; the recognition of the equality of sexes; the establishment of civil tribunals; the abolition of concubinage; the disparagement of the use of the Arabic tongue, the language of Islam and of the Qur' an, and the efforts exerted to divorce it from Persian -all the se further proclaim the degradation, and foreshadow the final extinction, of that infamous crew, whose leaders had dared style themselves "servants of the Lord of Saintship" (Imam'Ali), who had so often received the homage of the pious kings of the Safav1 dynasty, and whose anathemas, ever since the birth of the Faith of the Báb, had been chiefly responsible for the torrents of blood which had been shed, and whose acts have blackened the armals of both their religion,

and nation.* * G.P.B., Mn 228-229

• • P.D.C'., M). 93—91:

Well might the once lofty turbaned, long- bearded, grave- -looking aqa (mulla), who had so insolently concerned himself with every department of human activity, as he sits,hat1ess, clean-shaven, in the seclusion of his home

. ponder the torrents of blood which, during the long years when he enjoyed impunity of conduct, flowed at his behest, the flamboyant anathemas he. pronounced, and the great army of orphans and widows, of the disinherited, the dishonored, the destitute, and the homeless which, on the Day of Reckoning, were, with one accord, to cry out for vengeance, and invoke the malediction of God upon him.

That infamous crew had indeed merited the degradation in which it had sunk.Persistent1y ignoring the sentence of doom which the finger of Baha' u'llah had traced upon the wall, it pursued, for well- nigh a hundred years, its fatal course, until, at the appointed hour, its death-knell was sounded by those spiritual, revolutionary forces which, synchronizing with the first dawnings of the World Order of His Faith, are upsetting the equilibrium, and throwing into such confusion, the ancient institutions of mankind. P-D-C- W- 97, 98

Shi'ih Islam had lost once for all, in Baha'u'llah's native land and as the direct consequence of its implacable hostility to His Faith, its combative power, had forfeited its rights and privileges, had been degraded and demoralized, and was being condemned to hopeless obscurity and ultimate extinction.

no.3. 15. 172

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[Page 39]The Collapse of the Caliphate

These same forces, operating in a collateral field, have effected a still more remarkable, and a more radical revolution, culminating in the collapse and fall of the Muslim Caliphate, the most powerful institution in the whole Islamic world. P.D.C. 12. 98

The Caliph, the self- styled vicar of the Prophet of Islam, known also as the "Commander of the Faithful", the protector of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, whose spiritual jurisdiction extended over more than two hundred million Muhammadans, was by the abolition of the Sultanate in Turkey (1922), divested of his temporal authority, hitherto regarded as inseparable from his high office. The Caliph himself, after having occupied for a brief period, an anomalous and precarious position, fled to Europe; the Caliphate, the most august and powerful institution of Islam, was, without consultation with any community in the Sunni world,summari1y abolished (1924); -* . . .the ex- caliph, shorn of his royal pomp, stripped of the symbols of his vicarship, and deserted by friend and foe alike, was forced to flee from Constantinople, the proud seat of a dual sovereignty, to the land of the infidels, resigning himself to a life of exile; ** . . .the unity of the most powerful branch of the Islamic Faith was thereby shattered; a forma1,a complete and permanent separation of the Turkish state from the Sunn1 faith was proclaimed (1928); the Shari' ah canonical Law was annulled; ecclesiastical institutions were disendowed; a civil code was promulgated; religious orders were suppressed; the Sunn1 hierarchy was dissolved; the Arabic tongue, the language of the Prophet of Islam, fell into disuse, and its script was superseded by the Latin alphabet, the Qur' an itself was translated into Turkish; Constantinople, the "Dome of Islam", sank to the level of a provincia1 city, and its peerless jewel, the Mosque of St. Sophia, was converted into a museum* . . . * GVP-Bn 15- 228

• • P.D.C'., 75. 100

Sunni Islafm has sustained, not through the action of a foreign and invading power, but at the hands of a dictator (Mustafa Kemal Pasha Ataturk), avowedly professing the Faith of Muhammad, a blow more grievous than that which fe11,a1most simultaneously, upon its sister- sect in Persia. This retributive act, directed against the arch— enemy of the Faith of Baha' u'llah, recalls a similar disaster precipitated through the action of a Roman emperor, during the latter part of the first century of the Christian era —- a disaster that razed to its foundations the Temple of Solornon, destroyed the Holy of Holies, laid waste the city of David, uprooted the Jewish hierarchy in Jerusalem, massacred

thousands of the Jewish people —— the persecutors of the religion of Jesus Christ —- dispersed the remainder over the surface of the earth, and reared a pagan colony on Zion. P.D.0., ja. .99.

Strange, incredibly strange, must appear the position of this most powerful branch of the Islamic Faith, with no outward and visible head to voice its sentiments and convictions, its unity irretrievably shattered, its radiance obscured, its law undermined, its institutions thrown into hopeless confusion**

. Thirteen hundred years had to elapse from the death of the Prophet Muhammad ere the illegitimacy of the institution of the Caliphate, the founders of which had usurped the authority of the lawful successors of the Apostle of God, * (the divinely- appointed Imams of the Faith of Muhammad**), could be fully and publicly demonstrated. An institution which in its inception had trampled upon so sacred a right and unchained the forces of so distressful a schism, an institution which, in the latter days, had dealt so grievous a blow to a Faith Whose Forerunner (the Báb) was Himself a descendant of the very Imams whose authority that institution had repudiated, deserved full well the chastisernent that

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[Page 40]had sealed its fate.* * W.0.B., p. 178

• • P.D.C., 1;. 100

Such was the fate that overtook both shi'ih and sunni Isla’m, in the two countries where they had planted their banners and reared their most powerful and far-famed institutions. Such was their fate in these two countries, in one of which Baha'u'llah died an exile, and in the other the Báb suffered a martyr's death. Such was the fate of the self-styled Vicar of the Prophet of God, and of the favorite ministers of the still awaited Ima’m. P.D.c. p. 102

"O people of the Qur' an,” Baha' u'llah, addressing the combined forces of Sunni and Shi' ih Islam, significantly affirms, "Verily, the Prophet of God, Muhammad, sheddeth tears at the sight of your cruelty. Ye have assuredly followed your evil and corrupt desires, and turned away your face from the light of guidance. Erelong will ye witness the result of your deeds; for the Lord, My God, lieth in wait and is watchful of your behavior . . .O concourse of Muslim divines! By your deeds the exalted station of the people hath been abased, the standard of Islam hath been reversed, and its mighty throne hath fallen. "

w.0.H.¢.179

Islam, at once the progenitor and persecutor of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, is, if we read aright the signs of the times, only beginning to sustain the impact of this invincible and triumphant Faith. We need only recall the nineteen hundred years of abject misery and dispersion which they who, only for the short space of three years, persecuted the Son of God have had to endure, and are still enduring. We may well ask ourselves, with mingled feelings of dread and awe, how severe must be the tribulations of those who, during no less than fifty years, have, ”at every moment tormented with a fresh torment" Him Who is the Father, and who have, in addition, made His Herald —— Himself a Manifestation of God -to quaff, in such tragic circumstances, the cup of martyrdom. P-D-C- 15- 103

Deterioration of Christian Institutions

What of Christianity and of the denominations with which it stands identified? Can it be said that this process of deterioration that has attacked the fabric of the Religion of Muhammad has failed to exert its baneful influence on the institutions associated with the Faith of Jesus Christ? Have these institutions already experienced the impact of these menacing forces? V.0.B. 1:. 180

These "fallen stars" of the firmament of Christendom, these "thick clouds" that have obscured the radiance of the true Faith of God, these princes of the Church that have failed to acknowledge the sovereignty of the "King of kings," these deluded ministers of the Son who have shunned and ignored the promised Kingdom which the "Everlasting Father" has brought down from heaven, and is now establishing upon earth —— these are experiencing, in this ”Day of Reckoning," a crisis, not indeed as critical as that which the Islamic sacerdotal order, the inveterate enemies of the Faith, has had to face, but one which is no less widespread and significant. "Power hath been seized" indeed, and is being increasingly seized, from these ecclesiastics that speak in the name, and yet are so far away from the spirit, of the Faith they profess.

'We have only to look around us, as we survey the fortunes of Christian ecclesiastical orders, to appreciate the steady deterioration of their influence, the decline of their power, the damage to their prestige, the flouting of their authority, the dwindling of their congregations, the relaxation of their discipline,

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[Page 41]the restriction of their press, the timidity of their leaders, the confusion of their ranks, the progressive confiscation of their properties, the surrender of some of their most powerful strongholds, and the extinction of other ancient and cherished institutions. Indeed, ever since the Divine summons was issued, and the invitation extended, and the warning sounded, and the condemnation pronounced, this process, that may be said to have been initiated with the collapse of the temporal severeignty of the Roman Pontiff, soon after the Tablet to the Pope had been revealed, has been operating with increasing momentum, menacing the very basis on which the entire order is resting. . . .

13.0.0. M» 107—108

That the forces of irreligion, of a purely materialistic philosophy, of unconcealed paganism have been unloosed, are now spreading, and, by consolidating themselves, are beginning to invade some of the most powerful Christian institutions of the western world, no unbiased observer can fail to admit. That these institutions are becoming increasingly restive, that a few among them are already dimly aware of the pervasive influence of the Cause of Baha'u'llah, that they will, as their inherent strength deteriorates and their discipline relaxes, regard with deepening dismay the rise of His New World Order, and will gradually determine to assail it, that such an opposition will in turn accelerate their decline, few, if any, among those who are attentively watching the progress of His Faith would be inclined to question. .

This menace of secularism that has attacked Islam and is undermining its remaining institutions , that has invaded Persia, has penetr ated into India, and raised its triumphant head in Turkey, has already manifested itself in both Europe and America, and is, in varying degrees, and under various forms and designations, challenging the basis of every established religion, and in particular the institutions and communities identified with the Faith of Jesus Christ. It would be no exaggeration to say that we are moving into a period which the future historian will regard as one of the most critical in the history of Christianity.

Already a. few among the protagonists of the Christian Religion admit the gravity of the situation that confronts them. "A wave of materialism is sweeping round the world"; is the testimony of its missionaries, as witnessed by the text of their official reports, ”the drive and pressure of modern industrialism, which are penetrating even the forests of Central Africa and the plains of Central Asia, make men everywhere dependent on, and preoccupied with, material things. At home the Church has talked, perhaps too glibly, in pulpit or on platform of the menace of secularism; though even in England we can catch more than a glimpse of its meaning. But to the Church overseas these things are grim realities, enemies with which it is at grips . . . The Church has a new danger to face in land after land -- determined and hostile attack. From Soviet Russia a definitely anti—religious Communism is pushing west into Europe and America, East into Persia, India, China and Japan. It is an economic theory, definitely harnessed to disbelief in God. It is a religious irreligion . . . It has a passionate sense of mission, and is carrying on its anti-God campaign at the Church's base at home, as well as launching its offensive against its front-line in non-Christian lands. Such a conscious, avowed, organized attack against religion in general and Christianity in particular is something new in history. Equally deliberate in some lands in its determined hostility to Christianity is another form of social and political faith -- nationalism. But the nationalist attack on Christianity, unlike Communism, is often bound up with some form of national religion -- with Islam in Persia and Egypt, with Buddhism in Ceylon, while the struggle for communal rights in India is ' allied with a revival both of Hinduism and Islam." . . .

The excessive growth of industrialism and its attendant evils -- as the aforementioned quotation bears witness -- the aggressive policies initiated and

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[Page 42]the persistent efforts exerted by the inspirers and organizers of the Communist movement; the intensification of a militant nationalism, associated in certain countries with a systematized work of defamation against all forms of ecclesiastical influence, have no doubt contributed to the de-Christianization of the masses, and been responsible for a notable decline in the authority, the prestige and power of the Church° "The whole conception of God," the persecutors of the Christian Religion have insistently proclaimed, "is a conception derived from the ancient oriental despotisms. It is a conception quite unworthy of free men.” "Religion," one of their leaders has asserted, ”is an opiate of the people." "Religion," declares the text of their official publications, "is a brutalization of the people. Education must be so directed as to efface from the people's minds this humiliation and this idiocy."

The Hegelian philosophy which, in other countries, has, in the form of an intolerant and militant nationalism, insisted on deifying the state, has inculcated the war-spirit, and incited to racial animosity, has, likewise, led to a marked weakening of the Church and to a grave diminution of its spiritual influence. Unlike the bold offensive which an avowedly atheistic movement had chosen to launch against it, both within the Soviet union and beyond its confines, this nationalistic philosophy, which Christian rulers and governments have upheld, is an attack directed against the Church by those who were previously its professed adherents, a betrayal of its cause by its own kith and kin. It was being stabbed by an alien and militant atheism from without, and by the preachers of a heretical doctrine from within. Both of these forces, each operating in its own sphere and using its own weapons and methods, have moreover been greatly assisted and encouraged by the prevailing spirit of modernism, with its emphasis on a purely materialistic philosoPhy, which, as it diffuses itself, tends increasingly to divorce religion from man‘s daily life.

The combined effect of these strange and corrupt doctrines, these dangerous and treacherous philosophies, has, as was natural, been severely felt by those whose tenets inculcated an opposite and wholly irreconcilable spirit and principle. The consequences of the clash that inevitably ensued between these contending interests, were, in some cases, disastrous, and the damage that has been wrought irreparable. . . . W.0.B. M. 180—183

The virtual extinction of the temporal power of the most pre-eminent ruler in Christendom immediately after the creation of the Kingdom of Italy; the wave of anti—clericalism that swept over France after the collapse of the Napoleonic empire, and which culminated in the complete separation of the Catholic church from the state, in the laicization of the Third Republic, in the secularization of education, and in the suppression and dispersal of religious orders; the swift and sudden rise of that ”religious irreligion,” that bold, conscious, and organized assault launched in Soviet Russia against the Greek Orthodox Church, that precipitated the disestablishment of the state religion, that massacred a vast number of its members originally numbering above a hundred million souls, that pulled down, closed, or converted into museums, theatres and warehouses, thousands upon thousands of churches, monasteries, synagogues and mosques, that stripped the church of its six and a half million acres of property, and sought, through its League of Militant Atheists and the promulgation of a "five-year plan of godlessness," to loosen from its foundations the religious life of the masses; the dismemberment of the AustroHungarian Monarchy that dissolved, by one stroke, the most powerful unit which owed its allegiance to, and supported through its resources the administration of, the Church of Rome; the divorce of the Spanish state from that same Church, and the overthrow of the monarchy, the champion of Catholic Christendom; the nationalistic philosophy, the parent of an unbridled and obsolete nationalism, which, having dethroned Islam, has indirectly assaulted the front—line of the

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[Page 43]Christian church in non-Christian lands, and is dealing such heavy blows to Catholic, Anglican, and Presbyterian Missions in Persia, Turkey, and the Far East; the revolutionary movement that brought in its wake the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico; and finally the gospel of modern paganism, unconcealed, aggressive, and unrelenting, which . . . has swept over the continent of Europe, invading the citadels, and sowing confusion in the hearts of the supporters, of the Catholic, the Greek Orthodox, and the Lutheran churches, in Austria, Poland, the Baltic and Scandinavian states, and more recently in Western Europe, the home and center of the most powerful hierarchies of Christendom; (P.D.0. M. 108-109) . . . the ominous signs that foreshadow serious complications in the equivocal and precarious relationships now existing between the Holy See and certain nations in the continent of Europe —- these stand out as the most striking features of the reverses which, in almost every part of the world, the members and leaders of Christian ecclesiastical institutions have suffered.

That the solidarity of some of these institutions has been irretrievably shattered is too apparent for any intelligent observer to mistake or deny. The cleavage between the fundamentalists and the liberals among their adherents is continually widening. Their creeds and dogmas have been watered down, and in certain instances ignored and discarded. Their hold upon human conduct is loosening, and the personnel of their ministries is dwindling in number and in influence. The timidity and insincerity of their preachers are, in several instances, being exposed. Their endowments have, in some countries, disappeared, and the force of their religious training has declined. Their temples have been partly deserted and destroyed, and an oblivion of God, of His teachings and of His Purpose, has enfeebled and heaped humiliation upon them.

Might not this disintegrating tendency, from which Sunni and Shi'ih Isla’m have so conspicuously suffered, unloose, as it reaches its climax, still further calamities upon the various denominations of the Christian Church? In what manner and how rapidly this process, which has already Set in, will develop the future alone can reveal. Nor can it, at the present time, be estimated to what extent will the attacks which a still powerful clergy may yet launch against the strongholds of the Faith of Bahá'u'lla’h in the West accentuate this decline and widen the range of inescapable disasters.

If Christianity wishes and expects to serve the world in the present crisis, writes a minister of the Presbyterian Church in America, it must "cut back through Christianity to Christ, back through the centuries—old religion about Jesus to the original religion of Jesus." Otherwise, he significantly adds, ”the spirit of Christ will live in institutions other than our own."

So marked a decline in the strength and cohesion of the elements constituting Christian society has led, in its turn, as we might well anticipate, to the emergence of an increasing number of obscure cults, of strange and new worships, of ineffective philosophies, whose sophisticated doctrines have intensified the confusion of a troubled age. In their tenets and pursuits they may be said to reflect and bear witness to the revolt, the discontent, and the confused aspirations of the disillusioned masses that have deserted the cause of the Christian churches and seceded from their membership. h’.0.B. M). 183—1811

How unfair, how irrelevant, to venture any comparison between the slow and gradual consolidation of the Faith proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh and those man-created movements which, having their origin in human desires and with their hopes centered on mortal dominion, must inevitably decline and perish! Springing from a finite mind, begotten of human fancy, and oftentimes the product of ill—conceived designs, such movements succeed, by reason of their novelty, their appeal to man's baser instincts and their dependence upon the re 43

[Page 44]sources of a sordid world, in dazzling for a time the eyes of men, only to plunge finally from the heights of their meteoric career into the darkness of oblivion, dissolved by the very forces that had assisted in their creation. v.0.13. p. 54

A parallel might almost be drawn between these confused and confusing systems of thought that are the direct outcome of the helplessness and confusion afflicting the Christian Faith and the great variety of popular cults, of fashionable and evasive philosophies which flourished in the opening centuries of the Christian Era, and which attempted to absorb and pervert the state religion of that Roman people. The pagan worshipers who constituted, at that time, the bulk of the population of the Western Roman Empire, found themselves surrounded, and in certain instances menaced, by the prevailing sect of the NeoPlatonists, by the followers of nature religions, by Gnostic philosophers, by Philonism, Mithraism, the adherents of the Alexandrian cult, and a multitude of kindred sects and beliefs, in much the same way as the defenders of the Christian Faith, the preponderating religion of the western world, are realizing, in the first century of the Bahá’í Era, how their influence is being undermined by a flood of conflicting beliefs, practices and tendencies which their own bankruptcy had helped to create. It was, however, this same Christian Religion, which has now fallen into such a state of impotence, that eventually proved itself capable of sweeping away the institutions of. paganism and of swamping and suppressing the cults that had flourished in that age.

Such institutions as have strayed far from the spirit and teachings of Jesus Christ must of necessity, as the embryonic World Order of Baha'u'llah takes shape and unfolds, recede into the background, and make way for the progress of the divinely-ordained institutions that stand inextricably-interwoven with His teachings. The indwelling Spirit of God which, in the Apostolic Age of the Church, animated its members, the pristine purity of its teachings, the primitive brilliancy of its light, will, no doubt, be reborn and revived as the in- ' evitable consequence of this redefinition of its fundamental verities, and the clarification of its original purpose. V.0.B. M). 184-185

What a sorry spectacle of impotence and disruption does this fratricidal war (World War II), which Christian nations are waging against Christian nations -— Anglicans pitted against Lutherans, Catholics against Greek Orthodox, Catholics against Catholics, and Protestants against Protestants --'in support of a so-called Christian civilization, offer to the eyes of those who are already perceiving the bankruptcy of the institutions that claim to speak in the name, and to be the custodians, of the Faith of Jesus Christ! The powerlessness and despair of the Holy See to halt this internecine strife, in which the children of the Prince of Peace -- blessed and supported by the benedictions and harangues of the prelates of a hopelessly divided church -- are engaged, proclaim the degree of subservience into whichthe once all—powerful institutions of the Christian Faith have sunk, and are a striking reminder of the parallel state of decadence into which the hierarchies of its sister religion have fallen.

P.D.C. p. 109

Such is the pass to which the Christian clergy have come -- a clergy that have interposed themselves between their flock and the Christ returned in the glory of the Father. As the Faith of this Promised One penetrates farther and farther into the heart of Christendom, as its recruits from the garrisons which its spirit is assailing multiply, and provoke a concerted and determined action in defense of the strongholds of Christian orthodoxy, and as the forces of nationalism, paganism, secularism and racialism move jointly towards a climax, might we not expect that the decline in the power, the authority, and the prestige of these ecclesiastics will be accentuated, and further demonstrate the truth,

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[Page 45]and more fully unfold the implications, of Baha'u'llah's pronouncement predicting the eclipse of the luminaries of the Church of Jesus Christ. P.D.0. 7575. 110—121

Devastating indeed has been the havoc wrought in the fortunes of the shi'ih hierarchy in Persia, and pitiable the lot reserved for its remnant now groaning under the yoke of a civil authority it had for centuries scorned and dominated. Cataclysmic indeed has been the collapse of the most preeminent institution of sunn1 Islam, and irretrievable the downfall of its hierarchy in a country that had championed the cause of the self- styled vicar of the Prophet of God. Steady and relentless is the process which has brought such destruction, shame, division, and weakness to the defenders of the strongholds of Christian ecclesiasticism, and black indeed are the clouds that darken its horizon. Through the actions of Muslim and Christian divines —- ”idols," whom Baha' u'llah has stigmatized as constituting the majority of His enemies -- who failed, as COmmanded by Him, to lay aside their pens and fling away their fancies, and who, as He Himself testified, had they believed in Him would have brought about the conversion of the masses, Islam and Christianity have, it would be no exaggeration to say, entered the most critical phase of their history. - P.D.C'. p. 111

Decline of Other Religious Hierarchies

Nor can we fail to note the progressive deterioration in the authority, wielded by the ecclesiastical leaders of the Jewish and Zoroastrian Faiths, ever since the voice of Bahá’u’lláh was raised, announcing, in no uncertain terms, that the "Most Great Law is come", that the Ancient Beauty "ruleth upon the throne of David", and that "whatsoever hath been announced in the Books (Zoroastrian Holy Writ) hath been revealed and made clear". The evidences of increasing revolt against clerical authority; the disrespect and indifference shown to time-honored Observances, rituals and ceremonials; the repeated inroads made by the forces of an aggressive and often hostile nationalism into the spheres of clerical jurisdiction; and the general apathy with which, particularly in the case of the professed adherents of the Zoroastrian Faith, these encroachments are r’egarded -- all provide, beyond the shadow of a doubt, further justification of the warnings and predictions uttered by Baha' u'llah in His historic addresses to the world's ecclesiastical leaders. G. P. B. ., p. 230

Termination of Dominion

Such in sum are the awful evidences of God's retributive justice that have afflicted kings as well as ecclesiastics, 1n both the East and the West, as a direct consequence of either their active opposition to the Faith of Baha' u'llah, or of their lamentable failure to respond to His call, to inquire into His Message, to avert the sufferings He endured, or to heed the marvelous signs and prodigies which, during a hundred years, have accompanied the birth and rise of His Revelation.

"If ye pay no heed", Bahal'u'llah thus warned the kings of the earth, "unto the counsels which...We have revealed in this Tablet, Divine chastisement will assail you from every direction...On that day ye shall...recognize your own impotence". And again: “Though aware of most of Our afflictions, ye, nevertheless, have failed to stay the hand of the aggressor". And, furthermore, this arraignment: ”...We...will be patient, as We have been patient in that which

45

[Page 46]hath befallen Us at your hands, O concourse of Kings ! "

Condemning specifically the world's ecclesiastical leaders, He has written: "The source and origin of tyranny have been the divines...God, verily, is clear of them, and We, too, are clear of them". "When We observed carefully...We discovered that Our enemies are, for the most part, the divines”. “O concourse of divines ! " He thus addresses them, "Ye shall not henceforth behold yourselves possessed of any power, inasmuch as We have seized it from you..." ”Had ye believed in God when He revealed Himself,...the people would not have turned aside from Him, nor would the things ye witness today have befallen Us." Referring more specifically to Muslim ecclesiastics, He asserts, "They rose up against Us with such cruelty as hath sapped the strength of Islam...” "The d‘ivines of Persia committed that which no people amongst the peoples of the world hath committed". And again: ”...The divines of Persia... have perpetrated what the Jews have not perpetrated during the Revelation of Him Who is the Spirit (Jesus). " And finally, these portentous prophecies: ”Because of you the people were abased, and the banner of Islam was hauled down, and its mighty throne subverted". "Erelong will all that ye possess perish, and your glory be turned into the most wretched abasement, and ye shall behold the punishment for what ye have erught” ." "Erelong," the Báb Himself, even more openly prophesies, "We will, in very truth, torment such as waged war against Husayn (Imam Husayn)“ .with the most afflictive torment.. " "Erelong will God wreakHis vengeance upon them, at the time of Our return, and He hath, in very truth, prepared for them, in the world to come, a severe torment."

G.P.B., p¢>. 230-231.

From two ranks amongst men power hath been seized: kings and ecclesiastics. Bahd'u'uéh.

HUMANITY IN GENERAL

Proclamation

. 0 My servants, incline your hearts to Him Who is the Source of your creation...0 My servants! My holy, My divinely ordained Revelation may be likened unto an ocean in whose depths are concealed innumerable pearls of great price, of surpassing luster. It is the duty of every seeker to bestir himself and strive to attain the shores of this ocean, so that he may in proportion to the eagerness of his search and the efforts he hath exerted, partake of such benefits as have been pre—ordained in God's irrevocable and hidden Tablets..

0 My servants! Through the might of God and His power, and out of the treasury of His knowledge and wisdom, I have brought forth and revealed unto you the pearls that lay concealed in the depths of His everlasting ocean... 0 My servants! There shineth nothing else in Mine heart except the unfading light of the Morn of Divine guidance, and out of My mouth proceedeth naught but the essence of truth, which the Lord your God hath revealed. Follow not, therefore, your earthly desires, and violate not the Covenant of God, nor break your pledge to Him. With firm determination, with the whole affection of your heart, and with the full force of your words, turn ye unto Him, and walk not in the ways of the foolish... 01., M- 325—328.

Incline your ears to the sweet melody of this Prisoner. Arise, and lift

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[Page 47]up your voices, that haply they that are fast asleep may be awakened. Say: 0 ye who are as dead! The Hand of Divine bounty proffereth unto you the Water of Life. Hasten and drink your fill. Whoso hath been re-born in this Day, shall never die; whoso remaineth dead, shall never live. 01. 1:. 213

Say: O ye that have strayed and lost your way! The Divine Messenger, Who speaketh naught but the truth, hath announced unto you the coming of the Best-Beloved. Behold, He is now come. Wherefore are ye downcast and dejected? Why remain despondent when the Pure and Hidden One hath appeared unveiled amongst you? He Who is both the Beginning and the End, He Who is both Stillness and Motion, is now manifest before your eyes. Behold how, in this Day, the Beginning is reflected in the End, how out of Stillness Motion hath been engendered. This motion hath been generated by the potent energies which the words of the Almighty havereleased throughout the entire creation. Whoso hath been quickened by its vitalizing power, will find himself impelled to attain the court of the Beloved; and whoso hath deprived himself therefrom, will sink into irretrievable despondency. He is truly wise whom the world and all that is therein have not deterred from recognizing the light of this Day, who will not allow men's idle talk to cause him to swerve from the way of righteousness, He is indeed as one dead who, at the wondrous dawn of this Revelation, hath failed to be quickened by its soul-stirring breeze. He is indeed a captive who hath not recognized the Supreme Redeemer, but hath suffered his soul to be bound, distressed, and helpless, in the fetters of his desires.

0 My servants! Whoso hath tasted of this Fountain hath attained unto everlasting Life, and whoso hath refused to drink therefrom is even as the dead. Say: O ye workers of iniquity! Covetousness hath hindered you from giving a hearing ear unto the sweet voice of Him Who is the All-Sufficing. Wash it away from your hearts, that His Divine secret may be made known unto you. Behold Him manifest and resplendent as the sun in all its glory. 01- M- 158-169

This is the infallible Balance which the hand of God is holding, in which all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth are weighed, and their fate determined, if ye be of them that believe and recognize this truth.

Gl. 1x 136

ResEonse

Behold, how the divers peoples and kindreds of the earth have been waiting for the coming of the Promised One. No sooner had He, Who is the Sun of Truth, been made manifest, than, 10, all turned away from Him, except them whom God was pleased to guide... 61. p. 9

Consider the past. How many, both high and low, have, at all times, yearningly awaited the advent of the Manifestations of God in the sanctified persons of His chosen Ones. How often have they expected His coming, how frequently have they prayed that the breeze of Divine mercy might blow, and the promised Beauty step forth from behind the veil of concealment, and be made manifest to all the world. And whensoever the portals of grace did open, and the clouds of divine bounty did rain upon mankind, and the lights of the Unseen did shine above the horizon of celestial might, they all denied Him, and turned away from His face - the face of God Himself...

Reflect, what could have been the motive for such deeds ? . What could have prompted such behavior towards the Revealers of the beauty of the AllGlorious ? Whatever in days gone by hath been the cause of the denial and opposition of those people hath now led to the perversity of the people of this

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[Page 48]age...Such behavior can be attributed to naught save the pettymindedness of such souls as tread the valley of arrogance and pride, are lost in the wilds of remoteness, walk in the ways of their idle fancy, and follow the dictates of the leaders of their faith. Their chief concern is mere opposition; their sole desire is to ignore the truth. Unto every discerning observer it is evident and manifest that had these people in the days of each of the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth sanctified their eyes, their ears, and their hearts from whatever they had seen, heard, and felt, they surely would not have been deprived of beholding the beauty of God, nor strayed far from the habitations of glory. But having weighed the testimony of God by the standard of their own knowledge, gleaned from the teachings of the leaders of their faith, and found it at variance with their limited understanding, they arose to perpetrate such unseemly acts.... Gl- M?- 17-19

Consider this wronged One. Though the clearest proofs attest the truth of His Cause; though the prophecies He, in an unmistakable language, hath made have been fulfilled; though, in spite of His not being accounted among the learned, His being unschooled and inexperienced in the disputations current among the divines, He hath rained upon men the showers of His manifold and Divinelyinspired knowledge; yet, behold how this generation hath rejected His authority, and rebelled against Him! 01. 1:. 58

Consider these days in which the Ancient Beauty, He Who is the Most Great Name, hath been sent down to regenerate and unify mankind. Behold how with drawn swords they rose against Him, and committed that which caused the Faithful Spirit to tremble. And whenever We said unto them: 'Lo, the World Reformer is come,‘ they made reply: 'He, in truth, is one of the stirrers of mischief.‘ "It beseemeth all men in this Day," He, in another Tablet, asserts, "to take firm hold on the Most Great Name, and to establish the unity of all mankind. There is no place to flee to, no refugelthat,any one can seek except Him."

Bahá’u’lláh, cited in V.0.B. i). 163

Every one who hath turned aside from Me hath clung to his own idle words, and therewith voiced his objections to Him Who is the Truth. ‘ E.SJv’. ¢. 121 Be thou assured in thyself that verily, he who turns away from this Beauty hath also turned away from the Messenger; of the past and showeth pride towards God from all eternity to all eternity. Baha’u'llc’m. Tablet Of Ahmad, Pmye?’ 300k 1:. 69

Warning

"As to those who deny Him Who is the Sublime Gate of God," the Báb, for His part, has affirmed in the Qayyiimu'l—Asmaf', "for them We have prepared, as justly decreed by God, a sore torment. And He, God, is the Mighty, the Wise." And further, "O peoples of the earth! I swear by your Lord! Ye shall act as former generations have acted. Warn ye, then, yourselves of the terrible, the most grievous vengeance of God. For God is, verily, potent over all things.” And again: "By My glory! I will make the infidels to taste, with the hands of My power, retributions unknown of any one except Me, and will waft over the faithful those musk-scented breaths which I have nursed in the midmost heart of My throne." P.D.0. p. 2

By My Beauty! Nothing whatsoever shall in this Day be accepted from you, though ye continue to worship and prostrate yourselves before God throughout the eternity of His dominion. For all things are dependent upon His Will, and the worth of all acts is conditioned upon His acceptance and pleasure. The whole universe is but a handful of clay in His grasp. Unless one recognize God

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[Page 49]and love Him, his cry shall not be heard by God in this Day. This is of the essence of His Faith, did ye but know it.

Will ye be content with that which is like the vapor in a plain, and be willing to forego the Ocean Whose waters refresh, by virtue of the Will of God, the sculs of men? Woe unto you, for having repaid the bounty of God with so vain and contemptible a thing. Ye are, indeed, of them that have rejected Me in My previous Revelation. Would that your hearts could comprehend." "Arise, and, under the eyes of God, atone for your failures in duty towards Him. This is My commandment unto you, were ye to incline your ears unto My commandment... 6].. ¢>. 293

We perceive none, however, amongst the people of the earth who, sincerely yearning for the Truth, seeketh the guidance of the divine Manifestations concerning the abstruse matters of his Faith. All are dwellers in the land of oblivion, and all are followers of the people of wickedness and rebellion. God will verily do unto them that which they themselves are doing, and will forget them even as they have ignored His Presence in His day. Such is His decree unto those that have' denied Him, and such will it be unto them that have rejected His signs. I’qa’n Ma. 256—257

God assuredly dominateth the lives of them that wronged Us, and is well aware of their doings. He will most certainly lay hold on them for their sins. He, verily, is the fiercest of Avengers. Bahci’u'lla’h, cited in P.D.0. p. 3

The days are approaching their end, and yet the peoples of the earth

are seen sunk in grievous heedlessness, and lost in manifest error. Bahá’u’lláh, cited in A. D. J. b 68

Know ye that the world and its vanities and its embellishments shall pass away. Nothing will endure except God's Kingdom which pertaineth to none but Him... The days of your life shall roll away, and all the things with which ye are occupied and of which ye boast yourselves shall perish, and ye shall, most certainly, be summoned by a company of His angels to appear at the spot where the limbs of the entire creation shall be made to tremble, and the flesh of every oppressor to creep. Ye shall be asked of the things your hands have wrought in this, your vain life, and shall be repaid for your doings. This is the day that shall inevitably come upon you, the hour that none can put back. To this the

Tongue of Him that speaketh the truth and is the Knower of all things hath testified. GI. 12. 125

Soon shall the blasts of His chastisement beat upon you, and the dust of hell enshroud you. Those men who, having amassed the vanities and ornaments of the earth, have turned away disdainfully from God -- these have lost both this world and the world to come. Ere long, will God, with the Hand of Power, strip them of their possessions, and divest them of the robe of His bounty. To this they themselves shall soon witness . . .

Say: O people! Let not this life and its deceits deceive you, for the world and all that is therein is held firmly in the grasp of His Will. He bestoweth His favor on whom He willeth, and from whom He willeth he taketh it away. He doth whatsoever He chooseth. Had the world been of any worth in His sight, He surely would never have allowed His enemies to possess it, even to the extent of a grain of mustard seed. He hath, however, caused you to be entangled with its affairs, in return for what your hands have wrought in His Cause. This, indeed, is a chastisement which ye, of your own will, have inflicted upon yourselves, could ye but perceive it. 01. 1'2. 209

Bestir yourselves, O people, in anticipation of the days of Divine

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[Page 50]Justice, for the promised hour is now come. Abandon that which ye possess, and seize that which God, Who layeth low the necks of men, hath brought. Know ye of a certainty that if ye turn not back from that which ye have committed, chastisement will overtake you on every side, and ye shall behold things more grievous than that which ye beheld aforetime. Bahd'u'udh, cited in P.D.C. p. 3

O ye peoples of the world! Know, verily, that an unforeseen calamity is following you, and that grievous retribution awaiteth you. Think not the deeds ye have committed have been blotted from My sight. By My Beauty! All your doings hath My Pen graven with open characters upon tablets of chrysolite.

Gl. Mfi. 209—210

Say: There is no place of refuge for you, no asylum to which ye can flee, no one to defend or to protect you in this Day from the fury of the wrath of God and from His vehement power, unless and until ye seek the shadow of His Revelation. This, indeed, is His Revelation which hath been manifested unto you in the person of this Youth. 01. p. 257

Say: O concourse of the heedless! I swear by God! The promised day is come, the day when tormenting trials will have surged above your heads, and beneath your feet, saying: "Taste ye what your hands have wrought! "

Bahd'u'llah, cited in A.D.J. p. 68

Judgment — World-Afflicting Ordeal

Humanity itself, perverse and utterly heedless, had refused to lend a _ hearing ear to the insistent appeals and warnings sounded by the twin Founders of the Faith, and later voiced by the Center of the Covenant in His public discourses in the West. G.P.B. t. #08

(Humanity's heedlessness has precipitated) a world upheaval, unleashing forces that are deranging the social, the religious, the political, and the economic equilibrium of organized society, throwing into chaos and confusion political systems, racial doctrines, social conceptions, cultural standards, religious associations, and trade relationships.... A.D.J. 12. 2

Signs of Moral Downfall

This great retributive calamity, for which the world's supreme leaders, both secular and religious, are to be regarded as primarily answerable, as testified by Baha' u'llah, should not, if we would correctly appraise it, be regarded solely as a punishment meted out by God to a world that has, for a hundred years, persisted in its refusal to embrace the truth of the redemptive Message proffered to it by the supreme Messenger of God in this day. It should be viewed also, though to a lesser degree, in the light of a divine retribution for the perversity of the human race in general, in casting itself adrift from those elementary principles which must, at all times, govern, and can alone safeguard, the life and progress of mankind. P.D.C'. f). 116

Evils and vices, which are, for the most part, the direct consequences of the ”weakening of the pillars of religion," must also be regarded as contributory factors to the manifold guilt of which individuals and nations stand convicted. P.D.0. p 119

The signs of moral downfall, as distinct from the evidences of decay in religious institutions, would appear to be no less noticeable and significant. The

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[Page 51]decline that has set in in the fortunes of Islamic and Christian institutions may be said to have had its counterpart in the life and conduct of the individuals that compose them. In whichever direction we turn our gaze, no matter how cursory our observation of the doings and sayings of the present generation, we can not fail to be struck by the evidences of moral decadence which, in their individual lives no less than in their collective capacity, men and women around us exhibit.

There can be no doubt that the decline of religion as a social force, of which the deterioration of religious institutions is but an external phenomenon, is chiefly responsible for so grave, so conspicuous an evil.

V.0.B. t. 186

”The weakening of the pillars of religion hath strengthened the hands of the ignorant and made them bold and arrogant. Verily I say, whatsoever hath lowered the lofty station of religion hath increased the waywardness of the wicked, and the result cannot be but anarchy." "Know thou," He, in yet another connection, has written, "that they who are truly wise have likened the world unto the human temple. As the body of man needeth a garment to clothe it, so the body of mankind must needs be adorned with the mantle of justice and

wisdom. Its robe is the Revelation vouchsafed unto it by God. " Bahá’u’lláh, cited in V.0.B.1>¢>.186'—187

No wonder, therefore, that when, as a result of human perversity, the light of religion is quenched in men's hearts, and the divinely appointed Robe, designed to adorn the human temple, is deliberately discarded, a deplorable decline in the fortunes of humanity immediately sets in, bringing in its wake all the evils which a wayward soul is capable of revealing. The perversion of human nature, the degradation of human conduct, the corruption and dissolution of human institutions, reveal themselves, under such circumstances, in their worst and most revolting aspects. Human character is debased, confidence is shaken, the nerves of discipline are relaxed, the voice of human conscience is stilled, the sense of decency and shame is obscured, conceptions of duty, of solidarity, of reciprocity and loyalty are distorted, and the very feeling of peacefulness, of joy and of hope is gradually extinguished.

Such, we might well admit, is the state which individuals and institutions alike are approaching. "No two men,” Baha‘ u'llah, lamenting the plight of an erring humanity, has written, "can be found who may be said to be outwardly and inwardly united. The evidences of discord and malice are apparent everywhere, though all were made for harmony and union." h’.0.B. 12. 187

The recrudescence of‘religious intolerance, of racial animosity, and of patriotic arrogance; the increasing evidences of selfishness, of suspicion, of fear and of fraud; the spread of terrorism, of lawlessness, of drunkenness, of gambling, and of crime; the unquenchable thirst for, and the feverish pursuit after, earthly vanities, riches and pleasures;*...the laxity in morals;** the weakening of family solidarity; the laxity in parental control; the lapse into luxurious indulgence; the irresponsible attitude towards marriage and the consequent rising tide of divorce; the degeneracy of art and music;*...the deterioration in the standard of literature and of the press;** the extension of the influence and activities of those "prophets of decadence" who advocate companionate marriage, who preach the philosophy of nudism, who call modesty an intellectual fiction, who refuse to regard the procreation of children as the sacred and primary purpose of marriage, who denounce religion as an opiate of the people, who would, if given free rein, lead back the human race to barbarism, chaos, and ultimate extinction* -- ...these evidences of moral decadence, invading both the East and the West, permeating every stratum of society, and instilling their poison in its members of both sexes, young and old alike, blacken still further the scroll upon which are inscribed the manifold trans 51

[Page 52]gressions of an unrepentant humanity;** (and) appear as the outstanding characteristics of a decadent society, a society that must either be reborn or perish.*

• V.0.B., pp. 187-188
  • P.D.C., p. 119

Breakdown of Political and Economic Structure

Politically a similar decline, a no less noticeable evidence of disintegration and confusion, can be discovered in the age we live in —- the age which a future historian might well recognize to have been the preamble to the Great Age, whose golden days We can as yet but dimly visualize.

The passionate and violent happenings that have, in recent years, strained to almost the point of complete breakdown the political and economic structure of society are too numerous and complex to attempt, within the limitations of this general survey, to arrive at an adequate estimate of their character. Nor have these tribulations, grievous as they have been, seemed to have reached their climax, and exerted the full force of their destructive power. The whole world, wherever and however we survey it, offers us the sad and pitiful spectacle of a vast, an enfeebled, and moribund organism, which is being torn politically and strangulated economically by forces it has ceased to either control or comprehend. V.0.B. p. 188

Economic distress.... together with political confusion, financial upheavals, religious restlessness and racial animosities, seem to have conspired to add immeasurably to the burdens under which an impoverished, a war-weary world is groaning. Such has been the cumulative effect of...successive crises, following one another with such bewildering rapidity, that the very foundations of society are trembling. The world, to whichever continent we turn our gaze, to however remote a region our survey may extend, is everywhere assailed by forces it can neither explain not control.

Europe, hitherto regarded as the cradle of a highly-vaunted civilization, as the torch-bearer of liberty and the mainspring of the forces of world industry and commerce, stands bewildered and paralysed at the sight of so tremendous an upheaval. Long-cherished ideals in the political no less than in the economic sphere of human activity are being severely tested under the pressure of reactionary forces on one hand and of an insidious and persistent radicalism on the other. From the heart of Asia rumblings, ominous and insistent, portend the steady onslaught of a creed which, by its negation'of God, His Laws and Principles, threatens to disrupt the foundations of human society. The clamor of nationalism, coupled with a recrudescence of skepticism and unbelief, come as added misfortunes to a continent hitherto regarded as the symbol of age-long stability and undisturbed resignation. From darkest Africa the stirrings of a conscious and determined revolt against the aims and methods of political and economic imperialism can be increasingly discerned, adding their share to the growing vicissitudes of a troubled age. Not even America, which until recently prided itself on its traditional policy of aloofness and the self-contained character of its economy, the invulnerability of its institutions and the evidences of its growing prosperity and prestige, has been able to resist the impelling forces that have swept her into the vortex of an economic hurricane that now threatens to impair the basis of her own industrial and economic life. Even far-away Australia, which, owing to its remoteness from the storm-centers of Europe, would have been expected to be immune from the trials and torments of an ailing continent, has been caught in this whirlpool of passion and strife, impotent to extricate herself from their ensnaring influence. V.0.B. M). 30—31

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[Page 53]World Wars

Humanity has plunged into two desolating wars of unprecedented magnitude, which have deranged its equilibrium, mown down its youth, and shaken it to its roots. G.P.B. p. 409

The Outbreak of the first World War the first stage of a world. upheaval (0.1%. #7. 30) signalized the opening of the Age of Frustration that turbulent Age, into the outer fringes of whose darkest phase we are not beginning to enter. (v.0.B. p. 171 , 1936) On the morrow of the jubilant celebrations that greeted the termination of World War (I) -- a war, which by the horrors it evoked, and the losses it entailed and the complications it engendered, was destined to exert so far-reaching an influence on the fortunes of mankind. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá) stressed the cruel deception which a Pact (Versailles), hailed by peoples and nations as the embodiment of triumphant justice and the unfailing instrument of an abiding peace, held in store for an unrepentant humanity. "Peace, Peace," how often we heard Him remark, "the lips of potentates and peoples unceasingly proclaim, whereas the fire of unquenched hatreds still smoulders in their hearts." How often we heard Him raise His voice, whilst the tumult of triumphant enthusiasm was still at its height and long before the faintest misgivings could have been felt or expressed, confidently declaring that the Document, extolled as the Charter of a liberated humanity, contained within itself seeds of such bitter deception as would further ensalve the world.

v.0.3. 1215. 29—30

Neither the force which the framers and guarantors of the Peace Treaties have mustered, nor the lofty ideals which originally animated the author of the Covenant of the League of Nations, have proved a sufficient bulwark against the forces of internal disruption with which a structure so laboriously contrived had been consistently assailed. Neither the provisions of the so-called Settlement which the victorious Powers have sought to impose, nor the machinery of an institution which America's illustrious and far—seeing President had conceived, have proved, either in conception or practice, adequate instruments to ensure the integrity of the Order they had striven to establish. "The ills from which the world now suffers," wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’. in January, 1920, ”will multiply; the gloom which enve10ps it will deepen. The Balkans will remain discontented. Its restlessness will increase. The vanquished Powers will continue to agitate. They will resort to every me asure V that may rekindle the flame of war. Movements, newly-born and world—wide in their range, will exert their utmost effort for the advancement of their designs. The movement of the Left will acquire great importance. Its influence will spread." (V.0.B. pp. 29-30) ..."another war, fiercer than the last, will assuredly break out.” V.0.B. 1;. 46

The agitation in the Balkan Peninsula; the feverish activity in which Germany and Italy played a disastrous role, culminating in the outbreak of the second world war; the rise of the Fascist and Nazi movements, which spread their ramifications to distant parts of the globe; the spread of communism all these' happenings, some unequivocally, others in veiled language, have been forecast in this Tablet... (LR. 1:. 35

Its (World War II) immediate cause can be traced to the forces engendered by the last war of which it may be truly regarded as the direct continuation. Its first sparks were kindled on the eastern shores of the Asiatic continent, enveloping two sister races of the world in a conflagration which no force seems able to either quench or circumscribe. This cataclysmic process was accelerated by the outbreak of a fierce conflict in the heart of Europe,

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[Page 54]fanning into flame age-long animosities and unchaining a series of calamities as swift as they were appalling. As the turmoil gathered momentum, it swept remorselessly into its vortex the most powerful nations of the European continent —— the chief protagonists of that highly—vaunted yet lamentably defective civilization. The mounting tide of its havoc and devastation soon overspread the northernmost regions of that afflicted continent, subsequently ravaged the shores of the Mediterranean, and invaded the African continent as far as Ethiopia and the surrounding territories. The Balkan countries,...were soon to sustain the impact of this tragic ordeal, communicating in their turn the commotions to which they had been subjected to both the Near and Middle East,... (N-A- 75- ’46) ...The leading Power of the Western Hemisphere... together with sister republics (was) suddenlv though not unexpectedly plunged into the crucible of world conflagration. (M.A. p. 53)

The cessation of hostilities signalized yet another chapter in the tragic tale of fiery trials providentially decreed by inscrutable wisdom...

(AM. 151;. 80—81)

Bankruptcy of Institutions

(Recurrent economic and political crises, World War I, the Great Depression, the collapse of the League of Nations, World War II, the continuous burdens of mounting armaments, heavy taxation, the vast number of men under arms or in reserve, the relative impotence of the United Nations to stem the tide of civil and international skirmishes Over the world, the innumerable fruitless international conferences) -- all these demonstrate, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the impotence of present-day institutions to avert the calamities with which human society is being increasingly threatened. What else remains, a bewildered generation may well ask, that can repair the cleavage that is constantly widening, and which may, at any time, engulf it? II.0.B. 17. 190

Beset on every side by the cumulative evidences of disintegration, of turmoil and of bankruptcy, serious-minded men and women, in almost every walk of life, are beginning to doubt whether society, as it is now organized, can, through its unaided efforts, extricate itself from the slough into which it is steadily sinking. Every system, short of the unification of the human race, has been tried, repeatedly tried, and been found wanting. Wars again and again have been fought, and conferences without number have met and deliberated. Treaties, pacts and covenants have been painstakingly negotiated, concluded and revised. Systems of government have been patiently tested, have been continually recast and superseded. Economic plans of reconstruction have been carefully devised, and meticulously executed. And yet crisis has succeeded crisis, and the rapidity with which a perilously unstable world is declining has been correspondingly accelerated. A. yawning gulf threatens to involve in one common disaster both the satisfied and dissatisfied nations, democracies and dictatorships, capitalists and wage-earners, Europeans and Asiatics, Jew and Gentile, white and colored. An angry Providence, the cynic might well observe, has abandoned a hapless planet to its fate, and fixed irrevocably its doom. Sore-tried and disillusioned, humanity has no doubt lost its orientation, and would seem to have lost as well its faith and hope. It is hovering, unshepherded and visionless, on the brink of disaster. A sense of fatality seems to pervade it. An ever-deepening gloom is settling on its fortunes as she recedes further and further from the outer fringes of the darkest zone of its agitated life and penetrates its very heart. V.0.B. p. 190

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[Page 55]The Three False Gods

Humanity has, alas, With increasing insistence, preferred, instead of acknowledging and adoring the Spirit of God as embodied in His religion in this day, to worship those false idols, untruths and half-truths, which are obscuring its religions, corrupting its spiritual life, convulsing its political institutions, corroding its social fabric, and shattering its economic structure.

Not only have the peoples of the earth ignored, and some of them even assailed, a Faith which is at once the essence, the promise, the reconciler, and the unifier of all religions, but they have drifted away from their own religions, and set up on their subverted altars other gods wholly alien not only to the spirit but to the traditional forms of their ancient faiths.

"The face of the world," Bahaf'u'lla’th laments, "hath altered. The way of God and the religion of God have ceased to be of any worth in the eyes of men." "The vitality of men's belief in God," He also has written, "is dying out in every land The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the Vitals of human society." ”Religion," He affirms, ”is verily the chief instrument for the establishment of order in the world, and of tranquillity amongst its peoples.... The greater the decline of religion, the more grievous the waywardness of the ungodly. This cannot but lead in the end to chaos and confusion." And again: "Religion is a radiant light and an impregnable stronghold for the protection and welfare of the peoples of the world."

This vital force is dying out, this mighty agency has been scorned, this radiant light is obscured, this impregnable stronghold abandoned, this beauteous robe discarded. God Himself has indeed been dethroned from the hearts of men, and an idolatrous world passionately and clamorously hails and worships the false gods which its own idle fancies have fatuously created, and its misguided hands so impiously exalted. The chief idols in the desecrated temple of mankind are none other than the triple gods of

(1) Nationalism,

(2) Racialism,

(3) and Communism, at whose altars govermnents and peoples, whether democratic or totalitarian, at peace or at war, of the East or of the West, Christian or Islamic, are, in various forms and in different degrees, now worshiping. Their high priests are the politicians and the worldly—wise’, the so-called sages of the age; their sacrifice, the flesh and blood of the slaughtered multitudes; their incantations outworn shibboleths and insidious and irreverent formulas; their incense, the smoke of anguish that ascends from the lacerated hearts of the bereaved, the maimed, and the homeless.

The theories and policies, so unsound, so pernicious, which deify the state and exalt the nation above mankind, which seek to subordinate the sister races of the world to one single race, which discriminate between the black and the white, and which tolerate the dominance of one privileged class over all others -— these are the dark, the false, the crooked doctrines for which any man or people who believes in them, or acts upon them, must, sooner or later, incur the wrath and chastisement of God.

"Movements," is the warning sounded by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, "newly-born and world-wide in their range, will exert their utmost effort for the advancement oftheir designs. The Movement of the Left will acquire great importance. Its influence will spread." P.D.0. M. 116—118

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[Page 56]SIGNIFICANCE OF WORLD CHAOS

HUMAN HEEDLESSNESS

So blind hath become the human heart that neither the disruption of the city, nor the reduction of the mountain in dust, nor even the cleaving of the earth, can shake off its torpor. The allusions made in the Scriptures have been unfolded, and the signs recorded therein have been revealed, and the prophetic cry is continually being raised. And yet all, except such as God was pleased to guide, are bewildered in the drunkenness of their heedlessness!

Witness how the world is being afflicted with a fresh calamity every day. Its tribulation is continually deepening. From the moment the Suriy- iRa' is (Tablet to Ra' is) was revealed until the present day, neither hath the world been tranquilized, nor have the hearts of its peoples been at rest. At one time it hath been agitated by contentions and disputes, at another it hath been convulsed by wars, and fallen a victim to inveterate diseases. Its sickness is approaching the stage of utter hopelessness, inasmuch as the true Physician is debarred from administering the remedy, whilst unskilled practitioners are regarded with favor, and are accorded full freedom to act....The dust of sedition hath clouded the hearts of men, and blinded their eyes. Erelong, they will perceive the consequences of what their hands have erught in the Day of God...

01. M. 39-40

Behold the disturbances which, for many a long year, have afflicted the earth, and the perturbation that hath seized its peoples. It hath either been ravaged by war, or tormented by sudden and unforeseen calamities. Though the world is encompassed with misery and distress. yet no man hath paused to reflect what the cause or source of that may be. Whenever the True Counsellor uttered a word in admonishment, lo, they all denounced Him as a mover of mischief and rejected His claim. How bewildering, how confusing is such behavior! Gt. 1’. 318

The All-Merciful is come invested with undoubted sovereignty. The Balance hath been appointed, and all them that dwell on earth have been gathered together. The Trumpet hath been blown, and 10, all eyes have stared up with terror, and the hearts of all who are in the heavens and on the earth have trembled, except them whom the breath of the verses of God hath quickened, and who have detached themselves from all things.

This is the Day whereon the earth shall tell out her tidings. The workers of iniquity are her burdens, could ye but perceive it. The moon of idle fancy hath been cleft, and the heaven hath given out a palpable smoke. We see the people laid low, awed with the dread of thy Lord, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. The Crier hath cried out, and men have been torn away, so great hath been the fury of His wrath. The people of the left hand sigh and bemoan. The people of the right abide in noble habitations: they quaff the Wine that is life indeed, from the hands of the All-Merciful, and are, verily, the blissful.

The earth hath been shaken, and the mountains have passed away, and the angels have appeared, rank on rank, before Us. Most of the people are bewildered in their drunkenness and wear on their faces the evidences of anger. Thus have We gathered together the workers of iniquity. We see them rushing on towards their idol. Say: None shall be secure this Day from the decree of God. This indeed is a grievous Day. We point out to them those that led them astray. They see them, and yet recognize them not. Their eyes are drunken; they are indeed a blind people. Their proofs are the calumnies they uttered; condemned are their calumnies by God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

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[Page 57]The Evil One hath stirred up mischief in their hearts, and they are afflicted with a torment that none can avert. They hasten to the wicked, bearing the register of the workers of iniquity. Such are their doings.

Say: The Heavens have been folded together, and the earth is held within His grasp, and the corrupt doers have been held by their forelock, and still they understand not. They drink of the tainted water, and know it not. Say: The shout hath been raised, and the people have come forth from their graves, and arising are gazing around them. Some have made haste to attain the court of the God of Mercy, others have fallen down on their faces in the fire of Hell, while still others are lost in bewilderment. The verses of God have been revealed, and yet they have turned away from them. His proof hath been manifested, and yet they are unaware of it. And when they behold the face of the All-Merciful, their own faces are saddened, while they are disporting themselves. They hasten forward to Hell Fire, and mistake it for light. Far from God be what they fondly imagine! Say: Whether ye rejoice or whether ye burst for fury, the heavens are cleft asunder, and God hath come down, invested with radiant sovereignty. All created things are heard exclaiming: "The Kingdom is God’s, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise." 01. ¢. 40-42

A CENTURY OF INDIFFERENCE

Well nigh a hundred years have elapsed since the Revelation of Baha'u'llah dawned upon the world -- a Revelation, the nature of which, as affirmed by Himself, "none among the Manifestations of old, except to a prescribed degree, hath ever completely apprehended." P.D.c. 1). U

In a hundred volumes, the rep05itories of priceless precepts, mighty laws, unique principles, impassioned exhortations, reiterated warnings, amazing prophecies, sublime invocations, and weighty commentaries, the Bearer of such a Message has proclaimed, as no Prophet before Him has done, the Mission with which God had entrusted Him. To emperors, kings, princes and potentates, to rulers, governments, clergy and peoples, whether of the East or of the West, whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, or Zoroastrian, He addressed, for well-nigh fifty yearS, and in the most tragic circumstances, these priceless pearls of knowledge and wisdom that lay hid within the ocean of His matchless utterance. Forsaking fame and fortune, accepting imprisonment and exile, careless of ostracism and obloquy, submitting to physical indignities and cruel deprivations, He, the Vice—gerent of God on earth, suffered Himself to be banished from place to place and from country to country, till at length He, in the Most Great Prison, offered up His martyred son as a ransom for the redemption and unification of all mankind. P.D.c. 1:. 4

Is there any excuse left for any one in this Revelation? No, by God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne! My signs have encompassed the earth, and My power enveloped all mankind, and yet the people are wrapped in a strange sleep!

Bahd'u'zzdh, cited in 10.0.0. ¢. 5

Who is the ruler, may it not be confidently asked, whether of the East or of the West, who, at any time since the dawn of so transcendent 3. Revelation, has been prompted to raise his voice either in its praise or against those who persecuted it? Which people has, in the course of so long a captivity, felt urged to arise and stem the tide of such tribulations? Who is the sovereign, excepting a single woman (Queen Marie of Rumania), shining in solitary glory, who has, in however small a measure, felt impelled to respond to the poignant call of Bahau'lla'.h? Who amongst the great ones of the earth was inclined to extend this

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[Page 58]infant Faith of God the benefit of his recognition or support? Which one of the multitudes of creeds, sects, races, parties and classes and of the highly diversified schools of human thought, considered it necessary to direct its gaze towards the rising light of the Faith, to contemplate its unfolding system, to ponder its hidden processes, to appraise its weighty message, to acknowledge its regenerative power, to embrace its salutary truth, or to proclaim its eternal verities? Who among the worldly-wise and the so-called men of insight and wisdom can justly claim, after the lapse of nearly a century, to have disinterestedly approved its theme, to have considered impartially its claims, to have taken sufficient pains to delve into its literature, to have as siduously striven to separate facts from fiction, or to have accorded its cause the treatment it merits ? Where are the preeminent exponents, whether of the arts or sciences, with the exception of a few isolated cases, who have lifted a finger, or whispered a word of commendation, in either the defense or the praise of a Faith that has conferred upon the world so priceless a benefit, that has suffered so long and so grievously, and which enshrines within its shell so enthralling a promise for a world so woefully battered, so manifestly bankrupt? P.D.C. M7. 12—13

How -- we may well ask ourselves -- has the world, the object of such Divine solicitude, repaid Him Who sacrificed His all for its sake? What manner of welcome did it accord Him, and what response did His call evoke ? A clamor, unparalleled in the history of Shi' ih Islam, greeted, in the land of its birth, the infant light of the Faith, in the midst of a people notorious for its crass ignorance, its fierce fanaticism, its barbaric cruelty, its ingrained prejudices, and the unlimited sway held over the masses by a firmly entrenched ecclesiastical hierarchy. Persecution,...mowed down, with tragic swiftness, no less than twenty thousand of its heroic adherents, who refused to barter their newly-born faith for the fleeting honors and security of a mortal life.

To the bodily agonies inflicted upon these sufferers, the charges, so unmerited, of Nihilism, occultism, anarchism, eclecticism, immorality, sectarianism, heresy, political partisanship -- each conclusively disproved by the tenets of the Faith itself and by the conduct of its followers -- were added, swelling thereby the number of those who, unwittingly or maliciously, were injuring its cause.

Unmitigated indifference on the part of men of eminence and rank; unrelenting hatred shown by the ecclesiastical dignitaries of the Faith from which it had sprung; the scornful derision of the people among whom it was born; the utter contempt which most of those kings and rulers who had been addressed by its Author manifested towards it; the condemnations pronounced, the threats hurled, and the banishments decreed by those under whose sway it arose and first spread; the distortion to Which its principles and laws were subjected by the envious and the malicious, in lands and among peoples far beyond the country of its origin -— all these are but the evidences of the treatment meted out by a generation sunk in self—content, careless of its God, and oblivious of the omens, prophecies, warnings and admonitions revealed by His Messengers. P.D.C. M). 5—6

God' 5 ResEite

"If God should chastise men for their perverse doings, He would not leéwe upon the earth a moving thing! But to an appointed time doth He respite them." I’qa'n p. 170

I swear by God! But for the divine Decree, and the inscrutable dispensations of Providence, the earth itself would have utterly destroyed all this people! "He will, however, respite them until the appointed time of a known day. "

Iqan 1b. 172

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[Page 59]We have fixed a time for you, O people! If ye fail, at the appointed hour}, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you, and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every direction. How severe indeed is the chastisement with which your Lord will then chastise you!

Baha’wua’h, cited in P.D.0. ¢. 3

For a. whole century God has respited mankind, that it might acknowledge the Founder of such a Revelation, espouse His Cause, proclaim His greatness, and establish His Order. P.D.c. P- 4

The time for the destruction of the world and its people hath arrived! Baha’vu'ua’h, cited in 4.1m. 1:. 68

THE JUDGMENT OF GOD

A. tempest, unprecedented in its violence, unpredictable in its course, catastrophic in its immediate effects, unimaginably glorious in its ultimate consequences, is at present sweeping the face of the earth. Its driving power is remorselessly gaining in range and momentum. Its cleansing force, however much undetected, is increasing with every passing day. Humanity, gripped in the clutches of its devastating power, is smitten by the evidences of its resistless fury. It can neither perceive its origin, nor probe its significance, nor discern its outcome. Bewildered, agonized and helpless, it watches this great and mighty wind of God invading the remotest and fairest regions of the earth, rocking its foundations, deranging its equilibrium, sundering its nations, disrupting the homes of its peoples, wasting its cities, driving into exile its kings, pulling down its bulwarks, uprooting its institutions, dimming its light, and harrowing up the souls of its inhabitants.

Bahá’u’lláh's prophetic pen has proclaimed,...”The promised day is come, the day when tormenting trials will have surged above your heads, and beneath your feet, saying: 'Taste ye what your hands have wrought! "' "Soon shall the blasts of His chastisement beat upon you, and the dust of hell enshroud you." And again: "And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake." "The day is approaching when its (civilization) flame will devour the cities, when the Tongue of Grandeur will proclaim: 'The Kingdom is God's, the Almighty, the AllPraised! "' "The day will soon come," He, referring to the foolish ones of the earth, has written, ”whereon they will cry out for help and receive no answer. "

PHD c. pp.1—2

The powerful operations of this titanic upheaval are comprehensible to none except such as have recognized the claims of both Baha' u'llah and the Bab. Their followers know full well whence it comes, and what it will ultimately lead to. Though ignorant of how far it will reach, they clearly recognize its genesis, are aware of its direction, acknowledge its necessity, observe confidently its mysterious processes, ardently pray for the mitigation of its severity, intelligently labor to as suage its fury, and anticipate, with undimmed vision, the consummation of the fears and the hopes it must necessarily engender.

P.D.c. 1:. 2

This world-afflicting ordeal that has laid its grip upon mankind (is) primarily a judgment of God pronounced against the peoples of the earth, who, for a century, have refused to recognize the One Whose advent had been promised to all religions, and in Whose Faith all nations can alone, and must even 59

[Page 60]tually, seek their true salvation.... P.D.C’. p. 115

, This judgment of God, as viewed by those who have recognized Baha'u'llah as His Mouthpiece and His greatest Messenger on earth, is both a retributory calamity and an act of holy and supreme discipline. It is at once a. visitation from God and a cleansing process for all mankind. Its fires punish the perversity of the human race, and weld its component parts into one organic, indivisible, world-embracing community.

Mankind, in these fateful years...is, as ordained by Him Who is both the Judge and the Redeemer of the human race, being simultaneously called upon to give account of its past actions, and is being purged and prepared for its future mission. It can neither escape the responsibilities of the past, nor shirk those of the future. God, the Vigilant, the Just, the Loving, the All-Wise Ordainer, can, in this supreme Dispensation, neither allow the sins of an unregenerate humanity, whether of omission or of commission, to go unpunished... P.D.c. 1515. 2—3

It is in this light that we, the followers of Bahaf'u'lla’h, should regard this visitation of God which afflicts the generality, and has thrown into such a bewildering confusion the affairs, of mankind. It is because of this dual guilt, the things it has done and the things it has left undone, its misdeeds as well as its dismal and signal failure to accomplish its clear and unmistakable duty towards God, His Messenger, and His Faith, that this grievous ordeal, whatever its immediate political and economic causes, has laid its adamantine grip upon it.

God, however, does not only punish the wrong-doings of His children. He chastises because He is just, and He chastens because He loves. Having chastened them, He cannot, in His great mercy, leave them to their fate. Indeed, by the very act of chastening them He prepares them for the mission for which He has created them. "My calamity is My providence," He, by the mouth of Baha'u'llah, has assured them, ”outwardly it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly it is light and mercy."

The flames which His Divine justice have kindled cleanse an unregenerate humanity, and fuse its discordant, its warring elements as no other agency can cleanse or fuse them. It is not only a retributory and destructive fire, but a disciplinary and creative process, whose aim is the salvation, through unification, of the entire planet. Mysteriously, slowly, and resistlessly God accomplishes His design, though the sight that meets our eyes in this day be the spectacle of a world hopelessly entangled in its own meshes, utterly careless of the Voice which, for a century, has been calling it to God, and miserably subservient to the siren voices which are attempting to lure it into the vast abyss. P.D.0. 15p. 119-120

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

The fundamental cause of this world unrest is attributable, to the failure of those into whose hands the immediate destinies of peoples and nations have been committed, to adjust their system of economic and political institutions to the imperative needs of a rapidly evolving age. Are not these intermittent crises that convulse present-day society due primarily to the lamentable inability of the world's recognized leaders to read aright the signs of the times, to rid themselves once for all of their preconceived ideas and fettering creeds, and to reshape the machinery of their respective governments according to those standards that are implicit in Baha'u'llah's supreme declaration of the Oneness of Mankind? W.0.B. p. 36

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[Page 61]5‘:

Never indeed have there been such widespread and basic upheavals, whether in the social, economic or political spheres of human activity as those now going on in different parts of the world. Never have there been so many and varied sources of danger as those that now threaten the structure of society. The following words of Baha'u'llah are indeed significant as we pause to reflect upon the‘present state of a strangely disordered world: ”How long will humanity persist in its waywardness ? How long will injustice continue ? How long is chaos and confusion to reign amongst men? How long will discord agitate the face of society? The winds of despair are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective.”

V.0.B. p. 32

Humanity, whether viewed in the light of man's individual conduct or in the existing relationships between organized communities and nations, has, alas, strayed too far and suffered too great a decline to be redeemed through the unaided efforts of the best among its recognized rulers and statesmen-however disinterested their motives, however concerted their action, however unsparing in their zeal and devotion to its cause. No scheme which the calculations of the highest statesmanship may yet devise; no doctrine which the most distinguished exponents of economic theory may hope to advance; no principle which the most ardent of moralists may strive to inculcate, can provide, in the last resort, adequate foundations upon which the future of a distracted world can be built.

No appeal for mutual tolerance which the worldly—wise might raise, however compelling and insistent, can calm its passions or help restore its vigor. Nor would any general scheme of mere organized international cooperation, in whatever sphere of human activity, however ingenious in conception, or extensive in scope, succeed in removing the root cause of the evil that has so rudely upset the equilibrium of present-day society. Not even, I venture to as sert, would the very act of devising the machinery required for the political and economic unification of the world-—a principle that has been increasingly advocated in recent times--provide in itself the antidote against the poison that is steadily undermining the vigor of organized peoples and nations.

V.0.B. M7. 33—34

Who, contemplating the helplessness, the fears and miseries of humanity in this day, can any longer question the necessity for a fresh revelation of the quickening power of God's redemptive love and guidance? Who, witnessing on one hand the stupendous advance achieved in the realm of human knowledge, of power, of skill and inventivenss, and viewing on the other the unprecedented character of the sufferings that afflict, and the dangers that beset, present-day society, can be so blind as to doubt that the hour has at last struck for the advent of a new Revelation, for a re-statement of the Divine Purpose, and for the consequent revival of those spiritual forces that have, at fixed intervals, rehabilitated the fortunes of human society? Does not the very operation of the world-unifying forces that are at work in this age necessitate that He Who is the Bearer of the Message of God in this day should not only reaffirm that self-same exalted standard of individual conduct inculcated by the Prophets gone before Him, but embody in His appeal, to all governments and peoples, the essentials of that social code, that Divine Economy, which must guide humanity's concerted efforts in establishing that all-embracing federation which is to signalize the advent of the Kingdom of God on this earth?

v.0.a. M). 60—61

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[Page 62]What else, might we not confidently affirm, but the unreserved acceptance of the Divine Program enunciated, With such simplicity and force . . . by Bahá’u’lláh, embodying in its essentials God's divinely appointed scheme for the unification of mankind in this age, coupled with an indomitable conviction in the unfailing efficacy of each and all of its provisions, is eventually capable of withstanding the forces of internal disintegration which, if unchecked, must needs continue to eat into the Vitals of a despairing society. It is towards this goal——the goal of a new World Order, Divine in origin, all-embracing in scope, equitable in principle, challenging in its features—-that a harassed humanity must strive. h’.0.B. t. 34

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[Page 63]PART TWO

UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION

[Page 64]REDEMPTION OF INDIVIDUAL MAN

Say: O ye who are as dead! The Hand of Divine bounty proffereth unto you the Water of Life. Hasten and drink your fill. Whoso hath been re-born in this Day, shall never die; whoso remaineth dead, shall never live.

GZ. p. 213

Lives pass away as the wind. The carpets of your glory will be folded up today, even as they were of yore! What have you within yourselves that can perpetuate or preserve you? Turn to Godll the Omnipotent, the Compassionate.

Kitab—i—Aqdas

NATURE OF MAN

Purpose of Creation

Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him -- a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation....

01. ¢. 65

He hath called into being His creatures, that they may know Him, Who is the Compassionate, the All-Merciful. Unto the cities of all nations He hath sent His Messengers, Whom He hath commissioned to announce unto men tidings of the Paradise of His good pleasure, and to draw them nigh unto the Haven of

abiding security, the Seat of eternal holiness and transcendent glory. Gl. p¢. zuu—1u5

The whole duty of man in this Day is to attain that share of the flood of grace which God poureth forth for him. Let none, therefore, consider the largeness or smallness of the receptacle. The portion of some might lie in the palm of a man's hand, the portion of others might fill a cup, and of others even a gallon-measure. 01. fl. 8

The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Day Spring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof, hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. It behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the

other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration. G1. pp. 330—331

For every one of you his paramount duty is to choose for himself that on which no other may infringe and none usurp from him. Sucha thing -- and to this the Almighty is My witness -- is the love of God, could ye but perceive it.

Build ye for yourselves such houses as the rain and floods can never

destroy, which shall protect you from the changes and chances of this life. ‘ 61. ¢. 261

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[Page 65]Reality of Man Spiritual

Man -— the true man -— is soul, not body; though physically man belongs to the animal kingdom, yet his soul lifts him above the rest of cfeation. Behold how the light of the sun illuminates the world of matter; even so doth the Divine Light shed its rays in the kingdom of the soul. The soul it is which makes the human creature a celestial entity!

P.1'. ¢. 77

The spirit of man is not in the body, because it is freed and sanctified from entrance and exit, which are bodily conditions. The connection of the spirit with the body is like that of the sun with the mirror. Briefly, the human spirit is in one condition; it neither becomes ill from the diseases of the body, nor cured by its health; it does not become sick, nor weak, nor miserable, nor poor, nor light, nor small. That is to say, it will not be injured because of the infirmities of the body, and no effect will be visible even if the body becomes weak or if the hands and feet and tongue be cut off, or if it loses the power of hearing or sight. Therefore it is evident and certain that the spirit is different from the body, and that its duration is independent of that of the body; on the contrary, the spirit with the utmost greatness rules in the world of the body, and its power and influence, like the bounty of the sun in the mirror, are apparent and Visible. But when the mirror becomes dusty or breaks, it will cease to reflect the rays of the sun. S-A-Q- M“ 365-355

Soul, Mind, and Spirit

The human spirit which distinguishes man from the animal is the rational soul; and these two names -— the human spirit and the rational soul -designate one thing. This spirit, which in the terminology of the philosophers is the rational soul, embraces all beings, and as far as human ability permits, discovers the realities of things and becomes cognisant of their peculiarities and effects, and of the qualities and properties of beings. But the human spirit, unless assisted by the spirit of faith, does not become vauainted with the divine secrets and the heavenly realities. It is like a mirror which, although clear, polished, and brilliant, is still in need of light. Until a ray of the sun reflects upon it, it cannot discover the heavenly secrets. ‘

But the mind is the power of the human spirit. Spirit is the lamp; mind is the light which shines from the lamp. Spirit is the tree, and the mind is the fruit. Mind is the perfection of the spirit, and is its essential quality, as the sun's rays are the essential necessity of the sun.

S.A.Q. M7. 2U3—2UU

By soul we mean that power which is the mover of this physical body which is entirely under its control and lives in accordance with its dictates. The soul that lives in the material world is dark, for in the material world there is aggression, struggle, greed, vice and transgression. If the soul remains in this station and moves along these paths it will receive no uplift, but if it becomes the recipient of the world of mind, its darkness will be transformed into light; its tyranny into justice, its ignorance into wisdom and its aggression into loving kindness. There will be no more struggle for existence and men will become free from egotism. He will be released from the material world and become the embodiment of justice, the personification of the virtues. He will become a sanctified soul and be the means of the illumination of the world of humanity and an honor to human kind. He will confer life upon the children of men so that all nations will attain to the station of perfection. To

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[Page 66]such a person we may apply the name of "a holy soul."

The soul, in itself, cannot unravel the mysteries; but the mind is superior to the soul. The mind is a power whereby man can investigate the reality of every object. It unfolds to his vision the secrets of existence and leads man from the fetters of self and causes him to ascend to the pure heaven of sanctity.

The third power of man is the power of the Spirit. It is an emanation from the Divine Bestower. It is the effulgence of the Sun of Reality, the radiation of the celestial world. In short, it is the essence of the spirit of faith of which his Holiness Christ speaks when he says, "Those that are born of the flesh are flesh and those that are born of the spirit are spirit." The spirit is the axis around which the eternal spirit revolves. It is conducive to everlasting glory; it is the cause of the exaltation of the world of humanity. Again his Holiness Christ says: "Whosoever has not received a portion of the spirit is dead. Let the dead bury their dead." In another place Christ says, "You must be baptized with the Spirit." This Spirit is the life of the world of humanity; the cause of eternal illumination. It inspires man to attain to the virtues and perfections of the divine world. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’, cited in 3.0%, Vol. 4, #2, f2. 37

The wisdom of the appearance of the spirit in the body is this: the human spirit is a Divine Trust, and it must traverse all conditions; for its passage and movement through the conditions of existence will be the means of its acquiring perfections. So, when a man travels and passes through different regions and numerous countries with system and method, it is certainly a means of his acquiring perfection; for he will see places, scenes, and countries, from which he will discover the conditions and states of other nations It is the same when the human spirit passes through the conditions of existence; it will become the possessor of each degree and station. Even in the condition of the body it will surely acquire perfections. S.A.Q., pg). 233—234

Spiritual Capacity Latent

All beings, whether large or small, were created perfect and complete from the first, but their perfections appear in them by degrees. The organization of God is one: the evolution of existence is one: the divine system is one. Whether they be small or great beings, all are subject to one law and system. Each seed has in it from the first all the vegetable perfections. For example, in the seed all the vegetable perfections exist from the beginning, but not visibly; afterwards little by little they appear. So it is first the shoot which appears from the seed, then the branches, leaves, blossoms, and fruits; but from the beginning of its existence all these things are in the seed, potentially, though not apparently.

In the same way, the embryo possesses from the first all perfections, such as the spirit, the mind, the sight, the smell, the taste -- in one word, all the powers -- but they are not visible, and become so only by degrees.

S.A.Q., ¢. 231

These energies with which the Day Star of Divine bounty and Source of heavenly guidance hath endowed the reality of man lie, however, latent within him, even as the flame is hidden within the candle and the rays of light are potentially present in the lamp. The radiance of these energies may be obscured by wordly desires even as the light of the sun can be concealed beneath the dust and dross which cover the mirror. Neither the candle nor the lamp can be lighted through their own unaided efforts, nor can it ever be possible for the mirror to free itself from its dross. It is clear and evident that until a fire is

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[Page 67]kindled the lamp will never be ignited, and unless the dross is blotted out from the face of the mirror it can never represent the image of the sun nor reflect its light and glory. Bahá'u'uén, 3.1m. p. 103

Suffer not yourselves to be wrapt in the dense veils of your selfish desires, inasmuch as I have perfected in every one of you My creation, so that the excellence of My handiwork may be fully revealed unto men.

01. ¢>. 143

All that which ye potentially possess can, however, be manifested only as a result of your own volition. Baha'u'uéh, 8.11.11. p. 119

Essentials for Spiritual Growth

The Purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems that lie hidden within the mine of their true and inmost selves. GI. 15. 287

That the heart is the throne, in which the Revelation of God the AllMerciful is centered, is attested by the holy utterances which We have formerly revealed. Among them is this saying: ”Earth and heaven cannot contain Me; what can alone contain Me is the heart of him that believeth in Me, and is faithful to My Cause." How often hath the human heart, which is the recipient of the light of God and the seat of the revelation of the All—Merciful, erred from Him Who is the Source of that light and the Well Spring of that revelation. It is the waywardness of the heart that removeth it far from God, and condemneth it to remoteness from Him. Those hearts, however, that are aware of His Presence, are close to Him, and are to be regarded as having drawn nigh unto His throne.

Consider, moreover, how frequently doth man become forgetful of his own self, whilst God remaineth, through His all-encompassing knowledge, aware of His creature, and continueth to shed upon him the manifest radiance of His glory. It is evident, therefore, that, in such circumstances, He is closer to him than his own self. He will, indeed, so remain for ever, for, whereas the one true God knoweth all things, perceiveth all things, and comprehendeth all things, mortal man is prone to err, and is ignorant of the mysteries that lie unfolded within him.... 91-; 15' 186

To—day, Humanity is bowed down with trouble, sorrow and grief, no one escapes; the world is wet with tears; but, thank God, the remedy is at our doors. Let us turn our hearts away from the world of matter and live in the Spiritual World! It alone can give us freedom! If we are hemmed in by difficulties we

have only to call upon God, and by His great Mercy we shall be helped. 19.1., ¢. 101

Life is a load which must be carried on while we are on earth, but the cares of the lower things of life should not be allowed to monopolize all the thoughts and aspirations of a human being. The heart's ambitions should ascend to a more glorious goal, mental activity should rise to higher levels! Men should hold in their souls the vision of celestial perfection, and there prepare a dwelling place for the Inexhaustible Bounty of the Divine Spirit. P.1'., 1» 90

In this world (man) must prepare himself and get ready for the life hereafter. That which he is in need of in the world of the Kingdom he must obtain here. Just as he prepared himself by acquiring the forces necessary in

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[Page 68]this world in the world of the matrix, so likewise it is necessary that all needful in the Kingdom, all the forces of the Kingdom -— must be acquired in this world.

What is he in need of in the Kingdom after he is transferred from this world to the other world?

That world is a world of sanctity; therefore it is necessary that he acquire sanctity in this world. In that world there is need of radiance. Therefore radiance must be acquired in this world. In that world there is need of spirituality. In this world he must acquire spirituality. In that world faith and assurance, and knowledge of God, the love of God are needed. These he must acquire in this world so that after he ascends from this mortal to that immortal world, he shall find all that is needful in that life eternal, is ready for him.

It is self-evident that that world is a world of lights; therefore, there is need for illumination. That world is a world oflove; hence love of God is needed. That world is a world of perfections; virtues or perfections must be acquired. That world is a world of the breaths of the Holy Spirit, and in this world they must. be acquired. That world is a world of the life eternal. In this world must he acquire it. But how can he? By what means can he acquire these things ? How is he to obtain these merciful powers ?

First, through the knowledge of God. Second, through the love of God. Third, through Faith. Fourth, through philanthropic deeds. Fifth, through self-sacrifice. Sixth, through severance from this world. Seventh, through sanctity and holiness. Unless he obtain these forces, unless he attain to these requirements, surely he will be deprived of the life eternal. But if he attains to the knowledge of God, becomes ignited through the fire of the love of God, witnesses the great and mighty signs, becomes the cause of love among mankind and lives in the utmost state of sanctity and holiness, surely he shall at tain to second birth, will be baptized through thelHoly Spirit and witness the life eternal. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, cited in S.0.W., vol. 3, #11, pp. 11-12

By self—surrender and perpetual union with God is meant that men should merge their will wholly in the Will of God, and regard their desires as utter nothingness beside His Purpose. Whatsoever the Creator commandeth His creatures to observe, the same must they gliligently, and with the utmost joy and eagerness, arise and fulfill. Bahá’u’lláh: B-V-F- fi- 134

Suffer not yourselves to be wrapt in the dense veils of your selfish desires, inasmuch as I have perfected in every one of you My creation, so that the excellence of My handiwork may be fully revealed unto men. It follows, therefore, that every man hath been, and will continue to be, able of himself to appreciate the Beauty of God, the Glorified. Had he not been endowed with such a capacity, how could he be called to account for his failure ? If, in the Day when all the peoples of the earth will be gathered together, any man should, whilst standing in the presence of God, be asked: "Wherefore hast thou disbelieved in my Beauty and turned away from My Self," and if such a man should reply and say: "Inasmuch as all men have erred, and none hath been found willing to turn his face to the Truth, 1, too, following their example, have grievously failed to recognize the Beauty of the Eternal," such a plea will, assuredly, be rejected. For the faith of no man can be conditioned by any one except himself. G1" 1" ”3

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[Page 69]Search for Knowledge of God

0 My brother! When a true seeker determineth to take the step of search in the path leading unto the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love the the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth....

Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker's heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelope his being. At that hour will the Mystic Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God resplendent as the morn, and, through the trumpet~blast of knowledge, will awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber of heedlessness. Then will the manifold favors and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, anda new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in all things the mysteries of Divine Revelation, and the evidences of an everlasting Manifestation. Gl- M7. 264-267

SECOND BIRTH

Holy SEirit

The human spirit has its limitations. It cannot comprehend the phenomena of the kingdom transcending the human station, for it is a captive of powers and life forces which have their operation upon its own plane of existence and it cannot go beyond that boundary.

There is however another spirit which may be termed the divine, to which Jesus Christ refers when He declares that man must be born of its quickening and baptized with its living fire. Sculs deprived of that spirit are accounted as dead, though they are possessed of the human spirit. His Holiness Jesus Christ has pronounced them dead inasmuch as they have no portion of the divine spirit.*

We must understand the interpretation of Christ's words concerning "the dead". A. certain disciple came to His Holiness and asked permission to go and bury his father. His Holiness answered, "Let the dead bury their dead." Therefore Christ designated as "dead" some who were still living; that is, let the living “dead," the spiritually "dead", bury your father. They were dead because they were not believers in Christ. Although physically alive they were dead spiritually. This is the meaning of Christ's words, "That which is born of flesh is flesh; that which is born of spirit is spirit". He meant that those who were simply born of the human body were dead spiritually, while those quickened

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[Page 70]by the breaths of the Holy Spirit were living and eternally alive.**

• 'AbduIL—Bahd, 3.1m. 1). 261
  • P.II.P. m). 2140—2111

Divine Manifestation - Source of Salvation

Prophet Manife sts God

As no one has attained to the reality of the Essence of Divinity, so no one is able to describe, explain, praise or glorify it. Therefore all that the human reality knows, discovers, and understands of the names, the attributes, and the perfections of God, refer to these Holy Manifestations. There is no access to anything else; "the way is closed, and seeking is forbidden."

S.A.Q., fi. 169

Accordingly all these attributes, names, praises, and eulogies apply to the Places of Manifestation; and all that we imagine and suppose beside them is mere imagination, for we have no means of comprehending that which is invisible and inaccessible. This is why it is said: "All that you have distinguished through the illusion of your imagination in your subtle mental images, is but a creation like unto yourself, and returns to you."* It is clear that if we wish to imagine the Reality of Divinity, this imagination is the surrounded, and we are the surrounding one; and it is sure that the one who surrounds is greater than the surrounded. S.A.Q. M)- 170—171

And since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind the one true God with His creation, and no resemblance whatever can exist between the transient and the Eternal, the contingent and the Absolute, He hath ordained that in every age and dispensation a pure and stainless Soul be made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Unto this subtle, this mysterious and ethereal Being He hath assigned a twofold nature; the physical, pertaining to the world of matter, and the spiritual, which is born of the substance of God Himself. He hath, moreover, conferred upon Him a double station. The first station, which is related to His innermost reality, representeth Him as One Whose voice is the voice of God Himself. To this testifieth the tradition: "Manifold and mysterious is My relationship with God. I am He, Himself, and He is I, Myself, except that I am that I am, and He is that He is.” 01., Ma. 66-67

The beauty of their countenance is but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His deathless glory...Through them is transmitted a grace that is infinite, and by them is revealed the light that can never face... Human tongue can never befittingly sing their praise, and human speech can never unfold their mystery...Inasmuch as these Birds of the celestial Throne are all sent down from the heaven of the Will of God, and as they all arise to proclaim His irresistible Faith, they therefore are regarded as one soul and the same person...They all abide in the same tabernacle, soar in the same heaven, are seated upon the same throne, utter the same speech, and proclaim the same Faith...They only differ in the intensity of their revelation and the comparative potency of their light...That a certain attribute of God hath not been Outwardly manifested by these Essences of Detachment doth in no wise imply that they Who are the Day—Springs of God's attributes anfl the, Treasuries of His holy names did not actually passess it. Bahá’u’lláh, cited in W.0.B., 7b. 115

”’ From a Hadith, (Islamic tradition)

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[Page 71]The knowledge of the Reality of the Divinity is impossible and unattainable, but the knowledge of the Manifestations of God is the knowledge of God, for the bounties, splendours, and divine attributes are apparent in them. Therefore if man attains to the knowledge of the Manifestations of God, he will attain to the knowledge of God; and if he be neglectful of the knowledge of the Holy Manifestation, he will be bereft of the knowledge of God. It is then ascertained and proved that the Holy Manifestations are the centre of the bounty, signs, and perfections of God. Blessed are those who receive the light of the divine bounties from the enlightened Dawning-points! S.A.Q., pp. 257—258

Channel of Holy Spirit

The greatest power of the Holy Spirit exists in the Divine Manifestations of the Truth. Through the Power of the Spirit the Heavenly Teaching has been brought into the World of Humanity. Through the Power of the Spirit, Life everlasting has come to the children of Men. Through the Power of the Spirit the Divine Glory has shone from East to West, and through the Power of the same Spirit will the divine virtues of Humanity become Manifest.

P.T. 13. 79

Revelation, Means of Spiritual Development

The Holy Manifestations of God are the centres of the light of Reality, of the source of Mysteries, and of the bounties of Love. They are resplendent in the world of hearts and thoughts, and shower eternal graces upon the world of spirits; they give spiritual life, and are shining with the light of realities and meanings. The enlightenment of the world of thought comes from these centres of light and sources of mysteries. Without the bounty of the splendour, and the instructions of these Holy Beings, the world of souls and thoughts would be opaque darkness. Without the irrefutable teachings of those Sources of mysteries, the human world would become the pasture of animal appetites and qualities, the existence of everything would be unreal, and there would be no true life. That is why it is said in the Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word"; meaning that it became the cause of all life. S.A.Q-, M?- 185-186

These Essences of Detachment, these resplendent Realities are the channels of God's all-pervasive grace. Led by the light of unfailing guidance, and invested with supreme sovereignty, they are commissioned to use the inspiration of their words, the effusions of their infallible grace and the sanctifying breeze of their Revelation for the cleansing of every longing heart and receptive spirit from the dross and dust of earthly cares and limitations. Then, and only then, will the Trust of God, latent in the reality of man, emerge, as resplendent as the rising Orb of Divine Revelation, from behind the veil of concealment, and implant the ensign of its revealed glory upon the summits of men's hearts....

Through the Teachings of this Day Star of Truth every man will advance and develop until he attaineth the station at which he can manifest all the potential forces with which his imnost true self hath been endowed. It is for this very purpose that in every age and dispensation the Prophets of God and His Chosen Ones have appeared amongst men, and have evinced such power as is born of God and such might as only the Eternal can reveal.

01. M). 67—68

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[Page 72]Baha'u'llah, the Sole Redeemer in this Day

Consider the hour at which the supreme Manifestation of God revealeth Himself unto men. Ere that hour cometh, the Ancient Being, Who is still unknown of men and hath not as yet given utterance of the Word of God, is Himself the A11Knower in a world devoid of any man that hath known Him. He is indeed the Creator without a creation. For at the very moment preceding His Revelation, each and every created thing shall be made to yield up its soul to God. This is indeed the Day of which it hath been written: "Whose shall be the Kingdom this Day?" And none can be found ready to answer! 01. 1;. 151

Through the movement of Our Pen of glory We have, at the bidding of the omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human frame, and instilled into every word a fresh potency. A11 created things proclaim the evidences of this world-wide regeneration. This is the most great, the most joyful tidings imparted by the pen of this wronged One to mankind.

01., ¢p. 92-93

The Book of God is wide open, and His Word is summoning mankind unto Him. No more than a mere handful, however, hath been found willing to cleave to His Cause, or to become the instruments for its promotion. These few have been endued with the Divine Elixir that can, alone, transmute into purest gold the dross of the world, and have been empowered to administer the infallible remedy for all the ills that afflict the children of men.

NO MAN CAN OBTAIN EVERLASTING LIFE, UNLESS HE EMBRACETH THE TRUTH OF THIS INESTIMABLE, THIS WONDROUS AND SUBLIME REVELATION. OZ. 1;. 183

Our loving providence hath pervaded all created things, and Our grace encompassed the earth and the heavens. This is the Day whereon the true servants of God partake of the life-giving waters of reunion, the Day whereon those that are nigh unto Him are able to drink of the soft-flowing river of immortality, and they who believe in His unity the wine of His Presence, through their recognition of Him Who is the Highest and Last End of all, in Whom' the Tongue of Majesty and Glory voiceth the call: "The Kingdom is Mine. I, Myself, am, of Mine own right, its Ruler." GL. 1:. 33

I now assure thee, O servant of God, that, if thy mind become empty and pure from every mention and thought and thy heart attracted wholly to the Kingdom of God, forget all else besides God and come in communion with the Spirit of God, then the Holy Spirit will assist thee with a power which will enable thee to penetrate all things, and a Dazzling Spark which enlightens all sides, a Brilliant Flame in the zenith of the heavens, will teach thee that which thou dost not know

of the facts of the universe and of the divine doctrine. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’, B.V.F., 1;. 369

Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wistm that lie hid in its depths. Take heed that ye do not vacillate in your determination to embrace the truth of this Cause -- a Cause through which the potentialities of the might of God have been revealed, and His sovereignty established. With faces beaming with joy, hasten ye unto Him. This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath refused to seek

it -- verily, God is Self—Sufficient, above any need of His creatures. 01., ¢>. 136'

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[Page 73]Seize the Chalice of Salvation!

0 My servant! God, the Eternal Truth, beareth Me witness. The Celestial Youth hath, in this Day, raised above the heads of men the glorious Chalice of Immortality, and is standing expectant upon His seat, wondering what eye will recognize His glory, and what arm will, unhesitatingly, be stretched forth to seize the Cup from His snow-white Hand and drain it.

02., p. 107

0 My servants! The one true God is My witness! This most great, this fathomless and surging ocean is near, astonishingly near, unto you. Behold it is closer to you than your life-vein! Swift as the twinkling of an eye ye can, if ye but wish it, reach and partake of this imperishable favor, this Godgiven grace, this incorruptible gift, this most potent and unspeakably glorious bounty. Bahá’u’lláh, cited in P.D.C’., 19. 14

Emerge from behind the veil, by the leave of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful, and seize, before the eyes of those who are in the heavens and those who are in the earth, the Chalice of Immortality, in the name of thy Lord, the Inaccessible, the Most High, and quaff thy fill, and be'not of them that tarry. I swear by God! The moment thou touchest the Cup with thy lips, the Concourse on high will acclaim thee saying, ”Drink with healthy relish, 0 man that hast truly believed in God!" and the inhabitants of the Cities of Immortality will cry out, “Joy be to thee, O thou that hast drainedthe Cup of His love ! " and the Tongue of Grandeur will hail thee, "Great is the blessedness that awaiteth thee, 0 My servant, for thou hast attained unto that which none hath attained, except such as have detached themselves from all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and who are the emblems of true detachment."

01., fit. 148—149

Redemption - The Spirit of Faith

Whosoever in every dispensation is born of the Spirit and is quickened by the breath of the Manifestation of Holiness, he verily is of those that have attained unto ”life" and ”resurrection" and have entered into the "paradise" of the love of God. And whosoever is not of them, is condemned to ”death" and "deprivation", to the ”fire" of unbelief, and to the ”wrath" of God.

Iqan p. 118

But the spirit of faith which is of the Kingdom consists of the allcomprehending grace and the perfect attainment and the power of sanctity and the divine effulgence from the Sun of Truth on luminous light-seeking essences from the presence of the divine Unity. And by this Spirit is the light of the spirit of man, when it is fortified thereby, as Christ saith: "That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit." The likeness of this station is as that of lamps kindled: for these in respect to their glasses and-oil—holders, are different, but in respect to their light, One, and in respect to their illumination, One; nay, each one is identical with the other, without imputation of plurality, or diversity or multiplicity or separateness. This is the Truth and beyond the Truth there is only error. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’, 191.17., {>. 371

By the power of the Holy Spirit, working through his soul, man is able

to perceive the Divine Reality of things. All great works of art and science are witnesses to this power of the Spirit.

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[Page 74]The same Spirit gives Eternal Life.

Those alone who are baptized by the Divine Spirit, will be enabled to bring all peoples into the bond of unity. It is by the Power of the Spirit that the Eastern World of spiritual thought can intermingle with the Western realm of action, so that the world of matter may become Divine.

It follows that all who work for the Supreme Design are soldiers in the army of the spirit.

The light of the celestial world makes war against the world of shadow and illusion. The rays of the Sun of Truth dispel the darkness of superstition and misunderstanding.

You are of the Spirit! To you who seek the Truth, the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh will come as a great joy! This teaching is of the spirit, in it is no precept which is not of the Divine Spirit.

P.1’. 1b. 77

Therefore you must thank God that God has rendered you alive and existent. Endeavor day and night to acquire more virtues of the human type, and consider yourselves as the lights which never can have any sunset, any setting; an existence Which is never non-existent; a light which is never to be followed by darkness....The spiritual blessings of God are the greatest....Although when we were in the matrix of the mother we were blessed with certain blessings of God, as compared with the blessings or bestowals of this world they were as nothing. Likewise if we transfer from the phenomenal phases of life to the spiritual and attain insight, we shall consider that the material blessings as compared with the spiritual blessings, are as nothing. In the spiritual world the divine bestowals are infinite, for that which is in the material world is subject to disintegration; but in the world of spirit there is no separation, there is no decomposition. It is absolute immortality and entire solidity and firmness.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, cited in S.O.V., vol. 3, #4, 7% 19-21

The rewards of this life are the virtues and perfections which adorn the reality of man. For example, he was dark and becomes luminous, he was ignorant and becomes wise, he was neglectful and becomes vigilant, he was asleep and becomes awakened, he was dead and becomes living, Through these rewards he gains spiritual birth, and becomes a new creature. He beCOmes the manifestation of the verse in the Gospel where it is said of the disciples that they were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God; that is to say, they were delivered from the animal characteristics and qualities which are the characteristics of human nature, and they became qualified with the divine characteristics, which are the bounty of God; this is the meaning of the second birth....

Likewise, the rewards of the other world are the eternal life which is clearly mentioned in all the Holy Books, the divine perfections, the eternal bounties, and everlasting felicity. The rewards of the other world are the perfections and the peace obtained in the spiritual worlds after leaving this world; Man beCOmes the manifestation of these words: “Blessed be God, the best of Creators." The rewards of the other world are peace, the spiritual graces, the various spiritual gifts in the Kingdom of God, the gaining of the desires of the heart and the soul, and the meeting of God in the world of eternity.

S.A.Q. 121;. 259-261

Eternal Life

The meaning of eternal life is the gift of the Holy Spirit, as the flower receives the gift of the season, the air, and the breezes of spring. Consider:

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[Page 75]this flower has life in the beginning like the life of the mineral; but by the coming of the season of spring, of the bounty of the clouds of the springtime, and of the heat of the glowing sun, it attained to another life of the utmost freshness, delicacy, and fragrance. The first life of the flower, in comparison to the second life, is death.

The meaning is that the life of the Kingdom is the life of the spirit, the eternal life, and that it is purified from place, like the spirit of man which has no place. For if you examine the human body, you will not find a special spdt or locality for the spirit, for it has never had a place; it is immaterial. It has a connection with the body, like that of the sun with this mirror. The sun is not within the mirror, but it has a connection with the mirror.

In the same way the world of the Kingdom is sanctified from everything that can be perceived by the eye or by the other senses —~ hearing, smell, taste, or touch....

Entrance into the Kingdom is through the love of God, through detachment, through holiness and chastity, through truthfulness, purity, steadfastness, faithfulness, and the sacrifice of life.

These explanations show that man is immortal and lives eternally. For those who believe in God, who have love of God, and faith, life is excellent -- that is, it is eternal; but to those souls who are veiled from God, although they have life, it is dark, and in comparison with the life of believers it is nonexistence....

The souls who are veiled from God, although they exist in this world and in the world after death, are in comparison with the holy existence of the children of the Kingdom, non—existing and separated from God.

S.A.Q. ma. 280—282

Immortality

Wert thou to attain to but a dewdrop of the crystal waters of divine knowledge, thou wouldst readily realize that true life is not the life of the flesh but the life of the spirit. For the life of the flesh is common to both man and animals, whereas the life of the spirit is possessed only by the pure in heart who have quaffed from the ocean of faith and partaken of the fruit of certitude. This life knoweth no death, and this existence is crowned by immortality. Even as it hath been said: "He who is a true believer liveth both in this world and in the world to come." If by "life" be meantthis earthly life, it is evident that death must needs overtake it. 1‘7“" M’- 120—121

And now concerning thy question regarding the soul of man and its survival after death. Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure. It will manifest the signs of God and His attributes, and will reveal His living kindness and bounty. The movement of My Pen is stilled when it attempteth to befittingly describe the 1Oftiness and glory of so exalted a station. The honor with which the Hand of Mercy will invest the soul is such as no tongue can adequately reveal, nor any other earthly agency describe. Blessed is the soul which, at the hour of its separation from the body, is sanctified from the vain imaginings of the peoples of the world. Such a soul liveth and moveth in accordance with the Will of its Creator, and entereth the all—highest Paradise. The Maids of Heaven, inmates of the loftiest mansions, will circle around it, and the Prophets of God and His chosen ones will seek its companionship. With them that soul will

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[Page 76]freely converse, and will recount unto them that which it hath been made to endure in the path of God, the Lord of all worlds. If any man be told that which hath been ordained for such a soul in the worlds of God, the Lord of the throne on high and of earth below, his whole being will instantly blaze out in his great longing to attain that most exalted, that sanctified and resplendent station.

61. ¢¢. 155—156

The Station of the True Believer

Such is the station ordained for the true believer that if to an extent smaller than a needle's eye the glory of that station were to be unveiled to mankind, every beholder would be consumed away in his longing to attain it. For this reason it hath been decreed that in this earthly life the full measure of the glory of his own station should remain concealed from the eyes of such a believer...lf the veil be lifted, and the full glory of the station of those who have turned wholly towards God, and in their love for Him renounced the world, be made manifest, the entire creation would be dumbfounded.

Bahdlu'zzdh, cited in w.0.5., ¢. 108

In confirmation of the exalted rank of the true believer, referred by by Bahá’u’lláh, He (‘Abdu’l-Bahá) reveals the following: "The station which he who hath truly recognized this Revelation will attain is the same as the one ordained for such prophets of the house of Israel as are not regarded as Manifestations 'endowed with constancy_|n V.0.B., 15. 111

How superior must be the destiny of the true believer, whose existence and life are to be regarded as the originating purpose of all creation. Just as the conception of faith hath existed from the beginning that hath no beginning, and will endure till the end that hath no end, in like manner will the true believer eternally live and endure. His spirit will everlastingly circle round the Will of God. He will last as long as God, Himself, will last. He is revealed through the Revelation of God, and is hidden at His bidding. It is evident that the loftiest mansions in the Realm of Immortality have been ordained as the habitation of them that have truly believed in God and in His signs. Death can never invade that holy seat. Thus have We entrusted thee with the signs of Thy Lord, that thou mayest persevere in thy love for Him, and be of them that comprehend this truth. 61., 1b. 141

Welcome to the Kinggom!

Welcome to the Kingdom of God. Even if every moment you thanked God a thousand times for the grace of being born in this, the most marvelous century, and for the great favor of being allowed to reach the Promised Land, even that would not be sufficient thanks. D.A.L. ta. 2

Verily I say, immensely exalted is this Day above the days of the Apostles of old. Nay, immeasurable is the difference! You are the witnesses... of the promised Day of God. You are the partakers of the mystic chalice of His Revelation. Gird up the loins of endeavour, and be mindful of the words of God as revealed in His Book: "Lo, the Lord thy God is come, and with Him is the

company of His angels arrayed before him." 36b, cited in 0.3. ¢. 93

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[Page 77]EMERGENCE OF SPIRITUAL WORLD ORDER

I THE PEOPLE OF BAHA

Grieve thou not over those that have busied themselves with the things of this world, and have forgotten the remembrance of God, the Most Great. By Him Who is the Eternal Truth! The day is approaching when the wrathful anger of the Almighty will have taken hold of them. ... He shall cleanse the earth from the defilement of their corruption, and shall give it for an heritage unto such of His servants as are nigh unto Him. 01. p. 208

I swear by the one true God! This is the day of those who have detached themselves from all but Him, the day of those who have recognized His unity, the day whereon God createth, with the hands of His power, divine beings and imperishable essences, every one of whom will cast the world and all that is therein behind him, and will wax so steadfast in the Cause of God that every wise and understanding heart will marve1.Baha'u’Hah cited in A- D- J 15 71

There lay concealed within the Holy Veil, and prepared for the service of God, a company of His chosen ones who shall be manifested unto men, who shall aid His Cause, who shall be afraid of no one, though the entire human race rise up and war against them. These are the ones who, before the gaze of the dwellers on earth and the denizens of heaven, shall arise and, shouting aloud, acclaim the name of the Almighty, and summon the children of men to the path of God, the All-Glorious,the All-Praised He will, ere long, out of the Bosom of Power, draw forth the Hands of Ascendancy and Might--Hands who will arise to win victory for this Youth, and who will purge mankind from the defilement of the outcast and the ungodly° These Hands will gird up their loins to champion the Faith of God, and will, in My name, the self- subsistent, the mighty, subdue the peoples and kindreds of the earth. They will enter the cities, and will inspire with fear the hearts of all their inhabitants. Such are the evidences of the might of God; how fearful, how vehement is His might!

Bahálu'uéh, cited in 4.1m. pp. 71—72

The companions of God are, in this day, the lump that must leaven the peoples of the world. They must show forth such trustworthiness, such truthfulness and perseverance, such deeds and character that all mankind may profit by their example.... I swear by Him Who is the Most Great Ocean! Within the very breath of such souls as are pure and sanctified far-reaching potentialities are hidden. So great are these potentialities that they exercise their influence upon all created things. Baha'uiuc’zh, cited in A.D.J. p. 19

Blessed are the people of Bahá! God beareth Me witness! They are the solace of the eye of creation. Through them the universes have been adorned, and the Preserved Tablet embellished. They are the ones who have sailed on the ark of complete independence, with their faces set towards the Day-Springpf Beauty. How great is their blessedness that they have attained unto what their Lord, the Omniscient, the All-Wise, hath willed. Through their light the heavens have been adorned, and the faces of those that have drawn high unto Him Inade to shine. Bahá’u’lláh, cited in A.D.J. 19. 6A!

O people of Bahá! That there is none to rival you is a sign of mercy. Quaff ye of the Cup of Bounty the wine of immortality, despite them that have repudiated God, the Lord of names and Maker of the heavens. Baha'u'zzdh, cited in A.D.J. 1x 71

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[Page 78]1... The people of the right abide in noble habitations: they quaff the Wine that is life indeed from the hands of the All-Merciful, and are, verily, the blissful. Haha'u'zzah, cited in Iv'.0.B. p. 194

WORLD- WIDE BAHA'I COMMUNITY

Who else can be the blissful if not the community of the Most Great Name, whose world-embracing, continually consolidating activities constitute the one integrating process in a world whose institutions, secular as well as religious, are for the most part dissolving? They indeed are “the people of the right, " whose "noble habitation" is fixed on the foundations of the World Order of Baha 'u'llah— -the Ark of everlasting salvation in this most grievous Dayo Of all the kindreds of the earth they alone can recognize, amidst the welter of a tempestuous age, the Hand of the Divine Redeemer that traces its course and controls its destinies. They alone are aware of the silent growth of that orderly world polity whose fabric they themselves are weaving.

Conscious of their high calling, confident in the society-building power which their Faith possesses, they press forward, undeterred and undisrnayed, in their efforts to fashion and perfect the necessary instruments wherein the embryonic World Order of Baha' u'llah can mature and develop. It is this building process, slow and unobtrusive, to which the life of the world- wide Baha' i Community is wholly cons ecrated, that constitutes the one hope of a stricken society. For this process is actuated by the generating influence of God's changeless Purpose, and is evolving within the framework of the Administrative Order of His Faith.

In a world the structure of whose political and social institutions is impaired, whose vision is befogged, whose conscience is bewildered, whose religious systems have become anemic and lost their virtue, this healing Agency, this leavening Power, this cementing Force, intensely alive and all-pervasive, has been taking shape, is crystallizing into institutions, is mobilizing its forces, and is preparing for the spiritual conquest and the complete redemption of mankind. Though the society which incarnates its ideals be small, and its direct and tangible benefits as yet inconsiderable, yet the potentialities with which it has been endOWed, and through which it is destined to regenerate the individual and rebuild a broken world, are incalculable. ”-0-3' M’- 194‘195

For well nigh a century it has, amid the noise and tumult of a distracted age, and despite the incessant persecutions to which its leaders, institutions, and followers have been subjected, succeeded in preserving its identity, in reinforcing its stability and strength, in maintaining its organic unity, in preserving the integrity of its laws and its principles in erecting its defences, and in extending and consolidating its institutions° Numerous and powerful have been the forces that have schemed, both from Within and from without, in lands both far and near, to quench its light and abolish its holy name. Some have apostatized from its principles, and betrayed ignominiously its cause° Others have hurled against it the fiercest anathemas which the embittered leaders of any ecclesiastical institution are able to pronounce. Still others have heaped upon it the afflictions and humiliations which sovereign authority can alone, in the plentitude of its power, inflict. V-O-B- ¢>- 195

The tribulations attending the progressive unfoldment of the Faith of Baha 'u'llah have indeed been such as to exceed in gravity those from which the religions of the past have suffered.Un1ike those religions, however, these tribulations have failed utterly to impair its unity, or to create, even temporarily, a breach in the ranks of its adherents. It has not only survived these

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[Page 79]ordeals, but has emerged, purified and inviolate, endowed with greater capacity to face and surmount any crisis which its resistless march may engender in the future. G.P.B. p. 410

Such reflections ... should reinforce the basis of our convictions, demonstrate to us the incorruptibility, the strange workings and the invincibility of a Faith which, despite the assaults which malignant and redoubtable enemies from the ranks of kings, princes and ecclesiastics have repeatedly launched against it, and the violent internal tests that have shaken it for more than a century, and the relative obscurity of its champions, and the unpropitiousness of the times and the perversity of the generations contemporaneous with its rise and growth, has gone from strength to strength...*... from victory to victory. Indeed its history, if read aright, may be said to resolve itself into a series of pulsations, of alternating crises and triumphs, leading it ever nearer to its divinely appointed destiny.** *M-4- 1% 10”

. "0.13.3. 1;. nos;

In the brief space of the first hundred years of its existence it has succeeded in diffusing its light over five continents, in erecting its outposts in the furthermost corners of the earth, in establishing, on an impregnable basis its Covenant with all mankind, in rearing the fabric of its world-encompassing Administrative Order, in casting off many of the shackles hindering its total emancipation and world-wide recognition, in registering its initial victories over royal, political and ecclesiastical adversaries, and in launching ... its systematic crusades for the spiritual conquest of the whole planet.

Mighty indeed have been the tasks accomplished and the victories achieved by this sorely-tried yet undefeatable Faith within the space of a century! G.P.B. pt. 410-1411

I / BAHA'I CYCLE AND DISPENSA'I‘ION

The Prophetic Cycle hath verily ended. The Eternal Truth is now come. 0090

That which hath been made manifest in this preeminent, this mo st exalted Revelation, standeth unparalleled in the annals of the past, nor will future ages witness its like. Bahá’u’lláh, cited in W-O-B- P- 167

The Revelation identified with Baha'u'llah abrogates unconditionally all the Dispensations gone before it.... A Revelation, hailed as the promise and crowning glory of past ages and centuries, as the consummation of all the Dispensations within the (six thousand year old)** Adamic Cycle,*...(the) culmination (of the) centuries-old process (of the) evolution (of) humanity through (the) energies released by (the) series (of) progressive Revelations starting with Adam (and) concluded (by the) Revelation (of the) Seal (of the) Prophets (Muharmnadfi‘fiinaugurating an era of at least a thousand years' duration, and a cycle destined to last no less than five thousand centuries, signalizing the end of the Prophetic Era and the beginning of the Era of Fulfillment, unsurpassed alike in the duration of its Author's ministry and the fecundity and splendor of His missionfi‘... xv g_P.B. fi, 100

• • Shoghi Effendi, 3.11., July, 1950 insert

...A universal cycle in the world of existence signifies a long duration of time, and innumerable and incalculable periods and epochs. In such a cycle

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[Page 80]the Manifestations appear with splendour in the reahn of the visible, until a great and universal Manifestation makes the world the centre of his radiance. His appearance causes the world to attain to maturity, and the extension of his cycle is very great. Afterwards other Manifestations will arise under his shadow, who according to the needs of the time will renew certain commandments relating to material questions and affairs, while remaining under his shadow.

We are in the cycle which began with Adam, and its universal Manifestation is Baha 'u'llah. Some Answered Questions,p.18lv’

'Abdu'l- Baha' s authentic pronouncements should, ... be recalled as confirming, ... the unexampled vastness of the Baha' i Dispensation. ”Centuries, " He affirms in one of His Tablets, "nay, countless ages, must pass away ere the Day- -Star of Truth shineth again in its rnid—sumrner Splendor, or appeareth once more in the radiance of its vernal glory ... The mere contemplation of the Dispensation inaugurated by the Blessed Beauty would have sufficed to overwhelm the saints of bygone ages--saints who longed to partake, for one moment, of its great glory.” ”Concerning the Manifestations that will come down in the future 'in the shadows of the clouds,'” He, in a still more definite language, affirms, "know, verily, that in so far as their relation to the Source of their inspiration is concerned, they are under the shadow of the Ancient Beauty. In their relation, however, to the age in which they appear, each and every one of them 'doeth whatsoever He willeth.'” v.0.B. p. 167

The Three Ages of the Bahá’í Disnensation

In its broadest outline, the Baha' 1 Dispensation may be said to comprise:

1) the Heroic, the Primitive, the Apostolic Age of the Faith of Baha 'u'llah... The first seventy- seven years of the... (first Baha' i century), constituting the Apostolic and Heroic Age of our Faith, fell into three distinct epochs, of nine, of thirty- nine and of twenty- nine years' duration, associated respectively with the Bab1 Dispensation (1844- 1853) and the ministries of Baha' u'llah (1853-1892) and of 'Abdu'l- Baha (1892- 1921). This Primitive Age of the Baha' 1 Era, unapproached in spiritual fecundity by any period associated with the mission of the Founder of any previous Dispensation, was impregnated, from its inception to its termination, with the creative energies generated through the advent of two independent Manifestations and the establishment of a Covenant unique in the spiritual annals of mankind.

(0 1? b 3)

Z) the Formative, the Transitional, the Iron Age... is motivated by the forces radiating from the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l- Baha, that Charter of Baha'u 'llah's New World Order... The inception of this period (1921) synchronizes with ... the founding of the Administrative Order of the Faith of Baha 'u'llah -- a system which is at once the harbinger, the nucleus and pattern of His World Order...(G P B 19 xv)

3) the Golden Age destined to witness the consummation of the Baha' 1 Dispensation, the emergence of a world-embracing Order enshrining the ultimate fruit of God's latest Revelation to mankind, a fruit whose maturity must signalize the establishment of a world civilization and the formal inauguration of the Kingdom of the Father upon earth as promised by Jesus Christ Himself. (G.P.B. 1719-334 335)

Viewing these periods of Bahá’í history as the constituents of a single entity -- as progressive stages in a single evolutionary process, vast, steady

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[Page 81]and irresistible -- we note the chain of events proclaiming successively the rise of a Forerunner, the Mission of One Whose advent that Forerunnger had promised, the establishment of a Covenant generated through the direct authority of the Promised One Himself, and lastly the birth of a System which is the child Sprung from both the Author of the Covenant and its appointed Center. We observe how the Báb, the Forerunner, announced the impending inception of a divinely- c-onceived Order, how Baha 'u'llah, the Promised One, formulated its laws and ordinances, how 'Abdu'l- Baha, the appointed Center, delineated its features, and how the present generation of their followers have commenced to erect the framework of its institutions..." G.P.B. M). xv-xm’.

DIVINELY - ORDAINED WORLD ORDER

The Báb Himself, in the course of His references to "Him Whom God will make manifest" anticipates the ISystem and glorifies the World Order which the Revelation of Baha 'u'llah is destined to unfold. ”Well is it with him, ” is His remarkable statement in the third chapter of the Persian Bayan, ”who fixeth his gaze upon the Order of Baha 'u'llah and rendereth thanks unto his Lord! For He will assuredly be made manifest. God hath indeed irrevocably ordained it in the Bayan. " V.0.B.¢p.146—1Ll7

To what else if not to the power and majesty which this Administrative Order--the rudiments of the future all— -enfolding Baha' i Cornmonwealth-is destined to manifest, can these utterances of Baha 'u'llah allude: ”The World's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System--the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed." V-O-B- 79- 146'

"The Hand of Omnipotence hath established His Revelation upon an unassailable, an enduring foundation. Storms of human strife are powerless to undermine its basis, nor will men 's fanciful theories succeed in damaging its structure.” PLO. B. 1). 109

No wonder that He Who through the Operation of His Will has inaugurated so vast and unique an Order and Who is the Center of so mighty a Covenant should have written these words: "So firm and mighty is this Covenant that from the beginning of time until the present day no religious Dispensation hath produc ed its like." "Whatsoever is latent in the innermost of this holy cycle,” He wrote during the darkest and most dangerous days of His ministry, "shall gradually appear and be made manifest, for now is but the beginning of its growth and the dayspring of the revelation of its signs." ”-0-3- ¢h 145'

Few will fail to recognize that the Spirit breathed by Baha'u'llah upon the world, and which is manifesting itself with varying degrees of intensity ‘ through the efforts consciously displayed by His avowed supporters and indirectly through certain humanitarian organizations, can never permeate and exercise a1; abiding influence upon mankind unless and until it incarnates itself in a visible Order, which would bear His name, wholly identify itself with His principles, and function in conformity with His laws. That Baha 'u'llah in His Book of Aqdas, and later 'Abdu'l- Baha in His Will-—a document which confirms, supplements, and correlates the previsions of the Aqdas--have set forth in their entirety those essential elements for the constitution of the world Baha' 1 Commonwealth, no one who has read them will deny. According to these divinely-ordained administrative principles, the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah-the Ark of human salvation--must needs be modeled. From them, all future

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[Page 82]blessings must flow, and upon them its inviolable authority must ultimately rest.

For Baha'u'llah, we should readily recognize, has not only imbued mankind with a new and regenerating Spirit. He has not merely enunciated certain universal principles, or propounded a particular philosophy, however potent, sound and universal these may be. In addition to these He, as well as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá after Him, has, unlike the Dispensations of the past, clearly and specifically laid downa set of Laws, established definite institutions, and provided for the essentials of a Divine Economy. These are destined to be a pattern for future society, a supreme instrument for the establishment of the Most Great Peace, and the one agency for the unification of the world, and the proclamation of the reign of righteousness and justice upon the earth. Not only have They revealed all the directions required for the practical realization of those ideals which the Prephets of God have visualized, and which from time immemorial have inflamed the imagination of seers and poets in every age. They have also, in unequivocal and emphatic language, appointed those twin institutions of the (Universal) House of Justice and of the Guardianship as their chosen Successors, destined to apply the principles, promulgate the laws, protect the institutions, adapt loyally and intelligently the Faith to the requirements of progressive society, and consummate the incorruptible inheritance which the Founders of the Faith have bequeathed to the world. Iv’.0.5. M7. 19—20

Unlike the Dispensation of Christ, unlike the Dispensation of Muhammed, unlike all the Dispensations of the past, the apostles of Baha 'u'llah in every land, wherever they labor and toil, have before them in clear, in unequivocal and emphatic language, all the laws, the regulations, the principles, the institutions, the guidance, they require for the prosecution and consummation of their task. Both in the administrative provisions of the Baha' 1 Dispensation, and in the matter of succession, as embodied in the twin institutions of the House of Justice and of the Guardianship, the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, can summon to their aid such irrefutable evidences of Divine Guidance that none can resist, that none can belittle or ignore. Therein lies the distinguishing feature of the Baha' 1 Revelation. Therein lies the strength of the unity of the Faith, of the validity of 3. Revelation that claims not to destroy or belittle previous Revelations, but to connect, unify, and fulfill them.... V-O-B- ML 21-32

In the blood of the unnumbered martyrs of Persia lay the seed of the Divinely-appointed Administration which, .... is now budding out ... into a new order... (V.0-B- 1’. 52) It will, as its component parts, its organic institutions, begin to function with efficiency and vigor, assert its claim and demonstrate its capacity to be regarded not only as the nucleus but the very pattern of the New World Order destined to embrace in the fullness of time the whole of mankind. v.0.B. ¢. 144

The Administrative Order is the sole framework of the Bahá’í Commonwealth of the future, ... the very pattern of that divine civilization which the almighty Law of Baha'u'llah is designed to establish upon the earth...

V.0.B. 1;. 152 Far-Reaching Potentialities

Feeble though our Faith may now appear in the eyes of men, who either denounce it as an offshoot of Islam, or contemptuously ignore it as one

more of those obscure sects that abound in the West, this priceless gem of

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[Page 83]Divine Revelation, now still in its embryonic state, shall evolve within the shell of His law, and shall forge ahead, undivided and unimpaired, till it embraces the whole of mankind.On1y those who have already recognized the supreme station of Baha 'u'llah, only those whose hearts have been touched by His love, and have become familiar with the potency of His Spirit, can adequately appreciate the value of this Divine ECOnomy--His inestimable gift to mankind. 11.0.5. ¢>¢>. 23—24

The onrushing forces so miraculously released through the agency oftwo independent and swiftly successive Manifestations are now under our very eyes and through the care of the chosen stewards of a far-flung Faith being gradually mustered and disciplined. They are slowly crystallizing into institutions that will come to be regarded as the hall-mark and glory of the age we are called upon to establish and by our deeds immortalize. For upon our present-day efforts, and above all upon the extent to which we strive to remodel our lives after the pattern of sublime heroism associated with tho se gone before us, must depend the efficacy of the instruments we now fashion--instruments that must erect the structure of that blis sful Commonwealth which must signalize the Golden Age of our Faith. W.0.B. 1h. 98

Circumscribed though its power as a social force may as yet appear, and however obvious may seem the present ineffectiveness of its worldembracing program, we, who stand identified with its blessed name, cannot but marvel at the measure of its achievements if we but compare them with the modest accomplishments that have marked the rise of the Dispensations of the past. ... h'. 0. B. p. 55

The steady consolidation of the institutions which the administrators of the Faith of Bahá'u 'llah are, in every 1and,toi1ing to establish should appear ... remarkable to even those who are as yet imperfectly acquainted with the obstacles they have had to surmount or the meagre resources on which they could rely. w.0.3. p. 51

Not by the material resources which the members of this infant community can now summon to their aid; not by the numerical strength of its present-day supporters; nor by any direct tangible benefits its votaries can as yet confer upon the multitude of the needy and the disconsolate among their countrymen, should its potentialities be tested or its worth determined. Nowhere but in the purity of its precepts, the sublimity of its standards, the integrity of its laws, the reasonableness of its claims, the comprehensiveness of its scope, the universality of its program, the flexibility of its institutions, the lives of its founders, the heroism of its martyrs, and the transforming power of its influence, should the unprejudiced observer seek to obtain the true criterion that can enable him to fathom its mysteries or to estimate its virtue. W.0.B. p. 54

That the Cause associated with the name of Bahal'u'llahieedS itself upon those hidden springs of celestial strength which no force of human personality, whatever its glamour, can replace; that its reliance is solely upon that mystic Source with which no worldly advantage, be it wealth, fame, or learning can compare; that it propagates itself by ways mysterious and utterly at variance With the standards accepted by the generality of mankind, will, if not already apparent, become increasingly manifest as it forges ahead towards fresh conquests in its struggle for the spiritual regeneration of mankind.

v.0.3. pp. 51—52

Let no one, while this System is still in its infancy, misconceive its

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[Page 84]character, belittle its significance or misrepresent its purpose. The bedrock on which this Administrative Order is founded is God's immutable Purpose for mankind in this day“ The Source from which it deriles its inspiration is no less than Baha'u 'llah Himself. Its shield and defender are the embattled hosts of the Abhá Kingdom. Its seed is the blood of no less than twenty thousand martyrs who have offered up their lives that it may be born and flourish. The axis round which its institutions revolve are the authentic provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l- Baha. Its guiding principles are the truths which He Who is the unerring Interpreter of the teachings of our Faith has so clearly enunciated in His public addresses throughout the West. The laws that govern its operation and limit its functions are those which have been expressly ordained in the Kitab- -i-Aqdas. The seat round which its spiritual, its humanitarian and administrative activities will cluster are the Mashriqu’l- Adhkár and its Dependencies. The pillars that sustain its authority and butt1ess its structure are the twin institutions of the Guardianship and of the Universal House of Justice. The central, the underlying aim which animates it is the establishment of the New World Order as adumbrated by Baha 'u'llah. The methods it employs, the standard it inculcates, incline it to neither East nor West, neither Jew nor Gentile, neither rich nor poor, neither white nor colored. Its watchword is the unification of the human race; its standard the "Most Great Peace"; its consummation the advent of that golden millennium--the Day when the kingdoms of this world shall have become the Kingdom of God Hims elf, the Kingdom of Baha' u'llah. Iv“. 0. a. M- 156—157

BIRTH AND RISE OF WORLD ORDER

The moment had now arrived for that undyingi that world-vitalizing Spirit that was born in Shlraz, that had been rekindled in Tihran, that had been fanned into flame in Baghdad and Adrianople, that had been carried to the West, and was now illuminating the fringes of five continents, to incarnate itself in institutions des'gned to canalize its outspreading ene rgies and stimulate its growth. G.P.B., 12. 324

Obedient to the summons issued by the Author of so momentous a Document (Will and Testament); conscious of their high calling; galvanized into action by the shock sustained through the unexpected and sudden removal of 'Abdu'l- Baha; guided by the Plan which He, the Architect of the Administrative Order, had entrusted to their hands; undeterred by the attacks directed against it by betrayers and enemies, .,. the members of the widely-scattered Baha‘ 1 communities, in both the East and the West, arose with clear vision and inflexible determination to inaugurate the Formative Period of their Faith by laying the foundations of that world—embracing Administrative system designed to evolve into a World Order which posterity must acclaim as the promise and crowning glory of all the Dispensations of the past. Not content with the erection and consolidation of the administrative machinery provided for the preservation of the unity and the efficient conduct of the affairs of a steadily expanding community, the followers of the Faith of Baha' u'llah resolved, in the course of the two decades following 'Abdu'l- Baha' s passing, to assert and demonstrate by their acts the independent character of that Faith, to enlarge still further its limits and swell the number of its avowed supporters.

G. P. a. p. 329

In this triple world-wide effort, it should be noted, the role layed by the American Baha' i community, since the passing of 'Abdu'l- Baha ... has been such as to lend a tremendous impetus to the development of the Faith

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[Page 85]throughout the world, to vindicate the confidence placed in its members by 'Abdu'l- Baha Himself, and to justify the high praise He bestowed upon them and the fond hopes He entertained for their future. Indeed so preponderating has been the influence of its members in both the initiation and the consolidation of Baha' i administrative institutions that their country may well deserve to be recognized as the cradle of the Administrative Order which Baha 'u'llah Himself had envisaged and which the Will of the Center of His Covenant had called into being. G.P.B. t. 329

Local Spiritual Assemblies

No sooner had the provisions of that Divine Charter (Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l- Baha), delineating the features of the Administrative Order of the Faith of Baha 'u'llah been disclosed to His followers than they set about erecting, upon the foundations which the lives of the heroes, the saints and martyrs of that Faith had laid, the first stage of the framework of its administrative institutions. Conscious of the necessity of constructing, as a first step, a broad and solid base upon which the pillars of that mighty structure could subsequently be raised,... the pioneer builders of a divinely-conceived Order undertook, in complete unison, and desPite the great diversity in their outlook, customs and languages, the double task of establishing and of consolidating their local councils, elected by the rank and file of the believers, and designed to direct, coordinate and extend the activities of the followers of a far-flung Faith. ... Designated as "Spiritual Assemblies" -- an appellation that must in the course of time be replaced by their permanent and more descriptive title of "Houses of Justice”, bestowed upon them by the Author of the Baha' 1 Revelation;... these Assemblies, the representatives and custodians of the Faith ofBaha' u'llah ...whosemembership1s drawn from the diversified races, creeds, and classes constituting the world-wide Baha' 1 community, have abundantly demonstrated, by virtue of their achievements, their right to be regarded as the chief sinews of Baha' 1 society, as well as the ultimate foundation of its administrative structure. G. P. B. w. 330- 331

National Spiritual Assemblies

Having established the structure of their local Assemblies -- the base of the edifice which the Architect of the Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh had directed them to erect -- His disciples, in both the East and the West,unhesitating1y embarked on the next and more difficult stage, of their high enterprise. In countries where the local Bahá’í communities had sufficiently advanced in number and in influence measures were taken for the initiation of National Assemblies, the pivots round which all national undertakings must revolve. Designated by 'Abdu'l- Baha in His Will as the “Secondary Houses of Justice“ , ... these Assemblies were instituted in the United States of America (1925), N. in the British Isles (1923), in Germany (1923), in Egypt (1924), in 'Iráq (1931), in India (1923), in Persia (1934) and in Australia (1934),... (and 1n Canada (1948), in South America (1951), and in Central America (1951). ... These national bodies have through their emergence signalled the birth of a new epoch in the Formative Age of the Faith, and marked a further stage in the evolution, the unification and consolidation of a continually expanding community. G.P.B. M. 332—333

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[Page 86]World Center

Collateral with these first stirrings of the Baha' i Administrative Order, and synchronizing with the emergence of National Baha' 1 communities and with the institution of their administrative, educational, and teaching agencies, the mighty process set in motion in the Holy Land, the heart and nerve -center of that Administrative Order, on the memorable occasions when Baha' u'llah revealed the Tablet of Carmel and visited the future site of the Bab's sepulcher, was irresistibly unfolding. That process had received a tremendous impetus through the purchase of that site, shortly after Baha' u' .llah's ascension, through the subsequent transfer of the Báb's remains from Tihran to 'Akka, through the construction of that sepulcher during the mo st distressful years of 'Abdu'l- Baha' s incarceration, and lastly through the permanent interment of those remains in the heart of Mt Carme1,through the establishment of a pilgrim house in the immediate vicinity of that sepulcher, and the selection of the future site of the first Baha' i educational institution on that mountain. u. The interment of 'Abdu'l- Baha Himself within a vault of the Báb's mausoleum, enhancing still further the sacredness of that mountain; n. the vast extension, ... of the properties surrounding that resting-place, sweeping from the ridge of Carmel down to the Templar colony nestling at its foot, 009 together with the vauisition of four tracts of 1and,dedicated to the Baha' 1 Shrines, and situated in the plain of 'Akka to the north, in the district of Beersheba to the south, and in the valley of the Jordan to the east, amounting to approximately six hundred acres; ... the beautification of its precincts through the laying out of parks and gardens, Open daily to the public, and attracting tourists and residents alike to its gates; ... the selection of a ortion of the school property situated in the precincts of the Shrine of the Báb as a permanent resting- place for the Greatest Holy Leaf, the “well- beloved” sister of 'Abdu'l- Baha; ... the transfer to that same hallowed spot ... of the remains of the Purest Branch, the martyred son of Baha'u 'llah; "1" the transfer of the body of his mother, the saintly Navvab,... whom Baha 'u'llah in His Tablet, has destined to be "His consort in every one of His worlds” ... -- these may be regarded as the initial evidences of the marvelous expansion of the international institutions and endowments of the Faith at its world center. ...

The conjunction of these ... resting- places, under the shadow of the Bab's own Tomb, embosomed in the heart ofCarme1,facing the snow- -white city across the bay of 'Akka, the Qiblih of the Baha' i world, set in a garden of exquisie beauty, reinforces, if we would correctly estimate its significance, the spiritual potencies of a spot, designated by Baha 'u'llah Himself the seat of God' 5 throne. It marks, too, a further milestone in the road leading to the establishment of that permanent world Administrative Center of the future Baha‘ 1 Commonwealth, destined never to be separated from, and to function in the proximity of, the Spiritual Center of that Faith, in a land already revered and held sacred alike by the adherents of three of the world‘s outstanding religious systems._ G.P.B. M. 345—346, 347-348

/ I CHAMPION - BUILDERS OF BAHA'U'LLAH'S WORLD ORDER

America, the Land of His Dominion

The Great Republic of the West, above all the other countries of the Occident, was singled out to be the first recipient of God's ine stimable blessing, and to become the chief agent in its transmission to so many of her sister nations throughout the five continents of the earth. 0-P-B- 19- 253

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[Page 87]In the East the light of His Revelation hath broken; in the West have appeared the signs of His dominion. Ponder this in your hearts, O people, and be not of those who have turned a deaf ear to the admonitions of Him Who is the Almighty, the A11 Praised.... Baha'u'néh, cited in V.0.B. ¢>. 78

From the beginning of time until the present day, the light of Divine Revelation hath risen in the East and shed its radiance upon the West. The illumination thus shed hath, however, acquired in the West an extraordinary ' brilliancy. Consider the Faith proclaimed by Jesus. Though it first appeared in the East, yet not until its light had been shed upon the West did the full measure of its potentialities become manifest.... The day is approaching when ye shall witness how, through the splendor of the Faith of Baha 'u'llah the West will have replaced the East, radiating the light of Divine Guidance...“ The West hath acquired illumination from the East, but in some respects the reflection of the light hath been greater in the Occident. ’Abdu’l- -Baha, cited in 0 1" fl 28

The continent of America is, in the eyes of the one true God, the land wherein the splendors of His light shall be revealed, where the mysteries of His Faith shall be unveiled, where the righteous will abide, and the free assemble. 'AbdurL—Bahá, cited in A.D.J. p. 5

May this American democracy be the first nation to establish the foundation of international agreement. May it be the first nation to proclaim the unity of mankind. May it be the first to unfurl the standard of the ”Mo st Great Peace” ... The American people are indeed worthy of being the first to build the tabernacle of the great peace and proclaim the oneness of mankind ... May Ame rica become the distributing center of Spiritual enlightenment and ‘all the world receive this heavenly blessing° For America has deve10ped powers and capacities greater and more wonderful than other nations ... May they rise from their present material attaimnents to such a height that heavenly illumination may stream from this center to all the peoples of the world... This American nation is equipped and empowered to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history, to become the envy of the world and be blest in both the East and the West for the triumph of its people ... The Ame rican continent gives signs and evidences of very great advancement. Its future is even more promising, for its influence and illumination are far-reaching. It will lead all nations spiritually. 'Abdu'Z-Bahá, cited in PI.0.B. M. 75—76

‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Bestowals

It was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself, His most intimate associates testify, Who, on more than one occasion, intimated that the establishment of His Father's Faith in the North American continent ranked as the most outstanding among the threefold aims which, as He conceived it, constituted the principal objective of His ministry. It was He Who, in the heyday of His life and almost immediately after His Father' 5 ascension, conceived the idea of inaugurating His mission by enlisting the inhabitants of so promising a country under the banner of Baha 'u'llah. ... It was He Who, in His declining years, as soon as delivered from the shackles of a long and cruel incarceration, decided to visit the land (1912) which had remained for so many years the object of His infinite care and love. It was He Who, through the power of His presence and the charm of His utterance, infused into the entire body of His followers those sentiments and principles which could alone sustain them amidst the trials which the very prosecution of their task would inevitably engender. Was He not, through the several functions which He exercised while He dwelt among st them, whether in

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[Page 88]the laying of the corner-stone of their House of Worship, or in the Feast which He offered them and at which He chose to serve them in person, or in the emphasis which He on a more solemn occasion placed on the implications of His spiritual station--was He not, thereby, deliberately bequeathing to them all the essentials of that spiritual heritage which He knew they would ably safeguard and by their deeds continually enrich? v.0.B. M- 76—77

The seeds which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's ceaseless activities so lavishly scattered had endowed the United States and Canada, nay the entire continent, with potentialities such as it had never known in its history. On the small band of His trained and beloved disciples, and through them on their descendants, He, through that visit, had bequeathed a priceless heritage--a heritage which carried with it the sacred and primary obligation to arise and carry on in that fertile field the work He had so gloriously initiated... V.0.B. P. 86

No sooner had He concluded His long and arduous journey across the American and European continents than the tremendous happenings to which He had alluded began to be made manifest. A conflict (World War I), such as He had predicted, severed for a time all means of communication with those on whom He had come to place such implicit trust and from whom He was expecting so much in return. The wintry desolation, with all its havoc and carnage, pursued during four years its relentless course, while He, repairing to the quiet solitude of His residence in the close neighborhood of Bahá’u’lláh's hallowed shrine, continued to communicate His thoughts and wishes to those whom He had left behind and on whom He had conferred the unique tokens of His favor. In the immortal Tablets which, in the long hours of His communion with His dearly-beloved friends He was moved to reveal, He unfolded to their eyes His conception of their spiritual destiny, His Plan for the mission He wished them to undertake. The seeds His hands had sown He was now watering with that same care, that same love and patience, which had characterized His previous endeavors whilst He was laboring in their midst. “20.8. P. 87

The Divine Plan

Investiture with a World Crusade

‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed ... in the evening of His life, the Tablets of the Divine Plan*, investing His disciples with a mandate to plant the banner of His Father's Faith, as He had planted it in their own land, in all the continents, the countries and islands of the globe. G.P.B. 17. 397

To those of His followers, dwelling in that enviable and blessed continent, He has chosen to address these ... inspiring words, as recorded in one of those Tablets revealed in honor of the believers of the United States and Canada: "O ye apostles of Bahaf'u'lláh! May my life be sacrificed for you! ... Behold the portals which Baha'u'llah hath opened before you! Consider how exalted and lofty is the station you are destined to attain, how unique the favors with which you have been endowed”... 0.19. p. 26

"The range of your future achievements," He once more affirms, "still remains undisclosed. I fervently hope that in the near future the whole earth may be stirred and shaken by the results of your achievements." "The Almighty," He assures them, “will no doubt grant you the help of His grace,

‘The Tablets of the Divine Plan are contained in "America’s Stiritual Mission”.

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[Page 89]will invest you with the tokens of His might, and will endue your souls with the Sustaining power of His holy Spirit.” "Be not concerned,” He admonishes them, ”with the smallness of your numbers, neither be oppressed by the multitude of an unbelieving world ... Exert yourselves; your mission is unsPeakably glorious. Should success crown your enterprise, America will assuredly evolve into a center from which waves of spiritual power will emanate, and

the throne of the Kingdom of God will, in the plentitude of its majesty and glory, be firmly established.” v.0.8. M)- 77—78

In short, O ye believers of God! Endeavor ye, so that you may take hold of every means in the promulgation of the religion of God and the diffusion of the fragrances of God. A.S.A’. p. 25

Now is the time that you may divest yourselves. from the garment of attachment to this phenomenal realm, be wholly severed from the physical world, become angels of heaven and travel and teach through all these regions.

A.S.M. 1;. 11

The believers of God throughout all the republics of America, through the divine power, must become the cause of the promotion of heavenly teachings and the establishment of the oneness of humanity. Every one of the important souls must arise, blowing over all parts of America the breath of life, conferring upon the people a new spirit, baptizing them with the fire of the love of God, the water of life, and the breaths of the Holy Spirit so that the second birth may become realized. A.S.M. p. 18

The hope which 'Abdu'l—Baha cherishes for you is that the same success which has attended your efforts in America may crown your endeavors in other parts of the world, that through you the fame of the Cause of God may be diffused throughout the East and the West and the advent of the Kingdom of the Lord of Hosts be proclaimed in all the five continents of the globe u. Summon the people in these countries, capitals, islands, assemblies and churches to enter the Abhá Kingdam. rAbdurz— Baha, cited in V.0.B.1>. ’78

And finally, as if to crown all His previous utterances, is this solemn affirmation embodying His vision of America's spiritual destiny: ”The moment this Divine Message is carried forward by the American believers from the shores of America and is propagated through the continents of Europe, of Asia, of Africa and of Australasia, and as far as the Islands of the Pacific, this community will find itself securely established upon the throne of an everlasting dominion. Then will all the peoples of the world witness that this community is spiritually illumined and divinely guided. Then will the whole earth resound with the praises of its majesty and greatness."

V.0.B. p. 78

Mission Embarked Upon

The clarion call which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had raised was the signal for an outburst of ... activity which, alike in the motives it inspired and the forces it set in motion, America had scarcely experienced. Lending an unprecendented impetus to the work which the enterprising ambassadors of the Message of Baha' u'llah had initiated in distant lands, this mighty movement has continued to spread until the present day, has gathered momentum as it extended its ramifications over the surface of the globe, and will continue to accelerate its march until the last wishes of its original Promoter are completely fulfilled.

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[Page 90]Forsaking home, kindred, friends and position a handful of men and women, fired with a zeal and confidence which no human agency can kindle, arose to carry out the mandate which 'Abdu'l- Baha had issued. Sailing northward as far as A1aska,pushing on to the West Indies, penetrating the South American continent to the banks of the Amazon and across the Andes to the southernmo st ends of the Argentine Republic, pressing on westward into the island of Tahiti and beyond it to the Australian continent and still beyond it as far as New Zealand and Tasmania, the se intrepid heralds of the Faith of Baha 'u'llah have succeeded by their very acts ... in extending, to a degree as yet unsurpassed in Baha' i history, the sway of Baha 'u'llah's universal dominion.

In the face of almost insurmountable obstacles they have succeeded in most of the countries through which they have passed or in which they have resided, in proclaiming the teachings of their Faith, in circulating its literature, in defending its cause, in laying the basis of its institutions and in reinforcing the number of its declared supporters. V.0.B. M. 87—88

In the northernmost capitals of Europe, in most of its central states, ... along the shores of the African, the Asiatic and South American continents are to be found this day a n. band of ... pioneers who H. are toiling for the advent of the Day 'Abdu'l- Baha has foretold. W 0- 3- 7>~ 93

The community of the organized promoters of the Faith of Baha'u'llah in the American continent -- the spiritual descendants of the dawn-breakers of an heroic Age, who by their death proclaimed the birth of that Faith -- must, in turn, usher in, not by their death but through living sacrifice, that promised World Order, the shell ordained to enshrine that priceless jewel, the world civilization, of which the Faith itself is the sole begetter.... This community .o. deriving continual sustenance from the mandate with which the Tablets of the Divine Plan have invested it, is now busily engaged in laying the foundations and in fostering the growth of those institutions which are to herald the approach of the Age destined to witness the birth and rise of the World Order of Baha 'u'llah.

A ..D J 15.6

Only One Divine Plan

Unlike the plans which Bahá’í communities in Europe and on the Asiatic continent have Spontaneously inaugurated since the commenc ement of the present century, -- (with the exception of the Plan undertaken by the Canadian National Assembly, which forms an integral part of the Plan associated with the Tablets of 'Abdu'l- Baha, ... (B. N. May, 1949, insert) the Plan with which the community of the "Apostles of Baha'u 'llah” stand identified, is divine in origin, is guided by the explicit and repeated instructions that have flowed from the pen of the Center of the Covenant Himself, is energized by the allcompelling will of its Author, claims as the theatre for its operation territories spread over five continents and the islands of the seven seas, and must continue to function, ere its purpose is achieved, throughout successive epochs in the . course of the Formative Age of the Baha' i Dispensation. As it propels itself forward, driven by forces which its prosecutors can not hope to preperly assess, as it spreads its ramifications to the furthest corners of the Western Hemisphere, and across the oceans to the continents of the Old World, and beyond them to the far- -flung islands of the seas, this Plan, the birthright of the North American Baha' i community, will be increasingly regarded as an agency designed not only for the enlargement of the limits of the Faith and the multiplication of its institutions over the face of the planet, but for the acceleration of the construction and completion of the administrative framewo rk of Baha 'u'llah's em 90

[Page 91]bryonic World Order, hastening thereby the advent of that Golden Age which must witness the proclamation of the Most Great Peace and the unfoldment of that world civilization which is the offspring and primary purpose of that Peace. C.R. M). 5—6

. I I . . American Bahá’ís and American Nation

Evils of the Nation

The glowing tributes, so repeatedly and deservedly paid to the capacity, the spirit, the conduct, and the high rank, of the American believers, both individually and as an organic community, must, under no circumstances, be confounded with the characteristics and nature of the people from which God has raised them up. A sharp distinction between that community and that people must be made, and resolutely and fearlessly upheld, if we wish to give due recognition to the transmuting power of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, in its impact on the lives and standards of those who have chosen to enlist under His banner. Otherwise, the supreme and distinguishing function of His Revelation, which is none other than the calling into being of a new race of men, will remain wholly unrecognized and completely obscured°

How often have the Prophets of God, not excepting Baha' u'llah Himself, chosen to appear, and deliver their Message in countries and amidst peoples and races, at a time when they were either fast declining, or had already touched the lowest depths of moral and spiritual degradation. ... To contend that the innate worthiness, the high moral standard, the political aptitude, and social attainznents of any race or nation is the reason for the appearance in its midst of any of these Divine Luminaries would be an absolute perversion of historical facts, and would amount to a complete repudiation of the undoubted interpretation placed upon them, so clearly and emphatically, by both Baha' u'llah and 'Abdu'l- Baha.

How great, then, must be the challenge to those who, belonging to such races and nations, and having responded to the call which these Prophets have raised, to unreservedly recognize and courageously testify to this indubitable truth, that not by reason of any racial superiority, political capacity, or spiritual virtue which a race or nation might possess, but rather as a direct consequence of its crying needs, its lamentable degeneracy, and irremediable perversity, has the Prophet of God chosen to appear in its midst, and with it as a lever has lifted the entire human race to a higher and nobler plane of life and conduct. For it is precisely under such circumstances, and by such means that the Prophets have, from time immemoria1,chosen and were able to demonstrate their redemptive power to raise from the depths of abasement and of misery, the people of their own race and nation, empowering them to transmit in turn to other race and nations the saving grace and the energizing influence of their Revelation.

In the light of this fundamental principle it should always be borne in mind, nor can it be sufficiently emphasized, that the primary reason why the Bab and Baha 'u'llah chose to appear in Persia, and to make it the first repository of their Revelation, was because, of all the peeples and nations of the civilized world, that race and nation had, as so often depicted by 'Abdu'l- Baha, sunk to such ignominious depths, and manifested so great a perversity, as to find no parallel among its contemporaries. For no more convincing proof could be adduced demonstrating the regenerating spirit animating the Revelations proclaimed by the Báb and Baha 'u'llah than their power to transform what can be truly regarded as one of the most backward, the most cowardly, and per 91

[Page 92]verse of peeples into a race of heroes, fit to effect in turn a similar revolution in the life of mankind. ... The contrast so strikingly presented in the pages of Nabíl's Narrative between the heroism that immortalized the life and deeds of the Dawn-Breakers and the degeneracy and cowardice of their defamers and persecutors is in itself a most impressive testimony to the truth of the Message of Him Who had instilled such a spirit into the breasts of His disciples. ...

To a lesser degree this principle must of necessity apply to the country (the United States) which has vindicated its right to be regarded as the cradle of the World Order of Baha 'u'llah0 So great a function, so noble a role, can be regarded as no less inferior to the part played by those immortal souls who, through their sublime renunciation and unparalleled deeds, have been responsible for the birth of the Faith itself. Let not, therefore, those who are to participate so predominantly in the birth of that world civilization, which is the direct offspring of their Faith, imagine for a moment that for some mysterious purpose or by any reason of inherent excellence or special merit Baha 'u'llah has chosen to confer upon their country and people so great and lasting a distinction. It is precisely by reason of the patent evils which, notwithstanding its other admittedly great characteristics and achievements, an excessive and binding materialism has unfortunately engendered within it that the Author of their Faith and the Center of His Covenant have singled it out to become the standard- bearer of the New World Order envisaged in their writings. It is by such means as this that Bahá’u’lláh can best demonstrate to a heedless generation His almighty power to raise up from the very midst of a peeple, immersed in a sea of materialism, a prey to one of the most virulent and longstanding forms of racial prejudice, and notorious for its political corruption, lawlessness and laxity in moral standards, men and women who, as time goes by, will increasingly exemplify those essential virtues of self-renunciation, of moral rectitude, of chastity, of indiscriminating fellowship, of holy discipline, and of spiritual insight that will fit them for the preponderating share they will have in calling into being that World Order and that World Civilization of which their country, no less than the entire human race, stands in desperate need. Theirs will be the duty and privilege, in their capacity ... as the championbuilders of that New World Order to inculcate, demonstrate, and apply those twin and sorely-needed principles of Divine justice and order--principles to which the political corruption and the moral license, increasingly staining the society to which they belong, offer so sad and striking a contrast.

Observations such as these, however, distasteful and depressing they may be, should not, in the least, blind us to those virtues and qualities of high intelligence, of youthfulness, of unbounded initiative, and enterprise which the nation as a whole so consPicuously displays, and which are being increasingly reflected by the community of the believers within it. Upon these virtues and qualities, no less than upon the elimination of the evils referred to, must depend, to a very great extent, the ability of that community to lay a firm foundation for the country' 5 future role in ushering in the Golden Age of the Cause of Baha 'u'llah. A ..D J. M; 13— 17

The Destiny of America

The creative energies, mysteriously generated by the first stirrings of the embryonic World Order of Baha'u 'llah, have, as soon as released within a nation destined to become its cradle and champion, endowed that nation with the worthiness, and invested it with the powers and capacities, and equipped it spiritually, to play the part foreshadowed in these prophetic words. The potencies which this God-given mission has infused into its people are, on the one

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[Page 93]hand, beginning to be manifested through the conscious efforts and the nationwide accomplishments, in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha' i activity, of the organized community of the followers of Baha 'u'llah in the North American continent. These same potencies, apart from, yet collateral with these efforts and accomplishments, are, on the other hand, insensibly shaping, under the impact of world political and econornic forces, the destiny of that nation, and are influencing the lives and actions of both its government and its people.

A word, if the destiny of the American people, in its entirety, is to be correctly apprehended, should ... be said regarding the orientation of that nation as a whole, and the trend of the affairs of its people. For no matter how ignorant of the Source from which those directing energies proceed, and however slow and laborious the process, it is becoming increasingly evident that the nation as a whole, whether through the agency of its government or otherwise, is gravitating, under the influence of forces that it can neither comprehend nor control, towards such associations and policies, wherein, as indicated by 'Abdu'l- Baha, her true destiny must lie. Both the community of the American believers, who are aware of that Source, and the great mass of their countrymen, who have not as yet recognized the Hand that directs their de stiny, are contributing, each in its own way, to the realization of the hopes, and the fulfillment of the promises, voiced ... (by) 'Abdu'l- Baha. A. 1). J. 19p. 72— 73

The great Republic of the West, government and people alike, is ... through experiment and tria1,slowly, painfully, unwittingly and irresistibly advancing towards the goal destined for it by both Baha'u 'llah and 'Abdu'l- Baha. Indeed if we would read aright the signs of the times, and appraise correctly the significances of contemporaneous events that are impelling forward both the American Baha' i community and the nation of which it forms a part on the road leading them to their ultimate destiny, we cannot fail to preceive the workings of two simultaneous processes, generated as far back as the concluding years of the Heroic Age of our Faith, each clearly defined, each distinctly separate, yet closely related and destined to culminate, in the fullness of time, in a single glorious consummation.

One of these processes is associated with the mission of the American Baha' i community, the other with the destiny of the American nation. The one serves directly the interests of the Administrative Order of the Faith of Baha' u'llah, the other promotes indirectly the institutions that are to be associated with the establishment of His World Order. The first process dates back to the revelation of those stupendous Tablets constituting the Charter of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá' s Divine Plan (1914—1917). It was held in abeyance for well nigh twenty years while the fabric of an indispensable Administrative Order, designed as a divinely appointed agency for the Operation of that Plan, was being constructed. It registered its initial success with the triumphant conclusion of the first stage of its operation in the republics of the Western Hemisphere (1937-1944). It signalized the Opening of the second phase of its develoPment through the inauguration of the present teaching campaign in the European continent (19461953). It must pass into the third stage of its evolution with the initiation of the third Seven Year Plan (1956-1963), designed to culminate in the establishment of the structure of the Administrative Order in all the remaining sovereign states and chief dependencies of the globe. It must reach the end of the first epoch in its evolution with the fulfilment of the prophecy mentioned by Daniel in the last chapter of His Book, related to the year 1335, and associated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with the world triumph of the Faith of His Father. It will be consummated through the emergence of the Baha' i World Commonwealth in the Golden Age of

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[Page 94]the Bahá’í’ Dispensation.

The other process dates back to the outbreak of the first World War that threw the Great Republic of the West (1917) into the vortex of the first stage of a world upheaval. It received its initial impetus through the formulation of President Wilson's Fourteen Points, closely associating for the first time that Republic with the fortunes of the Old World. It suffered its first set back through the dissociation of that Republic from the newly-born League of Nations which that President had labored to create. It acquired added momentum through the outbreak of the second World War (1941), inflicting unprecedented suffering on that Republic, and involving it still further in the affairs of a11.the continents of the globe. It was further reinforced through the declaration embodied in the Atlantic Charter (1941), as voiced by one of its chief progenitors, Franklin D. Roosevelt. It assumed a definite outline through the birth of the United Nations at San Francisco Conference (1945). It acquired added significance through the choice of the City of Covenant (New York) itself as the seat of the newly-born organization, through the declaration recently made by the American President related to his country's commitments in Greece and Turkey, as well as through the submission to the General Assembly of the United Nations of the thorny and challenging problem of the Holy Land, the spiritual as well as the administrative center of the World Faith of Baha' u'llah. It must, hOWever long and tortuous the way, 1ead,through a series of victories and reverses, to the political unification of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, to the emergence of a world overnment and the establishment of the Lesser Peace, as foretold by Baha 'u'llah and foreshadowed by the Prophet Isaiah. It must, in the end,cu1minate in the unfurling of the banner of the Most Great Peace, in the Golden Age of the Dispensation of Baha 'u'llah.

Might not a still closer parallel be drawn between the community singled out for the execution of this world-embracing Plan, in its relation to its sister communities, and the nation of which it forms a part, in its relation to its sister nations? On the one hand is a cormnunity which ever since its birth has been nursed in the lap of 'Abdu'l- Baha and been lovingly trained by Him through the revelation of unnumbered Tablets, through the dispatch of special and successive messengers, and through His own prolonged visit to the North American continent in the evening of His life. It was to the members of this community, the spiritual descendants of the dawn-breakers of the Heroic Age of our Faith, that He, whilst sojourning in the City of the Covenant, chose to reveal the implications of that Covenant. It was in the vicinity of this community' s earliest established center that He laid, with His own hands, the corner- -stone of the first Mashriqu’l- -Adhkár of the western world It was to the members of this community that He subsequently addressed H15 Tablets of the Divine Plan, investing it with a spiritual primacy, and singling it out for a glorious mission among its sister-cornrnunities. It was this community which won the immortal honor of being the first to introduce the Faith in the Briti sh Isles, in France and in Germany, and which sent forth its consecrated pioneers and teachers to China, Japan and India, to Australia, and New Zealand, to the Balkan Peninsula, to South Africa, to Latin Ame rica, to the Baltic States, to Scandinavia and the Islands of the Pacific, hoi sting thereby its banner in the vast majority of the countries won over to its cause, in both the East and the West, prior to 'Abdu'l- Baha" s passing (1921).

It was this community, the cradle and stronghold of the Adxninistrative Order of the Faith of Baha'u 'llah, which, on the morrow of 'Abdu'l- Baha' s ascension, was the first among all other Bahá’í communities in East and West to arise and champion the cause of that Order, to fix its pattern, to erect its fabric, to initiate its endowments, to establish and consolidate its subsidiary

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[Page 95]institutions, and to vindicate its aims and purposes. To it belongs the unique distinction of having erected, in the heart of the North American continent, the first Mashriqu’l- Adhkár of the West, the holiest edifice ever to be reared by the hands of the followers of Baha'u'llah in either the eastern or western hemisphere. It was through the assiduous and unflagging labors of the most distinguished and consecrated among its itinerant teachers (Martha Root) that the allegiance of ROyalty (Queen Marie of Rumania) to the Cause of Baha 'u‘llah was won, and unequivocally proclaimed in successive testimonies as penned by the royal convert herself° To its members, the vanguard of the torchbearers of the future world civilization, must, moreover, be ascribed the imperishable glory of having launched and successfully concluded the first stage of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Divine Plan, in the concluding years of the first Bahá’í century, establishing thereby the structural basis of the Administrative Order of the Faith in all the Republics of Central and South Ame rica. It is this same community which is once again carrying off. the palm of victory through launching, in the first decade of the second century of the Baha' 1 era, the second stage of that same Plan, destined to lay the foundations of the Baha' i Administrative Order in no less than ten sovereign states, in the continent of Europe, comprising the Scandinavian states, the Low Countries, the states of the Iberian Peninsula, Switzerland and Italy.* And lastly, to its enterprising members must go the unique honor and privilege of having arisen, on unnumbered occasions, and over a period of more than a quarter of a century, to champion the cause of the down-trodden and persecuted among their brethren in Persia, in Egypt, in Russia, in 'Iráq and in Germany, to stretch a generous helping hand to the needy among them, to defend and safeguard the interests of their institutions, and to plead their cause before political and ecclesiastical adversaries.

On the other hand is a nation that has achieved undisputed ascendancy in the entire Western Hemisphere, whose rulers have been uniquely honored by being collectively addressed by the Author of the Baha' 1 Revelation in His Kitab- i--Aqdas; (... the author of our Faith Himself, ... addressed, in His Kitab- i--Aqdas, some of the most celebrated passages of that Book to the Chief Magistrates of the entire American continent, bidding them ”bind with the hands of justice the broken”, and ”crush the Oppressor" with the ”rod of the commandments" of their Lord. Unlike the kings of the earth whom He had so boldly condemned in that same Book, unlike the European Sovereigns whom He had either rebuked, warned or denounced, ... the Rulers of America were not only spared the ominous and emphatic warnings which He uttered against the crowned heads of the world, but were called upon to bring their corrective and healing influence to bear upon the injustices perpetrated by the tyrannical and the ungodly. . M. A. M. 90- -91): which has been acclaimed by 'Abdu'l- Baha as the ”home of the righteous and the gathering- -place of the free", where the "splendors of His light shall be revealed, where the mysteries of His Faith shall be unveiled” and belonging to a continent which, as recorded by that same pen, ”giveth signs and evidences of very great advancement", whose "future is even more promising", whose "influence and illumination are far- reaching” , and which "will lead all nations spiritually. " Moreover, it is to this Great Republic of the West that the Center of the Covenant of Baha' u'llah has referred as the nation that has ”developed powers and capacities greater and more wonderful than other nations”, and which ”is equipped and empowered to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history, to become the envy of the world, and be blest in both the East and the West for the triumph of its people.” It is for this same American Democracy that He expressed His fervent hope that it might be "the first nation to establi sh the foundation of international

• Accomfilished four years ahead of schedule in 1949.

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[Page 96]agreement", "to proclaim the unity of mankind", and "to unfurl the Standard of the Most Great Peace", that it might become ”the distributing center of spiritual enlightenment, and all the world receive this heavenly blessing", and that its inhabitants might "rise from their present material attainments to such a

height that heavenly illumination may stream from this center to all the

peeples of the world." It is in connection with its people that He has affirmed that they are ”indeed worthy of being the first to build the Tabernacle of the Great Peace and proclaim the oneness of mankind." _

This nation so signally blest, occupying so eminent and responsible a position in a continent so wonderfully endowed, was the first among the nations of the West to be warmed and illuminated by the rays of the Revelation of Baha 'u'llah, soon after the proclamation of His Covenant on the morrow of His ascension. This nation, moreover, may well claim to have, as a result of its effective participation in both the first and second world wars, redressed the balance, saved mankind the horrors of devastation and bloodshed involved in the prolongation of hostilities, and decisively contributed, in the course of the latter conflict, to the overthrow of the exponents of ideologies fundamentally at variance with the universal tenets of our Faith.

To her President, the immortal Woodrow Wilson, must be ascribed the unique honor, among the statesmen of any nation, whether of the East or of the West, of having voic ed sentiments so akin to the principles animating the Cause of Baha 'u'llah, and of having more than any other world 1eader,contributed to the creation of the League of Nations -- achievements which the pen of the Center of God's Covenant acclaimed as signalizing the dawn of the Most Great Peace, whose sun, according to that same pen, must needs arise as the direct consequence of the enforcement of the laws of the Dispensation of Baha 'u'llah.

To the matchless position achieved by so preeminent a president of the American Union, in a former period, at so critical a juncture in international affairs, must now be added the splendid initiative taken, in recent years by the American government, culminating in the birth of the successor of that League in San Francisco (the United Nations), and the establishment of its permanent seat in the city of New York° Nor can the preponderating influence exerted by this nation in the councils of the world, the prodigious economic and political power that it wields, the prestige it enjoys, the wealth of which it disposes, the idealism that animates its people, her magnificent contribution, as a result of her unparalleled productive power, for the relief of human suffering and the rehabilitation of peoples and nations, be overlooked in a survey of the position which she holds, and which distinguishes her from her sisternations in both the new and old worlds.

Many and divers are the setbacks and reverses which this nation, extolled so highly by 'Abdu'l- Baha, and occupying at present so unique a pcsition among its fellow nations,must,a1as, suffer. The road leading to its destiny is long, thorny and tortuous. The impact of various forces upon the structure and polity of that nation will be tremendous. Tribulations, on a scale unprecedented in its history, and calculated to purge its institutions, to purify the hearts of its people, to fuse its constituent elements, and to weld it into one entity with its sister nations in both hemisPheres, are inevitable. ...

Whatever the Hand of a beneficient and inscrutable Destiny has reserved for this youthful, this virile, this idealistic, this spiritually blessed and enviable nation, however severe the storms which may buffet it in the days to come in either hemisphere, however sweeping the changes which the impact of cataclysmic forces from without, and the stirrings of a Divine embryonic Order from within, will effect in its structure and life, we may, confident in the words uttered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, feel assured that that great Republic -- the shell that enshrines so precious a member of the world community of the £01 96

[Page 97]lowers of His Father -- will continue to evolve, undivided and undefeatable, until the sum total of its contributions to the birth, the rise and the fruition of that world civilization, the child of the Most Great Peace and hall-mark of the Golden Age of the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh will have been made, and its last task discharged. 0.11. 15¢. 29—35

ADVANCING WORL D ORDER

The opening years of the second century of the Bahá’í Era, synchronizing with the concluding stage of the memorable quarter-century elapsed since the termination of the Heroic Age of the Faith, have been distinguished by a compelling demonstration by the entire body of believers, headed by the valorous American Baha' 1 community, of solidarity, resolve and self- sacrifice as well as by a magnificent record of systematic, worldwide achievements.

The ... years since the celebration of the Centenary (1944) have been characterized by a simultaneous process of internal consolidation and steady enlargement of the orbit of a fast- -evolving administrative order.

These years witnessed:

l) the astounding resurgence of war-devastated Baha' 1 community of Central Europe (Germany), the rehabilitation of the com munities in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and the Far East;

2) the inauguration of a New Seven Year Plan by the American Baha' 1 community and of a Five Year Plan by the Canadian community ... destined to culminate with the Centenary of the Birth of Baha 'u'lláh's Prophetic Mission ...

Shoghi Effendi, B. N. May, 191” Shoghi Effemii, 13.11. May, 19119

3) the formulation ... and simultaneous prosecution (of) specific plans conducted ... by the Britiwsh the Indian, the Persian, the Australia- New Zealand, the 'Iraq1, the German and the Egyptian National Assemblies ... designed (to) enlarge (the) lim its (and) extend (the) ramifications (and) consolidate (the) foundations (of) its divinely-appointed administrative order (over the) surface (of the) entire planet. Shoghi Effendi, 13.11. May, 1947

Shoghi Effemii, 8.)]. May, 1949 insert Shoghi Effendi, B. 2!. July, 1950 insert

4) ... (the) rise (and) consolidation (of the) Administrative Center (of the) World Faith (of) Baha 'u'llah of which (the) establishment (of the) International Bahá’í Council (and the) construction (of the) superetructure (of the) Bab's Sepulchre constitute (the) initial Inajor evidences ... (constitutes a) distinguishing feature (of the) second epoch (of the) Form ative Age...

Shoghi Effendi, 13.11. May, 1951 p. 1

5) ... (the) formal inauguration .(of the) Two Year Plan ... (to) implant (the) banner (of the) Faith amidst (the) African tribes mentioned (in the) Tablet (of the) Centre (of the) Covenant, ... involving (the) participatio'n (of the) British, American, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian Baha' 1 National Assemblies ... leading evantually (to the) initiation (of) undertakings involving (the) collaboration (of) all National Assemblies ...

Shoghi Effendi, 8.1. July, 1950 ,42. 1 Shoghi Effendi, B.J. June, 1951 . Shoghi Effendi, 8.)]. MaTch, 1951 p. 1

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[Page 98]World Center

International Council

The rise of the World Administrative Center of the Faith, within the precincts and under the shadow of its World Spiritual Center, a process that has been kept in abeyance for well nigh thirty years, whilst the machinery of the national and local institutions of a nascent Order was being erected and perfected... (was marked) by the formation of the first International Bahá’í Council (January, 1951), forerunner of supreme administrative institution destined to emerge in fullness of time one Shoghi Effendi, 8.1!. May, 1951 insert

Shoghi Effendi, 8.)]. February, 1951 1). 1

Hail (with) thankful, joyous heart (at) long last (the) constitution (of the) International Council -— marking (the) most significant milestone (in the) evolution (of the) Administrative Order (of the) Faith (of) Bahá’u’lláh (in the) course (of the) last thirty years -- which history will acclaim (as the) greatest event shedding lustre (upon the) second epoch (of the) Formative Age (of the) Bahá’í Dispensation potentially unsurpassed (by) any enterprise undertaken since (the) inception of the) Administrative Order (of the) Faith (on the) morrow (of) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Ascension, ranking second only (to the)glorious immortal events associated (with the) Ministries (of the) Three Central Figures (of the) Faith (in the) course (of the) First Age (of the) mo st glorious Dispensation (of the) five thousand century Bahá’í Cycle. Shoghi Effendi, 8.1!. February, 1951 p. 1

Nascent Institution now created is invested with a threefold function: first, to forge link with the authorities of the newly emerged State (Israel); second, to assist me to discharge responsibilities involved in erection of mighty superstructure of the Báb's Holy Shrine; third, to conduct negotiations related to matters of personal status with the civil authorities. To these will be added further functions in the course of the evolution of this first embryonic International Institution, marking its deve10pment into officially recognized Bahá’í Court, its transformation into duly elected body, its efflorescence into Universal House of Justice, and its final fruition through erection of the manifold auxiliary institutions constituting the World Administrative Center de stined to arise and function and remain permanently established in close neighborhood of the Twin Holy Shrines. Shoghi Effendi, 19.1. February, 1951 1:. 1

Shrine of the Báb

(I am) happy (to) announce (the) completion of plans and specifications for (the) erection of (the) arcade surrounding the Báb’s Sepulchre, constituting (the) first step in (the) process destined to culminate in (the) construction of the Dome anticipated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and marking (the) consummation of (an) enterprise initiated by Him fifty years ago according to instructions given Him by Baha’L'u'lláh. Shoghi Effendi, 3.1. January, 19118 1;. 1

Announce (to the) friends (the) completion (on the) eve (of) Naw-vaz, (of the) erection (of the? parapet crowning (the) eastern facade (of) Holy Shrine one year after placing the) first threshold stones upon (the) foundation (of the) arcade. (The) beauty (and) majesty (of the) finely carved panels surmounting (the) soaring arches spanning (the) rosy monolith columns, emblazoned with eme rald green and scarlet mosaic symbolizing (the) Bab's lineage and martyrdom, (is) strikingly revealed. (The) original pearl-like structure raised by (the)

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[Page 99]hands (of the) Center (of the) Covenant, enshrining (the) remains (of the) Martyr Prophet (of the) Faith, acquiring, through construction (of the) shell designed (for) its embellishment (and) preservation, additional height by onethird, additional width by one- -fifth, enhancing (the) massiveness (of the) edifice embosomed (in the) Mountain of God, heralding (the) erection (of the) lofty gilded dome that will eventually shine forth in solitary splendor from its

heart. Shoghi Effendi, B.)I.A1>r1'.l,1950 p. 1

The signing of two Successive contracts, for the masonry of the octagon, the cylinder and the dome of the edifice, necessitated by a sudden worsening of the international situation, which might cut off indefinitely the provision of the same stones used for the erection of the Arcade and the Parapet ... call for a stupendous effort on the part of all Baha' i Communities and a self-abnegation unprecedented in Baha' i history ... (for) the rapid prosecution of an enterprise transcending any undertaking, whether national or loca1,embarked upon by the followers of the Faith of Baha 'u'llafh ...

Nor will the sacrifices willingly and universally accepted by the followers of the Faith in East and West for the sake of so noble a Cause, so transcendent an enterprise, fail to contribute their share towards the upbuilding of the World Administrative Center of that Faith, and the reinforcement of the ties already linking this Center with the recognized authorities of a State (Israel) under the jurisdiction of which it is now functioning, ties which the newly-formed International Baha' 1 Council are so assiduously striving to cement. Shoghi. Effendi, B. 11. May, 1951 insert

Already the completion of the construction of the Arcade of this majestic Sepulchre and of its ornamental Parapet has excited the admiration, stimulated the interest, and enli sted the support, of both the local authorities and of the central government, as evidenced by the series of acts which, ever since the emergence of that State, have proclaimed the good-will shown and the recognition extended by the various departments of that State to the multiplying international institutions, endowments, laws and ordinances of a steadily rising Faith.

The recognition of the sacred nature of the twin holy Shrines, situated in the Plain of 'Akka and on the slopes of Mount Carmel; the exemption from state and civic taxes, granted to the Mansion of Bahj1 adjoining the Most Holy Shrine, to the twin Houses, that of Baha 'u'llah in 'Akka, and 'Abdu'l- Baha in Haifa, to the twin Archives, adjoining the Shrine of the Báb and the resting.place of the Greatest Holy Leaf, and the twin Pilgrim Houses constructed in the neighborhood of that Shrine, and of the residence of 'Abdu'l- Baha; the delivery of the Mansion of Mazra 'ih by the authorities of that same State to the Baha' i Community and its occupation after a lapse of more than fifty years; the setting apart, through government action, of the room occupied by Baha'u'llah in the Barracks of 'Akka, as a place of pilgrimage; the recognition of the Baha' 1 Marriage ”Certificate by the District Commissioner of Haifa; the recognition of the Baha' 1 Holy Days, in an official circular published by the Ministry of Education and Culture; the exemption from duty accorded by the Customs Department to all furniture received for Baha' 1 Holy Places as well as for all material imported for the construction of the Báb's Se ulchre, the exemption from taxes similarly extended to all international Baha' i endowments surrounding the Holy Tomb on Mount Carme1,stretching frqm the ridge of the mountain to the Templar Colony at its foot, as well as to the holdings in the immediate vicinity of the Resting-Place of the Greatest Holy Leaf and her kinsmen-—all these establish, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the high status enjoyed by the international institutions of a world Faith, in the eyes of this new-born State.

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[Page 100]The construction of the Mausoleum of the Ba'Lb, synchronizing with the birth of that State, and the progress of which has been accompanied by these successive manifestations of the good-will and support of the civil authorities will, if steadily maintained, greatly reinforce, and lend a tremendous impetus to this process of recognition which constitutes an historic landmark in the evolution of the World Center of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, - - a process which the newly-formed Council, now established at its very heart, is designed to foster, which will gather momentum, with the emergence in the course of time of a properly recognized and independently functioning Bahá’í court, which will attain its consummation in the institution of the Universal House of Justice and the emergence of the auxiliary administrative Agencies, revolving around this Highe st Legislative Body, and which will reveal the plenitude of its potentialities with the sailing of the Divine ark as promised in the Tablet of Carmel.

Shoghi Effendi, 5.11. May, 1951 insert

The African Campaign

(The) hour (is) propitious (for the) galvanized, firmly knit body (of) believers (to) brace itself (to) embark ... (on) yet another historic undertaking marking (the) formal inauguration 9.. (of the) systematic campaign designed (to) carry (the) torch (of the) Faith (to) territories (of the) Dark Continent whose northern (and) southern frin es were successively illumined (in the) course (of the) ministries (of) Bahá’u’lláh (and) ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. (The) hour (has) struck (to) undertake (the) preliminary steps (to) implant (the) banner (of the) Faith amidst (the) African tribes mentioned (in the) Tablet (of the) Center (of the) Covenant signalizing (the) association (of the) victorious British Bahá’í Community with (her) sister Communities (in the) United States, Egypt, (Persia and India*), designed (to) lay (the) structural basis (of the) Bahá’í Administrative Order (on a) scale comparable (to the) foundation already established (in) North (and) South america, (the) European (and) Australian continents...”

Shoghi Effendi, B. 1/. July, 1950 p. 1 Shoght Effendt,*B. J. June, 1951

To the races and tribes inhabiting these territories throughout the vast African continent 'Abdu'l—Bahá, specifically referred in a Tablet H. in which He predicts, in moving terms, the awakening of the peoples of the Dark continent and the ultimate triumph of His Father' 5 Faith among its backward peoples.”

To the accomplishment of the initial stages of this colossal task, envisaged by our beloved Master, the Bahá’í Community of the British Isles ... is now summoned to direct its attention and bend its ene rgies.

Shoghi Effendi, B.J. July, 1950

Fervently praying (that the) participation (pf the) Briti sh, American, Persian, Egyptian, (and Indian*) National Assemblies (in this) unique, epochmaking enterprise (in the) African continent may prove (a) prelude (to the) convocation (of the) first African Teaching Conference (in 1953*) leading eventually (to the) initiation (of) undertakings involving collaboration (among) all National Assemblies (of the) Bahá’í world, thereby paving (the) way (to the) ultimate organic union (of) the se Assemblies through (the) formation (of the) International House of Justice destined to launch enterprises embracing (the) whole Bahá’í world. Acclaim (the) simultaneous inauguration (of a) crusade linking (the) administrative machinery (of) (five*) National Assemblies (of) East (and) West within four continents and (the) birth (of the) International Council (at the) World Center (of the) Faith, twin evidences (of the) resistless

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[Page 101]unfoldment (of the) embryonic, divinely- -appointed World Order (of) Baha' u'llah. Shoghi Effendi, B.N.March,1951 p. Shoghi Effendi,‘B. J. June, 1951

The United Nations

(The) recognition extended to the Faith by (the) United Nations as (an) international non- governmental body, enabling (the) appointment of accredited representatives to United Nations conferences, is heralding world recognition

for a universal proclamation of the Faith of Baha 'u'llah. Shoghi Effendi, B. 11. May, 19w {2. 3

(The Baha' 1 Community' s)* spokesmen are securing recognition of

the institutions of Baha' u'llah's rising world order in the United Nations. Shoghi Efferm, B. 1!. May, 19113 12.1

WOR LD RE LIGION

(The) triumphant, resistlessly expanding Bahá’í Administrative Order now embraces (one) )hundred (and) six sovereign states (and) dependencies constituting (an) addition (of) no less (than) twenty- seven countries since (the) Centenary celebration (of the) Declaration (of the) Mission (of the) Holy Bab (1944).

(The) number of languages (into which) Bahá’í] literature (is) translated (or in) process (of) translation (is) over eighty. Shoghi. Effendi, B. 1!. May, 1951 75. 1

Spread of the Faith to sovereign states and dependencies:

Bab's Ministry 1844- 1853: 2

Baha' u'llah's Ministry 1853- 1892: 13 'Abdu'l- Baha' 5 Ministry 1892-1921: 33 1921-1944: 79

1948: 91 1949: 94 1950: 100 1951: 106

Bahá’í. Faith, survey, 181114—1950, p. u 5.1!. May, 191.18: May, 1949; June,1950; May, 1951

Ceasing to designate itself a movement, a fellowship and the like -designations that did grave injustige to its ever-unfolding system--dissociating itself from such appellations as Bab1 sect, Asiatic cult, and offshoot of Shi'ih Islam, with which the ignorant and the malicious were wont to describe it, refusing to be labeled as a mere philosophy of life, or as an eclectic code of ethical conduct, or even as a new religion, the Faith of Baha 'u'llah is now visibly succeeding in demonstrating its claim and title to be regarded as a World Religion, destined to attain, in the fullness of time, the status of a worldembracing Commonwealth, which would be at once the instrument and the guardian of the Most Great Peace announced by its Author. Far from wishing to add to the number of the religious systems, whOSe conflicting loyalties have

• "The Baha”1’ International Community” is the official title by which the worldwide community of the Bahá’í’s is known at the United Nations, and it is rebresented by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States.

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[Page 102]for so many generations disturbed the peace of mankind, this Faith is instilling into each of its adherents a new love for, and a genuine appreciation of the unity underlying, the various religions represented within its pale”...

The Faith of Baha 'u'llah has assimilated, by virtue of its creative, its regulative and ennobling energies, the varied races, nationalities creeds and classes that have sought its shadow, and have pledged unswerving fealty to its cause. It has changed the hearts of its adherents, burned away their prejudices, stilled their passions, exalted their conceptions, ennobled their motives, coordinated their efforts, and transformed their outlook. While preserving their patriotism and safeguarding their lesser loyalties, it has made them lovers of mankind, and the determined upholders of its best and truest interests. While maintaining intact their belief in the Divine origin of their respective religions, it has enabled them to visualize the underlying purpose of these religions, to discover their merits, to recognize their sequence, their interdependence, their wholeness and unity, and to acknowledge the bond that vitally links them to itself. This universal, this transcending love which the fOIIOWers of the Baha' 1 Faith feel for their fellow- m-en, of whatever race, creed, class or nation, is neither mysterious nor can it be said to have been artificially stimulated. It is both spontaneous and genuine. Theywhose hearts are warmed by the energizing influence of God's creative love cherish His creatures for His sake, and recognize in every human face a sign of His reflected glory.

Of such men and women it may be truly said that to them "every foreign land is a fatherland, and every fatherland a foreign land. ” For their citizenship, it must be remembered, is in the Kingdom of Baha' ullah. Though willing to share to the utmost the temporal benefits and the fleeting joys which this earthly life can confer, though eager to participate in whateVer activity that conduces to the richness, the happiness and peace of that life, they can, at no time, forget that it constitutes no more than a transient, a very brief stage of their existence, that they who live it are but pilgrims and wayfarers whose goal is the Celestial City, and whose home the Country of never-failing joy and brightness.

Though loyal to their re spective governments, though profoundly interested in anything that affects their security and welfare, though anxioas to share in whatever promotes their best interests, the Faith with which the followers of Baha 'u'llah stand identified is one which they firmly believe God has raised high above the storms, the divisions, and controversies of the political arena. Their Faith they conc eive to be essentially non-political, supranational in character, rigidly non-partisan, and entirely dissociated from nationalistic ambitions, pursuits, and purposes. Such a Faith knows no division of class or of party° It subordinates, without hesitation or equivocation, every particularistic interest, be it personal, regional, or national, to the paramount interests of humanity, firmly convinced that in a world of inter-dependent peoples and nations the advantage of the part is best to be reached by the advantage of the whole, and that no abiding benefit can be conferred upon the component parts if the general interests of the entity itself are ignored or neglected....

Their Faith, Bahá’ís firmly believe, is-moreover undenominational, non-sectarian, and wholly divorced from every ecclesiastical system, whatever its form, Origin, or activities. No ecclesiastical organization, with its creeds, its traditions, its limitations, and exclusive outlook, can be said (as is the case with all existing political factions, parties, systems and programs) to conform, in all its aspects, to the cardinal tenets of Baha' i belief. To some of the principles and ideals animating political and ecclesiastical institutions every conscientious follower of the Faith of Baha 'u'llah can, no doubt, readily sub 102

[Page 103]scribe. With none of these institutions, however, can he identify himself, nor can he unreservedly endorse the creeds, the principles and programs on which they are baseda."

These directing and regulating principles of Baha' 1 belief the upholders of the Cause of Baha' u'llah feel bound, as their Administrative Order expands and consolidates itself, to assert and vigilantly apply. The exigencies of a slowly crystallizing Faith impose upon them a duty which they cannot Shirk, a responsibility they cannot evade.

Nor are they unmindful of the imperative necessity of upholding and.' of executing the laws, as distinguished from the principles, ordained by Baha' u' llah,both of which constitute the warp and woof of the institutions upon which the structure of His World Order must ultimately rest. To demonstrate their usefulness and efficacy, to carry out and apply them, to safeguard their integrity, to grasp their implications, and to facilitate their propagation Baha' 1 communities in the East, and recently in the West, are displaying the utmost effort and are willing, if necessary, to make whatever sacrifices may be demanded....

The Faith of Bahá'u'uéh has, in addition to these tendencies and activities which its evolution is now revealing, demonstrated, in other spheres, and wherever the illumination of its light has penetrated, the force of its cohesive strength, of its integrating power, of its invincible spirit. In the erection and consecration of its House of Worship in the heart of the North Ame rican continent; in the construction and multiplication of its administrative headquarters in the land of its birth and in neighboring countries; in the fashioning of the legal instruments designed to safeguard and regulate the corporate life of its institutions; in the accumulation of adequate resources, material as well as cultural, in every continent of the globe; in the endowments with it has created for itself in the immediate surroundings of its Shrines at its world center; in the efforts that are being made for the collection, the verification, and the systematization of the writings of its Founders; in the measures that are being taken for the acquisition of such historical sites as are associated with the lives of its Forerunner and its Author, its heroes and martyrs; in the foundations that are being laid for the gradual formation and establishment of its educational, its cultural and humanitarian institutions; in the vigorous efforts that are being exerted to safeguard the character, stimulate the initiative and coordinate the world- wide activities of its youth; in the extraordinary vitality with which its valiant defenders, its elected representatives, its itinerant teachers and pioneer administrators are pleading its cause, extending its boundaries, enriching its literature, and strengthening the basis of its spiritual conquests and triumphs; in the recognition which civil authorities have, in certain instances, been induced to grant to the body of its local and national representatives, enabling them to incorporate their councils, establish their subsidiary institutions, and safeguard their endowments; in the facilities which these same authorities have consented to accord to its shrines its consecrated edifices, and educational institutions; in the enthusiasm and determination with which certain communities that had been severely tested and harassed are resuming their activities; in the spontaneous tributes paid by royalty, princes, statesmen and scholars to the sublimity of its cause and the station of. its Founders—-in these, as in many others, the Faith of Baha' u-1-1ah is proving beyond doubt its virility and capacity to counteract the disintegrating influences to which religious systems, moral standards, and political and social institutions are being subjected.

From Iceland to Tasmania, from Vancouver to the China Sea spreads _

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[Page 104]the radiance and extend the ramifications of this world-enfolding System, this many-hued and firmly-knit Fraternity, infusing into every man and woman it has won to its cause a faith, a hope, and a vigor that a wayward generation has long lost, and is powerless to recover. They who preside over the immediate destinies of this troubled world, they who are responsible for its chaotic state, its fears, its doubts, its miseries will do well, in their bewilderment, to fix their gaze and ponder in their hearts upon the evidences of this saving grace of the Almighty that lies within their reach--a grace that can ease their burden, resolve their perplexities, and illuminate their path. V.0.B. M. 196-201

The Community of the Most Great Name, the leaven that must leaven the lump, the chosen remnant that must survive the rolling up of the old, discredited, tottering order, and as sist in the unfoldment of a new one in its stead, is standing ready, alert, clear- visioned, and resolute. ... Their Plan has been formulated. Their forces are mobilized. They are steadfastly marching towards their goal. The hosts of the Abhá Kingdom are rushing forth, as promised, to direct their steps and reinforce their power. Through their initial victories they have provided the impulse that must now surge and, with relentless force sweep over their sister-cormnunities and eventually overpower the entire human race. The generality of mankind, blind and enslaved, is wholly unaware of the healing power with which this community has been endowed, nor can it as yet suspect the role which this same c'ommunity is destined to play in its redemption.... ”.4 p.

THIS AGE OF TRANSITION

UNIVERSAL FERMENTATION

Though the Revelation of Baha'u'llah has been delivered, the World Order which such a Revelation must needs beget is as yet unborn. Though the Heroic Age of His Faith is passed, the creative energies which that Age has released have not as yet crystallized into that world society which, in the fulness of time, is to mirror forth the brightness of His glory. Though the framework of His Administrative Order has been erected, and the Formative Period of the Bahá’í Era has begun, yet the promised Kingdom into which the seed of His institutions must ripen remains as yet uninaugurated. Though His Voice has been raised, and the ensigns of His Faith have been lifted up in no less than ... (106) countries of both the East and the West, yet the wholeness of the human race is as yet unrecognized, its unity unproclaimed, and the standard of its Most Great Peace unhoisted...

Resplendent as has been the Age that has witnessed the inception of the M15 sion with which Baha 'u'llah has been entrusted, the interval which must elapse ere that Age yields its choicest fruit must, it is becoming increasingly apparent, be overshadowed by such moral and social gloom as can alone prepare an unrepentant humanity for the prize she is destined to inherit.

no.3. p. 168

Two-fold Process of Disintegration and Integration

The contrast between the accumulating evidences of steady con solidation that accompany the rise of the Administrative Order of the Faith of God, and the forces of disintegration which batter at the fabric of a travailing society, is as clear as it is arresting. Both within and outside the Baha' 1 world the signs

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[Page 105]and tokens which, in a mysterious manner, are heralding the birth of that World Order, the establishment of which must signalize the Golden Age of the Cause of. God, are growing and multiplying day by day. No fair-minded observer can any longer fail to discern them. He cannot be misled by the painful slowness characterizing the unfoldrnent of. the civilization which the followers of Baha'u 'llah are laboring to establish. Nor can he be deluded by the ephemeral manifestations of returning prosperity which at times appear to be capable of checking the disruptive influence of the chronic ills afflicting the institutions of a decaying age. The signs of the times are too numerous and compelling to allow him to mistake their character or to belittle their significance. He can, if he be fair in his judgment, recognize in the chain of events which proclaim on the one hand the irresistible march of the institutions directly associated with the Revelation of Baha 'u'llah and foreshadow on the other the doanall of those powers and principalities that have either ignored or Opposed it--he can recognize in them all evidences of the operation of God's all-pervasive Will, the shaping of His perfectly ordered and world-embracing Plan. 11.0.3. 15. 161

(The) creative energies released (at the) hour (of the) birth (of) His Revelation, endowing mankind (with the) potentialities (for the) attainment (of) maturity (are) deranging during (the) present transitional age (the) equilibrium (of the) entire planet (as. the) inevitable prelude (to the) consummation (in) world unity (of the) coming (of) age (of the) human race....

Shoghi Effendi, B. 1!. July, 1950 insert

Already in the space of less than a century the operation of the mysterious processes generated by its creative spirit has provoked a tumult in human society such as no mind can fathom. Itself undergoing a period of incubation during its primitive age, it has, through the eme rgence of its slowly-crystallizing system, induced a fermentation in the gene ral life of mankind designed to shake the very foundations of a disordered society, to purify its life-blood, to reorientate and reconstruct its institutions, and shape its final destiny.

To what else can the observant eye or the unprejudiced mind, acquainted with the signs and portents heralding the birth, and accompanying the rise, of the Faith of Baha' u'llah ascribe this dire, this planetary upheaval, with its attendant destruction, misery and fear, if not to the emergence of His embryonic World Order, which, as He Himself has unequivocally proclaimed, has "deranged the equilibrium of the wo rld and revolutionized mankind's ordered life"? To what agency, if not to the irresistible diffusion of that world- shaking, world- energizing, world- -redeeming spirit, which the Báb has affirmed is "Vibrating in the innermost realities of all created things" can the origins of this portentous crisis, incomprehensible to man, and admittedly unprecedented in the annals of the human race, be attributed? In the convulsions of contemporary society, in the frenzied, world-wide ebullitions of men's thoughts, in the fierce antagonisms inflaming races, creeds and classes, in the shipwreck of nations, in the downfall of kings, in the dismemberment of empires, in the extinction of dynasties, in the collapse of ecclesiastical hierarchies, in the deterioration of time-honored institutions, in the dissolution of ties, secular as well as religious, that had for so long held together the members of the human race -- all manifesting themselves with everincreasing gravity since the outbreak of the first World War that immediately preceded the opening years of the Formative Age of the Faith of Baha 'u'llah -in the se we can readily recognize the evidences of the travail of an age that has sustained the impact of His Revelation, that has ignored His summons, and is now laboring to be delivered of its burden, as a direct consequence of the

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[Page 106]impulse communicated to it by the generative, the purifying, the transmuting influence of His Spirit. G.P.B. p75. XI—XII

We are indeed living in an age which, if we would cor rectly appraise it, should be regarded as one which is witnessing a dual phenomenon. The first signalizes the death-pangs of an order, effete and godless, that has stubbornly refused, despite the signs and portents of a century-old Revelation, to attune its processes to the precepts and ideals which that Heaven-sent Faith preferred it. The second proclaims the birth-pangs of an Order, divine and redemptive, that will inevitably supplant the former, and within Whose adrninistrative structure an embryonic civilization, incomparable and world-embracing, is imperceptibly maturing° The one is being rolled up, and is crashing in oppression, bloodshed, and ruin. The other opens up vistas of a justice, a unity, a peace, a culture, such as no age has ever seen. The former has spent its force, demonstrated its falsity and barrenness, lost irretrievably its opportunity, and is hurrying to its doom. The latter, virile and unconquerable, is plucking asunder its chains, and is vindicating its title to be the one refuge within which a sore-tried humanity, purged from its dross, can attain its destiny.

"Soon," Baha'u'llah Himself has prophesied, ”will the present day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead.” And again: "By Myself! The day is approaching when We will have rolled up the world and all that is therein, and spread out a new Order in its stead." P'D'C' 7:” 16

As we view the world around us, we are compelled to observe the manifold evidences of that universal fermentation which, in every continent of the globe and in every department of human life, be it religious, social, economic or political, is purging and reshaping humanity in anticipation of the Day when the wholeness of the human race will have been recognized and its unity established. A two-fold process, however, can be distinguished, each tending, in its own way and with an accelerated momentum, to bring to a climax the forces that are transforming the face of our planet. The first is essentially an integrating process, while the second is fundamentally disruptive. The former, as it steadily evolves, unfolds a System which may well serve as a pattern for that world polity towards which a strangely-disordered world is continually advancing; while the latter, as its disintegrating influence deepens, tends to tear down, with increasing violence, the antiquated barriers that seek to block humanity' s progress towards its destined goal. The constructive process stands associated with the nascent Faith of Baha 'u'llah, and is the harbinger of the New World Order that Faith must erelong establish. The destructive forces that characterize the other should be identified with a civilization that has refused to answer to the expectation of a new age, and is consequently falling into chaos and decline. ”-0'3- 1* 170

How striking, how edifying the contrast between the process of slow and steady consolidation that characterizes the growth of its infant strength and the devastating onrush of the forces of disintegration that are as sailing the outworn institutions, both religious and secular, of present-day society!

The vitality which the organic institutions of this great, this everexpanding Order so strongly exhibit; the obstacles which the high courage, the undaunted resolution of its admini strators have already surmounted; the fire of an unquenchable enthusiasm that glows with undiminished fervor in the hearts of its itinerant teachers; the heights of self- sacrifice which its championbuilders are now attaining; the breadth of vision, the con£ident hope, the creative joy, the inward peace, the uncompromising integrity, the exemplary discipline, the unyielding unity and solidarity Which its stalwart defenders

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[Page 107]manifest; the degree to which its moving Spirit has shown itself capable of assimilating the diversified elements within its pale, of cleansing them of all forms of prejudice and of fusing them with its own structure--these are evidences of a power which a disillusioned and sadly shaken society can ill afford to ignore.

Compare these splendid manifestations of the spirit animating this vibrant body of the Faith of Baha u'llah with the cries and agony, the follies and vanities, the bitterness and prejudices, the wickedness and divisions of an ailing and chaotic world. Witness the fear that torments its leaders and paralyzes the action of its blind and bewildered statesmen. How fierce the hatreds, how false the ambitions, how petty the pursuits, how deep-rooted the suspicions of its peoples! How disquieting the lawlessness, the corruption, the unbelief that are eating into the Vitals of a tottering civilization! V.0.B. pp. 154—155

Leaders of religion, exponents of political theories, governors of human institutions, who at present are witnessing with perplexity and dismay the bankruptcy of their ideas, and the disintegration of their handiwork, would do well to turn their gaze to the Revelation of Baha 'u'llah, and to meditate upon the World Order which, lying enshrined in His teachings, is slowly and imperceptibly rising amid the welter and chaos of present-day civilization. They need have no doubt or anxiety regarding the nature, the origin or validity of the institutions which the adherents of the Faith are building up throughoat the world. For these lie embedded in the teachings themselves, unadulterated and unobscured by unwarrantable inferences, or unauthorized interpretations of His Word. V.'0.B. p. 211

The Fire of Ordeal

Might not this process of steady deterioration which is insidiously invading so many departments of human activity and thought be regarded as a necessary accompaniment to the rise of this almighty Arm of Baha 'u'llah? Might we not look upon the momentous happenings which, in the course of the past twenty years, have so deeply agitated every continent of the earth, as ominous signs simultaneously proclaiming the agonies of a disintegrating civilization and the birthpangs of that World Order--that Ark of human salvation--that must needs arise upon its ruins? V-O-B- 19- 155

A titanic, a spiritual struggle, unparalleled in its magnitude yet unspeakably glorious in its ultimate consequences, is being waged as a result of the se OppO sing tendencies, in this age of transition through which the organized community of the followers of Baha'u'llah and mankind as a whole are passing.

The Spirit that has incarnated itself in the institutions of a rising Faith has, in the course of its onward march for the redemption of the world, encountered and is now battling with such forces as are, in most instances, the very negation of that Spirit, and whose continued existence must inevitably hinder it from achieving its purpose. The hollow and outworn institutions, the obsolescent doctrines and beliefs, the effete and discredited traditions which these forces represent, it should be observed, have, in certain instances, been undermined by virtue of their senility, the loss of their cohesive pOWer, and their own inherent corruption. A few have been swept away by the onrushing forces which the Baha' 1 Faith has, at the hour of its birth, so mysteriously released. Others, as a direct result of a vain and feeble resistance to its rise in the initial stages of its development, have died out and been utterly dis 107

[Page 108]credited. Still others, fearful of the pervasive influence of the institutions in which that same Spirit had, at a later stage, been embodied, had mobilized their forces and launched their attack, destined to sustain, in their turn, after a brief and illusory success, an ignominious defeat° no.5. Mb. 170—171

The whole of mankind is groaning, is dying to be led to unity, and to terminate its age-long martyrdom. And yet it stubbornly refuses to embrace the light and acknowledge the sovereign authority of the one Power that can extricate it from its entanglements, and avert the woeful calamity that threatens to engulf it....

Must humanity, tormented as she now is, be afflicted with still severer tribulations ere their purifying influence can prepare her to enter the heavenly Kingdom destined to be established upon earth? Must the inauguration of so vast, so unique, so illumined an era in human history be ushered in by so great a catastroPhe in human affairs as to recall, nay surpass, the appalling collapse of Roman civilization in the first centuries of the Christian Era? Must a series of profound convulsions stir and rock the human race ere Baha'u'llah can be enthroned in the hearts and consciences of the masses, ere His undisputed ascendancy is universally recognized, and the noble edifice of His World Order is reared and established? v.0.B. Mb. 201—202

Great and far- -reaching as have been ... changes in the past, they cannot appear, when viewed in their proper perspective, except as subsidiary adjustments preluding that transformation of unparalleled majesty and scope which humanity is in this age bound to undergo. That the forces of a world catastrophe can alone precipitate such a new phase of human thought is, alas, becoming increasingly apparent. That nothing short of the fire of a severe ordeal, unparallelled in its intensity, can fuse and weld the discordant entities that constitute the elements of present-day civilization, into the integral components of the world commonwealth of the future, is a truth which future events will increasingly demonstrate.

The prophetic voice of Baha 'u'llah warning, in the concluding passages of the Hidden Words, "the p60ples of the world” that "an unforeseen calamity is following them and that grievous retribution awaiteth them" throws indeed a lurid light upon the immediate fortunes of sorrowing humanity. Nothing but a fiery ordeal, out of which humanity will emerge, chastened and prepared, can succeed in implanting that sense of responsibility which the leaders of a newborn age must arise to shoulder. V.0.B. p. 4‘6

Into such a period we are now steadily and irresistibly moving. Amidst the shadows which are increasingly gathering about us we can faintly discern the glimmerings of Baha'u 'llah's unearthly sovereignty appearing fitfully on the horizon of history. To us, the ”generation of the half- -light, " living at a time which may be designated as the pe riod of the incubation of the World Commonwealth envisaged by Baha 'u'llah, has been assigned a task whose high privilege we can never sufficiently appreciate, and the arduousness of which we can as yet but dimly recognize. We may well believe, we who are called upon to experience the operation of the dark forces destined to unloose a flood of agonizing afflictions, that the darkest hour that must precede the dawn of the Golden Age of our Faith has not yet struck. Deep as is the gloom that already encircles the world, the afflictive ordeals which that world is to suffer are still in preparation, nor can their blackness be as yet imagined.... W.0.B. M2. 168—169

The process of disintegration must inexorably continue, and its corrosive influence must penetrate deeper and deeper into the very core of a

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[Page 109]crumbling age. Much suffering will still be required ere the contending nations, creeds, classes and races of mankind are fused in the crucible of universal affliction, and are forged by the fires of a fierce ordeal into one organic commonwealth, one vast, unified, and harmoniously functioning system. Adversities unimaginably appalling, undreamed of crises and upheavals, war, famine, and pestilence, might well combine to engrave in the soul of an unheeding generation those truths and principles which it has disdained to recognize and follow. A paralysis more painful than any it has yet experienced must creep over and further afflict the fabric of a broken society ere it can be rebuilt and regenerated. V.0.B. pp. 193-194

Pregnant indeed are the years looming ahead of us all. The twin processes of internal disintegration and external chaos are being accelerated and every day are inexorably moving towards a climax. The rumblings that must precede the eruption of those forces that must cause "the limbs of humanity to quake" can already be heard. ”The time of the end, ” "the latter years, " as foretold in the Scriptures, are at long last upon us. The Pen of Baha 'u'llah, the voice of 'Abdu'l- Baha, have time and again,insistent1y and in terms unmistakable, warned an unheeding humanity of impending disaster...n

M.A. ma. 13—14

The synchronization of such world- shaking crises with the progressive unfoldment and fruition of their divinely appointed task is itself the work of Providence, the design of an inscrutable Wisdom, and the purpose of an allcompelling Wi11,a Will that directs and controls, in its own mysterious way, both the fortunes of the Faith and the destinies of men. Such simultaneous processes of rise and of fall, of integration and of disintegration, of order and chaos, with their continuous and reciprocal reactions on each other, are but aspects of a greater Plan, one and indivisible, whose Source is God, whose author is Baha 'u'llah, the theatre of whose Operations is the entire planet, and whose ultimate objectives are the unity of the human race and the peace of all mankind. A.D.J. 75¢. 60-61

MATURING OF THE HUMAN RACE

Adole sc enc e to Matu ritv

God's purpose is none other than to usher in, in ways He alone can bring about, and the full significance of which He alone can fathom, the Great, the Golden Age of a long-divided, a long—afflicted humanity. Its present state, indeed even its immediate future, is dark, distressingly dark. Its distant future, however, is radiant, gloriously radiant--so radiant that no eye can visualize it. P.D.0. p. 120

What we witness at the present time, during "this gravest crisis in the history of civilization," recalling such times in which "religions have perished and are born," is the adolescent stage in the slow and painful evolution of humanity, preparatory to the attainment of the stage of manhood, the stage of maturity, the promise of which is imbedded in the teachings, and enshrined in the prophecies, of Baha 'u'llah. The tumult of this age of transition is characteristic of the impetuosity and irrational instinct of youth, its follies, its prodigality, its pride, its self-assurance, its rebelliousness, and contempt of discipline. P.D.C. 12. 121

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[Page 110]The ages of its infancy and childhood are past, never again to return, while the Great Age, the consummation of all ages, which must signalize the coming of age of the entire human race, is yet to come. The convulsions of this transitional and mo st turbulent period in the annals of humanity are the essential prerequisites, and herald the inevitable approach, of that Age of Ages, "the time of the end," in which the folly and tumult of strife that has, since the dawn of history, blackened the annals of mankind, will have been finally transmuted into the wistm and the tranquillity of an undisturbed, a universal, and lasting peace, in which the discord and separation of the children of men will have given way to the world-wide reconciliation, and the complete unification of the divers elements that constitute human society. P.D.C. p. 122

The Revelation of Baha'u'llah, whose supreme mission is none other but the achievement of this organic and spiritual unity of the whole body of nations, should, if we be faithful to its implications, be regarded as signalizing through its advent the coming of age of the entire human race. It should be viewed not merely as yet another spiritual revival in the ever-changing fortunes of mankind, not only as a further stage in a chain of progressive Revelations, nor even as the culmination of one of a series of recurrent prophetic cycles, but rather as marking the last and highest stage in the stupendous evolution of man's collective life on this planet.... V~0-B- 15- 163

That mystic, all-pervasive, yet indefinable change, which we associate with the stage of maturity inevitable in the life of the individual and the development of the fruit must, if we would correctly apprehend the utterances of Baha 'u'llah, have its counterpart in the evolution of the organization of human society. A similar stage must sooner or later be attained in the collective life of mankind, producing an even more striking phenomenon in world relations, and endowing the whole human race with such potentialities of well-being as shall provide, throughout the succeeding ages, the chief incentive required for the eventual fulfilh'nent of its high de stiny. Such a stage of maturity in the process of human government must, for all time, if we would faithfully recognize the tremendous claim advanced by Baha 'u'llah, remain identified with the Revelation of which He was the Bearer. V.0.B.1>1:.163-16u

The emergence of a world community, the consciousness of world citizenship, the founding of a world civilization and culture--a11 of which must synchronize with the initial stages in the unfoldxnent of the Golden Age of the Baha' i Era--shou1d, by their very nature, be regarded, as far as this planetary life is concerned, as the furthermost limits in the organization of human society, though man, as an individual, will, nay must indeed as a result of such a consummation, continue indefinitely to progress and develop. Iv’.0.B. p. 163

Such a unique and momentous crisis in the life of organized mankind may, moreover, be likened to the culminating stage in the political evolution of the great American Republic--the stage which marked the eme rgence of a unified community of federated states“ The stirring of a new national consciousness, and the birth of a new type of civilization, infinitely richer and nobler than any which its component parts could have severally heped to achieve, may be said to have proclaimed the coming of age of the American people. Within the territorial limits of this nation, this consummation may be viewed as the culmination of the process of human government. The diversified and loosely related elements of a divided community were brought together, unified and incorporated into one coherent system. Though this entity may continue gaining in cohesive power, though the unity already achieved may be further consolidated, though the civilization to which that unity could alone

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[Page 111]have given birth may expand and flourish, yet the machinery essential to such an unfoldment may be said to have been, in its essential structure, erected,

. and the impulse required to guide and sustain it may be regarded as having

b een fundamentally imparted. No stage above and beyond this consummation

of national unity can, within the geographical limits of that nation, be

imagined, though the highest destiny of its people, as a constituent element in a still larger entity that will embrace the whole of mankind, may still remain unfulfilled. Considered as an isolated unit, however, this process of integration may be said to have reached its highest and final consummation.

Such is the stage to which an evolving humanity is collectively approaching. The Revelation entrusted by the Ahnighty Ordainer to Bahá’u’lláh, His followers firmly believe, has been endowed with such potentialities as are commensurate with the maturity of the human race--the crowning and mo st momentous stage in its evolution from infancy to manhood. v.0.B. M). 165—166

Religion and Social Evolution

The successive Founders of all past Religions Who, from time itnmemorial, have shed, with ever-increasing intensity, the splendor of one common Revelation at the various stages which have marked the advance of mankind towards maturity may thus, in a sense, be regarded as preliminary Manifestations, anticipating and paving the way for the advent of that Day of Days when the whole earth will have fructified and the tree of humanity will have yielded its destined fruit. V.0.B. t. 166'

Just as the organic evolution of mankind has been slow and gradual, and involved successively the unification of the family, the tribe, the citystate, and the nation, so has the light vouch-safed by the Revelation of God, at various stages in the evolution of religion, and reflected in the successive Dispensations of the past, been slow and progressive. Indeed the measure of Divine Revelation, in every age, has been adapted to, and commensurate with, the degree of social progress achieved in that age by a constantly-evolving humanity. P.D.C. a. 123

"It hath been decreed by Us," explains Baha'u'llah, "that the Word of God, and all the potentialities the reof, shall be manifested unto men in strict conformity with such conditions as have been fore-ordained by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise...., P-D.C'. 1b- 123

"Know of a certainty," Baha'u'llah explains in this connection, ”that in every Dispensation the light of Divine Revelation has been vouchsafed to men in direct proportion to their spiritual capacity. Consider the sun. How feeble its rays the moment it appeareth above the horizon. How gradually its warmth and potency increase as it approacheth its zenith, enabling meanwhile all created things to adapt themselves to the growing intensity of its light. How steadily it declines until it reacheth its setting point. Were it all of a sudden to manifest the energies latent within it, it would no doubt cause injury to all created things ... In like manner, if the Sun of Truth were suddenly to reveal, at the earliest stages of its manifestation, the full measure of the potencies which the providence of the Almighty hath bestowed upon it, the earth of human understanding would waste away and be consume d; for men's hearts would neither sustain the intensity of its revelation, nor be able to mirror forth the radiance of its light. Dismayed and overpowered, they would cease to exist."

V.0.B. p. 117

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[Page 112]In a more explicit language Baha'u'llah testifies to this truth in one of His Tablets revealed in Adrianople: “Know verily that the veil hiding Our countenance hath not been completely lifted. We have revealed Our Self to a degree corresponding to the capacity of the people of Our age. Should the Ancient Beauty be unveiled in the fullness of His glory mortal eyes would be blinded by the dazzling intensity of His revelation." V.0.B. p. 116

"All created things," ‘Abdu’l-Bahá elucidating this truth, has affirmed, ”have their degree or stage of maturity. The period of maturity in the life of a tree is .the time of its fruit-bearing ... The animal attains a stage of full growth and completeness, and in the human kingdom man reaches his maturity when the light of his intelligence attains its greatest power and development.... Similarly there are periods and stages in the collective life of humanity. At one time it was passing through its stage of childhood, at another its period of youth, but now it has entered its long-predicted phase of maturity, the evidences of which are everywhere apparent.... That which was applicable to human needs during the early history of the race can neither meet nor satisfy the demands of this day, this period of newness and consummation. Humanity has eme rged from its former state of limitation and preliminary training. Man must now become imbued with new virtues and powers, new moral standards, new capacities. New bounties, perfect bestowals, are awaiting and already descending upon him. The gifts and blessings of the period of youth, although timely and sufficient during the adolescence of mankind, are now incapable of meeting the requirements of its maturity." P-D-C- 19- 133

Consider that which hath been sent down unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God. The measure of the Revelation of which He was the Bearer had been clearly foreordained by Him Who is the Almighty, the All—Powerful. They that heard Him, however, could apprehend His purpose only to the extent of their station and spiritual capacity. He, in like manner, uncovered the Face of Wisdom in proportion to their ability to sustain the burden of His Message. No sooner had mankind attained the stage of maturity, than the Word revealed to men '5 eyes the latent energies with which it had been endowed--energies which manifested themselves in the plenitude of their glory when the Ancient Beauty

appeared, in the year sixty (1844), in the person of 'A11- Muhammad, the Báb. ” Bahá’u’lláh, cited in W.O.B.p.16u

Christianity

The Revelation associated with the Faith of Jesus Christ focussed attention primarily on the redemption of the individual and the moulding of his conduct, and stressed, as its central theme, the necessity of inculcating a high standard of morality and discipline into man, as the fundamental unit in human society. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find any reference to the unity of nations or the unification of mankind as a whole. When Jesus spoke to those around Him, He addressed them primarily as individuals rather than as component parts of one universal, indivisible entity. The whole surface of the earth was as yet unexplored, and the organization of all its peoples and nations as one unit could, consequently, not be envisaged, how much less proclaimed or established. What other interpretation can be given to thesewords, addressed specifically by Baha' u'llah to the followers of the Gospel, in which the fundamental distinction between the Mission of Je sus Christ, conc erning primarily the individual, and His own Message, directed more particularly to mankind as a whole, has been definitely established: "Verily, He (Jesus) said: 'Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.‘ In this day, however,

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[Page 113]We say: 'Come ye after Me, that We may make you to become the quickeners of mankind.."I

Islam

The Faith of Islam, the succeeding link in the chain of Divine Revelation, introduced, as Baha 'u'llah Himself testifies, the cone eption of the nation as a unit and a vital stage in the organization of human society, and embodied ‘it in its teaching. This indeed is what is meant by this brief yet highly significant and illmninating pronouncement of Baha 'u'llah: ”Of old (Islamic Dispensation) it hath been revealed: 'L0ve of one '5 country is an element of the Faith of God."' This principle was established and stressed by the Apestle of God, inasmuch as the evolution of human society required it at that time. Nor could any stage above and beyond it have been envisaged, as world conditions preliminary to the establishment of a superior form of organization were as yet unobtainable. The cone eption of nationality, the attainment to the state of nationhood, may, therefore, be said to be the distinguishing characteristics of the Muharnmadan Dispensation, in the course of which the nations and races of the world, and particularly in Europe and America, were unified and achieved political independence. 10.0.0. p1» 124-125

The Bahá’í Faith

”In every Dispensation," writes ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, "the light of Divine Guidance has been focussed upon one central theme.... In this wondrous Revelation, this glorious century, the foundation of the Faith of God and the distinguishing feature of His Law is the consciousness of the Oneness of Mankind-” v.0.3. p. 36'

"The Tabernacle of Unity," Baha'u'llah proclaims in His message to all mankind, "has been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers.... Of one tree are all ye the fruit and of one bough the leaves.... V-O-B- 1’- “1

The se pregnant truths proclaimed by Baha'u'llah, the Divine Organizer and Saviour of the whole human race ... should be regarded as the aniInating force and the hall-mark of His Revelation: "The world is but one country, and mankind its citizens." "Let not a man glory in that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind." ... "Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply ... all mankind may become the upholders of one order, and the inhabitants of one city Ye dwell in one world, and have been created through the Operation of one Will." "Beware lest the desires of the flesh and of a corrupt inclination provoke divisions among you. Be ye as the fing ers of one hand, the members of one body." And yet again: "All the saplings of the world have appeared from one Tree, and all the drops from one Ocean, and all beings owe

their existence to one Being." And furthermore: "That one indeed is a man who today dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race." P.D.C. 19. 118

"O ye discerning ones!“ Baha'u'llah has written, "Verily, the words which have descended from the heaven of the Will of God are the source of unity and harmony for the world. Close your eyes to racial differences, and welcome all with the light of oneness." A-D-J. 1h 31

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[Page 114]Unification of the whole of mankind is the hall-mark of the stage which human society is now approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving. Nation-building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fetish, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life.

"A new life," Baha 'u'llah proclaims, "is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples of the earth; and yet none hath discovered its cause, or perceived its motive.” ”O ye children of men," He thus addresses His generation, "the fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race ... This is the straight path, the fixed and immovable foundation. Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure.” ”The well-being of mankind," He declares, "its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established." "So powerful is the light of unity," is His further testimony, ”that it can illuminate the whole earth. The one true God, He Who knoweth all things, Himself testifieth to the truth of these words ... This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the monarch of all aspirations.” "He Who is your Lord, the AllMerciful," He, moreover, has written, "cherisheth in His heart the desire of beholding the entire human race as one soul and one body. Haste ye to win your share of God's good grace and mercy in this Day that eclipseth all other created days." V.0.B. 7575. 202-203

It beseemeth all men, in this Day, to take firm hold on the Most Great Name, and to establish the unity of all mankind. 01. 75. 203

‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself elucidates this truth in one of His Tablets: ”In cycles gone by, though harmony was established, yet, owing to the absence of means, the unity of all mankind could not have been achieved. Continents remained widely divided, nay even among the peoples of one and the same continent association and interchange of thought were well— nigh imp055ible. Consequently intercourse, understanding and unity among st all the peoples and kindreds of the earth were unattainable. In this day, however, means of communication have multiplied, and the five continents of the earth have virtually merged into one ... In like manner all the members of the human family, whether peeples or governments, cities or villages, have become increasingly interdependent. For none is self-sufficiency any longer pos sible, ina smuch as political ties unite all peoples and nations, and the bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and education, are being strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all mankind can in this day be achieved. Verily this is none other but one of the wonders of this wondrous age, this glorious century. Of this, past ages have been deprived, for this century--the century of light——has been endowed with unique and unprecedented glory, power and illumination. Hence the miraculous unfolding of a fre sh marvel every day. Eventually it will be seen how bright its candles will burn in the assemblage of man.”

"Behold," He further explains, "how its light is now dawning upon the world's darkened horizon. The first candle is unity in the political realm, the early glimmerings of which can now be discerned. The second candle is unity of thought in world undertakings, the consummation of which will erelong be witnessed. The third candle is unity in freedom which will surely come to pass. The fourth candle is unity in religion which is the cornerstone of the

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[Page 115]foundation itself, and which, by the power of God, will be revealed in all its splendor. The fifth candle is the unity of nations-—a unity which, in this century, will be securely established, causing all the peoples of the world to regard themselves as citizens of one common fatherland. The sixth candle is unity of races, making of all that dwell on earth peoples and kindreds of one race. The seventh candle is unity of language, i.e., the choice of a universal tongue in which all peoples will be instructed and converse. Each and every one of these will inevitably co‘me to pass, inasmuch as the power of the Kingdom of God will aid and assist in their realization." P.D.C. M- 125—126

Unity in Diversity

Let there be no misgivings as to the animating purpose of the worldwide Law of Baha 'u'llah. Far from aiming at the subversion of the existing foundations of society, it seeks to broaden its basis, to remould its institutions in a manner consonant with the needs of an ever-changing world. It can conflict with no legitimate allegiances, nor can it undermine essential loyalties. Its purp05e is neither to stifle the flame of a sane and intelligent patriotism in men's hearts, nor to abolish the system of national autonomy so essential if the evils of excessive centralization are to be avoided. It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnical origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world. It calls for a wider loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any that has animated the hmnan race. It insists upon the subordination of national impulses and interests to the imperative claims of a unified world. It repudiates excessive centralization on one hand, and disclaims all attempts at uniformity on the other. Its watchword is unity in diversity such as 'Abdu'l— Baha Himself has explained:

"Consider the flowers of a garden. Though differing in kind, color, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm and addeth unto their beauty. How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruit, the branches and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and color! Diversity of hues, form and shape enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made manifest. Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas and convictions of the children of men.”

The call of Baha'u'llah is primarily directed against all forms of provincialism, all insularities and prejudices. If long-cherished ideals and time-honored institutions, if certain social assumptions and religious formulae have ceased to promote the welfare of the generality of mankind, if they no longer minister to the needs of a continually evolving humanity, let them be swept away and relegated to the limbo of obsolescent and forgotten doctrines. Why should these, in a world subject to the immutable law of change and decay, be exempt from the deterioration that must needs overtake every human institution? For legal standards, political and economic theories are solely designed to safeguard the interests of humanity as a whole, and not humanity to be crucified for the preservation of the integrity of any particular law (1' doctrine. V.0.B. M). 41412

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[Page 116]The Principle of Oneness

Let there be no mistake. The principle of the Oneness of Mankind-the pivot round which all the teachings of Baha'u'llah revolve——is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an expression of vague and pious hope. Its appeal is not to be merely identified witha reawakening of the spirit of brotherhood and good-will among men, nor does it aim solely at the fostering of harmonious c00peration among individual peoples and nations. Its implications are deeper, its claims greater than any which the Prophets of old were allowed to advance. Its message is applicable not only to the individual, but concerns itself primarily with the nature of those essential relationships that must bind all the states and nations as members of one human family. It does not constitute merely the enunciation of an ideal, but stands inseparably as sociated with an institution adequate to embody its truth, demonstrate its validity, and perpetuate its influence. It implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced. It constitutes a challenge, at once bold and universal, to outworn shibboleths of national creeds--creeds that have had their day and which must, in the ordinary course of events as shaped and controlled by Providence, give way to a new gospel, fundamentally different from, and infinitely superior to, what the world has already conceived. It calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized world- -a world organically unified in all the essential aspects of its life, its political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script and language, and yet infinite in the diversity of the national characteristics of its federated units.

It represents the consummation of human evolution--an evolution that has had its earliest beginnings in the birth of family life, its subsequent development in the achievement of tribal solidarity, leading in turn to the constitution of the city- state, and expanding later into the institution of independent and sovereign nations.

The principle of the Oneness of Mankind, as proclaimed by Baha 'u'llah, carries with it no more and no less than a solemn assertion that attainment to this final stage in this stupendous evolution is not only necessary but inevitable, that its realization is fast approaching, and that nothing sho rt of a power that is born of God can succeed in establishing it.

So marvellous a conception finds its earliest manifestations in the efforts consciously exerted and the modest beginnings already achieved by the declared adherents of the Faith of Baha '.u'llah who, conscious of the sublixnity of their calling and initiated into the ennobling principles of His Administration, are forging ahead to establish His Kingdom on this earth. It has its indirect manifestations in the gradual diffusion of the spirit of world solidarity which is spontaneously arising out of the welter of a disorganized society.

V.0.B. M). 42-44

The Growth of the Conception of Unity

The proclamation of the Oneness of Mankind ... uttered at a time when its possibility had not yet been seriously envisaged in any part of the world, has, by virtue of that celestial potency with which the Spirit of Baha 'u'llah has breathed into it come at last to be regarded, by an increasing number of thoughtful men, not only as an approaching possibility, but as the necessary outcome of the forces now operating in the world. 4.0.19. 1» 47

How pathetic indeed are the efforts of those leaders of human institutions who, in utter disregard of the spirit of the age, are striving to adjust

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[Page 117]national processes, suited to the ancient days of self-contained nations, to an age which must either achieve the unity of the world, as adumbrated by Baha 'u'llah, or perish. At so critical an hour in the history of civilization it behooves the leaders of all the nations of the world, great and small, whether in the East or in the West, whether victors or vanquished, to give heed to the clarion call of Baha 'u'llah and,thorough1y imbued with a sense of world solidarity, the sine qua non of loyalty to His Cause, arise manfully to carry out in its entirety the one remedial scheme He, the Divine Physician, has prescribed for an ailing humanity. Let them discard, once for all, every preconceived idea, every national prejudice, and give heed to the sublime counsel of 'Abdu'l- Baha, the authorized Expounder of His teachings. You can best serve your country, was 'Abdu'l- Baha' s rejoinder to a high official in the service of the federal government of the United States of America, who had questioned Him as to the best manner in which he could promote the interests of his gevermnent and people, if you strive, in your capacity as a citizen of the world, to assist in the eventual application of the principle of federalism underlying the government of your own country to the relationships now existing between the peoples and nations of the world. h’.0.B. M. 36—37

What else could these weighty words signify if they did not point to the inevitable curtailment of unfettered national sovereignty as an indispensable preliminary to the formation of the future Commonwealth of all the nations of the world? v.0.B. 1:. 40

It would be stimulating to follow the hi sto ry of the growth and deve10pment of this lofty conception which must increasingly engage the attention of the responsible custodians of the destinies of peoples and nations. To the states and principalities just emerging from the welter of the great Napoleonic upheaval, whose chief preoccupation was either to recover their rights to an independent existence or to achieve their national unity, the conception of world solidarity seemed not only remote but inconceivable. It was not until the forces of nationalism had succeeded in overthrowing the foundations of the Holy Alliance that had soug ht to curb their rising power, that the possibility of a world order, transcending in its range the political institutions these nations had established, came to be seriously entertained. It was not until after the World War that these exponents of arrogant nationalism came to regard such an order as the object of a pernicious doctrine tending to sap that essential loyalty upon which the continued exi stence of their national life depended.

With a vigor that recalled the energy with which the members of the Holy A1liance sought to stifle the spirit of a rising nationalism among the peoples liberated from the Napoleonic yoke, these champions of an unfettered national sovereignty, in their turn, have labored and are still laboring to discredit principles upon which their own salvation must ultimately depend.

The fierce opposition which greeted (the attempts at political or economic unity among nations), ... may appear as setbacks to the efforts which a handful of foresighted people are earnestly exerting to advance this noble ideal. And yet, are we not justified in deriving fresh encouragement when we observe that the very consideration of such proposals is in itself an evidence of their steady growth in the minds and hearts of men? In the organized attempts that are being made to discredit so exalted a conception are we not witnessing the repetition, on a larger scale, of those stirring struggles and fierce controversies that preceded the birth, and assisted in the reconstruction, of the unified nations of the West?

To take but one instance. How confident were the assertions made in the days preceding the unification of the states of the North American continent regarding the insuperable barriers that stood in the way of their ultimate feder 117

[Page 118]ation! Was it not widely and emphatically declared that the conflicting interests, the mutual distrust, the differences of government and habit that divided the states were such as no force, whether spiritual or temporal, could ever hope to harmonize or control? And yet how different were the conditions prevailing a hundred and fifty years ago from those that characterize present-day society! It would indeed be no exaggeration to say that the absence of those facilities which modern scientific progress has placed at the service of humanity in our time made of the problem of welding the American states into a single federation, similar though they were in certain traditions, a task infinitely more complex than that which confronts a divided humanity in its efforts to achieve the unification of all mankind.

Who knows that for so exalted a conception to take shape a suffering more intense than any it has yet experienced will have to be inflicted upon hmnanity? Could anything less than the fire of a civil war with all its violence and vicissitudes--a war that nearly rent the great American Republic-—have welded the states, not only into a Union of independent units, but into a Nation, in spite of all the ethnic differences that characterized its component parts? That so fundamental a revolution, involving such far-reaching changes in the structure of society, can be achieved through the ordinary processes of diplomacy and education seems highly improbable. We have but to turn our gaze to humanity's blood-stained history to realize that nothing short of intense mental as well as physical agony has been able to precipitate those epochmaking changes that constitute the greate s1: landmarks in the history of human civilization. V.0.B. M). 44—45

And yet while the shadows are continually deepening, might we not claim that gleams of hope, flashing intermittently on the international horizon, appear at times to reli eve the darkness that encircles humanity? Would it be untrue to maintain that in a world of unsettled faith and disturbed thought, a world of steadily mounting armaments, of unquenchable hatreds and rivalries, the progress, however fitful, of the forces working in harmony with the Spirit of the age can already be discerned?

(In the League of Nations and the United Nations) for the first time in the history of humanity the system of collective security, foreshadowed by Baha'u'llah and explained by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, has been seriously envisaged, discussed and tested. For the first time in history it has been officially recognized and publicly stated that for this system of collective security to be effectively established strength and elasticity are both essential--strength involving the use of an adequate force to ensure the efficacy of .the prepased system, and elasticity to enable the machinery that has been devised to meet the legitimate needs and aspirations of its aggrieved upholders. For the first time in human history tentative efforts have been exerted by the nations of the world to assume collective responsibility, and to supplement their verbal pledges by actual preparation for collective action. And again, for the first time in history, a movement of public opinion has manifested Itself in support of the verdict which the leaders and representatives of nations have pronounced, and for securing collective action in pursuance of such a decision...

There can be no doubt whatever that what has already been accomplished, significant and unexampled though it is in the history of mankind, still immeasurably falls short of the essential requirements of the system (of Baha'u'llah) ... (However) the significance of the steps already taken cannot be ignored. Whatever the present status of the (United Nations) or the outcome of its historic verdict, whatever the trials and reverses which, in the immediate future, it may have to face and sustain, the fact must be recognized that so

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[Page 119]important a decision marks one of the most distinctive milestones on the long and arduous road that must lead it to its goal, the stage at which the oneness of the whole body of nations will be made the ruling principle of international life. no.3. M). 191-193

This will indeed be the fitting climax of that process of integration which, starting with the family, the smallest unit in the scale of human organization, must, after having called successively into being the tribe, the city- state and the nation, continue to Operate until it culminates in the unification of the whole world, the final object and the crowning glory of human evolution on this planet. It is this stage which humanity, willingly or unwillingly, is resistlessly approaching. It is for this stage that this vast, this fiery ordeal which humanity is experiencing is mysteriously paving the way. It is with this stage that the fortunes and the purpose of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh are indissolubly linked. It is the creative energies which His Revelation has released in the ”year sixty” (1844), and later reinforced by the successive effusions of celestial power vouchsafed in the "year nine" (1853) and the "year eighty" (1863) to all mankind, that have instilled into humanity the capacity to attain this final stage in its organic and collective evolution. It is with the Golden Age of His Dispensation that the consummation of this process will be for ever associated. It is the structure of His New World Order, now stirring in the womb of the administrative institutions He Himself has created, that will serve both as a pattern and a nucleus of that world commonwealth which is the sure, the inevitable destiny of the peoples and nations of the earth. P.D.c. 15. 122

GLIMPSES OF THE NEAR FUTURE Bahá’í Community

mm

In the beginning of every Revelation adversities have prevailed, which later on have been turned into great prosperity. Say: O people of God! Beware lest the powers of the earth alarm you, or the might of the nations weaken you, or the tumult of the people of discord deter you, or the exponents of earthly glory sadden you. Be ye as a mountain in the Cause of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Unconstrained. Band'u'lláh, cited in A.D.J. t. 69

”The darkness of error that has enveloped the East and the West is, in this most great cyc 1e, battling with the light of Divine Guidance. Its swords and its spears are very sharp and pointed; its army keenly bloodthirsty.” "This day," He, in another passage has written, I’the powers of all the leaders of religion are directed towards the dispersion of the congregation of the A11Merciful, and the shattering of the Divine Edifice. The ho sts of the world, whether material, cultural or political are from every side launching their assault, for the Cause is great, very great. Its greatness is, in this day, clear and manifest to men's eyes." 'Abdu'L-Baha, cited in A.D.J. fl. 5

In the conduct of ... (their) crusade the valiant warriors struggling in the name and for the Cause of Baha'u'llah must, of necessity, encounter stiff resistance, and suffer many a setback. Their own instincts, no less than the fury of conservative forces, the oppo sition of vested interests, and the objections of a corrupt and pleasure-seeking generation, must be reckoned with,

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[Page 120]resolutely resisted, and completely overcome. As their defensive measures for the impending struggle are organized and extended, storms of abuse and ridicule, and campaigns of condemnation and misrepresentation, may be unloosed against them. Their Faith, they may soon find, has been assaulted, their motives misconstrued, their aims defamed, their aspirations derided, their institutions scorned, their influence belittled, their authority undermined, and their Cause, at times, deserted by a few who will either be incapable of appreciating the nature of their ideals, or unwilling to bear the brunt of the mounting criticisms which such a contest is sure to involve. ”Because of 'Abdu'l- Baha, " the beloved Master has prophesied, "many a test will be visited upon you. Troubles will befall you, and suffering afflict you.‘I A. D. J. 1>. 35

Let every earnest upholder of the Cause of Baha'u'llah realize that the storms which this struggling Faith of God must needs encounter, as the process of the disintegration of society advances, shall be fiercer than any which it has already experienced. Let him be aware that so soon as the full measure of the stupendous claim of the Faith of Baha 'u'llah comes to be recognized by those time- honored and powerful strongholds of orthodoxy, who se deliberate aim is to maintain their stranglehold over the thoughts and consciences of men, this infant Faith will have to contend with enemies more powerful and more insidious than the cruellest torture—mongers and the most fanatical clerics who have afflicted it in the past. What foes may not in the course of the convulsions that shall seize a dying civilization be brought into existence, who will reinforce the indignities which have already been heaped upon it!

We have only to refer to the warnings uttered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in order to realize the extent and character of the forces that are destined to contest with God's holy Faith ... ”How great, how very great is the Cause! How very fierce the onslaught of all the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Ere long shall the clamor of the multitude throughout Africa, throughout America, the cry of the European and of the Turk, the groaning of India and China, be hea rd from far and near. One and all, they shall arise with all their power to resist His Cause. Then shall the knights of the Lord, assisted by His grace from on high, strengthened by faith, aided by the power of understanding, and reinforced by the legions of the Covenant, arise and make manifest the truth of the verse: 'Behold the confusion that hath befallen the tribes of the defeated! "'

Stupendous as is the struggle which His words foreshadow, they also testify to the complete victory which the upholders of the Greatest Name are destined eventually to achieve. Peoples, nations, adherents of diverse faiths, will jointly and successively arise to shatter its unity, to sap its force, and to degrade its holy name. They will assail not only the spirit which it inculcates, but the administration which is the channel, the instrument, the embodiment of that s irit. For as the authority with which Baha 'u'llah has invested the future Baha' 1 Commonwealth becomes more and more apparent, the fiercer shall be the challenge which from every quarter will be thrown at the verities it enshrines. V.0.B., M. 17—18.

Let not, however, the invincible army of Baha'u'llah, who in the West, and at one of its potential storm-centers is to fight, in His name and for His sake, one of its fiercest and most glorious battles, be afraid of any criticism that might be directed against it. Let it not be deterred by any condemnation with which the tongue of the slanderer may seek to debase its motives. Let it not recoil before the threatening advance of the forces of fanaticism, of orthodoxy, of corruption, and of prejudice that may be leagued against it. The voice of criticism is a voice that indirectly reinforces the proclamation of its Cause. Unpopularity but serves to throw into greater relief the contrast between

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[Page 121]it and its adversaries; while ostracism is itself the magnetic power that must eventually win over to its camp the most vociferous and inveterate amongst its foes. Already in the land where the greatest battles of the Faith have been fought, and its most rapacious enemies have lived, the march of events, the slow yet steady infiltration of its ideals, and the fulfillment of its prophecies, have resulted not only in disarming and in transforming the character of some of its most redoubtable enemies, but also in securing their firm and unreserved a1legiance to its Founders. So complete a transformation, so startling a reversal of attitude, can only be effected if that chosen vehicle which is designed to carry the Message of Baha'u'llah to the hungry, the restless, and unshepherded multitudes is itself thoroughly cleansed from the defilements which it seeks to remove. 4.1m. M. 35-36

Whatever may befall this infant Faith of God, in future decades or in succeeding centuries, whatever the sorrows, dangers and tribulations which the next stage in its world-wide development may engender, from whatever quarter the assaults to be launched by its present or future adversaries may be unleashed against it, however great the reverses and setbacks it may suffer, we, who have been privileged to apprehend, to the degree our finite minds can fathom, the significance of these marvelous phenomena associated with its rise and establishment, can harbor no doubt that what it has already achieved in the first hundred years of its life provides sufficient guarantee that it will continue to forge ahead, capturing loftier heights, tearing down every obstacle, opening up new horizons and winning still mightier victories until its glorious mission, stretching into the dim ranges of time that lie ahead, is totally fulfilled. 0.1%. p. 412

Say: Beware, O peeple of Baha’, lest the strong ones of the earth rob you of your strength, or they who rule the world fill you with fear. Put your trust in God, and commit your affairs to His keeping. He, verily, will, through the power of truth, render you victorious, and He, verily, is powerful to do what He willeth, and in His gra sp are the reins of omnipotent might.

Baha’ 'u'uéh, cited in A.D.J. p. 69

Tasks

Now, in the world of being, the Hand of Divine power hath firmly laid the foundations of this all-highest bounty, and this wondrous gift. Whatsoever is latent in the innermost of this holy Cycle shall gradually appear and be made manifest, for now is but the beginning of its growth, and the dayspring of the revelation of its signs. Ere the close of this century and of this age, it shall be made clear and evident how wondrous was that springtide, and how heavenly was that gift. 'Abdu'z—Bahd. cited in no.5. 12. 205

May (the) projected Centenary (of the) Birth (of the) Prophetic Mission (of) Baha'u'llah (1953) (be) befittingly celebrated (by the) convocation (of the) First All African Teaching Conference, representative (of the) black (and) white races, embracing (the) ... African territories now included (within the) pale (of the) Faith. Shoghi Effendi: 3- J- June. 1951

No more adequate and better field can be imagined as an outlet for

the long hemmed in energies of the spiritually virile, highly developed, outstandingly loyal branch of the family of Bahá’í national communities (Germany),

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[Page 122]than the neighboring territories situated in the Balkan Peninsula*, the Baltic States**, and further afield the vast stretches now enveloped in darkness, and, whose teeming millions hunger for the Light of God's saving grace and redemptive power.

For so glorious and mighty a mission, this comInunity, however limited its present resources, however circumscribed in its numbers, however formidable the various ob stacles that now stand in its path, must, by applying itself assiduously to the tasks of the present hour, prepare itself and acquire the necessary spiritual capacity to launch, in the years that lie ahead and possibly on the morrow of the celebrations of the centenary of the birth of Baha' u' llah's sprophetic Mission (1953), the first stage in its historic Mission destined to embrace so vital a section of the EuroPean and so colossal an area in the Asiatic continents. Shoghi Effendi, 13.11. Dec., 1950 p. 1—2

Upon the success of the second Seven Year Plan (1953) depends the launching, after a brief respite of three brief years (1956), of a yet more momentous third Seven Year Plan which, when consummated through the establishment of the structure of the administrative order in the remaining sovereign states and chief dependencies of the entire globe, must culminate in and be befittingly commemorated through world- wide celebrations marking the Centennial of the formal assumption by Baha 'u'llah of the Prophetic Office (1963) associated with Daniel's prophecy and the world triumph of the Baha' 1 revelation and signalizing the termination of the initial epoch in the evolution of the Plan whose mysterious,resist1ess processes must continue to shed everincreasing lustre on successive gene rations of both the Formative and Golden Ages of the Faith of Baha 'u'llah. M A M) 33— 39

(The African campaign) signalizing (the) initial phase (of the) unfoldment (of the) mission (of the) community (of) His followers (in the) British Isles Inidst (the) dominions, colonies (and) protectorates (of the) British Crown. Shoghi Effendi, B.J. June, 1951

The assistance they (the Australian Bahá’ís) have so Spontaneously and enthusiastically extended to the newly established centre in the Fiji Islands, constituting the opening phase "of the crusade destined to be systematically launched by them in the Pacific Islands -- a territory with which their spiritual destiny is irrevocably linked -- has been particularly gratifying.

Shoghi Fffendi, 3.19. May, 1951

(The) second All-Swiss Conference convened (in) Zurich, foreshadowing (the) closer integration (of the) ten goal countries (of the) European continent through (the) eventual formation (of) regional National Assemblies (in) Scandinavia, (the) Benelux countries, Switzerland, Italian (and) Iberian peninsulas. Shoghi Effendi, 3.11. May, 1951 5. 1

The emergence of these two National Assemblies (Latin American), precursors of the institutions which must participate in the election, and contribute to the support, of the Universal House of Justice must lead gradually and uninterruptedly, and in the course of successive epochs of the Formative Age, to the constitution in each of the Republics of Central and South America, of a properly elected, fully representative National Assembly,

• Balkan Peninsula States: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Rumania, Yugoslavia.

• • Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (all three constituent autonomous

republics of the U.S.S.R. since 1940), Poland.

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[Page 123]constituting thereby the last stage in the administrative evolution of that Faith throughout Latin America. 0. R. 15- 13

Historic International Baha' i cong resses held in South and Central America and inter- -European Teaching Conference ... paving the way for future World Baha' 1 Congress. Shoghi Effendi, B. N. May, 19% p. 3

The full einancipation of the Faith itself from the fetters of religious orthodoxy, the essentialprerequisite of its universal recognition and of the emergence of its World Order, is still unachieved. The successive campaigns, designed to extend the beneficent influence of its System, according to 'Abdu'lBahd's Plan, to every country and island where the structural basis of its Administrative Order has not been erected,sti11 remain to be launched. The banner of Ya Baha'u'l- Abhá which, as foretold by Him, must float from the pinnacles of the foremo st seat of learning in the Islamic world is still unhoisted. The Most Great House*, ordained as a center of pilgrimage by Baha'u 'llah in His Kitab- -i- -,Aqdas is as yet unliberated. The third Mashriqu’l-Adhkár to be raised to His glory, the site of which has recently been acquired, as well as the Dependencies of the two Houses of Worship already erected in East and West, are as yet unbuilt. The dome, the final unit which, as anticipated by 'Abdu'l- Baha, is to crown the Sepulcher of the Báb is as yet unreared. The codification of the Kitab— —i- Aqdas, the Mother- Book of the Baha' 1 Revelation, and the systematic promulgation of its laws and ordinances, are as yet unbegun.... The restitution of the first Mashriqu’l- Adhkár** of the Baha‘ 1 world and the recreation of the community that so devotedly reared it, have yet to be accomplished. The sovereign who, as foreshadowed in Baha 'u'llah's Most Holy Book, must adorn the throne of His native land, and cast the shadow of royal protection over His long- persecuted followers, is as yet undiscovered.

The contest that must ensue as a result of the concerted onslaughts which, as prophesied by 'Abdu'l- Baha, are to be delivered by the leaders of religions as yet indifferent to the advance of the Faith, is as yet unfought.... G. P. B. 1). L111

Steps to Ascendancy

I can only for the moment cite at random certain of these Opportunities which stand out preeminently, in any attempt to survey the possibilities of the future:

a) The election of the International House of Justice and its establishment in the Holy Land, the spiritual and administrative center of the

Baha' 1 world, together with the formation of its auxiliary branches and

subsidiary institutions; *

It must be pointed out that ... the establishment of the Supreme

• Host Great House — Bahd’ u’LLJh’s House 1n Baghdád, ’Irdq — was unlawfully

seized and forc1bly occub1ed by the Sh1’ahs of ’Iráq 1n 1920. It was the object of the cons1derat1on of success1ve tr1bunals 1n ’Iráq, and f1nally of the Counc1l of the League of Nat1ons. The off1c1al pronouncement of th1s latter body 1n 1929 was 1n favor of the cla1ms presented by the Baha’ 1 bet1t1oners. However, th1s House has not yet been returned to the Bahá’ís.See G. P. 8. fit. 356—360.

1* F1rst Hashriqu’L—Adhkár — the first Bahd’ 1 Temtle 1n the world — 1n ’Ishqabid, Turk1stan, Russ1a was extrobriated by the State 1n 1928 and was rented to the Baha’ 15 until 1938, when the State took 1t and converted 1t 1nto an art gallery.

‘ See G. P. B. b. 361.

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[Page 124]House of Justice is in no way dependent upon the adoption of the Baha' i Faith by the mass of the peoples of the world, nor does it presuppose its acceptance by the majority of the inhabitants of any one country. In fact, 'Abdu'l— Baha, Himself, in one of His earliest Tablets, contemplated the possibility of the formation of the Universal House of Justice in His own lifetime, and but for the unfavorable circumstances prevailing under the Turkish regime, would have, in all probability, taken the preliminary steps for its establishment. It will be evident, the refore, that given favorable circumstances, under which the Baha' is of Persia** and of the adjoining countries under Soviet Rule, may be enabled to elect their national representatives, in accordance with the guiding principles laid down in 'Abdu'l- Baha' s writings, the only remaining obstacle in the way of the definite formation of the International House of Justice will have been removed. W. 0 B. 1:. 7

b)the gradual ereofion of the various dependencies of the First Mashriqu’l- -Adhkár of the West, and the intricate issues involving the establishment and the extension of the structural basis of Bahá’í comunity life;

c) the codification and promulgation of the ordinances of the Most Holy Book, necessitating the formation, in certain countries of the East, of properly constituted and officially recognized courts of Bahá’í law;*

The day may not be far distant when in certain countries of the East, in which religious communities exercise jurisdiction in . matters of personal status, Baha' i Assemblies may be called upon to as sume the duties and responsibilities devolving upon officially constituted Bahá’í courts. They will be empowered, in such matters as marriage, divorce, and inheritance, to execute and apply, within their respective jurisdictions, and with the sanction of civil authorities, such laws and ordinances as have been expressly provided in their Most Holy Book. V. 0. B. p. 200

d) the building of the Third Mashriqu’l- -Adhkár of the Baha' i world in the outskirts of the city of Tihran, to be followed by the rise of a similar House of Worship in the Holy Land itself;

e) the deliverance of Bahá’í communities from the fetters of religious orthodoxy in such Islamic countries as Persia, 'Iráq, and Egypt, and the consequent recognition, by the civil authorities in those states, of the independent status and religious character of Baha' i National and local Assemblies;

f) the precautionary and defensive measures to be devised, coordinated, and carried out to counteract the full force of the inescapable attacks which the organized efforts of ecclesiastical organizations of various denominations will progressively launch and relentlessly pursue; and, last but not least, the multitudinous issues that must be faced, the obstacles that must be overcome, and the responsibilities that must be assumed, to enable a sore—tried Faith to pass through the successive stages of (l) unmitigated obscurity, (2) of active repression, and (3) d complete emancipation, leading in turn to its being acknowledged as an independent Faith, enjoying the status of full equality with its sister religions,

g) to be followed by its establishment and recognition as a State religion*,

Not only will the present day Spiritual Assemblies .be styled differently in future, but they will be enabled also to add to their pres

" Written in 1929. F%rsian Bahá’ís began the election of their National Assemblies in 1934.

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[Page 125]ent functions those powers, duties, and prerogatives neces s1tated by the recognition of the Faith of Baha' u'llah, not merely as one of the recognized religious systems of the world, but as the State Religion of an independent and Sovereign Power. w. 0. 8. pp 6— 7 h) which in turn must give way to its assumption of the rights and prerogatives associated with the Baha' 1 state, functioning in the plenitude of its powers, 3. stage which must ultimately culminate in the emergence of the world- wide Baha' 1 Commonwealth*, And as the Baha' 1 Faith permeates the masses of the peoples of East and West, and its truth is embraced by the majority of the peoples of a number of the Sovereign States of the world, will the Universal House of Justice attain the plenitude of its power, and exercise, as the supreme organ of the Baha' 1 Commonwealth, all the rights, the duties, and respon sibilities incumbent upon the

world's future super- s-tate, (h’. 0. B. 12. 7/ animated wholly by the spirit, and Operating solely in direct conformity with the laws and principles of Baha 'u'llah. * *A. D J pp 1: £2

Suffice it to say that this consummation (the emergence of a world commonwealth) will, by its very nature, be a gradual process ... 19.0.0. p. 228

I consider it my duty to warn every beginner in the Faith that the promised glories of the Sovereignty which the Baha' 1 teachings foreshadow, can be revealed only in the fullness of time, that the implications of the Aqdas and the Will of 'Abdu'l- Baha, as the twin repositories of the constituent elements of that Sovereignty, are too far- r-eaching for this generation to grasp and fully appreciate... V.0.B. 7b. 16'

During the Formative Age of the Faith....

1) the last and crowning stage in the erection of the framework of of the Administrative Order of the Faith of Baha'u 'llah -- the election of the Universal House of Justice -- will have been completed,

2) the Kitab— —i- Aqdas, the Mother- Book of His Revelation, will have been codified and its laws promulgated,

3) the Lesser Peace will have been established,

4) the unity of mankind will have been achieved and its maturity attained,

5) the Plan conc eived by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá will have been executed,

6) the emancipation of the Faith from the fetters of religious orthodoxy will have been effected,

7) and its independent religious status will have been universally recognized.

Whilst in the course of the Golden Age, destined to consummate the Dispensation itself,

1) the Banner of the Most Great Peace, promised by its Author, will have been unfurled,

2) the World Bahá’í Commonwealth will have emerged in the plenitude of its power and splendor,

3) and the birth and efflorescence of a world civilization, the child of that Peace, will have conferred its inestimable blessings upon all mankind. 0.12., M- 4—5

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[Page 126]UNFOLDMENT OF WORLD SOCIETY

WORLD CITIZENSHIP

The world is but one country and mankind its citizens. Baha.’ u’llah, ctted 1111. Iv’. 0. B. p. 41

The world is now approaching the stage of world unity,w w,hich as

'Abdu'l- Baha assures us, will, in this century, be securely established. "The Tongue of Grandeur," Baha' u'llah Himself affirms, "hath N. in the Day of His Manifestation proclaimed: 'It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the world.‘ Through the power released by these exalted words He hath lent a fresh impulse, and set a new direction, to the birds of men's hearts, and hath obliterated every trace of restriction and limitation from God's Holy Book." P.D.0. b- 126

The love of one' 5 country, instilled and stressed by the teaching of Islam, as "an element of the Faith of God" has not, through this declaration, this clarion- call of Baha' u'llah, been either condemned or disparaged. It should not, indeed it cannot, be construed as a repudiation, or regarded in the light of a censure pronounced against, a sane and intelligent patriotism, nor does it seek to undermine the allegiance and loyalty of any individual to his country, nor does it conflict with the legitimate aspirations, rights, and duties of any individual state or nation. All it does imply and proclaim is the insufficiency of patriotism, in view of the fundamental changes effected in the economic life of society and the interdependence of the nations, and as the consequence of the contraction of the world, through the revolution in the means of transportation and communication--conditions that did not and could not exist either in the days of Jesus Christ or of Muhammad. It calls for a wider loyalty, which should not, and indeed does not, conflict with lesser loyalties. It instills a love which, in view of its"scope, must include and not exclude the love of one's own country. It lays, through this loyalty which it inspires, and this love which it infuses, the only foundation on which the concept of world citizenship can thrive, and the structure of world unification can rest. It does insist, however, on the subordination of national considerations and particularistic interests to the imperative and paramount claims of humanity as a whole, inasmuch as in a world of interdependent nations and peoples the advantage of the part is best to be reached by the advantage of the whole¢

The world is, in truth, moving on towards its destiny. The interdependence of the peoples and nations of the earth, whatever the leaders of the divisive forces of the world may say or do, is already an accomp1ished fact. Its unity in the economic sphere is now understood and recognized. The welfare of the part means the welfare of the whole, and the distress of the part brings distress to the whole. The Revelation of Baha'u 'llah has, in His own words, "lent a fresh impulse and set a new direction" to this vast process now operating in the world. The fires lit by this great ordeal are the consequences of

men's failure to recognize it. They are, moreover, hastening its consuinmation. P.D.O. 126-127

The present world unrest, symptom of a world-wide malady, their world religion has already affirmed must needs culminate in that world catastrophe out of which the consciousness of world citizenship will be born, a consciousness that can alone provide an adequate basis for the organization of

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[Page 127]world unity, on which a lasting world peace must necessarily depend, the peace itself inaugurating in turn that world civilization which will mark the coming of age of the entire human race. AM. 1512. 22—23

WORLD PE AC E

The Les ser Peace

This consummation (in world civilization) will, by its very nature, be a gradual process, and must, as Baha'u 'llah has Himself anticipated, lead at first to the establishment of that Lesser Peace which the nations of the earth, as yet unconscious of His Revelation and yet unwittingly enforcing the general principles which He has enunciated, will themselves establish. ... P.D.0. p. 128

It must, however long and tortuous the way, lead, through a series of victories and reverses, to the political unification of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, to the emergence of a world government and the establishment of the Lesser Peace, as foretold by Baha 'u'llah and foreshadowed by the Prophet Isaiah. 0. R. p. 31

No machinery falling short of the standard inculcated by the Baha' 1 Revelation, and at variance with the sublime pattern ordained in His teachings, which the collective efforts of mankind may yet devise can ever hope to achieve anything above or beyond that "Lesser Peace” to which the Author of our Faith has Himself alluded in His writings.... V.0.B. p. 162

In His Tablet to Queen Victoria, Baha'u'llah thus addresses all the kings of the earth, summoning them to cleave to the Lesser Peace:...

"0 kings of the earth! We see you increasing every year your expenditures, and laying the burden thereof on your subjects. This, verily, is wholly and grossly unjust. Fear the sighs and tears of this Wronged One, and lay not excessive burdens on your peoples. Do not rob them to rear palaces for yourselves; nay rather choose for them that which ye choose for your- V selves. Thus We unfold to your eyes that which profiteth you, if ye but perceive. Your people are your treasures. Beware lest your rule violate the commandments of God, and ye deliver your words to the hands of the robber. By them ye rule, by their means ye subsist, by their aid ye conquer. Yet, how disdainfully ye look upon them! How strange, how very strange! ...

"Now that ye have refused the Most Great Peace, hold ye fast unto this, the Lesser Peace, that haply ye may in some degree better your own condition and that of your dependents.

”O rulers of the earth! Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions. Beware lest ye disregard the counsel of the All-Knowing, the Faithful.

"Be united, O kings of the earth, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst you, and your people find rest, if ye be of them that comprehend. Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice." P-D.0- p- 26

The Great Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites of the peace and tranquility of the world and the advanc ement of its peoples, hath written: The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations,

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[Page 128]must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world's Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquility of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of every people, government and nationc We fain would hope that the kings and rulers of the earth, the mirrors of the gracious and almighty name of God, may attain unto this station, and shield mankind from the onslaught of tyranny.

Gl. 2u9

In ”The Secret of Divine Civilization,"* ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's outstanding contribution to the future reorganization of the world, we read the following:

"True civilization will unfurl its banner in the midmo st heart of the world whenever a certain number of its distinguished and high-minded sovereigns--the shining exemplars of devotion and determination--shall, for the good and happiness of all mankind, arise, with firm resolve and clear vision, to establish the Cause of Universal Peace° They must make the Cause of Peace the object of general consultation, and seek by every means in their power to establish a Union of the nations of the world. They must conclude a binding treaty and establish a covenant, the provisions of which shall be sound, inviolable and definite. They must proclaim it to all the world and obtain for it the sanction of all the human race. This supreme and noble undertaking--the real source of the peace and well-being of all the world--should be regarded as sacred by all that dwell on earth. All the forces of humanity must be mobilized to ensure the stability and permanence of this Most Great Covenant. In this allembracing Pact the limits and frontiers of each and every nation should be clearly fixed, the principles underlying the relations of governments towards one another definitely laid down, and all international agreements and obligations ascertained. In like manner, the size of the armaments of every government should be strictly limited, for if the preparations for war and the military forces of any nation should be allowed to increase, they will arouse the suspicion of others. The fundamental principle underlying this solemn Pact should be so fixed that if any government later violate any one of its provisions, all the governments on earth should arise to reduce it to utter submission, nay the human race as a whole should resolve, with every power at its disposal, to destroy that government. Should this greatest of all remedies be applied to the sick body of the world, it will assuredly recover from its ills and will remain eternally safe and secure." V.0.B. M). 37-38

The great Republic of the West is inescapably swept into the swelling tide of the world tribulations (World War II), pre saging the assumption of a preponderating share in the establishment of the anticipated Lesser Peace.

M.A. ¢. 55

May this American democracy be the first nation to establish the foundation of international agreement. May it be the first nation to proclaim t he unity of mankind..." The American people are indeed worthy of being the first to build the tabernacle of the great peace and proclaim the oneness of mankind. 'Abdu'z-Bahá, cited in W.0.B. 5. 75

• Published in its Englzsh translation under the title: ”The Mysterious Forces

of Civilization."

128

[Page 129]The Most Great Peace

This momentous and historic step (the Lesser Peace), involving the reconstruction of mankind, as the result of the Universal recognition of its oneness and wholeness, will bring in its wake the spiritualization of the masses, consequent to the recognition of the character, and the acknowledgment of the claims, of the Faith of Baha u"llah- -the essential condition to that ultimate fusion of all races, creeds, classes, and nations which must signalize the emergence of His New World Order. P.D.C. 1;. 128

The Most Great Peace,... as conceived by Baha'u'llah--a peace that must inevitably follow as the practical consequence of the spiritualization of the world and the fusion of all its races, creeds, classes and nations--can rest on no other basis, and can be preserved through no other agency, except the divinely appointed ordinances that are implicit in the World Order that stands associated with His holy name.... V.0.B. M). 162—163

The Most Great Peace, whose sun ... must needs arise as the direct consequence of the enforcement of the laws of the Dispensation of Baha 'u'llah. 0.19.12. 34 That Most Great Peace which those who are fully conscious of the power of His Revelation and avowedly profess the tenets of His Faith can alone proclaim and must eventually establish. P.D.0. 15. 26

In His Tablet, revealed ... to Queen Victoria, Baha'u'llah, alluding to this Most Great Peace, has declared: "That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician. This, verily, is the truth, and all else naught but

error”... V.0.B. p. 163

"We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations," He proclaims, ”... that all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled.” Bahá'u'udh, cited in A.D.J. 1). 31

Set your faces towards unity, and let the radiance of its light shine upon you.... Then will the effulgence of the world's great Luminary enve10p the whole earth, and its inhabitants become the citizens of one city, and the occupants of one and the same throne. ..¢> 217

(Baha'u'llah), foreshadowing humanity's golden age, has written, ”Know thou, of a truth, these great oppressions that have befallen the world are preparing it for the advent of the Most Great Justice.” ”Say," He again asserts, "He hath appeared with that Justice wherewith mankind hath been adorned, and yet the people are, for the most part, asleep." A.D.J. 15. 23

This Most Great Justice is indeed the Justice up on which the structure of the Most Great Peace can alone, and must eventually, rest, while the Most Great Peace will, in turn usher in that Most Great, that World Civilization which shall remain for ever associated with Him Who beareth the Most Great Name. P.D.C'. p. 4

During the Formative Age of the Faith ... the Lesser Peace will have been established, the unity of mankind will have been achieved and its

129

[Page 130]maturity attained, ... whilst in the course of the Golden Age, destined to consummate the Dispensation itself, the Banner of the Most Great Peace, promised by its Author, will have been unfurled, the World Bahá’í Commonwealth will have emerged in the plenitude of its power and splendor, and the birth and efflorescence of a world civilization, the child of that Peace, will have conferred its inestimable blessings upon all mankind° 0.12. 12p. 4—5

WORLD BAHA'I’ COMMONWEALTH

The Faith (must) pass through the successive stages of unmitigated obscurity, of active repression, and of complete emancipation, leading in turn to its being acknowledged as an independent Faith... to be followed by its establishment and recognition as a State religion, which in turn must give way to its assumption of the rights and prerogatives associated with the Bahá’í state, functioning in the plenitude of its powers, a stage which must ultimately culminate in the emergence of the world-wide Bahá’í Commonwealth, animated wholly by the spirit, and operating solely in direct conformity with the laws and principles of Bahailu'ua’h. . mm. 72. 12

The Administrative Order is the sole framework of the Bahá’í Commonwealth of the future ... the very pattern of that divine civilization which the almighty Law of Baha'u'llah is designed to establilsh upon the earth ...

Iv‘.0.B. 7t). 52

Some form of world Super-State must needs be evolved, in whose favor all the nations of the world will have willingly ceded every claim to make war, certain rights to impose taxation and all rights to maintain armaments, except for purposes of maintaining internal order within their respective dominions.*

The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Baha'u'llah, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded.**

This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of:

(1) a World Parliament whose members shall be elected by the people in their respective countries and whose election shall be confirmed by their respective governments.*

a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the

whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be re quired to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples.**

(Z) a world executive, backed by an international Force, will carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth.**

... an International Executive adequate to enforce supreme and unchallengeable authority on every recalcitrant member of the commonwealth.*

(3) a world tribunal will adjudicate and deliver its compulsory and final verdict in all and any disputes that may arise between the various elements constituting this universal system.**

a Supreme Tribunal whose judgment will have a binding effect even in such cases where the parties concerned did not voluntarily agree to submit their case to its consideration.*

A world community in which:

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[Page 131](1)

(Z)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

all economic barriers will have been permanently demolished and the interdependence of Capital and Labor definitely recognized.*

the economic resources of the world will be organized, its sources of raw materials will be tapped and fully utilized, its markets will be coordinated and developed, and the distribution of its products will be equitably regulated.**

economic barriers and restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inordinate distinction between classes will be obliterated. Destitution on the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership on the other, will disappear.**

... a single code of international law -- the product of the considered judgment of the world's federated representatives -shall have as its sanction the instant and coercive intervention of the combined forces of the federated units.*

a world metropolis will act as the nerve center of a world civilization, the focus towards which the unifying forces of life will converge and from which its energizing influences will radiate.** a mechanism of world inter-comxnunication will be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and restrictions, and functioning with marvelous swiftness and perfect regularity.**

a world language will either be invented or chosen from among the existing languages and will be taught in the schools of all

the federated nations as an auxiliary to their mother tongue.**

a world script, a world literature, a uniform and universal system of currency, of weights and measures, will simplify and facilitate intercourse and understanding among the nations and races of mankind.**

In such a world society:

(1)

(2)

science and religion, the two most potent forces in human life, will be reconciled, will cooperate, and will harmoniously develop.**

the enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet, to the prolongation of hmnan life, and to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race.**

the press will, under such a system, while giving full scope to the expression Of the diversified views and convictions of mankind, cease to be mischievously manipulated by vested interests, whether private or public, and will be liberated from the influence of contending governments and peoples.**

the causes of religious strife will be permanently removed.** ... racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and cooPeration.**

national rivalries, hatreds, and intrigues will cease...**

... the fury of a capricious and militant nationalism will have been transmuted into an abiding consciousness of world citizenship.*

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[Page 132]A world federal system, ruling the whole earth and exercising unchallengeable authority over its unimaginably vast resources, blending and embodying the ideals of both the East and the West, liberated from the curse of war and its miseries, and bent on the exploitation of all the available sources of energy on the surface of the planet, a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice, whose life is sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by its allegiance to one common Revelation** -- such indeed, appears, in its broadest outline, the Order anticipated by Baha 'u'llah, an Order that shall

come to be regarded as the fairest fruit of a slowly maturing age* -- such is the goal towards which humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving.** *w.0.3. M. 40-41

• • V.O.B. M. 203—204

Then will the coming of age of the entire human race be proclaimed and celebrated by all the peoples and nations of the earth. Then will the banner of the Most Great Peace be hoisted. Then will the world-wide sovereignty of Bahaf'u'llafh--the Establisher of the Kingdom of the Father foretold by the Sen, and anticipated by the Prophets of God before Him and after Him--be recognized, acclaimed, and firmly established. Then will a world civilization be born, flourish, and perpetuate itself, a civilization with a fullness of life such as the world has never seen nor can as yet conceive. Then will the Everlasting Covenant be fulfilled in its completeness. Then will the promise enshrined in all the Books of God be redeemed, and all the prophecies uttered by the Prophets of old come to pass, and the vision of seers and poets be realized. Then will the planet, galvanized through the universal belief of its dwellers in one God, and their allegiance to one common Revelation, mirror, within the limita- tions imposed upon it, the effulgent glories of the sovereignty of Baha 'u'llah, shining in the plenitude of its splendor in the Abhá Paradise, and be made the footstool of His Throne on high, and acclaimed as the earthly heaven, capable of fulfilling that ineffable destiny fixed for it, from time immemorial, by the love and wisdom of its Creator. P. D. C. M). 128— 129

”One of the great events," 'Abdu'l- Baha’ in His "Some Answered Questions" affirmed, ”which is to occur in the Day of the manifestation of that Incomparable Branch (Baha 'u'llah) is the hoisting of the Standard of God among all nations. By this is meant that all nations and kindreds will be gathered together under the shadow of this Divine Banner, which'is no other than the Lordly Branch itself, and will become a single nation. Religious and sectarian antagonism, the hostility of races and peoples, and differences among nations, will be eliminated. All men will adhere to one religion, will have one common faith, will be blended into one race, and become a single people. All will dwell in one common fatherland, which is the planet itself.” P-D-C- p. 126‘

Enthralling is the vision of Isaiah, the greatest of the Hebrew Prophets, predicting, as far back as twenty five hundred years ago, the destiny which mankind must, as its stage of maturity, achieve: "And He (the Lord) shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more ... And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots ... And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together ... And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cocka 132

[Page 133]trice's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

The writer of the Apocalypse, prefiguring the millenial glory which a redeemed, a jubilant humanity must witness, has similarly testified: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away."'...

Who is it that can imagine the lofty standard which such a civilization, as it unfolds itself, is destined to attain? Who can measure the heights to which human intelligence, liberated from its shackles,- will soar? Who can visualize the realms which the human spirit, vitalized by the outpouring light of Bahá'u'llafh, shining in the plenitude of its glory, will discover?

What more fitting conclusion to this theme than the se words of Bahá'u'11a'h,written in anticipation of the golden age of His Faith--the age in which the face of the earth, from pole to pole, will mirror the ineffable splendors of the Abhá Paradise? "This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendors of the Light that shineth from the face of thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Bountiful. Verily, We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We have then called into being a' new creation, as a token of Our grace unto men. I am, verily, the All—Bountiful, the Ancient of Days. This is the Day whereon the unseen world crieth out: 'Great is thy blessedness, O earth, for thou hast been made the foot-stool of thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His mighty throne!‘ The realm of glory exclaimeth: 'Would that my life could be sacrificed for thee, for He Who is the Beloved of the All-Merciful hath established His sovereignty upon thee, through the power of His name that hath been promised unto all things, whether of the past or of the future.‘II W.0.B. 12/). 205-206

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[Page 134]EPILOGUE

The followers of Bahaf'u'lla’h can, by the spirit they evince and the efforts they exert ... demonstrate the validity of their claim to be regarded as the sole repository of that grace upon whose operation must depend the complete deliverance, the fundamental reorganization and the supreme felicity of all mankind.... Theirs is the sublime and two -fold task of the redemption of mankind and the establishment of the world sovereignty of Baha'u'llah. 11.11. 1245 28, 83 Ours ... the duty, however confused the scene, however dismal the present outlook, however circumscribed the resources we d15pose of, to labor serenely, confidently and unremittingly to lend our share of assistance, in whichever way circumstances may enable us, to the operation of the forces which, as marshaled and directed by Bahaf'u'lla’h, are leading humanity out of the

valley of misery and shame to the loftiest summits of power and glory. P.D.0. 1;. 129

Though the task be long and arduous, yet the prize which the A11Bountiful Bestower has chosen to confer upon you is of such preciousness that neither tongue nor pen can befittingly appraise it. Though the goal towards which you are now so strenuously striving be distant, and as yet undisclosed to men' 5 eyes, yet its prom1se lies firmly embedded in the authoritative and unalterable utterances of Baha' u'llah. Though the course He has traced for you seems, at times, lost in the threatening shadows with which a stricken humanity is now enveloped, yet the unfailing light He has caused to shine continually upon you is of such brightness that no earthly dusk can ever eclipse its splendor. Though small in numbers, and circumscribed as yet in your experiences, powers, and resources, yet the Force which energizes your mission is limitless in its range and incalculable in its potency. Though the enemies which every acceleration in the progress of your mission must raise up be fierce, numerous, and unrelenting, yet the invisible Hosts which, if you persevere, must, as promised, rush forth to your aid, will, in the end, enable you to vanquish their hopes and annihilate their forces° Though the ultimate blessings that must crown the consummation of your mission be undoubted, and the Divine promises given you firm and irrevocable, yet the measure of the goodly reward which every one of you is to reap must depend on the extent to which your daily exertions will have contributed to the expansion of that mission and the hastening of its triumph. A,p,J, ¢, 13

The stage is set. The hour is propitious. The signal is sounded. Baha 'u'llah's spiritual battalions are moving into position. The initial clash between the forces of darkness and the army of light ... is being registered by the denizens of the Abhá Kingdom. The author of the plan that has set so titanic an enterprise in motion is Himself mounted at the head of these battallions, and leads them on to capture the cities of mens' hearts. C-R- fi- 24

The Divine Charger is impatient, and can tarry no longer. W.0.B. p. 111

MOUNT YOUR STEEDS, O HEROES OF GOD! D.B. p. 365

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