Transcript of: Speaking on the Illumined Continent
Hasan Sabri
1970
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I'm glad to be here. Friends really delighted to be here and to see such a radiance on such worlds and to be welcomed into your midst as a member of the family off Baha'i, I bring you the greetings off the highs of Uganda on dhe behinds off the British IEDs and Iceland and many off the friends in the United States who perhaps you don't know. But I have met them in my short period off travel here. This continent is quite an attractive continent because we believe that it is not that our continent anymore. It is no more to be described as did our content. It is now to be described as the continent that has been illumined by the mention off Baha'i Lola's revelation and by the, uh, light that has been shed upon it by the princely deeds off those pioneers who have gone to the continent and have forsaken their homes in accordance with the commands of the Bob and Baha'i Akka. The wishes of Abdu'l-Baha the appeals and please off the beloved guardian and the universal House of Justice. And through their own desire, she delightful desire to go and serve the faith in foreign lands and share this glorious message with the people of other lands who perhaps were not so fortunate as to hear off the coming off the hola and the coming of the Day of God. Now this continent has been illumined and has also been blessed and has been consecrated, blessed in the sense that you find that on the shores of Africa here, which is the show's of Egypt. They have been blessed by the feet the blessed feet off Baha'i himself twice during his sojourn from Adrian Opal Toe Akka, once in Alexandria and once in Port Side, blessed by the feet of Abdu'l-Baha when he secured in Egypt several times, you know, in the family and going to Alexandria and coming to port side, blessed by the passage through it by Shoji Fnd. Twice he went down to the heart of Africa immediately upon the assumption off his responsibilities as the guardian of the cause of God, and he went down there for a short holiday. And he reached as far as Kenya blessed by showing up in the second time when he had to go to South Africa from Europe because he could not return to the Holy Land from Europe and he had to go down this way first and then landed in South Africa and crossed Africa from the tip off the south to the very tip of the north on his way to the Holy Land. On he came toe many of these countries, and he has therefore intimately known the condition of living off these people off that particular continent. Now the association off the continent of Africa with the faith dates back to the days of the hola because when the Persian friends were coming from Iran to visit the hola in Akka, they sometimes not able even to see him as you have heard before, that things to stand on the on the world, off the city, on the city walls you see on the sea world and stand there until they could see the handkerchief of behold willing to them. That's all they saw. Their beloved was the handkerchief, and when they left they were sometimes beaten, their property taken away by the the people of Akka and by the authorities because there were two people who were always pointing the behinds out to the authorities and these people belonged to the government breakers and they were pointing them out to the authorities, and they had suffered terribly by this. Some of them went back to Iran. Some of them decided to take refuge and residents in a near my country. So they went to Egypt on behold by himself later on sent many people also to Egypt so he can have some off the friends nearby in this particular area. Now that was a Baha'i community consisting mainly off Persian at the turn of the century. The first Egyptian behind accepted the faith and embraced it. The turn of the century, you see, that is this century now. One Baha'i, one Egyptian became about high and he became a Baha'i import side. And that was the beginning off. Egyptians coming into the faith in very large numbers. In 1950 in 1950 the faith was already established in Egypt. They had about 18 local spiritual assemblies in the country and the community numbering about 1000 and the behinds living in approximately 50 localities. Throughout the length and breadth of the land. There is no breath in Egypt, a Taurus or length, so they were living in the land of the land, same 50 localities in the length of Egypt. Prior to this, there were behind who had moved from Alexandria to Libya. And there was one family off the highs here. A man, his wife and his son. Internists. There were four believers. That's a man, his wife and two daughters on another man who was a lawyer in that country because they had been told about 1921 when one of the highest took a journey all the way up there in the Sudan. There was one local spiritualist sending her to. In Addis Ababa, there was one local special assembly in the process of being reformed, Addis Ababa was open to the faith in 1954 just prior to the invasion off the Italians and one Egyptian behind went down toe. Adisa Barber on the beloved garden, called him the conqueror of Ethiopia. Hey did what Mussolini could not do. They conquered Ethiopia and Mussolini could not do that. And therefore he was the conqueror of Ethiopia. This were the higher communities and the entire continent, with the exception off, one isolated believer in Kenya, which is here and two very old behind in South Africa. One of them, heard of the faith in South Africa through one of the Knobloch sisters. Can't remember what it was funny or the other one and the other one herd of the faith in England, and he went down to South Africa. He was an artist. This was the entire the high strength on the continent. At the end of 1950 in 1950 the British Baha'i community had completed its six year plan, the six year Plan, which had started in 1944 when the American community finished its 1st 7 year plan, which had begun in 1957 and as a reward to the British Baha'i community for their diligence, vigilance there enthusiasm, the dedication and devotion. The beloved Garden promised them a two year plan toe open toe three countries in Africa, and he told them that he would give them a year's respite. The year 1950 51 would be arrested here, and he wanted them to undertake a plan off two years, 51 52 culminating in April 1953 and they could have the two years toe open. Three territories in the African continent. You know how it is with the big with the highest altogether. They would like very much to obey the beloved Gunjan. The British behinds felt impelled at the time to this by the Garden because they wanted to start the plan immediately. They didn't want a year's respite, so they wrote to the garden and told him this. Needless to say, he was very pleased. So be it being the convention I was there at the time and the at convention. They said that they would like to instruct the national spiritual Assembly toe, begin investigations and form a committee to look into the question off Africa on the collect information pertaining to pioneering African so that the pioneers may go to Africa as soon as possible and beat the deadline date and the National Assembly did. Except that recommendation on the advised of loving guardian of it and the beloved guardian was really very pleased. Then the uh progress began and they started collecting information and better. And there was a very active Africa committee formed by international Sandy off the British, the first pioneer toe arise toe arrive in Africa after this particular call was in January, off 1951 she left the British Isles by both toe East Africa. And she had secured the post in the northern part off Tanzania, which was in Tanganyika in a place called the show too. And she was a German. Ah, women off German origin who had gone to the British eyes to study their thing. And she was so seasick crossing the English Channel that she did not there go back again, toe Germany. But she went. But she went all the way from London to Mombassa by boat on every letter that came from her was I am seasick on. She arrived there in 1951 on in January and the beloved garden called her mother of Africa and she's still there. Her name is clear Gong and she lives in Uganda and she runs a nursery school. The Mr and Mrs Benigni came from Iran to England and they arrived there in 1950 because we had met at an orientation conference which was held in the Baha'i has Iraq courts in London. And they came with the intention of pioneering. They came there with their daughters know they came there with their youngest son and they were expecting the motor on her husband. Toe arrived later, that is Ali and Shivani. There were several behind in the British eyes at the time. Who offered their service is also a pioneer and a way to cut a very long story short in July 1951 that it's two years after the presumed the date off. Starting the plan, the three territories in Africa were open to the faith that is, Tanzania was open to the faith by the arrival off. Faithful pioneers from Iran and the British on Uganda was open to the faith by the arrival of Mr Mrs Bernardi, Ali and Derek No. Shivani and Philippines. Work on West Africa here was opened by the arrival of an American woman. Her name was F. L. Stevens and she arrived there and she settled in Ghana. So the three territories were then opened. The women in Kenya was the one soul believer there had died in an air crash in 1954 and other people began coming into Kenya, So Kenya was maintained on the 1952 During the Rizvan period, a local assembly was formed in Dar Salaam, they look a sinuous forms in compelling and then 53 the local assembly off Nairobi was formed and 13 local assemblies were from the new agenda and that the progress of the faith has been such that in 1953 at the Intercontinental Conference which was held in Kampala toe mark the commencement of the 10 year crusade called by the beloved Guardian. There were 300 behinds attending this conference in Kampala, 200 off room where Africans invited by the beloved garden as his own guests to attend this wonderful conference on mostly from Uganda and Tanzania, that is, in a span of one year of teaching work. There was that number and when I tell you something on the side now that those Africans really did not want to leave the village and come to Kampala to attend the conference, they were frightened. They thought that there is some trick, you know, being they're played on them, you know, to bring them down to Kampala because it was common amongst them in those days that the European is wanting always toe suck African blood so that he can keep his own vitality and then who on his own youth, you see. And when they went back again after the conference, there were feasts giving off. Thanks, Return things. How is how it was in that at that time now, Today the picture is very much different from what it was in 1953. You see that today the picture is very much different from what it was in 1953 there was one national assembly and that was the National Center of Egypt. In the sedan on the continent, there were 11 national assemblies in the entire behind weren't on the 12th National Assembly was formed. You know the Italian Swiss National Assembly, you know, combining the two countries together was formed after the Intercontinental Conference in Kampala. It was formed at Rezvon time 1953. So when the Ridvan came, there were then 12 the national spiritual assemblies in the entire world. The progress of the faith has been so much in Uganda in those days and in other parts of Africa that the beloved garden felt that it was now the time to form for national assemblies on the continent and not wait until the end off the plan, and they were firm then. The four National Assembly is that the National Center of North East Africa, Northwest Africa, Central and East Africa, and South and West Africa the pioneers who are rose to go during this period that's 1954 1953 to the African continent were then designated by the beloved Guardian as knights of the whole lot. And to such band belongs John and Van Allen. They came at that time they relinquished to Earl that their responsibilities in in California, including Dwight on Gwen on went down to South Africa and from South Africa. They moved to Swaziland, where they have bean for the past 16 years. Now this called the National Assembly's work from the 1956. It was only three years after the commencement off the off the plan. But to call for the establishment of this assembly is the beloved Garden, Of course, called for the establishment a year earlier. So it was only two years after the commencement of the plan that the beloved garden was so encouraged and he called for. The formation of this National Assembly is by Ethan's, onetime 1956 and he was delighted with the results that were there at that time. So in 1956 there were four national assemblies. In 1963 there were stay for National Assembly in 1964. Tanganyika and Tanzania split from the National Assembly of Central and East Africa, and there were six national assemblies in 1964. That is six years ago. That was one time this year there were 21. National Assembly is being firms on the African continent that is in the entire continent and the islands of the Indian Ocean. There are now 21 national spiritual assemblies, only six more to go. To fulfill all the goals off the nine year plan, that would be 27. National Assembly's altogether in 1973. In other words, they have to be really firmed in 1973 at the time of Rizvan for the election. And then they will be 27 National Assembly on the continent. Six more to go. There isn't a single country on the African continent that's not open to the light of the faith of God, except perhaps Ginnie. I'm saying, perhaps because I'm guarded here, it is possible that there are some behinds. They're off, which we know nothing. But officially, we don't know anything about the existence of any behinds in Guinea. But every other country on the whole continent here has behind in it. The number of behinds varies. Of course, from four that's four behinds to 60,000 Spanish. The harder he had has four behind and you're gonna has 60,000 behind and between, you know, you find that the number varies fluctuates, you know, all the way through all the countries on the continent With the exception off Guinea and Spanish Sahara have at least one local spiritual assembly. Some of them have 1400 so the number of local service in any country varies between one and 1400. Now all these behinds in that particular continent and all this local special assemblies require a great deal of attention on the great deal of help. And the number of pioneers that are now on the contrary does not exceed 100. I think the community is fair minded, and I really do know that they would understand that it is not really the entire responsibility off those 100 to make sure that's 100 between firm and infirm, able and disabled, the young and old, capable and otherwise toe assist their local assemblies of that country and the believers. And deep in their knowledge and their understanding. Now it is docked their own responsibility. Once they come into the faith there, the responsibility off the entire world community. We're going to cease now, talking about the American behinds and the other behind you are going to talk about the Baha'i community and those off the Baha'i community were living on this continent are very fortunate because to them much was given and from them, of course, much would be asked. Now, here that is the, uh, every hope and evidence of the continuance off entry into the faith by the people in large numbers and gradually and hopefully by troops and ultimately a mess. And that would be the stage when we say mass conversion has really arrived. What we're seeing now and what is frightening all of us now is not really mass conversion. It is entering into the faith by large numbers. Later, it will be frightened even more when we have them coming into the faith in troops and then would be scared to death when we have them coming in a mess because we will not be prepared or ready for them. But I think we can take our teachings to heart now and start preparing ourselves for that day when the people are going to come into the faith first in large numbers, as you are having them now in this country, which is very fortunate for them and for us, and then enlarged in troops, which would be again very fortunate indeed and then a mess, which would be the glorification of the greatest name. And that is the time when we are all going toe succeed and be blessed with our efforts in the service of the polls and in the service of God. Because we are the instruments and we must be always willing instruments for the flow of that spirit, and this is what's coming on Now. The supreme buddy, the universe and house of Justice have made several appeals to the behinds of the world, asking them to send pioneers. The investment House of Justice does not ask for pioneers only by numbers they have already indicated how many pioneers should arise from which country and to goto which country on the continent. But really, if we stick to that and we say we find that we are supposed to send six pioneers, the one country and to finance another country, you will find that this is just not going to be very practical, nor is it going to be very special. The reversal has of justice wants the friends toe ask and take this numbers as the minimum that can go to these countries now, not as the maximum. We have to understand this and bear it in mind at all times so that when we're asking what is the goal for such and such a country? Don't say no, that is finished. Let me go somewhere else. I'll give you an example of this Chad here in December, 1967 had no behi at all. It had plenty off sand and no behinds whatsoever. In December 1969 that's two years later, they had 4000 believers last respond. They had 31 local special assemblies. The number of pioneers there is full, a man and his wife and two other pioneers who went from the United States this year in January 1 went in January and one went in March. Do you think that's adequate to take care of a community of 4000 people? Of course it isn't Not at all. Is he under our country's here also, which are in very, very dire need for pioneers. There is one pioneer, for instance, in Upper Volta. He went to Poland when he heard that Upper Volta has not been opened to the faith. So he went and opened it in 1968. On the 21st of March 1969 he wrote. I have no firm the first local special assembly. You must all but he couldn't do that, of course. And then he corrected it and informed it on the 21st of April. Today we understand that there are three local assemblies and one pioneer American. He does not speak French. He's a devoted person, absolutely devoted. He has no job. There is no possibility of his getting a job. Do you know how much you get someone $70 when he gets it? We came to his rescue by being nosey and playing in his affairs and setting lots of How are you living in that country? So the story came and it was very, very touching. There's a couple of fine years went through under here. They had gone to the Holy Land on pilgrimage. They spoke very little English. The man spoke very, very little English. I don't know that acquainted with somebody who speaks very little English, you know, really little English. He could hardly make himself clear, but he was a doctor. He was a medical doctor and his wife spoke no English at all. And they spoke no French at all. The only spoke Persian with their two children. The Riverstone has just destroyed them to go to the window. They went to ruin. They went to Rwanda and all they could find. And wonder is one room in a hotel which had a shady reputation. So they stayed in that one room for 26 months, friends, 26 months staying in that room, and he could not get a permit from the government of Rwanda toe practice medicine. And finally he succeeded in getting that permit, and as soon as he succeeded in getting the term it, he went and opened his clinic and by that time he spoke French quite fluently. And his wife also spoke French even better and the children were already going to school and they speak fluent French, just like a nightingale. And he's not in his clinic on and he is an extremely successful doctor. But this is perseverance and tenacity. We can go on talking about what people have done, and people always think that this is a sacrifice. Well, I don't know. I think there's a great deal of joy in what they were doing. Also, they didn't They didn't think they were sacrificing. We are thinking they were sacrificing. We are the ones who are always thinking that perhaps they had given up the old that they possess in the favor off that which him possesses. But I think also that they had been given that which he pulls. This is first and therefore they were definitely in not in need of that which they did possess. Another was Baha'i Lopez in advance. No, this is what is happening here. Now you see, on this continent here I could tell you many things, you know? Really very, very wonderful. stories off tiny effort, pioneer strength and pioneer tenacity and pioneer perseverance and pioneer the dedication and pine and devotion. But if they're not devoted and they will not vacate, they will not arise to go. Because Baha'i Ola says that this is the princely deed you know, and Abdu'l-Baha coded the most meritorious of Paul Deeds and those who forsake this country's for our sake and for the sake of our cause, you see, and there are many, many wonderful promises that are made to the people who leave their countries. For the sake of the cause of God and those promises, we cannot sit down and say, All right, we're going to go there and see how much Baha'i loud fulfill his promise. Please don't go because there's no point in going. He does not fulfill the promises in the way we expect them to be fulfilled. It fulfills the promises in the way he himself sees fit. He do it whatsoever, he wishes, and or Dennis whatsoever. He chooses
