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WORLD ORDER

THE BAHAH’ MAGAZINE J

- Unchallengeable Victory . . . . . . . . .i/Waye Har-‘day Gift 37 0 From the Center of the Bahá’í 4

World . . . . . . . . . , . . . . M . . . . . .Ru'/ziyyi/z I;/2a’-rmm 47 j 0 The Voice of God, Editorial. . .Bert/ta H. Kirkpatrick 52 - How Can I Choose to Sleep . . i . . . . . . . . ‘Ba/m"u’lla'/2 54 I - The Happiness of Mankind Will Be

Realized

. . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . .‘Abzlu’l—Ba/14' 55 ‘l

0 Behind the Deed, Poem . . . . . . . . Polly .McCZen-mm 58

0 On the “Epistle to the Son of the VVolf” . /1li—Kul17 Khan 59 i

0 The Door of Hope . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth P. flackley 63 '1

- The New Dimension in n l

Statesmanship . . . . . . . . . . ./\/Iarcitz Steward /Itwater 66

0 Bahá’í' Lessons. . . . 69 - With Our Readers. . . . 7:

Fl FTEEN CENTS

[Page 36]O CONTENDING PEOPLES AND KINDREDS OF THE EARTHl SET YOUR FACES TOWARDS UNITY, AND LET THE RADIANCE OF ITS LIGHT SHINE UPON YOU. GATHER YE TOGETHER, AND FOR THE SAKE OF GOD RESOLVE TO ROOT OU’l' WHATEVER IS THE SOURCE OF CONTENTION AMONGST YOU. THEN WILL THE EFFULGENCE OF THE VVO.RLD’S GREAT LUMINARY ENVELOP THE WHOLE EARTH, AND ITS INHABITANTS BECOME THE CITIZENS OF ONE CITY, AND THE (ICCUPANTS OF ONE AND THE SAME THRONE.

CLEAVE UNTO THAT VVHICH DRAVVETH YOU TOGETHER

AND UNITETH YOU. —BAH.»i’U’L1.AH

CHANGE OF ADDRESS SHOULD BE REPORTED ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE

WORLD ORDER is published monthly in Vllilmette, Ill., by the Publishing Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. EDITORS: Garreta Busey, Stanwood Cobb, Alice Simmons Cox, Horace Holley, Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Marcia Steward Atwater, Hasan M. Balyusi, Dale S. Cole, Genevieve L. Coy, Mac Dyer, Shirin Fozdar, M:u'7.ich Gail, Inez Greeren, Annamaria Honnold, G. A. Shook.

Editorial Office 1109 WEST GIFT AVENUE, Pxoxm, ILL.

Iwblicatiazz Office 110 LiNn1—:N Avr-.Nur'., WILMETTE, ILL.

C.‘ R. Wood, Business Manager Printed in U.S.A.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $1.50 per year, for United States, its territories and possessions; for Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Central and South America. Single copies, 15c. Foreign subscriptions, $1.75. Make checks and money orders payable to World Order Magazine, 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmettv:, Illinois. Entered as second class matter April 1, 1940, at the post oflicc at Wilmette, Ill., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1942 by Bahá’í Publishing Committee. Title registered at U. S. Patent Oflicc.

MAY, 1942, VOLUME VIII, NUMBER 2

[Page 37]WORLD ORDER

TH E BAHAW’ MAGAZINE

VOLUME vm MAY, 1942 NUMBER 11

Unchallengeable Victory Maye Harvey Gift

RELIGION ALONE CAN TRIUMPH OVER A WORLD IN FLAMES

THE VICTORY towards which mankind is being impelled is the conquest of the human heart and the institutions of civilization by the laws of the Lord God Almighty! This, however, is not the victory of man’s conscious choosing. He is still laying primary emphasis on the triumph of his own nation or his own ideology. He is still relying on supremacy in air power, in man power and in the weapons of destruction, realizing all too vaguely, that even such necessary ascendancy without farreaching individual and social changes, would result, rather, in the defeat of the human spirit and in the dragon’s teeth of future wars. This must not be! The puny ideals and imaginings of man must be transmuted into clearer and worthier vision aligned with the little—recognized, but age-old plan of his just and compassionate Creator. Victory, then, will be recognized as the fruition of the eternal laws of the universe in a new humanity and a new order of society.

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Lest this sound too idealistic and theoretical, consider that it is based on the stark realism and incontestable foundation of past human experience. What has recorded history repeatedly shown to be the all-conquering power? The names of civilizations which have arisen Phoenix-like from the ashes of previous decadent eras furnish the answer: the Jewish civilization, the Christian civilization, the Islamic civilizaton, to mention those with which the Western world is most familiar, and of which it is the direct heir. In each instance the Founder, be He Moses, Jesus Christ or Muhammad, claimed to speak the Word of God, to exercise the power of God, and to reveal the plan of God, for His own Dispensation. Neither statesmen nor philosophers have made such all-embracing claims, nor have they exerted a like influence. On the other hand, lowly followers of the Prophets have willingly laid down their lives to help establish these civilizations. Such is the potency of religion! And it is the power of religion alone that can rise supreme above the agony and chaos of the world conflagration which is now engulfing humanity.

Any conception of religion that fails to be of this proportion must needs be expanded, for what aspect of human interest or endeavor can lie outside the province of the laws and plan of God, the Creator of the universe and all that is therein! Religion is not only an attitude toward the Creator which is expressed in daily living, it is, with equal accuracy, “the necessary connection which emanates from the realities of things”. “The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men.” 1 This is the vision of religion bequeathed to humanity in this day by Bahá’u’lláh, God’s latest Messenger and Mouthpiece. Now for the reverse picture: “The vitality of men’s belief in God is dying out in every land. . . . The

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corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the Vitals of human society.”2 “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.” 3 The oozing life-blood of millions today testifies to the tragic truth of this utterance.

TRUE RELIGION CREATES UNITY

Religion has created unity and fellowship of such range and duration as mankind in each epoch of human history has had the capacity to express. In this day When all lines of endeavor encompass the entire human race, the only conception of religion which can bring victory to man is the one whose watchword is the brotherhood of all men, and whose charter embodies the practical and comprehensive program for the federation of all nations. “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.” 4 But whatsoever is raised upon the foundation of true religion, is builded upon a rock; and earthquake and tempest assail it in vain.

The fundamental purpose of religion is the establishment of love and fellowship amongst men. But how? The time has come for the human race to put aside the imperfections of childhood and the turbulence of adolescence, and to step into the pavilion of an orderly and responsible maturity. The new and better world can come into being only with the emergence of a spiritually awakened and emotionally disciplined body of

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human beings. An American diplomat recently emphasized that the education of youth in some countries in complete ruthlessness and the stamping out of all tolerance, is more dangerous than actual hosts on the battle field. This warping of the emotional nature is more far-reaching and subtle than the generally-recognized economic, racial and political causes of war. Hence, to bring into being an era when “man shall not learn war any more”, the transformation of the individual human heart must be eifected.

CONQUEST or HUMAN HEART

This conquest of the human heart is not to be accomplished by brute force, but through the fear of God and the mystery of spiritual attraction. Man is so created that he is restless and on the highway of search until he finds that which meets his inmost needs. Possession of material things does not satisfy that longing; the indulgence of the animal nature does not assuage that eternal craving; nor indeed will dominion over the whole world. These are but fleeting illusions, mere opiates.

Man is so created that his reality is attracted by the attributes and qualities of God: love, forbearance, compassion, truthfulness, purity, faithfulness—and he is endowed with the capacity to reflect these attributes. His restlessness will persist until he recognizes and acts on this fundamental truth. Therefore, the first step on the pathway to victory must be the tuming of the human will toward these acquisitions, and away from dominance by the laws of the jungle. This determination will attract the assistance of the Prophet of God Who, alone, can lead man from the isolation of selfishness into the inclusiveness

of brotherhood.

The teachings of this heavenly Educator will elevate man unto the plane of victorious thinking and doing. Thus will he

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be empowered to surmount the battlements of discord, of despair, of greed and envy, of prejudice and criticism, which separate him from those fellowmen with whom he must form this new universal unity. He who desires to attain this rich and glorious experience must follow certain definite directions. He must cleanse his “cars from idle talk”. Consider the extent of idle talk, and the eagerness with which man lends his ear to its pernicious influence. He must cleanse his “mind from vain imaginings”. What a mass of superstitions entangles man and separates him from the unifying freedom of truth! He must cleanse his “heart of worldly affections”. How often does he permit them to supersede his loyalty to his Creator! He must turn his “eyes from that which perisheth”. Consider the desert wastes of transient, even degrading things to which man gives‘ such assiduous attention. He must put his dependence in God, and follow in His path. “Then will the manifold favours 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 car, a new heart, and a new mind.” 5 Greater and more inspiring victories will be won as man consciously submits his will to the constant guidance of God. “As the human heart . . . is one and undivided . . . take heed that its afl"ections be, also, one and undivided.”". True liberty consists in man’s joyous acceptance of the Laws of God for the age in which he lives. This is liberty, and this is victory!

“Every one, then, who desires victory must first subdue the city of his own heart with the sword of spiritual truth and of the Word . . . afterwards, let him turn his efliorts toward the citadel of the hearts of others.” 7 “Beware lest ye shed the blood of any one. Unsheathe the sword of your tongue from the scabbard of utterance, for therewith ye can conquer the citadel of men’s hearts.” 8 Such conquering power is all too little understood. It is a mighty contagion, which has repeatedly

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swept the earth, and changed its whole atmosphere. “The sword of wisdom is hotter than summer heat, and sharper than blades of steel, if ye do but understand.” 9 Carlyle pictures one endowed with such a divine potency as “stronger, not than ten men"that have it not . . . but than all men who have it not”. And he attributes to such an one “a quite ethereal, angelic power, as if with a sword out of Heaven’s own armory, which no buckler, and no tower of brass will finally withstand.” Among the laws of victorious living is that it can be spread abroad through the agency of prayer. The eflicacy of the Words of God which man repeats, creates the flame of new life and power within his own soul; and, though he be within the privacy of his chamber, the radiation of that living flame spreads life and illumination to receptive hearts everywhere. “Heavenly souls must needs quicken, with the breath of the Word of God, the dead bodies with a fresh spirit. Within every word a new spirit is hidden.”1° How clear now, Christ’s injunction to His followers throughout the ages to pray, Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. What a mighty conflagration of the love of God can be shed upon a stricken world, if man only makes use of so great a bounty! Such a Victorious power can alleviate the distress, and shorten the duration of

this world cataclysm, and hasten that long-awaited and glorious consummation.

THE TEST or CIVILIZATION

The submission of the human heart to God does not, however, ensure a perfected civilization. Society, like the human body, is more than the sum total of its component parts. It is a living organism, a unit, in which the individual is subordii nated to the larger group, and comes under the dominion of the laws and requirements of that greater whole. The body politic has a pattern for the development of its institutions

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which is of a diflerent order than that of the individual, but as the individual finds his place Within this organism, he becomes partaker of its benefits—bounties beyond his separate reach. Individual attainments are of the order of purity, love, severance, forgiveness, charity, mercy and communion with and obedience to God. Social demands are based upon such considerations as justice, reward and punishment, defense, protection, security, order, consultation, obedience to established government, enforcement of law and responsible sharing.

Like the individual, mankind must emerge from the selfcenteredness of adolescence which does not recognize that the good of the part is bound up with the good of the whole, as is, likewise, its distress. An outstanding factor in world confusion is the failure of its leaders to adapt their institutions to the exigencies of this swiftly maturing age. Throughout the centuries mankind has been carried forward on the wave of a constantly evolving order of society. In early times this was limited to the unification of the family, later to that of the tribe, after that to the city-state, then to the nation. Now nationalism, having served its legitimate purpose, can continue of value only if subordinated to a still wider unity. Such an understanding makes it evident that humanity is in the midst of, not simply one more war, nor even “the decline of the West”, it is facing the day wherein the institutions and standards of the Whole human race are being tested as to their fitness for that more inclusive unity. And they are not able to meet that requirement!

“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 selfsame 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

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code, that Divine Economy, which must guide humanity’s concerted efliorts in establishing that all-embracing federation

which is to signalize the advent of the Kingdom of God on this earth?” 11

TRIUMPH IN WORLD ORDER

Confused leadership has experimented with every social scheme short of the unification of all mankind. That would require a purification of motive not yet achieved. This is witnessed by the invective heaped upon the proposed Geneva Protocol, the determined opposition to a United States of Europe, and the ridicule hurled at the plan for an economic union of that continent. With what persistence and subtlety were the original ideals of the League of Nations limited, perverted and eventually disavowed! Yet all these ideals were the stirring of the spirit of the new day. How strange that man should struggle so violently against those very things which point the way to his high destiny!

Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, writing in 1931, predicted that “nothing short of the fire of a severe ordeal, unparalleled 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.” 12 More recently he has pointed out that this “universal fermentation 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.” 1“ It is the failure and desperation of man that opens the door for the triumph of God. He impels man, no matter what avenue man may take, from the tortuous labyrinth of the jungle to the farstretching highway of the Kingdom.

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The principle of Oneness underlying the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh applies, not primarily to fellowship among individuals, but to those institutions of civilization suited to humanity’s present-day needs. These are to be found in the elements of the future Bahá’í Commonwealth. This unique gift of the Prophet of God “blends and harmonizes, as no government fashioned by mortal hands has as yet accomplished, the salutary truths” 1‘ which the various types of government embody, stripped of their inherent weaknesses. I

“A 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. . . . Such a state will have to include within its orbit an International Executive adequate to enforce supreme and unchallengeable authority on every recalcitrant member of the commonwealth; a World Parliament . . . and a Supreme Tribunal whose judgments 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 all economic barriers will have been permanently demolished and the interdependence of Capital and Labor definitely recognized; in which the clamor of religious fanaticism and strife will have been forever stilled; in which the flame of racial animosity will have been finally extinguished; in which a single code of international law . . . shall have as its sanction the instant and coercive intervention of the combined forces of the federated units; and finally a world community in which the fury of a capricious and militant nationalism will have been transmuted into an abiding consciousness of world citizenship——-such indeed, appears, in its broadest outline, the Order anticipated by Bahá’u’lláh, an Order that shall come to be regarded as the fairest fruit of a

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slowly maturing age.” 1“ Preliminary to this will be the establishment of a Lesser Peace by the nations as yet unaware of the greater scope of the divine Plan.

Consider once more this triumphant consummation: “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 is the goal towards which humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving.” 1°

This is the age-old plan of a beneficent Creator, as attested in the sacred Books of all the religions of the World. “This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future.” 17 This, indeed, brings victory, absolute, unchallengeable victory!

1G'leaning: from the Writing: of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 215; 2Ibid., p. 200; 3Quotcd by Shoghi Effendi in The PVarld Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 186; 4Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 34; 5 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Íqán, p. 196; °Gleaning:, pp. 237-8; 7Baha’\’u’lláh, “Victory Talzlet”; 8 Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 25; 9I[>z'd., p. 55; 1°Bahá’u’lláh quoted in The Advent of Divine Justice by Shoghi Effendi, p. 69; 11The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 61; 12[bid., 13. 4-6; 13Ihid., p. 170; 14Ibid., p. 152; 15Ibid., 1:. 40-4-15 161513., p. 204; "Cleaning, p. 136.

drive, and cling firmhy to the Cause of God. Be most loving one to another. ——Bahá’u’lláh.

[Page 47]From the Center of the Bahá’í World

Rzfthiyyih Khcinum

Dear friends:

A letter seems the simplest and least pretentious way of sending you my love and sharing some news with you which, as I went over it in my mind, I suddenly thought you might like to hear about.

Despite the darkness of the war, casting its shadow over us all—even over all of you in America now——there is so much truly inspiring news from the Bahá’í world that it fills one with hope and gladness and gratitude. Every day it seems to me our sense of privilege and blessing in being Bahá’í's grows stronger. How confused others are! How clearly we see the panorama of God’s Plan for man laid out before us! How infinitely depressed people are becoming, not so much from the tides of battle as from the sense that all that they strived for after the last world war fell away, and proved useless to prevent a recurrence of the catastrophe. How optimistic we Bahá’ís feel as we see, one after another, the predictions of Bahá’u’lláh and the Master and the Guardian coming true, giving us a feeling we have been taken into the confidence of destiny!

I was just reading a sentence in a letter from a Tasmanian Bahá’í' to the Guardian. A most extraordinary thing she says: “. . . and you will rejoice to know that we are encountering some opposition.” That one remark seems to breathe all the hope and optimism with which the Bahá’í’s are facing the future and facing their great and sacred task of spreading the Mes 47

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sage of Bahá’u’lláh amid disillusioned humanity. She thrills to the challenge. She realizes that fundamental and wonderful principle that opposition stimulates growth, and strengthens the whole body to meet life and overcome hardship. She hails resistance for what it really is—recognition of the mettle of the Faith.

From East and West a new spirit of increased awareness of our responsibility as believers in this great world-healing Faith pours in in every communication. It seems to me it is the indication that we are beginning to grow up as Bahá’ís. We are squaring our shoulders, anxious at last to bear the full weight of our responsibility to our fellow—men. We are casting ofl’ that childish attitude we had towards the Cause, an attitude of dependence and snugness, like fledgelings still safe and lazy in their warm nest, expecting always to be cuddled by the protecting mercy and blessing of God, because we had accepted Him in His Day! Now, so it seems to me, we are like knights who ride to crusade, mature, poised, our objective of sharing with a bitterly confused world the vision and the plan of the future always before us, our grail, which leads us on.

The Bahá’í youth throughout the East are awakening to their task in very much the way we awoke ten years or so ago. And among them are many young women, keenly alert, passionately desirous of going out into the teaching field and pioneering. When one realizes this is the East, not the West, the true significance of it becomes apparent. Also in the summer—school work in iran, and the administrative field as well, it is the young believers who are among the most active.

The Bahá’í youth of India, too, are beginning to realize that they have tremendous responsibilities, and yearly are becoming more active. The same is true of ‘Iráq, where many of the most distinguished and active Bahá’í's are young men, working on the National and Local Spiritual Assemblies.

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Child education is very advanced amongst the believers of the Near East. A most remarkable report of the faith of a Bahá’í child of Baghdad has recently reached the Guardian. She is only six years old, and though her uncles were Bahá’ís her parents were not. They happen to be Jews, but it seems the little girl went to a Bahá’í children’s class and became a Bahá’í. Not long ago, encouraged by circumstances, no doubt, some of the population demonstrated against the Jews. They entered the home of the parents of this little girl, armed with swords and knives, intent on injuring if not killing them. The child piped up, pointing to a photograph of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and told the intruders: “We are not Jews, we are Bahá’ís!” She spoke so convincingly that they went away and left them in peace, though they broke into the neighboring Jewish home and assaulted its inhabitants. A few days later the parents prepared to go to the synagogue, whereupon the child rebuked them, saying: “ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá saved you, and now you are going to the synagogue!” They were so deeply affected by these words that they wept, embraced the picture of the Master, and have accepted the Faith! The child is now busy converting her grandparents.

Such a child is entirely a Bahá’í. She is only one of the many hundreds now growing up in the Cause all over the world. Such children cannot but truly become a new race of men, as they will not have to waste their time housecleaning their minds of so many obsolete and false conceptions as their elders have had to do in order to tune in fully with the truths of the new Day Bahá’u’lláh has brought.

To see the devotion of little pilgrims to their Guardian is most touching. As one little boy, aged five, said: “I know the Guardian, and I know his excellency Shoghi Effendi, and I know Shoghi Rabbani and I love all of them!” Many of them, as the time for departure approached, would beg to be left

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behind! Their hearts belong to the Cause, and one cannot but wonder what manner of men they will grow to be!

A young Australian Bahá’í, now in the Army in a noncombatant capacity, recently called on Shoghi Effendi. It was little short of a revelation to hear him talk. He was like a man whose eyes are fixed on a wonderful, fertile land while he is walking through bleak mountain passes. He is thinking of and building for the future. His present occupation, all the intense tragedy he must go through and witness, are only the path which leads him to that beautiful valley he sees before him. His attitude was so one hundred per cent Bahá’í that it was inspiring to meet him. The Guardian was so pleased to see such an exemplary spirit.

And now a word about Haifa. It would be hard to convey the atmosphere that surrounds the Guardian. Though keenly aware of, and interested in, the events now shaking the whole world, he remains aloof from it, calmly pursuing the course of the Cause which is a divine course and not at the mercy of tempestuous events now tossing the human race around so mercilessly. We Bahá’ís are builders, and the blessed nature of our Faith enables us to go on building up its marvelous system even in the midst of so much destruction. Our Guardian is the one who has the plans and directs our work. And that is just what he is doing, day after day.

Not only through his still large correspondence—in spite of the war it has scarcely decreased at all!—but also in the institutions here in Haifa, to which he yearly adds, he goes on developing the Cause, the believers, and Bahá’í undertakings of every nature.

Some Bahá’í once had a dream. I have long since forgotten who had it, and perhaps I do not remember its details correctly, but the simile is so perfectly suited to these times and the relation of the Cause to them that I would like to repeat

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it: The whole world seemed to be becoming engulfed in a sea of mud. It rose steadily and as it rose more and more people would slip into it as the ground was eaten away. Those who were still on dry land did everything to save those who were being drowned. Sometimes they succeeded in pulling them out; sometimes they themselves would get pulled in and drown. The situation was terrible and the Bahá’í (who had the dream) kept running around looking for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá everywhere. She could not find Him anywhere. At last she climbed a hill and discovered the Master there, working on some kind of machine very intently. She called Him, but He paid no attention to her at all. Finally she pulled His robe to attract His attention, and told Him that a terrible flood was engulfing the whole world and everyone was being drowned. and begged Him to come and save them. He said: “ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is perfecting a machine that will make the flood go down.” I never remember it without thinking of the leadership of our Guardian. He is building up, through our efforts, the means, the only means, of saving humanity and solving its problems.

There is a fierce gale blowing in from the sea today. As far as the eye can see are whitecaps and stormy waters. Rain clouds and sunshine swiftly alternate. It is not unlike these days we are living through. But inwardly I feel we Bahá’ís are closer than ever before. We may only be a little band, in relation to the teeming millions of this planet, but we are one unit. In a World divided against itself, our hearts are united by a love so pure and sincere it can find no equal. And as each day goes by we feel more keenly that those we belong to are our fellow—Bahá’ís, they are our true family, our spiritual flesh and blood. We shan’t fail each other! We shan’t fail our Guardian! This is the wonderful conviction that grows stronger in my heart all the time, as I am privileged to read the reports that come in from the believers far and wide.

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This letter may never reach you, but it does not matter really whether it does or not, because the spirit which binds us all together is the real thing, and I know nothing can destroy that!

Yours in service to our beloved Faith, (Signed) Rúḥíyyih

THE VOICE OF GOD

IN A MAGAZINE somewhat widely read in the business world the editors, in an issue not long ago, commented at length upon the extremity of trouble into which the United States today is plunged. Searching for the remedy they declare that the answer to the need of the country is not to be found in industry, nor labor, nor government. Neither, they hold, is it to be found in the church, for the voice of the church is the echo of our own voices. Yet, they say, “The answer we are looking for is a spiritual answer.” They ask for a voice, an inspired voice. “The way out is the sound of a voice, not our voice, but a voice coming from something not ourselves, in the existence of which we cannot disbelieve.”

The voice, they declare, must give a new concept of human freedom. And one element of this new concept of human freedom is that it cannot be national. “It must be international.” “We must establish an entirely different kind of international order; we must bring forth a new world.”

But has not the voice already spoken? So we believe. Nearly seventy-five years ago Bahá’u’lláh first spoke exhorting the rulers of the world to lay down their arms and become reconciled among themselves. His words have been sounding, echoing and re-«echoing ever since. He tells us what we want to know

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how we may obtain human freedom and what we must do to obtain a just world and lasting peace. God’s plan for mankind from the beginning, He says, has been a World where justice and peace reign and now is the time appointed to establish the means of achieving it. He warned us, too, that terrible disorder and suffering must precede this age of peace if the nations did not reconcile their differences and disarm. No one can listen to and ponder over the Words which Bahá’u’lláh has uttered without being aware that they are inspired words.

Almost involuntarily we ask—Why have not all heard His voice? Some, we believe, have caught a part of Bahá’u’lláh’s message and are unaware of the Source. The increasing number of those who, like those quoted above, are calling for a new world organized for peace, freedom, and justice for all testifies to this. And with this consciousness of the need for an assured peace is developing the will to achieve it. This is evidenced by the number of people and organizations that are working out plans for some kind of world government. But it is still true that Bahá’u’lláh’s voice has not been heard nor His Name recognized by the majority of mankind. Can we understand the reason?

Bahá’u’lláh’s message goes much deeper than an outward plan for world government; He searches men’s hearts, for there, He afiirms, lies the root of our troubles. “Our mission is to seize and possess the hearts of men,” He says. Human freedom, He teaches, can be obtained only by submission to God’s commandments. Suflering may be necessary to purify and chasten man. He claims that He speaks not His own words but the words of God. May it be that we do not hear because we are not ready to obey? Are our ears really tuned to receive the spiritual message for which we ask? The age—old words

come to mind, “Hearing, they have heard, but not understood.” ——B. H. K.

[Page 54]tx,.;°c,.:t,c3:,cxx;°cx:°cx3t» <I:u'*CacIacI2cIa<XacJ"C.o<Io

How CAN I choose to sleep, O God, my God, when the eyes of them that long for Thee are Wakeful because of their separation from Thee; and how can I lie down to rest whilst the souls of Thy lovers are sore vexed in their remoteness from Thy presence?

I have committed, O my Lord, my spirit and my entire being into the right hand of Thy might and Thy protection, and I lay my head on my pillow through Thy power, and lift it up according to Thy will and Thy good—pleasure. Thou art, in truth, the Pre server, the Keeper, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.

By Thy might! I ask not, Whether sleeping or waking, but that which Thou dost desire. I am Thy servant and in Thy hands. Do Thou graciously aid me to do What will shed forth the fragrance of Thy good pleasure. This, truly, is my hope and the hope of

M them that enjoy near access to Thee. Praised

be Thou, O Lord of the worlds!

I l

—BAH.5.’U’LL.5.H

I! l. l 54

[Page 55]The Happiness of Mankind

Will Be Realized ‘Abdu’l—Bahci

THE WORLD of existence is like unto man. Just as man has various periods through which he develops and outgrows, viz.: he has his embryonic or foetal state, he has his period of gestation, his period of birth, his period of maturity and later on his period of manhood, so also the contingent world undergoes various forms of manifestation until it reaches the state of maturity. At the age of infancy the child is susceptible, and at the age of intellection it becomes an intelligent being, but its perceptions are Very weak. When [man] reaches the age of maturity his ideal faculties, as well as his physical forces, exhibit themselves in the fullest form. His power of perception reaches such a degree as to make him capable of discovering great mysteries, but at the age of infancy that was impossible. These virtues manifest themselves at the period of maturity, not in the age of infancy.

The contingent world is likewise. At one time it was infantile, then it became as a sucking babe, day by day growing and developing, and now this contingent world has attained

to the age of maturity. This century is the sovereign of all cen-'

turies. It is the Very mirror of all centuries. What it has been in former centuries it is mirroring forth in all its imagery in the present. Furthermore, the present century itself has its particular virtues, its colossal discoveries, its great and fresh arts, its great undertakings, its wonderful sciences. From every standpoint it is exhibiting perfected science and it is continuous in its development. It possesses the virtues of past centuries

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plus the especial and particular virtues of its own. For example, it is possessed of the industries of the past ages plus the special industries and special developments along scientific lines peculiar to this period which were not in past centuries. For example, in past centuries, the art of architecture was not in vogue, but in this century it has attained to colossal proportions. In former centuries there was no gas, there was no electricity, no telegraph, no telephone, or phonograph. These are particular to this century. This century is possessed of the virtues of past centuries plus the peculiar, particular virtues of its own. Hence this century is collective in its virtues, distinguished above all other centuries and is the sovereign of centuries. It is the very sun amidst centuries.

And we, being contemporaneous with this century, in thanksgiving for this life, must arise to achieve deeds which are Worthy of this century. For instance, when man attains to maturity he attains to certain conduct and achievement which become the period of maturity. Likewise, this contingent world having developed until it has reached this stage or degree of maturity, the century of lights, the century of the revelation of mysteries, the revelation of the Virtues of manhood, the century of the Day of God, the century of the wonders of the signs of God, and the very century of the Kingdom of God, therefore, we must arise to do that which is befitting the century, because the contingent world has attained to that period of maturity. Even if it is not mature yet, it is in the throes, on the verge of maturity.

Consider how the circle of intellection has been enlarged, how enlarged the circle of thought is made, how numerous are the new discoveries; how colossal are the undertakings in the present time! What wonders in arts -and industries are exhibited! What useful knowledges are taught! Notwithstanding these favors of God, is it becoming of man to be so oom

[Page 57]Hczppineu 57

pletely submerged in materialism, to be a captive to the world of nature? This is the century wherein the ideal forces of man can be manifest, the merciful virtues of man can become apparent; the spirituality of humanity can be made manifest; the divine bestowals conferred upon man can be shown. Just as the material virtues have attained to the superlative degree, even so the spiritual virtues must attain the superlative degree, in order that the outward and the inward man may both be illumined and the happiness of the world and the happiness of the Kingdom may both be attained, that the natural virtues and the divine virtues may become manifest.

Although the body of man is a mirror wherein the realities of things can be revealed, that is to say, within man there is a force which is capable of discovering mysteries, likewise, the reality of man is the mirror of the lights of the Kingdom. It has the capability of manifesting the realities of the Kingdom and revealing the mysteries of God and of giving forth the impressions of the images of the Supreme Kingdom. Therefore, if both aspects, the material and spiritual, develop-—then the reality of humanity in the utmost of beauty and grandeur will be revealed.

Praise be to God! in this century the Lord Almighty has opened every door before our faces. He has lighted every candle for us. He has caused every star to shine upon us. The rain of His Mercy is showering everywhere. The zephyrs of His clemency are wafting toward us. From every direction the means of perfection and upward growth are provided for us. It is not permissible, therefore, to let go of these favors, to waste and let go these divine bestowals, to let go these celestial bounties. We must strive with heart and soul in order that these divine bestowals may become manifest with the greatest potency in the reality of humanity. Thus man may become the mirror of the Kingdom of the Almighty Lord, and the terres [Page 58]5 8 World Order

trial World become the mirror of the celestial Kingdom. Then the happiness of the world, the happiness of the hereafter, the favor of God, great spirituality, the radiance of the Kingdom of the world of mankind, will be provided. Therefore strive ye in order that ye may be able to offer sufficient thanks for these divine bounties and to acquire these virtues of the Kingdom, to obtain this illumination of God, and to be imbued with the breaths of the Holy Spirit, and of this bounty and bestowal may ye become worthy. If ye so strive, the East and the West of the World will embrace one another, and the basis of enmity and sedition will be utterly destroyed. The love of the Kingdom will be spread broadcast, spiritual fellowship will be established. The oneness of the world of humanity will reveal itself, and the Most Great Peace will be realized. All humanity in the utmost of love shall live together, and the happiness of the earth and that of heaven will be realized. This is my behest to you.

Hitherto unpublished address given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on July 12, 1912, at the home of Mrs. Champney, 309 West 78th Street, New York City.

BEHIND THE DEED Polly M cC lenmm

Your deed has been dark to me; but yourself, you are as bright as the moon.

Alas that you should wear your deed as a garment so that my eyes cannot perceive your beauty.

But it is for me to change! It is for me to penetrate your deed with a single glance!

[Page 59]On the “Epistle to the Son of the Wolf”

Ali—Kuli Khan

T1-11-: “Son of the Wolf” was the name by which Bahá’u’lláh spoke of Agé. Najafi (i.e. the Reverend who had studied theology at the holy city of Najaf in ‘Iráq), the Mujtahid of Iṣfahán who had caused the martyrdom of many Bahá’ís in that city. Chief amongst them were Hasan and Husayn, the two noble and magnanimous Bahá’í brothers, merchant princes, on whom Bahá’u’lláh conferred the titles “Sultan of Martyrs” and the “Beloved of Martyrs”.

The father of this blood—thirsty high priest was the notorious Shayk_h Béqir who in his day sentenced numerous Bahá’ís of Iṣfahán to martyrdom. “Wolf” in Arabic is “Dhi’b” and that of the “Son of the Wolf” is “Ibn-i—Dhi’b”.

While Bahá’u’lláh addressed this great Tablet nominally to the above mentioned priest, it was, I believe, actually intended as a presentation of the Faith to humanity about two years before His departure. It embodies a most emphatic re-assertion of His claim and a clear consummation of the proofs and evidences which support His Divine Proclamation.

Aqé Najafi here symbolizes mankind in the complexity of its nature and in the involved paradoxical aspects and elements which disclose its heights and depths. This symbol of man in general is now appealed to from the angle of man’s divine heritage which finds language in his potentialities for good deeds. Again, in his propensity to fall prey to the vile appetites of his low nature, he is Warned and admonished so as to save him from perdition. The kinship with the Maker, which in

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man is assured through the divine gift of a soul, invites the

pleadings and heart—rending supplications in this Tablet which

now reach the depth of pathos and again the lofty peaks of lordly eloquence.

Now, He endeavors to punish with threats the rapacious, unbridled self ; and now, He unlocks the portals of hope and aspiration before the spiritual reality called conscience, which despite material man’s apparent desire to destroy, urges him to follow the lead of his better nature. To warn man of the ephemeral nature of earthly life’s drama, he recounts the changes and chances which culminated in the fall of the mightiest empires created by the might of kings and emperors.

In support of my assumption of the manifold aims envisaged in this great Tablet, may I call attention to the difi’erent contradictory terms by which Bahá’u’lláh has addressed Aqa Najafi in this Epistle. On page two, He addresses him as “Oh distinguished Divine! ” This points to the spiritual leadership and its potentialities in rightly guided divines. On page 82, He addresses him as “Oh thou who hast gone astray!” This refers to blind leaders amongst men who prevent their followers from accepting a New Revelation of Truth. Again’ on page 84, He addresses him as “Oh thou who has turned away from God!” On page 99, he calls him “Oh heedless one!” These two titles denote the arrogance of man and leaders who idolize the self and lack the humility to kneel before the word of the true God. On page II9, He refers to the Shaylgh as “Oh thou who art reputed for thy learning!” This in reality refers to all those whose standard of greatness is measured by their acquisition of theological or so—called intellectual knowledge. But, the most frequent title by which the high priest is addressed in this tablet is “Oh Shayl¢1!” This denotes the title Reverend, divine, or religious leader which is usually attributed to a teacher of religion.

[Page 61]Son of the Wolf H i 61

To expose the inadequacy of acquired learning, which is but a veil and barrier, He expounds the lofty themes of Immediate Knowledge which God reveals through the tongue of unlettered Prophets. To confound the demon of doubt in the man who deifies the intellect, He propounds the spiritual proofs by which the edifice of truth is supported. To guide the man who glorifies ancestral beliefs, and regards inherited creeds changeless, He cites scriptural prophecies to demonstrate that each Faith is but a stepping stone towards one greater fitted to the spiritual needs of the maturer humanity of the future.

To achieve an all-comprehensive presentation of His Message to the followers of every Faith and persuasion, Bahá’u’lláh cites proofs from the various heavenly Scriptures. He quotes the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the advent of the Lord of Glory in order thus to lead the people of Israel to their pre—destined goal. To demonstrate to the Christian that the Gospel of Jesus was a prelude to the advent of the Spirit of Truth, He refers to the prophecies of the New Testament as pointing to an ideal which was to be realized at the dawn of a New Day. To convince the Moslems that the “Seal of the Prophets” was not the termination of the processes of Divine Revelation, He marshals the innumerable references in the Qur’án to the coming of the Day when men shall behold the Beauty of God.

His presentation of scriptural proofs is not, however, confined to the people of the old religions.

The Bayan of His Forerunner, the Báb, is also explained in full clarity and the references made therein to the imminent advent of “He whom God will make manifest” are depicted in bold relief. By this means, He exposes the folly of the enemies of the Cause who vainly attempted to point to the disafliection of Azal as forestalling the claim of the New Faith

[Page 62]Rf-’}5‘«5}’§ ~n!"~:‘|. H-3\;2tf~I!‘ev.i’I.V‘n‘1v»\‘-P? ’2‘}f:h}!!9n‘ ‘Ln’ vs.-‘!‘*‘.¥\av - “"*‘i?=“-‘=”"*~‘9‘*“’="""

62 World Order

to solidarity and as an unfailing Divine instrument for the unification of all Faiths.

Another important result which this incomparable analysis of all prophetic scriptures has achieved is as follows :-——It is an indubitable truth that all the seven great religions were inspired by the one God and all their prophecies agree as to the same signs and tokens which pointed to the advent of the universal Manifestation at the dawn of a new Cycle.

Referring again to the complete presentation of the various aspects of His Faith in this Epistle, one should take note of the manner in which this course has been pursued. On the conduct of life which distinguishes a Bahá’í from others whose profession of Faith is limited to lip service, Bahá’u’lláh cites appropriate passages from His revealed words. In passages from the Hidden Word: and similar writings, some of the sublime principles of guidance are presented which light the way of a true believer.

In applying Divine instructions for the establishment of a New World Order based upon justice and benevolence, He quotes passages of His Tablets of _Tardza't, Tajalliydt, Wordr of Paradise, Tablet of the World, etc. Similarly, He throws into relief His words revealed in the earlier periods of His Mission addressed to kings and world leaders for the creation of courts of arbitral justice as a substitute for war and a definite prelude towards world peace.

To impress the learned who consider eloquence as a true sign of a world Prophet, He reveals rapturous homilies embodying words of praise to the Glory of the Almighty and His Holy Prophets. To stress the impregnability of the Invisible Essence, He advances convincing proofs of the utter

inadequacy of the finite mind to penetrate the inefiable glory of the Infinite.

[Page 63]The Door of Hope Elizabeth P. Hackley

T HE DECLARATION of the Báb was a door of hope. The Báb called Himself the Gate or Door, and He was the Gateway to a new Day—a better Day, a day of universal understanding and peace which we believe is yet to come. He also foretold the coming of Bahá’u’lláh Which, more than any other event, was a door of hope for our world. But the people of the World have not yet accepted Bahá’u’lláh’s Message and consequently are, for the most part, hopeless. Perhaps never in the history of mankind has there been such despair as there is today. So it becomes the function of the Bahá’ís to emphasize the hope which they feel when they come into contact with people who have little hope. We need to turn our minds constantly to our faith in Bahá’u’lláh to overcome the influences around us. Mullá Ḥusayn said that a sense of gladness and strength seemed to transform him after he met the Báb. If only we could radiate that spirit!

It is often difficult to meet the arguments of the people around us. Many people think that man will never learn through the ordeal of war to build a new order based on peace. Even some members of the Christian clergy say it is only wishful thinking to believe that any good can come out of all this agony. They do not believe that the nations will ever learn to cooperate and eventually to organize a federal government of the world. They think such a superstate is impossible, first, because it is impractical, too ideal, so they say; and second, if such an organization could be achieved, where are the men who have the universal vision and the unselfish character to administer such an international form of government?

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They feel there are not enough people in the world who are free from prejudice, who have the good of the whole body of humanity at heart to carry on the government of a federation of the world. We can readily understand this point of view.

Then why do we as Bahá’ís believe it is possible for a new and more universal type of man to develop? It is not necessary to tell Bahá’ís that when the Manifestation of God comes into the world, sufficient spiritual power is released to develop a new race of men. That is why the coming of the Báb was a door of hope. He not only brought new ideals, but He brought the spiritual power to change men’s hearts and characters so they could achieve those ideals. I suppose the reason even very good Christians have lost faith today is because they do not believe that humanity as a whole can be changed.

It is at this point that the challenge comes to us. Can we demonstrate the potency of the Holy Spirit in changing our lives and characters so that we can prove our faith to a skeptical world? It frightens us to think of this responsibility. It seems more than we can bear. It came to me that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is the great example for us. It is most significant that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was born on the day of the Báb’s Declaration, May 23, 1844. He was the first fruit of the Báb’s creative power. With the exception of the divine Manifestations of God, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the first and greatest example of a truly universal man. Perhaps if we were to study ‘Abdu’l-Bah;i’s life closely enough we might find an answer to all our problems. It seems that He met almost every experience any human being could meet and met each with triumphant power. He approached every problem from the universal rather than from the personal viewpoint. Perhaps that is the secret of his successful living. One of the old believers told me she tried to make her life as much like ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s as possible. She tried to think what He would do in every experience she met. And surely she did

[Page 65]Door of Hope 65

achieve a universal attitude. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. poured out such great love on every human being that it seemed to each individual whom He met that he was the most beloved—yet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had the same interest in and love for the next person He met.

Most of us realize that we are far from a universal viewpoint or even from an unprejudiced point of view. I know I have some race prejudice, some class prejudice, some religious prejudice. It is so subtle a thing, we are often not even aware of it. It means constant vigilance on our part to overcome our training and our environmental influences. And yet this is our mission today, to make ourselves more universal instruments through which the spirit of this age can function. The Báb said to the Letters of the Living: “Immensely exalted is this Day above the Days of the Apostles of old. . . . The time has come when naught but the purest motive, supported by deeds of stainless purity can ascend to the throne of the Most High. . . . Beseech the Lord your God to grant that no earthly entanglements, no Worldly affections, no ephemeral pursuits may tarnish the purity, or embitter the sweetness of that grace which flows through you.”

Unless we can fulfill this ideal to some extent, the Declaration of the Báb will not be a door of hope to us. The Báb is a symbol of sacrifice. Unless we can follow His example in some small degree, unless we can sacrifice the human nature to the divine, the personal to the universal in our lives, we are closing the door of hope for ourselves and for all the people about us, just when they have the most desperate need for light and guidance. The Báb’s Declaration brought the dawn of a new Day but we have to make a great effort to become spiritual children of that Day.

[Page 66]The New Dimension in Statesmanship

Marcia Steward Atwater

THE TIME is coming when economists and statesmen must commence to deal consciously with what has been for them an ignored, or mysterious dimension, the reality of Man. For Man is, has been, and will always be, the measure of all earthly things. Every single outward problem is but a reflection of an inner one, an inner basic reality, whose solutions will automatically solve such matters as distribution, trade, strike, war. Man! His meaning and purpose upon this earth, his relation to his fellow man, his origin and end—these are the real problems. The dark years ahead are going to prove to humanity that they must be recognized and solved.

Laws, plans, treaties, can only succeed in establishing any semblance of order in the world to the extent to which they demonstrate a degree at least of comprehension of the nature of the species which they are desi-gned to serve.

The Founders of all the religions of the world have always spoken Truth——but what is more important, they have lived it -——even to the death. Because of this, perhaps we shall be Willing to consider their words as having value. They have insisted on a thing called a soul. A something that is permanent and immortal, and which partakes in some way of a reflection of Divinity. This is increasingly becoming the crux of the matter. If man is an animal let us not be too concerned about the moral involved in the murder of millions of men. But if he is something else, then a picture presents itself, in terrifying dimensions, of Man under the universal and well—recognized

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[Page 67]N ew Dimension 67

law of cause and efiect——-or, as the Prophets saw fit to express it, reward and punishment. This isn’t useless and abstract metaphysics, and as such irrelevant———-this is hideously relevant!

What is life, and what is this thing called man who lives it -——and where are we to go for our facts? For We must have facts! The chemist must know his chemicals! The would-be statesman must know the ingredients of the state.

We have libraries well-stocked with philosophy——-we have shelves weighed down with psychology——we have tomes of research on medicine and anatomy—we have volumes on physics and metaphysics! And where are we today? On the verge of the greatest danger man has ever known. We are at the crossroads of a choice! Side by side with these results of the research of man, in these great libraries of modern civilization, stand certain other volumes long ignored———-the results of the research into things divine, of a Buddha, of a Muhammad, of a Christ. Like a lost or forgotten key to a door whose very existence has, also, been forgotten, these sacred volumes have patiently, even as God himself, bided their time, until humanity should, in desperation, lift them from the shelves, dust them ofi and open them—too late?

To those who are as yet unaware of the advent of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh the world is indeed a chaos, the Time of the End is indeed here! The efforts of statesmen have failed.

Man, who cannot create a blade of grass, destroys millions of his fellow—beings for the earth which is, in the last analysis, his tomb. Why has this madness, this frenzy, this incredible, nightmarish disaster burst upon a world which less than fifty years ago believed itself about to step into a sort of scientific man—made paradise of invention and economic prosperity? The answer is simply this—man forgot his own humanity and that of his fellow-man, because he first forgot his God.

But God has sent again His Prophets, the Báb and Bah5.’u’

[Page 68]2. E %

. =N2§‘!.‘£§'¢‘¢-‘«‘§IA"aI"'a'i~’f

68 World Order

lláh, Manifestations of His Mercy and His Love for His creation—Tokens of His Remembrance of His creatures. And They are the way to the Knowledge of God and to the reality of mankind, and to the Most Great Peace!

Bahá’u’lláh wrote, over fifty years ago, from His prison cell in ‘Akká, “All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man.

_ Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy,

compassion and loving kindness towards all the peoples of the earth. Say: Oh friends! Drink your fill from this crystal stream that floweth through the heavenly grace of Him Who is the Lord of Names. Let others partake of its waters in My Name, that the leaders of men in every land may fully recognize the purpose for which the Eternal Truth hath been revealed, and the reason for which they themselves have been created.” And, again, “The Tabernacle of Unity has been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers.” “Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.” “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.”

Once again emphasis has been laid on the immortality of the soul and the brotherhood of man—once more, from the same unchangeable Source, the truth about that unknown quantity, man, has been revealed and amplified. His reality is a spiritual reality and no order of things upon this earth which fails to take into account this fact, or to build its structure upon this firm foundation, will succeed in maintaining its rule. That and that only which will accomplish the miracle of permanent peace, political, economic and social, is a complete and unequivocal recognition of the brotherhood of man———of the oneness of the world of humanity—-and positive conviction and admission of man’s spiritual origin and his immortality.

[Page 69]

BAHM LESSONS

Introduction to the Qur’án

I. The Qur’án: What It Claims to Be.

General Reading: Iqán pp. 198-204.

(a) A revelation from God. 32:1-3 p. 190 162104-5 p. 207 4:84 p. 420 53:1-2 p. 69 25:1-7, 32-35 pp. 159, 161 (b) A guidance to all mankind. 2:1 p. 338

21:106-7 p. 158

l2:l04 p. 239

3921-5 p. 255

14:1-4 pp. 225-6

(c) A transcript of the Archetypal Book.*

43:1-7 p. 135

56:74-80 p. 68

20:54 p. 96

57:22-29 p. 409

• Prayer: and Meditation: 286

(d) A confirmation and illumination of previous Scriptures. 5:18, 50-52 pp. 4-87, 491 3:1-5 p. 385; 3:75-80 p. 39435:28-29 p. 292 46:8-11 p. 314(e) A glad tidings and a warning. 19:97 p. 1244121-7 pp. 192-3 2:209 p. 360 36:69-70 p. 134

Use for these lessons Rodwell’a translation of the Qur’5n as publilhed in Everyman’: Library Edition.

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II. The Nature of God. General Reading: Gleanings pp. 302, 60-61.

(a) Proofs of God’s Existence.

10:5-6 p. 275

30:16-60 pp. 211-212 2:158-160 p. 355 13:1-4 pp. 333-334

16:1-18 pp. 200-201

(b) Unity of God. Sfirih 112 p. 29

(C) Sovereignty of God.*

57:1-7 p. 407 19:65-66 p. 122 5:256 p. 366 4:20 p. 488 5:120 p. 500

• fqén 102, 139-140; Gleaning: 70-73

“He doeth whatsoever He willeth”:*

70:29-31 p. 88 22:14-19 p. 454

30:36 p. 213 21:23 p. 152

• fqzin 170-171; Gleanings 209

“Be” and “It is” (Creator, 16:3-21 pp. 200-201):

36:82 p. 134 2:111 p. 350

40:70 p. 245 3:42, 52 pp. 390, 391 Command and decree:

65:12 p. 431 11:45 p. 219

17:87 p.171 6:2 p. 317

54:49-50 p. 78 33:36 p. 438

42:11 p. 271 25:2 p. 159

(d) Other attributes. 6:102-104 pp. 326-7 42:50-63 pp. 274-5 6:13, 59-60 pp. 318, 322 31:20-34 pp. 269-270 3:25-29 p. 388 55:1-28 pp. 74-75 35:16 p. 291 (fqén 132) 27:60-65, 75 pp. 178, 179

[Page 71]

WITH OUR READERS

WHEN we read enthusiastic letters like the following we wonder if there may not be many other isolated believers who would be just as enthusiastic and warmed’ if they were really acquainted with our little magazine. The letter reads: “Again I am happy to renew my subscription. . . It is a precious link with those who are working so divinely to further the work of the Kingdom, and in my somewhat isolated location I appreciate it doubly.” Trial subscriptions sent to friends sometimes make lasting subscribers. =0: :0: *

The contents of this May issue is varied and valuable. In “Unchallengeable Victory,” Mrs. Maye Harvey Gift reinforces our knowledge —- the knowledge which all Bahá’ís have-——-that the final result of our world conflict is the spiritual victory which will bring forth a new creation, a new world. Our readers remember Mrs. Gift’s previous contributions to World Order. Her latest one was in our January issue,———a part of the symposium on “The Equality of the Sexes”.

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Mrs. Gift has long been a member of the Peoria, Illinois, Bahá’í community which she helped to establish.

Accompanying the welcome letter from Rúḥíyyih Khánum to Bahá’í youth in America, which our National Spiritual Assembly has requested us to print and which brings us in direct touch with our World Center as well as with groups of our fellow Bahá’ís in other countries, was a short letter dated December 25, 1941. In it she explained that she longed to write and she had then just jotted down some thoughtsiwhich might be shared with the National Youth Committee or with the youth at large. Her postscript gave the following message: “I would like to add that when I go to the Shrines I pray very hard for us all. We are living in such tremendous days, and so much depends on us —-—the whole future of the Cause in the West, almost. Your Youth Committee has a great responsibility because it can coordinate the thoughts of the young Bahá’ís and help them keep on the right track. During war time that is

[Page 72]72

not an easy task! But I feel sure the American Bahá’ís Vill win through, spiritually victorious over themselves and over the tests of these dark days.”

Bahá’ís do not need to be told that Rúḥíyyih Khánum Rabbani is the wife of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, the World Center of which is at Haifa, Palestine.

“On the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf” by Ali-Kuli Khan was given last summer at Green Acre as the introduction to his series of commentary lectures on Bahá’u’lláh’s Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. This is a valuable help in studying and understanding the book. Dr. Khan is a Persian, and as a young man was one of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s secretaries. Later he represented his country at Washington. His home is in New York City.

The article, “The New Dimension in Statesmanship”, was sent to us from Chile where Mrs. Atwater has spent many months in spreading the Bahá’í teachings and where a new Bahá’í Assembly is about to be established. v Mrs. Atwater has recently returned to the United States.

Miss Elizabeth Hackley’s meditations upon the Báb’s divine Mission as presented in “The Door

World Order

of Hope” are especially fitting for the month of May when Bahá’ís commemorate His Declaration of that Mission. A recent contribution from Miss Hackley was a poem entitled “The Báb” printed in the August, 1941, issue. She is a member of the Urbana, Illinois,

Bahá’í community.

Mrs. Polly McClennen, who has written the poem, “Behind the Deed”, was introduced to our readers last month as the writer of “The Manifestation”. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The study outlines which we

print each month, with occasional‘

exceptions, are most valuable for reference or study and should be preserved. The one this month consists of the first two lessons of a new study outline entitled “Introduction to the Qur’án” recently published by the Bahá’í Publishing Committee. The entire course may be obtained for study. It was prepared by the Study Outline Committee, with the basic plan originating with Harry M. Jay of Lima, Ohio. Much of the Biblical reference material in Bahá’í Lessons last month, when the topic was “The Covenant of God”, was provided by Mrs. Florence Holsinger of Chi Cago» Illinois» ——THE EDITORS.

[Page 73]Bahá’í LITERATURE

Cleaning: from the I‘Vriting: of Ba/ui’u’lláh, selected and translated by Shoghi Effendi. The Bahá’í teachings on the nature of religion, the soul, the basis of civilization and the oneness of mankind. Bound in fabrikoid. 360 pages. $2.00.

Epistle to the Son of the U/olf, translated by Shoghi Effendi. Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh toward the end of His earthly mission, this text is a majestic and deeply-moving exposition of His fundamental principles and laws and of the sufferings endured by the Manifestation for the sake of mankind. Bound in cloth. 186 pages. $1.50.

The Kita'12-i-Iqa'n, translated by Shoghi Effendi. This work (The Book of Certitude) unifies and coordinates the revealed Religions of the past, demonstrating their oneness in fulfillment of the purposes of Revelation. Bound in cloth. 198 pages. $2.50.

Prayers and Meditation: by Bahá’u’lláh, selected and translated by Shoghi Effendi. The supreme expression of devotion to God; a spiritual

flame which enkindles the heart and illumines the mind. 348 pages. Round in fabrikoid. $2.00.

Some /Imwerezl Questions. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s explanation of questions concerning the relation of man to God, the nature of the Manifesta tion, human capacities, fulfillment of prophecy, etc. Bound in cloth. 350 pages. $1.50.

The Promulgation of Universal Peace. In this collection of His American talks, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laid the basis for a firm understanding of the attitudes, principles and spiritual laws which enter into the establishment of true Peace. 492 pages. Bound in cloth. $2.50.

Bahá’í Prayers, a selection of Prayers revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Bab and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, each Prayer translated by Shoghi Effendi. 72 pages. Bound in fabrikoid, $0.75. Paper cover, $0.35.

The World Order of Ba/za"u’lla'/2, by Shoghi Effendi. On the nature of the new social pattern revealed by Bahá’í’u’ll;'1h for the attainment of divine justice in civilization. Bound in fabrikoid. 234 pages. $1.50.

BAH/'\’I PUBLISHING COMMITTEE 110 LINDEN AVENUE, VVILMETTE, ILLINOIS

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[Page 74]Words of Bahá’í’u’112'1h

Inscribed Over the Nine Entrance: of the House of Worshijt, Wilmette, Illinois

1. THE EARTH Is BUT oNE COUNTRY; AND MANKIND ITs cIT1zENs.

2. THE BEST BELOVED OF ALL THINGS IN MY sIGHT Is ]usTIcE; TURN NOT AWAY THEREFROM IF THOU DESIREST ME.

3. MY LOVE Is MY sTRONGHOLD; HE THAT ENTERETH THEREIN Is SAFE AND sEcURE.

4. BREATHE NOT THE SINS OF OTHERS SO LONG AS THOU ART THYSELF A SINNER.

5. THY HEART Is MY HOME; SANCTIFY IT FOR MY DEscENT.

6.I HAVE MADE DEATH A MEssENGER 01-‘ JOY To THEE; WHEREFORE DosT THOU GRIEVE?

7. MAKE MENTION OF ME oN MY EARTH THAT IN MY HEAVEN I MAY REMEMBER THEE.

8.0 RICH oNEs oN EARTH! THE POOR IN YOUR MIDST ARE MY TRUST; GUARD YE MY TRUST.

9. THE SOURCE or ALL LEARNING Is THE KNOWLEDGE 01-‘ GOD, ExAI.TED EE H15 GLORY.