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WORLD
ORDER
THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE
October, 1943
• The Path to God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dorothy Baker 217
• Selections from an Early Pilgrimage May Ellis Maxwell 231
• The Destroyer of Society . . . Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick 238
• The Purpose of Suffering . . . . . . . . . Alta M. Gaines 240
• A Bahá’í Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Horace Holley 244
• ‘Abdu’l-Bahá . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frances Mitchell 246
• The Frontiers of Barbarism . . . . . . . . . . Garreta Busey 247
• Bahá’í Holy Days, The Birthday of the Báb . . . . . . . 249
• With Our Readers . . . 251
FIFTEEN CENTS
GOD’S PURPOSE IS NONE OTHER THAN TO USHER IN, IN WAYS HE ALONE CAN BRING ABOUT, AND THE FULL SIGNIFICANCE OF WHICH HE ALONE CAN FATHOM, THE GREAT, THE GOLDEN AGE OF A LONG-DIVIDED, A LONG-AFFLICTED HUMANITY. ITS PRESENT STATE, INDEED EVEN ITS IMMEDIATE FUTURE, IS DARK, DISTRESSINGLY DARK. ITS DISTANT FUTURE, HOWEVER, IS RADIANT, GLORIOUSLY RADIANT—SO RADIANT THAT NO EYE CAN VISUALIZE IT.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS SHOULD BE REPORTED
ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE
WORLD ORDER is published monthly in Wilmette, Ill., by the Publishing Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. EDITORS: Garreta Busey, Alice Simmons Cox, Gertrude K. Henning, Horace Holley, Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick.
Editorial Office
1109 WEST GIFT AVENUE, PEORIA, ILL.
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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, Wilmette, Illinois. Entered as second class matter April 1, 1940, at the post office at Wilmette, Ill., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1943 by Bahá’í Publishing Committee. Title registered at U. S. Patent Office.
OCTOBER, 1943, VOLUME IX, NUMBER 7
WORLD ORDER
THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE
VOLUME IX OCTOBER, 1943 NUMBER 7
The Path to God
Dorothy Baker
A REBIRTH OF POWER TO ALL MANKIND
REVELATION, the Path to God, has been progressive. Early
man could understand a little truth; later he could assimilate
great truth. Fundamentally the truth was one. With each
appearance of truth, a rebirth of powers has attended it; man
has been imbued with divine ideals, and an ever advancing
civilization has taken new steps forward. The miracle of new
social power is accompanied by the appearance of a Master
Teacher. The lettered Jews sprang from the spiritual genius
of Moses, the glory of ancient Persia reflects the fire of
Zoroaster; unfolding Europe lifts her spires to the glorious
Nazarene; the architecture, astronomy, and poetic genius of
the Muḥammadan world in the middle centuries bespeak the
gift of Muḥammad. “He hath ordained,” writes Bahá’u’lláh,
“that in every age and dispensation, a pure and stainless Soul
be made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and heaven.”
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To the individual, this is always an invitation to sit at the
feet of the Master Teacher and renew his own powers. Laying
aside the fears imposed today by tradition, the seeker on the
Path fearlessly looks for the stainless mirror of his age. The
Jew who knows the majesty of Moses, the Christian who longs
to touch the garment hem of Jesus; these are the souls schooled
in adoration. The illumined Writings of Bahá’u’lláh will
bring to these, and to the untutored millions, the light of renewed
faith, and the means of traveling with sovereign power
the immeasurable distances of The Path to God.
The Words of Bahá’u’lláh, coming as a part of the unending outpouring of the Word of God through the ages, act as the water of life upon the thirsty soul, refreshing, cheering, and bringing forth the powers of the seeker. Every life needs the emphasis of the love of God, but some cast about for a life-time, failing to find this Holy Grail of spiritual health and joy. Just as bodies are sometimes lacking in the food elements that produce health, the soul sometimes stands in need of a divine physician who can prescribe the missing elements for spiritual success. The few thoughts given here are chosen from the unlimited mine of wisdom and explanation offered in the Bahá’í Writings. Space permits mention of only a few.
POWER THROUGH PRAYER
Faculties long allowed to rust must be called into activity.
Man becomes like a stone unless he continually supplicates to
God. Prayer is the great quickener. There is no human being
who is not in need of prayer. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá[1] said, “O
thou spiritual friend! Thou hast asked the wisdom of prayer.
Know thou that prayer is indispensable and obligatory, and
man under no pretext whatsoever is excused from performing
the prayer unless he be mentally unsound, or an insurmountable
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obstacle prevent him.” The sincere seeker, however,
often asks, “Why pray, since God knows our needs?” In response,
Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá mention many of the
benefits of prayer.
1. Connection with God
“The wisdom of prayer is this: That it causeth a connection between the servant and the True One, because in that state man with all heart and soul turneth his face towards His Highness the Almighty, seeking His association and desiring His love and compassion.”
2. Divine Companionship
“Verily He responds unto those who invoke Him, is near unto those who pray unto Him. And He is thy Companion in every loneliness, and befriends every exile.”
3. Joy
“Know thou that supplication and prayer is the Water of Life. It is the cause of the vivification of existence and brings glad tidings and joy to the soul.”
“Know that in every home where God is praised and prayed to, and His Kingdom proclaimed, that home is a garden of God and a paradise of His happiness.”
4. Healing
“There are two ways of healing sickness, material means and spiritual means. The first is by the use of remedies, of medicines; the second consists in praying to God and in turning to Him. Both means should be used and practiced . . . Moreover, they are not contradictory, and thou shouldst accept the physical remedies as coming from the mercy and favor of God . . .”
“O thou pure and spiritual one! Turn thou toward God
with thy heart beating with His love, devoted to His praise,
gazing towards His Kingdom and seeking help from His Holy
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Spirit in a state of ecstasy, rapture, love, yearning, joy and
fragrance. God will assist thee, through a spirit from His
Presence, to heal sickness and disease.”
“Continue in healing hearts and bodies and seek healing for sick persons by turning unto the Supreme Kingdom and by setting the heart upon obtaining healing through the power of the Greatest Name and by the spirit of the love of God.”
5. Protection
“Besides all this, prayer and fasting is the cause of awakening and mindfulness, and conducive to protection and preservation from test.”
6. Removal of Difficulties
“Is there any remover of difficulties save God! Say, Praise be to God! He is God! All are His servants and all are standing by His Command.”
“Say, God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth but God sufficeth. Verily, He is in Himself, the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent.”
(Prayers of the Báb, the fore-runner of Bahá’u’lláh, to be used in times of difficulty.)
7. Increased Capacity
“By these attractions one’s ability and capacity increase. When the vessel is widened the water increaseth and when the thirst grows, the bounty of the cloud becomes agreeable to the taste of man. This is the mystery of supplication and the wisdom of stating one’s wants.”
8. Effect upon the World
“Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been
received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh
unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine
own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth,
in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the
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scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the
fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause
the heart of every righteous man to throb.”
9. Intercession
“Those who have ascended have different attributes from those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation. In prayer there is a mingling of station, a mingling of condition. Pray for them as they pray for you.”
Asked whether it was possible through faith and love to bring the New Revelation to the knowledge of those who have departed from this life without having heard of it, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá replied, “Yes, surely! since sincere prayer always has its effect, and it has a great influence in the other world. We are never cut off from those who are there. The real and genuine influence is not in this world but in that other.”
“He who lives according to what was ordained for him— the Celestial Concourse, and the people of the Supreme Paradise, and those who are dwelling in the Dome of Greatness will pray for him, by a Command from God, the Dearest and the praiseworthy.”
“Oh Thou Omnipotent Lord. In this great dispensation Thou dost accept the intercession of the sons and daughters in behalf of their parents. This is one of the special, infinite bestowals of this cycle. Therefore, O Thou kind Almighty, accept the request of this Thy servant at the threshold of Thy singleness and submerge my mother in the ocean of Thy Graces.”
The science of going about prayer is so little understood that we find ourselves, in the words of Tennyson:
- “A child crying in the night,
- A child crying for the light,
- And with no language but a cry.”
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‘Abdu’l-Bahá suggested that there were four wonderful
qualities that could help us to pray. The first is a detached
spirit. It is a little like closing a window to the noises of the
street, that the strains of the violin within the room may not
be lost. The second is unconditional surrender of our own
wills to the Will of God. This is very subtle and very difficult,
for the self is inclined to argue with God and to rationalize
its own desires, putting them always first. How few have
the singular purity of the child who wanted a horse more than
anything in the world, and decided to pray for it. After a
time her father said, “God did not answer your prayer, did
He?” “But of course He did,” she said simply, “He said
no!” Concentrated attention is the third quality, and the
fourth, true spiritual passion, that ardor and devotion which
distinguishes the apostle from the multitude. Surely God will
raise to His very Presence the least peasant who whole-heartedly
casts himself at His feet, in preference to the kings of
the earth who are complacent. In the highest prayer, man
prays only for the love of God.
The actual words help concentration. It is good to repeat the words so that the tongue and heart act together and the mind is better able to concentrate. Then the whole man is surrounded by the spirit of prayer. The communes of Bahá’u’lláh are like invigorating breezes; there is great power in using them aloud, for the exalted pen of a Manifestation of God is a source of power in the world. Prayer may be likened to a song; both words and music make the song.
If prayer is to become a guiding force, a protection, a joy,
and the source of divine companionship, it must become a habit.
How often a human being waits for the vicissitudes of life to
drive him Godward when in reality the harmony, health, and
full victory lies in continual praise and supplication. One
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needs to be in a perennial state of prayer. “The greatest happiness
for a lover is to converse with his beloved . . .”
VICTORIOUS LIVING
A man’s goal is God. He is born to tread the Path to God. In the words of Bahá’u’lláh, “The purpose of God in creating man hath been and will ever be to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence.”
Success depends upon surrender to God at every turn. “O thou who hast surrendered thy will to God,” wrote Bahá’u’lláh, “By self-surrender and perpetual union with God is meant that men should merge their will wholly in the Will of God, and regard their desires as utter nothingness beside His Purpose.” This is the secret of happiness. “The liberty that profiteth you is to be found nowhere except in complete servitude unto God, the Eternal Truth. Whoso hath tasted of its sweetness will refuse to barter it for all the dominion of earth and heaven.”
Those on the Path are conscious of this joy. They have a sense of victory that no circumstance, however ruthless, is able to destroy. When the earliest Bahá’í pilgrims found their way to the prison city of Acca, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would often call in such radiant souls as the aged Haider Ali, who, because of his great suffering and saintly character, was called the angel of Acca. When the American visitors seemed discontented with their lot, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would say that Haider Ali had also suffered; that he had been dragged across a desert with his head in a sack! But Haider Ali made always the same reply, “I have known only the joy of serving my Lord.”
Lady Blomfield, foremost early Bahá’í of England,
records the tender moments when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made His
journey through the West, and interviewed under her own
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roof, so many of the thoughtful of that land. When the
people said, “We are glad, oh so glad that you are free,” He
replied:
“To me prison was freedom.
“Troubles are a rest to me.
“Death is life.
“To be despised is honor.
“Therefore I was full of happiness all through that prison time.
“When one is released from the prison of self, that is indeed freedom! For self is the greatest prison.
“When this release takes place, one can never be imprisoned. Unless one accepts dire vicissitudes, not with dull resignation, but with radiant acquiescence, one cannot attain this freedom.”
Martha Root, greatest of the first century Bahá’í teachers, knew the secret. On her last historic journey through the West, she was asked the secret of her success and happiness. This plain little woman who had stood before queens and emperors with such undeniable power, replied thoughtfully, “It is important to find out God’s first choice about everything. Then the bounties flow, the hearts are made happy, and the spirit of attraction is at work.”
Such a soul has nothing to fear. There is no circumstance that cannot be used for progress on the Path to God. “Nothing save that which profiteth them can befall My loved ones,” testified Bahá’u’lláh. “The sea of joy yearneth to attain your presence, for every good thing hath been created for you, and will, according to the needs of the times, be revealed unto you.”
Radiant acquiescence to the Will of God means obedience
to His Commands and contentment in all that befalls, but it
never means inertia, laziness, and slothful living. Activity in
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God’s Will is the law of victory. God can no more guide an
inactive soul than a man can guide a car while it stands by the
side of the road, inert. “Pray and act,” Martha would say.
Action attracts the answer to the prayer. That is the reason
for the importance of deeds in victorious living. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
wrote, “By faith is meant, first, conscious knowledge, and
second, the practice of good deeds.” These deeds are the
wealth of the friends of God.
Those who have arisen to teach these truths have all experienced the confirming power of assistance which Bahá’u’lláh promised to His sincere servants. “A company of Our chosen angels shall go forth with them, as bidden by Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise. . . . If he be kindled with the fire of His love, . . . the words he uttereth shall set on fire them that hear him. Verily thy Lord is the Omniscient, the All-Informed. Happy is the man that hath heard Our voice and answered Our call. He, in truth, is of them that shall be brought nigh unto Us.”
Even daily work done in the spirit of service is an important part of victorious living, for it is accounted by Bahá’u’lláh as worship. He Writes, “We have made this, your occupation, identical with the worship of God, the True One.” Living apart for pious worship is therefore discouraged. As Jesus gave His life to men in the market places, so must our spirituality find practical expression among the people.
No life is victorious that cannot live with its fellows.
“Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost
kindliness and love.” A Bahá’í drops away all forms of arrogance.
His door is open to black and white, rich and poor,
fellow countryman and foreign born. “Ye are the fruits of
one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another
with the utmost love and harmony . . . So powerful is
the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.” The
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practice of social unity by a mere handful of the champions of
God must slowly give rise to the harmony of the race.
IMMORTALITY
The Path to God is a stream of upward consciousness; it does not end with this small world. Our existence here may be likened to an acorn which, if quickened with life, becomes an oak. Or it may be likened to a child in the matrix of the mother as it develops its faculties of sight, hearing, and the like, for use in this world. So does the soul treat this world as a place of beginning in which it develops its spiritual faculties for use in all of the worlds of God. The Word of God quickens the soul as the spring sunshine quickens the acorn, and from a single Word of even one of the Prophets or Manifestations of God, a soul may attain to the stream of consciousness. Many are the assurances of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá concerning this journey for the soul who faithfully sets out on the path to God.
First we must know that there is continuance. The true believer will “eternally live and endure. His spirit will everlastingly circle round the Will of God. He will last as long as God Himself will last. . . . It is evident that the loftiest mansions in the Round of Immortality have been ordained as the habitation of them that have truly believed in God and in His signs. Death can never invade that holy seat.”
The other world is a world of knowledge and memory.
“Undoubtedly the holy souls who find a pure eye and are
favored with insight will in the kingdom of lights be acquainted
with all mysteries, and will seek the bounty of witnessing the
reality of every great soul. Even they will manifestly behold
the Beauty of God in that world.” “The mysteries of which
man is heedless in this earthly world, those will he discover
in the heavenly world, and there will he be informed of the
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secret of truth; how much more will he recognize or discover
persons with whom he hath been associated.”
Not a static heaven, but a busy, active condition, bright with growth and progress, is visualized for us by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Those who have passed on through death have a sphere of their own. It is not removed from ours. Their work, the work of the Kingdom is like ours but it is sanctified from time and place. “It is as if a kind gardener transfers a fresh and tender shrub from a narrow place to a vast region. This transference is not the cause of the withering, the waning or the destruction of that shrub, nay rather it makes it grow and thrive, acquire freshness and delicacy and attain verdure and fruition.”
Bahá’u’lláh speaks of the power bestowed upon the faithful in the world of continuance. “The soul that hath remained faithful to the Cause of God, and stood unwaveringly firm in His Path shall, after his ascension, be possessed of such power that all the worlds which the Almighty hath created can benefit through him. Such a soul provideth, at the bidding of the Ideal King and Divine Educator, the pure leaven that leaveneth the world of being, and furnisheth the power through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Consider how meal needeth leaven to be leaveneth with. Those souls that are the symbols of detachment are the leaven of the world. Meditate on this, and be of the thankful.”
And again, joy is the keynote! “O Son of the Supreme! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?”
“Death proffereth unto every confident believer the cup
that is life indeed. It bestoweth joy and is the bearer of gladness.
It conferreth the gift of everlasting life. As to those
who have tasted of the fruit of man’s earthly existence, which
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is the recognition of the one true God, exalted be His glory,
their life hereafter is such as We are unable to describe. The
knowledge thereof is with God alone, the Lord of all the
worlds.”
“O my servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight are assuredly in store for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes.”
The greatest gift of all, bestowed in the worlds of light, must be the gift of companionship with the holy souls of every age. The heart is immediately stirred by such a possibility. The grandeur of Moses comes close to us; we sit again at the feet of Jesus the Christ! In short, We come to the conclusion that the true believer of this illumined time is the associate and intimate of the apostles of former times. “Likewise will they find all the friends of God, both those of the former and recent times, present in the heavenly assemblage.” “Blessed is the soul which, at the hour of its separation from the body, is sanctified from the vain imaginings of the peoples of the world. Such a soul liveth and moveth in accordance with the Will of its Creator, and entereth the all-highest Paradise. The Maids of Heaven, inmates of the loftiest mansions, will circle around it, and the Prophets of God and His chosen ones will seek its companionship. With them that soul will freely converse, and will recount unto them that which it hath been made to endure in the path of God, the Lord of all worlds. If any man be told that which hath been ordained for such a soul in the worlds of God, the Lord of the throne on high and of earth below, his whole being will instantly blaze out in his great longing to attain that most exalted, that sanctified and resplendent station.”
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An American friend who had enjoyed the privilege of
more than one visit to Acca during the days of the exile of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, related an incident that took place at His table.
With her sat persons of varied races, some of them traditional
enemies who had now grown so to love one another that life
and fortune would not have been too much to give if called
upon to do so. As the reality of their love gradually became
plain to her, there was born a ray of the knowledge of the
intimacy of the near ones in the world beyond. When the meal
drew to a close, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke of the immortal worlds.
As nearly as she could remember, the Words he spoke were
these: “We have sat together many times before, and we shall
sit together many times again in the Kingdom. We shall
laugh together very much in those times, and We shall tell of
the things that befell us in the Path of God. In every world
of God a new Lord’s Supper is set for the faithful!”
The secret of so great a fulfillment is intimacy with God
through His Messenger. Revelation, the open door to God,
is forever linked with the Revelator. With one gracious gesture
God bestows upon the world a divine physician, a lawgiver,
a perfect pattern, and a point of union with its God.
Happy is the heart that experiences fusion with the Manifestation
of God’s Perfection. Paul would be made alive in
Christ Jesus. Stephen, radiant even as the excited mob hurled
him from the cliff, cries, “Behold, I see the Son of Man sitting
on the right hand of God the Father.” ‘Alí, youthful
disciple of this day, proclaims as he offers his life, “If I recant,
whither shall I go? In Him, I have found my paradise.” The
World of God is the Water of Life, one Word throughout
cycles and ages. The soul, refreshed by new waters, finds
itself yet on the old Path, the ancient, eternal Path. To tread
that Path with dignity and joy, through this world and hereafter,
is every man’s birthright. Therefore, once in about a
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thousand years, God, in His great compassion, clears the Path
of superstition and division, that the Way may be made plain
once more for the sincere seeker. And so Bahá’u’lláh has come.
Today the stage is set for the greatest spiritual drama of history, for the rebirth of the powers of the human race will be for the first time world wide and in proportion to infinitely higher development. The coming of Bahá’u’lláh marks the close of a great cycle, the beginning of one infinitely greater. Man has come of age; a world-wide unity will appear, enjoyed by a new race. Bahá’u’lláh is the Father promised by Isaiah, the Michael spoken of by Daniel, the Spirit of Truth prophesied by Jesus, the Mihdi foretold by Muḥammad, the Friend promised by Gautama, the Sháh Bahrám of Zoroaster. His coming is the bow of promise in the sky. “The universe is wrapped in an ecstasy of joy and gladness.” “Peerless is this Day, for it is as the eye to past ages and centuries, and as a light unto the darkness of the times.”
- ↑ Son of Bahá’u’lláh and expounder of His Teaching.
THE MOST CHALLENGING ISSUE
As to racial prejudice, the corrosion of which, for well nigh a century, has bitten into the fibre, and attacked the whole social structure of American society, it should be regarded as constituting the most vital and challenging issue confronting the Bahá’í community at the present stage of its evolution. . . . White and negro, high and low, young and old, whether newly converted to the Faith or not, all who stand identified with it must participate in, and lend their assistance, each according to his or her capacity, experience, and opportunities, to the common task of fulfilling the instructions, realizing the hopes, and following the example, of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Selections from an Early
Pilgrimage
May Ellis Maxwell
WE SAILED from Marseilles on February 9th, 1898, on board
the S. S. Carthage bound for Bombay and arrived in Port
Said on February 13th. We were met on board by Aḥmad
Yazdi and Nourilla Effendi. They did everything for us,
got us rooms at the hotel, attended to our baggage, and during
the time we were there came to us almost every hour of
the day and evening, inviting us to their homes, taking us to
drive, and indeed showing us a love and kindness such as we
had never seen before. At the time we could not understand
the spirit which animated them, but afterwards we knew that
we were dead and they were living and were quickened with
the love of God.
On the afternoon of our arrival Nourilla Effendi called
for us and drove us to his house where we met his dear wife
and daughters with the same radiant faces and wonderful love
that we had seen in our two brothers, and there for the first
time we beheld the face of our beloved Master. I could not
remove my eyes from this picture, and these friends gave us
each a copy and a lock of hair of the Blessed Perfection. Then
we were entertained with tea and many sweet cakes, and when
we left, although not a word had been spoken except through
an occasional interpretation of our brother, we were united in
an indissoluble bond of love and we felt that no language
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could have been more eloquent than that silence in which our
hearts alone had spoken.
We were obliged to wait two days for the little boat running along the coast of Beyrout, and we went on board about seven o’clock on the evening of the 15th accompanied by our faithful brothers. With what deep feeling they entrusted to us messages of love for their Master and with what longing eyes they watched us as we sailed away. Ah! Soon I was to understand! . . .
The next day we continued on our journey, sitting quietly on deck until the twilight fell about us, the shadows deepened, and with the gathering darkness the stars shone out one by one, large and effulgent in that clear atmosphere. We arose and went forward and saw looming up through the darkness, dimly at first, but growing ever more distinct and grand, the noble outline of Mount Carmel, then the twinkling lights along the shore, and the breath of the Holy Land was wafted to us laden with the perfume of roses and orange blossoms. There were two Russian pilgrims on board who for hours had been standing motionless at the ship’s rail facing the east, and now their steadfast gaze was on ‘Akká, and thus we all stood in prayer and worship as the ship slowly entered the Bay of Haifa and cast anchor. Then followed a confusion of boats, lights and voices which we heeded not, until we were rowed ashore and saw the faces of our American brothers beaming upon us. They greeted us cordially as they helped us out, and said, “Our Master is in Haifa.” We were driven to the house which the Master had taken for the American pilgrims and cordially greeted by sister Mariam and others, and we retired to spend our first night in the Holy Land, between waking and sleeping, waiting for the sunrise of that glorious day.
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On the following morning, Friday the 17th, at about seven
o’clock, sister Mariam hurried into our room and announced
that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would arrive in a few moments. We had
barely time to dress when a sudden stir without set all our
beings in commotion. We went out into a large central hall
from which opened all the rooms in the house and opposite the
door of one of these we saw the shoes of the believers; thus
we knew that the Blessed Master was within. The others
preceded me. In a moment I stood on the threshold and
dimly saw a room full of people sitting quietly about the
walls, and then I beheld my Beloved. I found myself at His
feet, and He gently raised me and seated me beside Him all
the while saying some loving words in Persian in a voice that
shook my heart. Of that first meeting I can remember neither
joy nor pain nor anything that I can name. I had been carried
suddenly to too great a height; my soul had come in contact
with the Divine Spirit; and this force so pure, so holy,
so mighty had overwhelmed me.
He spoke to each one of us in turn of ourselves and our lives and those whom we loved and although His words were so few and so simple they breathed the Spirit of Life to our souls. . . .
The Russian Jews who had been on the boat the night before now arrived, their faces shining with a great light as they entered His presence. We could not remove our eyes from His glorious face; we heard all He said; we drank tea with Him at His bidding; but existence seemed suspended, and when He arose and suddenly left us we came back with a start to life: but never again, oh! never again, thank God, to the same life on this earth! We had “beheld the King in His beauty. We had seen the land which is very far off.”
Our Beloved Master returned at noon to lunch with us
and again at supper time and whenever He arrived many of
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the believers followed. They always knew just where He was
day and night and seemed to surround Him by their watchful
love; yet wholly unobtrusive, never approaching Him in public,
always humble and submissive, waiting for His least command,
seeking to render the humblest service. That evening
He invited us all to meet Him on Sunday morning under the
cedar trees on Mount Carmel where He had been in the habit
of sitting with Bahá’u’lláh. We were all most happy in this
hope, and great was my disappointment next morning when I
found myself quite ill. As soon as the Master arrived for
breakfast He came directly to my room and walking over to
my bedside took both my hands in His, passed His hand over
my brow, and gazed upon me with such gentleness and mercy
that I forgot everything but the love and goodness of God
and my whole soul was healed and comforted. I looked up
into His face and said: “I am well now, Mowlana.” But He
smiled and shook His head and bade me remain there quietly,
until He should return at noon. Although I had been suffering
during the night, all pain and distress were gone, and I
slept quietly.
On Sunday morning we awakened with the joy and hope
of the meeting on Mount Carmel. The Master arrived quite
early and after looking at me, touching my head and counting
my pulse, still holding my hand He told the believers
present that there would be no meeting on Mount Carmel
that day but that we should meet elsewhere, Inshallah, in a
few days, for we could not go and leave one of the beloved
of God alone and sick, that we could none of us be happy
unless all the beloved were happy. We were astonished. That
anything so important as this meeting in that blessed spot
should be cancelled because one person was ill and could not
go seemed incredible. It was so contrary to all ordinary habits
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of thought and action, so different from the life of the world
where daily events and material circumstances are supreme
in importance that it gave us a genuine shock of surprise and
in that shock the foundations of the old order began to totter
and fall. The Master’s words had opened wide the door of
God’s Kingdom and given us a vision of that infinite world
whose only law is love.
This was but one of many times that we saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá place above every other consideration the love and kindness, the sympathy and compassion due to every soul. Indeed, as we look back upon that blessed time spent in His presence we understand that the object of our pilgrimage was to learn for the first time on earth what love is, to witness its light in every face, to feel its burning heat in every heart and to become ourselves enkindled with this divine flame from the Sun of Truth the Essence of Whose Being is love. So on that Sunday morning He sat with us for awhile and we thought no more of the meeting on Mount Carmel for in the joy and infinite rest of His presence all else was swallowed up.
Next day, Monday, others of our party who had been up
the Nile arrived and later our Beloved told us that He would
be obliged to go to ‘Akká that day as important government
matters made His immediate presence there indispensable. . . .
He bade us be ready to leave for ‘Akká. on Wednesday
morning at about six o’clock, and then bade each one a loving
farewell. On Tuesday His daughters and my spiritual mother
Lua arrived from ‘Akká, and on that same afternoon we received
visits from several cousins and other members of the
Holy Family who lived in Haifa. One Tuesday night I told
my spiritual mother that the Master evidently did not realize
how ill and weak I was or He never would have expected
me to leave with the others on Wednesday morning. Oh! We
of little faith! No wonder she smiled and shook her head,
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saying, “You will soon realize something of the power of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”
It was about dawn when I awoke, feeling myself stirred by a breeze. I cannot describe what followed, but through my soul was flowing an essence, a mighty unseen force was penetrating all my being, expanding it with boundless life and love and happiness, lifting and enfolding me in its mighty strength and peace. I knew then it was the Holy Spirit of God and that our Lord was praying for His servants in that blessed dawn and I arose and prayed and was quite well.
At an early hour we all met and set out in carriages for the holy city and the merciful spirit of God never left us as we drove along the shore drawing ever nearer to the earthly abode of Him Who was the Glory of God, His bounty descending like rain upon our souls. Our hearts were too full for words and in reverent silence we gazed upon the walled city as it lay white and clear and beautiful in the still morning light, with the deep blue Mediterranean at its feet and the dome of the luminous sky above. We crossed two streams which flowed from the land into the sea, the horses wading up to their sides, and reached at last the stone gates of ‘Akká, drove through the narrow picturesque streets where the early rising Oriental world was up and stirring, and arrived at the house of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. We passed through a large stone doorway opening into a square court and ascended a flight of steps which led to the apartments above. There, standing beside the window of a small room overlooking the azure sea we found our Beloved. We came to His feet and poured out our overwhelming love and thankfulness while He laid His hands on our heads and spoke low and tenderly to His poor servants.
The Greatest Holy Leaf (‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sister) now entered
with the Holy Mother (‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s wife) and her
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daughters and they welcomed us with love and tears of joy
as though we had been parted for awhile but had returned
at last to our heavenly home, as indeed we had! They took
us to our rooms which, alas! they had vacated for our sakes;
they gave us every comfort, anticipated every need and surrounded
us with care and attention; yet through it all shone
the light of wonderful spirituality, through these kindly
human channels their divine love was poured forth and their
own lives, their own comfort were as a handful of dust; they
themselves were utterly sacrificed and forgotten in love and
servitude to the divine threshold.
During the three wonderful days and nights we spent in that sacred spot we heard naught but the mention of God; His Holy Name was on every tongue; His praise and glory were chanted and sung; His beauty and goodness were the theme of all conversation; His glorious Cause the only aim of every life. Whenever we gathered together in one of the rooms they spoke unceasingly of the Blessed Perfection, relating incidents in the life of the Beloved, mentioning His words, telling of His deeds and of the passionate love and devotion of His followers until our hearts ached with love and longing. . . .
During the dinner our Master talked to us and taught us, referring to Christ, quoting His utterances and prophecies, and always speaking with a simplicity and clearness which any child could comprehend; yet His symbols and metaphors, drawn always from nature, embodied that essence of wisdom and truth which baffles the learned and great.
The Destroyer of Society
IN EXPLAINING Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá names five
prejudices which, He says, “destroy the edifice of humanity”. These
five, “religious, racial, political, economic and patriotic”, are, in the
last analysis, the causes of war. So full of danger are they that
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says: “As long as these prejudices prevail, the world
of humanity will not have rest.” And again He says: “All the divisions
of the world, hatred, war and bloodshed, are caused by one or
other of these prejudices.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá also gave a specific warning to the people of the United States when He wrote: “If the question of the colored and the white should not be solved, it would be productive of great dangers in the future of America.” The recent riotings in three of our great cities reveal that the people of the United States have not given sufficient heed to the warning. It is true however that economists, scientists and humanitarians have, each in their own field, made efforts towards solving America’s race problem.
Economists tell us that the cause of racial clashes is economic,— unequal industrial opportunities and other economic injustices. Sociologists tell us of over-crowding, bad housing conditions, lack of recreational facilities. These both recommend practical reforms, a few of which in small degree have been carried out. The scientists appeal to our reason, telling us that there are no biological differences which mark any one race as superior or inferior, in fact that there are no differences sufficiently strong to divide the human family into races. They agree that there is only one real and undeniable race, the human race. But it takes more than statement of scientific fact to remove deep-seated prejudices. Religion should be an effective weapon, but religion itself has been a victim of and promoter of prejudice.
Religion today has been renewed, reformed and revitalized. Before
scientists had begun to think about or study racial diiferences
by modern methods, the Prophet of God speaking with divine knowledge
and authority declared that mankind is of one family and that
this is the age when mankind must realize and practice this truth. “Ye
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are all fruits of one tree and leaves of one branch”, declared Bahá’u’lláh
some eighty years ago.
But this great truth of the Oneness of Mankind cannot become a part of the consciousness of all people unless they exert themselves. How are men to rid themselves of those prejudices which are obstacles to its realization? Man must make every effort. Good thoughts must be changed into action. Hearts must be changed, for “Verily God never changes that which a people have until they change what is within themselves.”
The people have made effort to bring about racial justice, but this effort must be greatly increased. There are many organizations whose object is to overcome racial discrimination and dispel ignorance. A most comprehensive program in one of our cities includes, among other things, elimination of discrimination in granting jobs, a general educational program to eradicate ignorance of the cultural accomplishments of other races, better housing and recreational facilities. Such plans and projects are good and should be multiplied many times and carried out in their fullness. By such means attitudes of individuals and groups are changed to a limited degree.
But such means, however praiseworthy, are not enough. The results are not lasting nor sufficiently far-reaching. “There is need of a superior power to overcome human prejudices; a power which nothing in the world of mankind can withstand and which will overshadow the effect of all other forces at work in human conditions. That irresistible force is the love of God.” The knowledge of the love of God has been brought to us afresh today by Bahá’u’lláh. His teachings are the breaths of the Holy Spirit which create men anew. These teachings call not only for economic justice to all races and peoples but for fellowship and friendship. “Fellowship is the cause of unity, and unity is the source of order in the world.” It is well known that wherever Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings are accepted and followed all prejudices disappear. It is in spreading the knowledge of Bahá’u’lláh and His special injunctions that great effort should be made, for “when the racial elements of the American nation unite in actual fellowship and accord, the lights of the oneness of humanity will shine . . . and the divine favors descend.” —B. H. K.
The Purpose of Suffering
Alta M. Gaines
“YET MAN is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.”
Today when darkness has fallen upon every land and the forces of mischief encompass all mankind, these words, spoken so long ago in connection with the sufferings of a single individual, take on added significance and world-wide scope.
People ask in their perplexity, “What does the Bahá’í Faith have to say about this war and the suffering and chaos it entails?”
Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, writing from the Bahá’í international headquarters at Haifa, Palestine, says in effect: The long ages of infancy and childhood through which mankind had to pass, have receded into the background. Humanity is now experiencing the commotions of adolescence. The impetuosity of youth and its vehemence reach their climax and must be gradually superseded by maturity. Mankind is entering that stage of maturity which represents the consummation of human evolution on this planet. Unification of the whole of mankind is the hall mark of the stage which human society is now approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving. Nation building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax.
And here, as he continues, the Guardian of the Bahá’í
Faith sounds a warning: Must humanity, torn as it now is, be
afflicted with still severer tribulations before it finds the
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capacity for willing sacrifice which alone can usher in a fellowship
of mankind? He recalls the appalling collapse of the
Roman empire in the first centuries of the Christian era when
mankind faced a shattered civilization without law and with
universal confusion and insecurity. Is it possible, he asks, that
a series of profound convulsions must stir and rock the human
race before the spirit of world unity can be enthroned in the
hearts and consciences of the masses?
Shoghi Effendi calls to mind the federation of states represented by the United States of America, and says: “Could anything less than the fire of a civil war with all its violence and vicissitudes—a war that nearly rent the great American republic—have welded the states, not only into a Union of independent units, but into a Nation?” He also declares “that it is highly improbable that so fundamental a revolution, involving such far-reaching changes in the structure of society, could have been brought about through the ordinary processes of diplomacy and education. The blood stained history of humanity bears out the fact that nothing short of intense mental as well as physical agony has ever been able to precipitate epochal changes in human civilization.”
The world of today has been pulled together and transformed
into a single highly complex organism. This is due
to progress achieved in the realm of physical science and the
expansion of commerce and industry. Physically the world
is united; the continents are virtually merged. But a new
phase of human thought is necessary to bring about a unity
of heart and spirit in the body of mankind. Again Shoghi
Effendi reminds us that, while those changes in the past have
been great and far-reaching, in reality they are mere adjustments
when compared with the transformation of unparalleled
majesty and scope which humanity is in this age bound to
undergo. He warns again that it is becoming increasingly
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apparent that the forces of a world catastrophe can alone precipitate such a change of human thought. And that only the
fire of ordeal can fuse and weld the elements of present-day
civilization into the world commonwealth of the future.
A new concept of freedom is necessary for this new age, according to the Bahá’í teachings of cooperation and interdependence. Just as the individual in his social order must become responsible, must cooperate and sacrifice his selfish inclinations for the good of his community, so must the nations of the world restrain their absolute sovereignty, and make sacrifices for the achievement of a world social order wherein justice for all is made possible.
The Christian civilization grew out of sacrifice that an ideal might become a way of life for the individual. The moral social order which made possible the early Christian communities came into being through persecution and suffering. Those early Christian martyrs were the seed that sacrificed itself that the tree of civilization might branch and bear fruit.
The story is told that when someone asked a very great and wise man of this day how the new world civilization would be brought about, he replied: “Through human solidarity. In some animals mutual cooperation is frequently seen; when in time of danger, each will try to surpass the others in help. One day as I was standing near a little stream, I noticed a number of locusts that had not yet developed full wings. These insects wishing to pass from my side of the stream to the other in order to procure food, threw themselves forward, each one trying to emulate the other in flinging itself into the water, so that a bridge was formed in order that the others might pass over and this was accomplished; yet those who gave themselves as a bridge finally perished. Consider how much solidarity makes for life as compared to the fighting for self-interest which destroys it.”
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And the world’s people today through mutual suffering
and sacrifice, will rediscover that universal and fundamental
truth, that freedom and liberty under God “is submission unto
such restraints as will protect man from his own ignorance and
guard him against the harm of the mischief-maker.”
Yes, mankind is born unto trouble, effort, struggle, conflict and sacrifice because it is a living, growing, changing, evolving organism. Man is endowed with free will, which has a way of complicating matters, but without which man would not be man and all existence would be meaningless.
And the law of progress, moving all things from the inferior to the superior degree, brings the inevitable breakdown of human institutions, as man grows and develops. This change and transition necessitate seeming chaos and the end of civilization. In reality it is only the end of an age, an epoch, in the history of the universe. And in reality it is the conflict within man himself which is reflected in the greatly troubled world today.
But man can say yes and he can say no. And it is of vital significance that today, looking back over thousands of years of war and bloodshed, he is saying in increasingly overwhelming numbers: “Yes, we will have universal peace, these ruinous wars shall cease; we will have a world social order wherein justice and goodwill prevail.”
In the world of being, the meeting is blessed when the white and colored races meet together with infinite spiritual love and heavenly harmony. . . . Love and unity will be fostered between you, thereby bringing about the oneness of mankind. For the accomplishment of unity between the colored and white will be an assurance of the world’s peace.
A Bahá’í Marriage
Horace Holley
THE GUESTS gathered in the home included more non-Bahá’ís than
believers. There had never been a Bahá’í marriage conducted in the
town. No doubt very few of the non-Bahá’ís had any clear impression
of the meaning of the Faith. Primarily they had come to pay honor
to those who were their relatives or their friends. The gathering
had distinction. The home held charm, the lingering affection abiding
where children have grown up in the spirit of love.
There are many kinds of personal beauty and grace: the beauty of loveliness, the beauty of health, the beauty of youth, the beauty of love itself, and the beauty of an inner integrity when the conditions of the soul are observed. One realized the graciousness of inner and outer beauty when the young man and the young woman stood side by side and the Bahá’í marriage service began.
The believer who represented the Faith had in himself the quality which corresponded to the occasion. This is the essence of true drama, that there be coincidence and harmony between personality and event. Then expectancy is satisfied, and memory can retain the occasion as a whole.
In essence, Bahá’í marriage is a state created by God and entered
into by the affianced of their volition and as their right. It is not a
religious condition established by a church as its ecclesiastical monopoly,
nor a legal license for registration of title in the public records
of the government. “But the Bahá’í engagement,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
enjoined, “is the perfect communication and the entire consent of
both parties. However, they must show forth the utmost attention
and become informed of one another’s character and the firm covenant
made between each other must become an eternal binding, and
their intentions must be everlasting affinity, friendship, unity, and
life. The bridegroom must, before the bridesman and a few others,
say: ‘Verily, we are content with the will of God.’ And the bride
must rejoin: ‘Verily, we are satisfied with the desire of God.’ This
is Bahá’í matrimony.” “Consequently, when the people of Bahá
desire to enter the sacred union of marriage, eternal connection and
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ideal relationship, spiritual and physical association of thoughts and
conceptions of life must exist between them, so that in all the grades
of existence and all the worlds of God this union may continue for
ever and ever for this real union is a splendor of the light of the
love of God.”
These truths the representative presented, reading from Tablets revealed by the blessed Master to the believers and giving exposition to the attitudes and convictions characteristic of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.
Meanwhile, the condition laid down by Bahá’u’lláh to confirm the unity and enduring truth of every Bahá’í marriage had been observed. That is, the parents of the two affianced had previously given their written consent to the marriage.
This principle remains valid even when a parent or parents are themselves non-Bahá’ís. There is thus, outside and beyond the will of the parties themselves, an obligation to be fulfilled and a responsibility to be discharged before the Bahá’í marriage can be conducted. The consent of all four, or all living, parents is a blessing which the sacred union requires. It is a potential veto which if invoked makes the marriage impossible.
One need not assume that this veto will be forthcoming for any trivial, mercenary, conventional or selfish reason. In the Bahá’í community it is not the duty or function of the parent to limit marriage to any restricted circle of social caste or other artificial limitation. Love has its own victory to win in every generation; love is courage no less than humility or joy. But by the consent of the parents there is asserted a power which, on occasion, can prevent a Bahá’í from contracting a relationship capable of exiling him or her from the Kingdom. For the love of man and woman is “a splendor of the light of the love of God”; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has affirmed the tremendous truth that any love not established upon love for God will eventually turn to discord and hate. That their son’s or daughter’s love fulfils this high, this imperative, this sanctified claim of the Creator Himself, is no doubt the first concern of the parents in giving or withholding their consent.
But of this Bahá’í marriage enacted so serenely, so proudly among
so many non-Bahá’ís who began to realize something of its exquisite
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and spiritual meaning, the deepest impression that abides is this, that
Bahá’u’lláh has created in this world, for human beings, the divine
Kingdom of Love. That Kingdom surrounds us without boundary
or horizon, without end of time or space. We are immersed in a
very sea of love. Therefore the love of man and woman, in this
Kingdom, is not a cup that is drained, a day that darkens, a moon
that sets, a flesh that fails. In this Kingdom love is renewed and
enlarged within the heart from an inexhaustible well-spring. As
we become fit to receive, so love comes to us. As we rid ourselves
of darkness, the light enters. Those who love each other in the
Kingdom can never come to the end of affection. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has
shared His secret with all the Bahá’ís: “The souls who sacrifice self,
become detached from the perfections of the realm of man and free
from the shackles of this ephemeral world, assuredly the splendors
of the rays of divine union shall shine in their hearts and in the eternal
paradise they shall find ideal relationship, union and happiness.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Frances Mitchell
- To us, stay close, dear Master, as we climb.
- Give us Your Hand. We need the Friend of Friends.
- Servant of God, Great Leader of the meek!
- May we be servants without selfish ends,
- In the vast household reaching to the stars.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, teach us Whose Day appears,
- So fair above the black and red of Mars.
- It lights the heart, it dries the bitter tears.
- Retreating, the massed forces of the night,
- With fury seek to stop the Dawning Sun,
- As on their heels, the Angels of the Light,
- Pursue them with the glittering banner, One.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, give us Your Hand we pray,
- Lest we forget the Glory of this Day.
The Frontiers of Barbarism
IT IS WITH a rather grim sense of irony that one reads today the last
part of the thirty-eighth chapter of Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire.” Having recorded the slow decay and final ruin of a
great civilization, the historian sets forth, hopefully rather than
assuredly, his reasons for believing that the orderly life of his own
18th Century Europe could not be destroyed. The irony is increased
when one realizes that the work was finished on the eve of the French
Revolution.
Human vision is always partial: we see the present and the future in the light of what we know of the past. And Gibbon, who had spent his years in the contemplation of the ruin brought upon Rome by the invasion of countless hordes of barbarians, thought of like invasions as the only cause of future destruction. He believed that Europe would henceforth be safe because: (I) There were no longer such multitudes of savage peoples at her door; the civilized arts had penetrated too far. (II) Europe, in his time, was not a group of servile subject nations dependent on a distant and very corrupt court for government and protection. It consisted rather, he says, of “twelve powerful though unequal kingdoms, three respectable commonwealths, and a variety of smaller, though independent states.” “The abuses of tyranny,” he says, “are restrained by the mutual influence of fear and shame; republics have acquired order and stability; monarchies have imbibed the principles of freedom, or, at least, of moderation; and some sense of honour and justice is introduced into the most defective constitutions by the general manners of the times. . . . If a savage conqueror should issue from the deserts of Tartary, he must repeatedly vanquish the robust peasants of Russia, the numerous armies of Germany, the gallant nobles of France, and the intrepid freemen of Britain; who, perhaps, might confederate for their common defence.” And, he continues, though Europe might be conquered, there still remains America. (III) Warfare is so changed, it has become so complicated and expensive, that savage peoples can no longer effectively challenge civilized nations. And if these other reasons are fallacious, history shows that, though there may be temporary decline, the general level of man’s attainment has risen throughout the ages. Though empires may fall, the implements of civilization are not lost.
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To us who are schooled by disaster and enlightened by the teachings
of Bahá’u’lláh, it is obvious that Gibbon, absorbed in his study of
the past, vividly impressed by the changes brought about by the invasions
of the Goths, the Vandals, and the Huns, and by the later ravages of
the Mongols under Ghengis Khan, based his reasoning on one fatally
wrong premise. He mistook the nature of barbarism. With his eyes
fixed on the Tartar hordes beyond Russia, he forgot the barbarian within
civilized man himself. The years 1914-1943 have made it evident
that the decline and fall of Europe has come, not from without, but
from within, and that this decline was not merely European but global
in extent. Material civilization—the arts and sciences of war and
peace—could not prevent, but served indeed to aggravate, the disorder.
What was lacking was, not material knowledge, but the spiritual
principle of unity, without which no mechanical balance of power
could prevent the collapse of that order which Gibbon so peacefully
contemplated.
One hundred and fifty years or more later, the principle of unity, projected into the world by means of the Revelations of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, began to cause readjustments so momentous that the whole pattern of human relationships was changed. In the revolution which has ensued, men have begun to learn that the so-called civilized arts and sciences are not enough to maintain civilization; that unity, not balance, must be achieved if chaos is not to prevail; that the frontier between barbarism and enlightenment is not geographical but spiritual; and that the confederation to resist a barbarian conquest must be one, not of European nations against the Tartars, but of all mankind against the destructive forces latent in any human society.
Because it is part of the spirit of the age and is, therefore, a crying need today, the idea of unity is in many minds. A political union will be established, if only because it is necessary for our survival. At first we do only what we must. Later, when we have come to recognize the divine origin of this necessity, when “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge and the Glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea,” we shall become united through love of God, not through fear of each other, and the Most Great Peace will have come,
This is the seventh in a symposium of discussions to be printed this year under the
general title of “The Evolution of Peace."
BAHÁ’Í HOLY DAYS
The Birthday of the Báb
References.
- Childhood of the Báb: “Star of West”, Vol. XIV, pp. 271-272; “Nabil’s Narrative”, pp. 75-76; “The Chosen Highway”, pp. 13-14.
- Marriage of the Báb: “Nabíl’s Narrative”, p. 76; “The Chosen Highway”, p. 13.
- Life of the Báb:—“The Chosen Highway”, pp. 11-32; “Star of West”, Vol. 14, pp. 193-202.
- Life of the Báb, incidents from Nabíl’s Narrative—
- The Báb visits the classes of Siyyid Kaẓim—pp. 27-31.
- His childhood—pp. 72-76.
- His marriage—p. 76.
- Birth and death of His son—pp. 76-77.
- Characteristics of the Báb—pp. 77-80.
- Declaration of His mission to Mullá Ḥusayn—pp. 52-65.
- His voyage to Mecca—pp. 130-131.
- Story of Bedouin who stole His saddlebags—p. 132.
- He sends an epistle to Sheríf of Mecca—pp. 138-139.
- He visits shrines of Muḥammad and Shaykh Aḥmad—pp. 140-141.
- His farewell to Quddús—pp. 142-143.
- The Báb taken prisoner after being given chance to escape—pp. 148-150.
- The Báb in the Mosque—pp. 153-154.
- Vaḥíd investigates the Cause of the Báb—pp. 171-175; 469.
- Báb visits Shaykh Sultán—p. 190.
- His love and care for His wife and mother—pp. 191-192.
- His arrest and outbreak of plague—pp. 194-197.
- Honors accorded Báb in Iṣfáhán—pp. 201-204.
- Báb grants request of Muḥammad-‘Alí—pp. 208-209.
- His sojourn with Manúchihr Khán—pp. 209-214.
- His influence over His guards—pp. 223-224, 236-237.
- His happy two weeks—pp. 227-229.
- Ḥujjat attempts to rescue the Báb—p. 236.
- The Báb’s welcome in Tabríz—pp. 237-239.
- ‘Alí-Khán’s vision of the Báb—pp. 245-247.
- Revelation of the Bayán—pp. 248-249.
- Visit of Mullá Ḥusayn—pp. 256-257-258.
- Influence of Báb upon Kurds—pp. 301-302.
- Episode of buying honey—p. 303.
- Conversion of Mírzá Asadu’lláh—pp. 303-305.
- Story of Qahru’lláh, the Indian disciple—pp. 305-306.
- Story of Muḥammad-‘Alíy-i-Zunúzí who shared the Báb’s martyrdom—pp. 306-307, 507-5 14.
- The Báb rides the wild horse—pp. 310-311.
- Conversion of ‘Azím—p. 313.
- The examination of the Báb—pp. 314-320.
- The Báb suffered the bastinado—p. 320.
- The impression of an English physician who attended the Báb—footnote p. 320.
- Life of the Báb: “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era”—pp. 14-29.
- Báb’s farewell address to the Letters of the Living—Nabíl’s Narrative—pp. 92-94.
- Station of the Báb: “Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh—pp. 31, 33, 34, 35. “Prayers and Meditations”—pp. 84, 128, 300.
- Mission of Báb in foretelling the coming of Bahá’u’lláh—Prayers and Meditations pp. 85, 180-181, 276.
- Oneness of Báb with Bahá’u’lláh—Prayers and Meditations—p. 85.
- Bahá’u’lláh urges devotion to the Báb—Prayers and Meditations, pp. 84-86.
SAMPLE PROGRAM FOR BIRTHDAY OF THE BÁB
- Prayer.
- Childhood of the Báb (reading or a talk.)
- “Star of West” Vol. 14, pp. 271-272.
- “Nabíl’s Narrative” pp. 75-76.
- Reading of stories of Báb from
- “Nabíl’s Narrative” Chap. XII pp. 223-224, 228, middle of pp. 236-239.
- Báb’s farewell address to the Letters of the Living—Nabíl—pp. 92-94.
- Prayer of Bahá’u’lláh about the Báb
- “Prayers and Meditations”—pp. 84-86.
WITH OUR READERS
There are many ways of reminding
ourselves that we are
the builders of the World Order
of the future. One method which
has been tried by one of our western
communities is a brief book
review of Bahá’í Administration
given at a Nineteen Day feast.
We sometimes forget what a
storehouse of spiritual food and
soul searching material this book
is. A few of the introductory
sentences of this review call to
mind the wonderful balance between
the spiritual and the practical
that our Administrative
Order demands:
“What a wonderful book it is, the story of the world of the future, the glorious goal which is already in sight, and ours is the privilege and duty to work for its consummation. Herein are rules, precepts, instructions and laws for the conduct of our daily lives, from the individual to the International House of Justice, a complete and perfect plan of World Order.
“The individual is the basis for the success or non-success of this plan; that means every Bahá’í, ‘US’; it is not an individuality as previously conceived, each person doing as he thinks or desires, but one acting as part of the whole, a submerging of self, a cog in the wheel of God’s plan. The form of the Administration is one of the twin pillars of the edifice of our Faith, the other is of the spirit and we must have both pillars functioning equally for success.”
The excerpts that followed in this review were such as to establish the conviction that the more smoothly the administrative order functions the freer will be the channel for the spirit, that “the administration of the Cause is to be conceived as an instrument not a substitute for the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, that it should be regarded as a channel through which His promised blessings may flow.”
* * *
“The Path to God”, our leading
article, by Dorothy Baker
will appeal to Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís
who are seeking light. It
will answer questions many are
asking. Those who know Mrs.
Baker as a speaker will recognize
the same winning spirit in her
[Page 252]
writing as in her spoken words.
This article will be available as
a reprint in pamphlet form.
The selections from “An Early Pilgrimage” are taken from the booklet by May Maxwell which is now out of print. They reveal not only the love and understanding of the Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but the pure heart of the writer, fit to receive these bounties. A few of our readers may not know Mrs. Maxwell as the mother of Rúhíyyih Khánum, the wife of Shoghi Effendi. In 1940 Mrs. Maxwell, while on a pilgrimage through South America, passed into the next world in Buenos Aires where “her historic resting place is destined to remain a poignant reminder of the resistless march of the triumphant army of Bahá’u’lláh”.
“The Purpose of Suffering”, by Alta M. Gaines of Urbana, was originally a radio talk given over a local station. Mrs. Gaines will be remembered for her article, “Men of the Promised Day”, which we printed last June.
In “A Bahá’í Marriage”, Horace Holley points out some of the fundamental principles underlying the Bahá’í conception of the marriage bond.
In her poem on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Frances Mitchell has feelingly expressed the sense of that “household reaching to the stars” which is the Bahá’í realization of the oneness of mankind.
The editorial this month, by Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick, serves to emphasize the general teaching theme for September and October, announced by the National Spiritual Assembly. The words of Shoghi Effendi on page 230 are a part of the very powerful passage on that subject to be found on pages 28-34 of “The Advent of Divine Justice.”
Garreta Busey’s contribution to our department “Evolution of Peace” helps us to comprehend how limited has been the understanding of some of our wisest men in regard to the spiritual requirements necessary to carry humanity forward.
This month we print references to Bahá’í literature suitable for use at our meetings commemorating the Báb’s birthday. These will be followed in later issues by references for other Bahá’í Holy Days. We hope they will be a real help in planning meetings, especially to our newer believers. We thank Miss Elizabeth Hackley of Urbana, Illinois for these valuable compilations.
Bahá’í Literature
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’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 Wolf, 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 Kitáb-i-Íqán, 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. 262 pages. $2.50.
Prayers and Meditations 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. Bound in fabrikoid. $2.00.
Bahá’í World Faith. The one-volume selection from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, arranged in nine chapters according to subject. Index. 465 pages. Bound in fabrikoid. $1.50.
Some Answered Questions. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s explanation of questions concerning the relation of man to God, the nature of the Manifestation, human capacities, fulfillment of prophecy, etc. Bound in cloth. 350 pages. $1.50.
Bahá’í Prayers, a selection of Prayers revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb 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 Bahá’u’lláh, by Shoghi Effendi. On the nature of the new social pattern revealed by Bahá’u’lláh for the attainment of divine justice in civilization. Bound in fabrikoid. 234 pages. $1.50.
BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING COMMITTEE
110 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, ILLINOIS
Words of Bahá’u’lláh
Inscribed Over the Nine Entrances of the House
of Worship, Wilmette, Illinois
- THE EARTH IS BUT ONE COUNTRY; AND MANKIND ITS CITIZENS.
- THE BEST BELOVED OF ALL THINGS IN MY SIGHT IS JUSTICE; TURN NOT AWAY THEREFROM IF THOU DESIREST ME.
- MY LOVE IS MY STRONGHOLD; HE THAT ENTERETH THEREIN IS SAFE AND SECURE.
- BREATHE NOT THE SINS OF OTHERS SO LONG AS THOU ART THYSELF A SINNER.
- THY HEART IS MY HOME; SANCTIFY IT FOR MY DESCENT.
- I HAVE MADE DEATH A MESSENGER OF JOY TO THEE; WHEREFORE DOST THOU GRIEVE?
- MAKE MENTION OF ME ON MY EARTH THAT IN MY HEAVEN I MAY REMEMBER THEE.
- O RICH ONES ON EARTH! THE POOR IN YOUR MIDST ARE MY TRUST; GUARD YE MY TRUST.
- THE SOURCE OF ALL LEARNING IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, EXALTED BE H1S GLORY.