Esslemont Book in Karen Language
He advises you to make every effort to have the Esslemont book translated into Karen at present, and to persevere in your attempts to find someone to translate it into Chin in the future. He urges you to make a supreme effort to complete these translations and publication of the Esslemont book in the remaining chosen languages.
Rules & Regulations Should Not Be Multiplied
You may not perhaps know that in connection with all National Assemblies the Guardian is advising that rules and regulations should not be multiplied and new statements on “procedure” issued; we should be elastic in details and rigid in principles; consequently he does not want your Assembly to issue statements of a binding nature unless absolutely necessary.... It is only those who have been spiritually ex-communicated by the Guardian with whom the believers are forbidden to associate, and not a person who is being punished by being deprived of his voting rights. As contributions to Baha’i funds are used to support the administration of the Faith, they should not be accepted from those who are deprived of their voting rights; but such believers, should not be prevented from being buried in a Baha’i Cemetery or receiving charity—which we even give to non-Baha’is—if in dire need.
Added Responsibility
As the N.S.A. of Persia is, it would seem, unable to send pioneers to Bahrayn or Afghanistan, he fully approves of your Assembly doing so, if some of the dear Indian believers are willing to assume this added responsibility and perform this valuable service, highly meritorious in the sight of God.
The recent news conveyed to him by you of the achievement of the immediate goals that lay before the Indian and Burmese Baha’is, pleased him greatly. He feels that the Community of believers there, as they see their own Plan developing and their own labours bearing fruit, their fame spreading amongst their sister-communities and their star rising in the heaven of the Baha’i world, are now acquiring a new zest for teaching, and are ever more ready to sacrifice themselves in order to win complete victory for their Plan! This pleases him greatly and encourages him to believe the future of the dear Indian and Burmese believers is very bright.
He was also delighted and relieved to hear that unity was achieved at Convention amongst the friends, and that all of them have resolved to put away childish differences, unworthy of them as servants and custodians of our glorious Faith in that great country, and unitedly strive for the good of the Cause and the successful completion of their sacred tasks.
He wishes once more to impress upon your Assembly the great importance of immediately finding and purchasing, and moving into, a befitting Hazira in Delhi. This will bring upon the entire community great confirmations.
Threshold of a New Epoch
[From the Guardian:]
The perusal of your Annual Report and the messages conveyed by the elected representatives of the Indian and Burmese Baha’i communities, assembled at Convention, have served to deepen my sense of admiration for the work collectively achieved by the members of these communities, and of my gratitude for the magnificent qualities they display, and for the spirit which so powerfully animates them in their stewardship to the Faith of Baha’u’llah.
They now stand on the threshold of a new epoch in the history of the evolution of the Administrative Order in their land. The transfer of the central institution of that Order to the capital of India; the wide measure of centralization which this historic step must needs involve; the purchase of a befitting seat for the ever expanding activities and multiplying agencies of that institution in that same capital, the progressive transfer of the national committees to the national Haziratu’l-Quds—all these must synchronize with a remarkable, and indeed unprecedented, intensification of effort in the pioneer field of Baha’i activity, as well as in the sphere of public teaching, designed to arouse the masses and proclaim the verities of the Faith throughout the length and breadth of that subcontinent and its adjoining territory of Burma.
In this twofold activity, supporting directly and indirectly the interests of the Plan, committed to your charge, the Hindu, the Moslem, the Burmese and Zoroastrian believers must jointly, unitedly, and effectively participate. The minority elements in these ever-expanding communities must be continually stimulated, encouraged, trained and in some cases, as when an equal number of ballots have been cast in an election, given priority, in order to reinforce the representative character of Baha’i institutions, demonstrate the distinction of these institutions from all other man-made agencies, and win, to an ever-increasing degree, the sympathy and support of the teeming masses of Hindu and Moslem extraction, on whose adherence to the Faith, the ultimate progress, establishment, and triumph of the Cause of Baha’u’llah must chiefly depend.
Courage, good-will, resolution, self-abnegation, are imperatively required, at this momentous stage in the evolution of these nascent communities, who, having reared, with assiduous care, the machinery of their Administrative Order, and launched the Plan which the institutions of that Order are now so efficiently promoting, have arisen to initiate a crusade which, as it gathers momentum, must embrace all the diversified races, classes and creeds of that vast country, and its adjoining territories. May the impelling power of the Faith which they champion enable them to surmount every obstacle, and reach their destined goal.
May 8, 1947
Set the Highest Example of Tolerance
During the great period of transition that vast land has been, and still is, going through his thoughts have been very frequently with you all, and his anxiety for the safety of the beloved friends there is very keen.
He fully appreciates the fact that the Baha’is, in spite of their total lack of religious or other prejudice, and their strict political neutrality, are nevertheless placed in danger sometimes by the passions and unrest of their countrymen. His ardent prayers are offered for their protection, and he urges them to, at all times, set the highest example of tolerance, freedom from any form of partisanship in the present troubles and disputes going on, and sympathy with the deep sufferings of all classes and creeds.
Greater Dedication to Service
The work of your Assembly is even more onerous and delicate than before. Now that India, Burma and Pakistan no longer form one unit, in the sense of being under one regime, you will, no doubt, have many new problems to meet. But he feels assured that the experience the Community of believers has gained during recent years, the increased awareness of the glory of this Cause, and the greater dedication to its service which unites the hearts of all the Baha’is out there, will now manifest themselves in the Community’s wholehearted cooperation with the N.S.A., and in a renewed determination to achieve its Plan.
The believers must realize that they, in fulfilling the immediate goals of this Plan, are hastening the day when India, Pakistan and Burma can respectively have each its own National Spiritual Assembly, which, in due time, will become one of the pillars of the International House of Justice. Although three N.S.A.’s and not one must be envisaged in the future, how appropriate it is that, at present, when political division has taken place and animosities are fanned into flame, the believers in the Cause of God are united under one Spiritual Assembly, guiding and aiding all believers with love and understanding!
Please particularly assure the Serampur Baha’is of his loving prayers, and that he is proud of their devotion to the Faith.
He also wishes to assure you of his prayers for the progress of all the work your Assembly is doing, and especially for the solution of the problems involved in the National Headquarters’ purchase. He attributes great importance to this undertaking, and is delighted to see the determined and self-sacrificing manner in which the believers are supporting it.
Opportunity Which May Never Occur Again
[From the Guardian:]
The strife and bloodshed, with their attendant misery, sorrow and confusion, that have afflicted the entire subcontinent of India, in recent months, have caused me the gravest concern. The disorders, following in the wake of this great crisis in the life of its people, constitute a challenge, which the Community of the steadfast followers of Baha’u’llah in that land must resolutely face, and demonstrate in meeting it the quality of their faith, the depth of their devotion, the strength of their unity, the solidity of their institutions and the heroic character of their resolve. They must neither feel alarmed, nor falter or hesitate in the execution of their Plan. Shielded by the institutions which their hands have reared, abiding securely in the stronghold of their love for Baha’u’llah and their devotion to His Faith, pursuing with unrelaxing vigilance and singleness of purpose the course set by the Plan they themselves have inaugurated, heartened by the initial success already achieved since that Plan was set in motion, they, however much buffeted by present circumstances, and no matter how perilous the path they now tread, must press forward, unafraid of persecution, scorn of calumny, towards the shining goals they have set themselves to attain.
The newly-fledged Assemblies, constituted with so much labour and sacrifice, must above all be thoroughly safe-guarded. The administrative nuclei formed throughout the length and breadth of that land, must, however great the effort demanded, be preserved and continually fostered, and enabled to develop into groups destined in time to evolve into firmly knit Assemblies. The obstacles that have arisen in connection with the purchase and registration of the Haziratu’l-Quds in Delhi must be resolutely overcome and all the subsidiary issues connected with it definitely and speedily settled, enabling thereby the attention of your Assembly to be focussed on the vital requirements of the teaching work on which the prosperity of the community and its rapid growth must ultimately depend. Attention, moreover, should be directed to the completion of the task undertaken in connexion with the translation and publication of the New Era in the few remaining languages selected for that purpose. The dissemination of Baha’i literature should, likewise, be simultaneously carried out with increasing vigour. Whatever measures are required to ensure a more systematic and extensive propagation of the teaching of the Faith among the masses must be promptly and unhesitatingly adopted.
The hour is indeed propitious. The ordeals and tribulations which the hungry, the dispossessed, the sick, as well as the disillusioned and restless multitudes, are now experiencing, offer the bearers of the Message of the Most Great Name, an opportunity which may never again recur. There is no time to lose. Every warrior in the ever-advancing army of Baha’u’llah must arise and participate in this holy crusade. The rewards and prizes to be won are inestimable. However circumscribed its resources, however small its numbers, however formidable the obstacles with which it is confronted, the entire community of the believers in India, Burma and Pakistan, must arise as one man, and, pledging anew its fidelity to its Faith prove itself fully worthy of the Cause it has espoused and the high mission it has undertaken.
October 24, 1947
Excommunication is a Spiritual Matter
Excommunication is a spiritual thing and up until now the Guardian has always been the one who exerted this power, and he feels for the present he must continue to be. Only actual enemies of the Cause are ex-communicated. On the other hand, those who conspicuously disgrace the Faith or refuse to abide by its laws can be deprived, as a punishment, of their voting rights; this in itself is a severe action, and he therefore always urges all National Assemblies (who can take such action) to first warn and repeatedly warn the evil-doer before taking the step of depriving him of his voting rights. He feels your Assembly must act with the greatest wisdom in such matters, and only impose this sanction if a believer is seriously injuring the Faith in the eyes of the public through his conduct or flagrantly breaching the laws of God. If such a sanction were lightly used the friends would come to attach no importance to it, or to feel the N.S.A. used it every time they got angry with some individual’s disobedience to them. We must always remember that, sad and often childish, as it seems, some of those who make the worst nuisances of themselves to their National Bodies are often very loyal believers, who think they are protecting the true interests of their Faith by attacking N.S.A. decisions!
Unite to Serve Him
The Guardian feels very strongly that everywhere, throughout the entire Baha’i world, the believers have got to master and follow the principles of their divinely laid down Administrative Order. They will never solve their problems by departing from the correct procedure... The Baha’is have got to learn to live up to the laws of Baha’u’llah which are infinitely higher, more exacting and more perfect than those the world is at present familiar with. Running away, fighting with each other, fostering dissension, is not going to advance the Indian or any other Community; all it is going to do is to bring Baha’u’llah’s plans and work to a standstill until such time as the believers unite to serve Him, or new and more dedicated souls arise to take their place.
Seeking to Purify the World
He also feels very strongly, as he has pointed out in the enclosed letter to the Calcutta Assembly, that the Baha’is must be mature and realize that, whether they are conscious of it or not, the intense feelings of hatred, suspicion and jealousy which are flaming up everywhere in India and Pakistan, are tinging the attitudes of the believers themselves. At such a time, seeing this colossal example before them of the very essence of everything we are seeking to purify the world from, the Hindu, Moslem and Zoroastrian Baha’is should determine to show a love for each other and an inner spiritual solidarity so great as to forcibly attract the attention of their countrymen and impress them with the fact that Baha’u’llah’s Message is, indeed, the only remedy for the ills afflicting the great multitudes of the Far East. It would seem, however, from your reports and those of individuals who write him, that the Baha’is are doing the very opposite and enabling outsiders to point the finger at them and say “the very rivalry we are experiencing between various communities, the Baha’is are also experiencing!” How terrible, how tragic, if Baha’is should let such a situation develop, such a betrayal of not only the trust God has placed in their hands but also a betrayal of the glorious victories they themselves won during the past decade!
The Guardian assures you all, and through you, the believers of India, Pakistan and Burma, that he will supplicate in the Holy Shrines that the labours you have all achieved together may be preserved from blemish, and that you may go on together to fulfil your plan and raise still higher the name of your fame.
Stormy Yet Glorious Path of Service
[From the Guardian:]
The work now engaging the attention of the members of the Baha’i Communities in India, Pakistan and Burma, as it develops and is further consolidated, acquires momentous importance, and should be pursued with added zeal, ever deepening consecration, firmer unity, closer collaboration, greater vigilance and nobler self-sacrifice. The sufferings and trials they have recently experienced, the disappointments and anxieties they have borne, the obstacles and setbacks they have encountered in their path, should, far from causing them to flinch in their determination or to relax in their efforts, act as a stimulant and challenge, to scale loftier heights, and win mightier victories in their strenuous labours for the propagation of their beloved Faith.
Though they are pressed by the multitudinous demands of an ever-growing task, though overburdened by the manifold responsibilities of an ever-expanding administration, I have, in my desire to enable them to enrich the splendid record of their stewardship to the Faith in recent years, and enhance the prestige of all three communities, urged them to push still further the outposts of the Faith, both southward and eastward of the present field of their joint labours. In the island of Ceylon, the Republic of Indonesia and the sovereign State of Siam, which due to their proximity must, sooner or later be opened up to the Faith by these Communities, an effort, however tentative, must be made to establish a nucleus, through the settlement of one or two pioneers which will, as Plans are initiated in the years to come, develop into full-fledged communities capable of illuminating the eastern and southern fringes of the continent of Asia.
Through the successful conclusion of this added task to be shouldered by these communities, the believers in these three communities will have contributed, to a marked degree, to the raising to one hundred of the number of countries included within the pale of the ever-advancing Faith of Baha’u’llah. They will be emulating the example of their American, Canadian and Persian brethren, who, through their respective plans, are hastening this glorious consummation by initiating Baha’i activities in Latin America, in Greenland and New Foundland and the territories of the Arabian Peninsula.
Their solid achievements in recent years, the marvellous multiplication of Baha’i Centres, the establishment of befitting national headquarters, the remarkable impetus lent to the translation, publication and dissemination of Baha’i Literature, embolden me to appeal to them, to undertake fresh enterprises, ere the termination of the present Plan, and on however small a scale, beyond the confines of India and Burma.
The greater the range of their collective enterprises, the mightier the effusion of the Abha grace from on high, a grace that will sustain, protect, guide and cheer them as they
tread the stormy yet glorious path of service for the furtherance of their beloved Cause.
Let them, at this momentous stage of their historic labours, eliminate, once and for all, every trace of inharmony from their midst, purge their hearts from every lingering suspicion, prejudice and animosity, acquire a clearer vision of the greatness of their Faith and the significance of their mission, give heed to the urgent and tragic needs of the vast multitudes of their disillusioned and sore-tried countrymen, now hungering for the Bread of Life, and arise, as one man, to discharge their sacred and inescapable responsibilities. The hour is propitious, the situation critical, the Cause infinitely precious, the prize within reach and inexpressibly glorious.
May 8, 1948
Old and Tried Community
The news that from Calcutta two souls have volunteered to go forth as pioneers to Siam and Indonesia greatly pleased him. Likewise, he was rejoiced to hear a pioneer for Ceylon has been found.
The Burmese, Indian and Pakistan Baha’is, forming as they do a relatively old and tried Community of believers, have heavy responsibilities to discharge. They cannot be looked upon as children or youngsters in this great Cause, but rather must be considered more in the light of elders, and consequently their Baha’i brothers and sisters expect great things of them, and look to them for signs of leadership in that part of the world! Therefore, the fulfilment of their Plan, and the sending forth of their pioneers to neighbouring Asiatic countries, is of crucial importance in maintaining their leadership in this field and their prestige in the Baha’i world.
He was very glad to see your Assembly has not relaxed its efforts in the matter of translating and publishing the Esslemont book. As you know, he considers this a vital service being rendered by your Community to not only the peoples of that part of the world, but to the Faith as a world-wide movement. He has begun to receive lately some of your publications, and trusts, now the mails are again running, to receive safely all the material you are sending.
Arcade of the Shrine of the Bab
The Foundation of the arcade of the Shrine has now been laid and all the heavy threshold stones placed in position. More than half of the stone work ordered in Italy for this first unit of the beautiful shell, which will enclose and protect for all-time the sacred building built by the beloved Master Himself, has now been received on the Shrine property, and plans are being made for the next stage of construction to go ahead.
This glorious work, so cheering to all our hearts, is, however, greatly increasing the burden our beloved Guardian bears, and he hopes the friends will understand this when they find letters to him can no longer be answered promptly. At such a time, when this country has passed through so much danger and difficulty, it is little short of miraculous the way this work on the Shrine has been facilitated and protected and gone ahead steadily! It is greatly enhancing the prestige of the Faith here, and the authorities have been cooperative and helpful.
Grave Challenge
[From the Guardian:]
The communications addressed to me several months ago by your Assembly have, after considerable delay in transmission, reached the Holy Land, and, together with the reports and minutes accompanying them, were read with deep and sustained interest.
The tremendous task facing the Baha’i Communities in India, Pakistan and Burma, constitutes a grave challenge to the followers of the Faith of Baha’u’llah in these countries and must be faced and met with courage, determination and a spirit of complete dedication to His Cause. The disturbances that have so gravely shaken the peoples of these countries, on the morrow of a world-convulsing international conflict; the unfortunate and sudden cessation of communications between these countries and the World Centre of the Faith in the Holy Land during the past year; the fears and anxieties engendered by a steadily deteriorating international situation which cannot but dismay the stoutest hearts, have no doubt contributed, in varying degrees, and in no small measure, to a slowing down of the progress of the collective enterprise, so nobly, so enthusiastically and so energetically initiated by the upholders of the Faith throughout the sub-continent of India and Burma.
The reverses they have suffered, with their attendant disappointments, confusion and relaxation of effort, must never be allowed, however short the period remaining before the termination of their Plan, to jeopardize the chance of a success which is still in their power to achieve. They must close their ranks, gird up their loins, rededicate their souls and spirits to the unfinished tasks which face them, purge themselves of every taint of communal prejudice, detach themselves from every thought of self-interest, and arise, while there is yet time, to attain the goals they have pledged themselves to attain.
The final phase of the Plan with which they stand identified, and on which their immediate destiny depends, coincides with the hundredth anniversary of the most bloody, tragic and turbulent period in the history of their Faith—a period immortalised by the noblest evidences of Baha’i self-sacrifice, marked by acts of sublime heroism, and ennobled by a spirit of dedication and determination unsurpassed at any subsequent stage in Baha’i history. Now, if ever, is the time to emulate the example of these heroes, saints and martyrs. Now is the time to pour out one’s substance as copiously and as readily, as the Dawn-breakers of the Heroic Age of the Faith have shed their life-blood in the path of this most precious Cause. No more befitting tribute can be paid to the memory of these luminous souls, by those who carry the torch of Divine Guidance after them, than by a corresponding
manifestation of solidarity, self-abnegation, zeal and devotion, which will impel them to forsake their homes, sacrifice their treasure, brave every danger, endure every hardship, expend every ounce of energy, that the Plan which they have spontaneously and unitedly sponsored may, through its triumphant termination, carry them a stage further along the broad highway of their destiny.
The multiplication of Baha’i Assemblies, at any cost and with the utmost speed; the reconstitution of dissolved Assemblies, however great the effort required; the completion of the translation into, and the printing of the New Era, in the few remaining languages, within the shortest possible time, the despatch of no more than one pioneer, to the neighbouring Island of Ceylon, to Siam and to Indonesia, ere the termination of the closing year of the Plan—these stand out as the immediate requirements of the present challenging hour—requirements that the prosecutors of the Plan must meet. The eyes of their fellow-workers in East and West, are fixed upon them. The Concourse on high watches their actions, and stands ready to bless and reinforce their labours. The Centre of the Covenant Himself is eagerly waiting to witness the evidences of their victory, and will no doubt intercede, on their behalf, before the throne of Baha’u’llah, if they but arise resolutely and spur their chargers into the arena of service.
The sands are indeed running out. The task that remains to be accomplished is indeed colossal. The distractions, temptations, and pitfalls that might interfere with its consummation are many and varied. The resources however spiritual and material still at the disposal of the members of these communities, are still adequate, if they but resolve to utilize them, to the needs of the present hour. The blessings from on high, ready to be showered upon them, are more than adequate to ensure their complete and total victory. So much hangs on the fortunes of the present Plan! So much must necessarily depend on the manner and the spirit in which they discharge their terrific responsibilities, during the few fleeting months still allotted them ere the expiry of the Plan!
I entreat them, with all the fervour of my soul, not to allow this golden opportunity to slip from their grasp. They have, in the past, proved themselves capable, in times of crisis, of overleaping the most formidable barriers, and of wresting victory from the jaws of impending defeat. Theirs is the opportunity, now if ever, to demonstrate a similar resolution, a no less spectacular outburst of enthusiasm, an even nobler heroism and self-sacrifice than they have ever shown in the past.
Then, and only then, will the next stage in the evolution of their common destiny be unveiled to their eyes. Then, and only then, will the call summoning them to press forward to yet another landmark in their history be sounded. Then, and only then, will a still fuller measure of heavenly prizes be laid up for them in reward for their inestimable and arduous services in the treasuries of the Abha Kingdom by Him who alone knows how to re-ignite His faithful servants.
April 9, 1949
Superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab
He would like you to please thank on his behalf those friends who have forwarded Huquq to him and contributions for the building of the Super-structure of the Bab’s Shrine.
This building is now beginning to take shape and promises to be very beautiful, befitting and dignified. It is the realization of the fond hope of the beloved Master, who stated to Badi Bushrui one day, as He looked up at the building He Himself had already completed: “The Shrine is as yet unbuilt.... God willing, it will be built. We have brought it up to this stage.”
The friends should be told this, as many of them do not realize it was the Master’s own plan to go much further, and erect a dome over the Resting Place of the Bab.
Keep in Close Touch With Pioneers
The Guardian desires your Assembly to keep in close touch with your pioneers abroad and give them strong moral, as well as financial support. It will please you to know two Dutch Baha’is are going out to Indonesia, and he has asked them to communicate with your Assembly and cooperate with you in spreading the Faith there and in having at least a pamphlet, to begin with, translated into the most needed native language.
His heart has been very anxious over the fate of the believers in Burma, and it relieved him greatly to hear that you received news they were safe. Please assure them his loving prayers are with them and offered for their protection.
End of Six-Year Plan Approaches
[From the Guardian:]
As the end of the Plan to which your community stands committed inexorably approaches, my anxious thoughts increasingly turn towards you and your fellow workers, on whose shoulders a staggering responsibility—grave as well as inescapable—is weighing so heavily in these days. I am fully aware of the character of the manifold and unexpected trials this community has been called upon to face in India, Pakistan and Burma since its inception. The ordeal of internal disorder and of civil strife; the dislocation of the machinery of internal administration, the inevitable consequence of the vast political changes that have been effected in these countries; the reverses suffered by this same community through the temporary seizure of its newly acquired administrative headquarters and the loss of some of its precious assets in both India and Burma; the hardships endured by the pioneers of this community as well as its administrators as a consequence of severely imposed restrictions, outbursts of fanaticism and civil riots—have been such as to dismay the stoutest heart and tax to the uttermost the determination of the most resolute.
And yet, in spite of these successive afflictions the members of this community have forged ahead, valiantly, unitedly and determinedly, and have even extended the original range of their Plan by embarking on fresh and historical enterprises beyond the confines of these territories, through the despatch of pioneers to the neighbouring Dominion of Ceylon and the adjacent Kingdom of Siam and the Republic of Indonesia. Whatever the fate of the Plan which they are now seeking to bring to its consummation, this striking evidence of the indomitable spirit of faith that animates the rank and file of this community, and which has prompted it to seek fresh laurels in virgin territories beyond the frontiers of its homeland, will, without the slightest doubt, redound eternally to its credit, and be abundantly rewarded by a vigilant and all-Bountiful Master.
To enhance the value of so rich a prize won, in so short a period, by a community so burdened by cares and anxieties, in territories for the most part overshadowed by discord and internal revolution, through the triumphant conclusion of the major task entrusted to its hands, and the successful conclusion of the second collective enterprise embarked upon by its indefatigable and resolute members, on the morrow of a world-encircling conflict, must now be the paramount and all-absorbing purpose of all who are privileged to participate in this mighty endeavour. Time is short. Every week is precious. The resources of the community, financial, moral and spiritual are, I firmly believe, adequate to meet the needs of this critical hour. So golden an opportunity, if missed, will not recur for who knows how extensive a period. The launching of subsequent enterprises destined to culminate in the triumph and ascendancy of a struggling Faith in the subcontinent of India, as well as in the establishment of its institutions in South-East Asia, will be inevitably and indefinitely postponed.
Undaunted by the setbacks it has experienced; heartened by the settlement and the initial victory won by its pioneers in the newly opened virgin territories in the North, the South and the East; fully conscious of its ability
to perform adequately its task and discharge befittingly its responsibility; relying on the unfailing grace of an all-Powerful, ever solicitous, continually watching Providence; deriving fresh inspiration and confidence from the amazing feat achieved, by the small band of its brethren, in the West, and in a continent more devastated by the ravages of war than any other continent of the globe; let this community, while time still remains, gird up its loins, sink its differences, rededicate itself to its urgent task, sweep away every barrier that confronts it, and rise, with an upsurge of unprecedented enthusiasm and determination, to those heights to which its spiritual destiny is now beckoning it.
With a heart, aglow with gratitude for what this community has in the initial stage of its administrative development accomplished, filled with confidence in the potentialities with which our beloved Master has endowed it in the years of His earthly ministry, and overflowing with love for those who, through their incessant labours and heroic self-sacrifice, have achieved unforgettable victories in recent years, I will continue to supplicate for all its members, at home and abroad, in their administrative spheres of activity as well as in the teaching field such blessings as will enable them to crown their concerted efforts with a success that will resound throughout the Baha’i world.
November 6, 1949
Arcade of the Shrine
The past winter and spring have been very arduous months for our beloved Guardian and very anxious ones. As you know, he has been pressing the work on the arcade of the Shrine of the Bab in order to have it completed by the Centenary of His martyrdom. As the arcade which fits about and protects the Holy Tomb, built by our beloved Master, is considerably larger than the original edifice, it has been necessary to excavate the mountain immediately behind the Shrine, and this very difficult work was carried out under the close and constant supervision of the Guardian himself in order to ensure it was accomplished safely, quickly and economically. This absorbed, for many months, his precious time and energies. When this was accomplished he looked forward to turning his attention to the various National Assembly letters piled up, but, unfortunately, Mr. Maxwell, the architect of the Shrine, became dangerously ill at the beginning of April, and is still in hospital. His condition was so grave that for weeks our Guardian and household were prevented from concentrating on the many tasks waiting to be attended to owing to the constant anxiety, the coming and going of doctors, etc. He feels you should be informed of these facts as an explanation of the long delay in hearing from him. Mr. Maxwell, thanks to the mercy of God and the determination of the Guardian, is now recovering, and we hope will live to continue his work on the Shrine.
The contributions sent by the Indian believers for the Holy Shrine were very much appreciated. Ever since the Burmese friends contributed the Sarcophagus for the Holy Remains, the friends in that part of the world have been linked with this sacred enterprise. Their joy will be great when, once the pilgrimage can be resumed, their eyes fall upon the beauty of this Shrine.
Baha’is May Join Non-Partisan Organisations
There is no objection to the Baha’is associating with such organisations as the World Government Organisation. The instructions he gave to the British Baha’is may be followed. However, great care should be taken to make sure these organisations are absolutely non-partisan in their political views and lean neither to East or West.
A Baha’i Cannot be a Theosophist
A Baha’i cannot at the same time be a theosophist; many theosophists have become believers and very enlightened ones, but as we do not believe in reincarnation we obviously cannot be active as theosophists and Baha’is at the same time.
Killing of a Believer in Kamarhatti
The tragic killing of a believer in Kamarhatti grieved the Guardian very much. If you are in touch with any of the relatives please convey his sympathy to them, and assure them of his prayers. Terrible as persecution is, we must always remember that it waters the tree of Religion, and that from such deeds as this the believers—far from being cowed and silenced—must derive inspiration and courage.
Convention Delegates
The Guardian feels that, if a delegate is elected to represent an Assembly (or community having Assembly status) during the administrative year in which the Assembly existed he is properly qualified, even if at Ridvan that community falls back to group status. A community, however, which reverts to group status at Ridvan cannot have a delegate to the following year’s Convention.
No Effort is Too Great
[From the Guardian:]
The severe restrictions to which the dearly-loved, highly devoted, long struggling Baha’i community of India, Pakistan and Burma have been subjected, the repeated setbacks they have suffered, the grave disturbances in the wake of which their manifold and meritorious activities have been caught, evoke my heartfelt sympathy and arouse my deep concern. The spirit which, despite adversities, delays and dislocations, they have consistently manifested in recent years is, however, worthy of the highest praise, and will, no doubt, triumph over every obstacle, and will enable them to weather every storm and win ultimate victory.
Though the course of the Plan they spontaneously undertook has, of necessity, been affected by these constant vicissitudes and unexpected developments, their achievements, beyond the confines of their homelands, as well as in the publishing field, have ennobled the record of their service to the Cause of Baha’u’llah, and constitute a memorable chapter in the history of the Faith in the sub-continent of India.
The translation and publication of the “New Era” in more than twenty languages in recent years, the planting of the banner of the Faith in the Island of Ceylon, the Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of Siam—though not originally an integral part of their Plan—has signalized the opening of a new epoch in the evolution of the Faith in South Eastern Asia, and has marked the formal association of the Indian the Pakistani and Burmese believers with their brethren in Europe, America, Egypt and Persia, in carrying the torch of the Faith beyond the confines of their respective continents and countries, and in executing the last wishes of the Centre of the Covenant so movingly expressed in His Will & Testament.
Whatever these communities, so valiantly labouring in that disturbed and strife-ridden corner of the Asiatic continent, undertake to perform within the confines of their homelands in the years ahead, this double process of extending the range of the literature of the Faith and of propagating its Message within the virgin territories, lying to the North and South-East of their native lands, must continue with undiminished momentum, and must receive the undivided attention of the elected representatives of these communities.
Consolidation at home, and the provision of the necessary measures to ensure the speedy and effective extension of the influence of the Faith abroad, constitute the dual, the immediate and inescapable responsibilities of all the members of these communities, who are labouring, at so critical a period, with such steadfast zeal and devotion, amidst the masses of their fearful and harassed countrymen, for so lofty an ideal and so precious a Faith.
Firmly united in their purpose, banishing, once and for all, every trace of estrangement and prejudice from their midst, assured of the all-compelling, ever-sustaining power of Baha’u’llah, deriving fresh inspiration from the triumphs collectively achieved by their brethren in all continents of the globe, undeflected in their resolve by any setback, opposition or injustice, let them, with so notable a record of service behind them, march resistlessly forward, entering still wider fields, scaling nobler heights, plumbing still greater depths of heroism and self-sacrifice.
As the Centenary of the birth of Baha’u’llah’s prophetic mission approaches, these sorely tried, much loved, indefatigable communities, must brace themselves, however challenging future circumstances may prove to be, however arduous the tasks they are called upon to discharge, to contribute, in whatever, way possible in whatever field they may find it practicable, a memorable share to the collective tribute which the followers of the Most Great Name are now arising to pay, through action in the field of service, to the Founder of their Faith on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the inception of His Revelation.
The hour is indeed both precious and propitious. The opportunity is glorious and will not recur in the lifetime of this generation. No effort is too great to ensure the success of so historic a commemoration. Time is short for an adequate preparation for the celebration, through collective and sound achievement, of so great a jubilee. All must arise and contribute a share worthy of the name they bear and of the privilege bestowed upon them.
That all three communities may rise to this occasion, may rededicate themselves with renewed resolve and fresh vigour, is my ardent and constant prayer.
June 28, 1950