Photos of the Arcade of the Shrine
Under separate cover two enlargements of the arcade of the Shrine of the Bab have been mailed you. The Guardian wishes this gift from him to be shown to the believers as widely as possible, and then be hung in the National Headquarters.
He has sent the American N.S.A. two negatives of the Shrine, and the Baha’is can order from the States copies if they desire to purchase some.
He feels it will make the friends happy to see the beauty of this blessed building so dear to all our hearts.
November 2, 1950
Inter-Assembly Conferences
He was very pleased to see that the policy of holding inter-assembly conferences has been adopted and is meeting with success; and he urges your Assembly to encourage the believers to hold more of such gatherings. It cannot but have a stimulating effect upon the teaching work, and inspire the friends to make greater efforts in their respective communities.
Assembly in Moulmein, Burma
The news of the formation of an Assembly in Moulmein pleased him very much; and he wishes you to assure the believers there that he will pray for them in the Holy Shrines. The devotion and loyalty of the Burmese believers, in the face of so much turmoil in their native land, has aroused his admiration and increased his affection for this long-standing Baha’i Community, so persevering and so attached to the Cause of Baha’u’llah.
Centenary Pamphlet Excellent
In connection with your publications, he would like to say that he found your “Centenary of the Martyrdom of the Bab” pamphlet excellent in every way, and was delighted to see that the Indian Baha’is had shown so much initiative in getting out this memorial pamphlet.
Increase the Number of Delegates to 95
The increase in the number of delegates to 95 is an important milestone in the history of the Cause in those parts; and he feels that the friends, proud of the progress they have made, should determine that the coming Convention will be distinguished as one of the most harmonious and constructive ever held.
Pioneering to Siam
The Guardian is very anxious that pioneer activities should be carried forward in Siam; and he urges your Assembly to push this matter further, and ... send some other pioneer there.
Registration of Assemblies
The Guardian hopes that wherever you have a strongly established Spiritual Assembly, you will make every effort to register it legally, as he attaches great importance to the registration and incorporation of Spiritual Assemblies, and hopes that you will make every effort to add to their number in areas under your jurisdiction.
Contribution for the Shrine of the Bab
The contributions sent by the believers for the construction of the Tomb of the Bab have been deeply appreciated by our beloved Guardian. It is only right that this old Baha’i Community, so tried in the fire of tests, and having been in existence from practically the days of the beloved Bab Himself, should play a part in building his sepulchre. The Guardian is now undertaking the second phase of the construction work, which involves raising the Edifice above the level of the original Tomb.
Baha’is Cannot Become Freemasons
The Guardian does not consider it advisable for Baha’is to become Freemasons.
Reviewing of Baha’i Books
...Local Spiritual Assemblies are not empowered to review material which is for national circulation. The Guardian thinks that your Assembly, or the Committee that you delegate such authority to, should review the pamphlet in question; and if it is in accordance with the Teachings, there is certainly no reason why it should not be circulated; but in the future, the Spiritual Assemblies should be more careful about publishing literature which is for more than local use.
Pioneers for Indonesia and Siam
In closing, he would like to urge the members of your Assembly to redouble your efforts to assist pioneers to go forth to Indonesia and Siam. The extraordinary success the promulgation of the Faith has met with in Ceylon should be sufficient evidence for all concerned of the way in which God strengthens the endeavours of His servants, and blesses their seed-sowing, and brings it to harvest. He hopes that many of the believers, not only in India, but in Pakistan and Burma as well, will volunteer to go forth as pioneers, and will make every effort to do so.
The success of your past endeavours should encourage you all and the Community whom you represent, to forge ahead, unmindful of obstacles, and forgetful of personal differences of opinion in one united and unanimous effort to carry out all the work you have set for yourselves and achieve all your goals.
Great Historic Enterprise
[From the Guardian:]
The communications received in recent months from your Assembly testify to the perseverance and devotion with which the Baha’i Communities of India, Pakistan and Burma have pursued the course of their activities in the face of manifold obstacles and trials and despite the severity of the problems which have confronted them since the outbreak of the political disturbances that have agitated the Indian sub-continent. Though suffering from various reverses, though afflicted with disappointment, though sustaining repeated losses they have persevered in their labours, widened the scope of their task, pushed further the outposts of the Faith, and won their initial victories beyond the confines of their respective homelands.
In the field of Baha’i publications, in the publicity given to the Baha’i teachings, in their negotiations with the civil authorities under whose jurisdiction they function, in their constant encouragement and support of the pioneers labouring both at home and abroad, the national elected representatives of these communities have, likewise, demonstrated a spirit of dedication, a zeal and fidelity worthy of the highest praise.
The great historic enterprise launched by them in recent years in the neighbouring territories of Ceylon, Siam, Indonesia and the Malayan Peninsula,—a vast and highly meritorious undertaking still in its initial stage of development, and conferring a great and imperishable lustre on its valiant initiators—must be energetically prosecuted notwithstanding the unsettled political situation prevailing in those territories, and however threatening the clouds gathering on the international horizon. The movement and settlement of pioneers throughout India, Pakistan and Burma must, moreover, continue unabated and must be paralleled by a steady multiplication of Baha’i Centres and the consolidation of nascent institutions, the negotiations with the civil authorities, however disillusioning and unfruitful they have been so far in their results, must continue to be conducted with extreme vigilance and unrelaxing vigour. The highly commendable task of completing the translation and publication of the “New Era” in the languages already chosen should be promptly and befittingly consummated. The efforts exerted to publicize the Faith, disseminate its teachings and spread its fame, should be redoubled by all administrative agencies concerned with this vital sphere of Baha’i activity. The sacred duty of deepening and enriching the spiritual life of the newly enrolled believers should be faithfully discharged by both the local and national elected representatives of these communities. The added responsibility of contributing to the raising of the superstructure of the Bab’s holy Sepulchre, now entering upon the second phase of its construction, and of speeding its consummation in view of the increasingly critical world condition, should be valiantly faced and nobly discharged. Above all, the inescapable obligation of guarding the integrity of the Faith, of preserving the unity of its followers, and of reinforcing its spiritual and administrative foundations, must be continually borne in mind not only by the representatives of these communities but by every individual believer labouring for the good name and the glorification of the Cause of Baha’u’llah.
The Baha’i Communities of the Indian sub-continent and of Burma constituting the largest entity throughout the Orient, next to the body of believers residing in the Cradle of the Faith, and enjoying, unlike their Eastern sister communities in Persia, Egypt and Iraq, the blessings of relative freedom from repression or persecution, and including within their fold a greater variety of races, creeds and tongues than any of their sister communities throughout the world, are faced with both a peculiar challenge and a unique opportunity. The resources at their disposal, the privileges they possess, the facilities they enjoy should, with clear vision, with confident hearts and inflexible resolve, be consecrated to the noble objectives which it is their mission to pursue. Conscious of their high calling, aware of the potentialities with which their homelands have been endowed, these communities, placing their reliance on the all-conquering power of Baha’u’llah must unitedly arise, however numerous the barriers imposed between them, to achieve their destiny, and contribute collectively and effectively, to the world-wide propagation, the universal recognition and ultimate world triumph of the Cause of Baha’u’llah.
March 10, 1951
Increase of Believers in Benares
The wonderful news of the increase of believers in the Benares area, thanks largely to the heroic determination and great faith of Mr. Badi-uz-Zaman, brought great happiness to the Guardian. Please assure this devoted soul that the Guardian is very pleased about the wonderful services he is rendering the Cause of God, and that he is praying for him to be richly blessed by Baha’u’llah. He has suffered from the enemies of the Cause, but his reward will be very great!
Teaching in South-East Asia
It brought great joy to the Guardian’s heart to see there are so many believers now in the area of South-East Asia. This marks a new epoch in the unfoldment of our Faith and an important one. Just as Ceylon, at one time empty of believers, has now developed an active and devoted community of Baha’is, so now, in these far-flung territories, Assemblies and groups must be built up.... He urges the younger believers, who are less held down by family ties, to make an effort to migrate there and seek employment.
The 19-Month Plan
He was delighted over the formulation of your Assembly’s 19-Month Plan. This spirit of initiative shown by you is highly commendable, and he hopes that all the Baha’is, whether of Indian or Persian origin, will arise to unitedly see it achieve its goals. Determination, courage, faith and perseverance are necessary if the Plan is to be a success, but he feels sure the friends will not hesitate to demonstrate their capacity to meet the challenge it presents.
Pioneers to Settle in Africa
He, likewise, wishes to call special attention to the work in Africa which is very promising and which is going ahead very well. Your Assembly must do all it can to speedily get pioneers settled in the two countries allotted to you as your portion in this historic campaign. Also, you should keep in close touch with the British NSA as they are the co-ordinators of this work, and well situated in order to give advice as English experts, having had such a long contact with Africa, its peoples and problems, are available in London and elsewhere for consultation with the British Africa Committee. 19-Month Plan—Third of its Kind
[From the Guardian:]
The initiation of the 19-Month Plan by the elected representatives of the Baha’i Communities of the sub-continent of India and of Burma—the third of its kind undertaken by them since the inception of the epoch marking the commencement of the Formative Age of the Baha’i Dispensation—evokes my deepest admiration. Through this spontaneous act, momentous in its consequences, and eloquently testifying to the initiative, the zeal and the valour of the followers of Baha’u’llah in India, Pakistan and Burma, the body of their elected national representatives can well boast of the distinction it has achieved, throughout the Baha’i world through the successive formulation of no less than three far-reaching Plans since the inauguration of the First Epoch in the history of the systematic prosecution of Abdu’l-Baha’s Divine Plan. This striking demonstration of their resourcefulness and dedication to the interests of the Faith is, indeed, highly praiseworthy, extremely encouraging and augurs well for the future of the Mission which it is theirs to carry out, in the years to come, not only in that subcontinent and the adjoining territories and neighbouring islands, but in South Asia as well.
They cannot, however, ensure the success of the Plan they have devised, unless the unity and solidarity of those who are participating in its execution, and above all the harmony of the body directing its operation, are safeguarded, maintained and consolidated. Time is pressing. The issues involved are momentous. The centenary celebrations of the birth of Baha’u’llah’s prophetic Mission will soon be upon us. The inauguration of the first organized Crusade, in which several Baha’i National Spiritual Assemblies, in no less than four continents of the globe will be intimately associated, for the purpose of proclaiming the Message of Baha’u’llah in the South Pacific Islands as well as in South Eastern Asia, must directly depend upon the successful conclusion of the Plan now envisaged. The obligations involved in, and the privileges conferred by, such an association—an association that will find its parallel in the collective and organized effort now being exerted in the African Continent, as well as in the joint campaign destined to be launched, by other national Baha’i communities, in both Northern and North Eastern Asia,—are at once sacred and unique. Their significance, at this early stage, cannot be fully apprehended. It is not for them, however, to attempt at the present time, to assess their value. Theirs, rather, is the duty, to avoid any action or thought that might delay the unfoldment of so glorious a Plan or damage so splendid a destiny.
The members of all the communities participating in this Nineteen-Month Plan, which may be regarded as a prelude to the mighty and historic Crusade, of still vaster dimensions and nobler scope, that is to be launched in the future, irrespective of race, creed, or class, of either sex and of every age, must rise as one man to the occasion that now presents itself.
No trace of bickering, no consciousness of racial distinction, no petty jealousies, must be allowed, under any circumstances, to darken the glorious prospect opening before them. They must neither flinch, nor hesitate nor lose sight, however briefly, of the distant and shining goal. An all-powerful, all-loving, all-Bountiful Master, watching their exertions from on high, will, surely, bless their effort, will intercede on their behalf before the throne of His all-glorious Father, and will, if they persevere in their high endeavours, render them victorious.
I, for my part, will, with a prayerful heart, follow the course of their activities, and will continue to lend them whatever assistance that lies in my power, for the complete discharge of their inescapable duty and the total fulfilment of their united pledge to the Author of their Faith.
October 16, 1951
First Pilgrims from India
It has been a great pleasure to the beloved Guardian to welcome recently in Haifa the first pilgrims from India; their love and devotion to the Faith have brought their brethren in that far-off land very close, and he hopes that they, in turn, will carry back to the friends there a new sense of nearness to the World Center at Haifa, and thus serve to create greater unity and dedication amongst the believers.
Inter-Continental Conference
The Guardian attaches the greatest possible importance to the forthcoming Inter-continental Conference to be held during the Holy Year in New Delhi; as the National Assemblies of Persia, United States, Canada, Central and South America, Iraq, Australia and New Zealand, as well as your own body, are to send representatives to it, it will, through having eight N.S.A.s pooling their thoughts and suggestions, be, no doubt, the most important of the four Inter-continental Conferences to be held. Also, aside from the numerical importance of the participating bodies, the vast field their plans must embrace is truly awe-inspiring. In view of this he feels that the members of your Assembly have very heavy responsibilities to discharge during the coming months, and that all petty details and misunderstandings must be put aside, once and for all, in order to ensure a brilliant success—a success, whose repercussions must be felt during ten years of Baha’i history between this coming great Jubilee and the Most Great Jubilee which will take place in 1963.
As convenor of this great Conference you must lay your plans very carefully to ensure that the representatives of the various N.S.A.s., the visiting Hands of the Cause, the many Baha’is attending, are properly accommodated, the sessions of the Conference held in an efficient manner, and suitable publicity given to this event. The Guardian also suggests that one or two private sessions could be held at which the N.S.A. representatives and the Hands of the Cause could meet to better and more effectively suggest plans for the future campaign. There will, naturally, be no delegates to the Conference, as it is in no sense a convention, but more concentrated consultation can be obtained through a smaller number being present. No doubt you will also, without sacrificing the interests of the Conference, make good use of any visiting teachers and lecturers.
No Harm in Taking Part in Dramas
In the teachings there is nothing against dancing, but the friends should remember that the standard of Baha’u’llah is modesty and chastity. The atmosphere of modern dance halls, where so much smoking and drinking and promiscuity goes on, is very bad, but decent dances are not harmful in themselves. There is certainly no harm in classical dancing or learning dancing in school. There is also no harm in taking part in dramas. Likewise in cinema acting. The harmful thing, nowadays, is not the art itself but the unfortunate corruption which often surrounds these arts. As Baha’is we need avoid none of the arts, but acts and the atmosphere that sometimes go with these professions we should avoid.
Encouraging the Hindu Baha’is
As regards the question you asked about minorities: because the Hindu believers are a minority at present in the Faith in India, preference should be given to them in India, where the majority of the population is Hindu. A special effort should be made to convert them, so that our enemies may have no excuse for stating that the Cause has scarcely affected the largest elements in the country. There is also an added reason for encouraging the Hindu Baha’is because within the Faith in India they are a minority. In every country throughout the Baha’i World the Baha’is must make a special effort to attract to the Faith the element which constitutes the majority, whether religious or national.
The Work is Still Formidable
[From the Guardian:]
The multiplicity of the vital issues that have of late confronted me at the World Centre of the Faith, the opening of the door of pilgrimage, and the unexpected problems which, by their urgency, have required my immediate and close attention have, to my extreme regret, prevented me from acknowledging, as promptly as I would have wished the communications which various Baha’i National Assemblies have addressed me in recent months. I have followed, however, with admiration and keen interest the progress of the activities initiated under the 19-Month Plan by the valiant Baha’i Communities of India, Pakistan and Burma. The generous, unceasing contributions made by them for the completion of the Bab’s holy Sepulchre proclaim, in unmistakable terms, their devotion to the Cause for which He laid down so heroically His life. The expansion of the activities initiated by the high-minded and resolute pioneers in Ceylon, Indonesia, Siam, Malaya and Sarawak indeed merit the highest praise. The efforts exerted for the multiplication of the institutions of the Faith and their consolidation both in the subcontinent of India and beyond its confines augur well for the future of the Plan, the third of its kind embarked upon by the followers of the Faith of Baha’u’llah, who are destined to play a predominant part in the unfoldment of His World Order throughout the territories of South East Asia. The steady endeavours made for the translation, publication and dissemination of the literature of the Faith by your Assembly have greatly enriched and ennobled the record of the services you have rendered it in recent years.
Great as have been the victories already won in its service, the work that still remains to be accomplished under this same Plan during the fleeting months that lie ahead is still formidable, and demands unrelaxing vigilance, heroic self-sacrifice, and inflexible resolve on the part of not only the elected representatives of these communities but of all their members as well. The uninterrupted and rapid multiplication of Baha’i administrative centres; the conversion of groups into assemblies; the development of isolated centers into
groups; a marked increase in the number of incorporated Local Assemblies; the early completion of the highly important task assumed in connexion with the translation and publication of the New Era in the remaining languages already selected for that purpose; the despatch, without further delay, of no more than one pioneer for the present to Nepal and Indo-China, as well as to Zanzibar and Madagascar, in pursuance of the Plan initiated in both Africa and South East Asia; the maintenance, at any cost, of the present status of the newly formed assemblies; the concentration of effort for the promotion of unity and cooperation among the divers elements that constitute the warp and woof of these communities—these stand out as the predominating obligations facing the entire body of the followers of the Faith in the subcontinent of India and its neighbouring territories.
Nor must the privileged members of these communities, and particularly their elected representatives, neglect, for a moment, the paramount duty, of preparing, by every means at their disposal, for the historic and in some respects, the most vital, Conference to be held in the course of the Holy Year which the entire Baha’i world will soon befittingly celebrate. As the Convenor of such a fate-laden Conference, whose task is to facilitate the execution of the most far-reaching, the most challenging, and the most dramatic of all the enterprises destined to be launched by the followers of the Faith throughout the whole planet, your Assembly assumes a responsibility at once immense, soul-stirring and inescapable.
In providing adequate facilities for the accommodation of the Hands of the Cause and of the official representatives of no less than eight National Spiritual Assemblies and of the large number of visitors who will participate in its proceedings; in ensuring wide publicity through the press and radio for such a unique gathering; in exerting their utmost for the maintenance of harmony and for full consultation on the weighty issues that will face its attendants; in fostering the spirit of heroic adventure and noble resolve on the part of the members of the communities that are to act as hosts to the honoured participants of such an epoch-making assemblage, which will, God willing, enable them to play a notable role in the Crusade destined to embrace the continents of Asia and Australasia and of the Pacific Islands—in all these the members of your Assembly, supported by the rank and file of the faithful, must display a determination, a valour and consecration that will excite the admiration of the entire Baha’i world.
The work that calls for unswerving fidelity, urgent attention and continuous vigilance, during the swiftly passing months ahead, is immense, truly sacred and infinitely meritorious. The consummation of the Plan already initiated would constitute the best preparation for the assumption of the still greater functions, and the discharge of still weightier responsibilities, that await the patiently labouring, the steadfast, the loyal and devoted followers of the Most Great Name in India, Pakistan and Burma. That they may victoriously discharge their present responsibilities, that they may befittingly embark on the glorious Mission that lies ahead of them, that they may distinguish themselves through their collective contribution to the success of the World Crusade soon to be inaugurated by the followers of Baha’u’llah in both the East and the West, is the object of my constant prayer and one of the most cherished desires of my heart.
June 30, 1952
No Age Limit for Serving the Cause
There is no age limit whatsoever for serving the Cause in administrative capacities after one has reached twenty-one years. Indeed we are supposed to serve the Cause to our last breath. Contributions Not Accepted From Those Whose Voting Rights are Suspended
As regards the question of accepting contributions from people whose voting rights are suspended, the Guardian says this is not permissible.
Answer to Various Questions
Local Haziras may be converted to National ones; this is premature at present.
The recognition of our Laws of Personal Status must naturally precede formation of Baha’i courts; as long as your translation is correct his approval is not needed.
You should start a Temple Fund; the site need not exceed two or three acres, and should be inside Delhi or near the city limits.
You will be able to consult with the members of Australian N.S.A. at the time of the Conference in New Delhi about literature; they will certainly assist your Assembly with the publications.
Baha’is from India, Pakistan and Burma are eligible for your Asian Teaching Committee.
Consolidation can mean the establishment of the institutions you enumerate, but it is not essential at present; to increase the assemblies and groups, and bring in new believers, is the most important part of consolidation; as the plan unfolds, he will have to see what other things are really essential and call your attention to them.
Consolidation of the Manifold Institutions
[From the Guardian:]
The splendid efforts, so devotedly exerted by the members of the Baha’i communities in India, Pakistan and Burma, extending over more than a decade, in connexion with the launching and prosecution of no less than three successive Plans, formulated for the promotion of the interests of the Faith in South-East Asia, have raised their prestige in the eyes of the Baha’i World, and have fitted them to undertake, at this auspicious hour in the evolution of its institutions in the Indian sub-continent and its neighbouring territories and islands, yet another collective enterprise, of still vaster dimensions, of far greater possibilities, requiring the utmost exertion and consecration for a period of no less than ten years, and culminating in the Most Great Jubilee, designed to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of the Mission of the Founder of their Faith.
The task they now assume involves the consolidation of the manifold institutions which, through the operation of three successive Plans, have been patiently and laboriously established, as well as the erection of the administrative structure of the Faith in the virgin territories along the shores, and in the vicinity, of the Indian sub-continent, in the Islands of the Indian Ocean, in African Dependencies, and as far as the Islands of the South Pacific Ocean.
Through the prosecution of the Plans initiated by your Assembly these communities have acquired the training and experience that have qualified them to embark upon so extensive and momentous an undertaking—an undertaking which if victoriously consummated will eclipse all the joint efforts and enterprises which have illuminated the pages of Indian Baha’i history since the inception of the Formative Age of the Baha’i Dispensation.
The first and most sacred obligation confronting them, on the morrow of the launching of their Ten-Year Plan, is the despatch and settlement, during the current year and the one succeeding it, of pioneers in the sixteen virgin territories and islands, assigned to your Assembly according to the provisions of the aforementioned Plan. The opening of the six dependencies along the eastern and western coasts of the Indian subcontinent must be given careful attention, and must be carried out with promptitude and vigour. The despatch and definite settlement of no more than one or two pioneers in each of these territories and islands is a task not only of great urgency but of infinite merit, and constitutes the most important feature of the initial phase of the Plan.
Next in importance and of no less urgency is the selection and purchase, either within or in the outskirts of the capital-city of India—in which the Administrative Headquarters of the Faith has already been established—of the site of the
First Mashriq’ul Adhkar of the Indian sub-continent, covering an area of approximately one or two acres at least which can gradually be enlarged in the course of the coming years.
Collateral with this vital project is the preparation in conjunction with the Australian National Assembly of a suitable pamphlet by your Assembly, and the adoption of energetic measures for its translation into the languages allocated to the Australian and Indian National Assemblies.
While this threefold objective is being assiduously pursued, the process of the multiplication of local Assemblies, of groups and isolated centres must be maintained, nay accelerated, for upon it will depend the early formation of independent National Spiritual Assemblies in India, Pakistan, Burma, Ceylon and South-East Asia.
The responsibilities devolving upon your Assembly in the course of the opening stage of the Plan are enormous, sacred and pressing. All Baha’i communities participating in this glorious enterprise must bend every effort, and sacrifice to the utmost of their power to ensure the unqualified success of the great work that lies immediately ahead.
There is no time to lose. The newly launched Plan demands a vigilance, an expenditure of effort and resources on a scale unprecedented in Indian Baha’i history. Baha’i communities in East and West, embarked on a similar Crusade, are vying with one another and with your Assembly in the world-wide field of Baha’i pioneering. The glory of the prizes to be won, the benefits that will accrue to all participants are unimaginable.
I direct my appeal to your Assembly and, through its members, to all communities participating in this unprecedented enterprise, to arise to this great and unique occasion that now presents itself, at this critical hour in the fortunes of mankind and at so significant a stage in the evolution of the Faith, and to resolve, with inflexible determination, to consummate, at the appointed time, this fate-laden enterprise on which all our hearts are set and upon which the immediate destinies of the Cause of Baha’u’llah so largely depend.
In my hours of prayer and meditation in the holy Shrines I will supplicate on behalf of your Assembly, as well as on behalf of the communities you represent, that Divine Guidance may direct your steps, that God’s sustaining grace may aid you to overcome every obstacle, that His strength may be poured out upon you, that His providence and love may enfold you, and that the inspiration of the Dawn-breakers, who proclaimed the birth of His Cause, may carry you to ultimate and total victory.
June 21, 1953
The Most Important Thing is to Serve
The most important thing we know from the Teachings is to serve. In carrying out the Plans of God we are strengthened, blessed and purified; we attract the loving attention of Baha’u’llah; our efforts are confirmed; and we are enabled through His power to achieve great victories for His Faith.
He urges you, one and all, as one soul in many bodies, to consecrate yourselves to fulfilling the objectives of the Ten-Year Plan. He feels sure that when the proper unity and dedication prevail in the National Body, it will be sensed by the mass of the believers, and react upon their efforts. As Abdu’l-Baha said, nothing is impossible if we have faith; and this must always be the standard for all the Baha’is. As we have faith, so are our powers and our blessings.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty enable you to lend a fresh and unprecedented impetus to the onward march of the Faith, revive the spirit of its supporters, enlarge its limits, multiply its local institutions, consolidate its foundations, safeguard its rights, spread abroad its fame, and aid its followers to discharge befittingly their responsibilities, and concentrate on the attainment of the objectives of the Ten-Year Plan, on which the immediate destiny of the entire community depends.
December 26, 1955
Youth & the Ten-Year Crusade
The Guardian urges as many of the Baha’i youth of India, Pakistan and Burma as possible to attend the historic Conference to be held in New Delhi, in October. At that Conference, plans will be made for the carrying of the Message of Baha’u’llah, during the coming ten years, far beyond the borders of their homeland; and it will be the youth who will shoulder a great part of this and the other tasks that will be given to your Community. In fact, the settling of these virgin fields both close to your own lands, and in far-off areas, is the very first responsibility of the believers, in this Ten-Year World Crusade. Therefore, each one of you should think now seriously what you are going to do about it, and start making your plans accordingly. The sooner the virgin fields are settled, the sooner will be witnessed the tremendous power that is released in this day; and the bounties that await those who go forth to pioneer in these lands, are great indeed.
May 28, 1953
Translation of Literature
Naturally it will be difficult for the Faith to be established in the new territories or amongst the new tribes if they do not have at least a pamphlet for distribution to the new contacts.
He therefore feels that along with the sending of pioneers into the virgin areas, the translation of literature into the languages assigned to the Indian National Assembly should take place.
The Guardian feels that one of the existing pamphlets would be satisfactory, or a new one, which you may feel it desirable to prepare. At this time it is not necessary to enter into the question of translation of Baha’i books, simply a pamphlet, which can be used for teaching purposes.
The Guardian wishes you to budget the necessary funds to cover this work, and to see that it is actively pursued, so that the literature will be available at an early date.
June 8, 1953
Keynote of the Crusade
Our beloved Guardian has been greatly encouraged by reports reaching him from all parts of the Baha’i world; of the victories already gained, and the plans being laid for the prosecution of the Ten-Year Crusade.
They have evoked his awe-inspiring, and soul-stirring cablegram of May 28th, calling for the immediate settlement of all the 131 virgin areas of the Plan, just as quickly as possible. He is convinced, that the friends will arise and translate their enthusiasm into Action, because the Keynote of the Crusade, must be Action, Action, Action!
The beloved Guardian has directed me to write your Assembly to amplify some of the aspects of his dynamic message.
The settlement of these virgin areas is of such an emergency nature, that he feels pioneering in one of them takes precedence over every other type of Baha’i service—whether it be in the teaching or administrative fields of the Faith. So important is it that the National Assembly may delay initiation of steps to fulfill other phases of the Plan, until all these areas are conquered for the Faith. Nothing, absolutely nothing, must be allowed to interfere with the placing of pioneers in each of the 131 goal countries.
In America some 150 people have volunteered for pioneer service, and some of them already are preparing to leave for their posts. The beloved Guardian fully expects the dear friends in India, Pakistan and Burma to follow this example, and quickly settle the areas allotted to them.
Because of it being the Chief Executor of the Divine Plan, and having so many pioneers available, the Guardian has given permission to the United States to send pioneers into any area of the globe regardless of whom it may be assigned to. Thus pioneers from the United States may ask permission to settle in one of the areas assigned to your Assembly. If this is done, you should assist them in every way possible.
There are some general observations which the Guardian shares with you, and then some specific suggestions which are enumerated below:
1. Every individual who has offered to pioneer, must be encouraged in every way by the National Assembly.
2. The National Assembly should assist each pioneer, so they may be placed in their post just as quickly as possible.
3. The handling of each application for pioneering service, must be expedited, and not allowed to be bogged down for any reason, or in the hands of Committees.
4. The National Assembly should make it their first order of business to follow up actively this most important task. They must make it the first order of business at each Assembly meeting, to see that each application is being progressed rapidly. This does not mean the special committees should not handle the details; but it does mean the Assembly itself, must review each application at each meeting; and see that the pioneer gets into the field as soon as possible.
5. A large number of pioneers should not be sent to any one country. One, or even two, will be sufficient for the time being. Later on, if supplementary assistance is needed, that of course can be taken care of. The all important thing now, is to get at least one pioneer in each of the 131 virgin areas.
6. The National Assembly may exercise its prerogatives and suggest to applicants where their services are most needed. This, of course, applies particularly to pioneers, where a large number wish to go to the same place.
The specific suggestions of the Guardian, are:
a. Areas close at hand and easy of settlement should be filled first. Then the areas more difficult, and finally, those which will be difficult.
b. Whenever a pioneer enters a new territory, a cable should be sent at once to the Guardian, giving the name, place, and any pertinent information.
c. A monthly report of progress is to be sent by your Assembly to the Secretary-General of the International Baha’i Council. Special matters of report nature, for the Guardian, in connection with the plan of settling these 131 areas, should be sent to the Secretary-General of the Council also.
This does not mean that any administrative matters in connection with the settlement of pioneers should be handled with the council. These should continue to be handled with the Guardian direct. The Council is simply to coordinate reports, consolidate them, keep maps up to date, etc. for the Guardian, and your reports will enable them to do this.
d. The Guardian feels the following areas should be easily settled, and he would appreciate your early cable advice of such new victories:
Bhutan, Daman, Diu, Goa, Karikal, Mahe, Pondicherry, Sikkim, as pointed out in his cable to your Assembly of May 30th, 1953. These have first precedence.
The beloved Guardian feels the friends living in large Baha’i Centres, could easily move into these territories, which are a part of India itself.
As his dramatic cable indicates, the Guardian will have prepared an illuminated “Roll of Honor” on which will be inscribed the names of the “Knights of Baha’u’llah” who first enter these 131 virgin areas. This “Roll of Honor” will be placed inside the entrance door of The Inner Sanctuary of the Tomb of Baha’u’llah.
From time to time, the Guardian will announce to the Baha’i World, the names of those Holy Souls who arise under the conditions outlined in his message, and settle these areas and conquer them for Baha’u’llah.
Now is the time for the Baha’is of the World to demonstrate the spiritual vitality of the Faith, and to arise as one soul to spread the Glory of the Lord, over the face of the Earth. The Guardian is sure, that the Baha’is of India, Pakistan and Burma who have served and sacrificed so long for the Faith, will continue their glorious record by winning many new victories for the Faith.
June 8, 1953 Message to the Inter Continental Conference, New Delhi
[From the Guardian:]
To the Hands of the Cause, the members of the National Spiritual Assemblies, the pioneers, the resident believers and visitors attending the Asian Intercontinental Teaching Conference in New Delhi, India.
Well-beloved friends:
With high hopes and a joyful heart I acclaim the convocation, in the leading city of the Indian sub-continent, of the fourth and last of the Intercontinental Teaching Conferences of a memorable Holy Year commemorating the centenary of the birth of the prophetic Mission of Baha’u’llah.
On this historic occasion, when the members of the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha’is of the United States of America, of the Dominion of Canada, of Central and of South America, of Persia, of the Indian subcontinent and of Burma, of Iraq and of Australasia, as well as representatives of the sovereign states and dependencies of the Asiatic continent, of the Republics of North, Central and South America, and of Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania are assembled, and are to deliberate on the needs and requirements of the recently launched triple Campaign embracing the Asiatic mainland, the Australian continent and the islands of the Pacific Ocean—a campaign which may well be regarded as the most extensive, the most arduous and the most momentous of all the campaigns of a world-girdling Crusade, and which, in its scope, is unparalleled in the history of the Faith in the entire eastern Hemisphere—my thoughts, on such an occasion, go back to the early dawn of our Faith, to those unforgettable scenes of matchless heroism, of dark tragedy, of imperishable glory which heralded its birth, and accompanied the spread, of its infant Light, in the heart of the Asiatic continent.
I vividly recall the meteoric rise of the Faith of the Bab in the provinces of Persia and the stirring episodes associated with His cruel incarceration in the mountain-fastnesses of Adhirbayjan, with the revelation of the laws of His Dispensation, with the proclamation of the independence of His Faith, with the peerless heroism of His disciples, with the fiendish cruelty of His foes—the Chief Magistrate, the civil authorities, the ecclesiastical dignitaries and the masses of the people, of His native land—with the humiliation, the spoliation, the dispersal, the eventual massacre of a vast number of His followers, and, above all, with His own execution in the City of Tabriz.
With a throb of wonder I call to mind the early and sudden fruition of His Dispensation in the capital city of that land, and the dramatic circumstances attending the birth of Baha’u’llah’s Revelation culminating in His precipitate banishment to Iraq.
I am reminded, moreover, of the initial spread of the light of this Revelation, in consequence of the banishment of Baha’u’llah, to the adjoining territories of Iraq, and, as far as the western fringes of that continent, to Turkey and the neighbouring territories of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, and, at a later stage, to the Indian sub-continent and China, situated on the southern and eastern extremities of that continent as well as to the Caucasus and Russian Turkistan.
Nor can I fail to remember the series of alternating crises and victories—each constituting a landmark in the evolution of the Faith—which it has experienced in some of these territories, associated with the distressful withdrawal of its Author to the mountains of Sulaymaniyyih; with the glorious Declaration of His Mission in Baghdad; with His second and third banishments to Constantinople and Adrianople; with the grievous rebellion of His half-brother; with the proclamation of His own Mission; with His fourth banishment to the desolate and far-off penal colony of Akka in Syria; with the revelation of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, His Most Holy Book; with His ascension in the Holy Land; with the establishment of His Covenant and the inauguration of the Ministry of Abdu’l-Baha, His son and the Exemplar and authorized interpreter of His teachings.
These opening stages in the evolution of His Faith in the Asiatic continent were followed, while the first and Apostolic Age of His Dispensation was drawing to a close, by the opening of the Islands situated in the Pacific Ocean, Japan in the north, and the Australian continent in the South. To these memorable chapters of Asian Baha’i history another was soon added, on the morrow of the ascension of the Centre of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant, and during the initial epoch of the Formative Age of the Faith, distinguished by the rise of the Administrative Order and the erection of its pillars in the cradle of that Faith, in Iraq, in India, Pakistan and Burma and in the Antipodes. This memorable episode in its development in that vast continent was succeeded by the initiation, during the second Epoch of that same Age, of a series of Plans in those same territories in support of Abdu’l-Baha’s Divine Plan and as a prelude to the opening of the recently launched world-embracing Spiritual Crusade.
The hour has now struck for this continent, on whose soil, more than a century ago, so much sacred blood was shed, in whose very heart deeds of such tragic heroism were performed, and in many of whose territories such brilliant victories have been won, to contribute, in association with its sister continents, to the progress and ultimate triumph of this global Crusade, in a manner befitting its unrivalled position in the entire Baha’i world.
The various Baha’i Communities dwelling within the borders of this continent and those situated to the south of its shores in the Antipodes, which include the oldest and most venerable among all the communities of the Baha’i world, and whose members in their aggregate constitute the overwhelming majority of the followers of Baha’u’llah, are called upon, in close association with four other Baha’i communities in the Western Hemisphere, to undertake in the course of the coming decade: First, the construction of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkar in Baha’u’llah’s native land, in the City of Tihran, surnamed by Baha’u’llah “Mother of the World”. Second, the purchase of land for the future construction of three Mashriqu’l-Adhkars, one in the city of Baghdad, enshrining the “Most Great House”, the third holiest city of the Baha’i world, one in New Delhi, the leading city of the Indian sub-continent, and the third in Sydney, the oldest and foremost Baha’i Centre in the Antipodes. Third, the formation of no less than eleven National Spiritual Assemblies, one each in Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon, under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India, Pakistan and Burma; one in Turkey and one in Afghanistan, under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Persia; one in Japan, under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States of America; one in New Zealand, under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Australia and New Zealand, as well as four regional National Spiritual Assemblies, one in the Arabian Peninsula, under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Persia; one in South-East Asia, under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India, Pakistan and Burma; a third in the South Pacific, under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States of America; and a fourth in the Near East, under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is in Iraq. Fourth, the opening of the following forty-one virgin territories and islands: Andaman Islands, Bhutan, Daman, Diu, Goa, Karikal, Mahe, Mariana Islands, Nicobar Islands, Pondicherry, Sikkim, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India, Pakistan and Burma; Caroline Islands, Dutch New Guinea, Hainan Island, Kazakhstan, Macao Island, Sakhalin Island, Tibet, Tonga Islands, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States of America; Brunei, Chagos Archipelago, Krigizia, Mongolia, Solomon Islands, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Persia; Admiralty Islands, Cocos Island, Loyalty Islands, Mentawei Islands, New Hebrides Islands, Portuguese Timor, Society Islands, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Australia and New Zealand; Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Marshall Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Central America; Hadhramaut, Kuria-Muria Islands, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iraq; Marquesas Islands, Samoa Islands, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Canada; Cook Islands, assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of South America. Fifth, the translation and publication of Baha’i literature in the following forty languages, to be undertaken by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India, Pakistan and Burma, in association with the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Australia and New Zealand: Abor Miri, Aneityum, Annamese, Balochi, Bentuni, Binandere, Cheremiss, Chungchia, Georgian, Houailou, Javanese, Kado, Kaili, Kopu, Kusaie, Lepcha, Lifu, Manchu, Manipuri, Manus Island, Marquesas, Mentawei, Mongolian, Mordoff, Mwala, Na-Hsi, Nicobarese, Niue, Ossete, Ostiak, Pali, Panjabi, Pashto, Perm, Petats, Samoan, Tho, Tibetan, Tonga, Vogul. Sixth, the consolidation of Aden Protectorate, Adhirbayjan, Afghanistan, Ahsa, Armenia, Bahrayn Island, Georgia, Hijaz, Saudi-Arabia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Yemen, allocated to the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Persia; of Baluchistan, Borneo, Burma, Ceylon, Indo-China, Indonesia, Malaya, Nepal, Pakistan, Sarawak, Siam, allocated to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India, Pakistan and Burma; of China, Formosa, Japan, Korea, Manchuria, Philippine Islands, allocated to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States of America; of Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, Trucial Sheikhs, Umman, allocated to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iraq; of Bismarck Archipelago, Fiji, New Caledonia, Australian New Guinea, allocated to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Australia and New Zealand; of Hong Kong, allocated to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the British Isles. Seventh, the incorporation of the eleven above-mentioned National Spiritual Assemblies, as well as those of Persia and Iraq. Eighth, the establishment by these above-mentioned eleven National Spiritual Assemblies of national Baha’i endowments. Ninth, the establishment of a national Haziratu’l-Quds in the capital cities of each of the countries where National Spiritual Assemblies are to be established, as well as one in Suva, one in Jakarta, one in Bahrayn and one in Beirut. Tenth, the establishment of a national Baha’i Court in the capital cities of Persia, of Iraq, of Pakistan and of Afghanistan—the leading Muslim centres in the Asiatic continent. Eleventh, the establishment of two National Baha’i Publishing Trusts, one in Tihran and one in New Delhi. Twelfth, the formation of Israel Branches of the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha’is of Persia, of Iraq and Australia; authorized to hold on behalf of their parent institutions property dedicated to the holy Shrines at the World Centre of the Faith in the State of Israel. Thirteenth, the appointment, during Ridvan 1954, by the Hands of the Cause in Asia and in Australia of an auxiliary Board of nine members who will, in conjunction with the eight National Spiritual Assemblies participating in the Asiatic and Australian campaigns, assist, through periodic and systematic visits to Baha’i centres, in the efficient and prompt execution of the Plans formulated for the prosecution of the teaching campaigns in the continent of Asia
and in the Antipodes.
The Asiatic continent, the cradle of the principal religions of mankind; the home of so many of the oldest and mightiest civilizations which have flourished on this planet; the crossways of so many kindreds and races; the battleground of so many peoples and nations; above whose horizon, in modern times, the suns of two independent Revelations—the promise and consummation of a six thousand-year-old religious Cycle—have successively arisen; where the Authors of both of these Revelations suffered banishment and died; within whose confines the Centre of a divinely-appointed Covenant was born, endured a forty-year incarceration and passed away; on whose Western extremity the Qiblih of the Baha’i world has been definitely established; in whose heart the City proclaimed by Baha’u’llah as the “Mother of the World” is enshrined; within whose borders another City regarded as the “cynosure of an adoring world” and the scene of the greatest and most glorious Revelation the world has witnessed is embosomed; on whose soil so many saints, heroes and martyrs, associated with both of these Revelations, have lived, struggled and died—such a continent, so privileged among its sister continents and yet so long and so sadly tormented, now stands, at the hour of the launching of a world-encompassing Crusade, on the threshold of an era that may well recall, in its glory and ultimate repercussions, the great periods of spiritual revival which, from the dawn of recorded history have, at various stages in the revelation of God’s purpose for mankind, illuminated the path of the human race.
May this Crusade, launched simultaneously on the Asiatic mainland, its neighbouring islands and the Antipodes, under the direction of eight National Spiritual Assemblies, and through the operation of eight systematic Teaching Plans, and the concerted efforts of Baha’i communities in both the East and the West, provide, as it unfolds, an effective antidote to the baneful forces of atheism, nationalism, secularism and materialism that are tearing at the vitals of this turbulent continent, and may it re-enact those scenes of spiritual heroism which, more than any of the secular revolutions which have agitated its face, have left their everlasting imprint on the fortunes of the peoples and nations dwelling within its borders.—SHOGHI
October, 1953