15 November 1947 (Teaching Conference)
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your message to our beloved Guardian reached him, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf, and to tell you of how delighted he was to learn of your Teaching Conference.
Such gatherings are a great stimulation to the work of the Cause, and inspire the believers to go out and spread the Divine Message. He hopes others will be held, as time goes by, in different parts of the Country, so that many more of the friends can attend them.
He assures you all of his loving prayers for your welfare and your Bahá’í work....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved aid you to extend continually the range of your truly meritorious services, win memorable victories in the teaching field, and promote, in a most effective manner, the vital interests of the institutions of our glorious Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
17 January 1948
INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY CUT OUT NOTE TO PRAYERS ENCLOSED IN THEIR LETTER DATED DECEMBER 19.
SHOGHI RABBANI
28 February 1948
The Bahá’í Youth of Vienna
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your communication addressed to our beloved Guardian, and dated Jan. 25th, has been received, and he has instructed me to answer you all on his behalf.
He was most happy to see that there are so many Bahá’í Youth and children in Vienna. Although your number may seem small to you, it is the beginning of something very important, the beginning of the spread of this Divine Faith amongst the youth of Austria.
He, therefore, urges you to persevere in your devotion to the Cause of God, to study its teachings deeply, and to mold your conduct into the pattern of true Bahá’í life.
He will pray for you all, that God may bless, guide and protect you in every way....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
I was so glad to receive your message and to learn of your continued efforts in the service of our Beloved despite the severe trials you have suffered and are still suffering. You are often in my thoughts and prayers, and I will supplicate the Beloved to guide your steps, remove every obstacle from your path, and aid you to extend the range of your valued activities, and win signal victories for His Cause and its institutions,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
1 April 1948
INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY HAVE INSTRUCTED AMERICA TO SEND FOOD PARCELS FOR SUMMERSCHOOL.
SHOGHI
11 May 1948
Dear Bahá’í Brother:
Your communications, addressed to our beloved Guardian, and dated January 11th, February 14th, and March 31st, have been received, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
The progress the Faith is making in Germany is a source of great happiness to him, and the list you sent him, showing the large increase in the number of assemblies, groups and isolated Bahá’ís, greatly encouraged him, and he hastened to share this good news with the friends in other countries.
He was, likewise, very pleased to see that the Esslingen School is going to be so well attended, and that your assembly is so wisely making this spot a rallying point for Bahá’í Youth and their friends. Upon receipt of your letter he cabled Mr. Holley to send the food parcels you required for the Summer School, and he hopes that these reach you safely.
He is delighted over the signs of maturity which are becoming increasingly evident in the German Bahá’í Community. Not only is your membership steadily increasing and the number of your assemblies multiplying, but also the fact that most of the believers are realizing the need for breaking off their church membership and standing forth as members of an independent Faith; all these are welcome signs of progress and maturity. And in view of this expansion in Bahá’í membership, and the consequent rapid increase in the number of Spiritual Assemblies, he feels that from now on you should increase the number of delegates, apportioned to the German and Austrian Bahá’í Community, from 19 to 38, (which is of course, twice nineteen.) This will ensure a fairer representation of the numerical strength of the Bahá’ís at their annual Convention, and enable the assemblies having a large community to receive more proportioned representation.
The Cause of God must be protected from the enemies of the Faith, and from those who sow seeds of doubt in the hearts of the believers, and the greatest of all protections is knowledge: there is no doubt that the silliest of all charges ever made is that the “Will and Testament” of the Master is a forgery! It is all in His own hand, sealed in more than one place with His own seal, and was opened after His death by some members of His own family, who took it from His own safe, in this house, and from that day it has been kept in the safe under lock and key. The charges of Mrs. White were the result of an unbalanced mind. No other enemy, even those who were shrewd and clever, made this foolish accusation! The case of Aḥmad Sohrab is, for one who has had any experience of orientals and of psychology, easily understandable. He was, for some years the secretary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and enjoyed, as a result of this and the fact that he accompanied Him to America, (to be sure with a number of other Persians), a great deal of attention from the Bahá’ís who looked up to him and admired him. However, since the Master’s Will was read, and the administrative order, under the Guardianship, began to be developed, he became cognizant of the fact that his personal ambition for leadership would have to be subordinated to some degree of supervision; that he would have to obey the National and local assemblies—just like every other Bahá’í, and could not be free to teach wholly independent of any advice or supervision. This was the beginning of the defection which in the end took him outside the pale of the Faith: he refused not to be handled always as an exception, a privileged exception. In fact, if we keenly analyse it, it is almost invariably the soaring ambition and deep self-love of people that has led them to leave the Faith. Towards the end Sohrab used, in the course of his lectures, to incorporate quotation after quotation of Bahá’u’lláh’s words in his lectures, without once stating they were Bahá’u’lláh’s, and when the believers remonstrated with him over this plagiarism, it had no effect. After he had, of his own accord, left the organized body of the Faith and refused to be reconciled with it, he began to attack the administrators of it, first the American N.S.A., then the entire administrative order, and in the end the Guardian. What he teaches at present is so far divorced from our beloved Faith, and so tinged with the doctrines of many “cults” which we see thriving at present, as to be almost unrecognizable. Sohrab’s influence and activities in America have waned greatly, and he seems to now feel his only chance of causing mischief is to be active with his “caravan” movement abroad. The books and articles he published attacking the Guardian and, in fact, everything established in the Master’s Will, had no effect, and far from succeeding in causing any breach in the Faith in America, some of the very few who followed him out of the Cause, gave him up, and returned to serve the Cause with redoubled enthusiasm!
The Guardian feels that one of the best antidotes to those—Sohrab or others—who seek to undermine the faith of the believers, especially by harping on the subject of excommunication, is to place in their hands a German edition of “God Passes By”. For in that book he (the Guardian) has clearly pointed out that the Cause of God has always been attacked from within, and that, beginning in the days of the Báb, the “Sea of Truth” has over and over cast out its spiritually dead. It must do this, even as the body seeks to rid itself of poisons so as to preserve the health of the entire organism.
Your assembly should do all it can to protect and educate the believers so that they will understand that it is not personal ill-will, or lack of love, which leads to the excommunication of a person, but rather the fact that he has become like a cancer which must be removed before the entire body is destroyed.
He is very anxious to have the work on the National Headquarters in Frankfurt a.M. reported to him, and to receive pictures of the building purchased, for publication in “Bahá’í World”.
The way the work your Assembly is doing is progressing, pleases him greatly, and he assures you all of his loving prayers on your behalf, for your protection and your success....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
The marvellous progress achieved in recent months by the virile, steadfast and dearly beloved German Bahá’í community has rejoiced my heart, and deepened the admiration of the followers of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in every land, for the qualities of mind and heart that distinguish the adherents of this Cause in your country.
The marvellous increase in the number of newly-enrolled believers, the multiplication of groups and assemblies throughout the length and breadth of your land, the purchase and projected restoration of the national Hazíratu’l-Quds in the city of Frankfurt, the impetus lent to the translation and publication of Bahá’í Literature, the receptivity shown by your country-men to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, the consolidation of the various agencies of a steadily expanding Administrative Order in the various zones of your country—all these augur well for the complete fulfilment of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s glorious prophecies regarding its future.
The doubling of the number of delegates to the next Bahá’í national convention will eloquently testify to this remarkable growth and rapid consolidation of the community you are privileged to serve and direct. The interests of the Austrian Bahá’í community should, while the work is steadily progressing in Germany, be vigilantly and determinedly promoted. Through guidance, assistance, encouragement, frequent visits when ever possible, the community of the believers in Austria should be nursed and prepared to discharge befittingly its sacred responsibilities, until such time, as has been the case with Canada, as it can elect its own national assembly and assume independent existence within the world-wide Bahá’í community.
At this propitious moment in the evolution of the Faith in your country, at a time when the American, the British, the Indian, the Persian, the Australian, the Canadian and Iráqí national Bahá’í communities are busily engaged in prosecuting specially conceived Plans for the systematic propagation of the Faith within their respective countries and beyond their confines, it is only fitting for a community as old and honoured as yours, which has survived such cruel blows, which occupies so enviable a position in the heart of Europe, the recipient of so great a measure of bounty and loving-kindness from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to formulate its own Plan, preferably a five year Plan, destined to culminate in 1953, the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh’s Mission in the Síyáh-Chál of Ṭihrán.
As to the objectives of the Plan, in both Germany and Austria, I feel that your assembly should carefully consider them, and after mature deliberation announce them to the believers and ensure, by every means in its power, the attainment of every goal you set yourselves to achieve.
The launching of such a Plan, after the consolidation of the institutions of the Faith, during the three years that have elapsed since the termination of the war, will constitute a landmark in the history of the Faith in that country, and will, no doubt act as a tremendous magnet, drawing the blessings of Bahá’u’lláh, and contributing, to an unprecedented degree, to the establishment of His Cause in the heart of Europe.
I long to hear the joyful tidings announcing the formulation and inauguration of such a Plan, which will greatly stimulate the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in East and West, and enrich the annals of His Faith during the opening decade of the second Bahá’í century.
May the Spirit of our beloved Master, watching from on high over the destinies of this highly promising, this richly endowed community, enable it to usher in this new phase of internal development of His Father’s Faith in that country, in a manner that will redound to the fame and glory of His German-speaking followers.
Shoghi
28 May 1948
DEEPLY APPRECIATE MESSAGE DELIGHTED PROGRESS URGE PERSEVERANCE FERVENTLY PRAYING GREATER VICTORIES.
SHOGHI
18 October 1948
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your letter of Aug. 29th, with translation of some enclosures, was received by our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
Regarding the matter of the Fund for Germany now held in Ṭihrán: Unfortunately the exchange rate of the Persian Túman into Swiss (or American or British) money is extremely unfavourable, and he considers that your loss would be far too great to transfer, at the present time, the entire sum from Ṭihrán to Switzerland. It is also extremely difficult to get money out of Persia, which now has financial restrictions similar to so many other countries. However, he is investigating at the present moment the possibility of having a sum to meet your immediate requirements transfered from Persia to Switzerland, and the moment he can arrange this he will notify your assembly.
The devoted services of the Bahá’í youth rendered in clearing the Hazírá property of debris, was much appreciated by him, and he wishes you to please let them know he admires their spirit which is demonstrated in such a useful manner!
He was very sorry to hear of the sad and untimely death of dear Mrs. Brauns-Forel. Her services, always rendered with such unflagging devotion, will be sorely missed by her co-workers in Germany. He hopes her daughter will arise to take her mother’s place in the active work of the Cause.
He trusts that now your assembly is able to render more active assistance to the Austrian believers and to stimulate them in their work. Recent reports seem to indicate the Vienna Bahá’ís are more active and determined than ever before in their history.
He hopes the construction of the Hazírá in Frankfurt will now be able to go ahead at a rapid pace. You may be sure he will do all he can to assist you in this essential enterprise.
You are all remembered in his prayers with much love, and he is very pleased over the way the Faith is progressing in Germany....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
I am delighted to hear of the energetic steps that have been taken in recent months in connexion with the establishment of the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Frankfurt. This institution, the center round which all national Bahá’í activities must revolve, should be made the object of the special care and solicitude of the entire community of the German believers in the years immediately ahead. Upon it will depend the coordination, consolidation and expansion of the collective efforts of the members of this community, which occupies so vital and pivotal a position in the heart of the European continent. Parallel with this conscious, this determined and persistent effort, assiduous endeavours must be constantly and increasingly exerted by your assembly to multiply the administrative centres, increase the number of the active supporters of the Faith, proclaim its verities wisely, unreservedly, far and wide, disseminate its literature, vigorously and systematically, and deepen, by every possible means, the understanding and the devotion of its adherents. That these immediate objectives may be speedily attained, and enable the members of this valiant and sore-tried community to embark on a carefully conceived Plan in the years that lie ahead, is my fervent and constant prayer.
Your true and grateful brother
Shoghi
20 October 1948 (Summer School)
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated September 9th, was received, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He was delighted to see so many of the dear German friends had attended the school, for in this loving Bahá’í association and study a closer unity is created amongst the believers, and new plans born for the teaching work that lies ahead.
He urges you all to exert every effort to spread the Faith in these dark days of crisis the world is still passing through, for in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh alone can the people find hope, peace and comfort.
He assures you all of his most loving prayers on your behalf, and for the success of your devoted services....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
Your joint message truly cheered my heart and served to remind me of the great company of my dearly-beloved brethren who have toiled so devotedly in the past, and are so energetically pursuing their historic tasks at present, in the service of our glorious Faith, I will continue to supplicate the Beloved to bless continually your high endeavours, to enable you to extend the range of your splendid activities, and to lend a tremendous impetus to the onward march of the Faith in your promising country,
Your true and grateful brother
Shoghi
20 October 1948
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated Sept. 15th, was received, and he wishes me to thank you on his behalf for your loving thought in sending him birthday greetings.
He was very pleased to see the Esslingen School program, and to note that four sessions were being held in the summer. This school is a rallying point for the German believers, and greatly stimulates their unity and their enthusiasm.
The world outlook is so dark and over-clouded that the believers must labour day and night to give the people the message of Bahá’u’lláh, and instill in them some hope for the future. We can see more and more of the predictions of the beloved Master being fulfilled, as humanity persists in its waywardness and spiritual blindness. There is no other remedy except this Cause.
He assures you all of his most loving prayers, and he deeply appreciates your devoted services....
P.S. I am sending through you the Guardian’s answer to the Esslingen Summer School attendants, as their envelope had no address on it. Please share it with the friends.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved of our hearts guide and sustain you, reward you abundantly for your valiant deeds, aid you to extend the range of your beneficent services, and enable you to contribute, continually and effectively, to the multiplication and consolidation of the institutions of our glorious Faith,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
14 September 1948
COMMUNICATE GERMAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY THE FOLLOWING INFORM ENTIRE GERMAN BAHAI COMMUNITY DISOBEDIENCE MISCONDUCT FAITHLESS BROTHER HUSSAYN NECESSITATED HIS EXPULSION. OWING HIS POSSIBLE VISIT GERMANY AND HIS PERSISTENT ASSOCIATION WITH COVENANT BREAKERS WARN BELIEVERS ANY COMMUNICATION WITH HIM CONSTITUTES DISLOYALTY TO COVENANT ABDUL-BAHA.
SHOGHI RABBANI
21 December 1948
CONVEY FOR JAEGER STUTTGART DEEPEST APPRECIATION FOR TRANSLATION OF GOD PASSES BY.
SHOGHI RABBANI
5 January 1949 (Summer School)
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your loving message, sent to our beloved Guardian from the 8th Summer School of Esslingen, was received, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He was very glad to see dear Mr. Remey had been present at that occasion, as he is a faithful and devoted old believer, and has been serving the Cause since its earliest inception in the West.
He urges you all to concentrate your efforts on the all-important work of teaching the Cause and spreading it to new centers.
You may be sure he will pray for you all in the Holy Shrines, and for the success of your labours....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless your meritorious efforts, guide and sustain you in your valued activities, enable you to deepen continually your knowledge of the fundamentals of His Faith, and lend a tremendous impetus to the advancement of its new-born institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
24 February 1949 (Summer School)
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your letter to our beloved Guardian was for some time held up in reaching him. But he was most happy to see so many of the dear friends had gathered at Esslingen school for the 3rd session.
It is most encouraging to see the way this important institution has grown since the end of the war and became a focus for Bahá’í students. He hopes it is the foreshadowing of a true Bahá’í University which some day must form part of the activities of our glorious Faith.
The Guardian urges you, one and all, to work together, in the utmost unity and love, to spread the Message throughout Germany, and particularly to teach the Youth and enlist them in the ranks of the Faith.
He will pray for you all in the Holy Shrines....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh guide and sustain you in your labours, enable you to extend continually the range of your valued activities, deepen your knowledge and understanding of the essential verities of His Faith, and aid you to lend a great impetus to the multiplication and consolidation of its divinely-appointed institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
28 March 1949
INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY OWING LOSS INVOLVED PRESENT EXCHANGE ADVISED TEHERAN FORWARD FIVE HUNDRED POUND.
30 March 1949
TRANSMIT FOLLOWING GERMAN ASSEMBLY DEEPLY GRIEVED SPIRITUAL POSITION GERMAN BAHAI COMMUNITY STEADILY DETERIORATING. NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MUST ARISE LOYALLY VIGILANTLY ENERGETICALLY SAFEGUARD FAITH AND CONFIRM BELIEVERS IN COVENANTS BAHAULLAH ABDULBAHA. GRANDDAUGHTER SUBHIAZAL MUST BE SHUNNED ENTIRELY. HISTORY SOCIETY ACTIVITIES COMPLETELY DISASSOCIATED FROM FAITH. ANY MISCHIEFMAKING ORIENTALS MUST BE GUARDED AGAINST. SYMPATHIZERS OF MRS WHITE OR SOHRAB OR DISLOYAL MEMBERS ABDULBAHAS FAMILY INCLUDING MY BROTHER HUSSEIN WHO MAY VISIT GERMANY THIS SUMMER MUST BE WATCHED AND WARNED AND IF NECESSARY EXPELLED. COMPROMISE INDECISION PROCRASTINATION WILL CAUSE CRISIS AS SERIOUS AS HERRIGELS. IF APPEAL UNHEEDED GREAT SUFFERING AND LOSS COMMUNITY WILL ENSUE THOUGH FAITH WILL EVENTUALLY TRIUMPH.
SHOGHI RABBANI
20 April 1949
INFORM GERMAN ASSEMBLY HOLDING CONVENTION ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL ALSO ELECTION NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. PRAYING UNITY WELFARE DEAR GERMAN BELIEVERS.
SHOGHI
27 May 1949
TRANSMIT GERMAN ASSEMBLY FOLLOWING ELECTION NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MUST NOT BE DELAYED PRAYING HARMONY UNITY COMMUNITY.
SHOGHI
30 June 1949
TRANSMIT GERMAN ASSEMBLY GREATLY APPRECIATE RESPONSE ARDENTLY PRAYING RESTORATION FULL HARMONY COOPERATION ASSEMBLIES AND INDIVIDUAL WITH ELECTED NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES ENERGETICALLY.
30 June 1949
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your letters to our beloved Guardian, dated Oct. 17, 22, Dec. 19—two of this date—Nov. 21, 23, 1948 and Jan. 9, 23, Feb. 28 and May 4, 15, of 1949, as well as their numerous enclosures, have all been received and I am instructed on his behalf to answer them. He regrets the long delay in replying to you, but he is very busy, and he was also anxious to receive as complete a picture of the situation as possible in order to better advise you on the difficult situation which has arisen.
Before going into this matter he wishes to assure you that he was delighted with the 5 Year Plan your assembly has formulated, to which he attaches great importance.
Likewise, he was very pleased that the annual convention, though not a very happy one, unfortunately, was held in Frankfurt.
He was, likewise, very happy to learn that the N.S.A. is now in full accord with ... about the work on the National Hazírá in Frankfurt, and to hear that the transfer of funds from Ṭihrán via Switzerland to your assembly had been worked out in the way most advantageous for you.
The good news that the much needed Esslemont books are now in Germany, and the “Hidden Words” being printed there, was also very welcome. He cabled you in answer to your letter about the “Hidden Words”. But wishes to make it quite clear that the “Anmerkungen” is not correct. The genuflections and washing of hands and face (as clearly put down in “Prayers and Meditations of Bahá’u’lláh”, which he himself translated,) associated with the two longer daily prayers (obligatory prayers) are laws of Bahá’u’lláh, applicable to any Bahá’í whether of Muslim background, Christian background, or otherwise. It is blasphemy to suggest otherwise. However, the Bahá’ís have been left free by Bahá’u’lláh to choose one of the 3 obligatory prayers, and those who prefer not to perform these acts can say the very short one. He would like to add, however, that he deeply appreciates the work done on this translation by ... and other of the friends, and is delighted it has been published.
He very deeply appreciates your assembly’s assurance of its abiding loyalty to him and to the Master’s Will and Testament. As you can well imagine this disaffection of the Master’s Family has been a very sad and heavy blow to him; but, although for many years he shielded them with his silence, in the end he was forced to speak out in order to protect the Faith. For a hundred years our beloved Cause has suffered from these internal afflictions, and the way the believers, generation after generation, have met this test with steadfast faith, loyalty and devotion, is one of the signs that this is the Cause of God, divinely protected through the Covenants of Bahá’u’lláh and the Master.
Regarding the crisis which has arisen among the believers because of the charges made by ... and others, the circular letter issued by your body, etc, etc.
The Guardian feels that although there is no doubt this has produced a very grave situation, threatening the stability and the unity of the entire community, it can be successfully overcome and lead to a new stage of unity and progress in the Faith in Germany. We Bahá’ís can always, with the aid of Bahá’u’lláh, Who is ever ready to strengthen and assist us, turn our stumbling blocks into stepping stones, and utilize the often violent forces released by sincere but perhaps misguided friends, as a positive stream of power by turning them into productive channels instead of destructive ones.
Fundamentally he feels that the cause of this present crisis arises from the fact that the German community so long suppressed, disorganized, deprived of literature, and the visits of friends from countries where the believers have always been free to be Bahá’ís and have, consequently, evolved their administration of the Faith’s affairs to a higher point of efficiency,—has had no opportunity to develop the administration of its Bahá’í affairs, and also, no opportunity of maturing as Bahá’ís living within a smoothly-working Administrative Order. Consequently the troubles experienced at present may be said to be largely caused by immaturity in their understanding of the administration.
Linked with this is the fact, which he mentioned in his cable, that the Bahá’ís need to be deepened in their knowledge and understanding of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They should study this, and the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh, for it is obvious that they do not—for the most part—fully visualize the greatness, the glory, the power and the protection which have been conferred on this Faith through the Institutions provided for in the Master’s Will.
In going over the correspondence and documents forwarded by your Assembly (which he appreciated receiving as it gave him a clearer picture of the entire situation) he was struck by the actions and statements, of both individuals and assemblies, showing a complete lack of knowledge of how to function administratively. In view of this it may, if the friends make an effort and sincerely seek to unite and progress, prove providential that this whole thing has occurred. He was impressed, in this connection, with the wisdom and tolerance of the remarks of Mr. Oskar Schmitt in his letter to your Assembly, and he hopes that all of the believers will take this kindly and tolerant view, for the friends, in their desire to do the right thing, and undoubtedly out of their genuine devotion to the Cause, seem to have gone to every extreme in their reactions. In doing this they have paradoxically demonstrated both their devotion to the Cause and their complete lack of a profound understanding of the administration.
Quite frankly, the Guardian feels that the circular letter of your Assembly was unfortunate. You were entirely within your right, as the National Body, to issue such a letter and the violent reactions of the secretaries of various assemblies, and some of the assemblies themselves, and many individual believers as well, showed a complete lack of understanding of administrative procedure. The friends should realize that the National Body has authority over the local assemblies and the believers in administrative matters. One of the fundamentals involved in our administrative order, which we must remember will become the pattern for our World Order, is that even if an assembly makes an ill-advised decision it must be upheld in order to preserve the unity of the community. Appeal can be made from the Local Assembly’s decision to the National Assembly, and from the National Assembly’s decision to the Guardian. But the principle of authority invested in our elected bodies must be upheld. This is not something which can be learned without trial and test. The Bahá’ís in other countries often have their difficulties in learning to live as believers in an orderly community, governed by the administrative principles laid down by the Master. But, having been free, they have, for the most part, reached a more mature understanding than their German brothers and sisters have up until the present time. He hopes this whole episode will stimulate the German assemblies and believers to really study the Bahá’í administration.
He wrote the ... Assembly urging upon them the necessity of cooperating with the National Assembly. He also pointed out to them that the attitude of “all for one and one for all” was very incorrect. An assembly constitutes within its area of jurisdiction the Trustees of the Faith. Its members must at all times put the interests of the Faith above personality and impartially go into any matter brought to its attention. Theoretically it is always possible for a member of an assembly to be unworthy or insincere. To take the attitude that any blame cast upon or any charge made against an assembly member is a charge against the body itself is very wrong. An assembly must protect the Faith and neither blindly accuse nor blindly defend one of its members. The ... Assembly has taken the attitude that the remarks referring to ... are an insult to the entire Assembly; at the same time it accuses the National Body of being dominated by one individual, an accusation which because of its own attitude could equally well be aimed at itself! The Guardian feels that all this is only evidence of the immaturity of the friends in relation to their Administrative Order.
The Bahá’ís must learn to forget personalities and to overcome the desire—so natural in people—to take sides and fight about it. They must also learn to really make use of the great principle of consultation. There is a time set aside at the 19 Day Feasts for the Community to express its views and make suggestions to its Assembly; the Assembly and the believers should look forward to this happy period of discussion, and neither fear it nor suppress it. Likewise the Assembly members should fully consult, and in their decisions put the interests of the Cause first and not personalities, the will of the majority prevailing.
Over and over, in going through the correspondence he received from your Assembly, he was struck by the fact that the friends acted so unadministratively. Instead of taking up their accusations and problems and unhappy feelings with their local Assembly, or the National Assembly, they referred to individuals or individual members of the Assembly, or they refused to meet with the Assembly. The first thing a believer should do is to turn to an Assembly—That is why we have assemblies! He feels this trouble would never have arisen if the Bahá’ís utilized their assemblies as they should. One of the healing remedies Bahá’u’lláh has given to a sick world is the Assembly (which in future will become a House of Justice); its members have very sacred and heavy responsibilities, its power to steer the Community, to protect and assist its members is likewise very great.
..., a most loyal and devoted believer has assured the Guardian she will fully support and cooperate with the N.S.A. He hopes you will give her every assistance in this resolve and, indeed, encourage her to stimulate the believers in their support of their administrative bodies and teach them to turn to them and make better use of them.
In this connection he would like to point out that any Bahá’í can write to him directly. This is the privilege of everyone.
He feels that ..., a most loyal and devoted servant of the Cause, communicated with ... in her ardent, and very wise desire, to promote closer unity among the German friends. He feels your Assembly should over-look this, as the motive was undoubtedly a very noble one.
He was very glad to receive the letter of ... and he feels sure he will do all in his power do dispel the impression of his attitude towards the Covenant, which has been spread about among some of the friends....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
The course of recent developments in the life of the German Bahá’í community has given rise to considerable anxiety and caused me grave concern, in view of the eminent position which the collective achievements of its members have enabled it to obtain on the morrow of the severest crisis which it has experienced in its history.
The spiritual vitality which the individual lives of its members have so abundantly demonstrated, the resilience of which it has, as an organized body, shown itself to be capable, the soundness of the foundation on which its collective life has been built in the years preceding the great ordeal which it has survived; the remarkable rapidity with which it has rehabilitated its fortunes since the cessation of hostilities, have evoked in every Bahá’í heart feelings of profound affection and admiration for both the representatives of that community and the mass of believers constituting the body of the faithful in that land.
The hopes that have been raised must never be allowed by those who actively participate in the life of so virile a community to be disappointed. The structure now being reared so laboriously on so solid a foundation must, under no circumstances, be jeopardized through neglect, dissension or deviation from established principles whether spiritual or administrative in character. The process that has been set in motion, after so long a period of forced inactivity, which is lending so great an impetus to the multiplication of the institutions of the Faith and their consolidation, must, in no wise be arrested or even retarded through any misunderstanding, insubordination or contention between the voting members of the community and its elected representatives whether local or national.
A strict and undeviating adherence to the spiritual laws and administrative principles constituting the bedrock of the Faith; a constant and complete awareness of the nature, the sacredness and vital importance of the Covenants established successively by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; an immediate cessation of every controversy agitating the life of that community in the present and critical stage in its development; close cooperation, complete harmony and continued understanding between the various agencies, whether assemblies or communities participating in its evolution; concentration on the immediate measures required to ensure the total success of the newly launched Five Year Plan, on the part of all its members and their elected representatives; constant vigilance on the part of each and every one of the adherents of the Faith to avoid any act, word or association that would violate its integrity, break its laws, subvert its administrative order, or retard its progress and consolidation—these stand out as the urgent, the sacred and inescapable obligations and responsibilities facing its promoters at this fateful hour in their history.
The immediate past, with all its confused issues and unpleasant memories must be entirely forgotten, if the task that lies ahead is to be efficiently prosecuted. Personal animosities, suspicions, accusations, wounded pride, controversial issues must all be laid aside. Members of assemblies, national and local, must be the first to set a worthy example to their fellow-believers. All thought and discussion must henceforth centre around the measures required to stimulate the growth of the Faith, to deepen and enrich the spiritual life of its members, to familiarize them more intimately with the character and workings of the Administrative Order, and enable them to participate more actively in the prosecution of the Plan to which they are committed.
I appeal to them, with all my heart, to close their ranks, purge their hearts, broaden their vision, renew their determination, rededicate themselves to their glorious task, march resolutely forward along the road traced for them by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, beat down every barrier obstructing their path, and press on, confidently, unitedly and uncompromisingly, until their goal is attained, and the first stage in the evolution of their collective task is brought to a victorious conclusion.
May the Beloved Who loved them so dearly, Who participated personally in the initial stage of their evolution, Who cherished such bright hopes for their future and uttered such noble prophecies concerning the greatness of that future, guide their steps, bless their endeavours and fulfil their dearest hopes.
Your true brother,
Shoghi