4 July 1947
Bahá’í Gemeinde, Karlsruhe
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your letter dated May 23rd was received by our beloved Guardian, and he wishes me to tell you all how very happy he was to hear that you now have a Spiritual Assembly there. This is the beginning of your work—not the end of it!—and you may be sure his ardent and loving prayers will be offered for your success, and expansion, in the Holy Shrines.
He also takes this opportunity of thanking Mrs. Brauns-Forel for her letter and assures her of his prayers...
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you of my loving prayers for your success, for the extension o f your valued activities, and the realization of your dearest hopes in the service of the Faith and its divinely appointed institutions,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
19 July 1947
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Stuttgart
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your letter of March 10th was received, and as our beloved Guardian was very busy he could not reply to you sooner. However, he has now instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He has no objection to the Stuttgart Bahá’ís arranging to have a center of their own on Mrs. Schwarz’ land. As this was a spot visited by the beloved Master, it is all the more appropriate as a center for the Cause there.
He hopes that the Stuttgart friends will so arrange their affairs that this new undertaking will not prevent them from assisting the national interests of the Cause and spending them their full support.
His loving prayers are offered for you all, and for the success of the work you are doing there, which is so sacred and so vitally important...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless, guide and sustain you in your meritorious and constant services to His glorious Faith, aid you to extend the range of your activities, to proclaim the truths of His Faith, multiply its institutions, and consolidate its foundations,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
27 September 1947
He was very distressed to learn of the conditions in Germany which you say are getting steadily worse. Both the beloved Guardian and the Persian N.S.A. have remitted sums to America for Care packages for the believers in Germany, and he hopes these will soon reach you.
In view of the great hardships the friends must endure he marvels at all that they are able to do for the Faith. He greatly admires their devotion, and prays ardently for the conditions they are living under to improve.
14 November 1947
He feels that, if your health is now sufficiently good for you to endure the rigours of life in Germany at the present time, it would certainly be rendering the Faith a great service for you to return to Berlin and inspire the believers there, and teach the Cause. In connection with the question you asked him about the advisability of putting on your house a name plate saying “Bahá’í Búro”, this is something you must get permission for either from the Spiritual Assembly of Berlin (if it is functioning by the time you return) or the National Assembly.
He was very happy to hear Herr Lehne is now so active in serving the Cause in Berlin and planning a large public meeting. When you write to him please assure him of the Guardian’s appreciation and his prayers on his behalf.
21 November 1947
He is so very happy to hear that there25 are now 36 believers there and new souls coming into the Faith all the time!
He was also delighted to learn that at last the National Hazírá is secured. This is a most important step forwards, and will greatly enhance the prestige of the Faith in Germany.
You must never become discouraged; your services are both needed and appreciated, and the Guardian deeply values them.
He was pleased to hear Mrs Davison is helping you so much there with the work in Frankfurt, and he hopes she will be able to stay there another year.
21 November 1947
Regarding your questions: by holiness in our Bahá’í teachings is meant attachment to God, His Precepts and His Will. We are not ascetics in any sense of the word. On the contrary, Bahá’u’lláh says God has created all the good things in the world for us to enjoy and partake of. But we must not become attached to them and put them before the spiritual things. Chastity in the strict sense means not to have sexual intercourse, or sexual intimacies, before marriage. In the general sense it means not to be licentious. This does not mean we Bahá’ís believe sexual relations to be impure or wrong. On the contrary they are natural and should be considered one of God’s many blessings. He does not know anything about whether albumen and delicious food affect sex; this is a medical question. Sex is a very individual matter, some people are more passionate by nature than others, and might consequently suffer more if forced to be continent. But when the world becomes more spiritual there will not be such an exaggerated emphasis on sex, as there is today, and consequently it will be easier for young people to be chaste and control their passions. A man of noble character and strong willpower, could certainly remain faithful to his wife during a long absence!
Any good orientalist could probably refer you to commentaries on the Qur’án and on the Buddhist Scriptures. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has stated that all references of Muḥammad to fighting refer to defensive war, not to aggression.
25 November 1947
He is very happy to see that you are all studying the Bahá’í Teachings, and preparing yourselves to be worthy servants of Bahá’u’lláh, and of humanity, when you grow older.
You may be sure he will pray for you all in the Holy Shrines, and that you may attract other children and young people to the Bahá’í Cause. No one is ever too young to teach this Message to others.
27 November 1947
He was very happy to hear of the progress being made spiritually there26 , and that now there are 9 Bahá’ís in all. He hopes this will enable you to form a Spiritual Assembly. You may be sure he will pray that this may come about.
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you of my loving prayers for your success in the service of our beloved Faith and its God-given institutions,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
8 December 1947
Bahá’í Gemeinde Esslingen
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your loving greeting to our beloved Guardian, dated Nov. 12th, 1947, was received and he has instructed me to write you on his behalf and thank you for it.
He assures you all that your devotion to the Cause of God is very deeply appreciated, and the perseverance you show in its service greatly valued by him.
He will pray for you all in the Holy Tombs, that Bahá’u’lláh may bless, guide and protect you in your service to His Faith...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh guide, sustain and protect you in your deeply valued endeavours for the propagation of our glorious Faith, aid you to add to your numbers, to deepen your understanding of its fundamental truths, and promote its vital interests.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
18 December 1947
...although he is very overburdened with work he wishes me to drop you a little line and assure you of how happy he is to hear that the relief packages your Com.27 receives from America and other countries do so much good.
He admires the steadfast devotion of the German assemblies and of the German friends which keeps them busy serving the Cause in spite of every hardship and obstacle.
30 January 1948
To the Bahá’í Friends in Schwerin
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your loving message of greeting, signed by so many names, reached our beloved Guardian, and he was very happy to see so many are active in the Faith there.
He hopes in April circumstances will permit the formation of a Spiritual Assembly there, which will greatly assist you all in your devoted services to the Cause of God.
You may be sure in his visits to the Holy Shrines here he will remember you all in his prayers and pray for your welfare and success...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh sustain, guide and bless you, at all times and under all conditions, graciously assist you to enlarge the limits of the Faith, add to your numbers, deepen your understanding of its verities, and proclaim its principles far and wide.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
2 June 1948
To the Bahá’ís of Esslingen who were present at the Naw-Rúz Feast, 105 B.E.
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your loving Naw-Rúz greeting only reached our beloved Guardian on May 31st, but he was very pleased to receive it, and to see that so many of the dear believers had gathered together to celebrate that happy Feast day.
In spite of the gloom which man’s disobedience to the Divine Laws is creating throughout the world, the Bahá’ís must be courageous, joyous and ever-active in spreading the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, for in the end it will triumph and dispel the evil and sadness engulfing mankind.
He assures you all he will pray for the success of your Bahá’í labours in the Holy Shrines...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh sustain, guide and protect you under all circumstances, cheer your hearts, enable you to extend continually the range of your activities, and aid you to win memorable victories for His Faith and its institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
10 June 1948
Your letters to our beloved Guardian ... were received, as well as the report of the persecution of the German Bahá’ís, and the greetings from the Teaching conference, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He was very pleased to receive all the good news you conveyed to him, and the love and devotion with which you and your dear husband and family serve the Cause of God is a source of great comfort to him.
He would have answered you before, but pressure of work, and the recent very disturbed state of the country, has held up his correspondence. He hopes this letter will reach you safely.
The progress being made by the Faith in Germany is excellent. It is if at last the Cause were let out of the cage and can spread its wings there and fly—and the hearts of the German people are a very rich field in which to sow the Divine Seeds. He has always foreseen for Germany a great future in the Bahá’í world...
He was particularly glad to hear the working people, the backbone of every nation, are receptive to the Cause and being taught.
10 June 1948
Unfortunately conditions here in Palestine were so disturbed and disorganized that the Guardian could not send a message as you requested, to the Esperanto Congress in Munich in May. He has been, and is, as you can well imagine, very concerned over the state of the Holy Land. But so far all has gone well, the Shrines have been protected, and the Bahá’í Community respected here and assisted, by the new authorities.
It seems as if some time must elapse before pilgrims from anywhere can again visit here. But he hopes, at a future date, your heart’s desire will be granted and you will be able to come to Haifa.
Unfortunately the American National Spiritual Assembly has such a very heavy program to carry out at present, in the teaching field and in the decoration of the Temple, that many other projects must wait until more money is available. Printing Bahá’í Literature is one of them. But he hopes in the near future some new editions can be gotten out.
11 June 1948
Bahá’í Jugend Esslingen
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your loving message to our beloved Guardian, dated Mulk 9th, 104, was received, and very much appreciated, and he was delighted to learn you had been able to hold such a large meeting for the Youth Symposium day.
He has been very busy lately, due to conditions here and the great amount of work there is to do, but nevertheless he wishes to answer your letter and assure you he will pray for your success, and that he is proud of your spirit and your devotion to the Faith...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved of our hearts guide every step you take in the path of service, aid you to deepen your understanding of the essentials of His Faith, and promote, at all times, the best interests of its institutions,
Your true brother,
Shoghi
3 July 1948
He does not think that we can yet go so far as to write commentaries and lengthy treatises on the relation of the Bahá’í teachings to Education, Economics, etc, as the world knows these subjects at present. We have our basic principles, but ... (unreadable) We cannot say in detail what the “Bahá’í” system will be. It has yet to grow and mature. However, articles on these matters, where our general ideas are correlated to present knowledge and usage, and compared, would be good because not too much detail could be gone into.
3 December 1948
It will make you all happy to hear that the columns for the Báb’s Shrine, and the capitals and many stones—the first shipment—have now reached Haifa, and are being transported to the Shrine gardens. Soon the Guardian hopes the actual building work can be begun.
13 December 1948
He has, as a result of your letter, just cabled you via Geneva asking you to please get from Mrs ... the letter Hussein wrote her and forward it to him, as he wishes to see it.
I cannot tell you how much and how bitterly our beloved Guardian has suffered from the disloyalty and dishonourable conduct of the members of the Master’s Family, and now his own family. They have not only disobeyed him, and flouted his advice and instructions, but done things which are so shameful he is unable to mention them. In view of this, he was forced in 1944, to expel Hussein—but not until he had of his own accord left the Master’s house gone to the Covenant-Breakers, and refused warnings and advice alike. His heart is unrepentant, and his character greatly changed, which is surely a great tragedy.
He was very pleased to hear you were able to visit the Bahá’í convention in Hamburg, and that you found the believers there so enthusiastic and devoted. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done everywhere, and such active and tireless workers, as you and your dear family, are needed urgently in every direction!
He most deeply values your loyalty, your devotion and your services. You may be sure he will pray for you in the Holy Shrines and for your family and dear Mrs Benke....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
I deeply and increasingly appreciate the spirit that animates you, and wish to assure you of my abiding appreciation of your exemplary loyalty, your perseverance and splendid services to our glorious Faith. Persevere in your manifold and meritorious activities, and rest assured that the Beloved is well pleased with the standard of your accomplishments,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
8 February 1949
He sees no objection to the Bahá’ís taking part in the movement for “World-Citizenship”, as this is marking towards one of our most cherished goals—the unification of the human race under some form of International government. As long as this movement takes no political sides of any nature and keeps quite clear of all forms of politics, the Bahá’ís may support it.
He thinks it was a fine gesture for the National Assembly to invite Mr. Garry Davis to be present on Bahá’í-World-Youth-Day and he hopes, this courageous and independent man will be able to accept the invitation.
2 March 1949
You, as devoted and experienced believers, must do all in your power to urge the friends to unite in order to protect the Faith. The Hamburg difficulty is not insurmountable, as long as the friends all make up their minds that no sacrifice of personal feeling or opinion in this matter is too great to make in order to maintain the unity of the administrative order there and the unity of the believers. The more friends take sides, the more difficult it will be to solve this problem.
He urges you both to encourage your son and brother to look upon the perfection of the Faith and not upon the imperfections of the believers—for we are all imperfect.
11 March 1949
The National Youth Committee
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Our beloved Guardian wishes me to thank you on his behalf for your greetings and the report of Bahá’í World Youth Day.
He was very pleased indeed to learn you held such successful meetings on this occasion, and to see with what fervour and devotion you are assuming your responsibilities as young Bahá’ís who, in the not distant future, will be called upon to carry forward so much of the important work of the Faith as adult members of the Community.
20 March 1949
Regarding your book: he feels that this can only come under the heading, judging by the outline you gave him, of a romance woven about a historical episode: the Báb and the events following His Martyr(dom); we do not know enough concrete facts about the relation of the Russian Court, the Russian consul, and what exact part he played in the events of those days to fill a large paragraph! He feels, therefore, that your book should be presented as such a romance, and not in any way as a historical narrative.
There were many factors at work in releasing Bahá’u’lláh from the Síyáh Chál, not the last of which was the intervention of His own sister who presented very valuable gifts to the Sháh himself while she interceded for her Brother’s life. So you see your information—not merely yours, any Bahá’ís at the present time—is far too scanty to permit of a really historical account being written. This does not mean you cannot get your book out as a romance. He certainly would not want you to destroy your manuscript!
24 March 1949
He was also very pleased to see the contact with the Esperantists is being maintained. This friendly cooperation with them, and attendance at their Congresses, is very good, and will no doubt bring the Bahá’í Cause to many of their member’s attention. Also, he hopes, it will lead to many of them becoming Bahá’ís in the future.
31 March 1949
First, let me say that one of the reasons God has given us the institution of Guardianship is to prevent men from crystallizing the Cause of God into a rigid system. Your questions are mostly along the line of trying to lay down a fixed pattern for future society, long before the time for such a pattern is ripe. Remember that Bahá’u’lláh says what is not already revealed, the International House of Justice must in the future legislate, and it can make, and abrogate if necessary, its own laws. This means not fixity in guiding society, but fluidity!
No. 1 Bahá’u’lláh and the Master mention only Local, National and an International House of Justice. There is no provision for divisional ones. Each city will have its own Spiritual Assembly, not a number of district ones. Naturally, district 19 Day Feasts can be held where there are very many Bahá’ís in one city.
No. 2 The Hands of the Cause will have executive authority in so far as they carry out the work of the Guardian.
No. 3 Spiritual Assembly is the name at present for the body which in future will be called “House of Justice”.
No. 4 The Badí Calendar will be used generally. The Bahá’í week has seven days.
No. 5 There is nothing about “ground organization”. These details are left for future legislation.
No. 6 No. Such things are for the consideration of the legislative bodies in future.
No. 7 No. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stated there are other worlds than ours which are inhabited by beings capable of knowing God.
No. 8 The Bahá’í Temple in America has been dragging on, uncompleted, since 19..(figures unreadable); its completion is absolutely essential. We are builders, we have confidence in the protection of God. We cannot give up our work just because the atom bomb has been invented! This would be cowardly! The United Nations disposes of millions and millions of dollars and part of its work is to educate humanity towards peace and against war. Our completion of the Bahá’í Temple will cost 3/4 of a million; what could this sum do in comparison to the efforts of the United Nations?
The thing the German believers must do is to deepen themselves in the Covenants of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Mere intellectual understanding of the teachings is not enough. Deep spirituality is essential, and the foundation of true spirituality is steadfastness in the Covenant.
11 April 1949
He fully approves of Dr. Townshend being invited to speak in Germany, as you propose, providing, of course, that the necessary funds for his trip can be arranged for.
The contact with intellectuals is very important, but so far, like the early days of Christianity, in the West, few of them have cared to identify themselves with this young and struggling Faith of ours! Let us hope, however, that the time is approaching when they will.
The Guardian has been considerably disturbed by the inharmony that has arisen in Germany. He feels that what the German Bahá’ís need—and must have—more than anything else in the world is a far deeper understanding of the Covenants of both Bahá’u’lláh and the Master. This is the rock foundation without which no sound super-structure can be built. Neither the administration, nor the general teaching work of the Cause in Germany, will progress, or be able to accomplish anything, unless the believers are truly firm, deep, spiritually convinced Bahá’ís. An intellectual grasp of the teachings is purely superficial; with the first real test such believers are shaken from the bough! But once a Bahá’í has the profound conviction of the authority from God, nested in the Prophet, passed on to the Master, and by Him, to the Guardians, and which flows out through the assemblies and creates order based on obedience—once a Bahá’í has this, nothing can shake him. He, therefore, urges you, and the other members of the N.G.R., to devote as much time as you possibly can, to educating the believers in the Covenant.
15 April 1949
As he has cabled the N.S.A. a few days ago, he feels that the difficulties which have arisen in Germany, and which called forth the letter you rightly felt was likely to cause more harm than good, are mainly due to the fact that the believers need to be deepened in their knowledge and appreciation of the Covenants of both Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This is the stronghold of the Faith of every Bahá’í, and that which enables him to withstand every test and the attacks of the enemies outside the Faith, and the far more dangerous, insidious, lukewarm people inside the Faith who have no real attachment to the Covenant, and consequently uphold the intellectual aspect of the teachings while at the same time undermining the spiritual foundation upon which the whole Cause of God rests.
He feels you and your dear family should do all you can to teach the believers the Will and Testament to strengthen their understanding of its important provisions; for all the authority of the administrative bodies, as well as of the Guardian himself, is mainly derived from this tremendous document.
27 May 1949
The Guardian, in spite of the fact that there is a larger community in Stuttgart, is very anxious to have the national affairs of the German Bahá’í Community centered in Frankfurt, which is far more central. He realizes at first this will present some difficulties for the friends, but every step forward in the Cause always is attended by complications and difficulties. The same was true in America, where for years New York was the center of the administration for America. When the National Headquarters were shifted to Chicago, it was at first very inconvenient, but it now has proved much more convenient and suitable than New York ever was.
30 May 1949
Bahá’í Community of Stuttgart
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your letter to our beloved Guardian, of April 20, and conveying to him your loving Ridván greetings, was received, and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He values very deeply your message of loyalty and devotion and your assurance that you will uphold the administration of our beloved Faith.
The German friends must always remember that, after the long years of suppression, and the war, when they were both cut off from the Guardian and forbidden to hold organized meetings, it is only natural that difficulties should sometimes arise in the course of their progress.
The main thing, however, is that all the believers should at all times feel conscious of their deep unity and brotherhood in the Cause of God, and that with love and understanding they should arise to overcome every problem, knowing that the Master will help and assist them to do so.
Firmness in the Covenant is their Fortress, their greatest protection, and new Bahá’ís should be taught this before they are admitted into the Community. In this way they will be given the spiritual strength to overcome the tests which are inevitable, and which strengthen the growth of the Community and drive its roots deeper in the soil of faith.
He hopes your Bahá’í work will make great progress during this Bahá’í year...
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
Your joint and most welcome message brought great joy to my heart, as I feel greatly attached to, and greatly value the sentiments of the members of a community which has distinguished itself by its zeal, its accomplishments, its long record of service, and on which the Beloved has conferred such great bounties and blessings. I cherish great hopes for its future, and will supplicate on its behalf, that the Almighty may enable it to render His Faith still more notable services, and contribute, in an outstanding manner, to the onward march of the Faith and the development of its institutions in that promising country.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
5 June 1949
You have asked for his advice about two matters which concern you very deeply, and although he knows your love for this Holy Cause will assist you in making the right decisions, he knows it will be hard for you to do so, and therefore assures you of his loving prayers that you may take these steps courageously, and that the way may be made easy for you.
He has heard nothing against the character of Mrs ... and does not doubt in many ways she may be a very commendable woman. However, this does not change the fact that in view of her inhered convictions about Bahá’u’lláh it is best for the Bahá’ís, including yourself, not to associate with her. That which is in the heart of those who have actively opposed the Manifestation of God is spiritually unhealthy, and although we in our limited human understanding cannot always see the wisdom of shunning them, the Master has instructed us to do so, and for our good, and the good of the Cause, we must obey this instruction.
The matter of your giving up your church membership is a conscientious obligation. He does not force you to do so, but as you no longer believe in all the doctrines of your former church, to continue to be a member of it is really to put yourself in a position of one who is acting insincerely. Should you decide to withdraw from the church as a member, however there is no reason why you should not continue to go to church with your husband, and to continue your friendly association with the congregation. He will pray that your husband may be willing for you to take this step.
30 September 1949
He fully appreciates your point about certain well-known names of Persian and other Oriental cities being spelt according to the general usage in German literature. However, he feels that it is necessary to follow in full the transliteration used in God Passes By, even for the names of famous cities, etc., which have in European languages an accepted way of being spelt. Only by doing this can confusion be avoided in our Bahá’í translations and uniformity be maintained.
A key to pronunciation should be printed, in order to coordinate it with the German language, and also an explanation of the reason for this system being used: namely that it was adopted by an international Congress as being the most practical and universal means of spelling these oriental names in the latin alphabet.
He hopes that the fact that two people translated different parts of this book will not be noticeable in the style, and thus detract from its literary value in German?
Your labours, and those of the other friends concerned in getting this valuable history ready to be printed in German, are deeply appreciated....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Beloved of our hearts, whose Faith you are serving with distinction, zeal and loyalty, reward you a thousandfold for your constant and notable services, aid you to extend continually the range of your activities, and win still greater victories for its institutions,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi