Introduction to Baha'i Books

Baha'u'llah The King of Glory - by H. M. Balyuzi

2011-05-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

From the Cover

‘These pages will relate the story of Bahá'u'lláh, as well as the story of the retrogression of a nation under the yoke of the Qájárs.' With these words Mr. Balyuzi introduces this biography of the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith. The life and times of Bahá'u'lláh are presented in their historical setting both in Iran and in the world at large. Much of its story is taken from the unpublished memoirs of His companions who themselves observed the events they describe. Details are given of Bahá'u'lláh's ancestry and family, His several journeys when banished from Iran, with the names of those who accompanied Him to Constantinople and into the citadel of 'Akká; the horrific martyrdom of Badí', His messenger to the Shah; the background of the marriage of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, His eldest son; the machinations of the Azalís in Constantinople which brought Him anxiety and sorrow in His last years; and the closing months of His life at Bahjí.

Preface

Prior to anything else in this preface, I must express my deepest and ever-abiding gratitude to the Universal House of Justice, the Supreme Body of the Baha'i World Community, for their gracious encouragement at every stage, without which this book could never have been written. I am also most grateful for the approval accorded to I my translations from Scriptures.

Next, I wish to offer my sincere and grateful thanks to the Hands of the Cause resident in the Holy Land, for devoting much of their time to read and review for publication this book, which is the first of four volumes on the life and times of Baha'u'llah. This volume presents a complete biography.

Apart from a variety of documents and sundry accounts, my chief sources have been: the unpublished part of the immortal chronicle by Mulla Muhammad-i-Zarandi, Nabil-i-A'zam; the reminiscences of Aqa Husayn-i-Ashchi; and the narrative of Aqa Muhammad-Riday-i-Qannad-i-Shirazi.

Aqa Husayn was the son of Aqa Muhammad-Javad-i-Kashani, a Babi of early days. Orphaned, when a young boy, he was taken to Baghdad, where he grew up in the household of Baha'u'llah, eventually becoming His cook. For that reason he came to be known as Ashchi (Broth-maker).

When, in December 1924, Aqa Husayn-i-Ashchi was at an advanced age and on his death-bed, Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'I Faith, instructed Aqa 'Abdu'r-Rasul-i-Mansur-i-Kashani to sit by his bedside and take down all that the dying man could remember of the events of seven decades. It is a fascinating story that Ashchi had to tell; and what is particularly striking is the amazing rapport between the reminiscences of an elderly man, very soon to die, and the narrative of Aqa Riday-i-Qannad.

Aqa Rida, a native of Shiraz and a confectioner (Qannad) by trade, was a devout follower of Baha'u'llah, and was closely beside Him from Baghdad days until His ascension. He later served 'Abdu'l-Baha with equal zeal and devotion, until his death in 1912, while 'Abdu'l-Baha was in America.

Aqa Rida states that he wrote his narrative at the request of Nabil-i-A'zam, and he put his pen to paper some time in the early eighties of the last century. The exact date is unknown because, unfortunately, in the copy made available to me, the final pages of his all-absorbing narrative are missing. It is to be hoped that somewhere a complete copy exists and will come to light, although it is possible that Aqa Rida may not have finished his invaluable account.

The great value of both Aqa Rida's narrative and Aqa Husayn's reminiscences lies in the fact that they are eye-witness accounts, and not recollections and anecdotes told them by someone else. Both men were personally involved in and with the events they describe.

The narrative of Nabil-i-A'zam hardly needs any introduction. That superb volume, The Dawn-Breakers, has already made it known. In that part of his chronicle which is unpublished, Nabil, like Aqa Rida and Aqa Husayn, relates mostly the events and incidents in which he himself was involved, which he saw with his own eyes.

The autobiography of Haji Mirza Habibu'llah Afnan, dealing as it does with months lived in close proximity to the residences of Baha'u'llah, has a unique importance. I am most grateful to my cousin, Abu'l-Qasim Afnan, for lending me this invaluable document from the pen of his father, and for providing me with other material of great historical interest.

It should be stressed that the spoken words of Baha'u'llah, quoted in these pages, cannot be equated with His Writings. No one could have been taking notes at the time, although it cannot be ruled out that some may be the very words spoken. The reporting of Nabil, however, is in a different category, because he usually read to Baha'u'llah what he had heard Him say. Nevertheless, none of these reported words of Baha'u'llah has scriptural value.

Quotations are reproduced in their original form, even though differing from the spelling and transliteration of Persian words adopted in this book. Translations from Arabic and Persian are my own, unless otherwise attributed. For Constantinople, Adrianople, and Smyrna, I have used at times their Turkish names: Istanbul, Edirne (Adirnih), Izmir, which are common usage today for referring to those cities.

That the many Persian names in the book may present difficulties to the Western reader is clear, but the innumerable persons, who, in one way or another, had some connection with Baha'u'llah, cannot be omitted from His biography. They can be identified only by the names they used, however difficult. For a guide to the construction of Persian names, the reader may wish to refer to my earlier book, The Báb, where a preliminary note deals with this subject.

Immense indeed, as in the past, is my indebtedness to Marion Hofman. Without her prodigious editorial work, the contents of this book would have remained loosely-jointed and diffused.

I am profoundly grateful to Moojan Momen, whose help and assistance to me have been of inestimable value. Throughout this book and its addenda, there are biographical notes, historical accounts of cities and localities in which Baha'u'llah dwelt, as well as other material written by him, based on his assiduous and able research.

I am very thankful to Mr. Horst Kolo for his excellent production of the frontispiece and a number of other photographs. The contribution of the Audio-Visual Department of the Baha'i World Centre, Haifa, Israel, in providing the major number of illustrations, is deeply appreciated, and I also acknowledge gratefully certain photographs from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Iran, as well as from several others to whom due attribution is given. Some old engravings and photographs from books are reproduced and acknowledged (see bibliography for details).

For permission to quote from published works, I am much indebted to the Universal House of Justice, Baha'i World Centre, Haifa; to the Baha'i Publishing Trusts of the United States and the United Kingdom; and to Dorothy Anderson, Hutchinson & Co., Jonathan Cape Ltd, Macmillan (London and Basingstoke), and Oxford University Press. The extracts from the Public Record Office files are used with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. The text of the Authorized Version of the Bible is Crown copyright and the extracts used herein are reproduced by permission. A number of works now out of copyright have also been quoted. Full acknowledgement of all sources is given in the bibliography and notes.

I also wish to thank, in addition to those mentioned above, Mr. Stratford Caldecott for his meticulous copy editing, and Mr. Rustom Sabit for his additional careful proof reading.

And, finally, I wish to pay my tribute to my wife's share in the writing and the shaping of this book. Her support constantly eased my path.

H. M. BALYUZI
London
June 1979

Contents

Preface
Introduction
Prologue
The Ancestry of Baha'u'llah
Childhood and Early Life
The Dawn
To the Capital City of Iran
In the Home of His Ancestors
The First Imprisonment
The Conference of Badasht
From Badasht to Shaykh Tabarsi
The Downfall of Haji Mirza Aqasi
The Second Imprisonment
A Momentous Year
One Year in Karbila
The Fall of Amir Kabir
The Mad Attempt to Assassinate Nasiri’d-Din Shah
The Birth of the Baha’i revelation
Babi Martyrs of 1852
The Story of a Shirazi Youth
Release and Exile
Baghdad – The First Year
Sulaymaniyyih
Baghdad - Friend and Foe
Baghdad - Final Years
From the Most Exalted Pen
The March of the King of Glory
In the City of Constantine
Adrianople, the Remote Prison
Adrianople, the Last Years
Banishment to 'Akka
Arrival at 'Akka
The Lord of Hosts
Life in the Barracks
The Story of Badi'
The Great Sacrifice
The Gates Open
The Turn of the Tide
The Marriage of the Most Great Branch
Last Years within the City Walls
The Years at Bahji
The Activities of the Azalis in Constantinople
Pages of an Autobiography
The Ascension of Baha'u'llah

Addenda

The Disastrous Reign of Nasiri'd-Din Shah
Representations to Consuls at the Time of Baha'u'llah's Banishment to 'Akka
The Aftermath of the Siege of Plevna
General Gordon in Haifa and Akka
Biographical Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
References
Index

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf -- by Baha'u'llah

2011-01-16T18:50:00.000-08:00

From the inside front cover:

This is the last major Tablet of Baha’u’llah – the last of the hundred books He revealed. It was written to a priest in Isfahan, Persia, called the “Son of the Wolf”, whose father had sent the two martyrs known as the “King of Martyrs” and the “Beloved of Martyrs” to their deaths. This priest had committed the unforgivable sin: he had violated the Covenant and blasphemed against the Holy Spirit; that is, he had hated, not the lamp, or the Prophet of God as an individual – either from ignorance or because he did not recognize Him – but the Light of God itself which the Prophet reflects. He had hated the Light in the lamp, and “this destruction of the Light, ”’Abdu’l-Baha says in Some Answered Questions,” has no remedy.”

The varying titles by which the priest is addressed indicate that this is much more than a letter to an individual. It is intended for a larger audience -- a presentation of the Faith to humanity. Shoghi Effendi tells us, in God Passes By, that Baha’u’llah “quotes some of the most characteristic and celebrated passages of His own Writings” in this work, “and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.” Although it is an independent creative work, having its own unity of form, its own personal spirit – it is almost an anthology, and one selected by Baha’u’llah Himself. Its great impact on the reader is the eternal gift it holds out to him of the mercy of God. It helps us to enter His presence. It brings us to “Him Whom the World hath cast away and the nations abandoned.”

This book is the last earthly gift from Baha’u’llah. His enemies brought Him poison, but He changed it into honey for His loved ones.

Ruhiyyih Khanum:

Between these two so-called general letters - The Advent of Divine Justice and The Promised Day Is Come - Shoghi Effendi gave the western believers his fifth and last book of translations of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, undertaken during the winter of 1939-40, at another of the most difficult and hazardous periods of his life, and mailed to America for publication on the eve of his departure for Europe in the teeth of the European war. The Epistle to the Son of the Wolf was Bahá'u'lláh's last major work and contains a selection from His own Writings made by Himself (surely a unique occurrence in religious history!) during the last two years of His life and has therefore a special position of its own in the literature of our Faith. In a cable shortly prior to its publication Shoghi Effendi said "Devoutly hope its study may contribute further enlightenment deeper understanding verities on which effective prosecution teaching administrative undertakings ultimately depend..." (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 222)

Adib Taherzadeh:

This momentous Epistle was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in the last year of His earthly life. It is addressed to Shaykh Muhammad-Taqi, known as Aqa Najafi, a son of Shaykh Muhammad-Baqir who was stigmatized by Him as 'Wolf'. After the death of his father in 1883, Aqa Najafi succeeded him as a leading mujtahid of Isfahan. He was an inveterate enemy and formidable opponent of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, a vicious and evil-minded clergyman who fulfilled the famous saying: 'The child is the secret of his sire.' He well merited the title 'Son of the Wolf'.

In his younger days he collaborated with his father in pursuing the policy of murdering the Bahá'ís. He was the one who rolled up his sleeves on the occasion of the martyrdom of the King and the Beloved of the Martyrs and announced his readiness to carry out their execution personally should the official executioner refuse to co-operate. Once he assumed office it was through his instigation and on his direct orders that the great upheavals against the Bahá'ís occurred in Isfahan and neighbouring townships. It was by his command that several believers were put to death, and in 1903 he was the chief instigator of the upheaval of Yazd, the bloodiest massacre of the Bahá'ís since the bloodbath of Tihran in 1852.

To such a man, who was perpetrating the most heinous crimes against His followers in Persia, Bahá'u'lláh addressed this weighty Epistle. The opening paragraph is in praise of God, and the second, in praise of Bahá'u'lláh as the 'Supreme Mediator', 'the Most Exalted Pen', 'the dawning-place' of God's 'most excellent names', and 'the dayspring of His most exalted attributes'. Having unequivocally announced His own station to Aqa Najafi, Bahá'u'lláh in the next paragraph proclaims to him that 'the ear of man hath been created that it may hearken unto the Divine Voice of this Day', counsels him first to 'purify' his soul 'with the waters of renunciation', to 'crown' his head with 'the crown of the fear of God' and then to arise from his seat, turn his face in the direction of Bahá'u'lláh's abode and recite a prayer which is revealed especially for him.” (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 4, p. 368)

Shoghi Effendi - Recollections by Ugo Giachery

2010-10-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

From the inside front and back covers:

The author of these ‘Recollections’ has written, not a biography, but his personal experiences of Shoghi EEendi (1896-1957) who, on the death of his Grandfather, 'Abdu'l-Baha, in 1921, found himself Guardian of the Baha’i Faith.

For thirty-six years, Shoghi Effendi bore the daunting responsibilities of his office, guiding and encouraging the Baha’is to carry the Revelation of Baha’u’llah to every part of the globe. During the last nine years of his life he developed in Haifa, on Mt. Carmel and in neighhouring 'Akka, the spiritual and administrative institutions of the World Centre of the Faith. It was Dr. Giachery's privilege and fortune to participate in nearly every aspect of these mighty undertakings, and his account of the work done in Italy for the erection of the golden-domed superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab and the International Archives on Mt. Carmel is unique. His inspired and loyal support of these projects was highly valued and commended by Shoghi EfIendi.

Although, of necessity, he lived in Italy during those years, Dr. Giachery visited Haifa on several occasions and spent a number of months there. Thus, the account he gives us of Shoghi Effendi is at first hand. It is a perceptive, affectionate and intimate portrayal of the gallant and self-sacrificing Guardian. And because those who served him so closely were few and their stories mostly unpublished, these recollections, so precious now, will forever win the gratitude of posterity. In the words of his fellow Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land, 'Your recollections have made the Guardian "come alive" in all the majesty and greatness of his station and his accomplishments.'

Ugo Giachery, born and educated in Palermo, Sicily, pursued a widely varied course of studies, receiving from the Royal University of Palermo a doctorate in chemistry, in which subject he engaged in teaching and research and published a number of papers. He served with distinction in the First World War. After living in the United States for some years, he and his wife returned to Italy in 1947 as pioneer teachers of the Baha’i Faith. From then on his, career was one of continuing distinguished services.

In 1948 he was appointed by Shoghi Eifendi, Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, his personal representative for all the work in Italy associated with the erection of the superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab on Mt. Carmel. It was this service which brought him the immortal honour of having the south-western door of the original Shrine named after him as 'Bab-i-Giachery'.

In 1951 Shoghi Effendi appointed Dr. Giachery Hand of the Cause of God, and in 1952 'Member at Large’ of the International Baha’i Council, the forerunner of the Universal House of Justice. In 1953 he became chairman of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Italy and Switzerland.

Dr. Giachery was the Guardian’s ‘special representative’ at the Intercontinental Conferences in Stockholm in 1953 and Chicago in 1958, and for a number of years was Baha’i Observer to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in Geneva. He also translated Baha’i literature into Italian and is the author of several articles on the Baha’i Faith.

In 1954, work began on Baha’i International Archives building on Mt. Carmel, and once again Dr. Giachery became the Guardian’s personal representative in Italy. The completion of the building in 1957 brought much satisfaction to Shoghi Effendi in the last months of his

Dr. Giachcry's personal and distinguished services have been enlisted more than once by the Universal House of Justice, notably when it appointed him its representative at the great Baha’i Conference in Palermo in 1968. Indeed for more than a quarter of a century he has travelled extensively to all continents of the globe on behalf of the Baha’i Faith. His eternal fame is assured through his association with the Guardian and by the fact that one of the doors of the Shrine of the Bab bears his name.

Table of Contents

PREFACE

PART I

The Personality of Shoghi Effendi
I   AN APPRECIATION
II PILGR IMIMPRESSIONS
III HIS SPIRITUAL VIRTUES
     His great faith
     The Guardian and the man
     His humility and selflessness
     His involuntary connection with the Divine Source
     His eagerness
     His perseverance
     His generosity
IV HIS LITERARY GIFTS
     Translations
     Original literary work
     As historian
     Correspondence
     His artistic ingenuity

PART II

The World Centre of the Faith of Baha'u'llah

V BIRTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORLD CENTRE
VI TIIE QUEEN OF CARMEL
VII THE SUPERSTRUCTURE OF THE SHRINE OF THE BAB
     The Arcade
     The Octagon
     The Drum or Clerestory
     The Crown and the Dome
VIII THE GARDENS SURROUNDING THE SHRINE OF THE BAB
IX THE GARDEN NURSERIES
X PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE OF BAHA’U’LLAH
XI THE GARDENS AT BAHJI
XII EMBELLISHMENTS TO THE SHRINE OF BAHA'U'LLAH
XIII THE MANSION OF BAHJI
XIV THE INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES
     The Nature of the Archives
     The Project Begins
     Plans Become a Reality

XV THE FIRST MASHRIQU'L-ADHKAR OF THE HOLY LAND
     The Obelisk

EPILOGUE
     Events connected with the passing of Shoghi Effendi
     The Sepulchre of Shoghi Effendi

APPENDICES
I Early Descriptions of Shoghi Effendi
II Letters to Angeline Giachery
III The Writings of Shoghi Effendi
IV Genealogy of Shoghi Effendi
     The Family of the Bab
V The War in Africa
VI The Tablet of Carmel
VII Guido M. Fabbricotti, the Marble Firm
VIII Giacomo Barozzi, the Architect Vignola
IX Names of the Doors of the Shrine of the Bab
X Andrea Palladio, Founder of Neo-Classic Architecture
XI Plants Used by Shoghi Effendi

GLOSSARY OF ARCHITECTURAL AND BUILDING TERMS
REFERENCES
INDEX

Preface

The date of November 4th, 1957, will remain for the author of these Recollections the day of anguish, of sorrow and bewilderment. In a modest hotel in the city of London, the earthly, fruitful life of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, came abruptly, and unexpectedly, to an end. To the writer, it was as if the light of wisdom, solace and righteousness had been extinguished forever: something similar to an apocalyptic darkening of this planet.

A radiant and useful existence had suddenly ceased, leaving a multitude of co-religionists throughout the world stunned and grief-stricken. It was an unequalled and widespread feeling of despair and irremediable loss that filled the hearts with a poignant pain that could never cease; the end of an age of comfort and assurance, of light-hearted joy, the joy of one's adolescent years, when dreams, aspirations and idealism came into existence from the tranquil life revolving around the unity of the family, with its power of love and security, the source of our inspiration, fortitude and strength.

The greatest gift received from the Omnipotent, during my lifetime, was the privilege of being closely associated with Shoghi Effendi for a number of years. No words will ever be able to describe the depth of my devotion and of my abiding love for him, nor the transformation I underwent under the influence of his warm and tender affection; an influence that changed my character, my outlook on life, my habits, and opened my eyes to the unending vista of new aspirations and horizons.

In later years, I have felt the urge to communicate to others the power of his love; thus the decision to write down some of my observations and experiences. It is a recollection, however inadequate -- an effort to render him due justice and to recall for others the life of such a unique and precious personage. I sincerely trust that future scholars will undertake to produce a detailed life history of him whom I consider to be the 'true man of the century'.

Much merit for my efforts goes to my dear wife, Angeline, who with her encouragement and patience has guided me to the completion of the manuscript. Deep thanks and appreciation go to our dear friend Beatrice Owens Ashton, for her many suggestions and the reviewing of the text, to Marion Hofman for her skilful editing, and to the painter Reza Samimi for his extraordinary and moving crayon portrait of Shoghi Effendi. My sincere thanks go also to the hosts of friends who have urged me to put in writing what I have verbally expressed in Baha'i gatherings in various continents of the world. It is my hope that the reading of these Recollections will enkindle and strengthen, in the hearts of many, a deep love and admiration for Shoghi Effendi, that we may all dedicate our lives, as he did, to the service of the Cause of God which he so greatly loved, and that we may emulate him in placing such services ahead of any personal motives or restraint.

UGO GIACHERY

Baha'i Administration, by Shoghi Effendi

2010-08-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

From the inside-cover of the 1968 edition

Shoghi Effendi was the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith for thirty-six years until his passing in 1957, the interpreter of its teachings, delineator of its goals, and "true brother" to every devoted Baha'i throughout the world. This book consists primarily of his messages to the Baha'is of America, or to their National Spiritual Assembly, during the years when that National Assembly and several others were formed. Herein he outlines the fundamental principles upon which the institutions of the Faith are to be established, based upon the Revelation of Baha'u'llah and the Will and Testament of His Son, 'Abdu'l-Baha.

Shoghi Effendi was a young man, still a student at Oxford University, when the call to Guardianship came to him in 1921 through his appointment in the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, his beloved Grandfather. His realization of the enormity of this task and of the station of Guardianship is poignantly reflected in his early letters in this volume. As the months and years of Shoghi Effendi's Guardianship progressed and the actual instruments of the administrative order began to evolve under his guidance, the wisdom of that appointment became consummately manifest to the community of Baha'is throughout the world.

While these messages contain the guiding principles that have raised the edifice of Baha'i administration throughout the world, they are much more than a pattern or a set of rules. Through them the Baha'is have come to understand both the spirit and the substance out of which a new world order would be brought into being and that in becoming the instruments of its creation they can translate their faith and their love for their fellow believers of all races and nations into concrete action. In this way the structure of Baha'i administration has been erected, beginning with the first few Local Spiritual Assemblies, the first National Spiritual Assemblies, until 1963 when the fifty-six National Assemblies existing at that time elected the first Universal House of Justice, the supreme administrative body of the Baha'i Faith, located at its World Center in Haifa, Israel.

Here is a beloved, inspired leader at work, who signs his letters as "brother and co-worker," who shares his cares, his joys and victories with his fellow workers. Tragedy there was in the severe repressions and persecutions suffered in the lands where the Prophet of God Himself lived or sojourned, but which served to draw ever more closely the bonds of love among His followers. Victory is the dominant theme, in the developing plans for the institutions of the Faith, among them being the erection of the first Baha'i House of Worship in the West, itself the Central Edifice of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar with its surrounding dependencies, a visible manifestation of a new spirit permeating the world of mankind.

‘Baha’i Administration’ is not just for the members of Assemblies and Committees. It is, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, not possible "to dissociate the administrative principles of the Cause from the purely spiritual and humanitarian teachings," for they are "indissolubly bound with the essential verities of the Faith."

Baha’i Publishing Trust
Wilmette, Illinois

Contents:
Introduction
Excerpts from the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha
Letters from Shoghi Effendi
Index

List of topics covered in 1968 edition
The Holy Family:
The Passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf, p. 187

Baha’i Administration:
Local and National Spiritual Assemblies, p.18
Committees of the National Assembly, p. 23
Election of Local Assemblies, p. 37
Duties of Spiritual Assemblies, p. 37
National Assemblies, pp. 38, 45
Annual Election of Assemblies, p. 40
Reports of Activities, p. 46
Committees of the National Assembly, p. 55
The Annual Convention, p. 52
The New World Order, p. 62
The Duties of Elected Representatives, p. 63
Foundation of the House of Justice, p. 63
Election of Delegates, p. 64
The National Convention, p. 78
National Spiritual Assembly, pp. 79, 86
Title of Assemblies, p.82
Representation at Convention, p.82
Election of National Assembly, p. 84
Membership Roll, p. 84
Purpose of Convention, p.86
Jurisdiction of a Local Assembly, p. 95
Voting Rights of National Assembly Members, p. 96
National Convention, p. 90
Purpose of Bahá'í Administration, p. 102
Guiding Principles of Bahá'í Administration, p. 107
International Secretariat, p. 115
World Unity Conferences, p. 116
Plan of Unified Action, pp. 107, 115, 153
Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, p. 134
Spirit and Method of Bahá'í Elections, p. 135
Relations of Committees to Assembly, p. 141
By-Laws of National Assembly, p. 142
First National Convention of Persian Bahá'ís, p. 143

Shrines, Mashriqu'l-Adhkars and other Baha’i Properties:
Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, p. 46
Green Acre, pp. 54, and 95
Temple Meetings, p.77
The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, pp. 53, 71, 82, and 94
International Bahá'í Shrine, p.94
Shrine at Baghdad, pp. 99 and 114
Green Acre -- a Testing Ground, p. 131
Bahá'u'lláh's House at Baghdad, p. 163
Purpose of Mashriqu’l-Adhkar, p. 184
Gift from Tomb of Baha’u’llah, p. 180

Baha’i Magazines, Periodicals, Newsletters:
Star of the West Magazine, p. 30
Transliteration of Bahá'í Terms, p. 43
Star of the West Magazine, p.71
Bahá'í Year Book, p. 74, 91
Bahá'í Periodicals, p. 76
News Letter, pp. 76, 82
The Bahá'í World, p. 156

The Baha’i Funds:
The Bahá'í Fund, p. 40
Central Fund, p. 48
National Fund, pp. 100, 198

General Teachings & the Growth of the Cause:
The Mission of the Cause, p.17
Our Common Servitude, p. 25
Condition of the World, p.34
Responsibility of Bahá'ís, p. 34
The Most Essential Obligation, p. 42
The Cause of Human Suffering, p. 49
Divine Destiny and Human Frailty, p. 60
The Plight of Mankind, p. 60
Our Inner Life, p. 65
Dawn of a Brighter Day, p. 66
Menace of Social Chaos, p. 67
Paramount Duty of Every Bahá'í, p.68
History of the Cause, p.75
The Cornerstone of Service, p. 88
Qualifications of a Believer, p. 89
Response of Queen Marie, p. 110
The Regenerating Power, p. 111
American Teachers in Tihran, p. 118
Bahá'í Cause Recognized as Independent Religion, p. 120
Twofold Teaching Method, p. 124
The Spirit of Enterprise, p. 127
Inter-racial Amity, p. 129
Concentration of Resources, p. 139
The Trend of World Events, p. 145
The Promises of Our Departed Master, p. 147
Regeneration of Persia, p. 148
Bahá'í Faith Vindicated in Turkey, p. 150
Our Most Vital Opportunity, p. 152
'Abdu'l-Bahá's Cherished Desire, p. 153
Guiding Principle of Conduct, p. 161
Decision of League of Nations, p. 175
Decline of Islam, p. 169
Progress in Persia, p. 170
Non-Participation in Political Affairs, p. 197
Personalities Subordinated, p. 197
The Voting Right, p. 198

Persecution:
Persecution of Persian Bahá'ís, p. 93
Judgment of Egyptian Religious Court, p. 100
Bahá'í Martyrdoms in Persia, p. 103
Persecutions in Jahrum, p. 106
Appeal to the Shah of Persia, p. 117
Decision of Egyptian Tribunal, p. 120
Worldwide Attacks Foretold, p. 122
Assassination of Persian Believer, p. 132
Persecutions in Russia, p. 159
Trial of Turkish Believers, p. 166

Distinguished Believers:
Mr. Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney, p. 157

'Abdu'l-Baha, by Hand of the Cause, H.M. Balyuzi

2010-05-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

From the Foreword section:

The first chapter of this book was written as long ago as 1939. The book owes its inception to a gracious remark by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. When my booklet on the life of Baha’u’llah was issued by the Publishing Trust of the Baha’is of the British Isles in June 1938, and copies were sent to him, he expressed his hope in a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly that companion volumes would be written on the life of the Bab and the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha. I set about organizing an outline for a book on the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha, which, because of the abundance of available material, would necessarily be of vaster proportions than the slim booklet on the life of Baha’u’llah. That booklet was reprinted in The Baha’i World, Vol. VIII (1938-40). In future years with added material it grew into a small book and came from the press in the Centenary year of the Declaration of Baha'u'llah.

The onset of the Second World War halted my work on the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha. And it was not resumed until more than a score of years had passed. Then I had to recast my outline of the book, because more material had come into my possession and to my knowledge. I had also come to feel strongly, for a variety of reasons, that Professor Edward Granville Browne’s connections with the Faith of the Bab and Baha'u'llah had to be explored and explained. It took a considerable time to put the material on Edward Browne into a coherent shape. But when I had done so it became apparent that a diversion of that magnitude was inappropriate in a book on the life of 'Abdu’l-Baha. It was suggested to me (with which suggestion I readily concurred) that the chapter on Edward Browne should be extracted and made into a monograph, to be published separately. Having decided on that course I realized that more research was required before an adequate monograph could be produced. That research, although time-consuming, was highly rewarding. Edward Granville Browne and the Baha'i Faith was published in 1970, having been thrice rewritten and recast.

I then went back to continue the story of 'Abdu'l-Baha. My principal source was now Shoghi Effendi's God Passes By which was published in 1944, five years after I had prepared my first outline. Other books mainly consulted were Haji Mirza Haydar-'Ali's Bihjatu's Sudur, Memories of Nine Years In 'Akka by Dr Yunis Khan-i-Afrukhtih, Baday’ul-Athar by Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani (Diaries of 'Abdu'l-Baha's occidental tour), Khatirat-i-Habib (Memoirs of Habib) by Dr H. Mu'ayyad, The Chosen Highway by Lady Blomfield, and Abdu’l-Baha’s First Days in America by Juliet Thompson. Abdu’l-Baha In London, Paris Talks and The Promulgation of Universal Peace provided the texts of the Talks delivered by 'Abdu'l-Baha in the West. Certain discrepancies had to be reconciled, and particular difficulties with the dates of 'Abdu'l-Baha's talks and engagements in the West had to be resolved. These dates as given in Zarqani's Diaries and The Promulgation of Universal Peace did not tally on many occasions, and sometimes differed considerably. I decided to accept the version provided by the latter work, since the compiler was himself a Westerner and more qualified to use the Western calendar correctly. Dates relating to 'Abdu'l-Baha's second visit to Europe had likewise to be adjusted, whenever Zarqani's version differed from accounts provided by Western sources. A number of minor alterations have been made in the translations of 'Abdu'l-Baha's Talks, wherever the available Persian or Arabic text suggested a better rendering.

A word on the photographs of 'Abdu'l-Baha. The first photographs that we have of Him were taken in Adrianople. Then there were none until He reached London in 1911 and press photographers attempted to photograph Him. 'Abdu'l-Baha said, as reported by Lady Blomfield, 'If the photographs must be, it would be better to have good ones.' Therefore a number of studio portraits were taken in London, and again in Paris a month later. In the United States 'Abdu'l-Bahia was photographed frequently. On His return to the Holy Land, and in the closing years of His life, when pilgrims came again with their cameras, He was, once more, frequently photographed. No studio photograph was ever taken in the Holy Land.

As the year 1970 sped by and the opening months of 1971 were upon me, setbacks made it obvious that it would be a desperate race against time to complete the book to be available for the fiftieth Anniversary of the Passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha. Unstinted help given to me by Marion and David Hofman facilitated my task considerably, for which I am eternally grateful.

I am much indebted to the Baha'i Publishing Trusts of Great Britain and the United States for their kindness in allowing very lengthy quotations from their publications; and to Mrs. Doris Holley and Dr Edris Rice-Wray for permitting the reproduction of long extracts from the writings of the Hand of the Cause, Horace Holley, and from Portals to Freedom, respectively, as well as to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada for excerpts from 'Abdu’l-Baha in Canada.

My sincere thanks also go to Miss Angela Anderson, Mrs Beatrice Ashton, Mr and Mrs David Lewis, and Mr Rustom Sabit for their meticulous care in reading the proofs. Several of the photographs have been reproduced beautifully by Mr Horst W. Kolodziej, for which, too, I am very thankful.

Finally, without the encouragement, patience and suggestions of my wife this book would not have reached its readers thus soon.

H. M. Balyuzi
London
May 1971

From the back cover of the Book:

The Book

'He is, and should for all time be regarded, first and foremost, as the Centre and Pivot of Baha'u'llah’s peerless and all-enfolding Covenant . . . the perfect Exemplar of His teachings, the unerring Interpreter of His Word, the embodiment of every Baha’i ideal . . . --styles and titles that are implicit and find their truest, their highest and fairest expression in the magic name 'Abdu'l-Baha.'

'Abdu'l-Baha is the second in H. M. Balyuzi's trilogy portraying the lives of the three Central Figures of the Baha’i Faith. It is a comprehensive biography, which was written for the fiftieth anniversary of 'A bdu’l-Baha’s passing in November 1921, and makes available for the first time a full-scale study of His life. The author has drawn on Persian and English source material, much of it out of print, to create this enthralling book. He has written it for all those who seek to know more about 'Abdu'l-Baha, and who would follow the course of His long and fruitful life of service as His Father's ‘Ambassador to Humanity'.

The Author

H. N. Balyuzi comes of a Persian family distinguished for its scholarship and administrative ability. His father, a close correspondent of E. G. Browne, the Orientalist, was Governor of the Persian Gulf Ports. Although related to the Bab, the Herald and Martyr-Prophet of the New Dispensation, Mr. Balyuzi's membership of the Baha'i Faith is by conviction and not inheritance. He graduated from the American University of Beirut and later took his M.Sc.(Econ.) at London. At the outbreak of war in 1939 he joined the Persian service of the B.B.C. He was, for many years, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Raha’is of the British Isles. He was appointed a Hand of the Cause in 1957, has served in Haifa at the World Centre of the Baha’i Faith, and travelled, in 1961, through Canada and to Ecuador and Peru.

Contents

Part I

Youth, Imprisonment and Freedom
1. The Master
2. In the Days of His Father
3. The Ascension of Baha'u'llah
4. The Centre of the Covenant
5. Open Rebellion
6. Disciples in the West
7. Years of Peril
8. Raising the Tabernacle of the Lord
9. Liberty at Last
10. 'A New Cycle of Human Power'
11. Sojourn in Paris

Part II

America, From Coast to Coast
12. The First Visits
13. The City of the Covenant
14. New England
15. Canada
16. The Westward Journey
17. California
18. Farewell to America

Part III

Europe and the Closing Years
19. The Second Visit to Britain
20. Return to Europe
21. To Egypt and the Holy Land
22. The War Years
23. The Last Years of His Ministry
24. The Passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha
25. The Will and Testament

A Word in Conclusion

Appendices
1. 'The Drama of the Kingdom'
2. From The Tablets of the Divine Plan
3. Tablets Regarding The Save the Children Fund
4. 'A Great Prince Speaks of 'Abdu'l-Baha
5. A Gift from the Shrine of Baha’u'llah

Bibliography
Notes
Index

The Secret of Divine Civilization, by 'Abdu'l-Baha – “’Abdu’l-Baha’s outstanding contribution to the future reorganization of the world” (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 37)

2010-04-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

Never has the spiritual character of true civilization been revealed under such extraordinary circumstances by an author so qualified as in this text by 'Abdu'l-Baha.

Written in the year 1875, the original Persian text was lithographed in Bombay in 1882. The first English translation was published in London, 1910, and later in Chicago, 1918, under the title Mysterious Forces of Civilization. The present translation by Marzieh Gail, a more accurate rendering, reflects the mastery of both languages possessed by an accomplished author whose father was Persian and whose mother was American, and who has lived for years in both countries.

The name 'Abdu'l-Baha has attained unique fame throughout the East and the West, a symbol of wisdom, nobility, heroism and complete consecration to the cause of spiritual unity and universal peace. His name is a title meaning “Servant of Baha." (i.e., Servant of Baha'u'llah) …

The Secret of Divine Civilization consists of a message addressed to the rulers and the people of Persia.. . .

The Western reader will not fail to note that 'Abdu'l-Baha employed passages from the Qur'an on which to establish the spiritual significances of His theme and to press His appeal to the Islamic nation of Persia. Since the Qur'an is little known in the West, these passages have an incidental importance in making the Western reader more familiar with the Holy Book of the Arabic and Persian peoples at a time when understanding of the Orient is direly needed in Europe and America. (Horace Holley, July 4, 1956)

The Story of Baha’u’llah , Promised One of All Religions, by Druzelle Cederquist

2010-03-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

This remarkable book contains many touching stories mainly about the life of Baha’u’llah, and some of the Bab’s, both during and after the Advent of the Bab. Each story has a heading which helps the reader to focus on pertinent factors involved. The book also contains some explanations of certain historical events that took place outside of Persia during particular periods associated with the Ministries of the Bab and Bah’u’llah.

Below are the headings of the 69 stories that are described in the book, and the titles of the 5 very useful appendices.

Part 1: The Dawn

1 Shaykh Mahmud’s Secret Plan
2 The Puppet Show and the Dream
3 The Home of Love
4 Father of the Poor and Mother of Consolation
5 No Time to Lose
6 The Quest
7 Witnesses of the Dawn
8 Noble Descendant of a Noble Father
9 The Mujtahid and the Dervish
10 Awake, Awake!
11 The Scholar and the Governors
12 The Open Mountain and the Grievous Mountain
13 Rage and a Secret Rescue
14 The Blast of the Trumpet
15 The Sermon of Wrath and a Royal Command
16 Bandar-Gaz and the Black Standard
17 Danger at Amul
18 Courage at Tabarsi
19 Embattled
20 No Peace in the City of Tabriz
21 A Promise Kept in Karbala
22 A Plot against the Shah
23 Prisoner
24 The Black Pit
25 cruel Days
26 The Mystery of God and His Treasure
28 Terrible Journey

Part 2: The Sun in Its Splendor

29 Baghdad
30 Thousands of Oceans of Light
31 The Dark Campaign
32 Aone in the Wilderness
33 The Nameless One
34 A Joyful Naw-Ruz
35 Purity within Purity
36 Unlocking the Doors of Heaven
37 The Shaykh and the Assassin
38 The Eldest Uncle's Questions
39 A Paradox Resolved
40 The Garden of Paradise
41 One Hundred and Ten Days
42 The Sultan's Command
43 The Poisoned Cup
44 The Most Great Separation
45 He Who Feareth No One
46 0 Kings of the Earth!
47 Destination Unknown
48 The Most Great Prison
49 Seeking a Glimpse of the Lord
50 For the Healing of All the World
51 Into the Mouth of the Serpent
52 The Greatest Gift
53 The Whisperings of Satan
54 The Keys of My Mercy
55 The Governor and the Master of Acre
56 Two Birds of the Nest of Thy Love
57 The Hand of God
58 Oasis
59 The King of Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs
60 Blessed is the Place
61 To Conquer the Cities of the Hearts
62 The Master
63 O Most Exalted Leaf!
64 These Fruitless Strifes. These Ruinous Wars
65 The King of Days
66 The Holy Mountain and the Martyrs of Yazd
67 A Pattern for the Future
68 The Sun of Baha Has Set
69 An Excellent and Priceless Heritage

Appendix 1: A Brief Chronology of Events in the Life of Baha'u'llah
Appendix 2: A Note about the Wives of Baha'u'llah and Baha'i Marriage
Appendix 3: Islam and its Two Major Branches, Shia and Sunni
Appendix 4: Millennia1 Christians
Appendix 5: Mrza Yahya

Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah

2010-02-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

In 1935 Shoghi Effendi again presented the western Bahá'ís with a magnificent gift, published under the title Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, which the Guardian himself described as "consisting of a selection of the most characteristic and hitherto unpublished passages from the outstanding works of the Author of the Bahá'í Revelation."

Remembering the scanty pages of the New Testament, the reputed words of Buddha, and the mere handful of sayings of some other Divine luminaries, which nevertheless have transfigured for centuries the lives of millions of men, the Gleanings alone seems to provide a source of guidance and inspiration sufficient for the spiritual Dispensation of any Prophet. The most treasured tribute to this book was that of Queen Marie of Rumania who told Martha Root: "even doubters would find a powerful strength in it, if they would read it alone, and would give their souls time to expand." To Shoghi Effendi himself the Queen wrote, in January 1936, after receiving from him a copy, "May I send you my most grateful thanks for the wonderful book, every word of which is precious to me, and doubly so in this time of anxiety and unrest." (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, p. 93)

To translate from one language to another is an art which requires knowledge, imagination and perfect mastery of both languages involved. For many years I struggled with translation into English from Italian, and vice versa, so that I well know the tremendous difficulties encountered in retaining the style, form and character of the original text - the hallmarks of the personality of the author-in the process of transferring these characteristics into another language that possesses a different grammatic structure and may, at times, lack the corresponding noun or adjective or verb used by the author. There are words in one language that cannot be translated into another because they actually do not exist. If we but consider therefore, from this point of view, Shoghi Effendi's translations into English from either Persian or Arabic - two flowery languages so rich in imagery and abundant in synonyms, the structure of which is so different from any modern European language - we can then better understand the immensity of his labour and the greatness of his accomplishment. (Ugo Giachery, Shoghi Effendi - Recollections, p. 35)

The contents of Gleanings may be divided into five parts. Part one, pages 1-46, proclaims this age as the "Day of God." “The advent of such a Revelation hath been heralded in all the sacred Scriptures." This is the culminating age when the past dispensations will bear fruit as men and women the world over unite in a common faith. Part two, pages 46-136, concerns the Manifestation of God and the significance of the Manifestation in representing the attributes of God. Part three, pages 136-200, deals with basic questions concerning the soul and its immortality. Part four, pages 200-259, concerns spiritual aspects of World Order the Most Great Peace. Part five, pages 259-346, deals with the duties of the individual and the spiritual meaning of life. (W. Kenneth Christian 1952, Introduction to Gleanings)

The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice

2010-02-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice is referred to by the beloved Guardian as the “Most Great Law of the Faith of Baha’u’llah” (The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 130, 1973). It contains 16 pages and is divided into two sections:

1. Declaration of Trust; and

2. By-Laws

For an inspiring and informative review of its contents, please see the transcript of a talk given by Mr. Ali Nakhjavani, a member of the House of Justice. A copy is posted at Baha’i Talks.

Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha

2010-01-30T15:09:00.000-08:00

…the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, that Charter of Bahá'u'lláh's New World Order, the offspring resulting from the mystic intercourse between Him Who is the Source of the Law of God and the mind of the One Who is the vehicle and interpreter of that Law. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. xv)

The Charter which called into being, outlined the features and set in motion the processes of, this Administrative Order is none other than the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, His greatest legacy to posterity, the brightest emanation of His mind and the mightiest instrument forged to insure the continuity of the three ages which constitute the component parts of His Father's Dispensation. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 325)

… a document which confirms, supplements, and correlates the provisions of the Aqdas --

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 19)

It would, however, be helpful and instructive to bear in mind certain basic principles with reference to the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, which, together with the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, constitutes the chief depository wherein are enshrined those priceless elements of that Divine Civilization, the establishment of which is the primary mission of the Bahá'í Faith. (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 3)

The Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, on the other hand, may be regarded as the offspring resulting from that mystic intercourse between Him Who had generated the forces of a God-given Faith and the One Who had been made its sole Interpreter and was recognized as its perfect Exemplar. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 325)

Statements such as these indicate that the full meaning of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, as well as an understanding of the implications of the World Order ushered in by that remarkable Document can be revealed only gradually to men's eyes, and after the Universal House of Justice has come into being. The friends are called upon to trust to time and to await the guidance of the Universal House 352 of Justice, which, as circumstances require, will make pronouncements that will resolve and clarify obscure matters. (Universal House of Justice, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 351)

The contents of the Will of the Master is far too much for the present generation to comprehend. It needs at least a century of actual working before the treasures of wisdom hidden in it can be revealed. How can we at this stage and with our limited understanding denounce its spirit and purport.
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, March 25, 1930) (Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 182)

"What he considers, however, to be now of the utmost importance is for the believers, each and all, to cling firmly to the provisions of our beloved Master's Will and Testament, as by this means alone the unity of the Cause, and its safe and speedy growth can be maintained, safeguarded and insured. Such an absolute and unwavering fidelity to 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Will, and firm adherence to the principles of the Administrative Order is indeed incumbent upon every one of the friends, without any distinction whatever. Upon this basis alone the Faith can be safeguarded and flourish."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, July 18, 1938) (Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 182)

The Priceless Pearl, by Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum

2010-01-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

The Priceless Pearl, although biographical in treatment, is what the author prefers to call an appraisal of the life and work of this distinguished, unique and far-visioned man, believing that we stand too near to such a towering figure to assemble, at so early a date, a more detailed record of his achievements.

The panorama of his life, so filled with sorrow and drama, victory and crisis, stretches through the pages of this book in a memorable and moving tale of historic events, ably portrayed by the pen of one who was not only a Baha'i from birth, but honoured by becoming the wife of the Guardian or her Faith, who served him tirelessly as his personal secretary, who was appointed by him a Hand of the Cause of God and who he stated had been his "shield" during difficult days of his life.

Born Mary Sutherland Maxwell the author grew up in Montreal, Canada; since the passing of her illustrious husband in 1957 she has travelled all over the world, giving public lectures and devoting particular attention to villagers and tribal peoples whom she has made a special point of visiting in Asia, Africa and throughout Latin America.

Her previous book Prescription for Living has been widely read and translated into a number of languages.

(From the back cover)

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
The Childhood and Youth of Shoghi Effendi
The Passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha and its Immediate Consequences
Early Years of the Guardianship
Martha Root and Queen Marie of Rumania
The Principle of Light and Shadow
Facets of Shoghi Effendi's Personality
The Deepest Ties
Intimate Glimpses
War
The Writings of the Guardian
The Development of the International Institutions
of the Faith
The Rise of the World Centre
The Rise of the Administrative Order
Guiding Lines
The Prosecution of 'Abdu'l-Baha's Divine Plan
A Unique Ministry
Index

God Passes By – Shoghi Effendi

2010-01-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

• God Passes By , the most brilliant and wondrous tale of a century that has ever been told, is truly a "Mother" of future histories, a book wherein every word counts, every sentence burgeons with thought, every thought leads the way to a field of its own. Packed with salient facts it has the range and precision of snowflake crystals, each design perfect in itself, each theme brilliant in outline, coordinated, balanced, self-contained, a matrix for those who follow on and study, evaluate and elaborate the Message and Order of Bahá'u'lláh. It was one of the most concentrated and stupendous achievements of Shoghi Effendi's life, the only true book we have from his pen - because all his other communications were, no doubt due to his profound modesty and humility, in the nature of letters addressed to a specific community or section of the Bahá'í world. ((Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 222-23)

• … God Passes By is a flaming narrative. The character and qualities of the innumerable personages in it spring from the personages themselves and not from the author's fantasy. Like a precious and veritable gift from God, Shoghi Effendi's writing is an infinite, passionate cry from his innermost noble soul: the need to relate with great force and vehemence, without pause or rest, the greatest epic of the millennium. One can well sense that the underlying element of urgency is motivated by the inner impelling need to proclaim it, without delay, to all mankind. (Ugo Giachery, Shoghi Effendi - Recollections, p. 37)

• In 1944, on the occasion of the celebration of the Centenary of the Declaration of the beloved Báb, Bahá’í literature was crowned with two masterpieces from the Guardian, two brilliant stars that shall shine eternally in the firmament of the historical and literary works of the Cause. The first, which took the title of God Passes By, is addressed to the friends in America; and the second, addressed to the friends in the East, is titled “The Tablet of Naw-Rúz 101.” Both deal with the touching history of the Cause in the course of the century, a history of persecution and oppression, a history of suffering and victory, a history of joy and love, a history of the growth of the Cause of God, of its rise and of its descent into a wave-tossed sea of happenings, of its evolution from an embryonic state to its triumphant march towards its culminating point determining the destiny of man.

• In these two works, literary aptitude of the Guardian and his historical knowledge are fully manifested. His perspective on the destiny of the Cause, his clear vision and analytical power, enlighten us on the development of the divine Revelation and its long path to its apogee: the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth….

The book, God Passes By, … is a book of 463 pages apportioned to four historical periods, comprising the ministry of the Báb in five chapters, the ministry of Bahá’u’lláh in eight chapters, the ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ likewise in eight chapters, and finally the dawn of the Formative Age of the Faith in four chapters, a section which ends in a retrospective overview of the past and a prospective vision of the future of the Cause. (Dr. Ali Muhammad Varqa, online Baha’i Studies document: An Introduction to the Law-i-Qarn)

• In an age when people play football with words, kicking them right and left indiscriminately with no respect for either their meaning or correct usage, the style of Shoghi Effendi stands out in dazzling beauty. His joy in words was one of his strongest personal characteristics, whether he wrote in English - the language he had given his heart to - or in the mixture of Persian and Arabic he used in his general letters to the East. Although he was so simple in his personal tastes he had an innate love of richness which is manifest in the way he arranged and decorated various Bahá'í Holy Places, in the style of the Shrine of the Báb, in his preferences in architecture, and in his choice and combination of words. Of him it could be said, in the words of another great writer, Macaulay, that "he wrote in language...precise and luminous." Unlike so many people Shoghi Effendi wrote what he meant and meant exactly what he wrote. It is impossible to eliminate any word from one of his sentences without sacrificing part of the meaning, so concise, so pithy in his style. A book like God Passes By is a veritable essence of essences; from this single hundred-year history, fifty books could easily be written and none of them would superficial or lacking in material, so rich is the source provided by the Guardian, so condensed his treatment of it. (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 195)

• "All day Shoghi Effendi types his manuscript [God Passes By ] and I read the copy before mailing it to Horace [Horace Holley, Secretary of the American National Assembly] to be sure the last mistakes are ironed out, and he and I spend hours reading the original and correcting the pages and putting in the interminable accents! (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 163)

• The method of Shoghi Effendi in writing God Passes By was to sit down for a year and read every book of the Bahá'í Writings in Persian and English, and every book written about the Faith by Bahá'ís, whether in manuscript form or published, and everything written by non-Bahá'ís that contained significant references to it. I think, in all, this must have covered the equivalent of at least two hundred books. As he read he made notes and compiled and marshalled his facts. Anyone who has ever tackled a work of an historical nature knows how much research is involved, how often one has to decided, in the light of relevant material, between this date given in one place and that date given in another, how back-breaking the whole work is. How much more so then was such a work for the Guardian who had, at the same time, to prepare for the forthcoming Centenary of the Faith and make decisions regarding the design of the superstructure of the Báb's Shrine. When all the ingredients of his book had been assembled Shoghi Effendi commenced weaving them into the fabric of his picture of the significance of the first century of the Bahá'í Dispensation. It was not his purpose, he said, to write a detailed history of those hundred years, but rather to review the salient features of the birth and rise of the Faith, the establishment of its administrative institutions, and the series of crises which had propelled it forward in a mysterious manner, through the release of the Divine power within it, from victory to victory. He revealed to us the panorama of events which, he wrote, "the revolution of a hundred years...has unrolled before our eyes" and lifted the curtain on the opening acts of what he asserted was one "indivisible, stupendous and sublime drama, whose mystery no intellect can fathom, whose climax no eye can even dimly perceive, whose conclusion no mind can adequately foreshadow."

How many hundreds of hours Shoghi Effendi spent on reading his sources and compiling his notes, how many days and months in painstakingly writing out in long hand - and often rewriting - the majestic procession of his chapters, how many more wearisome days he sat at his small portable typewriter, hammering away with a few fingers, sometimes ten hours on end, as he typed the final copy of his work! And how many more hours we spent late into the night, when the daily typing was over, seated side by side at his bog table in his bedroom, each with three copies of the typescript before us, proof-reading, making corrections, putting in by hand the thousands of accents on transliterated words which Shoghi Effendi would read aloud, until his eyes were bloodshot and blurred, his back and arms stiff with exhaustion, as we worked on to finish the entire chapter or part of a chapter he had typed that day. It had to be done. There was no possibility of working at a slower pace. he was racing against time to present the Bahá'ís of the West with this inimitable gift on the occasion of the one hundredth anniversary of the inception of their Faith. In spite of the fact that he mailed off to America the corrected manuscript in installments, conditions in the United States delayed the publication and the book was not off the press until the middle of November 1944.

It was not enough to say "See what the man has done." One must ask how and under what circumstances he did it. 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote the Tablets of the Divine Plan when He was old, worn out and in great danger at the end of World War I. Shoghi Effendi, already crushed and overburdened from the weight of twenty years of Guardianship, when the tides of World War II threatened to sweep over the Holy Land and engulf him and the World Centre of the Faith in one catastrophic flow, during a period when his home was convulsed by the repercussions of Covenant-breaking now affecting his family, set himself the task of appraising for all time the significance of the events of the first century of the Bahá'í Era. On rare occasions it was my misfortune during these years to see him weep as if his heart would break - so great was his agony, so overwhelming the pressures that bore down upon him! (Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 222-23)

• The Guardian sent this book to Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel who during his visit had shown interest in reading about the history of the Faith.

Mahmud’s Diary – The Diary of Mirza Mahmu-i-Zarqani Chronicling ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Journey to America, Translated by Mohi Sobhani

2009-12-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

In the spring of 1912 Abdu'l-Baha set off from Alexandria on His historic journey to America. Among his small entourage was Mirza Mahmud- i-Zarqani, who became, in the words of Shoghi Effendii, “the chronicler of His travels”.

Mirza Mahmud went everywhere with ‘Abdu’l-Baha making extensive notes not only of the Master's many public talks and conversations with individuals but also of the new sights and experiences they found in America as well as the daily routines of eating, writing letters and travelling. Mahmud remarks on the novelty of the New York skyscrapers, electric lights and American foods and customs for Abdu'l Baha’s party as well as the picturesque spectacle provided to the Americans by His entourage in their ‘abas and Persian hats.

The result was a unique diary “regarded as a reliable account of Abdu'l-Baha's travels in the West and an authentic record of His utterances, whether in the form of formal talks, table talks or random oral statements. Mirza Mahmud was a careful and faithful chronicler and engaged in assembling and publishing his work with the permission of the beloved Master . . “ (The Universal House of Justice).

The translations of the talks of Abdu'l-Baha and His words found in the present volume were read and revised at the Baha’Ii World Centre. Many newly translated talks of Abdu’l-Baha are included which are not available elsewhere.
(From the description at the back of the book)

The present work is a translation of the first volume of Mahmud’s Badayi’u’l-Atha’r, an impressive documentary which he appears to have written from his notes on his return to the Middle East in 1913. Mahmud made extensive notes of many of 'Abdu'l-Baha's major talks and various private conversations. The translations of 'Abdu'l-Baha's words recorded in the present volume were read and revised at the Baha'i World Centre. The publisher is grateful to Kalimat Press, who undertook the original translations of these passages, for their kind permission to use these translations in the present volume.

The Universal House of Justice, in a letter of April 30, 1954 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, stated that it

. . . attaches great importance to this work which, as you may know, is regarded as a reliable account of 'Abdu'l- Baha's travels in the West and an authentic record of His utterances, whether in the form of formal talks, table talks or random oral statements. Mirza Mahmud was a careful and faithful chronicler and engaged in assembling and publishing his work with the permission of the beloved Master, as he states in the Introduction. Indeed, Shoghi Effendi drew upon it for details about the Master's visit to the West in writing God Passes By. .
(From A Note from the Publisher section of the book)

Selections From The Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha

2009-11-21T14:48:00.000-08:00

In the preface to this book, which was published by the Universal House of Justice in 1978, we read:

‘Abdu’l-Baha’s exposition of the Baha’i Revelation is recorded in His written works, in the many compilations of His recorded utterances, and in His correspondence. The written works such as The Secret of Divine Civilization, A Traveller’s Narrative, the Will and Testament, are available in English translations. Likewise many compilations of His recorded utterances, among which may be mentioned Some Answered Questions, Memorials of the Faithful, Paris Talks, are kept in print. Not for sixty years, however, has any large compilation, in English, of His innumerable letters been made; the three volumes of Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha published the United States between 1909 and 1916, although running into second editions, have long been out of print.

The present compilation attempts a much wider selection than was made for those early volumes, and its perusal will give some indication of the vast range of subjects dealt with by the Master in His correspondence. Included are a number of Tablets translated by a Committee at the World Centre using early drafts made by Shoghi Effendi during ‘Abdn’l-Baha’s lifetime, and a large number by Marzieh Gale, sent to her from the World Centre’s collection of more than 19,000 original and authenticated copies. Some famous Tablets, such as the correspondence with Auguste Forel, or the greater part of the Tablet to the Hague, have been omitted since they are available in separate publications.

The happy and blessed recipients of the vast majority of the Tablets here included were the early believers of the east and west, whether individuals, groups, organized committees or assemblies of the friends, and their value to the nascent communities of the west in those days when Baha’i literature in English was meagre in the extreme, cannot be overestimated.

It is believed that publication of these writings of the Master will serve to increase the fervour of His lovers in responding to His call and add to their perception of that wondrous harmony of the human and divine which He, the Mystery of God, so perfectly exemplified.

The Bab, by Hand of the Cause H.M. Balyuzi

2009-11-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a fascinating record of the life of the Bab, Whom Baha’u’llah refers to as “the King of the Messengers”. In the inside cover of the book we read:

"In the middle of the nineteenth century Iran, then remote from the West, was roused and convulsed by the appearance of the Marty-Prophet, the Bab, Whose brief Ministry of six years (1844-50) ended in His own martyrdom and that of thousands of His followers. The Bab was a youthful merchant Who fulfilled wide expectation in The East and West by His declaration that ‘He Whom God shall manifest” would soon arise to guide mankind into a new epoch of spiritual civilization.

The Bab and His religion were observed at first hand by Western diplomats – British, Russian, French, and Austrian, in particular – whose official reports and accounts in books provide unparalleled data for the study of the birth and rise of a faith which, in the words of a Cambridge scholar, Edward Grandville Brown, 'may not impossibly win a place amidst the great religions of the world'.

Mr. Balyuzi has made use of many official documents from governmental records, and also cites material gathered from family archives, accessible to him as a relative of the Bab. His illustrations include several items from these archives."

In the forward section of the book, Hand of the Cause of God Mr. Baluzi indicates that:

"This book is the first in the range of Baha’i literature to make extensive use of official documents from governmental archives. I am greatly indebted to Moojan Momen who has generously shared with me the results of his able research in the Public Record Office of London and elsewhere.

The two British Foreign Secretaries who received news and dispatches regarding the Bab and the Baha’is were the Earl of Aberdeen, who held office from September 1841 to July I 846, under Sir Robert Peel; and Viscount Palmerston, whose tenure of office extended from July 1846 to January January 1852 under Lord John Russell. The British envoy chiefly involved in forwarding such reports to London was Lt.-Col. (later Sir Justin) Sheil, the Minister in Tihran. Lord Palmerston’s letters to him (F.O. 248/134) state that his dispatches concerning the Bab and the Babis were ‘laid before the Queen’.

My deep gratitude goes to Abul-Qasim Afnan, who has unstintingly made available to me the chronicle-history and the autobiography of his father, the late Haji Mirza Habib’u’llah, as well as letters written by and to the relatives of the Bab, together with many other documents of inestimable value.

It should be borne in mind that apart from quotations from the Writings of the Bab, speeches attributed to Him or to anyone else in these pages must not be taken as exact reportage of words spoken at the time. They only convey the sense and purport of what was said on those occasions. Obviously no one was taking notes. It is possible, however, that a few short sentences here and there, which immediately engrave themselves on the mind, are exact utterances, the very words spoken.

As the bibliography indicates I have consulted a number of books; but of printed works, the main sources have been God Passes By and Nabil’s Narrative, The Dawn-Breakers. I am much indebted to the Baha’i Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, for permission to quote from these and other sources, as well as to Cambridge University Press, the Public Record Office, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., A. & C. Black Ltd., Faber & Faber Ltd., William Heinemann Ltd., Methuen & Co. Ltd., and World Order, A Baha’i Magazine. Full acknowledgment is made in the bibliography and notes.

I am profoundly grateful to the Hands of the Cause Paul Haney and Abul-Qasim Faizi for reading the manuscript and for their review and advice. As in the past Marion Hofman’s generous help has smoothed the path to publication. My indebtedness to her is immense. And without my wife’s assistance and support I could not have completed my task.

I should also like to thank Miss Dorothy Wigington, Mr. Farhang Afnan and Mr. Rustom Sabit for their care n reading the proofs, and Mr. Horst W. Kolodziej for his excellent reproduction of a number of old documents and photographs.

Finally, a word as to the Prologue; this in my view provides a necessary background for the story of the Bab. But should the reader find in it too many unfamiliar facts, he nay turn immediately to the first chapter."

H.M. BALYUZI

London October 1972

Selections From The Writings of the Bab

2009-10-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

This first authorized source of the Bab’s Writings in English became available in 1976.
In the preface to this book we read:

“The Baha'i Community has long awaited the day when a comprehensive selection from the writings of the Bab would be made available to it. Ever since Shoghi Effendi translated and published Nabil's Narrative, and set forth in his monumental works the exalted station of the Bib, the Baha'is the world over, and particularly those in the West, have, in their longing to draw nearer to the glorious spirit of Him Who was not only the Herald of their Faith but the Bearer of an independent Revelation, eagerly anticipated an authentic compilation of His revealed utterances and writings. This volume, it is hoped, will be an initial and effective step in that direction.

In view of the vastness of the writings of the Bab, a thorough review of His several works was required. The Universal House of Justice entrusted this task to its Research Department. The actual translation was made by Mr. Habib Taherzadeh, who for several years himself served in that Department. With the assistance of a committee which worked with him, this work is now completed, and it is being made available to Baha'is and the general public as a precious addition to the volume of Baha'i literature in the English language.”

The Table of Contents shows the following:

Tablets and Addresses
Excerpts from the Qayyumu’l-Asma
Excerpts from the Persian Bayan
Excerpts from the Dala’il-i-Sab’ih (The Seven Proofs)
Excerpts from the Kitab-i-Asma (The Book of Names)
Excerpts from Various Writings
Prayers and Meditation
Notes

The book has 236 pages. It provides a rare and precious opportunity for us to become exposed to the Teachings of the Bab, “the King of the Messengers”(Baha’u’llah, Tablet of Ahmad).

Stories of Baha'u'llah and Some Notable Believers, by Kiser Barnes

2009-10-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

A fascinating book about the life and ministry of Baha’u’llah, the latest Manifestation (Prophet) of God. All the stories are from Adib Taherzadeh’s four volumes of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah.

“Here also are stirrings presentations of believers who stood before the world with the spirit of a new era that Baha’u’llah had awakened in them. Discover in these pages how some Apostles of Baha’u’llah, the four Hands of the Cause of God He appointed, the first Jewish believer, the first Zoroastrian believer, the first Christian believer, and other fortunate men and women, daringly recognized that a new religion has once again come into the world. Like the narratives of the world religions gone before, these precious stories fill the heart with wonder” (from the cover of the book)

Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah

2009-10-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

"He is indeed pleased to know that the Book of Prayers and Meditations by Bahá'u'lláh has been out in time to enable the friends to read it during the Fast, and he has every hope that the perusal of such a precious volume will help to deepen more than any other publication, the spirit of devotion and faith in the friends, and thus charge them with all the spiritual power they require for the accomplishment of their tremendous duties towards the Cause..." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 59)

A “diamond-mine of communion with God, unsurpassed in any religious literature of the world …” (Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 219)

"It contains nearly two hundred selections – prayers which reveal the infinite bounty of God’s purpose for man – spiritual understanding, steadfastness, unity, immortality, capacity for human service, awareness for the providential nature of this age when all things are made new." (Hand of the Cause Horace Holley)

“ … a companion volume [to Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah], comparable in richness and complementary in material, namely, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá'u'lláh. Again we find the Guardian's former professor, Bayard Dodge, writing to him with a shrewd appraisal of what such a work involves: "The translation of deep and poetic thoughts, such as those in the Prayers and Meditations , requires an enormous amount of hard work...I have told you before how much I marvel when I see the quality of English that you use." "When he had received the Gleanings Professor Dodge had written to the Guardian: "You have mastered English in such a remarkable way that I am sure the sayings do not lose their meaning and charm because of translation." And when Shoghi Effendi's translation of The Hidden Words reached him he had written, again with singular insight into what such a work signifies "I realize how exceedingly difficult it is to translate beautiful Oriental thoughts into English and I congratulate you for the quality of the language which you have used." (Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 219)

Comments:

This collection of Bahau’llah’s prayers was translated by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, during the years 1936-7. We feel so grateful to him for providing us with such an inestimable selection of prayers revealed by Baha’u’llah, especially when we remind ourselves that as the Head of the Faith Shoghi Effendi had numerous responsibilities.
As we read these beautiful prayers in the Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u’llah, let’s remember the following explanation from the beloved Guardian concerning the whole concept of “meditation and prayer”:

"For the core of religious faith is that mystical feeling which unites man with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and maintained by means of meditation and prayer. And this is the reason why Bahá'u'lláh has so much stressed the importance of worship. It is not sufficient for a believer merely to accept and observe the teachings. He should, in addition, cultivate the sense of spirituality which he can acquire chiefly be means of prayer." (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, December 8, 1935: Bahá'í News, No. 102, August 1936, p. 2; Lights of Guidance, p. 506)