24 November 1924: To the Baha'is Worldwide

To my dearly-beloved brothers and sisters in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: care of the English National Spiritual Assembly

Dearest friends:

The day is drawing near when, for the third time, we shall commemorate the world over the passing of our well-beloved ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. May we not pause for a moment, and gather our thoughts? How has it fared with us, His little band of followers, since that day? Whither are we now marching? What has been our achievement?

We have but to turn our eyes to the world without to realize the fierceness and the magnitude of the forces of darkness that are struggling with the dawning light of the Abhá Revelation. Nations, though exhausted and disillusioned, have seemingly begun to cherish anew the spirit of revenge, of domination, and strife. Peoples, convulsed by economic upheavals, are slowly drifting into two great opposing camps with all their menace of social chaos, class hatreds, and worldwide ruin. Races, alienated more than ever before, are filled with mistrust, humiliation and fear, and seem to prepare themselves for a fresh and fateful encounter. Creeds and religions, caught in this whirlpool of conflict and passion, appear to gaze with impotence and despair at this spectacle of unceasing turmoil.

Such is the plight of mankind three years after the passing of Him from whose lips fell unceasingly the sure message of a fast-approaching Divine salvation. Are we by our thoughts, our words, our deeds, whether individually or collectively, preparing the way? Are we hastening the advent of the Day He so often foretold?

None can deny that the flame of faith and love which His mighty hand kindled in many hearts has, despite our bereavement, continued to burn as brightly and steadily as ever before. Who can question that His loved ones, both in the East and the West, notwithstanding the insidious strivings of the enemies of the Cause, have displayed a spirit of unshakable loyalty worthy of the highest praise? What greater perseverance and fortitude than that which His tried and trusted friends have shown in the face of untold calamities, intolerable oppression, and incredible restrictions? But such staunchness of faith, such an unsullied love, such magnificent loyalty, such heroic constancy, such noble courage, however unprecedented and laudable in themselves, cannot alone lead us to the final and complete triumph of such a great Cause. Not until the dynamic love we cherish for Him is sufficiently reflected in its power and purity in all our dealings with our fellow-men, however remotely connected and humble in origin, can we hope to exalt in the eyes of a self-seeking world the genuineness of the all-conquering love of God. Not until we live ourselves the life of a true Bahá’í can we hope to demonstrate the creative and transforming potency of the Faith we profess. Nothing but the abundance of our actions, nothing but the purity of our lives and the integrity of our characters, can in the last resort establish our claim that the Bahá’í spirit is in this day the sole agency that can translate a long-cherished ideal into an enduring achievement.

24 September 1924: To Baha’is of Great Britain [1]

The beloved of the Lord and the hand-maids of the Merciful in Great Britain.

Care of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Dear Friends,

I return to the Holy Land with an overpowering sense of the gravity of the spiritual state of the Cause in the world. Much as I deplore the disturbing effect of my forced and repeated withdrawals from the field of service, I can unhesitatingly assure you that my last and momentous step was taken with extreme reluctance and only after mature and anxious reflection as to the best way to safeguard the interests of a precious Cause.

My prolonged absence, my utter inaction should not, however, be solely attributed to certain external manifestations of unharmony, of discontent and disloyalty—however paralysing their effect has been upon the continuance of my work—but also to my own unworthiness and to my imperfections and frailties.

I venture to request you to join me in yet another prayer, this time more ardent and universal than before, supplicating with one voice the gracious Master to overlook our weaknesses and failings, to make us worthier and braver children of His own.

Humanity, through suffering and turmoil, is swiftly moving on towards its destiny; if we be loiterers, if we fail to play our part surely others will be called upon to take up our task as ministers to the crying needs of this afflicted world.

Not by the force of numbers, not by the mere exposition of a set of new and noble principles, not by an organised campaign of teaching—no matter how worldwide and elaborate in its character—not even by the staunchness of our faith or the exaltation of our enthusiasm, can we ultimately hope to vindicate in the eyes of a critical and sceptical age the supreme claim of the Abhá Revelation. One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendour of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh.

26 January 1924: To the Baha’is in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, and the adjoining islands of the Pacific

The dearly-beloved ones of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá throughout Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, and the adjoining islands of the Pacific.

Friends and heralds of the Kingdom of Bahá’ulláh!

A fresh breeze, laden with the perfume of your love and devotion to our beloved Cause, was wafted again from your distant southern shores to the Holy Land, and has served to remind us one and all of that unquenchable spirit of service and self-sacrifice which the passing of our Beloved has in these days kindled in almost every comer of the world. The letters now and then received from those faithful untiring pioneers of the Cause of God Mr. and Mrs. H. Dunn, are in themselves not only a convincing testimony of the ever-advancing Faith of God, proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh, but set as well a magnificent example to those who yearn and endeavour to further His Cause and adhere faithfully to ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's last instructions.

The progress of your labours, however modest and inconspicuous at first, the world and all the forces therein can never resist; and the Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh working so amazingly through every one of you the changes and chances of this distracted world can never quench. You are assuredly of those few, yet highly favoured, harbingers of the new Day of God, towards the establishment of which the world in its distress and turmoil is fastly, though unconsciously, moving on, and the full triumph of which, if it be His Will and Desire, I trust, you will all witness.

I pray that your meeting and collaboration with our beloved Martha Root, that admirable and zealous disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, will stimulate and advance your work, fortify your spirit, and reinforce your endeavours to penetrate fields, hitherto unexplored, wherein you may achieve signal victories. My ardent prayer at His sacred Shrine is that your vision of so great and precious a Cause may never grow dim. that your convictions may never falter, that you may continue, steadfast, radiant and undaunted, your task so nobly begun, and achieve in the fullness of time its destined and glorious consummation.

In this prayer join me the bereaved Ladies of the holy household whose eyes are turned tenderly and expectant towards you, seeking and finding in every one of you the alleviation of their grief at the Beloved’s sudden departure, and the hope for the triumph of a Cause for which He laboured and gave His life. That you will guard His trust and achieve His victory, we are firmly convinced, and together with this expression of our confidence and firm belief may we convey to you all a measure of our undying love and deep affection.

Your devoted brother in His service,

Shoghi

(Messages to the Antipodes)