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Bahá'í Administration
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Pages 44-48
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Letter of April 9th, 1923.
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To the members of the American National Spiritual Assembly.
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Dearest friends:
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I have lately received your long-awaited reports on the present
situation of the Movement in that land, and have read them all,
together with their enclosures, with the utmost care and deepest
interest.
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I am much impressed and feel deeply gratified to learn of your
devoted and unremitting labors, individually and collectively in the
field of service to the Cause; of your constant vigilance and watchful
care in upholding its fundamental principles and guarding its essential
interests; of the efficiency, faithfulness and vigor with which
you are conducting the administration of its affairs throughout that
land.
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5 |
Many and grave may be the obstacles, whether from within or
from without, which we shall have to encounter in the days to
come, but we feel sure that if we but maintain consistently before
our eyes a broad and noble vision of its significance and vital necessity
in these days, and above all of its universality and all-conquering
power, we shall be enabled to surmount them, one and all, and by
the Power of Faith, carry the Ark of the Covenant to its Haven of
Safety and Triumph.
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6 |
It is, I firmly believe, of the utmost urgent importance that,
with unity of purpose and action firmly established in our midst, and
with every trace of the animosity and mistrust of the past banished
from our hearts, we should form one united front and combat,
wisely and tactfully, every force that might darken the spirit of the
Movement, cause division in its ranks, and narrow it by dogmatic
and sectarian belief.
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It is primarily upon the elected members of the National Spiritual
Assemblies throughout the Bahá'í world that this highly important
duty devolves, as in their hands the direction and management of all
spiritual Bahá'í activities have been placed and centralized, and as
they constitute in the eyes of the people of their country the supreme
body in that land that officially represents, promotes and safeguards
the various interests of the Cause, it is my fervent prayer and my
most cherished desire, that the unfailing guidance of Bahá'u'lláh
and the blessings of our beloved Master will enable them to set a
high and true example to all other Bahá'í institutions and local
Assemblies, and will show them what absolute harmony, mature
deliberation and whole-hearted cooperation can achieve.
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Should such a representative and responsible body fail to realize
this fundamental requisite for all successful achievement, the whole
structure is sure to crumble, and the Great Plan of the Future, as
unfolded by the Master's Will and Testament, will be rudely disturbed
and grievously delayed.
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9 |
Regarding the management of the Star of the West, as I have
already intimated, this Bahá'í organ as well as other similar publications,
far from being regarded as the special organ of a certain
group or particular locality, should fall under the exclusive control
of the National Spiritual Assembly, which, aided by a special committee,
shall minutely guide and judiciously scrutinize all the information
it gives, the character of the articles and translations it
publishes, and the tone and language it assumes in all its issues....
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10 |
I shall always await from the members of the National Spiritual
Assembly, collective, official and comprehensive reports on their
manifold activities, sent to me at frequent intervals, and bearing
upon the inner and outward currents of the Movement, the relations
of Assemblies to one another, and the general standing and the
various aspects of the progress of the Cause throughout the land.
I would welcome more specific reports sent to me by the various
committees of the National Spiritual Assembly, enclosed in the
National Assembly's letter, and approved by all its members.
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11 |
I have read with keen interest all the enclosures regarding the
Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, have shared the up-to-date news they contained
with the friends throughout the East, and note with particular
pleasure the completion of the Basement Section, with its spacious
Foundation Hall ready for the holding of meetings and the gatherings
of friends. Though the prospect of the immediate resumption
of building activity does not seem bright at present, yet I hope
and pray that these difficulties will soon disappear, and the work of
this unique Edifice, stimulated and advanced in time by the zeal
and self-sacrifice of the friends the world over, will soon attain its
glorious consummation. I beg to enclose my humble contribution
of 19 pounds, as my share of the numerous donations that have
reached the Temple Treasury in the past year.
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Pray convey to the members of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár Committee
the highest sense of my appreciation for their devoted and
strenuous labors, and my constant prayers for the success of the
task which they have set themselves to accomplish.
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13 |
With regard to the situation in Persia, and the condition of the
friends in that land, I have requested the Tihrán Spiritual Assembly
to send me immediately an authoritative and full report of the exact
situation, whereupon I shall duly inform you of the exact steps to
be taken to insure the well-being and safety of the tried believers
in Persia....
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14 |
The holding of State Congresses, Amity Conventions, and other
universal associations of the friends in America, will naturally fall
within the province of the National Spiritual Assembly, which will
direct and supervise the work of them all by the aid of special committees,
each constituted for a specific purpose. The matter of
receiving Orientals is left entirely in the hands of the National
Spiritual Assembly, whose special committee for this purpose will
have to investigate all the questions arising in this connection in
future. Please convey to the members of the newly constituted
Library Committee my deep appreciation of their labors in this
important field of service, and assure them of my prayers for their
success.
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15 |
Touching the point raised in the Secretary's letter regarding
the nature and scope of the Universal Court of Arbitration, this and
other similar matters will have to be explained and elucidated by
the Universal House of Justice, to which, according to the Master's
explicit instructions, all important and fundamental questions must
be referred. At present the exact implication and full significance
of the provisions of the Master's Will are as yet imperfectly understood,
and time will serve to reveal the wisdom and the far-reaching
effects of His words.
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I am enclosing on a separate sheet the full authoritative code,
widely adopted by contemporary Orientalists throughout the world,
which will serve as a basis for the transliteration of Bahá'í terms
and Oriental names.
[1]
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Remembering you all in my hours of visit and prayer at the
Three Holy Shrines, and wishing you success from all my heart,
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I am your brother and fellow-worker,
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19 |
SHOGHI.
Haifa, Palestine.
April 9th, 1923.
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Notes
1. [See previous footnote on transliterations.]
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