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Unfolding Destiny
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Pages 405-407
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Letter of 28 July 1950
The Manchester Spiritual Assembly
Dear Bahá'í Friends,
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Your letter has been received, dated June 6th, and our beloved
Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
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He feels that the questions of ... could be answered by a better
understanding of the teachings--however, for the sake of his
sincere services to the Faith, he will answer them here:
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(1) Christ received the kiss of Judas, in fact He said one of His
disciples would betray Him. It is not a question of these Holy
Souls seeing the future, but of what, in Their wisdom, They
deem it necessary to accept in the Path of sacrifice. If we are
going to question the wisdom of the Prophets we can question
God's Wisdom too, and the advisability of the whole system we
live in.
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(2) Nabil's suicide was not insanity but love. He loved
Bahá'u'lláh too much to go on in a world that no longer held
Him.
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(3) The "sacrifice" of goats has nothing to do with the Faith.
Bahá'u'lláh was surrounded by Muslim admirers and friends,
and they merely followed the custom of their people on such an
occasion, when many hundreds gathered to console His bereaved
family.
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(4) We cannot, not knowing the factors Bahá'u'lláh weighed
in His own mind, judge of the wisdom of His withdrawal to
Kurdistan. But, studying His life and teachings, we should see in
it an act of wisdom, and not superficially measure Him by our
standards.
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(5) Love is certainly the attribute we associate par excellence
with our Maker. But has He no justice and does not justice fall
on the back of the evil doer as a scourge?
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(6) This question seems to imply a lack of understanding of
love. There is very little Divine love in the world to-day, but a
great deal of intellectual reasoning, which is an entirely different
thing, and springs from the mind and not the heart. The
Martyrs--most of them died because of their love for the Báb,
for Bahá'u'lláh, and through Them for God. The veil between
the inner and outer world was very thin, and to tear it, and be
free to be near the Beloved, was very sweet. But it takes love, not
reason to understand these things. We must also remember the
Martyrs were called upon to deny their faith or die, as men of
principle they preferred to die.
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(7) Bahá'u'lláh's claims are much greater because humanity is
more mature and can afford to hear them. But He draws on the
same Source that was accessible to all the Prophets, it is we who
can now receive more.
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(8) The Guardian feels ... should study more deeply the
teachings, and meditate on what he studies. We liken God to the
Sun, which gives us all our life. So the Spirit of God reaches us
through the Souls of the Manifestations. We must learn to
commune with Their Souls, and this is what the Martyrs seemed
to have done, and what brought them such ecstacy of joy that life
became nothing. This is the true mysticism, and the secret, inner
meaning of life which humanity has at present, drifted so far
from.
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The Guardian will pray that this dear friend may deepen his
understanding and arise and become a wonderful teacher of the
Faith.
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He will also pray for the progress of the work in Manchester
and the success of your devoted labours.
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With Bahá'í love,
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[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty bless your efforts, guide and sustain you in your
activities, and enable you to promote effectively the best interests of
His Faith.
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Your true brother,
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Shoghi
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