1949
1949
— 358 —
JANUARY 7, 1949
DELIGHTED PROGRESS TRANSLATION NEW ERA. GREATLY [pg 296] HEARTENED RESPONSE PIONEERS ASSURE THEM FERVENT PRAYERS HIGHLY MERITORIOUS MISSION EAGER NEWS THEIR SETTLEMENT URGE PERSEVERANCE. ANNOUNCE FRIENDS DESPITE TURMOIL HOLY LAND FOUNDATION ARCADE BÁB’S SEPULCHRE DESIGNED SAFEGUARD STRUCTURE RAISED HANDS BELOVED MASTER COMPLETED. OF TOTAL SIX HUNDRED TONS MATERIAL ONE THIRD ALREADY RECEIVED. CONTEMPLATING COMMENCEMENT BUILDING OPERATIONS DESTINED CULMINATE ERECTION DOME ENVISAGED BY CENTRE COVENANT.
SHOGHI
— 359 —
MARCH 22, 1949
DEARLY BELOVED FRIENDS INDIA PAKISTAN BURMA REMEMBERED SHRINES SUPPLICATING MANIFOLD BLESSINGS DIVERSIFIED ACTIVITIES TOTAL SUCCESS PLAN. ANNOUNCE BELIEVERS COMMENCEMENT BUILDING OPERATIONS [pg 297] ARCADE BÁB’S SHRINE COINCIDING FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY PLACING SACRED REMAINS BY CENTRE COVENANT IN SARCOPHAGUS PRESENTED BY VALIANT BURMESE BELIEVERS. DEEPEST LOVE.
SHOGHI
— 360 —
APRIL 8, 1949
DESPATCH PIONEERS SIAM CEYLON INDONESIA URGENT IMPERATIVE. APPEAL IMMEDIATE RESPONSE HEROIC SELF SACRIFICE. SUPPLICATING BAHÁ’U’LLÁH’S SUSTAINING GRACE.
SHOGHI
— 361 —
April 9, 1949
[To The National Spiritual Assembly Of The Bahá’ís Of India, Burma and Pakistan]
Dear Bahá’í Brother,
Your letters, with enclosures, dated April 3, 19; May 19, 24, 25; June 3, 5; and December 21, all of 1948, have at long last been received by our beloved Guardian, and he was very happy to resume direct contact with your Assembly, and through you, with all the dear believers in that part of the world.
The news that from Calcutta two souls have volunteered to go forth as pioneers to Siam and Indonesia greatly pleased him. Likewise, he was rejoiced to hear a pioneer for Ceylon has been found.
The Burmese, Indian and Pakistan Bahá’ís, forming as they do a relatively old and tried Community of believers, have heavy responsibilities to discharge. They cannot be looked upon as children or youngsters in this great Cause, but rather must be considered more in the light of elders, and consequently their Bahá’í brothers and sisters expect great things of them, and look up to them for signs of leadership in that part of the world! Therefore, the fulfilment of their Plan, and the sending forth of their pioneers to neighbouring Asiatic countries, is of crucial importance in maintaining their leadership in this field and their prestige in the Bahá’í World.
He was very glad to see your Assembly has not relaxed its efforts in the matter of translating and publishing the Esslemont book. As[pg 298] you know, he considers this a vital service being rendered by your Community to not only the peoples of that part of the world, but to the Faith as a worldwide movement. He has begun to receive lately some of your publications, and trusts, now the mails are again run fling, to receive safely all the material you are sending.
The Foundation of the Arcade of the Shrine has now been laid and all the heavy threshold stones placed in position. More than half of the stone work ordered in Italy for this first unit of the beautiful shell, which will enclose and protect for all time the sacred building built by the beloved Master Himself, has now been received on the Shrine property, and plans are being made for the next stage of construction to go ahead.
This glorious work, so cheering to all our hearts, is, however, greatly increasing the burden our beloved Guardian bears, and he hopes the friends will understand this when they find letters to him can no longer be answered promptly. At such a time, when this try has passed through so much danger and difficulty, it is little short of miraculous the way this work on the Shrine has been facilitated and protected and gone ahead steadily! It is greatly enhancing the prestige of the Faith here, and the authorities have been cooperative and helpful…
Our beloved Guardian urges all the believers to work together with the greatest love and harmony to achieve their Plan, may if possible to excel their goals! His loving prayers will be offered for them all and for the speedy advancement of their work.
He will also pray for you, and all the members of the National Spiritual Assembly, that God may strengthen and bless you in your work for His Faith.
Dear and valued co-workers:
The communications addressed to me several months ago by your Assembly have, after considerable delay in transmission, reached the Holy Land, and, together with the reports and minutes accompanying them, were read with deep and sustained interest.
The tremendous task facing the Bahá’í communities in India, Pakistan and Burma, constitutes a grave challenge to the followers of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in these countries, and must be faced and met with courage, determination and a spirit of complete dedication to His Cause. The disturbances that have so gravely shaken the peoples of these countries, on the morrow of a world convulsing international conflict; the[pg 299] unfortunate and sudden cessation of communications between these countries and the World Centre of the Faith in the Holy Land during the past year; the fears and anxieties engendered by a steadily deteriorating international situation which cannot but dismay the stoutest hearts, have no doubt contributed, in varying degrees, and in no small measure, to a slowing down of the progress of the collective enterprise, so nobly, so enthusiastically and so energetically initiated by the upholders of the Faith throughout the subcontinent of India and Burma.
The reverses they have suffered, with their attendant disappointments, confusion and relaxation of effort, must never be allowed, however short the period remaining before the termination of their Plan, to jeopardize the chance of a success which is still in their power to achieve. They must close their ranks, gird up their loins, rededicate their souls and spirits to the unfinished tasks which face them, purge themselves of every taint of communal prejudice, detach themselves from every thought of self interest, and arise, while there is yet time, to attain the goals they have pledged themselves to attain.
The final phase of the Plan with which they stand identified, and on which their immediate destiny depends, coincides with the hundredth anniversary of the most bloody, tragic and turbulent period in the history of their Faith — a period immortalized by the noblest evidences of Bahá’í self-sacrifice, marked by acts of sublime heroism, and ennobled by a spirit of dedication and determination unsurpassed at any subsequent Stage in Bahá’í history. Now, if ever, is the time to emulate the example of these heroes, saints and martyrs. Now is the time to pour out one's substance as copiously and as readily, as the Dawn breakers of the Heroic Age of the Faith have shed their lifeblood in the path of this most precious Cause. No more befitting tribute can be paid to the memory of these luminous souls, by those who carry the torch of Divine Guidance after them, than by a corresponding manifestation of solidarity, self-abnegation, zeal and devotion, which will impel them to forsake their homes, sacrifice their treasure, brave every danger, endure every hardship, expend every ounce of energy, that the Plan which they have spontaneously and unitedly sponsored may, through its triumphant termination, carry them a stage further along the broad highway of their destiny.
The multiplication of Bahá’í assemblies, at any cost and with the utmost speed; the reconstitution of dissolved Assemblies, however great the effort required; the completion of the translation into, and the printing of the “New Era,” in the few remaining languages, within the shortest [pg 300] possible time, the despatch of no more than one pioneer, to the neighbouring Island of Ceylon, to Siam and to Indonesia, ere the termination of the closing year of the Plan — these stand out as the immediate requirements of the present challenging hour — requirements that the prosecutors of the Plan must meet. The eyes of their fellow-workers in East and West, are fixed upon them. The Concourse on high watches their actions, and stands ready to bless and reinforce their labours. The Centre of the Covenant Himself is eagerly waiting to witness the evidences of their victory, and will no doubt intercede, on their behalf before the throne of Bahá’u’lláh, if they but arise resolutely and spur their chargers into the arena of service.
The sands are indeed running out. The task that remains to be accomplished is indeed colossal. The distractions, temptations, and pitfalls that might interfere with its consummation are many and varied. The resources however spiritual and material still at the disposal of the members of these communities are still adequate, if they but resolve to utilise them, to the needs of the present hour. The blessings from on high, ready to be showered upon them, are more than adequate to ensure their complete and total victory. So much hangs on the fortunes of the present Plan! So much must necessarily depend on the manner and the spirit in which they discharge their terrific responsibilities, during the few fleeting months still allotted them ere the expiry of the Plan!
I entreat them, with all the fervour of my solid, not to allow this golden opportunity to slip from their grasp. They have, in the past, proved themselves capable, in times of crisis, of overleaping the most formidable barriers, and of wrestling victory from the jaws of impending defeat. Theirs is the opportunity, now if ever, to demonstrate a similar resolution, a no less spectacular outburst of enthusiasm, an even nobler heroism and self-sacrifice than they have ever shown in the past.
Then, and only then, will the next stage in the evolution of their common destiny be unveiled to their eyes. Then, and only then, will the call summoning them to press forward to yet another landmark in their history be sounded. Then, and only then, will still fuller measure of heavenly prizes be laid up for them in reward for their inestimable and arduous services in the treasuries of the Abhá Kingdom by Him who alone knows how to reignite His faithful servants.
Shoghi
— 362 —
MAY 7, 1949
ASSURE ELECTED NATIONAL ASSEMBLY NEWLY FORMED LOCAL ASSEMBLIES FERVENT PRAYERS. WELCOME RESOLVE ENSURE SUCCESS PLAN. [pg 301]
SHOGHI
— 363 —
MAY 17, 1949
DELIGHTED LUKMANI’S ARRIVAL, CONSTANT SUPPORT ENCOURAGEMENT NECESSARY, PRAYING SUCCESS.
SHOGHI
— 364 —
MAY 28, 1949
KARACHI CONTRIBUTION RECEIVED CONVEY LOVING APPRECIATION ASSURE THEM DEVOTING SUM CONSTRUCTION ARCADE SHRINE.
SHOGHI
— 365 —
JUNE 4, 1949
CABLE WHETHER DETAILED LETTER APRIL NINTH RECEIVED.
SHOGHI
— 366 —
JUNE 9, 1949
ASSEMBLY’S CONTRIBUTION JUST RECEIVED DEEPEST APPRECIATION WILL LIKEWISE EXPEND IT FOR CONSTRUCTION ARCADE SHRINE.
SHOGHI
— 367 —
JULY 2, 1949
GRIEVE PASSING DEAR DEVOTED CAPABLE SERVANT FAITH SULTAN GHAZI ARDENTLY PRAYING PROGRESS SOUL ABHÁ KINGDOM ASSURE RELATIVES FRIENDS DEEPEST SYMPATHY. ADVISE DEFER ACTION BY NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES REGARDING HAZIRA MEANWHILE APPROACH AUTHORITIES OFFICIALLY INDIRECTLY ENDEAVOUR OBTAIN PROMISE [pg 302] FIXED DATE RELEASE DEPLORE DELAY PRAYING ARDENTLY SUCCESS RENEWED EFFORTS. BE NOT HOPELESS. PERSEVERE.
SHOGHI
— 368 —
JULY 27, 1949
ELECTIONS AND CONVENTION SHOULD BE HELD USUAL DATES.
SHOGHI
— 369 —
AUGUST 11, 1949
ANXIOUS SAFETY RANGOON BELIEVERS CABLE NEWS. PRAYING — DIVINE PROTECTION.
SHOGHI
— 370 —
OCTOBER 15, 1949
ADVISE CABLE PARTICULARS REGARDING HAZIRA AMERICAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR PRESENTATION PRIME MINISTER IF FEASIBLE MYSELF ALSO CABLING ASSEMBLY. PRAYING SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME.
SHOGHI
— 371 —
November 6, 1949
[To The National Spiritual Assembly]
Dear Bahá’í Brother,
Your letters dated May 7, June 7, 13; July 1, 5, 11; August 18 (two of this date); September 4 (five of this date), 13, 17, 22, 26, 27; and October 3, 6 (two of this date), as well as their enclosures and other material, have been received by our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He was very happy to see that Hyderabad has been registered efficiently; this marks another step forward in the steady consolidation of the Cause in the area under the jurisdiction of your Assembly. In regard to the “brain tonic” supposedly recommended by the beloved Master: As this is not in His writing nor signed or sealed, and cannot, from what you have at hand, be authenticated, he feels the [pg 303] friends should not risk using it unless some qualified medical man should consider it sound and in no way injurious to the health.
The local elections, and the National Convention, should be held in 1950 on the usual dates and no exception be made.
He would like you to please thank on his behalf those friends who have forwarded Ḥuqúq to him and contributions for the building of the Super structure of the Báb’s Shrine.
This building is now beginning to take shape and promises to be very beautiful, befitting and dignified. It is the realization of the fond hope of the beloved Master, who stated to Badi‘ Bushrui one day, as he looked up at the building He Himself had already completed: “The Shrine is as yet unbuilt. God willing, it will be built. We have brought it up to this stage.”
The friends should be told this, as many of them do not realize it was the Master’s own plan to go much further, and erect a dome over the Resting Place of the Báb.
A few days ago the Guardian received a most radiant letter from one of the people dear Dr Lukmani has won over to the Faith in Ceylon. This made him very happy, as it shows that God truly assists all His servants who arise in His Path to carry out His work. The success of this dear Bahá’í brother should make the believers on the mainland truly proud, and encourage them to go forth, even as he has, and spread the Glad Tidings in virgin territory.
The Guardian was, likewise, very pleased to receive the new versions of “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era” which are a great addition to our Bahá’í literature, and yet another achievement on the part of your Assembly… With the end of your Plan rapidly approaching your Assembly should encourage everyone who is a possible pioneer to take immediate action, and go forth into the arena of service at once, while there is yet time…
There is not a moment of precious time to waste on the problems of conflicting personalities — which, alas, exist everywhere, due to the frailty and immaturity of the believers — every day is important to the fulfilment of your goals, and the friends should be made to realize they must dwell on the bright side, and on the great assistance Bahá’u’lláh has promised His servants, if they but turn to Him, and forget self, and teach the Faith.
The Guardian desires your Assembly to keep in close touch with your pioneers abroad and give them strong moral, as well as financial, support. It will please you to know two Dutch Bahá’ís are going out [pg 304] to Indonesia, and he has asked them to communicate with your Assembly and cooperate with you in spreading the faith there and in having at least a pamphlet, to begin with, translated into the most needed native language.
His heart has been very anxious over the fate of the believers in Burma, and it relieved him greatly to hear that you received news they were safe. Please assure them his loving prayers are with them and offered for their protection.
He trusts that the American National Spiritual Assembly will find it possible to contact the Prime Minister and remind him of the case of your national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds. Although you have not been treated properly by the authorities he feels it is wiser not to antagonize them, but to patiently persevere in your efforts to receive justice in this matter.
His ardent prayers are offered for you and all the members of the National Spiritual Assembly, and he urges you to never lose heart, but persevere in your tasks, realizing that the big things are permanent, and the petty troubles, in harmony, and problems are only on the surface and will fade away eventually, leaving the beauty of the achievements of the believers unblemished and permanent in the annals of the Faith.
Dear and valued co-workers:
As the end of the Plan to which your community stands committed inexorably approaches my anxieties thoughts increasingly turn towards you and your fellow workers, on whose shoulders a staggering responsibility — grave as well as inescapable is weighing so heavily in these days. I am fully aware of the character of the manifold and unexpected trials this community has been called upon to face in India, Pakistan and Burma since its inception. The ordeal of internal disorder and of civil strafe; the dislocation of the machinery of internal administration, the inevitable consequence of the vast political changes that have been effected in these countries; the reverses suffered by this same community through the temporary seizure of its newly acquired administrative headquarters and the loss of some of its precious assets in both India and Burma; the hardships endured by the pioneers of this community as well as its administrators as a consequence of severely imposed restrictions, outbursts of fanaticism and civil riots have been such as to dismay the stoutest heart and tax to the uttermost the determination of the most resolute.[pg 305]
And yet, in spite of these successive afflictions the members of this community have forged ahead, valiantly, unitedly and determinedly, and have even extended the original range of their Plan by embarking on fresh and historical enterprises beyond the confines of these territories, through the despatch of pioneers to the neighbouring Dominion of Ceylon and the adjacent Kingdom of Siam and the Republic of Indonesia. Whatever the fate of the Plan which they are now seeking to bring to its consummation, this striking evidence of the indomitable spirit of faith that animates the rank and file of this community, and which has prompted it to seek fresh laurels in virgin territories beyond the frontiers of its homeland, will, without the slightest doubt, redo and eternally to its credit, and be abundantly rewarded by a vigilant and all-bountiful Master.
To enhance the value of so rich a prize won, in so short a period, by a community so burdened by cares and anxieties, in territories for the most part overshadowed by discord and internal revolution, through the triumphant conclusion of the major task entrusted to its hands, and the successful conclusion of the second collective enterprise embarked upon by its indefatigable and resolute members, on the morrow of a world-encircling conflict, must now be the paramount and all absorbing purpose of all who are privileged to participate in this mighty endeavour. Time is short. Every week is precious. The resources of the community, financial, moral and spiritual are, I firmly believe, adequate to meet the needs of this critical hour. So golden an opportunity, if missed, will not recur for who knows how extensive a period. The latching of subsequent enterprises destined to culminate in the triumph and ascendancy of a struggling Faith in the subcontinent of India, as well as in the establishment of its institutions in South East Asia, will be inevitably and indefinitely postponed.
Undaunted by the setbacks it has experienced; heartened by the settlement and the initial victory won by its pioneers in the newly opened virgin territories in the North the South and the East; fully conscious of its ability to perform adequately its task and discharge befittingly its responsibility; relying on the unfailing Grace of an all-powerful, ever Solicitous, continually watching Providence; deriving fresh inspiration and confidence from the amazing feat achieved, by the small band of its brethren, in the West, and in a continent more devastated by the ravages of war than any other continent of the Globe. Let this community, while time still remains, gird up its loins, sink its differences, rededicate itself to its urgent task, sweep away every barrier that confronts it, and rise, with[pg 306] an upsurge of unprecedented enthusiasm and determination, to those heights to which its spiritual destiny is now beckoning it.
With a heart, aglow with gratitude for what this community has in the initial stage of its administrative development accomplished, filled with confidence in the potentialities with which our beloved Master has endowed it in the years of His earthly ministry, and overflowing with love for those who, through their incessant labours and heroic self sacrifice, have achieved unforgettable victories in recent years, I will continue to supplicate for all its members, at home and abroad, in their administrative spheres of activity as well as in the teaching field such blessings as will enable them to crown their concerted efforts with a success that will resound throughout the Bahá’í world.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
— 372 —
November 21, 1949
[To The Bahá’í Youth Of Quetta, Poona, Sholapur, Panchgani, Rangoon, Hyderabad (Sind), Karachi, Bombay, Lahore, Bangalore]
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
Your letters to our beloved Guardian, dated February 13, 1949, reached him at last, after considerable months delay, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He has often thought of you and your work during the last year, when communications between India and the Holy Land were practically suspended, and been anxious to hear of your labours for the spread of our glorious Faith.
He urges you all to arise with dedication and determination during these coming months before the end of your Plan, and serve as teachers, pioneers, or helpers, in any way you can, so that the believers may not fail in accomplishing their historic task.
His loving prayers are offered for you all and for your success, specially for the Burmese friends and their protection.
May the spirit of Bahá’u’lláh guide, sustain and protect you, at all times and under all circumstances, aid you to reflect, in your lives and activities, the ennobling principles of His Faith, remove every obstacle that binders the progress of your valued work in the service of His Faith,[pg 307] and enable you to proclaim its verities, extend its range, multiply its institutions, and consolidate its foundations.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
— 373 —
NOVEMBER 25, 1949
DELIGHTED RISING HOPES BRIGHTER PROSPECTS SUCCESS PLAN ENTREAT ENTIRE COMMUNITY STEADFASTLY PURSUE HIGH OBJECTIVES RISE HIGHER LEVEL ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT VIGOROUS PROSECUTION THEIR FATEFUL HOUR HISTORIC PLAN. ADVISE COMMEMORATE ALL CENTRES LOCAL NATIONAL COMMEMORATE CENTENARY THROUGH PUBLIC MEETINGS PRESS RADIO INVITATION PARTICIPATION NOTABLES.
SHOGHI
— 374 —
December 19, 1949
[To The Spiritual Assembly Of The Bahá’ís Of Kolhapur]
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
The letter of your Assembly, written by your Secretary, and dated December 7, 1949, was received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He admires very much the devoted manner in which the Kolhapur Bahá’ís have built up the Spiritual Assembly there and caused that community to be one of the most active in Southern India. You must not now become discouraged because some of your teachers have left and gone to serve the Cause elsewhere. This gives you the opportunity of learning to do more of the work yourselves, and of also putting your reliance on Bahá’u’lláh and realizing that He will assist all those who arise to serve Him.
The Guardian assures you he will pray in the Holy Shrines for your protection and that God may assist you in your work, aid you to be united and show the greatest love, one for another, and bless your work.[pg 308]
May the Almighty guide every step you take in the path of service, and enable you to proclaim the verities of His Faith, and contribute effectively to the consolidation of its newly born institutions.[pg 309]
Your true brother,
Shoghi