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Baha'i Terms of Use Letter of December 2, 1923 Letter of May 15th, 1934 Letter of July 26th, 1934 Letter of October 17th, 1934 Letter of January 16th, 1935 Letter of April 24th, 1935 Letter of June 19th, 1935 Letter of September 26th, 1935 Letter of January 3rd, 1936 Letter of April 15th, 1936 Letter of April 26th, 1936 Letter of June 10th, 1936 Letter of September 23rd, 1936 Letter of September 25th, 1936 Letter of November 17th, 1936 Letter of December 1st, 1936 Letter of February 4th, 1937 Letter of March 18th, 1937 Letter of August 29th, 1937 Letter of August 30th, 1937 Letter of January 31st, 1938 Letter of March 30th, 1938 Letter of June 22nd, 1938 Letter of November 2nd, 1938 Letter of February 15th, 1939 Letter of March 17th, 1939 Letter of July 12th, 1939 Letter of November 4th, 1940 Letter of January 3rd, 1941 Letter of April 19th, 1941 Letter of July 30th, 1941 Letter of December 26th, 1941 Letter of Feb. 23rd, 1942 Letter of April 18th, 1942 Letter of March 19th, 1943 Letter of March 14th, 1944 Letter of Oct. 17th, 1944 Letter of Dec. 12th, 1944 Letter of March 13th, 1945 Letter of May 13th, 1945 Letter of Aug. 8th, 1945 Letter of March 25th, 1946 Letter of May 25th, 1946 Letter of July 16th, 1946 Letter of July 31st, 1946 Letter of March 14th, 1947 Letter of April 7th, 1947 Letter of July 22nd, 1947 Letter of May 11th, 1948 Letter of Dec. 30th, 1948 Letter of August 22, 1949 Letter of 4 September, 1949 Letter of June 28, 1950 Letter of 11 September, 1950 Letter of Nov. 14, 1950 Letter of Jan. 21, -51 Letter of March 1, 1951 Letter of March 8th, 1951 Letter of Sept. 7, 1951 Letter of Sept. 29, 1951 Letter of Nov. 20, 1951 Letter of December 2, 1951 Letter of February 24, 1952 Letter of April 12, 1952 Letter of April 30, 1952 Letter of June 3, 1952 Letter of June 15, 1952 Letter of November 29, 1952 Letter of November 30, 1952 Letter of May 3, 1953 Letter of May 7, 1953 Letter of June 14, 1953 Letter of June 23, 1953 Letter of January 24, 1954 Letter of June 16, 1954 Letter of July 24, 1955 Letter of Oct. 30th, 1955 Letter of November 29, 1955 Letter of June 13th, 1956 Letter of October 27, 1956 Letter of May 7, 1957 Letter of July 19, 1957

LETTER OF DECEMBER 2, 1923

Fellow-labourers in the Divine Vineyard!

Upon my return, after a forced and prolonged absence, to the Holy Land, it is my first and most ardent wish to renew and strengthen those ties of brotherly love and fellowship that bind our hearts together in our common servitude to His Sacred Threshold.

The two years that have elapsed since the passing of our beloved Master have been for the Cause, as well as for mankind, years of deep anxiety and strain. The momentous changes that are taking place in the history of both have proved so swift and far-reaching as to arouse in certain hearts a strange misgiving as to their stability and future.

On one hand the remarkable revelations of the Beloved's Will and Testament so amazing in all its aspects, so emphatic in its injunctions, have challenged and perplexed the keenest minds, whilst the ever-increasing confusion of the world, threatened as never before with disruptive forces, fierce rivalries, fresh commotions and grave disorder, have well-nigh overwhelmed the heart and damped the zeal of even the most enthusiastic believers in the destiny of mankind.

And yet, how often we seem to forget the clear and repeated warnings of our beloved Master, who in particular during the concluding years of his mission on earth, laid stress on the severe mental tests that would inevitably sweep over his loved ones of the West ... tests that would purge, purify and prepare them for their noble mission in life.

And as to the world's evil plight, we need but recall the writings and sayings of Bah?'u'll?h, who, more than fifty years ago, declared in terms prophetic the prime cause of the ills and sufferings of mankind, and set forth their true and divine remedy. "Should the lamp of Religion be hidden", He declared, "chaos and confusion will ensue." How admirably fitting and applicable are these words to the present state of mankind!

Ours then is the duty and privilege to labour, by day, by night, amidst the storm and stress of these troublous days, that we may quicken the zeal of our fellow-man, rekindle their hopes, stimulate their interests, open their eyes to the true Faith of God and enlist their active support in the carrying out of our common task for the peace and regeneration of the world.

Let us take heart and be thankful to our beloved 'Abdu'l-Bah?, as we remember his manifold blessings and unfailing care and protection, ever since the hour of his departure from our midst. The flames of sedition, so maliciously kindled in the past by those who have dared to flout his will, are gone out for ever, and the fondest hopes of these evil plotters are now abandoned, doomed never to revive. He has indeed redeemed his promise!

It seemed not a long time ago that their agitation, so violently renewed immediately after the passing of our Beloved, would for a time confuse the Divine Message of Bah?'u'll?h, obscure His Covenant, retard the progress of His Cause, and shatter its unity; and yet how well we see them all today, not through our efforts, but by their own folly, and above all, by the intervention of the hidden hand of God, reduced to the vilest and most humiliating position.

And now, with the Cause purified and inwardly victorious, Its principles vindicated, Its enemies silenced and sunk in unspeakable misery, may we not, henceforth, direct all our efforts to collective action and constructive achievement; and in utter disregard of the flickerings of their fast-fading light, arise to carry out those urgent measures that will secure the outward and complete triumph of the Cause?

I for my part, as I look back to the unfortunate circumstances of ill-health and physical exhaustion that have attended the opening years of my career of service to the Cause, feel hardly gratified, and would be truly despondent but for the sustaining memory and inspiring example of the diligent and ceaseless efforts which my fellow-workers the world over have displayed during these two trying years in the service of the Cause.

I cherish the hope that, from now on the Beloved may bestow upon me all the strength and vigour that will enable me to pursue over a long and unbroken period of strenuous labour the supreme task of achieving, in collaboration with the friends in every land, the speedy triumph of the Cause of Bah?'u'll?h. This is the prayer I earnestly request all my fellow brethren and sisters in the Faith to offer on my behalf.

Let us pray to God that in these days of world encircling gloom, when the dark forces of nature, of hate, rebellion, anarchy and reaction are threatening the very stability of human society, when the most precious fruits of civilization are undergoing severe and unparalleled tests, we may all realize, more profoundly than ever, that though but a mere handful amidst the seething masses of the world, are in this day the chosen instruments of God's Grace, that our Mission is most urgent and vital to the fate of humanity and, fortified by these sentiments, arise to achieve God's holy purpose for mankind.

Your brother in His service Shoghi for my beloved brethren and sisters in Australia and New Zealand--Shoghi.

Haifa, Palestine, December 2, 1923.

LETTER OF MAY 15TH, 1934

May 15th, 1934

Dear Bah?'? Friend,

The Guardian has deeply appreciated your message dated April 10th, and he has asked me to convey to you once more his grateful thanks for the services you are so continually rendering the Faith in your centre. The gratifying news has just reached him of the opening of the first Convention of the Bah?'?s of Australia and New-Zealand, and needless to say how deeply he was moved by this historic step you have been inspired to take for the consolidation of the Administration in your country. He feels confident that through such remarkable evidences of the self-sacrificing, heroic and united efforts of the Australian and New Zealand believers an increasing number of hitherto skeptical and unfriendly people will be gradually attracted to the Faith, and some of them will eventually join the ranks of the faithful.

Assuring you again of the Guardian's fervent prayers for the continued expansion of your Bah?'? activities, and with his best wishes and greetings to you and to all the friends in Adelaide,

Yours in His Service, H. Rabbani.

Dear and valued co-worker:

I rejoice to learn of the momentous step the Bah?'?s of Australia and New-Zealand have taken. They will surely be reinforced by the hosts of the Kingdom, and deserve the praise and admiration of their fellow-believers throughout the world. Constancy, co-operation, unity and steadfast adherence to the spiritual and administrative principles of the Faith are essential during these days when the foundations of the Universal House of Justice are being laid through your devoted efforts in your own country. I will continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart.

Your true brother, Shoghi.

LETTER OF JULY 26TH, 1934

July 26th, 1934.

Dear Miss Brooks,

I am directed by the Guardian to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of June 6th, written on behalf on the N.S.A. of the Bah?'?s of Australia and New-Zealand, and to convey to you, and to your collaborators on that Assembly his grateful appreciation of the stupendous efforts you have unanimously exerted for making your first Convention such a sucessful and promising meeting. Your collective and continued sacrifices, as well as the assistance and guidance of Bah?'u'll?h have surely been responsible for this historic triumph which you have been able to achieve in the administrative field of the Cause--a triumph which will inevitably bring about a renewed and deeper spiritual consciousness to all the believers in these far-off lands.

Shoghi Effendi is praying from the very depths of his heart for your guidance and assistance, and hopes that as a result your National Assembly will be soon enabled to take such steps as would enable it to extend and to further consolidate its national as well as international activities.

With warm greetings to you and to all the friends in Adelaide,

Yours in His Service, H. Rabbani.

Dear and valued co-worker:

My heart is filled with joy and gratitude as a result of the perusal of your letter. I long to be in close and constant touch with your newly-formed national assembly--the first of your administrative activities and the herald of one of the most fruitful and stirring periods of the history of the Faith in that promising continent. I will be so glad to receive copies of the minutes of your gatherings, and urge you to keep in close touch with your sister assemblies throughout the Bah?'? world. I will assuredly pray for you and your dear and devoted collaborators from the depths of my heart.

Your true brother, Shoghi.

LETTER OF OCTOBER 17TH, 1934

October 17th, 1934

Dear Bah?'? Friend,

I am directed by the Guardian to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated August 31st with its most interesting enclosures, all of which he has carefully read and considered. It is with deep gratification that he follows the progress and extension of the work of your N.S.A., and he hopes and prays that through the confirmations of the Almighty it will serve to give an increasing impetus to the progress of the Faith in your land.

The Guardian has read with particular interest the minutes of the meetings of your N.S.A. He hopes to receive them regularly, and thus to be in close and constant touch with your national activities.

In regard to your question as to whether it is permissible to substitute the plural pronoun for the singular in prayers worded in the singular, the Guardian would strongly urge your N.S.A. to inform the friends to strictly adhere to the text of the Holy Writings, and not to deviate even a hair-breadth from what has been revealed by the Holy Pen. Besides, it should be noted that congregational prayer has been discouraged by Bah?'u'll?h, and that it is allowed only in the case of the prayer for the dead.

Concerning the Healing Prayer, the Guardian wishes me to inform you that there is no special ruling for its recital. The believer is free to recite it as many times and in the way he wishes. There are also no obligatory prayers for the Fast. But there are some specific ones revealed by Bah?'u'll?h for that purpose.

As to the instructions given in the little black covered Prayer Book, they are by no means complete and are only tentative. When the Book of Aqdas is published, the believers will have then full and authoritative prescriptions about the form of prayer, and other instructions and rulings of a spiritual character.

With loving greetings to you and to the members of the N.S.A.,

Yours in His Service, H. Rabbani.

Dearly beloved co-worker:

My constant prayers for the extension of the activities in which you and your dear fellow-labourers are so stenuously engaged will be offered on your behalf that the splendid era which you have inaugurated may redound to the glory and honour of the Most Great Name. I am truly proud of the manner in which my loved friends in Australia and New-Zealand have arisen to discharge their sacred and pressing responsibilities. Great triumphs, I feel convinced, are in store for them if they persevere in their mighty task. May the Almighty bless their high endeavours and enable them to achieve His purpose.

Your true brother, Shoghi.

LETTER OF JANUARY 16TH, 1935

January 16th, 1935.

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