Chapter 4

"The questions you ask in your letter about individual guidance have two aspects, one might say. It is good that people should turn to God and beseech His aid in solving their problems and guiding their acts, indeed every day of their lives, if they feel the desire to do so. But they cannot possibly impose what they feel to be their guidance on anyone else, let alone on Assemblies or Committees, as Baha'u'llah has expressly laid down the law of consultation and never indicated that anything else superseded it."

"As to meditation: This also is a field in which the individual is free. There are no set forms of meditation prescribed in the teachings, no plan as such, for inner development. The friends are urged--nay enjoined--to pray, and they also should meditate, but the manner of doing the latter is left entirely to the individual."

91: GUIDANCE (QUESTION OF)

"The question of Guidance is a very subtle one. We cannot be positive that an impulse or a dream is guidance. We can seek, through earnest prayer and longing, sincerely to do God's will, His guidance. We can try, as you say, to emulate the Master and at all times live up to the teachings, but we cannot be sure that doing these things we are still making no mistakes and are perfectly guided. These things help us not to make so many mistakes and to receive more directly the guidance God seeks to give us."

92: HANDS OF THE CAUSE--INSTITUTIONS (STATION AND FUNCTION--WHEN MENTIONED IN WRITING)

"The rank and position of the Hands of the Cause are superior to the position of the National Assemblies. In writing concerning the Hands, therefore, when there is reference to the Institutions of the Faith, after the Guardian should be mentioned the Hands, and then the National Bodies..."

93: HAZIRATU'L-QUDS (FUNCTIONS OF)

"While the National Office in Wilmette, designated by the Guardian as Haziratu'l-Quds, is primarily an administrative center, its use should by no means be confined to purely administrative work, but should include such activities of a social and intellectual character, both local and national, as can best establish its character as the foremost teaching and administrative center of the Faith throughout the States."

"As a teaching center, where Baha'i lectures, conferences, meetings, whether local, regional or national, could be held, the Haziratu'l-Quds can also prove of invaluable help, and the N.S.A. should indeed see to it that the necessary facilities are provided in the building for that purpose. But thus combining these three features, namely teaching, administrative, and social the Haziratu'l-Quds can best fulfill its mission, as the visible symbol of the steadily-growing National Baha'i Community in Northern America, and as the chief rallying center for all its activities and plans throughout that Continent."

94: HEALING

"The Guardian knows nothing about your kind of healing... But he can lay down for your guidance certain broad principles: There is no such thing as Baha'i healers or a Baha'i type of healing. In His Most Holy Book (the Aqdas) Baha'u'llah says to consult the best physicians, in other words, doctors who have studied a scientific system of medicine; He never gave us to believe, He Himself would heal us through 'Healers' but rather through prayer and the assistance of medicine and approved treatments. Now, as long as your healing is in no opposition to these principles, as long as you do not try and take the place of a regular doctor in trying to heal others, but only give them your kind of help through constructive suggestion--or whatever it may be--and do not associate this help with being a channel of the direct grace of Baha'u'llah, the Guardian sees no harm in your continuing your assistance to others. But you must conscientiously decide whether, in view of the above, you are really justified in continuing. He will pray for your guidance and happiness."

95: HEROISM IS NEEDED

"These, indeed, are the days when heroism is needed on the part of the believers. Self-sacrifice, courage, indomitable hope and confidence are characteristics they should show forth, because these very attributes cannot but fix the attention of the public and lead them to enquire what, in a world so hopelessly chaotic and bewildered, leads these people to be so assured, so confident, so full of devotion? Increasingly, as time goes by, the characteristics of the Baha'is will be that which captures the attention of their fellow-citizens. They must show their aloofness from the hatreds and recriminations which are tearing at the hearts of humanity, and demonstrate by deed and word their profound belief in the future peaceful unification of the entire human race."

96: HIDDEN WORDS (ARABIC)

"As to the passage No. 13 of the Arabic Hidden Words: That which Baha'u'llah declares we can find abiding within us is the power of the Divine Spirit, the reflection of the light of His Revelation. This reflection of the Divine Spirit, however, can in no way be compared to the Revelation which God discloses to His Prophets and Messengers. The similarity in the terminology should not confuse this distinction which is most fundamental."

97: HOLY DAYS--BAHA'I

"He wishes the Baha'is to press for recognition of their right to observe their own Holy Days, and to observe them whenever possible in strict accordance with our teachings."

"He wishes also to stress the fact that, according to the Baha'i laws, work is forbidden on our nine Holy Days. Believers who have independent businesses or shops should refrain from working on these days. Those who are in government employ should, on religious grounds, make an effort to be excused from work; all believers, whoever their employers, should do likewise. If the government or other employers refuse to grant them these days off, they are not required to forfeit their employment, but they should make every effort to have the independent status of the Faith recognized and their right to hold their own religious Holy Days acknowledged."

98: HOLY DAYS OF OTHER RELIGIONS

"As regards the celebration of the Christian Holiday by the believers; it is surely preferable and even highly advisable that the friends should in their relation to each other discontinue observing such holidays as Christmas and New Years, and to have their festival gatherings of this nature instead during the Intercalary Days and Naw-Ruz...."

99: HOLY SHRINE (BELIEVERS TURN TO THE)

"He feels the drawing of the hearts together, as the believers turn towards the Holy Shrine, will produce a greater love and unity amongst the friends, and attract the blessings of Baha'u'llah."

100: HOSTS OF HIS TESTAMENT (THE)

"'The Hosts of His Testament' refers to those who are firm in the Will and Testament of Baha'u'llah and who defend and uphold it."

101: CORD (MEANING OF)

"The word 'cord' so often mentioned in the Teachings means both the Faith itself and also the power of the Faith which sustains those who cling to it."

102: ILLNESS

"Such hindrances (i.e., illness and other difficulties) no matter how severe and insuperable they may at first seem, can and should be effectively overcome through the combined and sustained power of prayer and of determined and continued effort."

103: ILLNESS (CANCER)

"Cancer is such a terrible scourge in the world today! But when the believers are called upon to go through such bitter ordeals they have the Faith to sustain them, the love of their Baha'i friends to comfort them, and the glorious words of Baha'u'llah regarding immortality to give them confidence and courage. Blessed are we, indeed, even in the midst of our greatest trials."

104: INHERITANCE (DIVISION OF)

"To divide the inheritance as it is prescribed by Baha'u'llah we have to divide it into 2,520 shares. But we can also divide it into 42 shares. Then every one of the beneficiaries will take so many of these shares. These numbers form like a highest denominator for the different fractions which represent the shares of the different individuals that will benefit in case of intestacy. In case of the non-existence of one class of inheritors the Aqdas mentions how it should be divided. As a general rule a part goes to the House of Justice, a part to the children."

105: INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE (WHOLE QUESTION OF)

"Regarding the whole question of an International Language and its relation to the Faith: We, as Baha'is, are very anxious to see a universal auxiliary tongue adopted as soon as possible; we are not the protagonists of any one language to fill this post. If the governments of the world agree on an existing language, or a constructed, new tongue, to be used internationally, we would heartily support it because we desire to see this step in the unification of the human race take place as soon as possible.

"Esperanto has been in wide use, more so than any similar language, all over the world, and the Baha'is have been encouraged by both the Master and the Guardian to learn it and to translate Baha'i literature into it. We cannot be sure it will be the chosen language of the future; but as it is the one which has spread most, both East and West, we should certainly continue to cooperate with its members learn to speak it, and translate Baha'i literature into it."

106: ISLAM

"Islam attained a very high spiritual state, but Western scholars are prone to judging it by Christian standards. One cannot call one World Faith superior to another, as they all come from God; they are progressive, each suited to certain needs of the time."

107: JESUS (VIRGIN BIRTH OF)

"With regard to your question concerning the Virgin Birth of Jesus; on this point, as on several others, the Baha'i teachings are in full agreement with the doctrines of the Catholic Church. In the Kitab-i-Iqan (Book of Certitude) page 56, and in a few other Tablets still unpublished, Baha'u'llah confirms, however indirectly, the Catholic conception of the Virgin Birth. Also 'Abdu'l-Baha in 'Some Answered Questions', Chap. 12, page 73, explicitly states that Christ found existence through the spirit of God which statement necessarily implies, when reviewed in the light of the text, that Jesus was not the son of Joseph."

"We believe that Christ only was conceived immaculately. His brothers and sisters would have been born in the natural way and conceived naturally."

108: LIFE AFTER DEATH

"Those who have never had any opportunity of hearing of the Faith but who lived good lives will no doubt be treated with the greatest love and mercy in the next world and reap their full reward."

109: LOVE (TURN TO BAHA'I BROTHERS AND SISTERS)

"Turn to your Baha'i brothers and sisters, who are living with you in the kingdom. Indeed, the believers have not yet fully learned to draw on each other's love for strength and consolation in time of need. The Cause of God is endowed with tremendous powers, and the reason the believers do not gain more from it is because they have not learned to duly draw these mighty forces of love and strength and harmony generated by the Faith."

110: LOVE, CUSTODIANS OF (WORLD EXCEEDINGLY DARK)

"The friends must, at all times, bear in mind that they are, in a way, like soldiers under attack. The world is at present in an exceedingly dark condition spiritually; hatred and prejudice of every sort are literally tearing it to pieces. We, on the other hand, are the custodians of the opposite forces, the forces of love, of unity, of peace and integration, and we must continually be on our guard, whether as individuals or as an Assembly or Community, lest through us these destructive, negative forces enter into our midst. In other words, we must beware lest the darkness of society become reflected in our acts and attitudes, perhaps all unconsciously. Love for each other, the deep sense that we are a new organism, the dawn-breakers of a new World Order, must constantly animate our Baha'i lives, and we must pray to be protected from the contamination of society which is so diseased with prejudice."

111: LOVE--UNITY (THE GREATEST NEED)

"The greatest need it seems everywhere inside the Cause is to impress upon the friends the need for love among them. There is a tendency to mix up the functions of the Administration and try to apply it in individual relationships, which is abortive, because the Assembly is a nascent House of Justice and is supposed to administer, according to the Teachings, the affairs of the Community. But individuals towards each other are governed by love, unity, forgiveness and a sin-covering eye. Once the friends grasp this they will get along much better, but they keep playing Spiritual Assembly to each other and expect the Assembly to behave like an individual."

112: MANIFESTATION--IN 1000 YEARS (ORGANIC UNITY)

"As to the meaning of the quotation, 'My fears are for Him Who will be sent down unto you after Me,' this refers to the Manifestation who is to come after a thousand or more years, who like all previous Messengers of God will be subjected to persecutions, but will eventually triumph over them. For men of ill-will have been and will always continue to be in this world, unless mankind reaches a state of complete and absolute perfection--a condition which is not only improbable but actually impossible to attain. The fundamental difference, however, between this Dispensation and all previous ones is this, that in this Revelation the possibility of permanent schism between the followers of the Prophet has been prevented through the direct and explicit instructions providing for the necessary instruments designed to maintain the organic unity of the body of the Faithful."

113: MANIFESTATIONS (THE PHRASE--"HIS HOLINESS")

"In Persian it is impolite not to use the word Hadrat before the name of the Prophet, so that strictly speaking, a proper translation should always have 'His Holiness Moses' etc.; however, as this seems peculiar in English, and not in the best usage of our language, he feels it can be dispensed with. Pronouns referring to the Manifestation, or the Master, should, however, invariably be capitalized."

114: MANIFESTATIONS (RETURN OF THE QUALITIES)

"The reflection of the qualities of holy souls can take place at any time; it is not confined to the period when the Manifestation is on earth."

115: MANIFESTATIONS (SIGNIFICANCE OF THE REMAINS OF THE PROPHETS)

"There is no special physical significance in the remains of the Prophets or relics of Their Persons. But there is a profound spiritual significance in the sense that Their dust was the physical mirror of the greatness of God. In other words we know God through His Prophets, Who have bodies; these bodies--Their very dust--are precious through association. It is natural for people to be touched by a lock of hair or some token of one they loved; how much more should we treasure and feel moved by a relic of the Beloved of God?

"The Bab has told us to bury the dead in silk (if possible) in coffins of crystal. Why? Because the body, though now dust, was once exalted by the immortal soul of man! The portrait of the Bab should be regarded as an inestimable privilege and blessing to behold, as past generations were denied a glimpse of the Face of the Manifestation, once He had passed on."

"The atoms of the Prophets are just atoms, like all others, but the association of this great spiritual power with them leaves in the place they are laid to rest a spiritual atmosphere, if one can use this expression. They are, no doubt, endowed with a tremendous spiritual influence and far-reaching power. But the physical character of their atoms are not different from other people's, any more than their bodies and physical functions are different."

116: MANIFESTATIONS (STATION OF)

"The Manifestations no doubt had some consciousness of their station, but what the nature of that consciousness was we do not know."

117: MARRIAGE, BAHA'I

"In regard to your question concerning the nature and character of Baha'i marriage. As you have rightly stated, such a Marriage is conditioned upon the full approval of all four parents. Also your statement to the effect that the principle of the oneness of mankind prevents any true Baha'i from regarding race itself as a bar to union is in complete accord with the Teachings of the Faith on this point. For both Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha never disapproved of the idea of interracial marriage, nor discouraged it. The Baha'i Teachings, indeed, by their very nature transcend all limitations imposed by race, and as such can and should never be identified with any particular school of racial philosophy."

118: MARRIAGE, BAHA'I (CONSENT OF PARENTS--DUTY OF ASSEMBLY TO ASCERTAIN VALIDITY)

"With reference to the matter of the consent of the parents to a Baha'i marriage: As this is a vital binding obligation, it is the duty of the Assemblies to ascertain, before giving their sanction, that the consent obtained has been given freely by the parents themselves."

119: MARRIAGE--(CONSENT OF PARENTS--NON-BAHA'I PARTICIPANTS)

"Regarding the question whether it is necessary to obtain the consent of the parents of a non-Baha'i participant in a marriage with a Baha'i; as Baha'u'llah has stated that the consent of the parents of both parties is required in order to promote unity and avoid friction, and as the Aqdas does not specify any exceptions to this rule, the Guardian feels that under all circumstances the consent of the parents of both parties is required."

120: MARRIAGE TO NON-BAHA'I

"The general principle in regard to the marriage of a Baha'i to a non-Baha'i is as follows:

"If a Baha'i marries a non-Baha'i who wishes to have the religious ceremony of his own sect carried out, it must be quite clear that, first, the Baha'i partner is understood to be a Baha'i by religion, and not to accept the religion of the other party to the marriage through having his or her religious ceremony; and second, the ceremony must be of a nature which does not commit the Baha'i to any declaration of faith in a religion other than his own. Under these circumstances the Baha'i can partake of the religious ceremony of his non-Baha'i partner.

"The Baha'i should insist on having the Baha'i ceremony carried out before or after the non-Baha'i one, on the same day."

121: MARRIAGES, BAHA'I--(REPORTING TO THE NSA)

"In reporting Baha'i marriages it is much better to mention that the ceremony was performed by the Assembly, as this is the proper thing to do, and an individual only acts for the Assembly on this occasion. As a funeral is not a legal ceremony more latitude can be allowed, especially as the family of the deceased may want some particular Baha'i friend to officiate."

122: MARRIAGE, BAHA'I (RE: CONSENT OF NATURAL PARENTS)

"Our beloved Guardian made it clear that it was the responsibility of the Baha'i body performing the marriage ceremony to confirm without question the fact that the living natural parents of the two individuals who are being married have given their consent to the marriage. It is preferable that this consent be given in writing, but if this is not possible, or inadvisable for some reason, verbal consent in the present of witnesses is sufficient."... "Regarding your question of applying the sanction of suspension of voting rights to people who marry without the consent of parents, this should be done from now on. The laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas are explicit and not open to any ambiguity at all. As long as the parents are alive, the consent must be obtained; it is not conditioned on their relationship to their children. If the whereabouts of the parents is not known legally, in other words, if they are legally dead, then it is not necessary for the children to obtain their consent, obviously. It is not a question of the child not knowing the present whereabouts of the parents, it is a question of a legal thing--if the parents are alive, they must be asked."

123: MARRIAGE OF BAHA'U'LLAH

"It would, however, be very helpful for the friends to know that the question which the above-mentioned missionary has raised in connection with the marriage of Baha'u'llah and the provisions in the Aqdas regarding the institution of marriage have been explained by 'Abdu'l-Baha in a Tablet which the Guardian hopes to have translated and published in conjunction with the Aqdas. Moreover, as regards Baha'u'llah's marriage, it should be noted that His three marriages were all contracted before He revealed His Book of Laws, and even before His declaration in Ba_gh_dad, at a time when Baha'i marriage laws had not yet been made known, and the Revelation not yet disclosed."

124: MASONRY, FREE (MEMBERSHIP IN)

"Disapprove membership (in) Freemasonry." "Any Baha'i determined retain membership (in) Freemasonry loses voting rights."

"The directive regarding membership in Freemasonry should be carried out by your Assembly in all areas under your Assembly's jurisdiction."

125: MEDICAL SCIENCE (LEAVING BODIES TO)

"There is nothing in the Teachings against leaving our bodies to Medical Science. The only thing we should stipulate is that we do not wish to be cremated, as it is against Baha'i Law."

"As many people make arrangements to leave their bodies to Medical Science for investigation, he suggests that you inquire, either through some lawyer friend or through some hospital, how you could do this and then make the necessary provision in your will, stipulating that you wish your body to be of service to mankind in death, and that, being a Baha'i, you request that your remains not be cremated and not be taken more than an hour's journey from the place you die."

"The spirit has no more connection with the body after it departs, but as the body was once the temple of the spirit, we Baha'is are taught that it must be treated with respect."

126: MEDITATION

"Through meditation doors of deeper knowledge and inspiration may be opened. Naturally, if one meditates as a Baha'i he is connected with the Source;... Meditation is very important, and the Guardian sees no reason why the friends should not be taught to meditate, but they should guard against superstitions or foolish ideas creeping into it."

127: MEETINGS, BAHA'I

"Regarding your question as to the advisability of holding Baha'i meetings at a time coinciding with church meetings; the Guardian would advise the friends to avoid such a coincidence, as otherwise many church people may feel offended, and this may lead to unnecessary and even harmful misunderstandings and developments which may injure the Cause and affect its prestige in the eyes of the public. The friends should, under all circumstances, be careful not to arouse unnecessarily any feelings of religious antagonism."

128: MEMBERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES, LSA (RESIDENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS)

"...it is only too obvious that unless a member can attend regularly the meetings of his local Assembly, it would be impossible for him to discharge the duties incumbent upon him, and to fulfill his responsibilities, as a representative of the community. Membership in a Local Spiritual Assembly carries with it, indeed, an obligation and capacity to remain in close touch with local Baha'i activities, and ability to attend regularly the sessions of the Assembly."

129: MEMORIAL OFFERINGS

"He feels sure this offering, expended in memory of your dear ones, will rejoice their spirits, and aid them to progress in the world beyond."

130: MENTAL ILLNESS