Chapter 1

The Light of Divine Guidance (Volume 1)

by Shoghi Effendi

Edition 1, (September 2006)

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CONTENTS

Baha'i Terms of Use Letter of 17 December 1922 Letter of 19 January 1923 Letter of 16 February 1923 Letter of 4 December 1923 Letter of 28 December 1923 Letter of 31 December 1923 Letter of 27 November 1924 Letter of 2 February 1925 Letter of 7 March 1925 Letter of 27 May 1925 Letter of 26 October 1925 Letter of 5 November 1925 Letter of 3 December 1925 Letter of 1 April 1926 Letter of 28 June 1926 Letter of 8 April 1927 Letter of 3 April 1929 Letter of 4 April 1930 Letter of 4 April 1930 Letter of 14 June 1930 Letter of 20 June 1931 Letter of 23 December 1931 Letter of 24 February 1932 Letter of 30 March 1932 Letter of 19 May 1932 Letter of 10 September 1932 Letter of 14 September 1932 Letter of 30 November 1932 Letter of 3 May 1933 Letter of 16 May 1933 Letter of 14 June 1933 Letter of 27 June 1933 Letter of 9 August 1933 Letter of 1 October 1933 (Summer School) Letter of 11 February 1934 Letter of 21 February 1934 Letter of 8 May 1934 Letter of 30 July 1934 Letter of 8 September 1934 (Summer School) Letter of 25 September 1934 Letter of 3 November 1934 Letter of 5 November 1934 Letter of 10 January 1935 Letter of 4 February 1935 Letter of 5 March 1935 Letter of 7 May 1935 Letter of 5 July 1935 Letter of 10 August 1935 Letter of 12 October 1935 Letter of 22 October 1935 Letter of 12 November 1935 Letter of 5 April 1936 Letter of 10 May 1936 Letter of 10 May 1936 (Convention) Letter of 10 September 1936 (Summer School) Letter of 9 December 1936 Letter of 17 March 1937 Letter of 10 December 1937 Letter of 2 February 1938 Letter of 31 March 1938 Letter of 25 April 1938 Letter of 21 May 1938 Letter of 7 May 1939 Letter of 6 June 1939 Letter of 5 November 1945 Letter of 30 December 1945 Letter of Dec. 30th, 1945 Letter of 8 April 1946 Letter of 4 May 1946 Letter of 30 July 1946 Letter of 31 July 1946 Letter of 22 November 1946 Letter of 18 February 1947 (Summer School) Letter of 22 February 1947 Letter of 26 February 1947 Letter of 4 June 1947 (Convention) Letter of 19 June 1947 Letter of 24 June 1947 Letter of 27 September 1947 (Summer School) Letter of 24 October 1947 Letter of 15 November 1947 (Teaching Conference) Letter of 17 January 1948 Letter of 28 February 1948 Letter of 1 April 1948 Letter of 11 May 1948 Letter of 28 May 1948 Letter of 18 October 1948 Letter of 20 October 1948 (Summer School) Letter of 20 October 1948 Letter of 14 September 1948 Letter of 21 December 1948 Letter of 5 January 1949 (Summer School) Letter of 24 February 1949 (Summer School) Letter of 28 March 1949 Letter of 30 March 1949 Letter of 20 April 1949 Letter of 27 May 1949 Letter of 30 June 1949 Letter of 30 June 1949 Letter of 3 July 1949 (First Pioneer School) Letter of 4 September 1949 (Summer School) Letter of 23 December 1949 Letter of 6 March 1950 Letter of 13 April 1950 Letter of 28 June 1950 Letter of 30 December 1950 Letter of 2 March 1951 Letter of 30 April 1951 (Convention) Letter of 26 July 1951 Letter of 9 August 1951 Letter of 27 August 1951 (Summer School) Letter of 28 September 1951 (Summer School) Letter of 30 October 1951 (Summer School) Letter of 30 October 1951 Letter of 18 April 1952 Letter of 29 April 1952 Letter of 30 May 1952 Letter of 15 June 1952 Letter of 9 July 1952 Letter of 27 August 1952 Letter of 4 October 1952 Letter of 11 October 1952 (Summer School) Letter of 29 November 1952 Letter of 8 March 1953 Letter of 30 March 1953 Letter of 19 April 1953 Letter of 19 April 1953 Letter of 19 April 1953 (Convention) Letter of 26 April 1953 (Convention) Letter of 5 May 1953 Letter of 10 June 1953 Letter of 21 June 1953 Letter of 4 August 1953 Letter of 17 August 1953 Letter of 12 September 1953 (Youth Summer Session) Letter of 26 September 1953 (Summer School) Letter of 15 October 1953 Letter of 26 November 1953 Letter of 14 February 1954 Letter of 3 April 1954 Letter of 17 April 1954 Letter of 21 April 1954 Letter of 30 April 1954 Letter of 2 May 1954 Letter of 28 May 1954 Letter of 8 June 1954 Letter of 25 June 1954 Letter of 28 June 1954 Letter of 23 July 1954 Letter of 27 September 1954 (Summer School) Letter of 18 November 1954 Letter of 12 December 1954 Letter of 10 February 1955 Letter of 10 February 1955 Letter of 23 February 1955 Letter of 23 February 1955 Letter of 8 March 1955 Letter of 11 March 1955 Letter of 29 March 1955 Letter of 20 April 1955 Letter of 1 May 1955 (Convention) Letter of 1 July 1955 Letter of 2 August 1955 Letter of 23 September 1955 Letter of 23 September 1955 (Summer School) Letter of 30 September 1955 Letter of 20 October 1955 Letter of 19 October 1955 Letter of 28 October 1955 Letter of 10 November 1955 Letter of November 1955 Letter of 23 November 1955 Letter of 15 December 1955 Letter of 15 December 1955 Letter of 20 December 1955 Letter of 3 February 1956 Letter of 20 March 1956 Letter of 23 March 1956 Letter of 25 March 1956 Letter of 6 April 1956 Letter of 7 April 1956 Letter of 27 April 1956 Letter of 19 May 1956 Letter of 19 May 1956 Letter of 19 May 1956 Letter of 5 June 1956 Letter of 8 June 1956 Letter of 8 June 1956 Letter of 21 June 1956 Letter of 7 July 1956 Letter of 7 July 1956 Letter of 7 July 1956 Letter of 8 July 1956 Letter of 27 July 1956 Letter of 31 July 1956 Letter of 26 August 1956 Letter of 24 September 1956 (Summer School) Letter of 27 September 1956 Letter of 27 September 1956 Letter of 27 September 1956 Letter of 28 September 1956 Letter of 6 October 1956 (First Austrian Summer School) Letter of 20 October 1956 Letter of 22 October 1956 (Teaching Conference) Letter of 9 November 1956 Letter of 15 November 1956 Letter of 30 November 1956 Letter of 30 November 1956 Letter of 5 December 1956 Letter of 1 January 1957 Letter of 10 January 1957 Letter of 11 January 1957 Letter of 11 January 1957 Letter of 13 January 1957 Letter of 19 January 1957 Letter of 19 January 1957 Letter of 19 January 1957 Letter of 24 Janaury 1957 (Winter School) Letter of 26 January 1957 Letter of 30 January 1957 Letter of 17 February 1957 Letter of 17 February 1957 Letter of 10 March 1957 Letter of 12 March 1957 (Regional Convention) Letter of 13 March 1957 Letter of 14 March 1957 Letter of 17 March 1957 Letter of 29 March 1957 Letter of 3 April 1957 Letter of 9 April 1957 Letter of 12 April 1957 Letter of 18 April 1957 Letter of 19 April 1957 Letter of 19 April 1957 Letter of 28 April 1957 Letter of 14 August 1957 Letter of 16 August 1957 Letter of 27 August 1957 Letter of 3 September 1957 Letter of 4 September 1957 Letter of 5 September 1957 Letter of 22 September 1957 Letter of 26 September 1957 (Summer School) Letter of 3 October 1957 (Summer School) Letter of 27 October 1957 Letter of 30 October 1957 (Teaching Conference)

LETTER OF 17 DECEMBER 1922

17 December 1922

Blest and beloved ones of 'Abdu'l-Baha!

To have been unable, owing to sad circumstances over which I have had no control, to keep in close and constant touch with you, the beloved children of 'Abdu'l-Baha, since His passing from this world, is to me a cause of sad surprise and deep and bitter regret. To say that ever since the Dawn of a New Day has broken upon me I have in the least felt reluctant or disinclined to enter into relationship with every one of you, or felt indifferent to a Cause which is so close and dear to your hearts, would indeed betray every sentiment of love and fellowship which animates every one of us in our servitude to His Holy Threshold. It was rather my utter exhaustion, my profound feelings of sorrow, the overwhelming sense of my own position and responsibilities and the extreme pressure of work that have caused me to maintain such a long silence and seem forgetful of those brave and valiant lovers of the Master in that land.

Of the thoughts that sustained and comforted me during my hours of restful retirement was the realization, never dismissed from my mind, that in the German friends the Master will surely find loyal and grateful children who will repay the tender love and paternal care which He had for them with a devotion and service, so profound and lasting that will prove worthy of the many blessings that have been theirs in the past.

The news of your most spiritual gatherings, since the Great Plan of the Master as revealed in His Testament has been unfolded to our eyes; the formation and functioning of the National Body with efficiency and harmony; the extension of your activities; the widening of your correspondence; the generous and spontaneous help you have extended us in connection with our difficulties in the Holy Land and above all the spirit of ready devotion and ever-increasing zeal which is back of it all--these are sweet thoughts that cheer the bereaved Ladies of the Holy Household and encourage here and abroad the many friends who look forward to the hour when all the Master has promised His friends in Germany will come to be fulfilled.

Having returned to the Holy Land with a renewed vigour and a refreshed spirit, I shall not fail with the help of the Master to do my part in enabling you to carry on further and still further the Glorious Standard of Baha to the very heart and uttermost confines of Germany and thus hasten the Day when the Spirit of Faith and Peace as revealed in the Cause of Baha'u'llah will fill the world and the darkness of strife be no more.

In sweet remembrance at the Three Holy Shrines of your labours of love for His Cause, I am and remain your brother and coworker in His service.

LETTER OF 19 JANUARY 1923

19 January 1923

The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout Germany, Care of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.

My dearly-beloved friends!

Ever since I have resumed my work in the Holy Land I have been awaiting with eager and particular interest the detailed letters, individual as well as collective, of my loved ones in Germany, who, I am sure are arduously, devotedly and efficiently carrying on the Great Work which the Master has destined for them in this world.

Much as I desire to correspond individually with every one of you, yet I find that in view of the marvellously rapid extension of the Movement all over the world to start and maintain individual correspondence with the vast and ever-increasing number of Baha'is in the East and the West would entail so much time and energy on my part as to prevent me from paying adequate attention to my other duties that are so urgent and vital in these days.

I shall therefore very regretfully and reluctantly have to content myself with direct correspondence with every Baha'i group in each locality, be it a city or hamlet, keeping in constant touch with them directly and through their respective local assemblies and co-ordinating their spiritual efforts and activities through the National Spiritual Assembly (National Body), representative of all the believers and local assemblies throughout the land.

I am exceedingly anxious, as a preliminary to the faithful execution of this plan, to receive as soon as it is convenient an official, comprehensive and detailed report from the National Spiritual Assembly, stating accurately the actual standing of the Cause in Germany, describing the progress of the activities of the friends throughout that land and the adjoining countries such as Austria and Northern Switzerland, and setting forth the names, the numerical strength, the history, the needs and the activities of every locality throughout these regions, however small in size, where the Light of the Cause has so far been able to penetrate.

I hope by this measure to enter into direct and constant communication with every locality, however small it may be, where a single friend or more is striving to teach the Cause and establish a Baha'i centre.

It has been my great pleasure to read some of the letters addressed during the past months by the German friends to the Greatest Holy Leaf, and their perusal, I assure you, has filled me with intense satisfaction and made me still more confident of that glorious era of spiritual reawakening which the unseen Hand of our Master is sure to unfold to our eyes in the near future.

Your labours are unceasing, your effort knows no bounds, your devotion and selflessness are indeed worthy of the many blessings our Beloved has bestowed upon you and the Guidance of Baha'u'llah and His unfailing assistance will, I am certain, enable you to crown your ceaseless endeavours with glorious and well-deserved success.

In my hours of prayer and meditation, I remember you most tenderly and beseech every time I visit the Sacred Shrines a fresh outpouring of His Grace and Spirit upon your efforts for the spread and triumph of His Cause.

As I was the other day studying various Baha'i documents I came across a most inspiring and encouraging message from our Beloved written in his own handwriting and bearing no date and sign as to the place and circumstances in which it was revealed. I enclose a copy of its translation together with various Baha'i prayers and Tablets all of which I trust will be of great help and assistance to you in your work of service to the Cause. I submit them all to the members of the National Spiritual Assembly for translation into German and circulation among the friends.

I have asked a very experienced Persian teacher, by the name of Jinab-i-Avarih, who is at present in England, to pay a special visit to the various Baha'i centres in Germany and endeavour with the hearty cooperation of every one of you to arouse deep and widespread interest in the Movement throughout that land.

I am eagerly anxious to receive a copy of your Baha'i organ which I trust you will be able to publish both in German and in English and which I hope will truly and fully describe the great effort which is now being made in those regions for the diffusion of the Baha'i principles and teachings. With the introduction of an English section into your Baha'i Magazine the number of its subscribers will I am sure greatly increase as the many friends in America, Great Britain, France, India and Egypt would be most pleased and grateful to gather from its columns the full news of the onward march of the Cause throughout Central Europe.

It would be a great encouragement to the friends in America and India if the German friends would through their respective assemblies subscribe to the two leading Baha'i organs in the world, namely the Star of the West and the Baha'i News, and contribute regularly reports of their own activities and submit for publication carefully written articles, sanctioned by the members of the National Spiritual Assembly, and bearing upon spiritual matters in general, that the East and the West may be closely linked together and the friends the world over may know of one anothers activities and services to the Cause.

The time is sure to come and the signs are already apparent, when the various and distant members of this great world community will find their activities co-ordinated, their purpose unified, their efforts re-inforced and the effect of their combined efforts manifest throughout the world. May the Power of Baha'u'llah breathe the dynamic spirit of Life into the combined and systematized efforts of the friends the world over and revive through them the body of stricken humanity and give it the peace which it yearns for and which the world cannot give.

Your devoted brother

LETTER OF 16 FEBRUARY 1923

16 February 1923

The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout Germany, Care of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.

My dearest brethren and sisters in 'Abdu'l-Baha!

I have received with mixed feelings of sadness and gratitude your longexpected letter, sent on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly (National Body), and written by our sincere and devoted brother Consul Schwarz. It made me feel relieved and grateful at receiving at last the news of your safety and the assurance of your unwavering determination to serve with heart and soul and to the very end the Cause of Baha'u'llah; and it filled me with sorrow to hear of the grievous calamity that has befallen your land and the hardships that are afflicting your country.

Let me assure you, at the outset, of the deep sympathy of the Ladies of the Household, of the friends the world over, and of myself, in your great suffering, and our unfailing prayers to 'Abdu'l-Baha, that He may dissipate these gathering clouds of animosity and strife, and relieve your great and beloved country from its present state of uncertainty and peril.

Why fear and sorrow? Have we not the express promise of the Master, uttered after the termination of the Great War, that Germany, now humbled and weakened, will no doubt be freed from its fetters and will develop, materially and spiritually, and shall one day emerge from this sad turmoil strong, united and prosperous, ready to take her place in the great Family of the advanced nations of the world?

I am enclosing for you all my translation of a number of selections from the Master's soul-stirring and comforting words, revealed some twentyfive years ago, and during the darkest days of his incarceration in the prison-city of Akka. You will I hope translate them and publish them in your Baha'i organ the "Sun of Truth", copies of which I shall be most pleased to receive and share with my friends in the Holy Land.

I am enclosing also a copy of my last letter to you, wherein I have asked you, among other things, to send me a detailed report of your activities, and I sincerely hope that I shall soon be in receipt of a detailed answer from you on all the points which I have raised in my last letter.

I am also enclosing my revised translation of the Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, both Arabic and Persian, and hope to send you more of His Words and Teachings in future.

Awaiting your news, and wishing you the highest success in your glorious work of service,

I am your devoted brother

LETTER OF 4 DECEMBER 1923

4 December 1923

To the dearly-beloved friends throughout Germany. Care of the National Spiritual Assembly

My well-beloved friends:

What a joy to correspond with you again, and express, after a long and unbroken silence, my warm sentiments of love and affection for those tried, yet steadfast, lovers of 'Abdu'l-Baha! Your trials and sufferings have been a constant source of anxiety and painful sorrow, not to me alone, but to the Ladies of the Household as well as to the friends at large.

True, humanity is to-day widely afflicted with unprecedented ills and calamities, but you, the chosen and favoured children of 'Abdu'l-Baha, have, by some wisdom inscrutable to us all, received the fullest measure of this distress, and are carrying the burden of your cares with heroic fortitude, unflinching faith, and undaunted courage worthy of the admiration of even the most severely tried of your fellow-sufferers in far-away Persia.

Your only consolation lies in the ever-living words of our departed Master, who confidently declared that the days are not far distant when Germany, will shake off her present humiliation, and will emerge, mighty, united and glorious, not only to take her destined place in the councils of nations, but to raise high the triumphant banner of the Cause in the very heart of Europe.

Your ceaseless activities since His departure from our midst have been steadily extended as your tribulations and anxieties have multiplied, and I feel hopeful that ere long the true Faith of God will blaze worth in that land, and will herald publicly the Message of Salvation to that distracted continent.

I am so desirous to receive from the National Spiritual Assembly, frequent, comprehensive and up-to-date reports on the present position of the Cause throughout Germany, with an account of the activities of the various Baha'i centers recently established throughout that land.

Your Baha'i Magazine, I have regularly received and read with deep interest. I strongly urge you to devote a section of it, written both in German and English, to an account of the current activities of the Movement throughout the length and breadth of Germany, a step which I am sure will rejoice the hearts of our spiritual brethren and sisters the world over.

The members of the holy Family and myself have joined lately the resident friends in the Holy Land in contributing towards the relief of the present distress in Germany, and we trust our modest efforts will mitigate to some extent the rigours of this coming winter in that afflicted country.

Hoping to hear from you, individually and collectively, and remembering you always in my prayers,

I am your brother and co-worker

LETTER OF 28 DECEMBER 1923

28 December 1923

To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful in Leipzig, Germany, Care of his honour, Mr. Herrigel.

My dearest brethren and sisters in 'Abdu'l-Baha:

I need not emphasize the deep and genuine pleasure I felt when I received and read your most welcome letter dated November 11th. 1923. With what pride and gratitude I learned from it that already, through the ever-present and omnipotent spirit of our departed Master a fresh start has been made and a promising center established in that beautiful city of yours, one of the leading centres of thought in your beloved country.

True, your fatherland is now fallen a prey to chaotic conditions and severe distress, yet in this hour of trial and suffering we should all remember the inspired words of our Beloved who, more than once, declared that out of this humiliating turmoil Germany is sure to rise again, united and mighty, ready to render her services, spiritual as well as material, to the cause of mankind.

Let these words cheer us, let them sustain us with hope and confidence, and inspire us to serve His Cause and spread His Message, however trying the conditions may be.

I await lovingly and eagerly your letters, individually as well as collectively, and will be delighted to hear of the progress of your activities, of the full account of your meetings, and of your plans for the promotion of the Baha'i Movement.

May His spirit, amid these trying circumstances and vicissitudes of your domestic life, sustain you and guide you in rendering distinct services to our beloved Cause.

Assuring you of my earnest prayers on your behalf,

I am your brother in His love

LETTER OF 31 DECEMBER 1923

31 December 1923

The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful in Hamburg, Gera, Schwerin, Rostock and Waernemunde.

My dearly-beloved brethren and sisters in the love of God!