Dear Bahá'í friends,
We have recently sent to those National Spiritual Assemblies
which are engaged in mass teaching the enclosed extracts from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá and from the letters of Shoghi Effendi. We feel
that they will also be of great assistance to all other National Spiritual
Assemblies.
The paramount goal of the teaching work at the present time
is to carry the message of Bahá'u'lláh to every stratum of human society and
every walk of life. An eager response to the teachings will often be found in
the most unexpected quarters, and any such response should be quickly followed
up, for success in a fertile area awakens a response in those who were at first
uninterested.
The same presentation of the teachings will not appeal to
everybody; the method of expression and the approach must be varied in
accordance with the outlook and interests of the hearer. An approach which is
designed to appeal to everybody will usually result in attracting the middle
section, leaving both extremes untouched. No effort must be spared to ensure
that the healing Word of God reaches the rich and the poor, the learned and the
illiterate, the old and the young, the devout and the atheist, the dweller in
the remote hills and islands, the inhabitant of the teeming cities, the
suburban businessman, the labourer in the slums, the nomadic tribesman, the
farmer, the university student; all must be brought consciously within the
teaching plans of the Bahá'í Community.
Whereas plans must be carefully made, and every useful means
adopted in the furtherance of this work, your Assemblies must never let such
plans eclipse the shining truth expounded in the enclosed quotations: that it
is the purity of heart, detachment, uprightness, devotion and love of the
teacher that attracts the divine confirmations and enables him, however
ignorant he be in this world's learning, to win the hearts of his fellowmen to
the Cause of God.
With loving greetings,
The Universal House of Justice
Teaching the Masses Annex
Whoso ariseth, in this Day, to aid Our Cause, and summoneth
to his assistance the hosts of a praiseworthy character and upright conduct,
the influence flowing from such an action will, most certainly, be diffused
throughout the whole world. (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh,
Rev. ed. [Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1983], sec. 131, p. 287)
Whoso ariseth to teach Our Cause must needs detach himself
from all earthly things, and regard, at all times, the triumph of Our Faith as
his supreme objective. ... And when he determineth to leave his home, for the
sake of the Cause of his Lord, let him put his whole trust in God, as the best
provision for his journey, and array himself with the robe of virtue. ...
If he be kindled with the fire of His love, if he forgoeth
all created things, the words he uttereth shall set on fire them that hear him.
... (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, sec. 157, pp.
334-35)
I swear by Him Who is the Most Great Ocean! Within the very
breath of such souls as are pure and sanctified far-reaching potentialities are
hidden.
So great are these potentialities that they exercise their
influence upon all created things. (Bahá'u'lláh, cited in Shoghi Effendi, The
Advent of Divine Justice [Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 19841, p. 23)
He is the true servant of God, who, in this day, were he to
pass through cities of silver and gold, would not deign to look upon them, and
whose heart would remain pure and undefiled from whatever things can be seen in
this world, be they its goods or its treasures. I swear by the Sun of Truth!
The breath of such a man is endowed with potency, and his words with
attraction. (Bahá'u'lláh, cited in Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine
Justice, p. 23)
The most vital duty, in this day, is to purify your
characters, to correct your manners, and improve your conduct. The beloved of
the Merciful must show forth such character and conduct among His creatures,
that the fragrance of their holiness may be shed upon the whole world, and may
quicken the dead, inasmuch as the purpose of the Manifestation of God and the
dawning of the limitless lights of the Invisible is to educate the souls of
men, and refine the character of every living man ... ('Abdu'l-Bahá, cited in
Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 26)
Whensoever ye behold a person whose entire attention is
directed toward the Cause of God; whose only aim is this, to make the Word of
God to take effect; who, day and night, with pure intent, is rendering service
to the Cause; from whose behaviour not the slightest trace of egotism or
private motives is discerned -- who, rather, wandereth distracted in the
wilderness of the love of God, and drinketh only from the cup of the knowledge
of God, and is utterly engrossed in spreading the sweet savours of God, and is
enamoured of the holy verses of the Kingdom of God -- know ye for a certainty
that this individual will be supported and reinforced by heaven; that like unto
the morning star, he will forever gleam brightly out of the skies of eternal
grace. But if he show the slightest taint of selfish desires and self love, his
efforts will lead to nothing and he will be destroyed and left hopeless at the
last. ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, [Rev. ed.]
[Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 19821, pp. 71-72)
The aim is this: The intention of the teacher must be pure,
his heart independent, his spirit attracted, his thought at peace, his
resolution firm, his magnanimity exalted and in the love of God a shining
torch. Should he become as such, his sanctified breath will even affect the
rock; otherwise there will be no result whatsoever. As long as a soul is not
perfected, how can he efface the defects of others. Unless he is detached from
aught else save God, how can he teach severance to others! ('Abdu'l-Bahá,
Tablets of the Divine Plan: Revealed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the North American
Bahá'ís, Rev. ed. [Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1980], p. 51)
One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone
secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely the extent to which
our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects
the splendour of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh. (Shoghi
Effendi, from a letter dated 24 September 1924 to the Bahá'ís of America,
published in Bahá'í Administration: Selected Messages, 1922-1932 [Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1980], p. 66)
... having attained sufficiently that individual
regeneration -- the essential requisite of teaching -- let us arise to teach
His Cause with righteousness, conviction, understanding and vigour. Let this be
the paramount and most urgent duty of every Bahá'í. ... (Shoghi Effendi, from a
letter dated 24 November 1924 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United
States and Canada, published in Bahá'í Administration, p. 67)
The first and most important qualification of a Bahá'í
teacher is, indeed, unqualified loyalty and attachment to the Cause. Knowledge
is, of course, essential, but compared to devotion it is secondary in
importance.
What the Cause now requires is not so much a group of highly
cultured and intellectual people who can adequately present its Teachings, but
a number of devoted, sincere and loyal supporters who, in utter disregard of
their own weaknesses and limitations, and with hearts afire with the love of
God, forsake their all for the sake of spreading and establishing His Faith.
... (From a letter dated 14 November 1935 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi
to the National Teaching Committee of the United States and Canada, published
in Bahá'í News, No. 102 [August 1936], p. 2)
They must remember the glorious history of the Cause, which
... was established by dedicated souls who, for the most part, were neither
rich, famous, nor well educated, but whose devotion, zeal and self-sacrifice
overcame every obstacle and won miraculous victories for the Faith of God...
(From a letter dated 29 June 1941 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the
National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma, published in Dawn of a New Day
[New Delhi: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, n.d. (1970)], p. 89)
…what raised aloft the banner of Bahá'u'lláh was the love,
sacrifice, and devotion of His humble followers and the change that His
teachings wrought in their hearts and lives. (From a letter dated 20 June 1942
written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the
British Isles, published in Unfolding Destiny, [London: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1981], p. 152)
It is the quality of devotion and self-sacrifice that brings
rewards in the service of this Faith rather than means, ability or financial
backing. (From a letter dated 11 May 1948 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi
to the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand)
One wise and dedicated soul can so often give life to an
inactive community, bring in new people and inspire to greater sacrifice. He
hopes that whatever else you are able to do during the coming months, you will
be able to keep in circulation a few really good Bahá'í teachers. (From a
letter dated 30 June 1952 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National
Spiritual Assembly of Central America)
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963 to 1986)
