29 January 1982
To National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Baha'i friends,
At this time when our thoughts are so often directed toward
our beleaguered brethren in the Cradle of the Faith, where no relenting of the
persecutions is in sight, the Universal House of Justice is moved to call on
National Spiritual Assemblies to schedule a day of prayer in order to extol the
memory of the glorious martyrs, and to invoke the power of God to emancipate
the Iranian believers from the fetters of oppression and hardship. Each
National Assembly should select a suitable day and request all Baha'i
communities under its jurisdiction to hold appropriate gatherings on that
specific day.
There is no doubt that the persecutions in Iran have
attracted the interest of the public in a number of countries to the Cause of
God and many have even expressed deep and genuine sympathy for the plight of
the Persian friends. In such countries, if the National Assembly considers it
desirable, it will be entirely permissible to invite to the prayer meetings, in
the spirit and manner befitting the occasion, members of sympathetic
organizations or selected individual non-Baha'is. These meetings could confirm
and deepen the love and respect that many already cherish in their hearts for
the Cause of God.
The following suggestions may be helpful to you:
If invitations are to be extended to non-Baha'i friends,
consideration should be given to those in authority both on national and local
levels, leaders of thought, prominent people of all walks of life, and those
sympathetic to the Faith. A general invitation to the public could also be
issued in some localities, if appropriate and advisable.
Where Baha'i centres are unavailable or inadequate for such
meetings, public or community halls could be hired. If all efforts fail to
obtain such secular facilities, it would also be permissible, as a last resort,
to hold the gatherings in public halls owned by, or places of worship of, other
religious communities, if such places are spontaneously offered or easily
available, and provided it is absolutely clear that the meetings are to be
conducted by, and under the auspices of, the Baha'is.
In each country where a Mashriqu'l-Adhkar is located the
national meeting should be held by the National Assembly concerned in the
Mother Temple.
It is important that the gatherings be carefully planned
well in advance and the meetings be held with utmost dignity.
In countries where it would not be propitious to invite
non-Baha'is to the proposed prayer meetings, such gatherings should as usual be
confined to Baha'is.
The House of Justice is confident that the power of prayer
emanating from these meetings will attract divine blessings, will cause the
souls of those who have joined the hosts on high to rejoice, and will assist
the endeavours of the believers everywhere in expediting the triumph of the
Cause of God.
With loving Baha'i greetings,
Department of the Secretariat
(‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986’)
