----- Original Message -----
From: M Chase
Dear Khazeh,
***...I also wonder about the significance, if any, of placing the prayer
last in _Prayers and Meditations_ after the obligatory prayers. Didn't
Shoghi Effendi edit and translate this volume?
....Sincerely, Marleen ***
Dear Marleen
I am like you. I do not know the reason why the beloved Guardian placed this
at the end.
Many things He did are beyond our ken and relate to His wisdom.
I am at an infinitely lower grade to understand the deeds of His friends and
servants let alone His good self *the Sign of God*.
But if you dear Marleen look at the instances wherein He says *It is
incumbent upon me* perhaps you can get an insight as to that which He
considered important and incumbent and pre-requisite and most important
***This wronged servant has spent his days and nights in promoting the
Cause, and urging the peoples to service. He rested not a moment, till the
fame of the Cause of God was noised abroad in the world, and the Celestial
Strains from the Abha Kingdom roused the East and the West. The beloved of
God must also follow the same example. This is the secret of faithfulness,
this is the requirement of servitude to the Threshold of Baha."
We need but glance at the Words of Baha'u'llah and the Epistles of
Abdu'l-Baha to realize the great privilege of teaching the Cause, its vital
necessity, its supreme urgency, and its wide-reaching effects. These are the
very words of Abdu'l-Baha: -
"In these days, the Holy Ones of the Realm of Glory, dwelling in the
all-highest Paradise, yearn to return unto this world, and be of some
service to the Cause of Baha'u'llah and prove their servitude to the
Threshold of Abha beauty."
What a wondrous vision these words unfold to our eyes! How great our
privilege to labor in this Day in the Divine Vineyard! Is it not **incumbent
upon us** to arise and teach His Cause with such an ardor which no worldly
adversity can quell, nor any measure of success can satiate?
(Shoghi Effendi: Baha'i Administration, Pages: 36-37)
**Are we to allow our vision of so unique, so enduring, so precious a Cause
to be clouded by the stain and dust of worldly happenings, which, no matter
how glittering and far-reaching in their immediate effects, are but the
fleeting shadows of an imperfect world? Are we to be carried away by the
flood of hollow and conflicting ideas, or are we to stand, unsubdued and
unblemished, upon the everlasting rock of God's Divine Instructions? Shall
we not equip ourselves with a clear and full understanding of their purpose
and implications for the age we live in, and with an unconquerable resolve
arise to utilize them, intelligently and with scrupulous fidelity, for the
enlightenment and the promotion of the good of all mankind?
Humanity, torn with dissension and burning with hate, is crying at this
hour for a fuller measure of that love which is born of God, that love which
in the last resort will prove the one solvent of its incalculable
difficulties and problems. Is it not **incumbent upon us**, whose hearts
are aglow with love for Him, to make still greater effort, to manifest that
love in all its purity and power in our dealings with our fellow-men? May
our love of our beloved Master, so ardent, so disinterested in all its
aspects, find its true expression in love for our fellow-brethren and
sisters in the faith as well as for all mankind. I assure you, dear
friends, that progress in such matters as these is limitless and infinite,
and that upon the extent of our achievements along this line will ultimately
depend the success of our mission in life.
(Shoghi Effendi: Baha'i Administration, Pages: 61-62)
1]**I feel it **incumbent upon me**, by virtue of the obligations and
responsibilities which as Guardian of the Faith of Baha'u'llah I am called
upon to discharge, to lay special stress, at a time when the light of
publicity is being increasingly focussed upon us, upon certain truths which
lie at the basis of our Faith and the integrity of which it is our first
duty to safeguard. These verities, if valiantly upheld and properly
assimilated, will, I am convinced, powerfully reinforce the vigor of our
spiritual life and greatly assist in counteracting the machinations of an
implacable and vigilant enemy.
(Shoghi Effendi: World Order of Baha'u'llah, Pages: 99-100)
**
2]**I feel it, therefore, **incumbent upon me** to stress, now that the time
is ripe, the importance of an instruction which, at the present stage of the
evolution of our Faith, should be increasingly emphasized, irrespective of
its application to the East or to the West. And this principle is no other
than that which involves the non-participation by the adherents of the Faith
of Baha'u'llah, whether in their individual capacities or collectively as
local or national Assemblies, in any form of activity that might be
interpreted, either directly or indirectly, as an interference in the
political affairs of any particular government.
(Shoghi Effendi: World Order of Baha'u'llah, Pages: 63-64)
3]feel it, however, **incumbent upon me** by virtue of the responsibility
attached to the Guardianship of the Faith, to dwell more fully upon the
essential character and the distinguishing features of that world order as
conceived and proclaimed by Baha'u'llah. I feel impelled, at the present
stage of the evolution of the Baha'i Revelation, to state candidly and
without any reservation, whatever I regard may tend to insure the
preservation of the integrity of the nascent institutions of the Faith
(Shoghi Effendi: World Order of Baha'u'llah, Page: 16)
4]Great as is my love and admiration for you, convinced as I am of the
paramount share which you can, and will, undoubtedly have in both the
continental and international spheres of future Baha'i activity and service,
I feel it nevertheless **incumbent upon me** to utter, at this juncture, a
word of warning. The glowing tributes, so repeatedly and deservedly paid to
the capacity, the spirit, the conduct, and the high rank, of the American
believers, both individually and as an organic community, must, under no
circumstances, be confounded with the characteristics and nature of the
people from which God has raised them up.
(Shoghi Effendi: The Advent of Divine Justice, Page: 16)
5] The long-predicted world-encircling conflagration, essential
pre-requisite to world unification, is inexorably moving to its appointed
climax.
(Shoghi Effendi: Messages to America, Page: 42)
6]** Our Inner Life
Humanity, through suffering and turmoil, is swiftly moving on towards
its destiny; if we be loiterers, if we fail to play our part surely others
will be called upon to take up our task as ministers to the crying needs of
this afflicted world.
Not by the force of numbers, not by the mere exposition of a set of new
and noble principles, not by an organized campaign of teaching - no matter
how worldwide and elaborate in its character - not even by the staunchness
of our faith or the exaltation of our enthusiasm, can we ultimately hope to
vindicate in the eyes of a critical and sceptical age the supreme claim of
the Abha Revelation. 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 splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by
Baha'u'llah.
(Shoghi Effendi: Baha'i Administration, Page: 66)
**
only some of these can give us a glimpse of what He felt were most important
The Most Important Thing is to Serve
The most important thing we know from the Teachings is to serve. In
carrying out the Plans of God we are strengthened, blessed and purified; we
attract the loving attention of Baha'u'llah; our efforts are confirmed; and
we are enabled through His power to achieve great victories for His Faith.
(Shoghi Effendi: Dawn of a New Day, Page: 160)
the most important thing of all, now that greater unity has been established
in the German Community, is to make the friends pioneerconscious; they must
learn to venture forth, putting their trust in God, and go to new cities and
towns to establish the Cause.
(Shoghi Effendi: Light of Divine Guidance Vol.1, Page: 177)
e assures you he will ardently pray for your welfare, protection, and the
success of your Baha'i work.
In these days the most important thing of all is to teach the Faith to
the people, for the world's salvation can only be found in the Plan of
Baha'u'llah....
(Shoghi Effendi: Light of Divine Guidance Vol.2, Page: 95)
The first and most important qualification of a Baha'i Teacher is, indeed,
unqualified loyalty and attachment to the Cause. Knowledge is, of course
essential; but compared to devotion it is secondary in importance."
(Shoghi Effendi: Directives of the Guardian, Page: 70)
The most important thing for the believers is, of course, to be united and
to really love each other for the sake of God, (Otherwise it is not possible
to love everyone). However, if communities wait until love and complete
harmony are established before teaching, the teaching work will come to a
standstill. Both sides must be cultivated; whilst actively teaching the
friends must themselves be taught and deepened in the spirit of the Faith,
which brings love and unity."
(Shoghi Effendi: Directives of the Guardian, Page: 75)
"In these days," Abdu'l-Baha had written in His Will, "the most important
of all things is the guidance of the nations and peoples of the world.
Teaching the Cause is of the utmost importance, for it is the head
corner-stone of the foundation itself."
(Shoghi Effendi: God Passes By, Page: 377)
thanks
your utter servant seeking your prayers
khazeh fananapazir
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