Perfect Religious Knowledge

     

 The patterns set in motion by biblical religion make the question of religious knowledge of the utmost importance. In essence, mortals have been brought into a state of potential. Everything has been primed in advance: human beings can collaborate with God, to match human actions with God's intention. It is possible to feel the momentum of this idea building; in the biblical outlook individuals can make the decision to let their wills act in unison with that of God, they can stand ready to live in accordance with the whole purpose of history. But how do they do so? How do they know if their actions are correct? How do they know what God's intentions are?

       In trying to answer these questions, the biblical approach begins with a word of caution: no one is ever able to know God completely. No mortal can "become God" in the same sense as can the mystic. No one can claim, "I am God." At best, a human being can only gather information about God, collect insights into the workings of God in history, and on this basis construct what is believed to be a close approximation to God's will. But there is always room for error. Humankind is fallible; anyone can make honest mistakes, they can misjudge. There are, however, two things working in one’s favor: God's steadfast nature and desire to have that fellowship brought about. There is no method that guarantees perfect religious knowledge; individuals must act on trust. Consequently, the first step to such knowledge is the sincere desire and decision to understand God, no matter how imperfect that understanding may be.

Who Have Broken the Covenant

Calligraphic arrangement of part of the opening sentence of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha

Some of the writings, prayers and verses of the Blessed Beauty will be mentioned in which association with the violators is forbidden. In the Iranian Commune, He says:

"Protect this Servant from the doubts of the persons who have turned away from Thee and are deprived of the sea of Thy knowledge. O God! O God! Protect this Servant through Thy bounty and generosity from the evil of Thine enemies who have broken Thy Covenant and Testament."

In another place He says: "O My God and the Aim of My Life! Protect this weak one with Thy Mighty hand from the voice of the Naegh."

Also He says: "Ye have taken one whom I hate to be thy beloved, and My enemy to be thy friend."

Also He says: "The company of the wicked ones increaseth sorrow, and the association with the pious ones removeth rust from the heart. The one who desires to associate with God, let him associate with His friends; the one who wishes to hear the Words of God, let him hear the words of His chosen ones."

Also He says: "Do not associate with the wicked, because the company of the wicked changeth the light of life into the fire of remorse. If thou asketh for the bounties of the Holy Spirit, associate with the pure ones, because they have quaffed the eternal chalice from the hands of the Cupbearer of eternity."

Also He says: "The greatest of degradation is to leave the Shadow of God and enter under the shadow of Satan."

Also He says: "O ye servants! There is nothing in this heart save the effulgences of the splendor of the morn of Meeting, and it does not speak but the absolute truth from your Lord. Therefore, do not follow self; break not God's Covenant and violate not His Testament. Proceed with perfect steadfastness, and with heart, soul and tongue, turn unto Him, and be not of the thoughtless."

And still He says: "You have forgotten God's Covenant and violated His Testament."  435 

And again He says: "If anyone comes to you with the book of the wicked, put him behind you."

"Among the people are those who have broken the Covenant, and among them are those who have followed what was ordained by the All-Knower, the All-Wise. My affliction is not from My imprisonment and persecution, or from what comes to Me from My rebellious servants, -- but from the actions of those who attribute themselves to this persecuted One and commit among the people that which is degrading to the honor of God. Verily, they are of the seditious."

Likewise speaking for the violators, He says: "Thou hast made the pulpits for Thy mention, the proclamation of Thy Word and the manifestation of Thy Cause, and we have ascended them to proclaim the breaking of Thy Covenant and Testament."

Likewise, He says: "Take what has been ordained for you and follow not those who have broken God's Covenant and Testament, for lo! they are the people of error."

Again He says: "Those who have broken the Covenant of God, notwithstanding His Commands, and have turned away, they are the people of error before the most Opulent, the Exalted."

And He says: "Those who have been faithful to God's Covenant are of the highest ones in the sight of the exalted Lord. Those who have become negligent are of the people of fire in the sight of Thy Lord, the Beloved, the Independent."

Likewise He says: "Blessed is the servant or maid-servant who believes, and woe to the polytheists who have violated the Covenant of God and His Testament, and deviated from My Right Path."

Likewise He says: "I implore of Thee not to deprive me of what Thou possessest or what Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones who have not broken Thy Covenant and Testament. Say! Die with your hatred! Verily, He is come by Whom the pillars of the world have been shaken and because of Whom the feet have stumbled -- save those who have not broken the Covenant, but have followed what God revealed in His Book."

Likewise He says: "The Supreme Concourse will pray for the one who is adorned with the garment of faithfulness between  436  heaven and earth; but he who breaks the Covenant is cursed by heaven and earth."

Likewise He says: "Take hold of what has been revealed unto you, with a power superior to that of the hands of the unbelievers who have violated the Covenant of God and His Testament, and have turned from the Face."

Also He says: "O Yahya! Verily the Book has come! Take it with a power from Us and do not follow those who have broken the Covenant of God and His Testament, and have denied what has been revealed from the Powerful, the All-Knower."

Likewise He says: "I awoke this morning, O My God, under the shadow of Thy great bounty and have taken, with Thy power, the pen to mention Thee with such mention as shall be a light unto the pure, and fire unto the wicked who have violated Thy Covenant, denied Thy Verses and put aside the Kawther of life which appeared by Thy command and was revealed by the finger of Thy will."

(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 433)

The Orient Women

Rising Place of Rememberance

Mashriqu'l-Adhkar means 'rising place of rememberance', where 'rising place' has connotations of the East and thus of the dawn, and 'remembrance' connotes dhikr and more broadly acts of worship which change our consciousness and being. So the same word is applied appropriately to the radiant heart, the physical building, and meetings for worship, particularly at dawn. Many western communities try in a disultory manner to organize dawn prayers, but few seem able to carry it through consistently. 

From the experience in our own community (South Limburg) it appears that it is difficult to sustain the dawn prayers as simply one activity among all those worthy activities that go with 'being Bahá'í', and that it becomes rather easier when they are understood as one form of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar and thus as a response to the Aqdas' command:
 "Build ye houses of worship throughout the lands in the name of Him Who is the Lord of all religions" and an integral part - in fact, the central part - of the whole structure of the community. Various kinds of Mashriq meeting are possible: community meetings for prayers and meditation, more experimental liturgies with chanting and the recitation of dhikr, 'firesides' which consist primarily of meditation and chanting and include the answering of questions as these arise, dawn prayers and after-work moments of silence, short lunchtime meetings to say the shorter obligatory prayer and share a smile and some fellowship, longer evening gatherings for the heavy meditation and the long obligatory prayer (see Jackson's book, and also a tablet of Abdu'l-Bahá to the Spiritual Assembly of Bushruyih in Ganjinih Hudud va Ahkam p. 230), 

The meetings of orders of Bahá'í dervishes using particular devotional arts (Memorials of the Faithful p. 38), or meetings for particular liturgical forms (Gregorian morning song, Vespers with 3-part harmony, Arabic chanting, African drumming). Each of these can be called a 'rising place' for praise and thus a Mashriqul-Adhkar, though perhaps the daily morning prayers have a particular priority in relation to the way in which the inspiration derived in the Mashriq is expressed in action during the day (God Passes By, pp. 339-340) and because they are specifically endorsed by Bahá'u'lláh in the Aqdas para 11 5:

Guardian of the Cause of God

O ye the faithful loved ones of ‘Abdu’l-Baha! It is incumbent upon you to take the greatest care of Shoghi Effendi, the twig that hath branched from and the fruit given forth by the two hallowed and Divine Lote-Trees, that no dust of despondency and sorrow may stain his radiant nature, that day by day he may wax greater in happiness, in joy and spirituality, and may grow to become even as a fruitful tree.

For he is, after ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the Guardian of the Cause of God, the Afnan, the Hands (pillars) of the Cause and the beloved of the Lord must obey him and turn unto him. He that obeyeth him not, hath not obeyed God; he that turneth away from him, hath turned away from God and he that denieth him, hath denied the True One. Beware lest anyone falsely interpret these words, and like unto them that have broken the Covenant after the Day of Ascension (of Baha’u’llah) advance a pretext, raise the standard of revolt, wax stubborn and open wide the door of false interpretation. To none is given the right to put forth his own opinion or express his particular conviction. All must seek guidance and turn unto the Center of the Cause and the House of Justice. And he that turneth unto whatsoever else is indeed in grievous error.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Will and Testament of `Abdu’l-Bahá, paragraph 54-55

Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum

Nee Mary Maxwell (1910-2000), also called Ruhyyih Rabbani; daughter of May Bolles Maxwell and Sutherland Maxwell of Montreal, Canada, and wife of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith. She served as the Guardian's secretary during his lifetime. 

On 26 March 1952, succeeding her illustrious father, she was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God residing in the Holy Land. Ruhiyyih (meaning "spiritual") is a name given to her by Shoghl Effendi on their marriage. Khanum is a Persian title meaning "lady," "Madame," or "Mrs." The title Amatu’l-Baha (meaning "Maidservant of Bahá”) was used by the Guardian in a cable to a conference in Chicago in 1953. 

Rabbani is a surname given to Shoghi Effendi by 'Abdu'l-Baha After Shoghi Effendi's passing in 1957, she traveled extensively to teach the Baha'i Faith, consolidate Baha'i communities, and serve as a representative of the Universal House of Justice at major events.

Paris Talks - 1

Addresses Given by ‘Abdu’l Bahá in 1911

Table of Contents:
                           Part - 1

1.The Duty of Kindness and Sympathy towards Strangers and Foreigners
2.The Power and Value of True Thought Depend upon Its Manifestation in Action
3.God Is the Great Compassionate Physician Who Alone Gives True Healing
4.The Need for Union between the Peoples of the East and West
5.God Comprehends All; He Cannot Be Comprehended
6.The Pitiful Causes of War, and the Duty of Everyone to Strive for Peace
7.The Sun of Truth
8.The Light of Truth Is Now Shining upon the East and the West
9.The Universal Love
10.The Imprisonment of ‘Abdu’lBahá
11.God’s Greatest Gift to Man
12.The Clouds That Obscure the Sun of Truth
13.Religious Prejudices
14.The Benefits of God to Man
15.Beauty and Harmony in Diversity
16.The True Meaning of the Prophecies Concerning the Coming of Christ
17.The Holy Spirit, the Intermediary Power between God and Man
18.The Two Natures in Man
19.Material and Spiritual Progress
20.The Evolution of Matter and Development of the Soul
21.The Spiritual Meetings in Paris
22.The Two Kinds of Light
23.Spiritual Aspiration in the West
24.Lecture Given at a Studio in Paris
25.Bahá’u’lláh
26.Good Ideas Must Be Carried into Action
27.The True Meaning of Baptism by Water and Fire
28.Discourse at “l’Alliance Spiritualiste”
29.The Evolution of the Spirit
30.The Desires and Prayers of ‘Abdu’lBahá
31.Concerning Body, Soul and Spirit
32.The Bahá’ís Must Work with Heart and Soul to Bring About a Better Condition in the World
33.On Calumny
34.There Can Be No True Happiness and Progress without Spirituality
35.Pain and Sorrow
36.The Perfect Human Sentiments and Virtues
37.The Cruel Indifference of People towards the Suffering of Foreign Races
38.We Must Not Be Discouraged by the Smallness of Our Numbers

39.Words Spoken by ‘Abdu’lBahá in Pastor Wagner’s Church (Foyer de l’Ame) in Paris

The Promised Day

Hands of the Cause of God

The Journey Of Mulla Husayn

Mulla Husayn was born in 1813 in Bushruyih in northern Iran. He attended the primary school which was called “maktab” those days. The pupils were taught reading and writing and enough mathematics to know how to add, subtract, and divide. The students also learned how to memorize passages from the Qur’an, in original Arabic, by repetition – without really understanding their meaning and significance. It was considered meritorious to be able to read the words of the Qur’an, especially at the tombs of the dead. 
At the age of twelve, Mulla Husayn finished his studies in his home town of Bushruyih and went to the nearby city of Mashhad, the most prestigious center of religious study in Iran, to pursue his religious studies at a seminary. To be accepted to such religious seminaries one had to show genuine interest and aptitude. These seminaries, known as “madrisih” consisted of some buildings around a courtyard, with pools, wells, and sometimes gardens. Professors and students generally lived at such madrisih’s. There was no fixed course of study. Each professor would teach a subject, while his students would sit on a mat around him. The students would listen, ask questions and discuss their views.
Mulla Husay’s parents, realizing his great spiritual capacities, were happy that their son would follow the path of religion and become a mujtahid,(A Muslim Doctor of Law) thereby honoring the family. But we do not know what was in the mind of the young Mulla Husayn. We do know that, in Mashhad, Mulla Husayn did not bow to the ideas of his professors. Soon he became attracted to the unorthodox ideas of Shaykh Ahmad and became a follower of Shaykh Ahmad’s successor, Siyyid Kazim. He corresponded with the latter, who lived and taught in Iraq, and his desire to meet him grew. Perhaps his heart told him that the Siyyid was more than just a scholar who could teach him the outward laws of religion.
It should be noted that at that time there was much speculation in Iran about the coming of the promised Qa’im – the promised one of the Shi’ih. In towns and villages of Iran, seers and sages called the people to prepare themselves for that great day. There were different expectations as to what things need to happen and how to prepare oneself for that great Advent. Mulla Husayn looked to Siyyid Kazim to unravel this mystery. He decided to journey to Iraq to study with his master.
Since the capital city Tihran is located on the way from Mashhad to Karbala in Iraq, Mulla Husayn stayed there for a while. But while there, he received the news that his father had died in Bushruyih, and he had to return to his native town - now with the responsibility of caring for his four younger sisters and brothers, some of whom were very young. But he would not remain there long as he felt the urge to leave directly for Karbala in Iraq.
While he was preparing to leave, it is reported that Mulla Husayn had a dream. He was in the presence of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, who looked at him gently. Muhammad called him to approach and took him in His arms like a kind father. The Prophet then put His lips over those of Mulla Husayn. Suddenly Mulla Husay felt his mouth was filled with so much water that it began to flow out, as if a great ocean had burst forth from his mouth, filling the whole world.
When he awoke, he was perplexed by this dream. But his relatives were certain that it was a sign of great knowledge and attainment in life, that he would obtain the highest rank in the religious hierarchy, would become a great mujtahid (a Muslim Doctor of Law), and would fill the world with his wisdom.
As preparation for departure was underway his family observed a new expression on the face of Mulla Husayn and a mood of rapture about him. The entire family decided to accompany him to Karbala. They sold some of their property in the village and left. Only one of his sisters, Khadijih, who had already married remained at home.
Thus began Mulla Husayn’s journey to Iraq to meet his master Siyyid Kazim, one of the the two forerunners of the Báb. This was 1831 and Mulla Husayn was only 18 years old! 
(Adapted from ‘Mulla Husayn – Disciple at Dawn’, by R. Mehrabkhani)

How To Pray?

Abdu’l-Baha, the role model for Baha’is, traveled to New York early in the 20th century. 

One day he invited an eager follower to his quarters to teach the man to pray.  His guest arrived at 6:00 a.m. and found Abdu’l-Baha deep in prayer at his bedside. He knelt opposite Abdu’l-Baha and began to pray. He ticked off every priority on his prayer list, then he became distracted by cracks in the wall, birds outside, and his aching back. 

After two hours, he finally gazed at Abdu’l-Baha’s face and saw it shining with the radiance of deep communion with the divine. He suddenly longed for a prayer “beyond the murmur of syllables and sounds” as the Baha’i prayers describe this state. 

He longed to feel the sense of devotion he had witnessed. He received an immediate answer to his request, and enjoyed a few moments of exquisite prayer, grateful for this sweet lesson on “how to pray.”

Baha'i Month - Mashiyyat

The Mashrak-el-Azkar of Ishkabad

Washington, D. C.,

October 12, 1908.

To the House of Spirituality of Bahais, 

Chicago, Ill.

Brothers in the service of Abha:-

As you have arisen for the construction of the first Mashrak-el-Azkar in America, and, as I have recently visited Ishkabad and seen there the great Mashrak-el-Azkar of the east, of which we in the west have heard so much, I take it upon myself to write to you a description of this edifice, hoping to share with you the great blessing of meeting with the friends in those parts and of beholding this Temple which is a testimony of their sacrifice and unity.

As you know, Ishkabad is in Russian Turkestan, just north of the Elbruz mountains, which separate the desert plain of western Turkestan, on the north, from Persia on the south. The city itself lies on the plain a short distance from the mountains, which here are quite rugged and rocky. The town is quite modern in aspect, being laid off with gardens and broad streets, which meet at right angles. Rows of trees along the sidewalks remind one of a western city, while the buildings and the waterways, which flank the streets and are fed with water coming from the nearby mountains, are strikingly oriental.

I could hardly believe that this city had sprung up almost entirely during the past half-century. It was but a huddle of mud huts, when Baha'o'llah first directed some of his followers to settle there. Now this is replaced by a large and prosperous city of buildings of brick and stone.

The Mashrak-el-Azkar stands in the center of the city, surrounded by a large garden, which is bounded by four streets. It rises high above the surrounding buildings and trees, its dome being visible for miles, as the traveler approaches the city over the plain. The building in plan is a regular polygon of nine sides. One large doorway and portico, flanked by turrets, facing the direction of the Holy City (Akka), forms the principal motive of the facade, while the dome dominates the whole composition.

The walls of the Temple are of brick covered with a firm and hard stucco, [p. 154] which in that climate resists quite well the action of the elements, while the floors are concrete supported by iron or steel beams.

In plan the building is composed of three sections: the central rotunda, the aisle or ambulatory which surrounds it, and the loggia which surrounds the entire building. Read Full

What He Wants to Say?

Who Are Covenant-Breakers

601. Covenant-Breakers, Defined

"People who have withdrawn from the Cause because they no longer feel that they can support its Teachings and Institutions sincerely, are not Covenant-breakers—they are non-Bahá’ís and should just be treated as such. Only those who ally themselves actively with known enemies of the Faith who are Covenant-breakers, and who attack the Faith in the same spirit as these people, can be considered, themselves, to be Covenant-breakers. As you know, up to the present time, no one has been permitted to pronounce anybody a Covenant-breaker but the Guardian* himself."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, March 30, 1957)

602. Covenant-Breaking is a Spiritual Disease

"… Covenant-breaking is truly a spiritual disease, and the whole view-point and attitude of a Covenant-breaker is so poisonous that the Master likened it to leprosy, and warned the friends to breathe the same air was dangerous. This should not be taken literally; He meant when you are close enough to breathe the same air you are close enough to contact their corrupting influence. Your sister should never imagine she, loyal and devoted, has become a 'carrier'."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, July 29, 1946)

603. Covenant-Breaking Like Contagious Consumption and Cancer

"… Thou hadst asked some questions; that why the blessed and spiritual souls, who are firm and steadfast, shun the company of degenerate persons. This is because, that just as the bodily diseases like consumption and cancer are contagious, likewise the spiritual diseases are also infectious. If a consumptive should associate with a thousand safe and healthy persons, the safety and health of these thousand persons would not affect the consumptive and would not cure him of his consumption. But when this consumptive associates with those thousand souls, in a short time the disease of consumption will infect a number of those healthy persons. This is a clear and self-evident question."

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Tablet to an individual believer, October 1921: Star of the West, Vol. XII, No. 14, p. 

233)

Source

Bahá’í Elections

The three core values on which Bahá’í institutions are based are respect for the inherent dignity of each person, the unity and solidarity of persons collectively, and the inherent justice and fairness of the institutions. 

These three distinct values operate at individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels, but they are conceptually connected to one another. Second, the instrumental value of Bahá’í electoral institutions lies in how well they perform the following four functions: selecting the most desirable representatives; legitimating Bahá’í administrative institutions; fostering virtues among individual participants; and fostering unity and solidarity in the community as a whole. 

These may be called the selection, legitimation, education, and integration functions of elections. 

(source)

But, the Big Question is.......Is this in practice?

Relation of the Believers

One of the greatest problems in the Cause is the relation of the believers to each other; for their immaturity (shared with the rest of humanity) and imperfections retard the work, create complications, and discourage each other. And yet we must put up with these things and try and combat them through love, patience and forgiveness individually, and proper administrative action collectively.
(Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahá’í Community, p. 449)

The Cause is manifest, it shineth resplendent as the sun, but the people have become veils unto themselves. We entreat God that He may graciously assist them to return unto Him. He is, in truth, the Forgiving, the Merciful.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 79)

Commentary on the Will & Testament of Abdul-baha

This Commentary by Joel B. Marangella sheds light on both the text and the tragic historic events surrounding this Sacred Document of the Baha'i Faith. The book recounts the intrigue that took place at the Baha'i World Center in 1957 that stifled the growth of this infant Faith, threatened to permanently diminish its prestige in the eyes of the world and destroyed the very safeguard built into the Faith that was to prevent it from falling into false leadership. 

Despite the darkness that has befallen this most recent revelation from God, this brilliant Commentary reveals the truth of what remains alive and well today, the true sign of God on earth who alone maintains the spirit and meaning of the Baha'i teachings. The Will and Testament of Abdul-BahÃ, is the vital and eternal link between Baha'u'llah and the sacred Administrative Order that is the true channel of the spirit. 

This book by Mr. Marangella clearly illuminates important passages within it that have been misunderstood, overlooked or intentionally distorted.The question may well be asked, what is so threatening about this book that millions of Baha'is around the world won't be allowed by their leadership to read it? 

Surely, all Baha'is must recognize the fundamental principle of Baha'u'llah, the Prophet Founder of the Baha'i Faith, to exercise their human right of an unfettered, independent investigation of truth.Mr. Marangella's book also includes the complete Will and Testament of Abdul- Baha, which can be read along with the Commentary, as well as a Summary of the Baha'i Faith by the author, recognized by Orthodox Baha'is as the third Guardian of Baha'i Faith. 

This Summary gives the uninitiated an authoritative treatise on the history and teachings of the Baha'i Faith.

Solution Through the Use of Prayers

The below five steps were suggested by the beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi to a believer as a means of finding a solution through the use of prayer.

This statement belongs to the category of statements known as “pilgrims notes”, and as such has no authority, but since it seems to be particularly helpful and clear it was felt that believers should not be deprived of it.

1st Step: Pray and meditate about it. Use the prayers of the Manifestations as they have the greatest power. Then remain in the silence of contemplation for a few minutes.

2nd Step: Arrive at a decision and hold this. This decision is usually born during the contemplation. It may seem almost impossible of accomplishment but if it seems to be as answer to a prayer or a way of solving the problem, then immediately take the next step.

3rd Step: Have determination to carry the decision through. Many fail here. The decision, budding into determination, is blighted and instead becomes a wish or a vague longing. When determination is born, immediately take the next step.

4th Step: Have faith and confidence that the power will flow through you, the right way will appear, the door will open, the right thought, the right message, the right principle, or the right book will be given to you. Have confidence and the right thing will come to your need. Then, as you rise

from prayer, take at once the 5th step.

5th Step: Act as though it had all been answered. Then act with tireless, ceaseless energy. And as you act, you, yourself, will become a magnet, which will attract more power to your being, until you become an unobstructed channel for the Divine power to flow through you.

Many pray but do not remain for the last half of the first step. Some who meditate arrive at a decision, but fail to hold it. Few have the determination to carry the decision through, still fewer have the confidence that the right thing will come to their need.

But how many remember to act as though it had all been answered? How true are these words “Greater than the prayer is the spirit in which it is uttered” and greater than the way it is uttered is the spirit in which it is carried out.

Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahá’í Administration, p. 91.

Source

Days of the Guardian

One evening Shoghi Effendi came over, and he was rather, …, hadn’t been well. He was rather disturbed, badly disturbed, in fact. And he sat down, pushed his plate aside, and Ruhiyyih Khanum said, “Shoghi Effendi, won’t you eat? You haven’t eaten all day. You’re hungry. You’re getting weak. You should eat. And then you can talk to the friends later about your cablegram and the matters you want to talk about.” So he said, well, all right, and he pulled his plate back and the servant gave him some food. He ate one or two mouthfuls, and then he pushed it back and started to talk. Well, Shoghi Effendi, we who lived there got to knew if Shoghi Effendi was well or if he was happy, just your whole life was around that of Shoghi Effendi. And if he was well, you got up in the morning and everything was fine. If he was happy, everything was sunshine. Sometimes you got up in the morning and everything was wrong. Why was it wrong? You didn’t know, but you found out during the day that Shoghi Effendi wasn’t well. So this is when he pushed his plate aside, again without eating, and he started to talk. And he said, “You know, shortly before Bahá’u’lláh passed away, the Master went to see him in Bahji, and He went up to His room and He found His papers all over the floor. So the Master collected them, put them in a neat order, laid them on a divan, and said, Bahá’u’lláh, I collected your papers and put them in order, and I‘ve put them out here so that you can have them. Bahá’u’lláh took them in His hands and threw them all over the floor again and said, “It doesn’t make any difference. It’s all done.” I don’t want to these papers any more. No more papers!” That was said before Bahá’u’lláh passed away. So, he said, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, shortly before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away (‘Abdu’l-Bahá was always very meticulous in everything He did), and they found His papers scattered around in His room, and his secretaries collected them and put them in order for Him – put them together – and they took them to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who took the papers and threw them and said, “I‘m done with the papers. It doesn’t make any difference now. It’s all finished now. I don’t want any more papers.” And shortly after, He passed away.
He said, “I‘m so tired of these papers, I don’t want them anymore. I just don’t want these papers any more. I don't want them.” Well, we talked to Shoghi Effendi and said, “Don’t talk that way! How can you say these things! You are going to kill your friends here.” And I said to Shoghi Effendi, “Why don’t you give these papers to Ruhiyyih Khanum and myself. Give them to us. We‘ll do something with them. We‘ll handle them. We‘ll digest them. We‘ll give you an outline, and so all you have to do is give us the answers, so that if a person raises a question, we‘ll give it to you, and all you have to do is say, “Tell him so-and-so. Tell him so-and-so.” And I said, “Shoghi Effendi, no Guardian of this Cause in the future is going to be able to do what you’re doing. No Guardian can receive all these people and give them personal audiences, give them personal contact and answer personal questions, and deal with the personal problems. I said, they have to in the future deal through the intermediaries. Why don’t you just set up now to have an audience with the pilgrims, one hour in the afternoon. Just one hour. Talk to everyone, have a general talk, and then it’s all finished and you can have a little time, so you can rest a little bit, so you won’t have so many burdens, and you’re not so pressed So I talked along that line and Shoghi Effendi said, “Well, it is not time for any change now.” And that was it.
(In the Days of the Guardian – a Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas in Johannesburg, South Africa, 1958) ::: source :::