Messages from the Guardian to all Bahá’ís
The 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah – the designated Day of Celebration
These days Baha’i communities around the World are announcing the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah through their local newspapers or internet. This is good, but unfortunately those who follow the directives of the UHJ, knowingly or unknowingly, are announcing the Birthday of Baha’u’llah as October 22nd, although November 12, 1817, was His birthday. Such a shameful mistake is a result of them blindly following the bogus UHJ’s letter of July 10, 2014, in which the UHJ has written:
“The Birth of the Báb and the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, have, in the East, been traditionally observed according to their correspondence to the first and second days of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. “These two days are accounted as one in the sight of God,” Bahá’u’lláh affirms. Yet, a letter written on behalf of the Guardian (Shoghi Effendi) states, “In the future, no doubt all of the Holy Days will follow the Solar calendar, and provisions be made as to how the Twin Festivals will be celebrated universally.”
“How to satisfy the intrinsic lunar character of these blessed Days within the context of a solar calendar has hitherto been unanswered. We have decided that they will now be observed on the first and the second day following the occurrence of the eighth new moon after Naw-Rúz, as determined in advance by astronomical tables using Tihrán as the point of reference. This will result in the observance of the Twin Birthdays moving, year to year, within the months of Mashíyyat, ‘Ilm, and Qudrat of the Badí‘ calendar, or from mid-October to mid-November according to the Gregorian calendar.”
According to the Compilation Questions and Answers, in response to a question about His Birthday and the Birthday of the Bab, Baha’u’llah revealed: “These two days are accounted as one in the sight of God.”
If those who are running the affairs of the bogus UHJ had studied the Tablets and Writings of Baha’u’llah, they would have noticed that “These two days are accounted as one in the sight of God,” because the Bab also is a Manifestation of God.
“Thus, by the “sun” in one sense is meant those Suns of Truth Who rise from the dayspring of ancient glory, and fill the world with a liberal effusion of grace from on high. These Suns of Truth are the universal Manifestations of God in the worlds of His attributes and names.” (Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 33)
“For this reason, hath the Point of the Bayan — may the life of all else but Him be His sacrifice! — likened the Manifestations of God unto the sun which, though it rise from the “Beginning that hath no beginning” until the “End that knoweth no end,” is none the less the same sun. Now, wert thou to say, that this sun is the former sun, thou speakest the truth; and if thou sayest that this sun is the “return” of that sun, thou also speakest the truth. Likewise, from this statement it is made evident that the term “last” is applicable to the “first,” and the term “first” applicable to the “last;” inasmuch as both the “first” and the “last” have risen to proclaim one and the same Faith.” (Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 161)
Shoghi Effendi during His Ministry always advised Baha’is to observe Holy Days according to the solar calendar, which enables the believers to indicate and point to the correct date and time for observing occasions and events in the season and year.
“Moreover, request communities observing Bahá’í Holy Days, solar calendar, celebrate with befitting solemnity the approaching anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Birthday.” (Cablegram, October 8, 1952 – Messages to the Bahá’í World:1950–1957)
“Announce to Bahá’í communities, East and West, on the joyous occasion of the hundred and thirty-fifth Anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Birthday, the successful termination of the protracted negotiations, initiated two years ago…” (Cablegram, November 12,1952 – Messages to the Bahá’í World:1950–1957)
“Dear Bahá’í Brothers and Sisters: Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your joint letter dated November 12th,1932 written on the occasion of the birth-day of Bahá’u’lláh.” (Shoghi Effendi, The Light of Divine Guidance v I, p. 44)
“It is advisable to use both the Bahá’í dates, according to the Bahái Calendar, and the usual Gregorian dates as well. The friends at present are free to do as they please.” (Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 12)
Historians and scholars still are trying to find out the real and exact birthdate of Jesus Christ since it is not written in the Gospels. Christian sects celebrate different dates as His Birthday.
The Birthdays of the Baha’u’llah and His Herald are clearly announced by Himself and His Interpreters of the Word.
The Headless body (UHJ) has created confusion by its negligence.
October 16, 2017
Nosrat’u’llah Bahremand
Shoghi Effendi Never Was Silent
Enemies of the Baha’i Faith are criticizing the Faith by accusing Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Cause of God, of being silent despite the fact that Shoghi Effendi wrote:
“The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which, together with the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, constitute the chief depository wherein are enshrined those priceless elements of that Divine Civilization, the establishment of which is the primary mission of the Bahá’í Faith. A study of the provisions of these sacred documents will reveal the close relationship that exists between them, as well as the identity of purpose and method which they inculcate. Far from regarding their specific provisions as incompatible and contradictory in spirit, every fair-minded inquirer will readily admit that they are not only complementary, but that they mutually confirm one another, and are inseparable parts of one complete unit.” (The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 3)
And Shoghi Effendi said:
“Everything that is written in the Will and Testament [of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá] will be fulfilled. The Bahá’ís must not be anxious about this.”
The adversaries of the Baha’i Faith said that Shoghi Effendi did not act accordingly to the obligatory commandment of Abdu’l-Baha in His Will and Testament which decrees:
“It is incumbent upon the Guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor that differences may not arise after his passing.”
The foes of the Faith then say that if Shoghi Effendi could not “appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor,” it means that the Administrative Order of the Baha’i Faith was not well designed, and it is imperfect, etc..
Their wrong supposition is based on the diabolical lies of the bogus UHJ as quoted below:
“There is no doubt at all that in the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Shoghi Effendi was the authority designated to appoint his successor, but he had no children and all the surviving Aghsan had broken the Covenant. Thus, as the Hands of the Cause stated in 1957, it is clear that there was no one he could have appointed in accordance with the provisions of the Will. The fact that Shoghi Effendi did not leave a will cannot be adduced as evidence of his failure to obey Bahá’u’lláh — rather should we acknowledge that in his very silence there is a wisdom and a sign of his infallible guidance.” (The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 353)
Following is the related statement of the former Hands after their conclave in 1957:
“On the following morning, November 19th, nine Hands of the Cause, selected from the Holy Land, and the several continents of East and West, with (Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum, broke the seals placed upon the beloved Guardian’s safe and desk and made careful examination of their precious contents. These same Hands, rejoining the other Hands assembled in the Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh at Bahji, certified that Shoghi Effendi had left no Will and Testament. It was likewise certified that the beloved Guardian had left no heir.” (Ministry of the Custodians, p. 35)
The Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha reveals:
“The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the Guardian of the Cause of God,” and commands that the Guardian:
“appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor,” not in the form of a will which usually is disclosed after the passing.
The Guardian of the Cause of God cannot be silent, and the first Guardian never was silent. What guidance is anticipated from silence, which opens the door to different assumptions and speculations?
Shoghi Effendi knew better than the errant Hands of the Cause and anyone else that He did not have a son, and all the surviving blood descendants of Baha’u’llah had broken the Covenant. In a letter on his behalf to an individual believer, which can be found in the Bahá’í News, No. 232, p. 8, June 1950 is written:
“He feels that if … ponders more deeply about the fundamentals of Divine Revelation, she will also come to understand the Guardianship. Once the mind and heart have grasped the fact that God guides men through a Mouthpiece, a human being, a Prophet, infallible and unerring, it is only a logical projection of this acceptance to also accept the station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Guardians. The Guardians are the evidence of the maturity of mankind in the sense that at long last men have progressed to the point of having one world, and of needing one world management for human affairs. In the spiritual realm they have also reached the point where God could leave, in human hands (i.e. the Guardians) guided directly by the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, as the Master states in His Will, the affairs of His Faith for this Dispensation. This is what is meant by ‘this is the day which will not be followed by night.’ In this Dispensation, divine guidance flows on to us in this world after the Prophet’s ascension, through first the Master, and then the Guardians. If a person can accept Bahá’u’lláh’s function, it should not present any difficulty to them to also accept what He has ordained in a Divinely guided individual in matters pertaining to the Faith.” (Directives from the Guardian, p.34)
Less than three years prior to His passing to the Abha Kingdom, Valera Allen and John Allen had recorded in their Pilgrims’ Notes:
“The Guardian was asked if the meaning of the verse in the Bible ‘the day that would not be followed by night’ meant that succeeding Manifestations would not be persecuted but immediately accepted by the people. He answered, “No, there will always be evil in the world and doubtless the succeeding Manifestations would be persecuted though in a lesser degree.” The meaning of the verse was that the Guardians would be sources of guidance and protection for the Faith until the coming of the subsequent Manifestation which might not be for 6000 years although He might come any time after 1000 years – depending on need.
We became slightly involved as to why the people would probably not accept the new Manifestation if they had the Guardian to guide and direct them which led to Shoghi Effendi recounting for us the functions of Guardianship. He stressed the Infallibility of the Guardian as being the essential thing that kept schisms from developing in the Faith. One could not say that he was infallible only as Interpreter of the Writings but he was infallible in anything that he stated he was infallible in. He was the only one who could know when he was guided infallibly. That was the very nature of infallibility. Regardless of what he talked about if he gave his word as an infallible statement then it was so — if it were a suggestion he would say so. In speaking of the Guardian, as the Head of the Universal House of Justice, he said that the Universal House of Justice was bound to accept the Guardian’s authority if he spoke from the Station of Infallibility, because of the statement in the “Will and Testament of Abdu’l- Baha” which says: “It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice, upon all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him.” He spoke with great power and authority when he mentioned the Station of the Guardian and the functions of the Guardianship.” (Haifa Impressions by Valera Allen and John Allen, 1954. Notes from a pilgrimage in December 1954, p. 12. http://bahai-library.com/allen_haifa_impressions)
A response of Shoghi Effendi to one of the pilgrim’s questions asked prior to his passing in 1957 is as follows:
(The Guardian was asked a question concerning whether or not the next Manifestation of God would be opposed by the people of the world, as had Bahá’u’lláh and all former Messengers of God.)
“In the future, when the next Manifestation appears, the Guardian of the Cause at that time will tell the believers who the Manifestation is and will call on them to accept Him. What is the use of the infallibility of the Guardian if he does not do this? This is one of the very important things that he will do. Opposition to the next Manifestation will thus be much less than in former times — that is to say, the area of opposition will be reduced. ‘This is the day that shall not be followed by night’ means that divine guidance will not again be withdrawn from the world.” (Pilgrims’ Notes recorded by Isobel Sabri, 1957 http://bahai-library.com/sabri_pilgrims_notes)
From Pilgrims’ Notes by William Allison in 1957, who had the distinction of being the last of the Baha’is to visit the first Guardian in Haifa:
“The Guardian said there will be Bahá’í Kings. The Hands of the Cause of God, with their own organization, will be these kings. Their duties, specifically, will be to propagate the Faith and protect it. The Hands of the Cause will outrank the members of the House of Justice.
Hujoj. [Huquq.] More will be given on this in later years. It is solely for purification of money and one’s income.
The institution of the Guardianship interprets, directs the Hands, heads the House of Justice and defines their sphere of legislation.” (Pilgrims’ Notes by William Allison in 1957 http://bahai-library.com/allison_pilgrims_notes)
In fact, Shoghi Effendi, in accordance to the provisions of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha, appointed His successor in His life-time.
In 9 January 1951 Shoghi Effendi by His Only Proclamation issued during his 36-year ministry announced the formation of the first International Bahá’í Council, the real Universal House of Justice, in embryonic form, and by cablegram of 2 March 1951, appointed Mason Remey as the President and Head of the true Universal House of Justice, in embryonic form, i.e. the next Guardian. The presidency of the Universal House of Justice exclusively is the function of the Guardian, and no one other than the Guardian can occupy this position.
The Head of the true Universal House of Justice is pre-appointed, and this capacity comes as an integral part of the authorities and responsibilities of the Guardian delineated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in His Testament. The Head of this body is the Guardian who is appointed by the predecessor Guardian. No one on earth has the authority to remove the “Sacred Head” of this Body and elect someone instead to replace him.
Mason Remey was appointed by the first Guardian, and after the passing of Shoghi Effendi, nobody had the authority to remove him from this Office to which he was appointed by the first Guardian. Moreover, nobody had the authority to dissolve the International Baha’i Council, all of whose members were appointed by the first Guardian, and this same body, as originally appointed, had to evolve “INTO OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED BAHA’I COURT” as the “ESSENTIAL PRELUDE TO THE INSTITUTION OF THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE” as clearly stated in Shoghi Effendi’s Proclamation of 9 January 1951. But in the third stage of its evolution when the Court would be transformed “INTO A DULY ELECTED BODY,” the Head and President had to continue in his Office while the members would be elected.
“He [the successor] that is appointed must manifest in himself detachment from all worldly things, must be the essence of purity, must show in himself the fear of God, knowledge, wisdom and learning.” (Abdu’l-Baha, The Will and Testament, p. 11)
While the appointment of the successor is not tied to writing a will, it must be done during the life-time of the predecessor Guardian. Shoghi Effendi appointed the second Guardian of the Cause of God during his life-time. The fact that the former Hands of the Cause under the direction of Ruhiyyih Khanum, widow of the first Guardian, did not find His Will, must not be adduced as He had not written a Will. Shoghi Effendi always encouraged Baha’is to write a will according to the commandments of Baha’u’llah in the Most Holy Book: “Unto everyone hath been enjoined the writing of a will.” It is unlikely that He had not written a will. However, as mentioned before, the appointment of the Guardian’s successor does not need to be done by means of a will and testament.
The following passage was written by Ruhiyyih Khanum.
“A further large deposit, invested for safekeeping in Switzerland in both his and my name, I later turned over to the Universal House of Justice after its election”. (Ministry of the Custodians, p. 11)
This may raise the question about the possibility that the Will of Shoghi Effendi containing the explanation of how He appointed his successor Mason Remey on 2 March 1951 was held in a safe deposit box at the same Swiss Bank which only could be accessed by Ruhiyyih Khanum. But she directed the former Hands to the Guardian’s safe and desk in His office.
Shoghi Effendi never was silent. His writings are the best evidence. Shoghi Effendi, during and until the end of his 36-year ministry, had always made it quite clear that the line of Guardians would continue to the end of the Baha’i Dispensation and had made many references to future Guardians in His Writings. Also, many Pilgrims’ Notes are testimonies written by the pilgrims to the Words of Shoghi Effendi about future Guardians and his emphasis on the continuation of the Guardianship to the end of the Baha’i Dispensation.
One night the Guardian said, “Pilgrims’ Notes are very important. They should be eagerly received as they bring the Spirit of the Shrines, and the Station of the Guardianship, and the first-hand impressions which the cablegrams and letters cannot convey. Of course they cannot be authoritative, as they are not written by the Master or the Guardian, but they are very important, and should be so considered.” (Visiting the Baha’i World by Ruth Moffett 1954-59, part II B http://bahai-library.com/moffett_pilgrims_notes – 2)
In 1957 when the first Guardian passed to the Abha Kingdom, the Hands who did not have and could not have administrative authority, justified their usurpation of the authority of the Guardian because of the situation which was portrayed by Ruhiyyih Khanum and the former Hands who followed her. Her false assertion was that after Shoghi Effendi there was no longer any authority. In doing this they (the Hands) ignored the fact that Shoghi Effendi had already established the highest administrative Body of the Faith.
Why would the Baha’is “cling to the Hands” as Ruhiyyih Khanum told the Baha’i world to do in a telegram, instead of clinging to the supreme international institution of the Faith established by the late Guardian himself? If it was necessary for a group of nine persons to administer the affairs of the Faith, why should it not be the Universal House of Justice, in its embryonic form, similar to the status of the National and Local Bodies, especially when all the members of that International Body had been selected and appointed by the Guardian himself?
The former Hands did not have any authority to say:
“We nominate and appoint from our own number to act on our behalf as the Custodians of the Baha’i World Faith to exercise — subject to such directions and decisions as may be given from time to time by us as the Chief Stewards of the Baha’i World Faith — all such functions, rights and powers in succession to the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith,” (The Ministry of the Custodians, p. 29)
The International Baha’i Council was the legitimate, rightful and highest institution of the Baha’i Faith, while in contrast the Hands of the Cause do not have administrative authority in the Faith. By now many know the famous admission of Ruhiyyih Khanum in this regard: “How to assume the reins of authority, with no document to support us…” (Ministry of the Custodians, p. 9)
It is of particular importance that they stripped themselves from their station as Hands of the Cause when they denied the fact that the first Guardian had appointed his successor by appointing Him as the Head of the embryonic Universal House of Justice, an Office, which can only be occupied by the Guardian.
“The Hand of Omnipotence hath established His Revelation upon an unassailable, an enduring foundation. Storms of human strife are powerless to undermine its basis, nor will men’s fanciful theories succeed in damaging its structure.” (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 109)
Nosrat’u’llah Bahremand
March 20, 2017
A Warning Call To Obey “The Summons Of The Lord Of Hosts”
by Nosrat’u’llah Bahremand
It was brought to my attention that the illegitimate organization which is headquartered in Haifa and which undeservedly calls itself “the Universal House of Justice”, has recently organized a Web-page and claims that it is the “Official website of the Bahá’í Faith”!1
They should have honestly clarified that they meant a version of the Baha’i Faith modified and manipulated by Ruhiyyih Khanum and those former Hands of the Cause who followed her; a faith which repudiates the “Center of the Cause” and does not adhere to the sacred provisions of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha, a faith that is based on imitation, herd instinct and mind control, and by scare and hate-mongering rhetoric; a version of faith which is compatible with the ill wishes of “The Center of Sedition, the Prime Mover of mischief, Mirza Muhammad Alí,”, by “interpolating and falsifying the words and verses of the Sacred Text,” and consequently they “inflicted a grievous loss upon the true Faith of God,” by ignoring writings of the first Guardian of the Cause of God, especially his Proclamation of 9 January 1951 the only Proclamation during his own life; and opposing the descendant Guardians of the Cause of God.
The bogus organization pretends to be real; to be the same Universal House of Justice revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and the Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha, and as mentioned throughout the writings of Shoghi Effendi. They are trying to say that their organization has originated from the Most Holy Book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, when in reality this organization has been rooted in the violation of the Covenant by Ruhiyyih Khanum and the former Hands of the Cause who followed her.
They have written:
“In 1951, Shoghi Effendi appointed a number of individuals to an International Bahá’í Council, a forerunner to the Universal House of Justice. In 1961, this appointed Council was reformed as a body elected by all the National and Regional Assemblies then established in the world.
After Shoghi Effendi’s sudden passing in 1957, his work was faithfully carried on by the group of distinguished Bahá’ís he had appointed as Hands of the Cause of God. These individuals arranged for the first election of the Universal House of Justice
The International Baha’i Council, so contemptuously mentioned in their writing, was truly an august body, the formation of which was announced by Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Cause of God, in his proclamation of January 9, 1951, the only proclamation of his lifetime to the Baha’i World. Rebellious Hands of the Cause did not have any authority to “reform” the IBC, which by that term they meant the termination of the Embryo IBC.
The first Guardian explained the IBC’s significance and virtues:
“…, combine to induce me to arrive at this historic decision marking most significant milestone in evolution of Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in course of last thirty years.”
“…in course of evolution of this first embryonic International Institution, marking its development into officially recognized Bahá’í Court, its transformation into duly elected body, its efflorescence into Universal House of Justice, and its final fruition through erection of manifold auxiliary institutions constituting the World Administrative Center destined to arise and function and remain permanently established in close neighbourhood of Twin Holy Shrines. Hail with thankful, joyous heart at long last the constitution of International Council which history will acclaim as the greatest event shedding luster upon second epoch of Formative Age of Bahá’í Dispensation potentially unsurpassed by any enterprise undertaken since inception of Administrative Order of Faith on morrow of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Ascension, ranking second only to glorious immortal events associated with Ministries of the Three Central Figures of Faith in course of First Age of most glorious Dispensation of the five thousand century Bahá’í Cycle.”
(Cablegram, January 9, 1951, Messages to the Baha’i World – 1950-1957, p. 7)
January 9, 1951 was a major turning point and a milestone in the history of the Baha’i Faith.
Earlier local and national Houses of Justice were established in their embryonic forms i.e. the Spiritual Assemblies: “the local as well as national Assemblies, which in the course of time will evolve, with the Master’s power and guidance, into the local and national Houses of Justice.”
(Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Baha’i Community, p. 5)
“But now is not the time — it is utterly impossible to establish the House of Justice which is mentioned in the Book of Aqdas, nay rather it is impracticable and not to be thought of, that is for the time when the Cause is proclaimed and the Commands have become effective. Therefore now is not the time for the House of Justice, which must be established by general election. Its mention is not permissible and its realization impossible”.
(Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 411)
“The Universal House of Justice is elected by the members of the National Houses of Justice. At this time when the National Assemblies in the Cause are not yet functioning sufficiently or fully representative of all the various important elements within it, and when some of the Baha’is are not even free to practise their faith, despite their numbers, it is quite impracticable to seek to establish the Universal House of Justice. Whenever conditions permit, it will be established.”
(Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p. 95)
On January 9, 1951, the conditions were favorable for the formation of the Universal House of Justice in its embryonic form (The International Baha’i Council). In the course of time and evolution, this embryonic International Institution inevitably must be developed into an officially recognized Bahá’í Court. This process was not only explained in the Proclamation of January 9, 1951; but it has been repeatedly emphasized in many messages of Shoghi Effendi; it having been designated by him as one of the major goals of the Ten Years Crusade synchronous with the establishment of six national Bahá’í Courts in the chief cities of the Islamic countries.
At the World Center of the Faith, where, at long last the machinery of its highest institutions has been erected, and around whose most holy shrines the supreme organs of its unfolding Order, are, in their embryonic form, unfolding;
(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World – 1950-1957, p. 33)
“– a process which the newly formed Council, now established at its very heart, is designed to foster, which will gather momentum, with the emergence in the course of time of a properly recognized and independently functioning Bahá’í court, which will attain its consummation in the institution of the Universal House of Justice and the emergence of the auxiliary administrative agencies, revolving around this highest legislative body, and which will reveal the plenitude of its potentialities with the sailing of the Divine Ark as promised in the Tablet of Carmel.”
(Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, p. 94)
Process of the unfoldment of the ever-advancing Administrative Order accelerated by the formation of the International Bahá’í Council designed to assist in the erection of the superstructure of the Báb’s Sepulcher, cement ties uniting the budding World Administrative Center with the recently established state, and pave the way for the formation of the Bahá’í Court, essential prelude to the institution of the Universal House of Justice.
(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World – 1950-1957, p. 12)
The International Bahá’í Council, comprising eight members, charged with assisting in the manifold activities attendant upon the rise of the World Administrative Center of the Faith, which must pave the way for the formation of a Bahá’í International Court and the eventual emergence of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme legislative body of the future Bahá’í Commonwealth, has been established, enlarged, and the functions of its members defined.
(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World – 1950-1957, p. 148)
The development of the functions of the institution of the Hands of the Cause. The establishment of a Bahá’í Court in the Holy Land, preliminary to the emergence of the Universal House of Justice.
Codification of the laws and ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Mother Book of the Bahá’í Revelation. Establishment of six national Bahá’í Courts in the chief cities of the Islamic East — Tihran, Cairo, Baghdad, New Delhi, Karachi, Kabul.
(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World – 1950-1957, p. 42)
“the transformation of the International Bahá’í Council into an international Bahá’í court; the codification of the laws and ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas; the establishment of six national Bahá’í Courts in the chief cities of the Islamic East”
(Messages to the Baha’i World: 1950-1957, Page: 152)
Tenth, the establishment of a national Bahá’í Court in the capital cities of Persia, of Iraq, of Pakistan and of Afghanistan — the leading Muslim centres in the Asiatic continent.
(Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p. 170)
“Sixth, the establishment, circumstances permitting, of a national Bahá’í Court in the capital city of Egypt, the recognized center of both the Islamic and Arab worlds, officially empowered to apply, in matters of personal status, the laws and ordinances revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the Mother-Book of the Bahá’í Revelation.”
(Messages to the Baha’i World: 1950-1957, Page: 139)
The origin of the bogus UHJ
On November 4, 1959, exactly two years after the passing of the first Guardian Shoghi Effendi, the former Hands of the Cause assembled in a conclave (secret meeting) in Haifa and sent a message to the Baha’is, published on page 165 of a book titled Ministry of the Custodians written by Ruhiyyih Khanum and other violators of the Covenant, they wrote:
“after long and prayerful deliberations, made plans embracing those final steps which they feel must be taken by all the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in East and West in order to bring to a successful conclusion the World Crusade of our beloved Guardian.
Alarmingly little time is now left to us in which to accomplish his design. Well aware of the fact that this great Faith of Bahá’u’lláh stands in sore need of the erection of that infallible and supreme legislative Body which in the words of the Centre of the Covenant Himself “God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error”, and which the Guardian said “posterity will regard as the last refuge of a tottering civilization”, we have fixed the date for the election of the Universal House of Justice as Ridvan 1963”
As it is obvious the inception of the bogus UHJ happened on November 4, 1959 by those who were signatory to the above mentioned message, a group of people who did not have any administrative authority in the Baha’i Faith and who violated the Covenant of Abdu’l Baha.
They have quoted out of context from Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha: “God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error,” They disregard the fact that this expression in that sacred document is a reference to the real and true Universal House of Justice having the Guardian of the Cause of God as “ its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body”, not to a fake and dummy body of their own making.
Abdu’l Baha in His Will and Testaments ordains:
“And now, concerning the House of Justice which God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error, it must be elected by universal suffrage, that is, by the believers. Its members must be manifestations of the fear of God and daysprings of knowledge and understanding, must be steadfast in God’s faith and the well-wishers of all mankind. By this House is meant the Universal House of Justice, that is, in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted, and these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the members of the Universal one. Unto this body all things must be referred. It enacteth all ordinances and regulations that are not to be found in the explicit Holy Text. By this body all the difficult problems are to be resolved and the Guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body. Should he not attend in person its deliberations, he must appoint one to represent him. Should any of the members commit a sin, injurious to the common weal, the Guardian of the Cause of God hath at his own discretion the right to expel him, whereupon the people must elect another one in his stead”
From the above text it is apparent that only an institution can be called Universal House of Justice which is elected under the conditions the Master has ordained, having the Guardian of the Cause of God as “its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body”.
According to the sacred Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha:
First: “in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted,” So in all countries a National Houses of Justice must be established, In 1959 there was not one, and to this day there is not one National House of Justice nor a local House of Justice anywhere around the World.
Then: “these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the members of the Universal one.” In the absence of National Houses of Justice, this condition could not be realized.
And, : “Its members must be manifestations of the fear of God and daysprings of knowledge and understanding, must be steadfast in God’s faith and the well-wishers of all mankind.” It is obvious that a Universal House of Justice could not be and has not been established.
Nevertheless most important of all: “the Guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body. Should he not attend in person its deliberations, he must appoint one to represent him. Should any of the members commit a sin, injurious to the common weal, the Guardian of the Cause of God hath at his own discretion the right to expel him, whereupon the people must elect another one in his stead”
How do the errant former Hands of the Cause reconcile what they have done in light of the fact that the establishment of an International House of Justice was not part of the goals of the Ten Years Crusade, the establishment of an elected International Baha’i Council was not part of the Crusade either.
The actual objectives of the Crusade were:
“the formation of the Bahá’í Court, essential prelude to the institution of the Universal House of Justice.” And “the establishment of a national Bahá’í Court in the capital cities of Persia, of Iraq, of Pakistan and of Afghanistan — the leading Muslim centres in the Asiatic continent.”
(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World – 1950-1957, p. 42)
“We are also happy to announce that another milestone in Bahá’í history will be reached with the election of the International Bahá’í Council during Ridvan 1961. The embryonic institution established and so highly extolled by the beloved Guardian will thus enter its final stage preceding the election of the Universal House of Justice.”
Their statement admits how they acted in contradiction to Shoghi Effendi’s writings and drastically altered and disrupted what he ordained and planned for the structure and advancement of the Administrative Order, a plan which he had meticulously and painstakingly designed and announced to the Baha’i World and sought them to follow. While putting forth the pretence they wanted to fulfill the goals of the Crusade, the Violator Hands admitted to the importance of the International Baha’i Council as being the embryo of the Universal House of Justice: “The embryonic institution established and so highly extolled by the beloved Guardian”, even while they declared their plan to dissolve that same institution which had established by the Proclamation of January 9, 1951 of the first Guardian, and the president of the IBC and all its members were appointed by him. The Hands of the Cause did not have any authority to dissolve or alter the International Baha’i Council or change its members. In doing so, they interfered with the following steps for the evolution of the Embryo to the Universal House of Justice:
“its development into an officially recognized Bahá’í Court.”
“its transformation into a duly elected body”
“its efflorescence into the Universal House of Justice.”
“its final fruition through the erection of the manifold auxiliary institutions constituting the World Administrative Center.”
From these stages, only the first step was called for by Shoghi Effendi as one of the objectives of the Crusade, in many of his messages he emphasized the essentiality and necessity of this development.
The first Guardian in June 30, 1952, in one of his most important Messages titled: “The Summons of the Lord of Hosts”, predicted the possibility of severe tests and grievous “ordeal of temporary separation from the heart and nerve-center of their Faith which future unforeseeable disturbances may impose upon them,” He adjured the Baha’is: “never to hesitate, never to relax, until each and every objective in the Plans to be proclaimed, at a later date, has been fully consummated.”
He wrote:
“No matter how long the period that separates them from ultimate victory; however arduous the task; however formidable the exertions demanded of them; however dark the days which mankind, perplexed and sorely-tried, must, in its hour of travail, traverse; however severe the tests with which they who are to redeem its fortunes will be confronted; however afflictive the darts which their present enemies, as well as those whom Providence, will, through His mysterious dispensations raise up from within or from without, may rain upon them, however grievous the ordeal of temporary separation from the heart and nerve-center of their Faith which future unforeseeable disturbances may impose upon them, I adjure them, by the precious blood that flowed in such great profusion, by the lives of the unnumbered saints and heroes who were immolated, by the supreme, the glorious sacrifice of the Prophet-Herald of our Faith, by the tribulations which its Founder, Himself, willingly underwent, so that His Cause might live, His Order might redeem a shattered world and its glory might suffuse the entire planet — I adjure them, as this solemn hour draws nigh, to resolve never to flinch, never to hesitate, never to relax, until each and every objective in the Plans to be proclaimed, at a later date, has been fully consummated.”
Your true brother
— Shoghi
[June 30, 1952]
(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World – 1950-1957, p. 38)
Developments in the Administrative Order must be made only in obedience to every clause of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, They must honor the plans and arrangements that the first Guardian of the Faith made. This requires recognition of the succeeding Guardians after Shoghi Effendi of the fact that he faithfully fulfilled his obligation of appointing his successor during his own lifetime since the obligatory provision of the Will and Testament, quoted below, does not leave any other option for the Guardians:
“It is incumbent upon the Guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor that differences may not arise after his passing.”
(The Will and Testament, p. 12)
Unfortunately, Ruhiyyih Khanum and those former Hands of the Cause who followed her, sought to extinguish the light of guidance and put an end to the Guardianship of the Cause of God. They committed everything they could do including the dissemination of the following obvious lies:
“We wish to assure the believers that every effort will be made to establish a Bahá’í Court in the Holy Land prior to the date set for this election. We should however bear in mind that the Guardian himself clearly indicated this goal, due to the strong trend towards the secularization of Religious Courts in this part of the world, might not be achieved.”
Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Cause of God, as quoted previously in many of his messages emphasised the necessity and essentiality of the “the formation of the Bahá’í Court, essential prelude to the institution of the Universal House of Justice.” and he never wrote anything to show any slightest doubts about that.
They wrote: “due to the strong trend towards the secularization of Religious Courts in this part of the world, might not be achieved.”
To make their lie less obvious they did not mentioned the name of “this part of the world” Israel, where “a Bahá’í Court in the Holy Land, preliminary to the emergence of the Universal House of Justice” was to be established by the end of the Crusade. Even now, after passage of more than half a century, religious Courts exist in that country.
Courtesy of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, everybody can now know that the Baha’i Faith is mentioned among the religions which according to the law are allowed to have a religious court:
“Religious Courts
While military and Labor courts are not exclusive to the Israeli legal system, the Religious Courts are. The Israeli legal system is unique among modern legal systems in the utilization of various personal status laws in the area of family law, applied by religious courts. This phenomenon has historical and political roots: it existed under Ottoman rule and was retained by the British after they conquered the country.
The basic source for the application of the personal status law and the jurisdiction of the various religious courts is found in the Palestine Order in Council (1922). This order provides that
“jurisdiction in matters of personal status shall be exercised… by the courts of the religious communities”.
The order also grants jurisdiction to the District Courts in matters of personal status for foreigners who are non-Muslims, stating that they “shall apply the personal law of the parties concerned”. Regarding foreigners, this was defined as “the law of his nationality”. Case law determined that regarding non-foreigners, “the court … have… to apply the religious or communal law of the parties”.
The Palestine Order in Council recognized eleven religious communities: Jewish, Muslim, and nine Christian denominations. The Israeli government added the Presbyterian Evangelical Church and the Bahá’i to this list. The Knesset also enacted a law vesting jurisdiction in the Druze religious courts.”2
Those who are running the affairs of the bogus UHJ, which has nothing in common, except it name, with the real Universal House of Justice mentioned in the Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha, must realized that their existence is temporal. They must understand that they are partially responsible for the calamities and adversities which humanity is facing. It is necessary to remind them the sacred Words of Baha’u’llah in The Hidden Words:
O OPPRESSORS ON EARTH!
Withdraw your hands from tyranny, for I have pledged Myself not to forgive any man’s injustice. This is My covenant which I have irrevocably decreed in the preserved tablet and sealed with My seal.
“O REBELLIOUS ONES!
My forbearance hath emboldened you and My long-suffering hath made you negligent, in such wise that ye have spurred on the fiery charger of passion into perilous ways that lead unto destruction. Have ye thought Me heedless or that I was unaware?”
“O CHILDREN OF FANCY!
Know, verily, that while the radiant dawn breaketh above the horizon of eternal holiness, the satanic secrets and deeds done in the gloom of night shall be laid bare and manifest before the peoples of the world.”
O YE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD!
Know, verily, that an unforeseen calamity followeth you, and grievous retribution awaiteth you. Think not that which ye have committed hath been effaced in My sight. By My beauty! All your doings hath My pen graven with open characters upon tablets of chrysolite.
Baha’u’llah
The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the Guardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice, upon all the Aghsán, the Afnán, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One, will make a breach in the Cause of God, will subvert His Word and will become a manifestation of the Center of Sedition. Beware, beware, lest the days after the ascension (of Bahá’u’lláh) be repeated when the Center of Sedition waxed haughty and rebellious and with Divine Unity for his excuse deprived himself and perturbed and poisoned others.
(The Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha)
In conclusion, the bogus UHJ sets itself up as if it were the genuine one, ignoring the fact that it was born of violation, none of the essential conditions for its election have been met, and it operates without the Guardian as its sacred head. Contrary to the call of Shoghi Effendi, in his letter entitled Summons of the Lord of Hosts, dated June 30, 1952, adjuring the Baha’is to remain focused on the goals of the Plans no matter what might happen. The prerequisites established by Shoghi Effendi for the embryonic UHJ to grow through successive stages to a religious court, then to an elected body, and finally to effloresce to the Universal House of Justice, have not been met. In 1957 after passing the first Guardian, the embryonic Universal House of Justice i.e. the International Baha’i Council with the Guardian as its sacred head, existed and should have been activated, and then be recognized as a Baha’i court. However, the errant Hands would not let this be.
At this critical time, I call upon all to turn towards God and join the true Baha’is under the Guardianship and save their souls. Certainly the Covenant of Baha’u’llah and whatever revealed by His pen; is fulfilled and will be fulfilled.
“We have a fixed time for you, O peoples. If ye fail, at the appointed hour, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you, and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every direction. How severe, indeed, is the chastisement with which your Lord will then chastise you!”
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh)
“We exhort mankind in these days when the countenance of Justice is soiled with dust, when the flames of unbelief are burning high and the robe of wisdom rent asunder, when tranquillity and faithfulness have ebbed away and trials and tribulations have waxed severe, when covenants are broken and ties are severed, when no man knoweth how to discern light and darkness or to distinguish guidance from error.”
(Tablet of Wisdom)
The warning call set forth by the first Guardian went unheeded. Today, this warning call is renewed! Obey the Summons of the Lord of Hosts!
Nosrat’u’llah Bahremand
October, 2014
1 http://universalhouseofjustice.bahai.org/
2 http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/democracy/pages/the%20judiciary-%20the%20court%20system.aspx. Also, the information is available in the article written by David Nachmias; “Israel Studies An Anthology: National Government Institutions” http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/isdf/text/nachmias.html
The Four and Twenty Elders
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá Some Answered Questions, p. 57 )
EXTRACT FROM THE GUARDIAN’S RIDVÁN LETTER, 2008
I feel that the time has now come on this auspicious occasion to call attention to a significant letter that Shoghi Effendi wrote to Mrs. George R. True on July 22, 1943, that was published in the November 1944 issue of United States Bahá’íi News, No. 171. She had apparently asked him about the twenty-four elders mentioned in the Book of Revelation, only nineteen of whom, as you know, have been identified to date, as the Bab and the eighteen Letters of the Living. The following is quoted from his letter to her:
“Regarding the four and twenty elders: The Master in a Tablet, stated that they were the Báb, the eighteen Letters of the Living, and five others who would be known in the future. So far, we do not know who these five others are.”
Who in the future would be qualified to identify the remaining five elders, other than a Guardian of the Faith? It will be obvious in my identification of them below, that neither Shoghi Effendi nor Mason Remey had been in a position to name these five remaining elders during their respective ministries and for this reason, it has now become, at long last, my inestimable privilege to do so.
We find the following wonderful prediction in the Book of Revelation:
“There in heaven stood a throne, and on the throne sat One [the Lord of the Covenant] whose appearance was like the gleam of jasper and cornelian; and round the throne was a rainbow, bright as an emerald. In a circle about this throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on them sat twenty-four elders, robed in white and wearing crowns of gold.” (The New English Bible)
The remaining five elders are:
‘Abdu’l-Bahá — Center of the Covenant.
Bahíyyíh Khánum — The Greatest Holy Leaf.
Shoghi Effendi — First Guardian of the Cause of God.
Martha Root — Preeminent teacher.
Charles Mason Remey — Second Guardian of the Cause of God.
With loving Ridván greetings, Faithfully your brother in El Abhá,
Joel Bray Marangella
Additional Significant Correspondence
Guardian Of The Orthodox Bahá’í Faith
Nosrat’u’llah Bahremand
November 20, 2014
Hand of the Cause of God Mark Marangella
Dear Mark,
Following information is in response to your questions.
The specific times for commemoration:
Naw-Ruz at vernal equinox.
Declaration of the Bab about two hours after sunset.
Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh 8 hours after sunset.
Martyrdom of the Báb at noon
Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá one hour after midnight.
Telephone conference is not suitable for the commemoration of the Martyrdom of the Báb, the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, and the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which must be observed in a solemn and reverent manner. Also the celebration the anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab at about two hours after sunset and the celebration of Naw-Ruz at vernal equinox do not seem to be feasible by telephone.
Other Holy Days; Ridvan, the anniversaries of the Birth of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh and the day of the Covenant; friends can rejoice together by telephone, considering that the Bahá’í day begins and ends at sunset.
With best wishes and loving regards,
Nosrat’u’llah Bahremand
Guardian Of The Orthodox Bahá’i Faith
Nosrat’u’llah Bahremand
November 25, 2014
Hand of the Cause of God, Ian Roebuck
Dear Ian,
I am responding to your question about the Bahái Calendar and the activities of the bogus UHJ, who are intending to make changes in the implementation of the Badi calendar.
As the friends are well aware, wherever in the Writings of Baha’u’llah, Abdu’l Baha and the Guardians there is a mention of the Universal House of Justice, it is the true and real UHJ with the Guardian of the Cause of God as its Sacred Head, not a manmade fake and false one.
During the last 57 years, the bogus UHJ, following their creators, the violating former Hands of the Cause, did not only disobey the Commands of Abdu’l Baha, but violated and misrepresented His Will and Testament and the Directives of Shoghi Effendi. They have also transgressed against the Aqdas and violated this most Holy Book and altered its evident meaning in some parts by their unauthorized and erroneous interpretations.
During these years they committed multiple acts of wrongdoing and misconduct, each of which needs to be discussed separately.
The Bahái Calendar (Badi) is a solar calendar. A solar year consists of 365.242199 days (i.e. 365 days, 5 hours, and 49 minutes).
The Gregorian calendar, which now is used internationally, is also a solar calendar based on a 365-day common year divided into 12 months of irregular lengths. Eleven of the months have either 30 or 31 days, while the second month, February, has only 28 days during the common year. Nearly every four years is a Leap Year, when one extra, or intercalary day, is added on February 29th.
According to the Badi calendar, a Bahái year consists of nineteen months with each month having nineteen days, and the addition of four days in an ordinary year and five days in a leap year (intercalary days).
In the Bahái Calendar, each year starts at Naw-Ruz, which means ‘new day,’ and is celebrated at the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere. The equinox is a point of time when night and day are equal. It is the time that the Earth takes to circle once around the sun.
Naw-Ruz, historically and contemporary, is the celebration of the traditional Persian new year holiday and is celebrated throughout the countries of the Middle East and Central Asia such as in Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.
“Naw-Ruz and Ridvan are celebrated all over the Bahá’í world according to the solar calendar – there is no difference in the dates in the east or the west.”
(Shoghi Effendi, The Light of Divine Guidance v I, p. 167)
“It is advisable to use both the Bahá’í dates, according to the Bahá’í Calendar, and the usual Gregorian dates as well. The friends at present are free to do as they please.”
(Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 12)
The bogus UHJ has written:
“We have decided that Tihran, the birthplace of the Abha Beauty, will be the spot on the earth that will serve as the standard for determining, by means of astronomical computations from reliable sources, the moment of the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere and thereby the day of Naw-Ruz for the Baha’i world.”
This is not something new. For many years, not only the Iranian Baháis, but also all Iranians irrespective of their religions celebrate Naw-Ruz around the world at the same moment that Iranians in Tehran are celebrating Naw-Ruz.
Attached is a schedule prepared by non-Bahái Iranians showing the time of Naw-Ruz around the World (pdf and Word).
Usually every year the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University calculates and announces the exact timing of Naw-Ruz.
The bogus UHJ has written:
“The Festivals of the Twin Birthdays, the Birth of the Bab and the Birth of Baháu’llah, have, in the East, been traditionally observed according to their correspondence to the first and second days of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. ‘These two days are accounted as one in the sight of God,’ Baha’u’llah affirms. Yet, a letter written on behalf of the Guardian states, ‘In the future, no doubt all of the Holy Days will follow the Solar calendar, and provisions be made as to how the Twin Festivals will be celebrated universally.’ How to satisfy the intrinsic lunar character of these blessed Days within the context of a solar calendar has hitherto been unanswered. We have decided that they will now be observed on the first and the second day following the occurrence of the eighth new moon after Naw-Ruz.”
The above assertion shows how wrong they are. They are trying to insert two days into the calendar, which do not have any historical connection with the Birthdays of the Bab and Baha’u’llah.
This is what Shoghi Effendi himself has written in his cablegram of October 8, 1952:
“Moreover request communities observing Bahá’í Holy Days, solar calendar, celebrate with befitting solemnity the approaching anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Birthday, falling in the middle of the two month period during which, a hundred years ago, the Author of the Faith received the first intimation of His glorious Mission…” – Shoghi
(Messages to the Bahái World – 1950-1957, p. 44)
The Islamic Calendar does not align with the seasons since it is based on the lunar system and has twelve months and consists of 354 or 355 days. It starts from the month of Muharram and ends on Zul-Hijja.
It is necessary to celebrate the Holy Days on the same historical days. The following quotations prove this fact:
“The Guardian would advise that, if feasible, the friends should commemorate . . . the anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab on May 22, at about two hours after sunset.”
(Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahái Administration, p. 56)
“The Naw-Ruz Feast should be held on March 21 before sunset and has nothing to do with the 19-day Feast. The 19-day Feast is administrative in function whereas the Naw-Ruz is our New Year, a Feast of hospitality and rejoicing.”
(Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 29)
“Regarding your question of the proper time to celebrate or hold our meetings of commemoration: the time should be fixed by counting after sunset; the Master passed away one hour after midnight, which falls a certain number of hours after sunset; so His passing should be commemorated according to the sun and regardless of daylight saving time. The same applies to the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh who passed away about eight hours after sunset.”
(Shoghi Effendi, in Principles of Bahá’í Administration, pp. 56 – 57)
The bogus UHJ proves that it is not able to understand the reason why the two Holy Days, the Birthdays of the Bab and Baha’u’llah, are considered the same in the sight of God. The following quotations show the reason:
“Behold how the people of the Bayan have utterly failed to recognize that the sole object of whatsoever My Previous Manifestation and Harbinger of My Beauty hath revealed hath been My Revelation and the proclamation of My Cause. Never — and to this He Who is the Sovereign Truth beareth Me witness — would He have, but for Me, pronounced what He did pronounce.”
(Baháu’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baháu’llah, p. 244)
“O FRIEND! In the Bayán We directed everyone in this Most Great Revelation to see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears. However when the horizon of the world was illumined with the resplendent light of this Revelation, many people forgot this divine commandment, lost sight of this heavenly exhortation and immersed themselves in the vain imaginings which their minds had devised. Indeed the face of the sun of justice and fairness is hidden behind the clouds of idle fancy, which the foolish ones have conceived. Therefore it is not to be wondered at that the movements of the birds of darkness attract attention. Through the potency of the Name of the Best-Beloved, invite thou the receptive souls unto God’s holy court, that perchance they may not remain deprived of the heavenly Fountain of living water. He is in truth the Gracious, the Forgiving.”
(Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas p236)
“At one time We address the people of the Torah and summon them unto Him Who is the Revealer of verses, Who hath come from Him Who layeth low the necks of men…. At another, We address the people of the Evangel and say: ‘The All-Glorious is come in this Name whereby the Breeze of God hath wafted over all regions.’… At still another, We address the people of the Qur’án saying: ‘Fear the All-Merciful, and cavil not at Him through Whom all religions were founded.’… Know thou, moreover, that We have addressed to the Magians Our Tablets, and adorned them with Our Law…. We have revealed in them the essence of all the hints and allusions contained in their Books. The Lord, verily, is the Almighty, the All-Knowing.”
(Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh p.87)
Finally, I repeat the directive of the first Guardian:
“It is advisable to use both the Bahá’í dates, according to the bahái Calendar, and the usual Gregorian dates as well. The friends at present are free to do as they please.”
(Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 12)