Furthermore, the friends are conscious that the work of the Cause proceeds at different speeds in different places and for good reason—it is, after all, an organic phenomenon—and they take joy and encouragement from every instance of progress they see. Indeed, they recognize the benefit that accrues from the contribution of each individual to the progress of the whole, and thus the service rendered by each one, in keeping with the possibilities created by a person’s circumstances, is welcomed by all. Gatherings for reflection are increasingly seen as occasions where the community’s efforts, in their entirety, are the subject of earnest and uplifting deliberation. Participants learn what has been accomplished overall, understand their own labours in that light, and enhance their knowledge about the process of growth by absorbing the counsels of the institutions and drawing on the experience of their fellow believers. Such experience is also shared in numerous other spaces that are emerging for consultation amongst friends intensely engaged in specific endeavours, whether they are pursuing a common line of action or serving in a particular part of the cluster. All these insights are located in a wider appreciation that progress is most easily achieved in an environment imbued with love—one in which shortcomings are overlooked with forbearance, obstacles are overcome with patience, and tested approaches are embraced with enthusiasm. And so it is that, through the wise direction of institutions and agencies of the Faith functioning at every level, the friends’ exertions, however modest individually, coalesce into a collective effort to ensure that receptivity to the call of the Blessed Beauty is identified quickly and nurtured effectively. A cluster in this condition is clearly one where the relationships among the individual, the institutions, and the community—the Plan’s three protagonists—are evolving soundly. — Universal House of Justice [1]
Question for Consideration
How does love feature in a “culture of Bahá’í consultation”? [2] [3]
Gemini Notebook Response: Transforming Relationships Among Protagonists
Organic Harmony
Love infuses the interrelationships binding the three main protagonists of social progress—the individual, the community, and institutions. [4] [5] [6] Rather than locking into adversarial struggles for power, these three interact like organs of a healthy body, marked by tender affection, reciprocity, and mutual encouragement. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Be the Voice of…
@ZDFheute reports that Baha'i art photographer Navid Irani has been held in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad since his arrest on 16 January 2026, during the nationwide January protests. His supporters fear for his life.
— Bahá'í International Community – Human Rights (@BahaiBIC_Rights) October 6, 2026
Therefore, all souls should consider it incumbent upon them to investigate reality. Reality is one; and when found, it will unify all mankind. Reality is the love of God. Reality is the knowledge of God. Reality is justice. Reality is the oneness or solidarity of mankind. Reality is international peace. Reality is the knowledge of verities. Reality unifies humanity. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. [9]
Footnotes
[1] Universal House of Justice. “Riḍván 2013 – To the Bahá’ís of the World.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/170427781
[7] Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. SOCIAL ACTION. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/154816367
[8] Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/962109270
Through the clash of personal opinions, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has stated, the spark of truth is often ignited, and Divine guidance revealed. The friends should therefore not feel discouraged at the differences of opinion that may prevail among the members of an Assembly, for these, as experience has shown, and as the Master’s words attest, fulfil a valuable function in all Assembly deliberations. But once the opinion of the majority has been ascertained, all the members should automatically and unreservedly obey it, and faithfully carry it out. Patience and restraint, however, should at all times characterize the discussions and deliberations of the elected representatives of the local community, and no fruitless and hair-splitting discussions indulged in, under any circumstances. — Shoghi Effendi [1]
Question for Consideration
What practical combinations of forums—afforded by place, timing, and technology—offer safety, robustness, and flexibility for all individuals from formal and informal communities and institutions to apply Bahá’í consultation on agendas pertaining to reinventing their governance structures and processes to align with spiritual guidance? [2] [3]
Perplexity Computer Response:
The most practical answer is an adaptive ecology of forums, not a single meeting format or platform: small trusted circles for depth and safety; accessible local assemblies for shared inquiry; cross-institutional design tables for coordinated action; and interoperable digital channels that sustain participation between gatherings. The system should let people enter through the places, times, languages, and technologies that fit their circumstances—then connect their insights to decisions, action, and learning. [4] [5] [6]
A layered forum ecology
Each forum should have a distinct job, appropriate scale, and explicit connection to the others. Informal settings generate trust and firsthand understanding; formal bodies carry authority, resources, accountability, and continuity. Neither is sufficient alone.
Web portal, SMS/WhatsApp-style messaging, phone hotline, email, paper-to-digital intake
The core design principle is many doors, one learning process. A person should be able to speak privately to a trusted listener, contribute by phone or paper, join an accessible hybrid gathering, participate in a small group, and see how their contribution affects a formal decision.
That approach accords with Bahá’í-informed ideas of meaningful participation: people should be involved not merely as beneficiaries or occasional commenters, but in identifying problems, designing responses, choosing approaches, implementing action, and evaluating results. [4] [5] [7]
Build safety into every forum
Safety is not created simply by choosing a secure app or a pleasant venue. It depends on a culture and process in which people can speak with “absolute freedom,” while members act with love, harmony, candor, courage, and regard for unity. [8]
Relational safety
Before discussing institutional reform, establish shared consultation agreements:
Seek truth and the common good, rather than victory for a person, party, profession, neighborhood, or institution.
Treat each contribution as a shared object of inquiry—not as the permanent property of the speaker.
Welcome differences of experience and interpretation; unity does not require sameness.
Critique proposals, systems, assumptions, and evidence—not the worth or motives of participants.
Protect people from humiliation, retaliation, doxxing, harassment, and coercion.
Make clear when confidentiality applies and when reporting obligations exist, particularly for safeguarding or legal concerns.
Ensure facilitators actively balance participation, especially when status, fluency, gender, race, age, income, professional authority, or digital confidence may shape who speaks.
The aim is not a quiet room without disagreement. It is a setting in which hard truths can be expressed without converting difference into antagonism. The Bahá’í conception of consultation explicitly joins freedom of expression with unity, justice, fellowship, candor, discretion, prudence, and courage. [8]
Material and accessibility safety
A forum that excludes someone because they cannot travel, hear, see, speak English fluently, find child care, risk unpaid time away from work, or navigate an application is not genuinely all-inclusive. Build participation supports into the operating budget:
Hold sessions in physically accessible, transit-connected, familiar, and non-stigmatizing locations.
Rotate time slots: early evening, daytime, weekend, and asynchronous options; do not assume every participant works a standard schedule.
Offer child care, food, transportation support, and where feasible compensation for sustained community labor.
Provide interpretation, plain-language materials, large print, accessible digital files, captions, sign-language interpretation, and audio descriptions.
Permit participation by phone, text, email, paper form, recorded voice message, or trusted intermediary—not only through video platforms.
Send agendas, maps, connection instructions, and materials in advance; publish plain-language summaries and action items afterward.
For hybrid sessions, practical accessibility guidance includes caption-compatible platforms, sign-language interpretation, accessible venues and transit, clear advance instructions, reading chat contributions aloud, live transcripts, and feedback channels for accessibility barriers. [9] [10]
Digital and civic safety
The digital layer needs proportional safeguards, especially where people face political, employment, housing, immigration, or interpersonal risks:
Offer low-barrier participation without requiring public profiles or disclosure of unnecessary personal data.
Publish a plain-language data policy: what is collected, who can see it, how long it is stored, and how it can be removed.
Use separate channels for public ideas, private testimony, and confidential safeguarding reports.
Moderate actively and visibly; do not leave harassment control solely to automated filters.
Maintain a non-digital alternative for every essential step.
Use technology to widen access and preserve learning, not to replace relationships or transfer public deliberation to opaque commercial platforms.
Match forum to agenda
Not every governance question should go to the same kind of consultation. The forum must match the maturity, urgency, complexity, and consequences of the question.
Agenda type
Best forum combination
Illustrative question
Early discovery
Listening circles + neighborhood gatherings + digital/paper idea collection
“What keeps people from participating in local decisions?”
Shared understanding
Learning circles + accessible public evidence sessions
“What do housing, transportation, wages, and care data reveal about exclusion?”
Co-design
Mixed working groups + institutional consultation table
“How should a city redesign its public-engagement process and budget?”
Urgent response
Small operational group + rapid community feedback channels
“How can residents and agencies coordinate during an extreme-weather emergency?”
Long-term system redesign
Recurring community forums + deliberative panels + cross-sector institutional table
“What structure enables residents to help govern education, health, housing, and ecological priorities over the next decade?”
Evaluation and renewal
Public reflection forum + published results + small corrective working group
“Who benefited, who was left out, what did we learn, and what changes next?”
Consultation should start before institutions have settled on solutions. The Bahá’í International Community has noted that participation becomes hollow when consultation begins only after solutions have already been proposed; meaningful involvement spans conceptualization, design, implementation, and evaluation. [4] [11]
A governance-reinvention agenda might therefore move through a recurring cycle:
The cycle makes decisions revisable in light of experience, while preventing endless discussion with no responsibility for action.
Connect informal and formal life
Informal communities—families, friendship networks, cultural groups, mutual-aid networks, study groups, congregations, workplace teams, neighborhood associations—often perceive conditions and develop practical trust long before institutions do. Formal institutions hold legal responsibilities, funding, professional skills, and the ability to sustain action at scale. Reinvented governance should make them mutually reinforcing.
The role of informal forums
Informal forums are particularly valuable for:
Discovering concerns people may not voice in official settings.
Helping participants formulate questions, acquire information, and gain confidence.
Testing whether institutional language matches lived reality.
Reaching people distrustful of government, formal organizations, or public meetings.
Generating small acts of service that demonstrate capacity before a larger policy change is attempted.
They should not, however, become a way for institutions to offload responsibility onto volunteers or expect marginalized communities to solve problems caused by structural inequity.
The role of formal institutions
Formal bodies should commit publicly to:
Receiving community findings in a traceable form.
Explaining what authority and resources are available.
Naming constraints honestly rather than offering empty promises.
Publishing a response to recommendations: adopted, adapted, deferred, or declined—with reasons.
Returning results to the same communities that contributed knowledge.
Creating routes for participants to join implementation and evaluation.
This closes the common gap between “being heard” and having influence. It also reflects the Bahá’í International Community’s view that consultation supports transparency, accountability, equitable distribution of adjustment costs, and more sustainable reform. [4]
Use technology as connective tissue
Technology is most valuable when it connects people across distance, time, language, mobility, and institutional boundaries while preserving human judgment and accountability.
A robust local-to-global consultation infrastructure can include:
A public civic knowledge base: agendas, evidence, accessible summaries, definitions, budgets, meeting records, proposals, decisions, and progress measures.
An asynchronous contribution channel: voice, text, image, phone, paper, or facilitated in-person input, so participation does not depend on attending one meeting at one time.
A moderated multilingual discussion space: organized by agenda rather than by ideological identity, with clear norms and transparent moderation.
A decision and action register: each commitment identifies the responsible body, resources, timeline, equity implications, measures, and next review date.
A community feedback loop: SMS check-ins, telephone hotlines, community liaisons, short surveys, and feedback tables at local events.
A learning archive: records of pilots, outcomes, mistakes, adaptations, and transferable practices, so communities do not repeatedly start from zero.
Artificial intelligence can assist with transcription, translation, plain-language summaries, clustering repeated concerns, and making large bodies of material searchable. It should not silently determine whose views count, rank people’s worthiness, make unreviewable public decisions, or replace accountable human facilitation. Every AI-generated summary should be auditable against the original contributions, reviewed by people, and available in formats that do not require digital literacy.
A good rule is: no essential public process should require high bandwidth, a smartphone, a paid account, or a willingness to expose personal data.
Start with a practical pilot
A community, institution, or coalition can begin without waiting for comprehensive political reform. Choose one governance issue that is important, concrete, and within some group’s ability to influence—for example, how a school district, municipality, health provider, library, nonprofit coalition, or workplace sets priorities and receives public input.
Over a six-month pilot:
Convene 8–12 small listening circles in different social settings, at varied times, with phone and paper alternatives.
Produce a short, accessible “what we heard” document that distinguishes evidence, lived experience, unresolved differences, and proposed questions.
Hold several public learning sessions where residents and institutions examine the issue together before advancing solutions.
Form a mixed working group—especially including those most affected—to develop two or three feasible changes.
Obtain a formal institutional response that names commitments, responsible persons, resources, timelines, and limits.
Test one change in a limited area or period.
Convene a reflection forum and publish a transparent account of results, unequal impacts, lessons, and next adjustments.
Assess the pilot not only by attendance or online clicks, but by whether people from previously excluded groups shaped the agenda; whether participants understood the evidence and decision process; whether institutions acted visibly; whether relationships across differences improved; and whether the resulting action advanced human well-being and the capacity of everyone to serve.
This is how Bahá’í consultation can move from an admirable ideal to a practical civic architecture: a durable network of places, rhythms, relationships, procedures, and technologies through which every person can contribute knowledge, participate in collective learning, and help translate the principle of human oneness into the ordinary functioning of social life.
Be the Voice of…
@AnthropicAI 's Threat Intelligence report reveals that Iranian state-aligned actors used Claude to build influence operations campaigns tied to Iran's "soft war" or "cognitive warfare" program.
The operations were run by actors working within or on behalf of named Iranian state… pic.twitter.com/YQ7xCKz9DR
— Bahá'í International Community – Human Rights (@BahaiBIC_Rights) September 18, 2026
Therefore, all souls should consider it incumbent upon them to investigate reality. Reality is one; and when found, it will unify all mankind. Reality is the love of God. Reality is the knowledge of God. Reality is justice. Reality is the oneness or solidarity of mankind. Reality is international peace. Reality is the knowledge of verities. Reality unifies humanity. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. [12]
Footnotes
[1] Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. CONSULTATION: A COMPILATION. February 1978, Revised November 1990. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/668053600
The mode of operation adopted in the area of social and economic development, in common with other areas of Bahá’í activity, is one of learning in action. When efforts are carried out in a learning mode—characterized by constant action, reflection, consultation, and study—visions and strategies are re-examined time and again. As tasks are accomplished, obstacles removed, resources multiplied, and lessons learned, modifications are made in goals and methods. The learning process, which is given direction through appropriate institutional arrangements, unfolds in a way that resembles the growth and differentiation of a living organism. Haphazard change is avoided, and continuity of action maintained. — Universal House of Justice [1]
Question for Consideration
How can one apply the general call for Bahá’í s to “render service to the world of humanity” while focusing on the aim of an ongoing series of global plans for “the release of the society-building power of the Faith in ever-greater measures” to social endeavors in eldercare? [2]
Perplexity Computer Response
Learning in Action
The methodology of Bahá’í social action is “one of learning in action… characterized by constant action, reflection, consultation, and study”. Eldercare is a domain of high complexity and local variation; there is no universal formula. A Bahá’í-inspired approach would begin modestly, document what is learned, consult regularly within the community, adjust methods in response to experience, and share insights with other clusters engaged in similar work. [3] [4] [5]
Footnotes
[1] Universal House of Justice. “26 November 2012 – To all National Spiritual Assemblies.” Bahá’i Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/045714051
— Bahá'í International Community – Human Rights (@BahaiBIC_Rights) June 18, 2026
Therefore, all souls should consider it incumbent upon them to investigate reality. Reality is one; and when found, it will unify all mankind. Reality is the love of God. Reality is the knowledge of God. Reality is justice. Reality is the oneness or solidarity of mankind. Reality is international peace. Reality is the knowledge of verities. Reality unifies humanity. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá The Promulgation of Universal Peace | Bahá’í Reference Library.
Thank divine Providence that thou hast been assisted in service and hast been the cause of the promulgation of the oneness of the world of humanity, so that the darkness of differences among men may be dissipated, and the pavilion of the unity of nations may cast its shadow over all regions. Without such unity, rest and comfort, peace and universal reconciliation are unachievable. This illumined century needeth and calleth for its fulfillment. In every century a particular and central theme is, in accordance with the requirements of that century, confirmed by God. In this illumined age that which is confirmed is the oneness of the world of humanity. Every soul who serveth this oneness will undoubtedly be assisted and confirmed. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [1]
Question for Consideration
How do the sources suggest we can serve as agents of change for the betterment of society? [2]
Gemini/NotebookLM Response
The sources suggest that serving as agents of change for the betterment of society involves a multifaceted approach rooted in spiritual principles, grassroots action, and meaningful conversation. Rather than relying solely on material or political solutions, individuals and communities are encouraged to focus on the moral and spiritual dimensions of social progress. [4] [5]
1. Engaging in Meaningful Conversation
The sources emphasize that conversation is a vital form of action rather than just a precursor to it. [5] To be effective agents of change, individuals should:
Initiate intimate conversations that create new susceptibilities in hearts and open minds to moral persuasion. [5]
Engage with people of all backgrounds—secular, spiritual, and religious—to explore shared values and the spiritual foundations of national renewal. [4] [5]
Foster spaces for dialogue in neighborhoods, faith communities, and civic settings to remedy isolation and build community. [5]
Ensure these interactions are characterized by goodwill, fair-mindedness, a desire to learn, and love. [5]
2. Grassroots Community Building
Change is described as advancing most effectively in unassuming settings at the grassroots level. [5] This involves:
Participating in thousands of community-building efforts that put the principle of the oneness of humanity into practice. [5]
Learning to apply higher truths to practical use in specific local contexts. [5]
Using consultation to bridge differences, reconcile diverse perspectives, and make collective decisions. [5]
Strengthening fundamental institutions like families, schools, and civic entities to serve collective hopes. [5]
3. Promoting the Principle of Oneness
A central task for an agent of change is to recognize and champion the oneness of the human family. [4] [5] This requires:
Actively working to overcome prejudices and treating every individual with dignity. [5]
Harnessing unity in diversity as a source of creativity and resilience rather than tension. [5]
Seeing one’s own well-being as inextricably linked to the prosperity of the whole society. [5]
4. Empowering Youth
The sources highlight young people as having a unique and remarkable capacity to contribute to social change. [5] They serve as agents of change by:
Forging meaningful relationships and encouraging the participation of their peers. [3] [5]
Resisting the impulse to criticize or condemn, instead finding constructive ways to steer around social obstacles. [3]
Arising with a sense of possibility and purpose to protect themselves and others from harmful social forces. [5]
5. Adopting a Posture of Learning and Service
To be effective, the effort for social betterment must be a “common endeavor” characterized by humility and a commitment to learning. [5] This includes:
Collaborating with others without political ambition or self-interest. [3]
Basing action on direct experience of building vibrant communities rather than just theory. [3]
Remaining “ever hopeful” and serving as a “fount of hope” to those who are despairing during turbulent times. [3]
Emulating the example of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was courageous in conduct, unfailing in sympathy for the downtrodden, and unwavering in his sense of justice. [4]
By aligning material achievements with spiritual and moral principles, agents of change can help ensure that innovation and effort lead to shared prosperity and the realization of humanity’s highest aspirations. [5]
[3] Universal House of Justice. “Riḍván 2026 – To the Bahá’ís of the World.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/249977240
[4] National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. “NSA on A Common Endeavor Initiative for 250th Anniversary Declaration of Independence.” April 25, 2026.
Three Baha’i Women Granted Temporary Leave After Transfer to Prison
It was learned on 28 May 2026 that Didar Ahmadi, Boshra Mostafavi, and Nahid Naimi, three Baha’i women from Rafsanjan who had recently been transferred to prison to serve their sentences, were granted temporary… pic.twitter.com/YvbCbTfvWL
— Bahá'í International Community – Human Rights (@BahaiBIC_Rights) June 2, 2026
Therefore, all souls should consider it incumbent upon them to investigate reality. Reality is one; and when found, it will unify all mankind. Reality is the love of God. Reality is the knowledge of God. Reality is justice. Reality is the oneness or solidarity of mankind. Reality is international peace. Reality is the knowledge of verities. Reality unifies humanity. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá The Promulgation of Universal Peace | Bahá’í Reference Library.
The friends must never mistake the Bahá’í administration for an end in itself. It is merely the instrument of the spirit of the Faith. This Cause is a Cause which God has revealed to humanity as a whole. It is designed to benefit the entire human race, and the only way it can do this is to re-form the Community life of mankind, as well as seeking to regenerate the individual. The Bahá’í Administration is only the first shaping of what in future will come to be the social life and laws of community living. As yet the believers are only just beginning to grasp and practice it properly. So we must have patience if at times it seems a little self-conscious and rigid in its workings. It is because we are learning something very difficult but very wonderful—how to live together as a community of Bahá’ís, according to the glorious teachings. — Shoghi Effendi [1]
Question for Consideration
How do Bahá’í institutions help canalize spiritual energies into action? [2]
Gemini/NotebookLM Response
Bahá’í institutions serve as the “administrative machinery” designed specifically to canalize the spirit of the Faith and its latent spiritual energies into the construction of a new World Order. Rather than being ends in themselves, these institutions are viewed as “instruments” and “channels” through which Bahá’u’lláh’s promised blessings and the “society-building power” of the Faith flow to humanity.
They help canalize these energies through several specialized functions:
1. Systematic Capacity Building via the Training Institute
The training institute is regarded as the “engine of the process of entry by troops”. It canalizes the “surging energies” of the believers—particularly youth—by:
Transforming Faith into Service: It moves participants from a state of passive belief to a “passion for teaching” and a desire to contribute to the common good.
Developing Skills: It endows individuals with the spiritual insights, knowledge, and practical skills needed to carry out acts of service, such as hosting devotional meetings, conducting children’s classes, or mentoring junior youth.
Creating a “Path of Service”: It organizes these acts into a structured continuum where individuals are accompanied as they learn to manage increasingly complex social and spiritual tasks.
2. The Directing Roles of the Two “Arms” of the Administration
The Administrative Order operates through two complementary branches that collaborate to direct spiritual energy:
The Elected Arm (Spiritual Assemblies and Councils): These bodies exercise authority to guide, direct, and decide on community affairs. They plan the teaching work, manage the “lifeblood” of the Fund, and foster an environment where individual initiative is welcomed and merged into “powerful collective thrusts” [72.3, 1210, 1308, 1576].
The Appointed Arm (Counsellors and Auxiliary Boards): These individuals focus on stimulating, encouraging, and edifying the souls of men. They are charged with “releasing the potential of the individual believer” and fanning the “flame of an all-embracing love” to ensure that the community’s actions remain rooted in spiritual principles.
3. The Nexus of Worship and Service: The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
This institution is the primary model for translating prayer into action. It canalizes spiritual energy by:
Transfusing Spiritual Force: It creates a “direct and constant interaction” between the spiritual forces generated in the central House of Worship and the practical humanitarian energies displayed in its “dependencies” (hospitals, schools, etc.).
Integrating Religion and Science: It provides a space where scientific knowledge is spiritualized and used as a tool for the “spiritual and material upliftment” of a population.
4. Harmonizing Individual and Collective Volition
Institutions provide the “framework for action” (the global Plans) that prevents the dissipation of spiritual energy in uncoordinated efforts.
Consultation: This collective search for truth allows diverse perspectives to be harmonized and focused, transforming raw sentiment into unified action.
A “Body with a Soul”: The institutions provide the “nerves and arteries” of the community, while the Covenant serves as the “life-blood” that protects unity and ensures that the power to act is unlocked at both the level of individual initiative and collective will.
5. Managing “Flows” at the Local Level
In advanced communities, administration is conceptualized as the management of vital “flows”: guidance, encouragement, human resources, literature, and information (including statistics). Local Spiritual Assemblies act as “loving shepherds” who monitor the community’s spiritual health and ensure that activities for expansion and consolidation remain coherent with social action and public discourse.
Footnotes
[1] Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/511513312
Iranian authorities arrested five Baha'is and searched multiple homes across several cities May 1-15, 2026, on charges including propaganda against the state, per the Baha'i International Community. More: https://t.co/8tk6baTm9Vpic.twitter.com/T5dJhuRILx
Therefore, all souls should consider it incumbent upon them to investigate reality. Reality is one; and when found, it will unify all mankind. Reality is the love of God. Reality is the knowledge of God. Reality is justice. Reality is the oneness or solidarity of mankind. Reality is international peace. Reality is the knowledge of verities. Reality unifies humanity. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá The Promulgation of Universal Peace | Bahá’í Reference Library.
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S JOURNEYS IN America were filled with interesting people. Beyond the rich and famous, there are many who are familiar to us only because they left vivid accounts about him. Juliet Thompson was such an individual. A reputable painter, speaker, and author, Thompson’s personal connection to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá defined her life and work. She displayed her affinity for him in her memoirs, published in 1947 as The Diary of Juliet Thompson, which would chronicle their time together in both the east and the west. . . .
On April 5, 1912, Juliet stood waiting at Pier 59 on the Hudson River as the Cedric, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ship, pulled in at the White Star Line docks. She’d attend many functions he attended or spoke at while in the New York and New Jersey area, and spend much time with him in private conversation as well. She painted his portrait on June 1. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to an audience at her home at 48 West 10th Street on November 15.
On December 5, the day ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left America, Juliet was there to watch him go. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was bound for Liverpool on board the Celtic. “It was death to leave that ship,” she wrote. “I stood on the pier with May Maxwell, tears blurring my sight. Through them I could see the Master in the midst of the group of Persians waving a patient hand to us. It waved and waved, that beautiful patient hand, till the Figure was lost to sight.”
On Tuesday [July 2] as Abdu’l-Bahá walked in the park by the river near His house, a group of persons of Greek ancestry who were strolling nearby introduced themselves and began asking questions. Abdu’l-Bahá talked to them of the Greek philosophers and the meaning of the history of Greece. “Then,” Mahmúd recorded, “He exhorted and encouraged them to acquire the virtues of the world of humanity. The attraction of His Beauty was so great that they spontaneously bowed to its influence. They came to the assembly of Bahá’ís that night and joined the group of lovers.”
After the usual morning prayers and thanksgiving to God, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent for us and offered thanks and praise to the Most Great Name for the assistance and protection vouchsafed by the Ancient Beauty.
The Master spoke with seekers and visited with friends until noon. After some milk and bread for lunch, He rested for awhile but the friends and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s companions remained to enjoy the generous lunch.
In the afternoon, a prominent gentlemen invited the Master to the Plaza Hotel, which is one of the most elegant hotels and a gathering place for the American elite. We went there to see the building. The Master sat in one of the small rooms. When the manager of the hotel offered to show Him the rest of the hotel, He did not accept. Afterwards the Master said to the friends: ‘When I see magnificent buildings and beautiful scenery, I contrast them with memories of the prison and of the persecutions suffered by the Blessed Beauty and my heart is deeply moved and I seek to avoid such sightseeing excursions.’
Tonight He spoke about God and creation: ‘The Kingdom of God’, He said, ‘is pre-existent and, since He is the Creator, without doubt He has always had a creation.’ 3
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York, 1 July 1912
Difference of capacity in human individuals is fundamental. It is impossible for all to be alike, all to be equal, all to be wise. Bahá’u’lláh has revealed principles and laws which will accomplish the adjustment of varying human capacities. He has said that whatsoever is possible of accomplishment in human government will be effected through these principles. When the laws He has instituted are carried out, there will be no millionaires possible in the community and likewise no extremely poor. This will be effected and regulated by adjusting the different degrees of human capacity. The fundamental basis of the community is agriculture, tillage of the soil. All must be producers. Each person in the community whose need is equal to his individual producing capacity shall be exempt from taxation. But if his income is greater than his needs, he must pay a tax until an adjustment is effected. That is to say, a man’s capacity for production and his needs will be equalized and reconciled through taxation. If his production exceeds, he will pay a tax; if his necessities exceed his production, he shall receive an amount sufficient to equalize or adjust. Therefore, taxation will be proportionate to capacity and production, and there will be no poor in the community. 4
’Abdu’l-Bahá in America, 1912-2012: Calling America to It’s Spiritual Destiny
Ward, Allan L. 239 Days: ʻAbdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America. Wilmette, Ill: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979, 107-108. ↩
’Abdu’l-Bahá, and Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani. Mahmúd’s Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání Chronicling ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey to America. Edited by Shirley Macias. Translated by Mohi Sobhani. Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. https://bahai-library.com/zarqani_mahmuds_diary&chapter=5#section100↩
ABDU’L-BAHÁ ARRIVED BACK in the city late yesterday evening. He’ll stay in New York for just over three weeks before heading up the east coast for a month-long trip to Dublin, New Hampshire and Eliot, Maine.
On Monday morning, July 1, after prayer, He said to the Persian friends, “‘This help and assistance are from Him [Bahá’u’lláh] and these confirmations are through His Bounty and Favor; otherwise we are nothing but weak servants. We are like flutes and all these tunes are from Him.’”
During the Master’s stroll in the park near the house, a person of Greek ancestry walked by. When he saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he was attracted and approached Him. The passerby immediately summoned his friends, who were in the park, to gather round. In those green surroundings the Master spoke to them about Greek philosophers and about the progress and civilization of their country in ancient times. He then exhorted and encouraged them to acquire the virtues of the world of humanity. He was so compelling that they were immediately influenced. That evening they came to the Bahá’í gathering and became yet more links in the chain of lovers.
Every night after the public meeting, seekers are invited to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His own room. As they listen to His solutions to complex spiritual problems, to His convincing arguments and to answers to their questions, they are drawn towards the Kingdom of God and attracted to the Abhá horizon. Although it is summer and intensely hot, every day and night a new group of inquirers is introduced. 3
1 July 1912, Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York 4
What could be better before God than thinking of the poor? For the poor are beloved by our heavenly Father. When Christ came upon the earth, those who believed in Him and followed Him were the poor and lowly, showing that the poor were near to God. When a rich man believes and follows the Manifestation of God, it is a proof that his wealth is not an obstacle and does not prevent him from attaining the pathway of salvation. After he has been tested and tried, it will be seen whether his possessions are a hindrance in his religious life. But the poor are especially beloved of God. Their lives are full of difficulties, their trials continual, their hopes are in God alone. Therefore, you must assist the poor as much as possible, even by sacrifice of yourself. No deed of man is greater before God than helping the poor. Spiritual conditions are not dependent upon the possession of worldly treasures or the absence of them. When one is physically destitute, spiritual thoughts are more likely. Poverty is a stimulus toward God. Each one of you must have great consideration for the poor and render them assistance. Organize in an effort to help them and prevent increase of poverty. The greatest means for prevention is that whereby the laws of the community will be so framed and enacted that it will not be possible for a few to be millionaires and many destitute. One of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings is the adjustment of means of livelihood in human society. Under this adjustment there can be no extremes in human conditions as regards wealth and sustenance. For the community needs financier, farmer, merchant and laborer just as an army must be composed of commander, officers and privates. All cannot be commanders; all cannot be officers or privates. Each in his station in the social fabric must be competent—each in his function according to ability but with justness of opportunity for all.
’Abdu’l-Bahá in America, 1912-2012: Calling America to It’s Spiritual Destiny
Ward, Allan L. 239 Days: ʻAbdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America. Wilmette, Ill: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979, 107. ↩
’Abdu’l-Bahá, and Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani. Mahmúd’s Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání Chronicling ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey to America. Edited by Shirley Macias. Translated by Mohi Sobhani. Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. https://bahai-library.com/zarqani_mahmuds_diary&chapter=5#section99↩
