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
Strive, therefore, with heart and soul that ye become ignited candles in the assemblage of the world, glittering stars on the horizon of Truth and may become the cause of the propagation of the light of the Kingdom; in order that the world of humanity may be converted into a divine realm, the nether world may become the world on high, the love of God and the mercy of the Lord may raise their canopy upon the apex of the world, human souls may become the waves of the ocean of truth, the world of humanity may grow into one blessed tree, the verses of oneness may be chanted and the melodies of sanctity may reach the Supreme Concourse. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [1]
Question for Consideration
How does love feature in a “culture of Bahá’í consultation”? [2] [3]
Gemini Notebook Response: A Foundational Pillar of World Order
Twin Luminaries
Bahá’u’lláh teaches that “the heaven of divine wisdom is illumined with the two luminaries of consultation and compassion” [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] and asserts that the canopy of world order is upraised upon these twin pillars. [9]
Reorienting Moral Relationships
A culture of consultation embeds love directly into the moral fabric of collective life, changing how individuals listen, speak, handle differences, and learn together. [10] [11]
Be the Voice of…
Thomas Rachel (MdB), Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief, takes on political sponsorship of Peyvand and Borna Naimi, two young men in Iran who, because of their Bahá'í religion, are suffering imprisonment and torture.
— Bahá'í International Community – Human Rights (@BahaiBIC_Rights) October 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. [12]
[7] 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/947165266
The statement which you quote7 in the second paragraph of your letter is taken from a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá which was addressed by Him to the friends in Ṭihrán at a time when, without the knowledge and permission of the Spiritual Assembly and contrary to government regulations, one of the friends undertook to print the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The instructions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá which you quote were issued on that occasion and in that context. The Universal House of Justice has pointed out that when Shoghi Effendi enumerates the functions of a Local Spiritual Assembly in “Bahá’í Administration” page 37, he indicates that the local matters to be referred to the Local Spiritual Assembly are those “pertaining to the Cause”. This does not mean, of course, that personal problems may not be referred to Bahá’í Assemblies. The Local Spiritual Assembly, however, is not the only institution or agency to which the friends may turn for consultation on personal matters. Such consultation could be held with members of one’s family, with friends, or with experts. For example in one of His Tablets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá envisages the possibility of experts in one profession conferring together.” — Universal House of Justice [1]
Question for Consideration
How does love feature in a “culture of Bahá’í consultation”? [2] [3]
Gemini Notebook Response: Introduction
In a culture of Bahá’í consultation, love is not merely an optional sentiment or polite demeanor; it is an operational requirement, governing atmosphere, and unifying force that transforms how human beings deliberate, decide, and act together. [4] [5] Rather than viewing consultation as a mere meeting technique, this culture redefines moral relationships across society, shifting social structures away from environments of exclusion, disconnection, and discord toward forums designed to include (unity), connect (love), and count (justice) every participant. [5] [6] [7]
Be the Voice of…
In June, The European Times published an analysis by human rights advocate Aaron Rhodes arguing that European governments should press for the release of arbitrarily detained Baha'is, including cousins Borna and Peyvand Naimi. Rhodes documented torture, mock executions and forced… pic.twitter.com/cJK1dC5igj
— Bahá'í International Community – Human Rights (@BahaiBIC_Rights) October 1, 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. [8]
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/388536420
In your last question, concerning cases when those needed for consultation are not available and a person is uncertain on the course to be followed in an important matter, you ask whether it is permissible for him to resort to the practice of “istikhárih”5 using the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The Guardian has stated that in such cases what is necessary and essential is for the person to turn his heart wholly to God and to beseech aid from the Source of Grace and inspiration and nothing else. If it is possible to postpone the decision it would be preferable and more proper to do so, until the means for consultation are made available. — Shoghi Effendi [1]
Question for Consideration
As the global human family embraces the spiritual principle of oneness—Creator, Creation, and humanity—more individuals, communities, and institutions become immersed in a “culture of Bahá’í consultation,” that propels unprecedented change in governance structures worldwide. This transformation shifts social systems away from those that exclude, disconnect, and discount some in favor of those that include (unity), connect (love), and count (justice) everyone. What frameworks and metrics mark progress in social transformation, highlight opportunities and hurdles, and generate agendas for Bahá’í consultation to address them? [2] [3]
Perplexity Computer Response:
A useful way to recognize progress is to treat social transformation not as a single institutional reform or a rise in material output, but as a learning process: relationships, decision-making, capacities, and outcomes all become steadily more inclusive, truthful, cooperative, and just. In a Bahá’í frame, consultation is both the means of collective inquiry and a measurable expression of whether unity and justice are actually taking root.
The framework below translates the moral movement you describe—away from exclusion, disconnection, and disregard; toward unity, love, and justice—into observable dimensions, indicators, and recurring agendas for consultation. It should be used locally first, with findings aggregated only where that serves learning rather than surveillance or control.
Core architecture
The foundational unit is the relationship among the individual, the community, and institutions. Progress is strongest when all three advance together:
Protagonist
Social-transformation question
Signs of progress
Warning signs
Individuals
Are people becoming capable, confident protagonists of community life?
Initiative, service, moral courage, practical skills, willingness to listen and revise views
Passivity, dependency, cynicism, domination by a few voices
Communities
Is a culture of belonging, mutual care, and collective action emerging?
Trust across differences, regular spaces for reflection, mutual aid, common purpose
Segregation, factionalism, isolation, low trust, “us versus them” thinking
Institutions
Are authority and resources exercised as service, stewardship, and justice?
Transparency, responsiveness, fair allocation, accessible deliberation, learning from error
Opacity, capture by elites, token participation, punitive or extractive practices
Social structures
Are systems widening access to dignity, opportunity, voice, and protection?
Reduced disparities, universal access, anti-discrimination, cooperation across sectors
This accords with Bahá’í social-action thought that sees enduring change as simultaneously occurring in human consciousness and in the structures of social institutions. It also treats development as material and spiritual: sound evidence, practical action, moral purpose, and human dignity must remain coherent. [4]
A measurement compass: Unity, Love, Justice
Rather than seeking one “oneness score,” use a balanced scorecard with three related domains. Quantitative measures reveal patterns; qualitative evidence—stories, observations, testimonies, and reflective consultation—helps explain what the numbers mean.
Domain
What to assess
Example metrics
Consultation questions
Unity — inclusion and belonging
Who participates, who belongs, and who is connected across lines of difference?
Participation rates disaggregated by age, gender, ethnicity/race, disability, income, neighborhood, and migration status; cross-group collaboration; social-trust and belonging surveys; access to common spaces; representation in decisions
Whose experience is absent? Which boundaries—geographic, economic, cultural, generational—keep people apart? What relationships must be strengthened?
Love — reciprocal care and solidarity
Whether relationships are humane, respectful, dependable, and service-oriented
Mutual-aid participation; volunteer retention; perceived safety; conflict-repair outcomes; frequency and quality of intergenerational or cross-group contact; burnout and caregiver burden; measures of empathy, respect, and trust
Where are people carrying burdens alone? What acts or structures make care mutual rather than charitable? How are conflict and hurt repaired?
Justice — fair voice, process, distribution, and remedy
Whether benefits, burdens, voice, and protection are fairly shared
Income/wealth and service-access gaps; decision influence across groups; budget equity; wait times and outcome disparities; discrimination complaints and remedies; access to education, health, housing, food, safety, and digital connectivity
Who bears the costs while others receive the gains? Is participation influential or merely symbolic? What would fair allocation look like in this concrete case?
Learning — capacity for action-reflection
Whether the community can turn experience into better collective action
Number and diversity of people facilitating consultation; regularity of reflection cycles; documented adaptations; skill growth; implementation rate of decisions; spread of locally generated knowledge
What did we try? What happened, for whom, and why? What assumptions did the experience challenge? What will we modify—not merely repeat?
Stewardship — responsibility across generations
Whether social advance is ecologically sustainable and future-regarding
Environmental quality and exposure disparities; emissions, energy, waste, water, green-space access; resilience plans; youth involvement in long-term decisions
Are immediate gains imposing hidden costs on future generations or disadvantaged communities? What does responsible stewardship require now?
The aim is not to eliminate difference. Bahá’í consultation frames diversity as an intellectual and moral resource, while unity is sought through principled deliberation rather than through enforced uniformity. It emphasizes free expression, courteous inquiry, detachment from personal ownership of ideas, and collective support for decisions—with revision when experience proves a decision inadequate. [5]
A practical consultation cycle
A “culture of consultation” becomes real through an accountable, repeated cycle—not through occasional meetings or sentiment alone.
Read reality together.
Bring together statistical data, lived experience, local history, professional knowledge, and the voices of those who bear the greatest consequences. Begin with assets and capacities as well as needs. Avoid defining people primarily through labels such as “vulnerable” or “beneficiary”; ask how they can be protagonists in shaping their own future. [5]
Name the moral question.
Translate a technical issue into a question of unity, love, and justice. For example, rather than asking only, “How can we reduce school absenteeism?” ask: “What conditions prevent every young person from fully belonging, learning, and contributing—and which of those conditions are within our shared power to change?”
Develop a shared diagnosis.
Identify root causes at several levels: personal experience, family and community relations, institutional procedures, resource distribution, narratives, and wider policy structures. Distinguish evidence from assumption, and direct effects from causes.
Choose a modest, testable action.
Decide on an intervention proportionate to present capacity: a listening initiative, shared-childcare network, youth mentorship program, participatory budget review, anti-bias process, neighborhood safety walk, food-access partnership, or reform proposal. The appropriate scale is not necessarily the largest one; it is the one that can be responsibly sustained and learned from.
Assign transparent stewardship.
Record who will do what, by when, with what resources, and how affected people will remain involved. Make decision criteria visible. Treat authority as a responsibility to enable participation and protect fairness, not as a right to dominate.
Reflect publicly and revise.
Examine implementation, outcomes, unintended effects, and who benefited or was missed. Retain what worked, correct what did not, and share learning across neighborhoods and institutions. Bahá’í social-action guidance explicitly describes this as a mode of “learning in action” characterized by continuing action, reflection, consultation, and study. [4]
A credible dashboard should combine approximately 12–20 measures across the five domains above, rather than becoming a sprawling catalog. For each measure, specify:
Baseline and trend: Where were we, where are we now, and at what pace is change occurring?
Distribution: Who is benefiting, who is falling behind, and how do outcomes differ by social location or neighborhood?
Voice: Were people directly affected involved in defining the measure, interpreting results, and selecting remedies?
Lived experience: What do residents say has changed in dignity, agency, trust, and belonging?
Institutional response: What decisions or resource shifts followed the evidence?
Learning: What was changed because the first approach did not work as expected?
Several cautions matter.
Do not confuse attendance with participation. A meeting may be well attended while those most affected remain unheard or unable to influence the outcome.
Do not equate harmony with the absence of disagreement. Healthy consultation makes room for frank difference while preventing contempt, coercion, and factional capture.
Do not use indicators to rank communities morally or impose external agendas. Their purpose is collective learning, accountability, and the release of local capacity.
Do not make outputs the sole measure. Counting workshops, meetings, grants, or volunteers matters, but transformation concerns changes in relationships, capabilities, institutional practice, and substantive outcomes.
Pair local autonomy with wider solidarity. Local knowledge should shape action, while institutions at wider levels can connect learning, expertise, and resources without creating dependence.
This reflects the Bahá’í emphasis on universal participation as involvement in a collective process of generating, applying, and diffusing knowledge—not merely being surveyed or receiving services. It also rejects paternalistic approaches in which one group “does development” for another. [4]
Agenda for recurring consultation
A monthly or quarterly consultation can use the following standing agenda:
Welcome and shared purpose: Reaffirm service to the whole community and the dignity of every participant.
Voices from the margins: Hear first from people most directly affected by the issue, especially those historically excluded from formal decision-making.
Review evidence: Examine dashboard trends, community testimony, and implementation reports; identify disparities, not just averages.
Identify the live tension: For example, affordability versus housing quality, public safety versus equal treatment, speed versus meaningful participation, or immediate relief versus long-term capacity.
Apply principles: Ask what unity, justice, equality of women and men, freedom from prejudice, stewardship, truthfulness, and universal participation require in the specific situation.
Decide and act: Select a limited set of actions with named stewards, dates, resources, and feedback channels.
Learn and report back: State what will be measured, when results will be reviewed, and how the decision can be amended.
The critical test is whether consultation increases the capacity of ordinary people to become informed co-creators of social progress. Contemporary Bahá’í discourse on social transformation highlights the importance of reconstructing the social fabric around a fuller conception of human identity, and of relationships among individuals, communities, and institutions grounded in equality, justice, and universal participation. [6]
Likely opportunities and hurdles
Opportunities
Trust as social infrastructure: Regular, respectful consultation can turn fragmented networks into durable relationships capable of responding to crises and pursuing long-term improvement.
Untapped knowledge: People excluded from governing spaces often hold essential knowledge about a system’s failures and its possible remedies.
Youth and intergenerational partnership: Young people can contribute moral clarity, creativity, and energy when institutions create genuine—not symbolic—roles for them.
Cross-sector coherence: Consultation can connect schools, faith communities, civil society, residents, local government, and businesses around a shared analysis rather than disconnected programs.
From charity to capacity: Initiatives can be designed so that recipients become co-designers, implementers, evaluators, and eventually facilitators of future action.
Hurdles
Structural inequality: Inequitable income, time, education, safety, transport, and digital access can prevent equal participation even when invitations are open.
Habits of adversarial politics: Debate organized around winning, propaganda, faction, or personal status makes shared truth-seeking difficult. The consultative alternative does not suppress conviction; it shifts attention from competing interests toward principles and common purposes. [5]
Tokenism and consultation fatigue: Communities will disengage if their time and testimony do not affect decisions, resources, or institutional behavior.
Power imbalances in the room: Professional language, authority, money, race, gender, age, and social standing can silence participants unless facilitation is deliberately equitable.
Short funding and electoral cycles: Deep learning, relationship building, and capacity development require continuity; short-term targets can reward visible activity over lasting change.
Measurement reductionism: What matters spiritually and relationally is not always easily counted. A balanced practice therefore joins rigorous data with narrative, ethical reflection, and direct experience.
The most telling measure of a mature culture of Bahá’í consultation is not unanimity, institutional scale, or rhetorical agreement. It is a demonstrated capacity to face real inequities truthfully; include those whom systems have discounted; make decisions rooted in principle and evidence; act in unity; learn openly from error; and steadily widen the circle of people who can shape the common good.
Be the Voice of…
@DeutscheWelle reports that rights groups warn Iran is increasingly confiscating assets from government critics, Baha'is, and actors, athletes and journalists living abroad. Baha'is appear to be bearing the brunt of the crackdown. Amnesty International says persecution of the… pic.twitter.com/z8679DN2zb
— 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. [7]
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/923988576
O ye lovers of this wronged one! Cleanse ye your eyes, so that ye behold no man as different from yourselves. See ye no strangers; rather see all men as friends, for love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on otherness. And in this new and wondrous age, the Holy Writings say that we must be at one with every people; that we must see neither harshness nor injustice, neither malevolence, nor hostility, nor hate, but rather turn our eyes toward the heaven of ancient glory. For each of the creatures is a sign of God, and it was by the grace of the Lord and His power that each did step into the world; therefore they are not strangers, but in the family; not aliens, but friends, and to be treated as such. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [1]
Question for Consideration
Transformative leaders are practitioners of “constructive resilience” which holds foremost certain “spiritual principles” – “oneness” of the Creator, creation, and humanity; “love” that interconnects everything and everyone; and “justice” that prevails in a cause and effect universe wherein anything anyone thinks, says, and does influences everything and everyone – when engaging others and considering each one a fellow “protagonist” in the unfolding “drama” of global “social transformation” underway. As transformative leaders further their personal development and render service to their communities and institutions, how can they assure everyone belongs, everyone connects to everyone else, and everyone counts? [2]
Perplexity Computer Response:
Transformative leaders translate oneness, love, and justice into daily practice by treating every person as a capable protagonist rather than a passive beneficiary — building belonging through radical inclusion, connection through relationships infused with love, and mattering through justice-oriented empowerment. This is the essence of the Bahá’í-inspired “Transformative Leadership” framework (Anello, Hernandez, Khadem) and the related concept of “constructive resilience” (Karlberg), both of which operationalize these three spiritual principles into concrete leadership capabilities. [3] [4]
Oneness Creates Belonging
Belonging begins with a conviction of the essential nobility of every human being — seeing each person, regardless of status, background, or apparent capacity, as possessing latent spiritual and intellectual potential worth drawing out. Leaders operationalize this by replacing top-down or paternalistic models with service-oriented leadership, where the leader’s role is to unlock others’ potential rather than direct or control them. In practice, this means deliberately widening the circle: integrating groups often pushed to the margins — the elderly, youth, the mentally struggling, newcomers — into the everyday life and decision-making of a community rather than segregating or tokenizing them. `Abdu’l-Bahá’s counsel that all people are “not strangers, but in the family” and deserve loving-kindness “disregarding the degree of their capacity” captures this standard [3] [5] [6]
Love Creates Connection
Connection is built through specific relational capabilities: imbuing one’s thoughts and actions with love, giving genuine encouragement, using consultation (rather than debate or command) in decision-making, and constructing unity within diversity rather than uniformity. Because “no power can exist except through unity,” leaders treat strengthening bonds among people as a core function of leadership itself, not a soft add-on to results-driven work. Concretely, communities that practice this weave together acts of collective worship, learning, and service — devotional gatherings, study circles, children’s classes — precisely because shared, informal spaces of this kind foster the friendship and intimacy that formal structures alone cannot. [3] [7]
Justice Ensures Everyone Counts
Justice is what makes belonging and connection substantive rather than sentimental: it requires establishing justice actively, transforming dominating relationships into ones of interdependence and reciprocity, and pursuing empowering education that builds others’ capacity rather than doing things for them. Since anything anyone thinks, says, and does reverberates through a shared social fabric, cause-and-effect justice implies universal participation is a right, not a favor — access to knowledge, decision-making, and contribution must be extended to everyone, with “each individual according to his or her talents and abilities”. This is why “constructive resilience” reframes struggles for justice: instead of confronting oppressors adversarially, transformative leaders and communities *construct* new schools, institutions, and patterns of community life inclusive enough that everyone’s contribution literally counts toward a shared outcome — as seen in examples ranging from decentralized universities to grassroots youth and women’s leadership programs across dozens of countries. [3] [4] [5] [8]
Practicing All Three Together
These principles reinforce each other through ongoing personal and collective transformation: leaders continually examine and release mental models (of human nature as inherently selfish, of society as inherently competitive, of leadership as inherently top-down) that undercut oneness, love, or justice, replacing them through reflection-on-action, self-evaluation, and systemic thinking. Younger and less experienced “protagonists” are deliberately brought into training and accompaniment relationships with more experienced ones — not to be spoken for, but to develop their own initiative — because the scale of social transformation required means capable leadership must be cultivated among “hundreds of thousands,” not concentrated in a small elite. In this sense, belonging, connection, and mattering are not outcomes leaders deliver to others; they are conditions leaders and communities co-construct together, generation after generation, one relationship and one institution at a time. [3] [9]
[2] Perplexity Computer. “As transformative leaders further their personal development and render service to their communities and institutions, how can they assure everyone belongs, everyone connects to everyone else, and everyone counts?” Edited by Steve Bosserman. August 5, 2026. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/c136903a-5d3d-4739-a2a5-063f40aebca5
[3] Barstow Hernandez, Joan. 2018. “Transformative Leadership: Its Evolution and Impact”. The Journal of Bahá’í Studies 28 (3). Ottawa, Ontario, Canada:55-85. https://doi.org/10.31581/jbs-28.3.3(2018)
[5] Anello, Eloy. “Values, Institutions, and Leadership for a Sustainable Future: Towards a Framework for Developing Moral Leadership.” Bahá’í International Community, 1992. https://www.bic.org/statements/moral-leadership
'Little Scraps of Smuggled Paper': How Mahvash Sabet, an Iranian Baha'i Prisoner, Wrote Her Memoir in Prison#CNN's @biannagolodryga speaks with Bahiyyih Nakhjavani on #Amanpour about the memoir of imprisoned Iranian poet Mahvash Sabet, who wrote her harrowing account of torture… pic.twitter.com/UNAGcMnJao
— Bahá'í International Community – Human Rights (@BahaiBIC_Rights) August 5, 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.
Believe thou in God, and keep thine eyes fixed upon the exalted Kingdom; be thou enamored of the Abhá Beauty; stand thou firm in the Covenant; yearn thou to ascend into the Heaven of the Universal Light. Be thou severed from this world, and reborn through the sweet scents of holiness that blow from the realm of the All-Highest. Be thou a summoner to love, and be thou kind to all the human race. Love thou the children of men and share in their sorrows. Be thou of those who foster peace. Offer thy friendship, be worthy of trust. Be thou a balm to every sore, be thou a medicine for every ill. Bind thou the souls together. Recite thou the verses of guidance. Be engaged in the worship of thy Lord, and rise up to lead the people aright. Loose thy tongue and teach, and let thy face be bright with the fire of God’s love. Rest thou not for a moment, seek thou to draw no easeful breath. Thus mayest thou become a sign and symbol of God’s love, and a banner of His grace. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [1]
Question for Consideration
How do the sources suggest we can initiate intimate conversations in our neighborhoods? [2]
Gemini/NotebookLM Response
Initiating intimate conversations in your neighborhood is described in the sources as a vital form of action that can help remedy isolation and build the social fabric of the nation. [5]
According to the sources, you can begin and sustain these conversations by focusing on the following approaches:
1. Simple Acts of Friendship
The most direct way to start is through the simple act of visiting friends and neighbors. [5] These initial interactions are meant to build ties of friendship and create a foundation of trust. [5] By entering into closer association with people from many walks of life, you can begin to engage them in “earnest conversation on themes of spiritual import”. [4]
2. Exploring Shared Hopes and Concerns
To make these conversations meaningful, the sources suggest focusing on a shared exploration of reality. [4] This involves:
Exploring hopes and concerns together to find common ground. [5]
Discussing the shared values that strengthen the social fabric, such as justice, equality, and trustworthiness. [5]
Seeking out “fair-minded souls” who are willing to talk about the world around them and participate in a collective effort to transform it. [4]
Basing the dialogue on direct experience of building vibrant communities rather than just discussing abstract theories or assumptions. [3]
3. Using Available Resources
The sources provide specific tools to help facilitate these dialogues:
The “A Common Endeavor” Letter: This document is explicitly offered as a resource to help initiate or enrich meaningful conversations about the spiritual foundations of national renewal. [4]
Public Spaces: Conversations can happen in various settings, including homes, faith communities, and civic settings. [5] These spaces can be spontaneous or planned long in advance. [3]
Training and Skills: The sources mention that the training institute equips individuals with “skills and methods” to enter into these types of associations more effectively. [4]
4. Maintaining a Specific Posture and Spirit
The way you speak is as important as what you say. The sources emphasize that these conversations should be:
Characterized by love: The power to transform the world is disseminated through “intimate conversations” fueled by a divine love extended to every human being. [5]
Conducted with goodwill and fair-mindedness: You should approach neighbors with a sincere desire to learn and with “wisdom, humility, and loving-kindness”. [4] [5]
Elevated above conflict: It is essential to raise the dialogue above the rancor, suspicion, and partisanship that often characterize public life. [4]
Collaborative: The goal is to collaborate and learn together in a spirit of common endeavor, rather than presuming to have all the answers. [3]
By creating these intimate spaces, you help foster “new susceptibilities in human hearts” and open minds to the moral persuasion needed for broader social change. [5]
Footnotes
[1] Baha’u’llah. “Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh.” Bahá’i Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/743046796
[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.
Baha’i Boxing Coach and Federation Referee Sentenced to One Year in Prison in Babol
It was learned on 23 May 2026, that Mr. Amin Imanian, a Baha’i resident of Babol and an official referee affiliated with Iran’s Boxing Federation, has been sentenced to one year in prison on… pic.twitter.com/TW9Wqrat6i
— Bahá'í International Community – Human Rights (@BahaiBIC_Rights) June 3, 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.
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ SPENT HIS last few days in New York in the neighborhood of Riverside Park on the Upper West Side. He took daily walks along the Hudson River, met the continuing stream of guests that arrived to see him almost every day, and had more intimate conversations with the Americans who were closest to him. These smaller gatherings served a special purpose for which he had also come to America.
It was one thing to speak in broad terms about principles, map out prescriptions for international peace, and carry on a rhetorical battle against the modern ideologies of race, gender, militarism, social darwinism, and religious and class prejudice. It was something else entirely to put into practice Bahá’u’lláh’s complete vision for constructing a new global civilization. That task would be long and hard, it would demand daily struggle, and it would require building a dedicated community of people who would commit themselves to that long-term goal. That’s why, in smaller groups, and usually toward the end of his stays in each city, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá focused special attention on the Americans around him who called themselves Bahá’ís. …
‘Abdu’l-Bahá also challenged them to spread their new religion beyond their own borders. “Teachers must continually travel to all parts of the continent, nay, rather, to all parts of the world,” he wrote to them in the middle of the war, on April 19, 1916, “but they must travel like ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who journeyed throughout the cities of America.” That is, they must bear the costs themselves — not accepting money from any source outside the voluntary contributions of their own membership — and they must distinguish themselves by their deeds.
Group after group of older and newer believers sadly and tearfully came to see the Master, encircling Him and weeping at His imminent departure. Their hearts were sad and overcome with anguish. They confessed to Him their negligence and shortcomings in serving the Cause and their failure to obey His instructions and begged His assistance and blessings, confirmations and favor.
Today the believers were so overcome by emotion that even a stone would be affected. The anguish of their hearts was so great that all were affected. Indeed, in His presence they bowed and knelt so deeply that one could not distinguish between their heads and their feet.
There were two large meetings this afternoon and evening. One was at the home of Mrs Krug, which was filled with many people who had come just to be in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s presence. The Master’s talk was this:
“He is God! Praise be to God that Mrs Krug has been the cause of your gathering in this meeting where you are engaged in mentioning God and in adducing proofs. I hope that day by day you will become more attracted, become more enlightened and make extraordinary spiritual progress. You should learn from one another so that you may know how to teach the Cause and guide the souls. Your hearts must be so attracted that when a question is heard you will be able to give a conclusive answer and the Holy Spirit may speak through your tongue. You must be assured and confident that the favors and confirmations of the Blessed Beauty will make a drop into an ocean, a seed into a fruitful tree, an atom into a luminous sun and a stone into a brilliant jewel. His favors are great, His treasuries inexhaustible and His bounties infinite. God, Who has bestowed favors upon others, shall surely bestow His favors upon you. I supplicate at the Court of the Almighty and beg that mighty confirmations may surround you, that from your tongues may flow irrefutable proofs and that your hearts become recipients for the splendors of the Sun of Reality. May your thoughts expand and your stations be exalted, so that you may be able to diffuse the fragrances of God and to make prodigious progress in the world of man. Unless a man acquires perfection for himself, he cannot teach others how to attain such perfection; and unless he gets life for himself, he cannot give life to others. We must therefore try first to acquire the bounties of the Kingdom for ourselves and attain life everlasting, and then endeavor to quicken the nations and give life to the world. Thus, we must constantly pray to His Holy Court and seek His eternal bounties. We must acquire pure hearts like unto mirrors, so that the lights of the Sun of Reality may shine. Every night and day we must supplicate to Him and beg for His assistance, saying: ‘O Lord, we are weak, make us strong; we are ignorant, make us wise. O Lord, we are poor, give us the wealth of the Kingdom. O God, we are dead, bestow upon us everlasting life; we are in utter lowliness, exalt us in Thy Kingdom. Should Thy heavenly confirmations surround us, each one of us can be a luminous star, otherwise we become lower than dust. O God, help us; make us victorious; assist us to overcome self and desire; and deliver us from the world of nature. O God! Quicken us through the breaths of the Holy Spirit so that we may arise to serve Thee, engage ourselves in worshipping Thee and broadcast the signs of Thy Kingdom with utmost truthfulness and sincerity. Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Generous and the Compassionate.”
From this meeting the Master went to Mrs Kinney’s home. The rush of friends and seekers was greater than ever before and all hearts were aflame. The Master exhorted them to exert their utmost to propagate the divine principles and to diffuse the fragrances of God. He explained the new teachings and the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. After the meeting, the believers gathered around Him. He bade farewell to each, bestowed His favor upon all and then went upstairs.
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney, 780 West End Avenue, New York 4
I have attended more meetings in New York than in all the other cities combined. Day and night, individually and collectively you have listened to the teachings and exhortations of Bahá’u’lláh. I have proclaimed unto you the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God and explained the wishes of the Blessed Perfection. I have set forth that which is conducive to human progress and shown you the humility of servitude. The teachings of Bahá’u’lláh have been clearly interpreted. The time has now come when I must leave you; therefore, this will be our farewell meeting.
I am greatly pleased with you all and rejoice that you have shown me the utmost kindness and affection. It is my desire that Bahá’u’lláh shall be pleased with you, that you may follow His precepts and become worthy of His confirmations. The requirements are that your minds must be illumined, your souls must be rejoiced with the glad tidings of God, you must become imbued with spiritual moralities, your daily life must evidence faith and assurance, your hearts must be sanctified and pure, reflecting a high degree of love and attraction toward the Kingdom of Abhá. You must become the lamps of Bahá’u’lláh so that you may shine with eternal light and be the proofs and evidences of His truth. Then will such signs of purity and chastity be witnessed in your deeds and actions that men will behold the heavenly radiance of your lives and say, “Verily, ye are the proofs of Bahá’u’lláh. Verily, Bahá’u’lláh is the True One, for He has trained such souls as these, each one of which is a proof in himself.” They will say to others, “Come and witness the conduct of these souls; come and listen to their words, behold the illumination of their hearts, see the evidences of the love of God in them, consider their praiseworthy morals, and discover the foundations of the oneness of humanity firmly implanted within them. What greater proof can there be than these people that the message of Bahá’u’lláh is truth and reality?” It is my hope that each one of you shall be a herald of God, proclaiming the evidences of His appearance, in words, deeds and thoughts. Let your actions and utterances be a witness that you are of the Kingdom of Bahá’u’lláh. These are the duties enjoined upon you by Bahá’u’lláh.
Bahá’u’lláh endured the greatest hardships. He found neither rest by night nor peace by day. He was constantly under the stress of great calamity—now in prison, now in chains, now threatened by the sword—until finally He broke the cage of captivity, left this mortal world and ascended to the heaven of God. He endured all these tribulations for our sakes and suffered these deprivations that we might attain the bestowals of divine bounty. Therefore, we must be faithful to Him and turn away from our own selfish desires and fancies in order that we may accomplish that which is required of us by our Lord.
It is my wish that you shall arise to live according to these teachings and exhortations; that all of us may be divinely strengthened, enter the paradise of the spiritual Kingdom, diffuse the lights of the Sun of Truth, cause the waves of this Most Great Ocean to reach all human souls so that this world of earth may be transformed into the world of heaven and this devastated ground be changed into the paradise of Abhá.
’Abdu’l-Bahá in America, 1912-2012: Calling America to Its Spiritual Destiny
Ward, Allan L. 239 Days: ʻAbdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America. Wilmette, Ill: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979, 192-193. ↩
’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=10#section255↩
“NO AFFAIR IN THE world succeeds without sacrifice,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told a gathering on December 1, 1912, in New York’s Upper West Side, while explaining the role America must play in leading the world to peace. Sacrifice was a theme he returned to often during his final days in America, telling the American people that they would be called upon to make great sacrifices in the upcoming decades. …
“Observe how rarely human souls sacrifice their pleasure or comfort for others,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told an overflowing lecture hall at Green Acre in Eliot, Maine, on the evening of August 16. At Coronation Hall in Montreal, Canada, on September 5, he noted “how the greatest men in the world — whether among prophets or philosophers — all have forfeited their own comfort, have sacrificed their own pleasure for the well-being of humanity. They have sacrificed their own lives for the body politic. They have sacrificed their own wealth for that of the general welfare. They have forfeited their own honor for the honor of mankind.” …
On the evening of November 29, 1912, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Kinney in New York, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá discussed the meaning of Jesus Christ giving his life for humanity. “There is no doubt,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “that one who put forth such a claim as Christ announced would arouse the hostility of the world and be subjected to personal abuse.” But without having accepted that, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told his audience, Jesus “would not have been able to guide a single soul.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá then explained that human development consists in sacrificing of one’s lower nature in order to acquire the characteristic of our higher nature. “Man must sever himself from the influences of the world of matter, from the world of nature and its laws,” he explained, defining this natural state as one of “ambition and avarice, of self-worship, egotism and passion.” In becoming fully human, he said, the individual “sacrifices the imperfections of nature for the sake of divine perfections,” — perfections which include characteristics such as justice, love, compassion, and generosity.
In a nation with a legacy of sacrifice, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reminded Americans it was still needed. He challenged them to see that their greatest sacrifices lay ahead.
On November 28, Thanksgiving Day, Mahmúd commented:
“During these last days of His stay in America, there was always an influx of friends in His Presence. They came to offer supplications, to turn to the eternal Face, to look upon the Dawning Place of the Divine Covenant, and to cling to His Mantle of Favor. Every moment the cries of the lovers increased and the fire of love in the breasts glowed more. There was not a moment’s rest for the Holy Being. He was either delivering an address to a public meeting or talking to a friend in His private chamber. The Holy Tongue was imparting joy to the sad, hope to the hopeless, and a flame to the dormant while He guided strugglers to the Right Path.”
Several friends came at dawn to the Master’s residence, begging admission into His presence and saying that watching Him at prayer would be its own spiritual lesson. We were astounded to see how eager they were, proof that the power of the Word of God has dispelled old habits and opened the gates of bounty such that at so an early hour these souls had taken leave of their comfortable beds and sought refuge at the majestic gate of the Center of the Covenant.
These were the last few remaining days of the Master’s sojourn in America as He planned to leave for England soon. At dawn and in the evening a stream of believers and prominent people, in a spiritual and prayerful attitude, came into His presence. They came to offer supplications, to turn to the Eternal Face, to look upon the Dawning Place of the Divine Covenant and to cling to the mantle of His grace and favor. At every moment the cries and ardor of His lovers increased and the fire of love in their breasts glowed more fiercely. There was not a moment’s rest day or night for the Master. He was either delivering addresses at various public and private gatherings or talking to a friend in His private room. He gave joy to every sad one, hope to the hopeless and was a flame of fire to the heedless while guiding those who strive onto the right path.
Today the Master’s public address concerned the spiritual capacity of the Americans. He said:
“Although they are engrossed in material civilization and physical pursuits, still, unlike people in some European countries, they are not wholly devoid of spiritual susceptibilities. They are seekers and desire to investigate reality. They wish for peace and tranquillity and they desire fellowship and love among humanity.”
In the evening He expressed His happiness at the spirituality and services of the friends in their efforts to diffuse the fragrances of God.
23 November 1912, Talk at Banquet, Great Northern Hotel, 118 West Fifty-seventh Street, New York 4
This meeting of yours … promotes love and fraternity among all humankind, seeks to abolish and destroy barriers which separate the human family, proclaims the equality of man and woman, instills divine precepts and morals, illumines and quickens minds with heavenly perception, attracts the infinite bestowals of God, removes racial, national and religious prejudices and establishes the foundation of the heavenly Kingdom in the hearts of all nations and peoples.
’Abdu’l-Bahá in America, 1912-2012: Calling America to Its Spiritual Destiny
Ward, Allan L. 239 Days: ʻAbdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America. Wilmette, Ill: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979, 189. ↩
’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=9#section250↩
Jim Crow Comes to Dinner at the Great Northern Hotel 1
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ WAS TOO late. He was planning to leave America next Wednesday on the Mauretania, a four-funneled steamship of the Cunard line, the sister ship of the Lusitania. It would sail from its pier along the Hudson River at one o’clock in the morning on November 27, 1912, for Liverpool, England. But after spending much of the day in Montclair, New Jersey, on November 23, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá got back to New York too late to reach the ticket office, and missed making the booking. This meant that he would have to remain in New York for at least an extra week.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá had returned from Montclair to attend a farewell banquet organized for him in the ballroom of the Great Northern Hotel that evening. …
Mahmúd-i-Zarqání figured that more than three hundred people attended the celebration. But not one of the guests had been black. Although the African American community had been invited, the hotel owner refused to let them enter the building. “If the people see that one colored person has entered my hotel,” Mahmúd heard him say, “no respectable person will ever set foot in it and my business will go to the winds.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá moved quickly to remedy the situation. The next day, on November 24, he hosted a second banquet for the African American guests who had been denied entry. It was held at the home of Edward and Carrie Kinney, at 780 West End Avenue on the Upper West Side — where he had spoken many times and met many guests during his many weeks in New York.
Not only was it an interracial meeting, attended by both blacks and whites, but the blacks were graciously served by their white hosts. “Behold what an influence and effect the words of Bahá’u’lláh have had upon the hearts,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told them, “that hating and shunning have been forgotten and that prejudices have been obliterated to such an extent that you arose to serve one another with great sincerity.”
The Master was occupied revealing Tablets to the friends until about noon when the crowd downstairs became too large. He appeared in this gathering of eager souls, greeting and extending His kindness to all, saying: ‘I have been busy since early morning and am tired. I do not feel like speaking at all and wish to go out for a walk.’ After a short talk in which He encouraged the friends to establish love and harmony among themselves and to make every effort in the Cause of God, He walked to Broadway and then to Central Park. He was not pleased with the dense population and the height of the buildings, saying: ‘These are injurious to the public’s health. This population should be in two cities, the buildings should be lower and the streets should be tree-lined as they are in Washington. How can these two places compare?’
Indeed, the condition of New York City is strange and its population so large that in addition to surface streets, there are three railway lines running the entire length of the city; one underground, another on the surface and a third above the streets on bridges about two stories high. These railway lines are continuously filled with people and are their mode of transportation. On some of the streets, automobiles and carriages have to stop for some 10 to 15 minutes because of the congestion until the traffic officers give them permission to continue.
Most buildings are from 17 to 18 stories high and each floor has some 20 to 30 apartments, most of which have bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, bathrooms with hot and cold running water and many comforts.
There was a large gathering this evening at Mr and Mrs Kinney’s attended by both old and new friends. The Master’s talk was mainly admonitions to the friends about love and unity among themselves and the propagation of the divine Cause. The hearts and souls were ignited by the fire of the love of God and their tongues praised the Beloved.
17 November 1912, Talk at Genealogical Hall, 252 West Fifty-eighth Street, New York 3
O my God! O my God! Verily, Thou dost perceive those who are present here turning unto Thee, relying upon Thee. O my Lord! O my Lord! Illumine their eyes by the light of love, and enkindle their hearts by the rays streaming from the heaven of the Supreme Concourse. Suffer them to become the signs of Thy bestowal amongst the people and the standards of Thy grace amongst mankind. O Lord! Make those who are here the hosts of heaven, and through their service and instrumentality subdue the hearts of humanity. Cause Thy great mercy to descend upon them, and render all Thy friends victorious. Direct them that they may turn toward Thy Kingdom of mercy and proclaim Thy name among the people. May they lead the people to the bounty of Thy most great guidance.
O Lord! O Lord! Cast the glance of Thy mercy upon them all.
O Lord! O Lord! Ordain for them the beauty of Thy holiness in Thy Kingdom of eternity.
O Lord! O Lord! Protect them in every test, make every foot firm in the pathway of Thy love, and help them to be as mighty mountains in Thy Cause so that their faith shall not be wavering, their sight shall not be dimmed nor hindered from witnessing the lights emanating from Thy supreme Kingdom. Verily, Thou art the Generous. Thou art the Almighty. Verily, Thou art the Clement, the Merciful.
’Abdu’l-Bahá in America, 1912-2012: Calling America to Its Spiritual Destiny
’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=9#section243↩
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Andrew Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth” 1
THE WORLD’S RICHEST MAN when 1912 began was a Scottish immigrant from Dunfermline, County Fife, who emigrated with his family to Allegheny, Pennsylvania, at the age of twelve in 1848. …
He retired in 1901 at the age of sixty-six, selling his steel interests to J. P. Morgan for $480 million and becoming the richest man on earth.
But even as he was living the life of a robber baron during the Gilded Age, piling up capital and repressing striking workers, Carnegie was already formulating a different outlook on wealth than most of his tycoon friends. “Man must have no idol,” he wrote, “and the amassing of wealth is one of the worst species of idolatry! No idol is more debasing than the worship of money! . . . To continue much longer overwhelmed by business cares and with most of my thoughts wholly upon the way to make more money in the shortest time, must degrade me beyond hope of permanent recovery.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá participated in several peace gatherings sponsored by Carnegie, including the Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration, which Carnegie’s millions had underwritten. In November Carnegie called on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in New York, and, it seems, gave him a copy of his book, The Gospel of Wealth. In it Carnegie had argued for the responsibility the rich had to improve society. Not only should they give away all their wealth, but they had to administer it themselves, focusing their resources on enterprises that would elevate the masses of society “in the forms best calculated to do them lasting good,” not merely frittering it away on indiscriminate charity. …
‘Abdu’l-Bahá had upheld similar views on the responsibilities of the wealthy at least since 1875, when he wrote The Secret of Divine Civilization, an open letter to Iranians proposing an ambitious program of social, legal, religious, and educational reform. “Wealth is praiseworthy in the highest degree,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote, “if it is acquired by an individual’s own efforts and the grace of God, in commerce, agriculture, art and industry, and if it be expended for philanthropic purposes. Above all, if a judicious and resourceful individual should initiate measures which would universally enrich the masses of the people, there could be no undertaking greater than this.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá read The Gospel of Wealth and wrote back to Andrew Carnegie on January 10, 1913, shortly after he had arrived in London after his American journey. Carnegie was so impressed with the letter that he sent it to the New York Times. In his reply, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá contributed the observation that to redistribute wealth successfully it was essential to make sure that the act of doing so did not create further rifts between the classes.
The Master again called some of the friends and asked them to show kindness and love to Mr [Howard] MacNutt and to be patient with him. Some of His words were these:
“You must all arise in unison to serve the Cause of God. You must work hand in hand to teach the Cause and know that the confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh will descend upon you. My hope is that New York will excel all other cities because at the beginning it had precedence over them. God willing, it shall be so again. The favors of the Kingdom of God are great, the attention and bounties of the Blessed Beauty are fixed upon you and His hidden hosts are assisting you. Arise in this arena and you shall see what will transpire.
“I am but one of His servants. After the ascension of the Blessed Beauty, the Ottoman people and government arose against me as did enemies of the area from different nations and religions. In such a state everyone was attacking me from outside and even my brothers from inside opposed me. But in a short time the enemies were frustrated and brought low so that some of them cried, ‘Would to God that Bahá’u’lláh had not ascended because this Cause has become even greater, its fame has spread to more places, and its support has become stronger.’ Therefore, we must arise in servitude so that His confirmations may surround us from all sides. Undoubtedly whenever you arise to serve and proclaim the Cause you shall be assisted and shall attain success. Rest assured.”
In the afternoon the friends gathered at the home of Mr [Hooper] Harris, each one eager and delighted to see the Master and to listen to His words. While He was leaving His residence, some school children saw the Master and rushed towards Him. They asked, ‘Who is this man who looks like Christ?’ Miss Juliet Thompson spoke to them outside the house about the Cause and the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They asked to meet Him and they were invited to come to Mr [Edward] Kinney‘s home, where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spent most of His days, the following Sunday.
Both private and public meetings were held in that home. The first to third floors were filled with people, some even standing on the stairs. From this day forward a spirit of steadfastness in the Covenant of God, unity and faithfulness appeared among the friends as the Master burnt away the veils and the hearts of the believers attained the highest degree of love and union. This was the Master’s purpose in staying so long in New York. Furthermore, many wonderful friends became humble and sincere in His presence.
He spoke this evening to a large gathering about the influence of the Cause and the victory of the Supreme Word over the nations and powers of the world.
17 November 1912, Talk at Genealogical Hall, 252 West Fifty-eighth Street, New York 3
After every night there is a morn. In the supreme wisdom of God it is decreed that when the gross darkness of religious hatred and hostility, the obscurity of religious ignorance, superstition and blind imitations cover the world, the Sun of Truth shall arise and the spirit of reality become manifest and reflected in human hearts. At such a time as this Bahá’u’lláh appeared upon the horizon of the Orient. For fifty years He endured the greatest hardships and ordeals, ever striving to dispel the darkness of religious conditions, to remove the cause of enmity and rancor, to awaken the world of humanity from the beds of negligence and heedlessness by the flashing light of the glorious glad tidings and trumpet tone of the heavenly call and summons. For the spread of this message He offered His life and bore every vicissitude.… He was always under the threat and menace of the sword, yet He uplifted the standard of divine teachings and flooded the world of the East with illumination. In the Orient today the light of the heavenly glad tidings is visible everywhere, the divine call is heard, the effulgence of the Sun of Reality is shining, the precious rain is pouring down from the clouds of mercy, and the breaths of the Holy Spirit are bestowing fresh life upon the hearts of men. Erelong the darkness will pass away entirely, and the regions of the East will become completely illumined; enmity, hatred, ignorance and bigotry will no longer remain; the satanic powers which destroy human equality and religious unity will be dethroned, and the nations will dwell in peace and harmony under the overspreading banner of the oneness of humanity. Therefore, we supplicate the Lord our God with sincere and contrite hearts, asking aid and assistance in the accomplishment of this mighty end: that the nations shall be unified in the Word of God; that war, enmity and hatred between races, religions, native lands and denominations shall disappear and be forever unknown; and that peoples and nations shall spiritually embrace each other in the indissoluble bond and power of the love of God. Then will the world of humanity become radiant and the human race enjoy to the fullest capacity the graces of divine bestowal. So long as religious discord and enmity continue among mankind, the world of humanity will find neither happiness, rest nor composure.
Pray that God may assist in this heavenly undertaking, that the world of mankind shall be saved from the ordeals of ignorance, blindness and spiritual death. Then will you behold light upon light, joy upon joy, absolute happiness reigning everywhere, the people of the religions consorting together in fragrance and felicity, this world in its maturity becoming the reflection of the eternal Kingdom and this terrestrial abode of man the very paradise of God. Pray for this! Pray for this!
’Abdu’l-Bahá in America, 1912-2012: Calling America to Its Spiritual Destiny
’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=9#section242↩
