by
Shoghi Effendi

Fellow-labourers in the Divine Vineyard!

Upon my return, after a forced and prolonged absence, to the Holy Land, it is my first and most ardent wish to renew and strengthen those ties of brotherly love and fellowship that bind our hearts together in our common servitude to His Sacred Threshold.

The two years that have elapsed since the passing of our beloved Master have been for the Cause, as well as for mankind, years of deep anxiety and strain. The momentous changes that are taking place in the history of both have proved so swift and far-reaching as to arouse in certain hearts a strange misgiving as to their stability and future.

On one hand the remarkable revelations of the Beloved’s Will and Testament so amazing in all its aspects, so emphatic in its injunctions, have challenged and perplexed the keenest minds, whilst the ever-increasing confusion of the world, threatened as never before with disruptive forces, fierce rivalries, fresh commotions and grave disorder, have well-nigh overwhelmed the heart and damped the zeal of even the most enthusiastic believers in the destiny of mankind.

And yet, how often we seem to forget the clear and repeated warnings of our beloved Master, who in particular during the concluding years of his mission on earth, laid stress on the severe mental tests that would inevitably sweep over his loved ones of the West … tests that would purge, purify and prepare them for their noble mission in life.

And as to the world’s evil plight, we need but recall the writings and sayings of Bahá’u’lláh, who, more than fifty years ago, declared in terms prophetic the prime cause of the ills and sufferings of mankind, and set forth their true and divine remedy. “Should the lamp of Religion be hidden”, He declared, “chaos and confusion will ensue.” How admirably fitting and applicable are these words to the present state of mankind!

Ours then is the duty and privilege to labour, by day, by night, amidst the storm and stress of these troublous days, that we may quicken the zeal of our fellow-man, rekindle their hopes, stimulate their interests, open their eyes to the true Faith of God and enlist their active support in the carrying out of our common task for the peace and regeneration of the world.

Let us take heart and be thankful to our beloved Abdu’l-Bahá, as we remember his manifold blessings and unfailing care and protection, ever since the hour of his departure from our midst. The flames of sedition, so maliciously kindled in the past by those who have dared to flout his will, are gone out for ever, and the fondest hopes of these evil plotters are now abandoned, doomed never to revive. He has indeed redeemed his promise!

It seemed not a long time ago that their agitation, so violently renewed immediately after the passing of our Beloved, would for a time confuse the Divine Message of Bahá’u’lláh, obscure His Covenant, retard the progress of His Cause, and shatter its unity; and yet how well we see them all today, not through our efforts, but by their own folly, and above all, by the intervention of the hidden hand of God, reduced to the vilest and most humiliating position.

And now, with the Cause purified and inwardly victorious, Its principles vindicated, Its enemies silenced and sunk in unspeakable misery, may we not, henceforth, direct all our efforts to collective action and constructive achievement; and in utter disregard of the flickerings of their fast-fading light, arise to carry out those urgent measures that will secure the outward and complete triumph of the Cause?

I for my part, as I look back to the unfortunate circumstances of ill-health and physical exhaustion that have attended the opening years of my career of service to the Cause, feel hardly gratified, and would be truly despondent but for the sustaining memory and inspiring example of the diligent and ceaseless efforts which my fellow-workers the world over have displayed during these two trying years in the service of the Cause.

I cherish the hope that, from now on the Beloved may bestow upon me all the strength and vigour that will enable me to pursue over a long and unbroken period of strenuous labour the supreme task of achieving, in collaboration with the friends in every land, the speedy triumph of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. This is the prayer I earnestly request all my fellow brethren and sisters in the Faith to offer on my behalf.

Let us pray to God that in these days of world encircling gloom, when the dark forces of nature, of hate, rebellion, anarchy and reaction are threatening the very stability of human society, when the most precious fruits of civilization are undergoing severe and unparalleled tests, we may all realize, more profoundly than ever, that though but a mere handful amidst the seething masses of the world, are in this day the chosen instruments of God’s Grace, that our Mission is most urgent and vital to the fate of humanity and, fortified by these sentiments, arise to achieve God’s holy purpose for mankind.

Your brother in His service
Shoghi

for my beloved brethren and sisters in Australia and New Zealand—
Shoghi.

Haifa, Palestine, December 2, 1923.

May 15th, 1934.

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

The Guardian has deeply appreciated your message dated April 10th, and he has asked me to convey to you once more his grateful thanks for the services you are so continually rendering the Faith in your centre. The gratifying news has just reached him of the opening of the first Convention of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New-Zealand, and needless to say how deeply he was moved by this historic step you have been inspired to take for the consolidation of the Administration in your country. He feels confident that through such remarkable evidences of the self-sacrificing, heroic and united efforts of the Australian and New Zealand believers an increasing number of hitherto skeptical and unfriendly people will be gradually attracted to the Faith, and some of them will eventually join the ranks of the faithful.

Assuring you again of the Guardian’s fervent prayers for the continued expansion of your Bahá’í activities, and with his best wishes and greetings to you and to all the friends in Adelaide,

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani.

Dear and valued co-worker:

I rejoice to learn of the momentous step the Bahá’ís of Australia and New-Zealand have taken. They will surely be reinforced by the hosts of the Kingdom, and deserve the praise and admiration of their fellow-believers throughout the world. Constancy, co-operation, unity and steadfast adherence to the spiritual and administrative principles of the Faith are essential during these days when the foundations of the Universal House of Justice are being laid through your devoted efforts in your own country. I will continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart.

Your true brother,
Shoghi.

July 26th, 1934.

Dear Miss Brooks,

I am directed by the Guardian to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of June 6th, written on behalf on the N.S.A. of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New-Zealand, and to convey to you, and to your collaborators on that Assembly his grateful appreciation of the stupendous efforts you have unanimously exerted for making your first Convention such a sucessful and promising meeting. Your collective and continued sacrifices, as well as the assistance and guidance of Bahá’u’lláh have surely been responsible for this historic triumph which you have been able to achieve in the administrative field of the Cause — a triumph which will inevitably bring about a renewed and deeper spiritual consciousness to all the believers in these far-off lands.

Shoghi Effendi is praying from the very depths of his heart for your guidance and assistance, and hopes that as a result your National Assembly will be soon enabled to take such steps as would enable it to extend and to further consolidate its national as well as international activities.

With warm greetings to you and to all the friends in Adelaide,

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani.

Dear and valued co-worker:

My heart is filled with joy and gratitude as a result of the perusal of your letter. I long to be in close and constant touch with your newly-formed national assembly — the first of your administrative activities and the herald of one of the most fruitful and stirring periods of the history of the Faith in that promising continent. I will be so glad to receive copies of the minutes of your gatherings, and urge you to keep in close touch with your sister assemblies throughout the Bahá’í world. I will assuredly pray for you and your dear and devoted collaborators from the depths of my heart.

Your true brother,
Shoghi.

October 17th, 1934.

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

I am directed by the Guardian to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated August 31st with its most interesting enclosures, all of which he has carefully read and considered. It is with deep gratification that he follows the progress and extension of the work of your N.S.A., and he hopes and prays that through the confirmations of the Almighty it will serve to give an increasing impetus to the progress of the Faith in your land.

The Guardian has read with particular interest the minutes of the meetings of your N.S.A. He hopes to receive them regularly, and thus to be in close and constant touch with your national activities.

In regard to your question as to whether it is permissible to substitute the plural pronoun for the singular in prayers worded in the singular, the Guardian would strongly urge your N.S.A. to inform the friends to strictly adhere to the text of the Holy Writings, and not to deviate even a hair-breadth from what has been revealed by the Holy Pen. Besides, it should be noted that congregational prayer has been discouraged by Bahá’u’lláh, and that it is allowed only in the case of the prayer for the dead.

Concerning the Healing Prayer, the Guardian wishes me to inform you that there is no special ruling for its recital. The believer is free to recite it as many times and in the way he wishes. There are also no obligatory prayers for the Fast. But there are some specific ones revealed by Bahá’u’lláh for that purpose.

As to the instructions given in the little black covered Prayer Book, they are by no means complete and are only tentative. When the Book of Aqdas is published, the believers will have then full and authoritative prescriptions about the form of prayer, and other instructions and rulings of a spiritual character.

With loving greetings to you and to the members of the N.S.A.,

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani.

Dearly beloved co-worker:

My constant prayers for the extension of the activities in which you and your dear fellow-labourers are so stenuously engaged will be offered on your behalf that the splendid era which you have inaugurated may redound to the glory and honour of the Most Great Name. I am truly proud of the manner in which my loved friends in Australia and New-Zealand have arisen to discharge their sacred and pressing responsibilities. Great triumphs, I feel convinced, are in store for them if they persevere in their mighty task. May the Almighty bless their high endeavours and enable them to achieve His purpose.

Your true brother,
Shoghi.

January 16th, 1935.

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Your welcome letter of the 13th of December, together with the accompanying message of December 11th addressed to the Guardian by “The General Purposes and Business Committee” of the N.S.A. have all been duly received and deeply appreciated by him.

He has also received and read with great care and interest the enclosed copy of the minutes of the above-mentioned committee, and was pleased to realize that, despite the various impediments standing in the way of your Assembly, that body is functioning smoothly and with one accord. He hopes that the various steps taken by your Committee in connection with the publication of the “Herald of the South” will all materialize and meet with success.

May I also in closing express the Guardian’s appreciation of your efforts in connection with the management and direction of this monthly review, and also with regard to your activities in the field of teaching.

With his loving greetings to you and to your co-workers in the “Herald of the South” Committee, and with the assurance of his prayers for you all.

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani.

Dear and valued co-workers:

The repeated evidences of the strenuous efforts exerted by the believers in Australia and New-Zealand for the spread of the Cause and the rise and consolidation of its institutions have brought me intense joy and excited my deepest admiration. I urge them to persevere, to remain united, not to relax in their determination, and to strive with all their might to extend the scope of their meritorious activities. I will continue to pray for them from the bottom of my heart.

Your true brother,
Shoghi.

April 24th, 1935.

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Guardian has read with great care and interest your letter of the 24th of March last, and has noted with deep satisfaction the steady progress which your N.S.A. is making since its formation last year. He is particularly pleased and encouraged to realise how wisely and effectively your Assembly is adjusting itself to the general conditions and specific requirements of the Cause in Australia and New-Zealand, to such an extent that obstacles which a year ago seemed to be insurmountable have now, through the sustained and earnest efforts of the friends, been partially if not completely removed. Your Assembly has, indeed, truly vindicated its ability and power to function as a well-organized and united body, and this in the face of manifold difficulties which the all-conquering spirit of the Faith could alone overcome. Nothing short of this Divine spirit, as expressed through the self-sacrificing and confident labours of the Australian and New-Zealand friends, could have so effectively subdued those forces which every now and then threatened to undermine the foundations of your Assembly, and thus overthrow the entire system of the Administration in your land.

Now that the N.S.A. has successfully emerged out of these difficulties and trials, the Guardian has every reason to believe that the progress thus far achieved will continue undiminished and undeterred by any obstacle, however formidable it may seem to appear.

In his moments of meditation and prayer at the Holy Shrines he will specially supplicate for the guidance and assistance of the N.S.A. and will supplicate Bahá’u’lláh to inspire its members in all their deliberations.

With his warmest and most loving appreciation and greetings to them and to all the friends in Adelaide.

Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani.