To the Baha'is around the world
Allah-u-Abha! dear Friends,
You have been given an extraordinary gift: you are bearers of God's
revelation for today. The following is a humble appeal to beg that you
might arise and manifest the blessings of God among the multitudes of
the earth.
For many centuries, religions became mighty through proselytizing - by
speech or by sword - and the uneasy marriage of the powerful with the
clergy. Today, a new method of sharing the bounty of God's new message
must differentiate the Baha'i faith from the religions of old.
It is not working, to try and cause entry-by-troops by winning
converts. It seems to the people, that the whole message of
Baha'u'llah is to create a new religion, to attract members, to become
the biggest religion and then rule the world. The people are weary of
this method as they have suffered it for centuries.
The Baha'i faith has simply become one religion among many. Few souls
are signing the declaration cards; many who do, disappear into
invisibility after a time.
There must be a different way. There is a different way.
I ask you to close your eyes and come with me on a journey: a vision
of just a month or a year from now. First, think of the Master. His
beautiful smile, His compassion, His love.
Imagine that He has given you permission to stop trying to gain
converts. You can lower the heavy burden off your back, you no longer
have to try and add lists of names to the rolls of believers. Do you
feel a sense of relief? But, He has not told you to stop spreading the
message of Baha'u'llah.
Now, you have been chosen by God for a very special duty. You, the
people of Baha, have a precious gift: it is the secret to bring about
peace and unity on the earth, the Kingdom of God long awaited.
This secret is not to try and gain as many converts as you can. It is
to share with all the peoples of the earth - every race, colour, class
and creed - the message that:
"Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye
one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness
and fellow****p. He Who is the Daystar of Truth beareth Me witness! So
powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole
earth." (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 14)
This is a new religious message, that people of divers backgrounds can
live together in harmony. It is why the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar is open to
people of every faith: temples of unity, in which a Christian, a Jew,
a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Zoroastrian, a Con****ian, a Humanist and a
Baha'i might sit side-by-side wor****pping the one true God.
The secret is that all these different religionists do not have to
sign a card and join a club to live in unity. In fact, if you try and
make everyone a Baha'i to achieve unity, it will never happen. Try to
achieve unity amongst the warring peoples of the world, and everyone
will flock to those who preach and live the message.
Have faith in your fellow man. The old world order is rolling up, but
already there are so many souls who recognise the fundamental verities
of the Faith even if they do not call themselves Baha'i. They believe
in the equality of human beings; the equality of the ***es; the need
for a cosmopolitan vision that embraces the planet; the need for an
end to hunger and poverty; and the need to educate the children of the
world. Now, they need to know that God desires this and will bless any
effort to bring it about.
Do not re-invent the wheel. Join together with like-minded souls,
whether Baha'i or not, whether religious or not. Give sup****t to every
effort that manifests the teachings of Baha'u'llah, whether it carries
the label 'Baha'i' or more likely not. It is the message that counts,
not the name of the organization preaching it.
"It makes no difference whether you have ever heard of Baha'u'llah or
not," said our beloved Master, "the man who lives the life according
to the teachings of Baha'u'llah is already a Baha'i. On the other hand
a man may call himself a Baha'i for fifty years and if he does not
live the life he is not a Baha'i. An ugly man may call himself
handsome, but he deceives no one, and a black man may call himself
white yet he deceives no one: not even himself!" (Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-
Baha in London, p. 105)
Make your intention pure. Your mission is not to get a person to sign
a declaration card. Your mission is to teach the divers peoples of the
earth how to infuse their lives with the teachings of Baha'u'llah,
whether or not they take the step of embracing Him outwardly as well
as inwardly.
But be warned, there are many who currently see the Baha'is as merely
proselytizing their religion. It is a tired method that will obscure
the message of God for today. If Baha'is do not take up the challenge
to infuse the world with the perfume of the Baha'i message, then God
will choose and bless others from among the peoples of the earth who
arise to the challenge.
"Erelong will God raise up the treasures of the earth -- men who will
aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath
revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him." (Baha'u'llah,
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 21)
I write this letter in a spirit of humble love, that the Baha'is might
be ****ning exemplars of the spirit of a new age. I have faith in you,
my brothers and sisters. May the blessings of Baha'u'llah be upon you.
Tahirih
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