Study Class Quotes for November 2009

These quotations were discussed during the November 18, 2009 study class at our home.

1. "O ye the faithful loved ones of 'Abdu'l-Baha! It is incumbent upon you to take the greatest care of Shoghi Effendi... that no dust of despondency and sorrow may stain his radiant nature, that day by day he may wax greater in happiness, in joy and spirituality..." (The Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 25)

2. “Out of the immense treasury of all the Writings, I memorized one sentence and did my utmost to follow that one injunction. It served as a lamp of guidance, shedding light on the dark and obscure paths of my life. That phrase is from the Will and Testament of the Master, where He says that the friends should make Shoghi Effendi happy. Whatever step I took in my life, any vote cast in the Assemblies, any trip taken, even any thought, I would first ask myself whether my vote, words, trip or thought would make him happy. When I was sure, then I would take action without fear.”
(Hand of the Cause of God Amelia Collins, in "Milly" by Abu'l-Qasim Faizi, p. 18.)

3. “One righteous work performed in this Day, equalleth all the virtuous acts which for myriads of centuries men have practised -- nay, We ask forgiveness of God for such a comparison! For verily the reward which such a deed deserveth is immensely beyond and above the estimate of men.”
(Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Iqan, paragraph 153, p. 144)

4. "Be thankful to God for having enabled you to recognize His Cause. Whoever has received this blessing must, prior to his acceptance, have performed some deed which, though he himself was unaware of its character, was ordained by God as a means whereby he has been guided to find and embrace the Truth."
(Baha'u'llah, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 586)

5. “Cause me to taste, O my Lord, the divine sweetness of Thy remembrance and praise. I swear by Thy might! Whosoever tasteth of its sweetness will rid himself of all attachment to the world and all that is therein, and will set his face towards Thee, cleansed from the remembrance of any one except Thee. Inspire then my soul, O my God, with Thy wondrous remembrance, that I may glorify Thy name. Number me not with them who read Thy words and fail to find Thy hidden gift which, as decreed by Thee, is contained therein, and which quickeneth the souls of Thy creatures and the hearts of Thy servants.”
(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, LVI, p. 82)

6. “The friends need only read the Writings; the answers are all in them; we have no priests in this Faith to interpret or answer for us.”
(From a letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi dated 23 April 1957; Compilation on Deepening; The Compilation of Compilations Vol. I, p. 233, #523)

7. “A clear distinction is made in our Faith between authoritative interpretation and the interpretation or understanding that each individual arrives at for himself from his study of its teachings. While the former is confined to the Guardian, the latter, according to the guidance given to us by the Guardian himself, should by no means be suppressed. In fact such individual interpretation is considered the fruit of man's rational power and conducive to a better understanding of the teachings, provided that no disputes or arguments arise among the friends and the individual himself understands and makes it clear that his views are merely his own. Individual interpretations continually change as one grows in comprehension of the teachings. As Shoghi Effendi explained:

To deepen in the Cause means to read the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the Master so thoroughly as to be able to give it to others in its pure form. There are many who have some superficial idea of what the Cause stands for. They, therefore, present it together with all sorts of ideas that are their own. As the Cause is still in its early days we must be most careful lest we fall under this error and injure the Movement we so much adore. There is no limit to the study of the Cause. The more we read the Writings, the more truths we can find in them and the more we will see that our previous notions were erroneous. [Written by the Guardian's secretary on his behalf to an individual believer, on 25 August 1926]

“So, although individual insights can be enlightening and helpful, they can also be misleading. The friends must therefore learn to listen to the views of others without being overawed or allowing their faith to be shaken, and to express their own views without pressing them on their fellow Bahá'ís.”
(Extract from a letter of the Universal House of Justice, Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986, paragraph 35.13, p. 88)

8. "The Sacred Books are full of allusions to this new dispensation. In the Book of Iqan, Baha'u'llah gives the key-note and explains some of the outstanding passages hoping that the friends will continue to study the Sacred Books by themselves and unfold the mysteries found therein."
(From a letter dated 11 March 1923 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation on Deepening, page 28)

9. "Shoghi Effendi hopes that you will exert all your efforts first in deepening your own knowledge of the teachings and then strive to attract other people. You should form study classes and read the important books that have been published, especially the Iqan which contains the basic tenets of the Faith. The one who ponders over that book and grasps its full significance will obtain a clear insight into the old scriptures and appreciate the true mission of the Bab and Baha'u'llah."
The Guardian's secretary on his behalf, in a letter to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of St. Louis, Missouri, Compilation on Deepening.

And these quotations will be discussed at the next session, as they address questions raised at the last session:

Blessed those who have distinguished both the outward and the inward meaning: these, verily, are servants who have believed in the All-Embracing Word.
Know, then, that whosoever adhereth to the outward meaning while oblivious of the inward meaning is of the ignorant; that whosoever adhereth to the inward meaning while oblivious of the outward meaning is of the heedless; and that whosoever understandeth the inward meaning in the light of the outward meaning is of the truly learned.
(Baha'u'llah, provisional translation, quoted in Paul Mantle, “Revelation,& Social Reality,” , p. 39)

"Surely the ideal way of teaching is to prove our points by constant reference to the actual words of Bahá'u'lláh and the Master. This will save the Cause from being misinterpreted by individuals. It is what these divine Lights say that is truth and therefore they should be the authorities of our statements. This, however, does not mean that our freedom of expression is limited. We can always find new ways of approach to that truth or explain how they influence our life and condition. The more deep our studies the more we can understand the significance of the teachings. In the Cause we cannot divorce the letter from the spirit of the words. As Bahá'u'lláh says we should take the outward significance and superimpose upon it the inner. Either without the other is wrong and defective."
(From a letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi dated 16 February 1932; from the Compilation on Deepening)
The question is that whereas in past Scriptures Isaac is said to have been the sacrifice; in the Qur'an this station is given to Ishmael. This is, undoubtedly, true. All, however, must fix their gaze upon the word which hath dawned from the Divine Horizon: it is incumbent upon every soul to ponder upon its sovereignty, influence, might, and on its all- encompassing nature. There hath never been any doubt whatsoever that all these things are confirmed and corroborated only by the Word of God. It is the Word of God that transcendeth all things, creates the universe, educateth the people, guideth them who are sore athirst from separation unto the ocean of reunion, and penetrateth through the darkness of ignorance with the light of understanding. Consider: all those who believe in past Scriptures think of Isaac as the Sacrifice; likewise, the people of the Qur'an confirm this station for Ishmael. It is clear and evident to every possessor of insight and every religious person that no one was outwardly sacrificed; all agree that an animal was sacrificed. So, ponder upon this: Why is it that a person who hath gone to the altar of sacrifice for the Beloved and yet hath come back [alive], is adorned with the raiment of 'Sacrifice of God' and accepted as such? There is no doubt that this is so because of the Word of God. Therefore, the criterion for the manifestation of all names and for confirmation and fulfillment of all stations is dependent upon the Word of God. Likewise, there is no doubt, that the Inaccessible, Unknowable [God] doth not talk, as He is, and hath always been, sanctified from such conditions; rather, He speaketh through the tongue of His Manifestations. Thus the Torah issued from the tongue of Moses. The same is true of other Holy Scriptures: all were revealed by the tongues of Prophets and Messengers but, the real Speaker in all these Holy Books is the One true God.... It is now, therefore, established and confirmed that the station of 'Sacrifice of God' was, according to past Books, given to Isaac by Abraham and that very same station is, according to Divine Revelation, Ishmael's in the Qur'anic Dispensation.
(Baha'u'llah, provisional translation, quoted in Paul Lample “Revelation and Social Reality” pp. 19-20)