Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Bahá'u'lláh, Give Me Thy Grace to Serve Thy Loved Ones, bahai-library.com.
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Give Me Thy Grace to Serve Thy Loved Ones

A Selection of Writings from
Bahá’u’lláh,
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
and Shoghi Effendi

prepared by the International Teaching Centre
for the Continental Counsellors and their Auxiliaries,
May 2018
Copyright © Bahá'í International Community

eBook version 1.0
2018
We cherish the hope that through the loving-kindness of the All-Wise, the
All-Knowing, obscuring dust may be dispelled and the power of perception
enhanced, that the people may discover the purpose for which they have
been called into being. In this Day whatsoever serveth to reduce blindness
and to increase vision is worthy of consideration. This vision acteth as the
agent and guide for true knowledge. Indeed in the estimation of men of
wisdom keenness of understanding is due to keenness of vision.
(Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Wilmette:
Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1988, 2005 printing), p. 35) [1]

***

Whatsoever driveth thee away from the one true God and shutteth thee
out from the Best- Beloved is blameworthy and reprehensible, whilst
everything that draweth thee nigh unto Him is acceptable and praiseworthy.
One must consider matters with the eye of discernment, shun whatsoever
may be the cause of remoteness from God, and awaken to all that is the
source of nearness and illumination.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [2]

Each soul must consider where the good-pleasure of God resideth and
what conduct, manners, and words will draw him nigh unto his Lord. He
should then strive with heart and soul, and endeavour to act accordingly.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [3]
When the light of faith is kindled in the lamp of the heart and soul, its
spreading rays illumine every limb of the body. When this resplendent light
shineth forth through the medium of the tongue, it is made manifest in the
powers of speech and utterance. When its beams fall upon the eyes, insight
and true vision are revealed, and when it stirreth the ear, it bestoweth
attentive hearing. When this light sheddeth its radiance upon the mind, it
leadeth to the recognition of the All-Merciful, and when it setteth aglow the
limbs, it findeth expression in purity and the worship of God. Otherwise, all
physical powers, all limbs and members would remain useless and futile
and their actions would fade like a mirage in the desert.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [4]

First and foremost, one should use every possible means to purge one’s
heart and motives, otherwise, engaging in any form of enterprise would be
futile. It is also essential to abstain from hypocrisy and blind imitation,
inasmuch as their foul odour is soon detected by every man of understanding
and wisdom. Moreover, the friends must observe the specific times for the
remembrance of God, meditation, devotion and prayer, as it is highly
unlikely, nay impossible, for any enterprise to prosper and develop when
deprived of divine bestowals and confirmation. One can hardly imagine
what a great influence genuine love, truthfulness and purity of motives exert
on the souls of men. But these traits cannot be acquired by any believer
unless he makes a daily effort to gain them...
(From a letter dated 19 December 1923 to the Bahá’ís of the East—
translated from the Persian, in Living the Life: Excerpts from the
Writings of Shoghi Effendi, Third Edition (New Delhi: Bahá’í Publishing
Trust, p. 2) [5]
The need is very great, everywhere in the world, in and outside the Faith,
for a true spiritual awareness to pervade and motivate people’s lives. No
amount of administrative procedure or adherence to rules can take the place
of this soul-characteristic, this spirituality which is the essence of Man.
(From a letter dated 25 April 1945 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to
an individual believer, in Living the Life, pp. 26–27) [6]

…we must reach a spiritual plane where God comes first and great human
passions are unable to turn us away from Him. All the time we see people
who either through the force of hate or the passionate attachment they have
to another person, sacrifice principle or bar themselves from the Path of
God….
We must love God, and in this state, a general love for all men becomes
possible. We cannot love each human being for himself, but our feeling
towards humanity should be motivated by our love for the Father Who
created all men.
(From a letter dated 4 October 1950 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi
to an individual believer, in Living the Life, pp. 41–42) [7]

***

Servitude to God lieth in servitude to the friends. One must be the
essence of humility and the embodiment of meekness. One must become
evanescence itself and be healed of every disease of the self, in order to
become worthy of thraldom to the Threshold of the Almighty.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [8]

Rest not, even for an instant, and seek not comfort, even for a moment;
rather labour with heart and soul that thou mayest render devoted service to
but one amongst the friends and bring happiness and joy to but one
luminous heart. This is true bounty, and by it the brow of ‘Abdu’l- Bahá is
illumined. Be thou my partner and associate therein.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [9]

To live to teach in the present day is like being martyred in those early
days. It is the spirit that moves us that counts, not the act through which that
spirit expresses itself; and that spirit is to serve the Cause of God with our
heart and soul.
(From a letter dated 3 August 1932 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi
to an individual believer, in Living the Life, p. 9) [10]

The advice that Shoghi Effendi gave you regarding the division of your
time between serving the Cause and attending to your other duties was also
given to many other friends both by Bahá’u’lláh and the Master. It is a
compromise between the two verses of the “Aqdas”, one making it
incumbent upon every Bahá’í to serve the promotion of the Faith and the
other that every soul should be occupied in some form of occupation that
will benefit society. In one of His Tablets Bahá’u’lláh says that the highest
form of detachment in this day is to be occupied with some profession and
be self-supporting. A good Bahá’í, therefore, is the one who so arranges his
life as to devote time both to his material needs and also to the service of the
Cause.
(From a letter dated 26 February 1933 written on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi to an individual believer, in Living the Life, p. 10) [11]

There is nothing that brings success in the Faith like service. Service is the
magnet which draws the divine confirmations. Thus, when a person is
active, they are blessed by the Holy Spirit. When they are inactive, the Holy
Spirit cannot find a repository in their being, and thus they are deprived of
its healing and quickening rays.
(From a letter dated 12 July 1952 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to
an individual believer, in Living the Life, p. 44) [12]

***

In this day, to serve the Cause of God is to engender love and
fellowship amongst His friends. Let us associate with one another with the
utmost selflessness and evanescence, with radiance of spirit, with
meekness, humility, and faithfulness. Let us strive to spread the divine
fragrances, for the receptiveness of the people in these days is exceedingly
great. Should there be a lapse, it would be due to our failings, the cause of
which is a lack of unity and concord.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [13]

In this day, any deed, however infinitesimal, when not performed for the
sake of God, is manifest loss; and any word, when not uttered for the sake
of God, can cause a conflagration.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [14]
The purpose of the appearance of the holy Manifestations hath ever been
the establishment of fellowship and love in the world of humanity. The
friends should therefore lay down their lives in this arena that they may
exhilarate the people of the world with the wine of love for one another and
may gladden the hearts of the whole human race. The more they strive for
harmony, the greater their progress; the more they exert effort to achieve
unity, the more they will witness the tokens of divine assistance.… Root out
the sources of dissension and raise up the foundations of harmony. Cling
tenaciously to the hem of the love of God and cleanse your hearts of any
trace of estrangement or conflict. Thus may the light of divine bestowal
shine resplendent, and ye become the recipients of the effulgent glory of the
Sun of Truth. Let each one of you become the servant of the other; let each
sacrifice himself for the sake of the other.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [15]

If we Bahá’ís cannot attain to cordial unity among ourselves, then we fail
to realize the main purpose for which the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and the Beloved
Master lived and suffered.
In order to achieve this cordial unity one of the first essentials insisted on
by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is that we resist the natural tendency to let
our attention dwell on the faults and failings of others rather than on our
own. Each of us is responsible for one life only, and that is our own. Each
of us is immeasurably far from being “perfect as our heavenly father is
perfect” and the task of perfecting our own life and character is one that
requires all our attention, our will-power and energy. If we allow our
attention and energy to be taken up in efforts to keep others right and
remedy their faults, we are wasting precious time. We are like ploughmen
each of whom has his team to manage and his plough to direct, and in order
to keep his furrow straight he must keep his eye on his goal and concentrate
on his own task. If he looks to this side and that to see how Tom and Harry
are getting on and to criticize their ploughing, then his own furrow will
assuredly become crooked.
On no subject are the Bahá’í teachings more emphatic than on the
necessity to abstain from faultfinding and backbiting while being ever eager
to discover and root out our own faults and overcome our own failings.
If we profess loyalty to Bahá’u’lláh, to our Beloved Master and our dear
Guardian, then we must show our love by obedience to these explicit
teachings. Deeds not words are what they demand, and no amount of fervour
in the use of expressions of loyalty and adulation will compensate for failure
to live in the spirit of the teachings.
(From a letter dated 12 May 1925 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to
an individual believer, in Living the Life, pp. 5–7) [16]

Indeed the believers have not yet fully learned to draw on each other’s love
for strength and consolation in time of need. The Cause of God is endowed
with tremendous powers, and the reason the believers do not gain more from
it is because they have not learned to fully draw on these mighty forces of
love and strength and harmony generated by the Faith.
(From a letter dated 8 May 1942 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to
an individual believer, in Living the Life, p. 19) [17]

These, indeed, are the days when heroism is needed on the part of the
believers. Self- sacrifice, courage, indomitable hope and confidence are the
characteristics they should show forth, because these very attributes cannot
but fix the attention of the public and lead them to enquire what, in a world
so hopelessly chaotic and bewildered, leads these people to be so assured, so
confident, so full of devotion? Increasingly, as time goes by, the
characteristics of the Bahá’ís will be that which captures the attention of
their fellow-citizens. They must show their aloofness from the hatreds and
recriminations which are tearing at the heart of humanity, and demonstrate
by deed and word their profound belief in the future peaceful unification of
the entire human race.
(From a letter dated 26 October 1941 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi
to an individual believer, in Living the Life, p. 17) [18]

Regarding the matter of ... and the inharmony that seems to exist among
certain of the friends ... when Bahá’ís permit the dark forces of the world to
enter into their own relationships within the Faith they gravely jeopardize
its progress;... All should be ready and willing to set aside every personal
sense of grievance—justified or unjustified—for the good of the Cause,
because the people will never embrace it until they see in its community life
mirrored what is so conspicuously lacking in the world: love and unity.
(From a letter dated 13 May 1945 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to
the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand, in Living
the Life, p. 27) [19]
***

O ye that are enamoured of the divine Beauty! O ye that are enraptured
by the true Beloved! In this day when the fierce gales of tests and trials
have encompassed the world, and fear and trembling have agitated the
planet, ye must appear above the horizon of unwavering constancy with
shining faces and radiant brows in such wise that the gloom of terror and
confusion may be entirely obliterated and the light of certitude may shine
resplendent in the luminous skies.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [20]

O ye friends of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá! The tumult of the nations and the clamour
of their peoples are certain and inevitable in the Day of the Manifestation of
the Most Great Name. The wisdom of this irrevocable decree is clear and
evident. For when the winds of tests blow, the frail trees are uprooted while
the blessed trees are made firm and immovable. Torrents of rain distress
and scatter the creeping things that walk upon the earth while the gardens
are filled with anemones and bring forth roses and sweet herbs, and the
nightingales warble their melodies, chanting a myriad songs at every
moment. This is a bounty unto the righteous and a calamity unto those who
are weak. Render thanks unto God that your feet are firm and your faces,
like pure gold, are aglow in the fire of tests. I beseech the one true God that
day by day ye may increase in firmness and steadfastness.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [21]

I supplicate God that day by day thou mayest become more steadfast, so
that like unto an impregnable stronghold thou mayest withstand the surging
of the ocean of tests and trials. The people of the world are like unto trees.
Those that are rootless are toppled by the slightest breeze, while those that
grow deep roots and become strong and firm are not shaken by violent
winds, and in time bring forth leaves and blossoms and fruit.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [22]
The consummate wisdom of God, however, is manifold and not every
soul is apprised of its mysteries. Indeed, His all-encompassing mercy and
His all-embracing wisdom entail certain exigencies that transcend the ken
of human mind. Sorrow not, then, if trials, tribulations and adversities wax
ever more severe, for the grace and bestowals of God are likewise
unceasing. How often doth man flee from one thing, fixing all his hopes
upon another, yet in the end it becometh apparent that the object of desire is
harmful and deleterious, whereas the thing despised is the source of
advantage and benefit!
Tread, therefore, the path of acquiescence and resignation. Let no
hardship sadden thy heart, nor set thy hope upon any worldly gifts. Be
happy and content with whatsoever God hath willed, that thy heart and soul
may find tranquillity and thine inner being and conscience may experience
true joy. Erelong shall this hardship and tribulation pass away and inner
peace and joy be attained.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [23]

O thou whose eyes are fixed upon the Abhá Kingdom! In this grievous
day, when dire adversities have shaken the pillars of the earth, and the tests
and trials sent by God have rocked the foundations of the world, remain
thou firm and staunch in His Cause through the power of the Kingdom and
the confirmations from on high. Be thou as steadfast as an immovable
mountain, an impregnable stronghold, a solid bulwark, and an impenetrable
barrier. Be not perturbed by the winds of tribulations or dismayed by
grievous calamities. The splendours of divine assistance are shed abroad
from the Kingdom of God, and the hosts of heavenly confirmation are
continually descending from the throne of the Most High. Rest thou
assured and be thou confident.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [24]

We should not, however, forget that an essential characteristic of this
world is hardship and tribulation and that it is by overcoming them that we
achieve our moral and spiritual development. As the Master says, sorrow is
like furrows, the deeper they go the more plentiful are the fruits we obtain.
(From a letter dated 5 November 1931 written on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi to an individual believer, in Living the Life, p. 7) [25]

You have complained of the unsatisfactory conditions prevailing in the
... Bahá’í Community; the Guardian is well aware of the situation of the
Cause there, but is confident that whatever the nature of the obstacles that
confront the Faith they will be eventually overcome. You should, under no
circumstances, feel discouraged, and allow such difficulties, even though
they may have resulted from the misconduct, or the lack of capacity and
vision of certain members of the Community, to make you waver in your
faith and basic loyalty to the Cause. Surely, the believers, no matter how
qualified they may be, whether as teachers or administrators, and however
high their intellectual and spiritual merits, should never be looked upon as a
standard whereby to evaluate and measure the divine authority and mission
of the Faith. It is to the Teachings themselves, and to the lives of the
Founders of the Cause that the believers should look for their guidance and
inspiration, and only by keeping strictly to such [a] true attitude can they
hope to establish their loyalty to Bahá’u’lláh upon an enduring and
unassailable basis. You should take heart, therefore, and with unrelaxing
vigilance and unremitting effort endeavour to play your full share in the
gradual unfoldment of this Divine World Order.
(From a letter dated 23 August 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi
to an individual believer, in Living the Life, pp. 15–16) [26]

Perhaps the greatest test Bahá’ís are ever subjected to is from each other;
but for the sake of the Master they should be ever ready to overlook each
other’s mistakes, apologize for harsh words they have uttered, forgive and
forget. He strongly recommends to you this course of action.
(From a letter dated 18 December 1945 written on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi to an individual believer, in Living the Life, pp. 28–29) [27]

Human frailties and peculiarities can be a great test. But the only way, or
perhaps I should say the first and best way, to remedy such situations, is to
oneself do what is right. One soul can be the cause of the spiritual
illumination of a continent.
(From a letter dated 30 September 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi to an individual believer, in Living the Life, p. 39) [28]

Often these trials and tests which all Bahá’í communities inevitably pass
through seem terrible, at the moment, but in retrospect we understand that
they were due to the frailty of human nature, to misunderstandings, and to
the growing pains which every Bahá’í community must experience.
(From a letter dated 25 November 1956 written on his behalf to an
individual believer, in Living the Life, p. 49) [29]

***
If thou desirest eternal life, inhale the heavenly fragrance; and if thou
seekest life everlasting, abide beneath the shelter of the Word of God.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [30]

In this day, true power and strength reside in the Supreme Elixir, which
transformeth darkened realities into illumined souls and changeth the
quintessence of ignorance into a sign of the All- Merciful. The Supreme
Elixir is none other than the Word of God, which hath shed divine
illumination upon the contingent world and wafted the fragrances of
holiness throughout the earth.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [31]

The Word of God may be likened to the life-giving breezes of the divine
springtime. When chanted in spiritual tones, it bestoweth the breath of life
and granteth true salvation. It bringeth forth a garden of roses from the pure
soil, and wafteth its musk-laden fragrance throughout the world.
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—translated from the Persian) [32]

If you read the utterances of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with
selflessness and care and concentrate upon them, you will discover truths
unknown to you before and will obtain an insight into the problems that
have baffled the great thinkers of the world.
(In the handwriting of Shoghi Effendi, appended to a letter dated 30
January 1925 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual
believer, in Living the Life, p. 4) [33]

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