# A Brief Account of the Baha'i Movement

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Ethel J. Rosenberg, A Brief Account of the Baha'i Movement, Hampstead, London: The Priory Press, 1911, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> A Brief Account of
> The Bahai Movement
> 
> BY ETHEL J. ROSENBERG
> 
> Published by
> THE PRIORY PRESS, HAMPSTEAD
> 
> AND
> 
> J. M. WATKINS, 21, CECIL COURT
> ST. MARTIN’S LANE, W.C.
> 
> For The Bahai Society of London
> 
> 1911
> 
> Price One Penny
> 
> A Brief Account of the Bahai Movement.
> 
> BY
> 
> ETHEL J. ROSENBERG.
> 
> Watchman, what of the night? . . .
> The morning cometh.
> MANY believe that we, in this century, are witnessing the dawn of a new
> spiritual epoch or era.
> A renewal of the Spirit is making itself felt in the Churches and in the
> religious and social life of all lands. This is in harmony with the teachings of
> the Bahais, and of their Great Leaders, now represented by Abdul Baha the
> ‘Servant of God,’ known to the outside world as Abbas Effendi. Once again,
> the Light is shining forth from that land which may indeed be called the
> 
> [page 4]
> 
> Holy Land: for have not its valleys and hills been trodden from the beginning
> by the feet of those great Messengers inspired of God — Abraham, Elijah,
> and last and greatest, Jesus of Nazareth? Is it strange that once more in this
> century of ours, in this ‘the cradle of the race,’ those that were sitting “in
> darkness have seen a Great Light,” the light of the Sun of Righteousness that
> rises with healing in his wings?
> This great teacher, Abdul Baha — by birth a Persian — was, until 1908,
> for forty years a prisoner, confined by the order of the Turkish Government
> within the walls of Akka (or Acre, to use the name more familiar to the
> West) on account of his religious teachings, which were considered
> subversive of, and antagonistic to the faith of Islam.
> In order to make these statements intelligible to those who have not
> before heard of this great religious movement which is flooding the East with
> new light and life, it will be necessary to give a slight sketch of its history.
> In 1819 A.D., in the city of Shiraz, in Persia, a child was born named
> Mirza Ali Mohammad. His Father a wool merchant died while the child was
> yet an infant; he was brought up by his maternal uncle, and given the
> ordinary education of a Persian youth in his position. From
> 
> [page 5]
> 
> childhood Ali Mohammad was renowned for his piety and virtue, his
> courteous manner, and the beauty of his person.
> When this young man attained the age of twenty-four, he announced to
> some of the principal men of learning and virtue of his country that he was
> the bearer of a message from God, and from that time assumed the title of
> “Bab,” or door, by which name he became generally known. He is now
> universally referred to as “the Bab.”
> He became the forerunner and founder of a great religious movement,
> which is destined to quicken the Western world, as it is now quickening the
> East, and to bring the two into unity and harmony.
> From the hour of this announcement he obtained a hearing, and in a short
> while gained a very large following, both among the cultivated and learned
> of his countrymen, and among the common people.
> The rapid spread of his teachings began seriously to alarm the more
> fanatical of the Persian Mohammedan teachers or Mullahs. Through their
> intrigues and at their instigation he was at last seized and thrown into prison,
> and finally shot at Tabriz, in July, 1850 A.D., six years after he had declared
> his mission.
> The Mullahs were determined, if possible, to
> 
> [page 6]
> 
> stamp out and destroy what they considered to be a dangerous heresy; they
> therefore imprisoned and executed all of the leading Babis, as they were
> called, upon whom they could lay hands.
> The Bab’s doctrines were simple. He came, he said, not to uproot and
> destroy but to urge a more whole-hearted keeping of the grand teachings of
> his race. He declared that the Koran was not final. He taught a pure faith in
> the One God, inculcated a high morality, and asserted that women were the
> equals of men, and had a right to education. He appointed eighteen chief
> followers or disciples, one of whom was a woman, the far-famed and
> beautiful Kurru-t’ul-Ayn (i.e. Consolation of the Eyes) a poetess, leader, and
> teacher, to whom he gave the title of Tahereh, or the Pure One, and who
> finally suffered martyrdom about two years after the Bab’s death.
> He called these disciples “Letters of the Living,” he himself forming the
> nineteenth of this hierachy. Throughout the writings of the Bab the number
> nineteen is considered especially sacred, for reasons too long to detail here.1
> The greater part of the teachings and writings of the Bab referred to a
> Coming Great One, “He whom God would manifest,” who would reveal the
> light of Truth in its full splendour, and would declare himself after nineteen
> years.1
> 
> [Page 7]
> 
> Readers are referred to the Beyan.
> The Bab constantly exhorted his followers not to reject this Great One
> when he appeared, as has been the custom of former religions and peoples
> upon the advent of a new prophet.
> Two years after the Bab’s death, in 1852 A.D., a young fanatical Babi
> whose mind had become somewhat unbalanced through grief — owing to his
> master, a Babi, having been martyred for his faith — fired at the Shah with a
> fowling-piece. He was seized, and instantly put to death. This unfortunate act
> gave the Mullahs a pretext for their reiterated statements that the Bab’s
> teachings were not religious, but political, and dangerous to the Government.
> All the leading Babis were seized and imprisoned, and many of them put to
> death. Then commenced that terrible outburst of persecution, torture, and
> martyrdom, for which there is scarcely to be found a parallel in history. The
> number of these martyrs is variously estimated at from thirty to fifty
> thousand souls — men, women, and children.
> Among the Babis imprisoned at this time was a young and wealthy
> Persian nobleman, who was considered by the Government to be a prominent
> leader of the movement. On account of his benevolence he was called, in
> Teheran, the “Father of the Poor.” Afterwards he became universally known
> as Baha’u’llah (i.e. “The Glory of God”). Baha’u’llah was con-
> 
> [page 8]
> 
> fined in a dungeon with a heavy chain about his neck, attached thus to five
> other Babis, for a period of four months.
> The Government, however, being quite unable to substantiate any charge
> against him, released him, and having confiscated his property, banished him
> with his family and a few followers to Baghdad, beyond the borders of Persia
> and under the jurisdiction of the Sultan. In that neighbourhood he resided for
> about eleven years. It was during this period that he withdrew for two years
> to the solitude of the mountains: even his friends did not know the place of
> his retreat. It was then that the greatness of his message began to be realized
> by the distraught people, and when he returned to them, they gathered around
> him as a leader. Men of culture and learning came great distances to consult
> with him, until the Mullahs, again becoming alarmed at the amazing spread
> of this faith, persuaded the Persian Government through their intrigues and
> misrepresentations to demand of the Sultan that Baha’u’llah should be
> summoned to Constantinople. He was therefore obliged to set out for that
> city with his family and immediate followers in April, 1863 A.D.
> Before the journey Baha’u’llah encamped for twelve days in the garden
> of Najil Pasha, at a short distance from Baghdad, and there revealed
> 
> [page 9]
> 
> to his eldest son Abdul Baha and a few chosen friends that he was the
> promised ‘Manifestation,’ the “Coming One” of whom the Bab had spoken.
> He made this declaration nineteen years after the Bab had declared his
> mission.
> After some months’ residence in Constantinople, the Ottoman
> Government banished Baha’u’llah and his companions to Adrianople — this
> city being selected chiefly on account of its greater remoteness from Persia.
> There they lived for three or four years — the faith constantly spreading —
> until in 1868 A.D. they were once more exiled, this time to Akka. The
> immediate cause of their removal was a disturbance which had been created
> by Subh-i-Ezel, a half-brother to Baha’u’llah, who endeavoured to claim the
> leadership of the faith, and to displace Baha’u’llah.
> Akka was selected because, being the chief fortress and military station
> in the north of Palestine, it was the place to which political suspects and
> criminals of the worst type were sent. It was extremely unhealthy, and it was
> probably thought by the authorities that these poor exiles, about seventy in
> number, would not long survive their imprisonment within its walls.
> For two years after their arrival they were confined in two rooms in the
> barracks, and many fell ill of typhoid and dysentery, but through the
> 
> [page 10]
> 
> devoted nursing of Abdul Baha and a few helpers all but six recovered. The
> charge to the Governor stated that they were murderers, Nihilists, and
> thieves, and that they must be allowed no liberty or concessions of any sort.
> After incredible hardships, and the death of a young son caused by a fall
> from the roof of the prison-building where he had gone to meditate,
> Bahá’u’llah, with his family, was at last permitted to take a house in the
> town. Here he was confined in one room for seven years; but through the
> nobility of their lives and characters, the prisoners won the increasing respect
> and sympathy of the successive Governors of Akka, and were gradually
> allowed to become prisoners on parole, and given permission to reside
> anywhere within a radius of about eighteen miles. After this Baha’u’llah
> lived for the greater part of the time in a house at a short distance from Akka
> called Bah-je, also he frequently stayed in Haifa and on Mount Carmel, close
> to the renowned Cave of Elijah.
> On May 28, 1892 A.D., at the age of seventy-five years, he departed this
> life, in full possession of his faculties and powers. Before his death he told
> his followers, both by word and in writing, that after his departure they must
> “turn their faces” towards his eldest son Abdul Baha, the “Greatest Branch”
> who was one with himself.
> 
> [page 11]
> 
> At the end of January, 1901, it was my great privilege to visit Abdul
> Baha Abbas, who was then living in Haifa,2 and superintending the
> construction of a building upon Mount Carmel commonly spoken of as the
> “Tomb of the Bab,” which is also probably destined to be the resting-place of
> the body of Baha’u’llah, as well as, eventually, that of Abdul Baha. It will
> also be a House of Praise and meeting place for the Friends from all parts of
> the world.
> One of the distinct features of this movement is the acceptance of the
> great world Teachers or Prophets as ‘Manifestations’ of the one Divine
> Light, the one Holy Spirit of God. They are therefore, one in essence, though
> their teachings may differ in detail owing to the various conditions and needs
> of the peoples and nations to whom they are sent. All through the ages these
> Leaders have appeared, in the great Cycles of the world’s sorrow and
> difficulty. There have been such in the past, there will be such in the future.
> Of this order was the Bab, who, as we have seen, before his martyrdom
> prophesied that another and a Greater would come, “He whom
> 
> [page 12]
> 
> God would Manifest.” This prophecy was fulfilled in the person of
> Baha’u’llah (the Splendour of God) after whom his followers were named
> Bahais. The word Baha (the Divine Glory) is the word used in chapter LX.
> 
> Some three months after my visit, Abdul-Baha was again confined within the walls
> of Akka, by order of the Ottoman Government, and remained there for another
> seven years, till the year 1908 saw liberty given to all religious prisoners under
> Turkish rule.
> verses 1 and 19 and chapter XL. verse 5 of Isaiah, which is translated in the
> English Bible, the Glory of the Lord.3
> Baha’u’llah, before he departed this life, declared, in his turn, that the
> work would be developed and carried on by his eldest son, Abdul Baha,
> whose name means ‘the Servant of God.’ To the outside world he has been
> generally known as Abbas Effendi. Abdul Baha, who until September 1908
> was retained a prisoner under the Turkish Government at Akka, thus
> completes this marvellous triad of Prophets.
> In order to realize the position occupied in this teaching by the Prophet, it
> is necessary to distinguish him from a philosopher or other great type of
> teacher. He is essentially one who arises in a crisis of the world’s history to
> inaugurate a new cycle of truth, and to declare a Revelation. He is charged
> with a special message to the age. The Bahais believe a prophet to be a
> perfect vehicle for the manifestation of the Light of the
> 
> [page 13]
> 
> Holy Spirit, that ‘Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’
> Types of the greatest of these world prophets are Moses, Buddha, and
> Jesus the Christ. It has been shown us again and again that what is most
> striking in the teachings of these great ones is not so much that they
> announced new ideas; but that they, in themselves, gathered up into one clear
> whole the various rays of the Sun of Truth, which is ever illuminating the
> world; that just as a lens, or burning glass, gathers together the rays of
> sunlight into one powerful beam, so they become a focus, an effulgent Centre
> for the scattered light of truth. For truth itself is ever one and the same
> essence of Reality: though partially and differently apprehended, according
> to the various capacities and developments of human beings. The prophets
> declare again the source of the One Religion — under their influence a
> Renewal takes place. This teaching is founded on that underlying fact of all
> existence, the Unity of God. It is a pure and ardent Universalism,
> concentering all faiths on what is known in the West as the doctrine of the
> Logos. The same Power that anointed Jesus of Nazareth, anointed in their
> degree and for their age and work, all the prophets who have spoken the
> Word of the Lord.
> The Bahais point to four signs by which the
> 
> According to the Bahai teaching this Divine Glory is as a Light in every one,
> which glory must be made to shine — This is the same as the teaching of Christ.
> [page 14]
> 
> Great Prophets may be known. In the first place they come in the time of the
> world’s great need — often in direct fulfilment of prophecy; secondly they
> are known by their pure and stainless lives, absolutely devoted to the service
> of humanity; thirdly, in their mouth God has put his Living Word, a word of
> such power that its quality is felt at once and arrests the attention of the most
> careless — it is the utterance of the thought of God. Fourthly the Prophet is
> known by his power — a power to so transform the minds and souls of those
> who seek his help, that it is acknowledged without recourse to proof by
> miracles.
> The age in which a Prophet lives on earth is an age of enormous change
> and progress. His appearance affects all the regions of phenomenal being.
> Abdul Baha compares the coming of the Great Prophets into the world (their
> ‘Day’ as it is called in the Old Testament) to the rising and setting of the sun.
> Just as the rising of the sun chases away darkness and floods the earth
> with light, so does the rising of the heavenly sun of the prophet above the
> horizon of humanity flood the world with light. As long as His teachings in
> their purity shine upon mankind, the world is illuminated; but as through the
> lapse of time they become forgotten, misunderstood, and obscured,
> 
> [page 15]
> 
> the night once more returns, until at its darkest period we may again expect
> the coming of the dawn, and once more the sun of truth arises in a special
> manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
> Abdul Baha teaches that the object of the renewed revelation of truth is
> that we may attain the truer knowledge of God that the world is ever seeking,
> and acquire those virtues which enable us to live a life of complete harmony
> and brotherhood with the whole human race. Baha’u’llah wrote : “The
> religion of God ... was revealed from the heaven of the will of the King of
> Eternity, only for the furtherance of unity and harmony among the people of
> the world. Do not make of it the cause of contest and discord. Religion and
> the Divine Laws are the greatest cause and means of the appearance and
> effulgence of the glorious orb of unity, as well as of the development of the
> world, the training of nations, the tranquility of the people, and the peace of
> all countries.”
> When Baha’u’llah was asked what was his particular mission to the
> world, and the necessity for his appearance, he replied, that he had not come
> to teach the nations a new ethic, for through their prophets and teachers they
> already knew the difference between right and wrong; but that his mission
> was to unite all the faiths and peoples of the world into one.
> 
> [page 16]
> 
> “These ruinous wars, these fruitless strifes must cease: and the Most
> Great Peace shall come! Let not a man so glory in this, that he loves his
> country: but let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind!”
> If only a means could be found to break down the barriers of race, of
> creed, of prejudice, what a boon it would be to the world! Bahais declare that
> in this revelation all the expectations of various faiths are fulfilled, and that
> the way is open to a great mutual recognition that we are, indeed, all children
> of the Supreme, and that the world is entering upon an inheritance that has
> been foretold by the prophets since the beginning of time. A world-
> consciousness is arising, that will cause all the nations to think and to act like
> one man.
> Many will say Christianity teaches the brotherhood of all mankind, and
> love and compassion in the highest degree. But, are these great teachings
> being realized to-day? A practical bond of union is needed between East and
> West, some common meeting ground for the Christian, the Mohammedan,
> the Buddhist, etc.: which will create the sense of ‘brotherhood’ and make of
> it a realised experience. To sit at Abdul Baha’s table, in his simple home,
> with Christians, Mohammedans, Jews, and those of other faiths, all of them
> breathing forth the spirit
> 
> [page 17]
> 
> of living brotherhood, is a privilege not readily forgotten.4 To quote the
> words of Abdul Baha: — “The Manifestation of Divinity and the dawning of
> the Light of the Invisible is for the education of souls ... so that the earthly
> may become God-like, the darkened minds illumined, and the uninstructed
> familiar with the mystery of the Kingdom: .. that the barbarian may give up
> 
> It was my privilege to remain as a guest in the household of Abdul Baha, from
> April 21, 1904, until December 24, 1904. During these eight months I received full
> and invaluable teachings from him: - E.J.R.
> his ferocity, the cruel become forbearing, and that pitiless savages may come
> to live in peace. If these divine graces do not appear among men the bounty
> of the Divine Manifestation is fruitless, and the splendour of the Sun of Truth
> without effect.”
> In the book of Akdas and other works, special social teachings were
> given by Baha’u’llah to his people. It is commanded by him that every
> follower, no matter in what condition of life he may be born, should practice
> some trade, art or profession; that he should engage in some employment or
> occupation beneficial to society as well as to himself. Begging or mendicity
> is strictly forbidden, but it is directed that the community must provide work
> for all who need it.
> It takes but little reflection to see what a revo-
> 
> [page 18]
> 
> lution it would cause in present conditions if this command were followed,
> and how many present-day difficulties would be solved by these simple
> regulations. It is also commanded that the best education possible to be
> obtained shall be given to every child, male and female; for in the words of
> Baha’u’llah, “All knowledge is of God, therefore it is incumbent on you to
> know.” Again he says “He who takes a child to educate, be it his own son, or
> the son of another, it is as though he educated the Son of God.” How entirely
> the condition of the East will be changed by this injunction as to universal
> education, which will be one means for bringing into effect the Bab’s
> teaching of the perfect equality between men and women.
> Among the followers of Baha’u’llah there is to be no separate priesthood
> or ministry, regarded as a class apart from the general body of the believers:
> for Baha’u’llah teaches that most of the errors in former faiths have crept in
> through the teachings of the priests, who were considered to possess secret
> authoritative knowledge, not shared by the generality of people. Bahais build
> Houses of Praise, but all ceremonial rites and forms of worship have been
> abrogated, save that of prayer, which being the very heart and essence of
> spiritual religion has been made obligatory upon all believers. Nevertheless
> Abdul
> 
> [page 19]
> 
> Baha has said that “every symbol is good that is uniting the heart to God.”
> It is forbidden that men and women should live the lives of hermits, or in
> secluded brotherhoods, as by so doing they are prevented from their social
> duties to the rest of humanity, and from self-development. Marriage when
> possible, is enjoined upon all, as being the highest estate for man — in
> contradistinction to other faiths which have taught that the celibate state was
> the highest.
> War or strife of any kind is absolutely prohibited. This is insisted upon
> again and again, and repeated in varying forms as being the very foundation
> of brotherhood. Abdul Baha says: “One of the most severe of the world’s
> diseases is that of contention and strife, the fire of which is burning among
> all nations. This cannot be removed except through the Word of God. This
> intense fire can only be quenched by heavenly water.” Non-resistance to
> violence is enjoined upon all Bahais, but they must regard it as a duty to
> protect the weak and helpless — in the words of Baha’u’llah — “If ye be
> slain for God’s good pleasure, verily it is better for you than that ye should
> slay.”
> It is directed that all minor regulations of the faith, the administration of
> charitable funds, the provision of education for orphan children, and
> 
> [page 20]
> 
> such matters, are to be in the hands of elected bodies or councils called
> “Houses of Justice,” which are to consist of not less than nine members, men
> distinguished for their learning and upright life, chosen by the general body
> of believers.
> Such teachings as these enlighten not only Eastern countries, but also the
> nations of the West. Truth is universal. Abdul Baha says that truth cannot be
> partial. Just as it is impossible for the sun to illuminate one country, and
> leave the neighbouring one in darkness, so it is impossible for the Sun of
> Truth to arise for some nations and not for all.
> Abdul Baha further points out that owing to the developed means of
> communication, it is now for the first time possible in the history of the
> world for the light of the prophet and of his teachings to appeal at once to the
> whole earth; flashing as “lightning which appeareth from the East and
> shineth unto the West,” to use the prophetic words of the New Testament.
> Abdul Baha writes: “Love is the real magnet which attracts the hearts and
> souls of men, therefore the purpose of the Manifestations of God is to radiate
> the light of Love from their hearts. All the divine Prophets taught this truth ...
> We who are servants of the Threshold must exert our utmost power, devote
> our lives, and
> 
> [page 21]
> 
> offer them up if necessary, giving our time and all that we have to this cause,
> until this light be spread all over the world ... the essential thing is love ... All
> else save love is merely empty words.”
> Fuller particulars of the Literature and work of this movement may be
> had from the Hon. Secretary of the Bahai meetings, 10, Cheniston Gardens,
> Wright’s Lane, High St. Kensington, London.
> 
> The following quotations from the ‘Supreme Pen’ of Baha’u’llah, give an
> insight into the power of this teaching. The examples from Abdul Baha are
> from letters or Tablets sent by him to followers in all parts of the world, and
> from some of his published Discourses. The power of this teaching which is
> rather a widening of the basis of our faith than a ‘new religion,’ is seen by the
> enormous increase of its adherents year by year, without any organisation
> which can be called a proselytising body.
> 
> [page 22]
> 
> EXTRACTS FROM BOOKS AND WRITINGS
> OF BAHA’U’LLAH AND ABDUL BAHA
> 
> 1. “Religion is the greatest instrument for the order of the world and the
> tranquility of all existing things.”
> 
> 2. “Religion is the necessary connection which emanates from the reality
> of things; and as the Universal Manifestations of God are aware of the
> mysteries of beings, therefore they understand this essential connection, and
> by their knowledge establish the Law of God.”
> 
> 3. “In every country or government where any of this community reside,
> they must behave towards that government with faithfulness, trustfulness,
> and truthfulness. It is obligatory and incumbent on the people of the world in
> general to assist this most Great Cause — which has descended from the
> heaven of the Will of the King of Pre-existence — so that perchance the fire
> of animosity which is ablaze in the hearts of some of the nations may be
> quenched through the water of Divine Wisdom and Lordly commands and
> exhortations, and that the light of union and accord may irradiate and
> illuminate the regions of the world.”
> 
> 1. From the “Words of Paradise,” Baha’u’llah.
> 2. From “Some Answered Questions,” by Abdul Baha (publ. Kegan
> Paul).
> 3. From “The Glad Tidings,” Baha’u’llah.
> 
> [page 23]
> 
> 4. “The Ministers (or members) of the House of Justice must promote
> ‘The most Great Peace’ in order that the world may be freed from onerous
> expenditure. This matter is obligatory and indispensable, for warfare and
> conflict are the foundation of trouble and distress.”
> “All must adhere to the means which are conducive to love and unity.”
> 
> 5. “We exhort the members of the House of Justice and command them
> to guard and protect the servants,5 maid-servants, and children. They must
> under all circumstances have regard for the interests of the servants.5 Blessed
> is the prince who succours a captive, the rich one who favours the needy, the
> just man who assures the right of the wronged one from the oppressor, and
> the trustee who performs what he is commanded by the Pre-existent
> Commander.”
> 
> 6. “The light of man is justice, quench it not with the contrary winds of
> oppression and tyranny.”
> 
> 7. “Schools must first train the children in the principles of religion ... but
> this in such a measure that it may not injure the children by leading to
> fanaticism and bigotry.”
> 
> 4. From “The Tablet of the World,” Baha’u’llah.
> 5. The “Words of Paradise,” Baha’u’llah.
> 6. and 7. From the “Words of Paradise,” Baha’u’llah,
> 
> Servants of God, i.e., men and women generally.
> [page 24]
> 
> 8. “Knowledge is like unto wings for the being of man and is as a ladder
> for ascending. It is incumbent upon all to acquire knowledge of those
> sciences which may profit the people of the earth, but not of such sciences as
> begin and end merely in words. The possessors of sciences and arts have a
> great claim upon the people of the world.”
> 
> 9. “The kings — may God assist them — or the counsellors of the world,
> must consult together, and appoint one of the existing languages, or a new
> language, and instruct the children therein in all the schools of the world, and
> the same must be done in respect to writing6 also. In such case the earth will
> be as one.”
> 
> 10. “It is incumbent on every one of you to engage in some employment,
> such as arts, trades and the like. We have made this, your occupation,
> identical with the worship of God, the True One.”
> 
> 11. “Charity is beloved and acceptable before God, and is accounted the
> chief among all good deeds. Blessed is he who prefers his brother before
> himself.”
> 
> 8. from the” Tajalliyat.”
> 9. From “The Glad Tidings,” Baha’u’llah.
> 10. and 12. From the “Glad Tidings,”
> 11. From the “Words of Paradise,”
> 
> [page 25]
> 
> 12. “Oh people of Baha; Ye are day-springs of love, and dawning-places
> of the providence of God. Defile not the tongue with cursing or execrating
> any one, and guard your eyes against that which is not worthy. ... Be not the
> cause of sorrow, much less of sedition and strife. ... Ye are all leaves of one
> tree and drops of one sea.”
> 
> i.e., the characters employed must be similar for all languages.
> 13. “Oh friends, it is the wish of Abdul Baha that the Friends may
> establish general unity. ... We are all servants at one Threshold, waves of one
> sea, drops of one stream, and plants of one garden. ... The beloved of God
> must be friendly even with strangers. To organize assemblies is
> praiseworthy, but these must be established for certain objects. For example
> assemblies for teaching Truth, gatherings for diffusing the Fragrances of
> God, gatherings for the relief of orphans, for the protection of the poor, and
> for the spread of learning. In a word there must be gatherings for matters
> which concern the well-being of man, such as the organization of societies
> for commerce, for the development of arts and industries, and for the
> expansion of agriculture. I trust all the Friends from the East and the West
> will come to rest in the same assembly, adorn one gathering, and show forth
> all heavenly attributes in the world of humanity.”
> 
> 13. “From an epistle of Abdul Baha, addressed to Believers in Persia,
> July 4th, 1906.
> 
> [page 26]
> 
> COMMUNES AND PRAYERS
> 
> COMMUNE1
> 
> O my God! Give me Knowledge, Faith and Love.
> Adorn my head, O God, with the crown of Thy Providence:
> My heart with the light of knowing Thee:
> My tongue with the utterance of Thy Greatest Name:
> And mine ear with listening to Thy Holy Word:
> For Thou art the One whose Action was, is, and ever shall be glorified,
> and whose commands shall ever be obeyed.
> O God! Help me to be just. Lift me up from the ocean of superstitions
> and imaginations, and grant me a penetrating sight to see and realize from
> surrounding existence Thy Oneness and Thy Truth.
> 
> SUPPLICATION1
> O my God! Make Thy Beauty to be my food and let Thy Presence be my
> drink: Let my trust be in Thy Will, and my deeds according to Thy
> Command: Let my service be acceptable to Thee, and my action a praise to
> Thee: Let my help come only from Thee, and ordain my home to be Thy
> Mansion, boundless and holy.
> Thou art the Precious, the Ever-present, the Loving.
> 
> [page 27]
> 
> PRAYER OF REPENTANCE2
> 
> O Thou Almighty! I am a sinner, but Thou art the Forgiver. I am full of
> shortcomings, but Thou art the Compassionate. I am in the darkness of error,
> but Thou art the Light of Pardon.
> Therefore, O Thou Benevolent God, forgive Thou my sins, grant Thou
> Thy Gift, overlook my faults, bestow Thou a shelter, immerse me in the
> Fountain of Thy Patience and heal me of all sickness and disease.
> Purify and sanctify me, give me a portion from the outpouring of
> holiness, so that sorrow and sadness may vanish, joy and happiness may
> descend, despondency and hopelessness may be changed into cheerfulness
> and trustfulness, and let courage take the place of fear.
> Verily Thou art the Forgiver, the Compassionate, Thou art the Generous,
> the Beloved.
> 
> COMMUNE OF HEALING1
> (repeat nine times)
> 
> O my God! Thy Name is my healing: Thy Remembrance is my remedy:
> Thy Love is my companion: Thy Mercy is my need and my aid in the world
> and in the Day of Judgment. Verily, Thou art the Knower, the Wise.
> 
> [page 28]
> 
> PRAYER FOR UNITY1
> O my God! O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to
> them Thy Great Purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in
> Thy Law. Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to
> serve Thee. O God, leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the
> light of Knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy Love. Verily Thou art their
> Helper and their Lord.
> 
> SUPPLICATION1
> 
> Hold Thou my right arm, O God! and dwell continually with me. Guide
> me to the Fountain of Thy Knowledge, and encircle me with Thy Glory. Set
> thine Angels on my right hand, and open my eyes to Thy Splendour. Let
> mine ears hearken to Thy melodious Tone, and comfort me with Thy
> Presence. For Thou art the strength of my heart, and the trust of my Soul, and
> I desire no one beside Thee.
> 
> COMMUNE1
> 
> O my God; Thy Nearness is my hope, and to commune with Thee is my
> joy: Thy Love is my Comfort: Thy Name is my prayer: Thy Presence is my
> Peace: Thy Word is my healing: Thy Mercy is my light: And to serve before
> Thee is my utmost desire.
> 
> [page 29]
> 
> O my God! I ask Thee — by Thy Name, which strengthened those who
> learned of Thee to soar in the atmosphere of Thy Knowledge, and which
> brought the righteous to Thy Sanctuary — to reveal Thyself to me and to
> help me to look ever more to Thy Beauty.
> O my Lord! This is he who has severed himself from all save Thee,
> hoping to draw near unto Thee. O Thou, my Beloved! Give unto me Thy sign
> of assurance to guard me from the doubts of the wandering. Thou art my
> Helper, the Powerful, the Mighty.
> Written by Baha’u’llah. 2 Written by Abdul Baha.
> Printed by The Bahai Press, 47, Vicarage Road,
> East Sheen, London, S.W.
> 
> To those who wish to learn more of the Bahai Revelation the following
> books are to be recommended: —
> 
> The Hidden Words, Communes and Prayers
> by Baha’u’llah.                                        6d.
> The Seven Valleys. A mystical treatise
> by Baha’u’llah.                                        1s.
> The Tablet of Ishrakat
> by Baha’u’llah.                                        1s.
> The Tarazat
> by Baha’u’llah.                                        2s.
> Some Answered Questions
> by Abdul Baha. KEGAN PAUL                              4s.
> The Story of the Bahai Movement
> by Sydney Sprague. PRIORY PRESS.                       1d.
> An Address on the Bahai Movement
> by Tamadun-ul-Molk. PRIORY PRESS.                      1d.
> In Galilee
> by Thornton Chase.                                     1s.
> A year with the Bahais in India and Burma
> by Sydney Sprague. PRIORY PRESS.                       1s
> The Splendour of God
> by Eric Hammond. MURRAY.                               2s.
> The Life of Abbas Effendi
> by M. H. Phelps. PUTNAM.                               6s.
> God’s Heroes
> by Laura Clifford Barney. KEGAN PAUL.                  12s. 6d.
> The Bahai Revelation
> by Thornton Chase.                                     2s.
> Ten Days in the Light of Acca
> by Julia M. Grundy.                                    1s.
> 
> The above books may all be obtained through the Publishers of this
> pamphlet.
>
> — *A Brief Account of the Baha'i Movement (Used by permission of the curator)*