# Letters to Various Individuals

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Abu'l-Qásim Faizí, Letters to Various Individuals, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Letters to Various Individuals
> 
> Abu'l-Qásim Faizí
> 
> Shirley Macias, compiler
> published in Conqueror of Hearts
> 
> 1965-1977
> 
> Conqueror of Hearts table of contents
> 
> Excerpts From Mr. Faizí's Letters to Various
> Individuals
> 
> When I [Shirley Macias] started this project, I put an advertisement into The American
> Bahá'í, and also a notice on the Internet requesting copies
> of letters or tapes from Hand of the Cause of God Abu'l-Qásim
> Faizí for use in this compilation. Several dear Bahá'ís
> responded with copies of their letters, which I share here:
> 
> 1.
> From Evelyn M. Marks, Darien, Illinois: She writes:
> "Thought you would like a copy of my questions and Mr. Faizí's answers."
> (She was on pilgrimage and Mr. Hugh Chance told her that she could send some
> questions to Mr. Faizí.)
> 
> February 21, 1970
> 
> Dearly loved sister. I have just returned from my long tours in the Pacific
> and have five weeks more to get ready for another tour in Africa and Europe.
> Piles of letters were on my desk. One was yours. I am sorry that I wasn't
> here so that I could discuss all the questions with you. I am sending you back
> your questions along with my very brief answer. They are brief, but
> sufficient. I hope that this will find you in the best of health and that you
> enjoyed your pilgrimage and get the rewards of such a great privilege in
> serving the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. Yours ever in His servitude.
> Faizí.
> 
> Here are her questions and Mr. Faizí's answers:
> 
> Q. Is the one thousand years before the appearance of a new Prophet from 1844,
> 1853 or 1863?
> 
> A. Our calendar starts from 1844.
> 
> Q. How can "forces of heaven and earth be leagued against you" (Tablet of
> Ahmad). Why heaven?
> 
> A. Heaven (refer to the Kitáb-i-Íqán) means religions'
> powers.
> 
> Q. Why reward one hundred martyrs for reciting the Tablet of Ahmad?
> 
> A. The aim of prayer is to surrender one's will to the Will of God, and if one
> is able to do so, that one will have the reward of one hundred martyrs.
> 
> Q. Why did Bahá'u'lláh say, "My tongue reciteth what no ear can
> bear to hear!" (People were with Him in the prison.)
> 
> A. When you went to the prison cell in the Citadel of `Akká, did you
> hear that He was all alone by Himself there?
> 
> Q. From page 27 of Citadel of Faith: All holy and divine Manifestations
> from Abraham until the Seal of the Prophets have lived, migrated to, or
> traveled through that country (Palestine). Buddha, Zoroaster and Krishna
> too?
> 
> A. Line of Prophets descending from Abraham. There are many other lines of
> Prophets. Here it refers to the line of Prophets with whom we are familiar and
> who descended from Abraham.
> 
> Q. Why so many references to wine ("unseal the choice wine") when we cannot
> drink?
> 
> A. Figurative way of speech is an art in literature. As wine gives
> intoxication, so do the words of God. Our spiritual experiences should be
> expressed in the words which pertain to our physical experiences. There is no
> other way.
> 
> Q. Photographs may be taken of the stars. Is the House [of Justice]
> interested in photographs of the sky as of May 23, 1844 or April 21, 1863 in
> Baghdad?
> 
> A. If you have any, please send them to me. I am interested in collecting
> such materials for historical references.
> 
> Q. Can the Universal House of Justice do something special for Persia in 1971?
> It is the 2,500th anniversary of the Peacock Throne.
> 
> A. Write to the House. It is not the Peacock Throne. It will be the Persian
> Empire. The Peacock Throne is only about two centuries old.
> 
> Q. Can an escalator be installed in the stairwell at the Wilmette House of
> Worship? (I know that no elevator may be used.)
> 
> A. Ask the National Spiritual Assembly. Such innovations should be adopted by
> them after careful consultation.
> 
> Q. It is true that you are not allowed to eat after dinner, according to the
> Aqdas?
> 
> A. Absolutely wrong.
> 
> Q. Did Shoghi Effendi ever speak about Lourdes (France) or Theresa Neuman of
> Germany?
> 
> A. No! Why should he spend his time is such matters?
> 
> Q. Could someone be re-buried after a length of time if increased travel speed
> would make a new burial plot within the one hour limit? Then why a limit of
> one hour?
> 
> A. Yes.
> 
> Q. What happens if you die aboard a plane or boat in mid-ocean?
> 
> A. Ask the House.
> 
> Q. Is contributing to the Fund in someone's memory emulating masses?
> 
> A. You may contribute in memory of people. It is a praiseworthy deed. But
> the phrase, "emulating the masses" makes the question ambiguous.
> 
> Q. Do we believe in capital punishment?
> 
> A. What do you mean by that? It involves many things.
> 
> Q. Did Bahá'u'lláh say why we should fast if our energy is less
> in the afternoon and our work is service to God and we [therefore] do less
> efficient work?
> 
> A. We fast, pray, contribute to the funds, etc., because we love Him.
> 
> Q. If you miss the Noon Day Prayer, and you are very tired in the evening,
> should you recite the Long Obligatory Prayer?
> 
> A. The Long Prayer can be said at any time one desires.
> 
> Q. Who are the twenty-four elders who stand at the latter day? (Twelve for
> Christ, eighteen Letters of the Living for the Báb, and eighteen for
> Bahá'u'lláh)?
> 
> A. The twenty-four elders: Eighteen Letters of the Living, the Báb
> Himself, the Afnán who constructed the first Temple in Ishqabád,
> and four others to be found and announced.
> 
> 2.
> From Joy N. Schmidt, Fort Worth, Texas. In her letter
> to me dated March 17, 1994, Joy writes that her parents, Gordon and Nancy
> Dobbins received a letter from Mr. Faizí in the early 60s. She also
> relates that her father is a third generation Bahá'í who, with
> her mother, pioneered to Fort Worth in the mid-1950s in an effort to win the
> goals of the Ten Year Crusade. They arrived there in 1954 and in 1955 the
> first Assembly was formed. She was born that same year. She was serving on
> the same Fort Worth Assembly that was celebrating its 40th year.
> Her parents are now pioneering in Slovenia. Here is Mr. Faizí's letter
> to Gordon and Nancy Dobbins dated April 15, 1965, from Bahjí:
> 
> My very dear Bahá'í friends. Now it is more than two years that
> I have beautiful pictures of your two precious daughters with me and whenever I
> feel like praying, I go to the Shrines, very often with my album of children,
> and pray. Closing my eyes, with the sight of heart I encircle the world and go
> the friends' houses and even visualize the little darlings in their beds. Kiss
> their angelic faces and give them as much as my feeble and humble power allows
> me the fragrances of these Holy Spots.
> 
> Assure the dear little ones who must be now 14 and 10 of my loving and
> continued prayers. Tell them how much I love them and how eager I am to meet
> them in their own homeland. My hope is that they are now wonderful
> Bahá'í children, know the teachings very well and assist their
> parents in their pioneering and teaching services in that area.
> 
> Enclosed you will find some pressed flowers which have remained in the Shrines
> and especially prepared by me for my darling little ones. Please give them
> these souvenirs and hug and kiss them most tenderly on my behalf.
> 
> I wish you every happiness and success in the service of our wonderful Faith.
> The message of our beloved House of Justice will bring light to everybody's
> heart, strength to their hearts and encouragement to every devoted and
> steadfast pioneer. May every moment of your dear life and every ounce of your
> energy be spent in the propagation of Bahá'u'lláh's Cause which
> is the sole remedy for all the human ailments, is the sincere and ardent prayer
> of your humble brother. Faizí. P.S. The pressed flowers are for your
> dear darling children with my love and prayers.
> 
> 3.
> Cary Enoch Reinstein of Kirkland, Washington, kindly
> shared with me copies of his letters from Mr. Faizí. Mr. Reinstein is a
> very talented artist and photographer.
> 
> Bahá 15, 131 B.E. (March 1975) from Haifa
> 
> Dearly loved and always remembered friend. The days and even the moments we
> spent together in the precincts of the Shrines are very vividly remembered.
> Such memories give me joy and strength and take me to solitude where I raise my
> suppliant hands and pray for my dear ones who are suffering, are dispersed in
> the world and live the life of bitter tests and trials. The slides you showed
> still govern my feelings and I long for the approach of the day when I can
> visit you in your studio. It is my earnest hope that when such a blessed hour
> comes, I will find you solaced, strengthen and consoled. I pray that the
> divine confirmation pours on you to enable you to serve Him in many different
> ways. Rest assured, dearly loved and sorely tried brother, that all of us
> remember you with all our hearts and earnest wishes. Hoping this humble note
> will convey to you how much we love you. Humbly, Faizí.
> 
> Ridván 132 (April 1975), Haifa
> 
> Lack of time and being very late in arrival to Haifa have perhaps made of me
> an impolite and ungrateful friend. When after nine months traveling in the
> Western Hemisphere and then Europe, I was so fatigued and exhausted that I had
> to undergo many treatments. Now I am better and resume working. First of all,
> I would like to thank you again and again for the three very beautiful colored
> photographs of the Shrine. They are most wonderful and occupy the most
> prominent place in a very small room where I seclude myself. You are indeed an
> artist with your camera. The friends have asked me about an arrangement by
> which they can order a postcard size or other sizes according to their tastes.
> I should be must obliged if you would kindly write to me. Thousands of thanks
> for your noble thoughts and very generous gifts to your humble admirer.
> Faizí
> 
> May 22, 1975, Haifa.
> 
> Some time go after my return from my nine-month trip, I wrote you a letter and
> as yet have no reply. I am worried about your health, therefore I write again
> and request you to be so kind as to tell me about your dear self.
> 
> I have fixed the three beautiful colored pictures of the Shrine and the Garden
> of Ridván in a small room of my house. Many of the friends come and
> appreciate the uniqueness of such artistic reproduction. I pray that you are
> very busy and also consecrate much of your time in the service of our precious
> Cause.
> 
> At present I am busy preparing lessons for the summer schools of Europe. I
> hope and pray that I will prove worthy of this invitation. Wherever I go, be
> sure that you are always in my thoughts and prayers. Hoping that you will feel
> the warmth of my supplications, I am yours ever truly. Faizí
> 
> July 15, 1975, Copenhagen, Denmark.
> 
> In the last days of my sojourn in Haifa I had the joy of receiving your photo,
> beautiful letter and the great news. As I had been over and over again worried
> about you, the receipt of this much loved letter dispelled the clouds from my
> aching heart and I feel grateful and happy. As to the three very beautiful
> photos you sent me and my request to have some more, but not very large size, I
> would venture to request you to make for me fifty copies, colored and the size
> of the envelope which carries this letter. I will be extremely honored and
> happy to pay the amount, whatever you write me, to the Fund in Haifa for the
> construction of the Universal House of Justice's Seat on Mount Carmel. This, I
> hope will be approved by you and we can jointly make the hearts of many friends
> all around the world very happy. I send you the enclosed as the expression of
> my best wishes for your great event. I hope and pray that both of you will be
> very happy and, as we say in Persian, "will whiten beard and hair together."
> Hoping this note will convey to you the amount of joy and love that I feel and
> the assurance of prayers for both of you. I am and will remain yours, ever
> faithfully.
> 
> September 1, 1975, Brussels, Luxemburg, Summer School
> 
> Dearly loved friends: The good news reached me when I was in the midst of the
> summer schools in Europe. Now I am at the end of the seventh one and have two
> days of rest. Therefore I hasten to thank you for your beautiful card, unique
> in beauty. I pray that you will be happy and, as we say in Persian, will
> whiten beard and hair together. May the grace of Bahá'u'lláh
> make every minute of your life together a fountainhead of joy, service to the
> Cause and servitude to His friends. I remain, yours ever truly.
> Faizí.
> 
> October 9, 1975
> 
> It is always a joy to receive some news from you. You can't imagine how
> grateful and delighted I am that you are well settled and both of you enjoy to
> service the Cause which both of you love so dearly, support so courageously,
> and propagate with all your talent and vigor. Your letter brought me much joy.
> I am grateful that you left the door open for me to ask you to send me more
> photos. ...
> 
> March 28, 1977, Solomon Islands, Pacific.
> 
> My very precious friends. Your dear letter followed me in the East and in the
> islands of the Pacific and here reached me and made me very happy and grateful.
> The birth of Nabil was great news. I hope and pray that he will always be
> under the love, protection and the guidance of Bahá'u'lláh. He,
> I am sure, will be a great source of joy and hope to you and the friends. How
> I long to reach California, once in my world trips, and embrace Nabil as hard
> as he permits. The card is most beautiful. I like it very much and have shown
> it to many friends in all the islands I passed through. I will surely protect
> it among my art souvenirs in Haifa and pray you will produce such spiritual
> beauties which open the eyes, comfort the hearts and solace the eye. I wish
> you all the best in your career and your services to our precious Cause. This
> humble note will fly to you from the Pacific Ocean and will carry to you oceans
> of my love and waves of my supplications. Yours ever in His servitude.
> Faizí.
> 
> 4.
> Russell and Gina Garcia, who live in Keri Keri, New
> Zealand, shared with me a letter they received from Mr. Faizí from Haifa
> dated March 18, 1977, after they had written a musical script based on his
> booklet, The Wonder Lamp. They did this for the children in their
> Bahá'í community as part of their weekly children's classes.
> 
> My very precious friends. You are the twin stars of my aching heart. Whatever
> news I hear about your services, your achievements and your honors uplifts my
> downcast soul.
> 
> It was indeed a joy beyond measure to receive your joint letter. The contents
> made me very happy. Wherever you find one of my published writings, you have
> the right to do anything with it. I feel sure that you read in between the
> lines and add spiritual vigor and majesty to every paragraph. I am looking
> forward with eager eyes and expectant heart to behold the fruit of your
> artistic enterprise,
> 
> Have you seen the little book called Meditation on the Eve of November
> 4th? This also lends itself to something in the line of your artistic
> perfection. You are always in my heart, soul and prayers. I wish you every
> honor and success. Yours, ever humbly, Faizí.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views11940 views since posted 2007-07-05; last edit 2022-02-17 16:59 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../faizi_letters_various_individuals;
> URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
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> — *Letters to Various Individuals (Used by permission of the curator)*