# Talks in Africa 2001

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

---

> This is the transcript of talks given by Mr.
> Nakhjavani (member of The House of Justice) and his wife whilst in East
> London, South Africa,  in 2001.
> Click here for another talk
> in Africa
> Click here for a third transcript
> of another talk by Mr. Nakhjavani's to the South African Bahá'ís at the
> Anvari's, 31 August 2001 
> 
> 
> First talk
> We have been travelling for five weeks so far, and have
> visited Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. We have
> been immersed in a sea of singing and of music, and we are so happy and
> grateful to Bahá'u'lláh that this trip was possible. I was in South Africa
> 29 years ago, with Amatu'l-Baha Ruhhiyih Khanum. She left her home in Haifa
> in July 1969, and didn't get back until April 1973. She was travelling
> for three years and nine months, and during this time, she visited 60 countries,
> 34 of which were on the continent of Africa. South Africa was towards the
> end of the trip, and was very special. South Africa, and all of Africa,
> was a different place 29 years ago.
> 
> South Africa was very, very different. Meetings
> like this, with mixed races and colors present, were almost impossible.
> Ruhhiyih Khanum said that this country was the greatest test to her, because
> she was told since childhood about racial unity, amity between the different
> races and people, so coming here was a real shock to her. During the four
> weeks that she was in South West Africa, as it was called then, she would
> have daily prayers, to be free of any form of prejudice. She would say,
> Bahá'u'lláh didn't tell us to chose our prejudice, so we must feel a total
> lack of prejudice in life. So it was quite hard for her when she was refused
> permits to see the Bahá'ís in different areas, so today, she is rejoicing
> with us. I firmly believe that her spirit is in Africa. She loved this
> continent, the people, and she had the best years of her life after the
> passing of the Guardian here.
> 
> She believed strongly in the power of intercession,
> she was frank and practical, so she called on these souls on matter of
> fact things. For example, if the car would break down, she would say to
> me, do you know anyone up there who was a good mechanic? For meetings with
> Heads of State, she would invariably call on Martha Root, she would ask
> for help not to say the wrong thing. She seldom was concerned about saying
> the right thing, but she didn't want to say the wrong thing.
> 
> I got into the habit, from when I started travelling
> with Ruhhiyih Khanum, to write down the events of the day in my diary,
> every evening. As a result, I have 40 volumes of diaries at home. Ruhhiyih
> Khanum's idea was that the stories of the travels in Africa be put together
> into a book. This was not possible until two and a half years before her
> passing, because I was travelling till then, and didn't have time to write.
> I started writing the book two and a half years ago, and finished it two
> months before her passing. Every day, I would bring a portion of what I'd
> written and read it to her. It brought back all those happy memories, and
> sometimes, she would even feel like she was back in Africa. After reading,
> every day, she would reiterate her intention, that this book must be published,
> not for her, but for all the African friends. The flyer came out last week
> before we left Haifa, and it will be on sale in November. There is a whole
> chapter on South Africa, the places she went, the people she saw, it forms
> part of the archives of South Africa, the history of the Faith here. All
> the details are in the book, and you'll hopefully read it, so I won't go
> into that. But I wrote down a few important points about her trips, so
> I will tell you those.
> 
> Ruhiyyih Khanum was a wonderful and unique Bahá'í
> in many ways. She would say this about her mother, and it also applied
> to her. She would say that she didn't think anyone ever came across Mary
> Maxwell that didn't receive a potion of love, encouragement and assistance
> from her, sometimes in the form of loving works, sometimes in retribution.
> But the intention always was to help. Ruhiyyih Khanum poured out love and
> encouragement wherever she went.
> 
> She travelled through Ethiopia and Eritrea. In
> Asmara, there was a very small Bahá'í community, two or three pioneers,
> and a few white people there who became Bahá'ís. There was such a spirit
> of love and harmony, in the five days she was there, it was almost as if
> confirmation and the help of the concourse was physically coming to her,
> she gave her most brilliant talks there. In every meeting, one could see
> the love of the Bahá'ís for each other. After the meetings, she would ask,
> what happened? How did I say what I did? She came to the result that it
> was because of the love and unity of the friends. It affected her, and
> because of that, she could give her best out.
> 
> Later, in another community, the reverse happened.
> It was another small community, with two pioneer families, and a few local
> Bahá'ís. For some reason, which we never found out, the two families didn't
> like each other. There was no love or effort between them. There was always
> backbiting, and tension. We were there for three days, when Ruhiyyih Khanum
> came down with a high fever and went to bed. There was nothing wrong with
> her, no flu or anything like that, just sick with a fever. She was convinced
> it was as a result of the inharmony around her. She would often mention
> this as an example, that inharmony is a disease, not only of the mind,
> but of the body as well, it also affects health, and this is so true.
> 
> The banquet last night reminded me of an example
> of Khanum, and how she would introduce the Faith to others. When she would
> want to give the message to people, she would say that the Faith is like
> a banquet table, with all sorts of food, drinks, and desserts. We should
> tell the guests, help yourselves, take what you want from the table. We
> Bahá'ís have bought the whole menu, now you choose what you like. It occurred
> to me how possessive the Bahá'ís can be. For example, we hear about an
> international conference on the equality of the sexes, and we say, they
> have stolen our teachings, instead of saying, wonderful, the message of
> Bahá'u'lláh is permeating the world!
> 
> Khanum was very self possessed, she would stand
> in front of 30,000 Bahá'ís and talk to them, no one believed how she would
> suffer before public talks. She would turn her heart to Bahá'u'lláh and
> ask for help, especially before press conferences for the radio and television.
> She would say about press conferences, don't give them too many facts,
> what the press wants is an impression. After they meet with you, they should
> think that the Bahá'í Faith is a good thing. If they think like that, they
> will come back. If you give them all the twelve principles, and the history,
> starting with 1844, etc, they will become confused, and after they leave,
> they will forget everything.
> 
> Another wonderful thing about Khanum was her
> behaviour when she came across authority. Whether she was meeting an emperor
> of a country, like Haile Selasie from Ethiopia, or a chief of a village,
> her attitude was one of extreme courtesy and humility - she respected ranks.
> An example of this - she was once in a big conference in Canada, and it
> was time for questions. A young man, who was a new Bahá'í, asked, why must
> we stand up whenever you come into the room? She said - you don't have
> to stand up, it's not required. But if the Mayor of this city enters this
> hall now, I will be the first one to stand up for him. It is respect for
> his rank, not humiliating yourself.
> 
> Every action she took always had a purpose and
> a meaning. When she was in banquets where lots of non-Bahá'ís were present,
> her approach was to never prejudice people against the Faith, and that
> people must not say something that will be a test for someone there fore
> the first time. An example was Allah'u'Abha. If there are lots of non-Bahá'ís
> there, and if they keep on hearing us say this, they will think it's a
> password, a secret word among the Bahá'ís. Why test people before they
> have a chance to learn about Bahá'u'lláh?
> 
> The last thing, for the ladies here, Khanum almost
> always addressed the women wherever she went, and se reminded them that
> yes, in this age, we are equal, and the world will soon adopt this. She
> was very sweet, she would say, if you read the words of Bahá'u'lláh and
> Abdu'l-Bahá, you will see that there is a bit more in favour of women than
> men. For example, a great responsibility given to women is the raising
> and education of the next generation, and we mustn't take this lightly.
> If a woman is upright, she will bring her child up as upright. Similarly,
> if she is truthful, clean, God-fearing and prayerful, she will instill
> all these in her child as she raises it. Also, we use Allah'u'Abha as a
> greeting, but it is also a prayer, and it can be the first prayer one teaches
> their child.
> 
> Once in Cameroon, she spoke about this in a village.
> There were lots of children in the front of the group, and she said to
> them that they could use Allah'u'Abha as a prayer. For instance, one can
> say it five times, and she counted on her fingers, saying Allah'u'Abha
> for each finger. After the meeting finished, I saw a little boy, about
> four years old, standing alone, apart from everyone else, practicing on
> his fingers, looking very serious. I got so excited, I had a sweet in my
> pocket, so I gave it to him. We slept in that village that night, and at
> five in the morning, there was a chorus of Allah'u'Abha's from under the
> window, and there was the little boy, with lots of other little children,
> all repeating this. I don't know if it was for sweets or not, but they
> all got their sweets. :-)
> 
> It was wonderful to be with you. Allah'u'Abha.
> 
> Second Talk
> 
> Another talk in Africa
> by Mr. Nakhjavani:
> 
> Last night, at the banquet, with the non-Bahá'ís
> there, I said a few things that I want to repeat, because they are important.
> I spoke about the importance of the teachings on Africa, for example, Bahá'u'lláh
> says that God's message is not for any one race, people or country. It
> is for the people of the entire planet. The human body is used as a symbol
> of humanity, just as in the body, each organ has a function, in the same
> way, each race has a function to perform.
> 
> When it comes to the black race, it is like the
> pupil of the eye of the human body. The black race has more capacity given
> to them by God to see the light of truth. Shoghi Effendi followed this
> teaching, added to it, and said wonderful things about the black race.
> In his letters, he said about the black race that they are "pure hearted",
> (their spirit is noble", "have patience", and "have a great capacity for
> the Faith". There were words chosen for you, and I am so glad to see, as
> I look over the audience, that 90 % of you are black. Africa was asleep,
> but is now awakening, and it has a great message to give to the world.
> Now, if you only remember one sentence from today, it should be the following.
> The African people have a great contribution to make to the advancement
> of world civilization. Those of you who belong to the black race should
> be proud, you should be grateful to the Creator that you belong to the
> black race. You should also realise that God expects you to do great things,
> not only for Africa, but for the world! When Abdu'l-Bahá went to America,
> he saw many black people, in large groups, for the first time in his life.
> When we read the words with which he addresses them, in his talks, we see
> how he showed such tender love to them.
> 
> When Shoghi Effendi started the Africa campaign,
> it was in 1951. There were Bahá'ís in Africa, but very few. There were
> Bahá'ís in Cape Town, in South Africa, in Tunisia and Egypt. The rest was
> empty. So, in 1951, he started the Africa Campaign, and asked people from
> all over the world to arise, and to pioneer to Africa. Even though there
> were some Bahá'ís in Cape Town, South Africa was also part of the campaign.
> When Shoghi Effendi passed away, there were only four National Spiritual
> Assemblies on the African continent, in Cairo, Kampala, Johannesburg and
> Tunisia. Now, there are 45 National Assemblies on the continent. Throughout
> Africa, when the Guardian passed away, there were a total of 400 Local
> Spiritual Assemblies. At the beginning of the African Campaign, there were
> only 25. Today, we have 4750! In 1957, there was literature translated
> into 100 African languages, today, we have literature in 2700 major African
> languages and dialects.
> 
> The Guardian called for pioneers from all over
> the world to go to Africa. He waited three or four years, then called on
> the new African Bahá'ís to arise and go pioneering to other African countries.
> As a result, ten Africans became Knights of Bahá'u'lláh, one of which was
> Enoch Olinga, the Hand of the Cause. Apart from the Knight of Bahá'u'lláh,
> Shoghi Effendi gave him two more titles, Father of Victories, and a Hand
> of the Cause of God.
> 
> Before Mr. Olinga became a Bahá'í, he was a drop,
> after, through his services, he became an ocean. You must believe this
> -- it is in prayers that a drop can be changed into an ocean. In prayers
> we read that God changes an atom into the sun. This is true, it can happen,
> it has happened. The question is, how? How to go from a little mosquito
> to an eagle? This is also in the Writings. We saw Mr. Olinga before he
> became a Bahá'í. He was a heavy drinker, very timid, afraid of people.
> If he didn't become a Bahá'í, he would have remained in bars, drinking.
> 
> You must believe that Bahá'u'lláh can change
> us. We must pray to Him, beg Him to change us. If our prayer is sincere,
> on a daily basis, combined with action and deeds, sincerity and purity
> of motive, real effort on our part, bit by bit, we will change, and can
> do what Mr. Olinga did.
> 
> For every one of us in this room, there is a
> destiny. God has given each one of us a special measure of capacity and
> destiny. Our destiny is to try, every day, all the time, to achieve what
> God has ordained for each one of us. When Mr. Olinga was in Haifa, Shoghi
> Effendi told him that many people would be interested in the Faith, but
> they will not all be attracted. Only some are attracted.
> 
> Stage 1 is attraction.
> 
> Stage 2 is conversion, when the attraction leads
> the seeker to enroll as a Bahá'í.
> 
> The third stage is dedication, consecration to
> God.
> 
> Dear friends, the Guardian explained to Mr. Olinga,
> I believe, so he can explain it to the African Bahá'ís. So, as it requires
> a big jump from attraction to conversion, it requires as big a jump from
> conversion to dedication. Stage 2 is only a believer. Stage 3 is a lover,
> that's what He wants us to be, that's where Mr. Olinga finally ended, I
> believe that's God's first choice for us all. If we follow the divine teachings,
> we will reach it. We must ask ourselves a few questions, not now, but at
> home, quietly. If the answer is yes, we know we are on the road to becoming
> a believer.
> 
> Am I reciting one of the three obligatory prayers
> revealed by Bahá'u'lláh? Am I reading the Writings
> of Bahá'u'lláh twice a day, in the morning and evening? Am
> I repeating Allah'u'Abha 95 times a day? Am I teaching
> the Cause every day? To do that, am I asking God every day to send me receptive
> souls? Shoghi Effendi explains that contributions to the fund are a measure
> of our Faith. Am I making contributions to the Fund?
> Am I living the Baha'I life? Have I stopped drinking alcohol,
> etc? Am I living a chaste life? Do
> I have prejudice towards any race? (Here, the answer should be no)
> 
> The list is very long but I have given you what
> I consider is the foundation. By doing these things, sacrificing for God,
> we become true lovers, and our life will be accepted in His sight.
> 
> One last thing before I sit down. Abdu'l-Bahá
> says that most of the time, I am in a prayerful attitude. He also said,
> Be as I am, follow me. What would he do? He would see people, visit the
> sick, the poor, attend to his correspondence, see government officials,
> that was his life. Whyile doing all this, he was in a prayerful attitude,
> with God, with his Father. An example, you are seated here, listening to
> me, you can be in a prayerful attitude, feel as if God is seeing you, because
> God is All-Seeing, All-Knowing, Ever-Present. In the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Bahá'u'lláh
> says "We behold you from Our realm of Glory". We must feel that we are
> in the presence of God all the time. If we feel that we are in the presence
> of God, He will be with us, if we love Him, He will love us, it says this
> in the Writings.
> 
> We also read, if we are with God, then He will
> show us that He is with us, we will see that He is with us. We are seated
> here, we can be in communication with Him, thank Him that we could come
> here and be with all the friends. I should say, while I am talking, see
> how weak I am, how pitiful, needy, help me to say what will be helpful.
> 
> Finally, I should have said this at the beginning
> of the meeting, but I will say it now, the Universal House of Justice asked
> me, before I left, to convey their love to everyone, so I convey to each
> and every one of you the love of the House of Justice. When Violette and
> I go back to Haifa, we will also pray for everyone at this meeting in the
> Shrines.
> 
> Allah'u'Abha!
> 
> Third Talk
> 
> Transcript of Mr. Nakhjavani's
> informal talk to the South African Bahá'ís at the Anvari's,
> 31 August 2001
> 
> Alright, are you ready?
> 
> I was asked to say a few words to the dear South
> African believers who are here today. I thought I could tell you about
> a tablet, a very short tablet, revealed by Abdu'l-Bahá. The contents of
> this Tablet are as follows.
> 
> He says that the relationships of the believers
> to the Cause of God are of two kinds. One kind is like the relationship
> of the flower to the garden. The other relationship is that of the ray
> of the sun to the sun. "I hope", He says, "that your relationship will
> be of the second kind". And that is the end of the Tablet.
> 
> Now, I have been thinking about this Tablet,
> and I have been wondering why Abdu'l-Bahá says that he prefers the second
> kind to the first kind. There is nothing wrong in being a flower in the
> garden of Bahá'u'lláh. In fact, we have prayers, "O God, make me a flower
> in Thy garden". Why is it that Abdu'l-Bahá prefers the other type, which
> is the ray of the sun? The sun is the Cause of God, and the ray emanates
> from it. So I am offering my views, my humble views, about this beautiful,
> simple tablet of Abdu'l-Bahá.
> 
> I thought like this, I said, OK, we have a flower
> in a garden, the flower says, "I like this garden", in other words, we
> say, we like the Cause. "I like this garden, I grow in this garden, I am
> proud of my garden, I am named after this garden". (I am a Bahá'í.) OK,
> this is all good. We take the ray of the sun. The ray says exactly all
> these things, he says, "I am from the sun, I am proud of the sun, I depend
> everything, all my life on the sun," etc, etc, exactly the same thing.
> But, if you bring one ray and you bring a second ray, what happens? The
> two rays become one. But if you bring one flower and you bring another
> flower, they remain two flowers.
> 
> If on an Assembly or a Bahá'í committee, you
> bring nine rays and bring them together, they become one strong united
> ray. But if you bring nine flowers and bring them together, they are a
> beautiful bouquet, a beautiful flower arrangement, but they are nine different
> flowers, and everyone, if we credit the flower with some thinking, some
> intelligence and some ego, the flower will say, "Really, I don't want to
> say, but I think I'm better than the others. I think I'm more beautiful,
> I think I have a more beautiful scent. I don't want to talk about it, but...
> never mind..." This is what the flower will do. Why, because of the ego.
> The ego is inside. And believe me, this animal ego is in all of us. If
> we have 20 people in this room, there are 20 egos, no exception. And this
> ego will be with us till the very last breath. When we go to the next world,
> we separate, we say goodbye. But until that day, it is with us, it suggests
> things to us, it deviates us from the right path, because that is the animal
> in us, it wants everything for itself.
> 
> OK, lets go to the ray now. The ray says, "I
> have no name, it doesn't matter. I don't have colour, it doesn't matter.
> I am from the sun. My job is to be faithful and to carry the light of the
> sun, the heat of the sun. That is my duty. And I am doing it." It is so
> pure that if you take a chair, and you go outside where there is the sun,
> you say, "I am sitting in the sun." Ha! You are not sitting in the sun.
> The sun is up there! But the ray is so faithful, so pure, that it carries
> all the qualities of the sun, in a pure way, so much so that you say I
> am sitting in the sun.
> 
> Now, another difference is that the flower is
> on the receiving end. "Soil, give me good soil, water, give me good water,
> light and sun, I want more light." It's all the time receiving. "Give me."
> What does the ray do? It doesn't want anything, the ray gives, it helps
> the flowers to grow. Big difference between the two.
> 
> So, that is why I think Abdu'l-Bahá says, "It's
> good to be a flower in the garden, but better still is to be a ray of the
> sun. This is my first choice for you, this is what I prefer you to be.
> To be a ray from the sun, so that you give to others, you are a way of
> helping others. You are not thinking of yourself. You are thinking of others,
> to assist others all the time, to give the light, to give the heat, the
> warmth."
> 
> So that is the end of the tablet, and that is
> the end of my little talk. Finita la musica!
> 
> ...And one day, someone was passing by, and saw
> this rusted, muddy, piece of iron in the valley. And this piece of iron
> is a human being. This is an example. So, there is a conversation between
> the piece of iron and this gentleman or this woman. This is what this Bahá'í
> says. "Do you know that there is a fire which is burning and blazing in
> the world of existence?"
> 
> The piece of iron says, "Really, surely I'm interested."
> 
> He says, "Come along, I will show you."
> 
> They go along, and from a distance, he says,
> "You see that smoke? Where there's smoke, there's fire." Sometimes, we
> are so quick in getting the declaration cards of the non-Bahá'ís that at
> that point, we say, "You accept that where there's smoke there's fire?
> Now sign this!" That's too soon, he has not even seen the fire. We go along.
> 
> Now, there is a prayer from Bahá'u'lláh, speaking
> about this fire. "I know not what the fire is which
> thou dost kindle in thy land, earth can never cloud its splendour, nor
> water quench its flame." He is talking about this fire. It's the
> fire of the Cause. He's talking about that. Then He says, "Blessed are
> those who hear its roaring."
> 
> QUOTE:
> "Great is the blessedness of him
> that hath drawn nigh unto it, and heard its roaring."
>  (Bahá'u'lláh:  Prayers and Meditations, Page:
> 76)
> 
> In other words, as you are approaching the fire,
> you hear the crackle of the fuel. Already, you see something, you hear
> something. You haven't seen the fire yet, you approach again, ah, you see
> the fire, the flames.
> 
> The teacher says, "This is not enough, my dear.
> Let us get closer."
> 
> When you get closer, what happens? The metal,
> the iron feels the warmth and receives the warmth. It was cold, it becomes
> warm. At that point, you know, I told you this morning, Mr. Olinga was
> told by Shoghi Effendi, first is attraction, then there is conversion.
> This is the stage of conversion, when the piece of iron feels the warmth,
> and accepts the warmth. It was cold, it becomes warm. At that point, he
> says, "I am a Bahá'í."
> 
> What about the rest that Mr. Olinga heard from
> Shoghi Effendi? The teacher says, "This is not finished, my brother, or
> my sister. Wait, this is not enough... I don't want to frighten you, but
> I must tell you this, because the process is not complete. It must be completed."
> So, the teacher says, "Let us throw ourselves into the fire."
> 
> What happens to the metal? It is warm, yes, but
> something else happens, it acquires the qualities of the fire. It has rust
> all over its body, it shakes off the rust, it becomes brilliant, it acquires
> the qualities, as I said, of the fire, so much so that you look at the
> fire, and you look at the piece of iron, you don't know where the fire
> ends and where the metal begins. They become one. That is dedication. That
> is consecration. That is the end of the process, when we shake off this
> rust of selfishness and we become purer and purer all the time, and we
> acquire the qualities of ... (?)
> 
> Now, having said this story about this piece
> of iron, and the three stages I explained to you this morning, I want to
> tell you that this story is not mine. It is in one of the tablets of Abdu'l-Bahá.
> He gives the story of this piece of iron. But I explained it a little bit
> more, I added few things here and there which were of me, for example,
> in the valley and going here and seeing the smoke, this is all mine, but
> the essential part, which is seeing, hearing the fire burning, seeing the
> flame, acquiring the warmth, and the last stage, throwing oneself into
> the fire, to become brilliant, to become luminous, to acquire the qualities
> of this Divine Flame, this is why when we describe some people who are
> on fire with the Cause, we say, he is a flame, that's why, because of this
> tablet of Abdu'l-Bahá. It is a very short tablet which I tried to open
> up. And explain in the form of this story. Now this is a second music which
> I sang to you, so this is the end, the real end.
>
> — *Talks in Africa 2001 (Used by permission of the curator)*