The Covenant of Baha'u'llah
by Adib Taherzadeh
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chapter 26 | start page | single page | chapter 28 |  |
Chapter 27
The Expounder of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh
Of all the work the Guardian did during his ministry, the greatest and the most enduring contribution to the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh may be said to be his writings, which derive their excellence from the Revelation itself. Shoghi Effendi received his inspiration from the utterances of Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá, which are revealed in the greatest majesty and eloquence and have produced a new and wonderful style in both Persian and Arabic literature. They inspired Bahá'à scholars and writers, who were not only uplifted by the profundity of their words but were enchanted with the new style and new terminologies, which they tried to emulate in their own works. But no one was able to achieve this as Shoghi Effendi did. He grew up in the school of Bahá'u'lláh's and Abdu'l-Bahá's writings, he imbibed the essence of their words in such wise that his writings possess a special potency, born of the utterances of the Author of the Faith and of the Centre of His Covenant.The writings of Shoghi Effendi, looking at them from a literary point of view alone, are truly superb. The eloquence and beauty of his compositions in Persian and Arabic are breathtaking. Although English was not his mother tongue, his writings in that language have been acclaimed by scholars to be remarkable in their expressiveness, forcefulness and fluency. The following passages demonstrate the descriptive power of his inspired pen. Recounting the episode of the Bab, he writes:
"We behold, as we survey the episodes of this first act of a sublime drama, the figure of its Master Hero, the Bab, arise meteor-like above the horizon of Shiraz, traverse the sombre sky of Persia from south to north, decline with tragic swiftness, and perish in a blaze of glory. We see His satellites, a galaxy of God-intoxicated heroes, mount above that same horizon, irradiate that same incandescent light, burn themselves out with that self-same swiftness, and impart in their turn an added impetus to the steadily gathering momentum of God's nascent Faith." [27-1]
On the occasion of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf, he writes:
"Whatever betide us, however distressing the vicissitudes which the nascent Faith of God may yet experience, we pledge ourselves, before the mercy-seat of thy glorious Father, to hand on, unimpaired and undivided, to generations yet unborn, the glory of that tradition of which thou hast been its most brilliant exemplar.
"In the innermost recesses of our hearts, O thou exalted Leaf of the Abha Paradise, we have reared for thee a shining mansion that the hand of time can never undermine, a shrine which shall frame eternally the matchless beauty of thy countenance, an altar whereon the fire of thy consuming love shall burn forever." [27-2]
These passages, so beautifully composed, speak for themselves. Those Bahá'Ãs who have studied Shoghi Effendi's works realize that he was under the guidance of Bahá'u'lláh, his pen inspired by Him. Thousands of letters to individuals, Spiritual Assemblies, and Bahá'à communities throughout the world poured from that pen, expounding the teachings and laws of the Faith. These letters are a priceless heritage for generations to come, until the end of this Dispensation .
The only work that Shoghi Effendi wrote originally as a book is God Passes By. A masterpiece, it is a concise history filled with vivid detail of the significant events of the first Bahá'à century; it covers the ministries of the Bab, Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá, as well as the birth and development of the Administrative Order. In his masterly style, Shoghi Effendi has condensed many volumes of material within the compass of a few hundred pages. Almost every line of this book is laden with information superbly gleaned, without apparent effort, from numerous historical documents and narratives. It is also profusely and delicately laced with quotations from the vast reservoir of the writings of the Central Figures of the Faith.
The importance attached to God Passes By is not merely due to the historical detail which it contains. Being the Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi was more qualified than anyone else to write such a book on Bahá'à history, because the art of writing any history lies not merely in describing events, but in relating them to each other, putting them in their proper context and in interpreting their influence in society.
As the unerring interpreter of Bahá'u'lláh's Writings, Shoghi Effendi was endowed with a unique capacity to understand and appreciate the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh to an extent that no other human being can ever hope to achieve. Therein lies the unique nature of God Passes By. In it he elucidates every major event in the light of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh and injects into every subject a measure of the truth of the Faith. In the course of writing the accounts of the lives of the Central Figures of the Cause and their disciples, he explains the true motives behind their actions, comments on the effect of these actions, puts into right perspective the heroism and self-sacrifice of the Babi and Bahá'à martyrs, enumerates the victories and the crises that the Faith has encountered, recounts the downfall of its enemies, demonstrates the unfoldment of its world-embracing institutions and foreshadows its future destiny.
Shoghi Effendi's matchless translations of the writings of the Bab, Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá, from Persian and Arabic into English, are another priceless gift to the world. There is no doubt for the Bahá'Ãs that these superb renderings, which have evoked the praise and appreciation of so many outstanding scholars, were not due to Shoghi Effendi's academic attainments alone, but were influenced by the guidance of Bahá'u'lláh which was vouchsafed to him during his ministry. The modes of expression and the composition of sentences in the Persian and Arabic languages are different from those in English. There are also many words in these two languages for which there are no English equivalents. Shoghi Effendi has overcome these difficulties so successfully that, without losing any thought or concept of the original, he conveys the meaning faithfully in elegant English fully comprehensible to the reader, while at the same time retaining the special flavour of their original form. In translating the Holy Writings Shoghi Effendi has left for posterity a priceless, well-endowed model. The words, phrases and sentences he has used to translate the writings of the Central Figures of the Faith are extensively consulted and used by those who, since his passing, have been engaged in the task of rendering the matchless utterances of Bahá'u'lláh, the Bab and Abdu'l-Bahá into English.
The major translations by Shoghi Effendi of the writings of Bahá'u'lláh include the Hidden Words, the Kitab-i-Iqan, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations of Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf and numerous passages which he quoted in his own writings. Although not holy scripture, The Dawn-Breakers, the history of the first few years of the Faith by Nabil-i-A'zam was also masterfully edited and translated by Shoghi Effendi. The publication of this monumental work in 1932 contributed greatly to a deeper understanding of the life and Revelation of the Bab.
The writings of Shoghi Effendi in Persian and English, although not in the same category as the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá, have greatly enriched Bahá'à literature. In expounding and interpreting the revealed Word, as he was empowered to do by Abdu'l-Bahá in the Will and Testament, he clarified many of the abstruse and mysterious passages in the Writings of the Central Figures of the Faith. A source of inspiration for the believers, his letters addressed to individuals and Spiritual Assemblies provide a vast reservoir of guidance which will assist and enlighten the Bahá'à community until the end of this Dispensation in its endeavours to build up and maintain the world-embracing institutions of the new Order of Bahá'u'lláh and usher in the Golden Age of His Faith.
In the early days of his ministry, when the believers in East and West were engaged in promoting the Faith and establishing its institutions, Shoghi Effendi turned his attention to the community in Persia in order to initiate the process of the implementation of the laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. The friends in that country were subjected to sporadic outbursts of persecution, resulting in the martyrdom of many. Having built up the framework of the Administrative Order throughout many towns and villages where Local Spiritual Assemblies were functioning, he gave the Persian believers this special task of great importance to the Cause.
Shoghi Effendi refers to the Kitab-i-Aqdas as 'the Charter of the future world civilization'. The laws revealed in that Book are one of the pillars upon which the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh rests. The other pillar is the principles of the Faith which were revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in His Tablets and especially elucidated by Abdu'l-Bahá in the course of His travels in the West. That the laws and the principles of the Faith are the two basic parts of the World Order is borne out by Shoghi Effendi's statement: 'Behind the walls of the prison fortress of Akka the Bearer of God's newborn Revelation had ordained the laws and formulated the principles that were to constitute the warp and woof of His World Order.'" [27-3]
The concept of religious law as the mainstay of a religion is not often fully appreciated by followers of other religions, including Christians. This is perhaps because the Message of Christ was primarily the establishment of spiritual teachings among His followers, and He did not lay down many laws. On the other hand, a great emphasis is placed upon religious law in Islam, as in Judaism. The laws promulgated by the Prophet of Islam play an important role in His religion, and obedience to them is considered by Muslims to be conducive to the good pleasure of God. For over a thousand years the people of Persia were accustomed to observe the laws of Islam, and considered it to be an act of devotion to God.
Because of their Islamic background, the believers in Persia were very well suited to put into practice some of the laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. Not only were they accustomed to observing religious law, but they also had access to the Kitab-i-Aqdas, which the believers in the West did not. However, during the Ministries of Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá the Bahá'Ãs were so overwhelmed by the outpouring of the Word of God and so oblivious of everything except their Beloved, that it was as if they were not living in this world. Their thoughts were focused on the glory of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation; they spent their energies in teaching their fellow men. In these circumstances they did not dwell much on the laws and ordinances of the new Dispensation.
In addition, there were the exhortations of Bahá'u'lláh not to exceed the bounds of wisdom if they were to implement any of His laws. For instance, in the Kitab-i-Aqdas Bahá'u'lláh has forbidden His followers to use the public baths of Persia, because in those days they were extremely filthy.[1] Yet when one of the believers urged the friends to observe this commandment, Bahá'u'lláh stopped him doing this, and advised the friends not to implement this injunction of the Kitab-i-Aqdas at that time, because if they were to keep away from the public baths the enemies of the Faith would become agitated and this would result in increased persecution of the friends. There were other instances where the implementation of the laws of the Aqdas was either unwise, untimely or utterly impractical.
[1 See above, p. 81, for a note on the public baths.]
For these and other reasons, the Bahá'Ãs during the Heroic Age of the Faith were not very inclined (with the exception of some spiritual ordinances such as obligatory prayer and fasting) to carry out the laws of Bahá'u'lláh. They lived their lives by following the customs, traditions and laws of older religions. For instance, they married according to the laws of their former religion, depending on their backgrounds. Those who came from a Muslim background followed the laws of Islam and had Islamic marriage ceremonies, while those of Jewish or Zoroastrian origin followed the marriage ceremonies of those religions. In other fields too the believers observed the various religious laws which were practised by the nation.
It was Shoghi Effendi who began the implementation of some of the laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas in Persia in the early days of his ministry. He directed the Local Spiritual Assemblies in that country to begin to apply certain of these laws. In the course of his ministry, he elaborated a great deal on their application, explained many intricacies connected with them, urged the Spiritual Assemblies never to compromise when enforcing the laws, counselled them to uphold the standard of justice and impartiality in all cases, and advocated the imposition of sanctions in the form of deprivation of voting rights on those who flagrantly violated the laws, or who through their misdeeds brought disgrace upon the Faith.
For more than three decades in innumerable letters to the National and Local Spiritual Assemblies as well as to individuals in Persia, Shoghi Effendi elucidated the details of the laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. He thus built up in this particular field a great reservoir of knowledge and experience in the application of the laws which will be of great value in the future when the whole Bahá'à world will be in a position to put into practice the laws of this new Dispensation.
As a result of the observance of certain Bahá'à laws the believers in Persia were able to distance themselves from old religious practices and instead identify themselves with the new World Order. For instance, the Bahá'à marriage ceremony took the place of Islamic, Jewish or Zoroastrian ceremonies. It is interesting to note that since the Bahá'à marriage ceremony was not recognized legally by the government of Persia, and since the Bahá'Ãs refused to have any other religious ceremony to legalize their marriage, the couple had to face certain deprivations in their lives, and at one time the newly wedded husband had to serve a few months' sentence in prison. In spite of these difficulties, Shoghi Effendi urged the believers to remain steadfast and not to bow to government pressure, for in this way they could demonstrate the independent character of the Faith to the public.
It is important at this juncture to mention that Bahá'Ãs are enjoined to obey the government on matters which deal with the administration of their Faith or with matters of secondary importance. But on matters of faith and spiritual subjects they prefer to die rather than renounce their beliefs. The observance of the laws of Bahá'u'lláh by the members of the community brought in its wake a vitality, a solidarity and a new identity to the Bahá'à community of Persia.
In certain cases Shoghi Effendi urged the friends of Persia not to compromise on basic principles, even if it meant great hardship. One example is the closure of all Bahá'à schools in various towns in Persia in 1934 by order of the government as a direct result of the refusal by the believers to keep the schools open on Bahá'à holy days. There were Bahá'à schools for boys and separate ones for girls in most major cities and sometimes there were more than two schools in a town. Bahá'à schools, which were owned and controlled by the Bahá'Ãs, were usually known as the best-run schools in the country and many non-Bahá'à pupils attended them. Their closure came as a blow to Bahá'Ãs and non-Bahá'Ãs alike, but a compromise in order to enable the government to re-open the schools was unthinkable to Shoghi Effendi, for it was against the law of Bahá'u'lláh requiring suspension of work on Bahá'à holy days.
The laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas were not enforced in the West during the earlier part of the ministry of Shoghi Effendi. Later, when the American Bahá'à community began to build up the institutions of the Faith, he introduced a few of the laws of Bahá'u'lláh as basic and essential for the communities in the Western world. Thus in 1935 he wrote, through his secretary, to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada:
"He feels it his duty to explain that the Laws revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in the Aqdas are, whenever practicable and not in direct conflict with the Civil Laws of the land, absolutely binding on every believer or Bahá'à institution whether in the East or in the West. Certain laws, such as fasting, obligatory prayers, the consent of the parents before marriage, avoidance of alcoholic drinks, monogamy, should be regarded by all believers as universally and vitally applicable at the present time. Others have been formulated in anticipation of a state of society, destined to emerge from the chaotic conditions that prevail today. When the Aqdas is published this matter will be further explained and elucidated. What has not been formulated in the Aqdas, in addition to matters of detail and of secondary importance arising out of the application of the laws already formulated by Bahá'u'lláh, will have to be enacted by the Universal House of Justice. This body can supplement but never invalidate or modify in the least degree what has already been formulated by Bahá'u'lláh. Nor has the Guardian any right whatsoever to lessen the binding effect, much less to abrogate the provisions of so fundamental and sacred a Book." [27-4]
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chapter 26 | start page | single page | chapter 28 | |
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