Ridván 153: To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in Africa

Dearly loved Friends,

You come to the Four Year Plan with an extraordinary history of achievement, which indicates that you are well equipped spiritually and administratively, and in the inherent potential of your people, to respond successfully to the Plan's central aim to advance the process of entry by troops. In whatever direction south of the Sahara one may look―whether to the eastern, western, central or southern region of the continent―portents of great, imminent expansion are evident. The torch of faith burns brightly in your hearts, setting our spirits aglow with gladness at the scale of your attainments and the magnificent possibilities that are now yours.

The bright hope inspired by such observations is justified by thrilling facts. The spiritual endowments of Africa derive naturally from the creative forces universally released by the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, but these have been marvelously enhanced by the continent's direct associations with the Channels of such forces: the ship transporting the Blessed Beauty on His exile to the Holy Land touched briefly its northern shores; the Center of the Covenant spent extended periods in Egypt before and after His historic visit to the West. The continent was also twice crossed from south to north by the beloved Guardian. Bahá’u’lláh favored the black peoples by making a specific reference to them when, as the Master testified, He compared them to the "black pupil of the eye" through which "the light of the spirit shineth forth."

African Bahá’í history had its beginnings in Egypt, which was opened to the Faith during the period of the ministry of Bahá’u’lláh; it gathered momentum during the ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá when Bahá’í localities were established in South Africa and Tunisia. But the early effects of these spiritual endowments became more obvious with the remarkable success of the two-year Africa Project (1951―53) when 16 territories were opened, bringing to 25 the total number of countries and islands in which Bahá’ís resided; this preceded the opening of the 33 virgin territories called for in the beloved Guardian's Ten Year Global Crusade, a period of astonishing development in Africa that evoked the admiration and praise of Shoghi Effendi as many people from different tribes entered the Cause, a number of administrative institutions were formed, and it became possible to raise up the Mother Temple of Africa in the heart of the continent. During the course of these rapid developments, the African believers themselves, through sacrificial effort as teachers and pioneers, arose to champion the Cause of God, manifesting the profundity of their response to the Message of the New Day.

Ridván 153: To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in Europe

Dearly loved Friends,

Forty-three years ago, when the European Bahá’ís gathered at the conference in Stockholm called by the beloved Guardian for the launching of the mighty Ten Year Crusade in your continent, you had but three National Spiritual Assemblies―those of the British Isles, of Germany and Austria, and of Italy and Switzerland―together with slowly developing local communities in the other countries of western Europe. In the east, cut off by political barriers, were tiny remnants of communities which had been raised up in earlier years and, in neighboring Turkey, was a small, struggling national community. As the European believers of that time contemplated the awe-inspiring tasks before them, they heard the words of the Guardian, illuminating the historical significance of the continent in which they were to build the institutions of Bahá’u’lláh's embryonic World Order:

“A continent, occupying such a central and strategic position on the entire planet; so rich and eventful in its history, so diversified in its culture; from whose soil sprang both the Hellenic and Roman civilizations; the mainspring of a civilization to some of whose features Bahá’u’lláh Himself paid tribute; on whose southern shores Christendom first established its home; along whose eastern marches the mighty forces of the Cross and the Crescent so frequently clashed; on whose southwestern extremity a fast-evolving Islamic culture yielded its fairest fruit; in whose heart the light of the Reformation shone so brightly, shedding its rays as far as the outlying regions of the globe. . . .”

This, your continent, whose soil was blessed by the footsteps of Bahá’u’lláh Himself, which was twice visited by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His epoch-making journeys following His release from imprisonment, whose travelers and scholars early responded to the dawning light of the Bábí Revelation, two of whose governments extended the hand of succor during the Heroic Age of the Faith, and whose nations, in recent years, have intervened so effectively in defense of the persecuted Bahá’ís in Iran, has amply demonstrated the capacity of its people to rally to the banner of the Cause of God, once their hearts are touched and their minds awakened to its Message.

Ridván 153: To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in North America: Alaska, Canada, Greenland and the United States

Dearly loved Friends,

As members of the North American Bahá’í community, you enter the Four Year Plan with a brilliant record of progress in fulfilling the mandate issued by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Tablets of the Divine Plan. In the eight decades since you received this mandate, your prodigious exertions have carried the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to all parts of your continent, and throughout the length and breadth of the planet. You have played a critical role in the establishment of the framework of the Administrative Order and in the sustained proclamation of the Faith. These Tablets launched you on a worldwide enterprise which you, and the generations to succeed you, are called upon to continue during the vast period of time stretching throughout the Formative Age and into the Golden Age of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

In your pursuit of the provisions of the Four Year Plan on national, regional and local levels, in conformity with the detailed plans to be formulated in the weeks ahead, you should constantly bear in mind the one central aim of the Plan: advancing the process of entry by troops. There can be no doubt that this process, propelled by mysterious spiritual forces beyond the ken of the skeptic, will in due course quicken the souls of a multitude from every background in North America and dramatically increase the numerical strength of your communities.

Training institutes and other centers of learning are an indispensable element of a sustained endeavor to advance this process, and to ensure that the essential deepening of new believers is not neglected, that they develop the necessary skills to effectively teach the Faith, and that an opportunity is provided for all Bahá’ís, new and veteran, to embark on a systematic study of the fundamental verities of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. We look to your communities to make an energetic response to the call for such institutes, and to develop a wide variety of approaches fitted to the needs of the diverse components of your population.

In one of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, exhorting the North American believers to strive to attain the exalted station of Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh, specifies firmness in the Covenant to be a prerequisite for this achievement. We urge you to manifest unwavering adherence to the provisions of the Covenant, while ever striving for a deeper understanding of its challenging features and of its implications, which far transcend the familiar arrangements of present society.

Ridván 153: To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam

Dearly loved Friends,

Some four decades ago, in a message to the first Regional Convention of the Bahá’ís of Southeast Asia, the Guardian wrote of the "far-reaching influence" that area would exercise on the "future destinies of the world Bahá’í community." He referred to the area's "heterogeneous character" and "geographical position," underscored "the spiritual receptivity of many of its inhabitants," and drew attention to "the role they are destined to play in the future shaping of the affairs of mankind." The remarkable progress of the Faith in Southeast Asia since that time, in a period of social and political upheaval, is but a prelude to the fulfillment of the Guardian's promise. This, taken together with the recent accomplishments of the believers in the neighboring territories as far north as Mongolia, gives rise to a brilliant vision of future triumphs in the entirety of that vast region.

You now embark on the next stage of your endeavors, a Four Year Plan whose aim is to effect a significant advance in the process of entry by troops. Among your peoples, the majority of whom have been influenced by noble and high-minded teachings of Buddhism, are many who possess a profound sense of spirituality, which is reflected in the practices of their daily lives and in the quality of their relationships with one another, with nature, and with their social institutions. They have a keen understanding of the need for coherence between the material and the spiritual, and are disturbed by the effects of gross materialism on their societies in recent years. Your region represents a vast reservoir of potential promoters of the Cause waiting to be tapped. The number and quality of the active supporters of the Faith with which it is already blessed bespeak the richness of that reservoir.

Ridván 153: To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka

Dearly loved Friends,

With bright hopes and high expectations, we turn our thoughts towards you, who, serving in a region at the forefront of large-scale expansion, find yourselves poised to make a significant advance in the process of entry by troops, the central aim of the Four Year Plan. Your region, which claims a substantial percentage of the world's people, has a Bahá’í population that already exceeds by far that of any other area of the globe.

By virtue of its immense natural and human resources, its magnificent history and the rich cultural diversity of its inhabitants, India plays a prominent role in the shaping of human affairs. Throughout the history of the Faith, it has been the recipient of countless blessings and the arena of unparalleled triumphs. Mentioned by the Báb in the first of His Writings, India is eternally honored to have had one of its native sons numbered among the Letters of the Living, privileged to behold the first rays of the Dawn of a New Day. Bahá’u’lláh Himself selected and dispatched emissaries to propagate His Faith in India, and, under the direction of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, streams of teachers from both Iran and the West continued to flow to that land to help the believers carry forward the standard of Divine guidance.

In response to the bountiful favors conferred upon them over the decades, the friends in India have made sacrificial efforts for the progress of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh and have achieved splendid victories in His Name. They first demonstrated their ability to initiate entry by troops as early as the closing years of the Ten Year Crusade when they enlisted thousands of receptive souls into the ranks of His followers. The sudden influx of new adherents to the Cause from all castes and creeds―clear evidence of the receptivity of that great nation―transformed a small body of believers into a vibrant and broadly based community which gradually learned to shoulder immense and inescapable responsibilities. Its valiant members, relying on the unfailing grace of Bahá’u’lláh, surmounted the obstacles before them, persevered, and sustained their efforts until India came to occupy a privileged place in the eyes of the Bahá’ís of the world.

Ridván 153: To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in Latin America and the Caribbean

Dearly loved Friends,

As you contemplate the challenges awaiting you during these closing years of the century, you may draw confidence from the knowledge that your past endeavors have been abundantly blessed by divine confirmation. Some sixty years ago, when the Guardian had called for the establishment of at least one center in each of the Central and South American Republics, he wrote of "the strenuous and organized labors by which future generations of believers in the Latin countries must distinguish themselves." Addressing the friends in the Caribbean some years later in a letter written shortly after the formation of the Spiritual Assembly of the Greater Antilles, he urged them to exert "continuous and systematic effort," to evince "unyielding determination" and to display "wholehearted consecration." Your achievements during the intervening decades have amply demonstrated your capacity to meet his expectations. You have proved by the spirit animating your efforts to be well deserving of such tributes as "staunch," "warmhearted," "eager," "spiritually minded."

The central concern of the plans that will guide your endeavors during the coming four years will be to effect a significant advance in the process of entry by troops. This challenge you will not be facing as novices. You have accumulated through successive plans valuable experience which must now be brought to bear on the aim of the Four Year Plan with clarity and single-mindedness. Your success will depend on the degree to which you can, on the one hand, intensify activity in the areas that have already witnessed large-scale expansion and, on the other, exploit the fresh opportunities presented to you as a result of your growing involvement in the affairs of society.

Ridván 1996: To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

Our hearts overflowing with gratitude to the Blessed Beauty, we acknowledge the abundant manifestations of His grace during the Three Year Plan, which has run its course with the advent of this Ridván Festival. The animating spirit of the Holy Year, which lent impetus to the launching of the Plan at Ridván 1993, pervaded this period of concentrated endeavor, rendering our world community more consolidated, more resilient, more mature, and more confident than before. At the same time, the community’s prestige attained new heights. While this Plan has not ended on a note of dramatic, numerical expansion, even though significant growth of membership occurred in various countries, it has nonetheless resulted in a qualitatively enriched community—one prepared to exploit the immediate prospects for the advancement of the Faith.

The magnificent progress of the projects on Mount Carmel is preeminent among the measurable achievements of this period. Indeed, despite numerous difficulties, the stage of accomplishment anticipated in our message announcing the Three Year Plan is entirely evident. All phases of construction have been initiated. The structural framework of the Centre for the Study of the Texts and the Extension to the International Archives Building has been raised up and the work on these buildings has advanced towards initiation of the exterior and interior finishing work. The erection of the permanent seat of the International Teaching Centre, the third structure currently being built on the Arc, is progressing rapidly. Seven terraces below the Shrine of the Báb are now completed, foreshowing the unfolding splendor from the foot to the ridge of God’s Holy Mountain. A watchful public is awed at the tapestry of beauty spreading over the mountainside.

The physical reality of the progress thus far so marvelously realized is proof of an even more profound achievement, namely, the unity of purpose effected throughout our global community in the pursuit of this gigantic, collective enterprise. The intensity of the interest and support it has evoked has expressed itself in an unprecedented outpouring of contributions, reflecting a level of sacrifice that bespeaks the quality of faith and generosity of heart of Bahá’u’lláh’s lovers throughout the planet. That contributions towards the Mount Carmel Projects have met the three-year goal of seventy-four million dollars marks yet another measurable and exceptional achievement, inspiring confidence that the necessary financial support for these projects will continue until their completion by the end of the century.

31 December 1995: To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

In the wake of the dynamic spirit animating the six-day-long Counselors' Conference at the World Center, now in its final session as we address you, we take the occasion to announce our decision which has been the subject of their deliberations: At Ridván 1996 a global plan of expansion and consolidation will be launched, to end four years later at Ridván 2000.

It is this anticipation that has focused the thoughts of the seventy-eight Counselors from the five continents, who have been conferring together in the presence of the Hands of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan and ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá, the members of the Universal House of Justice and the Counselor members of the International Teaching Center. Their consultations on the challenges and prospects facing the Bahá’í world community have been of such caliber and content as to have emboldened our expectations of a mighty thrust in the growth and development of that community during the crucial years immediately ahead.

The whole Plan will be announced at Ridván. However, we wish you to have some information about it now within the measure of the discussions which have been taking place at the Counselors' Conference.

The Four Year Plan will aim at one major accomplishment: a significant advance in the process of entry by troops. This is to be achieved through marked progress in the activity and development of the individual believer, of the institutions, and of the local community. Keen attention to all three will ensure a greatly expanded, visibly united, vibrant and cohesive international community by the end of the twentieth century. The basic requisites can be summarized as follows.

25 December 1995: To the friends gathered at the National Bahá’í Youth Conference in Dallas, Texas

Dear Friends,

We send you our warmest greetings and deepest love.

Your conference coincides with the Counselors' Conference which has drawn 78 Counselors from the five continents to the Holy Land for discussions with the International Teaching Center concerning the provisions of the next global teaching and consolidation plan to be launched at Ridván 1996. You may well draw inspiration from this coincidence as you take advantage of your togetherness to contemplate during the next few days the opportunities available to the Bahá’í youth both to bend their efforts towards great achievements in the teaching field during the remaining months of the Three Year Plan and to ensure through such achievements a fitting initiation for the new Plan, which will be in operation during the closing years of the unique Twentieth Century.

The threat of disintegration and chaos, on the one hand, and the promise of unity and peace, on the other, flash intermittently as prospects at this time of great transition for the entire human race. Unity and peace will triumph, we know; but until then humanity will surely experience trials and turmoil. Amid these can be found the countless opportunities to teach those, especially among your peers, who seek understanding and hope. The perspective which enables us to see clearly during this time of great perplexity is provided in the Sacred Writings of our Faith and in the life and deeds of our true Exemplar, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; these are abundant resources to which the followers of the Blessed Beauty, young and old alike, can turn time and again for knowledge, inspiration and assurance.

Message to the ASEAN Youth Conference

19 December 1995

To The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Malaysia

Kindly convey the following message to the ASEAN Youth Conference which is to commence in Kangar, Perlis, on 22 December 1995:

As you gather for the second ASEAN Youth Conference, we remember with pride the abundant fruit of the first such Conference held in October 1994 in Bangkok, Thailand, and attended by 220 youth from eleven countries. Inspired by that gathering, some 90 youth arose to pioneer or travel-teach in many parts of the region.

Throughout the early history of the Faith, young people were in the vanguard of service to the beloved Cause, becoming an inspiration to succeeding generations; many attained the glory of martyrdom. The services that Bahá’í youth are called upon to undertake in these times have their particular requirements but are no less demanding of dedication and zeal if the teaching efforts in every country and the building of Bahá’u’lláh’s New World Order are to be assured.

Receptive souls throughout Southeast Asia are waiting to hear the message of the Promised One, athirst for His life-giving Teachings. The time to emblazon the name of Bahá'u'lláh upon the hearts and minds of these souls is now. Let the few remaining years of the twentieth century witness monumental victories for the Faith, enhancing beyond imagination the strength of your various communities as they enter the new millennium.

29 October 1995: To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

The Day of the Covenant, 26 November 1995, marks the commencement of a new five-year term of service for members of the Continental Boards of Counselors for the Protection and Propagation of the Faith. We have decided to increase the number of these high-ranking officers of the Cause from seventy-two to eighty-one and are happy to announce the names of those now appointed.

Africa (19 Counselors): George Allen, Beatrice Asare, Niaz Bushrui, Parvine Djoneydi, Mehraz Ehsani (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Shidan Fat’he-Aazam, Kobina Fynn, Ibrahim Galadima, Hizzaya Hissani, Firaydoun Javaheri, Zekrullah Kazemi, Eddy Lutchmaya, Abaineh Merhatsion, Muḥammad Otmani, Daniel Ramoroesi, Edith Senoga, Lally Warren, Wingi Mabuku, Tiati à Zock.

The Americas (19 Counselors): Eloy Anello, Stephen Birkiand, Gustavo Correa, Rolf von Czékus, Jacqueline LHB Delahunt, Wilma Ellis, Tod Ewing, Linda Gershuny, Abdu’l-Missagh Ghadirian, Peter McLaren (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Alejandra Miller, Ruth Pringle, Carmen Elisa de Sadeghian, Isábel de Sanchez, Errol Sealy, Arturo Serrano, Farhad Shayani; David Smith, Rodrigo Tomás.

30 December 1994: To the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in every land

CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FOR MOUNT CARMEL PROJECTS SINCE LAUNCHING THREE YEAR PLAN NOW TOTAL SOME TWENTY-SIX MILLION DOLLARS. FORTY-EIGHT MILLION REMAIN TO BE RAISED TO MEET GOAL OF SEVENTY-FOUR MILLION DOLLARS BY RIDVÁN 1996.

IMMENSE ENTERPRISE GATHERING MOMENTUM; CONSTRUCTION INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTER COMMENCED; CENTER FOR STUDY OF TEXTS PROGRESSING WITH FULL FORCE, RISING IN CERTAIN AREAS BEYOND FOURTH LEVEL; TERRACE IMMEDIATELY BELOW SHRINE ALREADY GIVES PREVIEW BEAUTY FINAL COMPLETION; WORK OTHER LOWER TERRACES ADVANCING RAPIDLY AMIDST EXPANSE OF GREEN; UPPER TERRACES TAKING SHAPE ON STEEP SLOPES ABOVE SHRINE. ENTIRE PROJECT STANDS IN URGENT NEED INCREASED SUPPORT THROUGH MIGHTY SELF-SACRIFICING EFFORT DURING REMAINING MONTHS THREE YEAR PLAN.

ARDENTLY PRAYING SACRED THRESHOLD WORLDWIDE RESPONSE THIS CHALLENGING JUNCTURE RAISING ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER GOD'S HOLY FAITH.

The Universal House of Justice

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

20 October 1994: To the Bahá’ís of the World

At this midpoint in the Three Year Plan, we feel moved to offer thanksgiving to Bahá’u’lláh on behalf of His followers in every land for the abundant, unfailing signs of His life-giving confirmations. We rejoice particularly at the significant response to the call for pioneers and traveling teachers and are heartened by the sacrificial outpourings in support of the majestic projects on the Mountain of the Lord.

The time now remaining is short indeed. Swift, concentrated action is imperative if crucial national goals are to be achieved in fulfillment of the vital overall objectives of the Plan. We especially appeal to our fellow Bahá’ís everywhere to mount a mightier effort than ever before in offering the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to increasing numbers of their compatriots, and in inviting them to investigate and embrace His Cause. Growing suffering and turmoil of humankind call for a commensurate acceleration in the operation of the healing and unifying energies of God's holy Cause.

The Universal House of Justice

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

17 May 1994: To the youth gathered at the five Regional Bahá’í Youth Conferences in Barcelona, Berlin, Bucharest, Saint Petersburg, and Wolverhampton

Beloved Friends,

During this past year, with the encouragement of the European Bahá’í Youth Council, a new movement among this generation of Bahá’í youth has been gathering momentum throughout the continent. Like the swelling of a tide, some waves may be but wavelets as yet, but the time for such an upsurge is here. Surely the successive impulses of training seminars, of the conference of National Bahá’í Youth Committees held in April, and now of these five continent-wide conferences, will reinforce the eagerness of the youth to rise and seize the challenge to play their part in reshaping the life of the peoples of the European continent.

It is but a century and a half since two young men sat in an upper room of the city of Shiraz; one the Manifestation of God revealing the first Words of God for this era, the other His first disciple. Within the space of six years, both had laid down their lives so that this outpouring of Divine Revelation might quicken all humankind. By that time, hundreds and thousands of eager hearts, men and women, old and young, rich and poor, learned and illiterate, had arisen to welcome the breaking of the Dawn of Divine Guidance and champion the truth before the world.

Now we see that the world has become another world. As Bahá’u’lláh has written: "Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System―the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed."

27 June 1993: To the followers of Bahá’u’lláh throughout the world

REJOICE ANNOUNCE MAJOR ADVANCE MOUNT CARMEL PROJECTS BY ISSUANCE TENDER DOCUMENTS TO BUILDING CONTRACTORS FOR CONSTRUCTION CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE TEXTS. DEVELOPMENT TERRACES ALSO PROCEEDING APACE. SACRIFICIAL EFFORT NOW NEEDED FRIENDS ALL LANDS CONTRIBUTION SEVENTY-FOUR MILLION DOLLARS ARC PROJECTS FUND DURING THREE YEAR PLAN ENSURE UNINTERRUPTED PROGRESS RAPIDLY ACCELERATING CONSTRUCTION WORK.

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

27 June 1993: To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

Integral to the success and development of the Cause of God is the continual deployment of pioneers and traveling teachers throughout the world. During the course of the Six Year Plan more than 4,000 Bahá’ís left their homes to serve as either short-term or long-term pioneers in other lands. This is an indication of the increased mobility that the modern world provides, and of the believers' eagerness to advance the Cause wherever the need is greatest. It suggests that new methods must be adopted to make the best use of this massive flow of Bahá’ís.

We have therefore decided, in consultation with the International Teaching Center, to adopt a new pattern for the pioneer call for the Three Year Plan.

The essence of this method is that friends may arise from anywhere in the world to pioneer to any other part of the world. There are very few places where long-term and short-term pioneers and traveling teachers are not needed. But the needs vary in nature, intensity and urgency. To help each volunteer to choose his or her goal, a list of four categories has been prepared to indicate the particular needs. These four categories comprise countries and territories where:

24 June 1993: To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

Following fast upon the inspiring events of the seventh International Bahá’í Convention and the subsequent Counselors' Conference, the opening weeks of the Three Year Plan have been marked with yet another highly significant event. On the morning of Saturday 5 June, the Hands of the Cause of God ‘Alí Akbar Furútan and ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá, with all nine Counselor members of the International Teaching Center, joined the members of the Universal House of Justice in Bahjí and proceeded to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh for prayer as the initial act of the newly appointed Teaching Center. All then held a first meeting in the room used by Shoghi Effendi in the Mansion of Bahjí, recalling the many historic associations of that blessed spot.

Joint consultations continued on the afternoon of that same day in the Council Chamber of the Universal House of Justice, exploring the tasks now facing the International Teaching Center as the world advances through the climacteric years at the close of the twentieth century.

During the five years since May 1988, when far-reaching decisions were made on the functioning of the International Teaching Center and, for the first time, the number of its Counselor members was raised to nine, that institution has abundandy demonstrated its capacity and eagerness to assume the wide range of responsibilities conferred upon it.

5 March 1993: To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

The Kitáb-i-Aqdas―the Book described in such exalted terms by the Guardian of the Cause of God as "that priceless treasury enshrining for all time the brightest emanations of the mind of Bahá’u’lláh, the Charter of His World Order, the chief repository of His laws, the Harbinger of His Covenant, the Pivotal Work containing some of His noblest exhortations, weightiest pronouncements, and portentous prophecies, and revealed during the full tide of His tribulations, at a time when the rulers of the earth had definitely forsaken Him"―this Most Holy Book, we have the honor to announce, will, in a copiously annotated English translation, be released to the Community of Bahá at Naw-Rúz.

Bahá’u’lláh's own designations of the Book―the "Unerring Balance," the "Straight Path," the "quickener of mankind," the "source of true felicity"―indicate its phenomenal importance, an importance which staggers the mind when viewed in light of the realization that this Book is, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, the "principal repository of that Law which the Prophet Isaiah had anticipated, and which the writer of the Apocalypse had described as the 'new heaven' and the 'new earth,' as 'the Tabernacle of God,' as the 'Holy City,' as the 'Bride,' the 'New Jerusalem coming down from God.'" Such metaphors of hope have been recited from sacred scriptures down the ages, have fired the imagination and excited the expectations of unnumbered generations, and now, at long last, in this new Dispensation, have been given tangible form by the Promised One of All Ages in this Mother Book of His Revelation.

17 December 1992: To the Bahá’ís of the World

DELIGHTED ANNOUNCE INITIATION PHASE THREE MOUNT CARMEL PROJECTS.

FOLLOWING PROTRACTED NEGOTIATIONS WITH HAIFA MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES NECESSARY PERMITS FOR EXCAVATION SITE INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTER AND FOR COMMENCEMENT UPPER TERRACES WERE OBTAINED IN SEPTEMBER 1992. FURTHER CONTRACTS AMOUNTING TO FIVE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS HAVE BEEN AWARDED AND EARTHWORK ON BOTH SITES HAS BEGUN ON 9 DECEMBER 1992.

CONFIDENT FOLLOWERS BLESSED BEAUTY THROUGHOUT BAHÁ’Í WORLD WILL CONTINUE THEIR UNSTINTING SUPPORT THESE HISTORIC PROJECTS THUS ENSURING UNINTERRUPTED PROGRESS CONSTRUCTION.

ARDENTLY SUPPLICATING SACRED THRESHOLD CONFIRMATIONS SPEEDY EXECUTION MAJOR UNDERTAKING ESTABLISHMENT SEATS INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FAITH ON GOD'S HOLY MOUNTAIN.

The Universal House of Justice

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

3 December 1992: To the Bahá’ís of the World

The Bahá’í World Congress held in New York, the second major event of the Holy Year, ended on the Day of the Covenant in a blaze of celestial glory. Far exceeding the brightest expectation anyone might have entertained, it was a triumph of the spirit in which, on all continents, the friends in their magnificent diversity witnessed a solidarity of the Bahá’í world community at a level new to their experience. Our hearts have not the capacity to contain, nor our minds the language to express, our joy and gratitude at the conspicuous outpouring of divine confirmations which made possible such a spectacular celebration and proclamation of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh.

The unity engendered among the 27,000 multifarious participants from almost 180 countries evinced a new dynamic, which signifies a stage of evolvement of the Faith which was not evident before. We noted with immense gratification the magnetic and transformative effects of this manifestation of unity arising from a quality of personal conduct which, on such a vast, collective scale as was realized at the World Congress, certainly indicated the new stature of a people becoming seasoned in the truths and virtues of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh; and in this we recognize one of the enduring gifts of the Holy Year.

As for those who devoted their specialized talents and expertise towards meeting the programmatic and logistical challenges of this conglomerate occasion, and the thousands of eager volunteers who staffed the event, our admiration and loving appreciation know no bounds.

Vitalized by such evidences of the potency of the Covenant as the Congress displayed, may the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, wherever they reside and whatever their personal circumstances, derive fresh courage and demonstrate new determination in carrying forward the momentum so magnificently reinforced by the astounding success of the proclamation raised in the City of the Covenant.

The Universal House of Justice

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

26 November 1992: To the Bahá’ís of the World

A full century has gone by since the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh was established and set in motion. And we extend to the members of His community our loving greetings as they are assembled today at the World Congress in New York and at auxiliary conferences on all continents, or as they otherwise participate in the observance of this centennial occasion.

We are particularly pleased that we have been afforded a special opportunity to pause for a moment, together with our fellow-believers, to gather our thoughts, to see how we have fared since 1892, and to consider where we are now headed. This enables us to engage in a symbolic act which by its very nature exemplifies the purpose of the Covenant―a Covenant intended by its divine Author to unite the races and nations of the earth.

Sublime emotions surge in our hearts as we survey the dramatic history and amazing progress of these one hundred years. At the time of the passing of Bahá’u’lláh, the Bahá’í community was contained within the borders of no more than fifteen countries, the vast majority of its members living in His native Iran. The community now embraces the entire planet. [ used in Historical] We rejoice at the spirit of unity which is evident in its steady consolidation through the workings of the Administrative Order to which the Covenant has given birth. Our cumulated experience has clearly demonstrated the efficacy of the Covenant. The genuine unity it induces greatly encourages our expectation that all of humanity can and will be united.

We have toiled to build a community at a period when the world has witnessed startling changes which have profoundly altered the character of society and plunged it into an unprecedented state of worry and confusion. Indeed, the world in its current condition has lost its bearings through the operation of forces it neither understands nor can control. It is a period in which great dynasties and empires have collapsed in rapid succession, in which powerful ideologies have captured the hearts of millions only to expire in infamy, in which two world wars wreaked havoc on civilized life as it was known at the beginning of the twentieth century.

23 November 1992: To the followers of Bahá’u’lláh attending the second Bahá’í World Congress

Dearly loved Friends,

With eager hopes and thankful hearts, we acclaim the convocation in New York of the second Bahá’í World Congress on the occasion of the worldwide celebration of the centenary of the inauguration of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh. That so wide a diversity of the human race as you represent has assembled at this commemorative event is in itself history-making and is, indeed, an impressive demonstration of the potency and potential of the Covenant as the instrument designed by the Lord of the Age for the unification and pacification of the nations and peoples of the earth. We rejoice with exceeding gladness, for your coming together in such variegated array is an affirmation of the efficacy of this sacred legacy―a fresh assurance that, despite recurrent trials and turmoil, its world-redeeming, world-revolutionizing purpose will ultimately be entirely realized.

Our emotions are deeply stirred as we reflect on the remarkable circumstances which heralded the birth of Bahá’u’lláh's Covenant. Melancholy and hopeful images alternatingly flash upon our mental screen: the tragic May night a century ago of the passing of Bahá’u’lláh, the Supreme Manifestation of God; the soul-crushing scenes of the grief-stricken many who converged on Bahjí to pay their respects to His memory; the atmosphere of abject desolation caused by the loss of One Who had been Father and incomparable Friend to all. But the setting of the Sun of Bahá gave rise to the appearance of the Orb of the Covenant. Thus the majestic Figure of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came to impress itself indelibly upon the consciousness of the faithful, consoling their spirits and brightening their outlook, because in Bahá’u’lláh's Book of the Covenant, the Kitáb-i-‘Ahd, this beloved Son was appointed His Successor and the Center of the Covenant. Thus was set in motion on the morrow of Bahá’u’lláh's ascension the divine process that will, during the course of the Bahá’í Dispensation, guarantee the fulfillment of His principal purpose for humankind, namely, the realization of its oneness.

19 November 1992: To the Participants of the First National Congress of the Bahá’ís of Bangladesh

At this auspicious time, when Bahá’ís throughout the world are celebrating the Day of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh we hail the participants in the first National Congress of the Bahá’ís of Bangladesh, who have gathered to pay tribute to the life-giving Teachings of our Faith and to enhance their role in the service of their country and the promotion of the unity of mankind.

The wonderful achievements of your community in recent years have demonstrated that the people of Bangladesh are endowed with great spiritual capacity enabling them to recognize divine truth when it is presented to them. Once enlisted under the banner of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, they become highly motivated and arise in the promotion of the Word of God and the cause of peace in this world. This augurs well for the progress and future prosperity of that nation.

The Bahá’í community of Bangladesh has already established itself in the annals of the Formative Age of our Faith as a staunch pillar of devotion and selfless endeavor in the service of the Cause, and this has been an inspiration to many. The freedom they enjoy in pursuing their beneficial activities is a credit to the farsightedness of the leaders of that country who are seeking to guide that nation into a brighter future.

One of the great challenges before the people of Bangladesh, and the Bahá’í community in particular, is to foster better understanding and amity between the various sectors of the population and to promote its social and economic development. The Bahá’ís must show by their actions that the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh not only create harmony and convey deep spiritual insights, but they also offer practical solutions to many problems of this age and are able to effect the much needed spiritual transformation, beginning at the grassroots level and embracing all strata of society.

You may be assured that prayers will be offered at the Sacred Threshold for the success of this historic gathering, and that we will beseech Bahá’u’lláh to grant success to the people of your country in their struggle for spiritual and material progress.

The Universal House of Justice

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

7 June 1992: To the Bahá’ís of the World

As we reflect on the events which a few days ago marked the commemoration in the Holy Land of the Centenary of the Ascension of Baha’u’llah, we feel impelled to express to the Bahá’í world our sense of wonderment at the exalted character of what transpired. The nature of the Anniversary was in itself awe-inspiring and evocative of profound emotion. But the gathering of some 3,000 Bahá’ís, including 113 Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, representing no less than 200 countries and dependent territories—the widest diversity of human beings ever to have assembled on a Bahá’í occasion—filled the eyes with the vision of a garden of humanity that overwhelmed the senses, inducing a spirit of beauty, joy and splendor. Bahjí was never more resplendent. And we offer prayers of thanksgiving to our beloved Lord that so fitting an assemblage could have been realized on this special Anniversary, indicating the amazing extent to which the pervasive power of His influence has triumphed throughout the world.

May the evident blessings flowing from this heavenly experience infuse the dear friends everywhere with new strength and fresh encouragement, emboldening their efforts and enlarging their capacity to proclaim the Name and promote the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh during the course of the Holy Year so auspiciously begun.

The Universal House of Justice

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

Ridván 1992: To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

At this Ridván season, with its inherent splendors and its initiation of unusual, eventful days, our hearts throb in wonderment, we kneel in homage to the King of Glory by Whose grace we have arrived at an auspicious juncture in the history of His Cause.

From the peak of triumph of the Six Year Plan now ended, we come to the threshold of the Holy Year, now begun, awestruck at the very thought of the unique significances associated with the commemoration of that sanctified occasion one hundred years ago when Bahá’u’lláh, the Promised One of all ages, took His leave of this earthly life. The Sun of Truth, however, was to set only to shine everlastingly from the “Kingdom of fadeless glory,” thenceforward to shed the radiance of its regenerative power on the entire world. Gone from this plane was He Who is the Author of a Revelation of “inconceivable greatness” in which “all the Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their final consummation”; the Originator of a new Universal Cycle “that must extend over a period of at least five hundred thousand years”; the Founder of a World Order, a “System—the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.” Moreover, He was the Dawning Point of the Day of God, the “Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured out upon men.” Such are the superlative realities upon which our contemplations are focused during this special anniversary occurring at this crucial moment in the affairs of humankind.

So imbued are we by the sacred remembrances evoked by this Holy Year, that we can do no less than invite you all to take pause to enter into this period of reflection, this time of reconsecration, this stage of preparation for tasks yet to be done, heights yet to be attained, splendors yet to be unveiled. For if we look back at one hundred years of an unexampled history of unremitting progress, we also look forward to many centuries of unfolding fulfillment of divine purpose—fulfillment, which as experience has shown, is incrementally realized through the systematic advances of Plans and the wondrous leaps and thrusts of epochs.

Indeed, the immediate portal to this propitious Holy Year is the vista of new horizons opened by the triumph of the Six Year Plan, which coincided with the initial phase of the fourth epoch of the Formative Age of our Faith. Overall it is not so much a triumph in numerical achievements, though in many places and at particular moments the scope of expansion was extraordinary. It is a triumph that has been manifested in a new variety of victories, in new beginnings, fresh initiatives and mature institutional developments, such as to stamp the seal of success on the Plan’s seven major objectives. Impossible as it is to enumerate in these few pages the results of the Plan, the main aspects of the developments in this remarkably dynamic period deserve, nonetheless, to be highlighted. The Bahá’í community changed markedly over the last six years. The major indicators are, no doubt, discernible to the friends everywhere and may be summed up thus: