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Shoghi Effendi

Arohanui: Letters to New Zealand

Table of contents · 95 passages
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(1) June 22nd, 1923

My dear Bahá’í sister,

Your beautiful letter of April 3rd written to the Beloved Guardian of the Cause of God, our dear Shoghi Effendi, was received.[+E1] He was much impressed and charmed with the spirit of your letter, which indicated deep devotion to and absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit of the Beloved Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

He instructed me with a heart overflowing with love to answer your letter, conveying to you his high estimation for the beauty of the faith of the New Zealand friends, and deep appreciation towards the splendid services of our dear Mr and Mrs Dunn,[+E2] who are so wonderfully blessed and assisted by the power of the Holy Ghost. He loves you all and prays for your happiness and spiritual growth.

It is true that your group is now still small, but he assures you that your group will before long grow larger and larger day by day. It has been always the case with the growth of every religion. Some pure soul or souls go to some land and sow the seeds of the heavenly teachings in the hearts of few who are most pure and so most receptive. The seeds will germinate and grow in them. The fruits of these seeds appear in the regeneration of the lives of these primary adherents. These primary adherents share the bounties they have received with other souls, who through them obtain new life and light and in turn illumine other people.

The primary adherents are the stars of great magnitude in every land in the firmament of the Kingdom of God. They are the chosen people. They are like candles which, through their sacrificial efforts, are weeping their lives away in order to give light to the world and establish the purpose of their Lord and Saviour, which purpose is the salvation of mankind. His Holiness, Jesus Christ! see how small the group of His disciples was! No matter how few the number of the disciples was, yet they through His power illumined the world. Our Era is similar to that, but through the development of humanity it is greater, and through the evils of the material civilization and negligence of mankind our sacrifices must be greater. Divine light must make itself manifest in our daily life deeds.

In the early days of the appearance of our Saviour, virtue was to save ourselves. When we are once established in our faith, then virtue is to save others. The three mottoes of education hold true in our case too. First grow, then become and then contribute. We have developed; we have established ourselves, and now it is time to contribute to others. We have inexhaustible capital. The candles of our spiritual lives constantly weep away their lives in shedding light to the world, but they never become exhausted. For there is connection between our lives and that of Bahá’u’lláh and our beloved ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

It cannot be described how much we long to see our dear New Zealand brethren and sisters. We hope the day will come when they can come to us and we to them. Meanwhile, we are praying at the Holy Threshold of our beloved Master for your success and happiness. We hope you will pray for us too. The effect of the prayers of the pure hearts is tremendously great.

Our dear Shoghi Effendi wants you not to look at your own capacity, but at the power of the Holy Ghost of God. He sends you all his loving greeting and tender affection.

With warm wishes and Bahá’í love, I remain,

Your humble brother in His love,

Azizullah S. Bahadur

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §2

(2) May 8th, 1925

Alláh-u-abhá

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Shoghi Effendi was very pleased to receive this morning your letter of 28th April, but we were very sorry to hear you have been ill and hope your health will soon be completely restored.[+E3] It was nice that you saw Shoghi’s sister and Soheil’s brother in London.

I forget whether I gave you the address of Mr and Mrs King, c/o Messrs Hayman and King, 202 Old Christchurch Rd. Bournemouth. They are very kind-hearted Bahá’ís and will be delighted to see any of you if you call. Both of them work in the business and you are most likely to see them if you call there. They live above the shop.

I gave you Sister Challis’s address at West Moors (Ferndown Lodge). You can get there by ’bus from Bournemouth Sq. or Lansdowne, which will drop you right at Sister Challis’s door (She keeps a nursing home) or you can go by train from West Bournemouth to West Moors station which is within 5 minutes’ walk of Ferndown Lodge. I hope you will be able to see her.

As I write, the Greatest Holy Leaf is on a visit to the Shrine of the Master. It is over a year, I think, since she has been able to visit the shrine and until now she has not seen the new Gardens, in the laying out of which Shoghi Effendi has taken such a deep interest. The Gardens are looking lovely now and it is easy to imagine how delighted she will be. One day during the feast of Ridván she and the Holy Mother were able to visit Bahjí and the Garden of Ridván.

I have quite recovered from my pleurisy now and am steadily regaining my strength.

Shoghi Effendi is still tired. I hope he will soon be able to take a rest.

All the friends here join in loving greetings and best wishes to yourself, your son and daughter, Miss Stevenson and Effie Baker.[+E4] With warmest greetings.

Your brother in the service of the Beloved,

J. E. Esslemont

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §3

(3) May 9th, 1925

Alláh-u-abhá

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Greatest Holy Leaf and Shoghi Effendi have asked me to answer on their behalf your kind letters of Apr. 2nd from Port Said and April 14th from London.

We were sorry to hear that Mrs Blundell got a chill on the steamer and was laid up for a few days after her arrival in London. We hope that by this time she is all right again. We had a note from her from Bournemouth.

You will be glad to hear that the Greatest Holy Leaf and the Holy Mother were able to motor to Bahjí and Ridván one day during the Feast of Ridván, and that yesterday the Greatest Holy Leaf motored to the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and saw the new Gardens in which Shoghi Effendi has been taking so much interest.

Yesterday a Dutchman arrived here from Port Said, the first Dutch Bahá’í, so far as we know. He has been a sincere and earnest truth-seeker for years. About 9 months ago he left his home at the Hague and walked on foot through Belgium, France and Italy. Then he felt some inward urge to go to Egypt, and travelled thither by a Dutch Cargo Steamer. When the steamer arrived at Port Said Mahmood Effendi, one of the Port Said Bahá’ís came on board and was introduced to Mesdag (the Dutchman). They struck up a friendship at once and after 2 days Mesdag went to live in Mahmood’s house. There he met Martha Root, Mr Schopflocher and various other Bahá’ís, read my book and became thoroughly interested and seems now already a firm believer. He has already, since his arrival yesterday morning, translated our 8-page folder into Dutch and we hope he will be able to do much to make the Cause known in Holland and win adherents there.

I have quite recovered from my pleurisy now and am feeling almost as vigorous as before the attack. Azizullah Bahadur is now in Stuttgart. There is as yet no improvement in his hand, but he is having skilled treatment now and we hope it will be successful. He seems to be having a very happy time with the German friends.

Shoghi Effendi is much in need of rest, but fairly well. He and all the members of the Holy Family join in loving greetings and heartfelt prayers for your welfare. We hope you will have a fine time in England and return to New Zealand refreshed and reinvigorated physically and spiritually to take up your work for the Kingdom there with new enthusiasm and devotion. We pray that you may always be guided and strengthened by the Divine Confirmations.

With love also to Effie Baker and all the other friends,

Your brother in the service of the Beloved,

J. E. Esslemont

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §4

(4) May 21st, 1925

Alláh-u-abhá

Dear Bahá’í Brother,

Shoghi Effendi has asked me to reply to your kind letter of 11th April. He is delighted to hear that you propose starting a Bahá’í Magazine for Australia and New Zealand and suggests as a suitable title “The Herald of the South”. Every 19 days a letter will be sent from Haifa to Mr and Mrs Hyde Dunn giving the news of the Cause. Owing to the restricted facilities for multiplying copies which are at present available here, I fear it will not be possible to send another copy to you, but doubtless you can arrange with Mr and Mrs Hyde Dunn to have their copy passed on to you for the magazine. We are glad to hear that notwithstanding the absence of the Blundells and Margaret Stevenson, the friends in New Zealand are remaining united and active. We hope that when the pilgrims return the faith and enthusiasm of the believers will be greatly deepened and strengthened and that many new believers may be attracted. I had a long letter from Effie Baker yesterday. She is very devoted and whole-hearted and will be a valuable worker for the Cause, I think, and a great help to Father and Mother Dunn. When she wrote, Margaret Stevenson had gone to Scotland and Mrs and Miss Blundell were in Bournemouth. Effie Baker hopes to make a return visit to Haifa on her way back to Australia.

Shoghi Effendi assures you of his prayers on behalf of your mother, yourself and all the Australasian friends and his hopes that the proposed Magazine may greatly help the spread of the Glad Tidings in Australia and New Zealand.

With warmest greetings and best wishes,

Yours sincerely in the Master’s service,

J. E. Esslemont

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §5

(5) May 28th, 1925

Alláh-u-abhá.

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Shoghi Effendi asks me to thank you on his behalf for your letter of 14th May. He received the letter of Mrs. Amy Thornton all right. I remember answering it for him some weeks ago, so you can set your mind at rest on that score.

The recovery of your Bahá’í ring and stones was very remarkable. It reminds me of a somewhat similar occurrence in Bournemouth. One of our Bahá’í friends had her Bahá’í ring stolen, and nothing was heard or seen of it for some months. Mr King, another of our group, has an antique shop in Bournemouth and one day his partner (a non-Bahá’í) bought a ring from a man who said it was his wife’s, but as they had become very badly off she wanted to sell it. When Mr King saw the ring he recognized it as a Bahá’í ring and knowing that this friend had lost her ring, he sent it to me. It turned out to be her ring and she was delighted to recover it. The curious thing is that out of the dozens of jewellers and antique shops in Bournemouth to which the ring might have been taken for sale, it should be taken to the one where there was a Bahá’í who recognized it.

I hope that before you leave Scotland you may be able to go to Aberdeen and see my home people. They would be delighted to see you. My father’s address is Fairford, Cults, (about 3 miles from Aberdeen, by car or train). He is 86 years of age and rather frail. My sister looks after him. My two married brothers are Peter Esslemont, 21, Louisville Avenue (Business: John E. Esslemont, 16 King Street) and W.D.E., 12 Wellbrae Terr., Mannofield. Both of their houses are near the Mannofield Car Line.

We were very glad to hear of your meetings with the friends at London and West Moors.

Many thanks for your letter to myself and the excellent snap-shots enclosed. I am glad you have fallen in love with Sister Challis and hope you will see her again before you leave. I had a delightful letter yesterday from Miss Kilford of West Moors, whom I regard as a Bahá’í grand-daughter, as she was brought into the Cause by Sister Challis who calls me her Bahá’í father!

We hope Shoghi Effendi will get away soon for a much needed rest. The Greatest Holy Leaf was rather seriously ill last week, but is a good deal better again, although very feeble and frail.

I have been advised by the Drs to leave Haifa for the summer months, as my breathing has lately been troublesome and they think the moist heat during the summer here would be bad for me. On the same day on which this decision was arrived at, I received a cordial invitation to go to a place in the Black Forest for my summer vacation. The Drs considered this place would be ideal for me and that the sooner I got away the better, so I leave in 3 days time. My address will be c/o Frau Victoria von Sigsfeld, Husli, Finsterlingen, bei St Blaisien, Baden, Germany. I hope to return to Haifa in the latter part of Sept. to resume my work here.

Shoghi Effendi, the members of the Holy Household and the friends here join in loving greetings and best wishes.

Your brother in the service of the Beloved,

J. E. Esslemont

Mrs Schopflocher arrived here last night after a very successful tour in Russia, Persia and Iraq.

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §6

(6) November 4th, 1925

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Shoghi Effendi received your kind letter and wishes me to acknowledge its receipt. He hopes that on your return to New Zealand you will obtain divine assistance in your services to the Cause. That land has been newly opened to the Bahá’í Movement. The work of the friends therefore, interesting and useful as it may be, is hard and most exacting to one’s patience and energy. It needs great perseverance to obtain a hearing among the people and draw their attention to this Blessed Cause. But once that that has been obtained and the way smoothed then progress becomes increasingly great and the fruits of your labours appreciated.

Shoghi Effendi is very glad that you have enjoyed your trip to England. The Friends there though they are few in number, are full of love and affection, one cannot but feel at home among them.

Shoghi Effendi thanks Miss Nora Lee for the kind contribution she has made to the Cause. It will be spent for the progress of this movement so dear to the heart of us all. Enclosed there will be a receipt for that amount.

Shoghi Effendi and the other members of the family send you their best Bahá’í love and greeting and wish you success in your services to the Cause.

Your brother in His Name,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §7

(8) March 4th, 1926

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Your letter to Shoghi Effendi and the enclosed one to Ruhi with the postal order for £10 have been received and read with keen interest and pleasure.

We are all very happy to know that you have had such a pleasant journey back home and that you had the opportunity of delivering the message on so many occasions. We hope and pray that the seed you have sown has fallen on fertile soil and that in time it will grow and bear abundant fruit.

We hope that now through your sustained zeal and effort new life will be infused into your small Bahá’í group, and that it will in the near future grow sufficiently in number to enable you to form an assembly the first to be established in that land. We shall pray at the Holy Threshold for your guidance and the success of your work.

The Greatest Holy Leaf and the Holy Mother remember you well, and they and the other members of the family send their loving greetings to you.

You will be interested to know that the new pilgrim house is being completed, and it will be all ready in a month time for the new pilgrims that will come.

We still have our dear sister Effie Baker with us, and we all love her so; she is so sweet and helpful.

We have just now two American lady friends with us, Auntie Victoria Bedekian and Mrs R. Kehler--very fine Bahá’ís they are and we are expecting some more soon.

I always remember the happy day I spent with you and Effy in London and shall look forward to the pleasure of meeting you again some day--perhaps here in Haifa or in New Zealand, who knows?

I am back at home now for the present, and I am trying to help Shoghi Effendi a little in his enormous task.

He is keeping in good health I am glad to say in spite of his many activities and heavy and manifold responsibilities.

To you he sends his brotherly love and the assurance of his prayers for your welfare and happiness.

With all good wishes and loving greetings,

Your sister in His Service,

Ruh-Anguiz Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §9

(9) April 3rd, 1926

Dear Spiritual Sister:--

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated January 24, 1926.

He hopes that after this long vacation you have had you are ready to begin spreading the Cause in New Zealand with even greater energy than before. The people there seem to be broad in their outlook, receptive to any idea which helps the human family from decreasing its burden.

Shoghi Effendi was most chagrined to hear of the sudden death of your son and wishes me to extend to you his deepest love and sympathy.

There is no special news here except that we have removed to the new pilgrim house. Miss Baker is well and very busy entertaining the friends and arranging the new home.

Shoghi Effendi as well as the other members of the family are well and send you their love and greetings. They earnestly pray for your success and hope to hear, before long, the news of your many victories in the field of services to the Cause.

Please convey my loving greetings to your son and daughter.

Yours most sincerely,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §10

(10) August 12th, 1926

My very dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi has been in receipt of your interesting letter dated June 7, 1926. It is a great pity that your health has more or less handicapped you in your service to the Cause. We, however, hope that this weakness will soon vanish and your health and strength be fully restored.

The case of the teacher who has been in Palestine is one really to be lamented. All such persons instead of procuring their information from the very source, when they are so near to it, they go to the Missionaries who are undoubtedly biased. They are immediately told that the Cause is nothing more than a sect of Islam; a Movement that may do immense good to the Muḥammadan world, but far from ranking with Christianity or satisfying its needs. Then they refer this ignorant and innocent person to books such as Brown’s. It is their fault for having gone to the wrong source for proper information, but once they have gone it is not their mistake to have been misled. We have heard of many such instances and there is absolutely no remedy except to leave them until they find the truth for themselves. We can only pray for their guidance.

Shoghi Effendi always prays for you as well as the other Auckland friends, so that through your combined efforts the Cause may prosper there, and obtain a strong position in the life of the people. I am not the least familiar with the social conditions there, but I am sure there is a ready field for active service.

Yours in His Name,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §11

(11) August 12th, 1926

My dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated June 7, 1926. It was most interesting to go over your circular letter and read the many points of interest. I was especially struck by the literature you have sent to Lord and Lady Allenby. If they have at all seen them I am sure they were much impressed, for they knew the Master so well. They were surely very astonished to see a group of Bahá’ís formed in such a distant land.

I am very ashamed of myself not to have yet answered your letter of some months ago. It was mainly because Shoghi Effendi wrote you and acknowledged the receipt of your contribution for the pilgrim house that I have been so neglectful. I took Miss Baker’s advice on the matter and together we went down-town and bought a set of straw chairs. We thought that would be most appreciated by the friends while sitting in the veranda of the new Pilgrim House.

I remember a prayer, which you wrote, has been asked by a certain friend to be read daily. I believe sometimes the friends through their zeal and ardour do things that are not asked in the Cause. We have only one prayer that we have to say daily. No one in the world has the power, given to him by Bahá’u’lláh to add another to that daily prayer. If we should admit this the life of the friends will soon be spent in mere prayer, which is not the aim of the Cause. The healing prayer and such ones are only for occasional use when the need arises.

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to extend to you his hearty greetings and assure you of his prayers.

Yours in His Name,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §12

(12) August 25th, 1926

Dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated June 14th 1926, and also thank, through you, the Auckland friends for their kind contribution.

He wishes me to assure you and them of his earnest prayers. He hopes that through your constant endeavours the Cause will progress rapidly in that city and make the spirit of the movement permeate throughout the land. Though your number is still comparatively small yet through divine guidance and the Master’s ever wakeful spirit you will soon add many to your group and make of it a power for goodness which will attract all attention.

With best wishes and kindest greetings I remain,

Yours ever sincerely,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §13

(13) September 18th, 1926

Dear Spiritual Brother:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated July 18, 1926. He was very glad to learn of the encouraging prospects you have for your “Herald of the South”. He hopes that it will daily progress and add to its importance in drawing the attention of the people there. A good periodical fully representative of the spirit and teachings of the Cause is the greatest help the Movement can have in establishing itself in a country. So though difficulties may be found at the outset, we should bear them patiently and await that the future should give us our reward.

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to extend to you his loving greetings and assure you, as well as your mother and Mr Brewer, of his constant prayers. He hopes that through your combined efforts the Herald of the South will soon realise its aim and purpose.

Yours in His Service,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §14

(14) October 23rd, 1926

Dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 11–9-26. He was most gratified to learn that the Cause is becoming more and more known and appreciated by the people in New Zealand. This is as important as the actual increase of the number of the friends, for it means that the principles are gradually permeating the thoughts of the people and making them more ready and receptive to the full identification of their beliefs with the precepts of the Cause.

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to assure you of his prayers for you as well as for the other friends in New Zealand. He hopes that they will increase both in number as well as in spiritual understanding and insight. The reports that we occasionally receive from there are most encouraging and hopeful. It seems that the people there due to their breadth of mind and lack of traditional draw-backs show better prospect than many other places.

With deepest loving greetings,

Yours in His Name,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §15

(15) November 3rd, 1926

Dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated September 13th 1926. He was most gratified to read the nice and encouraging news it contained.[+E5] He hopes that the “Herald of the South” will daily increase in importance and now that it is coming out in printed form, obtain a great number of readers. You should try from the very start to maintain a high standard for its articles. They should be broad in view, clear in style and scholarly in their development of the different subjects. In short the ‘public’ should be taught to consider it as a paper fully worthwhile to read and meditate upon. Shoghi Effendi will remember in his prayers all those who are working in this noble field of service.

Shoghi Effendi desires that you should extend his loving greetings to all the friends in Auckland. He hopes that through their endeavours and the Master’s invisible guiding hand they will succeed to raise the standard of the Cause in that land to such heights that it will arouse the interest of all the seeking souls and in due time win their support.

The members of the Master’s family are well and send you their loving greetings.

Yours in His Service,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §16

(16) January 11th, 1927

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Our beloved Guardian has asked me to write to you for him. He is very pleased with your letter of Dec. 8th which reached him on Jan. 10th and he is very glad to hear of your activities in New Zealand. He will pray earnestly that your sincere efforts to make Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation widely known will bring forth much fruit and have a great result. In the newer countries minds are more open, and the people more ready and willing to receive this Great Message.

With regard to the Queen of Rumania’s 3 articles--he will see that you receive them correctly. He considers the last one in which she acknowledges Muḥammad as a true Prophet of God to have great importance for the East and especially in Persia. This evening, I personally have had a most interesting conversation with Dr. Habíb of Kermanshah[+E6] who is now on a visit to Shoghi Effendi with his wife and little girl. He was telling us of the continued fanaticism of the Moslems of Persia--and how during two periods of the year especially, the fanatical Mullahs preach against the Bahá’ís from their pulpits--saying to the ignorant “No matter what evil things you have done during your life, or what sins you have committed, if you kill a Bahá’í who is an enemy of Islam, or even if you take his property or severely injure him, all your own sins will be wiped out and forgiven for the sake of this good deed of destroying an enemy of the Faith!!”--in this way they incite the people to deeds of violence and persecution. He said that the Bahá’í teachings are spreading rapidly amongst the more educated classes--but it is difficult to teach the very poor and ignorant fanatical people--tho’ when they do become Believers, they are very strong and faithful. The 2 periods of particular danger for the Bahá’ís in Persia are the fast month and the period of Moharram[+E7]--which lasts for 8 weeks.

Shoghi Effendi is very interested to hear of the engagement of your son to a Bahá’í young lady--and he prays that in future they may do a great work for the “Cause”. He hopes so much that you will recover your full health and strength, and he will pray especially for that. It is good to know that Esperanto is increasingly studied in New Zealand.

He will certainly pray for Miss Palter and her Mother as you ask him to do--and also for your dear son and your two daughters. Please accept all best wishes from myself and Believe me

Yours in His Service,

Ethel J. Rosenberg

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §17

(17) January 30th, 1927

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to thank you for the M.O. for £1--which he has safely received, sent for the help of the sufferers in Persia.

He is himself sending this money to the Nat. Assembly in Teheran, and has requested them to send him the receipt for it--When he receives their receipt he will forward it to you, and urges you to give it to the friend who sent the money. The Persian friends will be very much pleased at receiving this kind remembrance and help from far distant New Zealand!

With love and warm Bahá’í greetings from the holy household and the friends here, to the dear friends in Auckland.

In the Master’s Service,

Sincerely Yours,

Ethel J. Rosenberg

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §18

(18) May 13th, 1927

My dear Bahá’í Sister,

I take pleasure in thanking you on behalf of my dear Guardian for your letter of April 5th.

As a far away outpost of the Bahá’í Faith in New Zealand, he is always delighted to hear from Auckland and especially yourself and your promising Assembly there. You own a warm spot in his heart and he is looking forward to the day when through the efforts of the Auckland Assembly, centres will be established in every town in New Zealand. A firm faith and a golden heart is yours, there still remains to turn other hearts into gold.

Miss Butler is well and often thinks of you. Assuring you of our Guardian’s prayers and the love and best wishes of the family who always remember you.

Ever yours in His Service,

Soheil Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §19

(19) June 4th, 1929

Dear Spiritual Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of Feb. 14th. He always feels great pleasure to obtain some news from the friends of that distant land and he hopes and prays that through God’s blessings and your constant endeavours the Cause will develop in New Zealand and bring into its fold many sincere and devoted souls.

The news that we daily obtain from the different parts of the world bring in wonderful news of the progress of the Movement. The world is gradually appreciating the significance of this Movement which has been for so long misunderstood and denounced.

Yours ever sincerely,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §20

(20) October 4th, 1930

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated April 6th 1930 written from London. He was very happy to learn that wherever you have been you have received wonderful reception from the friends. Surely, it is only through such acts of hospitality that the true spirit of the Cause is manifested.

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to assure you of his prayers and extend to you his hope that wherever you go you will feel the divine help and guidance. He hopes that in America you will experience the true spirit of love that animates the friends there and that you will give them Shoghi Effendi’s greetings.

Yours ever sincerely,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §21

(21) May 18th, 1931

My dear Bahá’í Sister:

I thank you on behalf of the Guardian for your letter of April 16th.

He was very glad to know that you are now on your way to England by way of America and he hopes that you will find the occasion and the means of visiting the friends and making permanent connections with them. Bertram will of course be delighted to meet you and we hope he is successful in his work there.

I suppose you have all the London addresses as the friends there would be delighted to meet you. Of course if you do decide to visit Haifa on your way back, Shoghi Effendi wishes me to assure you of a most hearty welcome.

With his loving greetings to you all and to the young couple in England and with much love from all here.

Sincerely yours,

Soheil Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §22

(22) December 17th, 1931

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated Dec. 2nd 1931. He is very sorry that you cannot on your way to New Zealand, break your journey and come over for a short visit to Haifa. But these are such difficult days that we should not be astonished and discouraged if our plans fail. He hopes however that on your way you will meet the friends, especially those in Port Said, for we have no centers in Haifa and Colombo.

He was also very sorry to hear that Bertram has to give up his studies and return home. Shoghi Effendi hopes that this period he spent in America would be itself an education that would help him in his work in serving the Cause. His activities with the young people there should have made him very experienced and have deepened his understanding of the Faith.

I believe Mrs Dunn is planning to come this spring for a visit to Haifa. Perhaps you will meet her before she starts, Shoghi Effendi is eagerly waiting to see this noble soul who introduced the Cause into Australia and has been so self-sacrificing in her services.

Shoghi Effendi hopes that on returning home you will start again to serve the Cause and attract new souls. The world is in great distress and its only salvation is in the spirit and teachings of the Blessed Beauty. Let us not, we who are the trustees of that divine message, fail in accomplishing our task and fulfilling our purpose.

Assuring you of Shoghi Effendi’s best wishes I remain

Yours ever sincerely,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §23

(23) April 29th, 1933

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Shoghi Effendi wishes me to thank you[+E8] for your kind letter of March 16th 1933, as well as the enclosed article which has been translated by Mr. Paul into the Maori language.

The Guardian has already written Mr. Paul and expressed to him his deep appreciation for the service he has rendered to the Faith, but especially to his own people who through the means of such literature will be acquainted with the teachings and will receive the light of guidance brought to the world by Bahá’u’lláh.

I believe the Guardian has already intimated his approval of this pamphlet and the desire that the friends in Australia publish and circulate it among the Maoris.

As regards the passages in the sacred writings indicating the wrath of God; Shoghi Effendi says that the Divinity has many attributes: He is loving and merciful but also just. Just as reward and punishment, according to Bahá’u’lláh, are the pillars upon which society rests, so mercy and justice may be considered as their counterpart in the world to come. Should we disobey God and work against His commands He will view our acts in the light of justice and punish us for it. That punishment may not be in the form of fire, as some believe, but in the form of spiritual deprivation and degradation. This is why we read so often in the prayers statements such as “God do not deal with us with justice, but rather through thy infinite mercy.” The wrath of God is in the administration of His justice, both in this world and in the world to come. A God that is only loving or only just is not a perfect God. The divinity has to possess both of these aspects as every father ought to express both in his attitude towards his children. If we ponder a while, we will see that our welfare can be insured only when both of these divine attributes are equally emphasised and practiced.

In closing may I express the Guardian’s loving greetings and best wishes for the progress of your work in serving the Cause.

Yours ever sincerely,

Ruhi Afnan

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §24

(24) September 1st, 1933

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

Shoghi Effendi has directed me to address you these few lines, acknowledging the receipt of your welcome letter of July 20th, 33, which he has read with deepest interest. He was gratified to learn that you have newly embraced the Cause and that you are earnestly endeavouring to spread it through every possible means. It is on young and active Bahá’ís, like you, that the Guardian centers all his hopes for the future progress and expansion of the Cause and it is on their shoulders that he lays all the responsibility for the upkeep of the spirit of selfless service among their fellow-believers. Without that spirit, no work can be successfully achieved. With it triumph, though hardly-won, is but inevitable. You should, therefore, try all your best to carry aflame within you the torch of faith, for through it you will surely find guidance, strength and eventual success.

The Guardian is fully conscious of the difficulties that impede the progress of the Faith in your community. Chief among these, you mention the lack of courage and of initiative on the part of the believers, and a feeling of inferiority complex which prevents them from addressing the public. It is precisely these weaknesses that he wishes the friends to overcome, for these do not only paralyze their efforts but actually serve to quench the flame of faith in their hearts. Not until all the friends come to realize that every one of them is able, in his own measure, to deliver the Message, can they ever hope to reach the goal that has been set before them by a loving and wise Master. It is no use waiting for some able and eloquent teacher to take all the responsibility for the spread of the Cause. For such a thing is not only contrary to the spirit of the Teachings but to the explicit text of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, both of whom place the obligation of teaching not on any particular class, as in former ecclesiastical organizations, but on every faithful and loyal follower of the Cause. The teaching of the Word is thus made universal and compulsory. How long then shall we wait to carry out this command, the full wisdom of which only future generations will be able to appreciate? We have no special teachers in the Cause. Everyone is a potential teacher. He has only to use what God has given him and thus prove that he is faithful to his trust.

Visiting teachers, who are, at least in a general way, supposed to be more competent and able than the rest, are undoubtedly of a great help. But these can never replace the mass of individual believers and fulfil what must be inevitably accomplished through the collective effort and wisdom of the community at large. What visiting teachers are supposed to do is to give the final touch to the work that has been done, to consolidate rather than supplement individual efforts and thereby direct them in a constructive and suitable channel. Their task is to encourage and inspire individual believers, and to broaden and deepen their vision of the task that is to be done. And this, not by virtue of any inherent spiritual right, but in the spirit of simple and whole-hearted cooperation.

It is in this light that Shoghi Effendi views the whole problem of teaching not only in New Zealand but in all the Bahá’í world. He would, therefore, encourage you to take a leading part in the carrying out of his wishes on this point, to take yourself an active interest in teaching, not only private but also public, and in this way stimulate the friends to follow your example. It is then, and only then, that there can be a need for a qualified and competent visiting teacher in order to bring to full fruition individual teaching efforts.

Assuring you of our Guardian’s fervent prayers on your behalf, so that you may be increasingly blessed in your efforts for the spread of the Message.

Yours in His Service,

H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §25

(25) June 13th, 1934

Dear Bahá’í Brother,

The Guardian has duly received and deeply enjoyed reading your letters dated November 30th, December 27th, 1933 and February 4th, 1934. He is sorry that unforeseen circumstances have caused such a long delay in acknowledging their receipt. He hopes, however, that the matters you have submitted for his consideration have not suffered as a result.

Since your last letter to him, he has heard of the gratifying news of the formation of your N.S.A. This historic step in the development of the Administration in Australia and New Zealand is, he feels, bound to react favourably on the further expansion and consolidation of the Faith in these far-off lands. He is fervently supplicating Bahá’u’lláh that the newly-elected members of the N.S.A., upon whom has been placed such a tremendous responsibility, be assisted in the discharge of their sacred obligations and duties to the Faith.

Yours in His Service,

H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §26

(26) December 22nd, 1934

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Guardian was profoundly grieved to learn of the passing away of your dear mother, and has directed me to convey to you and to the bereaved members of your family, his heartfelt condolences and sympathy for this severe loss which you have sustained.

Mrs Blundell’s departure is, indeed, a loss not only to her family, but also to the community of her fellow-believers in New Zealand. For in her they have come to lose one of their oldest and most distinguished co-workers.

The Guardian well remembers her pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and has always cherished the hope that she would once more be enabled to visit the shrines. But alas, her departed soul has taken its flight from this world, leaving her friends and relatives in a state of profoundest grief. Their only consolation now is the realization that through her painstaking and sustained labours for the Cause in Auckland Mrs Blundell has left an abiding monument to her memory, and one which will continue for many years to come to inspire and strengthen them all in their collective endeavours for the establishment of the Faith in New Zealand.

Shoghi Effendi is fervently praying for the soul of our departed sister, and is entreating Bahá’u’lláh to give her her full share of divine blessings in the other world.

May I also assure you of his ardent supplications for you, and for all the friends in Auckland.

Yours in His Service,

H. Rabbani

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §27

(27) January 21st, 1935

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Shoghi Effendi has just been in receipt of your kind letter of the fourteenth of December last, and has read its contents with deep interest and gratification. It made him so happy, indeed, to learn that you are pursuing your activities for the Faith with such steadfastness and self-sacrifice, and also that through your beautiful and loving spirit those members of your family who have not yet embraced the Faith are being gradually attracted to it. He is ardently entreating Bahá’u’lláh that through your inspiration and guidance their interest in the Teachings may wax stronger and lead them to eventually espouse His Cause.

With reference to the suggestion made by Mr Alexander for taking a record of the Guardian’s voice, he wishes me to inform you that although he fully appreciates the spirit in which this and similar suggestions are made to him he is, nevertheless, extremely reluctant that the believers should give any prominence to his writings, specially in the meetings which, he is firmly convinced, should be chiefly devoted to the reading and study of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and the Master.

In closing will you kindly convey his greetings and appreciation to all the friends in Auckland, and particularly to the members of your family who, he hopes, will be assisted and sustained in their labours for the spread of the Message.

Yours in His Service,

H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §28

(28) February 5th, 1935

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Guardian has just received your kind message of the second of January last, and wishes me to thank you for it.

It comforted him greatly to learn that, despite the severe loss which you have sustained through the passing away of your mother, you are still engaged as actively as before in the work which you have set your heart to accomplish for the Cause in Auckland. The agonies of her earthly separation from you, difficult though they may be to bear, will assuredly be transmuted through the blessings of Bahá’u’lláh into a peaceful and abiding joy. In serving a Cause for which your mother sacrificed so much you will no doubt come to find the very purpose of your life, and the true secret of happiness in this, as well as in the next world.

The Guardian is fervently praying for you and for your brother, that you both may be strengthened and guided in your services to the Cause, and in this way continue and enrich still further the noble heritage which your mother has left for the Faith in New-Zealand.

With loving Bahá’í greetings to you and to all the friends in Auckland.

Yours in His Service,

H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §29

(29) May 20th, 1936

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Many thanks indeed from the Guardian for your welcome message of April 17th just received. He would certainly be delighted to meet you in Haifa next year, and hopes that your visit to the Holy Shrines will give you a fresh vigour and a renewed determination to carry on your work for the Cause. He specially cherishes the hope that your trip to England will be of great benefit to you, and also to our English believers. They will be only too happy to welcome you in their midst, and will thoroughly appreciate any assistance which you may give them during your sojourn in England.

The Guardian has learned with deep gratification of the news of the teaching work carried on by the Auckland believers. He wishes you to kindly assure them all of his best wishes and fervent prayers for the success of their labours. May Bahá’u’lláh bless, guide and strengthen them in every step they are taking for the spread of His Faith and the consolidation of its institutions in this far-off land.

Assuring you too of his special prayers on your behalf at the Holy Shrines, and with warmest greetings,

Yours in His Service,

H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §30

(30) September 30th, 1936

Beloved Bahá’í Sister,

Your welcome letter dated August 17th has been received and read with deepest appreciation by the Guardian.

May I again express his sincere hope that your long-cherished desire to visit the Holy Shrines may be fulfilled very soon, and that through this pilgrimage you may attain a renewed zeal and vigour, as well as a new vision of the task you are called upon to accomplish for the Faith in New-Zealand.

In closing let me assure you and your fellow-workers in Auckland of his profound appreciation of your determination to press forward the work in the teaching field. He is ardently praying for the guidance and success of your labours.

With warmest greetings,

Yours in His Service,

H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §31

(31) December 7th, 1936

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Guardian is in receipt of your letter of the fifth November, and exceedingly regrets that, owing to certain family difficulties, you have found it necessary to cancel your trip to the Holy Land. He is specially grieved to learn of the many cares and sorrows with which your daughter has been so sadly afflicted of late, and wishes me to hasten to convey to you his most loving sympathy, as well as the assurance of his prayers for the removal of the family troubles with which you are beset. He fervently hopes that these afflictive trials confronting you and your beloved daughter will all serve to quicken your spiritual energies, and that the outcome of it all will be to open before you new horizons of service, and fresh fields for teaching the Message. May Bahá’u’lláh give you patience to courageously withstand these tests, and full guidance to use them as a means to more active, concentrated and selfless service to His Cause. Do assure, therefore, your daughter not to feel disheartened, but to confidently endeavour to overcome her domestic sorrows and cares.

In closing may I express the Guardian’s hope that, as soon as your family problems are solved, you may be able to undertake your long-cherished pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines. He is ardently praying for the materialization of your hopes and plans in this connection.

It is a pleasure to learn of the successful visit of Mr Schopflocher to Auckland, and of the warm welcome he has been accorded by you and the friends. This is a true evidence of the strong ties of fellowship so closely uniting the friends throughout the world, and of the deep affection which the believers in New-Zealand cherish for their fellow-believers in every region and clime.

With renewed and warmest greetings to you and to the friends in Auckland,

Yours in the Guardian’s Service,

H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §32

(32) November 8th, 1937

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Many thanks for your letter of September 16th addressed to our beloved Guardian. He is most pleased indeed to hear of Miss Holloway’s interest in the Cause and appreciates keenly your efforts for bringing about her full confirmation in the Faith. He is, at your suggestion, writing her directly and giving her the addresses of some individuals and centers in South Africa. He hopes that through contact with the friends her interest in the Teachings will be considerably increased and she will be stimulated to help in spreading their knowledge throughout South Africa.

The Guardian wishes you to keep in closest touch with her through correspondence, and to send her suitable literature on the Cause, and to endeavour to make her join actively the Faith.

Again with many thanks for introducing this lady who indeed seems to be a most promising worker, and with loving greetings to all the friends in Auckland.

Yours ever in His Service,

H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §33

(33) May 17th, 1938

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

The Guardian is in receipt of your letter of the 19th ins., and is indeed pleased to know that your visit to Cairo has been so happy and successful, and that the friends have extended to you such a warm hospitality all through your stay.[+E9]

He hopes this letter will find you well, and enjoying your visit to your relatives and fellow-believers in England.

With loving remembrances, and renewed thanks for your message,

Yours in His Service,

H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §34

(34) December 20th, 1938

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

Your very cordial message of the 17th November addressed to our beloved Guardian has duly reached him, and he has noted with keen appreciation indeed the desire you had expressed of visiting the Holy Shrines on your way back to New-Zealand.

As you must have surely read in the newspapers, however, the general situation in Palestine is at present so gravely disturbed as to make it quite impossible for you to undertake this trip in the next few months, and in view of this the Guardian would advise that you postpone your visit until the November of next year, by which time, it is hoped, the situation throughout the country will have sufficiently improved to permit you to undertake this long-cherished pilgrimage. The Guardian, needless to say, would be also most delighted to meet you, and to hear from you directly of the news of the Cause in New-Zealand, and to discuss certain matters which the N.S.A. has asked you to present to him for his instructions.

Regarding your question whether there is any special ceremony which the believers should perform when they wish to “name” a baby; the Teachings do not provide for any ceremony whatever on such occasions. We have no “baptismal service” in the Cause, such as the Christians have. There would be no objection, however, for the friends to come together on such happy occasions, provided they do not hold an official public ceremony, and provided also they strictly avoid uniformity and rigidity in all such practices. No rule whatsoever that would tend to be rigid and uniform should be allowed in such secondary matters, particularly as there are no specific instructions in the Teachings regarding them.

With the warmest good wishes of the Guardian to you and to the friends, and assuring you again of his hearty welcome to visit the Holy Shrines during next autumn, and with greetings,

Yours in His Service,

H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §35

(35) March 20th, 1939

Dear Bahá’í Sister,

I am directed by our beloved Guardian to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated February 25th, informing him of the date of your departure from England, and your inability to defer your visit to Haifa till next November. He regrets indeed that you should find it impossible to extend your stay in Europe and come to Palestine in autumn, as the situation here is now so tense and dangerous that there seems very little hope of any real amelioration in security conditions to take place by next May. General conditions throughout the country are, at present, even worse than a month ago, and the tension is daily increasing.

In case, however, security is reestablished by the time you reach Port-Said, you would be welcome to visit the Shrines, but the Guardian would be still away.

Wishing you again a successful and happy return home, and with the renewed assurance of the Guardian’s prayers for your welfare, protection and guidance,

Yours most sincerely,

H. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §36

(36) August 3rd, 1941

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Shoghi Effendi has instructed me to answer your letter to him of May 10th, which just came.

He was, as already expressed in the cable he sent you, greatly impressed by the statement in the Quarterly on the true Bahá’í attitude at the present time. It displayed a correctness of viewpoint, a courage, and a loyalty to Bahá’u’lláh which has led him to disseminate it far and wide: in the American News Letter, in the two Haifa News Letters, English and Persian, etc. It was indeed a timely and most noble contribution to the Faith.

The friends in both Australia and New Zealand seem to have developed a most outstanding soundness in their relation to the teachings. This leads Shoghi Effendi to believe that they will make great contributions to the unfoldment of the world-wide aspects of the Faith.

His prayers are always with you, and he most deeply appreciates the splendid services you are rendering the Cause, and will pray that the way will open for you to do even greater work and in an ever widening field.

Please assure all the dear friends of Auckland of his loving remembrance and his prayers for their work.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §37

(37) December 19th, 1947

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated Dec. 12th has been received, and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf. The previous letter you mention cannot have reached him, as he always replies to letters from the friends.

Your book[+E10] touches on a very important subject, and he regrets that he cannot read it himself. His work is so pressing and multiplying so fast that he invariably refuses to go over the manuscripts the friends send him as he simply cannot attend to such things as well as all his other work. You should send it to the Reviewing Com. in the U.S.A. and ask their advice. Perhaps an outside publisher would be interested in it? The Bahá’í funds have such heavy demands made on them at present that even essential literature must often wait to be published, unfortunately.

He fully appreciates the fact that the believers locally, in different parts of the world, often feel that their political party is in many ways striving to accomplish ideals akin to our Bahá’í aims--but the fact remains that the only way for the Bahá’ís to preserve their international character, their unity and integrity, is for them individually to sacrifice these desired political affiliations for the universal good and protection of the Faith. There is no political party in existence with whose platform we wholly agree, and we must abstain from membership in such parties. Likewise people who join the Faith must have the courage and conviction to leave their political affiliations behind.

There is no reason why this should cause enmity as they are not joining another party, but a universal Faith striving for the advancement of the entire human race. He thinks there is very little possibility of any politician joining the Faith. The sacrifice of such individuals’ personal ambitions is too great a one for them to make. The condition of the world today is such that it is obvious no political solution to its problems is going to be found. We Bahá’ís must therefore concentrate on Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order--the true solution.

He assures you he will pray your teaching labours may be very successful. He will also pray for your dear mother’s welfare.

With warmest greetings,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §38

(38) November 23rd, 1949

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter of October 28 has been received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

First, let me say how very deeply he appreciates the services you have been rendering our glorious Faith in Australia, and particularly Perth, during the past two years. Your trip has been of real assistance to the teaching work, and it pleased him greatly.

Regarding Mr. ...: it was with the approval of the Guardian that his name was removed from the voting list. It is very bad for the Cause to have a member of the Community, actively, in the public eye, teaching the Faith, and at the same time showing dishonest characteristics. We cannot possibly say that because a person also has many virtues, faults as grave as lying and dishonourable conduct regarding money, can be overlooked! This means that we tolerate as representatives of our Faith people who flagrantly disobey its laws and fundamental teachings. This does not mean there is no hope for Mr. ...; let him change his conduct, if he really loves the Cause, and then a way will be opened for him to again be active. But the change must be real and obvious; mere protestations will serve no purpose.

He urges you to continue your services in the teaching field in New Zealand, and also to write to the friends in Australia who are disturbed about Mr. ..., and strengthen their faith and determination.

With warmest greetings,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §39

(39) December 18th, 1949

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letter of November 1st was received, and, although our beloved Guardian is so busy at present on the Shrine work here that his mail is piling up alarmingly, he does want to send you a word of appreciation for your fine, constructive spirit and the services you are rendering the Faith.

Vicious criticism is indeed a calamity. But its root is lack of faith in the system of Bahá’u’lláh (i.e. the administrative order) and lack of obedience to Him--for He has forbidden it. If the Bahá’ís would follow the Bahá’í laws in voting, in electing, in serving, and in abiding by assembly decisions, all this waste of strength thru criticizing others could be diverted into cooperation and achieving the Plan. Keep on trying to point this out to them!

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §40

(40) June 11th, 1952

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your two letters of May 25th have been received, and the beloved Guardian thanks you for them, and for the loving sympathy which you express.

He hopes that you will make every effort to attend the New Delhi Conference, as it will be a very historic occasion, and the more Bahá’ís from Australia and New Zealand that are present, the better.

You should get in touch with the Indian National Spiritual Assembly as regards accommodation etc.

This has been a very tiring winter for the beloved Guardian. He has had so many pilgrims, and so many problems locally, and an ever-increasing amount of work, so I will make this letter brief.

He assures you your services are deeply appreciated, and that he will remember you in his prayers.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §41

(41) January 6th, 1955

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter of December 21st with enclosure has been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He is happy to know that the New Zealand Hazíratu’l-Quds is being made attractive for the many activities that will take place in this Center, and he hopes it will become the means of the greatest unity and loving cooperation among the friends.

He assures all the friends in New Zealand of his deep appreciation of their devoted services.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Shoghi EffendiArohanui: Letters to New Zealand · §42