order; organization; tact; deliberation [tadbir]
Editorial introduction
Even a household, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá once remarked, falls into hopeless confusion without organization; the point is only that the organization should not be rigid. Deliberation, in the sense Bahá’u’lláh gives the word, is the opposite of hesitation: it is the discretion that lets an undertaking actually succeed, the several days of consultation before an important decision, the attention to consequences that governments rushing into war so conspicuously lacked. It lives in small things too, a well-prepared cup of tea, a numbered letter, a promise kept, and in the care that no one be made sorrowful by one’s actions. Luke’s builder, counting the cost before laying a foundation, puts the same wisdom in a single picture [1]. Shoghi Effendi then adds the necessary caution: the machinery of administration is a channel for the spirit and never its substitute, and a tool that supersedes its purpose has failed. From here the path leads into discipline, into cleanliness and refinement as outward signs of inward care, and into the patient work of self-improvement.
Abdul Baha: "How is it possible that there should be no organization? Even in a household, if there is not organization there will be hopeless confusion. Then what about the world? What is meant is that the organization is not rigid.
Though it is expedient to take action, discretion in all things is among the attributes of those who are thankful. Deliberation is necessary, nay essential, so that every undertaking will be crowned with success and the desired aim achieved.
Now it is hoped that in the new year they will likewise show the utmost effort in service, be moderate in all affairs, and follow the most sound path. They should not hasten in conducting affairs but should observe deliberation, making the execution of any important matter contingent upon several days of consultation.
Now that the world is in turmoil, let us see what will happen after this tempest; God willing, it will turn out well. These governments, without remembering the difficulties of this war, or considering its consequences, or taking into account the gravity of the situation, rush recklessly into war. Now both sides are remorseful. Had they known it would come to this, they would not have acted so rashly.
This is why in all matters, whether small or great, one must consider their consequences.
Exercise caution that no one, of whatever type of person, be made sorrowful by you. Great moderation is necessary, and likewise be vigilant and alert that no one should cause harm.
Now the purpose is that, God willing, you will succeed in such a way that moderation and strengthening of affairs is achieved, order and connection and protection in all matters becomes evident, preservation of rights and observation of ranks becomes clear, consideration of consequences becomes manifest, protection of the company in all ranks becomes complete, and contentment of hearts and spiritual joy and delight of souls is preserved to the extent possible.
But whatever matter the divine friends undertake should be carried out with utmost perfection, thoroughness and order. The lessons should be organized, the times fixed, the teachers accomplished, and the students should make every effort, so that the desired results may be achieved from these established schools and day by day the young plants of the divine garden may progress in all branches of knowledge and win the trophy of excellence over all other children.
O Ali! In no matter should the loved ones of Truth let go of wisdom. In all conditions they should be mindful of it. It is the firm decree of God and the luminary of the heaven of divine ordinances.
All divine commandments are founded upon the supreme wisdom. Man should not act according to his own thoughts, nor utter a word of his own accord. For all things there is a fixed measure which none knoweth save thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the Hidden.
We must strive for mental efficiency, which, combined with spiritual enlightenment, enables us to use rightly and effectively in the highest degree all the powers of mind and body. This results in a perfectly cultivated being.
Be not the slave of your moods, but their master.
Just as a man who is going to deliver a lecture prepares therefore and his preparations consists of certain meditations and notations: the preparation for the prayerful attitude is detaching one's mind from all other thoughts save the thought of GOD at time of prayer, and then praying, when the prayerful attitude shall be attained.
Tea must be like this: good sugar, excellent tea, purified water, clean cup and in every way neat and organized. Otherwise, it is better not to drink it. 'What is not cared for at the beginning cannot be remedied at the end.'
God willing, it must be maintained in the utmost order and arrangement. The most important matter is cleanliness and refinement. This important matter must be attended to with the utmost care and vigilance, and arranged in such a way that when a traveler enters, they will gain spirituality from witnessing its purity, cleanliness, refinement and delicacy, and from inhaling its sweet fragrance.
Through his honor the master architect, be thoughtful about the work and make preparations and arrangements. His honor the master architect must exert the utmost effort and you must absolutely, most absolutely exercise complete care that not even a hair's breadth deviation occurs from the original foundation, arrangement, design, geometry, measurements and dimensions.
Number the letters to every destination so that you may know which ones have arrived and which ones have not.
O thou who art firm in the Covenant! Please write about any news or events that arrive from anywhere, or like the late Aqa Siyyid Taqi, write a brief summary of that news on the back of the same letter and send it.
… O Jinab-i-Aqa Siyyid Asadu'llah! Letters arrive and remain with you for several days. Among them, Mirza Jalal had sent a letter, but after he himself arrived, his letter reached us. Please be attentive in this matter.
But alas, the appointed time of arrival is the fourth of the month, while this yearning one will be departing for Paris on the morning of the third month, as some respected individuals have extended invitations and I have made promises, and breaking promises is wrong.
This is the essence of the matter, but Haji Ali Akbar took it upon himself to complete this service and was unsuccessful, and this delay did not sit well with the Christian gentleman. The purpose is that these details should be known to you.
In every affair constant vigilance and attention are necessary; otherwise, no matter how perfect the organization, once negligence is crept in, it will loose its efficiency little by little. If a piece of productive farm is left to take care of itself and supervision over the farmers is slackened, it will be either abandoned or turn into a thorny-patch.
Its contents were as sweet as honey and sugar, for they conveyed that in Yazd the friends of God show great steadfastness, the affairs of the Cause are well organized and arranged, the meetings for encouragement and teaching are eloquent and complete, and in Rafsanjan the ocean of the love of God is surging, and in Kirman the glory of the All-Merciful has made faces bright and radiant like the shining sun.
In that Council, let them hold fast unto whatsoever conduceth to exaltation, elevation, dignity, composure, goodly deeds, spiritual qualities, words of counsel, and the reformation of heedless souls, according to the requirements of the days, until God shall come with His command.
Through the power of religion must this be brought into reality, otherwise it will end in the formation of assemblies and speeches.
A man may give 1,000 dollars without minding it but he should not yield even a dollar to the person who wishes to take it wrongfully, for such wrongful behavior flouts justice and disrupts the order of the world.
You must be very moderate. Consider the taste of the public. This is the best policy. Moderation, moderation. You must speak and write in such a manner as not to offend anyone. The Lord addressed Moses and Aaron saying: When you go to Pharaoh, speak in a moderate, sweet language.
I have heard that you intend to prepare a guest house for travelers. … However, it must be carried out with wisdom, lest the heedless arise to create disorder and engage in conflict. Affairs must be conducted with wisdom, and the meaning of wisdom is to be fervent and enthusiastic, without a moment's rest, while proceeding with reason and prudence, "By those who govern affairs."
O steadfast servant of the Ancient Beauty! Anton Haddad will arrive in Beirut with one of the handmaidens of the All-Merciful. Tell Anton Effendi that the utmost wisdom is necessary, for government spies are secretly very vigilant. Therefore they must stay at the Prussian hotel in the Prussian quarter of Haifa, and come to 'Akka in the morning as tourists, returning in the afternoon. Any other arrangement would be contrary to wisdom.
Do not pursue this matter now. Let it remain unspoken of for the present - it will be properly resolved later.
Silence and quietude are the cause of steadfastness and firmness, because promotion is forbidden in these parts and this prohibition is explicitly stated. One must be constrained and cling to wisdom.
And He said that this year or next year, whenever wisdom requireth, they may proceed, for the Most Exalted Leaf - upon her be the Most Glorious Glory of God and His Most Resplendent Light - hath long made this request of the True One, hence permission hath been granted. However, all must be done in accordance with wisdom.
In all circumstances they must observe wisdom. Thus hath God ordained, both before and after, in the Scriptures and Tablets. If wisdom requireth it, let them turn with spirit and fragrance.
Since the petition was submitted to the Most Holy Court, therefore nothing is permitted except what was submitted.
[The Prime Minister] Qa'im-Maqam promised to find an amicable solution and prevent further fighting. He wrote a long letter to [St.] Petersburg, and explained the critical importance that the Iranian people place in womanly virtues of chastity and honor.
From that point onward, they would not give the matter a second thought, and nothing would hinder them from executing their decision. They dispensed with intermediaries, and refused to accept any vetoes.
On every one of these occasions, the ministers were engaged in consultations and discussions from dusk till dawn. They would disperse at the approach of morning, having only just eaten their dinner, and on the following day they would carry out what they had put into writing.
Say: God loveth the ordering of all things. In all things manifest ye the order of God. If, for example, there be upon your right hand a ring, set ye one upon your left; for this is of the order of God, whereby ye shall be ennobled. And if upon your right arm there be an amulet, and upon the left there be none, this is not of the order of God. Order, then, all your affairs according to that wherewith God hath encompassed you, then within your own selves love that which ye have witnessed.
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
I need not dwell upon what I have already reiterated and emphasized that the administration of the Cause is to be conceived as an instrument and not a substitute for the Faith of Baha'u'llah, that it should be regarded as a channel through which His promised blessings may flow, that it should guard against such rigidity as would clog and fetter the liberating forces released by His Revelation. ...the whole machinery of assemblies, of committees and conventions is to be regarded as a means, and not an end in itself; that they will rise or fall according to their capacity to further the interests, to coordinate the activities, to apply the principles, to embody the ideals and execute the purpose of the Baha'i Faith....
Your questions are mostly along the line of trying to lay down a fixed pattern for future society, long before the time for such a pattern is ripe. Remember that Baha'u'llah says what is not already revealed, the International House of Justice must in the future legislate, and it can make, and abrogate if necessary, its own laws. This means not fixity in guiding society, but fluidity!
In matters of principle, therefore,there should be uniformity, while in matters of detail and procedure not only is diversity permitted, it is also encouraged. As condition vary from country to country and, indeed, can vary from community to community within the country, Shoghi Effendi repeatedly advised the friends that they should be uncompromising in principle but flexible in subsidiary details.
The writings of Shoghi Effendi contain several statements on the need to uphold flexibility in matters of secondary importance. For example, in a letter to an individual believer, dated March 15, 1948 the following comment has been made on Shoghi Effendi's behalf: "In general the administrative order as laid down in America should be followed everywhere. But secondary decisions are left to the judgement of each National Assembly, and the American pattern, as elaborated in 'Baha'i Procedure', need not be followed universally."
He wishes to keep the administration of the Cause as flexible as possible and not impede the work by a codified set of rules.
In carrying out the basic laws of our Faith the friends should always maintain a standard of utmost simplicity and observe flexibility in all matters of detail.
...your National Spiritual Assembly should take great care lest any uniform procedure or ritual in this matter [the funeral service] be adopted or imposed upon the friends. The danger in this, as in some other cases regarding Baha'i worship, is that a definite system or rigid rituals and practices be developed among the believers. The utmost simplicity and flexibility should be observed....
The tendency of the Baha'is all over the world is to constantly try to lay down new rules and regulations, and pour the Faith into moulds, whereas the Guardian insists on the greatest elasticity in details; and only the fundamentals, laid down by him already, should be universal and rigidly adhered to.
We should, however, be careful, as you mention in your letter, not to make this system develop into a hard and fast creed or form. The Cause is pure and free from such things and it ought to be the task of the friends to keep it broad and progressive. Man is always apt to fall into the habit of doing a thing in a certain way, and thereby become captive to prescribed forms. It should therefore be the duty of the assemblies everywhere to see that, though certain temporary measures are taken to further the Cause, they do not crystallise into hard and fast creeds.
Since change, ever more rapid change, is a constant characteristic of life at this time, and since our growth, size and external relations demand much of us, our community must be ready to adapt. In a sense this means that the community must become more adept at accommodating a wide range of actions without losing concentration on the primary objectives of teaching, namely, expansion and consolidation. A unity in diversity of actions is called for, a condition in which different individuals will concentrate on different activities, appreciating the salutary effect of the aggregate on the growth and development of the Faith, because each person cannot do everything and all persons cannot do the same thing.
For thought and discussion