Messages of the Universal House of Justice

4 February 2016 Message

[AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION FROM PERSIAN]

 

 

 

4 February 2016

 

 

 

To the Bahá’ís of Iran

 

 

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

 

The growing evidences of the decline of the current world order, the rise of religious bigotry, and widespread confusion in efforts to resolve the many problems faced by humanity, on the one hand, and, on the other, the news of the momentous achievements of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in collaboration with friends and other like-minded people in their effort to create a unified society, calls to mind the beloved Guardian’s description of the two simultaneous processes of disintegration and integration.  We hope that through your study of our messages of 29 December 2015, addressed to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors in the Holy Land, and of 2 January 2016, addressed to the Bahá’ís of the world, you have been able to envisage more clearly the progress of the Cause worldwide and to rejoice, alongside your spiritual sisters and brothers across the planet, in the successful conclusion of the current Five Year Plan and in the golden opportunities that will emerge over the next five years.  On the first day of the conference, following the reading of the 29 December message and reflecting on the capacities of the community of the Greatest Name to achieve the goals of the new Plan, the Counsellors called to mind, with heartfelt expressions of awe and admiration, your constructive resilience and the countless sacrifices you have made in the path of the Beloved, singing beautiful anthems in your praise.  During their visits to the Holy Shrines they offered supplications for the confirmations of the Concourse on high to descend unceasingly upon each and every one of you.

 

Praise be to God that for over one hundred and seventy years the dearly loved believers in the Cradle of the Faith have contributed their considerable share to the progress of the Cause of God and to the advancement of divine civilization.  From the historic travels of the Letters of the Living and the sacrificial efforts of the early believers, to the formation of the first regular training classes in the Bahá’í world for youth; from spearheading the establishment of schools for girls and boys alike, to engaging in continuous efforts to disseminate knowledge and eliminate superstition; from endeavouring to eradicate all forms of prejudice, to cultivating fellowship and oneness; from promoting artistic endeavours, to initiating vast undertakings in the scientific, economic, social, and development fields; from conducting effective programmes for the spiritual education of children and the strengthening of families, to striving to bring about the full equality of women and men; from emphasizing truthfulness and honesty as the foundation of all human virtues, to cultivating a vision of individual well-being in the context of the common weal; from adhering to moral principles in all aspects of life, to promoting a culture of consultation and learning in an effort to build dynamic communities; from dispatching large numbers of homefront and international pioneers to the most remote parts of the world for the purpose of fostering unity and oneness, to pursuing personal spiritual obligations during these tumultuous days; from participating in useful discourses of society, to collaborating with fair-minded citizens who are dedicated to serving their beloved homeland—all these endeavours attest incontrovertibly that the members of the community of the Greatest Name in that sacred land, with great sacrifice and under all conditions, have, from the inception of the Revelation  to the present day, been at the forefront in tending the tree of the Cause of God and contributing to the establishment of a civilization that is at once spiritually and materially prosperous.

 

We remember all of you in our prayers and are assured that, inspired by the above-mentioned messages and bearing in mind local conditions and the numerous challenges you face, you will, as ever, persevere in your fruitful endeavours wholly confident that the blessed day of unity and efficacious collaboration with your compatriots in building a flourishing society will assuredly come.

[signed:  The Universal House of Justice]