I am deeply grateful to you for the many and repeated evidences of your splendid devotion and firm determination to serve the best interests of our glorious Faith. The work in which you are engaged is dear and near to my heart. My prayers are always with you. Persevere in your labours and never feel discouraged, however great the obstacles that may stand in your way. The Beloved is surely watching over you. Be happy and confident.

Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 10 JANUARY 1935

10 January 1935

Dear Dr. Muhlschlegel,

The Guardian has received your letter of the first instant and he wishes me to thank you for it.

In regard to your visit to the Holy Shrines, he is sorry indeed that your coming has been delayed but hopes nevertheless that it will materialize very soon, and that the obstacles standing at present in your way will be completely removed, enabling you thereby to carry out your plan in its entirety. He is fervently praying for your a.s.sistance and success in this connection.

With reference to the decision pa.s.sed by your N.S.A. to publish in booklet form certain of the important writings revealed by Baha'u'llah and the Master, Shoghi Effendi wishes you to express to the National a.s.sembly his full approval of their plan. He feels, indeed, that the time has come for the German believers to acquire a thorough knowledge as well as a full understanding of such important Tablets as Baha'u'llah's "Book of Covenant" and 'Abdu'l-Baha's Will and Testament, both of which const.i.tute the very bedrock upon which the entire administrative system of the Faith has been raised and established. As to the "Dispensation of Baha'u'llah"

it also const.i.tutes an invaluable supplement to these afore-mentioned Tablets. In connection with the "Kitab-i-'Ahd", the Guardian thinks it preferable that it should be published in a separate booklet, and that the "Tablet of the Branch" and the "Law?-i-Aqdas", both of which have been rather poorly translated from the original, should not be included in it.

As to the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the N.S.A., he wishes to re-emphasize the importance of your a.s.sembly's adhering to the exact wording of the text of the const.i.tution adopted by the American N.S.A.

which, as he has repeatedly stated, const.i.tutes a model for all national Baha'i const.i.tutions. Anything not specifically mentioned in this national charter is left to the full discretion of every N.S.A. inasmuch as it const.i.tutes a matter of secondary importance. In fundamentals, however, strict conformity should be maintained throughout the Baha'i world, and to this category belong all the principles, laws and regulations set down in the text of the national const.i.tution. As an example of the loyalty with which the friends are following this principle the Guardian is enclosing a copy of the national const.i.tution of the Baha'is of India and Burma which, with the exception of the Article VIII which is now being amended, conforms in every detail to the text of the const.i.tution of the American N.S.A.

With his loving greetings to you and all the friends,...

[From the Guardian:]

With the renewed a.s.surance of my loving prayers for you and of my deepfelt appreciation of your magnificent labours in the Divine vineyard.

Your true brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 4 FEBRUARY 1935

4 February 1935

Dear Dr. Muhlschlegel,

The Guardian has duly received your letter of the 29th of January last, and has carefully noted the points which you had raised in connection with certain Baha'i administrative regulations and principles governing the election of local and national a.s.semblies.

First, he wishes me to express the hope that your next National a.s.sembly meeting may be fully guided in its deliberations on the various issues confronting it at present, and also to a.s.sure you, as well as your co-workers in that body, of his prayers for the success of your efforts in this connection.

Now, as regards the number of delegates at the annual convention of the German friends, the Guardian fully approves of the practice which your N.S.A. has thus far adopted and enforced, namely to have 19 delegates instead of 95. This, of course, is the only solution possible for the present, in view of the limited number of the declared believers in Germany.

As to the practice of nomination in Baha'i elections, this the Guardian firmly believes to be in fundamental disaccord with the spirit which should animate and direct all elections held by the Baha'is, be they of a local or national character and importance. It is, indeed, the absence of such a practice that const.i.tutes the distinguishing feature and the marked superiority of the Baha'i electoral methods over those commonly a.s.sociated with political parties and factions. The practice of nomination being thus contrary to the spirit of Baha'i Administration should be totally discarded by all the friends. For otherwise the freedom of the Baha'i elector in choosing the members of any Baha'i a.s.sembly will be seriously endangered, leaving the way open for the domination of personalities. Not only that; but the mere act of nomination-leads eventually to the formation of parties-a thing which is totally alien to the spirit of the Cause.

In addition to these serious dangers, the practice of nomination has the great disadvantage of killing in the believer the spirit of initiative, and of self-development. Baha'i electoral procedures and methods have, indeed, for one of their essential purposes the development in every believer of the spirit of responsibility. By emphasizing the necessity of maintaining his fully freedom in the elections, they make it inc.u.mbent upon him to become an active and well-informed member of the Baha'i community in which he lives. To be able to make a wise choice at the election time, it is necessary for him to be in close and continued contact with all local activities, be they teaching, administrative or otherwise, and to fully and whole-heartedly partic.i.p.ate in the affairs of the local as well as national committees and a.s.semblies in his country. It is only in this way that a believer can develop a true social consciousness and acquire a true sense of responsibility in matters affecting the interests of the Cause. Baha'i community life thus makes it a duty for every loyal and faithful believer to become an intelligent, well-informed and responsible elector, and also gives him the opportunity of raising himself to such a station. And since the practice of nomination hinders the development of such qualities in the believer, and in addition leads to corruption and partisanship, it has to be entirely discarded in all Baha'i elections.

In connection with this, the Guardian wishes to draw your a.s.sembly's attention to the necessity of adopting the system of plurality voting rather than that of absolute majority voting. For the latter, by making the repet.i.tion of elections a necessity, causes, though indirectly, much pressure to bear upon the person of the elector. The Baha'i elector, as already emphasized, should be given full freedom in his choice. Anything, therefore, which can in the least interfere with such a freedom should be considered as disastrous and hence should be completely wiped out. In all elections, it is always difficult, that more than a few individuals of high position should obtain a majority of the votes of the electorate.

Most of those elected have a plurality of votes. To enforce the principle of majority voting, therefore, it requires that the election be repeated again and again and until all the members to be elected have obtained more than half of the votes cast-a thing which becomes the more difficult when it is a matter of electing an a.s.sembly of nine persons. So, repet.i.tion in elections becomes inevitable. And such a repet.i.tion is in itself a restriction imposed upon the freedom of the electorate. The only course, therefore, is for every elector to write down the name of nine who he thinks are most worthy. These nine who obtain the highest number of votes, irrespective of the majority of the votes cast, will const.i.tute the members of the a.s.sembly.

As to your last question whether the individual voter can conscientiously vote for himself. The Guardian believes that not only the Baha'i voter has the right, but is under the moral obligation to do so, in case he finds himself worthy and capable of a.s.suming the responsibilities and duties imposed upon the members of every duly elected Baha'i a.s.sembly. It is for every believer to carefully weigh his own merits and powers, and after a thorough examination of his self decide whether he is fit for such a position or not. There is nothing more harmful to the individual-and also to society than false humility which is hypocritical, and hence unworthy of a true Baha'i. The true believer is one who is conscious of his strength as well as of his weakness, and who, fully availing himself of the manifold opportunities and blessings which G.o.d gives him, strives to overcome his defects and weaknesses and this by means of a scrupulous adherence to all the laws and commandments revealed by G.o.d through His Manifestation.

With the Guardian's greetings and best wishes to you and all the friends,...

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty protect, bless and sustain you in the historic services you are rendering His Faith, and graciously a.s.sist you to lay a firm and una.s.sailable foundation for the future progress and extension of the newly-born inst.i.tutions of our glorious Faith in your land.

Shoghi

LETTER OF 5 MARCH 1935

5 March 1935

Dear Dr. Muhlschlegel,

The Guardian has received and carefully considered your letter of the 24th of February last, and wishes me to thank you for it.

With reference to your questions concerning the "Kitab-i-Aqdas", he does not think that it would be advisable to circulate at present, whether among the friends or in the outside public, any of the existing translations of this book, in view of the fact that all these versions, both English and Russian, are not authoritative and hence may misrepresent altogether the Teachings.

He would, however, suggest that your N.S.A. should appoint a Committee for the purpose of undertaking the translation of the "Aqdas" into German.

This is of course a peculiarly difficult task, as some of the members of such a committee should have sufficient knowledge of the Arabic language, and in addition should be well versed in the history and teachings of Islam.

The Guardian hopes, nevertheless, that with your knowledge of Arabic and German you may be able to do something truly worthwhile and substantial in this connection. Your translation, of course, will not be considered as final. But for the present it would be of a great a.s.sistance to the friends in Germany who, as you rightly suggest, have a great desire to get acquainted with the laws and precepts of the Cause as recorded in the "Aqdas".

When completed, this translation should not, the Guardian feels, be printed entirely and circulated among the believers. But only extracts of it should, with the approval of your N.S.A., be brought to the attention of the friends until such time as the publication of the whole book would be deemed advisable....

[From the Guardian:]

May our beloved and vigilant Master even keep you under His wings, and inspire you to promote far and wide and in a most effective manner the manifold interests of His Faith and its ever-developing inst.i.tutions.

Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi