“O people of the Qur’án! Verily the prophet of God, Muḥammad, sheddeth
tears at the sight of your cruelty. Ye have assuredly followed your evil
and corrupt desires and turned away your face from the light of guidance.
Erelong will ye witness the result of your deeds; for the Lord My God
lieth in wait and is watchful of your behavior.... Erelong He will raise
in every city the standard of His sovereignty, and will wipe away the
traces of them that have denied Him on the day of His return.... O
concourse of Muslim divines! By your deeds the exalted station of the
nation hath been abased, the standard of Islám hath been reversed and its
mighty throne hath fallen. Whenever the Divine Reformer has sought to
ennoble the rank of the people, ye have tumultuously risen against Him and
prevented Him from executing His purpose, wherefore the realm hath
remained in grievous loss.”
And in conclusion, I wish, in a few words, to pay a tribute, however
inadequate, to the magnificent services rendered by that exemplary and
indefatigable teacher of the Cause, our dearly-beloved sister, Miss Martha
Root. Her international travels on behalf of the Bahá’í Faith, so wide in
their range, so extensive in their duration, so inspiring in their
results, will adorn and enrich the annals of God’s immortal Faith. Her
earliest journeys to the southernmost limits of the American continent, to
India and to South Africa, to the eastern confines of Asia, to the islands
of the Southern Seas and the Scandinavian countries of the North; her more
recent contact with the rulers and crowned heads of Europe and the
impression which her undaunted spirit created in royal circles in the
Balkan countries; her close affiliation with international organizations,
peace societies, humanitarian movements and Esperantist circles; and her
latest victories in the university circles of Germany—all constitute a
compelling evidence of what the power of Bahá’u’lláh can achieve. These
historic labors, pursued single-handed and in circumstances of financial
stringency and ill-health, have been characterized throughout by a spirit
of fidelity, of self-effacement, of thoroughness and vigor that none has
excelled.
I appeal to individual believers and Bahá’í Assemblies alike to reinforce
by every possible means the earnest strivings of such a precious soul, to
respond speedily and entirely to every request that from time to time she
feels moved to address to her fellow-workers in every land, to strive to
attain the high standard of stewardship that she has set, and to pray from
the very depths of their hearts for the uninterrupted continuance of her
noble endeavors.
Your true brother,
SHOGHI.
Haifa, Palestine,
February 12, 1929.
Letter of March 20, 1929.
To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout
the West.
Dearly-beloved brothers and sisters in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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