“The word ‘cord’ so often mentioned in the Teachings means both the Faith itself and also the power of the Faith which sustains those who cling to it.” 102: ILLNESS “Such hindrances (i.e., illness and other difficulties) no matter how severe and insuperable they may at first seem, can and should be effectively overcome through the combined and sustained power of prayer and of determined and continued effort.” 103: ILLNESS (CANCER) “Cancer is such a terrible scourge in the world today! But when the believers are called upon to go through such bitter ordeals they have the Faith to sustain them, the love of their Bahá’í friends to comfort them, and the glorious words of Bahá’u’lláh regarding immortality to give them confidence and courage. Blessed are we, indeed, even in the midst of our greatest trials.” 104: INHERITANCE (DIVISION OF) “To divide the inheritance as it is prescribed by Bahá’u’lláh we have to divide it into 2,520 shares. But we can also divide it into 42 shares. Then every one of the beneficiaries will take so many of these shares. These numbers form like a highest denominator for the different fractions which represent the shares of the different individuals that will benefit in case of intestacy. In case of the non-existence of one class of inheritors the Aqdas mentions how it should be divided. As a general rule a part goes to the House of Justice, a part to the children.” 105: INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE (WHOLE QUESTION OF) “Regarding the whole question of an International Language and its relation to the Faith: We, as Bahá’ís, are very anxious to see a universal auxiliary tongue adopted as soon as possible; we are not the protagonists of any one language to fill this post. If the governments of the world agree on an existing language, or a constructed, new tongue, to be used internationally, we would heartily support it because we desire to see this step in the unification of the human race take place as soon as possible. “Esperanto has been in wide use, more so than any similar language, all over the world, and the Bahá’ís have been encouraged by both the Master and the Guardian to learn it and to translate Bahá’í literature into it. We cannot be sure it will be the chosen language of the future; but as it is the one which has spread most, both East and West, we should certainly continue to cooperate with its members learn to speak it, and translate Bahá’í literature into it.” 106: ISLÁM “Islám attained a very high spiritual state, but Western scholars are prone to judging it by Christian standards. One cannot call one World Faith superior to another, as they all come from God; they are progressive, each suited to certain needs of the time.” 107: JESUS (VIRGIN BIRTH OF)