The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh: Selected Letters

by Shoghi Effendi

A compilation of Shoghi Effendi's letters. Shoghi Effendi was considered the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, and he was the great-grandson of the Prophet/Founder of the Baha'i Faith, Baha'u'llah. These letters are a powerful gathering of instruction, inspiration, and prophecy regarding living within the Administrative Order of the Baha'i Faith.

Genres: Baha I, Religion, Spirituality, Nonfiction, History

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Shoghí Effendí Rabbání was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957. After the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1921, the leadership of the Bahá'í community entered a new phase, evolving from that of a single individual to an administrative order with executive and legislative branches, the head of each being the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. Shoghi Effendi was referred to as the Guardian, and held the explicit authority to interpret the writings of the three central figures of the religion and define the sphere of legislative authority. His writings are effectively limited to commentaries on the works of the central figures, and broad directives for the future.

Further information

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

This uncompromising collection of Shoghi Effendi’s (the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith) letters to the fledgling Baha’i Community is a must read for anyone searching for answers to the trials and tribulations, triumphs and progress of our current human condition - a period of unduly adolescence.

Shoghi outlines - in explicit detail - the historical context of the world’s social/economic/religious condition, the present state of our world (many of these letters were written in the 30’s), the teachings of the Founders of the Baha’i Faith, the intricacies of the Baha’i approach to religious functioning and Baha’u’llah’s blueprint for a glimmering New World Order.

I’d like to quote one of the most poignant sections of the book for completeness, a passage where Baha’u’llah’s vision for humanity’s future is unfurled:
“National rivalries, hatreds, and intrigues will cease, and racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and cooperation. The causes of religious strife will be permanently removed, economic barriers and restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inordinate distinction between classes will be obliterated. Destitution on the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership on the other, will disappear. The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet, to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race."

[Johannes Stark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing how a world view is being explained and unfolded.

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explains the vision of Baha'u'llah for a New World Order and how Bahai's see this vision emerging out of the chaos the world is in now. It gives hope for the future of the world.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This could take a while. :)