Manifestations of “a rectitude of conduct” “with ever-increasing potency” by each Baha’i

Such a rectitude of conduct must manifest itself, with ever-increasing potency, 

• in every verdict which the elected representatives of the Bahá’í community, in whatever capacity they may find themselves, may be called upon to pronounce. 
• It must be constantly reflected in the business dealings of all its members, 
• in their domestic lives, 
• in all manner of employment, and in 
• any service they may, in the future, render their government or people. 
• It must be exemplified in the conduct of all Bahá’í electors, when exercising their sacred rights and functions. 
• It must characterize the attitude of every loyal believer towards 
• nonacceptance of political posts, 
• nonidentification with political parties, 
• nonparticipation in political controversies, and 
• nonmembership in political organizations and ecclesiastical institutions. 
• It must reveal itself in the uncompromising adherence of all, whether young or old, 
• to the clearly enunciated and fundamental principles laid down by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His addresses, and 
• to the laws and ordinances revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in His Most Holy Book. 
• It must be demonstrated 
• in the impartiality of every defender of the Faith against its enemies, 
• in his fair-mindedness in recognizing any merits that enemy may possess, and 
• in his honesty in discharging any obligations he may have towards him. 
• It must constitute the brightest ornament of the life, the pursuits, the exertions, and the utterances of every Bahá’í teacher, 
• whether laboring at home or abroad, 
• whether in the front ranks of the teaching force, 
• or occupying a less active and responsible position. 
• It must be made the hallmark of that numerically small, yet intensely dynamic and highly responsible body of the elected national representatives of every Bahá’í community, which constitutes the sustaining pillar, and the sole instrument for the election, in every community, of that Universal House whose very name and title, as ordained by Bahá’u’lláh, symbolizes that rectitude of conduct which is its highest mission to safeguard and enforce. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“Without truthfulness progress and success, in all the worlds of God, are impossible for any soul.”

“Truthfulness,” He asserts, “is the foundation of all human virtues. Without truthfulness progress and success, in all the worlds of God, are impossible for any soul. When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also be acquired.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting ‘Abdu’l-Baha in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

Character, manners and conduct

“The most vital duty, in this day,” He, moreover, has written, “is to purify your characters, to correct your manners, and improve your conduct. The beloved of the Merciful must show forth such character and conduct among His creatures, that the fragrance of their holiness may be shed upon the whole world, and may quicken the dead, inasmuch as the purpose of the Manifestation of God and the dawning of the limitless lights of the Invisible is to educate the souls of men, and refine the character of every living man.…” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting ‘Abdu’l-Baha in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

To “stand out distinguished and brilliant as the sun among other souls”

“O army of God!” writes ‘Abdu’l Bahá, “Through the protection and help vouchsafed by the Blessed Beauty—may my life be a sacrifice to His loved ones—ye must conduct yourselves in such a manner that ye may stand out distinguished and brilliant as the sun among other souls. Should any one of you enter a city, he should become a center of attraction by reason of his sincerity, his faithfulness and love, his honesty and fidelity, his truthfulness and loving-kindness towards all the peoples of the world, so that the people of that city may cry out and say: ‘This man is unquestionably a Bahá’í, for his manners, his behavior, his conduct, his morals, his nature, and disposition reflect the attributes of the Bahá’ís.’ Not until ye attain this station can ye be said to have been faithful to the Covenant and Testament of God.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting ‘Abdu’l-Baha in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“Let your acts be a guide unto all mankind”

Say: Beware, O people of Bahá, lest ye walk in the ways of them whose words differ from their deeds. Strive that ye may be enabled to manifest to the peoples of the earth the signs of God, and to mirror forth His commandments. Let your acts be a guide unto all mankind, for the professions of most men, be they high or low, differ from their conduct. It is through your deeds that ye can distinguish yourselves from others. Through them the brightness of your light can be shed upon the whole earth. Happy is the man that heedeth My counsel, and keepeth the precepts prescribed by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.” 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi, ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“truthfulness and courtesy”;” forbearance and justice”

“Let truthfulness and courtesy be your adorning,” is still another admonition; “suffer not yourselves to be deprived of the robe of forbearance and justice, that the sweet savors of holiness may be wafted from your hearts upon all created things. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“truth”; “fidelity”; “righteousness”; “justice”; “a luminary above the horizon of virtue”

“Be an ornament to the countenance of truth,” is yet another admonition, “a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“eye… chaste… hand faithful… tongue truthful… heart enlightened”

“Let your eye be chaste,” is yet another counsel, “your hand faithful, your tongue truthful, and your heart enlightened.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“truthfulness”; not to “deal treacherously with anyone”

“Beautify your tongues, O people,” He further admonishes them, “with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the ornament of honesty. Beware, O people, that ye deal not treacherously with anyone. Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“Equity” and “justice”

“Be fair to yourselves and to others,” He thus counseleth them, “that the evidences of justice may be revealed through your deeds among Our faithful servants.” “Equity,” He also has written, “is the most fundamental among human virtues. The evaluation of all things must needs depend upon it.” And again, “Observe equity in your judgment, ye men of understanding heart! He that is unjust in his judgment is destitute of the characteristics that distinguish man’s station.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

How to accomplish the “betterment of the world”

“The betterment of the world,” is yet another statement, “can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

The influence of “a praiseworthy character and upright conduct”

Say: O people of God! That which can insure the victory of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, His hosts and helpers on earth, have been set down in the sacred Books and Scriptures, and are as clear and manifest as the sun. These hosts are such righteous deeds, such conduct and character, as are acceptable in His sight. Whoso ariseth, in this Day, to aid Our Cause, and summoneth to his assistance the hosts of a praiseworthy character and upright conduct, the influence from such an action will, most certainly, be diffused throughout the whole world. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

The incredible effect of “One righteous act”

“One righteous act,” He [Bahá’u’lláh], again, has written, “is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond asunder, and hath the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and vanished.… Be pure, O people of God, be pure; be righteous, be righteous.… 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh; ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“good character”: - “The light of a good character surpasseth the light of the sun and the radiance thereof.”

“A good character,” He explains, “is, verily, the best mantle for men from God. With it He adorneth the temples of His loved ones. By My life! The light of a good character surpasseth the light of the sun and the radiance thereof.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“righteousness”

“Cleave unto righteousness, O people of Bahá,” He thus exhorts them, “This, verily, is the commandment which this wronged One hath given unto you, and the first choice of His unrestrained will for every one of you.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“unlawful deeds” and “reprehensible conduct”

“We have admonished all the loved ones of God,” He insists, “to take heed lest the hem of Our sacred vesture be smirched with the mire of unlawful deeds, or be stained with the dust of reprehensible conduct.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

Bahá’u’lláh explains the “purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself” through His Prophets

The purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself is to summon all mankind

• to truthfulness and sincerity,
• to piety and trustworthiness,
• to resignation and submissiveness to the will of God,
• to forbearance and kindliness,
• to uprightness and
• wisdom.

His object is to array every man with the mantle of a saintly character, and to adorn him with the ornament of holy and goodly deeds.” 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

Bahá’u’lláh defines the characteristic of those “who dwell within the Tabernacle of God”

They who dwell within the Tabernacle of God, and are established upon the seats of everlasting glory, will refuse, though they be dying of hunger, to stretch their hands, and seize unlawfully the property of their neighbor, however vile and worthless he may be. 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi, ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

Bahá’u’lláh defines the characteristic of those who have “truly ascended into the heaven of faith and certitude”

“By Him Who shineth above the Dayspring of sanctity!” He, [Bahá’u’lláh] still more emphatically, has revealed, “If the whole earth were to be converted into silver and gold, no man who can be said to have truly ascended into the heaven of faith and certitude would deign to regard it, much less to seize and keep it.… 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

Bahá’u’lláh defines the characteristics of “the true servant of God”

“He is the true servant of God,” He, [Bahá’u’lláh] in another passage has written, “who, in this day, were he to pass through cities of silver and gold, would not deign to look upon them, and whose heart would remain pure and undefiled from whatever things can be seen in this world, be they its goods or its treasures. I swear by the Sun of Truth! The breath of such a man is endowed with potency, and his words with attraction.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

The “rectitude of conduct” and “its implications” that “must distinguish every phase of the life of the Bahá’í community”

This rectitude of conduct, with its implications of

• justice,
• equity,
• truthfulness,
• honesty,
• fair-mindedness,
• reliability, and
• trustworthiness,

must distinguish every phase of the life of the Bahá’í community. “The companions of God,” Bahá’u’lláh Himself has declared, “are, in this day, the lump that must leaven the peoples of the world. They must show forth such trustworthiness, such truthfulness and perseverance, such deeds and character that all mankind may profit by their example.” “I swear by Him Who is the Most Great Ocean!” He again affirms, “Within the very breath of such souls as are pure and sanctified far-reaching potentialities are hidden. So great are these potentialities that they exercise their influence upon all created things.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“the ideals which the American believers must, from now on, individually and through concerted action, strive to promote, in both their private and public lives”

• A rectitude of conduct, an abiding sense of undeviating justice, unobscured by the demoralizing influences which a corruption-ridden political life so strikingly manifests;
• a chaste, pure, and holy life, unsullied and unclouded by the indecencies, the vices, the false standards, which an inherently deficient moral code tolerates, perpetuates, and fosters;
• a fraternity freed from that cancerous growth of racial prejudice, which is eating into the vitals of an already debilitated society—

these are the ideals which the American believers must, from now on, individually and through concerted action, strive to promote, in both their private and public lives, ideals which are the chief propelling forces that can most effectively accelerate the march of their institutions, plans, and enterprises, that can guard the honor and integrity of their Faith, and subdue any obstacles that may confront it in the future. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“spiritual prerequisites of success” for “all and sundry members of the Bahá’í community, of whatever age, rank, experience, class, or color, as all, with no exception, must face”

…complete freedom from prejudice in their dealings with peoples of a different race, class, creed, or color…should be the immediate, the universal, and the chief concern of all and sundry members of the Bahá’í community, of whatever age, rank, experience, class, or color, as all, with no exception, must face its challenging implications, and none can claim, however much he may have progressed along this line, to have completely discharged the stern responsibilities which it inculcates. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“spiritual prerequisites of success” for “the Bahá’í youth”

…absolute chastity in their individual lives…is mainly and directly concerned with the Bahá’í youth, who can contribute so decisively to the virility, the purity, and the driving force of the life of the Bahá’í community, and upon whom must depend the future orientation of its destiny, and the complete unfoldment of the potentialities with which God has endowed it. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

“spiritual prerequisites of success” for “elected representatives, whether local, regional, or national”

“…a high sense of moral rectitude in their social and administrative activities…is specially, though not exclusively, directed to their elected representatives, whether local, regional, or national, who, in their capacity as the custodians and members of the nascent institutions of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, are shouldering the chief responsibility in laying an unassailable foundation for that Universal House of Justice which, as its title implies, is to be the exponent and guardian of that Divine Justice which can alone insure the security of, and establish the reign of law and order in, a strangely disordered world. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)