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Letter of 26 February 1947
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Dear Bahá'í Friends:
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Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated Sept. 25th,
1946, was received, as well as the minutes of your meeting
of Nov. 2nd and 3rd., and he has instructed me to answer
you on his behalf.
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Regarding the question of Herr Jörn: Smoking is not
forbidden by `Abdu'l-Bahá; He advises against it for reasons
of health, but we have no right to prevent anyone from
smoking. But drinking and the use of drugs are strictly
forbidden and the Bahá'ís should obey this command.
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The Guardian has received a number of letters from the
Bahá'ís of ..., and in the interest of promoting unity among
the friends in Germany he is going to write them instructing
them to cooperate with and obey your Assembly; he feels
that you should send capable Bahá'ís there to teach them
and strengthen them in the Faith, and to make sure no
political elements are allowed to enter into their discussions
or be a part of their group.
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He has recently had fifteen hundred dollars sent from the
Relief Fund in Tihrán to America for the immediate
purchase of food parcels for the German and Austrian
Bahá'ís, and hopes these will soon reach them. It is very
distressing that so much money over ten thousand pounds
(10 [pounds].000) should be held in the name of the German
friends, and yet no way of sending it be found. He hopes
your Assembly will make every effort to arrange for this
money to be received in Germany.
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He is also very anxious to receive news of exactly what is
happening about the National Bahá'í Headquarters in
Frankfurt; he gathers from your minutes that negotiations
are in progress for a building in that city? He attaches great
importance to this undertaking, and urges you to press the
matter constantly.
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The reports he received of the young peoples' Summer
School and the Summer School at Esslingen were most
encouraging, and he is delighted to see that in spite of so
many handicaps the friends are so devoted and active! He
was also very happy to note that new spiritual assemblies
are in the process of formation, and hopes you will
concentrate on their establishment and the formation of
many new groups. In spite of the conditions in Germany it is
of the utmost importance to teach the Cause as widely as
possible, especially to the youth, now that through suffering
and disillusionment the hearts of the people are more
receptive.
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You may be sure that his ardent and loving prayers are
offered for each and every one of you, and for the success of
your devoted labours for the Cause of God....
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[From the Guardian:]
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Dearly-beloved friends:
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The revival and rapid consolidation of the German Bahá'í
community after the prolonged and terrible ordeals to
which it has been subjected is a striking evidence of the
irresistible power of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, as well as a
magnificent testimony to the vitality of the faith of the
German believers. I feel proud and profoundly thankful for
the loyalty, the perseverance, the resolution, the unity, the
zeal and the devotion which characterize their collective
efforts and corporate life in the service of this glorious
Cause. The prompt establishment of the national Hazíratu'l-Quds
in the city of Frankfurt; the rapid translation,
publication and dissemination of Bahá'í literature; the
multiplication of Bahá'í centers, whether groups or
assemblies; the consolidation of the institution of the
Summer School; the initiation of effective measures aimed at
a close collaboration with the American European Teaching
committee; the proclamation of the teachings of the Faith to
the spiritually famished, the disillusioned and longsuffering
masses--these stand out as the primary and urgent tasks
that demand the immediate, the earnest and undivided
attention of your assembly. I will pray for your success from
the depths of my heart and feel confident that the dearly-beloved
heroic German believers will arise, as one man and
despite the obstacles confronting them, to achieve these
immediate tasks that constitute only a prelude to the
tremendous enterprises which it is their destiny to
accomplish in the years to come.
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Your true brother,
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Shoghi
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