priority over other activities in teaching the Cause
Editorial introduction
Sowing has its season and harvest has another, and whoever wants to reap in sowing time will fail. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá uses that plain agricultural fact to say what the present moment requires: this is the divine season of seed-sowing, and every Bahá’í must become a heavenly cultivator. His language about priority is uncompromising. Meetings spent on anything but teaching are time wasted; nothing else will profit us today; now is the time to gather brick and stone for a foundation, not to decorate. Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice carry the urgency into a world in turmoil, where the teachings were not given to be treasured in private and the demonstrated capacity to unite humanity brings inescapable responsibility. Such force needs the practical judgment found elsewhere about travel, receptivity, and the care owed to people. Martha, busy with many things, and Mary, attending to the word, offer a different scene of priority, about discernment rather than activity [1]. The path continues into the call to teach, into teaching the Cause itself, and into the methods by which urgency becomes wise and patient action.
If, during the seed-sowing time, we want to gather the harvest, we shall fail. If, at the time of irrigating, we desire to do something else, failure will be the result.
Now, this is the Divine season of seed-sowing. Every Bahai must become a heavenly cultivator. If, at this season, he performs the prayers of all the past and future ages, it will yield no fruit.
If the meetings or Spiritual Assembly has any other occupation, the time is spent in futility. All the deliberations, all consultation, all the talks and addresses must revolve around one focal center and that is: TEACH THE CAUSE! TEACH! TEACH! Convey the Message! Awaken the souls!
Today the greatest of all matters is the diffusion of the divine fragrances. The handmaidens of the Merciful in Tehran must turn to the Abha Kingdom, seek abundant confirmation, engage in promoting the divine teachings, and forget all else besides this. For all else causes headache, wastes time, and is a futile preoccupation whose result is lethargy and idleness.
The work of teaching is important - to this they must hold fast and nothing else.
For the next two hundred years, all thoughts must be limited to the thought of teaching the Cause. It is certainly true that ministering to the weak, educating children, caring for the poor, and tending to the internal affairs of the Faith must all be done, but these matters should not be deemed so important that the task of teaching the Cause is forgotten and discarded. The needs of such teachers, and the obligation of teaching the Cause itself, must first be met. Once trained, these teachers should be sent to the various corners of the world into the midst of every people. Books and treatises which demonstrate the truth of this Cause, as well as holy thoughts that shall make it widely known, should also be promoted and disseminated. After the world has entered beneath the shade of the Word of God, the time will have come to attend to other matters. For example, should one wish to build a place of worship or other edifice, one first prepares the stones, the lumber, the metals, the bricks, and the like; then begins the construction; and last of all undertakes the decoration and gathering of furnishings. If, however, that one should wish to engage, at the very beginning, in decorating and gathering furnishings, it will yield no result; the edifice must be built first.
Abdul Baha: The essential thing now is teaching. This gathering of the Convention is for this object, also to arrange for the building of the Mashrak-ul-Azkar or for choosing people to go out as teachers. These are the objects. In Persia there are no Conventions. There is a spiritual assembly in each city and all are engaged in teaching. People should be engaged in teaching the cause. Teaching should make one full of joy and happiness. It will attract one, it will bring spiritual susceptibilities, it gives extreme happiness and joyfulness. One's own self becomes enriched thereby. Teaching the cause is the most important work in which anyone can engage, for in any other work there will not be such results as in this. Give great importance to work of importance and this is not to be brought under special rules. It cannot be. They should teach in any way possible. This will bring happiness; it also brings one nearer the kingdom of Abha. It will be the cause of joy and happiness and refreshes one.
Today nothing will benefit man in the world of existence except the promotion of the Cause of God!
This is the day of teaching. Nothing else will profit us.
O Chief of Chiefs! Your outspread scroll was read and its purpose understood. In truth, today your honor is serving the root and foundation of the Divine Cause, for the foundation of foundations is teaching the Cause of God, awakening souls, spreading the divine teachings and educating humankind. And this depends on teaching how to teach. I beseech God that in a short time you will nurture the newly arrived ones of the Abha Paradise in truths and meanings, and tear away veils of idle fancies until each one opens an eloquent tongue and teaches others. At that time the heavenly bounties and blessings will become manifest and the invisible hosts of the Abha Kingdom will, armed with proof and evidence, conquer the realm of realities and territories of hearts - like a grain that produces seven ears, to the end of the verse.
Now is the time of laying the foundation. Now must we gather brick, stone, wood, iron, and other building materials! Now is not the time of decoration. We must strive day and night and think and work. What can I say that may become effective? What can I do that may bring results? What can I write that may bring forth fruits? Nothing else will be useful, today. The interests of such a Glorious Cause will not advance without undivided attention. While we are carrying this load we cannot carry any other load!
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
The world is in great turmoil and its problems seem to become daily more acute. We should therefore not sit idle; otherwise we would be failing in carrying out our sacred duty. Baha'u'llah has not given us His teachings to treasure them and hide them for our personal delight and pleasure. He gave them to us so that we may pass them from mouth to mouth until all the world becomes familiar with them and enjoys their blessings and uplifting influence.
The opportunities which the turmoil of the present age presents, with all the sorrows which it evokes, the fears which it excites, the disillusionment which it produces, the perplexities which it creates, the indignation which it arouses, the revolt which it provokes, the grievances it engenders, the spirit of restless search which it awakens, must, in like manner, be exploited for the purpose of spreading far and wide the knowledge of the redemptive power of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, and for enlisting fresh recruits in the ever-swelling army of His followers. So precious an opportunity, so rare a conjunction of favorable circumstances, may never again recur.
There is no other aggregation of human beings who can claim to have raised up a system with the demonstrated capacity to unite all of God's children in one world-embracing Order. This achievement places us not only in a position of incomparable strength, but more particularly in one of inescapable responsibility. Does not every one of us therefore have a divine obligation to fulfil, a sacred duty to perform towards every other one who is not yet aware of the call of God's latest Manifestation? Time does not stop, does not wait. With every passing hour a fresh affliction strikes at a distracted humanity. Dare we linger?
For thought and discussion