A Prayer for Mirza Ja'far

From: Baha’i Stories for Children

The August sun burned down on the stone walls of 'Akka as the sailboat rocked roughly into the harbor. The Baha'is had come a long way. They were hot, hungry, and thirsty. But Mirza Ja'far was happy - he was with Baha'u'llah!

The townspeople yelled at them from the streets, from windows and doorways, as they passed. Mirza Ja'far had walked through hateful mobs before. He had been hungry, tired, and hot before. These things did not matter. He was happy.

The guards at the mighty stone prison gave them little to eat and drink. But Mirza Ja'far thanked God. His dark, narrow cell seemed like a sweet-smelling rose garden with Baha'u'llah close by.

Then, one day, Mirza Ja'far fell sick. How could it be? They had crossed deserts and climbed mountains together. Eager always to help, Mirza Ja'far never complained, and he never seemed to need rest. He was the one who went with 'Abdu'l-Baha to find supplies while others rested.

His great faith

From: Remembering Shoghi Effendi…

Of all the characteristics that Shoghi Effendi possessed, the one that I believe was at the very core of his personality and was deeply rooted in his soul was the immense faith he had, his complete reliance on the efficacy of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation. He clung to His Teachings with a tenacity that cannot be likened to anything. His whole being was permeated with the power of the Revelation, and this is the reason that all who came near him or in contact with him felt so safe, so assured, so regenerated.

- Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery  (‘Shoghi Effendi – Recollections’)

God “has chosen the reality of man and has honored it with intellect and wisdom”

From: Counsels and Explanations - - Daily Readings

In the Name of God the Clement, the Merciful

Praise and thanksgiving be unto Providence that out of all the realities in existence He has chosen the reality of man and has honored it with intellect and wisdom, the two most luminous lights in either world. Through the agency of this great endowment, He has in every epoch cast on the mirror of creation new and wonderful configurations. If we look objectively upon the world of being, it will become apparent that from age to age, the temple of existence has continually been embellished with a fresh grace, and distinguished with an ever-varying splendor, deriving from wisdom and the power of thought.

This supreme emblem of God stands first in the order of creation and first in rank, taking precedence over all created things. Witness to it is the Holy Tradition, “Before all else, God created the mind.” From the dawn of creation, it was made to be revealed in the temple of man.

'Abdu'l-Baha with Eastern friends and a few Western pilgrims on Mount Carmel

From: 'Abdu'l-Baha in the Holy Land

'Abdu'l-Baha with Eastern friends and a few Western pilgrims on Mount Carmel, circa 1920. Shoghi Effendi is seen on the front extreme left.