Counsellor’s closing remarks at National Convention: Borna Noureddin

The following is a transcript of remarks made by member of the Continental Board of Counsellors, Dr. Borna Noureddin, at the close of the 72nd Bahá’í National Convention, 2 May 2022.

At the beginning of the Ten Year Crusade, the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh had to leave their countries. Later in the Ten Year Crusade, an emphasis on the homefront was added. But this is from the outset now. We have the homefront and international pioneering and in many, many more places than in 1953. So it made me think – I try to be fair, I asked you what you think are the implications of the sixth epoch and I’ve learned a lot from your comments. I thought I’d offer a few personal reflections on what some of the implications might be. And one of them is just a phrase from the House of Justice about the Nine Year Plan. They described a “colossal effort over the entire duration of the Plan.”[i] And that has two parts to it. It’s a colossal effort – I don’t know if you remember in 2016, the Five Year Plan, they referred to a herculean labour – and now it’s a colossal effort. But also, it’s a colossal effort over the entire Plan. So, it’s not just in the first year, for example. And you remember well from the message to the Conference of the Counsellors in December that this Plan will test us. It will test us in every way. I was thinking of some words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and there’s many of His passages that help us to understand His own life and example.

He said: “Indulge not your bodies with rest, but work with all your souls, and with all your hearts cry out and beg of God to grant you His succor and grace. Thus may ye make this world the Abhá Paradise, and this globe of earth the parade ground of the realm on high. If only ye exert the effort, it is certain that these splendours will shine out, these clouds of mercy will shed down their rain, these life-giving winds will rise and blow, this sweet-smelling musk will be scattered far and wide.”[ii]

I was thinking about what Ayafor said about each family being an expanding nucleus – the seed of an expanding nucleus ­– and it’s exciting to have that vision, and it’s also sobering because we know what this will take. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said that our part is to make that effort and be certain that the confirmations will come. It’s a reminder that it will not happen just through us; it will happen through the confirmations.

Shoghi Effendi, in one of his letters says, “The champion builders of Bahá’u’lláh’s rising World Order must scale nobler heights of heroism as humanity plunges into greater depths of despair, degradation, dissension and distress. Let them forge ahead into the future serenely confident that the hour of their mightiest exertions and the supreme opportunity for their greatest exploits must coincide with the apocalyptic upheaval marking the lowest ebb in mankind’s fast-declining fortunes.”[iii]

It’s not surprising that we also see the world getting worse and then here the Guardian is saying that we have to rise. The House of Justice said in 2016 that “amid the cacophony of fixed opinions and opposing interests that grows everywhere more fierce, you are focused on drawing people together to build communities that are havens of unity.”[iv]

When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke, He gave us the blueprint; when the Guardian wrote his letters, he began to trace the outlines of this World Order, and now under the guidance of the House of Justice, they are even telling us the things we have learned in building that World Order. The message seems to stay the same, but our understanding grows, the possibilities grow. So, I just thought this was one of the implications of at least the opening of this sixth epoch: this colossal effort that will be required. And it is in response to the suffering of humanity. And it’s in that context that I’m reminded of the global conferences – some of which have happened and many more that will happen in the coming weeks. And the words of the House of Justice about who these conferences are for. And if you recall they said it’s for all those who are “longing to foster unity and better the world.”[v]

There are many who have a longing to foster unity and better the world just like we do, and that’s who the conference is for. This is a conference, not an institute campaign. So, it’s not the type of thing that if you miss half of it, you’ve missed it. If you have conferences for days and 80 participants only come for one day, that’s okay. Have the three days for those 20 per cent that can come for three days. It’s a conference and they can come for as much as they can handle. They might get so excited they will come back for a second day.

Another implication of at least the opening of the sixth epoch may be, given this theme of the World Order, the continued evolution of the Administrative Order, that is at once the pattern and nucleus of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. I was reminded again of these words of Bahá’u’lláh that “The world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind’s ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System – the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.”[vi]

I was reflecting on this especially during the Conference of the Counsellors, this statement of Bahá’u’lláh, and I had to admit that for my entire life I had read World Order and system and equated it with the Administrative Order. And I started to realize how the House of Justice actually helped us to understand the letters of the Guardian, and how the World Order is far greater than the Administrative Order. That this system of Bahá’u’lláh is not just the institutions of the Faith. In fact, the House of Justice in 1996 helped us to understand one of the protagonists, one of the elements of the system that we refer to as the community. That protagonist that we spent 25 years learning how to build. That protagonist that is the fruit of the nucleus that is expanding.

They said, “The community, as distinguished from the individual and the institutions, assumes its own character and identity as it grows in size.”[vii] So first, whatever we say the Bahá’í community is, it better be a growing community. Otherwise, its sense of identity and purpose is lost. Then they say that the community is “composed of individuals, families and institutions that are originators and encouragers of systems, agencies and organizations working together with a common purpose for the welfare of people both within and beyond its own borders…”[viii]

So first of all, the institutions, and there was a very good discussion about families, these are all elements of a community. Even that image of the three protagonists as separate and you have to build relationships with them. Until I went back to this and realized that the House of Justice always described the individual and the institutions as part of the community. They don’t act on it; they are a part of it. How do you act on something that you are a part of? It’s like telling the lungs – act on the body. It has its function; it has its role and has connections all over the body, but it doesn’t do things to the body. And I wonder how much that’s part of the evolution of the Administrative Order – to begin to think of the role of institutions not as doing things to the community and to people, but to see themselves as part of an evolving community, and in that context as someone was mentioning, constantly evaluating, and adapting even their form and function to suit the needs of the growing community. This helped me understand not only that the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh is something that we’re working towards, but that the evolution of the Administrative Order within this series of Plans will help us see how this relationship looks between the community and the institutions of the Faith now that we’ve learned a few things about what a community even is.

Now friends, there is maybe a third implication of the new epoch. One which I was praying about last night and trying to find the words, so bear with me, I will just use words from the Writings and the guidance. Somehow it feels like this will be a period of unprecedented turmoil and growth – both of these things. In the century of light, we had periods of great turmoil and then another period where the turmoil subsided, and we had growth as a result of the previous turmoil. And then growth slowed, and the major Plan of God kicked in and we had turmoil again, but somehow that disrupted because we didn’t have enough capacity and growth slowed. So, it seemed to be alternating between crisis and victory.

I noticed over the last 10 to 15 years, in the stories I would hear from Iran, it almost felt like crisis and victory were simultaneous. They were alternating at the level of principle, but not in practical life. Think about it: “I am in prison, but I teach the Faith.” It’s not, “I am in prison and I suffer and grow closer to Bahá’u’lláh and I am released and am on fire and teach the Faith.” Maybe this will mark the sixth epoch; we will get used to having victory during crisis and have crisis during victory.

Crisis will happen whether we like it or not, the only thing we have control over is how we respond to that crisis. And I remember talking to my two-year-old children when they would have temper tantrums about this. Later in life they thanked me, but it was hard. I was patient with their temper, but they weren’t getting their way just because they threw a tantrum.

So ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says that “For the hordes of darkness are assailing this Cause from every direction, and the peoples of the earth are intent on extinguishing this evident Light, and since all the kindreds of the world are mounting their attack, how can our attention be diverted even for a moment? Assuredly be cognizant of these things, be watchful, and guard the Cause of God.”[ix] Protection of the Cause isn’t just keeping out troublemakers, but maybe a lot of it is making sure that I stay focused on what the House of Justice is asking me to do – that that’s the surest way to protect the Cause.

In January 2019, the House of Justice wrote a letter about peace, and it said, “Today many of the dominant currents in societies everywhere are pushing people apart, not drawing them together…Thus do the forces of disintegration regroup and gain ground. So be it. The unification of humanity is unstoppable by any human force; the promises made by the prophets of old and by the Author of the Cause of God Himself testify to this truth.” So even keeping these two things that seem paradoxical, on the one hand the House of Justice says these things that keeping driving us apart keep resurfacing, and they gain ground even. But then the House of Justice says, “So be it.” We know that the world will be united. The question is how long it will be until we are unified.

Then in 2020 the House of Justice wrote, “However difficult matters are at present, and however close to the limits of their endurance some sections of societies are brought, humanity will ultimately pass through this ordeal, and it will emerge on the other side with greater insight and with a deeper appreciation of its inherent oneness and interdependence.”[x] I don’t know about you, but this was in the midst of lockdown and so many people I talked to read this as “the pandemic will be over and we’ll be stronger.” And I think Bahá’u’lláh is merciful; we’ve learned some lessons and we feel a bit stronger, but it’s also so clear that this is not what the House of Justice was limiting its comments to.

That’s why I felt that one of the characteristics of this sixth epoch may be this idea of unprecedented turmoil and growth. But there’s this condition that Counsellor Ayafor reminded us of. The turmoil is not conditional; that will happen, but how much growth, that’s dependant on us.

So friends, having offered that, I thought we could reflect on the quality of the deliberations of the Convention. Just sitting and thinking over the years how much this institution has advanced in Canada, I was struck by the depth and the breadth of experience that was evident in many, many comments.

It seems clear that implementing the institute and learning how to build vibrant communities in various contexts is now a reality. We are learning to implement in not just one or two contexts, but many. From urban neighbourhoods to suburban settings, from rural areas to small towns, from one population to another. But recognizing that there are still many contexts in which we have yet to learn. However, there was a great deal of confidence, I felt, that the framework will work in all these contexts – it’s just a matter of learning how to make it work in those contexts.

And that makes sense, because even when we say ‘neighbourhoods,’ which are one of our best examples, think back to 15 years ago when we said that word; I bet you half of the room in the Convention wouldn’t even know what you are talking about. And the half that did would not know what we know today about neighbourhoods. You remember in “Frontiers of Learning” when [someone in this room] said, “We were so afraid to go out and study a prayer and we failed miserably, but then we came back, and we reflected, and we did it again and again and again until we figured out how to make it work”? That is now our best example, and that is what gives us confidence. It’s true we can acknowledge there are contexts we haven’t learned how to apply the framework of the institute. We tried to implement the way another place did it, and it didn’t work, but the solution is not to find a different framework, it’s just how to make the framework work there.

And that’s why I appreciated the sober discussions of how far we have still to go, while still being confident in the steps we’ve taken. And this was especially evident in the attitudes of learning that characterized many of your contributions and the drawing on experience, however modest and tentative. There was no triumphalism, but also not trepidation – there was a lot of confidence. This gives evidence of an understanding that the framework is there, it’s crystallized as the House of Justice said. And in this respect the House of Justice has clarified in this message and the 1 January 2022 message that the content of the institute is what’s already in the Ruhi books.

The challenge is, we have much to learn about how to help those who come into contact with it, relate to it; this example that Ayafor just showed. Okay, so there are elements of our community who don’t know how to read and write, and they are of an age where that is unlikely to happen any time soon, so we can put it to song. Or there’s maybe things that are in the wording of the books that turn people off, okay, so how do we learn how to have conversations with them, so they understand what these words mean, the intended meaning.

It was beautiful to see the incorporation of the arts, and yet the discipline in incorporating them, even when telling stories. And in the Ridván message, the House of Justice describes these characteristics of the life of the Master, and I saw each one of them. I wanted to name them, just in your deliberations: concern for every member of the human family, the teaching work, promotion of undertakings for education and social well-being, contributions to discourses, projects to construct Houses of Worship, Bahá’í administration, varied aspects of community life. You see? You heard all these. The House of Justice said that many of these “So many of the marvellous advances made by the present-day Bahá’í community—which were surveyed in our message to you last Riḍván—trace their origins to the actions, decisions, and directions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”[xi]

There are also evident signs of the leadership of our National Spiritual Assembly, especially in how many delegates referred to not only what the Assembly prepared for the Convention, but its letters throughout the last three years and how they contributed tangibly and decisively to learning and progress across the country.

Friends, just as some final comments, I was also touched by the sentiment that the 171 of you represent love letters from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. And I was thinking of that image and what that could mean in practice. How ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told us to turn to the Guardian and the House of Justice after His passing, and what better way to express that love of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá than to carry the love of the House of Justice, not only to the friends when you go back, but to all those who attend these 80 conferences: the tens of thousands of souls. If they feel the love of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá through their love for the Universal House of Justice, and its love for them, I think that could be a very powerful and befitting way to see yourselves as love letters of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Then, of course, since we’re saying ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, this analogy of the ship has been used rightly so because it’s in the Ridván message. What I recall from the story of Youness Khan when he describes it, it was, of course, administering the affairs, but he was illustrating this principle of focus. And I just wanted to offer as someone who grew up around the ocean and has been on boats – including sailboats of various kinds – during a storm, that it’s easy to focus when the waters are calm. It’s an entirely different thing when there is a storm. So, when Ayafor says, “Are we ready?” I hope we register that. That the storm is here, and it will be more important than ever to maintain focus.

I’ll tell you friends because it’s not just the suffering of the world. Each one of you has suffered in the path of God. I’m assured of that. I’m equally certain that each one of you, and the friends in your communities, will also suffer more for the Faith. There is no other way. This world is only a world of suffering. What better gift than to have that suffering to be for the Faith?

I was reminded of this prayer of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. And you’ll forgive me, I checked, it’s not translated into English. I went back and forth, “Should I even share it?” If you’ll permit me, I’ll share it in Farsi and I’ll just prelude it by a very, very poor attempt at a provisional translation. It’s very short. Then I’ll say the Farsi one, and then I’ll end with some words of the House of Justice. But this prayer of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, again, forgive me for the poor translation, but roughly, “O dear ones of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá! Whensoever you have sorrows and are harassed, misery is heaped upon you, and you’re oppressed; be ye noble, brave, and kind, and commune with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with this prayer. He is God! I am alone and exhausted. I am chaff, and sad. I am weak, and miserable. You are the answer of my cries.”

[Shares the prayer in Farsi]

Friends, this is what we have with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. With that in mind, these are the words of the House of Justice, “However long and arduous the road that must be travelled, we are supremely confident in your fortitude and your determination to see the journey through. You draw from stores of hope, faith, and magnanimity, putting the needs of others before your own, enabling those who are deprived to be spiritually nourished, those who increasingly thirst for answers to be satisfied, and those who long to work for the betterment of the world to be offered the means. From the devoted followers of the Blessed Perfection, how could we expect less?”[xii]

[i] From the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, Ridván 2022.

[ii] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 245.

[iii] Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, p. 58.

[iv] From the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, Ridván 2016.

[v] From the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, Ridván 2022.

[vi] Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 181.

[vii] From the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, Ridván 1996.

[viii] Ibid.

[ix] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 10.

[x] From the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, Naw-Rúz 177.

[xi] From the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, Ridván 2022.

[xii] From the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, Ridván 2020.