in conjunction with the
Guardian administer the
Faith were likewise stipulated in the writings of the Founder. The present task of Bahá'ís the world over is two-fold, involving both consolidation in studying the Teachings and practicing the Bahá'í way of life—and expansion: presenting this Faith to the public for free investigation. Bahá'í communities are now to be found in more than hundred countries around the globe.
Study of the writings is a lifetime occupation. Although the tenets of the Faith are readily grasped, the Teachings are vast, disclosing new horizons as the individual’s experience develops. It is far from true that all Bahá'ís are intellectuals—there are communities of Persian villagers—but it is certain that the Teachings themselves and the effort to bring them before the public act as a strong incentive to acquire diversified knowledge.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes, “The dominion of kings has an ending ... but the sovereignty of science is everlasting....” and again, “All blessings are divine in origin but none can be compared with this power of intellectual investigation and research which is an eternal gift producing fruits of unending delight ... All other blessings are temporary; this is an everlasting possession.”
3.
Bahá’u’lláh wrote a hundred books. They consist of laws, principles, and exhortations; of warnings and prophecies; of prayers and meditations; of commentaries, interpretations, discourses, and homilies; of the proclamation of His mission to kings, ministers, and