Warnings from Shoghi Effendi and Abdu’l-Baha about getting too involved in politics.
The following guidance might be more important today than it was in their time.
WHEN you breathe forth the breath of the Holy Spirit from your hearts into the world, commerce and politics will take care of themselves in perfect harmony. All arts and sciences will become revealed and the knowledge of God will be manifested. It is not your work but that of the Holy Spirit which you breathe forth through the Word. This is a fundamental truth.”
So long as these prejudices [religious, racial, national, political] survive, there will be continuous and fearsome wars.
(“Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá”, p. 249) [20]
Political love also is much bound up with hatred of one party for another; this love is very limited and uncertain…Shed the light of a boundless love on every human being whom you meet, whether of your country, your race, your political party, or of any other nation, colour or shade of political opinion. – Abdu’l-Baha
Paris Talks, pgs. 36, 38
The following is part of an article from Baha’i Library Online called Bahá’í Approach to Non-Involvement in Partisan Political Activity:
The Guardian wishes me to draw the attention of the friends through you that they should be very careful in their public utterance not to mention any political figures—
either side with them or denounce them.
This is the first thing to bear in mind. Otherwise, they will involve the friends in political matters, which is
infinitely dangerous for the Cause.
–From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, January 12, 1933: Bahá’í News, No. 72, April 1933, p. 3)
The attitude of the Bahá’ís must be two‐fold, complete obedience to the government of the country they reside in, and no interference whatsoever in political matters or questions. What the Master’s statement really means is obedience to a duly constituted government, whatever that government may be in form.
We are not the ones, as individual Bahá’ís, to judge our government as just or unjust—for each believer would be sure to hold a different viewpoint, and within our own Bahá’í fold a hotbed of dissension would spring up and destroy our unity.
We must build up our own Bahá’í system, and leave the faulty systems of the world to go their way.
We cannot change them through becoming involved in them; on the contrary, they will destroy us.
–Shoghi Effendi, DirectivesfromtheGuardian, p. 56
There is one fundamental point which Shoghi Effendi wishes me to emphasize. By the principle of non‐interference in political matters we should not mean that only corrupt politics and partial and sectarian politics are to be avoided. But that any pronouncement on any current system of politics connected with any government must be shunned.
We should not only take side with no political party, group or system actually in use,
but we should also refuse to commit ourselves to any statement which may be interpreted as being sympathetic or antagonistic to any existing political organization or philosophy.
The attitude of the Bahá’ís must be one of complete aloofness.
They are neither for nor against any system of politics.
Not that they are the ill‐wishers of their respective governments but that due to certain basic considerations arising out of their teachings and of the administrative machinery of their Faith they prefer not to get entangled in political affairs and to be misinterpreted and misunderstood by their countrymen…
–From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated March 2, 1934; cited in Lights of Guidance:ABahá’íReferenceLibrary, 4th ed., p. 452
Protests of Certain Types
He does not see any objection to Bahá’í students taking part as Bahá’ís in a protest such as that mentioned in the clipping. On the contrary, he does not see how they could remain indifferent when fellow students were voicing our own Bahá’í attitude on such a vital issue and one we feel so strongly about.
He thinks that the quotation you cite from “The Advent of Divine Justice” would certainly indicate that such a protest was justifiable. As there was nothing political about it there was no reason for the Bahá’í students not to participate.
–From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to Mr. Ellsworth Blackwell, dated January 4, 1948
In connection with the subject matter of Mr. Blackwell’s letter and your reference to it, the Guardian feels that, as he said in his letter to Mr. Blackwell, there was no objection at all to the students taking part in something so obviously akin to the spirit of our teachings as a campus demonstration against race prejudice. The Bahá’ís did not inaugurate this protest, they merely were proud to have a voice as Bahá’ís in such a protest, took part, and he thinks they did quite right and violated no administrative principle.
–From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, dated November 18, 1948; cited in Lights of Guidance: A Bahá’í Reference Library, 4th ed., p. 531
Regarding your question: the Guardian does not see how Bahá’í participation with other organizations and religious bodies, in a non‐political meeting to promote civic unity and welfare along some line, can be considered political. Much as the friends must guard against in any way ever seeming to identify themselves or the Cause with any political party, they must also guard against the other extreme of never taking part with other progressive groups, in conferences or committees designed to promote some activity in entire accord with our teachings—such as, for instance, better race relations.
–From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to Mr. Ellsworth Blackwell, dated November 21, 1948
More From Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi
From Baha’i Quotes:
If any person wishes to speak of government affairs, or to interfere with the order of Governors, the others must not combine with him because
the Cause of God is withdrawn entirely from political affairs;
the political realm pertains only to the Rulers of those matters: it has nothing to do with the souls who are exerting their utmost energy to harmonizing affairs, helping character and inciting (the people) to strive for perfections.
Therefore no soul is allowed to interfere with (political) matters, but only in that which is commanded.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 407
O handmaid of the Lord!
Speak thou no word of politics;
thy task concerneth the life of the soul, for this verily leadeth to man’s joy in the world of God.
Except to speak well of them, make thou no mention of the earth’s kings, and the worldly governments thereof.
Rather, confine thine utterance to spreading the blissful tidings of the Kingdom of God, and demonstrating the influence of the Word of God, and the holiness of the Cause of God.
Tell thou of abiding joy and spiritual delights, and godlike qualities, and of how the Sun of Truth hath risen above the earth’s horizons:
tell of the blowing of the spirit of life into the body of the world.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 92-93
According to the exhortations of the Supreme Pen
and the confirmatory explanations of the Covenant of God
Bahá’ís are in no way allowed to enter into political affairs under any pretense of excuse;
since such an action brings about disastrous results and ends in hurting the Cause of God and its intimate friends.
Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, no. 152
It is often through our misguided feeling that we can somehow aid our fellows better by some activity outside the Faith, that Bahá’ís are led to indulge in politics.
This is a dangerous delusion.
As Shoghi Effendi’s secretary wrote on his behalf:
“What we Bahá’ís must face is the fact that society is disintegrating so rapidly that moral issues which were clear a half century ago are now hopelessly confused and, what is more, thoroughly mixed up with battling political interests.
That is why Bahá’ís must turn all their forces into the channel of building up the Bahá’í Cause and its administration.
They can neither change nor help the world in any other way at present.
If they become involved in the issues the governments of the world are struggling over, they will be lost.
But if they build up the Bahá’í pattern they can offer it as a remedy when all else has failed.”
. . . “We must build up our Bahá’í system, and leave the faulty systems of the world to go their way. We cannot change them through becoming involved in them; on the contrary, they will destroy us.
Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahá’í Administration, p. 31-32
Though loyal to their respective governments, though imbued with the love of their own country, and anxious to promote at all times, its best interests, the followers of the Bahá’í Faith, nevertheless, viewing mankind as one entity, and profoundly attached to its vital interests, will not hesitate to subordinate every particular interest, be it personal, regional or national, to the over-riding interests of the generality of mankind, knowing full well that in a world of interdependent vii peoples and nations the advantage of the part is best to be reached by the advantage of the whole, and that no lasting result can be achieved by any of the component parts if the general interests of the entity itself are neglected.
Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. vi
We should – every one of us – remain aloof, in heart and in mind, in words and in deeds, from the political affairs and disputes of the Nations and of Governments.
We should keep ourselves away from such thoughts.
We should have no political connection with any of the parties and should join no faction of these different and warring sects.
Absolute impartiality in the matter of political parties should be shown by words and by deeds, and the love of the whole humanity, whether a Government or a nation, which is the basic teaching of Bahá’u’lláh, should also be shown by words and by deeds.
Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, no. 152
And finally:
…the very essence of the reason a person has accepted Bahá’u’lláh is that he has decided this Way alone is the solution to the absolutely hopeless problems facing humanity. A Bahá’í must be wholly a Bahá’í, concentrate on the work of the Cause, and put aside from his mind the distracting influences that scream at him from every newspaper these days.
Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Divine Guidance, #244
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