Compilation making
Encouraged[edit]
By institutions[edit]
Gathering the verses of God into excellent order[edit]
"Spiritual souls will assuredly emerge from behind the veil of divine protection who will gather together the tokens and verses of God and put them into the most excellent order."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Shoghi Effendi's 1954 Naw-Ruz Message to the Baha'is of the East, translated from the Persian; quoted in Lights of Guidance, no. 327)
Tablets to be collected and studied toward an education program[edit]
"Shoghi Effendi deeply appreciates your efforts in presenting the educational program of the Faith to the public. It is, naturally, premature for us to say what the full & considered program is, for all the Tablets have not been collected & studied, & we do not know, as yet, every thing that Bahá'u'lláh & the Master have said on the subject. The step you have taken is therefore that of a pioneer who even though he may not achieve everything will create enough interest to arouse others to follow his footsteps."
Comprehensive indexing of the Writings and Teachings of great interest to Research Department[edit]
"Any comprehensive indexing of the Writings and Teachings, of course, would be of great interest to our Research Department, since it has been assigned the task of classifying the texts for study, and, as called for, for application by the House of Justice of these texts to the many needs of the Faith...We appreciate very deeply the devotion manifest in your decades of labor for the Cause, a labor of love which indeed has had its own rewards as you indicate, for you have been able to undertake a thorough study of the Words of the Prophet of God for this day..."
- (Research Department, cited in Terry, Peter. Marian Crist Lippitt: Short Biographical Monograph)
For individual use[edit]
Making of compilations for personal recitation encouraged for those who cannot memorize[edit]
"Can daily early morning prayer sessions be held? If so, where and when? (If this is not feasible every day, an effort could be made to hold such sessions less frequently. At such devotional meetings not only prayers, but suitable selections from the Sacred Writings could be read. Bahá'u'lláh has pointed out that upon the Word of God "must depend the gathering together and spiritual resurrection of all men", that "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is endowed with such potency as can instill new life into every human frame", and that were man to "taste the sweetness of the words which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he would, though the treasures of the earth be in his possession, renounce them one and all, that he might vindicate the truth of even one of His commandments". It is because of such considerations that the Five Year Plan calls for the friends to memorize selections from the Writings. If a believer finds it difficult to memorize, he may be encouraged to make for his own use a selection of extracts, however brief, which he could reread and enjoy at his own leisure, to satisfy his inner soul.)"
- (Universal House of Justice, Compilation of Compilations, volume ii, p. 35; in Local Spiritual Assemblies, no. 1354)
Grouping[edit]
Though compilations ideally to separate Writings by Author, need not be adhered to strictly in educative topical compilations[edit]
"He sees no objection to your printing excerpts from his "Dispensation" and "God Passes By" in your compilation on the Covenant. Although he strongly feels that the Master's writings, the revealed Word of Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb, and his own writings should, out of respect for the difference in their relative stations, be published whenever possible in separate volumes, this must not be fanatically adhered to where an educative compilation on a certain subject is conceived."
- (On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Unfolding Destiny, pp. 224-225)
Easier and more helpful to begin study of Qur'an by subject (rather than verse by verse) and by authoritative Baha'i interpretations[edit]
"For the present, the Guardian agrees, that it would be easier and more helpful to study the Book according to subjects, and not verse by verse and also in the light of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá's interpretation which throw such floods of light on the whole of the Qur'án."
- (On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, to an individual believer, August 22, 1939, Bahá'í News, No. 134, pp. 2-3, March 1940; also in Directives from the Guardian, p. 64)
Allowable sources (examples)[edit]
Permissible to use addresses included within compilations such as "Promulgation of Universal Peace" and "Paris Talks" (despite unconfirmed status)[edit]
"It is permissible to use selections from the "Promulgation of Universal Peace" in compilations."
"For many of His addresses included in "The Promulgation of Universal Peace" and "Paris Talks", for example, no original authenticated text has yet been found. However, the Guardian allowed such compilations to continue to be used by the friends. In the future each talk will have to be identified and those which are unauthenticated will have to be clearly distinguished from those which form a part of Bahá'í Scripture. This does not mean that the unauthenticated talks will have to cease to be used -- merely that the degree of authenticity of every document will have to be known and understood. (23 March 1987)"
- (On behalf of the Universal House of Justice, cited in Memorandum on 'Authenticity of "Bahá'í World Faith" and "Foundations of World Unity"')
Though Tablet of the Virgin in "Bahá'í Scriptures" is a poor translation with many inaccuracies, Assembly may include in a compilation[edit]
"Regarding your question about including the Tablet of the Virgin in a compilation of "Bahá'í Scriptures" which you wish to publish--the old translation is very poor and has many inaccuracies. However, the Guardian has no time at all to retranslate it or correct it himself.
"He leaves it to the discretion of your Assembly as to whether you wish to include it in a compilation or not."
- (On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Unfolding Destiny, pp. 336-337)
Allowable type of material[edit]
One may quote portions of prayers (though it should be quoted as is)[edit]
"In quoting prayers any part may be used, but should be quoted as it is, however short."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, November 19, 1945: Bahá’í News, No. 210, August 1948, p. 3, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1497)
