Not speaking unless given a hearing
Not to speak unless one has obtained a hearing
[edit]"O SON OF DUST! The wise are they that speak not unless they obtain a hearing, even as the cup-bearer, who proffereth not his cup till he findeth a seeker, and the lover who crieth not out from the depths of his heart until he gazeth upon the beauty of his beloved. Wherefore sow the seeds of wisdom and knowledge in the pure soil of the heart, and keep them hidden, till the hyacinths of divine wisdom spring from the heart and not from mire and clay."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Hidden Words, from the Persian, 36)
Care should be taken not to proselytize
[edit]"Bahá’u’lláh, in 'The Hidden Words', Says 'O Son of Dust! The wise are they that speak not unless they obtain a hearing, even as the cup-bearer, who proffereth not his cup till he findeth a seeker, and the lover who crieth not out from the depths of his heart until he gazeth upon the beauty of his beloved…', and on page 55 of 'The Advent of Divine Justice', a letter which is primarily directed towards exhorting the friends to fulfil their responsibilities in teaching the Faith, Shoghi Effendi writes: 'Care, however, should, at all times, be exercised, lest in their eagerness to further the international interests of the Faith they frustrate their purpose, and turn away, through any act that might be misconstrued as an attempt to proselytize and bring undue pressure upon them, those whom they wish to win over to their Cause'. Some Bahá’ís sometimes overstep the proper bounds, but this does not alter the clear principle."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, January 3, 1982: Teaching and Commitment, a compilation of the Universal House of Justice, in Lights of Guidance, no. 2004)