"The Service of Women on the Institutions of the Baha'i Faith."

In 1988, a group of eight Baha'i scholars collaborated to produce a paper titled "The Service of Women on the Institutions of the Baha'i Faith." One of the article's main arguments was that the exclusion of women from membership on the Universal House of Justice was not necessarily permanent. In taking this position, the authors relied on two essential lines of thought. The first related to language usage. While admitting that the Arabic term "rijal" was indeed masculine, they also noted that in other contexts Baha'u'llah had employed "rijal" in such a manner as to include females. For example, they quoted the following from the religion's founder: "Today the Baha'i women must guide the handmaidens of the earth to the Lofty Horizon with the utmost purity and sanctity. Today the handmaidens of God are regarded as gentlemen [rijal]. Blessed are they! Blessed are they!" Second, the authors claimed that on several occasions in Baha'i history, laws had changed over time. More specifically, they traced the record of women's service on Baha'i institutions in the United States, and in the process pointed out that at one time, females were not allowed to serve on local assemblies (houses of justice as they were then known). Until 'Abdu'l-Baha reinterpreted the law in 1912, it was common belief that Baha'u'llah's ban on women's service included local assemblies as well as the future national and international houses of justice, Developing the implications of the Master's change of mind, the paper concluded that the way was open for a future Universal House of Justice to reinterpret previously understood gender requirements for service on the supreme institution.

(William Garlington, Baha'i Faith in America)

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Baha'u'llah wrote that Baha'i authors should write in a manner as to attract souls

Thou hast written that one of the friends hath composed a treatise. This was mentioned in the Holy Presence, and this is what was revealed in response: Great care should be exercised that whatever is written in these days doth not cause dissension, and invite the objection of the people. Whatever the friends of the one true God say in these days is listened to by the people of the world. It hath been revealed in the Lawh-i-Hikmat: "The unbelievers have inclined their ears towards us in order to hear that which might enable them to cavil against God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting." Whatever is written should not transgress the bounds of tact and wisdom, and in the words used there should lie hid the property of milk, so that the children of the world may be nurtured therewith, and attain maturity. We have said in the past that one word hath the influence of spring and causeth hearts to become fresh and verdant, while another is like unto blight which causeth the blossoms and flowers to wither. God grant that authors among the friends will write in such a way as would be acceptable to fair-minded souls, and not lead to cavilling by the people.

(Baháʼu'lláh, The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, p. 407)

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"The first to swear allegiance to me was Muhammad the Prophet of God"

The Bāb himself made it quite explicit that not only had the Prophet, the Imāms, and the nawwāb (abwāb) returned to earth in the persons of the Letters of the Living, but other prophets and saints had reappeared in other of his followers: "The first to swear allegiance to me was Muḥammad the Prophet of God, then 'Alī, then those who were witnesses after him [i.e., the next eleven Imāms], then the Gates of Guidance, then those to whom God had accorded such grace of the prophets and holy ones and witnesses and those who believed in God and his verses."

(Denis MacEcoin, The Messiah of Shiraz, Page 341)

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"God's avenging wrath"

"God's avenging wrath" had removed, early in April, 1952, the son of Siyyid 'Ali, Nayer Afnan, who was to have been a star witness for the Covenant-breakers in the lawsuit brought to challenge the authority conferred upon the Guardian in 'Abdu'l Baha's Testament, by virtue of which he is Custodian of Baha'i Holy Places. 

A few months later, in December, 1953, the Guardian cabled that three others of the few remaining who had shown faithlessness to 'Abdu'l-Baha had been struck down -- Avarih in Persia, Fareed in the United States, and Falah in Turkey. The Guardian stated: "All three, however blinded (by) perversity, could not have failed (to) perceive, as (their) infamous careers approached (their) end, (the) futility (of their) opposition, (the) measure (of their) own loss (and the) degree (of) progress (and) consolidation (of the) triumphant Administrative order (so) magnificently celebrated (in the) course (of the) festivities (of the) recently concluded Holy Year."

(The Baha'i World, Vol. 12, Page 48-49)

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President of Israel recalled a visit with 'Abdu'l-Baha in Bahji

"The Guardian and Ruhiyyih Khanum warmly received the President and Mrs. Ben-Zvi, surrounding them with gracious hospitality. During the friendly and informal discussion which followed, Shoghi Effendi outlined the aims and purposes of the Faith, the love and friendliness of the Baha'is for Israel, and their hope and prayer for the success of the State. The President recalled a visit with 'Abdu'l-Baha some years ago in Bahji, when he and Mrs. Ben-Zvi were making a tour of the country. Persian tea and sweets were served. A beautiful hand-wrought silver-bound volume with colored views of the Baha'i Holy Places in Israel, both at Bahjl and on Mt. Carmel, was presented to the President as a memento of the occasion."

(The Baha'i World, Vol. 12, Page 45)

As the Guardian wrote in his letter of March 29, 1951: "All these establish, beyond the shadow of doubt, the high status enjoyed by the international institutions of a World Faith, in the eyes of a new-born State."

(The Baha'i World, Vol. 12, Page 46)

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Baha'is will be protected and watched over by Baha’u’llah

The Baha’is all over the world are subject sometimes to suffering, along with their fellow-men. Whatever vicissitudes befall their country, they will be protected though, and watched over by Baha’u’llah, and should not fear the future but rather fear any failure on their part to carry out the work of His Cause.

-Shoghi Effendi

https://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/DND/dnd-259.html

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the cry of 'Ya Baha'u'l-Abha' will be raised from every direction

"Know thou that hardship and privation shall increase day by day, and the people shall thereby be afflicted. The doors of joy and happiness shall be closed on all sides, and terrible wars shall occur. Frustration and despair shall encompass the people until they are forced to turn to the One True God. Then will the light of most joyful tidings so illumine the horizons that the cry of 'Ya Baha'u'l-Abha' will be raised from every direction. This shall come to pass."

('Abdu’l-Bahá: from a Tablet to Isabella D. Brittingham, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, p. 248, Wilmette 1980, corrected in a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies, January 16, 1984)

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