Shoghi Effendi - Through the Pilgrim's Eye Vol. 2

The story, through the eyes of those who were there, of the Ten Year Crusade, including the tragic and untimely death of Shoghi Effendi in 1957 and the decision by the ‘Chief Stewards’ of the Faith, the Hands of the Cause of God, to carry forward the Guardian’s Plan to its successful conclusion and the establishment of the final piece in Bahá’u’lláh’s Administrative Order, the Universal House of Justice. 

The two volumes of Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim’s Eye tell the story of the worldwide spread of the Bahá’í Faith from 1922 to 1963. They draw on the diary entries and letters (many now published for the first time) of the many pilgrims and visitors to the Bahá’í Holy Places in Haifa and Akka, as well as the accounts of those who worked to assist the Guardian in his many extraordinary achievements.   As in all such cases, these recollections must be taken in the spirit of pilgrim notes – interesting and thought-provoking highlights and observations, but not any part of the Bahá’í Sacred Text. They do, however, provide unique insights and inspiration.  

While volume I (1922−1952) covered the years when Shoghi Effendi was laying the foundations of the Bahá’í Administrative Order destined to culminate in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, the present volume begins with the opening of the dramatic decade 1953−1963 with the launching of the ten-year worldwide spiritual plan to carry the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh to every place on the planet. That first global teaching plan involved every National Assembly and every Bahá’í in a ‘fate-laden, soul-stirring, decade-long, world-embracing Spiritual Crusade’. It was a monumentally incomprehensible leap for the world Bahá’í Community. When Shoghi Effendi announced the plan, there were just twelve National Spiritual Assemblies in the world, formed over a period of 30 years. The Plan ended with 56. In 1952 the Bahá’í Faith had members in 129 countries and dependencies; Shoghi Effendi wanted to open an additional 131 – all in just ten years.  

About the Author

Earl Redman is a geologist who worked in Alaska and Chile for two decades. One job was for the US Bureau of Mines, studying mineral deposits in the Juneau Gold Belt, Alaska. In 1999 he moved with his wife Sharon to Ireland, where he has researched and written five books, exploring the gold mines of the stories included in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, the two volumes of Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim’s Eye, a book on the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, and this volume on pilgrims who visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Holy Land before His Western journeys. A second volume tells the story of pilgrims to the Holy Land after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s return in 1913. 

Earl and Sharon have travelled widely and for long periods in recent years and are much in demand as speakers and storytellers.

Pages: 400
Dimensions: 234 x 156 mms (9.75 x 6.25 ins)  
Weight: 650 g
ISBN: 978–0–85398–595-2