Before all else they [Baha’is] must sanctify their hearts
and purify their motives, otherwise all efforts in furthering any enterprise
will be fruitless. They must eschew affectation and imitation, for every man of
understanding will instantly detect their loathsome odour. They must not
neglect the special times they should set aside for meditation, reflection and
prayer, for without the blessings and confirmations of God, success, progress
and development are difficult, nay impossible.
(‘Abdu’l-Baha, quoted by the
Universal House of Justice in a message dated 10 February 1980 addressed to the
Iranian believers resident in other countries throughout the world)
