ngen, and to advise your
friends to do the same, so that through the collective and continued
labours of you all these annual gatherings may develop both in their scope
and in their influence.

The Guardian is ardently supplicating on behalf of you all, and is praying
that Baha'u'llah may continue to bless, enrich and widen the scope of your
labours for the promotion and consolidation of the Faith in your
respective communities. With his warmest greetings to you all...

[From the Guardian:]

Dearly-beloved co-workers:

Your message, which I regard as a compelling evidence of the regenerative
power and irresistible march of the Cause of God has brought immense joy
to my heart. The convocation of such a representative gathering at such a
historic spot, and on the morrow of the unprecedented trials which,
through the mysterious dispensations of Providence have so severely
afflicted the German believers, is indeed a historic event that every
well-wisher of the Cause should heartily and joyously welcome. A splendid
beginning has been made. I pray that as a result of the unshakable faith
and the persistent endeavours of the German believers this institution may
grow in effectiveness and scope and lend a mighty impetus to the spread of
the Cause in your promising country.

Your true brother,
Shoghi

LETTER OF 25 SEPTEMBER 1934

25 September 1934

Dear Dr. Muehlschlegel,

I am directed by the Guardian to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
dated August 29th, and to express his appreciation of your highly-valued
efforts for the translation of the "Kitab-i-'Ahd" into German. He hopes
that copies of this precious tablet will soon be made available to all the
friends, and that through its study their knowledge of the Teachings will
be deepened, and their zeal for their spread stimulated and sustained.

The term "afnan" means literally small branch, and refers to the relatives
of the Bab, both men and women. As the Bab's only son died while in
infancy, the former had no direct descendants. The "afnan" are, therefore,
all indirectly related to the Bab.

As to "a_gh_san", it also means branch. But it is a bigger branch than
"afnan". It refers to Baha'u'llah's descendants.

The "Kitab-i-'Ahd" is, as you know, Baha'u'llah's "Book of Covenant". It
is entirely written in His own handwriting. And in the light of the
objections raised by some of the believers concerning the Will and
Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, it