Declaration – 10 Rabi‘ al-Awwal 1415 (1994-08-19)

Reminders from His Holiness Haj Ali Tabandeh, Mahboub Ali Shah
to the Fuqara Residing in America

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I acknowledge the receipt of your letter. I pray for your health and success from the Divine Presence. The suspension of faqr gatherings in that region of America was due to inappropriate conduct and a lack of appreciation and reverence for this sacred gift. Now that you have, once again, requested to resume these gatherings, this faqir agrees to their reopening in your area (Orange County), provided that the following guidelines are fully observed.

• Attendance at faqr gatherings must be solely for glorifying the Divine and remembering God. Therefore, any material or worldly motives must be strictly avoided.
• Since personal conversations among the fuqara between sessions distract others and disrupt one’s own focus and remembrance, absolute silence must be observed during gatherings. One should seize the moment and dedicate the time solely to remembering God and listening to spiritual texts. Of course, when necessary, inquiries about fellow brothers' conditions and helping relieve their difficulties should be made at the end of the session.
• Sisters in faith must fully observe Islamic hijab and avoid wearing clothing that contradicts religious and faqr decorum.
• Brothers and sisters in faith must be completely separated during gatherings, and even in small spaces, a curtain should divide the seating areas.
• Fuqara must treat one another with love and religious brotherhood, especially during faqr gatherings, and strictly avoid backbiting and slander, which are among the major sins. Respect must be shown to one another, and consideration given to senior fuqara. Naturally, no one has superiority over another except through faith and piety.
• Books read during the gatherings—whether prose or poetry—must be from great masters of Mysticism. Especially in poetry, care must be taken to avoid exaggerated or frivolous content, and preferably, the works of earlier mystics such as Rumi and Saadi should be used. For prose texts, works of later mystics should be selected, especially those authored by the noble ancestors and the esteemed father of this faqir, His Holiness Reza Ali Shah, may God elevate their noble station. After the completion of any prose reading, the book Pand-e Saleh should be read again, and this cycle should be repeated.

Once again, I emphasize that since gatherings held in remembrance of God are graced by the sacred souls of religious luminaries, the gathering itself and its spiritual hosts—who are the saints of religion—must be duly respected. If the aforementioned instructions are carried out in such a gathering, according to a Prophetic tradition, it becomes a garden from the gardens of Paradise, where divine blessings descend. Otherwise, it results in divine displeasure and that of the religious saints, and one should not expect either outward or inward openings or the acceptance of supplications.

I pray to the Most Gracious God to grant all of us success in obedience. Convey my greetings to the brothers there and read this letter aloud to them during the gathering.