Imminent entry by troops belongs in the same box as Unity of Nations or the Lesser Peace by the year 2000 - both examples of reading into the texts what we want to be true. And then living on expectations for as long as possible, and becoming discouraged and quite often withdrawing from the community. All of that process could be shortcut by studying the texts closely at the beginning. It's extraordinary that something that is barely mentioned in passing in the Baha’i scriptures has been a major community focus for several decades now. The little that the scriptures say suggests to me that its importance has been over-rated, and that the time-frame of entry by troops, its nature, and how the Baha’is can bring it about have all been misunderstood. From my reading of the world and of the scriptures, I suggest that we should not now be greatly preoccupied with entry by troops or large scale conversion: a concern with the needs of the age we live in, and the needs of our Baha’i communities today, will indicate healthier, locally-specific priorities which – ironically – will be more conducive to actual ‘growth’ in every sense.

 August J. Stenstrand was likely one of, if not the first, follower of Subh-i-Azal in the United States. August J. Stenstrand was born in Sweden in May 1862. He emigrated from Sweden to the United States on 12 February 1889 and was naturalised on 21 March 1899 [Date of entry Feb. 12, 1889. District CT of 25th Judicial District McPherson Co, Kansas. Certificate of Naturalisation #3805. Sweden & Norway. Date Nat. March 21, 1899]. He is listed in the 1900 census as living in the Elfstrom household along with other individuals of Scandinavian descent and being an unemployed day labourer. He was unemployed for four months as of the time of the census. He would be exposed to the teachings of Bahai Religion through missionary Dr. Ibrahim G. Kheirullah (The Complete Call to the Heaven of the Bayan, see: p.

Those who feel themselves in Imam's (a.t.f .s.) presence at all times, to the extent that they possess his true recognition, abstain from all acts that incur Imam's (a.t.f.s.) wrath and displeasure. At the same time they do not leave any action that will earn his pleasure and satisfaction. In fact, this is one of the most evident signs of Imam's (a.t.f.s.) true recognition in his occultation. Ameerul Mo'mineen (a.s.):

Another effect and sign of Imams' (a.s.) recognition is remembering them on different occasions. In fact this remembrance should be perpetual as this is the effect of the love of Imams (a.s.). When a person is attached to someone intensely, he is not oblivious to him and remembers him constantly. The more intense the attachment, the harder it is for him to forget the person, till such a time that the remembrance of the person becomes etched in his heart and an inseparable part of his existence. Therefore those who have faith and recognition of Imam (a.t.f.s.) in occultation, wherein they are deprived of seeing him (a.t.f.s.), they must never forget him in their hearts.