Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Hushmand Fatheazam, The New Garden: An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith, Juxta Publishing Limited, 2002, bahai-library.com.
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The
New
Garden
An Introduction to
1 the Bahá’í Faith
By Hushmand Fathea’zam

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© 2002, Juxta Publishing Limited.
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Acknowledgements
The New Garden is based on my revised notes prepared for
the Bahá’í Teaching Institute at Indore, Central India. The
Hindi version of this book has already been published. As for
the English edition, I must offer my grateful thanks to Dr R.
Muhájir, Hand of the Cause, who not only encouraged me to
prepare these lessons but also enriched them by his wise
suggestions and observations so that they may be used, with
appropriate modifications, in other countries where the
Message of God is being actively spread among their peoples.
In this connection, my efforts were greatly facilitated by
the generous co-operation of Mrs Gloria Faizi, who has
patiently gone through the manuscript and has corrected and
improved it.
My thanks are also due to the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of India for their approval to publish The New
Garden.
Hushmand Fathea’zam
New Delhi, Ridván 119 [1963–64]

The New Garden is dedicated to the awakening masses of
India, as a token of my gratitude for all the good lessons of
devotion, sincerity and love that I have learnt from them.
Hushmand Fathea’zam

Contents

God and His Religion ....................................................... 8
The purpose of our lives .................................................... 8
How to know God ........................................................... 10
The love of God .............................................................. 11
Oneness of religion .......................................................... 14
Religion renews itself....................................................... 16
Progressive religion .......................................................... 18

Manifestations of God ..................................................... 22
Krishna ........................................................................... 22
Buddha .......................................................................... 24
Moses ............................................................................. 27
Zoroaster ........................................................................ 29
Jesus Christ ..................................................................... 32
Muhammad .................................................................... 35
The Báb ......................................................................... 38
Bahá’u’lláh ...................................................................... 45

The Covenant ................................................................. 52
‘Abdu’l-Bahá ................................................................... 52
Shoghi Effendi—The Guardian of the Faith ...................... 58

Some of the teachings and principles ............................... 65
Oneness of mankind ........................................................ 65
Removal of prejudice ....................................................... 67
Search after truth ............................................................ 69
Universal language ........................................................... 73
Equality between men and women ................................... 74
Universal education ......................................................... 76
Religion and science must work together .......................... 80
Extremes of wealth and poverty must end ......................... 81
Happiness ....................................................................... 87
Immortality .................................................................... 90
Heaven and hell .............................................................. 93
Miracles .......................................................................... 96
Moral and ethical teachings ........................................... 100

Administration .............................................................. 106
Religion without priests ................................................ 106
What is Bahá’í Administration? ...................................... 109
Election of a Spiritual Assembly ..................................... 113
Duties of a Local Spiritual Assembly ............................... 115
Officers of the Spiritual Assembly .................................. 118
The Spiritual Assembly at work—Part I .......................... 121
Consultation ................................................................. 123
The Spiritual Assembly at work, Part II .......................... 129
The Spiritual Assembly at work, Part III ......................... 134
The Nineteen Day Feast ................................................ 134
Some points on the Nineteen Day Feast ......................... 136
National Spiritual Assembly ........................................... 142
National Convention ..................................................... 144
The Universal House of Justice ....................................... 146
Some important points about the Bahá’í Administration . 149
Bahá’í temples .............................................................. 151
The Bahá’í Fund ........................................................... 153

Some of the laws and obligations ................................... 156
Cleanliness .................................................................... 156
Prayer ........................................................................... 157
Fasting .......................................................................... 160
Work is worship ............................................................ 163
Teaching the Cause of God ............................................ 166
Alcoholic drinks are prohibited ...................................... 170
Observing the Holy Days .............................................. 171
Marriage ....................................................................... 175
Loyalty to government ................................................... 179
How one becomes a Bahá’í ............................................. 181

God and His Religion
The purpose of our lives
Have you ever compared a jungle with a farm? In the
jungle the trees grow wild; there are thick shrubs and
untamed creepers. The farm has geometrical borders, tilled
earth, a network of canals and streams—a patch of corn here, a
field of sugarcane there.
What is the difference between the wild jungle and the
farm?
In the farm you can see order in everything while in the
jungle there is no order. On the farm, things have been cared
for and tended, while in the jungle everything grows
haphazardly, without order.
Where there is order there is purpose.
We develop a farm for a reason. We dig canals and wells for
a reason. We have a purpose in doing all this. If there were no
purpose in doing so, we would have left the field to the rains,
the winds and the sun. We would have abandoned it to grow
into a jungle with all its wild life.
The farm has order. The farm has a purpose.

Look at Creation as a whole. Do you not see perfect order
in everything? Look at the moon, how it comes and how it
goes! Next month the crescent of the new moon will again
glitter in the sky like a golden dagger. Wait 14 more days and
watch the full moon rise in all its beauty like a silver shield.
You can count the days of the moon because it comes and
goes according to an order. Look at the sun, the change of the
seasons, the birth of a child, and the growth of a field.
Everywhere there is order and therefore there is a purpose
behind all these things. They cannot be without a reason.
What is the purpose of our creation? To know God, our
Creator, and to worship Him.
If we know God, the purpose of our lives is fulfilled. The
purpose of a lamp is to give light. The purpose of a flute is to
give out melodious notes. We must know God if the purpose
of our lives is to be fulfilled. If we do not know Him, we are
like unlit lamps, or silent flutes.
Bahá’u’lláh, the great Manifestation of God for this age,
reveals a prayer, saying:
“I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know
Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment to my
powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy
wealth.
“There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-
Subsisting.”1

Bahá’u’lláh has asked us to recite this prayer at noon every
day lest we forget why we have been created. Let us be
melodious flutes, vibrant with the praise of God. Let us not be
silent flutes!
How to know God
Our life on earth is chiefly dependent on the sun. It gives
us light and life. If the blessings of the sun were withdrawn
from us, everything would die on the face of the earth.
However, it is impossible for us to get very close to the sun,
impossible to go directly to it. If we do so, the sun, the source
of light and life, will burn us away. We are too weak to bear
the direct heat and light of the powerful sun. But the sun
gives its energy, heat, light and life to us through the medium
of its rays. The rays of the sun connect us to the sun.
God, the Almighty, the Creator, the Omnipotent, is
immeasurably greater than what we can imagine. He is the
“Unknowable Essence”. How can we reach Him through our
efforts? We will burn if we try to get too close to the sun. How
can we then ever hope to be able to reach God, the Creator of
all things—the All-Glorious, the Most High? We cannot go to
Him but He can reach out to us. The sun sends its energies to
us through its rays. God’s guidance and glory come to us
through His Manifestations like Krishna, Jesus, Muhammad
and Bahá’u’lláh. The Manifestations of God are the only
means that can take us to Him. Had it not been for Them,
our world would have remained dark and our lives would
indeed have been dead.

If we recognize the Manifestations of God, then we have
recognized God. If we deny Them, then we have denied God.
Bahá’u’lláh, the Manifestation of God for our age, tells us:
“The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being hath ever
been, and will continue for ever to be, closed in the face of men.
No man’s understanding shall ever gain access unto His holy
court. As a token of His mercy, however, and as a proof of His
loving-kindness, He hath manifested unto men the Day Stars of
His divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity, and hath
ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be
identical with the knowledge of His own Self. Whoso
recognizeth them hath recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to
their call, hath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso
testifieth to the truth of their Revelation, hath testified to the
truth of God Himself. … whoso disbelieveth in them, hath
disbelieved in God. Every one of them is the Way of God that
connecteth this world with the realms above, and the Standard
of His Truth unto every one in the kingdoms of earth and
heaven. They are the Manifestations of God amidst men, the
evidences of His Truth, and the signs of His glory.”2
The love of God
The knowledge of the Manifestations of God creates the
love of God in our hearts. The love of God is the source of our
everlasting happiness. Love is the cause of our creation, as
Bahá’u’lláh says:

“O SON OF MAN!
Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of
My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee,
have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My
beauty.”3
God created and loved us. Since God has loved and will
always continue to love us, He will never leave us alone in our
helplessness. He manifests Himself to us from time to time.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“Consider to what extent the love of God makes itself manifest.
Among the signs of His love which appear in the world are the
dawning points of His Manifestations. What an infinite degree
of love is reflected by the divine Manifestations towards
mankind! For the sake of guiding the people They have
willingly forfeited Their lives to resuscitate human hearts. They
have accepted the cross. To enable human souls to attain the
supreme degree of advancement, They have suffered during
Their limited years extreme ordeals and difficulties. …
“Observe how rarely human souls sacrifice their pleasure or
comfort for others; how improbable that a man would offer his
eye or suffer himself to be dismembered for the benefit of
another. Yet all the divine Manifestations suffered, offered
Their lives and blood, sacrificed Their existence, comfort and
all They possessed for the sake of mankind. Therefore consider
how much They love. … Were it not for Their illumination,
human souls would not be radiant. How effective is Their love!
This is a sign of the love of God; a ray of the Sun of Reality.”4

God loves us. He wants us to love Him too.
“O Son of the Wondrous Vision!” says Bahá’u’lláh, “I have
breathed within thee a breath of My own Spirit, that thou
mayest be My lover. Why hast thou forsaken Me and sought a
beloved other than Me?”5
“To be God’s lover! That is the sole object of life for the Bahá’í.
To have God as his closest companion and most intimate
friend, his Peerless Beloved, in Whose Presence is fullness of joy!
And to love God means to love everything and everybody, for all
are of God. The real Bahá’í will be the perfect lover. He will
love everyone with a pure heart, fervently. He will hate no one.
He will despise no one, for he will have learnt to see the Face of
the Beloved in every face, and to find His traces everywhere. His
love will know no limit of sect, nation, class or race.”6
The love of man for man will be easy if the love of God is in
our hearts. In the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
“The love which exists between the hearts of believers is
prompted by the ideal of the unity of spirits. This love is
attained through the knowledge of God, so that men see the
Divine Love reflected in the heart. Each sees in the other the
Beauty of God reflected in the soul, and finding this point of
similarity, they are attracted to one another in love. This love
will make all men the waves of one sea, this love will make
them all the stars of one heaven and the fruits of one tree. This
love will bring the realization of true accord, the foundation of
real unity.”7

Remember the Call of God:
“O SON OF BEING!
Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love
can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant.”8
Oneness of religion
When we are Bahá’ís, we believe that all the religions of the
past are divine in origin. We do not change our religion to
become Bahá’ís because we believe that God has only one
religion that comes to us from time to time. By accepting the
religion of all ages we have made our belief in God more
perfect. We have not in fact changed it. A seed grows roots,
then puts forth a stem and leaves, and later flowers and fruit.
The tree is the same tree all the time. It does not change. It
only grows. The sun is the same sun though it dawns from
different horizons. The people of the world worship the
dawning place from which their ancestors saw the Sun of
God’s Manifestation. Through blind imitation and ignorance,
they become bewildered and reject the same Sun when it rises
from a different dawning-point. However, when we look more
carefully at that Sun, we recognize it as the same Sun that has
shone before from other horizons.
Bahá’ís believe that all the Prophets of the past are equal in
rank and main purpose. They are all divine Gardeners helping
the growth of the blessed Tree of God. Therefore, Bahá’ís are
united in one common Faith.

Bahá’u’lláh writes:
“Consider the sun. Were it to say now, ‘I am the sun of
yesterday,’ it would speak the truth. And should it, bearing the
sequence of time in mind, claim to be other than that sun, it
still would speak the truth. In like manner, if it be said that all
the days are but one and the same, it is correct and true. And if
it be said, with respect to their particular names and
designations, that they differ, that again is true. For though they
are the same, yet one doth recognize in each a separate
designation, a specific attribute, a particular character.
Conceive accordingly the distinction, variation, and unity
characteristic of the various Manifestations of holiness, that
thou mayest comprehend the allusions made by the Creator of
all names and attributes to the mysteries of distinction and
unity, and discover the answer to thy question as to why that
everlasting Beauty should have, at sundry times, called Himself
by different names and titles.”9
Again, Bahá’u’lláh assures us that there is neither
distinction nor difference between the Manifestations of God.
Their names may be different but they represent the same
Truth, are seated upon the same Throne and enjoy the same
nearness to God. He invites us to believe in all of them in
these words:
“Beware, O believers in the Unity of God, lest ye be tempted to
make any distinction between any of the Manifestations of His
Cause, or to discriminate against the signs that have
accompanied and proclaimed their Revelation. This indeed is
the true meaning of Divine Unity, if ye be of them that

apprehend and believe this truth. Be ye assured, moreover, that
the works and acts of each and every one of these Manifestations
of God, nay whatever pertaineth unto them, and whatsoever
they may manifest in the future, are all ordained by God, and
are a reflection of His Will and Purpose. Whoso maketh the
slightest possible difference between their persons, their words,
their messages, their acts and manners, hath indeed disbelieved
in God, hath repudiated His signs, and betrayed the Cause of
His Messengers.”10
Religion renews itself
Every year has a number of seasons. The beauty of spring is
followed by summer and then the season of harvest and
abundance. Later, winter sets in and nature is stripped of its
abundance and glory. However, the end of each winter is the
beginning of another springtime, to be followed again by the
harvest season.
Every day the morning sun gradually rises until it reaches
its zenith, then gradually goes down again until it sets. As the
sun disappears from the surface of the earth, everything is
wrapped in darkness. All the candles and lamps of the world
will fail to dispel the darkness. However, when the sun rises
again—the same beautiful, the same glorious sun—the
darkness rapidly vanishes. This is exactly what happens with
all the world’s great religions.
A New Day of glory sets in when the Sun of Reality rises.
Everywhere there is light. Everyone is happy for the age of
darkness has gone. A New Day begins and gradually draws to
its end. There comes a time in every religion when Truth is

veiled by the appearance of man-made teachings. The more
man forgets the teachings of God, the darker his spiritual life
becomes. When man introduces his own teachings and
interprets religion to suit his selfish motives, an age of
darkness spreads over the world. The only sources of light for
us in such a dark night are a few saints and sages. They are the
small spiritual lights that continue to burn like the small
earthen lamps and candles that shine after the sun has set.
Eventually, these small lights also burn out one after another
and the world falls into the deep slumber of ignorance. This is
the time when the Sun of Truth shines forth again. In the
past, the Sun of Truth has shone through Krishna, Buddha,
Jesus, Muhammad and others. In this dark age, the Sun of
Truth shines again through Bahá’u’lláh, the Glory of God.
Let us not be satisfied with our earthen lamps and vanishing
candles. The sun is shining. Wake up! Wake up!
Bahá’u’lláh proclaims:
“Verily I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the
Face, and hear the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of
God hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath
been lifted up upon men. It behoveth every man to blot out the
trace of every idle word from the tablet of his heart, and to gaze,
with an open and unbiased mind, on the signs of His
Revelation, the proofs of His Mission, and the tokens of His
glory.”11

Progressive religion
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“From the seed of reality religion has grown into a tree which
has put forth leaves and branches, blossoms and fruit. After a
time this tree has fallen into a condition of decay. The leaves
and blossoms have withered and perished; the tree has become
stricken and fruitless. It is not reasonable that man should hold
to the old tree, claiming that its life forces are undiminished, its
fruit unequalled, its existence eternal. The seed of reality must
be sown again in human hearts in order that a new tree may
grown therefrom and new divine fruits refresh the world. By
this means the nations and peoples now divergent in religion
will be brought into unity, imitations will be forsaken, and a
universal brotherhood in the reality itself will be established.
Warfare and strife will cease among mankind; all will be
reconciled as servants of God.”12
Religion is a spiritual school in which mankind receives
divine teachings and progresses in body and soul. The
Founder of this school is God. The children of men have to
pass through this divine school if they seek progress and
happiness. As children we start school in the first grade, and
there the loving teacher begins with the alphabet and other
simple lessons. When, through the care and kindness of our
teacher, our mind is sufficiently developed, we are sent to the
second grade. In the new class, we find another teacher basing
his teachings on what we have already learnt in the previous
one, but adding to them new measures of knowledge. Our

mind and body thus grow in this school under the guidance
of our teachers.
Can we say that any of these teachers who teach in
different standards is better than the others? Can we dislike
the teacher of the second standard merely because we
happened to love our teacher in the first standard? Can we say
that what we were taught in the first grade was better than the
lessons in the second grade? Of course not! These different
standards belong to the same school. They follow the same
method of teaching, but our ages and capacities are different
in each grade. When we were six years old, our capacities were
very little, so the wise founder of the school advised the
teacher of our class to give us as much knowledge as we could
then understand. What we were taught in that class were the
best lessons we could understand at that particular age. If we
were given the lessons of the third standard to begin with, we
could never make any progress. The same is true with religion.
God is One and His institution of Religion is one. It is we
who have different capacities in different ages.
Our Divine Teachers, the Manifestations of God, are wise
teachers. All of them have one purpose—to help us progress in
the Kingdom of God. But man has been developing down the
ages and his capacities have changed with his growth. We
must therefore see the wisdom of this evolutionary law of
progress that God has provided for us through His
Manifestations in different ages. We must not allow ourselves
to remain in one standard of this divine Institution merely
because we love the Teacher Who has taught us in that
standard. This is not true love that we have for our Teacher,

because if we remain in His class, He will be sad. He wants us
to go further and to receive instructions from the Teachers of
the following standards too. This does not mean that the
knowledge of one Teacher is less than that of another. No! All
these Teachers have the same knowledge. All the Teachers are
equally wise and important. It is because They are wise, that
They give us only as much knowledge as we require at a
certain time. They assure us that when we have done our best
and followed Their instructions, then we will have another
Teacher who will help us to make further progress. Our next
Teacher in turn praises the effort and ability of the previous
Teacher who gave us His knowledge. In like manner, we see
that all the Prophets of God have praised the Manifestations
Who came before Them, and have promised further education
through a Teacher who is to come after Them.
If any one of us stops his progress in the school of the
religion God, he will be a failure. However, if he believes in
progress and the wisdom of the Divine Manifestations, then
he will try to attain a greater measure of knowledge from the
Divine Teacher Who has brought the lessons for this age.
Bahá’u’lláh has taught that the foundation of all religions
is one. In all the standards of school, one is taught to be
honest, to be truthful, to be kind, etc. These fundamental
rules do not change when we move into a higher standard.
Whether we are in the first, second or third standard, these
heavenly attributes are always praised. They are eternal Truths
that are true in every age. These are the foundations. However,
the foundation alone is not enough. Something must be built
on this foundation that will suit our needs in different ages.

This is exactly what the religions of God do. From the same
foundation of truth, which is unchangeable, they give the
knowledge appropriate to the capacity of man at each stage of
his growth. In doing so, they still base their rules on the
foundations of knowledge taught by the previous
Manifestations of God, just as the algebra taught in the higher
standards of a school is based on the elementary arithmetic
rules we study in our childhood.
We are now living in a new cycle of human power. This
means that we are now living in a new age and we have greater
powers and capacities than we have ever had before. Thanks to
the Manifestations of the past we have been prepared to
receive a greater measure of the knowledge of God through
His Mouthpiece for this new age—Bahá’u’lláh.
Bahá’u’lláh teaches us the Oneness of God, the oneness of
religion and the oneness of mankind. He has praised all the
Prophets of the past and has told us that all of Them have
given the glad-tidings that, in the fullness of time, Their
beloved Promised One will come. The golden chain of
prophethood has been linked through Bahá’u’lláh. It is a
beautiful story.

Manifestations of God
Krishna
Krishna was a Messenger of God. His Message was the
Message of love. He was born in a prison. This was a sign for
us to know that all of us are born in the prison of self—the
prison of this world. Krishna miraculously escaped from
prison. If we try to be good, if we try to be godly, then we too
can escape from the prison of self.
Krishna, like all the other Manifestations of God, was
confronted with the forces of evil. He fought against evil and
became victorious. No matter how powerful evil might be, the
power of truth is always victorious.
Krishna became the king of Dwarka—meaning the small
Gate. He was the gate to the knowledge of God Himself. His
teachings were for the good of man. But alas! man has rejected
them.
Krishna was sad that the people could not understand
Him. He complained that people did not believe in Him
because He came in human form. They had their own fancies
about God and His Manifestation. Therefore, when Krishna
claimed that He manifested God, the people rejected Him.
This is what Krishna says in the Gita:

“The deluded despise Me clad in human body not
knowing My higher nature as Lord of all existence.”13
Even His beloved disciple Arjuna could not understand the
Divine Power in Krishna. Arjuna could not believe that the
temple of man might become the seat of the Divine Being.
They say that Krishna had to transfigure Himself into the
Divine Form so that Arjuna could see His power and believe
in Him.
This means that Krishna helped Arjuna to understand His
spiritual majesty and grandeur before Arjuna could find faith
in the Lord. The battle of Kurukshetra took a different turn
when Arjuna took up arms to obey the Lord.
You know that this battle was the battle between Good
and Evil. The Kaurvas, the cousins of the Pandavas, started it.
Arjuna, the mighty one among the Pandavas, was led by
Krishna to fight the army of Darkness. Krishna was Arjuna’s
charioteer. However, Arjuna did not want to fight his
relatives. His beloved teacher and his friends were in the army
of the Kaurvas. Arjuna tried to argue and laid down his
mighty bow. But Krishna demanded that Arjuna should
surrender to Him and follow Him.
When we find the Manifestation of God and embrace His
Faith, we must obey His Commands. This is what Krishna
taught us in the Gita.

“Surrendering in thought all actions to Me, regarding Me
as the Supreme and resorting to Steadfastness in
understanding, do thou fix thy thought constantly on
Me.”14
Krishna was, in reality, the abode of peace. He called us to
Himself, saying:
“Abandoning all duties, come to Me alone for Shelter, be
not grieved, for I shall release thee from all evils.”15
Krishna, the Manifestation of God, brought a new
civilization. He delivered man from evil and sorrow. He
assured His followers that in the future God would again
manifest Himself to repeat what Krishna had done. To guide
the wandering people of the world to the straight path of
God, He said:
“Whenever there is a decline of righteousness and rise of
unrighteousness, O Bharta (Arjuna); then I send forth
Myself for the protection of good, for the destruction of the
wicked and for the establishment of righteousness. I come
into being from age to age.”16
We shall see in the following pages how this promise of the
Lord has been fulfilled.
Buddha
Prince Gautama (later known as the Buddha) was born in
the royal family of a Himalayan kingdom. He was still a baby
when an old sage, named Asita, visited the palace. Asita was a
godly man and he gave the good news to Gautama’s father
that his son would become the Saviour of Man.

Prince Gautama’s father provided his beloved son with all
the enjoyments of life. He wanted to make his son a good
king. However, Gautama found that worldly pleasures alone
were not the cause of comfort. One day He saw an old man,
then a man who was sick, and then one who had died. He
learnt that all human beings were subject to suffering and
death. Therefore He realized that spiritual happiness alone
could make all men truly happy. He left His home, His wife
and child to seek spiritual truth. In the beginning He went to
far away jungles and denied Himself food and comfort. He
proved that physical denial was not helpful. For if the body is
weakened, then mental powers also grow weak. It was under a
Bodhi Tree in India that Buddha received His enlightenment.
From that day He started His great mission to save mankind
from suffering. He told men to purify their souls and minds,
to avoid greed and dishonesty and to realize that this world of
suffering is a place where they should prepare themselves for
eternal and spiritual worlds of joy and happiness.
His blessed life set an example for us. While He was sitting
under the Tree wrapped in meditation, Mara, the evil one,
tried to tempt Him with the wealth of the world and the
pleasures of the senses. However, Buddha, the Enlightened
One, overcame the forces of evil. His power was the power of
the spirit.
Through His wonderful teachings, Buddha helped
millions of people of various nations to attain spiritual
salvation.

In the days of Buddha, the people of His country were
fighting against each other in the name of God. They were
devoted to many different gods and goddesses that they had
created for themselves. Buddha knew that the way to God was
only through His Manifestation. Since He was the
Manifestation of God, He did not want people to fight each
other in the name of God Whom they could not know except
through Him. He was a wise teacher. To avoid quarrels among
the people, He was mostly silent about God but called upon
them to obey Him, the Manifestation of Truth. In this way he
succeeded in uniting millions of people who were divided
among themselves either in the name of God or in the name of
caste. He said, “One does not become a Brahmin by birth,
one does not become an outcast by birth. One becomes
Brahmin by act, one becomes an outcast by act.”
Shortly before His passing away from this earth, Buddha
made a great promise to His followers who were afraid that
His Cause would gradually die away. He said:
“I am not the first Buddha who came upon earth nor shall
I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the
world, a holy one, a supremely enlightened one endowed
with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the
universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels
and mortals. He shall reveal to you the same eternal truths
which I have taught you. He will preach to you this
religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax, and
glorious at the goal, in the spirit and in the letter. He will
proclaim a religious life wholly perfect and pure such as I

now proclaim. His disciples will number many thousands
while Mine number many hundreds.”
This promise gave hope to Buddhists that they would not
be left alone on this earth but would receive the light of
guidance from another glorious Buddha. Buddha is now
rejoicing in His eternal abode because He sees His glorious
promise fulfilled in Bahá’u’lláh, the Glory of God.
Moses
In a far-away land there was a group of slaves living a very
difficult life. They were called the “Children of Israel” and
were working as slaves under the mighty Pharaoh (emperor) of
Egypt. These people belonged to another country, now called
Israel, but had been forcibly taken away from their homes.
Only a Manifestation of God could save them from their
suffering. It was Moses who was destined to arise for the
salvation of these people. He was alone and the Egyptian
Pharaoh appeared to have the power to destroy Him.
However, the Manifestation of God is endowed with such a
great power that no power on earth can overcome it. Moses,
unaided and single-handed, arose to give the glad-tidings of
the Kingdom of God to His people.
When Moses declared Himself to be the Manifestation of
God, the Children of Israel knew that the time of their
suffering was about to end. They followed Him. They
returned to Israel, the Holy Land, and started a new life. The
Pharaoh of Egypt, with all his might and all his power, could
not prevent them. When he and his army tried to do so, they
were drowned in the Red Sea.

The words of God transformed the lives of the Children of
Israel. Though they had been mere slaves, they established a
wealthy kingdom. They became great teachers of mankind.
Many philosophers and teachers of other lands derived their
knowledge from the followers of Moses. For with His coming,
the Manifestation of God not only brings us happiness but
also gives us great knowledge and wisdom.
Moses summarized His teachings in ten laws. They are
beautiful laws. He told us to love God; never to love anything
else more than God; and to love our father and mother and to
obey them. He told us not to steal; not to hurt other people;
to be pure and clean; and to be always truthful. Moses also
made a promise to His people that the Lord of Hosts would,
in the fullness of time, come to deliver them from all their
sufferings. He promised that when the Lord of Hosts did
come, the Children of Israel would return to the Holy Land,
after ages of separation, and would be united again in the land
of their forefathers.
The Lord of Hosts has come. Bahá’u’lláh has proclaimed
that the Day of God, promised in the Holy Books of the past,
has come. He gave the glad-tidings to the followers of Moses
that their cherished Promise has been fulfilled. Jews of all
countries, after an age-long separation, during which time
they endured all forms of humiliation and suffering, have now
gathered in the Holy Land. They have established a separate
homeland for themselves called Israel. According to the
Promise of Moses, all this had to be fulfilled when the Lord of
Hosts sat on the Throne of judgement on this earth. Many
Jews, when they saw how the Children of Israel had gathered

in the Holy Land according to the Promise in their Holy
Book, understood that the Lord of Hosts had come.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to gather
in Israel.
In the Bahá’í world community there are many Jews who
believe in Bahá’u’lláh as their glorious Promised One.
Zoroaster
The light of divine guidance has always been burning in
the temple of men’s hearts. Our kind Creator, through His
love and mercy, has never left, nor ever will leave us in
darkness.
Zoroaster was one of those shining Lamps Who has
enlightened the people of a large part of western Asia. He, like
Krishna, Buddha and Moses established a new civilization
that lasted for centuries.
There is still living in India a small but God-loving and
advanced community of the followers of Zoroaster who are
called Parsees (Pársís).
According to tradition, Zoroaster was born in the northwestern part of the country now called Írán. His parents were
of the nobility and He had every comfort at His home that
was situated near a beautiful lake. Besides receiving the
normal and modest education that was available in those
times, Zoroaster also learned to be a good farmer. He learnt in
his early years, like Buddha, that this temporary life of ours on
this earth, in itself, is not important. Therefore, in the pursuit
of truth, He left the comforts of His home and went to a cave

on a high mountain to pray and meditate. After ten years,
when He was only thirty years old, He returned to His people
with the joyful announcement that He was now the Bearer of
a message from the Supreme Being, Ahurámazdá. He gave the
glad-tidings that there is an eternal life in store for us. He
invited the people to observe the three principles of good
thought, good deeds and good speech. He considered good
and evil to be permanently at war with each other, and said
that Ahurámazdá, the Essence of Good, would ultimately
destroy Ahríman, the Evil One. He also brought a number of
teachings concerning one’s daily life and stressed cleanliness of
the body, soul and home.
Zoroaster, as all the other Manifestations of God before
and after Him, was rejected by His people. In one of His Holy
Books, the Avestá, He remonstrated, “Where can I go? The
leaders and nobility are denouncing Me. Even the farmers
have turned against Me. How can I be happy with those, who
though bound with falsehoods, are ruling our people, O
Mazdá, how can I make You happy?”
He further lamented that even His relatives had forsaken
Him and that the people persecuted and offended Him. He
therefore left His home and went east to Balkh to announce
His mission to Gushtásb, the King of that land. As expected,
the people there were also reluctant to accept a new religion.
They preferred their old ways and traditions and were happier
to remain in darkness than to make any effort to see the light.
The King, however, was impressed with the courage and
sincerity of this Man. He ordered his sages and noblemen to
arrange a public debate in his court. The debate made it clear

to everybody that the power of Zoroaster was not in Himself
but was given to Him by Almighty God. Then the King and
his people submitted to the call of Ahurámazdá, and a new
Faith emerged.
People of neighbouring countries were alarmed that good
was established in the Kingdom of Balkh and that it
threatened the evil life they were pursuing. They gathered a
great army and attacked the Íránian Kingdom. Zoroaster was
captured while He was praying in a temple and at the age of
77 was killed by the sword of a soldier. Thus the life of a
Harbinger of Truth ended, but His Mission is everlasting.
Zoroaster is an eternal inextinguishable Fire of the Most
Great Spirit. Tradition has it that when He was debating at
the King’s court, fire appeared from His hands and emitted
light and warmth without burning Him physically. This was
merely an outward symbol of His power, not to be taken
literally. The Fire of the love of God, which is lit by His
Manifestations, is eternal and incapable of being extinguished.
This is a Fire that guides mankind and brings forth warmth
and happiness to their souls instead of burning and destroying
them. As a symbol of the Most Great Spirit’s eternal Fire, the
Zoroastrians always keep a fire burning in their temples, and
they are thus often incorrectly thought to be worshippers of
fire.
Zoroaster not only completed His Mission, but also gave
the glad-tidings that in the fullness of time, the World
Saviour, Whom He called Sushiyant or Sháh-Bahrám, would
appear and triumph over the Evil One. He also specified the

date of His appearance, stating that a period of 3,060 years of
conflict would continue before Ahríman would be conquered
and the era of blessedness and peace would be ushered into
the world. This date corresponds to the age when Bahá’u’lláh
announced that He was the fulfilment of all the Prophets of
the past.
Jesus Christ
The story of Jesus Christ is a very beautiful story. It is a
story of the love of God and the love of mankind, and it is the
story of a Manifestation of God.
Before Jesus revealed His Mission to mankind, there lived a
holy man called John the Baptist. We have seen in the story of
Buddha how a holy man gave the good news that the Saviour
of mankind would soon appear. That is exactly what
happened before Jesus revealed His Mission. John the Baptist
gave the good news to the people of his time that the
Messenger of God would come to deliver them from all
sorrows. The people of that time did not like to change their
ideas; they wished to go on imitating what their forefathers
had done for centuries before them. The priests who led the
people did not want a Messenger of God to come, because
they were afraid that they might lose their position if He
came. Therefore, they put John the Baptist in prison and,
after some time, they cut off his head. John was happy to give
his life in the path of God.
Jesus Christ was born in a very simple home. Joseph, who
was known as His father, was a carpenter. Jesus was born in
the Holy Land, Palestine (now part of Israel). He was very

good and kind to the people even while He was still a young
boy working as a carpenter with His father. When He was a
young man, He said, “The time has now come for Me to look
after the business of my real Heavenly Father.”
He went to meditate for many days, then came back to the
people to reveal His true mission. He gave the glad-tidings of
the Kingdom of God. One day He went to a holy place. This
was a centre of pilgrimage and reverence for the Jews, but they
had turned it into a business centre. Jesus pulled down their
shops and chased them out of the holy place. He said, “This is
the House of God. You should not pollute it with your
worldly interests.” He wanted to show that the Religion of
God should not become a source of material gains.
In the days of Jesus Christ there were very many people
who were spiritually sick or spiritually dead. He cured them
and gave them spiritual life with the power of the Word of
God. He soon became very popular. The priests grew jealous
because their followers were being attracted by this simple
man who was teaching a new way of life for the people. The
priests grew very angry when He told them that He was their
spiritual King and the One Promised in their Holy Books.
They expected their king to be a man of worldly grandeur.
Jesus Christ was only a simple man who did not even wear
shoes. Nevertheless, He proclaimed that He was the King of
Israel. “I am your true King”, He said, “I am the Master of the
New Kingdom. These worldly Kingdoms are nothing as
compared to the everlasting Kingdom of God.” However, the
Jews did not want to believe Him. They rose against Him and

had Him crucified along with two thieves. Even on the Cross,
Jesus Christ prayed for the forgiveness of His enemies.
The Jews did not understand the true meaning of their
Holy Book. They did not even know that killing the
Manifestation of God would not kill His voice, as it was the
Voice of God, and it would later be heard in every land.
When Jesus died, many very simple and ordinary people
were among those who believed in Him. They had received a
new spiritual life by the power of the Word of Jesus and had
risen out of their graves of ignorance. Although these early
disciples of Jesus Christ were humble fishermen, ordinary
clerks, farmers and tillers of the soil, they were guided by the
Manifestation of God and received new powers through Him.
They scattered far and wide throughout the world and spread
the good Message of their Master—Jesus Christ. Many of
them even gave their lives for the sake of His Cause. Under
great hardships and the threat of the sword, they carried His
Message to different peoples and cried aloud that the
Kingdom of God had been established on earth through Jesus.
Though mere fishermen and farmers, they withstood the
onslaught of the forces of the whole world. They conquered
nation after nation with the Word of God and brought new
spiritual life to all who came under their influence. This was
the Divine power of Jesus Christ, the Manifestation of God.
Jesus Christ, like Krishna and Moses before Him, assured
the people of the world that in the fullness of time He would
come again in the glory of His Heavenly Father. He said to
the people of His age that He had many more things to say to

them but they would not be able to understand them. He
promised, however, that another great Messenger would come
later to tell them more about God and religion.
Bahá’ís now give the good news to their Christian brothers
that Christ has come again in the glory of the Father. This is
what Bahá’u’lláh said to the leaders of Christianity, “Say, Lo!
The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the
Kingdom is fulfilled!”17
Muhammad
There is a land called Arabia. It is mostly desert with very
little water and a hot, unfavourable climate. In this difficult
land there used to live savage tribes who were always at war
with one another. They were so savage and ignorant that they
used to bury their living baby daughters just because they
were girls, and women were no more than slaves in those days.
However, no matter how cruel those people were, they were
still God’s children and had to be educated.
Muhammad, the Prophet of God, was born among the
savage tribes of Arabia. Muhammad was a simple man. As a
young man, He was placed in charge of a camel caravan taking
loads of goods from Arabia for sale in other lands. Most of the
Manifestations of God were simple people. Even those who,
like Buddha, came from higher ranks in life, gave up their
princely positions to live simple lives. God wants to show that
it is His wealth and His influence that work through His
Manifestations rather than Their material possessions. When
charged with the spiritual Power of God, even the humblest

person becomes victorious over all the material power of the
world.
One day when Muhammad was praying on a hill-top, He
received inspiration from God. He had not been to any school.
He could not even write His own name,18 but from that hour
the verses of the Holy Qur’án were revealed through Him.19
From then onwards, Muhammad was no longer a leader of a
caravan. He was the Messenger of God. He went to the people
with His Message. At first nobody listened to Him. When He
insisted that they should stop worshipping the idols they had
built, and should believe in the One True God, the people of
Arabia rose up against Him. They called Him a madman.
They ridiculed Him as a poor poet. However, Muhammad
went about saying, “O people, I am the Messenger of God. I
have come to save you and to lead you to the Path of Truth.”
This was too much for the proud people of Arabia. At first the
people had tolerated Muhammad, then they began to
persecute Him and His followers. However, after thirteen long
years of suffering, Muhammad was still calling upon them to
turn to the One Compassionate God and to follow His
Commandments. Why should they put aside their gods, they
thought. Besides, they were too busy with their continuous
warfare. They finally lost patience with Muhammad, so they
decided to kill Him and His handful of followers. However,
the Mission of Muhammad was not yet fulfilled. He had
additional laws to give to the people of His age. So He left His
birth place, Mecca, for another town, now called Medina.
The enemies of the Cause of God organized great armies to
kill

Muhammad and His band of followers. Muhammad had
to protect the Cause of God and those who had come to
believe in God, so He permitted His followers to fight against
the savages who wished to destroy them. Thus, in the days of
Muhammad, as in the life time of Krishna, the armies of Light
and of Darkness arrayed their forces against each other.
Muhammad was a Divine Shepherd. He had to protect His
innocent flock from the attack of savage wolves. Muhammad
and His followers initially had a difficult time. Many of them
were killed while defending themselves against the fierce
onslaught of their enemies. However,
Muhammad continually assured them that the Cause of
God had always been victorious and would always continue to
be so. When the Muslims, His followers, were surrounded by
powerful enemies, Muhammad foretold that mighty empires
would soon crumble before them because they were alive with
the Spirit of God whereas others were spiritually dead.
This has happened as we all know. The great Persian and
Roman empires were defeated by a handful of Arabs whose
lives were transformed after they believed in Muhammad, the
Prophet of God, and accepted His Divine Message. The
Message of God transformed the lives of millions of other
people too as the teachings of Islám spread from India to
Spain. During the Age of Islám’s golden civilization, many
different nations were united in one great brotherhood. They
offered their daily Prayers to the One God, the
Compassionate, the Merciful. They recited the Holy Qur’án
which prescribes a life of virtue and submission to the Will of

the Almighty. Even today millions of people all over the world
pray the same prayer and read the same Holy Book.
Muhammad, like all the Manifestations of the past, assured
his followers that a great Messenger would come after Him.
He said that the Religion of God, which had come down from
heaven through Him, would go back to God after the passing
of a thousand years. His meaning is that people would forget
His teachings during the following one thousand years.
However, after that, He said, when no trace of God’s Religion
was left on earth, a mighty Trumpet sound would be heard—
not once but twice—and the people of the world would
behold the Face of God Himself.
A Trumpet call refers to the Call of God. The Call of God
has already been raised twice in this age as foretold by
Muhammad. The Báb appeared over one thousand two
hundred years after the revelation of the Qur’án. Very soon
after this, Bahá’u’lláh declared His Mission. It was the Báb
Who called men to God and reminded them of God’s great
Promise.20 And it was Bahá’u’lláh Who raised up the cry a
second time immediately after the Báb, calling upon the
children of God to behold His Face!21
The Báb
The word ‘Báb’ means ‘Gate’. The Báb was the Gate to a
new Kingdom-the Kingdom of God on earth.
The Báb was very young when He told people about the
Message that God had given Him. He was only twenty–five
years old. A beautiful city in the south of Írán, called Shíráz,
was the birth place of the Báb. The people of Írán were

Muslims. Hence, the names He was given were very common
in that country. He was called ‘Alí Muhammad, and was a
descendant of the Prophet Muhammad Himself. The Báb’s
father died soon after His birth, so He was placed under the
care of His maternal uncle. As a child He was sent to a teacher
who taught the Qur’án and elementary subjects. However,
from His early childhood, the Báb was different from other
children. He was always asking difficult questions and then
giving the answers Himself in a way that astonished His
elders. Often when other children were busy at play, He
would be found wrapped in prayer under the shade of a tree
or in some other quiet spot.
Later, when the Báb revealed His reality as a Manifestation
of God, both His uncle and His teacher believed in Him
because they had known Him since His childhood, and seen
the differences between Him and other children. His uncle
even died as a martyr for the Cause of God revealed through
his Nephew, the Báb.
Before the Báb declared His Mission as a Messenger of
God, there were two famous teachers who said, that according
to the Qur’án and the holy traditions, the Promised One of
Islám would soon appear. These two teachers were Shaykh
Ahmad and his chief disciple Siyyid Kázim. Many people
believed what they said because they were holy and very
learned men. These people then prepared themselves to
receive the Promised One.
When Siyyid Kázim died, his followers scattered in
different directions to find the Promised One. A number of

them, under the leadership of a pious and learned young man,
called Mullá Husayn, spent 40 days in prayer and fasting, and
then travelled to Shíráz.
Their prayers were answered. Near the gate of Shíráz,
Mullá Husayn met a radiant young man who had come out to
receive him. This young man was none other than the Báb
Himself.
He invited Mullá Husayn to His house and there, on the
23 May 1844, the Báb declared Himself as the Promised
One.
Mullá Husayn’s heart had been drawn towards the Báb
from the minute his eyes rested on Him outside the gate of
Shíráz. However, now that his Host made His great
announcement, he asked for some proof by which he could
know Him as the Promised One. The Báb said that no proof
was greater than the divine verses revealed by a Manifestation
of God. Then, taking up His pen and paper, He wrote down
His first sacred Writing. Though He had not attended any
school except for a brief period in His childhood, the Báb, like
all the other Manifestations, was endowed with a deep
knowledge that was a gift of God. He wrote with great speed
and, as He wrote, He chanted the verses in a soft, heavenly
voice. Mullá Husayn needed no further proof. With tears in
his eyes, he prostrated himself before the Manifestation of
God.
Mullá Husayn was the Báb’s first disciple. The Báb gave
him the title of Bábu’l-Báb which means gate of Gate. That

night was the beginning of a new era. The Bahá’í calendar
starts from that year.
It was not long before many people came to believe in the
Báb. Some met Him, some read His holy Writings, while
others recognized Him through dreams and visions.
The Manifestation of God is like the sun. When the sun
rises, everybody sees it except those who are fast asleep. Even
the sleeping ones must eventually learn that the sun is
shining.
The Message of the Báb was first given to the people of
Írán. The Muslims of other countries did not yet know that
their Promised One had come. Therefore, the Báb journeyed
to Mecca, the holiest spot of Islám, when thousands of
Muslims from many countries would gather for their
pilgrimage. When He reached Mecca, He told them that the
object of their adoration had come and that He was their
Promised One. Nobody listened to Him; but the Báb, had
completed His announcement.
When the Báb returned to His native land, He was met by
a group of soldiers who had come to arrest Him because the
fanatical Mullás did not want the new Faith to spread. These
Mullás made every effort to put out the Light of God that was
burning in the breast of the Blessed Báb. From that day the
Báb had to undergo many hardships. His short but brilliant
life was mostly spent in prison after He had made His
Declaration. Twice He was sent to prisons built on very cold
and forbidding mountains. However, no chains nor prisons
could ever prevent the Call of God from spreading. While the

Báb was in prison, His faithful followers spread His Message
throughout the country. During the brief period 22 of the
Báb’s Ministry, thousands of people gave their lives for His
Cause.
The Báb was still young, about 31 years of age, when the
religious leaders of Írán decided to kill Him. The Báb knew
that He would be martyred in the path of God. He was glad
to give His life so that the people of the world might come to
understand the purpose of their lives and turn to God and His
eternal Kingdom.
The Báb was taken with some of His followers, including
His amanuensis, Siyyid Husayn, to Tabríz and confined in a
house there for three days. The Báb was escorted to the
military barracks the day before His martyrdom. On the way,
one of the disciples of the Báb, a young man named
Muhammad-‘Alíy-Zunúzí, rushed forward. He threw himself
at the feet of his beloved Master and begged to be permitted
to die with Him. The Báb reassured the youth that he would
be with Him on the day of the martyrdom. Then
Muhammad-‘Alíy-i-Zunúzí and two other companions, who
had also rushed forward to offer their loyalty, were seized and
placed in the same cell of the barracks with the Báb and
Siyyid Husayn.
The day of His martyrdom was the 9 July 1850. In the
morning, the officer, who was in charge of the Báb’s
execution, came to visit Him in the barracks. The Báb was
talking to Siyyid Husayn who was writing down His last
instructions. The officer interrupted the Báb and told Him

that the time had come for His execution and soldiers were
ready in the city square to carry out the orders. The Báb said
that He had to finish His conversation with Siyyid Husayn.
However, the officer laughed and said that a prisoner could
not choose to do as he wished. The Báb replied that no power
on earth could harm Him until He had completed His
Mission in this world and had finished what He intended to
say. The officer ignored this and ordered the Báb to follow
him. Muhammad-‘Alíy-i-Zunúzí was so insistent in his
determination to remain with the Báb that the officer was
obliged to take him also.
In the barracks square where the soldiers were waiting to
shoot the Báb, a great crowd had gathered. They all watched
while the Báb, and His young disciple, were tied in such a
way that the head of the disciple rested on the chest of his
Beloved. Then came the great moment. Drums were beaten
and trumpets were sounded. As the sound of the trumpets
died away, the terrible order was heard: “Fire”. Hundreds of
soldiers took aim and fired their guns. A huge cloud of smoke
spread through the whole place. The smell of gunpowder
filled the air. After some time when the smoke cleared, there
came a great surprise. There was no trace of the Báb, while
His faithful disciple was standing there unharmed. No one
knew what to think. Many people said that a miracle had
happened and that the Báb had gone up to Heaven. The
firing squad and their commander had never seen such an
extraordinary thing happen before. Officers were sent in every
direction to search for the Báb. The same officer who had
brought the Báb, from the prison cell now found Him sitting

calmly at the same place, finishing His conversation that had
been so rudely interrupted. The Báb turned to the officer and
smiled saying that His Mission on earth was now completed,
and that He was ready to sacrifice His life to prove the truth of
His Mission.
The Báb was again taken in to the square, but the
commander of the firing squad refused to have anything to do
with His execution. He took his soldiers out of the square and
swore that nothing would make him take the life of such an
innocent and saintly youth. Another company of soldiers was
found to carry out the execution, and this time hundreds of
bullets riddled the bodies of the Báb and His faithful disciple.
His beautiful face, which was not scarred by the bullets, still
bore a lovely smile showing the peace and happiness of One
who had given His life to proclaim the beginning of a new era
for mankind.
The Báb was a great Manifestation of God. He said in His
Writings, that the main purpose of His coming was to give the
glad-tidings that very soon the Promised One of all ages
would appear. He warned His followers to beware lest they
failed to recognize “Him Whom God will make manifest.” He
said that they should lay aside everything else and follow Him
when they heard His Message. The Báb wrote many prayers
beseeching God that His own life might be accepted as a
sacrifice to the Beloved of His heart, the One “Whom God
will make manifest.” He even referred in His Writings to the
Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, and said: “Well is it with him who
fixeth his gaze upon the Order of Bahá’u’lláh, and rendereth

thanks unto his Lord. For He will assuredly be made manifest.
God hath indeed irrevocably ordained it in the Bayán.”23
The Báb’s prayers were answered and His promise was
fulfilled. Nineteen years after His Mission, Bahá’u’lláh openly
declared that He was the Promised One Whose coming had
been foretold by all the Manifestations of God in past ages.
Bahá’u’lláh
On 21 April 1863, Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed to the world
that “The Revelation which, from time immemorial, hath been
acclaimed as the Purpose and Promise of all the Prophets of God,
and the most cherished Desire of His Messengers, hath now … been
revealed unto men.”24
When Bahá’u’lláh made this wonderful announcement, He
was a prisoner at the hands of two powerful monarchs, and He
was being exiled to Acre (‘Akká) in Palestine, “the most desolate
of the cities of the World”.25
About forty–six years before this announcement,
Bahá’u’lláh was born in the house of a distinguished Minister
of the royal court of Írán. From the days of His childhood
everybody observed that Bahá’u’lláh was different from other
children, but no one knew that this wonderful Boy was soon
to change the whole destiny of mankind. When He was 14
years old, Bahá’u’lláh was already famous in the court for His
learning and wisdom. He was 22 years of age when His father
died. The government wished Him to take over the position
His father had occupied. They thought this gifted young man
would make a very good minister, but Bahá’u’lláh had no

intention of wasting His time in the management of worldly
affairs. Being a man of God, He took no interest in the royal
life that was offered to Him. He left the court and its
ministers so that He could follow the path set for Him by the
Almighty.
When the Báb, declared His Mission, Bahá’u’lláh was 27
years old. He immediately accepted the Báb as the
Manifestation of God and soon became one of His most
powerful and famous followers.
At the time when the Government and fanatical Mullás
persecuted the followers of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh was not
spared in any way. He was twice imprisoned, and once He was
beaten so severely with whips and canes that the soles of His
feet were left cut and bleeding. Nine years after the Báb’s
Declaration, Bahá’u’lláh was thrown into a dark dungeon.
This was a terrible underground room that had no window
nor other opening except the door through which they
entered. In this dungeon Bahá’u’lláh was imprisoned with
about 150 murderers, highway robbers and other hardened
criminals. The chains that were put round His neck were so
heavy that He could not lift up His head. He spent four
terrible months of suffering here, yet it was in this dungeon
that the Glory of God filled His soul. He writes that one
night, in a dream, He heard the following words vibrating
from all sides:
“Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy
Pen.”26

Bahá’u’lláh endured all these hardships for our sake and for
the sake of generations to come. He bore chains around His
blessed neck to free us from the chains and fetters of prejudice,
bigotry and enmity.
Finally, Bahá’u’lláh and His family were deprived of all
their ancestral riches and ordered to leave the country. They
were exiled to Baghdád in the bitter cold of winter. The road
lay along mountainous parts of Írán where thick snow and ice
covered the ground. Bahá’u’lláh, His wife and young children,
had to walk hundreds of miles to their destination. The lack of
suitable clothing made the journey even more difficult to
endure. At last they reached Baghdád but Bahá’u’lláh’s
sufferings did not end in that city. Had Bahá’u’lláh been
afraid of hardships and difficulties, He could have chosen to
enjoy a luxurious life in the court of the Sháh (king) of Írán.
Instead, He was prepared to endure any amount of suffering
in the path of God.
The fame of Bahá’u’lláh soon spread throughout Baghdád
and the other cities of ‘Iráq, and many people came to the
door of this exiled Prisoner to receive His blessings. The
followers of the Báb gathered round Him from different parts
of Írán and ‘Iráq to seek guidance and inspiration. However,
there were some who became jealous of His fame. Among
them was His own half-brother Mírzá Yahyá, who was living
under Bahá’u’lláh’s loving care and guidance. Yahyá thought
that, because he was respected by the followers of the Báb, he
might be accepted as their leader if he should denounce
Bahá’u’lláh. He did not realize that he was causing his own
doom by turning against the Manifestation of God. For when

a Manifestation appears, only those who accept His station
can hope for true greatness. Even His closest relatives are not
excluded, because a Manifestation of God stands apart from
all other human beings and has a station that no one else can
share. All the past Manifestations have had brothers and
sisters or other relatives, but even their names have now been
forgotten.
Yahyá’s plotting caused disunity among the followers of
the Báb, and this made Bahá’u’lláh very sad. One night,
without telling anybody, He left His home and went into the
mountains of Kurdistán. He spent two years of secluded life in
these mountains giving all His time to prayer and meditation.
He stayed in a small cave and lived on very simple food.
Nobody knew His name. Nobody knew where He had come
from. Soon, however, like a moon in a dark night, His light
spread over all Kurdistán and everybody heard of the
“Nameless One”. All this time His family and friends in
Baghdád, who were heartbroken by His departure, did not
know where He was. Then they too heard about the
“Nameless One”, the great Saint, who was known to have
inherent knowledge bestowed upon Him by God. ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá, Bahá’u’lláh’s son, immediately knew that this could be
no one but His beloved Father. He sent letters and a special
messenger entreating Him to return because not only His own
family but all the followers of the Báb were suffering from His
absence.
Thus, after spending two years in prayer and meditation,
Bahá’u’lláh returned to Baghdád and with Him returned the
joy of all the Báb’s followers. The only people who were angry

about His return were the fanatical Mullás and His
treacherous and jealous brother Yahyá. The Mullás did not
want Bahá’u’lláh to stay in Baghdád. This was partly because
He was too close to a number of sacred places belonging to the
Muslims, and pilgrims who came to visit these places were
often attracted by Bahá’u’lláh’s charm and personality. These
Mullás kept complaining until the Government of Írán
combined with the authorities of the Turkish Empire to
remove Bahá’u’lláh to a more distant place—Istanbul. The
same sequence of events occurred in Istanbul since it was also
the seat of the Muslim Caliphs. Bahá’u’lláh’s great wisdom
and personal charm attracted many people. “He must not stay
in Istanbul any longer,” said the fanatical Mullás. Hence,
again, He was sent to a smaller town, Adrianople. From there
He was again exiled, but this time to ‘Akká (Acre) in the Holy
Land, which was then a special penal colony reserved for
murderers, thieves and highway robbers sentenced to life
imprisonment. It was a terrible place and for the first few days
after their arrival even water was denied to Bahá’u’lláh, His
family and friends. The hardships and sufferings of
Bahá’u’lláh in ‘Akká are too numerous to describe. In the
beginning He was imprisoned in a lonely cell where even His
children were not permitted to see Him. He lacked every
means of comfort, and was surrounded by enemies day and
night. Yet it was from ‘Akká that He sent His famous letters
to the most powerful kings and rulers of His day. He called
upon them to listen to the Message of God and to obey the
Commandments of the King of kings. No one but a

Manifestation of God could dare to address those who had
imprisoned Him, as a king addresses his vassals.
Bahá’u’lláh raised the banner of universal peace and
brotherhood from His prison walls. Although the powers of
the world combined their forces against Him, He was
victorious over them all as God had promised Him in His
dream. The Message of Bahá’u’lláh influenced the hearts of
thousands of people and many of them gave their lives for His
Cause. Through the power of the Word of God and the
sacrifices of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, hundreds of
thousands of people, who were once divided under various
names, have now become like members of one family.
Bahá’u’lláh was sent to ‘Akká (Acre) as a prisoner for life.
However, the attitude of the government officials and His
jailers gradually changed so much over the nine years after His
arrival that an influential citizen finally begged Him to leave
that fortress city. By this time, His great personal charm had
made such friends of all those around Him—even His hardhearted jailer—that no one objected to His leaving His prison.
Bahá’u’lláh spent the remaining years of His life in a place
outside the city of Acre (‘Akká) where He passed away to His
heavenly Kingdom on 29 May 1892.
The Message of Bahá’u’lláh spread to different parts of the
world from the Holy Land as had been foretold in the sacred
Books of the past. In Buddhist Scriptures the Holy Land is
referred to as a Paradise in the West, the Seat of the Promised
One—Amitabha. To the Jews it is “The Promised Land” from
where the Law of God will again go out into the world.

Christians and Muslims too have wonderful prophecies about
this sacred country that has been their Holy Land for many
centuries. Since the exiling of Bahá’u’lláh to ‘Akká, the Holy
Land of the religions of the past has become the World Centre
of the Bahá’í Faith.
Bahá’u’lláh is that Great Manifestation of God Whose
coming all the Manifestations of the past have foretold. The
divine religions of all ages lead in the same direction and teach
the same goal—the Bahá’í Faith. They are like many rivers
that flow into the ocean. Each river irrigates thousands of acres
of land, but no single river is, by itself, as vast and powerful as
the mighty ocean because the ocean is the meeting place of all
these rivers. In the Bahá’í community, followers of all religions
have come together and become united. Even though they are
from the four corners of the earth, they have now joined hands
in one great Brotherhood, one common Faith.
The waters of different Rivers merge into one indeed, when
they pour into the Mighty Ocean!

The Covenant
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Bahá’u’lláh was a Divine Architect. He drafted the
magnificent Plan for the unity of mankind. He laid the firm
foundation of this sacred Edifice and selected the necessary
materials.
However, who was to erect this wonderful Edifice after
Bahá’u’lláh had left us? It is true that His plan was complete
but even a perfect plan must be left in the hands of a qualified
person or the construction may collapse. No matter how
perfect the plan and how firm is the foundation of a building,
if the construction of it is not properly supervised by a capable
man, the resulting building may be entirely different from the
plan intended by the architect.
When Bahá’u’lláh passed away, He left the execution of
His Divine Plan in the hands of His son. He appointed
‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Centre of His Covenant and asked His
followers to turn to Him for guidance.
The name “‘Abdu’l-Bahá” means the servant of Bahá.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the eldest son of Bahá’u’lláh, and was born
on the 23 May 1844—the very same night that the Báb

declared His Mission. A blessed son was born to a blessed
house at a blessed hour.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was only eight years of age when Bahá’u’lláh
was thrown into that terrible dungeon in Tihrán. From early
childhood He willingly shared all the sufferings of His beloved
Father. He accompanied Bahá’u’lláh on the difficult journey
from Tihrán to Baghdád, and spent forty years of His life in
prison and in exile. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was an old man when He
was set free at last. However, the love of God had kept Him
happy even in the darkest hours of His life. He had a deep
spiritual happiness that the worst of prisons could not take
away. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wanted us to enjoy that kind of
happiness, too. He says:
“Happiness consists of two kinds; physical and spiritual. The
physical happiness is limited; its utmost duration is one day, one
month, one year. It hath no result. Spiritual happiness is
eternal and unfathomable. This kind of happiness appeareth
in one’s soul with the love of God and suffereth one to attain to
the virtues and perfections of the world of humanity. Therefore,
endeavour as much as thou art able in order to illumine the
lamp of thy heart by the light of love”.27
Bahá’u’lláh announced the Word of God to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
in Baghdád. Though still a young child, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
recognized the Station of His Father and, throwing himself at
the feet of Bahá’u’lláh, begged to be accepted as a sacrifice for
His Cause. From that day, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave His whole life to
the service of Bahá’u’lláh and sacrificed every comfort in His
path. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá won the love and respect of Bahá’u’lláh’s

followers at a very early age, and later became known among
them as “The Master”. When Bahá’u’lláh passed away, His
will, which is known as the Book of the Covenant, was opened.
The Bahá’ís were happy to know that Bahá’u’lláh had
appointed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Centre of His Covenant and as
the authorized interpreter of His teachings.
The appointment of the Centre of the Covenant is a
unique characteristic of the Bahá’í Faith. All the religions of
the past became divided after the death of their Founders
because the followers did not know where to turn after the
Manifestation of God had left them. They started to interpret
the teachings of God as they themselves understood them
and, as they did not understand them the same way, these
teachings were explained in different forms. This became the
cause of disunity among the followers of the past religions. In
the Bahá’í Faith, however, the case has been different.
Bahá’u’lláh, Who had come to remove every form of disunity
from the peoples of the world, did not allow the Bahá’í Faith
to become divided. He wrote a document in which He
appointed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the one to whom all Bahá’ís
should turn for guidance in matters concerning His teachings.
This document, the Book of the Covenant, saved the Bahá’ís
from disunity. The Book of the Covenant preserved the unity of
the followers of Bahá’u’lláh but increased the jealousy of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s half-brother,
Muhammad-‘Alí. Like Yahyá during the time of
Bahá’u’lláh, Muhammad-‘Alí tried to bring disunity among
the Bahá’ís in the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He imagined that
since he was a son of Bahá’u’lláh, he, too, could make a claim

to leadership. However, his efforts were useless because his
outward relationship with the Manifestation of God was of no
value when he did not obey what Bahá’u’lláh had
commanded. Muhammad-‘Alí was like a branch that had
grown out of a mighty Tree, but which could bear no fruit
because it had dried up and become worthless. And, like a
withered branch, he was cut off and thrown away.
When Muhammad-‘Alí failed to cause disunity among the
Bahá’ís, he joined hands with the enemies of the Cause and
tried to harm ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He poisoned the minds of
government officials against the Master and said that He was
gathering people around Him to rise up against the
government. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was building the Shrine of
the Báb on Mount Carmel, Muhammad-‘Alí reported that He
was building a fortress. This caused the Turkish Government
send a special party to the Holy Land to investigate the
matter. Muhammad-‘Alí succeeded in bribing the corrupt
General, who came as the head of the party, and false reports
were sent to the Government about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the meantime, was giving every hour of
His life to the service of the Cause. The beautiful tablets that
streamed from His pen brought joy and inspiration to
thousands of Bahá’ís in the world. Through His precious
letters, He guided and strengthened their steps in the path of
service to their Faith. When He was not occupied in writing,
the Master was busy visiting the sick and seeing to the needs
of the poor. From His scanty purse He freely gave to others,
and no one ever turned away disappointed from the door of
the Master’s house.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá paid little attention to the party of officials
who had come to investigate the false charges brought against
Him. Muhammad-‘Alí, on the other hand, showed them
great respect and showered them with gifts and presents.
Before they left, the General in charge of the party swore that
he would come back to hang ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at the city gate.
This brought great rejoicing to the Master’s enemies, while
those who loved Him were filled with anxiety. Many of His
friends begged ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to flee from the Holy Land while
there was still time, but the Master, whose trust was always in
God, did not worry in the least. He said:
“To me prison is freedom, to me incarceration is an open court,
to me humility is identical with glory, to me adversity is a gift
and death is life.”28
The General who wanted to hang ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, was
himself killed in a war soon after he left the Holy Land. The
Turkish Empire itself was broken up and a new regime took
over the affairs of the government. Muhammad-‘Alí and the
few others who had broken the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh were
frustrated in their efforts to harm ‘Abdu’l-Bahá or to cause
disunity among the Bahá’ís. They fell into disgrace and their
shameful schemes became known to everyone.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s freedom came after nearly a lifetime of
imprisonment when a new regime took over the government.
At last the Master, who had served Bahá’u’lláh’s Cause so
faithfully under severe hardships, was free to move about and
take the Message of His Father to the people of other
countries. The Bahá’ís of the West requested Him to travel to

Europe and America and, though old and very weak from
years of imprisonment, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá graciously accepted their
invitation.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to thousands of people about the
Bahá’í Faith during His journeys in the West. Sometimes he
gave several lectures in one day. Both Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís
came from far-off places to visit Him and hear His inspiring
words. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was busy teaching the Cause wherever
He went, from early morning until late at night. He did not
think of Himself even when He was ill with fever and His
friends begged Him to rest.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá laid the cornerstone of the first Bahá’í House
of Worship in the West—in the United States of America. It is
now a beautiful building dedicated to the glory of the cause of
God.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s travels in Europe and America produced
wonderful results. The Bahá’í Faith was established in many
countries, and before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away, He
encouraged the believers to carry the new Message to other
countries.
The Master passed away from this life in the Holy Land on
the 28 November 1921. His resting place is in a room of the
Shrine of the Báb next to that containing the remains of the
Báb, a building that He Himself built during His lifetime.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the Expounder of the Faith of God, the
Interpreter of the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, and the perfect

Exemplar of His Teachings. Bahá’u’lláh called Him “The
Mystery of God”.29
Shoghi Effendi—The Guardian of the Faith
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was like a loving father for the Bahá’ís. When
He passed away the Bahá’ís of the world were very sad indeed.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ministry had lasted about 30 years during
which time the Bahá’ís had progressed under His unerring
guidance and deepened their understanding in the teachings
of Bahá’u’lláh. The Bahá’ís felt like orphans who had lost their
wise and loving parent when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left this world.
The enemies of the Cause on the other hand, and those who
had broken the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, thought that this
was the time for them to come forward and carry out their
wicked plans. They thought that because ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was
not there to protect the unity of the Bahá’ís, it would be easy
for them to attack the Cause. They did not know that God
would not allow any breach in the unity of His Cause in this
age.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá had already provided for the unity of
Bahá’u’lláh’s followers. He, too, had made a firm covenant
with Bahá’ís all over the world. He had left behind a
wonderful Tablet—His Will and Testament—in which He
had appointed His grandson, Shoghi Effendi, as the Guardian
of the Faith of God.
The Bahá’ís lost a loving father with the passing of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but in Shoghi Effendi they found a “true
brother”.

Shoghi Effendi was born in the blessed household of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá. His mother was the daughter of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
and His father was a close relative of the Báb. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
has called him “the most wondrous, unique and priceless pearl
that doth gleam out from the twin surging seas” and “the sacred
bough that hath branched out from the Twin Holy Trees”3 0
because in him the families of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh were
joined together. Shoghi Effendi grew up under the direct care
and supervision of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. However, no one was aware
of the station for which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was preparing him
although many saw signs of greatness in Shoghi Effendi long
before ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away. An American Bahá’í once
wrote to the Master asking if she had correctly understood a
prophecy mentioned in the Bible.31 The prophecy indicated
there should be a young child alive then who was destined to
hold the helm of the Cause after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Master
replied that she was right and that the blessed child was living
and would soon illumine the world with his radiance.32 To
another person ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave the assurance that the
blessed child would “raise the Cause of God to great
heights”.33
Shoghi Effendi was a young boy when the beloved Master
wrote His Will and Testament. He was only twenty–four years
of age when he became the Guardian of the Cause of God. It
did not matter that he was not old in years because he was
always assisted by Bahá’u’lláh. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called Shoghi
Effendi the Sign of God on earth and said that all who obeyed
him had obeyed God. It was through the great wisdom and

spiritual guidance of Shoghi Effendi that the Message of
Bahá’u’lláh was carried to every country of the globe.
Shoghi Effendi was studying in England at Oxford
University when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away. His cherished
desire was to serve the beloved Master throughout his life and
to be able to translate the sacred Writings of the Bahá’í Faith
into English for the thousands of believers who could not read
them in Persian or Arabic. The news of the passing away of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was such a great blow to Shoghi Effendi that he
became ill. Before he had fully recovered from the shock of
being so suddenly separated from the Master, he arrived in the
Holy Land to learn that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had given him the
crushing responsibility of being the Guardian of the Cause of
God. However, when God gives anyone a task to accomplish
in this world, He also gives him the strength to undertake it.
After many weeks spent in meditation and prayer, Shoghi
Effendi was ready to start his great work in life. God blessed
him with divine wisdom and inspiration in every step he took
for the promotion of His Cause.
During the 36 years of his guardianship, Shoghi Effendi
had no other thought but the progress of the Cause. He
worked day and night, and did not spare himself in any way.
His personal life was very simple. He seldom had more than
one meal in twenty–four hours, nor slept more than a few
hours every night. The rest of his time was given to his evergrowing work for the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. Those who saw the
quantity of work he accomplished, realized that it was only
through the power of God that a simple man could do so
much day after day and year after year.

The enemies of the Cause, who had hoped to carry out
their evil designs after the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, soon
realized that the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh was now guarded by the
iron arms of Shoghi Effendi. It was he who taught the Bahá’ís
of the world how to work together to establish the World
Order of Bahá’u’lláh, and how to carry out the instructions of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá mentioned in His Tablets of the Divine Plan. In
these Tablets, which the Master wrote to the Bahá’ís just
before he passed away, He calls upon them all to arise for the
promotion of the Cause, to forsake their homes and their
comforts, and to carry the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the far off
corners of the world. Shoghi Effendi trained the Bahá’ís for
years to prepare them for this great task. He taught them how
to work through their local and national Assemblies, because
unless the Bahá’ís learned to work as a united body, it would
be impossible for them to accomplish anything. When they
were prepared for the great undertaking, the Guardian
encouraged them to scatter throughout the world and carry
the banner of Bahá’u’lláh to every part of the globe. Under his
divine guidance, hundreds of Bahá’ís went out with the torch
of Faith and settled in distant islands and territories to give
the new Message to people everywhere.
The Bahá’í Faith had spread to 35 countries by the time of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing. During the lifetime of the beloved
Guardian, the Message of Bahá’u’lláh was carried to over 251
countries of the world, including all the places mentioned by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Tablets of the Divine Plan.
In His Will and Testament, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called upon the
Bahá’ís of the world to arise for the service of the Cause, and

not to rest for a single moment until they had established the
banner of the Faith in every part of the globe. Our dear
Guardian carried out this request of the Master throughout
his entire life and up to his very last day in this world. He
passed away on the 4 November 1957, in London, where he
had gone to buy materials for the construction of Bahá’í
Institutions in the Holy Land.
The Guardian left us only after he was sure that his efforts
during his 36 years of guardianship had given the universal
Faith of Bahá’u’lláh a firm foundation. He knew that
Bahá’u’lláh’s work could then be continued by the Bahá’ís
after he had gone. Like the perfect captain of a boat, he set the
directions we were to follow and gave us the necessary
instructions before he went away to rest. There could be no
danger of our losing the way because the direction and the
course we were to take were fixed by the Guardian himself.
Under his spiritual guidance this Ark of God will surely reach
its destination. During his lifetime, Shoghi Effendi drafted a
Ten Year Plan that ended in 1963. This Plan required the
Bahá’ís of the world to work closely together in taking the
Message of Bahá’u’lláh to the remaining islands and territories
of the globe where the Bahá’í Faith had not yet been
established. The Guardian himself supervised the progress of
this Plan in its early stages and, before he passed away, over
4,200 Bahá’í Centres had been established in the world, while
Bahá’í literature had been translated into over 200 different
languages,
In the Holy Land—the World Centre of the Faith—the
Guardian built a beautiful superstructure over the Shrine of

the Báb. He also built an International Archives building
where the original Writings of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, as
well as many other very precious relics are kept. These
buildings and the lovely gardens surrounding them are one of
the most beautiful spots in the world, and thousands of
people come to visit them every year.
Shoghi Effendi completed his work by appointing 27
Hands of the Cause, whom he called the “Chief Stewards” of
the Faith. He gave them the responsibility of protecting the
Cause and of spreading the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. When
the Guardian passed away, the Hands of the Cause elected a
body of 9 from among themselves to remain in the Holy Land
and see to the work at the World Centre. These were called
the Custodians. The rest of the Hands scattered throughout
the world to help in completing the Guardian’s Ten Year
Plan.
The end of the Ten Year Plan in 1963 marked a new
milestone in the history of the Bahá’í Faith. A full century had
passed since the day when Bahá’u’lláh had proclaimed His
Mission. It was then that the Bahá’ís of the world elected the
first Universal House of Justice—that Supreme Body that
‘Abdu’l-Bahá has assured us will be under the direct guidance
of God and infallible in all its decisions.
To celebrate this occasion, the Bahá’ís of the world were
called to a great feast in London from 28 April to 2 May
1963. Over 6,200 people from all over the world attended
this great festival. The unity of mankind was embodied in this
grand celebration. Peoples of so many races and backgrounds,

dressed in their national costumes, formed the beautiful
garden of Bahá’u’lláh. That colourful audience in the Bahá’í
World Congress was indeed the most befitting bouquet that
we could offer to the precious memory of Shoghi Effendi, our
beloved Guardian, who had left us with the Ten Year Spiritual
Crusade—a plan potent with so many victories and
achievements.
Thanks to the untiring and ceaseless efforts of the beloved
Guardian, the Bahá’ís of the world were well prepared for this
tremendous new development in the progress of the Cause of
God—the election of the Universal House of Justice. Shoghi
Effendi, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá foretold, when he was still a child,
did indeed raise the Cause of God to great heights!

Some of the teachings and principles
Oneness of mankind
Bahá’u’lláh has taught us the Oneness of Mankind. All
human beings are the children of one God. If we believe in
one Heavenly Father, then we must accept each other as
brothers and sisters, as members of one family—the family of
Man.
Before Bahá’u’lláh brought us the light of unity, there were
many reasons that made men think they were different from
others. Some people thought that because the colour of their
skin was white, they were better than those who were black or
yellow or brown. Bahá’u’lláh said this is not true. Man is not
different because of his colour. If people are different, it is
because they have received different degrees of education and
not because they have different skin colours. The different
coloured peoples of the world are like the different kinds of
flowers you find in a garden. If all the flowers of a garden were
of the same colour, it would not be so beautiful. Bahá’u’lláh
said God is like a kind Shepherd for whom the white sheep are
no better than the brown or the black. God loves us all, no
matter what the colour of our skin may be or which part of the
world we may come from. Why should we, then, look upon
each other as strangers? Bahá’u’lláh has kindled such love in

the hearts of His followers that they feel like members of the
same family even though they come from all the countries of
the world. In His Writings, Bahá’u’lláh says:
“O well-beloved ones! The tabernacle of unity hath been raised;
regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one
tree, and the leaves of one branch.”34
“Be ye as the fingers of one hand, the members of one body.
Thus counselleth you the Pen of Revelation ….”35
‘Abdu’l-Bahá has written:
“And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is the
oneness of the world of humanity; that all human beings are
the sheep of God and He is the kind Shepherd. The Shepherd is
kind to all the sheep, because He created them all, trained
them, provided for them and protected them. There is no doubt
that the Shepherd is kind to all the sheep and should there be
among these sheep ignorant ones, they must be educated; if there
be children, they must be trained until they reach maturity; if
there be sick ones, they must be cured. There must be no hatred
and enmity, for as by a kind physician these ignorant, sick ones
should be treated.”36
Let us pray for the unity of mankind:
“O my God! O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and
reveal to them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy
commandments and abide in Thy law. Help them, O God, in
their endeavour, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God,
leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of

Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by their love. Verily,
Thou art their Helper and their Lord.”37
Removal of prejudice
Bahá’u’lláh teaches that all forms of prejudice must be
forgotten, whether it is national, racial or religious prejudice.
As long as people cling to prejudice, we will not have any
peace on earth.
All the wars that we have had in the past, all the murders
and the bloodshed have been due to prejudice of some kind.
People have fought over their country or their religion,
bringing destruction to the world and death to millions of
their fellow humans.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“If this prejudice and enmity are on account of religion consider
that religion should be the cause of fellowship, otherwise it is
fruitless. And if this prejudice be the prejudice of nationality
consider that all mankind are of one nation; all have sprung
from the tree of Adam, and Adam is the root of the tree. That
tree is one and all these nations are like branches, while the
individuals of humanity are like leaves, blossoms and fruits
thereof. Then the establishment of various nations and the
consequent shedding of blood and destruction of the edifice of
humanity result from human ignorance and selfish motives.
“As to the patriotic prejudice, this is also due to absolute
ignorance, for the surface of the earth is one native land.
Everyone can live in any spot on the terrestrial globe. Therefore
all the world is man’s birth place. These boundaries and outlets

have been devised by man. In the creation, such boundaries and
outlets have been devised by man. In the creation, such
boundaries and outlets were not assigned. Europe is one
continent, Asia is one continent, Africa is one continent,
Australia is one continent, but some of the souls, from personal
motives and selfish interests, have divided each one of these
continents and considered a certain part as their own country.
God has set up no frontier between France and Germany; they
are continuous. Yea, in the first centuries, selfish souls, for the
promotion of their own interests, have assigned boundaries and
outlets and have, day by day, attached more importance to
these, until this led to intense enmity, bloodshed and rapacity in
subsequent centuries. In the same way this will continue
indefinitely, and if this conception of patriotism remains
limited within a certain circle, it will be the primary cause of
the world’s destruction. No wise and just person will
acknowledge these imaginary distinctions. Every limited area
which we call our native country we regard as our motherland,
whereas the terrestrial globe is the motherland of all, and not
any restricted area. In short, for a few days we live on this earth
and eventually we are buried in it, it is our eternal tomb. Is it
worth while that we should engage in bloodshed and tear one
another to pieces for this eternal tomb? Nay, far from it, neither
is God pleased with such conduct nor would any sane man
approve of it.
“Consider! The blessed animals engaged in no patriotic
quarrels. They are in the utmost fellowship with one another
and live together in harmony. For example, if a dove from the
east and a dove from the west, and a dove from the north and a

dove from the south chance to arrive, at the same time, in one
spot, they immediately associate in harmony. So is it with all
the blessed animals and birds. But the ferocious animals, as
soon as they meet, attack and fight with each other, tear each
other to pieces and it is impossible for them to live peacefully
together in one spot. They are all unsociable and fierce, savage
and combative fighters.”38
Search after truth
When a child is born in a Christian family, he becomes a
Christian. When the parents are Muslim, the children also
become Muslims; if they are Hindus, their children become
Hindus. Why? because most of the people of the world go on
imitating their forefathers, and as long as this blind imitation
is continued, people cannot become united. They fight over
their imitations. Everyone claims that he has the truth and all
the others are wrong. People seldom stop to think what would
have happened if they had been born into another family with
different beliefs. It is most likely that they would have beliefs
quite different from those that they now believe to be the only
true way.
Bahá’u’lláh teaches that Truth is one. If the people of the
world would stop imitating their fathers and search after
Truth for themselves, they would all reach the same
conclusion and become united. The different peoples are like
children who live in different houses and look at the sun
through coloured window panes. However, as the colour of
the panes in each house is different from that of the other
houses, each child thinks the sun is a different colour. One

child looks at the sun through green glass and thinks the
colour of the sun is green. Another child looks through blue
glass and thinks it is blue, and a third child believes the sun to
be red because his window panes are red. These children may
even quarrel over the colour of the sun, each believing what he
sees to be the right colour. However, if they would stop
looking at the sun through their little window panes, and step
outside into the open, they would all see the true colour of the
sun. Then there would be no further fights over the colour of
the sun.
Bahá’u’lláh is calling upon the children of men to step out
of the houses they have inherited from their great grand
parents and stop looking at the sun through coloured window
panes. For the sun we are looking at is the same sun, and once
we remove the coloured glass from before our eyes, we will see
it in its true colour.
God expects us to think about what we believe instead of
following a certain belief for no better reason than that our
forefathers have believed that way for many generations. If we
all search after truth for ourselves, we will come to see that
Truth is one; it can bring us together and make us forsake the
differences of the past.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“… the divine religions of the Holy Manifestations of God are
in reality one, though in name and nomenclature they differ.
Man must be a lover of the light, no matter from what
dayspring it may appear. He must be a lover of the rose, no
matter in what soil it may be growing. He must be a seeker of

the truth, no matter from what source it come. Attachment to
the lantern is not loving the light. Attachment to the earth is
not befitting, but enjoyment of the rose which develops from the
soil is worthy. Devotion to the tree is profitless, but partaking of
the fruit is beneficial. Luscious fruits, no matter upon what tree
they grow or where they may be found, must be enjoyed. The
word of truth, no matter which tongue utters it, must be
sanctioned. Absolute verities, no matter in what book they be
recorded, must be accepted. If we harbour prejudice, it will be
the cause of deprivation and ignorance. The strife between
religions, nations and races arises from misunderstanding. If
we investigate the religions to discover the principles underlying
their foundations, we will find they agree; for the fundamental
reality of them is one and not multiple. By this means the
religionists of the world will reach their point of unity and
reconciliation.”39
At another place ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“Alas that humanity is completely submerged in imitations and
unrealities, notwithstanding the truth of divine religion has
ever remained the same. Superstitions have obscured the
fundamental reality, the world is darkened, and the light of
religion is not apparent. This darkness is conductive to
differences and dissensions; rites and dogmas are many and
various; therefore, discord has arisen among the religious
systems, whereas religion is for the unification of mankind.
True religion is the source of love and agreement amongst men,
the cause of the development of praiseworthy qualities, but the
people are holding to the counterfeit and imitation, negligent of
the reality which unifies, so they are bereft and deprived of the

radiance of religion. They follow superstitions inherited from
their fathers and ancestors. To such an extent has this prevailed
that they have taken away the heavenly light of divine truth
and sit in the darkness of imitations and imaginations. That
which was meant to be conducive to life has become the cause of
death; that which should have been an evidence of knowledge is
now a proof of ignorance; that which was a factor in the
sublimity of human nature has proved to be its degradation.
Therefore, the realm of the reglionist has gradually narrowed
and darkened, and the sphere of the materialist has widened
and advanced; for the religionist has held to imitation and
counterfeit, neglecting and discarding holiness and the sacred
reality of religion. When the sun sets, it is the time for bats to
fly. They come forth because they are creatures of the night.
When the lights of religion become darkened, the materialists
appear. They are the bats of night. The decline of religion is
their time of activity; they seek the shadows when the world is
darkened and clouds have spread over it.”40
Bahá’u’lláh has risen from the eastern horizon. Like the
glory of the sun He has come into the world. He has reflected
the reality of divine religion, dispelled the darkness of
imitations, laid the foundation of new teachings and
resuscitated the world.
“The first teaching of Bahá’u’lláh is the investigation of reality.
Man must seek reality himself, forsaking imitations and
adherence to mere hereditary forms. As the nations of the world
are following imitations in lieu of truth and as imitations are
many and various, differences of belief have been productive of
strife and warfare. So long as these imitations remain, the

oneness of the world of humanity is impossible. Therefore, we
must investigate reality in order that by its light the clouds and
darkness may be dispelled. Reality is one reality; it does not
admit multiplicity or division. If the nations of the world
investigate reality, they will agree and become united. Many
people and sects … have sought reality through the guidance
and teaching of Bahá’u’lláh. They have become united and
now live in a state of agreement and love; among them there is
no longer the least trace of enmity and strife.”41
Universal language
One of the causes of misunderstanding in the world is that
people cannot understand each other’s language. Every
country has a different tongue and when a person goes from
his land to another part of the world, he feels that he is among
strangers.
Bahá’u’lláh has come to unite all the peoples of the world
and make them like members of the same family. One of His
laws, therefore, is that a common language must be taught in
every part of the world, so that every person will learn that
language besides his own native tongue. In this way, people
will feel at home, no matter where they go, because they can
all understand each other.
The difference in language sometimes causes
misunderstanding that may even lead to dangerous conflicts.
Take the name of our Creator, for example. In the Hindi
language He is called Ishwara, in Arabic Alláh and in English
God. Ignorant people think that God is different from Ishwara
or Alláh and fight with each other over these different names.

When the people can all speak one common universal
language, they will come to realize that they are all referring to
the same Creator. This in itself will remove many
misunderstandings among them.
The Bahá’ís have so far translated the Message of
Bahá’u’lláh into over 800 languages of the world because
people do not know one common language. When a universal
language is adopted in the world, it will become much easier
to give the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh to different peoples. Then
everyone will be able to read the sacred Writings of the
Manifestation of God Himself, in the universal language.
Equality between men and women
A pigeon cannot fly if you cut off the feathers from one its
wings, regardless of how strong its other wing may be, because
a bird needs two wings to fly.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“… the world of humanity possesses two wings: man and
woman. If one wing remains incapable and defective, it will
restrict the power of the other, and full flight will be impossible.
Therefore, the completeness and perfection of the human world
are dependent upon the equal development of these two
wings.”42
Again He says:
“God has created all creatures in couples. Man, beast, or
vegetable, all the things of these three kingdoms are of two sexes,
and there is absolute equality between them.

“In the vegetable world there are male plants and female
plants; they have equal rights, and possess an equal share of the
beauty of their species; though indeed the tree that bears fruit
might be said to be superior to that which is unfruitful.
“In the animal kingdom we see that the male and the female
have equal rights; and that they each share the advantages of
their kind.
“Now in the two lower kingdoms of nature we have seen
that there is no question of the superiority of one sex over the
other. In the world of humanity we find a great difference;
the female sex is treated as though inferior, and is not
allowed equal rights and privileges. This condition is due
not to nature, but to education. In the Divine Creation
there is no such distinction. Neither sex is superior to the
other in the sight of God.”43
God has created us all as human beings, and it makes no
difference to Him whether we are men or women. To a loving
parent, sons and daughters are equally dear.
“Bahá’u’lláh has said that both [men and women] belong
to humankind and that in the estimation of God they are
equal, for each is the complement of the other in the divine
creative plan. The only distinction between them in the
sight of God is the purity and righteousness of their deeds
and actions, for that one is preferred by God who is most
nearly in the spiritual image and likeness of the Creator.”44
Since God’s bounty reaches man and woman alike, we
should make no distinction between them. The duties of a

man in a community may differ from those of a woman, but
their rights and privileges must be equal. We should not think
that a woman’s talents are less than a man’s. In the past
women did not have the same education and opportunities as
men, that is the reason they were not able to develop their
different capacities.
When Bahá’ís are electing their Assemblies every year, the
members they choose are those who are most sincere and
capable. It does not make any difference whether they are men
or women. We should always remember that God looks to the
heart and character of a person and not the sex.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“One whose thought is pure, whose education is superior, whose
scientific attainments are greater, whose deeds of philanthropy
excel, be that one man or woman, white or coloured, is entitled
to full rights and recognition; there is no differentiation
whatsoever.”45
Universal education
Another teaching of Bahá’u’lláh is that every child—boy or
girl—must receive an education. If the parents neglect the
education of their children, they are responsible before God.
This is the command of Bahá’u’lláh:
“Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son
and daughter in the art of reading and writing … He that
putteth away that which is commanded unto him, the Trustees
are then to take from him that which is required for their
instruction if he be wealthy and, if not, the matter devolveth

upon the House of Justice. Verily have We made it [the House of
Justice] a shelter for the poor and needy.”46
The education of children, therefore, is a compulsory and
binding law for all Bahá’ís. If the parents can afford to educate
their children but neglect to do so, then the Spiritual
Assembly must force them to see to their education. However,
if they are poor, the Spiritual Assembly must provide for the
education of the children through the funds of the
community.
Bahá’u’lláh states that the education of children is a sacred
task. He says:
“He that bringeth up his son or the son of another, it is as
though he hath brought up a son of Mine ….”47
Is it not a privilege and a great honour for us to educate
one of Bahá’u’lláh’s children? We can receive this honour if
only we educate our children or those of other people.
We cannot say that we need our young children to work at
home, or take the cattle out to the pasture, so they have no
time to go to school. We must remember that looking after
the cattle or working in the field is not a command of God,
but education is. If we do not obey this command, we are
responsible. Similarly, we cannot say that our child is a girl
and hence does not require any education. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said
that there is equality between the rights of men and women.
However, education is an example where, if a priority must be
given, it must be given to the girls. The reason for this is that

the girls will become the mothers of the future, and an
educated mother can bring up better children.
Education, according to Bahá’u’lláh, does not consist of
only learning how to read and write. Children must also be
educated in subjects that will enable them to serve the human
race and virtues that will make them want to serve. At present
children who live in different parts of the world are being
brought up to be loyal to their country alone, and sometimes
hatred towards another nation is engraved on their young
minds. They are taught to be proud of being Germans, Arabs
or Chinese and made to believe that their race, their religion
or their special caste is the best in the world. According to
Bahá’í Faith this is not correct. The aim of education must be
to bring up men and women who believe that “The earth is but
one country, and mankind its citizens”.48 Then they will give
their love and their services to the betterment of the whole
world. If people adopt this method of education, it will take
but one generation to establish the unity of all mankind.
Bahá’u’lláh also says:
“Schools must first train the children in the principles of
religion, so that the Promise and the Threat recorded in the
Books of God may prevent them from the things forbidden and
adorn them with the mantle of the commandments; but this in
such a measure that it may not injure the children by resulting
in ignorant fanaticism and bigotry” 49
This means that the spiritual values taught by the
Manifestations of God must be the basis for every system of
education. Only through spiritual enlightenment can man

become happier in life, because they will learn to live without
any prejudice towards their fellowmen and be full of hope and
confidence for the future. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes:
“These schools … must favour character and conduct above the
sciences and arts. Good behaviour and high moral character
must come first, for unless the character be trained, acquiring
knowledge will only prove injurious. Knowledge is praiseworthy
when it is coupled with ethical conduct and virtuous character;
otherwise it is a deadly poison, a frightful danger. A physician
of evil character, and who betrayeth his trust, can bring on
death, and become the source of numerous infirmities and
diseases.”50
Education must free us from superstitions and prejudices,
and from the clutches of materialism. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes:
‘And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is man’s freedom, that
through the ideal Power he should be free and emancipated
from the captivity of the world of nature; for as long as man is
captive to nature he is a ferocious animal, as the struggle for
existence is one of the exigencies of the world of nature. This
matter of the struggle for existence is the fountain-head of all
calamities and is the supreme affliction.”51
A Bahá’í should never deprive his children from acquiring
true knowledge, for according to Bahá’u’lláh:
“Knowledge is as wings to man’s life, and a ladder for his
ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. The
knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as can
profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with

words and end with words. Great indeed is the claim of
scientists and craftsmen on the peoples of the world. …
“In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and a
source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and
gladness unto him.”52
Religion and science must work together
God has given us the power of thinking for ourselves so
that we may be different from animals. Man has been able to
progress down the ages, and to live very differently today than
he used to thousands of years ago, because he can use his
mind. New discoveries and inventions have made it possible
for people to live in better homes and to fight against disease
and ignorance. However, material progress is of little use to us
if we do not also progress spiritually. God has given us religion
to help us with our spiritual progress. Science without religion
can do great harm but religion without science can also cause
trouble. For the real progress of human race, both are
necessary together. Science and religion must go hand and
hand.
Science provides us with the tools and religion tells us how
to use them. An axe or a sickle is a very useful thing if we use it
correctly. However, if a murderer gets hold of an axe or a
sickle, that useful tool becomes a dangerous weapon. The
trouble with the world today is that science has provided
people with useful tools that they can also use as weapons.
The reason for this is that they have no religion to teach them
how to make the best use of these tools. On the other hand, if
we forsake science and stop using our mind and reason

altogether, religion will become nothing but ignorance and
superstition, and therefore harmful to the people of the world.
In the past people have thought that religion and science
could not work together, but Bahá’u’lláh teaches that true
religion agrees with true science. He tells us that our hearts
and our minds can accept the same truths. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:
“There is no contradiction between true religion and science.
When a religion is opposed to science it becomes mere
superstition: that which is contrary to knowledge is
ignorance.”53
We will conclude this section with a wonderful quotation
from a talk by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
“God made religion and science to be the measure … of our
understanding. Take heed that you neglect not such a
wonderful power. Weigh all things in this balance.
“… Put all your beliefs into harmony with science; there can be
no opposition, for truth is one. When religion, shorn of its
superstitions, traditions and unintelligent dogmas, shows its
conformity with science, then will there be a great unifying,
cleansing force in the world which will sweep before it all wars,
disagreements, discords and struggles—and then will mankind
be united in the power of the Love of God.”54
Extremes of wealth and poverty must end
Bahá’u’lláh tells us that He prefers justice to everything
else in the world:

“O SON OF SPIRIT!
“The best beloved of all things in My sight is justice; turn not
away therefrom if thou desirest Me …”55
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“One of the most important principles of the Teaching of
Bahá’u’lláh is:
“The right of every human being to the daily bread whereby
they exist, or the equalization of the means of livelihood.
“The arrangements of the circumstances of the people must be
such that poverty shall disappear, that everyone, as far as
possible, according to his rank and position, shall share in
comfort and well-being.
“We see amongst us men who are overburdened with riches on
the one hand, and on the other those unfortunate ones who
starve with nothing; those who possess several stately palaces,
and those who have not where to lay their head. Some we find
with numerous courses of costly and dainty food; whilst others
can scarcely find sufficient crusts to keep them alive. Whilst
some are clothed in velvets, furs and fine linen, others have
insufficient, poor and thin garments with which to protect them
from the cold.
“This condition of affairs is wrong, and must be remedied.”56
“Certainly, some being enormously rich and others lamentably
poor, an organization is necessary to control and improve this
state of affairs. It is [as] important to limit riches, as it is also of
importance to limit poverty. Either extreme is not good. …

“… When we see poverty allowed to reach a condition of
starvation it is a sure sign that somewhere we shall find
tyranny. Men must bestir themselves in this matter, and no
longer delay in altering conditions which bring the misery of
grinding poverty to a very large number of the people.”57
There are a number of wonderful laws and teachings in the
Bahá’í Faith for the creation of a balanced society where there
are no extremes of wealth nor poverty. Many of these laws
must be put into practice by the governments of the world,
but the basic solution of the economic problems of today
depends upon the individual. Bahá’ís are encouraged to make
every effort towards material as well as spiritual advancement,
but they should never forget these Words of Bahá’u’lláh:
“The essence of wealth is love for Me; whoso loveth Me is the
possessor of all things, and he that loveth Me not is indeed of the
poor and needy.”58
True wealth for a Bahá’í then is the love of God in his
heart. When he possesses this great treasure that no one can
take away from him, then material riches will not be of great
value in his eyes and outward poverty cannot be the cause of
unhappiness.
Bahá’u’lláh says:
“O SON OF MY HANDMAID!
“Be not troubled in poverty nor confident in riches, for poverty
is followed by riches, and riches are followed by poverty.”59
Once our hearts are detached from the riches of this world,
it becomes easy for us to share our wealth with those who are

in need. This sharing is what Bahá’u’lláh expects His followers
to do. In one of the Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá we read:
“Among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is voluntary sharing of
one’s property with others among mankind. This voluntary
sharing is greater than equality, and consists in this, that man
should not prefer himself to others, but rather should sacrifice his
life and property for others. But this should not be introduced by
coercion so that it becomes a law and man is compelled to
follow it. Nay, rather, should man voluntarily and of his own
choice sacrifice his property and life for others, and spend
willingly for the poor, just as is done in Persia among the
Bahá’ís.”60
No matter how poor a person may be, he can still find
others who are poorer than himself and with whom he can
share what he has. To the rich Bahá’u’lláh says:
“O YE RICH ONES ON EARTH!
“The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and
be not intent only on your own case.”61
He warns them not to forget those who are in need, for
they will be punished if they are selfish:
“O CHILDREN OF DUST!
“Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor, lest
heedlessness may lead them into the path of destruction, and
deprive them of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous
are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself
with My virtues.”62

Although the rich are called upon to give of their riches,
Bahá’u’lláh forbids the poor to beg. He says that they must
strive to earn their own living and place their trust in the
Almighty. Every individual is called upon to “… pursue his
profession and calling in this world, to hold fast unto the Lord, to
seek naught but His grace, inasmuch as in His hands is the destiny
of all His servants.”63
We must never envy those who have more money than we
do, for Bahá’u’lláh says:
“O SON OF EARTH!
“Know, verily, the heart wherein the least remnant of envy yet
lingers, shall never attain My everlasting dominion, nor inhale
the sweet savours of holiness breathing from My kingdom of
sanctity.”64
And again:
“O MY SERVANT!
“Purge thy heart from malice and, innocent of envy, enter the
divine court of holiness.”65
We must know that wealth in itself is not a virtue. It can
become a dangerous thing. Bahá’u’lláh says that God tests
men with gold, just as gold is tested by fire. He also says.
“Know ye in truth that wealth is a mighty barrier between the
seeker and his desire, the lover and his beloved. The rich, but for
a few, shall in no wise attain the court of His presence nor enter
the city of content and resignation. Well it is then with him,
who, being rich, is not hindered by his riches from the eternal
kingdom, nor deprived by them of imperishable dominion. By

the Most Great Name! The splendour of such a wealthy man
shall illuminate the dwellers of heaven even as the sun
enlightens the people of the earth!”66
Our object in life, therefore, should not be the gathering of
wealth to enjoy a short life of comfort in this world. Material
riches can profit us only after we have acquired spiritual
wealth and come to know ourselves and the purpose of our
lives in this world.
Bahá’u’lláh has written:
“… man should know his own self and recognize that which
leadeth unto loftiness or lowliness, glory or abasement, wealth
or poverty. Having attained the stage of fulfilment and reached
his maturity, man standeth in need of wealth, and such wealth
as he acquireth through crafts or professions is commendable
and praiseworthy in the estimation of men of wisdom, and
especially in the eyes of servants who dedicate themselves to the
education of the world and to the edification of its peoples.”67
Whether we possess the riches of this world or not, let us
remember that we can all be spiritually rich if we let the love
of God enter into our hearts. This is what God tells every one
of us through Bahá’u’lláh:
“O SON OF SPIRIT!
“I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to
poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself?
Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest
thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of
love I moulded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another?

Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing
within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.”68
Happiness
One of Bahá’u’lláh’s great bounties to us is the joy and
happiness He has created in our hearts. We are joyful because
the love of God is within us. We are happy because we know
the meaning and purpose of our short lives on this earth. We
rejoice because we have found our Beloved, and through the
influence of His creative Words are now at peace with the rest
of humanity
Bahá’u’lláh says:
“O My friends that dwell upon the dust! Haste forth unto your
celestial habitation. Announce unto yourselves the joyful tidings:
‘He Who is the Best-Beloved is come! He hath crowned Himself
with the glory of God’s Revelation, and hath unlocked to the
face of men the doors of His ancient Paradise.’ Let all eyes
rejoice, and let every ear be gladdened, for now is the time to
gaze on His beauty, now is the fit time to hearken to His voice.
Proclaim unto every longing lover: ‘Behold, your Well-Beloved
hath come among men!’ and to the messengers of the Monarch
of love impart the tidings: ‘Lo, the Adored One hath appeared
arrayed in the fullness of His glory!’ O lovers of His beauty!
Turn the anguish of your separation from Him into the joy of
an everlasting reunion ….”69
The joy of having recognized the Beloved and of
hearkening to His voice fills the heart of every Bahá’í. This
great bounty was felt by the thousands of Bahá’í martyrs who

were glad to give their precious lives for the sake of their
Beloved. When the joy of Faith takes possession of our heart,
nothing on this earth can discourage us or make us unhappy.
Poverty, sickness and hardship can be forgotten when the love
of God and His creatures is in our hearts.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá often mentioned the continuous happiness
that He felt even when He was living in prison under very
severe conditions. He wrote:
“… I was happy in imprisonment. I was in the utmost elation
because I was not a criminal. They had imprisoned me in the
path of God. … I was happy that—praise be to God!—I was a
prisoner in the Cause of God, that my life was not wasted, that
it was spent in the Divine service. Nobody who saw me
imagined that I was in prison. They beheld me in the utmost
joy, complete thankfulness and health, paying no attention to
the prison.”70
The happiness that comes through the love we feel for God
and our fellow creatures makes us more worthy of giving praise
to the Almighty and of receiving His blessings. Bahá’u’lláh
has written:
“O SON OF MAN!
“Rejoice in the gladness of thine heart, that thou mayest be
worthy to meet Me and to mirror forth My beauty” 71
Bahá’ís should always reflect the radiant light of happiness.
How can we be unhappy when we read these wonderful
Words of Bahá’u’lláh?:

“O SON OF SPIRIT!
“With the joyful tidings of light I hail thee: rejoice! To the court
of holiness I summon thee; abide therein that thou mayest live
in peace for evermore.”72
Bahá’u’lláh says that the heart is the seat of God. When
the heart has known the joy of receiving its Beloved, no
happiness on earth can compare with it. The wealth of the
world cannot add to this happiness, nor can the lack of
prosperity become a cause of sorrow to such a heart.
The joy that comes with the pleasures of this world is not
true happiness because it does not endure. Bahá’u’lláh tells us
not to be affected by it:
“O SON OF MAN!
“Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should
abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away
and be no more.”73
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“When a man is thirsty he drinks water. When he is hungry he
eats food. But if a man be not thirsty, water gives him no
pleasure and if his hunger be already satisfied, food is distasteful
to him.
“This is not so with spiritual enjoyments. Spiritual enjoyments
bring always joy. The love of God brings endless happiness.
These are joys in themselves and not alleviations. …
“God created in us a divine holy spirit—the human spirit with
its intellectual powers which are above the powers of nature. By
this we enjoy the ecstasies of the spirit and see the world

illumined. … This power distinguishes you above all other
creatures, why do you devote it only to your material conditions?
This is that which should be used for the acquisition and
manifestation of the bounties of God, that ye may establish the
Kingdom of God among men and attain to happiness in both
worlds, the visible and the invisible.”74
Let us be happy because we are living in such a wonderful
age. Let us enjoy the paradise that God has prepared for us
where men live as brothers, and where the strifes and
differences of the past are forgotten.
Let us rejoice in these words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
“GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!
For Everlasting Life is here!
O Ye that sleep, Awake!
O ye heedless ones, Learn wisdom!
O Blind, receive your sight!
O Deaf, Hear!
O Dumb, Speak!
O Dead, Arise!
Be Happy!
Be Happy!
Be full of joy.”75
Immortality
Our lives are very short. Twenty or thirty years may seem a
long time when we are still very young, but when we have left
those years behind us, we wonder how they could have gone

by so swiftly. The years that lie ahead of us will also pass like
fleeting moments, and death will soon overtake us all.
Is death the end of everything for us? No! The Bahá’í Faith
teaches that death is not the end. It is only a beginning.
Bahá’u’lláh says:
“O SON OF THE SUPREME!
“I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost
thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendour. Why
dost thou veil thyself therefrom?”76
Death is the beginning of our spiritual journey towards
God. It is a rebirth—a spiritual rebirth.
When our soul departs from our body, it continues to live
and to progress in the Kingdom of God. But it never comes
back to the earth in a material form.
A nightingale that has always lived in a cage does not know
any other place but the cage. It may get glimpses of a garden
through the bars of its cage. However, the poor bird has no
idea of freedom and has never known the joy of flying in the
green woods or the open fields. If you open the door of the
cage to set the bird free, it may hop to a corner of the cage but
not want to leave it. When you put your hand in to take the
bird out, it will become frightened and will try to escape from
your hand. However, once the bird is free it will soar high in
the open sky, and sing among the green trees. It makes its
home in the flowered meadows and the perfumed woods, and
would not return to captivity even if you were to offer it a
thousand golden cages.

Similarly, when the soul is set free from the cage of this
body, those who are not aware of the Kingdom of God and
the happiness that awaits them after they depart from this life,
will find it very difficult to let go of this life. It is because they
know only the cage, and are unaware of the heaven of God’s
love and eternal mercy
Those who have recognized the Manifestations of God,
however, are sure of the immortality of the soul and
everlasting life. Somebody asked Bahá’u’lláh about life after
death, and this was His reply:
“And now concerning thy question regarding the soul of man
and its survival after death. Know thou of a truth that the soul,
after its separation from the body, will continue to progress
until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition
which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the
changes and chances of this world, can alter. It will endure as
long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion
and power will endure. It will manifest the signs of God and
His attributes, and will reveal His loving-kindness and bounty.
The movements of My pen is stilled when it attempteth to
befittingly describe the loftiness and glory of so exalted a
station.”77
Death is spiritual rebirth for each one of us. Let us
therefore be prepared to welcome “the messenger of joy” 7 8
whenever it may knock at our door.

Heaven and hell
You will be rewarded with a rich harvest if you plant a field
in the proper season, water it regularly and protect it from
pests and birds. However, if you do not sow your seeds at the
right time, and neglect to water the field, you cannot hope for
a good crop. You will be punishable for your negligence when
the time comes to reap the harvest and who can be blamed for
the loss except yourself?
Reward and punishment are necessary for order to exist in
the world. Reward and punishment are the natural
consequences of our deeds. All the Messengers of the past have
tried to make us realize that what we do in this world not only
affects our lives here, but continues to bear results after our
death. If our deeds are good, they will produce good results
and become the cause of everlasting happiness; if they are bad,
they will bear evil results and bring eternal suffering to us.
God does not wish to take revenge on those who have done
wrong. However, it is impossible to get good results from bad
actions, just as it is impossible to have beautiful flowers in the
garden when we have planted weeds. This is what is meant by
reward and punishment. This essential belief, which has been
taught in all religions, has been greatly misunderstood.
The manifestations of God have explained the existence of
reward and punishment through symbols and parables. We
have mentioned that the Manifestations of God are perfect
Educators. A perfect educator must necessarily teach in a way
that his students may understand or else there would be no
purpose in His teaching. God’s Messengers have pictured a

life full of joy and pleasure for the good, and spoken of torture
and misery for the wicked. They have done this to help people
understand that they will have to account for their deeds after
their life in this world has ended. The pleasures and tortures
they have mentioned are those that people know of in this
world because it was the only way to make people understand
the importance of Their teachings on life after death.
To a small child who asks about knowledge, the parent
may say that it is sweeter than anything he has ever enjoyed.
Of course, the parent does not mean that knowledge is a type
of food that can be tasted. When the child is older, he will
come to know what his parent meant by the description he
gave. Most of the people in the world are taking the symbols
and parables that the Manifestations of God have used about
life after death quite literally. The people do not realize that
they were meant to illustrate spiritual experiences. They have,
therefore, set up an imaginary hell and heaven. Some believe
hell to be a horrible place with fire, disease and horrid devils
in which sinners are tortured forever. Heaven, according to
them, is a beautiful garden full of delicious fruits and earthly
pleasures. Others believe that our souls will return to this
world after death as if there were no other place in the whole
of the universe except our little planet. They say that we will
come back in different forms, and that we may even come as
animals depending on the kind of deeds that we have done in
our lifetime.
Whereas the Manifestations of the past have had to speak
of our experiences after death in symbolic terms, Bahá’u’lláh
says we are now ready to know the true meaning of heaven

and hell. The two important facts that we must remember are
these:
1. Our souls are immortal and continue to live after our
bodies die.
2. The consequences of our deeds in this world will continue
after the soul departs from the body.
The world into which the soul enters after departing from
the body is very different from the world that we are used to
here. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says it is as different from this world as our
world is different from the womb of the mother where a child
lives before it is born. A child prepares for his life in this world
by developing his eyes, ears and limbs that he does not need
in his mother’s womb. However, he cannot live a normal,
healthy life here without these physical features. Similarly, we
too must prepare for a happy life in the next world that our
souls will be born into after leaving this world. In the next
world, we are not going to need physical eyes and ears any
more. There we will need spiritual qualities that we can
acquire in this world by following the teachings of God sent to
us through His Messengers.
There is, however, a great difference between the condition
of a child in his mother’s womb and that of a person who is
living in this world. The unborn child is not responsible for
his development because he is helpless. However, in this
world we are given the power to choose between right and
wrong, good and bad. We are, therefore, responsible for our
spiritual development. If we fail to grow strong and healthy in
spirit, then we are going to be very unhappy in the next

world. This state of unhappiness is called hell. If on the other
hand, we strive to understand and obey the laws of God, we
will be preparing for a life of happiness in the next world and
we will enjoy the state that is spoken of as heaven. Bahá’u’lláh
says that heaven is nearness to God and hell is being deprived
of this bounty. He calls upon each one of us to strive to
become worthy of the eternal blessings that are prepared for us
in the worlds to come:
“O SON OF BOUNTY!
“Out of the wastes of nothingness, with the clay of My
command I made thee to appear, and have ordained for thy
training every atom in existence and the essence of all created
things. Thus, ere thou didst issue from thy mother’s womb, I
destined for thee two founts of gleaming milk, eyes to watch over
thee, and hearts to love thee. Out of My loving-kindness, ‘neath
the shade of My mercy I nurtured thee, and guarded thee by the
essence of My grace and favour. And My purpose in all this was
that thou mightest attain My everlasting dominion and become
worthy of My invisible bestowals. …”79
Miracles
The Manifestations of God are endowed with great powers.
They are able to perform things that are impossible for other
people to do. Their great miracles are: Their teachings, Their
personal lives, and the influence of Their words on the hearts
of men for centuries after They Themselves have left this
world. These miracles have been performed by all the
Manifestations of God.

The Messengers of God use no worldly means or power to
influence people, yet They have always been opposed by the
forces of the state and all the powerful, learned people of Their
time. Those who first believed in Them have usually been
poor and insignificant people, without any worldly position.
In spite of all this, Their Message has spread to conquer the
world and create new civilizations. This story has been
repeated in every age, and with the coming of every
Manifestation a new civilization has been established in the
world. When we hear of the civilizations that the Hindus,
Jews, Christians or Moslems developed during past ages, we
must remember that the Founder of each of these great
movements was but a single Messenger of God. Each
Messenger, in His days, initially stood alone against the forces
of the whole world, and still They were victorious! What
greater miracle do we need to prove the truth of these
Manifestations of God!
There are many people who believe that the proof of
prophethood lies in the performance of some difficult task
that is usually expected of a magician. The followers of each
religion relate extraordinary things about the Founder of their
Faith to prove that He was a true Manifestation of God. The
Hindus say that one day the feet of baby Krishna touched the
river Yamuna while He was being carried by His father. The
water immediately receded to allow Him to be carried to the
other side. The Christians say that Jesus Christ satisfied the
hunger of hundreds of people with a few loaves of bread.
Similar miracles are attributed to Zoroaster, Buddha, Moses
and Muhammad by Their followers.

Bahá’ís believe that all the Manifestations of God have
been capable of accomplishing extraordinary things. However,
such deeds are neither convincing to those who do not believe
in Them, nor can they be used as proofs of Their
Prophethood. A Christian, for instance, may tell a Jew or a
Buddhist that Jesus Christ gave life to a dead person.
However, his words will have little effect on the person who
does not believe in Jesus. It certainly will not convince him
that Jesus Christ was a Manifestation of God. He may even say
that it is only the followers of Jesus Christ who have attributed
this miracle to Him. Even those who lived in the days of Jesus
did not believe in Him because of His miracles. However, if
the Christian points out how the beautiful teachings of Jesus
Christ have brought eternal life to millions of people who were
spiritually dead, or refers to the saintly life of Jesus Christ
Himself that has inspired the hearts of many generations of
the human race, no one can deny it. The life of Jesus Christ
and His teachings are by far greater miracles than His having
raised to life one or two people who might have lived for a few
more years and died again.
The Manifestations of God are divine Physicians. What we
should expect from them is a prescription that will cure our
spiritual ailments. It is foolish of us to expect them to prove
their Prophethood through the demonstration of magical
performances. We do not ask a doctor who has come to
prescribe for a patient to prove his skill by jumping from the
roof. The only way the doctor can prove that he is indeed
what he claims to be, is to cure his patient. That is why
Bahá’u’lláh, despite those who were with Him seeing Him

accomplish extraordinary things, has forbidden Bahá’ís to
mention them as proofs of His greatness. The following
incident, which occurred when Bahá’u’lláh was in Baghdád,
shows how valueless these so-called miracles can be.
A council of Muslim divines, who knew that they could
not deny the Truth of Bahá’u’lláh through argument and
logic, asked Him to perform a miracle for them. They hoped
that Bahá’u’lláh would refuse and thus give them an excuse to
denounce Him. They chose one of the greatest Mullás from
among themselves to deliver the message to Bahá’u’lláh. His
reply to them was that the Cause of God was not a plaything
and that He had not come to set up a magical show to please
the whims and fancies of the people. However, if they could
all decide upon a particular feat, no matter how impossible it
might seem, then Bahá’u’lláh would accomplish it before
their eyes. The only condition was that when the miracle was
performed, they would all accept Him as the Promised One.
The Mullás did not accept the condition. They were afraid
that Bahá’u’lláh might perform the miracle and then they
would have no excuse for denying His claim. So they dispersed
without asking Bahá’u’lláh for any miracle.
This incident clearly shows that miracles, even if
performed, do not serve to prove anything to those who have
already decided to deny the Truth. For those who are just in
their judgement and willing to understand, the teachings of
the Manifestations of God are in themselves true and lasting
miracles.

Moral and ethical teachings
One of the principles of the Bahá’í Faith is that the
foundation of all religions is one. The moral principles of all
religions are certainly a part of the foundation of the religions.
Therefore, they are similar.
In the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, we find very high standards
of ethics and personal conduct. We can say that almost all the
teachings of Bahá’u’lláh influence the personal conduct and
behaviour of man. In the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, there are
literally thousands of Tablets revealed by the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh
and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and in the writings of Shoghi Effendi
setting the pattern of Bahá’í life based on purity of mind and
action. We are not able to compile all these beautiful writings
into one large book. Nevertheless it is appropriate to have
some glimpses of these beautiful writings from the Bahá’í
Scriptures.
Readers of this book will have to continue their studies to
immerse themselves in the immeasurable ocean of the Holy
Writings if they wish to bring out such treasures and
incomparable gems.
Bahá’u’lláh writes to one of His sons:
“Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be
worthy of the trust of thy neighbour, and look upon him with a
bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an
admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a
preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgement,
and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all

meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in
darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for
the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of
oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine
acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a
tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a
guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the
countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of
the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of
mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above
the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an
ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty,
a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the
firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of
humility.”80
Here are more quotations from the Holy Writings
pertaining to personal conduct:
“All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing
civilization. … To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of
man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance,
mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples
and kindreds of the earth.”81
“To transgress the limits of one’s own rank and station is, in no
wise, permissible. The integrity of every rank and station must
needs be preserved. By this is meant that every created thing
should be viewed in the light of the station it hath been
ordained to occupy.”82
***

“Charity is pleasing and praiseworthy in the sight of God and
is regarded as a prince among goodly deeds. … Blessed is he
who preferreth his brother before himself. Verily, such a man is
reckoned, by virtue of the Will of God, … with the people of
Bahá ….”83
“They who are possessed of riches, however, must have the
utmost regard for the poor, for great is the honour destined by
God for those poor who are steadfast in patience. … There is no
honour, except what God may please to bestow, that can
compare to this honour. Great is the blessedness awaiting the
poor that endure patiently and conceal their sufferings, and
well is it with the rich who bestow their riches on the needy and
prefer them before themselves.”84
***

“To look after the sick is one of the greatest duties. For every soul
who becomes sick, the other friends should certainly offer their
lives (in service) with the utmost kindness.”85
***

“We, verily, have chosen courtesy, and made it the true mark of
such as are nigh unto Him. Courtesy is, in truth, a raiment
which fitteth all men, whether young or old. Well is it with him
that adorneth his temple therewith, and woe unto him who is
deprived of this great bounty.”86
“O people of God! I admonish you to observe courtesy, for above
all else it is the prince of virtues. Well is it with him who is
illumined with the light of courtesy and is attired with the

vesture of uprightness. Whoso is endued with courtesy hath
indeed attained a sublime station.”87
***

“Beware lest ye prefer yourselves above your neighbours.”88
“Be fair to yourselves and to others, that the evidences of justice
may be revealed, through your deeds, among Our faithful
servants.”89
“… equity is the most fundamental among human virtues. The
evaluation of all things must needs depend upon it.”90
“Say: Observe equity in your judgement, ye men of
understanding heart! He that is unjust in his judgement is
destitute of the characteristics that distinguish man’s station.”91
***

“We love to see you at all times consorting in amity and concord
within the paradise of My good-pleasure, and to inhale from
your acts the fragrance of friendliness and unity, of lovingkindness and fellowship. … We shall always be with you; if We
inhale the perfume of your fellowship, Our heart will assuredly
rejoice, for naught else can satisfy Us.”92
***

“The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and
be not intent only on your own ease.”93

“If ye encounter one who is poor, treat him not disdainfully.
Reflect upon that whereof ye were created. Every one of you was
created of sorry germ.”94
***

“A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men. It is the
bread of the spirit, it clotheth the words with meaning, it is the
fountain of the light of wisdom and understanding.”95
“Each sees in the other the Beauty of God reflected in the soul,
and finding this point of similarity, they are attracted to one
another in love. This love will make all men the waves of one
sea, this love will make them all the stars of one heaven and the
fruits of one tree. This love will bring the realization of true
accord, the foundation of real unity.”96
“Love is unlimited, boundless, infinite! Material things are
limited, circumscribed, finite.”97
“It is clear that limited material ties are insufficient to
adequately express the universal love.
“The great unselfish love for humanity is bounded by none of
these imperfect, semi-selfish bounds; this is the one perfect love,
possible to all mankind, and can only be achieved by the power
of the Divine Spirit.”98
***

“Deal not treacherously with the substance of your neighbour.
Be ye trustworthy on earth, and withhold not from the poor the
things given unto you by God through His grace. He, verily,
will bestow upon you the double of what ye possess.”99
***

“Fair speech and truthfulness, by reason of their lofty rank and
position, are regarded as a sun shining above the horizon of
knowledge.”100

Administration
Religion without priests
There was a time when it was necessary to have a group of
people in society to be in charge of religious affairs. Ordinary
people were either illiterate or did not have time to make a
proper study of their religion. They therefore engaged a
number of people who had no other task or profession in life
than to study religion and to see that people observed its laws.
That is why we find Brahmins among the Hindus, Bhikkhus
among the Buddhists, priests among the Christians and
Mullás among the Muslims.
In the Bahá’í Faith, one of its distinctions is that a
professional priesthood is abolished. Bahá’u’lláh says that
although it was necessary to have priests in the past, they are
not needed in our age. He has called upon every one of us to
search after Truth for himself. Hence, we may see with our
own eyes and not with the eyes of others, hear with our own
ears, and understand with our own power of reason. Bahá’ís
are expected to acquire more knowledge about their Faith by
searching after Truth for themselves. This may not be the case
with people of other religions who expect to receive their
instruction from clergymen. Every Bahá’í has to pray for
himself. He cannot pay another man to pray for him as is

done by many people in other religions. A Bahá’í asks for
God’s grace and forgiveness himself and does not need a priest
to do it for him through man-made rituals and ceremonies.
Every Bahá’í can establish contact with God through His
Manifestation, and no medium is required between him and
Bahá’u’lláh.
Although there have been many good priests in every
religion, much of the harm done in the name of religion has
been due to the priests in every age. There were two priests
living in one neighbourhood that did not always agree on
religious problems, and their disagreement brought a great
deal of trouble to the world. Some people thought one priest
was right, while other people believed that the other priest’s
views were correct. In this manner, disunity and divisions have
arisen in every religion. Gradually many sects were formed as
men quarrelled with each other over different interpretations
of their sacred writings, and eventually this became the cause
of wars and bloodshed.
Such conflicts cannot occur in the Bahá’í Faith. Firstly,
there are no priests or other personalities in the Faith who can
form a following among the believers. All are equal in the
Faith. Secondly, nobody has the right to interpret the
teachings and Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. This authority was
given only to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá by Bahá’u’lláh Himself, and after
‘Abdu’l-Bahá the right of interpretation was given to Shoghi
Effendi alone.
It is dangerous that a living can be earned through religion.
The danger arises because insincere people may be attracted to

this profession for no other reason than that they want to live
an easy life or have a good income. Such people, in the garb of
the priesthood, have often misled others and have committed
many crimes in the name of religion to serve their own selfish
interests.
Bahá’u’lláh has abolished the institution of the priesthood
so that no one can ever hope to misuse religion to serve his
own selfish and worldly desires.
The history of the past shows that whenever a
Manifestation of God appeared in the world, priests of the
previous religions were the first to oppose Him. Why? because
those priests knew that by believing in the new Manifestation,
they would have to sacrifice their positions, their wealth and
material comforts. They therefore did their best to uproot the
new religion when it appeared among them. Buddhism was
pushed out of India by the priests of the time. Jesus Christ
was crucified because the Jewish priests opposed Him. The
Báb was martyred because Muslim priests did not want
people to follow Him. Bahá’u’lláh suffered all His life chiefly
because the Mullás instigated the government and the people
of their time to rise against the new Cause of God.
There were exceptions of course. Many learned priests who
lived at the time of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh believed in Them,
and some even shed their blood in the path of God. However,
when they accepted the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, they became
Bahá’ís—humble servants of the Cause of God—they were no
longer priests. They took up other professions with which to

earn their livelihood. They did not mingle money with
religion or a worldly profession with the Faith of God.
Bahá’u’lláh laid down the foundation of a wonderful
system of Administration so that individuals can organize the
religious affairs of the community. This Administration
enables all of us to work together for the progress of the Faith
and the spiritual welfare of the community without the help
of priests. The Bahá’í Administration and all the other
institutions established by the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are
divine in origin. We shall read about it in the following pages.
What is Bahá’í Administration?
If there is a stretch of farmland with a river on one side of
it, how would we distribute water to the various fields we wish
to grow? We would first dig a canal that is large enough to
bring sufficient water from the river to irrigate the whole area.
Then we would dig smaller canals that would take water from
the large canal to different sections of the land. Lastly, we
would require a multitude of small channels to take water
from these canals to every field. When our system of canals
and streams is completed, the river will be able to irrigate all
the farmland.
Bahá’í Administration, Shoghi Effendi has told us, is like a
system of canals and streams “through which … the Holy
Spirit of the Cause pours forth” to the Bahá’í communities
scattered throughout the world.101
In previous ages the priests were expected to bring the
water of life from its Fountainhead to the people of the time.

However, their power was limited. It was as if they could only
carry a handful of this water and, even then, only as long as
they had the strength and the zeal to do so.
Bahá’u’lláh has not entrusted this task to individuals. He
has planned a wonderful network of channels through which
the water of life is brought to the field of existence. This plan
is called the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, and Bahá’í
Administration is a part of it.
The good news of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh was first
proclaimed by the Báb when He said:
“Well is it with him who fixeth his gaze upon the Order of
Bahá’u’lláh, and rendereth thanks unto his Lord. For He will
assuredly be made manifest.”102
Bahá’u’lláh laid the foundation for this World Order, and
drafted its plan. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained the details of the
divine plan and started its construction. However, it was
through the lifelong efforts of Shoghi Effendi that the Bahá’í
Administration was gradually built up, and far-flung
communities were joined to make them parts of a united
whole.
Bahá’í Administration is different from every other form of
religious order because it is not man-made. It is the Plan of
God for this age, given to us through His Manifestation,
Bahá’u’lláh, and destined to establish order and peace among
all the various peoples of the earth.

Bahá’í Administration is composed of many linked parts:
· Local Spiritual Assemblies (LSAs) elected by the Bahá’ís
of their respective villages or towns. These act as the
streams that bring water from the channels to the fields.
· National Spiritual Assemblies (NSAs) elected by the
Bahá’ís of each country. These act as the channels that
connect the streams to the one large canal into which
water flows from the river itself.
· The Universal House of Justice elected by all the Bahá’ís
of the world through their National Assemblies. It acts
as the main canal. It is through the Universal House of
Justice that God’s guidance flows out to all parts of the
world.
Before we cover the duties and responsibilities of each level
of the Administration, let us make it quite clear that the
Bahá’í Administration can never be divorced from
Bahá’u’lláh’s other teachings. No Bahá’í can believe in
Bahá’u’lláh without accepting and working with His
Administrative Order. It is an essential part of the Message of
God that has been brought for the happiness of the
individual, and most importantly, also for the unity and
welfare of society. In some cases, the interests of the society
have priority over those of individuals. However, it is in the
best interest of society to foster the well-being of individuals.
As you can see from the following illustration, individuals
within society are like the grains of corn in a field. A single
grain of corn is of little significance. However, every grain of

corn profits by the water that flows in for the benefit of the
whole field.
We must realize that our individual happiness lies in the
welfare of a united society and strive to strengthen this
Administrative order on which depends the future hope of
mankind. This is how we may illustrate our Administration:

The Holy Spirit

A

A
LS

LS
e
stic

NSA NSA
f Ju
eo

A
LS
ous
lH
rsa
ive

NSA
Un

A
SA

LS
L

Election of a Spiritual Assembly
Bahá’u’lláh has ordained in the Book of Aqdas103 that a
Spiritual Assembly must be elected in every locality where the
number of adult Bahá’ís is nine or more. This Spiritual
Assembly, as a body, will serve the local community to which
it belongs.
How do we elect our Local Spiritual Assembly?
Let us suppose that the Bahá’ís of Rampur104 , a village in
India with about 60 believers, wish to elect their Spiritual
Assembly. These are some of the points that they should
remember:
1. They cannot form their Assembly at any time of the year.
They can only elect their Assembly on the 21 April.105
This date is the first day of our Ridván festival and the
only day on which Bahá’ís can elect their Spiritual
Assembly. If an Assembly is not elected within the 24
hours between sunset on the 20 April and sunset on the
21 st, then the community must wait a whole year until the
next Ridván to elect their Assembly.
2. Only Bahá’ís who are 21 years of age or over can vote for
and be elected to the Spiritual Assembly. Let us use the
community of 60 Bahá’ís living in Rampur as an example.
There are 35 men and women who are either 21 or over
that age. Only these 35 members can vote for their
Assembly, and they must choose nine from amongst
themselves to form their Assembly.

3. Every person who votes must write down the names of the
nine persons whom he or she considers most worthy for
being elected on the Spiritual Assembly. A vote is not valid
if more or less than nine names are mentioned or if one
name is repeated.
4. People should never be elected on the Spiritual Assembly
because of their wealth or prestige in the community, or
because they have shown kindness to us in some way and
we wish to reward them. The only reason for selecting a
person should be their sincerity and devotion to the Cause
of God and their ability to serve the Faith. Every Bahá’í
who can vote should consider the character and spiritual
qualities of the men and women in his community. They
should also pray to God that he may be guided to name
the right people for the Assembly.
5. No Bahá’í is permitted to recommend anyone as worthy of
membership of the Spiritual Assembly, no matter how
good that person may be. Bahá’u’lláh has forbidden us to
nominate any individual or try to draw attention to any
special person before or during the election. No one in the
Bahá’í community must know whom any other person has
named, or intends to name, in his voting paper. Even a
husband and wife or close friends cannot consult together
on whom they should choose. Every Bahá’í must seek
assistance from God alone and make his own decisions in
this matter without being influenced by the opinions of
others. Only a Bahá’í who cannot write is allowed to ask a
trusted person to write down the names that he or she
dictates.

Keeping all these points in mind, the Bahá’ís of Rampur
then elect the members of their Spiritual Assembly for that
year. If they have all gathered at one place to give their votes,
they will start their meeting with prayers asking God to help
and bless them in their sacred task. Then the ballots will be
collected, and a few Bahá’ís will be asked to count the votes.
One person will read out the names written on each slip of
paper, while two or three others will make a careful note of the
number of votes received by each individual. The nine Bahá’ís
who have received the largest number of votes are elected as
members of the Local Spiritual Assembly for that year.
Thus the Bahá’ís of Rampur, like their fellow-believers in
thousands of other villages, towns and cities in the East and
the West, are blessed with a Spiritual Assembly that will serve
their community until the first day of
Ridván of the next year, when the process of election is
once more repeated throughout the Bahá’í world.
Duties of a Local Spiritual Assembly
Regarding the duties of Spiritual Assemblies, Bahá’u’lláh
has written:
“It behoveth them to be the trusted ones of the Merciful among
men and to regard themselves as the guardians appointed of
God for all that dwell on earth. It is incumbent upon them to
take counsel together and to have regard for the interests of the
servants of God, for His sake, even as they regard their own
interests, and to choose that which is meet and seemly. Thus
hath the Lord your God commanded you. Beware lest ye put

away that which is clearly revealed in His Tablet. Fear God, O
ye that perceive.”106
The Spiritual Assembly of every village or town must
therefore guard the interests of the Bahá’ís in that locality.
The most important work of every Spiritual Assembly is to
help Bahá’ís teach the Cause of God. The Message of
Bahá’u’lláh is the source of blessings for all mankind and our
Spiritual Assemblies must become channels through which
this great bounty can reach people in every part of the world.
Hence, when we form our Local Spiritual Assemblies, we must
ensure that teaching is their main task.
Another important duty of a Spiritual Assembly is to try to
promote amity and love among the believers. An Assembly
must create a loving atmosphere of unity among the Bahá’ís; it
must see to it that everybody is happy in that community. If
there are any differences among the friends, it is the duty of
the Spiritual Assembly to ensure that they are resolved. Each
Spiritual Assembly must act as a wise and loving father to the
Bahá’ís of its locality.
Writing on the duties of Spiritual Assemblies, the
Guardian says:
“They must do their utmost to extend at all times the helping
hand to the poor, the sick, the disabled, the orphan, the widow,
irrespective of colour, caste and creed.”107
Every Spiritual Assembly has to have its own Fund. We
will see how this Fund is to be collected by the voluntary
contributions of friends, and how it is to be used in the

interests of the Cause and the community. If the Bahá’ís
enrich the Funds of their Assemblies, the Assemblies will, in
turn, be able to come to the aid of the Bahá’ís when they are
in need of assistance.
The education of Bahá’í children and youth is another
responsibility of our Spiritual Assemblies. In the words of the
beloved Guardian, “They must promote by every means in
their power the material as well as the spiritual enlightenment
of youth, the means for the education of children, institute,
whenever possible, Bahá’í educational institutions, organize
and supervise their work and provide the best means for their
progress and development.”108
Another important duty of the Spiritual Assemblies,
according to the Guardian, is:
“They must undertake the arrangement of the regular
meetings of the friends, the feasts and the anniversaries, as
well as the special gatherings designed to serve and
promote the social, intellectual and spiritual interests of
their fellow-men.”109
What we have mentioned above are some of the important
functions of every Local Spiritual Assembly. Members of the
Spiritual Assembly must be very careful in faithfully
discharging their duties. They must always remember these
Words of Bahá’u’lláh:
“It behoveth them to be the trusted ones of the Merciful among
men … and to have regard for the interests of the servants of
God, for His sake ….”110

Officers of the Spiritual Assembly
The members of a Spiritual Assembly are those nine
Bahá’ís who receive more votes than the other Bahá’ís in their
community on election day. After their election, the members
of an Assembly must gather and hold their first meeting. Out
of the nine elected members, the person receiving the highest
number of votes is the temporary chairman. It is his duty to
make arrangements for the members to quickly hold their first
meeting.
They must begin their meetings with prayers to ask God to
help them in promoting His Cause and to serve the
community that has chosen them. After that, they must elect
the officers of the Spiritual Assembly for that year.
Every Spiritual Assembly must have a Chairman, a Vice-
Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer. This is necessary as it
makes the work of the Assembly much easier.
The work of the Chairman is to conduct the meetings and
help the Assembly to make decisions. If the members just
gather to talk and disperse, then the Assembly will not
accomplish anything. The Chairman asks for the views of all
the members in every matter that comes up for discussion.
Then he asks the members to vote on the subject to ensure
that the Assembly makes a decision about the matters that it
has considered. In the chapter on Consultation, we will read
more about the decision making process.

The Vice-Chairman conducts the meetings of the
Assembly whenever the Chairman is unable to attend, for
example, in case of illness.
The Secretary is the person who keeps a record of all the
work of the Assembly—all that has to be done and a record of
what has been accomplished. The Secretary writes all the
letters that have to be sent to individuals, to other Local
Assemblies, or to the National Spiritual Assembly. It is
through its Secretary that every Local Assembly is in touch
with the rest of the Bahá’í World.
The Treasurer is in charge of the Assembly Fund. He gives
receipts to all who contribute to the Fund and pays out from
this amount the expenses undertaken by the Spiritual
Assembly.
When electing the officers of the Assembly, the members
must consider the merits of each individual and determine
which one is most capable of performing the duties assigned
to these different officers. The same principles that had been
used for the election of the members of the Assembly should
now be applied in electing its officers. This election, therefore,
is also to be carried out by secret ballot, and without any
electioneering. No one should be elected because of his or her
social standing. Let us assume that among the members of the
Assembly there is an elderly and highly respected member of
the community. Neither this respect nor his age are reasons
for electing him as the Chairman of the Spiritual Assembly. A
good reason would be if he is the most capable person of

undertaking this duty. The same is true of a person whose
wealth may give him a social position.
On the other hand, we must also remember that the
officers of the Spiritual Assembly have no special position in
the community. The Chairman, for instance, is not the leader
of the community nor the most respected personality. His or
her station outside a Spiritual Assembly meeting is the same as
that of any other member of the community. When the
meeting of the Assembly is over, he or she has no more rights
in the community than any other Bahá’í.
To make the point quite clear, let us think of the people of
a village who need pure drinking water and decide to dig a
well. The headman in that village, though highly respected,
may have no knowledge of how to dig a well. However, there
may be a young man, with no special position in the village,
who has had considerable experience in this matter. Which of
these two men would the villagers choose to execute the job?
It is the young man who will be entrusted with the work, and
the headman of the village may be the first one to choose him
for this purpose. While working on the well, all the villagers—
even the headman himself—will accept the guidance of the
young man that they themselves have chosen to supervise the
work. This does not mean, of course, that the young man is
going to become the leader of the village in everything or that
the headman is going to lose his position in the community.
It is this spirit of co-operation that will benefit everybody in
the village.

It is with this spirit of loving co-operation and harmony
that the Bahá’ís elect their Spiritual Assembly and the
Spiritual Assembly elects its officers.
The beloved Guardian wrote that the members of a
Spiritual Assembly “… should approach their task with
extreme humility, and endeavour, by their open-mindedness,
their high sense of justice and duty, their candour, their
modesty, their entire devotion to the welfare and interests of
the friends, the Cause, and humanity, to win, not only the
confidence and the genuine support and respect of those
whom they serve, but also their esteem and real affection.”111
The Spiritual Assembly at work—Part I
Let us suppose that the village of Rampur has elected its
Local Spiritual Assembly, and Babulal has received more votes
than the other eight members. What happens next? Babulal
invites all the other members to gather at a special hour in one
place to hold their first meeting. They decide to meet an hour
after sunset on 22 April, the second day of the Feast of
Ridván, in the village square. We will follow them there to see
what they will do.
Babulal arrives a little before the appointed time. He has
brought his lamp with him in case their meeting should
continue until after dark. The other members now start
arriving from their work in the fields. They greet each other
and go to the village well for a wash. After having cleaned and
refreshed themselves, they gather on a platform in the village
square. At exactly an hour after sunset, Babulal announces
that the Assembly will start its work.

A few prayers are first said by two or three of the
members—this gives their meeting a wonderful spiritual
atmosphere. Then Babulal says that they must elect the
Chairman of the Assembly. He cuts a sheet of paper into small
pieces and, giving each member one piece, requests them to
write down the name of the person whom they consider most
suited among themselves to be Chairman of their Assembly.
Five members of the Assembly cannot write; so Babulal
asks one of the members to go to each of these in turn, and
write down the name of the person they want to elect as
Chairman. The nine pieces of paper are then collected and
mixed together in such a way that no one can tell to whom
each belongs. Then Babulal asks two other members to help
him count the votes. While he himself reads them out one by
one, the other two make a note of the names on the paper, and
then count them to see which member has received more votes
than all the others.
Lal Chand has received five votes, Babulal three votes and
Kamla one vote. Therefore, Lal Chand is elected as the
Chairman of the Assembly. If no one had received more than
four votes, then they would have to repeat this election
because the officers of the Assembly must each receive at least
five votes before being elected. The election is repeated until
someone does get the required number of votes.
Now that Lal Chand has been chosen as Chairman, it is his
duty to supervise the election of the rest of the Assembly’s
officers. After thanking Babulal for having done his part, Lal
Chand now hands out pieces of paper on which all the

members must now vote for their Vice-Chairman. The same
procedure that was followed for the election of the Chairman
is now repeated in electing all the other officers of the
Assembly.
The result of the election is that: Mrs Shanta Devi is
elected as Vice-Chairman, Babulal as Secretary and Hasan-‘Alí
as Treasurer of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Rampur.
The Chairman then asks the Secretary to record the
minutes, that is, make notes on what has been done during
the first meeting of the Assembly.
By this time it is quite late, and one of the members
suggests that they adjourn the meeting and come together
again the next day. All agree to this proposal, and it is decided
to hold their next meeting on the morrow at the same time
and at the same place. The meeting is closed with a prayer, as
every Bahá’í gathering should be, and the members of the
Assembly go to their homes.
We shall read about their second meeting in the coming
pages.
Consultation
Bahá’í Administration works through consultation.
Consultation is applied to Bahá’í work in the Nineteen Day
Feast, the Local Spiritual Assembly meetings, the Bahá’í
Convention, the National Spiritual Assembly meetings, and
in our Committee meetings and conferences. The Guardian
tells us to remember two important virtues when we are

consulting in Bahá’í gatherings—truthfulness and
frankness.112
While we come together in a Bahá’í meeting, we must
always feel that Bahá’u’lláh is with us in spirit. This creates a
wonderful spiritual atmosphere that helps us in our
consultations. If we feel the presence of Bahá’u’lláh in our
meetings, then we will always try to be worthy servants of His
Cause, whether we are serving on an Assembly, a Committee
or a Nineteen Day Feast. We will make every effort to
suppress selfish motives or unfair statements during
consultations; no trace of insincerity will find its way into our
discussions; and nothing but the truth will be spoken, for
Bahá’u’lláh has said:
“O HEEDLESS ONES!
“Think not the secrets of hearts are hidden, nay, know ye of a
certainty that in clear characters they are engraved and are
openly manifest in the holy Presence.”113
In Bahá’í consultation, everybody should express his views
with absolute freedom. He should only think of the interests
of the Cause, and forget his personal relationships with the
other individuals present. For example, if a father and a son
are both members of an Assembly, then at the time of
consultation or of giving votes, the son should not consider it
his duty to agree with his father. Bahá’ís are commanded to
have the greatest respect for their parents. However, when
they are taking part in a Bahá’í consultation, they must
remember that they are responsible only to Bahá’u’lláh Who
is present in their meeting and Whose Cause they are serving.

They should never let personal feelings interfere with the
interests of the Faith. Therefore, if the son feels that his
father’s views are wrong, it is his duty to say so. In addition,
the father should not expect his son to do otherwise, because
he knows that they have both come to the meeting to serve
the Cause with absolute honesty. Neither is expected to please
the other with their views.
Let us beware lest petty personal grudges creep into our
hearts at the time of consultation and influence our views. If,
for instance, an acquaintance of mine has not assisted me
when I asked him to do something for me, then I should take
great care that this incident does not prejudice my views
against some good suggestion that that person may have in the
meeting. Here again, I must remember the presence of
Bahá’u’lláh, and let nothing come in the way of service to His
Cause. When Bahá’ís come together in a meeting, they should
work as “fingers of one hand”114 and “drops of one ocean”.115
We should never insist on our views, or try to impose our
will on others. We have all seen how two small children
sometimes quarrel, each one insisting that he is right and the
other is wrong. They may continue to quarrel in this way for a
long time without achieving anything. However, when their
father comes, they lower their raised voices through love and
respect for him, and soon their problem is solved in his
presence. If we know that Bahá’u’lláh is with us at every
meeting, then we will never act in a manner that is unworthy
in His presence.

Although every Bahá’í is free to express his opinion in
consultations, the decision that is arrived at depends on the
wisdom of the majority of the members. Once a decision has
been taken, every Bahá’í must respect it, even those who had
different views themselves. Let us suppose that Shyam is a
member of the Spiritual Assembly and suggests that the
meeting for the Feast of the 12th day of Ridván be held on the
morning of the 2 May. However, the majority of the members
vote for the Bahá’ís to gather after sunset on 1 May. Now
Shyam might have had very good reasons for his suggestion.
However, once the Assembly has decided against it, Shyam
must put aside his own view, accept the decision of the
Assembly with all his heart, and try his best in helping to
arrange for the meeting after sunset.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said:
“In this day, assemblies of consultation are of the greatest
importance and a vital necessity. Obedience unto them is
essential and obligatory. The members thereof must take counsel
together in such wise that no occasion for ill-feeling or discord
may arise. This can be attained when every member expresseth
with absolute freedom his own opinion and setteth forth his
argument. Should anyone oppose, he must on no account feel
hurt for not until matters are fully discussed can the right way
be revealed. The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after
the clash of differing opinions. If after discussion, a decision be
carried unanimously, well and good; but if, the Lord forbid,
differences of opinion should arise, a majority of voices must
prevail.”116

The different views offered by the members of an Assembly
are like the different ingredients of a delicious stew. When we
want to make a good stew, we mix many different ingredients
together and boil it until it is well cooked. It is delicious only
when the ingredients are well blended, for each contributes to
the taste of the stew. However, if we were to taste those
ingredients separately, they would never taste so good.
Similarly, every individual opinion offered by the Bahá’ís
gathered in a meeting contributes something towards the
ultimate decision that is taken. The decision itself is not one
person’s opinion. It is not just the sum of the views of all the
members. It is based on the collective wisdom of an Assembly.
In the following Tablet, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá clearly shows the
way Bahá’ís should consult together. Let us read it carefully
and follow it in our meetings:
“The prime requisites for them that take counsel together are
purity of motive, radiance of spirit, detachment from all else
save God, attraction to His Divine Fragrances, humility and
lowliness amongst His loved ones, patience and long-suffering
in difficulties and servitude to His exalted Threshold. Should
they be graciously aided to acquire these attributes, victory from
the unseen Kingdom of Bahá shall be vouchsafed to them.
“… The first condition is absolute love and harmony amongst
the members of the assembly. They must be wholly free from
estrangement and must manifest in themselves the Unity of
God, for they are the waves of one sea, the drops of one river, the
stars of one heaven, the rays of one sun, the trees of one orchard,
the flowers of one garden. Should harmony of thought and

absolute unity be non-existent, that gathering shall be dispersed
and that assembly be brought to naught. … They must, when
coming together, turn their faces to the Kingdom on High and
ask aid from the Realm of Glory. They must then proceed with
the utmost devotion, courtesy, dignity, care and moderation to
express their views. They must in every matter search out the
truth and not insist upon their own opinion, for stubbornness
and persistence in one’s views will lead ultimately to discord
and wrangling and the truth will remain hidden. The
honoured members must with all freedom express their own
thoughts, and it is in no wise permissible for one to belittle the
thought of another, nay, he must with moderation set forth the
truth, and should differences of opinion arise a majority of
voices must prevail, and all must obey and submit to the
majority. It is again not permitted that any one of the honoured
members object to or censure, whether in or out of the meeting,
any decision arrived at previously, though that decision be not
right, for such criticism would prevent any decision from being
enforced. In short, whatsoever thing is arranged in harmony
and with love and purity of motive, its result is light, and
should the least trace of estrangement prevail the result shall be
darkness upon darkness. … If this be so regarded, that assembly
shall be of God, but otherwise it shall lead to coolness and
alienation that proceed from the Evil One.”117
“Discussions must all be confined to spiritual matters that
pertain to the training of souls, the instruction of children, the
relief of the poor, the help of the feeble throughout all classes in
the world, kindness to all peoples, the diffusion of the fragrances
of God and the exaltation of His Holy Word. Should they

endeavour to fulfil these conditions the Grace of the Holy Spirit
shall be vouchsafed until them, and that assembly shall become
the centre of the Divine blessings, the hosts of Divine
confirmation shall come to their aid, and they shall day by day
receive a new effusion of Spirit.”118
The Spiritual Assembly at work, Part II
The nine members of the Spiritual Assembly of Rampur
met again on 23 April. The Chairman asked some of the
members to say a few prayers. These were prayers by
Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, some of them written
especially for reading in meetings. After the opening prayers,
the Chairman asked the Secretary to read the minutes of the
previous meeting from the notes he had recorded. This is what
the Secretary read:
“The first meeting of the Spiritual Assembly of Rampur
was held on the 22 April, an hour, after sunset. Opening
prayers were read and Mr Babulal conducted the first part
of the meeting. Election of the Chairman took place; Mr
Lal Chand was elected Chairman, and therefore conducted
the rest of the meeting. The election of the officers of the
Assembly was continued, and the following members were
elected:
“Mrs Shanti Devi, Vice-Chairman; Mr Hasan-‘Alí,
Treasurer and Mr Babulal, Secretary.
“It was decided to hold the next meeting of the assembly
on the 23 April. The meeting adjourned with a closing
prayer, three hours after sunset.”

When the Secretary finished reading, the Chairman asked
the other members if they approved the minutes of their last
meeting. Everybody agreed that the minutes were correct, and
Babulal noted down that the minutes of the last meeting had
been read and approved.
The Chairman then announced that as the main purpose
of every Spiritual Assembly was to spread the Message of God,
they would like to discuss this matter in their meeting.
The Chairman invited each member to express his views on
this subject. When they had all given their views, the
Chairman summarized them as follows:
1. We ourselves need to know more about the Cause.
2. We need literature.
3. We need a fund.
4. We have to start our teaching activities in the
neighbouring villages.
Then they looked at these subjects one by one. One of the
members suggested that they tell the community about this
important undertaking to see if anybody could participate in
the teaching campaign that they were going to start. One
member suggested that to know more about the Cause they
would need to have weekly meetings to study the Cause. They
could use their Saturday meetings for this purpose. He
suggested that they ask Sunil, who was the teacher in the
Bahá’í School of the neighbouring village, to conduct the
classes.

The Chairman asked who seconded this proposal. Ameeta
seconded it. After a little discussion, the Chairman put the
suggestion to a vote. He asked those who approved of the
suggestion, to call Sunil from the village of Gandhinagar to
conduct their Saturday classes, to raise their hands.
Seven members raised their hands. The other two
members, Amrik and Lal Chand, who thought that Sunil
would not be able travel such a long distance, did not agree
with the proposal and did not raise their hands.
The Chairman announced that the suggestion was carried
and asked the Secretary to record the decision in the minutes.
Then the Chairman announced that Sunil, the teacher, has
to travel by bus to reach their village and he must leave his
part-time job that he was doing in the evening in his village.
Therefore, a Fund had to be raised to help Sunil to reach
Rampur to conduct the classes. The Chairman asked the
others what they thought about this idea. Amrik said, “We,
the members of the Assembly, must set an example of
devotion to our Faith for the rest of community. I promise to
pay one day’s wages to the Fund every month. I will be glad
to offer it to the Assembly.” This made all the members very
happy and they congratulated Amrik for his generous
donation to the community. They were particularly happy
that, though Amrik originally did not vote for the suggestion,
now that it had been passed by the Local Spiritual Assembly,
he lent his support to it. When an Assembly passes a
resolution, whether we agree with it or not, we must accept
and respect the vote of the majority. The other members of

the Local Spiritual Assembly also contributed some money.
Their names and the amounts promised by them were noted
by the Secretary. The Treasurer also made a note of these
contributions and announced that 200 rupees (Rs) per month
were promised by the members of the Assembly for the Fund.
It was decided to announce this decision to the community
at the Nineteen Day Feast, to be held on 28 April (Feast of
Beauty), and to ask the friends for their support of this
activity.
The Chairman then reverted to the question of literature
required for their teaching activities. After discussion, the
Assembly decided to ask the National Spiritual Assembly for
their assistance.
After these arrangements were made the Chairman
announced that the question they must next discuss was how
to start spreading the Faith in the neighbouring villages.
Babulal proposed that every Sunday groups of Bahá’ís
should visit the villages around Rampur. Others also agreed
with this suggestion. Another member added that Sunday
would be the most suitable day because on Saturday they
would have their study class and then Sunil could also
accompany them in their teaching tours on Sunday.
Babulal, the Secretary, noted these ideas.
The Chairman asked if there were any more suggestions on
the subject.
Hasan-‘Alí said that it was a good idea to hold large public
meetings on special Holy Days and anniversaries, and to invite

non-Bahá’í friends and relatives from nearby places to these
meetings.
This suggestion was seconded, put to the vote, and
approved by the Assembly.
A number of decisions were made: to present the
Assembly’s plans to the community at the next Nineteen Day
Feast; to ask the Bahá’ís of Rampur to help with the Assembly
Fund; to ask for volunteers for teaching activities to
neighbouring villages.
Lastly, they decided that the next meeting of the Assembly
would take place on 29 April—one day after the Nineteen
Day Feast, so that the suggestions made by the community
during the Feast could be discussed by the Assembly.
After a closing prayer, the members of the Assembly went
home with joyful hearts thanking God for having assisted
them in arriving at such vital decisions for the good of the
community
What took place in this meeting is an example of how a
Spiritual Assembly should conduct its work, how it should
enter into discussions, and how it should arrive at useful
decisions. The problems that occur in different communities
may not be the same, and even their needs may not be alike.
Every Assembly should carefully consider its duties and decide
to consult on its tasks according to their importance in each
community.

The Spiritual Assembly at work, Part III
The Nineteen Day Feast
It is the Feast of Beauty (Jamál) and the Bahá’ís of Rampur
have gathered for their Nineteen Day Feast. The Chairman of
the Assembly conducts all the meetings of the Nineteen Day
Feasts unless he is unable to attend, in which case the Vice-
Chairman takes his place. The first part of the Feast is always
given to prayers and readings from the Writings of the Báb,
Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. These can be read by any of
the Bahá’ís present in the gathering at the request of the
Chairman, while all listen to the Words with great care and
attention. The number of prayers and readings must not be so
many as to make everybody tired.
When the Bahá’ís of Rampur finished the first part of the
programme, the Chairman of their Spiritual Assembly, Lal
Chand, asked the Secretary, Babulal, to read the report of the
Assembly. Babulal told the community the names of the
elected officers of the Assembly and the Assembly’s decision to
start a teaching campaign for spreading the Message of God in
the neighbouring area. He also told the community of the
assistance needed in the teaching work and the funds that
were required to invite a teacher and hold conferences.
After the report of the Secretary, the Chairman asked the
members of the community for their suggestions on these
matters and how they were able to help. Each of the Bahá’ís
promised to help in one way or another. One said that he
could supply a pound of wheat at each conference. Another
said he would pay the one-way fare of the teacher once in a

month, while a third promised to dedicate one full day each
week to teaching activities. Besides these promises of cooperation, the Bahá’ís of Rampur drew the attention of their
Assembly to some very important facts that they had not
considered. For example, besides the weekly study classes and
teaching tours, they might also make preparations to give the
Message at country fairs that were being held from time to
time. Those who were going to these fairs should also take
Bahá’í literature with them for distribution. Many valuable
suggestions were also given on methods to economize on the
use of the funds, etc. The Secretary noted all the suggestions
made at the Nineteen Day Feast so that the Spiritual
Assembly might consider them at its next session.
The Chairman promised that the Spiritual Assembly
would carefully consider all the Feast suggestions and
communicate the results of its decisions to the community at
the next Nineteen Day Feast.
The third part of the programme of the Nineteen Day
Feast is the entertainment period. Four of the Bahá’í families
in Rampur shared the task of providing some puffed rice to be
served to everyone. A group of young people sang some
beautiful songs and many of the others joined them in the
chorus. A Bahá’í girl recited a lovely poem that she had
memorized at school.
The spirit of unity and happiness with which the Bahá’ís
of Rampur held their Nineteen Day Feast brought spiritual
blessings that were felt by all. They left the meeting after a

closing prayer, and took their happiness with them into their
homes.
Some points on the Nineteen Day Feast
One of the duties of every Assembly is to see that the
Bahá’í friends of every town or village in its locality observe
the Nineteen Day Feasts. The holding of regular community
Feasts is very important as it “… was inaugurated by the Báb
and ratified by Bahá’u’lláh ….”119
Question: What is the purpose of a Nineteen Day Feast?
Answer: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says that in the Nineteen Day Feast
“… people may gather together and outwardly show
fellowship and love, that the divine mysteries may be disclosed.
The object is concord, that through this fellowship hearts may
become perfectly united, and reciprocity and mutual
helpfulness be established.”120
Question: What should we do at the Nineteen Day Feast?
Answer: This feast is a part of the Bahá’í Administration and
as the beloved Guardian has explained, the programme of
the Nineteen Day Feast consists of three parts. The first
part is a devotional programme. Prayers and readings
from the Holy Writings may be offered by a few friends
at the beginning of the Feast. The second part is
administrative. The Spiritual Assembly through its
Secretary gives reports of its activities and asks the Bahá’í
friends of the locality to give their suggestions and
pledges for the promotion of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
The period of consultation is the time for the believers to

voice proposals to be sent through the Local Spiritual
Assembly to the National Spiritual Assembly. The third
part is entertainment. Songs may be sung by the friends,
stories may be told, etc. Refreshments, no matter how
simple, are served.
Question: Who invites people to the Feast?
Answer: Where there is an Assembly, the Secretary invites the
Bahá’ís according to the dates given in the Bahá’í
calendar to a particular place at a specific time. In a
locality where there is no Assembly, the Bahá’ís may form
a group and elect a person from among themselves as the
Secretary of the Group. This Secretary will remind the
Bahá’í community about the Nineteen Day Feasts.
Question: Who conducts the Nineteen Day Feast?
Answer: Chairman of the Assembly conducts the Nineteen
Day Feast. He will ask individuals to chant prayers at the
beginning and later request friends to consult with the
Assembly during the second part.
Question: Who plays host to the Feast?
Answer: Individual Bahá’ís usually play host at the Feast, each
taking a turn. Sometimes the Assembly observes the
Nineteen Day Feast by using its own funds. It is also
possible that a few Bahá’ís may combine to be the host of
a Feast. It is preferable that the physical feast should
consist of some simple food or snacks. However, this is
not necessary as Bahá’u’lláh says that even by serving
plain water we can be the host of the Nineteen Day

Feast. The most important aspects of the Nineteen Day
Feast are the spiritual development of the Bahá’ís and the
unity and harmony among them. It should also serve to
assist the progress of the Cause in the locality through
consultation and collaboration with the Spiritual
Assembly.
We quote below from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to
show the spirit of every Bahá’í meeting:
“In these meetings outside conversation must be entirely
avoided, and the gathering must be confined to chanting the
verses and reading the Words, and to matters which concern the
Cause of God, such as explaining proofs, adducing clear and
manifest evidences, and tracing the signs of the Beloved One of
the creatures. Those who attend the meeting must, before
entering, be arrayed with the utmost cleanliness and turn to the
Abhá Kingdom, and then enter the meeting with all meekness
and humbleness; and while the Tablets are being read, must be
quiet and silent; and if one wishes to speak he must do so with
all courtesy, with the satisfaction and permission of those
present, and do it with eloquence and fluency.”121
The dates of holding the Feasts are as follows:
First Day Arabic Name Translation

21 March Bahá Splendour

9 April Jalál Glory

28 April Jamál Beauty

17 May ‘Azamat Grandeur

5 June Núr Light

24 June Rahmat Mercy

13 July Kalimát Words

1 August Kamál Perfection

20 August Asmá’ Names

8 September ‘Izzat Might

27 September Mashíyyat Will

16 October ‘Ilm Knowledge

4 November Qudrat Power

23 November Qawl Speech

12 December Masá’il Questions

31 December Sharaf Honour

19 January Sultán Sovereignty

7 February Mulk Dominion

2 March ‘Alá’ Loftiness

The Spiritual Assembly of Rampur met on the day after
the Nineteen Day Feast. The minutes of their previous
meeting were first read and approved before they discussed

the suggestions given by the community at the last Feast.
After careful consideration, they approved all the suggestions except one.
The Assembly decided to invite all the Bahá’ís to a picnic
on the last day of Ridván. They also decided to inform the
friends which group they were placed in to visit the various
neighbouring villages for teaching activities. Three of the
members of the Assembly were chosen to form a committee to
arrange a suitable programme for the meeting that was to take
place on the last day of Ridván.
Before closing the meeting of the Assembly, there was one
other matter to discuss. Two of the members had requested
assistance of the Assembly to help them solve a personal
difficulty that had arisen between them and on which they
had not been able to agree. The Assembly listened to what
each side had to say, and then proposed a solution for their
problem in a spirit of great love and wisdom.
When the Secretary of the Assembly consulted his notes
the next day, he wrote the following letter to the National
Spiritual Assembly:

The Secretary,

National Spiritual Assembly,

New Delhi.

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

We are glad to inform you that by the grace of Bahá’u’lláh
we have formed our Spiritual Assembly in Rampur. We have
already returned the forms that you asked us to fill out after
the election, giving the names and addresses of the members
and officers of the Assembly.
We have requested Mr Sunil, the Bahá’í teacher of
Gandhinagar, to come every Saturday to our village to
conduct weekly study meetings.
We have decided that on every Sunday a number of the
friends would go to the neighbouring villages to teach the
Cause in new areas.
We have raised a special Fund to which the friends have so
far contributed Rs 145, with promises of contributions of the
same amount every month. This amount will be spent on
teaching activities under the supervision of this Assembly.
As we lack a sufficient quantity of literature, we request the
National Assembly’s help in sending this Assembly a large
number of pamphlets and declaration cards.
We hope to be able to write to you soon of the good news
of the progress of the Cause in our next letter.
May Bahá’u’lláh assist us in His service!
Yours sincerely,

BABULAL

Secretary

National Spiritual Assembly
All the Local Spiritual Assemblies in our country are linked
through a National Spiritual Assembly.
The National Spiritual Assembly is a body that is elected
by the Bahá’ís of the country through a National Convention.
Delegates are sent to this Convention from all parts of that
country. The basic rules of Bahá’í elections, which have been
mentioned before, apply to the election of the National
Spiritual Assembly too. Bahá’í elections are a sacred duty that
takes on a spiritual character; no prior nominations nor
propaganda are ever used.
The purpose of a National Spiritual Assembly is to guide,
co-ordinate and unite the work that is done by the Bahá’ís
throughout the country and to encourage them in their
activities. Bahá’í communities lend their co-operation to the
National Spiritual Assembly through their Local Spiritual
Assemblies. The National Spiritual Assembly maintains
contact with the Bahá’ís of the country through letters and
circulars. It provides them with news about the activities of
other Bahá’ís and the progress of the Faith throughout the
world. The National Spiritual Assembly also asks the Bahá’ís
for their suggestions, invites them to consultations, and
expects their co-operation in implementing the Assembly’s
decisions.
The circulars of the National Spiritual Assembly are read
by the Secretaries of the Local Spiritual Assemblies at the
Nineteen Day Feasts. If they call for consultation, then every
individual Bahá’í is welcome to give his views or promise of

co-operation. The result of these consultations at the
Nineteen Day Feasts will be sent to the National Spiritual
Assembly by the Local Spiritual Assembly of each locality.
The National Spiritual Assembly will then go through all
these suggestions and decide what action should be taken after
careful deliberation.
If a locality has fewer than nine adult Bahá’ís,122 then the
National Spiritual Assembly writes to the person who has
been chosen by the group to act as Secretary. When there is
only one Bahá’í in a locality, then the National Spiritual
Assembly corresponds with him directly.
As the National Spiritual Assembly has many duties, it
appoints committees to help it with their work. The members
who are to serve on these committees are chosen by the
National Spiritual Assembly itself, and a special task is given
to each committee. If, for example, the National Spiritual
Assembly of India decides to build a House of Worship in the
country, it will appoint a special committee to see to all the
details of the work and give suggestions for the construction of
the Temple. The National Spiritual Assembly is free to accept
the suggestions of the committee; to modify or even to reject
them. Local Spiritual Assemblies can also appoint committees
in the same way to assist them where they feel it is necessary.
The committees that are appointed by the National Spiritual
Assembly or by Local Spiritual Assemblies are directly
responsible to the Assembly for which they are working. The
Local Spiritual Assemblies are responsible to the National
Spiritual Assembly, and the National Spiritual Assembly is
the highest authority for the Bahá’ís in every country.

The National Spiritual Assembly, like the Local Spiritual
Assembly, elects a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Treasurer
and a Secretary. The duties of the officers in the National
Spiritual Assembly are the same as those of the officers of a
Local Spiritual Assembly but at a national level.
National Convention
The members of a National Spiritual Assembly are elected
each year by delegates chosen to represent regional areas. This
means that each Bahá’í community or electoral unit elects a
certain number of delegates from its own members. These
delegates meet annually at a National Convention where they
elect the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.
The number of delegates that are elected in each locality
depends upon the number of Bahá’ís in that region. The
National Spiritual Assembly of every country designates the
extent of each region and the number of delegates to represent
each region.
The delegates to the Convention will travel from all parts
of the country to gather at one place, sometime during the 12
days of Ridván (21 April to 2 May). The preferred meeting
place will be at the National Spiritual Assembly’s office. The
main purpose of the Convention is to elect the members of the
National Spiritual Assembly for that year. Another important
task for the delegates is to consult with the new National
Spiritual Assembly and with each other about the progress of
the Cause in the country.

After the Convention is opened with a few prayers, the
members elect a Chairman for their meetings. The duty of the
Chairman, here too, is to see that the consultations are carried
out in an orderly manner and with the Bahá’í spirit. The
members of the Convention then elect a Secretary to record
the suggestions that they wish to offer to the National
Spiritual Assembly.
Here are a few important points that we must know about
the Convention:
1. Delegates to the Convention must elect the members of
the National Spiritual Assembly from among the Bahá’ís of
the whole country. The selection of members is not
limited to the Convention delegates. They can choose any
nine adult (21 years and older) members of the Bahá’í
community of the country.
2. Those who are elected as delegates to the Convention have
neither duties nor privileges other than their participation
in the Convention and the election of the new National
Spiritual Assembly. The duties of the delegates end when
the Convention is over, unless a vacancy arises on the
National Spiritual Assembly during the year. In that case,
the delegates are called upon to vote in a by-election.
Hence, a Convention is not a permanent body, and there
can be no permanent members after the Convention has
ended.
3. The Convention is a consultative body. Its
recommendations are passed on to the National Spiritual

Assembly and the Assembly is free to accept or reject those
recommendations.
4. The Convention has no supremacy over the National
Spiritual Assembly. The National Spiritual Assembly is
the highest authority in each country and has control over
all Local Spiritual Assemblies and individual Bahá’ís in the
country.
The Universal House of Justice
One of the unique institutions of the Bahá’í Faith is the
Universal House of Justice whose members are elected from
amongst the Bahá’ís of the whole world through their
National Spiritual Assemblies. Bahá’u’lláh has assured us that
He will continue to guide the Bahá’ís through the Universal
House of Justice as long as the Bahá’í Dispensation lasts.
Bahá’u’lláh has given us the fundamental laws and
teachings of God for this age. However, He has said that we
shall also need other social rules that will be gradually decided
for us according to our changing needs. These social rules and
regulations, Bahá’u’lláh says, must be ordained by the
Universal House of Justice that will always be under the
unerring guidance of God.
About the Universal House of Justice, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“… if it be established under the necessary conditions—with
members elected from all the people—that House of Justice will
be under the protection and the unerring guidance of God. If
that House of Justice shall decide unanimously, or by a

majority, upon any question not mentioned in the Book, that
decision and command will be guarded from mistake.”123
It is, therefore, obvious that the Universal House of Justice
will be inspired in all its decisions, and that whatever rules it
may ordain, will be perfect for the requirements of the times.
However, we must not think that the House of Justice will
ever change those fundamental principles that have been given
us by Bahá’u’lláh. What it will do is to set the rules by which
we must carry out the laws of Bahá’u’lláh. For instance, one of
the principles of the Bahá’í Faith is that there should be no
extremes of wealth or poverty in the world. However,
Bahá’u’lláh has not told us how much tax people should pay.
It is left to the Universal House of Justice to work out a
method of taxation that will enable everyone to live a
comfortable life, and at the same time prevent anyone from
accumulating excessive wealth.
Another example is that Bahá’u’lláh has commanded us to
have a universal language in the world, but he has not
mentioned which language it should be. This again has been
left to the Universal House of Justice to decide.
In this connection Bahá’u’lláh writes:
“In former Epistles We have enjoined upon the Trustees of the
House of Justice either to choose one language from among those
now existing or to adopt a new one, and in like manner to
select a common script, both of which should be taught in all
the schools of the world.”124

Although the Universal House of Justice cannot change
anything that has been revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, or alter any of
the interpretations of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, it can
change its own decisions if circumstances require it. Suppose
the Universal House of Justice, at one time, chooses a set of tax
rates. That decision is no doubt perfect for that time, but fifty
years later it may no longer suit the requirements of the time.
The Universal House of Justice, therefore, is free to change
their previous decision.
In His Will and Testament ‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes:
“Unto the Most Holy Book everyone must turn, and all that is
not expressly recorded therein must be referred to the Universal
House of Justice. That which this body, whether unanimously or
by a majority doth carry, that is verily the truth and the purpose
of God Himself. Whoso doth deviate therefrom is verily of them
that love discord, hath shown forth malice, and turned away
from the Lord of the Covenant.”125
The labours of our beloved Guardian, during the thirty–six
years of his ministry, paved the way for the establishment of
the Universal House of Justice. The Guardian mentioned that
the Universal House of Justice was like the dome of a building
that needed strong pillars to support it. Those pillars, he said,
were the National Spiritual Assemblies of the world. And it
was through the ceaseless efforts of our Guardian that these
pillars were erected one by one in all parts of the earth. Under
the divine guidance of the Guardian, Bahá’ís learned to work
together in groups and Local Assemblies, and later, in each
country, through their National Spiritual Assembly. Then he

gave them the Ten Year Plan that taught the National
Spiritual Assemblies to work together on a world undertaking.
The Plan also helped the Bahá’ís to establish the additional
pillars of the Universal House of Justice. By the end of the
Ten Year Plan in 1963, there were sufficient National
Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world to establish the
Universal House of Justice.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá foretold that the Universal House of Justice
would be formed when the Bahá’í Faith had spread to all parts
of the world. This occurred at the end of the Ten Year Plan—
in April 1963.
Some important points about the Bahá’í Administration
1. Obedience to the decisions of the Assembly.
A Bahá’í Spiritual Assembly should be regarded by the
Bahá’ís as a sacred institution because it is based on the
Teachings of God. We must therefore obey all the
decisions of the Assembly. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said that He
Himself would obey the decisions of the Spiritual
Assembly even if He knew that some of those decisions
were wrong. Hence, by obeying the Assembly, we are
obeying a Command of God.
2. What should we do if we felt that a decision made by our
Local Spiritual Assembly is not correct?
First, we must obey that decision because God has
commanded us to do so. However, we can appeal to the
National Spiritual Assembly to reconsider the decision of
our Local Spiritual Assembly. By obeying our Local and

National Spiritual Assemblies, we strengthen the
foundation of Bahá’í Administration. There could be no
unity among us if we were each to obey only some of our
Assembly’s decisions.
3. Can we disobey the decisions of an Assembly because we
do not like some of its members?
No. This is a very bad attitude. Our loyalty to the
Spiritual Assembly is not dependent on our liking or
disliking its members. It is the institution of Bahá’u’lláh to
which we are loyal, no matter who the members of that
Assembly may be. The unity of the community is
safeguarded only if we lend our complete support to the
institutions of the Cause regardless of their members.
4. Can we resign from the membership of a Spiritual
Assembly?
Not unless we have a very good reason, such as continuous
bad health or having moved to some other town or village.
When we are elected as members of an Assembly, we must
remember that God has given us the privilege of serving
our community. Our loyalty to the Teachings of
Bahá’u’lláh and our love for Him should encourage us to
accept any responsibility in the service of His Cause.
5. Can we consult the Spiritual Assembly about our personal
problems?
Yes, we can. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has encouraged the Bahá’ís to
take their problems to the Spiritual Assembly and consult
them about their difficulties. If, God forbid, there should

arise any differences between two Bahá’ís, they should ask
the Spiritual Assembly to help them solve their problems,
and should willingly accept the decisions of the Assembly.
6. Is the Spiritual Assembly responsible to the Bahá’ís who
elect it?
No. The Local Spiritual Assembly is responsible to God,
and in administrative matters to the National Spiritual
Assembly of the country. Every Assembly should make
decisions based on what is good for the Cause. In problems
that may arise between members of the community, the
Assembly should be impartial and just in its decisions. It
does not matter how the community may react towards its
decisions, so long as the Assembly has been guided by
justice.
7. Is the authority of any Bahá’í higher than the authority of
a Spiritual Assembly?
No. There is no individual leadership in the Cause. Being
Chairman or Secretary of an Assembly does not give an
individual any special rights. The Assembly members have
no more rights than any other Bahá’í in the community
once they leave the Assembly meeting, and like them, have
to abide by all the decisions of the Assembly. There is
absolute equality of rights in the Bahá’í Faith.
Bahá’í temples
The Bahá’í Faith is a universal religion. Therefore, the
Bahá’í temple is a universal house of worship of God. When
Bahá’ís build their temples, they dedicate them to the people

of the world. Everyone belonging to any religion, caste or
creed is welcome in the Bahá’í temple. The sacred Writings of
all religions are read in our temples. People gather in Bahá’í
temples as members of one family under one roof to worship
one Almighty God.
The structure of the Bahá’í temples is a symbol of unity
itself. They are nine-sided buildings. Each side has a door. All
these doors open to a central hall under one beautiful dome.
These nine doors and the nine-sided structures symbolize the
nine major religions of the world. They express the basic unity
of all religions. We see only beautiful doors on all sides when
we are in the central hall looking around the interior. There is
no front or back door in a Bahá’í temple. The doors open on
all sides, and all receive light to and send light from the
central hall where peoples of all races gather to worship God.
This is a wonderful way to show in a building the equality
and unity of religions.
The Bahá’í temples are not merely houses of worship. They
are institutions. Around these nine-sided temples will be nine
humanitarian institutions (such as a school, orphanage,
hospital, etc.) each connected to one side of the temple
through beautiful roads and pathways. All these roads lead to
the House of God. Is this not a beautiful arrangement? It
certainly is and it is because ‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed in His
Tablets the plan for Bahá’í temples.
At present, there are seven Houses of Worship in seven
continents or regions of the world. They are to be found in:
Wilmette, near Chicago in the United States of America;

Kampala, Uganda; Sydney, Australia; Frankfurt, Germany;
New Delhi, India; Panama City, Panama; and Apia, Western
Samoa. They are called the mother temples of each continent
because in future numerous temples will be built in many
countries of the world. The Bahá’ís in many countries have
acquired lands to build their temples.126
The Bahá’í Fund
Suppose you were living in a village where there was a flood
and someone’s house had been washed away, leaving him and
his children homeless. If you learnt that a number of people
were helping to build a shelter for this homeless family, what
would you do? Would you say you were too poor to help, or
would you come forward to help, no matter how little it
might be, to make it possible for this family to have a roof over
their heads in the rainy season? You might be able to offer a
cartload of stones or a very small sum of money. Your
contribution would be one of many other donations that,
when combined, would make it possible to build a shelter for
this family.
The human race today can be likened to a homeless family
caught in the tempest of war and hundreds of other
calamities. The Bahá’í Faith is the refuge in which humanity
can find peace and happiness. The Bahá’ís of the world are
striving to build up this shelter for mankind. Would not every
one of us come forward to help?
We must establish the institutions of the Cause, build our
Centres and Houses of Worship, translate the teachings of the
Faith into all the languages of the world, and publish

pamphlets and books. To support these and many other
undertakings, we need material resources and spiritual help.
This is why every Local and National Spiritual Assembly has a
special Fund to receive the contributions of the Bahá’ís.
Each contribution must be made voluntarily; no one can
oblige us to donate to the funds if we do not wish to do so.
However, contributions to our funds are a spiritual obligation,
and a test of our faith. No Bahá’í, knowing the importance of
this Cause to humanity, can deprive himself of the privilege of
helping to raise its institutions and bringing it to the
attention of the suffering world.
The amount we give to the Bahá’í Fund is not as
important as the spirit in which we give our contribution.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked the believers of the world to contribute
towards the cost of the Temple in the United States when the
Bahá’ís there decided to build it. There was an English lady
who was very poor but longed to give something for the
Temple. All she had in the world that she could sell was her
long, beautiful golden hair. Although it meant a great
sacrifice, she cut her long hair and contributed the money
obtained from selling it to the Fund. In this way she, too,
could participate in building a glorious Temple.
Our beloved Guardian said:
“We must be like the fountain or spring that is continually
emptying itself of all that it has and is continually being
refilled from an invisible source. To be continually giving
out for the good of our fellows undeterred by the fear of
poverty and reliant on the unfailing bounty of the Source

of all wealth and all good—this is the secret of right
living.”127
Every Spiritual Assembly must establish a Fund. Members
of the community must contribute according to their capacity
by their own free will. By our giving a part of what God has
given us, we offer our thanksgiving to our benevolent God.
Remember what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said:
“O Friends of God! Be ye assured that in place of these
contributions, your agriculture, your industry, and your
commerce will be blessed by manifold increases, with goodly
gifts and bestowals. He who cometh with one goodly deed will
receive a tenfold reward. There is no doubt that the living Lord
will abundantly confirm those who expend their wealth in His
path.”128

Some of the laws and obligations
Cleanliness
Bahá’u’lláh says in the Book of Aqdas:
“Be ye the very essence of cleanliness amongst mankind.”129
“Hold ye fast unto refinement under all conditions ….”130
“Cleave ye unto the cord of refinement with such tenacity as to
allow no trace of dirt to be seen upon your garments.”131
“Immerse yourselves in clean water; it is not permissible to
bathe yourselves in water that hath already been used. …
Truly, We desire to behold you as manifestations of paradise on
earth, that there may be diffused from you such fragrance as
shall rejoice the hearts of the favoured of God.”132
This command of Bahá’u’lláh helps us to understand the
importance of cleanliness. God wants us to be healthy and
happy throughout our days. If we do not keep clean, our
health will suffer. When we are not healthy, then we will not
be as happy as we should be.
Science has proved that most of the diseases in the world
are caused by uncleanliness. If we eat food with dirty hands,
then we endanger our health because many diseases enter our
bodies that way. If we put dirty hands on our eyes, we will

have eye trouble. In many villages of the world today, people
wash their clothes and dishes in water that is not very clean.
Sometimes, even their drinking water is polluted, and the
diseases and poisoning that it may cause can result in much
unhappiness.
Keeping ourselves, our clothes and our homes clean is very
important for us as Bahá’ís, not only because we will be
healthier and happier, but also because it is a command of
Bahá’u’lláh.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said:
“External cleanliness, although it is but a physical thing, hath a
great influence upon spirituality. … The fact of having a pure
and spotless body likewise exercises an influence upon the spirit
of man.”133
Prayer
“If one friend feels love for another he will wish to say so.
Though he knows that the friend is aware that he loves him, he
will still wish to say so. … God knows the wishes of all hearts,
but the impulse to pray is a natural one, springing from man’s
love to God ….”134
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says that “prayer is conversation with God”.135
At another time He says:
“We should speak in the language of heaven—in the language
of the spirit—for there is a language of the spirit and heart. It is
as different from our language as our own language is different
from that of the animals, who express themselves only by cries
and sounds.

“It is the language of the spirit which speaks to God. When, in
prayer, we are freed from all outward things and turn to God,
then it is as if in our hearts we hear the voice of God. Without
words we speak, we communicate, we converse with God and
hear the answer …. All of us, when we attain to a truly
spiritual condition, can hear the Voice of God.”136
Prayer is the food of the soul. We cannot grow strong and
healthy in spirit if we do not pray. Therefore prayer is
compulsory in our religion. Bahá’u’lláh, in His Most Holy
Book (the Aqdas), writes:
“Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide. Whoso
faileth to recite them hath not been faithful to the Covenant of
God and His Testament, and whoso turneth away from these
holy verses in this Day is of those who throughout eternity have
turned away from God. Fear ye God, O My servants, one and
all. Pride not yourselves on much reading of the verses or on a
multitude of pious acts by night and day; for were a man to
read a single verse with joy and radiance it would be better for
him than to read with lassitude all the Holy Books of God, the
Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Read ye the sacred verses in
such measure that ye be not overcome by languor and
despondency. Lay not upon your souls that which will weary
them and weigh them down, but rather what will lighten and
uplift them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine
verses towards the Dawning-place of His manifest signs; this
will draw you nearer to God, did ye but comprehend.”137
From these sacred Words of Bahá’u’lláh we understand
that Bahá’í prayers, though compulsory, must not be treated

as a ritual or ceremony. You will find many people who think
that by the mere recitation of some words, which they usually
do not understand, they are performing a meritorious deed.
Some people believe that if they recite a whole book of Sacred
Writings in one day, then they will find favour in the sight of
God and be rewarded in some manner.
Thousands of people spend hours reading their sacred
Books in Sanskrit, Latin or Arabic when they do not
understand a word of these languages. They do this because
they suppose that the mere recitation of sacred Words will
bring them salvation, when in reality they are blindly
imitating what their fathers did before them. Lip service
worship is not permitted in the Bahá’í Faith.
There are hundreds of beautiful prayers revealed by the
Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Bahá’ís are encouraged to
read them whenever they wish to pray. Bahá’í meetings
usually open and close with prayers. One person reads or
chants from the Holy Writings at a meeting while the rest
listen and meditate upon the words. The prayers are very
inspiring and we can experience great joy and spiritual
upliftment when Bahá’í prayers are being recited. These
prayers are not obligatory and it is left to every individual to
recite them whenever he likes. However, Bahá’ís also have
compulsory prayers. Bahá’u’lláh has revealed three such
prayers. We are free to select any one of these three prayers,
but we must use one of them every day. Of these prayers,
there is one that must be said once every 24 hours. It is called
the long Obligatory Prayer. Then there is the medium
Obligatory Prayer that must be said three times, a day—in

the morning, at mid-day and in the evening. The third is the
short Obligatory Prayer, to be said once every day at noon.
You can find all these prayers printed in Bahá’í prayer
books. The short compulsory prayer can be found in the first
chapter of this book under the subject “Purpose of Our Lives”
(on page 8). If you decide to say this prayer every noon, it is
best to memorize it. However, whichever prayer you choose to
say, you must remember that the spirit with which we offer
our prayers is of the greatest importance. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“In the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not
because they fear Him or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven ….
When a man falls in love with a human being, it is impossible
for him to keep from mentioning the name of his beloved. How
much more difficult is it to keep from mentioning the Name of
God when one has come to love Him …. The spiritual man
finds no delight in anything save in commemoration of
God.”138
Fasting
In the Bahá’í Calendar there are four and sometimes five
days between the 18th and 19th months of the year that are
called the “Days of Há” or the Intercalary Days. During these
days Bahá’ís entertain their friends and relatives, or feed the
poor amongst them. With the beginning of the 19th month,
the month of Loftiness (‘Alá), the period of our fasting begins.
Throughout the nineteen days of fasting, we do not eat nor
drink anything from sunrise to sunset. We get up at dawn to
pray to God and thank Him for all His favours and blessings.

Then we eat our food before sunrise and have nothing more
during the day until after sunset. We break our fast at sunset
after offering our prayers. These 19 days of fasting bring us
closer to God than at other times. When we keep the Fast, we
are showing in a symbolic way our love for God and our
faithfulness in carrying out His commandments.
This is what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says about fasting:
“Fasting is a symbol. Fasting signifies abstinence from lust.
Physical fasting is a symbol of that abstinence, and is a
reminder; that is, just as a person abstains from physical
appetites, he is to abstain from self-appetites and self-desires.
But mere abstention from food has no effect on the spirit. It is
only a symbol, a reminder. Otherwise it is of no importance.
Fasting for this purpose does not mean entire abstinence from
food. The golden rule as to food is, do not take too much or too
little. Moderation is necessary. There is a sect in India who
practise extreme abstinence, and gradually reduce their food
until they exist on almost nothing. But their intelligence suffers.
A man is not fit to do service for God with brain or body if he is
weakened by lack of food. He cannot see clearly.”139
Before sunrise we prepare ourselves for prayers and
meditation. There are beautiful prayers revealed by
Bahá’u’lláh especially for this period. Shortly before sunrise
we finish our breakfast. We will not eat or drink from sunrise
to sunset. During the period of fasting we, more than ever
before, feel our love for Bahá’u’lláh and always remember that
it is for His love that we observe the Fast. After sunset we
break our fast. We also offer prayers before or after breaking

the fast. Though there are a number of prayers especially
revealed by Bahá’u’lláh for the fast, we are allowed to offer any
one of the revealed prayers from the Bahá’í Holy Books.
However, for the convenience of our dear readers, we mention
below one of the prayers that may be said during the fasting
period:
“Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by this
Revelation whereby darkness hath been turned into light,
through which the Frequented Fane hath been built, and the
Written Tablet revealed, and the Outspread Roll uncovered, to
send down upon me and upon them who are in my company
that which will enable us to soar into the heavens of Thy
transcendent glory, and will wash us from the stain of such
doubts as have hindered the suspicious from entering into the
tabernacle of Thy unity.
“I am the one, O my Lord, who hath held fast the cord of Thy
loving-kindness, and clung to the hem of Thy mercy and
favours. Do Thou ordain for me and for my loved ones the good
of this world and of the world to come. Supply them, then, with
the Hidden Gift Thou didst ordain for the choicest among Thy
creatures.
“These are, O my Lord, the days in which Thou hast bidden
Thy servants to observe the fast. Blessed is he that observeth the
fast wholly for Thy sake and with absolute detachment from all
things except Thee. Assist me and assist them, O my Lord, to
obey Thee and to keep Thy precepts. Thou, verily, hast power to
do what Thou choosest.

“There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. All
praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.”140
The period of fasting continues to the last day of the Bahá’í
year. New Year’s day, which falls on 21 March, marks the end
of the fast. Bahá’ís celebrate this day as the Feast of Naw-Rúz.
Work is worship
One of the laws of Bahá’u’lláh is that everybody should
work. It is a sin to beg or to be idle in life and therefore it is
forbidden in the Bahá’í Faith. Work is compulsory for
everybody in this Cause, and when it is done in the spirit of
service to the people of the world, it becomes a form of
worship for the Bahá’ís.
Bahá’u’lláh says:
“It is incumbent upon each one of you to engage in some
occupation - such as a craft, a trade or the like. We have exalted
your engagement in such work to the rank of worship of the one
true God. Reflect, O people, on the grace and blessings of your
Lord, and yield Him thanks at eventide and dawn.”141
‘Abdu’l-Bahá further explains:
“In the Bahá’í Cause arts, sciences and all crafts are (counted
as) worship. The man who makes a piece of notepaper to the
best of his ability, conscientiously, concentrating all his forces on
perfecting it, is giving praise to God. Briefly, all effort and
exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is
worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to
do service to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and
to minister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer.”142

Work is worship! Service is prayer! This is a wonderful law.
When we want to worship God, we must worship Him
with happiness and sincerity. Bahá’ís believe that the farmer
who is tilling his land for the benefit of himself and others is
worshipping God. The carpenter who is making a door for
somebody’s house, or the tailor who is stitching a garment
with all his skill in making it beautiful for someone to enjoy,
is giving praise to God.
So we see that, with the blessing of Bahá’u’lláh, every field
can become a temple of God, every workshop a house of
worship. Therefore, work for a Bahá’í, no matter how difficult
or unpleasant it may be, becomes a pleasant occupation
because it is a means of worshipping God. Hence a Bahá’í will
carry out his work with the same happiness, sincerity and
honesty as he performs his prayers.
An ascetic who lives in a cave or in the heart of a jungle is
prepared to perform many types of penance because he feels
that in doing so he is worshipping God. Bahá’u’lláh has said
that the age of asceticism and monkhood has ended. He has,
instead, elevated every type of useful work to the level of
worshipping God. When we consider it to be a prayer, work
can no more be tiresome for us and it will be done with
devotion.
Renunciation of the world and living a solitary life is not
considered meritorious in our Faith. That is why Bahá’ís have
no monks nor ascetics among them. Bahá’u’lláh says:

“O people of the earth! Living in seclusion or practising
asceticism is not acceptable in the presence of God. It behoveth
them that are endued with insight and understanding to
observe that which will cause joy and radiance. Such practices
as are sprung from the loins of idle fancy or are begotten of the
womb of superstition ill beseem men of knowledge. In former
times and more recently some people have been taking up their
abodes in the caves of the mountains while others have repaired
to graveyards at night. Say, give ear unto the counsels of this
Wronged One. Abandon the things current amongst you and
adopt that which the faithful Counsellor biddeth you. Deprive
not yourselves of the bounties which have been created for your
sake.”143
Let us worship God in our fields and our workshops. Let us
praise Him by continuous and conscientious work. Let us
offer sincere prayers to our creator through our service to
mankind. Let us remember this law of God for this age:
“Waste not your time in idleness and sloth. Occupy yourselves
with that which profiteth yourselves and others. Thus hath it
been decreed in this Tablet from whose horizon the day-star of
wisdom and utterance shineth resplendent.
“The most despised of men in the sight of God are those who sit
idly and beg. Hold ye fast unto the cord of material means,
placing your whole trust in God, the Provider of all means.
When anyone occupieth himself in a craft or trade, such
occupation itself is regarded in the estimation of God as an act
of worship; and this is naught but a token of His infinite and
all-pervasive bounty.”144

Teaching the Cause of God
If anyone asks us what are the duties of a Bahá’í, we can say
that a Bahá’í should:
1. study the Cause
2. practise its Teachings
3. spread its Message
Bahá’u’lláh says, “God hath made it incumbent upon every
soul to deliver His Cause according to his ability.”145
Why is it necessary for us to teach the Cause of God?
When a person suffers from a terrible disease and then
finds a medicine that cures him and brings immediate relief
from all his pain and suffering, he will certainly treasure that
medicine with great care. Hence, if he sees a friend of his
suffering from the same disease, what will he do with the
medicine? Will he selfishly keep it for himself and allow his
friend to suffer? Of course not! He will gladly give the
medicine to his friend and assure him that it will bring
immediate relief from his sickness because he has already
tested it himself.
Bahá’u’lláh is the All-Knowing Physician, and He has
brought a wonderful Medicine that can cure us of all our
ailments. The disease of hatred, superstition, despair and
disunity is destroying the people of the world. How can a
Bahá’í who has himself been cured of these ailments and
knows the remedy, be indifferent towards the suffering of
others? Surely he must try to share what he himself has

received from the teachings of God with his ailing brethren
whom he finds in every land.
In the Bahá’í Faith, we have no special people whose job is
to preach and spread the Message of God. The responsibility
of guiding people to the Cause, therefore, is placed on the
shoulders of every individual believer.
What is our interest in giving the Message of God to
others? We are not trying to gather an army. We do not hope
for any material gain in giving the Message. We only teach the
Cause of God because we feel love towards others and we want
them to receive the great bounty that God has bestowed upon
us in this age. We should never try to impose our ideas upon
other people, nor should we argue with them. If they refuse to
accept what we offer them, we will still love them. We never
tell people that they are wrong and we are right. We just
present the Message that God has sent us through
Bahá’u’lláh. It is left to them to accept it. Our love for others
is not dependent on their becoming Bahá’ís. This is what
Bahá’u’lláh orders us to do:
“Defile not your tongues with the cursing and reviling of any
soul, and guard your eyes against that which is not seemly. Set
forth that which ye possess. If it be favourably received, your end
is attained; if not, to protest is vain. Leave that soul to himself
and turn unto the Lord, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Be
not the cause of grief, much less of discord and strife. The hope
is cherished that ye may obtain true education in the shelter of
the tree of His tender mercies and act in accordance with that

which God desireth. Ye are all the leaves of one tree and the
drops of one ocean.”146
Bahá’u’lláh expects us to teach ourselves before teaching
others. This means that we should do our best to learn His
teachings and to practice them in our lives before we expect
others to follow these teachings. In the Words of Bahá’u’lláh:
“It behoveth the people of Bahá to render the Lord victorious
through the power of their utterance and to admonish the people
by their goodly deeds and character, inasmuch as deeds exert
greater influence than words.”147
The effect of the word spoken by the teacher depends upon his
purity of purpose and his severance. Some are content with
words, but the truth of words is tested by deeds and dependent
upon life. Deeds reveal the station of the man. The words must
be according to what has proceeded from the mouth of the Will
of God and is recorded in Tablets.”148
“As to the fundamentals of teaching the Faith: know thou that
delivering the Message can be accomplished only through goodly
deeds and spiritual attributes, an utterance that is crystal clear
and the happiness reflected from the face of that one who is
expounding the Teachings. It is essential that the deeds of the
teacher should attest the truth of his words. Such is the state of
whoso doth spread abroad the sweet savours of God and the
quality of him who is sincere in his faith.
“Once the Lord hath enabled thee to attain this condition, be
thou assured that He will inspire thee with words of truth, and

will cause thee to speak through the breathings of the Holy
Spirit.”149
It is a great privilege for us to become a source of spiritual
advancement and blessings to others. There may be nothing
more precious for us spiritually than to help people
understand the purpose of their lives and for them to become
united in one universal Cause. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said that
every Bahá’í should try to guide at least one person to the
Cause of Bahá’u’lláh each year.150 Teaching the Cause of
Bahá’u’lláh is not dependent on our education. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
says that even if one cannot read and write, he can still prove
that he is a true servant of mankind through his deeds and
actions.151 If we live the life of a Bahá’í, people will themselves
come to see that we are different because we have put into
practice the teachings of God for this age. The importance of
teaching the Cause and the blessings it brings us is clearly
understood from this Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
“It is known and clear that today the unseen divine assistance
encompasseth those who deliver the Message. And if the work of
delivering the Message be neglected, the assistance shall be
entirely cut off, for it is impossible that the friends of God could
receive assistance unless they be engaged in delivering the
Message. Under all conditions the Message must be delivered,
but with wisdom. … The friends should be engaged in
educating the souls and should become instruments in aiding
the world of humanity to acquire spiritual joy and fragrance.
For example: If every one of the friends (believers) were to
establish relations of friendship and right dealings with one of
the negligent souls, associate and live with him with perfect

kindliness, and meanwhile through good conduct and moral
behaviour lead him to divine instruction, to heavenly advice
and teachings, surely he would gradually arouse that negligent
person and would change his ignorance into knowledge.”152
Alcoholic drinks are prohibited
We have seen how man is distinguished from animals
because of his mind and soul. God expects us to take good
care of these precious gifts with which He has blessed the
human race. We must strive to keep our minds and souls as
healthy as possible.
Alcoholic drinks poison the mind to such an extent that
people forget their station as human beings and drop to the
level of beasts when they are drunk. Therefore, Bahá’u’lláh has
forbidden us from using alcoholic drinks altogether.
There are many Bahá’ís who had the habit of using
alcoholic drinks before they accepted this Faith. However,
after they accepted Bahá’u’lláh as the Manifestation of God
for this day, they proved their love and loyalty towards Him
by giving up this harmful habit that brought nothing but
financial, physical and spiritual loss. Now they drink from the
water of life that Bahá’u’lláh has provided for us through His
teachings, and do not need alcoholic drinks to make them gay
or to forget their daily problems.
There are some tribes in the world who were accustomed
to serving alcoholic drinks during tribal festivals or
ceremonies. They still perform those ceremonies that conform
to the Bahá’í laws after becoming Bahá’ís. However, instead of

alcoholic drinks, they serve delicious fruit juices that are free
from the harm of alcohol.
Use of not only alcohol, but also of drugs not medically
prescribed (e.g. opium) that poison the mind and the body
(generally those that are habit-forming, mind altering and
poisonous), are also forbidden in the Bahá’í Faith.
Observing the Holy Days
There are nine Holy Days each year on which Bahá’ís
should not work. These days have been set aside because some
special event of great importance in the Cause has taken place
on each of them, and hence they are to be treated as special
days. Seven of the Holy Days are days of celebration, and two
of them commemorate the martyrdom of the Báb and the
ascension of Bahá’u’lláh.
The first of the Holy Days is the Feast of Naw-Rúz that
marks the end of the fasting period and the beginning of the
New Year.
The next three Holy Days occur during the Ridván festival.
This is the anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s public Declaration
that took place in Baghdád. During the twelve days we speak
of as “the days of Ridván”, Bahá’u’lláh stayed in a beautiful
garden called “Ridván” where His friends and followers came
to see Him for the last time before He was exiled to
Constantinople. His many followers, as well as hundreds of
other people who had grown to love and respect Him, were
filled with grief at His departure. However, the bitter sorrow
that weighed the hearts of His lovers was to be changed into

eternal joy when they learnt that Bahá’u’lláh was the One
Whose coming the Divine Manifestations of the past had
foretold, and for whom the Blessed Báb had given His
precious life. In memory of those wonderful twelve days, we
celebrate the Feast of Ridván every year, and of these days, the
first, the ninth and the twelfth are Holy Days on which we do
not work.
After Ridván, we have the anniversary of the Declaration of
the Báb when the Báb spoke privately of His Mission to Mullá
Husayn for the first time in Shíráz.
The sixth and seventh of our Feast days are the Birthdays
of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.
Here are the Bahá’í Holy Days:
1 21 March Feast of Naw-Rúz (New Year)

2 21 April First day of Ridván—Declaration of
Bahá’u’lláh (1863) at 3 p.m.

3 29 April Ninth day of Ridván

4 2 May Twelfth day of Ridván

5 23 May Declaration of the Báb (1844), two
hours and eleven minutes after sunset
on 22 May

6 29 May Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh (1892) at 3
a.m.

7 9 July Martyrdom of the Báb (1850) at about
noon

8 20 October Birthday of the Báb (1819)

9 12 November Birthday of Bahá’u’lláh (1817)

Sunset is the end of one day and the beginning of
another in the Bahá’í calendar. Therefore, each Holy Days
starts with the sunset on the previous day. For example, the
Declaration of the Báb took place two hours and eleven
minutes after sunset on the 22 May and ends at sunset on
23 May. The day of Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension starts at sunset
on 28 May and ends at sunset on 29 May, etc.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá says that we should try to make these Holy
Days different from the rest of the days of the year by taking
some important step for the progress of the Cause and in
service to humanity. We can establish a Bahá’í centre, a Bahá’í
class, start a school, or a hospital. Each community will decide
what action to take based on its capacity and its special needs.
As individuals, too, we can make decisions that will help us to
become better Bahá’ís in our personal lives and better
members in our community. Hence, according to ‘Abdu’l-
Bahá, the purpose of a Feast or Holy Day is more than an
occasion to eat good food and have a good time. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
gave a particular example in a talk on the Feast of Naw-Rúz,
in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1912. He stated:
“As it [Naw-Rúz] is a blessed day it should not be neglected or
left without results by making it a day limited to the fruits of

mere pleasure. During such blessed days institutions should be
founded that may be of permanent benefit and value to the
people so that in their conversations and in history it may
become widely known that such a good work was inaugurated
on such a feast day. Therefore, the intelligent must look
searchingly into conditions to find out what important affair,
what philanthropic institutions are most needed, and what
foundations should be laid for the community on that
particular day, so that they may be established.”153
We do not sit and mourn on the day of the Báb’s
martyrdom nor Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension. Although it is natural
for us to feel the grief of these days, we know that the only
way to show our loyalty to the Manifestations of God is to
dedicate our lives to the service of the Cause for which They
lived and died.
Bahá’ís always gather to meet each other and to offer
special prayers on the Holy Days. These meetings are very
important because through them unity is established among
the members of the community, and the unity of the Bahá’ís
is a source of divine blessings.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“… it hath been decided by the desire of God that union and
harmony may day by day increase among the friends of God
and the maid-servants of the Merciful …. Not until this is
realized will the affairs advance by any means whatever! And
the greatest means for the union and harmony of all is Spiritual
Meetings. This matter is very important and is as a magnet [or
to attract] for divine confirmation.”154

Marriage
We have seen that there is no monastic life in the Bahá’í
Faith. Marriage is an important institution in the Bahá’í
Faith. In the Aqdas, the Most Holy Book, Bahá’u’lláh says:
“Enter into wedlock, O people, that ye may bring forth one who
will make mention of Me ….”155
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“The true marriage of Bahá’ís is this, that husband and wife
should be united both physically and spiritually, that they may
ever improve the spiritual life of each other, and may enjoy
everlasting unity throughout all the worlds of God. This is
Bahá’í marriage.”156
How is the Bahá’í marriage performed? The necessary
requirements for a Bahá’í marriage are:
1. The man and woman must consent to marry each other.
They cannot be forced to marry each other.
2. Parents of the bride and bridegroom, if alive, must give
their consent for the marriage.
Bahá’u’lláh says:
“It hath been laid down in the Bayán157 that marriage is
dependent upon the consent of both parties. Desiring to
establish love, unity and harmony amidst Our servants, We
have conditioned it, once the couple’s wish is known, upon the
permission of their parents, lest enmity and rancour should
arise amongst them.”158

When these necessary consents are obtained, the parties
inform their Spiritual Assembly of their intention of getting
married and fix a date so that a representative may be sent to
witness the marriage. Then in the presence of two witnesses,
the bridegroom and the bride will separately repeat the
following verse enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh in His Most Holy
Book:159
‘We will all, verily, abide by the Will of God.”160
The man and the woman then become husband and wife,
and the date of the marriage is registered with the Spiritual
Assembly.
If there is no Local Spiritual Assembly in the area, the
Bahá’í marriage can be performed in the way we have
described, by the bride and the bridegroom themselves in the
presence of two witnesses. In either case, any additional civil
requirements must also be fulfilled.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“But the Bahá’í engagement is the perfect communication and
the entire consent of both parties. However, they must show
forth the utmost attention and become informed of one
another’s character and the firm covenant made between each
other must become an eternal binding, and their intentions
must be everlasting affinity, friendship, unity and life.”161
In the light of this teaching, marriage is a material and a
spiritual union. We are not losing our sons and daughters
when they get married. We are joining them in a union that
also unites their families. It is a customary obligation in some

cultures that the bride and her parents (sometimes it is the
bridegroom’s family) pay a specified sum of money and gifts
to the bridegroom’s family—a dowry. Disagreements can
occur over the value of the dowry and the bride’s family
sometimes suffers severe financial hardship—especially in poor
families or those with many daughters.
The law of Bahá’u’lláh abolishes all previous variations in
the dowry and converts it into a symbolic act whereby the
bridegroom presents a gift of a certain limited value to the
bride. Bahá’u’lláh states:
“No marriage may be contracted without payment of a dowry,
which hath been fixed for city-dwellers [the bridegroom] at
nineteen mithqals [about 69.2 gm] of pure gold, and for
village-dwellers [the bridegroom] at the same amount in
silver. Whoso wisheth to increase this sum, it is forbidden him to
exceed the limit of ninety–five mithqals. Thus hath the
command been writ in majesty and power. If he content
himself, however, with a payment of the lowest level, it shall be
better for him according to the Book.”162
There are some beautiful prayers revealed by Bahá’u’lláh
and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for marriage163 that are not obligatory but
can be said along with the marriage vow, if so desired.
In marriage, as at any other happy occasion, people of every
tribe or nation are free to entertain each other and have any
kind of performances that are part of their culture. These
customs, however, should not be against the teachings of God
in maintaining the purity of character and the dignity of man.
There are beautiful folk-dances and folk-songs that enrich the

new composite culture of mankind. Bahá’ís are encouraging
people to retain their cultural heritage. Therefore, the
beautiful cultural heritage of people, whether relating to
marriage or other festive occasions, may be performed.
One may ask if a Bahá’í can marry a non-Bahá’í. A Bahá’í
man or woman may marry a non-Bahá’í belonging to any
other religion. In fact, one of Bahá’u’lláh’s commands is:
“… to consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of
friendliness and fellowship, to proclaim that which the Speaker
on Sinai hath set forth and to observe fairness in all matters.
“They that are endued with sincerity and faithfulness should
associate with all the peoples and kindreds of the earth with joy
and radiance, inasmuch as consorting with people hath
promoted and will continue to promote unity and concord,
which in turn are conducive to the maintenance of order in the
world and to the regeneration of nations. Blessed are such as
hold fast to the cord of kindliness and tender mercy and are free
from animosity and hatred.”164
A Bahá’í who marries a non-Bahá’í should make it clear to
his or her life-partner that he or she is a Bahá’í and must
conform to the Bahá’í laws. As a Bahá’í expects his or her non-
Bahá’í partner to take part in a simple but dignified Bahá’í
ceremony, he or she should also be ready participate in the
marriage ceremonies of the religion of his or her partner.
The Bahá’í marriage law is another symbol of the oneness
of mankind. It shows that the Bahá’í Faith is not meant for a
special cult or group. It is for all mankind.

Loyalty to government
Bahá’u’lláh has forbidden us to engage in any activity that
may harm society. We also have to refrain from anything that
is not honest or is subversive. About a hundred years ago
Bahá’u’lláh set this principle in one of His Writings:
“In every country where any of this people reside, they must
behave towards the government of that country with loyalty,
honesty and truthfulness.”165
A Bahá’í cannot be faithful to his religion if he is not
faithful to his government.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said:
“The essence of the Bahá’í spirit is that, in order to establish a
better social order and economic condition, there must be
allegiance to the laws and principles of government.”166
“Furthermore each and every one is required to show obedience,
submission and loyalty towards his own government. … the
Baha’is are the well-wishers of the government, obedient to its
laws and bearing love towards all peoples.”167
Loyalty to the government is a part of the character that
has to be built up among us. Any act of treachery is a sin.
Bahá’u’lláh says:
“Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts.”168
“Beautify your tongues, O people, with truthfulness, and adorn
your souls with the ornament of honesty. Beware, O people, that
ye deal not treacherously with anyone. Be ye the trustees of God

amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity
amidst His people.”169
In this connection, another important point may be
mentioned that every Bahá’í must observe.
Bahá’ís must avoid any involvement in politics. However,
we are still friendly to those who are involved in politics. We
believe that God has set a direction for us to spend our
energies and resources in building up a divine World Order.
We have a plan given to us by God that includes all the good
points of the existing political parties and much more,
without their shortcomings.
God has set a straight path for us to tread. This path is
neither inclined towards left nor right, neither to the East nor
the West. It is the path that will lead to the unity of all
mankind, regardless of their nationality, creed or social class.
Moreover, the Order that Bahá’u’lláh has established in the
world is divine in origin and necessarily is quite different in
nature, scope and dimension from that of the existing manmade, and often conflicting, ideologies.
There is another reason that a Bahá’í cannot participate in
political movements. This has been explained by Shoghi
Effendi, the Guardian, in one of his letters:
“We Bahá’ís are one the world-over, we are seeking to build up
a new World Order, Divine in origin. How can we do this if
every Bahá’í is a member of a different political party—some of
them diametrically opposed to each other? Where is our unity
then? We would be divided because of politics, against ourselves,

and this is the opposite of our purpose. Obviously if one Bahá’í
in Austria is given freedom to choose a political party and join
it, however good its aims may be, another Bahá’í in Japan, or
America or India, has the right to do the same thing, and he
might belong to a party the very opposite in principle to that
which the Austrian Bahá’í belongs to. Where would be the
unity of the Faith then? These two spiritual brothers would be
working against each other, because of their political
affiliations (as the Christians of Europe have been doing in so
many fratricidal wars).
“The best way for a Bahá’í to serve his country and the world is
to work for the establishment of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order,
which will gradually unite all men and do away with divisive
political systems and religious creeds.”170
How one becomes a Bahá’í
Many times we hear this question: “How can I become a
Bahá’í?”
Some people think that the Bahá’í Faith is a society that
invites members. This is not correct. Some other people think
that Bahá’ís require people to change their names and to give
them a new denomination in religious spheres. This also is not
correct.
Becoming a Bahá’í means you are convinced of the
Oneness of God, the oneness of religions and the oneness of
mankind; you realize that religion is progressive and
continuous; and that religion aims for unity rather than
disunity. A Bahá’í, moreover, is convinced that all religions are

divine in origin and are equal. However, a Bahá’í believes that
Bahá’u’lláh (the Glory of God) is the Manifestation of God for
this age. Additionally, Bahá’u’lláh, like the Manifestations of
God in the past, has come to open a new era of happiness and
unity for us in this age. When one becomes a Bahá’í, he finds
the love of Bahá’u’lláh in his heart. When this conviction is
there, we are Bahá’ís. No ceremony, baptism nor change of
name is necessary to enrol a person into the Bahá’í Faith. In
other words, any conversion results from an individual’s own
inner conviction and does not need to be validated by a
ceremony. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
‘The man who lives the life according to the teachings of
Bahá’u’lláh is already a Bahá’í.”171
The aims of the Bahá’ís are to serve men and to bring unity
and happiness to the world. Bahá’ís are trying to change the
hearts of men. The change of heart is not possible except by
the power of the Words of God.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was once asked, “What is a Bahá’í?” He
replied that “To be a Bahá’í simply means to love all the world;
to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for universal peace
and universal brotherhood.”172
“If he is a Bahá’í in reality, his deeds and actions will be
decisive proofs of it. What are the requirements? Love for
mankind, sincerity toward all, reflecting the oneness of the
world of humanity, philanthropy, becoming enkindled with the
fire of the love of God, attainment to the knowledge of God and
that which is conducive to human welfare.”173

When a mirror is clean, it reflects the light. When it is not
clean, it does not reflect anything. If Bahá’ís teach their
religion to others, it is an attempt to clean the dust of
prejudice, hatred and animosity from the mirrors of human
hearts. When pure-hearted people meet the Sun of Truth,
they receive the light in great measure and reflect it to others.
Many Bahá’ís of today are those who had always felt in
their hearts the necessity of having new teachings for this new
age, but they did not know how they could realize their
feelings in practice. They did not know that there was a
religion in the world that contained all the teachings they
wished to exist in a religion. When they heard about the
Bahá’í Faith, they believed in it as the Voice of God because
they had already heard the Voice of God in their hearts
without knowing about Bahá’u’lláh. They are those clean
mirrors that have now been aimed towards the rays of the Sun
of Truth and reflect its splendour. The mirrors of hearts,
though clean, will remain dark if they are not turned towards
the light.
You become a Bahá’í when this conviction and realization
of truth occurs. However, there is a form to be filled in and
signed by the Bahá’ís, giving their names and addresses, to
inform the National Spiritual Assembly of their country that
they believe in Bahá’u’lláh. In this way you inform the Bahá’í
world community that you are a fellow believer in
Bahá’u’lláh. You become a member of that community when
the signed declaration form is accepted. By signing the
declaration form, you pledge yourself to serve humanity
through the God-given administration that is a part of the

divine guidance for this age. Declaration forms are issued by
the National Spiritual Assembly of each country and are given
to the believers in Bahá’u’lláh in that country to sign. The
signed forms are returned to the National Assembly through
the Local Spiritual Assemblies. Where there is no Local
Assembly, those who declare themselves as Bahá’ís may send
the form directly to the National Spiritual Assembly.
Being a member of the Bahá’í community is not the same
as joining a club. Bahá’ís have been given God’s plan for the
uniting of humanity and, as members of the community, we
are working together to implement that plan in the manner
most suited to our capabilities and experience. This means our
individual efforts are co-ordinated rather than regimented.
Membership of the Bahá’í Faith gives us the right and the
responsibility to take an active part in the process of uniting
mankind. Membership in other religions differs in that the
responsibility and direction of actions are left to their religious
leaders. In the past, religion has been concerned with the
spiritualization of individuals; whereas in the Bahá’í Faith,
this has been extended to include the spiritualization of
mankind. Individuals loving the Bahá’í principles, but
working as individuals, will each go in their own direction
without the guidance of a common God-directed goal.
A Bahá’í serves men and prays for them. Among the
innumerable beautiful prayers revealed, we read:
“O Thou kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity from the
same stock. Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same
household. In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and

all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have
gathered together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined
through the light of Thy Providence.
“O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided for all, dost
shelter all, conferrest life upon all. Thou hast endowed each
and all with talents and faculties, and all are submerged in the
Ocean of Thy Mercy.
“O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make
the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and
the whole earth as one home. May they live together in perfect
harmony.
“O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of mankind.
“O God! Establish the Most Great Peace.
“Cement Thou, O God, the hearts together.
“O Thou kind Father, God! Gladden our hearts through the
fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of
Thy Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word,
and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence.
“Thou art the Mighty and Powerful, Thou art the Forgiving
and Thou art the One Who overlooketh the shortcomings of all
mankind.”174

Footnotes
Bahá’u’lláh: Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, Section
CLXXXI, p. 314.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section XXI, pp. 49–50.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No.
3.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp.
256–7.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No.
19.
J. E. Esselmont: Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, Chapter 5,
Section: Love of God, p. 73.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, pp. 180–81.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No.
5.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Íqán, pp. 21–2; and Gleanings
from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Section XIII, p. 22.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section XXIV, pp. 59–60.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section VII, pp. 10–11; and The Proclamation of
Bahá’u’lláh, p. 111.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp.
141–2.
Gita IX, II
Gita XVIII, 57
Gita XVIII, 66
Gita IV, 7–8
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 11; and The
Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 84–5.
The traditional illiteracy of Muhammad contrasts with:
“The ignorant Muslim scholars then decided to proclaim
Muhammad an illiterate man!” They figured that this
would make the Qur’án’s extraordinary literary excellence
truly miraculous. Muhammad was a successful merchant.
Hence, He would have dealt with numbers every day and
would have had to know the alphabet, from one to one–
thousand, since at that time the letters of the alphabet
were used as numbers. Refer to Dr Rashad Khalifa: Quran,
The Final Testament.
Despite this, Bahá’u’lláh’s description of the station of a
Manifestation of God means that the knowledge of a great
scholar or spiritual giant is still nothing compared to that
of the prophets.
The first revelation was probably in AD 610 (1,234 yrs).
The first public announcement was about AD 613 (1,231
years), and the Islámic calendar starts in AD 622 (1,222
years). (The time span refers to solar years before A D
1844.)
Refer to page 40.
Refer to page 15.

Six years.
The Báb quoted in: Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: Notes
No. 189, p. 247; and Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, pp.
25, 324–5.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section III, p. 5.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: A Traveller’s Narrative, p. 80; and Shoghi
Effendi: God Passes By, p. 186.
Bahá’u’lláh: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 21.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. III, pp. 674–5;
and The Divine Art of Living, 2nd ed. 1986, pp. 29–30.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. III, p. 725.
Bahá’u’lláh quoted in: Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p.
242; and World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 134. 143–4.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Will and Testament, p. 3.
Isaiah 11:6.
Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum Rabbani: The Priceless
Pearl, p. 2; and the article “Twenty–five years of the
Guardianship” in The Bahá’í World, Vol. XI, 1952, p.
114.
Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum Rabbani: “Twenty–five
years of the Guardianship” in The Bahá’í World, Vol. XI,
1952, p. 114.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 164; and Gleanings
from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Section CXII, p. 218.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 58, p. 40; Gleanings
from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Section LXXII, p. 140; and
The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 118.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp.
298–9.
Bahá’u’lláh: Bahá’í Prayers (US), p. 204.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp.
299–301.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 151–
2.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 179–
80.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 180.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 318.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, pp. 160–1.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 280.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 166.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 48, p. 37.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 48, p. 37.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 167; Gleanings from the
Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Section CXVII, p. 250; and The
Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 116.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 68.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. I
(Education), p. 278.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p.
Bahá’u’lláh: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 26–7; and
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 51–2.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, p. 141.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, pp. 145–6.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No. 2.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, p. 151.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, p. 153.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 156.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian No.
51.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
p. 302.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian No.
54.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian No.
49.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 155.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian No.
6.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian No.
42.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian No.
53.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 35.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No.
13.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section CLI, p. 320.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 225.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No.
36.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No.
33.

Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No.
52.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Divine Art of Living, 1974 ed., pp. 16–
17.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London , Notes of
Conversations, pp. 126–7.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No.
32.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section LXXXI, pp. 155–6.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No.
32.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian No.
29.
Bahá’u’lláh: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 93–4; and
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Section CXXX,
p. 285.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section CIX, p. 215.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section XCIII, p. 188.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 71.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section C, p. 202.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. I, p. 149; and
Lights of Guidance, No. 946, p. 282.
Bahá’u’lláh: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 50; and The
Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 20.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 88.

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section CXVI, p. 315.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section CXXVIII, p. 278.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section C, p. 203.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section C, p. 204.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
Section CXLVI, pp. 315–6.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words, Persian No. 54.
Bahá’u’lláh: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 55.
Bahá’u’lláh: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 15: and
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Section CXXXII,
p. 289.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, pp. 100–1.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, p. 36.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, p. 37.
Bahá’u’lláh: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 54–5.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 40.
Shoghi Effendi quoted in Principles of Bahá’í
Administration: A Compilation (London: Bahá’í Publishing
Trust, 1976), p. 1; and Shoghi Effendi: Guidance for Today
and Tomorrow (London: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1953),
p. 110).
The Báb quoted by Shoghi Effendi: God Passes By, pp. 25,
324–5; and The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 146–7.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
A fictitious Indian village.

The anniversary of the Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh, the day
on which He announced in the Garden of Ridván that He
was the Promised One of all ages.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 30, p. 29.
Shoghi Effendi quoted in Bahá’í Administration: Selected
Messages 1922–33, p. 38; and Lights of Guidance, p. 123.
Shoghi Effendi quoted in Bahá’í Administration: Selected
Messages 1922–33, p. 38; and Lights of Guidance, p. 124.
Shoghi Effendi quoted in Bahá’í Administration: Selected
Messages 1922–33, p. 38.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 30, p. 29; and Bahá’í
Administration: Selected Messages 1922–33, p. 38.
Shoghi Effendi quoted in Bahá’í Administration: Selected
Messages 1922–33, p. 64; and Lights of Guidance, pp. 32–
3.
Shoghi Effendi quoted in Bahá’í Administration: Selected
Messages 1922–33, p. 102; Lights of Guidance, p. 180; and
The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II
(Trustworthiness), pp. 347–8.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Persian No.
59.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 58, p. 40; Gleanings
from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh , p. 140; and The
Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh, 118.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Other Sections, p. 92; and
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 27, 128.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in Bahá’í Administration: Selected
Messages 1922–33, p. 21; and Shoghi Effendi: Unfolding
Destiny, p. 6.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
pp. 87–8. Quoted in Bahá’í Administration: Selected
Messages 1922–33 , pp. 21–2; and Shoghi Effendi:
Unfolding Destiny, pp. 6–7.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in The Compilation of Compilations,
(The Local Spiritual Assembly) Vol. II, p. 47; Bahá’í
Administration: Selected Messages 1922–33, pp. 22–3; and
Shoghi Effendi: Unfolding Destiny, pp. 7–8.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Compilation of Compilations, (The
Nineteen Day Feast) Vol. I, p. 430.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Compilation of Compilations, (The
Nineteen Day Feast) Vol. I, p. 430.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted by J. E. Esselmont: Bahá’u’lláh and
the New Era, Chapter 11, Meetings section, p. 172.
A community with less than nine adults Bahá’ís cannot
elect a Local Spiritual Assembly. They are often described
as a Bahá’í Group.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, p. 172; and
quoted in Lights of Guidance, No. 1065, p. 317.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 127.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Will and Testament, pp. 19–20.
Sites for future Bahá’í temples exceeds 120.
Shoghi Effendi: Directives of the Guardian, No. 83, p. 32.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Bahá’í Prayers (US edition), p. 84.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 74, p. 47.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 46, p. 36.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 74, p. 46.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 106, p. 58.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. III, pp. 581–2.
The second sentence is quoted in The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Notes
No. 104, p. 212.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in J. E. Esselmont: Bahá’u’lláh and
the New Era, Chapter 6, Prayer the Language of Love
section, p. 90. Also given in The Compilation of
Compilations, (Prayer, Meditation and the Devotional
Attitude) Vol. II, No. 1755, p. 236.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in J. E. Esselmont: Bahá’u’lláh and
the New Era, Chapter 6, Conversation with God section, p.
85.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in J. E. Esselmont: Bahá’u’lláh and
the New Era, Chapter 6, Conversation with God section,
pp. 85–6. From a talk reported by Miss Ethel J.
Rosenberg.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para 149, p. 73–4.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in J. E. Esselmont: Bahá’u’lláh and
the New Era, Chapter 6, Prayer the Language of Love
section, p. 90 (from notes of Miss Alma Robertson and
other pilgrims, November and December 1900). Also
quoted in The Compilation of Compilations, (Prayer,
Meditation and the Devotional Attitude) Vol. II, No.
1756, p. 236; and Lights of Guidance, No. 1512, p. 463.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in J. E. Esselmont: Bahá’u’lláh and
the New Era, Chapter 11, Fast section, p. 171 (quoted by
Miss E. S. Stevens in Fortnightly Review, June 1911).
Bahá’u’lláh: Prayers and Meditations of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 9–
10.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 33, p. 30.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, 176–7.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 71.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 26.
Bahá’u’lláh: Bahá’í World Faith, p. 206.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 27 and 129.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 57.
Bahá’u’lláh quoted in J. E. Esselmont: Bahá’u’lláh and the
New Era, Chapter 5, Teaching section, p. 77.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
p. 175.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
p. 265.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. I
(Education), p. 282.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. II, pp. 390–1.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Quoted by Baher Forghani in Days to
Remember, 2nd edn., p. 26.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. I, pp. 125–6.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 63, p. 42.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
p. 118.
The “Mother Book” of the Báb.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 65, p. 42.
Shoghi Effendi quoted in Lights of Guidance, No. 1294,
pp. 388–9.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Questions and Answers,
No. 3, p. 105.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. II, p. 325.
Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 66, p. 42.

See the Marriage section of the Bahá’í prayer books.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 35–6.
Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 22–3.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 238.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
p. 239.
Bahá’u’lláh: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 93; and
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXX, p. 285.
Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
CXXXVI, p. 297.
Shoghi Effendi: Light of Divine Guidance, Vol. I, pp. 123–
4. (Letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi dated 24 June 1947)
‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in J. E. Esselmont: Bahá’u’lláh and
the New Era, Chapter 5, Living the Life section, p. 69.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in J. E. Esselmont: Bahá’u’lláh and
the New Era, Chapter 5, Living the Life section, p. 69.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 336.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 100.

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