# Baha'ism

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Alban G. Widgery, Baha'ism, New York: Round Table Press, Inc., 1936, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> LIVING RELIGIONS
> AND
> MODERN THOUGHT
> 
> BY
> 
> ALBAN G. WIDGERY
> 
> Professor of Philosophy, Duke University
> Formerly Stanton Lecturer in the Philosophy
> of Religion in the University of Cambridge
> 
> ROUND TABLE PRESS, INC.
> NEW YORK
> 
> 1936
> 
> BAHĀISM
> 
> Though Bahāism arose from Islām it has developed along its own lines
> toward a religious universalism, and has gained adherents in India, Europe, and
> America, as well as in the country of its birth. It had its origins in Persia in the
> nineteenth century movement of the Bāb, itself related with the Sheikhism
> founded by Sheikh Ahmed, described by M. Nicolas as the exponent of a
> “powerful and enlightened liberalism.” Bābism is to be explained partly by
> reference to the doctrine of the twelve Imāms, a doctrine of the Shiah sect,
> according to which the twelfth Imām remains alive to reveal himself as occasion
> demands to restore the faith of Islām to its original purity.
> In 1844 Mirza Ali Muhammed declared himself to
> 
> [page 213]
> 
> be the Bāb or door, meaning that through him the hidden Imām communicated
> with men. He aroused much fervor among his adherents, and the movement
> included a very important principle making for liberalism in its denial of the
> finality of the Qurān. The Book of the Seven Proofs of the Mission of the Bāb
> maintains not only that the sentences uttered by Mirza Ali Muhammed are equal
> in style and in spirit to those of the Qurān itself but further that they are an
> advance so far as they are meant for this age. The followers of the Bāb were thus
> to receive his utterances as later revelations than the Qurān. According to the
> Bāb there is no final revelation: a new prophet comes when the age needs him.
> Nevertheless, many of his own teachings were far from progressive, and the
> importance of the movement lies chiefly in its giving birth to Bahāism. After
> years of persecution he was executed in 1850.
> Bahāism takes its name from Bahā Ullāh, who assumed the leadership of
> the greater portion of the community after the death of the Bāb. For Bahāism the
> Bāb was simply the “door,” Bahā Ullāh claiming to be “he whom God shall
> manifest.” Bābism had been definitely Moslem: Bahāism would be universal.
> That Bahā Ullāh was a very impressive personality the following, adapted
> from an account given by Professor E. G. Browne, is sufficient evidence: In the
> corner sat a wondrous and venerable figure whose face is unforgetable though
> indescribable…. His piercing eyes seemed to read one’s very soul; power and
> authority sat on his ample brow; while the deep lines on the forehead and face
> implied an age which the jet black hair and beard flowing down in
> indistinguishable luxuriance almost to the waist seemed to belie. “Praise be to
> God that thou hast attained” …he said in a mild dignified voice. “We desire but
> the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; yet they deem us a stirrer
> up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and banish-
> 
> [page 214]
> 
> ment…. That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers, that
> the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be
> strengthened; that diversity of religions should cease and differences of races be
> annulled what harm is there in this? … Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes,
> these ruinous wars shall pass away and the ‘Most Great Peace’ shall come…. Do
> not you in Europe need this also? Is not this that which Christ foretold? Yet we
> see your kings and rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on the means for
> the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the
> happiness of mankind…. These strifes and this bloodshed and discord must
> cease and all men be as one kindred and one family…. Let not a man glory in
> this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his
> kind.”1
> The idealization of Bahā Ullāh may be seen in the name given to him, the
> Blessed Perfection. The Bāb, Bahā Ullāh, and his successor Abdul Bahā (Abbas
> Effendi) have all been described as “divine manifestations,” though the
> significance of the term is not clear. It ought perhaps to be interpreted in the
> light of the panentheistic conception of God which predominates in Bahāi
> writings. But the description of these three has also become more elaborate.
> They have been called a cosmic trinity,2 and associated with love, will, and
> knowledge.
> Bahāi leaders have disclaimed the purpose of founding a new sect,
> maintaining their aim to be the uniting of all the great religions of the world into
> a universal religion. “The object of the Bahāi revelation is the religious
> unification of all people.” 3This side of Bahāism much impressed the late Oxford
> theologian, T. K. Cheyne, who wrote that “The union of religions must
> 
> Browne, E. G.: Episode of the Bāb. Recounting a visit to Bahā Ullāh near Acre in 1890.
> Holley, H.: Bahāi: The Spirit of the Age. New York, 1921. pp. 33, 45, 46, 71.
> Remy, C. M.: The Universal Consciousness of the Bahāi Religion. Florence, (Italy)
> 1925. p. 12.
> necessarily precede the union of races, which at present is so lamentably
> incomplete.”4 “The Bahāi movement is not an organization. You cannot
> organize the Bahāi
> 
> [page 215]
> 
> Movement…. The Bahāi movement is the spirit of this age.”5 “The gift of God
> to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the one-ness of mankind and the
> fundamental one-ness of religion.” “The principles taught by every true prophet
> are the same: there is no difference between them.” But Bahāi teachers have
> been far from showing this to be a fact. “All the religions are revealed for the
> sake of good fellowship. The fundamentals, the foundations of all are
> fellowship, unity, and love.” The sacred books of the religions are to be
> interpreted allegorically: “All religions are written symbolically.” That it is
> maintained is the only way in which truth can be written to withstand time and
> its changes. Bahāism is eclectic, and claims to embody fundamental principles
> held in common by every creed; it is a purifying force liberating the truth from
> masses of superstition. “Bahāism has no priesthood for sacerdotalism engenders
> the spirit of caste and a struggle for mastery between secular and spiritual
> powers. It lays no stress on metaphysical dogmas or ritual which is their material
> clothing….”6
> According to Bahāism no religion represents the absolute truth, which is not
> to be grasped by human minds. There is progressive revelation chiefly as the
> result of a closer communion of a few souls with God. The Prophet Muhammed
> is highly revered j but as he is supposed by orthodox Moslems to have surpassed
> Jesus, so Bahā Ullāh is held by the Bahāis to have surpassed Muhammed. By
> this belief especially, but also in other ways, Bahāism has tended to differentiate
> itself from orthodox Islam. “The Bahāi teachings confirm and complete all
> religious teachings which have gone before, and offer a practical philosophy
> which meets the present-day spiritual need of humanity in establishing divine
> harmony and peace.”7
> Bahāism is regarded as suitable for this age in insisting on the harmony of
> religion and science. Civilization and science are necessary for the highest
> religion and
> 
> [page 216]
> 
> must be intimately associated with it. “There is no contradiction between
> Religion and Science.” “Religion and Science are the two wings upon which
> man’s intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can
> progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone. Should a man try to fly
> with the wing of Religion alone, he would quickly fall into the quagmire of
> superstition, while on the other hand with the wing of Science alone he would
> also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism.”8 The
> harmony of science and religion is thus viewed by an ardent Bahāi: “To behold
> 
> Cheyne, T. K.: The Reconciliation of Races and Religions. London, 1914. Preface.
> Holley, H.: op. cit. p. 28, quoting Abdul Bahā.
> Skrine, F. H.: Bahāism, The Religion of Brotherhood and its Place in the Evolution of
> Creeds. London, 1912. p. 57.
> Remy, C. M.: op. cit. p. 17.
> Talks by Abdul Bahā given in Paris. London, 1915. pp. 132-133.
> all things of the universe as animate with a divine animation, so that a single
> atom becomes as wondrous as a sun; to feel in all things the essence of a
> consciousness so that not even a stone remains insignificant; above all, to realize
> by what eternities of evolution matter has been trained in order to serve as the
> temple of man — whereby man becomes the perfect microcosm within the
> perfect macrocosm — this glory that was the crown of ancient seers, returns
> now universally to become the education of all.”9
> It has been maintained that Bahāism teaches a conception of God as an
> impersonal force immanent in the universe. But though at times it is suggested
> that God is beyond the capacity of human thought to comprehend, the most
> frequent references are to attributes only intelligible as applied to a spiritual
> being. To the human mind God is incomprehensible, for the finite understanding
> cannot be applied to this Infinite Mystery. “God is love and peace. God is truth.
> God is omniscient. God is without beginning and without end. God is uncreated
> and uncreating, yet the Source, the Causeless Cause. God is Pure Essence, and
> cannot be said to be anywhere or in any place. God is Infinite: and as terms are
> finite the nature of God cannot be expressed in terms but as man desires to
> express God in some way, he calls
> 
> [page 217]
> 
> God ‘love’ and ‘truth’ because these are the highest things he knows…. But
> while God does not create, the first principle of God, love, is the creative
> principle. Love issues from God and is pure spirit.”10
> In the main the terminology and the general thought of the Bahāis is
> immanentist, stressing the inner spirit of a creative movement of a universal
> evolution. In this manner it endeavors to unite certain aspects of Moslem
> mysticism with what is taken to be the fundamental idea in the modern scientific
> theory of evolution. Thus, though the transcendence of deity is not denied, is
> even implied, the characteristic of divine personality tends to be blurred.
> It is quite clear that for Bahāism God is not simply an intellectual principle
> of interpretation, a philosophical hypothesis but a Being calling for definite
> response from man. “It is astonishing; it is a most amazing thing; that God has
> created all humanity for knowledge of Himself, for the love of Himself, for the
> virtues of the human world, for the Life Eternal; — for perfect spirituality, for
> heavenly illumination has he created man; — nevertheless, man is utterly
> negligent of all this! He is seeking the knowledge of everything except the
> knowledge of God.”11 Nevertheless, it is in relation with God that men are to
> seek and will find their highest happiness. “There is nothing greater or more
> blessed than the Love of God. It gives healing to the sick, balm to the wounded,
> joy and consolation to the whole world, and through it alone can man attain life
> everlasting. The essence of all religions is the Love of God, and it is the
> foundation of all the sacred teachings.” Love as the central quality of existence
> is of four kinds, “(a) The love of God toward the identity of God: Christ has
> said: God is Love, (b) The love of God for his children — or his servants, (c)
> The love of man for God; and (d) the love of man for man. These four kinds of
> 
> Holley, H.: op. cit. p.111.
> Holley, H.: Bahāi Scriptures. New York, 1924. Section 609.
> Ibid. Section 648.
> [page 218]
> 
> love originate from God. These are rays from the sun of reality; these are the
> breathings of the Holy Spirit; these are the signs of reality.”12
> In his account of human nature, Abdul Bahā appears to place all evil in the
> material part of man. “In man there are two natures: his spiritual or higher nature
> and his material or lower nature. In one he approaches God, in the other he lives
> for the world alone. Signs of both these natures are to be found in man. In his
> material aspect, he expresses untruth, cruelty, and injustice; all these are the
> outcome of his lower nature. The attributes of his divine nature are shown forth
> in love, mercy, kindness, truth, and justice, one and all being expressions of his
> higher nature. Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to man’s spiritual
> nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful actions are born of his material
> nature. If a man’s divine nature dominates his human nature we have a saint.”
> Apparently man’s spiritual life has no beginning, but the character of its
> pre-existence is not discussed. Similarly, it has no ending, though again the
> nature of its future is not defined otherwise than as a process to perfection.
> “Divine perfection is infinite, therefore the progress of the Soul is also infinite.
> From the very birth of a human being the Soul progresses, the intellect grows,
> and knowledge increases. When the body dies the Soul lives on. All the differing
> degrees of creative physical beings are limited, but the Soul is limitless.”13
> “Though death destroy his body, it has no power over his Spirit — this is
> eternal, everlasting, both birthless and deathless.”14 “Life is eternal, but the
> individual human consciousness is not inherently so. It can only gain
> immortality by uniting with the pure Divine Essence.”15
> Bahāism is no passive mysticism. Perfection is to be attained only by
> constant effort, which when inspired by lofty motives is true worship. Further,
> Bahāism recognizes the profound significance of much of the suffering
> 
> [page 219]
> 
> that man endures. “The trials of man are of two kinds, (a) The consequences of
> his own actions’ (b) Other sufferings there are, which come upon the Faithful of
> God. Consider the great sorrows endured by Christ, and by his apostles. Those
> who suffer most, attain to the greatest perfection.” “Grief and sorrow do not
> come to us by chance, they are sent to us by the Divine Mercy for our
> perfecting…. Men who suffer not attain no perfection.”16
> True to the Moslem background of its origin Bahāism insists on prayer.
> “Know thou that prayer is indispensable and obligatory, and man under no
> pretext whatsoever is excused from performing prayer unless he be mentally
> unsound, or an insurmountable obstacle prevent him. The wisdom of prayer is
> this: That it causeth a connection between the servant and the True One, because
> in that state man with all heart and soul turneth his face toward the Almighty,
> seeking His association and desiring His love and compassion.”17
> 
> Talks by Abdul Bahā. pp. 74, 169.
> Ibid. pp. 53-54, 81.
> Ibid. p. 59.
> Bahāi Scriptures. Section 614.
> Talks by Abdul Bahā. pp. 44, 45.
> Bahāi Scriptures. Section 869.
> The general neglect of religious meditation by the feverishly occupied
> peoples of Europe and America is a marked defect of modern life. Bahāism
> emphasizes its importance not only for attaining a state of peacefulness but also
> to recognize the profundities of existence. “Meditation is the key for opening the
> doors of mysteries. In that state man abstracts himself; in that state man
> withdraws himself from all outside objects; in that subjective mood he is
> immersed in the ocean of spiritual life and can unfold the secrets of things-in-
> themselves.”18
> There is to be complete tolerance toward all religions. Bahāis remain
> members of the religions in which they were nurtured. They may interpret
> dogmas and practices allegorically. Thus: “Real fasting is to abstain from carnal
> desires and the promptings of ego. Fasting means to purify the heart from every
> stain of egotism, replacing material tendencies with spiritual susceptibili-
> 
> [page 220]
> 
> ties, refining the moral fibre, intensifying the fire of the Love of God, cleansing
> the self from the dross of haughtiness, teaching humility, and dispelling the
> darkness of ignorance.”19 The ideas of hell and heaven are to be explained
> ethically, “Hell is the state of mind in which there are evil thoughts and
> purposes, yielding to the desires of the senses, and clinging to material things. In
> that state man is separated from God and in his ignorance he suffers. Salvation
> — heaven — is the conscious realization of God in this life, which is gained by
> love, kindness, and good deeds.”20
> The ethical teaching of Bahāism is a definite humanitarian
> cosmopolitanism. It sets in the forefront of its thought the “oneness” of
> mankind, and the aim of universal peace, “the Great Peace,” to attain which it
> advocates a world council and a world language. It champions the causes of
> liberty and justice in all their forms, making definite mention of the equality of
> the sexes. The claim is made,21 though apparently with little justification, that
> the teachings of Bahā Ullāh solve “the economic problems.” It is unfortunate
> that though universal peace and brotherly love occupy so prominent a place in
> their teachings, the Bahāi movement has suffered from considerable inner
> conflict between different groups, most often on questions of organization and
> the seat of power and authority.22
> 
> Talks by Abdul Bahā. p. 163.
> Sohrab, M. A.: Abdul Bahā in Egypt. New York, 1929. p. 148.
> Phelps, E.: Abbas Effendi, His Life and Teachings. New York, 1912. p. 134.
> Remy, C. M.: The Bahāi Revelation and Reconstruction. Chicago, 1919. pp. 77-78.
> See, e.g., White, R.: The Bahāi Religion and Its Enemy the Bahāi Organisation.
> Rutland, 1929.
>
> — *Baha'ism (Used by permission of the curator)*