# The Baha'i Perspective on Water

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Arthur Lyon Dahl, The Baha'i Perspective on Water, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> The Bahá'í Perspective on Water
> 
> Arthur Lyon Dahl
> 
> 1997-11
> 
> Water is fundamental in the rites, language and symbolism of all religions,
> and the Bahá'í Faith is no exception. There are Bahá'í
> laws concerning water and cleanliness, and many ways that water is used
> as a metaphor for spiritual truths. This brief summary of the Bahá'í
> perspective on water is based as far as possible on direct quotations from
> the Bahá'í Writings.
> In a more general context, the Bahá'í Faith places great
> importance on agriculture and the preservation of the ecological balance
> of the world. Water is of course a fundamental resource for agriculture.
> It is essential to the functioning of all ecological communities and plays
> a key role in all the life support systems of the planet. It is essential
> to life itself, which is why it is so often used in spiritual symbolism.
> Water is an important medium for linking us with the environment in
> the complex interactions that are such an important feature of our integrated
> planetary system. As 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the
> Bahá'í Faith, has written:
> "Whensoever thou dost examine, through a microscope, the water man drinketh,
> the air he doth breathe, thou wilt see that with every breath of air, man
> taketh in an abundance of animal life, and with every draught of water,
> he also swalloweth down a great variety of animals. How could it ever be
> possible to put a stop to this process? For all creatures are eaters and
> eaten, and the very fabric of life is reared upon this fact. Were it not
> so, the ties that interlace all created things within the universe would
> be unravelled." (`Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of
> `Abdu'l-Bahá, page 157)
> For Bahá'ís, respect for the creation in all its beauty
> and diversity is important, and water is a key element of that creation.
> "The Almighty Lord is the provider of water, and its maker, and hath
> decreed that it be used to quench man's thirst, but its use is dependent
> upon His Will. If it should not be in conformity with His Will, man is
> afflicted with a thirst which the oceans cannot quench." (`Abdu'l-Bahá,
> in Prayer, Meditation, and the Devotional Attitude (compilation),
> pages 231-232)
> The wise management of all the natural resources of the planet, including
> water, will require a global approach, since water is not a respecter of
> national boundaries. The use, sharing, protection and management of water
> need to be governed by spiritual principles of justice and equity, and
> the fundamental concept of moderation. Decisions on water need to be taken
> through processes of consultation involving all those concerned or affected.
> 
> CLEAN WATER - CLEANLINESS
> Bahá'u'lláh, in his book of laws, gave great importance
> to clean water and cleanliness, illustrated with some of the problems of
> polluted water in his native Persia, where in the nineteenth century, the
> water in public bath-houses and household pools was seldom changed:
> "Wash ye every soiled thing with water that hath undergone no alteration
> in any one of the three respects [colour, taste or smell]; take heed not
> to use water that hath been altered through exposure to the air or to some
> other agent. Be ye the very essence of cleanliness amongst mankind." (Bahá'u'lláh,
> The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, pages 46-47)
> And again:
> "It hath been enjoined upon you to... bathe yourselves each week in
> water that covereth your bodies, and to clean yourselves with whatsoever
> ye have formerly employed.... Immerse yourselves in clean water; it is
> not permissible to bathe yourselves in water that hath already been used.
> See that ye approach not the public pools of Persian baths; whoso maketh
> his way toward such baths will smell their fetid odour ere he entereth
> therein. Shun them, O people, and be not of those who ignominiously accept
> such vileness. In truth, they are as sinks of foulness and contamination,
> if ye be of them that apprehend. Avoid ye likewise the malodorous pools
> in the courtyards of Persian homes, and be ye of the pure and sanctified.
> 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. If the bather, instead of entering the water,
> wash himself by pouring it upon his body, it shall be better for him and
> shall absolve him of the need for bodily immersion." (Bahá'u'lláh,
> The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, pages 57-58)
> When asked at what point water was considered used, Bahá'u'lláh
> replied:
> "Small quantities of water, such as one cupful, or even two or three,
> must be considered used after a single washing of the face and hands. "But
> a kurr [ca. 0.5 m3] or more of water remaineth unchanged after one or two
> washings of the face, and there is no objection to its use unless it is
> altered in one of the three ways [colour, taste or smell], for example
> its colour is changed, in which case it should be looked upon as used."
> (Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: Questions
> and Answers, 91, page 133)
> Cleanliness through washing with water is seen has having a spiritual
> as well as material significance. 'Abdu'l-Bahá has explained:
> "First in a human being's way of life must be purity, then freshness,
> cleanliness, and independence of spirit. First must the stream bed be cleansed,
> then may the sweet river waters be led into it....
> "This is why, in Holy Scriptures, the counsels of heaven are likened
> to water, even as the Qur'án saith: `And pure water send We down
> from Heaven,' (Qur'án 25:50) and the Gospel: `Except a man
> be baptized of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom
> of God.' (cf. John 3:5) Thus is it clear that the Teachings which come
> from God are heavenly outpourings of grace; they are rain-showers of divine
> mercy, and they cleanse the human heart.
> "My meaning is this, that in every aspect of life, purity and holiness,
> cleanliness and refinement, exalt the human condition and further the development
> of man's inner reality. Even in the physical realm, cleanliness will conduce
> to spirituality, as the Holy Writings clearly state. And although bodily
> cleanliness is a physical thing, it hath, nevertheless, a powerful influence
> on the life of the spirit.... The purport is that physical cleanliness
> doth also exert its effect upon the human soul." (`Abdu'l-Bahá,
> Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, pages 146-147)
> This link of the material and the spiritual is illustrated in a number
> of religions by the performance of ablutions, or the ritual washing of
> hands and face with water, before performing prayers or other spiritual
> acts. In the Bahá'í Faith as well, certain prayers are to
> be preceded by ablutions.
> 
> WATER AS METAPHOR
> 
> Many spiritual concepts and teachings are abstractions that are not
> easy to communicate, especially to those who have not experienced them.
> Water, with its cleansing and life-giving properties, is thus frequently
> used in the Bahá'í scriptures as a metaphor and symbol, as
> illustrated in the following examples:
> "O YE SEEMING FAIR YET INWARDLY FOUL! Ye are like clear but bitter water,
> which to outward seeming is crystal pure but of which, when tested by the
> divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the sun beam falls alike upon
> the dust and the mirror, yet differ they in reflection even as doth the
> star from the earth: nay, immeasurable is the difference!" (Bahá'u'lláh,
> The Hidden Words (Persian) No. 25, page 25)
> "Man is like unto a tree. If he be adorned with fruit, he hath been
> and will ever be worthy of praise and commendation. Otherwise a fruitless
> tree is but fit for fire.... Among [the fruits of the human tree] are upright
> character, virtuous deeds and a goodly utterance.... The Water for these
> trees is the living water of the sacred Words uttered by the Beloved of
> the world. In one instant are such trees planted and in the next their
> branches shall, through the outpourings of the showers of divine mercy,
> have reached the skies. A dried-up tree, however, hath never been nor will
> be worthy of any mention." (Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh,
> page 257)
> This symbolism of water as the Word or Revelation of God occurs frequently
> in references such as to those who "...quaffed the pure water of reunion
> from this Cup...", to the "crystal waters of this living Fountain", or
> to "streams of fresh and soft-flowing waters have gushed from the rocks
> through the sweetness of the words uttered by your Lord." (Bahá'u'lláh,
> The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraphs 80, 50, 54)
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá explains this symbolism:
> "Divine nearness is dependent upon attainment to the knowledge of God,
> upon severance from all else save God. It is contingent upon self-sacrifice
> and to be found only through forfeiting wealth and worldly possessions.
> It is made possible through the baptism of water and fire revealed in the
> Gospels. Water symbolizes the water of life, which is knowledge, and fire
> is the fire of the love of God; therefore, man must be baptized with the
> water of life, the Holy Spirit and the fire of the love of the Kingdom."
> (`Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, page 147)
> He referred to
> "...this pure chalice before us, and the Teachings of God, the utterances
> of God, are like the water. When the glass or chalice is absolutely pure
> and clear, and the water is perfectly fresh and limpid, then it will confer
> Life..." (`Abdu'l-Bahá, in Music (compilation), page 77)
> "Water is the cause of life, and when Christ speaks of water, He is
> symbolizing that which is the cause of Everlasting Life.
> "This life-giving water of which He speaks is like unto fire, for it
> is none other than the Love of God, and this love means life to our souls."
> (`Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, page 82)
> In conclusion, the following Bahá'í prayer illustrates
> how the symbolism of life-giving water lends itself to the communication
> of spiritual significance.
> "My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire! What tongue can voice my
> thanks to Thee? I was heedless, Thou didst awaken me. I had turned back
> from Thee, Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee. I was as
> one dead, Thou didst quicken me with the water of life. I was withered,
> Thou didst revive me with the heavenly stream of Thine utterance which
> hath flowed forth from the Pen of the All-Merciful.
> "O Divine Providence! All existence is begotten by Thy bounty; deprive
> it not of the waters of Thy generosity, neither do Thou withhold it from
> the ocean of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee to aid and assist me at all times
> and under all conditions, and seek from the heaven of Thy grace Thine ancient
> favor. Thou art, in truth, the Lord of bounty, and the Sovereign of the
> kingdom of eternity." (Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations
> CLXXIII , pages 264-265)
> 
> * The views expressed are the author's own
> and do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations Environment
> Programme.
> 
> METADATA
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> Views19079 views since posted 1998; last edit 2025-04-10 10:26 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../dahl_bahai_perspective_water;
> URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
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> — *The Baha'i Perspective on Water (Used by permission of the curator)*