# An Enormous Expansion in Access to Knowledge

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-20 — 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: Judith Oppenheimer, An Enormous Expansion in Access to Knowledge, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> An Enormous Expansion in Access to Knowledge
> 
> Judith Oppenheimer
> 
> published in Scriptum: Newsletter for Bahá'í Librarians & Information Professionals3
> 
> 1995-10
> 
> "An enormous expansion in access to knowledge" is identified in
> the Bahá'í International Community's recent statement "The Prosperity of
> Humankind" as one of the requirements for the development of a global society.
> Clearly, this is a matter of importance to Bahá'ís working in the field of
> information sciences.
> 
> What is knowledge? What purpose does it serve? How is it made accessible?
> Consideration of these questions is essential to the definition of steps
> towards attainment of the goal; and it is necessary to consider them in the
> light of Bahá'u'lláh's spiritual principles, for the ultimate objective of that
> "enormous expansion in access to knowledge" is none other than to
> promote the establishment of a global society functioning in accord with the
> principles and provisions of His World Order. A study of Bahá'í Writings will
> serve to sanctify our views and orient our thoughts on the subject of
> knowledge. The following extracts from Bahá'u'lláh's Writings serve to
> illustrate the point:
> 
> "Through Him the ocean of
> knowledge hath surged amidst mankind and the river of divine wisdom hath gushed
> out at the behest of God..."
> 
> "We have decreed, O people,
> that the highest and last end of all learning be the recognition of Him Who is
> the Object of all knowledge..."
> 
> "Knowledge is as wings to
> man's life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon
> everyone... In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and source of
> glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto
> him."(1)
> 
> Knowledge has a divine source, its ultimate purpose is the recognition of
> God, its influence on man is one of upliftment and empowerment. To enable man
> to recognize Him, God has also conferred on him "the gift of
> understanding", which "giveth man the power to discern the truth in
> all things, leadeth him to that which is right, and helpeth him to discover the
> secrets of creation".(2)
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá has extolled man's intellectual powers as "the supreme
> gift of God", "the effulgence of God", and "a crown He has
> placed upon our heads".(3) Through this faculty, man is enabled to acquire
> knowledge:
> 
> "All the sciences and arts
> we now enjoy and utilize were once mysteries, and according to the mandates of
> nature should have remained hidden and latent, but the human intellect has
> broken through the laws surrounding them and discovered the underlying
> realities."(4)
> 
> With our thoughts turned towards the divinity of knowledge and intellect, we
> can then deduce that the purposes for which knowledge should be used are
> spiritual ones, such as the processes of justice, the promotion of unity, and
> the advancement of civilization -- all of them principles of Bahá'u'lláh.
> 
> Use of knowledge implies accessibility, the issue towards which we are
> directed by The Prosperity of Humankind. One of the keys to accessibility lies
> in communication, and here again the principles of Bahá'u'lláh show the way,
> for He has chosen to use words as the vehicle for communicating His Revelation
> -- while acknowledging the limitations of language in His statement, "How
> great the multitude of truths which the garment of words can never
> contain!" (5) Words are communicated by writing and by speech, and
> Bahá'u'lláh has emphasised the importance of both literacy and language,
> through His Laws. Instruction in the arts of reading and writing is a parental
> obligation,(6) and the adoption of a universal language and script has been
> designated by Him as one of the "two signs for the coming of age of the
> human race":
> 
> "God, verily, maketh plain
> for you that which shall profit you and enable you to be independent of
> others... This will be the cause of unity, could ye but comprehend it, and the
> greatest instrument for promoting harmony and civilization, would that ye might
> understand!"(7)
> 
> On the subject of the international auxiliary language 'Abdu'l-Bahá has
> stated:
> 
> "...then mutual interchange
> of thought will be possible for all... The world of matter will become the
> expression of the world of mind. Then discoveries will be revealed, inventions
> will multiply, the sciences advance by leaps and bounds, the scientific culture
> of the earth will develop along broader lines. Then the nations will be enabled
> to utilize the latest and best thought, because expressed in the International
> Language..."(8)
> 
> An essential prerequisite to accessibility of knowledge is its organization,
> an activity in which we are involved directly through our professions. Through
> the discovery of new technologies, the window to new means of accessing and
> organizing information has begun to open. It would be well to bear in mind the
> source of these technologies. In the words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá:
> 
> "Now consider, in this great
> century which is the cycle of Bahá'u'lláh, what progress science and knowledge
> have made, how many secrets of existence have been discovered, how many great
> inventions have been brought to light and are day by day multiplying in number.
> Before long, material science and learning, as well as the knowledge of God,
> will make such progress and will show forth such wonders that the beholders
> will be amazed. Then the mystery of this verse in Isaiah, "For the earth
> shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord," will be completely
> evident."(9)
> 
> Lest these words leave us in any doubt as to the divine source of
> technology, we can turn to this passage in the Writings of the Báb: "I
> yield praise unto Thee, O Lord our God, for the bounty of having called into
> being the realm of creation and invention...".(10)
> 
> In light of the Bahá'í teachings we can envisage that the call for "an
> enormous expansion in access to knowledge" goes beyond anything that we,
> as librarians, archivists and others working in the information field, have
> experienced or dreamed of. 'Abdu'l-Bahá has written that the new principles
> revealed by Bahá'u'lláh require that: "The people... must be set
> completely free from their old patterns of thought, that all their attention
> may be focused upon these new principles, for these are the light of this time
> and the very spirit of this age."(11) We must continually be willing to
> take a fresh look at our work as information scientists, to review our
> philosophy and practices, to discover new methods and examine new ideas, and
> above all, as Bahá'ís, to lead the way. As 'Abdu'l-Bahá states, "change is
> a necessary quality and an essential attribute of this world, and of time and
> place".(12) The Association of Bahá'í Librarians and Information
> Professionals and its newsletter provide a forum for exploration and debate of
> such vital issues.
> 
> Notes:
> 
> (1) Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, page 47; The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para.
> 102; Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, pages 51-52. The Islamic tradition
> "Knowledge is twenty and seven letters..." quoted and authenticated by
> Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Iqan (page 243), both acknowledges the divine
> source of knowledge and indicates the vastness of the expansion in knowledge
> inaugurated by the new Dispensation.
> 
> (2) Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, XCV
> 
> (3) The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pages 350 and 351.
> 
> (4) The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pages 351.
> 
> (5) Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, LXXXIX.
> 
> (6) The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 48 and note 105.
> 
> (7) The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para. 189.
> 
> (8) Bahá'í Scriptures, page 340.
> 
> (9) Some Answered Questions, page 64.
> 
> (10) Selections from the Writings of the Báb, page 195.
> 
> (11) Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, pages 252-253.
> 
> (12) Quoted in Wellspring of Guidance, page 84.
> 
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> Views6350 views since posted 2012-06-24; last edit 2018-11-02 20:23 UTC;
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> — *An Enormous Expansion in Access to Knowledge (Used by permission of the curator)*