# Twelve Steps, The: Baha'i Writings and the "Twelve-Step" program of recovery from substance abuse

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

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> Step One:  We admitted that we were powerless over our addiction
> (or for Al- Anon or ACAP) We admitted that we were powerless over the
> effects of addiction, and that our lives had become unmanageable. 
> 
> I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might
> (Bahá'u'lláh: Aqdas: Other Sections, pages 100-101)
> 
> I love, in this state, O my Lord, to beg of Thee all that is with Thee,
> that I may demonstrate my poverty, and magnify Thy bounty and Thy riches,
> and may declare my powerlessness, and manifest Thy power and Thy might.
> (Bahá'u'lláh: Aqdas: Other Sections, page 94)
> 
> Every time I venture to make mention of Thee, I am held back by my mighty
> sins and grievous trespasses against Thee, and find myself wholly deprived
> of Thy grace, and utterly powerless to celebrate Thy praise. My great
> confidence in Thy bounty, however, reviveth my hope in Thee...
> (Bahá'u'lláh: Prayers and Meditations, page 210)
> 
> Powerless though I be to rise to the heavens of Thy glory and soar in the
> realms of Thy knowledge, I can but recount Thy tokens that tell of Thy
> glorious handiwork. (Bahá'u'lláh:  Bahá'í Prayers (US), pages 122-123)
> 
> And shouldst thou recognize thy powerlessness, do thou rein in thy
> passions, and return unto thy Lord, that perchance He may forgive thee thy
> sins . . . (Bahá'u'lláh:  Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, page 83)
> 
> O God! . . . We are impotent; give us Thy heavenly power. O Lord! Make us
> useful in this world;  free us from the condition of self and desire.
> (`Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace*, page 302)
> 
> Step Two:  Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves
> could restore us to sanity.
> 
> "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power
> but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore
> resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God." (Bahá'u'lláh:
> Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, page 91)
> 
> Thou art He Who changeth through His bidding abasement into glory, and
> weakness into strength, and powerlessness into might, and fear into calm,
> and doubt into certainty . . . Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most
> Powerful. (Bahá'u'lláh: Prayers and Meditations, pages 249-250)
> 
> He, verily, is the Lord of strength and power . . . Repudiation hath not
> veiled it, and ten thousand hosts arrayed against it were powerless to
> withhold it from shining. Thou canst excuse thyself no longer. Either thou
> must recognize it, or - God forbid - arise and deny all the Prophets!
> (Bahá'u'lláh: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, page 119)
> 
> Step Three:  Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to
> the care of God as we understand Him.
> 
> O BEFRIENDED STRANGER! The candle of thine heart is lighted by the hand of
> My power, quench it not with the contrary winds of self and passion. The
> healer of all thine ills is remembrance of Me, forget it not. Make My love
> thy treasure and cherish it even as thy very sight and life. 
> (Bahá'u'lláh: Persian Hidden Words, page 32)
> 
> 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.
> This is that which the Finger of Glory and Splendour hath revealed.
> (Bahá'u'lláh: Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, page 156)
> 
> The Tongue of Wisdom proclaimeth: He that hath Me not is bereft of all
> things. Turn ye away from all that is on earth and seek none else but Me.
> I am the Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of Knowledge. I cheer the faint and
> revive the dead. I am the guiding Light that illumineth the way. I am the
> royal Falcon on the arm of the Almighty. I unfold the drooping wings of
> every broken bird and start it on its flight. (Bahá'u'lláh: Tablets of
> Bahá'u'lláh, page 169)
> 
> O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. 
> I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will
> no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O
> God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass
> me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life. O God! Thou art
> more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.
> (`Abdu'l-Bahá:  Bahá'í Prayers (US edition), page 152)
> 
> Step Four:  Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of
> ourselves.
> 
> The first Taraz and the first effulgence which hath dawned from the
> horizon of the Mother Book is that man should know his own self and
> recognize that which leadeth unto loftiness or lowliness, glory or
> abasement, wealth or poverty. (Bahá'u'lláh: Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, pages
> 34-35)
> 
> The essence of all that We have revealed for thee is Justice, is for man
> to free himself from idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of
> oneness His glorious handiwork, and look into all things with a searching
> eye. (Bahá'u'lláh: Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, page 157)
> 
> If the fire of self overcome you, remember your own faults and not the
> faults of My creatures, inasmuch as every one of you knoweth his own self
> better than he knoweth others. (Bahá'u'lláh:  Persian Hidden Words, page
> 66)
> 
> Be not afraid of anyone, place thy whole trust in God, the Almighty, the
> All-Knowing.  (Bahá'u'lláh: Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, page 190)
> 
> God hath in that Book, and by His behest, decreed as lawful whatsoever He
> hath pleased to decree, and hath, through the power of His sovereign
> might, forbidden whatsoever He elected to forbid. To this testifieth the
> text of that Book. Will ye not bear witness? Men, however, have wittingly
> broken His law. Is such a behaviour to be attributed to God, or to their
> proper selves? Be fair in your judgment. (Bahá'u'lláh: Gleanings, page
> 149)
> 
> Step Five:  We admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human
> being the exact nature of our wrongs.
> 
> The Universal House of Justice . . . has instructed us to say that there
> is no objection to Bahá'ís being members of Alcoholics Anonymous, which is
> an association that does a great deal of good in assisting alcoholics to
> overcome their lamentable condition. The sharing of experiences which the
> members undertake does not conflict with the Bahá'í prohibition on the
> confession of sins; it is more in the nature of the therapeutic
> relationship between a patient and a psychiatrist. (From letter to an
> individual believer dated 26 August 1986)
> 
> I implore Thee by the blood of Thy true lovers who were so enraptured by
> Thy sweet utterance that they hastened unto the Pinnacle of Glory, the
> site of the most glorious martyrdom, and I beseech Thee by the mysteries
> which lie enshrined in Thy knowledge and by the pearls that are treasured
> in the ocean of Thy bounty to grant forgiveness unto me and unto my father
> and my mother. Of those who show forth mercy, Thou art in truth the Most
> Merciful. No God is there but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.
> (Bahá'u'lláh:  Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, pages 24-25)
> 
> O Lord! Thou seest this essence of sinfulness turning unto the ocean of
> Thy favour and this feeble one seeking the kingdom of Thy divine power and
> this poor creature inclining himself towards the day-star of Thy wealth.
> By Thy mercy and Thy grace, disappoint him not, O Lord, nor debar him from
> the revelations of Thy bounty in Thy days, nor cast him away from Thy door
> which Thou hast opened wide to all that dwell in Thy heaven and on Thine
> earth.  (Bahá'u'lláh: Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, page 25)
> 
> Alas! Alas! My sins have prevented me from approaching the Court of Thy
> holiness and my trespasses have caused me to stray far from the Tabernacle
> of Thy majesty.  I have committed that which Thou didst forbid me to do
> and have put away what Thou didst order me to observe.  I pray Thee by Him
> Who is the sovereign Lord of Names to write down for me with the Pen of
> Thy bounty that which will enable me to draw nigh unto Thee and will purge
> me from my trespasses which have intervened between me and Thy forgiveness
> and Thy pardon. Verily, Thou art the Potent, the Bountiful. No God is
> there but Thee, the Mighty, the Gracious.  (Bahá'u'lláh: Tablets of
> Bahá'u'lláh, page 25)
> 
> Step Six: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects
> of character.
> 
> I am but a poor creature, O my Lord; I have clung to the hem of Thy
> riches. I am sore sick; I have held fast the cord of Thy healing. Deliver
> me from the ills that have encircled me, and wash me thoroughly with the
> waters of Thy graciousness and mercy, and attire me with the raiment of
> wholesomeness, through Thy forgiveness and bounty. Fix, then, mine eyes
> upon Thee, and rid me of all attachment to aught else except Thyself. Aid
> me to do what Thou desirest, and to fulfill what Thou pleasest.
> (Bahá'u'lláh: Prayers and Meditations, page 22)
> 
> Step Seven:  Humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings.
> 
> O Lord! Thou art the Remover of every anguish and the Dispeller of every
> affliction. Thou art He Who banisheth every sorrow and setteth free every
> slave, the Redeemer of every soul. O Lord! Grant deliverance through Thy
> mercy and reckon me among such servants of Thine as have gained salvation.
> (The Bab: Selections from the Bab, page 193)
> 
> `Bid them recite: "Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: 
> Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His
> bidding!" Tell them to repeat it five hundred times, nay, a thousand
> times, by day and by night, sleeping and waking, that haply the
> Countenance of Glory may be unveiled to their eyes, and tiers of light
> descend upon them.' (Shoghi Effendi: God Passes By, page 119)
> 
> Step Eight:  Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became
> wiling to make amends to them all.
> 
> Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one
> with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and
> fellowship. He Who is the Day-Star of Truth beareth Me witness! So
> powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. 
> The One true God, He Who knoweth all things, Himself testifieth to the
> truth of these words.  (Bahá'u'lláh: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, page
> 14)
> 
> Exert yourselves that ye may attain this transcendent and most sublime
> station, the station that can insure the protection and security of all
> mankind. This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the
> monarch of all aspirations. (Bahá'u'lláh:  Epistle to the Son of the Wolf,
> page 14)
> 
> Step Nine:  Made direct amends to such people wherever possible
> except when to do so would injure them or others.
> 
> So if you are offering your gift at the alter, and there remember that
> your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the
> altar and go;  first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and
> offer your gift. Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are
> going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and
> the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. (Matthew 5:24-25 (New
> American Standard))
> 
> Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the
> trust of thy neighbor, 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 judgment, 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. (Bahá'u'lláh:  Gleanings, page
> 285)
> 
> Step Ten: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were
> wrong promptly admitted it.
> 
> O SON OF BEING! Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to
> a reckoning; for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be
> called to give account for thy deeds.  (Bahá'u'lláh: Arabic Hidden Words,
> page 31)
> 
> Step Eleven: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our
> conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for
> knowledge of His will for us and for the power to carry that out.
> 
> Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee,
> as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy
> melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men.
> (Bahá'u'lláh: Gleanings, page 295)
> 
> O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. 
> I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge.
> (`Abdu'l-Bahá: Bahá'í Prayers (US edition), page 152)
> 
> Step Twelve: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these
> steps, we
> tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in
> all our
> affairs.
> 
> Verily, God hath made it incumbent upon every soul to deliver His Cause
> according to his
> ability. Thus hath the command been recorded by the finger of might and
> power upon the
> Tablet of majesty and greatness. (Bahá'u'lláh: Bahá'í World Faith, page
> 206)
> 
> Unloose your tongues, and proclaim unceasingly His Cause. This shall be
> better for you 
> than all
> the treasures of the past and of the future, if ye be of them that
> comprehend this truth.
> (Bahá'u'lláh: Gleanings, page 330)
> 
> 
> BE A BAHA'I 
> 
> 
> You must manifest complete love and affection toward all mankind. 
> 
> Do not exalt yourselves above others, but consider all as your equals,
> recognizing them as 
> the
> servants of one God. 
> 
> Know that God is compassionate toward all; therefore, love all from the
> depths of your 
> hearts,
> prefer all religionists before yourselves, be filled with love for every
> race, and be kind
> toward the people of all nationalities. 
> 
> Never speak disparagingly of others, but praise without distinction. 
> 
> Pollute not your tongues by speaking evil of another. 
> 
> Recognize your enemies as friends, and consider those who wish you evil as
> the wishers 
> of
> good. 
> 
> You must not see evil as evil and then compromise with your opinion, for
> to treat in a 
> smooth,
> kindly way one whom you consider evil or an enemy is hypocrisy, and this
> is not worthy 
> or
> allowable. You must consider your enemies as your friends, look upon your
> evil-wishers 
> as
> your well-wishers and treat them accordingly. 
> 
> Act in such a way that your heart may be free from hatred. 
> 
> Let not your heart be offended with anyone. 
> 
> If some one commits an error and wrong toward you, you must instantly
> forgive him. 
> 
> Do not complain of others. 
> 
> Refrain from reprimanding them, and if you wish to give admonition or
> advice, let it be
> offered in such a way that it will not burden the bearer. 
> 
> Turn all your thoughts toward bringing joy to hearts. 
> 
> Beware! Beware! lest ye offend any heart. 
> 
> Assist the world of humanity as much as possible. 
> 
> Be the source of consolation to every sad one, assist every weak one, be
> helpful to every
> indigent one, care for every sick one, be the cause of glorification to
> every lowly one, and
> shelter those who are overshadowed by fear. 
> 
> In brief, let each one of you be as a lamp shining forth with the light of
> the virtues of the
> world of humanity. 
> 
> Be trustworthy, sincere, affectionate and replete with chastity. 
> 
> Be illumined, be spiritual, be divine, be glorious, be quickened of God,
> be a Bahá'í.
> (`Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace*, page 453)
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Topeka, Kansas, Inc.
>   Post Office Box 1962, 
>   Topeka, Kansas 66601
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quotations from the Bahá'í writings Copyrighted by various
> Bahá'í
> institutions and used by permission. Assembled by Rick and Sherry with
> thanks to Mark T., who did the initial research for the compilation.
> 
>   For more information on BIRF, contact 
>   Bahá'ís in Recovery Fellowship 
>   100 Douglas Street 
>   Bisbee, Arizona 85603
>
> — *Twelve Steps, The: Baha'i Writings and the "Twelve-Step" program of recovery from substance abuse (Used by permission of the curator)*