“That which had been enshrined from eternity in the knowledge of God, the Knower of the seen and unseen, is revealed.”

The Day of the Promise is come, and He Who is the Promised One loudly proclaimeth before all who are in heaven and all who are on earth, ‘Verily there is none other God but He, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting!’ I swear by God! That which had been enshrined from eternity in the knowledge of God, the Knower of the seen and unseen, is revealed. Happy is the eye that seeth, and the face that turneth towards, the Countenance of God, the Lord of all being. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

Baha’u’llah’s given name and titles

In the name He bore He combined those of the Imám Husayn, the most illustrious of the successors of the Apostle of God—the brightest “star” shining in the “crown” mentioned in the Revelation of St. John—and of the Imám ‘Alí, the Commander of the Faithful, the second of the two “witnesses” extolled in that same Book. He was formally designated Bahá’u’lláh, an appellation specifically recorded in the Persian Bayán, signifying at once the glory, the light and the splendor of God, and was styled the “Lord of Lords,” the “Most Great Name,” the “Ancient Beauty,” the “Pen of the Most High,” the “Hidden Name,” the “Preserved Treasure,” “He Whom God will make manifest,” the “Most Great Light,” the “All-Highest Horizon,” the “Most Great Ocean,” the “Supreme Heaven,” the “Pre-Existent Root,” the “Self-Subsistent,” the “Day-Star of the Universe,” the “Great Announcement,” the “Speaker on Sinai,” the “Sifter of Men,” the “Wronged One of the World,” the “Desire of the Nations,” the “Lord of the Covenant,” the “Tree beyond which there is no passing.” 

- Shoghi Effendi (God Passes By)

The reason the Guardian called “Nabil's narrative a narrative of the early days of the Bahá'í revelation”

Shoghi Effendi feels that the Unity of the Bahá'í revelation as one complete whole embracing the Faith of the Bab should be emphasised... The Faith of the Bab should not be divorced from that of Bahá'u'lláh. Though the teachings of the Bayan have been abrogated and superseded by the laws of Aqdas, yet due to the fact that the Bab considered Himself as the forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh we should regard His dispensation together with that of Bahá'u'lláh as forming one entity, the former being an introductory to the advent of the latter. Just as the advent of John the Baptist -- who according to various authorities was Himself the originator of laws which abrogated the teachings current among the Jews -- forms part of the Christian revelation, the advent of the Bab likewise forms an integral part of the Bahá'í Faith. That is why Shoghi Effendi feels justified to call Nabil's narrative a narrative of the early days of the Bahá'í revelation.

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 30 November 1930, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; printed in ‘The Unfolding Destiny of the British Baha'i Community’)

The “King of the Messengers”

O Ahmad! Bear thou witness that verily He is God and there is no God but Him, the King, the Protector, the Incomparable, the Omnipotent. And that the One Whom He hath sent forth by the name of Ali [1] was the true One from God, to Whose commands we are all conforming.

Say: O people be obedient to the ordinances of God, which have been enjoined in the Bayan by the Glorious, the Wise One. Verily He is the King of the Messengers and His book is the Mother Book did ye but know. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Tablet of Ahmad; compilation: ‘Baha’i Prayers’)

[1] The Báb

Twin Birthdays

O concourse of earth and heaven! This is that first night, [Birth of the Báb] which God hath made to be a sign of that second night, [Birth of Baha’u’llah] whereon was born He Whom no praise can befittingly extol and no attribute describe. Well is it with him who reflecteth upon them both: Verily, he will find their outer reality to correspond to their inner essence, and will become acquainted with the divine mysteries that lie enshrined in this Revelation, a Revelation through which the foundations of misbelief have been shaken, the idols of superstition have been shattered, and the banner hath been unfurled which proclaimeth, “No God is there but Him, the Powerful, the Exalted, the Incomparable, the Protector, the Mighty, the Inaccessible.” 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Days of Remembrance’)

The “Báb…after an interval of a thousand years shed the light of divine guidance once again upon the human world”

…the coming of the Báb, Whose Birth two centuries ago we now honour, gave rise to unprecedented ferment in the country where He was born. The moment of His appearance, like the appearance of all such Figures, precipitated the release of powerful spiritual forces—but there was no accompanying spectacle. There was instead a late evening conversation, in a modest Persian dwelling, between a student of religion and his youthful Host, during which that Host revealed that He was the Promised One, the divine Educator His guest had been seeking. “Observe attentively,” He remarked, “Might not the Person intended … be none other than I?” It is this Youth, the Báb, that we acclaim as the One Whose coming—after an interval of a thousand years—shed the light of divine guidance once again upon the human world.  

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated October 2019, addressed to ‘all who have come to honour the Herald of a new Dawn’)

The overall effect of the appearance of the Manifestations of God on humanity

The light which the Manifestations of God in every age shed upon the material and spiritual life of humanity discloses truths, whose very conception is impossible before the appearance of those Manifestations. Those Teachers illumine the essential relationships on which the progress of the world and its inhabitants depends and create the instruments for the attainment of that progress. Their appearance makes manifest the treasures hidden in the world of being, and Their teachings bring with them the precious gift of a new stage of unity. They encourage humankind once again to acquire spiritual qualities and to attain human perfections, so that through the confirmations of God and its own endeavours, it can lay the foundations of its own felicity. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From an authorized translation of a message dated 24 October 2019 addressed to the believers in Iran)

A “Light that cast its radiance over the entire creation”

In the name of the One born on this day, Him Whom God hath made to be the Herald of His name, the Almighty, the All-Loving!

This is a Tablet We have addressed unto that night wherein the heavens and the earth were illumined by a Light that cast its radiance over the entire creation.

Blessed art thou, O night! For through thee was born the Day of God, a Day which We have ordained to be the lamp of salvation unto the denizens of the cities of names, the chalice of victory unto the champions of the arenas of eternity, and the dawning-place of joy and exultation unto all creation. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Days of Remembrance’)

To “confirm people of true capacity and ability”

...he feels that the great point is to confirm people of true capacity and ability -- from whatever social stratum they may be -- because the Cause needs now, and will ever-increasingly need, souls of great ability who can bring it before the public at large, administer its ever-growing affairs, and contribute to its advancement in every field. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 30 October 1941 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Teaching Prominent People)

Poems revealed by Baha’u’llah

I earnestly hope that thou wilt memorize all the Persian poems revealed by the Blessed Beauty and wilt sing them in a voice of incomparable sweetness at Bahá'í meetings and gatherings. The day is not far distant when these poems will be set to Western music and the sweet accents of these songs will reach the Abha Kingdom with exceeding joy and gladness. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, The Importance of Arts in Promoting the Faith)

Marriage and Baha’i service

Marriage is a very sacred institution. Baha'u'llah said its purpose is to promote unity. If the friends neglect, for the sake of the Cause, this institution, they place the Faith in a poor light before the public. In these days the people of the world are so immoral, and treat the marriage institution so lightly; and we, as Baha'is, in contrast to the people of the world, are trying to create a high moral standard, and reinstate the sanctity of marriage.

If your husband will allow you to do a certain amount of teaching work, and occasionally to travel in the interests of the Faith, all the better, but he doesn’t think that the Faith should be made the thing which destroys your family life.  (

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 6 June 1954 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Afire with the Vision, Messages from Shoghi Effendi to Latin America’)

“The teachings of Baha'u’llah will establish a new way of life for humanity”

The teachings of Baha'u’llah will establish a new way of life for humanity. Those who are Baha'is must endeavor to establish this way of life just as rapidly as possible. Now that the hour has arrived when the Baha'i Faith is gaining prominence, and is being reviewed by so many peoples, it is necessary that the adherents of the Faith should live up to the high ideals of the Faith in every way. In this way they can demonstrate that the Baha'i Faith does create a new way of life, which brings to the individual a complete association with the Will of God, and thus the establishment of a peaceful and universal society. Divisional attachments are of men, while universal service is of God. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 20 November 1955 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Afire with the Vision, Messages from Shoghi Effendi to Latin America’)

Being intuitive, prayerful, and practical

He urges you to devote yourself to encouraging the friends to arise and teach. He feels that, although prayer and meditation are necessary, with sensitive, imaginative people like you who dream vividly, there is always a danger that one may begin to interpret one's dreams and feelings as coming in the form of true inspiration from God, and be carried away, without realizing it, by one's personal ideas.

Those who are inclined by nature to be prayerful and intuitive need to become more practical; and the extremely practical friends, who are disinclined to devote sufficient time to prayer and meditation, should cultivate this other side of their natures. In this way more balance of temperaments can be produced for the service of the Cause. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 21 December 1955 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Afire with the Vision, Messages from Shoghi Effendi to Latin America’)

To “try and have the Baha’i Community representative of the population of the country insofar as possible”

He is urging the Baha'is everywhere to try and have the Baha’i Community representative of the population of the country insofar as possible; in other words, where the majority of the people are Hindus, to try and have a majority of Hindu Baha'is; where the  majority are Christian, Christian; where the majority are Negroes, Negroes, etc. In this way the Cause is more deeply identified with the life of the people of the country. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 12 February 1956 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Georgetown; ‘Afire with the Vision, Messages from Shoghi Effendi to Latin America’)

“…as humanity's plight goes from bad to worse…”

The eyes of the people of the world are beginning to be focused on us; and, as humanity's plight goes from bad to worse, we will be watched ever more intently by non-Bahá'ís, to see whether we do uphold our own institutions whole-heartedly; whether we are the people of the new creation or not; whether we live up to our beliefs, principles and laws in deed as well as word. We cannot be too careful. We cannot be too exemplary. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 5 August 1955 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles, published in "Unfolding Destiny: The Messages from the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith to the Bahá'í Community of the British Isles"; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Excellence in All Things)

The “prerequisite of a future successful career of service to the Bahá'í Faith” – for youth while studying

I strongly urge you to devote, while you are pursuing your studies, as much time as you possibly can to a thorough study of the history and Teachings of our Beloved Cause. This is the prerequisite of a future successful career of service to the Bahá'í Faith in which I hope and pray you will distinguish yourself in the days to come. 

- Shoghi Effendi (Appended to a letter dated 18 May 1926 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Youth)

Baha’u’llah’s prayer for ‘Abdu’l-Baha

"Thou knowest, O my God," Bahá'u'lláh, in a prayer revealed in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's honor, supplicates, "that I desire for Him naught except that which Thou didst desire, and have chosen Him for no purpose save that which Thou hadst intended for Him. Render Him victorious, therefore, through Thy hosts of earth and heaven... Ordain, I beseech Thee, by the ardor of My love for Thee and My yearning to manifest Thy Cause, for Him, as well as for them that love Him, that which Thou hast destined for Thy Messengers and the Trustees of Thy Revelation. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the All-Powerful."

- Baha'u'llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)

“Turning to God”

…spirituality is the greatest of God’s gifts, and ‘Life Everlasting’ means ‘Turning to God’. May you, one and all, increase daily in spirituality, may you be strengthened in all goodness, may you be helped more and more by the Divine consolation, be made free by the Holy Spirit of God, and may the power of the Heavenly Kingdom live and work among you. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk, 22 November 1911, Paris; ‘Paris Talks’)

Nineteen Day Feasts

Ye have written of the Nineteen Day festivities. This Feast is a bringer of joy. It is the groundwork of agreement and unity. It is the key to affection and fellowship. It diffuseth the oneness of mankind. 

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá  (From a Tablet to an individual believer, The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Nineteen Day Feast)

“two categories” of believers

…we should not confuse the true believers with those who are not quickened with the spirit of faith, have some ulterior motive, or are indifferent to the reputation they have personally, and the damage they may do to the Cause in the eyes of the public. There is all the difference in the world between these two categories, and your Assembly must ever be watchful and ready to take action when necessary. 

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, quoted by the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated December 9, 1991, written on its behalf to a National Spiritual Assembly)

One’s “outward conduct” and “inward life”

They who are the people of God have no ambition except to revive the world, to ennoble its life, and regenerate its peoples. Truthfulness and good-will have, at all times, marked their relations with all men. Their outward conduct is but a reflection of their inward life, and their inward life a mirror of their outward conduct. 

- Baha'u'llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah’)

Serving “as a divine physician to mankind”

If in this day a soul shall act according to the precepts and the counsels of God, he will serve as a divine physician to mankind, and like the trump of Israfil, [1] he will call the dead of this contingent world to life; for the confirmations of the Abha Realm are never interrupted, and such a virtuous soul hath, to befriend him, the unfailing help of the Company on high. Thus shall a sorry gnat become an eagle in the fulness of his strength, and a feeble sparrow change to a royal falcon in the heights of ancient glory. 

- ‘Abdu'l-Baha  ('Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu'l-Baha')

[1] Believed to be the angel appointed to sound the trumpet on the Day of Resurrection to raise the dead at the bidding of the Lord.]

Meaning of firmness in the Covenant

Firmness in the Covenant means obedience, so that no one may say, 'this is my opinion,' nay rather he must obey that which proceeds from the Pen and Tongue of the Covenant. 

- 'Abdu'l-Baha  (From a Tablet, Star of the West, Vol. 8, no. 17, January 19, 1918)

Dancing & taking part in dramas: – what to be cognizant of

As regards the matters you raised in your letter: In the teachings there is nothing against dancing, but the friends should remember that the standard of Bahá'u'lláh is modesty and chastity. The atmosphere of modern dance halls, where so much smoking and drinking and promiscuity goes on, is very bad, but decent dances are not harmful in themselves. There is certainly no harm in classical dancing or learning dancing in school. There is also no harm in taking part in dramas. Likewise in cinema acting. The harmful thing, nowadays, is not the art itself but the unfortunate corruption which often surrounds these arts. As Bahá'ís we need avoid none of the arts, but acts and the atmosphere that sometimes go with these professions we should avoid. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 3o June 1952 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to a National Spiritual Assembly; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, The Importance of Arts in Promoting the Faith)

Virtues to embody when delivering the Message

With hearts overflowing with the love of God, with tongues commemorating the mention of God, with eyes turned to the Kingdom of God, they must deliver the Glad Tidings of the manifestation of the Lord of Hosts to all the people. Know ye of a certainty that whatever gathering ye enter, the waves of the Holy Spirit are surging over it, and the heavenly grace of the Blessed Beauty encompasseth that gathering. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Tablets of the Divine Plan’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Guidelines for Teaching)

“all the forces of the universe… serve the Covenant”

Today, the Lord of Hosts is the defender of the Covenant, the forces of the Kingdom protect it, heavenly souls tender their services, and heavenly angels promulgate and spread it broadcast. If it is considered with insight, it will be seen that all the forces of the universe, in the last analysis serve the Covenant. In the future it shall be made evident and manifest. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

Husband and wife: “two helpmates, two intimate friends”

O ye two believers in God! The Lord, peerless is He, hath made woman and man to abide with each other in the closest companionship, and to be even as a single soul. They are two helpmates, two intimate friends, who should be concerned about the welfare of each other.

If they live thus, they will pass through this world with perfect contentment, bliss, and peace of heart, and become the object of divine grace and favour in the Kingdom of heaven. But if they do other than this, they will live out their lives in great bitterness, longing at every moment for death, and will be shamefaced in the heavenly realm.

Strive, then, to abide, heart and soul, with each other as two doves in the nest, for this is to be blessed in both worlds. 

- ‘Abdu'l-Baha  ('Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu'l-Baha')

One’s deeds and words

In this day, any deed, however infinitesimal, when not performed for the sake of God, is manifest loss; and any word, when not uttered for the sake of God, can cause a conflagration. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Give Me Thy Grace to Serve Thy Loved Ones’, prepared by the International Teaching Center for the Continental Counselors and their Auxiliaries, May 2018)

“The purpose underlying the revelation of every heavenly Book”

The purpose underlying the revelation of every heavenly Book, nay, of every divinely-revealed verse, is to endue all men with righteousness and understanding, so that peace and tranquillity may be firmly established amongst them. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)

To “be attentive to His voice”

Say: This is the Day when every ear must needs be attentive to His voice. Hearken ye to the Call of this wronged One, and magnify ye the name of the one true God, and adorn yourselves with the ornament of His remembrance, and illumine your hearts with the light of His love. This is the key that unlocketh the hearts of men, the burnish that shall cleanse the souls of all beings. He that is careless of what hath poured out from the finger of the Will of God liveth in manifest error. Amity and rectitude of conduct, rather than dissension and mischief, are the marks of true faith. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)

Meaning of certain miracles attributed to Manifestations of God

These outward miracles are of no importance to the followers of truth. For example, if a blind man is made to see, in the end he will again lose his sight, for he will die and be deprived of all his senses and faculties. Thus, causing the blind to see is of no lasting importance, since the faculty of sight is bound to be lost again in the end. And if a dead body be revived, what is gained thereby, since it must die again? What is important is to bestow true insight and everlasting life, that is, a spiritual and divine life; for this material life will not endure and its existence is tantamount to non-existence. Even as Christ said in reply to one of His disciples: “let the dead bury their dead”; for “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” [Matt. 8:22; John 3:6.]

Consider that Christ reckoned as dead those who were nonetheless outwardly and physically alive; for true life is life eternal and true existence is spiritual existence. Thus if the Sacred Scriptures speak of raising the dead, the meaning is that they attained everlasting life; if they say that one who was blind was made to see, the meaning of this seeing is true insight; if they say that one who was deaf was made to hear, the meaning is that he acquired an inner ear and attained spiritual hearing. This is established by the very text of the Gospel where Christ says that they are like those of whom Isaiah once said, They have eyes and see not, they have ears and hear not; and I heal them. [Cf. Matt. 13:14–15; John 12:39–40]

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Table talks in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014 revised translation by the Baha’i World Center)