‘Abdu’l-Baha lived in deed and truth the kind of life that Jesus of Nazareth led and bade His followers to lead

To live today in deed and truth the kind of life that Jesus of Nazareth led and bade His followers lead; to love God wholeheartedly, and for God’s sake to love all mankind, even one’s slanderers and enemies; to give consistently good for evil, blessings for curses, kindness for cruelty and, through a career darkened along its entire length by tragic misrepresentation and persecution, to preserve one’s courage, one’s sweetness and calm faith in God - to do all this and yet to play the man in a world of men, sharing at home and in business the common life of humanity, administering when occasion arose affairs large and small and handling complex situations with foresight and firmness — to live in such a manner throughout a long and arduous life, and when, in the fullness of time, death came, to leave to multitudes of mourners a sense of desolation and to be remembered and loved by them all as the servant of God - to how many men is such an achievement given as it has been given in this age of ours to ‘Abdu’l-Baha? 

- George Townshend (Hand of the Cause of God [Sometime Cannon of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland]; World Order magazine, October 1936)

The correct way of reciting the Prayer for the Dead

The correct way of reciting the Prayer for the Dead is as follows:

Alláh-u-Abhá (once)

We all, verily, worship God (19 times)

Alláh-u-Abhá (once)

We all, verily, bow down before God (19 times)

Alláh-u-Abhá (once)

We all, verily, are devoted unto God (19 times)

Alláh-u-Abhá (once)

We all, verily, give praise unto God (19 times)

Alláh-u-Abhá (once)

We all, verily, yield thanks unto God (19 times)

Alláh-u-Abhá (once)

We all, verily, are patient in God (19 times)

When the Kitáb-i-Aqdas was being translated it was noted that the English translation of the instructions which form part of the Prayer for the Dead could be understood in more than one way. Therefore, when Note 11 was formulated it was expressed in a way that was intended to clarify the ambiguity, namely: “the repetition of the greeting ‘Alláh-u-Abhá‘ (God is the All Glorious) six times, each followed by nineteen repetitions of one of the six specifically revealed verses.”

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 13 September 1993, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to Maison d’Éditions Bahá’íes; Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

Private initiatives by believers “dedicated to social and economic development”: - are they "Bahá’í" or not?

...As a national community grows, the activities undertaken by its members also increase in number and diversity. Some of these activities will be initiated and administered by the Bahá’í institutions. Others will fall in the realm of private initiative. When an initiative is in the form of a private business venture undertaken by an individual or group, the institutions of the Faith have little reason to interfere with their daily affairs. Only if difficulties arise among the friends involved in such an enterprise, if their activities could damage the good name of the Faith, or if they misrepresent their relationship to the Faith, would a Local or National Spiritual Assembly intervene. Bahá’í institutions, of course, applaud any effort by these private ventures to apply the Teachings to their operations and to use their position in society to further the interests of the Faith. Spiritual Assemblies would do well to offer them guidance, as requested or as circumstances require, and to help them develop their potential for the advancement of the Cause.

Bahá’u’lláh identifies the conditions of “these days”

We exhort mankind in these days

• when the countenance of Justice is soiled with dust,
• when the flames of unbelief are burning high and the robe of wisdom rent asunder,
• when tranquillity and faithfulness have ebbed away and trials and tribulations have waxed severe,
• when covenants are broken and ties are severed,
• when no man knoweth how to discern light and darkness or to distinguish guidance from error.

- Baha’u’llah (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

Humanity’s maturation process and the gradual manifestation of the power latent in the Word of God in each dispensation

In one of the most characteristic passages He [Bahá'u'lláh] Himself has revealed, He testifies in a language that none can mistake to the truth of this distinguishing principle of Bahá’í belief: “It hath been decreed by Us that the Word of God and all the potentialities thereof shall be manifested unto men in strict conformity with such conditions as have been foreordained by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise… Should the Word be allowed to release suddenly all the energies latent within it, no man could sustain the weight of so mighty a revelation…

- Shoghi Effendi (‘The Unfoldment of World Civilization’, included in ‘The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh)

Pioneers: - virtues to be cognizant of and strive for

 Let some, at this very moment, gird up the loins of their endeavor, flee their native towns, cities, and states, forsake their country, and, “putting their whole trust in God as the best provision for their journey,” set their faces, and direct their steps towards those distant climes, those virgin fields, those unsurrendered cities, and bend their energies to capture the citadels of men’s hearts—hearts, which, as Bahá’u’lláh has written, “the hosts of Revelation and of utterance can subdue.” Let them not tarry until such time as their fellow-laborers will have passed the first stage in their campaign of teaching, but let them rather, from this very hour, arise to usher in the opening phase of what will come to be regarded as one of the most glorious chapters in the international history of their Faith.

• Let them, at the very outset, “teach their own selves, that their speech may attract the hearts of their hearers.”
• Let them regard the triumph of their Faith as their “supreme objective.”
• Let them not “consider the largeness or smallness of the receptacle” that carries the measure of grace that God poureth forth in this age.
• Let them “disencumber themselves of all attachment to this world and the vanities thereof,” and, with that spirit of detachment which ‘Abdu’l Bahá exemplified and wished them to emulate, bring these diversified peoples and countries to the remembrance of God and His supreme Manifestation.
• Let His love be a “storehouse of treasure for their souls,” on the day when “every pillar shall tremble, when the very skins of men shall creep, when all eyes shall stare up with terror.”
• Let their “souls be aglow with the flame of the undying Fire that burneth in the midmost heart of the world, in such wise that the waters of the universe shall be powerless to cool down its ardor.”
• Let them be “unrestrained as the wind” which “neither the sight of desolation nor the evidences of prosperity can either pain or please.”
• Let them “unloose their tongues and proclaim unceasingly His Cause.”
• Let them “proclaim that which the Most Great Spirit will inspire them to utter in the service of the Cause of their Lord.”
• Let them “beware lest they contend with anyone, nay strive to make him aware of the truth with kindly manner and most convincing exhortation.”
• Let them “wholly for the sake of God proclaim His Message, and with that same spirit accept whatever response their words may evoke in their hearers.”
• Let them not, for one moment, forget that the “Faithful Spirit shall strengthen them through its power,” and that “a company of His chosen angels shall go forth with them, as bidden by Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise.”
• Let them ever bear in mind “how great is the blessedness that awaiteth them that have attained the honor of serving the Almighty,” and remember that “such a service is indeed the prince of all goodly deeds, and the ornament of every goodly act.”

- Shoghi Effendi (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

Tablet of Visitation for Mullá Husayn and Quddús – revealed by Bahá’u’lláh

Tablet of visitation for the first to arrive and the last to attain,[1] may the souls of all on earth be offered up for them both.

In the name of Him Who is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful!

The peace that hath shone forth from the Dayspring of the Will of God, the Lord of all being, and the light that hath dawned above the horizon of His supreme mercy and His resplendent signs rest upon you, O ye who are the hands of His power in the kingdom of creation and the manifestations of His grandeur between earth and heaven!

Ye are they who were awakened by the gentle winds of the dawn of Revelation and were enraptured by the voice of Him Who spoke on Sinai. Ye are they who inhaled the fragrance of the All-Merciful when it wafted from the realm of divine knowledge. By your guidance the thirsty hastened to the onrushing waters of everlasting life and the sinner to the vivifying river of forgiveness and mercy. Ye are the signs of God and His straight Path amongst His creation. Through you all faces turned to the Most Exalted Horizon and every poor one sought the Wellspring of wealth.

At your suffering all things lamented, and every atom cried out between earth and heaven, and Adam forsook the Most Exalted Paradise and chose for Himself a place upon the dust. Ye are the dawning-places of power amidst the people and the daysprings of might amongst the righteous. Through you the springtime of inner meaning appeared in the world of utterance and the All-Merciful shed His effulgent splendour upon all created things.

The “forces of disintegration that are an inseparable feature of an age in transition”: - Responsibilities of “family, and the community as a whole”

Cultivating a new pattern of family life also counters the forces of disintegration that are an inseparable feature of an age in transition. 

• These forces assailing society have particularly affected the family, sundering its ties, and taking a heavy toll on its members, especially on children.
• They can expose family members to some of the most destructive social pathologies:
• an absence of love and care,
• neglect of the things of the spirit,
• dehumanization,
• poverty,
• insecurity, and
• violence.
• Individuals are tempted to surrender to a life of material distractions or personal gratification, thereby becoming mere objects to be manipulated by those who seek to impose their designs on society.
• Contrasting ideologies and identities, incompatible with the ideals of the oneness of humanity and a peaceful world, vie for the allegiance of the masses and contend for superiority with one another.
• Some of these movements plant seeds of prejudice and fanaticism which ultimately yield estrangement, conflict, and contention among the peoples of the world.
• Others may seem to conform to some aspect of the Teachings, only to subtly lead the friends away from Bahá’u’lláh’s straight path.
• The forces associated with the process of disintegration affect different populations in different ways.

The family, and the community as a whole, will need to 

• learn to examine existing circumstances, 
• grasp the nature and impact of such forces, and, 
• with full reliance on divine assistance, develop preventive and remedial measures in order to weather the tumultuous storms of a perilous age.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 19 March 2025 to the Bahá’ís of the World; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

“the Bahá’í Writings illuminate all areas of human endeavor and all academic disciplines”

…statements in the Bahá’í Writings which disclose the relationship between the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh and the knowledge which is acquired as a result of scholarly endeavors. Bahá’u’lláh asserts that:

“Unveiled and unconcealed, this Wronged One hath, at all times, proclaimed before the face of all the peoples of the world that which will serve as the key for unlocking the doors of sciences, of arts, of knowledge, of well-being, of prosperity and wealth. . . .”

It is evident that the Bahá’í Writings illuminate all areas of human endeavor and all academic disciplines. Those who have been privileged to recognize the station of Bahá’u’lláh have the bounty of access to a Revelation which casts light upon all aspects of thought and inquiry, and are enjoined to use the understanding which they obtain from their immersion in the Holy Writings to advance the interests of the Faith.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 19 October 1993, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)

Next Manifestation of God: “not definite that it will be 1000 years; it may be 2000, or 10,000 or 20,000 years”

…during the cycle of the Blessed Perfection —May My life be a sacrifice to His believers—all are beneath His shadow. He is the Unique and Peerless One till the next Manifestation. It is, however, not definite that it will be 1000 years; it may be 2000, or 10,000 or 20,000 years; but it is definite that for the coming 1000 years there will appear no Manifestation; for 1000 years there shall arise no Sun. All the appearances will be beneath the shade of the Most Great Appearance; they will be as stars of guidance. All of them shall gather around this Fountain of Life; all of them will become illumined with the rays of this Sun; all of them will receive a share and a portion from this great Sea; all of them will become vivified with this soul imparting breeze and all of them will be under the down-pour of this rain. The aim is this: His Holiness the Báb gave the Glad-tidings concerning the Appearance of the Manifestation of God, and His Holiness, the Blessed Perfection, was the “Promised One” of all the nations and religions. The Báb was the “Morning Star,” heralding the glorious Dawn of the Sun of Reality. Now all of us are under Its shadow and receive the refulgent Bestowals from It. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, recorded by Ahmad Sohrab, one of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's secretaries and translators from 1912 to 1919; Star of the West, volume 5, no. 6, June 24, 1914)

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‘Abdu’l-Baha’s interpretation of a believer’s dream

The dream:

"A young girl became evident to me as belonging with the family, but I could not make out who she was. She spoke of a horse that my son had had long ago, but I did not understand what she meant. After a time it became known that she was my daughter, and I felt grieved to think that I had not been conscious of her presence in all the past years. She seemed not hurt, but surprised that we did not under- stand her. Just as I was waking, I realized that she was our little baby who had passed away over twenty-one years ago, when nine months old." (end of dream.)

Mrs.--- added: "She was my idol, and because I loved her so much, I tried hard to put her out of my thought, and the dream made me feel that we should not do this.”

‘Abdu’l-Baha interpreted it thus:

"That child is your trust within the charge of God. She was a child when she went, but you shall find her full grown in the Kingdom of God. You shall find her mature. You shall not find her there as a child. You shall find her perfect and mature.

"As to the horse once belonging to your son, of which she spoke: Horse in the dream means a wish. It shows that your daughter has fulfilled her wish and her desire, and that shows the loftiness of her station. The wish is one in which your son shared, but she attained to it. It is my hope, God willing, that, he, too, will attain to it."

1947: Hand of the Cause of God Amelia Collins - “The high rank you now occupy and which no Bahá'í since the Master's passing has ever held in his own lifetime…”

With a heart overflowing with profound gratitude I am now writing you these few lines to reaffirm the sentiments, expressed lately on several occasions and in a number of telegrams, of heartfelt and unqualified admiration for your magnificent services, rendered in circumstances so exceptional and difficult as to make them doubly meritorious in the sight of God. You have acquitted yourself of the task I felt prompted to impose upon you in a manner that deserves the praise of the Concourse on High. The high rank you now occupy and which no Bahá'í since the Master's passing has ever held in his own lifetime has been conferred solely in recognition of the manifold services you have already rendered, and is, by no means, intended to be a stimulus or encouragement in the path of service. Indeed the character of this latest and highly significant service you have rendered places you in the category of the Chosen Nine who, unlike the other Hands of the Cause, are to be associated directly and intimately with the cares and responsibilities of the Guardian of the Faith. I feel truly proud of you, am drawn closer to you, and admire more deeply than ever before the spirit that animates you. May the Beloved reward you, both in this world and the next, for your truly exemplary achievements.

- Shoghi Effendi (Appended to a letter dated 14 January 1947 written on his behalf to Mrs. Collins;  ‘The Bahá'í World", vol. XIII’)

“knowledge and sciences [that] will be brought into light” if a person enters “the universal university of the Kingdom”

Thou hast written that thou art a student in the progressive spiritual school. Happy is thy condition! If the various progressive schools join themselves to the universal university of the Kingdom, such knowledge and sciences will be brought into light that

• man will see that the potentialities of the “Open Tablet” of existence are infinite;
• will realize that all the created things are as letters and words;
• will be instructed in the lessons of the degrees of significances;
• will perceive the signs of oneness in the primordial atoms of the earth;
• will hear the voice of the Lord of the Kingdom;
• will behold the confirmations of the Holy Spirit and
• will find such ecstasy and joy that, being unable to contain himself in the vast area of existence, he will prepare himself for the journey toward the Kingdom and
• will hasten to the immensity of the Realm of Might.

As soon as a bird if fledged, it cannot keep itself on the ground; nay, rather it soareth up toward the Supreme Apex—except the birds whose feet are tied, whose wings are clipped and feathers broken and who are soiled with water and clay. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 3)

To “nurture communities that can manifest the fundamental principles of peace and the requirements of amity and oneness”

Praise be to God that the followers of the Greatest Name throughout the world are familiar with this task and have exerted the utmost effort at all times, in all places, and to the degree possible to discharge this critical responsibility and to learn, in collaboration with like-minded and sympathetic people, how to nurture communities that can manifest the fundamental principles of peace and the requirements of amity and oneness.

• Such communities keenly endeavour to give practical expression to the principle of the equality of women and men;
• they are committed to the centrality of justice and fairness;
• they strive to create harmony and unity, combined with diversity;
• they make consultation the axis for individual and collective decision-making, the remover of conflict, and the builder of agreement;
• they promote economic solidarity and mutual support among people;
• they teach children and junior youth freedom from both prejudice and rancour, and regard the youth as being at the vanguard of the advancement and transformation of society;
• they view spiritual and moral principles as the foundation of the exaltation of humanity and of every kind of progress.

And in this way, they spread a culture of peace and reconciliation.

- The Universal House of Justice (From Naw-Rúz 181[2024] message to the followers of the Greatest Name and the helpers of the Ancient Beauty in the sacred land of Iran; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

“Over the span of His life, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laboured tirelessly in service to Bahá’u’lláh”

Over the span of His life, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laboured tirelessly in service to Bahá’u’lláh, fulfilling, in its entirety, His Father’s sacred trust.

• He faithfully nurtured and protected the precious seed that had been planted.
• He sheltered the Cause in the cradle of its birth and, guiding its spread in the West, established there the cradle of its administration.
• He set firm the footsteps of the believers and raised up a cohort of champions and saints.
• With His own hands, He interred the holy remains of the Báb in the mausoleum He raised on Mount Carmel,
• devotedly tended the twin Holy Shrines, and
• laid the foundations of the Faith’s world administrative centre.
• He safeguarded the Faith from its avowed enemies, internal and external.
• He revealed the precious Charter for sharing Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings with all peoples across the globe,
• as well as the Charter that called into being and set in motion the processes of the Administrative Order.
• His life spanned the entire period of the Heroic Age inaugurated by the declaration of the Báb;
• His ascension ushered in a new Age whose features were as yet unknown to the believers.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 28 November 2023 addressed to the Bahá’ís of the World; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Canada: “the future of Canada, whether from a material or a spiritual standpoint, is very great”

“The future of the Dominion of Canada,” He [‘Abdu’l-Bahá], in another Tablet of the Divine Plan, has asserted, “is very great, and the events connected with it infinitely glorious. The eye of God’s loving-kindness will be turned towards it, and it shall become the manifestation of the favors of the All-Glorious.” “Again I repeat,” He, in that same Tablet reaffirms His previous statement, “that the future of Canada, whether from a material or a spiritual standpoint, is very great.” 

- Shoghi Effendi (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

'Abdu’l-Baha’s counsel to Lua Getsinger: “Thou must be firm and unshakable in thy purpose, and never, never let any outward circumstances worry thee.”

Thou must be firm and unshakable in thy purpose, and never, never let any outward circumstances worry thee. I am sending thee to India to accomplish certain definite results. Thou must enter that country with a never-failing spirituality, a radiant faith an eternal enthusiasm, an inextinguishable fire, a solid conviction, in order that thou mayest achieve those services for which I am sending thee.

Let not thy heart be troubled. If thou goest away with this unchanging condition of invariability of inner state, thou shalt see the doors of confirmation open before thy face, thy life will be a crown of heavenly roses, and thou shalt find thyself in the highest station of triumph.

Strive day and night to attain to this exalted state. Look at me! Thou dost not know a thousandth part of the difficulties and seemingly unsurmountable passes that rise daily before my eyes. I do not heed them; I am walking in my chosen highway; I know the destination. Hundreds of storms and tempests may rage furiously around my head; hundreds of Titanics may sink to the bottom of the sea, the mad waves may rise to the roof of heaven; all these will not change my purpose, will not disturb me in the least; I will not look either to the right or to the left; I am looking ahead, far, far. Piercing through the impenetrable darkness of the night, the howling winds, the raging storms, I see the glorious Light beckoning me forward, forward. The balmy weather is coming, and the voyager shall land safely.

“trailblazing actions and... dazzling initiatives the followers of Bahá’u’lláh undertook for the sake of the development and progress of Iran”

Consider what trailblazing actions and what dazzling initiatives the followers of Bahá’u’lláh undertook for the sake of the development and progress of Iran and in the discharge of the commitment to the good of humanity that He nurtured in them. See what a range of educational, medical, industrial, and agricultural establishments and what material, spiritual, intellectual, and cultural advancements were brought about as a result of the profound faith that generation after generation of those followers placed in the truth that success and prosperity, spiritual salvation and the good pleasure of God are made possible through service, love, and goodwill towards one’s fellow beings. A few examples suffice to attest this truth.

• In some of the remotest corners of the country, more than a hundred years ago, the Bahá’ís of Iran established modern schools that they might impart knowledge to girls and boys and eradicate ignorance.
• By teaching literacy to adults, whether men or women, they swiftly eliminated illiteracy in their communities.
• Courageously and persistently, from the earliest days of the Cause, they have striven to promote the freedom of women and the equality of women and men and have endeavoured to ensure that this important principle—which is an inseparable aspect of Bahá’u’lláh’s fundamental principle of the oneness of humanity—is not only implemented in their personal and family lives, but is also institutionalized in their social and administrative affairs as well as in their educational programmes.
• They established hospitals and dispensaries, so that with the aid of modern medical science and new inventions they might contribute to the health and well-being of their fellow citizens and heal physical ailments too.
• They have exerted great effort to contribute to the development and prosperity of cities and villages, to further industry and agriculture, and to exalt and celebrate the arts and crafts of Iran.
• They have endeavoured to remove ethnic and religious prejudices and have taught their children the lesson of the oneness of humanity from their earliest years.
• They have raised the banner of truthfulness, honesty, and moral conduct in such manner that, throughout the history of this blessed Cause, even its sworn enemies have confessed to their honesty and truthfulness and been astonished and dumbfounded to see that they refuse to deny the truth for the sake of worldly benefit, material advantage, or the preservation of their lives and possessions.
• A hundred years ago they instituted the culture of freedom of choice and the election of representatives in every town and village in which they lived, and they have learned and practised consultation as a principle essential for the creation of harmony and unity together with variety and diversity.
• And above all, they have placed great value on education and have made every effort to ensure that, by means of educational programmes that train human character, the divine principles and teachings are translated into reality.

- The Universal House of Justice (From Naw-Ruz 2024 Message to the Baha’is in Iran; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)