Of all the monarchs of the earth, at the time when Bahá’u’lláh, proclaiming His Message to them, revealed the Súriy-i-Mulúk in Adrianople, the most august and influential were the French Emperor and the Supreme Pontiff. In the political and religious spheres they respectively held the foremost rank, and the humiliation both suffered was alike immediate and complete.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
The plenitude of His [Baha’u’llah] glory the Apostle of God [Muhammad] had, moreover, as attested by Bahá’u’lláh Himself, compared to the “full moon on its fourteenth night.” His station the Imám ‘Alí, the Commander of the Faithful, had, according to the same testimony, identified with “Him Who conversed with Moses from the Burning Bush on Sinai.” To the transcendent character of His mission the Imám Husayn had, again according to Bahá’u’lláh, borne witness as a “Revelation whose Revealer will be He Who revealed” the Apostle of God Himself.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)
In one of the most characteristic passages He 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)
…the evolution of the World Order of Baha’u’llah is an organic process proceeding in accordance with the Divine Will and animated by a spiritual reality. In response to a question, ‘Abdu'l-Bahâ wrote: "The kingdom of peace, salvation, uprightness, and reconciliation is founded in the invisible world, and it will by degrees become manifest and apparent through the power of the Word of God!" As a result of consecrated human endeavour over decades, and indeed centuries, this spiritual reality is gradually expressed in physical form.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 19 April 2001, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; US Baha’i National Administrative website)
…when an individual hears the Message of Bahá’u’lláh and is moved to declare his faith, there should be no obstacle placed in his way. Great care must be taken that when the heart of the individual is touched by the power of Bahá’u’lláh’s Message and the declarant has expressed his desire to embrace the Faith, the process of deepening be followed almost immediately. Deepening the knowledge of the new believer in the verities of the Faith is the most vital part of teaching; but deepening is not merely the imparting of knowledge—it requires also to imbue the soul of the person with the love of Bahá’u’lláh so that his faith may grow day by day and he becomes a steadfast believer.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 30 June 1993 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)
In the Súriy-i-Sabr, revealed as far back as the year 1863, on the very first day of His arrival in the garden of Ridván, He [Bahá’u’lláh] thus affirms: “God hath sent down His Messengers to succeed to Moses and Jesus, and He will continue to do so till ‘the end that hath no end’; so that His grace may, from the heaven of Divine bounty, be continually vouchsafed to mankind.”
“I am not apprehensive for My own self,” Bahá’u’lláh still more explicitly declares, “My fears are for Him Who will be sent down unto you after Me—Him Who will be invested with great sovereignty and mighty dominion.” And again He writes in the Súratu’l-Haykal: “By those words which I have revealed, Myself is not intended, but rather He Who will come after Me. To it is witness God, the All-Knowing.” “Deal not with Him,” He adds, “as ye have dealt with Me.”
- Shoghi Effendi (‘The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah; included in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)
…fostering the capacity for the investigation of truth, for appreciation of the harmony of science and religion, for resolving differences of opinion and making decisions through consultation and cooperation rather than contention and contest empowers family members as effective protagonists in a process of social transformation. And developing qualities such as justice and compassion among family members prepares the children to establish sound and balanced relationships with others in society. Thus, the effort to learn to apply the Teachings within the family both generates within children a vision that transcends the family itself and raises consciousness about the conditions and needs of the peoples of the world.
- 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)
In the western world in recent decades, Bahá'ís have grown used to thinking that the process by which a person accepts the Faith takes a long time, and that it is unthinkable for someone to intelligently accept Bahá'u'lláh within minutes of hearing of Him. This may be the pattern to which they have become accustomed, but it is far from being a universal one. When people accepted the Faith quickly in Africa and other parts of the Third World, western Bahá’ís sometimes explained it away by saying that such people were less educated and had fewer ideas to work their way through. Now the same process is happening in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc, and highly educated people are accepting the Faith as soon as they hear of it, embracing it enthusiastically, and rapidly deepening their understanding of its teachings by reading every Bahá’í book they can lay their hands on. So it is clear that receptivity to spiritual truth is, as Bahá’u’lláh indicated, a matter of purity of heart, not of education or lack of it.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 30 June 1993 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)
…adherence to the principle of the oneness of humanity requires that children are provided with experiences that guard them from prejudice of all kinds and enhance their appreciation of diversity, which contributes to the ability to create relationships of unity and oneness in a divided world.
- 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)
It should also be borne in mind that, great as is the power manifested by this Revelation and however vast the range of the Dispensation its Author has inaugurated, it emphatically repudiates the claim to be regarded as the final revelation of God’s will and purpose for mankind. To hold such a conception of its character and functions would be tantamount to a betrayal of its cause and a denial of its truth. It must necessarily conflict with the fundamental principle which constitutes the bedrock of Bahá’í belief, the principle that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is orderly, continuous and progressive and not spasmodic or final. Indeed, the categorical rejection by the followers of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh of the claim to finality which any religious system inaugurated by the Prophets of the past may advance is as clear and emphatic as their own refusal to claim that same finality for the Revelation with which they stand identified. “To believe that all revelation is ended, that the portals of Divine mercy are closed, that from the daysprings of eternal holiness no sun shall rise again, that the ocean of everlasting bounty is forever stilled, and that out of the tabernacle of ancient glory the Messengers of God have ceased to be made manifest” must constitute in the eyes of every follower of the Faith a grave, an inexcusable departure from one of its most cherished and fundamental principles.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah; included in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)
The teaching of the Cause has always called for wisdom, devotion, enthusiasm, purity of intention and eloquence of speech. Like other human beings, Baha’is tend to go to extremes, and too few people bring the proper balance to the way they act. This is particularly true in the teaching of the Faith. At one extreme are those who are so on fire with love for the Faith and with awareness of the desperate need of the people for its healing message, that they overstep the bounds of wisdom and discretion and stray into the area of proselytizing. At the other extreme are those who are so gentle in their approach and so concerned never to arouse an adverse reaction that they fail to convey the enormous importance of the Cause or to convince their hearers; for if the messenger is not enthusiastic, how can he convey enthusiasm to others? The first extreme leads to misrepresentation of the teachings and causes disillusionment; the second results in the stagnation of the community and its failure to fulfill its fundamental duty of conveying this life-giving message to the world.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 30 June 1993 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)
Too great emphasis cannot be laid on the importance of the unity of the friends, for only by manifesting the greatness of their love for and patience with each other can they hope to attract large numbers to their ranks."
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 2 August 1942, written on behalf Shoghi Effendi; The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. III, Promoting Entry by Troops)
In clusters and in neighbourhoods and villages where notable progress has occurred, no matter from what starting point, an essential factor has been the capacity of the friends at the grassroots to learn together, combining insights gained from their own experience with those of advanced communities nearby or further afield, without any sense of applying a fixed formula. Although the fundamental features of a programme of growth—its aim, its guiding principles, and its basic instruments—are the same everywhere, growth is an organic process, not a mechanical one. In such a process, progress depends at each point on maintaining a clear understanding of the priorities that pertain to a place and, as we emphasized in our message to your 2021 conference, reading evolving realities and adopting approaches suited to local conditions.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 31 December 2025 to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)
Sore-tried and disillusioned, humanity has no doubt lost its orientation, and would seem to have lost as well its faith and hope. It is hovering, unshepherded and visionless, on the brink of disaster. A sense of fatality seems to pervade it. An ever-deepening gloom is settling on its fortunes as it recedes further and further from the outer fringes of the darkest zone of its agitated life and penetrates its very heart.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 11 March 1936; published in ‘The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters’)
The meanings of the terms “elucidation” and “interpretation,” as they are used with regard to the functions of Bahá’í institutions, should not of course be confused with each other. The elucidations of the Universal House of Justice stem from its legislative function, and as such differ from interpretation. The divinely inspired legislation of the House of Justice does not attempt to say what the revealed Word means—it states what must be done in cases where the revealed Text or its authoritative interpretation is not explicit; and in this context it offers explanations. It is, therefore, on quite a different level from the sacred Text, and the Universal House of Justice is empowered to abrogate or amend its own legislation whenever it judges the conditions make this desirable. The major distinction between the two functions of elucidation and interpretation, to repeat the point differently, is that legislation with its resultant outcome of elucidation is susceptible of amendment by the House of Justice itself, whereas the Guardian’s interpretation is a statement of truth which cannot be varied.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 27 August 1998, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; Baha’i Library Online)
People of African descent in the United States have referred to themselves using various terms, which have changed over time. These have included, for example, “Negro”, “African American”, “Black”, and others. The Guardian wrote his works from the 1920s to the 1950s. During this period, “Negro” was considered the proper English-language term when referring to those of African origin. For instance, “Negro” was used by major leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States up to the 1960s. It was later replaced by other terms, so it is now generally viewed as being out of date, and some may even find the term offensive. When publicly making reference to the passages from the Guardian that contain this term, Bahá’ís can prevent misunderstandings by selectively quoting relevant portions, summarizing the key concepts, or providing the historical context if using the exact text.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 3 January 2021, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; US Baha’i National Administrative website)
It should not be forgotten that, apart from these specific Tablets in which the kings of the earth are severally and collectively addressed, Bahá’u’lláh has revealed other Tablets—the Lawh-i-Ra’ís being an outstanding example—and interspersed the mass of His voluminous writings with unnumbered passages, in which direct addresses, as well as references, have been made to ministers, governments, and their accredited representatives. I am not concerned, however, with such addresses and references, which, vital as they are, cannot be regarded as being endowed with that peculiar pregnancy which direct and specific messages, voiced by the Manifestation of God and directed to the world’s Chief Magistrates in His day, must possess.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
The pure-hearted people of Iran, following a tradition stretching back several thousand years, observe as a national festival this day [Naw-Ruz] that marks the commencement of spring. They put aside all grievances from the preceding year and focus their thoughts on loving fellowship. Bahá’ís across the globe, of every nation and ethnicity, likewise celebrate with great jubilation the festival of Naw-Rúz, as explicitly ordained in the Most Holy Book, and regard it as an opportunity to foster friendship and unity among the peoples of the world.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 21 March 2010 addressed to the Believers in the Cradle of the Faith)
The family members’ intimate association and their earnest desire to serve others opens a unique social space: a Bahá’í home. A vibrant Bahá’í home is an irreplaceable element in the process of community building at the grassroots. In the loving environs of the home, family members support one another in becoming capable and confident protagonists of the Divine Plan, and they welcome and assist others to play a part in transforming society. In a Bahá’í home, warm hospitality combines with spiritual quickening and intellectual progress. Through activities that every Bahá’í family can offer in its home, it can demonstrate a way of life that can be emulated by all those who seek to counteract the divisive forces that feed discontent, conflict, and self-interest, and to weave the bonds of trust, cooperation, and constructive action upon which a healthy community depends. Indeed, in a range of clusters worldwide, groups of families are already opening their homes and working together to help to consolidate local activities and to greatly extend their reach and influence.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated19 March 2025 to the Bahá’ís of the World; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)