Istiqlál, 09 Masá’il (Questions), 182 B.E.
Quotes for Reflection
We call to remembrance every one of the friends and exhort them to have regard to trustworthiness, which is a charge that God hath entrusted to the safe-keeping of His servants; to righteousness, which He hath made to be a citadel of strength for His well-favoured ones and faithful, humble servants; and to whatever virtues shall conduce to their dignity and honour among all peoples. — Bahá’u’lláh 1
Question for Consideration
How does having regard to righteousness as a citadel of strength impact one’s behavior and influence others?
Perplexity Pro Response 2
Seeing righteousness as a “citadel of strength” shapes a person into someone inwardly stable and outwardly reliable, and that steadiness becomes a quiet but powerful influence on others. When people consistently act from such an inner fortress, their lives invite trust, reflection, and change in those around them. [1]
What “citadel of strength” implies
Bahá’u’lláh often links righteousness, trustworthiness, uprightness and similar virtues with images of fortresses, strongholds, and garments that protect and ennoble the soul. A citadel suggests something secure, elevated, and protective: a place from which one does not easily retreat under pressure. [1]
To “have regard…to righteousness” in this sense means treating integrity not as an occasional option but as one’s primary refuge, source of courage, and standard for decisions. [1]
How it transforms personal behavior
When righteousness is a citadel, behavior becomes less reactive to fear, social pressure, or self-interest. A person anchored in rectitude continues to act justly in business, family, and public life even when no one is watching or when dishonesty would be easier or more profitable. [1]
Such a person learns to accept material loss, misunderstanding, or delay in advantage rather than compromise conscience, because security is felt in faithfulness to God, not in outward gain. This produces consistency: words and deeds align, promises matter, and small daily actions reflect the same standard as big public ones. [1]
How it influences others
The Bahá’í writings explain that “the citadels of men’s hearts should be subdued through the hosts of a noble character and praiseworthy deeds,” not contention or strife. When others encounter someone whose honesty, fairness, and purity of motive are unwavering, they feel both safe and challenged: safe because there is no hidden agenda, challenged because it exposes the gap between rhetoric and reality. [1]
Over time, this quiet example often does more to change attitudes than arguments do. People come to trust such a person with responsibility, seek their counsel, and sometimes adjust their own standards upward simply not to betray that trust. [1]
Creating a climate of trust
Righteous conduct is described as a means to “the exaltation of man’s station,” the spread of justice, and the tranquillity and security of society. In practice, this means that one person who treats contracts, public funds, confidential information, or shared work with scrupulous integrity helps establish expectations of fairness in their workplace, community, or family. [1]
As more people adopt similar standards, the environment slowly shifts: cooperation replaces suspicion, consultation replaces rivalry, and others begin to see moral excellence as normal rather than exceptional. [1]
Inner strength and moral courage
Because righteousness is viewed as a fortress, it gives courage to stand apart from prevailing patterns—refusing corruption, gossip, manipulation, or hypocrisy even when these are common. The writings say the “sword of upright conduct and a goodly character is sharper than blades of steel,” suggesting that moral courage can achieve what force cannot. [1]
This kind of courage can embolden others: seeing someone accept unpopularity or loss rather than sacrifice principle reassures them that they too can make principled choices and survive, even flourish, inside that same citadel of righteousness. [1]
Citations
- Trustworthiness: A Cardinal Bahá’í Virtue. Compiled by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, Revised August 1990 – Bahá’í Reference Library
Footnotes
- Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. “Trustworthiness: A Cardinal Bahá’í Virtue.” Bahá’í Reference Library, Revised August 1990. https://www.bahai.org/r/619675745. ↩︎
- Perplexity Pro. “Righteousness: A Citadel of Strength.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. December 18, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/we-call-to-remembrance-every-o-qn6WD1VgR5akF4EEMJY3TA#0 ↩︎
Frameworks for Understanding the World 