Daily Frameworks for 24 December 2025

‘Idál, 14 Masá’il (Questions), 182 B.E.

Quotes for Reflection

Cleave ye to the hem of the raiment of virtue and keep fast hold of the cord of piety and trustworthiness. Have regard to the good of the world and not to your own selfish desires. O peoples of God! Ye are the shepherds of the world. Keep ye your flocks unbesmirched by the mire of evil passion and desire, and adorn each one with the ornament of the fear of God. This is the firm command that hath issued forth in this day from the pen of the Ever-Abiding. I swear by the righteousness of God! The sword of upright conduct and a goodly character is sharper than blades of steel. — Bahá’u’lláh ¹

Question for Consideration

As shepherds of the world, what behaviors towards others will keep them “unbesmirched by the mire of evil passion and desire, and adorn each one with the ornament of the fear of God”?

Perplexity Pro Response ²

Behaviors that keep others “unbesmirched” in this sense are those that consistently model truthfulness, purity of motive, justice, loving-kindness, and conscious reverence for God, so that one’s influence draws people away from ego and towards noble character. [1] [2]​

Guarding from “mire”

To keep others from the “mire of evil passion and desire” means helping them avoid being dragged into lying, manipulation, sensual exploitation, greed, partisanship, and cruelty. This happens less by policing them and more by embodying a standard so clear that those things feel out of place in one’s presence. [1] [2]​

Key behaviors include:

• Truthfulness and trustworthiness in every word and agreement, never deceiving or taking advantage of anyone, even when one could do so unseen. [1] [4]​
• Purity of intention, consciously preferring the good of the whole to personal advantage or victory in a dispute. [1] [5]​
• Refusal to indulge gossip, backbiting, or character‑assassination, instead protecting people’s honour and redirecting conversations to what is fair and constructive. [1] [6]​​

Adorning others with reverence

To “adorn each one with the ornament of the fear of God” is to help awaken in them a God‑centered conscience: a loving awe and accountability before a just and merciful Lord that makes unworthy actions feel impossible. [3] [7]​

Behaviors that do this are:

• Speaking of God, virtue, and accountability in a way that is hopeful and attractive, not harsh or shaming, so that divine law is seen as protection, not oppression. [3] [7]​
• Quietly choosing God’s good pleasure over convenience in small, visible ways—keeping promises, admitting faults, returning what is not one’s own—which teaches more about the “fear of God” than many exhortations. [1] [2]​
• Responding to wrongs with justice tempered by mercy, so that people feel both the seriousness of their actions and the possibility of forgiveness and growth. [1] [8]​

Shepherd‑like daily conduct

Bahá’í texts describe a “shepherd” as one whose mere presence is a moral leaven in a city. In practice this looks like: [1] [9]​

• Approaching all—family, co‑workers, strangers—with sincerity, faithfulness, love, honesty, fidelity, truthfulness and loving‑kindness, such that people say: “This person is unquestionably a believer; their conduct shows it.” [1] [10]​
• Being scrupulously just and transparent in money, power, and sex—areas where “evil passion and desire” most easily soil the flock. [1] [5]​
• Choosing service over self‑promotion: seeking the common good rather than personal status or gain, especially in work, public roles, and community life. [1] [4]​

Protecting by example more than words

The writings stress that deeds, not speeches, conquer hearts: “The sword of upright conduct and a goodly character is sharper than blades of steel.” Thus a true shepherd: [1] [12]​

• Corrects others mainly through example and gentle, private counsel, avoiding humiliation or domination. [1] [8]​
• Perseveres in integrity even when others are corrupt or ungrateful, trusting that every “upright character and pure and goodly deed” has spiritual effect whether seen or not. [1] [2]​

Lived this way, ordinary interactions—contracts, conversations, hospitality, collaboration—become a quiet but powerful means of keeping souls clean of the “mire” and clothing them in that inner, luminous reverence for God.

Follow-Up Questions Proposed by Perplexity

• How does Bahá’u’lláh define fear of God in this passage?
• Practical ways to encourage moral restraint in communities?
• Examples of shepherd metaphor applied to modern social leadership?
• How to teach trustworthiness and truthfulness to youth?
• How does the Bahá’í community implement these principles today?

​Citations

1. Trustworthiness: A Cardinal Bahá’í Virtue. Compiled by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, Revised August 1990 – Bahá’í Reference Library
2. The Importance of Good Character and Conduct – BahaiTeachings.org
3. Lights of Guidance: Fear – Bahai.works
4. Trustworthiness: A Cardinal Bahá’í Virtue – Bahá’í Reference Library
5. Trustworthiness: Baha’i Feast Devotional Program – Uplifting Words
6. Sincerity: The Foundation Stone of Faith – Bahá’í Library Online
7. The Fear of God. What Does It Mean? – Bahá’í Blog
8. Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh – Bahai.works
9. Excellence in All Things: From the Writings and Utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá – Bahá’í Reference Library
10. Baha’i Quotes on Honesty and Trustworthiness – Uplifting Words
11. Trustworthiness: A Cardinal Bahá’í Virtue – Bahá’í Reference Library
12. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf – Bahá’í Reference Library
13. “Cleave ye to the hem of the raiment of virtue…” – Daily Verses of God
14. Trustworthiness: A Cardinal Bahá’í Virtue – Bahá’í Reference Library
15. “Cling ye to the hem of virtue…” – Baháʼí Faith for Humanity (Facebook)
16. “I wish to engage with you on the subject of the fear of God” – The Largest Bahá’í Facebook Group Ever
17. Cling – Bahá’í Quotes
18. Compilation about individual growth – The Ridván Reflect
19. Faithfulness – Bahá’í Quotes
20. Between fear and love – Reddit r/bahai

Footnotes

1. 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/177527395. ↩︎
2. Perplexity Pro. “Ye Are the Shepherds of the World.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. December 23, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/cleave-ye-to-the-hem-of-the-ra-J858qgcOSOiYM9alOqA3DQ#0. ↩︎