Daily Frameworks for 25 December 2025

Istijlál, 15 Masá’il (Questions), 182 B.E.

Quotes for Reflection

We ask God graciously to grant that all may evince such fairness of character, such goodliness of deed and kindliness of word as will meet with His good pleasure. It hath been decreed that the citadels of men’s hearts should be subdued through the hosts of a noble character and praiseworthy deeds. Contention, discord, strife and sedition have all been forbidden in the Book of God. Beseech the Lord that He deprive not His dominions of the effulgent light of the sun of trustworthiness, nor deny them the radiance of the Day-Star of truthfulness or the splendour of the orb of justice and equity. Trustworthiness and piety are even as two luminaries shining resplendent above the horizon of the heaven of the Tablet in which are inscribed the ordinances of God. Well is it with them that have discerned them, and woe betide the heedless! — Bahá’u’lláh ^{1 2}

Question for Consideration

What behaviors and attitudes constitute hosts of a noble character and praiseworthy deeds sufficient to subdue “the citadels of men’s hearts”?

Perplexity Pro Response ³

A “host of a noble character and praiseworthy deeds” is a whole way of life marked by truthfulness, trustworthiness, justice, kindness, purity of motive, and patient, selfless service to others, consistently expressed in word and action until hearts are won without argument or coercion. [1]

Core inner attitudes

• Truthfulness and sincerity: Making truth the foundation of one’s inner life and speech, shunning hypocrisy, pretence, and any deliberate distortion, even when falsehood would be advantageous. [1]
• Contentment with God’s will: Cultivating resignation, gratitude in hardship, and reliance on God instead of anxiety, manipulation, or complaint. [1]
• Detachment from wealth and status: Remaining inwardly free from greed, ostentation, or craving for power, even when surrounded by opportunities for gain. [1]

Essential moral qualities

• Trustworthiness: Being a safe-keeper of others’ rights, property, confidences, and expectations so reliably that one becomes “a stronghold to the city of humanity” and a “door of security for all that dwell on earth.” [1]
• Justice and equity: Weighing one’s own interests fairly against those of others, refusing favoritism, exploitation, or oppression, and seeking what is right, not merely what is legal or expedient. [1]
• Forbearance and patience: Responding to hurt, provocation, or opposition with composure, forgiveness, and dignity instead of retaliation or rancor. [1]

Conduct in speech and relationships

• Kindliness of word: Speaking with courtesy, fairness, encouragement, and humility, avoiding backbiting, contention, ridicule, or harshness, even in disagreement. [1]
• Freedom from contention: Refraining from strife, sedition, and needless controversy; choosing consultation, gentle explanation, and example instead of argument and partisanship. [1]
• Loving-kindness to all: Showing goodwill and compassion to friend and stranger alike, including those who oppose or wrong one, and praying for their good. [1]

Deeds in daily life and work

• Integrity in work and public trust: Absolute honesty in business, professions, and public service, refusing bribes, fraud, or exploitation, content with fair pay, and using one’s position solely to serve the common good. [1]
• Service as worship: Engaging in useful trades, professions, and community service as a form of devotion, striving for excellence, reliability, and benefit to society rather than personal gain. [1]
• Consistency of word and deed: Avoiding the condition where “words differ from deeds”; letting action confirm profession of faith so that people recognize one’s beliefs from conduct alone. [1]

How such “hosts” win hearts

• Moral beauty before argument: Allowing upright character, evident justice, trustworthiness, and sacrificial service to be the “hosts” that conquer hearts more powerfully than preaching or disputation. [1]
• Radiating trust, hope, and safety: Becoming so truthful, fair, and reliable that others feel inwardly secure, respected, and uplifted in one’s presence, and are thereby drawn, without pressure, toward the divine standards that inspire such a life. [1]

​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

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/177065571. ↩︎
2. Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. “Bahá’í Sacred Writings.” Bahá’í Reference Library, July 2025. https://www.bahai.org/r/536032626. ↩︎
3. Perplexity Pro. “Hosts of a Noble Character and Praiseworthy Deeds.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. December 24, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/we-ask-god-graciously-to-grant-HKMccMu.ThKtKaYMX4Uf9A#0 ↩︎