Daily Frameworks for 15 January 2026

Istijál, 17 Sharaf (Honor), 182 B.E.

Quotes for Reflection

Fourth is truthfulness, for truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues. Without truthfulness progress and success, in all the worlds of God, are impossible for any soul. When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also be acquired. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ^{1 2}

Question for Consideration

From a Bahá’í perspective, why is truthfulness “the foundation of all human virtue”?

Perplexity Pro Response ³

Truthfulness is described as “the foundation of all human virtues” in the Bahá’í writings because it is the inner condition that makes every other virtue real rather than merely pretended or imagined. [1]

Linking words and reality

From a Bahá’í perspective, truthfulness means more than just not lying; it means that what is in the heart, what is on the tongue, and what is done in action are in unity. [1]
If a person speaks of love, justice, humility or faith but is not truthful, those virtues remain only in words and can easily become hypocrisy. [1]
Truthfulness therefore protects religion itself from becoming “the noise, the clamour” detached from real character and deed. [1]

Condition for all other virtues

‘Abdu’l‑Bahá states that when truthfulness “is established in man, all the divine qualities will also be acquired.” [1]
The reason given in the Bahá’í writings is that every vice is, in some sense, the “antithesis of truthfulness,” so a truly truthful person “will shrink from every evil deed, and be preserved from every wicked act.” [1]
Because of this, truthfulness “comprehendeth all other virtues” and becomes the spiritual soil in which qualities such as justice, compassion, chastity, generosity and humility can genuinely grow. [1]

Basis of trust and community

Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá repeatedly connect truthfulness with trustworthiness–twin lights of virtue by which society is illumined. [1]
Without truthfulness, trust breaks down, and with it the possibility of stable relationships, just governance, fair commerce, or meaningful consultation. [1]
Since the Bahá’í Faith sees the purpose of religion as the “betterment of the world” and the building of unity, truthfulness becomes foundational because it is the condition for any enduring trust and social order. [1]

Alignment with the divine will

The Bahá’í writings teach that the purpose of God’s revelation is to summon humanity to “truthfulness and sincerity” along with other central virtues. [1]
To be truthful is to align oneself with reality as God has created it, rather than with illusion, self‑deception, or social pretence. [1]
In this sense, truthfulness is foundational because it is how the soul turns toward what is real and divine, making spiritual progress and success “in all the worlds of God” possible. [1]

Protection from hypocrisy

‘Abdu’l‑Bahá goes so far as to say that “it were better” to be an open unbeliever who tells the truth than one who professes faith and lies. [1]
This stark contrast shows that, from a Bahá’í point of view, falsehood rots the core of the soul more than many other sins, because it destroys integrity and makes even seemingly good deeds hollow. [1]
Truthfulness, by contrast, preserves inner wholeness, guards all other virtues from corruption, and allows a person’s spiritual state to be what it outwardly appears to be. [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/038140521. ↩︎
2. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks. Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 2018.  https://www.bahai.org/r/117183504 ↩︎
3. Perplexity Pro. “Truthfulness: The Foundation of All Human Virtues.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. January 14, 2026. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/fourth-is-truthfulness-for-tru-XH9d60iHRCqYiviXG5sQhA#0 ↩︎