Jalál, 19 Sharaf (Honor), 182 B.E.
Quotes for Reflection
O pure soul! Follow thou in the footsteps of the truthful and tread the way of the righteous, so that, through truthfulness, thou mayest come to occupy a Seat of Truth, (Qur’án, 54:55) and, through righteousness, thou mayest attain to abiding honour. If the sum of all sins were to be weighed in the balance, falsehood would, on its own, countervail them; nay, its evils would even outweigh them and its detriment prove greater. It were better for thee that thou shouldst be a blasphemer and tell the truth than that thou shouldst mouth the formulas of faith and yet be a liar. These clear words are addressed as an admonition to the peoples of the world. Render thanks unto God that it is through thee that this counsel hath been addressed to all mankind. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 1
Question for Consideration
From a Bahá’í standpoint, why is truthfulness so highly regarded and falsehood quite the opposite?
Perplexity Pro Response 2
Truthfulness is regarded in the Bahá’í teachings as the foundation of all virtues and the very purpose of religion, while falsehood is seen as the root and sum of sins because it destroys the soul’s integrity, trust between people, and the possibility of genuine spiritual life. [1]
Core Bahá’í perspective
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states that “truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues” and that without it, “progress and success, in all the worlds of God, are impossible for any soul.” [1]
- In the same compilation that includes the passage you quoted, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá explains that if all sins were weighed, falsehood alone would counterbalance them and even outweigh them, and that it is “better…to be a blasphemer and tell the truth than…to mouth the formulas of faith and yet be a liar.” [1]
Why truthfulness is exalted
- Truthfulness is described as “the goodliest of qualities as it comprehendeth all other virtues,” because a truly truthful person recoils from every vice that contradicts truth. [1]
- Bahá’u’lláh likens faith to a tree whose fruits and branches include “trustworthiness, truthfulness, uprightness and forbearance,” indicating that truthfulness is an essential expression of real faith, not an ornament added later. [1]
Why falsehood is so destructive
- ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá says all vices and misdeeds are “the very antithesis of truthfulness,” so habitual lying opens the door to every other moral failure and corrodes character at its root. [1]
- The warning that falsehood outweighs other sins emphasizes that lying hollows out religious life itself: one can recite prayers or “formulas of faith,” yet if one is a liar, the inner reality is in contradiction with the outward claim. [1]
Relation to God and revelation
- Bahá’u’lláh states that the very purpose of God’s Manifestation is to summon humanity “to truthfulness and sincerity, to piety and trustworthiness…uprightness and wisdom,” so that each person may be “arrayed…with the mantle of a saintly character.” [1]
- Another passage says “trustworthiness is the sun of the heaven of My commandments, truthfulness is its moon,” placing truthfulness at the center of the moral universe established by divine law. [1]
Social and communal implications
- The Bahá’í writings link truthfulness and trustworthiness to “peace, security and tranquillity,” calling them the “cause of peace” and the “greatest portal leading unto the tranquillity and security of the people.” [1]
- Because the Bahá’í community is meant to be “the lump that must leaven the peoples of the world,” believers are told to show such truthfulness that people will recognize a Bahá’í by integrity of word and deed. [1]
In sum, from a Bahá’í standpoint, truthfulness is prized because it reflects the reality of God, makes all other virtues possible, and undergirds both spiritual life and social order, while falsehood is feared because it undermines them at their deepest level. [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/038072938. ↩︎
- Perplexity Pro. “Come to Occupy a Seat of Truth.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. January 16, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/o-pure-soul-follow-thou-in-the-lReg0Mm1TaSoSVR_KzF33Q#0 ↩︎
Frameworks for Understanding the World 