Istijlál, 02 Ayyám-i-Há (The Days of Há), 182 B.E.
Quotes for Reflection
The essence of all that We have revealed for thee is Justice, is for man to free himself from idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of oneness His glorious handiwork, and look into all things with a searching eye. — Bahá’u’lláh 1
Question for Consideration
What is the relationship of “oneness” to “divine justice”?
Perplexity Pro Response 2
In the Bahá’í writings, oneness is both the aim and the inner reality of divine justice: justice is the law and method by which the intrinsic oneness of humanity and creation becomes conscious, protected, and expressed in social life. [1] [2]
1. Justice discloses oneness
Bahá’u’lláh defines justice as “the appearance of unity among men” and “the light of men,” making clear that the true function of justice is to uncover and safeguard the unity already latent in reality. Justice is not merely giving each their due in a legal sense; it is the divine principle that: [1]
- unmasks illusions of superiority and inferiority,
- compels us to “look into all things with a searching eye,” free from “idle fancy and imitation,”
- and enables us to “discern with the eye of oneness His glorious handiwork.” [1]
So when He says “The essence of all that We have revealed for thee is Justice,” it culminates in this: to see with the “eye of oneness” is the highest fruit of justice; conversely, to practice true justice is to act as if that oneness is real, binding, and sacred. [1]
2. Oneness is the measure of justice
Because reality is one, anything that fractures that oneness is inherently unjust. Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá therefore treat unity and justice as inseparable:
- The “purpose of religion” is “to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the world.” [1]
- Justice is described as the “canopy of existence” and the “pole” upon which the order of the world rests; its purpose is explicitly the “appearance of unity among men.” [1] [3]
This means divine justice is not satisfied by formal equality alone. A situation is “just” only insofar as it:
- reduces estrangement and prejudice,
- protects and uplifts the oppressed and minorities, and
- aligns social arrangements with the truth that “all are the leaves of one tree and the drops of one ocean.” [1]
Hence Shoghi Effendi can say that Bahá’í institutions must “inculcate, demonstrate, and apply those twin and sorely needed principles of Divine justice and order,” making the Bahá’í community a model of “the oneness of mankind.” [2]
3. Oneness gives justice its spiritual content
In a merely human philosophy, justice can be understood as balance, rights, or procedure. In the Bahá’í teachings, divine justice is rooted in the metaphysical fact that:
- all humans share one spiritual reality and one divine origin,
- the “world of humanity is one,” and
- differences of race, nation, or class are like the varied colors of one garden—sources of beauty, not hierarchy. [1] [3]
Because of this, justice is not only external fairness; it is an inner alignment of vision: purifying perception from bias so that one sees and loves that oneness, and then structures relationships and institutions accordingly. A person may be legally exact yet spiritually unjust if they still cling to notions of superiority or exclusion. Divine justice demands a consciousness in which “no distinction” is seen in worth between peoples, and where any “discrimination… if at all to be tolerated, is… in favor of the minority.” [1] [2]
4. Oneness is both the starting point and the goal
You can think of the relationship this way:
- Ontology: In God’s sight, humanity is already one—this is the given. [1] [3]
- Ethics: Justice is the divine command to acknowledge that oneness and to renounce “idle fancies” (like racial superiority, nationalism, class pride) that deny it. [1] [2]
- Social order: Laws and institutions are just when they progressively reflect and reinforce that oneness—locally, nationally, and globally. [1] [2]
Thus oneness is not a sentimental ideal added onto justice; it is what justice looks like when God’s reality is taken seriously. Where there is no oneness, justice has not yet been fulfilled.
5. For personal practice
In that light, Bahá’u’lláh’s sentence in your quotation forms a chain:
- “The essence… is Justice” → live by a standard higher than self and group interest. [1]
- “is for man to free himself from idle fancy and imitation” → detach from inherited prejudices, party spirit, or mere tradition. [1]
- “discern with the eye of oneness His glorious handiwork” → train the heart to see one human family in God’s creation. [1]
- “and look into all things with a searching eye” → let that vision of oneness guide how you judge situations, systems, and your own motives. [1]
In sum, oneness is the reality that divine justice reveals, and divine justice is the path by which oneness becomes operative in the soul and in the world.
Citations
- [1] Bahá’u’lláh. Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/030537471
- [2] Effendi, Shoghi. The Advent of Divine Justice. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/862028771.
- [3] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Some Answered Questions. https://www.bahai.org/r/610118851
Footnotes
- Bahá’u’lláh. Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/061871273. ↩︎
- Perplexity Pro. “The Relationship of Oneness to Divine Justice”. Edited by Steve Bosserman. February 25, 2026. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/the-essence-of-all-that-we-hav-V6ctLVJRSX.4dn25jjtkow. ↩︎
Be the Voice of…
Therefore, all souls should consider it incumbent upon them to investigate reality. Reality is one; and when found, it will unify all mankind. Reality is the love of God. Reality is the knowledge of God. Reality is justice. Reality is the oneness or solidarity of mankind. Reality is international peace. Reality is the knowledge of verities. Reality unifies humanity. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá The Promulgation of Universal Peace | Bahá’í Reference Library.
Frameworks for Understanding the World 