Daily Frameworks for 27 February 2026

Daily Frameworks 6 Minutes

Istiqlál, 03 Ayyám-i-Há (The Days of Há), 182 B.E.

Quotes for Reflection

War and rapine with their attendant cruelties are an abomination to God, and bring their own punishment, for the God of love is also a God of justice and each man must inevitably reap what he sows. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 1

Question for Consideration

What is the relationship of “love” to “divine justice”?

Perplexity Pro and Kimi K2.5 Model Response 2

In the Bahá’í writings, love and divine justice are two inseparable faces of one reality: God’s justice is His love put into the form of order, truth, protection and education, so that souls and societies can truly flourish. [1] [2]

Justice as love made visible

Bahá’u’lláh calls justice “the best beloved of all things in My sight,” and immediately explains that it is “My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness.” Justice, then, is not something cold set over against love; it is itself an expression of divine tenderness, given so that we may “see with [our] own eyes” and know with our “own knowledge,” freed from illusion and oppression. Elsewhere He states that God created the world and then “chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him,” describing this as the “primary purpose underlying the whole of creation,” so justice protects and serves this capacity for love rather than limiting it. [3] [4]

‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, speaking of the inner life, writes that “Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity… the living link that uniteth God with man,” and “the most great law” binding together the universe. If love is the inner law, justice is its outward shape: it is love insisting that reality be seen as it is, that truth be spoken, that each soul be treated according to its God‑given nobility and not according to prejudice, whim, or power. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Justice protects and perfects love among people

Bahá’u’lláh calls justice “the light of men,” and says, “The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men.” In other words, divine justice is love seeking a social form—relationships and structures in which each person’s dignity is upheld and all can contribute. ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá urges the friends to “be the helpers of every victim of oppression” and at the same time to “show forth tenderness and love to every human being, even to your enemies,” so that love and justice together heal both oppressed and oppressor. [9] [10] [11] [12]

He states that “the Kingdom of God is founded upon equity and justice, and also upon mercy, compassion, and kindness to every living soul,” presenting justice and loving-kindness not as rivals but as joint foundations of God’s order. In another place, He says believers must be “distinguished for loving humanity, for unity and accord, for love and justice,” pairing love and justice as twin hallmarks of a godly life. [13] [14]

Justice, mercy, and “reaping what we sow”

‘Abdu’l‑Bahá explains that “the tent of existence is upheld upon the pillar of justice, and not upon forgiveness,” meaning that the continuity of human life requires consequences and moral law, even though forgiveness and mercy are also divine attributes. He clarifies that if only pardon operated and no justice, “in short time the world would be disordered and the foundations of human life would crumble,” so justice is love safeguarding the weak, restraining aggression, and preserving the conditions under which higher virtues can grow. [15] [16]

Bahá’í texts repeatedly show that the “punishments” of divine justice are not vindictive but educational: God’s laws and the natural “reaping” of our deeds are described as means by which souls awaken, societies are purified, and those who do wrong are given the chance to change. In this sense, even when divine justice chastens, it is the love of a physician cutting away disease or a parent refusing to confirm a child in self‑destruction—a severe mercy that aims always at restoration, not revenge. [17] [18] [19] [20]

In practice: loving through justice

At the level of daily life, the Bahá’í writings ask us to let love shape how we pursue justice, and to let justice discipline our love so it does not become indulgence or favoritism. We are urged to “see no strangers; rather see all men as friends,” and yet also to “uphold the standard of justice,” address inequity, and stand with the oppressed. When a community’s relationships “are characterized by love and justice,” the House of Justice explains, “all have the opportunity to use their talents in service to humanity,” which is precisely what divine love desires. [21] [22] [23] [24]

So, in Bahá’í thought, divine justice is not love’s opposite; it is love’s architecture. Love is the motive and warmth; justice is the pattern that ensures that love becomes real in the ordering of souls, relationships, and institutions, and that every person can “attain true liberty” and everlasting felicity. [25] [26] [27]

Follow-Up Questions Proposed by Perplexity and Kimi K2.5 Model

  • What context prompted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to author this specific quote on war and God’s justice?
  • What Bahá’í writings discuss war and peace in detail?
  • How does Bahá’u’lláh describe the role of justice in society?
  • What are examples of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá teachings on love versus violence?
  • What are modern Bahá’í statements against war and conflict?

​Citations

Footnotes

  1. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Paris Talks. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/032260883. ↩︎
  2. Perplexity Pro and Kimi K2.5 Model. “The Relationship of Love to Divine Justice.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. February 26, 2026. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/war-and-rapine-with-their-atte-2Yu0rT62QdCh931KeWc_7g. ↩︎

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.

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Published by Steve Bosserman

Curious about / experienced in organization design, strategic framing, content curation, independent research, social media writing, open source publishing

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