Tag: oneness

Daily Frameworks for 15 September 2026

Fidál, 08 ‘Izzat (Might), 183 B.E.

Quotes for Reflection

We are often told by the Master that under such circumstances we should consult our friends, especially the Assemblies, and seek their advice. It would be nice if you should follow that advice and take some of the friends into your confidence. Maybe God’s will is best attained through consultation. — Shoghi Effendi [1]

Question for Consideration

How do Baháʼís use consultation as a social change management practice to convene “conversations that matter,” seek “ways that work,” and adopt “changes that sustain” among protagonists of social change— individuals, communities, and institutions—as they apply the spiritual principles of oneness and service and appeal to guidance from Baháʼí writings and institutions in an ever-evolving material world? [2] [3]

Perplexity Computer Response:

Bahá’ís use consultation not chiefly as a meeting technique, but as a disciplined, spiritual-and-practical learning process for collective change. It aims to replace adversarial bargaining, personal attachment, and factionalism with a shared search for truth, unity of action, and ongoing adaptation—so that individuals, communities, and institutions can become mutually reinforcing protagonists of social progress. [4] [5]

The underlying social vision

The Bahá’í approach begins with two connected convictions:

  • Oneness of humankind: social problems are treated as problems of a single interdependent human family, not as contests among permanently opposed interests. This changes the purpose of dialogue from winning, compromise, or protecting constituencies to discovering what serves the whole.
  • Service: participants are encouraged to understand their knowledge, skills, authority, and resources as capacities to contribute to the common good, rather than instruments of status, control, or self-advancement.

In this view, material advancement alone is insufficient. Social change must seek a dynamic coherence between material conditions—such as education, health, livelihoods, organizational capability, and public services—and spiritual qualities such as justice, trustworthiness, cooperation, generosity, and respect for human dignity. The Bahá’í framework explicitly treats scientific inquiry and spiritual insight as complementary sources of knowledge: evidence and testing are essential, while moral purpose helps ensure that knowledge and technology serve human well-being rather than narrow interests. [5]

This makes consultation a form of social change management: a way to coordinate action across a changing environment without presuming that any group already possesses a complete solution.

Convening conversations that matter

A Bahá’í consultative space is designed to be candid without becoming combative. Participants are asked to approach it prayerfully, with sincerity, love, humility, detachment from personal opinion, and fair-minded attention to others’ perspectives. The intention is not unanimity at any cost, nor a polite suppression of disagreement. It is to surface reality—including difficult facts, divergent experience, and minority insight—without turning the discussion into a struggle for dominance. [4]

Several practices turn that aspiration into a workable conversation:

  • Begin from a shared purpose. The group identifies the welfare of the population or community—not victory for an individual, party, or interest group—as the reference point.
  • Gather diverse knowledge. Those closest to a problem, people with technical expertise, and people affected by the decision all have knowledge relevant to understanding reality.
  • Treat proposals as collective property. Once an idea is offered, it is no longer “owned” by its author. Others may improve, revise, combine, or set it aside without this becoming a personal rejection.
  • Speak frankly and listen courteously. The method calls for freedom of expression coupled with dignity, moderation, and a sincere interest in views that differ from one’s own.
  • Separate people from positions. Participants work to relinquish attachment to their preferred solution, allowing evidence, principle, and group insight to reshape their view.
  • Pause if discussion becomes contentious. If consultation degenerates into dispute, it can be deferred rather than forcing a decision in an atmosphere that destroys trust.

The result is what might be called a “conversation that matters”: one in which a community can confront an actual condition—youth disengagement, local food insecurity, schooling, isolation, prejudice, or environmental strain—while preserving the relationships required to address it over time. Bahá’í sources describe consultation as helping harmonize viewpoints, strengthen trust and love between individuals and institutions, bring fresh insight to complex matters, and integrate diverse perspectives into a more adequate understanding of the problem. [4]

Seeking ways that work

Bahá’í consultation is inseparable from action. It does not end with a statement of values or an ideal plan; it translates a collective understanding into a modest, testable line of action and then learns from results.

The operational cycle is:

Study → Consultation → Action → Reflection → Adjustment

The Universal House of Justice describes this as a mode of “learning in action,” characterized by continuing action, reflection, consultation, and study. Visions and strategies are repeatedly re-examined; obstacles and results generate lessons; goals and methods are modified while continuity of purpose is maintained. [5]

This has several implications for change practice:

Change management questionBahá’í consultative response
What is really happening?Investigate the local social reality from multiple perspectives; distinguish fact, assumption, experience, and principle
Who decides?Individuals contribute initiative and knowledge; communities develop collective will; institutions provide moral authority, coordination, continuity, and guidance
How is disagreement handled?Through candid, respectful inquiry aimed at truth and unity—not adversarial negotiation or ideological contest
How are plans chosen?Form a practical course of action proportionate to available capacity, resources, and evidence
What happens when a plan fails?Reflect without blame, identify lessons, revise the method, and try again
How does learning spread?Record patterns of experience, exchange learning across local, regional, national, and international structures, and adapt insights to context

The preferred scale is generally modest at first. Rather than importing a fully designed program or treating people as clients of an expert solution, Bahá’í social action aims to increase the capacity of local people to participate in generating, applying, and sharing knowledge. An initiative may be as simple as a neighborhood effort of limited duration, or it may mature into a more complex educational, health, agricultural, or development organization—but its complexity should remain commensurate with the human resources and collective ownership available to sustain it. [5]

For example, if parents and youth identify weak educational support as a local concern, consultation might lead first to a small, regular study space or children’s educational activity. Reflection may reveal barriers such as transport, family schedules, insufficient tutors, or curriculum gaps. The group then adapts. If the effort proves valuable and more people gain capacity, it can become more systematic; if it does not, the lesson is retained and the activity is altered or concluded. Success is not measured only by whether the original project survives, but by whether people gain greater ability to read their reality, collaborate, serve, and respond intelligently to future needs.

Adopting changes that sustain

A distinctive feature of this approach is that sustainability is not equated with preserving every program, maximizing scale, or maintaining a fixed plan. It means building enduring capacities and relationships that permit a community to respond coherently to changing circumstances.

Bahá’í guidance warns against haphazard change while also rejecting rigid adherence to theory or to an initiative merely because it already exists. Some efforts properly end when their purpose has been achieved; others develop into lasting undertakings through continued cycles of consultation, action, and reflection. Growth is meant to be organic, evidence-informed, and free from pressure to expand for its own sake. [5]

Sustaining change therefore depends on several forms of capacity:

  • Individual capacity: spiritual qualities, practical skills, knowledge, initiative, and the ability to accompany others in service.
  • Community capacity: habits of participation, mutual aid, collective reflection, unity in diversity, trust, and the ability to resist destructive social forces.
  • Institutional capacity: the ability to consult, encourage, coordinate, safeguard integrity, allocate resources, maintain continuity, and link local experience with wider learning.

The three are not separate tracks. The Bahá’í framework holds that durable social transformation requires reciprocal development: inner transformation affects the social environment, and social conditions affect people’s inner lives. Thus, an institution cannot simply prescribe change; individuals cannot sustainably carry every burden alone; and a community cannot flourish without structures that coordinate collective will and protect its learning process. [5]

In formal Bahá’í administration, elected Local and National Spiritual Assemblies use consultation for collective decisions. In wider community life, consultation occurs with varying levels of formality: in families, project teams, communities, among institutions, and between institutions and the populations they serve. The point is not bureaucratic control, but an expanding culture in which authority, individual initiative, and communal participation become complementary rather than competitive. [4]

Guidance in an evolving world

Bahá’ís appeal to the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice for enduring principles and for guidance about collective life. Yet this appeal does not imply a static social blueprint. Bahá’í guidance presents basic convictions—human oneness, justice, equality, service, consultation, the harmony of science and religion—as enduring, while recognizing that their application and expression must evolve with circumstances and accumulated experience. [5]

That creates a productive tension:

  • Principles offer continuity, ethical boundaries, and a common language across places and generations.
  • Consultation enables contextual judgment where no fixed technical prescription is given.
  • Evidence and experience keep action responsive to actual conditions.
  • Institutions help preserve coherence, protect the integrity of learning, and connect grassroots insight to wider bodies of knowledge.
  • Repeated reflection prevents either tradition or innovation from becoming dogma.

In short, Bahá’í consultation seeks to make social change less a sequence of imposed reforms and more a sustained process of collective maturation. It convenes meaningful conversations by cultivating unity and truth-seeking; finds workable approaches by coupling consultation with disciplined experimentation; and sustains change by building the moral, relational, practical, and institutional capacities through which people can continually learn together. [4] [5]

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. [6]

Footnotes

[1] Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. CONSULTATION: A COMPILATION. February 1978, Revised November 1990. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/295356511

[2] Perplexity Computer. “Consultation as a social change management practice.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. September 14, 2026. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/5dce936d-7bbb-4f73-9571-59afcc8ccc7d

[3] Transformative Leadership Education Staff. “Unite, Decide, Thrive: Using Consultation to Improve Decisions” (Free Online Course). Transformative Leadership Education. https://tinyurl.com/courseconsultation

[4] The Bahá’í Faith Staff. “Spaces of Consultation.” Bahá’í International Community. https://www.bahai.org/action/institutional-capacity/spaces-consultation

[5] Universal House of Justice. “26 November 2012 – To all National Spiritual Assemblies.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/617215432

[6] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/628985716

Daily Frameworks for 14 September 2026

Kamál, 07 ‘Izzat (Might), 183 B.E.

Quotes for Reflection

Concerning the attendance of certain individuals at the meeting of the Assemblies and at the invitation of that body: This Shoghi Effendi considers to be as expert advice, which is absolutely necessary for good administration. The members of the Assembly are not supposed to know everything on every subject, so they can invite a person, versed in that question, to attend their meetings and explain his views. But naturally he will have no right to vote. — Shoghi Effendi [1]

Question for Consideration

How does the Baháʼí consultation process keep participants grounded in the spiritual principle of oneness during the three stages—”understanding the situation”, “deciding what to do”, and “executing the decision”—while following a change management framework for convening “conversations that matter”, seeking “ways that work”, and adopting “changes that sustain”? [2] [3]

Google Notebook Response:

The Baháʼí consultation process maintains grounding in the spiritual reality of oneness—one Creator, one Creation, and one human family [4] —through each of its three core stages, aligning with a change management framework of “conversations that matter”, “ways that work”, and “changes that sustain”. [5]

Stage 1: Understanding the Situation ↔ Convening “Conversations That Matter”

In the initial stage, consultation focuses on investigating reality, establishing empirical facts, and identifying guiding spiritual or moral principles before formulating solutions. [6]

Grounding in Oneness

  • One Creator: Deliberations open with prayer and devotional reflection to turn participants toward the “Kingdom on High”. [4] This spiritual reorientation aligns individual motives around divine guidance, quelling ego, personal ambition, and hidden agendas. [4]
  • One Human Family: Rooted in the inherent nobility of every soul, [7] [8] the group seeks a wide diversity of views—including input from technical experts and those traditionally excluded [7] —ensuring that rank, worldly status, or prejudice never dominate. [4]
  • One Creation: Recognizing that reality is indivisible, [9] participants view differing perspectives not as hostile forces, but as complementary angles on truth. [7] [9] Differing opinions interact like “flint and steel” to yield the “spark of truth” without disrupting fellowship. [4]

Change Management Alignment

  • This stage creates expansive “conversations that matter” by establishing non-personalization: once an idea is voiced, it ceases to belong to the speaker and becomes the collective property of the group. [10] Because opinions are detached from personal ownership, participants can freely examine, modify, or set proposals aside without causing personal offense, defensiveness, or zero-sum bargaining. [11]

Stage 2: Deciding What to Do ↔ Seeking “Ways That Work”

The second stage transforms shared understanding into a clear, agreed-upon course of action by weighing options and reaching a decision. [6] [12]

Grounding in Oneness

  • Detachment and Humility: Members practice detachment from their initial proposals, [4] eagerly accepting a more worthy idea the moment it emerges rather than defending their own out of pride. [13]
  • Unity Over Division: The group strives for unanimous consensus. [10] If unanimity is not reached, a majority vote determines the choice. [4] To preserve community oneness, all members immediately embrace the majority decision as their own, forbidding “minority reports,” opposition factions, or recorded dissension. [10]

Change Management Alignment

  • This stage focuses on identifying “ways that work” by treating decisions as provisional hypotheses or line of action to be tested in practice. [14] Decision-making is integrated into an ongoing cycle of action, reflection, consultation, and study. [14] [15]

3. Stage 3: Executing the Decision ↔ Adopting “Changes That Sustain”

The final stage entails carrying out the decision with complete solidarity, followed by collective reflection on the outcomes. [6]

Grounding in Oneness

  • One Organic Body: Treating the community as an organic body where every part depends on the health of the whole, [16] every member supports the implementation with full unity of action. [10]
  • Collective Responsibility: Post-decision criticism, censure, or backbiting is strictly prohibited, as it prevents decisions from being enforced. [4] Wholehearted support ensures that if a project fails, the problem lies in the idea itself rather than a lack of collective commitment. [10]

Change Management Alignment

This stage drives the widespread adoption of “changes that sustain”. [17] By acting in unity, the group can accurately evaluate real-world results. [16] [18] If experience shows a decision was mistaken, the oneness of the group allows members to re-consult, adjust the plan, and correct course without recrimination, turning experience into collective learning. [16]

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. [19]

Footnotes

[1] Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. CONSULTATION: A COMPILATION. February 1978, Revised November 1990. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/248744031

[2] Google Notebook. “Unity in consultation.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. September 13, 2026. The Lamp of Guidance: Bahá’í Principles of Consultation

[3] Transformative Leadership Education Staff. “Unite, Decide, Thrive: Using Consultation to Improve Decisions” (Free Online Course). Transformative Leadership Education. https://tinyurl.com/courseconsultation

[4] National Teaching Committee – Youth and Student Activities. “A New World Order: Consultation” (1970). Bahai.works. https://bahai.works/A_New_World_Order/Consultation#pg36

[5] Universal House of Justice. “29 December 2015 – To the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/275100978

[6] Uplifting Words Staff. “Baha’i Decision Making Process.” Uplifting Words, May 14, 2024. https://bahaiquotes.com/subject/individual-initiative

[7] Bahá’í World News Service Staff. “Baha’is offer decision-making model at UN commission.” BWNS, February 10, 2010. https://news.bahai.org/story/758/bahais-offer-decision-making-model-un-commission

[8] Bahá’í International Community Staff. “Transforming Collective Deliberation: Valuing Unity and Justice.” Bahá’í International Community, February 3, 2010. https://www.bahai.org/documents/bic/transforming-collective-deliberation-valuing-unity-justice

[9] Ewing, Sovaida Ma’ani. “Bahá’í Consultation as an Expression of Justice.” Baháʼí Faith Modern Perspectives (YouTube), December 7, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ5HxZy-b6Q

[10] Uplifting Words Staff. “Baha’i Consultation.” October 11, 2019. Uplifting Words. https://www.upliftingwords.org/post/bahai-consultation

[11] Ohio Baha’i Staff. “Consultation: the Operating Expression of Justice in Human Affairs.” Ohio Baha’i. https://ohiobahai.org/consultation/

[12] Investigating facts and identifying relevant principles during Baháʼí consultation.pdf

[13] Uplifting Words Staff. “Baha’i Quotes on Consultation.” April 30, 2020. Uplifting Words. https://www.upliftingwords.org/post/bahai-quotes-on-consultation

[14] Smith, Todd and Omid Ghaemmaghami. “Consultation.” The World of the Bahá’í Faith, 2022. https://drive.google.com/file/d/126C0VbxBmHsR9DUiCle4ZQY5QPDBMOA3/view

[15] Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/419079542

[16] Balance between well-being of everyone and each.pdf

[17] Universal House of Justice. “28 December 2010 – To the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/242741298

[18] How consultation improves outcomes for all participants.pdf

[19] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/628985716

Daily Frameworks for 12 September 2026

Jalál, 05 ‘Izzat (Might), 183 B.E.

Quotes for Reflection

Indeed it has ever been the cherished desire of our Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that the friends in their councils, local as well as national, should by their candour, their honesty of purpose, their singleness of mind, and the thoroughness of their discussions achieve unanimity in all things…. — Shoghi Effendi [1]

Question for Consideration

How does the concept of oneness—one Creator, one Creation, and one human family—apply to the spiritual preparation by participants and setting the atmosphere for effective Baháʼí consultation? [2] [3]

Perplexity Computer Response:

The idea of oneness gives Bahá’í consultation both its inner preparation and its outward character: participants gather before one Creator, deliberate about a shared reality within one Creation, and treat every person present as a member of one human family. Consultation therefore becomes more than discussion or debate; it is a spiritual process of collectively seeking truth and acting for the common good.

Spiritual foundation

In the Bahá’í view, all participants stand equally before God. “One Creator” means that no person’s status, education, age, social role, ethnicity, gender, or force of personality gives that person a superior spiritual claim in the consultation. The proper inward stance is humility: each person offers what they see, while recognizing that fuller insight may emerge through the group.

This is reflected in guidance that the requisites of consultation include purity of motive, detachment, humility, patience, and a spirit of service. Participants are asked to turn toward God, seek divine assistance, and enter consultation with sincerity rather than self-assertion. [6]

Practically, this calls for individual preparation such as:

  • Prayer, reflection, and asking for freedom from ego, defensiveness, prejudice, and attachment to being right.
  • Clarifying one’s motive: “Am I trying to win, protect a personal preference, or contribute to the welfare of all?”
  • Bringing relevant facts and experience, but holding one’s interpretation with detachment.
  • Becoming ready to change one’s view immediately when another contribution is more accurate or helpful.

In this sense, prayer is not a ceremonial prelude to a conventional meeting. It helps shift the purpose of the gathering from advancing individual positions to seeking guidance together.

One Creation and shared reality

“One Creation” encourages a consultative body to see questions in their wholeness. A decision about a community, family, organization, or policy is not merely a contest between isolated interests; it concerns interdependent people and conditions within a single created order.

That outlook changes the questions participants ask. Rather than beginning with “What do I want?” or “Which side should prevail?”, they might ask:

  • What reality are we being called to understand?
  • Whose experience or knowledge is absent from our picture?
  • What consequences will this have for the whole—not only for those with the loudest voice or greatest influence?
  • How can diverse insights combine into a more adequate understanding?

The Bahá’í writings describe those who consult as “waves of one sea,” “drops of one river,” “stars of one heaven,” and “flowers of one garden.” This imagery does not erase difference. It places diversity within an underlying unity, suggesting that distinct experiences and capacities can illuminate the same shared reality. [6]

Thus, participants should value differences in perspective—generational, cultural, professional, social, and temperamental—not as threats to unity but as contributions needed for wiser collective judgment.

One human family

The principle of one human family establishes the ethical atmosphere of consultation. If every participant is a member of the same human family, then contempt, stereotyping, domination, factionalism, and dismissiveness are not merely poor meeting habits; they contradict the spiritual premise of the gathering.

Bahá’í teachings characterize humanity as a single family and call for relationships marked by love, inclusion, reciprocity, justice, and the rejection of prejudice and superiority. In consultation, this can be expressed through: [4] [5]

  • Listening fully, especially to people whose experience differs from one’s own.
  • Ensuring that quieter members and those with less formal authority can contribute freely.
  • Speaking with courtesy and precision, without sarcasm, accusation, or personal criticism.
  • Separating an idea from the person who voiced it: once offered, an idea belongs to the group for examination and refinement.
  • Seeking solutions that protect the dignity and welfare of everyone affected, including people not in the room.

This principle is especially demanding when disagreement arises. Unity does not mean superficial agreement, suppression of difficult truths, or avoidance of honest differences. It means that disagreement is carried out in a way that preserves the bonds of fellowship. The aim is not unanimity of opinion at every stage, but unity of purpose and a shared commitment to discovering the most constructive course.

Atmosphere in practice

Bahá’í guidance calls true consultation a “spiritual conference in the attitude and atmosphere of love,” with love and fellowship as its foundation. A setting conducive to this purpose is therefore intentionally cultivated. [6] [7]

ElementWhat it means in consultation
Prayerful beginningParticipants become mindful of God and the higher purpose of the gathering, rather than entering as advocates or adversaries
EqualityNo voice is discounted because of rank, background, confidence, or social identity
CourtesyPeople express views clearly but calmly, and listen without interruption or ridicule
DetachmentIdeas are offered freely and relinquished freely; no one treats a proposal as personal property
Truth-seekingThe group welcomes facts, candid observations, and correction rather than protecting appearances
Unity in actionOnce a decision is made through the appropriate process, the group supports it faithfully and learns from its results

A useful illustration is a consultation over a limited community budget. A competitive approach asks which program, constituency, or person can make the strongest case. A consultative approach shaped by oneness asks what resources will most advance the wellbeing of the whole community, whose needs may be unseen, what evidence is available, and what can be learned after acting.

Participants may still disagree strongly about priorities, but they do so as co-stewards rather than rivals.

The central transformation

The deepest application of oneness is a transformation of identity. The participant is not primarily an individual protecting a viewpoint, nor a representative defending a faction. They become a servant of a collective search for truth under God.

For that reason, effective Bahá’í consultation depends as much on spiritual qualities as on procedure. The participants’ preparation—purity of motive, humility, prayer, detachment, patience, love, and justice—creates the atmosphere in which diverse views can become a source of insight rather than division. The result sought is not simply a decision, but strengthened unity, greater understanding, and action that serves the whole human family. [6] [7]

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. [4]

Footnotes

[1] Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. CONSULTATION: A COMPILATION. February 1978, Revised November 1990. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/342126683

[2] Perplexity Computer. “The concept of oneness and Baháʼí consultation.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. September 11, 2026. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/b451f8cf-9c33-4af6-a741-5f1c586fc07f

[3] Transformative Leadership Education Staff. “Unite, Decide, Thrive: Using Consultation to Improve Decisions” (Free Online Course). Transformative Leadership Education. https://tinyurl.com/courseconsultation

[4] Baha’is of the United States Staff. “The Oneness of Humanity.” Baha’is of the United States. https://www.bahai.us/beliefs/building-community/oneness-of-humanity/

[5] The Bahá’í Faith Staff. “One Human Family: Uniting Humanity.” Bahá’í International Community. https://www.bahai.org/beliefs/essential-relationships/one-human-family/uniting-humanity

[6] Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. CONSULTATION: A COMPILATION. February 1978, Revised November 1990. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/249611345

[7] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/820079356

[8] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/628985716

Daily Frameworks for 06 August 2026

Istijlál, 06 Kamál (Perfection), 183 B.E.

Quotes for Reflection

O ye lovers of this wronged one! Cleanse ye your eyes, so that ye behold no man as different from yourselves. See ye no strangers; rather see all men as friends, for love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on otherness. And in this new and wondrous age, the Holy Writings say that we must be at one with every people; that we must see neither harshness nor injustice, neither malevolence, nor hostility, nor hate, but rather turn our eyes toward the heaven of ancient glory. For each of the creatures is a sign of God, and it was by the grace of the Lord and His power that each did step into the world; therefore they are not strangers, but in the family; not aliens, but friends, and to be treated as such. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [1]

Question for Consideration

Transformative leaders are practitioners of “constructive resilience” which holds foremost certain “spiritual principles” – “oneness” of the Creator, creation, and humanity; “love” that interconnects everything and everyone; and “justice” that prevails in a cause and effect universe wherein anything anyone thinks, says, and does influences everything and everyone – when engaging others and considering each one a fellow “protagonist” in the unfolding “drama” of global “social transformation” underway. As transformative leaders further their personal development and render service to their communities and institutions, how can they assure everyone belongs, everyone connects to everyone else, and everyone counts? [2]

Perplexity Computer Response:

Transformative leaders translate oneness, love, and justice into daily practice by treating every person as a capable protagonist rather than a passive beneficiary — building belonging through radical inclusion, connection through relationships infused with love, and mattering through justice-oriented empowerment. This is the essence of the Bahá’í-inspired “Transformative Leadership” framework (Anello, Hernandez, Khadem) and the related concept of “constructive resilience” (Karlberg), both of which operationalize these three spiritual principles into concrete leadership capabilities. [3] [4]

Oneness Creates Belonging

Belonging begins with a conviction of the essential nobility of every human being — seeing each person, regardless of status, background, or apparent capacity, as possessing latent spiritual and intellectual potential worth drawing out. Leaders operationalize this by replacing top-down or paternalistic models with service-oriented leadership, where the leader’s role is to unlock others’ potential rather than direct or control them. In practice, this means deliberately widening the circle: integrating groups often pushed to the margins — the elderly, youth, the mentally struggling, newcomers — into the everyday life and decision-making of a community rather than segregating or tokenizing them. `Abdu’l-Bahá’s counsel that all people are “not strangers, but in the family” and deserve loving-kindness “disregarding the degree of their capacity” captures this standard [3] [5] [6]

Love Creates Connection

Connection is built through specific relational capabilities: imbuing one’s thoughts and actions with love, giving genuine encouragement, using consultation (rather than debate or command) in decision-making, and constructing unity within diversity rather than uniformity. Because “no power can exist except through unity,” leaders treat strengthening bonds among people as a core function of leadership itself, not a soft add-on to results-driven work. Concretely, communities that practice this weave together acts of collective worship, learning, and service — devotional gatherings, study circles, children’s classes — precisely because shared, informal spaces of this kind foster the friendship and intimacy that formal structures alone cannot. [3] [7]

Justice Ensures Everyone Counts

Justice is what makes belonging and connection substantive rather than sentimental: it requires establishing justice actively, transforming dominating relationships into ones of interdependence and reciprocity, and pursuing empowering education that builds others’ capacity rather than doing things for them. Since anything anyone thinks, says, and does reverberates through a shared social fabric, cause-and-effect justice implies universal participation is a right, not a favor — access to knowledge, decision-making, and contribution must be extended to everyone, with “each individual according to his or her talents and abilities”. This is why “constructive resilience” reframes struggles for justice: instead of confronting oppressors adversarially, transformative leaders and communities *construct* new schools, institutions, and patterns of community life inclusive enough that everyone’s contribution literally counts toward a shared outcome — as seen in examples ranging from decentralized universities to grassroots youth and women’s leadership programs across dozens of countries. [3] [4] [5] [8]

Practicing All Three Together

These principles reinforce each other through ongoing personal and collective transformation: leaders continually examine and release mental models (of human nature as inherently selfish, of society as inherently competitive, of leadership as inherently top-down) that undercut oneness, love, or justice, replacing them through reflection-on-action, self-evaluation, and systemic thinking. Younger and less experienced “protagonists” are deliberately brought into training and accompaniment relationships with more experienced ones — not to be spoken for, but to develop their own initiative — because the scale of social transformation required means capable leadership must be cultivated among “hundreds of thousands,” not concentrated in a small elite. In this sense, belonging, connection, and mattering are not outcomes leaders deliver to others; they are conditions leaders and communities co-construct together, generation after generation, one relationship and one institution at a time. [3] [9]

Footnotes

[1] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/035860565

[2] Perplexity Computer. “As transformative leaders further their personal development and render service to their communities and institutions, how can they assure everyone belongs, everyone connects to everyone else, and everyone counts?” Edited by Steve Bosserman. August 5, 2026. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/c136903a-5d3d-4739-a2a5-063f40aebca5

[3] Barstow Hernandez, Joan. 2018. “Transformative Leadership: Its Evolution and Impact”. The Journal of Bahá’í Studies 28 (3). Ottawa, Ontario, Canada:55-85. https://doi.org/10.31581/jbs-28.3.3(2018)

[4] Karlberg, Michael. “The Constructive Imaginery.” The Journal of Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 30, No. 3, 2020, 9-23. https://bahai-library.com/pdf/k/karlberg_constructive_imaginary.pdf

[5] Anello, Eloy. “Values, Institutions, and Leadership for a Sustainable Future: Towards a Framework for Developing Moral Leadership.” Bahá’í International Community, 1992. https://www.bic.org/statements/moral-leadership

[6] Shams, Badi. “Building Communities that Encompass Everyone.” BahaiTeachings.org. https://bahaiteachings.org/building-communities-encompass-everyone/

[7] Baha’is of the United States Staff. “Building Community-Love in Action.” Baha’is of the United States. https://www.bahai.us/beliefs/building-community/

[8] Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. SOCIAL ACTION. August 2020. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/compilations/social-action/

[9] Nkunzimana, Liliane. “Transformative Leadership in the UN System.” Bahá’í International Community, November 3, 2023. https://www.bic.org/perspectives/transformative-leadership-un-system

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.

Daily Frameworks for 05 August 2026

‘Idál, 05 Kamál (Perfection), 183 B.E.

Quotes for Reflection

When the light of Bahá’u’lláh dawned from the East, He proclaimed the promise of the oneness of humanity. He addressed all mankind, saying, “Ye are all the fruits of one tree. There are not two trees: one a tree of divine mercy, the other the tree of Satan.” Again He said, “Ye are all the fruits of one tree, the leaves of one branch.” This was His announcement; this was His promise of the oneness of the world of humanity. Anathema and execration were utterly abrogated. He said, “It is not becoming in man to curse another; it is not befitting that man should attribute darkness to another; it is not meet that one human being should consider another human being as bad; nay, rather, all mankind are the servants of one God; God is the Father of all; there is not a single exception to that law. There are no people of Satan; all belong to the Merciful. There is no darkness; all is light. All are the servants of God, and man must love humanity from his heart. He must, verily, behold humanity as submerged in the divine mercy.” — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [1]

Question for Consideration

How can “transformative leaders” apply the Bahá’í principles of independent investigation of truth, teaching the Cause, and consultation in all things as they render service to one human family within one Creation called into being by one Creator? [2]

Perplexity Computer Response:

“Transformative leaders” in a Bahá’í frame aren’t rulers or authorities—they’re servants who reframe leadership itself around three practices that together enact the oneness of humanity within one Creation.

Reframe leadership as servitude, not authority

The Bahá’í model explicitly rejects conventional leadership hierarchies: “the Bahá’í community has no leaders as such,” and those in positions of responsibility “are expected to be servants of the Cause, manifesting self-effacement, humility and detachment from the things of this world”. A transformative leader, then, starts by dissolving any sense of superiority, since “power to accomplish the tasks of the community resides primarily in the mass of the believers,” not in officeholders. This matters because the whole edifice of independent investigation, teaching, and consultation only works when practiced from a posture of service rather than control—leadership becomes “an art to be mastered” in service of others, not a status to be claimed. [3] [4]

Independent investigation as the leader’s own discipline

Before leading anyone else, a transformative leader must personally shed “blind imitation of the past,” which “will stunt the mind,” and independently inquire into truth rather than relying on assumed authority, tradition, or popular opinion. This applies to organizational decisions as much as spiritual belief: leaders model freedom from prejudice and preconception, showing others that legitimate authority flows from genuine inquiry, not position. Because all people share one origin under “one Creator,” this insistence on personal, unmediated truth-seeking is itself an expression of oneness—no one’s inherited status exempts them from having to see reality clearly for themselves. [5] [6]

Teaching the Cause as service, not persuasion

For a transformative leader, “teaching” translates into actively sharing insight and vision as an act of love and service, since “any work or profession carried out in a spirit of service to humanity, is considered as the worship of God”. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá framed this starkly: “Service to humanity is service to God”, meaning a leader’s daily work—strategic decisions, mentoring, communication—becomes a vehicle for uplifting others rather than a means of self-advancement. Because Bahá’í teaching forbids coercion or proselytizing, this leadership-as-teaching is invitational: leaders offer their best understanding and let others freely investigate and decide. [7] [8] [9]

Consultation as the operating method of unity

Consultation is where transformative leadership becomes structurally different from typical decision-making: participants must show “pure intention,” “detachment from all save God,” and a willingness to abandon their own opinion the moment a better one surfaces. Crucially, in Bahá’í consultation “people are not representing themselves, their opinions, [or] the concerns of people of the same group as them”—they act as “tools in a process of investigation that promotes unity and the pursuit of truth”. A transformative leader uses this to dissolve the factionalism ordinary leadership often produces: establishing genuine love and unity first, defining the real question, inviting diverse and frank perspectives, and treating conclusions as belonging to the whole group rather than any individual. [10] [11] [12]

Serving one family within one Creation

These three practices converge because Bahá’í teaching holds that “all of humanity was created as a single unit, like a family,” under one God who is “the Provider, the Giver, the Protector of all”. A transformative leader’s task is thus to help “remold our relationships, conscious of our oneness” —rejecting “attitudes of prejudice, superiority and paternalism” as fundamentally incompatible with reality itself, not just bad ethics. The practical output is institutions and communities built around “harmony, cooperation and reciprocity”, where independent investigation ensures decisions rest on truth, teaching spreads that truth in service rather than dominance, and consultation binds diverse people into unified, God-oriented action—altogether “the organic and spiritual unity of the peoples and nations of the world” that Bahá’u’lláh’s revelation is meant to usher in. [6] [13]

Footnotes

[[1] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/333146443

[2] Perplexity Computer. “How can “transformative leaders” apply the Bahá’í principles of independent investigation of truth, teaching the Cause, and consultation in all things as they render service to one human family within one Creation called into being by one Creator?” Edited by Steve Bosserman. August 4, 2026. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/e088628d-ca47-4b54-b9a5-e6e91a4de32f#1

[3] Bahá’í Quotes Staff. “Service.” Bahá’í Quotes. https://www.bahaiquotes.com/subject/service

[4] Bahaipedia Staff. “Independent investigation of truth.” Bahaipedia. https://bahaipedia.org/Independent_investigation_of_truth

[5] Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. UNLOCKING THE POWER OF ACTION. 1994. Bahá’í Library Online. https://bahai-library.com/compilation_unlocking_power_action

[6] Zamani, Sophia. “Becoming Myself: the Independent Investigation of Truth.” BahaiTeachings.org. https://bahaiteachings.org/becoming-myself-the-independent-investigation-of-truth/

[7] Baha’is of the United States Staff. “The Oneness of Humanity.” Baha’is of the United States. https://www.bahai.us/beliefs/building-community/oneness-of-humanity/

[8] Bluett, Julian. “Is “the Independent Investigation of the Truth” an authoritative teaching of our Faith?” The Largest Bahá’í Facebook Group Ever. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2209644753/posts/10161448676234754/

[9] Mikkonen, Soheila. “The Importance of Service in the Baha’i Faith.” October 8, 2015. Baha’i Blog. https://www.bahaiblog.net/articles/bahai-life/the-importance-of-service-in-the-bahai-faith/

[10] Uplifting Words Staff. “Baha’i Quote on Service.” Uplifting Words. https://www.upliftingwords.org/post/bahai-quote-on-service

[11] Talley, Radiance. “What I Do, as a Baha’i, To Make World Peace Possible.” BahaiTeachings.org. https://bahaiteachings.org/what-i-do-as-a-bahai-to-make-world-peace-possible/

[12] Uplifting Words Staff. “Prerequisites and Conditions of Baha’i Consultation.” May 6, 2024. Uplifting Words. https://www.upliftingwords.org/post/prerequisites-and-conditions-of-bahai-consultation

[13] Anonymous. “Principles of Consultation as a Way to Train our Mind?” 2023. reddit r/bahai. https://www.reddit.com/r/bahai/comments/140wz98/principles_of_consultation_as_a_way_to_train_our/

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.

Daily Frameworks for 03 June 2026

‘Idál, 18 ʻAẓamat (Grandeur), 183 B.E.

Quotes for Reflection

Thank divine Providence that thou hast been assisted in service and hast been the cause of the promulgation of the oneness of the world of humanity, so that the darkness of differences among men may be dissipated, and the pavilion of the unity of nations may cast its shadow over all regions. Without such unity, rest and comfort, peace and universal reconciliation are unachievable. This illumined century needeth and calleth for its fulfillment. In every century a particular and central theme is, in accordance with the requirements of that century, confirmed by God. In this illumined age that which is confirmed is the oneness of the world of humanity. Every soul who serveth this oneness will undoubtedly be assisted and confirmed. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá [1]

Question for Consideration

How do the sources suggest we can serve as agents of change for the betterment of society? [2]

Gemini/NotebookLM Response

The sources suggest that serving as agents of change for the betterment of society involves a multifaceted approach rooted in spiritual principles, grassroots action, and meaningful conversation. Rather than relying solely on material or political solutions, individuals and communities are encouraged to focus on the moral and spiritual dimensions of social progress. [4] [5]

1. Engaging in Meaningful Conversation

The sources emphasize that conversation is a vital form of action rather than just a precursor to it. [5] To be effective agents of change, individuals should:

  • Initiate intimate conversations that create new susceptibilities in hearts and open minds to moral persuasion. [5]
  • Engage with people of all backgrounds—secular, spiritual, and religious—to explore shared values and the spiritual foundations of national renewal. [4] [5]
  • Foster spaces for dialogue in neighborhoods, faith communities, and civic settings to remedy isolation and build community. [5]
  • Ensure these interactions are characterized by goodwill, fair-mindedness, a desire to learn, and love. [5]

2. Grassroots Community Building

Change is described as advancing most effectively in unassuming settings at the grassroots level. [5] This involves:

  • Participating in thousands of community-building efforts that put the principle of the oneness of humanity into practice. [5]
  • Learning to apply higher truths to practical use in specific local contexts. [5]
  • Using consultation to bridge differences, reconcile diverse perspectives, and make collective decisions. [5]
  • Strengthening fundamental institutions like families, schools, and civic entities to serve collective hopes. [5]

3. Promoting the Principle of Oneness

A central task for an agent of change is to recognize and champion the oneness of the human family. [4] [5] This requires:

  • Actively working to overcome prejudices and treating every individual with dignity. [5]
  • Harnessing unity in diversity as a source of creativity and resilience rather than tension. [5]
  • Seeing one’s own well-being as inextricably linked to the prosperity of the whole society. [5]

4. Empowering Youth

The sources highlight young people as having a unique and remarkable capacity to contribute to social change. [5] They serve as agents of change by:

  • Forging meaningful relationships and encouraging the participation of their peers. [3] [5]
  • Resisting the impulse to criticize or condemn, instead finding constructive ways to steer around social obstacles. [3]
  • Arising with a sense of possibility and purpose to protect themselves and others from harmful social forces. [5]

5. Adopting a Posture of Learning and Service

To be effective, the effort for social betterment must be a “common endeavor” characterized by humility and a commitment to learning. [5] This includes:

  • Collaborating with others without political ambition or self-interest. [3]
  • Basing action on direct experience of building vibrant communities rather than just theory. [3]
  • Remaining “ever hopeful” and serving as a “fount of hope” to those who are despairing during turbulent times. [3]
  • Emulating the example of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who was courageous in conduct, unfailing in sympathy for the downtrodden, and unwavering in his sense of justice. [4]

By aligning material achievements with spiritual and moral principles, agents of change can help ensure that innovation and effort lead to shared prosperity and the realization of humanity’s highest aspirations. [5]

Footnotes

[1] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ. Bahá’i Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/134217692

[2] Gemini/NotebookLM. “Architects of Unity: Principles for Spiritual Social Progress.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. June 2, 2026. https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/790c5999-a338-4072-9ed2-6d9ba7c62f93

[3] Universal House of Justice. “Riḍván 2026 – To the Bahá’ís of the World.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/249977240

[4] National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. “NSA on A Common Endeavor Initiative for 250th Anniversary Declaration of Independence.” April 25, 2026.

[5] Bahá’ís of the United States. “A Common Endeavor: Realizing the Promise of America.” https://www.acommonendeavor.org

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.

Daily Frameworks for 01 April 2026

‘Idál, 12 Bahá (Splendor), 183 B.E.

Quotes for Reflection

Bahá’u’lláh has proclaimed the promise of the oneness of humanity. Therefore, we must exercise the utmost love toward each other. We must be loving to all the people of the world. We must not consider any people the people of Satan, but know and recognize all as the servants of the one God. At most it is this: Some do not know; they must be guided and trained. They must be taught to love their fellow creatures and be encouraged in the acquisition of virtues. Some are ignorant; they must be informed. Some are as children, undeveloped; they must be helped to reach maturity. Some are ailing, their moral condition is unhealthy; they must be treated until their morals are purified. But the sick man is not to be hated because he is sick, the child must not be shunned because he is a child, the ignorant one is not to be despised because he lacks knowledge. They must all be treated, educated, trained and assisted in love. Everything must be done in order that humanity may live under the shadow of God in the utmost security, enjoying happiness in its highest degree. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 1

Question for Consideration

How does the concept of “oneness” — the Creator, creation, and humanity — influence the practice of “constructive resilience”?

NotebookLM Response 2

The concept of oneness—encompassing the Creator, creation, and humanity—serves as the foundational spiritual truth that transforms constructive resilience from a passive endurance of hardship into a proactive, non-adversarial methodology for social transformation. 3 4 This integrated vision of oneness influences the practice of resilience in the following ways:

1. Oneness of the Creator: Divine Authority and Assurance

The recognition of a single, unknowable Essence as the Creator provides the spiritual authority for resilience. 5 6

  • Trust in the Divine Physician: Practitioners of constructive resilience view Bahá’u’lláh as the “Divine Physician” whose teachings are the “sovereign remedy” for a disordered world. 7 8 9 This perspective allows individuals to remain “undisturbed by the prevailing chaos” and “confident in the ultimate outcome” of their efforts. 10 11
  • Divine Assistance: Oneness implies that a single “Universal Power” directs the universe. 12 13 Believers draw on this to “scale nobler heights of heroism” even as society disintegrates, confident that “Divine assistance” will confirm those who serve the cause of unity. 14 15 16

2. Oneness of Creation: Interconnectedness and Cause and Effect

The practice of resilience is informed by the “organic truth” that the universe is an interconnected whole, governed by the laws of cause and effect. 17 18 19

  • Setting Positive Causes: In a cause-and-effect universe, justice is the “infallible Balance”. 20 21 Practitioners choose to set in motion “positive spiritual causes”—such as love and service—believing that this “building of the good” has such “positive strength” that it will eventually cause negative effects (evils) to “fade away”. 22 23 24
  • The Body Metaphor: Creation is likened to a human organism where every part is linked. 25 26 Because “the injury of one shall be considered the injury of all,” resilience is practiced through mutual support and solidarity rather than individualistic struggle. 27 28 This interconnectedness prevents “spiritual corrosion” by anchoring the individual in a supportive community. 29 30

3. Oneness of Humanity: The Rejection of “Otherness”

The principle that humanity is a single race and species is the “pivot” around which constructive resilience revolves. 31 32 33

  • Refusing the “Adversary Principle”: Oneness mandates a non-adversarial approach. 34 35 Practitioners reject the “adversary principle” of competition and conflict, choosing instead to create “patterns of social engagement that move away from contention and toward collaboration”. 36 37
  • Transforming Enmity through Love: Because all are “the fruits of one tree,” those practicing constructive resilience respond to “enmity and hatred” with “love, mercy and compassion”. 38 39 40 They refuse to see their oppressors as “others” or enemies, but rather as members of the same family who are “ailing” or “ignorant” and in need of healing and education. 41 42 43
  • Rejecting Victimization: By identifying with their “essential nobility” as signs of God, the oppressed “reject the label of victim”. 44 45 46 This agency is expressed through service to the wider society—such as education or health initiatives—demonstrating a “confident mastery of moral purpose” that refuses to let the oppressor establish the terms of the encounter. 47 48 49

In summary, the concept of oneness provides the “world-embracing vision” that enables protagonists to maintain a “coherent life of service”. 50 51 52 It ensures that the means of their resilience (kindness, truthfulness, and collaboration) are always consistent with their end (the organic and spiritual unity of humankind). 53 54 55

Footnotes

  1. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/451722796 ↩︎
  2. NotebookLM. “The Architecture of Oneness and Constructive Resilience.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. March 31, 2026. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.7z09uqq242qz ↩︎
  3. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.ekuilg5pz70u ↩︎
  4. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.yfl2hlps3v20 ↩︎
  5. Universal House of Justice. “1 November 2022 – To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/407118290 ↩︎
  6. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.yfl2hlps3v20 ↩︎
  7. Universal House of Justice. “28 November 2023 – To the Bahá’ís of the World.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/214412684 ↩︎
  8. Universal House of Justice. “28 November 2023 – To the Bahá’ís of the World.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/983560458 ↩︎
  9. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. SOME ANSWERED QUESTIONS. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/215247291 ↩︎
  10. Javaheri, Firaydoun. “Constructive Resilience.” Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 28:4, 2018, pp. 7-22. https://bahai-library.com/pdf/j/javaheri_constructive_resilience.pdf, 12. ↩︎
  11. Universal House of Justice. Messages from the Universal House of Justice: 1963-1986, The Third Epoch of the Formative Age (PDF). Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/muhj-1963-1986/muhj-1963-1986.pdf, 549. ↩︎
  12. Abdu’l-Bahá. SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/996141239 ↩︎
  13. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. SOME ANSWERED QUESTIONS. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/554092434 ↩︎
  14. Universal House of Justice. “1 November 2022 – To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/185844958 ↩︎
  15. Universal House of Justice. “1 November 2022 – To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/909223860 ↩︎
  16. Javaheri, Firaydoun. “Constructive Resilience.” Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 28:4, 2018, pp. 7-22. https://bahai-library.com/pdf/j/javaheri_constructive_resilience.pdf, 8-9.
    ↩︎
  17. Universal House of Justice. “1 November 2022 – To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/407118290 ↩︎
  18. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. SOME ANSWERED QUESTIONS. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/802753808 ↩︎
  19. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. SOME ANSWERED QUESTIONS. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/065007383 ↩︎
  20. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.2wsluza3ts9v ↩︎
  21. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.74279hl7skta ↩︎
  22. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.j9jcvfpxq8xt ↩︎
  23. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.j9jcvfpxq8xt ↩︎
  24. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.h0w3ue8efijb ↩︎
  25. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. SOME ANSWERED QUESTIONS. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/802753808 ↩︎
  26. Karlberg, Michael. “The Pursuit of Social Justice.” The Bahá’í World. August 3, 2022. https://bahaiworld.bahai.org/library/the-pursuit-of-social-justice/ ↩︎
  27. Karlberg, Michael. “The Pursuit of Social Justice.” The Bahá’í World. August 3, 2022. https://bahaiworld.bahai.org/library/the-pursuit-of-social-justice/ ↩︎
  28. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/622154911 ↩︎
  29. Javaheri, Firaydoun. “Constructive Resilience.” Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 28:4, 2018, pp. 7-22. https://bahai-library.com/pdf/j/javaheri_constructive_resilience.pdf, 12. ↩︎
  30. Shahidi, Iqan. “Principled Engagement: The Bahá’í Community of Iran’s Approach to Social Change.” Religions 16: 1149, September 4, 2025. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/9/1149 ↩︎
  31. Karlberg, Michael. “Constructive Resilience: The Bahá’í Response to Oppression.” Peace & Change, Vol. 35, No. 2, April 2010. https://iranpresswatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/karlberg_constructive_resilience2.pdf, 230. ↩︎
  32. Universal House of Justice. Messages from the Universal House of Justice: 1963-1986, The Third Epoch of the Formative Age (PDF). Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/muhj-1963-1986/muhj-1963-1986.pdf, 554. ↩︎
  33. Universal House of Justice. Messages from the Universal House of Justice: 1986-2001, The Fourth Epoch of the Formative Age (PDF). Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/muhj-1986-2001/muhj-1986-2001.pdf, 7-8. ↩︎
  34. Karlberg, Michael. “Constructive Resilience: The Bahá’í Response to Oppression.” Peace & Change, Vol. 35, No. 2, April 2010. https://iranpresswatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/karlberg_constructive_resilience2.pdf, 230-231. ↩︎
  35. Javaheri, Firaydoun. “Constructive Resilience.” Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 28:4, 2018, pp. 7-22. https://bahai-library.com/pdf/j/javaheri_constructive_resilience.pdf, 230-231. ↩︎
  36. Abay, Negar and Alex Vedovi. “Constructive Resilience and Women’s Peacebuilding Movements.” Berkley Center, June 15, 2017. https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/posts/constructive-resilience-and-women-s-peacebuilding-movements ↩︎
  37. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.1w0itlf6rvdk ↩︎
  38. Universal House of Justice. “1 November 2022 – To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/618085642 ↩︎
  39. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. A TRAVELER’S NARRATIVE. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/687432309 ↩︎
  40. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.bkiv7rtq9j8s ↩︎
  41. Karlberg, Michael. “Constructive Resilience: The Bahá’í Response to Oppression.” Peace & Change, Vol. 35, No. 2, April 2010. https://iranpresswatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/karlberg_constructive_resilience2.pdf, 247. ↩︎
  42. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/178664748 ↩︎
  43. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/451722796 ↩︎
  44. Karlberg, Michael. “Constructive Resilience: The Bahá’í Response to Oppression.” Peace & Change, Vol. 35, No. 2, April 2010. https://iranpresswatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/karlberg_constructive_resilience2.pdf, 242. ↩︎
  45. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.f1arhqixi76s ↩︎
  46. Karlberg, Michael. “The Pursuit of Social Justice.” The Bahá’í World. August 3, 2022. https://bahaiworld.bahai.org/library/the-pursuit-of-social-justice/ ↩︎
  47. Karlberg, Michael. “Constructive Resilience: The Bahá’í Response to Oppression.” Peace & Change, Vol. 35, No. 2, April 2010. https://iranpresswatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/karlberg_constructive_resilience2.pdf, 242. ↩︎
  48. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.zducskqqesmu ↩︎
  49. Universal House of Justice. Messages from the Universal House of Justice: 2001–2022, The Fifth Epoch of the Formative Age (PDF). Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/muhj-2001-2022/muhj-2001-2022.pdf, 493-494. ↩︎
  50. Universal House of Justice. “19 March 2025 – To the Bahá’ís of the World.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/461792099 ↩︎
  51. NotebookLM. “Constructive Resilience: A Handbook.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v55XgayjfpcaVfl4LXuDK3p8jWPJAmxZmNOnNjL4KD4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.m68vja2yi2pu ↩︎
  52. Universal House of Justice. Turning Point: 1996–2006, Selected Messages of the Universal House of Justice and Supplementary Material. Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/225768977 ↩︎
  53. Abay, Negar and Alex Vedovi. “Constructive Resilience and Women’s Peacebuilding Movements.” Berkley Center, June 15, 2017. https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/posts/constructive-resilience-and-women-s-peacebuilding-movements ↩︎
  54. Universal House of Justice. “28 November 2023 – To the Bahá’ís of the World.” Bahá’í Reference Library. https://www.bahai.org/r/558362319 ↩︎
  55. Karlberg, Michael. “The Pursuit of Social Justice.” The Bahá’í World. August 3, 2022. https://bahaiworld.bahai.org/library/the-pursuit-of-social-justice/ ↩︎

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.

239 Days in America, Day 227: November 23, 1912 | New York

The Spark That Set Aflame the World: 1912-1918 1

“WILL THE PRESENT WAR in the Balkans,” a New Yorker asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “terminate in the world war?’” “No,” he answered, “but within two years a spark will rise from the Balkans and set the whole world on fire.”

One of the main reasons ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had come to the United States was to warn about an imminent European war, and to push Americans to rally to prevent it. “Just now Europe is a battlefield of ammunition ready to spark,” he told a peace forum meeting in New York on May 12, “and one spark will set aflame the whole world.” After he visited Niagara Falls on September 10, the Buffalo Courier recorded him saying, “The continent of Europe is one vast arsenal which only requires one spark at its foundations and the whole of Europe will become a wasted wilderness.” Throughout his journey ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had argued that America, because it had no empire to protect, was uniquely positioned to call other nations to peace. …

‘Abdu’l-Bahá left New York aboard the SS Celtic on December 5, 1912. He arrived in Liverpool, England, on December 13, 1912, traveled through England, France, Austria-Hungary, and Germany for six months, then returned to Egypt. He did not finally arrive home in Haifa until December 5, 1913, a full year after leaving America. Within eight months, Europe was burning.

Final Days in America: New York City 2

The days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit were passing quickly. A farewell banquet was planned on November 23 at the Great Northern Hotel, where Howard Colby Ives estimated there were six hundred, and Mahmúd, three hundred, present. The banquet hall was regal with festoons, banners, and flowers, the crystal glistening beneath the lights. The Master spoke of the oneness of mankind to the white Bahá’ís. The next night, at the Kinneys’, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the white friends served the black friends whom the hotel management had vehemently excluded the night before. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “‘Today you have shown the Commandments of the Blessed Beauty in your actions and have acted according to the teachings of the Supreme Pen.’”

Saturday, November 23, 1912 3

The friends arranged a banquet in commemoration of the Day of the Covenant and the journey of the beloved of all hearts. Today many came to the Master with bouquets of flowers in their hands. The banquet was held in the ballroom of New York’s Grand Northern Hotel. The hall was decorated similarly to that in Washington with festoons, banners, ornaments and exquisite screens, with the Greatest Name suspended above all on the stage in its customary calligraphy.

In the center of the ballroom were two rectangular tables, between which was another large table exquisitely set. Around these tables on both sides were placed small circular tables bedecked with colorful flowers, a variety of sweets and crystal glassware. The electric lighting reflected the glassware and caused the whole room to shine brilliantly. More than three hundred guests, formally attired, attended. Several friends and specifically Miss Lany Lead served at the banquet.

When the Master appeared, all rose from their seats and with smiling faces cried out, ‘Alláh-u-Abhá!’ Many of the hotel guests saw the banquet and were astonished to see the grandeur of the Master and the sincerity and enthusiasm of the friends. After the Master took His seat, Mr Hoar, on behalf of the Bahá’ís, read an address of welcome expressing obedience and firmness in the Covenant. The Master rose and responded with an address about the divine teachings and the oneness of humanity. He then walked around the tables and perfumed the heads and faces of the friends with attar of rose. When He returned to His chair, the friends, accompanied by the piano, sang songs of praise to Him.

Later the Master spoke about the wars and massacres of the nations and the need for the teachings of the Greatest Name. He encouraged all towards peace, harmony and sincere love for all the people of the world. After His talk, the Consul General, Mr Topakyan, and others gave short speeches praising ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

This evening’s banquet was so grand that the hotel staff were curious to know about the Cause. They came to see the Master to ask about the banquet and why so many distinguished Americans were praising and glorifying a person from the East. Indeed, it was a banquet for a king and a source of awakening to every person of insight.

Two photographs were taken with a good quality glass and special lighting. Although the photographs do not show the entire group, they tell much about the banquet.

Talk at Banquet, Great Northern Hotel, 118 West Fifty-seventh Street, New York 4

This meeting is, verily, the noblest and most worthy of all meetings in the world because of these underlying spiritual and universal purposes. Such a banquet and assemblage command the sincere devotion of all present and invite the downpouring of the blessings of God. Therefore, be ye assured and confident that the confirmations of God are descending upon you, the assistance of God will be given unto you, the breaths of the Holy Spirit will quicken you with a new life, the Sun of Reality will shine gloriously upon you, and the fragrant breezes of the rose gardens of divine mercy will waft through the windows of your souls. Be ye confident and steadfast; your services are confirmed by the powers of heaven, for your intentions are lofty, your purposes pure and worthy. God is the helper of those souls whose aim is to serve humanity and whose efforts and endeavors are devoted to the good and betterment of all mankind.

’Abdu’l-Bahá in America, 1912-2012: Calling America to Its Spiritual Destiny

A grand banquet in commemoration of the Day of the Covenant

Celebrating the Centenary: The Master in America

Curated by Anne Perry

November 23, 1912

  1. Jones, Caitlin Shayda. “The Spark That Set Aflame the World: 1912-1918.” 239 Days in America, 23 Nov. 2012, https://239days.com/2012/11/23/the-spark-that-set-aflame-the-world-1912-1918/. ↩
  2. Ward, Allan L. 239 Days: ʻAbdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America. Wilmette, Ill: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979, 187. ↩
  3. ’Abdu’l-Bahá, and Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani. Mahmúd’s Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání Chronicling ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey to America. Edited by Shirley Macias. Translated by Mohi Sobhani. Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. https://bahai-library.com/zarqani_mahmuds_diary&chapter=9#section245 ↩
  4. ʻAbduʼl-Bahá. The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ʻAbduʼl-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912. Edited by Howard MacNutt. 2nd ed. Wilmette, Ill: Baháʼí Publishing Trust, 1982, 448. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/32#292746477 ↩

239 Days in America, Day 223: November 19, 1912 | New York

The Trouble With J. P. Morgan’s Millions 1

‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S AUTOMOBILE halted in front of 33 East 36th Street in the early afternoon on Monday, November 18, 1912. His party of six ascended a broad flight of steps between two sleek Assyrian lionesses who kept watch in pink Tennessee marble before the recessed portico of an Italian Renaissance villa in midtown Manhattan.

The architect of the place, Charles Follen McKim of the renowned firm McKim, Mead & White, had suffered a nervous breakdown over this building—or, more precisely, over having to accommodate the insistent demands and fastidious tastes of his client. On other projects McKim might have done as he pleased, but one simply did not say no to J. Pierpont Morgan. …

The titan of Wall Street had invited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for a private interview this afternoon here, at his private library. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá entered through heavy bronze doors into the illuminated splendor of a vaulted rotunda. Mosaic panels, and columns of veined skyros and cippoline marble, textured the space and at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s feet a colorful marble floor unfurled, inlaid with pieces from the Roman Forum and a central disc of deep purple porphyry. The domed ceiling of blue and white stucco bore paintings and reliefs of classical figures that Henry Siddons Mowbray had modeled on Raphael and installed beneath the gentle light of a central oculus. Gazing upward, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could see murals inspired by Pinturicchio, which adorned lunettes over the main entrance and above doors to the East and West rooms, depicting scenes and legendary lovers from Greek and Roman epics, Arthurian romances, Dante’s Divine Comedy, and Renaissance lyric poetry. Morgan received guests in the West Room, his large, plush study. His son-in-law wrote that no one could really know him who hadn’t seen him sitting quietly in front of the fire; chomping on a big black cigar; playing solitaire beneath the coffered wooden ceiling; enveloped by the bright red damask silk that lined the study’s walls.

But today he wasn’t there. Some urgent business matter had arisen, and, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá learned, Morgan wouldn’t be able to come. …

Final Days in America: New York City 2

On November 19 Mahmúd noted, “A number of school children gathered near the Beloved saying, ‘Who is this person who looks like Christ?’ Miss Juliet Thompson spoke to them outside the house about the Beloved Cause and the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They asked to interview Him and they were invited to come. …”

Tuesday, November 19, 1912 3

The Master spent the day at the home of Mrs Krug in the utmost happiness. A number of the believers and His companions were also very happy to witness the Master’s joy, the influence of the Cause of God and the power of the Covenant of God.

In the afternoon, at a public meeting attended chiefly by women, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke on the equality of the rights of women and their education and progress through the Manifestation of this supreme age. He encouraged them to acquire the perfections and virtues of the world of humanity.

Later, at the home of Mr and Mrs Kinney, He asked Mr [Hooper] Harris to speak at the meeting of the friends.

As Mr MacNutt‘s apparent equivocation and lack of firmness seemed to be causing his degradation in the eyes of the friends, he came to the Master and implored Him to recommend him to them. The Master replied, ‘The remedy depends upon your sincere repentance and your open denouncement of the violators in the meetings of the friends.’ In compliance, Mr MacNutt rose and gave an account of his journey to Chicago and his meeting with [Ibrahim George] Kheiralla. Some felt that he spoke ambiguously. The Master asked him to explain his actions in plain words so that the friends might be satisfied and this blemish on his character be removed. Again he testified in clear terms of his faith in the Covenant and his rejection of the Covenant-breakers. The Master went to the podium and expressed His pleasure at Mr Harris’s talk and for Mr MacNutt’s words of repentance. The Master then went upstairs and called Mr [William] Hoar, Mr Harris, Mr [Arthur P.] Dodge and other friends to Him and asked them to embrace Mr MacNutt and exhorted them to have the utmost love and unity among themselves. He encouraged and inspired them to spread the divine word and to diffuse the fragrances of God. He told them that they must sacrifice all other affairs for the accomplishment of this great affair.

Despite this, the Master and the friends, in their inmost hearts, were saddened by Mr MacNutt’s earlier actions. Some felt that he was not trying hard enough to show his humility and firmness in the Covenant. After the Master’s departure from America, Mr MacNutt went to California and other regions of America. The believers stayed away from him. He wrote many letters of repentance to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who sent him many encouraging and kind words.

18 November 1912, Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank K. Moxey, 575 Riverside Drive, New York 4

At such a time Bahá’u’lláh dawned from the eastern horizon like the glory of the sun. He renewed the basis of the religions of God, destroyed blind adherence to ancestral forms and established in their stead love and spiritual fellowship so that no strife, discord or hostility remained. This reconciliation of divergent sects is visible and evident. They now live together in love and unity. If you should enter one of their meetings, you would realize that they have become as one race, one native land, one religion; that they associate together in brotherhood and agreement. Praise be to God! These blind imitations and this darkness have ceased to exist, and the reality of the oneness of humanity has been practically proven.

I consider the American people a highly civilized and intelligent nation, a nation investigating truth and reality. It is my hope that through the efforts of this noble nation the solidarity of humanity may be continually advanced, that the illumination of the human world may become widespread, that the banner of universal peace may be held aloft, the lamp of the oneness of the human world be ignited and the hearts of the East and West be conjoined. Then the reality of the divine religions shall become resplendent and refulgent, indicating that they were meant to be the cause of unity and love and that through them heavenly bestowals have ever been conferring light upon the human world.

’Abdu’l-Bahá in America, 1912-2012: Calling America to Its Spiritual Destiny

The Master encouraged women to acquire the perfections and virtues of the world of humanity

Celebrating the Centenary: The Master in America

Curated by Anne Perry

November 19, 1912

  1. Menon, Jonathan. “The Trouble With J. P. Morgan’s Millions.” 239 Days in America, 19 Nov. 2012, https://239days.com/2012/11/19/the-trouble-with-j-p-morgans-millions/. ↩
  2. Ward, Allan L. 239 Days: ʻAbdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America. Wilmette, Ill: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979, 187. ↩
  3. ’Abdu’l-Bahá, and Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani. Mahmúd’s Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání Chronicling ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey to America. Edited by Shirley Macias. Translated by Mohi Sobhani. Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. https://bahai-library.com/zarqani_mahmuds_diary&chapter=9#section241 ↩
  4. ʻAbduʼl-Bahá. The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ʻAbduʼl-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912. Edited by Howard MacNutt. 2nd ed. Wilmette, Ill: Baháʼí Publishing Trust, 1982, 446-447. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/32#729562953 ↩

239 Days in America, Day 222: November 18, 1912 | New York

November 18, 1912: The Week Ahead 1

THIS AFTERNOON ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ takes up J. Pierpont Morgan on an invitation to visit his vast library on the corner of Madison Avenue and 36th Street. Morgan, the tycoon owner of railroads, steelworks, and telegraph companies, runs much of modern civilization in America.

In the week ahead, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá attends a farewell dinner at the Great Northern Hotel, which, it turns out, will refuse to let any African Americans through the door; he expresses two very different opinions of America’s two richest men; and, as the decade moves on, the Great War cuts ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s home in Palestine off from the rest of the world while increasing prejudice engulfs African Americans at home.

Final Days in America: New York City 2

On November 19 the New York Times, in an article entitled “PROPHET BLESSES MORGAN,” reported:

“J. Pierpont Morgan was written down yesterday as one who had done “considerable philanthropy” when his library in East Thirty-sixth Street was visited by Abdul Baha, the Persian prophet. After the patriarch had wandered through the treasure rooms, he paused before the album long enough to write a blessing on the financier and thereto append his autograph. Beneath the Persian script his companion, Dr. Ameen Fareed, wrote this translation:

‘O, Thou Generous Lord, verily this famous personage has done considerable philanthropy, render him great and dear in Thy Kingdom, make him happy and joyous in both worlds, and confirm him in serving the Oneness, the world of humanity, and submerge him in the sea of Thy Favors.

ABDUL BAHA ABBAS’”

Monday, November 18, 1912 3

In the morning the Master was occupied revealing Tablets in answer to letters from the believers. He permitted some friends and newcomers to interview Him in His own room. When the visitors grew too numerous, He appeared in the gathering and showered love and kindness upon all.

Whenever the Master became tired, He would go alone to the nearby gardens along the bank of the river to rest. He said, ‘When I am alone, I do not talk, my mind is not busy and I can rest a little. But when I am not alone I must speak; I perspire and feel exhausted.’

These were the final days of His stay in America and there was a great rush of visitors. There was not one moment when people were not present.

In the afternoon, while talking to a group of the friends, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá suddenly said: ‘We wish to build a House of Worship on that side of the water.’ Later He said: ‘This city shall become good when the call of “Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá” shall reach the highest heaven from it. If the believers arise as they should erelong the word of God will envelop all these regions.’ He also added, ‘As the United States of America is far and free from the arena of the prevailing political turmoil, this government and country can prevent war between the nations and bring about peace and harmony among them.’

The Master was invited by the poet Mr Moxey and Mrs Moxey for supper. The hosts were among the devoted friends of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and they were eloquent in their praise of Him. During the Master’s previous visit to New York Mr Moxey had written a book of poetry, describing the demeanor, majesty and power of the Master. Mrs Moxey, who was a famous musician, opened the gathering by playing the piano and singing a melodious song of praise in His honor. The Master began His address with these words:

“I praise God that I am with you. Such an assembly would be utterly impossible to hold through worldly power and outward means because you are Westerners and we are Easterners. There was nothing to connect us. We had neither patriotic, racial, commercial nor political connections with you. But Bahá’u’lláh removed all these estrangements and prejudices and invited all to divine love. He joined all under the shade of the blessed Word. Hence, we are united and assembled here in such love. This love is the greatest of all means, as all other means and ties are limited; but harmony that comes about through the love of God is infinite and everlasting.”

These impressive words transformed the hearts. After the meeting several of the friends and His companions were honored to have supper with Him. Everyone was grateful and showed great devotion in that home.

Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank K. Moxey, 575 Riverside Drive, New York 4

The teachings and ordinances of the divine religions are of two kinds. The first are spiritual and essential in nature—such as faith in God, faith in Christ, faith in Moses, faith in Abraham, faith in Muḥammad, the love of God and the oneness of the world of humanity. These divine principles shall be spread throughout the world. Strife and enmity shall disappear, ignorance, hatred and hostility cease and all the human race be bound together. The second kind of ordinances and teachings concern the outer conditions and transactions of the world of mankind. They are the nonessential, accidental or temporary laws of human affairs which are subject to change and transformation according to the exigencies of time and place. For instance, during the time of Moses divorce was permitted, but in the time of Christ it was made unlawful. In the Torah there are ten commandments concerning retribution for murder, which would not be possible to enforce at the present time and under existing conditions of the world. Therefore, these nonessential, temporary laws are superseded and abrogated to suit the exigencies and requirements of successive periods.

’Abdu’l-Bahá in America, 1912-2012: Calling America to Its Spiritual Destiny

The Master took periodic short breaks to rest in nearby gardens

Celebrating the Centenary: The Master in America

Curated by Anne Perry

November 18, 1912

  1. Menon, Jonathan. “November 18, 1912: The Week Ahead.” 239 Days in America, 18 Nov. 2012, http://stagingtwo39.wpengine.com/2012/11/18/november-18-1912-the-week-ahead/. ↩
  2. Ward, Allan L. 239 Days: ʻAbdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America. Wilmette, Ill: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979, 186-187. ↩
  3. ’Abdu’l-Bahá, and Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani. Mahmúd’s Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání Chronicling ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey to America. Edited by Shirley Macias. Translated by Mohi Sobhani. Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. https://bahai-library.com/zarqani_mahmuds_diary&chapter=9#section240 ↩
  4. ʻAbduʼl-Bahá. The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ʻAbduʼl-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912. Edited by Howard MacNutt. 2nd ed. Wilmette, Ill: Baháʼí Publishing Trust, 1982, 445. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/32#583494526 ↩