“The Kingdom of God is founded upon equity and justice, and also upon mercy, compassion, and kindness to every living soul.”

O ye beloved of the Lord! The Kingdom of God is founded upon equity and justice, and also upon mercy, compassion, and kindness to every living soul. Strive ye then with all your heart to treat compassionately all humankind—except for those who have some selfish, private motive, or some disease of the soul. Kindness cannot be shown the tyrant, the deceiver, or the thief, because, far from awakening them to the error of their ways, it maketh them to continue in their perversity as before. No matter how much kindliness ye may expend upon the liar, he will but lie the more, for he believeth you to be deceived, while ye understand him but too well, and only remain silent out of your extreme compassion.

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

“The real and great love”

The real and great love is the love of God. That is holy above the imaginations and thoughts of men. 

- ’Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 1)

“The true fruit of man is… love”

The true fruit of man is, therefore, love. The purpose of a tree is to produce fruit. Man is like a tree; his fruit should be love." 

- ‘Abdul-Baha  (Star of the West, vol. 8, no. 10, Sept. 1917)

God would not “forgive any man’s injustice”

O Oppressors on Earth! Withdraw your hands from tyranny, for I have pledged Myself not to forgive any man’s injustice. This is My covenant which I have irrevocably decreed in the preserved tablet and sealed with My seal. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)

One’s “wings of compassion”

Thou must live in such a spiritual condition that thy very presence in the meetings may transform the audiences into the congregations of the elect and set aglow in their hearts the fire of the Love of God. Exalt thy ambition! Universalize thy ideals! Spread thy wings of compassion over all the regions of the globe.

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha addressed to a travel teacher; Star of the West, vol. 5, no. 1, March 21, 1914)

Primary criteria for selecting travel teachers: those who have “pure spirit and… true love for the Cause” and “capacity to convey that spirit and love to others”

It must be realized that people who are mostly illiterate cannot have the benefit of reading for themselves the written word and of deriving directly from it the spiritual sustenance they need for the enrichment of their Bahá'í lives. They become dependent, therefore, to a large extent on their contacts with visiting teachers. The spiritual calibre or moral quality of these teachers assumes, therefore, great importance. The National Spiritual Assembly or the Teaching Committees responsible for the selection of these teachers should bear in mind that their choice must depend, not only on the knowledge or grasp of the teachings on the part of the teachers, but primarily upon their pure spirit and their true love for the Cause, and their capacity to convey that spirit and love to others. ...What wonderful results will soon be witnessed in the areas under your jurisdiction if you devise ways and means to ensure, as far as circumstances permit, that the travelling teachers you are encouraging to circulate among the friends will all be of the standard called for in these quotations -- pure and sanctified souls, with nothing but true devotion and self-sacrifice motivating them in their services to God's Holy Cause.... 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 26 October 1967 written by the Universal House of Justice to National Spiritual Assemblies engaged in mass teaching; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Teaching the Masses)

To “be immersed in the ocean of pardon and forgiveness”

O thou seeker of the Kingdom! Thy letter was received. Thou hast written of the severe calamity that hath befallen thee—the death of thy respected husband. That honourable man hath been so subjected to the stress and strain of this world that his greatest wish was for deliverance from it. Such is this mortal abode: a storehouse of afflictions and suffering. It is ignorance that binds man to it, for no comfort can be secured by any soul in this world, from monarch down to the most humble commoner. If once this life should offer a man a sweet cup, a hundred bitter ones will follow; such is the condition of this world. The wise man, therefore, doth not attach himself to this mortal life and doth not depend upon it; at some moments, even, he eagerly wisheth for death that he may thereby be freed from these sorrows and afflictions.

As to thy husband, rest assured. He will be immersed in the ocean of pardon and forgiveness and will become the recipient of bounty and favour. Strive thine utmost to give his child a Bahá’í training so that when he attaineth maturity he may be merciful, illumined and heavenly.

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)

“The canopy of existence resteth upon the pole of justice, and not of forgiveness”

God be praised! The sun of justice hath risen above the horizon of Bahá’u’lláh. For in His Tablets the foundations of such a justice have been laid as no mind hath, from the beginning of creation, conceived…The canopy of existence resteth upon the pole of justice, and not of forgiveness, and the life of mankind dependeth on justice and not on forgiveness. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

By the “virtue of the love… [that one] cherisheth for God” one should “arise to rehabilitate the conditions in all regions and to quicken the dead with the living waters of wisdom and utterance”

As the process of the disintegration of a lamentably defective world order gathers momentum in all parts of the planet, engendering hopelessness, confusion, hostility, and insecurity, the hearts of the friends everywhere must be assured, their eyes clear-sighted, their feet firm, as they work patiently and sacrificially to raise a new order in its stead. The guidance of Bahá’u’lláh is the foundation upon which you build. His instruction is clear: “This servant appealeth to every diligent and enterprising soul to exert his utmost endeavor and arise to rehabilitate the conditions in all regions and to quicken the dead with the living waters of wisdom and utterance, by virtue of the love he cherisheth for God, the One, the Peerless, the Almighty, the Beneficent.” 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 9 November 2018 addressed to the Baha’is of the world)

The “highest ideals in human relationships” are “harmony, unity and love”

Wherever there is a Bahá'í family, those concerned should by all means do all they can to preserve it, because divorce is strongly condemned in the Teachings, whereas harmony, unity and love are held up as the highest ideals in human relationships. This must always apply to the Bahá'ís, whether they are serving in the pioneering field or not.

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 9 November 1956 to the National Spiritual Assembly of Central America; The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, Divorce)

To become ablaze “with the fire of the love of God”

O Friends! You must all be so ablaze in this day with the fire of the love of God that the heat thereof may be manifest in all your veins, your limbs and members of your body, and the peoples of the world may be ignited by this heat and turn to the horizon of the Beloved.  

- Baha’u’llah  (The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II, Guidelines for Teaching)

“consultation and compassion”: “the two luminaries” that illumine the “heaven of divine wisdom”

The heaven of divine wisdom is illumined with the two luminaries of consultation and compassion and the canopy of world order is upraised upon the two pillars of reward and punishment. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

“Wherever you find the attributes of God love that person”

When you love a member of your family or a compatriot, let it be with a ray of the Infinite Love! Let it be in God, and for God! Wherever you find the attributes of God love that person, whether he be of your family or of another.... 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a talk; ‘Paris Talks: Addresses given by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Paris in 1911-1912"; The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. I, Family Life)

“God will not forgive disbelief in Himself”

…verily God will not forgive disbelief in Himself, though He will forgive other sins to whomsoever He pleaseth. [cf. Qur’án 4:51] Indeed His knowledge embraceth all things...  

- The Báb  (From the Qayyumu’l-Asma; ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

The application of compassion in the work of Spiritual Assemblies

The aim of any Spiritual Assembly should be to develop a warm and loving relationship with the believers in its community, so that it can most effectively nurture and encourage them in the acquisition of a deeper understanding of the teachings, and can assist them to follow the Bahá'í principles in their personal conduct. The Assembly should aspire to being regarded by the members of the community as a loving parent, wise in its understanding of the varying degrees of maturity of those entrusted to its care, compassionate in dealing with the problems which arise as a result of any shortcomings, ever prepared to guide them to the correct path, and very patient as they strive to effect the necessary changes in their behaviour. Such an approach is far removed from the harshly judgmental and punitive approach which so often characterizes the administration of law in the wider society. The Bahá'í application of justice, firmly rooted in spiritual principle and animated by the desire to foster the spiritual development of the members of the community, will increasingly be seen as a distinctive and highly attractive feature of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh.

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 9 December 1991 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly)

Asking forgiveness from others

Bahá’u’lláh prohibits confession to, and seeking absolution of one’s sins from, a human being. Instead one should beg forgiveness from God. In the Tablet of Bishárát, He states that “such confession before people results in one’s humiliation and abasement”, and He affirms that God “wisheth not the humiliation of His servants”.

Shoghi Effendi sets the prohibition into context. His secretary has written on his behalf that we “...are forbidden to confess to any person, as do the Catholics to their priests, our sins and shortcomings, or to do so in public, as some religious sects do. However, if we spontaneously desire to acknowledge we have been wrong in something, or that we have some fault of character, and ask another person’s forgiveness or pardon, we are quite free to do so.”

The Universal House of Justice has also clarified that Bahá’u’lláh’s prohibition concerning the confession of sins does not prevent an individual from admitting transgressions in the course of consultations held under the aegis of Bahá’í institutions. Likewise, it does not preclude the possibility of seeking advice from a close friend or of a professional counsellor regarding such matters.

- The Universal House of Justice  (The 'Notes' section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

Not to defile “the limpid stream of love”

O ye beloved of the Lord! Commit not that which defileth the limpid stream of love or destroyeth the sweet fragrance of friendship. By the righteousness of the Lord! Ye were created to show love one to another and not perversity and rancour. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Tablets of Baha’u’llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)