justice ['adl]; social justice and divine justice
Editorial introduction
Everyone speaks of fairness, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá observes, and if words were enough humanity would long since have prospered. Justice begins instead with something as plain as a workman paid his wage at the end of the day, a servant beaten by a Pasha who then discovers that the law reaches him too, and a majority in need while a few live in luxury. Bahá’u’lláh calls justice the light of men and says its purpose is unity: to see with one’s own eyes rather than through imitation, and, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá adds, to regard humanity as a single body in which an injury to any member is felt by all. Rulers are asked to weigh themselves daily in the balance of equity before judging anyone else; communities, to protect minorities and the poor; each person, neither to defraud a neighbour nor to yield to being defrauded. The Qur’an’s demand for truthful witness even against oneself or one’s kin brings the same impartiality home. The path leads on into fair-mindedness and the pairing of justice with mercy, into labour, profit sharing and the moderation of wealth, into race unity, and into the twin pillars of reward and punishment, until a world that praises justice becomes one that practises it.
Yes, when it comes to mere talk, this is the result. A wise person should never trust words and speech. For if we were to take words as the standard, all are ambitious, all are philanthropic, all speak of fairness, all talk of justice. Now, can things be made right just by talking? If words were sufficient, humanity should have attained true prosperity.
The world of humanity is subject to great injustice. There is no justice. Justice is only a name, but in reality it is tyranny. The real fact is that many souls are in the utmost suffering and need, and certain souls are in the utmost leisure and luxury. How can we call this justice? The majority of the people is poor, while a few enjoy immense riches. Can we call this justice and equity?
A prominent figure has explicitly stated that by justice and right we do not mean mere words, but rather the meaning of these two blessed terms. This is true, but the people of truth are not content with meaning alone - they seek the implementation of this important reality, "for the Command of God must needs be fulfilled."
A man may give 1,000 dollars without minding it but he should not yield even a dollar to the person who wishes to take it wrongfully, for such wrongful behavior flouts justice and disrupts the order of the world.
O friends of God! Religious prejudices, political prejudices, racial prejudices and national prejudices are destructive to the world of humanity. Justice is to be praised and cherished, whether it comes from a native of the country or from a stranger. A well-wishing stranger is better than an ignorant acquaintance.
The Baha'is are free from all prejudices, are well-wishers of the human world, are lovers of justice and good governance, and praise these qualities from whichever government or nation they may emerge.
All are equal in the estimation of God; their rights are one and there is no distinction for any soul; all are protected beneath the justice of God.
The Blessed Perfection Baha'u'llah teaches that the human being - every human being - has a right to peace, freedom, joy and work.
Ninth, equality of rights, and spiritual solidarity, and heavenly fraternity.
However, in this Most Great Dispensation, which is one of justice and equality, the closest and then the next closest are equal.
I counsel them that they may day by day strengthen the bond of love and amity to this end---that they may become the sympathetic embodiment of one nation---that they may extend themselves to a universal Brotherhood to guard and protect the interest and rights of all the nations of the East---that they may unfurl the Divine Banner of justice---that they may realize and treat each nation as a family composed of the individual children of God and may know that before the sight of God the rights of all are equal.
We hope in this luminous age these prejudices will not remain, that the light of love will illumine the world, that the bounty of God's Kingdom will encompass all, that the Lord's mercy will include all, that the human world will be freed from these bonds and follow divine politics, for human politics is imperfect while divine politics is perfect.
A child cannot kill a man; but a Bonaparte can abstain from war, from shedding blood, from devastating countries. A dumb person will not speak ill of any one, a paralyzed hand cannot strike; but a strong arm can refrain from striking. Justice, love and kindness must be the instruments of strength, not of weakness.
O My handmaiden! Lowliness is the cause of elevation and justice is the source of power. Consider the lowliness of dust - from it pure jewels appear, and from the earth the Manifestations of the names of the Lord of Lords become manifest and evident.
Justice and fairness are as two wings for the servants of God, and blessed is the state of the soul that hath attained unto these twain and become detached from all that is in the world and in the realm of creation.
Say: O people! Deal ye one with another, in the midst of mankind, with pure justice, so that there may not appear from you treachery and enmity, nor backbiting and hatred, nor sedition and wretchedness, that ye may become ensigns of guidance amongst men.
They are ever observant of justice and fairness.
… They should hold fast to justice, kindness and fairness so that all may attest to that which bespeaks the loftiness of human station.
This servant hath desired naught from any of the servants of God save truthfulness and justice; and thou art well aware, O Ahmad, that in the service of the emigrants no negligence, within the bounds of possibility, was ever shown, and that every effort was exerted to bring satisfaction to each one, especially to the kindred.
As for the matter of Jalalu'd-Dawlih, through your intermediary efforts and those of the divine friends, God willing, it should be resolved with goodwill, chivalry, justice and kindness, so that it may bring joy to 'Abdu'l-Baha. Although according to regulations and law it is a settled matter, yet considering the character traits, qualities, chivalry and justice that we are commanded to embody, we must act accordingly so that it becomes established and proven that the people of Baha are people of fidelity who conduct themselves according to the chivalry and extensive mercy they are commanded to show.
However, justice, which is a requirement - as in the case of the permission for plural marriage in the Book of God being conditional upon justice - and since justice is impossible to achieve, therefore one must be content with one spouse. This is better for you, if ye be fair-minded....
Briefly, both sides must act with reciprocity of justice and equity, so that all may live in utmost happiness.
Another teaching declares the conformity of religion with reason; whatever religion prescribes, a sound reason must approve. Still another principle centers around right and justice, equality and the preference of others to one' self and this should be willingly exercised and should not be compulsory; so that each one may prefer his neighbor to himself and by an affection that is Divine, as it is the case with the Bahais in Persia, he may so love his neighbor as to sacrifice his life for him.
As to the seven qualifications of which you have asked, they are as follows:
1. Knowledge: One must attain the knowledge of God.
2. Faith
3. Steadfastness
5. Faithfulness: And this is one of the greatest Divine attainments.
6. Fidelity: This is also a beautiful trait of the heavenly man.
7. Evanescence and humility: That is to say man must become evanescent in God - must forget his own selfish conditions that he may thus arise to the station of sacrifice. It should be to such a degree that if he sleeps it should not be for pleasure but to rest the body in order to do better, to speak better, to explain more beautifully, to serve the servants of God and to prove His truth. When he remains awake he should seek to be attentive, serve the cause of God and sacrifice his own stations for those of God. When he attains to this station, the confirmations of the Holy Spirit will surely reach him and a man with this power can withstand all who inhabit the earth.
Say: O assemblage of princes, take from the mighty the rights belonging unto the weak, and suffer not the rich to rule over the poor.
For that balanced stature there is no garment more befitting than abundant justice, and for that royal crown there is no diadem more brilliant than coming to the aid of the oppressed.
Intelligence is the first interpreter, and from it justice is made manifest, and through justice are ordered the affairs of nations. Blessed is the soul that hath been adorned with the ornament of justice and illumined with the light of intelligence. This raiment is, in the first degree, the most excellent adornment for the temples of kings.
Say: O people! Hold fast unto wisdom in all matters, for it profiteth you in all conditions, and I am the All-Knowing. It is the lamp of God among you and the light of justice for you, were ye of those who remember.
By the life of God! No hosts in the world have been or shall be mightier than the hosts of justice and wisdom. Had the kings of the world held fast unto these two, all the peoples of the earth would have attained unto supreme tranquility and the greatest ease.
Justice is an everlasting fruit for the divine Tree of sovereignty and greatness. The just king is the lamp of the world and the cause of the reformation and prosperity of nations.
The true crown of Iran is justice, not gems. If they could place a crown of justice upon this nation, that would be fitting. What benefit is there in a crown of stones? It is but stone. The ancient kings of Iran prided themselves on justice, not on crowns of jewels.
They have written that they wish to sell some of the stones from Iran's crown. The crown of Iran is justice, not stones. If they can place a crown of justice upon this nation's head, that is proper. What benefit is there in a crown of stones? It is just stone. The ancient kings of Iran took pride in justice, not in a crown of stone.
A king at the time of his death wished he was of the poor class. 'I wish I was poor!' he exclaimed. 'In the first place, I would not have ruled with injustice, and, in the second place, at the last moment, I would not be in such a state of remorse and regret!'
"A certain Pasha, having most unjustly and cruelly beaten one of his servants, was arrested and brought before that just man who represented Britain. To the intense surprise of the Pasha, he himself was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, and told that he richly deserved the punishment. He could not think it possible that so great a person as himself could be sent to prison, and offered a large bribe for his release. This was sternly refused. A much larger sum was offered with the same result, and the unjust lord was compelled to accept the punishment awarded him for his cruelty to his servant.
"The news of this incident, being noised abroad, did much to show the Eastern people that British justice is in reality the same for the rich and for the poor, and therefore worthy of all respect."
In the 'Hidden Words' Baha'u'llah says 'Justice is to be loved above all.' Praise be to God, in this country the standard of justice has been raised; a great effort is being made to give all souls an equal and a true place.
Believers and unbelievers were at rest, and acquaintances and strangers were playing cheerful melodies. Verily, the darkness of injury ad error was uncovered by the light of equity and justice, and the government put on the garment of probity.
The successful and justice-spreading leader of that region has truly made that territory a secure city under the shadow of justice. … I hope that the fame of his justice-spreading will become the talk of the noble and free ones through the passing of ages and centuries, and that his respected family and lineage will be held in high esteem and honor by the righteous through all ages and centuries.
A group of friends offer endless praise for the excellent conduct, excellent policy and justice of His Excellency the Chosen One, and express complete satisfaction.
The radiant sun of his equity rises high, and he is the humiliator and vanquisher of the people of oppression.
Through his justice the fragrances of tranquility have wafted over all who dwell within the realm of possibility.
We testify that he walks with the banner of justice on his right and the standard of equity on his left, and the heaven before his face.
We beseech God that you may be assisted and confirmed at all times and under all conditions to serve that great monarch and to secure the rights of nations and justice and equity among peoples, and to render outstanding services to the eternal throne of sovereignty.
In any case, since His Imperial Majesty the Shah has implemented such justice and fairness, and of his own accord freed that divine servant from chains and bonds, and his oppressed state became known and evident in the royal presence, all the divine friends must, in gratitude for this royal favor and imperial kindness, demonstrate remarkable service, obedience, submission and faithfulness, and arise according to what is explicitly stated in the Most Holy Book and clearly written in the Book of the Covenant, and make manifest and evident in the assembly of the world that they stand firm by the decree of the Book, are obedient to divine commands, act according to the sacred texts, acknowledge and confess the ordinances, and move with utmost calm, stability and dignity in worship of the Lord of free choice, service to the justice-spreading monarch, and goodwill toward all inhabitants of the land.
We beseech God to assist His Majesty the Sultan to spread the banner of justice, victorious in all circumstances over aspirations, and to support his royal throne as long as day and night follow each other and the two luminaries alternate.
Thou confirmest whomsoever Thou willest in justice and fairness, and Thou abasest whomsoever Thou willest through their fall into the abyss of tyranny. … O Lord! Protect every protector of the choicest among Thy creation, preserve every preserver of the most virtuous among Thy creatures, strengthen the loins of every supporter of the oppressed, fortify the back of every helper of the distressed, expand the breast of every minister under the banner of equity, facilitate the affairs of every prince who unfurls the standard of justice and rolls up the carpet of tyranny, renew the foundation of the mercies of those who have gone before, and cause to flow what serves as a goodly example for those who will come after.
Similarly when the government represents the ideals of progress and justice, the people will advance and co-operate in their dealings.
in like manner, when the sincere purposes and the justice of the sovereign, the knowledge and perfect political efficiency of the ministers of state and the ambition and enthusiasm of the people are all realized at the same time, then indeed, the millennium of progress and human perfection, the consummation of the glory and the prosperity of state and nation will become accomplished.
Especially since today the greatest justification for the intervention of powerful civilized nations in other countries is precisely this: that to witness a country and nation in a state of chaos and anarchy despite civilization and capability, and to remain at peace, is far from justice and outside the duty of civilized and educated people.
Then the whole world would have applauded Russia and then it would have been proven that Russia was sincere in declaring her former intentions.
Do not yield to the overwhelming power of tyranny and despotism. Serve the cause of democracy and freedom. Continue your journey to the end.
In any case, now the government must, in gratitude for this divine confirmation, pursue justice and fairness and seek retribution for the martyred eminent scholar Aqa Siyyid Yahya in Sirjan, for that noble soul was, a few months ago, cut to pieces with utmost cruelty and hostility by the oppressors. Likewise, the government must offer complete protection to the oppressed ones of the world so that this divine confirmation and success may continue.
In times when the fire of hatred is inflamed, they should send their petition to His Majesty the Sultan so that he may be informed of what has befallen them. … They should seek justice from the Sultan.
The enemies are delighted that ownerless property hath fallen to them. Have they not heard the decisive, mighty proclamation which saith: "For him who is slain unjustly, We have given authority to his heir."
We hope that through the all-encompassing hidden bounties, the lights of justice and fairness will shine forth and what befits the oppressed party will become manifest and determined.
Divine confirmation and success come through justice and the seeking of justice. And God is the protector of the oppressed.
God willing, the hand of aggressive people shall fall short, and the power of justice shall become triumphant and manifest....
I hope that you will some day be able to hinder such actions, and thus enable justice to reign everywhere.
Those who are people of peace and righteousness and who desire prosperity and success for all do not deserve conflict and the edge of weapons.
In many countries of the West, laws are enacted to restrict the cruelty of man toward animals and in some states they are hunted only at certain seasons.
May the earth become one homeland, and may justice and right encompass the human world.
Through justice commerce thrives, industries are developed, morals are refined, honesty is established, international comity fostered and education popularized.
That nation is honored and respected above all others which practices strict justice and mercy in all its dealings with outside world. By justice a nation is exalted, attaining to the pinnacle of eternal glory. The path of Justice is the golden path of Universal salvation.
However, all must be part of an order which will ensure that each lives in complete comfort within his own station. It should not be that the master lives in comfort while the servant is in pain; that is injustice.
How poor are they [labourers on ship], and how hard they toil! The presidents of factories and other operations must allocate a share [of the profits] for the workers in their companies, so that these poor souls may know some comfort.
If companies give workers a share, both strikes will be eliminated and it will cause general progress.
You cannot understand now, how the labor saving machines can produce leisure for mankind because at present they are all in the hands of the financiers and are used only to increase profits, but that will not continue. The workers will come into their due benefit from the machine that is the divine intention, and one cannot continue to violate the law of God.
Between 1860 and 1865 you did a wonderful thing; you knocked the shackles from chattel slavery; but today you must do a much more wonderful thing: you must destroy industrial slavery.
The reform will have to start with the land, the source of all wealth. I should like to develop an agrarian community, founded on perfect justice. The government must be concerned for the resources of nature. Those who make great discoveries, like the discovery of a rich mine, should receive a large portion for their enterprise. The rest should go to the government, for all the people.
Nevertheless, it is not right that some should be extremely wealthy while others extremely poor. It must be improved and such laws established that all have comfort and wellbeing - neither should one be afflicted with poverty nor another have extreme wealth. … This must be implemented through laws.
Tell Mrs. D. there are only two ways of correcting the social conditions: it cannot be force. One is changing the hearts of the people, so that those who have great wealth will give freely and gladly. The other is by executing new and just laws which will regulate all the economic conditions, so that there will not be the extremes, the very rich nor the very poor.
The solution of economic questions for instance will not be accomplished by array of labor against capital and capital against labor in strife and conflict, but by voluntary attitude of sacrifice upon both sides. Then a real and lasting justness of conditions will be brought about.
Q: Could not the Bahai Movement be furthered by use of socialist and labor union movements?
A: All nations must become socialistic in spirit. People must not be forced by circumstances to help the poor. They must give aid willingly. That which the socialists aim to accomplish in the economic world will in time be done by the people freely through faith and love and cooperation.
The ruling power or government cannot treat the rich unjustly. To force them to divide their wealth would be unjust.
To one who spoke of the people's desire to possess the land, and of the strong under-current of rebellion on the part of the labouring classes, Abdu'l-Baha said: "Fighting, and the employment of force, even for the right cause, will not bring about good results. The oppressed who have right on their side, must not take that right by force; the evil would continue.
While man might become a centre for good, for amity, he fights like ferocious beasts for the right to land.
God wishes man to establish just equality, not to transgress laws, to help one another and live together in love.
Such fundamental things that are useful, as equality and freedom, these can be found in the laws of Baha'u'llah.
The kings will remain kings, ministers - ministers; the rich - rich; the poor will be in comfort and each person of humanity can find his greatest desire herein.
Therefore we must all live in the utmost of happiness and comfort under a just rule and regulation in accordance with the laws of God, because this life is fleeting, and if man looks after himself only, he is no better than the animal, for the animal alone is to that degree egotistic.
Such a basis, He said, would inevitably result in the structure of a new social justice - and a new individual love and justice.
Perchance, God willing, they may become mindful and aware, be released from negligence, abandon tyranny and oppression, treat each other with justice and fairness, and give up the dictates of selfishness and personal interest.
Faith is the centre of human virtues. Through the light of Faith justice is established. For if one has one grain of Faith in his heart, if they oblige him with the point of bayonet to act unjustly toward another he will not do it.
Otherwise, the protection of society from the harmful actions of such persons falls to the centers of justice and equity.
But the community as a whole must enact a set of defensive laws for the protection and safeguard of the rights and property of the individual. Such laws will have a salutary and deterrent influence over the minds of the lawless and unrestrained.
Justice requireth that judgment be passed upon him, and equity demandeth retribution for his deeds, that security and peace may be established.
The tabernacle of world order is upheld upon two pillars: reward and punishment. Such matters pertain to the monarchs of the age. They are the manifestations of God's power and the dawning-places of His divine majesty.
For the sinner, divine justice requires punishment and chastisement in whatever form it may take, since punishment is based on human will, not like a lion's nature or inherited characteristics.
In any case, every deed has its recompense, and every evil act has its consequent blow - divine justice demands this.
However, the Lord of the Kingdom afflicts every audacious slanderer with abundant punishment. This is required by divine justice.
God hath prescribed justice unto you, that ye harm no soul even to the extent of a single grain -- even should one but lay a hand upon another's shoulder. Whoso transgresseth, it is prescribed that he pay nineteen mithqals of gold, and if he be not able to pay in gold, then in silver, and to restore unto him whom he hath wronged the limit set forth in the Book of God, that ye may not transgress.
The laws of individual justice were confused and preliminary in the souls of men. Therefore, the law of general justice of the community was revealed by this Prophet.
Justice is to give to every rightful one his due, but munificence is grace and bestowal.
This is the station of justice, that is, giving to each one his due, and this is the station of the ordering of creation after its coming into being, and the degrees of destiny in creation and origination, even as was revealed from the Kingdom of eternity unto the Seal of the Prophets, peace and blessings be upon him: "And there is not a thing but with Us are the treasuries thereof, and We send it not down save in appointed measure."
He hath ordained for every soul that which beseemeth it, and He, verily, is the Just One in what He hath decreed in the preserved Tablets of glory. He wrongeth no one by so much as a grain of mustard seed, but people wrong their own selves. He hath commanded them to observe justice and goodness, yet they act not accordingly.
One sitteth upon the seat of glory while another lieth in the dust of abasement, yet when observed with the eye of insight, from the horizon of both doth the sun of justice shine forth resplendent.
Know ye that the root of justice and its source is that which the Manifestation of God Himself ordaineth in His Day, were ye of them that know. Say: He is the Balance of Justice between the heavens and the earth, and though He should come with a cause that would strike terror into all in the heavens and on earth, verily this would be manifest justice.
… Await ye, O people, the days of justice which have indeed come in truth. Beware lest ye be veiled from them and be of the heedless ones.
We judge between people as We please and summon them unto that which shall profit them in the world to come and in this world.
The Hour hath come, and the Trumpet hath been sounded, and the Balance proclaimeth: "I am the Discerner, the All-Knowing. I make manifest and reveal before the face of the world the deeds of the peoples, and I am the Witness, the All-Informed. Not a single atom remaineth but I have brought it forth, and I am the Just, the Upright. The hand of justice hath made me to stand erect in the days of God, the Lord of the worlds.
The Distinguisher hath appeared and the Balance is set up. All matters are weighed in the divine Balance, and truth is distinguished from falsehood, the blessed from the wretched, the truthful from the false, and the trustworthy from the treacherous.
By God, the Truth, judge ye fairly -- which of the two souls among the two parties was praiseworthy around the fire? Verily the Truth made known to him in the Sacred Mosque the vision of justice concerning the Most Great Truth.
O Muhit! Deliver thy Lord's decree with justice, for victory is ordained this day for the believers in that which is written...
… We have promised mankind the Day of Justice and We have made clear the Cause that those in whose hearts is doubt concerning God's Command may come forth.
And blessings and peace be upon the ocean of His knowledge, the heaven of His bounty, and the sun of His grace, Who was named Muhammad in the most exalted Kingdom and the realm of creation, and upon His family and companions through whom the breeze wafted, the Word was uplifted, the sun of justice shone forth, and the river of equity overflowed - blessings whose fragrances never fade and whose effusions never alter.
The gate of grace hath been opened and the sovereign of justice speaketh the truth and summoneth the people unto God, the One, the All-Informed.
The world hath been adorned with the ornament of justice, yet the people perceive it not.
The orb of justice has risen and shone forth from the horizon of the heaven of supreme statecraft, yet the veils of heedless souls--that is, the turning away of those evil ones--have concealed its rays. What has been the cause of deprivation, and what the reason for prevention? There can be no doubt that the All-Bountiful Lord, exalted be His favor and magnificent His grace, created the world for the sole purpose of recognition and the manifestations of justice and fairness.
When the standard of justice is raised, the hosts of fancy and idle imagination will flee. Blessed are they who know.
Say: We have abandoned the carrion, inasmuch as the heavenly table hath been sent down from the heaven of the bounty of our Lord, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Fear ye God, O concourse of the ignorant ones! Deal fairly in that which hath appeared with truth, and be not of the lost.
Say: O oppressed servants throughout all regions! On the Day of Reckoning He summons all unto the Lord of Creation. The purpose is that those possessed of sight and hearing may with justice and fairness hearken unto the divine verses and reflect upon that which hath been made manifest.
We beseech God not to deprive His servants of the splendors of the Sun of Justice, that all may consider with fairness that which hath appeared and been revealed.
And His teachings are these: First, the independent investigation of truth and deliverance from ancient traditions. … Twelfth, the Most Great Justice.
Whoso attaineth unto justice hath attained unto that which God, the Lord of all beings, hath desired.
Justice, like the phoenix, existeth in name but not in reality. Equity, like the philosopher's stone, is rare indeed.
Justice, like the phoenix, naught remaineth of it save its name, and equity hath taken flight to the pavilions of glory, seeking refuge from the talons of the birds of darkness.
Today the cry of justice is raised high and the lamentation of equity is uplifted. The darkness of oppression hath enveloped the world and its peoples.
Evil is that which they have wrought, and they shall have no portion of this Great Sea.
Discrimination hath vanished and justice hath perished.
The clouds of the desires of souls have prevented the sun of justice from shining forth, such that it remaineth concealed while the world is afflicted and entangled.
O thou who hast turned to God! Today the bird of justice is caught in the talons of oppression. The dark clouds have prevented its light from shining. If the people of the world become ready and capable of receiving this most great bounty and supreme gift, in that very moment the lights of the Sun of Justice will shine forth from behind the veil of clouds, and the darkness of oppression by treacherous souls will return to nothingness, like a shadow when the sun shines forth.
The world hath been enveloped by the smoke of tyranny, and the fire of malicious souls hath been kindled. God willing, the hand of power shall extinguish it and return it to nothingness.
Perdition unto the people who wronged Thee after the balance of justice was established through Thee in the days of Thy Lord, the Most Glorious.
The oppressors shall soon behold the recompense of their deeds from the presence of a just and mighty Lord.
Be not distressed by the tyranny of oppressors. God lies in wait - soon will He cast them all into the flames.
However, in the eyes of those endowed with vision who gaze toward the Most Great Horizon, those souls who turned away from the Truth and who wander in the wilderness of fancy and ignorance were and shall ever be the true prisoners. Soon shall the wrongdoer return to the lowest depths, and sovereignty shall remain with God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.
They who cast aside justice and embraced tyranny have lost - they are among the perishing ones.
Soon the hand of divine justice will manifest that which is the cause of awakening. Now slumber of heedlessness has seized all. Soon they shall find themselves in evident abasement and painful chastisement.
Thus were Pharaoh and his hosts drowned as recompense for their deeds. Verily God seized him for his sin and delivered Moses and his companions.
Know thou with clear certainty that these great oppressions prepare the way for supreme justice. The tyranny of Pharaoh prepared the way for the justice of Moses, and the hand of power brought forth from his house that which he strove with all his might to avoid and whose removal he sought.
And concerning the tribulations that were mentioned, though outwardly they caused grief and sorrow, yet as they were borne for the sake of God, they were and shall ever be light upon light. The world is transient, as is evident in its constant change and transformation, and this very change is a tablet whereon its evanescence hath been inscribed by the Pen of Power. O blessed are they who possess insight! Ere long shall the carpet of tyranny be rolled up as it was before, and the carpet bearing the fruits of the deeds of the sincere ones shall be spread forth.
The glory be upon thee and upon those whom tyranny hath not frightened nor prevented from turning unto the Countenance of Justice, through whose light the morn hath breathed and the Sun of Knowledge hath shone forth from the horizon of the providence of God, the Lord of all worlds.
Today is the day of utterance and exposition, and the day of unity and harmony. Had the loved ones held fast to the counsels recorded in the Tablets, they would now behold the world adorned and illumined with the light of justice and fairness. Some deeds act as barriers and veils. We beseech God to assist all to return and repent, and to arise to make good what hath escaped them.
I truly say that this servant hath, from the earliest days until now, summoned the people of Iran to justice and fairness. In truth, whosoever is not adorned with these two blessed attributes hath not been and is not accounted among men.
We enjoined upon all men to be just and fair-minded and to fear God, the Lord of the worlds.
We enjoin upon you and those who have believed pure justice.
… And regarding what you wrote about the brethren, God willing, they will not deviate from the Straight Path nor transgress justice.
Say: Hold fast unto pure justice and unto that which ye have been commanded in the Book. He hath enjoined upon you righteousness and piety - to this His Most Exalted Pen beareth witness, and behind it the Revealer of verses.
This is a Book which God hath sent down in truth, wherein He commandeth men to observe justice and piety.
And the glory be upon thee and upon all who are fair-minded and transgress not the decree of justice in God's Cause and are among the God-fearing.
And We make mention of him who is named Muhammad Ja'far, and We counsel him and My loved ones to observe justice and fairness and that whereby the glory of My party shall be made manifest amidst all parties.
O Asad! We have heard thy mention and have mentioned thee, and We counsel thee to observe justice and fairness and that which thou hast been commanded in the Book of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
He maketh mention of thee as a bounty from Him and commandeth thee to observe justice and righteousness.
He desireth naught from His servants save fairness, and He Himself is witness and all-knowing of this.
Be just among men, for thus have ye been commanded in all the Tablets, did ye but know.
He hath commanded all to observe justice and fairness, and to practice that which is prescribed in His perspicuous Book.
Verily We have commanded all to observe pure justice and forbidden them from tyranny in numerous Tablets.
O ye who are the beloved of the All-Merciful throughout all possibilities! Hearken unto that which God commandeth you in the Book, and follow not the way of the mischief-makers. He commandeth you to observe justice, even as He commanded you aforetime. He, verily, is the Mighty, the All-Knowing.
Take hold of justice and fairness by Our command, for He is the Commander, the Powerful.
We counsel him who hath turned towards the Most Sublime Horizon to observe the Most Great Trustworthiness and that whereby the lights of justice may shine forth among all the tribes of the earth.
We have sent down from the heaven of utterance that which has brought delight to the eyes of those near unto God, and We have mentioned that which aids the servants to practice justice and fairness. … Through good character the stations of creation are revealed, and through justice their ranks are made manifest.
God willing, may the standard of justice and the banner of wisdom be witnessed before the faces of each of you, and assuredly through these pure deeds and holy, sanctified characteristics, the lights of justice which have been veiled and concealed by the oppression of the oppressors shall shine forth through the divine name. Then shall ye see the earth transformed into another earth, and the atoms shall cry out with the most exalted call: "The horizon of justice hath been illumined by the sun of the remembrance of our Lord, the Mighty, the Manifest, the Hearing, the All-Seeing!"
Mention of justice and its influence brought boundless joy. Detached souls are educated under the shadow of the sun of justice, and through those souls the world is renewed and the orb of fairness appears. In this case, all will observe themselves in the cradle of peace and security with perfect joy and delight.
Religion will become the cause of fellowship between people, and justice and fairness will raise its banner at the pole of the world.
O Safdar! God willing, thou wilt transform the darkness of oppression and discord in all regions into the light of justice and unity.
We beseech God, exalted be His glory, to confirm thee in that which shall cause the turning of souls unto Him and the unity and fellowship of hearts. God willing, rely wholly upon Him and resign thyself completely to His will, detached from all else. Strive at all times that perchance the tyranny of the world may be transformed into justice and the oppression of nations into equity.
Praise be to God that what was clearly foretold two years ago has become evident and manifest. Now is the time for kindness and compassion, and for firmness and steadfastness in justice and fairness toward humankind.
For years justice had been deprived and no trace of it was found. Praise be to God, in these days it hath appeared from the horizon of power with standards and banners of victory.
Ere long will God, exalted be His glory, adorn the embodiments of oppression with the raiment of justice and the temples of tyranny with the ornament of equity.
Soon will the true Omnipotent One purify the earth and cause the sun of justice to appear to all the world from behind the clouds of oppression.
Soon shall the Sun of Power shine forth from the horizon of God's Will and illumine the whole world with the lights of justice.
Soon will the effulgences of the Orb of Justice encompass and illumine the horizons. This is among the irrevocable decrees of God, exalted be His glory.
O Khudadad! Today is the Day of Justice, yet the demons of tyranny have oppressed the angels of justice.
… However, this oppression shall not endure. Ere long the light of the Sun of Justice shall illumine the darkened world.
The purpose of this Revelation is that the clouds of oppression may be lifted away and the Sun of Justice may shine forth from behind the veil, that all the peoples of the world may abide in the cradle of security and peace.
Let Me tell you that you may know: I have come so that in this world full of corruption, where the door of tranquility has been utterly shut to all beings through the oppression of the oppressors and the treachery of the treacherous, I may, by God's might and power, establish such justice, protection, trustworthiness and religion throughout all regions--manifest and resplendent--that if one of those maidens secluded behind veils, whose radiant beauty would count the sun itself as but a mote, and who in all aspects of grace and beauty would have no peer or likeness, were to emerge from behind the veil adorned with the most precious jewels and ornaments beyond the reckoning of the wise, and travel alone, unaccompanied and unhindered, from the East of creation to the West of invention, wandering through every land and journeying through every clime, such would be the trustworthiness, religiousness, justice, and fairness, and such the absence of treachery, baseness, tyranny and inequity, that no hand of aggression or greed would stretch forth toward the hem of her wealth, nor would any lustful or iniquitous eye turn to gaze upon her sanctified beauty, until she returns to her dwelling and homeland with an unsullied heart and a radiant countenance." Then He said: "By God's power, I shall transform the world in this way and shall open this most great door unto the face of all peoples." It is in reference to this that the Supreme Pen hath revealed: "Erelong shall the earth be turned into the Most Glorious Paradise."
It is my hope that means may be devised for Iran that would lead to universal comfort and assurance, that justice and equity may prevail, and that oppression and tyranny may vanish and be no more.
May no trace of oppression remain and may the beloved of justice and fairness appear resplendent.
I convey to each of the friends greetings, praise, glory and splendor, and with a hundred thousand tongues I beseech for them that which will cause the fields of knowledge to become verdant and flourishing and the gardens of justice and fairness to become fresh.
All praise, thanksgiving, mention, glorification, tribute and honor befit the Peerless Beloved, Who hath illumined the world of existence with the light of justice.
Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for that through Thy grace and will the sun of justice hath shone forth from the horizon of bounty, and the light of equity through Thy bounty and favor.
We beseech God--glorified be His majesty--to adorn His servants with the ornament of justice and fairness.
… Blessed is he who hath adorned his head with the crown of justice and his temple with the ornament of fairness.
O Lord! Adorn them with the ornament of justice and fairness, and illumine their hearts with the lights of gifts and favors.
Say: My God, my God! I beseech Thee by Thy power that hath encompassed all created things, by Thy sovereignty that hath surrounded all existence, and by the sovereignty of the Names whereby Thou hast subdued earth and heaven, to adorn Thy servants with the effulgences of the Day-Star of justice and equity.
O Lord! Illumine the face of the earth with the lights of the sun of Thy justice and adorn its thrones with the temples of the dawning-places of truth and fairness, that the countenances of those who love Thee and who have believed in Thy signs may smile with joy.
O Lord! Adorn them with the ornament of justice and equity, and illumine their hearts with the lights of bounty and grace.
… I beseech Thee, O Lord of eternity and Sovereign of nations and Goal of all peoples, by Thy Most Great Name, to transform the seat of tyranny into the throne of Thy justice, and the chair of heedlessness and oppression into the seat of submission and equity.
And the verses are:
"I implore Thee, O my GOD and the King of nations, and ask Thee by the Greatest Name, to change the throne of tyranny into a center of justice, and the seat of pride and iniquity into the chair of humbleness and justice.
We beseech God, exalted be His glory, not to deprive His creation and to adorn them with the ornament of justice and fairness.
We beseech Him, blessed and exalted be He, to adorn His servants with the light of justice and fairness and draw them nigh unto Him.
We beseech God, exalted be He, to adorn His servants with the ornament of justice and fairness.
We beseech God to aid them, to make them successful, and to make them among those who hold fast to the cord of justice and cling to the hem of fairness.
I beseech God to illumine thy heart with the light of the lamp of grace and guide thee along the path of justice and fairness. This is the mark of the pure ones and the attribute of those drawn nigh at the Supreme Threshold.
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
Say: That justice which causes the pillars of tyranny to quake and the foundations of misbelief to crumble is the recognition of this Revelation.
God be praised! The sun of justice hath risen above the horizon of Baha'u'llah. For in His Tablets the foundations of such a justice have been laid as no mind hath, from the beginning of creation, conceived.
The day is approaching when the faithful will behold the daystar of justice shining in its full splendor from the dayspring of glory.
Unlike the nations and peoples of the earth, be they of the East or of the West, democratic or authoritarian, communist or capitalist, whether belonging to the Old World or the New, who either ignore, trample upon, or extirpate, the racial, religious, or political minorities within the sphere of their jurisdiction, every organized community enlisted under the banner of Baha'u'llah should feel it to be its first and inescapable obligation to nurture, encourage, and safeguard every minority belonging to any faith, race, class, or nation within it.
To discriminate against any tribes because they are in a minority is a violation of the spirit that animates the Faith of Baha'u'llah. As followers of God's Holy Faith it is our obligation to protect the just interests of any minority element within the Baha'i community. In fact in the administration of our Baha'i affairs, representatives of minority groups are not only enabled to enjoy equal rights and privileges, but they are even favoured and accorded priority.
...the mere fact of disaffection, estrangement, or recantation of belief, can in no wise detract from, or otherwise impinge upon, the legitimate civil rights of individuals in a free society, be it to the most insignificant degree. Were the friends to follow other than this course, it would be tantamount to a reversion on their part, in this century of radiance and light, to the ways and standards of a former age: they would reignite in men's breasts the fire of bigotry and blind fanaticism, cut themselves off from the glorious bestowals of this promised Day of God, and impede the full flow of divine assistance in this wondrous age.
The amelioration of the conditions of the world requires the reconstruction of human society and efforts to improve the material well-being of humanity. The Baha'i approach to this task is evolutionary and multifaceted, involving not only the spiritual transformation of individuals but the establishment of an administrative system based on the application of justice, a system which is at once the "nucleus" and the "pattern" of the future World Order, together with the implementation of programmes of social and economic development that derive their impetus from the grass roots of the community. Such an integrated approach will inevitably create a new world, a world where human dignity is restored and the burden of inequity is lifted from the shoulders of humanity.
For thought and discussion