• What Bahá’ís Believe — Home
  • Bahá’u’lláh and His Covenant
  • The Life of the Spirit
  • God and His Creation
  • Essential Relationships
  • Universal Peace

What Bahá’ís Believe

The Bahá’í Faith’s central beliefs have been organized on this site into a number of thematic areas. Here you can take time to read about the origins of the Bahá’í Faith and explore the principles and teachings that inspire members of the Bahá’í community throughout the world.

What Bahá’ís Believe — Home »
  • Overview of this Section — The origins of the Bahá’í Faith and the source of its distinctive unity
  • The Báb — The Báb is the Herald of the Bahá’í Faith
  • Bahá’u’lláh — Bahá’u’lláh is the Promised One foretold by the Báb and all of the Divine Messengers of the past
  • ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá — Bahá’u’lláh appointed His eldest son, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, as the authorized interpreter of His teachings and Head of the Faith
  • Shoghi Effendi — Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, appointed by his Grandfather, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá
  • The Universal House of Justice — The international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith, whose creation was ordained by Bahá’u’lláh
  • Overview of this Section — The eternal soul, the purpose of life, and the development of spiritual qualities
  • The Human Soul — The immortal, rational soul which passes through this world for a brief time and continues for eternity to advance towards God
  • Devotion — Acts of devotion such as prayer, meditation, fasting, pilgrimage, and service to others and their role in religious life
  • A Life of Generous Giving — We fulfil our highest purpose in a life of service in which we offer our time, energy, knowledge, and financial resources generously
  • Character and Conduct — The cultivation of spiritual qualities in this world is inseparable from an ongoing refinement of our conduct
  • Overview of this Section — God, revelation, humanity, the natural world, and the advancement of civilization
  • Revelation — God, the Creator of the universe, cultivates intellectual and moral capacities through the teachings of Manifestations of God
  • Nature — The beauty, richness and diversity of the natural world are all expressions of the attributes of God
  • An Ever-Advancing Civilization — Humanity, having passed through the ages of infancy and childhood, now stands at the threshold of its collective maturity
  • Overview of this Section — The development of relationships among individuals, communities, and institutions that reflect the principle of the oneness of humanity
  • The Individual and Society — As humanity emerges from childhood and approaches its collective maturity, the need for a new understanding of the relationships between the individual, the community, and the institutions of society becomes ever more pressing
  • One Human Family — The conviction that we belong to one human family is at the heart of the Bahá’í Faith
  • The Bahá’í Administrative Order — The affairs of the Bahá’í community are administered through a system of institutions, each with its defined sphere of action
  • Introduction — The principles required for the attainment of peace and the building of a new global civilization
  • The Promise of World Peace — The full text of a letter of the Universal House of Justice, addressed to the Peoples of the World
  • Quotations — An introductory selection of extracts from the Bahá’í writings on the theme of universal peace
  • Articles and Resources — A selection of readings, essays, and resource materials on universal peace
  • What Bahá’ís Do — Home
  • Response to the Call of Bahá’u’lláh
  • Devotional Life
  • Family Life and Children
  • Youth
  • Institutional Capacity
  • Involvement in the Life of Society

What Bahá’ís Do

This area of the website explores the various ways in which Bahá’ís—individually, collectively, and through the work of their institutions—have responded to the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, from the beginnings of the Faith in Persia and the Middle East to the worldwide Bahá’í community today.

What Bahá’ís Do — Home »
  • Overview — The two-fold purpose fundamental to Bahá’í life
  • Walking a Spiritual Path — The responsibility of each individual for their own spiritual development
  • The Development of a Worldwide Community — The need for a community unified in thought and action
  • The Training Institute — The development of a pool of human resources capable of contributing to the building of a better world
  • Overview — The integration of service and worship in Bahá’í community life
  • Devotional Meetings — The characteristics of devotional meetings
  • The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
    Bahá’í Houses of Worship
    — The Dawning Place of the Mention of God
  • Overview — The importance of family and the education of children
  • Family Life — The role of the family as the nucleus of society
  • Children’s Classes — The responsibility of the community for the education of children
  • Overview — The efforts of young Bahá’ís to contribute to the betterment of the world
  • Overview — The development of the Bahá’í community’s administrative structures and the refinement of its associated processes
  • Spaces of Consultation — A means of promoting unity and a framework within which collective decisions can be taken
  • Nineteen Day Feast — A regular gathering of the Bahá’í community ordained by Bahá’u’lláh
  • Overview — Working alongside others for the advancement of material and spiritual civilization
  • Social Action — The promotion of social and material well-being
  • Participating in the Discourses of Society — Efforts to contribute to social progress at the level of thought
  • Bahá’í Reference Library — Home
  • Authoritative Writings and Guidance
  • Other Bahá’í Literature
  • Transliteration System
  • Help and Information

Bahá’í Reference Library

The Bahá’í Reference Library is the authoritative online source of Bahá’í writings. It contains selected works of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice, as well as other Bahá’í texts.

Bahá’í Reference Library — Home »
  • Overview of this Section — Selected works of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice
  • Writings of Bahá’u’lláh — The principal works of Bahá’u’lláh that have been translated into English
  • Writings of the Báb — A small collection of extracts from the Writings of the Báb
  • Writings and Talks of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá — The principal works of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá that have been translated into English
  • Prayers of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb,
    and ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá
    — Prayers revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá.
  • Writings of Shoghi Effendi — Publications written by Shoghi Effendi and collections of his extensive correspondence with the worldwide Bahá’í community
  • Messages of the Universal House of Justice — Letters and documents of the Universal House of Justice, including communications written on its behalf
  • Compilations — Collections of extracts from the Bahá’í writings generally prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice on various themes, including women, consultation, peace, and scholarship.
  • Recent Additions — A list of recent additions to the Bahá’í Reference Library
  • Downloads — Downloadable versions of all publications in this section
  • Search — Search all publications in this section
  • Overview of this Section — Texts which explore or expound upon the Bahá’í teachings
  • Official Statements and Commentaries — Publications commissioned by the Universal House of Justice and statements of the Bahá’í International Community.
  • Periodicals and Other Supplementary Materials — Historical periodicals and other publications that explore such subjects as the history of the Bahá’í Faith and the development of the Bahá’í community
  • Publications by Individual Authors — A collection of introductory texts on the Bahá’í Faith, historical studies, and other works by individual authors.
  • Downloads — Downloadable versions of all publications in this section
  • Search — Search all publications in this section
  • Overview — The Transliteration System Used in Bahá’í Literature
  • Overview — Information about the Bahá’í Reference Library website
  • Downloading Publications — Download formats available and how to access them
  • Viewing Online — The Library’s online reader and its features
  • Searching the Library — Searching texts in the Bahá'í Reference Library
  • Navigating Document Lists — Accessing messages of the Universal House of Justice
  • What Bahá’ís Believe
  • What Bahá’ís Do
  • Bahá’í Reference Library
  • What Bahá’ís Believe — Home
  • Bahá’u’lláh and His Covenant
  • The Life of the Spirit
  • God and His Creation
  • Essential Relationships
  • Universal Peace
  • What Bahá’ís Do — Home
  • Response to the Call of Bahá’u’lláh
  • Devotional Life
  • Family Life and Children
  • Youth
  • Institutional Capacity
  • Involvement in the Life of Society
  • Bahá’í Reference Library — Home
  • Authoritative Writings and Guidance
  • Other Bahá’í Literature
  • Transliteration System
  • Help and Information