Baha'i Terms of Use
[Letter to selected National Spiritual Assemblies]
EXTRACTS FROM THE WRITINGS OF BAHA'U'LLAH AND 'ABDU'L-BAHA AND FROM THE
LETTERS OF SHOGHI EFFENDI AND THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE ON
SCHOLARSHIP
1. THE STATION OF SCHOLARSHIP
1.1 Importance of Knowledge and Learning
From the Writings of Baha'u'llah
1: "Knowledge is one of the wondrous gifts of God. It is
incumbent upon..."
2: "Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his
ascent. Its..."
From the Writings and Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Baha
3: "Make every effort to acquire the advanced knowledge of the
day, and..."
4: "...I most urgently request the friends of God to make every
effort, as much..."
5: "All blessings are divine in origin, but none can be compared
with this..."
From a Letter Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
6: "...Baha'u'llah considered education as one of the most
fundamental factors..."
1.2 Characteristics of the "truly learned"
From the Writings of Baha'u'llah
7: "Happy are ye, O ye the learned ones in Baha. By the Lord! Ye
are..."
8: "The Great Being saith: The man of consummate learning and the
sage..."
9: "Know thou that he is truly learned who hath acknowledged My
Revelation, and..."
10: "Consider, how can he that faileth in the day of God's
Revelation..."
From the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha
11: "...there are those famed and accomplished men of learning,
possessed of..."
From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
12: "In connection with the question as to whether Baha'is should
be familiar..."
13: "The Cause needs more Baha'i scholars, people who not only
are devoted..."
1.3 Scope of "Baha'i Scholarship"
From a Letter Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice
14: "At this early stage in the development of the Faith, it
would not..."
1.4 Appreciation of Scholarship
From the Writings of Baha'u'llah
15: "Respect ye the divines and learned amongst you, they whose
conduct accords..."
16: "O people of God! Righteous men of learning who dedicate
themselves to..."
17: "Beware, O My loved ones, lest ye despise the merits of My
learned servants..."
From the Writings and Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Baha
18: "...the religion of God is the promoter of truth, the founder
of science and..."
19: "There are certain pillars which have been established as the
unshakeable..."
From a Letter Written by Shoghi Effendi
20: "The responsibilities of the members of the Spiritual
Assemblies that are..."
2. FUNCTIONS OF BAHA'I SCHOLARSHIP
2.1 Promotion of Human Welfare
From the Writings of Baha'u'llah
21: "The Great Being saith: The learned of the day must direct
the people to..."
22: "True learning is that which is conducive to the well-being
of the world, not..."
From the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha
23: "The primary, the most urgent requirement is the promotion of
education...."
From a Letter Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
24: "The news of the co-operation of the Baha'i young men and
women in..."
From a Letter of the Universal House of Justice
25: "The further emergence of the Faith from obscurity is
reflected in distinctive..."
2.2 Defence of the Faith
From the Writings of Baha'u'llah
26: "If any man were to arise to defend, in his writings, the
Cause of God against..."
From the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha
27: "The second of these spiritual standards which apply to the
possessor of..."
From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
28: "Shoghi Effendi was delighted to hear of your conversation
with Sir ......."
29: "There is an answer in the teachings for everything;
unfortunately the..."
2.3 Expansion and Consolidation of the Baha'i Community
From the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha
30: "Pure souls, such as Mirza Abu'l-Fadl, upon him be the Glory
of God,..."
From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
31: "We had heard through various channels the wonderful way your
children had..."
32: "The university training which you are receiving at present
will be of immense..."
33: "Young men and women in the Faith must be deep and thoughtful
scholars of its..."
34: "If the Baha'is want to be really effective in teaching the
Cause they need to..."
From a Letter Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice
35: "The Universal House of Justice ... regards Baha'i
scholarship as of..."
2.4 Contribution to Scholarly Development
From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
36: "He was very happy to hear from you, and to see with what
keen appreciation..."
37: "Regarding the advice you requested from him concerning what
studies you..."
From Letters Written by or on Behalf of the Universal House of
Justice
38: "You are already a qualified practitioner in your field, and
no doubt you..."
39: "As the Baha'i community grows it will acquire experts in
numerous fields..."
40: "Indeed, let them [the Baha'i youth] welcome with confidence
the challenges..."
41: "The House of Justice recognizes that the questions you
raise, concerning..."
3. GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES
3.1 Spiritual Foundation
From the Writings of Baha'u'llah
42: "Therefore, hath it been said: "Knowledge is a light which
God casteth into..."
43: "We have decreed, O people, that the highest and last end of
all learning..."
From the Writings and Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Baha
44: "Although to acquire the sciences and arts is the greatest
glory of..."
45: "And every branch of learning, conjoined with the love of
God, is approved..."
46: "Scientific knowledge is the highest attainment upon the
human plane,..."
From a Letter Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
47: "Between the truth which comes from God through His Prophets,
and the..."
From Letters Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice
48: "Just as there is a fundamental difference between divine
Revelation itself..."
49: "The combination of absolute loyalty to the Manifestation of
God and..."
50: "The House of Justice suggests that the issues raised in your
letter..."
3.2 "Useful" Sciences
From the Writings of Baha'u'llah
51: "It is permissible to study sciences and arts, but such
sciences as are..."
From the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha
52: "The individual should, prior to engaging in the study of any
subject, ask..."
From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
53: "The choice you have made for your course of study is surely
most..."
54: "Philosophy, as you will study it and later teach it, is
certainly not..."
From a Letter Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice
55: "In response to your letter of ... in which you seek guidance
on the..."
3.3 Attitudes of the Scholar
From the Writings of Baha'u'llah
56: "Amongst the people is he whose learning hath made him proud,
and who hath..."
57: "Show forbearance and benevolence and love to one another.
Should any..."
58: "Beware lest ye contend with any one, nay, strive to make him
aware of the truth..."
59: "Warn, O Salman, the beloved of the one true God, not to view
with too..."
From the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha
60: "Good behaviour and high moral character must come first, for
unless the..."
From Letters Written by or on Behalf of the Universal House of
Justice
61: "...the believers must recognize the importance of
intellectual honesty and..."
62: "When studying at school or university Baha'i youth will
often find..."
63: "The House of Justice agrees that it is most important for
the believers,..."
64: "The House of Justice feels that Baha'i scholars must beware
of the..."
3.4 Methodological Issues
65: "Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as
are current..."
66: "When the eyes of the people of the East were captivated by the
arts..."
From the Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Baha
67: "There are only four accepted methods of comprehension--that is
to say,..."
From Letters Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice
68: "The concern was expressed that many of the friends, holding
that there..."
69: "The House of Justice had hoped that the publication of the
statement..."
70: "From your letter the House of Justice understands that you
desire to..."
71: "The principal concern of the House of Justice is over a
methodological..."
3.5 The Covenant
From Letters Written by or on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
72: "Concerning the course of study you may follow:.... The Cause
is..."
73: "The Guardian feels that a sound knowledge of history, including
religious..."
75: "It seems what we need now is a more profound and co-ordinated
Baha'i..."
76: "He was very pleased to hear you do a lot of lecturing for the
Cause; this..."
From Communications of the Universal House of Justice
77: "In the field of Baha'i scholarship we feel that it is most
important not..."
78: "There can be no doubt that the progress of the Cause from
this time..."
[LETTER TO SELECTED NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES]