A Compilaton on Women

the Writings

ye not why We created you

rom one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the

rabic no. 68, rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bah

xalted is He Who hath r

ised be God, the Pen of the Most High hath lifted distinctions from between His servants and handmaidens, and, through His consummate favours and all-encompassing mercy, hath conferred upon all a

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eard thy voice and that wh

out betwixt earth and heaven and maketh mention of thee with words that immortalize what hath appeared from thee in His love, in His service, in His remembrance and in His praise. And He hath made that which hath issued forth from thy mouth a trust with Him for thee. He is verily the Most Bounteous, the Most Generous. If thou truly givest ear to that which hath been revealed for thee from My Supreme Pen at this moment, thou shalt soar with the wings of eagerness in the

t who hath attained unto that which God hath decreed, and likewise the leaf moving in accordance with the breezes of His will. This favour is great and this stat

nslated from the Per

of handmaidens who are de

n the Crimson Book. They excel over men in the sight of God. How numerous are the heroes and knights in the field

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ost High hath borne witnes

thy love for Him and thy turning towards the Ancient Countenance at a time when

sidered himself a celebrated divine and a repository of heavenly mysteries, and yet when the slightest test visited him, he arose with such opposition and denial as to cause the Concourse on high to moan and lament. Through the bestowals of the Lord, however, and His infinite favour, thou hast att

nslated from the Per

l the leaves to attain the

ecognizeth the incomparable Beloved is the possessor of true wealth and occupieth a divine station. Today, in the court of the True One, the queen of the world and her like are not worth a mustard seed, because although she may speak in the name of God, invoke th

nslated from the Per

es and ages many a man ha

it. Whosoever from amongst the handmaidens hath recognized the Lord of all Names is recorded in the Book as one of those men by the Pen of the Most High. Offer thou praise to the Beloved of the worl

nslated from the Per

ritings and Utteran

stence until the Promised Da

handmaidens arose who excelled men in the arena of knowledge. They arose with such love and spirituality that they became the cause of the outpouring of the bounty of the Sovereign Lord upon mankind, and with their sanctity, purity and attributes of the spirit led a great many to the shore of unity. They beca

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this wondrous dispensatio

tributes of men in showing forth steadfastness in the Cause of God, and revealing the heroism and might of fearless men. They invaded the arena of mystic knowledge and hoisted aloft the banner on the heights of certitu

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Lord that among that ra

ed, that thine eyes may be seeing, thine ears attentive, thy tongue eloquent, thy heart filled with supreme glad-tidings, and thy soul refreshed by divine fragrances, so that thou mayest arise among that race and occupy thyself with the edification of the people, and become filled with light. Although the pupil of the eye

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women's assemblage for the

between men and women. As in the question of the veil, nothing should be done contrary to wisdom. The individual women should, today, follow a course of action which will be the cause of eternal glory to all womankind, so that all women will be illumined. And that lieth in gathering to learn ho

Of what benefit is this, and what fruit doth it yield? To the extent that ye can, ye should busy yourselves with spiritual matters which will be conducive to the exa

use they squabble. They are yet to have a member in the House of Representatives. Also Bahá'u'lláh hath proclaimed: "O ye men of the House of Justice." Ye need to be calm and composed, so that the work will proceed with wisdom, otherwise there will be such chaos that ye will leave everything and run away. "This newly born babe is traversing in one

e anything. 'Abdu'l-Bahá mus

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that in the sight of Bahá

d women alike are the revealers of His names and attributes, and from the spiritual viewpoint there is no difference between them. Whosoever draweth nearer to God, that one is the mos

aw of God, is confined to men;2 this for a wisdom of the Lord God's, w

l-Bahá" [rev. ed.], (Haifa: Bahá'í World

ngs of Bahá'u'lláh is th

Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of wome

ritings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá

e century of light, it is

the potentialities hidden in the realm of humanity was the capability or capacity of womanhood. Through the effulgent rays of divine ill

.

then, constitutes the inequality between man and woman? Both are human. In powers and function each is the complement of the other. A

.

after our likeness" does not mean that woman was not created. The image and likeness of God apply to her as well. In Persian and Arabic there are two distinct words translated into English as man: one meaning

which God has not intended in creati

the women of the Orient. And let it be known once more that until woman and man recognize and realize equality, social and political progress here or anywhere will not be possible. For the world of humanity consists of two parts or

-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912",

utmost importance are fac

ance are facing humanity, questions

ged to a sphere lower than human. But in this century, which is the century of light and the revelation of mysteries, God is proving to the satisfaction of humanity that all this is ignorance and error; nay, rather, it is well established that mankind and womankind as parts of composite humanity are coequal and that no difference in estimate is allowable, for all are human. The conditions in past centuries were due to woman's lack of opportunity. She was denied the right and privilege

livered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the

consists of two parts: m

administration. If either proves defective, the defect will naturally extend to the other by involving the completeness of the whole; for accomplishment is not normal unless both are perfect. If we say one hand is deficient, we prove the inability and incapacity of the other; for single-handed ther

livered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the

former times was exceedingl

If she pursued educational courses, it was deemed contrary to chastity; hence women were made prisoners of the household. The houses did not even have windows opening upon the outside world. Bahá'u'lláh destroyed these ideas and proclaimed the equality of man and woman. He made woman respected by commanding that all women be educated, that there be no difference in the education

livered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the

s and proficiency has been

d this equality, there is no doubt she would be the counterpart of man in ability and capacity. The happiness of mankind

livered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the

uality of man and woman.

s is peculiar to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, fo

livered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the

s with men upon earth; in

important element. As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest poss

há in Paris in 1911–1912", 10th ed. (London:

... the female sex is treat

there is no such distinction. Neither sex is superior to the other in the sight of God. Why then should one sex assert the inferiority of the other, withholding just rights and privileges as though G

an. She is more tender-hearted, more re

ven by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Pari

s that the rights of both

neither is superior to the other in the eyes of Heaven. Dignity before God depends, n

ven by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Pari

Bahá'u'lláh, women are ad

Such will be their elevation that, in every area of endeavour, they will occupy the highest levels in the human world. Rest thou assured. Look not upon their present state. In future, the world of womankind will shine with lustrous brilliance, for such

ay so happen that at a given time warlike and savage tribes may furiously attack the body politic with the intention of carrying on a wholesale slaughter of its members; under such a circumstance defence is necessary, but it is the duty of men to

f Justice, Bahá'u'lláh addresses the men.

y privileges. Be ye confident on these accounts. His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh has greatly strengthened the cause of women, and the rights and privileges of women is one of the greatest principles of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Rest ye assured! Ere long the days shall come when the men addressing the women, shall say: 'Blessed ar

om the Persian, published in "Paris Talks: Addresses giv

t has progressed. Former

counted their women in with the live stock. In their language the noun for woman also meant donkey; that is, the same name applied to both and a ma

He did away with the idea of distinction between t

Bahá'u'lláh declares the education of woman to be of more importance than that of man. If the mother be ignorant, even if the father have great knowledge, the

become liberated through this cause, whose cleverness and eloquence the '

.

ist the men; nay, that they may be even superior to the men, versed in sciences and yet detached, so that the whole world may bear witness to the fact that men and women have abso

ilosophy" (Boston: Tudor Pr

has been ruled by force, a

; force is losing its dominance, and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be an

New Era", 5th rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bahá'

rs Written on Behal

the position of women in t

attention, for it is not only legal but also spiritual and educational. Our ideals are so hig

tional Spiritual Assembly

on concerning the membersh

wisdom of it will be fully revealed and appreciated in the future. In the local as well as the national Houses of Justice, however, women have the full right of membership. It is, therefore, only to the International House that

o an individual

ership of the Internati

case the believers should know that, as 'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself has explicitly stated that sexes are equal except in some cases, the exclusion of women from the International House of Justice should not be surprisi

National Spiritual Assemb

Written by the Unive

the Guardian's writings

dis, between a woman and a man unless the context should make this impossible. For example, the text of the "Kitáb-i-Aqdas" forbids a man to

to an individua

ons about the equality of

tity of functions. In some things women excel men, for others men are better fitted than women, while in very many things the difference of sex is of no effect at all. The differences of function are most apparent in family life. The capacity for motherhood has many far-reaching implications which are re

o an individual

to be resolved is how the

rld, with its entrenched pattern of conflict, can change

y, psychology, recognize only one human species, albeit infinitely varied in the secondary aspects of life. Recognition of this truth requires abandonment of prejudice-p

and administration of the world as one country, the home of humankind. Universal acceptance

o the Peoples o

on Behalf of the Univ

e that women and men have

by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, is a fundamental principle deriving from Bahá'u'lláh and therefore His mention

o an individual

ts: "In this divine age t

tances, has been fully and categorically announced. Distinctions have been utterly removed." That men and women differ from one another in certain characteris

tional Spiritual Assembly

stating that men and wome

en to become women, and for women to become men. 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave us the key to the problem when He taught that the qualities and functions of men and women "complement" each ot

to an individua

o stress ... that the B

n and women is clearly stated in the teachings, and the fact that there is dive

984 to two b