23 Political Leadership
23.1 Introduction
The Houses of Justice were not meant to lead on their own. Paragraphs 77 through 97 of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas include a large portion addressing the assembly of kings, particular political leaders of the time, and various lands. Many of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings are about the responsibilities of political leaders, the rights they are to protect, and our responsibility to those leaders. Bahá’u’lláh says, “Now, what seems good in the British nation’s constitution, which is adorned with both the light of sovereignty and the consultation of the nation, … but the matter that is a cause of preservation and prohibition in both the outer and inner aspects is the fear of God.”1
The Epistle to the Son of the Wolf provides a great example of Bahá’u’lláh’s vision. In addressing a Shaykh who serves the Ottoman Sultan, He offers this short sermon:
Every nation should consider the position of its ruler, be submissive to his command, act by his decree, and hold fast to his judgment. Kings are the manifestations of the power, elevation, and grandeur of God. This oppressed one has never flattered anyone; all bear witness to this fact. However, considering the status of kings is from God, and it is clear and known from the words of the Prophets and saints.
In the presence of the Spirit (Jesus), it was asked: “O Spirit of God, is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?” He said: “Yes, render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.” He did not forbid it, and these two words are one to those who perceive, for what is Caesar’s would not be lawful if it were not from God. Likewise, in the blessed verse: “Obey God and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.” The primary and foremost meaning of “those in authority” are the Imams (may the peace of God be upon them), who are the manifestations of power, the sources of command, the treasuries of knowledge, and the dawning places of divine wisdom. In the secondary rank, it refers to the kings and rulers whose light of justice illuminates and brightens the horizons of the world. It is hoped that from the Sultan (may God preserve him) a light of justice will shine that will encompass all the parties of the nations. All should ask God for what is befitting today for His sake.
This derived authority is not a gift to the monarch’s ego, but a high-stakes stewardship. If a king is the ‘shadow of God,’ then his actions must provide the same ‘shade,’ including protection, mercy, and justice, that God provides to all. When the shadow grows cold or oppressive, it ceases to reflect the Sun. This chapter will consider the derived authority from God that a monarch may express, how the government derives its authority from the monarch, their responsibilities, potential opportunities leaders had in Bahá’u’lláh’s time, and promises and prophecies God makes to certain lands and the people therein. As seen in Bahá’u’lláh quoting both Jesus Christ and Muḥammad, this has been a consistent teaching of God for thousands of years. Bahá’u’lláh gives us the framework to achieve this.
Reflection: When political authority claims to be derived from God, what visible signs must prove that it protects the vulnerable rather than flattering the powerful?
This question frames the opportunities given to rulers, and the costs of ignoring them.
23.2 Opportunities of Sovereign Leaders in Bahá’u’lláh’s Time
Bahá’u’lláh addressed several sovereign leaders and the opportunities presented to them, in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and elsewhere. This section will briefly share some of these opportunities.
23.2.1 To the Emperor of Austria (Franz Joseph I)
He visited al-Aqṣá Mosque in Jerusalem in Year 25 BE (1869) but did not enquire about Bahá’u’lláh, nor sense Him.2 Bahá’u’lláh was with the Emperor in all conditions, but the Emperor was clinging to the branch while heedless of the root. Bahá’u’lláh invited the Emperor to recognize Him instead of clinging to a prior Branch. Emperor Franz Joseph I missed the opportunity to express his belief in Jesus Christ by recognizing Him in a new name. Franz was a well-respected sovereign and reigned for 68 years until his death in Year 72 BE (1916). The empire of Austria ended with his death, as an outcome of World War I, which started with his declaration of war against Serbia after the assassination of his heir.
23.2.2 To the King of Berlin (Wilhelm I)
The Second Reich of the German Empire was formed in Year 26 BE (1870), just 3 years prior to the revealing of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Bahá’u’lláh addresses Emperor Wilhelm I,3 warning him about pride, and a king prior who sought to dominate the lands and rule over the people. He had originally resisted a constitutional monarchy but relented upon Otto von Bismarck’s recommendation. Nevertheless, Germany remained militaristic and authoritarian, with designs on restoring the Holy Roman Empire of Germany to its former glory. Wilhelm I passed away at the age of 90 in Year 44 BE (1888).
23.2.3 Regarding Napoleon III of France
When Bahá’u’lláh reminded Wilhelm I of the prior king, He was referencing a fulfilled prophecy to Napoleon III of France. In the Súríy-i-Haykal, Bahá’u’lláh addressed Pope Pius IX of Rome, Czar Alexander II of Russia, Queen Victoria of Great Britain, and Nāṣiri’d-Dín Sháh of Persia in addition to Napoleon III. Bahá’u’lláh in Year 24 BE (1868) told Napoleon III, after he claimed to fight against oppression:
“Due to your actions, affairs in your kingdom will differ, and dominion will slip from your hand as a result. Then, you’ll find yourself in clear loss, and earthquakes will affect all tribes unless you stand in support of this cause and follow the spirit on this straight path. The honor you value won’t last, it will fade unless you hold onto this strong rope. We see humiliation following you while you are among the heedless.”
By the time the Kitáb-i-Aqdas was revealed 5 years later, Napoleon III had been captured by Germany, and died a prisoner. He was remembered in France as a deserter of his army and was publicly humiliated. This context places the warning to Emperor Wilhelm I as an urgent warning. Pride in yourself cannot come at the cost of your country and its citizens.
23.2.4 To the Kings and Presidents of the Americas
By Year 29 BE (1873), the western hemisphere had largely become composed of several new republics, starting with the United States of America in Year -68 BE (1776). There was one independent king, Pedro II of Brazil, although he was descended from Austria’s House of Habsburg. Europe also exercised colonial rule over many other lands.
Bahá’u’lláh instructs the Kings and Presidents to adorn the temple of dominion with the raiment of justice and piety, and its head with the crown of the remembrance of your Lord.4 Bahá’u’lláh did not promise the Americas would be the light of justice and piety, but it was their responsibility to do so.
Appendix I offers a table outlining the leaders of the world in Year 29 BE (1873). The idea is to provide context for the Kitáb-i-Aqdas’s place in both time and space. Perhaps you may ask yourself, did these nations seize the opportunity or let the opportunity pass away? Do these opportunities still exist? As we see in the examples of the monarchs of Austria, Prussia, and France, empires will fall if they proclaim themselves to be “the one.” What happens when the mathematics change and we are recognized to be an integral fraction of the One?
I believe that, where these opportunities were not acted on, these opportunities still exist. It is never too late to adorn the temple of dominion with the raiment of justice and piety.
Reflection: If rulers are warned and invited by God, what responsibilities fall on nations and citizens when leaders refuse the invitation, or accept it only in words?
This reflection leads into the shared foundations of leadership, because the monarch is not a different species of soul.
23.3 Roles and Responsibilities of Monarchs
23.3.3 Additional Rights of Monarchs
Bahá’u’lláh did not outline any additional rights of monarchs. Once again, what is excluded is quite informative. Bahá’u’lláh does not say the monarch should be concerned about the protection of their government, but only about the citizens and lands. I would go as far as to say a government has no right to exist if it fails to operate under the shadow of God, where the rights of its citizens are not protected. This would not mean we destroy the government, but it does demonstrate that humankind has matured past the need for oppression to maintain order. Spiritually mature people can mature government from within by changing hearts.
This is one example, and I invite you to consider what other traditional notions of governance are excluded from Bahá’u’lláh’s directives.
Reflection: If monarchs gain no special rights, only amplified responsibilities, what does that imply about the moral purpose of government itself?
With that frame, we can now read the addresses to lands as moral diagnostics, not merely historical commentary.
23.4 To Various Lands and Cities
Bahá’u’lláh addressed various lands in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and in other writings. This section will only cover what is in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. We will see admonitions, prophecies, and encouragements. All of these are related to how the governments of these lands treat their citizens and their adversaries.
23.4.1 To the Company of Rome (Byzantine Rome)
Bahá’u’lláh hears the sound of the owl among them.34 He asks, “Has the intoxication of desire seized you, or are you among the heedless?” In Year 29 BE (1873), the Eastern Orthodox Church was a semi-autonomous religious entity governed under the Rum millet within the Ottoman Empire. Istanbul at the time was about 50 percent Sunni Muslim (compared with over 90 percent today), with the Eastern Orthodox Christians forming a significant population. Istanbul was the home of the former Eastern Roman Empire from the 4th through 15th centuries, the home of the first Christian monarch, and nearby Anatolia was the home of the first Pauline churches. The Greek population formed an important economic, social, and political base in the Ottoman Empire, even if politically they were considered second-class citizens.
When Bahá’u’lláh addresses the company of Rome, Bahá’u’lláh is directly referring to Orthodox Christians governed under the Rum millet, and to the historical significance Rome had in representing the community who believed in Jesus Christ. When He mentions the owl, I believe Bahá’u’lláh is evoking Psalms 102 from King David of Israel. I will share the full text and allow the Psalms to carry the weight of this section and the next:
Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food. In my distress I groan aloud and am reduced to skin and bones. I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins. I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof. All day long my enemies taunt me; those who rail against me use my name as a curse. For I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside. My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass. But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity. The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord:
“The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.”
So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord. In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days. So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations. In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you.”
The Eastern Orthodox Church suffered greatly in Istanbul and Anatolia not long after Year 29 BE (1873). Massacres of Armenian Christians in Year 50 BE (1894) and Year 65 BE (1909), the Armenian Genocide during World War I, and the aftermath of the Greco-Turkish war led to a decline from which the Church has never recovered in its historical homeland. These losses were tragic and painful and still form a painful scar for many in eastern Europe.
23.4.2 To the Point on the Shore of Two Seas (Istanbul)
Bahá’u’lláh turns His attention to the point on the shore of the two seas, which is Istanbul. He says:
The throne of oppression has been established upon you, and the fire of hatred has been ignited within you to such an extent that it has caused lamentation in the Concourse on high and those who circle around the exalted Throne. We see within you the ignorant ruling over the wise, and darkness boasting over the light, while you are in manifest delusion. Your outward adornment has deceived you. By the Lord of creation! It will perish, and the daughters and widows, and the tribes among you, shall weep. Thus does the All-Knowing, the All-Informed give you tidings.
In Year 32 BE (1876), the Ottoman Empire did adopt a constitutional monarchy, much like how Bahá’u’lláh had prescribed. In Year 34 BE (1878), Sultan ’Abdu’l-Ḥamíd II suspended the constitution. The Ottoman Empire quickly declined and by Year 78 BE (1922), after 620 years, the Ottoman Empire was no more. Istanbul, the former Constantinople, stopped being the capital of Christendom and Sunni Islam after 1600 years.
23.4.3 To the Banks of the Rhine River
Bahá’u’lláh addresses the rising Second Reich of the German Empire, formed in Year 27 BE (1871) by the Prussian Wilhelm I. He says, “We have seen you covered with blood, as the swords of retribution were drawn against you, and again you shall have it.”35 The Franco-Prussian War was fought in Year 26 BE (1870), another of several wars between France and Prussia (later Germany), which started in the late 1790s. The Napoleonic Wars themselves had an estimated 4 to 6 million casualties, and many battles were fought along the Rhine River. These wars seemed to be a never-ending cycle of retribution.
Bahá’u’lláh includes a prophecy stating that after Year 29 BE (1873), the Rhine River banks will again be covered with blood. The Battles of the Marne, Years 70 and 74 BE (1914 and 1918), and Verdun, Year 72 BE (1916), were fought during World War I. About 1.5 million casualties were reported in these three battles.
23.4.4 The Lamentation of Berlin
Bahá’u’lláh then addresses Berlin, the capital of the German Empire. “We hear the lamentation of Berlin, though she is now in manifest glory.” Lamentation is an expression of deep sadness and regret, often due to a sense of wrongdoing. Berlin was the capital of the most industrialized, most modern, most militaristic, and potentially the most authoritarian government in Western Europe. The First Reich was known as the Holy Roman Empire, when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as the first emperor of the symbolic Western Roman Empire in Year -1044 BE (800). This decentralized kingdom lasted until the Napoleonic Wars in Year -38 BE (1806), nearly a thousand years of rule between the Roman Catholic Church and Frankish (a German ethnic group) monarchs.
I believe the lamentation of Berlin alludes to the lost moral leadership of the Holy Roman Empire amid the increasingly violent retributive wars throughout Europe, plus the repercussions throughout the world through colonialism and imperialism. The centralized Second Reich was not the same as the decentralized First Reich. The first was moderated by the influence of Christianity, while the second was no longer restrained by religious authority. The retributive wars in Europe did not end until World War II, once the Third Reich was defeated.
Sadly, retribution endured as a consequence of the unraveling of moral authority once diffused and restrained across Eastern Rome, Western Rome, and the Sunni Caliphate. These traditions, despite their failures and imperfections, governed in reference to God rather than unconstrained force. As centralization displaced trusteeship and power slipped free from humility and law, the lands once oriented toward Jerusalem inherited cycles of violence instead of peace. The lamentation of Berlin, then, is the cry of a civilization that mastered an expertise born of the sciences of the world, but abandoned the trusteeship of the soul. Power without the scent of faith inevitably turns into a sword of retribution.
23.4.5 To the Lands Within Persia
The next section addresses the people and lands of Persia, where Bahá’u’lláh was born, raised, imprisoned, and exiled from.
23.4.5.1 To The Land of Ṭā (Ṭihrán)
Bahá’u’lláh describes Ṭihrán as the place where the Dawn of Manifestation was born36, referencing the appearance of the Holy Maiden to Him in the Siyáh Chál prison of Ṭihrán in Year 8 BE (1852). Ṭihrán is the source of the world’s joy, so do not grieve over anything. He then offers two promises, one is conditional and the other is not.
The conditional promise relies on whether God will it or not. This promise is that Ṭihrán will be blessed by a sovereign leader who will rule with justice and gather the scattered sheep, the believers, from the wolves. He will greet the people of Bahá, those who believe in Bahá’u’lláh, with joy and gladness.
The unconditional promise has two parts. The first part is that the masses will pass judgment upon Ṭihrán, with things being overturned within Ṭihrán. Yet, when this happens, be at peace because the divine bounty will not cease from you. After this period, tranquility will follow the turmoil. This promise has been decreed by God.
The unconditional promise does not require the conditional promise to be fulfilled. It is hard to pinpoint any moment as being the specific turmoil. There was the civil war of Year 64 to 66 BE (1908 to 1910), which ushered in a constitutional revolution, the American-backed coup in Year 109 BE (1953), which replaced the constitution with absolute monarchy, and then the Islamic Revolution of Year 135 BE (1979), which overthrew the monarchy with a constitutional theocracy based on Shí‘ah Islam. Each of these could be the turmoil depending on perspective, the entire period could be part of a greater turmoil, or maybe it has not happened yet. Depending on what you believe the turmoil is, it might inform what you believe the period of tranquility will be thereafter. No matter what, I do hope Ṭihrán can become illuminated by that light from the Dawn of Revelation.
23.4.5.2 To the Land of Khá (Khurásán)
Bahá’u’lláh says “O Land of Khá! We hear within you the voices of men extolling your Lord, the Self Sufficient, the Most Exalted. Blessed is the day when the banners of the Names are raised in the Kingdom of Creation in My Most Glorious Name. On that day, the sincere will rejoice in the victory of God, while the disbelievers will lament.”37
I have wondered if this could mean Khurásán as the current province of Iran, or the greater historical area of Khurásán, which includes modern cities such as Herat (Afghanistan), Bukhara (Uzbekistan), and Ashgabat (Turkmenistan). These areas were first included under the name Khurásán during the Zoroastrian Sasanian Empire in the 6th century. Where might a Kingdom begin which establishes the banners of the Names of God in His Most Glorious Name, Bahá’u’lláh?
23.4.5.3 To the Land of Kāf and Rā
The final land from Persia mentioned by Bahá’u’lláh is the land of Kāf and Rā (Kirmán). This paragraph, #164, is immediately part of a series of paragraphs addressed to religious scholars. Bahá’u’lláh has witnessed that which He has chosen to remain a secret. However, I infer the later clause regarding the insinuations of the learned and the doubts of the skeptics to be potentially related to this secret.
One potential aspect of history to which this may allude is related to the husbands of two of Bahá’u’lláh’s nieces, the daughters of Mírzá Yaḥyá (Ṣubḥ-i-Azal). Mírzá Āqā Khán Kirmání and Shaykh Aḥmad Rúḥí were Azalí Bábís who were influential in the revolutionary movements in late nineteenth-century Persia. In Year 31 BE (1875), just 2 years after this paragraph was revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, they went to various cities of Persia and later to Constantinople to garner support for greater freedoms for Persians. In BH00116 dated 40 BE (1884), Baha’u’llah tells Muhammad-Taqi “that which We foretold the servants in the Kaf and Ra hath come to pass. It behooveth every one who hath turned toward God to read what We have revealed in Our Most Holy Book.” The tablet discusses the clamor raised by idolaters who acted against the text of the Primal Point.
In Year 52 BE (1896), Nāṣiri’d-Dín Sháh was assassinated, and both Mírzá Āqā Khán Kirmání and Shaykh Aḥmad Rúḥí were beheaded. The followers of Bahá’u’lláh have long been associated with the assassination of the Sháh and other revolutionary movements in Persia, despite Kirmání and Rúḥí writing public treatises against Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’u’lláh says “no one should object to those who rule over the people”38 which is a clear instruction against revolution and rebellion. This is not a defense of tyrants, but a defense reflecting God’s Subtlety. True liberation is achieved by building the new Crimson Ark alongside the old systems, rather than drowning in the blood of a revolution that merely replaces one oppressor with another.
Reflection: When prophecies and admonitions are addressed to lands, what does it mean for ordinary people to respond without becoming captive to revenge, despair, or political idolatry?
This prepares the conclusion, where consent, trusteeship, and true liberation are tied together.
23.5 Conclusion
As we can see, Bahá’u’lláh has a clear vision about the roles and responsibilities of kings and queens. This vision is direct from God. We can also look back into history and see the issues caused when kings, queens, and various leaders act contrary to this vision. The people under their rule and guidance suffer greatly. Early in this book I had briefly discussed suffering and ways to be liberated from suffering. While spiritual practice is the foundation, the pathways of suffering and the liberation therefrom also exist in the ways we organize and govern ourselves. John Locke had argued in Year -155 BE (1689), in “Two Treatises of Government,” that political authority is based on the consent of the people. Do we consent to a world governed by unconstrained force, or do we consent to the discipline of the Law of God?
In Bahá’u’lláh’s vision, our consent is expressed not through the ballot box alone, but through our willingness to act as trustees in our own spheres of influence. This is the bridge to the next chapter on Chapter 24. We realize common mechanisms of change are not true pathways. Revolution, rebellion, and even protest do not consistently ease suffering or cause progress without consequences.
The next chapter will help us look at this question with a different lens. We will look at spiritual and religious leadership in general in Chapter 24 and specifically at Bahá’u’lláh’s vision for the Cause of God after His passing. These are all components of what we consent to, how we express consent, and how we reduce the suffering that we and the generations after us experience.
Lawḥ-i-Dunyá (Tablet of the World)↩︎
Kitáb-i-Aqdas #85↩︎
Kitáb-i-Aqdas #86↩︎
Kitáb-i-Aqdas #88↩︎
Kitáb-i-Aqdas #79↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #21↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #62↩︎
Kitáb-i-Aqdas #82↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #61↩︎
Kitáb-i-Aqdas #84↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #23↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #10↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #14↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #14↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #19↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #30↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #32↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #83↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #35↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #37↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #42↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #11↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #12↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #12↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #59↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #10↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #10↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #11↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #10↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #43↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #54↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #54↩︎
Súríy-i-Mulúk #56↩︎
Kitáb-i-Aqdas #89↩︎
Kitáb-i-Aqdas #90↩︎
Kitáb-i-Aqdas #91 - #93↩︎
Kitáb-i-Aqdas #94↩︎
Kitáb-i-Aqdas #95↩︎