Fruits of the Bahá’i Faith: A Biblical Test

In the Bible, Jesus (Glorified be His Name!) provides us with a number of criteria that can be used to distinguish a true Prophet from a false one.  One of the most commonly cited criteria is that we “shall know them by their fruits” (Mat 7:16).  In this article, we’ll explore what this means, and consider if the Baha’i Faith passes this test.

We can find the complete description of this criterion in the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:16-20: -

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

The fact that we are told how to distinguish the false Prophet from the true has a clear implication: not all Prophets are false!  Jesus teaches us not to invariably dismiss a claim of Prophethood, but rather to ask the question “does this Prophet bring forth good fruit or bad?”.

Before looking at the intended spiritual aspect of these words, let us first consider the physical analogy that Jesus provides.  We often find analogies of vineyards and winepresses in the Bible, and so grapes are an apt example. 

There are a number of plant pathogens that can infect grapevines.  One of them is a fungus called Phomopsis viticola, which infects the buds, canes, shoots and leaves of a grapevine.  We can see the result of such an infection in the image on the left.  In the image on the right, we can see healthy, good grapes, from an uninfected grapevine. 

We know that only a bad, infected vine can produce bad grapes; in the words of Jesus “a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit” (Mat 7:18).  Conversely, we know that only a good, uninfected vine can produce good grapes; “neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit” (Mat 7:18).

Spiritual Fruits

Jesus asks us to apply this familiar principle to the individual claiming to be a Prophet.  When we recognise the nature of their fruits, we will know the nature of their tree, and therefore their foundation.  But what exactly are these fruits?  We can find some guidance in Galatians 5:19-23: -

Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Spiritual Fruits in the Baha'i Teachings

From the above, we can conclude that Jesus counsels us to ask “did Baha’u’llah bring good fruits?”  As the Baha’i teachings are so vast, providing an exhaustive list of examples would lead to this article assuming impossible dimensions.  Therefore we will consider just one example for each of the nine fruits love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance: -

Love

“Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone, let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path.”

Abdu'l-Baha : Paris Talks

Joy

"Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. [...] A man living with his thoughts in this Kingdom knows perpetual joy. [...]Let us turn our hearts away from the world of matter and live in the spiritual world! It alone can give us freedom! If we are hemmed in by difficulties we have only to call upon God, and by His great Mercy we shall be helped."

Abdu'l-Baha : Paris Talks

Peace

"Today there is no greater glory for man than that of service in the cause of the Most Great Peace. Peace is light, whereas war is darkness. Peace is life; war is death. Peace is guidance; war is error. Peace is the foundation of God; war is a satanic institution. Peace is the illumination of the world of humanity; war is the destroyer of human foundations. When we consider outcomes in the world of existence, we find that peace and fellowship are factors of upbuilding and betterment, whereas war and strife are the causes of destruction and disintegration. [...] Peace is health and construction; war is disease and dissolution. When the banner of truth is raised, peace becomes the cause of the welfare and advancement of the human world. In all cycles and ages war has been a factor of derangement and discomfort, whereas peace and brotherhood have brought security and consideration of human interests."

Abdu'l-Baha : The Promulgation of Universal Peace

Longsuffering

"The Abha Beauty endured the most afflictive of calamities. He bore countless agonies and ills. He enjoyed not a moment's peace, drew not an easeful breath. He wandered, homeless, over desert sands and mountain slopes; He was shut in a fortress, and a prison cell. But to Him, His pauper's mat of straw was an eternal throne of glory, and His heavy chains a sovereign's carcanet. By day, by night, He lived under a whirring sword, and He was ready from moment to moment for death on the cross. He bore all this that He might purify the world, and deck it out with the tender mercies of the Lord God; that He might set it at rest; that conflict and aggression might be put to flight, the lance and the keen blade be exchanged for loving fellowship, malevolence and war turn into safety and gentleness and love, that battlefields of hate and wrath should become gardens of delight, and places where once the blood-drenched armies clashed, be fragrant pleasure grounds; that warfare should be seen as shame, and the resort to arms, even as a loathsome sickness, be shunned by every people; that universal peace raise its pavilions on the loftiest mounts, and war be made to perish forever from the earth."

Abdu'l-Baha : Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha

Gentleness

“Ye are all the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch." Be ye kind to the human world, and be ye compassionate to the race of man, deal with the strangers as you deal with the friends, be ye gentle toward the outsiders as you are toward the beloved ones, know the enemy as the friend..."

Abdu'l-Baha : Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha Volume 1

Goodness

"If thou wishest to guide the souls, it is incumbent on thee to be firm, to be good and to be imbued with praiseworthy attributes and divine qualities under all circumstances. Be a sign of love, a manifestation of mercy, a fountain of tenderness, kind-hearted, good to all and gentle to the servants of God, and especially to those who bear no relation to thee, both men and women. Bear every ordeal that befalleth thee from the people and confront them not save with kindness, with great love and good wishes."

Abdu'l-Baha : Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha Volume 3

Faithfulness

"In this day, the one favoured at the Threshold of the Lord is he who handeth round the cup of faithfulness; who bestoweth, even upon his enemies, the jewel of bounty, and lendeth, even to his fallen oppressor, a helping hand; it is he who will, even to the fiercest of his foes, be a loving friend. These are the Teachings of the Blessed Beauty, these the counsels of the Most Great Name."

Abdu'l-Baha : Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha

Meekness

"Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility."

Baha'u'llah : Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah

Temperance

"The spiritually learned must be characterized by both inward and outward perfections; they must possess a good character, an enlightened nature, a pure intent, as well as intellectual power, brilliance and discernment, intuition, discretion and foresight, temperance, reverence, and a heartfelt fear of God. For an unlit candle, however great in diameter and tall, is no better than a barren palm tree or a pile of dead wood."

Abdu'l-Baha : The Secret of Divine Civilization

Summary

Baha’is are reminded that these beautiful teachings must be implemented in practice, and countless Baha’i service projects are working to inspire these qualities into communities all around the globe.

The verses quoted above are just a small selection and the reader is invited to explore the Baha’i Writings personally.  Baha’u’llah writes: -

“Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths. Take heed that ye do not vacillate in your determination to embrace the truth of this Cause—a Cause through which the potentialities of the might of God have been revealed, and His sovereignty established. With faces beaming with joy, hasten ye unto Him. This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath refused to seek it—verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above any need of His creatures.”

Baha’u’llah; Proclamation of Baha’u’llah