We “must be very considerate towards animals...”

Then, O ye friends of God! Ye must not only have kind and merciful feelings for mankind, but ye should also exercise the utmost kindness towards every living creature. The physical sensibilities and instincts are common to animal and man. Man is, however, negligent of this reality and imagines that sensibility is peculiar to mankind, therefore he practices cruelty to the animal. In reality what difference is there in physical sensations! Sensibility is the same whether you harm man or animal: there is no difference. Nay, rather, cruelty to the animal is more painful because man has a tongue and he sighs, complains and groans when he receives an injury and complains to the government and the government protects him from cruelty; but the poor animal cannot speak, it can neither show its suffering nor is it able to appeal to the government. If it is harmed a thousand times by man it is not able to defend itself in words nor can it seek justice or retaliate. Therefore one must be very considerate towards animals and show greater kindness to them than to man. Educate the children in their infancy in such a way that they may become exceedingly kind and merciful to the animals. If an animal is sick they should endeavor to cure it; if it is hungry, they should feed it; if it is thirsty, they should satisfy its thirst; if it is tired, they should give it rest.

One’s “first duty” in life is to recognize God’s Representative on earth

The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. (Baha'u'llah, 'The Kitab-i-Aqdas')

Couple should obtain parental consent to marry

Desiring to establish love, unity and harmony amidst Our servants, We have conditioned it, once the couple's wish is known, upon the permission of their parents, lest enmity and rancour should arise amongst them. And in this We have yet other purposes. Thus hath Our commandment been ordained. (Baha'u'llah, 'The Kitab-i-Aqdas')

We shouldn’t follow “the promptings of self”

Follow not the promptings of the self, for it summoneth insistently to wickedness and lust; follow, rather, Him Who is the Possessor of all created things, Who biddeth you to show forth piety, and manifest the fear of God. He, verily, is independent of all His creatures. (Baha'u'llah, 'The Kitab-i-Aqdas')

There are “laws … revealed to mankind in each age by the Manifestation of God”

Just as there are laws governing our physical lives, requiring that we must supply our bodies with certain foods, maintain them within a certain range of temperatures, and so forth, if we wish to avoid physical disabilities, so also there are laws governing our spiritual lives. These laws are revealed to mankind in each age by the Manifestation of God, and obedience to them is of vital importance if each human being, and mankind in general, is to develop properly and harmoniously. Moreover, these various aspects are interdependent. If an individual violates the spiritual laws for his own development he will cause injury not only to himself but to the society in which he lives. Similarly, the condition of society has a direct effect on the individuals who must live within it. (The Universal House of Justice, 'Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1968-1973')

Fasting and Obligatory prayer are like the sun and moon of the “heaven” of the “religion of God”

Cling firmly to obligatory prayer and fasting. Verily, the religion of God is like unto heaven; fasting is its sun, and obligatory prayer is its moon. In truth, they are the pillars of religion whereby the righteous are distinguished from those who transgress His commandments. We entreat God, exalted and glorified be He, that he may graciously enable all to observe that which He hath revealed in His Ancient Book. (Baha’u’llah, compilation on The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting)

Know thou that religion is as heaven; and fasting and obligatory prayer are its sun and its moon. We entreat God, exalted and glorified be He, to graciously aid everyone who acteth according to His will and good-pleasure. (Baha’u’llah, compilation on The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting)

All our acts should be distinguished by “integrity and uprightness”

Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. (Baha'u'llah, 'Epistle to the Son of the Wolf')

We should strive to become more humble

“Be … a fruit upon the tree of humility.” (Baha'u'llah, 'Epistle to the Son of the Wolf')

“The goodliest vesture in the sight of God in this day is trustworthiness"

O people! The goodliest vesture in the sight of God in this day is trustworthiness. All bounty and honour shall be the portion of the soul that arrayeth itself with this greatest of adornments. (Baha’u’llah; 'The Compilation of Compilations vol. II')

Regard thou faith as a tree. Its fruits, leaves, boughs and branches are, and have ever been, trustworthiness, truthfulness, uprightness and forbearance. (Baha’u’llah, 'The Compilation of Compilations vol. II')

We should abstain from fault-finding and backbiting

Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art a sinner. 
- Baha’u’llah  ('The Hidden Words')

The worst human quality and the most great sin is backbiting [“discussing the faults of others in their absence”], more especially when it emanates from the tongues of the believers of God. 
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Quoted in Star of West, Vol. IV. p. 192; included in a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles, February 11, 1925; 'Lights of Guidance')

On no subject are the Bahá'í teachings more emphatic than on the necessity to abstain from fault-finding and backbiting while being ever eager to discover and root out our own faults and overcome our own failings. 
- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, May 12, 1925: 'Living the Life'; 'Lights of Guidance')

We should “observe moderation in all things”

Whatsoever passeth beyond the limits of moderation will cease to exert a beneficial influence. (Baha'u'llah, 'Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah')

The fundamental purpose of God’s religion is “to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men.”

The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity. This is the straight Path, the fixed and immovable foundation. Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure. (Baha'u'llah, 'Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah')

To be worthy of the trust of one's neighbor

Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. (Baha’u’llah, 'Epistle to the Son of the Wolf')

“A good character is …the most excellent and praiseworthy of all things”

A good character is in the sight of God and His chosen ones and the possessors of insight, the most excellent and praiseworthy of all things, but always on condition that its center of emanation should be reason and knowledge and its base should be true moderation. (Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization)

We shouldn’t content with any one

Beware lest ye contend with any one, nay, strive to make him aware of the truth with kindly manner and most convincing exhortation. If your hearer respond, he will have responded to his own behoof, and if not, turn ye away from him, and set your faces towards God's sacred Court, the seat of resplendent holiness. (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah; Compilation of Compilations, vol. 3)

There “can be no extremes in human conditions as regards wealth and sustenance.”

One of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings is the adjustment of means of livelihood in human society. Under this adjustment there can be no extremes in human conditions as regards wealth and sustenance. For the community needs financier, farmer, merchant and laborer just as an army must be composed of commander, officers and privates. All cannot be commanders; all cannot be officers or privates. Each in his station in the social fabric must be competent -- each in his function according to ability but with justness of opportunity for all. (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 216)

“..no one should exalt himself over the other.”

O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from 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 signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh’; The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 357)

“The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.”

God's purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh’ pp. 79-80; The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 151)

The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh’, p. 286; The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 153)

“Every religion of the past was fit to become universal”

In the "Bayan" the Báb says that every religion of the past was fit to become universal. The only reason why they failed to attain that mark was the incompetence of their followers. He then proceeds to give a definite promise that this would not be the fate of the revelation of "Him Whom God would make manifest" [Baha'u'llah], that it will become universal and include all the people of the world. (From a letter dated 20 February 1932 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 4)

Not to tell an untruth under all conditions

As to the question whether it is right to tell an untruth in order to save another, he feels that under no condition should we tell an untruth but at the same time try and help the person in a more legitimate manner. Of course it is not necessary to be too outspoken until the question is directly put to us. (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 21, 1927: Living the Life, p. 3; Lights of Guidance, p. 602)

Every person should have an occupation

Every person must have an occupation, a trade or a craft, so that he may carry other people's burdens, and not himself be a burden to others. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 3)

Baha’u’llah has revealed three special daily obligatory prayers – we are "entirely free to choose any one of” them.

The daily obligatory prayers are three in number. The shortest one consists of a single verse which has to be recited once in every twenty-four hours and at midday. The medium (prayer) which begins with the words: 'The Lord is witness that there is none other God but He,' has to be recited three times a day, in the morning, at noon and in the evening. The long prayer which is the most elaborate of the three has to be recited once in every twenty-four hours, and at any time one feels inclined to do so.

"The believer is entirely free to choose any one of those three prayers but is under the obligation of reciting one of them, and in accordance with any specific directions with which they may be accompanied.

"These daily obligatory prayers, together with a few other specific ones, such as the Healing Prayer, the Tablet of Ahmad, have been invested by Bahá'u'lláh with a special potency and significance, and should therefore be accepted as such and be recited by the believers with unquestioned faith and confidence, that through them they may enter into a much closer communion with God, and identify themselves more fully with His Laws and precepts." (Shoghi Effendi, from a letter written on his behalf, Directives from the Guardian, p. 59)

“Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent.”

Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with words and end with words. Great indeed is the claim of scientists and craftsmen on the peoples of the world. Unto this beareth witness the Mother Book on the day of His return.... (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas’, pp. 51-52; The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 2)

“The purpose of religion …is to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the world..”

The purpose of religion as revealed from the heaven of God's holy Will is to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the world; make it not the cause of dissension and strife. The religion of God and His divine law are the most potent instruments and the surest of all means for the dawning of the light of unity amongst men. The progress of the world, the development of nations, the tranquillity of peoples, and the peace of all who dwell on earth are among the principles and ordinances of God. Religion bestoweth upon man the most precious of all gifts, offereth the cup of prosperity, imparteth eternal life, and showereth imperishable benefits upon mankind. It behoveth the chiefs and rulers of the world, and in particular the Trustees of God's House of Justice, to endeavour to the utmost of their power to safeguard its position, promote its interests and exalt its station in the eyes of the world. In like manner it is incumbent upon them to enquire into the conditions of their subjects and to acquaint themselves with the affairs and activities of the divers communities in their dominions. We call upon the manifestations of the power of God -- the sovereigns and rulers on earth -- to bestir themselves and do all in their power that haply they may banish discord from this world and illumine it with the light of concord. (Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah)

We should "read" & "recite" the sacred Word of God daily

“Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide. Whoso faileth to recite them hath not been faithful to the Covenant of God and His Testament …” (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas)

Read ye the sacred verses in such measure that ye be not overcome by languor and despondency. Lay not upon your souls that which will weary them and weigh them down, but rather what will lighten and uplift them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses towards the Dawning-place of His manifest signs; this will draw you nearer to God, did ye but comprehend. (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas)

We should avoid jealousy and anger

Verily the most necessary thing is contentment under all circumstances; by this one is preserved from morbid conditions and from lassitude. Yield not to grief and sorrow: they cause the greatest misery. Jealousy consumeth the body and anger doth burn the liver: avoid these two as you would a lion. (Baha’u’llah, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I)

God wants us to do our best “to acquire both inner and outer perfections”

Strain every nerve to acquire both inner and outer perfections, for the fruit of the human tree hath ever been and will ever be perfections both within and without. It is not desirable that a man be left without knowledge or skills, for he is then but a barren tree. Then, so much as capacity and capability allow, ye needs must deck the tree of being with fruits such as knowledge, wisdom, spiritual perception and eloquent speech. (Baha’u’llah, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 367)

Mothers are the first educators, the first mentors …

For mothers are the first educators, the first mentors; and truly it is the mothers who determine the happiness, the future greatness, the courteous ways and learning and judgement, the understanding and the faith of their little ones. (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 126)

The task of bringing up a Bahá'í child, as emphasized time and again in Bahá'í writings, is the chief responsibility of the mother, whose unique privilege is indeed to create in her home such conditions as would be most conducive to both his material and spiritual welfare and advancement. The training which a child first receives through his mother constitutes the strongest foundation for his future development, and it should therefore be the paramount concern of your wife...to endeavour from now imparting to her new-born son such spiritual training as would enable him later on to fully assume and adequately discharge all the responsibilities and duties of Bahá'í life. (From a letter dated 16 November 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations vol. I)

God has made music like a “ladder” for our “souls”, “a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high”

We have made it lawful for you to listen to music and singing. Take heed, however, lest listening thereto should cause you to overstep the bounds of propriety and dignity. Let your joy be the joy born of My Most Great Name, a Name that bringeth rapture to the heart, and filleth with ecstasy the minds of all who have drawn nigh unto God. We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high; make it not, therefore, as wings to self and passion. (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 38)

“The family, being a human unit, must be educated according to the rules of sanctity”

According to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh the family, being a human unit, must be educated according to the rules of sanctity. All the virtues must be taught the family. The integrity of the family bond must be constantly considered, and the rights of the individual members must not be transgressed. The rights of the son, the father, the mother -- none of them must be transgressed, none of them must be arbitrary. Just as the son has certain obligations to his father, the father, likewise, has certain obligations to his son. The mother, the sister and other members of the household have their certain prerogatives. All these rights and prerogatives must be conserved, yet the unity of the family must be sustained. The injury of one shall be considered the injury of all; the comfort of each, the comfort of all; the honor of one, the honor of all. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’ p. 168; The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 381)

“Religious truth is not absolute but relative: and that “Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process”

The fundamental principle enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh ... is that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process, that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin, that their basic principles are in complete harmony, that their aims and purposes are one and the same, that their teachings are but facets of one truth, that their functions are complementary, that they differ only in the nonessential aspects of their doctrines, and that their missions represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society.... (Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. v)

“… the precepts laid down by God constitute the highest means for the maintenance of order in the world and the security of its peoples..”

They whom God hath endued with insight will readily recognize that the precepts laid down by God constitute the highest means for the maintenance of order in the world and the security of its peoples.... Hasten to drink your fill, O men of understanding They that have violated the Covenant of God by breaking His commandments, and have turned back on their heels, these have erred grievously in the sight of God, the All-Possessing, the Most High. (Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 330-31; The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 113)

We should take no important step in our personal affairs without consultation

"Settle all things, both great and small, by consultation. Without prior consultation, take no important step in your own personal affairs. Concern yourselves with one another. Help along one another's projects and plans. Grieve over one another. Let none in the whole country go in need. Befriend one another until ye become as a single body, one and all ..." (‘Abdu’l-Baha, Lights of Guidance, p. 178)

One should have “due regard for the rights of one's parents”

The fruits of the tree of existence are trustworthiness, loyalty, truthfulness and purity. After the recognition of the oneness of the Lord, exalted be He, the most important of all duties is to have due regard for the rights of one's parents. This matter hath been mentioned in all the Books of God... (Baha’u’llah, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 385)

Beware lest ye commit that which would sadden the hearts of your fathers and mothers. Follow ye the path of Truth which indeed is a straight path. Should anyone give you a choice between the opportunity to render a service to Me and a service to them, choose ye to serve them, and let such service be a path leading you to Me. This is My exhortation and command unto thee. Observe therefore that which thy Lord, the Mighty, the Gracious, hath prescribed unto thee. (Baha’u’llah, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I)

A “distinctive power” that God has conferred upon human beings is the “faculty of intellectual investigation”, and the “acquisition of higher knowledge”

God has conferred upon and added to man a distinctive power -- the faculty of intellectual investigation into the secrets of creation, the acquisition of higher knowledge -- the greatest virtue of which is scientific enlightenment. This endowment is the most praiseworthy power of man, for through its employment and exercise the betterment of the human race is accomplished, the development of the virtues of mankind is made possible and the spirit and mysteries of God become manifest. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace)