Theological glossary

This is a glossary of terms related to Bahá'í theology and cosmology, i.e. beliefs surrounding God and His creation.

A

Abhá Beauty

AR: جمال أبها, Jamal-i-Abhá.

A title of Bahá’u’lláh.

Abhá Kingdom

lit. Most Glorious Kingdom. The next stage of existence, or "the next world", i.e. the world of the afterlife. See also Malakút.

Abraham

AR: إِبْرَاهِيْمُ:

Ibráhím. Patriarch of the people of Israel.

Adam

Adamic Cycle

See Cycle.

Afnán

AR: ﺍﻓﻨﺎﻥ, twigs.

The family of the Báb, i.e., descendants of His three maternal uncles and His wife's two brothers.

Aghsán

AR: ﺍﻏﺼﺎﻥ, branches.

The sons and male descendants of Bahá’u’lláh.

‘Alí

Ancient Beauty

AR: جمال القديم, Jamal-i-Qadím.

A name of God that is also used as a title of Bahá’u’lláh.

Ancient of Days

See Bahá’u’lláh.

Apocalypse

A revelation or uncovering of that which was previously unknown; also commonly used to refer to a future eschatological event involving great destruction and upheaval, and possibly annihilation (ex.: the genre of post-apocalyptic fiction). The latter usage derives from the apocalyptic writings as seen in the Bible, which were generally claimed to be recorded visions revealing future events. Bahá’ís see these writings as largely symbolic in nature. See End of the world, Day of Judgment.

Ark

A boat or ship that provides protection and safety (e.g. the Ark of Noah); also a box or chest meant for safekeeping (e.g. the Ark of the Covenant). A symbol of God's Law and His Eternal Covenant with humanity. Bahá’u’lláh uses the metaphor of an ark in a variety of ways in connection with His Cause, including references to the "Ark of the Cause" and the "Ark of His Laws". He refers to His faithful followers as "the denizens of the Crimson Ark". In the Tablet of Carmel He declares the God will "sail His Ark" upon Mount Carmel, which Shoghi Effendi explained is a reference to the establishment of the administrative centre of the Bahá’í Faith at the Bahá’í World Centre.

Army of light

Generally, the Bahá’í community; specifically, "those souls... who are entirely freed from the human world, transformed into celestial spirits and have become divine angels," who will establish the Cause of God around the world.

Ascension

Death; the passing of a soul from the material into the spiritual worlds, i.e. the Abhá Kingdom.

B

Báb

AR: باب: door, gate.

Title assumed by Mírzá ‘Alí-Muḥammad after the declaration of His Mission as the promised Qá'im (or Mihdí/Mahdi) in Shíráz in May 1844. A Manifestation of God whose dispensation preceded that of Bahá'u'lláh, and who foretold His coming. Founder of the Bábí religion.

Bahá’u’lláh

AR: بهاء الله, Glory of God.

The Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, the Manifestation of God for this age.

Bayán

AR: بايان, exposition, explanation, lucidity, eloquence, utterance.

The title given by the Báb to the Persian Bayán and the Arabic Bayán, two of his major works. The term is used without qualification to describe both books, and sometimes the entire body of the Báb's Writings.

Bible

Black Standard

Book of Daniel

Book of Revelation

Buddha

A Manifestation of God.

C

Christ

Comparative religion

Concourse on high

Covenant

Cycle

A unit of time comprising the Dispensations of numerous consecutive Manifestations of God. ex.: The Adamic cycle, the Bahá’í cycle.

D

Day of Judgment

An eschatological event expected by the followers of many religions, during which the souls of all mankind, past and present, will be judged according to their doings. While sinful souls are condemned to perish, faithful souls will be resurrected and given eternal life. Many descriptions of the Day of Judgment involve physical upheaval; for instance, the Bible describes a "lake of fire" into which sinners will be cast; the Qur'an describes the dislocation and rearrangment of the universe. Bahá’ís do not see the Day of Judgment as involving a literal collapse or physical annihilation, nor necessarily as a single event in time; rather, it is seen as a symbolic process during which mankind is judged based on their acceptance of the Manifestation of God. Also Judgment Day, Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Resurrection.

Day-year principle

A method of interpreting Bible prophecy, in which the word day in prophecy is considered to be symbolic of a year of actual time. ‘Abdu'l-Bahá uses this principle to demonstrate that the advents of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh are foretold in the Bible.

Death

Disconnected Letters

Dispensation

The period of time during which the laws and teachings of a Manifestation of God have spiritual authority.

E

End of the world

A future eschatological event expected by many religions, marking the final conclusion of human existence on Earth and the end of history. In the Baháʼí Faith, creation has neither a beginning nor an end; Baháʼís regard the "end of the world" described in other religions as symbolic. Compare also apocalypse, an often conflated term which has a different meaning; see also Day of Judgment.

G

God

Golden Age

The period of the Bahá'í dispensation during which the world civilization which will be the fruit of Bahá'u'lláh's revelation will flower, during which the Most Great Peace will be proclaimed, and a Bahá'í world commonwealth will be established.

H

Háhút

The realm of Divine Oneness where God's unmanifested essence, without attributes, perfect, changeless, formless, and unknowable resides.

Haykal

Heaven

Hell

He Whom God shall make manifest

AR: من یظهر الله‎, Man yuẓhiruhu'lláh.

The Manifestation of God whose imminent advent was prophesied by the Báb and fulfilled by Bahá’u’lláh.

Holy Spirit

I

Imám

AR: إمام, leader.

A Muslim religious leader; specifically, the title of the twelve Shí’ah successors of Muḥammad.

Islám

AR: الاسلام, submission, resignation, reconciliation (to the will of God in every age).

The religion taught by Muḥammad.

J

Jabarút

The realm of Divine Power where God provides spiritual sustenance and salvation to mankind. It is in this Realm that the Manifestation of God has individuality while also being able to identify Themselves with God, however the station of a Manifestation of God is one of abstraction and essential unity here, and the Manifestations are seen collectively as one.

Jesus

A Manifestation of God.

K

Ka‘bih

AR: كَعْبَة, cube.

Also Kaaba, Ka'ba, Kaabeh. An ancient, cube-shaped shrine at Mecca; the most holy shrine and Qiblih of Islam, located at the center of Islam's most important mosque, the Masjid al-Haram. At one corner of the Ka‘bih is affixed the Black Stone. According to tradition, built by Adam and rebuilt after the great Flood (see Noah) by Abraham and Ishmael. Described in Quran 3:90 as "the first temple that was founded for mankind".

Kawthar

AR: ٱلكَوْثَر, abundant, plentiful.

Name of a lake or river in Paradise that Muḥammad saw on his mystic night journey (Qur’án, surah 108). Described as "a river of water on each side of which there were domes, each formed of a hollow pearl."

Krishna

A Manifestation of God.

L

Láhút

The realm of Divinity, in which the attributes of God present but unknowable in Háhút are revealed. This results in the emanation of archetypal forms of all created things. The "inward, eternal aspect of Reality".

Life after death

M

Mahdi

AR: ٱلْمَهْدِيّ‎, Mihdí; One who guides aright, the Guided One.

A title of the Twelfth (expected) Imám or Qá’im.

Maid of Heaven

Also Maiden. The symbol of the Most Great Spirit. Analogous to the Sacred Fire of Zoroaster, the Burning Bush encountered by Moses, the Dove which descended upon the baptism of Jesus, and the Angel Gabriel as encountered by Muḥammad.

Malakút

AR: ملكوت, kingdom, dominion.

The angelic realm; the Kingdom of God; the Abhá Kingdom or Abhá Paradise. The realm of Divine Sovereignty, where the Manifestation of God takes on a historical role with distinct personalities, missions and teachings at fixed times. The distinctions of the Manifestations of God are present here, and they are seen as distinct individuals. "The infinite realm of the Divine attributes."

Man yuẓhiruhu'lláh

AR: من یظهر الله‎. See He Whom God shall make manifest.

Miʿraj

AR: المعراج, ladder.

The "ascent" of Muḥammad during his "night journey" in which, according to tradition, He was transported into the heavens, where he spoke with earlier Manifestations of God and was brought to the Sadratu’l-Muntahá to converse with God.

Moses

A Manifestation of God.

Muḥammad

AR: مُحَمَّد, praised, commendable, laudable.

The Prophet of Islam, a Manifestation of God.

Mustagháth

AR: مستغث, the one called upon for help.

Used as the name of God by the Báb.

N

Násút

The realm of Divine Creation, where the bounty of God causes physical creation and sustenance. The material realm, the plane of matter in its diverse forms, e.g., minerals, vegetation, animals, humans.

O

Occultation

A period of time during which (according to Twelver Shi‘a and other Islamic schools) the Mahdí was concealed from humanity. According to Twelver Shi‘a doctrine, this period began with the death of the eleventh Imám and disappearance of the twelfth Imám in 260 AH (873-4 CE) and would continue until the Last Days, at which point the Mahdí would return to lead the faithful, establish peace, and restore the original ideals of Islám. The Báb fulfilled the role of the Mahdí and thus, Bahá’ís see the period of occultation as having closed once the Báb declared His mission.

P

Promised One

Prophecies

Prophet

Q

Qá’im

FA: قائم, He Who shall arise.

Title designating the Promised One of Islám.

Qayyúm

permanent, lasting, stable. Superlative of Qá’im [the Báb], the Most Great One Who will arise [Bahá’u’lláh].

Qiblih

AR: قبلة.

Also Qibla, Qiblah. The direction to which people turn in prayer; especially Mecca, the Qiblih of all Muslims. In the Bahá’í Dispensation, the Qiblih is the Person of Bahá’u’lláh, which now rests at the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh in Bahjí.

R

Revelation

Riḍván

AR: رضوان, paradise.

The "King of Festivals" of the Bahá’í Faith, commemorating Bahá'u'lláh's 1863 declaration that He was a Manifestation of God, in the Garden of Ridván outside Baghdad. Also used literally to mean "paradise".

Rúḥu’lláh

Spirit of God. A designation Muslims use for Jesus.

S

Sadratu’l-Muntahá

AR: سِدْرَة ٱلْمُنْتَهَىٰ‎, Lote Tree of the Farthest Boundary.

Also Sidratu’l-Muntahá. Symbolically, the Lote tree in the Seventh Heaven; the utmost extremity, a boundary which no one can pass. According to Islamic tradition, Muḥammad was brought to the Sadratu’l-Muntahá during His night journey to converse with God. Used as a title of Bahá’u’lláh.

Ṣáḥibu’z-Zamán

FA: صاحب زمان, Lord of the Age.

One of the titles of the promised Qá’im.

Seal of the Prophets

Shí’ih

AR: شِيعَة‎, followers, i.e. of Ali.

Of or relating to Shia/Shi'ih Islam, the second largest branch of Islam.

Soul

Sunní

AR: أهل السنة, people of the sunnah, i.e. majority tradition.

Of or relating to Sunni Islam, the largest branch of Islam.

Súrih

AR: سورة, tablet, chapter.

Also: Surah, Súriy. A tablet, or letter. The chapters of the Qur'an are known as súrihs or surahs.

T

Tawhid

AR: توحيد‎, unification, union, combination, fusion.

Oneness of God, the most important article of faith in Islam.

U

Universal Cycle

See Cycle.

Z

Zoroaster

Zoroastrianism

References

Bibliography

• Balyuzi, Hasan M., Gail, Marzieh and Ayman, Iraj (1973). "Persian and Arabic names". The Báb. Oxford: George Ronald. pp. xiii–xiv.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
• Effendi, Shoghi (1944). God Passes By. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá’í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-020-9.
• Marzieh Gail (1955). Bahá'í Glossary. United States: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, United States.
• Momen, Wendi (ed.). A Basic Baha'i Dictionary. George Ronald. ISBN 9780853982302.
• Nabíl-i-A`ẓam. "Glossary". The Dawn-Breakers. Translated by Shoghi Effendi. United States Baha'i Publishing Trust. ISBN 9780877430100.
• Winters, Jonah (2010). "Short Glossary of Baha'i Terms". bahai-library.com. Retrieved 3 June 2025.