Bahá'í Cycle

Role of Bahá'u'lláh (and the Báb) in the Cycle and His Dispensation within the Cycle[edit]

Bahá'u'lláh is the Inaugurator of the Bahá'í Cycle[edit]

"Bahá'u'lláh, as you say, is the culmination of the Adamic Cycle. He is also the Inaugurator of the Bahá'í Cycle.

(From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, March 13, 1986, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1683)

"Moved to share with assembled representatives of American Bahá'í Community gathered beneath the dome of the Most Holy House of Worship in the Bahá'í world, feelings of profound emotion evoked by this historic occasion of the world-wide commemoration of the First Centenary of the Martyrdom of the Blessed Báb, Prophet and Herald of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, Founder of the Dispensation marking the culmination of the six thousand year old Adamic Cycle, Inaugurator of the five thousand century Bahá'í Cycle."

(Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, p. 80)

Bahá'u'lláh's life will be recognized by posterity as standing at the confluence of two universal prophetic cycles, the Adamic Cycle and the Bahá'í Cycle (for five thousand centuries)[edit]

"Thus ended a life which posterity will recognize as standing at the confluence of two universal prophetic cycles, the Adamic Cycle stretching back as far as the first dawnings of the world's recorded religious history and the Bahá'í Cycle destined to propel itself across the unborn reaches of time for a period of no less than five thousand centuries."

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, pp. 54-55)

(Declaration of the Báb may also be seen as inception of the Bahá'í cycle)[edit]

"For it should be borne in mind that in the year 1944 we celebrate not only the termination of the first century of the Bahá'í Era, but also the centenary of the birth of the Bab'i Dispensation, of the inception of the Bahá'í cycle, and the birth of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and commemorate as well the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Bahá'í Faith in the Western world."

(Shoghi Effendi, This Decisive Hour, par. 108.6)

No contradiction between 1000 years of Bahá'í Dispensation and 500,000 year Bahá'í cycle; Bahá'í cycle includes both these future Prophets and encompasses Adamic Cycle[edit]

"Concerning your question relative to the duration of the Bahá'í Dispensation. There is no contradiction between Bahá'u'lláh's statement in the Íqán about the renewal of the City of God once every thousand years, and that of the Guardian in the Dispensation to the effect that the Bahá'í cycle will extend over a period of at least 500,000 years. The apparent contradiction is due to the confusion of the terms cycle and dispensation. For while the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh will last for at least one thousand years, His Cycle will extend still farther, to at least 500,000 years.

"The Bahá'í cycle is, indeed, incomparable in its greatness. It includes not only the Prophets that will appear after Bahá'u'lláh, but all those who have preceded Him ever since Adam. These should, indeed, be viewed as constituting but preliminary stages leading gradually to the appearance of this supreme Manifestation of God."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 7; first paragraph also in Lights of Guidance, no. 1565, stated there as letter to an individual believer, November 14, 1935: Bahá'í News, No. 102, August 1936, pp. 2-3))

Duration[edit]

Duration of the Bahá'í Cycle as 500,000 years[edit]

"Concerning your question relative to the duration of the Bahá'í Dispensation. There is no contradiction between Bahá'u'lláh's statement in the Iqan about the renewal of the City of God once every 1000 years, and that of the Guardian in the 'Dispensation' to the effect that the Bahá'í cycle will extend over a period of at least 500,000 years. The apparent contradiction is due to the confusion of the terms cycle and dispensation. For while the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh will last for at least one thousand years, His cycle will extend still further to at least 500,000."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, November 14, 1935: Bahá'í News, No. 102, August 1936, pp. 2-3, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1565)

"A Revelation, hailed as the promise and crowning glory of past ages and centuries, as the consummation of all the Dispensations within the Adamic Cycle, inaugurating an era of at least a thousand years' duration, and a cycle destined to last no less than five thousand centuries, signalizing the end of the Prophetic Era and the beginning of the Era of Fulfillment, unsurpassed alike in the duration of its Author's ministry and the fecundity and splendor of His mission-- such a Revelation was, as already noted, born amidst the darkness of a subterranean dungeon in Tihrán--an abominable pit that had once served as a reservoir of water for one of the public baths of the city."

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 100)

"CYCLE -- A unit of time comprising the Dispensations of numerous consecutive Manifestations of God. For example, the Adamic, or Prophetic, Cycle began with Adam and ended with the Dispensation of Muhammad. The Bahá'í Cycle began with the Báb and is to last at least five hundred thousand years."

(The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986, Glossary, p. 738; also in This Decisive Hour, Glossary)

No Explanation Given for 500,000 Year Period of Bahá'í Cycle[edit]

"Abdu'l-Bahá has given no explanation regarding the 500,000 year period of the Bahá'í cycle. Individual believers are free to work out for themselves the explanation they desire, so long as they do not impose their views on others."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, July 10, 1939, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1566)

Zoroastrian prophecy indicates magnitude of Bahá'í cycle (which is to last 500,000 years)[edit]

"As a further testimony to the greatness of the Revelation identified with Bahá'u'lláh may be cited the following extracts from a Tablet addressed by `Abdu'l-Bahá to an eminent Zoroastrian follower of the Faith: "Thou hadst written that in the sacred books of the followers of Zoroaster it is written that in the latter days, in three separate Dispensations, the sun must needs be brought to a standstill. In the first Dispensation, it is predicted, the sun will remain motionless for ten days; in the second for twice that time; in the third for no less than one whole month. The interpretation of this prophecy is this: the first Dispensation to which it refers is the Muhammadan Dispensation during which the Sun of Truth stood still for ten days. Each day is reckoned as one century. The Muhammadan Dispensation must have, therefore, lasted no less than one thousand years, which is precisely the period that has elapsed from the setting of the Star of the Imamate to the advent of the Dispensation proclaimed by the Báb. The second Dispensation referred to in this prophecy is the one inaugurated by the Báb Himself, which began in the year 1260 A.H. and was brought to a close in the year 1280 A.H. As to the third Dispensation--the Revelation proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh--inasmuch as the Sun of Truth when attaining that station shineth in the plenitude of its meridian splendor its duration hath been fixed for a period of one whole month, which is the maximum time taken by the sun to pass through a sign of the Zodiac. From this thou canst imagine the magnitude of the Bahá'í cycle-- a cycle that must extend over a period of at least five hundred thousand years."

(Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, 101-102)

Future Manifestations within the Bahá'í Cycle[edit]

Future Manifestations to derive Their inspiration from Bahá'u'lláh (for 5000 centuries)[edit]

"The last twenty-three years of that same century coincided with the first epoch of the second, the Iron and Formative, Age of the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh--the first of a series of epochs which must precede the inception of the last and Golden Age of that Dispensation--a Dispensation which, as the Author of the Faith has Himself categorically asserted, must extend over a period of no less than one thousand years, and which will constitute the first stage in a series of Dispensations, to be established by future Manifestations, all deriving their inspiration from the Author of the Bahá'í Revelation, and destined to last, in their aggregate, no less than five thousand centuries."

(Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, p. 5)

Appearance of Later Prophets will be under Bahá'u'lláh's shadow, drawing spiritual force from His Revelation, and moving and working within the orbit of the Bahá'í cycle, merely improving and perfecting the machinery of the world created by Bahá'u'lláh, despite Their ability to abrogate Bahá'u'lláh's laws[edit]

"After Bahá'u'lláh many Prophets will, no doubt, appear, but they will be all under His shadow. Although they may abrogate the laws of the Dispensation, in accordance with the needs and requirements of the age in which they appear, they nevertheless draw their spiritual force from this mighty Revelation. The Faith of Bahá'u'lláh constitutes, indeed, the stage of maturity in the development of mankind. His appearance has released such spiritual forces which will continue to animate, for many long years to come, the world in its development. Whatever progress may be achieved in later ages--after the unification of the whole human race is achieved--will be but improvements in the machinery of the world. For the machinery itself has already been created by Bahá'u'lláh. The task of continually improving and perfecting this machinery is one which later Prophets will be called upon to achieve. They will move and work within the orbit of the Bahá'í cycle."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, November 14, 1935, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1561)

Future Prophets will bring new laws suitable to our state of development and continue to educate us on this planet, but they will be under the shadow of Bahá'u'lláh for five thousand centuries[edit]

"The bud, the flower, the fruit are only symbols to convey to us the sense of the progress being made by man in receiving ever fuller Revelations from God. In spite of the vast spiritual significance of what Bahá'u'lláh has brought to the world we humans have infinite progress to make in the future. Future Prophets will bring us new laws suitable to our state of development and continue to educate us on this planet, but they will be under the shadow of Bahá'u'lláh for five thousand centuries."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, High Endeavours, p. 71)

Next Universal Manifestation of God[edit]

There will be a Prophet Similar in Station to Bahá'u'lláh after 500,000 years, but we cannot say definitely that His Revelation will be inter-planetary[edit]

"Regarding your questions: There is no record in history, or in the teachings, of a Prophet similar in station to Bahá'u'lláh having lived 500,000 years ago. There will, however, be one similar to Him in greatness after the lapse of 500,000 years, but we cannot say definitely that His Revelation will be inter-planetary in scope. We can only say that such a thing may be possible. What Bahá'u'lláh means by His appearance in 'other worlds' He has not defined, as we could not visualize them in our present state, hence He was indefinite, and we cannot say whether He meant other planets or not...."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 24, 1941, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1555)