Faith

“He that hath faith hath wisdom”

– Buddha

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Hinduism c. 3000 BC The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD

By faith is fire kindled. Know thou that every ear which hearkeneth unto His Words
By faith is offered sacrifice. with true faith shall be immune from the fire. Thus the
Sing we now Faith, the pinnacle of joy. believer, through his recognition of Him will appreciate the
transcendent character of His heavenly Words, will whole-
Bless Faith, the one who gives. heartedly choose Him over others, and will refuse to incline
Bless him who wills, but has not. his affections towards those who disbelieve in Him. Whatever
Bless him who gives his worship unstinting. one gaineth in the life to come is but the fruit of this faith. I
Bless this song I sing.

As the Gods evoked Faith — Selections from the Báb, pages 98-99
from the mighty Asuras,
so may my prayer for the generous worshiper be accepted!

The Gods, led by the Spirit,

honor Faith in their worship.
Faith is composed of the heart's intention.
Light comes through faith.

Through faith men come to prayer,

faith in the morning.
Faith at noon and at the setting of the Sun.
O Faith, give us faith!

— Rig-Veda Samhita, X.151.1-5

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The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD Judaism c. 1500 BC

Although a person of good deeds is acceptable at the
Threshold of the Almighty, yet it is first "to know," and then "to
do." Although a blind man produceth a most wonderful and
exquisite art, yet he is deprived of seeing it. Consider how
most animals labor for man, draw loads and facilitate travel;
yet, as they are ignorant, they receive no reward for this toil
and labor. The cloud raineth, roses and hyacinths grow; the
plain and meadow, the garden and trees become green and
blossom; yet they do not realize the results and outcome of all
these. The lamp is lighted, but as it hath not a conscious
knowledge of itself, no one hath become glad because of it.
Moreover, a soul of excellent deeds and good manners will
undoubtedly advance from whatever horizon he beholdeth the
lights radiating. Herein lies the difference: By faith is meant,
first, conscious knowledge, and second, the practice of good
deeds.
In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.

— `Abdu'l-Bahá: I have been as a portent to many,

Bahá'í World Faith, p.382-3 but you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
forsake me not when my strength is spent.
For my enemies speak concerning me;
those who watch for my life consult together
and say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue and seize him,
for there is none to deliver him.”

— Psalms 71: 1-11

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Buddhism c. 400 BC The Bahá'í Faith 1844 AD

He that hath faith hath wisdom; he that hath wisdom hath Regard thou faith as a tree. Its fruits, leaves, boughs and
peace. He that hath no wisdom and no faith, whose soul is branches are, and have ever been, trustworthiness,
one of doubt, is destroyed. truthfulness, uprightness and forbearance.

— Mahabharata — Bahá'u'lláh
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Islam c. 613 AD Christianity 1 AD

It is God who hath reared the Heavens without pillars thou
canst behold; then mounted his throne, and imposed laws on
the sun and moon: each travelleth to its appointed goal. He
ordereth all things. He maketh his signs clear, that ye may have
firm faith in a meeting with your Lord.
For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it
will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
— Matthew 17.20

— Qur’án 13:2
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Christianity 1 AD
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the
conviction of things not seen. For by it men of old received
divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was
created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made
out of things which do not appear.
By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as
yet unseen, took heed and constructed an ark for the saving
of his household; by this he condemned the world and
became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a
place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he
went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he
sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living
in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same
promise. For he looked forward to the city which has
foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah
herself received power to conceive, even when she was past
the age, since she considered him faithful who had
promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as
dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven
and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
— Hebrews 11: 1-3, 7-12
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Christianity 1 AD
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and
he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his
only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your
descendants be named." He considered that God was able to
raise men even from the dead; hence, figuratively speaking,
he did receive him back...
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid for three months
by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful;
and they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith Moses,
when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment
with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of
sin. He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater
wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the
reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of
the king; for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. By
faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that
the Destroyer of the first-born might not touch them.
— Hebrews 11: 17-19, 23-28