Baha'i Faith/Symbolism/The Sun

The Sun is arguably the most important symbol in the Baha'i faith. It is the symbol of truth and unity. Most religious symbols are either directly or indirectly effected by the Sun. The sun is often used to facilitate loyalty between the followers of God. Believers are asked to remain loyal to God more than to each other. This kind of loyalty is thought to be more effective.

Relation to Other Symbols
The Sun relates to just about every other symbol in the Baha'i faith. The Sun feeds light to all of the plants in the metaphoric garden. It can be obstructed by the clouds. The Sun dispels shadows and darkness. The light from the Sun is likened to the holy spirit. It can be reflected off of mirrors or the moon. Different prophets will tend to use the Sun in different ways.

The Bab
The Bab often used mirrors with the symbol of the Sun. A virtuous person was likened to a mirror pointed at the Sun. But, a deceptive person was likened to a mirror pointed away from the Sun. In his writings, the Bab points out that the Sun is the master of the mirrors. So, the mirrors could never be the masters of the Sun. Dispensations are perfect mirrors. The Bab also said that the advent of a new dispensation is like the Sun rising in the morning.

Baha'u'llah
Baha'u'llah often used the sun in conjunction with other objects in the sky. He pointed out that the Sun shines so bright that it obscures the stars. In this analogy, the stars represent the teachings of earthly knowledge. He was saying that the word of God is more radiant than earthly knowledge. However, he pointed out that clouds can obscure the Sun. These clouds represent deceptions and untruth. These symbolic clouds must be cleared away. Only then can people have access to spiritual knowledge.

Abdu'l-Baha
Abdu'l-Baha used the Sun as the symbol of truth. Just as the Sun gives life to the plants in the garden, the truth gives life to the spirit of humans. The clouds can obscure the Sun of truth. However, even the most dense clouds are never dense enough to completely block the Sun. Some light will always get through. In all of these analogies, the rays from the Sun are likened to the holy spirit. The Sun brings warmth to the earth by way of the Suns rays. So, God communicates with man through the holy spirit.