Passages in the Holy Writings That Give Reference to Extraterrestrial Life

This elongated feature found in Meteorite ALH84001 that is believed to be from Mars, possibly represents a microfossil of a primitive form of life. The photomicrograph image is courtesy of Science

MEMORANDUM From: Research Department of The Universal House of Justice Date: 6 August 1996 "And among His Signs Is the creation of the heavens and the earth, And the living creatures that He has scattered through them: and He Has Power to gather them together when He wills". (7) (Qur'án 42: 29, Al Shura, "Consultation") Also see the footnote (a) Bottom of page.

"Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of the celestial spheres. To comprehend their nature, it would be necessary to inquire into the meaning of the allusions that have been made in the Books of old to the celestial spheres and the heavens, and to discover the character of their relationship to this physical world, and the influence which they exert upon it. Every heart is filled with wonder at so bewildering a theme, and every mind is perplexed by its mystery. God, alone, can fathom its import. The learned men, that have fixed at several thousand years the life of this earth, have failed, throughout the long period of their observation, to consider either the number or the age of the other planets. Consider, moreover, the manifold divergences that have resulted from the theories propounded by these men. Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute."
(Bahá'u'lláh: "Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh," pp.162-63)

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"Regarding the passage on p.163 of the 'Gleanings'; the creatures which Bahá'u'lláh states to be found in every planet cannot be considered to be necessarily similar or different from human beings on this earth. Bahá'u'lláh does not specifically state whether such creatures are like or unlike us. He simply refers to the fact that there are creatures in every planet. It remains for science to discover one day the exact nature of these creatures." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, February 9, 1937)

A composite astronomical image showing several hundred galaxies from less than 3 percent of our sky. Image is courtesy ofScience News.

"O people! I swear by the one true God! This is the Ocean out of which all seas have proceeded, and with which every one of them will ultimately be united. From Him all the Suns have been generated, and unto Him they will all return. Through His potency the Trees of Divine Revelation have yielded their fruits, every one of which hath been sent down in the form of a Prophet, bearing a Message to God's creatures in each of the worlds whose number God, alone, in His all-encompassing Knowledge, can reckon. This He hath accomplished through the agency of but one Letter of His Word, revealed by His Pen--a Pen moved by His directing Finger-- His Finger itself sustained by the power of God's Truth."(Bahá'u'lláh, "Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh", p.104.) "‘Abdú'l-Bahá stated there are other worlds than ours which are inhabited by beings capable of knowing God." (From a letter dated March 31, 1949, written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, cited in McCulloch, Kenneth C, Mankind: "Citizen of the Galaxy" (Rings of Saturn Publishing: "The Pas", 1985), p.238.) Another note of interest, this time a "pilgrim's note" ("Though not strictly official, and in some instances inaccurate and misleading, these notes, as experience has shown, can be of tremendous help, guidance and inspiration to many individual believers, and their value as such should therefore be readily admitted" (from a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, April 28, 1939)) Notes taken at the dinner table in the Pilgrim House in Haifa from the words of the Guardian, by Agnes B. Alexander, April 22, May 12) As found at: http://bahai-library.org/pilgrims/alexander.html "This is the coming of age of this planet. Just as America was discovered so other planets may be discovered and in conjunction with them we may become a member of a greater entity." The above notes and quotation have been provided by Glen Little. This might be of interest... Glen Little From the Utterances of Abdú'l-Baha: "The earth has its inhabitants, the water and the air contain many living beings and all the elements have their nature spirits, then how is it possible to conceive that these stupendous stellar bodies are not inhabited? Verily, they are peopled, but let it be known that the dwellers accord with the elements of their respective spheres. These living beings do not have states of consciousness like unto those who live on the surface of this globe: the power of adaptation and environment moulds their bodies and states of consciousness, just as our bodies and minds are suited to our planet. For example, we have birds that live in the air, those that live on the earth and those that live in the sea. The sea birds are adapted to their elements, likewise the birds which soar in the air, and those which hover about the earth's surface. Many animals living on the land have their counterparts in the sea. The domestic horse has his counterpart in the sea-horse which is half horse and half fish. The components of the sun differ from those of this earth, for there are certain light and life-giving elements radiating from the sun. Exactly the same elements may exist in two bodies, but in varying quantities. For instance, there is fire and air in water, but the allotted measure is small in proportion. They have discovered that there is a great quantity of radium in the sun; the same element is found on the earth, but in a much smaller degree. Beings who inhabit those distant luminous bodies are attuned to the elements that have gone into the composition of their respective spheres." (I. F. Chamberlain, comp. "Divine Philosophy" (Boston: The Tudor Press, 1918), pp. 114-15.) As quoted in a letter of the Universal House of Justice, 8 June 1992 Found at: http://bahai-library.org/uhj/gaia.html "The earth has its inhabitants, the water and the air contain many living beings and all the elements have their nature spirits, then how is it possible to conceive that these stupendous stellar bodies are not inhabited? Verily, they are peopled, but let it be known that the dwellers accord with the elements of their respective spheres. These living beings do not have states of consciousness like unto those who live on the surface of this globe: the power of adaptation and environment moulds their bodies and states of consciousness, just as our bodies and minds are suited to our planet." (8)) 'Abdu'l-Bahá MEMORANDUM From: Research Department The Universal House of Justice Date: 6 August 1996 To: ___________ AFRICAN-BASED RELIGION IN THE AMERICAS; VISIONARY APPEARANCES OF THE VIRGIN MARY; UFOS, ABDUCTIONS, ALIEN GENETIC ENGINEERING (Letters of The Universal House of Justice, 1996 Aug 06, Sabeans, UFOs, Alien Abduction and Genetic Engineering) UFOs, Alien Abduction and Genetic Engineering Mr. _____ refers to a book entitled Abduction, written by a Harvard psychiatrist, Dr. John Mack, which posits that ... alien beings of a vastly superior intelligence, who are possibly from other planets or dimensions, or from our own distant future, have been conducting genetic experiments on unwilling humans to produce a crossbreed between humans and aliens (reportedly to repopulate our planet with a more peaceful species after we destroy ourselves). Mr. _____ comments on the popularity of this topic and mentions that a number of Baha'is claim to have had experiences similar to those associated with abduction by aliens. He requests guidance concerning how to respond to such matters. The Baha'i Teachings do not deal specifically with the subjects of alien abduction and genetic engineering. The following extracts concerning unidentified flying objects might be of assistance to Mr. _____: There is nothing in the Teachings about spaceships; and the Guardian does not feel this is a subject on which he can offer the friends any advice whatsoever. Indeed, to be frank, he is so busy with the work of the Cause that he seldom has time to devote much thought to speculation of this nature, however fascinating it may be. (From a letter dated 15 February 1957 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to several believers) As you rightly state, Bahá'u'lláh affirms "that every fixed star has its planets, and every planet its own creatures".* The House of Justice states however, that it has not discovered anything in the Baha'i Writings which would indicate the degree of progress such creatures may have attained. Obviously, as creatures of earth have managed to construct space probes and send them into outer space, it can be believed that creatures on other planets may have succeeded in doing likewise. Regarding the attitude Bahá'ís should take toward unidentified flying objects, the House of Justice points out that they fall in the category of subjects open to scientific investigation, and as such, may be of interest to some, but not necessarily to everyone. In any case, Bahá'ís have a fundamental obligation at this stage of the development of the earth's people, that is, the responsibility of spreading the unifying Message of Bahá'u'lláh. (From a letter dated 11 January 1982 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer) Notes [1] (Letters of The Universal House of Justice, 1996 Aug 06, Sabeans, UFOs, Alien Abduction and Genetic Engineering) "Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh," pp. 162-163. Return Footnote (a): 1. Bahá'u'lláh, "Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh," pp.162-63. 2. From a letter dated February 9, 1937 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, cited in"Lights of Guidance," 3rd revised edition, edited Helen B. Hornby (Bahá'í Publishing Trust: New Delhi, 1994), p.479. 3. Bahá'u'lláh, "Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh," p.104. 4. From a letter dated March 31, 1949, written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, cited in McCulloch, Kenneth C, "Mankind: Citizen of the Galaxy" (Rings of Saturn Publishing: The Pas, 1985),p.238. 5. "Dabbatun: beasts, living, crawling creatures of all kinds. Similarly in Qur'án 2:45, and other passages, the word is used for living creatures of all kinds, life generally, whose material basis is the mysterious thing which science calls protoplasm. The more our biological knowledge increases, the more do we marvel at the unity of Life on the one hand, and its diversity on the other." Footnote 4568, edited, 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Alí, "The Meaning of The Holy Qur'án," (Amana Corporation: Maryland, 1993). 6. "Life is not confined to our one little Planet. It is a very old speculation to imagine some life like human life on the planet Mars. Though no scientific demonstration is possible, it is reasonable to suppose that Life in some form or other is scattered through some of the millions of heavenly bodies scattered through space. What a wonderful Sign of Allah! the Almighty Who created such countless beings has surely the power to bring them together." Footnote 4569, 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Alí, "The Meaning of The Holy Qur'án," (Amana Corporation: Maryland, 1993). 7. Qur'án 42:29, Al Shura, "Consultation", 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Alí translation. 8. 'Abdu'l-Bahá quoted in "Divine Philosophy" (Boston: The Tudor Press, 1918),