The world beyond is different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother.
Bahá’u’lláh
The World Beyond
Topic: Life Beyond Death & the Spirit World
The world beyond is different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother. When the soul attains the Presence of God, it will assume the form that best befits its immortality and is worthy of its celestial habitation.
Bahá’u’lláh (“Glory of God”; 12 November 1817 – 29 May 1892), born Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Núrí, was the founder of the Bahá’í Faith.
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
Wilson, Andrew, editor. World Scripture - a Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Paragon House, 1991, pp. 234, 260 [Gleanings from the writings of Baha'u'llah 81].
Bahá’u’lláh
Theme: Life Beyond Death
About This Bahá’u’lláh Quotation [Commentary]
Bahá’u’lláh’s statement, “The world beyond is different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother,” invites us to consider life after death as a transformative stage of existence. He likens the transition to the profound difference between a child’s life in the womb and their life in the external world. In the womb, the child is unaware of the wider world that awaits, just as we, in our present state, cannot fully comprehend the nature of the world beyond. This metaphor emphasizes that what we experience now is only a preparatory stage for a higher reality yet to come.
In the broader context, Bahá’u’lláh explains that when the soul attains the “Presence of God,” it will take on a form suitable for its immortality. This suggests that the spiritual journey does not end with physical death; rather, it is an ongoing process of development and refinement. The soul, freed from the limitations of the material world, will dwell in a “celestial habitation” that reflects its spiritual qualities. This vision of life beyond death offers reassurance that the soul continues to grow and evolve, shaped by its actions and spiritual progress in this life.
Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings present death not as an end to be feared, but as a passage to a new and fuller existence. By comparing our current life to the womb, he reminds us that just as the child must leave the womb to fulfill its potential, so too must the soul leave the physical world to realize its divine destiny. This perspective encourages a view of death as part of a natural, divinely guided process, where our true purpose is revealed and fulfilled beyond the limits of our earthly experience.
Gleanings from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh 81
The world beyond, writes Bahá’u’lláh, “is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother.” Just as the womb provides the environment for a person’s initial physical development, the phenomenal world is the arena within which we develop the spiritual characteristics and capacities that we need for our onward journey. Both here and in the next life, we advance with the assistance of God’s bounty and grace. Also important to the progress of our souls in the next world are the good deeds carried out in our names here on earth, and the sincere prayers of our families and friends.
Seen in this light, death is not to be feared. Bahá’u’lláh refers to it as a “messenger of joy.” He states: “Thou art My dominion and My dominion perisheth not; wherefore fearest thou thy perishing? Thou art My light and My light shall never be extinguished; why dost thou dread extinction? Thou art My glory and My glory fadeth not; thou art My robe and My robe shall never be outworn.”
–Bahai.org, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXXXI and Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 32 and no. 14.
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