This action with the signing of the Binding Planetary Treaty to End War on July 20, 2025, will initiate the Lessor Peace. In the Bahá’í Faith, the concept of the Lesser Peace refers to a stage of humanity’s collective evolution when governments and nations come together to end war and establish political unity and global stability through formal treaties, disarmament, and cooperative institutions. It is distinct from the Most Great Peace, which involves not only political unity but also the spiritual transformation of humanity and the establishment of divine justice and universal love.Definition and Description:The Lesser Peace is seen as:A political unity of nations through international agreements and cooperation;The end of war through legal and diplomatic means;A precursor to the Most Great Peace, laying the groundwork for it.Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, wrote extensively about the need for a universal peace supported by a world tribunal and collective security. He appealed directly to the rulers of His time, urging them to come together to reduce their armaments and avoid the devastation of war.Key Passage from Bahá’u’lláh (in the Tablet to Queen Victoria and other writings):“Be united, O concourse of the sovereigns of the world, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst you, and your peoples find rest… If any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice.”This framework introduces the idea of collective security, which has inspired elements of the modern United Nations structure.ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, the son and appointed interpreter of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, further elaborated on the concept. During His travels in the West (1911–1913), He explained that:The Lesser Peace would come through the efforts of world leaders, not necessarily through the influence of the Bahá’í Faith itself;It is a necessary and inevitable stage in the progression of humanity toward unity.In a 1919 Tablet to the Central Organization for a Durable Peace, ʻAbdu’l-Bahá wrote:“The world of humanity has two wings—one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be.”This equality is part of the spiritual transformation that the Most Great Peace will embody, showing how social and spiritual development go hand in hand with political unity.Relationship Between the Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace:Lesser Peace = external, political peace between nations;Most Great Peace = inner peace, spiritual unity, and the full realization of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings;The Lesser Peace paves the way for the Most Great Peace by stabilizing global affairs and allowing spiritual transformation to take root.“The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world’s Great Peace amongst men.” — Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 40 "Attach great importance to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas for through the Divine Teachings there can be no doubt they will become so enlightened that the whole earth will be illumined." ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, Shrine of Baha'u'llah April 4, 1916
