Social and Economic Development
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Social and Economic Development

Bahá'u'lláh

Abdu'l-Bahá

Shoghi Effendi

Universal House of Justice

Universal House of Justice, Research Department

, translator

published in

Compilation of Compilations

Volume 3,  pp. 275-319

2000

Contents:

"The concept of social and economic development is enshrined in the sacred Teachings of our Faith."

"The Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, the spiritual centre of every Bahá'í community round which must flourish dependencies dedicated to the social, humanitarian, educational and scientific advancement of mankind."

"The steps to be taken must necessarily begin in the Bahá'í Community itself, with the friends endeavouring, through their application of spiritual principles, their rectitude of conduct and the practice of the art of consultation, to uplift themselves and thus become
self-sufficient and self-reliant."

A. The Application of Spiritual Principles

B. Rectitude of Conduct

C. The Practice of the Art of Consultation

Bibliography

I. "... the concept of social and economic development is
enshrined in the sacred Teachings of our Faith."

(Universal House of Justice, 20 October 1983)

459 ... is not the object of every Revelation to effect a transformation
in the whole character of mankind, a transformation that shall
manifest itself both outwardly and inwardly, that shall affect
both its inner life and external conditions? For if the character of
mankind be not changed, the futility of God's universal
Manifestations would be apparent.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1983),
pp.
240
-
241
)

460 They whom God hath endued with insight will readily
recognise that the precepts laid down by God constitute the
highest means for the maintenance of order in the world and
the security of its peoples.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Haifa: Bahá'í
World Centre), p.
11
)

461    I testify that no sooner had the First Word proceeded, through
the potency of Thy will and purpose, out of His mouth, and the
First Call gone forth from His lips than the whole creation was
revolutionised, and all that are in the heavens and all that are on
earth were stirred to the depths. Through that Word the realities
of all created things were shaken, were divided, separated,
scattered, combined and reunited, disclosing, in both the
contingent world and the heavenly kingdom, entities of a new
creation, and revealing, in the unseen realms, the signs and
tokens of Thy unity and oneness. Through that Call Thou didst
announce unto all Thy servants the advent of Thy most great
Revelation and the appearance of Thy most perfect Cause.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
1969), pp.
295
-
296
)

462    Every word that proceedeth Out of the mouth of God is
endowed with such potency as can instil new life into every
human frame, if ye be of them that comprehend this truth. All
the wondrous works ye behold in this world have been
manifested through the operation of His supreme and most
exalted Will, His wondrous and inflexible Purpose.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1983), p.
141
)

463 ... the still greater task of converting satanic strength into

heavenly power is one that We have been empowered to
accomplish. The Force capable of such a transformation
transcendeth the potency of the Elixir itself. The Word of God,
alone, can claim the distinction of being endowed with the
capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1983), p.
200
)

464 The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of
mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His
unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem,
and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world
needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as
that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously
concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and centre your
deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.

We can well perceive how the whole human race is
encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it
languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned.
They that are intoxicated by self conceit have interposed
themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician.
Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included,
in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause
of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy.
They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have
imagined their friend an enemy.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1983), p.
213
)

465    Religion is verily the chief instrument for the establishment of
order in the world and of tranquillity amongst its peoples ... The
greater the decline of religion, the more grievous the
waywardness of the ungodly. This cannot but lead in the end to
chaos and confusion.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Haifa:
Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), pp
63
-
64
)

466 ... that which hath streamed forth from the Most Exalted Pen is
conducive to the glory, the advancement and education of all the
peoples and kindreds of the earth. Indeed it is the sovereign
remedy for every disease, could they but comprehend and
perceive it.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Haifa:
Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), p.
73
)

467 O people of God! Give ear unto that which, if heeded, will
ensure the freedom, well-being, tranquillity, exaltation and
advancement of all men.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Haifa:
Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), p.
92
)

468 Unveiled and unconcealed, this Wronged One hath, at all
times, proclaimed before the face of all the peoples of the
world that which will serve as the key for unlocking the doors
of sciences, of arts, of knowledge, of well-being, of prosperity
and wealth.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Haifa:
Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), p.
96
)

469 The religion of God and His divine law are the most potent
instruments and the surest of all means for the dawning of the
light of unity amongst men. The progress of the world, the
development of nations, the tranquillity of peoples, and the
peace of all who dwell on earth are among the principles and
ordinances of God. Religion bestoweth upon man the most
precious of all gifts, offereth the cup of prosperity, imparteth
eternal life, and showereth imperishable benefits upon
mankind.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Haifa;
World Centre Publications, 1982), pp.
129
-
130
)

470 All the peoples of Europe, notwithstanding their vaunted
civilisation, sink and drown in this terrifying sea of passion
and desire, and this is why all the phenomena of their culture
come to nothing. Let no one wonder at this statement or
deplore it. The primary purpose, the basic objective, in laying
down powerful laws and setting up great principles and
institutions dealing with every aspect of civilisation, is human
happiness; and human happiness consists only in drawing
closer to the Threshold of Almighty God, and in securing the
peace and welling of every individual member, high and low
alike, of the human race; and the supreme agencies for
accomplishing these two objectives are the excellent qualities
with which humanity has been endowed.

A superficial culture, unsupported by a cultivated morality, is
as "a confused medley of dreams," and external lustre without
inner perfection is "like a vapour in the desert which the

thirsty dreameth to be water." For results which would win the
good pleasure of God and secure the peace and well-being of
man, could never be fully achieved in a merely external
civilisation.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1975). p.
60
-
61
)

471    Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which
ruleth transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of
harmonising divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and
convictions of the children of men. Verily, it is the penetrating
power in all things, the mover of and the binder and regulator
in the world of humanity.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Haifa: Bahá'í
World Centre, 1982), p.
292
)

472 For man two wings are necessary. One wing is physical power
and material civilisation; the other is spiritual power and
divine civilisation. With one wing only, flight is impossible.
Two wings are essential. Therefore, no matter how much
material civilisation advances, it cannot attain to perfection
except through the uplift of spiritual civilisation.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1982), p.
12
)

473 Until the heavenly civilisation is founded, no result will be
forthcoming from material civilisation ...

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1982), p.
96
)

474 Material civilisation is likened to the body, whereas divine
civilisation is the spirit in that body. A body not manifesting
the spirit is dead; a fruitless tree is worthless.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1982), p.
104
)

475 No matter how far the material world advances, it cannot
establish the happiness of mankind. Only when material and
spiritual civilisation are linked and coordinated will happiness
be assured. Then material civilisation will not contribute its
energies to the forces of evil in destroying the oneness of
humanity, for in material civilisation good and evil advance
together and maintain the same pace. For example consider the

material progress of man in the last decade. Schools colleges,
hospitals, philanthropic institutions, scientific academies
temples of philosophy have been founded, but hand in hand
with these evidences of development, the invention and
production of means and weapons for human destruction have
correspondingly increased...

All this is the outcome of material civilisation; therefore,
although material advancement furthers good purposes in life,
at the same time it serves evil ends ... If the moral precepts and
foundations of divine civilisation become united with the
material advancement of man, there is no doubt that the
happiness of the human world will be attained and from every
direction the glad tidings of peace upon earth will be
announced. Then humankind will achieve extraordinary
progress, the sphere of human intelligence will be
immeasurably enlarged, wonderful inventions will appear, and
the spirit of God will reveal itself; all men will consort in joy
and fragrance, and eternal life will be conferred upon the
children of the Kingdom.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1982), pp.
109
-
110
)

476 Material development may be likened to the glass of a lamp,
whereas divine virtues and spiritual susceptibilities are the
light within the glass. The lamp chimney is worthless without
the light; likewise, man in his material condition requires the
radiance and vivification of the divine graces and merciful
attributes.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1982), p.
288
)

477 Who else can be the blissful if not the community of the Most
Great Name, whose world-embracing, continually
consolidating activities constitute the one integrating process
in a world whose institutions, secular as well as religious, are
for the most part dissolving? They indeed are "the people of
the right," whose "noble habitation" is fixed on the
foundations of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh–the Ark of
everlasting salvation in this most grievous Day. Of all the
kindreds of the earth they alone can recognise, amidst the
welter of a tempestuous age, the Hand of the Divine Redeemer
that traces its course and controls its destinies. They alone are

aware of the silent growth of that orderly world polity whose
fabric they themselves are weaving.

(Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust. 1974), p.
194
)

478    We are indeed living in an age which, if we would correctly
appraise it, should be regarded as one which is witnessing a
dual phenomenon. The first signalises the death-pangs of an
order, effete and godless, that has stubbornly refused, despite
the signs and portents of a century-old Revelation, to attune its
processes to the precepts and ideals which that Heaven-sent
Faith proffered it. The second proclaims the birth-pangs of an
Order, divine and redemptive, that will inevitably supplant the
former, and within Whose administrative structure an
embryonic civilisation, incomparable and world-embracing, is
imperceptibly maturing. The one is being rolled up, and is
crashing in oppression, bloodshed, and ruin. The other opens
up vistas of a justice, a unity, a peace, a culture, such as no age
has ever seen. The former has spent its force, demonstrated its
falsity and barrenness, lost irretrievably its opportunity, and is
hurrying to its doom. The latter, virile and unconquerable, is
plucking asunder its chains, and is vindicating its title to be the
one refuge within which a sore-tried humanity, purged from its
dross, can attain its destiny.

(Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1980), p.
16
)

479    The primary consideration is the spirit that has to permeate our
economic life and this will gradually crystallise itself into
definite institutions and principles that would help to bring
about the ideal condition foretold by Bahá'u'lláh.

(From a letter dated 20 December 1931 written on behalf of the Guardian to a
National Spiritual Assembly)

480    Technocracy, as well as the other movements now existing in
the world, every one of them, has some wonderful point that
connects it very closely to the teachings of the Faith. But all
these see the light partially. The spirit of the Cause pulsates in
their veins but they have to become conscious of the center of
inspiration and light if they desire to reform fully our
corrupted and despairing society. Our troubles are not purely
economic. There are also basic spiritual reforms that have to
set in. There is the human heart that has to be changed.

We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment
outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything
will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life
moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it.
The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life
of man is the result of these mutual reactions.

No movement in the world directs its attention upon both these
aspects of human life and has full measures for their
improvement save the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh. And this is its
distinctive feature. If we desire therefore the good of the world
we should strive to spread those teachings and also practice
them in our own life. Through them will the human heart be
changed and also our social environment provides the
atmosphere in which we can grow spiritually and reflect in full
the light of God shining through the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh.

(From letter dated 17 February 1933 written on behalf of the Guardian to an
individual believer)

481 Now is the time when every follower of Bahá'u'lláh must
cling fast to the Covenant of God, resist every temptation to
become embroiled in the conflicts of the world, and remember
that he is the holder of a precious trust, the Message of God
which, alone, can banish injustice from the world and cure the
ills afflicting the body and spirit of man. We are the bearers of
the Word of God in this day and, however dark the immediate
horizons, we must go forward rejoicing in the knowledge that
the work we are privileged to perform is God's work and will
bring to birth a world whose splendour will outshine our
brightest visions and surpass our highest hopes.

(Universal House of Justice, Letter to the Bahá'ís of the World,

Naw-Rúz 1979
)

482 A wider horizon is opening before us, illumined by a growing
and universal manifestation of the inherent potentialities of the
Cause for ordering human affairs. In this light can be
discerned not only our immediate tasks but, more dimly, new
pursuits and undertakings upon which we must shortly become
engaged ... The powers released by Bahá'u'lláh match the
needs of the times. We may therefore be utterly confident that
the new throb of energy now vibrating throughout the Cause
will empower it to meet the oncoming challenges of assisting,
as maturity and resources allow, the development of the social
and economic life of peoples, of collaborating with the forces

leading towards the establishment of order in the world, of
influencing the exploitation and constructive uses of modern
technology, and in all these ways enhancing the prestige and
progress of the Faith and uplifting the conditions of the
generality of mankind.

(Universal House of Justice, Letter to the Bahá'ís of the World,

Ridván 140 B.E.
)

483    The greatest need of all peoples is for the Faith itself, so that
they may know the destiny towards which they as individuals
and as members of society must strive, and will learn from the
teachings those virtues and methods which will enable them to
work together in harmony, forbearance and trustworthiness ...
The principle remains, however, that the spiritual precedes the
material. First comes the illumination of hearts and minds by
the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, and then the grass roots stirring
of the believers wishing to apply these teachings to the daily
life of their community. Such stirrings can be fostered,
encouraged and assisted by the national and continental
institutions of the Faith, but without them any activities
introduced from above might well prove abortive.

(From a letter dated 8 May 1984, written on behalf of the Universal House of
Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly)

II. "... the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, the spiritual centre of every
Bahá'í community round which must flourish dependencies
dedicated to the social, humanitarian, educational and
scientific advancement of mankind."

(The Universal House of Justice, 20 October 1983)

484 Although to outward seeming the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár is a
material structure, yet it hath a spiritual effect. It forgeth bonds
of unity from heart to heart; it is a collective centre for men's
souls. Every city in which during the days of the
Manifestation, a temple was raised up, hath created security
and constancy and peace, for such buildings were given over
to the perpetual glorification of God, and only in the
remembrance of God can the heart find rest. Gracious God!
The edifice of the House of Worship hath a powerful influence
on every phase of life. Experience hath, in the east, clearly
shown this to be a fact. Even if in some small village, a house
was designated as the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár it produced a

marked effect; how much greater would be the impact of one
especially raised up.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Haifa: Bahá'í
World Centre, 1982), pp.
95
-
96
)

485 The Mashriqu'l-Adhkár and its accessories; "When these
institutions, college, hospital, hospice, and establishments for
the incurables, university for the study of higher sciences and
giving postgraduate courses, and other philanthropic buildings,
are built, its doors will be open to all the nations and all
religions. There will be drawn absolutely no line of
demarcation. Its charities will be dispensed irrespective of
colour and race. Its gates will be flung wide to mankind;
prejudice toward none, love for all. The central building will
be devoted to the purposes of prayer and worship. Thus for the
first time religion will become harmonised with science and
science will be the handmaid of religion, both showering their
material and spiritual gifts on all humanity. In this way the
people will be lifted out of the quagmires of slothfulness and
bigotry."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West,
21
(1), 1930, p. 20)

486 The founding of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár will mark the
inception of the Kingdom of God on earth.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West,
6
(17), 1916, p. 137)

487 But however inspiring the conception of Bahá'í worship, as
witnessed in the central Edifice of this exalted Temple, it
cannot be regarded as the sole, nor even the essential, factor in
the part which the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, as designed by
Bahá'u'lláh, is destined to play in the organic life of the
Bahá'í community. Divorced from the social, humanitarian,
educational and scientific pursuits centering around the
Dependencies of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Bahá'í worship,
however exalted in its conception, however passionate in
fervour, can never hope to achieve beyond the meagre and
often transitory results produced by the contemplations of the
ascetic or the communion of the passive worshipper. It cannot
afford lasting satisfaction and benefit to the worshipper
himself, much less to humanity in general, unless and until
translated and transfused into that dynamic and disinterested
service to the cause of humanity which it is the supreme
privilege of the Dependencies of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár to

facilitate and promote. Nor will the exertions, no matter how
disinterested and strenuous, of those who within the precincts
of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár will be engaged in administering the
affairs of the future Bahá'í Commonwealth, fructify and
prosper unless they are brought into close and daily
communion with those spiritual agencies centring in and
radiating from the central Shrine of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár.
Nothing short of direct and constant interaction between the
spiritual forces emanating from this House of Worship
centring in the heart of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, and the
energies consciously displayed by those who administer its
affair in their service to humanity can possibly provide the
necessary agency capable of removing the ills that have so
long and so grievously afflicted humanity. For it is assuredly
upon the consciousness of the efficacy of the Revelation of
Bahá'u'lláh, reinforced on one hand by spiritual communion
with His Spirit, and on the other by the intelligent application
and the faithful execution of the principles and laws He
revealed, that the salvation of a world in travail must
ultimately depend. And of all the institutions that stand
associated with His Holy Name, surely none save the
institution of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár can most adequately
provide the essentials of Bahá'í worship and service, both so
vital to the regeneration of the world. Therein lies the secret of
the loftiness, of the potency, of the unique position of the
Mashriqu'l-Adhkár as one of the outstanding institutions
conceived by Bahá'u'lláh.

(Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Administration (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
1984), pp.
185
-
186
)

488    From the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, ordained as a house of worship
by Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the representatives of
Bahá'í communities, both local and national, together with the
members of their respective committees, will, as they gather
daily within its walls at the hour of dawn, derive the necessary
inspiration that will enable them to discharge, in the course of
their day-to-day exertions in the Hazíratu'l-Quds–the scene of
their administrative activities–their duties and responsibilities
as befits the chosen stewards of His Faith.

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. 1979),
P.
340
)

489    In these days one of the essential requirements of the Faith

which will attract divine blessings and lead to the protection of
the servants at His Threshold, is to set aside a suitable place to
serve as a centre for Bahá'í activities in each of the localities
where believers reside. In such a centre, even if it is among the
most modest of locations, all gatherings of the friends should
be held, such as those for the reading of the Tablets, for
prayers and supplications, for the meetings of the Local
Spiritual Assembly, for the teaching work, for the delivery of
talks, for commemorations, for festivals and for the Feasts. If
the location is suitable, it would be light upon light if in the
future the edifice of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár could also be
erected on that spot. That centre should be named Hazíratu'l-Quds,
so that the musk-scented breaths of the fervent prayers
offered therein, and the sweet breeze of spiritual discussions
and worthy enterprises wafted from the Hazíratu'l-Quds may
spread to neighbouring regions, and impart healing and
fragrance to the nostrils of a sorely-afflicted world.

(Translated from a letter of Shoghi Effendi to the friends in Iran and the East,
dated July 1925)

490 A symbol of this process may be seen in the House of Worship
and its dependencies. The first part to be built is the central
edifice which is the spiritual heart of the community. Then,
gradually, as the outward expression of this spiritual heart, the
various dependencies, those "institutions of social service as
shall afford relief to the suffering, sustenance to the poor, shelter
to the wayfarer, solace to the bereaved, and education to the
ignorant" are erected and function. This process begins in an
embryonic way long before a Bahá'í community reaches the
stage of building its own Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, for even the first
local centre that a Bahá'í community erects can begin to serve
not only as the spiritual and administrative centre and gathering
place of the community, but also as the site of a tutorial school
and the heart of other aspects of community life.

(From a letter dated 8 May 1984, written on behalf of the Universal House of
Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly)

III. "The steps to be taken must necessarily begin in the
Bahá'í Community itself, with the friends endeavouring,
through their application of spiritual principles, their
rectitude of conduct and the practice of the art of

consultation, to uplift themselves and thus become
self-sufficient and self-reliant. Moreover, these exertions will
conduce to the preservation of human honour, so desired by
Bahá'u'lláh. In the process and as a consequence, the friends
will undoubtedly extend the benefits of their efforts to society
as a whole, until all mankind achieves the progress intended
by the Lord of the Age.

(Universal House of Justice, 20 October 1983)

A. The Application of Spiritual Principles

491    We prescribe unto all men that which will lead to the
exaltation of the Word of God amongst His servants, and
likewise, to the advancement of the world of being and the
uplift of souls. To this end, the greatest means is education of
the child. To this must each and all hold fast. We have verily
laid this charge upon you in manifold Tablets as well as in My
Most Holy Book. Well is it with him who deferreth thereto.

We ask of God that He will assist each and every one to obey
this inescapable command that hath appeared and been caused
to descend through the Pen of the Ancient of Days.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, Bahá'í
Education: A Compilation (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1978), p. 4) [Ed. - no.
6
]

492    Know thou that all men have been created in the nature made
by God, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Unto each one hath
been prescribed a pre-ordained measure, as decreed in God's
mighty and guarded Tablets. All that which ye potentially
possess can, however, he manifested only as a result of your
own volition.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1983), p.
149
)

493    It is enjoined upon every one of you to engage in some form of
occupation, such as crafts, trades and the like. We have
graciously exalted your engagement in such work to the rank
of worship unto God, the True One. Ponder ye in your hearts
the grace and the blessings of God and render thanks unto Him
at eventide and at dawn. Waste not your time in idleness and
sloth. Occupy yourselves with that which profiteth yourselves

and others. Thus hath it been decreed in this Tablet from
whose horizon the day-star of wisdom and utterance shineth
resplendent.

The most despised of men in the sight of God are those who
sit idly and beg. Hold ye fast unto the cord of material means,
placing your whole trust in God, the Provider of all means.
When anyone occupieth himself in a craft or trade, such
occupation itself is regarded in the estimation of God as an act
of worship; and this is naught but a token of His infinite and
all-pervasive bounty.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), p.
26
)

494 The first Taráz and the first effulgence which hath dawned
from the horizon of the Mother Book is that man should know
his own self and recognise that which leadeth unto loftiness or
lowliness, glory or abasement, wealth or poverty. Having
attained the stage of fulfilment and reached his maturity, man
standeth in need of wealth, and such wealth as he acquireth
through crafts or professions is commendable and praise-worthy
in the estimation of men of wisdom, and especially in
the eyes of servants who dedicate themselves to the education
of the world and to the edification of its peoples. They are, in
truth, cup-bearers of the life-giving water of knowledge and
guides unto the ideal way. They direct the peoples of the world
to the straight path and acquaint them with that which is
conducive to human upliftment and exaltation.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Haifa:
Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), pp.
34
-
35
)

495    The third Tajallí is concerning arts, crafts and sciences.
Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his
ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. The
knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as
can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which begin
with words and end with words. Great indeed is the claim of
scientists and craftsmen on the peoples of the world. Unto this
beareth witness the Mother Book on the day of His return.
Happy are those possessed of a hearing ear. In truth,
knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and source of glory,
of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto
him. Thus hath the Tongue of Grandeur spoken in this Most
Great Prison.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Haifa:
Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), pp.
51
-
52
)

496 The purpose of learning should be the promotion of the
welfare of the people, and this can be achieved through crafts.
It hath been revealed and is now repeated that the true worth of
artists and craftsmen should be appreciated, for they advance
the affairs of mankind. Just as the foundations of religion are
made firm through the Law of God, the means of livelihood
depend upon those who are engaged in arts and crafts. True
learning is that which is conducive to the well-being of the
world, not to pride and self-conceit, or to tyranny, violence and
pillage.

(Bahá'u'lláh, from a newly translated Tablet)

497    ... the happiness and greatness, the rank and station, the
pleasure and peace, of an individual have never consisted in
his personal wealth, but rather in his excellent character, his
high resolve, the breadth of his learning, and his ability to
solve difficult problems. How well has it been said: "On my
back is a garment which, were it sold for a penny, that penny
would be worth far more; yet within the garment is a soul
which, if you weighed it against all the souls in the world,
would prove greater and nobler."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1975). pp.
23
-
24
)

498    Wealth is praiseworthy in the highest degree, if it is acquired
by an individual's own efforts and the grace of God, in
commerce, agriculture, art and industry, and if it be expanded
for philanthropic purposes. Above all, if a judicious and
resourceful individual should initiate measures which would
universally enrich the masses of the people, there could be no
undertaking greater than this, and it would rank in the sight of
God as the supreme achievement, for such a benefactor would
supply the needs and insure the comfort and well-being of a
great multitude. Wealth is most commendable, provided the
entire population is wealthy. If, however, a few have inordinate
riches while the rest are impoverished, and no fruit or benefit
accrues from that wealth, then it is only a liability to its
possessor. If, on the other hand, it is expended for the
promotion of knowledge, the founding of elementary and other
schools, the encouragement of art and industry, the training of
orphans and the poor in brief, if it is dedicated to the welfare

of society–its possessor will stand out before God and man as
the most excellent of all who live on earth and will be
accounted as one of the people of paradise.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1975), pp.
24
-
25
)

499 The world of politics is like the world of man; he is a seed at
first and then passes by degrees to the condition of embryo and
foetus acquiring a bone structure, being clothed with flesh,
taking on his own special form, until at last he reaches the
plane where he can befittingly fulfil the words: "the most
excellent of Makers." (Qur'án 23:14) Just as this is a
requirement of creation and is based on the universal Wisdom,
the political world in the same way cannot instantaneously
evolve from the nadir of defectiveness to the zenith of
rightness and perfection. Rather, qualified individuals must
strive by day and by night, using all those means which will
conduce to progress, until the government and the people
develop along every line from day to day and even from
moment to moment

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1975), pp.
107
-
108
)

500 The primary, the most urgent requirement is the promotion of
education. It in inconceivable that any nation should achieve
prosperity and success unless this paramount, this fundamental
concern is carried forward. The principal reason for the
decline and fall of peoples is ignorance. Today the mass of the
people are uninformed even as to ordinary affairs, how much
less do they grasp the core of the important problems and
complex needs of the time.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1975), p.
109
)

591 It is, furthermore, a vital necessity to establish schools
throughout Persia, even in the smallest country towns and
villages, and to encourage the people in every possible way to
have their children learn to read and write. If necessary,
education should even be made compulsory. Until the nerves
and arteries of the nation stir into life, every measure that is
attempted will prove vain; for the people are as the human
body, and determination and the will to struggle are as the
soul, and a soulless body does not move. This dynamic power
is present to a superlative degree in the very nature of the

Persian people, and the spread of education will release it

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1975), pp.
111
-
112
)

502   To state the matter briefly, the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh
advocate voluntary sharing, and this is a greater thing than the
equalisation of wealth. For equalisation must be imposed from
without, while sharing is a matter of free choice.

Man reacheth perfection through good deeds, voluntarily
performed, not through good deeds the doing of which was
forced upon him. And sharing is a personally chosen righteous
act: that is, the rich should extend assistance to the poor, they
should expend their substance for the poor, but of their own
free will, and not because the poor have gained this end by
force. For the harvest of force is turmoil and the ruin of the
social order. On the other hand voluntary sharing, the
freely-chosen expending of one's substance, leadeth to
society's comfort and peace. It lighteth up the world; it
bestoweth honour upon humankind.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Haifa: Bahá'í
World Centre, 1982), p.
115
)

503    O ye recipients of the favours of God! In this new and
wondrous Age, the unshakeable foundation is the teaching of
sciences and arts. According to explicit Holy Texts, every child
must be taught crafts and arts, to the degree that is needful.
Wherefore, in every city and village, schools must be
established and every child in that city or village is to engage
in study to the necessary degree.

It followeth that whatever soul shall offer his aid to bring this
about will assuredly be accepted at the heavenly Threshold,
and extolled by the Company on high.

Since ye have striven hard toward this all-important end, it is
my hope that ye will reap your reward from the Lord of clear
tokens and signs, and that the glances of heavenly grace will
turn your way.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Haifa: Bahá'í
World Centre, 1982), pp.
134
-
135
)

504   As preordained by the Fountainhead of Creation, the temple of
the world hath been fashioned after the image and likeness of

the human body. In fact each mirroreth forth the image of the
other, wert thou but to observe with discerning eyes. By this is
meant that even as the human body in this world which is
outwardly composed of different limbs and organs, is in reality
a closely integrated, coherent entity, similarly the structure of
the physical world is like unto a single being whose limbs and
members are inseparably linked together.

Were one to observe with an eye that discovereth the realities
of all things, it would become clear that the greatest
relationship that bindeth the world of being together lieth in
the range of created things themselves, and that cooperation,
mutual aid and reciprocity are essential characteristics in the
unified body of the world of being inasmuch as all created
things are closely related together and each is influenced by
the other or deriveth benefit therefrom, either directly or
indirectly.

Consider for instance how one group of created things
constituteth the vegetable kingdom, and another the animal
kingdom. Each of these two maketh use of certain elements in
the air on which its own life dependeth, while each increaseth
the quantity of such elements as are essential for the life of the
other. In other words, the growth and development of the
vegetable world is impossible without existence of the animal
kingdom, and the maintenance of animal life is inconceivable
without the co-operation of the vegetable kingdom. Of like
kind are the relationships that exist among all created things.
Hence it was stated that co-operation and reciprocity are
essential properties which are inherent in the unified system of
the world of existence, and without which the entire creation
would be reduced to nothingness.

In surveying the vast range of creation thou shalt perceive that
the higher a kingdom of created things is on the arc of ascent,
the more conspicuous are the signs and evidences of the truth
that cooperation and reciprocity at the level of a higher order
are greater than those that exist at the level of a lower order.
For example the evident signs of this fundamental reality are
more discernible in the vegetable kingdom than in the mineral,
and still more manifest in the animal world than in the
vegetable.

And thus when contemplating the human world thou beholdest

this wondrous phenomenon shining resplendent from all sides
with the utmost perfection, inasmuch as in this station acts of
cooperation, mutual assistance and reciprocity are not
confined to the body and to the things that pertain to the
material world, but for all conditions, whether physical or
spiritual, such as those related to minds, thoughts, opinions,
manners, customs, attitudes, understandings, feelings or other
human susceptibilities. In all these thou shouldst find these
binding relationships securely established. The more this inter-relationship
is strengthened and expanded, the more will
human society advance in progress and prosperity. Indeed
without these vital ties it would be wholly impossible for the
world of humanity to attain true felicity and success.

Now consider, if among the people who are merely the
manifestations of the world of being this significant matter is
of such importance, how much greater must be the spirit of
co-operation and mutual assistance among those who are the
essences of the world of creation, who have sought the
sheltering shadow of the heavenly Tree, and are favoured by
the manifestations of divine grace; and how the evidences of
this spirit should, through their earnest endeavour, their
fellowship and concord, become manifest in every sphere of
their inner and outer lives, in the realm of the spirit and divine
mysteries and in all related to this world and the next. Thus
there can be no doubt that they must be willing even to offer
up their lives for each other ...

We earnestly hope that in this Most Great Cycle the wondrous
attributes of the All-Merciful may, through the infinite bounty
and blessings of the King of Glory, find expression in the lives
of the servants of God in such wise that the sweet savours
thereof will shed fragrance all regions.

This matter needeth further details, but We have treated it in brief.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Research Department of the Universal House of Justice,
Huqúqu'lláh: The Right of God (London; Bahá'í Publishing Trust. 1989),
pp. 20-21) [Ed. - no.
61
]

505    O ye friends of the east and the west!

One of the greatest foundations of the religion of God, the
significance of the Word of God and the duty of the believers
of God is mutual assistance and co-operation. For the world of
humanity, nay, rather, all the infinite beings exist by this law of

mutual action and helpfulness. Should this law of joint
interchange of forces be removed from the arena of life, the
existence would be entirely destroyed.

When we ponder deeply upon the connection and
interdependence of beings, we clearly realise that the life of
every being draws benefit and sustenance from all the other
innumerable existences. This mutual helpfulness is realised
either directly or through mediation, and if, for inkling of an
eye, this confirmation and assistance does not descend upon
the living being, that one will become non-existent, for all the
existing things are linked together and draw help from each
other. Therefore, the greatest foundation of the world of
existence is this co-operation and mutuality.

Liken the world of existence to the temple of man. All the
limbs and organs of the human body assist each other,
therefore life continues. When, in this wonderful organism,
there is a disconnection, life is changed into death and the
parts of the body disintegrate. Likewise, among the parts of
existence, there is a wonderful connection and interchange of
forces, which is the cause of the life of the world and the
continuation of these countless phenomena ...

From this illustration, one can see the base of life is this
mutual aid and helpfulness; and the cause of destruction and
non-existence would be the interruption of this mutual
assistance.

The more the world aspires to civilisation, the more this most
important matter of co-operation and assistance becomes
manifest. Therefore, in the world of humanity, one sees this
matter of helpfulness attain to a high degree of efficiency; so
much so, that the continuance of humanity entirely depends
upon this interrelation. The believers of God must especially
fortify the foundation of this reality among themselves, so that
all may help each other under all circumstances, whether in
the degree of truth and significances or in the stations of this
world of matter and, especially, in founding public institutions
which shall benefit all the people, and, still more, the founding
Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, which is the greatest of the divine
foundations.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West, 6 (17), pp. 138-139)

506 The education of each child is compulsory ... In addition to
this widespread education each child must be taught a
profession, art, or trade so that every member of the
community will be enabled to earn his own livelihood. Work
done in the spirit of service is the highest form of worship ...

('Abdu'l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy (Boston: The Tudor Press, 1916), p.
78
)

507 Commerce, agriculture and industry should not, in truth, be a
bar to service of the One True God. Indeed, such occupations
are most potent instruments and clear proofs for the
manifestation of the evidences of one's piety, of one's
trustworthiness and of the virtues of the All-Merciful Lord.

(Translated extract from a Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá)

508    Human education signifies civilisation and progress–that is to
say government, administration, charitable works, trades, arts
and handicrafts, sciences, great inventions and discoveries and
elaborate institutions, which are the activities essential to man
as distinguished from the animal. Divine education is that of
the Kingdom of God: it consists in acquiring divine
perfections, and this is true education; for in this state man
becomes the focus of divine blessings, the manifestation of the
words, "Let Us make man in Our image, and after Our
likeness." This is the goal of the world of humanity.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1984), p.
8
)

509 The attainment of any object is conditioned upon knowledge,
volition and action. Unless these three conditions are
forthcoming there is no execution or accomplishment.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1979), p.
101
)

510    He (Bahá'u'lláh) has declared that in the estimation of God
there is no distinction of sex. The one whose heart is most
pure, whose deeds and service in the Cause of God are greater
and nobler, is most acceptable before the divine threshold–
whether male or female ... there must be no difference in the
education of male and female in order that womankind may
develop equal capacity and importance with man in the social
and economic equation. Then the world will attain unity and
harmony. In past ages humanity has been defective and
inefficient because it has been incomplete. War and its ravages
have blighted the world; the education of woman will be a

mighty step toward its abolition and ending, for she will use
her whole influence against war. Woman rears the child and
educates the youth to maturity. She will refuse to give her sons
for sacrifice upon the field of battle. In truth, she will be the
greatest factor in establishing universal peace and international
arbitration. Assuredly, woman will abolish warfare among
mankind. Inasmuch as human society consists of two parts, the
male and female, each the complement of the other, the
happiness and stability of humanity cannot be assured unless
both are perfected. Therefore, the standard and status of man
and woman must become equalised.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982), p.
108
)

511 Bahá'u'lláh set forth principles of guidance and teaching for
economic readjustment. Regulations were revealed by Him
which ensure the welfare of the commonwealth. As the rich
man enjoys his life surrounded by ease and luxuries so the
poor man must, likewise, have a home and be provided with
sustenance and comforts commensurate with his needs. This
readjustment of the social economy is of the greatest
importance in as much as it ensures the stability of the world
of humanity; and until it is effected, happiness and prosperity
are impossible.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1982), pp
181
-
182
)

512 The fundamentals of the whole economic condition are divine
in nature and are associated with the world of the heart and
spirit This is fully explained in the Bahá'í teaching, and
without knowledge of its principles no improvement in the
economic state can be realized. The Bahá'ís will bring about
this improvement and betterment but not through sedition and
appeal to physical force–not through warfare, but welfare.
Hearts must be so cemented together, love must become so
dominant that the rich shall most willingly extend assistance to
the poor and take steps to establish these economic
adjustments permanently. If it is accomplished in this way, it
will be most praiseworthy because then it will be for the sake
of God and in the pathway of His service.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1982), pp.
238
-
239
)

513 Briefly, every nation has a day known as a holiday which they
celebrate with joy. In the sacred laws of God, in every cycle

and dispensation, there are blessed feasts, holidays and
workless days. On such days all kinds of occupations,
commerce, industry, agriculture etc., are not allowed. Every
work is unlawful. All must enjoy a good time, gather together,
hold general meetings, become as one assembly, so that the
national oneness, unity and harmony may become personified
in all eyes. As it is a blessed day it should not be neglected or
without results by making it a day limited to the fruits of mere
pleasure. During such blessed days institutions should be
founded that may be of permanent benefit and value to the
people so that in current conversation and in history it may
become widely known that such a good work was inaugurated
on such a feast day. Therefore, the intelligent must search and
investigate reality to find out what important affair, what
philanthropic institutions are most needed and what
foundations should be laid for the community on that
particular day, so that they may be established. For example, if
they find that the community needs morality, then they may
lay down the foundation of good morals on that day. If the
community be in need of spreading sciences and widening the
circle of knowledge, on that day they should proceed in that
direction, that is to say, direct the thoughts of all the people to
that philanthropic cause. If, however, the community is in need
of widening the circle of commerce or industry or agriculture
they should start the means so that the desired aim may be
attained. If the community needs protection, proper support
and care of orphans, they should act upon the welfare of the
orphans, etc. Such undertakings that are beneficial to the poor,
the weak and the helpless should be pursued in order that, on
that day, through the unity of all and through great meetings,
results may be obtained, the glory and blessings of that day
may be declared and manifest..

In all the cycles of the prophets the philanthropic affairs were
confined to their respective peoples only - with the exception
of small matters, such as charity, which was permissible to
extend to others. But in this wonderful dispensation,
philanthropic affairs are for all humanity, without any
exception, because it is the manifestation of the mercifulness
of God. Therefore, every universal matter – that is, one that
belongs to all the world of humanity – is divine; and every
matter that is sectarian and special is not universal in character
– that is, it is limited. Therefore, my hope is that the friends of

God, every one of them, may become as the mercy of God to
all mankind.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West, Vol. 9, No. 1, 8-9 (March 1918)

514 We must therefore rise to serve the members of the human
race and educate first the individuals, so that the nations,
which are composed of individuals, and the governments,
which belong to these nations, may both be converted and
guided, and that through this agency the unity of mankind may
be established and its prosperity and success realised.

(Shoghi Effendi, from a previously untranslated Tablet, January 1923)

515 Regarding your question concerning helping the poor: The
Bahá'ís should not go so far as to refrain from extending
charity to the needy, if they are able and willing to do so.
However, in this, as in many other things, they should exert
moderation. The greatest gift that we can give to the poor and
the down-trodden is to aid to build up the divine institutions
inaugurated in this day by Bahá'u'lláh as these institutions,
and this World Order when established, will eliminate the
causes of poverty and the injustices which afflict the poor. We
should, therefore, do both, support our Bahá'í Fund, and also
be kind and generous to the needy.

(From a letter dated 11 March 1942, written on behalf of the Guardian to an
individual believer)

516 "Regard the world as the human body," wrote Bahá'u'lláh to
Queen Victoria. We can surely regard the Bahá'í world, the
army of God, in the same way. In the human body, every cell,
every organ, every nerve has its part to play. When all do so
the body is healthy, vigorous, radiant, ready for every call
made upon it. No cell, however humble, lives apart from the
body, whether in serving it or receiving from it. This is true of
the body of mankind in which God "has endowed each humble
being with ability and talent" and is supremely true of the
body of the Bahá'í world community, for this body is already
an organism, united in its aspirations, unified in its methods,
seeking assistance and confirmation from the same Source,
and illumined with the conscious knowledge of its unity.
Therefore, in this organic, divinely guided, blessed, and
illumined body the participation of every believer is of the
utmost importance, and is a source of power and vitality as yet
unknown to us. For extensive and deep as has been the sharing

in the glorious work of the Cause, who would claim that every
single believer has succeeded in finding his or her fullest
satisfaction in the life of the Cause? The Bahá'í world
community, growing like a healthy new body, develops new
cells, new organs, new functions and powers as it presses on to
its maturity, when every soul, living for the Cause of God, will
receive from that Cause, health, assurance, and the
overflowing bounties of Bahá'u'lláh which are diffused
through His divinely ordained Order ...

The real secret of universal participation lies in the Master's
oft-expressed wish that the friends should love each other,
constantly encourage each other, work together, be as one soul
in one body, and in so doing become a true, organic, healthy
body animated and illumined by the spirit. In such a body all
will receive spiritual health and vitality from the organism
itself, and the most perfect flowers and fruits will be brought
forth.

(Universal House of Justice, Wellspring of Guidance (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1976), pp.
37
-
39
)

517 The inordinate disparity between rich and poor, a source of
acute suffering, keeps the world in a state of instability,
virtually on the brink of war. Few societies have dealt
effectively with this situation. The solution calls for the
combined application of spiritual, moral and practical
approaches. A fresh look at the problem is required, entailing
consultation with experts from a wide spectrum of disciplines,
devoid of economic and ideological polemics, and involving
the people directly affected in the decisions that must urgently
be made. It is an issue that is bound up not only with the
necessity for eliminating extremes of wealth and poverty but
also with those spiritual verities the understanding of which
can produce a new universal attitude. Fostering such an
attitude is itself a major part of the solution.

(Universal House of Justice, The Promise of World Peace (Haifa: Bahá'í
World Centre, 1985), pp. 10-11)
[Ed. -
here
]

518 There are spiritual principles, or what some call human values,
by which solutions can be found for every social problem. Any
well intentioned group can in a general sense devise practical
solutions to its problems, but good intentions and practical
knowledge are usually not enough. The essential merit of
spiritual principle is that it not only presents a perspective

which harmonises with that which is immanent in human
nature, it also induces an attitude, a dynamic, a will, an
aspiration, which facilitate the discovery and implementation
of practical measures. Leaders of governments and all in
authority would be well served in their efforts to solve
problems if they would first seek to identify the principles
involved and then be guided by them.

(Universal House of Justice, The Promise of World Peace (Haifa: Bahá'í
World Centre, 1985), p. 13)
[Ed. -
here
]

B. Rectitude of Conduct

519    O Kamál! The heights which, through the most gracious favour
of God, mortal man can attain, in this Day, are as yet
unrevealed to his sight. The world of being hath never had, nor
doth it yet possess the capacity for such a revelation ...

All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing
civilisation. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the
beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit
his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and
loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the
earth. Say: O friends! Drink your fill from this crystal stream
that floweth through the heavenly grace of Him Who is the
Lord of Names. Let others partake of its waters in My name,
that the leaders of men in every land may fully recognise the
purpose for which the Eternal Truth hath been revealed, and
the reason for which they themselves have been created.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1983), pp.
214
-
215
)

520   Be most loving one to another. Burn away, wholly for the sake
of the Well-Beloved, the veil of self with the flame of the
undying Fire, and with faces joyous and beaming with light,
associate with your neighbour ...

The Word of God hath set the heart of the world afire; how
regrettable if ye fail to be enkindled with its flame! Please
God, ye will regard this blessed night as the night of unity, will
knit your souls together, and resolve to adorn yourselves with
the ornament of a goodly and praiseworthy character. Let your
principal concern be to rescue the fallen from the slough of
impending extinction, and to help him embrace the ancient
Faith of God. Your behavior towards your neighbour should be

such as to manifest clearly the signs of the one true God, for
ye the first among men to be re-created by His Spirit, the first
to adore and bow the knee before Him, the first to circle round
His throne of glory.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1983). pp.
31
-
37
)

521 It behoveth the people of Bahá to render the Lord victorious
through the power of their utterance and to admonish the
people by their goodly deeds and character, inasmuch as deeds
exert greater influence than words.

(Bahá'u'lláh. Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
(Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), p.
57
)

522   Humility exalteth man to the heaven of glory and power,
whilst pride abaseth him to the depths of wretchedness and
degradation.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
(Haifa: World Centre Publications. 1982), p.
64
)

523    This is the most great, the most joyful tidings imparted by the
Pen of this Wronged One to mankind. Wherefore fear ye, O
My well-beloved ones? Who is it that can dismay you? A
touch of moisture sufficeth to dissolve the hardened clay out of
which this perverse generation is moulded. The mere act of
your gathering together is enough to scatter the forces of these
vain and worthless people.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
(Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1982). pp.
84
-
85
)

524    O people of Justice! Be as brilliant as the light and as splendid
as the fire that blazed in the Burning Bush. The brightness of
the fire of your love will no doubt fuse and unify the
contending peoples and kindreds of the earth, whilst the
fierceness of the flame of enmity and hatred cannot but result
in strife and ruin.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas
(Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), p.
88
)

525    The companions of God are, in this day, the lump that must
leaven the peoples of the world. They must show forth such
trustworthiness, such truthfulness and perseverance, such deeds
and character, that all mankind may profit by their example.

(Bahá'u'lláh quoted in Shoghi Effendi's "Advent of Divine Justice" (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1990), p.
23
)

526 The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure
and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct.

(Bahá'u'lláh quoted in Shoghi Effendi's "Advent of Divine Justice" (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1990), pp.
24
-
25
)

527 Thus, through the restoring waters of pure intention and
unselfish effort, the earth of human potentialities will blossom
with its own latent excellence and flower into praiseworthy
qualities ...

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1975), p.
4
)

528 ... if a soul is endowed with the attributes of true faith and
characterised with spiritual qualities he will become to all
mankind an emblem of the outstretched mercies of God. For
the attributes of the people of faith are justice and
fair-mindedness; forbearance and compassion and generosity;
consideration for others; candour, trustworthiness, and loyalty;
love and loving-kindness; devotion and determination and
humanity. If therefore an individual is truly righteous, he will
avail himself of all those means which will attract the hearts of
men, and through the attributes of God he will draw them to
the straight path of faith and cause them to drink from the river
of everlasting life.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1975), pp.
55
-
56
)

529 It is certain that the greatest of instrumentalities for achieving
the advancement and the glory of man, the supreme agency for
the enlightenment and the redemption of the world, is love and
fellowship and unity among all the members of the human
race. Nothing can be effected in the world, not even
conceivably, without unity and agreement, and the perfect
means for engendering fellowship and union is true religion.
"Hadst Thou spent all the riches of the earth, Thou couldst not
have united their hearts; but God hath united them..."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1975), pp.
73
-
74
)

530 Sincerity is the foundation-stone of faith. That is, a religious
individual must disregard his personal desires and seek in
whatever way he can wholeheartedly to serve the public
interests; and it is impossible for a human being to turn aside
from his own selfish advantages and sacrifice his own good for

the good of the community except through true religious faith.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1975), p.
96
)

531    If a small number of people gather lovingly together, with
absolute purity and sanctity, with their hearts free of the world,
experiencing the emotions of the Kingdom and the powerful
magnetic forces of the Divine, and being at one in their happy
fellowship, that gathering will exert its influence over all the
earth. The nature of that band of people, the words they speak,
the deeds they do, will unleash the bestowals of Heaven, and
provide a foretaste of eternal bliss. The hosts of the Company
on high will defend them, and the angels of the Abhá Paradise,
in continuous succession, will come down to their aid.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
(Haifa: World Centre Publications, 1982), p.
81
)

532    In short, whatsoever thing is arranged in harmony and with
love and purity of motive, its result is light, and should the
least trace of estrangement prevail the result shall be darkness
upon darkness.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
(Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), p.
88
)

533    Note ye how easily, where unity existeth in a given family, the
affairs of that family are conducted; what progress the
members of that family make, how they prosper in the world.
Their concerns are in order, they enjoy comfort and
tranquillity, they are secure, their position is assured, they
come to be envied by all. Such a family but addeth to its
stature and its lasting honour, as day succeedeth day. And if
we widen out the sphere of unity a little to include the
inhabitants of a village who seek to be loving and united, who
associate with and are kind to one another, what great
advances they will be seen to make, how secure and protected
they will be. Then let us widen out the sphere a little more, let
us take the inhabitants of a city, all of them together: if they
establish the strongest bonds of unity among themselves, how
far they will progress, even in a brief period and what power
they will exert. And if the sphere of unity be still further
widened out, that is, if the inhabitants of a whole country
develop peaceable hearts, and if with all their hearts and souls
they yearn to co-operate with one another and to live in unity,

and if they become kind and loving to one another, that
country will achieve undying joy and lasting glory. Peace will
it have, and plenty, and vast wealth.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Haifa: Bahá'í
World Centre, 1982), p.
279
)

534 O ye beloved of God! Know ye, verily, that the happiness of
mankind lieth in the unity and the harmony of the human race,
and that spiritual and material developments are conditioned
upon love and amity among all men.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Haifa: World
Centre Publications, 1982), p.
286
)

535 The most vital duty, in this day, is to purify your characters, to
correct your manners and improve your conduct. The beloved
of the Merciful must show forth such character and conduct
among His creatures, that the fragrance of their holiness may
be shed upon the whole world, and may quicken the dead, in
as much as the purpose of the Manifestation of God and the
dawning of the limitless lights of the Invisible is to educate the
souls of men, and refine the character of every living man."...

('Abdu'l-Bahá quoted in Shoghi Effendi's "Advent of Divine Justice"
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1990), p.
26
)

536 It is to unity that the Guardian has been continually calling the
Friends. For where a united will exists, nothing can effectively
oppose and hamper the forces of constructive development.

(From a letter dated November 17, 1933 written, on behalf of Shoghi Effendi
to an individual believer–"Bahá'í News" No. 190, December 1946)

537 Your community is, undoubtedly, developing and it is hoped
that it will come to play an increasingly important role in the
Administration of the Faith throughout the American
Continent. You should not attach much importance to your
numerical strength, but should always try to foster among you
the spirit of unity, of co-operation and of selfless service. For
these alone constitute the true standard according to which
activities should be judged and estimated.

(From a letter dated 10 August 1933 written on behalf of the Guardian to a
Local Spiritual Assembly)

538 Bahá'u'lláh has brought a new system and new laws and
standards of personal as well as social conduct into the world.
Although outside agencies have been to a certain extent

illumined by the radiance of His Message and doctrines, and
are exerting efforts to bring the world into that orbit of
universal peace and harmony He has set for it, these outside
forces cannot achieve what only the followers of His Faith can.
The believers must not take their eyes off their own immediate
tasks of patiently consolidating their administrative
institutions, building up new Assemblies ... and labouring to
perfect the Bahá'í pattern of life, for these are things that no
other group of people in the world can do or will do, and they
alone are able to provide the spiritual foundation and example
on which the larger world schemes must ultimately rest. At the
same time effort should be made to broadcast the Teachings at
this time, and correlate them to the plight of humanity and the
plans for its future ...

(From a letter dated 29 March 1945 written on behalf of the Guardian to a National Spiritual Assembly)

539    Our task is to build the Order of Bahá'u'lláh. Undeflected by
the desperate expedients of those who seek to subdue the
storm convulsing human life by political, economic, social or
educational programs, let us with single-minded devotion and
concentrating all our efforts on our objective, raise His Divine
System and sheltered within its impregnable stronghold, safe
from the darts of doubtfulness, demonstrate the Bahá'í way of
life. Wherever a Bahá'í community exists, whether large or
small, let it be distinguished for its abiding sense of security
and faith, its high standard of rectitude, its complete freedom
from all forms of prejudice, the spirit of love among its
members and for the closely knit fabric of its social life. The
acute distinction between this and present day society will
inevitably arouse the interest of the more enlightened, and as
the world's gloom deepens, the light of Bahá'í life will shine
brighter and brighter until its brilliance must eventually attract
the disillusioned masses and cause them to enter the haven of
the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, Who alone can bring them peace
and justice and an ordered life.

(Universal House of Justice, Messages of the Universal House of Justice:
1968-1973 (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1976), p.
12
)

540 The Bahá'í community must demonstrate in ever-increasing
measure its ability to redeem the disorderliness, the lack of
cohesion, the permissiveness, the godlessness of modern
society; the laws, the religious obligations, the observances of

Bahá'í life, Bahá'í moral principles and standards of dignity,
decency and reverence, must become deeply implanted in
Bahá'í consciousness and increasingly inform and characterise
this community...

(Universal House of Justice, Messages of the Universal House of Justice:
1968-1973 (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1976), p.
90
)

541 But in our concern for such immediate obvious calls upon our
succour we must not allow ourselves to forget the continuing,
appalling burden of suffering under which millions of human
beings are always groaning–a burden which they have borne
for century upon century and which it is the mission of
Bahá'u'lláh to lift at last. The principal cause of this suffering,
which one can witness wherever one turns, is the corruption of
human morals and the prevalence of prejudice, suspicion,
hatred, untrustworthiness, selfishness and tyranny among men.
It is not merely material well-being that people need. What
they desperately need is to know how to live their lives - they
need to know who they are, to what purpose they exist, and
how they should act towards one another; and, once they know
the answers to these questions they need to be helped to
gradually apply these answers to everyday behaviour. It is to
the solution of this basic problem of mankind that the greater
part of all our energy and resources should be directed. There
are mighty agencies in this world, governments, foundations,
institutions of many kinds with tremendous financial resources
which are working to improve the material lot of human
beings. Anything we Bahá'ís could add to such resources in
the way of special funds or contributions would be a negligible
drop in the ocean. However, alone among men we have the
Divinely-given remedy for the real ills of mankind; no one else
is doing or can do this most important work, and if we divert
our energy and our funds into fields in which others are
already doing more than we can hope to do, we shall be
delaying the diffusion of the Divine Message which is the
most important task of all.

Because of such an attitude, and also because of our refusal to
become involved in politics, Bahá'ís are often accused of
holding aloof from the "real problems" of their fellow-men.
But when we hear this accusation let us not forget that those
who make it are usually idealistic materialists to whom
material good is the only "real" good, whereas we know that
the working of the material world is merely a reflection of

spiritual conditions and until the spiritual conditions can be
changed there can be no lasting change for the better in
material affairs.

(From a letter dated 19 November 1974 written on behalf of the Universal
House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly)

542 Undoubtedly, it is within your power to contribute
significantly to shaping the Societies of the coming century;
youth can move the world.

(Universal House of Justice, letter to the Bahá'í youth of the World,
January 3, 1984)

543 A Bahá'í community which is consistent in its fundamental
life-giving, life sustaining activities will at its heart be serene
and confident; it will resonate with spiritual dynamism, will
exert irresistible influence, will set a new course in social
evolution, enabling it to win the respect and eventually the
allegiance of admirers and critics alike. These profound
possibilities reside in the will of the individual to take
initiative, to act in accordance with the guidance offered by
Bahá'í institutions, and to maintain such action regardless of
the myriad distractions posed by the disintegration of a society
adrift in a sea of materialism.

(Universal House of Justice, letter to a National Spiritual Assembly
Ridván 1984)

C. The Practice of the Art of Consultation

544 Discussions must all be confined to spiritual matters that
pertain to the training of souls, the instruction of children, the
relief of the poor, the help of the feeble throughout all classes
in the world, kindness to all peoples, the diffusion of the
fragrances of God and the exaltation of His Holy Word.
Should they endeavor to fulfill these conditions the Grace of
the Holy Spirit shall be vouchsafed unto them, and that
assembly shall become the center of the Divine blessings, the
hosts of Divine confirmation shall come to their aid, and they
shall day by day receive a new effusion of Spirit.

('Abdu'l-Bahá quoted in Shoghi Effendi's "Bahá'í Administration"
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1974), pp.
22
-
23
)

545 These Spiritual Assemblies are shining lamps and heavenly
gardens, from which the fragrances of holiness are diffused
over all regions, and the lights of knowledge are shed abroad

over all created things. From them the spirit of life streameth
in every direction. They, indeed, are the potent sources of the
progress of man, at all times and under all conditions.

('Abdu'l-Bahá quoted in Shoghi Effendi's "God Passes By" (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust. 1979), p.
332
)

546 To promote knowledge is thus an inescapable duty imposed on
every one of the friends of God. It is incumbent upon that
Spiritual Assembly, that assemblage of God, to exert every
effort to educate the children, so that from infancy they will be
trained in Bahá'í conduct and the ways of God, and will, even
as young plants, thrive and flourish in the soft-flowing waters
that are the counsels and admonitions of the Blessed Beauty.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Haifa: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1982), p.
126
)

547 If this Society (Persian-American Educational Society) acts
with independence and exerts itself in bringing about relations
between the East and the West, it will become the foundation
of the oneness of the world of humanity. Firmness is essential,
for if small affairs can not be accomplished without firmness
and steadfastness, how much more are these qualities needed
for the undertaking of great matters! The friends of God must
encourage each other to be firm and steadfast, to reason and
consult with each other so that day by day this Society will
progress.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West, Vol. 1, No. 5, p. 4 (June 1910)

548 Few will fail to recognise that the Spirit breathed by
Bahá'u'lláh upon the world, and which is manifesting itself
with varying degrees of intensity through the efforts
consciously displayed by His avowed supporters and indirectly
through certain humanitarian organisations, can never
permeate and exercise an abiding influence upon mankind
unless and until it incarnates itself in a visible Order, which
would bear His name, wholly identify itself with His
principles, and function in conformity with His laws ...

For Bahá'u'lláh ... has ... laid down a set of Laws, established
definite institutions, and provided for the essentials of a Divine
Economy. These are destined to be a pattern for future society,
a supreme instrument for the establishment of the Most Great
Peace, and the one agency for the unification of the world, and

the proclamation of the reign of righteousness and justice upon
the earth.

(Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1974), p.
19
)

549 Dear friends! Feeble though our Faith may now appear in the
eyes of men, who either denounce it as an offshoot of Islam, or
contemptuously ignore it as one more of those obscure sects
that abound in the West, this priceless gem of Divine
Revelation, now still in its embryonic state, shall evolve within
the shell of His law, and shall forge ahead, undivided and
unimpaired, till it embraces the whole of mankind. Only those
who have already recognised the supreme station Bahá'u'lláh,
only those whose hearts have been touched by His love, and
have become familiar with the potency of His spirit, can
adequately appreciate the value of this Divine Economy–His
inestimable gift to mankind.

(Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1974). p.
23
-
24
)

550 The onrushing forces so miraculously released through the
agency of two independent and swiftly successive
Manifestations are now under very eyes and through the care
of the chosen stewards of a far-flung faith being gradually
mustered and disciplined. They are slowly crystallising into
institutions that will come to be regarded as the hall-mark and
glory of the age we are called upon to establish and by our
deeds immortalise. For upon our present-day efforts, and
above all upon the extent to which we strive to remodel our
lives after the pattern of sublime heroism associated with those
gone before us, must depend the efficacy of instruments we
now fashion–instruments that must erect the structure of that
blissful Commonwealth which must signalise the Golden Age
of our Faith.

(Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1974), p.
98
)

551 Conscious of their high calling, confident in the society-building
power which their Faith possesses, they press
forward, undeterred and undismayed, in their efforts to fashion
and perfect the necessary instruments wherein the embryonic
World Order of Bahá'u'lláh can mature and develop. It is this
building process, slow and unobtrusive, to which the life of the

world-wide Bahá'í Community is wholly consecrated, that
constitutes the one hope of a stricken society. For this process
is actuated by the generating influence of God's changeless
Purpose, and is evolving within the framework of the
Administrative Order of His Faith.

(Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá'u'lláh (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1974), p.
195
)

552 The matter of Teaching, its direction, its ways and means, its
extension, its consolidation, essential as they are to the
interests of the Cause, constitute by no means the only issue
which should receive the full attention of these Assemblies. A
careful study of Bahá'u'lláh's and 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets will
reveal that other duties, no less vital to the interests of the
Cause, devolve upon the elected representatives of the friends
in every locality.

It is incumbent upon them to be vigilant and cautious, discreet
and watchful, and protect at all times the Temple of the Cause
from the dart of the mischief-maker and the onslaught of the
enemy.

They must endeavour to promote amity and concord amongst
the friends, efface every lingering trace of distrust, coolness
and estrangement from every heart, and secure in its stead an
active and whole-hearted co-operation for the service of the
Cause.

They must do their utmost to extend at all times the helping
hand to the poor, the sick, the disabled, the orphan, the widow,
irrespective of colour, caste and creed.

They must promote by every means in their power the material
as well as the spiritual enlightenment of youth, the means for
the education of children, institute, whenever possible, Bahá'í
educational institutions, organise and supervise their work and
provide the best means for their progress and development ...

They must undertake the arrangement of the regular meetings
of the friends, the feasts and the anniversaries, as well as the
special gatherings designed to serve and promote the social,
intellectual and spiritual interests of their fellow-men.

(Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Administration (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
1974), pp.
37
-
38
)

553 And as the progress and execution of spiritual activities is
dependent and conditioned upon material means, it is of
absolute necessity that immediately after the establishment of
local as well as national Spiritual Assemblies, a Bahá'í Fund
be established, to be placed under the exclusive control of the
Spiritual Assembly. All donations and contributions should be
offered to the Treasurer of the Assembly, for the express
purpose of promoting the interests of the Cause, throughout
that locality or country. It is the sacred obligation of every
conscientious and faithful servant of Bahá'u'lláh who desires
to see His Cause advance, to contribute freely and generously
for the increase of that Fund. The members of the Spiritual
Assembly will at their discretion expend it to promote the
Teaching Campaign, to help the needy, to establish educational
Bahá'í institutions, to extend in every way possible their
sphere of service.

(Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Administration (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
1974), pp.
41
-
42
)

554 That I feel is chiefly the reason why such stress has been laid
in the past upon the necessity for consultation on the part of
individual believers with their elected national representatives
in the matter of initiating plans of action above and beyond the
plans which the deliberations of the National Spiritual
Assembly have already evolved ... Nothing short of the spirit
of earnest and sustained consultation with those whom we
have prayerfully and on our own accord placed in the forefront
of those who are the custodians of the priceless heritage
bequeathed by Bahá'u'lláh; nothing less than persistent and
strenuous warfare against our own instincts and natural
inclinations, and heroic self-sacrifice in subordinating our own
likings to the imperative requirements of the Cause of God,
can insure our undivided loyalty to so sacred a principle–a
principle that will for all time safeguard our beloved Cause
from the allurements and the trivialities of the world without,
and of the pitfalls of the self within.

(Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Administration (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
1974), pp.
140
-
141
)

555 Among the sacred obligations devolving upon the Spiritual
Assemblies is the promotion of learning, the establishing of
schools and creation of the necessary academic equipment and
facilities for every boy and girl.

Every child without exception must from his earliest years
make a thorough study of the art of reading and writing, and
according to his own tastes and inclinations and the degree of
his capacity and powers, devote extreme diligence to the
acquisition of learning, beneficial arts and skills, various
languages, speech and contemporary technology.

To assist the children of the poor in the attainment of these
accomplishments, and particularly in learning the basic
subjects, is incumbent upon the members of the Spiritual
Assemblies, and is accounted as one of the obligations laid
upon the conscience of the trustees of God in every land.

"He that bringeth up his son or the son of another, it is as
though he hath brought up a son of Mine; upon him rest My
Glory, My loving-kindness. My Mercy, that have compassed
the world."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian, Research Department of the
Universal House of Justice, Bahá'í Education: A Compilation (London:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1987). p. 49-50)
[Ed. - no.
105
]

556    Administrative efficiency and order should always be
accompanied by an equal degree of love, of devotion and of
spiritual development. Both of them are essential and to
attempt to dissociate one from the other is to deaden the body
of the Cause. In these days, when the Faith is still in its
infancy, great care must be taken lest mere administrative
routine stifles the spirit which must feed the body of the
Administration itself. That spirit is its propelling force and the
motivating power of its very life.

But as already emphasized, both the spirit and the form are
essential to the safe and speedy development of the
Administration. To maintain full balance between them is the
main and unique responsibility of the administrators of the
Cause.

(From a letter dated 10 December 1933 written on behalf of the Guardian to a
National Spiritual Assembly)

557 The friends must never mistake the Bahá'í administration for
an end in itself. It is merely the instrument of the spirit of the
Faith. This Cause is a Cause which God has revealed to
humanity as a whole. It is designed to benefit the entire human
race, and the only way it can do this is to reform the

community life of mankind, as well as seeking to regenerate
the individual. The Bahá'í administration is only the first
shaping what of in future will come to be the social life and
laws of community living. As yet the believers are only first
beginning to grasp and practice it properly. So we must have
patience if at times it seems a little self conscious and rigid in
its workings. It is because we are learning something very
difficult but very wonderful–how to live together as a
community of Bahá'ís, according to the glorious teachings.

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian, Research Department of the
Universal House of Justice, The Local Spiritual Assembly (A Compilation)
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust), p. 28)
[Ed. no.
1405
]

558    Just as the individual believers are bound to support and
sustain their spiritual assembly, for the preservation of the
unity of the Faith and the strengthening of its as yet embryonic
World Order, so must the local assemblies obey and sustain
their national representatives. The closer the co-operation
between the local and national assemblies, the greater will be
the power and radiance which can and must stream forth from
these institutions to the suffering ranks of humanity.

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian, Research Department of the
Universal House of Justice, The Local Spiritual Assembly (A Compilation)
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust), p. 27)
[Ed. no.
1403
]

559    He hopes you will devote as much of your spare time as
possible to the work of the Cause, especially in impressing
upon the believers the importance of the Administration and
helping them to really understand its purpose and all it can
achieve once they get it to function properly. In other words it
is a perfect form which must be animated by the spirit of the
Cause. It is the ideal instrument to make spiritual laws
function properly in the material affairs of this world.

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer,
16 June 1945)

560 Among the more salient objectives to be attained by the Local
Spiritual Assembly in its process of development to full
maturity are to act as a loving shepherd to the Bahá'í flock,
promote unity and concord among the friends, direct the
teaching work, protect the Cause of God, arrange for Feasts,
Anniversaries and regular meetings of the community,
familiarise the Bahá'ís with its plans, invite the community to
offer its recommendations, promote the welfare of youth and

children, and participate, as circumstances permit, in humanitarian
activities. In its relationship to the individual believer, the
Assembly should continuously invite and encourage him to
study the Faith, to deliver its glorious message, to live in
accordance with its teachings, to contribute freely and regularly
to the Fund, to participate in community activities, and to seek
refuge in the Assembly for advice and help, when needed.

(Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 30 July 1972 to a National
Spiritual Assembly)

561 The divinely ordained institution of the Local Spiritual
Assembly operates at the first levels of human society and is
the basic administrative unit of Bahá'u'lláh's World Order. It is
concerned with individuals and families whom it must
constantly encourage to unite in a distinctive Bahá'í society,
vitalised and guarded by the laws, ordinances and principles of
Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation. It protects the Cause of God; it acts
as the loving shepherd of the Bahá'í flock.

Strengthening and development of Local Spiritual Assemblies
is a vital objective. Success in this one goal will greatly enrich
the quality of Bahá'í life, will heighten the capacity of the
Faith to deal with entry by troops which is even now taking
place and, above all, will demonstrate the solidarity and
ever-growing distinctiveness of the Bahá'í community, thereby
attracting more and more thoughtful souls to the Faith and
offering a refuge to the leaderless and hapless millions of the
spiritually bankrupt, moribund present order ...

Such a firmly-founded, busy and happy community life as is
envisioned when Local Spiritual Assemblies are truly
effective, will provide a firm home foundation from which the
friends may derive courage and strength and loving support in
bearing the Divine message to their fellow-men and
conforming their lives to its benevolent rule.

(Universal House of Justice, Letter to the Bahá'ís of the World, dated

Naw-Rúz 1974
)

562 We are confident that the institution of the Boards of
Counsellors will lend its vital support and, through the
Counsellors' own contacts with the friends, through their
auxiliary Boards and their assistants, will nourish the roots of
each local community, enrich and cultivate the soil of

knowledge of the teachings and irrigate it with the living
waters of love for Bahá'u'lláh. Thus will the saplings grow
into mighty trees, and the trees bear their golden fruit

(Universal House of Justice, From a letter dated 28 May 1975 to all National
Spiritual Assemblies)

563 There are, at the present time, many villages in India, the
Philippines, Africa, Latin America, etc., where the Bahá'ís
form a majority or even the entire population of the village.
One of the goals of the Five year Plan as you will recall, is to
develop the characteristics of Bahá'í community life, and it is,
above all, to such villages that the goal is directed. The Local
Spiritual Assemblies of such villages must gradually widen the
scope of their activities, not only to develop every aspect of the
spiritual life of the believers within their jurisdiction, but also,
through Bahá'í consultation, and through such Bahá'í
principles as harmony between science and religion, the
importance of education, and work as a form of worship, to
promote the standards of agriculture and other skills in the life
of the people. For this they will need the assistance of Bahá'í
experts from other lands. This is a major undertaking, and is
being started gradually wherever and whenever possible.

(From a letter dated 27 July 1976 written on behalf of the Universal House of
Justice to an individual believer)

564    At the present time in most countries, compulsory education
and state school systems are widespread and meet the general
need for material education, so the resources of the Faith in
that field have to be concentrated on the spiritual and moral
education of our children and providing primary and tutorial
schools in mass-teaching areas where illiteracy is still the
rule ...

The proper education of children is of vital importance to the
progress of mankind, and the heart and essential foundation of
all education is spiritual and moral training ...

(Universal House of Justice, Research Department of the Universal House of
Justice, Bahá'í Education: A Compilation (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
1978), p. 1)

565    At the heart of all activities, the spiritual, intellectual and
community life of the believers must be developed and
fostered, requiring: the prosecution with increased vigour of
the development of Local Spiritual Assemblies so that they

may exercise their beneficial influence and guidance on the
life of Bahá'í communities; the nurturing of a deeper standing
of Bahá'í family life; the Bahá'í education of children,
including the holding of regular Bahá'í classes and, where
necessary, the establishment of tutorial schools for the
provision of elementary education; the encouragement of
Bahá'í youth in study and service; and the encouragement of
Bahá'í women to exercise to the full their privileges and
responsibilities in the work of the community ...

(Universal House of Justice, Letter to the Bahá'ís of the World,

Naw-Rúz 1979
) p. 5)

566 Suggestions for projects for development are welcome from
whatever source they spring but ideally they should emanate
from the local communities and receive support of the Local
and National Assemblies; it should not be necessary to send
people to countries to solicit projects. However, if a
community has the desire to plan a special project, it is free to
call upon people with experience to assist in the planning,
design and implementation of the scheme.

(Universal House of Justice, to the International Teaching Centre,
1 November 1983)

567 The message of the House of Justice dated
20 October 1983

has clearly set out the concepts, defined the objectives and
outlined the guiding principles for the selection and
implementation of Bahá'í development projects, programmes
or activities. The vast majority of Bahá'í projects will be
primarily generated at the grass roots, and, initially as
required, will receive help from Bahá'í sources, in terms of
finances and manpower. The projects will, as you have
surmised, be non-profit making, concerned mainly with
activities closely related to education, health and hygiene,
agriculture and simple community development activities. It is
hoped that all these types of projects will reflect the strength
of the spiritual principles enshrined in the Teachings of
Bahá'u'lláh.

It is important that our undertakings be modest in their scope
at the present time. Then, as we gain in confidence and
experience and as our resources increase, our work will
encompass expanded objectives, and the friends will explore

new areas of social and economic activity.

(From a letter dated 22 December 1983 written on behalf of the Universal
House of Justice to an individual believer)

568    The suggestions (concerning possible development projects)
are now referred to you so that you may initiate consultation at
the grass roots level of the local Bahá'í communities,
involving Local Spiritual Assemblies of that area. In addition
to projecting Counsellor ...'s broad ideas, you should seek the
suggestions of the believers regarding local needs and
initiatives. Your Assembly is also asked to consider the
practicability of such projects and conduct a survey of the
localities, indicating which of these would be able to the
projects. Among the criteria of capacity would be the
following:

1. Strength of the community and its ability to benefit from
projects spiritually as well as materially, including the
beneficial effects of collective action upon the community
and its participants.

2. Willingness of the local believers to participate, collaborate
and support the projects.

3. Degree and dimension of the local contributions to the
projects in terms of manpower (labour), materials and
resources.

4. Presence of able people to manage the human resources and
direct the energies of the friends, including strong liaison
between volunteers (international and national) and local
believers.

(From a letter dated 9 November 1983 written on behalf of the Universal
House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly)

569 There are two principles which the House of Justice feels are
fundamental to the generality of such projects of social and
economic development, although, of course, there will be
exceptions. The first is that they must be built on a
substructure of existing, sufficiently strong local Bahá'í
communities. The second is that the long-term conduct of the
project should aim at self-sufficiency and not be dependent
upon continuing financial support from outside.

The first principle implies that the projects of social and
economic development now to be undertaken are a natural

stage of the growth of the Bahá'í community and are needed
by the community itself although they will, of course, benefit a
much wider segment of society ...

The second principle must take into account that any project
started by the Cause should be designed to grow soundly and
steadily, and not to collapse from attrition. In other words,
external assistance and funds, Bahá'í and non-Bahá'í, may be
used for capital acquisitions, to make surveys, to initiate activities, to
bring in expertise, but the aim should be for each project to be
able to continue and to develop on the strength of local Bahá'í
labour, funds and enthusiasm even if all external aid should be
cut off.

(From a letter dated 8 May 1984, written on behalf of the Universal House of
Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly)

Bibliography

Shoghi Effendi,
Advent of Divine Justice
(Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1984.)

Shoghi Effendi,
Bahá'í Administration
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1974)

Research Department of the Universal House of Justice,
Bahá'í
Education: A Compilation
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. 1978)

Research Department of the Universal House of Justice.
The Local
Spiritual Assembly
(A Compilation) (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust)

Research Department of the Universal House of Justice,
Huqúqu'lláh:
The Right of God
(London: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1989)

'Abdu'l-Bahá on
Divine Philosophy
(Boston: The Tudor Press. 1916)

'Abdu'l-Bahá,
Foundations of World Unity
(Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1979)

Bahá'u'lláh,
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh
(Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1983)

Shoghi Effendi,
God Passes By
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1979)

Bahá'u'lláh,
Kitáb-i-Íqán
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1983)

Messages of the Universal House of Justice:
1968-1973 (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1976)

Bahá'u'lláh,
Prayers and Meditations of Bahá'u'lláh
(Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1969)

Shoghi Effendi,
The Promised Day is Come
(Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1990)

'Abdu'l-Bahá,
Promulgation of Universal Peace
(Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1982)

The Universal House of Justice,
The Promise of World Peace
(Haifa:
Bahá'í World Centre, 1985)

'Abdu'l-Bahá,
Some Answered Questions
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1984)

Bahá'u'lláh,
Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
(Haifa;
Bahá'í World Centre, 1973)

'Abdu'l-Bahá,
The Secret of Divine Civilisation
(Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1975)

'Abdu'l-Bahá,
Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
(Haifa;
Bahá'í World Centre, 1982)

Star of the West

Bahá'u'lláh,
Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas

(Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1982)

The Universal House of Justice,
Wellspring of Guidance
(Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1976)

Shoghi Effendi,
The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh
(Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1974)

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