tag name Work type: Miscellaneous; Principles, teachings web link bahai-library.com/tags/Work variations or mis-spellings labor; labour; employment related tags Economics; Service referring tags Balance; Begging and mendicancy; Industrial Revolution; Labor saving machines; Livelihood; Professions; Strikes (labor strike); Time saving; Unemployment; Vocational training; Work ethic Inventory subject Labor and management; labor relations; profit sharing; Useful occupation; acquisition of a craft; trade; profession; Work as worship notes "In the Kitáb-i-Aqdas work is made obligatory. All must engage in some useful trade, craft or profession that benefits mankind. Such work is elevated to the station of worship..."
– from A Basic Bahá'í Dictionary (1989)
See also:
– Bahá'í Sacred Writings, chapter 7, section "Work and Craftsmanship" (Bahá'u'lláh), and chapter 12, section "Work, Crafts, and Music" ('Abdu'l-Bahá)
– Covenant Library Unified Index
selected quotations
(authoritative sources)These quotations reflect common presentations of Bahá’í views; the materials below may show a wider range of interpretations and contexts:
"... O people of Bahá! It is incumbent upon each one of you to engage in some occupation—such as a craft, a trade or the like. We have exalted your engagement in such work to the rank of worship of the one true God. Reflect, O people, on the grace and blessings of your Lord, and yield Him thanks at eventide and dawn. Waste not your hours in idleness and sloth, but occupy yourselves with what will profit you and others. Thus hath it been decreed in this Tablet from whose horizon hath shone the daystar of wisdom and utterance. The most despised of men in the sight of God are they who sit and beg. Hold ye fast unto the cord of means and place your trust in God, the Provider of all means..."
– Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, ¶33"56. to engage in some occupation ¶33
It is obligatory for men and women to engage in a trade or profession. Bahá’u’lláh exalts “engagement in such work” to the “rank of worship” of God. The spiritual and practical significance of this law, and the mutual responsibility of the individual and society for its implementation are explained in a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi:
With reference to Bahá’u’lláh’s command concerning the engagement of the believers in some sort of profession: the Teachings are most emphatic on this matter, particularly the statement in the Aqdas to this effect which makes it quite clear that idle people who lack the desire to work can have no place in the new World Order. As a corollary of this principle, Bahá’u’lláh further states that mendicity should not only be discouraged but entirely wiped out from the face of society. It is the duty of those who are in charge of the organization of society to give every individual the opportunity of acquiring the necessary talent in some kind of profession, and also the means of utilizing such a talent, both for its own sake and for the sake of earning the means of his livelihood. Every individual, no matter how handicapped and limited he may be, is under the obligation of engaging in some work or profession, for work, especially when performed in the spirit of service, is according to Bahá’u’lláh a form of worship. It has not only a utilitarian purpose, but has a value in itself, because it draws us nearer to God, and enables us to better grasp His purpose for us in this world. It is obvious, therefore, that the inheritance of wealth cannot make anyone immune from daily work.In one of His Tablets, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá states that “if a person is incapable of earning a living, is stricken by dire poverty or becometh helpless, then it is incumbent on the wealthy or the Deputies to provide him with a monthly allowance for his subsistence.… By ‘Deputies’ is meant the representatives of the people, that is to say the members of the House of Justice.” (See also note 162 on mendicancy.)
In response to a question concerning whether Bahá’u’lláh’s injunction requires a wife and mother, as well as her husband, to work for a livelihood, the Universal House of Justice has explained that Bahá’u’lláh’s directive is for the friends to be engaged in an occupation which will profit themselves and others, and that homemaking is a highly honorable and responsible work of fundamental importance to society.
Concerning the retirement from work for individuals who have reached a certain age, Shoghi Effendi in a letter written on his behalf stated that “this is a matter on which the International House of Justice will have to legislate as there are no provisions in the Aqdas concerning it.”
– Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Note 56"... It is unlawful to beg, and it is forbidden to give to him who beggeth. All have been enjoined to earn a living, and as for those who are incapable of doing so, it is incumbent on the Deputies of God and on the wealthy to make adequate provision for them. Keep ye the statutes and commandments of God; nay, guard them as ye would your very eyes, and be not of those who suffer grievous loss..."
– Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, ¶147162. It is unlawful to beg, and it is forbidden to give to him who beggeth. ¶147
In a Tablet ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá expounds the meaning of this verse. He states that “mendicancy is forbidden and that giving charity to people who take up begging as their profession is also prohibited.” He further points out in that same Tablet: “The object is to uproot mendicancy altogether. However, if a person is incapable of earning a living, is stricken by dire poverty or becometh helpless, then it is incumbent on the wealthy or the Deputies to provide him with a monthly allowance for his subsistence … By ‘Deputies’ is meant the representatives of the people, that is to say the members of the House of Justice.”
The prohibition against giving charity to people who beg does not preclude individuals and Spiritual Assemblies from extending financial assistance to the poor and needy or from providing them with opportunities to acquire such skills as would enable them to earn a livelihood (see note 56).
– Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Note 162
"... Briefly, all effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do service to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and to minister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer..."
– 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, no. 55 (ABU1800; no Persian transcript known)
bahaidata.org Q5961 · Links to Bahá'í wikis (bahai9, bahaipedia, etc.) references en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_(human_activity); bahaiquotes.com/subject/work; bahaiquotes.com/subject/time-work-and-bahai-activities; www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/search#q=Work
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