Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Badi Shams, Practical Economic Suggestions For Everyday Use, bahai-library.com.
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Practical Economic Suggestions
For Everyday Use

The present economic system is sick and is dying. It cannot
meet the needs of humanity. The gap between rich and
poor is getting wider and wider, which has increased the
suffering of the masses. The solutions that can heal it have
been ignored. It is time to re-examine the fundamental
assumptions that this system was built on and replace them
with humane, moral and spiritual ones. We need to build
an economic system fit to help humanity to achieve its goal
of an ever-advancing civilization, a world where there is
no room for economic injustice, and people have all the
necessities of life so they can live peaceful and fulfilling
lives. A shift in thinking is needed. Based on the Baha’i
Teachings, this material aims to provide some insight and
suggestions for taking steps to lay the foundation for a
better economic future. We have the solutions and the
technology to build a new system; all we need is the
resolve and the will. Everyone has an inherent power to
contribute. The time for action is upon us. This is our
eleventh hour.

We live in a very confusing time, particularly after the
economic market crash of 2008, which almost destroyed
the whole economic system and forced governments to
take desperate measures to save the system and avoid
universal chaos. That was caused by unchecked greed,
which led to a destructiveness that only a lack of morality
can create.
Economic problems started from its inception when
Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, wrote
“The Wealth of Nations.” His book became like the holy
book for the economist. He described economics as a
science of creating wealth and excluded morality and
spirituality in his theories. He made self-interest the
engine of the system. According to him, everybody is
trying to maximize his or her satisfaction. That
philosophy became the breeding ground for greed, the
cause of so many economic problems in the world. Other
economists followed his ideas and built their theories on
his assumptions. What they failed to consider and didn’t
care to find out was that Adam Smith was the first to
acknowledge the importance of morality in his book “The
Theory of Moral Sentiments,” which was written in 1759,
seven years before “The Wealth of Nations.” He had
recognized the inherent danger of wealth, even as he
provided ideas for generating it:

“This disposition to admire, and almost to worship,
the rich and powerful, and to despise or, at least,
neglect persons of poor and mean conditions, though
necessary both to establish and to maintain the
distinction of ranks and the order of society, is, at the
same time, the great and most universal cause of the
corruption of our moral sentiments.” – Adam
Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, p.3.

The Baha’i concept of economics is fundamentally
different and is based on spiritual and moral principles.
Abdul’-Baha explains it clearly:
“The secrets of the whole economic question are Divine
in nature, and are concerned with the world of the
heart and spirit.” - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Baha’i World,
Volume 1V, p. 448

Shoghi Effendi shed more light on this:
“… By the statement ‘the economic solution is divine
in nature’ is meant that religion alone can, in the last
resort, bring in man’s nature such a fundamental
change as to enable him to adjust the economic
relationships of society. It is only in this way that man
can control the economic forces that threaten to
disrupt the foundations of his existence, and thus
assert his mastery over the forces of nature.” -Shoghi
Effendi, Lights of Guidance, p. 551. (From a letter
written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual
believer, 26 December 1935)
My understanding is that the aim of the Baha’is is the
spiritualization of the economic system by injecting
moral and spiritual values into it. Economics is made for
humanity and has to reflect in it all human aspirations,
including ethical, moral and spiritual.

It is important to remember that the Baha’i Economic
System will occur when the transformation of man and
society has been accomplished and with it man’s
awareness of his spiritual station and his destiny. He will
have subordinated his animal nature and will, therefore,
behave less selfishly. At this time, it is almost impossible
to imagine a society that has spiritually grown to that
extent. But by introducing more of the spiritual qualities in
our lives, we are laying the foundation for such a society
and such an economic system. Some of our goals may
seem idealistic, but that is precisely what we are, idealists.
We are dreaming of a better world and are ready to make
sure that Bahá’u’lláh’s World Commonwealth is going to
be established. No great achievement can take place
without a goal or dream. Without them, the ever-advancing
civilization would not have progressed from the Stone Age
to where we are now.

Since we do not have the Bahá’i economic system in place
as yet, we may think that we cannot do anything to bring it
about, and we must wait for its arrival. But that is not true.
There is so much we can do as individuals, and in our
communities, that is economical, and we can do it without
realizing that we are participating in economic activity.
Our participation will set the example for the rest of the
world and, at the same time, prepare the ground for the
time when the World Commonwealth will come into
being.

The Universal House of Justice reminds us that time has
come to pay greater attention to our economic side of our
lives and take steps to improve the economic prosperity of
the world.
“Although Baha’u’llah does not set out in His
Revelation a detailed economic system, a constant
theme throughout the entire corpus of His teachings is
the reorganization of human society. Consideration of
this theme inevitably gives rise to questions of
economics. Of course, the future order conceived by
Baha’u’llah is far beyond anything that can be
imagined by the present generation. Nevertheless, its

eventual emergence will depend on strenuous effort by
His followers to put His teachings into effect today.
With this in mind, we hope that the comments below
will stimulate thoughtful, ongoing reflection by the
friends. The aim is to learn about how to participate in
the material affairs of society in a way that is consistent
with the divine precepts and how, in practical terms,
collective prosperity can be advanced through justice
and generosity, collaboration and mutual assistance.”
-The Universal House of Justice, March 1, 2017

Unfortunately, money is a yardstick that we use to measure
poverty, wealth, failure and success. My wish is that as we
spiritually grow and expand our spiritual horizons, we will
adopt a spiritual yardstick to measure our lives. Money
cannot and should not be the only means of measuring our
life’s achievements.
Today, more than your heart and intellect, you need the
power of your imagination because you are going to
picture yourself in the future. Once you do that and grasp
the beauty of peace, love and harmony and see how the
sufferings and misery have been removed and man no
longer has to fight to survive in his economic life, you will
bring yourself back to the present and hopefully, you will
start making small changes in your economic activities that
will lead to the fundamental changes in order to lay the
foundation of a new and wonderful economic behavior
based on spirituality and not greed.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá often talked about very complex subjects.
Still, He made them simple and easy to understand, and my
belief is that economics doesn’t have to be daunting or
confusing, especially when it comes to action. These
suggestions are intended to be clear and simple to
encourage you to participate in economic activities with
increased awareness. They are meant for everyone,
whether or not you are knowledgeable about economics.
Hopefully, you may find them useful, and they will
empower you to act to bring about a fundamental change
in your character and your everyday economic actions. It
also helps you realize what an incredible power we have

as individuals to transform society in every way, including
economic ways.
This list of suggestions may seem overwhelming, and you
may not be able to practice all those that apply to your
situation. But you have to remember that it is not about the
results; it is about sincere and wholehearted efforts. It is a
pure intention that counts.

➢ Focus on the essential questions of life. After answering
the questions “Who am, I?” and “What is the purpose
of my life?” the equally important question of “How
much is enough?” should be answered. One of the biggest
problems everyone faces is that we do not get a chance to
understand who we are and what constitutes the purpose of
our lives. Also, we are so busy that we do not ask how
much money is enough. How much do we need to live a
fruitful life? Practice contentment. Life distracts us from
asking ourselves some fundamental questions. Answering
these questions can guide us to go through tests and
difficulties in life.

➢ Live a simple life, a life like ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Living a
simple life brings peace of mind and removes some of the
distractions of our life journey. Many studies indicate that
simplicity reduces stress in life and creates a sense of
freedom from the burden of material possessions. There is
a movement already in place called “voluntary simplicity”
that encourages people to live a simple life. There are some
benefits to living a simple life. It is a decision made by
many who had too much to handle.

➢ Change your mindset. You need to believe that you are
essentially a spiritual being and have a spiritual purpose in
your life. You need to realize your spiritual destiny. Once
this is realized, then acting accordingly is much more
effective and easy. This mindset will help you to have a
healthy approach to your material life. Every change
begins first in your mind.

➢ Pay a fair price. If you feel that the price is too low, pay
more than the asking price. The Báb practiced this when

He worked as a merchant. One of the most beautiful things
related to economic activities is the commitment of fairminded people to disregard existing prices and pay more
because they believe their estimate of the price to be fair.

➢ Share the profits with employees. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá taught
us how important it is for the workers to have a share of
the profits. Besides profit-sharing, there are many ways to
help. Get medical coverage for employees. Support the
emotional and physical well-being of employees. Taking
care of workers is a privilege and an opportunity to be of
service to people. Looking for such opportunities is a
wonderful act.

➢ Pay fair wages, not based on what society dictates. We do
not need to follow the minimum wage guidelines. The
Baha’i Writings provide the guidelines to ensure that we
pay what is fair. The society’s wage guidelines should not
prevent us from paying more if we think that is fair.

➢ Be honest in your dealings. Present it with all the facts
explained. In our society, we tend to misrepresent a
product or share only enough information to present it in
the best possible light.
Truthfulness is the foundation of all virtues. When selling
your car, house or other possessions, clearly describe the
real condition. Mentioning the negative points about a car
or a house is not wrong. I have done it, and it did help me
to get a good price.

➢ Provide the best quality of service or the best product
possible and do so in a spirit of service. We are privileged
to have the assurance that by doing our job well, we have
demonstrated an act of worship. Make customer
satisfaction a goal. There is more to our jobs than just
earning money. How satisfying it is to know that the
customer is happy and we have played a part in it. Being
proud of our work is a blessing millions do not have. They
make money but are not happy and satisfied inside.

➢ Look for opportunities to extend to co-workers and cooperate in the workplace. Most workplaces are very
isolating, and individuals work by themselves. To reach
out and extend help and to treat each other fairly creates a
better spirit and working environment. Extend support to
others, even your competitors. Be a cause of unity by
seeing them as you would see your employees or
colleagues and doing as much as you can to help them.

➢ Be content with a reasonable margin of profit. There is
no end to greed in our society, so being satisfied with
earning a certain profit will create a sense of contentment
and provide an example to others. This is an extension of
how much is enough question. There is nothing wrong
with being satisfied and content with a set amount of profit.

➢ Update yourself with the latest information and study in
your field to provide a better service and to be the leader
in your profession, and be punctual in business and other
meetings. Being on time at work increases the efficiency
of the system and demonstrates respect for others. If time
is money, then one should not waste it.

➢ Remember that your actions are the best manifestation
of your beliefs, and be conscious of them. The cliché is
true that actions speak louder than words. We should be an
example for others since we are the ones to lead society
towards an ever-advancing civilization.

➢ If you are lending money, ask for a reasonable interest
rate and not the maximum rate. We are told that the rate
of interest has to be fair and reasonable. Baha’u’llah has
advised us to do so. Banks should not be the only ones
setting interest rates.

➢ Resist the consumer mentality which exists in our
society. As the standard of living rises, consumerism
increases and consuming becomes a bad habit with severe
consequences. Fighting this tendency is very important for
our economic life and our spiritual development.
Consumerism has become a disease that is spreading fast,
and its forces are paralyzing the progress of our souls.

➢ Be knowledgeable about advertising. Advertisements
conceal the information we need to buy a product, and they
make false claims, using psychological methods to make a
sale. Advertising covers all areas of our economic life. One
has to be very savvy to navigate through all the false claims
of advertising. Selling has become very sophisticated, and
one has to be very smart about it and read between the
lines.

➢ Spiritually justify your expenditure. With so much
poverty in the world today, we have to answer to our
conscience for any unnecessary spending. We have been
advised to be frugal in our spending. It would be beneficial
if we could create in us this “policeman” to check our
spending.

➢ Avoid wastage in the workplace and suggest ways to cut
down on waste. We can all help in some way to avoid the
loss of resources.

➢ Protect the environment in your business and personal
life. We owe it to future generations to protect the
environment. What a sad situation it would be if humanity
grows spiritually in the future, but the damage is done, and
our environment is destroyed.

➢ Increase your economic and business knowledge. The
more we know about how economics works, the better we
will be able to forecast the future.

➢ Volunteer for service whenever possible with the spirit of
service, following Abdu’l-Bahá’s example, Who served
mankind all of His life.

➢ Give to the Bahá’i Fund and also support worthy
charitable organizations. Every act of giving is a small
step towards reducing the gap between rich and poor.

➢ Have or adopt a financial goal in life. As we have
teaching plans in the Faith and other goals and plans in our
life, it is vital to have an individual financial plan. Goals
encourage discipline. This is very important. It is almost
impossible to have a comfortable financial life without
planning.

➢ Avoid debt as much as possible since too many financial
burdens damage the quality of spiritual and human life.
Investigate the rate of interest on mortgages, loans and
credit to reduce cost. Volumes can be written about this
subject. Debts are one of the most destructive factors that
should be avoided.

➢ Create a habit of saving. Life is full of uncertainty and
change, and having some money for a rainy day creates
peace of mind. Saving should be part of our financial
goals. It is a beautiful habit to have. It is not easy to save
with the pressure of our consumer mentality today, but it
is crucial.

➢ Spread the word about honest and fair businesses and
professionals. It is like giving them free advertising. They
need all the help they can get. It has a very enabling power
helping honest people and businesses.

➢ Don’t buy the latest models if the old ones are in working
order and provide the same service. Having the most recent
of everything creates an unnecessary economic burden for
an individual, which in turn decreases the quality of life.
Be practical about material possessions. But it is hard not
to want to purchase the latest model of car when everyone
is doing the same.

➢ Avoid keeping up with the Joneses. That is the worst
kind of spending. It is also a sign of spiritual and emotional
immaturity. And we see it happen every day. It is
regrettable that people want the approval of others while
their spiritual destiny is in jeopardy.

➢ Support the concept of one world currency. If we have
fewer currencies to exchange, life becomes much more
comfortable, and this is a good step in the right direction
towards world unity. And anything that can promote world
unity is extremely important.

➢ Don’t follow society’s shortcuts with regards to
taxation. There are claims made which can perhaps be
legally justified but are morally wrong.

➢ Make honest insurance claims. False insurance claims
have become like a source of income for some who claim
damages to their bodies or their properties. This misuse
hurts every honest person because the cost of insurance
will increase due to the increase in dishonest claims. There
are some incidences that though legally, one can make a
claim, but morally it does not go with the spirit of honesty

➢ Make fair expense claims at work. It has become
common to claim the maximum amount even if it is not
used, but we have the duty, to be honest about them.

Do not abuse sick leave. Some people use their sick leave
even though they are not ill. They think that if they do not
use it, they will lose it. But in reality, though sick leave is
a right but has to be used in the right spirit, which when
one is sick and should not be considered as a paid day off,
even one is not sick.

➢ Return to the store when you realize you have been
undercharged or receive too much change for your
purchase. This is practicing the virtue of honesty. Watch
the face of the cashier when you do this. He or she is
probably wondering, “Who are these people?” The answer
is that we are the people from the future, where honesty is
the norm.

➢ Resist society’s corrupt practices of bribery and
cheating. In some places in the world, giving bribes is a
way of life, and that is a test and an opportunity to fight
this harmful practice. It is very hard in places like India
and China, where I have lived. Refusing to participate in
these practices is very difficult.

➢ Regard service first and profit second. This seems
idealistic in society, but for Bahá'is, it is considered a way
of life. And in the long run, it is the best advertisement one
can buy for free.

➢ Participate in social and economic projects. We can help
to change the world for the better by getting involved in
these projects. And they are a valuable way of learning and

contributing. We need to gain experience in social
activities so that we can contribute more in the future.

➢ Do not support the idea of the end justifying the means
when it comes to promotion at work or getting a contract,
or applying for a job. Our goal is to grow spiritually, and
these practices do not help us to improve. That is the worst
kind of numbing our conscience.

➢ Be honest in a job interview. Society has adopted the
practice of magnifying positive and minimizing or
omitting negative, but in reality, it is a form of lying. It will
feel strange to the interviewer and us, but we have to start
being honest.

➢ Be truthful in filling out forms or tenders. Exaggerating
has become a way of life, but it is not a Bahá’i way of life.
It is a tough thing to do when competing, but we can have
the satisfaction that Baha’u’llah is happy with us.

➢ Do not sacrifice your values to get a promotion or
contract, even though there is nothing wrong with being
ambitious and wanting to progress through the ranks.
Some would do anything to get a promotion, but we cannot
follow that practice.

➢ Use good quality material in production. Do not use
harmful ingredients in production. Be educated about the
ingredients, so no harm comes as a result.

➢ Protect the poor and underprivileged sections of our
society in any way you can. It is our spiritual duty and
privilege.

➢ Give your Huqúqu’lláh (the Right of God), knowing well
that this giving is a privilege and is not a tax. Give with a
sense of sharing rather than a sense of loss. This is your
opportunity to practice generosity. Giving is the best
practical step for bridging the gap between the rich and
poor.

➢ Create a consciousness that your welfare, well-being
and happiness depend on the welfare, prosperity and
happiness of every poor, needy and underprivileged person
in the world; that the real meaning of the oneness of
humankind will come into being when we see others as
members of our family. This should be easy for us since
we have heard and said it many times that:
“Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one
branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love
and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship.”
-Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
p.288

➢ Money is a tool and not the goal of your life. The biggest
mistake that most people make is that they forget that we
have not been created to make money. That should not be
our life’s goal. Money should be seen as an effective tool
to serve humanity and to improve the spiritual and
economic life of ourselves and others. This is the key that
can make a person happy or sad at the end of our physical
life. Since we cannot take it with us, then why not spend it
for the good of humankind.

➢ Give generously to those working for minimum wage
or earning very little. We can find ways to pay more to
all those working for a minimum wage, be it in the form of
a generous tip or more than the asking price to street sellers
who earn a little from their sales. How can we otherwise
reduce the gap between the rich and the poor if we do not
make small contributions?

➢ Spend an equal amount of energy in becoming
detached from material possessions as you spend getting
them, recognizing that they are a test and remembering
what Baha’u’llah said:

“Thou dost wish for gold, and I desire thy freedom
from it. Thou thinkest thyself rich in its possession, and
I recognize thy wealth in thy sanctity therefrom. By My
life! This is My Knowledge, and that is thy fancy; how
can My way accord with thine?”
-Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no.56

It is like spiritual detoxification. There is nothing
inherently wrong with being rich as long as we are fully
aware of its benefits and dangers. Baha’u’llah has allowed
us to have all the luxuries we desire, as long as we are
detached from them.

➢ Remind yourself of your spiritual destination while
pursuing financial goals since materialism can slowly take
over your spiritual life. Without constant reminders of our
spiritual destiy, materialism can destroy our spiritual wellbeing. We have to have the “big picture” in our view all
the time so that we are not lost.

➢ Live the Bahá’i Life. In a sense, it is a simple statement
to live the Bahá’i life, but it requires an understanding of
ourselves and our purpose in life. It is easier said than
done.

➢ Be considerate to those who rent from you. Be sensitive
to their situation. If they are in trouble, be flexible with
their rent payments. Let them miss a payment or part of a
payment. Besides the spiritual satisfaction that you feel,
you also gain a tenant who cares for you and your property
and will use it as if it’s theirs. It even makes economic
sense since you will probably lessen the cost of repairs.

➢ Develop virtues that are common to all religions and are
the foundation for any system’s success. At present,
acquiring the virtues seems idealistic, but we have to
remember that as we move closer to an ever-advancing
civilization, acquiring these virtues will be commonplace.
They may not look as if they have anything to do with
economics, but they help us to gain spiritual and human
qualities, which help us to create a better society. Here is
the list of virtues identified by The Virtues Project:

Assertiveness, Caring, Cleanliness,
Compassion, Confidence, Consideration,
Courage, Courtesy Creativity,
Detachment, Determination, Enthusiasm,
Excellence, Faithfulness, Flexibility,
Forgiveness, Friendliness, Generosity,
gentleness, Helpfulness, Honesty,

Honor, Humility, Idealism,
Joyfulness, Justice, Kindness,
Love, Loyalty, Mercy,
Moderation, Modesty, Obedience,
Orderliness, Patience, Peacefulness,
Prayerfulness, Purposefulness, Reliability,
Respect, Responsibility, Reverence,
Self-discipline, Service, Steadfastness,
Tact, Thankfulness, Tolerance,
Trust, Trustworthiness, Truthfulness,
Unity

➢ Deal with your insistent self or ego; otherwise, it can
undo any success or progress if it is not recognized as a
serious threat to our good efforts. History is full of
examples of how egos created destruction throughout the
ages. As human beings, our life in this world and our
progress in the next world depend on the decisions we
make. Some say we make our heaven and hell here on earth
as a result of the choices we make. It is sad if we do not
make the right decision and give our higher nature the
upper hand. Because we are bombarded by advertisements
and consumerism, nurturing our higher nature is very
difficult, and that is why we need to tune ourselves
spiritually to make the right choice so that we get the
rewards and benefits of that choice. We know that reading
the Writings has been encouraged in our Faith, and when
we read the Holy Writings and meditate on them, our souls
are uplifted, and that affects our decision making. Our
souls are tuned by reading the Writings and bringing
ourselves to account each day. It is like a spiritual balance
sheet so that we can perceive the good and the bad in our
ways. This is such an important factor in our lives, and
we need to take the opportunity to deal with it
adequately.

➢ Recognize and nurture the four aspects of your being:

a) Spiritual
b) Physical
c) Emotional
d) Intellectual

Most people ignore one aspect for the sake of others, but
we need all aspects to have balance in our lives. This
sounds like one of those self-help mantras, but awareness
of all aspects of our being is essential to realistic selfknowledge, which is the first step towards knowing
God.

➢ Be more vocal in a loving way about what we think about
the changes that are needed for the improvement of the
economic life of individuals and the society in which we
live; in short, without being militant or aggressive, express
our ideas and vision. We all have a say in all matters, and
we can be the catalysts of positive change. We do not want
to be political or militant, but we cannot forget that our job
provides vision and direction to wayward humanity. It is
like having the healing medicine and not giving it to the
sick.

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