# Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Bahá'u'lláh, Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh
> 
> Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> Shoghi Effendi
> 
> Universal House of Justice
> 
> Universal House of Justice, Research Department
> 
> , compiler
> 
> published in
> 
> Compilation of Compilations
> 
> Volume 3,  pp. 5-17
> 
> 2000
> 
> Contents
> 
> From the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh
> 
> From the Writings and Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> From the Writings and Cables of Shoghi Effendi
> 
> From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
> 
> From Letters Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice to
> Individual Believers
> 
> From the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh
> 
> Whilst in the Prison of 'Akká, We revealed in the Crimson Book that
> which is conducive to the advancement of mankind and to the reconstruction of
> the world. The utterances set forth therein by the Pen of the Lord of creation
> include the following which constitute the fundamental principles for the
> administration of the affairs of men:
> 
> First: It is incumbent upon the ministers of the House of Justice to promote
> the Lesser Peace so that the people of the earth may be relieved from the
> burden of exorbitant expenditures. This matter is imperative and absolutely
> essential, inasmuch as hostilities and conflict lie at the root of affliction
> and calamity.
> 
> Second: Languages must be reduced to one common language to be taught in all
> the schools of the world.
> 
> Third: It behoveth man to adhere tenaciously unto that which will promote
> fellowship, kindliness and unity.
> 
> Fourth: Everyone, whether man or woman, should hand over to a trusted person a
> portion of what he or she earneth through trade, agriculture or other
> occupation, for the training and education of children, to be spent for this
> purpose with the knowledge of the Trustees of the House of Justice.
> 
> Fifth: Special regard must be paid to agriculture. Although it hath been
> mentioned in the fifth place, unquestionably it precedeth the others.
> 
> ("Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas"
> (Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), pp.
> 89
> -
> 90
> )         [1]
> 
> Thou hadst made reference in thy letter to agriculture. On this matter He hath
> laid down the following universal rule: that it is incumbent upon everyone,
> even should he be resident in a particular land for no more than a single day,
> to become engaged in some craft or trade, or agriculture, and that the very
> pursuit of such a calling is, in the eyes of the one true God, identical with
> worship. This rule was exemplified by the Bahá'í community at the
> time when they were facing exile from 'Iraq, for, while they were making
> arrangements for their journey, they occupied themselves in cultivating the
> land; and when they set out, instructions were given for the fruits of their
> labours to be distributed amongst the friends.
> 
> (From a Tablet to an individual believer -- translated from the Persian)         [2]
> 
> From the Writings and Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> O God! Grant Thy favour, and bestow Thy blessing. Vouchsafe Thy grace, and give
> a portion of Thy bounty. Enable these men to witness during this year the
> fulfilment of their hopes. Send down Thy heavenly rain, and provide Thy
> plenteousness and abundance. Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty.
> 
> (From a Tablet to a group of believers -- translated from the Persian)        [3]
> 
> Thy letter was received. Praise be to God it imparted the good news of thy
> health and safety and indicated that thou art ready to enter an agricultural
> school. This is highly suitable. Strive as much as possible to become
> proficient in the science of agriculture, for in accordance with the divine
> teachings the acquisition of sciences and the perfection of arts are considered
> acts of worship. If a man engageth with all his power in the acquisition of a
> science or in the perfection of an art, it is as if he has been worshipping God
> in churches and temples. Thus as thou enterest a school of agriculture and
> strivest in the acquisition of that science thou art day and night engaged in
> acts of worship -- acts that are accepted at the threshold of the Almighty.
> What bounty greater than this that science should be considered as an act of
> worship and art as service to the Kingdom of God.
> 
> ("Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá" (Haifa: Bahá'í
> World Centre, 1982), sec.
> 126
> , pp.
> 144
> -
> 45
> )         [4]
> 
> 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.
> 
> ('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet translated from the Persian)         [5]
> 
> ...all the members of the human family, whether peoples or governments, cities
> or villages, have become increasingly interdependent. For none is
> self-sufficiency any longer possible, inasmuch as political ties unite all
> peoples and nations, and the bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and
> education, are being strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all mankind can
> in this day be achieved.
> 
> (Cited in Shoghi Effendi, "The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh:
> Selected Letters" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982), p.
> 
> 39
> )         [6]
> 
> ...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 inasmuch as it ensures the
> stability of the world of humanity; and until it is effected, happiness and
> prosperity are impossible.
> 
> ("The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912"
> 
> (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982), pp.
> 181
> -
> 82
> )         [7]
> 
> One of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings is the adjustment of means of
> livelihood in human society. Under this adjustment there can be no extremes in
> human conditions as regards wealth and sustenance. For the community needs
> financier, farmer, merchant and laborer just as an army must be composed of
> commander, officers and privates. All cannot be commanders; all cannot be
> officers or privates. Each in his station in the social fabric must be
> competent -- each in his function according to ability but with justness of
> opportunity for all....
> 
> Difference of capacity in human individuals is fundamental. It is impossible
> for all to be alike, all to be equal, all to be wise. Bahá'u'lláh
> has revealed principles and laws which will accomplish the adjustment of
> varying human capacities. He has said that whatsoever is possible of
> accomplishment in human government will be effected through these principles.
> When the laws He has instituted are carried out, there will be no millionaires
> possible in the community and likewise no extremely poor. This will be effected
> and regulated by adjusting the different degrees of human capacity. The
> fundamental basis of the community is agriculture, tillage of the soil. All
> must be producers. Each person in the community whose need is equal to his
> individual producing capacity shall be exempt from taxation. But if his income
> is greater than his needs, he must pay a tax until an adjustment is effected.
> That is to say, a man's capacity for production and his needs will be equalized
> and reconciled through taxation. If his production exceeds, he will pay a tax;
> if his necessities exceed his production, he shall receive an amount sufficient
> to equalize or adjust. Therefore, taxation will be proportionate to capacity
> and production, and there will be no poor in the community.
> 
> ("The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912", p.
> 216
> -
> 17
> )         [8]
> 
> The question of economics must commence with the farmer and then be extended
> to the other classes inasmuch as the number of farmers is far greater than all
> other classes. Therefore, it is fitting to begin with the farmer in matters
> related to economics for the farmer is the first active agent in human society.
> In brief, from among the wise men in every village a board should be set up and
> the affairs of that village should be under the control of that board. Likewise
> a general storehouse should be founded with the appointment of a secretary. At
> the time of the harvest, under the direction of that board, a certain
> percentage of the entire harvest should be appropriated for the storehouse.
> 
> The storehouse has seven revenues: Tithes, taxes on animals, property without
> an heir, all lost objects found whose owners cannot be traced, one third of all
> treasure-trove, one third of the produce of all mines, and voluntary
> contributions.
> 
> This storehouse also has seven expenditures:
> 
> General
> running expenses of the storehouse, such as the salary of the secretary and the
> administration of public health.
> 
> Tithes to the government.
> 
> Taxes on animals to the government.
> 
> Costs of running an orphanage.
> 
> Costs of running a home for the incapacitated.
> 
> Costs of running a school.
> 
> Payment of subsidies to provide needed support of the
> poor.
> 
> The first revenue is the tithe. It should be collected as follows: If, for
> instance, the income of a person is five hundred dollars and his necessary
> expenses are the same, no tithes will be collected from him. If another's
> expenses are five hundred dollars while his income is one thousand dollars, one
> tenth will be taken from him, for he hath more than his needs; if he giveth one
> tenth of the surplus, his livelihood will not be adversely affected. If
> another's expenses are one thousand dollars, and his income is five thousand
> 
> dollars, as he hath four thousand dollars surplus he will be required to give
> one and a half tenths. If another person hath necessary expenses of one
> thousand dollars, but his income is ten thousand dollars, from him two tenths
> will be required for his surplus represents a large sum. But if the necessary
> expenses of another person are four or five thousand dollars, and his income
> one hundred thousand, one fourth will be required from him. On the other hand,
> should a person's income be two hundred, but his needs absolutely essential for
> his livelihood be five hundred dollars, and provided he hath not been remiss in
> his work or his farm hath not been blessed with a harvest, such a one must
> receive help from the general storehouse so that he may not remain in need and
> may live in comfort.
> 
> A certain amount must be put aside from the general storehouse for the orphans
> of the village and a certain sum for the incapacitated. A certain amount must
> be provided from this storehouse for those who are needy and incapable of
> earning a livelihood, and a certain amount for the village's system of
> education. And, a certain amount must be set aside for the administration of
> public health. If anything is left in the storehouse, that must be transferred
> to the general treasury of the nation for national expenditures.
> 
> (From a Tablet dated 4 October 1912 to an individual believer -translation from
> the Persian)         [9]
> 
> As to the economic question, it hath been stated briefly and the basis of it
> hath been set forth, while its details are to be fixed by the Universal House
> of Justice. The board of the house of finance (storehouse) will direct in every
> village the revenues of the house, such as tithes, tax on animals, etc. In
> every village a storehouse and an officer in charge are to be provided, while
> the notables of the village gather and form a board and to this board and
> officer the direction of the affairs of the village are entrusted. They take
> charge of all questions pertaining to the village, and the revenues of the
> storehouse such as tithes, tax on animals and other revenues are gathered in it
> and are given out for necessary expenditures.
> 
> As to the doubling of tithes in accordance with the size of revenues and of
> crops: it is not possible to double as a fixed proportion the amount of tithes
> to be paid when the revenues are doubled. For instance, a man whose revenues
> amount to l,000 dollars and whose expenses are 500 dollars, should pay one
> tenth of his revenues, i.e. 100 dollars. When his revenues reach 2,000 dollars
> and his expenses remain 500 dollars, he cannot pay two tenths of his revenues,
> i.e. 400 dollars, for it would be difficult. At most he can pay 1.5 tenths,
> which is 300 dollars. If his revenues rise to 4,000 dollars, he can give 1.75
> tenths of his revenues, i.e. 700 dollars, and if his revenues are 8,000
> dollars, he can pay two tenths, i.e. 1,600 dollars, and if they still rise to
> 16,000 dollars, he can pay one fourth (2.5 tenths), i.e. 4,000 dollars. If they
> still rise to 32,000 dollars and the tithes to be taken from him were to be
> fixed at a definite ratio (i.e. doubled every time), they would constitute a
> huge amount which he would not be able to pay, as the preparation of the
> harvest entails many expenditures. Therefore, for a revenue of 16,000 dollars,
> one fourth is taken from him (2.5 tenths). In short the division and the fixing
> of everyone's share are to be arranged in accordance with the time and place by
> the House of Justice.
> 
> What hath been stated is only an example and this doth not mean that it should
> be enforced exactly in this manner. The principle is that as a man's wealth
> increaseth, his financial obligations should proportionately increase, so that
> vast riches may not be accumulated in one place. In this manner justice may be
> exercised between the rich and the poor. Thus there will not be, on one hand, a
> man owning a thousand million and, on the other, a poor man in need of his
> necessary subsistence. As to the revenues of the storehouse, the House of
> Justice must strive by every means possible to increase that amount, i.e. by
> every just means. Likewise with the expenditures; if anything is deemed
> necessary for the village such as the providing of hygienic measures, the House
> of Justice must also make all the necessary provisions. In short, if it is done
> in this manner in the village, the orphans, the disabled and the poor will
> secure the means of subsistence; education will be fostered, and the adoption
> of hygienic measures will become universal.
> 
> These are only the preliminary principles; the House of Justice will arrange
> and widen them in accordance with time and place.
> 
> (From a Tablet dated 25 July 1919 to an individual believer -- provisional
> translation from the Persian)         [10]
> 
> His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh has given instructions regarding every
> one of the questions confronting humanity. He has given teachings and
> instructions with regard to every one of the problems with which man struggles.
> Among them are (the teachings) concerning the question of economics that all
> the members of the body politic may enjoy through the working out of this
> solution the greatest happiness, welfare and comfort without any harm or injury
> attacking the general order of things. Thereby no difference or dissension will
> occur. No sedition or contention will take place. The solution is this:
> 
> First and foremost is the principle that to all the members of the body
> politic shall be given the greatest achievements of the world of humanity, Each
> one shall have the utmost welfare and well-being. To solve this problem we must
> begin with the farmer; there will we lay a foundation for system and order
> because the peasant class and the agricultural class exceed other classes in
> the importance of their service. In every village there must be established a
> general storehouse which will have a number of revenues.
> 
> The first revenue will be that of the tenths or tithes.
> 
> The second revenue (will be derived) from the animals.
> 
> The third revenue, from the minerals, that is to say, every mine prospected or
> discovered, a third thereof will go to this vast storehouse.
> 
> The fourth is this: whosoever dies without leaving any heirs all his heritage
> will go to the general storehouse.
> 
> Fifth, if any treasures shall be found on the land they should be devoted to
> this storehouse.
> 
> All these revenues will be assembled in this storehouse.
> 
> As to the first, the tenths or tithes: we will consider a farmer, one of the
> peasants. We will look into his income. We will find out, for instance, what is
> his annual revenue and also what are his expenditures. Now, if his income be
> equal to his expenditures, from such a farmer nothing whatever will be taken.
> That is, he will not be subjected to taxation of any sort, needing as he does
> all his income. Another farmer may have expenses running up to one thousand
> dollars we will say. and his income is two thousand dollars. From
> 
> such an one a tenth will be required, because he has a surplus. But if his
> income be ten thousand dollars and his expenses one thousand dollars or his
> income twenty thousand dollars, he will have to pay as taxes, one-fourth. If
> his income be one hundred thousand dollars and his expenses five thousand,
> one-third will he have to pay because he has still a surplus, since his
> expenses are five thousand and his income one hundred thousand. If he pays,
> say, thirty-five thousand dollars, in addition to the expenditure of five
> thousand he still has sixty thousand left. But if his expenses be ten thousand
> and his income two hundred thousand then he must give an even half because
> ninety thousand will be in that case the sum remaining. Such a scale as this
> will determine allotment of taxes. All the income from such revenues will go to
> this general storehouse.
> 
> Then there must be considered such emergencies as follows: a certain farmer
> whose expenses run up to ten thousand dollars and whose income is only five
> thousand, he will receive necessary expenses from this storehouse. Five
> thousand dollars will be allotted to him so he will not be in need.
> 
> Then the orphans will be looked after, all of whose expenses will be taken
> care of. The cripples in the village -- all their expenses will be looked
> after. The poor in the village -- their necessary expenses will be defrayed.
> And other members who for valid reasons are incapacitated -- the blind, the
> old, the deaf -- their comfort must be looked after. In the village no one will
> remain in need or in want. All will live in the utmost comfort and welfare. Yet
> no schism will assail the general order of the body politic.
> 
> Hence the expenses or expenditures of the general storehouse are now made
> clear and its activities made manifest. The income of this general storehouse
> has been shown. Certain trustees will be elected by the people in a given
> village to look after these transactions. The farmers will be taken care of and
> if after all these expenses are defrayed any surplus is found in the storehouse
> it must be transferred to the national treasury.
> 
> This system is all thus ordered so that in the village the very poor will be
> comfortable, the orphans will live happily and well; in a word, no one will be
> left destitute. All the individual members of the body politic will thus live
> comfortably and well.
> 
> For larger cities, naturally, there will be a system on a larger scale. Were I
> to go into that solution the details thereof would be very lengthy.
> 
> The result of this (system) will be that each individual member of the body
> politic will live most comfortably and happily under obligation to no one.
> Nevertheless, there will be preservation of degrees because in the world of
> humanity there must needs be degrees. The body politic may well be likened to
> an army. In this army there must be a general, there must be a sergeant, there
> must be a marshal, there must be the infantry; but all must enjoy the greatest
> comfort and welfare.
> 
> ("Star of the West", vol. 13, no. 9 (December 1922), pp. 228-29; and
> "Foundations of World Unity" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
> 1972), pp.
> 39
> -
> 41
> )         [11]
> 
> By the sacred verse: "Begging is forbidden, and it is also prohibited to
> dispense alms to a beggar", is meant that mendicancy is forbidden and that
> giving charity to people who take up begging as their profession is also
> prohibited. The object is to wipe out mendicancy altogether. However, if a
> person is disabled, stricken by dire poverty or becomes helpless, then it is
> 
> incumbent upon the rich or the trustees to provide him with a monthly allowance
> for his subsistence. When the House of Justice comes into being it will set up
> homes for the incapacitated. Thus no one will be obliged to beg, even as the
> supplementary part of the blessed verse denotes: "It is enjoined upon everyone
> to earn his livelihood"; then He says: "As to those who are disabled, it
> devolveth upon the trustees and the rich to make adequate provision for them."
> By "trustees" is meant the representatives of the people, that is to say the
> members of the House of Justice.
> 
> (From a Tablet to an individual believer -- translated from the Persian and
> Arabic, published in "Lights of Guidance: A Bahá'í Reference
> File", comp. Helen Hornby (New Delhi: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
> 1988), sec. 409, p. 120)         [12]
> 
> Since thy dear child is taking his examinations, my fervent wish at the divine
> Threshold is that, by the grace and favour of God, he may meet with success,
> and that in the future he may go on to study agriculture and master its various
> branches, practical and theoretical. Agriculture is a noble science and, should
> thy son become proficient in this field, he will become a means of providing
> for the comfort of untold numbers of people.
> 
> (From a Tablet to an individual believer -- translated from the Persian)
> [13]
> 
> Wealth is praiseworthy in the highest degree, if it is acquired by an
> individual's own efforts and the grace of God, on commerce, agriculture, art
> and industry and if it be expended 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.
> 
> ("The Secret of Divine Civilization" (Wilmette Bahá'í Publishing
> Trust, 1983), pp.
> 24
> -
> 25
> )         [14]
> 
> ...a plan whereby all the individual members of society may enjoy the utmost
> comfort and welfare. The degrees of society must be preserved. The farmer will
> continue to till the soil, the artist pursue his art, the banker to finance the
> nations. An army has need of its general, captain, and private soldiers. The
> degrees varying with the pursuits are essential. But in this
> Bahá'í plan there is no class hatred. Each is to be protected and
> each individual member of the body politic is to live in the greatest comfort
> and happiness. Work is to be provided for all and there will be no needy ones
> seen in the streets.
> 
> ("Bahá'í Scriptures: Selections from the Utterances of
> Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá", ed. Horace Holley (New York:
> Brentano's, 1923), sec. 572, p.
> 278
> , "Star of the West", vol. 22, no. 1 (April
> 1931), p. 3)        [15]
> 
> From the Writings and Cables of Shoghi Effendi
> 
> The economic resources of the world will be organized, its sources of raw
> materials will be tapped and fully utilized, its markets will be co-ordinated
> and developed, and the distribution of its products will be equitably
> regulated.
> 
> National rivalries, hatreds, and intrigues will cease, and racial animosity
> and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and co-operation.
> The causes of religious strife will be permanently removed, economic barriers
> and restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inordinate distinction
> between classes will be obliterated. Destitution on the one hand, and gross
> accumulation of ownership on the other, will disappear. The enormous energy
> dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or political, will be
> consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of human inventions and
> technical development, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the
> extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research, to the
> raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of
> the human brain, to the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of
> the planet, to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any
> other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual life
> of the entire human race.
> 
> A world federal system, ruling the whole earth and exercising unchallengeable
> authority over its unimaginably vast resources, blending and embodying the
> ideals of both the East and the West, liberated from the curse of war and its
> miseries, and bent on the exploitation of all the available sources of energy
> on the surface of the planet, a system in which Force is made the servant of
> Justice, whose life is sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by
> its allegiance to one common Revelation -- such is the goal towards which
> humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving.
> 
> (11 March 1936 to the Bahá'ís of the West, published in "The
> World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters", p.
> 204
> )        [16]
> 
> [Bahá'u'lláh] urges that special regard be paid to the interests
> of agriculture. . .
> 
> ("God Passes By" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1987), p.
> 219
> )        [17]
> 
> DESIRE TO EXPRESS TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING OR HIS MAJESTY'S  REPRESENTATIVE AS
> WELL AS TO ASSEMBLED GUESTS MY HOPE WORK OF MEN OF TREES SO IMPORTANT FOR
> PROTECTION PHYSICAL WORLD AND HERITAGE FUTURE GENERATIONS MAY BE RICHLY BLESSED
> AND AT SAME TIME CONSTITUTE YET ANOTHER FORCE WORKING FOR PEACE AND BROTHERHOOD
> IN THIS SORELY TRIED DIVIDED WORLD.
> 
> (Cable dated 23 May 1951 to New Earth Luncheon, London)         [18]
> 
> DESIRE EXPRESS ADMIRATION YOUR ESSENTIALLY HUMANITARIAN WORK NOBLE OBJECTIVE
> RECLAIM DESERTS SPIRIT CO-OPERATION FOSTERED BY YOUR UNDERTAKINGS WISH YOU
> EVERY SUCCESS.
> 
> (Cable dated 21 May 1956 to World Forestry Charter Luncheon, London)        [19]
> 
> DELIGHTED STEADY PROGRESS ACHIEVED MEN OF THE TREES WORLD OVER ESPECIALLY HOPES
> PLANS RECLAMATION DESERT AREAS AFRICA.
> 
> (Cable dated 22 May 1957 to World Forestry Charter Luncheon, London)         [20]
> 
> From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
> 
> [1]
> 
> He was much interested in your ideas over the solution of the economic problem
> in the West -- a question that must have meant a good deal of thought to many
> enlightened people -- and he is delighted to see in your thoughts much that
> runs along the same general lines as the principles laid out by the Movement.
> Of course conditions in the East differ; where the countries are rarely
> industrial and mostly agricultural, we should have to apply different laws from
> the West, and that is why the principles of the Movement strike at the root
> which is common to them both. 'Abdu'l-Bahá has developed in various of
> His talks, which you will find in different compilations, the principles upon
> which the Bahá'í economic system would be based. A system that
> prevents, among others, the gradual control of wealth in the hands of a few and
> the resulting state of both extremes, wealth and poverty.
> 
> (28 October 1927)         [21]
> 
> You had asked about poverty and wealth, and the toil of the poor and the
> comfort of the rich, and you had expressed your amazement and wonder at this
> situation.
> 
> Dear friend, the scope of this subject and discussion thereof are extensive.
> Why should one only mention the poor and the rich or poverty and wealth? There
> are many other similar and analogous things in the world of creation. For
> instance, why are all the birds of the world not possessed of a melodious
> voice? Why have crows and ravens? Or, why are not all the people of the world
> beautiful and pleasing? Why have the ugly and the unsightly? Or, why are not
> all the beasts of the field graceful deer? Why have wolves and the bloodthirsty
> leopards? Or, in the arena of war, why have soldiers? Let all be commanders and
> officers! And, lastly, why have the poor? All should be rich!
> 
> It is evident that the subject of the suffering poor and the pampered rich has
> been, and will continue to be, discussed by the world's scholars and
> philosophers, but so far they have not found a solution to this difficult
> problem. Whatever you witness in this world, such as evidences of mighty
> upheavals and omens of future events, all revolve around this pivot, that is,
> the groaning and the agitation of the poor on the one hand, and the excessive
> wealth and affluence of the rich on the other. This conflict and clash of
> interests will remain unchanged until such time as the laws and commandments
> revealed by the Pen of the Most High in this regard are executed and enforced,
> and the solution of the economic problems based on spiritual principles becomes
> possible. Then will there be peace between the rich and the poor, or between
> the forces of capital and labour. Then will the poor gain their legitimate
> right of having their necessary and essential needs satisfied, and the rich
> will be able to spend their wealth as they please, free of fear for their lives
> and property.
> 
> The intent is not, however, to say that all the poor will become rich and they
> will become equal. Such a concept is like saying that all the ignorant and the
> illiterate will become the sages of the age and the learned of the learned.
> Rather, when education becomes compulsory and universal, ignorance and
> illiteracy will decrease and there will remain no one deprived of education.
> But, as the basis for distinction is in the person's capacity and ability, and
> differences are related to the degree of his intelligence and mental powers,
> therefore, all the people will not be equal in their knowledge, learning and
> understanding. The intent is to say that the world of creation calls for
> distinctions in people's stations, and degrees in the differences existing
> among them, so that the affairs of the world may become organized and ordered.
> Diversity in all created things, whether in kind, in physical appearance, or in
> station, is the means for their protection, their permanence, unity and
> harmony. Each part complements the other.
> 
> Concerning the point that the poor are always in hardship and trouble and in
> need of everything, this we can acknowledge. However, it is doubtful whether
> the rich have peace of mind and true comfort, they should be quietly asked
> about this, and their response is dependent upon their conscience.
> 
> This should not be understood to mean that poverty is cherished and riches and
> wealth are blameworthy. All are called upon, nay, rather, commanded and
> required by the Pen of the Most High, to engage in a trade or profession.
> 
> (22 May 1928 -- translated from the Persian)         [22]
> 
> He has also received the article you wrote for "The Bahá'í
> World" on the economic teachings of the Cause.
> 
> [2]
> 
> As you say, the writings are not so rich on this subject,
> and many of the issues at present baffling the minds of the world are not even
> mentioned. The primary consideration is the spirit that has to permeate our
> economic life and this will gradually crystallize itself into definite
> institutions and principles that would help to bring about the ideal condition
> foretold by Bahá'u'lláh.... It is very necessary that the
> teachings of the Cause along these lines be presented to the public in a
> complete and clear form.
> 
> (20 December 1931 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and
> Canada)         [23]
> 
> As to your fourth question, Shoghi Effendi believes that it is preferable not
> to confuse the methods explained by the Master with present systems. They may
> have many resemblances but also many points of difference. Moreover these
> general statements we have in the teachings have to be explained and applied by
> the House of Justice before we can really appreciate their significance.
> 
> (21 October 1932)         [24]
> 
> With regard to your wish for reorganizing your business along
> Bahá'í lines, Shoghi Effendi deeply appreciates the spirit that
> has prompted you to make such a suggestion. But he feels, nevertheless, that
> the time has not yet come for any believer to bring about such a fundamental
> change in the economic structure of our society, however restricted may be the
> field for such an experiment. The economic teachings of the Cause, though well
> known in their main outline, have not yet been sufficiently elaborated and
> systematized to allow anyone to make an exact and thorough application of them,
> even on a restricted scale.
> 
> (22 May 1935)         [25]
> 
> He wishes me first to express his appreciation of your efforts for a deeper
> understanding of the principles and teachings of the Cause, particularly those
> that concern the social and economic aspects of the Faith, which should be
> studied with increasing interest by all the believers, and especially by  the
> young ones, upon whom lies the chief responsibility of teaching the Message to
> the world outside....
> 
> ...There are practically no
> technical
> teachings on economics in the
> Cause, such as banking, the price system, and others. The Cause is not an
> economic system, nor should its Founders be considered as having been
> 
> technical
> economists. The contribution of the Faith to this subject is
> essentially indirect, as it consists in the application of spiritual principles
> to our present-day economic system. Bahá'u'lláh has given us a
> few basic principles which should guide future Bahá'í economists
> in establishing such institutions as will adjust the economic relationships of
> the world.
> 
> ...The Master has definitely stated that wages should be unequal, simply
> because men are unequal in their ability, and hence should receive wages that
> would correspond to their varying capacities and resources. This view seems to
> contradict the opinion of some modern economists. But the friends should have
> full confidence in the words of the Master, and should give preference to His
> statements over those voiced by our so-called modern thinkers....
> 
> ...Whatever the progress of the machinery may be, man will have always to toil
> in order to earn his living. Effort is an inseparable part of man's life. It
> may take different forms with the changing conditions of the world, but it will
> be always present as a necessary element in our earthly existence. Life is
> after all a struggle. Progress is attained through struggle, and without such a
> struggle life ceases to have a meaning; it becomes even extinct. The progress
> of machinery has not made effort unnecessary. It has given it a new form, a new
> outlet.
> 
> ...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.
> 
> ...As already referred to ..., social inequality is the inevitable outcome of
> the natural inequality of men. Human beings are different in ability and
> should, therefore, be different in their social and economic standing. Extremes
> of wealth and poverty should, however, be totally abolished. Those whose brains
> have contributed to the creation and improvement of the means of production
> must be fairly rewarded, though these means may be owned and controlled by
> others.
> 
> (26 December 435) [26?]
> 
> As regards your suggestion to write a book on Bahá'í economics:
> the Guardian has no objection to your writing such a work, but he feels that
> the task is a tremendously difficult one, specially in view of the fact that
> there are almost no definite teachings on technical economics as it is known
> and
> 
> taught today. The Bahá'í Writings give us only a few principles
> which can guide future Bahá'í economists in their efforts to
> bring about the necessary readjustments in the economic and industrial
> system.
> 
> (30 June 1936)         [27]
> 
> Regarding your questions concerning the Bahá'í attitude on
> various economic problems, such as the problem of ownership, control and
> distribution of capital, and of other means of production, the problem of
> trusts and monopolies, and such economic experiments as social co-operatives:
> the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá do not provide
> specific and detailed solutions to all such economic questions, which mostly
> pertain to the domain of technical economics, and as such do not concern
> directly the Cause. True , there are certain guiding principles in
> Bahá'í Sacred Writings on the subject of economics, but these do
> by no means cover the whole field of theoretical and applied economics, and are
> mostly intended to guide future Bahá'í economic writers and
> technicians to evolve an economic system which would function in full
> conformity with the spirit, and the exact provisions of the Cause on this and
> similar subjects. The International House of Justice will have, in consultation
> with economic experts to assist in the formulation and evolution of the
> Bahá'í economic system of the future. One thing, however, is
> certain: that the Cause neither accepts the theories of the Capitalistic
> economics in full, nor can it agree with the Marxists and Communists in their
> repudiation of the principle of private ownership and of this vital sacred
> right of the individual.
> 
> (l0 June 1939)         [28]
> 
> He has noted with keen interest the plan you have conceived for the
> intensification of agricultural production with the view of meeting any
> possible food shortage in these times of war. While he is fully aware of the
> need for putting forth such a plan, and deeply appreciative as he feels of the
> noble motives that have prompted you to approach this problem, he nevertheless
> thinks that the time is not yet ripe for the believers, as a body, to undertake
> social and economic experiments of such character and scope. Neither the
> material resources at their disposal, nor their numerical strength are
> sufficient to give them any reasonable hope of embarking successfully upon a
> project of this kind.
> 
> (6 November 1940)         [29]
> 
> Now is not the time for the friends to seek to establish a
> Bahá'í village; they have definite tasks confronting them of the
> utmost importance and urgency, and on these they should concentrate their
> attention. Nor does the Guardian feel it is necessary for the friends to buy
> land at this time. In the future, when they have accomplished the goals set out
> for them by the beloved Master Himself, they will be able to develop more
> community projects, but now such enterprises would merely dissipate their
> strength, which should all be directed into the teaching work.
> 
> (26 March 1943)         [30]
> 
> The income tax, according to the Bahá'í teachings, mounts at
> quite a steep rate so that great sums of money would be very heavily taxed. But
> the individual is free to make his will as he pleases. What he has laboured for
> he has the right to dispose of. The greater the sum inherited, the higher the
> tax will be.
> 
> (11 February 1944)        [31]
> 
> From Letters Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice to
> Individual Believers
> 
> The ideologies now current in the world are extremely complex. Just as it is
> difficult to identify any longer a coherent system of teachings which could be
> called Christianity and embrace all those who call themselves Christians, so
> there are many kinds of Communist, often stridently at variance with one
> another. Even more so are there many kinds of "Capitalist" in the sense of
> those who advocate Capitalism as the most desirable form of economic system.
> "The Promise of World Peace" was no place for an analysis of the virtues and
> shortcomings of these various theories, it could but allude to some of the most
> glaring deficiencies produced by extreme variants, and encourage all who
> advocate them to overlook their differences in a search for the real solution
> of the problems afflicting mankind.
> 
> One could postulate two extremes of economic theory: those who believe that
> the best solution is to remove all governmental control and intervention from
> the operation of the economic system, and those who believe that the
> functioning of the economic system should be closely supervised and adjusted by
> the State so that society is not at the mercy of the system but has it under
> its control. As has become abundantly clear, neither extreme is workable, and
> proponents of both have gradually come to adopt more moderate stances, although
> there tends to be an oscillation of viewpoints in response to changing
> conditions. It was to the proponents of one of these extremes and to the
> current highly unsatisfactory economic situation in the world that the House of
> Justice was alluding when it referred to those ideologies which have tended "to
> callously abandon starving millions to the operations of a market system that
> all too clearly is aggravating the plight of the majority of mankind, while
> enabling small sections to live in a condition of affluence scarcely dreamed of
> by our forebears."
> 
> (13 November 1985)         [32]
> 
> Your comments concerning poverty emphasize the extent to which society must
> change its attitudes before a solution to that social problem can be found. It
> is not simply a matter of economics; the solution deeply involves the adoption
> of spiritual principles at the grassroots as well as among governments. It
> imposes upon the Bahá'ís a clear duty to teach the Faith with
> unabating vigour.
> 
> (27 April 1988)         [33]
> 
> The House of Justice sympathizes with your urgent desire to see the
> application of the Bahá'í idea of a spiritual solution to
> economic problems.... The solution to these problems lies not so much in the
> formulation of workable theories; it is related to the overall spiritual
> transformation which is to take place through the gradual influence of the
> Bahá'í teachings on the lives of people throughout the world -- a
> transformation which will itself be the matrix for the solution so anxiously
> sought. In the meantime, governments, through hard experience, will, no doubt,
> take steps which are in harmony with the progressive spirit of the times.
> 
> (6 July 1989)        [34]
> 
> Notes:
> 
> Footnote missing from photocopied sheet.
> 
> See "The World Economy of Bahá'u'lláh", by Horace Holley, and "The Supreme Affliction: A Study in Bahá'í Economics and Socialization", by Alfred E. Lunt, in "The Bahá'í World", vol. 4 (1930-32), (New York: Bahá'í Publishing Committee 1933), pp. 351-67, 435-60.
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> — *Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects (Used by permission of the curator)*