# Agriculture and Rural Life

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Abdu'l-Bahá, Agriculture and Rural Life, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Agriculture and Rural Life
> 
> Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> Shoghi Effendi
> 
> Universal House of Justice
> 
> 1995
> 
> From the Writings and Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> Exert every effort in the fields of development and of civilization, in the
> acquisition of knowledge, the increase of trade, the improvement of agriculture
> and the promotion of modern discoveries.
> 
> (From a Tablet, translated from the Persian)         [1]
> 
> The friends must engage in the work of developing Persia, that is, they must
> exert great efforts in the promotion of agriculture, industry, trade,
> education, arts, and sciences.
> 
> (From a Tablet, translated from the Persian)         [2]
> 
> ...and when thou passest by a field in which crops, flowers, blossoms and
> vegetables are blended in harmony, it is evident that the field or the flower
> bed hath been brought into existence and hath been arranged by an experienced
> farmer. And, when thou observest plants that are scattered, disordered and
> disarranged, it is clear they have been deprived of the skillful touch of an
> experienced farmer, and that they are naught but wild weeds.
> 
> (From a Tablet, translated from the Persian)         [3]
> 
> All the friends of God ... should contribute to the extent possible, however
> modest their offering may be. God doth not burden a soul beyond its capacity.
> Such contributions must come from all centres and all believers.... O friends
> of God! Be ye assured that in place of these contributions, your agriculture,
> your industry, and your commerce will be blessed by manifold increases, with
> goodly gifts and bestowals. He who cometh with one goodly deed will receive a
> tenfold reward. There is no doubt that the living Lord will abundantly confirm
> those who expend their wealth in His path.
> 
> (From a Tablet, translated from the Persian)         [4]
> 
> Huqúq is applied on everything one possesseth. However, if a person
> hath paid the Huqúq on a certain property, and the income from that
> property is equal to his needs, no Huqúq is payable by that person.
> 
> Huqúq is not payable on agricultural tools and equipment, and on
> animals used in ploughing the land, to the extent that these are necessary.
> 
> (From a Tablet, translated from the Persian)         [5]
> 
> Woman must especially devote her energies and abilities toward the industrial
> and agricultural sciences, seeking to assist mankind in that which is most
> needful. By this means she will demonstrate capability and ensure recognition
> of equality in the social and economic equation.
> 
> (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), p.
> 283
> )        [6]
> 
> From Letters Written by and on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
> 
> The responsibilities of the members of the Spiritual Assemblies that are
> engaged in teaching the Cause of God in Eastern lands have been clearly laid
> down in the holy Texts.
> 
> These bid them to work towards the improvement of morals and the spread of
> learning; to strive to eradicate ignorance and unenlightenment, eliminate
> prejudice, and reinforce the foundation of true faith in people's hearts and
> minds; to seek to develop self-reliance and avoidance of blind imitation; to
> aim to enhance the efficient management of their affairs, and observe purity
> and refinement in all circumstances; to show their commitment to truthfulness
> and honesty, and their ability to conduct themselves with frankness, courage
> and resolution.
> 
> They similarly enjoin them to lend their support to agricultural and
> industrial development, to consolidate the foundations of mutual assistance and
> co-operation, to promote the emancipation and advancement of women and support
> the compulsory education of both sexes, to encourage application of the
> principles of consultation among all classes, and to adhere in all dealings
> to
> 
> a standard of scrupulous integrity.
> 
> (30 January 1926, to the Local Spiritual Assemblies of Iran, translated from the Persian)        [7]
> 
> Its high ideals are "to improve the characters of men; to extend the scope of
> knowledge; to abolish ignorance and prejudice; to strengthen the foundations of
> true religion in all hearts; to encourage self-reliance, and discourage false
> imitation; ... to uphold truthfulness, audacity, frankness, and courage; to
> promote craftsmanship and agriculture; ... to educate, on a compulsory basis,
> children of both sexes; to insist on integrity in business transactions; to lay
> stress on the observance of honesty and piety; ... to acquire mastery and skill
> in the modern sciences and arts, to promote the interests of the public; ... to
> obey outwardly and inwardly and with true loyalty the regulations enacted by
> state and government; ... to honour, to extol and to follow the example of
> those who have distinguished themselves in science and learning"....to help the needy from every creed or sect, and to collaborate with the people of the country in all welfare services.
> 
> (30 January 1926, to the Local Spiritual Assemblies of Iran, translated from the Persian)        [8]
> 
> The crisis that exists in the world is not confined to the farmers. Its
> effects have reached every means of livelihood. The farmers are in a sense
> better off because they at least have food to eat. But on the whole the crisis
> is serving a great purpose. It is broadening the outlook of man, teaching him
> to think internationally, forcing him to take into consideration the welfare
> of his neighbours if he wishes to improve his own condition. In short it is
> forcing humanity to appreciate the significance of and follow the precepts laid
> by Bahá'u'lláh.
> 
> (February 3, 1932
> [note: as submitted, the date given in this citation was "2 March 1932," but the 2004 edition of
> Lights of Guidance,
> page 130 quote 436, gives the 1932 date]
> , written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer)         [9]
> 
> Shoghi Effendi was very glad to hear of your work among the ranchers. He
> sincerely hopes that they will advance in spirituality and become imbued with
> the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh. Country people should be much readier
> for the Message, for they are not so completely carried away by material
> civilization and its blinding influence. They ought to be more receptive and
> more pure in heart.
> 
> (13 May 1932, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer)         [10]
> 
> From Letters Written by and on Behalf of the Universal House of
> Justice
> 
> One of the characteristics of the Bahá'í society will be the
> gathering of the believers each day during the hours between dawn and two hours
> after sunrise to listen to the reading and chanting of the Holy Word. In many
> communities at the present time, especially in rural ones, such gatherings
> would fit naturally into the pattern of the friends' daily life, and where this
> is the case it would do much to foster the unity of the local community and
> deepen the friends' knowledge of the Teachings if such gatherings could be
> organized by the Local Spiritual Assembly on a regular basis. Attendance at
> these gatherings is not to be obligatory, but we hope that the friends will
> more and more be drawn to take part in them. This is a goal which can be
> attained gradually.
> 
> (Naw-Rúz 1974, from the Universal House of Justice to all National
> Spiritual Assemblies)         [11]
> 
> 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.
> 
> (27 July 1976, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)        [12]
> 
> 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 should 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
> Bahá'í world is in no position, financially or from the point of
> view of manpower, to launch undertakings for the economic and social
> development of populations in areas where there are but few believers. 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.
> 
> 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
> Ma
> sh
> riqu'l-A
> dh
> kár, 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. 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.
> 
> 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.
> 
> (8 May 1984, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National
> Spiritual Assembly)        [13]
> 
> With regard to the concept of the Bahá'í community as a model,
> one of the distinguishing features of our community is its "unshakeable
> consciousness of the oneness of mankind".
> 
> [1]
> 
> This awareness is coupled with the commitment of the believers to endeavour to
> uphold spiritual principles "by which solutions can be found for every social
> problem",
> 
> [2]
> 
> and the practice of which "induces
> an attitude, a dynamic, a will, an aspiration, which facilitate the discovery
> and implementation of practical measures".
> 
> [3]
> 
> In
> keeping with the evolutionary nature of organic change, the
> Bahá'í community represents a model for the potential and gradual
> resolution of prejudices and other social ills, but cannot now present an
> example of achievement in absolute terms. We see in the Bahá'í
> community not only an example of diversity which is intrinsically attractive
> and hope inducing, but also the will and desire to work for change and the
> initial effects of such change, particularly in the discernible emergence of a
> new way of life and in the embryonic operation of the administrative and social
> structures being erected. Individual initiative is reinforced by the
> Bahá'í community at large and is channelled into constructive
> social action by the process of consultation. Clearly, the Bahá'í
> experience addresses problems at a fundamental level and realizes the means for
> their resolution; however, in presenting the Bahá'í community as
> a model, care must of course be taken to avoid giving the impression that all
> problems have been solved and all challenges met.
> 
> (23 September 1986, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an
> individual believer)         [14]
> 
> When the Bahá'í community in a village is a significant
> proportion of the population, it has a wide range of opportunities to be an
> example and an encouragement of means of improving the quality of life in the
> village. Among the initiatives which it might take are measures to foster child
> education, adult literacy and the training of women to better discharge their
> responsibilities as mothers and to play an enlarged role in the administrative
> and social life of the village; encouragement of the people of the village to
> join together in devotions, perhaps in the early morning, irrespective of their
> varieties of religious belief; support of efforts to improve the hygiene and
> the health of the village, including attention to the provision of pure water,
> the preservation of cleanliness in the village environment, and education in
> the harmful effects of narcotic and intoxicating substances. No doubt other
> possibilities will present themselves to the village Bahá'í
> community and its Local Spiritual Assembly.
> 
> (25 July 1988, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a
> National Spiritual Assembly)         [15]
> 
> Basically, "people of capacity" are those individuals, no matter in what walk
> of life they are found, and no matter what their level of education, who
> demonstrate capacity in various ways. For example, among any group of people
> there are those who are outstanding because they show a capacity for
> understanding, for work, for efficient action, for leadership, for drawing
> other people together, for self-sacrificing and devoted service -- for any
> number of qualities which enable them to respond actively to the needs of their
> environment and make a difference to it. In some cases this capacity has
> already been demonstrated; in others it is still latent but can be developed.
> It is for such people that we should search, since they can quickly become
> either devoted and active Bahá'ís or valued collaborators in the
> work of promoting Bahá'í ideals.
> 
> (6 November 1994, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a
> National Spiritual Assembly)        [16]
> 
> Notes:
> 
> From "The Promise of World Peace" (Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1985), p.
> 13
> .
> 
> Ibid.
> 
> Ibid.
> 
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> — *Agriculture and Rural Life (Used by permission of the curator)*