# Compilation of Compilations: Volume 3

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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, Compilation of Compilations: Volume 3, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> By Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and Universal House of Justice
> 
> Compiled by Universal House of Justice Research Department.
> 
> Published in Compilation of Compilations Volume 3 pages 5-17
> 
> CONTENTS
> I. From the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh
> II. From the Writings and Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> III. From the Writings and Cables of Shoghi Effendi
> IV. From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
> V. From Letters Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice to Individual Believers
> 
> From the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh
> 
> 1. 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)
> 
> 2. 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)
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> From the Writings and Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> 3. 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)
> 
> 4. 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)
> 
> 5. 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)
> 
> 6. ...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)
> 
> 7. ...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)
> 
> 8. 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
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> 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)
> 
> 9. 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:
> 1. General running expenses of the storehouse, such as the salary of the secretary and the
> administration of public health.
> 2. Tithes to the government.
> 3. Taxes on animals to the government.
> 4. Costs of running an orphanage.
> 5. Costs of running a home for the incapacitated.
> 6. Costs of running a school.
> 7. 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)
> 
> 10. 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
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> 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)
> 
> 11. 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 wellbeing. 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.
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> 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)
> 
> 12. 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
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> 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)
> 
> 13. 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)
> 
> 14. 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)
> 
> 15. ...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)
> 
> From the Writings and Cables of Shoghi Effendi
> 
> 16. 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.
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> 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)
> 
> 17. [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)
> 
> 18. 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)
> 
> 19. 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)
> 
> 20. 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)
> 
> From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi1
> 
> 21. 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)
> 
> 22. 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
> 
> 1   To individual believers unless otherwise noted
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> 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)
> 
> 23. 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)
> 
> 24. 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)
> 
> 25. 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)
> 
> 2   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.
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> 26. 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 1935)
> 
> 27. 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)
> 
> 28. 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
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> 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)
> 
> 29. 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)
> 
> 30. 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)
> 
> 31. 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)
> 
> From Letters Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice to Individual Believers
> 
> 32. 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)
> 
> 33. 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
> Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects
> 
> 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)
> 
> 34. 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)
>
> — *Compilation of Compilations: Volume 3 (Used by permission of the curator)*