# Non-Involvement in Politics

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Alí Murád Dávúdí, Non-Involvement in Politics, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Non-Involvement in Politics
> 
> Alí Murád Dávúdí
> 
> Riaz Masrour, translator
> 
> 2010
> 
> Intro: Dr Ali Murad Davudi (1922-1979?) was an Iranian Bahá'í who was a member of the national governing body of the Bahá'ís in Iran. He was a professor at Tehran University in the philosophy department. In 1979, during a wave of persecution toward Bahá'ís, he was kidnapped and has been presumed a probable victim of state execution.
> 
> One of my Bahá'í friends gave the principle of non-involvement in political
> affairs a most imaginative title; he called it "the Talisman Principle", which
> indicates that the principle serves as a sort of amulet for the friends and for
> the Cause of God. An amulet is an invocation, a supplication or a prayer that is
> either recited or is written and worn as an armband in order to protect the bearer
> from harm. He called this principle an amulet since it has always been a
> safeguard for the protection and safety of the Faith and of the friends. His wit
> and flair in choosing such a title is undeniable.
> 
> Politics, defined as the management of the affairs of a country and its guidance
> towards a desired goal, is what the people of Baha [i.e. Bahá'ís], in accordance
> with the teachings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, the Guardian and the Universal House of
> Justice, shun and abstain from, as far as any and all direct involvement is
> concerned.
> 
> It is, however, essential that we explain and clarify this principle and this
> commitment to both the friends who have become accustomed, through the teachings
> of Bahá'u'lláh, to weigh every issue through the power of their intellect before
> submitting to it, as well as to non-Bahá'ís who may wonder as to the logic of such
> a belief.
> 
> We know that the fundamental Bahá'í teachings have a moral, spiritual and ethical
> character. In other words, the purpose of the Bahá'í revelation has been to
> perfect the life of the spirit, extol spiritual realities, enhance manners and
> morals, and reinforce the power of conscience. It has come for the reformation of
> humanity and, as stated by Bahá'u'lláh, for the advancement of the world and the
> elevation of humankind. All of the tenets, teachings and principles which have
> been laid down are all based on this foundation, so that the world, through the
> strengthening of morals, reinforcement of the conscience and exaltation of moral
> virtues, may attain to such advancement and such an elevation.
> 
> Any approach other than this is considered temporary, unsuitable, or unreliable.
> In other words, we are confident that unless man receives spiritual education and
> training, strengthens the power of his conscience, harkens to the call of the
> spirit and ultimately achieves his highest spiritual station, he will not find
> true happiness. Any and all other efforts to reach such a goal, while not
> necessarily detrimental, will only have a temporary, superficial, and
> tranquilizing effect. Even so, such other approaches will only focus on a single
> physical aspect and thus will not be complete, accurate, and reliable. As such, it
> would be impossible to construct a healthy, strong, content, forbearing and free
> society of individuals who are morally ambivalent, ethically unstable and
> spiritually bankrupt and uncaring persons. Therefore the focus and the actions of
> the people of Baha concern the spiritual, ethical and moral aspects of humankind;
> because of this, piety emerges as the mighty pillar of Bahá'í life.
> 
> Before all else an individual Bahá'í must be pious, must have belief in God, must
> be God-loving and God-fearing. Of course this fear stems from love. The fear of
> God for a Bahá'í may be likened to the fear of a lover at committing an act that
> would break his beloved's heart. It is in this manner that we say that a Bahá'í
> should fear God, which means he must be pious and his piety is more important to
> him than anything else. Without it, nothing else in the world would matter. What
> is important for us is piety, sustaining piety and strengthening piety. Therefore
> any factor which may prove to be in conflict with a holy life is shunned by a
> Bahá'í, and whatever may assist in its strengthening and reinforcement is embraced
> by a Bahá'í.
> 
> Should a day come when the entire population of the world or of any nation become
> Bahá'ís and yet fail to adhere to the principle of a holy and righteous life, not
> only would we not have succeeded in our duty, but in fact we would have pushed
> that world or that country backward and have achieved exactly the opposite of what
> we had intended to achieve. Thus for us the main principle is piety.
> 
> There is an expression: Piety ends where politics begins. Thus we have no choice
> but to lay politics aside so that we may be able to safeguard our piety. Of course
> this does not constitute a disadvantage for the world of politics. In fact, lack
> of such a religious principle in politics not only does not have a detrimental
> effect; it may very well be the cause of its success.
> 
> Before I explain further, let me quote a saying from Ali, (son-in-law of Prophet
> Muhammad). The Arabs faulted Ali for not being a politician. They claimed that
> he lacked the acumen, the shrewdness and cunning that are the necessary tools of a
> statesman, and that because of this he was incapable of adopting the necessary
> expedients to defeat his rivals. Ali heard of this and said: "If piety did not
> exist, I would have been the most excellent of statesmen." He meant that it is
> not that I am ignorant and incapable, but that inasmuch as I wish to safeguard my
> righteousness, remain a just and honest man, and be true to my Faith, therefore I
> stay clear of politics.
> 
> And so, this issue is not unique to the people of Baha in this period of time, as
> it is a general religious principle and a matter of conscience that whenever the
> leaders of religions wished to emphasize the safeguarding of piety, they said that
> whatever politics requires in order for it to succeed is incompatible with the
> requirements of a pious life.
> 
> Success, in politics, is a critical requirement; in order to succeed, one must
> compete with opponents or adversaries. It is not possible for one to enter
> politics without having to deal with opponents. In such a competition for power,
> bargains must be struck, compromise and conspiracy come into play, empty promises
> are made, lies and half-truths become routine declarations, and publicity stunts,
> chaos and commotions abound; if we choose to abstain we will be defeated, since
> our opponents will not pull any punches.
> 
> What, then, is the purpose of any involvement in politics where if we try to
> remain faithful to our beliefs we have to accept defeat? Yet if we decide to
> entrap and overpower our opponents, stab adversaries in the back, lie and
> sensationalize in order to succeed, then we will have abandoned piety and nothing
> is left of our devotion and obligation to a spiritual and ethical life. In
> effect, participation in politics, insofar as our spiritual life is concerned,
> degrades and demeans us. If our spiritual and ethical beliefs are thus undermined,
> nothing would then be left of our Bahá'í life.
> 
> Politicians have an axiom: "The end justifies the means." In other words, it
> implies that we will adopt whatever available means necessary, regardless of their
> nature, in order to realize the desired end. The idea is that since the good end
> is of principal importance, adoption of even bad means which will guide us to that
> good end is acceptable and justifiable. Every politician has no choice but to
> accept this attitude, since if he rejects it, he will not taste the glory of
> victory. If he becomes unwilling to consider all available means, and from among
> such options chooses the one which is in line with moral principles, he will
> experience the pain of defeat, as his opponents will have no qualms about seizing
> the opportunity to embrace the most effective means regardless of their ethical
> value. Obviously, should one persist in adhering to his principles and continue
> to accept defeat, he in effect is no longer a participant in politics. However if
> he chooses to participate and adopts whatever means necessary to achieve the end
> which he considers as good and desirable, such an end after its realization
> becomes tainted and distorted, since those who have accepted corruption as a means
> cannot ultimately achieve a good end. A good end, once in the hands of a corrupt
> individual, will become tarnished and discredited, and because of this we do not
> accept this axiom.
> 
> In order to reach a good end which is in line with the principles of the Faith, a
> Bahá'í does not resort to bribery. He will not bribe someone so that he may serve
> the Faith. Why? Because while he considers the goal as good, the mere act of
> bribery has despoiled that goodness – thus what is there that remains of the
> Bahá'í Faith which he may wish to serve? Since the basic belief in the Faith is
> piety, then our aim is piety, and such devotion to a righteous life becomes
> inconsistent with any participation in political affairs.
> 
> Another issue to consider is the involvement in political affairs by a single
> individual who wishes to take it upon himself to advance a certain political
> ideal. Such a situation, in our current world, is not viable. Participation in
> politics then requires belonging to a particular party that has an established
> constitution with particular attitudes and beliefs. Therefore, if a Bahá'í
> chooses to belong to, for example, the Democratic Party, the Socialist party, the
> Communist party, the Republican Party, etc., he must of necessity adopt their
> principles and beliefs, some of which may have direct implications with respect to
> such concepts as God, the next world, the purpose of life, etc. Thus a Bahá'í on
> the one hand must adhere to the principles of the Bahá'í teachings and consider
> them as true, but on the other would have to accept the basic tenets of a
> political party and regard them as true. Of course it is obvious that these
> cannot be compatible. If in fact a Bahá'í accepts a party which in all aspects is
> in line with Bahá'í ideals, in effect he has not abandoned his Faith; he has not
> joined a different party. However should he decide to belong to another party, he
> has in effect dissociated himself from the Bahá'í Faith.
> 
> In fact the Bahá'í Faith in a way could be considered to be a party, and has been
> referred to by Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá as the "Party of God" (the term has
> since been adopted by other political entities which bear no relationship or
> resemblance to the Bahá'í Faith-Translator). The members of such a party in
> whichever country they may reside are obedient to the governments of those
> countries.
> 
> The Party of God [not in the sense of a normal political party, based on human
> ideas, but in the sense of a group of the proponents of God's laws] is a party
> with its own teachings, with its own commandments, principles and social
> teachings, among which is, for the present time, avoidance of involvement in
> political affairs. So anyone who is a member of this "party" is a member of the
> Bahá'í community. A Bahá'í would compare the idea of simultaneously belonging to
> the Bahá'í Faith and a political party as being similar to being a Bahá'í and an
> atheist at the same time; or an individual who is both a Moslem and a Buddhist; or
> a Muslim who may also be a Christian. Thus while one cannot confess to belief in
> all these religions, as each is an independent Faith (unless we regard their
> fundamental principles which is a different discussion), by the same token an
> individual cannot be a Bahá'í and belong to any political entity. This is an
> impossibility. In other words it is a logical contradiction.
> 
> This of course does not imply that the people of Baha should not be educated
> regarding the organization and management of worldly affairs, the correct approach
> in serving one's country, providing guidance and service to the people or the
> duties of government officials. Such disregard of current world affairs might
> imply that the Bahá'í Faith was an isolationist or socially disconnected
> organization. On the contrary, the Bahá'í Faith offers progressive economic and
> social teachings; while it expresses belief in a spiritual world, it also has
> principles that govern their mode of operation. The difference is that it does
> not adopt political means to achieve its avowed fundamental goal – the unity of
> the human race.
> 
> There have been a number of non-religious ideologies which have adopted a worldly
> perspective in their teachings, and had focused on the unity of humankind. Yet
> once they entered the arena of political enterprise to advance their cause they
> were confronted with competing ideologies which they had to defeat in order to
> gain the ascendency. Such an approach resulted in the exact opposite of their aim
> – eventually they fell back into the arena of imperialism and exploitation, goals
> which they had initially intended to avoid. This is an indication which
> highlights the fact that should the means adopted be incompatible with the
> intended end, the means will eventually undermine the end and render it
> ineffective and unproductive.
> 
> The Bahá'í Faith does not wish to follow this path. What this Faith intends is to
> bring love to hearts, to create friendship between individuals, to encourage and
> strengthen ethical conscientiousness, to refine morality and expand spiritual
> teachings among all people. The achievement of these goals will consequently
> supply such building blocks as are necessary to confidently and solidly build the
> fortress of human happiness. Likewise, should one wish to build a magnificent
> structure, but uses substandard and shoddy materials which are incompatible with
> the design of the building, then such a project is destined to fail, and such a
> structure is obviously doomed to destruction. Even if it reaches a state of
> completion, it will eventually collapse.
> 
> A Cause which has among its goals the unity of the human race, the promotion of
> love and affection among peoples and the exaltation of moral values, surely cannot
> afford devotees who may be corrupted by worldly competition, who bargain to
> achieve a certain goal, and who plot and intrigue to gain their political aims. In
> this case, the structure which such a Cause is raising and the goal toward which
> it is working will never be realized. Ultimately it will join the other ideologies
> which failed to achieve the end they had originally adopted.
> 
> An inquiry was sent to the Bahá'í World Center asking the following question: "How
> should worldly political affairs be regarded by the friends? Political issues are
> unavoidable. Therefore, in what light should participation in worldly political
> affairs be seen?" The World Center referred the friends to the relevant writing
> of the beloved Guardian [the Head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 to 1957], which
> was written as an explanation of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings regarding this issue.
> The Guardian wrote that there are two simultaneous movements taking place in the
> world: one is natural, imperceptible yet essential evolution and another is the
> deliberate and purposeful organizational and teaching activities of the friends
> that is performed in the path of service to humanity. In other words, the
> movement of the world Bahá'í community is directed towards the diffusion of the
> teachings of Bahá'u'lláh in order to achieve the goal of unity of the human race.
> On the other hand, another movement, which is natural and innate and is based on
> the essential relationship between the realities of things, is also moving
> forward. In other words the world and all that is in it is, by the force of
> nature, moving towards this destination, of which the people of Baha are well
> aware and in which they believe. Their aims are the same except that one moves
> naturally and the other deliberately through the teaching efforts of the Bahá'í
> community. In the first, political affairs, naturally and essentially, find a role
> to play and do so without any impulsion.
> 
> On the other hand, the people of Baha exclude politics in their efforts to teach
> the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh. Thus, the meaning of non-involvement in politics is
> this: we who teach Bahá'í principles make every effort to bring hearts and souls
> together, we strive to expand the cause of world unity in accordance with Bahá'í
> teachings, but we do not include political matters in our approach. Since our
> individual lives are lived in the service of community life, if we were corrupted
> we would weaken the efforts that have been put forward by the community to reach
> its goal. Thus we put aside any thought of participation in political affairs in
> our individual lives, so that we may remain protected and safeguarded from the
> moral decay that would threaten the sacred and holy lives to which we have
> dedicated ourselves.
> 
> Let us now pass from our theoretical discussion and consider the effects of
> actions which highlight the benefits that non-involvement in politics has gained
> for the Bahá'í community and the Faith itself. If the Bahá'í friends, who in this
> hundred and thirty five years (now 165 – translator) have passed through dozens of
> events and stages and have also gone through many ups and downs in their
> individual lives were to involve themselves in political affairs – in other words
> join various parties and ideologies which have emerged in this period and actively
> participated in realization of their goals today no sign of the true Bahá'í Faith
> would have remained. Why? Because each would have gone his own way, and along
> with his fellow comrades would have trodden the path of decline and eventual
> extinction. This would have caused such a diversity of thoughts that even if a
> group which identified itself as Bahá'í was to endure, it would remain as a sect,
> a faction or a cult, of which history can give many examples. All that would have
> remained would have been a name and an inchoate feeling of attachment. The
> independent nature of the Faith, the true devotion of its adherents, its
> organization, teachings and goals would have passed from memory.
> 
> Consider the emergence of the Faith at its initial stage. After the manifestation
> of Bahá'u'lláh, a group of Babis rejected him and became violators of the covenant
> of the Bab. The followers of Azal subsequently became active in political affairs
> [for example, they were active in the Iranian constitutional movement in the early
> 20th century - translator]; over time, as Babis or Azalis, they disappeared from
> history, and today those who still belongs to such a persuasion usually hide their
> identity so that people do not consider them to be different from the majority of
> the nation. This is a good experience in lessons learned. In other words, their
> involvement in politics was their death knell as a religious community. Obviously
> there is no reason to think that had the friends followed the same path they would
> not have arrived at the same ending.
> 
> In this period there emerged many ideologies and political sects. Since most of
> the friends were educated and capable, they could have easily joined these groups
> and became active in advancing their agendas. Yet the result would have been the
> complete breakdown of the community, as each group would have been in conflict
> with the others, and which ultimately would have led to the downfall and
> extinction of all. How, then, could one have imagined a day like today, in which
> we have Local Spiritual Assemblies in the far corners of the globe, and Bahá'í
> centers in thousands of locations around the world?
> 
> Those who oppose us (we don't know them as enemies, as we do not consider anyone
> our enemy) have always waited patiently to find a political justification, so that
> they could accuse the friends of wrongdoing. This is because they were unable to
> denounce the Bahá'ís for any faults due to religious beliefs as these were openly
> known to all and none of them conflict with any divinely ordained laws. It is
> astonishing that on the one hand they degrade the friends for not participating in
> political activities, and on the other hand accuse the community of meddling in
> political affairs, and classify the Faith as a political organization at its core.
> It is unclear whether one should laugh or cry at this logical conundrum. What is
> crystal clear to us and to others and what is agreed by all is that we do not
> participate in political activities. What they have is an empty accusation – at
> no time over these hundred and thirty five years have they ever been able to
> present a single document which could serve as valid evidence to demonstrate our
> involvement in politics. Of course it is possible that one of the people of Baha
> may have had some participation in politics or given his consent to achieve a
> political end. However, the Bahá'í community has always separated itself from such
> individuals (loss of administrative rights) so that the community would remain
> protected.
> 
> If in fact they had been able to find any evidence of our involvement in politics,
> then you would have discovered what they would have done with us. How many times
> have they put a stop to our administrative activities? How often have they closed
> the doors of our Bahá'í properties? They took over, searched and never found an
> iota of evidence. If they had found such a document then you would have known of
> what charges the friends would have stood accused. Thus it is nothing but true
> that non-involvement in politics is our amulet.
> 
> In fact during the Persian constitutional revolution, `Abdu'l-Bahá's strict
> instructions regarding the non-involvement of the friends in the political
> upheaval not only safeguarded believers (otherwise it was not clear what would
> have happened to the friends and the Faith itself) but also, as stated by a Bahá'í
> scholar, preserved the Iranian constitution. Why? Because the opponents of the
> constitutional government could not find an excuse to accuse the Bahá'ís of being
> the main thrust behind the proponent's movement in order to proclaim them as
> unbelievers in Islam and thus infidels. This was a mystery which assisted the
> natural evolutionary process of events that led to the establishment of the
> constitutional government, and also protected the friends and the Cause through
> the deliberate guidance of `Abdu'l-Bahá.
> 
> In one of his writings, the Guardian tells a relevant story. Some years ago the
> people of Baha were accused by the authorities of a neighboring country of
> belonging to a mystical religious sect which was banned in that country. They
> were brought to trial, their activities were investigated, all their papers in
> Bahá'í centers and from their Local Assemlbies were confiscated and a thorough
> examination of all Bahá'í materials took place. The Guardian asked us to consider
> what would have happened to the Bahá'í community and the Faith itself had they
> found any shred of evidence, written or otherwise, of the involvement of the
> believers in politics.
> 
> The very reference that the Guardian made to this particular event is an example
> for us. It is a lesson for us to remember and keep in mind that regardless of the
> time and place of our residence, the nature of the issues, the conditions under
> which we live, we leave all participation in and management of all political
> affairs to those who are not Bahá'ís. If they ask why we abstain, our answer is
> clear. What we do is we transform the hearts, we bring about refinement of
> conduct and strengthening of ethical and moral behavior.
> 
> Whether this understanding and approach is necessary, whether it is good or bad or
> whether it is advantageous or not, for us it is clear. Others will not take on
> this responsibility, so we have assumed it. Others, then, can assume the
> political duties. The matter is very clear. If in fact the spiritual duty of
> safeguarding moral uprightness and rectitude of conduct, bringing together hearts
> and souls of members of the human family estranged from each other is essential
> and beneficial, then it is only fitting that those who have focused all their
> attention to such a service should be allowed to carry on their work, and that
> others should take up the work from which Bahá'ís abstain.
> 
> Of course they set tempting bait for young people in order to attract, entice and
> encourage them to involve themselves in political affairs. However, Bahá'í youth
> are aware, attentive and vigilant. They know that in such activities, the words
> that flow from the tongue are different from the purpose that is hidden in the
> heart. Usually, they argue in this way: "How can one be so apathetic to the
> destiny of his homeland and still claim to be a patriot?" In other words, if one
> loves his country, how can he remain indifferent to its destiny?
> 
> The answer is very clear. We are not indifferent to the destiny of our country.
> We do not detach ourselves from working for our homeland. We accept with heart
> and mind educational tasks that are among the most critical requirements of any
> country. Activities related to the economic growth of the country we consider
> important, and we participate with honesty and uprightness. Any activity that
> would lead to the development and progress of the nation we consider as acts of
> service, and we do not eschew them. The attempt to acquire wealth in accordance
> with applicable laws and without avoiding the full payment of associated taxes to
> the government is in accordance with the tenets of the Bahá'í Faith. Moreover,
> although the Bahá'í Faith is the religion of peace, yet in the times of war the
> people of Baha accept being drafted into the armed forces in accordance with the
> laws of the land. However, they prefer that as conscientious objectors they should
> not be required to be a part of any attacking force where killing would be
> inevitable. However, in all other services they fully participate.
> 
> Therefore who can say a Bahá'í is apathetic about the destiny of his homeland?
> The Universal House of Justice has said that the friends should not suppose that
> the principle of non-involvement in the political affairs of their country
> provides any justification for them to remain aloof from working for the welfare
> and wellbeing of their fellow countrymen, and in so doing remain idle and
> fruitless. Of course rendering service does not have to be only through politics.
> If service were to mean strictly through politics, a Bahá'í would not take up such
> a service, but you must admit that the road to service does not necessarily have
> to go through politics. This service with its associated characteristics of
> ambition, and satisfying of a sense of self-glorification and accruing many
> benefits and privileges, we freely give up to others. Let those services that
> require self-sacrifice, detachment, giving of oneself, hard work and earning an
> honest and honorable living be our lot. We do a good job at this – and we should.
> Bahá'ís do not disregard the interest of their country. Especially in the case of
> Iran, it must be said that the Bahá'ís, albeit unknown and unacknowledged, are
> among the leading promoters of Iran, its culture, its race, its name, its
> traditions, and its interests in the world. People of this land love Iran as
> their homeland, but the Bahá'ís are of a more distinguished rank – they revere
> Iran as the birthplace of the Bahá'í Faith, as the place of sacrifice of Bahá'í
> martyrs, as the soil on which the blood of the most beloved members of the Faith
> flowed, as the soil which was made crimson with the blood of the Bab, the soil
> that was sanctified by the steps of Bahá'u'lláh. We are speaking of
> sanctification, and not of devotion; of worship and not just love; we are speaking
> of prostration and placing of one's forehead on the ground; we are talking of
> circumambulation and diffusion of this love around the world.
> 
> Today for hundreds of different races and nations and tribes across the globe, for
> millions of souls in dozens of countries, and in thousands of cities and villages,
> the name of Iran, the culture of Iran, the tradition of Iran, Shiraz and Tehran of
> Iran is revered and idolized. They are not few – those who from across the globe
> have come to Iran so that they could place their foreheads on the soil of Shiraz
> where the Bab arose, and to Tabriz, to shed a tear where His blood stained the
> earth. Yet this pilgrimage that has been the goal of their lives, so that they
> could come and kiss the land of Iran and return, come to worship Shiraz and
> glorify Tehran and take a handful of soil from Tabriz in remembrance – if this is
> considered inappropriate by the Iranian people or government, then such a
> pilgrimage would no longer take place, since not only are they acting in
> accordance with the their own rules, but also because they accept and obey the
> decision of their people or government.
> 
> Thus, how can such a group of people be considered apathetic towards the destiny
> of their country!? How can they be regarded as indifferent to rendering service
> to their homeland? This act of pure tyranny has been inflicted on the people of
> Baha!
> 
> Another concept they choose in order to lure young people into their trap is to
> insist that involvement in politics is the road for the establishment of justice
> in the world – therefore how can a group of people remain uninterested in such a
> profound goal? Of course we know that this is only the mere surface appearance of
> the issue. Involvement in politics is simply in order to replace of one group by
> another; to put one individual in place of another, one position in place of
> another, etc. Whenever there is a political contest there is an attempt to combat
> the ongoing avarice and self-indulgence of the system; however if we look closely
> we see that the election itself has provided the opportunity for the same self
> indulgence, wealth and rank for the another candidate who, not possessing such
> benefits and privileges, pined for the opportunity to possess them. Therefore the
> friends, who stay aloof, simply do not wish to be the instrument, or the ladder to
> success of any such groups or individuals.
> 
> The people of Baha know well that serving the cause of justice is only possible
> through service to the cause of humanity, achievement of the unity of the human
> family, the establishment of world peace, abandonment of all forms of prejudice,
> strengthening of the power of conscience and awakening of the hearts to spiritual
> realities. Justice cannot be established in the world in any other way. Of
> course we are not pessimistic or cynical regarding other human activities and
> aspirations; however, we consider these as part and parcel of the same natural
> movement or development that is essential, deliberate and inherent in the world of
> existence, which must of necessity lead the world to that same ultimate and
> cardinal goal.
> 
> We, however, do not focus our efforts in that direction. We work towards the
> diffusion of the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith; we focus on expanding the
> influence of Bahá'u'lláh's principles, which consist of nothing but the unity of
> humankind, nothing but the improvement of the morals of nations, and nothing but
> the elevation of the contingent world to the height of the virtues and attributes
> of the Abha Kingdom.
> 
> And as long as we are who we are, we employ these instruments to reach our goal.
> We keep ourselves and our goal unalloyed, unpolluted and uncorrupted in our effort
> to reach that goal, even if its full realization may only be in the far future.
> This is because we don't strive to achieve a personal goal; we strive that the
> human race may reach its true destiny, which we may or may not witness. What is
> certain is that for this purpose we will not back down; we will not compromise our
> principles in order to take any shortcuts. We will not try to reach our target in
> haste, and by so doing undermine the pristine quality of the goal, nor will we
> alter the very purpose of Bahá'u'lláh's revelation due to our deficiency in
> properly understanding His aim.
> 
> Our involvement in politics, in effect, would make of the Faith what we in fact
> strive to prevent. Because of this not only will we never participate – we pray
> that the people of Baha will forever remain aloof from this danger, as they have
> been so far – and this has been their amulet of safeguarding and protection.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views9791 views since posted 2010-09-18; last edit 2024-04-12 02:34 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../davudi_non_involvement_politics
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> Shortlink: bahai-library.com/3334
> Citation: ris/3334
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> — *Non-Involvement in Politics (Used by permission of the curator)*