December 31, 2012
How to engage in a profession and be detached from worldly affairs
In the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh it is obligatory for the
individual to engage in a trade or profession. For instance, I know mat weaving
and you know another trade. The service we perform is equivalent to worship if
we perform it with truth and trustworthiness; it is a cause of human advancement.
If the heart is not bound and attached to the world, if it is unaffected by the
vicissitudes of life, unhampered by worldly wealth from serving humanity and
not dejected because of poverty, then this is a human perfection. Otherwise, to
profess generosity if one is poor, or justice when one is powerless to extend
it, is easy enough, but this will not establish one's spiritual education and
awareness. (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, New York, June 11, 1912; Mahmud’s Diary)