Jalál, 07 Sulțán (Sovereignty), 182 B.E.
Quotes for Reflection
Your criterion should be to pursue your commercial activities with such fairness and equity as to be a cause of guidance to others. The friends of God should, through the instrumentality of their business, lead the people to God’s path, and make them so astonished as to exclaim: “How great is their truthfulness, how high their trustworthiness, and how true is their good will!” — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 1
Question for Consideration
What behaviors exhibited by the friends of God through their commercial activities increase their likelihood to “lead the people to God’s path”?
Perplexity Pro Response 2
Behaviors in commercial life that make it more likely to “lead the people to God’s path” are those that make onlookers spontaneously recognize unusual trustworthiness, truthfulness, fairness, and selflessness. [1]
Core inner orientation
- Intentionally see one’s trade or profession as an act of worship and service, not merely a way to make money. [1]
- Prefer the “exaltation of the Cause and the education of the human race” over personal advantage in all work-related decisions. [1]
- Regard trustworthiness as the “bedrock” of religion and the foundation of all virtues, making every business choice pass that test. [1]
Truthfulness and transparency
- Speak plainly and accurately about products, pricing, risks, and limitations, avoiding exaggeration or concealment even when it lowers profit. [1]
- Keep words and deeds aligned so that promises, contracts, and informal assurances are reliably fulfilled without evasion or technical loopholes. [1]
- Accept short‑term loss rather than resort to falsehood, misrepresentation, or misleading marketing. [1]
Trustworthiness and reliability
- Deliver what is promised in full, on time, and at the agreed quality, so others feel utterly safe entrusting money, information, and responsibilities. [1]
- Scrupulously avoid even “a single penny” of misappropriation, bribery, side payments, or conflicts of interest, content with rightful earnings. [1]
- Settle debts promptly when able, and negotiate honestly and humbly when unable, honoring the rights of others. [1]
Fairness, equity, and justice
- Price and negotiate with genuine fairness, neither exploiting others’ ignorance nor allowing oneself to cheat or be cheated, but seeking mutual benefit. [1]
- Refuse predatory practices toward competitors, employees, or customers, even if such practices are legal or common in the market. [1]
- Use positions of authority or expertise to protect the weak, uphold just procedures, and ensure that decisions serve the common good, not just a select few. [1]
Detachment from wealth and status
- Demonstrate by choices that wealth is a means for service, not an object of attachment: avoid ostentation, luxury at others’ expense, or greed‑driven expansion. [1]
- Prefer integrity over lucrative but dubious opportunities, showing willingness to sacrifice advancement rather than compromise principle. [1]
- Maintain the same high standard of honesty in private, internal dealings as in public, visible ones, so character is consistent across contexts. [1]
Kindliness, courtesy, and service
- Treat customers, colleagues, suppliers, and competitors with courtesy, patience, and good will, especially under pressure or provocation. [1]
- Make professional competence and diligence themselves an offering to God: do high‑quality work, keep learning, and carry out tasks with excellence. [1]
- Use business resources—time, skills, networks, profits—to uplift others, support those in need, and contribute to the material and moral well‑being of society. [1]
Distinctiveness that awakens hearts
- Conduct business so consistently and conspicuously upright that outsiders spontaneously notice: “How great is their truthfulness, how high their trustworthiness, and how true is their good will!” [1]
- Let example precede explanation: allow the fragrance of conduct to prepare others to receive spiritual conversation, rather than using religion as a marketing tool. [1]
- In all situations of ambiguity, choose the course that most clearly protects the honor of the Faith and reflects a “noble character and praiseworthy deeds,” even when no one is watching. [1]
Citations
- Trustworthiness: A Cardinal Bahá’í Virtue. Compiled by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, Revised August 1990 – Bahá’í Reference Library
Footnotes
- Research Department of the Universal House of Justice.“ Trustworthiness: A Cardinal Bahá’í Virtue.” Bahá’í Reference Library, Revised August 1990. https://www.bahai.org/r/782059115. ↩︎
- Perplexity Pro. “Be a Cause of Guidance to Others.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. January 23, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/your-criterion-should-be-to-pu-PHe5VaXhTkS18HX3W2TEVA#0 ↩︎
Frameworks for Understanding the World 