Istijlál, 12 Sulțán (Sovereignty), 182 B.E.
Quotes for Reflection
As for those who are engaged in government service, they should perform their duties with the utmost fidelity, trustworthiness, rectitude, uprightness, integrity and high-mindedness. Let them not tarnish their good repute by pursuing personal interests, nor, for the sake of transient worldly benefits, make themselves objects of public odium and outcasts of the Threshold of Grandeur. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 1
Question for Consideration
When engaged in government service, how would one “perform their duties with the utmost fidelity, trustworthiness, rectitude, uprightness, integrity and high-mindedness,” as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá counsels?
Perplexity Pro Response 2
One lives this counsel by making public service an act of worship, carried out with absolute honesty, detachment from self-interest, and a constant preference for justice over convenience. [1]
Core inner stance
- See your post as “service of the state” that should draw you nearer to God, not as a path to status or income. [1]
- Cultivate truthfulness as the “foundation of all human virtues,” letting it govern speech, reports, and advice even when it is costly. [1]
- Keep your heart detached from wealth, influence, and praise, content with “a single loaf of bread” if necessary, so that integrity cannot be bought. [1]
Everyday conduct in office
- Perform your duties “with the highest degree of rectitude and honesty …” above suspicion, so that no one can reasonably question your motives or probity. [1]
- Be punctual, diligent, competent, and disciplined; negligence, delay, or half‑hearted work are breaches of trust toward the public. [1]
- Obey just laws and regulations of the government faithfully, regarding faithful service to a just state as service to God. [1]
Handling money, influence, and power
- Be “content with [your] allotted remuneration,” strictly avoiding bribes, gifts that create obligation, kickbacks, side deals, or the use of office resources for personal benefit. [1]
- Never exploit your position to secure favours, jobs, contracts, or advantages for yourself, family, or associates that you would not grant to others on merit. [1]
- Guard public funds and resources as a sacred trust; misappropriating even “a single penny” stains not only you but the good name of your community. [1]
Decision-making and justice
- Weigh decisions with an eye to “the common good, not … [your] own interests,” seeking the welfare of the country and people, especially the poor and vulnerable. [1]
- Apply rules consistently, without discrimination, favouritism, or party bias, and refuse any involvement in intrigue, backbiting, or corruption. [1]
- Use consultation: listen carefully, seek facts, welcome criticism, and be willing to change course when conscience and evidence require it. [1]
Witness through character
- Let your conduct show that believers “accept office” only “to render service to the whole of humanity,” not to seek position or wealth. [1]
- Strive to be known in your workplace for reliability, fairness, transparency, purity of motive, and kindness even under pressure, so that people say, “These are unquestionably people of trustworthiness and integrity.” [1]
- When you fail, acknowledge it, rectify harm, and turn back to God; over a lifetime, “excellence of character and conduct” is the strongest proof that you have heeded ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá’s counsel. [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/968126061. ↩︎
- Perplexity Pro. “For Those Who Are Engaged in Government Service.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. January 28, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/as-for-those-who-are-engaged-i-RywBDc2cRSGwuHfavGxxxw#0 ↩︎
Frameworks for Understanding the World 