Jamál, 12 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 182 B.E.
Social Action: Selected Themes Pertaining to Social and Economic Development
Quotes for Reflection:
It is quite otherwise with the human race, where the greatest oppression and injustice are to be found. Thus you can observe, on the one hand, a single person who has amassed a fortune, made an entire country his personal colony, acquired immense wealth, and secured an unceasing flow of gains and profits, and, on the other, a hundred thousand helpless souls—weak, powerless, and wanting even a mouthful of bread. There is neither equality here nor benevolence. Observe how, as a result, general peace and happiness have become so wanting, and the welfare of humanity so undermined, that the lives of a vast multitude have been rendered fruitless! For all the wealth, power, commerce, and industry are concentrated in the hands of a few individuals, while all others toil under the burden of endless hardships and difficulties, are bereft of advantages and benefits, and remain deprived of comfort and peace. One must therefore enact such laws and regulations as will moderate the excessive fortunes of the few and meet the basic needs of the myriad millions of the poor, that a degree of moderation may be achieved.
However, absolute equality is just as untenable, for complete equality in wealth, power, commerce, agriculture, and industry would result in chaos and disorder, disrupt livelihoods, provoke universal discontent, and undermine the orderly conduct of the affairs of the community. For unjustified equality is also fraught with peril. It is preferable, then, that some measure of moderation be achieved, and by moderation is meant the enactment of such laws and regulations as would prevent the unwarranted concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and satisfy the essential needs of the many. For instance, the factory owners reap a fortune every day, but the wage the poor workers are paid cannot even meet their daily needs: This is most unfair, and assuredly no just man can accept it. Therefore, laws and regulations should be enacted which would grant the workers both a daily wage and a share in a fourth or fifth of the profits of the factory in accordance with its means, or which would have the workers equitably share in some other way in the profits with the owners. For the capital and the management come from the latter and the toil and labour from the former. The workers could either be granted a wage that adequately meets their daily needs, as well as a right to a share in the revenues of the factory when they are injured, incapacitated, or unable to work, or else a wage could be set that allows the workers to both satisfy their daily needs and save a little for times of weakness and incapacity.
If matters were so arranged, neither would the factory owners amass each day a fortune which is absolutely of no use to them—for should one’s fortune increase beyond measure, one would come under a most heavy burden, become subject to exceeding hardships and troubles, and find the administration of such an excessive fortune to be most difficult and to exhaust one’s natural powers—nor would the workers endure such toil and hardship as to become incapacitated and to fall victim, at the end of their lives, to the direst need.
It is therefore clearly established that the appropriation of excessive wealth by a few individuals, notwithstanding the needs of the masses, is unfair and unjust, and that, conversely, absolute equality would also disrupt the existence, welfare, comfort, peace, and orderly life of the human race. Such being the case, the best course is therefore to seek moderation, which is for the wealthy to recognize the advantages of moderation in the acquisition of profits and to show regard for the welfare of the poor and the needy, that is, to fix a daily wage for the workers and also to allot them a share of the total profits of the factory. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 1 2
Question for Consideration
How do societies avoid the untenable pursuit of absolute equality yet enact laws and regulations that moderate the excessive fortunes of the few and meet the basic needs of the myriad millions of the poor?
Perplexity Pro Response 3
Societies can avoid the extremes of both economic oppression and absolute equality by cultivating systems rooted in moderation, justice, and cooperation between spiritual and material principles. The writings of Baháʼu’lláh and ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, as applied by the Universal House of Justice, envision a balanced order that harmonizes wealth creation with social responsibility, ensuring that material prosperity serves the common good rather than private excess. [1]
Principles of Moderation and Justice
‘Abdu’l‑Bahá affirmed that the concentration of wealth in a few hands is unjust, yet absolute equality would cause disorder. True justice requires “the enactment of such laws and regulations as would prevent the unwarranted concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and satisfy the essential needs of the many”. This includes fair wages that meet daily needs, profit sharing between workers and owners, and taxation proportional to capacity and production so that “there will be no poor in the community”. [1]
Spiritual and Material Civilization in Balance
Baháʼí social thought rejects the false dichotomy between materialism and spirituality. Material civilization, compared to the body, must be animated by spiritual civilization, its spirit. Without moral purpose, material progress fuels inequality and conflict. When these two are joined, “the happiness of the human world will be attained” and the energies of civilization will serve unity, not division. [1]
Mechanisms for Economic Justice
The Baháʼí writings outline several practical measures:
- Progressive taxation to reconcile production and need. [1]
- Profit sharing to reward both capital and labor equitably. [1]
- Community storehouses to supply public services—education, health, and support for orphans and the incapacitated. [1]
- Encouragement of voluntary philanthropy rather than compelled redistribution, as “voluntary sharing, the freely‑chosen expending of one’s substance, leadeth to society’s comfort and peace”. [1]
Cooperation and Consultation
Social equilibrium is maintained not by coercion but through consultation and cooperation. Baháʼu’lláh wrote that “the canopy of world order is upraised upon the two pillars of consultation and compassion.” Consultation — inclusive, respectful, and truth‑seeking — prevents class antagonism, ensuring decisions reflect unity rather than self‑interest. [1]
A Dynamic Process of Organic Growth
Economic reform, from a Baháʼí perspective, is evolutionary, rooted in moral and intellectual maturity. It rejects both laissez‑faire capitalism and state‑imposed socialism. Instead, it seeks an organic world order that evolves through gradual stages of moral and institutional development. As societies mature spiritually and scientifically, new forms of production and distribution—consistent with justice—naturally emerge. [1]
In essence, society avoids the extremes of inequality and forced sameness by uniting moral restraint with social legislation, ensuring that wealth is generated justly and expended generously, that cooperation replaces competition, and that economic life becomes a field of service to humanity rather than domination over it. [1]
Follow-Up Questions Proposed by Perplexity
To deepen understanding of how societies can avoid both oppressive inequality and destructive egalitarianism—as outlined by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá—you could explore questions that probe the moral, institutional, and practical dimensions of economic justice and moderation. Drawing from Social Action: A Compilation Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice (2020), several lines of inquiry emerge. [1]
Foundational Questions
- What is the spiritual principle underlying the call for moderation in wealth and social conditions? [1]
- How do the Bahá’í teachings define the proper relationship between material progress and spiritual civilization? [1]
- In what ways can religion and science complement each other in the creation of a just social order? [1]
Questions on Justice and Wealth
- What distinguishes just acquisition and use of wealth from exploitation or excess according to Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá? [1]
- How can a society balance incentives for productive work with protections against domination or poverty? [1]
- How can a progressive tax system and profit‑sharing arrangements reflect the principle of moderation without enforcing artificial equality? [1]
Governance and Law
- What roles should legislation, voluntary generosity, and moral education each play in achieving economic balance? [1]
- How might consultation—as a nonpartisan and truth‑seeking process—guide just economic decision‑making? [1]
- In what ways can social institutions evolve organically rather than through coercive reform to embody greater equity? [1]
Human Development and Education
- How does universal access to knowledge and education empower people to overcome economic injustice? [1]
- What forms of education best cultivate in individuals a sense of social responsibility and willingness to share wealth? [1]
- How does fostering both material and spiritual learning build capacity for sustainable economic action? [1]
Global and Ethical Perspective
- What mechanisms could ensure that globalization serves collective prosperity rather than magnifying inequality? [1]
- How can individuals, businesses, and governments align economic decisions with the moral principle that wealth must serve humanity’s advancement? [1]
- In a world of divergent ideologies, how might a spiritually grounded approach to economics inform public discourse without imposing dogma? [1]
These questions invite both reflection and collaborative inquiry. They move the discussion from theoretical ideals into the realms of community life, policy, and personal conscience—centering on how moderation, justice, and mutual cooperation can together produce a civilization that harmonizes material progress with moral purpose. [1]
Citations
- Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. “Social Action.” Bahá’í Reference Library, August 2020. https://www.bahai.org/r/576123454. ↩
- ’Abdu’l-Bahá. Some Answered Questions. Bahá’í Reference Library. Accessed October 25, 2025. https://www.bahai.org/r/329878619. ↩
- Perplexity Pro. “Meeting the Basic Needs of Everyone without Pursuing Absolute Equality.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. October 25, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/it-is-quite-otherwise-with-the-dwTL8ZGFSiCsJljzqISjDw#0. ↩
Frameworks for Understanding the World 