Jamál, 09 Qawl (Speech), 182 B.E.
Social Action: Selected Themes Pertaining to Social and Economic Development
Quotes for Reflection
Indeed, let them welcome with confidence the challenges awaiting them. Imbued with this excellence and a corresponding humility, with tenacity and a loving servitude, today’s youth must move towards the front ranks of the professions, trades, arts and crafts which are necessary to the further progress of humankind—this to ensure that the spirit of the Cause will cast its illumination on all these important areas of human endeavour. Moreover, while aiming at mastering the unifying concepts and swiftly advancing technologies of this era of communications, they can, indeed they must also guarantee the transmittal to the future of those skills which will preserve the marvelous, indispensable achievements of the past. — Universal House of Justice 1 2
Question for Consideration
How can today’s youth ensure that the spirit of the Cause will cast its illumination on important areas of human endeavour?
Perplexity Pro Response 3
Youth ensure that the spirit of the Cause illumines human endeavours when they combine professional excellence with a life of worship, service, and moral purpose, and consciously orient their studies, careers, and relationships toward the betterment of society. This happens not by withdrawing from the world, but by moving into its front ranks while acting as protagonists in the transformation of their communities. [1]
Inner qualities and foundations
The passage you quoted highlights “excellence,” “corresponding humility,” “tenacity,” and “loving servitude” as indispensable qualities for youth entering any field. Such qualities are strengthened through regular prayer, study of the Writings, participation in the core activities, and a disciplined effort to align daily decisions with spiritual principles. [1]
Serving through professions
The House of Justice explains that believers should see participation in “worthy endeavours outside the Faith” as a “tremendous service,” using their professions to influence their fields and infuse them with the teachings. Youth can therefore choose areas of study and work with conscious intent—education, health, technology, law, arts, trades—and within them strive for integrity, justice, cooperation, and a spirit of service rather than personal gain or prestige alone. [1]
Engagement in community life
A principal way the Cause illumines society is through a pattern of community life that includes children’s classes, junior youth groups, study circles, devotional gatherings, and simple forms of social action. When youth shoulder responsibility in these efforts—teaching, tutoring, animating, accompanying others—they help build communities where spiritual and material progress are seen as coherent and where many people learn to “accept responsibility for the welfare of the entire human family.” [1]
Learning, science, and preservation of the past
The compilation links this 1985 youth message to a strong emphasis on learning, science, and the arts as “unshakable supports” of the Faith. Youth can thus aim both to master new sciences and technologies and to safeguard vital skills, crafts, and cultural achievements, so that advances do not erase what is “marvelous” and “indispensable” in humanity’s heritage. [1]
Collaboration and discourse
Finally, the House of Justice encourages believers to collaborate with constructive movements and participate in the discourses of society without contention or self-righteousness, offering insights drawn from the teachings and from experience in community building. Youth who can consult with others in a spirit of humility, unity, and justice—helping to “frame concerns in a way that rises above fissures”—become channels through which the spirit of the Cause can illuminate conversations, institutions, and collective decisions in their surroundings. [1]
Follow-Up Questions Proposed by Perplexity
Youth can deepen their understanding of this theme by asking questions in several areas of life and service. The goal is to see more clearly how excellence, humility, and loving service can shape both personal choices and collective efforts. [1]
About purpose and identity
- What does it mean for me personally that “all men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization”? [1]
- How do excellence, humility, tenacity, and loving servitude actually look in my daily choices at school, work, and home? [1]
- In what ways do my current aspirations reflect concern for “the needs of the age” and not only my own comfort or success? [1]
About studies and professions
- How can my field of study or work become “a source of social good” rather than just a means of income or status? [1]
- Which capacities—intellectual, moral, spiritual—do I need to cultivate now so that I can move to the “front ranks” of my chosen profession in a spirit of service? [1]
- How can I contribute to preserving “marvelous, indispensable achievements of the past” while engaging with rapidly advancing technologies? [1]
About community life and social action
- How is my participation in core activities (devotionals, study circles, children’s classes, junior youth groups) helping to build a pattern of life that can influence the wider society? [1]
- What simple needs in my neighbourhood or campus could be addressed through small, capacity-building social actions rather than one-time projects? [1]
- How can I learn to “read my social reality” better—seeing both its constructive and destructive forces—in the light of the teachings? [1]
About knowledge, culture, and technology
- In what ways am I contributing to the generation, application, and sharing of knowledge, not just consuming it? [1]
- How do I use media and technology so that they support unity, justice, and reflection, rather than passivity, contention, or imitation? [1]
- Which arts, crafts, or cultural expressions around me could be strengthened or safeguarded as part of an ever-advancing civilization? [1]
About collaboration and discourse
- How can I participate in conversations on campus, online, or at work in a way that “raises consciousness without awakening the insistent self”? [1]
- With whom—inside and outside the Bahá’í community—can I collaborate to address shared concerns, while ensuring means are consistent with ends? [1]
- What does it look like, in my context, to help others “frame concerns in a way that rises above fissures” and to practice consultation as a collective search for truth? [1]
Citations
Footnotes
- Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. “Social Action.” Bahá’í Reference Library, August 2020. https://www.bahai.org/r/425846069. ↩︎
- Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. “8 May 1985 – To the Bahá’í Youth of the World.” Bahá’í Reference Library, Accessed August 18, 2023. https://www.bahai.org/r/474655266. ↩︎
- Perplexity Pro. “Ensure the Spirit of the Cause Illumines Human Endeavours.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. November 29, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/indeed-let-them-welcome-with-c-ie1dv1vhQua1RD5XeT3XLw#0. ↩︎
Frameworks for Understanding the World 