‘Idál, 09 Sharaf (Honor), 182 B.E.
Quotes for Reflection
O friends of God in every land! This Wronged One adjureth you by the Best-Beloved of the world, Who is calling aloud in the Kingdom of Utterance, that ye deal not faithlessly with the substance of your fellow men. Be ye the trustees of God in His dominions and the embodiments of truthfulness throughout His realms. Blessed the man that heedeth the counsels of God and observeth His precepts. — Bahá’u’lláh 1
Question for Consideration
What behaviors does Bahá’u’lláh expect from people as “trustees of God in His dominions and the embodiments of truthfulness throughout His realms”?
Perplexity Pro Response 2
Bahá’u’lláh is calling people to live with radical honesty, justice, purity of motive, and detachment from material advantage, so that others can safely rely on them in every aspect of life. As “trustees of God” and “embodiments of truthfulness,” they are asked to reflect divine qualities in their character and dealings, especially regarding other people’s rights and property. [1]
Core inner qualities
Bahá’u’lláh links being a trustee of God with specific inner virtues that shape every outward action. These include: [1]
- Truthfulness: “Beautify your tongues… with truthfulness” and avoid any hypocrisy or double standards between word and deed. [1]
- Trustworthiness: Treat trust as “the greatest portal leading unto the tranquillity and security of the people,” never betraying what others have placed in one’s care. [1]
- Purity of heart: Act from sincerity, not self-interest, showing “purity of heart while communing with God.” [1]
- Fear of God and rectitude: Let an inner consciousness of God govern choices, even when no one else is watching. [1]
How to handle others’ “substance”
“Deal not faithlessly with the substance of your fellow men” is expanded in many passages into very concrete ethical expectations. [1]
- No cheating or exploitation: Do not defraud, overcharge, or profit from others’ ignorance, whether in business, employment, or daily transactions. [1]
- Honouring rights and debts: Anyone able to pay a debt but delaying it “hath not acted in accordance with the good pleasure of the one true God.” [1]
- Refusal of unlawful gain: True servants “would refuse, though they be dying of hunger, to… seize unlawfully the property of their neighbour.” [1]
Daily conduct and work
Being a trustee of God is shown especially in one’s occupation and social roles. [1]
- Work as worship: Engage in a profession, but “before all else” put on “the mantle of trustworthiness” as the sign of divine acceptance. [1]
- Absolute integrity in employment: In government or any public trust, avoid bribery, embezzlement, favoritism, and using office for personal gain; be content with one’s lawful salary. [1]
- Commerce with conscience: “Commerce is as a heaven, whose sun is trustworthiness and whose moon is truthfulness”; business is to demonstrate fairness, not to exploit loopholes. [1]
Distinctive community behavior
Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá describe a standard meant to make Bahá’ís recognizably different in their character. [1]
- Consistent example: Their words must not “differ from their deeds”; their lives should “leaven the peoples of the world” by trustworthiness, perseverance, and goodly character. [1]
- Reliability in all relationships: Treat family, fellow believers, and strangers with the same scrupulous honesty; it is a “religious duty” not to relax standards inside the community. [1]
- Service to the common good: Seek positions of service to benefit the whole society, not to gain status, power, or wealth, and avoid contentious political maneuvering. [1]
Spiritual aim behind these behaviors
These behaviors are not only moral rules but the means by which God’s purpose for humanity is fulfilled. [1]
- Manifesting divine attributes: The goal is to “array every man with the mantle of a saintly character, and to adorn him with the ornament of holy and goodly deeds.” [1]
- Establishing peace and trust: Trustworthiness, sincerity, and goodwill are described as “the cause of peace, security and tranquillity” in the world. [1]
- Attracting divine confirmations: Excellence of character and conduct, not eloquent speech, is presented as the true proof of faith and magnet of God’s assistance. [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/108143718. ↩︎
- Perplexity Pro. “Be Ye the Trustees of God.” Edited by Steve Bosserman. January 6, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/i-counsel-you-o-friends-of-god-F3n3y0vNQcu5GCdVeymFBQ#0 ↩︎
Frameworks for Understanding the World 