Bahá’í Laws/Learning a Trade or a Profession
[Page 6]
After one has presented the teachings as clearly as possible, the decision must be left between the seeker and God.
4. Learning a Trade or a Profession[edit]
A basic Bahá’í law is the law of work. Each Bahá’í must learn a trade, art, or profession and must work to support himself. Bahá’u’lláh says, “The best of men are they that earn a livelihood by their calling and spend upon themselves and upon their kindred for the love of God, the Lord of all worlds.” 9 Any form of honest work is acceptable to God.
More important than the type of work one does is the attitude with which he works. When work is performed in the spirit of service to God and one’s fellowmen, it is raised to the station of worship. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says that even the man who makes a piece of notepaper is worshiping and giving praise to God if he does his work to the best of his ability and with an attitude of service.
The poor and the rich face a similar temptation. The poor may be content to beg while the rich may be content to live off their wealth. Both ways are unacceptable. The command to work applies to everyone. Begging is forbidden by Bahá’u’lláh, and idleness is strongly condemned. Bahá’u’lláh says, “The most despised of men before God is he who sits and begs.” 10 He also states that the lowest of men are “they that yield no fruit on earth. Such men are verily counted as among the dead, nay better are the dead in the sight of God than those idle and worthless souls.” 11
[Page 7]
Sometimes Bahá’ís want to devote all their time to teaching the Faith, feeling this is more important than working, and expect others to take care of them. This is also unacceptable, however pure the motive. Shoghi Effendi says that a “good Bahá’í . . . is the one who so arranges his life as to devote time both to his material needs and also to the service of the Cause.”12
5. Chastity[edit]
God has created man to be a joyous, loving creature and has given him many ways to experience the richness of life. Sexual love between a man and woman is indeed a gift of God. Bahá’ís know that such love, as all other God-given capacities, must be expressed in ways which are in harmony with the will of God and His laws. Chastity, therefore, is a requirement of Bahá’í life.
To live a chaste and holy life one must not have any sexual relations before marriage and must be loyal and faithful in marriage. He must also be clean-minded, modest, and pure. Chastity can be expressed in many areas of one’s life—his dress, his language, his entertainment, his behavior toward members of the opposite sex.
Shoghi Effendi emphasizes that a “chaste and holy life must be made the controlling principle in the behavior and conduct of all Bahá’ís, both in their social relations with the members of their own community, and in their contact with the world at large.”13 By living a chaste and holy life one will not only become happier and healthier himself but will also attract the attention of others and demonstrate the power of the Bahá’í Faith.
6. Marriage and Divorce[edit]
Marriage is one of the eternal laws of God. Its purpose is to assist the married couple in their spiritual growth and to ensure proper care of children.
Marriage is a serious commitment which requires that a