TRUE PROSPERITY

1. TRUE PROSPERITY Compilation by Dr. Nayson Olyai

2. I swear by the Sun of Truth which hath shone forth from the highest horizons of the world that the people of Baha had not and have not any aim save the prosperity and reformation of the world and the purifying of the nations. ~ Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, p. 44

3. The prophets have come from the lowliest and most humiliated of the nations and in each age the prophet has raised his downtrodden nation to the highest zenith of prosperity and success among the nations of the earth. ~ Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 44

4. We must be like the fountain or spring that is continually emptying itself of all that it has and is continually being refilled from an invisible source. To be continually giving out for the good of our fellows undeterred by fear of poverty and reliant on the unfailing bounty of the Source of all wealth and all good — this is the secret of right living. ~ Shoghi Effendi

5. Essential to this posture of giving is the appreciation of the fact that God’s mercy and His bounties are the ultimate source of wealth. He provides the means of existence and progress for us all, and then, out of His bounty, He bestows upon us the privilege of contributing to His Cause – the only effective instrument that can bring about the well-being of humanity. Giving to the funds of the Faith, therefore, is not only a matter of generosity but also a spiritual bounty and a grave responsibility. (The Universal House of Justice, 5 October 1992)

6. "Do not grieve, dear brother, for being poor, for you are rich instead in faith and in spirit. This is a divine wealth for which the richest of the world will crave for in vain. True we must work hard, earn money and keep our family in happiness and prosperity, but we must always realize that our lives must be devoted to things higher and more sublime. We must remember what great souls, whose lives still inspire hundreds and thousands, were of the poorest in the world." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, May 18, 1927) (Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 125 )

7. Until a being setteth his foot in the plane of sacrifice, he is bereft of every favour and grace; and this plane of sacrifice is the realm of dying to the self, that the radiance of the living God may then shine forth. -- Abdu’l-Baha

8. O Friends of God! Be ye assured that in place of these contributions, your agriculture, your industry and your commerce will be blessed by manifold increases, with goodly gifts and bestowals. .. There is no doubt that the Living Lord will abundantly confirm those who expend their wealth in His path. ~ Abdu’l-Baha

9. He, verily, will aid everyone that aideth Him, and will remember everyone that remembereth Him. To this beareth witness this Tablet that hath shed the splendour of the loving kindness of your Lord, the All-glorious, the All-compelling. ~ Baha’u’llah

10. O thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of God! Every soul seeketh an object and cherisheth a desire, and day and night striveth to attain his aim. One craveth riches, another thirsteth for glory and still another yearneth for fame, for art, for prosperity and the like. Yet finally all are doomed to loss and disappointment. One and all they leave behind them all that is theirs and empty-handed hasten to the realm beyond, and all their labours shall be in vain. To dust they shall all return, denuded, depressed, disheartened and in utter despair. ~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 204

11. It is clear and evident that the payment of the Right of God is conducive to prosperity, to blessing, and to honour and divine protection. (Compilations, Huququ'llah)

12. There can be no doubt whatever that with every turn of the wheel, as a result of the operation of `Abdu'l-Bahá's Plan, and with every extension in the range of its evolution, a responsibility of still greater gravity and of wider import will have to be shouldered … They must strive, ceaselessly strive, ready for any emergency .., unsatisfied with any measure of progress as yet achieved, prepared to make sacrifices far exceeding any they have already willingly made, and confident that such striving, such readiness, such resolution, such high-mindedness, such sacrifice will earn them the palm of a victory still more soul-satisfying and resounding in its magnificence than any as yet won.. ~ SHOGHI EFFENDI, Citadel of the Faith

13. When the victory arriveth, every man shall profess himself as believer and shall hasten to the shelter of God’s Faith. Happy are they who in the days of trials have stood fast in the Cause and refused to swerve from its truth. ~ Abdu'l-Baha

14.  Now it is upon us ordinary men and women that He has conferred the inestimable bounty of raising up the Kingdom of God on earth. Service to God and His Cause is the heart of the life of every true believer and contributing to the Fund is a vital aspect of such service. ~ The Universal House of Justice

15. Thank You …to be continued