Generosity

He, verily, shall recompense the charitable, and doubly repay them for what they have bestowed.

If a man is a miser and you call him generous, it will produce no change in him.

The Bahá’í friends in Persia attained such a brotherhood and love that it really became a hindrance in the conduct of material affairs. Each one into whatever house of the friends he went considered himself the owner of the house, so to speak. There was no duality but complete mutuality of interests and love. The visiting friend would have no hesitation in opening the provision box and taking out enough food for his needs. They wore each other's clothes as their own when necessary. If in need of a hat or cloak, they would take and use it. The owner of the clothing would be thankful and grateful that the garment had gone. When he returned home, he would perhaps be told, "So and so was here and took away your coat." He would reply, "Praise be to God! I am so grateful to him. Praise be to God! I am so thankful I have been given this opportunity of showing my love for him." To such an extreme degree this love and fellowship expressed itself that Bahá’u’lláh commanded that no one should take possession of another's belongings unless presented with them. The intention is to show to what an extent unity and love prevailed among the Bahá’í friends in the East.

To be continually giving out for the good of our fellows undeterred by the fear of poverty and reliant on the unfailing bounty of the Source of all wealth and all good – that is the secret of right living.

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.

There is no doubt that the civilization envisioned by Bahá’u’lláh is a prosperous one, both in its spiritual and material dimensions. To build a prosperous society free from the scourges of injustice and misery, we must all be generous and giving, and transcend the patterns of accumulation and utilization of material means only for the satisfaction of one’s own needs and desires. Generosity is an attribute of the human soul and is independent of the degree of wealth or poverty. A generous soul gives continually for the service of others—whether of time, energy or material resources.