Reciprocity – Cooperation – Mutual help

“O SON OF MAN!

Deny not My servant should he ask anything from thee, for his face is My face; be then abashed before Me.” (Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

“Men should love and mutually help each other in order that they might progress.” (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 31

“Human brotherhood and dependence exist because mutual helpfulness and cooperation are the two necessary principles underlying human welfare.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 14)

“Man cannot live singly and alone. He is in need of continuous cooperation and mutual help..” (Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 38)

“Regarding reciprocity and cooperation: each member of the body politic should live in the utmost comfort and welfare because each individual member of humanity is a member of the body politic and if one member of the members be in distress or be afflicted with some disease all the other members must necessarily suffer. For example, a member of the human organism is the eye. If the eye should be affected that affliction would affect the whole nervous system. Hence, if a member of the body politic becomes afflicted, in reality, from the standpoint of sympathetic connection, all will share that affliction since this (one afflicted) is a member of the group of members, a part of the whole. Is it possible for one member or part to be in distress and the other members to be at ease? It is impossible! Hence God has desired that in the body politic of humanity each one shall enjoy perfect welfare and comfort.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 38)

“Although the body politic is one family yet because of lack of harmonious relations some members are comfortable and some in direst misery, some members are satisfied and some are hungry, some members are clothed in most costly garments and some families are in need of food and shelter. Why? Because this family lacks the necessary reciprocity and symmetry. This household is not well arranged. This household is not living under a perfect law. All the laws which are legislated do not ensure happiness. They do not provide comfort. Therefore a law must be given to this family by means of which all the members of this family will enjoy equal well-being and happiness.

Is it possible for one member of a family to be subjected to the utmost misery and to abject poverty and for the rest of the family to be comfortable? It is impossible unless those members of the family be senseless, atrophied, inhospitable, unkind. Then they would say, ‘Though these members do belong to our family -- let them alone. Let us look after ourselves. Let them die. So long as I am comfortable, I am honoured, I am happy -- this my brother -- let him die. If he be in misery let him remain in misery, so long as I am comfortable. If he is hungry let him remain so; I am satisfied. If he is without clothes, so long as I am clothed, let him remain as he is. If he is shelter less, homeless, so long as I have a home, let him remain in the wilderness.’

Such utter indifference in the human family is due.. to lack of a working law, to lack of kindness in its midst. If kindness had been shown to the members of this family surely all the members thereof would have enjoyed comfort and happiness.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 38)

 “..Co-operation, mutual aid and reciprocity are essential characteristics in the unified body of the world of being, inasmuch as all created things are closely related together and each is influenced by the other or deriveth benefit therefrom, either directly or indirectly.” (Abdu’l-Baha, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 71)

“The supreme need of humanity is cooperation and reciprocity. The stronger the ties of fellowship and solidarity amongst men, the greater will be the power of constructiveness and accomplishment in all the planes of human activity. Without cooperation and reciprocal attitude the individual member of human society remains self-centered, uninspired by altruistic purposes, limited...”(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 338)

“The object is concord, that through this fellowship hearts may become perfectly united, and reciprocity and mutual helpfulness be established. Because the members of the world of humanity are unable to exist without being banded together, cooperation and mutual helpfulness is the basis of human society. Without the realization of these two great principles no great movement is pressed forward...” (Abdu’l-Baha, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 429)

“We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions.”  (Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 84)

Story of Abdu’l-Baha saving the whole city from starvation.

• ‘Abdu’l-Baha took great care to help people when they were poor or hungry. During the First World War there was a danger that war would cause blockages in the food supplies to Haifa. ‘Abdu’l-Baha, realising that this might happen, made plans early. In 1912 He began to organise a large quantity of wheat to be grown, and by the time the blockade happened, 5 to 6 years later, He had large quantities of grain safely stored in underground pits. The people would have died from starvation, but ‘Abdu’l-Baha made sure that the grain was shared fairly among everyone: Baha’is or non-Baha’is, rich and poor, old and young, and people of every race and religion received an equal share. It was carefully rationed so that there was enough for everyone and it did not run out before the normal supplies were back. When the war finished the British government was very pleased that ‘Abdu’l-Baha had saved so many lives. It was decided that He would be given the great honour of being made a knight. A very grand ceremony was organised for ‘Abdu’l-Baha to receive His knighthood, at the residence of the British Governor in Haifa. Very important people gathered to pay their respects on this great occasion. An elegant car was sent to collect Abdu’l-Baha and bring Him, the special celebrity, to the ceremony. But ‘Abdu’l-Baha preferred not to be so grand. Instead, He chose His usual form of transport - a modest horse and carriage, and rode to a side entrance of the Governor’s garden. He arrived at the right time, but in His own way, and He humbly accepted the great honour that was bestowed upon Him by the British government. He was now Sir ‘Abdu’l-Baha ‘Abbas, Knight of the British Empire, but this was a title He never used. He still preferred to be called ‘Abdu’l-Baha, which means ‘Servant of the Glory’.