Sincerity is the foundation-stone of faith. That is, a
religious individual must disregard his personal desires and seek in whatever
way he can wholeheartedly to serve the public interest; and it is impossible
for a human being to turn aside from his own selfish advantages and sacrifice
his own good for the good of the community except through true religious faith.
For self-love is kneaded into the very clay of man, and it is not possible
that, without any hope of a substantial reward, he should neglect his own
present material good. That individual, however, who puts
his faith in God and believes in the words of God—because he is promised and
certain of a plentiful reward in the next life, and because worldly benefits as
compared to the abiding joy and glory of future planes of existence are nothing
to him—will for the sake of God abandon his own peace and profit and will
freely consecrate his heart and soul to the common good.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘The
Secret of Divine Civilization)
