Both Gandhi and the Bahá'ís consider some kind of work to be obligatory. Gandhi writes:
God created man to work for his food, and said that those who ate without work were thieves.[1]
The great Nature has intended us to earn our bread in the sweat of our brow. Every one, therefore, who idles away a single minute becomes to that extent a burden upon his neighbors, and to do so is to commit a breach of the very first lesson of ahimsa. Ahimsa is nothing if not a well-balanced, exquisite consideration for one's neighbor, and an idle man is wanting in that elementary consideration.[2]Bahá'ís hold similar views. Bahá'u'lláh writes poetically in the Hidden Words:
O My Servants! Ye are the trees of My garden; ye must give forth goodly and wondrous fruits, that ye yourselves and others may profit therefrom. Thus it is incumbent on every one to engage in crafts and professions, for therein lies the secret of wealth, O men of understanding! For results depend upon means, and the grace of God shall be all-sufficient unto you. Trees that yield no fruit have been and will ever be for the fire.[3]Moreover, in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá'u'lláh made work obligatory for Bahá'ís:
O people of Bahá! It is incumbent upon each one of you to engage in some occupation--such as a craft, a trade or the like. We have exalted your engagement in such work to the rank of worship of the one true God. Reflect, O people, on the grace and blessings of your Lord, and yield Him thanks at eventide and dawn. Waste not your hours in idleness and sloth, but occupy yourselves with what will profit you and others.[4]
The Bahá'í law that everyone must perform some kind of work is further explained by Shoghi Effendi:
Every individual, no matter how handicapped and limited he may be, is under the obligation of engaging in some work or profession, for work, especially when performed in the spirit of service, is according to Bahá'u'lláh a form of worship. It has not only a utilitarian purpose, but has a value in itself, because it draws us nearer to God, and enables us to better grasp His purpose for us in this world. It is obvious, therefore, that the inheritance of wealth cannot make anyone immune from daily work.[5]