The Bahá'í belief that work done in a spirit of service is a form of worship is already apparent in the passage from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas quoted above. `Abdu'l-Bahá further explains the spiritual dimension of work as follows:
In the Bahá'í Cause arts, sciences and all crafts are counted as worship. The man who makes a piece of notepaper to the best of his ability, conscientiously, concentrating all his forces on perfecting it, is giving praise to God. Briefly, all effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do service to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and to minister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer. A physician ministering to the sick, gently, tenderly, free from prejudice and believing in the solidarity of the human race, is giving praise.[9]
Similar ideas are found in the writings of Gandhi:
No work that is done in His name and dedicated to Him is small. All work when so done assumes equal merit. A scavengerGandhi believed that helping the poor is an especially good way to worship God:who works in His service shares equal distinction with a king who uses his gifts in His name as a mere trustee.[10]
I cannot imagine anything noblerthan that for, say, one hour a day, we should all do the labour that the poor must do, and thus identify ourselves with them and through them with all mankind. I cannot imagine better worship of God than that in His name I should labour for the poor even as they do.[11]