…in accordance with the divine teachings the acquisition of
sciences and the perfection of arts are considered acts of worship. If a man
engageth with all his power in the acquisition of a science or in the
perfection of an art, it is as if he has been worshipping God in churches and
temples. Thus as thou enterest a school of agriculture and strivest in the
acquisition of that science thou art day and night engaged in acts of worship -
acts that are accepted at the threshold of the Almighty. What bounty greater
than this that science should be considered as an act of worship and art as
service to the Kingdom of God.
(‘Abdu’l-Baha,
‘Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá’; The Compilation of
Compilations, Vol. I, The Arts and Crafts)
