The Power of the Covenant (Part One)/Text
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The Power of the
Covenant
Part One
[Page -5]
The Power of the Covenant
Part One
Bahaullah's Covenant with Mankind
Published by
THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHA'IS OF CANADA
First Printing/ February 1976
Second Printing / September 1977
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The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Canada
gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Dr. Jane Faily,
Dr. Peter Khan and Mr. Douglas Martin in the preparation of
this series, and Mr. Archie M’Gillivray in preparing the
cover design.
Extracts from the following works reprinted by permission:
BAHA’U’LLAH: Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, (Copyright 1939, 1952 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.) ‘Synopsis and Codification of the Kitdb-i-Aqdas, (Copyright 1973 by the Universal House of Justice.)
BAHA‘U’LLAH AND ‘ABDU'L-BAHA: Baha’i World Faith, (Copyright 1943, © 1956, 1975 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.)
‘ABDU'L-BAHA: The Secret of Divine Civilization, (Copyright © 1957, 1970 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.)
SHOGHI EFFENDI: The World Order of Baha'u'llah, (Copyright 1938, © 1955, 1974 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.) The Advent of Divine Justice, (Copyright 1939, © 19638, 1966 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.) God Passes By, (Copyright 1944, © 1971, 1974 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.) The Promised Day is Come, (Copyright 1941, © 1961 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.) Messages to America, (Copyright 1947 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.) Citadel of Faith: Messages to America, 1947-1957, (Copyright © 1965 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.)
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE:
Wellspring of Guidance: Messages, 1963—1 968,
(Copyright © 1969 by the National Spiritual Assembly of
the Baha’is of the United States.)
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The Power of the Covenant
There is a power in this Cause—a mysterious power—far, far, far away from the ken of men and angels; that invisible power is the cause of all these outward activities. It moves the hearts. It rends the mountains. It administers the complicated affairs of the Cause. It inspires the friends. It dashes into a thousand pieces all the forces of opposition. It creates new spiritual worlds. This is the mystery of the Kingdom of
Abha! The Covenant of Bahd’u'llah, p. 70
Know this for a certainty that today, the penetrative power in the arteries of the world of humanity is the power of the Covenant. The body of the world will not be moved through any power except through the power of the Covenant. There is no other power like unto this. This Spirit of the Covenant is the real Centre of love and is reflecting its rays to all parts of the globe, which are resuscitating and regenerating man and illuminating the path to the Divine Kingdom.
ibid., p. 71
The first condition is firmness in the Covenant of God. For the power of the Covenant will protect the Cause of Baha’u’llah from the doubts of the people of error. It is the fortified fortress of the Cause of God and the firm pillar of the religion of God. Today no power can conserve the oneness of the Baha’i world save the Covenant of God; otherwise differences like unto a most great tempest will encompass the Baha’i world. It is evident that the axis of the oneness of the world of humanity is the power of the Covenant and nothing else ... Therefore, in the beginning one must make his steps firm in the Covenant—so that the confirmations of Baha’u’llah may encircle from all sides, the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse may become the supporters and the helpers, and the exhortations and advices of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, like unto the pictures engraved on stone, may remain permanent and ineffaceable in the tablets of the hearts.
ibid., p. 77
I
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Foreword
On the weekend of July 4 - 8, 1975, the members of all the senior institutions of the Baha&i Faith in North America gathered at the House of Worship in Wilmette, to participate in a special conference called by the Universal House of Justice. The subject was the responsibility of the Baha’i community for the protection of the Cause entrusted to us by Baha’u’llah. Three Hands of the Cause participated, as did all of the members of the Continental Board of Counsellors and the three National Spiritual Assemblies. All of the Auxiliary Board Members for North America likewise took part. The conference had originated in an appeal from the
Universal House of Justice dated November 26, 1974:
Five months before he passed away, the beloved
Guardian ... drew our attention to the fact that
from both without and within the Faith evidences
of “‘increasing hostility’? and ‘‘persistent machina tions” were apparent, and that they foreshadowed
the “dire contests’? predicted by ‘Abdu’l-Baha,
which were destined to “range the Army of light
against the forces of darkness, both secular and
religious”’. The House of Justice went on to say:
The marvellous victories won in the name of
Baha’u’llah since those words were written, and the
triumphs increasingly being achieved by His dedi cated and ardent lovers in every land, will no doubt
serve to rouse the internal and external enemies of
the Faith to fresh attempts to attack the Faith and
dampen the enthusiasm of its supporters. The House of Justice noted some recent evidences that this reaction has already begun in various parts of the world, and enclosed a compilation of excerpts from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, and the beloved Guardian, which explain the principle that the progressive unfoldment of the Faith is bound, by its very nature, to raise up opposition which in turn will accelerate the expansion of the Cause. With this principle in mind, the House of Justice concluded:
II
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We feel strongly that, whatever method is chosen
to inform the friends, the time has come for them
to clearly grasp the inevitability of the critical contests that lie ahead, to give you (the National Spiritual Assemblies) their full support ... and aid and
enable the Faith of God to scale loftier heights,
win more signal triumphs, and traverse more vital
stages in its predestined course to complete victory
and worldwide ascendency.
On receipt of this letter Canada’s National Assembly began developing a series of publications and regional seminars for the education of the Canadian community in the subject of the protection of the Cause. At this point we received further advice from the House of Justice that they were calling a special conference on the subject for the institutions of the Faith in North America. It was this meeting which assembled at the House of Worship, the weekend of July 4 - 8, and which produced important advances in the unity of the institutions of the Faith on this continent.
During the course of the consultations at Wilmette, our National Assembly had an opportunity to present the outline of the program which we were developing. It consisted essentially of resource material for a series of four weekend institutes to be conducted by the National Assembly for groups of local Spiritual Assemblies. It is this material, modified and expanded as a result of the invaluable discussions at Wilmette, that forms the content of this series of four booklets.
Each booklet introduces one of four different aspects of the subject of the protection of the Revelation of Baha’u’1lah, and provides footnotes which will serve as an index to the Baha’i texts from which the reference material has been drawn. The themes of the four presentations are:
I Baha’u’llah’s Covenant with Mankind. II The Problem of Covenant-breaking. Ill The Face of Opposition.
IV Our Covenant with Baha’u’llah.
The booklets have been prepared as a stimulus and general guide to group discussions. Clearly, the material is in no sense
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a comprehensive presentation of the subject matter concerned:
the Cause of God is like an ocean and the truths it contains
are limitless. Nor do the booklets represent authoritative
statements of Baha’i belief, apart from the various excerpts
from the Scriptures of the Faith and from the commentaries of the Guardian and the guidance of the Universal
House of Justice which are quoted.
Rather, the spirit of the discussion which the National Assembly hopes these thoughts will provide in the community is that described by the Universal House of Justice in a statement dealing with one of the central themes touched on in this series:
A clear distinction is made in our Faith between authoritative interpretation and the interpretation or understanding that each individual arrives at for himself from his study of its teachings. While the former is confined to the Guardian, the latter, according to the guidance given to us by the Guardian himself, should by no means be suppressed. In fact such individual interpretation is considered the fruit of man’s rational power and conducive to a better understanding of the teachings, provided that no disputes or arguments arise among the friends and the individual himself understands and makes it clear that his views are merely his own. Individual interpretations continually change as one grows in comprehension of the teachings. As Shoghi Effendi wrote: “To deepen in the Cause means to read the Writings of Baha’u’llah and the Master so thoroughly as to be able to give it to others in its pure form. ... There is no limit to the study of the Cause. The more we read the Writings, the more truths we can find in them, the more we will see that our previous notions were erroneous.” (Wellspring of Guidance, pp. 88-89)
Faithfully,
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE BAHA’IS OF CANADA
IV
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|
The Mission
of Baha'u'llah
Baha’u’llah is the universal Manifestation of God promised in
the scriptures of all the world’s religions. His Mission is to
establish the Kingdom of God on earth, through the unification of mankind in one global family. In His ‘“‘Most Holy
Book” (the Kitab-i-Aqdas) Baha’u’llah states:
O Kings of the earth! He Who is the sovereign Lord
of all is come. The Kingdom is God’s, the omnipotent Protector, the Self-Subsisting.1
The implications of Baha’u’llah’s Mission are breath-taking:
The Revelation of Baha’u’llah ... should, if we be
faithful to its implications, ... be viewed not merely
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as yet another spiritual revival in the ever-changing
fortunes of mankind, not only as a further stage in
a chain of progressive Revelations, nor even as the
culmination of one of a series of recurrent prophetic cycles, but rather as marking the last and highest stage in the stupendous evolution of man’s collective life on this planet. The emergence of a
world community, the consciousness of world
citizenship, the founding of a world civilization
and culture ... should, by their very nature, be regarded, as far as this planetary life is concerned, as
the furthermost limits in the organization of human society, though man, as an individual, will ...
continue indefinitely to progress and develop.
[italics added]
The following statement attributed to the Guardian explains how the work of those who have recognized Baha’u’llah is related to the vision:
The object of life to a Baha’i is to promote the oneness of mankind. The whole object of our lives is bound up with the lives of all human beings; not a personal salvation we are seeking, but a universal one ... our aim is to produce a world civilization which will in turn react on the character of the individual.3
Nucleus and Pattern
The first glimmerings of the future global civilization have already begun to appear in the new social system which Baha’u’llah has brought into existence. Shoghi Effendi has described the Administrative Order which gives the community of Baha’u’llah form and a capacity to act, as “‘the nucleus” and ‘“‘the very pattern” of the new World Order destined to emerge in the fullness of time. It is the “‘seed’’, the “embryo” of the Kingdom of God on earth.
In any embryonic form of life—in a human fetus, for
example,—all the adult capacities are present. But they
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are latent. Only as the embryo grows and develops do the
limbs and organs appear. And only after the new human
being is born and matures do these capacities attain perfection. So it is that one can begin faintly to identify in
the spiritual and institutional life of the Baha’i community some of the features of the global society destined to
be born out of the suffering and chaos of our time. That
these traces are no more than the faintest suggestion of
the powers which a unified and spiritualized humanity
will one day manifest may be appreciated from the words
of Shoghi Effendi:
All we can reasonably venture to attempt is to
strive to obtain a glimpse of the first streaks of
the promised Dawn that must, in the fullness of
time, chase away the gloom that has encircled
humanity.4 What are some of these features?
The first is related to the pivotal teaching of Baha’u’llah’s Revelation: “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens’’. Baha’u’llah warns that ‘“‘the well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.’’5 The most significant feature of Baha’u’llah’s community, therefore, is that it has passed safely through the first critical century of its development with its unity firmly intact. There is no other great movement in all recorded history—religious, political or social—that has met this universal test to which life in the world subjects man’s expressions of faith and loyalty. In every other case the process of schism has taken hold in the early stages, and has produced sects and factions. Only the community raised up by Baha’u’llah has succeeded in resisting this age-old blight. No effort that men have made to break the Covenant of Baha’u’llah and create a division in His community has survived the generation that saw it appear. The unique achievement which Baha’i unity represents is a light that in time will attract to it the whole of mankind:
So powerful is the light of unity [Baha’u’llah says]
that it can illuminate the whole earth.
The community of Baha’u’llah has also established that it
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is independent of all save God. Like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and all the other major revealed religions the Baha’i Faith has its own Prophet and its own
sacred scriptures. Although it acknowledges and appreciates the Islamic matrix out of which it grew, it has been
recognized as an independent religion by both Western
scholars and Islamic religious authorities. Here again, the
achievement is unique. There is no other modern religious
movement, including those based on the claims of seers and
“‘prophets’’, that has succeeded in escaping the gravitational
pull of the parent faith that produced it. The Mormon
Church, the Ahmadiyyah movement, and the Vedanta Society are examples from the Christian, Islamic and Hindu
traditions which come readily to mind. In each case the
new movement slipped in time into the role of a sect of its
mother religion. This is not to disparage sects or churches but
rather to recognize the limitations God has set on the work
of man, however inspired and admirable it may be.
During a hundred years of growth the Baha’! Cause has attracted adherents from every race, class, creed and nation on earth. What makes the community of Baha’u’llah universal is that this process of assimilation has not occurred at the expense of the cultural and individual diversity of its members. The individual who recognizes Baha’u’llah does not reject his cultural and spiritual origins in doing so; on the contrary he finds in the Faith the one context in which he can fully realize the value of his own unique endowments and put them to use, the context of his oneness with all mankind. The community of Baha’u’llah is the social expression of this principle of ‘“‘unity in diversity”? which runs throughout His Revelation. There is not on earth today another form of human association that has demonstrated this capacity to accept and integrate the whole range of man’s experience.
A fourth characteristic of world order must be individual
commitment to a moral system that transcends any one cultural heritage. For a global society to come into existence
human conscience must be transformed. The myriad ethical
codes inherited from the past must give way to a set of universal moral standards relevant to the age of man’s maturity.
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Merely to state the task is to indicate how far beyond human
capacity it lies. Yet the beginnings of just such a re-moulding
are readily apparent to any dispassionate observer of Baha’u’llah’s community. Solely out of devotion to the Messenger
of God, ordinary people in every part of the world have surrendered themselves to a process of education in ideals more
comprehensive and challenging than the goals of the most advanced of social reformers: the eradication of prejudices, the
independent investigation of truth, equality of opportunity
for men and women, the attainment of social justice, and
the establishment of a world order:
Is it within human power ... to effect in the consti tuent elements of any of the minute and indivisible
particles of matter so complete a transformation as
to transmute it into purest gold? Perplexing and dif ficult as this may appear, the still greater task of
converting satanic strength into heavenly power is
one that we have been empowered to accomplish
... The Word of God, alone, can claim the distinc tion of being endowed with the capacity required
for so great and far-reaching a change.7
As with the spirit, so with the form. A striking feature of the success of Baha’u’llah’s Cause is that it is /nstitutional rather than merely numerical. Physical life arises not simply out of the multiplication of cells, but through the balance and effectiveness of their organization. So it is with community: however important the variety and extent of its membership are, community life depends on a system of institutions. That is why the rapid expansion of Baha’i Assemblies across the face of the planet—each one an embryonic consultative body with its own powers and functions—is so significant an achievement. Here again one looks in vain for another contemporary movement that has succeeded in incarnating its spirit in a coherent world-wide institutional fabric.
Unity, independence, universality, a new morality, and a
worldwide institutional framework are a few of the features
that will mark the civilization of mankind’s future. For a community of people to manifest these vital powers at this present
stage in the process is a break-through in the social and spiri[Page 6]
tual evolution of the human race. No matter how small or
young or relatively weak such a community may be, or how
faintly and tentatively it may express the qualities with which
it has been endowed, it represents a new order of existence:
O people of Baha! That there is none to rival you
is a sign of mercy.8
We can begin to understand Baha’u’llah’s purpose for man kind only as we come to appreciate the miracle He has wrought. The unique features which His community has begun to manifest arise out of the organic wholeness of the divine system that informs it. What Baha’u’ll4h has accomplished is the creation of an embryonic global society that is a single organism, as a seed is an organism. He tells us that the birth of this new creation and its eventual manifestation of all the powers latent in it represent the desire of God, Himself, and that in time it will embrace all mankind:
He Who is your Lord, the All-Merciful, cherisheth
in His heart the desire of beholding the entire hu
man race as one soul and one body.9
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|
The Covenant
of Bahaullah
The secret of the organic wholeness of Baha’u’llah’s community is the Covenant He established, ‘‘the Ark of Salvation,’’10 “the pulsating artery in the body of the world,”’’!1 ‘‘the pivot of the oneness of mankind.’’!2 A covenant is an agreement. Like all the Messengers of
God before Him, Baha’u’llah has promised that after ‘‘one thousand or thousands of years’”13 another Messenger of God will appear:
God hath sent down His Messengers to succeed to
Moses and Jesus, and He will continue to do so
“till the end that hath no end.’’14
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In addition, however, Baha’u’llah has made a new and
unique covenant with those who follow Him. ‘Abdu’l-Baha
said that this Lesser Covenant is “the most great characteristic of the revelation of Baha’u’llah’l5. Acting on the
Will of God, Baha’u’llah has entered into an agreement with
mankind. Baha’u’llah’s part in this agreement includes the
creation of a universal ‘‘Centre”’ which is capable of uniting,
harmonizing and developing all the infinitely varied elements
of human nature. Man’s part, as an individual, is the surrender of his ego to the Revelation of God and to the authority
of this Centre.
The Centre of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant is ‘Abdu’l-Baha. In the Person of His own Son, Baha’u’llah focussed such functions as the interpreting of His laws and teachings, the demonstration of their practicality and power, and the designing of institutions to give them enduring effect. He exercises His unique functions because, in the words of the Guardian, He is:
. the Mystery of God, an expression by which Baha’u’llah Himself has chosen to designate Him, and which, while it does not by any means justify us to assign to Him the station of Prophethood, indicates how in the person of ‘Abdu’l-Baha the incompatible characteristics of a human nature and superhuman knowledge and perfection have been blended and are completely harmonized.16
Baha’u’llah’s appointment of ‘Abdu’l-Baha is explicitly stated in the Kitdb-i-Agdas, the Book of His Laws:
When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended, turn your faces toward Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root ... refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him Who hath branched from this mighty Stock.17
In the Book of the Covenant, written entirely in His own hand, Baha’u’llah repeats the words of this appointment and states:
The object of this sacred verse is none other except
the Most Mighty Branch (‘Abdu’l-Baha).18
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In the Tablet of the Branch, Baha’u’llah explains the signi
ficance of the authority thus conferred on ‘Abdu’l-Baha:
Whosoever turns to Him hath surely turned unto
God, and whosoever turneth away from Him hath
turned away from My beauty, denied My proof
and is of those who transgress. Verily, He is the remembrance of God amongst you and His trust
within you ... Thus have I been commanded to
convey to you the message of God, your Creator;
and I have delivered unto you that of which I was
commanded.19
In creating the Centre of His Covenant, Baha’u’llah resolved for Baha’is the age-old problem of all human social organization, the problem of authority. Throughout history men have alternately been attracted to authority and repelled from it. On the one hand they have recognized that it is essential to the achievement of any degree of peace, order and freedom. On the other, they have been repeatedly disillusioned by the harm it has eventually inflicted on these same cherished achievements. It has seemed impossible either to live with authority or to live without it.
The life of ‘Abdu’l-Baha marks the turning point in this long and unhappy history. The effects of His life on those who surrendered themselves to its influence are convincing proof that the power we call God is not capricious or cruel, but beneficent and supremely rational. Its outward expressions are the manifestations of an inner moral authority that is part of the order of creation itself. The paradox of divine authority, and also its identifying sign, is that submission to it produces true freedom. In the words of Baha’u’1lah:
Whatever duty Thou hast prescribed unto Thy servants ... is but a token of Thy grace unto them, that they may be enabled to ascend unto the station conferred upon their inmost being, the station of knowledge of their own selves.20
The same principle applies to Baha’i community life. The
unique features which today distinguish the Baha’i world
community, and which have such significance for mankind’s
future, can be discerned in the fellowship of the early be[Page 10]
lievers who had the joy of working directly under the guidance of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. Their history clearly demonstrates the
truth underlying all human association: that the phenomenon
we call “unity” is not the product of a series of compromises,
but rather is the system of relationships that arises when all
those involved are centered on a single Point of love that
nourishes and protects its members. The Centre of unity
established by Baha’u’llah is unique in its capacity to attract
and hold the loyalty of all mankind.
When ‘Abdu’l-Baha ascended in November 1921, Baha’u’llah’s Covenant had been firmly established in the hearts of the believers as it had already been in the Writings of the Manifestation of God and His chosen Interpreter. All the developments of the Cause since that time, and all those which lie ahead are the unfolding of this original, mighty trust. Each one of the institutions created in Baha’u’llah’s Covenant was more clearly explained, sometimes elaborated and in several cases erected by the hands of ‘Abdu’l-Baha Himself. The whole range of Baha’u’llah’s moral teachings, now slowly appearing through the gradual unfoldment of the laws of the Aqdas, was once and perfectly manifested in the life lived by ‘Abdu’l-Baha. The diversity of the present-day Baha’i community owes its greatest impulse to the undiscriminating love with which ‘Abdu’l-Baha welcomed persons of every background, interest and personality, and which He then patiently nurtured in those who responded.
Finally, the world-wide expansion of the Cause was given its great impetus by ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s historic teaching journey through the West, and has been patterned in every respect on the guidelines laid down in the Tablets of the Plan He conceived.
Divine Justice
What we see in the events of the past several decades is the first stage in the flowering of the divine authority which Baha’u’llah planted in human affairs through the establishment of His Covenant, and His appointment of ‘Abdu’l-Baha
10
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as its Centre. In ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s lifetime this authority affected chiefly the individual believer, who experienced it as the
love of God. It captivated hearts and transformed character.
With the rise of the Baha’i world community, the loving authority at the heart of the Cause now begins to manifest itself as the power that moulds men’s social relationships, the
power that Baha’u’llah cherishes above anything else and that
expresses the essential feature of His World Order:
The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice.21
In time the divine justice operating out of the Covenant of
Baha’u’llah will bring under its influence the whole of mankind.
The purpose of Justice [Baha’u’llah tells us] is the
appearance of unity among people.22
He explains that global peace and the emergence of a universal civilization are entirely dependent on the creation of
unity:
The well-being of mankind, its peace and security
are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly
established .23
The Universal House of Justice underlines the implications
of this truth:
Most people take the opposite point of view: they
look upon unity as an ultimate, almost unattainable goal and concentrate first on remedying all
the other ills of mankind. If they did but know it,
these other ills are but various symptoms and side
effects of the basic disease—disunity.24
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UII
The Laws of
Bahatullah
The divine justice which will bring about the unity of mankind is to be found nowhere but in the laws revealed by God. Law is the foundation of all human society. Without it, order is impossible, and without order there is no framework within which all of the other spiritual, cultural, technological and intellectual activities which depend on human association can develop.
Even personal freedom depends on law. One of the
strangest paradoxes of human life is that in order to be free,
man must surrender his freedom to a system of laws. In
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deed, the degree of his freedom depends exactly on the
degree to which he is willing to surrender it. An obvious example is the traffic system in a modern city. Because all (or
most) of us are willing to accept irksome limitations like traffic lights, speed limits, and a host of directional signals, we
can move easily and swiftly about a vast labyrinth of streets,
accomplishing enormous feats of work in a single day. A person from a primitive village brought into such a city regards
the entire situation as both miraculous and terrifying. To him
the inhabitants of the city have the freedom of gods (if not
the intelligence). Should the traffic laws be suspended for
one day, however, the ‘gods’? would be trapped in a chaos
that would swiftly reduce them to very modest proportions.
Should all other laws be simultaneously abandoned, most of
the freedoms that human beings cherish would vanish with
them overnight.
The frightening thing about the present age, of course, is that this is precisely what is happening. All around us, laws and practices inherited from the past are being openly abandoned or steadily eroded. Much of this breakdown is essential if men are to move beyond their cultural limitations into one human race. The breakdown is not, however, rational or controlled. It is total. Laws are broken or discarded simply because they are laws. They are considered not means to freedom but restrictions on freedom. Baha’is know that this process will not be halted. Baha’u’llah warns that it will eventually undermine every one of man’s existing social structures: ‘“‘The dust of sedition (lawlessness) hath clouded the hearts of men and blinded their eyes’’. ‘“‘After a time all the governments on earth will change. Oppression will envelop the world.”’25
The most important question about law is its source. Many persons appear still to cling to the theories of political philosophers on which most modern republics claim to be based. Increasing numbers of peoples, however, are aware of the gulf between these theories and the facts of modern human existence. They do not want theories; they want results, in terms of sanity, justice and spiritual freedom.
For Baha’ts the source of law is clearly stated by ‘Abdu’lBaha:
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The religions of God are the true source of the
spiritual and material perfections of man ...26
There are some who imagine that an innate sense
of human dignity will prevent man from commit ting evil actions ... And yet, if we ponder the lessons
of history it will become evident that this very
sense of honour and dignity is itself one of the
bounties deriving from the instructions of the
Prophets of God.27
Revelation is the real source of law because law, to be effective as a foundation for a society, depends on the transformation of human conscience. Repeatedly in all the holy scriptures the human heart or conscience is referred to as the “earth’’. It is only the Revelation of God which can drive the roots of law deep into this earth. Unless the roots of the laws and institutions of a community are firmly embedded in the hearts of the mass of the people the social order cannot survive. Nor can any real cultural advances occur. If history teaches anything it teaches this lesson, over and over again. This suggests the importance of the laws revealed by Baha ’u’llah as the Universal Manifestation of God. The initial revelation of divine law was called by Baha’u’llah ‘‘The Most Holy Book’’, the Kitab-i-Agdas. What seems most remarkable to anyone who has seen a copy of the Arabic original is that so much material could be compressed into so small a volume. The reason is that the Agdas states only fundamental principles in each area of law. The longer expository passages relate to the spiritual perspective and social order which are the context for the individual subjects. A prominent Russian scholar, Prof. A. Toumansky, has compared Baha’u’Ilah’s pen writing the Agdas to a bird—now soaring on the heights of vision; now swooping down for an instant to touch the simplest and most homely questions of everyday life.
The Kitab-i:-Aqdas
The Agdas was the germ and nucleus of a great body of Writings which followed in subsequent years. It is not itself a legal
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code, nor can it be properly comprehended apart from the
body of documents which elaborate, develop and explain it.
On this point the Guardian of the Baha’ Faith said:
The reason it [the Kitab-i-Aqdas] is not circulated a mongst all the Baha’is is, first, because the Cause
is not yet ready or sufficiently matured to put all
the provisions of the Aqdas into effect and, second,
because it is a Book which requires to be supple mented by detailed explanations and to be trans lated into other languages by a competent body of
experts. The provisions of the Aqdas are gradually,
according to the progress of the Cause, being put
into effect already, both in the East and the
West .28
The relation between a statement in the Agdas and a law of the Baha’i Faith has been compared to that between a seed and a rosebush. Although the rose is fully present in the seed, it is not discoverable, even by a microscope. Only a long natural process brings it into appearance. Similarly, only an exhaustive study of the development of Baha’u’llah’s teaching on any one subject, a study carried out by trained scholars acting under the guidance of the Universal House of Justice, and with all the sources at hand, can produce a codified statement of Baha’i law on any topic. Baha’u’llah says on this subject:
Know of a certainty that in every Dispensation the
light of Divine Revelation hath been vouchsafed to
men in direct proportion to their spiritual capacity.
Consider the sun. How feeble its rays the moment
it appeareth above the horizon. How gradually its
warmth and potency increase as it approacheth its
zenith, enabling meanwhile all created things to
adapt themselves to the growing intensity of its
light. How steadily it declineth until it reacheth its
setting point. Were it all of a sudden to manifest
the energies latent within it, it would no doubt
cause injury to all created things ... In like manner,
if the Sun of Truth were suddenly to reveal, at the
earliest stages of its manifestation, the full measure
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[Page 16]
of the potencies which the providence of the Almighty hath bestowed upon it, the earth of human
understanding would waste away and be consumed; for men’s hearts would neither sustain the
intensity of its revelation, nor be able to mirror
forth the radiance of its light. Dismayed and overpowered, they would cease to exist.29
The Guardian, in a letter written on his behalf, adds:
The Laws revealed by Baha’u’llah in the Aqdas are, whenever practicable and not in direct conflict with the Civil Laws of the land, absolutely binding on every believer or Baha’i institution whether in the East or in the West. Certain laws, such as fasting, obligatory prayers, the consent of the parents before marriage, avoidance of alcoholic drinks,
monogamy, should be regarded by all believers as universally and vitally applicable at the present
time. Others have been formulated in anticipation
of a state of society destined to emerge from the
chaotic conditions that prevail today. When the
Aqdas is published this matter will be further ex plained and elucidated. What has not been formu lated in the Aqdas, in addition to matters of detail
and of secondary importance arising out of the
application of the laws already formulated by
Baha’u’llah, will have to be enacted by the Uni versal House of Justice.30
For the sixty-five years between Baha’u’llah’s passing and
the passing of the Guardian (1892-1957), the Baha’i world had access to the laws of the Aqgdas through the guidance of the book’s only appointed Interpreters, ‘Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi. As circumstances demanded, the Master and the Guardian drew on the body of Baha’u’llah’s Laws to answer questions and give explicit guidance to the infant communities springing up around the world. There was no other way in which Baha’is could have obeyed Baha’u’llah’s command to turn to the Aqdas, as this is the only way sanctioned in Baha’u’llah’s Writings. In the words of the House of Justice:
16
[Page 17]
During the thirty-six years of his Guardianship,
Shoghi Effendi fixed the pattern and laid the foun dations of the Administrative Order of Baha’u’ llah, set in motion the implementation of the Di vine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Baha for the spread of the
Faith throughout the world, and, as these twin
processes of administrative consolidation and
widespread expansion progressed, started to apply
and enforce, gradually and according to the pro gress of the Cause, those laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas
that in his estimation it was timely and practic able to apply and which were not in direct con flict with the civil law.31
As anticipated by the Guardian, who began the work him self, the Universal House of Justice set itself the task of completing the codification of the laws of the Aqdas, an essential step toward its eventual publication. This task was completed on the eve of the hundredth anniversary of the Revelation of the Kitdb-i-Aqdas itself. The House of Justice emphasizes that:
The number of laws at present binding upon
Baha’is is not increased by the publication of
this work. When the Universal House of Justice
deems it advisable it will inform the friends what
additional laws are binding upon them, and will
provide whatever guidance and supplementary
legislation will be necessary for their applica tion .32
Together with obedience, the challenge which the Agdas
presents to Baha’is is to understand the fundamentally spiritual character of the laws revealed by God.
Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere
code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the
choice Wine with the fingers of might and power.33 In this same beautiful passage Baha’u’llah points out that through obedience to the laws of the Revelation, mankind can perceive the “fragrance” of the robe of God Himself. The real purpose of law is to enable us to ‘‘ascend unto the station”? conferred upon our inmost beings, the knowledge of our own selves.
17
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This perception will also protect Baha’is against any attempt to judge the laws of God by the standards of human
civilization. Clearly, mankind’s future will bear little resemblance to present-day civilization. Apart from anything else,
it is becoming increasingly evident that the kind of civilization we know will not much longer endure. We cannot
imagine the conditions that will prevail on this planet even
twenty years from now. Baha’u’llah’s laws provide for mankind’s needs regardless of the circumstances in which men
may find themselves. Moreover they are revealed for the guidance of a human race which is at inconceivably different
stages in its moral and cultural development. Finally, the laws
of Baha’u’llah are flexible and evolutionary in their nature
and effect. Through them humanity will gradually be led out
of old and faulty habits into a common citizenship. This
evolutionary principle is the very nature of the Revelation of
God and of human life itself.
The law of God makes order possible because it recreates and trains conscience. Conscience is the earth in which everything that is civilized is rooted. In this sense, Baha’u’llah is Himself the Creator of the world of the future:
Consider the hour at which the supreme Manifesta tion of God revealeth Himself unto men. Ere that
hour cometh, the Ancient Being, Who is still un known of men ... is Himself the All-Knower in a
world devoid of any man that hath known Him. He
is indeed the Creator without a creation ... This is
indeed the Day of which it has been said: ‘‘Whose
shall be the Kingdom this Day?’’ And none can be found ready to answer!34
18
[Page 19]
IV
The Administrative
Order of Baha’u'llah
The laws revealed by God do not operate in abstraction. The Guardian says of the Kitab-i-Aqdas that it ‘‘not only preserves for posterity the basic laws and ordinances on which the fabric of His [Baha’u’llah’s] future World Order must rest, but ordains ... the necessary institutions through which the integrity and unity of His Faith can alone be safeguarded.’’35
Many times during His later years, ‘Abdu’l-Baha said to those around Him who were so deeply attached to His own Person: ‘‘Were ye to know what will come to pass after me, surely would ye pray that my end be hastened.’’36
As is now evident, these comments referred to the World
19
[Page 20]
Order revealed by Baha’u’llah, whose proper and safe unfoldment was assured through the appointment of ‘Abdu’l-Baha
as Centre of the Covenant. In the Kitab-i-Aqdas and elsewhere
Baha’u’llah created the Institutions needed to guide this great
evolutionary process. In His Wi// and Testament, ‘Abdu’lBaha, acting on the authority given Him by Baha’u’llah, defined, elaborated and in some instances supplemented these
provisions for the social organization of our planet.
The first reference to this system in the Baha’i Writings was the prophetic statement of the Bab in the Persian Bayan: Well is it with him who fixeth his gaze upon the Order of Baha’u’llah and rendereth thanks unto his Lord! For He will assuredly be made manifest. God hath indeed irrevocably ordained it in the Bayan.37
Among the numerous references to the same subject in the Writings of Baha’u’llah is the striking assertion in the K/tdb-/Aqdas:
The world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind’s ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System—the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.38
The System created through the provisions of the Kitdb-iAqdas and the Wi// and Testament constitutes the Administrative Order of the Baha’i Cause. The Guardian describes this Order as ‘‘the inviolable stronghold”? within which the new World Order is slowly evolving. At the same time, he explains that the Administrative Order is also ‘‘the nucleus” and “the very pattern” of that universal system whose full nature is far beyond our present capacity to appreciate. That is to say, while the Administrative Order is designed to shelter and protect the future World Order, it is not something apart from that future system. Rather, the institutions and forms of the Administrative Order themselves represent both the shell and the seed of the Kingdom of God on earth.
The Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice are the twin pillars of this Administrative Order. Acting in their different but complementary and inseparable roles these two
20
[Page 21]
institutions exercise the authority by which the Covenant of
Baha’u’llah will guide and protect the community of His followers throughout history. In His Wi// and Testament ‘Abdu’lBaha says of them:
The sacred and youthful branch, the Guardian of
the Cause of God as well as the Universal House of
Justice, to be universally elected and established,
are both under the care and protection of the Abha
Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance of
His Holiness, the Exalted One (may my life be of fered up for them both). Whatsoever they decide is
of God. Whoso obeyeth him not, neither obeyeth
them, hath not obeyed God ...39
Beware lest anyone falsely interpret these words,
and like unto them that have broken the Covenant
after the Day of Ascension (of Baha’u’llah) ad vance a pretext, raise the standard of revolt, wax
stubborn, and open wide the door of false inter pretation. To none is given the right to put forth
his own opinion or express his particular convic tions. All must seek guidance and turn unto the
Center of the Cause and the House of Justice. And
he that turneth unto whatsoever else is indeed in
grievous error.
The Glory of Glories rest upon you!40
The Guardian says of the functions of these ‘‘twin pillars”’
of the Administrative Order:
It should be stated, at the very outset, in clear and
unambiguous language, that these twin institutions
of the Administrative Order of Baha’u’llah should
be regarded as divine in origin, essential in their
functions and complementary in their aim and
purpose. Their common, their fundamental object
is to insure the continuity of that divinely-appoint ed authority which flows from the Source of our
Faith, to safeguard the unity of its followers and to
maintain the integrity and flexibility of its teach ings. Acting in conjunction with each other these
two inseparable institutions administer its affairs,
21
[Page 22]
coordinate its activities, promote its interests, execute its laws and defend its subsidiary institutions.
Severally, each operates within a clearly defined
sphere of jurisdiction; each is equipped with its
own attendant institutions—instruments designed
for the effective discharge of its particular responsibilities and duties. Each exercises, within the limitations imposed upon it, its powers, its authority,
its rights and prerogatives. These are neither contradictory, nor detract in the slightest degree from
the position which each of these institutions occupies. Far from being incompatible or mutually destructive, they supplement each other’s authority
and functions, and are permanently and fundamentally united in their aims.41
The Guardianship
The Institution of the Guardianship, which was anticipated in the Kitdb-i-Aqdas, was formally established by ‘Abdu’lBaha in His W/// and Testament. In this latter document, written entirely in His own hand, signed and sealed by Him, the Master named His eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, “‘Guardian of the Cause of God’’, and conferred on him the sole
power of interpreting the Baha’i teachings:
22
After the passing away of this wronged one, it is incumbent upon ... the loved ones of the Abha Beauty to turn unto Shoghi Effendi—the youthful branch branched from the two hallowed and sacred Lote-Trees and the fruit grown from the union of the two offshoots of the Tree of Holiness,—as he is the sign of God, the chosen branch, the guardian of the Cause of God ... He is the expounder of the words of God ...42
The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable
and safe through obedience to him who is the guardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon the
members of the House of Justice, upon all the
[Page 23]
Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God
to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the guardian of the Cause of God,
to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that
opposeth him hath opposed the True One ...43
The Universal House of Justice
The authority conferred on the House of Justice, which was created by Baha’u’llah Himself, is equally explicit. The name of this body was designated by Baha’u’llah, and its various functions are described in both the Kitdb-i-Aqdas and a number of other Sacred Texts: This passage is written, at this time, by the Supreme Pen and is accounted of the Book of Aqdas. The affairs of the people are in charge of the men of the House of Justice of God. They are the trustees of God among His servants and the sources of command in His countries.44 These functions include the exclusive right of legislation on matters not explicitly revealed in the Scriptures: It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice to take counsel together regarding those things which have not outwardly been revealed in the Book, and to enforce that which is agreeable to them. God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth, and He verily is the Provider, the Omniscient.45 ‘Abdu’l-Baha explains that the House of Justice also has the right to abrogate or change its own enactments as circumstances require: Inasmuch as the House of Justice hath power to enact laws that are not expressly recorded in the Book and bear upon daily transactions, so also it hath power to repeal the same ... This it can do because these laws form no part of the divine explicit text.46 Also in the Wi// and Testament ‘Abdu’l-Baha explained
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[Page 24]
the significance of this authority:
The Relationship of The Guardianship and The Universal House of Justice
Upon the death of Shoghi Effendi in November 1957 a situation existed which the Baha’i community could not have foreseen. The Universal House of Justice explains its signi Unto the Most Holy Book [Kitab-i-Aqdas] every one must turn and all that is not expressly recorded therein must be referred to the Universal House of Justice. That which this body, whether unanimously or by a majority doth carry, that is verily the. Truth and Purpose of God Himself.47
ficance:
The Universal House of Justice was therefore duly elected in the manner provided for in the Writings and various related statements of the Guardian, and took up its responsibilities for the guidance of the Cause. The Guardian had stated of
At the time of our beloved Shoghi Effendi’s death it was evident, from the circumstances and from the explicit requirements of the Holy Texts, that it had been impossible for him to appoint a successor in accordance with the provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. This situation, in which the Guardian died without being able to appoint a successor, presented an obscure question not covered by the explicit Holy Text, and had to be referred to the Universal House of Justice.48
the relationship between the two institutions:
24
They [i.e. Baha’u’ll4h and ‘Abdu’l-Baha] have also,
in unequivocal and emphatic language, appointed
those twin institutions of the House of Justice and
of the Guardianship as their chosen Successors,
destined to apply the principles, promulgate the
laws, protect the institutions, adapt loyally and
intelligently the Faith to the requirements of pro[Page 25]
gressive society, and consummate the incorruptible
inheritance which the Founders of the Faith have
bequeathed to the world.49
He had also explained, however, that the powers of neither
institution in any way interfered with the powers granted to
the other:
It must be also clearly understood by every believer that the institution of the Guardianship does not
under any circumstances abrogate, or even in the
slightest degree detract from, the powers granted
to the Universal House of Justice by Baha’u’llah in
the Kitab-i-Aqdas, and repeatedly and solemnly
confirmed by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in His Will. It does not
constitute in any manner a contradiction to the
Will and Writings of Baha’u’llah, nor does it nullify
any of His revealed instructions.50
From these statements it is made indubitably clear and evident that the Guardian of the Faith has been made the Interpreter of the Word and that the Universal House of Justice has been invested with the function of legislating on matters not expressly revealed in the teachings. The interpretation of the Guardian, functioning within his own sphere, is as authoritative and binding as the enactments of the International House of Justice, whose exclusive right and prerogative is to pronounce upon and deliver the final judgment on such laws and ordinances as Baha’u’llah has not expressly revealed. Neither can, nor will ever, infringe upon the sacred and prescribed domain of the other. Neither will seek to curtail the specific and undoubted authority with which both have been divinely invested.
Though the Guardian of the Faith has been made the permanent head of so august a body he can never, even temporarily, assume the right of exclusive legislation. He cannot override the decision of the majority of his fellow-members ...51
The Universal House of Justice has pointed out some of
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[Page 26]
the implications of these statements in relation to the present
stage of development of the Cause: ... Shoghi Effendi repeatedly stressed the inseparability of these two institutions. Whereas he obviously envisaged their functioning together, it cannot logically be deduced from this that one is unable to function in the absence of the other. During the whole thirty-six years of his Guardianship Shoghi Effendi functioned without the Universal House of Justice. Now the Universal House of Justice must function without the Guardian, but the principle of inseparability remains. The Guardianship does not lose its significance nor position in the Order of Baha’u’llah merely because there is no living Guardian. 52
Service to the Cause of God requires absolute fidelity and integrity and unwavering faith in Him. No good but only evil can come from taking the responsibility for the future of God’s Cause into our own hands and trying to force it into ways that we wish it to go regardless of the clear texts and our own limitations. It is His Cause. He has promised that its light will not fail. Our part is to cling tenaciously to the revealed Word and to the institutions that He has created to preserve His Covenant.53
The Infallibility of The Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice has explained the nature of
the infallibility which the Covenant confers on its enactments:
The infallibility of the Universal House of Justice,
operating within its ordained sphere, has not been
made dependent upon the presence in its membership of the Guardian of the Cause. Although in the
realm of interpretation the Guardian’s pronouncements are always binding, in the area of the Guar
26
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dian’s participation in legislation it is always the
decision of the House itself which must prevail.
This is supported by the words of the Guardian:
“The interpretation of the Guardian, functioning
within its own sphere, is as authoritative and binding as the enactments of the International House of
Justice, whose exclusive right and prerogative is to
pronounce upon and deliver the final judgment on
such laws and ordinances as Baha’u’llah has not expressly revealed. Neither can, nor will ever, infringe
upon the sacred and prescribed domain of the
other. Neither will seek to curtail the specific and
undoubted authority with which both have been
divinely invested.
“Though the Guardian of the Faith has been made the permanent head of so august a body he can never, even temporarily, assume the right of exclusive legislation. He cannot override the decision of the majority of his fellow members, but is bound to insist upon a reconsideration by them of any enactment he conscientiously believes to conflict with the meaning and to depart from the spirit of Baha’u’llah’s revealed utterances.’’54
The Guardian, like ‘Abdu’l-Baha before him, left ‘‘innumerable definitions” and other interpretative commentary for the guidance of the Universal House of Justice in its exercise of its functions.
The House of Justice points out the way in which this allows the institution of the Guardianship to continue exercising its influence even though the line of living Guardians has come to an end:
It should be understood by the friends that before
legislating upon any matter the Universal House of
Justice studies carefully and exhaustively both the
Sacred Texts and the writings of Shoghi Effendi on
the subject. The interpretations written by the beloved Guardian cover a vast range of subjects and
are equally as binding as the Text itself.55
Within the guidelines provided by this authoritative inter
27
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pretation, the House of Justice has also been given unique
powers in the field of deduction in formulating its decisions.
‘Abdu’l-Baha states: Those matters of major importance which constitute the foundation of the Law of God are explicitly recorded in the Text, but subsidiary laws are left to the House of Justice. The wisdom of this is that the times never remain the same, for chance is a necessary quality and an essential attribute of this world, and of time and place. Therefore the House of Justice will take action accordingly. Let it not be imagined that the House of Justice will take any decision according to its own concepts and opinions. God forbid! The Supreme House of Justice will take decisions and establish laws through the inspiration and confirmation of the Holy Spirit, because it is in the safekeeping and under the shelter and protection of the Ancient Beauty, and obedience to its decisions is a bounden and essential duty and an absolute obligation, and there is no escape for anyone ... Briefly, this is the wisdom of referring the laws of society to the House of Justice. In the religion of Islam, similarly, not every ordinance was explicitly revealed; nay not a tenth part of a tenth part was included in the Text; ... individual divines made conflicting deductions from the original revealed ordinances. All these were enforced. Today this process of deduction is the right of the body of the House of Justice, and the deductions and conclusions of individual learned men have no authority, unless they are endorsed by the House of Justice. The difference is precisely this, that from the conclusions and endorsements of the body of the House of Justice whose members are elected by and known to the worldwide Baha’i community, no differences will arise; whereas the conclusions of individual divines and scholars would definitely lead to differences, and result in schism, division,
28
[Page 29]
and dispersion. The oneness of the Word would be
destroyed, the unity of the Faith would disappear,
and the edifice of the Faith of God would be shaken,56
The House of Justice explains the difference between
these powers of deduction and the interpretative authority
which belonged to ‘Abdu’l-Baha and the Guardian alone:
There is a profound difference between the interpretations of the Guardian and the elucidations of
the House of Justice in exercise of its function to
“‘deliberate upon all problems which have caused
difference, questions that are obscure, and matters
that are not expressly recorded in the Book.”’ The
Guardian reveals what the Scripture means; his interpretation is a statement of truth which cannot
be varied. Upon the Universal House of Justice, in
the words of the Guardian, “‘has been conferred
the exclusive right of legislating on matters not expressly revealed in the Baha’i Writings.’’57
The Role and Functions of The Universal House of Justice
The House of Justice has briefly outlined its role in the devel opment of the Cause and its major functions: The Universal House of Justice, which the Guardian said would be regarded by posterity as “‘the last refuge of a tottering civilization,”’ is now, in the absence of the Guardian, the sole infallibly guided institution in the world to which all must turn, and on it rests the responsibility for ensuring the unity and progress of the Cause of God in accordance with the revealed Word. There are statements from the Master and the Guardian indicating that the Universal House of Justice, in addition to being the highest legislative body of the Faith, is also the body to which all must turn, and is the
29
[Page 30]
30
“apex” of the Baha’i Administrative Order, as well
as the ‘‘supreme organ of the Baha’i Commonwealth.” The Guardian has in his writings specified
for the Universal House of Justice such fundamental functions as the formulation of future worldwide teaching plans, the conduct of the administrative affairs of the Faith, and the guidance, organization, and unification of the affairs of the
Cause throughout the world. Furthermore in God
Passes By the Guardian makes the following statement: ‘The Kitab-i-Aqdas ... not only preserves
for posterity the basic laws and ordinances on
which the fabric of His future World Order must
rest, but ordains, in addition to the function of interpretation which it confers upon His successor,
the necessary institutions through which the integrity and unity of His Faith can alone be safeguarded.”’ He has also, in ‘““The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah,”? written that the members of the Universal
House of Justice and “‘not the body of those who
either directly or indirectly elect them, have thus
been made the recipients of the Divine guidance
which is at once the lifeblood and ultimate safeguard of this Revelation,’’58
[Page 31]
VV
Opposition to
Bahau'llah
It may be helpful in conclusion to consider again the state ment of Shoghi Effendi, with which this study began: The Revelation of Baha’u’llah ... should, if we be faithful to its implications, ... be viewed not merely as yet another spiritual revival in the ever-changing fortunes of mankind, not only as a further stage in a chain of progressive Revelations, nor even as the culmination of one of a series of recurrent prophetic cycles, but rather as marking the last and highest stage in the stupendous evolution of man’s collective life on this planet. The emergence of a
31
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For thousands of years humanity has been evolving toward the day of its unification. All previous forms of social
organization on the planet have been stages in mankind’s preparation for the time when the earth will have become one
country and mankind its citizens. The propelling force in this
long evolutionary development has been the repeated intervention of God in human history, not only in a series of Divine Revelations, but through a sequence of Prophetic cycles
world community, the consciousness of world citizenship, the founding of a world civilization and culture ... should, by their very nature, be regarded, as far as this planetary life is concerned, as the furthermost limits in the organization of human society, though man, as an individual, will ... continue indefinitely to progress and develop.59
stretching back beyond the memory of the human race.
Today this vast process has culminated in the Revelation of Baha’u’llah. Little wonder then at the language used by its
Author:
32
‘Verily I say! No one hath apprehended the root of
this Cause. It is incumbent upon every one, in this
day, to perceive with the eye of God, and to hearken with His ear. Whoso beholdeth Me with an eye
besides Mine own will never be able to know me.”
...‘In this most mighty Revelation all the Dispensations of the past have attained their highest, their
final consummation.”...““The purpose underlying
all creation is the revelation of this most sublime,
this most holy Day, the Day known as the Day of
God, in His Books and Scriptures—the Day which
all the Prophets, and the Chosen Ones, and the
holy ones, have wished to witness.”’’...“‘This is the
Day in which God’s most excellent favors have
been poured out upon men, the Day in which His
most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things.” “‘This is the Day whereon the Ocean of
God’s mercy hath been manifested unto men, the
Day in which the Day Star of His loving-kindness
hath shed its radiance upon them, the Day in
[Page 33]
which the clouds of His bountiful favor have overshadowed the whole of mankind.”’...‘‘A fleeting
moment, in this Day, excelleth centuries of a bygone age. ... Neither sun nor moon hath witnessed a
day such as this Day.” ‘“This is the Day whereon the
unseen world crieth out, ‘Great is thy blessedness,
O earth, for thou hast been made the footstool of
thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His mighty
throne.’ ”’...‘‘Peerless is this Day, for it is as the eye
to past ages and centuries, and as a light unto the
darkness of the times.”’...‘““These days are God’s
days, a moment of which ages and centuries can
never rival. An atom, in these days, is as the sun, a
drop as the ocean.’’...““O people! I swear by the
one true God! This is the Ocean out of which all
Seas have proceeded, and with which every one of
them will ultimately be united. From Him all the
Suns have been generated, and unto Him they will
all return. Through His potency the Trees of Divine
Revelation have yielded their fruits, every one of
which hath been sent down in the form of a prophet,
bearing a Message to God’s creatures in each of the
worlds whose number God, alone, in His all-encompassing knowledge, can reckon.’’...““God the
true One is My Witness! This is the Day whereon it
is incumbent upon every one that seeth to behold,
and every ear that harkeneth to hear, and every
heart that understandeth to perceive, and every
tongue that speaketh to proclaim unto all who are
in heaven and on earth, this holy, this exalted, and
all-highest Name.’’60
It is against this background that we can begin to appreciate something of the significance in human history of the
Covenant established by Baha’u’llah. We can appreciate something, too, of the convulsion that it must inevitably provoke
in human affairs. The Covenant of Baha’u’llah is the key to
the unification of mankind. As its embrace has gradually
spread throughout the planet the concept of the oneness of
mankind has become a reality for people of every back
33
[Page 34]
ground. As its influence has slowly permeated the consciousness of those who have recognized Baha’u’llah, an alternative
way of life has begun to emerge for people everywhere. This
universal and divine Covenant accepts no barriers of race,
class, creed, or nation. It insists that all such lesser loyalties
and identities be subordinated to the pre-eminent fact of
mankind’s oneness. And it does so in ways that re-structure
the daily lives, re-mould the consciousness, and re-order the
social relationships of all who enter upon it:
I testify that no sooner had the First Word pro ceeded, through the potency of Thy will and pur pose, out of His mouth ... than the whole creation
was revolutionized, and all that are in the heavens
and all that are on earth were stirred to the depths.
Through that Word the realities of all created
things were shaken, were divided, separated, scat tered, combined and reunited, disclosing, in both
the contingent world and the heavenly kingdom,
entities of a new creation ...61
It is this irresistible process of the expansion and consolidation of Baha’u’llah’s work throughout the planet that arouses opposition. There are those who see in it a threat to existing loyalties, institutions, identities, and ambitions. Many of these fears are groundless, based on an ignorance of Baha’u’llah’s purpose. Others are quite realistic, arising out of at least a dim sense of the revolutionary changes in human affairs that such a process must involve. Both kinds of fear, however, have nurtured the persistent opposition which the Faith has encountered since the earliest days of the Mission of the Bab. In hindsight it is also evident that such fears were tributes to the consolidating strength of the Cause, as well as harbingers of its eventual triumph. The same principle, basic to the operation of God’s will in human affairs, can be seen on a lesser scale in the history of every earlier Divine Revelation.
The Universal House of Justice advises that the time has come for this principle to be more fully studied and understood by the Baha’i Community. With this aim in view they have forwarded to each National Assembly the compilation
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of excerpts from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, ‘Abdu’l-Baha,
and the Guardian, referred to in the introduction to this
series of booklets. The concluding extracts in this study are
taken from this compilation:
Baha'u'llah
Say: O people of God! Beware lest the powers of the earth alarm you, or the might of the nations weaken you, or the tumult of the people of discord deter you, or the exponents of earthly glory sadden you. Be ye as a mountain in the Cause of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Unconstrained .62
When the victory arriveth, every man shall profess himself as believer and shall hasten to the shelter of God’s Faith. Happy are they who in the days of world-encompassing trials have stood fast in the Cause and refused to swerve from its truth.63
Abdu'l-Baha
The prestige of the Faith of God has immensely increased. Its greatness is now manifest. The day is approaching when it will have cast a tremendous tumult in men’s hearts. Rejoice, therefore, O denizens of America, rejoice with exceeding gladness!64
How great, how very great is the Cause! How very
fierce the onslaught of all the peoples and kindreds
of the earth. Ere long shall the clamor of the multitude throughout Africa, throughout America, the
cry of the European and of the Turk, the groaning
of India and China, be heard from far and near.
One and all, they shall arise with all their power to
resist His Cause. Then shall the knights of the
Lord, assisted by His grace from on high, strengthened by faith, aided by the power of understand
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ing, and reinforced by the legions of the Covenant,
arise and make manifest the truth of the verse:
‘Behold the confusion that hath befallen the tribes
of the defeated!’’65
. a large multitude of people will arise against you, showing oppression, expressing contumely and derision, shunning your society, and heaping upon you ridicule. However, the Heavenly Father will illumine you to such an extent that, like unto the rays of the sun, you shall scatter the dark clouds of superstition, shine gloriously in the midst of Heaven and illumine the face of the earth. You must make firm the feet at the time when these trials transpire, and demonstrate forbearance and patience. You must withstand them with the utmost love and kindness; consider their oppression and persecution as the caprice of children, and do not give any importance to whatever they do. For at the end the illumination of the Kingdom will overwhelm the darkness of the world and the exaltation and grandeur of your station will become apparent and manifest ...66
The Guardian
36
How can the beginnings of a world upheaval, unleashing forces that are so gravely deranging the social, the religious, the political, and the economic equilibrium of organized society, throwing into chaos and confusion political systems, racial doctrines, social conceptions, cultural standards, religious associations, and trade relationships—how can such agitations, on a scale so vast, so unprecedented, fail to produce any repercussions on the institutions of a Faith of such tender age whose teachings have a direct and vital bearing on each of these spheres of human life and conduct?
Little wonder, therefore, if they who are holding
aloft the banner of so pervasive a Faith, so chal[Page 37]
lenging a Cause, find themselves affected by the
impact of these world-shaking forces. Little wonder if they find that in the midst of this whirlpool
of contending passions their freedom has been curtailed, their tenets contemned, their institutions
assaulted, their motives maligned, their authority
jeopardized, their claim rejected.67
Fierce and manifold will be the assaults with which governments, races, classes and religions, jealous of its rising prestige and fearful of its consolidating strength, will seek to silence its voice and sap its foundations. Unmoved by the relative obscurity that surrounds it at the present time, and undaunted by the forces that will be arrayed against it in the future, this community, I cannot but feel confident, will, no matter how afflictive the agonies of a travailing age, pursue its destiny, undeflected in its course, undimmed in its serenity, unyielding in its resolve, unshaken in its convictions.68
For let every earnest upholder of the Cause of Baha’u’llah realize that the storms which this struggling Faith of God must needs encounter, as the process of disintegration of society advances, shall be fiercer than any which it has already experienced. Let him be aware that so soon as the full measure of the stupendous claim of the Faith of Baha’u’llah comes to be recognized by those timehonored and powerful strongholds of orthodoxy, whose deliberate aim is to maintain their stranglehold over the thoughts and consciences of men, this infant Faith will have to contend with enemies more powerful and more insidious than the cruellest torture-mongers and the most fanatical clerics who have afflicted it in the past. What foes may not in the course of the convulsions that shall seize a dying civilization be brought into existence, who will reinforce the indignities which have already been heaped upon it!69
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38
We can discover a no less distinct gradation in the character of the opposition it has had to encounter .. an opposition which, now, through the rise of a divinely appointed Order in the Christian West, and its initial impact on civil and ecclesiastical institutions, bids fair to include among its supporters established governments and systems associated with the most ancient, the most deeply entrenched sacerdotal hierarchies in Christendom. We can, at the same time, recognize, through the haze of an ever-widening hostility, the progress, painful yet persistent, of certain communities within its pale through the stages of obscurity, of proscription, of emancipation, and of recognition—stages that must needs culminate in the course of succeeding centuries, in the establishment of the Faith, and the founding, in the plenitude of its power and authority, of the world-embracing Baha’i Commonwealth.70
No opportunity, in view of the necessity of insuring the harmonious development of the Faith, should be ignored, which its potential enemies, whether ecclesiastical or otherwise, may offer, to set forth, in a restrained and unprovocative language, its aims and tenets, to defend its interests, to proclaim its universality, to assert the supernatural, the supra-national and non-political character of its institutions, and its acceptance of the divine origin of the Faiths which have preceded it.71
Whatever may befall this infant Faith of God in future decades or in succeeding centuries, whatever
the sorrows, dangers and tribulations which the
next stage in its world-wide development may engender, from whatever quarter the assaults to be
launched by its present or future adversaries may
be unleashed against it, however great the reverses
and setbacks it may suffer, we, who have been privileged to apprehend, to the degree our finite minds
[Page 39]
can fathom, the significance of these marvelous
phenomena associated with its rise and establishment, can harbor no doubt that what it has already
achieved in the first hundred years of its life provides sufficient guarantee that it will continue to
forge ahead, capturing loftier heights, tearing down
every obstacle, opening up new horizons and winning still mightier victories until its glorious mission, stretching into the dim ranges of time that lie
ahead, is totally fulfilled.72
389
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References
The Mission of Bahau'llah
Baha’i World Faith, p. 113 The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 71 Baha’i World Faith, p. 114
1. Gleanings, CV, p. 210
2. The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 163
8. Cited by Rahfyyih Khanum, Bahd’/ News, No. 231, p. 6 4, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 35
5. ibid., p. 203
6. idem
7.
8.
9.
ll The Covenant of Baha'u'llah
10. God Passes By, p. 239
11. The Baha’s Revelation, p. 185
12. God Passes By, p. 238
13. The Covenant of Baha'u'llah, p. 68
14. The World Order of Bahd’u'Iléh, p. 116
15. The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 451 16. The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 134
17. idem
18. idem
19. Baha'i World Faith, p. 205
[Page 41]
20. Gleanings, pp. 4—5
21. The Hidden Words (Arabic), No. 2
22. Baha'i World Faith, p. 182
23. The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 203 24. Wellspring of Guidance, p. 131
III The Laws of Bahau'llah
25. Cited in The Promised Day is Come, p.121
26. The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 94
27. jibid.,p.97
28. The Guardian to the N.S.A. of India and Burma, Dec. 27, 1944 29. Cited in Synopsis and Codification of the Kitdb-i-Aqdas, p. 5 30. Baha’ News, Oct. 1935, p. 2
31. Synopsis and Codification of the Kitdb-i-Aqdas, p. 6
32. ibid.,p.7
33. Gleanings, CLV, p. 332
84. ibid.,p.151
IV The Administrative
Order of Bahatu'llah
35. God Passes By, pp. 213-214
36. Baha'i Administration, p. 15
37. The World Order of Baha'u'llah, pp. 146—147 88. Gleanings, LXX, p. 136
39. Baha'i World Faith, pp. 442—443
40. ibid.,p. 449
41. The World Order of Baha@’u’llah, p. 148
[Page 42]
42.
43,
44,
45.
46.
47.
48,
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54,
55.
56.
57.
58.
V
Baha’i World Faith, p. 442
ibid., p. 448
ibid., p. 200
The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 149 idem
Baha’i World Faith, p. 447
Wellspring of Guidance, pp. 44—45
The World Order of Baha’u'llah, pp. 19—20 ibid.,p. 8
ibid., pp. 149-150
Wellspring of Guidance, pp. 86—87
ibid., p. 87
ibid., pp. 82—83, citing the Guardian in The W.O.B., p. 159 Wellspring of Guidance, p. 52
Cited in We//spring of Guidance, pp. 84—86 ibid., p. 52
ibid., pp. 90—91
Opposition to Bahau’llah
59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72.
The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 163
Cited in The Advent of Divine Justice, pp. 64—67 Baha’i World Faith, p. 93
Cited in The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 69 Gleanings, CL, p. 319
Cited in The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 79 ibid., p.17
Cited in Baha’ News, Vol, 1, No. 10, Sept. 8, 1910, pp. 1—2 The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 2
Messages to America, p. 14
The World Order of Baha@’u'llah, p.17
God Passes By, p. xvii
Citadel of Faith, p. 23
God Passes By, p. 412 �