Application of the law of Huqúqu’lláh: individuals only or can Bahá’í institutions or corporate bodies also contribute?

29 March 1989

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has received your letter of 5 February 1989 in which you ask whether the Law of Huqúqu'lláh is a purely personal law or whether it applies to elected institutions and corporate bodies as well.

We have been asked to inform you that, although the Trustee is authorized to accept contributions to Huqúqu’lláh from believers who are not under the obligation of paying it, or from companies which are wholly owned by Bahá’ís, the Law of Huqúqu’lláh imposes an obligation only on individual believers, not on Bahá’í institutions or corporate bodies.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

(‘Messages from the House of Justice 1986-2001)

Internet and electronic forums used for teaching

8 December 1988

Dear Bahá'í Friends

Your letter and its enclosure on teaching the Faith through participation in electronic conferences were received on 13 November 1988 and were referred by Mr. Hugh Chance to the Universal House of Justice, which has instructed us to convey the following comments.

The House of Justice sees no objection to the utilisation of electronic forums for personal teaching activities. Indeed, it feels that developing communications systems will, in time, present numerous opportunities for dissemination of information about the Faith, including initiatives to be undertaken by Bahá'í institutions.

It feels that your National Assembly has been wise in suggesting the use of quotations to minimise personal interpretations in presenting the tenets of the Faith. Given the relative anonymity of this form of teaching, the House of Justice would further encourage you to remain mindful of the potentially large audience which the forums involve and of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's counsel to "be wary of disputation". In this connection, we are instructed to provide the following quotation from a letter dated 29 November 1937, written on behalf of the beloved Guardian to an individual believer:

" ... refrain, under any circumstances, from involving yourselves, much less the Cause, in lengthy discussions of a controversial character, as these, besides being fruitless actually cause incalculable harm to the Faith. Bahá'u'lláh has repeatedly urged us not to engage in religious controversies, as the adepts of former religions have done. The Bahá'í teacher should be concerned above all in presenting the Message, in explaining and clarifying all its aspects ... He should avoid all situations that, he feels, would lead to strife, to hair-splitting and interminable discussions."

The House of Justice was pleased to learn of this new teaching effort and of the transmission of "The Promise of World Peace" to various forums. You may wish to contact the office of the National Teaching Committee to obtain recommendations concerning other materials which might be posted to the forums, when appropriate, and to inquire about the availability of electronic documents which may be available for this purpose.

Department of the Secretariat

(Baha’i Library Online)

Regarding legislation on certain moral issues

5 June 1988

... The Universal House of Justice does not feel that the time has come for it to provide detailed legislation on subjects such as abortion, homosexuality and other moral issues. The principles pertaining to these issues are available in the book "Lights of Guidance" and elsewhere. In studying these principles, it should be noted that in most areas of human behaviour there are acts which are clearly contrary to the law of God and others which are clearly approved or permissible; between these there is often a grey area where it is not immediately apparent what should be done. It has been a human tendency to wish to eliminate these grey areas so that every aspect of life is clearly prescribed. A result of this tendency has been the tremendous accretion of interpretation and subsidiary legislation which has smothered the spirit of certain of the older religions. In the Bahá'í Faith moderation, which is so strongly upheld by Bahá'u'lláh, is applied here also. Provision is made for supplementary legislation by the Universal House of Justice -- legislation which it can itself abrogate and amend as conditions change. There is also a clear pattern already established in the Sacred Scriptures, in the interpretations made by `Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, and in the decisions so far made by the Universal House of Justice, whereby an area of the application of the laws is intentionally left to the conscience of each individual believer. This is the age in which mankind must attain maturity, and one aspect of this is the assumption by individuals of the responsibility for deciding, with the assistance of consultation, their own course of action in areas which are left open by the law of God.

Táhirih

16 March 1988

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

Your letter of 12 February 1988, in which you clarify the points raised in your letter of 1 December 1987, a copy of which is enclosed as you have requested, has been received by the Universal House of Justice and referred to the Research Department. The House of Justice warmly commends your insistence on accuracy in presenting any aspect of the teachings or history of the Faith, and applauds your obvious commitment to the cause of the advancement of women.

In sending for your study the enclosed copy of the further memorandum, and its attachments, on the topic of Táhirih, prepared by the Research Department, the House of Justice trusts that the issues that remained unanswered earlier will be satisfactorily addressed.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

For Department of the Secretariat

Enclosures

(Baha’i Library Online)

Tahirih and women's suffrage

10 January 1988

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice referred to the Research Department your letter of 1 December 1987 concerning a letter in which you understood that Shoghi Effendi had stated that women's suffrage was not part of Táhirih's concept. We are now directed to send you the enclosed copy of a memorandum, prepared by that Department in response.

The House of Justice hopes that a study of this comprehensive memorandum will enhance your understanding of the exalted station of Táhirih and the extent of her influence on the emancipation of women and the ultimate achievement of peace.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

For Department of the Secretariat

(Baha'i Library Online)

Activities of Bahá’ís in Relation to Governments

23 June 1987

To an individual Bahá’í

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice received your letter . . . inquiring about permissible activities of the Bahá’ís in relation to governments. .. . We have been asked to convey the following.

Your letter touches upon a subject which, as time passes, will increasingly engage the attention of the House of Justice in accordance with its responsibilities as explicitly assigned in the Holy Texts. For instance, Bahá’u’lláh states:

“According to the fundamental laws which We have formerly revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and other Tablets, all affairs are committed to the care of just kings and presidents and of the Trustees of the House of Justice. (Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 93)

Elsewhere He states:

“It is incumbent upon the ministers of the House of Justice to promote the Lesser Peace so that the people of the earth may be relieved from the burden of exorbitant expenditures. This matter is imperative and absolutely essential, inasmuch as hostilities and conflict lie at the root of affliction and calamity. (Tablets of Bahá'u'láh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 89)

And yet again He asserts:

“All matters of State should be referred to the House of Justice, but acts of worship must be observed according to that which God hath revealed in His Book. (Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 27)

Furthermore, ‘Abdul-Bahá is reported to have said in a talk:

“He [Bahá’u’lláh] has ordained and established the House of Justice, which is endowed with a political as well as a religious function, the consummate union and blending of church and state. This institution is under the protecting power of Bahá’u’lláh Himself.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 1982 ed., p. 455)

Alcoholics Anonymous

9 November 1987

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

In response to your letter of 28 July 1987, we have been asked by the Universal House of Justice to quote below for your benefit from letters written on its behalf concerning Alcoholics Anonymous.

“The malign effects of the widespread use of alcoholic beverages upon almost every society in the world cannot but confirm every Bahá'í in the wisdom of Bahá'u'lláh in banning its use, thereby shielding faithful believers from a legion of difficulties . . .

The Bahá'í community should feel free to call upon such agencies as Alcoholics Anonymous for assistance and upon public agencies who work with the problem, but must realize that the greatest healing of this social and individual disease is God's Cause which in its fulness will eliminate the causes of alcoholism . . .” (From letter to a National Assembly dated 8 August 1979)

“The Universal House of Justice . . . has instructed us to say that there is no objection to Bahá'ís being members of Alcoholics Anonymous, which is an association that does a great deal of good in assisting alcoholics to overcome their lamentable condition. The sharing of experiences which the members undertake does not conflict with the Bahá'í prohibition on the confession of sins; it is more in the nature of the therapeutic relationship between a patient and a psychiatrist.” (From letter to an individual believer dated 26 August 1986)

“Dear Bahá'í Friends: Your memo of 28 May enclosing ...'s letter concerning confession has been received. There does not appear to be any conflict between Step 5 of the Alcoholics Anonymous program and the Bahá'í teachings concerning confession.” (From letter to a Local Spiritual Assembly, 4 June 1987)

Activities of Baha’is in relation to governments

23 June 1987

Dear Baha’i Friend,

The Universal House of Justice received your letter . . . inquiring about permissible activities of the Baha’is in relation to governments. .. . We have been asked to convey the following.

Your letter touches upon a subject which, as time passes, will increasingly engage the attention of the House of Justice in accordance with its responsibilities as explicitly assigned in the Holy Texts. For instance, Bahá'u'lláh states:

“According to the fundamental laws which We have formerly revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and other Tablets, all affairs are committed to the care of just kings and presidents and of the Trustees of the House of Justice.” (Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 93)

Elsewhere He states:

“It is incumbent upon the ministers of the House of Justice to promote the Lesser Peace so that the people of the earth may be relieved from the burden of exorbitant expenditures. This matter is imperative and absolutely essential, inasmuch as hostilities and conflict lie at the root of affliction and calamity.” (Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 89)

And yet again He asserts:

“All matters of State should be referred to the House of Justice, but acts of worship must be observed according to that which God hath revealed in His Book.” (Tablets ofBahá u lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 27)

Concerning the treatment of Covenant-Breakers in the writing of Bahá'í history

17 June 1987

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

Your letter of 29 March 1987 concerning the treatment of Covenant-breakers in the writing of Bahá'í history was received by the Universal House of Justice and we have been asked to convey its reply.

Bahá'í historians have the obligation to present the truth in their works on the Faith and they should not distort history by avoiding treatment of Covenant-breakers when this is called for. Even so, as Bahá'ís they will want to exercise great care in determining what may be necessary for them to read from the writings of Covenant-breakers to satisfy the requirements of their research.

To read the writings of Covenant-breakers is not forbidden to the believers and does not constitute in itself an act of Covenant-breaking. Indeed, some of the Bahá'ís have the unpleasant duty to read such literature as part of their responsibilities for protecting the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh. However, the friends are warned in strongest terms against reading such literature because Covenant-breaking is a spiritual poison and the calumnies and distortions of the truth which the Covenant-breakers give out are such that they can undermine the faith of the believer and plant the seeds of doubt unless he is forearmed with an unshakable belief in Bahá'u'lláh and His Covenant and a knowledge of the true facts. This is a factor that any Bahá'í doing research into the history of the Faith must bear in mind, and he must himself decide, whenever he comes upon such documents, whether he feels justified in reading them for the purposes of his research.

Peace activities

17 June 1987

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice read with keen interest your letter of 30 March 1987 reporting efforts exerted by Bahá'í s in your area to study the Bahá'í literature on peace. We have been asked to convey its reply to your questions.

The House of Justice has noted that as a result of the dissemination of "The Promise of World Peace", a Senator has agreed to submit a "proposed" resolution in the Washington State Legislature and that, as you say, the "whole situation here with state resolutions and the need for citizens to write in support of them is getting out of hand". While the Bahá'í community should welcome spontaneous actions on the part of legislators to respond to the urgent call issued in the Peace Statement, the friends should be very wise in determining their actions under such circumstances. They should consult their Spiritual Assemblies, Local and, if necessary, National, for this is an area of activities in which personal judgement is not sufficient.

It is not advisable for Bahá'í institutions or individuals to initiate actions designed to prod government leaders to urge their governments or the leaders of other governments to convene the world conference called for by Bahá'u'lláh and echoed in "Promise of World Peace". Two points should be borne in mind in this regard:

Plight of the Indigenous and Aboriginal Peoples

15 June 1987 

To two individual Bahá’ís

Dear Bahá’i Friends,

Your letter of 1I April 1987, signed by yourselves, and ...,has been received by the Universal House of Justice, and we have been instructed to convey the following response to you.

The House of Justice is deeply concerned at the plight of so many of the indigenous and aboriginal peoples in various parts of the world who have been denied their rights as a consequence of actions by oppressive majorities. Such inequities and injustices are to be found in many countries. The purpose of the coming of Bahá’u’lláh is to lift the yoke of oppression from His loved ones, to liberate all the people of the world, and to provide the means for their abiding happiness.

The Bahá’í approach to resolution of the manifold problems affecting human society rests upon the assertion by Bahá’u’lláh that these ills are but various symptoms and side effects of the basic disease, which the Divine Physician has diagnosed to be disunity. Bahá’u’lláh has made it abundantly clear that the first step essential for the health and harmony of the whole of mankind is its unification. He says, "The well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established” (The World Order of Bah’ulláh, p. 203). By contrast, the approach of most people is the exact opposite: their concentration is on attempts to remedy the multitude of ills besetting mankind, with the expectation that the resolution of these problems will lead ultimately to unity.

This unity can only be achieved through the spreading of the Faith and the building up of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’u’lláh states in Gleanings, Section 120:

“That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician. This, verily, is the truth, and all else naught but error.”

Authority of Local Spiritual Assemblies

14 May 1987

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has received your letter of 9 April 1987 and has asked us to convey the following on its behalf.

You are assured of the prayers of the House of Justice in the Holy Shrines on behalf of the Native American Indian Bahá’í Institute at Burnt Water for the success of its efforts in raising the number of Navajo Indian believers who are well deepened in the Faith.

With regard to the two quotations you have cited about the authority of the Local Spiritual Assembly, and your question about what you consider to be contradictory, the two self-explanatory extracts are indeed complementary. In both extracts individual believers and communities are required to uphold the authority of the Local Assembly and obey its decisions. The prerogative of the believer to offer at the Nineteen Day Feast "any suggestion, recommendation or criticism he conscientiously feels he should in order to improve and remedy certain existing conditions or trends in his local com-munity" does not give him or the community the right to disobey a decision of the Assembly or to act in such a way as to undermine its authority. The point to bear in mind is also included in the first extract from Shoghi Effendi’s writings quoted in your letter: "But again it should be stressed that all criticisms and discussions of a negative character which may result in undermining the authority of the Assembly as a body should be strictly avoided. For otherwise the order of the Cause itself will be endangered, and confusion and discord will reign in the Community.”

A careful study of the principles of Bahá’í Administration and procedures which confirm the authority of the Assembly and, at the same time, guarantee the individual’s right to freedom of expression and provide him with the right of appeal, will clarify the questions you have in this regard.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

Obligatory Prayers and Ablutions

15 April 1987

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

Further to our letter of 30 March 1987, it has been noticed that, contrary to what is stated in the first paragraph, the first question you submitted in your letter of 16 December 1986 was not included in the memorandum prepared by the Research Department. We are now instructed to rectify this omission.

In response to your question regarding the recitation of a specifically revealed verse if the Obligatory Prayer is missed on account of danger or insecurity, asking whether this requirement applies to prayers missed on account of forgetfulness, ailment, inability to say the prayer while being in the company of others, and inability to speak, the Universal House of Justice has directed us to share with you a compilation entitled "Notes on Obligatory Prayers and Ablutions" as you will no doubt be interested in the extracts from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on the importance of reciting these prayers.

Concerning those who are unable to speak, in a letter dated 31 January 1949 written on behalf of the beloved Guardian in answer to a question about the recital of Obligatory Prayers it is stated: "The daily prayers are to be said by each one for himself, aloud or silent makes no difference."

The House of Justice points out that the law regarding actions to be taken in place of an Obligatory Prayer missed on account of insecure conditions is not binding upon the believers in the West. This is a matter on which the Universal House of Justice will legislate at the appropriate time.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

For Department of the Secretariat

Enclosure

Compilation: "Notes on Obligatory Prayers and Ablutions"