- The first duty prescribed by
God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Day Spring of His
Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both
the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty
hath attained unto all good... It behoveth every one who reacheth this most
sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance
of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable.
Neither is acceptable without the other.... They whom God hath endued with
insight will readily recognize that the precepts laid down by God constitute
the highest means for the maintenance of order in the world and the security
of its! peoples.... Hasten to drink your fill, O men of understanding They
that have violated the Covenant of God by breaking His commandments, and have
turned back on their heels, these have erred grievously in the sight of God,
the All-Possessing, the Most
High.
("Gleanings
from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, 2nd rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1983), Sec. 155,
pp. 330-31)
- Follow not, therefore, your
earthly desires, and violate not the Covenant of God, nor break your pledge to
Him. With firm determination, with the whole affection of your heart, and with
the full force of your words, turn ye unto Him, and walk not in the ways of
the foolish.... Break not the bond that uniteth you with your Creator, and be
not of those that have erred and strayed from His
ways....
("Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, Sec. 153,
p. 328)
- Great is thy blessedness
inasmuch as thou hast been faithful to the Covenant of God and His
Testament.... Dedicate thyself to the service of the Cause of thy Lord,
cherish His remembrance in thy heart and celebrate His praise in such wise
that every wayward and heedless soul may thereby be roused from
slumber.
("Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas" (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1988, p. 262)
- ...ye must conduct yourselves
in such a manner that ye may stand out distinguished and brilliant as the sun
among other souls. Should any one of you enter a city, he should become a
centre of attraction by reason of his sincerity, his faithfulness and love,
his honesty and fidelity, his truthfulness and loving-kindness towards all the
peoples of the world, so that the people of that city may cry out and say:
"This man is unquestionably a Bahá'í, for his manners, his behaviour, his
conduct, his morals, his nature, and disposition reflect the attributes of the
Bahá'ís." Not until ye attain this station can ye be said to have been
faithful to the Covenant and Testament of God. For He hath, through
irrefutable Texts, entered into a binding Covenant with us all, requiring us
to act in accordance with His sacred instructions and
counsels.
("Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá" [rev. Ed] (Haifa: Bahá'í World
Centre, 1982), p. 71)
II.
"...the Greater Covenant which
every Manifestation of God makes with His
followers..."
The Pattern:
- The Lord of the universe hath
never raised up a prophet nor hath He sent down a Book unless He hath
established His covenant with all men, calling for their acceptance of the
next Revelation and of the next Book; inasmuch as the outpourings of His
bounty are ceaseless and without
limit.
("Selections from the Writings of the Báb", [rev. ed.] (Haifa: Bahá'í World
Centre, 1982), p. 87)
- Abraham, on Him be peace, made
a covenant concerning Moses and gave the glad-tidings of His coming. Moses
made a covenant concerning the promised Christ, and announced the good news of
His advent to the world. Christ made a covenant concerning the Paraclete and
gave the tidings of His coming. The Prophet Muhammad made a covenant
concerning the Báb, and the Báb was the One promised by Muhammad, for Muhammad
gave the tidings of His coming. The Báb made a Covenant concerning the Blessed
Beauty, Bahá'u'lláh, and gave the glad-tidings of His coming for the Blessed
Beauty was the One promised by the Báb. Bahá'u'lláh made a covenant concerning
a Promised One Who will become manifest after one thousand or thousands of
years. That Manifestation is Bahá'u'lláh's Promised One, and will appear after
a thousand or thousands of years. He, moreover, with His Supreme Pen, entered
into a great Covenant and Testament with all the Bahá'ís whereby they were all
commanded to follow the Centre of the Covenant after His ascension, and
depart, not even to a hair's breadth, from obeying
Him.
('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet - translated from the Persian, published in
"Bahá'í World Faith" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1976), p. 358)
The
advent of Bahá'u'lláh:
- This is the Day, O my Lord,
which Thou didst announce unto all mankind as the Day whereon Thou wouldst
reveal Thy Self, and shed Thy radiance, and shine brightly over all Thy
creatures. Thou hast, moreover, entered into a covenant with them, in Thy
Books, and Thy Scriptures, and Thy Scrolls, and Thy Tablets, concerning Him
Who is the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation, and hast appointed the Bayán to be
the Herald of this Most Great and all-glorious Manifestation, and this most
resplendent and most sublime
Appearance.
("Prayers and Meditations by Bahá'u'lláh" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
1979), p. 275)
The
Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh concerning the next Manifestation:
- Verily God will raise up Him
Whom God shall make manifest, and after Him Whomsoever He willeth, even as He
hath raised up prophets before the Point of the Bayán. He in truth hath power
over all things.
("Selections from the Writings of the Báb", p. 144)
- Whoso layeth claim to a
Revelation direct from God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years, such
a man is assuredly a lying imposter.... Should a man appear, ere the lapse of
a full thousand years - each year consisting of twelve months according to the
Qur'an, and of nineteen months of nineteen days each, according to the Bayán -
and if such a man reveal to your eyes all the signs of God, unhesitatingly
reject him!
(Bahá'u'lláh, cited in "The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh - Selected Letters",
rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 132)
- Centuries, nay, countless ages,
must pass away ere the Day-Star of Truth shineth again in its mid-summer
splendor, or appeareth once more in the radiance of its vernal glory...
Concerning the Manifestations that will come down in the future "in the
shadows of the clouds," know, verily, that in so far as their relation to the
Source of their inspiration is concerned, they are under the shadow of the
Ancient Beauty. In their relation, however, to the age in which they appear,
each and every one of them "doeth whatsoever He
willeth."
('Abdu'l-Bahá, cited in "The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh - Selected Letters",
p. 167)
III.
The Lesser Covenant: "...that
Bahá'u'lláh made with His followers regarding
'Abdu'l-Bahá..."
Appointment:
- It is incumbent upon the
Aghsán, the Afnán and My kindred to turn, one and all, their faces towards the
Most Mighty Branch. Consider that which We have revealed in Our Most Holy
Book: "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." The object of this sacred verse is none other except
the Most Mighty Branch ('Abdu'l-Bahá). Thus have We graciously revealed unto
you our potent Will, and I am verily the Gracious, the
All-Powerful.
(Bahá'u'lláh, cited in "The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh - Selected Letters, p.
134)
- In accordance with the explicit
text of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas Bahá'u'lláh hath made the Center of the Covenant the
Interpreter of His Word - a Covenant so firm and mighty that from the
beginning of time until the present day no religious Dispensation hath
produced its
like.
('Abdu'l-Bahá, cited in "The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh - Selected Letters" p.
136)
- Today, the most important
affair is firmness in the Covenant, because firmness in the Covenant wards off
differences. ....Bahá'u'lláh covenanted, not that I ('Abdu'l-Bahá) am the
Promised One, but that 'Abdu'l-Bahá is the Expounder of the Book and the
Centre of His Covenant, and that the Promised One of Bahá'u'lláh will appear
after one thousand or thousands of years. This is the Covenant which
Bahá'u'lláh made. If a person shall deviate, he is not acceptable at the
Threshold of Bahá'u'lláh. In case of differences, 'Abdu'l-Bahá must be
consulted. They must revolve around his good pleasure. After 'Abdu'l-Bahá,
whenever the Universal House of Justice is organized it will ward off
differences.
('Abdu'l-Bahá, cited in "Star of the West", vol. 4, No. 14 (November 1913), p.
237-38)
- Inasmuch as great differences
and divergences of denominational belief had arisen throughout the past, every
man with a new idea attributing it to God, Bahá'u'lláh desired that there
should not be any ground or reason for disagreement among the Bahá'ís.
Therefore, with His own pen He wrote the Book of His Covenant, addressing His
relations and all people of the world, saying, "Verily, I have appointed One
Who is the Center of My Covenant. All must obey Him; all must turn to Him; He
is the Expounder of My Book, and He is informed of My purpose. All must turn
to Him. Whatsoever He says is correct, for, verily, He knoweth the texts of My
Book. Other than He, no one doth know My Book." The purpose of this statement
is that there should never be discord and divergence among the Bahá'ís but
that they should always be unified and agreed.... Therefore, whosoever obeys
the Center of the Covenant appointed by Bahá'u'lláh has obeyed Bahá'u'lláh,
and whosoever disobeys Him has disobeyed Bahá'u'lláh.... Beware! Beware! lest
anyone should speak from the authority of his own thoughts or create a new
thing out of himself. Beware! Beware! According to the explicit Covenant of
Bahá'u'lláh you should care nothing at all for such a person. Bahá'u'lláh
shuns such souls.
("The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during
His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912, 2nd ed. (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1982), pp. 322-23)
- He is, and should for all time
be regarded, first and foremost, as the Center and Pivot of Bahá'u'lláh's
peerless and all-enfolding Covenant, His most exalted handiwork, the stainless
Mirror of His light, the perfect Exemplar of His teachings, the unerring
Interpreter of His Word, the embodiment of every Bahá'í ideal, the incarnation
of every Bahá'í virtue, the Most Mighty Branch sprung from the Ancient Root,
the Limb of the Law of God, the Being "round Whom all names revolve," the
Mainspring of the Oneness of Humanity, the Ensign of the Most Great Peace, the
Moon of the Central Orb of this most holy Dispensation - styles and titles
that are implicit and find their truest, their highest and fairest expression
in the magic name 'Abdu'l-Bahá. He is, above and beyond these appellations,
the "Mystery of God" - an expression by which Bahá'u'lláh 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-Bahá the incompatible characteristics of a human nature and superhuman
knowledge and perfection have been blended and are completely
harmonized.
(Shoghi Effendi, from a letter of 8 February 1934, published in "The World
Order of Bahá'u'lláh - Selected Letters", p. 134)
- Bahá'u'lláh, the Revealer of
God's Word in this Day, the Source of Authority, the Fountainhead of Justice,
the Creator of a new World Order, the Establisher of the Most Great Peace, the
Inspirer and Founder of a world civilization, the Judge, the Lawgiver, the
Unifier and Redeemer of all mankind, has proclaimed the advent of God's
Kingdom on earth, has formulated its laws and ordinances, enunciated its
principles, and ordained its institutions. To direct and canalize the forces
released by His Revelation He instituted His Covenant, whose power has
preserved the integrity of His Faith, maintained its unity and stimulated its
world-wide expansion throughout the successive ministries of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and
Shoghi Effendi. It continues to fulfil its life-giving purpose through the
agency of the Universal House of Justice whose fundamental object, as one of
the twin successors of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, is to ensure the
continuity of that divinely-appointed authority which flows from the Source of
the Faith, to safeguard the unity of its followers, and to maintain the
integrity and flexibility of its
teachings.
(Universal House of Justice, "The Constitution of the Universal House of
Justice" (Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1972), pp. 3-4)
- Uniqueness of Bahá'u'lláh's
Covenant: As to the most great characteristic of the revelation of
Bahá'u'lláh, a specific teaching not given by any of the Prophets of the past:
It is the ordination and appointment of the Center of the Covenant. By this
appointment and provision He has safeguarded and protected the religion of God
against differences and schisms, making it impossible for anyone to create a
new sect or faction of
belief.
("The
Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His
Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912", pp. 455-56)
- To direct and canalize these
forces let loose by this Heaven-sent process, and to insure their harmonious
and continuous operation after His ascension, an instrument divinely ordained,
invested with indisputable authority, organically linked with the Author of
the Revelation Himself, was clearly indispensable. That instrument Bahá'u'lláh
had expressly provided through the institution of the Covenant, an institution
which he had firmly established prior to His ascension. This same Covenant He
had anticipated in His Kitáb-i-Aqdas, had alluded to it as He bade His last
farewell to the members of His family, who had been summoned to His bed-side,
in the days immediately preceding His ascension, and had incorporated it in a
special document which He designated as "the Book of My Covenant," and which
He entrusted, during His last illness, to His eldest son 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Written
entirely in His own hand ... this unique and epoch- making Document,
designated by Bahá'u'lláh as His "Most Great Tablet," and alluded to by Him as
the "Crimson Book" in His "Epistle to the Son of the Wolf," can find no
parallel in the Scriptures of any previous Dispensation, not excluding that of
the Báb Himself. For nowhere in the books pertaining to any of the world's
religious systems, not even among the writings of the Author of the Báb'
Revelation, do we find any single document establishing a Covenant endowed
with an authority comparable to the Covenant which Bahá'u'lláh had Himself
instituted.
(Shoghi Effendi, "God Passes By" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1974),
pp. 237-38)
- ...There is, though, a great
difference between this and previous Dispensations, for Bahá'u'lláh has
written that this is "the Day which shall not be followed by night" ("God
Passes By", p. 245). He has given us His Covenant which provides for a
continuing centre of divine guidance in the world. The Bahá'í Faith has not
lacked for ambitious men who would seize the reins of authority and distort
the Faith for their own ends, but in every case they have broken themselves
and dashed their hopes on the rock of the
Covenant.
(14
January 1979, from a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of
Justice to an individual believer)
IV.
The Lesser Covenant: "...that
'Abdu'l-Bahá perpetuated through the Administrative
Order..."
Twin Successors:
- O my loving friends! After the
passing away of this wronged one, it is incumbent upon the Aghsán
(Branches),the Afnán (Twigs) of the Sacred Lote-Tree, the Hands (pillars) of
the Cause of God and the loved ones of the Abhá 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 unto whom all the Aghsán, the Afnán, the Hands of the Cause
of God and His loved ones must turn. He is the expounder of the words of God
and after him will succeed the first-born of his lineal
descendents.
("The Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
1968), p. 11)
- And now, concerning the House
of Justice which God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from
all error, it must be elected by universal suffrage, that is, by the
believers. Its members must be manifestations of the fear of God and
day-springs of knowledge and understanding, must be steadfast in God's faith
and the well-wishers of all
mankind.
("The
Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá", p. 14)
- Unto the Most Holy Book 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 the Purpose of God
Himself.
("The
Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá", p. 19)
- They [Bahá'u'lláh and
'Abdu'l-Bahá] 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 progressive society, and consummate the incorruptible
inheritance which the Founders of the Faith have bequeathed to the
world.
(Shoghi
Effendi, from a letter of 21 March 1930, published in "The World Order of
Bahá'u'lláh - Selected Letters", pp. 19-20)
- ...under the Covenant of God,
Shoghi Effendi was, during his ministry as Guardian of the Cause, the point of
authority in the Faith to which all were to turn.... The same thing applies to
the position occupied by the Universal House of Justice in its relationship to
the friends.
(9
November 1981, from a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of
Justice to an individual believer)
- Authority: 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 Abhá Beauty, under the shelter and unerring
guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One (may my life be offered up for them
both). Whatsoever they decide is of God. Whoso obeyeth him not, neither
obeyeth them, hath not obeyed God; whoso rebelleth against him and against
them hath rebelled against God; whoso opposeth him hath opposed God; whoso
contendeth with them hath contended with God; whoso disputeth with him hath
disputed with God; whoso denieth him hath denied God; whoso disbelieveth in
him hath disbelieved in God; whoso deviateth, separateth himself and turneth
aside from him hath in truth deviated, separated himself and turned aside from
God.
("The Will
and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá", p. 11)
- ...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 Bahá'u'lláh 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.
(Shoghi
Effendi, from a letter of 8 February 1934, published in "The World Order of
Bahá'u'lláh - Selected Letters" pp. 149-50)
- In the conduct of the
administrative affairs of the Faith, in the enactment of the legislation
necessary to supplement the laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the members of the
Universal House of Justice, it should be borne in mind, are not, as
Bahá'u'lláh's utterances clearly imply, responsible to those whom they
represent, nor are they allowed to be governed by the feelings, the general
opinion, and even the convictions of the mass of the faithful, or of those who
directly elect them. They are to follow, in a prayerful attitude, the dictates
and promptings of their conscience. They may, indeed they must, acquaint
themselves with the conditions prevailing among the community, must weigh
dispassionately in their minds the merits of any case presented for their
consideration, but must reserve for themselves the right of an unfettered
decision. "God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth," is
Bahá'u'lláh's incontrovertible assurance. They, 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 life-blood and ultimate safeguard
of this
Revelation....
(Shoghi Effendi, from a letter of 8 February 1934, published in "The World
Order of Bahá'u'lláh - Selected Letters", p. 153)
The
passing of Shoghi Effendi:
- 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,[1] that it had been impossible for him to appoint a
successor in accordance with the provisions of the Will and Testament of
'Abdu'l-Bahá....
(The Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 9 March 1965, published
in "Wellspring of Guidance: Messages 1963-1968" p. 44)
- After prayerful and careful
study of the Holy Texts bearing upon the question of the appointment of the
successor to Shoghi Effendi as Guardian of the Cause of God, and after
prolonged consultation which included consideration of the views of the Hands
of the Cause of God residing in the Holy Land, the Universal House of Justice
finds that there is no way to appoint or to legislate to make it possible to
appoint a second Guardian to succeed Shoghi
Effendi.
(The
Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 6 October 1963, published in
"Wellspring of Guidance: Messages 1963-1968, p. 11)
The
Universal House of Justice:
- The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh is
unbroken, its all- encompassing power inviolate. The two unique features which
distinguish it from all religious covenants of the past are unchanged and
operative. The revealed Word, in its original purity, amplified by the
divinely guided interpretations of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, remains
immutable, unadulterated by any man-made creeds or dogmas, unwarrantable
inferences, or unauthorized interpretations. The channel of Divine guidance,
providing flexibility in all the affairs of mankind, remains open through that
institution which was founded by Bahá'u'lláh and endowed by Him with supreme
authority and unfailing guidance, and of which the Master wrote: "Unto this
body all things must be referred." How clearly we can see the truth of
Bahá'u'lláh's assertion: "The Hand of Omnipotence hath established His
Revelation upon an enduring foundation. Storms of human strife are powerless
to undermine its basis, nor will men's fanciful theories succeed in damaging
its structure."
(The Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated October 1963, published
in "Wellspring of Guidance: Messages 1963-1968, p. 13)
- 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.
(The
Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 27 May 1966, published in
"Wellspring of Guidance: Messages 1963-1968", p. 90)
- 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....
....
However, quite apart from
his function as a member and sacred head for life of the Universal House of
Justice, the Guardian, functioning within his own sphere, had the right and
duty "to define the sphere of the legislative action" of the Universal House
of Justice. In other words, he had the authority to state whether a matter was
or was not already covered by the Sacred Texts and therefore whether it was
within the authority of the Universal House of Justice to legislate upon
it.... The question therefore arises: In the absence of the Guardian, is the
Universal House of Justice in danger of straying outside its proper sphere and
thus falling into error? Here we must remember three things: First, Shoghi
Effendi, during the thirty-six years of his Guardianship, has already made
innumerable such definitions, supplementing those made by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and by
Bahá'u'lláh Himself. As already announced to the friends, a careful study of
the Writings and interpretations on any subject on which the House of Justice
proposes to legislate always precedes its act of legislation. Second, the
Universal House of Justice, itself assured of Divine guidance, is well aware
of the absence of the Guardian and will approach all matters of legislation
only when certain of its sphere of jurisdiction, a sphere which the Guardian
has confidently described as "clearly defined." Third, we must not forget the
Guardian's written statement about these two institutions: "Neither can, nor
will ever, infringe upon the sacred and prescribed domain of the
other."
(The
Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 27 May 1966, published in
"Wellspring of Guidance: Messages 1963-1968", pp. 82-84)
- The Universal House of Justice,
beyond its function as the enactor of legislation, has been invested with the
more general functions of protecting and administering the Cause, solving
obscure questions and deciding upon matters that have caused
difference....
(From a letter dated 7 December 1969, published in "Messages from the
Universal House of Justice: 1968-1973" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
1976), pp. 38-39)
- 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 Bahá'í Writings." Its
pronouncements, which are susceptible of amendment or abrogation by the House
of Justice itself, serve to supplement and apply the Law of God. Although not
invested with the function of interpretation, the House of Justice is in a
position to do everything necessary to establish the World Order of
Bahá'u'lláh on this earth. Unity of doctrine is maintained by the existence of
the authentic texts of Scripture and the voluminous interpretations of
'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, together with the absolute prohibition
against anyone propounding "authoritative" or "inspired" interpretations or
usurping the function of Guardian. Unity of administration is assured by the
authority of the Universal House of
Justice.
(The
Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 9 March 1965, published in
"Wellspring of Guidance: Messages 1963-1968", pp. 52-53)
- In the Bahá'í Faith there are
two authoritative centers appointed to which the believers must turn, for in
reality the Interpreter of the Word is an extension of that center which is
the Word itself. The Book is the record of the utterance of Bahá'u'lláh, while
the divinely inspired Interpreter is the living Mouth of that Book - it is he
and he alone who can authoritatively state what the Book means. Thus one
center is the Book with its Interpreter, and the other is the Universal House
of Justice guided by God to decide on whatever is not explicitly revealed in
the Book. This pattern of centers and their relationships is apparent at every
stage in the unfoldment of the Cause. In the Kitáb-i-Aqdas Bahá'u'lláh tells
the believers to refer after His passing to the Book, and to "Him Whom God
hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root." In the Kitáb-i-'Ahdí
(the Book of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant), He makes it clear that this reference is
to 'Abdu'l-Bahá. In the Aqdas Bahá'u'lláh also ordains the institution of the
Universal House of Justice, and confers upon it the powers necessary for it to
discharge its ordained functions. The Master in His Will and Testament
explicitly institutes the Guardianship, which Shoghi Effendi states was
clearly anticipated in the verses of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, reaffirms and
elucidates the authority of the Universal House of Justice, and refers the
believers once again to the Book: "Unto the Most Holy Book everyone must turn
and all that is not expressly recorded therein must be referred to the
Universal House of Justice," and at the very end of the Will He says: "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."
(From a
letter dated 7 December 1969, published in "Messages from the Universal House
of Justice: 1968-1973", pp. 42-43)
V.
Response to the Lesser Covenant
that "...the Faith can remain united and pure."
- ...the power of the Covenant
will protect the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh 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 Bahá'í world
save the Covenant of God; otherwise differences like unto a most great tempest
will encompass the Bahá'í 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 the believers must make their steps firm in the
Covenant so that the confirmations of Bahá'u'lláh may encircle them from all
sides, the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse may become their supporters and
helpers, and the exhortations and advices of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, like unto the
pictures engraved on stone, may remain permanent and ineffaceable in the
tablets of all
hearts.
("Tablets
of the Divine Plan Revealed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the North American Bahá'ís"
rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1977), p. 49)
- Walk, therefore, with a sure
step and engage with the utmost assurance and confidence in the promulgation
of the divine fragrances, the glorification of the Word of God and firmness in
the Covenant. Rest ye assured that if a soul ariseth in the utmost
perseverance and raiseth the Call of the Kingdom and resolutely promulgateth
the Covenant, be he an insignificant ant he shall be enabled to drive away the
formidable elephant from the arena, and if he be a feeble moth he shall cut to
pieces the plumage of the rapacious
vulture.
("Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá", p. 209)
- The progress of the Cause of
God gathers increasing momentum and we may with confidence look forward to the
day when this Community, in God's good time, shall have traversed the stages
predicated for it by its Guardian, and shall have raised on this tormented
planet the fair mansions of God's Own Kingdom wherein humanity may find
surcease from its self-induced confusion and chaos and ruin, and the hatreds
and violence of this time shall be transmuted into an abiding sense of world
brotherhood and peace. All this shall be accomplished within the Covenant of
the everlasting Father, the Covenant of
Bahá'u'lláh.
(The
Universal House of Justice, Ridvan Message 1973 to
the Bahá'ís of the World)
- The Bahá'ís must cling firmly
to the knowledge that the Cause is safely in God's hands, that the Covenant of
Bahá'u'lláh is incorruptible and that they can have complete confidence in the
ability of the Universal House of Justice to function "under the care and
protection of the Abhá Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance of His
Holiness, the Exalted
One"....
(28 May
1975, from a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an
individual believer)
VI.
The power of the
Covenant:
- Today the pulsating power in
the arteries of the body of the world is the spirit of the Covenant - the
spirit which is the cause of life. Whosoever is vivified with this spirit, the
freshness and beauty of life become manifest in him, he is baptized with the
Holy Spirit, he is born again, is freed from oppression and tyranny, from
heedlessness and harshness which deaden the spirit, and attains to everlasting
life. Praise thou God that thou art firm in the Covenant and the Testament and
art turning thy face to the Luminary of the world, His Highness
Bahá'u'lláh.
('Abdu'l-Bahá, cited in "Star of the West, vol. 14, No. 7 (October 1923), p.
225)
- It is indubitably clear, that
the pivot of the oneness of mankind is nothing else but the power of the
Covenant.... The power of the Covenant is as the heat of the sun which
quickeneth and promoteth the development of all created things on earth. The
light of the Covenant, in like manner, is the educator of the minds, the
spirits, the hearts and souls of
men.
('Abdu'l-Bahá, cited in "God Passes By", pp. 238-39)
- Today, the Lord of Hosts is the
defender of the Covenant, the forces of the Kingdom protect it, heavenly souls
tender their services, and heavenly angels promulgate and spread it broadcast.
If it is considered with insight, it will be seen that all the forces of the
universe, in the last analysis serve the
Covenant.
("Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá", p. 228)
- No power can eliminate
misunderstandings except that of the Covenant. The power of the Covenant is
all-embracing, and resolveth all difficulties, for the Pen of Glory hath
explicitly declared that whatever misunderstanding may arise should be
referred to the Centre of the
Covenant....
('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet - translated from the Persian)
- Were it not for the protecting
power of the Covenant to guard the impregnable fort of the Cause of God, there
would arise among the Bahá'ís, in one day, a thousand different sects as was
the case in former ages. But in this Blessed Dispensation, for the sake of the
permanency of the Cause of God and the avoidance of dissension amongst the
people of God, the Blessed Beauty (may my soul be a sacrifice unto Him), has
through the Supreme Pen written the Covenant and the
Testament....
('Abdu'l-Bahá, cited in "Bahá'í World Faith", pp. 357-58)
- Launched through these very
acts,[2] into the troublesome seas of ceaseless tribulation,
piloted by the mighty arm of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and manned by the bold initiative
and abundant vitality of a band of sorely-tried disciples, the Ark of
Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant has, ever since those days, been steadily pursuing its
course contemptuous of the storms of bitter misfortune that have raged, and
which must continue to assail it, as it forges ahead towards the promised
haven of undisturbed security and
peace.
(Shoghi
Effendi, from a letter dated 21 April 1933, published in "The World Order of
Bahá'u'lláh - Selected Letters", p. 84)
- The Covenant is the "axis of
the oneness of the world of humanity" because it preserves the unity and
integrity of the Faith itself and protects it from being disrupted by
individuals who are convinced that only their understanding of the Teachings
is the right one - a fate that has overcome all past Revelations. The Covenant
is, moreover, embedded in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh Himself. Thus, as you
clearly see, to accept Bahá'u'lláh is to accept His Covenant; to reject His
Covenant is to reject
Him.
(3 January
1982, from a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an
individual believer)
Notes[1] Shoghi Effendi had no children and all the surviving
Aghsán had broken the Covenant.
[2] Events associated with the introduction of the Faith
in the West.
Revised November 1990