Bahá'í History

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

July 1. On this date in 1996, the Universal House of Justice responded to a question "on the provision for Huqúqu’lláh in Bahá’í wills."

74. "Your … question centers on the provision for Huqúqu’lláh…"
Your … question centers on the provision for Huqúqu’lláh in Bahá’í wills. Your understanding that the obligation to pay Huqúqu’lláh arises during one’s lifetime and is normally to be carried out with lifetime giving is correct, although at the same time it is true that there may be cases where a believer dies without having made provision in his or her will for payment of the unpaid portion of Huqúqu’lláh, if any. The event of death does not remove from a believer the obligation to pay Huqúqu’lláh. Whatever portion is due to be paid is therefore a debt due from the believer’s estate at the time of his or her death. The cost of the funeral and burial, the payment of the debts of the deceased, and the payment of whatever portion of Huqúqu’lláh remains due are prior charges on the estate which must be met before arriving at the amount of the property which has to be divided in accordance with the provisions of the law of inheritance. Thus, whether or not a person makes a will or, having made a will, whether he or she makes provision in it for the payment of Huqúqu’lláh, the Huqúqu’lláh should be paid, like all debts, before the rest of the estate is divided.
In light of this, it is certainly advisable for a believer to make the necessary arrangements for payment of Huqúqu’lláh prior to his or her death, in order to avoid complications or confusions which could arise. It should be noted that the question of a legal wording to include provision in a will for the payment of Huqúqu’lláh after a believer has died is dependent upon so many factors, that it would be preferable to seek legal advice so that wording which is appropriate and in accordance with the laws governing inheritance can be used. Obviously, unless the believer leaves a clear accounting of his or her property and payment of Huqúqu’lláh to date, if any, it will not be possible for anyone to calculate accurately what remains to be paid at the time of death. While the application of the principles involved in payment of Huqúqu’lláh may well require subsidiary legislation by the House of Justice in the future, at the present time it falls to the executor or administrator of an estate to apply them to the extent possible, using his or her best judgment and taking into account the information available. Finally, while the payment of Huqúqu’lláh is each individual’s own responsibility, a believer may be referred to the nearest Representative of the Trustee of Huqúqu’lláh, who could advise him or her in the light of any specific circumstances.
(1 July 1996, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

July 1. On this date in 1945. Shoghi Effendi wrote "...the sanity, the justice, the perfect balance of His system can alone accomplish the next step in Man's evolution--the unification of the human race as one family inhabiting this planet."

July 1. On this date in 1945. Shoghi Effendi wrote "...the sanity, the justice, the perfect balance of His system can alone accomplish the next step in Man's evolution--the unification of the human race as one family inhabiting this planet."

2282. He is always pleased to see enlightened and capable young people embrace the Cause, because the world of the near future naturally belongs to them and the heavy responsibilities of that future must needs fall on their shoulders. They cannot find a pattern to work by comparable to that which Bahá'u'lláh has given to the world in this age; the sanity, the justice, the perfect balance of His system can alone accomplish the next step in Man's evolution--the unification of the human race as one family inhabiting this planet.
(1 July 1945 to an individual believer)

July 1. On this date in 1987, `Azízu'lláh Navídí passed away in London. He and his wife, Shamsi, were named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh for their pioneering work in Monte Carlo.

July 1. On this date in 1987, `Azízu'lláh Navídí passed away in London. He and his wife, Shamsi, were named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh for their pioneering work in Monte Carlo.

What has always struck me about the designation of Knights of Bahá'u'lláh is the arbitrariness with which the "virgin territories" were defined. For example, the Cook Islands and Tonga Island, both part of the Realm of New Zealand have distinct sets of Knights, while Niue and the Chatham Islands, also part of the Realm of New Zealand, are Knightless.

Several islands off the coast of Alaska have distinct Knights, like Baranof Island , Kodiak Island, and the Aleutian Islands. Yet other Alaskan islands, like the Pribilof Islands are Knightless.
The Brazilian state of Amapá has its own Knights (for Portuguese Guiana), while the other Brazilian states are Knightless.

Crete and Rhodes have Knights distinct from the Knights of mainland Greece, yet other Greek islands, like Santorini and Samos, are Knightless.

Key West has its own Knight, yet the other Florida Keys are Knightless.

Tiny islands, like Great Manan, have their own Knights. St. Thomas Island has its own Knight, yet the remaining Leeward Islands have one set of Knights, representing numerous politically and geographically independent islands. Similarly, the Windward Islands have one set of Knights, representing numerous politically and geographically independent islands.

July 1. On this date in 2013, the Universal House of Justice addressed a letter "to the participants in the forthcoming 114 youth conferences throughout the world."

The Universal House of Justice
1 July 2013
To the participants in the forthcoming 114 youth conferences throughout the world
Dearly loved Friends,
When the exalted figure of the Báb, aged just twenty-five, arose to deliver His revolutionizing message to the world, many among those who accepted and spread His teachings were young, even younger than the Báb Himself. Their heroism, immortalized in all its dazzling intensity in The Dawn-Breakers, will illumine the annals of human history for centuries to come. Thus began a pattern in which every generation of youth, drawing inspiration from the same divine impulse to cast the world anew, has seized the opportunity to contribute to the latest stage in the unfolding process that is to transform the life of humankind. It is a pattern that has suffered no interruption from the time of the Báb to this present hour.
The lifelong exertion and sacrifice of your spiritual forebears did much to establish the Faith in diverse lands and to hasten the appearance of a global community of purpose. Though the tasks that lie before you are not the same as theirs, the responsibilities with which you are entrusted are no less vital. After many a decade, the world-embracing labours of this far-flung community to obtain a more adequate understanding of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh and to apply the principles it enshrines have culminated in the emergence of a potent framework for action, refined through experience. You are fortunate to be familiar with its methods and approaches now so well established. Through perseverance in their implementation, many of you will already have seen for yourselves signs of the society-building power of the divine teachings. At the conference you attend, you are being invited to consider the contribution that can be made by any young person who wishes to answer Bahá’u’lláh’s summons and help to release that power. To assist you, a number of themes have been identified for you to explore, beginning with looking at your current time of life.
Across the world are to be gathered, in scores of youth conferences sharing the same aim, tens of thousands who have much in common. Although your realities are shaped by a broad diversity of circumstances, yet a desire to bring about constructive change and a capacity for meaningful service, both characteristic of your stage of life, are neither limited to any race or nationality, nor dependent upon material means. This bright period of youth you share is experienced by all—but it is brief, and buffeted by numerous social forces. How important it is, then, to strive to be among those who, in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “plucked the fruit of life”.
With this in mind, we are delighted that so many of you are already engaged in service by conducting community-building activities, as well as by organizing, coordinating, or otherwise administering the efforts of others; in all of these endeavours you are taking an increasing level of responsibility upon your shoulders. Not surprisingly, it is your age group that is gaining the most experience at aiding junior youth, and children too, with their moral and spiritual development, fostering in them capacity for collective service and true friendship. After all, aware of the world which these young souls will need to navigate, with its pitfalls and also its opportunities, you readily appreciate the importance of spiritual strengthening and preparation. Conscious, as you are, that Bahá’u’lláh came to transform both the inner life and external conditions of humanity, you are assisting those younger than yourselves to refine their characters and prepare to assume responsibility for the well-being of their communities. As they enter adolescence, you are helping them to enhance their power of expression, as well as enabling a strong moral sensibility to take root within them. In so doing, your own sense of purpose is becoming more clearly defined as you heed Bahá’u’lláh’s injunction: “Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.”
To follow a path of service, whatever form one’s activity assumes, requires faith and tenacity. In this connection, the benefit of walking that path in the company of others is immense. Loving fellowship, mutual encouragement, and willingness to learn together are natural properties of any group of youth sincerely striving for the same ends, and should also characterize those essential relationships that bind together the components of society. Given this, we hope the bonds you develop through association with other conference participants will prove abiding. Indeed, long after the gatherings close, may these ties of friendship and common calling help keep your feet firm.
The possibilities presented by collective action are especially evident in the work of community building, a process that is gaining momentum in many a cluster and in neighbourhoods and villages throughout the world that have become centres of intense activity. Youth are often at the forefront of the work in these settings—not only Bahá’í youth, but those of like mind who can see the positive effects of what the Bahá’ís have initiated and grasp the underlying vision of unity and spiritual transformation. In such places, the imperative to share the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh with receptive hearts and explore the implications of His message for today’s world is keenly felt. When so much of society invites passivity and apathy or, worse still, encourages behaviour harmful to oneself and others, a conspicuous contrast is offered by those who are enhancing the capacity of a population to cultivate and sustain a spiritually enriching pattern of community life.
Yet, although many admire your dynamism and ideals, the true significance of these endeavours is less apparent to the world at large. You, however, are aware of your part in a mighty, transforming process that will yield, in time, a global civilization reflecting the oneness of humankind. You know well that the habits of mind and spirit that you are nurturing in yourselves and others will endure, influencing decisions of consequence that relate to marriage, family, study, work, even where to live. Consciousness of this broad context helps to shatter the distorting looking glass in which everyday tests, difficulties, setbacks, and misunderstandings can seem insurmountable. And in the struggles that are common to each individual’s spiritual growth, the will required to make progress is more easily summoned when one’s energies are being channelled towards a higher goal—the more so when one belongs to a community that is united in that goal.
All these thoughts are openings to an inclusive and ever-expanding conversation that will extend through the conferences and well beyond them as you engage many others in earnest discussions that lift the heart and awaken the mind to the possibilities of what could be. Drawing upon your collective experience will further enrich your deliberations. At this propitious time, our hearts will be with you, and as each conference concludes, we will eagerly look to see what will follow. For every gathering we will entreat the Almighty to bestow upon its participants a measure of His boundless grace, knowing, as you do, that divine assistance is promised to all those who arise to serve humankind in response to the galvanizing call of Bahá’u’lláh.
[signed: The Universal House of Justice]

July 1. On this date in 1993, the Universal House of Justice responded to an individual who had written inquiring about the degree of personal sacrifice when giving to the Fund.

Personal Sacrifice in Giving to the Fund
1 JULY 1993
To an individual Bahá’í
Dear Bahá’í Friend,
The Universal House of Justice was touched to receive your letter of 11 June 1993 which evinces such devotion to the Cause of God. It has asked us to send you the following reply.
The House of Justice has never gone to the extreme of telling the friends that now is the time to give their long-range savings to the Fund. It sets forth the needs of the Cause, and calls upon the believers to sacrifice, but the degree and manner of his sacrifice depends on each believer's own faith and good judgment in light of his responsibilities. Again and again in His Writings Bahá’u’lláh emphasizes the need for moderation in all things, and He upholds the importance of using wisdom in all we do and say.
Devoted believers in every age have found it challenging to decide how much of their worldly wealth they should give to the Cause of God, and how much they should use to meet their many responsibilities of life, such as educating their children, preparing for their old age so that they will not be a burden on others, and so forth. You will recall the story of the Muslim who asked Muḥammad whether he should tie up his camel or trust in God that it would not run away. Muḥammad's answer was that he should tie up the camel and trust in God! In this Dispensation, by the institution of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, Bahá’u’lláh has provided us with a measure. We are all obliged to pay that portion of our savings that is God's Right. What remains thereafter is ours to use at our own discretion, for the promotion of the work of the Cause and for helping others less fortunate than ourselves.
In the Hidden Words Bahá’u’lláh revealed:

O My Servant! The best of men are they that earn a livelihood by their calling and spend upon themselves and upo their kindred for the love of God, the Lord of all worlds.[3]
Furthermore, in the twelfth Glad-Tidings He stated:

The most despised of men in the sight of God are those who sit idly and beg. Hold ye fast unto the cord of material means, placing your whole trust in God, the Provider of all means. When anyone occupieth himself in a craft or trade, such occupation itself is regarded in the estimation of God as an act of worship; and this is naught but a token of His infinite and all-pervasive bounty.[4]
Thus to earn a livelihood is a spiritual obligation, and one should not consciously place oneself in a position where one would have to beg others for material support.
It is against this background of responsibility for oneself and one's family that each person must estimate the degree to which he or she can sacrifice for the Funds of the Faith. The range of options and decisions that the believers can make regarding the management of their personal finances without jeopardizing their future security are great, and can only be evaluated by each individual.
The House of Justice asks us to assure you of its prayers at the Sacred Threshold that you may be assisted with divine guidance and confirmations in all your devoted services on behalf of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.
With loving Bahá’í greetings, DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT
Notes
1.↑ MUHJ, no. 18.4.
2.↑ ADJ, ¶78 (2006)
3.↑ HW, Persian, no. 82.
4.↑ TB, p. 26.

July 1. On this date in 1955, Shoghi Effendi wrote that he "was very happy indeed to learn of the confirmation of an additional Bahá'í in the Island of Crete" and was "very anxious to know the racial background of the new Bahá'ís in these new areas. I am wondering therefore if you could let me know what the nationality is of the first new Bahá'í in Crete, as well as this second Bahá'í. The Guardian is anxious to know if either one of these two are pure Greek stock."

July 1. On this date in 1955, Shoghi Effendi wrote that he "was very happy indeed to learn of the confirmation of an additional Bahá'í in the Island of Crete" and was "very anxious to know the racial background of the new Bahá'ís in these new areas. I am wondering therefore if you could let me know what the nationality is of the first new Bahá'í in Crete, as well as this second Bahá'í. The Guardian is anxious to know if either one of these two are pure Greek stock."

1 July 1955
Dear Bahá'í Friends:
The beloved Guardian was very happy indeed to learn of the confirmation of an additional Bahá'í in the Island of Crete.
The Guardian is very anxious to know the racial background of the new Bahá'ís in these new areas. I am wondering therefore if you could let me know what the nationality is of the first new Bahá'í in Crete, as well as this second Bahá'í.
The Guardian is anxious to know if either one of these two are pure Greek stock....

July 1. On this date in 1998, an introductory letter from the Bahá'í World Center Library was included to supplement 1971 guidelines (also here) for the process of pre-publication Review of Bahá'í publications, outlining several principles and observations addressed to Bahá'í authors and Bahá'í publishers.

July 1. On this date in 1998, an introductory letter from the Bahá'í World Center Library was included to supplement 1971 guidelines (also here) for the process of pre-publication Review of Bahá'í publications, outlining several principles and observations addressed to Bahá'í authors and Bahá'í publishers.

Introductory letter from the Bahá'í World Center Library (1998 version)

BAHÁ'Í WORLD CENTRE LIBRARY

1 July 1998

To all National Spiritual Assemblies,
Bahá'í Publishing Trusts, and
Associations for Bahá'í Studies

Dear Bahá'í Friends,

The International Bahá'í Library holds the principal depository collection of Bahá'í and Bahá'í related publications in the world, maintaining a permanent historical record of all your achievements in this field. Through the cooperation and generosity of all of you, the collection is kept up to date and is reflective of the increasing recognition being accorded the Faith and the vitality of your communities in their publishing endeavours. It is in this connection and on behalf of the Universal House of Justice that we remind you once again of the importance of keeping up with the need to deposit with the Library copies of materials published by you, or your committees and agencies. The list of materials being requested, which was sent to you on 7 March 1996, has now been revised and is enclosed. Please replace that earlier list with this revised version.

For works in languages other than Persian, Arabic and major European languages, please enclose in the package or with a separate cover letter an English translation of the title and, in the case of non-Roman alphabets, a transliteration into Roman letters of the following: the author's name, the title, the place of publication, the publisher, and the periodical numbering and date of issue. Transliteration is the process of putting into the Roman alphabet the equivalent of the original words. If the work is a translation or an adaptation of a work originally published in another language, please indicate this as well.

As more Bahá'í publications and audiovisual materials are produced by independent Bahá'í owned and non-Bahá'í publishing Firms, it is important that the World Centre Library become aware of, and acquire, these publications. The Library has agreements with major independent Bahá'í owned publishers, but needs to be aware of all the independently produced Bahá'í publications. National Spiritual Assemblies may send pertinent information on such independently produced materials to the World Centre Library so that the publications may be ordered by the Library, or the Assemblies may send copies to the World Centre, in which case the Library will reimburse all costs.

We also remind you that the Universal House of Justice wishes to receive copies of non-Bahá'í publications which contain significant mention of the Bahá'í Faith: books, pamphlets, theses or dissertations, magazine and journal articles, and newspaper stories. If it is not possible to send the original publication, please send a photocopy of the pertinent portion and of the title page of the work from which it is taken.

We ask that National Spiritual Assemblies inform all their national committees, offices and agencies of this letter and its enclosure. This is particularly important for National Teaching Committees, Bahá'í Education Committees, and those committees or agencies engaged in Bahá'í institute activities.

Your continued assistance in creating an effective International Bahá'í Library is deeply appreciated.

With loving Bahá'í greetings,
For the Bahá'í World Centre Library