March 25. On this date in 1987, the Universal House of Justice wrote all National Spiritual Assemblies regarding the codification of the Laws of Huqúqu'lláh.
The Universal House of Justice
Department of the Secretariat
25 March 1987
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
In
furtherance of the goal of the Six Year Plan to educate the friends
throughout the world in the Law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, the Research Department
has prepared a simple codification of the law. A copy of this
codification is enclosed for you to share, as you judge appropriate,
with the friends under your jurisdiction. It is based largely on a
codification produced spontaneously by some friends in Austria and on
another written under the auspices of the United States National
Spiritual Assembly. References throughout the document are to the
sections of the compilation on Ḥuqúqu’lláh which has already been sent
to you.
To
help the friends increase their understanding of the significance of
this Law of God, the Research Department was also requested by the
Universal House of Justice to prepare a brief history of the development
of the Institution which has been associated with the Law since the
early years of its operation. This is also enclosed and is based on an
article in Persian written by the Hand of the Cause of God Dr. ‘Alí
Muḥammad Varqá, apart from the final section about Dr. Varqá himself,
which has been added by the Research Department.
It
is hoped that National Spiritual Assemblies will use this material as
extensively as possible to educate the friends and deepen their
understanding of this vital law of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Department of the Secretariat
A Codification of the Law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh
March 1987
Prepared by the Research Department
at the request of the Universal House of Justice
at the request of the Universal House of Justice
I. Preamble
Ḥuqúqu’lláh
(The Right of God) is a great law (7) and a sacred institution (72).
Laid down in the Most Holy Book (Kitáb-i-Aqdas), it is one of the key
instruments for constructing the foundation and supporting the structure
of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. It has far-reaching ramifications
that extend from promoting the welfare of the individual, to buttressing
the authority and extending the activity of the Head of the Faith. In
providing a regular and systematic source of revenue for the Central
Institution of the Cause, Bahá’u’lláh has assured the means for the
independence and decisive functioning of the World Center of His Faith.
By
identifying this law as “The Right of God” Bahá’u’lláh has reemphasized
the nature of the relationship between human beings and their Creator
as a Covenant based on mutual assurances and obligations; and, by
designating the Central Authority in the Cause, to which all must turn,
as the recipient of this Right, He has created a direct and vital link
between every individual believer and the Head of his Faith that is
unique in the structure of His World Order. This law enables the friends
to recognize the elevation of their economic activity to the level of
divine acceptability, it is a means for the purification of their wealth
and a magnet attracting divine blessings. The computation and the
payment of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, within the general guidelines set forth, are
exclusively a matter of conscience between the individual and God (8,
104); demanding or soliciting the Ḥuqúqu’lláh is prohibited (8, 9, 38,
71, 96, 104), only appeals, reminders and exhortations of a general
nature, under the auspices of the institutions of the Faith, are
permissible (38, 70, 99, 104, 107). That the observance and enforcement
of this law, so crucial to the material well-being of the emerging
Bahá’í commonwealth, should thus have been left entirely to the faith
and conscience of the individual, gives substance to and sheds light on
what the beloved Master calls the spiritual solution to economic
problems. Indeed, the implications of the law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh for the
realization of a number of the principles of the Faith, such as the
elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty, and a more equitable
distribution of resources, will increasingly become manifest as the
friends assume in ever greater measure the responsibility for observing
it.
The
fundamentals of the law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh are promulgated in the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Further elaborations of its features are to be found in
other Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, in Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and in
letters from Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice, mostly
in response to questions raised by the friends. All these major
references have been compiled by the Research Department of the
Universal House of Justice and separately published. A study of that
compilation makes it clear that the application of the law has been
progressive, and will continue to be so, as its ramifications and
subsidiary rulings are elucidated.
The
following is a preliminary attempt at codifying the information in the
Writings on the subject of Ḥuqúqu’lláh. It should be emphasized,
however, that the friends should not attempt to read into it an element
of rigidity or total comprehensiveness. The questions put to
Bahá’u’lláh, the Master and Shoghi Effendi were from friends residing in
places and times with infinitely simpler economic systems and
relationships than those which obtain today. What can be learned from
them are clear guiding principles whose application to changing and more
complex conditions must be considered. The subject will undoubtedly
occupy the Universal House of Justice in evolving legislation, as
necessary, for a long time to come. As the Fourth Epoch of the Formative
Age of our Faith unfolds before the eyes of an increasingly watchful
humanity, the universal assumption of the obligation of Ḥuqúqu’lláh by
the friends will be a clear sign of attaining to a new level of
spiritual maturity by the community of the Greatest Name throughout the
world.
II. A Bounty Granted by God
God,
while being wholly independent of all created things, has in His bounty
given us this law (7, 10, 63), for the progress and promotion of the
Cause depend on material means (1). Obedience to this law enables the
believer to be firm and steadfast in the Covenant (63), provides a
reward in every world of the worlds of God (7), and is a unique test of
true faith (62).
The
Ḥuqúqu’lláh is to be offered joyfully and without hesitation (2, 9,
32). When the Ḥuqúqu’lláh is offered in this spirit it will impart
prosperity and protection to the friends, purify their worldly
possessions (20, 31, 42, 46, 48, 100), and enable them and their
offspring to benefit from the fruits of their endeavors (48).
III. Determining the Ḥuqúqu’lláh
Everything
that a believer possesses, with the exception of certain specific
items, is subject once and only once to the payment of Ḥuqúqu’lláh.
- A Exempt from assessment to Ḥuqúqu’lláh are:
- B Payment falls due:
- 1 Ḥuqúqu’lláh is payable as soon as a person’s assessable possessions reach or exceed the value of 19 mithqáls of gold (18, 19, 30). [19 mithqáls equals approximately 2.2 troy ounces, or approximately 69.2 grams (87, 105, 110). At the present time—March 1987—this is equivalent to some US$914.]
- 2 Ḥuqúqu’lláh is payable on further units of 19 mithqáls of gold when subsequently acquired possessions, after the deduction of the annual expenses, raise the value of the assessable property sufficiently. Among the expenses to be deducted are:
- 3 When a person receives a gift or bequest it is to be added to his possessions and augments the total value in the same way as does an excess of annual income over expenditure (111).
- 4 If a property increases in value, Ḥuqúqu’lláh is not payable on that increase until it is realized, e.g. on the sale of the property.
- 5 If possessions decrease, such as through the expenses of a year exceeding the income received, Ḥuqúqu’lláh falls due again only after the loss has been made good and the total value of one’s assessable possessions is augmented (15–19, 30, 65–68, 78, 108, 111).
- 6 The payment of debts takes precedence over the payment of Ḥuqúqu’lláh (22).
- 7 The payment of Ḥuqúqu’lláh is dependent on the person’s financial ability to meet his obligations (24).
- 8 On the death of a believer, the completion of his payment of Ḥuqúqu’lláh is accomplished in the following manner:
- a The first charge on the estate is the expense of burial (22).
- b Secondly, the debts of the deceased must be paid (13).
- c The
Ḥuqúqu’lláh still due on the property should then be paid. In
establishing the value of the property on which Ḥuqúq has not already
been paid, the following are among the deductions to be made:
- expenses of burial (22),
- debts of the deceased (13),
- loss of value of the assets when realized (103) and
- expenses incurred in realizing the assets (103).
- expenses of burial (22),
-
-
- C Further notes on determining Ḥuqúqu’lláh:
- 1 It is left to the discretion of the individual believer to decide what is “needful” for himself and his family (104–6, 112).
- 2 Although references are made to annual payments of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, the time and method of payment are left to the discretion of the individual believer. There is, therefore, no obligation to liquidate one’s assets in haste in order to fulfill one’s current obligations to Ḥuqúqu’lláh (103).
- 3 Husband and wife are free to decide whether they want to honor their Ḥuqúqu’lláh obligations jointly or individually (109, 110).
- 4 The account of Ḥuqúqu’lláh should be kept separate from other contributions, inasmuch as the disposition of the funds of the Ḥuqúqu’lláh is subject to decision by the Central Authority in the Cause to which all must turn, whereas the purposes of the contributions to other Funds may be determined by the donors themselves.
- 5 Payment of the Ḥuqúqu’lláh has priority over making contributions to other Funds of the Faith (78, 79, 97, 100), as well as over the cost of pilgrimage (31). It is, however, left to the discretion of the believer whether or not he treats his contributions to the Fund as an expense when arriving at the value of the annual accretion to his property for the purpose of calculating the Ḥuqúqu’lláh that he is due to pay (105).
-
IV. Applicability of the Law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh
The
teachings of Bahá’u’lláh can be enforced only gradually because the
time must be ripe if the desired results are to be attained (84–86).
Thus hitherto the Law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh has been applied only to the
believers from Iran and other countries of the Middle East. The other
believers have been encouraged to support their local and national funds
in its place but, although the law is not yet binding on them, they are
and have been free to offer the Ḥuqúqu’lláh if they wish to do so (82,
93, 102, 103, 109, 110).
V. Payment of Ḥuqúqu’lláh
The
Ḥuqúqu’lláh is normally paid to the Trustee of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, his
Deputies, or their appointed Representatives (35, 58). These persons
issue receipts and forward the funds to the World Center (56).
VI. Management of the Ḥuqúqu’lláh
Decisions
on the necessary ordinances concerning Ḥuqúqu’lláh (81, 100), as well
as on its disposition, lie within the sole jurisdiction of the Central
Authority in the Cause. The Ḥuqúqu’lláh can be employed for charitable
purposes (62, 65, 75), or for other purposes useful to the Cause of God
(77, 78).
The Development of the Institution for the Ḥuqúqu’lláh
March 1987
Prepared by the Research Department
at the request of the Universal House of Justice
at the request of the Universal House of Justice
In
one of His Tablets Bahá’u’lláh refers to this Law as ranking in
importance immediately after the two great obligations of recognition of
God and steadfastness in His Cause, and yet the introduction and
implementation of this Law are characterized by kindness, forgiveness,
tolerance and magnanimity. Although it deals with the material things of
this world, it is placed among those spiritual obligations resting on
the individual soul, such as prayer and fasting, the fulfillment of
which is a direct responsibility of each believer towards God, not
subject to the sanctions or impositions of His institutions in this
world. It is, indeed, a clear expression of the priorities with which
Bahá’u’lláh views the duties of mankind. First comes the spiritual, and
then the material—however important in practice the latter may be.
After
the Kitáb-i-Aqdas had been revealed in response to the pleas of the
friends, Bahá’u’lláh withheld it from publication for some time and even
then, when a number of devoted Bahá’ís, having learned of the law,
endeavored to offer the Ḥuqúqu’lláh, the payment was not accepted. The
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh show His acute consciousness of the way in which
material wealth has been permitted to degrade religion in the past, and
He preferred the Faith to sacrifice all material benefits rather than to
soil to the slightest degree its dignity and purity. Herein is a lesson
for all Bahá’í institutions for all time.
However,
as the beloved Guardian explained, funds are the life-blood of the
Cause. God Himself, as Bahá’u’lláh stated, has made achievement
dependent on material means. Therefore, as the awareness of the friends
grew, He permitted the Ḥuqúqu’lláh to be accepted, provided the donor
made the offering willingly with joy and awareness.
To
receive the Ḥuqúqu’lláh, Bahá’u’lláh brought into being one of the
great Institutions of the Faith, the Trusteeship of Ḥuqúqu’lláh.
The first to be honored with appointment as Trustee of Ḥuqúqu’lláh was Jináb-i-Sháh Muḥammad from Manshád, Yazd, who eventually received from the Blessed Beauty the title of Amínu’l-Bayán (Trustee of the Bayán). Ḥájí Sháh
Muḥammad had embraced the Faith in its early years and had the bounty
of entering the presence of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad. The fire of love
kindled in his heart made him impatient to offer his services to the
Threshold of his Beloved, and this undertaking he followed until the
last moment of his life, surrendering all material belongings in the
path of service. Encompassed by hardship, danger and lack of means, this
trusted servant of Bahá’u’lláh, in journey after journey, would carry
the friends’ donations of Ḥuqúqu’lláh and their petitions to the Sacred
Threshold and, in return, bring them news and Tablets from the Blessed
Perfection.
One
of the most sacred tasks entrusted to Amínu’l-Bayán was to go to Iran
to receive the Remains of the Báb from their custodian, the devoted and
valiant Hand of the Cause of God Jináb-i-Ḥájí Ákhúnd, and to
transfer them through innumerable dangers to a safe hiding place in the
Mosque of the Imámzádih Zayd in Tehran, where they lay concealed until
the time when, at the behest of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, they were transferred to
the Holy Land to be laid in their permanent resting place on the slopes
of Mount Carmel.
The attention of Jináb-i-Sháh
Muḥammad was drawn to the rare qualities of nobility and detachment of
one of the believers, Ḥájí Abu’l-Ḥasan Ardakání, who was also from Yazd.
The bond of fellowship between them became so strong that they became
the closest of companions. Jináb-i-Sháh Muḥammad chose Ḥájí
Abu’l-Ḥasan to be his assistant and confidant in his services as the
Trustee of Ḥuqúqu’lláh. They were among the first group of pilgrims who,
after encountering grave hardships and difficulties, were able to visit
Bahá’u’lláh in ‘Akká. On their return to Iran they decided to make
numerous journeys together, and on one of these journeys, in 1881, they
were attacked and caught during a Kurdish revolt, and Jináb-i-Ḥájí Sháh Muḥammad was seriously wounded. Bahá’u’lláh instructed that, following the passing of Jináb-i-Sháh
Muḥammad, the office of Trustee of Ḥuqúqu’lláh should be conferred upon
his loyal assistant and companion, Jináb-i-Ḥájí Abu’l-Ḥasan, who was
subsequently entitled Amín (the Trusted One) or Jináb-i-Ḥájí Amín.
Jináb-i-Ḥájí
Amín was a shining star who served the Cause for forty-seven years with
eagerness and zeal, showing magnanimity, courage and incredible
steadfastness. During the Ministry of Bahá’u’lláh he was imprisoned
twice, by order of Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh and his son, Kámrán Mírzá.
In the course of his second imprisonment, in the prison of Qazvín,
referred to as Sijn-i-Matín (the Mighty Prison) by Bahá’u’lláh in the
opening verses of the Tablet of the World, he was together with the Hand
of the Cause Ḥájí Ákhúnd. Here, Jináb-i-Amín suffered gravely,
his legs in fetters and a chain around his neck. His jailers, in order
to torment him, would add castor oil to his food. With manifest
resignation and submission, he would neither complain nor refuse the
food, eating as though nothing were amiss. He was a symbol of
magnanimity and detachment. He had no worldly possessions, no home or
shelter of his own. His habitation was in the hearts and souls of the
Bahá’í friends who would receive and entertain him with warmth and love.
Each one would impatiently await his arrival, to enjoy the sweet melody
of his prayers and chanting of the Tablets, the glad-tidings and
encouragement he would bring. Every day he would bid good-bye to one
family to spend the night in another household, illumining another
gathering with his presence. He was continually on the move, traveling
to most Iranian cities and being the trusted adviser of many Bahá’í
friends in their personal affairs.
Among
the countless journeys that Ḥájí Amín made was one to Paris where he
attained the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. During his long life he witnessed
the last eleven years of the Ministry of Bahá’u’lláh, the twenty-nine
years of the Ministry of the Center of the Covenant, and seven years of
the Guardianship of Shoghi Effendi. Towards the end of his life he
became ill and frail and was confined to bed, living in the home of his
friend and assistant, Ḥájí Ghulám Riḍá, who, at the express
desire of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, had been appointed his successor as Trustee of
Ḥuqúqu’lláh. Upon his passing in 1928, Ḥájí Amín was named by the
beloved Guardian a Hand of the Cause of God.
The third Trustee of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, Jináb-i-Ghulám
Riḍá, was entitled Amín-i-Amín (Trustee of the Trustee). This
distinguished soul was born into the wealthy merchant class of Tehran
and was brought up to enjoy the comfortable life associated with it.
During his youth, the urge to discover spiritual realities led him to
the study of comparative religion and, while engaged in his business, he
ventured to search out and associate with followers and leaders of
religion. Disappointed in what he found, he sought more information
about the Bahá’í Faith, which had been introduced to him by his
secretary. This enquiry soon developed into a serious study of the
sacred Tablets and Writings and his heart was illumined with the light
of faith. After embracing the Cause, Jináb-i-Ḥájí Ghulám Riḍá
engaged in Bahá’í activities and, at the age of 32, he gave up trade to
devote himself fully and freely to the service of the Faith. He
developed a special attachment to Jináb-i-Amín and became his constant
assistant. In due course he received a Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá urging
him to emulate Jináb-i-Amín and appointing him as Trustee of
Ḥuqúqu’lláh. While ever mindful of the responsibilities of his new
position, he took the utmost care of Jináb-i-Amín for the remainder of
his life.
Jináb-i-Ghulám
Riḍá held the rank of Trustee of Ḥuqúqu’lláh for eleven years. His home
became a center for the gatherings of the friends and for the
administration of the affairs of the Faith. It was during his
Trusteeship that initial steps were taken for the registration of Bahá’í
properties and endowments in Iran, and he was assiduous in doing his
utmost for their protection and preservation. In 1938 he fell ill and
passed away.
The
fourth Trustee of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, appointed to this position by the
beloved Guardian, was Jináb-i-Valíyu’lláh Varqá, the third son of Varqá
the martyr. He was born in Tabríz and, after the martyrdom of his father
and brother, he was brought up from early childhood by his grandmother,
a staunch, powerful and fanatical Muslim. She did her utmost, until his
early youth, to sow the seeds of enmity to the Faith in his heart. When
he was sixteen, his uncle, surnamed Akhu’sh-Shahíd
(the Brother of the Martyr), managed to remove him from this agonizing
atmosphere of prejudice and took him to his home in Míyándu’áb. There he
introduced him to the Bahá’í Faith and its teachings, opening a new
world to Jináb-i-Varqá. So afire did he become with love for the Faith
that, without any preparations, he decided to go on pilgrimage in the
company of a close friend. However, his Local Spiritual Assembly did not
approve of this, and guided him, instead, to go to Tehran to join his
elder brother Jináb-i-‘Azízu’lláh Varqá.
After
his schooling in Tehran, Jináb-i-Varqá’s longing to make his pilgrimage
was fulfilled, and he then attended the American University in Beirut,
deepening his knowledge of the Bahá’í teachings under the guidance of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá during his summer vacations. During this time he made a
journey to Iran at the behest of the Master, and later accompanied Him
on His historic journey to Europe and America, as an interpreter. Upon
the completion of this journey, he returned to Iran and rendered
invaluable services on the Local Spiritual Assembly of Tehran, in many
Bahá’í administrative agencies, and ultimately on the National Spiritual
Assembly. His loyal and dedicated service as Trustee of Ḥuqúqu’lláh was
to follow, occupying him for seventeen years, during which time the
observance of the Law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh was spread throughout Iran, so that
ever more of the friends fulfilled their obligations, offering large
sums and many properties. In order to devote his full time to this
sacred enterprise, Jináb-i-Varqá resigned from the work in which he was
employed.
In
1951 Jináb-i-Valíyu’lláh Varqá was among the first contingent of
eminent believers elevated by Shoghi Effendi to the rank of Hand of the
Cause of God. This opened new opportunities for him to meet with the
friends and cheer their hearts with news of the victories being achieved
in the teaching work, especially during the Ten Year Crusade, which
opened at Riḍván 1953. These memorable services culminated in the
fulfillment of his long-cherished desire to visit the beloved Guardian.
On
his return to Iran from pilgrimage, a previous ailment grew worse, and
Jináb-i-Varqá was forced to go to Tübingen in Germany for hospital
treatment and an operation. The treatment, alas, was unsuccessful, and
in November 1955 his noble life drew to a close.
In
the cable announcing the passing of Valíyu’lláh Varqá, Shoghi Effendi
included the words: “His mantle as Trustee Ḥuqúq now falls on ‘Alí
Muḥammad, his son.… Newly appointed Trustee Ḥuqúq now elevated rank Hand
Cause.”
Just
two years following the appointment of Jináb-i-‘Alí-Muḥammad Varqá to
this onerous task, he and his fellow Hands of the Cause of God were
confronted with the heart-breaking and soul-stirring events associated
with the passing of the beloved Guardian, and carried the entire Bahá’í
world to the victorious conclusion of the Ten Year Crusade, bringing
into being, at Riḍván 1963, the Universal House of Justice.
The
following twenty-three years have seen storms of tribulation and
persecution afflicting the Bahá’í community in Iran, causing immense
problems to be wrestled with in relation to the safeguarding and sale of
properties donated for the Ḥuqúqu’lláh as well as a multitude of other
historic tasks that have fallen to the lot of Jináb-i-Varqá in his
capacity as a Hand of the Cause of God.
The
successive teaching plans caused an outflow of pioneers from Iran to
all corners of the world, requiring the Trustee of Ḥuqúqu’lláh to
appoint Deputies and Representatives in many countries beyond the
borders of Iran until, at this time, the Institution is represented in
every continent of the earth. Not only do the friends from Middle
Eastern countries continue to obey the law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh in their
adopted countries, but, increasingly, other friends have been moved to
offer the Ḥuqúq.
A
new stage, therefore, has now been opened in the development of this
Institution, a stage that will for ever be associated with the opening
of the Fourth Epoch of the Formative Age of the Faith and the emergence
of the Bahá’í community from obscurity into the arena of world affairs.
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