March 23. On this date in 1997, an email to the Universal House of Justice raised concerns about the translation of an undated Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed to Corinne True, who had raised concerns about the exclusion of women from the Chicago House of Justice.
M E M O R A N D U M
To: The Universal House of Justice
Date: 30 March 1997
From: Research Department
Translation of "'Umumi" in Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
In an email message to the Universal House of Justice dated 23 March 1997, a question has been raised concerning translation. In an undated Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Bahá addressed to Mrs. True (first translated into English by Dr. Ameen Farid in July 1909) the following statement has been revealed.
According to the ordinances of the Faith of God, women are the equals of men in all rights save only that of membership on the Universal House of Justice, for as hath been stated in the text of the Book, both the head and the members of the House of Justice are men. However, in all other bodies, such as the Temple Construction Committee, the Teaching Committee, the Spiritual Assembly, and in charitable and scientific associations, women share equally in all rights with men. (Revised translation from the Persian, authorized 1987)
In the above Tablet, for the title "The Universal House of Justice" the Persian words used are: "Baytu'l-'Adl-i-'Umumi". The question has been asked, whether the translation of the word "'Umumi", as "Universal", could be a mistake, since the word has the connotation of "public" or "general" in addition to its meaning as "universal". Thus, following such an argument, the reference in the above text could perhaps be not to the "Universal House of Justice" but to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Chicago.
The word "'umumi" as an adjective qualifying the title of the institution of the "House of Justice" appears three times in the Persian text of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament.1 Shoghi Effendi's translation of this adjective is invariably "Universal" with a capital "U". The passages from the Will and Testament are as follows:2
The sacred and youthful branch, the guardian of the Cause of God as well as the Universal House of Justice, to be universally elected and established, are both under the care and protection of the Abha Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One (may my life be offered up for them both). Whatsoever they decide is of God (page 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 daysprings of knowledge and understanding, must be steadfast in God's faith and the well-wishers of all mankind. By this House is meant the Universal House of Justice, that is, in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted, and these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the members of the Universal one. Unto this body all things must be referred (page 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. Whoso doth deviate therefrom is verily of them that love discord, hath shown forth malice and turned away from the Lord of the Covenant. By this House is meant that Universal House of Justice which is to be elected from all countries, that is from those parts in the East and West where the loved ones are to be found, after the manner of the customary elections in Western countries such as those of England (pages 19-20).
There is no doubt whatsoever that by the term "Baytu'l-'Adl-i-'Umumi", in the above-mentioned Tablet, the institution intended, whose membership is to be of men only, is none other than "The Universal House of Justice" and not the Local Spiritual Assembly of Chicago.
Note
- See "Alvah-i-Vasayay-i-Mubarakiy-i-Hadrat-i-'Abdu'l-Bahá" (Cairo: Mirza Abu'l-Qasim Gulistanih-Shirazi, 1924-25), pages 12, 15, and 21. 2. See "Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Bahá" Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1971), pages 11, 14, and 19-20. Translation of "'Umumi" in Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá 30 March 1997
On March 16, 1900, the nascent Chicago Bahá'í community selected a ten-member Board of Council. Neither Ibrahim George Kheiralla nor any of his supporters were selected to serve on the Board.
On May 15, 1901, the Chicago Bahá'ís elected a nine-man Board of Council for a term of five years.
On May 20, 1901, the number of members on the Board of Council was raised to 12. On May 24, 1901, the name of the Chicago Board of Council was changed to the House of Justice.
One year later, on May 10, 1902, on the request of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the all-male Chicago House of Justicechanged its name to the House of Spirituality. The body remained all-male. The Chicago House of Spirituality was complemented by the Women’s Assembly of Teaching.
On March 7, 1903, the House of Spirituality in Chicago, upon hearing from Mírzá Asadu’llah Fádil Mázandaráníof the construction of the first Bahá'í House of Worship in Ashgabat, wrote 'Abdu'l-Bahá of their decision to build a House of Worship for Chicago.
In 1909, at the first American Bahá'í National Convention in Chicago, Bahá'í Temple Unity was incorporated to hold title to the Temple property and to provide for its construction. Women are allowed to serve on this body. A constitution was framed and an Executive Board of the Bahá'í Temple Unity elected.
In 1922, on the instructions of Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Temple Unity was renamed the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada.
On February 25, 1902, Corinne True wrote 'Abdu’l-Baháabout the exclusion of women from the Chicago Bahá’í governing body, Chicago House of Justice, noting that "many" felt it should be a "mixed board" because "women in America stand so conspicuously for all that is highest & best in every department." In his response 'Abdu’l-Bahá stated that while "in the sight of God, the conduct of women is the same as that of men" and there was "no difference" between the sexes, nevertheless the "House of Justice" had to consist only of men and that the "reason will presently appear, even as the sun at midday." True accepted 'Abdu’l-Bahá’s ruling–which also affirmed the equality of the sexes–and poured her energy into the Chicago Bahá’í women’s organization, which 'Abdu’l-Bahá highly praised. For the next eight years Chicago had two parallel Bahá’í organizations, one confined to men, the other to women.
On November 30, 1930, Shoghi Effendi wrote "In fact Bahá’u’lláh clearly states that affairs of state as well as religious questions are to be referred to the Houses of Justice into which the Assemblies of the Bahá’ís will eventually evolve."
Regarding the question raised in your letter, Shoghi Effendi believes that for the present the Movement, whether in the East or the West, should be dissociated entirely from politics. This was the explicit injunction of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. . . . Eventually, however, as you have rightly conceived it, the Movement will, as soon as it is fully developed and recognized, embrace both religious and political issues. In fact Bahá’u’lláh clearly states that affairs of state as well as religious questions are to be referred to the Houses of Justice into which the Assemblies of the Bahá’ís will eventually evolve."
(30 November 1930)
On October 5, 1950, Shoghi Effendi wrote that "the Assembly is a nascent House of Justice."
"...There is a tendency to mix up the functions of the Administration and try to apply it in individual relationships, which is abortive, because the Assembly is a nascent House of Justice and is supposed to administer, according to the Teachings, the affairs of the community. But individuals toward each other are governed by love, unity, forgiveness and a sin-covering eye. Once the friends grasp this they will get along much better, but they keep playing Spiritual Assembly to each other and expect the Assembly to behave like an individual...."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, October 5, 1950: Living the Life, p. 17)
When today's Local and National Spiritual Assemblies become local and national Houses of Justice, their membership will once again become exclusively male.
Dr. Amínu'lláh Faríd (Ameen U. Fareed) was the son of Mirza Assad Ullah Fareed (who authored The School of the Prophets) and the nephew of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's wife, Munírih Khánum. He had served as 'Abdu'l-Bahá's interpreter and had been active in promoting the Bahá'í Faith. He had also received a number of Tablets from 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
On December 16, 1953, Shoghi Effendi sent a cablegram stating "Following the successive blows which fell with dramatic swiftness two years ago upon the ring-leaders of the fast dwindling band of old Covenant-breakers at the World Center of the Faith, God's avenging hand struck down in the last two months, Avarih, Fareed and Falah."
Fast-Dwindling Band of Covenant-Breakers
Following the successive blows which fell with dramatic swiftness two years ago upon the ring-leaders of the fast dwindling band of old Covenant-breakers at the World Center of the Faith, God's avenging hand struck down in the last two months, Avarih, Fareed and Falah, within the cradle of the Faith, North America and Turkey, who demonstrated varying degrees, in the course of over thirty years, of faithlessness to 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
The first of the above named will be condemned by posterity as being the most shameless, vicious, relentless apostate in the annals of the Faith, who, through ceaseless vitriolic attacks in recorded voluminous writings and close alliance with its traditional enemies, assiduously schemed to blacken its name and subvert the foundations of its institutions.
The second, history will recognize as one of the most perfidious among the kinsmen of the interpreters of the Center of the Covenant, who, driven by ungovernable cupidity, committed acts causing agonies of grief and distress to the beloved Master and culminating in open association with breakers of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant in the Holy Land.
The third will be chiefly remembered by the pride, obstinacy and insatiable ambition impelling him to violate the spiritual and administrative precepts of the Faith.
All three, however blinded by perversity, could not have failed to perceive, as their infamous careers approached their end, the futility of their opposition and measure their own loss by the degree of progress and consolidation of the triumphant administrative order so magnificently celebrated in the course of the festivities of the recently concluded Holy Year.
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