The most distinguishing feature of the Bahá'í Faith is that for the first time, humans were given a Covenant with a clearly defined path to follow in order that the hereditary lineage to the All Knowing would be ensured. It is logical that that specific pathway must be faithfully obeyed in order to remain attuned to the intent of the All-Knowing. `Abdu'l-Bahá’s Will and Testament provides that pathway. If every Sacred Clause of the Will is not satisfied, there is most certainly error involved in whatever results are generated.
In a March 2006 paper, the International Teaching Centre of the sans-guardian Bahá'ís discusses that the Universal House of Justice and the Guardianship are the twin successors of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá. Their position is outlined under the topic Was it anticipated that there would be no future guardians? Excerpts follow:
Writing on the question of future Guardians, the Universal House of Justice has explained that there was no guarantee of the continuation of the line of Guardians:
Future Guardians are clearly envisaged and referred to in the Writings, but there is nowhere any promise or guarantee that the line of Guardians would endure forever; on the contrary there are clear indications that the line could be broken. Yet, in spite of this, there is a repeated insistence in the Writings on the indestructibility of the Covenant and the immutability of God’s Purpose for this Day. Indeed in the Most Holy Book, Bahá'u'lláh reveals the following passage which anticipated precisely what actually occurred regarding the successorship of the authority of the Cause of God:
“Endowments dedicated to charity revert to God, the Revealer of Signs. None hath the right to dispose of them without leave from Him Who is the Dawning-place of Revelation. After Him, this authority shall pass to the Aghsán, and after them to the House of Justice—should it be established in the world by then—that they may use these endowments for the benefit of the Places which have been exalted in this Cause, and for whatsoever hath been enjoined upon them by Him Who is the God of might and power. Otherwise, the endowments shall revert to the people of Bahá who speak not except by His leave and judge not save in accordance with what God hath decreed in this Tablet—lo, they are the champions of victory betwixt heaven and earth—that they may use them in the manner that hath been laid down in the Book by God, the Mighty, the Bountiful.” Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2005 printing, p. 36
In the explanatory notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, prepared under the supervision of the Universal House of Justice, it is pointed out that this passage “has particular implications . . . For the succession of authority following the passing of Bahá'u'lláh. . . and of `Abdu'l-Bahá.” In connection with this section of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas the House of Justice has also written: The passing of Shoghi Effendi in 1957 precipitated the very situation provided for in this passage, in that the line of Aghsán ended before the House of Justice had been elected.
International Teaching Centre, March 2006
I have never understood the logic of the bogus Universal House of Justice that justifies their position of not having a living guardian, yet claiming to be the central authority of the Bahá'í Faith. They use a segment of the Most Holy Book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, to give credence to their position. The line of the Aghsán (Bahá'u'lláh’s sons; page 239 “God Passes By“) had ended, and were thus not available for succession. But that possibility had been addressed by ‘Abdu'l-Bahá (with Bahá'u'lláh’s co-authorship) in His Will and Testament in His discussion of guardianship succession. He provided that another branch, with specific spiritual attributes, would be appropriate should an Aghsán not be available. The Will mentions nothing about endowments dedicated to charity among the requirements for succession. Nor does it address that a Universal House of Justice may be formed without a living guardian, and then assume the guardianship responsibilities.
The Will stipulates the manner in which a proper Universal House of Justice must be organized in order for it to comply with the Mind of Bahá'u'lláh. It additionally tells of the essentiality of the guardian of the Cause of God to provide its proper leadership in the conduct of its responsibilities. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas discusses the mechanics of neither of them. The Will does that quite adequately. Nowhere in any of the Holy Writings does it discuss that a Universal House of Justice may exist absent a living guardian, nor that the Bahá'í Faith may exist without his presence as the Center of the Covenant.
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas does indeed refer to endowments dedicated to charity as well as the Huqúq'u'lláh, the fixed money offering (the Right of God.) However, it discusses them separately, only with reference to their handling. The Huqúq'u'lláh, is to be managed within the offices of the guardian of the Cause, while endowments dedicated to charity resides with the UHJ. The two were to be managed separately, yet the bogus UHJ handles both. Neither was intended to be a vehicle for guardianship succession.
In recognition of our materialistic tendencies, a presidential candidate once used the slogan, “It’s the economy, stupid!” Unfortunately, I find parallels of that within the approach the bogus UHJ uses in their justification. Any aspect of monetary handling smacks of materialism; money is the fuel of materialism. Materialism is the antithesis of Spirituality. Spirituality is the foundation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. It is no accident that monetary issues, the Huqúq'u'lláh and the endowments dedicated to charity, are discussed within the context of spirituality of that book in order to safeguard against the tendency of humans to corrupt themselves through their golden calf; materialism.
The bogus Universal House of Justice uses the spiritually charged Kitáb-i-Aqdas to give credence to their justification. The instruction they cling to was intended for the handling of monetary matters, materialism, and not for the spiritually-mandated guardianship succession. I daresay that protection from an avenue that can lead to the peril and decay that materialism has brought our present society definitely has a place in the Aqdas. It needs its spiritual overtones. The pinnacle of irony is that the bogus UHJ has to resort to a matter with materialistic overtones for the primary justification of their position as regards the structure of their Universal House of Justice.
The result of that is that a primary element is missing; spirituality; connectivity with the Holy Spirit; the Divine Linkage with God. His Covenant with humans has always been in the forefront when authenticity of religious basis is questioned. The Ark of the Covenant is often emphasized in the hereditary lineage of religion. In any case, it is a given that a proper lineage is necessary in order that an effective adherence to God’s Law may be realized. History tells us that this is the one element of any revelation that has become almost immediately flawed with the passing of the Prophet, and thus has led to murky or corrupted lines of succession.
The most distinguishing feature of the Bahá'í Faith is that for the first time, humans were left with a clearly defined path to follow in order that the hereditary lineage to the All Knowing would be ensured. It logically follows that the avenue for that lineage must follow certain tests in order to be valid. `Abdu'l-Bahá’s Will and Testament provides the touchstone for that to happen. If every Sacred Clause of the Will is not satisfied, there is most certainly error involved in whatever results are generated.
By Hand of the Cause David Maxwell
Comments