Requirements for membership in the Bahá’í community: – Guidance from the Universal House of Justice

In considering the status of believers such as Mr…, it is necessary to review the requirements for membership in the Bahá’í community. The basic considerations are set out by the Guardian in his statement:

“...I would only venture to state very briefly and as adequately as present circumstances permit the principal factors that must be taken into consideration before deciding whether a person may be regarded a true believer or not. Full recognition of the station of the Forerunner, the Author, and the True Exemplar of the Bahá’í Cause, as set forth in Abdu’l-Bahá’s Testament; unreserved acceptance of, and submission to, whatsoever has been revealed by their Pen; loyal and steadfast adherence to every clause of our Beloved’s sacred Will; and close association with the spirit as well as the form of the present day Bahá’í administration throughout the world—these I conceive to be the fundamental and primary considerations that must be fairly, discreetly and thoughtfully ascertained before reaching such a vital decision. ... (Bahá'i Administration, p. 90, October 24, 1925)

This specification was restated by the Universal House of Justice in addressing the issue of acceptance of new believers, when it wrote:

Those who declare themselves as Bahá’ís should become enchanted with the beauty of the teachings, and touched by the love of Bahá’u’lláh. The declarants need not know all the proofs, history, laws, and principles of the Faith, but in the process of declaring themselves they must, in addition to catching the spark of faith, become basically informed about the Central Figures of the Faith, as well as the existence of laws they must follow and an administration they must obey. (From a letter to all National Spiritual Assemblies, 13 July 1964)

It follows that individuals who do not satisfy these requirements cannot be regarded as members of the Bahá’í community, irrespective of whatever statements they might make concerning the nature of their belief in Bahá’u’lláh. Such a situation arises, in some instances, when a person claims to accept the station of Bahá’u’lláh but does not accept the authority of the Administrative Institutions. The Guardian clarified this matter in a letter written on his behalf, stating:

... To accept the Cause without the administration is like to accept the teachings without acknowledging the divine station of Bahá’u’lláh. To be a Bahá'í is to accept the Cause in its entirety. To take exception to one basic principle is to deny the authority and sovereignty of Bahá’u’lláh, and therefore is to deny the Cause… (Letter to a National Spiritual Assembly, 30 May 1930)

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 28 June 1987 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the NSA of New Zealand;  ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)

Ninety-five Excerpts from Tablets and Talks of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - Pdf downloadable

Navváb - “the Most Exalted Leaf”: “May God have mercy upon him that draweth nigh unto thee, and remembereth thee.. that He may forgive us, and forgive them that have turned unto thee, and grant their desires, and bestow upon them, through His wondrous grace, whatever be their wish.”

O faithful ones! Should ye visit the resting-place of the Most Exalted Leaf, who hath ascended unto the Glorious Companion, stand ye and say: ‘Salutation and blessing and glory upon thee, O Holy Leaf that hath sprung from the Divine Lote-Tree! I bear witness that thou hast believed in God and in His signs, and answered His Call, and turned unto Him, and held fast unto His cord, and clung to the hem of His grace, and fled thy home in His path, and chosen to live as a stranger, out of love for His presence and in thy longing to serve Him. May God have mercy upon him that draweth nigh unto thee, and remembereth thee through the things which My Pen hath voiced in this, the most great station. We pray God that He may forgive us, and forgive them that have turned unto thee, and grant their desires, and bestow upon them, through His wondrous grace, whatever be their wish. He, verily, is the Bountiful, the Generous. Praise be to God, He Who is the Desire of all worlds; and the Beloved of all who recognize Him. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in a letter dated December 21, 1939; ‘Messages to America’)

Manifestations of “a rectitude of conduct” “with ever-increasing potency” by each Baha’i

Such a rectitude of conduct must manifest itself, with ever-increasing potency, 

• in every verdict which the elected representatives of the Bahá’í community, in whatever capacity they may find themselves, may be called upon to pronounce. 
• It must be constantly reflected in the business dealings of all its members, 
• in their domestic lives, 
• in all manner of employment, and in 
• any service they may, in the future, render their government or people. 
• It must be exemplified in the conduct of all Bahá’í electors, when exercising their sacred rights and functions. 
• It must characterize the attitude of every loyal believer towards 
• nonacceptance of political posts, 
• nonidentification with political parties, 
• nonparticipation in political controversies, and 
• nonmembership in political organizations and ecclesiastical institutions. 
• It must reveal itself in the uncompromising adherence of all, whether young or old, 
• to the clearly enunciated and fundamental principles laid down by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His addresses, and 
• to the laws and ordinances revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in His Most Holy Book. 
• It must be demonstrated

Upper chamber of the House of the Báb, Shíráz, where He declared His Mission to Mullá Husayn in 1844

Virtues each Baha’i is called upon to strive to develop – summarized by the beloved Guardian from the Writings of Bahá’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha

“righteousness”

“Cleave unto righteousness, O people of Bahá,” He [Bahá’u’lláh] thus exhorts them, “This, verily, is the commandment which this wronged One hath given unto you, and the first choice of His unrestrained will for every one of you.”  

“righteous act”

“One righteous act,” He [Bahá’u’lláh], again, has written, “is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond asunder, and hath the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and vanished.… Be pure, O people of God, be pure; be righteous, be righteous.… 

“truthfulness”; "honesty"; not to “deal treacherously with anyone”

“Beautify your tongues, O people,” He [Bahá’u’lláh] further admonishes them, “with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the ornament of honesty. Beware, O people, that ye deal not treacherously with anyone. Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people.”

“eye… chaste,… hand faithful,… tongue truthful,.… heart enlightened”

“Let your eye be chaste,” is yet another counsel, “your hand faithful, your tongue truthful, and your heart enlightened.”

“countenance of truth”; “brow of fidelity”; “temple of righteousness”; “hosts of justice”; “a luminary above the horizon of virtue”

“Be an ornament to the countenance of truth,” is yet another admonition, “a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue.”

Recitation of the Prayer for the Dead: - “should be read in its entirety by one person, while all others stand in silence”

22 May 1987

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

In response to your letter of 15 April 1987 enclosing a letter from Miss. . . concerning the Prayer for the Dead, the Universal House of Justice instructs us to reply as follows.

The Prayer for the Dead should be read in its entirety by one person, while all others stand in silence. It is not the practice for those present to repeat any part of the prayer in unison.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)

The Spirit of Baha'i Consultation at Spiritual Assembly Meetings

6 March 1970 

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada

Dear Baha'i friends,

We have your letter of 14 January 1970 asking questions about the decision-making process of Spiritual Assemblies.

It is important to realize that the spirit of Baha'i consultation is very different from that current in the decision-making processes of non-Baha'i bodies.

The ideal of Baha'i consultation is to arrive at a unanimous decision. When this is not possible a vote must be taken. In the words of the beloved Guardian: "... when they are called upon to arrive at a certain decision, they should, after dispassionate, anxious, and cordial consultation, turn to God in prayer, and with earnestness and conviction and courage record their vote and abide by the voice of the majority, which we are told by our Master to be the voice of truth, never to be challenged, and always to be wholeheartedly enforced."

As soon as a decision is reached it becomes the decision of the whole Assembly, not merely of those members who happened to be among the majority.

Introducing a site that promotes one of the goals of the Plan: - “involvement in the discourses of society”

Perspektiven Wechsel (Perspective Change) contains essays by various individuals exploring issues concerning society, environment, family, education, lifestyle, interreligious dialogue, prayer and meditation, science and art - all inspired by the writings of the Baha'i Faith." Though the site is in German, Google Chrome readily translates it into English.

A “summary of the contents” of the Kitab-i-Aqdas – by Shoghi Effendi

From the Universal House of Justice: “As is well known, the beloved Guardian has already given in God Passes By, pp. 214-15, a summary of the contents of this Most Holy Book…” (Letter dated 6 December 1965 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963 to 1986’)

From God Passes By:

Revealed soon after Bahá’u’lláh had been transferred to the house of ‘Údí Khammár (circa 1873), at a time when He was still encompassed by the tribulations that had afflicted Him, through the acts committed by His enemies and the professed adherents of His Faith, this Book, this treasury enshrining the priceless gems of His Revelation, stands out, by virtue of the principles it inculcates, the administrative institutions it ordains and the function with which it invests the appointed Successor of its Author, unique and incomparable among the world’s sacred Scriptures. For, unlike the Old Testament and the Holy Books which preceded it, in which the actual precepts uttered by the Prophet Himself are non-existent; unlike the Gospels, in which the few sayings attributed to Jesus Christ afford no clear guidance regarding the future administration of the affairs of His Faith; unlike even the Qur’án which, though explicit in the laws and ordinances formulated by the Apostle of God, is silent on the all-important subject of the succession, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, revealed from first to last by the Author of the Dispensation Himself, not only preserves for posterity the basic laws and ordinances on which the fabric of His future World Order must rest, but ordains, in addition to the function of interpretation which it confers upon His Successor, the necessary institutions through which the integrity and unity of His Faith can alone be safeguarded.

Bahá’u’llah revealed a prayer for Queen Victoria to say

Turn thou unto God and say: O my Sovereign Lord! I am but a vassal of Thine, and Thou art, in truth, the King of kings. I have lifted my suppliant hands unto the heaven of Thy grace and Thy bounties. Send down, then, upon me from the clouds of Thy generosity that which will rid me of all save Thee, and draw me nigh unto Thyself. I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thy name, which Thou hast made the king of names and the manifestation of Thyself to all who are in heaven and on earth, to rend asunder the veils that have intervened between me and my recognition of the Dawning-Place of Thy signs and the Dayspring of Thy Revelation. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Bounteous. Deprive me not, O my Lord, of the fragrances of the Robe of Thy mercy in Thy days, and write down for me that which Thou hast written down for Thy handmaidens who have believed in Thee and in Thy signs, and have recognized Thee, and set their hearts towards the horizon of Thy Cause. Thou art truly the Lord of the worlds and of those who show mercy the Most Merciful. Assist me, then, O my God, to remember Thee amongst Thy handmaidens, and to aid Thy Cause in Thy lands. Accept, then, that which hath escaped me when the light of Thy countenance shone forth. Thou, indeed, hast power over all things. Glory be to Thee, O Thou in Whose hand is the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth.” 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi, ‘The Promised Day Is Come’)

The incredible effect of “One righteous act”

“One righteous act,” He [Bahá’u’lláh], again, has written, “is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond asunder, and hath the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and vanished.… Be pure, O people of God, be pure; be righteous, be righteous.… 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh; ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

New Site: Words of 'Abdu'l-Baha

Words attributed to ‘Abdu’l-Baha by His various secretaries, those in attendance during His travels, pilgrims and visitors, press interviews and friends of the Faith.

Bahá’u’lláh explains the “purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself” through His Prophets

The purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself is to summon all mankind

• to truthfulness and sincerity,
• to piety and trustworthiness,
• to resignation and submissiveness to the will of God,
• to forbearance and kindliness,
• to uprightness and
• wisdom.

His object is to array every man with the mantle of a saintly character, and to adorn him with the ornament of holy and goodly deeds.” 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (Quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

The “rectitude of conduct” and “its implications” that “must distinguish every phase of the life of the Bahá’í community”

This rectitude of conduct, with its implications of

• justice,
• equity,
• truthfulness,
• honesty,
• fair-mindedness,
• reliability, and
• trustworthiness,

must distinguish every phase of the life of the Bahá’í community. “The companions of God,” Bahá’u’lláh Himself has declared, “are, in this day, the lump that must leaven the peoples of the world. They must show forth such trustworthiness, such truthfulness and perseverance, such deeds and character that all mankind may profit by their example.” “I swear by Him Who is the Most Great Ocean!” He again affirms, “Within the very breath of such souls as are pure and sanctified far-reaching potentialities are hidden. So great are these potentialities that they exercise their influence upon all created things.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)

An example of ‘Abdu’l-Baha using science to explain the need for the presence of an intermediary (Manifestation of God) between humanity and God

The Divine Reality is far removed from man. It is absolutely remote and independent in its essence—beyond the comprehension of man—abstract, limitless and impersonal.

Man is limited, weak, fearful, poverty-stricken and helpless. The Divine Reality represents the Power Absolute, capacity for all things, fulfillment for all the needs of man.

The Divine Reality is to man what the sun is to the earth. The sun is life, radiance, heat, energy, power. The earth is dead, inert, helpless, incapable of initiative or change. It is poor, cold, and without resources.

The sun in its remoteness could never reach the earth, and the earth, wretched indifferent clod, could never attain to the glory and splendor of the sun. In order that one may gain the other, that life and fragrance may come to the helpless earth floating alone in dim space, there must be an intermediary. In some way the life-giving power of the radiant sun must be brought to the sodden earth, and this becomes possible through the media of light and heat. Through their means the glory of the distant luminary is transmitted to the dark ball of earth, and instantly it becomes the home of fragrance and blooming life. The glory of the magnificent source of light touches our dim planet and banishes death and darkness.

As there must be an intermediary to transmit to earth the life-giving power of the sun, so there must be an intermediary to bring God to man, and this is found through the ever-present efficacy of the Holy Spirit. As the media of light and heat carry fragrance and bloom to the earth, so the intermediary of the Holy Spirit brings to man warmth, perfection and inspiration.

The “Divine origin of His [Bahá’u’lláh’s] mission”

In His Epistle to Násiri’d-Dín Sháh, His royal adversary, revealed at the height of the proclamation of His Message, occur these passages which shed further light on the Divine origin of His mission: “O King! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow.… This is but a leaf which the winds of the will of Thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised, have stirred.… His all-compelling summons hath reached Me, and caused Me to speak His praise amidst all people. I was indeed as one dead when His behest was uttered. The hand of the will of Thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful, transformed Me.” “By My Life!” He asserts in another Tablet, “Not of Mine own volition have I revealed Myself, but God, of His own choosing, hath manifested Me.” And again: “Whenever I chose to hold My peace and be still, lo, the Voice of the Holy Spirit, standing on My right hand, aroused Me, and the Most Great Spirit appeared before My face, and Gabriel overshadowed Me, and the Spirit of Glory stirred within My bosom, bidding Me arise and break My silence.” 

- Shoghi Effendi  ('God Passes By')

Recitation of the Tablets of Visitation at Baha’i Holy Days

The Universal House of Justice has received your letter of 15 June 1992 regarding the conduct of Bahá'í Holy Day observances. We have been asked to provide the following response.

The commemoration of Holy Days, including the development of programs for these observances, is a matter left to the discretion of the appropriate National and Local Spiritual Assemblies, which are entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that such observances are conducted in a manner in keeping with the spirit of the divine teachings and ordinances. While it is customary for the Tablets of Visitation to be recited at the conclusion of the Holy Day programs held at the Bahá'í World Centre, as well as in countries of the Middle East, this practice is not binding upon Bahá'í communities elsewhere, nor has a specific time been fixed for the recitations to occur.

Nothing has been found in the Bahá'í Writings requiring the friends to stand and face the Qiblih whenever the Tablets of Visitation are recited. No issue should be made of this matter when a Holy Day observance is being held. However, when one is actually in, or within the precincts of one of the Holy Shrines, it is an act of simple reverence to stand and face that Shrine when the Tablet of Visitation is recited. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 19 August 1992 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; Baha’i Library Online)

A healing miracle performed by the Báb: - Reported by Muhammad Big, the leader of the mounted escort that accompanied the Báb from Isfahan to Tabriz

In the “Taríkh-i-Jadíd,” Muhammad Big is reported to have related the following account to Hájí Mírzá Jání:

“So we mounted and rode on till we came to a brick caravanserai distant two parsangs from the city. Thence we proceeded to Milán, where many of the inhabitants came to see His Holiness, and were filled with wonder at the majesty and dignity of that Lord of mankind. In the morning, as we were setting out from Milán, an old woman brought a scald-headed child, whose head was so covered with scabs that it was white down to the neck, and entreated His Holiness to heal him. The guards would have forbidden her but His Holiness prevented them, and called the child to Him. Then He drew a handkerchief over its head and repeated certain words; which he had no sooner done than the child was healed. And in that place about two hundred persons believed and underwent a true and sincere conversion.” 

(Taríkh-i-Jadíd, pages 222–21; Footnotes to chapter 12 of 'The Dawn-Breakers', provided by Shoghi Effendi)