Message
of the Universal House of Justice
26 November 1992
To the Bahá'ís of the World
A full century has gone by
since the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh was established and set in motion. And we
extend to the members of His community our loving greetings as they are
assembled today at the World Congress in New York and at auxiliary conferences
on all continents, or as they otherwise participate in the observance of this
centennial occasion.
We are particularly pleased
that we have been afforded a special opportunity to pause for a moment,
together with our fellow-believers, to gather our thoughts, to see how we have
fared since 1892, and to consider where we are now headed. This enables us to
engage in a symbolic act which by its very nature exemplifies the purpose of
the Covenant -- a Covenant intended by its divine Author to unite the races and
nations of the earth.
Sublime emotions surge in
our hearts as we survey the dramatic history and amazing progress of these one
hundred years. At the time of the passing of Bahá'u'lláh, the Bahá'í community
was contained within the borders of no more than fifteen countries, the vast
majority of its members living in His native Iran. The community now embraces
the entire planet. We rejoice at the spirit of unity which is evident in its
steady consolidation through the workings of the Administrative Order to which
the Covenant has given birth. Our cumulated experience has clearly demonstrated
the efficacy of the Covenant. The genuine unity it induces greatly encourages
our expectation that all of humanity can and will be united.
We have toiled to build a
community at a period when the world has witnessed startling changes which have
profoundly altered the character of society and plunged it into an
unprecedented state of worry and confusion. Indeed, the world in its current
condition has lost its bearings through the operation of forces it neither
understands nor can control. It is a period in which great dynasties and
empires have collapsed in rapid succession, in which powerful ideologies have
captured the hearts of millions only to expire in infamy, in which two world
wars wreaked havoc on civilized life as it was known at the beginning of the
twentieth century.
In the wake of such
horrendous disruptions, there have been unexampled advances in the realms of
science, technology and social organization; a veritable explosion of
knowledge; and an even more remarkable burgeoning in the awakening and rise of
masses of humanity which were previously presumed to be dormant. These masses
are claiming their rightful places within the community of nations which has
greatly expanded. With the simultaneous development of communications at the
speed of light and transportation at the speed of sound, the world has
contracted into a mere neighbourhood in which people are instantly aware of
each other's affairs and have immediate access to each other. And yet, even
with such miraculous advances, with the emergence of international
organizations, and with valiant attempts and brilliant successes at
international cooperation, nations are at woeful odds with one another, people
are convulsed by economic upheavals, races feel more alienated than before and
are filled with mistrust, humiliation and fear.
Collateral with these
changes has been the breakdown of institutions, religious and political, which
traditionally functioned as the guideposts for the stability of society. Even
the most resilient of these seem to be losing their credibility as they have
become preoccupied with their own internal disorder. This calls attention to
the emptiness of the moral landscape and the feeling of futility deranging
personal life. Thoughtful commentators write apprehensively about the fall of
culture and the consequent disappearance of values, the loss of the fullness of
the inner life, a technological civilization facing an increasingly serious
crisis. They write, moreover, of the human species as being at the end with its
wisdom and being unable to control itself, of the need for divine wisdom and foresight,
and of the human psyche as being far removed from recognizing this need.
These ominous comments
reflect the universal consequences of a failed understanding as to the purpose
of God for humankind. It is in this particular respect that the Revelation of
Bahá'u'lláh sheds new light; it refreshes our thoughts; it clarifies and
expands our conceptions. His Teachings imbue us with the abundance of God's
love for His creatures; they impress upon us the indispensability of justice in
human relations and emphasize the importance of adhering to principle in all
matters; they inform us that human beings have been created "to carry
forward an ever-advancing civilization" and that the virtues that befit
the dignity of every person are: "forbearance, mercy, compassion and
loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth".
As the members of our
community have pursued their plan for teaching His Faith, they have grown to
appreciate more adequately the purpose of the multifarious processes of change
which have been at work during the course of the century. "Such
simultaneous processes of rise and fall, of integration and of disintegration,
of order and chaos, with their continuous and reciprocal reactions on each
other, are," our Teachings tell us, "but aspects of a greater Plan,
one and indivisible, whose Source is God, whose author is Bahá'u'lláh, the
theatre of whose operations is the entire planet, and whose ultimate objectives
are the unity of the human race and the peace of all mankind."
Disunity is the crux of the
problems which so severely afflict the planet. It permeates attitudes in all
departments of life. It is at the heart of all major conflicts between nations
and peoples. More serious still, disunity is common in the relations between
religions and within religions, vitiating the very spiritual and moral
influence which it is their primary purpose to exert. "Should the lamp of
religion be obscured," Bahá'u'lláh asserts, "chaos and confusion will
ensue, and the lights of fairness, of justice, of tranquillity and peace cease
to shine."
In an elaboration of these
dreadful consequences, our Teachings state that "when, as a result of
human perversity, the light of religion is quenched in men's hearts ... a
deplorable decline in the fortunes of humanity immediately sets in, bringing in
its wake all the evils which a wayward soul is capable of revealing. The
perversion of human nature, the degradation of human conduct, the corruption
and dissolution of human institutions, reveal themselves, under such
circumstances, in their worst and most revolting aspects. Human character is
debased, confidence is shaken, the nerves of discipline are relaxed, the voice
of human conscience is stilled, the sense of decency and shame is obscured,
conceptions of duty, of solidarity, of reciprocity and loyalty are distorted,
and the very feeling of peacefulness, of joy and of hope is gradually
extinguished."
Such, unfortunately, is the
state to which institutions and individuals have come in our time. Against this
background the requirements of the Covenant assume even more critical
importance than before. There can be no doubt that if our community is to cope
with the situation, it must advance rapidly towards the next phase in its
evolution. It will be a phase in which the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh must of
necessity anticipate a deep encounter with the forces operating with such
bewildering ferocity throughout the world. Let us, therefore, take this
propitious occasion to review the covenantal arrangement which generates and
sustains our actions.
The foundation of our belief
rests on our recognition of the sovereignty of God, the Unknowable Essence, the
Supreme Creator, and on our submission to His will as revealed for this age by
Bahá'u'lláh. To accept the Messenger of God in His Day and to abide by His
bidding are the two essential, inseparable duties which each soul was created
to fulfil. One exercises these twin duties by one's own choice, and by so doing
performs an act which may be regarded as the highest expression of free will
with which every human being is endowed by an all-loving Creator. The vehicle
in this resplendent age for the practical fulfilment of these duties is the
Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. It is the instrument by which belief in Him is translated
into constructive deeds.
The oneness of humankind is
the pivotal principle and ultimate goal of His mission. This principle means
far more than the reawakening of the spirit of brotherhood and goodwill among
people: "It implies an organic change in the structure of present-day
society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced." The Covenant
of Bahá'u'lláh embodies the spirit, instrumentality and method to attain this
essential goal. In addition to laying down, in His Book of Laws, the fundamentals
for a new World Order, Bahá'u'lláh, in the Book of His Covenant, confirmed the
appointment of His Son `Abdu'l-Bahá as the interpreter of His Word and the
Centre of His Covenant. As the interpreter, `Abdu'l-Bahá became the living
mouth of the Book, the expounder of the Word; as the Centre of the Covenant, He
became the incorruptible medium for applying the Word to practical measures for
the raising up of a new civilization. The Covenant is, therefore, unique as a
divine phenomenon, in that Bahá'u'lláh, further to conferring upon `Abdu'l-Bahá
the necessary authority to fulfil the requirements of His singular office,
vested in Him the virtues of perfection in personal and social behaviour, that
humanity may have an enduring model to emulate. In no annals of the past is
there recorded such an arrangement for ensuring the realization of the purpose
of the Manifestation of God.
This Covenant is the
guarantee against schism; that is why those who occasionally attempt to create
a cleavage in the community utterly fail in the long run. Similarly, the
incessant persecution the community has been forced to endure for more than a
century in the land of Bahá'u'lláh's birth has not succeeded in destroying its
identity or undermining its organic unity. The glorious, ultimate effect of
this arrangement will be to ensure the establish- ment of the Kingdom of God on
earth, as promised in the Holy Books of old and as proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh
Himself.
"The Day of the Promise
is come," He clearly announces, "and He Who is the Promised One
loudly proclaimeth before all who are in heaven and all who are on earth:
'Verily there is none other God but He, the Help in Peril, the Self-
Subsisting!' I swear by God! That which had been enshrined from eternity in the
knowledge of God, the Knower of the seen and unseen, is revealed. Happy is the
eye that seeth, and the face that turneth towards, the Countenance of God, the
Lord of all being."
Indeed, the coming of
Bahá'u'lláh ushered the world into a new age, making possible the beginning of
a wholly new relationship between humanity and its Supreme Creator. The
characteristics of this relationship are summed up in the Covenant inaugurated
upon His passing a century ago. Its spiritual dynamic and cohesive power, its
unifying principles and practical institutional provisions are a pattern for
the healing of the ills afflicting our fractured societies and defective social
systems. The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh gives new meaning to humanity's checkered
history; it imparts a fresh impulse to human striving. "Like unto the
artery," `Abdu'l-Bahá states, it "beats and pulsates in the body of
the world." The pervasive influence it exerts is at the heart of the
derangement of human affairs; it drives the accelerating transition from the
old order to the new World Order envisaged by Bahá'u'lláh. "Soon," He
writes, "will the present day Order be rolled up, and a new one spread out
in its stead." And He explains: "The world's equilibrium hath been
upset through the vibrating influence of this Most Great, this new World Order.
Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this
unique, this wondrous System, the like of which mortal eyes have never
witnessed."
Let those seriously
concerned about the state and fate of the world give due attention to the
claims of Bahá'u'lláh. Let them realize that the storms battering at the
foundations of society will not be stilled unless and until spiritual
principles are actively engaged in the search for solutions to social problems.
Let us, the followers of Bahá'u'lláh, redouble our effort in the exercise of
our sacred duty to acquaint all humanity with the animating purpose of the
world-wide Law of Bahá'u'lláh. Let them discover that, "Far from aiming at
the subversion of the existing foundations of society, it seeks to broaden its
basis, to remould its institutions in a manner consonant with the needs of an
ever-changing world." Let us, with patience and humility, respond to
challenging or skeptical questions while unfolding the purposes of this Law.
Let them know that it "can conflict with no legitimate allegiances, nor
can it undermine essential loyalties. Its purpose is neither to stifle the
flame of a sane and intelligent patriotism in men's hearts, nor to abolish the
system of national autonomy so essential if the evils of excessive
centralization are to be avoided."
Let us by word and example
show that "it does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the
diversity of ethnical origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition,
of thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the
world." Finally, let them appreciate that "it calls for a wider
loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any that has animated the human
race"; that "it insists upon the subordination of national impulses
and interests to the imperative claims of a unified world"; that "it
repudiates excessive centralization on one hand, and disclaims all attempts at
uniformity on the other"; that "its watchword is unity in diversity".
It is especially noteworthy
that coincidental with this Bahá'í Holy Year are the commemorations of other
world-shaking occurrences which, centuries ago, commenced processes destined to
attain their glorious consummation in the Promised Day of God. The ultimate resolution
of the profound issues to which they gave rise, and which have ripened with the
passage of time, is discernible in the eventual realization of the
world-embracing System of Bahá'u'lláh.
Our thoughts turn to the
history of `Abdu'l-Bahá's epic journey to the West and particularly to North
America where, in New York, He disclosed to His western disciples the
implications of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. It was, in a sense, an act of
renewal, prospective of the consolidation of the union of the Old and New
Worlds into one global entity. Surnamed by Him "City of the
Covenant", New York resonates with the effects of that experience of
eighty years ago. Then it was still the major entryway to the "Land of
Promise" for millions of people seeking new horizons. Now it is recognized
as a gathering place for the leaders of nations, an international venue for
efforts at achieving unity in the political realm. Its very atmosphere vibrates
with the hopes of a world seeking to set its affairs in order. Today, the hearts
of the Bahá'ís throughout the earth are focused on this City of the Covenant
wherein many thousands of their fellow-believers, from all parts of the planet,
have assembled in the second Bahá'í World Congress. The presence there of such
a widely varied representation of the human race is an affirmation of the
unific power of the Covenant which the event was convened to celebrate.
In this season of beginnings
and of the commemorations of beginnings, we Bahá'ís set for ourselves a new
measure of effort, one more daring and persistent than before. May our words
proclaim, and our deeds demonstrate, that there is only one God, only one
religion, only one race. And few though we be, may we thus fulfil our duty
towards Bahá'u'lláh, towards His Covenant, and, indeed, towards all humankind.