Bahá'ís believe that the "Administrative
Order" created by Bahá'u'lláh, and built up by His
successors `Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, defines a
pattern of cooperative decision-making and social
interaction that cultivates the moral and creative
capacities latent in human nature. It provides a model of
the institutional structures necessary for global
community life--a pattern of living that embraces
diversity and fosters mutuality of purpose, compassion,
and rectitude of conduct. A singular feature of this
administrative system is the balance it strikes between
preserving individual freedom and promoting the
collective good.
Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, wrote: ...this Administrative Order is fundamentally different from anything that any Prophet has previously established, inasmuch as Bahá'u'lláh Himself revealed its principles, established its institutions, appointed the person to interpret His Word, and conferred the necessary authority on the body [the Universal House of Justice] designed to supplement and apply His legislative ordinances.
Founded on a set of unique electoral and consultative principles that are democratic in spirit and method, the Bahá'í administrative order is organized around freely elected governing councils which operate at the local, national, and international levels. This hierarchy devolves decision-making to the lowest practicable level--thereby instituting a unique vehicle for grassroots participation in governance--while at the same time providing a level of coordination and authority that makes possible cooperation on a global scale. Bahá'u'lláh called these governing councils "Houses of Justice."
The Universal House of Justice today guides the activities of the global Bahá'í community. This body was instituted by Bahá'u'lláh Himself as the supreme legislative organ of the Bahá'í administrative order. Its members, Bahá'u'lláh wrote, are "the Trustees of God among His servants." The Universal House of Justice itself states that "The provenance, the authority, the duties, the sphere of action of the Universal House of Justice all derive from the revealed Word of Bahá'u'lláh which, together with the interpretations and expositions of the Centre of the Covenant and of the Guardian of the Cause -- who, after `Abdu'l-Bahá, is the sole authority in the interpretation of Bahá'í Scripture -- constitute the binding terms of reference of the Universal House of Justice and are its bedrock foundation."
According to the explicit texts of Bahá'u'lláh and
`Abdu'l-Bahá, the legislative enactments of the
Universal House of Justice have the same authority for
Bahá'ís as do the sacred texts themselves. The
difference is that the House of Justice has the right to
repeal and alter any of its enactments as the Bahá'í
community evolves and new conditions emerge, whereas the
laws enshrined in the Bahá'í texts will remain
unchanged. `Abdu'l-Bahá states that all questions and
issues not explicitly addressed in the Bahá'í sacred
writings "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."The Universal House of Justice has been ordained by Bahá'u'lláh as an instrument of divine guidance and is not to be considered as merely the international administrative body of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá confirms that the Universal House of Justice is "under the protection and the unerring guidance of God." However, it is only the corporate body itself that has been endowed with such guidance and not the individual members.
With the coming into being of the Universal House of Justice a new era opened in the history of the Bahá'í Faith. Authoritative direction flowed to the Bahá'í community first through the Manifestation of God (Bahá'u'lláh), then through the chosen Center of the Faith (`Abdu'l-Bahá) and the Guardian of the Faith (Shoghi Effendi). But with the passing of Shoghi Effendi and the establishment of the Universal House of Justice, guidance for the Bahá'í community no longer came from a personal channel, organically linked to the Manifestation of God, but from an elected body chosen by the Bahá'í membership itself.
The Universal House of Justice was instituted when, in
1963, members of National Spiritual Assemblies from
around the globe, in an atmosphere of deep reflection and
profound devotion, elected nine individuals from among
the Bahá'ís of the world as members of this
institution. The occasion is considered by Bahá'ís to
be, next to the appointment of Shoghi Effendi as the
Guardian of the Faith, the most momentous event in the
history of what is known as the "Formative Age"
of the Bahá'í Faith. Even the manner of the election
itself was befitting that institution described by
`Abdu'l-Bahá as the "source of all good."
Conducted by secret ballot, the Bahá'í electoral
process prohibits the nomination and presentation of
candidates, thereby giving maximum freedom of choice to
each elector and avoiding the partisanship and
power-seeking behavior so characteristic of conventional
political elections. The election of the Universal House
of Justice takes place every five years in the same
atmosphere of spirituality and dedication.Beyond its institutional importance, the establishment of the Universal House of Justice symbolized the distinguishing characteristic which Bahá'ís regard as the essence of their Faith: Unity. No matter how wholehearted and sincere, faith alone cannot ensure that the unity of a religious community will endure. The emergence of the Universal House of Justice as the guiding authority in all the affairs of the community meant that the Bahá'í Faith had remained united through the most critical period of a religion's history, the vulnerable first century during which schism almost invariably takes root. Shortly after its formation in 1963, the Universal House of Justice wrote: "The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh is unbroken, its all-encompassing power inviolate...The channel of Divine guidance, providing flexibility in all the affairs of mankind, remains open through that institution which was founded by Bahá'u'lláh and endowed by Him with supreme authority and unfailing guidance..." For Bahá'ís, the emphatic promise of Bahá'u'lláh had been realized: "The Hand of Omnipotence hath established His Revelation upon an enduring foundation. Storms of human strife are powerless to undermine its basis, nor will men's fanciful theories succeed in damaging its structure."
As stipulated by Bahá'u'lláh, the Seat of the Universal House of Justice is located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, in close proximity to the resting places of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh.