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Huqúqu'lláh In An Individual's Will
Through repeated examination of the Compilation on Huqúqu'lláh, I have come to the conclusion that all the texts point to the fact that it is a great privilege for believers to contribute to the Right of God in the course of their lifetimes - assuming that they regard this (law) as an indebtedness - so as to benefit from the resulting "abundance, prosperity, dignity, and honour" while they are living. This privilege is also emphasised in excerpt No. 22 of the Compilation, which states: "Well is it with him who ascendeth unto God, without any obligations to Huqúqu'lláh and to His servants."
Excerpt No. 90, from a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, refers to the great reward destined by God for those souls who have independently decided that part of their earthly property be dedicated, "either during their own lifetimes or through their wills", to the Cause of God and have thus fulfilled their obligation to Huqúqu'lláh. In my opinion this text does not make a direct reference to the possibility of fulfilling the law of Huqúqu'lláh in a will.
Fulfillment through a will can even create a certain disadvantage; some heirs (especially non-Bahá'ís) may not, for one reason or other, accept the provisions of the testament, or compliance with those provisions may not take place "with the utmost joy and pleasure" (No. 32). Both of these situations have actually occurred. In one case, the non-Bahá'í heirs caused such great difficulties that Shoghi Effendi ordered the Huqúqu'lláh already paid by the deceased person be returned.
In excerpt No. 43 of the Compilation, Bahá'u'lláh refers to the withholding of the Right of God, which also applies, in my opinion, to those who do not fulfill their obligation to Huqúqu'lláh when they should, but rather postpone it or leave its fulfillment to their heirs in their testaments. In consideration of the fact that "God hath made the achievement of everything conditional upon material means" (No. 33), such a procedure may seriously impede the carrying out of numerous projects within the Bahá'í world which are financed principally by the Huqúq fund.
Statements made by 'Abdu'l-Bahá regarding the law of Huqúqu'lláh also lead us to conclude that He is speaking of yearly accounts, which of course indicates payments made during a person's lifetime (Nos. 66, 67, 69).
Dr Mehdi Varqa (translated from the Persian)
General enquiries and payments:
Please direct specific queries and requests for deepening programmes to the Representatives covering your area at their home telephone numbers. Post, payments and general enquiries can be directed to: The Office of Huqúqu'lláh, "Woodsmoke", Glen Avenue, Sandy Lane, Abbots Leigh, Bristol BS8 3SD. Tel: 01275 372040 e-mail: carolyn.wade@bahai.org.uk
Cheques should be made payable to: NSA of the Bahá'ís - Huqúqu'lláh
Calculation: One Huqúqu'lláh Unit = 2.224563 troy oz of gold. Value of gold on 4th May 1999 was £177.40 per oz, so one Huqúq Unit = £394.64. Once a believer's non-exempt assets reach or exceed one Huqúqu'lláh Unit, Huqúqu'lláh is payable at 19% of each Unit. 19% of £394.64 = £74.98. The current value of gold can be found in many newspapers and at this website: http://www.goldline.co.uk