Huqúqu’lláh is not an ordinary law, comparable to what people pay to the state or to the church. It is a sacred law destined to contribute to the establishment of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, which has as its main function to bring about the unity of mankind. As the beloved Guardian has explained, Bahá’u’lláh brought two things to this world: a new pattern for re-organising the affairs of humanity, and a new model of spiritual and moral regeneration. The law of Huqúqu’lláh has the particular characteristic that it furthers both purposes of the Bahá’í Revelation.

We know that the Kitáb-i-Aqdas has been described by Shoghi Effendi as the "charter of the new World Order of Bahá’u’lláh" and His charter for divine civilisation. That book is the source of the main institutions of the Faith, including the House of Justice, the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár and Huqúqu’lláh. Huqúqu’lláh has the particular function of providing other institutions and especially the World Centre of the Bahá’í Faith - the Centre of its Covenant - with necessary financial resources. So many undertakings around the world, which contribute both to the expansion and consolidation of Bahá’u’lláh’s administrative order, are financed by the Huqúqu’lláh.

Bahá’u’lláh wrote: "Beseech ye God that He may enable everyone to discharge the obligation of Huqúq, inasmuch as the progress and promotion of the Cause of God depend on material means." (1) And also "He ordaineth that which will confer benefit on all mankind." (2)

When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá talks about the abolition of the extremes of wealth and poverty as one of the main social principles of the new Faith, he refers among other teachings to the law of Huqúqu’lláh which, applied on a large scale, will help significantly to achieve a more equitable distribution of income throughout the world.

In the report of UNDP entitled the Human Development Report 1999, you can read that the 200 individuals who are the wealthiest persons in the world have in their possession around 1042 billion US dollars worth of income and properties. Le Monde reminds us that 100 large enterprises around the world achieved, in 1998, a gross income of 2100 billion US dollars. If all these individuals and institutions were under the umbrella of the Faith, they would offer voluntarily a very considerable amount, which at the same time would serve the purpose of human solidarity. In one of His tablets, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá refers to the law of interdependence and to that of "give and take" among all created things.

He says: "co-operation, mutual aid and reciprocity are essential characteristics in the unified body of the world of being, inasmuch as all created things are closely related together and each is influenced by the other or deriveth benefit therefrom either directly or indirectly." (3)

Huqúqu’lláh is nothing but the application at the human level of the same general law. And we know that one of the multiple uses of Huqúqu’lláh is precisely that of humanitarian assistance to people in need. Just recently the Universal House of Justice contributed a considerable amount towards assisting those who suffered from the earthquake in Turkey.

As we are talking about World Order, I should like to refer to a Persian letter of the Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to the Chief of Police in Tehran. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá talks about two types of order: internal and external. Religion deals particularly with internal order, which means with moral and spiritual issues. And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá concludes that it would be better that external order, or political and social order, be built upon the internal order promoted by religion. Huqúqu’lláh is a law that functions at both levels: it creates order and discipline in one’s personal life but at the same time contributes to the establishment of a more just order in society. If we consider Bahá’u’lláh to be our associate in our material life, there is no doubt that we will put some order in that life and refrain voluntarily from spending on luxury and unnecessary things.

One other aspect of Huqúqu’lláh, in addition to linking internal and external life, is that it relates the material world to the spiritual world, because when we pay Huqúq in accordance with the law, all our material belongings and possessions become purified. In other words, the material world receives the blessings of the spiritual world.

There is no doubt that this law expresses the maturity of the human race. Nobody will ask any other person to pay his due in Huqúqu’lláh. The individual himself has to acknowledge his moral responsibility in this respect and pay Huqúq with joy and gladness. H Bergson advocated a morality of love and noble "aspiration" as opposed to a morality of pure obligation. Huqúqu’lláh is that type of law, which in accordance with the injunction of Bahá’u’lláh is followed by the believers for the sake of His love.

"Moreover, although these insignificant amounts are not worthy of mention, they are well-pleasing since, the donors offer them for the sake of God." (4)

In the law of Huqúq, one can see another aspect of Bahá’u’lláh’s new Order: a sense of world citizenship. The payment of the individual goes to the World Centre of the Faith. It links the heart of each believer to the Centre of the Covenant… The Huqúq helps promote international institutions and international projects. It represents an ethic of sharing for the benefit of the whole world. We know that God’s providence in this dispensation that the Faith should advance only through persuasion, teaching and education. The law of Huqúqu’lláh reflects that particular feature of our Faith. No enforcement will occur. It is only through education that the individual becomes conscious of his sacred responsibility. The whole system of Huqúqu’lláh administration is based on this principle of conscience creating.

…The future will very much depend on the degree of our consciousness. If this conference contributes to a greater realization of our responsibility in that respect, the travelling of our dear Hand of the Cause will be more than justified. Let me finish my short presentation by a quotation from Bahá’u’lláh:

"Huqúqu’lláh is indeed a great law. It is incumbent upon all to make this offering, because it is the source of grace, abundance, and of all good. It is a bounty which shall remain with every soul in every world of the worlds of God, the All-Possessing, the All-Bountiful." (5)

1. Bahá’u’lláh: Compilation of Compilations, Huqúqu’lláh, p489

2. Ibid:

3. Ibid: Abdu’l-Bahá: p509

4. Ibid: Bahá’u’lláh: p490

5. Ibid:

For the first four days of the trip we stayed in Tiberius. A carefully planned programme included two visits to hot springs which everyone enjoyed, a visit to a diamond factory, dinner in a Kibbutz, a boat ride and Iranian disco on the sea of Galilee, lunch in a Druze village and visits to important Christian holy places in Nazareth. By this time everyone in the group had bonded together and we were like one big family. We took over the hotel reception room every evening and turned it into and Iranian disco, much to the surprise of other guests. They did join in and learned about the Bahá’í Faith in the process. After these fun filled four days it was time for the real purpose of our trip. We got into our tour bus and sang prayers all the way from Tiberius to Haifa to spiritually prepare ourselves before we arrived at the Shrines. As our bus turned the corner and we saw the Shrine of the Báb glistening in the sunlight on Mount Carmel the whole bus went silent, we were all so overcome by the sight nobody could speak.

After an orientation session in the Pilgrim House and a good cup of tea we set off to Bahjí to visit the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh. In the evening we visited the Shrines of the Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. We attended an awe-inspiring talk by Hand of the Cause Mr Furútan. The following morning Mr Dunbar gave a talk to the youth of the trip about service. Our group then visited the terraces including terrace 19. The view from up there was most spectacular. After that we visited the cave of Elijah. It was prophesied in the Bible that the Father and the Son would visit the cave - Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited there and fulfilled the prophecy. Prayers were said there and in the Bahá’í cemetery before wonderful talks by Mr Furútan and Dr Varqá.

The following day we visited the Turkish baths whichwere used by Bahá’u’lláh and a mosque ‘Abdu’l-Bahá frequented to pray. We looked at the Most Great Prison and the Houses of ‘Abud and ‘Abdu’lláh Pasha in ‘Akká. After a last visit to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh we went back to Haifa to commemorate the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Because it was a holy day we were allowed to visit the Master’s House and pray by the bed where he lay before he passed away to the ‘Abhá Kingdom. The commemoration was held in the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. Approximately one thousand Bahá’ís gathered together and after the devotional we circumambulated the Shrine of the Báb.

On our last day everyone was very sad because we knew we would have to leave each other and we had grown so close as a group. Before heading for the airport we had a tour of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, visited the Monument Gardens and said our prayers for the last time in the Shrine of the Báb.

I would like to thank Mrs Alaee on behalf of everyone on the trip. It was a truly unforgettable and life changing experience.

Katrin Kalami