A word hath, likewise, been written down and recorded by the Pen of
the Most High in the Crimson Book which is capable of fully disclosing
that force which is hid in men, nay of redoubling its potency.(5)
"It is indubitably clear," He, furthermore, has stated, "that the
pivot of the oneness of mankind is nothing else but the power of the
Covenant." "Know thou," He has written, "that the 'Sure Handle'
mentioned from the foundation of the world in the Books, the Tablets and
the Scriptures of old is naught else but the Covenant and the
Testament." And again: "The lamp of the Covenant is the light of the
world, and the words traced by the Pen of the Most High a limitless
ocean."(6)
Shoghi Effendi refers to the Will and Testament as "the Charter of the New
World Order which is at once the glory and the promise of this most great
Dispensation."(7) He refers to that World Order as the "Ark of human
salvation."(8)
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.(9)
When we ask what exactly this "World Order" is, to which Baha'u'llah is
referring, we find the actual details given in His tablets to be somewhat
vague. We shall see that the Administrative Order (the "World Order") "may
be considered as the framework of the Will itself...."(10) That is, the Will
provides the very framework of the World Order of which Baha'u'llah spoke,
yet intentionally left to be clarified by His appointed successor.
The Significance of `Abdu'l-Baha and His Will and Testament
-----------------------------------------------------------
...the believers need to be deepened in their knowledge and
appreciation of the Covenants of both Baha'u'llah and `Abdu'l-Baha.
This is the stronghold of the faith of every Baha'i, and that which
enables him to withstand every test and the attacks of the enemies
outside the Faith, and the far more dangerous, insidious, lukewarm
people inside the Faith who have no real attachment to the Covenant, and
consequently uphold the intellectual aspect of the teachings while at
the same time undermining the spiritual foundation upon which the whole
Cause of God rests.
He feels you and your dear family should do all you can to teach the
believers the Will and Testament and to strengthen their understanding
of its important provisions; for all the authority of the administrative
bodies, as well as of the Guardian himself, is mainly derived from this
tremendous document.(11)
[`Abdu'l-Baha] is, and should for all time be regarded, first and
foremost, as the Center and Pivot of Baha'u'llah's peerless and
all-enfolding Covenant, His most exalted handiwork, the stainless Mirror
of His light, the perfect Exemplar of His teachings, the unerring
Interpreter of His Word, the embodiment of every Baha'i ideal, the
incarnation of every Baha'i virtue, the Most Mighty Branch, sprung from
the Ancient Root, the Limb of the Law of God, the Being "round Whom all
names revolve," the Mainspring of the Oneness of Humanity, the Ensign of
the Most Great Peace, the Moon of the Central Orb of this most holy
Dispensation - styles and titles that are implicit and find their
truest, their highest and fairest expression in the magic name
`Abdu'l-Baha.(12)
The axis round which its [the Administrative Order's] institutions
revolve are the authentic provisions of the Will and Testament of
`Abdu'l-Baha.(13)
For nothing short of the explicit directions of their Book, and
the surprisingly emphatic language with which they have clothed the
provisions of their Will, could possibly safeguard the Faith for which
they have both so gloriously labored all their lives. Nothing short
of this could protect it from the heresies and calumnies with which
denominations, peoples, and governments have endeavored, and will, with
increasing vigor, endeavor to assail it in future.(14)
The Cord that Joins Heaven and Earth
------------------------------------
[The Covenant is] the Cord stretched betwixt the earth and the Abha
Kingdom.(15)
...Thy strong cord that none can sever.(16)
...Thy cord, through whose movement the whole creation hath been
stirred up.(17)
Let us trace that cord, in its descent from heaven, that we may strengthen
and reaffirm our conviction to this "peerless and all-enfolding Covenant."
The importance of this is why we have been given prayers for steadfastness
in the Covenant.
`Abdu'l-Baha tells us in clear and unmistakable words that
I am, according to the explicit texts of the Kitab-i-Aqdas and the
Kitab-i-`Ahd the manifest Interpreter of the Word of God... Whoso
deviates from my interpretation is a victim of his own fancy.(18)
In accordance with the explicit text of the Kitab-i-Aqdas
Baha'u'llah hath made the Center of the Covenant the Interpreter of
His Word....(19)
If `Abdu'l-Baha is the unerring interpreter of Baha'u'llah's words, then we
should expect to find statements among the writings of Baha'u'llah from
which the above pronouncements are clearly derived. Baha'u'llah's statements
from which the above pronouncements are derived are many and diverse. His
first allusion is given in the Kitab-i-Aqdas:
Should differences arise amongst you over any matter, refer it to
God while the Sun still shineth above the horizon of this Heaven and,
when it hath set, refer ye to whatsoever hath been sent down by Him....
In My presence amongst you there is a wisdom, and in My absence there is
yet another, inscrutable to all but God, the Incomparable, the
All-Knowing.(20)
Baha'u'llah tells us to refer to "whatsoever hath been sent down by Him." To
what is He referring? Later, in that same book, He clarifies that this must
be one of His branches (male offspring).
When the Mystic Dove will have winged its flight from its Sanctuary
of Praise and sought its far-off goal, its hidden habitation, refer ye
whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him Who hath branched from
this mighty Stock.(21)
In the Suriy-i-Ghusn (Tablet of the Branch), Baha'u'llah clarifies that what
has been sent down is `Abdu'l-Baha.
We have sent Him down in the form of a human temple.(22)
The will and testament of Baha'u'llah, the Kitab-i-`Ahd, begins
Although the Realm of Glory hath none of the vanities of the world,
yet within the treasury of trust and resignation We have bequeathed to
Our heirs an excellent and priceless heritage.(23)
Note the reference to "trust and resignation"; that is, the trusting of and
complete acceptance of God's Will. The tablet goes on to state its whole
intent and purpose:
The Will of the divine Testator is this: It is incumbent upon the
Aghsan, the Afnan and My Kindred to turn, one and all, their faces
towards the Most Mighty Branch. Consider that which We have revealed in
Our Most Holy Book: 'When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the
Book of My Revelation is ended, turn your faces toward Him Whom God hath
purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root.' The object of this
sacred verse is none other except the Most Mighty Branch [`Abdu'l-Baha].
Thus have We graciously revealed unto you Our potent Will, and I am
verily the Gracious, the All-Powerful.(24)
Clearly then, Baha'u'llah has appointed `Abdu'l-Baha as the Interpreter of
His Word. How does Baha'u'llah allude to His infallibility? Again, the
Szriy-i-Ghusn states regarding `Abdu'l-Baha,
... Render thanks unto God, O people, for His appearance; for verily
He is the most great Favor unto you, the most perfect bounty upon you;
and through Him every mouldering bone is quickened. Whoso turneth
towards Him hath turned towards God, and whoso turneth away from Him
hath turned away from My beauty, hath repudiated My Proof, and
transgressed against Me. He is the Trust of God amongst you, His charge
within you, His manifestation unto you and His appearance among His
favored servants ... We have sent Him down in the form of a human
temple. Blest and sanctified be God Who createth whatsoever He willeth
through His inviolable, His infallible decree. They who deprive
themselves of the shadow of the Branch, are lost in the wilderness of
error, are consumed by the heat of worldly desires, and are of those who
will assuredly perish.(25)
We are told that to reject `Abdu'l-Baha is to reject God, Himself.
Therefore, it follows that what `Abdu'l-Baha states must be the Will of God,
because to reject it is to reject God. Now, how do we find in the statements
of Baha'u'llah, an assignment of `Abdu'l-Baha as the Center of His Covenant?
It turns out that we do not find an explicit appointment of `Abdu'l-Baha as
"The Center of My Covenant." What we find instead are numerous references
from which one is led to draw the inescapable conclusion that `Abdu'l-Baha
is the intended focus of Baha'u'llah's Covenant. According the dictionary,
the relevant definition of the word center is
2 a : a point, area, person, or thing that is most important or
pivotal in relation to an indicated activity, interest, or condition
b : a source from which something originates(26)
It is curious to note the frequency with which Baha'u'llah uses language
alluding to `Abdu'l-Baha as the center of attention (capitalized emphasis is
mine)
It is incumbent upon the Aghsan, the Afnan and My Kindred to TURN,
one and all, their faces towards the Most Mighty Branch.(27)
...TURN your faces toward Him Whom God hath purposed...(28)
Whoso TURNETH towards Him hath turned towards God...(29)
The glory of God rest upon Thee, and upon whosoever serveth Thee and
CIRCLETH around Thee.(30)
...Him round Whom all names REVOLVE.(31)
Clearly, `Abdu'l-Baha fulfills the first part of the above definition of
center. We shall see that he fulfills the second, as well, because He is at
least as much of a source of the form of the Covenant as is Baha'u'llah.
This point is elaborated upon by the Guardian,
The Will may thus be acclaimed as the inevitable offspring resulting
from that mystic intercourse between Him Who communicated the generating
influence of His divine Purpose and the One Who was its vehicle and
chosen recipient. Being the Child of the Covenant--the Heir of both the
Originator and the Interpreter of the Law of God--the Will and Testament
of `Abdu'l-Baha can no more be divorced from Him Who supplied the
original and motivating impulse than from the One Who ultimately
conceived it. Baha'u'llah's inscrutable purpose, we must ever bear in
mind, has been so thoroughly infused into the conduct of `Abdu'l-Baha,
and their motives have been so closely wedded together, that the mere
attempt to dissociate the teachings of the former from any system which
the ideal Exemplar of those same teachings has established would amount
to a repudiation of one of the most sacred and basic truths of the
Faith.(32)
The Covenant Protects the Faith
-------------------------------
The Covenant provides "the guarantee against disintegration and schism"(33)
and yields, therefore,
...the Day which shall not be followed by night.(34)
[The] Springtime which autumn will never overtake.(35)
Were it not for the protecting power of the Covenant to guard the
impregnable fort of the Cause of God, there would arise among the
Baha'is, in one day, a thousand sects as was the case in former ages.(36)
The Covenant is the "axis of the oneness of the world of humanity"
because it preserves the unity and integrity of the Faith itself and
protects it from being disrupted by individuals who are convinced that
only their understanding of the Teachings is the right one--a fate that
has overcome all past Revelations.(37)
No good but only evil can come from taking the responsibility for
the future of God's Cause into our own hands and trying to force it into
ways that we wish it to go regardless of the clear texts and our own
limitations.(38)
Regarding the twin institutions, "the twin pillars,"(39) of the Guardianship
and the Universal House of Justice, "these two fundamental organs of the
Will of `Abdu'l-Baha,"(40) Shoghi Effendi has written:
Their common, their fundamental object is to insure the continuity
of that divinely-appointed authority which flows from the Source of our
Faith, to safeguard the unity of its followers and to maintain the
integrity and flexibility of its teachings.(41)
A Summary of the Will and Testament
-----------------------------------
The Will and Testament is presented in three major parts, each written at a
different time in the life of `Abdu'l-Baha. They are summarized as follows:
1. After beginning with a glorification of God for protecting His
inviolable Faith, this part moves on to a praise of Shoghi Effendi and
those that have remained firm in the Covenant. It is followed by a
lengthy discussion of the wrongs suffered by the central figures and a
condemnation of the machinations of Mirza Yahya and Mirza Muhammad `Ali.
After an exhortation to teach the Cause, it moves to the appointment of
Shoghi Effendi and the Guardian, elaborating upon his authority and
defines the succession of the Institution of the Guardianship, and the
appointment of Hands of the Cause. After an exhortation to the belivers
to manifest the attributes of the Faith to the world, it defines the
Instituion of the Houses of Justice. It closes with instruction
regarding the Huqzq'u'llah and a command to obey one's government and to
avoid becoming involved in political affairs.
2. This part begins with a meditation to God on His sufferings. Following
this, details of the election and authority of the Universal House of
Justice are defined. This parts closes with a command to avoid
association with Covenant-breakers.
3. After opening with a prayer, the actions of the Covenant-breakers is
again reviewed. After exhorting again the believers to teach the Cause,
it closes with a command to turn to Shoghi Effendi and warns against
those who will attempt to cause a breach in the unity of the Cause.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnotes
=========
1 Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Baha'u'llah, pp. 42-43
2 Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 238
3 World, p. 134
4 God, p. 238
5 Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 32
6 Baha'u'llah, cited in God, p. 238
7 World, p. 144
8 World, p. 155
9 Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas, paragraph 181
10 World, p. 144
11 From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, April 15, 1949; cited in Lights of Guidance, Second Edition, #597, p. 182.
12 World, p. 134
13 World, p. 156
14 World, p. 22
15 Baha'u'llah, cited in Passes, p. 239
16 Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations, p. 228
17 Prayers, p. 317 (Long Obligatory Prayer). Compare also "The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order."
18 World, p. 138
19 World, p. 136
20 Aqdas, paragraph 53
21 Aqdas, paragraph 174
22 World, p. 135
23 Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah (Kitab-i-`Ahd), p. 219
24 Tablets (Kitab-i-`Ahd), p. 221
25 World, p. 135
26 Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1987 by Merriam-Webster Inc.
27 Tablets (Kitab-i-`Ahd), p. 221
28 Tablets (Kitab-i-`Ahd), p. 221
29 World, p. 135
30 World, p. 135
31 World, p. 136
32 World, p. 144
33 World, p. 145
34 Baha'u'llah, cited in God, p. 245
35 Baha'u'llah, cited in God, p. 99
36 `Abdu'l-Baha, cited in Baha'i World Faith, pp. 357-8
37 From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, 3 January 1982; cited in the compilation The Covenant, p. 18
38 Wellspring of Guidance (Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1968), p. 87
39 World, p. 147
40 World, p. 147
41 World, p. 148
-- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darren Hiebert "If I have not seen further, it is because darren@rastek.com giants were standing on my shoulders." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------