The Covenant

The central defining characteristic that distinguishes these times from the past is the approach of the age of maturity for humankind - its globalization. Its fundamental need is the establishment of a peaceful, global society that promotes the development of societal and individual capacity through the independent investigation of truth and an abiding respect for diversity.

The Greater and the Lesser Covenants
The covenant between humankind and God has been
articulated by all of the Messengers of God.
Contemplate with thine inward eye the chain of successive Revelations that hath linked the Manifestation of

Adam with that of the Bab. I testify before God that each one of these Manifestations hath been sent down through the operation of the Divine Will and Purpose, that each hath been the bearer of a specific Message, that each hath been entrusted with a divinely-revealed Book and been commissioned to unravel the mysteries of a mighty Tablet. The measure of the Revelation with which every one of them hath been identified had been definitely fore-ordained. (Baha'u'llah. Gleanings, 74)

The greater covenant is the way that God accomplishes His purpose for humankind. "The purpose of God in Creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence" (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 70). God sustains all of reality for our instruction in His ways. He is always available to us.

There can be no doubt whatever that if for one moment the tide of His mercy and grace were to be withheld from the world, it would completely perish. For this reason, from the beginning that hath no beginning the portals of Divine mercy have been flung open to the face of all created things, and the clouds of truth will continue to the end that hath no end to rain on the soil of human capacity, reality and personality their favors and bounties. Such hath been God's method continued from everlasting to everlasting. (Baha'u'llah. Gleanings, 68-69)

God's primary commandment to us is to recognize the Messenger of God, to love Him above the things of the world, and to observe His ordinances.

The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Day Spring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof, hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. It behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration. (Baha'u'llah. Gleanings, 330-31)

God is always available to every individual. He has also been available to the collective groupings of individuals throughout history, from family groupings to empires and nations, through His Messengers i.e. Krishna, Zoroaster, Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and, most recently, the Bab and Baha'u'llah. The Messenger of God is the Manifestation of God in both the spiritual and material worlds. The succession of Messengers is the greater covenant of God. The Messenger provides the presence of God to those who recognize Him and abide by His guidance. He is also the physical person who through the actions of His life articulates the guidance for the well being of a specific or lesser covenant i.e. the Buddhist, Hindu, Mosaic, Islamic, and Christian covenants. The lesser covenant refers to the dispensation associated with a particular Messenger. The dispensation of Baha'u'llah addresses the exigencies of this age.

Ali Muhammad announced His Mission to His first follower on May 23, 1844. He assumed the title of the Bab (the Gate or Door). His earthly ministry ended in martyrdom on July 9, 1850. The Bab occupies a two-fold station. He is the divinely appointed forerunner of Baha'u'llah's dispensation much as John the Baptist is for Christ's. And He occupies the station of inaugurator of a separate religious dispensation, which ends the prophetic religious cycle that began with Adam. In a letter addressed to Mulla Husayn, the first person to recognize Him as a Manifestation of God, He writes:

Bear thou witness that verily He is I, Myself, the Sovereign, the Omnipotent. He is the One Who ordaineth life and death and unto Him shall all return. Indeed there is none other God but Him and all men bow down in adoration before Him. Verily Thy Lord, God, shall presently recompense every one as He ordaineth, even swifter than uttering the words 'Be thou, and it is'. (Selections from the Writings of the Bab, 9)

The Bab attracted a large following with His Message of the oneness of the prophets and of hope for the fulfillment of the promise of the prophets for the unity of mankind. The hostile reaction of many of the Muslim clergy and government officials to the new faith provided one of the most dramatic series of events in the annals of religious history. Shortly after the Bab's execution before a firing squad, more than twenty thousand of His followers were massacred in an attempt to completely abolish His faith.

The primary scripture of the dispensation of the Bab are His writings called the Bayan. The focus of the Bayan is the announcement of the appearance of Baha'u'llah "in the Day of the Latter Resurrection," which He indicates will occur after "a respite of nineteen years."

This is a letter from God, the Help in Peril, the SelfSubsisting, unto God, the Almighty, the Best Beloved, to affirm that the Bayan and such as bear allegiance to it are but a present from me unto Thee and to express my undoubting faith that there is no God but Thee, that the kingdoms of Creation and Revelation are Thine, that no one can attain anything save by Thy power and that He Whom Thou has raised up is but Thy servant and Thy Testimony, begging to address Thee by Thy leave in these words: "Shouldst Thou dismiss the entire company of the followers of the Bayan in the Day of the Latter Resurrection by a mere sign of Thy finger even while still a suckling babe, Thou wouldst indeed be praised in Thy indication. And though no doubt is there about it, do Thou grant a respite of nineteen years as a token of Thy favour so that those who have embraced this Cause may be graciously rewarded by Thee…' (Selections from the Writings of the Bab, 6-7)

Husayn-Ali was born in Persia on November 12, 1817 and assumed the name Baha'u'llah - Arabic for the Glory of God. He died in 1892 near Acre in current day Israel, the final location in a series of banishments and imprisonments that began in 1853 in Tehran and lasted for forty years. Baha'u'llah announced His mission to the followers of the Bab in a garden in Baghdad prior to leaving the city to comply with an order for His further banishment to Constantinople. He is the promised one anticipated by all of the world's scriptures.
Verily I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the Face, and hear the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of God hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men. It behoveth every man to blot out the trace of every idle word from the tablet of his heart, and to gaze, with an open and unbiased mind, on the signs of His Revelation, the proofs of His Mission, and the tokens of His glory.

Great indeed is this Day! The allusions made to it in all the sacred Scriptures as the Day of God attest its greatness. The soul of every Prophet of God, of every Divine Messenger, hath thirsted for this wondrous Day. All the divers kindreds of the earth have, likewise, yearned to attain it. (Baha'u'llah. Gleanings, 10)

Baha'u'llah directed the birth and development of the Baha'i dispensation with the events of His life and with written documents that fill more than 100 volumes. His works articulate to humankind God's guidance for the development of a peaceful, prosperous, and ever-advancing global civilization.

A characteristic unique to the Baha'i dispensation is its clear articulation of the succession of leadership, which has protected the faith from division into sects. Baha'u'llah, through His written will and testament, instructs His followers to turn to His son to maintain the integrity and unity of the faith.

Whosoever turns to Him hath surely turned unto God, and whosoever turneth away from Him hath turned away from My beauty, denied My proof and is of those who transgress. Verily, He is the remembrance of God amongst you and His trust within you, and His manifestation unto you and His appearance among the servants who are nigh. Thus have I been commanded to convey to you the message of God, your Creator; and I have delivered to you that of which I was commanded. (Baha'u'llah, Baha'i World Faith, 205)

When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended, turn your faces towards Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root. (Tablets of Baha'u'llah, 221)

Baha'u'llah referred in various writings to Abbas Effendi, His eldest son, as He "Who hath branched from the Ancient Root," the "Center of the Covenant," "the Master," the "Perfect Exemplar" of His teachings. Abbas Effendi referred to Himself as Abdul'Baha - the servant of the Glory of God.

Abdul'Baha was an intelligent, personable, charismatic leader for the Baha'i community. He administered many of the affairs of the faith during Baha'u'llah's lifetime. After Baha'u'llah's passing in 1892, he had responsibility for its administration until his own passing in 1921. In his own will and testament, Abdul'Baha appointed his grandson, Shoghi Effendi as the guardian of the faith and the interpreter of the writings of the faith.

O ye faithful loved ones of Abdul'Baha! It is incumbent upon you to take the greatest care of Shoghi Effendi, the twig that hath branched from and the fruit given forth by the two hallowed and Divine Lote-Trees, that no dust of despondency and sorrow may stain his radiant nature, that day by day he may wax greater in happiness, in joy and spirituality, and may grow to become even as a fruitful tree. For he is, after Abdul'Baha, the guardian of the Cause of God. The Afnan, the Hands [pillars] of the Cause and the beloved of the Lord must obey him and turn unto him. He that obeyeth him not, hath not obeyed God; he that turneth away from him hath turned away from God and he that denieth him hath denied the True One. Beware lest anyone falsely interpret these words, and like unto them that have broken the Covenant after the Day of Ascension [Baha'u'llah] advance a pretext, raise the standard of revolt, wax stubborn and opened wide the door of false interpretation… (Abdul'Baha, Will and Testament of Abdul'Baha, 25-26)

Shoghi Effendi's contributions to the faith are most in evidence in his efforts to build the administrative infrastructure of the faith, to develop the Baha'i World Center, to interpret the writings through his own written work, to translate Baha'i scripture, and to direct the implementation of the teaching plans provided by Abdul'Baha.

Foremost among the accomplishments of Shoghi Effendi was the implementation of the administrative order. In 1963, six years after Shoghi Effend's passing, enough of the Baha'i administrative order envisioned by Baha'u'llah was in place to elect the first members of the Universal House of Justice. The members of fifty-six national spiritual assemblies from around the world elected the pinnacle administrative institution for the continued expansion and consolidation of the Baha'i community. Its election realized an institution created by the pen of Baha'u'llah, elaborated by the efforts of Abdul'Baha, and constructed through the direction of Shoghi Effendi. The administrative order is derived from specific directives of Baha'u'llah.

It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice to take counsel together regarding those things which have not outwardly been revealed in the Book, and to enforce that which is agreeable to them. God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth, and He verily is the Provider, the Omniscient. (Baha'u'llah. Tablets of Baha'u'llah, 68)

Unto the Most Holy Book [the Kitab-i-Aqdas] every one must turn, and all that is not expressly recorded therein 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. Whoso doth deviate there from is verily of them that love discord, hath shown forth malice, and turned away from the Lord of the Covenant. (Will and Testament of Abdul'Baha, 19-20)

The Universal House of Justice has nine members and is elected every five years by the members of all of the National Spiritual Assemblies of the world. Each National Assembly has nine members who are elected annually by delegates who are correspondingly elected annually by the general Baha'i electorate. No nominating or campaigning processes are permitted. Any Baha'i in good standing over the age of twenty-one is eligible to vote and be elected.

Local Baha'i communities annually elect nine members from their respective communities to function as the Local Spiritual Assembly. The elections consist of private ballots. Each Baha'i selects nine community members. The votes are tallied. The nine members who received the most votes constitute the Local Spiritual Assembly for the year.

No individual has personal administrative authority outside of the collective decisions of the assembly. The primary mechanism for decision-making for the administration of the affairs of the Baha'i Faith is consultation. There are no clergy in the Baha'i Faith. The principles of the independent investigation of truth and the practices of consultation within the framework of the Baha'i administrative order provide the means for unity of action within the Baha'i community.

The following is a sketch of some of the teachings which Baha'u'llah has provided for the development of harmonious and prosperous global community for humankind over the next millennium.

1. There is one God, one religion, and one people - one flock and one shepherd. There always has been. The underlying unity of those traditions is just beginning to be realized because of the ascendancy of science and technology and the convergence of the world community.

2. Global governance by law must replace war as the arbiter of disputes. We are in the final stages of nation building. It is now time to safeguard all of the world's borders with the creation of a binding set of rules for the peaceful interaction of the world's peoples. We are too big for war and must instead set policy and settle conflicts through political and legal processes.

3. Each individual is responsible for the development of his own relationship with and understanding of God. None can speak for God to another. All must seek the truth for themselves. Religious and civil law must reflect this essential human capacity and responsibility.

4. Science and faith are both knowledge, one proceeds from the mind through investigation and the other from the spirit. If we use reason without spiritual insight and integrity we are likely to create things that are unhealthy. Faith without reason is superstition and is likely to be as unhealthy as the former condition.

5. The people of the world need to evolve, by selection or creation, a secondary world language through which the practical and spiritual unity of the world's peoples will be expressed and its culture established.

6. Men and women must share equally in all aspects of the institutions of global community. The prophetic, or Adamic, cycle of the human race, its childhood and its hope for the future have been accompanied by the dominance of its social institutions by the male perspectives and proclivities. The institutions of global society must witness the ascendance to parity of feminine qualities.

7. The extremes of wealth and poverty must be eliminated if the world's peoples are to rid themselves of tumult and tyranny. This will not be accomplished solely through the development of political or economic systems. It will require spiritual maturity in the development of human economy.

In His writing and through His life's example during the middle to late nineteenth century, Baha'u'llah provided guidance for the health and well being of the peoples of the world. His teachings were not commonplace at the time neither in the heart of the Middle East nor in the more progressive environments of the Western world. Slavery still existed legally in the United States until the end of the Civil War. Women did not have the right to vote until the turn of the twentieth century. Compulsory education appeared in the later half of the nineteenth century. The oneness of God and the unity of religion has been slowly gaining acceptance. The trial of the State of Tennessee v. John T. Scopes took place in 1925 in reaction to the growing ascendance of science over religious superstition. The concept of global governance was first realized in the creation of the League of Nations after World War I. In the middle of the twentieth century, Martin Luther King, Jr. lifted the banner of unity in the ongoing struggle against racism. The cultural oneness of humanity is just now taking shape in economic interdependence, instantaneous global communication, and emerging concepts of world citizenship.