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Bahá'í Community: Principles of
Bahá'í Administration
Dr. Moojan Momen
It is important to note that Bahá'ís do not regard the Bahá'í
administration as merely a convenient way of organizing themselves. First, its key
institutions and guiding principles have been established in the writings of the founders
of the religion. Bahá'ís, therefore, consider the Bahá'í administration as being
sacred in nature and as integral a part of the Bahá'í Faith as the Bahá'í teachings;
indeed the Bahá'í administration is seen as the incarnation of the spirit of the
Bahá'í Faith. Second, Bahá'ís consider that the Bahá'í teachings can only flower
fully within the institutional framework provided by the Bahá'í administration. The
Bahá'í principles and teachings by themselves would remain just ideas without the
Bahá'í administration to give them form. Third, this administrative framework will,
Bahá'ís believe, evolve gradually into a World Order. When that occurs, it will be the
fulfilment of the prophecies of every religion that there will be a golden age of peace
and prosperity for humanity.
| MERE PLANS ARE NOT SUFFICIENT |
| The Bahá'í administration is the agency through which Bahá'ís believe that the
Bahá'í teachings can been put into effect in the world. `Abdu'l-Bahá spoke of the fact
that mere good intentions and ideas are not enough, there is also the need for some way to
put these into effect in the world . . . mere knowledge is not sufficient for complete
human attainment . . . A house is not built by mere acquaintance with the plans. Money
must be forthcoming; volition is necessary to construct it; a carpenter must be employed
in its erection. It is not enough to say, "The plan and purpose of this house are
very good; I will live in it." There are no walls of protection, there is no roof of
shelter in this mere statement; the house must be actually built before we can live in it
. . .
Bahá'u'lláh not only proclaimed this unity and love; He established it. As a heavenly
Physician He not only gave prescriptions for these ailments of discord and hatred but
accomplished the actual healing. We may read in a medical book that a certain form of
illness requires such and such a remedy. While this may be absolutely true, the remedy is
useless unless there be volition and executive force to apply it . . .
It is, therefore, evident and proved that an effort must be put forward to complete the
purpose and plan of the teachings of God in order that in this great Day of days the world
may be reformed, souls resuscitated, a new spirit of life found, hearts become illumined,
mankind rescued from the bondage of nature, saved from the baseness of materialism and
attain spirituality and radiance in attraction toward the divine Kingdom. This is
necessary; this is needful. Mere reading of the Holy Books and texts will not suffice.
Many years ago in Baghdad I saw a certain officer sitting upon the ground. Before him a
large paper was placed into which he was sticking needles tipped with small red and white
flags. First he would stick them into the paper, then thoughtfully pull them out and
change their position. I watched him with curious interest for a long time, then asked,
"What are you doing?" He replied, "I have in mind something which is
historically related of Napoleon I during his war against Austria. One day, it is said,
his secretary found him sitting upon the ground as I am now doing, sticking needles into a
paper before him. His secretary inquired what it meant. Napoleon answered, `I am on the
battlefield figuring out my next victory. You see, Italy and Austria are defeated, and
France is triumphant.' In the great campaign which followed, everything came out just as
he said. His army carried his plans to a complete success. Now, I am doing the same as
Napoleon, figuring out a great campaign of military conquest." I said, "Where is
your army? Napoleon had an army already equipped when he figured out his victory. You have
no army. Your forces exist only on paper. You have no power to conquer countries. First
get ready your army, then sit upon the ground with your needles." We need an army to
attain victory in the spiritual world; mere plans are not sufficient; ideas and principles
are helpless without a divine power to put them into effect. (`Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation
of Universal Peace, pp. 249-50 |
The structure of the Bahá'í administrative institutions, as described above, is
quite unlike those of other religions. There are some principles governing their
functioning which also make them unlike other comparable institutions.
i. The Covenant
The bedrock of the Bahá'í Faith is the principle of the Covenant. The Bahá'í Faith
has very little in the way of dogmas or creed to which its adherents are required to
subscribe. Each Bahá'í is guaranteed the freedom to interpret the Bahá'í scriptures
according to his or her individual understanding.
Let us also remember that at the very root of the Cause lies the principle of the
undoubted right of the individual to self-expression, his freedom to declare his
conscience and set forth his views. (Shoghi Effendi)5
Such interpretative freedom would inevitably lead to doctrinal chaos and the formation
of numerous sects based on the interpretations of various individuals if it were not for
the existence of a covenant or spiritual agreement into which each Bahá'í enters.
In brief this covenant states that, while each individual is free to interpret the
Bahá'í scriptures, no one may claim that theirs is the only correct interpretation or
that it is in any way authoritative. Only the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and of the two
authorised interpreters of the Bahá'í scriptures, `Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, are
authoritative and binding.
Coupled with this agreement to refrain from claiming any authority for one's own views
is an agreement to abide by the decisions and directives of the leader of the Bahá'í
Faith, which, since its election in 1963, has been the Universal House of Justice. If any
individual Bahá'í feels that any administrative decision made by either a Local
Spiritual Assembly or a National Spiritual Assembly is wrong or unjust, he or she is free
to appeal that decision all the way up to the Universal House of Justice. Once the
Universal House of Justice has ruled on the issue, however, the matter is settled and
there should be no further dissent. `Abdu'l-Bahá has put this very emphatically.
Referring to Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice, he states:
Whatsoever they decide is of God. Whoso obeyeth him not, neither obeyeth them, hath not
obeyed God; whoso rebelleth against him and against them hath rebelled against God . . .
whoso contendeth with them hath contended with God.6
The concept of the Covenant is the focal centre of the Bahá'í Faith and the source of
its unity:
. . . the power of the Covenant will protect the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh from the doubts
of the people of error. It is the fortified fortress of the Cause of God and the firm
pillar of the religion of God. Today no power can conserve the oneness of the Bahá'í
world save the Covenant of God; otherwise differences like unto a most great tempest will
encompass the Bahá'í world. (`Abdu'l-Bahá)7
And since Bahá'ís believe that the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh are what will bring
unity to the world, the Covenant, by maintaining the unity of the Bahá'í Faith, is
"the axis of the oneness of the world of humanity."8
Therefore, `Abdu'l-Bahá says that:
Today the pulsating power in the arteries of the body of the world is the spirit of the
Covenant--the spirit which is the cause of life. Whosoever is vivified with this spirit,
the freshness and beauty of life become manifest in him, he is baptized with the Holy
Spirit, he is born again, is freed from oppression and tyranny, from heedlessness and
harshness which deaden the spirit, and attains to everlasting life.9
ii. Consultation
The mechanism by which decisions are made at all levels of the Bahá'í administrative
order involves the process of consultation. The purpose of consultation is to bring the
minds of several people to bear on a particular subject so that the decision made is the
result of the group's collective wisdom.10
`Abdu'l-Bahá asserts that this result can only be achieved, however, if certain
conditions are met:
The prime requisites for them that take counsel together are purity of motive, radiance
of spirit, detachment from all else save God, attraction to His Divine Fragrances,
humility and lowliness amongst His loved ones, patience and long-suffering in difficulties
and servitude to His exalted Threshold. Should they be graciously aided to acquire these
attributes, victory from the unseen Kingdom of Bahá shall be vouchsafed to them. . . The
members [of a spiritual assembly] must take counsel together in such wise that no occasion
for ill-feeling or discord may arise. This can be attained when every member expresseth
with absolute freedom his own opinion and setteth forth his argument. Should any one
oppose, he must on no account feel hurt for not until matters are fully discussed can the
right way be revealed. The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of
differing opinions. If after discussion, a decision be carried unanimously, well and good;
but if the Lord forbid, differences of opinion should arise, a majority of voices must
prevail.11
Nor is the tool of consultation only to be used in matters of Bahá'í administration.
It is something that can be used whenever a decision has to be made:
Consultation is acceptable in the presence of the Almighty, and hath been enjoined upon
the believers, so that they may confer upon ordinary and personal matters, as well as on
affairs which are general in nature and universal. For instance, when a man hath a project
to accomplish, should he consult with some of his brethren, that which is agreeable will
of course be investigated and unveiled to his eyes, and the truth will be disclosed.
Likewise on a higher level, should the people of a village consult one another about their
affairs, the right solution will certainly be revealed. In like manner, the members of
each profession, such as in industry, should consult , and those in commerce should
similarly consult on business affairs. In short, consultation is desirable and acceptable
in all things and on all issues. (`Abdu'l-Bahá)12
| `ABDU'L-BAHÁ ON CONSULTATION |
| In this Cause consultation is of vital importance, but spiritual conference and not
the mere voicing of personal views is intended. In France I was present at a session of
the senate, but the experience was not impressive. Parliamentary procedure should have for
its object the attainment of the light of truth upon questions presented and not furnish a
battleground for opposition and self-opinion. Antagonism and contradiction are unfortunate
and always destructive to truth. In the parliamentary meeting mentioned, altercation and
useless quibbling were frequent; the result, mostly confusion and turmoil; even in one
instance a physical encounter took place between two members. It was not consultation but
comedy. The purpose is to emphasize the statement that consultation must have for its
object the investigation of truth. He who expresses an opinion should not voice it as
correct and right but set it forth as a contribution to the consensus of opinion, for the
light of reality becomes apparent when two opinions coincide. A spark is produced when
flint and steel come together. Man should weigh his opinions with the utmost serenity,
calmness and composure. Before expressing his own views he should carefully consider the
views already advanced by others. If he finds that a previously expressed opinion is more
true and worthy, he should accept it immediately and not wilfully hold to an opinion of
his own. By this excellent method he endeavours to arrive at unity and truth. . . .
Therefore, true consultation is spiritual conference in the attitude and atmosphere of
love. Members must love each other in the spirit of fellowship in order that good results
may be forthcoming. Love and fellowship are the foundation. (Promulgation of Universal
Peace, pages 72- 73) |
iii. Power and Decentralization
It is a cardinal principle of the Bahá'í administration that power and authority does
not reside in individuals but in elected institutions. Those individuals elected to be
members of these institutions have no rank, power or authority as individuals. Although
newspapers and other outside bodies may call individuals such as the chairperson of a
National Spiritual Assembly "the leader of the Bahá'í community" as a parallel
with other religious groups, this is not a correct description. It is the institution that
is the leader and not the individual. Although it is true that members of the appointed
arm of the administration (see above)
exercise their functions as individuals, these individuals have no administrative powers
and act in an advisory capacity only.
Within the Bahá'í administration, it is also a principle to decentralize as much as
it is feasible to do. Thus, for example, as soon as the National Spiritual Assemblies had
developed sufficiently for them to take over the planning of the expansion and development
of the Bahá'í Faith in their areas, this responsibility was given to them by the
Universal House of Justice. Each spiritual assembly has jurisdiction and authority over
all Bahá'í activity in its area of jurisdiction. It is subject to the authority of the
next higher level in the hierarchy of elected institutions only when the activities it
undertakes have an impact beyond the boundaries of its area of jurisdiction.
iv. The Rights of Minorities
Importance is given in the Bahá'í administrative order to the protection of the
rights of minorities.
. . . every organized community enlisted under
the banner of Bahá'u'lláh should feel it to be its first and inescapable obligation to
nurture, encourage, and safeguard every minority belonging to any faith, race, class, or
nation within it. (Shoghi Effendi)13
This can be seen as being one aspect of the Bahá'í principles of the oneness of
humanity and the need for the abolition of prejudices. The Bahá'í community goes further
than merely acknowledging a position of equality for the members of minority groups,
however. It encourages the positive participation of these minority groups in its affairs.
Thus, for example, in the case of a tied vote in an election, priority should be accorded
to the member of a minority group. Shoghi Effendi states:
. . . bearing in mind the extreme desirability of having the minority elements
participate and share responsibility in the conduct of Bahá'í activity, it should be the
duty of every Bahá'í community so to arrange its affairs that in cases where individuals
belonging to the divers minority elements within it are already qualified and fulfill the
necessary requirements, Bahá'í representative institutions, be they Assemblies,
conventions, conferences, or committees, may have represented on them as many of these
divers elements, racial or otherwise, as possible. The adoption of such a course, and
faithful adherence to it, would not only be a source of inspiration and encouragement to
those elements that are numerically small and inadequately represented, but would
demonstrate to the world at large the universality and representative character of the
Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, and the freedom of His followers from the taint of those
prejudices which have already wrought such havoc in the domestic affairs, as well as the
foreign relationships, of the nations.14
v. Bahá'í elections
Elections to the Bahá'í administrative institutions take place by a free and secret
ballot. They are however radically different from most other elections that take place in
the world today. They are not the arena for a struggle for power between opposing
individuals, policies, ideologies or parties. A prohibition on nominations,
electioneering, and the formation of parties helps to ensure this.
The process of election is considered to be a vehicle for choosing individuals who have
the necessary moral, spiritual and administrative capabilities to consult together and
cooperate to promote the common good. Those elected do not represent any particular
interest or faction. They must see themselves as chosen for a service to the whole
community, a service which they must perform prayerfully and conscientiously.
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Introduction