Module #12

The Funds, Huqúqu'lláh, and Universal Participation

 “Every believer can contribute to the Fund. Not all believers can give public talks, not all are called upon to serve on administrative institutions. But all can pray, fight their own spiritual battles, and contribute to the Fund. If every believer will carry out these sacred duties, we shall be astonished at the accession of power which will result to the whole body, and which in its turn will give rise to further growth and the showering of greater blessings on all of us.” {The Universal House of Justice, Wellspring of Guidance, pp. 37-38}

OBJECTIVES :

	1)	Describe the Local fund, National fund, International Fund, Continental Board of 			Counsellors Fund, the ARC Fund, deputizing fund etc. 

	2) 	Who can give to the various Funds? {only members of the Bahá’í Faith}
		What are our obligations and privileges? 
		Define voluntary, regular, confidential, sacrificial, budgeting ...?

	3) 	What is the “Right of God”? (Huqúqu'lláh), whose authority established it? 
		What is its purpose? {to promote the Faith and for charitable causes}
		Distinguish this spiritual obligation and bounty from other monetary transactions. 

	4) 	Why is it important for people of all ages (100%) to work and contribute? 
		Is this a spectator sport or a religion?

DEFINITIONS: (Basic Bahá’í Dictionary, Editor Wendi Momen, George Ronald Press, 1989)

Funds: 
The moneys contributed by the Bahá’ís to the different institutions of the Faith. “And as the progress and execution of spiritual activities is dependent and conditioned upon material means, it is of absolute necessity that immediately after the establishment of local as well as National Spiritual Assemblies, a Bahá’í Fund be established, to be placed under the exclusive control of the Spiritual Assembly. All donations and contributions should be offered to the Treasurer of the Assembly, for the express purpose of promoting the interests of the Cause throughout that locality or country. It is the sacred obligation of every conscientious and faithful servant of Bahá’u’lláh who desires to see His Cause advance, to contribute freely and generously for the increase of that Fund…” 
{Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 156}

The amount given to the Funds is not important: “Contributing to the Fund is a service every believer can render, be he poor or wealthy; for this is a spiritual responsibility in which the amount given is not important. It is the degree of the sacrifice of the giver, and the love with which he makes his gift, and unity of all the friends in this service which brings spiritual confirmations…” {Lights of Guidance, #487}

Contributions to the Bahá’í funds are not accepted from non Bahá’ís. “One of the distinguishing features of the Cause of God is its principle of non-acceptance of financial contributions for its own purposes from non-Bahatis: support of the Bahá’í Fund is a bounty reserved by Bahá’u’lláh to his declared followers.”
{Lights of Guidance, #526}

There are several Bahá’í Funds. Each local spiritual assembly will establish its own Fund which is used to support local teaching, proclamation and consolidation activities; similarly, each national spiritual assembly will administer a National Fund which supports activities on a national level. The Continental Fund supports the work of the Hands of the Cause, the Continental Boards of Counsellors and the Auxiliary Board Members, while the International Fund, administered by the Universal House of Justice, supports Bahá’í work on an international level. There are also funds for various projects, such as the building of a House of Worship. and the building of the Arc on Mount Carmel, for deputizing travel teachers or pioneers to undertake these activities in one's stead, and for assisting those believers who have suffered from persecution in Iran.

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Huqúqu'lláh: 
The Right of God. A momentary payment, instituted in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, made by the believers to God, the proceeds of which “revert to the Authority in the Cause to whom all must turn.” {Universal House of Justice in Huqúqu'lláh Compilation, p. 100} (In the time of Bahá’u’lláh, the Manifestation Himself; in the time of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Centre of the Covenant; in the time of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian; and, presently, the Universal House of Justice): “Should a person acquire one hundred mithqals of gold, nineteen mithqals thereof belong unto God, the Creator of earth and heaven.” {Huqúqu'lláh Compilation, #10} The payment of Huqúqu'lláh serves as a means of purifying the earthly possessions' of those who pay it. {Huqúqu'lláh Compilation, #96}

The payment of Huqúqu'lláh is worked out thus: “If a person has possessions equal in value to at least 19 mithqals in gold, it is a spiritual obligation for him to pay 19% of the total amount, once only, as Huqúqu'lláh. Certain categories of possessions, such as one's residence, are exempt from this. Thereafter, whenever his income, after all expenses have been paid, increases the value of his possessions by the amount of at least 19 mithqals of gold, he is to pay 19% of this increase, and so on for each further increase.” 
{Bahá’u’lláh, Synopsis Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 60}

Bahá’u’lláh describes the payment of Huqúqu'lláh as a spiritual obligation and bounty; “It is incumbent upon everyone to discharge the obligation of Huquq. The advantages gained from this deed revert to the persons themselves.” {Huqúqu'lláh Compilation, no. 4} However, the payment must be made in the right spirit for it to be acceptable: “…the acceptance of the offerings dependeth on the spirit of joy, fellowship. and contentment that the righteous souls who fulfill this injunction will manifest. If such is the attitude acceptance is permissible, and not otherwise.” {Huqúqu'lláh Compilation,  no. 4}

Huqúqu'lláh is not payable on certain possessions: “We have exempted the residence and the household furnishings, that is, such furnishings as are needful.” {Huqúqu'lláh Compilation, no. 11} The Universal House of Justice has clarified this further: “It is clear from the Writings that a person is exempt from paying Huqúqu'lláh on his residence and such household and professional equipment as are needful. It is left to the discretion of the individual to decide which items are necessary and which are not.” {Huqúqu'lláh Compilation, no. 106}

Bahá’u’lláh appointed Trustees who acted on His behalf in matters related to the Huqúqu'lláh. Today the Universal House of Justice appoints the Trustees.

Bahá’u’lláh was very anxious that no one should ever feel forced to pay the Huquq' and “insisted that no one should be solicited to pay.” {Bahá’í News, June 1988, p. 14} For many years He did not accept any payments at all.

The Huqúqu'lláh is not for the personal use of the Centre of the Cause but is rather to be spent on the promotion of the Faith and for charitable purposes. {Huqúqu'lláh Compilation, no. 62} At present it is spent for the same purposes as the International Fund. {Huqúqu'lláh Compilation, no. 94}

However, “the Huquq should not be confused with the normal contributions of a believer to the International Funds. Although both are donated to the Centre of the Cause - today to the House of Justice - there is a great difference between the two. The Huquq in reality does not belong to the individual, as it is the right of God, whereas ordinary donations are given by the believer from his own resources…” {Bahá’í News, June 1988, p. 14}
The law of Huqúqu'lláh is now binding on all believers.
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Sacrifice: 
To give up, suffer the loss of, or renounce something for the sake of God, an ideal or belief.

“This is the reason why the universal Manifestations of God unveil Their countenances to man, and endure every calamity and sore affliction, and lay down Their lives as a ransom; it is to make these very people, the ready ones, the ones who have capacity, to become dawning points of light, and to bestow upon them the life that fadeth never. This is the true sacrifice: the offering of oneself, even as did Christ, as a ransom for the life of the world.”

“In one of His Tablets, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains that not until a seed completely disintegrates under the soil can it produce a tree. It is then that the object as insignificant as a seed, by sacrificing itself completely, will be transformed into a mighty tree with branches, fruits and flowers. It is the same when man sacrifices something of his own.” 
{Taherzadeh, Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 3, p. 211}

“Self-sacrifice means to subordinate this lower nature and its desires to the more Godly and noble side of ourselves. Ultimately, in its highest sense, self-sacrifice means to give our will and our all to God to do with as He pleases. Then He purifies and glorifies our true self until it becomes a shining and wonderful reality.”
{Lights of Guidance,  no. 1149}

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Universal Participation: 
The dedicated effort of every believer in teaching, living the Bahá’í life, in contributing to the Fund, and particularly in the persistent effort to understand more and more the significance of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation. {Universal House of Justice, Wellspring of Guidance, p. 25} The real secret of universal participation lies in the Master’s oft-expressed wish that the friends should love each other, constantly encourage each other, work together, be as one soul in one body, and in doing so become a true, organic, healthy body animated and illumined by the spirit. {Universal House of Justice,  Wellspring of Guidance, pp. 38-39}

QUOTES:

“… The progress and promotion of the Cause of God depend on material means.”
{Bahá'u'lláh, Huqúqu'lláh: The Right of God Compilation,  p. 1}

“It is to a greater realization of the privilege and responsibility of supporting the multiple activities of our beloved Faith that we call you all at this critical time in world history, and remind you that to support the Bahá'í funds is an integral part of the Bahá'í way of life. The need is not only now, but throughout the years to come, until our exertions, reinforced by confirmations from on high, will have overcome the great perils now facing mankind and have made this world another world—a world whose splendor and grace will surpass our highest hopes and greatest dreams.” 
{The Universal House of Justice, letter dated January 3, 1985 to all Bahá'ís}

“But our contributions to the Faith are the surest way of lifting once and for all time the burden of hunger and misery from mankind, for it is only through the System of Bahá’u’lláh--Divine in origin--that the world can be gotten on its feet, and want, fear, hunger, war, etc., be eliminated. Non-Bahá’ís cannot contribute to our work or do it for us; so really our first obligation is to support our own teaching work, as this will lead to the healing of the nations.”
{Shoghi Effendi, Directives of the Guardian, p. 15}

“All the friends of God ... should contribute to the extent possible, however modest their offering may be. God doth not burden a soul beyond its capacity. Such contributions must come from all centers and all believers. ... O Friends of God! Be ye assured that in place of these contributions, your agriculture, your industry, and your commerce will be blessed by manifold increases, with goodly gifts and bestowals. He who cometh with one goodly deed will receive a tenfold reward. There is no doubt that the living Lord will abundantly confirm those who expend their wealth in His path.

“O God, my God! Illumine the brows of Thy true lovers, and support them with angelic hosts of certain triumph. Set firm their feet on Thy straight path, and out of Thine ancient bounty open before them the portals of Thy blessings; for they are expending on Thy pathway what Thou hast bestowed upon them, safeguarding Thy Faith, putting their trust in their remembrance of Thee, offering up. their hearts for love of Thee, and withholding not what they possess in adoration for Thy Beauty and in their search for ways to please Thee. 

“O my Lord! Ordain for them a plenteous share, a destined recompense and sure reward. 

Verily, Thou art the Sustainer, the Helper, the Generous, the Bountiful, the Ever-Bestowing.”  {Abdu’l-Bahá, Prayer Book}

RECOMMENDED READINGS: 
	Bahá'í Funds: Contributions & Administration
	Huqúqu'lláh
	Lights of Guidance
	Living the Life
	Developing Distinct Bahá’í Communities - by the USA National Spiritual Assembly
	Brilliant Star Magazine