This clearly places heavy responsibilities on the local as well as
national Assemblies, which in the course of time will evolve, with the
Master's power and guidance, into the local and national Houses of
Justice. Hence the vital necessity of having a local Spiritual Assembly in
every locality where the number of adult declared believers exceeds nine,
and of making provision for the indirect election of a Body that shall
adequately represent the interests of all the friends and Assemblies
throughout the American Continent.
A perusal of some of the words of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha on the
duties and functions of the Spiritual Assemblies in every land (later to
be designated as the local Houses of Justice), emphatically reveals the
sacredness of their nature, the wide scope of their activity, and the
grave responsibility which rests upon them.
Addressing the members of the Spiritual Assembly in Chicago, the Master
reveals the following:--"Whenever ye enter the council-chamber, recite this
prayer with a heart throbbing with the love of God and a tongue purified
from all but His remembrance, that the All-powerful may graciously aid you
to achieve supreme victory:--'O God, my God! We are servants of Thine that
have turned with devotion to Thy Holy Face, that have detached ourselves
from all beside Thee in this glorious Day. We have gathered in this
spiritual assembly, united in our views and thoughts, with our purposes
harmonized to exalt Thy Word amidst mankind. O Lord, our God! Make us the
signs of Thy Divine Guidance, the Standards of Thy exalted Faith amongst
men, servants to Thy mighty Covenant. O Thou our Lord Most High!
Manifestations of Thy Divine Unity in Thine Abha Kingdom, and resplendent
stars shining upon all regions. Lord! Aid us to become seas surging with
the billows of Thy wondrous Grace, streams flowing from Thy all-glorious
Heights, goodly fruits upon the Tree of Thy heavenly Cause, trees waving
through the breezes of Thy Bounty in Thy celestial Vineyard. O God! Make
our souls dependent upon the Verses of Thy Divine Unity, our hearts
cheered with the outpourings of Thy Grace, that we may unite even as the
waves of one sea and become merged together as the rays of Thine Effulgent
Light; that our thoughts, our views, our feelings may become as one
reality, manifesting the spirit of union throughout the world. Thou art
the Gracious, the Bountiful, the Bestower, the Almighty, the Merciful, the
Compassionate.'"
In the Most Holy Book is revealed:--"The Lord hath ordained that in every
city a House of Justice be established wherein shall gather counsellors to
the number of Baha, and should it exceed this number it does not matter.
It behooveth them to be the trusted ones of the Merciful among men and to
regard themselves as the guardians appointed of God for all that dwell on
earth. It is incumbent upon them to take counsel together and to have
regard for the interests of the servants of God, for His sake, even as
they regard their own interests, and to choose that which is meet and
seemly. Thus hath the Lord your God commanded you. Beware lest ye put away
that which is clearly revealed in His Tablet. Fear God, O ye that
perceive."
Furthermore, 'Abdu'l-Baha reveals the following:--"It is incumbent upon
every one not to take any step without consulting the Spiritual Assembly,
and they must assuredly obey with heart and soul its bidding and be
submissive unto it, that things may be properly ordered and well arranged.
Otherwise every person will act independently and after his own judgment,
will follow his own desire, and do harm to the Cause."
"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 Baha shall be vouchsafed to them. In
this day, assemblies of consultation are of the greatest importance and a
vital necessity. Obedience unto them is essential and obligatory. The
members thereof 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."
Enumerating the obligations incumbent upon the members of consulting
councils, the Beloved reveals the following:--"The first condition is
absolute love and harmony amongst the members of the assembly. They must
be wholly free from estrangement and must manifest in themselves the Unity
of God, for they are the waves of one sea, the drops of one river, the
stars of one heaven, the rays of one sun, the trees of one orchard, the
flowers of one garden. Should harmony of thought and absolute unity be
non-existent, that gathering shall be dispersed and that assembly be
brought to naught. The second condition:--They must when coming together
turn their faces to the Kingdom on High and ask aid from the Realm of
Glory. They must then proceed with the utmost devotion, courtesy, dignity,
care and moderation to express their views. They must in every matter
search out the truth and not insist upon their own opinion, for
stubbornness and persistence in one's views will lead ultimately to
discord and wrangling and the truth will remain hidden. The honored
members must with all freedom express their own thoughts, and it is in no
wise permissible for one to belittle the thought of another, nay, he must
with moderation set forth the truth, and should differences of opinion
arise a majority of voices must prevail, and all must obey and submit to
the majority. It is again not permitted that any one of the honored
members object to or censure, whether in or out of the meeting, any
decision arrived at previously, though that decision be not right, for
such criticism would prevent any decision from being enforced. In short,
whatsoever thing is arranged in harmony and with love and purity of
motive, its result is light, and should the least trace of estrangement
prevail the result shall be darkness upon darkness.... If this be so
regarded, that assembly shall be of God, but otherwise it shall lead to
coolness and alienation that proceed from the Evil One. Discussions must
all be confined to spiritual matters that pertain to the training of
souls, the instruction of children, the relief of the poor, the help of
the feeble throughout all classes in the world, kindness to all peoples,
the diffusion of the fragrances of God and the exaltation of His Holy
Word. Should they endeavor to fulfill these conditions the Grace of the
Holy Spirit shall be vouchsafed unto them, and that assembly shall become
the center of the Divine blessings, the hosts of Divine confirmation shall
come to their aid, and they shall day by day receive a new effusion of
Spirit."
So great is the importance and so supreme is the authority of these
assemblies that once 'Abdu'l-Baha after having himself and in his own
handwriting corrected the translation made into Arabic of the I_sh_raqat
(the Effulgences) by Sheikh Faraj, a Kurdish friend from Cairo, directed
him in a Tablet to submit the above-named translation to the Spiritual
Assembly of Cairo, that he may seek from them before publication their
approval and consent. These are His very words in that Tablet:--"His honor,
Sheikh Faraju'llah, has here rendered into Arabic with greatest care the
I_sh_raqat and yet I have told him that he must submit his version to the
Spiritual Assembly of Egypt, and I have conditioned its publication upon
the approval of the above-named Assembly. This is so that things may be
arranged in an orderly manner, for should it not be so any one may
translate a certain Tablet and print and circulate it on his own account.
Even a non-believer might undertake such work, and thus cause confusion
and disorder. If it be conditioned, however, upon the approval of the
Spiritual Assembly, a translation prepared, printed and circulated by a
non-believer will have no recognition whatever."
This is indeed a clear indication of the Master's express desire that
nothing whatever should be given to the public by any individual among the
friends, unless fully considered and approved by the Spiritual Assembly in
his locality; and if this (as is undoubtedly the case) is a matter that
pertains to the general interest of the Cause in that land, then it is
incumbent upon the Spiritual Assembly to submit it to the consideration
and approval of the national body representing all the various local
assemblies. Not only with regard to publication, but all matters without
any exception whatsoever, regarding the interests of the Cause in that
locality, individually or collectively, should be referred exclusively to
the Spiritual Assembly in that locality, which shall decide upon it,
unless it be a matter of national interest, in which case it shall be
referred to the national body. With this national body also will rest the
decision whether a given question is of local or national interest. (By
national affairs is not meant matters that are political in their
character, for the friends of God the world over are strictly forbidden to
meddle with political affairs in any way whatever, but rather things that
affect the spiritual activities of the body of the friends in that land.)
Full harmony, however, as well as cooperation among the various local
assemblies and the members themselves, and particularly between each
assembly and the national body, is of the utmost importance, for upon it
depends the unity of the Cause of God, the solidarity of the friends, the
full, speedy and efficient working of the spiritual activities of His
loved ones.