The Research Department has studied the questions about the
spiritual condition of souls of the non-Baha'i relatives of Baha'is, which were
contained in the letter dated 26 July 1991 from Mr…. to the Universal House of
Justice. Mr…. cites the following extract from a Tablet revealed by Baha'u'llah
and raises a number of issues about its meaning and application:
These blessed words were uttered by the Tongue of Grandeur
in the Land of Mystery, [Adrianople] exalted and glorified is His
utterance:
One of the distinguishing characteristics of this most great
Dispensation is that the kin of such as have recognized and embraced the truth
of this Revelation and have, in the glory of His name, the Sovereign Lord,
quaffed the choice, sealed wine from the chalice of the love of the one true
God, will, upon their death, if they
are outwardly non-believers, be graciously invested with divine forgiveness and
partake of the ocean of His mercy.
This bounty, however, will be vouchsafed only to such souls as have inflicted no harm upon Him Who is the Sovereign
Truth nor upon His loved ones. Thus hath it been ordained by Him Who is the
Lord of the Throne on High and the Ruler of this world and the world to come.
(Baha’u’llah, The Compilation of Compilations, vol. 1, Family)
It is clear from the Writings of Baha'u'llah that the "parents" and "kin" of Baha'is "in the next world", will be the recipients of divine favors and blessings. Baha'u'llah, in one of His Tablets, reveals:
Thou hast mentioned the station of parents in the next
world. One of the special bounties of this Revelation is that whoever accepteth
the Dayspring of the Cause, his parents, although they may not have attained
the recognition of the Revelation, the splendours of the Sun of divine favor will be vouchsafed unto them. This is
one of His bounties bestowed upon His lovers. Render thanks and be of those who
are grateful.
While Baha'u'llah
clearly affirms that these
souls are "invested with divine forgiveness", "partake of the
ocean of His mercy" and are the recipients of "the splendours of the
Sun of Divine favor", the Research Department has not, however been able
to locate any statement in the Writings to suggest that one's non-Baha'i
parents, upon their death, automatically become Baha'is. In this regard, it is
interesting to note the response, written on behalf of the Guardian, to a
believer who asked Shoghi Effendi about (apparently) the same Tablet referred
to by Mr…. and who expressed concern about the
spiritual condition of his uncle who had met 'Abdu'l-Baha, but failed to accept
the Faith. The Guardian's secretary wrote:
With reference to Baha'u'llah's
Tablet in which He says that all the relatives of believers will reach the
Kingdom in the other world: by this is meant only a partial
attainment. They can, however, progress indefinitely, as spiritual progress in
the other World is limitless, and is not confined to those who have attained
unto the knowledge and recognition of the Cause while still in this world.
Furthermore, Shoghi Effendi
appears to suggest that awareness of the Cause in the next world evolves and
unfolds. For example, the following extract from a letter dated 17 March 1940
written on behalf of the Guardian to a believer whose father had recently
passed away, provides the following statement:
The Guardian ... wishes me to
hasten to convey to you the expression of his deepest sympathy in this grievous
loss which you have come to sustain. He will specially and earnestly pray for his departed
soul that in the realms of the spirit beyond it may receive such guidance as
would enable it to fully recognize and accept the Faith, and thereby attain
abiding peace and happiness. May the Beloved bless his spirit, and richly reward
him for all the help and assistance he extended to you in making the ... Summer School such
an attractive and prosperous Baha'i Centre.
The definition of
"kin"
The Research Department has not
been able to locate any specific statement in the Writings concerning the
definition of "kin" intended by Baha'u'llah in His Tablet. The word
in the original Persian Tablet which is translated as "kin" is
"muntasibin", which means, literally, "related to", "connected by
blood".
We provide for Mr ..... interest the
following extract from a letter dated 23 February 1978 written on behalf of the
Universal House of Justice to an individual believer concerning the impact of a
person's becoming a Baha'i on his or her ancestors and descendants:
In reference to your questions
about ancestors and descendants, we have been directed to say that while there
are Tablets from Baha'u'llah stating that faith in the Manifestation of God on
the part of a believer attracts God's mercy to the souls of the departed
parents the House of Justice knows of no text in Baha'i Writings to support the
statement that a believer's seven past generations and seven generations to
descend from him are blessed when that person becomes a Baha'i. You may also be
familiar with the statement of 'Abdu'l-Baha that "it is permitted to ask
for advancement, forgiveness, mercy, beneficence, and blessings for a man after
his death ... Therefore children ... must implore pardon and forgiveness for
their parents." (From "Some answered Questions" pages 268-269)
- Research Department of the Universal House of Justice (From
a memorandum of the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice,
dated 28 August 1991)
