God Bless The Universal House of Justice

The Universal House of Justice. (3x)

"the last refuge of a tottering civilization" (repeat)

"the sole infallibly guided institution in the world to which all must turn" and obey.

"the trustees of the Merciful"

"the Highest Legislative Body of the Faith"

~

Chorus: God bless, God bless The Universal House, The Universal House of Justice's Justice,

Most Great Justice!

God bless, God bless The Universal House, The Universal House of Justice!

God bless Divine Justice!

God bless, God bless The Universal House, The Universal House of Justice's Justice,

Loving Justice!

God bless, God bless The Universal House, The Universal House of Justice!

God bless Perfect Justice!

~

Bridge: Love Them with your obedience.

Serve Them like you would love your Lord.

Help Them with your obedience.

Love Them like you would serve your Lord.

~

Reference:

1059. The Universal House of Justice Called into Being by the Author of the Faith

"In it (Kitáb-i-Aqdas) He formally ordains the institution of the 'House of Justice', the 'Deputies of God', the 'trustees of the Merciful',..."

(Bahá'u'lláh: God Passes By, 1987 ed., Wilmette, p. 214) (Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 314)

1066. The Process of Deducing Subsidiary Laws from the Original Texts is the Right of the House of Justice

"As regards the need to have deductions made from the Writings to help in the formulation of the enactments of the House of Justice, there is the following text from the pen of 'Abdu'l-Bahá: 'These matters of major importance which constitute the foundation of the Law of God are explicitly recorded in the Texts, but subsidiary laws are left to the House of Justice. The wisdom of this is that the times never remain the same, for change is a necessary quality and an essential attribute of this world, and of time and place. Therefore the House of Justice will take action accordingly. 'Let it not be imagined that the House of Justice will take any decision according to its own concepts and opinions. God forbid! The Supreme House of Justice will take decisions and establish laws through the inspiration and confirmation of the Holy Spirit, because it is in the safekeeping and under the shelter and protection of the Ancient Beauty, and obedience to its decisions is a bounden and essential duty and an absolute obligation, and there is no escape for anyone.'"

(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, May 27, 1966)

1067. In the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh Certain Functions are Reserved to Certain Institutions

"In the Order of Bahá'u'lláh there are certain functions which are reserved to certain institutions, and others which are shared in common, even though they may be more in the special province of one or the other. For example, although the Hands of the Cause of God have specific functions of protection and propagation, and are specialized for these functions, it is also the duty of the Universal House of Justice and the Spiritual Assemblies to protect and teach the Cause -- indeed teaching is a sacred obligation placed upon every believer by Bahá'u'lláh. Similarly, although after the Master authoritative interpretation was exclusively vested in the Guardian, and although legislation is exclusively the function of the Universal House of Justice, these two Institutions are, in Shoghi Effendi's words, 'complementary in their aim and purpose. "Their common, their fundamental object is to ensure the continuity of that divinely-appointed authority which flows from the Source of our Faith, to safeguard the unity of its followers and to maintain the integrity and flexibility of its teachings.' Whereas the Universal House of Justice cannot undertake any function with exclusively appertained to the Guardian, it must continue to pursue the object which it shares in common with the Guardianship."

(Ibid)

1068. The Decisions and Laws Made by the Universal House of Justice are Inspired and Confirmed by the Holy Spirit -- This Exclusive Authority Will Preclude Errors of Past Dispensations

"Say, O People: Verily the Supreme House of Justice is under the wings of your Lord, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful, that is under His protection, His care, and His shelter; for he commanded the firm believers to obey that blessed, sanctified and all subduing body, whose sovereignty is Divinely-ordained and of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whose laws are inspired and spiritual.

"Briefly, this is the wisdom of referring the laws of society to the House of Justice. In the religion of Islam, similarly, not every ordinance was explicitly revealed; nay not a tenth part of a tenth part was included in the Text; although all matters of major importance were specifically referred to, there were undoubtedly thousands of laws which were unspecified. These were devised by the divines of a later age according to the laws of Islamic jurisprudence, and individual divines made conflicting deductions from the original revealed ordinances. All these were enforced. Today this process of deduction is the right of the body of the House of Justice, and the deductions and conclusions of individual learned men have no authority, unless they are endorsed by the House of Justice. The difference is precisely this, that from the conclusions and endorsements of the body of the House of Justice whose members are elected by and known to the worldwide Bahá'í community, no differences will arise; whereas the conclusion of individual divines and scholars would definitely lead to differences, and result in schism, division and dispersion. The oneness of the World would be destroyed, the unity of the Faith would disappear, and the edifice of the Faith of God would be shaken."

(From the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, cited in a letter to an individual believer, May 27, 1966 by the Universal House of Justice)

1069. The Strong Cord to which All Must Cling is the Covenant

"However great may be our inability to understand the mystery and the implications of the passing of Shoghi Effendi, the strong cord to which all must cling with assurance is the Covenant. The emphatic and vigorous language of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament is at this time of His own passing, the safeguard of the Cause:

"Unto the Most Holy Book 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 majority doth carry, that is verily the Truth and the Purpose of God Himself. Whoso doth deviate therefrom is verily of them that love discord, hath shown forth malice, and turned away from the Lord of the Covenant." And again: "All must seek guidance and turn unto the Centre of the Cause and the House of Justice. And he that turneth unto whosoever else is indeed in grievous error.'"

(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to as individual believer, May 27, 1966)

1070. The Universal House of Justice is the "Last Refuge of a Tottering Civilization"

"The Universal House of Justice, which the Guardian said would be regarded by posterity as 'the last refuge of a tottering civilization' is now, in the absence of the Guardian, the sole infallibly guided institution in the world to which all must turn, and on it rests the responsibility for ensuring the unity and progress of the Cause of God in accordance with the revealed Word. There are statements from the Master and the Guardian indicating that the Universal House of Justice, in addition to being the Highest Legislative Body of the Faith, is also the body to which all must turn, and is the 'apex' of the Bahá'í Administrative Order, as well as the 'supreme organ of the Bahá'í Commonwealth '. The Guardian has in his writings specified for the House of Justice such fundamental functions as the formulation of future worldwide teaching plans, the conduct of the administrative affairs of the Faith, and the guidance, organisation and unification of the affairs of the Cause throughout the world. Furthermore in 'God Passes By' the Guardian makes the following statement: 'The Kitáb-i-Aqdas ... not only preserves for posterity the basic laws and ordinances on which the fabric of His future World Order must rest, but ordain, in addition to the function of interpretation which it confers upon His Successor, the necessary institutions through which the integrity and unity of His Faith can alone safeguard.' He has also, in 'The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh ' written that the members of the Universal House of Justice 'and not the body of those who either directly or indirectly elect them, have thus been made the recipients of the divine guidance which is at once the life-blood and ultimate safeguard of this Revelation'."

(Ibid)

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 318)