Honest and Eagerness when dealing with Huququ’llah

Mr. Músá Banání

We are told to be honest when dealing with Ḥuqúqu’lláh and to be eager to observe this mighty law. This story shows the uprightness of a Bahá’í in his business dealings and the urgency he saw in paying his Ḥuqúqu’lláh. Mr. Músá Banání was a wealthy businessman before he pioneered to Uganda, Africa. Later on he was appointed by the Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, as a Hand of the Cause of God. Kamál, a Bahá’í, who worked for Mr. Banání, recalled this interesting story. Mr. Banání decided to sell a very valuable property in one of the best locations of Ṭihrán, and two men came to see him about it. They were told the price and they said they were interested in buying the place but did not have enough cash in hand. They requested that Mr. Banání not sell the land to anyone else for one month, during which time they hoped to arrange for the money. Mr. Banání accepted their request and he made a note of the date saying that, if they were not able to buy the place by that day, he would offer it to someone else. This agreement was verbal and nothing was put on paper. Some time passed and nothing more was heard from the two men. Then one day another person came to buy the same property. Mr. Banání told him of his promise to the first customers, but the man said that he was willing to pay twice the amount the others were going to pay, and that he had brought the entire sum of money with him. Kamál became quite excited and was eager to see Mr. Banání accept the deal, reasoning that such an opportunity should not be lost. He argued that if the first customers had been serious about buying the property, they would have contacted Mr. Banání again. But Mr. Banání said that he could not break his promise. If they did not show up by the end of the month they had agreed on, then he would be free to sell his property to someone else. The customer went away disappointed but came back the very day the month was ended. Kamál received him eagerly, expecting Mr. Banání to start signing the property deeds. “But the day is not yet over”,said Mr. Banání. “The men may turn up any moment. We must wait till sunset.” The customer left once again and returned in the evening. Mr. Banání then said to Kamál, “I think you should ring up the men and ask them what they have decided to do; it is possible that they may have forgotten the date.” Kamál telephoned and received their answer. They were sorry they could not arrange for the money.

The deeds were now signed, the property sold and the money received. By the time the customer had left it was quite late, but Mr. Banání said to Kamál, “Please go and hire a carriage to take usto the city. I have to go to Varqá’s house to pay the Ḥuqúqu’lláh for the money I have just received.” “But you can surely pay the Ḥuqúqu’lláh tomorrow morning”, said Kamál. Mr. Banání looked at him seriously and said, “Can you give me a guarantee that I shall not die during the night?” Kamál, a good Bahá’í himself, was rather shaken by this remark. “I shall fetch the carriage immediately”, he said.

Early history of Ḥuqúqu’lláh

Bahá’u’lláh received His revelation in 1853. Twenty years later, in 1873, in response to the pleas of the friends, Bahá’u’lláh revealed the Most Holy Book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas in which He gave His followers the laws and ordinances of God for today. Having revealed the Book, He did not want to send it to the friends. He kept it for some time. We do not know exactly for how long, but it could very well be about five years. He then sent it to Persia (Iran) where the majority of His followers resided at that time. The law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh was revealed in the Most Holy Book. However, Bahá’u’lláh made no arrangements for the receipt of this offering. He waited for five years after the revelation of the Book and finally, in 1878, He authorized the receipt of Ḥuqúqu’lláh.Bahá’u’lláh received Ḥuqúqu’lláh only in the last 14 years of His earthly life. Many Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh show that He was acutely conscious of the way in which money and material wealth had been permitted in the past to degrade religion. He preferred the Bahá’í Faith to sacrifice all contributions, Ḥuqúqu’lláh and other material benefits rather than allowing these to affect, to the slightest degree, the dignity and the purity of the Faith. This is a great lesson for all Bahá’ís and for all Bahá’í institutions at all times. However, Bahá’u’lláh explains that God Himself has made the progress of the Faith dependent on material means. This is why the beloved Guardian said that the Funds are the life-blood of the Cause. Therefore, as the awareness of the friends grew, Bahá’u’lláh permitted the Ḥuqúqu’lláh to be accepted, provided the donor made the offering willingly with joy, eagerness and awareness. To receive the Ḥuqúqu’lláh, Bahá’u’lláh brought into being one of the great institutions of the Bahá’í Faith, the Trusteeship of Ḥuqúqu’lláh.