# The Concept of Divine Law

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Mehrdad K. Meshgin, The Concept of Divine Law, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> The Concept of Divine Law
> 
> Mehrdad K. Meshgin
> published in The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: Studies from the First National Conference on the Holy Book, vol. 1
> 
> Roseberry: Association for Bahá'í Studies Australia, 1996
> 
> From the time human society first began and peaceful co-existence was seen as
> essential, laws were created to safeguard the rights and privileges of individuals. These
> laws were a system of rules of conduct and rights recognised by family, tribe, or
> community and prescribed by the authority within the group structure. As human society
> evolved and developed, the rules of conduct expanded to distinguish between what is
> permitted and what is prohibited. This process of formulating laws continued and
> eventually led to the formation of the court system, which dates back to around 4000 BC in
> Egypt. Under this system, the word of the king or ruler was the absolute authority and the
> law. The palaces were centres of law with judges administering justice. The oldest written
> code of law is that of Hammurabi, compiled in approximately 2100 BC. It controlled
> commerce, family, criminal and civil law.
> 
> It was in the first century BC that the Romans took over the legal system. When the
> Roman Empire conquered new nations, it introduced to them a unified code of law which
> extended from England to Egypt. The laws of this code were cast in bronze plaques and were
> attached to platforms in public places in order that all citizens might read and
> understand them.
> 
> The development of this legal system in the successive centuries created what is today
> known as civil law and common law. It is interesting to note that, according to
> Abdu'l-Bahá's testimony, Muslim theologians were instrumental in the development of
> the present day law governing European nations. That law has been directly influenced by
> Islamic Laws and ordinances.
> 
> ".... the laws and principles current in all European countries are derived to a
> considerable degree and indeed virtually in their entirety from the works on jurisprudence
> and the legal decision of Muslim theologians."(1)
> 
> The influence of religious thought and doctrines on the establishment of law and order
> for the administration of the affairs of society is clearly apparent in the teachings of
> different religions. It should be noted that certain features of the various religious
> dispensations have been markedly different. For example, the special sphere of emphasis by
> some of the religious founders are known to be as follows:
> 
> Moses is known as the law giver and the divine laws released by him greatly
> influenced the community of the faithful for many centuries.
> 
> Buddha was a promoter of spirituality with special reference to prayer and
> meditation for the transformation of humankind. Even now the followers of Buddha put their
> energies into prayer and meditation as the means of spiritual enrichment.
> 
> Christ encouraged love among the believers and the thrust of His mission was
> individual salvation. Probably that is one of the reasons for the deeply seated love of
> Christians for the figure of His Holiness Jesus Christ.
> 
> Muhammad considered justice the fundamental pre-requisite and means of keeping order
> amongst the faithful. Hence he revealed His Book of Laws (Quran). Throughout the Islamic
> dispensation the Muslims rallied around the content and laws of Quran more than the
> personage of the prophet himself.
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh, however, has combined in His Revelation the special features of
> all the past religions by proclaiming:
> 
> * spirituality as a pre-requisite for happiness;
> 
> * love as a fundamental bond and requirement for the unity of human race;
> 
> * law as the means of securing justice within society; and
> 
> * administration of laws through an institutionalised organisation.
> 
> In order to bring these principles to reality, Bahá’u’lláh revealed many
> books, tablets, commentaries, etc. Among these was His Book of Laws, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
> 
> The question remains: What is the reason the weighty laws, injunctions, ordinances,
> guidelines and teachings which constitute divine law and lead nations and societies to the
> height of their administrative power, and which are effective, just and instrumental in
> the rise of civilisations, cannot sustain their momentum and subsequently make inevitable
> the fall of these world renowned civilisations? The study of the failure of these
> civilisations indicates that almost invariably their collapse was initiated from within.
> Great external forces of opposition could not weaken the momentum of these civilisations.
> Opposition, in fact, vastly strengthened their bonds and they further expanded. But then
> they collapsed suddenly from internal disintegrating forces. The reason for the failure of
> civilisations in these instances was that the believers began to disobey religious laws
> and eventually lawlessness became a pronounced feature of their religious communities.
> 
> It also must be understood that with the coming of new Messengers from God the laws of
> the preceding religion became inoperative. One notes that at these times in history many
> governments abandon religious laws in favour of civil and man-made ordinances. This
> phenomena is clearly observed after the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh when, for
> example numerous laws of Islam became totally non-functional, being replaced by civil law.
> 
> Let us for a moment consider the trends and changes in general society in comparison to
> that of the Bahá’í community since the proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh. Two
> distinctly apparent processes are taking place, namely:
> 
> 1. Outside the Bahá'í community:
> 
> respect for laws and institutions has diminished steadily and still continues to do so;
> 
> peoples' confidence in the future has weakened day by day.
> 
> 2. Within the Bahá’í community:
> 
> respect for laws and institutions has become increasingly stronger as laws have been made binding progressively and the institutions of
> the Faith gain maturity;
> 
> believers' confidence solidifies and their hopes and vision for a better future expand.
> 
> In the midst of conflicting opinions, humanity is trying to find answers to such issues
> as capital punishment, abortion, homosexuality, treatment of criminals, premarital sexual
> relationships, use of hallucinogenic drugs, and the destruction and pollution of the
> environment. People suggest vastly different remedies to these problems. A fundamental
> difficulty in offering solutions is that the problems are basically global in principle
> while almost exclusively the solutions are regional or national in scope. It seems that
> what is needed in this age, or for that matter in any era, is the existence of an
> undisputed standard, firm benchmark or authority which is wholeheartedly accepted by all.
> History shows that one such standard is repeatedly established by the undisputed authority
> of the messengers of God for the period of their successive dispensations. Bahá’ís
> believe that this standard or point of reference is established by Bahá’u’lláh
> for this age of human evolution in the body of His revelation, particularly in His Book of
> Laws, the Most Holy Book of Bahá’í Dispensation, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. This Book is
> referred to by the Universal House of Justice as the channel to:
> 
> "... serve the manifold purpose of bringing tranquillity to human society, raising
> the standard of human behaviour, increasing the range of human understanding, and
> spiritualising the life of each and all."(2)
> 
> The laws and ordinances specified in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, like the compilation of Divine
> Law of other religions, basically contain two parts. One is spiritual in nature and the
> other is material in principle. This topic has been explained in detail by `Abdu'l-Bahá and
> a brief extract from his discourse referring to it is recorded below:
> 
> "... the Law of God is divided into two parts. One is the fundamental basis which
> comprises all spiritual things - that is to say, it refers to spiritual virtues and divine
> qualities; this does not change nor alter ..... the second part .... refers to the
> material world .... this part of the Law of God ..... is modified and altered in each
> prophetic cycle in accordance with the necessities of the times." (3)
> 
> An example of the statement by the Universal House of Justice referred to above (2) was
> the spiritualisation and dramatic transformation of the standards and behaviour of the
> Persian Bahá’ís subsequent to the distribution of this mighty Book during the
> remaining years of the Ministry of Bahá’u’lláh and the years immediately
> following His ascension. Although the release of the laws and contents of the
> Kitáb-i-Aqdas to the Persian Bahá’í community was gradual and stage by stage, yet
> there was a profound transformation of the community of the faithful and the spiritual and
> behavioural characteristics of the community were elevated individually as well as
> collectively from one level to a much higher plateau. It was clearly understood by the
> early believers, in the light of the statement by `Abdu'l-Bahá that the:
> 
> "... laws of God are not impositions of will, or of power, or pleasure, but the
> resolution of truth, reason and justice ..." (4)
> 
> The significance of the Divine Law may be best demonstrated by the study of the
> existing state of the society and comparison of some of the features of the Divine Law to
> that of civil or sectarian law. Sin or wrongdoing is not the speciality of our time.
> Throughout history, man has committed sins and will continue to attempt to do so in the
> future. If we examine the community around us we find that the general mentality of many
> people is that nothing is illegal until one gets caught. Offenders are not penalised if
> not caught when breaking the laws. In fact, the praiseworthy attitude that "the means
> justify the end" is substituted by the well known phrase "the end justifies the
> means". Many people are willing to commit any act of wrongdoing in the course of
> their endeavours to achieve their materialistic goals in life. One reason for this type of
> attitude may be the fact that our society is fundamentally governed by man-made laws and
> principles. These are always open to dispute and debate in the light of the lack of
> authoritative Divine Laws and in view of the fact that there is no unique value system
> imposed. It is often found that the implementation of the law is exercised with varying
> degrees of severity for a similar wrong doing. The basic problem is that what one person
> considers illegal, another considers perfectly legitimate. That is why we find society,
> including our law makers and law enforcement agencies, in the midst of confusing dilemmas
> about the proper treatment of certain issues. One nation advocates capital punishment,
> another opposes it; one nation legalises homosexuality, another abhors it; one country
> encourages abortion, another prevents it; one society accepts euthanasia, another rejects
> it; and so on and so forth. These contrasting opinions result in the continuous and
> repeated confrontation between enforcement agencies and the public all over the world.
> This trend of behaviour has created chaos in the world. That chaos is often associated
> with destruction and damage to property, criminal acts and world-wide dissatisfaction of
> citizens. How can we make this world a better place to live with this kind of value
> system? There are several aspects of man-made laws which make them inadequate for the
> regulation and control of order in the society; namely:
> 
> Lack of absolute and unquestionable authority.
> 
> Dependence largely on external agencies for enforcement.
> 
> The absence of a unique value system.
> 
> Territorial nature of laws while facing global problems.
> 
> Limitation and constraints by the dimension of time - laws generally based on past experiences.
> 
> Lack of spiritual values - the spiritual dimension and its contribution is not considered when formulating laws.
> 
> Secular laws are determined through a debate process rather through a single absolute authority.
> 
> Laws are fundamentally based on punishment alone rather than on both reward and retribution.
> 
> Man-made laws are enforced with compromise. Some even advocate education rather than punishment.
> 
> The Divine Law on the other hand avoids all of the above deficiencies. It has on the
> contrary the following strengths:
> 
> It enjoys the authority of God Himself.
> 
> It enshrines the enforcement factor within it.
> 
> It introduces a uniform and unique value system and establishes the standard or benchmark.
> 
> It is universal in nature - it applies everywhere equally.
> 
> It contains a vision of future and experience of the past, because of the all-encompassing knowledge of God.
> 
> It is endowed and revealed with a special spiritual potency and significance.
> 
> The authority of Divine Law is a single unerring source which flows through the channel of the Manifestation of God and not through debate and man's logic.
> 
> Acceptance and obedience to the Divine Law insures reward, spiritual as well as material, and its rejection warrants punishment in both worlds.
> 
> Divine laws are applied with justice and are entirely free of compromise.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh established His laws and principles as a firm and unshakeable
> foundation for the establishment of a new global civilisation. His Most Holy Book, the
> Kitáb-i-Aqdas, and eight other Tablets revealed by Him as a supplement to this Book
> contain all the above-mentioned factors plus many other significant topics. These eight
> Tablets are outlined by Shoghi Effendi as follows:
> 
> "... the establishment of subsidiary ordinances designed to supplement the
> provisions of His Most Holy Book, which He continued to reveal until the last days of His
> earthly life, among which the "Ishraqat" (Splendours), the "Bisharat" (Glad Tidings), the "Tarazat" (Ornaments), the "Tajalliyat" (Effulgence), the
> "Kalimat-i-Firdawsiyyih" (Words of Paradise), the "Lawh-i- Aqdas"
> (Most Holy Tablet), the "Lawh-i-Dunya'" (Tablet of the World), the "Lawh-i-Maqsud" (Tablet of Maqsud) are the most noteworthy." (5)
> 
> He has introduced many principles in His Most Holy Book and its supplementary Tablets
> and recorded divine laws as constraints and conditions for achieving these principles. In
> fact Shoghi Effendi refers to the distinction between principles and laws and writes
> however, that they constitute:
> 
> "The warp and woof of the institutions upon which the structure of His World Order
> must ultimately rest." (6)
> 
> `Abdu'l-Bahá in a Tablet states that any laws revealed elsewhere in the Writings of
> Bahá’u’lláh which are contrary to the laws of the Aqdas, are invalid. (7)
> 
> The introduction of the new divinely ordained laws in every religious dispensation has
> been gradual and successive. Every Manifestation of God had to prepare the faithful for
> the acceptance of divine laws which were contrary to their traditional beliefs and habits.
> An example of this is the prohibition of the consumption of intoxicating drinks in Islam
> by Prophet Muhammad. In successive stages he first referred to disadvantages of these
> drinks, later on He forbade those who were drunk to participate in congregational prayer
> and eventually he denounced drinking categorically in His Book of Laws, the Quran.
> Likewise, Bahá’u’lláh revealed His laws in progressive stages. Bahá’ís
> believe that there are two types of progressive revelation as outlined below:
> 
> The Messengers of God appear at different ages in a progressive course to guide
> mankind.
> 
> The revelation of laws and ordinances of each Messenger is unveiled in a
> progressive and gradual process.
> 
> The coming of Bahá’u’lláh completed another link in the chain of
> progressive revelation by Messengers of God. When He revealed laws and ordinances He
> released them to the believers in a gradual process. For example, some time after the
> revelation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh instructed one of the early
> believers to copy certain passages from it and share them with the friends in Persia.
> Bahá’u’lláh also advised Haji Siyyid Javad, another one of the early
> believers, that the implementation of His laws should be gradual, discrete and wise.
> 
> The enforcement of the laws of Kitáb-i-Aqdas and its supplementary Tablets began with
> Shoghi Effendi initially to the Persian believers mainly because they were familiar with
> religious laws, and he advised the Spiritual Assemblies to take into account some of these
> laws and never compromise in the application of justice. Later on he referred to the
> universal applicability of some of Bahá'u'lláh's laws in a letter on his behalf
> to the Western believers:
> 
> ".... certain laws, such as fasting, obligatory prayers, the consent of parents
> before marriage, avoidance of alcoholic drinks, monogamy, should be regarded by all
> believers as universally and vitally applicable at the present time ...." (8)
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh laid his laws and principles as a firm foundation for the
> establishment of a new global civilisation. His most holy book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
> contains essentially relevant factors of the Divine Law such as authority, enforcement,
> universality, spirituality, vision, value system, and so on. A brief account of this
> mighty book follows for the information of readers.
> 
> The Kitáb-i-Aqdas was revealed in the Arabic language (about 1873) after
> Bahá’u’lláh was released from Akka prison and was living in the house of Udi
> Khammar. The Writings of Bahá’u’lláh are either in Arabic or in Persian or in
> a combination of these two languages. He refers to Arabic as the language of
> "elegance" and to Persian as the language of "light". Arabic is
> believed by linguists to be grammatically one of the most perfect languages in the world.
> 
> Fadil-i-Mazindaran, a Persian Bahá’í scholar, has categorised the Writings of
> Bahá’u’lláh into nine different styles, namely:
> 
> Tablets with language of command and majesty
> 
> Tablets with a patient, humble, and supplicating tone
> 
> Writings with explanation of the works of previous manifestations
> 
> Revelation of laws and ordinances
> 
> The mystical writings
> 
> Tablets to the Kings and Rulers and those related to administration
> 
> Writings related to scientific fields such as life, health, medicine, etc
> 
> Tablets concerning Bahá’í character and life
> 
> Writings related to the principles of society - social teachings and education
> 
> Many of the above styles are present in the revelation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and its
> supplementary Tablets.
> 
> This Book has three distinct and important features as outlined below:
> 
> It is entirely written by the author of the Dispensation Himself.
> 
> It contains laws and ordinances for the spiritual growth of humanity as well as the fabric of his future world order.
> 
> Ordains the function of interpretation to his successor.
> 
> This relatively small Book of approximately 10,000 words has a related compilation of
> 105 items called the "Questions and Answers". The significance of this Book
> should not be judged by its size. Bahá’u’lláh says:
> 
> "This Book is a heaven which we have adorned with the stars of our commandments
> and prohibitions ... so vast is its range that it hath encompassed all men ere their
> recognition of it. Ere long will its sovereign power, its pervasive influence and the
> greatness of its might be manifest on earth". (10)
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh alluded to this mighty Book previously in the Kitab-i-Iqan
> (The Book of Certitude) and Shoghi Effendi has referred to it as "The Charter of New
> World Order". A charter is defined as a document conferring rights and privileges
> upon an individual or a group of people.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh refers to this document as:
> 
> * "The breath of life unto all created things."
> 
> * "The mightiest stronghold".
> 
> * "The fruits of His `Tree'".
> 
> * "The highest means for the maintenance of order in the world and the security of its people".
> 
> * "The lamps of His wisdom and loving providence".
> 
> * "The `key' of His mercy".
> 
> He has furthermore deliberately left gaps in the laws and ordinances of this Book to be
> filled in future by the Universal House of Justice, which, as He Himself has attested is
> an infallible and unerring body. These gaps would provide mobility and the required
> flexibility in application of Divine Law. They allow the possibility of implementation of
> laws when timely. He says that "Laws of God are like unto the ocean and children of
> men as fish". They create a society which is essential for survival.
> 
> Let us conclude this presentation with a profound statement by the Author of this Most
> Holy Book.
> 
> "Think not that we have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay, rather, we
> have unsealed the choice wine with the fingers of might and power". (11)
> 
> REFERENCES
> 
> 1. `Abdu'l-Bahá. The Secret of Divine Civilisation. Bahá’í Publishing Trust,
> Wilmette, Illinois 1990 edition. p 89.
> 
> 2. Bahá'u'lláh. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Edward Brothers. Ann Arbor, Michigan 1992.
> Introduction by the Universal House of Justice.
> 
> 3. `Abdu'l-Bahá. Some Answered Questions. Bahá’í' Publishing Trust,
> Wilmette, Illinois 1985 edition. pp 47 - 48.
> 
> 4. `Abdu'l-Bahá. Paris Talks. Bahá’í' Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois 1972
> edition. p 154.
> 
> 5. Shoghi Effendi. God Passes By. Bahá’í' Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois
> 1979 edition. p 216.
> 
> 6. Taherzadeh A. The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 3. George Ronald Publisher
> 1977. p 294.
> 
> 7. Taherzadeh A. The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 3. George Ronald Publisher
> 1977. p 278.
> 
> 8. Shoghi Effendi. Principles of Bahá’í Administration. Fletcher and Son Ltd,
> Norwich, England 4th edition 1976. pp 6 - 7.
> 
> 9. Fadil-i-Mazindarani J A. Asraru'l-Athar. Volume I, Persian Publications. p 33.
> 
> 10. Shoghi Effendi. God Passes By. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois
> 1979 edition. p 216.
> 
> 11. Bahá'u'lláh. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Edwards Brothers, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1992. p
> 21.
> 
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> — *The Concept of Divine Law (Used by permission of the curator)*