Who Are Covenant Breakers in the Bahá'í Faith? Exploring the Concept and its Significance

 

First, let us understand what a covenant is:

 

In the Bahá'í Faith, the term "Covenant" refers to the agreement or contract between God and humanity. The Bahá'í Covenant establishes a relationship between God and humanity that is founded on the recognition of Bahá'u'lláh as the Manifestation of God for this age, and the acceptance of His teachings as the source of guidance for humanity.

 

The Bahá'í Covenant is seen as a vital and unifying force that protects the integrity of the religion and ensures the continuation of its spiritual and social progress. The Covenant includes the concept of succession, which means that after the passing of Bahá'u'lláh, the leadership of the Bahá'í community was passed on to His appointed successor, `Abdu'l-Bahá, and after him to a line of individuals known as the Guardians of the Bahá'í Faith. According to mainstream Baha'is, the Guardianship ended upon the passing away of Shoghi Effendi, and currently, the Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing body of the Bahá'í Faith.

 

The Bahá'í Covenant is seen as an expression of God's love and mercy for humanity, and a means by which humanity can achieve spiritual and social progress and ultimately contribute to the betterment of the world.

 

Those who leave the faith are not covenant breakers:

 

Adib Taherzadeh states that “There are always a small number of individuals who recognize Baha'u'llah as the Manifestation of God, embrace his Faith and even become active members of the community but later, for some reason, change their minds and withdraw from the Faith; such individuals are not covenant-breakers.” - The Child of the Covenant, p. 244

 

One of the problems for outsiders studying the Baha'i faith is to understand who the covenant-breakers are. Although Baha'is may deny the existence of sects within their faith, it is a fact that the faith, at the passing of each of its leaders, became divided into sects. Followers of each sect call the followers of another sect a Covenant-Breaker and bear animosity towards each other.

 

So, who are the covenant breakers?

 

A covenant breaker is someone who actively and knowingly goes against the teachings and principles of the Bahá'i Faith and attempts to undermine the authority of the institution of the Faith.

 

To investigate this deeply, one needs to ignore everything written by fallible individuals and go directly to the original texts. Upon reviewing the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Bahá, it becomes clear that Abdu'l-Bahá passed on the authority to the Center of the Covenant, i.e., the Guardian Shoghi Effendi, and instructed him to appoint his successor in his own lifetime. He also made it clear that everyone, including the House of Justice, has to be in complete obedience to the Guardian, and anyone who goes against the Guardianship or tries to cause harm to the faith should be declared a covenant breaker.

 

It is really strange that Shoghi Effendi passed away at the age of 60, and as mainstream Baha'is claim, he did not appoint any successor. This raises many questions about the authority of Shoghi Effendi and the infallibility of Abdu'l-Bahá. How can a great personality like Abdu'l-Bahá have a failed prophecy? Or was there a planned conspiracy?

 

Stay tuned as we dig further into this and understand if putting the human fallible nine-member authority into action was actually a Badah or if there was something pre-planned and well-executed after the death of Shoghi Effendi.

 

Points to Ponder:

 

Today the Baha’i Faith is losing its essence. Their numbers are decreasing, and its adherents are tired of the stringent administrative regulations and supervision which is being done by the Universal House of Justice.

 

Is UHJ built in accordance with Abdul Baha's Will and Testament, or has something been deliberately modified?

 

Is UHJ authorized to declare someone a covenant breaker? If so, who has the right to proclaim a UHJ member a Covenant Breaker if he commits a crime or violates the faith?

 

And, most importantly, has Guardianship truly ended?

 

Stay tuned to get your answers from someone who has been a member of the faith, has done academic research on all aspects of the Baha’i Faith and has experienced the in and out of the Baha’i Faith.