DEEPLY GRIEVED PASSING CONSECRATED, INDEFATIGABLE, STAUNCH KNIGHT OF BAHA’U’LLAH MEHERANGIZ MUNSIFF. HER INTERCONTINENTAL SERVICES TEACHING FIELD AND AMONG PEOPLES OF DIVERSE SOCIAL BACKGROUNDS HAVE ENRICHED ANNALS FAITH IN COUNTRIES VISITED IN COURSE HER HIGHLY MERITORIOUS TRAVELS. CONVEY BELOVED DAUGHTER, OTHER RELATIVES, DEEP SYMPATHY AND ASSURANCE FERVENT PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HER RADIANT SOUL ABHA KINGDOM.

UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

The Bahá’í World Centre Library is pleased to announce the release of its public Web site, which can be accessed through the Internet at: http://library.bahai.org

The site includes a general description of our Library and some of its special collections. In addition, it contains explanations of both the Library of Congress and the Dewey Decimal System Classifications for the Bahá’í Faith, as well as a tutorial for the Library of Congress section. Direct access is provided to a list of Bahá’í subject headings developed by the Library and a selection of cataloguing records. Links to other sites, such as "Scriptum: newsletter for Bahá’í librarians and information professionals" and the Bahá’í World Centre FTP site, are also available. Future developments will include interaction with the on-line catalogue.

We have noted an upsurge of interest in organising local and national Bahá’í libraries, evidenced by an increase in requests for information and assistance by communities and individuals. It is hoped that this new Web site will supply at least a partial solution to some of the questions of the friends about establishing Bahá’í libraries.

With loving Bahá’í greetings, Bahá’í World Centre Library

On 25th May, on behalf of the Bahá’í World Centre, Mr Fariburz Sahba received the prestigious 1999 Magshim Award from the President of Israel, Mr Ezer Weizman for the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb presented by The Council for a Beautiful Israel.

Mrs Aura Herzog, International President of The Council stated: "Today, the gardens are of unmatched beauty, and they were judged to be without rival ... We have even heard them categorized as a candidate for one of the wonders of the world."

Taken from Mount Carmel Bahá’í Projects Update, May 1999

The "unfolding magnificence of the Terraces" on the slopes of Mount Carmel has "captured public attention".

Mr Fariburz Sahba receives the Magshim Award from the President of Israel.

from an article entitled "Created Rich" by Patrick Barker

The Right of God is not merely another system for raising money in order to further the interests of the Cause, but a point where both the "spiritual and physical dimensions" of the Bahá’í Faith "meet and are united". There are five characteristics which distinguish the law of Huqúqu’lláh, not only from the concept of tithing in past Dispensations, but also from the obligation to give to the Bahá’í funds. The first distinctive characteristic of Huqúqu’lláh is that it is really a financial obligation to God, since, according to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, a part of an individual’s possessions and income rightfully belongs to God: "Should anyone acquire one hundred mithqáls of gold, nineteen mithqáls thereof are God’s and to be rendered unto Him, the Fashioner of earth and heaven" (Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para 97). The mysteries and benefits associated with obeying this commandment are "beyond the ken of anyone but God, the Omniscient, the All-Informed".

The second distinctive characteristic is that the payment of the Right of God has priority over all other contributions to any of the other Bahá’í funds, since this money belongs to God and we have no right to it. Although it may come through us, it does not belong to us. What we contribute to the Bahá’í funds is independent of our obligation to pay the Huqúqu’lláh and must not come from what belongs to God. Incredibly, the act of giving back to God what specifically belongs to Him has the added benefit of purifying our wealth. And when our wealth is purified, all who set foot in our home are also honoured to enter a material environment which has been blessed by Bahá’u’lláh. The third distinctive characteristic of the Right of God is that it is an obligation subject to specific laws and guidelines given in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, whereas our other contributions are not. Contributing to the Bahá’í funds is an act of sacrifice, generosity, and detachment, not an obligation which has dire consequences to the soul if not obeyed: "He who dealeth faithlessly, with God shall in justice meet with faithlessness himself" (Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para 97). Although the payment of the Right of God attracts "divine bounty and blessings, its negligence or failure causes deprivation and is interpreted as tantamount to treachery to a Fund rightfully belonging to God" (Huqúqu’lláh, A Study Guide, p13). The payment of Huqúqu’lláh is really the fulfilment of our material indebtedness to God, since we are ultimately beholden to God for all of our blessings and material bounties. The fourth distinctive characteristic of Huqúqu’lláh is that the amount due to be paid is determined, not on one’s income, but on the size of one’s accumulated savings and possessions after all necessary living expenses have been paid and losses have been recouped. This fact distinguishes the law of Huqúqu’lláh from that of Zakát, which is intended to purify one’s "means of sustenance and other such things" (Kitáb-i-Aqdas, para 146), while payment of Huqúqu’lláh purifies one’s surplus [savings] after all of one’s living expenses have been met. Although reference is made to computing Huqúqu’lláh when one’s annual income and expenses are known, indicating that a yearly payment would be the norm, the frequency of payment is not, in fact, laid down and is left to the judgement of the individual. The determination of what are "necessary" expenses is likewise left to "the spiritual maturity of every believer and his innermost conscience". The fifth distinctive characteristic is that the distribution of the Huqúqu’lláh is solely determined by the Head of the Cause of God and not subject to the wishes of the donor. With other Bahá’í Funds, we are free to earmark our contributions for any purpose we wish, not so with payment of the Right of God. "Whatever portion of one’s wealth is due to the Huqúqu’lláh," explains the Universal House of Justice, "belongs to the World Centre of the Cause of God, not to the individuals concerned". Since this money rightfully belongs to God and not to the person who is obligated to pay it, the payer has absolutely no say in how it is to be spent. In other words, we have no rights over the Right of God. The distribution of Huqúqu’lláh is the sole prerogative of the Universal House of Justice.