After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas had been revealed in response to the
pleas of the friends, Bahá'u'lláh withheld it from publication for some time
and even then, when a number of devoted Bahá'ís, having learned of the law,
endeavoured to offer Huqúqu'lláh, the payment was not accepted. The Tablets of
Bahá'u'lláh show His acute consciousness of the way in which material wealth
has been permitted to degrade religion in the past, and He preferred the Faith
to sacrifice all material benefits rather than soil to the slightest degree its
dignity and purity. Herein is a lesson for all Bahá'í institutions for all
time.
However, as the beloved Guardian explained, funds are the
life-blood of the Cause. God Himself, as Bahá'u'lláh stated, has made
achievement dependent on material means. Therefore, as the awareness of the
friends grew, He permitted Huqúqu'lláh to be accepted, provided the donor made
the offering willingly, with joy and awareness.
(From a document titled
"The Development of the Institution of Huqúqu'lláh ", prepared by the
Research Department at the Bahá'í World Centre and sent by the Universal House
of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies on 25 March 1987. A revised
version was subsequently prepared and sent to all NSAs on 31 July 2002)
