First Trustee of Huququ’llah - Jinab-i-Shah Muhammad from Manshad, received from Baha’u’llah the title of Aminu'l-Bayan (Trustee of the Bayan)

To receive Huququ'lláh, Bahá'u'lláh brought into being one of the great institutions of the Faith, the Trusteeship of Huququ'lláh.

The first to be honoured with being appointed Trustee of Huququ'lláh was Jinab-i-Shah Muhammad from Manshad, Yazd, who eventually received from the Blessed Beauty the title of Aminu'l-Bayan (Trustee of the Bayan). Aminu'l-Bayan had embraced the Faith in its early years and had the bounty of entering the presence of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad. The fire of love kindled in his heart made him impatient to offer his services to the Threshold of his Beloved, and this undertaking he followed until the last moment of his life, surrendering all material belongings in the path of service. Encompassed by hardship, danger and lack of means, this trusted servant of Bahá'u'lláh, in journey after journey, would carry the friends' donations of Huququ'lláh and their petitions to the Sacred Threshold and, in return, bring them news and Tablets from the Blessed Perfection.

Huququ’llah (The Right of God) -- a talk by the Hand of the Cause Dr. ‘Ali-Muhammad Varqa at the Sixth International Convention, Haifa, May 1, 1988

Dearly loved friends,

At the inception of the Six Year Plan of the Universal House of Justice, which coincided with dramatic changes in many aspects of society, a new arena for rapid development of the Faith of God has been attained and the purpose and aim of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation have been unveiled before the very eyes of Government Authorities, Heads of States and Scholars who were not even aware of its existence.

At this rightful time the Universal House of Justice has emphasized the importance of acquiring knowledge of the laws and ordinances revealed by Bahá'u'lláh, and adopted the translation of the most Holy Book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, into English as one of the sublime goals of this new plan.

Among the commandments and decrees revealed in this sacred Book is the law of Huququ'lláh, previously applicable only to the friends in the East. The Western friends became aware of this law with the dissemination of the compilation of the Holy text and the Sacred writings prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice.

Huququ'lláh is an Arabic word composed of two words, "Huquq" meaning "Rights" and "Allah" meaning "God". Therefore, Huququ'lláh means "The Rights of God", a part of the individual's possessions and income offered at the Threshold of the Lord.

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Spiritual condition of believer with respect to Huquq

The one true God -- exalted be His glory -- hath ever been and will continue to be exalted above every expression of praise and is sanctified from the world of existence and all the riches therein. Whatsoever proceedeth from Him produceth a fruit the benefits of which revert to the individuals themselves. Ere long will they perceive the truth of that which the Tongue of Grandeur hath uttered aforetime and will utter hereafter. And such benefits will indeed accrue if the Huquq is offered with the utmost joy and radiance and in the spirit of perfect humility and lowliness. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘The Compilation of Compilations, vol. 1, Huququ’llah)

God preserves everything we offer Him

O peoples of the world! Whatsoever ye have offered up in the way of the One True God, ye shall indeed find preserved by God, the Preserver, intact at God's Holy Gate. O peoples of the earth! Bear ye allegiance unto this resplendent light wherewith God hath graciously invested Me through the power of infallible Truth, and walk not in the footsteps of the Evil One, [1] inasmuch as he prompteth you to disbelieve in God, your Lord, and verily God will not forgive disbelief in Himself, though He will forgive other sins to whomsoever He pleaseth. [2] Indeed His knowledge embraceth all things... 

- The Báb  (Excerpts from Qayyumu’l-Asma, ‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

[1] cf. Qur'an. 2:204

[2] cf. Qur'an. 4:51  

The “progress and promotion of the cause of God depend on material means.”

Nothing that existeth in the world of being hath ever been or ever will be worthy of mention. However, if a person be graciously favoured to offer a penny-worth -- nay even less -- in the path of God, this would in His sight be preferable and superior to all the treasures of the earth. It is for this reason that the one true God -- exalted be His glory -- hath in all his heavenly Scriptures praised those who observe His precepts and bestow their wealth for His sake. Beseech ye God that He may enable everyone to discharge the obligation of Huquq, inasmuch as the progress and promotion of the cause of God depend on material means. If His faithful servants could realize how meritorious are benevolent deeds in these days, they would all arise to do that which is meet and seemly. In His hand is the source of authority and He ordaineth as He willeth. He is the Supreme Ruler, the Bountiful, the Equitable the Revealer, the All-Wise.

- Baha’u’llah  (The Compilation of Compilations, vol.1, Huququ’llah)

Story: Every Penny Counts...

During one of Hájí Amín’s journeys to the Holy Land to visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the late 19th or early 20th century — delivering the offerings of the Bahá’ís in payment of Huqúqu’lláh, as part of his duties as Trustee of the Right of God — the experience turned into discontent. Upon handing over the funds he had collected to the beloved Master, he was asked, “Hájí, was there anything else?”

At the time, the Trustee’s whole life flashed before his eyes. Most probably, he would have wished to be anywhere else in the world, rather than being challenged on his trustworthiness. Of course, the Master had full trust in him. But He knew something was missing. 

Back in his quarters that evening, dear Hájí Amin knelt down to God in subjugation and prayer, asking for guidance. At the moment he knelt, a piece of metal hit the hard surface of the naked floor, and the chiming sound grabbed his attention and interrupted his prayers.

It turned out that a penny had slipped through a tear in the lining of his overcoat, making his delivery of the Huqúqu’lláh payments short by one penny, in the presence of his beloved. The love of God came to safeguard him in less than 24 hours, and with that missing payment found, Hájí’s face was saved…

“Economic life is an arena for the expression of honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, generosity, and other qualities of the spirit.”

In the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, the nobility inherent to every human being is unequivocally asserted; it is a fundamental tenet of Bahá’í belief, upon which hope for the future of humankind is built. The soul’s capacity to manifest all the names and attributes of God—He Who is the Compassionate, the Bestower, the Bountiful—is repeatedly affirmed in the Writings. Economic life is an arena for the expression of honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, generosity, and other qualities of the spirit. The individual is not merely a self-interested economic unit, striving to claim an ever-greater share of the world’s material resources. “Man’s merit lieth in service and virtue”, Bahá’u’lláh avers, “and not in the pageantry of wealth and riches.” 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 1 March 2017)

"…payment of the Huqúq will enable the donors to become firm and steadfast and will exert a great influence on their hearts and souls.”

O my heavenly friends! It is certain and evident that the Incomparable One is always praised for His absolute wealth, distinguished for His all-embracing mercy, characterized by His eternal grace, and known for His gifts to the world of existence. Nonetheless, in accordance with His inscrutable wisdom and in order to apply a unique test to distinguish the friend from the stranger, He hath enjoined the Huqúq upon His servants and made it obligatory.

Those who have observed this weighty ordinance have received heavenly blessings and in both worlds their faces have shone radiantly and their nostrils perfumed by the sweet savours of God's tender mercy. One of the tokens of His consummate wisdom is that the payment of the Huqúq will enable the donors to become firm and steadfast and will exert a great influence on their hearts and souls. Furthermore the Huqúq will be used to charitable purposes. 

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá  (From a Tablet, The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Huququ’llah)