From decision to action: executive power

"In the world of existence every undertaking is dependent upon the realization of three things. First, knowledge. Second, decision. Third, executive power. For example in building this hotel, first the plan was drawn. Second the company approved and decided upon the plan. Third, the capitalists put their money together to build it.

Many years ago in Baghdad I saw a certain officer sitting upon the ground. Before him a large paper was placed into which he was sticking needles tipped with small red and white flags. First he would stick them into the paper, then thoughtfully pull them out and change their position. I watched him with curious interest for a long time, then asked, "What are you doing?" He replied, "I have in mind something which is historically related of Napoleon I during his war against Austria. One day, it is said, his secretary found him sitting upon the ground as I am now doing, sticking needles into a paper before him. His secretary inquired what it meant. Napoleon answered, 'I am on the battlefield figuring out my next victory. You see, Italy and Austria are defeated, and France is triumphant.' In the great campaign which followed, everything came out just as he said. His army carried his plans to a complete success. Now, I am doing the same as Napoleon, figuring out a great campaign of military conquest." I said, "Where is your army? Napoleon had an army already equipped when he figured out his victory. You have no army. Your forces exist only on paper. You have no power to conquer countries. First get ready your army, then sit upon the ground with your needles." We need an army to attain victory in the spiritual world; mere plans are not sufficient; ideas and principles are helpless without a divine power to put them into effect.

The attainment of any object is conditioned upon knowledge, volition and action. Unless these three conditions are forthcoming, there is no execution or accomplishment. In the erection of a house it is first necessary to know the ground, and design the house suitable for it; second, to obtain the means or funds necessary for the construction; third, actually to build it. Therefore, a power is needed to carry out and execute what is known and admitted to be the remedy for human conditions -- namely, the unification of mankind. Furthermore, it is evident that this cannot be realized through material process and means. The accomplishment of this unification cannot be through racial power, for races are different and diverse in tendencies. It cannot be through patriotic power, for nationalities are unlike. Nor can it be effected through political power since the policies of governments and nations are various. That is to say, any effort toward unification through these material means would benefit one and injure another because of unequal and individual interests. Some may believe this great remedy can be found in dogmatic insistence upon imitations and interpretations. This would likewise be without foundation and result. Therefore, it is evident that no means but an ideal means, a spiritual power, divine bestowals and the breaths of the Holy Spirit will heal this world sickness of war, dissension and discord. Nothing else is possible; nothing can be conceived of. But through spiritual means and the divine power it is possible and practicable.

I beg of God that these philanthropic aims of yours may play a great effect in this world. Each program of laws is the result of legislation, but in order to carry it out there must needs be the Executive Power. To-day the penetrative or Executive Power over the spirits, minds and souls is the love of Baha’u’llah, because He is the Promised One of all the nations, the Heavenly Teacher of all the world and the Physician of the hearts and the souls.

The power of faith is the executive power; the Teachings are the legislative power. Every legislative power stands in need of an executive power. The divine counsels are the legislative power, but they require an executive power; and that executive power is obtained only through faith and certitude.

Those souls who today gaze toward the Most Exalted Horizon and are certain of the truth - if they show laxity in certain deeds or deem them inconsistent with revealed wisdom - should not be dealt with harshly. Verily, thy Lord is the Generous, possessed of great bounty. For example, We have forbidden the public baths of those lands, aiming to keep all pure and sanctified from what is unseemly. Yet this is not possible today, as in no city exists a bathhouse that would be acceptable in God's sight. Therefore, if someone frequents existing bathhouses, no blame attaches to them. Some ordinances cause no harm if implemented today and all must observe them. Others would cause public outcry, and thus their time is deferred. For instance, teaching the Cause of the Rich, the Exalted One is the crown of all deeds. Yet if someone were to arise openly and speak what would cause people to withdraw and servants to turn away and object, they would have departed from wisdom. For when someone who has clung to certain beliefs for years suddenly hears their opposite without understanding the reason, it will surely cause them to withdraw and object. People must be educated with kindness and forbearance and drawn to the eternal realm. Reflect on the mercy and compassion of this Revelation. By thy life! Mercy itself is ashamed to be attributed to Him, and all discerning souls prostrate before His mercy which they are powerless to comprehend.

Those clamorous clerics who had shouted "War! War!" and "Come to jihad!" cried out "Where is refuge? Where is escape?" at the first blow. They abandoned the great reward and noble recompense for a minor battle and took to flight, bringing about this great calamity. Glory be to God! Those who cannot manage their own nest and dwelling and arrange their own house and home, and are unaware of friend and stranger, interfere in the important affairs of state and subjects and in the difficulties of political matters with hostility. When you refer to history, you will find countless such events, all based on the interference of religious leaders in political affairs. These souls are the source of divine law-making, not its execution, meaning that when the government inquireth about general and particular matters pertaining to divine law and the reality of divine ordinances, they may expound that which is derived from the laws of God and conformeth to His religion. Beyond this, what knowledge have they of political affairs, the nurturing of subjects, the management and ordering of important matters, the welfare and prosperity of the realm, the implementation of national rules and laws, and foreign and domestic affairs?

And now, concerning the House of Justice which God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error, it must be elected by universal suffrage, that is, by the believers. Its members must be manifestations of the fear of God and daysprings of knowledge and understanding, must be steadfast in God's faith and the well-wishers of all mankind. By this House is meant the Universal House of Justice, that is, in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted, and these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the members of the Universal one. Unto this body all things must be referred. It enacteth all ordinances and regulations that are not to be found in the explicit Holy Text. By this body all the difficult problems are to be resolved and the Guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body. Should he not attend in person its deliberations, he must appoint one to represent him. Should any of the members commit a sin, injurious to the common weal, the Guardian of the Cause of God hath at his own discretion the right to expel him, whereupon the people must elect another one in his stead. This House of Justice enacteth the laws and the government enforceth them. The legislative body must reinforce the executive, the executive must aid and assist the legislative body so that through the close union and harmony of these two forces, the foundation of fairness and justice may become firm and strong, that all the regions of the world may become even as Paradise itself.

If administrators of the law would take into consideration the spiritual consequences of their decisions, and follow the guidance of religion, "They would be Divine agents in the world of action, the representatives of God for those who are on earth, and they would defend, for the love of God, the interests of His servants as they would defend their own." If a governor realizes his responsibility, and fears to defy the Divine Law, his judgments will be just. Above all, if he believes that the consequences of his actions will follow him beyond his earthly life, and that "as he sows so must he reap," such a man will surely avoid injustice and tyranny.

While I was in Adrianople Khorsheed Pasha the Vali asked me one day about the future possibilities of the country. 'Do you want me to give you my frank opinion?' I asked him. 'Yes of course.' he answered. Then let me illustrate your position by a story.

'During the war against a foreign nation one of the soldiers was stricken with a severe sickness. The Military Doctor observing his case recommended him to the watchman. 'Do as I tell you' he told him. 'This man will not sleep tonight. It is the crucial night of his sickness but tomorrow morning he will feel much better. Nurse him very carefully and watch over him all night.' The Doctor went and after sunset the watchman came around to take his position. After an hour or two he saw the sick man is getting worse, bemoaning and lamenting loudly. In order to alleviate his pain he gave him an opium pill. As a result of this he slept soundly all night. In the morning the doctor came and saw the condition of the patient is worse than yesterday. Not being able to explain this relapse he sent for the watchman, 'What did you give him last night?' 'Oh! he was in such a frantic condition that I gave him only a pill of opium after which he slept quietly all night.' 'Did you not think, I who am a Doctor knew this remedy just as well but did not give it to him because it would have made him worse?' 'What do I care about this consideration? On my watch night I wanted to sleep and this patient disturbed my sleep. I gave him an opium pill and it served its purpose. Tonight there will be another watchman. If the patient is getting worse it does not trouble me in the least.'"

"Now" the Master telling to [sic] the Governor "it is your watch time. You are not doing anything to improve the condition of the sick country. You are putting him to sleep by giving him narcotics to put him to sleep and when you leave what do you care whether the patient will die or live. You have had your night sleep. Instead of watching the patient solicitously and pulling him through you prefer your own rest and comfort."

The blessed utterances concerning the chronicles of the Islamic era were most detailed. Among them was the account of Hajjaj the tyrant and the burning of the minister’s tent for the sake of the discipline of the camp. For, after disorder had arisen, when he was appointed to the command of the army, the first decree he issued was this: that all the tents should be pitched at one and the same time, and all at once be taken down.

When the hour came for striking the tents, he beheld the minister’s pavilion still standing. Straightway he commanded that it be set on fire. This incident became the means of admonition to the others and of the ordering of the affairs of the camp. For had there been any exception, and had the law granted a privilege to the prince above the poor, the affairs of the army would have fallen into confusion, and confusion would have become the obstacle to perfect order.

Today the benefits of universal peace are recognized amongst the people, and likewise the harmful effects of war are clear and manifest to all. But in this matter, knowledge alone is far from sufficient: A power of implementation is needed to establish it throughout the world. Ye should therefore consider how the compelling power of conscience can be awakened, so that this lofty ideal may be translated from the realm of thought into that of reality. For it is clear and evident that the execution of this mighty endeavour is impossible through ordinary human feelings but requireth the powerful sentiments of the heart to transform its potential into reality.

We pray God -- exalted be His glory -- and cherish the hope that He may graciously assist the manifestations of affluence and power and the daysprings of sovereignty and glory, the kings of the earth -- may God aid them through His strengthening grace -- to establish the Lesser Peace. This, indeed, is the greatest means for insuring the tranquillity of the nations. It is incumbent upon the Sovereigns of the world -- may God assist them -- unitedly to hold fast unto this Peace, which is the chief instrument for the protection of all mankind. It is Our hope that they will arise to achieve what will be conducive to the well-being of man. It is their duty to convene an all-inclusive assembly, which either they themselves or their ministers will attend, and to enforce whatever measures are required to establish unity and concord amongst men. They must put away the weapons of war, and turn to the instruments of universal reconstruction. Should one king rise up against another, all the other kings must arise to deter him. Arms and armaments will, then, be no more needed beyond that which is necessary to insure the internal security of their respective countries. If they attain unto this all-surpassing blessing, the people of each nation will pursue, with tranquillity and contentment, their own occupations, and the groanings and lamentations of most men would be silenced. We beseech God to aid them to do His will and pleasure. He, verily, is the Lord of the throne on high and of earth below, and the Lord of this world and of the world to come. It would be preferable and more fitting that the highly honored kings themselves should attend such an assembly, and proclaim their edicts. Any king who will arise and carry out this task, he verily will, in the sight of God, become the cynosure of all kings. Happy is he, and great is his blessedness!

For example, the question of universal peace, about which Baha'u'llah says that the Supreme Tribunal must be established: although the League of Nations has been brought into existence, yet it is incapable of establishing universal peace. But the Supreme Tribunal which Baha'u'llah has described will fulfil this sacred task with the utmost might and power. And His plan is this: that the national assemblies of each country and nation--that is to say parliaments--should elect two or three persons who are the choicest of that nation, and are well informed concerning international laws and the relations between governments and aware of the essential needs of the world of humanity in this day. The number of these representatives should be in proportion to the number of inhabitants of that country. The election of these souls who are chosen by the national assembly, that is, the parliament, must be confirmed by the upper house, the congress and the cabinet and also by the president or monarch so these persons may be the elected ones of all the nation and the government. The Supreme Tribunal will be composed of these people, and all mankind will thus have a share therein, for every one of these delegates is fully representative of his nation. When the Supreme Tribunal gives a ruling on any international question, either unanimously or by majority rule, there will no longer be any pretext for the plaintiff or ground of objection for the defendant. In case any of the governments or nations, in the execution of the irrefutable decision of the Supreme Tribunal, be negligent or dilatory, the rest of the nations will rise up against it, because all the governments and nations of the world are the supporters of this Supreme Tribunal. Consider what a firm foundation this is! But by a limited and restricted League the purpose will not be realized as it ought and should. This is the truth about the situation, which has been stated.

Some form of a world super-state must needs be evolved, in whose favour all the nations of the world will have willingly ceded every claim to make war, certain rights to impose taxation and all rights to maintain armaments, except for purposes of maintaining internal order within their respective dominions. Such a state will have to include within its orbit an international executive adequate to enforce supreme and unchallengeable authority on every recalcitrant member of the commonwealth; a world parliament whose members shall be elected by the people in their respective countries and whose election shall be confirmed by their respective governments; and a supreme tribunal whose judgment will have a binding effect even in such cases where the parties concerned did not voluntarily agree to submit their case to its consideration.

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As regards the International Executive referred to by the Guardian in his 'Goal of a New World Order' it should be noted that this statement refers by no means to the Baha'i Commonwealth of the future, but simply to that world government which will herald the advent and lead to the final establishment of the World Order of Baha'u'llah. The formation of this International Executive, which corresponds to the executive head or board in present-day national governments, is but a step leading to the Baha'i world government of the future, and hence should not be identified with either the institution of the Guardianship or that of the International House of Justice.

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The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Baha'u'llah, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples. A world executive, backed by an international Force, will carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth.

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