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Has there ever been a case of the UHJ forgiving a Covenant breaker

Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:55 pm
by Jonah
I received this email. Anyone volunteers to look it up? -Jonah

I was curious to know if there ever was a case of the UHJ forgiving a person that the Guardian had declared a Covenant breaker?
Or a case where the UHJ lifted sanctions on a believer that the Guardian had imposed.

This relates to a discussion that we were having during a Ruhi 8 study circle.

I have done some reading on this issue and found a case of the Guardian, in the early 1920's forgiving Sayyid Ali Afnan whom Abdul Baha had declared a Covenant breaker.
Also, I read the Writings on the Head of the Faith being the only one who can declare someone a Covenant breaker and also to forgive them.
What I'm interested in is if such a case exists where the UHJ has forgiven someone that the Guardian declared a Covenant breaker or sanctioned.

Could you possibly shed some more light on this.

Thank you in advance.

Regards,
Payam

Re: Has there ever been a case of the UHJ forgiving a Covenant breaker

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 12:49 am
by MontanaDon
The closest I can think of is the case of Perdu, who was declared a CB due to contacts w/ Sohrab.
Officially, no decision was made, but his family believes the Hands/Counsellors had approved the idea and all it needed was the official statement by the House of Justice. However, before that could occur, he was killed in an automobile accident in Brazil and the case was moot.

Don C

Re: Has there ever been a case of the UHJ forgiving a Covenant breaker

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 9:22 pm
by Fadl
Don,

Thanks for that. However, I wonder if death would really make it moot if the intend was to forgive? It seems to me there might be a reason to do it in that case.

Cheers

Re: Has there ever been a case of the UHJ forgiving a Covenant breaker

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 12:59 pm
by MontanaDon
IMO, the role of the House of Justice in such matters is administrative, not spiritual.

Re: Has there ever been a case of the UHJ forgiving a Covenant breaker

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 1:57 pm
by Fadl
Bearing in mind, this is a hypothetical for me, but there is nothing purely administrative about one being or not being a covenant breaker. It is a grave spiritual condition. Therefore, should soneone have been cleared of this dark condition, then even after their death, I would think the administrative task of change in status would be important. Why should one who is no longer a covenant breaker, who has turned away from, repented of, and been pardoned of the awful state they managed to escape by the grace of God, be remembered as a covenant breaker? It seems that would be grossly unjust.

Cheers