The first election of the Universal House of Justice is held, marking its establishment as the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith.
The Bah Faith is a relatively new religion teaching the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Bahu'llh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the Middle East, where it has faced ongoing persecution since its inception. The religion is estimated to have 58 million adherents, known as Bahs, spread throughout most of the world's countries and territories.The religion has three central figures: the Bb (18191850), considered a herald who taught his followers that God would soon send a prophet similar to Jesus or Muhammad, and was executed by Iranian authorities in 1850; Bahu'llh (18171892), who claimed to be that prophet in 1863 and faced exile and imprisonment for most of his life; and his son, Abdu'l-Bah (18441921), who was released from confinement in 1908 and made teaching trips to Europe and the United States. After Abdu'l-Bah's death in 1921, the leadership of the religion fell to his grandson Shoghi Effendi (18971957). Bahs annually elect local, regional, and national Spiritual Assemblies that govern the religion's affairs, and every five years an election is held for the Universal House of Justice, the nine-member supreme governing institution of the worldwide Bah community that is located in Haifa, Israel, near the Shrine of the Bb.
According to Bah teachings, the religion is revealed in an orderly and progressive way by a single God through Manifestations of God, who are the founders of major world religions throughout history; Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad are noted as the most recent of these before the Bb and Bahu'llh. Bahs regard the world's major religions as fundamentally unified in purpose, though varied in social practices and interpretations. The Bah Faith stresses the unity of all people, explicitly rejecting racism, sexism, and nationalism. At the heart of Bah teachings is the goal of a unified world order that ensures the prosperity of all nations, races, creeds, and classes.Letters which were written by Bahu'llh and sent to various people, including some heads of state, have been collected and assembled into a canon of Bah scripture. This collection of scripture includes works by his son Abdu'l-Bah, and the Bb, who is regarded as Bahu'llh's forerunner. Prominent among the works of Bah literature are the Kitb-i-Aqdas, the Kitb-i-qn, Some Answered Questions, and The Dawn-Breakers.
The Universal House of Justice (Persian: بیتالعدل اعظم) is the nine-member supreme ruling body of the Baháʼí Faith. It was envisioned by Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, as an institution that could legislate on issues not already addressed in the Baháʼí writings, providing flexibility for the Baháʼí Faith to adapt to changing conditions. It was first elected in 1963, and subsequently every five years, by delegates consisting of the members of Baháʼí National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world.
The Universal House of Justice, as the head of the religion, has provided direction to the worldwide Baháʼí community primarily through a series of multi-year plans, as well as through annual messages delivered during the Ridván festival. The messages have focused on increasing the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies, translating Baháʼí literature, establishing Baháʼí Centres, completing Baháʼí Houses of Worship, holding international conferences, and developing educational systems to enhance literacy, the role of women, spirituality for children and youth, family life, social and economic development, and communal worship. The Universal House of Justice has also played a role in responding to systemic persecution of Baháʼís in Iran by garnering worldwide media attention.
The books and documents published by the Universal House of Justice are considered authoritative and its legislative decisions are considered infallible by Baháʼís. Although it is empowered to legislate on matters that are not addressed in the Baha'i holy writings, the Universal House of Justice has rarely exercised this function.
The Seat of the Universal House of Justice and its members reside in Haifa, Israel, on the slope of Mount Carmel. The most recent election was 29 April 2018. Although all other elected and appointed roles in the Baháʼí Faith are open to men and women, membership on the Universal House of Justice is male-only; the Baháʼí writings indicate that the reason for this will become clear in the future.