National Spiritual Assemblies

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Basic Information

National Spiritual Assemblies, the "pillars of the Universal House of Justice," are the elected bodies responsible for guiding the affairs of the Bahá'í Faith within their respective national or regional territories. They are each composed of nine members who are elected annually at Ridván by a convention of delegates. Along with their duties of managing the growth and development of the Faith, the National Spiritual Assemblies have the singular privilege and duty of meeting to elect the Universal House of Justice every five years in Haifa, Israel.

History of Evolution

In the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá'u'lláh created the both the Universal and Local Houses of Justice ([Local Spiritual Assemblies]), and delineated some of their functions and responsibilities. 'Abdu'l-Bahá later clarified the specific duties of each of these bodies, and, in His Will and Testament (par. 26), created the National Spiritual Assemblies (or secondary Houses of Justice) and defined their roles as electors of the Universal House of Justice:

"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."

When 'Abdu'l-Bahá passed away in November 1921, many believers felt that the Universal House of Justice would be elected immediately to lead the Faith. Even Shoghi Effendi believed that his only duty might be to call for such an election. (The Priceless Pearl, p. 42-43) However, after recovering from the physical shock of the Master's passing, and after some time reflecting upon and studying His Will and Testament, Shoghi Effendi came to realize that the election of the Universal House of Justice could not take place until National Spiritual Assemblies were formed, deepened, and strengthened across all regions of the globe. At Ridván 1923, he therefore took steps to form the first three National Spiritual Assemblies: England, Germany/Austria, and India/Burma. By the time of his passing, in 1957, 26 National Spiritual Assemblies were functioning, and by the time of the election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963, the number had been increased to 56. As of this writing in June 2004, there are 183 National Spiritual Assemblies, encompassing nearly every country and territory on earth.