Ḥuqúqu’lláh—The Right of God

The payment of Ḥuqúqu’lláh is a personal obligation on each Bahá’í, and it is for him to meet this obligation in accordance with his own conscience; it cannot be demanded from him by any of the institutions of the Faith. A part of this obligation is for a Bahá’í to make provision in his will for the payment of whatever remains of his debt to Ḥuqúqu’lláh at the end of his life. The Bahá’í law of intestacy, likewise, provides for the payment of such a balance of Ḥuqúqu’lláh before the distribution of the estate to the heirs.

The Law of Inheritance as revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, which is applicable when the deceased has left no will, is explicit in stating:

Division of the estate should take place only after the Ḥuqúqu’lláh hath been paid….

Likewise, in relation to the making of a Will, Bahá’u’lláh has stated:

A person hath full jurisdiction over his property. If he is able to discharge the Ḥuqúqu’lláh, and is free of debt, then all that is recorded in his will, and any declaration or avowal it containeth, shall be acceptable. God, verily, hath permitted him to deal with that which He hath bestowed upon him in whatever manner he may desire.

This makes it clear that the responsibility of a testator to pay his debts and his Ḥuqúqu’lláh have precedence over his freedom to leave his property in whatever other manner he wishes. 22