Baha'u'llah & the New Era 2006 - J. Esslemont
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Page 95 of  180

Bequest and Inheritance
Baha'u'llah states that a person should be free to dispose of his possessions during his lifetime in any way he chooses, and it is incumbent on everyone to write a will stating how his property is to be disposed of after his death. When a person dies without leaving a will, the value of the property should be estimated and divided in certain state proportions among seven classes of inheritors, namely, children, wife or husband, father, mother, brothers, sisters and teachers, the share of each diminishing from the first to the last. In the absence of one or more of these classes, the share which would belong to them goes to the public treasury, to be expended on the poor, the fatherless and the widows, or on useful public works. If the deceased has no heirs, then all his property goes to the public treasury (95:2)

Bequest and Inheritance
There is nothing in the law of Baha'u'llah to prevent a man from leaving all his property to one individual if he pleases, but Baha'is will naturally be influenced, in making their wills, by the model Baha'u'llah has laid down for the case of intestate estates, which ensures distribution of property among a considerable number of heirs (95:3)

Equality of Men and Women
One of the social principles to which Baha'u'llah attaches great importance is that women should be regarded as the equals of men and should enjoy equal rights and privileges, equal education and equal opportunities (95:4)

The great means on which He relies for bringing about the emancipation of women is universal education. Girls are to receive as good an education as boys. In fact, the education of girls is even more important than that of boys, for in time these girls will become mothers, and, as mothers, they will be the first teachers of the next generation. Children are like green and tender branches; if the early training is right they grow straight, and if it is wrong they grow crooked; and to the end of their lives they are affected by the training of their earliest years. How important, then, that girls should be well and wisely educated! (95:5)

During His Western tours, 'Abdu'l-Baha had frequent occasion to explain the Baha'i teachings on this subject. At a meeting of the Women's Freedom League in London in January 1913, He said: - (95:6)

Humanity is like a bird with its two wings - the one is male, the other female. Unless both wings are strong and impelled by some common force, the bird cannot fly heavenwards. According to the spirit of this age, women must advance and fulfill their mission in all departments of life, becoming equal to men. They must be on the same level as men and enjoy equal rights. This is my earnest prayer and it is one of the fundamental principles of Baha'u'llah (95:7)

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