hment is to be carried
out is also left to the Universal House of Justice to decide.

In relation to arson, this depends on what "house" is burned. There is
obviously a tremendous difference in the degree of offence between the
person who burns down an empty warehouse and one who sets fire to a school
full of children.

87. Should ye condemn the arsonist and the murderer to life imprisonment,
it would be permissible according to the provisions of the Book. #62

Shoghi Effendi, in response to a question about this verse of the Aqdas,
affirmed that while capital punishment is permitted, an alternative, "life
imprisonment", has been provided "whereby the rigours of such a
condemnation can be seriously mitigated". He states that "Baha'u'llah has
given us a choice and has, therefore, left us free to use our own
discretion within certain limitations imposed by His law". In the absence
of specific guidance concerning the application of this aspect of Baha'i
law, it remains for the Universal House of Justice to legislate on the
matter in the future.

88. God hath prescribed matrimony unto you. #63

Baha'u'llah, in one of His Tablets, states that God, in establishing this
law, has made marriage "a fortress for well-being and salvation".

The Synopsis and Codification, section IV.C.1.a.-o., summarizes and
synthesizes the provisions in the Kitab-i-Aqdas and Questions and Answers
concerning marriage and the conditions under which it is permitted (Q and
A 3, 13, 46, 50, 84, and 92), the law of betrothal (Q and A 43), the
payment of the dowry (Q and A 12, 26, 39, 47, 87, and 88), the procedures
to be adopted in the event of the prolonged absence of a spouse (Q and A 4
and 27), and sundry other circumstances (Q and A 12 and 47). (See also
notes 89-99.)

89. Beware that ye take not unto yourselves more wives than two. Whoso
contenteth himself with a single partner from among the maidservants of
God, both he and she shall live in tranquillity. #63

While the text of the Kitab-i-Aqdas appears to permit bigamy, Baha'u'llah
counsels that tranquillity and contentment derive from monogamy. In
another Tablet, He underlines the importance of the individual's acting in
such a way as to "bring comfort to himself and to his partner".
'Abdu'l-Baha, the authorized Interpreter of the Baha'i Writings, states
that in the text of the Aqdas monogamy is in effect enjoined. He
elaborates this theme in a number of Tablets, i