The Essentiality of the Guardianship To the World Order of Baha'u'llah

According to the divinely-conceived sacred and immutable provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the Guardian of the Cause of God is designated as:

"The Center of the Cause of God."
"The sign of God."
"The expounder of the words of God."
The "sacred head and the distinguished member for life" of the Universal House of Justice.

The only one who may "at his own discretion" exercise the "right to expel" any member of the Universal House of Justice who may "commit a sin, injurious to the common weal."

The nominator and appointer of the Hands of the Cause.
The appointer "in his own life-time" of his successor.

The sole authorized recipient of the "fixed money offering" — the Huqúq'u'llah — "the Right of God" offered by the believers.

It is should be crystal clear that only a living Guardian can perform the above functions assigned by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and, for this reason, Shoghi Effendi, now in the other world, can no longer be considered the Guardian of the Faith, as falsely contended by some believers who occupy ill-gotten positions of authority in the Faith.

The following statements by Shoghi Effendi, as outlined in The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, further stress the essentiality of the Guardianship to the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh:

"in the verses of the Kitáb i-Aqdas the implications of which clearly anticipate the institution of the Guardianship . . ."

" . . . the twin pillars that support this mighty Administrative Structure–the institutions of the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice."

" . . . these two fundamental organs of the Will of 'Abdu'l-Bahá [the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice]. . ."

" . . . these twin institutions of the Administrative Order of Bahá'u'lláh [the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice] should be regarded as divine in origin, essential in their functions and complementary in their aim and purpose. Their common, their fundamental object is to insure the continuity of that divinely-appointed authority that flows from the Source of our Faith, to safeguard the unity of its followers and to maintain the integrity and flexibility of its teachings."

"Acting in conjunction with each other, these two inseparable institutions administer its affairs, coordinate its activities, promote its interests, execute its laws and defend its subsidiary institutions."

"Severally, each operates within a clearly defined sphere of jurisdiction; each is equipped with its own attendant institutions–instruments designed for the effective discharge of its particular responsibilities and duties."

"Each exercises, within the limitations imposed upon it, its powers, its authority, its rights and prerogatives."

"Divorced from the institution of the Guardianship the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh would be mutilated and permanently deprived of that hereditary principle" which as 'Abdu'l-Bahá has written, has been invariably upheld by the Law of God."[ the Guardian-to-be inheriting his station from an appointment made 'in his own life-time' by his predecessor in office]

"Without such an institution, [the Guardianship] the integrity of the Faith would be imperilled and the stability of the entire fabric would be gravely endangered. Its prestige would suffer, the means required to enable it to take a long and uninterrupted view over a series of generations would be completely lacking, and the necessary guidance to define the sphere of the legislative action of its elected representatives would be totally withdrawn [the living Guardian providing this guidance when presiding as the irreplaceable and indispensable "sacred head" of the Universal House of Justice].

" . . .the Guardian of the Faith has been made the Interpreter of the Word" of God.

"The interpretation of the Guardian, functioning within his own sphere, is as authoritative and binding as the enactments of the International House of Justice. . . "

The Guardian "is bound to insist upon a reconsideration by them (the Universal House of Justice) of any enactment he conscientiously believes to conflict with the meaning and to depart from the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh's revealed utterance."

The above statements by Shoghi Effendi make it clear that the future World Order of Bahá'u'lláh can never become a reality with only a single institution — the Universal House of Justice — that has assumed both legislative and executive functions in directing the affairs of the Faith, and a body, moreover, that is obviously incomplete, deformed and fallible, without a living Guardian presiding as its "sacred head." For the divinely-conceived, sacred and immutable provisions of the Will and Testament bequeathed to us by 'Abdu'l-Bahá — the "perfect Architect" of the Administrative Order — call for twin institutions — the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice — that are, as Shoghi Effendi has stated, "inseparable" neither of which "can, nor will ever, infringe upon the sacred and prescribed domain of the other."

Lest the believers tend to elevate the Guardian to "a station coequal with those Whose words he is called upon to interpret" Shoghi Effendi has stressed that "He can exercise that right and discharge this obligation and yet remain inferior to both of Them in rank and different in nature" and has significantly promised that: "To the integrity of this cardinal principle of our Faith the words, the deeds of its present and FUTURE Guardians must abundantly testify,"

It should be clear from the foregoing that those who have abandoned the Guardianship have, in so doing, not only declared the major provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá null and void — a Document whose sacredness and immutability Shoghi Effendi has equated with Bahá'u'lláh's Most Holy Book , the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — but repudiated, as well, the words of Shoghi Effendi quoted above. What greater violation of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh can there be than this?

Notes:

1. The following statement is found in the renowned and well-known Haifa Notes of May Maxwell, Disciple of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, which were actually co-authored by her and her daughter Mary Maxwell who would soon after their pilgrimage in 1937 become the wife of Shoghi Effendi, the late Rúhíyyih Khanum:

"There was a danger that the friends might misunderstand the Master's Will, and thus the 'Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh' was written, Shoghi Effendi's spiritual testament. He has fixed in it the relation of things to each other. We cannot go beyond what he has defined. However, the second Guardian can interpret the 'Dispensation' itself. He has the same promise to be the inspired interpreter. The Guardian is the interpreter, expounder of the Cause and the protector of the Cause."

2. Emphasis has been added throughout for obvious reasons.

Joel Bray Marangella

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Shoghi Effendi Informs UN of his Role as the "Appointed Head" of Future "Baha'i World Council" Prior to its Formation in 1951

n July 1947, some three and one half years prior to his appointment of the International Bahá'í Council on 9 January 1951, Shoghi Effendi prepared a statement for submission to the United Nations Special Palestine Committee that has been published in pamphlet form under the title of: "The Faith of Bahá'u'lláh." with the subtitle, "A World Religion."

On page three of this document one may note the following significant paragraph which incontestably proves, in Shoghi Effendi's own words, that the one who presides as President of the International Bahá'í Council—this "World Council"—can be none other than the Guardian of the Faith.

The pertinent paragraph appears under the heading of "ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER" and reads as follows:

"The passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá marked the termination of the first and Heroic Age of the Bahá'í Faith and signalized the opening of the Formative Age destined to witness the gradual emergence of its Administrative Order, whose establishment had been foretold by the Báb, whose laws were revealed by Bahá'u'lláh, whose outlines were delineated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His Will and Testament, and whose foundations are now being laid by national and local councils which are elected by the professed adherents of the Faith, and which are paving the way for the constitution of the World Council, to be designated as the Universal House of Justice, which in conjunction with me, as its appointed Head and the authorized interpreter of the Bahá'í teachings, must coordinate and direct the affairs of the Bahá'í community, and whose seat will be permanently established in the Holy Land, in close proximity to its world spiritual center, the resting-places of its Founders."

When Shoghi Effendi subsequently proclaimed the appointment of this "World Council" in his cablegram of 9 January 1951, he significantly and appropriately addressed this Proclamation to the "National Assemblies of East and West" for, as the supreme administrative body in the Bahá'í World, this Council would exercise administrative authority over these national bodies. He provisionally named this World Council the "International Bahá'í Council," a title that appropriately described its role and function as the supreme administrative institution in the Bahá'í Administrative Order, and he outlined the several intermediary stages through which it would necessarily evolve prior to "its efflorescence into the Universal House of Justice." However, he did not immediately activate this World Council as an administratively functioning body under his Presidency, as would have been anticipated, in the light of his statement to the United Nations Committee quoted above, but created this Council as an embryonic institution, but yet a complete organism "from the first" which, as explained by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, is true of all embryonic organisms, (BWF p.313). In creating this supreme administrative institution in its embryonic form, Shoghi Effendi appointed both its irremovable embryonic Head (who would remain that head as long as he lived) and a body of eight other members who, although initially appointed, would, as he outlined, be elected members when the Council became "an elected body," in the third stage of its development. Having thus established "this first embryonic International Institution,"–this embryonic Universal House of Justice–Shoghi Effendi then carefully retained it as an inactively functioning institution during the remaining years of his ministry, as attested by Mason Remey, its appointed President, assigning tasks only to individual members of the Council. In retaining, in this way, the International Bahá'í Council as an inactive embryonic institution, Shoghi Effendi had been able to use it as an instrument for indirectly appointing and identifying his chosen successor "in his own lifetime," as enjoined by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His Will and Testament, for the embryonic President of this embryonic body and therefore the Guardian-to-be, are indisputably one and the same person who would be awaiting birth into active life upon Shoghi Effendi's passing. As neither the Hands of the Cause nor the believers at large had perceived the significance of this act, Shoghi Effendi had been successful in ingeniously veiling from the believers at the time the identity of his chosen successor, Mason Remey, a Hand of the Cause whose unparalleled services for the Cause had commenced at the turn of the century during the Ministry of 'Abdul-Bahá, Who had acknowledged his unique and outstanding services and his exemplary fidelity to the Covenant in his many eulogies of him that may be read in the early publication, "Star of the West." As evidence of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's esteem for him, He had addressed a Tablet to him on 2 March 1915, appearing in that publication, in which he significantly promised him that: "Ere long, Thy Lord shall make thee a sign of guidance among mankind." He was at the time of his appointment as President of the International Council (identified to the Bahá'í World as President of the Council in Shoghi Effendi's cablegram of 2 March 1951 )some twenty five years older than Shoghi Effendi. Had he been recognized at that time, by the Hands and the believers throughout the World as Shoghi Effendi's successor by reason of that appointment, this would have inevitably revealed to them, to their great consternation, the inescapable fact that for Mason Remey to outlive Shoghi Effendi and succeed him as Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi had clearly foreseen and had, in effect, predicted his own early passing (destined to take place some seven years later in November 1957).

It should therefore be clear why Shoghi Effendi had retained the Council as an inactively functioning body during the remaining years of his ministry which would only, upon his passing, assume its rightful active role, as the supreme administrative body in the Bahá'í World presided over by Shoghi Effendi's appointed President, Mason Remey, who could be none other than his chosen successor. This Council then, for the first time, would become an actively functioning "World Council," and commence to "coordinate and direct the affairs of the Bahá'í community" as Shoghi Effendi had projected in his letter to the United Nations Committee.

The projected active role and supreme administrative authority of the International Council was further confirmed in a message sent to the Bahá'í World on 23 November 1951 in which Shoghi Effendi stated that during the evolution of the "Master Plan designed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá," the final stage of which he titled the "Ten Year Global Crusade," would commence at Ridván 1953 and be designed to: "embrace all the continents of the earth and will bring the Central Body [i.e. the International Bahá'í Council] directing these widely ramified operations into direct contact with all the National Assemblies of the Bahá'í world which in varying degrees, will have to contribute their share to the world establishment of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, as prophesied by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and envisioned by Daniel,–a consummation that God willing, will be befittingly celebrated on the occasion of the Most Great Jubilee commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the formal assumption by Bahá'u'lláh of His Prophetic Office."

As Shoghi Effendi labored to erect, "at long last the machinery of its highest institutions" and the "supreme organs of its unfolding Order," he followed up his appointment of the International Bahá'í Council–this "Central Body" of the Faith–with the appointment of the first contingent of twelve living Hands of the Cause in his cablegram of 24 December 1952. He made additional appointments during the concluding years of his ministry, raising the number to twenty-seven at the time of his passing. On 8 October 1957, one month before his passing, Shoghi Effendi dispatched his last cablegram to the Bahá'í World in which he referred to the Hands of the Cause as the "Chief Stewards of Bahá'u'lláh's embryonic World Comonwealth" with the clear implication that unfortunately was never perceived by the Hands, that while they were the current Chief Stewards–these Hands of the Cause–appointed by the Guardian of the Faith would, as they died, be no more, but the institution of the Hands itself as an integral and immortal organ of the embryonic Commonwealth of Bahá'u'lláh, would continue to exist as long as the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh endured, and that future Hands would continue to be appointed by future Guardians during the course of the development of this embryonic Commonwealth and as it achieved ultimate maturity in the Golden Age of Bahá'u'lláh, similarly to the other institutions of the Bahá'í Administrative Order, delineated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in his sacred, divinely-conceived and immortal Will and Testament.

Upon Shoghi Effendi's passing, the Hands convened a conclave in 'Akká less than three weeks later and, as their first act, delegated nine Hands from their number to undertake a search of the safe and files of Shoghi Effendi's office in Haifa, which had previously, upon his death, been carefully sealed and secured. This search was carried out apparently in the expectation of finding a will and testament in which Shoghi Effendi had named a successor, in spite of the clear and unambiguous provision of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá which states that: "It is incumbent upon the guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor."

Of course, no such will and testament was found, for Shoghi Effendi, in complete fidelity to and compliance with the provisions of Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament, had not used a testamentary document to appoint a successor but had accomplished the appointment in the manner discussed above. Although a will and testament was not found, the Hands would still have been expected to retain an unwavering faith and assurance that Shoghi Effendi would not have failed to be completely faithful to the provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and to conclude that he had appointed a successor in some other way unforseen by them at the time. Assuming that to be the case, they certainly would have been expected to at least have taken the time to re-examine the provisions of the sacred and divinely-conceived Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to discover why or if they had been wrong in looking for a testamentary document in which Shoghi Effendi had appointed a successor. For in accomplishig such a review they would have perceived that 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Will clearly makes it incumbent upon the Guardian to name his successor "in his own life-time," and that it would have been for this reason that Shoghi Effendi had not left a will and testament naming a successsor. The Hands then would certainly have realized the necessity of undertaking a careful and thorough review of the important acts taken, historic decisions announced or statements made by Shoghi Effendi during his ministry, the significance of which they had obviously overlooked at the time that had pointed to or had revealed the identity of his appointed successor. Such a review however was never undertaken by the Hands, as attested by Mason Remey in his diary titled "Daily Observations," and, in fact, in the opening few minutes of the first consultative meeting they held after searching in vain for a will and testament left by Shoghi Effendi, they came to the hasty, tragic and unwarranted conclusion, as announced by them to the Bahá'í World in the "Unanimous Proclamation" they issued on 25 November 1957., that Shoghi Effendi had passed away "without having appointed a successor."

Seizing upon the appellation that Shoghi Effendi had given them in his last message to the Bahá'í World, quoted above, the Hands interpreted this appellation to endow the institution of the Hands with a primacy over all other institutions of the Faith and an institution now invested with supreme authority in the Faith, notwithstanding the fact that such authority is clearly not theirs under the provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Deluded as they now were in this belief of their supreme authority, the Hands had the temerity to announce to the Bahá'í World in the Proclamation cited above, that they were "the supreme body of the Bahá'í World Community and yet, in the very same Proclamation, they surrendered most, if not all, of their authority in their announced appointment of an illicit body of nine Hands from their number to which they gave the appellation: "Custodians of the Bahá'í World Faith," a body completely outside the provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. This illicitly formed body then ignominiously proceeded not only to flagrantly usurp the functions that should have been rightfully exercised by an actively functioning International Council, as Shoghi Effendi had planned, but, as announced in this same Proclamation, to shamelessly assume all of the "functions, rights and powers in succession to the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith." Thus, this illicitly established bogus body disregarded Shoghi Effendi's projected plans for the International Council, made it subordinate to themselves, and blatantly usurped its functions as they took over direction of the National Assemblies in their prosecution of the remaining goals of the Ten Year Global Crusade.

In their further plans, the Hands announced that the body of the Custodians in which they had invested such great authority would cease to exist after its brief reign of some six years with the election of the Universal House of Justice during Ridván in 1963. Although it would be a body minus its "sacred head"–the Guardian of the Faith–and therefore a headless, fallible and illegitimate body, they nevertheless would pretend that it was nothiing less than "that Supreme body" unmindful of the further fact that its election at this stage in the evolution of the Faith was far too premature, as Shoghi Effendi's plans, embodied in the goals of the Ten Year Global Crusade had not envisaged the evolution of the International Bahá'í Council beyond its second essential stage as an International Bahá'í Court by Ridván 1963 and even then it's establishment as an International Court would be contingent upon the establishment of six national Bahá'í Courts "in the chief cities of the Islamic East" which he had named. Although, the demise of the ill-named body of the "Custodians of the Bahá'í World Faith" would, according to their plans, take place coincident with the election of their headless Universal House of Justice at Ridván 1963, they made no mention about the assumption by that illegitimate body of the "functions rights and powers in succession to the Guardian" previously usurped by these Custodians. It may have been inferred that the Hands intended that these function, rights and powers be assumed by their so-called Universal House of Justice, even though interpretation of the sacred Writings is a right reserved solely to the Guardian of the Faith according to the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

It should be clear to any unbiased observer from the foregoing discussion that, in the Hands' unseemly haste to end the Guardianship of the Cause of God and in their usurpation of the "functions, rights and powers" of the Guardian of the Cause of God as well as the role and functions of the International Bahá'í Council–the embryonic Universal House of Justice–they had been guilty of an inexcusable lack of faith in the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, a repudiation of the most important provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abu'l-Bahá, and a shameful betrayal of both 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi in their complete corruption of the Bahá'í Administrative Order whose Institutions he had so laboriously labored to erect during his 36 year ministry in complete conformity with the divinely-conceived, sacred and immutable provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

The Hands of the Cause were equally guilty of ignoring other historic and equally highly significant statements made by Shoghi Effendi in his writings and cablegrams that undeniably proved the continuation of the Guardianship and the essentiality of this Institution to the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh. These failures have been discussed at length in other writings of the undersigned as well as by many of the believers who have remained steadfast in their faith in the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh and may be found in the respective web pages where this documentation has been posted.

Joel Bray Marangella

Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith

September 2004

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Birthday of Baha’u’llah

Baha’u’llah’s Birthday is recognized & celebrated by the Orthodox Baha’is on November 12th. Regarding this matter, the following quotes, (from October 16th, 2017), are excerpted from the 4th guardian’s website: http://www.bahai-guardian.com/

These days Bahá’í communities around the World are announcing the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh through their local newspapers or internet. This is good, but unfortunately those who follow the directives of the UHJ, knowingly or unknowingly, are announcing the Birthday of Bahá’u’lláh as October 22nd, although November 12, 1817, was His birthday. Such a shameful mistake is a result of them blindly following the bogus UHJs letter of July 10, 2014, in which the UHJ has written:

"The Birth of the Báb and the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, have, in the East, been traditionally observed according to their correspondence to the first and second days of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. These two days are accounted as one in the sight of God, Bahá’u’lláh affirms. Yet, a letter written on behalf of the Guardian (Shoghi Effendi) states, "In the future, no doubt all of the Holy Days will follow the Solar calendar, and provisions be made as to how the Twin Festivals will be celebrated universally." How to satisfy the intrinsic lunar character of these blessed Days within the context of a solar calendar has hitherto been unanswered. We have decided that they will now be observed on the first and the second day following the occurrence of the eighth new moon after Naw-Rúz, as determined in advance by astronomical tables using Tihrán as the point of reference. This will result in the observance of the Twin Birthdays moving, year to year, within the months of Mashíyyat, Ilm, and Qudrat of the Badí calendar, or from mid-October to mid-November according to the Gregorian calendar."

According to the Compilation Questions and Answers, in response to a question about His Birthday and the Birthday of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh revealed: "These two days are accounted as one in the sight of God."

If those who are running the affairs of the bogus UHJ had studied the Tablets and Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, they would have noticed that "These two days are accounted as one in the sight of God," because the Báb also is a Manifestation of God.

"Thus, by the "sun" in one sense is meant those Suns of Truth Who rise from the dayspring of ancient glory, and fill the world with a liberal effusion of grace from on high. These Suns of Truth are the universal Manifestations of God in the worlds of His attributes and names." ( Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 33 )

"For this reason, hath the Point of the Bayan — may the life of all else but Him be His sacrifice! — likened the Manifestations of God unto the sun which, though it rise from the "Beginning that hath no beginning" until the "End that knoweth no end," is none the less the same sun. Now, wert thou to say, that this sun is the former sun, thou speakest the truth; and if thou sayest that this sun is the "return" of that sun, thou also speakest the truth. Likewise, from this statement it is made evident that the term "last" is applicable to the "first," and the term "first" applicable to the "last;" inasmuch as both the "first" and the "last" have risen to proclaim one and the same Faith." ( Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 161 )

Shoghi Effendi during His Ministry always advised Bahá’ís to observe Holy Days according to the solar calendar, which enables the believers to indicate and point to the correct date and time for observing occasions and events in the season and year.

"Moreover, request communities observing Bahá’í Holy Days, solar calendar, celebrate with befitting solemnity the approaching anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh's Birthday" ( Cablegram, October 8, 1952 — Messages to the Bahá’í World ( 1950-1957 )

"Announce to Bahá’í communities, East and West, on the joyous occasion of the hundred and thirty-fifth Anniversary Bahá’u’lláh's Birthday, the successful termination of the protracted negotiations, initiated two years ago... ( Cablegram, November 12,1952 — Messages to the Bahá’í World:( 1950-1957 )

"Dear Bahá’í Brothers and Sisters: Shoghi Effendi wishes me to acknowledge the receipt of your joint letter dated November 12th, 1932 written on the occasion of the birthday of Bahá’u’lláh." ( Shoghi Effendi, The Light of Divine Guidance v I, p. 44 )

"It is advisable to use both the Bahá’í dates, according to the Bahá’í Calendar, and the usual Gregorian dates as well. The friends at present are free to do as they please." ( Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 12 )

Historians and scholars still are trying to find out the real and exact birthdate of Jesus Christ since it is not written in the Gospels. Christian sects celebrate different dates as His Birthday. The Birthdays of the Bahá’u’lláh and His Herald are clearly announced by Himself and His Interpreters of the Word.

The Headless body (UHJ) has created confusion by its negligence.

October 16, 2017

Nosrat'u'llah Bahremand

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Abdu’l Baha the Seventh Angel! - Commentary on the Book of Revelation's "Seventh Angel"by Nosrat Bahremand

Abdu’l Baha the Seventh Angel!

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.” Revelation (11:15)


“GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

The doors of the Kingdom of God are open!

GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

Armies of Angels are descending from Heaven!

GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

The Sun of Truth is rising!

GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

Heavenly food is being sent from above!

GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

The Trumpet is sounding!

GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

The Banner of the Great Peace is floating far and wide!

GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

The Light of the Lamp of the Oneness of Humanity is shining bright!
GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

The fire of the Love of God is blazing!

GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

The Holy Spirit is being outpoured!

GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

For Everlasting Life is here!

O Ye that sleep, Awake!

O ye heedless ones, Learn wisdom!

O Blind, receive your sight!

O Deaf, Hear!

O Dumb, Speak!

O Dead, Arise!

Be Happy!

Be Happy!

Be full of Joy!”



(Message to the London Baha’is for the Day of the Covenant, November 26th, 1911.--Abdu’l Baha in London, p. 126)

In the Dispensation of Baha’u’llah Abdu’l Baha occupies a unique Station unprecedented in the annals of all Religions. Shoghi Effendi explains:

“An attempt I strongly feel should now be made to clarify our minds regarding the station occupied by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the significance of His position in this holy Dispensation. It would be indeed difficult for us, who stand so close to such a tremendous figure and are drawn by the mysterious power of so magnetic a personality, to obtain a clear and exact understanding of the role and character of One Who, not only in the Dispensation of Baha’u’llah but in the entire field of religious history, fulfills a unique function. Though moving in a sphere of His own and holding a rank radically different from that of the Author and the Forerunner of the Baha’i Revelation, He, by virtue of the station ordained for Him through the Covenant of Baha’u’llah, forms together with them what may be termed the Three Central

Figures of a Faith that stands unapproached in the world's spiritual history.” (The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 131)


Abdu’l Baha’s contribution to the World Order of Baha’u’llah, the Baha’i Faith and humanity in general is enormously great and magnificent. What He did during His lifetime and “His greatest legacy to posterity” i.e. His Will and Testament “the Charter of a future world civilization, which may be regarded in some of its features as supplementary to no less weighty a Book than the Kitab-i-Aqdas” and “an Instrument which may be viewed as the Charter of the New World Order which is at once the glory and the promise of this most great Dispensation.” is so magnificent, glorious and luminous which not only will give light and will illumine many centuries in the future to the end of the Baha’i Dispensation, but His future glory and radiance has been observed and foreseen by the prophets of the past. For instance it is recorded in the Bible in the Book of Revelation (11:15) as follows:

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.”

Abdu’l Baha has explained and unveiled the meaning of this prophecy, in the book

Some Answered Questions:

“The seventh angel is a man qualified with heavenly attributes, who will arise with heavenly qualities and character. Voices will be raised, so that the appearance of the Divine Manifestation will be proclaimed and diffused. In the day of the manifestation of the Lord of Hosts, and at the epoch of the divine cycle of the Omnipotent which is promised and mentioned in all the books and writings of the Prophets -- in that day of God, the Spiritual and Divine Kingdom will be established, and the world will be renewed; a new spirit will be breathed into the body of creation; the season of the divine spring will come; the clouds of mercy will rain; the sun of reality will shine; the life-giving breeze will blow; the world of humanity will wear a new garment; the surface of the earth will be a sublime paradise; mankind will be educated; wars, disputes, quarrels and malignity will disappear; and truthfulness, righteousness, peace and the worship of God will appear; union, love and brotherhood will surround the world; and God will rule for evermore -- meaning that the Spiritual and Everlasting Kingdom will be established. Such is the day of God. For all the days which have come and gone were the days of Abraham, Moses and Christ, or of the other Prophets; but this day is the day of God, for the Sun of Reality will arise in it with the utmost warmth and splendor.”

(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 56)



Although knowledgeable Baha’is may know that Abdu’l Baha was referring to Himself saying: “The seventh angel is a man qualified with heavenly attributes,” it is helpful to note that the definition “a man” is the translation of the word of “ENSAN” used by Abdu’l-Baha which means ‘HUMAN BEING’, ‘HUMAN’, ‘MAN’ or ‘PERSON’ of course without the prefix “a” which has been put in place before “man” due to the


requirements of English grammar. In Persian conversation sometimes ENSAN is a reference to self. For example, one may say: ‘Ensan can’t stand quiet when he sees such cruelty to people’ which means ‘I can’t stay calm and say nothing when I see this oppression, and this is why I am protesting.’ Even observation of the sequence of the verbs used in the English translation directs the readers to the fact that at the time of utterance “a man qualified with heavenly attributes” refers to the present since “is” =present indicative of be.

“who will arise with heavenly qualities and character.” “who” in this phrase according to the dictionary is a “pronoun; as simple relative, with antecedent expressed: a. in a clause conveying an additional idea. b. used in clauses defining or restricting the antecedent.”. I think the “heavenly attributes” of Abdu’l Baha is known to everyone (at least to those who call themselves Baha’is) and I don’t see that it is necessary to write about His “heavenly qualities and character”, Shoghi Effendi has done it in the best possible way in the following words:

“He is, and should for all time be regarded, first and foremost, as the Center and Pivot of Baha’u’llah’s peerless and all-enfolding Covenant, His most exalted handiwork, the stainless Mirror of His light, the perfect Exemplar of His teachings, the unerring Interpreter of His Word, the embodiment of every Baha’i ideal, the incarnation of every Baha’i virtue, the Most Mighty Branch sprung from the Ancient Root, the Limb of the Law of God, the Being “round Whom all names revolve," the Mainspring of the Oneness of Humanity, the Ensign of the Most Great Peace, the Moon of the Central Orb of this most holy Dispensation -- styles and titles that are implicit and find their truest, their highest and fairest expression in the magic name 'Abdu'l-Bahá. He is, above and beyond these appellations, the "Mystery of God" -- an expression by which Baha’u’llah Himself has chosen to designate Him, and which, while it does not by any means justify us to assign to Him the station of Prophethood, indicates how in the person of 'Abdu'l-Bahá the incompatible characteristics of a human nature and superhuman knowledge and perfection have been blended and are completely harmonized.”

(The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 133)

“The third period (1892-1921) revolves around the vibrant personality of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, mysterious in His essence, unique in His station, astoundingly potent in both the charm and strength of His character. It commences with the announcement of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah, a document without parallel in the history of any earlier Dispensation, attains its climax in the emphatic assertion by the Center of that Covenant, in the City of the Covenant, of the unique character and far-reaching implications of that Document, and closes with His passing and the interment of His remains on Mt. Carmel. It will go down in history as a period of almost thirty years' duration, in which tragedies and triumphs have been so intertwined as to eclipse at one time the Orb of the Covenant, and at another time to pour forth its light over the


continent of Europe, and as far as Australasia, the Far East and the North American continent.”

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. xv)

Abdu’l Baha, while explaining the Bible Rev. 11:15 unfolded His plans for the future. His Talks which later were included in the book Some Answered Questions by Laura Clifford Barney took place during the years, 1904-1906 when He was confined to the city of Akka by the Ottoman government and only a limited number of pilgrims were allowed to visit Him. After the revolution of the Young Turks and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire Abdu’l Baha became free and fulfilled His plans, when in 1910 He started his journey to Egypt, Europe and North America.



“The establishment of the Faith of Baha’u’llah in the Western Hemisphere -- the most outstanding achievement that will forever be associated with 'Abdu'l-Baha’s ministry -

-    had, as observed in the preceding pages, set in motion such tremendous forces, and been productive of such far-reaching results, as to warrant the active and personal participation of the Center of the Covenant Himself in those epoch-making activities which His Western disciples had, through the propelling power of that

Covenant, boldly initiated and were vigorously prosecuting.”

“…'Abdu'l-Bahá was at this time broken in health. He suffered from several maladies brought on by the strains and stresses of a tragic life spent almost wholly in exile and imprisonment. He was on the threshold of three-score years and ten. Yet as soon as He was released from His forty-year long captivity, as soon as He had laid the Bab’s body in a safe and permanent resting-place, and His mind was free of grievous anxieties connected with the execution of that priceless Trust, He arose with sublime courage, confidence and resolution to consecrate what little strength remained to Him, in the evening of His life, to a service of such heroic proportions that no parallel to it is to be found in the annals of the first Baha’i century.”

“Indeed His three years of travel, first to Egypt, then to Europe and later to America, mark, if we would correctly appraise their historic importance, a turning point of the utmost significance in the history of the century. For the first time since the inception of the Faith, sixty-six years previously, its Head and supreme Representative burst asunder the shackles which had throughout the ministries of both the Báb and Baha’u’llah so grievously fettered its freedom. Though repressive measures still continued to circumscribe the activities of the vast majority of its adherents in the land of its birth, its recognized Leader was now vouchsafed a freedom of action which, with the exception of a brief interval in the course of the War of 1914-18, He was to continue to enjoy to the end of His life, and which has never since been withdrawn from its institutions at its world center.”


“So momentous a change in the fortunes of the Faith was the signal for such an outburst of activity on His part as to dumbfound His followers in East and West with admiration and wonder, and exercise an imperishable influence on the course of its future history. He Who, in His own words, had entered prison as a youth and left it an old man, Who never in His life had faced a public audience, had attended no school, had never moved in Western circles, and was unfamiliar with Western customs and language, had arisen not only to proclaim from pulpit and platform, in some of the chief capitals of Europe and in the leading cities of the North American continent, the distinctive verities enshrined in His Father's Faith, but to demonstrate as well the Divine origin of the Prophets gone before Him, and to disclose the nature of the tie binding them to that Faith.”



“Inflexibly resolved to undertake this arduous voyage, at whatever cost to His strength, at whatever risk to His life, He, quietly and without any previous warning, on a September afternoon, of the year 1910, the year following that which witnessed the downfall of Sultan Abdu'l-Hamid and the formal entombment of the Bab’s remains on Mt. Carmel, sailed for Egypt, sojourned for about a month in Port Said, and from thence embarked with the intention of proceeding to Europe, only to discover that the condition of His health necessitated His landing again at Alexandria and postponing His voyage. Fixing His residence in Ramleh, a suburb of Alexandria, and later visiting Zaytun and Cairo, He, on August 11 of the ensuing year, sailed with a party of four, on the S.S. Corsica, for Marseilles, and proceeded, after a brief stop at Thonon-les-Bains, to London, where He arrived on September 4, 1911. After a visit of about a month, He went to Paris, where He stayed for a period of nine weeks, returning to Egypt in December, 1911. Again taking up His residence in Ramleh, where He passed the winter, He embarked, on His second journey to the West, on the steamship Cedric, on March 25, 1912, sailing via Naples direct to New York where He arrived on April 11. After a prolonged tour of eight months' duration, which carried Him from coast to coast, and in the course of which He visited Washington, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Montclair, Boston, Worcester, Brooklyn, Fanwood, Milford, Philadelphia, West Englewood, Jersey City, Cambridge, Medford, Morristown, Dublin, Green Acre, Montreal, Malden, Buffalo, Kenosha, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Omaha, Lincoln, Denver, Glenwood Springs, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Oakland, Palo Alto, Berkeley, Pasadena, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Cincinnati, and Baltimore, He sailed, on the S.S. Celtic, on December 5, from New York for Liverpool; and landing there He proceeded by train to London. Later He visited Oxford, Edinburgh and Bristol, and thence returning to London, left for Paris on January 21, 1913. On March 30 He traveled to Stuttgart, and from there proceeded, on April 9, to Budapest, visited Vienna nine days later, returned to Stuttgart on April 25, and to Paris on May first, where He remained until June 12, sailing the following day, on the S.S. Himalaya from Marseilles bound for Egypt, arriving in Port Said four days later, where after short visits to Isma'iliyyih and Abuqir, and a prolonged stay in


Ramleh, He returned to Haifa, concluding His historic journeys on December 5, 1913.”



“It was in the course of these epoch-making journeys and before large and representative audiences, at times exceeding a thousand people, that 'Abdu'l-Bahá expounded, with brilliant simplicity, with persuasiveness and force, and for the first time in His ministry, those basic and distinguishing principles of His Father's Faith, which together with the laws and ordinances revealed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas constitute the bed-rock of God's latest Revelation to mankind. The independent search after truth, unfettered by superstition or tradition; the oneness of the entire human race, the pivotal principle and fundamental doctrine of the Faith; the basic unity of all religions; the condemnation of all forms of prejudice, whether religious, racial, class or national; the harmony which must exist between religion and science; the equality of men and women, the two wings on which the bird of human kind is able to soar; the introduction of compulsory education; the adoption of a universal auxiliary language; the abolition of the extremes of wealth and poverty; the institution of a world tribunal for the adjudication of disputes between nations; the exaltation of work, performed in the spirit of service, to the rank of worship; the glorification of justice as the ruling principle in human society, and of religion as a bulwark for the protection of all peoples and nations; and the establishment of a permanent and universal peace as the supreme goal of all mankind -- these stand out as the essential elements of that Divine polity which He proclaimed to leaders of public thought as well as to the masses at large in the course of these missionary journeys. The exposition of these vitalizing truths of the Faith of Baha’u’llah, which He characterized as the "spirit of the age," He supplemented with grave and reiterated warnings of an impending conflagration which, if the statesmen of the world should fail to avert, would set ablaze the entire continent of Europe. He, moreover, predicted, in the course of these travels, the radical changes which would take place in that continent, foreshadowed the movement of the decentralization of political power which would inevitably be set in motion, alluded to the troubles that would overtake Turkey, anticipated the persecution of the Jews on the European continent, and categorically asserted that the "banner of the unity of mankind would be hoisted, that the tabernacle of universal peace would be raised and the world become another world."

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 281)


“The clarion call which 'Abdu'l-Bahá had raised was the signal for an outburst of renewed activity which, alike in the motives it inspired and the forces it set in motion, America had scarcely experienced. Lending an unprecedented impetus to the work which the enterprising ambassadors of the Message of Baha’u’llah had initiated in


distant lands, this mighty movement has continued to spread until the present day, has gathered momentum as it extended its ramifications over the surface of the globe, and will continue to accelerate its march until the last wishes of its original Promoter are completely fulfilled.”

(The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 87)


“Praised be the Lord that the prophecies of all His Manifestations have now been clearly fulfilled, in this greatest of all days, this holy and blessed age.”

(Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 182)

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A warning call to obey “The Summons of the Lord of Hosts”

It was brought to my attention that the illegitimate organization which is headquartered in Haifa and which undeservedly calls itself “the Universal House of Justice”, recently has organized a Web-page and claims that it is the “Official website of the Bahá’í Faith”! 1

They should have honestly clarified that they meant a version of the Baha’i Faith modified and manipulated by Ruhiyyih Khanum and those former Hands of the Cause who followed her; a faith which repudiates the “Center of the Cause” and does not adhere to the sacred provisions of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha, a faith that is based on imitation, herd instinct and mind control, and by scare and hate-mongering rhetoric; a version of faith which is compatible with the ill wishes of “The Center of Sedition, the Prime Mover of mischief, Mirza Muhammad Alí,”, by “interpolating and falsifying the words and verses of the Sacred Text,” and consequently they “inflicted a grievous loss upon the true Faith of God,” by ignoring writings of the first Guardian of the Cause of God, especially his Proclamation of 9 January 1951 the only Proclamation during his own life; and opposing the descendant Guardians of the Cause of God.

The bogus organization pretends to be real; to be the same Universal House of Justice revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and the Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha, and as mentioned throughout the writings of Shoghi Effendi. They are trying to say that their organization has originated from the Most Holy Book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, when in reality this organization has been rooted in the violation of the Covenant by Ruhiyyih Khanum and the former Hands of the Cause who followed her.

They have written:

“In 1951, Shoghi Effendi appointed a number of individuals to an International Bahá’í Council, a forerunner to the Universal House of Justice. In 1961, this appointed Council was reformed as a body elected by all the National and Regional Assemblies then established in the world.


1    http://universalhouseofjustice.bahai.org/


After Shoghi Effendi’s sudden passing in 1957, his work was faithfully carried on by the group of distinguished Bahá’ís he had appointed as Hands of the Cause of God. These individuals arranged for the first election of the Universal House of Justice

The International Baha’i Council, so contemptuously mentioned in their writing, was truly an august body, the formation of which was announced by Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Cause of God, in his proclamation of January 9, 1951, the only proclamation of his lifetime to the Baha’i World. Rebellious Hands of the Cause did not have any authority to “reform” the IBC, which by that term they meant the termination of the Embryo IBC.

The first Guardian explained the IBC’s significance and virtues:

“…, combine to induce me to arrive at this historic decision marking most significant milestone in evolution of Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in course of last thirty years.”

“…in course of evolution of this first embryonic International Institution, marking its development into officially recognized Bahá’í Court, its transformation into duly elected body, its efflorescence into Universal House of Justice, and its final fruition through erection of manifold auxiliary institutions constituting the World Administrative Center destined to arise and function and remain permanently established in close neighbourhood of Twin Holy Shrines. Hail with thankful, joyous heart at long last the constitution of

International Council which history will acclaim as the greatest event shedding luster upon second epoch of Formative Age of Bahá’í Dispensation potentially unsurpassed by any enterprise undertaken since inception of Administrative Order of Faith on morrow of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Ascension, ranking second only to glorious immortal events associated with Ministries of the Three Central Figures of Faith in course of First Age of most glorious Dispensation of the five thousand century Bahá’í Cycle.”

(Cablegram, January 9, 1951, Messages to the Baha'i World - 1950-1957, p. 7)


January 9, 1951 was a major turning point and a milestone in the history of the Baha’i Faith.

Earlier local and national Houses of Justice were stabilised in their embryonic forms i.e. the Spiritual Assemblies: “the local as well as national Assemblies, which in the course of time will evolve, with the Master's power and guidance, into the local and national Houses of Justice.”

(Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Baha'i Community, p. 5)


“But now is not the time -- it is utterly impossible to establish the House of Justice which is mentioned in the Book of Aqdas, nay rather it is impracticable and not to be thought of, that is for the time when the Cause is proclaimed and the Commands have become effective. Therefore now is not the time for the House of Justice, which must be established by general election. Its mention is not permissible and its realization impossible”.

(Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 411)

“The Universal House of Justice is elected by the members of the National Houses of Justice. At this time when the National Assemblies in the Cause are not yet functioning sufficiently or fully representative of all the various important elements within it, and when some of the Baha’is are not even free to practise their faith, despite their numbers, it is quite impracticable to seek to establish the Universal House of Justice. Whenever conditions permit, it will be established.”

(Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p. 95)

On January 9, 1951, the conditions were favorable for the formation of the Universal House of Justice in its embryonic form (The International Baha’i Council). In the course of time and evolution, this embryonic International Institution inevitably must be developed into an officially recognized Bahá’í Court. This process was not only explained in the Proclamation of January 9, 1951; but it has been repeatedly emphasized in many messages of Shoghi Effendi; it having been designated by him as one of the major goals of the Ten Years Crusade synchronous with the establishment of six national Bahá’í Courts in the chief cities of the Islamic countries.


At the World Center of the Faith, where, at long last the machinery of its highest institutions has been erected, and around whose most holy shrines the supreme organs of its unfolding Order, are, in their embryonic form, unfolding;

(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha'i World - 1950-1957, p. 33)

“-- a process which the newly formed Council, now established at its very heart, is designed to foster, which will gather momentum, with the emergence in the course of time of a properly recognized and independently functioning Bahá'í court, which will attain its consummation in the institution of the Universal House of Justice and the emergence of the auxiliary administrative agencies, revolving around this highest legislative body, and which will reveal the plenitude of its potentialities with the sailing of the Divine Ark as promised in the Tablet of Carmel.”

(Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, p. 94)


Process of the unfoldment of the ever-advancing Administrative Order accelerated by the formation of the International Bahá'í Council designed to assist in the erection of the superstructure of the Báb's Sepulcher, cement ties uniting the budding World Administrative Center with the recently established state, and pave the way for the formation of the Bahá'í Court, essential prelude to the institution of the Universal House of Justice.

(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha'i World - 1950-1957, p. 12)

The International Bahá'í Council, comprising eight members, charged with assisting in the manifold activities attendant upon the rise of the World Administrative Center of the Faith, which must pave the way for the formation of a Bahá'í International Court and the eventual emergence of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme legislative body of the future Bahá'í Commonwealth, has been established, enlarged, and the functions of its members defined.

(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha'i World - 1950-1957, p. 148)


The development of the functions of the institution of the Hands of the Cause. The establishment of a Bahá'í Court in the Holy Land, preliminary to the emergence of the Universal House of Justice.

Codification of the laws and ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Mother Book of the Bahá'í Revelation. Establishment of six national Bahá'í Courts in the chief cities of the Islamic East -- Tihran, Cairo, Baghdad, New Delhi, Karachi, Kabul.

(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha'i World - 1950-1957, p. 42)

“the transformation of the International Bahá’í Council into an international Bahá’í court; the codification of the laws and ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas; the establishment of six national Bahá’í Courts in the chief cities of the Islamic East”

(Messages to the Baha'i World: 1950-1957, Page: 152)

Tenth, the establishment of a national Bahá'í Court in the capital cities of Persia, of Iraq, of Pakistan and of Afghanistan -- the leading Muslim centres in the Asiatic continent.(Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p. 170)

“Sixth, the establishment, circumstances permitting, of a national Bahá’í Court in the capital city of Egypt, the recognized center of both the Islamic and Arab worlds, officially empowered to apply, in matters of personal status, the laws and ordinances revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the Mother-Book of the Bahá’í Revelation.”(Messages to the Baha'i World: 1950-1957, Page: 139)


The origin of the bogus UHJ

On November 4, 1959, exactly two years after the passing of the first Guardian Shoghi Effendi, the former Hands of the Cause assembled in a conclave (secret meeting) in Haifa and sent a message to the Baha’is, published on page 165 of a book titled Ministry of the Custodians written by Ruhiyyih Khanum and other violators of the Covenant, they wrote:

“after long and prayerful deliberations, made plans embracing those final steps which they feel must be taken by all the followers of Bahá'u'lláh in East and West in order to bring to a successful conclusion the World Crusade of our beloved Guardian .

Alarmingly little time is now left to us in which to accomplish his design. Well aware of the fact that this great Faith of Bahá'u'lláh stands in sore need of the erection of that infallible and supreme legislative Body which in the words of the Centre of the Covenant Himself "God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error", and which the Guardian said "posterity will regard as the last refuge of a tottering civilization", we have fixed the date for the election of the Universal House of Justice as Ridvan 1963”

As it is obvious the inception of the bogus UHJ happened on November 4, 1959 by those who were signatory to the above mentioned message, a group of people who did not had any administrative authority in the Baha’i Faith and who violated the Covenant of Abdu’l Baha.

They have quoted out of context from Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha:

“God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error,” They disregard the fact that this expression in that sacred document is a reference to the real and true Universal House of Justice having the Guardian of the Cause of God as “its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body”, not to a fake and dummy body of their own making.

Abdu’l Baha in His Will and Testaments ordains:

“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. Unto this body all things must be referred. It enacteth all ordinances and regulations that are not to be found in the explicit Holy Text. By this body all the difficult problems are to be resolved and the

Guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body. Should he not attend in person its deliberations, he must appoint one to represent him. Should any of the members commit a sin, injurious to the common weal, the Guardian of the Cause of God hath at his own discretion the right to expel him, whereupon the people must elect another one in his stead”



From the above text it is apparent that only an institution can be called Universal House of Justice which is elected under the conditions the Master has ordained, having the Guardian of the Cause of God as “its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body”.

According to the sacred Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha:

First: “in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted,” So in all countries a National Houses of Justice must be established, In 1959 there was not one, and to this day there is not one National House of Justice nor a local House of Justice anywhere around the World.

Then: “these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the members of the Universal one.” In the absence of National Houses of Justice, this condition could not be realized.

And: 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. It is obvious that a Universal House of Justice could not be, and has not been established.

Nevertheless most important of all: “the Guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body. Should he not attend in person its deliberations, he must appoint one to represent him.


Should any of the members commit a sin, injurious to the common weal, the Guardian of the Cause of God hath at his own discretion the right to expel him, whereupon the people must elect another one in his stead”

How do the errant former Hands of the Cause reconcile what they have done in light of the fact that the establishment of an International House of Justice was not part of the goals of the Ten Years Crusade. Establishment of an elected International Baha’i Council was not part of the Crusade either.

The actual objectives of the Crusade were:

“the formation of the Bahá'í Court, essential prelude to the institution of the Universal House of Justice.” And “the establishment of a national Bahá'í

Court in the capital cities of Persia, of Iraq, of Pakistan and of Afghanistan -- the leading Muslim centres in the Asiatic continent.”

(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha'i World - 1950-1957, p. 42)


Furtherance of their message proves that they knowingly violated the Covenant.

They wrote:

“We are also happy to announce that another milestone in Bahá'í history will be reached with the election of the International Bahá'í Council during Ridvan 1961. The embryonic institution established and so highly extolled by the beloved Guardian will thus enter its final stage preceding the election of the Universal House of Justice.”

Their statement admits how they acted in contradiction to Shoghi Effendi’s writings and drastically altered and disrupted what he ordained and planned for for the structure and advancement of the Administrative Order, a plan which he had meticulously and painstakingly designed and announced to the Baha’i World and sought them to follow. While putting forth the pretence they wanted to fulfill the goals of the Crusade, still the Violator Hands admitted to the importance of the International Baha’i Council as being the embryo of the Universal House of Justice: “The embryonic institution established and so highly extolled by the beloved Guardian” even while they declared their plan to dissolve that same institution which had established by the Proclamation of January 9, 1951 of the first Guardian. And the president of the IBC and all its members were appointed by him, The Hands of the Cause did not have any authority to dissolve or alter the International Baha’i Council or change its members. In doing so, they interfered with the following steps for the evolution of the Embryo to the Universal House of Justice:

"its development into an officially recognized Bahá’í Court."

"its transformation into a duly elected body"

"its efflorescence into the Universal House of Justice."

"its final fruition through the erection of the manifold auxiliary institutions constituting the World Administrative Center."


From these stages, only the first step was called for by Shoghi Effendi as one of objectives of the Crusade. In many of his messages he emphasized the essentiality and necessity of this development.

The first Guardian in June 30, 1952, in one of his most important Messages titled: “The Summons of the Lord of Hosts”, predicted the possibility of severe tests and grievous “ordeal of temporary separation from the heart and nerve-center of their Faith which future unforeseeable disturbances may impose upon them,” He adjured the Baha’is: “never to hesitate, never to relax, until each and every objective in the Plans to be proclaimed, at a later date, has been fully consummated.”

He wrote:

“No matter how long the period that separates them from ultimate victory; however arduous the task; however formidable the exertions demanded of them; however dark the days which mankind, perplexed and sorely-tried, must, in its hour of travail, traverse; however severe the tests with which they who are to redeem its fortunes will be confronted; however afflictive the darts which their present enemies, as well as those whom Providence, will, through His mysterious dispensations raise up from within or from without, may rain upon them, however grievous the ordeal of temporary separation from the heart and nerve-center of their Faith which future unforeseeable disturbances may impose upon them, I adjure them, by the precious blood that flowed in such great profusion, by the lives of the unnumbered saints and heroes who were immolated, by the supreme, the glorious sacrifice of the Prophet-Herald of our Faith, by the tribulations which its Founder, Himself,willingly underwent, so that His Cause might live, His Order might redeem a shattered world and its glory might suffuse the entire planet -- I adjure them, as this solemn hour draws nigh, to resolve never to flinch, never to hesitate, never to relax, until each and every objective in the Plans to be proclaimed, at a later date, has been fully consummated.”

Your true brother

-- Shoghi

[June 30, 1952](Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha'i World - 1950-1957, p. 38)

Developments in the Administrative Order must be made only in obedience to every clause of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, They must honor the plans and arrangements that the first Guardian of the Faith made. This requires recognition of the succeeding Guardians after Shoghi Effendi of the fact that he faithfully fulfilled his obligation of appointing his successor during his own lifetime since the obligatory provision of the Will and Testament, quoted below, does not leave any other option for the Guardians:

“It is incumbent upon the Guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor that differences may not arise after
his passing.”

(The Will and Testament, p. 12)

Unfortunately, Ruhiyyih Khanum and those former Hands of the Cause who followed her, sought to extinguish the light of guidance and put an end to the Guardianship of the Cause of God. They committed everything they could do including the dissemination of the following obvious lies:

“We wish to assure the believers that every effort will be made to establish a Bahá'í Court in the Holy Land prior to the date set for this election. We should however bear in mind that the Guardian himself clearly indicated this goal, due to the strong trend towards the secularization of Religious Courts in this part of the world, might not be achieved.”

Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Cause of God, as quoted previously in many of his messages emphasised the necessity and essentiality of the “the

formation of the Bahá'í Court, essential prelude to the institution of the Universal House of Justice.” and he never wrote anything to show any slightest doubts about that.

They wrote: “due to the strong trend towards the secularization of Religious Courts in this part of the world, might not be achieved.”

To make their lie less obvious they did not mentioned the name of “this part of the world” Israel, where “a Bahá'í Court in the Holy Land, preliminary to the emergence of the Universal House of Justice” was to be established by the end of the Crusade. Even now, after passage of more than half a century, religious Courts exist in that country.

Courtesy of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, everybody can now know that the Baha’i Faith is mentioned among the religions which according to the law are allowed to have a religious court:

“Religious Courts

While military and Labor courts are not exclusive to the Israeli legal system, the Religious Courts are. The Israeli legal system is unique among modern legal systems in the utilization of various personal status laws in the area of family law, applied by religious courts. This phenomenon has historical and political roots: it existed under Ottoman rule and was retained by the British after they conquered the country.

The basic source for the application of the personal status law and the jurisdiction of the various religious courts is found in the Palestine Order in Council (1922). This order provides that "jurisdiction in matters of personal status shall be exercised... by the courts of the religious communities".

The order also grants jurisdiction to the District Courts in matters of personal status for foreigners who are non-Muslims, stating that they "shall apply the personal law of the parties concerned". Regarding foreigners, this was defined as "the law of his nationality". Case law determined that regarding non-foreigners, "the court ... have... to apply the religious or communal law of the parties".

The Palestine Order in Council recognized eleven religious communities: Jewish, Muslim, and nine Christian denominations. The Israeli government added the Presbyterian Evangelical Church and the Ba'hai to this list. The Knesset also enacted a law vesting jurisdiction in the Druze religious courts.”2
 

Those who are running the affairs of the bogus UHJ, which has nothing in common, except it name, with the real Universal House of Justice mentioned in the Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha, must realized that their existence is temporal. They must understand that they are partially responsible for the calamities and adversities which humanity is facing. It is necessary to remind them the sacred Words of Baha'u'llah in The Hidden Words:

O OPPRESSORS ON EARTH!

Withdraw your hands from tyranny, for I have pledged Myself not to forgive any man's injustice. This is My covenant which I have irrevocably decreed in the preserved tablet and sealed with My seal.


“O REBELLIOUS ONES!

My forbearance hath emboldened you and My long-suffering hath made you negligent, in such wise that ye have spurred on the fiery charger of passion into perilous ways that lead unto destruction. Have ye thought Me heedless or that I was unaware?”

2http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/democracy/pages/the%20judiciary- %20the%20court%20system.aspx.  Also the information is available in the article written by David Nachmias; “Israel Studies An Anthology: National Government Institutions”

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/isdf/text/nachmias.html

“O CHILDREN OF FANCY!

Know, verily, that while the radiant dawn breaketh above the horizon of eternal holiness, the satanic secrets and deeds done in the gloom of night shall be laid bare and manifest before the peoples of the world.”



O YE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD!

Know, verily, that an unforeseen calamity followeth you, and grievous retribution awaiteth you. Think not that which ye have committed hath been effaced in My sight. By My beauty! All your doings hath My pen graven with open characters upon tablets of chrysolite.

Baha'u'llah




The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the Guardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice, upon all the Aghsán, the Afnán, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One, will make a breach in the Cause of God, will subvert His Word and will become a manifestation of the Center of Sedition. Beware, beware, lest the days after the ascension (of Bahá’u’lláh) be repeated when the Center of Sedition waxed haughty and rebellious and with Divine Unity for his excuse deprived himself and perturbed and poisoned others.

(The Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha)

In conclusion, the bogus UHJ sets itself up as if it were the genuine one, ignoring the fact that it was born of violation, none of the essential conditions for its election have been met, and it operates without the Guardian as its sacred head. Contrary to the call of Shoghi Effendi, in his letter entitled Summons of the Lord of Hosts, dated June 30, 1952, adjuring the Baha’is to remain focused on the goals of the Plans no matter what might happen. The prerequisites established by Shoghi Effendi for the embryonic UHJ to grow through successive stages to a religious court, then to an elected body, and finally to effloresce to the Universal House of Justice, have not been met. In 1957, the embryonic International Baha’i Council with the Guardian as its sacred head, existed and should have been activated, and then be recognized as a Baha’i court. However, the errant Hands would not let this be.

At this critical time I call up on all to turn towards God and join the true Baha’is under the Guardianship and save their souls. Certainly the Covenant of Baha’u’llah and whatever revealed by His pen; is fulfilled and will be fulfilled.

“We have a fixed time for you, O peoples. If ye fail, at the appointed hour, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you, and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every direction. How severe, indeed, is the chastisement with which your Lord will then chastise you!”

(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh)

“We exhort mankind in these days when the countenance of Justice is soiled with dust, when the flames of unbelief are burning high and the robe of wisdom rent asunder, when tranquillity and faithfulness have ebbed away and trials and tribulations have waxed severe, when covenants are broken and ties are severed, when no man knoweth how to discern light and darkness or to distinguish guidance from error.”

(Tablet of Wisdom)

The warning call set forth by the first Guardian went unheeded, Today, this warning call is renewed! Obey the Summons of the Lord of Hosts!

Nosrat’u’llah Bahremand

 

Courtesy : http://bahai-guardian.com/

 
 

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Membership of the Universal House of Justice and Women's Rights

Anytime a Manifestation of God has appeared on Earth, He mirrored the splendor of God. Spiritual spring emerged; gave new life, and raised humanity.

The rights of women and the slow evolution and progress of their situation in society is one of the most important principles. For thousands of years, the status of women was very low; sometimes they even had the social ranking of a slave. Even today in many parts of the Earth, women are still being mistreated. Teachings of the religions of the past required women to be dominated by men and they had to be obedient and submissive to their husbands.

The Holy Bible teaches:

"Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
(Genesis 3:16–19)

"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing."
(Timothy 2:11—15)

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything."
(Ephesians 5:22—24)

Since the Revelations of God are progressive, The Qurán elevated women's rights up to half that of men.

"And get two witnesses, out of your own men, and if there are not two men, then a man and two women, such as ye choose, for witnesses, so that if one of them errs, the other can remind her."
(The Qurán, Surah 2)

"Divorced women shall wait concerning themselves for three monthly periods, nor is it lawful for them, to hide what Alláh hath created in their wombs, if they have faith in Alláh and the Last Day. And their husbands have the better right to take them back in that period, if they wish for reconciliation. And women shall have rights similar to the rights against them, according to what is equitable; but men have a degree (of advantage) over them and Alláh is Exalted in Power, Wise."


"The Dawn of the Supreme Manifestation of God and the Dayspring of His Most Divine Essence, Bahá’u’lláh, inaugurated a glorious new spiritual spring in the World unparalleled in the previous Dispensations."

"This is the King of Days," He thus extols the age that has witnessed the advent of His Revelation, "the Day that hath seen the coming of the Best-beloved, Him Who through all eternity hath been acclaimed the Desire of the World." "The world of being shineth in this Day with the resplendency of this Divine Revelation. All created things extol its saving grace and sing its praises. The universe is wrapped in an ecstasy of joy and gladness. The Scriptures of past Dispensations celebrate the great jubilee that must needs greet this most great Day of God. Well is it with him that hath lived to see this Day and hath recognized its station."
(The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 106)

"This is a century of life and renewal. Sciences and arts, industry and invention have been reformed. Law and ethics have been reconstituted, reorganized. The world of thought has been regenerated"
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 224)

Bahá’u’lláh in His Revelation granted comprehensive rights to women equal to men.

"And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is the equality of women and men. The world of humanity has two wings — one is woman and the other man. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of woman becomes equal to the world of man in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be."
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 29)

Clergies in the former times did not like that the ordinary people, especially women, were taught how to read or write; so women remained very ignorant.

In the revelation of Bahá’u’lláh this has been changed:
"Education holds an important place in the new order of things. The education of each child is compulsory. If there is not money enough in a family to educate both the girl and the boy the money must be dedicated to the girl's education, for she is the potential mother. If there are no parents the community must educate the child."
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 83)

"The first duty of the beloved of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful is this: They must strive by all possible means to educate both sexes, male and female; girls like boys; there is no difference whatsoever between them. The ignorance of both is blameworthy, and negligence in both cases is reprovable. Are they who know and they who do not know equal?"

"The command is decisive concerning both. If it be considered through the eye of reality, the training and culture of daughters is more necessary than that of sons, for these girls will come to the station of motherhood and will mold the lives of the children. The first trainer of the child is the mother."
(Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 111)

After the ascension of the first Guardian of the Cause of God, Shoghi Effendi, as a result of the violation of the Covenant by the former Hands of the Cause, the spiritual advancement of the peoples of the World came to a halt, and the people become more materialistic. Only a small group of true Bahá’ís who remained faithful, who believed in the immortality and Indestructibility of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, "the Charter of the New World Order;" and who understood the pertinent writings of Shoghi Effendi, and especially his Proclamation of 9 January 1951; and who believed that Shoghi Effendi had not failed to appoint a successor when, in his extensive writings, historic messages and recorded talks to pilgrims they had all abundantly testified to the fact, that to the very last days of his life, he had repeatedly and consistently emphasized the continuity and the absolute essentiality of the Guardianship to the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh for as long as the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh endures.

In recent years, some have raised criticism regarding the equality of men and women in the Bahá’í Faith and about the membership of the Universal House of Justice which is restricted to men. The critics mostly are from Muslim dominated places where women are considered as second grade citizens; who claim that in the Bahá’í Faith women rights are not equal to men since they cannot be elected as members of the Universal House of Justice.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed:

"Know thou, O handmaid, that in the sight of Bahá, women are accounted the same as men, and God hath created all humankind in His own image, and after His own likeness. That is, men and women alike are the revealers of His names and attributes, and from the spiritual viewpoint there is no difference between them. Whosoever draweth nearer to God, that one is the most favoured, whether man or woman. How many a handmaid, ardent and devoted, hath, within the sheltering shade of Bahá, proved superior to the men, and surpassed the famous of the earth."

"The House of Justice, however, according to the explicit text of the Law of God, is confined to men; this for a wisdom of the Lord God's, which will erelong be made manifest as clearly as the sun at high noon."
(Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 79)

Although establishment of a true and real Universal House of Justice is not possible at this time, but the seed (International Bahá’í Council) is planted.

"Consider not the present condition, but rather foresee the future and the end. A seed in the beginning is very small, but in the end a great tree. One should not consider the seed, but the tree and its abundance of blossoms, leaves and fruits."—
(Bahá’í World Faith – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Section, p.120)

I feel the time is come, by virtue of my responsibilities as the Guardian of the Cause of God, to clarify the issue of the membership of the Universal House of Justice and women rights.

True Bahá’ís know that the existence of the Universal House of Justice has not developed further than the embryonic form.

As time goes on more people will become aware of the mischief and rebellious action of the former Hands of the Cause against the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in creation of a fake and bogus body, called UHJ with no conformity with the Universal House of Justice as well­defined by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His sacred Will and Testament "the Charter of the New World Order which is at once the glory and the promise of this most great Dispensation".


Bahá’u’lláh reveals:

"The Lord hath ordained that in every city a House of Justice be established wherein shall gather counsellors to the number of Bahá, and should it exceed this number it does not matter."


And the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ordains:
—"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."


Unfortunately due to the disruption occurred to the advancement and growth of the Faith, and the spread of confusion by the headless body which undeservedly calls itself the Universal House of Justice, today not even a single House of Justice exists (not locally nor nationally) although they were established in embryonic form, by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the first Guardian.


It must be remembered that wherever there is mention of the International or Universal House of Justice in the authoritative writings of the Faith, it means the real and true Universal House of Justice as the Master specified and clearly explained in His Will and Testament:


"And now, concerning the House of Justice — By this body all the difficult problems are to be resolved and the Guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body. Should he not attend in person its deliberations, he must appoint one to represent him. Should any of the members commit a sin, injurious to the common weal, the Guardian of the Cause of God hath at his own discretion the right to expel him." ­ (The Will and Testament, p. 14)


Also ‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed:

"But now is not the time — it is utterly impossible to establish the House of Justice which is mentioned in the Book of Aqdas, nay rather it is impracticable and not to be thought of, that is for the time when the Cause is proclaimed and the Commands have become effective. Therefore now is not the time for the House of Justice, which must be established by general election. Its mention is not permissible and its realization impossible."
(Bahá’í World Faith — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Section, p.411)


Equality of men and women concerns rights and privileges, not physical abilities and duties. Almighty God has created human beings, male and female; divided the duties related to survival and procreation and assigned each with different abilities and functions to complete each other. Men were created masculine, with stronger body to be able to go hunting and bring food to the family, carry things, do the heavy liftings, face danger and fight with aggressors in the old times. Women were created feminine, with delicate body, sensitive and naturally maternity and motherhood are the closest issues to their hearts. They bear the baby inside their body for nine months, suffer the pain of delivery and have to nurse the baby and care for the child.


While as the result of inventions and advancement of science and technology in the developed societies, muscle power is not needed as much as before, women however still must bear the burden of birth and maternity.

Rights are entitlements to perform or not to perform certain actions, to possess certain states or not to be in certain states; or prerogatives that others perform or not perform certain actions.


While voting for the election of the Houses of Justice at all three levels is the legitimate right of every mature Bahá’í men and women, membership of the Houses of Justice at all three levels is not a right either for men or for women.


In the Bahá’í Faith no one is allowed to nominate her/himself and stand for the election of the Houses of Justice whether local, national or international.


True Bahá’ís do not consider membership of the Houses of Justice as an advantage and benefit to themselves. They do not pursue reputation, fame and popularity through membership of the House of Justice or other institutions or functions related to the Faith; rather they achieve it through different branches of science, arts and crafts. If they are elected to the membership of the House of Justice, they will consider it as a loving service to the Faith and society in a humble manner.


Membership of the true and real Universal House of Justice is not an easy task. Members may need to be away from home for a long period of time; they have to work long hours and bear the hardship of service.


While women must serve as a member of the local and national Houses of Justice if they are elected; but according to the Law of God they are relieved from the harsh duty of serving as the members of the Universal House of Justice.


It must be emphasized that the relief and exemption of women from membership on the Universal House of Justice in no way reduces the highly esteemed and honourable position of women in the true Bahá’í Faith, and in no manner should it be imagined that women are considered as being inadequate or unequal to men.


Numerous women have been appointed by the Guardians of the Cause of God, Shoghi Effendi and Joel B. Marangella, as Hands of the Cause of God. And at this time several women are serving the true Faith of God as Hands of the Cause of God.

Hands of the Cause of God outrank the members of the Universal House of Justice.

To achieve the equality of men and women around the world, both men and women need to be educated and this will only be possible by the spread of the True Bahá’í Faith.

Nosrat'u'llah Bahremand
November 2, 2015

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